RTHK: Philippines says US military deal back in full force Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has walked back on a decision to end a key military deal with the United States, his defence secretary said on Friday during a visit by Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin. Duterte told the United States in February last year he planned to axe the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) after Washington cancelled the visa of a close ally who led his internationally condemned war on drugs. The deal has been prolonged three times since then, most recently in June after months of negotiations between the two sides. Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Friday the VFA was "in full force again", during a news conference with Austin, who was in Manila on the last stop of a Southeast Asia tour. "Last night, after the meeting between Secretary Austin and the president... the president decided to recall or retract the termination letter for the VFA," Lorenzana said, adding: "We are back on track". The 1998 VFA provides the legal framework for the US to hold joint military exercises and operations in the Philippines and is a key component of their decades-long alliance. It is also seen as a bulwark against China's growing clout in the region. Austin, who was visiting Southeast Asia for the first time as US defence secretary, welcomed Duterte's decision, saying it "provides us some degree of certainty going forward". "A strong, resilient US-Philippine alliance will remain vital to the security, stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific," Austin said. "A fully restored VFA will help us achieve that goal together." (AFP) This story has been published on: 2021-07-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. South Africa: Schoenmaker scoops SAs first gold medal at Tokyo Olympics Sport, Arts and Culture Minister, Nathi Mthethwa, has congratulated Tatjana Schoenmaker for scooping South Africas first gold medal of the Tokyo Games in the womens 200m breaststroke in a world record on Friday morning. The 24-year-old South African smashed the 2:19.11 world record held by Denmarks Rikke Moller Pedersen since 2013. With a two minute 18.95 second mark, Schoenmaker has achieved the first individual world record of this gala. She is the 10th South African to have won multiple medals at single Games, and the fourth since readmission, after Penny Heyns, Roland Schoeman at the Athens 2004 games, and Chad Le Clos in London 2012 and Rio 2016. Mthethwa said South Africa is incredibly proud of Schoenmaker who has proven beyond a shadow of doubt that South Africa is indeed a nation of winners. She set the pace from the onset of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by becoming the first female South African swimmer to win an Olympic medal in 21 years. She is a true ambassador of the nation and a living example that hard work and dedication truly pay off, Mthethwa said in a statement. Schoenmaker was the top seed in the 200m breaststroke going into the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and upon achieving this momentous feat she said: I would never have even thought!. This is my first Olympics so for me to get a lane into the final, then everyone stands a chance. Thats the thing Ive always believed in. So Ive exceeded, or God has exceeded, all my expectations so I couldnt be happier, said an elated Schoenmaker. On Tuesday, the athlete bagged a silver medal in the womens 100m breaststroke final. - SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2021-07-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. South Africa: Nzimande dismisses claims of abuse of power Higher Education and Training Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, has dismissed claims that he has wanted the departments Director-General (DG) Gwebinkundla Qonde to leave the department since 2019. The claims follows the precautionary suspension of Qonde, pending a forensic investigation into the National Skills Fund (NSF). The decision to place DG Qonde under precautionary suspension emanates from an adverse audit report by the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA). The AGSA found that much of a total amount of just under R5 billion could not be properly accounted for over two financial years by the National Skills Fund. These are indeed huge sums of money that the AGSA found they could not have been properly accounted for. The DG of the DHET, by virtue of this position, is also the accounting authority of the NSF. He therefore has the responsibility for all the funds and their expenditure, Nzimande said in statement. While Qonde has not as yet been found guilty, the Minister said that a precautionary suspension is necessary so that a comprehensive forensic investigation into the NSF can be done. He added that the need for such an investigation has also been called for by the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA). It is therefore a smokescreen that the suspension of DG Qonde is for any other reason than for conducting an investigation into this serious matter. Nzimande also noted with concern the continued reporting by some sections of the media on the matter in a manner that completely ignores these very serious audit findings. It seems the media thus far has been reporting without even bothering to engage with the AG findings and their implications. Media reportage thus far has also not even bothered to study the SCOPA hearings, findings and recommendations on the same matter, Nzimande said. The Auditor-General said: I do not express an opinion on the financial statements of the public entity because of the significance of the matters described in the basis for disclaimer of opinion section of this auditor's report. I was unable to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence to provide a basis for an audit opinion on these financial statements. During the National Skills Fund 2019/20 audit disclaimer hearing, held on the 18 May 2021, SCOPA chairperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa also said that the committee was wholly unsatisfied with the responses provided. The committee proposes a full-scale forensic investigation into NSF for the past three years. Further the Minister must provide a roadmap within 30 days on the process and structure of a forensic investigation, including its potential collaboration with the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), Hlengwa said at the time. Department of Science and Innovation, Director-General, Dr Phil Mjwara, is currently acting as the Director-General of Higher Education and Training, until the conclusion of the investigations and any process that may ensue thereafter. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2021-07-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. South Africa: SA ramps up COVID-19 inoculation With the expected arrival of COVID-19 vaccine batches in the coming days, South Africa will soon be able to vaccinate one million people in three days. Addressing the media on governments response to the COVID-19 pandemic, acting Minister of Health, Mmamoloko Kubayi, said vaccination is expected to pick up momentum such that 400 000 vaccinations will be administered per day by the end of the week. By the time we open for people between the ages of 18 and 34 to be vaccinated from the 1st of September 2021, we will be able to respond to the demand that this cohort will generate, the Minister said on Friday. This week South Africa expected the number of vaccinated people per day to reach the target of 300 000. However, due to the constrained vaccine supply this week, the number of vaccinated people per day was around 220 000 which is likely to be the average this week. At the present rate of vaccination, we are currently vaccinating one million people in four days. The number of vaccinated people has just surpassed another milestone of seven million, the Minister said. This week the vaccine supply was constrained, which has negatively affected the rate of vaccination. This as some of the sites ran out of vaccines and people had to be turned away. "The good news is that we received more vaccines from Johnson & Johnson and more Pfizer vaccines are expected in the coming days. The Minister has received a Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) on vaccine advisory. This relates to questions being asked about opening up for more vaccine to meet our demand. The advisory focused on Sinovac and AstraZeneca. We will communicate governments decision in a weeks time. South Africa is expecting a delivery of about 10 million Johnson & Johnson doses and about 16 million Pfizer doses this quarter. According to Department of Health Deputy Director-General, Dr Nicholas Crisp, 1 556 100 Pfizer does will arrive on Sunday 1 August for distribution next week. [A total of] 5 660 460 Pfizer doses are arriving between 31 July and 3 August and 1 454 900 Johnson & Johnson (J&J) doses are expected to be distributed in the week of 2 August, Crisp said. This week South Africa administered 7 297 912 doses of vaccines. We have been have been reaching our vaccination targets as we have been building up the capacity on the ground on the vaccinations but we are not reaching the most vulnerable sufficiently and that is something that we will focus o [in] the weeks ahead. Our target for August is to reach seven million people over the age of 35 but we must ensure that at least a million of those people are people over the age of 60, he said. Call for men to vaccinate Crisp has encouraged men to be inoculated, as they have not been showing up in their numbers to vaccination sites. We are not managing to reach that many men, specifically in the older age group, above 50 men are not turning up for vaccination and we encourage men to come for vaccination, Crisp said. The department will focus on increasing vaccinations in 10 districts that are lagging behind the rest of the country. The J&J vaccine, which originally targeted the public sector essential worker programme, has been placed in the population programme. Part of the focus will be ensuring that we get people in the pension pay queues vaccinated, a large number of those are people are over the age of 60, said Crisp. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2021-07-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. South Africa: Government to pump R3.9 billion to help businesses affected by unrest Government is working around the clock to get businesses affected by looting and damage to property in parts of the country back on their feet and set South Africa on a path of economic growth. Trade, Industry, and Competition (DTIC) Minister Ebrahim Patel said key interventions have been identified to boost investor confidence and assist businesses that were casualties of the recent unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. The Minister, who was also speaking on behalf of the Department of Small Business Development on Thursday, said a R3.9 billion response fund has been reprioritised from various departments. However, Patel believes that the capital is expected to grow to over R4 billion with the support of other entities. The funding will immediately support businesses to get back into full operations, while they await either longer-term funding possibilities or insurance money. In addition, where necessary, it may supplement what the State-owned insurer, South African Special Risk Insurance Association (SASRIA), is currently doing. They may include grants where warranted, source of working capital for raw material replacement, stock replenishment and can be used in some cases, for equipment purchases, and small scale repairs. In addition, he said, teams have been meeting with SASRIA to discuss how they can fast track insurance claims. We want the economic benefit of that insurance cover to manifest itself as quickly as possible. They will also be looking at what support we can provide to uninsured businesses. And all of those discussions are well underway. Damage He told the media that a survey conducted by government with companies shows the extent of economic damage and disruption. Of the 1 070 companies that responded, about 900 indicated they were directly or indirectly affected. The Minister said these businesses had damage to property, stock was looted or they experienced disruptions in their supply chain. The preliminary estimates of the damages indicate that it's significantly more than R5 billion of these surveyed companies in loss of assets and a significant loss of business. In addition, Patel announced that 10 200 jobs are potentially affected. Meanwhile, of these businesses, 255 are in manufacturing, 265 in retail, and close to 300 provide services, while 68% were from KwaZulu-Natal. All the businesses that we surveyed 60% had insurance, and 40% of them were uninsured for an event of this nature. Forty-three percent of these companies said it would take them anything from a week to a month to re-establish their normal business activity, while 7% believed it would take more than a year. Interventions Patel said government is working to re-establish the supply lines in the economy as quickly as possible while looking at immediate repairs of buildings that will lead to the resumption of business. Government is also speeding up the construction and structural repairs, which were vital to South Africa's economic recovery. However, he said it might take some time. Some of those will take some months to do. But the work has to start immediately and we've been working on how to fast track them. Patel told the media government was looking into addressing the loss of wages of workers during the period of reconstruction and rebuilding, which Minister of Employment and Labour, Thulas Nxesi will lead. This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa also announced the extension of the COVID-19 Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (TERS). Many of these businesses have indicated the need for bridging funding; funding that can be made available in the short-term until insurance pay outs. Engaging with businesses Government has interacted with more than 200 businesses and investors, business organisations, and top 100 CEOs and individual companies. I must say that we were struck by the support and view many businesses, particularly global businesses took about the rebuilding period, and their commitment to work with government and South Africans in rebuilding the economy, he told the media. The DTIC and national government also met with Toyota after the company raised security concerns. Because of those engagements, Patel said Toyota was convinced that their grievances have been addressed and that the company is ready to resume business. The purpose of all those engagements was to ensure that we can send a message around the security of businesses and the infrastructure that we can coordinate the actions we need to take to get the economy back on track. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2021-07-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. South Africa: Concern about new COVID-19 cases in KZN, W Cape Although South Africa has reached and passed the peak of the third wave, there are provinces that are still on the upward trajectory particularly the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. In other provinces such as North West, Free State and Northern Cape the number of cases have been relatively low but containment measures in these provinces are still critical in managing the pandemic, acting Minister of Health, Mammoloko Kubayi, said on Friday. Addressing the media on governments efforts in the fight against COVID-19 and the national vaccination rollout programme, the Minister expressed concern at the increase in COVID-19 cases in the Western Cape. We are however, concerned about the rise of numbers in the Western Cape which have now surpassed Gauteng in the number of new cases in the last 24 hours. If you can recall, Gauteng has been the epicentre of third wave and now the majority of new cases in the last 24 hours are from Western Cape with 29% of the new cases, followed by Gauteng with 27% new cases. We will keenly watch this situation so that if the numbers continue to rise we can introduce the necessary interventions, the Minister said. KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health Head, Dr Sandile Tshabalala, said with the increase in the new cases and active cases, the province has already prepared bed spaces in the event they would need to admit more people in hospital. We have more than 4 900 beds that are available for COVID-19 and 834 hospital beds in field hospitals. We are seeing that our occupation of these beds is low, with the private sector admitting most of the patients compared to the public sector. Only 24% of our isolation beds are occupied now and only 38% of intensive care unit (ICU) beds are occupied, he said. Tshabalala said the province is not seeing the admissions in hospitals increasing. We had expected that after all the unrest our numbers will increase a lot. We have passed the seven-day period but we still have not seen a big increase, which we were preparing ourselves for and we are still monitoring that. We are preparing in case the increase happens, he said. The province currently has 205 vaccination sites that are active and has vaccinated 1 282 417 people. In the last 24 hours, South Africa recorded 13 751 new cases, which was a significant decrease from Wednesday, which had 17 351 new cases. Despite the spike that we saw on Wednesday, the number of new cases has been on a downward trend. On Monday, the COVID-19 death toll breached 70 000 and for as long as the number of infections continue to rise, the death toll will continue to increase. This requires all of us to do everything we can to ensure that we both bring the number of infections and the number of deaths down, Kubayi said. She encouraged South Africans to continue to practice the non-pharmaceutical interventions and vaccinate. Getting vaccinated does not mean you cannot get infected, it lowers the risk of severe symptoms and death. Non-pharmaceutical interventions remain critical for bringing down the number of infections, the Minister said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2021-07-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. South Africa: SA's OHS standard in dire straits, ILO report finds A government commissioned report has painted a grim picture of occupational health and safety standards in South Africa. The report, themed A new beginning launch of the South African state of OHS, was on Friday launched by Employment and Labour Deputy Minister Boitumelo Moloi during a webinar. It was jointly commissioned by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Department in an effort to focus on the profile of OHS in workplaces. Inspector-General Aggy Moiloa; National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOH) executive, Dr Spo Kgalamono; ILO Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Specialist Peneyambeko Munkawa; Compensation Fund Commissioner Vuyo Mafata and Chief Inspector Tibor Szana also joined the webinar. The report, which also provided a historical analysis of OHS in the country, contained several key themes and insights that came out of the confidential, semi-structured in-depth interviews with 34 purposefully selected participants. It notes that while South Africa had century-long history of OHS legislation, which evolved from different pieces of legislation, the cabinet Memorandum of 1 of 1999, gave the then Department of Labour a mandate to lead a process of integration of all OHS legislation. Moloi said this sets the stage for the development of the draft OHS policy in 2003. She said: Unfortunately, I must confess, that most of the commission's and committee recommendations were not necessarily implemented. We didnt reach what we were initially mandated to do. Consequently, South Africa remains with legislation on OHS under several different state departments. As a member of the ILO, she said South Africa has an obligation to develop a national OHS policy and strategy. It is against this background that the Department of Employment and Labour created an OHS profile for South Africa. The ILO Convention 187 provides guidance on the establishment of the OHS. Among others, a literature review and primary data collection, analysis of quantitative. In the report, the ILO convention pointed out that South Africas legislation, although progressing, was fragmented, complicated, and generally excludes the informal economy, and to certain extent, domestic workers. Moloi said fragmentation results in the inefficient use of limited resources. We are unable to reach our mandate, most of the time because of these deficiencies. Legislation is viewed as punitive and government's role in OHS is compromised government departments were significant defaulters. The report also found that government departments regulate OHS with little coordination and collaboration. Level of awareness on reporting The level of awareness on reporting was viewed to be poor among government employees. There is a general lack of reporting of work related injuries and diseases in the public sector. Work-related injuries and diseases data collection and reporting is fragmented and not harmonized among and within the different departments. There is no uniform way of recording and reporting injuries and diseases, and therefore there is no clear picture of the burden of the OHS injuries and diseases, especially diseases, which sometimes don't get a recorded, she said. Further, the report said enforcement of legislation was a challenge, citing poor compliance by employers and serious limitations with human resource capacity. Inspections and enforcement Inspections and enforcement, the report found, was generally reactive in that inspectors tend to react to complaints and incident investigations. Suggestions by participants included that the processes of reviewing legislation should be fast tracked and that the South African Local Government Association should also provide basic facilities for informal economy workers to promote OHS, it found. Findings from quantitative data point to faults in inspections by the Department of Employment and Labour with little human resource. The Deputy Minister said government was trying to do more with the little that we have currently. In 2019, over 28 000 inspections were conducted with less than 300 inspectors at the time. The number of inspectors recently moved to 778 - 583 were currently in the field after the employment of a further 500. So, the inspector to employee ratio will be one inspector to 17 600 employees. In terms of ILO standards, we are far from reaching compliant position that was supposed to be, she said. Inspections show very poor compliance in the wholesale, retail, and iron and steel sectors. Review legislation While the country did not have a national OHS policy and strategy in place, a few Acts were currently under review. These included the COIDA amendment bill and OHS amendment bill. The ILO committee of experts on the application of conventions and recommendations, and stakeholders, have noted, the long time it takes to amend legislation in South Africa. We so we need to prioritize and fast track the process of reviewing this legislation. We will need to engage parliament to begin to shorten the period that we take to review legislation," she said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2021-07-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. South Africa: KZN Finance approves salary payments for Umkhanyakude District workers KwaZulu-Natal Finance MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube has conditionally approved and authorised the payment of salaries for workers and other allied municipal needs of Umkhanyakude District Municipality. The municipality last week wrote to the MEC requesting her to approve the payment of salaries, as they could not use their funds without authorisation since they had not convened to pass their budget. After due diligence, the MEC approved the payment of salaries, subject to the municipality convening to pass their budget. Umkhanyakude and eMadlangeni Local Municipalities have both been confronted with serious governance, financial and service delivery challenges. Among these include the failure to convene to pass and approve annual budgets, despite protracted efforts by the Provincial Treasury and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), which had been working with both municipalities to resolve their financial and administrative challenges. We noted that the payments were urgent and were necessary for the stability of Umkhanyakude, hence our conditional approval. I have also approved the intervention in terms of section 139(4) of the Constitution, 1996, at the uMkhanyakude District and eMadlangeni Local Municipalities, to ensure the continued functioning of the municipalities, said Dube-Ncube. Dube-Ncube has also approved the extension of the temporary budgets and associated revenue-raising measures for the municipalities, and to conclude all formalities related to this intervention. The department is further working with COGTA to stabilise a compromised governance system in both municipalities which have been contributed to current state of affairs. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2021-07-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Hong Kong: SJ meets Beijing authorities Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng today met various ministries and authorities in Beijing to discuss the professional development of the Hong Kong legal sector and further promote the city's legal, dispute resolution and deal-making services. At the morning meeting with Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank President Jin Liqun, Ms Cheng noted that the Department of Justice signed an agreement with the bank last month for the secondment of a legal officer to the bank's legal department. She said the sustainable development of the Hong Kong legal community would be facilitated by participating in the work of international organisations. It is also conducive to the development of Hong Kong's position as a leading international legal and dispute resolution services centre. Ms Cheng also pointed out that the robust legal system, strong rule of law and reliable common law system enjoyed by Hong Kong contribute to the healthy development of its financial market. She then attended the signing ceremony for the memorandum of co-operation under the tripartite communication platform jointly held by the Ministry of Commerce's (MOFCOM) Department of Treaty & Law, the Bureau of Policies, Laws & Regulations of the State Council's State-owned Assets Supervision & Administration Commission and the Department of Justice. The platform serves as a communication channel between Mainland enterprises and the Hong Kong legal profession to connect Mainland enterprises with the city's legal experts in various areas. Through regular exchanges of experience and knowledge, it is expected to optimise the business and investment environments of both places and facilitate the export of Hong Kong's legal services. In the afternoon, Ms Cheng attended an annual exchange meeting with the MOFCOM's Department of Treaty & Law. She highlighted that the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Working Group III pre-intersessional meeting was concluded in Hong Kong in November last year, and the UNCITRAL Working Group III meeting is tentatively scheduled to be held in the city later this year. These significant international meetings give Hong Kong legal professionals a better understanding of prevailing international legal practices and broaden their international horizons, the justice chief noted. She added that the Department of Justice will continue to organise the Investment Law & Investor-State Mediator Training Course, aiming to develop Hong Kong into an international investment law and international investment dispute resolution skills training base, and to build up a team of investment mediators in Asia to handle relevant disputes. Ms Cheng will return to Hong Kong via Shenzhen tomorrow. This story has been published on: 2021-07-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Hong Kong: CE visits Lingnan University Chief Executive Carrie Lam today visited Lingnan University to learn more about its promotion of gerontechnology in society as well as creative digital media learning. Mrs Lam viewed gerontech products in relation to healthcare, dining, living and commuting at the universitys Jockey Club Gerontech-X Lab. She also visited the Animation & Digital Arts Lab to find out how it encourages students to make use of digital equipment for creative work. The Chief Executive then received a briefing on how the university motivates students and teaching staff to leverage technology and cross-sectoral collaboration to meet societys needs, including through developing a reusable and transparent anti-COVID-19 face mask and a wheelchair handle sensoring system. Noting that the nations 14th Five-Year Plan has stated for the first time the support for Hong Kong to develop as a hub for arts and cultural exchanges between China and the rest of the world, Mrs Lam said she believes the university can leverage its own advantages to contribute to the promotion of cultural exchanges. I also encourage Lingnan University to seize the opportunities brought about by the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to advance the university's development and nurture more talents for the bay area, she added. This story has been published on: 2021-07-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. RTHK: Harris heads to Vietnam in first visit by US VP Kamala Harris will become the first US vice president to visit Vietnam next month during a trip that will also include Singapore and is aimed at rallying an international coalition to curb what Washington says is China's growing influence. Harris will discuss regional security, the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, and "our joint efforts to promote a rules-based international order," according to spokesperson Symone Sanders. Vietnam has emerged as the most vocal opponent of China's territorial claims in the South China Sea and has received US military hardware, including coastguard cutters. "President Biden and Vice President Harris have made it a top priority to rebuild our global partnerships and keep our nation secure, and this upcoming visit continues that work," the White House said in a statement. Additional details were not immediately available. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Vietnam on Thursday to nudge forward security ties with the country that have been slowly deepening as both countries watch China's activities in the South China Sea with growing alarm. On Sunday, the United States shipped 3 million doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine to former Cold War foe Vietnam. (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2021-07-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. RTHK: Congress to be shown Donald Trump's tax returns Former US president Donald Trump suffered a pair of setbacks on Friday when the Justice Department cleared the way for the release of his tax records and also disclosed a memo showing he urged top officials to falsely claim his election defeat was "corrupt." Handwritten notes taken by Acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue in December and released on Friday by the chair of the House of Representatives Oversight and Reform Committee paint a damning picture of Trump as he desperately sought to get the department to take the unprecedented step of intervening to try to upend his 2020 election loss. Hours later, the department cleared the way for the Internal Revenue Service to hand over Trump's tax records to congressional investigators a move he has long fought. The fact that the Justice Department allowed the handwritten notes concerning the election to be turned over the congressional investigators marks a dramatic shift from actions taken during the Trump administration, which repeatedly invoked executive privilege to skirt scrutiny. The newly released notes detail a December 27 phone call in which Jeffrey Rosen, who was appointed as acting attorney general a few days later, is quoted as telling Trump: "Understand that the DOJ can't + won't snap its fingers + change the outcome of the election." "Don't expect you to do that," Trump replied. "Just say that the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen," in a reference to Republican lawmakers. Trump's representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Justice Department ordered the IRS to hand over Trump's tax returns to a US House of Representatives congressional committee, saying the panel has invoked "sufficient reasons" for requesting it. The department's Office of Legal Counsel reversed course and declared the department had erred in 2019 when it found that the request for Trump's taxes by the House Ways and Means Committee was based on a "disingenuous" objective aimed at exposing them to the public. The Justice Department's actions will make it easier for congressional investigators to interview key witnesses and collect evidence against Trump. (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2021-07-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. by Sumon Corraya The group of radicals damaged the brick and tin-roofed building and made threats against the 50 members of the Bangladesh Tribal Baptist Church in order to get them to return to Buddhism. Rangamati (AsiaNews) Christian residents of Suandrapara, a village in the hilly district of Rangamati, fled after they and their church were attacked, twice. The Christian villagers belong to the Bangladesh Tribal Baptist Church, which provided funding for the construction of the local church. Rev Tubel Chakma Poran Adetion, the local assistant pastor in Suandrapara, told AsiaNews that since the attacks by Buddhist radicals, they live in fear. "We were Buddhists and we met Jesus Christ in 2005. In January of this year, we built a church with funding from the Bangladesh Bawm Tribal Baptist Church. Every day we gathered and prayed, but the local Buddhist majority didn't like it. They attacked us and demolished our Church twice. On 12 July, some Buddhist radicals led by Joan Chakma told them to tear down the church within three days. Joan Chakma is a leader of the United People's Democratic Front (UPDF), a local political group. Church members did not give in and on July 15 Joan Chakma's group attacked them, broke the gate, cross and parts of the church (pictured). They also ordered them to stop all kinds of Church activities and return to their old Buddhist religion. They gave them seven days to do so. On July 22, after the deadline, they again attacked the faithful and broke a Church wall and its door and damaged the buildings tin roof. The attackers also warned the Christians that if anyone reported the incident to any media or made a complaint to the police station, they would face dire consequences. No mainstream media reported the story, but some people posted it on social media. We did not go to the police station for security reasons, said Rev Tubel Chakma Poran Adetion. We are a minority and Buddhists can do whatever they want with us. We want to live in peace with them and discuss things with them. However, if radical Buddhists don't listen, the Christians will eventually sue them. Radical Buddhists warned us to completely destroy the Church, but we will not. Even if we have to sacrifice our lives. They threaten us in order to get us to return to our old religion, but we will not return. Jesus Christ is our saviour. We will die for Him, Rev Tubel insisted. Church leaders are worried. Rev Leor P Sarker, general secretary of the Bangladesh Baptist Church Fellowship (BBCF), a Protestant church organisation in Bangladesh, told AsiaNews that he was informed of the attack on their church in Rangamati. We are concerned about our members, he explained. There are about 50 of them. They live in fear. Most of them are staying away from their homes to protect their life after the attack. We are praying for the attackers, that they may change their way of thinking and let our people live there in peace. Rev Leor wants security for his fellow Christians. He notes that ethnic Chakma Christians in Suandrapara began to pray in a small house in 2005. Radical Buddhists didn't take it well when local church members built a brick and tin-roofed church in the village. This angered them. Now they are threatening the Christians in order to get them to return to their old religion. Christians represent only 0.4 per cent of Bangladeshs 166 million people, most of whom are Muslim. In different parts of the country, local and foreign missionaries preach the Word of God. Although new believers often face persecution from members of their old faith community, there is tremendous opportunity in Bangladesh to preach the Gospel and extend the Kingdom of God. Insurance registrations of locally-made passenger vehicles (PV) in China totaled 1,616,680 vehicles in June this year, a slight increase of 3% versus the same month of last year, and 5,559 vehicles less than the volume of May, according to data of China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC). For the first half of this year, PV registrations of the biggest vehicle market jumped 32.6% to 9,962,275 vehicles from a low basis of the same period of last year, when the countrys auto market was hard hit by the pandemic. On the TOP 20 brands list, compiled by Gasgoo, by monthly insurance registration, nearly half of the brands saw a year-on-year registrations drop. One of the reasons is the sales rebound in June, 2020 when pent-up demand was unleashed and sales increased significantly. And industry-wide shortage of automotive chips also affected deliveries. For example, Volkswagen China said that its second-quarter deliveries were challenged by the shortage for the group were unable to match production and high customer demand. Thanks to the better performance at the beginning of this year, the majority of the 20 brands on the first-half registration list realized double-digit year-on-year growth, except Hyundai and Baojun, a PV brand from SAIC-GM-Wuling. Both brands' registrations had a respective decrease of 11.7% and 28.7%. Half of the TOP 20 brands by first-half insurance registrations were local ones, but 4 brands out of the TOP 5 were foreign brands. And the combined volume (8,072,250) of the TOP 20 brands accounted for over 80% of the overall volume. Tesla was on both the monthly list and the first-half list. In the first six months of this year, the insurance registrations of locally-made Tesla models surged 64.7% to 131,761 vehicles. In June, a total of more than 600 models were registered, but only one model had a registration volume of over 40,000 vehicles, 9,149 units more than that of the second most popular model. The total volume of the TOP 20 models took up 26.6% of the entire PV registrations. The last one on the list, the BMW X3, had a monthly volume of nearly 15,000 units, only couple hundred more than that of the following one, the 21st GL8. The Tesla Model 3 ranked fifteenth on the monthly list with a volume of 16,995 vehicles, while the volume of the Wuling Hongguang MINIEV amounted to 28,608 vehicles. All models on the TOP 20 first-half list saw a year-on-year increase. The first two models respective registrations surpassed 200,000 vehicles while the first 14 models had a volume of over 100,000 vehicles. And the TOP 20 models contributed 27% of the total volume. Only four models on the first-half list came from Chinese brands, namely the Haval H6, the Hongguang MINIEV, the Changan CS75 plus and the Hongguang S series. Among the three models, Havals first-half registrations saw an increase of 37.21% from a year ago, the highest rate among the top three models. The cumulative registrations of the MINIEV totaled 157,218 vehicles, outselling such models as the Sagitar and the CR-V. The new energy passenger vehicle (NEPV) segment had a much higher increase (up 172% year on year) in monthly registrations (218,949 vehicles) than the overall PV market while registrations of the TOP 20 brands accounted for 95.3% of the total NEPV volume. 16 brands on the TOP 20 NEV brands June list were local brands with BYD topping the monthly list and six of them were Chinese startups. Li Auto, with only one model for sale, got the highest ranking among NEV startups for the first time, namely the seventh spot. Tesla won the bronze medal with only 620 vehicles less than the volume of the runner up Wuling brand. Such global brands as Toyota, Honda, Volvo Cars and Mercedes-Benz were not on the list. By first-half registrations, Wuling was the champion with 158,158 vehicles registered. The first three brands on the first-half registrations list had a clear lead over the rest brands, with ORA a distant fourth. Tesla surpassing BYD and ranking second, was one of the two foreign brands among the TOP 10 brands. The other one is VW. In terms of models, the Wuling Hongguang MINIEV, the Tesla Model 3 and the Model Y were the top 3 models not only by monthly registrations but also by first-half registrations. But the MINIEV had a clear lead over both Tesla models thanks to its competitive price. NIO had two models on the first-half list, but only one on the monthly list. The Li ONE, the XPeng P7, the WM EX5, the Nezha V and the Leapmotor T03 were all on both lists. Former WeWorks executive reportedly joins NIO as VP of new strategic business Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Ai Tiecheng, former general manager at WeWork Greater China, has joined NIO to serve as vice president of new strategic businesses and will directly report to William Bin Li, NIO's founder, chairman, and CEO, according to a local media outlet, citing sources familiar with the matter. Headquartered in the U.S., WeWork is a commercial real estate company that provides flexible shared workspaces for technology startups and services for other enterprises. The new business Mr. Ai will be responsible for in NIO is about a standalone low-/mid-end car brand, which targets the price range of 150,000 yuan ($23,250) to 250,000 yuan ($38,740), according to one of aforementioned sources. Another source revealed that the position of SGMW's Hongguang MINIEV, priced around 30,000 yuan ($4,650), is also under William Bin Li's consideration for the mysterious brand. According to the media channel, the new sub-brand will still adopt NIO's battery swapping technology, while build sales channels, user community, and App separate from the existing NIO brand. The vehicle development has reportedly started in Hefei. If everything goes well, the new sub-brand is expected for launch in the first half of next year, said a person briefed on the plan. Responding to a request for the local media channel, NIO declined to comment. The Fort Detrick mystery: What is US afraid of? 20:19, July 29, 2021 By Niu Wenxin ( People's Daily Online Infographic: Xu Zihe/GT Having had enough of the US attempts to instigate another phase of virus origin tracing, Chinese net users signed a petition, calling on the World Health Organization (WHO) to investigate the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick. As predicted, the number of people signing the petition expanded exponentially, and when it hit 10 million, the server hosting the online petition was attacked twice by IP addresses from the US. Fortunately, the server withstood the attacks and has now basically resumed operations. But the probability of future attacks against the website launched by certain forces attempting to cover up the truth of Fort Detrick remains high. What is Fort Detrick? It is a US military-run chemical laboratory, which also keeps bacterial warfare data of Unit 731, a notorious Japanese biological and chemical warfare unit during World War II. In July 2019, two retiree communities near Fort Detrick reported pneumonia of unknown cause, and two months later in the state of Maryland, where the lab is located, cases of e-cigarette pneumonia were reported, and the number of confirmed cases of the disease started to grow exponentially. At almost the same time, northern Virginia and Wisconsin both reported cases of pneumonia of unknown cause. The disease was later diagnosed as e-cigarette pneumonia and became a pandemic in the US. It is worth noting that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an order to halt research at Fort Detrick in July 2019, almost right after the pneumonia of unknown cause was reported. As for the reason why the lab was closed, the CDC explained that there had been a lab leak, but didnt disclose what was leaked, how bad the leak was, or whether the leak was a cause of the e-cigarette pneumonia. To this day, the closure of the lab remains a mystery, as the US refuses to disclose further details, using national security" concerns as an excuse. In fact, information released so far indicated that COVID-19 occurred in the US at least one month earlier than in China. According to an article published by a US media outlet on June 15, 2021, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) collected 24,000 blood samples from multiple locations across the country at the beginning of 2020, and found novel coronavirus antibodies in at least 9 blood samples. More importantly, the NIH research proved that the novel coronavirus had already spread in the US at a low rate as early as December 2019, one month earlier than the time the virus was discovered in Wuhan. According to reports by the Palm Beach Post and USA Today published in 2020, COVID-19 infected as many as 171 people in Florida as long as two months before officials announced it had come to the state, and 103 of the early patients hadnt traveled abroad. Why doesnt the US investigate the source of the virus in its own country, and why does it refuse to accept a third-party investigation? It is afraid of an investigation because it will be a slap in the face of the US. The US has to face the reality sooner or later. After all, it is facing doubts regarding COVID-19 from at least 2 billion people around the world. It must answer all relevant questions, and as an upholder of the principle of fairness and transparency, it must allow scientists from around the world to conduct investigations into the emergence and development of COVID-19 in the US. The article is edited and translated from Chinese, source: China Economic Weekly (Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Bianji) Commentary: U.S. attempt to manipulate WHO is ugly Xinhua) 08:15, July 30, 2021 BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Some U.S. politicians have recently stepped up their efforts to smear China by playing up the so-called lab-leak theory in tracing the origin of COVID-19. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday again urged for a second-phase COVID-19 origin-tracing that targets China during a meeting with World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Kuwait. Seeking a "presumption of guilt" against China, the U.S. attempt to manipulate the WHO to politicize the origin-tracing issue is greatly ugly. In fact, the origin-tracing study report of the China-WHO joint mission released by the health agency in March has drawn the clear conclusion that a laboratory leak is extremely unlikely. Widely recognized as highly professional -- which it is -- the conclusion drawn on the basis of scientific research has been viciously discredited by the U.S. side. Regrettably, disregarding the previous efforts and findings, the WHO now sings a different tune on the issue, and proposes a work plan on a second-phase origins study with a research focus that is consistent with the United States' malicious calculation against China. The WHO's setback has stunned and disappointed scientists and the international community since it deviates from the requirements of the resolution of the 73rd World Health Assembly, and also ignores the conclusions and recommendations of the first-stage joint research report. The organization's changing tune "is typical of the WHO's inability to function coherently, and a symptom of it being infected and derailed by the broader geopolitical struggle being forced upon it by Washington," said an article recently published on the website of Russian media outlet Russia Today. Obviously, a motive of the U.S. politicians is to deflect their responsibility for the failed fight against the virus by slandering China. However, no matter how sophisticated and deceptive their manipulations and tricks are, the U.S. politicians' incompetence in handling the pandemic cannot be concealed. Now the world's most developed country is facing rebounding numbers of new confirmed cases, hospitalizations and deaths. But the bloody figures have not changed the minds of those unscrupulous U.S. politicians, who are still wantonly spreading political "viruses" everywhere and disrupting global anti-pandemic cooperation. The U.S. politicians, as described by media, have turned the deadly virus into a pretext for international blackmail. But such a shoddy ploy is bound to fail. As an independent and sovereign country, China will not and cannot accept any work plan that is not a real plan to find the origins of the virus, but a plan to discredit China. Meanwhile, the international community is also widely opposed to the politicization of the origin-tracing work. Up till now, nearly 60 countries have sent letters to the WHO, agreeing with the results of the first-phase origin-tracing research and opposing any attempt to politicize the study of the virus origins. Many political leaders, experts and media have repeatedly emphasized that combating the pandemic and tracing the virus origins must be based on science. Origin-tracing needs cooperation rather than discrediting, truth rather than lies, and respecting science rather than political manipulation. The U.S. politicians must be aware that whatever platform they will use to play their political tricks, it is impossible to contain China's development, and such despicable moves will only reveal their true hypocrisy. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) China-ASEAN trade skyrockets by 85 times in three decades Xinhua) 08:19, July 30, 2021 Workers work at the construction site of the China-funded Binondo-Intramuros Bridge in Manila, the Philippines, Nov. 18, 2020. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali) BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Trade between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has skyrocketed by 85 times since the two sides established their dialogue relations 30 years ago, official data showed. China has remained ASEAN's largest trading partner for 12 consecutive years, said Ren Hongbin, assistant minister of commerce. In 2020, ASEAN also became China's largest trading partner. In the first half of this year, bilateral trade between China and ASEAN continued robust expansion, registering a 38.2 percent year-on-year growth, Ren told a press conference Thursday. On the investment front, ASEAN has become one of China's major outbound investment destinations and sources of foreign direct investment, with cooperation booming in sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, infrastructure, high-tech, the digital economy, and the green economy. Mutual investment between China and ASEAN exceeded 310 billion U.S. dollars as of June 2021, while the business revenue of Chinese enterprises from project contracts in ASEAN countries approached 350 billion U.S. dollars. Looking ahead, Ren said China would actively promote economic and trade ties with ASEAN by enhancing cooperation against the COVID-19 pandemic and jointly pushing forward the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement. The 18th China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit will be held from September 10 to 13 in Nanning, the capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. With an exhibition area of 124,000 square meters, the expo this year will set up a special area for RCEP members and has invited more countries and enterprises along the Belt and Road, according to Liu Hongwu, vice governor of Guangxi. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) Russia to join military drill in China, displays mutual trust, eyes Central Asian security Global Times) 08:19, July 30, 2021 Exercise displays mutual trust, eyes security and stability in Central Asia: experts Chinese team takes part in the tank biathlon's singles during the International Army Games 2020 in a suburb of Moscow, Russia, Aug. 30, 2020. Photo: Xinhua Russia is set to join a military exercise in Northwest China with the theme of jointly safeguarding regional security and stability in August. It will be the first joint drill to be held in China since the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, displaying a high level of mutual trust between the two militaries while also eyeing security and stability in Central Asia as the US irresponsibly withdraws troops from Afghanistan, experts said. The Zapad/Interaction-2021 exercise will be held in the Qingtongxia Joint Tactical Training Base in Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region from early to mid-August with the theme of jointly safeguarding regional security and stability, Senior Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, announced at a regular press conference on Thursday. It is the first time that China will host a joint drill with another country since the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, and the first time the name Zapad/Interaction will be used for an exercise, observers said. The two sides will set up joint headquarters, as the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Western Theater Command and Russia's Eastern Military District will dispatch more than 10,000 personnel, multiple types of aircraft, artillery pieces and armored equipment in exercises to test joint reconnaissance, early warning, electronic information attack and strike capabilities, Wu said. Judging from the participating troops, related equipment and exercise subjects, the Zapad/Interaction-2021 is a large-scale strategic drill featuring some of the world's most advanced weapons and equipment as well as tactics, a Chinese military expert who asked to remain anonymous told the Global Times on Thursday. It could become a frequent series of drills, the expert predicted. Since 2018, China has participated in the Vostok-2018, Tsentr-2019 and Kavkaz-2020 strategic drills in Russia. This will also be the first time that China will host a strategic drill that will see a foreign military invited, and the first time Russian forces will enter the Qingtongxia military base, observers said. The purpose of the exercise is to consolidate the comprehensive strategic partnership in a new era between China and Russia, deepen the pragmatic cooperation and traditional friendship between the two militaries, and further display the determination and ability of both sides to combat terrorist forces and maintain regional peace and security, Wu said. China and Russia are maintaining regular annual exercises despite the difficulties posed by COVID-19, and this has reflected the necessity to boost the two militaries' joint capabilities to deal with regional and global challenges amid special situations. War could happen despite a pandemic, or a pandemic could happen during a war, a Chinese expert on international affairs told the Global Times on Thursday, requesting anonymity. The drill indicates a new level of military-to-military cooperation as well as a high level of political mutual trust, the expert said. On Wednesday, Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe held talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, as they attended the Defense Ministers' Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States. Both Wei and Shoigu mentioned the changing situations in Afghanistan and Central Asia, as well as the importance of safeguarding regional security and stability. The exercise also takes the changing situation in Afghanistan into consideration, the Chinese international affairs expert said, noting that the US' irresponsible troop withdrawal from Afghanistan has left a burden for neighboring countries. As major powers, China and Russia need to play their roles, jointly safeguard regional peace and stability, and prevent the development of terrorist forces in the region. From a global point of view, both China and Russia are facing suppression by the US, which led to the two countries' enhancement in military cooperation through joint exercises, the expert said. Although the US is leaving Afghanistan, the presence of the US military will still be there, as well as in Central and South Asia, so China and Russia need to prepare to jointly defend their strategic corridors, the expert said. Shoigu is invited to participate in the joint exercise, according to Russian media reports. This will also be Shoigu's first time to visit China for a military exercise, observers noted. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Chinese megacity ramps up efforts to curb COVID-19 resurgence Xinhua) 08:21, July 30, 2021 A medical worker takes a swab sample from a woman for nucleic acid test at a testing spot in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, July 29, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Bo) NANJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, has been on high alert after witnessing over 100 novel coronavirus infections since July 20. The megacity with a population of more than 9.3 million has reported 173 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases including seven with severe symptoms as of Thursday, said local health authorities, noting that the virus strain behind the latest cluster infections was the highly infectious Delta variant. On July 20, nine airport cleaners at the Nanjing Lukou International Airport were first found positive for the virus during a routine testing. New infections have now spread among residents of other occupations, including taxi drivers and university staff. To stem the virus spread, the city launched the third round of an all-inclusive nucleic acid testing campaign on Wednesday. Nearly 6,900 medical staff helped more than 1.9 million residents in Jiangning District, where the airport is located, complete their tests in just one day during a previous mass testing. "We are always ready. I only slept three hours to help complete the testing," said Li Jie, a medical staff member in Nanjing. "We all believe that as long as everyone is united, we will soon get through this. I'm very optimistic." Wang Meijuan, a 58-year-old Nanjing resident who lives about 20 km away from the airport, said that queuing up for nucleic acid testing was not a cozy experience under the scorching sun. "But preventing the epidemic is now the priority," she added. Thousands of community workers and volunteers have been mobilized to help maintain order during the mass testing. "We used a school gymnasium to conduct the tests for our community with about 5,000 residents, as now it is the summer vacation. It was done very efficiently, a test took only about 10 seconds," said Tian Wen, a community worker. Nanjing has also built advanced COVID-19 testing labs including six air-inflated labs, which can screen up to 1.8 million people every day, to enhance its nucleic acid testing capabilities. In the wake of the resurgence of COVID-19 cases, authorities in Nanjing have intensified response, implementing measures such as mandatory negative nucleic acid test certificate for passengers leaving the city and closure of cinemas and gyms. New infections were also reported among flight passengers who had visited the Nanjing airport and their contacts in other parts of China, including the provinces of Guangdong, Sichuan and Liaoning. The Chinese capital Beijing also reported two locally transmitted COVID-19 confirmed cases as of Thursday noon, who had traveled to Zhangjiajie, a famous tourist city in Hunan Province where several tourists were diagnosed as confirmed or asymptomatic cases. Some of them reportedly came in contact with cases having travel history to the Nanjing airport. "Those who have been inoculated can also get infected, but the number of infections could be much higher if they didn't receive vaccination," said Zhang Wenhong, a renowned medical expert in China. He added that the epidemic in Nanjing is a stress test for the country and, presses for more reflection concerning future epidemic prevention. "Most virologists in the world agree that this is a virus with which we must learn to coexist. The epidemic in Nanjing further consolidated the claim that there will always be risks of infections in the future," Zhang said. "We've won the fight against the virus, and we will surely find a winning formula in the future," he said. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) Washington, Tokyo urged not to collude with island China Daily) 08:27, July 30, 2021 Photo taken on July 21, 2019 from Xiangshan Mountain shows the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, China's Taiwan. [Photo/Xinhua] China urged the United States and Japan on Thursday to honor their commitments on the Taiwan question and stop sending wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" forces, as the two allies stepped up efforts to engage with the island through official channels. Media reports said that the first trilateral strategic dialogue among lawmakers from the US, Japan and Taiwan was held by video link on Thursday, at which former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe expressed support for Taiwan's participation in international organizations including the World Health Assembly. Commenting on the dialogue at a regular news conference on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said:"Both the form and content are negative and wrong. In fact, it is the same old tune, and no one cares about it." The Taiwan question concerns the political foundation of China-US and China-Japan relations, and Washington and Tokyo have the responsibility to abide by the principles of the political documents they have signed with China, Zhao said. On Wednesday, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved legislation that could require US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to provide additional information in his report to Congress on efforts to help Taiwan regain its World Health Assembly observer status. China firmly opposes the bill, Zhao said, urging the US to stop reviewing the bill and helping Taiwan to expand its so-called international space. The US should realize the great sensitivity of the Taiwan question, abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, as well as international law and basic norms governing international relations, he added. In addition to pushing for Taiwan-related legislation, the US has recently colluded with Taiwan in various ways, including sending military transport planes to the island. When commenting on the provocative US moves, Senior Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said on Thursday that by playing with fire the US will only burn itself, and by adopting salami-slicing tactics on the Taiwan question it will only "cut its own hand". Wu warned the island's ruling Democratic Progressive Party not to misjudge the situation and invite trouble by taking risks, saying that colluding with the US on its secessionist agenda will only damage the Taiwan people and the DPP itself. Also at Thursday's news briefing, Zhao, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, opposed Blinken's meeting with representatives of the Dalai Lama in New Delhi during his visit to India on Wednesday, and demanded that the US stop providing any support to anti-China separatist activities by "Tibetan independence" forces. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Now the US should open its door to the study of COVID-19 origins 08:35, July 30, 2021 By Md Enamul Hassan ( People's Daily Online Photo taken on May 4, 2021 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) Even more than one and a half years after the first report of its outbreak, the coronavirus continues wreaking havoc around the world. The scientific methods to deal with and several vaccines for the fatal virus have already been developed, but the virus continues mutating fast and producing new variants vying with time. Thus the pandemic has been shattering one after another region since 2020. To scientists and experts, it is essential to trace the origins of a virus for better understanding and dealing more effectively with the virus. Therefore, they are trying to trace the origins of the coronavirus. The scientists and experts led by the World Health Organization (WHO) think they have to first understand its origins and determine how it disseminates to contain further infections and future epidemics. They also believe that it is necessary to trace the virus back to its starting point to develop therapeutic and vaccine strategies and prevent future zoonosis. The origins tracing is also important to understand how the disease spreads and know which animals pose the risk of infections. Keeping these scientific suppositions in mind, China has opened its door to the WHO for conducting thorough research on the origins of coronavirus as its outbreak was first reported in Wuhan. At the invitation of China, the experts from the WHO have so far visited the country twice for the research. In the latest study, the WHO expert team visited Wuhan for 28 days from January 14 to February 10, 2021. During the period, international experts from the WHO, along with their Chinese counterparts, conducted joint research in Wuhan. China whole-heartedly and openly extended its administrative, technical, and logistic support for the joint study. China also offered every possible resource, raw data of particular concerns, and opened the doors of the places the experts wanted to visit, showing its ultimate openness, transparency, and responsible attitude to the international community. Many experts on the joint mission, including Marion Koopmans, a Dutch virologist, and Peter K. Ben Embarek, program manager at World Health Organization (WHO) specializing in food safety and zoonoses, spoke highly of China, saying that they had comprehensive and frank discussions with the Chinese side on data issues. They were able to obtain key data throughout the process. In March of 2021, the WHO released the origin-tracing study report of the China-WHO joint mission, drawing a clear conclusion that lab leak is extremely unlikely. Peter Ben Embarek, head of the WHO study in Wuhan, said that "The findings suggest lab incident hypothesis is extremely unlikely to explain the introduction of the virus into the human population." Embarek said that nobody was able to pick up any firm argument or proof of evidence that these labs were involved in the lab leak, adding that We received lots of data, raw data, process data, and results of studies and analysis. Dr. Peter Daszak of the WHO team said the report is very thorough, as it includes new information and data, adding that I challenge those who believe that this lacks data to read the report. Its hundreds of pages packed with information that has not been seen before. After the WHO report came out, Peter Daszak said in an interview with an American media outlet, There is no evidence that this was a virus created in a lab In fact, weve worked with the lab in Wuhan for 15 years now And we know that they do not have that virus in the lab. Meanwhile, the media reported that COVID-19 was probably already circulating in Italy by September 2019, according to scientists at Milans National Cancer Institute (INT), months before the coronavirus was first documented in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Much to scientists surprise, a new study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded that there were COVID-19 infections in the US as early as mid-December 2019, weeks before it was first identified in China. A study by French scientists found that a man was infected with COVID-19 in Paris as early as December 27, four days before China reported the first cases on December 31, 2019. Brazilian researchers said that they found evidence of the virus in wastewater in November 2019, at least a month before the first case was detected in China. However, the presence of the virus was modest until it peaked there in March 2020. Dr. Tom Jefferson of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM) at Oxford University said that the coronavirus may have been lying dormant across the world until emerging under favorable environmental conditions, rather than originating in China. Traces of COVID-19 have been found in sewage samples from Spain, Italy, and Brazil which pre-date its discovery in China. A preprint study, which has not been peer-reviewed, claims to have found the presence of coronavirus genomes in a Barcelona sewage sample from March, 2019. On the other hand, the world could learn about the closure of the infamous US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at Fort Detrick, Maryland. It stores the most deadly and infectious viruses including Ebola and SARS. The closure news left experts and scientists suspicious about the leak of coronavirus from the USAMRIID as it has already earned a bad name for such leakage and causing unverified mysterious safety hazards to its neighbors. During June and July in 2019, the US media started reporting issues involving Fort Detrick. By the end of July, two retirement communities near the USAMRIID witnessed outbreaks of pneumonia of unknown cause. In September, cases of Electronic Cigarette or Vaping-associated Lung Injury (EVALI) doubled in Maryland where Fort Detrick is located. In July 2019, the CDC issued a cease and desist order to halt most research at Fort Detrick. In the same month, there were reports on the unexplained outbreak of the respiratory disease in northern Virginia, and the outbreak of the EVALIa pulmonary illness with symptoms highly similar to COVID-19which swept through several US states. Though global doubts and anger are mounting over the USAMRIID, the US has continued to refuse to release critical information regarding the closure of the USAMRIID under the pretext of national security. On the contrary, ignoring common sense and facts and scientific findings, the US is exerting pressure on the WHO to launch a further investigation into the Wuhan lab, fanning out the propaganda launched by former US President Donald Trump to slander China. As a result, the world conscience has come forward to endorse Chinas position over the study of the origins of COVID-19. A total of 48 countries recently submitted letters to the WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcoming the report of the WHO-convened global study of origins of coronavirus conducted in China. They stressed that the study of origins is a matter of science and oppose the politicization of this issue. Given the circumstances, many could not but think that the US is running propaganda against China over the lab-leak conspiracy theory and trying to make the WHO report on the origin-tracing study controversial to cover up something fishy that happened in its territory. I sometimes wonder if the US sticking to the offense is the best defense strategy in this regard. China exercised ultimate honesty and showed a proper responsible attitude to humanity in reporting the case of COVID-19 first. Many analysts think that the country is now paying high prices for its honesty and responsiveness by facing propaganda by the US and its allies. They also started believing that the US might purposefully fail to report the virus first, even though the coronavirus was, according to later studies, present in its different states weeks before the first case was confirmed in China. They like to take it on faith as a guiltless failure by the US no more. The number of people sharing the same view is now on the rise. Therefore, they support the call made by the 48 countries on the WHO to cooperate with member states to advance the study of origins around the world by the relevant resolution of the World Health Assembly. I think this is the USs turn to open its door to the WHO for conducting a thorough investigation and study of the origins of COVID-19. As the WHO has already conducted the studies in China, the international call on the WHO to conduct further study in the US is steadily getting louder. It is also essential for the US to prove its integrity and sincerity over the issue to the world. If the US cares a little about humanity, it must invite the WHO, which China has already done for the sake of mankind, to investigate the origins of the virus in its territory. This article is edited and republished from the Chinatimes24.com. Md Enamul Hassan is a news editor and broadcast journalist at the China Media Group (CMG) in Beijing, China. (Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Liang Jun) Second phase of WHO COVID-19 origin tracing not approved by all members: FM spokesperson Xinhua) 09:07, July 30, 2021 BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization's (WHO) plan for the second phase of studies into the origins of COVID-19 was put forward unilaterally by the WHO Secretariat without getting the approval of all member states, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Thursday. Zhao told a daily news briefing that the WHO is led by member states, and the draft plan was put forward by the Secretariat for discussion by member states, who have the right to make adjustments. "The mandate of the Secretariat is to provide convenience for member states to have full consultation and reach consensus. It is not entitled to decision-making on its own." Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has all along attached high importance to studies into the origins of the virus, actively participating in global cooperation in this area with an open and science-based attitude, and inviting WHO experts to China twice for joint research in origin-tracing, according to Zhao. "We have invested tremendous efforts, achieved important outcomes, and reached authoritative conclusions," he said. Recently, many countries, including China, have expressed concern and opposition to the second phase of the origin-tracing work plan proposed by the WHO Secretariat, Zhao said, adding that it is a shared belief that the plan failed to reflect the latest outcomes of global research in origin-tracing and can not serve as the basis for the second phase of joint origin studies, Zhao said. Meanwhile, 60 countries have written to the WHO director general saying that they welcome the joint WHO-China study report and reject politicizing origin studies, he added. "This is the legitimate appeal and voice of justice from the international community," said the spokesperson. Zhao noted that before the WHO Secretariat circulated its plan, Chinese experts, with a view to support and coordinate with WHO efforts to conduct the next phase of origin studies, had submitted to WHO a Chinese proposal based on the previous phase of studies jointly conducted by Chinese and WHO experts and the joint report. "The Chinese plan is a science-based and professional solution that has been tested in practice," Zhao said. He said the second phase should be guided by the World Health Assembly resolution, rely mainly on scientists, and conduct evidence-based scientific research, adding that the joint WHO-China study report's conclusions and recommendations should serve as the basis for the second phase of studies. The second phase should not repeat what has already been conducted during the first phase, especially where conclusive findings were already reached, Zhao said, adding that since the joint WHO-China study report already stated clearly that "a laboratory origin of the pandemic was considered to be extremely unlikely," the key focus of the second phase should be on possible pathways identified as "very likely" and "likely" by the joint report. "Efforts should be made to advance traceability research in various countries and regions across the world," he said. Zhao said the practice, mechanisms and approaches used in the first phase should be drawn on to conduct further studies in an orderly and smooth manner. "The regions to be covered by the second phase and the work plan should be determined after comprehensive assessment based on open research evidence," he said. Zhao also noted that the expert group should be formed on the basis of the experts in the first phase of the origin-tracing research, and fully respect the professional level, international reputation and practical experience of the members of the expert group, adding that experts in other fields can be added appropriately on the basis of the original composition of experts if necessary. China will continue to act on relevant work recommendations in the joint WHO-China study report and actively conduct further follow-up research concerning China recommended in the report, Zhao said, stressing that the study of origins is a serious matter of science, and we should let scientists get to the bottom of this virus so as to get better prepared for future risks. "We firmly reject origin-tracing based on politics. As to truly science-based studies of origins, we have taken an active part in them and will continue to do so," Zhao said. On July 28, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price released a readout on Secretary of State Antony Blinken's meeting with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, where Blinken "affirmed U.S. support for the WHO's plans to conduct additional studies into the COVID-19 origins, including in the People's Republic of China," "stressed the need for the next phase to be timely, evidence-based, transparent, expert-led, and free from interference," and "emphasized the importance of the international community coming together on this matter." In response, Zhao said China agrees that studies into origins of COVID-19 should be evidence-based, expert-led, and free from interference. "But that is not what the U.S. side has been doing." Zhao said the United States has falsely accused China of a lab leak and fabricated the rumor that three Wuhan Institute of Virology researchers fell ill though it could not even provide their names; it has ordered the intelligence community to do the job of origin-tracing and resorted to sidelining and muzzling objective and rational scientists and professionals; and senior U.S. government officials reportedly halted an origin-tracing project and sealed blood samples collected before Jan. 2, 2020 from further testing after COVID-19 antibodies were found in blood samples collected in the United States in early January 2020. The COVID-19 response in the United States is the worst in the world, Zhao said, adding that the U.S. government has not taken any investigative action in the face of waves of suspicions surrounding containment breaches from the biological laboratory at Fort Detrick and the clusters of unexplained cases of pneumonia in Maryland in 2019. To date, over 18 million Chinese netizens have signed an open letter calling on the WHO to investigate Fort Detrick. "If the United States truly intends to support studies of origins, then it should respond to the call, demonstrate its openness and transparency, and let WHO experts conduct investigations in the United States," said Zhao. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) Third shot of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine gives big boost to immunity: study Xinhua) 15:06, July 30, 2021 BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A third shot of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine administered six months or more after the second dose will give a remarkable boost to people's immunity against the deadly virus, a new study has found. The study was published on Medrxiv.org on Sunday for peer review. Chinese researchers inoculated over 500 participants with a third dose six to eight months after their second jabs, and they found that the additional shot will lead to a big increase in antibody levels, with geometric mean titers assessed 14 days later increasing to 137.9, or approximately three-fold. The study also found that although neutralizing antibody levels declined six months after two Sinovac shots, a two-dose schedule generates good immune memory. The research is consistent with recent studies over booster immunization with the AstraZeneca vaccine, which have showed higher concentrations of total antibodies after a third dose. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) Chinese COVID-19 vaccines effective against infection, mortality, say experts Xinhua) 15:11, July 30, 2021 BUENOS AIRES, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Experts in viral diseases and infectology have highlighted the efficacy of Chinese vaccines against COVID-19 and its new variants. "According to the evidence available so far, vaccines that have been licensed by the World Health Organization (WHO) are effective against all variants in circulation globally," Jairo Mendez Rico, adviser on emerging viral diseases to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), told Xinhua recently. The WHO gave emergency-use approval to the COVID-19 vaccines developed by Chinese companies Sinopharm and Sinovac in May and June respectively. "We need to highlight the notable impact that vaccination has had in reducing mortality, severe cases and hospitalizations, which are fundamental objectives for controlling the epidemic," said the PAHO adviser. "That's why, regardless of the variants in circulation, vaccines -- along with all the public health measures that we already know about, including the use of a mask, physical distancing, isolating cases and quarantining contacts -- continue to be the most efficient way to stop the transmission," he added. He also said that vaccines are not one hundred percent effective, "therefore we will always have several cases of people who are going to get infected, even if they are fully vaccinated." The COVID-19 vaccine developed by Sinopharm is 84 percent effective in preventing deaths caused by the disease, according to a recent report from Argentina's Ministry of Health. The document, titled "Study of the National Vaccination Campaign's Effectiveness in Reducing Mortality from COVID-19 in People aged 60 and over," was prepared by the ministry with cases from the country's 24 provinces during the period from Jan. 1 to June 22. The effectiveness against COVID-19 mortality in the Sinopharm vaccine reached 61.6 percent with the application of the first dose in the 147,908 cases analyzed, and increased to 84 percent after the second dose was applied to the same number of people. Argentina in February authorized the emergency use of the Sinopharm vaccine after Health Minister Carla Vizzotti signed a resolution, an official measure which highlighted the "safety, immunogenicity and efficacy" of the vaccine. In June, Argentina approved the emergency use of the vaccine developed by China's CanSino Biologics. Both the Sinopharm and CanSino vaccines were "effective," Argentine infectious diseases expert Martin Hojman said in a recent interview with Xinhua, adding that their arrival in the South American country was "excellent news." "The Sinopharm has two doses. It is an inactivated vaccine that has proven efficacy and has no adverse effects. It is a safe vaccine," said Hojman. "The CanSino has the advantage of being a single dose, it also has very good efficacy, and can be stored in normal cold (storage) for a long time, so it is an easier vaccine," Hojman added. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) Traditional Tibetan carpets improve villagers lives in NW Chinas Qinghai People's Daily Online) 15:56, July 30, 2021 Photo shows that Yang Yongliang is working on a piece of Tibetan carpet in front of a wooden weaving machine. (Photo/Xinhua) Thanks to preferential policies from the government, Jiaya Tibetan carpet, a national intangible cultural heritage item, has helped bring wealth to local people in Jiaya village, Huangzhong district of Xining city in northwest Chinas Qinghai Province. In 2013, a Jiaya Tibetan carpet weaving workshop was established in the village, where many residents had previously made a living in handicrafts but quit due to the introduction of weaving machines. Yang Yongliang is an inheritor of Jiaya Tibetan carpet weaving skills in the workshop, and has been in the trade for over four decades. His carpets have been displayed at museums, scenic spots and hotels, attracting many tourists to place orders with the workshop. As orders pour in, Yang distributes some to other villagers or hires local people to produce carpets. Villager Yang Qihua earns 130 yuan each day in the workshop. The flexible work schedule allows me to take care of my children while making money, she said with satisfaction. More and more villagers have begun to weave carpets at their homes in the past two years, Yang Yongliang said excitedly. In addition to helping residents in Jiaya increase their incomes, relevant departments in Xining have launched training courses to cultivate more talents, promote the development of the Jiaya Tibetan carpet industry, a featured industry in Qinghai, through innovation, and boost rural vitalization in recent years. This year, Huangzhong district held two training sessions to enable 35 farmers to weave Tibetan carpets on their own, according to Mao Yingxia, an official of the district. Seizing the opportunities provided by these policies, Yang Yongliang has tried to combine traditional Jiaya Tibetan carpets with rich culture and modern design concepts, recruiting apprentices from companies that produce Tibetan carpets. After receiving training, they have now integrated traditional crafts and machine weaving techniques. Thanks to their diversified weaving techniques, Yangs Tibetan carpets can meet the customized demands of the market. Yang has established a professional design team to make innovations in the design of the carpets so as to make them more attractive to customers. The revival of traditional Tibetan carpet weaving skills has encouraged more and more young people to join the trade, which will benefit more farmers and herders. (Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Liang Jun) Former English teacher starts thriving woodwork business People's Daily Online) 16:27, July 30, 2021 Fang Hong (R3) displays wooden artifacts along with her colleagues. (Photo provided by the interviewee) "It took me 18 years to get out of this mountainous area. But later, it took me just a few days to make the decision to come back," said Fang Hong, who has been producing exquisite wooden handiworks in her hometown for seven years. Fang, born in Xiangchang town, Yuexi country, east China's Anhui Province, worked as an English teacher in Shanghai after graduating from university. In 2013, when Fang went to the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou on a business trip, she visited the 114th China Import and Export Fair that was being held there out of curiosity. At the fair, Fang noticed that wooden handicrafts, ranging from cabinets and furniture to trash cans and flower baskets, had gained wide popularity among overseas customers. However, she also found that the raw materials of these wooden handiworks were mostly confined to wicker and rattan, giving them a monotonous appearance. To tap the market potential, Fang decided to return to Anhui and start a handicraft company, as her hometown has a long tradition of weaving baskets or other farm instruments and is home to more skilled craftsmen. During her entrepreneurial journey, Fang consulted many wood experts and collected multiple raw materials in an effort to find out the most suitable ones for producing the artware. "In my eyes, rice straw, Zizania caduciflora straw, paulownia and corn coating are all excellent raw materials for making handicrafts," recalled Fang, who also made use of the tree branches that are pruned locally every year. Meanwhile, after meticulously studying foreign trade export procedures and identifying what overseas customers wanted, Fang set up a designated design and sales team to optimize her product design. Her efforts finally paid off when she secured an order worth $2.47 million. In recent years, Fang's team has developed straw, bamboo, wood and rattan products with nearly 3,000 different styles, which have been sold to more than 30 countries and regions, including the U.S., the U.K., Italy, Germany and South Korea. When talking about her company's future development plans, Fang revealed that she intends to place more emphasis on the domestic market. "Recently, I have been busy with sales in our domestic market. If I can make a contribution to the revitalization of the rural areas, all my hard work will have been worth it, she said. (Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Liang Jun) COVID-19 origin tracing: Claim emerges of 'intimidation' from the U.S. (CGTN) 16:27, July 30, 2021 A European biologist has come to the fore with a startling claim that a World Health Organization (WHO) advisory group on tracing the origins of pathogens, including the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, would become a "political tool." Bearing the name Wilson Edwards, the person took to social media, including Facebook and Twitter, on July 24 to describe how much he was worried about the"WHO's independence." On July 16, the WHO announced establishing the International Scientific Advisory Group for Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), which Edwards said is a result of political pressure from the U.S. Edwards went on to say that some of his fellow researchers were under "enormous pressure" and "intimidation" from the U.S. and some media outlets after they voiced support for the conclusions of the China-WHO joint study on the origins of COVID-19 in central China's Wuhan. Edwards claimed that the U.S. was seeking to discredit the qualifications of the scientists involved in the study. "The U.S. is so obsessed with attacking China on the origin-tracing issue that it is reluctant to open its eyes to the data and findings," Edwards quoted a WHO source as saying. (Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun) It would perhaps make sense to talk purely about Swiss watch brands on this Swiss National Day, but Switzerland is not only famous for its watches, but also its neutrality and international relations. The country is home to the United Nations and often serves as an intermediary between countries. It also hosts numerous international treaty conferences, as we saw recently with Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin. In the private sector, it is also important to note that the country has the highest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the world. This connection to other countries and cultures is also present in the watch industry as numerous brands span different countries. This geographical and cultural diversity brings creativity and innovation to the Swiss watch scene with a host of companies that traverse nations and continents. Here are a few of our favourites. Kerbedanz Armenia The family of the founder and president of the Neuchatel-based brand, Tigran Kerbedanz, hails from Armenia and credits his love for watchmaking to his uncle, a respected blacksmith, renowned for his ability to shape metal and repair antique clocks. In connection with this Armenian heritage, the brand created a special timepiece using the Armenian alphabet that was presented to His Holiness Pope Francois in 2018. The curves and entangled angles of the Armenian letters were invented by the Monk Mesrop Mashtots 405 AD and are still in use today. His Holiness does not accept gifts and most presents are auctioned for the good works of the church. Only a small number of these donations join the Vatican Museums, and Kerbedanz was particularly proud to have its timepiece kept as a reminder of the Armenian people and their alphabet. Kerbedanz team meets the Pope Kerbedanz Trilobe France Trilobe watches may be made in Switzerland but their design is 100% French. The brands founder Gautier Massonneau released the inaugural series Les Matinaux after three years of research and development, shaking up the world of Swiss automatic watches with a surprising eccentric design. The brand launched in Pariss Musee des Arts & Metiers with Hugo Marchard, Star Dancer of the Paris Opera Ballet, a far cry from the halls of the traditional Swiss watch shows. Photographed here is a model from this first Les Matinaux collection that celebrates each brand-new day with a unique way of reading the time with its three circular indications. Les Matinaux Collection Trilobe Ralph Lauren USA When the American fashion house Ralph Lauren launched into the world of high horlogerie, eyebrows were raising all over Switzerland, but not for long as the famous luxury house soon proved that bringing fresh eyes to the world of Swiss watchmaking brought new creativity. When it came to design, Ralph Lauren was not mildly concerned with what the rest of the watch industry had been doing for the last 500 years and trusted his instincts, putting everything from teddy bears to wood on his watches and their success is the proof that it is good to shake things up a bit! Montre Ralph and Ricky Bear & Automotive Chronographe Ralph Lauren Montblanc Germany With its headquarters in Hamburg, Montblanc makes a large range of luxury goods from writing instruments, leather goods, travel items, new tech, and watches. For their horology offering, everything is made in their two manufactures based in Le Locle and Villeret, in the heart of the Swiss Jura mountains, while its leather goods are made in Florence, and its writing instruments are made in Germany. As early as 1906, Montblancs three founding fathers were already looking beyond Germany in the search of both exceptional craftsmen and women and for an international clientele that quickly brought the company worldwide renown. 1858 Monopusher Chronograph Origins Limited Edition 100 Montblanc Eberhard & Co. Italy Eberhard & Co. was founded in Switzerlands La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1887, but has had a connection to the Italy since the 1940s when it started producing timepieces for the Italian Navy. The Italian link was further solidified in 1969 when the Italian entrepreneur Palmiro Monti bought the company, which remains in the same family today. Still based between Italy and Switzerland, the brand has released many collections that are inspired by Italian culture and history, such as the Frecce Tricolori, a chronograph dedicated to the famous Italian aerobatic flying squad, and the Tavio Nuvolari Limited Edition, a homage to the famous Italian racing driver. Managing Director Mario Peserico Eberhard & Co. So today at WorldTempus, we are celebrating both Switzerland and its openness to the rest of the world, as we are always more innovative when we open the doors to new ways of thinking. Health authorities in China have proposed measures to facilitate the implementation of the three-child policy. In a notice issued by the National Health Commission on Thursday, the commission called for timely revisions of local family planning regulations and making high-quality medical resources in maternal and child care more accessible. The commission encourages private actors' participation in providing childcare services and the exploration of setting up a leave system for children from one-child families to tend to their parents, according to the notice. The notice also laid out measures including streamlining administrative affairs, improving government services, and strengthening population monitoring and research on population strategy. Trade between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has skyrocketed by 85 times since the two sides established their dialogue relations 30 years ago, official data showed. China has remained ASEAN's largest trading partner for 12 consecutive years, said Ren Hongbin, assistant minister of commerce. In 2020, ASEAN also became China's largest trading partner. In the first half of this year, bilateral trade between China and ASEAN continued robust expansion, registering a 38.2 percent year-on-year growth, Ren told a press conference Thursday. On the investment front, ASEAN has become one of China's major outbound investment destinations and sources of foreign direct investment, with cooperation booming in sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, infrastructure, high-tech, the digital economy, and the green economy. Mutual investment between China and ASEAN exceeded 310 billion U.S. dollars as of June 2021, while the business revenue of Chinese enterprises from project contracts in ASEAN countries approached 350 billion U.S. dollars. Looking ahead, Ren said China would actively promote economic and trade ties with ASEAN by enhancing cooperation against the COVID-19 pandemic and jointly pushing forward the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement. The 18th China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit will be held from September 10 to 13 in Nanning, the capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. With an exhibition area of 124,000 square meters, the expo this year will set up a special area for RCEP members and has invited more countries and enterprises along the Belt and Road, according to Liu Hongwu, vice governor of Guangxi. China will adjust export tariffs on some steel products as part of efforts to push upgrading and transformation of the industry. Starting Aug. 1, China will raise export tariffs on ferrochrome and high-purity pig iron to 40 percent and 20 percent, respectively, according to a circular issued by the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council. Previous rates on the product exports stood at 20 percent and 15 percent, respectively, since May 1. The decision is aimed at pushing industrial upgrading and high-quality development in the steel sector, the circular noted. Also on Thursday, the Ministry of Finance and the State Taxation Administration jointly announced that China will scrap export tax rebates on 23 types of steel products from Aug. 1. The specific execution time will depend on the export dates indicated in the declaration form for export goods, according to the online statement by the finance ministry. The moves come as China is intensifying efforts to transform the energy-consuming steel industry for greener and high-quality growth. The country plans to cut crude steel output to ensure it falls year on year in 2021. In 2020, crude steel output rose by 5.2 percent year on year to exceed 1.05 billion tonnes, according to the China Iron and Steel Association. Making steel and other energy-consuming industries greener is an important part of China's broader efforts to cut pollution and tackle climate change. China previously announced that it would strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Security Council extends mandate of peacekeeping force in Cyprus until Jan. 31 EditorWang Xinjuan Time2021-07-30 16:11:18 Photo taken on July 29, 2021 shows a United Nations Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters in New York. United Nations Security Council on Thursday decided to extend the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for a further period ending on Jan. 31, 2022. (Loey Felipe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua) UNITED NATIONS, July 29 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Security Council on Thursday decided to extend the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for a further period ending on Jan. 31, 2022. Unanimously adopting Resolution 2587, the Council urged the sides - and all involved parties - to respect UNFICYP's mandated authority in, and delineation of, the buffer zone separating Greek and Turkish communities in the northern and southern regions of the Mediterranean island since 1974. By other terms, the Council reaffirmed the importance of the 2018 United Nations aide-memoire to ensure peace and security in the buffer zone and requested the secretary-general to report to its 15 members and troop-contributing countries any actions that impede the force's ability to fulfil its mandate. Similarly, the Council called on both sides to respect the integrity of the buffer zone, remove all unauthorized constructions and prevent unauthorized military or civilian activities within and along the ceasefire lines. It likewise urged both sides to take "all appropriate measures" to ensure the safety and security of UNFICYP personnel. In particular, the Council called on the two leaders to urgently provide political support - and overall guidance - to free the Technical Committees from obstructions in their work, empowering them to submit proposals to enhance intercommunal contacts. The leaders also were called on to engage the committees more actively to ensure coordination on matters carrying island-wide implications, ensure cooperation on criminal matters, promote peace education, improve the public atmosphere for negotiation to secure a settlement and to increase their support for civil society engagement in peace efforts. By Li Lihong The US defense budget has repeatedly hit record highs in recent years. The Biden administration's fiscal year 2022 defense budget request set a new record of $777.9 billion. However, this sky-high military budget will be difficult to convert into the so-called "war dividend," and it will aggravate the current domestic and international decline in the US. From the domestic dimension, the US established an expanded military-civilian relationship model based on the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 to win conventional limited wars after the end of the Cold War. Under this relationship model, the government fully delegated powers to the armed forces in military expertise fields through "military professionalization." The military was able to win the Gulf War and the Kosovo War and other limited wars with relatively little time, resources, and strength and win huge "war dividends". The society used "war dividends" to promote economic development and expand the welfare of the people, so as to alleviate domestic contradictions such as polarization and ethnic antagonism and support the government's military decision-making. However, after the September 11 incident, the US "war on terrorism" demonstrated new characteristics of "ambiguity of peace and war, integration of soldiers and civilians, internal and external linkages, and global integration". The continuous impact of the financial crisis, protracted war actions, steadily rising military expenditures and the inability to make ends meet have led to the increasing tendency of "militarization" of US domestic and foreign policies. The long-term conflicts between the rich and the poor and ethnic antagonism in the country have become increasingly acute, the political "polarization" of the two parties and the rising "populism" of society have become increasingly severe. In order to get rid of the quagmire of war and reverse the decline of internal affairs, the US government has continuously created and searched for new "enemies" in recent years. It has returned to the traditional means of "superpower competition" and attempted to copy the historical experience of the Cold War's strategic competition with the Soviet Union to achieve the goal of dealing the internal conflict through resolving external conflict. The wishful thinking behind the national defense budget for the fiscal year 2022 is to achieve the "demilitarization" goal of ending the "permanent war" through the "militarization" of increasing military expenditures, but this is bound to be strongly opposed by the "war on terror" vested interest groups. It remains to be seen whether the "Watergate scandal" as a result of Nixon's strategic decision to end the Vietnam War will happen again. From the international dimension, maintaining global strategic balance is the core goal of the military budget investment. However, according to the law of "triangular relations" in international politics, the conflict and confrontation between the two powers will create sufficient time and space for the rise of the third party. It will not only fail to consolidate and maintain the hegemony of the existing powers, but will also exacerbate global strategic imbalances, cause regional turbulence, intensify the centrifugal tendency of allies, and plant seeds for their own decline. Currently, due to the poor finished "Asia-Pacific rebalancing" strategy, the US not only failed to stop China's peaceful development momentum but also undermined the stability of the Middle East and Europe, spawned the Islamic State, intensified the Ukrainian crisis, endangered relations with its allies and further exacerbated the domestic crisis in the US. The Biden administration's fiscal year 2022 defense budget request seems to be following the path of Obama and Trump. The same basic consideration is to imitate Nixon's strategic design-relieving the contradiction between limited military strength and long battle lines by shortening overseas battlefronts and focusing on major threats. "Though a country is now strong, bellicosity will lead to its ruin." The US's Cold War mentality of seeking peace through strength and seeking hegemony through confrontation has become outdated in today's era of globalization with intertwined traditional security and non-traditional security, especially when climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic are spreading globally. Learning from the past, strengthening international multilateral cooperation rather than zero-sum game mentality is the right path that the US government should uphold. (The author is from the PLA Academy of Military Sciences) RAWALPINDI The 94th Anniversary of the founding of Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) was commemorated at Pakistan Army's General Headquarters (GHQ) on Thursday, according to the military's media wing. Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa was the chief guest on the occasion, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. Ambassador of China to Pakistan Mr. Nong Rong, Defence Attache Major General Chen Wenrong, officials from Chinese Embassy & officers from tri-services of Pakistan attended the event. Speaking on the occasion, Chinas Defence Attache thanked COAS Bajwa for hosting a reception on the eve of PLAs 94th Anniversary. Recalling Chinese President Mr Xi Jinpings view that Pakistan Armed Forces are the mainstay of Pak-China strategic relations, the Defence Attache said China & Pakistan are iron brothers, all-weather friends & strategic partners. "No matter how the world situation changes, we will always stand together in safeguarding our national sovereignty, territorial integrity & maintaining regional peace & stability," he said while addressing the gathering. COAS Bajwa felicitated the Chinese leadership and lauded PLAs role in Chinas defence, security & nation building. Highlighting various facets of the deep rooted ties between the two states, militaries & the people, the Army chief said Pakistan-China relationship is unique and robust that has proven its resilience in the face of challenges. "In the evolving security milieu, Pakistan China partnership is becoming increasingly important for regional peace and stability," he continued. "Our past and present testify that we never give into challenges," he added. "PLA and Pakistan Army are brothers in arms and our relationship will continue to contribute towards safeguarding our collective interests," the top general concluded. China on Thursday said the World Health Organization (WHO) Secretariat unilaterally proposed a second-phase origins study of the coronavirus and its work plan is only for discussions among WHO member states and is subject to amendment. "The responsibility of the Secretariat is to facilitate full consultation and agreement among member states, and it has no right to make decisions on its own," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said in response to questions from CMG reporter regarding reports of China rejecting the WHO's next-phase work plan. According to Zhao, the plan was put forward unilaterally by the WHO Secretariat without getting the approval of all member states. "Member states lead the WHO. The Secretariat put forward the draft plan for discussion by member states, who have the right to make adjustments. The mandate of the Secretariat is to provide convenience for member states to have a full consultation and reach a consensus. It is not entitled to decision-making on its own," he stressed. Zhao reiterated the work plan is inconsistent with the requirements of the resolution of the 73rd World Health Assembly (WHA), which stipulates that the next-phase work plan needs to be led by WHO member states. Since the virus broke out, China has highly valued the origin-tracing work and actively and openly participated in global cooperation in origin study, said Zhao, adding that China has twice invited WHO experts to conduct joint research and authoritative conclusions have been reached. In a report released by the WHO in late March after a field study in China's Wuhan, it was concluded that a lab-leak explanation of the origin of the coronavirus was "extremely unlikely." Many countries including China have voiced concerns and objections to the second-phase origin study plan, Zhao added. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said that as an independent and sovereign country, China will not and cannot accept any work plan that is not a real plan to find the virus, but a plan to discredit China. Zhao revealed that China had provided the WHO a four-point work plan of further study on coronavirus origins before the Secretariat's proposal, adding that the proposal is scientific, professional and practice-tested. First, the second phase should be guided by the WHA resolution, rely mainly on scientists, and conduct evidence-based scientific research. The joint WHO-China study report's conclusions and recommendations have been widely recognized by the international community and the science community. This should serve as the basis for the second phase of studies, Zhao noted. Second, the conclusions from the first-phase study on the issue should be respected, the spokesperson said, adding there is no need to conduct a repeated study. "The key focus of the second phase should be on possible pathways identified as 'very likely' and 'likely' by the joint report including introduction through an intermediate host or cold chain products. Efforts should be made to advance traceability research in various countries and regions across the world." He recommended further studies to be conducted in an orderly and smooth manner with assessment and analysis of existing research outcomes and new evidence. "The regions to be covered by the second phase and the work plan should be determined after comprehensive assessment based on open research evidence. Research in epidemiology, animal products, environmental and molecular epidemiology should be continued to reinforce rather than repeat existing work or tasks that have already been covered," as Zhao pointed out. Zhao also stressed the need to respect the experts' professional level, international reputation and practical experience, and said if there is a real need to supplement experts in other fields, they can be added appropriately on the basis of the original composition of experts, so as to "maintain continuity of the research but also ensure the authority and impartiality of the next phase of studies." In the meantime, China will continue to act on relevant work recommendations in the joint WHO-China study report and actively conduct further follow-up research concerning China recommended in the report, Zhao stated. Reiterating that the study of origins is a serious matter of science, the spokesperson urged to let scientists "get to the bottom of this virus" so as to get better prepared for future risks. "We firmly reject origin-tracing based on politics. As to truly science-based studies of origins, we have taken an active part in them and will continue to do so," he said. Full text: CCTV: According to reports, a few countries including the US have been claiming recently that China refuses the WHO plan for the second phase of studies into the origins of COVID-19. Does China have any comment? Zhao Lijian: First, I want to stress that this plan was put forward unilaterally by the WHO Secretariat without getting the approval of all member states. The WHO is led by member states. The Secretariat put forward the draft plan for discussion by member states, who have the right to make adjustments. The mandate of the Secretariat is to provide convenience for member states to have a full consultation and reach a consensus. It is not entitled to decision-making on its own. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has all along attached high importance to studies into the origins of the virus. We've actively participated in global cooperation in this area with an open and science-based attitude. Twice we've invited WHO experts to China for joint research in origin-tracing. We've invested tremendous efforts, achieved important outcomes and reached authoritative conclusions. Lately, many countries, China included, have raised concerns over and voiced objections to the next steps to study the origins proposed by the WHO Secretariat. It is a shared belief that the plan is inconsistent with the resolution of the 73rd WHA and the conclusions and recommendations of the joint WHO-China study report. It failed to reflect the latest outcomes of global research in origin-tracing and cannot serve as the basis for the second phase of joint origin studies. At the same time, 60 countries have written to the WHO Director-General saying that they welcome the joint WHO-China study report and reject politicizing origin studies. This is the legitimate appeal and voice of justice from the international community. To my knowledge, before the WHO Secretariat circulated its plan, Chinese experts, with a view to support and coordinate with WHO efforts to conduct the next phase of origin studies, had submitted to WHO a Chinese proposal based on the previous phase of studies jointly conducted by Chinese and WHO experts and the joint report. The Chinese plan is a science-based and professional solution that has been tested in practice. The main points are as follows: First, the second phase should be guided by the WHA resolution, rely mainly on scientists, and conduct evidence-based scientific research. The joint WHO-China study report's conclusions and recommendations have been widely recognized by the international community and the science community. This should serve as the basis for the second phase of studies. Second, the second phase should not repeat what has already been conducted during the first phase, especially where conclusive findings were already reached. In particular, the joint WHO-China study report already stated clearly that "a laboratory origin of the pandemic was considered to be extremely unlikely." The key focus of the second phase should be on possible pathways identified as "very likely" and "likely" by the joint report, including introduction through an intermediate host or cold chain products. Efforts should be made to advance traceability research in various countries and regions across the world. Third, the practice, mechanisms and approaches used in the first phase should be drawn on to conduct further studies in an orderly and smooth manner. There should be an assessment and analysis of existing research outcomes and new evidence. The regions to be covered by the second phase and the work plan should be determined after a comprehensive assessment based on open research evidence. Research in epidemiology, animal products, environmental and molecular epidemiology should be continued to reinforce rather than repeat existing work or tasks that have already been covered. Fourth, the team of experts should be put together on the basis of the makeup of the first phase team with full respect for their expertise, international reputation and practical experience. Additional experts from other areas can be added to the original team in an appropriate manner if there is indeed such a need. This will not only help maintain continuity of the research but also ensure the authority and impartiality of the next phase of studies. In the meantime, China will continue to act on relevant work recommendations in the joint WHO-China study report and actively conduct further follow-up research concerning China recommended in the report. I'd like to stress once again that the study of origins is a serious matter of science. We should let scientists get to the bottom of this virus so as to get better prepared for future risks. We firmly reject origin-tracing based on politics. As to truly science-based studies of origins, we have taken an active part in them and will continue to do so. The first echelons 205 members of the 20th Chinese peacekeeping force to Lebanon left from Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan Province for Lebanon on July 28, 2021. (Photo by Min Ning/PLA Daily) KUNMING, July 30 -- The first echelons 205 members of the 20th Chinese peacekeeping force to Lebanon left from Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan Province for Lebanon on July 28. They will rotate the 19th contingent stationed in southern Lebanon and carry out a one-year peacekeeping mission. The contingent has a total of 410 members, consisting of a 180-member multi-role engineering detachment, a 200-member construction detachment, and a 30-member medical detachment. Those peacekeepers come from the PLAs 74th Group Army, 75th Group Army, and the Guilin Joint Logistic Support Center. They would be responsible for tasks of demining and detonation, construction and maintenance, health care and pandemic prevention, humanitarian rescue and others. After receiving the task in May 2021, the peacekeeping members have carried out closed intensive training on subjects such as demining and detonation, emergency defense, and trauma treatment, as well as realistic combat drills simulating various emergencies. "Before the expedition, all the peacekeepers had passed the comprehensive assessment and are capable of performing peacekeeping tasks," said Ye Fangchao, commander of the 20th Chinese peacekeeping force to Lebanon. According to the plan, the second echelon of the 20th Chinese peacekeeping force to Lebanon will head for the mission area in mid-August. Big tech companies are making it mandatory for employees in the United States to get COVID-19 vaccinations before entering campuses, as the highly infectious delta variant of the coronavirus drives a resurgence in cases. Alphabet Inc.'s Google and Facebook said on Wednesday all U.S. employees must get vaccinated to step into offices. Google is also planning to expand its vaccination drive to other countries in the coming months. According to a Deadline report, streaming giant Netflix has also implemented a policy mandating vaccinations for the cast and crew on all its U.S. productions. Apple plans to restore its mask requirement policy at most of its U.S. retail stores, both for customers and staff, even if they are vaccinated, Bloomberg News reported. Apple and Netflix did not immediately respond to requests for comments. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Woburn, MA (01801) Today A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 81F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Overcast. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Author shows CZ pistol with arm brace at Shot Show in 2015 In 2015, after the series of Paris Jihadi Terrorist attacks, the bureaucrats in the European Union found an opportunity to further restrict the ownership of firearms in European countries. They created extremely restrictive new protocols which further restricted the ownership of common arms. The Czech Republic had some of the least restrictive firearm laws in the European Union. To the Czech people, the ability to own firearms, and use them for protection, was a significant measure of freedom, which they did not have when they were part of the Soviet Empire. The move for the amendment started in 2015, after the terrorist attacks in Paris. By the middle of 2016, Czech President, Milos Zeman was suggesting citizens should be armed "over the long term" and carry pistols in public, to defend against terrorist attacks. The move to amend the Constitution, and add a protection for the right to defense of self and others, with arms, has continued, with some variation. From expats.cz: The complementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms arises from a petition signed by 102,000, including many senior politicians. The final version appears to be relatively short. From laprensalatina.com: The amendment states that "the right to defend one's life or the life of others, even with the use of weapons, is guaranteed." The lower house of the Czech Parliament passed the amendment on 28 June with a 139 to 9 majority. ..... New York, July 27: Human Rights Watch, a United States based human rights body has deplored the state of human rights in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir citing ordeal of hundreds of Kashmiris who have been detained without charge under the draconian Public Safety Act, which permits detention without trial for up to two years. In its World Report 2021, Human Rights Watchs 31st annual review of human rights practices and trends around the globe, reviewed developments in more than 100 countries including India. The report reflects investigative work that Human Rights Watch staff undertook in 2020, usually in close partnership with human rights activists in the country in questions. The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act continued to provide effective immunity from prosecution to security forces, even for serious human rights abuses. In July, security forces killed three people in Shopian district, claiming they were militants. However, in August, their families, who identified them from photographs of the killings circulated on social media, said they were laborers. In September, the army said that its inquiry had found prima facie evidence that its troops exceeded powers under the AFSPA and it would take disciplinary proceedings against those answerable. The security forces also continued to use shotguns firing metal pellets to disperse crowds, despite evidence that they are inherently inaccurate and cause injuries indiscriminately, including to bystanders, violating Indias international obligations, it bemoaned. Citing media gag in IIOJK, Human Rights Watch said: In June, the government announced a new media policy in Jammu and Kashmir that empowers the authorities to decide what is fake news, plagiarism and unethical or anti-national activities and to take punitive action against media outlets, journalists, and editors. It stated that the policy contained vague and overbroad provisions that were open to abuse and could unnecessarily restrict and penalize legally protected speech. The human rights body said that the Indian government also clamped down on critics, journalists, and human rights activists. The restrictions, including on access to communications networks, since August 2019 adversely affected livelihoods, particularly in the tourism-dependent Kashmir Valley, it added. The Human Rights Watch pointed out the ordeal of Kashmiri traders quoting the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries which had estimated that in the first three months of the lockdown to prevent protests since August 2019 cost the economy over $2.4 billion, for which no redress was provided. Losses nearly doubled since the Indian government imposed further restrictions to contain the spread of Covid-19 in March 2020. The pandemic made access to the internet crucial for information, communication, education, and business. However, even after the Supreme Court said in January that access to the internet was a fundamental right, authorities permitted only slow-speed 2G mobile internet services, leading doctors to complain that the lack of internet was hurting the Covid-19 response, it added. It also pointed out that the impunity for Indian forces in the early weeks of the nationwide lockdown announced in March to contain Covid-19, in several states, police beat people who violated the lockdown, including those trying to get essential supplies. It said in West Bengal, police allegedly beat a 32-year-old man to death after he stepped out of his home to get milk. A video from Uttar Pradesh showed police forcing migrant workers, who were trying to walk home, to hop on the street to humiliate them. Police in several states also arbitrarily punished people or publicly shamed them for breaking the lockdown. New cases of torture in police custody and extrajudicial killings highlighted continued lack of accountability for police abuses and failure to enforce police reforms. For the first 10 months, until October, the National Human Rights Commission reported 77 deaths in police custody, 1,338 deaths in judicial custody, and 62 alleged extrajudicial killings, it added. In June, a father and son died in police custody in Tamil Nadu state after being detained for allegedly violating Covid-19 lockdown rules. In September, the Central Bureau of Investigation, which was asked to investigate the deaths following nationwide outrage, charged nine policemen with murder and destruction of evidence, it added. In July Uttar Pradesh police killed a suspect Vikas Dubey, saying he was trying to escape police custody, making him the 119th person to be killed in an alleged extrajudicial killing since the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh led by Ajay Bisht, who uses the title Yogi Adityanath, took office in March 2017. In September, the Uttar Pradesh government announced it would set up a special police force that would be empowered to search and arrest without warrant, raising further concerns about police abuse, it said. (KMS Anantnag/Islamabad, Jul 27: The family members of Imran Ahmad Dar, a resident of Batengoo Anantnag, who was killed in a gunfight at Munad area of Kulgam district, have contested police claim stating that their son had no connection with militancy and that he was a civilian. Zahid Ahmad, the brother of slain Imran, his brother told news agencyKashmir News Observer (KNO), that Imran had a small argument with his father a few days before and he left home, however, he was with his friends in their own village and they used to see him on daily basis. On Sunday morning, my father received calls from local sarpanch followed by duty officer Khanbal to reach police post and even warned of dire consequences if he failed to do so. My father was a duty and requested him that once he will back, he will be there, Zahid said. Later in the afternoon, my father again received a call to reach police post as the caller told him that he has to identify a body and when he went there, he was shown a photo, however, he couldnt identify him, following which he called us and we too went there where we were asked to reach one officer to another and finally his photo was shown and we identified him.. Zahid further said that they requested police for the body but at around 5 pm they were asked to go PCR Srinagar. After reaching PCR, we were told that he has been buried at Handwara in the afternoon and we returned back, he told KNO. Neither, have we seen Imrans body nor do we know where he has been buried. Zahid said that they have written to Deputy Commissioner Anantnag to investigate the matter and to order an impartial probe. We were assured by the deputy commissioner that within three days, the matter will be investigated, he said. Zahids father Abdul Qayoom Dar, in a letter shot to DM Ananatnag Piyush Singla, has stated that he received a call at 8 am on Sunday from the villages sarpanch who told him that the police wanted him to present himself along with his son at the police post in Khanabal. After some time, I received one more call from the police post-Khanabal itself and they too informed me [of] the same, Dar stated in his letter. I took the matter lightly as I couldnt think in my wildest dreams that anything terrible would happen. At about 4:00 pm I reached the] police post at Khanabal where they showed me the photograph of my sons body. At this point, the news of the gunfight and killing of one militant was already circulating across multiple platforms. I was in a deep state of shock to see the photograph of my dead son. I contacted D.O [Duty Officer] concerned and Dysp [Deputy Superintendent of Police] Ashiq who assured me that you can collect the body of your son from PCR [Police Control Room] Srinagar which is lying there, the letter reads. At the same time, I along with my family rushed to PCR Srinagar where we were informed that the dead body had been despatched to graveyard Handwara for proper burials about 2: 30 Pm. And we were asked that you are late and the concerned police post should have informed the family and at the same time they should have intimated us about the claimant of the body. Now it is submitted that my son namely Imran Qayoom Dar was not involved in militancy-related activities neither has any member of our family supported any anti-national activities ever. The letter further states that My son was a civilian and we hadnt a lot of doubt about that. He was moving freely like any other civilian. Last time he was seen by me at a petrol pump on 24-07-21 at 6:00 pm which is nearby our house, within less than 24 hours I saw the photograph of his dead body assuring me that he was killed in a fake encounter at Munad Kulgam, the letter reads. Now request your good self-kindly, look into the matter personally and help the family to retrieve his dead body and an FIR should be lodged to investigate the matter properly so that Justice is delivered as we are law-abiding family, the letter reads. The family members have also demanded an impartial probe in this regard. Press Release July 30, 2021 Drilon: State may impose movement restrictions on unvaccinated individuals Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon said that the government may impose restrictions for unvaccinated Filipinos to contain the further spread of the COVID-19 virus and promote the general welfare and public health. President Duterte recently said that he cannot wait for a law to punish unvaccinated Filipinos and he wants police and barangay captains to restrict the movement of people who do not want to get vaccinated against COVID-19 virus. It is well within the power of the State to restrict the movement of unvaccinated individuals. However, a law must be passed if the government wants to punish, arrest or jail those unvaccinated from going out," Drilon said on Friday. "It is a valid and reasonable exercise of police power to promote the health, safety, and general welfare of the people. The general welfare clause also provides sufficient authority to the State to implement measures for the 'maintenance of peace and order, the protection of life, liberty, and property, and promotion of the general welfare,'" Drilon said. "The State may also interfere with personal liberty to promote the general welfare as long as the interference is reasonable and not arbitrary," the former justice secretary stressed. "It is correct that those unvaccinated should stay home. If they go out, the process of escorting them back to their homes is a reasonable exercise of state power to protect public health. Kailangan ito gawin para masugpo ang pagkalat ng delta variant ng -COVID-19," Drilon said. In the United States, Drilon said the exercise of police power in promoting public health and safety has long been upheld. In 1905, the US Supreme Court in Jacobson v. Commonwealth of Massachusetts [197 U.S. 11 (1905)] upheld the compulsory vaccination of persons over the age of 21 against smallpox. It ruled that the vaccination program had a "real and substantial relation to the protection of the public health and safety." Drilon also cited Zucht v. King [260 U.S. 174 (1922)] wherein the parents of an unvaccinated child excluded from school challenged the ordinance requiring vaccinations for schoolchildren as violative of the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses. The Court held that "it is within the police power of a State to provide for compulsory vaccination" and that the ordinance did not bestow "arbitrary power, but only that broad discretion required for the protection of the public health." However, Drilon emphasized that such must be weighed carefully because many Filipinos remain unvaccinated not out of their own choice but because of the lack of supply of vaccines. "It's a policy call of the President but the government must look into factors why many Filipinos remain vaccinated. Some areas have limited access to vaccines, slow roll or the vaccines available are not what the people prefer," Drilon reminded the government. "Such measure must have the concomitant responsibility of the state to provide and make the vaccines available to the public," he added. Drilon also stressed that there must be a uniform vaccine card with basic security features to prevent forgeries. Press Release July 30, 2021 PRRD reiterates support for the creation of DMWOF in his SONA while Bong Go vows to further protect the welfare of overseas Filipinos In his final State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 26, President Rodrigo Duterte expressed his concern for millions of overseas Filipinos who were greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The global crisis has resulted in Filipinos in distress seeking support from the government while others have no choice but to be repatriated due to loss of job opportunities abroad. Duterte reiterated the significance of the bill proposed by Senator Christopher "Bong" Go that would create a Department of Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos. The Committee Report has been sponsored by Sen. Joel Villanueva in the Senate plenary as Chair of the Committee on Labor. The committee report is a consolidated version of related measures such as Go's earlier filed bill that aimed to create the Department of Overseas Filipinos. This earlier version has been certified as urgent by the President. As Go acknowledged the sacrifices of Filipinos working abroad, the Senator expressed his appreciation towards Duterte for always looking after the welfare of OFWs, and their families, particularly during these challenging times. "Our goal is simple in this measure: to give our migrant workers and all other Filipinos abroad the best government service that we could give them," said Go. "Ito po ang ating ipinaglalaban ang kapakanan ng mga Pilipino kahit saan man sila sa mundo. Napaka-unfair naman na 10 percent ng population ay overseas Filipinos pero wala kayong sariling departamento," Go added. Senate Bill No. 2234, if passed, will establish a department primarily mandated to develop, recommend and implement national policies, plans, programs, and guidelines that protect overseas Filipinos, as well as promote their interests and effectively resolve issues concerning them. In addition, the DMWOF will be responsible for providing fundamental social and welfare services, including insurance, social work assistance, and legal assistance, as well as administer reintegration and social service programs to overseas Filipinos. "Sa panukalang batas na ito, tapos na ang panahon na pinapagpapasa-pasahan natin ang ating mga kababayan. Tapos na ang panahon na nauubos ang pasensya, pera at pagod ng kapwa natin mga Pilipino dahil sa burukrasya at bulok na sistema. Tapos na ang panahon na ang mga ahensya at opisina sa gobyerno na nagtuturuan [kung] sino ang dapat umako sa responsibilidad," Go declared "Napapanahon na po na meron din silang sariling departamento. Long overdue na po 'yan, matatapos na po ang termino ni Pangulong Duterte, matagal na po n'yang ipinangako 'yan. Ibigay na natin sa kanila ang para sa kanila. Mga modern-day heroes natin sila tapos wala pa silang sariling departamento," he added. Go, then, appealed to fellow legislators to continue to recognize the hard work of OFWs who continue to contribute and sacrifice for their families, as well as for the society, as he urged them to support advocacies that would cater to the needs of migrant workers, especially during the pandemic. "My fellow legislators, nanawagan po ako sa inyo na tulungan po natin ang ating mga OFWs. Marami po sa kanila ang nawalan ng mga trabaho dulot ng pandemya. Apektado rin po ang mga pamilya na umaasa sa OFWs sa kanilang pang araw-araw na pangkabuhayan," Go said. "Matagal na po nating itinuturing na bagong bayani ang ating mga OFWs. Malaking tulong po ang kanilang kontribusyon hindi lang sa ating ekonomiya, kundi pati na rin sa pag-ahon sa kanilang mga pamilya at komunidad," Go added. Expressing President Duterte's compassion for OFWs, Senator Go said that he is committed to bringing much needed support for migrant workers. Go is also certain that the President will continue to safeguard the welfare of Filipinos working abroad even after his term. "To all our fellow Filipinos abroad, I want to emphasize that we are doing this for all of you. Para sa inyo ang lahat ng ito. Malapit kayo sa puso namin ni Pangulong Duterte. Kaya sa hangarin naming mabigyan kayo ng mas maginhawang buhay, sisikapin ko at ng aking mga kasamahan sa Senado na isakatuparan ang mga inisiyatibong ito para gumaan, kahit papano, ang mga pinapasan ninyo," promised Go. Last year, Go played a significant role in the subsequent grant of pardon to Roderick Aguinaldo, an overseas Filipino worker detained in Bahrain for four years after he was convicted for the death of a foreign national in the country. He was also instrumental in the recent repatriation of overseas Filipino worker Malik S. Darimbang who had been stuck in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for six years after he got involved in a road accident which led to the death of a Pakistani national. Much earlier, Go also assisted several OFWs from Kuwait, forced to engage in illegal sexual services in 2019, and who sought the Senator's help after they were repatriated. Go specifically facilitated the provision of legal and medical assistance for those suffering from diseases related to forced sexual services while those looking for work were also extended the necessary help. Part of his efforts to help distressed OFWs, Go extended assistance as his team conducted a series of distribution activities for struggling migrant workers. On March 31, Go gave relief to repatriated OFWs from Syria while, on June 25, similar assistance were given to hundreds of seafarers in Intramuros, Manila. Last September 2020, Go particularly assisted Rose Policarpio, an OFW in Saudi Arabia who was acquitted of murder after being wrongfully implicated in the killing of her Lebanese employer by three men. The Senator played a key role in saving her from being meted with the death penalty and also assisted in her release, repatriation and subsequent job placement when she returned to the Philippine last year. Go also earlier successfully appealed to the national government to include the overseas workers, including the seafarers, in the A4 priority list of the COVID-19 vaccination rollout. The President also approved Go's subsequent recommendation to allocate specific brands of vaccines for OFWs which are considered 'acceptable' in their countries of destination and ports of entry. Press Release July 30, 2021 Improving public service delivery and adapting to the new normal PRRD cites Bong Go's proposed E-governance Act in his SONA as crucial legislation towards pandemic recovery Senator Christopher "Bong" Go once again pushed for the passage of his filed bill known as the E-governance Act, as President Rodrigo Duterte listed it as one of the priority legislations in the last year of his administration. The measure is in line with the President's vision of improving public service delivery through a more responsive and efficient government, especially as the whole country adapts to the 'new normal' amid efforts to overcome the pandemic. "Hindi na dapat nating pahirapan ang mga Pilipino sa pag-access sa serbisyo ng gobyerno. The government needs to adopt more efficient, responsive and modern ways of transacting with our citizens," said Go. "Dahil sa COVID-19, kinailangan na mag-evolve ng mga transaksyon na normally ay face-to-face. This will effectively make the government more in tune with the changing times," he explained further. During his State of the National Address on Monday, July 26, Duterte urged members of Congress to pass a legislation allowing for the utilization of modern technology to enhance access to government services and programs for all Filipinos. Due to the pandemic, the president said that "deficiencies and weaknesses" in government processes have been exposed. This has caused hiccups in the delivery of government services to the people. "As such, I ask Congress to pass an e-governance act that will set a transition of government processes to the digital age," Duterte said in his SONA. In July 27 last year, Go filed Senate Bill No. 1738, or the E-Governance Act of 2020, which seeks to mandate the government to establish an integrated, interconnected, and interoperable information and resource-sharing and communications network spanning the entirety of the national and local government, an internal records management information system, an information database, and digital portals for the delivery of public services. "Gamitin natin ang teknolohiya upang mailapit lalo ang gobyerno sa tao, mapagaan ang pinapasan ng taumbayan, at mabigyan sila ng serbisyong kailangan nila sa panahong hirap na hirap na ang lahat dahil sa krisis," Go emphasized. For a more efficient and transparent public service, the bill also encourages the digitization of paper-based and other old workflows. Echoing Duterte's sentiments, the Senator mentioned that the COVID-19 pandemic "highlighted gaps, both foreseen and unforeseen, in the delivery of government services in the country." "This bill takes into consideration what we have learned from what has been and is being done, drawing from the experiences of technologically-advanced countries and the best practices of those who have started the push for e-governance, to initiate the country's first big step to an institutional and whole-of-government approach to digitizing governance for a better government and a safer future," Go previously mentioned. Under Go's proposed measure, the heads of government agencies are mandated to comply with the requirements of the bill, including related standards for all ICT infrastructure, systems, equipment, designs, and other technologies promulgated by the Department of Information and Communications Technology. The DICT will also be responsible for harmonizing and coordinating all national ICT plans and efforts in order to ensure knowledge, information, and resource sharing, database development, and agency networking links, all in line with e-government goals. The measure also establishes the Integrated Government Network, which will serve as the principal means for sharing and communicating resources, information, and data across all levels of government via digital and electronic platforms. The IGN will also serve as the government's primary data management tool and communications network. It then establishes the Philippine Infostructure Management Corporation to ensure the appropriate and efficient operation and management of the country's ICT assets, as well as a training institution to recognize the vital role of ICT education for both the public and the government. Individuals and businesses will be better able to cope with the physical and mobility restrictions put in place to curb the spread of diseases like COVID-19 if government procedures, such as citizen services and business transactions, are digitalized. "It will also ensure that business processes and transactions in the country remain seamless and fully operational despite the challenges presented by outbreaks and pandemics," Go continued. "Ito 'yung gusto nating mangyari---ang mabawasan 'yung red tape at mapabilis ang proseso dahil nahihirapan na ang ating mga kababayan, lalong-lalo na po panahon ng pandemya," said Go. Aside from the e-governance bill, Duterte also mentioned Go's other filed bills including SBN 2158, which seeks to establish a Center for Disease Control and Prevention or the Philippine CDC; and SBN 2155, or the "Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines Act of 2021". He also cited SBN 1832, which provides for a Fire Protection Modernization Program in the country; SBN 1228 also known as the "Mandatory Evacuation Center Act of 2019"; SBN 205 creating the Department of Disaster Resilience; SBN 2234, a bill that will establish the Department of Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos; and SBN 393, which seeks to provide free legal assistance to Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines personnel, among others. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Saudi Arabia will set up a $15 billion technology fund to enhance digital infrastructure, reports say, citing Haytham AlOhali, vice minister of the Ministry of Communications & Information Technology (MCIT). The fund, a public-private partnership, will go into robotics, artificial intelligence, and wireless technology, AlOhali reportedly said Wednesday at the Saudi 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) conference held in Riyadh. Telecom and technology operators invest between $3 billion and $4 billion annually in digital infrastructure, fiber infrastructure, Internet networks and 5G services, and this is not enough for the kingdom to take a lead, the minister added. The kingdom according to AlOhali, will drive $200 billion in the fourth industrial technology, in improving efficiency and reduction in cost over a 10-year period. The US is in talks with Kuwait to accept the relocation of Afghans who helped American soldiers during the two-decade war in Afghanistan, reports say. An American top diplomat who asked not to be named told Associated Press (AP) that Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks with Kuwait foreign minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah over the issue but did not disclose any deal. Kuwait is among a number of countries around the world approached by Washington to accept thousands of Afghans whose lives are at risk as US troop pulled out. The US is under pressure to evacuate Afghan interpreters, drivers, and other workers who helped US forces during the two-decade war. The Afghan workers fear for their lives as the Taliban regained force and took control of swaths of the country. Afghan allies have complained of a bureaucratic nightmare as they try to obtain the special immigrant visas offered to foreign nationals deemed to be in need of protection because of their cooperation with the US government, AP notes. The United States is committed to helping those who helped us during our time in Afghanistan over the last 20 years, Blinken said at a joint press conference with his Kuwaiti counterpart. Were actively engaged in that process and notably in relocation planning for those brave Afghans and their families. There are reportedly more than 18,000 visa applications pending, some for as long as nearly three years. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) says detectives found $50,000 in the chamber of Justice Aggrey Muchelule and $7, 000 from Justice Juma Said Chitembwe. In an affidavit filed in court, the DCI, through Chief Inspector Felix Karisa Banzi, said $50,000 was recovered from an unidentified woman in Justice Muchelules chambers. That the search at chambers 230 and on the person of the occupants resulted to seizure of among others..USD 50,000 on the person of a lady present in the chamber and USD 7,000 on the person of 2nd interested party himself, the affidavit reads. The Inspector detailed how detectives laid an ambush leading to the seizure of the cash. Karisa said the DCI received intelligence on July 21 at 3 pm that after a series of meetings between certain judges and some brokers, a Sh7 million bribe had been agreed upon. The bribe was to be delivered to the residence of a judge at 7 pm. The Inspector told the court that the time and venue of the meeting were abruptly changed. The exchange was rescheduled to July 22 at 7.45 am at Chamber 233 within Milimani law courts. Due to the last-minute changes, detectives couldnt obtain a search warrant, Karisa said. He told the court that they arrived at Milimani law courts at 7.30 am and waited for the exchange. The meeting was allegedly being facilitated by Justice Chitembwe, the occupant of Chamber 233. We waited around the relevant meeting area from our time of arrival until 2 pm when information was received that the exchange was about to take place, but at chamber 230 which belongs to Justice Muchelule, the affidavit reads. It is during an ambush in Justice Muchelules chamber that a woman was found with $50,000 and Justice Chitembwe allegedly had $7,000. Muchelule was on his way to deliver pending judgments, while Justice Chitembwe was attending to a law student when detectives stormed their offices that are just a wall apart and took them to the DCI headquarters for questioning. The officer also refuted allegations that officers arrested the judges. Justice James Makau extended orders stopping the arrest and prosecution of the two judges. The case will be mentioned on October, 18 of this year. A court has ruled in favor of some 75 students who failed to secure employment using an engineering degree awarded by Technical University of Kenya (TUK). The High Court awarded Sh15 million to the former University of Nairobi students. The learners were admitted for engineering courses by the University of Nairobi (UoN) between 2009 and 2011, when Kenya Polytechnic (which later became TUK) was a constituent college of UoN. They were, however, awarded degrees from TUK, which is not recognised by the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK). The graduates argued that they were unable to secure jobs because the engineering courses at TUK are not recognised by board(EBK). In his ruling, Justice James Makau directed TUK to forward the names of the students to UoN to be included in the list of graduates during the next graduation. I am therefore in agreement with the petitioners that they were students of the UoN and were entitled to be awarded degrees by the university in the absence of any legal provisions transferring the responsibility of awarding degree certificates to the TUK, Justice Makau said. The court found that where there is need for accreditation with a professional body before a course is offered, then there is a legitimate expectation that the learning institution has obtained the necessary clearances before offering the courses. The judge noted that the students expected degrees awarded by UoN and not TUK. In the circumstances, I find that the TUK and the UoN violated the petitioners legitimate expectation that the degree certificates to be awarded to them would be from the UoN and not any other university, Justice Makau ruled. Kenya and the United Kingdom (UK) on Thursday signed two key agreements in the health sector, on the third day of President Kenyattas official visit to the European nation. The first pact, signed by Labour Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui and UKs Secretary of State for Health Sajid Javid, is a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Health Workforce Collaboration. The second agreement, also an MoU, is on the launch of the UK-Kenya Health Alliance, was signed by University of Manchesters Vice-President Prof Graham Lord, Dr Richard Cowan of Christie hospital, John Wareing of the University of Manchester Foundation Trust and Kenyas High Commissioner to the UK Amb Manoah Esipisu. The agreement on health workforce collaboration provides a framework for capacity building and exchange of health workers between Kenya and the UK, while the health alliance is a collaborative platform for healthcare providers. Speaking at the Royal College of Physicians in central London where the agreements were entered, President Kenyatta expressed optimism that the two pacts will deepen the Kenya-UK partnership in healthcare provision. I am delighted to note that these two new MoUs will create a platform for health workers exchange and capacity building of healthcare professionals not only in Kenya but also across our region. But more importantly, it will also strengthen the management of cancer and therefore be in a position to provide our people with the kind of healthcare that they deserve, President Kenyatta said. Noting that Kenya and the UK enjoy solid and effective research cooperation since the early 1980s, through various programmes among them a partnership between the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Welcome Trust and UK Aid, the President said the collaboration has contributed immensely to the advancement of medical research in Kenya. The President, particularly, applauded the UK for its partnership with Kenya in Covid-19 research, a groundbreaking exercise that saw KEMRI undertake sero-surveillance, transmission modelling and testing for the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine. This work will help us as a country to model our health systems capacity and determine how best to enhance the capacity of the systems to manage Covid-19 cases, the President said. Once again, President Kenyatta affirmed his administrations commitment to the advancement of the Kenya-UK partnership in order to assist Kenyatta accelerate the attainment of universal health coverage as well as the other Big 4 Agenda programmes. In his address, Secretary Javid said the signing of the MOU on health workforce collaboration will go a long way in supporting Kenyas efforts towards achieving universal health coverage. On his part, University of Manchester Vice-President Prof Lord announced that his university and Christie hospital will establish two scholarships named after Kenyas founding President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta to help support Kenyans in the medical field at the university. As part of its broad objectives, the UK-Kenya Health Alliance seeks to improve cancer care in Kenya and development of a centre of excellence for cancer research at Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTTRH). Further, the alliance aims at promoting the exchange of health workforce between Kenya and the UK as well as developing a centre of excellence for health education and training at Kisii University in Kenya to serve the whole of the East African region. First Lady Margaret Kenyatta on Thursday appealed for greater national focus on mental illnesses by stakeholders in the health sector. The First Lady said mental health should be given the same priority as other medical conditions noting that, with proper attention, mental illnesses are treatable. It (mental sicknesses) can be treated and many people we know have recovered enough to lead healthy lives. Yet, too many individuals are being left to deal with these issues on their own, and many face complicating life circumstances like drug and alcohol addiction, confinement or abandonment. We must do a better job. We must not accept this, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta said. She observed that the recent escalation in the numbers of Kenyans affected by mental illnesses, especially during the current Coronavirus pandemic, makes the case for urgent attention. As part of the renewed approach, the First Lady advised stakeholders to aim at providing greater access to quality mental health treatment, appropriate medical and psychosocial support. First Lady Margaret Kenyatta spoke during celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of Chiromo Hospital Group and the official opening of Chiromo Bustani Level 5 Hospital in Nairobi. Chiromo Bustani is a new mental hospital in Nairobi County. The First Lady hailed Chiromo Hospital Group for their sustained commitment to mental health in Kenya saying, the experience and knowledge gained by the hospital over the years should be leveraged to expand mental health provision in the country. In the conversation today, we have learned some very important facts about these illnesses that we probably did not know 25 years ago when this institution first started. We can now use this knowledge to implement better policies,implement better treatment modalities and scale up interventions that will support a reliable mental care system, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta said. She observed that mental health was a growing global and national concern noting, that the rising number of cases were ravaging communities and households across the country. We all know of, or have heard of, someone who has battled with mental illness. This is a signal to our nation that we must do whatever it takes to heighten our efforts to create awareness about mental diseases, the First Lady advised. Despite the challenges faced in the provision of mental healthcare in the country, the First Lady applauded efforts being made by Government and partners to ensure the services are expanded, and called for more awareness creation. We have made progress in learning about mental diseases in the last few years, so that we understand them more scientifically. We need to be aware of the cost of untreated mental illness; the lost school days, lost work days, dropout, marital distress, and also lost opportunity costthe economic effects of individuals who are not functioning at full capacity, the First Lady advised. Public awareness, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta noted, could change negative perceptions around mental illnesses citing her experience in maternal and child health advocacy through the Beyond Zero Initiative. One of the ways we can change the misguided perceptions is through more public awareness.I know heightened advocacy and awareness works through my own work in Beyond Zero highlighting maternal and child health. We also have many great examples of how advocacy works through joint collaboration, through the media and community support, she said. Once again, the First Lady reiterated her commitment to continue advocating for mental health and assured of her support for the global Tufunguke campaign which is encouraging people to open up about their mental illnesses. Health CAS Dr Mercy Mwangangi, who also spoke at the launch event, said mental illnesses were a major challenge and welcomed the private sectors support Government efforts to expand mental healthcare in the country. On his part, Dr Frank Njenga, the Chairman of the Chiromo Hospital Group, who led several people to tell their success stories after receiving treatment at the facility, said the 580-bed capacity hospital handles an average of 100 cases daily. According to information published by Turkish Television, Ukraine's consul general in Istanbul, Alexander Haman has announced that the two Ada-class corvettes for the Ukrainian navy will be jointly produced by the Turkish company STM and a Ukrainian shipyard. Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link Ada-class corvette of the Turkish Navy. (Picture source Naval Analyses website) In February 2021, the Daily Sabah website has announced, that three Ada-class corvettes for the Ukrainian navy will be built in collaboration with Turkey and the Ukrainian Okean Shipyard. Within the scope of military cooperation agreements signed in October and on Dec. 14 between the two countries, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed with Turkey's Defense Industries Presidency (SSB) to produce corvettes for the Ukrainian Navy. Under the agreement, the first of the corvettes is to be built in Turkey, while the rest are to produced in Okean Shipyard. The Ada class is a class of anti-submarine corvettes developed primarily for the Turkish Navy as a part of the MILGEM project, a national warship program of the Republic of Turkey. Managed by the Turkish Navy, the project aims at developing multipurpose corvettes and frigates that can be deployed in a range of missions, including reconnaissance, surveillance, early warning, anti-submarine warfare, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air warfare, and amphibious operations. The Ada-class corvette is designed to offer anti-submarine warfare and high-seas patrol capabilities. All four ships of the series, TCG Heybeliada, TCG Buyukada, TCG Burgazada and TCG Knalada were built by the Istanbul Naval Shipyard Command. The first Ada-class corvette TCG Heybeliada of the Turkish Navy was launched with a ceremony attended by Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan on 27 September 2008 and entered into service in September 2011. The Ada-class corvette is powered by a Combined diesel and gas (CODAG) propulsion system including 1 gas turbine, 2 diesel engines driving 2 shafts. The ship can reach a top speed of 30 knots (56 km/h) with a maximum cruising range of 3,500 nautical miles at 15 knots (28 km/h). She has a crew of 93 sailors including aviation officers and can accommodate up to 106 people with 10 days of endurance in autonomous conditions. The Ada-class corvette has a length of 99.56 m, a beam of 14.4 m,a draft of 3.9, and a displacement of 2,400 tones. The ship is equipped with the GENESIS, a network-centric warfare management system developed by HAVELSAN, an Electronic Chart Precise Integrated Navigation System (ECPINS), Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS), a SMART-S Mk2 search radar, X-band radar, and fire control radar. The Ada-class corvette is armed with one 76 mm Oto Melara Super Rapid naval gun, 2 remotely operated weapon stations Aselsan STAM armed with 12.7mm heavy machine gun, eight anti-ship missiles Harpoon or ATMACA, one RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) surface-to-surface missile launching system, and two 324 mm twin launchers for Mk. 46 torpedoes. Your browser does not support the video tag. Deborah Lipstadt, Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies, has been nominated by the White House to serve as the State Departments special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, a position with the rank of ambassador. Emory University President Gregory L. Fenves issued the following statement July 30 on the nomination of historian Deborah Lipstadt: Today, the White House nominated Deborah Lipstadt as the State Departments special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism. Pending Senate confirmation, she will hold the rank of Ambassador. Dr. Lipstadt is Emorys Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies, and her scholarship and thought leadership have distinguished her for decades as one of the worlds foremost experts in the study of antisemitism. Through her acclaimed books, articles, and commentary, Dr. Lipstadt has combated Holocaust denial and discrimination, uncovering the historical roots of antisemitism and exploring its persistence through the millennia. In 2000, Dr. Lipstadt successfully defended her scholarship in a prominent libel case, later chronicled in her book History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier and the film Denial. At Emory, Dr. Lipstadt has been a transformative teacher since 1993 and an inspiration to generations of students, receiving Emorys Cuttino Award for Excellence in Mentoring and the Exemplary Teacher Award. Because of her expertise, she has advised previous U.S. presidential administrations. And she has the experience to lead at a time when antisemitism has been on the rise in the U.S. and around the world. Dr. Lipstadts nomination is a sign that our country is committed to addressing acts of bigotry and hatred aimed at the Jewish people. There is no place for antisemitism in our society. For thousands of years, it has appeared in communities the world over, taking different forms but always serving to marginalize the Jewish people. The Holocaust, which claimed the lives of 6 million Jews including many of my family members, was built on a foundation of antisemitism. But as Dr. Lipstadt has made clear, particularly in her recent book Antisemitism: Here and Now, antisemitism isnt just in the past. Hateful acts against Jews continue to haunt us to this day. And it is our responsibility to stand strongly in opposition to these targeted attacks on the Jewish people. I am heartened to see the nomination of Dr. Lipstadt as an expert and teacher who can help lead our nation forward on this vital issue. And I am proud that, pending Senate confirmation, she will be representing Emorythrough her public serviceat the very highest level. [July 29, 2021] Bell extends 5G leadership with additional high-value 3500 MHz wireless spectrum Bell secures prime 3500 MHz spectrum in urban and rural markets across the country Acquiring 678M MHz-POP in auction for $2.07 billion MHz-POP in auction for Brings total holdings to 1,690M MHz-POP, or 37% of 3500 MHz spectrum available to national wireless carriers, acquired at industry-leading average blended cost of $1.25 per MHz-POP MHz-POP, or 37% of 3500 MHz spectrum available to national wireless carriers, acquired at industry-leading average blended cost of per MHz-POP Ongoing 5G leadership a key driver of Bell's multibillion-dollar network investment acceleration supporting Canada's COVID recovery and ongoing economic prosperity MONTREAL, July 29, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Bell today announced it is acquiring significant additional mid-band, flexible-use 3500 MHz wireless spectrum in the recently concluded auction by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. Essential to Canada's ongoing transition to 5G communications, these high-capacity airwaves unleash the full potential of Bell's 5G advantage, extending Bell's leadership in delivering enhanced 5G digital experiences to Canadian consumers and businesses in urban, rural and remote communities. Bell is acquiring 271 licences for 678M MHz-POP of 3500 MHz spectrum critical to enabling the full potential of 5G for $2.07 billion. Together with existing holdings, Bell now possesses 1,690M MHz-POP, or 37% of this high-value spectrum available to national wireless carriers, acquired at an industry-leading average blended cost of $1.25 per MHz-POP, in line with Bell's network leadership objectives and the expectations of the financial community. "Underscoring the Bell team's goal to advance how Canadians connect with each other and the world, acquiring this significant additional 3500 MHz spectrum will drive Bell's ongoing leadership in 5G, a critical component in our multibillion-dollar program to accelerate investment in Canada's next-generation network infrastructure and services," said Mirko Bibic, President and CEO of BCE and Bell Canada. "Leading the way in 5G is a great reflection of the Bell for Better initiative and our focus on delivering the economic, social and environmental benefits of broadband network leadership to Canadians everywhere." Launched in major centres across Canada last year and now first to offer 5G roaming in the US, Bell 5G is ranked by multiple analysts as Canada's fastest mobile network (most recently by Ookla in its 2021 Speedtest Awards). Bell 5G is currently available to approximately 35% of the national population, and is expected to reach 70% by the end of 2021. Bell's Wireless Home Internet (WHI) service is bringing broadband Internet access to small towns and rural locations in Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba, and will also be enhanced with 5G capability later this year. Bell is acquiring 30% of total 3500 MHz spectrum available to national wireless carriers at auction, including spectrum in major and secondary urban markets across the country, which, together with existing holdings, secures all the 3500 MHz spectrum necessary for Bell to continue leading the roll out of 5G across Canada. This includes 52% of available spectrum in WHI rural markets. "With our strong 3500 MHz spectrum position, we're ready to take the country's top-ranked 5G service even further, leveraging the full capabilities of the technology to help bridge the digital divide with enhanced broadband access for more rural and remote communities," said Stephen Howe, Bell's Chief Technology Officer. "The speed and capacity of 5G, coupled with Bell's unparalleled fibre backhaul infrastructure and rapidly expanding network footprints, offers infinite service possibilities for consumers and business users, from augmented reality and machine learning to smart homes, vehicles and cities, and we're eager to deliver these benefits to Canadians no matter where they may live." Bell's accelerated infrastructure investment Enabled by government and regulatory policies encouraging significant investment in Canada's critical infrastructure, Bell's network acceleration program ncreases capital investment in 5G, fibre and rural network infrastructure by up to $1.7 billion over 2 years in addition to the $4 billion Bell typically invests each year in network expansion and enhancement. With increased spending on network capacity in 2020 to manage the extraordinary usage increases during the COVID crisis, capital investment by Bell from 2020-2022 will total approximately $14 billion, representing the company's largest infrastructure investment program in its 141-year history. The Bell 5G advantage 5G capitalizes on the power of both wireless and fibre communications, and with 94% of Bell's cell sites connected to its fibre network, Bell 5G leads in providing the low latency critical to real-time applications ranging from remote surgery to ultra-HD video. With over 2,700 network locations across the country, Bell has more network points of presence than any other carrier in Canada, a key enabler for multi-access edge computing (MEC) that brings the computing power, processing and storage potential of 5G closer to developers and end users. Bell recently announced a MEC agreement with Amazon Web Services and a strategic technology partnership with Google Cloud to deliver enhanced digital experiences for Canadians that take full advantage of Bell 5G's speed, latency and bandwidth benefits, empowering Bell to take a leading share in 5G services. Bell also leads the industry in research and development, including projects under way with Universite de Sherbrooke and Western University to develop new 5G consumer and business services. 5G delivers important environmental benefits, with the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association estimating 5G technology can support 1000x the data traffic at half of current energy consumption over the next decade. These sustainability advantages are a prominent part of Bell's plan to achieve carbon neutral operations in 2025. About Bell Bell is Canada's largest communications company, providing advanced broadband wireless, TV, Internet media and business communication services throughout the country. Founded in Montreal in 1880, Bell is wholly owned by BCE Inc. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca or BCE.ca. Through Bell for Better, we are investing to create a better today and a better tomorrow by supporting the social and economic prosperity of our communities with a commitment to the highest environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards. This includes the Bell Let's Talk initiative, which promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let's Talk Day and significant Bell funding of community care and access, research and workplace leadership initiatives throughout the country. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk. Media Inquiries Nathan Gibson 905-614-9596 nathan.gibson@bell.ca @Bell_News Investor inquiries Thane Fotopoulos 514-870-4619 thane.fotopoulos@bell.ca Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements made in this news release are forward-looking statements, including statements relating to our network deployment and capital investment plans as well as the benefits expected to result therefrom, including our two-year increased capital investment program to increase capital investment in 5G, fibre and rural network infrastructure, the benefits expected to result from the acquisition of 3500 MHz spectrum licenses, our plan to achieve carbon neutral operations in 2025, our business outlook, objectives, plans and strategic priorities, and other statements that are not historical facts. All such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of applicable Canadian securities laws and of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties and are based on several assumptions which give rise to the possibility that actual results or events could differ materially from our expectations. These statements are not guarantees of future performance or events, and we caution you against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release describe our expectations at the date of this news release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. Except as may be required by applicable securities laws, we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this news release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Our capital investment and network deployment plans and the benefits expected to result therefrom are subject to risks and, accordingly, there can be no assurance that our capital investment and network deployment plans will be completed or that the benefits expected to result therefrom will be realized. The value of the planned investments assumes our ability to access or generate the necessary sources of capital. However, there can be no certainty that the required sources of capital will be available with the result that the actual investment made by us could materially differ from current expectations. For additional information on assumptions and risks underlying certain of our forward-looking statements made in this news release, please consult BCE Inc.'s (BCE) 2020 Annual MD&A dated March 4, 2021, BCE's 2021 First Quarter MD&A dated April 28, 2021 and BCE's news release dated April 29, 2021, announcing its financial results for the first quarter of 2021, filed by BCE with the Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities (available at Sedar.com) and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (available at SEC.gov). These documents are also available at BCE.ca. SOURCE Bell Canada [ Back to the Next Generation Communications Community's Homepage ] NEWSALERT-PENTAGON-GUNSHOTS The Pentagon is on lockdown after multiple gunshots were fired near a platform by the facility''s Metro station. (AP)The Pentagon is on lockdown after multiple gunshots were fired near a platform by the facility's Metro station. (AP) PMS Seguin, Texas (78155) Today Generally cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 88F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 74F. Winds light and variable. To mark the 10th International Space Apps Challenge, the largest annual global hackathon in the world, NASA is collaborating with nine space agency partners to bring the event to even more communities Oct. 2-3, 2021. Each year, NASA's International Space Apps Challenge, or Space Apps, engages thousands of people around the world to work with the agency's open source data in a 48-hour sprint. Since its start in 2012, Space Apps has grown from 25 local events in 17 countries to more than 250 local events in 87 countries and territories. In 2020, the program engaged 26,000 people. Teams of technologists, scientists, designers, entrepreneurs, artists, and others collaborate to answer some of the most pressing challenges on Earth and in space. "Over the last ten years, open data has been the cornerstone of Space Apps. Thanks to open innovation programs like Space Apps, the public knows that NASA's vast data archives are freely available to browse online," said Kevin Murphy, NASA's chief data officer. ESA (European Space Agency), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Canadian Space Agency, Australian Space Agency, Brazilian Space Agency, National Space Activities Commission of Argentina, Paraguayan Space Agency, South African National Space Agency and the Bahrain National Space Agency will join NASA to extend collaboration in the Space Apps Challenge. Space Apps inspires local communities to come together and think creatively. A panel of experts selects the winning teams, and awards include an invitation to visit a rocket launch in the United States. Space agency partners will provide subject matter experts to judge project submissions and promote the event in their countries and regions. They also will have an opportunity to provide open data, interact with participants over hackathon weekend, record video tutorials, and help coordinate local events. "We are really proud of Space Apps and the way the program has engaged people from all over the world," said Sandra Cauffman, deputy director of NASA's Earth Science Division. "Over the next ten years, we would like to work with our partner space agencies to expand our geographic footprint even more to include people from all regions of the world and populations that are underrepresented in the STEM fields such as women and girls." Past winners include a team of high schoolers and their mentors who created an idea for an augmented reality game that taught players about wildlife conservation and environmental preservation. Another team included a brother and sister in grade school who created a piece of music using NASA open data and homemade instruments that documented the environmental changes happening during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Space Apps is managed by NASA's Earth Science Division. This year's event will be entirely virtual. Participant registration is open through Oct. 3, 2021 at: https://www.spaceappschallenge.org/ Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. Astronomers have captured the first-ever spin measurements of HR 8799, the famed system that made history as the very first exoplanetary system to have its image taken. Discovered in 2008 by two Maunakea Observatories in Hawaii - W. M. Keck Observatory and the international Gemini Observatory, a Program of NSF's NOIRLab - the HR 8799 star system is located 129 light-years away and has four planets more massive than Jupiter, or super-Jupiters: HR 8799 planets b, c, d, and e. None of their rotation periods had ever been measured, until now. The breakthrough was made possible by a Caltech and Keck Observatory-led science and engineering team that has developed an instrument capable of observing known imaged exoplanets at spectral resolutions that are detailed enough to allow astronomers to decipher how fast the planets are spinning. Using the state-of-the-art Keck Planet Imager and Characterizer (KPIC) on the Keck II telescope atop Hawaii Island's Maunakea, astronomers found that the minimum rotation speeds of HR 8799 planets d and e clocked in at 10.1 km/s and 15 km/s, respectively. This translates to a length of day that could be as short as three hours or could be up to 24 hours such as on Earth depending on the axial tilts of the HR 8799 planets, which are currently undetermined. For context, one day on Jupiter lasts nearly 10 hours; its rotation speed is about 12.7 km/s. As for the other two planets, the team was able to constrain the spin of HR 8799 c to an upper limit of less than 14 km/s; planet b's rotation measurement was inconclusive. The findings are KPIC's first science results, which have been accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal; the study is available in pre-print format on arXiv.org. "With KPIC, we were able to obtain the highest spectral resolution observations ever conducted of the HR 8799 exoplanets," says Jason Wang, an astronomer at Caltech and lead author of the study. "This allows us to study them with finer granularity than ever before and unlocks the key to gaining a deeper understanding of not just how these four planets formed, but how gas giants in general develop throughout the universe." DIZZY DATA UNVEILS PLANETS' PAST How fast a planet spins gives insight into its formation history. Created out of gas and dust kicked up by a newborn star, baby planets start spinning faster as they accumulate more material and grow - a process called core accretion. It is believed that planetary magnetic fields then slow and cap their rotation speed. After the fully-formed planet is finished accreting and cools off, it spins back up. "The spins of HR 8799 planets d and e are consistent with the theory that the planets' magnetic fields put a brake on their spins in their natal years," says Wang. "The spin measurements also hint at the notion that lower mass planets spin faster because they are less affected by magnetic braking, which might tell us something important about how they form. I find this tantalizing." Wang stresses this possible trend is unconfirmed; to validate it requires more KPIC spin measurements of lower mass companions. The team's goal is to find a common link between the rotation periods of the HR 8799 planets, the giant planets in our own solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, and other known super-Jupiters and brown dwarfs. "With enough spin measurements, we'll be able to identify trends that would reveal how the physical processes driving planet formation work," says co-author Jean-Baptiste Ruffio, a David and Ellen Lee Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate in Astronomy at Caltech. "This is something that people have already started doing, but KPIC is allowing us to do this for the smallest, faintest, and closest imaged alien worlds." KPIC'S FIRST LIGHT SUCCESS Commissioned between 2018 to 2020, KPIC's specialty is detecting exoplanets and brown dwarfs that orbit so close to their host stars that the glare from the starlight makes it difficult to see' these celestial bodies from Earth. The instrument filters unwanted starlight by way of an innovative fiber injection unit that routes light from the Keck II telescope adaptive optics (AO) system into the Observatory's Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSPEC). KPIC's first light results are outlined in a technical paper that has been accepted in the Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems (JATIS) [insert link] and is available in pre-print format on arXiv.org. "KPIC is a game-changer in the field of exoplanet characterization," says KPIC Principal Investigator Dimitri Mawet, Professor of Astronomy at Caltech. "It allows us to measure a planet's length of day, orbit, and molecular makeup of its atmosphere." KPIC made strong detections of water and carbon monoxide, but no methane, in three of the four HR 8799 planets - c, d, and e - which is consistent with what is known of the planets' atmospheres. "It's exciting to see KPIC's superpower manifest," says Keck Observatory AO Scientist/Engineer Jacques Delorme, lead author of the JATIS paper. "Because this is the first technology of its kind, we didn't know if KPIC was going to work as well as it did. Now that we have successfully demonstrated its capabilities, we can move on to Phase 2 of the project to further improve the instrument's overall performance." "We have yet to unlock KPIC's full science potential," says Caltech Lead Instrument Scientist Nemanja Jovanovic, co-author of the technical paper. "Through more instrument upgrades, we hope to observe exoplanets in the near future with such a high degree of detail, that we'll be able to study weather phenomena and map clouds of gas giant planets." Phase 2 of the KPIC upgrades are planned for this Winter. If all goes well, Keck Observatory's science community may begin using the technology in the second half of 2022. Support for KPIC is generously provided by the Heising-Simons Foundation, Simons Foundation, Caltech, and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This project is conducted in collaboration with W. M. Keck Observatory, UC Santa Cruz, UCLA, and the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy. ABOUT ADAPTIVE OPTICS W. M. Keck Observatory is a distinguished leader in the field of adaptive optics (AO), a breakthrough technology that removes the distortions caused by the turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere. Keck Observatory pioneered the astronomical use of both natural guide star (NGS) and laser guide star adaptive optics (LGS AO) and current systems now deliver images three to four times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope at near-infrared wavelengths. AO has imaged the four massive planets orbiting the star HR 8799, measured the mass of the giant black hole at the center of our Milky Way Galaxy, discovered new supernovae in distant galaxies, and identified the specific stars that were their progenitors. Support for this technology was generously provided by the Bob and Renee Parsons Foundation, Change Happens Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Mt. Cuba Astronomical Foundation, NASA, NSF, and W. M. Keck Foundation. ABOUT NIRSPEC The Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSPEC) is a unique, cross-dispersed echelle spectrograph that captures spectra of objects over a large range of infrared wavelengths at high spectral resolution. Built at the UCLA Infrared Laboratory by a team led by Prof. Ian McLean, the instrument is used for radial velocity studies of cool stars, abundance measurements of stars and their environs, planetary science, and many other scientific programs. A second mode provides low spectral resolution but high sensitivity and is popular for studies of distant galaxies and very cool low-mass stars. NIRSPEC can also be used with Keck II's adaptive optics (AO) system to combine the powers of the high spatial resolution of AO with the high spectral resolution of NIRSPEC. Support for this project was provided by the Heising-Simons Foundation. ABOUT W. M. KECK OBSERVATORY The W. M. Keck Observatory telescopes are among the most scientifically productive on Earth. The two 10-meter optical/infrared telescopes atop Maunakea on the Island of Hawaii feature a suite of advanced instruments including imagers, multi-object spectrographs, high-resolution spectrographs, integral-field spectrometers, and world-leading laser guide star adaptive optics systems. Some of the data presented herein were obtained at Keck Observatory, which is a private 501(c) 3 non-profit organization operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation. The authors wish to recognize and acknowledge the very significant cultural role and reverence that the summit of Maunakea has always had within the Native Hawaiian community. We are most fortunate to have the opportunity to conduct observations from this mountain. For more information, visit: www.keckobservatory.org Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. What lies beneath the frozen surface of Mars' south polar region has been a recent hot topic among researchers, and a new paper by Planetary Science Institute Research Scientist Isaac Smith refines the answer, pouring cold water on the subglacial lake theory. Instead of the bright radar reflectors detected at the Martian south pole being liquid water, they are clays, specifically frozen-solid smectite minerals, said Smith, the lead author of "A Solid Interpretation of Bright Radar Reflectors Under the Mars South Polar Ice" that appears in Geophysical Research Letters. Previous work, using the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) radar instrument aboard the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter, detected areas of high radar reflectivity deep beneath Martian south polar ice deposits. That team said the bright reflections indicated that several bodies of water, commonly reported as lakes, were found. But a recent flurry of journal papers has made the presence of underground lakes in the Martian south polar region less likely, including a recent paper on which PSI Senior Scientist Nathanial Putzig was a co-author. "To date, all previous papers were only able to suggest holes in the lakes argument. We're the first paper to demonstrate that another material is the most likely cause of the observations," said Smith, who is also affiliated with York University, Toronto, Canada. "Now, our paper offers the first plausible, and considerably more likely, alternative hypothesis to explain the MARSIS observations. Specifically, solid clays frozen to cryogenic temperatures can make the reflections. Considering the recent work on this topic finding faults with the lake theory, this is like a 1-2-3 punch combination that puts big holes in the lake interpretation and then solves the riddle. In my opinion, it's a knockout." Sub-glacial lakes were first reported in 2018 and caused a big stir because of the potential for habitability on Mars. Astrobiologists and non-scientists were equally attracted to the exciting news. Now, the solution to this question, with great import to the planetary science community, may be much more mundane than bodies of water on Mars. The strength of this new study is the diversity of techniques employed. "Our study combined theoretical modeling with laboratory measurements and remote sensing observations from The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) instrument on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. All three agreed that smectites can make the reflections and that smectites are present at the south pole of Mars. It's the trifecta: measure the material properties, show that the material properties can explain the observation, and demonstrate that the materials are present at the site of the observation," Smith said. Smith puts the clays in perspective: "Smectites are a type of clay that is extremely abundant on Mars, covering nearly 50% of the surface, especially focused in the southern hemisphere. I call them solid state to reinforce the idea that these materials are solid. There is no unbound water. Further, our experiments show that when the clays are frozen to cryogenic temperatures, they become brittle, rather than a soft clay like you might use for pottery. Recent theoretical work had suggested that clays could make bright reflections, but no one had frozen them to temperatures we would see on Mars - namely 40 to 50 degrees below freezing - and measured them, nor had they identified these minerals at the south pole." The paper could put to rest the question of what lies beneath Mars' south polar region. "Lakes under the ice leave more questions unanswered than answered. A simpler answer is that a material we now know exists at the south pole of Mars explains the anomalous observations better than an extraordinary claim of bodies of liquid water," Smith said. "In my opinion, the liquid water interpretation is hard to support at this point." THE PLANETARY SCIENCE INSTITUTE: The Planetary Science Institute is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to Solar System exploration. It is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, where it was founded in 1972. PSI scientists are involved in numerous NASA and international missions, the study of Mars and other planets, the Moon, asteroids, comets, interplanetary dust, impact physics, the origin of the Solar System, extra-solar planet formation, dynamics, the rise of life, and other areas of research. They conduct fieldwork on all continents around the world. They also are actively involved in science education and public outreach through school programs, children's books, popular science books and art. PSI scientists are based in 30 states and the District of Columbia, and work from various locations around the world. Astrobiology Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. Dresden Raceway will roll out the red carpet for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings on Monday (Aug. 2), as the marquee division of the Ontario Sires Stakes program arrives in the Chatham-Kent region for a trio of $20,000 Grassroots divisions and two $7,000 Prospect Series splits. Trainer Cassidy Schneider, who will start two colts in the Grassroots Series and one in the Prospect Series, looks forward to her first visit to the Dresden Raceway half-mile oval. Its my first time racing in Dresden, so that should be interesting, said Schneider, who is in just her second year of training. Im hoping for a good result. They didnt draw terrible they could have drawn worse, they could have drawn better so Im not disappointed in the draw. I hope they all get a cheque. Small ones, big ones, a cheque would still be a cheque. Beef N Cheddar returns to his roots to make his sophomore Grassroots debut. Owned and bred by Matthew Chapple of Chatham, Ont., the Betterthancheddar gelding will start from post four in the second $21,100 division and heads into the race off a 1:55 victory at Woodbine Mohawk Park on July 26. We didnt think he could go in 1:49 in the Sires Stakes in Mohawk, so we kind of waited for the B track ones. We really like him; hes a pretty nice colt, said Schneider, who hopes driver Alfie Carroll is able to put the gelding into the action early. I know he win off the pace in Mohawk, but on the half hes better near the front. The trainers second Grassroots starter is Hollys Treasure, who faces a tough test in the third $21,100 division, lining up at post two to the right of division co-leader Proline. Hes kind of a grit-grinder. It doesnt really matter where he gets away because he can finish, he can leave, you can pull him first-up. You can kind of do whatever you want with him, but that looks like its a pretty tough race compared to what hes been in, said Schneider, whose father Colonel Schneider Jr. bred and owns the State Treasurer colt. Hes a homebred, so hes pretty special to us. And hes been racing really good; hes [won] a couple this year, took a new lifetime mark in Sarnia in 1:57. Hes been racing pretty consistently. Natasha Day will steer Hollys Treasure in his Ontario Sires Stakes debut on Monday. The final member of the Schneider stable heading behind the gate is Smilingbillythekid, who will start from post five in the first $7,200 Prospect Series division. Alfie Carroll will guide the Betterthancheddar colt, who is making his second start under Schneiders tutelage for owner-breeder William Brown and Brenda Derible of Hanover, Ont. I really like Smilingbillythekid; I think hes going to turn out to be a nice horse, said Schneider. Its only my second start with him, but Im hoping things work in our favour on Monday. Mondays program gets under way at 1 p.m. and the Grassroots colts will be featured in races three, six and seven while the Prospect Series battles take place in races five and eight. Programs and a live stream are available on Dresden Raceways website. Those wishing to attend in person are asked to register by email at [email protected]. To view Monday's complete entries, click the following link: Monday Entries Dresden Raceway. (Ontario Sires Stakes) Friday, July 30, 2021 at 7:00PM by Camila Henriques It wasn't even a month ago when Brazilian director Kleber Mendonca Filho made a plea at the Cannes Film Festival for people all around the world to discuss what was happening to the Cinemateca Brasileira (or Brazilian Cinematheque, if you will). As the Bacurau helmer mentioned the 500,000 lives that our country lost due to COVID-19 and how the Jair Bolsonaro administration (if you can even call them an administration) is truly responsible for those deaths, it was inevitable that that neglect would extend to other parts of the society. Which brought him to talk about the Cinemateca. In fascist governments, culture and knowledge are threats, and yesterday, the whole world saw just another chapter of this horror fest as some of our most precious memories caught on fire. For the past year, the Brazilian Cinematheque, in Sao Paulo, has been closed. The archives that held more than 240,000 film reels were left to their own luck, as all the workers who took care of that historic treasure were fired... The abandonment caught the ear of Martin Scorsese. Last November, the director and champion of film preservation wrote that was made public by fellow filmmaker Walter Salles, voicing his worry on the potential losses we could suffer. They are not potential anymore, as, according to Brazilian news outlet G1, the blazes have destroyed films by important directors like Glauber Rocha, some of the earliest Brazilian television programs, archives from institutions like Embrafilme and Concine, documentaries, commercials, student films and film equipment. This past April, the workers of the Cinemateca published a manifesto, remembering the other four fires the institution had suffered. "The possibility of cellulose nitrate films self combusting and the consequent risk of fire often receives a lot of attention from the public and the media (....). The risk of a new fire is real (...). This collection requires stable temperature and humidity, and, in the absence of such conditions, it suffers a drastic acceleration of its deterioration process", they wrote. The National Museum of Brazil in 2018 What happened this past Thursday was no accident. Everybody knew the danger that would come with the lack of maintenance of the material kept at that shed. The manifest written by the workers reinforces that, while also remembering the lack of a specialized janitorial staff, security team and firemen. This has happened recently in other places, too. In 2018, the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro was the victim of a similar fate; Fossils, art pieces and thousands of documents are gone. Unfortunately, we're living at a time where culture and memory are considered to be - as the Bolsonaro followers like to say - a "waste of money". There is no Ministry of Culture anymore. It has been reduced to a smaller structure, led by Mario Frias, a former actor that prides himself on carrying a gun around and with an artistic body of work and knowledge so mediocre that he can show up to the Venice Biennale and say he never heard of Lina Bo Bardi, the legendary Brazilian architect that was receiving a tribute. Artists like Fernanda Montenegro (the center of a brilliant piece written by Claudio earlier this week) and Sonia Braga (a recent nominee here for Best Actress) are insulted daily. Our future is scary and, now, our past is non existent. TAP Air Cargo is embarking on a new step of rationalisation of freight reservation management processes by connecting with CargoAi, a leading digital booking services platform in the air freight industry. The primary objective of TAP Air Cargo is to offer its clients new, reliable, and customised services. By choosing CargoAi.co to deploy its cargo offer, the company has achieved its objective and is also offering them a new ultra-modern digital solution to support their activities. TAP Air Cargo has implemented modern digital solutions to allow its clients to manage the process of transporting their freight in an independent manner. CargoAi quintessentially represents this model, with a highly intuitive and simple use of e-quote and e-booking functionalities. A genuine self-service platform for stakeholders in the field of aerial freight, says Bernardo Nunes, Director Cargo Business Development & Transformation, TAP Air Cargo. From its Hub in Lisbon, TAP Air Cargo covers all continents with an average of 2500 flights per week, thanks to a modern fleet of 80 cargo transport aircraft. It is exactly this type of transport solution that is sought by freight forwarders and we are very proud to be able to offer it to them via the CargoAi platform, explains Matthieu Petot, CEO of CargoAi. A win-win partnership which perfectly meets the burgeoning needs of the sector for digital solutions that are simple to use, easy to implement, and which provide valuable advantages in terms of responsiveness, reliability, and availability.-- TradeArabia News Service Help India! Born and brought up in New Delhi, twenty-year-old Kaif Ali is an architecture student at Faculty of Architecture & Ekistics, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. Ali was honoured with The Diana Award 2021 for his work on Covid-19 InnovationSpace era recently, which is a module for demountable and portable shelter space for Covid-19 era. This is his story. Afra Abubacker | TwoCircles.net Support TwoCircles NEW DELHI Every child has drawn their family with a house in the background and most probably made sandcastles at beaches too. However, in the grownups world, not everyone can have a house built like that. Twenty-year-old Kaif Ali, an undergraduate student of Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi after entering the world of architecture found out that homelessness is a major issue in the world and there are many without proper houses. Born and brought up in New Delhi, twenty-year-old Kaif Ali told TwoCircles.net, Just 200 meters away from my apartment is a settlement made above the sewage lines. In nights, the people there sleep on footpaths since snakes sneak out of sewage. Ali could not help noticing how unjustly the metropolitan city is majorly designed commercially for a few per cent of the population. After witnessing these inequalities, Ali wanted to take up architecture as a profession and develop a sustainable model. Beyond survival Homeless people are of many types, which include urban poor, migrant labourers and refugees. However, the government made arrangements for these homeless people can barely be called a home. There is no privacy nor any sense of security as sought by a family since most facilities are gender-separated. Open cooking and sanitation, poor waste management, unavailability of electricity and potable water, the list go on. Ali recollects that it was a documentary called Cry for Syria that sensitized him into the refugee crisis. As an attempt to address the issue, Ali went on to design shelter spaces for Syrian refugees, during his early college days. When asked whether he is concerned about these temporary shelter spaces becoming the permanent settlement of refugees and others, as is the norm, Ali said that his concept of shelter is a home for living and not for mere survival. Therefore, along with houses, Ali also designs schools, gyms, and other recreational spaces using the same modular technology, which facilitates easy assembling and dismantling. Quoting a few success stories of refugee assimilation with the host country, Ali believes that if refugees are housed holistically, they will not remain on the fringes. Shelter is the start of all, he said. From housing to quarantining For the last two years, Ali has invested himself in designing shelter spaces for the homeless. As the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, Ali witnessed the dire demand for quarantining thousands in cramped up cities. That is how he began working with his project last March and designed a portable intermediary quarantine facility of 2.5m x 6m, using PUF panels or shipping containers, which can be assembled with ease, have massive room for expansion, with natural ventilation and 6 layers of social distancing. The facility can also be later used as refugee camps or disaster relief camps. Kaif Ali was awarded the international Diana Award 2021 for the same. His design follows all Covid-19 protocols and is more efficient than home quarantine or mass quarantining facilities. Alis quests stem from his immediate realities. Even his intermediary quarantine shelter came up observing the spread of the virus in enclosed spaces through the air, even before WHO confirmed the spread through the air. That is the power of observation and study. I apprehended that Covid-19 would spread through the air from my study and by keeping this in mind, I have designed the quarantine facility, Ali said. Thinking architecture out of the box Having varied interests, Ali is good at juggling different pursuits. The twenty-year-old has taken home several awards in architecture and photography. It is the introduction to various international competitions that expanded Alis network. Upon winning Climate Innovation Lab conducted by Climate Technology Centre and Network, Ali has been receiving mentorship of Biplab Ketan Paul, IIT Kanpur incubation mentor and social entrepreneur. Referring to Alis Covid-19 relief work, Paul said proudly, Kaif Ali is a good samaritan. Soon, Alis design would shelter the people of Lagos in Nigeria. His project has received appreciation across the world from architects of Germany, Iran, South Africa, Turkey, the US, & Brazil. Ali has also featured in the United Nations top 11 emerging innovation start-ups solving climate action. Twenty-year-old Ali has not shied away from approaching several state governments. After the Karnataka government appreciated him, organizations working with the Maharashtra government are willing to implement his project. To make his designs financially viable, Ali said he uses his fathers counsel, who is in the construction business. His advice comes in handy, especially when deciding the materials and other factors. It is the context that is my foremost priority, Ali said, elaborating that climate and clients context guides his design. Moreover, Ali aspires to make the language of architecture accessible to common people. His drawings are easily readable for policymakers and politicians alike. Future architectures cannot limit themselves to space and cost crises alone. In times of rising refugees of climate, wars and poverty, expanding socially responsible entrepreneurial perspective in architecture is a must, concludes Ali. by Nirmala Carvalho A school run by missionaries has been falsely accused of conducting forced conversions. The controversy was sparked when the establishment expanded the school building. We are at the service of the community without distinction of caste or creed, said the local bishop. Khunti (AsiaNews) False information has appeared in local media in the State of Jharkhand about the Roman Catholic Mission Primary School in Sarangloya, an educational establishment run by Claretian missionaries. According to some media reports, missionaries have carried out forced conversions at the school, a claim Bishop Binay Kandulna of Khunti rejects. It is very sad that fake news is circulating about our school, the prelate explained. It is very disheartening that false and incorrect information can circulate," he added, speaking to AsiaNews. Our religious serve people without discrimination; everyone is welcome in our schools, where we impart quality and a value-based education. We are at the service of the community without distinction of caste or creed. The controversy arose after the missionaries decided to add a multipurpose hall to the school. When some local news channels got wind of the story, they falsely reported that the school had built a church on government land in the village of Sarangloya. Since we only had two classrooms, we were unable to meet the growing demands of families, Bishop Kandulna explained. The multipurpose hall is used, among other things, for regular lessons, but on Sundays it is used as a prayer hall. The prelate notes that Some 200 Catholic families live in the area, but insists that no conversion activities take place. Founded in 1936, the Roman Catholic Primary Mission School began first inside a church building. Eventually, some Catholic families bought 35 acres of land in 1962 and offered it to the Church to build a school, which is now recognised by the government as a privately-owned minority school. Judges impose a nine-year sentence on Tong Ying-kit, 24, for inciting secession and terrorism. He was arrested for waving a pro-independence flag. His lawyers plan to appeal the conviction. More than a hundred people have been arrested in connection with alleged violations of national security legislation. More than 60 are awaiting trial. Hong Kong (AsiaNews) Hong Kongs High Court on Tuesday sentenced Tong Ying-kit to nine years in prison, making him the first resident of the former British colony to be convicted under the national security law imposed by Beijing to silence the citys pro-democracy movement. For the Court, the 24-year-old former waiter is guilty of inciting the population to secession and terrorism. On 1 July 2020, a few hours after the adoption of the draconian security measure, police stopped him as he rode a motorcycle waving a flag that read Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times. Tong was also convicted of driving into some agents with his vehicle. His lawyers have already announced that they will appeal. A three-judge panel picked by the local government to handle national security cases presided over the 15-day trial. Breaking with Hong Kongs liberal tradition, the proceedings took place without a jury. For the past 176 years, the most serious crimes were tried by juries under the citys Common Law system. On the website of the city judiciary, the participation of jurors is described as one of its most important features. Contrary to what the prosecution requested, the judges did not apply the laws of the People's Republic of China in imposing the sentence, limiting themselves to following the legislation in force in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. So far, more than a hundred people have been arrested for national security offences. More than 60 are awaiting trial, including pro-democracy leaders like Jimmy Lai, Benny Tai and Joshua Wong, who have been in prison for months. The Delta variant infection traced to city airport. The capital has also been affected. The infection in Jiangsu is more serious than recent ones in Guangdong and Yunnan. Authorities respond with lockdowns and mass screening. In an effort to contain contagions from Myanmar, Beijing is also providing vaccines to ethnic militias fighting the coup junta. Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) - The outbreak of Covid-19 in Nanjing (Jiangsu) has spread to 15 other cities, including the capital, according to Chinese health authorities, who add that it is the Delta variant of the coronavirus. It is the worst wave of infections since January, exceeding those that occurred in Guangdong between May and June and the most recent one in Yunnan. Since 20 July, there have been 167 cases of infection in Nanjing. The epidemic spread from the city's international airport, which was closed on 27 July. Yesterday, 64 new infections were registered in the country, most of them in Jiangsu. Including cases in Beijing, Chengdu (Sichuan), Guangdong and Hunan provinces, the number of infections linked to the Nanjing outbreak is over 200. The official figures presented by the government are still very low compared to other countries, especially in Southeast Asia. However, the central authorities are concerned, accusing the Nanjing airport administration of failing to take the necessary measures to isolate the cleaners who are said to be the source of the infection. In response to the new outbreaks, the Chinese leadership has ordered a 'zero tolerance' approach, with mass screening and extensive lockdowns. In Yunnan, on the border with Myanmar, Beijing sent thousands of soldiers to control the border. The Chinese have also supplied doses of anti-Covid vaccine to the coup military junta and some ethnic militias fighting it. Local sources report "the most intense wave of violence" since the military victory of the regular army, backed by Russia. The province has long been one of the bastions of the anti-Assad militias. According to pro-government newspapers, a "military operation against terrorist hideouts" is underway. Damascus (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Eight soldiers have been killed and at least 15 captured in fighting that has flared up in recent hours between armed rebels and Syrian army regulars in the southern province of Daraa. Local sources speak of the "most intense wave of violence" since the area returned under government control in 2018, thanks to the offensive launched by Damascus in collaboration with Russia. This was a fundamental and symbolic achievement since the conflict began in spring 2011, as Daraa had long been one of the bastions of anti-regime militias. Government offices and institutions have reappeared in the area, but the army loyal to President Bashar al-Assad has not yet managed to take control of the entire province and for some time the area has been the scene of attacks and murders between former opposition members and regime forces. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an NGO based in the UK with a dense network of informants in the area, tensions flared up yesterday morning and then turned into the "most violent and far-reaching clashes" since Daraa came under government control. Government soldiers exploded artillery shells towards Daraa al-Balad. Reporting the clashes, the pro-government daily al-Watan spoke of the 'beginning of a military operation against terrorist hideouts' that had violated the 'reconciliation agreement'. Many former rebels remained in Daraa instead of evacuating the area, as provided for in the Moscow-brokered agreement, joining the army or maintaining control of parts of the province. And the southern district of Daraa al-Balad is among the areas controlled by what were once opposition forces to Assad. In response to the bombardment, gunmen launched a counter-attack in many parts of the province, capturing several positions belonging to the government. "Eight fighters from the Syrian regime and allied militias died during the clashes in recent hours," the Observatory said in a statement. "Gunmen have also captured more than 15 members of the regime's forces in the western and eastern countryside of Daraa". According to Western intelligence sources, the discontent in the area is exacerbated by the presence of pro-Iranian Shiite militias, which often act with complete impunity, replacing the central government in controlling the area. The tense situation confirms once again the difficulties faced by Syria in a post-conflict phase that, after almost 500,000 victims and millions of displaced people, is even more difficult, "wounded and hopeless". This is according to human rights activists, who report an alarming health situation. The military denies cemeteries inundated with corpses, but has announced the construction of facilities that could cremate up to 3,000 people a day. Doctors supporting the democracy movement were arrested. China has sent the first vaccines. Yangon (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Criticism is growing against the military junta, accused of exploiting the pandemic to consolidate its power and crush the opposition. Human rights activists say they have spoken to residents who express concern about an alarming health situation: "By letting COVID-19 run out of control, the military junta is failing the Burmese people as well as the wider region and world, which can be threatened by new variants fueled by unchecked spread of the disease in places like Myanmar, said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch. The problem is the junta cares more about holding on to power than stopping the pandemic. Last week, the per capita death rate surpassed those of Indonesia and Malaysia, the countries now hardest hit by the pandemic in Southeast Asia. Yesterday there were 5,234 new cases and 342 deaths, but some say the numbers are lower than they actually are because of a lack of testing and reporting. Even so, the weekly average of deaths per million inhabitants rose to 6.29, more than double India's 3.04 at the peak of the crisis in May. Videos proliferate on social media showing people dying in their homes and long queues to get the last supplies of oxygen. The military denies that Yangon's cemeteries have been overwhelmed by the amount of corpses, but has announced the construction of new facilities that could cremate up to 3,000 bodies a day. Supplies of medical oxygen are running out, and Tatmadaw has restricted its private sale. The population accuse the military of allocating the last supplies to hospitals run by the junta. "With the oxygen, they have banned sales to civilians or people who are not supported by the State Administrative Council, so theyre using something that can save the people against the people said Yanghee Lee, the UN's former Myanmar human rights expert and a founding member of the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar. Since the removal of the country's former civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, public hospitals have been closed because medical staff have begun to refuse to work under the new government, instead running makeshift clinics for which they risk arrest. The military carried out at least 260 attacks on medical staff and facilities, killing 18 people and arresting at least 67 health workers. Another 600 are wanted. China has recently started delivering vaccines. This month it has sent 736,000 doses to Yangon and more than 10,000 to the Kachin Independence Army, one of the armed resistance groups running the northern border, where the virus has crossed into Chinese territory in recent weeks. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian declined to comment on the news, saying that "the epidemic is a common enemy of all humanity". Im worried about the disparate impacts that the delta variant could have on some parts of the city compared to others, said Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzirasa during a Monday news conference where she highlighted city ZIP codes with as many as 70% of residents unvaccinated. If youre unvaccinated, I implore you take the steps to get your questions answered this week before its too late. The officers were given two cameras each, to ensure there is backup in case one of the batteries dies and were advised to never let the battery get below 20%. They were then walked through all the functions of the cameras from powering on and off and turning on ready mode, which they are required to leave the cameras in while on duty. Im very pleased the Howard County Public School System continues to move forward with in-person learning this upcoming school year, and I fully support a safe teaching and learning environment for our students, educators and families, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said in a statement. I cannot underscore enough that, especially as we face the delta variant, the best way for our residents to prevent serious illness or death from COVID-19 is to get vaccinated if theyre eligible. Investigators said the teenager and Lombr did not know each other before their encounter on Townsend Avenue. The investigation is still active, police said, and ask anyone with information to come forward by calling the Anne Arundel County Homicide Unit at 410-222-4731. According to the lawsuit, the officers gave conflicting accounts of how Evans obtained knives and how many were in his hand at the time he was stunned and shot. Some officers said Evans held three knives. Other officers said he had two steak knives in his hand, according to court documents. The notes of the Dec. 27 call, released Friday by the House Oversight Committee, underscore the lengths to which Trump went to try to overturn the results of the election and to elicit the support of senior government officials in that effort. Emails released last month show Trump and his allies in the last weeks of his presidency pressured the Justice Department to investigate unsubstantiated claims of widespread election fraud, forwarding them conspiracy theories and even a draft legal brief they hoped would be filed with the Supreme Court. The committee sued for the records under a federal law that says the Internal Revenue Service shall furnish the returns of any taxpayer to a handful of top lawmakers. The committee said it needed Trumps taxes for an investigation into whether he complied with tax law. I read recently that France, the United States and Great Britain, countries that participated in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, while firmly refusing to pay reparations to the descendants of the slaves, actually compensated slave owners for a loss of their slaves as they were considered property. There is much that we do not know or understand about the plight and the history of various minorities, and immigrant groups in the U.S. Native American tribes too have been systematically decimated or marginalized, suffering family separation so their childrens acculturation and assimilation into white society could be accomplished through residential schools. Attorney Stephen Awalt describes the investiture of new District Court Judge Susan Zellweger as " the culmination of an orderly civic process (On new judges, civic duty and the fragility of democracy, July 28). He is absolutely correct in that assessment. However, what should be noted is that if Judge Zellweger had been appointed to the state circuit court rather than the district court, that orderly process description would not apply. Why? If she were appointed to the circuit court she would have to run in a competitive election in 2022 against any lawyer in the county who could raise enough money for the filing fee. Because of politics, not policy, retaining a seat as a circuit court judge in Maryland is subject not to an orderly process, but to all the challenges involved in our election process. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, said he was glad to see the Biden administration encourage states to take steps to further incentivize folks to get vaccinated. We know this is our best defense against the virus, and the best way to support our families, friends, and communities. remaining of Thank you for supporting local, independent journalism! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Kgalagadi Breweries Limited, the countrys biggest producer, has, every right to represent the alcohol sector, purely because of its dominant and influential position within the sector," independent sources have told Botswana Guardian this week. KBL is better placed to represent the sectors interests. Any alcohol trader in Botswana, profits in one way or the other from KBL products, said one liquor trader who refused to be named. KBL, which is a unit of Sechaba Holdings, has taken government to court following alcohol ban which government imposed last month. However, in his responding affidavit, President Mokgweetsi Masisi has questioned why KBL is claiming to be representing the sector. The applicant (KBL) avers that it has to bring this application on the basis that it has an interest in the end consumer having access to purchase beverages. The said consumer is not part of this proceedings, said Masisi in his affidavit. Furthermore, the President said KBL has no standing in representing wholesalers, transporters, retailers, among others. However, one source told Botswana Guardian that the President is ill-advised on the matter. Its surprising that the President says KBL cannot represent consumers and wholesalers yet he knows very well the chain in which alcohol products goes through, right from production up to the end consumer. The reality is that all these sub sectors of the economy have been affected as a result of the alcohol ban, said the source. The alcohol sector employs well over 50 000 people in addition to over 200 000 dependents of those who work within the sector. Through its Kickstart project, KBL has funded hundreds of young entrepreneurs. This week, KBL spokesman, Masegonyana Madisa confirmed that the Kickstart initiative has since been suspended as a result of current challenges that the sector currently find itself in. Players in the alcohol sector have once more asked government to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the current surge in COVID-19 cases in the country has any direct link to alcohol usage. Last month, government moved to prohibit the sale of alcohol in the country, arguing the consumption of alcohol was the major reason cases of Corona Virus were on the rise. Kgalagadi Breweries Limited, the countrys biggest producer of clear and opaque beers has since taken government to court, calling for the ban on alcohol to be lifted as there is no evidence which suggests that the sectors operation has fueled rising Covid -19 cases. KBL has since taken government to court on an urgent basis, calling for the ban to be lifted and allow the sector to trade again. The President has once more failed to prove in his responding affidavit that the alcohol sector is solely responsible for the surge in Covid-19 cases, said an industry player in the sector which employs thousands of people around the country. We find it strange that government is singling out the alcohol for the rise on Covid -19 cases, yet other sectors of the economy are in full operation and nothing is being said about them, said Peter Noke, the Chairperson of Botswana Beverages Association during a recent press briefing. "As a sector, we have been compliant. However, we are of the view that, there is limited law enforcement on the side of government. As an industry, we want the sector to open so that we can be able to monitor our members." The alcohol sector, which is already under distress due to the imposed Alcohol Levy, employs well over 50 000 people, excluding the over 200 000 people who depended on the sector. KBL, which is a subsidiary of Sechaba, a Botswana Stock Exchange, has in place a lot of initiatives which are aimed at ensuring safe opening of the sector. One such initiative, implemented by Botswana Alcohol Industry Association is Di Nwele Dladleng', which encourages responsible home drinking of alcohol. Players in the sector are questioning government real motives in closing the sector that pays millions of Pula in taxes annually. We wonder why government is saying the sector is contributing to an increase on Covid -19 cases, yet since April last year, we have been operating on off-site consumption only. Up to this date, government has failed to name a single liquor outlet which has recorded Covid -19 case. We strongly believe government is using the alcohol sector as a scape goat, said a concerned bar owner based in Gaborone. The industry has had enough of the governments big brother attitude of closing their businesses willy-nilly, oblivious to the damage caused to stakeholders involved, let alone, the economy. KOOBONYE RAMOKOPELWA picks up the lamentations echoing from the empty beer halls. The decision to ban alcohol sales indefinitely is ill advised and shows that government is not taking into consideration that the sector, just like many others, plays a crucial role in the countrys economy. Companies such as KBL (Kgalagadi Breweries Limited) play a very crucial role in the countrys economy. The company has invested heavily in Botswana, not forgetting the many employment opportunities it has created to many Batswana, said one market player with knowledge of the alcohol sector. The multi-billion-pula sector employs over 50 000 people, in addition to the over 200 000 people who are dependents. Government has banned the sale of alcohol without giving specific date when the sector will be re-opened. The government blames the sector for the rise on COVID-19 cases. The alcohol sector needs to know when the sector will be opened. It beats logic why government has decided to announce date for the re-opening of schools following their closure while it has failed to do the same for the alcohol sector, said the informant. According to people familiar with investor attraction, government blanket closure of the alcohol sector and the tone of President Mokgweetsi Masisis responding affidavit clearly shows a government with little interest to investor attraction. Kgalagadi Breweries Limited is owned by AB InBev, a foreign company as well as government through Botswana Development Corporation. The informant further told Botswana Guardian that, Botswana government should take a leaf from the way South Africa has been dealing with the alcohol sector amid COVID-19. While the South African government has in the past closed and opened the sector on account of COVID -19, there has always been certainty on when the sector will be opened, said the source. Meanwhile, the Chairman of Botswana Beverages Association, Peter Noke has lambasted government for closing the sector without consultation. Our members are under distress as some have not opened for well over seventeen months. We need to be consulted as we are also a sector which contributes to the countrys economic advancement, said Nokwe recently. Government closed the sector last month, arguing it is responsible for the rise on COVID-19 cases. Why are we being singled out? Other sectors of the economy are open and nothing is being said about them when it comes to COVID -19 spread. Said a concerned Nokwe, who runs the Marriot Restaurant in Gaborone. Nokwe said they support KBLs case against government on the closure of the sector indefinitely. In addition, the BOBA Chairman said, government has found it fit to close the liquor sector, but it has not found it fit to bail it out. Someone can ask, where is the Alcohol Levy funds during times like this? We continue to pay rentals. Some of our members assets have been sold to pay creditors. Meanwhile, South Africa has since reopened the alcohol sector after closing it for about a month. In Botswana, industry players are concerned that, more and more liquor will be imported from South Africa illegally in the process denying government the much-needed import duties. KBL spokesman, Masegonyana Madisa has been quoted by Mmegi newspaper as having said the ban will exacerbate the illicit alcohol trade and criminality in the country as well as the consumption of unregulated and unsafe products, while diverting taxation away from the fiscus. KBL is asking the High Court to review the Presidents decision to impose the ban by setting it aside, while also seeking orders declaring that the imposition of a complete ban on the sale of alcohol be deemed unlawful and improper, he said. The company believes that the governments wholesale alcohol ban is improper and not based on clear and objective evidence demonstrating a causal connection between the wholesale ban on alcohol and the reduction of positive Covid-19 cases. Madisa said while KBL continues to support reasonable and proportionate emergency safety measures that respect the rule of law, the latest ban compounds the matter as KBL has, once again, ceased trade, yet its fixed costs and obligations to employees and suppliers, also remain unchanged. KBL was last year forced to put workers on unpaid leave, cut salaries across the board and also stop payments to suppliers as a result of the alcohol bans. We have a responsibility to ensure our Navy and Marine officers receive the very best education needed to lead the next generation and keep us safe at home and abroad, Brown said in his statement. The U.S. Naval Academy Board of Visitors is critical to ensuring this institution receives the resources it needs and upholds our shared values of service and inclusion. This is serious work, and I applaud Secretary Austin for his commitment to reviewing the Department of Defense Advisory Boards to make sure they are meeting their established mission after the frenetic activity of the outgoing Administration last year. This is the greatest example of corporate theft Ive seen in my career and Ive been pursuing pharmaceutical companies for 25 years, Seeger said. They took something from this family and have offered them nothing, yet theyve gone out and made millions of dollars. Police said the woman identified Kilson as the person who attacked her. She said, according to charging documents, she was sleeping in her second-floor bedroom when Kilson struck her with an unknown object. She woke up, tried to fight off the attack, ran and escaped to a room where another resident was located. They called the police and the defendant fled. Around 6:30 a.m. Sunday, officers arrived at the 500 block of Bellerive Drive to meet a victim who reported two bullet holes in the rear of her Toyota SUV. Officers located several shell casing and a second car thats rear window had two bullet holes. Police collected 13 shell casings and two unspent rounds in the first row of a residential parking lot and found five more shell casings in a far corner of the parking lot. There was so much going on during the trial that, you know, it was agonizing not to be able to sit down with your fellow jurors and discuss it as it was going on, said juror Kurtis Swope, 49. So, we all just kind of had to bottle that up inside and wait for that moment. Over 24,000 Taliban has been killed and wounded in battles with the Afghan security forces over the past four months. Citing the data of the State Ministry for Peace Affairs, Tolo News reported that during the period running from April to July the Taliban launched 22,000 attacks in various parts of the country and the attacks resulted in the killing and wounding of 24,000 Taliban. "The influx of more than 10,000 terrorists from outside Afghanistan in order to increase the violence shows that there are also foreign hands behind the war in Afghanistan," said Sayed Abdullah Hashemi, an official of the State Ministry for Peace Affairs. Meanwhile, Attaullah Salim, the deputy head of the High Council of National Reconciliation (HCNR), said that the current war in Afghanistan has no religious legitimacy, adding that the Taliban must end the violence. "We support discussions on all issues including the issue of prisoners and the removal of names from the blacklist including a debate on the Constitution," said Salim, referring to Taliban prisoners. He said that the Taliban have not announced when they are ready to hold the next round of talks, reported Tolo News. "Discussions move on between our contact groups and the Taliban movement," said Salim. The Taliban have so far not commented on the statistics about their casualties. In the past few weeks, Afghanistan has witnessed a surge in violence as the Taliban has intensified their offensive against civilians and Afghan security forces with the complete pullback of foreign forces just a few weeks away. According to the numbers by the State Ministry for Peace Affairs, during this period 5,777 civilians were also killed including women and children, reported Tolo News. (ANI) Afghan envoy to India Farid Mamundzay on Friday cautioned China for ignoring Taliban violence and said that if terror groups continue to operate in Afghanistan then it will adversely impact Beijing. Answering a question on China-Taliban talks and its impact on the war-ravaged Afghanistan, Mamundzay told ANI, "It's something that the Chinese will be able to comment (outcome of the China-Taliban talks). But, from our perspective, we would want responsible governments like China in this region to pass very strong messages to the Taliban. The message of letting go off violence would be critical to them." "China has also suffered from terrorism and would continue to suffer from terrorism if terrorist groups remain operational in Afghanistan," advised Mamundzay to China. He also urged the Chinese government to cut ties with international terrorist organisation (Taliban). "The Chinese government should tell Taliban to enter meaningful peace dialogue with Afghan government and cut ties with international terrorist organisation." "We would want all countries in the region particularly major countries like China and India to give strong messages to Taliban," added the Afghan envoy. He was at Raisina House attending Indo-Afghan Cultural Week when he made strong remarks on China. Earlier on Tuesday, frontline Taliban leader Mullah Baradar Akhund met Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi to seek the support of Beijing in expanding its footprint in Afghanistan. China has a vested interests in the region regarding its China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects and it wants to secure its investments in the areas. Moreover, the recent killings of Chinese in the region have abridged the challenges it is going to face after the Taliban takes over the region. Taliban have intensified their offensive against civilians, Afghan defence and security forces as foreign troops are withdrawing from the war-torn country. Over the last few weeks, they captured several districts in Afghanistan including Takhar, the country's northeastern province. The extremist group issued diktats like ordering women to not leave home alone and men to grow their beards. (ANI) Also Read: Pakistan Army continues to support Taliban, Al Qaeda along Afghanistan border A multi-pronged investigation into the kidnapping, rape and murder of a six-year-old girl in Pakistan's Karachi was launched on Thursday. Dawn reported that Pakistan Police has registered a case of her killing under terrorism and other charges. They also prepared a sketch of the possible suspect and sent the child's DNA samples to a laboratory at the University of Karachi, according to officials. The body of the minor girl was found in Karachi's Korangi area from a garbage dump near her residence after a search of nearly eight hours, as per a Dawn report. Police have carried out raids in different localities and detained around one dozen suspects for questioning. Landhi SP Shahnawaz Chachar said the minor girl had gone missing from her house in Ghous Pak area of Korangi at around 9 pm on Tuesday. The parents reported the incident to police at midnight, while her body was found from a garbage heap at around 5am on Wednesday with her neck broken. "Her autopsy showed that she had been raped, sodomised and then murdered," said additional police surgeon at the hospital. Dawn further reported that as many as 2,960 major crimes against children were reported in the four provinces, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) in 2020. According to data released by the NGO Sahil, eight children were abused every day in Pakistan in one form or the other, while 51 per cent of the victims were girls and 49 per cent boys. Out of the reported cases, 985 were of sodomy, 787 rape, 89 pornography and child sexual abuse and 80 were of murder after sexual abuse. Cases of abduction, missing children and child marriages were 834 and 345 and 119, respectively. Earlier a Karachi man was arrested for harassing a woman in Sharah-e-Faisal area while she was travelling in a rickshaw. As per Geo News, the woman posted a video of her ordeal on Facebook that was widely shared on social media, after which the police had to take action against the culprit.After posting the videos on Facebook, the woman appealed to the masses to share them as much as possible so that authorities could take action. These reports come amid the annual report of State of Human Rights in Pakistan released by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) for the year 2020 that has set alarm bells ringing over the plight of women in the country. (ANI) Also Read: Pakistan poll panel issues show-cause notice to Imran Khan for not holding timely intra-party elections If you are old enough to remember the hit comedy movie of 1980, Caddy Shack, then you will recall that a gopher infestation was threatening a golf course in Nebraska. The somewhat deranged groundskeeper was tasked with getting rid of the pest. His efforts at eradication include shooting, f In a separate settlement reached in May, Chicago-based snack foods giant Mondelez International agreed to pay a $95,217 fine and $476,083 in restitution after allegedly failing to provide paid sick leave to 465 employees from July 2017 through early 2020. Mondelez said when the paid sick leave ordinance took effect in July 2017, the collective bargaining agreements it had with the union representing workers in its Chicago bakery had expired, and the company did not implement the paid leave measure during protracted negotiations. We can confirm that Morton Salt made the difficult decision to reduce its corporate workforce by approximately 120 employees in our Chicago offices, Morton Salt said in a statement Friday. This was not a decision we took lightly, but after a comprehensive evaluation of our companys long-term financial outlook and our ability to become more competitive in the salt industry, this reduction was necessary to help meet our business goals. We also have to focus on ourselves, because at the end of the day were human too, Biles said after withdrawing from her Team USA Gymnastics events, citing her mental health. So, we have to protect our mind and our body, rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do. The statewide average remains well below the peak of 3,390 daily cases recorded in mid-April during the spring surge the smallest of the previous three waves of COVID-19 and the only one during which some portion of the population was vaccinated. But new information from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing the delta variant is as contagious as chickenpox and can be transmitted by fully vaccinated people is raising alarms. A side benefit of Schmigadoon!, she said, was the chance to play someone not confined to the adjective girlish. Im 30 years old, DeBose said, and I was starting to wonder when Id get to be called a woman and not a girl? Or the girl? Dont get me wrong, Im very grateful for all the young characters Ive gotten to play. To play Alyssa in The Prom was a highlight of my career, and it wouldnt have happened if I didnt have girlish looks. But this is one of the first adult characters Ive gotten to play. With her superb triple-threat work in Schmigadoon! and her forthcoming showcase in West Side Story, DeBose appears ready for anything. The men tried to pull Arzuaga from the car, and Perez attempted to intervene before she was shot in the throat, Murphy said. Arzuaga then attempted to shield Perez as he was shot multiple times by Lorenzi, according to Murphy. Police have said their investigation points to Perez most likely being killed by a bullet that Arzuaga unintentionally discharged, and Lorenzi is not charged with her murder. I strongly believe that a core principle of governance is ensuring that our laws are kind to the people they are meant to serve. And theres nothing kind about taking a student with disabilities out of the classroom on Oct. 16, or Jan. 5, or April 19, just because they turned another day older, Pritzker said. At the bond hearing, prosecutor James Murphy said Scott and Willis were drinking on a porch in the 11800 block of South Lafayette Avenue on May 1 when they began fighting. The fight escalated, and Scott threatened Willis before pulling out a gun and shooting him in the head, Murphy said. He was driven, active and most of all, independent, she said. He researched and bought a car on his own without leaning on his parents. He found a used one for $2,000, and replaced the brakes and the clutch. A straight-A student who grew up in Denver, he made his way to the University of Chicago without much help from his parents. Since the machines can be played for free, they are not considered gambling devices. Critics, however, contend the unregulated devices, which operate in cities like Chicago that have banned video gambling, are designed to skirt the law and have been known to have links to organized crime. In his written order, Linn found specifically that the brothers and their mother did speak to Uche more than once about key moments in the case. They discussed immunity; the $3,500 check that police have alleged was payment from Smollett for the hoax; the search warrant on the Osundairos apartment; and laws regarding hate crimes, Linn found. You can say to the model, OK, now lets see what happens to Lake Michigan if we reduce the number of mussels to 50% of what they are now, or if we warm the lake up by 3 degrees as a result of climate change, Bootsma said. And thats really useful for managers because we want to know, for example, is there going to be more or less plankton in the future to support the food web and important fish in the lake? In an affidavit, W.S. Bailey, who had gone to the courthouse to witness the 1931 arraignment, recalled climbing up a drainpipe and entering through a window to get around National Guardsmen who were posted at the building to ward off mob justice. He said that in the courtroom, Oliver appeared to be in the condition to be expected from severe assault and battery, shock and fright. If a business is made legal, its hardly fair to complain about its efforts to make itself visible and attractive to customers. In these past months, the Illinois pot trade has glammed up, focused on customer service and made huge efforts to reduce any stigma attached to its core product. Any other smart business would do the same. And, clearly, the level of demand has proved to reach far beyond what we anticipated when we wrote about this topic in the past. Lockdown stressed out a whole lot of people, and pot has helped them. The consent decree contains a broad gamut of other reforms that arent part of the proposed agreement, but this contract puts the department on the right path. As long as officers and their union leadership resist reform, the culture within the department that has allowed misconduct and the covering up of that misconduct will continue to corrode the relationship between police and community. Officers need to see the consent decree not as an impediment to their jobs, as the FOP has claimed in the past, but as a blueprint for safer, more effective policing. Vasquez and the teens were coming from a party hosted by one of her cousins in the unincorporated Boulder Hill subdivision. Vasquez said she dropped off her sister at the house earlier and had visited another relative who lived nearby when her sister called and asked for a ride. She admitted to drinking one beer and a Jaeger-bomb. Around 12:30 and 1 a.m., she said she received another call from her sister, saying she was being hassled by another woman at the party, and went into the home to help her sister. Flash U.S. President Joe Biden announced Thursday that all workers hired by the U.S. federal government are required either to prove that they have been vaccinated against COVID-19, or to submit to a series of vigorous safety protocols. Unvaccinated people dying from COVID-19 is "an American tragedy," Biden said during a speech at the White House in an effort to convince those still reluctant to get vaccinated to receive their doses. "People are dying and will die who don't have to die. If you're out there unvaccinated, you don't have to die," the president said, pointing particularly to those who are not yet vaccinated and are currently hospitalized due to contracting the virus. Prior to Biden making the announcement, the White House released a factsheet detailing the measures, saying that "every federal government employee and the onsite contractor will be asked to attest to their vaccination status." Employees who have not been vaccinated, according to the factsheet, "will be required to wear a mask on the job no matter their geographic location, physically distance from all other employees and visitors, comply with a weekly or twice-weekly screening testing requirement, and be subject to restrictions on official travel." The executive branch of the federal government now has over 4 million employees, including over 2 million in the federal civilian workforce. Biden also directed the Defense Department to look into adding the COVID-19 shot to its list of required vaccinations for members of the military. Also included in the efforts announced Thursday was expanded paid leave for employees who take time off to get themselves and their family members vaccinated. Biden said small- and medium-sized businesses will receive reimbursements if they offer employees time off to get family members vaccinated. Biden also called on states, territories, and local governments to offer $100 to every unvaccinated American who wants to get their shots. The money, according to a Treasury Department statement, will be derived from the 350-billion-dollar pandemic-relief fund for state and local governments that was part of the American Rescue Plan passed by Congress earlier this year. To let more kids aged 12 and older get vaccinated, the president called on school districts nationwide to host at least one pop-up vaccination clinic over the coming weeks. The Veterans Affairs Department ordered compulsory vaccination for its healthcare staff on Monday, saying those refused to be inoculated will possibly be removed from their jobs. The Biden administration had missed its goal of getting 70 percent of American adults partially vaccinated by July 4, with the rate standing at 69.4 percent as of Thursday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fully vaccinated people now account for 49.4 percent of the total population, as vaccination hesitancy in some places of the nation continues to hamper mass immunization efforts. By issuing the federal vaccine mandate, the Biden administration has put itself in the center of a debate over how far the government can go in compelling Americans to follow public health guidance. The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA), which represents 30,000 federal law enforcement officers across agencies, issued a statement ahead of Biden's speech, stating that a vaccine mandate amounts to a civil rights violation. FLEOA fully supported individuals who voluntarily choose to be vaccinated, and encouraged its members to be vaccinated, said Larry Cosme the president of the association. "However, forcing people to undertake a medical procedure is not the American way and is a clear civil rights violation no matter how proponents may seek to justify it," Cosme said in a statement. Biden in his speech urged state and local governments and private employers to follow a similar vaccination requirement for their workplace, noting the Justice Department has "made it clear" that it is legal for governments and private-sector entities to issue vaccine mandates. Flash Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), has instructed the DPRK military to complete preparations for coping with "any military provocation of enemies," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Friday. "Commanders and political officers should focus all efforts on completing preparations for actively and offensively coping with any military provocation of enemies," Kim said when chairing a workshop for military commanders and political cadres in Pyongyang on July 24-27. Kim called on all the commanders and political commissars of the Korean People's Army (KPA) to "make redoubled efforts than ever before" to seriously review their overall work, and find ways to overcome shortcomings and deviations and exchange good experiences, according to KCNA. During the four-day workshop, the DPRK leader accused "hostile forces" of intensifying "frantic and persistent war drills for aggression," calling on the DPRK military troops to devote their lives to protecting the people and their properties. Attending the workshop were military commanders and political commissars of all the services of the KPA and officials of the KPA General Political Bureau, the KPA General Staff and the Ministry of National Defence. DOJ's COVID Shot Mandate Memo is Absurd NEWS PROVIDED BY Liberty Counsel July 30, 2021 WASHINGTON, July 30, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- After the Department of Veterans Affairs sent an email to all employees mandating that all its health care personnel receive the COVID-19 shots, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued an absurd Memorandum Opinion (memo) that completely ignores the law. On July 27, 2021, the DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel issued a memorandum purporting to outline the legality of the federal government and private employers, educational institutions, and other entities mandating individuals to receive the COVID-19 shots as a condition of employment, education, participation, or use of services. However, the memo, "Whether Section 564 of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act Prohibits Entities from Requiring the Use of a Vaccine Subject to an Emergency Use Authorization," clearly contradicts the law. None of the COVID shots are approved or licensed by the FDA. They come under the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), which means they cannot be forced or required. On page 1 of the DOJ memo, and many times thereafter, the DOJ correctly states that Section 564 of the federal law directs the FDA "to the extent practicable" and as the FDA "finds necessary or appropriate ... to impose '[a]appropriate' conditions on each EUA" Section 564 of Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act (FDCA), 21 U.S.C. 360bbb-3. The memo continues: "Some of these conditions are designed to ensure that recipients of the product are 'informed' of certain things, including 'the option to accept or refuse administration of the product'" (emphasis added). The memo also states on page 1 that since December 2020, the FDA granted EUAs for COVID shots. "In each of these authorizations, FDA imposed the 'option to accept or refuse' condition." The memo then correctly notes that the FDA Fact Sheet states, "It is your choice to receive or not receive" the COVID shots (emphasis added). Despite this clear "option to accept or refuse" language, and despite admitting the FDA has publicly affirmed this "option to accept or refuse," the DOJ memo says it does not mean you have the option to refuse. The "option to accept or refuse," the DOJ asserts, is met merely by telling people they have the "option to accept or refuse," and, once told, people can be forced to take these shots. This is akin to interpreting the Miranda Rights to mean once you have been told "You have the option to remain silent," then you can be forced to talk! This is absurd. On March 27, 2020, the Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary declared that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use (EUA) of drugs and biological products for COVID-19. That means people must be told the risks and benefits and they have the right to decline a medication that is not fully licensed. The same section of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that authorizes the FDA to grant EUA also requires the secretary of Health and Human Services to "ensure that individuals to whom the product is administered are informed ... of the option to accept or refuse administration of the product." The EUA statute provides that as a condition of receiving authorization governing "the emergency use of an unapproved product," one requirement is that "individuals to whom the product is administered are informed...of the option to accept or refuse administration of the product, of the consequences, if any, of refusing administration of the product, and of the alternatives to the product that are available and of their benefits and risks" (emphasis added). The DOJ's analysis in its memo is fundamentally flawed and the EUA provision cannot be read to permit the government or private entities to mandate an experimental product approved merely for emergency use. In fact, the memorandum even admits multiple times that the EUA law and the FDA require the "option to accept or refuse." This memorandum outlines some of the admissions that the DOJ makes and then proceeds to analyze the reasons the analysis is fundamentally flawed in legal terms. The first important admission is, "For the three COVID-19 vaccines, FDA implemented the 'option to accept or refuse' condition described in section 564." Thus, though not required under the statute, the FDA did make the COVID EUAs subject to the option to refuse provision of the U.S. Code. The second admission is that it says the Fact Sheet expressly states you have the "option to accept or refuse." In addition, the FDA includes the Nuremberg Code and the Declaration of Helsinki on its website, emphasizing the fact that people cannot be forced to take experimental drugs without their full consent. The DOJ memo also admits that it did not take into consideration any other federal, state, or local laws that may provide protection for people to refuse the COVID shots. Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, "The Department of Justice memorandum states that the 'option to accept or refuse' does not mean you have the option to refuse the COVID shots. That is absurd. Under the federal Emergency Use Authorization law, these shots cannot be mandated or administered without the free and full consent of the individual. In addition to the plain language of the EUA law and the FDA, employees and students have rights under state and federal laws, including the First Amendment Free Exercise Clause, to refuse injecting a drug into their bodies. It is shocking that the DOJ intentionally deceived the public with its lawless, result-oriented memorandum. We will not allow the law and the people to be trampled by employers, schools or this administration." Liberty Counsel provides broadcast quality TV interviews via Hi-Def Skype and LTN at no cost. SOURCE Liberty Counsel CONTACT: Mat Staver, 407-875-1776, Liberty@LC.org Related Links lc.org/ Family Research Council Files Amicus Brief at US Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health NEWS PROVIDED BY Family Research Council July 30, 2021 WASHINGTON, July 30, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- Family Research Council filed an amicus brief yesterday with the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, in one of the most significant challenges to the Court's 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade. The Court's decision in Roe held that a woman had a constitutional right to abortion under the Fourteenth Amendment, striking down many state abortion restrictions and severely limiting the extent to which states could write their own abortion laws. In the brief, we argue: "In Casey, a plurality recognized that Roe and its trimester framework were unworkable and introduced a new 'controlling standard' that was intended to provide judges clarity in deciding abortion cases. But Casey only made things worse. Created 'out of whole cloth,' Casey's undue-burden standard provided no rule of law, instead forcing judges to evaluate abortion regulations on the basis of their own personal value judgments. And its viability rule relied on ever-changing medical technology, while preventing states from acting upon their important interests in protecting nascent life and beyond." The brief continues: "Instead of aiding judges in 'neutral and principled administration' of the law, the undue burden standard forces [judges] to rely on their own moral intuitions to decide cases. That practice perverts the judicial function and undermines the rule of law." Family Research Council president Tony Perkins commented on FRC's amicus brief: "Considering this national trend of legislative action against abortion, the pre-viability restrictions that Mississippi HB 1510 implements are increasingly, and in fact, reflective of the convictions of the nation. America is truly an outlier in extreme abortion laws since most countries around the world limit abortion. It's time that the Courts allow for the states to enact laws that are consistent with the scientific and medical advances in the half century since Roe v. Wade was decided. In 1973, the Court assumed it had settled the debate over abortion. Yet no court can change the truth that a society that does not respect life that is defenseless, does not respect life," concluded Perkins. Katherine Beck Johnson, FRC's Research Fellow for Legal and Policy Studies, and an attorney who assisted with the brief, added: "The Court's decisions in Roe and Casey have taken over 60 million lives and done irreparable harm to our country, not just through the lost lives of the aborted babies, but also to their mothers and families. The country is worse off because of the lives lost in abortion. I'm proud that our amicus brief boldly calls for an end to the viability standard that has no grounding in the Constitution. Roe and Casey must be overturned." To read FRC's amicus brief, please see: https://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF21G39.pdf To read FRC's state policy brief publication on what states can do to advance life in a post-Roe world, please see: https://www.frc.org/statepolicybrief/total-abortion-ban SOURCE Family Research Council CONTACT: J.P. Duffy or Joshua Arnold, (866) FRC-NEWS or (866)-372-6397 What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 319-283-2144 or email circ@oelweindailyregister.com. What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 319-352-3334 or email legals@waverlynewspapers.com. The shooting was the second deadly shooting in Hartford in one day. About 11:30 a.m. Thursday a man walked up to a car at 90 Enfield St. and fired at the driver, who tried to get himself to the hospital but crashed on Greenfield Street and later was pronounced dead, according to police. This is not only great news for workers in Connecticut, it is further proof that our state is poised for economic growth, Lamont said. Ensuring that our residents dont have to choose between going to work and taking care of themselves and their families has always been a priority for our administration, and Im pleased to see were continuing our forward progress in building this program. Tensions over coronavirus restrictions ran high when the virus struck in early 2020, and have surged again this summer as the country faces a new wave because of the delta variant. Many conservative groups are balking at the possibility of reinstituted mask requirements, but also are fighting measures to press the public to get vaccinated. Unfortunately, the criminal acts of pedophile sex trafficker Bemer keep rearing their ugly heads, Faxon said. It is most disappointing to the courageous victim here that Bemer escaped prosecution for his sadistic acts because the sexual abuse and molestation occurred so long ago. Our client has been worried for decades that Bemer or one of his co-conspirators would seek reprisals if any of this abuse was disclosed. Now that Bemer is a convicted sex offender it is time to deplete Bemers finances so he doesnt have the wealth to violate any more children. According to her Fox 61 bio page and her LinkedIn profile, Lutzker was born in New York and first arrived in Connecticut as a student at the University of Hartford, where she received her bachelors degree in communications in 1999. An internship at KISS 95.7 radio inspired her to pursue a career in the media. Besides Fox 61 and KISS 95.7, Lutzker has worked at WFSB in Hartford and WCBS in New York. Afterparties is now poised for the kind of buzzy release rare for debut collections. Ecco announced a first printing of 100,000 copies, far more than what is typical for a book of short stories. Early champions include Brit Bennett, George Saunders and Bryan Washington, as well as Mary Karr, Dana Spiotta and Jonathan Dee, all three of whom taught So at the masters of fine arts creative-writing program at Syracuse. The book was selected by writer Roxane Gay for her monthly book club, and has appeared in the summer reading recommendations of Vanity Fair, BuzzFeed, The Wall Street Journal, Time and Mens Journal. The literary journal n+1, one of the first major outlets to publish Sos work, this year created the Anthony Veasna So Fiction Prize, a $5,000 award, in his honor. When we heard about their situation, we decided we were going to take them in as their foster family. We said, you know, might have a full house, but we have the room and knew we could make it work. All these kids wanted was someone to love and someone love them, Amanda Jones said. We just knew we knew we wanted to be their family. Most recently, she participated in Fusion Dance Fests Scholarship Competition last week and will attend Fusion Dance Fest 2021, an online dance festival showcasing and teaching choreography to Irish dancers from around the world, from Monday through Aug. 8. For the video competition, participants such as Kaylee posted a minute-long clip of original choreography on Facebook in hopes to get the most views for the winning title and a deduction on the cost of her ticket to the festival, which she will virtually attend from her home. The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Oklahoma notified the Big 12 conference of their intentions to not renew their grants Rana Daggubati recently resumed shooting for the Telugu remake of Malayalam film Ayyappanum Koshiyum. Sagar Chandra is directing the yet-to-be-titled version, that stars Pawan Kalyan. Rana says his role will be intense and different from his earlier characters. I cant talk much about my role, but I can tell you my character is very layered and has an emotional arc. The emotions the character has are different and youll see a completely different Rana in this film, the actor shares. The Baahubali star is sharing the screen with Pawan Kalyan for the first time. When asked to describe his work experience, Rana says, Pawan Kalyan garu comes with a lot of experience; his understanding and wealth of knowledge about cinema are vast. Its truly an honour and a great experience to work with someone like him. Every time he talks to Pawan he gets to learn new and different things about filmmaking, says Rana. Thats because he sees cinema differently; also, his ability to quickly grasp the nuances of the character is impeccable, he adds. Chamarajanagar: Former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday reiterated that he will not intervene in the selection of ministers in the new Cabinet. Stating that he will continue to work towards strengthening the party, the veteran BJP leader said that his successor and new Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is free to pick his team in consultation with the party leadership. He visited the district to console the family of his fan, who had allegedly committed suicide pained by his resignation as CM, and gave them Rs 5 lakh. "Bommai is in Delhi today, in a few days he will discuss with the central leaders and decide on who should be in his cabinet, I will not intervene on who should be made minister or not. Bommai is completely free, he will discuss and choose his cabinet ministers...I will not give any suggestions on this," Yediyurappa said. Speaking to reporters, he said his advice to the new Chief Minister is to do a good job and that Bommai has already made announcements aimed at helping the poor and the downtrodden. To a question on inducting legislators who had joined BJP after quitting Congress-JD(S) coalition in 2019 and had helped the party to come to power, the 78-year old leader said, it is left for Bommai to decide, he will discuss with leadership and take a decision. Meanwhile, Ministerial aspirants have continued lobbying to secure a berth in the new cabinet. Indicating that expansion of his Cabinet may take some time, Bommai on Thursday had said he will discuss it with the party's central leadership. The Chief Minister is in Delhi today to meet the PM and other central leaders to "take their blessings". Nothing that he has already made it clear that in the coming days he will travel across the state to strengthen the party, with an aim to win 130-135 seats in the next election and bring the party back to power, Yediyurappa said, this is the assurance he has given to PM Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national President J P Nadda. He said, after Ganesh Chaturthi (September 10) he has decided to visit a district every week and organise karyakartas meetings to strengthen the organisation. Yediyurappa later visited the family of his fan Rajappa (Ravi) at Bommalapura in Gundlupet taluk, who had allegedly committed suicide pained by his resignation. "I'm pained by the step he took, this should not have happened. He has a mother and two sisters and was not married, taking care of his family is my responsibility, so I have given Rs 5 lakh to his mother, will put another Rs 5 lakh to their bank account and see to that they get interest, will see what else is to be done for them," he said. Pointing to the welcome he received on his arrival in the district, the former Chief Minister said this is the best example for the love and affection of the people, despite not being in power. To a question that many party workers are upset about his resignation, he said, "power is not permanent, I have done this (resigned) to nurture a capable person in front of my eyes and to make way for others. A capable person like Basavaraj Bommai is the Chief Minister today." Noting that Bommai was unanimously elected as his successor, he said, he has complete confidence that good works will happen under his leadership. Administering of Covid-19 vaccination to all teachers started in 13 districts of AP and the task would be completed before the reopening of the schools. DC/Narayana Rao VIJAYAWADA: Minister for education Adimulapu Suresh said that Covid-19 vaccination to the teachers would be completed before August 16 and the government would reopen all schools in AP on August 16. The minister said that the schools will be run by following Covid-19 protocol giving utmost priority to the health conditions of the students. Minister Suresh said that all the arrangements are being made to start schools on August 16. He said Jagananna Vidya Kanuka will be launched on the same day. He explained that this time the government will be giving a dictionary in Vidya Kanuka. The Minister said that as many as 15,000 schools have been developed under the Nadu-Nedu first phase which will be dedicated to people on August 16 on the occasion of reopening of school and the second phase of Nadu-Nedu in school will start on the same day. Minister Suresh said that administering of Covid-19 vaccination to all teachers started in 13 districts of AP and the task would be completed before the reopening of the schools. Nearly 10-15 per cent of the infected doctors served patients online even as they were suffering from the disease. (Representational Photo:DC) Visakhapatnam: Some Covid19-infected doctors suffering from the infection are dutifully performing their Covid duties via online platforms like WhatsApp and telecommunication. Deccan Chronicle spoke to some of these doctors who have done exceptional services during the pandemic period in both the first and second waves. Dr Vijay Kumar, civil assistant surgeon, Visakha Institute of Medical College (VIMS), was infected with the virus on April 27. His wife, a doctor at Gitam hospital, had suffered from the disease in the first wave. Covid infected me and my family including my mother and daughter. It was the severe peak stage of the second wave. I daily used to take Clexane injections against blood clots and go to the hospital to treat patients. My house is at KGH while the hospital is Hanumanthawaka, more than 10km away, Dr. Vijay told DC. Pulmonologist Dr. Gayatri Devi at the Government Chest Hospital, said, I got admitted to the hospital where I worked. I used to attend to the patients over the phone from my hospital bed. Whatever I followed as a Covid patient, I recommended to the patients. Dr. Ram Kumar at Akkayyapalem said, I got the infection in the first wave and went into the ICU for four days. I came back to my clinic and started attending to the patients via online. Andhra Medical College principal Dr. PV Sudhakar said many doctors and the medical teams dedicated their lives and services to the cause of treating C-patients during the pandemic. Nearly 30 per cent of the medical team was infected with the disease. We lost eminent AMC professors Dr. Pusushottam and Dr. Venugopal. Former AP state Covid19 nodal officer Dr Prabhakara Reddy from Kurnool said, Such loss of doctors and medical staff happened in the Covid19 pandemic period only. I had never seen such a huge loss of medical staff since Independence. Visakhapatnam district medical and health officer Dr Suryanarayana said a total of seven medical teams including two doctors at KGH died of Covid. Meanwhile, the Visakhapatnam district Covid control centre geared itself up for the third wave following reports of rising cases in Kerala and Maharashtra. Visakhapatnam collector Mallikarjuna Yadav has stressed the need to vaccinate all the eligible people at the earliest in order to prevent a further spread of the disease. This apart, the people's support to the government in terms of thoroughly adhering to the protocols plays a key role in the effective Covid19 management, the collector told media persons soon after taking charge. The Visakhapatnam district medical and health officer Dr. Suryanarayana said more than 80 per cent of the eligible people were covered with the first dose of vaccine in the city and rural areas. The total number of eligible people will be 27 lakh in the district. Of them, 21 lakh people were administered the first dose, six lakh were jabbed the second dose. Facts & figures - 7 medical staff including KGH doctors succumbed to Covid19. - First wave doctor deaths were 4, while 3 deaths in the second wave. - Nearly 30 per cent of the 10,000 medical staff were infected. - Nearly 10-15 per cent of the infected doctors served patients online even as they were suffering from the disease. - Total 1,52,353 positive cases reported in Vizag district since March 2020. It has been observed that there has been a spike in the number of new cases in the bordering states as well as in few places in the State. (PTI Photo) Bengaluru: With the state witnessing a spike in COVID-19 cases, the Karnataka government on Friday ordered the district administrations to strictly monitor the situation in their respective jurisdictions and to impose additional containment measures as deemed necessary. It has also asked for strict surveillance measures to be implemented at the border posts as per the prevailing guidelines. According to the order, it has been observed that there has been a spike in the number of new cases in the bordering states as well as in few places in the State, which entails close monitoring and stringent micro-containment measures with time test strategy of test-isolate-treat as well as focused vaccination to contain the spread of COVID-19 locally. Signed by Revenue Department (Disaster Management) Principal Secretary N Manjunatha Prasad, it said after assessing the evolving COVID-19 situation in the State, the Chief Commissioner-BBMP, Deputy Commissioners of the districts have been directed to strictly monitor the COVID situation in their respective jurisdictions and based on their assessment of the situation, may impose additional containment measures as deemed necessary. "Further, strict surveillance measures to be implemented at the border posts as per the prevailing guidelines," it added. Karnataka on Thursday had reported 2,052 new cases of COVID-19 and 35 deaths, taking the total number of infections to 29,01,247 and toll to 36,491. This is compared to 1,531 fresh infections and 19 deaths on Wednesday, and 1,501 new cases and 32 deaths on Tuesday. Total number of active cases in the state as on Thursday was at 23,253. While the positivity rate for the day stood at 1.37 per cent, case fatality rate (CFR) was at 1.70 per cent. Earlier in the day, speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said there is a need to tighten the borders and take measures to put in place compulsory testing to stop the spread of the virus. Stating that he has spoken to Deputy Commissioners of Dakshina Kannada, Chamarajanagar, Mysuru, and Kodagu districts (that borders Kerala) on raising COVID cases, he said, "We have to tighten our borders. We have to make compulsory testing and vaccination." After the Delhi visit, Bommai said he will hold a video conference with Deputy Commissioners and health officials of various districts. "We need to take measures to further strengthen our health infrastructure. The priority is to stop the spread of the disease." Bommai also said that people travelling by roadways are being checked. There is a need to keep a tab on train passengers. The Deputy Commissioners and Superintendent of Police have to take the responsibility of checking, he said, adding that he has spoken to the chief secretary in this regard. Earlier, India and China held 11 rounds of talks at the Corps Commander level to reach the arrangement to disengage from the Pangong lake area. (PTI Photo) New Delhi: India and China will hold the 12th round of Corps Commander-level talks on Saturday aimed at discussing disengagement from the remaining friction points in the Eastern Ladakh sector Army sources said. India and China have already disengaged from the banks of Pangong lake after extensive talks and the Gogra Heights and Hot Springs areas are left to be resolved as these friction points were created post-Chinese aggression last year. According to Army sources, the 12th round of Corps Commander level talks between India and China is scheduled to be held in Moldo on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control around 10:30 am. "12th round of Corps Commander level talks between India and China to be held in Moldo on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control around 10:30 am. India and China expected to discuss disengagement from the Hot Springs and Gogra Heights areas," Indian Army sources said. The two countries have been engaged in a military standoff for almost a year but disengaged from the most contentious Pangong lake area last month after extensive talks at both military and political levels. The credit for the disengagement was given to all stakeholders by Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane who also talked about the country benefitting from the inputs given by the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval during the crisis. Earlier, India and China held 11 rounds of talks at the Corps Commander level to reach the arrangement to disengage from the Pangong lake area. Vijayawada: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy directed the officials to initiate measures to repair damaged roads in municipalities, towns and cities in the state and to prepare an action plan in this regard in coordination with the roads and buildings department. He instructed them to make arrangements for starting property registration services in village and ward secretariats to cater to every 2,000 population in the state. Jagan Mohan Reddy held a review meeting on municipal and urban development in his camp office at Tadepalli on Friday. The government decided to provide 1.20 crore bins to 40 lakh houses in 13 districts of AP to collect waste in 124 municipalities and municipal corporations. The Chief Minister said the towns and cities should be clean and asked the officials to focus on road repairs after the rainy season. He urged them to focus on construction and demolition waste management in towns and cities. He directed the officials to be prepared to begin the process of land registration at village/ward secretariats and said one registration office will be made available for every 2,000 population and added that it would help monitor lands in village/ward secretariat limits so that there would not be scope for encroachment and other irregularities. The state government had been allotting houses to eligible beneficiaries within 90 days of applying on saturation basis by maintaining complete transparency and zero corruption and avoiding middlemen, he said and added that the state government had also started construction of 15 lakh houses. Jagan Mohan Reddy reviewed the progress of works related to the beach corridor, multilevel car parking and natural history park and museum in Visakhapatnam. The Chief Minister asked the officials to focus on construction of TIDCO houses and development of infrastructure facilities. The officials informed that the construction of more than 45,000 out of 85,888 houses in the first phase would be completed by August and the remaining houses by December. The Chief Minister also reviewed the progress of works of YSR urban clinics. He directed the officials to prepare an action plan to complete underground drainage works in Vijayawada, Guntur and Nellore. He asked them to take measures to set up treatment plants in Mangalagiri-Tadepalli, Macherla and Kurnool to avoid river pollution. The Chief Minister also lauded the initiative of women mart, a store run by the members of self-help groups in Pulivendula. The officials said they had collected Rs 150 each from 8,000 members and set up the mart with their money. They said MEPMA had been monitoring the programme and its products were also made available in the mart. The Chief Minister directed the officials to monitor the maintenance of the mart and plan to extend the initiative to other places. The officials briefed the Chief Minister on Clean Andhra Pradesh (CLAP) programme. They said 1.2 crore bins would be provided in 124 municipalities and municipal corporations across the state. Three bins per house for 40 lakh households in green, blue, red colours, would be distributed, they said and added that 4,868 vehicles would be used for waste (garbage) collection, of which 1,771 were electric vehicles. A total of 3,097 vehicles would be provided in the first phase. The state government would set up 225 garbage transport stations and arrangements are made to treat collected waste in various ways. 55 to 60 percent of the collected waste is wet, which would be treated by biodegradation and 35 to 38 percent of wastage is dry and would be recycled. The remaining will be sent to cement factories. Another 1012% will be in the form of sand and it is used for filling. The state government will set up integrated solid waste management plants in 72 towns for which the tender process will be completed by August 15 and construction will be completed by July 2022. The apex court had in its order earlier on June 15, closed all the proceedings in India against the two Italian Marines accused of killing two fishermen in Kerala in 2012. (PTI) New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Friday deferred the hearing in the Italy marines case for August 2. A bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Indira Banerjee was hearing the petitions seeking a stay of the disbursement of compensation to the families of the two Kerala fishermen killed in the case. On June 15, the Supreme Court had accepted the compensation of Rs 10 crores deposited by the Republic of Italy. Out of the total amount of Rs 10 crores, Rs 4 crores was to be paid to the family members of each deceased person and Rs 2 crores to the Boat's owner, the top court said. The apex court had in its order earlier on June 15, closed all the proceedings in India against the two Italian Marines -- Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone -- accused of killing two fishermen in Kerala in 2012, after it considered the fact that the amount of Rs 10 crore had been deposited by the Italy government before it. "The compensation amount of Rs 10 crore already paid by the Italian government, over and above is made, and is adequate," a two-judge bench of the top court, led by Justice Banerjee and comprising Justice M R Shah, in its order, had said, earlier in the last hearing. Considering the tribunal order, the Republic of India has agreed to the compensation of 10 crores, the Republic of Italy has deposited it and it is now transferred to this court's registry, we are satisfied with the compensation and the ex gratia paid over and above earlier, the apex court had said. "This is a fit case to close all proceedings in India under Article 142 of the Indian Constitution," the top court had said, in its order. The Supreme Court had passed the order after the Central government moved the top Court court to close the case against the two Italian marines in India. The two Kerala fishermen, Valentine Jalastine and Ajesh Binki were allegedly shot dead by two Italian mariners Latorre and Girone mistakenly on February 15, 2012, understanding the fishing boat 'St. Antony' for a pirate boat. Justice Shah further in the order had said that the Republic of Italy shall now resume the criminal proceedings (against the two Italian marines). He further said and directed that the amount of Rs 10 crore, lying with this court be transferred to the Kerala High Court registry, and out of which Rs 4 crore to be paid to the victims each and Rs 2 crore to be paid to the owner of the boat, St Antony. "We order that a judge be appointed by the Kerala High Court to ensure that the amount of compensation paid to the victims is made available to their (deceased) legal heirs," the apex court had said, in its order. The top court had in the last hearing said, we direct the Kerala Govt, Union of India, and the Republic of Italy to ensure that the criminal proceedings against the two marines are carried out effectively in Italy. The Supreme Court also said in its order that Italy must start criminal proceedings against the two Marines under its jurisdiction immediately and the case details and evidence will be provided by the Union of India and Kerala government to the Italy government to ensure that the case must go on against the two Italian marines. The Supreme Court had in one of its hearings on April 09, asked the Republic of Italy to deposit the compensation amount of Rs 10 crore, with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The apex court had asked the Centre to furnish the account details of the MEA so that the Republic of Italy can deposit the money in the account, and the Supreme Court can initiate the process of disbursing the money to the victim's families. The Supreme Court was hearing the Central government's plea to close criminal proceedings pending in India against two Italian marines accused of killing two fishermen off the coast of Kerala in 2012. The Permanent Court of Arbitration had in July, last year, had given its decision saying that the two Italian marines - Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone -- will not be tried in India and in its judgment had ruled that India is entitled to claim compensation from Italy. It had observed that the marines had violated international law and, as a result, Italy breached India's freedom of navigation, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. HYDERABAD: After Dalits, people from Backward Classes, Scheduled Tribes and Minorities are set to get financial assistance from the Telangana government soon in the form of bank-linked subsidy loans to pursue self-employment. After Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao announced the Dalita Bandhu scheme on June 18 to improve the socio-economic status of Dalits by transferring Rs 10 lakh cash to the bank accounts of each Dalit family to pursue self-employment of their choice, similar demands cropped up from other sections. People from BC, ST and Minority communities seeking self-employment have been waiting for four years for want of funds. The BC, SC, ST and Minority corporations invited applications for self-employment in 2017-18. Over 9.50 lakh applications have been pending with these corporations for over four years due to fund crunch. The government has decided to release funds to these corporations to clear all pending applications in phases this year. As many as 5.10 applications of BCs are pending, while ST applicants are 2,02,433, SC applicants 1,73,159 and Minorities 23,829. The state government allocated Rs 650 crore last year to clear ST applications but funds were not released due to Covid financial crisis. Official sources said the Chief Minister had directed finance department to release funds this year as financial condition has improved now. The Chief Minister asked corporations to clear pending applications before accepting new applications. With this, the corporations have stopped accepting new applications and are taking steps to clear pending applications. The government kept required funds available with district collectors to disburse loans. But the disbursal was halted due to Covid crisis. The government asked collectors to sanction funds available with them to these corporations and clear pending applications. In Minorities Corporation, applications were last accepted in 2014-15 for loans, which are still pending due to lack of funds. The government-sanctioned Rs 786 crore to ST Corporation last year, but funds were not released. With Dalita Bandhu launch, the government wants to address the pending self-employment schemes of other sections too along with Dalits. It takes about 1 minute for the ufo to show up on Lou's video. Also it is easier to see it in the video than the picture to the right... The Makamae Melia O Polynesia is performing at the NeighborGood Market on Aug. 19. Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen (left) donated a $1,200 check to the Elk Grove Food Bank Services at their future home last December. Pictured with her is the food banks executive director, Marie Jachino. The Elk Grove Unified School District staff advises the school board to adopt their districts current trustee area map until they receive the 2020 Census data this fall. This current map is based on demographic data from the 2010 Census count. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form 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. 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. Using Instagram has allowed Professor William Gallois, from the University of Exeter, to publish almost 200 high-quality colour images with his academic article to illustrate the meaning and aesthetic value of Racims work. First academic research paper co-published on Instagram shows legacy of one of Algerias most influential modern artists The first research to be simultaneously co-published in an academic journal and on Instagram shows the lasting legacy of one of Algerias most influential modern artists. The painter Mohammed Racim is generally known for his depictions of historical scenes produced in the colonial era. Such work has been used to illustrate book covers, tourist brochures and postage stamps, and has generally been seen as backward-looking and artistically conservative. Using Instagram has allowed Professor William Gallois, from the University of Exeter, to publish almost 200 high-quality colour images with his academic article to illustrate the meaning and aesthetic value of Racims work. The research is published in the American Historical Review, where there is a QR code to the Instagram account showing the images and article together. Because much of Racims work was treated as having no intrinsic value, little effort was made to record and analyse its presence in the world. Professor Gallois hopes his research will counter this loss of cultural memory. The rare pictures shown as part of the article are from Professor Gallois own archive of 10,000 photographs, postcards, advertisements, cigarette papers and other forms of ephemera, collected over the past decade. Professor Gallois said: Instagram is a great platform to show an unlimited number of high quality images, reach people across the world and potentially younger audiences too. There are already a huge number of people consuming research via Twitter, but Instagram is a place where I believe more productive and positive discussions can take place. The editors of the American Historical Review deserve credit for their willingness to innovate; they have been really good partners on this endeavour. I am enthused about the use of Instagram as a resource. The medium has given me the ability to present this research in the way I really wanted. I think Instagram will become a significant place for academic discussion to happen in the future. There are an increasing number of accounts on Instagram which catalogue, archive and critique images made by both indigenous and colonial groups during periods of imperial rule in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia work previously ignored, erased or misunderstood - which have tens of thousands of engaged followers. Mohammed Racim, who lived from 1896 to 1975, was the son and nephew of two of its most significant makers of Islamic art. His brother Omar was jailed from 1913 until 1921 for the seditious distribution and production of Islamist literature. During the early part of his career Racim lived in Paris, working as an artist for the publisher Editions Piazza. At this time he began to create his own works on canvas, illuminated miniatures in a style dominant in the Persianate and Ottoman worlds, which were admired by painters and patrons in France and north Africa. The pictures depict Algiers as a pre-colonial urban idyll, as well as historic characters such as the Barberousse brothers who had successfully defended the city against European invaders. On his return to Algiers in 1932 Racim would go on to exhibit a small number of other miniatures, whilst working primarily as a teacher of the traditional arts. These thirty or so miniatures have been in more or less constant circulation since, serving as illustrations for book covers, tourist brochures, postage stamps and other icons of everyday design. Professor Gallois research shows how the un-modern form of Racims work also effectively neutered any potential for the paintings to be seen as politically defiant. Nathan Draluck, Managing Editor of the American Historical Review, said: This was an exciting challenge, because we had to think about the best wayin the confines of a print journalto best direct readers to Williams fascinating and, frankly, cool Instagram pagewhich is itself the actual article. Alex Lichtenstein, Editor of the American Historical Review, said: When William came to me with the idea of presenting his research on Mohammed Racim in the form of an Instagram post, I confess I was sceptical. But I have been keen to experiment, so we went with it. Peer review and production posed some challenges, but in the end I think the result is rigorous, fascinating, and widely accessible. Moreover, the content matches the form--that is, William uses the life of Racim to ask probing questions about the nature of history and representation. He asks us to contemplate "learning to read a text whose significance was not seen in the moment in which it was made"--I like to think the same can be said of using a popular social media platform to present historical scholarship. This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices. Art Break: Where is the Person in the Portrait? ONLINE ONLY This is a past event Ancient Roman portrait sculptures are often difficult to identify and understand. Suggested identities in labels sometimes tell us more about the museums displaying the art than about the individuals depicted. Using photography, Los Angeles artist Ken Gonzales-Day explores Roman portraits with an interest in interpretation, personhood, and the dynamics of stereotypes. Focusing on a marble bust of a young child, Gonzales-Day and antiquities curator Jens Daehner discuss the search for the real people behind the ancient portraits. Jens Daehner has been a curator of ancient art at the Getty Museum since 2002. He organized several exhibitions exploring Hellenistic sculpture, the history of archaeology, and Roman imperial portraits, as well as the role of antiquity in 20th-century art. He is a widely published author and his book Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World (co-authored with Kenneth Lapatin) was awarded the London Hellenic Prize in 2015. Currently, he is preparing a collection catalog of Roman sculpture at the Getty, but also dedicates his time to mentorship, diversity and inclusion policies for the museum, and advocacy for the curatorial profession. Ken Gonzales-Days interdisciplinary and conceptually grounded photographic projects consider the history of photography, the construction of race, and the limits of representational systems. Gonzales-Day has held fellowships at the Getty Research Institute, the Terra Foundation in Giverny, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, and the American Art Museum of the Smithsonian, among others. In 2017, Gonzales-Day received a Guggenheim Fellowship in Photography and currently holds the Fletcher Jones Chair in Art at Scripps College. In 2018, he was the subject of a two-person exhibition at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. Learn more Concerns over whether Australia cannot repel a Chinese attack were raised by a New South Wales (NSW) senator. This came as Beijing has been rankling against Canberra, which has been vocally anti-China, from COVID to the South China Sea, it has been a thorn on Xi Jinping's side. Events in the Indo-Pacific are moving fast, and Australia is there in the thick of it. Despite arming up, the might of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is daunting, especially if no help from the US is not coming. Some are afraid that it will be on its own, especially that China may not stop itself from silencing Canberra with a rain of missiles. Australia cannot rely on the US for back up The NSW Senator Jim Molan seriously questioned the government how it could fight Beijing in a full-out war, speaking on Sky News Australia. He stressed that the country could not sustain a sufficient defense to push back an overbearing China. Another one, the current American forces are far more weakened by the Biden administration, anticipating a significant response fron the US should not be expected. Australia will not be able to go toe to toe with China in a Pacific war alone. Citing the documents which Canberra and the defense department show the real score, reported the Express UK. Molan is not confident that longtime ally, the United States, will be there in a snap, leaving them to fend for themselves against considerable odds. He said that the present administration and the current Democrat US President, does not elicit confidence to have the leadership to muster the allies in a full-blown pacific war. Chances are Australia cannot repel a Chinese attack if no help is sent. Read Also: Should Xi Jinping Fear Domestic Problems Than Military Action in the South China Sea? Here's What Analysts Say Furthermore, intel on China indicates that Australia will be in the line of fire once Beijing wages war. Supposedly, the US will be the one to contain the waring PLA, but the US president is being unassertive. Dropping off capabilities of the US Armed Forces Before 1991, the US war power was far better with the Soviet threat, and it is down to 30-50% by now. This is a relevant indicator if they can defend Taiwan, and the outlook is grim because the USis diffident. If they cannot support the island enclave, Australia will be hard-pressed to keep its liberty from a vengeful China. Looking at factors how the Australian Defense Force (ADF) can fight and how long it can hold on. The senator is not confident how long peace can last before the tension blows. He added it might only take 48 hours before the ADF falls, leaving the country helpless. On the offside, a conflict might be avoided in the Indo-Pacific. Nations in the South China Sea (SCS) are building arsenals, but it can or cannot happen. One of his fears in the country will be significantly affected as collateral damage in the US versus China conflict. Based on odds on a Taiwan scenario, the US has not won any in several years that is an alarming indication of an actual conflict. What if the US allows Beijing to win without a shot fired? One more concern is whether the US will pass the buck to defend Taiwan, cited VOA News. This might be the case with Japan's increased involvement in Taiwan affairs, and Beijing has threatened nuclear attack. If Australia cannot repel a Chinese attack, then it falls with Taiwan then next will be smaller countries. All because the US got weaker and less capable. "My fear is that a war between China and the US may occur and we get made collateral damage," Molan asserts. Related Article: Britain Deploys Two Patrol Ships to Indo-Pacific After China's Nuke Threat to Japan @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Millions of federal employees will be expected to provide proof of coronavirus vaccination or face obligatory masking, weekly testing, distancing, and other new regulations. President Joe Biden said on Thursday that all civilian government employees would be required to submit their COVID-19 vaccination status or face stringent testing, social distance and masking procedures, and travel restrictions. The new strict guidelines are intended to increase vaccination rates among many Americans who get government salaries while also setting an example for private businesses across the country. New COVID-19 guidelines urge states and local government to fund $100 incentives Biden is also asking state and local governments to use funding from the COVID-19 relief package to entice people to obtain vaccines by providing $100 to those who do. He's also saying that small and medium-sized businesses would be reimbursed if they provide time off for employees to have family members vaccinated. The new regulation comes as COVID-19 cases have begun to rise again in all 50 states, owing to the more infectious Delta variant, while vaccination rates have stabilized. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 69.3 percent of people in the United States have gotten at least one vaccination dose. For months, business leaders have been debating whether or not companies should force employees to obtain the vaccination to prevent the virus from spreading. Many firms have left it up to people to decide. Still, public health and employment experts believe the new Biden administration policy may lead to more private-sector employers enacting their vaccination policies. The Biden announcement is "significant," said Dr. Bruce Y. Lee, a professor at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy. The federal judgment sets a broad precedent that companies may use to justify implementing a similar policy for their employees right now, as per CNBC via MSN. Businesses will also have a point of reference for dealing with employee opposition and threats of legal action if the rule is not followed. Leaders may gain insight into how federal policy is implemented and enforced. According to Lee, working through operational issues will take time; and small firms may find it particularly challenging. Read Also: Joe Biden Hails Deal to Transform US With $1 Trillion Infrastructure Plan; Senators Concern Over Price Tag Federal workers to face strict vaccination policies Per WFMZ, Biden is also asking the Defense Department to investigate adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of mandatory vaccines for service personnel. He also instructed his staff to make efforts to ensure that all government contractors are subject to the same rules. The president's decision to work for the federal government, which is by far the country's largest employer, comes amid rising coronavirus rates, which are being fueled by pockets of vaccination resistance and the more infectious Delta variant. Several large businesses and municipal governments have issued additional rules independently, but the administration believes that much more is required. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised its guideline for places where viral infection rates have resurfaced earlier this week, stating that those vaccinated should still wear masks indoors. The shift represented a reversal of the CDC's prior advice, which said that people who had been vaccinated did not need to cover their faces. Several states, cities, and private companies have sponsored incentives for individuals who receive vaccines in recent months to encourage vaccinations. People vaccinated in West Virginia may enter a $1 million lottery, and bars throughout the country have hosted "shots for shots" giveaways. However, because vaccination rates have stalled and COVID-19 cases are on the rise, Biden wants to boost up his efforts. He will urge states, territories, and local governments to do much more to encourage immunization, including providing $100 to everybody who gets vaccinated, Newsweek reported. Related Article: Joe Biden Says Long COVID-19 Sufferers Can Qualify For Disability Benefits @YouTube @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Trump's Political Action Committee (PAC) spent $348,081 or doubles spending on ads in Ohio's 15th Congressional District to promote Trump-backed candidate Mike Carey. PAC Doubles Spending on Advertising Political Campaign In a recently published article in CNBC News, The Make America Great Again Action PAC made the huge, last-minute ad buy on Tuesday, the same day that another Trump-backed House candidate, Susan Wright, lost a special election in Texas 6th Congressional District. The former president has built his whole political image on his role as the Republican Party's kingmaker. A second defeat in as many weeks for a Trump-backed candidate in Ohio would seriously damage Trump's image of invincibility and may affect his Presidential bid if he decides to run again. On Tuesday, former President Donald Trump reaffirmed his support for coal lobbyist Mike Carey in the special election for the 15th Congressional District and blasted other Republicans in the race for saying he backs them, according to a published report in The Columbus Dispatch. Read Also: Biden Slams Trump During Campaign Rally in Virginia, POTUS Endorses McAuliffe Who is Mike Carey? Carey is the chairman of the Ohio Coal Association and a veteran lobbyist for American Consolidated Natural Resources, formerly Murray Energy. He portrays himself as a political outsider, and much of his campaign has revolved around Trump's support. In a published article in Humming Zone, Trump invited Carey to speak at a rally in Lorain County in June; he also spoke at a phone event for Carey last week. Corey Lewandowski, a former Trump adviser and campaign manager, has also endorsed Carey's bid for Congress. This time, Carey is up against ten other Republicans in the GOP primary on Aug. 3 for the opportunity to succeed former U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers, who resigned from Congress in May to head the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. On Nov. 2, the winner will face either Democratic state Rep. Allison Russo or Republican state Rep. Greg Betts. Several Republican Candidates in Ohio's 15th District Former President Donald Trump said through an email, "Numerous candidates in the Great State of Ohio, running in Congressional District 15, are saying that I am supporting them, when in actuality, I don't know them and don't even know who they are. But I do know who Mike Carey is - I know a lot about him, and it is all good," according to a published article in Bussiness Hala. Several Republicans want Pres. Trump's support and ideas, but it is not clear what compelled Trump to state that he only supports Carey. Carey's opponents, according to a spokesperson, have exploited the former president's name or image in campaign materials. Former state Rep. Ron Hood, for example, has numerous Trump-related postings on his Facebook page, but none of them indicate that Trump has supported Hood. However, a number of candidates have received large sums of money in the Ohio primary, including $220,000 in attack advertisements against Carey paid for by the Conservative Outsiders PAC. This election is about far more than Ohio politics for Trump. Meanwhile, anothet Trump political organization, Save America, released a statement in January that explains how the president's political operation sees the significance of his support. Related Article: Former President Trump Hints 2024 Run, Denies Creating a New Party @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. President Kais Saied of Tunisia said that over 460 businessmen or elites stole over $4.8 billion in public funds and offered them a legal deal if they repaid the money. Tunisian President New War Against Corruption In a recently published article in Middle East Eye, President Saied said that businesses had stolen money via unpaid taxes and fraud, citing a list of 460 individuals prepared by an anti-corruption committee following the 2011 revolution. In his Facebook live address, Saied offered them the option of facing jail or returning the money to the nation via non-profit investments in hospitals, schools, and infrastructure in impoverished regions. He said that businessmen robbed the people for decades and now is the time to return the funds to them. Tunisian economic analyst Ezzedine Saiden told national radio station Mosaique.fm that Saied's "penal settlements" would help the Tunisian economy much, and that a probe into the corruption might produce considerably more than Saied's stated 13.5 billion Tunisian dinars, according to a published article in Africa News. Read Also: Tunisia Faces Uncertainties as Citizens Are Divided in Support of New Government Officials Saied Dismissed Officials, Suspended Parliament Saied's pledges come after he fired Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, froze the parliament, and assumed executive powers on Sunday; these were actions that the president's critics and constitutional lawyers have dubbed as a coup. In addition, Saied has assumed the role of the state prosecutor. While many political parties and constitutional lawyers have criticized Saied's power grab, he has maintained that his actions were legal and in accordance with a constitutional provision for crisis circumstances, according to a published report in ALJAZEERA. During a meeting Wednesday evening with the president of the employers' association, the head of state criticized the "poor economic decisions" made in previous years in Tunisia, only three days after suspending Parliament's activities for a month and seizing complete executive authority (Utica). Saied Calls for the Revival of Phosphate Production The Tunisian President also called for a resurgence of phosphate production, which is one of the country's scarce natural resources. The Gafsa Phosphate Company (CPG), a former economic powerhouse in Tunisia, has seen its output plummet since the 2011 revolution, owing to a lack of investment and recurrent civil upheaval. Tunisian President Saied wants phosphate to return to its previous activities, and he alluded to the industry's widespread accusations of corruption by mentioning those in the Parliament who cover themselves with parliamentary immunity. Saied's Announcement Gained Support The statement was well-received, according to Tunisian political analyst Mohammed-Dhia Hammami, since corporate elites are unpopular in Tunisia. He said that it is because there have been no arrests or major decisions that give the appearance that he is following through on his pledges. He needed to take action. How Saied's "penal settlements" would be implemented is unclear. Some businesses, according to Hammami, may attempt to overturn the judgment, resulting in "years" of legal fights. The important element of Saied's action, according to Hammami, is his apparent effort toward reconciliation, which may offer corrupt business leaders from the Ben Ali period a second opportunity. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund has promised to assist Tunisia in dealing with the pandemic's "exceptional socio-economic strains" and restoring its finances to a sustainable level. Related Article: Tunisian President Dismisses Prime Minister After Being Accused of "Coup" @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Harvey Weinstein and his legal team successfully dismissed one of the 11 sexual assault charges against the former producer on Thursday, a judge ruled. The dismissal of the charge marks a small victory for the suspect and his team; however, prosecutors can still amend the charge and bring an updated version to court. Weinstein was convicted of sexual assault in New York last year. Weinstein Dismissed One Sexual Assault Charge Weinstein's 11 sexual assaults included four counts of rape and the suspect has pleaded not guilty to all charges last week in court. The dismissal of the charge came after Weinstein's legal team presented arguments that three of the 11 charges were beyond the statute of limitations. They requested the judge to dismiss all three, but only one was granted, which was a charge for sexual battery and restraint. One of Weinstein's attorneys, Mark Werksman, said that Count 5 was dead and later celebrated the judge's decision, arguing that the suspect's legal team was off to a good start. In a statement, Werksman noted that Weinstein and his team were grateful for the decision of the judge, Newsweek reported. Werksman said that the charges against Weinstein were baseless and should never have been brought to court. He and the rest of the suspect's legal team are looking forward to the dismissal of future proceedings. Read Also: Student Loan Forgiveness: Pelosi Argues Biden Does Not Have the Power to Cancel the Debt Weinstein was serving a 23-year prison sentence in New York before facing the charges in Los Angeles. A jury found the suspect guilty of rape and of forcible performing oral sex. Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson said that prosecutors will work on amending the indictment and refiling it in court later on Thursday. That would mean that Weinstein would have to be arraigned once again despite pleading not guilty last week to the original indictment. Judge Lisa B. Lench, who was the preceding judge that ruled the dismissal of the charge, supported the argument of prosecutors on two other courts, which reportedly occurred from 2004 to 2005. The judge disagreed with defense attorney Alan Jackson's argument that the counts should also be thrown out due to statute limitations, NBC News reported. Charges Against the Suspect The dismissed charge detailed an incident that occurred at a Beverly Hills hotel room on May 11, 2010. In April 2020, prosecutors first filed the charge of sexual battery against Weinstein, which was just within the 10-year deadline declared under the statute. Weinstein's defense team requested that the judge not allow videos or photographs of their client to be taken during the hearing as he was wearing what they called a "rumpled" jail suit. The legal experts said the suspect's attire made him look guilty. However, Lench denied the requests for restrictions on videos and photographs, CNN reported. The Los Angeles charges were filed as additional counts by prosecutors and included four counts each of forcible rape and forcible oral copulation, two counts of sexual battery by restraints, and one count of sexual penetration by use of force, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office said. Related Article: US Police Share Harrowing Details of Jan 6 Riot Amid Criticism of Republicans for Downplaying Incident @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A woman was found beheaded on a Shakopee sidewalk Wednesday afternoon, prompting an arrest. America Mafalda Thayer, 55, of Shakopee, was discovered on the sidewalk near the intersection and was declared dead at the scene. The incident occurred near the junction of Fourth Avenue and Spencer Street around 2:30 p.m., according to the Shakopee Police Department. Officers in Shakopee, Minnesota, responding to a stabbing discovered America Mafalda Thayer's decapitated body on the ground beside a car. Minnesota woman found beheaded on a sidewalk Officers found a big knife in a nearby alley, and Alexis Saborit, Thayer's boyfriend, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Thayer worked at Dollar Tree and My Pillow, where employees said she was involved in a long-term relationship with the suspect and was abused by him. According to MN Crime, Saborit allegedly dropped a knife while departing the scene, as evidenced by police scanner traffic. Police observed Saborit strolling around Shenandoah Drive and 4th Avenue about 3.20 p.m. and detained him without incident, per the outlet. Later, cops said they discoverd the sheath for a big knife in a neighboring yard, as well as the weapon itself in a trash can in a nearby alley. Per NY Post, Saborit has previously been convicted of severe misdemeanor domestic violence. Thayer, a Cuban immigrant, was remembered by friends as industrious, friendly, and kind. According to the source, Nicky Kendrick had known the victim for five years and said she used to see her at work every day. Thayer worked 70 hours a week, My Pillow coworker and friend Jamie Worley said. A vigil was reportedly scheduled for Thursday night at the execution site. The department would like to express its sympathies to the victim's family, according to the police. The daytime beheading horrified neighbors. "I have no words for it. Just scary. I just feel very sorry for the families," said Jessica Sondrol, a neighbor. A 42-year-old Shakopee man was promptly detained on charges of second-degree murder, according to police. He is being detained in the Scott County Jail with pending accusations. The suspect has a criminal history, including a 2017 conviction in Carver County for domestic violence. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigated the crime scene. Shakopee police are asking anyone with knowledge about the incident to call them at 952-233-9400. Read Also: Atlanta Teen Arrested, Another Still at Large in Shooting That Left a 14-Years-Old Dead Following a Brawl Gruesome crime comes after a woman was found decapitated in Indiana Another woman was found beheaded in her burning apartment in Indiana on Monday, prior to this horrifying beheading. According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by WDRB, cops subsequently discovered her head in a suitcase and human digits - such as fingers and toes - inside a plastic container at the residence of suspect Brian Williams. In connection with the death of 67-year-old Melody Gambetty, Williams, 36, has been charged with murder, arson, and misdemeanor theft. According to WDRB, police think Williams did not know Gambetty and that the murder resulted from a burglary attempt or house invasion. During his initial appearance in Clark County Circuit Court on Wednesday, Williams was ordered jailed without bond after filing a not guilty plea on his behalf. Related Article: Firefighters Discover Indiana Woman's Decapitated Burning Body in Apartment; Suspect Faces Arson, Murder Charges @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Canadian police and firefighters have mistaken a woman's body for a mannequin and dumped her remains into the garbage. The bakery factory was visited by police and firefighters who extinguished the fire. At the time, officials assumed the burned woman was a life-size silicon doll or a commercial mannequin. On Thursday, Sherbrooke Police Chief Danny McConnell said at a press conference, "When they arrived, witnesses declared that someone had lit a silicone mannequin on fire." A reported missing woman was mistook for a mannequin According to McConnell, the incident occurred on July 23 in a city about 150 kilometers east of Montreal. Last Friday, a woman's burned body was mistaken for a mannequin and dumped in the garbage at the Sherbrooke police station. After discussing with one another, it was decided that the dummy should be discarded in an outdoor dumpster at the police station, which is not open to the public. It wasn't until 6:30 p.m., four hours after receiving the missing person complaint, that police discovered the assumed mannequin was actually a deceased woman. They immediately informed the coroner's office, which is currently investigating the event with the Sherbrooke police department, The Sun reported. The fire chief, Stephane Simoneau, promised to "shed light" on the sequence of events, which he described as "strange, to say the least, possibly startling." The authorities were taking the matter extremely seriously, he remarked. Per Global News via MSN, McConnell apologized to the woman's husband and children during a press conference with the city's fire chief and a senior city official on Thursday. Witnesses said a silicone mannequin had been set on fire, so firefighters were dispatched to a brush fire behind a factory just after 10 a.m. on July 23, McConnell said. Read Also: Deadly Landslide in India Kills Nine People, Destroys Bridge as Boulders Fall From Hilltop Authorities apologize, pledge to clear the "lack of transparency" After mistaking the burned body of a missing woman for a mannequin and tossing it in the garbage, police, and firefighters in Canada apologized. Stephane Simoneau, the chief of the Sherbrooke fire department, also spoke out on Thursday, saying he wanted to share the specifics of the incident with the public and address what he called a lack of transparency with the public. Simoneau expressed his shock at the discovery, saying that his whole team, department, and others who were present that day were in shock. Certain emotions overtook people, so they had to handle the situation to mentally stabilize their teams, which is precisely what they are doing, the fire department chief added. The name of the missing woman was not revealed by McConnell, who stated the city coroner was launching an inquiry. Details regarding the incident, which happened on Friday, were only made public nearly a week later, allowing the police and fire chiefs to speak to the public. Sherbrook's fire department sought to address the "lack of transparency." Flowers were put in the wooded area where the ground was burned, and the woman's body was discovered. Police and firefighters' department both declined to provide any further information regarding this matter, as per Daily Mail. Details about the woman's death will be released after the coroner's inquiry is completed, said a spokesperson for the coroner's office. Related Article: Firefighters Discover Indiana Woman's Decapitated Burning Body in Apartment; Suspect Faces Arson, Murder Charges @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. US Capitol Police (USCP) stated there is no sound reasoning for the House of Representatives' new mask mandate should lead to an arrest. The office released a statement on Thursday talking back on the threat of arrest simultaneously with the timing of Congress allocating $71 million in new funding for the force. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger released an advisory obtained by lawmakers on Thursday indicating police officials would take staff and visitors into custody who refuse to comply in donning a mask on the Capitol Complex's House side. Also, police officials were told not to seize Congress members for not wearings masks. Instead, they were instructed to report the refusal to obey rules of lawmakers to the House sergeant-at-arms. CDC: Face Masks To Be Required Again Under the Capitol's attending physician, at the guidance of Brian Monahan, the chamber released a memo indicating that face masks would be necessitated again. This is following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stating people should wear masks in a number of situations notwithstanding their inoculation status. Lawmakers who contravene the protocol will be reported to the sergeant-at-arms. However, staff members and visitors were not offered such a privilege. Masks a Point of Political Dispute The subject of donning a face mask has been a point of political dispute for as long as the COVID-19 pandemic has become prevalent in the US. Congress has witnessed its share of this dilemma with lawmakers having played out the bigger cultural conflict in the little world of their workplace. Therefore, an individual could be forgiven for being relieved when the Capitol mask regulations were lifted. Read Also: Joe Biden Ponders Over Vaccine Mandate for Federal Workers; Review to Be Completed This Week Reaction of Republicans Numerous GOP lawmakers reacted negatively to the newly imposed measure. Rep. Cat Cammack, R-Fla. called our the policy an "overstep" of her House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's right which initially asked the Capitol police to report on members and detain employees. According to GOP North Carolina Rep. Greg Murphy, MD, echoing the same sentiment, the command is a "McCarthyism" and an "infinite power grab," reported Love by Life. Rep. Chip Roy on Thursday squared up to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy regarding the new Capitol Police policy. According to two sources, the member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus remarked it was "bull----" and that they need to lead, reported Politico. Several GOP members have refused to don face masks. They stated it hindered personal freedom. They censured the Capitol physician over making a mask guideline effective for the House and not the Senate. They contended that the science translated that inoculated individuals must not wear face masks. On Thursday, many visitors and staff members were witnessed milling around the House side of the Capitol without masks. However, they were not seized. The dispute started following Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) remarking that "if a visitor or staff member fails to wear a mask after a request is made to do so, the visitor or staff shall be denied entry to the House Office Buildings or House-side of the U.S. Capitol," reported New York Post. Related Article: Department of Veterans Affairs to Require Healthcare Workers To Receive Inoculation; 70 Percent of Workers in VA Centers Are Already Vaccinated @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A former United States Catholic cardinal, Theodore McCarrick, has been charged with the sexual assault of a 16-year-old boy, a crime that reportedly occurred in 1974. The suspect, 91-year-old McCarrick, was once one of the most powerful leaders in the U.S. Catholic Church. Authorities charged the religious leader with three counts of indecent assault and battery in a criminal complaint issued in the District Court in Dedham, Massachusetts on Wednesday. McCarrick is the first current or former U.S. cardinal to face sex crimes. Catholic Cardinal's Sexual Assault Crimes Barry Coburn, a lawyer for McCarrick, released a statement that said his client's team will look forward to addressing the case in the courtroom. Statute of limitations for sex crimes under Massachusetts law dictates that the case is suspended if the alleged abuser leaves the state after the crime if he is not a Massachusetts resident. Mitchell Garabedian, the lawyer for the alleged victim, who was kept anonymous as his name was redacted from court documents, said. Prosecutors claim that at the time of the crime, McCarrick, who was friends with the family of the victim, called the young boy out of his sister's wedding reception at Wellesley College. The complaint alleged that the cardinal told the boy his father wanted him to go with the religious leader. The accusations claim that the cardinal told the victim he was being mischievous at home and not attending church, the Wall Street Journal reported. Read Also: Judge Dismisses 1 Sexual Assault Charge in Harvey Weinstein Case The complaint said that McCarrick later proceeded to fondle the 16-year-old boy's genitals while repeatedly saying prayers. The victim said the cardinal abused him for several years even when he became an adult in multiple regions, including New Jersey, New York, California, and Massachusetts. The U.S. cardinal was defrocked in 2019 after an investigation of the decades of sexual abuse allegations released results. The incident marked the moment when McCarrick became the most senior Catholic figure to be removed from priesthood in recent times, BBC reported. A 450-page report from the Vatican contained testimonies and dozens of letters and transcripts from Vatican and U.S. church archives. The document said that the late Pope John Paul II was informed of McCarrick's crimes but decided to believe American bishops who opted to hide the suspect's abuses. Defrocked from Priesthood In 2019, Pope Francis expelled Theodore E. McCarrick; it was the first time a cardinal was defrocked for sexual abuse in the history of the Vatican. Many saw the decision as a critical moment in how the Vatican handled the nearly two-decade history of abuse. A statement at the time said that McCarrick was dismissed after a trial where he was found guilty of several crimes, including soliciting sex during confession and "sins" with minors and with adults. The complaint added that the cardinal committed crimes "with the aggravating factor of the abuse of power." There have been hundreds of priests who have been defrocked for the sexual abuse of minors worldwide. However, there have been very few of the religious group's leaders that were given disciplinary actions. Kurt Martens, a professor of canon law at the Catholic University of America, said the decision to defrock McCarrick was "almost revolutionary," the New York Times reported. Related Article: US Police Share Harrowing Details of Jan 6 Riot Amid Criticism of Republicans for Downplaying Incident @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Turkish authorities on Thursday launched an investigation into the possible cause of a series of devastating forest fires in Turkey that has killed three people and displaced 50 others. Several wildfires broke out from Wednesday to Thursday in Turkey's Mediterranean and southern Aegean regions. One of the fires, which was fanned by strong winds and the country's warm temperature, was contained Wednesday. However, another fire sparked overnight, sweeping through the entire district of Akseki. String of Wildfires More wildfires broke out Thursday in 16 other locations, forcing authorities to evacuate people in the nearby resort, holiday homes, and hotels located in the Icmeler region. According to authorities, at least three people died in the fires, including an 82-year-old man in the Kepezbeleni neighborhood where at lesat 80% of the houses were incinerated. Officers have also evacuated at least 20 villages, as reported by the Associated Press. In addition to the deaths, more than 1,000 farm animals also perished in the fires, which destroyed at least 1,500 acres of agricultural land and 120 acres of glasshouses. The cause of the string of fires is now under investigation, with Marmaris mayor Mehmet Oktay saying he does not rule out "sabotage" as the reason. His remarks were later echoed by Turkish presidential communications director Fahrettin Altun. "Those responsible will have to account for the attacks against nature and forests," Altun said on Twitter. Read Also: Firefighters Discover Indiana Woman's Decapitated Burning Body in Apartment; Suspect Faces Arson, Murder Charges Fighting Against the Flames Authorities have reported a total of 53 forest fires in the past two days. However, most of them are now under control after the government deployed three planes, 38 helicopters and approximately 4,000 firefighters. While wildfires are common in Turkey's Mediterranean and Aegean regions, especially during summer months, some have suspected the forest fires to be arson. Across Turkish social media, many have promoted claims that the PKK terrorist group "Children of the Fire Initiative" were responsible for the series of fires that recently hit the country. These claims came after several PKK sympathizers celebrated the wildfire on Twitter. The initiative has yet to release a statement claiming responsibility for the fires. However, the group had previously burned Turkey's forests for "vengeance." "Two or three youths may well gather and do something. They may say 'we don't have a weapon' but their weapons are lighters and matches," one of the PKK's highest ranking members, Murat Karayilan, had previously said, as reported by the Daily Sabah. Another high-ranking PKK terrorist, Semdin Sakik, echoed Karayilan's remarks. However, he also noted that they would burn down properties if they see the need to. "If we run out of weapons, we will go to Bodrum and burn their yachts, go to Antalya to burn their greenhouses, go to Istanbul to burn their cars and go to Izmir to burn their forests," he said, according to the Sabah. In October 2020, four Turkish provinces also fell victim to PKK members who burned forests in southern Hatay province's Belen district. The Children of Fire Initiative later celebrated the act and praised the terrorist who burned the forests. Related Article: US Police Share Harrowing Details of Jan 6 Riot Amid Criticism of Republicans for Downplaying Incident @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. President Joe Biden reaffirmed his support for a Democratic attempt to include immigration policy into his multi-trillion anti-poverty program. Biden Assures Support for Pathway to Citizenship of Undocumented Immigrants In a recently published article in CNN News, President Joe Biden reaffirmed his support for a Democratic attempt to incorporate immigration policy in his multi-trillion anti-poverty plan on Thursday. He told a gathering of legislators that he would stand by them in their efforts to see a route to citizenship for millions of people passed into law. Sen. Richard Durbin, the Senate's second-ranking Democrat, verified this after a meeting with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office to discuss the next steps in establishing a route to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants. He also said that Biden knows the challenges the lawmakers face in pushing for the citizenship of undocumented immigrants. Furthermore, obtaining Biden's outspoken and consistent support is a key component of Democratic legislators' efforts to grab a chance to incorporate long-awaited immigration reform objectives without requiring Republican cooperation in the House, according to a published article in Local News8. Read Also: Kamala Harris' Stance Before Joe Biden Puts Her In-Charge of Migrant Influx on US-Mexico Border Lawmakers Requested a Meeting With Biden After a Federal Judge Ruled Out Against DACA The meeting with Biden was requested by a group of 11 lawmakers, all of whom are key players in immigration efforts, shortly after a federal judge in Texas ruled earlier this month that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects certain undocumented immigrants from deportation, was unconstitutional. That decision, which Biden said his Justice Department would appeal earlier this month, prevented the government from accepting new DACA applications, casting fresh uncertainty on the destiny of the hundreds of thousands of young illegal immigrants protected under the Obama administration's DACA program, according to WRAL News. The backlash has fueled legislators' efforts to address the Dreamer population permanently via a broad package Democrats intend to pursue through a budgetary procedure that would enable legislation to clear the Senate with a simple majority vote. Reconciliation Package With the party controlling just 50 seats in the Senate and the current round of bipartisan immigration reform negotiations stalled, legislators are focusing on adding major immigration reform provisions in the so-called "reconciliation package." In a recently published article in MSN News, the size of the plan is still being worked out; but Democrats have said that they want to offer a route to citizenship for Dreamers, as well as those with Temporary Protected Status and undocumented vital workers. Rep. Raul Ruiz, the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said the caucus was seeking to broaden the scope of the endeavor by combining several different immigration ideas into one package that would pass the test under Senate rules. As the dual-track process to implement Biden's $4 trillion economic plan moves ahead in Congress, that procedure is presently ongoing. The Senate rules, on the other hand, have created doubts about whether the immigration initiatives will ever make it through the process, even if they get enough Democratic support in both houses. The legislators made it plain that they were trying to create a case for the immigration restrictions to be kept in place. Related Article: Biden Urges Congress to Pass Permanent Solution for 'Dreamers' @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Changing your car battery is one of the easiest maintenance jobs you can do yourself. However, there are some complications and research to be done before you replace the battery. To find out the right battery for your car, you can always check the current battery specs, the owner's manual, or refer to a car buying website that offers plenty of specs and other info. Before we delve into the procedures, we need a basic understanding of automotive batteries and how they work. Modern cars including gas, diesel, and even electric run on a 12V system. Unfortunately, cars still use regular lead-acid batteries because of their low cost and easy availability. Compared to the lithium-ion batteries used by modern smartphones and other electronics, lead-acid batteries are capable of storing a lot of charge and output high output for short periods of time, making them perfect for use in cars. Like most batteries, draining a lead-acid battery completely by leaving on a cabin light overnight can easily damage it, drastically reducing life and efficiency. A lot of luxury cars also use a secondary battery to power all the electronics, while the main battery is used to start the engine. Similarly, most electric cars like Teslas also use a regular 12V battery to run basic electronics like door locks, alarms, lights, and more. When to replace your battery? As a general rule, car batteries will last just over 5 years in an ideal case, while some models die out around the 2-year mark. Whichever the case, you'll start noticing signs of a degrading battery well before it finally kicks the bucket. If your battery is still under warranty, the dealers will swap it out or give you a discount with your next battery. If your battery is getting on in age, some features like the central locking may not work sometimes, and you'll notice slow cranking during cold starts. While the battery warning light does help in some cases, it is usually too late. If your car fails to start with a relatively new battery, it might be because of a parasitic draw or an alternator issue. But, in most cases, the battery is usually the culprit so check it first before moving on to anything else. You can jump-start the car using battery leads or use a trickle charger to charge the battery directly. In the case of manual cars, you can also try jump starting the car by engaging first gear and popping the clutch while the ignition is on and the car is being pushed. If the car starts, let it idle for at least 10 -15 minutes to make sure it's able to start again. Another common issue that is often overlooked is corroded battery terminals. As the car is being used, corrosion occurs at the terminals and causes connection problems. To clean the terminals, use a wire brush with a solution of baking soda and water. Wait for everything to dry out before connecting the terminals again. If the battery terminals are secure and clean, the next logical step is to load test your batteries. Most auto part stores usually do the check for free and determine the life of the battery. If the load test shows low results, it's time to switch out your battery. Precautions Because you're dealing with electricity, there are several precautions to take before you switch out the battery. gettyimagesbank By Park Jae-hyuk A series of lucrative investment opportunities have made it possible for the Korean market to emerge as one of the most attractive destinations for global private equity investors, prompting them to look for more Korean experts to manage their assets, according to industry representatives, Friday. The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), one of the world's largest investors in private equity firms (PEFs), is a recent example. Earlier this week, the CPPIB announced that its Asia Pacific head, Suyi Kim, will be promoted to global head of its private equity department Sept. 15, to lead a team which was managing $100 billion in assets as of March 31. The decision was announced two months after the executive unveiled the board's plan to make long-term investments in Korean public and private equities, and real estate, during a web conference held May 26 by the Institute for Global Economics. Kim joined CPPIB in 2007 as the head of its private equity business in Asia and contributed to the opening of its Hong Kong office in 2008, after working for the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, the Carlyle Group, McKinsey & Company and PricewaterhouseCoopers. "Suyi's background in private equity, extensive experience leading our Asia Pacific business and deep knowledge of the organization make her ideally suited for this role, and demonstrate the depth of our leadership team," CPPIB CEO John Graham said in a press release, Wednesday. "I am confident that with her global expertise, Suyi will build on the success of a strong and experienced private equity team to continue to deliver solid long-term results for our contributors and beneficiaries." Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Asia Pacific Head Suyi Kim delivers a lecture at the Lotte Hotel Seoul in this January 2019 file photo. Courtesy of the Institute for Global Economics Multiple PEFs based abroad are also trying to expand their presence here by hiring more Korean nationals. In the past, most of them were reluctant to allow Korean executives at their Seoul offices to make important decisions, although three Korean Americans Carlyle CEO Kewsong Lee, KKR co-President Joseph Bae and Blackstone Chief Financial Officer Michael Chae have held top positions at the world's three largest PEFs for several years. The adjustment has been mainly attributed to large-scale merger and acquisition (M&A) deals here, valued at over trillions of won. Blackstone, one of the participants in the bid to acquire Hanon Systems worth 7 trillion won ($6 billion), recently recruited analyst-level investment professionals, who will work to handle Korea-focused transactions at its Seoul office, which is reportedly supposed to reopen by the end of the year. According to industry sources and media reports, the U.S. firm set up a temporary office at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, ordering its Korean managing director, Eugene Cook, to organize the Korea-focused team. EQT Partners, a Swedish PEF owned by the Wallenberg family, is also reportedly considering forming a team for its Korea-focused investments. Its decision in 2018 to hire director Jay Chae, who studied at Korea University and worked for Blackstone and Lehman Brothers, has been regarded by some market insiders as a preparatory action by the investment firm for the plan. Data compiled by the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) showed that the number of funds managed by PEFs in Korea reached a record high of 855 last year, while their sizes collectively amounted to 97.1 trillion won. Given that the Korean private equity market has shown solid growth over the past few years, the trend of global investors paying attention to the domestic market should continue for a while. "PEFs have tended to tighten their grips on the capital market as the major players in the corporate M&A sector," an FSS official said. "Because eased regulations have enabled various investment strategies, they are expected to rev up corporate restructurings and M&As." People wait to be monitored for possible side effects after receiving the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at an inoculation center in Seoul, Wednesday. AP-Yonhap By Kim Yoo-chul Rising numbers of COVID-19 cases and the continued spread of the Delta variant rattled business sentiment in July, with the country's business survey index (BSI), which measures how companies view surrounding conditions, turning red for the first time since February. On Friday, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said that BSI in July stood at 87, decreasing 1 point from June. This is the first month-on-month drop in five months. The BSI is considered as a barometer for judging how private companies feel about current business conditions and outlook, as the survey is based on opinions from the country's core industries. A BSI reading below 100 shows pessimists outnumber optimists and vice-versa if the index exceeds 100. The latest poll was conducted from July 15 to 22 and targeted 3,255 companies. Out of the total, 2,807 responded. "The deterioration in sentiment in July coincides with the most recent surge in COVID-19 cases and the rising prices of raw materials. Unlike big companies, which have fared well thanks to increased exports of semiconductors and vehicles, the business sentiments of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as domestically-focused companies, have worsened," Kim Dae-jin, a team leader at the BOK's economic indices bureau, said. The Korean government is trying its best to continue its massive vaccination campaign as planned, despite concerns over a shortage of vaccines. But if worries over the Delta variant continue to mount, more consumers will stay away from activities they deem as being too risky. This situation, according to economists, will further weigh on service-related businesses such as restaurants, hotels and airlines, potentially undermining the recovery of the local service sector and even of the Korean economy as a whole. In line with such worries, the BSI of non-manufacturing companies in July deteriorated 2 points to 79. By detailed indices, manufacturers' business sentiment fell 1 point to 97 this month. The BSI among big companies remained unchanged at 107, though that of SMEs dropped 4 points to 85. "Aside from exporters and top-tier manufacturers, the government is asked to provide a high level of assistance packages to SMEs and non-manufacturers, as the continued spike in new COVID-19 cases coincides with the possible downward shift in business sentiment. Consumers are truly worried about the estimated impact of the Delta variant, as the spread will have a negative impact on the country's economic recovery," Ha Joon-kyung, an economics professor at Seoul's Hanyang University, said. A bridge linking North Korea with China over Aprok River / Korea Times file North Korea's economy is estimated to contract 4.5 percent on-year in 2020, marking the worst contraction since 1997, as Pyongyang closed its borders over the COVID-19 pandemic, South Korea's central bank said Friday. The North's economy, which has been hit by tightened U.N. sanctions over its nuclear and missile programs, expanded 0.4 percent in 2019, but shrank 4.1 percent in 2018 and 3.5 percent in 2017, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said in a report. Last year, North Korea suffered its biggest economic contraction since 1997, when the North's economy shrank 6.5 percent amid a "arduous march," a term used by the North that describes hardships of its people during the famine in the 1990s. The North's economic contraction last year was led by "intense U.N. sanctions, deteriorating weather conditions and border lockdowns over the COVID-19 pandemic," a BOK official told reporters. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum / Yonhap South Korea will receive 1.3 million doses of the Moderna vaccine next week, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday, as the government is preparing to expand the COVID-19 vaccine shots to those aged under 50. "On Aug. 6 or 7, 1.3 million doses of the Moderna vaccine are scheduled to be supplied in South Korea," he said during an interagency meeting on the virus crisis. Consultations with the U.S. pharmaceutical company have been finalized for the shipment of a total of 8.5 million doses of the vaccine within the next month, he added. He was countering public doubts about the supply of the vaccine here, a key element in the nation's coronavirus vaccination campaign over the coming months, along with the Pfizer product. Defense Minister Suh Wook held phone talks with his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin on Friday and reaffirmed their commitment to a strong alliance and a firm combined defense posture, the defense ministry said. The two ministers discussed bilateral defense issues and the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, "reaffirmed an ironclad South Korea-U.S. alliance and stressed the importance of close cooperation between the two countries," according to the ministry. South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook, left, and his U.S. counterpart, Lloyd Austin in this file photo. Yonhap Spanish Ambassador to Korea Juan Ignacio Morro speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the Embassy of Spain in central Seoul, July 21. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk Cervantes Institute coming to Seoul in near future By Kwon Mee-yoo One of the tasks of an ambassador is organizing high-level visits between one's home country and place of sojourn, so a state visit would be a highlight. Spanish Ambassador to Korea Juan Ignacio Morro worked in the preparation of two state visits during his term: King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain visited Korea in October 2019 and Korean President Moon Jae-in and First Lady Kim Jung-sook made a return visit in June. Morro, who played a key role in bridging the two countries through the state visits, shared why Korea is an important partner of Spain during an interview with The Korea Times at the Embassy of Spain in Seoul, July 21. "The relations between Korea and Spain are very solid, but they are not intense enough for countries that now are in position No. 10 for Korea and No. 14 for Spain, in terms of gross domestic product (GDP). We are rich countries with high GDPs and have similar numbers in GDP per capita too. But the balance of trade and investment is not enough, so we want to be ambitious," the envoy said. Ambassador Morro was assigned to Korea between 1994 and 1997 and witnessed then-King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia's state visit to Korea in 1996 and knows the importance of state visits well. "That's why the King and Queen of Spain came here in October 2019. Then (President Moon) was planning to visit Spain in May last year, but it was postponed because of the virus. Fortunately we made it in June this year, which is the second time in history that a Korean president to go to Spain, after President Roh's visit in 2007," he said. "Our relations are very good, but we have to increase the size of our exchanges. And for this purpose, the visits have been very helpful," he said. "Spain is a parliamentarian monarchy, so Moon met both King Felipe VI, our head of state, and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, the president of the government, during his visit. "We organized a full-fledged state visit and it was the first organized by Spain during the pandemic. President Moon, as head of state, was welcomed by our King and talked about relations and friendship between both countries," he said. "But when going into political relations, it's up to the government. That's why we had a working-level meeting between both delegations after a personal meeting between President Moon Jae-in and the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. So both meetings were essential." Since state visits have a specific format, President Moon had a tight schedule during his three-day trip to Spain. "Moon paid visits to the Royal Palace and the Prime Minister's Palace, went to the Senate to deliver a speech and went to Madrid City Hall to receive the golden key. He also participated in economic gatherings and a formal dinner. Then he had the opportunity to go to Barcelona to take part in an economic event. You have to organize all these in two days," the ambassador said. "It's always challenging to organize the timetable. There is formality and protocol, but you have the content: what are we going to talk about and which agreement to sign. The agenda of the President has to accommodate the situation in Spain, so you have to deal with a lot of things in detail. We organized both visits together with the Korean Embassy in Madrid, which did a great job." As a result of the state visit, Spain and Korea agreed to elevate their level of bilateral relations. "In the political field, we raised the level of our relationship to a strategic partnership. And also we agreed on a political declaration, in which we set up the views we share in the international agenda in political, economic, social and cultural fields. This political declarations are made between friends who share their views in important areas," he explained. Apart from the political declaration, Spain and Korea signed five documents: two agreements about cooperation on public health and customs and three memoranda of understanding (MOU) on promoting small- and medium-sized companies and startups, Industry 4.0 (industries involved in the fourth industrialization revolution) and clean energy. President Moon Jae-in speaks during an official dinner with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, left, and Spain's King Felipe VI, right, at the Royal Palace in Madrid, June 15. EPA-Yonhap Spain interested in Korean EV battery plant President Moon attended the Cercle d'Economia, an annual business forum, in Barcelona, delivering a speech highlighting the ties between the two countries. "The state visit took place in Madrid, the capital of Spain. But the King also invited President Moon to accompany him to Barcelona and attend this economic forum and President Moon Jae-in welcomed the idea. "President Moon is the head of Korea, a leading country in technology. We want to have investments and share projects with Korea in this field, so we thought it would also be a great idea for the Barcelona business circle to enjoy the presence of the Korean president. At the same time, it was good for the Korean side to see Barcelona, as a place for investments and tourism. So I think it was a good initiative for both sides and it went very well," the ambassador elaborated. Spain, the second-largest automobile manufacturer in Europe, announced in June that it would invest 4.3 billion euros in the production of electric vehicles and batteries. "The COVID-19 recovery fund will be earmarked to fight the crisis's impact and reform the economy in a similar way to Korea, because we are talking about digitalization, the green economy and social issues as we are also paying attention to the social cost of the crisis," Morro said. "We have to invest in productive and modern industries. Electric cars and electric batteries are one of the industries of the future. Spain is a country that produces near 3 million cars every year and we have to adapt to future standards and challenges. We want to invite countries that are strong in these fields, for instance, the Republic of Korea. Spain is very competitive, in terms of facilities, support from the administration and the skill of labor force. So we are a good option to invest in and we hope that Korea and others will recognize it." Morro said that Spain could offer a lot in the field of electric cars and batteries. "For a long time, Korea's relations have been very much concentrated on its neighbors, but now Korea is trying to diversify its markets and exchanges," he said. "Korea is a great producer of cars, electric batteries, semiconductors and many other high technology items. Europe undoubtedly is a great market, and Korean companies have already invested in many European countries and want to invest more, because the results have been very productive." Korean companies want to invest in countries in which the car industry is already strong, so an electric battery plant in Spain would be a good option for both, said Morro. "If you want to sell electric batteries, it might be a good idea to do it to a country with a strong car industry. This is only one of the arguments supporting the Spanish proposal," he said. "We have had two state visits in less than two years despite COVID-19 and both were a success. They show the interest from two economies of very similar size. Korea is very attractive to Spain and Spain to Korea. The visits have been instrumental and we plan to carry out these plans for more concrete results. This is going to be a point of inflection our relations." The Sagrada Familia Cathedral, a Roman Catholic minor basilica designed by Antoni Gaudi (18521926), undergoing construction in Barcelona, Spain / gettyimagesbank The Seoul High Court / Korea Times file By Jung Da-min An appellate court overturned a lower court ruling that handed a one-year jail term to a man who had tried to enter a woman's house, holding a weapon and ringing the doorbell, because he "did not actively try to break into the house by turning the doorknob." The Seoul High Court acquitted the man, 23, of the attempted breaking and entering charge on Thursday. According to the court, the man tried to break into the home of a woman living upstairs in his apartment building in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, at around 12:20 a.m. on Aug. 31 of last year. He rang the doorbell and knocked on the door, holding a weapon. He was detained at the scene as she called the police. The man, who was found to have schizophrenia, had told police that he had tried to get inside the woman's home and sexually assault her. A local court had found him guilty and sentenced him to a jail term, saying that his act had impaired the woman's safety and caused her considerable fear and mental pain. But the local court had found the man guilty of attempted breaking and entering rather than actual breaking and entering, because the door was not opened and the man did not enter the woman's residence. But the appeals court did not find the man guilty of attempted breaking and entering at all, saying that he had only rung the bell and knocked on the door, without making any further attempt to enter the woman's house, such as turning the doorknob or trying to enter the password of the digital door lock. "If he had attempted to open the door forcibly, it would have been an actual threat and he would have been found guilty. But he only rang the bell and knocked on the door. He was detained while standing in front of her door, so we don't believe that he started the action to break into the house," the high court said in the ruling. This photo provided by the Gangwon Agricultural Training Center on July 28, 2021, shows sunburn on an apple. Courtesy of Gangwon Agricultural Training Center, Yonhap With a searing heat wave scorching South Korea for nearly two weeks, heat damage to agricultural, livestock and fish farmers has been snowballing nationwide, officials said Friday. Seoul and almost all parts of the country have been gripped by a prolonged heat wave that sent daytime highs above 35 C, caused the tropical night phenomenon and affected the vitality of all living things. According to local government officials and farmers, temperature-related agricultural, livestock and fisheries damage, such as withered crop leaves, overripe fruits and massive perishing of livestock and marine animals, is spreading in many areas. This month alone, some 220,000 livestock animals died, unable to withstand the sweltering heat, they said. The ongoing spread of green algae in reservoirs and lakes and signs of red tides in the sea are also raising concern about major damage to the aquaculture sector. In Geumsan, a central farming county dubbed the capital of Korean ginseng, ginseng leaves are withered or dying due to high temperatures. Ginseng is known to stop growing when the temperature goes over 27 C. Without efficient countermeasures, ginseng's marketability tends to decrease even if it grows again next year. "If the high temperature continues, widespread withering damage is feared for ginseng due to lack of soil moisture," a Geumsan farmer said. In Gochang, a southwestern farming county, watermelons are becoming overripe and turning dark red, as the temperatures inside greenhouses rise rapidly. Farmers are forced to throw away the watermelons whose commercial value has fallen. Apple farmers in Gangwon Province counties of Yeongweol and Jeongseon have been asked to inject calcium into their crops and install light barriers to minimize heat damage. In the southwestern province of South Jeolla, 87 farms reported that 28,763 livestock animals died this summer due to the heat wave. In one recent week, 19,679 chickens, 754 pigs and 630 ducks perished in the region. In the central county of Yeongdong, 23 farms reported heat-related deaths of 17,288 chickens. Nationwide, 227,387 livestock animals perished due to heat wave this summer as of Monday, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said, fearing the heat damage is expected to grow until the middle of August. With a high temperature advisory issued for the east coast, aquaculture farmers also remain jittery. A fish farm in Uljin of the southeastern province of North Gyeongsang reported a mass death of starry flounders a week ago. Thereafter, six other farms in Uljin and adjacent areas reported heat-related perishing of about 57,000 fish. Fish farms along the southwestern coast are also taking all possible precautions, including installation of liquefied oxygen and bottom-layer seawater supply devices and light barriers, to avoid heat damage. On the southern coast, in particular, the risk of red tides is said to be growing due to the prolonged high temperatures. "As high temperatures persist, unfavorable conditions for fish farming, such as red tides, are spreading," said a fisheries official at the South Jeolla provincial government. (Yonhap) A man removes a phrase on a wall painting outside of a bookstore in Jongno, central Seoul, Friday, after controversy erupted over images and defamatory phrases depicting rumors surrounding the wife of opposition presidential contender Yoon Seok-youl. Yonhap By Kim Rahn Criticism has mounted from both the liberal ruling and conservative opposition blocs over a mural defaming the wife of opposition presidential contender Yoon Seok-youl. Politicians from all sides unanimously called for a halt to the spreading of groundless rumors and the ridiculing of presidential hopefuls and their family members. The controversy arose from a wall painting on a secondhand bookstore in Jongno, central Seoul, which depicted rumors surrounding Yoon's wife, Kim Keon-hee, that she had been a bar hostess using the nickname "Julie," and had lived with several high-profile men before marrying Yoon in 2012. The painting showed the face of a woman with a phrase reading, "Julie's dream! The dream of becoming the first lady!" as well as a list of seven people under the title, "Julie's men," who were rumored to have had relationships with her before her marriage to Yoon. Regarding the rumors, Yoon said earlier, "My wife does not like drinking and whooping it up." Kim herself told a local media outlet that she was a workaholic, taking courses to obtain higher academic degrees, while running her own business, leaving no time to work as "Julie," even if she wanted to. The mural was painted about two weeks ago upon the request of the bookstore's owner, surnamed Yeo, who said it was a satire and constituted freedom of expression, as guaranteed by the Constitution. Regarding the row over defaming Kim, the owner told Yonhap News Agency, Thursday, "Kim herself says she is not Julie. So who did the painting defame?" Yeo said that he would remove the painting if the seven men admit their relationships with Julie, because then it would constitute defamation. Members of conservative civic groups stage a rally in front of a bookstore in Jongno, central Seoul, Thursday, to protest against a wall painting that depicted rumors surrounding the wife of opposition presidential contender Yoon Seok-youl, ridiculing her. They parked a truck in front of the painting to cover it up. Yonhap Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, left, and former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon pose before appearing a TV debate hosted by broadcaster MBN in central Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap By Nam Hyun-woo The ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) primary to pick its presidential candidate is being tainted with excessive criticism and mudslinging between the leading contenders, despite the party leadership's efforts to pursue unity. Political watchers warn that the escalating mudslinging could lead centrist voters to turn their back on the ruling party. Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, who is leading the pack among the DPK contenders, wrote on Facebook, Friday, that former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, the No. 2 among the ruling party hopefuls, "shouldn't be lying" about how many campaign pledges he had kept while serving as South Jeolla Province governor from 2014 to 2017. "Lee said he kept 20 out of 21 campaign pledges he made to become South Jeolla Province governor during yesterday's TV debate, but there were no grounds for this claim," the governor wrote. "According to 2016 Korea Manifesto Center data, he made 76 promises and kept 20, or 26.3 percent. The data show that the overall evaluation on his fulfillment of campaign pledges was the lowest in Korea." The posting came even though six DPK contenders, including the two Lees, met Wednesday and promised to "be one team" and "respect each other for fair and just competition." The event was organized to prevent the contenders' rivalry from turning into smear campaigning, as the two Lees have staged a fierce battle over suspicions raised against them and past behavior. The former prime minister denounced Governor Lee's recent remark made during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper that "the Baekje Kingdom never unified the Korean Peninsula during the 5,000 years of Korean history." The Baekje Kingdom existed from B.C. 18 to 660 A.D. in the southwestern part of the Korean Peninsula, which is now home to Gwangju, and South and North Jeolla Provinces often colloquially called the Honam region. The area is widely thought of as the home turf of the liberal DPK, and former Prime Minister Lee was born in Yeonggwang County, South Jeolla Province, spending his teenage years in Gwangju. Former Prime Minister Lee's camp said Governor Lee was instigating regionalism, adding, "He was trying to say a candidate from the Honam region cannot become president." Though Governor Lee's camp said he meant to note that a victory by Lee Nak-yon would be historical, the latter replied that it was an inappropriate remark "hurting the people of the Honam region." Before exchanging salvos over the ancient kingdom, the two Lees grappled over the attempted impeachment of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, with Governor Lee claiming that his adversary cast a ballot in favor of this. President Roh led the Millennium Democratic Party, a predecessor of the DPK. Presidential contenders of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea take an oath swearing to engage in fair competition in the party's presidential primary during an event on Yeouido, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap Former prosecutor general Yoon Seok-youl, left, poses with Rep. Kwon Young-se, external affairs committee head of the conservative main opposition People Power Party, after submitting his entry to the party at its headquarters on Yeouido, Seoul, Friday. Yonhap People Power Party primary to hit stride upon Yoon's entry By Nam Hyun-woo Former prosecutor general Yoon Seok-youl, a leading opposition presidential hopeful, joined the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP), Friday, intensifying the heated competition between him and the existing PPP contenders. Yoon submitted his official application to the party during a meeting with Rep. Kwon Young-se, head of the conservative party's external affairs committee, at its headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. He joined the party around four months after quitting the top prosecutor position after butting heads repeatedly with the Moon Jae-in administration. "I have been thinking about this for a long time," Yoon told reporters. "To change the country's leadership, I believe it is necessary to join the conservative main opposition party and start with a fair competition during the primary." "I believe that the PPP should play a pivotal role in the leadership change. I have been saying for a while that if I run for the presidency, I will have to be a PPP candidate," Yoon continued. "I also thought that my uncertainties over joining the PPP could harm the party." Although Yoon was named to the top prosecutor position by Moon, he has long been considered as an opposition presidential candidate, as he resigned from the post and announced his presidential bid after locking horns with the liberal ruling bloc over prosecutorial reforms and the investigation into former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, who was also a close aide to the president. Although Yoon resigned from the post in March and announced his presidential bid in June, criticizing the Moon government's fairness, he had remained ambiguous about whether and when he would indeed join the PPP, in an apparent bid to expand his influence to centrists. This ambiguous stance, however, also triggered doubts over his political identity among PPP members. During this period, tensions had risen between Yoon and PPP Chairman Lee Jun-seok, who pressured him to make a choice about his party affiliation, repeatedly saying that the PPP's primary will begin on Aug. 30 with or without Yoon. Against this backdrop, Yoon submitted his entry to the PPP when Lee was out of office for an event in South Jeolla Province, triggering suspicions that tensions remain between the two, even though Yoon explained that "there is no special reason." Former prosecutor general Yoon Seok-youl answers reporters' questions at the headquarters of the conservative main opposition People Power Party in Seoul, Friday, after joining the party. Yonhap Steps needed to cope with rapidly aging society It is no longer a news that the country is rapidly being ushered into a super-aging society; but it is still appalling to confirm the fact via recent statistics. The national census conducted and released by Statistics Korea, Thursday, featured, among others, a sharp rise in the number of elderly people aged 65 or older that reached 8.21 million in 2020, up 460,000 from the previous year. This is the first time the number of senior citizens broke the 8 million mark. Their portion of the total population also rose from 15.5 percent to 16.4 percent, which shows the pace of aging has been speeding up. In contrast, the number of children and adolescents, aged between zero to 14, stood at 6.18 million, accounting for only 12.3 percent of the population. Against this backdrop, the ratio of senior citizens to every 100 young person aged 14 or younger surged to 132.9, from 2019's 122.7. The working-age population, or people aged 15 to 64, amounted to 35.8 million in 2020, compared to 35.9 million a year earlier. The nation's birthrate the average number of children a woman chooses to bear in her lifetime fell to record low of 0.84 in 2020, the third consecutive year that the rate dropped below 1 percent. An aging population is an inevitable phenomenon in a country where the birthrate continues to drop with the relatively higher average life expectancy. The Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI) forecast the nation's working population will drastically decline by 48.1 percent by 2060, which means one worker will have to care for 0.98 elderly people. Even Deputy Prime Minister and Economy and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said on Facebook in June 23 that the "nation will face an agequake" due to the demographic cliff starting from 2030 should there be no special measures to prevent it. He cited the need for the nation to prepare for the possible agequake and prevent any shock due to the rapid aging by increasing the number of working population, among others, while improving work quality. In detail, he underlined the importance of enhancing the birthrate, inducing more women into the labor market, increasing employment for elderly people and actively utilizing foreign nationals. As Hong put it, we expect the government will come up with proper measures to cope with the possible demographic challenges soon. The Moon Jae-in administration has largely failed to take proper steps to tackle the aging problem despite the ever growing serious situation. Though it has been pouring a huge amount of money into resolving the low birthrate, it has yet to pay attention to the aging problem. For instance, the issue of raising the retirement age to 65 has been stalled, compared to Japan which has been discussing "retirement at 70." The aging population is the most pressing problem facing the country in its bid to ensure a sustainable society in the future. Korea will likely enter into a super-aged society in 2025 with the portion of people aged more than 65 surpassing 20 percent. Time is running out. A U.S. vehicle importer, a South Korea builder and a consortium led by a South Korean electric bus maker submitted letters of intent to acquire SsangYong Motor Co., they said Friday. Yonhap A U.S. vehicle importer, a South Korea builder and a consortium led by a South Korean electric bus maker submitted letters of intent to acquire SsangYong Motor Co., they said Friday. U.S.-based Cardinal One Motors, SM Group and Edison Motors Co. joined the race to acquire the financially troubled carmaker to expand their business portfolios. U.S. businessman Duke Hale, chief of Cardinal One Motors, founded HAAH Automotive Holdings Inc. seven years ago to import vehicles from China for U.S. sales and tried to acquire SsangYong through the business entity. But HAAH recently filed for bankruptcy due to rising U.S.-China tensions and the former HAAH chairman said he set up Cardinal One Motors to push ahead with the plan to acquire SsangYong. "All the assets we bring to SsangYong, particularly our depth of auto experience, can help in the rehabilitation in Korea and expand sales through North America to (attain) SsangYong's highest achievement in its history," Hale told Yonhap News Agency via email. The number of direct SsangYong jobs and indirect jobs should grow since our plan will more than double SsangYong's volume in three years, he said. Edison Motors has formed a consortium with the Keystone private equity fund and two other financial investors to join an upcoming auction to take over SsangYong, the company said in a statement. The company said another homegrown equity fund, the Korea Corporate Governance Improvement, may participate in the consortium. Sodexo Leisure has an exciting opening for a Conference Center Operations Manager 3 to direct our food and beverage operations at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington, Delaware. This premier venue hosts corporate as well as social events generating significant catering and event revenue. The Convention Center is adjacent to a hotel property currently under construction which will produce additional revenue for the location. Key Responsibilities: operational oversight of the full-service corporate conference &/or training center; working closely with culinary & sales team; hiring, training, and motivating a high performing team of managers, supervisors and front-line staff across various operating departments including; conference services, culinary, housekeeping, food & beverage, and catering; attending all meetings as schedule (BEO, executive staff meetings, captains' meetings, etc); reviewing BEOs and work with appropriate departments to ensure quality and customer satisfaction; acting as liaison between the sales department, culinary, janitorial services, and the client throughout execution of events; P&L financial experience managing annual F&B budgets of at least $4M; reporting functions including financial and operational metrics; ensuring high guest satisfaction rating by monitoring room sets and providing excellent service during events; experience managing Client Relations, expertise in fostering relationships with executive level; and/or maintaining positive guest and employee relations through prompt, precise, and courteous communications. The ideal candidate will have experience in upper tier conference center management with hotel meeting/conference services management. Isn't it time YOU joined the winning team? Our more than 87,000 square feet of versatile space is perfect for hosting corporate meetings and conferences, shows and conventions, weddings and social celebrations. The Chase Center's spacious meeting rooms complete with audio-visual capabilities, a 250 fixed-seat auditorium, dedicated open exhibit space and two beautifully appointed ballrooms all complement our delicious culinary creations and impeccable service. http://www.centerontheriverfront.com/ Learn more about Sodexo's Benefits Exceptional Venues, Unforgettable Experiences: We are proud to work with Centerplate, a Sodexo company, to bring world-class guest experiences to life at the country's top stadiums, arenas, convention centers, conference centers, performing arts centers, zoos, aquariums, amusement parks and more. By understanding what matters most-to guests, to fans, to communities-we help make the most of every moment through a strategic approach to hospitality. We craft one-of-a-kind guest experiences that reflect purpose and place, so your presence is valued, your returns are rewarding and your community connections are authentic. Working for Sodexo: Our desire to be a leader in each of the industries where we work affords our employees the opportunity to bring on new clients in numerous areas - and continue to grow their careers in almost any direction. At Sodexo, it's possible to have multiple careers all while working for the same company. Sodexo fosters a culture committed to the growth of individuals through continuous learning, mentoring and career growth opportunities. We offer in-house professional development programs and support our employees who want to pursue external learning opportunities - whether you want to stay on the cutting edge or learn new skills to help you advance into a new type of role. Behavior Specialist - Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma; AND Graduation from a regionally accredited college or university or one accredited by the New York State Board of Regents with a Bachelors degree, or higher, in Education, Counseling, Psychology or a closely related field, AND two (2) years of experience or its part-time equivalent in behavioral consultation and/or crisis training in an educational setting. Note: Successful candidates must be eligible for or progressing towards Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and obtain their BCBA credentials within one (1) year of appointment. Experience working with challenging students to improve behaviors, experience with a variety of evaluation tools and administering Functional Behavior Assessments, and experience offering practical solutions to students and staff required. Physical Therapist - Anticipated one (1) full-time position available. This is a 10-month, Probationary, ESPA Unit, civil service position providing Physical Therapy services to ONC BOCES component school districts. Current NYS Physical Therapist license required. Experience working with children in a school setting is preferred. Occupational Therapist - One (1) full-time position available. This is a 10-month, ESPA Unit, Probationary Civil Service position providing Occupational Therapy services to ONC BOCES component school districts. NYS Registered Occupational Therapy license required. Experience working within an educational setting preferred. Special Education Training Specialist - Full-time, 10-month, grant-funded, Non-Unit, Probationary position providing assistance to component school districts through the Southeast Regional Partnership Center. NYS certification in Special Education with a Masters degree or higher. Experience in Special Education process consistent with federal law, regulation and guidance, as well as State law and NYSED guidance. Candidates must indicate any professional development and/or technical assistance they have provided to others in order to be considered for the position. Provide technical assistance and support to identified school/districts. Responsibilities will include, but not be limited to: Provide regional and local trainings on information on the special education process consistent with federal law, regulation and guidance, as well as State law and NYSED guidance. Overview for Principals, and the Continuum of Services. Deliver targeted professional development and technical assistance to groups (families, school/district staff, community groups, etc.) to support deeper learning on the topic the special education process. Work in collaboration with NYSED funded Family and Community Engagement Centers as directed by the regional work plan to provide capacity building focused on family and community engagement in the special education process. Engage in regional planning process as outlined by the Partnership Implementation Team. Accept guidance and support from the Technical Assistant Partnerships by participating in trainings, planning meetings and Statewide meetings as well as by using tools and training materials developed and/or reviewed by the TAP. Provide resources and information, including data training to the Partnership Implementation Team and Technical Assistance Partnership as requested and required. School Psychologists - Two (2) full-time and one (1) part-time (.5 FTE) positions available. These are 10-month, Probationary, Teacher Unit positions providing School Psychology services to ONC BOCES component school districts. Qualifications and Responsibilities: Current NYS School Psychologist certification required. The successful candidates will demonstrate the ability to collaborate well with other school professionals and parents in a K-12 setting. They will be able to conduct individual evaluations of students for the purposes of making eligibility recommendations for special education programs and services. This individual should be able to conduct functional behavior assessments and consult with the school personnel, parents and other stakeholders involved. They should be able to provide counseling in both individual and group settings and prepare written reports of findings and present them at IEP meetings. School Counselor - Anticipated one (1) full-time position located at the Otsego Area Occupational Center in Milford. This position is a 10-month, Teacher Unit, Probationary position. Qualifications and Responsibilities Current NYS School Counselor Certification required. The successful candidate will be supporting a wide-range of students in Special Education classrooms that have behavioral, social and emotional needs. School Social Worker - One (1) part-time (.5 FTE), 10-month, Probationary, Teacher Unit position. Qualifications and Responsibilities: Current NYS School Social Worker certification required. Experience working with children in a school setting is preferred. The selected candidate will collaborate with schools for clinical services including identifying behavioral health needs. We encourage qualified applicants to submit their resume, application, transcripts and references to: www.olasjobs.org/southern recblid 044cc0sbs1y5ee79qo3pk89goieggk Special Education Teacher - Elementary Trust One (1) full-time, 10-month, Teacher Unit, Probationary position Qualifications and Responsibilities: Current NYS Special Education or Elementary Students with Disabilities Teaching certification required. Experience working with students with social, emotional and behavioral needs required. Physical Education/Health Teacher: Anticipated Long-term Substitute Anticipated long-term substitute needed starting on or about September 22, 2021 through possibly January 2022 to cover a leave of absence. This will be a temporary, full-time position. Qualifications and Responsibilities: Current NYS Physical Education and Health certifications required. The selected candidate will instruct Physical Education and Health to students in ONC BOCES component school district or districts. Art Teacher One (1) part-time, 10-month, Teacher Unit, Probationary position. Qualifications and Responsibilities: Current NYS Art Teacher certification required. Experience in teaching Art in a K-12 setting preferred. The successful candidates will provide Art services to students in ONC component school districts. Spanish Teacher One (1) part-time position available. This is a 10-month, Probationary, Teacher Unit position providing Spanish services to ONC BOCES component school districts. Qualifications and Responsibilities: Current NYS Spanish Teacher certification required. The successfulcandidate will be responsible for teaching Spanish to students in component school districts English as a New Language Teacher One (1) part-time position available. This is a 10-month, Probationary, Teacher Unit position providing ENL services to ONC BOCES component school districts. Qualifications and Responsibilities: Current NYS English as New Language certification required. Experience working in school districts preferred. The selected candidate will provide itinerant ENL services to English Language Learners in the ONC BOCES district. Adult Education Instructor (Long Term Substitute) Anticipated one (1) full-time position located at Center Street in Oneonta. This position is 10-months, 7.5-hours per day with hours over the summer as needed. Benefits are based on the Non-Unit Adult Education Benefits Summary. Qualifications and Responsibilities: Current NYS Adult Education Certification or other NYSED Teaching Certification required. Prior teaching experience is preferred but not required. The selected candidate will provide adult students with education and preparation for the High School Equivalency exam. Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing - Anticipated part-time (.16 FTE) or casual employee, 10-month,Probationary position. Qualifications and Responsibilities: Current NYS Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing certification required. Experience working in school districts preferred. The successful candidate will be responsible for working with students in grades K-12 that have mild to profound hearing loss, cochlear implants and/or hearing aids, as well as teaching adults about hearing differences. The chosen applicant will develop 1: 1 lessons with students and push into classes to support those students. Practical Nursing Instructor - One (1) full-time, 10-month, Non-Unit Adult Education position. Qualifications and Responsibilities: Must possess current NYS Registered Nurse license, Bachelors degreeor higher, at least two years of recent clinical Nursing experience, and must possess or be eligible for NYS Teaching certification. The selected candidate will assist the Coordinator with planning, implementation, andevaluation of the Practical Nursing Instructional Program. Certified Nursing Assistant Instructor - This is an hourly position dependent on enrollments for classes to bescheduled. Qualifications and Responsibilities: Must possess current NYS Registered Nurse license, Adult Educationcertification, practical experience as a Certified Nursing Assistant and Nurse, and at least two (2) years of experience caring for elderly and/or chronically ill patients required. Each class will require 150 hours ofinstruction. We encourage qualified applicants to submit their resum, application, transcripts and references to: (please use the apply button below) spngcxrzu9z5yblpre17w43id5adb0 UnitedHealthcare is a company that's on the rise. We're expanding in multiple directions, across borders and, most of all, in the way we think. Here, innovation isn't about another gadget, it's about transforming the health care industry. Ready to make a difference? Make yourself at home with us and start doing your life's best work.(sm) The Community Relations Specialist (CRS) is an integral part of the Minnesota Community Health Plan Outreach team and helps implement the community engagement strategy. The CRS will focus on building and maintaining relationships within the local communities to effectively reach and relate to targeted cultures and ethnicities with a specific focus on the Hmong and/or Latinx population for this role. As a result, the candidate will need to have deep knowledge and experience in community outreach and relations as well as the ability to identify the needs of either the Hmong and/or Latinx populations in the metro Twin Cities area. These efforts should leverage best practices but also challenge conventional outreach practices by seeking out opportunities to connect on common ground and partnerships with the surrounding community-based organizations that serve diverse Medicaid populations. The candidate must have strong leadership and communication skills with a sense of urgency for results and comfort working in fast-paced environments. If you are located in the state of Minnesota, you will have the flexibility to telecommute* as you take on some tough challenges. Primary Responsibilities: Identify and create market brand opportunities with potential to increase membership in a diverse multi-cultural low-income population Develop and coordinate strategies to increase awareness of service product by establishing relationships with Providers, Community and Faith Based Organizations, Schools, City Departments, and other Stakeholders Drive to priorities identified in county JOC meetings Build relationships and communicate with leaders in their assigned territories Serve as primary points of contacts for the county public health leaders, care managers, and others connected at the county level Manage impactful relationships that drive engagement with key stakeholders, influencers, community-based organizations, and faith-based organizations Provide health and social data that is gathered from members Share new ideas for partnerships via their regular communication with county contacts and community-based organizations Represent the Health Plan at State meetings, community events, and media relations Attend county and community events Communicate in-person, virtually and telephonically with county agencies Serve as a connection between county programs and our field-based clinical and population health teams Build new business partnerships, while building on existing relationships within each of the respective territory Assist in educational and community events within our targeted population execute, plan and coordinate resources (i.e., Vendors, Partners, etc.) to ensure a successful event Responsible for meeting or exceeding targeted growth, retention, and enrollment expectations within assigned territory Conduct community presentations to promote company and product specific information which potentially could impact member growth Collaborate with internal representatives to assist with marketing and outreach activities Share our mission to help people live healthier lives, throughout the communities we serve Analyzes membership trends and investigates outreach and sponsorship opportunities Youll be rewarded and recognized for your performance in an environment that will challenge you and give you clear direction on what it takes to succeed in your role as well as provide development for other roles you may be interested in. Required Qualifications: High School Diploma or GED 3+ years of marketing experience within a matrix organization 2+ years of community outreach field experience 2+ years of experience influencing and collaborating with others 1+ years of experience with Medicaid Intermediate level of proficiency with Microsoft Office Bilingual in Hmong or Spanish Must live in commutable distance within the areas mentioned below: Minneapolis and St. Paul Ability to travel up to 60% of the time within the assigned territory Working hours 8:30 am to 6:00 pm with flexibility based on health fairs scheduled (this does include nights and weekends) Preferred Qualifications: Medicaid Market Guideline training Health Insurance experience Careers at UnitedHealthcare Community & State. Challenge brings out the best in us. It also attracts the best. That's why you'll find some of the most amazingly talented people in health care here. We serve the health care needs of low income adults and children with debilitating illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and high-risk pregnancy. Our holistic, outcomes-based approach considers social, behavioral, economic, physical and environmental factors. Join us. Work with proactive health care, community and government partners to heal health care and create positive change for those who need it most. This is the place to do your life's best work.(sm) *All Telecommuters will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Groups Telecommuter Policy. Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. UnitedHealth Group is a drugfree workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment. Job Keywords: Community Relations Specialist, Hmong or Spanish Speaking, Minneapolis, St Paul Metro, Minnesota, MN, Work At Home, Remote, Work From Home, Telecommute, Telecommuter, Telecommuting, UHG, UnitedHealth Group, UHC, UnitedHealthcare Description System ID 697843 Category Food Service Relocation Type Yes - According to Grade Employment Status Full-Time Unit Description You believe in an open, inclusive culture where everyone can thrive. Lead a team where engagement, productivity and innovation are born in this environment. Sodexo is seeking a Food Operations Manager 2 for University of Tampa located in Tampa, FL. The successful candidate will have prior experience managing high volume/large scale college or university operations encompassing resident dining programs, catering, and retail food service. This Operations Manager 2 will lead the team and provide excellent experiences that exceed the service expectations while enhancing client program objectives. This position is responsible for the organization and execution oversight of all operations on campus. A strong work ethic, a penchant for developing high performing teams and a solid understanding of HACCP and other safety programs will be a priority for this manager. Relocation is Available The ideal candidate will have the following: High-volume campus/university retail food operations management experience. Experience training and leading other salaried managers and hourly staff. Experience with multi-unit quick service or food court operations. Experience driving sales and controlling costs. Experience with ordering and inventory. Experience with food and physical safety programs, and Bd of Health requirements. Experience with heavy volume cash handling. The successful candidate will: have oversight of day-to-day operations; deliver high quality food service; achieve company and client financial targets and goals; develop and maintain client and customer relationships; develop strategic plans; create a positive environment; and/or ensure Sodexo standards are met. Is this opportunity right for you? We are looking for candidates who: have a work history demonstrating strong employee engagement leadership skills, as well as previous supervisory experience and the ability to work collaboratively; have culinary production experience and a strong background in safety and sanitation compliance; can manage multiple priorities, demonstrate professional communication skills, and a passion for a high level of customer service; prioritize tasks and exhibit flexibility to take on additional responsibilities as needed; and/or demonstrate working knowledge of Sodexo Food Management System (FMS) The Market Connection (TMC) and is proficient in computer skills and report management experience. This is only for internal candidates as external candidates won't have this knowledge At Sodexo, we believe every employee should have the resources to be their best. As part of our overall rewards, we offer benefits programs designed to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle including health, dental and vision insurance. We also offer other benefits like paid time off, financial and savings programs, 401k, and access to our employee assistance program and other discounts. Click here for more information about Sodexo's Benefits. Not the job for you? We offer Food Service Management positions in a variety of business segments, including Corporate, Schools, Universities, Government and Agencies, Healthcare, Senior Living and Sports and Leisure locations across the United States. Continue your search for Food Service Management jobs. Position Summary Provides leadership and supervision for the on-site food service exempt and non-exempt level staff in the delivery of our contractual agreement with the client. Provides supervision for food services at account/unit to ensure client satisfaction and retention for the company. Implements business practices in order to uphold company mission, values and commitments made in the Sodexo client contractual agreement. Key Duties - Establishes a safe work environment - Utilizes Sodexo tools and programs to develop client, customer, and staff relationships, to ensure account retention - Implements and fully utilizes all Sodexo tools and programs to ensure financial outcomes - Directs daily operations of food service to ensure employees have appropriate equipment, inventory and resources, ensures operating standards and regulatory requirements are met - Develops and implements plans, projects, with defined objectives, methods, timetables and budget to support client and Sodexo strategic plan - Ensures adherence to all HR standards for Sodexo, client, and regulatory agencies Qualifications & Requirements Basic Education Requirement - Associate's Degree or equivalent experience Basic Management Experience - 2 years Basic Functional Experience - 2 years work experience in food or culinary services including restaurants, fast food, vending, catering services, institutional services, mall food courts, etc. Sodexo is an EEO/AA/Minority/Female/Disability/Veteran employer. Requirements See Job Description United States District Court District of Delaware Vacancy Announcement 21-06 Position Title: Docket Clerk/Courtroom Deputy Duty Station: Wilmington, Delaware Salary: CL 24 $42,061- $68,378 CL 25 $46,467- $75,507 CL 26 $51,167- $83,156 CL 27 $56,209- $91,374 Opening Date: July 28, 2021 Closing Date: August 11, 2021 Position Overview The Docket Clerk/Courtroom Deputy is an employee of the Clerks Office who supports Chief Judge Connolly by maintaining the official case events summary on the docket sheet and attending court proceedings as needed. Representative Duties Makes summary entries of documents and proceedings. Receives and dockets terminating documents. Performs quality control on attorney-docketed entries. Prepares and distributes judgments, orders and deficiency notices. Sets schedules for briefing and record preparation. Attends court sessions and conferences. Assists with jury selection. Assists with the orderly flow of proceedings, including assuring the presence of all necessary participants, managing exhibits, and setting up evidence presentation systems. Takes notes of proceedings and rulings. Prepares notices and minute entries. Checks for prior or prohibited filings. Verifies attorneys authority to practice. Monitors the release of exhibits and sealed documents. Verifies and issues summons forms. Performs criminal docketing by applying the rules of the Speedy Trial Act. Analyzes Speedy Trial Reports and ensures that criminal proceedings are scheduled in a timely manner. Provides information to public, bar, and the Court. Transmits records to appropriate court. Ensures event codes are entered accurately. Performs other duties as assigned. Qualifications Applicants for this position should possess a minimum of one year of specialized experience. Specialized experience shall include the regular and recurring application of clerical procedures that demonstrate the ability to apply a body of rules, regulations, directives, or laws, and involve the routine use of specialized terminology and automated software and equipment for word processing, data processing and report generation. A candidate must display initiative and be able to deal effectively with the District Judges, co-workers, the public, and the Bar. The individual must be able to understand the rules and regulations of the Court. Superior computer skills are required. A team attitude and a willingness to adapt to a changing work environment are essential to maintain the Courts quality standards. Professional or businesslike approach and attire are required. Education and Experience Applicants for this position should possess at least one year of specialized experience. The completion of a degree in a field related to Criminal Justice or Legal Studies is preferred, along with experience in a related field. CL-24 One year of specialized experience CL-25 One year of specialized experience CL-26 One year of specialized experience CL-27 Two years of specialized experience Benefits The United States District Court for the District of Delaware offers a generous benefits package which includes the following: Paid annual and sick leave Eleven paid federal holidays Participation in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB) Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Flexible Benefits Program Employee Assistance Programs Long Term Care Insurance through the Federal Judiciary or OPM Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)- up to 5% match Student Loan Forgiveness Program for Public Service Employees On-site fitness facility Transit Subsidy Program (contingent upon availability of funds) NOTE: Some benefits require a waiting period. Information for Applicants Consideration will only be given to those who apply online no later than August 11, 2021 and provide the required application documents in PDF format. The required application documents include the following: resume, cover letter, references and an AO-78 Federal Judicial Branch Application for Employment. To apply for the position click APPLY within. Applicants will receive an email confirmation upon receipt. Incomplete applications, paper applications or faxed applications will not be considered. The U.S. District Court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, to withdraw the job announcement, or to fill the position(s) sooner than the closing date, if a closing date is shown, any of which action may occur without prior written notice. This job announcement may involve filing more than one position described therein. This position is a mandatory EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) participation for payment of net pay. The U.S. District Court requires employees to adhere to the Judicial Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees The U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Verification of employment eligibility according to the Immigration Control and Reform Act of 1986 will be required of all new employees of the U.S. District Court. The Docket Clerk/Courtroom Deputy is a sensitive position. The selected candidate will be subject to an FBI fingerprint check as a condition of employment, and may be subject to periodic updates. recblid apuq1dxe0ebcivcg0bgk3fipx8p632 Bayer U.S. LLC Other Existing work authorization required for United States Direct Hire, Full-Time ****** See below Not specified Engineering - Other Unspecified from anywhere English - Fluent See below See below English No cover letter requested my3WGZ1f2pW6dJ5u3fSkAD4bmUUMY2 / Latpro-3810597 Jul-30-2021 New Jersey, 07981 WHAT WE OFFER A general salary increase of 2% effective December 26, 2021. of 2% effective December 26, 2021. Educational Incentive - An educational incentive of 2.5% for completion of an associate's degree, 3.5% for completion of a bachelor's degree, OR 5% for completion of a graduate's degree. An educational incentive of 2.5% for completion of an associate's degree, 3.5% for completion of a bachelor's degree, OR 5% for completion of a graduate's degree. Bilingual Incentive - Proficiency levels by exam are $.65 per hour (Level I), $.80 per hour (Level II), or $1.10 per hour (Level III). - Proficiency levels by exam are $.65 per hour (Level I), $.80 per hour (Level II), or $1.10 per hour (Level III). Vacation Accrual New regular, full-time employees shall accrue approximately 14 days of vacation a year for the first 10,400 hours or 5 years of service; vacation accruals increase at 5, 11, 12, 14, 15 and 20 years of service topping out at 26 days a year and 400 hours of vacation hours banked. New regular, full-time employees shall accrue approximately 14 days of vacation a year for the first 10,400 hours or 5 years of service; vacation accruals increase at 5, 11, 12, 14, 15 and 20 years of service topping out at 26 days a year and 400 hours of vacation hours banked. Annual Leave Redemption After 10,4000 hours of continuous service an employee may elected to "cash in" or redeem up to 100 hours of vacation accrued in the same year after using 80 hours of vacation in the preceding 12 months. After 10,4000 hours of continuous service an employee may elected to "cash in" or redeem up to 100 hours of vacation accrued in the same year after using 80 hours of vacation in the preceding 12 months. Sick Leave - Full time regular employees accrue 3.08 hours of sick leave per pay period with an advance at hire of 40.04 hours which will be balanced at the completion of 14 bi-weekly pay periods. - Full time regular employees accrue 3.08 hours of sick leave per pay period with an advance at hire of 40.04 hours which will be balanced at the completion of 14 bi-weekly pay periods. Deferred Compensation - Eligible to participate in the County's 401(k) Shared Savings Plan and/or the Section 457 Plan. This position is eligible for up to a 2% match on your 401(k) contributions. - Eligible to participate in the County's 401(k) Shared Savings Plan and/or the Section 457 Plan. This position is eligible for up to a 2% match on your 401(k) contributions. Health Plans Full time employees are afforded a flexible credit allowance for purchasing medical, dental, and/or vision insurance from a group of authorized plans: Tier one for employee only is $472 per pay period, tier two for employee plus one is $572 per pay period and tier three for employee plus family is $642 per pay period. Full time employees are afforded a flexible credit allowance for purchasing medical, dental, and/or vision insurance from a group of authorized plans: Tier one for employee only is $472 per pay period, tier two for employee plus one is $572 per pay period and tier three for employee plus family is $642 per pay period. Flexible Spending Accounts - Choice of participation in the Flexible Spending Accounts which increase spending power through reimbursement of pre-tax dollars for IRS approved dependent care and health care expenses. - Choice of participation in the Flexible Spending Accounts which increase spending power through reimbursement of pre-tax dollars for IRS approved dependent care and health care expenses. Pension Plan - Both the County and employees contribute to the County's Retirement Plan and to Social Security. If eligible, reciprocity may be established with other public retirement systems, such as PERS. - Both the County and employees contribute to the County's Retirement Plan and to Social Security. If eligible, reciprocity may be established with other public retirement systems, such as PERS. Holidays - 11 paid days per year which includes a scheduled floating holiday. VENTURA COUNTY The County's 1,873 square miles include 1,846 square miles of land with 42 miles of coastline which is home to the following cities and points of interest: Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Paula, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, and Ventura as well as national protected areas such as parts of the Angeles National Forest, Channel Islands National Park, and the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Ventura County is a general law county, governed by a five-member, elected-by-district Board of Supervisors. The Supervisors appoint a County Executive Officer (CEO) to oversee the County budget, day-to-day operations, and to advise, assist, and act as an agent for the Board of Supervisors in all matters under the Boards jurisdiction. It focuses on serving its residents by promoting engagement, strategy, execution and accountability to include diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives to ensure that all employees are treated with respect and without discrimination, and to improve culturally appropriate outcomes for community members. AGRICULTURAL COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE Under direction of the Ventura County Board of Supervisors the Agricultural Commissioner's Office has been serving Ventura County since 1895 working in cooperation with the California Departments of Food and Agriculture and Pesticide Regulation, agricultural advocacy groups, concerned citizens, and others to serve the agricultural industry and the public. The Office works to preserve a reasonable balance between commerce and regulatory requirements while addressing the ever-changing climate of agriculture, the needs of the public, and responsible stewardship of the environment. The Offices Mission is to protect and promote agriculture, while ensuring the welfare of the public, the industry and the environment. This is accomplished by enforcing federal, state and local laws, regulations, and ordinances for pest management and pesticide use; preventing the introduction and movement of quarantined pests; certificating shipments for export; performing quality control for produce, nursery stock, and other agricultural products; ensuring truth in advertising for organic products, and farmers markets; enforcing correct labeling for food safety traceability; reviewing land use compatibility with agricultural operations; compiling and reporting crop production statistics; completing damage assessments; and many other activities. THE POSITION Under general supervision, the Agricultural Farm Community Assistant assists with communicating information regarding labor law and workplace environment, leverages existing resources, and government programs available for farmworkers and employers; engages with members from all aspects of the agriculture community to build trust-based relationships; grows and enhances the reputation of the agriculture industry in Ventura County; and performs related duties as required. This position assists in providing outreach regarding resources, and with the development of relationships within the agriculture community and may provide administrative, clerical, and office support as needed. The successful candidate will have experience in the agriculture workplace including decontamination, pesticide use information, emergency medical preparedness and safety training and be fluent in English, Spanish and/or Mixteco. Required is proficiency with Word, Excel and Outlook as well as the willingness and ability to work flexible hours that fall outside an 8-hour day or on weekends. The ideal candidate will have experience explaining laws, rules, policies to people of various socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, serving as a resource and/or contact for individuals and groups with diverse priorities, and serving as a language interpreter. Proficiency in Publisher and PowerPoint is desired. PAYROLL TITLE Farm Community Labor Relations Assistant Farm Community Labor Relations Assistant is represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and is eligible for overtime compensation. TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OPENING DATE: July 15, 2021 CLOSING DATE: Continuous until business needs are met FIRST REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS: July 30, 2021, and weekly thereafter BILINGUAL TEST: To be determined ORAL EXAM DATE: To be determined Examples Of Duties Duties may include but are not limited to the following: Assists in performing guidance regarding routine fieldworker safety inspections to enforce laws regarding decontamination, pesticide use information, emergency medical preparedness and safety training; conducts interviews of farmworkers in Spanish and/or Mixteco to assess the quality of training provided; Assists in investigations of complaints of pesticide misuse exposing farmworker community to potential pesticide residues; Serves as liaison with farmworkers, employers, and other representatives in the agriculture community to support the Pesticide Use Enforcement Division by translating in Mixteco and/or Spanish languages; may provide assistance to the Human Services Agency and the Public Health Department with their outreach efforts to the Mixteco community working at farms, ranches, packinghouses and other agricultural settings; Provides support for activities such as client interactions, records management, and community outreach to champion the Countys mission to protect and promote agriculture while ensuring the welfare of the public, and the industry. Distributes and provides clarification of educational and marketing tools in support of the program and serves as a resource for the agriculture community. Facilitates resolutions; reviews federal, state and county labor laws, regulations, and policies to assist farmworkers and employers in reaching collaborative solutions related to workplace conditions. Prepares a variety of reports and correspondence. Performs related duties as assigned. Typical Qualifications These are entrance requirements to the examination process and assure neither continuance in the process nor placement on an eligible list. EDUCATION, TRAINING, and EXPERIENCE Any combination of education, training or experience in labor relations, human resources, or community outreach; or comparable education which has led to the acquisition of the required knowledge and abilities. The required knowledge and abilities also can be obtained by two (2) years of related experience. NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS Fluency speaking in English, Spanish and/or Mixteco Proficiency in Word, Excel and Outlook Possession of and ability to maintain a valid California driver license Ability and willing to drive to multiple work locations and offsite meetings Ability and willing to work flexible hours that fall outside an 8-hour day or on weekends DESIRED Experience preferred includes: Six (6) months with agriculture workplace issues; Explaining laws, rules, policies to people of various socio-economic and cultural backgrounds; Serving as a resource and/or liaison for individuals and groups with diverse priorities; Serving as a language interpreter. Proficiency in Publisher and PowerPoint is preferred. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, and ABILITIES Knowledge of: labor and working condition issues, preferably related to the agriculture workplace; applicable federal and state labor laws and ordinances related to the agriculture workplace including decontamination, pesticide use information, emergency medical preparedness and safety training; agricultural community organizations and resources available to the Mixteco community working at farms, ranches and packinghouses; active listening techniques; problem-solving techniques. Working ability to: assist with educational outreach; conduct educational workshops; present information to community groups, boards, commissions, and officials; communicate and translate effectively orally in Spanish and/or Mixteco; utilize active listening and interpersonal communication skills; exercise sound judgment, tact, and sensitivity in interactions with community members from a variety of backgrounds; use standard office equipment and software, including MS Office Products, such as Word, Excel, Publisher, PowerPoint and Outlook. Recruitment Process This is a continuous recruitment and may close at any time once sufficient qualified applications are received to meet business needs. Your application must be received by County of Ventura Human Resources in Ventura, CA, no later than 5:00 p.m. on the closing date. First review of applications is anticipated to occur on or around July 30, 2021. To apply online, please refer to our web site at www.ventura.org/jobs. If you prefer to fill out a paper application form, please call (805) 654-5129 for application materials and submit them to County of Ventura Human Resources, 800 South Victoria Avenue, L-1970, Ventura, CA 93009. NOTE: If presently permanently employed in another "merit" or "civil service" public agency/entity in the same or substantively similar position as is advertised, and if appointed to that position by successful performance in a "merit" or "civil service" style examination, then appointment by "Lateral Transfer" may be possible. If interested, please click here (Download PDF reader) for additional information. APPLICATION EVALUATION - Qualifying Applicants must provide sufficient information under the Education/Work Experience portion of the application and supplemental questionnaire in order to determine eligibility. A resume may be attached to supplement your responses in the above sections; however, it may not be substituted in lieu of the application. SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE Qualifying All applicants are required to complete and submit the questionnaire for this exam AT THE TIME OF FILING. The supplemental questionnaire may be used throughout the exam process to assist in determining each applicant's qualifications for the position. Failure to complete and submit the questionnaire may result in removal of the application from further consideration. BILINGUAL TESTING Pass/Fail A bilingual fluency test for Spanish will be administered to all qualified applicants who identified fluency in Spanish on the application. Applicants must earn a pass on the fluency exam to proceed to the next step in the examination process. ORAL EXAMINATION - 100% A job-related oral examination will be conducted to evaluate and compare participating applicants' knowledge, skills and abilities in relation to those factors which job analysis has determined to be essential for successful performance of the job. Applicants will be tested for fluency in Mixteco as part of the oral examination. Applicants must earn a score of seventy percent (70%) or higher to qualify for placement on the eligible list. A verification notice will be sent confirming the testing schedule and location details when established. ELIGIBLE LIST Candidates successfully completing the examination process may be placed on an eligible list for one (1) year. The eligible list established from this recruitment will be used to fill current and future Regular, (including Temporary and Fixed-term), Intermittent, and Extra-help current and similar vacancies within the Agricultural Commissioners Office. There is currently one (1) Regular vacancy. BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION A thorough pre-employment, post-offer background investigation which may include inquiry into past employment, education, criminal background information, and driving record may be required for this position. For further information about this recruitment, please contact Katie Reynolds by e-mail at katie.reynolds@ventura.org or by phone at (805) 654-2563. recblid tm0t8mtgzra1443vinuf0zsibuog2s Psychiatrist Opportunities Hospital employed psychiatry opportunity at Pathways Behavioral Health Services. Pathways Behavioral Health Services is the leading provider of behavioral health services in West Tennessee and serves over 10,000 individuals and families annually. Pathways Services: 24 Hour Walk-In Triage Center Adult Inpatient Services (Mental Health & Substance Abuse) Crisis Stabilization Unit (Adult - 15 Bed) 24 Hour Mobile Crisis Services Intensive Outpatient Services (Adult & Youth) Outpatient Counseling (Mental Health & Substance Abuse) Medication Assisted Treatment Only grant funded medically managed detox program in the state Call 1:4 Competitive compensation with productivity incentive & excellent benefits package Student Loan Forgiveness; up to $90,000, sign on bonus, moving allocation H1B & J1 visa waiver eligible facility Qualifies for Public Service Loan Forgiveness Opportunity Details: Community Information: Jackson, Tennessee is a family friendly medium size city of more than 100,000 people conveniently located on Interstate 40 between Nashville and Memphis. Jackson is a progressive, growing community that offers the best of a small-town feel with big city amenities including a robust retail base. We are proud that Jackson is home of the Jackson Symphony, the Jackson Theatre Guild, the Miss Tennessee Scholarship Pageant and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame Museum. Jackson has over 20 parks and recreation areas including Middle Fork Bottoms set to be completed summer of 2021. Middle Fork Bottoms is about the size of Central Park in New York City and will have areas for canoes and kayaks, walking/running/biking trails and a landing area to observe the wildlife. Jackson offers a low cost of living with a 4,000 square foot home ranging $350,000 and Tennessee has no state income tax. For more information contact or forward CV to: Heather Tinker, Physician Recruiting Cell: 901-848-5752 Click to apply now!!! www.physician searches.org www.wth.org recblid lmk79fkuwpnw6xpnw7g0wt52u3im8c Educator County Extension Educator: Hocking 4-H Youth Development. Experience with leadership, teaching, evaluation, teamwork, committees, and collaboration with diverse clientele needed. Bachelors degree required. Competitive salary, excellent OSU benefits, flexible hours. The Ohio State University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, national origin, disability status, or protected veteran status. Apply Today!! recblid l21kkxfuag6x98o4kiz09nqz53lvsf Title: JOURNEYMAN ELECTRICIAN with Electronics emphasis Reports to: Director of Facilities Services Job Objective: Provides technical expertise/manual skill in the installation, inspection and maintenance of electrical equipment and systems. Installs, repairs and diagnoses electronic components typically found in a school or commercial environment (card access, cameras, fire alarms, security devices, etc.). Ensures compliance with all electrical codes and assists with the district safety program. Minimum Qualifications: High school diploma/GED. Completion of a state approved journeyman electrician apprenticeship program. Three years of experience in a large institutional or business setting. Must possess and maintain a valid State of Wisconsin Electrical Journeymans license. Maintains a valid drivers license. Meets all prerequisite and ongoing qualifications to be covered by the districts insurance carrier. Comprehensive knowledge of local, state and national electric codes for electrical installation. Analytic skills to determine sizes/quantities of materials to be used for feed lines, power distributions control equipment, lighting and communication. Qualifications to install/repair electrical wiring for pump motors, variable frequency drives, air handlers, compressors, HVAC units, chillers, emergency generators, appliances, mechanical equipment and machinery. Essential Functions: Installs and wires or repairs electrically activated control mechanisms for air conditioning pump motors, chillers and associated equipment, fluid valves, heating units, electronic monitors, fire alarms, doorbells, automatic switches, smoke detectors, door closers, and other electrically operated equipment. Mounts control units to sheet metal, masonry, steel pipe, etc., using power drills or hand tools and various fasteners. Follows wiring diagrams for electrical control mechanisms (magnetic) and logic circuits associated with electronic (static) and digital control units. Determines wiring configurations when diagrams are not provided and improvises when unique control applications are not covered by directions. Cooperates with other trades in the wiring of electrically activated pneumatic and electronic controls for plumbing, air moving or other applications. Wires low voltage control applications. Wires or repairs wiring for industrial or commercial machinery and related switches controls, relays, interlocks and instrumentation as specified by manufacturer recommendation and diagrams. Tests circuits for compatibility and integrity, using appropriate test equipment such as volt meters, buzzer, ohmmeter, and oscilloscope. Reads and interprets metered results for acceptability and compliance with codes. Tests non-coded wiring for identification during wiring procedures. Assists with the development of the major maintenance budget and long range plan. Tests circuits to insure component compatibility and safety. Assists with the design layouts of electrical systems for new/replacement equipment. Assists with the developing specifications for facilities projects and equipment. Available to work irregular hours and/or a non-traditional schedule. A record free of criminal convictions that substantially relate to the position of employment with the district. Complies with drug-free workplace rules and board policies. Commitment to keep work skills updated. Demonstrates professionalism and contributes to a positive work/learning environment. Uses active listening, observation, reading, verbal, nonverbal and writing skills effectively. Maintains an acceptable attendance record and is punctual. Reacts productively to interruptions and changing conditions. Works efficiently with limited supervision. Prioritizes tasks to meet deadlines. Ability to read and interpret blueprints, diagrams, and sketches. Ability to perform physically demanding work that includes lifting/moving heavy items. Ability to work from a ladder/ lift platform, maneuver in confined spaces, and perform tasks in variable/diminished lighting. Ability to read, understand, and comply with Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). Ability to establish positive and productive working relationships with co-workers and function in that manner as part of a cohesive team. General Duties: Helps resolve problems. Promotes a safe, efficient, and effective work/learning environment. Maintains open/effective communications. Uses problem-solving techniques to address and resolve questions/concerns tactfully. Embodies high ethical standards and integrity. Accepts responsibility for decisions and conduct. Upholds and follows district policies, guidelines, and procedures. Assists as needed to facilitate community participation in school activities. Assists staff as needed with unexpected/urgent situations. Prepares/maintains accurate records. Submits required paperwork on time. Maintains the confidentiality of privileged information. Participates in staff meetings and professional growth opportunities as directed. Takes precautions to ensure safety. Watches for conduct/situations that may indicate a problem. Works with staff to manage or eliminate risk factors. Supports initiatives that enhance productivity and advance district goals. Utilizes modern technology tools efficiently, maintains skills as new technology develops. Strives to develop rapport and serve as a positive role model for others. Maintains a professional appearance. Wears work attire appropriate for the position. Performs other specific job-related duties as directed. Working Conditions: Safety is essential to job performance. Employees must exercise caution and comply with standard safety regulations and district procedures at all times including but not limited to: Balancing, bending, climbing, crouching, kneeling, reaching, and/or standing. Exposure to adverse weather conditions and temperature extremes. Exposure to air-borne particulates, chemical irritants, combustible materials, electrical hazards, equipment vibrations, noises, and odors. Exposure to wet and/or slippery surfaces. Exposure to blood-borne pathogens and communicable diseases. Interactions with aggressive, disruptive, and/or unruly individuals. Lifting, carrying, and moving work-related supplies/equipment. Operating and/or riding in a vehicle. Performing tasks that require strenuous physical exertion. Traveling to meetings and work assignments. Working in proximity to moving mechanical parts. Performance Evaluation: Job performance is evaluated according to policy provisions adopted by the Howard Suamico School District. The Howard-Suamico School District is an equal opportunity employer. This job description identifies general responsibilities and is not intended to be a complete list of all duties performed. This document is subject to change in response to student demographics, staffing factors, funding variables, modified operating procedures, program/curriculum changes, and unforeseen events. recblid 0olyo6magvi6yke4g14z6go11pzgzu Job Description Overall purpose of the position: In this role, Employee is responsible for managing Maryland Food Bank (MFB) relationships and program effectiveness throughout our regions School Pantry and Mobile Market network. This includes oversight of program contracts, onboarding, training, developing, and monitoring School Pantry program sites while providing instructional oversight to our Mobile Market Program initiative. This position will play an active role in organization-wide planning, program development and policy management, fostering a positive identity for the MFB, engaging community partners, and supporting the effective distribution of food to areas of need. Education: Four-year degree in a related area or equivalent combination of education and experience strongly preferred. At least five (5) years of experience in a customer-service related role, plus three (3) years leadership experience. Experience: Excellent written and oral communication skills, including developing and delivering presentations. Goal oriented with a strategic mindset and ability to handle multiple priorities simultaneously. Experience in project management from initiating and planning to executing, tracking, following up on issues and reporting. Proven success in leading the development and implementation of process improvements. Excellent interpersonal, networking, and problem-solving skills. Strong customer focus. Proven success in managing and motivating others. Proficient in Microsoft Office. Experience with Microsoft Dynamics Navision is a plus. Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 40% School Pantry Program Recruitment/Training: Oversee all activities related to the recruitment and sustained partnerships of Maryland Food Bank (MFB) School Pantry (SP) Partners. Facilitate the onboarding orientation process, and develop annual activities related to the required training of new and existing Maryland Food Bank SP Partners, ensuring compliance with Maryland Food Bank and Feeding America (FA) guidelines, including assessing partner needs and following-up on recommendations for assistance. Track and report statistical information regarding progress of SP Program. Identify and network with other local anti-hunger/nutrition education groups geared towards youth programming and support. 40% Mobile Market Program Oversight: In collaboration with Sr Regional Program Director, provide day to day management of Mobile Market Program. Develop relationships with partnering site representatives and social service providers offering client support services. Coordinate schedules and plan activities in response to county-level priorities and regional goals. Track and report statistical information regarding program; client intake, food distribution including food usage and unmet food needs. Develop and manage Volunteer Ambassador Program to support Mobile Market Events across an eight-county territory. 20% Administrative/Partner Support: Maintain departmental files according to MFB and FA documentation guidelines. Support Sr. RPD in reaching regional goals with emphasis on strategic response and systems improvement through effective training, detailed planning, and community: partner/client service relations. Support Operations and Programs Departments in reaching departmental goals for capacity building: product inventory movement, distribution, and systems improvement through compliance monitoring. Provide technical assistance to partners related to program requirements and processes; not limited to monthly reporting and record keeping. Assists with tracking program related grants and maintaining partner accounts for accuracy. Supervisory Responsibility: This position has no direct supervisory responsibilities. Essential Working Conditions: Work Environment: The employee will carry out job duties from inside a professional office environment with little fluctuation in temperatures and low noise. Employee will also carry out job duties in the field, outdoors, at both school and mobile market site locations across 8 counties of the Eastern Region. For offsite duties, the employee is expected to travel by automobile and will be exposed to changing weather and noise conditions. Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee regularly is required to stand, walk, sit, use hand to finger, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms. Employee frequently lifts and/or moves up to 30 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus. Travel: Local travel of 2-3 days per week is expected to successfully perform this role. A valid drivers license is required as well as an MVR showing no prior DUI/DWIs and fewer than 2 points against the license. The ability to read, write and speak English is required. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, during activities and events requiring the need to travel, safety measures must be adhered to for all occasions. Non-Essential Functions: The following are non-essential functions of the position: Represents the Maryland Food Bank at meetings and other related functions, as necessary. Assist in the development and implementation of departmental policies and procedures. Perform other duties as requested. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities associated with it. Company DescriptionThe Maryland Food Bank is a non-profit organization leading the movement to end hunger in Maryland. We have an extensive network of community and organizational partners across the state that distribute food to the Marylanders who need us. We supply the food to hundreds of food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and faith-based organizations that serve food-insecure Marylanders. We supplement this work with outreach programs that provide direct food assistance, educate the public on the importance of good nutrition, and fight hunger through innovative means. The Maryland Food Bank embraces a philosophy that recognizes and values diversity. Our goal is to attract, develop, retain, and promote a talented diverse workforce in a culture where all employees will contribute to their fullest potential. Maryland Food Bank Why Work Here? We are dedicated to feeding people, strengthening communities, and ending hunger for more Marylanders. Join us. The Maryland Food Bank is a non-profit organization leading the movement to end hunger in Maryland. We have an extensive network of community and organizational partners across the state that distribute food to the Marylanders who need us. We supply the food to hundreds of food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and faith-based organizations that serve food-insecure Marylanders. We supplement this work with outreach programs that provide direct food assistance, educate the public on the importance of good nutrition, and fight hunger through innovative means. The Maryland Food Bank embraces a philosophy that recognizes and values diversity. Our goal is to attract, develop, retain, and promote a talented diverse workforce in a culture where all employees will contribute to their fullest potential. recblid lz76y89nrhjzpgtu2kkhbktpdoq40y Duties Summary The IT Specialist (INFOSEC) position is located in the National Credit Union Administration, Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). The position serves as a subject matter expert responsible for setting up and maintaining secure enterprise systems or specific components of the system. Learn more about this agency Responsibilities As an IT Specialist (INFOSEC), you will: Develop secure architecture/design, plan activities, system testing/implementation and provide ongoing technical support for Microsoft technologies such as Office 365, Hybrid-Office 365 implementations, Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) and other various Microsoft-focused end-point/platform technologies. Develop Cloud-related security policies in support of the current enterprise environment. Evaluate cloud applications, hardware, software and implement cost-control strategies. Define and maintain reliable cloud connectivity via a secure network architecture and infrastructures. Architect and support IT solutions following Security & Operations (SecOps) practices that ensure IT security and compliance is built into all operational activities. Provide system administration support services for group policies and access control lists to ensure compatibility with organizational standards, business rules, and needs. Develop and document systems administration standard operating procedures. Provide Tier III operational engineering support for business productivity/collaboration application resource access and availability, resolving issues with technologies such as, but not limited to, Virtual Private Networks (VPN), Firewalls, Mobile Device Management (MDM) products and Cloud-based direct connection routing. Manage accounts, network rights, and access to systems and equipment. Maintain secure baseline system/server configurations in accordance with organizational policies. Ensure the application of information security/information assurance policies, principles, and practices in the delivery of enterprise services. Maintain situational awareness and review classified information pertaining to Federal and sector-specific threats and vulnerabilities for the purposes of safeguarding federal information and information systems. Participate in security and compliance assessments and audits. Manage and remediate Plan of Action & Milestones (POA&M) generated through self and third-party assessments and audits. Serve as a Contract Officer Representative for OCIO contracts as required. Travel Required 25% or less - Once onsite work resumes, you may be expected to travel for this position. Supervisory status No Promotion Potential 14 Job family (Series) 2210 Information Technology Management Similar jobs Architects, Software Applications Architects, Systems Information Architect Software Applications Architects Systems Architects Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen. Must be able to obtain and maintain a SCI Clearance. A probationary period may be required. Applicants must complete an assessment battery (i.e., Assessment Questionnaire and USA Hire Assessment) via the USA Hire platform if notified to do so. Must complete initial online questionnaire. This is a drug testing position. Qualifications Applicants must meet the following requirements: Applicants must possess IT related experience demonstrating EACH of the four IT Specialist competencies AND one year of specialized experience as described below: 1. Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail. 2. Customer Service - Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations; knows about available products and services; and is committed to providing quality products and services. 3. Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately. 4. Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations. You must have one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level in federal service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To qualify at the CU-13 level , you must have one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the CU/GS-12 level in federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors).Specialized experience is defined as experience: Managing service delivery, testing and engineering of system configurations against the associated security standards for MS Azure Cloud Services, Windows Server (2008 -2019), PowerShell and Failover Clustering. Please Note: Under the provisions of the Direct-Hire Authority, veterans' preference does not apply. Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements described above and who are otherwise eligible to apply for the position, may be referred for selection consideration. Traditional rating and ranking of applications does not apply. You must meet the qualifications for this position by the closing date of this announcement. Please note, all experience statements (i.e., duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire) copied from this announcement and pasted into your resume will not be considered as a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. YOUR RESUME MUST provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience and support your responses to the online questionnaire as described in the vacancy announcement. When describing your experience in your resume, please be specific. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience. Please ensure that your resume includes the grade (if you are a current or previous federal employee), month, and year that you began and ended for each position held or that position may not be credited toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. Full-time employment will be assumed unless otherwise stated on your resume. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating. Your resume must also support your responses to the online questionnaire. Failure to provide support may result in a lower rating and/or you may be excluded from consideration. Your latest resume submitted for this vacancy announcement will be used to determine qualifications and supersedes previous submissions. Education Education is not required for this position nor may it be used to qualify. Additional information Note: For positions that are multi-graded, you may be noncompetitively promoted to the next grade level in accordance with OPM regulations and NCUA policies. SALARY : Pay will be set using NCUA's compensation policy. The salary range shown is NCUA's Local Pay Rate (LPR) which includes a locality rate of 48.87 % for the Alexandria, Virginia geographical area. SELECTIVE SERVICE: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. You may register or check status of your registration by visiting the Selective Service website at: (see application details) .This position is not in the bargaining unit. NOTE: Effective January 1, 2010, OPM must authorize any employment offers we make to current or former (within the last 5 years) political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES (political) employees in the executive branch. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you must disclose that to the point of contact listed on this vacancy announcement. Shared Certificates: Applicants may be considered for other positions within the agency that require similar qualifications and are in the same series and at the same grade level of this position. NCUA IS A COMPETITIVE FEDERAL SERVICE AGENCY. This position is not in the bargaining unit. NCUAuses E-Verify, a web-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify , including your rights and responsibilities. Illegal drug use by individuals working for or on behalf of the federal government, whether on duty or off duty, is contrary to the efficiency of the service and in direct violation of the Controlled Substance Act and the Drug-Free Workplace Act. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCUA's current posture will not require employees to perform official travel or work onsite at NCUA offices any earlier than August 30, 2021. This date may be extended. If it becomes necessary for NCUA to request on-site work, NCUA may solicit volunteers for the assignment. Management reserves the right to request employees to perform on-site work in exigent circumstances. Read more How You Will Be Evaluated You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications. This vacancy is being filled through the Office of Personnel Management's delegated Direct Hire Authority. To preview the application questionnaire, please click here: (see application details) The self-assessment questions have been developed to evaluate your Technical competency. There will be an online assessment sent after you apply and administered by OPM that will test your general competencies required to perform the job in the following areas: Accountability Attention to Detail Customer Service Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Information Systems/Network Security Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork The assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Read more Background checks and security clearance Security clearance Sensitive Compartmented Information Drug test required Yes Position sensitivity and risk Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk Trust determination process Suitability/Fitness Required Documents NOTE: Failure to provide required documents may result in non-consideration for this position. To apply for this position, you must provide a complete application package which includes: 1. Resume (required) 2. 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Read more Legal and regulatory guidance Financial suitability Social security number request Privacy Act Signature and false statements Selective Service New employee probationary period Virtual Opportunity You are a strategic, innovative Soft Services Framework Subject Matter Expert ready to help clients optimize their business. Sodexo is seeking a remote Subject Matter Expert to support multiple client locations. This is a remote position. Salary will be around 100-120k with healthcare benefits, 401k match, PTO and more. Are You the One? Our clients depend on your expertise to help them to optimize their business. If you are a Strategic Soft Services Framework Subject Matter Expert with the ability to develop innovative technical solutions while successfully managing key performance indicators to drive strong business results, this may be the opportunity for you! Key Responsibilities: Supports the growth of Soft Services in NorAm across all segments Serves as the technical expert supporting operations in achieving operational excellence Leads the adaptation, deployment and implementation of the Soft Services Framework (SSF) Serves as strategic partner in solution development during sales process as assigned Leads the implementation of approved SSF tools in region Is this opportunity right for you? We are looking for candidates who have: College degree preferred with a minimum of 5-10 years in facilities management, business operations or equivalent work experience Experience with hard and soft services preferred Management experience is not required but this position does need lead through influence Learn more about Sodexo's Benefits Not the job for you? At Sodexo, we offer Facilities Management positions in Corporate, Schools, Universities, Energy and Resources, Government and Agencies, Health Care and Senior Living locations across the United States. Continue your search for Facilities Management jobs. Working for Sodexo: How far will your ambition, talent and dedication take you? Sodexo fosters a culture committed to the growth of individuals through continuous learning, mentoring and career growth opportunities. Make an Immediate Impact. Sodexo is the North American leader for Quality of Life Services. More than 150,000 Sodexo employees work to improve the quality of daily life for our 13,000 client sites in North America. Sodexo partners with clients to help them attain their strategic vision by developing Facility Management service solutions that increase the effectiveness of their people, enhance their business processes and optimize their infrastructure, which deliver tangible outcomes. Our client portfolio spans multiple markets across the nation including education, corporate services, health care and government services, which means we can offer a career full of variety, challenge and tremendous growth opportunities. Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Between 24 and 27 July, more than 2,800 Marxists from over 50 countries around the world gathered online for the World Congress of the International Marxist Tendency (IMT). This congress had originally been scheduled to take place in 2020, but was cut across by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the pandemic rendered an in-person congress impossible, on account of being streamed online, thousands of comrades were able to participate in a congress of the IMT for the first time. The congress was brimming with enthusiasm and confidence. Running through the four days was a sense of being bound closely together as one united, international revolutionary organisation, despite the distances that separated us. Whilst comrades awoke at 5am to participate on the West coast of the United States, the congress began late in the evening for comrades tuned in from Indonesia. Present were comrades from: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, Colombia, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Netherlands, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Haiti, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Liberia, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, USA, Venezuela and Yugoslavia. The contribution by comrade Kazeem, delegate for the Nigerian section of the IMT, was a particularly poignant moment. Racist visa regulations had prevented any Nigerian delegate from participating directly in a congress until this point. Now, for the first time, the whole International could listen with pride to a first-hand report of the marvellous work of our Nigerian comrades. The event was a huge feat of organisation, with teams working hard behind the scenes to make sure everything went off without a hitch despite its scope. Particularly hard-working were teams of translators translating the whole congress into ten languages. The result was a resounding success. Evidence of the mood of the congress was plastered all over social media under the congress hashtag, #IMTCongress21. Images streamed in from Edmonton in Canada to Karachi in Pakistan, from Leningrad in Russia to Manchester in Britain, of watch parties of comrades gathered on every continent and in every corner of the globe. The world turned upside down Anticipation for the congress was met with a rich, lively discussion on a high political level that cannot be found in any other organisation. Alan Woods opened the an enriching discussion on World Perspectives by giving a panorama of the deep crisis through which capitalism is traversing / Image: @marxistjorge, Twitter Alan Woods opened the congress by giving a panorama of the historic crisis the worlds worst in 300 years that has unfolded in the last year and a half. Although the coronavirus plague did not cause the crisis which had been brewing for decades nevertheless, the two are now indissolubly bound up together. It is not the first time that the rottenness of a social system has been exposed by an unpredictable event like a pandemic. Quoting the lines of the ruling class own strategists, Alan showed how the bosses are quite aware of the reckoning that the crisis has in store for them. And yet, just like Marie Antoinette and the French aristocracy before the Great French Revolution, the capitalist class today continues to revel in its obscene opulence despite the unparalleled suffering of the mass of humanity. Whilst the corpses of this pandemics victims go unburied on the streets of Indian cities, the worlds super rich have enjoyed a $5 trillion wealth surge since 2020. And whilst Amazon workers collapse from exhaustion on the floors of Jeff Bezos warehouses, their boss is journeying to the edge of space to become the worlds first space tourist. As Alan explained, none of these obscenities will pass unnoticed. The pandemic has exposed the rottenness, corruption and incompetence of the ruling class, who are at a loss to end the nightmare. It has left a deep, fulminating anger brewing in the hearts of hundreds of millions of people. But as Alan explained, only a revolution can sweep their system from the face of the Earth. And for that, a revolutionary party of the working class based upon the clear ideas of Marxism is needed. Comrades in the US tuning in for the last day of the IMT World Congress! From New Jersey, Louisville Kentucky, Phoenix, and many other cities from coast to coast!#IMTCongress21 pic.twitter.com/YmM9DqMebA Socialist Revolution (@usimt) July 27, 2021 A brewing mood of revolutionary anger The ground for revolution has been thoroughly ploughed, and its seeds are already starting to burst forth. In 2019 we saw revolutionary developments in Ecuador, Chile, Iraq, Lebanon and elsewhere. And this year we have seen new developments in Chile; a historic National Strike in Colombia; the explosion of the anti-Bolsonaro movement in Brazil which was ongoing at the time of the congress; the election of a trade union militant as president of Peru; an insurrectionary movement of the Indian farmers; an explosive movement against the generals in Myanmar; the capture of the leadership by the left in Britains biggest trade union, and many more portentous events. These diverse events are all symptoms of the same process of revolutionary awakening. Given the mood of anger that exists in society, even a shaky and temporary recovery could give a big impetus to new industrial movements, which will shake up the labour movement. Following Alans introduction, comrades gave reports on from across the world, and touched upon a range of questions flowing from the present crisis: from the defeat of US imperialism in Afghanistan, to the collapse of Scandinavian social democracy, to the role of the trade unions, and how Marxists can best defend the gains of the Cuban Revolution. The congress enjoyed a wide-ranging and vibrant discussion on World Perspectives that elevated the sights of all comrades to the tasks of the epoch and the opportunities for building a Marxist tendency capable of intervening decisively in the course of these great events. In defence of revolutionary theory But to build a Marxist tendency that can strive for the leadership of the workers movement across the world we must build an organisation based upon clear ideas and thousands of disciplined Marxist cadres who have absorbed those ideas and methods. Fred Weston introduced a session specifically dedicated to the defence of Marxist theory / Image: @yaar.yousufzai, Twitter The slogan of the congress, taken from Lenins masterpiece, What is to be done?, summed up the focus of the congress: Without revolutionary theory, there can be no revolutionary movement. To this end, the congress dedicated a special session on The Struggle for Marxist Philosophy. The session was opened by Fred Weston of the international leadership of the IMT. Like King Canute who tried to hold back the tide, the ruling class today attempts to hold back the class struggle by spreading all sorts of confusion and false ideas. This is the main purpose of bourgeois philosophy today. Ultimately though their efforts must be in vain, as Fred explained. Marxist ideas, on the contrary, derive their power from the fact that they are true, and it is precisely because they offer an explanation and a way out of the crisis that the IMT, with a serious attitude to theory, has been able to make the inroads it has in recent years. Fred noted that all other organisations that call themselves left tend to scorn theory, seeing it as perhaps an optional extra, or else a sterile pastime conducted by theoreticians from their armchairs. In reality, revolutionary theory is anything but sterile when combined with revolutionary action. Quoting the words of Marx from 1843, Fred explained that: The weapon of criticism cannot, of course, replace criticism of the weapon, material force must be overthrown by material force; but theory also becomes a material force as soon as it has gripped the masses. Marxism is in the first instance a philosophical outlook: the philosophy of dialectical materialism, the essential features of which Fred described. But this philosophy itself did not fall from the sky. It is the highest product of millennia of human development and of the development in thought and philosophy. At the congress it was announced that the IMT will be publishing a book this autumn by Alan Woods, The History of Philosophy, tracing the development of philosophy up to the arrival of Marx and Engels at a clear, scientific outlook. This book in turn will set the scene for another book currently being written by Alan on the philosophy of Marxism itself. Once published, these books will be powerful weapons in the arsenal of a new generation of revolutionaries. Far from being dry theory of little interest to the youth, the publications of the IMT are being devoured by growing layers of revolutionary workers and youth who are joining our ranks. An index of this thirst for theory was given by the figures demonstrating the strides being made by the IMTs bookshop, WellRed Books. In the past 12 months alone, sales of books have more than doubled, with over 10,300 books being sold in 2020, a feat repeated by other IMT bookshops around the world. This thirst for theory has also been reflected in tremendous enthusiasm for the newly relaunched In Defence of Marxism magazine as an international quarterly theoretical journal. 6,000 copies have so far been printed in English, German, Spanish and Swedish, with Indonesian, Portuguese and other translations to come. This congress represents a staging post in an ongoing campaign by the IMT to combat the mystical and idealist nonsense that passes for philosophy in bourgeois society today an ongoing campaign that will continue for years to come and will lay the bedrock for constructing a powerful, Marxist tendency. Building the revolutionary organisation Following the session on Marxist theory, the comrades discussed the strides that have been made all over the world in building the International Marxist Tendency. On a world scale, the IMT has grown by 43% since the beginning of 2020 alone. In some sections, such as the US section, we have grown by as much as 87%; and in Indonesia, in the same period, the section has grown by as much as 150%! Although comrades were present from more than 50 countries, the IMT has recognised sections and groups in 32 of these countries. But where we have individual contacts and comrades, we are now establishing new groups, and where we have groups we are building the firm foundations of new sections. The applications for affiliation from two such new sections in Yugoslavia and Poland were enthusiastically and unanimously accepted at the congress. In more than a dozen other countries where groups of supporters of the IMT are being consolidated, the basis is undoubtedly being laid for new, important sections in the not so distant future. Hamid Alizadeh introduced the organisational report, which showed spectacular growth across the IMT / Image: @marxistjorge, Twitter The will to build a powerful Marxist tendency that can alter the course of history was perhaps best expressed in the incredible response to the congress financial appeal. In appealing for comrades to give generously, John Peterson described the vistas opening up for the building of a Marxist force in the belly of the beast itself. Over the course of a couple of years, the amount of people who write in to the website of the US section of the IMT to join us has gone up three to fourfold. The numerical growth, and the enthusiasm and elan of our American comrades was reflected in a doubling of their contribution to the collection. Adam Pal of the Pakistani section of the IMT followed with a stirring call in the name of internationalism for all comrades to give what they can. In the past few years, the comrades of the IMT across the world have helped secure the release of imprisoned comrades in Pakistan, demonstrating the power of international solidarity. For comrades in Pakistan, the suffering and pain that this crisis inflicts on millions across the underdeveloped capitalist nations means that donating to the building of the International may imply having to skip a meal, education fees or important medicines. And yet, as Adam explained, the victory of socialism in the subcontinent is a matter of life and death for millions, and so hundreds of comrades are prepared to make precisely such sacrifices. In this spirit of personal sacrifice, the collection raised an astonishing figure of over 370,000 an increase of more than 130,000 on the total raised at the World School organised just a year ago by the International Marxist Tendency. In one corner of the world after another whilst the other tendencies are in crisis and drip with pessimism the International Marxist Tendency is advancing, confident of the future and firmly dedicated to the struggle for socialist revolution. The stakes could not be higher. As Alan Woods explained in his closing remarks to the congress: Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Corsair, Frances long-haul flight specialist, has confirmed the operation of five flights a week on the Mauritius route from 26 October 2021 to meet increasing demand for seats. France is the number one market for visitors to Mauritius with over 300,000 arrivals from that country in 2019. The reintroduction of flights from three major cities by the second largest French airline further signals strong demand for travel as international tourism recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Corsair will join Air France and Air Mauritius in providing non-stop service between France and Mauritius, making it a highly competitive route. Corsair will fly three times a week year-round from Paris Orly Airport, supplemented by a weekly service from Lyon and Marseille. Flights will be operated by the airlines Airbus A330 aircraft, with three classes of service: Economy, Premium (Premium Economy) and Business. Arvind Bundhun, Director of the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, says, We are delighted to welcome Corsair back to Mauritius. the reintroduction of 5 flights a week from Paris, Lyon and Marseille shows the strength of demand from French travellers and helps consolidate France as the islands largest source market for travellers. The launch of these flights will coincide with the complete reopening of Mauritian borders to fully vaccinated international travellers from 1 October 2021 and provide additional capacity of over 1,600 seats per week throughout the important Northern Winter season 2021/22. Seats will be available for direct booking with Corsair or through tour operators. Mauritian residents will also be able to book tickets to and from France. With the full reopening of Mauritian borders from 1 October 2021, visitors will be able to enjoy an unrestricted stay and explore the Indian Ocean countrys attractions from the moment they land. Vaccinated visitors will have to present a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure. Unvaccinated guests will still have to undergo a 14-day in-room quarantine. Further information can be found at www.mauritiusnow.com Le ministre des TICs a participe au lancement de la G par Mauritius Telecoms au Hennessy Park Hotel le 29 juillet 2021. Good afternoon to you all. There is a famous Chinese proverb which goes: When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills. Like the winds of change, progress demands that we do not stand still. There is a new revolution coming in new services, new capabilities and new industries, because of 5G. It will change things radically. It will transform the way we communicate and the way we live. In a new age of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing and the Internet of Things, 5G will create new opportunities to stimulate social and economic development. This technology is spreading rapidly across the world. According to the expert-created website Lifewire, latest statistics show that, as of February 2021, over 30% of the worlds countries have access to 5G. Some estimates forecast that by 2025, we will reach 3.6 billion 5G connections. We are not the first in adopting it, but in Africa but we might stand to benefit the most. The launch of 5G services is an important landmark and milestone in the development of the vision of this Government to digitalize our economy. A vision which is dear to our Honourable Prime Minister, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth. Provision for the deployment of 5G in the country have been made in the Government Programme 2020-2024. This Government is dedicated to implement its vision, its programme and also make it easier for our citizens to evolve in this new technology-driven, network-driven and internet-driven society. The foundations for the introduction of 5G have been laid with a strong international connectivity backbone. Today Mauritius is connected to three submarine cables, the SAFE (South Africa Far East), the LION/LION2 (Lower Indian Ocean Network) and the METISS (MEltingpoT Indianoceanic Submarine System). A fourth submarine cable, which will be Mauritius Telecoms third cable, is on the way and is expected to be operational in the horizon 2022-2023. Fibre connectivity across the island, Fibre-To-The-Home has been deployed to every doorstep since end of 2017 by MT, which means that fibre coverage has already reached 100%. As for Mobile connectivity, the figure for coverage stands at almost 100%. Ladies and gentlemen, 5G is synonymous to new capacity in terms of connectivity. We are now talking of speeds in excess of 100 Megabyte per second even Gigabyte connectivity is possible with these new bandwidths provision. 5G marks a significant difference from the 4G networks which we are very much comfortable with. It is expected to support many other uses beyond mobile broadband. The advent of 5G in Mauritius will overcome the shortcomings of the current 3G/4G technology. Its potential will definitely have a spillover effect on all the services currently being dispensed by our public and private institutions to our citizens. High data upload and download speeds in the order of 10 to 20 gigabits per second will be possible with 5G. The number of devices supported per square kilometer is expected to reach as high as one million. The latency with 5G is very low, that is, the response time or the time between a click and a response, could be as low as 1 millisecond. I am informed by MT that its 5G service will initially cover the Ebene Cybercity, Bagatelle and University of Mauritius regions on a pilot basis. These regions are quite active in terms of business activity, commercial activity, and host even a student community where the demands are ever increasing for bandwidths. Ladies and Gentlemen, The world is living a terrible nightmare with the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic that seems to last for a long while. In this new normal spirit, connectivity, online collaboration, digital services and emerging technologies are the lifeblood of todays business. My Ministry strongly believes in the new paradigm shift towards emerging technologies. And thats why we have introduced the Mauritius Emerging Technologies Council Bill a few weeks back in the National Assembly, which will set up the Mauritius Emerging Technologies Council soon. The Council will have the mandate to scrutinize the business environment and spearhead the introduction of new and emerging technologies to push forward all sectors of our economy. Mastery of 5G is also critical for our country to overcome productivity constraints and, as a result, upgrade the Mauritian economy. The capacity to capitalize on possibilities presented by innovative technologies and business models is critical in igniting new engines of economic growth in the country. To deal with rising traffic and address security issues, the future of telecommunications and computer infrastructure, which connects billions of people and trillions of devices, will demand more efficient technology. This revolution will be based on a universally agreed-upon definition of 5G, as well as associated standards and service characteristics. Just imagine this. 5G technology will serve as a game changer as more smart services with direct impact will be made available for the well-being of the people. Eventually 5G will enable us to deploy MORE for LESS, Faster Speeds, More Connections and a more Responsive experience for the benefit of the population. To conclude, Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish to say that 5G is a Technology which Mauritius must embrace for the future of our Nation. And with these words, I wish to commend Mauritius Telecom for this bold move. Thank you for your attention. To bridge the worlds vaccine gap, a global effort is required to battle COVID-19 and to ensure efficient supply and rollout in already vulnerable communities like Africa. The response to the pandemic has shown the speed of mobilization and vaccine science at its best. Faced with an unprecedented challenge, governments, international organizations, the health care industry and global health experts have come together on a scale never seen before. The result has been the development of multiple vaccines in record time and more than three billion doses (https://bloom.bg/3zNfKfc) administered worldwide. Its a remarkable achievement, which shows what we are capable of when we act together and in the spirit of cooperation and solidarity. But the coronavirus has also laid bare entrenched inequities that continue to perpetuate poor health and wellbeing in already vulnerable communities. Of those billion-plus vaccines, fewer than 2% (https://bit.ly/3icpN7s) have been dispensed in Africa. It is one of the key reasons the continent now finds itself gripped by a deadly third wave, which could claim more lives than the first two combined. The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change in its report entitled Africas Perfect Storm (https://bit.ly/3jgt5pN), set out the challenge and the threat if we do not take action: The international community, both vaccine manufacturers and governments, need to increase support to African countries both in terms of vaccine supply and rollout by recognising that the battle against COVID-19 requires a global effort and that the increasing vaccine inequality we are witnessing today is a danger not only to Africa but for the global community. Vaccines on the ground There is no lack of will from the global community. Billions of dollars have been pledged to the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (https://bit.ly/3ye6kbZ), a global initiative to ensure vaccine supply reaches low- and middle-income countries. In addition, more and more countries are starting to donate from their own supply and direct them to where they are most needed. For Africa, this is translating into vaccines on the ground and protecting the lives of millions of people. It is a remarkable display of global collaboration, which we in Africa are truly grateful for. But a looming challenge has been producing enough vaccines to meet the global demand. COVAX is expecting a strong increase in vaccine availability later this year as supplies from new manufacturers become available, but we are still falling short in our effort to bridge the vaccine equity gap. Given the scale and urgency of the challenge, we must go further. The World Health Organization has called (https://bit.ly/3l4Kmoh) for an all-out, no regrets, accelerated building up of new vaccine manufacturing hubs. WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has highlighted that for this to happen quicker, pharmaceutical companies must share their licenses, know-how and technology. We agree with WHO that vaccine licensing is key to unlocking the supply challenge. While some have argued for a blanket waiver of intellectual-property rights under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, or TRIPS, this is not a quick fix to immediately increase the supply of vaccines. In fact, this approach would take many more months to yield any extra doses, which is far too late for millions of people. The third way Instead, we are committed to a different approach, which the World Trade Organizations Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has called the third-way (https://bit.ly/3xbf0yA). For us, this involves a combination of not-for-profit pricing and technology transfers to boost production. Through this approach, already we have created more than a dozen new regional supply chains around the world to respond to community needs closer to where they are. This has allowed us to supply vaccines all over the world, contributing more than half a billion (https://bit.ly/3zLEu7t) doses to the global fight against COVID-19. We were also the first vaccine manufacturer to commit to COVAX, supplying more than 90% (https://bit.ly/3zQBAOD) of the vaccine to more than 127 participating countries, including 38 African countries at the end of June. Countries such as Ghana, Cote dIvoire, Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia have all benefitted from this approach. Developing, producing and supplying a vaccine for the world is an extraordinarily complicated challenge and we have all learned many lessons on the way. These are lessons that should not merely be carried into future pandemic preparedness they must be addressed right now. Entire communities and economies are depending on it. As things stand, just over 1% (https://bit.ly/3l5U1L9) of people in Africa have been fully vaccinated. We still have a long way to go but we believe our approach can bring much-needed relief to the worlds most vulnerable communities. This will only be possible if we work together, apply our lessons learned and do what is necessary to vaccinate the whole world, not just portions of it. Article first published on Devex.com Webb Fontaine (www.WebbFontaine.com), one of the leading providers of Customs and Trade solutions to governments worldwide, gathered a panel of industry experts to engage in a thought-provoking conversation about Technology and Trade in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities in its recent edition of the webinar series. The panel included Adekunle Oloyede Comptroller, Modernisation, ICT and Risk Management, Nigeria Customs Service, Fridah Kimani Trade Facilitation Specialist Kenya Revenue Authority, Agnes Katsonga Phiri Executive Director Corporate Services, Malawi Revenue Authority, Michel Zarnowiecki Director of Institutional Reforms, Webb Fontaine. Moderated by award winning journalist Victoria Rubadiri, the webinar focused on the economic stability and future of Africa. Together, the panelists delved into the innovative insights on International Trade in Africa, the impact of African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA) agreement and the collaborative role of African nations in achieving economic integration as a continent. Dawn of a New Economic Era for Africa Agnes Katsonga Phiri believes this is an exceptionally exciting time for Africa as it is moving the member states in the direction of bigger markets and opportunities, however she also highlights the challenge of heavy investment associated with the unification. Commenting further, she says, Africa is a mixed bag in terms of countries that are economically equipped to handle the trade demands as well as smaller countries that much prefer to rely on local trade. Perhaps, it is good thing that digitization across the world is transforming our global economy, this could be key in solving the challenges associated with the economic merger of different states. Thus opening new avenues of online services, promotion of exports thereby boosting work-flow efficiency and positively driving the growth in manufacturing leading to a further expansion of the financial sector in Africa. Introduction of new trade policies that foster the digital landscape in Africa will benefit the countries in strategically maneuvering the AFCFTA. It will certainly make Africa move to another level despite the differences present, of course it will require us to change our previous mindset and adapt to new ways of working as well as conducting our business locally and internationally. Inspiring Innovation In agreement with Agnes, Fridah Kimani added an insightful perspective from the eyes of Kenya. She remarks, As exciting as this union is, it will certainly open up new roads for the younger population across Africa to indulge in innovation leading to even more modernized ways of working. However, the flip side to it is that Africa is still very conventional in the way it operates, unfortunately we have not advanced tremendously in the area of manufacturing, the newfound change could take some time to getting used to and perhaps it wont come easy. On the other hand, the Intra-Africa Trade in the continent accounts only for the 17% whereas the Intra-trade in Europe accounts for over 60% and Asia about 59%. So, we have a huge gap to fill there before we can actually start reaping the benefits of this agreement. Some other critical issues that we face on a higher scale than other continents are border-terrorism, warfare amongst different countries, illegal trade practices that further delay growth and progress in our region. Role of Customs Having experienced a similar amalgamation of member-states in the European Union, Michel Zarnowiecki sheds light on the view-point of Webb Fontaine for this historic moment in Africas economic history, he adds It took the Common market and then European Union a very long time about 75 years to reach to the point of economic stability that it has reached today, the integration is a slow process that involves challenges along its way. However, it is not to say that these challenges cannot be handled, the integration of states is always beneficial in the long run. With sub-regional integration that has happened in some parts of Africa before, we do come from some experience of it. However, there is a word of caution from the experience we have had in EU earlier, we lost about 50 Billion Euros a year in VAT collections because there was this idea of getting rid of Customs as the member states unified. Thus, it is crucial to factor the role of customs in supporting this regional integration. COVID-19 The Importance of Technology The COVID-19 pandemic transpired change in ways of working and accelerated a massive digital boost across all continents alike. Commenting on the impact of COVID-19 on Africa, Michel Zarnowiecki says, The consequential effect of COVID-19 across Africa was sort of a mixed bag with some reports based on the continental free-trade area pointing out that there was a reduction in production, adversely affecting SMEs thus lowering overall economic output of Africa. However, Nigeria has a different story to tell as there was a good revenue generation hinting at economic success and the ability to introduce effective contingency control measures. Nonetheless, we saw a rationalisation in staff particularly in Customs during the pandemic which was challenging for most countries, although it might open perspectives for future operations in the post-pandemic era. Speaking on the disruption faced by supply chains across the continent, Adekunle Oloyede says, Even though it was a challenging time for all, the borders were shut but ports were open with operations running and leveraging on technology, had little to no impact on revenue-collection for Nigeria. We already had a very non-intrusive way of making payments in place which enabled us to keep hold of our revenue collection. While Agnes comments on the state of Malawi, In Malawi, we had a similar experience in terms of revenue collection and while we were hit by COVID-19, and went through a change in government, our borders remained opened and we adapted to flexible working thereby ensuring lesser impact on the revenue. We saved costs on travel of course investing more in digital devices that allow work from home. These tactics helped us control the negative impact of COVID-19. The panel further investigated best practices, insights, statistics and deployment of strategies to maneuver the challenges associated with trade in Africa by employing and exploring technological opportunities and innovative applications across the entire continent. These thought-provoking webinars form part of what is intended to be a larger ThinkTank series aimed at delivering impactful insights thereby allowing stakeholders and consumers to engage in knowledge-sharing as well as in delivering concrete business strategies. To be eligible, the businesses must operate primarily in Lehigh County and make more than half its revenue in Pennsylvania. Applicants must have their most recent tax documents, a copy of their official filing with either the state or their local municipality, their businesss articles of incorporation, certificate of organization, its fictitious name registration, its government issued business license and a government issued photo ID. Hilgert acknowledged that the simplest call may have been to hold off another year and see how the pandemic has progressed in 2022. While she would not go into details about the total impact on ArtsQuests budget, the nonprofit saw its revenues fall $20 million last year. Some of that was offset by grants and savings through canceled events, she said. The threat of rainouts and flooding always looms over the festival, but good weather may be more critical this year than it has in decades, she said. Bubbakoos arrival in the Quakertown area will be followed by the boroughs first Chipotle location, set to open in the fall at the former site of Boston Market at 69 N. West End. Blvd. in the Quakertown Plaza, according to Chipotle spokesman Tyler Benson. Blues, Brews & Barbecue: The music, food and beverage festival returns to downtown Allentown with what organizers call the most impressive blues lineup the city has ever seen. Among the headliners are Shemekia Copeland, King Solomon Hicks, Bruce Katz and Dave Keller. Of course, the day will also feature craft and domestic beers, top-rated local barbecue and craft vendors. Noon to 10 p.m., Saturday. Free. Hamilton Street from 6th to 8th streets, and 7th Street North and South, ArtsWalk, Allentown. 610-751-4929. https://downtownallentown.com/ When Rose was charged in August 2019, police said that after killing Roger Houck, a Boeing employee visiting his mother from the Seattle area, on Jan. 3, he returned in the early morning of Jan. 4. Virginia Houck was still alive, police said. Rose allegedly dragged her - and her sons body - to the basement, then used gasoline to douse them and the surrounding area, police said. Each year the SouthSide Arts Districts Design Committee strives to add innovative public art to our streetscape, said Missy Hartney, SouthSide Arts Districts downtown manager. This year, with the help of the City of Bethlehem, The Bethlehem Fine Arts Commission, Northampton County and Lehigh Valley Health Network, we are not only adding the first street mural in Bethlehem to our Urban Arts Trail, but we are also working to calm the traffic at this busy intersection. Public art has long been sought as a solution to busy trafficked intersections. Murals cause the driver to focus and navigate the crossing with caution. Traffic calming is certainly one of the goals for this project, as well as building a sense of community, with an emphasis on health, wellness and walking. Johnson told detectives she tried numerous times to get in touch with her sister and her children but couldnt locate them, according to court documents. In March, Dachelle Johnson said she arranged to meet her sister to get her kids, but they never showed up. Johnson had been unable to contact them since, and a detective notified her of their deaths, police said. While we are moving on from this obligation, like anyone who must borrow to cover a big expense like a home or education, we must continue paying the debt service for 30 years, Chief Financial Officer Richard Dreher said at the news conference. Admittedly, thats a long road, and unfortunately, our customers will not feel direct toll relief. But our annual toll increase will be less and less as we progress through our debt. As a current print subscriber, you receive 24/7 access to our website and online e-edition at no additional charge. All you have to do is activate your access. To activate digital access, you will need your account number. You can find your account number on any recent subscription notice or bill. Today's Headlines Would you like to receive our daily news? Sign up today! Breaking news Sign up for breaking news alerts from morning-times.com!!! Week in Sports Get a weekly local sports round-up from www.morning-times.com every Saturday morning!!! Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. National India, China to hold 12th round of military talks today NEW DELHI, JUL 30 (IANS) | Publish Date: 7/30/2021 12:35:04 PM IST India and China will hold the 12th round of Corps Commander-level talks at Moldo on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on Saturday to iron out an agreement for the next phase of disengagement in Eastern Ladakh. The talks will begin at 10.30 am, said a military source. The latest round of talks will take place after a gap of three months. Indian military delegates will meet their counterparts to discuss disengagement of troops at the friction areas such as the Hot Springs, Gogra and the Depsang plains spread over 900 sq km land. While the build-up in Depsang was not considered as part of the current standoff that started in May last year since the escalations here took place in 2013, India has insisted during the recent military commander-level meetings to resolve all the issues along the Line of Actual Control. National Oppn parties demand JPC probe to ascertain details of farmer deaths during agitation EW DELHI, JUL 30 | Publish Date: 7/30/2021 12:34:25 PM IST NShiromani Akali Dal, NCP, Shiv Sena and some other opposition parties, including the Left parties, have written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe to ascertain the details of farmer deaths during the Kisan Andolan against three agriculture laws. In a letter to the speaker, leaders of various parties, including SAD, Shiv Sena, NCP, BSP, JKNC, RLP, CPI and CPI-M, have urged his intervention in the matter. The letter came in the wake of Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomars statement that the Centre has no knowledge of farmer deaths. The Opposition leaders said the ministers statement has hurt the sentiments of the farming community across the country and he should apologise as he has insulted the farmers. They said Tomar has stated in Parliament that the Centre does not have any record of the farmers who died during the ongoing Kisan Andolan at Delhis borders. The farmers have been protesting against three agriculture laws of the Centre and demanding their scrapping since November last year. Leaders of SAD and other parties are set to meet the president in this regard on Saturday morning. They said this is a very serious lapse on the part of the minister and alleged that he has, in fact, misled the nation. We urge you to ask the minister to apologise to the farming community for his intemperate remarks that have hurt their self-respect. We urge you to form a Joint Parliamentary Committee led by an Opposition member to probe the entire issue and ascertain details of the total number of lives lost in the ongoing Kisan Andolan and suggest ways and means to rehabilitate the victim families, the Opposition leaders said. The JPC could also take feedback directly from farmers and their representatives about their reservations vis-a-vis the three agriculture laws and submit the same to the government for necessary action, they said in their letter. The leaders hoped that the insult meted out to farmers and their democratic protest is addressed through the speakers intervention, which will send out a clear signal that the temple of democracy stands with the annadaata and will not take any insult heaped on him. Among the signatories to the letter were Harsimrat Kaur Badal (SAD), Supriya Sule (NCP), Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena), Danish Ali (BSP), Hanuman Beniwal (RLP), P R Natarajan (CPI-M), M Selvaraj (CPI) and Hasnain Masoodi (JKNC). Dozens of people from Harare and Bulawayo were duped of cash amounting to nearly US$50 000 by a car dealer based in Bulawayo. Musa Mel Ngoni Nziramasanga, lied that he was importing cars for more than 10 people charging various amounts of money before fleeing with the cash. His phone is off and he deleted all his social media accounts. His victims, upon realising they had been duped made police reports and formed a WhatsApp group to share notes. They realised he used the same modus operandi. Good day, my name is Tinashe and I was duped by Musa. I am in South Africa myself, my money which I sent to Zimbabwe for the purchase of a Honda Fit 2011 was collected by Musa on the 21st of May 2021. I did not know Musa, we were connected through a former school colleague. 3000usd was handed over to him. He went and collected the money at home and prepared a receipt with the SBT name and address on it. We were informed that the car had been purchased and was stuck at the garage in Messina as we were awaiting an import licence to be prepared. Weeks passed and we lost our patience and demanded that the money be returned to us. He informed me that he was going to Messina to sell the car and bring back the money. I then requested to see the documents for the car as well as the pictures. I even demanded to meet up with him in Messina so I can see the car. He told me he would send the pictures and documents in 30 minutes. Till this day his number has never been reachable. The colleague who had linked us to Musa then went to the SBT offices and thats when he was told that Musa had run away. Thats when we realised that no car was bought, neither were there any import licenses being prepared, narrated one of the victims. Another victim identified as Cee said she got to know Musa through his girlfriend. I saw a flier posted by his girlfriend and went to the office as I thought it was the same SBT like the one in Harare. We agreed I gave him 4000usd and the car was supposed to come in March . In March he then said the duty we had not calculated well and he kept saying next week , in two weeks time . He then said there was now an import license needed and it took a month and he said it was now out . I then started to push for proof of purchase and he started saying he is Beitbridge till he said he was refunding me on the 26th and we were to meet on the 28th and the phone was off on the day and I went to the office and realized I was duped, said Cee. Another duped lady, Thandiwe, said she met him through a friends cousin and knew people who had imported cars through him before. He was my friends brother, so long back he had told me how he works for SBT and if I ever needed to import a car he would help. He had imported for other people I knew so I had no reason to not trust that he would deliver. I told him that my money was ready, he came down to Harare and collected in total all of it $2K, he said the rest would be needed for duty. He said the car would arrive in Durban a month later month turned into two months and since I had dealt with him before I just didnt have any red flags, I then asked him and he spoke of the import license but said it wouldnt take more than a week. I agreed, the week passed, Musa then said he is on his way to Beitbridge to clear the car, thats the last time I spoke to him, his phone was now off. Thats when I got his fathers number and they also said he was missing till I sent someone to Sbt Bulawayo and thats when I found out I had been duped through his workmate. I have been posting the poster and spreading it to people in Cape Town hoping someone comes across him. This was a huge setback, I just cant believe it honestly, she said. A handful of other people who spoke to H-Metro had similar stories with different figures. A work colleague who worked with Musa in the SBT offices said Musa stopped working for SBT a long time ago. Musa was discharged as an employee of SBT in 2017 hence he became an independent contractor. SBT does not issue any receipts since it is not a cash office. Musa was an independent agent who we shared an office with. He had his own set of clients and he used to deliver all cars in the time that we shared office space. I got to find out of the fraudulent cases that Musa had been doing only after Cee came to the office looking for Musa. I then got to ask her what transpired and she explained, she had said she made initial payment in December for the import and showed me a contract that was made between Musa and her. I further looked into it and then also advised that normal import takes a period of 6 weeks. After our conversation we finally noticed that Musa had duped her. After her as the first victim we then got to uncover more clients who were defrauded by Musa hence this got me to suggest people can all form a group so that experiences are shared and mutual effort be made so that Musa can be caught. A group was opened by Thandiwe and we all managed to join in so that efforts are made collectively to push to get reimbursement or catch Musa. I noticed that he had a trend of collecting money from people who trusted him at their homes and also places of work so that no one would notice his transactions. He had a flier of his own as he was independent and he also had contracts that he gave a few individuals which we uncovered. These contracts were fraudulent and also the lawyers mentioned on the documents had no idea of this individuals doing. Musa issued invoices as receipts and unlawfully used the stamp of the company I work for, said the man identified as Albert. Musa is believed to be in South Africa and the police are interested in all information leading to his whereabouts. The victims are willing to offer a reward to whoever provides information about Musas whereabouts. His family and girlfriend claim t have no idea where he could be. H Metro ZIMBABWES ambassador to Mozambique, Victor Matemadanda has taken his farming partner, Rumbidzai Mujuru, to the High Court after she allegedly barred him from selling the maize they produced together to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB). In his application, Matemadanda cited Mujuru as respondent while his son, Itai, who is also a partner in the project, is the second applicant. Matemadanda, Itai and Mujuru entered into a partnership agreement in 2020. The terms were that they would grow maize together and share the profits after selling the grain to the GMB. It is alleged that Matemadanda contributed 150 hectares of land at his Garowa Farm in Hurungwe as well as accommodation, water and other inputs, while Mujuru would provide employee wages. Mujuru argued that Matemadanda breached the agreement and filed an application at the High Court seeking an order barring him and his son from interfering in the operations at the farm earlier this year. She also claimed that Itai and his brothers had committed violence against her employees and demanded that they leave the farm. Itai, she claimed, had forbidden her from selling the produce to the GMB. The matter brought by Mujuru was heard by High Court judge Justice Esther Muremba, who barred Matemadanda from interfering in the farming operations. In the present application, the Matemadandas accuse Mujuru of fraudulently obtaining the interdict. I and my brothers never committed any acts of violence or threatened any employees with action or unspecified action. We never asked anyone to vacate the farm. How could we do so to our own employees who have assisted us to farm the maize in question? The allegations are not true, Itai said in his founding affidavit. On July 18 we discovered that the respondent (Mujuru) had attributed certain dispositions to Ishmael Chipfunde, which dispositions he had never made. I am not aware if this act of fraud was done to Priscilla Govere and Tinashe Bure too, he submitted. Itai said Chipfunde had denied deposing an affidavit which was purposefully attached to Mujurus urgent chamber application. He denies that the signature on that affidavit is his. He also denies the false allegations that were attributed to me and my brothers, he said. Matemadanda and his son are seeking an order for stay of execution on Justice Murembas ruling. Newsday THOUSANDS of Zimbabweans living in South Africa are reportedly failing to get COVID-19 jabs due to lack of identity documents. This is despite assurances by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the start of the vaccination programme that everyone, including foreigners, would be vaccinated. However, it has been revealed that health workers at some vaccination centres in South Africa were turning away foreigners without identity documents (IDs), a situation that has also affected Zimbabwean migrants. South Africa is believed to be home to over three million Zimbabweans, some of them undocumented. Migrants Workers Association-SA (MWA-SA) chairperson Butholezwe Nyathi expressed concern over the failure by undocumented migrants to get inoculated. MWA-SA has observed that the South Africa Department of Health requires proof of identity for its vaccination data system (VDS). We are grateful that those who managed to produce their passports with permits have been vaccinated without any problems, Nyathi said. However, we are concerned that those who fail to produce any form of proof of their legal status in SA might be excluded. Our concern is that some employers might demand proof of vaccination and that might lead to job losses. Nyathi urged Ramaphosas government to allow private pharmacies to inoculate undocumented foreigners. The challenge is that every point should feed into the electronic vaccination data system that requires a valid identity. The Department of Health wants to reach herd immunity and that cannot be done without vaccinating migrants whether legal or illegal as they form a significant percentage of communities, he said. Zimbabwe Community in South Africa chairperson Ngqabutho Mabhena said foreigners were being asked to produce IDs, yet Home Affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi said no one would be discriminated. Newsday The outbreak has been linked to cabin cleaners who are thought to have not strictly followed COVID protocol when they cleaned a flight that arrived from Russia on July 10, Ding Jie, deputy director of the municipal center for disease control and prevention, told media Friday, according to Xinhuanet. All crew and guests 16 and older on the Adventures of the Seas, which departed from Nassau, Bahamas, on July 24, are also required to be fully vaccinated. They also need to test negative for COVID before boarding. As cops tell it, two men in the other car demanded cash from the Guillermo brothers. The beating soon followed in which Geuris Guillermo described by a friend as a family man with one son was fatally injured. Corniel was struck in the torso, and was rushed to St Barnabas Hospital, where he died. A 58-year-old woman took a stray slug to the leg, authorities said. We were all afraid and all we could think of were the little ones, said Maria Dominguez, 41, referring to the small children. (Im) happy they caught one of the suspects. (Ill) be happier when theyve caught both, because of their actions they could hurt other people innocent people. While in custody he started acting out towards hospital staff and was medicated. Just past midnight, he started having trouble breathing and died at 1:08 a.m. I still have a long way to go as my injury heals but I am out of the woods, Metcalfe wrote on his GoFundMe page. Its been hard adjusting but I am able to do more and more every day. Nicole Johnson was arrested in the deaths of Joshlyn Johnson and Larry ONeil, who were brother and sister. She is facing multiple counts, including first degree child abuse that resulted in the deaths of children under the age of 13, police announced Friday. Navy officials said they believe the suspect intended to destroy the vessel, but high winds at time whipped the flames into a dangerous and massive blaze. What started as a small spark in the storage area aboard the 27,565-ton military vessel soon transformed into a huge inferno, sending acrid plumes of smoke into the air and over most of San Diego. Three firefighters who assisted at the scene were also injured by the swarm. One of the first responders, who was stung at least 60 times, was taken to a hospital for an evaluation but later released. The other two did not need medical treatment, fire officials said. I had a small heart attack. But Im going to be ok thanks to Rosa Estrada and the doctors who knew how to fix the blockage without surgery, Odenkirk further tweeted Friday. Also, AMC and SONYs support and help throughout this has been next-level. Im going to take a beat to recover but Ill be back soon. But the desperate attempt to kill the bugs backfired, with the woman burning herself in the process, the Oakland County Sheriffs Office said in a statement. Deputies and firefighters rushed to the scene moments later and put out the blaze, according to The Detroit News. Given everything were learning about the delta variant, all options are on the table, he said. Whats going to happen, bluntly, is that folks who are vaccinated are going to be able to experience all the things that they love in the life of this city and this country, and the folks who are not vaccinated are going to find that too many things that they want to do, they cant do unless theyre vaccinated. That has to be the reality because people will respond to that. I feel like Im back in Communist Albania, said Kepi, who emigrated to the U.S. from the eastern European country as a child. Here in the United States of America, every legally cast vote should be counted that is the law! But that is NOT what is happening at the Staten Island Board of Elections. The opinion issued by the Justice Department on Friday which is separate from the D.A.s probe means there is now one more mechanism for Trumps returns to see the light of day, but it is still unclear when that might happen. The legislation would boost personal protection for lawmakers who have seen increasing death threats since the insurrection, install new security cameras around the complex and replace riot equipment the police lost in the fighting that day. It would fund new intelligence gathering and boost wellness and trauma support for the Capitol Police, as many troops are still suffering in the wake of the attack. And it would reimburse the National Guard $521 million for the thousands of troops that protected the Capitol for more than four months after the siege. This has been a tragic case for all the owners involved, Cioffi said. Not only did Steve Bouquet inflict horrendous suffering to each of the animals he attacked, but he also caused real trauma to their owners, many of whom found their beloved pets injured and bleeding. Police said they were able to track her cellphone signal to a vehicle parked not far from where the fire was set. McConnell added that one officer noted the coincidence in location, prompting authorities to retrieve the body from the dumpster. In the first episode of My Unorthodox Life, the new reality show on Netflix, we meet Julia Haart, who grew up in a New York ultra-Orthodox community. She knew all about sewing, but was trapped in an arranged marriage with no other education that would allow her to support herself. She left her community and managed to parlay her seamstress know-how (and obvious other talents) into becoming the CEO of Elite World Modeling and the designer of the e1972 line of clothing. Now, from her 10,000-square-foot Tribeca penthouse, she advocates for freedom from the confines of her stifling religious upbringing, often expressed in her choices about what to wear and how much skin to expose. The theme park industry handled the issues that were put in front of them last year as well, if not better, than any industry out there. They were fantastic in terms of adhering to, implementing, creating and instituting policies for both the employees and for the guests. And I think we learned a tremendous amount in 2020, and we carry that forward, so thats only going to continue to get better, he said. The Lakeland-based grocer has more than 1,270 stores and 225,000 employees. It revealed in February an offer to its employees of a $125 gift card to the grocery store for getting vaccinated. The chain has about 125 stores in Orange, Seminole, Lake, Osceola and Volusia counties. Todays event has been named our Sip & Sea preview. I understand that some of you southerners may know that a sip and see is what a family hosts when they have a new baby they want to show off to their friends and family, she said. Well Mardi Gras is our new baby and we have been waiting a lot longer than nine months to deliver her. At Memorial Healthcares five South Broward hospitals, patients are jamming emergency departments and triage tents have been erected again to diagnose and isolate COVID patients. The health system is up to 387 patients from less than 100 at the start of the month. Orlando Health and AdventHealth report they are deluged with about 1,000 COVID-19 patients, more than ever before, with no sign the current surge will stop any time soon. My fear really wasnt that he would get it and be seriously ill. Hes a really healthy young guy, the elder Madorin said of his son, a sophomore-to-be at Lake Nona High. But [I worry] that he would pass it on to someone that we know or care about, and that would be devastating. This is the first trial that I have done where we havent had everyone socially distanced and had a mask mandate, the judge said, according to the transcript. That is why I keep telling you and everyone that it is your choice as to whether or not you wear a mask. ... [We] do have those disposable masks in front of you, but, again, that is your choice. Sewage surveillance has been likened to a COVID-19 Doppler radar that can provide an advance warning of new cases and hospitalizations. Increases in wastewater viral loads are typically followed four days later by an uptick in cases, said Helena Solo-Gabriele, an environmental engineer at the University of Miami. Roberto Vera and his wife, Viri Gutierrez-Vera, had traveled from Dallas to spend two weeks in Florida with their children, WKMG reported. One of their stops was Universal Studios Orlando Resort. On their way back to Texas on July 1, Gutierrez-Vera started to feel ill. Myles says that it means so much to me to be a role model and a representative, something I didnt have growing up, going on TV and seeing people that didnt look like me or represent me, she added. First, on Tuesday just after 11 p.m., deputies responded to a call about him choking and hitting a different woman, who was simply walking through the parking lot of the apartment complex, telling her he was going to get the devil out of you, the report said. He then ran into Samuels apartment, but the woman and deputies at the time were not able to identify him, the report said. His mother, Nilda Perez, said she does not believe her son went through any detox program for alcohol dependence before being booked into the jail, and she thinks he may have been experiencing withdrawal. Her son also took medication for depression and anxiety, and she is unsure if he was provided it. Investigators say he and another man shot and killed Scott Hayward at an Oak Ridge neighborhood Oct. 11. Deputies found Hayward with a gunshot wound on the 4100 block of Singing Creek Lane just after noon, and Hayward was pronounced dead at the scene. The allegations against Kruppenbacher, who is the attorney for the Osceola County School Board and has been an attorney for other local agencies, roiled the virtual schools Orlando headquarters. Soon after the Orlando Sentinel published an April 2019 investigation into Kruppenbachers tenure at the school, the state took over the school, ordering audits, disbanding its board of trustees and installing new administrators. As provided by nature, the original Kissimmee River was a curlicue of currents 103 miles long. From 1962 to 1971, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, at the behest of Floridians demanding flood protection, straight-jacketed the Kissimmee into a deep and wide canal 56 miles long. The canal was a water-sucking beast that, along with amputations of the rivers natural bends, drained 50,000 acres of wildlife-rich wetlands. Last years total may have fluctuated due to patrons having limited beach access because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ISAF said. A second reason, the ISAF was not able to coordinate with local law enforcement and health care workers after possible incidents due to constraints placed by the virus. As a result, some cases could not be confirmed as a shark-human interaction Hinton said many residents who put in applications for assistance as recently as this week are concerned they may be pushed out before the rental aid arrives. Even when the process runs smoothly and renters can produce all the necessary paperwork to prove they qualify for county programs, it can take several weeks between the time an application is submitted and a check is written to their landlord. Students need to see how Jim Crow laws across the South made possible played into Lake County Sheriff Willis McCalls 28-year reign of terror to repress the civil rights of anyone who didnt have fair skin. They should also learn why whites who opposed McCall kept silent about his deliberate frame and torture of the four Groveland youths for the supposed rape of a white woman. But get this the Groveland Four injustice isnt even taught in Lake Countys schools unless a teacher decides independently to do so. And only a handful have, a district official said. Our states medical-marijuana program will remain inherently unfair so long as its vertically integrated structure persists, with all aspects of the business mandated to be under a single operator. In contrast to marijuana licenses valued at eight figures, Floridas hemp program was designed by Commissioner Fried as horizontal, open and available to all, its licenses free of charge and with minimal restrictions. Even when additional marijuana licenses become available, medical cannabis will remain the playground of the wealthy and well-connected and well out of reach to nearly all Black would-be entrepreneurs. 6. Put your cellphone away. When I went to college, there was no internet, there were no laptops and of course no cellphones. If we needed to look up a physical constant, we had the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, a tome that required two hands and a healthy back to lift. While the improvements in technology and instant access to information are largely positive for students, many are addicted to their cellphones and the instant gratification of likes on social media. If you want to impress your professors while succeeding in your coursework, put your cellphone away at least during class and learn how to use it as a study aid. Seminole-Brevard State Attorney Phil Archer has said he doesnt run his office like they do down south and that he doesnt consider it his job to investigate that maybe the Florida Department of Law Enforcement or Florida elections division should do so. Yet both of those agencies said they werent doing so either. If you listen to some of the stuff thats being percolated around the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], theres a movement to try to impose more restrictions on the American people, DeSantis said. And I just want to say in Florida, there will be no lockdowns. There will be no school closures. There will be no restrictions or mandates in the state of Florida. New York, US (PANA) - The UN Security Council on Thursday adopted a resolution extending for one year its arms embargo on the Central African Republic (CAR) as well as a travel ban and assets freeze imposed on certain individuals and entities An autonomous train initiative is entering its test phase in Finland The aim of the initiative is to create completely new railway transportation services and to even double the amount of railway transport. The initiative, led by Finnish Proxion in conjunction with around 20 other tech organisations, innovates an agile, low-emission transportation concept for large industrial enterprises. In the future, the aim is to also bring autonomous passenger traffic to the rails. The autonomous train initiative received a funding decision in June and is moving on towards the pilot phase where the software and equipment of the autonomous train will be tested, simulated and test-driven. The project is a significant leap towards the transportation of the future. The strict environmental targets set by the EU are in favour of developing the electric modes of transport, and railway transport is the most energy efficient way to transport goods by land. The innovative development of rail transport is therefore in key position, as the goals are to develop transportation that is lower in emissions and to achieve better rail utilisation, says Reijo Viinonen, the Project Manager of Proxions autonomous train initiative. The piloting of Proxions autonomous train will begin later this year. The autonomous train is expected to be operational in 2023. The autonomous train reduces emissions and increases rail safety Autonomy in transportation is a global trend, and its execution is being innovated constantly. While the development is well under way on roads, in the air and in maritime transport, the progress on railways has been slower. The autonomous train unit in development is intended to be a low-emission and more cost-effective solution for short-distance industrial transport that is currently handled mainly by road transport. An increasingly important feature of the train is safety. Technical Research Centre of Finland VTT, the innovation partner of the development project, is involved in enabling safe automation on the rails. It is important to ensure that the autonomous train operates reliably in all conditions and on a wide range of track connections. It is a leap towards safer railway transport. For example, sensor interpretation technology for the train unit is being developed as is combining a thermal camera and radar observations in order to be able to react correctly and in time to any obstacles or situations ahead, says Pertti Peussa, Principal Scientist at VTT. The advantages of an autonomous train unit also include agility and the longevity of the invested infrastructure. In addition, it offers a solution to the problem of available drivers, because, as the name implies, an autonomous train runs independently without a driver. High international demand for autonomous rail transport The first step of Proxions ambitious project is to pilot automatic railway traffic for freight transport in Finland that can be commercialised and is in high demand internationally. The objective of the pilot is at first to improve the operating conditions of the metal and wood processing industries that are important to Finland. The project has collaborated with the steel company Outokumpus unit in Tornio and the forest industry company Stora Ensos unit in Imatra. Later on, the focus will be aimed more broadly on rail transport, where both goods and people are transported. The development of railway automation and ecosystems is currently a national interest for several European countries. All transportation will require AI-based data utilisation solutions, that are also at the heart of the autonomous train project. The whole project represents a bold, innovative pilot that creates cost-effective, dynamic new services that support business needs, says Janne Hauta, Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications Ministerial Advisor specialised in rail automation. The co-innovation development project of the autonomous train is funded by Business Finland and the companies Proxion, VTT, Teraspyora Oy and Electric Power Finland Oy. Proxion coordinates and is responsible for the project and the information systems. VTT produces for the project the sensor technology and software needed to observe the environment, Teraspyora Oy is responsible for fleet development and Electric Power Finland Oy for the digitisation of rail equipment. Welcome back pirates! As you make your return to campus The East Carolinian has created a forum that centers around topics within the community where readers can express their experiences and concerns. With the new guidelines set in place by East Carolina University do you feel as these precautions will keep you safe? Survey After 16 years with the company, Dimitri Dimitriou is handing over the reins to chairman Tim McCarthy Drug developer ( ) (LON:IMM; Euronext Growth Brussels:ALIMM) announced a number of boardroom changes including the departure of its long-serving chief executive to pursue a number of other external opportunities. After 16 years with the company, Dimitri Dimitriou is handing over the reins to Tim McCarthy with the search now underway to identify the latters successor as chairman. In the same announcement, ImmuPharma said it appointed Dr Sanjeev Pandya as senior independent director and Lisa Baderoon as a non-executive director after Dr Franco di Muzio and Dr Stephane Mery decided that now is an appropriate time for each of them to step down from the board. Pandya, formerly CEO of Advanced Oncotherapy, has raised over US$100mln and developed and secured partnerships in the US, EU, China, Singapore, India, Australia, Asia and South America. Baderoon has been advising ImmuPharma since its flotation on AIM in 2006 and was appointed head of investor relations in 2012. McCarthy said: "We would like to take this opportunity to thank Dimitri, Franco and Stephane for their hard work during their time in the business. In particular, having co-founded ImmuPharma in 2005, Dimitri has put in a considerable tenure as CEO with the various successes and challenges faced by the business over the years. The companys lead asset is a phase III treatment for lupus called Lupuzor, which is being developed in partnership with Avion Pharmaceuticals. A look at the major movers on the London market on Friday ( ) shares have crackled higher, up over 11% to 44.5p, after winning an initial US$0.9mln order as part of a contract with a well-established international wireless connectivity vendor. Following successful tests of the company's UEP-20 (Universal Edge Platform) product, the AIM-listed company said it will supply its new UEP-60 product as a module integrated within the vendor's equipment, including customisation of the platform for usage as a indoor unit router module. The contract could lead to additional annual revenues up to US$1mln in 2022 and further growth subsequently, Ethernity said, adding that this was a second major 5G system contract. 11.05am: Fulcrum pivots Fulcrum Utility Services is one of the biggest share price fallers this morning, down 11.5% to their lowest level since April last year as full-year results seem to have disappointed the market, with the dividend pulled. The company, which provides utility infrastructure design, technical engineering, project management, consultancy and audit services to clients in various industries, reported a swing to a pre-tax loss of 11.5mln from a 1.3mln profit a year ago. A 2.4mln cash outflow from operating activities led to the previous net cash position pivoting to a 1.5mln net debt position at the end of March. The board did not recommend the payment of a dividend, considering the loss and continuing near-term economic uncertainty. Chief executive Terry Dugdale, who was appointed in January, said: Just like many businesses, Fulcrum was affected by the considerable challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic in the year, and this is reflected in our financial performance. However, we were agile, resilient and responded quickly and effectively to Covid-19, remaining operational and making progress in the execution of our strategy, with full year performance being in line with the expectations stated in our interim results. He said Fulcrum still have much more to do, but we have emerged from FY21 stronger, and since taking over as CEO the company has renewed our focus on margin and cost discipline and are better equipped to take advantage of the significant opportunities that are presented to us as we connect the UK on its journey to a net-zero future. Falling even further was defence contractor ( ) PLC, sinking 12.5% to 266.5p on the back of its own annual results. The group, which sank to a 15-year low earlier this year after previous profit warnings, reported a 1.72bn loss in the year to March, mainly from impairment charges for loss-making contracts and charges of 2bn. Underlying profits were down 40% at 222mln, with revenues for the year flat at 4.2bn and an order backlog of 8.7bn. We have a plan in place to strengthen the group without the need for an equity issue," said chief executive David Lockwood (more on the story here). 8.45am: Patently good news for drug developer ( , ) shares were among the early risers on Friday, up over 6% to 9.1p, on the back of some good news from the US Patent and Trademark Office. The specialist drug developer has been given the nod that within three months a patent will be issued to protect the rights of its preclinical SDC-1802 programme as a therapy to treat pancreatic, colorectal and kidney cancers, melanoma, and B-cell lymphoma by inhibiting TYK2 kinase. Sareum's chief scientific officer, Dr John Reader, said: The granting of this patent in the US will provide a further layer of protection around SDC-1802 following the granting of patents protecting the molecule in the US and other major markets in recent years. These patents are important to enhancing the value of the programme as part of our discussions with potential partners. Other shares on the rise included those from Botswana-focused ( , , ), climbing 4% to 2.7p after it provided an operational report on the past quarter, when it said negotiations over a 10MW power purchase agreement with Botswana Power Corporation and about securing project funding for the Lesedi project in the country significantly advanced. Bound by confidentiality agreements, Tlou said it is looking forward to bringing both of these key matters to a conclusion as soon as possible but the timing is outside its control. An initial 10MW gas-fired power project, it added, could generate annual revenue of approximately US$10mln and once this first generation is in place, the project can rapidly expand. "The HOA with Synergen Met is a truly exciting development for both companies" ( , , ) has signed Heads of Agreement (HOA) with Aussie group Synergen Met for a hydrogen conversion plant at Lesedi in Botswana. Synergen Met has developed a process to convert methane into solid carbon and hydrogen, with a prototype already running that has produced hydrogen and sodium cyanide. Design work is underway to modify this process to produce hydrogen and solid carbon using Tlou-owned Lesedis gas flows. Tlou said the agreement offers a way to utilise Lesedis existing gas flow which is currently being flared while diversifying its products and customer base and offering a huge expansion potential beyond a successful prototype. Synergen Met intends to list later this year and as part of the HOA Tlou will invest in that IPO. Under the HOA third party costs to build the prototype will also be shared on a 50:50 basis with in-house costs covered by each party. Tlou will supply the input gas and electricity at no cost to Synergen Met for the prototype. Tony Gilby, Tlou's managing director, said "The HOA with Synergen Met is a truly exciting development for both companies. It potentially creates another major market for our gas that will complement, and be in addition to, the Lesedi gas to power project. While the gas to power project is steadily progressing, the hydrogen-carbon prototype can be done using Tlou's gas flow from Lesedi 4P and existing approvals for gas and solar. "The Lake Way Project took major strides forward during the June quarter with the hand-over of the Process Plant and the granting of EPA Part IV approval," said CEO, Tony Swiericzuk. Salt Lake Potash Limited said it made substantial progress on the Lake Way sulphate of potash project in the second quarter of 2021 in Australia. Construction of the Lake Way process plant was finalised with GR Engineering Services handing over the plant for Salt Lake Potash (SO4) to operate. Each of the 34 process units in the plant was individually commissioned with the SO4 operations team working towards achieving 'Stage 4' commissioning - bringing the plant into continuous operation and producing sulphate of potash (SOP). Recent activities have primarily focused on the calibration of the flotation circuit to achieve expected recoveries, the company told investors. The company continues to work with the flotation circuit vendor and design engineer to bring performance up to modelled targets and expects the issue to be resolved this quarter. Part IV environmental approval was received for the Lake Way project covering full-scale operations, including the expanded pond footprint and required brine abstraction infrastructure to enable the production of 245,000 tonnes a year of SOP. Salt harvesting activities continued during the quarter and roughly 74,000 tonnes of plant feed salts have now been harvested and are ready as feedstock for the plant. "The entire SO4 team has been working tirelessly through the harvest salt pond management system and plant commissioning challenges over the last few weeks. We are disappointed these challenges have pushed out our expected ramp-up profile; however, the project fundamentals remain attractive, said Tony Swiericzuk, the chief executive officer. We strongly disagree with the CNPDs ruling, and we intend to appeal, Amazon.com Inc shares hit their lowest level for months as investors deserted the online giant after a disappointing earnings upgrade overnight and a huge EU fine today. Luxembourg regulators {CNPD) fined Jeff Bezoss old firm 746mln for breaches of EU General Data Protection Rules, which the company said was without merit and that it intends to defend vigorously. It was the largest fine ever imposed by the EU for a breach of GDPR and dwarfed the previous record 50mln fine handed to Google. In a statement, Amazon said the fine was completely out of proportion, though it is in line with GDPR guidelines that say breaches can result in a fine of up to 4% of an offenders global turnover. Maintaining the security of our customers information and their trust are top priorities. There has been no data breach, and no customer data has been exposed to any third party. These facts are undisputed, Amazon said. We strongly disagree with the CNPDs ruling, and we intend to appeal, it added. The decision relating to how we show customers relevant advertising relies on subjective and untested interpretations of European privacy law, and the proposed fine is entirely out of proportion with even that interpretation. Earlier all attention had been on the results update that had missed forecasts. Sales in the quarter to 30 June jumped 27% to US$113bn compared to the same period in 2020, with net income up 48% to US$7.8bn. However, Wall Street had forecast sales of US$115bn and growth slowed down from a 44% climb in the first quarter. The deceleration is expected to continue, as the online giant guided for a 10-16% sales rise in the third quarter to US$106-112bn, with operating income down to US$2.5-6bn from US$6.2bn last year, including US$1bn of COVID-19 related costs. Shares fell 7% at the opening bell but later recovered to a 3% fall at US$3,344. The technology stock is developing solutions for the smart cities, casinos, retail and smart surveillance sectors, with a recent acquisition positioning the company to achieve higher revenue in the new financial year. SenSens technology is being trialled across the globe as a smart city solution. ( , ) ended the June quarter with A$1.6 million in cash receipts, marking the best result since the company listed on the ASX. The technology company, which operates the SenDISA software platform, acquired artificial intelligence (AI) solutions provider ScanCam Industries Pty Ltd during the June quarter, adding a suite of new clients to the SenSen portfolio. On the back of the key acquisition, SenSen has updated its overall revenue and annual recurring revenue (ARR) guidance for the current financial year. SenSen ended the 2021 financial year with A$5.2 million in the bank to support its future operations. Continued and sustained growth Commenting on the quarter SenSen CEO Dr Subhash Challa said: We remain focused on our vision to positively transform peoples lives with Sensor AI, as we develop solutions to unsolved problems through the analysis and fusion of data from multiple sensors and position SenSen as a world leader. Overall this quarter has been one of continued and sustained growth as we delivered on our strategy to expand the commercialisation of our business verticals smart cities, retail, casinos and surveillance and provide the operational support to grow. Our major achievements include record cash receipts from customers since listing, the acquisition of the fuel theft retail monitoring business ScanCam (approved by shareholders at our EGM), and our expansion into the US through our Las Vegas headquarters, and presenting an updated ARR guidance to the market for FY22. We look forward to updating the market as we continue growth throughout FY22. Financial performance The June quarters A$1.6 million in cash receipts is A$200,000 higher than SenSens previous record, which was tabled in the previous corresponding period. The ASX-listers unaudited revenue for the full financial year is expected to land between A$5.3 million and A$5.5 million, marking as much as a 40% uptake on the FY20 result. Looking ahead, SenSen has also updated its revenue guidance for FY22. The technology stock now expects to bring in more than A$11 million over the current financial year potentially doubling the FY21 result. The ScanCam acquisition is poised to be a major contributor to this uptake, with the provider expected to bring in around A$3 million in revenue over the next 11 months. ARR is also piqued to rise, with guidance upgraded to roughly A$6.5 million for FY22 and beyond. During the June quarter, SenSen also managed to reduce the cash it used in operating activities by 33% to A$1.2 million down from the A$1.8 million recorded at the end of March. SenSens cash and cash equivalents came in at A$5.2 million at quarter-end, while unused finance facilities total A$1.8 million. June quarter highlights Throughout FY21s final quarter, SenSen focused on the companys core strategy: delivering growth by expanding its customer base across key business verticals the smart cities, casinos, retail and smart surveillance sectors. SenSen's key markets. The quarters cornerstone operation was the ScanCam acquisition, through which SenSen took control of Australias leading provider of AI anti-theft solutions to fuel retailers. To complete the acquisition, the ASX-lister offered an upfront cash and scrip consideration valued at A$6.5 million. In addition, if the AI solutions providers audited ARR reaches A$3 million within two years, SenSen will pay up to A$4.1 million in cash or shares as deferred consideration. In the US market, the technology stock set up a Las Vegas office and deployed its GeminEye solution, which converts smartphones into smart AI-powered devices. SenSen is also working to bring its smart cities parking offering to governments, with the companys technology used by more than 20 City of Las Vegas parking officers. This technology is also at play on home soil: the Australia-headquartered public company is rolling out the parking tech in Brisbane and trialling the solution in New Zealand, Singapore. SenSen is also exploring opportunities with councils in the Mornington Peninsula, Adelaide and Melbourne. Owing to its varied North American portfolio, spread out across Las Vegas, Chicago, Calgary and Edmonton, SenSens revenue base now completely funds its operations across the continent. In other acquisition news, SenSen has also fully integrated the staff and technology it absorbed during its SNAP Surveillance takeover in November 2020. Lindian has a complimentary blend of bauxite assets with excellent attributes: some are close to the coast, they are exceptionally high quality with high grades, and they are massive untapped resources," says chairman. The companys longer-term strategy is to develop the Northern Corridor in Guinea for logistics. ( ) made solid progress in the June quarter with the primary focus being advancing its portfolio of world-class bauxite projects in Guinea. The main achievements during the period were defining the optimal export solution and confirming the unique and highly desirable quality of the product. Lindian has also advanced engagement with multiple infrastructure groups to establish the best logistical options for the project. Assets with excellent attributes Lindian chairman Asimwe Kabunga said: Our board and team in Guinea has been working diligently on a number of fronts and whilst we have had limited market updates in the quarter, excellent progress has been made. Lindian has a complimentary blend of bauxite assets with excellent attributes: some are close to the coast, they are exceptionally high quality with high grades, and they are massive untapped resources. We are actively defining the best way to export product from these projects. Ongoing discussions regarding Gaoual indicate that there are a variety of groups interested in this highly desirable and indeed unique product. Growing industry focus Kabunga said: With the increasing attention paid to the environmental impact of commodities, there is a growing focus from industry wanting to reduce the amount of bauxite they have to transport and to drastically lower red mud disposal. As a result, higher grade bauxite, like what we have at Gaoual, has become much more desirable. With a solid quarter of progress behind us, we are confident that the near-term will be transformational for Lindian. We thank our shareholders for their continued commitment. Accelerate development Lindian has signed an MoU with China Railway Seventh Group Co Ltd (CRSG) aimed at determining infrastructure solutions and to accelerate the development of its projects. The companys focus during this engagement has been on the definition of the preferred export solution before the commencement of technical workstreams to progress the infrastructure studies to the next stage of development. CRSG workstreams are advancing as expected with detailed due diligence and technical engagement not uncovering any issues. Logistics corridor Lindians continues to work with the Guinean Government for potential exploration and joint development of the Port of Dobali and the associated logistics corridor in Guinea through its 75%-owned infrastructure subsidiary Terminal Logistics & Holding Pte Ltd. In parallel with commercial discussions including ownership structures and requirements for third party access, Terminal is planning to begin technical work including conducting marine bathymetry studies, seismic surveys as well as environmental and social impact studies. Longer-term strategy Lindians preliminary negotiations have started regarding the utilisation of existing road, rail and port infrastructure. The companys longer-term strategy is to develop the Northern Corridor to unlock the full potential of the portfolio but as an interim step, Lindian is exploring the opportunity to take advantage of the significant infrastructure developed in Guinea over the past 10 years to facilitate low capital, near-term production. In addition, the company has completed test-work at the high-grade Gaoual project with results demonstrating that screening resulted in a product with a quality of 58.2% aluminium oxide and 2.8% silica. - Ephrems Joseph ( ) ( ) managing director Dr Chris Gilchrist joins Proactive London's Katie Pilbeam to discuss their latest quarterly update for the period ending June 30. Gilchrist highlights its achievements on the back of an improving long-term outlook for the potash market. He explains how the firm is making solid progress towards achieving an upgraded mineral resource estimate at the Ohmgebirge Potash Project in Germany, with drilling preparations and scoping study work progressing well. 9 Spokes Ltd (ASX:9SP) is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. 9Spokes busy June quarter provides momentum as it builds a digital future 9 Spokes International Ltd (ASX:9SP) has had a busy June quarter gaining momentum as it builds a digital future aimed at bringing businesses, financial institutions, developers, and data together to share the benefits of open data. A highlight of the quarter was the company signing a three-year contract with Virgin Money UK through which 9Spokes' solution will form a core part of the bank's working capital health proposition. 9Spokes business development strategy remains focused on pipeline opportunities, including a paid proof of concept with a financial institution, while direct enterprise sales and campaign-based initiatives are ongoing. "From data platform to open data platform" 9Spokes CEO Adrian Grant said: "Q1 FY22 was a busy and rewarding quarter for the 9Spokes team. "The sense of accomplishment that comes from first announcing our contract with Virgin Money and second - subsequent to the quarter close - delivering our platform to our new partner is truly energising. "To add to this, during the quarter we prepared for - and have since launched - 9Spokes Open. "In doing so we have taken our proposition to its next natural phase, moving from data platform to open data platform. "Those of you who have followed 9Spokes will know this was always on the cards. With the right market headwinds in place, we found now to be the time." Putting a CEO's nose out of joint is seen as the job of activist investors. Some appear not to like it when a CEO muscles in on the game. Its not the handbags at ten paces dust-up many of us would like to see but a Twitter spat between the bosses of equally iffy takeaway food delivery firms has provided amusement for everyone except investment companies that have stakes in the companies. Uber boss Dara Khosrowshahi appeared to kick it off with some friendly advice to Jits Groen, his counterpart at ( , ) to stop griping about the financial illiteracy of research analysts who had the temerity to undervalue the Anglo-Dutch company. Advice: pay a little less attention to your short-term stock price and more attention to your Tech and Ops, Dara Khosrowshahi tweeted. The prompted an acidic but admittedly bang-on reply that if Khosrowshahi is so interested in chief executives (CEOs) dishing out advice to each other, perhaps the Uber CEO might consider directing Uber to start paying taxes, minimum wage and social security premiums before giving a founder advice on how he should run his business. Such well-directed advice, written in clear English long since thought beyond all chief executives (based on stock market announcements) nevertheless attracted the ire of activist investor, Cat Rock Capital Management, which sees it as its job to put CEOs noses out of joint. Cat Rock has a 4.7% stake in Just Eat and believes that Groens Tweets have damaged the brand; Just Eats brand, that is. The activist investor said Groens outbursts have led to a fantastic business being deeply undervalued and vulnerable to takeover bids at far below its intrinsic value. Cat Rock would prefer Just Eat sell some assets to raise the money it can use to take over some other fantastic business at far below its intrinsic value/ Alex Captain, a partner at Cat Rock, said response should not happen on Twitter, it should happen on a credible forum. Tocvan Ventures President and CEO Derek Wood joined Stephen Gunnion from Proactive with news of the final drill results from the 20-hole, Phase 2 drilling at its Pilar project in Mexico. Wood telling Proactive that the results underscore the potential of the gold and silver asset. Tocvan has also announced that its common shares have been approved for quotation on the OTCQB market under the stock symbol TCVNF. "The first gold pour at Segilola, our first mine and the first commercial gold mine in Nigeria, is a significant achievement for the company," CEO Segun Lawson said Segilola in Osun state has a 25-year mining license and the NI-43 101 open pit probable reserve stands at 405,000 ounces of gold at a grade of 4.2 grams per ton (g/t) ( , , , ) reported that it has poured first gold from its Segilola mine in Nigeria this morning (July 30). "The first gold pour at Segilola, our first mine and the first commercial gold mine in Nigeria, is a significant achievement for the company," CEO Segun Lawson told investors in a brief statement. Commercial output is slated for September this year and the ramp-up of the process plant will continue over the next six weeks. At that stage, the plant will run at a processing rate of 715,000 tonnes per year, targeting around 85,000 ounces of gold a year. Thor Explorations CEO Lawson added: "This mine has been built in line with the budget and largely on schedule through a global pandemic. The Segilola mine is a high-grade, open-pit mine that has a projected Life-of-Mine All-In-Sustaining-Cost of $685 per ounce providing strong cash flows over the life of mine. "I want to take this opportunity to once again commend our team's commitment and hard work in achieving this milestone, especially given COVID-19 related restrictions. We look forward to hosting an on-site inauguration ceremony of Nigeria's first commercial gold mine with state and federal authorities in the coming months." Segilola in Osun state has a 25-year mining license and the NI-43 101 open pit probable reserve stands at 405,000 ounces of gold at a grade of 4.2 grams per ton (g/t). The higher confidence indicated resource is 469,000 ounces at 4.7 g/t of gold. Capital expenditure for the mine was put at just US$87.5 million and based on a gold price of US$1,300 per ounce, the post-tax net present value (NPV) comes in at US$138 million with an impressive 50% internal rate of return (IRR) and a payback in under 1.4 years. Contact the author at giles@proactiveinvestors.com Coinsilium Group Limited's Eddy Travia joins Proactive London to explain their update to investors on the build and development of a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace by its Gibraltar subsidiary, Nifty Labs Limited. The development of the NFT on Bitcoin marketplace is 'progressing well' and completion is anticipated to be within the initial six-month timeframe as announced on May 11. A glance at some of the day's highlights from the Proactive Investors US and Canada newswires Your daily round-up from the world of Proactive SoLVBL Solutions Inc has closed a second private placement of company units in as many weeks. A total of 13,333,333 units priced $0.075 each were issued for gross proceeds of $1 million. The private placement was led by Research Capital Corporation, which served as sole agent and sole bookrunner. On July 23, SoLVBL reported the closing of an upsized private placement which brought in $3 million, together with the closing of Friday's $1 million placement SoLVBL has now raised proceeds of $4 million. ( ) Ltd said it had hired market-making, social media consulting and media advisory services in advance of its fall commercialization activities. The aim is to create awareness of the company, its common shares on the TSX Venture Exchange and to ensure there is an available market for its common shares. These activities further complement the Company's application to the OTC Markets to have its common shares traded on the OTCQB Venture Market. The hires are Independent Trading Group as a market maker, GRA Enterprises LLC to provide news and media services, Northern Equities Corp. to provide social media consulting services. In the statement, the company added that it had applied to the TSX Venture Exchange to extend the expiry date of a total of 3,175,000 share purchase warrants exercisable at C$0.50 per share from July 30, 2021 to January 31, 2022, subject to the approval of the exchange. Thesis Gold Inc investor Delphi Unternehmensberatung Aktiengesellschaft (DU) has disposed of 40,000 common shares of Thesis Gold through a disposition in the public market for a total consideration of $52,016. As a result of the transaction, DU now has ownership and control over 1.56 million common shares, representing about 3.44% of the 45,409,973 issued and outstanding common shares as of July 29, 2021, calculated on a non-diluted basis. In addition, DU holds 2.8 million common share purchase warrants, each of which entitles the holder to purchase one common share at a price of $0.75 for a period of two years from the date of issuance; assuming the exercise in full of all warrants held, DU has ownership and control of 4.36 million common shares, representing about 9.04% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the issuer as of July 29, 2021, calculated on a partially diluted basis. ( ) Corporation said that diamond drilling has started at the Westmore Discovery Zone in the southwest portion of the company's 100%-owned Foremore Property in Northwest British Columbias prolific Eskay Camp. The Vancouver-based exploration stage resource company said that initial drill holes will target individual veins with impressive widths at surface up to five meters and vein swarms and stockworks with total widths on surface of 15 to 20 meters in a potential significant expansion of the discovery to the south, the east, and at depth. In a statement, Sassy CEO Mark Scott said: The diamond drill is turning at the Westmore Discovery Zone on veins and swarms that feature widths significantly greater than those intersected with our six highly encouraging maiden drill holes in 2020 and at a lower elevation, which will give us a much deeper look' into the Westmore granodiorite intrusive and the auriferous quartz veins which penetrate it. Numinus Wellness Inc closed out its fiscal third quarter with a strong $63.2 million cash position, surging revenue from its clinic operation, trial advances and by making a strategic push into psychedelic neurology. For the period ended May 31, 2021, the Vancouver, British Columbia-based mental health care company advancing psychedelic-assisted therapies, saw revenue of $562,076, up 160% from $216,244 in the same quarter of 2020. Similarly, for the nine-month period ended May 31, 2021, the company saw revenue of $1,022,771, up 68% from $610,148 in the same period a year earlier. ( , , , ) reported that it has poured first gold from its Segilola mine in Nigeria this morning (July 30). "The first gold pour at Segilola, our first mine and the first commercial gold mine in Nigeria, is a significant achievement for the company," CEO Segun Lawson told investors in a brief statement. Commercial output is slated for September this year and the ramp-up of the process plant will continue over the next six weeks. At that stage, the plant will run at a processing rate of 715,000 tonnes per year, targeting around 85,000 ounces of gold a year. ( , , ) has announced the closing of a multi-event deal for the fenestration industry using its LiveX platform with FENEX worth about $185,000. Nextech said the events will reach over 30,000 people in the home improvement sector and will introduce a new digital marketplace, where consumers can interface, try new products via Augmented Reality, and get educated on home improvement options with top UK vendors like Deceuninck, ODL Europe, VBH, Brisant, and GQA Qualifications. Nextech said FENEX is the fenestration sector's (fenestration refers to all openings in the building envelope, including curtain walls, windows, doors and skylights) first virtual exhibition platform powered by LiveX. Benchmark Metals Inc said it is set to start drilling at the Marmot and Marmot East targets at the company's flagship Lawyers project in British Columbia in a bid to generate more near-suface gold and silver ounces. The firm is planning 12,500 metres (m) of exploration drilling at Marmot to follow up on last year's discovery hole, which hit 101.00m grading 0.82 grams per ton (g/t) gold-equivalent, including an intercept of 18m of 2.5 g/t gold. Benchmark said that 2,500m was planned at the adjacent Marmot East target. PlantX Life Inc posted fiscal fourth-quarter results that saw its revenue jump 134% over the fiscal third quarter as the companys sustained investments in operational activities boosted growth. For the period ended March 31, 2021, the Vancouver-based company, which is spearheading the movement towards a plant-based lifestyle, reported gross revenue of C$4,294,016, compared to gross revenue of C$1,832,484 in the fiscal third quarter in 2021. The firm calculated that the cost of goods sold for the fiscal 4Q worked out to $3,295,120, and it generated a gross margin of 23%, compared to 20% in the 3Q. ( , ) has announced an improvement in its second-quarter 2021 gross margins before inventory adjustments, its third consecutive quarterly increase, on greater sales of higher margin products. The company generated C$6.3 million in gross revenue for the quarter, 52% of which was derived from cannabis sales that increased 18% year over year. We are very pleased with the accomplishments we have made on the operating front which include increased margins over the last three quarters as well as an improvement in EBITDA within all our operating segments, Namaste Technologies CEO Meni Morim said in a statement. ( ) has provided details on the companys innovation utilizing modified carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a new material to manufacture long-lasting, low-cost and mechanically durable silicon anode active materials. The company noted that CNTs are theoretically known to retain similar electrical conductivity to copper and have more than 100 times the strength of steel. In addition, conventional carbon fibers have been known to easily break at a 1% strain but CNTs have displayed the ability to maintain their structural properties at a 15% stretching level. Due to this capability to endure mechanical stress, NEO said CNTs can act as an effective damper for the volumetric expansion problem of silicon anodes during charging and discharging cycles. Additionally, the superior electrical conductivity of the material allows the performance of the anode to be maximized. Versus Systems Inc has announced the appointment of Amanda Armour as the companys new chief people officer. Armour, who has been with Versus since 2016, will focus on growth, culture, learning and development, as well as hiring, to support the company in its recent acquisition of Xcite Interactive and spearhead Versus rapid continued growth. Amanda is absolutely the ideal person for this role. Her many contributions to Versus have resulted in a more cohesive, supported, successful team, Versus Systems CEO Matthew Pierce said in a statement. ( , ) (TSX-V:LKY, ) Inc has reported more encouraging sampling results from its Wayka epithermal gold discovery at its Fortuna property in southern Ecuador. Wayka lies along an elevated ridge that trends northeast and recent mapping and sampling of two separate outcrops has encountered continuous gold values, returning an average of 17.63 grams per ton (g/t) over 3 meters (m), with one sample returning 26.50 g/t gold, the company said. Braxia Scientific Corp released its quarterly and year-end results showing the company heading into its next fiscal year with C$11.1 million in cash. For the year ended March 31, 2021, Braxia reported revenue of $1,008,372 and a gross margin of $145,666, or 14.4%, primarily derived from its network of ketamine clinics across Canada. The Toronto-based firm also reported 4Q revenue of $346,989 and a gross margin of $60,028, or 17.3%. TPCO Holding Corp (The Parent Company) says a group of insiders have voluntarily entered into lock-up agreements with regards to an aggregate of over 35 million shares of common stock, or around 36% of the total issued and outstanding shares of common stock. The California-based cannabis company said the lock-up went into effect Wednesday, July 28, 2021. As part of the agreement, the holders will lock up the common shares that they directly own or over which they exercise control or direction through January 28, 2022. Zoglo's Incredible Food Corp. has announced the appointment of Strategic Objectives as its lead Public Relations Agency. The Toronto-based firm, recognized as Canada's most award-winning Social PR agency, offers a full suite of services ranging from developing and executing on brand and product launches to influencer marketing and media relations. Zoglo' CEO, Anthony Morello commented: "Strategic Objectives has a remarkable track record helping deliver quality campaigns for marquee clients such as A&W, KIA and ( ) among many others. We are excited to collaborate with their award-winning team to further develop the Zoglo's brand." Strategic Objectives will assist in managing Zoglo's brand communications, media relations and digital marketing. it will also source and connect the company to reputable micro and macro-influencers with the objective of expanding the Zoglo's brand. ( ) has announced that the company has been approved to list the companys common shares on OTC Markets Inc's OTCQB Venture Marketplace Investors are now able to trade securities on the OTCQB exchange. the trading symbol is TCVNF. The company is also pleased to announce approval from the Depository Trust Company (DTC) to make the companys common shares eligible to be electronically cleared and settled through DTC. Tocvan CEO Derek Wood commented: "With the recent success that the company has achieved in increasing the size and scope of the companys flagship Pilar Epithermal gold and silver project, came many inquiries from US citizens wishing to purchase Tocvan shares. We are happy to be able to accommodate those investors now which were unable to buy our shares in Canada. As well as the increased general interest towards investing in the resource sector, the timing is great to substantially increase the companys visibility to a wider range of retail and institutional investors. ( ). announced that it has changed its fiscal year-end to December 31, from its current fiscal year-end of November 30. Kainantu said it believes this change of year-end will better align the company's financial reporting periods to that of its peer group in the mineral resources sector. In addition, the calendar year-end coincides with traditional financial, operational, and taxation cycles. ( , , ). has announced that at its Annual General and Special Meeting, held on June 9, 2021, all resolutions were unanimously passed. As a result, AEX Gold said that Line Fredriksen and David Neuhauser were appointed as non-executive directors of the corporation with immediate effect. Fredriksen has substantial experience in Greenlandic infrastructure and is currently CFO at Tele Greenland A/S, the leading provider of telecom solutions in Greenland, as well as being responsible for cybersecurity governance. Prior to being promoted to CFO, she was the Head of Finance at Tele Greenland A/S and has previously had roles at Air Greenland. Neuhauser has extensive capital markets and M&A experience and is the founder and managing director of event-driven hedge fund Livermore Partners in Chicago, a 6.47% shareholder in the Corporation. He has invested in and advised global public companies for the past 21 years and has a strong track record of enhancing intrinsic value. He currently sits on the board of Shareholders Gold Council, a Canadian corporation promoting best practices in the gold mining industry, AIM-quoted ( ), and Kolibri Global Energy Inc. The corporation also announced that it has granted incentive stock options to Jaco Crouse to acquire an aggregate of 900,000 common shares at $0.59 per share, with an expiry date of December 31, 2027. Eldur Olafsson, founder and chief executive officer of AEX Gold, commented: "On behalf of the board, I would like to extend a warm welcome to Line and David. They are highly experienced and skilled individuals, and we are fortunate to have them as part of our team as we continue to progress our material asset base in southern Greenland." n a separate statement, AEX Gold said that on July 27, 2021, it was informed that Livermore Partners, a company in which David Neuhauser is managing director, acquired a total of 104,800 common shares of no par value in the company for an average price of $0.54. This brings Livermore Partners' total holding to 11,700,610 shares, 6.607% of the capital in the company. Canada Silver Cobalt Works Inc said the TSX Venture Exchange has consented to the extension in the expiry date of 2,093,334 warrants with an exercise price of 50 cents. It said 1,076,667 warrants with an original expiry date of September 6, 2021, have been extended to September 6, 202; and 1,016,667 warrants with an original expiry date of September 13, 2021, have been extended to September 13, 2024. The warrants were issued under a private placement of 2,426,667 shares, with 2,426,667 share purchase warrants attached, which was accepted for filing by the exchange effective September 17, 2019. ( ) has announced that an interview with CEO Evan Sohn will air on The RedChip Money Report on Bloomberg on July 31, 2021, at 7.00pm Eastern Time. Bloomberg TV is available in an estimated 73 million homes across the United States. To view the interview segment, investors can use the following link: https://youtu.be/Bb2fPCtVGcE ( , ) has announced that it will release financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021, after the market close on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. Management will host an investor conference call at 4.30pm Eastern time on August 11, 2021, to discuss the financial results, provide a corporate update, and conclude with Q&A from telephone participants. Dial-in detail: US/Canada 1-877-300-8521; International 1-412-317-6026; Conference ID 10159285; Webcast link: http://public.viavid.com/index.php?id=146136. A playback of the call will be available through Saturday, September 11, 2021. To listen, call 1-844-512-2921 within the United States and Canada or 1-412-317-6671 when calling internationally and use the replay pin number 10159285. A webcast will also be available via the following link: https://viavid.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1485601&tp_key=7cd7e05e66 ( , ) Inc .has announced that its CEO Robert Kaul will be presenting "Raising the Bar in Remote Medical Care" at VirtualInvestorConferences.com, a conference coordinated through OTC Markets Inc. on August 5, 202, at 3.30pm EST. This will be an interactive event where investors are invited to ask the company questions, however, Kaul's session will be pre-recorded and management will follow up with any questions post-conference. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will be made available after the event. It is recommended that investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and to receive event updates. Investors can register for the event via the following link: https://www.virtualinvestorconferences.com/. ( , ) also pointed out that registration for its investor update and earnings call on August 17, 2021, at 1.30pm EST is also now open at: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aoM3X1mORRmEUTNpQ32RHQ. ( , ) Ltds CEO Alain Ghiai will talk to New To The Street TV on Bloomberg TV July 31 at 6 pm ET about its business and future plans. Hell provide in-depth discussions of the companys successful secure and encrypted software solutions, SekurSafe and Sekur. Ghiai will provide a number of reasons and examples why the current and the most widely used internet apps and platforms are not safe. And, he will further talk about keeping business communications and data safe while utilizing Swiss Privacy Laws. ( ), the operator of financial markets for 11,000 US and global securities, has announced that 1st Capital Bancorp, a community bank headquartered in Monterey County in California, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market and has today upgraded from the OTC Pink market. Graduating to the OTCQX Market marks an important milestone for community banks in the US public markets. The OTCQX Market enables banks to maximize the value of being a public company by providing transparent trading and easy access to company information for shareholders. To qualify for OTCQX, community banks must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance, and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws. "We are pleased to be joining the OTCQX Market and look forward to the benefits this transition provides. The change from Pink market will provide our shareholders with increased visibility, transparency, and liquidity, and is consistent with our principal focus of creating long-term value for our shareholders," commented 1st Capital Bancorp CEO Sam Jimenez. The company's cannabis revenue during the quarter increased by 18% year-over-year Namaste's gross margins improved for the third consecutive quarter ( , ) has announced an improvement in its second-quarter 2021 gross margins before inventory adjustments, its third consecutive quarterly increase, on greater sales of higher margin products. The company generated C$6.3 million in gross revenue for the quarter, 52% of which was derived from cannabis sales that increased 18% year over year. We are very pleased with the accomplishments we have made on the operating front which include increased margins over the last three quarters as well as an improvement in EBITDA within all our operating segments, Namaste Technologies CEO Meni Morim said in a statement. We continue to be focused on controlling our operating expenses, improving gross margins and selling the right product mix to position Namaste on a clear path and trajectory towards profitability, Morim added. Namaste also noted that its operating expenses for the six-month period fell by 15% from the comparable period in 2020, resulting in a 33% improvement in the companys overall earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA). The company ended the quarter with working capital of C$25 million as of May 31, 2021. As well, Namaste said stock keeping unit (SKU) listings at its wholly-owned CannMart.com subsidiary surged 589% year over year to more than 800 at the end of 2Q, as CannMart received a record amount of requests from vendors across North America to list their products onto the CannMart.com platform. Namaste Technologies is a cannabis-focused, e-commerce technology company with the goal of becoming the one-stop-shop for everything a cannabis user needs. The Toronto-based company, which has been described as the Amazon of cannabis, operates the largest global cannabis e-commerce platform with over 30 websites in more than 20 countries under a variety of brands. In addition to its product offerings of vaporizers, glassware, accessories, and CBD products, the company's CannMart Inc, is a key part of its operations that sells online medical and recreational cannabis. Contact Sean at sean@proactiveinvestors.com There were a lot of people there that had regrets that they wish that they had known more before they votedThere's three of them that voted [for Biden] that feel terrible about it. I said you know what? I said you didn't know about this but you thought you were voting for something. I said you didn't get to vote. I said China did our voteWhen we get through this and the Supreme Court pulls down this election -- like I've been telling everybody -- when they do this, it's going to be a great uniting and that gives me hope[B]y the night of the 12th or the morning of the 13th, if everyone has seen it, including the administration that's in there now that didn't win, maybe, you know, Biden and Harris would say, hey, we're here to protect the country and resign!" My Pillow guy and former crack addict Mike Lindell on what will happen after he broadcasts his cyber-symposium on the 2020 election the return of Trump on August 13. Montenegro extradites University president charged with embezzlement to Russia RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 12:52 30/07/2021 MOSCOW, July 30 (RAPSI) Montenegro has extradited to Russia president of the Pushkin University in the Leningrad region Vyacheslav Skvortsov, who stands charged in a criminal case over embezzlement of about 2.5 million rubles ($35,000), the Prosecutor General's Office informs on Friday. Investigators allege that Skvortsov, when holding his post with the State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education of the Leningrad Region Leningrad State University named after A.S. Pushkin, together with the head of the institutions Altai branch embezzled 2,491,333 rubles. The alleged accomplices transferred this amount to their personal bank accounts under the guise of paying for civil law contracts (contracts for the provision of services for a fee), which were not actually concluded and not executed, the body said in a statement. Skvortsov fled from justice in Russia, so in February 2021 he was put on the international wanted list and apprehended on the territory of Montenegro in March. Thanks to the close cooperation of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation with the competent authorities of Montenegro, it was possible to achieve a positive decision on his extradition. Accompanied by officers of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia and the Russian Bureau of Interpol, Vyacheslav Skvortsov is to arrive to Russia today, the press release reads. Prosecutor demands 25 years behind bars for alleged leader of 1990s Moscow gang flickr.com/ Jobs For Felons Hub 14:33 30/07/2021 MOSCOW, July 30 (RAPSI) A prosecutor has demanded 24 years and 11 months behind bars for Sergey Zakharov, an alleged leader of a Moscow gang accused of committing murders in the 1990s, according to court records. The prosecutor asked court to order Zakharov to serve 5 years in prison and the rest of the demanded sentence in high-security penal colony. Earlier, jurors found the defendant guilty of two counts of arms trafficking, murder of two people for personal gain by an organized group. The jury found that in the 1990s Zakharov organized and led an armed gang. In September 1995, he ordered the murder of a member of another Moscow criminal group and paid killers $2,500 for this crime. Moreover, he gave them $12,000 for killing one of the members of his gang. However, jurors acquitted him of kidnapping, money extortion and one more murder. Director of regional tour firm gets 3 years in jail for stealing clients money RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 17:29 30/07/2021 MOSCOW, July 30 (RAPSI) - A court in Russias town of Lipetsk on Friday sentenced the director of a local tourist agency Tatiana Yermakova to 3 years in jail for stealing over 1 million rubles ($14,000) from the firms clients, the press service of the Lipetsk Regional Court reports. Moreover, the court granted civil claims against the entrepreneur totaling to more than 371,000 rubles. According to case papers, from May 1, 2018 to May 30, 2019, Yermakova received over 1 million rubles from the clients for tours to Karelia, Moscow, Volgograd, St. Petersburg and Georgia and embezzled the money. Over 90 people were caused financial damage. She pled guilty in part. Prosecutor seeks real jail term for defendant in Moscow metro coronavirus joke case AGN Moskva 17:40 30/07/2021 MOSCOW, July 30 (RAPSI) Prosecution asked the Presnensky District Court of Moscow to sentence Karomatullo Dzhaborov, a pranker who had allegedly played several coronavirus jokes in the Moscow metro in 2020, to 4 years in penal colony, the courts press service told RAPSI on Friday. Dzhaborov and his alleged accomplices stand charged with hooliganism committed in conspiracy. Prosecutors also demanded 3 years in jail each for two alleged assistants of Dzhaborov. On February 2, 2020, aboard a metro train the young man fell imitating a sudden stroke, according to investigators. Following that, his accomplices began crying that Dzhaborov suffers a dangerous virus infection whipping up panic among passengers, the Investigative Committee reported earlier. His attorneys insist that the pranker wanted to draw the societys attention at the virus problem. Prabhas starrer period romantic drama "Radhe Shyam" will hit the big screen on January 14, next year. Prabhas shared the film's poster on Instagram on Friday morning. In the poster, the actor looks dapper in a classic black suit and is seen carrying a briefcase in one hand. For the caption, he wrote: "Can't wait for you all to watch my romantic saga, #RadheShyam, which has a brand new release date - 14th January, 2022 worldwide!" "Radhe Shyam" also marks Prabhas' return to the romantic genre after a gap of almost a decade. It also stars actress Pooja Hegde. The multilingual film is helmed by Radha Krishna Kumar, presented by Gulshan Kumar and T-Series. Newly appointed Chief Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj Bommai arrived in the national capital on Friday to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party central leadership to discuss cabinet expansion. Bommai will meet the Prime Minister, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief J.P. Nadda. "It is a courtesy visit to the national capital during which Bommai will discuss his cabinet expansion with the central leadership. During his meeting with Prime Minister Modi, Bommai is also likely to discuss issues concerning the development and Covid situation in the state," sources said. Sources said he will meet Prime Minister Modi, Shah, Nadda and others later in the day. This is the first visit of Bommai to Delhi after being sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka. He was elected leader of the BJP Legislative party after former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa resigned on July 26. On Thursday, Bommai had said that he is going to Delhi, where he will meet Prime Minister Modi, Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Nadda to take blessings from them. Bommai had also hinted that cabinet expansion will be discussed with the party's central leadership. Thirteen serving and 14 retired J&K Police service officers have been recommended for induction into the IPS by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) headed selection panel thereby ending the 10-year long stagnation being faced by non-IPS senior police officers of the union territory. The induction of these officers was approved at a meeting in Srinagar chaired by Dr. T.C.A. Anant, member UPSC and attended by chief secretary, Arun Kumar Mehta, Principal Secretary Home, Shaleen Kabra, Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh and Inspector Generals of CRPF and BSF in Kashmir. The last two members had been designated by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs as its representatives to the meeting. Thirteen serving JKPS officers, whose induction into the IPS has been cleared by the Committee, are Shakti Kumar Pathak, Director Special Security Force (SSF) Raj Bhawan J&K; Dr. Mohammad Haseeb Mughal, SSP Police Control Room (PCR) Jammu; Javid Ahmad Koul, SSP Traffic Srinagar; Sheikh Junaid Mehmood, SSP Armed PCR Kashmir; Shahid Mehraj Rather, Commandant IR 6th battalion; Dr Ajeet Singh, SSP CID New Delhi; Altaf Ahmad Khan, SSP CID (Counter Intelligence) Kashmir; Haseeb-ur-Rehman, Commandant SDRF Ist battalion; Vikas Gupta, Divisional Commandant Home Guards Jammu; Abdul Qayoom, Commandant IRP 9th battalion; Nisha Nathyal, Commandant SDRF 2nd battalion; Maqsood-ul-Zaman, Commandant IRP 8th battalion and Javid Iqbal Mattoo, AIG Buildings Police Headquarters. All of them are 1999 batch officers of JKPS. The inducted officers will get retrospective effect and their year of allotment will be 2008, 2009 and 2010. Romesh Kumar Bhat, whose name figured at Serial No. 4, will have to wait for the outcome of the inquiry initiated against him by the Home Department following allegations levelled by a JKAS female officer of harassment. Bhat is presently under suspension. Five JKPS officers who will get 2008 batch of IPS will become eligible for promotion as DIG as direct IPS officers of 2008 have already been posted as in-charge DIGs in Jammu and Kashmir. Moreover, there has been a shortage of DIGs in the UT. Sources said 14 posts given to retired officers will be treated as vacant from the year of allotment to the officers. This was for the first time after 10 years that JKPS officers were inducted into the IPS. Out of 66 IPS officers in Jammu and Kashmir. including those who are on Central deputation, all are Direct Recruits and there is not even a single JKPS officer inducted into the IPS due to delay in inductions because of various reasons. Initially out of a total of 147 IPS posts in Jammu and Kashmir, 80 were reserved for Regular Recruits (direct IPS officers) and 67 for State Police Services (SPS), who are inducted into IPS from JKPS. This was part of UPA Government's special formula for Jammu and Kashmir under which 50 per cent posts each were reserved for Regular Recruits and SPS officers. After Narendra Modi headed government came to power in 2014, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), In-charge Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) reversed the order of UPA Government and restored previous formula of 67:33 bringing Jammu and Kashmir at par with other States and UTs. In a shocking incident, an Axis Bank Branch Manager allegedly committed an unsuccessful heist on the ICICI Bank and stabbed a deputy branch head there to death, police said here on Friday. The incident happened late on Thursday around 8.00 p.m., after the close of banking hours at the ICICI Bank's Virar East Branch. According to Virar Police Station Senior Police Inspector Suresh Warade, the accused Anil Dubey -- the Naigaon Axis Bank Branch Manager, who was a former longtime employee of ICICI Bank, has been arrested. In the scuffle that ensued between Dubey and the ICICI Bank Deputy Manager Yogita Nishant Choudhary, and her cashier colleague Shraddha Devrukhkar, he allegedly stabbed them both before attempting to flee with the bag full of the looted booty, but was caught outside by the locals. While Vartak, 36, succumbed to her injuries later, Devrukhkar, 32, is undergoing treatment at a local hospital and further probe is on in the sensational case, said Warade. Newly appointed Chief Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj Bommai on Friday afternoon met Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The Karnataka Chief Minister is on a two-day visit to the national capital to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior Union Ministers and BJP chief J.P Nadda. Bommai is likely to discuss Karnataka cabinet expansion with the BJP central leadership. After meeting with Bommai, Shah tweeted, "Met the Chief Minister of Karnataka B S Bommai Ji. My best wishes to him and his team in taking the state to newer heights." Party sources claimed that Shah and Bommai also discussed Karnataka cabinet expansion. After reaching Delhi in the morning, Bommai first met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Singh later tweeted, "Met with the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Basavaraj Bommai today. I conveyed my best wishes to him for a successful tenure ahead." "Met with the Hon'ble Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh Ji at New Delhi and talked over aspects of Development," Bommai also tweeted. Bommai, meanwhile, also met Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. "The new Chief Minister of Karnataka, B S Bommai ji paid a visit to my Parliament office today. Congratulated him with a sweet laddu and gave best wishes for a fruitful tenure. Later, took him to meet Speaker Om Birla ji," Joshi tweeted. Bommai and Shekhawat discussed various water projects related to the state. Sources said it is a courtesy visit to the national capital during which Bommai will discuss his cabinet expansion with the central leadership. "During his meeting with Prime Minister Modi, Bommai is also likely to discuss issues concerning the development and Covid situation in the state," sources said. This is the first visit of Bommai to Delhi after being sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka. He was elected leader of the BJP Legislative party after former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa resigned on July 26. The Delhi Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution for conferring 'Baharat Ratna', the country's highest civilian award, to late environmentalist Sundarlal Bahuguna, a founding member of the Chipko movement. Addressing the Assembly on the opening day of the two-day Monsoon Session, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that Bahuguna gave a vision for India to protect the environment. Just like B.R. Ambedkar worked for uplifting the poorer section of the society and fought for shaping the new generation of India, Bahuguna gave all his life for the betterment of the society, Kejriwal said. "Bahuguna's contribution is not just limited to environment, as he also fought against untouchability and for bringing justice to the poor. His works set examples for the whole country. At present, not only Delhi, but the entire country wants to confer the Baharat Ratna on him," Kejriwal said. On July 15, Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had installed a portrait of Bahuguna in the Delhi Assembly to keep alive his legacy. On July 5, Kejriwal had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to confer India's highest civilian award on Bahuguna. "We believe that conferring Bharat Ratna on Sunderlal Bahuguna will be an honour for the Bharat Ratna award itself," Kejriwal said while concluding his speech in the Assembly on Thursday. Incidentally, Bahuguna belonged to Uttarakhand where Kejriwal's party will contest the Assembly polls due next year. The Directorate of Education of Delhi Government said that it will take over the management of Bal Bharati School in Rohini over alleged arbitrary fee hike and has received the required approvals from the Lieutenant Governor's office, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Thursday. The Delhi government had issued orders several times to withdraw the arbitrarily increased fees by the school, but the school management has failed every time to comply with these orders. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had approved the proposal of the Directorate of Education to take over the management of Bal Bharati School. This file was sent to the LG, which has now been approved, Delhi government said in statement. "If any school increases fees arbitrarily then strict action will be taken against it," he added in an official statement. According to DoE officials, the department had conducted an in-depth inspection of the financial statements of Bal Bharati School for the financial years 2016-2017 to 2017-2018. "During the detailed inspection of the records, it was found that the total funds with the school for the year 2017-2018 were Rs 23.81 crore. Out of this amount, Rs 20.94 crore was estimated to be spent. Even after spending Rs 20.94 crore the school management had a net surplus of about Rs 2.87 crore," it stated. "After this, the Directorate of Education came to the conclusion that there is no need for the school management to increase the fees," it read. In this regard, the DoE refused to accept the fee hike proposed by the school for the academic session 2017-2018," a senior DoE official said. The DoE further noted that apart from this, the fees increased by the school in 2017-18 had to be adjusted further. But, in the meantime, the Delhi government again received complaints from the parents that the school had increased the fees several times in 2018-19 and 2019-20, and further asked them to deposit arrears. "In view of this situation, the Delhi government has decided to initiate the process of taking over the management of the school, and the file was sent to the LG for approval. This file was therefore approved by the LG and further proceedings are in progress," the official added. The Delhi government had yesterday approved taking over management of Apeejay School in Sheikh Sarai over the same issue. Pulitzer Prize-winning Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui was not simply killed in a crossfire, nor was he a collateral damage; rather, he was brutally murdered by the Taliban, Michael Rubin wrote in the Washington Examiner. Local Afghan authorities say that Siddiqui had travelled with an Afghan National Army team to the Spin Boldak region to cover the clash between Afghan forces and the Taliban to control the lucrative border crossing with Pakistan. When they got to within one-third of a mile of the customs post, a Taliban attack split the team, with the commander and a few men separated from Siddiqui, who remained with three other Afghan troops, the report said. During this assault, a shrapnel hit Dnaish Siddiqui, after which he and his team went to a local mosque where he received first aid. As the word spread, however, that a journalist was in the mosque, the Taliban attacked, as per the report. The local investigation suggests that the Taliban attacked the mosque only because of Siddiqui's presence there, it said. Siddiqui was alive when the Taliban captured him. The Taliban verified Dansih Siddiqui's identity and then executed him, as well as those with him. The commander and the remainder of his team died as they tried to rescue him, the report said. "While a widely circulated public photograph shows Siddiqui's face as recognisable, I reviewed other photographs and a video of Siddiqui's body provided to me by a source in the Indian government that show the Taliban beat Siddiqui around the head and then riddled his body with bullets," Rubin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, wrote in the report. "The Taliban's decision to hunt down, execute Siddiqui, and then mutilate his corpse shows that they do not respect the rules of war or conventions that govern the behaviour of the global community," Rubin said. "There are many paralles between the Khmer Rouge and the Taliban. Both infused radical ideology with racist animus. The Taliban are always brutal but likely took their cruelty to a new level because Siddiqui was an Indian. They also want to send a signal that Western journalists are not welcome in any Afghanistan they control and that they expect Taliban propaganda to be accepted as truth. "In effect, Siddiqui's murder appears to show that the Taliban have concluded that their pre-9/11 mistake was not that they were cruel and autocratic, but rather that they were not violent or totalitarian enough," Rubin wrote in the report. The real question for journalists is why the State Department continues to pretend that Siddiqui's death was just a tragic accident. Rubin said the Joe Biden administration's decision to uphold the US-Taliban agreement even though the Taliban have not, and to withdraw completely, is condemning Afghanistan to a bloodbath. "It threatens to destabilise the broader region. But rather than confront reality, the Biden administration appears intent to whitewash Taliban crimes. To acknowledge the fact that the Taliban executed Siddiqui and that the photographer's death was not a tragic accident, would contradict the White House spin," Rubin said. Israeli authorities have inspected the offices of surveillance outfit NSO Group in response to the Pegasus project investigation into abuses of the companys spyware by several government clients, The Guardian reported. Officials from the Defence Ministry visited the company's offices near Tel Aviv on Wednesday, at the same time when Defence Minister Benny Gantz arrived in Paris for a pre-arranged visit, in which he discussed the Pegasus revelations with his French counterpart. French President Emmanuel Macron is one of the highest profile figures whose phone numbers appeared on a leaked databse of 50,000 numbers that are believed to have been selected as candidates for possible surveillance by the clients of NSO, the report said. He spoke to Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett last week to stress the importance of "properly investigating" the project's findings. Early media reports described the moves on NSO's offices as a raid, but the company said in a statement that the authorities had "visited", rather than "raided" its premises. The NSO said it had been informed in advance that Defence Ministry officials responsible for overseeing commercial exports of sensitive cyber-exports would be doing an inspection. "The company is working in full transparency with the Israeli authorities," it added, as per the report. The Defence Ministry said in a tweet that the visit conducted by several state bodies was related to disclosures stemming from the Pegasus project -- a consortium of 17 media outlets, including The Guardian, which revealed last week that government clients around the world have used the hacking software sold by NSO to target human rights activists, journalists and lawyers. As the scale of the disclosures has become clearer, diplomatic pressure has mounted on Israel to explain the nature of the relationship between NSO and the state under the tenure of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the report said. The wider Pegasus project investigation found that the Israeli government gave the NSO explicit permission in 2017 to try to sell the hacking tools to Saudi Arabia in a deal reportedly worth at least $55 million, the report said. Gantz told French Defence Minister, Florence Parly, on Wednesday that Israel is investigating the matter "with the utmost seriousness", according to a statement from the Israeli Defence Ministry. Prior to their Paris meeting, French government spokesperson Gabriel Attal had said that Parly was keen to "question her counterpart about the knowledge the Israeli government had of the activities of NSO's clients" and what measures would be put in place "to prevent a misuse of these tools that are highly intrusive". Gantz had previously defended export licences for the hacking tools, saying in a speech at a cyberware conference in Tel Aviv last week that "countries that purchase these systems must meet the terms of use", which are solely for criminal and terrorism investigations. If there is no movement at the negotiating table, and instead, human rights abuses and worse still atrocities occur in districts they control, the Taliban will not be seen as a viable partner for the international community, UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, said. Lyons said at the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board (JCMB) meet in Kabul that the world has now recognised that the Taliban must be a partner in Afghanistan's transition to self-reliance. International donors have signaled their willingness to continue to support Afghanistan after a peace agreement is reached. "But no major donor will finance the repression of women, let me say that again, no major donor will finance the repression of women, nor any major donor will finance the discrimination of minorities, the denying of education to girls, or the decrees of an authoritarian government. They cannot do so, not only because these are against the norms of the United Nations and international community, but because a society built on these restrictions cannot and will not function for its citizens," she said. Lyons added that whatever the government of the day, Afghanistan is, and will remain part of the international community, and so, bound by the existing international human rights obligations of the treaties that it has ratified. She said of particular concern in terms of the present relevance of the Afghan Partnership Framework is the loss of control by the government of border posts. The border posts that are currently under Taliban control last year yielded substantial income in government revenue, amounting to about a third of the revenue raised by the government in Afghanistan. "Assuming that the Taliban remain in control of these posts, this means, first, that the percentage of international funding as a share of total government revenue increases, setting back what had previously been indeed a major achievement by the state and the Government of Afghanistan. But more importantly, the total revenues available to the government declines, which will surely impact service delivery as well as add to the economic losses that were already significant as a result of Covid," Lyons said. The loss of control of border areas also calls into doubt Afghanistan's ambitions to quite rightly transform itself by becoming a regional node of connectivity, she added. Washington is fully prepared to continue negotiation with Iran to return to the Iranian nuclear agreement, visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said here on Thursday. Blinken made the remarks after he met with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah to discuss bilateral ties and regional issues, the Xinhua news agency reported. Blinken said that the US is willing to reach an agreement with Iran, urging Iran to make the decision, adding that "the ball is in Iran's court." The Iranian side has been criticising the United States for "violating their promises and commitments" to the agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The US government under former President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and unilaterally re-imposed sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran gradually stopped implementing parts of its commitments to the deal from May 2019. Between April 6 and June 20, the JCPOA Joint Commission, attended by a US delegation indirectly, held talks in Vienna to discuss a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA and how to ensure the full and effective implementation of the deal. The parties recently said serious differences remain between Iran and the United States over the revitalisation of the deal after six rounds of talks. Meanwhile, on the US relations with Kuwait, the US top diplomat said that his country is committed to strengthening the partnership and cooperation with Kuwait. Blinken praised Kuwait's role and efforts to resolve the Gulf crisis, saying that Kuwait showed good leadership in resolving regional crises. For his part, the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister said that they talked about "the importance of strategic dialogue in matters of concern to the two countries and the development of bilateral relations," while stressing the importance of the ties between the two countries in all fields. Earlier in the day, the Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah also held talks with Blinken. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. West Chester, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/30/2021 -- West Chester law firm Carosella & Associates provides families with the compassionate, competent legal support they need when dealing with estate ownership disputes. Their probate attorneys understand that the loss of a loved one can be challenging, and locating assets and determining ownership of an estate can be financially and emotionally draining. The team at Carosella & Associates is experienced in handling estate ownership disputes and can help make the process more expedient for grieving families. "Many families don't know where to start when there is a dispute over the ownership of an estate. Dealing with the loss of a parent or other family member is trying, especially when they haven't been in recent contact," says Vincent Carosella, founding Partner. "We investigate to find information about the estate and ownership of assets, and help to ensure legal heirs' rights and interests are protected." Searching public records of ownership and tracking down assets such as investment accounts, businesses, and life insurance policies is often time-consuming and frustrating. Carosella & Associates' estate planning and real estate lawyers handle such matters for families, which can take a huge weight off their shoulders at a difficult time. When an estate is already settled and distributed, court litigation may be necessary to help clients recover the portion of assets to which they may be entitled. The attorneys at Carosella & Associates are well-versed in the nuances of inheritance law. They fight to protect their clients' interests, whether they are defending an estate from an unscrupulous family member or helping someone who was wrongly left out as an heir or beneficiary. About Carosella & Associates For more than 25 years, the skilled team of attorneys, paralegals, firm administrators, administrative assistants, and legal secretaries at Carosella & Associates has provided top-quality legal representation for matters in myriad aspects of the law. The full-service law firm has decades of experience in many different areas, including estate planning, business succession planning, commercial and residential real estate, zoning, contracts, bankruptcy, immigration, divorce, and criminal law. Several of the attorneys at Carosella & Associates are licensed to practice law in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. For more information visit carosella.com. Dublin, Ireland -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/30/2021 -- Everything IT offers top-quality information communication technology (ICT) services and solutions. Over the years, they have served numerous businesses throughout Ireland and the UK. 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Due to the advancement in technology, various businesses prefer to move their systems to the cloud platform to keep them safe and secure at all times. Some of the basic models of cloud services include platform as a service (PaaS), software as a service (Saas), and infrastructure as a service (Iaas). To know more about cloud services, clients can contact us." Everything IT offers a wide array of IT support solutions. Be it a bootstrap startup or a large corporation, they are dedicated to providing the best services in the industry to make sure that one's business is technologically up to date. Some of the company's services include network installation and maintenance, hardware specification and support, hardware and software upgrades and enhancements, and many more. The company helps people enhance the ability and resiliency of their systems. Those wanting small business IT support solutions can consider contacting the company. 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Telephone: +353 1 524 0755 Fax: +353 1 443 0541 Email: info@everythingit.ie Website: https://everythingit.ie/ Using ESAs XMM-Newton and NASAs NuSTAR space telescopes, astronomers have observed X-ray flares emitted from around the supermassive black hole in a nearby galaxy called I Zwicky 1 (I Zw 1); further analysis of the flares has revealed short flashes of photons consistent with the re-emergence of emission from behind the black hole; these are photons that reverberate off the far side of the black holes accretion disk, and are bent around the black hole and magnified by the strong gravitational field. I Zw 1 is located approximately 800 million light-years away in the constellation of Pisces. Otherwise known as Mrk 1502 or LEDA 3151, it is classified as a Seyfert 1-type galaxy. It hosts a supermassive black hole about 10 million times massive than our Sun. The astronomers did not expect to see anything from behind the black hole, since no light can escape from it. But because of the black holes extreme gravity warping the space around it, light echoes from behind the black hole were bent around the black hole, making them visible from XMM and NuSTARs point of view. Any light that goes into that black hole doesnt come out, so we shouldnt be able to see anything thats behind the black hole, said Dr. Dan Wilkins, a researcher at the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology at Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The reason we can see that is because that black hole is warping space, bending light and twisting magnetic fields around itself. The discovery began with the search to find out more about the mysterious corona of the I Zw 1s black hole, which is the source of the bright X-ray light. Astronomers think that the corona is a result of gas that falls continuously into the black hole, where it forms a spinning disk around it. This gas disk is heated up to millions of degrees and generates magnetic fields that get twisted into knots by the spinning black hole. When the magnetic field gets tied up, it eventually snaps, releasing the energy stored within it. This heats everything around it and produces the corona of high energy electrons that produce the X-ray light. The flare observed from I Zw 1 was so bright that some of the X-rays shone down onto the disk of gas falling into the black hole. The X-rays that reflected on the gas behind the black hole were bent around the black hole, and these smaller flashes arrived at the telescopes with a delay. These observations match Albert Einsteins predictions of how gravity bends light around black holes, as described in his theory of general relativity. Fifty years ago, when astrophysicists starting speculating about how the magnetic field might behave close to a black hole, they had no idea that one day we might have the techniques to observe this directly and see Einsteins general theory of relativity in action, said Professor Roger Blandford, also from the at the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology at Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. A paper on the findings was published in the journal Nature. _____ D.R. Wilkins et al. 2021. Light bending and X-ray echoes from behind a supermassive black hole. Nature 595, 657-660; doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03667-0 Paleontologists have found possible sponge body fossils in 890-million-year-old microbial reefs in northwestern Canada. If verified, they may pre-date the next-oldest undisputed sponge fossils by around 350 million years. Genetic evidence from modern sponges suggests that sponges emerged during the Neoproterozoic era, between one billion and 541 million years ago. However, fossilized sponge bodies from this period have been lacking. The search for definitive physical evidence of pre-Cryogenian multicellular animals is confounded by uncertainty about what to look for, but preserved physical evidence should be small, subtle and possibly altogether unfamiliar, said Professor Elizabeth Turner, a paleontologist in the Harquail School of Earth Sciences at Laurentian University. Given that sponges are the most basic of known animals, physical evidence of Neoproterozoic sponges could be sought, but effort focused on the characteristics of mineralized sponge skeletons overlooks sponges with only spongin or keratin skeletons. Early evidence of multicellular animals might instead resemble preservational products of sponge soft tissue rather than mineralized sponge skeletal components. Although molecular clock data suggest that sponges emerged in the early Neoproterozoic, the oldest undisputed sponge body fossils are from the Cambrian period. In the new research, Professor Turner examined rock samples extracted from Little Dal reefs in northwestern Canada. The reefs, which are part of the Stone Knife Formation, were built by calcifying cyanobacteria 890 million years ago. Within the samples, the researcher identified branching networks of millimetric-to-centimetric tube-shaped structures that contained, and were surrounded by, crystals of calcite. These structures closely resemble the fibrous skeleton found within demosponges and structures previously identified in calcium carbonate rocks that are thought to have been created by the decay of demosponge bodies. Professor Turner proposes that the Little Dal structures may be the fossilized remains of demosponges that lived on, in and beside calcium carbonate reefs approximately 90 million years before Earths oxygen levels increased to levels thought to be necessary to support animal life. If the structures are accepted as sponge body fossils, the findings could imply that the evolution of early animals occurred independently of this oxygenation event and that early animal life survived severe ice ages that occurred between 720 and 635 million years ago. If the vermiform-microstructured masses in the Little Dal reefs are accepted as early sponge body fossils, their approximately 890 million-year age would imply that the evolutionary emergence of metazoans was decoupled from the Neoproterozoic oxygenation event and early animal life was not catastrophically affected by the Neoproterozoic glacial episodes, Professor Turner said. If the Little Dal objects are truly sponge body fossils, they are older than the next-youngest undisputed sponge body fossils by approximately 350 million years. The findings were published in the journal Nature. _____ E.C. Turner. Possible poriferan body fossils in early Neoproterozoic microbial reefs. Nature, published July 28, 2021; doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03773-z System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28: 29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. 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High near 90F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 77F. Winds light and variable. Homestead, FL (33030) Today Mostly cloudy this morning with showers developing this afternoon. High 89F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 77F. Winds light and variable. Homestead, FL (33030) Today Rain showers this morning with numerous thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High 88F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 77F. Winds light and variable. Brazil's radio hams discuss online exams with regulator LABRE met again with ANATEL on July 2, 2021, to discuss issues related to online amateur radio exams A translation of the LABRE post reads: The numbers collected by LABRE through the Online Survey were presented regarding the demand for tests at the national level, organized by state and by intended class. ANATEL will, based on these numbers, carry out actions to try to reduce the deficit of exams. LABRE suggested that a previous registry be created to facilitate access by interested parties and better organize the supply and demand for vacancies, so that each person would register in this registry and ANATEL would direct the vacancies offered to those registered, in a chronological manner, since today there is no accessible way of consulting or registering to fill these vacancies, and interested parties must make numerous attempts by accessing the SEC system and manually querying state by state. ANATEL accepted LABRE's suggestions and will carry out internal consultations for the possible creation of this previous registry, possibly as early as August, within its operational conditions. LABRE offered to provide any assistance in this regard, since in the survey we have contacted by email hundreds of people interested in taking the exams. LABRE again presented to ANATEL the issue of the difficulty in the post-test, specifically for carrying out station licensing, which has proved to be the main problem for candidates, especially for the entry of new radio amateurs into our Service. A new meeting to continue discussions on the topic is scheduled to take place in the coming weeks. LABRE will continue to cooperate with ANATEL to facilitate access to amateur radio and thus promote its growth throughout the national territory, as it has always done throughout its more than 87 years of existence. Source LABRE https://tinyurl.com/IARU-Brazil Biden is repeating his black magic. Donald Trumps impetuous decision to murder Iranian General Qassem Soleimani haunts the Pentagon and CIA. Biden hopes to exorcise Soleimanis ghost with his troop withdrawal decision, whose optics will also reboot his sagging political rating at home. by M.K. Bhadrakumar The US President Joe Bidens foreign-policy team seems increasingly unsure of the ground beneath their feet. They can see that the edifice that their 78-year old chief is erecting stands on shaky ground. But they lack the presence of mind to object. Biden has the supreme advantage that even if one were to add up the entire experience of his top officials in international diplomacy, he still towers over them. And that includes even veteran diplomat William Burns whom Biden plucked from retired life to head the CIA, an intelligence agency that even illustrious presidents such as Eisenhower and Kennedy could not control. Veteran diplomat William Burns Burns admitted tactfully in his first-ever interview as the CIA boss last week in an exclusive interview with the NPR that his priority task will be to rein in the CIA: I hope very much that Ill be a better director of CIA because my experience as a policymaker, as a diplomat, should help me better connect intelligence work to what matters most to policymakers. At least thats what Ill try very hard to do as a diplomat over those three and a half decades, I helped shape policy. And my job, our job, at CIA is to support and inform policymakers so they make the best possible choices; its not to become policymakers. And so what that means, I think, is that our obligation is to deliver, in an unvarnished way without any political or policy agenda, the best and most well-grounded intelligence that we can collect to help the president and all of my colleagues in this government make smart choices. Ive known and worked with and admired the president for a quarter century, and he made very clear to me when he asked me to take on this job that thats what he expects, even when the intelligence we provide is not convenient; and I know that feeling, as a policymaker before Burns is a cerebral mind. He accounts for not less than ninety percent of the entire Biden teams experience in the diplomatic arena which includes Antony Blinken, secretary of state, Lloyd Austin III, Defence Secretary, Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor, and Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence. Unsurprisingly, Burns remarks are confusing. To comprehend their hopelessness, read that fine book Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, by Tim Weiner, who wrote on American intelligence for New York Times for two decades and was a Pulitzer Prize winner. Weiner uncovered why nearly every CIA Director left the agency in worse shape than when he found it, and its covert actions led to profound failures in the US foreign policies. Biden is indeed a very experienced leader who spent over 36 years in the dog-eat-dog racetracks of American politics the Senate. Thereafter, for next eight years he served as Obamas indispensable vice-president where he played the improbable role of consensus-maker on the Hill and sorting out the US recalcitrant allies and partners abroad, including Turkey and Russia. Biden handled turfs where Obama temperamentally lacked the skill to operate or a sense of engrossment such as Ukraine, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. If Obama was completely at ease with Angela Merkel, Biden delighted in pow-vowing with Turkeys Recep Erdogan or Iraqs Nouri Al-Maliki and Saudi Arabias Prince Mohammed bin Nayef. By the way, Biden has his own game plan on Saudi Arabia, which he once called a pariah state. Professor Madawi al-Rasheed, visiting professor at the Middle East Institute of the London School of Economics, wrote recently: So far, Biden has a better record on pushing the (present) crown prince to temper his adventurist foreign policies. It is easier for Biden to force him to seek reconciliation with Qatar, offer a peace treaty to Yemens Houthis, flirt with Iran via Iraq, and endear himself to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. But when it comes to political reforms, a muted US is neither willing nor able to see the merits of promoting a process that will eventually lead the kingdom on a path to democracy. At the moment, US national interests are allied with those of an authoritarian crown prince, so why rock the boat. Thats Biden for you! His foreign-policy team is like babes in the woods. Blinken couldnt have anticipated that his boss would call Putin a killer and then in flat three weeks veer around to propose a meeting. Blinken therefore increasingly sticks to safe ground occasionally badmouth China, or, when theres nothing else to do, reaffirm Americas transatlantic nuptial vows. He prefers to handle India and Kuwait, which dont terribly interest Biden. Take Afghanistan. Blinken thought that the Doha process was the real thing. But in reality, that wasnt Bidens track. Only Austin and Burns knew! Actually, Biden even had a Plan B, in reserve, which is unfolding now, aimed at transforming that hybrid war into an algorithm war. It necessitates recasting the Taliban in the mould of the enemy, and thereafter from the safety of the skies rain missiles on it, testing new weapons systems, frustrating Chinas Belt & Road, keep Russia on tenterhooks and Iran in a high state of alert. Of course, Biden first made sure that no body bags will return home to embarrass him. His Plan B was drawn up by the so-called Deep State and it takes care of Afghan President Ashraf Ghanis exit, which is always a possibility. Therefore, a Quadrilateral Diplomatic Platform (QUAD) has been put in place. But Biden is yet to have a word with Pakistan leader Imran Khan, Americas newest QUAD partner on the horizon. The Afghan pantomime is now repeating in Iraq, Bidens old haunt. On Monday, Biden announced that the US combat mission in Iraq would end by December 31. Biden is ending another forever war. The announcement followed a White House meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. For the benefit of the uninitiated, al-Kadhamis real mission, when the US manipulated his ascendence in Baghdad, was that hed push back Irans shadows and retrieve Iraq from the Tehran-led Shia Crescent to borrow an explosive expression credited to the late Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. To be sure, the termination of Iraqs forever war is a mere illusion. Biden added the caveat that the US cooperation with the Iraqi government against terrorism will continue in a new stage that is now being discussed. Al-Kadhimi is exactly in the same predicament as Afghanistans Ghani he too is Americas creation; lacks a political base; is under pressure to announce a firm schedule for transition in Baghdad; and is under pressure from Shiite militias and Tehran. Al-Kadhimi, like Ghani, is also desperate for US help. Biden is repeating his black magic. Donald Trumps impetuous decision to murder Iranian General Qassem Soleimani haunts the Pentagon and CIA. Biden hopes to exorcise Soleimanis ghost with his troop withdrawal decision, whose optics will also reboot his sagging political rating at home. The bottom line is, Biden is once again making sure that the great game, which the Pentagon and the CIA have been working on, will continue keep Iran, China and Russia at bay in Iraq. It is a matter of time before Biden announces yet another QUAD comprising the US, Jordan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. On July 20, just before hosting Al-Kadhimi, Biden welcomed King Abdullah II of Jordan to the White House, someone with whom hes been hanging out together for a long time. Author Bio: This article was produced in partnership by Indian Punchline and Globetrotter. M.K. Bhadrakumar is a former Indian diplomat. Spyware like Pegasus is dangerous not only because it gives hackers complete control over an infected phone, but also because it introduces the skills and knowledge of nation-states into the civilian sphere. by Prabir Purkayastha Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology, is haunting the Narendra Modi-led Indian government once again. Seventeen media organizations including the Wire, the Washington Post and the Guardian have spent months examining a possible list of 50,000 phone numbers belonging to individuals from around 50 countries. This list was provided by the French journalism nonprofit Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International. These investigations by the media organizations helped zero in on possible targets of these cyberattacks. The mobile phones of 67 of the people who were on the target list were then forensically examined. The results revealed that 37 of the analyzed phones showed signs of being hacked by the Israeli firm NSO Groups Pegasus spyware or signs of attempted penetration. Of the remaining 30, the results were inconclusive as either the owners had changed their phones or the phones were Androids, which do not log the kind of information that helps in detecting such penetration. The possible targets not only include journalists and activists, but also government officials. This includes 14 heads of states and governments: three presidents (Frances Emmanuel Macron, Iraqs Barham Salih and South Africas Cyril Ramaphosa), three sitting and seven former prime ministers, and a king (Moroccos Mohammed VI). The three sitting prime ministers are Pakistans Imran Khan, Egypts Mostafa Madbouly and Moroccos Saad-Eddine El Othmani. Among the seven former prime ministers are Lebanons Saad Hariri, Frances Edouard Philippe, Algerias Noureddine Bedoui and Belgiums Charles Michel, according to the Washington Post. Once the malware is installed on a targets phone, the spyware not only provides full access to the devices data but also controls the phones microphone and camera. Instead of a device for use by the owner, the phone becomes a device that can be used to spy on them, recording not only telephonic conversations but also in-person conversations, including images of the participants. The collected information and data are then transmitted back to those deploying Pegasus. Successive information and technology ministers in IndiaRavi Shankar Prasad and Ashwini Vaishnawhave stated that the government has not indulged in any unauthorized interception in the country, according to the Wire. Both the ministers have chosen to duck the questions: Did the government buy NSOs hacking software and authorize the targeting of Indian citizens? And can the use of Pegasus spyware to infect smartphones and alter its basic functions be considered as legal authorization under the Indian Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules, 2009 for interception, monitoring or decryption of any information through any computer resource? I am going to leave the legal issues for those who are better equipped to handle them. Instead, I am going to examine the new dangers that weaponizing malware by nation-states pose to the world. Pegasus is not the only example of such software; Snowden surveillance revelations showed us what the National Security Agency (NSA) of the United States and the Five Eyes governments do and shed light on their all-encompassing surveillance regime. These intelligence agencies and governments have hacked the digital infrastructure of other countries and snooped on their secure communications and even spied on their allies. Even German Chancellor Angela Merkel was not spared from NSA surveillance. The key difference between nation-states and cybercriminals developing malware is that the nation-states possess far greater resources when it comes to developing such malware. Take the example of a group called the Shadow Brokers, who dumped a gigabyte of weaponized software exploits of the NSA on the net in 2017. Speaking about this, Matthew Hickey, a well-known security expert, told Ars Technica in 2017, It is very significant as it effectively puts cyberweapons in the hands of anyone who downloads it. Ransomware hit big time soon after, with WannaCry and NotPetya ransomware creating havoc by using the exploits in NSAs toolkit. Why am I recounting NSAs malware tools while discussing Pegasus? Because Pegasus belongs to NSO, an Israeli company with very close ties to Unit 8200, the Israeli equivalent of the NSA. NSO, like many other Israeli commercial cyber-intelligence companies, is founded and run by ex-intelligence officers from Unit 8200. It is this elementintroducing skills and knowledge of nation-statesinto the civilian sphere that makes such spyware so dangerous. NSO also appears to have played a role in improving Israels relations with two Gulf petro-monarchies, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia. Israel, therefore, sees the sale of spyware to these countries as an extension of its foreign policy. Pegasus has been used extensively by the UAE and Saudi Arabia to target various domestic dissidents and even foreign critics. The most well-known example, of course, is Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi dissident and the Washington Posts columnist, who was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. NSOs market capitalization is reported to be in the range of $2 billion, making it perhaps one of the most expensive civilian cyber-intelligence companies. And its tools are frightening, as there does not seem to be any protection against them. Most of these tools are classified as cyberweapons and require the Israeli governments approval for export, again showing the link between the Israeli state and NSO. The other reason why Pegasus spyware is so dangerous is that it does not need any action on the part of the owner of a phone for the device to be hacked by the spyware. Most infections of devices take place when people click on a link sent to them through email/SMS, or when they go to a site and click on something there. Pegasus exploited a security problem with WhatsApp and was able to hack into a phone through just a missed call. Just a ring was enough for the Pegasus spyware to be installed on the phone. This has now been extended to using other vulnerabilities that exist within iMessage, WhatsApp, FaceTime, WeChat, Telegram, and various other apps that receive data from unknown sources. That means Pegasus can compromise a phone without the user having to click on a single link. These are called zero-click exploits in the cyber community. Once installed, Pegasus can read the users messages, emails, and call logs; it can capture screenshots, log pressed keys, and collect browser history and contacts. It exfiltratesmeaning sends filesback to its server. Basically, it can spy on every aspect of a targets life. Encrypting emails or using encryption services such as Signal wont deter Pegasus, which can read what an infected phones user reads or capture what they type. Many people use iPhones in the belief that they are safer. The sad truth is that the iPhone is as vulnerable to Pegasus attacks as Android phones, though in different ways. It is easier to find out if an iPhone is infected, as it logs what the phone is doing. As the Android systems do not maintain such logs, Pegasus can hide its traces better. In an interview with the Guardian published on July 19, after the first revelations from the Pegasus Project, Snowden described for-profit malware developers as an industry that should not exist If you dont do anything to stop the sale of this technology, its not just going to be 50,000 targets. Its going to be 50 million targets, and its going to happen much more quickly than any of us expect. He called for an immediate global ban on the international spyware trade. Snowdens answer of banning the sale of such spyware is not enough. We need instead to look at deweaponizing all of cyberspace, including spyware. The spate of recent cyberattacksestimated to be tens of thousands a dayis a risk to the cyberinfrastructure of all countries on which all their institutions depend. After the leak of NSA and CIA cyberweapons, and now with NSOs indiscriminate use of Pegasus, we should be asking whether nation-states can really be trusted to develop such weapons. In 2017, Brad Smith, the president of Microsoft and no peacenik or leftist, wrote, Repeatedly, exploits in the hands of governments have leaked into the public domain and caused widespread damage. It is this concern that certain leading companies within the industryMicrosoft, Deutsche Telekom and othershad raised in 2017, calling for a new digital Geneva Convention banning cyberweapons. Russia and China have also made similar demands in the past. It was rejected by the United States, who believed that it had a military advantage in cyberspace, which is something it should not squander. Pegasus is one more reminder of the danger of nation-states developing cyberweapons. Though here, it is not a leak but deliberate use of a dangerous technology for private profit that poses a risk to journalists, activists, opposition parties and finally to democracy. It is a matter of time before the smartphones that we carry become attack vectors for attacks on the very cyberinfrastructure on which we all depend. This article was produced in partnership by Newsclick and Globetrotter. Prabir Purkayastha is the founding editor of Newsclick.in, a digital media platform. He is an activist for science and the free software movement. Pegasus spyware filth completely bad for democracy, journalism and also terrible by Anwar A. Khan Pegasus is a spyware developed by the Israeli cyberarms firm NSO Group that can be covertly installed on mobile phones and other devices running most versions of iOS and Android. The 2021 Project Pegasus revelations suggest that current Pegasus software is able to exploit all recent iOS versions up to iOS 14.6. According to the Washington Post and other prominent media sources, Pegasus not only enables the keystroke monitoring of all communications from a phone (texts, emails, web searches) but it also enables phone call and location tracking, while also permitting NSO Group to hijack both the mobile phone's microphone and camera, thus turning it into a constant surveillance device. The company had previously been owned by American private equity firm Francisco Partners, then bought back by the founders in 2019. NSO states that it provides "authorized governments with technology that helps them combat terror and crime", has published sections of contracts requiring customers only to use its products for criminal and national security investigations, and stated that it has an industry-leading approach to human rights. The spyware is named after the mythical winged horse Pegasusit is a Trojan horse that can be sent "flying through the air" to infect phones. Pegasus was discovered in August 2018 after a failed attempt at installing it on an iPhone belonging to a human rights activist led to an investigation revealing details about the spyware, its abilities, and the security vulnerabilities it exploited. As of 2016, Pegasus was capable of reading text messages, tracking calls, collecting passwords, tracking location, accessing the target device's microphone and camera, and harvesting information from apps. News of the spyware caused significant media coverage. It was called the "most sophisticated" smartphone attack ever, and was the first time that a malicious remote exploit using jailbreak to gain unrestricted access to an iPhone had been detected. In the same year of 2020, according to intelligence obtained by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the NSO Group was reported to have sold Pegasus spyware software for hundreds of millions of US dollars to the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf States, for surveillance of anti-regime activists, journalists and political leaders from rival nations, with Israeli government encouragement and mediation. Later, on December 2020, Al Jazeera investigation show The Tip of the Iceberg, Spy partners, showed exclusive footage about Pegasus and its penetration into the phones of media professionals and activists, used by Israel to eavesdrop on its opponents and even its allies. European politicians and media groups voiced outrage over reports that an Israeli firm supplied phone malware used by governments to spy on activists, journalists, lawyers and politicians in several countries. The NSO Group and its Pegasus malwarecapable of switching on a phone's camera or microphone and harvesting its datahave been in the headlines since 2016, when researchers accused it of helping spy on a dissident in the United Arab Emirates. A collaborative investigation by The Washington Post, The Guardian, Le Monde and other media outlets, based on a leaked list of 50,000 phone numbers, revealed the spying may have been far more extensive than previously thought. The leaked numbers are believed to be connected to people identified by NSO clients as potential surveillance targets. They include one linked to a murdered Mexican journalist and family members of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the spying, if confirmed, was "completely unacceptable", while French government spokesman Gabriel Attal called it "extremely shocking. UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet called for better regulation of surveillance technology and the head of Reporters Without Borders, Christophe Deloire, said the revelations provoked "shock and revulsion". It is unclear how many devices were actually targeted or surveilled and NSO has denied any wrongdoing. But the claims that countries such as Azerbaijan, Hungary, India and Morocco, where authorities have cracked down on independent media, spied on dissident journalists at home and abroad sparked indignation. The other countries that accounted for most of the numbers on the list were Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. French investigative news site Mediapart claimed that the phones of its founder EdwyPlenel and one of its journalists were among those targeted by Moroccan intelligence services and said it had filed a criminal complaint. Morocco denied the claims, saying it "never acquired computer software to infiltrate communication devices". Pegasus is a highly invasive tool that can switch on a target's phone camera and microphone, as well as access data on the device, effectively turning a phone into a pocket spy. In some cases, it can be installed without the need to trick a user into initiating a download. NSO insists it is only intended for use in fighting terrorism and other crimes, and that any other use is the work of "rogue" operatorsclaims rubbished by Amnesty International. "NSO's spyware is a weapon of choice for repressive governments seeking to silence journalists, attack activists and crush dissent, placing countless lives in peril," Amnesty International chief Agnes Callamard said in a statement."It's clear its technology facilitates systemic abuse." Journalists are targeted to be potentially spied on with the spyware Pegasus. The numbers on the list were unattributed, but other media outlets participating in the project were able to identify more than 1,000 people in more than 50 countries. They included several members of Arab royal families, at least 65 business executives, 85 human rights activists, 189 journalists and more than 600 politicians and government officials including heads of state, prime ministers and cabinet ministers. The investigation identified at least 180 journalists in 20 countries who were selected for potential targeting with Pegasus between 2016 to June 2021.Among them were reporters for Agence France-Presse, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, The New York Times, Al Jazeera, El Pais, the Associated Press, Le Monde, Bloomberg, The Economist, and Reuters, The Guardian said. ParanjoyGuhaThakurta, a veteran investigative journalist in India, said that Amnesty International had informed him that his phone and privacy had been "compromised" in 2018. "It also puts my sources at risk. People who are speaking to you on condition of anonymity, if they get compromised, that's terrible," he told AFP. "It's bad for democracy, it's bad for journalism. It is terrible." On the list were 15,000 numbers in Mexicoamong them reportedly a number linked to Mexican journalist Cecilio Pineda, who was killed in 2017 and 300 in India, including politicians and prominent journalists. In Mexico, the news website AristeguiNoticias reported that family members and the cardiologist of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador were spied on between 2016 and 2017 when he was leader of the opposition. The president himself had been spared because he "apparently doesn't use a personal mobile phone", the report said. Leading Indian opposition figure Rahul Gandhi was twice selected as a potential surveillance target, The Guardian reported. Indian Home Minister Amit Shah denied the reports, saying they aimed to "humiliate India at the world stage, peddle the same old narratives about our nation and derail India's development trajectory." Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told reporters Budapest has "no knowledge of this type of data collection". NSO Group, which is based in the Israeli hi-tech hub of Herzliya, near Tel Aviv, denied any wrongdoing. It issued a denial, calling the investigation "full of wrong assumptions and uncorroborated theories", and threatening a defamation lawsuit."We firmly deny the false allegations made in their report," NSO said. It said it was "not associated in any way" with the Khashoggi murder, adding that it sells "solely to law enforcement and intelligence agencies of vetted governments". The Washington Post said a forensic analysis had revealed that two women close to Khashoggi had been hacked. He was murdered in 2018 by a Saudi hit squad. In July 2021, widespread media coverage part of the Project Pegasus revelations along with an in-depth analysis by human rights group Amnesty International uncovered that Pegasus was still being widely exploited against high-profile targets. It showed that Pegasus was able to infect all modern iOS versions up to the latest release, iOS 14.6, through a zero-click iMessage exploit. So, Pegasus spywarescandal iscompletely bad for democracy, journalism and it is also terrible! -The End The writer is an independent political analyst based in Dhaka, Bangladesh who writes on politics, political and human-centred figures, current and international affairs Neal Richardson, executive director of the St. Louis Development Corporation, was among the city, state and federal officials who celebrated the launch of Moonshot Labs, the first unclassified innovation space for The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency at the T-Rex center in St. Louis on Friday, July 23. If you listen to some of the stuff thats being percolated around the CDC, theres a movement to try to impose more restrictions on the American people, DeSantis said to a crowd at an Italian restaurant in Cape Coral. And I just want to say in Florida, there will be no lockdowns. There will be no school closures. There will be no restrictions or mandates in the state of Florida. Across Florida, a wave of vaccine mandates already is underway as hospitals see people of all ages arriving sick from the virus. At Veteran Administration hospitals, employees who provide direct patient care have eight weeks to get inoculated against the coronavirus or face penalties including possible removal. At Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, all employees have four weeks to get vaccinated (except those with medical and religious exemptions). At Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, all employees must be vaccinated by Sept. 17 or complete an educational module and wear masks at all times at work. A partisan divide has emerged over the vaccine, where Republicans particularly Republican men have expressed skepticism about the vaccine and have refused to take it. That skepticism has played a role as the virus has ripped through some of the southern states where vaccine hesitancy is at its highest, like Kentucky, where around 51% of the state has received at least one dose, according to the Kentucky Department of Public Health. The email blast Thursday said: Out of an abundance of caution and transparency, we wanted to share information that has just come to our attention. An individual who attended this weeks public meetings, that took place in the City Commission Chambers, recently tested positive for COVID-19. If you were in attendance at one of the meetings, we encourage you to monitor yourself for symptoms and to get tested if necessary. Some had been called in twice by different family members, he said. In some cases, people were on the list more than once under different names. English and Hebrew names might be given for the same missing person. The caecilian is a legless amphibian that looks like a snake or eel and can grow to 5 feet long. It's not native to Florida but one was found in a Miami canal and scientist are determining whether there are more in South Florida. (Noah Mueller/Courtesy) Security rules dont allow people to climb the Vessel alone but the teen who leaped to his death was with a family of five, confirmed a spokesman for Hudson Yards developer The Related Companies. DeSantis added: If a parent really feels that this is something thats important for their kid, were not stopping that. They absolutely have every right to equip their students with whatever types of mask that they want, and have them go to school, if they believe that thats a protection thats important for their children. I think thats the fairest way to do it. I discovered thats a much bigger problem than you may think. After almost 20 years of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, many of these firms have ceased to exist, or have merged with larger companies, which now cannot verify interpreters prior employment. And that was the case with my interpreter, Abdul. In response to an email asking about his case, a representative of L3 Harris, the successor company to the one that employed Abdul, replied, unfortunately and regrettably, we do not have any records at all for the former Afghan interpreters. Thats right not only did they not have any records to help my interpreter get his SIV, they lacked any records on any interpreters employed by companies that merged with L3 Harris. All Ive been seeing and reading about for the past several days is elected officials in Miami-Dade saying to get the vaccine. With the scary rise in the Delta variant and cases exploding in South Florida, why arent we hearing the same message in Broward? It was announced this week that Gibraltar's Director of Public Health will not be continuing in the post as his contract is not being renewed. Apart from the official announcement, Dr Sohail Bhatti posted on Twitter that he was very sorry to have to leave, and that he had worked very hard to protect the community during a very difficult period. "The pandemic is still not over," he said. No reason was given for the decision not to renew the contract, but the chief minister, Fabian Picardo, notified parliament that he would be moving a motion to bestow the Gibraltar Medallion of Honour on Dr Batthi "for his extraordinary contribution to the health andwellbeing of the people of Gibraltar in his role as Director of Public Health during the Covid pandemic". Dr Bhatti's comment about the pandemic not being over is certainly being proven in Gibraltar at present. Despite the vast majority of the adult population being fully vaccinated, positive cases of Covid-19 continue to rise and on Thursday it was announced that the contact tracing service was receiving a high volume of calls and would contact positive Covid-19 cases as soon as possible. On Wednesday. 643 people were self-isolating in Gibraltar after contact with someone who had tested positive or after testing positive themselves, and the records showed that there had been a further 32 new active cases, bringing the total to 303. Of these 283 were residents and 20 were visitors. The new cases among residents included several young children. Fortunately, due to Gibraltar's high take-up of the vaccine, the number of people in hospital with the virus remains low, with six on the Covid ward and three in Critical Care. It was one of the most ambitious Enlightenment voyages yet remains one of the least known. On 30 July 1789, Tuscan explorer and Spanish naval officer Alessandro Malaspina set sail from Cadiz with an elite crew of astronomers, surveyors, cartographers, artists and writers. The expedition, which had been sanctioned by King Carlos III two months before he died, strove to enhance scientific knowledge and construct maps of various regions under Spanish dominion. The first point of call for Malaspina's ships, Atrevida and Descubierta, named in honour of James Cook's Resolution and Adventure, was the Canary Islands, followed by South America, where they mapped much of the Chilean coast. Then in Mexico, the expedition took an unexpected turn that would lead to some of its most fascinating findings. Hearing of the alleged discovery of a Northwest Passage, Carlos IV ordered Malaspina to sail north. His voyage took him to Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island, where he improved relations with the indigenous Nuu-chah-nulth peoples, who had been distrustful of the Spanish since their assertion of territorial rights there in the 1770s, as well as to Yatuka Bay, Alaska, where they conducted studies of a native matrilineal tribe. Malaspina journeyed to the Philippines and then Australia, which he believed posed a threat to Spanish security. Malaspina stated that it would be easy for "two or three thousand castaway bandits", referring to the Australians, to cross the ocean with regular troops and invade Spanish territory. After a final few stops in South America, the expedition returned to Cadiz on 21 September 1794. During their five years at sea, Malaspina and his crew had explored gigantic glaciers, including one later christened the Malaspina Glacier, and outlined plans for the construction of a possible Panama Canal. Nonetheless, the captain did not enjoy renown upon return but was accused of conspiring against the Crown and the Prime Minister for suggesting that Spain should free its colonies and form an international trade confederation. Malaspina received ten years imprisonment and later exile, while almost all the expedition data went unpublished for nearly 100 years. Not all glorious undertakings end in glory; and as the German explorer Alexander von Humboldt later put it, Malaspina went down in history "more famous for his misfortunes than his discoveries". Westley Capper, the British man convicted for fatally running over a woman in San Pedro Alcantara and coercing Agnese Klavina, the Latvian woman who disappeared in Marbella in 2014, died this week with Covid-19 complications. According to sources consulted by SUR, Capper suffered a stroke linked to becoming infected with coronavirus on a recent visit to Britain, as reported in the UK tabloid press. Just one day after his death, the Supreme Court sent him notification that he had been acquitted of the crime of coercing Klavina, the missing woman. In the written judgement absolving him, which SUR has had access to, the court considered that Capper was unjustly sentenced for coercing 30-year-old Agnese Klavina as there wasnt sufficient proof against him. The initial sentence from the provincial court concluded that the woman was intimidated because the accused took advantage of three factors: Klavinas inebriation, his corpulence and the active presence of other people. But these factors were insufficient and weak forms of evidence, the Supreme Court found. Capper, son of multi-millionaire John Capper, had spent years in and out of court Spain. He and his friend, Craig Ian Porter, were the only ones tried for the still-unsolved case of the disappearance of Klavina, who was seen for the last time with both of them on the night of 6 September 2014, at the same time she was reported missing. The CCTVfootage of the Marbella nightclub that recorded the three together was key to the inquiry but the Supreme Court was not so sure of how conclusive the recordings were in its findings. A year and a half later, on 9 May 2016, a Bentley driven by Capper with Porter as passenger ran over Fatima Dorado Para, a 40-year-old Bolivian cook who was on a pedestrian crossing in San Pedro Alcantara on her way home from work . The victim later died in hospital while the two accused fled and were held in a shopping plaza in Estepona municipality. Government prosecutors wanted two and a half years in jail for Capper considering that he was driving under the influence of alcohol and cocaine at 75 km/h in a 40 km area. Capper deposited 300,000 euros with the courts towards compensation and he was sentenced to two years in jail,. Ian Porter was held just 20 days after being sentenced over coercing Klavina for violent robbery. A car had been taken from a 29-year-old and was found burnt out later in Estepona and the youth identified Porter. The Superior Court of Justice of Andalusia (TSJA), has ratified the Juntas request for an early-morning coronavirus crisis lockdown in two of the main holiday hotspots on the Costa del Sol, where the incidence rate of the virus is high. The public health measure, restricting the freedom of movement of people on roads and in public spaces between 2am and 7am, will be applied in Marbella and Estepona for the next seven days. Both town halls said on Friday that they would enforce the curfew, starting at 2am on Saturday, but insisted that the infection rates were calculated without taking into account the real population in the resorts in the summer. Despite stating that several factors indicate that Marbella is not seeing a spike in infections, Mayor Angeles Munoz said that now the court had ruled in favour, "We have to adopt the measure and therefore I ask the general public to accept it." "This means there will be no movement in the streets, except for workers who can prove their working hours, emergency and essential services," she added. The TSJA has ruled that the measure is "suitable and necessary" to protect the public health of the population from the Covid-19 virus, and "proportionate" to the restriction on the fundamental right to personal freedom, since hospital pressure indicates that in both towns the occupancy of acute care beds is 21 per cent, a critical level for intensive care. The court considers that "the restriction of mobility during the five hours of the morning does not impede the exercise of other individual rights, being instead beneficial for the control and lower contagion of the disease." The American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has presented its first study to show the impact a third dose of its vaccine could have on the Delta variant, the coronavirus strain that is already dominant in Spain and in most Western countries. Experts say the variant is much more contagious and has greater vaccine escape than its predecessors. The preliminary data, which was presented to Pfizer investors, and which has not yet been validated by the scientific community, was presented alongside the companys quarterly financial results. The document claims a booster jab could "potentially neutralise the Delta variant" and says that its clinical trial shows the third injection can "strongly boost" protection against the strain. The laboratory pointed out that a third dose produces levels of antibodies against the Delta mutation some 5 times higher in people between 18 and 55 years old and more than 11 times in people between 65 and 85, compared to the levels achieved after two single jabs. Pfizer said their own studies suggest that the booster dose should be administered between 6 and 12 months after the second injection, which is when antibody levels begin to fall, drastically. CEO Albert Bourla said that their own studies confirm that the effectiveness of its vaccine with just two doses drops to 84 per cent between four to six months after administration. The maximum effectiveness of vaccine prophylaxis is 96.2 per cent, but only in the first couple of months after receiving the two jabs. Then, the effectiveness drops by an average of 6 per cent every two months, according to a study by Pfizer itself, but it has not yet been peer reviewed. For now, the European Medicines Agency has not concluded its trials on the benefits of this booster dose from Pfizer, the company that is behind 85 per cent of the doses administered in Spain. The EMA's studies are still in their early stages, according to the regulatory officials. It is too early to decide if a booster dose will be necessary. There is not enough data from the vaccination campaigns and research to know how long the protection of the Covid-19 vaccines will last the EMA explained at a press conference this month. The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised against the third dose for the moment, because scientific data "does not justify it for the moment" and it would also "increase inequality" at a time when many developing countries have not yet been able to immunise their most vulnerable populations, warned Dr. Didier Houssin, president of the WHO Emergency Committee for Covid-19. The Court of Justice of the European Union has stripped former Catalan president and separatist leader Carles Puigdemont of his immunity as a member of the European Parliament. The same measure has been applied to former pro-independence Catalan ministers Toni Comin and Clara Ponsati. In a ruling delivered on Friday (30 July), the Luxembourg-based tribunal revoked the precautionary measures it accepted in June which allowed for a temporary halt in the previous European Parliament decision that removed his immunity earlier this year. Puigdemont has been in Belgium since October 2017, when he escaped arrest by the Spanish authorities for his role in the illegal Catalan independence referendum earlier that month. Since then he has successfully fought off Spain's attempts to have him extradited. In his absence from Catalonia he was elected as an MEP in 2019. Economy minister Nadia Calvino bounded out of Tuesday's cabinet meeting full of cheery predictions for Spain's future. She seemed to have champagne-worthy news about all the major indicators of fiscal wellbeing - employment, budget deficit, GDP expansion and public spending. As with all such announcements, though, the real story is behind the figures: without unpacking and contextual detail, the numbers by themselves can be misleading. Calvino was especially positive about Spain's employment level, which was already problematically low before the pandemic and has fallen since. But the leading deputy prime minister said on Tuesday that the number of employed Spaniards could go back to pre-Covid levels this summer, fuelled by the creation of 233,000 new jobs in June. This number obscures the extent to which seasonal work is contributing to an apparently vastly improved situation. In June this year, there were almost 250,000 fewer people in Spain without jobs compared to the same month in 2020; but nearly 150,000 of those new positions were temporary contracts for seasonal gigs. Because of the centrality of tourism to its economy, Spain's unemployment rate dives every year at the beginning of summer (last year excluded), only to rise again when international tourists return home in the autumn. As regards GDP expansion, Spain looks set to climb all the way from a record slump - last year the economy shrank almost 11%, a decline not seen since the Civil War - to being the developed economy that will expand the most in 2022. Calvino announced expected growth of 7% next year, higher than forecasts from the IMF and European Commission, but heavily dependent on measures taken to deal with successive waves of Covid. Still, compared to the economic disaster that was 2020, any uptick is welcome. If Calvino's to be believed, the rest of this year and the next are going to see a giant public spending bonanza in Spain. Buoyed by EU loans and grants deceptively described as "recovery funds" (a lot of them are actually funding digitalisation and green projects within multi-billion-euro corporations), the Socialist-led government has earmarked almost 200 billion euros for 2022, even more than last year and the highest amount on record. One wonders where the rest of this enormous budget is coming from, how and when the Brussels-issued loans will be paid back, and whether large-scale borrowing will hamper another of the government's lofty targets - pulling off the greatest deficit reduction in Spain's democratic history by the end of 2022. To do any of that, it's also got to survive a full term; and given that Pedro Sanchez has just been found to have imposed an illegal lockdown on the entire country last year, that's surely not a given. Uncork some cava, by all means, but save the good stuff. What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 712-243-2624 or email circ@ant-news.com. MATSAPHA A senior traffic officer from Matsapha Police Station has admitted there was gross negligence in the manner in which they handled the matter of the late Thabani Nkomonye. The officer, Sergeant Ntombikayise Sithole, was shift officer on Saturday May 8, 2021 when the car which was driven by Thabani was involved in a road traffic accident at Nhlambeni, along Mhlaleni/Nhlangano Public Road. Sithole, who is witness number 14 in the ongoing inquest into the death of Thabani, was led in evidence by Prosecutor Fikile Dlamini. The prosecutor asked her to narrate what she knows about the matter which was before the Coroner, Senior Magistrate Nonhlanhla Dlamini. She submitted that on May 8, 2021, she was on duty and at around 9:30pm three officers, who are constables by rank; Kunene, Msibi and Thusi reported for duty and she gave them an instruction to patrol D13 Public Road (Ka-Hlobile via Masundvwini to Nhlambeni), then MR 9 Public Road (Nhlambeni to Mhlaleni) and join MR3 Highway. She alleged that she gave them this instruction because during those days, there were many road traffic accidents, which involved cattle. At around 11pm, she alleged that she received a call from Msibi, who told her that they had just came across a car which had overturned and when they inspected the scene, they did not find the occupant(s), not even the driver. Accident In fact, she claimed that when they reported the accident, the officers told her that they found cars parked along the road, something which drew their attention and asked what was happening. She submitted that according to the officers, the motorists told them that there was an accident and they went together to where the car had landed, but they did not find anyone. I told them to give themselves time to look around. They did look, but did not find the occupant(s), the witness submitted. Later on, she claimed that she suggested to the officers that they should call a tow truck to tow the car with the assumption that maybe the driver was beneath the car. She alleged that indeed a tow truck was called and it towed the car, but still they did not see anyone, except for beer bottles, some of which were inside the vehicle. She submitted that the car was towed to Matsapha Police Station and the officers continued to attend to other reports. As they were carrying out their duties on the night, the sergeant claimed that she gave them instructions that they should also go to check at hospital (Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital) if there were any patients from a road traffic accident that happened at Nhlambeni. In the following morning, she submitted that another shift came in at around 5:30am and it consisted of Constables; Nkabinde, Malaza and Simelane. She claimed that she asked them to go to the accident scene, where occupants of the car were not found, to check as it happened at night. They went there and called to report that they did not find anyone, the witness submitted. She added that they also told her that they saw marks of where the car veered off the road and rolled before it landed on a tree. She claimed that since it was a Sunday, Matsapha Weighbridge was closed, which was where they were going to use the registration plate of the car to identify the owner. I also assumed that maybe the driver of the car will come to claim it as most motorists do so in such cases, Sithole submitted. On Monday (May 10, 2021), she alleged that there was a strike action by public transport workers and she found that her superior had deployed her to work at Matsapha Traffic Circle. As she had a busy day, she claimed that she forgot to go to Matsapha Weighbridge and told herself that the investigator (Kunene) would continue. Procedure Thereafter, Lawyer Gigi Reid, who was together with Lawyer Mangaliso Nkomondze, asked the witness to enlighten them about the normal reporting procedure of an accident, until it reached the regional headquarters. In response, the witness said an accident was normally reported to 999, which then give the report to the communications office of the particular police station. Upon receiving the report, she submitted that the stations communications officer sends the report to on duty officers, who then go to attend it and report to the sergeant on duty or on standby. She added that the sergeant should issue instruction to the officers on what to do as they attend the matter and after getting feedback the junior officer, he (sergeant) should report to traffic-in-charge, who would then report to the station commander. When concluding the reporting procedure, she submitted that the station commander is supposed to report to the regional commander. She claimed she did not know the next stages of reporting. Thereafter, Reid asked that they should relate the said reporting procedure to Thabanis accident and said they would cancel the stage of 999 as the report did not come from the police toll free emergency line. They asked her if she reported to traffic-in-charge (Sergeant Motsa) after receiving a report from the patrolling officers, whom she also gave instructions to call a tow truck, among others. In response, the witness claimed that she reported to the traffic-in-charge on the following morning (Sunday May 9, 2021). The lawyers asked what exactly did the witness report to traffic-in-charge and she submitted that she told him that there was an accident at night and that the occupant(s) were not found, including the driver. She added that in her report she also mentioned that the car was towed to the police station and the accident was recorded in the occurrence book. The lawyer then asked Sithole if she had any knowledge as to whether the traffic-in-charge reported to the station commander and in response, she submitted that she was not sure. Again, Reid told the witness that in her evidence, she told the coroner that the report was supposed to be recorded in the occurrence book and impound book. She then asked who was supposed to record it and the witness submitted that it was the investigating officer, Kunene. The lawyer then asked Sergeant Sithole if Kunene recorded the report and in response, the witness said; I am not sure, but I am aware that the report was recorded. Thereafter, Reid wanted to know if it was not her (witness) duty to verify if Kunene recorded the report, as she was supposed to report about it to her superior (traffic-in-charge). In response, Sergeant Sithole submitted that it was her duty. I pick up some negligence there as you were supposed to ensure that Kunene recorded the report, Lawyer Reid said. She then asked Sithole if she could see what time the report was recorded in the occurrence book and she responded to the positive. She also recapped what time did the witness receive the call from the patrolling officers about the accident report and she submitted that it was around 11pm. After that, the lawyer told her that according to the occurrence book, the report about the accident was recorded at 10:40pm. The lawyer wondered how come the accident was allegedly seen and reported to her at around 11pm, but it was recorded at 10:40pm in the occurrence book. How can you explain this discrepancy? the lawyer asked. Reid also highlighted that evidence that was submitted before the coroner was that there was a two-hour search at the scene after the police had arrived. In response, the witness submitted that she said she received the call at about 11pm, not exactly 11pm. Agreed The lawyer agreed with the witness that she submitted that it was about 11pm when he received the call from the patrolling officers, but she stated that what worries her was that the accident was recorded at the occurrence book at 10:40pm yet at that time, the officers were supposed to be at the accident scene, searching for the occupant(s) of the car. Do you see that this does not make sense because the timeline is confusing? the lawyer asked and the witness responded to the positive. Yes, I see it Your Worship, the witness submitted. Again, Reid emphasised that she saw some negligence in the manner in which the accident was handled. When she was asked to comment, Sergeant Sithole submitted that she would not deny or agree with Reid because it would depend on ones perspective. However, the lawyer mentioned that the witness did not ensure that Kunene recorded the occurrence book and on top of that the issue of the time was on oversight to both of them (witness and investigating officer). She said the time did not match or add up and the witness submitted that she was aware of that, but she did not know what to say. Do you see that there is gross negligence in terms of following the normal procedure? The lawyer asked. In response, Sergeant Sithole said; Yes Your Worship. LOBAMBA It has always been said that Parliament business takes priority overall other assignments, however, this was not the case with the Prime Minister, Cleopas Sipho Dlamini, who did not show up yesterday. This is despite the fact that the House of Assemblys first business on the Order Paper was the continuation of the debate which took place on Wednesday after the PM had presented his first ministerial statement in the House. At the start of yesterdays sitting, the Speaker, Petros Mavimbela, informed Members of Parliament (MPs) that the PM was held up on some other business, but would join the sitting later. He encouraged the MPs to continue working on other business and assured the legislators that the premier would be in the House. However, as the sitting continued, it became more apparent that the PM was not going to turn up, especially as the last motion of the day was reached. About 17 MPs had not had the chance to debate the PMs statement on Monday, which among other issues, he had said the arrest of Hosea MP Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Ngwempisi MP Mthandeni Dube was not political. About 40 MPs had indicated that they wanted to debate the issue and were assured that they would get their chance to do so during yesterdays sitting. Among those who had not had the chance to debate the Ministerial statement was Nkilongo MP Timothy Myeni, who had before the sitting, indicated that he was looking forward to being heard today. However, this was not to be as both the PM and his deputy, Themba Masuku said were nowhere in sight. The DPM, according to the Order Paper was also expected to respond to a question for oral answers where Lubombo Region MP, Lorraine Nxumalo, wanted him to advise the House on what strategies were in place to fight the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) that had befell Eswatini almost as equally as COVID-19. However, the Speaker again said the DPM was also not present as he was allegedly at the same assignment with the PM. Let us skip this question and I can assure you that once the DPM is in the House it will be attended to, said Mavimbela. After the MPs had gone through the days Order Paper, the Speaker said he had no choice, but to adjourn the House as the PM was still not around nor was the deputy prime minister. Mavimbela then asked the Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Moses Vilakati, to adjourn the House until next week Wednesday. Meanwhile, one of the MPs who did not have a chance to debate the motion on Wednesday said he was of the view that the PM had deliberately kept away from the House because he could not think of a reason why he could not come to the House. It is known that Parliament business takes precedence, but he did not come yet he knew he had work in the House, but that is politics for you, said the MP who spoke on condition of anonymity for what he termed fear of the unknown. Anyway, my message to the PM will still be the same even next week Wednesday and I have nothing to lose, said the MP. Meanwhile, Government Spokesperson Sabelo Dlamini when asked about the PMs whereabouts said; The PM had to attend to urgent State duties and reported to the Speaker accordingly. He did not elaborate on what these urgent State duties were. On a similar note, the House business continued as usual while their arrested colleagues had their day in court. There was the tabling of the Citizens Economic Empowerment Bill No.7 of 2021 by the acting Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade, Manqoba Khumalo and the tabling of a select committee report on the Eswatini Associations (ECA) petition by Lubombo Region MP Lorraine Nxumalo. MANZINI Siphofaneni Constituency Member of Parliament (MP) Mduduzi Gawuzela Simelane says the police will not get to him. However, his location remains unknown as he did not want to share where he is. In an interview with this publication, the legislator said he was safe and well. I am safe and well, they will not get to me, is what he said when he allayed fears of those who believed he could be killed. Simelane yesterday said he was safe and those concerned about his security, given that he was on the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) radar as they had a warrant of apprehension for him, should not worry. Early in the week, the National Commissioner (NATCOM) of Police, William Dlamini, called upon Simelane to surrender himself to the nearest police station. The NATCOM said as a law enforcement agency, they had accordingly launched full-scale investigations to ensure that all those who broke the law in one way or the other, were brought to book. In the same vein, operations are ongoing to see to it that looted businesses and privately-owned properties are recovered, he said. Reforms Simelane is one of three legislators who have been calling for political reforms in the country. Two of his counterparts Hosea Constituency MP Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Ngwempisi Constituency MP Mthandeni Dube were apprehended on Sunday. They were arrested for allegedly contravening the Suppression of Terrorism Act while Mabuza was also separately charged for allegedly contravening Regulation 4 of the Disaster Management (COVID -19) Regulations 2020 under the Disaster Management Act 2006. Since the pairs incarceration, Simelane has been said to be on the police wanted list. On Monday, the Crown said an arrest warrant for Simelane was issued on the same date as the ones for the pair July 8, 2021. In the charge sheet that was presented in court on Monday, it was alleged that Simelane acted jointly with Mabuza and Dube to incite people of Eswatini to revolt against the constitutionally established Government of Eswatini. The Crown stated in the charge sheet that Simelane was a fugitive from the law. According to the charge sheet, as a consequence of the alleged incitement by the trio, there were riots in all the regions of the country. The Crown further brought it to the attention of the court that these riots caused loss of life, bodily injury to people and destruction of private and public properties. In light of the assertion that he was a fugitive, Simelane said there was minimal truth in it. Instead, he said the timelines leading to him being declared a fugitive did not make sense to him. Funeral The police were lying when they said I am a fugitive on Monday. On Saturday, they stopped me when I was headed to a funeral at Lomahasha. I spent time with them seeking permission to proceed with my journey, he said. The subsequent day, Simelane alleged that police went to his church in Siphofaneni and informed the congregants that they were inspecting if there was COVID-19 compliance. Sunday is the very day when the two other legislators were arrested. Simelane said on Monday, it was then broadcast that he was a fugitive; he then wondered where they had looked for him during this period. Why did they not arrest me when they saw me on Saturday as the warrants were signed on July 8, 2021? They may fool others but not me as these timelines are clear on who is fooling who, he said. When probed on whether he would hand himself over to the nearest police station as advised by the NATCOM, Simelane said: Im a hard thinker and Im still to think hard on it. It may be on Monday, Tuesday or whenever once I am done with my consultations. For now, I am consulting and once a decision is made, it will be communicated. Meanwhile, Deputy Police Information and Communication Officer Inspector Nosipho Mnguni said now that Simelane had heard that he was wanted by the police, he should hand himself at the nearest police station. To this, Simelane said: That is a topic for another day. What I maintain is that when they declared me a fugitive, the police could have apprehended me if they wanted to. On Monday, Simelane had told this publication that he was not in hiding. Meanwhile, today marks the sixth day since Simelanes counterparts were arrested by the police. MBABANE - The Crown says MP Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and MP Mthandeni Dube should not be released on bail because they will follow their colleague, Mduduzi Magawugawu Simelane. The Siphofaneni Constituency Member of Parliament, is wanted by the police in relation to the offences faced by Mabuza and Dube of Hosea and Ngwempisi constituencies respectively. A warrant of arrest has been issued against Simelane. The submission not to grant Mabuza and Dube bail was made by Principal Crown Counsel Macebo Nxumalo yesterday during the hearing of the bail application filed by the two MPs before Judge Mumcy Dlamini at the High Court. Nxumalo was appearing alongside Principal Crown Counsel Thabo Dlamini and Ncamsile Masuku. Nxumalo submitted that their accused persons co-accused was Simelane, who was at large. Advocate Mduduzi Tsotsi Mabila, who represented Mabuza and Dube objected to Nxumalos submission. Mabila told the court that the Crown alleged that Simelane was a fugitive. The advocate said a fugitive was one who had been served with a warrant but did not avail himself to law enforcement. Fugitive Judge Mumcy Dlamini said Simelane was a wanted person. Mabila said there was a difference between a fugitive and a wanted person. Nxumalo said Mabuza and Dube were charged together with Simelane and Judge Dlamini pointed out that he was raising a point that was not in the Crowns answering papers and asked if the accused persons would follow in the footsteps of Simelane. Nxumalo agreed and the judge asked why that was not in their answering papers and they should forget about it. Nxumalo said it was common cause that Simelane was not in court. The judge asked: Is it common cause that they (Mabuza and Dube) will follow in his footsteps? Nxumalo agreed and Judge Dlamini again said that was not in the Crowns papers. I concede but the court should consider that the other accused (Simelane) is not in court, said Nxumalo. Judge Dlamini said: That point is neither here nor there. You cannot make your case along the way because you deny the other party a chance to answer. Extradition Nxumalo went to submit that the accused were a flight risk and the court should not grant them bail despite that Eswatini had an extradition agreement with neighbouring South Africa. Nxumalo submitted that extradition was a cumbersome exercise. Judge Dlamini said it was cumbersome to those who were lazy. Nxumalo said it was cumbersome where the Crown did not have control. The judge said she was familiar with the process and had extradited murder accused persons despite the death sentence in the country during her time in the DPPs Office. My experience is that there is nothing cumbersome here. Nxumalo also submitted that the countrys borders were porous and it would be easy for the accused to slip out of the country. The principal Crown counsel said in the video that the court claims the two were captured committing the offence, the accused are saying forward ever and backward never. Mabila said the Crown, in the composite summary of evidence, it is stated that the Siphofaneni MP made those utterances. Nxumalo said they addressed what happened at Hosea Constituency when the offences were allegedly committed. He stated that there was evidence in the videos but the Crown would not divulge what was contained in the statements. Nxumalo insisted that the two committed serious offences and would allegedly continue to commit crimes if released. He argued that it was not in the interest of justice to release the two on bail. Crown Counsel Thabo Dlamini denied that the Crown made bald allegations against the accused persons regarding their businesses and families. He also said an investigators opinion was sufficient and the court was entitled to rely on that opinion. Blow by Blow: Macebo Nxumalo: Extradition is a cumbersome exercise. Judge Mumcy Dlamini: It is cumbersome to those who are lazy. Nxumalo: Yes, where the respondent has no control. Judge Dlamini: How? It is cumbersome to those who are lazy. Nxumalo: To those to whom the extradition is forwarded. Judge Dlamini: Dont insult them. Nxumalo: The court is saying I am lazy because I am the one who deals with extradition applications in the office of the DPP. Judge Dlamini: My experience is that there is nothing cumbersome with the relevant law in place. Meanwhile, Advocate Mabila submitted that there was a difference between a fugitive and a wanted person. This after Nxumalo averred that MP Mduduzi Simelane was a fugitive from justice. Mabila: He is not a fugitive but a wanted person. There is a difference between the two. Nxumalo: It was common cause that Magawugawu was not in court. Judge Mumcy Dlamini: Is it common cause that they (Mabuza and Dube) will follow in his footsteps? Nxumalo: Yes My Lady. Judge Dlamini: It is not in your answering papers. Nxumalo: I concede but the court should consider that the other accused (Magawugawu) is not in court. Judge Dlamini: That point is neither here nor there. You cannot make your case along the way because you deny the other party a chance to answer. MBABANE Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube yesterday offered to provide a combined E1 million on top of whatever amount the court may order them to pay as sureties, which is forfeitable. Each of the Members of Parliament (MPs) is prepared to put up E500 000 surety from the pension that they are entitled to as MPs. This would be on top of any other sureties and payable cash that they may be ordered to provide for their release. Their representative, Advocate Mduduzi Tsotsi Mabila, who was instructed by Sifiso Jele of SM Jele Attorneys, told the court during the hearing of their bail application yesterday that the money would be paid from the duos pension scheme in Parliament. Mabila said the Crown would not have a problem with that. However, when Mabila made this submission, Judge Mumcy Dlamini said the advocate was raising a new issue which was not canvassed in the papers filed in court in respect of the matter. Deliberated The issue of the pension was no longer deliberated upon any further. In the case of Maxwell Dlamini, which was decided in the Supreme Court, he paid E15 000 and had been charged for contravening the Suppression of Terrorism Act and Subversive Activities Act. Mabuza and Dube have also been charged under the Suppression of Terrorism Act of 2008 as well as breaching COVID-19 regulations; the latter charge being faced by Mabuza alone. The Crown is opposed to Mabuza and Dube being granted bail on the basis that it claimed they were likely to disturb public order, undermine public peace, evade trial, interfere with Crown witnesses, commit similar offences and jeopardise public confidence in the justice system. Mabila said the Crowns argument that nothing could prevent the two from selling their businesses and leaving the country to re-establish new lives outside Eswatini did not hold water. The advocate said the Crown did not bring facts to support their argument. He said the Crown made bare allegations. In the Crowns papers, there is no flesh. It is just bones. Their flight risk allegation cannot stand. It falls away, said the advocate. He further submitted that the two would not interfere with witnesses as claimed by the State. According to Mabila, it was strange that the accused persons had not been provided with a list and statements of witnesses by the Crown and wondered how they could possibly interfere with people they did not know. Witnesses The Crown, according to Mabila, said they would provide them with the list of witnesses during the pre-trial. They do not know right now who the witnesses are. Mabila informed the court that the State did not say that statements were recorded with people from Hosea and Ngwempisi. He said the Crown only made general statements that were not substantiated. They are asking too much from the court. Nothing controverts the accused persons submissions in their bail application, said Mabila. The Crown submitted in its papers that it had evidence in the form of videos and recordings to prove that the two committed the offences and that its case was watertight against the MPs. However, Mabila noted that bail hearings had been turned into trials. He said the strength of the case of the State was immaterial. He argued that the determining factors in bail were interest of justice to grant an accused person bail, an enquiry if they might flee or endanger public order.Bail has nothing to do with the guilt or otherwise of an accused. Judge Dlamini said: Absolutely. Mabila said it was not stated what the video recordings showed and recordings contained. He argued that if the Crown said it had a strong case and bail should not be granted on those basis, then no one would be granted bail. He also pointed out that Mabuza and Dube faced up to 15 years for allegedly contravening the Suppression of Terrorism Act of 2008. He compared it to murder which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years. Hasnt the court not granted persons accused of murder bail? 25 years is stiffer than 15 years. Why shouldnt these two (MPs) not be granted bail? asked Mabila. The fact that they face the possibility of 15 years in prison cannot be held against them not to be granted bail. As long as it is in the interest of justice to release them on bail, they should be granted bail. I wont deal with the other charge (contravening the COVID-19 regulations) because a magistrate who is appointed today can deal with that. Submission According to Mabila, the Crowns submission that the MPs would endanger public safety if released and that certain officials are receiving death threats, could not stand. Mabila said Mabuza and Dube were in custody and had nothing to do with the alleged threats. He pointed out that the nature of the threats had not been mentioned. To release the pair, according to Mabila, would restore societys confidence in the criminal justice system, unlike the Crowns submission that the public would lose confidence in the justice system. That is an absurd submission. Instead, society will have confidence in the justice system. Everyone will know that in Swaziland (Judge Dlamini corrected the advocate to say Eswatini) a person is not pre-convicted. Their release will boost the publics confidence in the justice system. Mabila said society, instead, expected the MPs to be punished if found guilty during trial. Regarding the argument that Mabuza locked himself in his car for an hour and a half, Mabila said police would have used force to remove him from the car. He said, however, in his papers Mabuza told the court that he cooperated and the police were professional in their work. Mabila also pointed out that the Crown had the onus to prove that the two should not be granted bail. However, the Crown argued otherwise. The advocate further said the court could enquire as to whether policing methods to ensure that they did not interfere with Crown witnesses if granted bail. You say the court should impose policing methods? asked the judge. Mabila said in murder and other cases, the accused was granted bail and directed to find an alternative place of abode. To extradite an accused if granted bail, the Crown said its success rate was minimal. Mabila said in the case of Senzo Motsa, the Crown submitted that they would have caught Mosta since we live in a global village despite that he surrendered himself. The judge said she realised that the Crown was hot on his heels and he surrendered himself. Judgment in the matter has been reserved indefinitely. The Turkmen-Azerbaijani joint working group on implementation of an intergovernmental memorandum on joint development of hydrocarbon resources at Dostluk (friendship) field in the Caspian Sea held a meeting in Ashgabat. The delegation of Turkmenistan was headed by the State Minister, Chairman of the Turkmengaz State Concern Batyr Amanov. The delegation of Azerbaijan was led by the Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan, Perviz Shahbazov. The sides discussed issues relating to preparation of a bilateral intergovernmental agreement, as well as attracting contractors and investors to the exploration and development of the resources of the Dostluk deposit. In particular, it was noted that earlier the sides reached an agreement on partnership in this project with the Russian oil and gas company Lukoil. A memorandum of understanding between the governments of Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan on the joint development of hydrocarbon resources of Dostluk field in the Caspian was signed in Ashgabat on 21 January 2021 by the heads of the foreign ministries of the two countries. TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2021 Fourth Indo-Pacific Business Forum to be held in October New Delhi, Jul 29 (UNI) The fourth annual Indo-Pacific Business Forum (IPBF) that takes forward the vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific will be held in October this year. The US, in partnership with the government of India, the US Chamber of Commerce, the Confederation of Indian Industry, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC), is sponsoring the fourth Indo-Pacific Business Forum (IPBF), on October 28-29. The online event will have a schedule that ensures participants from across the Indo-Pacific can all participate, the US State Department said in a statement. The IPBF advances a vision for an Indo-Pacific region that is free, open, and inclusive. Government and business leaders from the United States, India, and across the Indo-Pacific region will exchange ideas through interactive discussions organized around three broad themes: Economic Recovery and Resilience; Climate Action; and Digital Innovation, it said. Participants will be able to explore regional government and business partnerships and commercial opportunities. The IPBF will showcase high-impact private sector investment and government efforts to support market competition, job growth, and high-standard development for greater prosperity and economic inclusion in the Indo-Pacific, it said. UNI RN SHK2056 ELIZABETH URBAN is News Editor for The Vidette. Urban can be contacted at emurba1@ilstu.edu. Follow Urban on Twitter at @eliizabethurban. IF YOU SUPPORT THE VIDETTE MISSION of providing a training laboratory for Illinois State University student journalists to learn and sharpen viable, valuable and marketable skills in all phases of digital media, please contribute to this most important cause. Thank you. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Street Art Walk A Street Art Walk was held by Gibraltar Cultural Services on the 28th July as part of the summer programme offering. The Tour was led by the Development Unit and was free to attend. Those who attended were guided around some of the murals and the tour included meeting Eleanor Taylor Dobbs who is one of the artists involved in the creation of two murals which forms part of the project for the Governments urban renewal programme. Those on the tour also visited the Mario Finlayson National Art Gallery at the City Hall to see the original works of Gustavo Bacarisas. The artist was inspiration for many of the murals around town, in particular Castle Steps where he grew up. They are based on his series of lunettes which he painted for the Cecil Hotels Ballroom in Gibraltar, one of which you can see on show at the Gallery. The tour lasted two hours visiting ten different murals. The younger members of the tour were provided with activity sheets to engage with the artworks. These included learning about the artists, their murals and designed their own street art on paper. The group was provided with a Street Art Walk map to explore more locations on their own. These can be downloaded online at www.culture.gi Joshua Jackson has found it healing to move into his childhood home after his tough upbringing. The Dr. Death star was born in Vancouver but raised in Topanga, California, until he was eight, before moving back to Vancouver following his parents divorce. Joshua eventually bought the Topanga home he lived in as a child in 2001, and currently lives there with his wife, Jodie Turner-Smith, and their 15-month-old daughter Janie. Speaking about buying the home, he said: My father unfortunately was not a good father or a husband and exited the scene, but that house in Topanga was where everything felt simple, so it was a very healing thing for me to do. Janie now sleeps in her fathers childhood bedroom, and Joshua says he was amazed his room looked the same as it did when he lived there. He added: There was a mural of a dragon on the wall in that room that I couldnt believe was still there, years later. The owner [who sold him the house] said, I knew it meant a lot to somebody and that they were going to come back for it some day.' The 43-year-old star also said becoming a father himself has changed his priorities in every possible way. He said: Its 100 per cent changed how I approach my work and my life. That has been made so clear to me in this past year. For me to feel good about what Im doing day to day, my family has to be the central focus. And Joshua admitted being at home with his wife and daughter amid the COVID-19 pandemic has made him realise how hard it can be for new fathers to head off to work so soon after welcoming a child. He told Mr. Porter magazine: I now recognise how perverse the way that we have set up our society is. There is not a father I know who works a regular job who didnt go back to the office a week later. Its robbing that man of the opportunity to bond with his child and spend time with his partner. Fort Polk, LA (71446) Today Cloudy early, then off and on rain showers for the afternoon. High 84F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Jury Convicts Man of Enticing Minor for Sex By West Kentucky Star Staff PADUCAH - A man from Muhlenberg County was convicted Friday on a federal sex crime charge.The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Kentucky says a jury convicted 29-year-old Dustin R. Stone of Greenville of attempted enticement of a minor for sex by a registered sex offender. He'll be sentenced on December 9, and will receive a mandatory minimum sentence of twenty years in prison without parole.Stone was arrested November 21, 2018 after he came to Paducah believing he was going to meet a 13-year-old girl to have sex, but he had been communicating through phone calls and text messages with undercover Paducah Police Detectives. He was already on the sex offender registry due to a 2014 conviction on similar charges in Muhlenberg County.On the Net: Paducah Public Schools Releases Reopening Plan By West Kentucky Star Staff PADUCAH - Paducah Public Schools released its back-to-school plans Friday, announcing a return to in-person instruction.In a press release, school officials say they believe in-person learning is best for their students. For the 2021-2022 school year beginning on August 18, they are welcoming students back for five days a week of in-person instruction.To ensure they have a flexible plan that allows for the school system to adjust to local, state, and national COVID rates throughout the school year, they will utilize a three-tiered response plan.Under level 1, Students, staff, and parents will have the option of wearing masks at the schools and on district property, regardless of vaccination status. Masks will be required on school buses, per a CDC order. Community health and safety data will be monitored, and if positive cases increase inside a classroom, campus, or across the district, decisions to require masks will be made accordingly.Parents are asked to screen students before allowing them to leave for school. The school district will adhere to maintaining three feet of distancing when possible, and staff will continue the COVID-19 cleaning regimen in all schools.Level 2 incorporates all of the strategies from level 1, with an additional adjustment. All students and staff who are not vaccinated will be required to wear a mask or face covering at school and on district property.Level 3 requires all students and staff to wear a mask or face covering at school and on district property regardless of vaccination status.You can see the entire reopening plan by clicking here.On the Net: Paducah Shooting Suspect Arraigned By West Kentucky Star Staff PADUCAH - A man involved in a shooting in Paducah in June was arraigned in court this Thursday.The McCracken County Circuit Court Clerk said 29-year-old Stanley D. Crume of Cairo, Illinois was arraigned and entered a not guilty plea in charges from a shooting incident in June. His pretrial conference is set for September 27.On June 13 Paducah Police officers were called to multiple reports of shots fired in the area of Glenwood Drive. No injuries were reported, but one home on Glenwood Drive was struck by gunfire.Officers allege that Crume was looking for someone related to 20-year-old Darrius White, who was killed in the Colony Drive shooting on June 8. Crume reportedly produced a handgun, and an argument ensued. Authorities say that Crume then fled and fired multiple shots as he ran.Crume was arrested later in the week after turning himself in. He is charged with five counts of first-degree wanton endangerment. Police Name Suspect in Crabtree Murder By West Kentucky Star Staff PADUCAH - Paducah police have named a suspect in the shooting death of Justin Crabtree and are seeking the publics help in finding him.The Paducah Police Department says 25-year-old Areion T. Jones of Bowling Green is wanted for the murder of Crabtree and they consider Jones to be armed and dangerous.Officers were called early in the morning on Thursday July 22 to a home on North 12th Street, where they found Crabtree had been shot. He was taken to a local hospital, then transferred to a Nashville hospital for treatment where he died later that afternoon.Police detectives learned there was an argument between Crabtree and two others behind a home on North 13th Street before the shooting. They say Crabtree returned to his home after the argument where he was shot as he stood outside.Police say the investigation is ongoing and they are asking people to contact 911 immediately if they come in contact with Jones.Jones is being charged with a warrant with murder and possession of a handgun by a convicted felonAnyone with information about Jones whereabouts is asked to call the Paducah Police Department at 270-444-8550. Information also may be provided anonymously through West Kentucky Crime Stoppers by texting WKY and your tip to 847411 (tip 411) or by downloading the app WKY Crime Stoppers from the Apple Store or Google Play. Tipsters also may access the online tip form through the City of Paducah website at http://paducahky.gov/west-ky-crime-stoppers. Information leading to an arrest or indictment may result in a reward of up to $1,000. Florida Man Arrested on DUI, Drug Charges By West Kentucky Star Staff MCCRACKEN COUNTY - A traffic stop in McCracken County Thursday night led to the arrest of a Florida man on DUI and drug charges.McCracken County deputies were dispatched to Old Said Road for a possible intoxicated driver. A caller told dispatchers a man drove through the backyard of a home and nearly drove over an embankment.At the scene, deputies located 19-year-old Joshua Hayden of Tampa. Deputies say it was determined he was under the influence of an unknown intoxicant, and a strong smell of marijuana was allegedly coming from his vehicle.A search of the vehicle reportedly uncovered a Xanax bar in the driver's seat and a backpack containing approximately 1.5 pounds of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and cash.Hayden was arrested and charged with DUI second offense (aggravated), trafficking in marijuana, possession of a controlled substance, and drug paraphernalia.He was taken to the McCracken County Jail. McCracken County Deputies Recover Stolen Vehicle By West Kentucky Star Staff MCCRACKEN COUNTY - A traffic stop early Friday morning led to the arrest of a Tennessee man after authorities determined the vehicle had been stolen.McCracken County deputies stopped the vehicle at 1:47 a.m. for alleged traffic violations.After running the registration through dispatch, they could not verify a record of the vehicle through NCIC. Deputies say the passenger, 42-year-old Vernon Edward Harrell of Kenton, claimed ownership of the vehicle.The driver, 43-year-old Monica Wilson, and Harrell reportedly appeared nervous while speaking with authorities. As deputies continued their investigation, they say a meth pipe was located on the vehicle's passenger side.Deputies then ran the VIN through NCIC, which revealed the vehicle was stolen out of McKenzie, Tennessee. The McKenzie Police Department was notified and reportedly verified the vehicle was stolen. Authorities say Harrell then admitted to being in possession of the stolen vehicle.Harrell was arrested and charged with receiving stolen property under $10,000, possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was taken to the McCracken County Jail.Wilson was issued a citation for traffic violations and released. LaCenter Man Faces Drug Charges after Traffic Stop By West Kentucky Star Staff BALLARD COUNTY - A LaCenter man was arrested early Friday morning on drug charges during a traffic stop.The Ballard County Sheriff's Office says deputies stopped an eastbound vehicle on Kentucky Avenue at 12:31 a.m. for traffic violations. During the investigation, deputies reportedly found a bag of suspected methamphetamine on the driver, 38-year-old Caesare Robinson.Robinson was arrested and booked into the Ballard County Detention Center on charges of possession of a controlled substance, driving on suspended or revoked license, failure of non-owner to maintain required insurance, no registration plates and no registration receipts. Marshall County Lays Out School Return Plan By West Kentucky Star Staff MARSHALL COUNTY - Marshall County Schools has laid out its plans for returning to school on August 5.New Superintendent Steve Miracle shared the highlights of the schools' return plans in a letter.The school district says school will be held in-person five days a week, but teachers may hold class outdoors as weather permits. The school says they will have MC Academy to provide a virtual option for students in grades 6-12. This means that the student will be enrolled in MC Academy, not their home school.Like other schools in the region, they will not require masks to be worn indoors or outdoors, but students and staff are encouraged to make their own decisions concerning mask use and anyone wishing to wear a mask is welcome to do so. However, masks are required on school buses.The school says they will not require physical social distancing of three feet, but will use physical distance as much as possible in classrooms. They will be cleaning once a day and will modify water fountains so that only the water bottle filling station is available for use.For more information read the plan here:On the Net: Celebrate Farmers During KY Farmers Markets Week By West Kentucky Star Staff FRANKFORT - Kentuckians are urged to celebrate Kentucky Farmers Markets Week by getting out and supporting Kentucky farm families who bring fresh farm products to the public.Farmers Markets Week is August 1-7 and salutes the 173 farmers markets in Kentucky, and more than 2,900 vendors offering products for sale.Local farmers' markets are listed this summer in Paducah, Murray, Mayfield, Benton, Marion, La Center, Princeton, Cadiz, Clinton, and Kuttawa.With reported sales of nearly $13.5 million last year, farmers markets are an economic engine that celebrates the states agricultural roots and brings the farm to Kentuckys consumers.Next week, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and Community Farm Alliance will have a series of events across the state to celebrate. Democratic Voter Registration Declines, GOP Up By West Kentucky Star Staff FRANKFORT - After two months of small increases in Kentucky's voter registration, the numbers have now declined according to Secretary of State Michael Adams.While 5,465 new registrations were logged, 5,880 registrations were canceled 4,000 deceased voters, 1,236 voters who moved out of state, 374 felony convicts, 249 judged mentally incompetent, and 21 voters who voluntarily de-registered.Democratic registrants represent 46.3 percent of the electorate with 1,649,790 registered voters. Democratic registration dropped by 2,279 since May 31, a 0.14 percent decrease.Republican registrants total 1,576,259, or 44.2 percent of voters. Republicans saw an increase of 1,010 registered voters, a rise of 0.06 percent from May 31. In addition, 9.4 percent of voters, 333,912, are listed under other affiliations, which saw an increase of 854 registrants since May 31, a 0.26 percent climb. Governor: Student Masks Better than Virtual Class By Kentucky News Network FRANKFORT - Gov. Andy Beshear says the Delta variant is going to continue to spread, so we must take action now.Beshear cited an exploding number of cases in summer camps, and says Delta will spread through classrooms, and quarantines are a possibility.If that happens, he said parents will have to miss work to help kids at home, so its better for kids to wear a mask at school versus being at home, staring at a screen.Health commissioner Dr. Steven Stack says he is now recommending that K-12 schools require universal indoor masking.Stack said, "We have changed in the blink of an eye from a quiet, calm state to a horribly inflamed state."While he's not necessarily begging people to be vaccinated, Stack said he's wondering why folks wouldn't want to be protected from the virus.He said, "Ninety-five of all of our cases are unvaccinated since March 1, 92 percent of all of our hospitalizations are unvaccinated, and 89 percent of all of our deaths are unvaccinated."Beshear says he is not currently considering reinstating the mask mandate for everyone, and he's not considering requiring vaccinations for state employees.Some GOP state officials have said they won't enforce Beshear's mask mandate he put in place Wednesday for state workers. State Officials Refuse to Enforce Virus Mask Rules By The Associated Press FRANKFORT - Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has defended his mask requirement for state workers, brushing off criticism by GOP officials who said they won't enforce the mandate in their offices.The Kentucky governor said Thurdsay he can't discipline state workers in those offices for not following the mandate. But he warned they face a much higher likelihood of contracting COVID-19 without a mask.Beshear issued the order Wednesday amid a statewide surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by the highly contagious delta variant.Federal guidance recommends people in areas with substantial spread of COVID-19 wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status. Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-29 18:12:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic waves to Chinese workers as he walks on the Peljesac Bridge to attend a ceremony marking the connection of the bridge near Komarna of southern Croatia, July 29, 2021. The final piece of steel box girder for the Peljesac Bridge in southern Croatia was lifted and welded with the main structure on late Wednesday night. The 2.4-km cable-stayed bridge over the Mali Ston Bay of the Adriatic Sea connects Croatian mainland and the Peljesac Peninsula of its southernmost Dubrovnik-Neretva County, bypassing a short strip of Bosnian and Herzegovina's territory. (Xinhua/Gao Lei) KOMARNA, Croatia, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The final piece of steel box girder for the Peljesac Bridge in southern Croatia was lifted and welded with the main structure on late Wednesday night. The 2.4-km cable-stayed bridge over the Mali Ston Bay of the Adriatic Sea connects Croatian mainland and the Peljesac Peninsula of its southernmost Dubrovnik-Neretva County, bypassing a short strip of Bosnian and Herzegovina's territory. The bridge, giving Croatia its long-awaited territorial continuity and traffic convenience, will be open to traffic next year when all access roads and relevant constructions are finished. A Chinese consortium led by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) won the bid to build the first phase of the Peljesac Bridge and its access roads in 2018, with a promise to finish the job in 36 months. "The CRBC performed a marvelous job. We are now witnessing a physical linkage of the bridge three months ahead of the planned deadline despite the COVID-19 and the difficulties in the transport from China to Croatia. I think it is a fantastic achievement," Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic told Xinhua at the construction site on the Peljesac Peninsula ahead of a ceremony marking the connection shortly after midnight on Thursday. "Politically it is great, economically it is fantastic ... but also it brings together three actors: Croatia, European Union and China," Plenkovic commented on the EU-funded project. "Tonight we have achieved a goal that solves a 300-year-old problem. It is a fascinating strategic achievement of the Croatian people and state and a picture of modern sovereignty that defines how to achieve strategic national interests and what has been the goal of the Croatian people and state for years," the prime minister said in his speech during the ceremony. The ceremony was also attended by Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic and several ministers, as well as many former and incumbent officials. Hundreds of guests, members from the media, and representatives from the contractor and its subcontractors were also at the scene, a rare occurrence in this part of Croatia. Some local residents came near the bridge in their small boats to witness and celebrate the historic moment. Fireworks sponsored by the Chinese contractor highlighted the end of the ceremony at around 1:00 a.m. (GMT 0000) on Thursday, followed by another firework show by exhilarated people of the village of Komarna on the mainland-side of the bay. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 00:03:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Tourists enjoy fresh air at a tourist attraction in Wulingyuan District of Zhangjiajie, central China's Hunan Province, May 1, 2021.(Photo by Wu Yongbing/Xinhua) CHANGSHA, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Zhangjiajie, a famous tourist city in central China's Hunan Province, planned to close all its tourist sites on Friday morning after the recent resurgence of COVID-19 case in the city. Zhangjiajie started massive nucleic acid testing in three regions on Wednesday, said Wang Jianghua, director of the municipal health commission, at a press briefing Thursday evening. As of 6 p.m. Thursday, over 226,000 people had samples taken from them, and more than 120,200 tests had been completed, with one positive result, added Wang. The person with the positive testing result was later diagnosed as a confirmed COVID-19 case on Thursday. In the past days, several Chinese cities reported a spike in COVID-19 infections. Several of them had travel histories to Zhangjiajie. Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 08:15:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Joe Biden announced Thursday that all workers hired by the U.S. federal government are required either to prove that they have been vaccinated against COVID-19, or to submit to a series of vigorous safety protocols. In an effort to convince those still reluctant to get vaccinated to receive their doses, Biden said during a speech at the White House that unvaccinated people dying from COVID-19 is "an American tragedy." (U.S.-COVID-19-Vaccination) - - - - ROME -- Italy's coronavirus indicators have taken a turn for the worse this week, with the infection rate reaching its highest level since mid-May, while the mortality rate rose after 15 consecutive weeks of declines, according to data from the Ministry of Health. To be sure, the indicators are still relatively strong. On Thursday, the ministry reported 6,171 new infections, the highest one-day figure since mid-May. But that is still far below the daily peaks of more than 25,000 in March and more than 40,000 in November 2020. With 19 coronavirus-related fatalities recorded Thursday, the daily toll has not surpassed 35 registered during the last month. (Italy-COVID-19) - - - - RAMALLAH -- A Palestinian young man was killed on Thursday by Israeli soldiers near the southern West Bank city of Hebron, Palestinian medics and eyewitnesses said. The Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement that Shawkat Awwad, 20 years old, was killed after Israeli soldiers shot him during clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers in the village of Beit Ummar near the city. (Palestine-Israel-Killed-Clash) - - - - ACCRA -- Ghana will introduce a gender-focused alleviation program to enable women to overcome the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Ken Ofori-Atta, the Minister for Finance, on Thursday. Presenting the mid-year review of the 2021 budget to parliament, Ofori-Atta said the initiative would protect the economic well-being of Ghanaian women. (Ghana-COVID-19-Economy) Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 10:22:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KUWAIT CITY, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A strong Chinese military will always be a staunch force for world peace, stability and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, a Chinese defense attache said Thursday. Xue Chuanlai, defense attache of the Chinese Embassy in Kuwait, made the remarks during an online celebration of the 94th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) held by the embassy. Over the past 94 years, the PLA has comprehensively deepened its national defense and military reforms and taken solid steps in its effort to become a strong military with Chinese characteristics, Xue said. The traditional friendship and strategic partnership between China and Kuwait has stood the test of the changing international and regional situations, Xue said. "On the journey ahead, we will enhance our political mutual trust, focus on the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with the Kuwait's Vision 2035, expand the depth and width of pragmatic cooperation, and bring more benefits to the two peoples," Xue added. Fahad Muhammed Al Turaiji, an official from Kuwait's Ministry of Defense, said that the PLA has played an important role since its founding and written a glorious chapter in modern Chinese history. One aspect of the deep cooperation between the two friendly countries is military cooperation, and "we also look forward to more military cooperation between the armies of the two countries," he said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 13:04:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NANJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The recent coronavirus outbreak in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing originated from a flight from Russia, said Ding Jie, deputy director of the municipal center for disease control and prevention, on Friday. So far, the viral genome sequencing of 52 cases in the outbreak showed that the new cases were highly homologous, suggesting the same transmission chain, and all strains were found to be the highly infectious Delta variant, Ding told a press conference. Among them, the genetic sequence of the virus in earlier reported COVID-19 cases among cabin cleaners is consistent with an imported case reported on Flight CA910 arriving in Nanjing from Russia on July 10. It is believed that the cleaners did not strictly follow anti-epidemic guidelines after cleaning Flight CA910 and contracted the virus as a result. The infection further spread to other colleagues, who are also responsible for cleaning and transporting garbage on both international and domestic flights. As of Thursday, Nanjing had reported 184 confirmed cases and one asymptomatic infection case since July 20. Related infections have also been reported in other provinces and municipalities, including Beijing, Sichuan, Hunan and Liaoning. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 14:55:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BUENOS AIRES, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Experts in viral diseases and infectology have highlighted the efficacy of Chinese vaccines against COVID-19 and its new variants. "According to the evidence available so far, vaccines that have been licensed by the World Health Organization (WHO) are effective against all variants in circulation globally," Jairo Mendez Rico, adviser on emerging viral diseases to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), told Xinhua recently. The WHO gave emergency-use approval to the COVID-19 vaccines developed by Chinese companies Sinopharm and Sinovac in May and June respectively. "We need to highlight the notable impact that vaccination has had in reducing mortality, severe cases and hospitalizations, which are fundamental objectives for controlling the epidemic," said the PAHO adviser. "That's why, regardless of the variants in circulation, vaccines -- along with all the public health measures that we already know about, including the use of a mask, physical distancing, isolating cases and quarantining contacts -- continue to be the most efficient way to stop the transmission," he added. He also said that vaccines are not one hundred percent effective, "therefore we will always have several cases of people who are going to get infected, even if they are fully vaccinated." The COVID-19 vaccine developed by Sinopharm is 84 percent effective in preventing deaths caused by the disease, according to a recent report from Argentina's Ministry of Health. The document, titled "Study of the National Vaccination Campaign's Effectiveness in Reducing Mortality from COVID-19 in People aged 60 and over," was prepared by the ministry with cases from the country's 24 provinces during the period from Jan. 1 to June 22. The effectiveness against COVID-19 mortality in the Sinopharm vaccine reached 61.6 percent with the application of the first dose in the 147,908 cases analyzed, and increased to 84 percent after the second dose was applied to the same number of people. Argentina in February authorized the emergency use of the Sinopharm vaccine after Health Minister Carla Vizzotti signed a resolution, an official measure which highlighted the "safety, immunogenicity and efficacy" of the vaccine. In June, Argentina approved the emergency use of the vaccine developed by China's CanSino Biologics. Both the Sinopharm and CanSino vaccines were "effective," Argentine infectious diseases expert Martin Hojman said in a recent interview with Xinhua, adding that their arrival in the South American country was "excellent news." "The Sinopharm has two doses. It is an inactivated vaccine that has proven efficacy and has no adverse effects. It is a safe vaccine," said Hojman. "The CanSino has the advantage of being a single dose, it also has very good efficacy, and can be stored in normal cold (storage) for a long time, so it is an easier vaccine," Hojman added. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 15:48:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Police officers patrol around the High Court of Hong Kong, south China, July 30, 2021. A man was sentenced to nine years in prison on Friday in Hong Kong's High Court after being found guilty of inciting others to commit secession and engaging in terrorist activities. Tong Ying-kit, 24, became the first person jailed for breaching the national security law in Hong Kong that took effect on June 30, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Shen) HONG KONG, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A man was sentenced to nine years in prison on Friday in Hong Kong after being found guilty of inciting others to commit secession and engaging in terrorist activities. Tong Ying-kit, 24, became the first person jailed for breaching the national security law in Hong Kong that took effect on June 30, 2020. Tong rode a motorcycle with a flag bearing a "Hong Kong independence" slogan into police lines in Wan Chai on July 1, 2020, which caused serious injuries to three police officers. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 16:40:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close "China From Above" takes you to World Heritage Sites in China. As the saying goes "until you reach the Great Wall, you are no hero." In this program, we will go to enjoy the beauty of the Great Wall.#China From Above Produced by Xinhua Global Service Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 17:59:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SUVA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Fijian health authorities on Friday confirmed 1,163 new infections over the past 24 hours and six more deaths due to COVID-19. Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary James Fong said all opening businesses have to put forward COVID-safe operational plans approved by the Ministry of Health. Fong said 80 percent of all eligible adults in Fiji have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The ministry of health hopes to fully vaccinate 587,651 Fijians by the end of October, urging Fijians to get fully vaccinated to be safe. "If you've received one dose, come forward for dose number two. And if you are yet to be vaccinated, please do so. We have enough vaccines in country for everyone eligible," said Fong. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 18:05:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DHAKA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The 20th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for foreign college students was held virtually Thursday in Bangladesh capital Dhaka. After three rounds of contests featuring speech, knowledge quiz and talent performance, Poroma Subha Mostafiz from the Confucius Institute of North South University won the first prize with her solid Chinese skills and creative talent performances. She will have the opportunity to represent Bangladesh to participate in the "Chinese Bridge" global finals. Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming said in a speech that China and Bangladesh have supported each other in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, leaving behind many touching stories. He said the door of China will always be open to international students and also encouraged them to actively participate in online learning in Chinese universities. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 19:25:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Two U.S. biology professors have clarified publicly that their signatures on a letter to the Science magazine over COVID-19 origin tracing should not be interpreted as support for the lab-leak hypothesis. Produced by Xinhua Global Service Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 19:35:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Police officers inspect a damaged police van at an explosion site in Peshawar, northwestern Pakistan, July 30, 2021. At least one policeman was killed and two people injured in an explosion in Peshawar, the capital city of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a rescue organization said. The police were shifting a shopkeeper using a police van to a nearby police station upon the shopkeeper's violation of COVID-19 related guidelines when the van was hit by the explosion, Sher Gul from the non-governmental rescue organization Edhi Foundation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa told Xinhua. (Photo by Saeed Ahmad/Xinhua) ISLAMABAD, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A policeman was killed and two others including a passerby and a policeman were injured when an explosion hit a police van in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday, police and rescue teams said. The incident happened in the busy Karkhano Market of the provincial capital Peshawar where some unknown militants targeted the police vehicle, Capital City Police Officer of Peshawar Abbas Ahsan told media after inspecting the site. He said that further investigation into the attack is underway but apparently the blast hit the people sitting in front of the police van when it was on its routine patrolling in the city. Earlier, a rescue organization Edhi Foundation which shifted the injured to the hospital, as well as a police statement said that the cops were targeted when they were launching an operation in the market to ensure compliance with COVID-19 related guidelines. Sher Gul from the Edhi Foundation in the province, told Xinhua that a shopkeeper was being shifted to a police station when the attack was launched. Talking to Xinhua, Station House Officer of Hayatabad area of the city Imtiaz Khan, where the market is located, said that the operation to ensure the guidelines was also underway in the market by another police party, but the attack was launched at the police who patrol around the area at almost the same time every day. He said that initial investigation suggested that the militants hurled a hand grenade at the moving vehicle before fleeing the scene. A search operation is underway in the area to nab the fleeing militants, while further investigation is underway at the site which has been sealed by the investigation teams, he added. No group or individual has claimed the attack yet. The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital where the passerby was discharged after first aid whereas the policeman is in a critical condition, hospital sources told Xinhua. Chief Minister of the province Mahmood Khan condemned the attack and said that the militants cannot deter the resolve of "our forces against the menace of anti-state activities," the chief minister's office said in a statement. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 19:39:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan authorities and conservation partners on Friday announced the successful creation of three additional northern white rhino embryos as efforts to save the iconic herbivore gather steam. Najib Balala, cabinet secretary for tourism and wildlife, said the creation of three healthy northern white rhino embryos, which brought the total number produced so far to 12, marked a milestone in efforts to halt the extinction of the rare species. "With 12 pure northern white rhinoceros embryos so far developed, the project should now focus on the next steps of embryos' transfer into surrogate females," Balala said in a statement issued in Nairobi. A consortium of local and foreign scientists in early July retrieved 17 eggs from one of the remaining female northern white rhino sheltered at Olpejeta conservancy in northern Kenya, and airlifted them to Italy for fertilization. Two embryos were produced using sperm from a deceased northern white rhino bull called Suni and the third one was produced from semen retrieved from another deceased northern white rhino bull called Angalifu who died in 2014 and lived in San Diego, the United States. Scientists hailed the genetic diversity of northern white rhino embryos that have been produced so far, expressing confidence in their ability to transition to healthy calves once they are transferred to surrogate mothers. Kenyan scientists and their counterparts from Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research of Germany and Safari Park Dvur Kralove of the Czech Republic have since 2019 embarked on producing the next generation of northern white rhino species through artificial insemination. Thomas B Hildebrandt, leader of the BioRescue project that focuses on producing the next generation of northern white rhinos, said the transfer of embryos to surrogate mothers will be conducted by the end of 2021. He said two southern white female rhinos that have been identified as surrogate mothers are living at an enclosure within Olpejeta conservancy for enhanced monitoring of their ovulation cycles and ensuring that the transfer of the embryos is seamless. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 20:18:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Sanaa Kamal GAZA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A group of women from the Gaza Strip have been working to produce cosmetic products, using natural ingredients such as parsley, mint, nettle, watercress and roses. The project was funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in partnership with Oxfam International and the NGO Najd Development Forum. The project involves some 40 Palestinian women. Some of them are farming and cultivating the plants needed for the production while others work in a small factory recently opened to produce the cosmetics. Rifqa al-Hamlawi, head of the Najd Development Forum, told Xinhua that the project aims at producing natural beauty products as well as creating job opportunities for local women. "We are providing job opportunities for many Palestinian women who suffer from unemployment and poverty," she added. The project supervisor, Hassan Tammous, spends long hours a day training the women and helping them manufacture these products. Tammous, who works as a lecturer of industrial chemistry at Al-Azhar University, said using natural materials in manufacturing is the way forward worldwide, adding that the Gaza Strip has hundreds of herbal and natural plants that can be suitable for producing natural products. Among the workers in the projects, about 20 women were trained on how to grow herbal, medicinal and aromatic plants, and how to harvest and store them according to international standards. Another group of 20 women were trained on extracting oils from these plants, the aqueous extracts used as an essential ingredients in making these cosmetic items. They are able to produce 15 kinds of products now, including shampoo, conditioner, creams, hair oils and others. Nevin al-Khudari, a woman from the Gaza Strip, expressed her happiness in joining this "pioneering" project, which helped her learn a new skill. "I graduated from university years ago, but I couldn't find any job. So, I joined this project to learn how to make cosmetics from natural plants in addition to securing a source of income that helps me with the daily expenses," the 45-year-old mother of four told Xinhua. The case is not much different for Doula Marouf, a Palestinian farmer from Beit Lahia, located in the north of the Gaza Strip. The 53-year-old mother of 12 cultivates aromatic, herbal, and natural plants. "In the past, I could hardly make 5 U.S. dollars a day, but today, because of this project, I earn about 30 U.S. dollars a day, which helps me provide money for my family," the woman told Xinhua. The women produce between 200-500 packages of cosmetics daily. These products are marketed through social networks such as Facebook and Instagram, in addition to some pharmacies. According to the project's organizers, the price of each package is 5 to 8 U.S. dollars. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 20:29:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KUWAIT CITY, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait prepares to receive vaccinated expatriates from Aug. 1, the Ministry of Health said Friday. Abdullah Al-Sanad, spokesman of the ministry, said in a press statement that Kuwait Airport will allow the return of fully vaccinated expats starting Aug. 1 according to the decision of the government. The ministry's team will check the vaccination certificates of travellers vaccinated outside the country, he added. The spokesman asked vaccinated expats who will return to Kuwait to upload their vaccination certificates on the ministry's website for confirmation. According to the decision of the Kuwaiti government, arrivals must present the result of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours before departure. When they land in Kuwait, they must be quarantined at home for seven days. If they want to end the quarantine early, they must have a negative PCR test result on the third day. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 20:31:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Brunei reported three new imported COVID-19 cases on Friday, bringing the national tally to 336. According to Brunei's Ministry of Health, two of the new cases are among the 18 crew of a ship that left Singapore on July 4 and arrived in Brunei on July 9, which means that 15 out of 18 ship crews have been tested positive and three more crews are still undergoing quarantine. The other one case arrived in Brunei from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 16. Contact tracing has found no close contacts for this case. There are currently 55 active cases being treated and monitored at the National Isolation Center. One patient has been admitted to the Intensive Case Unit for monitoring while the rest are in a stable condition. With the detection of the new cases, a total of 195 imported cases have been confirmed since the last local infection case on May 6, 2020. Brunei has recorded 450 days without local COVID-19 infection cases. Brunei also reported one more recovery on Friday. There have been a total of 278 recovered patients and three deaths reported from COVID-19 so far in the country. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 21:20:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close -- Some observers worry that Washington is trying to turn the scientific process into power politics and disinformation warfare aimed at containing China's development. -- Many experts fret that the international public health agency is yielding to political pressure from the United States and some other countries trying to discredit the findings of the first-phase origin-tracing probe. -- With more scientists speaking out against politicizing the origin-tracing of COVID-19, it has dawned on many that the lab-leak theory is not only flawed, but typical of Washington's maneuvering to drag other countries into political quagmires. BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing origin-tracing of SARS-CoV-2, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus behind the still raging COVID-19 pandemic, has for long suffered great political pressure from the United States and some other countries. Concerns are mounting that the probe, which should be left to scientists, has been hijacked by those countries for a political game to cover up their own failures to address the public health crisis. Some observers also worry that Washington is trying to turn the scientific process into power politics and disinformation warfare aimed at containing China's development. POLITICAL MANIPULATION In a recent global poll conducted by the CGTN Think Tank, an affiliate of China Global Television Network (CGTN), 80 percent of the surveyed believe the issue of COVID-19 origin-tracing has been politicized. The United States, which many analysts have found is becoming increasingly anxious about its hegemonic power and belligerent in its China policy, is the major driving force in politicizing the probe. In early 2020, at the initial stage of the pandemic, with China sharing valuable information with the world in a timely manner and acting swiftly and responsibly to limit the spread of COVID-19, the White House repeatedly praised China for its effective response. However, as infections and deaths surged in the United States, putting then President Donald Trump and his administration under increasing scrutiny and criticism, Washington's stance took a U-turn. Trump, who was seeking re-election that year, began to resort to racist and xenophobic rhetoric to galvanize his supporters and shift blame. He went so far as to pull the United States out of the World Health Organization (WHO). A full-blown scapegoating campaign against China ensued, with Trump and other senior officials hyping lab-leak and other unsubstantiated theories in disregard of common sense and even the conclusion of U.S. intelligence agencies. Though the United States rejoined the WHO after Joe Biden took office early this year, it has continued to stoke up the lab-leak hypothesis for political purposes. In a jarring statement in May that confounded scientists across the world, Biden ordered the U.S. intelligence community to produce a report on the origin of COVID-19 within 90 days. Photo taken on March 30, 2021 shows an exterior view of the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. (Xinhua/Chen Junxia) Matthew Kavanagh, director of the Global Health Policy & Politics Initiative at Georgetown University, pointed out that if the aim of Biden's report was finding a scientific explanation of the COVID-19 origin, he would have tasked health institutes instead of intelligence agencies. "This tells us that this is a political and an intelligence story: not a story mostly about science," Kavanagh recently told U.S. magazine Rolling Stone. "And so we should understand the picture in that sense, and not be naive about it," Kavanagh added. "We're in a place where politics is driving people's scientific understanding in a dangerous way." SCIENTISTS UNDER PRESSURE After a 28-day joint origin-tracing study earlier this year by over 30 experts from the WHO and China in Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the disease was first reported, the WHO is now mulling over how to proceed with the next phase. Many experts fret that the international public health agency is yielding to political pressure from the United States and some other countries trying to discredit the findings of the first-phase probe. The Wuhan mission ended with a report concluding that transmission of the coronavirus through an intermediate host is the most likely scenario and that a laboratory incident is "extremely unlikely." Experts attend a WHO-China joint origin-tracing study press conference held in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 9, 2021 shows. (Xinhua/Cheng Min) That finding clearly does not mesh with Washington's politically charged narrative. Immediately following the release of the report, the United States and some of its allies put out a statement to express so-called "shared concern." Earlier this month, the WHO claimed that it was "premature" to dismiss the lab leak theory, a jaw-dropping step back from its previous position. "The findings of the WHO-led investigation in Wuhan into the origins of COVID-19 were quickly discredited because they didn't fit the U.S. narrative," noted Tom Fowdy, a British political and international relations analyst with a primary focus on East Asia. "Relentless pressure from the U.S. has caused the World Health Organization to suggest a second probe into the origin of COVID, focusing on Chinese labs," he said in an article recently published by RT, a Russian news network. Meanwhile, in the United States, scientists who had thrown cold water on the lab-leak theory and insisted on speaking in scientific terms have also faced enormous pressure from fact-twisting politicians and offensive trolling on social media sites. Kristian Andersen, a professor of immunology and microbiology at Scripps Research, a U.S. medical study facility, deleted his Twitter account in June after receiving vicious online attacks following the release of email exchanges between him and White House Chief Medical Advisor Anthony Fauci, also a frequent target of U.S. conservatives throughout the pandemic. In late January 2020, Andersen once wrote to Fauci, a top U.S. infectious disease expert, that he thought some of SARS-CoV-2's features "(potentially) look engineered." Several weeks later, he published a paper in Nature Medicine concluding that the virus was not created in a lab or "purposefully manipulated." During an interview with U.S. news magazine Newsweek this May, the immunologist defended the findings of his paper, stressing that the lab-leak idea was "based purely on speculation" and that he had not found any "credible evidence" to back it up. ULTERIOR INTENTIONS With more scientists speaking out against politicizing the origin-tracing of COVID-19, it has dawned on many that the lab-leak theory is not only flawed, but typical of Washington's maneuvering to drag other countries into political quagmires. Photo taken on April 13, 2021 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Photo by Shen Ting/Xinhua) Ethan Siegel, a U.S. science writer, pointed out in a June blog that there has been a tremendous push in the United States -- largely among politicians -- over the past few weeks to bring "an idea that has largely been circulating among conspiracy theorists, the idea of a lab leak origin for the virus, into the mainstream." The hypothesis has recently regained steam after a Wall Street Journal story cited a so-called "previously undisclosed U.S. intelligence report" to conjure up a far-fetched connection between some "sick staff" of a Wuhan lab and the COVID-19 outbreak. The first writer of the story is discredited U.S. reporter Michael Gordon, who wrote either misleading or downright inaccurate articles about Iraq's alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction in the run-up to the 2003 invasion. Only three days after the story's publication, Biden announced his order to the U.S. intelligence community. This smells of the "classic disinformation two-step" summed up by U.S. reporters Amy Goodman and David Goodman. They pointed out in 2004 that the White House would first leak unsubstantiated or even fabricated information to a U.S. media outlet and then masquerade behind the credibility of the media after it published a bombshell story. "This is nothing but a stupid and unhelpful political move to cover up the United States' attempt to contain China's rise," Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said earlier this week. "A solemn reminder to the U.S. side: In the face of facts, science and justice, political manipulation will gain no support and is doomed to fail," he added. (Video reporters: Zhu Yubo, Yu Lizhen, Gong Ruohan, Pablo Giuliano, Jiang Chao, Ali Jaswal, Tariq Hameed, Yang Yiran, Yu Fuqing; Video editor: Hong Liang) Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 21:49:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TRIPOLI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Friday welcomed the reopening of the coastal road connecting eastern and western Libya after nearly two years of closure. "In addition to other significant confidence-building measures achieved thus far, such as the resumption of flights and the exchange of detainees, the opening of the coastal road is a critical step to further the implementation of the Cease-fire Agreement of Oct. 23 2020 and, equally importantly, to allow the free movement of commerce, humanitarian support and the people of Libya," said Jan Kubis, the UN Secretary-General's special envoy for Libya and head of UNSMIL, in a UNSMIL statement. "The next major step in the Ceasefire Agreement's implementation process is to commence the withdrawal of all mercenaries, foreign fighters, and forces from Libya without delay," he added. The announcement was made following the 11th meeting of the Libyan Joint Military Commission in Sirte, some 450 km east of the capital Tripoli. The coastal road was closed in April 2019 when the east-based army launched a military campaign against the former UN-backed Government of National Accord in and around Tripoli, which lasted more than a year. In October 2020, the rival parties signed a UN-sponsored cease-fire agreement that ended the war. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 22:24:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Refrigerated trucks transporting COVID-19 vaccines are seen at the production base of Sinovac in Beijing, capital of China, July 20, 2021. Over 1.6 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in China as of July 28, the National Health Commission said Thursday. COVID-19 vaccines are sent from Beijing to other parts of the country every day. Lu Yanhui and Liu Si, two drivers of Sinovac Research & Development Co., Ltd., took the task of sending a batch of COVID-19 vaccines from Beijing to Ganzi Prefecture of Sichuan Province on July 20, 2021. They took turns driving, stopping every four hours for a 20 minutes rest to ensure that the vaccines arrive as safely and quickly as possible. "When I'm hungry, I eat snacks on the truck, and sometimes I take a bite at the service area on the expressway," Liu said, holding the steering wheel and staring ahead. "This shipment is not ordinary goods. We dare not delay it for a minute." After nearly 40 hours of driving, Lu Yanhui and Liu Si arrived in Ganzi Prefecture of southwest China's Sichuan Province on time. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang) Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 22:16:48|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING/CHENGDU, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Tsapo, a 75-year-old Tibetan, got up early on Saturday morning to get vaccinated at the disease-control center of Daocheng County, in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. "Except for two little kids, all my family members have been vaccinated," Tsapo said. The vaccine he had was among 19,000 Sinovac vaccines delivered on July 23, having traveled to Garze from Beijing, a distance of 2,000 km, in just three days. As of Wednesday, over 1.6 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in China, and the first-dose and second-dose inoculation rates in Daocheng County were 83.09 percent and 52.71 percent, respectively. At 9:40 p.m. on July 20, Lu Yanhui and Liu Si drove a cold-chain freight truck in shifts to deliver vaccines from Beijing all the way to the southwest plateau in Sichuan Province. "We must ensure a non-stop, timely and safe delivery," Lu said. After about 40 hours of driving, Lu and Liu reached the city of Kangding, Garze, late in the afternoon on July 22. There Huang Liang, a local disease-control center staff member, took over the vaccines and immediately delivered them to counties in need. On a highway to Daocheng County, an important road that connects Tibet with Sichuan, he encountered traffic restrictions due to an accident, but the road was back to normal very soon, so little time was wasted. Huang arrived at Daocheng on the afternoon of July 23. "Garze covers 153,000 square km, with a population of just 1.1 million, so it normally takes about five days to make deliveries, maybe even longer on snowy days." Early on July 24, many residents of Daocheng and its neighboring counties waited in line for their vaccinations. "It is worth getting up early and coming here from over 7 km away, because we've been waiting for this day for a long time," a local resident said. After having their blood pressure taken, submitting their information, and signing their names, they were vaccinated in an orderly manner. At the same time, the center for disease control in Daocheng County was on its way to transport more vaccines to more remote areas. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 22:18:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SYDNEY, July 30 (Xinhua) -- As people in Sydney, Australia's most populous city, are still reeling from a prolonged lockdown due to the persistent COVID-19 pandemic, the country's fight against the deadly pathogen is revealing more defects and flaws. Local scholars and health officials in Australia argued that belated lockdown, uncontrolled local transmission, and lagging vaccination plan are creating more uncertainty over the prospect of the country's anti-COVID efforts and its recovery from the pandemic. LESS EFFECTIVE LOCKDOWN In the state of New South Wales(NSW), as of Friday, while a lockdown is still in place and due to continue until Aug. 28, at the very earliest, there have been 2,980 locally acquired cases in the latest outbreak since June 16. Since the early stages of the outbreak, there has been a heated debate around whether the lockdown should have started earlier. It wasn't until 10 days after recording the first case in the initial cluster that authorities moved on the decision for Greater Sydney and the surrounding areas. Sydney University epidemiologist Professor Alexandra Martiniuk believed the state of NSW had allowed the virus to gain momentum, especially considering how fast the Delta strain can spread. "Unfortunately, the lockdown was slow in its implementation at the very start and remained loose in its restrictions initially," she told Xinhua. Speaking to Xinhua earlier this month, Stephen Leeder, emeritus professor of Public Health and Community Medicine at Sydney University, also agreed that the virulent strain was among the main reasons for the lockdown's limited results, and in his own opinion, that some people have not taken the lockdown as seriously as before. "They have become too blase about it." Last weekend, Australian capital cities including Sydney, saw thousands of protesters taking on the streets for "anti-lockdown," which were blamed to be super spreader events. NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said on Friday that it was possible somebody who had attended the protests had been infectious. LAGGING VACCINE ROLLOUT According to the experts, Australia's slow COVID-19 vaccine rollout has exacerbated the situation. "Concern about the effectiveness of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and indications that there would be access to Pfizer later in the year made many people consider waiting and not being vaccinated right away," Head of Melbourne University's School of Population and Global Health Professor Nancy Baxter told Xinhua. Many critics have accused Australia of putting all of its eggs in one basket when it comes to vaccines, betting large on AstraZeneca. The changing advice on the British-developed shot and a lack of a well-supplied alternative has led many Australians to hold out for shots that aren't there -- this has been especially catastrophic for older Australians. "Sadly, a number of older folk have died during the Sydney outbreak and none were vaccinated despite all being eligible," said Baxter. NSW, as epicentre of the current outbreak, claimed that its Pfizer vaccine supply is running thin, but its request for other states to hand over some vaccines were rejected in the National Cabinet. The federal government's later decision to offer extra vaccines to NSW raised question and criticism from other states. The latest figures from NSW Health show just over 3.7 million doses have been administered since February in a population of more than 8 million. As a nation, Australia has one of the lowest vaccination rates among 38 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development with just over 14 percent of the nation's population fully vaccinated. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison admitted the vaccination challenges and apologised for the rate lagging behind earlier. "I take responsibility for the vaccination program. I also take responsibility for the challenges we've had ... I'm certainly sorry that we haven't been able to achieve the marks that we had hoped for at the beginning of this year," he told media. GLOOMY PATH FORWARD During an interview with national broadcaster ABC, Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg warned the nation could fall into a second recession if the Greater Sydney lockdown failed to contain the COVID-19 outbreak -- citing the fact that the lockdowns are costing the economy an estimated 300 million Australian dollars (about 220 million U.S. dollars) each day. Professor of Economics at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Richard Holden told Xinhua that while the economic impact of the lockdowns was astronomical, it remained the only option given the alternative of the virus spreading in a largely unvaccinated community. "That's the difficult situation we are in," Holden stressed. While the lockdown's crippling impact on the economy and job market can be measured in data, an intangible side of the equation has been its psychological damage. Professor Jill Newby from the UNSW's School of Psychology told Xinhua that being isolated from loved ones and uncertainty around when the lockdown will end will have a significant impact on people's mental health. With the outbreak showing little sign of abating, the likelihood of the lockdown ending on August 28 appears slim. On Friday, there were 170 new locally acquired cases recorded in NSW, at least 42 of which were infectious while in the community. Martiniuk believed it may be too optimistic to expect the lockdown to end within the next month. "Melbourne's lockdown was four months last winter; and this is Delta now meaning it's a harder game." Professor Holden said lift of restrictions could be as late as November. "If it's earlier, that's fantastic ... if we continue on the current track, I think it's pretty hard to see how things could end any time soon." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 22:32:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JERUSALEM, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli-owned shipping company Zodiac Maritime announced on Friday that two crew members on board a Japanese ship operated by the company were killed in an incident on Thursday. A company statement said the dead were a Romanian and British national. According to media reports, the ship was attacked off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea. The nature of the attack is yet unknown, but initially the company said the incident was "a suspected piracy incident." "Details of the incident are still being established and an investigation ... is currently underway," read the statement. The British Marine Trade Operations is investigating the incident. There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials. In recent months, several Israeli and Iranian merchant ships have been targeted in international waters. The incidents have been linked to the ongoing tensions between Israel and Iran. Neither side has claimed responsibility for any of the attacks. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 22:43:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi ordered on Friday the reopening of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, after some 17,000 looted artifacts were recovered from the United States. "With the return of 17,000 Iraqi artifacts ... I ordered the reopening of the Iraq Museum to the public and researchers," al-Kadhimi said on his official Twitter page. On Wednesday, Iraqi Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Antiquities Hassan Nadhim said in a statement that the retrieved tablets date back to 4,500 years ago and bear cuneiform inscriptions documenting the trade exchanges during the Sumerian civilization. On Thursday, al-Kadhimi and his delegation returned to Baghdad after several days of visit to the United States and brought back the 17,000 artifacts. According to the official statistics, about 15,000 pieces of cultural relics from the Stone Age, the Babylonian, Assyrian and Islamic periods were stolen or destroyed by looters after Saddam Hussein's regime was toppled by U.S.-led troops in 2003. The Mosul Museum and ancient cities of Hatra and Nimrud had also been destroyed and large numbers of antiquities were smuggled after the Islamic State militants took control of large territories in northern and western Iraq in 2014. More than 10,000 sites in Iraq are officially recognized as archaeological sites, but most of them are not safeguarded and many still being looted. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 22:50:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LHASA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Kelsang Drolkar and her family's life has become much more convenient since the Fuxing bullet trains started running between Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, and the city of Nyingchi a little more than a month ago. Onboard a green-painted train loaded with passengers heading for Lhasa, Kelsang Drolkar and her 9-year-old son were watching the Olympic Games on her phone. "The railway trip is so relaxing and fast," said the 38-year-old English teacher who lives in Nyingchi. She used to drive more than five hours from Nyingchi to Lhasa to visit her parents-in-law during summer vacation. Officially starting operation on June 25 this year, the Lhasa-Nyingchi railway provided southeast Tibet with access to railway services for the first time in history. With a designed speed of 160 km per hour, the 435-km railway marks the launch of the country's first electrified railroad operating in the plateau region. One of the stops along the line, Nang County, is where Kelsang Drolkar's parents live. It only takes her 1.5 hours from Nyingchi to Nang County by train, about one-third of the time it takes by car. "The new train has brought our family members closer than ever before," said Kelsang Drolkar. The railway not only has made local people's life easier but has also brought more tourists to the area. Zhao Rui from south China's Guangdong Province was on a family trip in Tibet. The six of them flew to Chengdu City in southwest China's Sichuan Province and took a train to Lhasa. They then took the bullet train to Nyingchi just to see how comfortable the train ride would be. "The train is so smooth, I almost forgot I was on the plateau," said Zhao, adding that the carriages were much cleaner than she thought. The bullet trains in Tibet are a customized version for the plateau region. It has continuous oxygen supply equipment inside and can be powered by either internal combustion or electric power. The train is also environment friendly, as its electric traction system discharges no waste gas or dust. "I feel proud of our country's economic strength," said Zhao. Summer is the peak traveling season in Tibet and more than half of the passengers taking the new train are tourists from across the country, said Liu Shuang, head of the crew on the train. The experience of taking the bullet train is part of many tourists' travel schedules, and the six business-class seats are the most popular and are usually sold out the quickest, said Liu. Liu's grandparents worked for the Xining-Golmud section of the Qinghai-Tibet railway, which was completed in 1984. Her parents worked on the project of the 1,142-km Golmud-Lhasa section, built from 2001 to 2006. As the third generation in her family working on railways running in China's vast western regions, Liu believes she has been serving a noble cause just like her grandparents and parents did. "The merit of hard work and the spirit of utter devotion have been passed down from one generation to another," said Liu. "I feel lucky that I can contribute to our country's railway development." The Lhasa-Nyingchi railway is located in the valley between the Gangdise Mountains and the Himalayas on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and over 90 percent of the track sits more than 3,000 meters above sea level. It passes through 47 tunnels and 121 bridges and crosses the Yarlung Zangbo River 16 times. Tunnels and bridges account for about 75 percent of the total length of the railway. Over the past more than six years, over 130,000 workers have been laboring to build the railway. The construction team has overcome multiple challenges including the high temperature of rocks, frequent rock bursts and difficulties in strengthening the subgrade of the railway. With the launch of the service in Tibet, the Fuxing bullet train series is available in all provincial-level regions on the Chinese mainland. From June 25 to July 25, the new train service recorded 106,000 passenger trips, according to the China Railway Qinghai-Tibet Group Co., Ltd. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 23:27:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close People are on their way back to work in Munshiganj on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, on July 31, 2021. Thousands of people, mostly garment workers, Saturday used ferries and even walked to reach back to their places of employment in the industrial belts in and around Bangladesh capital Dhaka as the government decided to allow export-oriented factories to resume production on Aug. 1 amid the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown. (Xinhua) DHAKA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Bangladeshi government has decided to allow export-oriented factories to resume production on Aug. 1 amid the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown, according to a gazette notification issued by the Cabinet Division on Friday. According to the notification, export-oriented factories will remain out of the purview of the lockdown from 6:00 a.m. local time on Aug. 1. Bangladeshi authorities decided to impose a strict lockdown from July 23 to Aug. 5 after relaxing restrictions for a week on the occasion of Eid al-Adha festival which was celebrated here on July 21. Bangladesh reported 13,862 new COVID-19 cases and 212 new deaths on Friday, taking the national tally to 12,40,115 and the death toll at 20,467, the Directorate General of Health Services said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 23:27:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close -- Nanjing, a mega-city with a population of more than 9.3 million in eastern China, has intensified measures to contain the latest COVID-19 outbreak. -- The viral genome sequencing of 52 cases in the recent resurgence showed that the new cases were highly homologous, suggesting the same transmission chain, and all strains were found to be the highly infectious Delta variant. -- To curb the COVID-19 resurgence, Nanjing has launched three rounds of all-inclusive nucleic acid testings and urged residents not to leave the city unless necessary. NANJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Nanjing, a mega-city with a population of more than 9.3 million in eastern China, has launched the third round of all-inclusive nucleic acid testing to contain the latest COVID-19 resurgence that first emerged at the city's airport. On July 20, nine airport cleaners at the Nanjing Lukou International Airport tested positive for the virus during a routine inspection. By Thursday, Nanjing, the capital city of Jiangsu Province, had reported a total of 184 locally transmitted confirmed cases and one local asymptomatic case. A staff member works in a "Falcon" air-inflated testing lab for COVID-19 nucleic acid testing at Nanjing Railway Station in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, July 27, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Bo) So far, the viral genome sequencing of 52 cases in the recent resurgence showed that the new cases were highly homologous, suggesting the same transmission chain, and all strains were found to be the highly infectious Delta variant, said Ding Jie, deputy director of the Nanjing municipal center for disease control and prevention, on Friday. The Delta variant is the fastest and fittest coronavirus strain that "picks off" the most vulnerable people, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in June. TRACKING TRANSMISSION CHAIN The special location of the infections and the highly contagious nature of the Delta variant contributed to the recent surge in infections, said Ding. In addition to a total of 193 locally transmitted confirmed cases and five local asymptomatic cases in Jiangsu by Thursday, new infections were also reported among flight passengers who have visited the airport and their contacts in other parts of China, including the provinces of Guangdong, Sichuan and Liaoning. The Chinese capital Beijing has also reported two locally transmitted confirmed cases of COVID-19. According to the epidemiological investigation, the couple in Beijing had once traveled to Zhangjiajie, a tourist city known for its pillar-like mountains in central China's Hunan Province. From July 26, at least 15 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases had travel history to Zhangjiajie, and some of them were reportedly in contact with cases who had been to the Nanjing airport. Pharmacists of the Jiangning traditional Chinese medicine hospital prepare ingredients to produce traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) decoctions in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, July 27, 2021. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng) Zhang Wenhong, a renowned medical expert in China, said the confirmed cases in other parts of China were basically found among high-risk groups, which are still linked to the chain of transmission related to the Nanjing airport. No community cases were found out of the transmission chain of Nanjing airport, which indicates that the epidemic situation is still under control. INTENSIFYING PREVENTION, CONTROL To curb the COVID-19 resurgence, Nanjing has launched three rounds of all-inclusive nucleic acid testings and urged residents not to leave the city unless necessary. Huang Xiaofeng, a resident in Xuanwu District of Nanjing, went through a nucleic acid test within 15 minutes at a nearby testing site. "I did all three nucleic acid tests here. It was done more and more efficiently," said Huang. Currently, the district has 88 nucleic acid testing sites, including 30 mobile ones, providing testing services for citizens nearby. In order to enhance its nucleic acid testing capabilities, Nanjing has also built six advanced air-inflated testing labs, which can screen up to 1.8 million people every day by using the mixed testing approach. The summertime is normally a travel season for Chinese people, adding the risk of epidemic spread. "It is important to strengthen prevention measures at popular scenic spots, major airports and railway stations," said Wu Anhua, a medical expert with the Xiangya Hospital in Changsha, capital of Hunan Province. A staff member disinfects a COVID-19 nucleic acid testing site in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, July 29, 2021. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng) Zhangjiajie closed all its tourist sites starting Friday morning after the latest infections. As of 6 p.m. Thursday, over 226,000 people had samples taken from them in the city, and more than 120,200 tests had been completed, with one positive result. The infected woman is reported to work for a local travel agency. LEARNING TO COEXIST The Delta variant, which might become the dominant strain over the coming months, has spread to 132 countries and regions, the WHO said this week. According to Qiu Haibo, an intensive care expert in Jiangsu, the Delta variant is a highly infectious form of the virus because patients with the Delta strain have a higher load of nucleic acid. "People infected by this virus strain are often asymptomatic or just have mild symptoms such as muscle soreness and dysosmia," Qiu said. It is important to have good hygiene practices such as wearing masks correctly, washing hands frequently and maintaining social distance, Qiu added. "Most severe patients have some underlying health conditions such as respiratory diseases, diabetes, hypertension or obesity," Qiu said, adding that a national team of experts, including some who once treated cases infected by the Delta variant in Guangdong and Yunnan, are treating the several severe patients in Nanjing. Experts said vaccination is still effective to protect people from the new virus strain. A staff member checks people's nucleic acid test results and health records at Caozhuang toll gate of the Nanjing-Luoyang expressway, near Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, July 25, 2021. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng) "According to previous studies, the infection cases who have not been vaccinated have much higher possibilities of becoming severe patients than those who have been vaccinated," said Bao Changjun with the medical expert team for COVID-19 prevention and treatment of the Jiangsu provincial health commission. Beijing has started carrying out vaccination for people aged 15 to 17 in senior high schools since July 20 and plans to launch vaccination for people aged 12 to 14 in junior high schools in early August, according to Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Zhang Wenhong said that people can still be infected after being vaccinated, but the number of infections could be much higher if they do not get vaccinated. Aerial photo taken on July 27, 2021 shows "Falcon" air-inflated testing labs for COVID-19 nucleic acid testing at a stadium in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Li Bo) "Vaccination is expected to reduce the harm of coronavirus to the level of seasonal influenza by establishing herd immunity in a short period of time," Zhang said. "If there is no vaccine, it may take decades for humans to coexist with the virus while paying a heavy price." "Most virologists in the world agree that this is a virus with which we must learn to coexist. The epidemic in Nanjing further consolidated the claim that there will always be risks of infections in the future," Zhang said. "We need everyone's awareness of prevention and control and the strength of the country's public health system to coexist with the virus," he added. (Reporting by Zhang Zhanpeng, Zhu Xiao, Zhang Yujie, He Leijing, Qiu Bingqing, Ruan Zhouwei, Shuai Cai, Xia Ke, Li Baojie; Video reporters: Ruan Zhouwei, Zhang Yujie, Shuai Cai, Lin Kai, Cao Yanyu; Video editors: Chen Sihong ) Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 23:47:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TRIPOLI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Friday said 226 illegal migrants were voluntarily deported from Libya to their countries of origin. "This week, IOM assisted 226 stranded migrants in Libya to voluntarily return home to Burkina Faso, the Gambia, and Ghana. All were medically screened prior to departure and underwent PCR tests in compliance with mobility restrictions to contain the spread of COVID-19," IOM said in a statement. The Voluntary Humanitarian Return program, run by IOM, arranges the return of illegal immigrants stranded in Libya to their homeland. Libya has become a preferred point of departure for thousands of illegal immigrants who attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach European shores. According to IOM, more than 18,000 illegal immigrants have been rescued at sea and returned to Libya so far in 2021. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 23:50:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Ministry of Health on Friday tightened COVID-19 containment measures, including a ban on public gatherings, amid a new spike in different parts of the country. Mutahi Kagwe, cabinet secretary for Health said a surging caseload in the capital Nairobi and eight other counties necessitated ramping up of mitigation measures to avert strain on local public health facilities. "The number of cases of COVID-19 has in the recent days risen sharply countrywide, signaling an urgent need to review the mitigation measures put in place at the end of June 2021," Kagwe told a televised news conference in Nairobi. He said 13 western Kenyan counties that were late May declared coronavirus hotspots have been recording a sustained decrease in the number of infections and fatalities thanks to the imposition of stringent containment measures. Kagwe said rising infections in Nairobi and counties located in central, eastern and coastal parts of the country were linked to the Delta variant. He said that other measures in addition to a ban on public gatherings include remote work in the public and public sectors. Kagwe said that in-person worship will be limited to one-third of sitting capacity in a given venue while members of the public are encouraged to wear masks, maintain physical distance and observe hygiene to help tame the virus' spread. He said night curfew hours will be observed from 10.00 p.m. to 4.00 a.m. local time countrywide until further notice as the government intensifies vaccination as part of pandemic containment measures. Kagwe urged teachers to be vaccinated to avert disruption of the school calendar. He urged devolved units to install oxygen plants, establish critical care infrastructure, isolation centers besides ramping up testing capacity to boost their resilience in the wake of new COVID-19 upticks. Kenya's COVID-19 caseload rose to 201,954 on Friday after 945 people tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours. According to the ministry of health, about 2.4 percent of Kenyan adults are fully vaccinated as the country intensifies efforts to procure doses from diverse sources. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-31 00:04:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DHAKA -- The Bangladeshi government has decided to allow export-oriented factories to resume production on Aug. 1 amid the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown, according to a gazette notification issued by the Cabinet Division on Friday. According to the notification, export-oriented factories will remain out of the purview of the lockdown from 6:00 a.m. local time on Aug. 1. (Bangladesh-Exported Oriented Factories-Reopening) - - - - NEW DELHI -- Indian Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday urged scientists to speed up the development of COVID-19 vaccine for children, saying that protecting children from the virus should be given priority. Naidu was addressing scientists and staff of the Bharat Biotech International Limited after a visit to its plant in Hyderabad. "The constantly mutating virus poses unforeseen challenges and forces us to find solutions that will save lives and protect livelihoods. We have to individually and collectively contribute to this national and international effort," he said. (India-Vaccine Development) - - - - BANGKOK -- Thailand's plan to reopen the country in mid October is going ahead despite a surge in COVID-19 infections, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said. "The plan is still there. We've been trying every way to clean up our country, though the virus is still around. We hope in the coming few months we can welcome our old friends," said Anutin, who is also the public health minister, in an interview with Xinhua on Thursday. (Thailand-Reopening-Going Ahead) - - - - CANBERRA -- Australian leaders have reached an agreement on vaccination targets required for the country's pathway out of the COVID-19 pandemic as the most populous state New South Wales (NSW) reported 170 new local cases. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Friday night that the National Cabinet, which is composed of the prime minister and state and territory leaders, has "agreed in principle" to a roadmap that will see Australia eventually treat COVID-19 like any other infectious disease. (Australia-Agreement-Vaccination Target) - - - - KABUL -- The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed its concern about escalating violence in and around Kandahar city, capital of the country's southern Kandahar province amidst ongoing Taliban attacks on the city, the mission said Friday. "More than 230 civilians injured since 16 July (in Kandahar city). Numbers likely much higher. Credible reports of scores of civilians killed. Working to establish facts on civilian harm," UNAMA wrote on twitter. (UNAMA-Afghanistan-Concern) Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-31 00:05:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Yang Shilong WASHINGTON, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The arrival of new Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang came "at a critical moment" in U.S.-China relations, experts have said. In his remarks to the media upon arrival in the United States on Wednesday, Qin said he believes "the door of China-U.S. relations, which is already open, cannot be closed. This is the trend of the world, the call of the times, and the will of the people." "In any case, the arrival of Ambassador Qin in the U.S. represents the arrival of a new, modern and risen China that is just as unafraid to seek fair-spirited competition with the U.S. as it is unafraid to speak its mind when confronted with rank unfairness and hypocrisy by the West," Sourabh Gupta, a senior fellow at the Institute for China-America Studies, told Xinhua. "He represents the arrival in DC too of a more internationally-minded as well as politically-minded generation of Chinese diplomats who are unafraid to extend the hand of win-win cooperation but are equally firm in their view that it takes two hands to clap. Relationships don't always have to be symmetric but they must work two ways," said Gupta. Gupta said the "old normal," which featured "a stable mix of cooperation and competition," is "unfortunately no longer fit for purpose in the era of impending strategic parity." "And I, for one, do not automatically take it for granted that U.S.-China relations are destined to succumb to the 'Thucydides Trap'," he added. "To the contrary, my belief is that the two sides will manage to craft a co-existent relationship over the next decade or two -- although the depth of coexistence and the extent of rivalry remains to be accounted for," said Gupta. Robert Lawrence Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation, pointed out Qin's appointment to Washington comes "at a critical moment in the long and circuitous path of U.S.-China relations." Reading Qin's remarks to the media, Kuhn noted "the carefully selected phrase 'mutual exploration, understanding and adaptation.'" "I do not recall this phrase being used before and it sends a positive signal by characterizing current disputations as 'explorations,' as opposed to, say, 'accusations' or 'confrontations.' This, then, requires 'understanding' as an internal process of reassessment, which in return leads to the beneficial action step of 'adaptation,' which is a sophisticated, creative approach to complex issues,'" said Kuhn. "I sense that Ambassador Qin's 'Job One' is to work toward putting a floor under China-U.S. relations, so that it stops getting worse, and his remarks are a thoughtful, balanced step in that direction," Kuhn said. "People from all walks of life are hopeful that U.S.-China relationship will go back to the normal track. I believe Qin will play a very constructive role," said Zhao Quansheng, chair of Asian Studies Research Council at American University. Delivering remarks to the Chinese and U.S. media the first day upon his arrival in the United States, Qin showcased his spirit of hard work, said Zhu Zhiqun, chair of the Department of International Relations at Bucknell University. "He concluded his remarks on a positive note and wished the United States an early victory over the pandemic and wished the American people all the best. It was very warm," said Zhu. Prior to his ambassadorship, Qin served as Chinese vice foreign minister. His predecessor, Ambassador Cui Tiankai, completed his tenure and returned to China on June 23. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-31 00:05:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Emergency Management have earmarked 1 billion yuan (about 155 million U.S. dollars) from the central natural-disaster relief fund to support disaster relief and reconstruction in the flood-hit Henan Province. The funding will mainly be spent on the relocation and living assistance of those people affected by the floods, as well as reconstruction of the damaged buildings. To support flood relief and protect grain security, some 600 million yuan of agricultural-production and water-conservancy relief funding was also allocated Friday, according to the Ministry of Finance. The 600-million-yuan will be used for restoring agricultural production, replanting crops, buying necessary materials for the resumption of production, and repairing water-conservancy projects in disaster-hit regions. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-31 00:28:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WUHAN, July 30 (Xinhua) -- As the 14th Sino-French music festival kicked off in the central Chinese city of Wuhan on Friday evening, French and local artists brought an outdoor music feast for three hours to over 400 people on the site and even more online. In 2020, the annual music festival was canceled due to the COVID-19 epidemic. This year, the concert returned to Wuhan, requiring no tickets but certificates of COVID-19 vaccination and green health codes. GHINZA, a music band from Essonne, France, which became a sister city with Wuhan in 2012, opened the concert via a recorded show in France. "It's so hot today, but the atmosphere was super good. The audiences reacted very well while we were on the stage," said French musician Sebastien Hery, who performed for 45 minutes with his "Djang San + band" at the festival. Hery visited Wuhan once last November, around half a year after the city's 76-day lockdown. Talking about the differences between his recent two visits, he said: "I could feel people here were nervous and had a sense of distance when I was here last time. But tonight, we interacted with each other face to face outdoors, and I love the feeling." Wang Zhiheng, a Wuhan University student, bounced and rocked with the music for hours. "I hope the pandemic is brought under control soon so that I may enjoy more live performances by foreign bands." "I've had two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and I wore my mask for the whole concert, so I'm not worried about attending such an activity," Wang added. The music festival was established in 1982 in France. Taking place in China for over 10 years, the festival was also planned for other Chinese cities this year, including Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-31 01:15:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JERUSALEM, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Israel decided to ban its citizens from traveling to Britain, Georgia, Cyprus and Turkey starting Friday for fear of the high level of COVID-19 morbidity there, the Israeli Ministry of Health and Ministry of Transport said in a joint statement. The country has banned its citizens and permanent residents from traveling to Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, India, Mexico, Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Spain and Kyrgyzstan unless they can obtain special permission from an exception committee. In addition, inbound passengers from these countries, including recovered and vaccinated ones, must enter an immediate seven-day quarantine. Israel has issued a severe travel warning to 18 other countries, from which passengers are required to enter a quarantine upon arrival as well. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-31 01:47:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SOFIA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese and Bulgarian officials highly appreciated bilateral military cooperation at an online reception here on Friday. Senior Colonel Wang Zhuo, Chinese defense attache in Sofia, said that Bulgaria was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, and the friendly bilateral relations between the two countries have continuously made new developments. In recent years, bilateral military relationship has maintained a good momentum of development, Wang said. Exchanges and cooperation have expanded steadily to more areas across different services, he said. "Since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, the armed forces of the two countries have carried out active and effective cooperation," he said. "China's Ministry of Defense provided medical aid materials to the Bulgarian counterpart as soon as possible, explaining the profound friendship of mutual assistance with practical actions," Wang said. Admiral Emil Eftimov, Bulgaria's Chief of Defense, said in turn that Bulgaria "highly appreciates" the established level of bilateral military cooperation. "The Bulgarian side appreciates the cooperation between the Ministries of Defense on current topics on the public agenda, such as the fight against the pandemic of COVID-19," Eftimov said. "In the unprecedented conditions of the medical crisis and the subsequent negative impact on the world economy, the donation of medical supplies and materials made by the Chinese side was an extremely timely act of cooperation," he said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-31 01:48:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ADEN, Yemen, July 30 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed on Friday in an explosion of a landmine laid previously by the Houthi rebels in the country's southern province of Lahj, a government official told Xinhua. The landmine struck three people riding motorcycles in the Qubaita village of Lahj. The explosion destroyed the motorcycles and killed all the three while they were returning from Friday prayers at nearby mosque, the local government source said on condition of anonymity. The pro-government bomb disposal technicians have dismantled and destroyed thousands of mines and explosive devices during the past years in the war-ravaged country. Previous reports of humanitarian organizations suggested that Yemen has become one of the largest landmine battlefields in the world since the World War II. Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern Yemeni provinces and forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa. The Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in March 2015 to support Hadi's government. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-31 02:10:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIRUT, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's first mobile clinic offering free COVID-19 testing and other basic medical services was on Friday launched in capital Beirut by its municipality and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). The clinic will provide free PCR testing and support in contact tracing while referring individuals with other medical conditions to service providers. "It will help us better cope with COVID-19 cases whether from new strains or from community transmission," Beirut Mayor Jamal Itani was quoted as saying by a statement of the UN-Habitat. Lebanon has seen a sudden increase in COVID-19 cases by 40 percent this week because of the arrival of a large number of expats and the absence of proper precautionary measures. According to the Health Ministry, the total number of infections in Lebanon is 560,396 while the death toll stands at 7,903. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-31 03:36:48|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Participants attend the Group of 20 (G20) ministerial meeting at the Colosseum in Rome, Italy, on July 29, 2021. Ministers from the Group of 20 countries on Friday concluded two days of talks on the role of culture in the world, saying that investing in cultural initiatives can be a driver of sustainable economic growth and that they should be a part of future G20 negotiations. (G20 Italy/Handout via Xinhua) ROME, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Ministers from the Group of 20 countries on Friday concluded two days of talks on the role of culture in the world, saying that investing in cultural initiatives can be a driver of sustainable economic growth and that they should be a part of future G20 negotiations. The member states agreed to make culture-related negotiations a permanent part of the G20 going forward, starting with next year's presidency of Indonesia. Member states also agreed to develop national entities to protect cultural sites within their borders and to cooperate to protect vulnerable sites. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi opened the talks Thursday evening at a special event at Rome's Colosseum, telling representatives from the G20 that he was proud that Italy was able to host the culture meeting as part of its presidency of the group of the world's largest economies. "We know that support for culture is a crucial part of relaunching our economy," Draghi said, referring to the global economic slowdown sparked by the coronavirus pandemic. "When the world looks at us, they see art, music, and literature above all else." That is a line taken up in discussions among member states and high-level delegations from 40 cultural delegations in Rome's historic Barberini Palace Friday. According to a statement from the G20, the talks centered on five main areas: the need to protect and promote creativity and culture as an engine of economic growth; safeguarding historical and cultural sites against the risk of natural disasters, environmental degradation, and looting; promoting the use of new technologies to provide more access to the world's cultural riches; building more capacity to navigate cultural sector challenges through specialized training, especially for young people; and developing ways to use cultural heritage to help mitigate and adapt to the challenges of climate change. Dario Franceschini, Italy's minister of culture, said promotion of the G20's cultural priorities required the same kind of global cooperation as confronting the coronavirus pandemic and distributing vaccines. "We meet at a crucial time," Franceschini said. "The pandemic has made our interdependence more evident than ever, illustrating the need for countries to work together and show that global problems require global answers. But it has also shown us how much culture plays a role in our lives." Audrey Azoulay, the director-general for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said she was honored to "advocate for the vital role of culture in post-pandemic recovery policies." The G20 culture talks took place at an important time for Italy, on the eve of the conclusion of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee's 44th session. The committee, which met in Fuzhou, China starting July 16, this week recognized the extensive medieval porticoes of the central Italian city of Bologna as a World Heritage Site. That came days after UNESCO recognized a complex of eight historic clusters of buildings in the northern Italian walled city of Padua as a World Heritage Site and including the Tuscan town of Montecatini Terme among the 11 towns in seven European countries recognized as one of the "great spa towns of Europe." So far, Italy has 58 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, more than any other country. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-31 05:15:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, July 30 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday strongly condemned the attack against a UN compound in Herat, Afghanistan, which resulted in the killing of an Afghan security forces guard and injuries to other officers. Through a statement attributable to his deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq, the UN chief "expresses his condolences to the bereaved family and wishes those injured a speedy recovery." The secretary-general recalled that attacks against UN personnel and premises are prohibited under international law and may constitute war crimes. The secretary-general reiterated the UN commitment to support the government and people of Afghanistan in their efforts to achieve peace and stability. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 20:02:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WINDHOEK, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Namibia's government on Thursday expressed deep concern and disappointment that Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat received credentials from Israel's ambassador, granting Israel observer status at the AU. "Granting observer status to an occupying power is contrary to the principles and objectives of the Constitutive Act of the African Union, particularly at a time when the State of Israel is increasing its acts of oppression in total violation of international law and disregard for the human rights of the Palestinian people," Penda Naanda, executive director of Namibia's Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, said in a statement. "It is also contrary to the firm and solid commitment of the heads of state and government of the AU to support the Palestinian cause, as evidenced in the various declarations adopted at each ordinary session of the assembly. Namibia believes in the two states as a solution to the issues between the State of Israel and Palestine," he said. Therefore, Namibia disassociates itself from granting observer status to Israel, while the reason for Israel's loss of the status remains unchanged, he said. "Namibia maintains that Israel can only regain observer status at the AU on condition that it ceases to occupy Palestine, and grant its people the right to self-determination," he said. Meanwhile, Namibia reaffirms its unwavering support to and solidarity with the Palestinians against the Israeli occupation, and supports the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and independence with East Jerusalem as its capital, he said. "In this regard, Namibia will officially submit its objection/reservation to the chairperson of the AU Commission, in due course," he added. Israel announced on July 22 that it had joined the AU as an observer state after being kept out for two decades, according to Israeli media. Israel previously held observer status at the predecessor Organization of African Unity until 2002, when the organization was dissolved and became the AU. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 21:05:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close GABORONE, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Botswana's copper mining sector is expected to bounce back with the opening of Khoemacau Copper Mine, 72 kilometers from the resort town of Maun, on Friday. The development comes after a five-year lull, and industry experts say Botswana's copper output will surge between 2022 and 2025. Khoemacau Copper Mine, with a capacity to produce 165,000 tonnes of high-grade copper and silver concentrate a year, is expected to contribute about 10.77 billion U.S. dollars to the country's gross domestic product and bring in an estimated 90 million dollars in annual tax revenue during its 22-year lifespan, presidential spokesman Batlhalefi Leagajang said. The project now has 2,800 people on its payroll, and 96 percent of the employees are locals, he said. The opening of the mine is another demonstration of Botswana's commitment to creating a healthy environment for private sector participation in the country's economy, Leagajang said. Last month, Khoemacau Copper Mine produced its first batch of copper silver concentrate at its Boseto plant. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 21:36:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Ndalimpinga Iita WINDHOEK, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese lecturers at the Confucius Institute at the University of Namibia carry on China-Namibia friendship through language teaching. Ji Qingfen, a Chinese lecturer at the institute, always aspired to share linguistic skills with the global community. "It is an unforgettable experience teaching in a country so far away from my homeland. Feeling a quite distinctive culture, meeting with the international students and teaching them our language," she said. She is not the only one. Yang Yujiao has taught Chinese language at the institute since July 2019. "Teaching the Chinese language is a great experience, and I enjoy the process very much," Yang said. The lecturers' efforts are bearing fruits, successively breaking cultural and social barriers. Encounters are reflected in trust and respect for the Chinese lecturers. "When I walked into the classroom, my students said to me 'Ms Yang, hello' in Chinese and when I walked on campus, my students introduced to others: 'Look, this is my Chinese teacher'. I feel delighted and proud. This is my highlight moment," she said. Ji's highlights of teaching career in Namibia are also demonstrated in progress and encounters interacting with students. "I am happy when students make progress daily and strive to be fluent in Chinese in my class. I heard them singing Chinese song. This is evident that they are keen to know more about a true China," Ji added. Another lecturer, Lu Bo, is most proud when a new student reads dialogues proficiently. "I also ask them to teach their family or friend to make sure they master what they had leant," Lu said. Ultimately, more locals take an increasing interest in the Chinese language, offered online since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The institute had registered about 52 students in the first semester of 2021. According to Ji, despite challenges posed by online learning, lecturers apply strategic learning interventions to retain students, strengthening the friendship between China and Namibia. Plans are also underway to incorporate Chinese language into the Namibian curriculum. In the interim, the lecturers hope to deliver exceptional language education to empower locals and expand Chinese language teaching amid growing interest. "I plan to find ways to increase the communication between my students and me as well as help them pass this year's Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK)," added Yang. Zhang Fan, who served as director of the Confucius Institute until June this year, said that language is a key to letting more people understand each other. "I hope the Chinese language teaching in Namibia will develop well to enhance the understanding and friendship between Namibia and China," he said in an interview before his departure. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 22:21:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The scientific proactive steps and the economic reform policies taken by Egypt to control the COVID-19 repercussions have helped the country maintain its stable credit profile, the Egyptian cabinet said in a statement on Friday. The cabinet statement on its Facebook page came a day after Moody's Investors Service decided to maintain a stable outlook on Egypt with B2 rating. "Egypt has adopted strategies and initiatives for supporting the country's different sectors at the economic, social and health levels that helped achieve positive growth rates," the cabinet said. Egypt has also sent reassuring messages to the world that it will remain a secured health tourist destination by strictly applying precautionary measures and providing different vaccines, it added. In its ranking report published on Thursday, Moody's highlighted the Egyptian government's track record of economic and fiscal reform implementation. "Egypt's broad domestic funding base and renewed build-up of foreign exchange reserves provide a buffer against volatile capital flows and support the government's structural economic reform agenda to improve export competitiveness and broaden the revenue base," the report said. Moody's expects Egypt's debt ratio to decline to 84 percent of GDP by 2024, supported by continued primary surpluses and a return to economic trend growth of 5.5 percent starting the fiscal year 2022. In July, the International Monetary Fund expected Egypt's real GDP growth to increase by 5.2 percent in the fiscal year 2021/2022, up from 2.8 percent in the fiscal year 2020/2021. In May, Egypt announced the second phase of the economic reform program that shifts focus to structural reforms without imposing new financial burdens on citizens. The first stage of the economic reform that ended in 2019 focused on providing cash and financial reform by lifting nearly all fuel subsidies, implementing a value-added tax, and raising the prices of electricity and transport. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-31 00:11:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese construction firms are boosting Kenya's green buildings agenda through implementing environmentally-friendly housing designs, an executive said on Friday. Raghav Gandhi, chief investment officer with the real estate developer Acorn Holdings, told journalists in Nairobi that Chinese companies have developed competencies in implementing energy and water-efficient real estate projects. "Chinese contractors can play a significant role in increasing the country's portfolio of green buildings," Gandhi said. According to Gandhi, Acorn Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) currently has four student accommodation assets with 2,470 operational beds and six projects in the pipeline that will have 5,924 beds. In March, China Zhongxing Company was awarded a contract to construct two of the projects in the pipeline that will cater to about 3,000 students in Nairobi. Green buildings are those designed to ensure that there is minimum use of energy and water resources and the construction materials are sourced from sustainable sources that have a minimum environmental impact. He believed that through partnerships with Chinese companies, Kenyan contractors can have an opportunity to benefit from and accelerate the uptake of green housing technology. Gandhi noted that the Chinese companies are systematic and process-driven in the way they undertake real estate assignments. "They also give due importance to health and safety procedures which are very important for the construction industry," he said. "We are happy to work with Chinese companies because they are assisting us to develop affordable green buildings in Kenya," said Gandhi. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-31 00:31:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Ministry of Health on Friday launched sickle cell disease management guidelines and ensures people living with the condition receive quality and affordable care. Andrew Mulwa, acting director of Preventive and Promotive Health, said the guidelines mark a new dawn in the management of sickle cell that in the past was erratic with no uniformity and relied on individual assessment of health workers across the country. He urged key stakeholders to embrace the guidelines and help reduce deaths linked to the disease adding that the government will enhance the provision of life-saving drugs to patients. The Kenyan government plans to open sickle cell clinics in hospitals and health centers across the country. Fredrick Okinyi, chairman of Sickle Cell Federation of Kenya, urged the inclusion of drugs used for the management of sickle cells such as drug hydroxyurea on the list of essential medicines under the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) cover. Okinyi said that the drug is currently accessed by patients who are able to pay as each pill goes for about 50 shillings (0.46 U.S. dollars), an amount that is expensive for some patients that require a daily dosage of three drugs. Out of the 240,000 children that are born with sickle cell in Africa annually, 6,000 are found in Kenya amid threat to their physical and cognitive development. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-31 00:51:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close YAOUNDE, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Cameroon National Gendarmerie has made their biggest seizure of cannabis ever on the night of July 19 in a raid on a store in the country's Far North region, according to a statement by the gendarmerie on Friday. The haul, about 3,900 kg, was found in 39 bags inside a store in Kousseri, a town in the region after being transported from the commercial capital of Douala, the gendarmerie said, adding that two suspects were arrested and will likely be prosecuted for drug trafficking. An investigation has been opened with a view to the complete dismantling of the drug network in the region, the gendarmerie said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-28 16:07:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ULAN BATOR, July 28 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1,956,183 Mongolians or 60.1 percent of Mongolia's population have received both doses of COVID-19 vaccines, the country's health ministry reported on Wednesday. Meanwhile, 66.2 percent of the country's population have received their first doses of COVID-19 vaccines, the ministry said in a statement. Mongolia launched a national vaccination campaign in late February, with the aim of vaccinating at least 60 percent of its population. Mongolia is planning to introduce the third doses of COVID-19 vaccines starting late August as part of further measures to combat the pandemic, said the ministry. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 12:43:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WELLINGTON, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The number of New Zealand pregnant women who experienced an induction of labor has steadily increased over recent years, from 19.4 percent in 2006 to 26.4 percent in 2018, according to the Ministry of Health on Friday. The Ministry of Health has published the Induction of Labor in New Zealand: A Clinical Practice Guideline on its website, which provides consistent, evidence-based guidance on induction of labor in the New Zealand context. The guidance supports health professionals to be confident that their induction of labor recommendation is based on the best evidence available, said a ministry statement. All health professionals providing pregnancy and birthing care to pregnant women, both in the community and within maternity services, are encouraged to use the guideline to help improve consistency of care, it said. The guideline also acknowledges that pregnant women "should have the opportunity to make an informed choice and be fully informed about the quality of evidence underpinning a recommendation for an induction of labor," the statement said. The guideline has gone through the Ministry of Health external maternity clinical guideline appraisal process and has been ratified by the National Maternity Monitoring Group, it said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 15:07:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A policeman was killed and several others injured when a blast went off near a police van in the capital city Peshawar of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday, local media reported. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 16:09:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Six migrant workers were killed early Friday in a devastating fire in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, police said. The fire broke out when the labourers were asleep at a makeshift shed in Lankavani Dibba village of Guntur district. "This morning we were informed by locals that bodies of six labourers have been found at their makeshift shed here. Our team rushed to the spot and prima facie it looks the deaths have been caused due to a fire incident," a police official in Guntur told Xinhua over telephone. Police said they have collected forensic evidence from the spot. "Preliminary investigations point out at an electric short-circuit and so far nothing suspicious have been found," the police official said. Police said the victims hailing from neighbouring Odisha state were working at a prawn breeding plant in the district. Chances of fire in India are usually high as people often ignore safety standards vis-a-vis fire. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 16:46:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ULAN BATOR, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia's COVID-19 tally reached 162,869 on Friday after recording 1,294 new cases in the last 24 hours, said the country's health ministry. A total of 7,014 samples were tested across the country in the past day, and the latest confirmed cases were all locally transmitted, the ministry said in a statement. Seven more fatalities and 2,126 more recoveries were reported during the same period, bringing the national death toll to 836 and total recoveries to 161,957 respectively, said the ministry. Mongolia launched its vaccination campaign in late February, with the aim of vaccinating at least 60 percent of its population of 3.3 million. So far, 60.7 percent of the country's population have been fully vaccinated. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 18:05:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close COLOMBO, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday congratulated the Sri Lankan government for administering a record number of over 500,000 COVID-19 vaccines in a single day on Thursday. In a statement on its official Twitter account, the WHO said by administering such a large number of vaccines in a single day, the government had achieved an impressive milestone. According to official statistics from the Health Ministry, 515,830 vaccines were administered on Thursday across the country while in total over 11.2 million doses of vaccine have been administered to date this year. Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a statement said Sri Lanka had marked a new record by vaccinating over 500,000 people within a day thanks to the dedication of the Health Ministry and the tri forces. "Together we are working hard to ensure the immunity of all Sri Lankans," the president said. According to official figures, China's Sinopharm vaccine was the highest jabbed on Thursday with 418,494 people jabbed with the first dose while 56,738 people were jabbed with the second dose within the day. In total 7,188,692 people have received the first dose of the Sinopharm vaccine to date, out of which 1,663,421 people have been jabbed with both doses. Furthermore, people have also been administered the AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna and Sputnik V vaccines in the country. President Rajapaksa recently said that the government aims to inoculate all those above 30 years of age with the first dose of their vaccines by September. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 19:41:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed its concern about escalating violence in and around Kandahar city, capital of the country's southern Kandahar province amidst ongoing Taliban attacks on the city, the mission said Friday. "More than 230 civilians injured since 16 July (in Kandahar city). Numbers likely much higher. Credible reports of scores of civilians killed. Working to establish facts on civilian harm," UNAMA wrote on twitter. The UN mission called on the militants and government security forces to exercise maximum restraint and take all possible measures to protect civilians from further harm. "The Mission warns of the grave consequences to civilians in Kandahar if the fighting continues & intensifies in urban areas of the city," the mission said. Besides the Kandahar city, several other provincial capitals in western and northern Afghan regions have also witnessed fierce clashes between Taliban militants and security forces in recent months, as Taliban besieged several cities and captured control of scores of suburban districts since May 1 when the U.S. and NATO troops started to leave the Asian country. The Afghan civilians continue to bear the brunt of armed conflicts as more than 1,650 civilians were killed and over 3,250 others wounded due to fighting in the first six months of 2021, according to figures provided by the UNAMA. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 23:48:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close YANGON, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy to Myanmar donated a new batch of medical supplies to two China-Myanmar friendship schools on Friday, according to the embassy's release. A total of 50,000 surgical masks, 600 face shields, a batch of hand sanitizers and disinfectants were donated to No. 7 Basic Education High School, while 60,000 surgical masks, a batch of hand sanitizers and disinfectants were donated to No. 14 Basic Education High School in the capital city of Nay Pyi Taw. Another batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China arrived in Myanmar earlier this month. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has donated medicines and medical equipment and sent medical experts to assist Myanmar's fight against the pandemic. Myanmar has reported a total of 294,460 COVID-19 infections with 8,942 deaths as of Friday, according to the figures from the Ministry of Health and Sports. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-31 00:17:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close COLOMBO, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A blue sapphire weighing approximately 80 kilograms was discovered in a gem mine in Rakwana, Ratnapura in Sri Lanka on Friday, local media reported. The owner of the mine, Earl Gunasekara, was quoted by the local News First as saying that the gemstone will be put up for auction in China and it has been handed over to the National Gem and Jewellery Authority. This gemstone is worth approximately 50 million U.S. dollars, the owner said after its valuation was done. The National Gem and Jewellery Authority have informed Gunasekara that 3,000 carats could be obtained after cutting the blue sapphire. Earlier this week, officials said the world's largest star sapphire cluster was discovered from the backyard of a gem merchant's house in the country when workmen were digging to construct a well. The cluster was valued at more than 100 million U.S. dollars. Officials said this cluster, being held under tight security by the owner, was also expected to be sold at an international auction which will be held in China in November. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 18:49:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISTANBUL, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Turkey has been battling multiple wildfires that erupted in more than 20 provinces during the last two days, officials announced Friday. Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said 57 of the 71 fires were brought under control. "We are fighting the blazes with three aircraft, nine unmanned helicopters, one water supply tank, 38 helicopters, 680 water sprinklers, 55 construction equipment, and 4,000 personnel," Pakdemirli said. The death toll has increased to four after a young person was killed in the blaze while helping firefighters voluntarily in the southwestern resort town of Marmaris. Footage aired by local media showed extensive damage in the evacuated villages and forest areas of Marmaris, where the fire continues to advance to different quarters. "Fire fighting is going at a high pace, but we have not been able to control it," Mehmet Oktay, mayor of Marmaris, told local media. "Flames came with a humming sound, and blazes suddenly surrounded us," Dilek Ozcan, a resident of a small village of Marmaris, told Xinhua over the phone. "We couldn't do anything but just ran away," Ozcan said. A massive forest fire that broke out in the southern province of Antalya on Wednesday. The blaze has not yet been taken under control because of the hot weather and wind. The fire that erupted in Bodrum, one of the popular tourist attractions in Turkey, forced the evacuation of several hotels, Bodrum's Mayor Ahmet Aras told Xinhua. Cooling work is still on in the area where about 80 hectares of forest land were damaged, Aras said. "Our municipality teams have also been taking care of wild animals and stray animals affected by the fire," he added. Earlier, Pakdemirli said a large-scale investigation had been launched into the cause of the blazes. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 20:06:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISTANBUL, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police on Friday detained six suspected members of the Islamic State (IS) militant group in Turkey's biggest city Istanbul, the Ihlas News Agency (IHA) reported. Simultaneous operations were carried out at 10 locations in the city to capture the suspects over their alleged links to the IS, IHA said. Those targeted in operations allegedly travelled to and from the conflict areas where the militant group has been active, it added. Several other media reports noted that one of the suspects was of Turkish nationality. The IS has conducted a spate of deadly attacks in Turkey since 2015. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 21:51:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NICOSIA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Health Ministry of Cyprus has drastically extended the country's COVID-19 restrictions on access to public venues in an attempt to arrest the spread of coronavirus infections, Minister Michalis Hadjipantelas said here on Friday. From Monday, Aug. 2, people aged 12 and over will be obliged to present a SafePass before entering public offices, hospitals and shops where ten or more people are present, including employees. A SafePass proves that the bearer has received both doses of a licensed vaccine, or has been infected with coronavirus in the past six months and has recovered, or holds a negative COVID-19 test. Under the rules currently in force, people aged over 16 and holding a SafePass can enter public offices and private venues where over 20 people are present. The new regulations will remain in force until the end of August. Voluntary vaccination of people above the age of 12 will start next Monday. They will be offered an mRNA-based vaccine (Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna). To date, just above 70 percent of the population have received the first vaccine dose and 60 percent both doses. Hadjipantelas also said that non-permanent residents of Cyprus will have to take a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test or a rapid antigen test on the seventh day after their arrival, unless they hold a certificate of vaccination or have recovered from coronavirus in the past six months. Free rapid COVID-19 antigen tests will not be available in the country after Aug. 1. The epidemiological situation in Cyprus has worsened in July, with the infection rate reaching 1,403 per 100,000 people in the past two weeks. Between July 13 and July 26, Cyprus exceeded almost threefold the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control's (ECDC) 's criteria of 'dark red', which is 500 or more cases per 100,000 people. The number of new coronavirus cases has dropped in recent days to between 600 and 700 per day. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 23:32:06|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SOFIA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian President Rumen Radev on Friday afternoon asked There Is Such a People (ITN) party, the largest political force with 65 seats in the newly elected 240-member Parliament, to form a new government. Radev handed the exploratory mandate to Plamen Nikolov, the ITN's nominee for prime minister. Nikolov now has seven days to propose a government, which would have to be approved by Parliament in a simple majority vote, according to the Bulgarian Constitution. In the snap elections held on July 11, the coalition of the conservative-populist GERB party and the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) won 63 seats to become the second largest force in Parliament, followed by the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) with 36 seats, the Democratic Bulgaria electoral alliance with 34 seats, and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms with 29 seats. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 13:12:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) issued a mandate Thursday requiring that members of the military prove their vaccination status or be subject to strict safety protocols aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19, hours after President Joe Biden announced the requirements for all federal workers. "In accordance with the guidance the President issued today, all military and civilian DoD personnel will be asked to attest to their vaccination status," Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Jamal Brown said in a statement. Personnel unable or unwilling to do that would be required to wear a mask, comply with a regular testing requirement and be subject to official travel restrictions, Brown said. Hours earlier, Biden announced during a speech at the White House that every federal government employee and the onsite contractor should attest to their vaccination status, or they will be required to wear a mask on the job, comply with a regular screening testing requirement, and be subject to restrictions on official travel. The president also directed the Pentagon to look into adding the COVID-19 shot to its list of required vaccinations for members of the military. In response to the presidential directive, Brown said in the statement that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will "begin consulting our medical professionals, as well as the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to determine how and when to make recommendations to the President with respect to adding the COVID-19 vaccines to the full list of requirements for military personnel." The new requirements came as the spread of the more transmissible Delta variant is causing a nationwide spike in virus cases, taking a particularly worrisome toll on the unvaccinated. "COVID-19 remains a significant and evolving threat to our nation's security. The rise of the Delta variant and the speed with which it transmits make these additional protective efforts all the more vital to protecting our force and the nation we defend," read the Pentagon statement. On Wednesday, the Pentagon announced that everyone inside its facilities is required to wear a mask. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-30 13:47:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Matthew Rusling WASHINGTON, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The mask issue was heatedly debated at the high point of the pandemic in the United States in 2020, and later subsided as a large part of the nation got vaccinated. But now, the debate has been re-ignited. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday recommended that vaccinated people wear masks indoors, if they live in regions of rapid COVID-19 spread amid the transmission of the more contagious Delta variant. The recommendation has sparked much controversy, as it highlights a sharp shift from the agency's position since May that vaccinated people do not need to wear masks in most indoor spaces. Many Americans also worry that this will undermine people's faith in vaccines, at a time when millions still refuse to get the jab. Some areas have returned to requiring masks indoors, such as Los Angeles, which has re-instituted a mask mandate amid a surge in cases. But in other cities, the debate over the issue got heated up. In St. Louis, in the state of Missouri, the state's attorney general is suing the city for requiring people to wear masks indoors in public places. Nearly 40 maskless House Republicans on Thursday protested the mask mandate by walking to the Senate, where masks are not mandated by Capitol physician. The final decision on whether to implement mask mandates lies with U.S. states. Many Americans are reluctant to wear masks again, and contend that the Delta variant is only a threat to those who refuse to get the jab. Dianne Wilson, in her 40s and a manager in a small company outside Washington DC, told Xinhua she does "not want to wear" a mask, as she has been vaccinated. The Delta variant has quickly grown from less than 1 percent of cases in May to more than 80 percent now, said the CDC on its website. Delta variant spreads about twice as easily from one person to another than the previous strains of the virus, according to the agency. Most transmissions happening around the country are among unvaccinated people and in areas with low vaccination rates. About half of Americans have not been vaccinated yet, U.S. top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci warned on Sunday. Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua there are "likely to be mask mandates in a number of places around the country." "States and localities are imposing them to slow the spread of the Delta variant and help protect the unvaccinated. Conservatives are reluctant to do this but those are the areas seeing the greatest increase in COVID cases," West said. Christopher Galdieri, a political scientist at Saint Anselm College, said it is possible the United States will see a mask mandate like those seen last year, but there could be a lot of pushback. "I'd expect a lot of resistance this time around. We've hit a point where over half the population has been vaccinated and many of these folks are not going to just grin and bear it again because delta is spreading largely among and because of unvaccinated people," Galdieri said. Experts have maintained that the vaccines are effective against the Delta variant. A recent study from the New England Journal of Medicine found that two shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are 88 percent effective in preventing disease from the Delta variant, while two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine showed 67-percent effectiveness. Enditem The government has announced it has made significant effort towards implementing the five-year plan to eliminate Hepatitis C Virus, which was endorsed in 2018. Currently, officials from the Ministry of Health, Rwanda's cure rate for the virus is at 90 per cent among recorded infections. The officials say that the current progress shows that the national goal to eliminate Hepatitis C virus (HCV) by 2024 is possible, which fore-runs the World Health Organization (WHO) timeline of 2030. This was revealed on Wednesday July 28 as the country joined the global community in marking World Hepatitis Day, which was celebrated under the theme 'Hepatitis Can't Wait' a call to action to eliminate the viral disease. Hepatitis is a disease characterized by inflammation of the liver and it has different types; Hepatitis A, B, C, D and E. Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) says that the program of HCV elimination is at the 'last mile' of implementation. "We have screened five million out of the targeted seven million people aged 15 years and above," said Dr. Sabin Nsabimana, Director General, RBC during his address on the World Hepatitis Day. Reduced HVC prevalence Throughout the years, Rwanda has made significant progress in reducing the prevalence of Hepatitis C virus from 4 per cent to one per cent, currently infections range between one and two per cent. According to RBC's report, in the past two years, 50,000 people have been treated for HCV and cured. Deon Gratias Nshimiyimana, resident in Niboye Sector, Kicukiro District said he tested positive for HVC in July 2020 and after six months of treatment got cured. "My doctor advised me to take my medicines with a complete healthy meal and to abstain from alcohol." "Hepatitis is curable and I would advise everyone to cross check their status in order to get early treatment," he added. Effectiveness of awareness campaigns "The initial phase of the program which consisted of awareness campaigns was run effectively until we moved to decentralized health access," said Dr. Janvier Serumondo, Director of Viral Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections, RBC. Covid 19 has prompted different awareness approaches to be adopted. "Due to Covid, we are no longer able to do mass awareness since large gatherings are prohibited," said Dr. Leonidas Batamugira, director of Remera Health Centre. "Nowadays, no one wakes up to go to the hospital solely for Hepatitis screening, however, we persuade those who come for medical consultations to also undergo hepatitis tests and those whose results are positive, they are given proper follow up," he added. Decentralized Health care access Access to screening and treatment services has been shifted from four health facilities to all health centres across the country. Over 1000 healthcare workers have been trained to support specialists and provide hepatitis services in different health centres. Hepatitis vaccination About 4,000,000 people have been tested for HBV and over 5,000 are on a lifelong HBV treatment while over 7,000,000 people including children and adults have been vaccinated for HBV. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevention is mainly done by vaccination offered to children as part of the pentavalent vaccination package from 2002. This means that the generation aged 0-18 years is vaccinated and it confers protection for the lifetime. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Rwanda NCDs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "Since 2002, we have been immunizing young children to build a hepatitis-free generation," said Serumondo. HCV does not have a vaccine but once screened, six month long treatment proves to cure by 90 per cent. Worldwide, hepatitis B and C are the most common which result in three million new infections per year and 1.1 million deaths, with a person dying every 30 seconds from a hepatitis related illness. In Africa, chronic viral hepatitis affects over 70 million people and continues to take the lives of many, especially those who can't afford to access quality health care, however, Hepatitis can be prevented, screened, treated, and eliminated. Serumondo says the 'last mile' of the program includes the screening of the remaining numbers and treating confirmed cases, preparation for WHO HCV elimination validation, and strengthening preventive interventions for HBV and increasing efforts towards HBV elimination. Maputo South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorised the deployment of 1,495 South African troops to Mozambique, to join the standby force of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) assisting the Mozambican government in the fight against islamist terrorism in the northern province of Cabo Delgado. In a report to the South African parliament, tabled on Tuesday, Ramaphosa said "This serves to inform the National Assembly that I have authorised the employment of 1,495 members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) for a service in fulfilment of an international obligation towards SADC, in order to support Mozambique to combat the acts of terrorism and violent extremists that have affected Cabo Delgado province." The South African contingent is expected to remain in Cabo Delgado for three months, and Ramaphosa put the cost at over 984,000 rands (about 67.5 million US dollars). South Africa is the third SADC member to commit to the standby force. Botswana is sending 296 troops, while Angola is providing 20 military advisers. Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi saw off the troops on Monday. Masisi, who is the chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defense and Security, said the deployment is part of the region's effort to promote stability in Mozambique. "Today, we witness yet another milestone in our objectives of propelling the peace agenda through our region in following through on the SADC mandate aimed at facilitating peaceful conditions in the northern part of the Republic of Mozambique," he said. Masisi warned the troops they would be facing an unconventional war in Cabo Delgado. "I am alive to the fact that you will be facing a deceptive enemy which is likely to use asymmetric warfare, unconventional and underhand war tactics against yourself and the population you will be protecting. As professionals, you stand for much more than they do, and you must avoid emulating them and sinking to their level," he said. Rwanda, which is not a member of SADC, has sent 1,000 troops and police to Mozambican, and they have already been in action against the jihadists in Cabo Delgado. A discussion that explored the "idolatry of theory: a defence of storytelling", took centre stage during the second University of Cape Town (UCT) Vice-Chancellor's (VC) Open Lecture for the year on Wednesday, 28 July. The keynote speaker was internationally acclaimed author and renowned feminist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She presented her lecture to a virtual audience, with roughly 5 000 guests in attendance. The lecture series is hosted by UCT VC Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng. During the lecture Adichie argued why, in her view, theory is considered a kind of idolatry. She explained how during a conversation on sexism several a years ago, a woman shared a theory based on her own lived experience. The woman said: "Sometimes, some women are their own worst enemies." But instead of engaging her on the topic and discussing it in detail, Adichie said the rest of the group simply silenced her. "Theory gives us a framework to think about the world. But we should not give it primacy because when we do, we start to walk backwards." Adichie noted that while theory is important, especially when it relates to discussions and debates on global challenges like gender inequality and sexual and gender-based violence, society is afraid to run foul of theory. "I suspected even then that we silenced her [the woman] because her experience and her conclusion complicated our accepted theory. Theory gives us a framework to think about the world. But we should not give it primacy because when we do, we start to walk backwards," Adichie said. "We go from theory to life; we start with theory and we try to make life fit our theory. We try to make the messy complicatedness of life fit into the neat and tidy confines of theory, and when life doesn't fit perfectly, we silence those bits that stick out. We pretend they're not there [and] we look away. Because we must preserve the sanctity of theory." 'A kind of idolatry' She told the audience that society often gives theory an exaggerated and critical reference, and this is the reason why she considers theory as a "kind of idolatry". "If we allow ourselves to be guided too closely by theory, we will end up being blinded by it. My response to the tyranny of theory is to go to the story; go to the human story," she said. "It is storytelling that enables us to deal with the world in all of its glorious and complicated messiness, because life is messy." But what's the point? What does it matter if society chooses to focus on theory or on storytelling, Adichie asked the audience. The point, she said, is to change the world (using storytelling) and to achieve maximum joy by creating opportunities to thrive. "With maximum joy, we must deal with the world as it is, rather than the way we want [it to be]. That's the only way to make real change. And it is storytelling that enables us to deal with the world in all of its glorious and complicated messiness, because life is messy," she said. "It's not so much that we should discard theory, but more that we should acknowledge its limitations." The power of storytelling As a fiction writer and a storyteller, Adichie described literature as her one true love, her religion and the one thing that shapes the lenses with which she looks at the world. Therefore, she said, she "believes deeply" in the power of storytelling, because it enables real human empathy and human connection. That's not all: Storytelling also creates, enables and fosters truth and beauty. "Storytelling reminds us that we are not a collection of logical bones and flesh, and because we are emotional beings, dignity and love matter as much as bread and water," she said. Storytelling and history Adichie said she first visited South Africa 10 years after the fall of apartheid, and back then, she said, she felt like "the past was not yet the past" for South Africans. Yet, South Africans displayed a "conservative and collective resolve to turn away from this truth". She said everyone spoke to her about the "Rainbow Nation". But she did not entirely trust this optimism, "as well choreographed as it was. It felt to me a little too easy." "An inflexible adherence to theory can make us tell incomplete stories." She said she began to wonder about the story the country was telling itself. After all, she added, storytelling is an integral part of how society recreates and remembers history. But it's also considered an antidote to forgetting. "On that visit, I wondered: If the theory is that of a Rainbow Nation, what happens to the stories that do not fit the theory? An inflexible adherence to theory can make us tell incomplete stories. It can [also] limit the options that we are willing to consider for reallife solutions," she said. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines South Africa Nigeria Entertainment By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Imperfect stories But not a single story has been weaved together perfectly. Stories, regardless of the subject, are always imperfect. "As a storyteller, I do not trade in perfection. I do not trust perfection. I do not believe in perfection. If humans were perfect, stories would not exist. It's our flaws and imperfections that lend [texture] to the stories we tell," Adichie said. She said many global injustices like slavery, colonialism and the Holocaust have their roots in the dehumanisation of different groups, and sadly, all of them are imperfect stories. "It's impossible to have a true story that has no texture. So, in other words, it's our imperfection that makes truth possible." "Slavery was possible because people who traded in enslaved people dehumanised them. Colonialism was possible because the groups of people who were colonised were dehumanised by their colonisers. The Holocaust was possible because of Hitler's horrible dehumanising exercise of Jewish people," she said. "It's impossible to have a true story that is flat and has no texture. So, in other words, it's our imperfection that makes truth possible." The cash will go to shareholders whose names appear in the register of members as at the close of business on August 12. Seplat Energy PLC will pay stockholders a total sum of $14.7 million (at USD2.5 cents per share) in cash compensation for the three months to June as the oil driller turned the tables to post a N14.1 billion in profit in the first half of this year, compared to a N37.782 billion loss in the same period of last year. The company, which pays dividend four times in a year at quarterly intervals, paid the same sum for January to March, and could, by reason of global oil recovery and easing in the Covid-19's economic impact, surpass the $58 million it paid last year to investors in Lagos and London, where its shares are dual-listed. With appropriate withholding tax to be factored into it, the cash will go to "shareholders whose names appear in the register of members as at the close of business on 12th August 2021," Seplat said Thursday in a note unveiling the dividend plan, seen by PREMIUM TIMES. "Shareholders holding their shares on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) without a valid Nigerian Certificate for Capital Importation ("CCI") will be paid their dividend in Naira as the default currency," it added. Those holding theirs on the NGX and having a valid CCI will get their dividends in U.S. dollars, while shareholders holding shares via depository interests on the London Stock Exchange will get paid in U.S. dollars. The market value of Seplat, Nigeria's biggest quoted oil company by market capitalisation, was N453.1 billion as of Wednesday. Kano Kano State government on Thursday said there were no plans to ban women drivers in the state. The state's Commissioner of Information, Muhammad Garba stated this while reacting to news making round that the govt planned to disallow women regardless of any faith from getting behind the wheel. Garba described the news as fallacious saying the government had at no time contemplated it. According to the statement, "the story, which could not be traced to any credible source, was nothing but the imaginary thinking of the authors. Blasphemy: Kano govt files additional charges against Islamic cleric, Abduljabbar "The trending story lacks any credibility and that is why it is wholly attributed to a source that cannot be substantiated," it added. Garba pointed out that if at all there was such plan, the state government does not have to be involved in any secretive meeting to decide on a critical issue that has to do with its teeming populace. The commissioner stated further that even Saudi Arabia which for decades had laws that sanctioned women from driving has, after all, lifted the ban in 2018. He said it was interesting that some of the scholars quoted to have supported the alleged ban have already disassociated themselves from the purported story. Kano State Government has said the cholera outbreak that ravaged the 44 local government areas of the State has killed 169 people while another 191 are currently hospitalized. The Director of Public Health of the Kano State Ministry of Health, Dr Ashiru Rajab, confirmed this in an interview with newsmen. Dr Rajab said the casualties were recorded in the State within the last three months, adding that a total of 5,221 people were affected with the disease, while 4,860 have been discharged. According to him, 191 people affected were currently receiving treatments in various health facilities in the State. While assuring the public of their efforts to address the problem, the director urged members of the public to embark on environmental sanitation and personal hygiene, especially in the rural communities. "We have recorded 5,221 cases in the last three months. About 4,860 were treated and discharged. "Currently, we have 191 active cases in different facilities across the State, while 169 deaths were recorded across the 41 local government areas of the State," Dr Rajab said. He added: "Kano State Government had embarked on a massive sensitization and enlightenment campaign to the general populace, especially the rural dwellers, on measures needed to be implored in maintaining environmental and personal hygiene to avoid outbreaks. "Similarly, the government had provided the needed medications such as fluids, drugs and other essential facilities in government hospitals geared towards addressing the menace." Daily Trust recently reported that a total of 479 people have been killed in the current outbreak of Cholera in the country. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) disclosed this in its latest situation report. The Federal Government has on Thursday reduced gas to power prices from $2.50 to $2.18 with immediate effect. President Muhammadu Buhari disclosed this while declaring open the 2021 Gas Sector Stakeholders (Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano, AKK Gas Pipeline Project) Forum held in Kano. Buhari represented by Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, said the reduction have been communicated to the relevant stakeholders for compliance. According to him, "Following the successful negotiation between the Federal Government and the organized labour unions and the detailed review of the Gas pricing framework in Nigeria, the price of Gas to power has been reduced from $2.50 to $2.18 with Immediate effect. "The outcome of the negotiation and reviews have been communicated to relevant stakeholders," he stated. The President said the completion of the project would help in revitalizing the industries and create more jobs opportunities in the benefitting states which include Kano, Kaduna and Nasarawa states. "The project is the focus on facilitating increase Gas Penetration in the Northern part of the country, especially the AKK pipeline corridor of FCT, Kano, Kaduna, Kogi, Niger, Nassarawa and other Neighboring states. "Therefore the forum is geared towards sensitizing the entire northern parts of Nigeria of the upcoming opportunities to bring both new and hitherto moribund companies back to life. "Kano State alone is dotted with several industrial parks. These and others in other states justify the need to optimize value creation from these industries. "Experts estimate that it will take at least two to three years to rehabilitate and position these industries for optimal performance. Thus, today's collaboration with all stakeholders is geared towards kick-starting the required activities that will guarantee full usage of the delivered gas through the AKK pipeline when completed. "Today's event reinforces our commitment to realizing the inherent potentials of Gas usage as the National Catalyst for Achieving Economic Diversification from Crude oil and transition fuel from fossil fuels of today to the renewable energy of tomorrow. "It is this commitment that informed our support and commission of two gas-powered plants, vessel pipeline operated in Kano State in December 2020 in achieving the uninterrupted delivery of over 30 megawatts of power supply to the industrial hubs. "Our successful collaboration and the completion of the AKK in 2023 will significantly enhance Mr President's vision and current drive for increase domestic gas utilization as the mainstay for national industrialization, increase foreign investment, government revenue growth and ultimately provide more job opportunities for Nigerians," Buhari stated. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. On his part, the Group Managing Director, GMD of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mr Mele Kolo Kyari, said they were working assiduously in ensuring timely completion of the project. Kyari said that some of the equipment has already been delivered to Nigeria from abroad. He said the AKK project when completed will provide about 1 million jobs. In his speech, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State said the AKK project will help immensely in reviving over 200 industries in Kano which have been in slumber for a long time. He said his administration had taken bold steps that would enable the project to be completed successfully, saying the people of Kano State would benefit from the project especially in the aspect of boosting their businesses. Meanwhile, the stakeholder's forum was themed "Optimizing the Economic Development Capacity of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano"AKK" Gas pipeline Project". Vanguard News Nigeria opinion To support business efforts to protect the planet, companies are calling for joined-up political action on the climate and biodiversity crises Earth Overshoot Day feels like a birthday: the older you get, the quicker it comes around. However, there is no reason to celebrate. COVID-19 has been a stark reminder of our economic system's fragility and the interrelationship between our planet, health and economy. Today, human activities have already used up the total amount of natural resources that Earth can regenerate this year. For the remainder of 2021, we'll be living on ecological credit. We are depleting nature to a state of planet emergency. Meanwhile, biodiversity loss and climate change continue at breakneck speed. However, we know it is possible to change course. The growing level of business, policy and consumer action for nature and climate demonstrates an appetite for systems transformation to live within planetary boundaries. Thousands of companies have come together under the We Mean Business and Business for Nature coalitions to reduce their emissions and help reverse nature loss. G7 leaders promised a "strong and integrated global action on nature and climate", and 88 Heads of State and the EU support the Leaders Pledge for Nature, showing that politicians have put nature and climate on the agenda. This is coupled with a new generation of consumers, investors and employees demanding change and increasing interest in sustainable products and services. But Earth Overshoot Day is a reality check. The actions most governments and companies are taking on climate and nature are not enough. Now the private sector needs the climate and nature agenda to come together to accelerate business action. In the real world, these issues are intricately connected. Cut down a forest and you push up atmospheric carbon. As a recent UN-backed report concludes, trade-offs between biodiversity protection and climate change mitigation and adaptation might be needed. But the danger of continuing with the current siloed approach is we fail on both climate and nature. In the world of policymaking, governments all too often fight climate change with one hand and biodiversity loss with the other. Businesses need a clear pathway to help create a nature-positive, equitable and net-zero emissions future. Joint nature and climate policy can accelerate business action by creating a level playing field and a stable operating environment while delivering co-benefits for nature, climate and people. With international conferences on nature (COP15) and climate (COP26) coming up, now is the perfect moment to ensure climate policies work in favour of nature, and vice versa. CLEAR DIRECTION So, what might a more integrated climate-nature policy framework look like? First, ensure interlinked goals and targets are clear, and backed up with clear timelines. For example, a global goal to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030 aligns with efforts to make sure nature-based solutions contribute 30% of the emissions reductions needed in the coming decade to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement. This global goal will give business the confidence to act and invest in changing and adapting their business models. Second, strengthen disclosure rules in line with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations and upcoming Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD). Transparency is the only way investors and consumers can effectively distinguish those companies that are doing the right thing, not greenwashing. As the Dasgupta Review outlined, the value of nature needs to be visible and considered in decision-making. This requires governments to implement mandatory disclosure regimes and clear pricing signals that incentivize business to act positively for nature and climate. Third, ditch environmentally harmful subsidies and perverse incentives that encourage high-impact sectors and companies to keep polluting the atmosphere and destroying nature. For example, more than $700 billion in agricultural subsidies each year contribute to habitat loss in the world 's most biodiverse ecosystems while simultaneously driving 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Such subsidies need to be redirected towards sustainable activities delivering long-term outcomes for the planet and societies. Fourth, make ambitious climate and nature action core to a sustainable economic recovery. Public finance must be aligned with sustainability priorities with clear policies that catalyze private sector investment. While National Resilience and Recovery Plans in the European Union are delivering on climate, they are unfortunately woefully inadequate in leading a nature-positive recovery. We must do better. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Africa Climate By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Finally, align the separate U.N. conventions on climate, biological diversity and desertification. This will simplify the agenda in support of the Sustainable Development Goals, bring to light opportunities for overlapping solutions and provide business with certainty to scale up private-sector action that benefits both climate and nature. Climate and nature are two sides of the same coin. Through forward-thinking decisions and humanity's ingenuity and innovation, we can turn around natural resource consumption trends, postpone Earth Overshoot Day and build a safe and prosperous world where everyone can thrive. Our future needs to be both net-zero and nature positive. Read the new report: 'Building Integrated Policies for the Planet' Eva Zabey is the executive director of Business for Nature and Maria Mendiluce is CEO of We Mean Business. Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation. President Muhammadu Buhari has assured the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that he won't interfere with the judicial trial of terrorism suspects in Nigeria. This is just as Britain pledges to assist Nigeria to tackle security problems facing all the regions that make up the country. Media Adviser to the President, Femi Adesina in a release disclosed that President Buhari and PM Johnson Thursday appraised the war against different forms of terrorism in Nigeria, and agreed that the judicial process be allowed to run its course. Holding bilateral talks at the sidelines of the Global Education Summit in London, the two leaders said it was important that the judicial process runs without interference, no matter who was involved. President Buhari briefed the Prime Minister on Nigeria's power needs and efforts being made, as well as initiatives geared at achieving food security. He also reviewed the security situation in the different regions of the country, while PM Johnson pledged Britain's preparedness to lend a helping hand. "We are available to help," Johnson said. The two leaders equally discussed how to increase trade between the two countries, develop solar and wind power, leadership of the Commonwealth going forward and other matters of mutual interest. Mr Kyari is charged alongside five others with offences bordering on wire fraud, conducting financial transactions involving proceeds of unlawful activity, and aiding and abetting illegal use and transfer of a means of identification. The United States of America government has named a Nigerian celebrated police officer, Abba Kyari, among co-conspirators of Ramon Abass, aka Huspuppi, an Instagram celebrity, who has now admitted his guilt in a multi-million-dollars money laundering fraud. Hushpuppi's plea agreement with the U.S. government was filed at the Central District Court of Central District of California, on Tuesday, and a date will later be fixed for him to change his previous not-guilty plea to "guilty." Mr Kyari is named among five of Hushpuppi's conspirators in a $1.1million fraud charge recently approved by a U.S. grand jury. A grand jury in the U.S. is a judicial body that determines if there exists sufficient evidence to charge a suspect with a criminal offence. Abba Kyari's arrest Following the grand jury's finding approving three charges against Mr Abba Kyari and others, the judge, Otis Wright of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California , made the order unsealing the docket, essentially opening up the records for public accessibility on July 26. The judge in issuing the unsealing order also granted the government's request for detention order and arrest warrant against Mr Kyari and others. In the indictment, Mr Kyari, a deputy commissioner of police, is alleged to have conspired with Hushpuppi "together with others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, knowingly conspired to commit wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343". He along with others is also accused of conducting financial transactions involving proceeds of unlawful activity, and aiding and abetting illegal use and transfer of a means of identification. Others named along with Mr Kyari in the indictment are: Abdulrahman Juma (aka Abdul and Rahman), Kelly Chibuzo Vincent, Rukayat Motunrayo Fashola (aka Morayo), Bolatito Takakalitu Agbabiaka (aka Bolamide), and Yusuf Adeyinka Anifowoshe (aka AJ and Alvin Johnson). They are all named in a $1.1 million fraud coordinated by Hushpuppi and others against a businessperson in Qatar between November 2019 and April 2020. Mr Kyari, a police officer with a public image that has earned him accolades as a daring and effective crime buster, is a recipient of Nigeria's House of Representatives' honour. Abba Kyari's involvement Hushpuppi, a resident of Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), until his arrest in June 2020, had contacted Mr Kyari to arrange the arrest of one of the arrowheads of the heist, Chibuzo (Vincent), who was unhappy over his share of the proceeds of the fraud, and was prepared to hint the victim, a Qatari businessperson, to stop payments. "CHIBUZO's messages to ABBAS during that time show that he was unhappy with the amount that, and/or speed with which, ABBAS was paying him, so he contacted the Victim Businessperson directly," a special agent of the Federal Bureau of investigation (FBI), Andrew John Innocenti, said in an affidavit filed in support of the charge. Mr Innocenti, whose account was based on message conversation extracted from Abass telephones, added, "CHIBUZO told the Victim Businessperson that JUMA and ABBAS were 'fake,' in an attempt to convince the Victim Businessperson to stop making fraudulent payments to ABBAS and JUMA, and to make fraudulent payments to him instead. "When JUMA and ABBAS learned of CHIBUZO's interference, ABBAS arranged to have KYARI--a highly decorated Deputy Commissioner of the Nigeria Police Force--arrest CHIBUZO for interfering with the fraud scheme. "ABBAS specifically told KYARI that CHIBUZO contacted 'the job' behind ABBAS' back to 'divert the job for himself.' "ABBAS asked KYARI to have the police administer the 'serious beating of his life' and arranged with KYARI to pay to keep CHIBUZO imprisoned for at least a month, so that the fraud scheme could be successfully executed, and the money could be obtained." Mr Kyari was said to have arrested Chibuzo and held him in custody for about a month as instructed by Hushpuppi. He sent Chibuzo's photograph in custody to Hushpuppi, the federal agent said, "and also facilitated payments from ABBAS to the Nigeria Police Force personnel who arrested CHIBUZO." This, according to Mr Innocenti, was "to ensure CHIBUZO's continued arrest, thereby preventing CHIBUZO from notifying the Victim Businessperson of ABBAS' and JUMA's fraudulent scheme and preventing CHIBUZO from hijacking the scheme for his own benefit. The decorated Nigerian cop was also said to have "told ABBAS that he would not allow CHIBUZO's girlfriend to pay money to get CHIBUZO out of custody as he would have done for a 'normal arrest'. After Chibuzo's arrest, the special agent said, "JUMA and ABBAS convinced the Victim Businessperson to make the payments of $299,983.58 described above." "KYARI's knowing involvement in the scheme allowed ABBAS and JUMA to continue defrauding the Victim Businessperson undetected and receive money obtained from the Victim Businessperson after it was laundered," the document added. Abba Kyari, Huspuppi in Dubai The FBI special agent said Huspuppi appeared to have first interacted with Mr Kyari during the police officer's trip to Dubai in September 2019. He said conversations between them showed that Hushpuppi sent a car and a driver to drive Mr Kyari around in Dubai. "Soon thereafter, KYARI sent ABBAS a video slideshow which showed some personal photographs of KYARI, some of which appeared to have been taken in the U.A.E," Mr Innocenti added. He said further that later in September "after KYARI sent ABBAS an article that discussed him arresting alleged kidnappers, ABBAS wrote, in part, to KYARI, 'Am really happy to be ur boy,' and later, 'I promise to be a good boy to u sir'. Charges The three charges approved by the U.S. grand jury including an allegation that Mr Kyari "together with others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, knowingly conspired to commit wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343". The grand jury alleged in the second count that they conducted and attempted "to conduct financial transactions, affecting interstate and foreign commerce, knowing that the property involved in the financial transactions represented the proceeds of some form of unlawful activity, which, in fact, involved the proceeds of specified unlawful activity -- namely, wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343". They were also said to have aided and abetted one another and knowingly in transferring, possessing and using, without lawful authority, a means of identification that each defendant knew belonged to another person, during and in relation to a felony violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, as charged in Count 1. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Legal Affairs Entertainment By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. 'It was a response to distress call' - Kyari Mr Kyari took to his Facebook page on Tuesday to react to the revelation about his indictment. He said he was contacted by Hushpuppi about two years ago complaining that somebody was threatening to kill his family members. He admitted picking the suspect up but claimed that no one "demanded" money from Hushpuppi. "Nobody demanded for a kobo from Abbas Hushpuppi. Our focus was to Save people's lives that were purported to have been threatened," he said. He insisted that his team only "responded to a distress call he made on threat to his family and released the suspect when we discovered there was no life threat from the suspect." "This is the true story. Vincent Chibuzo) is alive, he can be contacted," he added. He said he only introduced the accused to a cloth seller whom Mr Abbas directly paid about N300,000 into the person's personal account. EFCC, police keep mum he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday declined comments on whether it had launched an investigation into the allegations against Mr Kyari. The EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Iwajuren, told PREMIUM TIMES that the anti-graft agency does not answer questions on whether it is planning to investigate the case. "We don't answer that kind of question. Have you ever seen EFCC telling people what they want to do?" Mr Iwajuren told this reporter. Similar attempts to hear from the police spokesperson, Frank Mba, were abortive as he did not answer calls. Llegada del presidente @PedroCastilloTe a la Gran Parada y Desfile Civico - Militar por Fiestas Patrias, que se realiza en la Plaza Caceres del Cuartel General del Ejercito del Peru. #DesfileDelBicentenario pic.twitter.com/iwRjjBF07o This event was held at the Army Headquarters in Lima's San Borja district. During the ceremony, the top official was informed about the strong earthquake . Thus, he ordered the implementation of a series of immediate actions. Nuestro gabinete es del pueblo, se debe al pueblo y va hacia el. Nuestro compromiso es con el Peru y con ningun otro interes que no fuera el de dedicar todos y cada uno de nuestros esfuerzos a construir un pais mas justo, libre y digno. No defraudaremos su confianza. pic.twitter.com/U3UMsQ5B8c YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS. OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Foreign Minister of Sweden Ann Linde has commented on the recent escalation situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, calling on he sides to implement the 2020 November 9 statement in full. Reports of repeated incidents along Armenia-Azerbaijan border causes grave concern. Urge sides to build on recent humanitarian steps and implement 9 November statement in full to address unresolved issues peacefully, she said on Twitter. On July 28, at around 03:40, the Azerbaijani armed forces launched a provocation and violated the ceasefire in the northern-eastern section of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. Three Armenian servicemen have been killed, four others have been wounded in action. The Azerbaijani attacking forces have been repelled to their initial positions, suffering losses. The sides have reached an agreement on ceasefire at the mediation of the Russian side. On July 29, at around 03:00, the Azerbaijani armed forces, violating yesterdays agreement on the ceasefire, again launched a provocation in the Gegharkunik section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, in the direction of Karvachar, by opening fire at the Armenian positions from firearms. A serviceman of the Armenian Armed Forces has been wounded from the Azerbaijani fire. On July 29, starting from 23:00, the units of the Armenian air defense forces prevented the attempts by Azerbaijani unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to enter into Armenias airspace in the Gegharkunik section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS. Armenias caretaker minister of economy Vahan Kerobyan arrived in Georgia on a two-day working visit. He met with Georgian minister of finance Lasha Khutsishvili. We have discussed with my partner the ways of strengthening the cooperation opportunities and economic ties between our countries in different areas, also touching upon the importance of partnership in tax and customs fields, Vahan Kerobyan said on Facebook. The Armenian caretaker minister informed that they have also discussed the problems connected with transit transportation through Georgia. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS. Armenia has nothing to concede regarding its territorial integrity, at the same time it calls on all international organizations to take concrete actions to put an end to the Azerbaijani provocations, Member of Parliament from the ruling My Step faction Nazeli Baghdasaryan said at the extraordinary session, commenting on the recent escalated situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The whole responsibility of the situation falls on Azerbaijans military-political leadership, and its obvious that it deliberately escalates the situation by taking provocative actions. The Azerbaijani armed forces, which are illegally located in the sovereign territory of Armenia since May 12, recently are openly conducting provocative actions, she said. The lawmaker added that this violates the trilateral statements, but noted that Armenia and its authorities plan to take actions which will ensure security and peace in the region. I emphasize our determination that we have nothing to concede regarding our territorial integrity. And I call on all international structures to take concrete, practical steps, she said. On July 28, at around 03:40, the Azerbaijani armed forces launched a provocation and violated the ceasefire in the northern-eastern section of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. Three Armenian servicemen have been killed, four others have been wounded in action. The Azerbaijani attacking forces have been repelled to their initial positions, suffering losses. The sides have reached an agreement on ceasefire at the mediation of the Russian side. On July 29, at around 03:00, the Azerbaijani armed forces, violating yesterdays agreement on the ceasefire, again launched a provocation in the Gegharkunik section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, in the direction of Karvachar, by opening fire at the Armenian positions from firearms. A serviceman of the Armenian Armed Forces has been wounded from the Azerbaijani fire. On July 29, starting from 23:00, the units of the Armenian air defense forces prevented the attempts by Azerbaijani unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to enter into Armenias airspace in the Gegharkunik section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS. The decision of the US House of Representatives to cut the US military aid to Azerbaijan contains a key message, Expert on Turkish studies Ruben Safrastyan told a press conference in Armenpress, stating that it calls on the US Administration to revise its position towards Azerbaijan. To revise the attitude towards that aggressive, dictatorial state where democratic norms are violated. Its very important for the Senate to join this decision so that it becomes a law. Its important that the US executive leadership accepts this as a serious message and changes its attitude towards Azerbaijan, he said. However, the expert noted that the US administration sometimes doesnt react to the messages coming from the Congress. The US executive leadership has its interests in the region, and these facts should be taken into account. The US Department of State made a statement calling on to return to negotiations under the auspices of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs. There are such calls also from Europe and Russia. According to Mr. Safrastyan, the restoration of the Minsk Group format would be very important for Armenia. The status of Artsakh is not solved yet, and the Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship should return to the discussion of this issue. According to him, this is a path to fair solution of the Artsakh issue. Azerbaijan doesnt accept the activity of the Minsk Group at the moment, but I hope that the international pressures on Azerbaijan would give their results. Here Armenias diplomacy has a lot to do. Serious works must be done with that states, the Armenian lobby there, the expert stated. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS. Paul Gavan (Ireland, UEL), PACE rapporteur for the 'Humanitarian consequences of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan', today called on the leadership of both countries to de-escalate and respect a ceasefire after border incidents which recently caused the death of three Armenian servicemen and one Azerbaijani serviceman, PACE reports. There has unfortunately been a steady increase in incidents between May and July of this year, and these have reached a new level with regrettable injuries and loss of life, which is of great concern to me, Mr Gavan said. I have been contacted by both parties, which shows they wish to avoid the situation worsening. The long-standing humanitarian concerns which affect the lives of individuals, each side of the border, cannot be addressed unless violence stops. I urge all those concerned to show responsibility in order to build peace and reconciliation, he added. I therefore hope that both countries will pull back from any further steps which might worsen the situation. We need to avoid this continuing cycle of conflict, the rapporteur concluded. Mr Gavan aims to present his report on the Humanitarian consequences of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) at its next plenary session (27 September 1 October). YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Tourism Federation and the Tourism Association of Jordan signed a memorandum of cooperation aimed at boosting tourism ties between the two countries. The document, which has already been signed by the President of the Jordan Tourism Association, has been taken to Armenia by expert in Jordan tourism Adel Amin. This is his third visit to Armenia this year. The visit aims at assessing the cooperation development opportunities in the tourism field and revealing the potential. Armenia is a small country, but is rich of its culture and heritage. I visited here for business purposes, but after seeing the tourism potential I decided to work on this direction. The diversity of the Armenian tourism result is very big, we can talk about history, culture, cuisine, adventure tourism. It should be used effectively. Being in Armenia I found for myself a new tourism site for enjoying, Adel Amin said at a press conference in Armenpress. Jordanians usually travel twice a year. They are searching for new places for vacation. According to him, Armenia has big potential for attracting the Jordanian market. He expressed confidence that Armenia meets the preferences of Jordanians. Number of Jordanians arriving in Armenias neighbor countries is one million. Of course, many of them look for sea vacation, but most of them also prefer cultural, urban and commercial forms of tourism. The document signed envisages organizing mutual cognitive visits for reporters and tour operations. President of the Armenian Tourism Federation Mekhak Apresyan stated that there is a promising opportunity of working with Jordan. Currently active discussions are underway. There is a confidence that the tour operators will offer respective packages as a result of a respective marketing work. Adel Amin expressed confidence that the Armenian community in Jordan, which is very respected and has a great contribution to the countrys development, will also contribute to the development of tourism with Armenia. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, 30 JULY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 30 July, USD exchange rate up by 1.88 drams to 486.24 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 3.25 drams to 578.33 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.04 drams to 6.66 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 3.60 drams to 679.23 drams. The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals. Gold price up by 108.60 drams to 28086.21 drams. Silver price up by 1.50 drams to 387.62 drams. Platinum price up by 63.34 drams to 16383.36 drams. U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground and its constituent test centers test virtually every piece of equipment in the ground combat arsenal in extreme environments to ensure it will work wherever in the world American forces are serving. To ensure gear can survive the unforgiving rigors of jungle warfare, the Army relies on Tropic Regions Test Center (TRTC), which conducts realistic evaluations in a variety of tropical locales. Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link One recent TRTC test with airless tires involved the Polaris MRZR, a military version of the popular off-road vehicle that American forces have used in places like Afghanistan in recent years (Picture source: U.S. Army) Though the deserts of Southwest Asia have been the most common location of American military involvement for nearly twenty years, the majority of the worlds conflicts have occurred in tropical areas, which have ground conditions from dense jungles to savannas with 20-foot tall grasses. Testing equipment under inhospitable tropic conditions provides insights that may never be discovered in an environmental chamber. Will muddy, biomass-laden jungle terrain destroy the integrity of wheels and tires on a combat vehicle, for instance? One recent TRTC test involved the Polaris MRZR, a military version of the popular off-road vehicle that American forces have used in places like Afghanistan in recent years. It is not as comfortable, but it is sturdier and heavier with a rolling cage, said Carlos Mora, TRTC test officer. It is more mission-oriented. The MRZR under test was outfitted with Tweels instead of standard tires. The Tweel, produced by Michelin, is an airless radial tire designed to work like an ordinary pneumatic tire. In addition to the obvious advantage of never having to worry about flat tires, utilizing Tweels has second order effects that are useful for Soldiers. One reason for this technology is to reduce weight on those small vehicles so you dont have to carry a spare tire, jacks, or materials to fix a puncture, said Mora. The Tweels also have the ability to conform to multiple different terrain types, and can last three times as long as standard tires. Putting the Tweels through their paces on land deep within the jungle of the nation of Suriname that TRTC have utilized in previous vehicle tests gave the evaluation a particularly realistic operational flavor. All of these old mining roads and logging roads were the perfect scenario for the vehicle, said Mora. The customer also liked the composition of the soils. There was also the added benefit of microclimates and terrain features that are only sometimes associated with the tropics. We added a portion of savanna, which is a sandy terrain with small brushes, said Mora. It turned out to be very demanding. Tweels are also designed to power through serious damage for far longer than even run-flat pneumatic tires. Using a drill bit, testers damaged the Tweels to simulate as if they had been shot prior to some of the evaluations. By necessity, TRTC provides substantially more assistance to its customers than other test centers, which are located in the United States and do not require complicated visa and country clearances from various embassies and the military for American visitors. We always have the support of the embassy and the national police, so everything we do is sanctioned and approved by the foreign minister and the U.S. embassy, said Ernest Hugh, TRTC director. Thats part of the process we take care of to ensure the visit is seamless for the customer. The American embassies and associated military groups within each delegation assist TRTC in securing the necessary permissions to conduct testing in a variety of countries. We work closely with the United States embassies in all of the host nations in which we conduct tests, said Hugh. Airless Martin rubber tires tested on a Jeep in 1942 (Picture source: print screen of U.S. Army archive film) Army Recognition comments Airless tires were first tested by the U.S. Army during World War 2 on Jeeps, as the attached print screen of an archive video demonstrates. The tesst were carried on with Martin tires. Wooden and metallic tires were tested too, with no satisfactory results, as one can easily guess. Airless tube tested by Michelin on a Humvee (Picture source: U.S. Army/Michelin) For a couple of years, Michelin has been carrying on more tests with airless tires. Some tires have been tested on a Humvee. What special forces operators told Army Recognition about the use of airless tires on Polaris quads is that those tires are best used on rocky and sandy soil but not in deep mud, where mud accumulates in the empty slots, rendering the vehicle harder and harder to drive, on top of slowing it because of the already heavier type of tire. The steering becomes inaccurate too. This type of tire is not adapted to snow either. Polaris Quad of the French Special Forces with airless tires at SOFINS 2021 (Picture source: Army Recognition) The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Stephane Visconti of France, Andrew Schofer of the United States of America, and Igor Khovaev of the Russian Federation) made the following statement: July 30, 2021, 11:30 Minsk Group co-chairs urge Armenia, Azerbaijan to return to negotiations as soon as possible STEPANAKERT, JULY 30, ARTSAKHPRESS: The Co-Chairs view with concern recent incidents along the Armenia - Azerbaijan border, including reports of casualties and the loss of life. The Co-Chairs call upon Armenia and Azerbaijan to de-escalate the situation immediately, refrain from provocative rhetoric and actions, and implement fully their commitments under the November 9 statement and other jointly agreed ceasefire arrangements. The Co-Chairs reiterate the need for a negotiated, comprehensive, and sustainable settlement of all remaining core substantive issues of the conflict and urge the parties to return to negotiations under the auspices of the Co-Chairs as soon as possible. They reiterate their proposal to organize direct bilateral consultations under their auspices, in order for the sides to review and agree jointly upon a structured agenda, reflecting their priorities, without preconditions. The Co-Chairs reconfirm their strong support for the ongoing efforts of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and his team. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday the negotiating process with Iran to revive a 2015 nuclear deal could not go on indefinitely, and that the ball is in Tehran's court, Reuters reported. July 30, 2021, 12:31 Blinken says nuclear talks with Iran can't go on indefinitely STEPANAKERT, JULY 30, ARTSAKHPRESS: Indirect talks between Tehran and Washington to revive the nuclear pact, from which then-President Donald Trump withdrew the United States in 2018, adjourned on June 20, two days after the hardline cleric Ebrahim Raisi was elected president of the Islamic Republic. Raisi takes office on Aug. 5. Parties involved in the negotiations, which also include China, Russia, France, Britain, Germany and the European Union, have yet to say when they might resume. "We are committed to diplomacy, but this process cannot go on indefinitely," said Blinken, addressing a news conference in Kuwait. "At some point the gains achieved by the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) cannot be fully recovered by a return to the JCPOA if Iran continues the activities that it's undertaken with regard to its nuclear program," he said. "We have clearly demonstrated our good faith and desire to return to mutual compliance with the nuclear agreement...The ball remains in Irans court and we will see if they're prepared to make the decisions necessary to come back into compliance." Gulf Arab states have asked to be included in the negotiations, and for any deal to address what they call Iran's ballistic missile programme and destabilising behaviour in the region. The days of the Ottoman Empire are over, said Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, urging Turkey to abide by international law, Kathimerini reported. July 30, 2021, 17:56 Greek Foreign Minister: The days of the Ottoman Empire are over STEPANAKERT, JULY 30, ARTSAKHPRESS: Turkey must finally understand that it can no longer behave as if we live in the 18th or 19th century, Dendias said. Respect for international law and the law of the sea are the guiding principles of relations between states, he said. It would be in the interest of Turkish society to realize this, most of which, I believe, already share these views he said. But Anderson argued party leaders shouldn't let Republican opposition slow them down. "Republicans didn't want to work across the aisle time and time again," she said of recent years. "If we're going to continue to move in a direction that helps the many instead of the few, Democrats are going to have to push." Despite the strong approval for Biden and two-thirds of Democrats saying the country is headed in the right direction, the poll finds 53% of Democrats say they are pessimistic about U.S. politics generally. Just 27% say they are optimistic, while another 19% hold neither view. Interviews with Democratic voters show those concerns are rooted in a deep distrust of Republicans, especially in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump as Congress convened to certify Biden's victory. Those Democrats cast the GOP as a threat to democracy. They pointed especially to Republican obstruction of federal election and voting rights bills, the lack of GOP participation in an official inquiry into the Jan. 6 insurrection and the struggle to pass an infrastructure program -- though a bipartisan breakthrough on infrastructure could now be on the cusp of clearing the 50-50 Senate. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after President Joe Biden's administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 Kentucky: A video of it was included in the indictment, along with Miltons explanation that the truck did not drive under its own power because motors and gears were removed for safety reasons and that Milton never deceived anyone. He even claimed that Nikola was developing the technology for a new line of pickup trucks called the Badger, when in fact the Badger was going to be little more than another companys truck with Nikola branding on top, Strauss said. At the bottom, this case is very straightforward, the prosecutor said. Milton told lies to generate popular demand for Nikolas stock. The Securities and Exchange Commission filed separate civil charges. Shares of Nikola Corp., headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, finished Thursday down over 15%. Milton's claims were aimed at retail investors lacking professional experience in the securities markets, including people with no experience who began trading stocks during the coronavirus pandemic to replace or supplement lost income or to occupy time during the lockdown, the indictment said. Some, it said, suffered hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses, including the loss of retirement savings or funds they had borrowed to invest in Nikola. Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) is all set to hike prices of its flagship vehicle Innova Crysta from Sunday (August 1). The Japanese carmaker issued a statement on Thursday saying the increase in price is necessitated by rise in production costs. Toyota said that the price of the Innova Crysta multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) will be increased by up to two per cent with effect from next month. The new prices will be reflecting on its official sites, effective from August 1, the automaker said in a statement. Toyota currently offers the Innova Crysta MPV in India in as many as 18 variants. The starting price for this flagship Toyota MPV is 16.52 lakh for the base 2.7-litre GX 7-seater petrol variant and goes up to 24.59 lakh (ex-showroom) for the top-spec 2.4-litre diesel ZX 7-seater with automatic transmission. Toyota said that the reason behind the latest price hike is a substantial increase in input costs. Besides steel, which forms a large chunk of material required by carmakers during manufacturing process, prices of other precious metals like rhodium and palladium have also increased significantly. The carmaker has decided to hike prices to partially offset the effect of high costs but has been kept in check considering the impact on customers. "As a customer-centric company, we remain committed to cater to the ever-evolving needs and requirements of our customers by consciously minimising the impact of rising costs on consumers," Toyota said in the statement. Toyota is not the only carmaker to announce price hike on its vehicles. On Wednesday, Tata Motors also announced that it is likely to increase price of its cars across the entire fleet next week. This will be the third price hike on Tata cars since the beginning of the year. The reason behind the price rise remains common. The same reason forced India's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India to hike prices of some of its cars, like the Swift and CNG variants of other models, by up to 15,000 earlier this month. Honda Cars too has announced price hike for all its cars in India from next month in an effort to minimise the effect of increase in commodity prices. Hero MotoCorp on Friday announced that it has commenced retail operations in the Mexican market. The company already exports motorcycles to a number of worldwide markets and Mexico is the latest to be added to the company's retail operations list. (Also Read: New Hero Maestro Edge 125 launched with connected tech, sportier graphics) The Delhi-based automaker said that it will be selling both motorcycles as well as scooters in the Mexican market. It will introduce a range of products including the Xpulse 200, Xpulse 200T, Hunk 190, Hunk 160R, Hunk 150, Eco 150 TR, Eco 150 Cargo, and Ignitor 125, and the Dash 125 scooter, in Mexico. Sanjay Bhan, Head of Global Business, Hero MotoCorp, said, This is an important development in our international business growth story. Mexico will be a key market for us in the future and this is the first step in this direction. The range of products that we have introduced here should excite and cater to a wide segment of customers." (Also Read: Hero Glamour Xtec launched: India's most affordable bike with turn-by-turn Nav) The company announced that its product portfolio will be made available in Mexico through the retail arm of the distributor, agencies and dealers. Hero also added that it will also introduce 'attractive financing options' to promote its products. All the Hero products in Mexico will be launched with a warranty of three years or 30,000 kilometers. Meanwhile, the two-wheeler maker has said previously that it registered its 'highest-ever monthly dispatch' to the international markets in March'21. It is important to note here that the design highlights are mere speculation at this point but Hyundai could share official images in the times to come and once the vehicle hits production lines. For India, Hyundai Casper could be another shot in the arm for the Koreans as smaller vehicles are gaining in acceptance at a time when personal mobility is being preferred. And although Hyundai does offer the Grand i10 Nios here, a feature-packed yet compact vehicle with SUV-ish looks could appeal to the budget buyer. Recently, some images of the Jawa-badged scrambler surfaced online which stirred the internet. It was nothing more than a rebadged version of the Bristol Veloce 500. For the record, Bristol is based out of the Philippines and the company has gone into a strategic partnership with the original Czech Republic-based Jawa company. And the bike had no direct connection with Classic Legends, the owner of Jawa Motorcycles in India. Now another motorcycle has been introduced under the original Czech-based Jawa company which is an adventure motorcycle based on the same underpinnings as the Bristol Veloce 500. While the scrambler version is called RVR 500, the adventure version is called the RVM 500. (Also Read: Kargil Vijay Diwas: Jawa partners with Indian Army for celebratory rides) It gets the same 471cc, parallel-twin, liquid-cooled engine found on its Scrambler counterpart. This engine is known to deliver 47bhp of power at 8,500rpm and 43Nm of peak torque at 6,500rpm. As visible from the official images, the new Jawa RVM 500 gets adventure-oriented equipment and features. It rides on 18-inch front and 16-inch rear spoke wheels that come shod with dual-sport tyres sourced from Metzeler. For the suspension duties, the bike uses upside-down forks at the front, which is backed up by a mono-shock at the rear. The braking is handled by twin discs at the front and a single disc at the rear wheel. The safety net of dual-channel ABS is also part of the list. Some other features of the motorcycle include its semi-digital instrument cluster and a USB socket that is offered as standard. (Also Read: Jawa Motorcycles launches Khakhi, Midnight Grey colours to mark 1971 war victory) Needless to say, it may not be launched in the Indian market anytime soon. CHATSWORTH, Calif.Conservative commentator and exiting co-host of The View Meghan McCaindaughter of late U.S. Senator John McCainrecently voiced her support for AVN Hall of Famer Brandi Love in regard to Love's having been barred from the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa, Fla., on July 17. Responding to an article published by gay news outlet Queerty.com titled "Meghan McCain's huband busted for tweeting at adult film actress," McCain retorted on her own Twitter account: "My husband was tweeting about our friend @brandi_love who was absurdly and cruelly kicked out of @TPUSA for her profession in sex work. She is a has written for @FDRLST and is a great conservative and deserves better. Nice headline trying to insinuate bullshit though." My husband was tweeting about our friend @brandi_love who was absurdly and cruelly kicked out of @TPUSA for her profession in sex work. She is a has written for @FDRLST and is a great conservative and deserves better. Nice headline trying to insinuate bullshit though. https://t.co/T0Ufc5RsG8 Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) July 21, 2021 McCain is married to Ben Domenech, founder and publisher of conservative publication The Federalist, for which Love has in fact written several pieces (and which Queerty characterized in its article as "vehemently anti-LGBTQ"). Domenech, on the day Love announced via Twitter that the organizers of the summit had revoked her pass, posted to the social media site, "I'm disappointed that @TPUSA kicked out @brandi_love for no reason whatsoever. She's a Florida conservative businesswoman who loves America. The right has an opportunity to be the big tent party. Don't be a bunch of prudes." I'm disappointed that @TPUSA kicked out @brandi_love for no reason whatsoever. She's a Florida conservative businesswoman who loves America. The right has an opportunity to be the big tent party. Don't be a bunch of prudes. Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) July 18, 2021 Of course, that's a tall ask of the crowd in question, as evidenced by the various reactions from them Queerty reprinted, including: "There is nothing conservative about pornography." (@aurelius_magnus) "Smut peddlers really shouldn't be given high praise. The lady needs to repent and be changed, that she may walk upright, not praised for her ways." (@RupertVonRipp) "Pornographers contribute to the degeneration of society and shunning them is right and proper." (@JesseMGolden) "I'll continue being a prude, thanks." (@deknightberight) "If we can't say pornography is bad, what can we say?" (@mflo918) Love told her side of the story earlier this week to tabloid outlet The Sun, expressing among other comments that, "My eyes were opened this past week to a group of people who I wish were not associated to MAGA and conservatism." Read the full interview here. With most school districts returning next week, the Republican governor and Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman continue to issue clashing messages. Hoffman made the rounds with media outlets Thursday to strongly urge parents, teachers and staff to wear masks in school. She criticized state law for preventing schools from issuing full mandates. Right now school leaders have their hands tied by the laws that were put into place where they cannot implement all of the policies that they need to keep their community safe, Hoffman told ABC15 Arizona. In June, as part of the state budget, Ducey signed a law banning public schools and charter schools from mandating masks or vaccination. Meanwhile, the Navajo Nation on Wednesday night reported 14 new COVID-19 cases, but no additional deaths. The latest numbers brought the total number of COVID-19 cases on the vast reservation to 31,337 since the pandemic began more than a year ago. The number of known deaths remains at 1,373. While cases are down, Navajo leaders are urging residents to continue wearing masks and get vaccinated. In other parts of the country, they are seeing large spikes in new infections mainly among people who have not been vaccinated, tribal President Jonathan Nez said. Here on the Navajo Nation, contact tracers are finding that many of the new positive cases are due to social and family gatherings where people let their guard down by not wearing masks and become infected with the virus. It only takes one person in a household to spread COVID-19 to a family and relatives. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Republican Senate President Karen Fann says the audit is only meant to see whether improvements are needed to state election laws. But the audit has long been associated with the stop the steal movement, and Trump has predicted it will uncover evidence to support his discredited theories of fraud. Before he was hired to lead the audit, Logan promoted Trumps false narrative that the election was stolen from him, and pro-Trump media has aggressively promoted the effort. By far the largest funder is The America Project, led by Byrne, which Logan said has so far contributed $3.25 million. America's Future, which lists Flynn as its chairman, contributed just over $976,000. Voices and Votes, led by OANN correspondents Christina Bobb and Chanel Rion, contributed $605,000; and Powell's Defending the Republic gave $550,000. Election Integrity Funds for the American Republic, which Logan said is led by attorney Matthew DePerno, contributed $280,000. DePerno unsuccessfully sued Antrim County, Michigan, over the election. Logan said several of the groups have also provided operational support and advice pivotal in executing the audit. Still unclear is where those groups got their money. They are organized as nonprofits and do not have to disclose their donors. Birthday wishes Call 281-422-8302 or email david.bloom@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun. Happy Birthday Wishes Question 1: Why did the US close Fort Detrick? In July 2019, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an order to halt research at the Fort Detrick biological lab, but no detailed reasons have been offered. Coincidentally, shortly before the lab was shut down, a large number of people became ill with respiratory symptoms, ranging from a cough to pneumonia, in two nursing homes in a nearby county in Virginia, about one hour's drive from the research base. What is the relationship between Fort Detrick and the pneumonia of unknown cause? Why has the US refused to provide explanations concerning the lab? What's the secret behind this? The idea of making Guanzhong a village of murals hit Sun Haiping in 2017, when a renovation project was going on there. Located in the Dongchuan district of Kunming, Yunnan province, Guanzhong village is about 145 kilometers from downtown Kunming. In 2017, Sun, an assistant professor at Kunming University, came to the village to assist with poverty alleviation programs. "I was attracted by the beautiful natural environment and the climate. As an artist, I came up with the idea of drawing creative pictures on the white walls of the houses," Sun said. The next year, Sun invited his friend, a Malaysian mural artist, Eric Lai, to Guanzhong to work with him on the concept. "Inspiration for the murals came from the people, architecture and plants here. We can sometimes finish one piece in a single day." For instance, the work Girl and Fish portrays a young girl from the village, Zhang Min. In other murals, Lai drew whales and tapirus, a mammal similar in shape to a pig that's found in Malaysia. Lai came to Guanzhong in February for the third time and has produced a total of 13 murals. "We plan to make Guanzhong a base for students of art, and make it an international mural village in the next decade to boost rural tourism and economic development," said Chen Minggui, the village's Party chief. Tanzania's president stressed that the vaccine is voluntary, and other citizens welcomed the arrival of doses. The action by the president to take a new direction in the battle against the coronavirus has brought relief to Tanzanians, said Dar es Salaam resident Hawa Bihoga. Tanzania went well over a year without updating its number of confirmed virus cases but has now resumed reporting the data to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which showed 858 cases in the country as of Wednesday. Critics of Tanzanias past stance on COVID-19, however, have long warned that many more people have been infected. The country is trying to catch up as many parts of the African continent face a devastating resurgence of infections. We are making efforts to ensure that we import more vaccines to meet the demand, Hassan said. Tanzanias president has even pledged to invest in vaccine manufacturing, according to the Africa CDC; the agencys director, John Nkengasong, met with Hassan on Tuesday. African countries, hit hard by so-called vaccine nationalism as rich nations prioritize doses for their own citizens, are embracing the need to have more control over vaccine production. Just two African countries still have yet to start COVID-19 vaccinations, Burundi and Eritrea. Burundi, whose late President Pierre Nkurunziza also had been criticized for downplaying the pandemic, has said vaccines aren't needed yet. And Eritrea has long been criticized by human rights groups as one of the world's most closed-off, repressive countries. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Most of all, Biden said in a statement, I want to thank these brave Afghans for standing with the United States, and today, I am proud to say to them: Welcome home.'" Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin lauded the Afghans for their work alongside Americans and said their arrival demonstrates the U.S. governments commitment to them. Friday's flight was all about keeping promises, said Will Fischer, an Iraq war veteran and an advocate on veteran's issues. But a refugee agency said the Biden administration appeared to be still scrambling to work out the resettlement of thousands more of the Afghans, and it urged Biden to bring them quickly to the U.S. or a U.S. territory, such as Guam. To date, there is simply no clear plan as to how the vast majority of our allies will be brought to safety, Krish OMara Vignarajah, president of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service resettlement agency, said of the Afghan interpreters. We cannot in good conscience put them at risk in third countries with unreliable human rights records, or where the Taliban may be able to reach them, the resettlement official said. The pacts termination would have taken effect after 180 days, but Duterte has repeatedly delayed the decision. While it was pending, the U.S. and Philippine militaries proceeded with plans for combat and disaster-response exercises but canceled larger drills last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. and Philippine forces engage in about 300 activities each year, including the Balikatan, or shoulder-to-shoulder, exercises, which involve thousands of troops in land, sea and air drills that often included live fire. Theyve sparked Chinese protests when they were held on the periphery of the sea Beijing claims as its own. The Balikatan exercises resumed last April but were considerably scaled down due to continuing COVID-19 outbreaks and lockdowns. A Philippine military official told The Associated Press that the U.S. continued to provide intelligence and satellite and aircraft surveillance photos of Chinese activities in the South China Sea despite Dutertes earlier threat to abrogate the VFA. The U.S. images have helped the Philippines to become aware of encroachments and lodge diplomatic protests, said the military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity for lack of authority to speak publicly. The logo for Free Enterprise Radon Health Mine is a miner skipping with crutches in the air. Roughly 70 years ago, a woman said her bursitis disappeared after visiting the mine several times. Thousands of others followed suit. We believe in it, said Leah Lewis, who co-owns the mine with her husband, Ryan Lewis, and has relied on it to help treat her Crohns disease. The couple live on-site and grew up in Boulder, going into the tunnels just as their 5-year-old daughter does now. Her husbands great-grandfather owned the mine, and the business has been in the family ever since. Not one person has come back and said theyve gotten lung cancer here, Ryan Lewis said. If they did, they would shut us down so fast. Aside from a billboard outside Helena, the family doesnt really advertise the business. Clients tend to find them. Like many companies, Ryan Lewis said, Free Enterprise took a hit last year as people canceled plans because of the pandemic. Before that, he said, the business broke about even, adding that radon can be a hard sell. But he said the family of cattle ranchers plans to keep it running as long as it doesnt cost them money. The land is an investment, and we want to keep it in the family, he said. And there are a lot of people who use this, and theres some responsibility there. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 The president agreed with Gianforte that reducing fuels in the forests was necessary and made a distinction between thinning dead timber and the clear cuts associated with commercial logging. We're talking about a lot of trees, because of climate change, as well where you have bugs, insects, eating up the trees as well, that are changing to killing the forest, themselves, then they become real tinder, and it's like, you know, dropping a match in, you know, almost like in a pool of fuel. And so, going in and cutting all that out is not the same as going in and, I'm glad you made the point of clear cutting, Biden said. Biden said federal funds in a major infrastructure bill now wending through Congress, as well as money included in the American Rescue Plan Act, passed in March, should give states money for forest management. Democratic leadership had indicated that in order to pass the infrastructure bill it would need to have a companion social infrastructure package. The companion proposal focuses on things like child care subsidies, Medicare expansion and public health issues like stemming climate change. The latter proposal is estimated to spend $3.5 trillion. Democrats plan to pass it through reconciliation, a process requiring a simple majority vote and not the 60-vote majority needed for the infrastructure bill. It will take every Democrat in the Senate to pass the companion package. Tester said he was undecided whether to support the deal. Like Daines on the infrastructure bill, Tester said he would have to see what was proposed. It's too early in the process for me to say this is a good idea or a bad idea. Are there $3.5 trillion worth of needs out there? There absolutely are, Tester said. I intend to vote to move for the debate so that I can get my input on how I think it needs to be utilized. And who knows what the end goal is going to be? Because quite frankly, there's too many questions. House Democrats have indicated the infrastructure bill will not be taken up unless the companion package is also delivered by the Senate. Love 1 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 3 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. What the hell is happening to Republicans in Montana? Every day we are treated to more examples of Republican leadership in our state acting with arrogance and disregard for the laws and principles of good government. For example, the recent case of Senate leader Jason Ellsworth, who tried to bluff his way out of a speeding ticket by claiming he was on his way to a legislative meeting. The law allows immunity to legislators heading to a legislative session. But the Legislature was not in session, and the meeting he was speeding to was the next day. Despite repeated warnings to return to his vehicle, he stayed out of his car and argued with the officer. Appropriately, the officer added obstruction of justice to his ticket. Then there is the continuing saga of incompetence and possible corruption at the Montana Public Service Commission. Most recently, the legislative auditor uncovered a variety of fiscal management problems in a routine and relatively cursory audit. This situation clearly cried out for a thorough investigation. Former PSC Chair Greg Jergeson (a Democrat) wrote to both Gov. Greg Gianforte and Attorney General Austin Knudsen, requesting a thorough investigation of the PSC. Still no response from either of these Republican officials regarding an investigation of their Republican brethren at the PSC. This years Montana fire season started early and will clearly last until winter. Right now in Montana we have thousands of firefighters fighting hundreds of fires over many thousands of acres. Already, according to the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, the state has experienced 1,698 fires, burning more than 341,400 acres. Many of the largest fires are nowhere near containment. Some, firefighters are conceding now, will burn until they are naturally extinguished by snow. Across the Northern Rockies, nearly 5,000 personnel have been deployed to fight active fires. These numbers, of course, dont include the incredible work being done by local and volunteer firefighters across the state and region who are constantly responding to and suppressing fires before they get big enough to be counted at all. We have plenty of examples of how fires, despite our best efforts, can mushroom in size and severity in a very short time. The Poverty Flats fire near Hardin burned more than 50,000 acres in a single day on Wednesday. Did you have an ideal childhood? If you grew up in North Dakota, chances are that you probably did. No, I dont mean you lived a life that was easy. Or one that was a breeze and problem- or work-free, where you had more money than you knew what to do with. That doesnt make life ideal anyway. I mean a childhood full of love from supportive parents, a nice extended family, plenty of friends, a secure home, a good education and fond memories. We all expect that. But not everyone gets that, you know. Bill Schmid didnt have that. Bill was given up for adoption when he was 2 months old. He ended up adopted by new parents who were alcoholics, suffered from physical abuse, got into trouble while in grade school and ended up at the Home on the Range working ranch for disadvantaged youth in Sentinel Butte when he was 13 years old. Now typically a young person would be sent there by state authorities. But Bill was dropped off by his parents like it was summer camp, except that he never went home again. He was a younger kid among older boys, had to quickly adapt and did so pretty well, ultimately working his way onto the elite ag crew that got to work with animals and things. Eleven COVID-19 patients remained in a hospital in the state on Friday, down from 18 just two days earlier. But state health officials are urging people who are not vaccinated against the coronavirus to get a shot, to help stem another pandemic spike in cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Adult vaccinations in North Dakota began to plateau two months ago. The state's vaccine dashboard on Friday showed 49.4% of eligible adults are considered fully vaccinated. That's up only about 3% from two weeks ago. And health officials consider 70% to be the minimum needed for herd immunity. COVID-19 numbers are spiking around the country as the delta variant spreads, accounting for most new cases. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week recommended that people wear masks in public indoor settings in areas with substantial or high COVID-19 transmission. That's calculated based on new cases per capita and testing results. Sanford Health will require that all employees receive a COVID-19 vaccination by Nov. 1 or risk losing their job. The hospital system employs 3,800 workers across its Bismarck region, which includes central and western North Dakota and Sanford Medical Center in Bismarck. It says 90% of its clinicians and 70% of its nurses have been vaccinated already. "The best thing we can do for our patients is to take good care of our employees," said Dr. Chris Meeker, chief medical officer for Sanford in Bismarck. "We need to have our employees healthy and safe." He added that Sanford is monitoring the situation in Arkansas and Missouri, which have emerged as coronavirus hot spots in recent weeks amid surges in both cases and hospitalizations. "We see that their numbers are escalating rapidly and we really want to avoid a situation like that particularly going into the fall, which is respiratory virus season," he said. Courts do not spend a lot of time on eviction hearings, Lemay said. The larger counties usually proceed by cattle call and if the 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? Member cooperatives of a Minnesota electric company endorsed a deal Friday to sell a financially troubled coal-fueled power plant in North Dakota to a Bismarck firm. Great River Energy said its 28 member cooperatives at a special meeting approved the sale of the Coal Creek Station and an associated transmission line that runs from the plants location in central North Dakota to Minnesota. Terms of the deal have not been publicly disclosed. The company said the deal is expected to be finalized later this year. Federal and state regulators must still approve. The company said the cooperatives also approved an agreement to purchase electricity over the next decade from the plants new owner, Rainbow Energy Center, a marketer that sells wholesale electric power. Great River said in a statement the transaction could save its members about $130 million, instead of shuttering the power plant. The company did not elaborate on how those savings would be realized. She says the street violence and looting in major cities is not only the fault of judges and district attorneys, but "also overcrowding in our prison system. There's less funding for the judicial system so they release individuals instead of putting them through the process of prosecution and sentencing, or through rehab. It's a problem that hasn't been addressed for many, many years (and) has gotten worse as the violence has escalated. When there's no consequence for it, law and order goes away." Asked about the state of the Republican Party, she responds, "It's the party that is bringing hope. If you look at what Democrats are embracing -- socialism, communism, lack of personal responsibility. Every problem that presents itself they think some bureaucrat in Washington, D.C., would handle it better than a Mom or a Dad, or a cousin or grandparent... "The Republican Party has a unique opportunity to talk about what we stand for and have always stood for and have proven to be the policies and the values that create opportunities for families and states and businesses. ... When you look at some states that have done what we believe in you can see overwhelming prosperity and families healthier and in school getting educated and that's what the American dream is and what the Republican Party needs to be talking about." -- Dr. Chris Meeker, chief medical officer for Sanford Health in Bismarck, on the health system's requirement that employees get a COVID-19 vaccination unless they have an exemption for certain medical or religious reasons. q q q "We know the delta variant is in our state, and from what other states are experiencing the delta variant has contributed to increases in cases in those states. National surveillance is also trending upwards for cases, hospitalizations and deaths." -- Kirby Kruger, head of the state Health Department's disease control division and forensic pathology section, on the fear that the delta variant of the coronavirus will lead to another pandemic spike. q q q Its not surprising to learn that the operator of the Dakota Access Pipeline has failed to adhere to a long list of safety regulations. An oil spill from this pipeline would be devastating to our drinking water supply and that of millions of people downstream, placing us all in harms way." -- Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Vice Chairman Ira Taken Alive, upon hearing that a federal agency plans to fine Energy Transfer $93,200 over pipeline safety violations. There is no indication the problems resulted in any oil leaking. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Finish this article for as low as $1 when you purchase a day pass. Just click the sign up button to purchase. If you are already a subscriber, just click log in to continue reading. "Without the agency's financial assistance, this project would be impossible to move forward," the company said in its application. "The capital replacement for new buildings is a large expense for any company and in a competitive market, it is much easier to save money by closing facilities and combining with other locations." Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Buffalo had been owned by Abarta Coca-Cola Beverages of Pittsburgh, a privately held fourth-generation company, since 1980 but was sold to the New England company in 2017. Besides Coke products, the company bottles, sells and distributes brands owned by Keurig Dr. Pepper, Monster Energy Corp., Fairlife and Body Armor. It offers more than 500 different beverage options including 160 low- and no-sugar products. The Tonawanda facility opened in 1951. Officials want to "guarantee the company's presence in the region for the next 50 years," but the costs would produce a negative return on investment, the company said. That "would most likely result" in the company abandoning the project and consolidating to its Rochester facility, officials added in the application. And since those willing to get vaccines also tend to be those more willing to get tested, Poloncarz said there are probably more. "We think there are people out there who are walking around sick and won't get tested," he said. "There's just a portion of the population that doesn't want to get tested. They don't believe it." Hospitalizations in the county have tripled in almost two weeks, and are expected to continue to rise. He said 42% of the hospitalizations are among those under age 65. Still, the number of people admitted to intensive care remains "extremely low," which is good news, Poloncarz said. "What we are seeing is even if you catch Covid and you're vaccinated, you can get sick but it's probably not enough to get hospitalized," he said. Of the 190 people who have died in the county since April, 96% or 182 were unvaccinated. More recently, 17 of the 18 deaths in June and six of the seven fatalities so far in July were unvaccinated. One was an immunocompromised 44-year-old woman, who died within a week of going into the hospital, leaving behind an 11-year-old daughter. As of Friday, 60.6% of all Erie County residents and 71.8% of those over age 18 have received their first dose, while 56.6% of all residents 64.9% of those over 18 are fully vaccinated. Moog Inc.'s third-quarter profits fell short of Wall Street expectations, despite an 8% jump in sales that was stronger than analysts forecast. "It was a solid quarter," said John Scannell, Moog's CEO. "All in all, steady as she goes." Moog reiterated that it expects earnings for the fiscal year that ends in September to be around $5 per share, with sales projected to be around $2.82 billion. Moog's profits improved to $36.1 million, or $1.12 per share, compared with a loss of $12.6 million, or 39 cents per share, a year ago, when the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns hit businesses hard. The earnings were 7 cents per share lower than analysts expected, according to Zacks Investment Research. Moog's sales improved to $707.4 million during the quarter that ended in early July, up from $657.5 million a year ago. Operating profits nearly doubled at its aircraft controls business, where sales improved by 9%, fueled by a 34% jump in commercial aircraft sales, which offset a slight decline in military aircraft revenues. During the pandemic, the practice continued to treat macular degeneration, glaucoma and other vision-threatening conditions as they altered the practice using Covid-prevention protocols that remain in place. This certainly was not the ideal start of our business together, Ausra Selvadurai said, but we cant complain because so many people have had it so much worse. We're healthy. The same can be said for Spetz. The vision in his good eye has improved from roughly 20/80 to 20/25 since his surgery last year. Overall, I'd say his prognosis is good, Deepen Selvadurai said, but with glaucoma in general, and especially for someone that has had glaucoma surgery, you can't walk away from it. You always have to watch it. Spetz turned 65 in March. His good eye pressure is on the low end of normal range, his wife Jody said this week, and he has resumed watching his favorite TV home improvement shows and old comedies. He still is taking drops but only twice a day compared to four or more times per day before surgery, she said. He is driving and working in his woodshop again. He also is taking care of his tomato and squash plants that he planted this year, something he could not do last year without assistance. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts temporarily banned evictions for 2 1/2 months near the start of the pandemic, but it expired in May 2020. Unlike in some states, Nebraska cities don't have their own eviction moratoriums. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? Nebraska has earmarked $200 million from the coronavirus aid package Congress passed in December to help tenants with back rent, utility bills and other expenses. The program offers up to $20,000 in assistance to renters or homeowners who need help paying up to 15 months of their bills. But the aid is only available to people who make 80% or less of their countys median income and can show they are unable to pay rent because of a financial hardship caused by the pandemic or are at risk of becoming homeless. The Nebraska Investment Finance Authority said that so far, nearly $24.6 million has been distributed to 6,292 households in Nebraska by the state and local programs in Lincoln and Omaha. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? LANSING, Mich. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions that was enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to oust tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households. I am responding to the recent articles and letters in The Buffalo News regarding India Waltons surprising Democratic primary victory over four term Mayor Byron Brown. As an elected progressive Democrat from the Los Angeles area who has spent a lot of time recently in Buffalo, it is my strong view that Brown should be retained as Buffalos mayor. Walton has no prior government experience, a very limited educational background, and no prior leadership skills that are evident, all of which are very relevant to the job of mayor. In addition, she may not have the temperament to succeed in the very difficult job of mayor of a Rust Belt city like Buffalo. Los Angeles has benefitted from the eight-year mayoral success of Eric Garcetti, whom I have known since he was in high school. A graduate of Columbia, and a Rhodes Scholar, he spent 12 years on the Los Angeles City Council, rising to its head, prior to being elected mayor. He is of Hispanic, Italian and Jewish background, and speaks Spanish fluently. He will soon be President Bidens Ambassador to India. Walton is a totally blank slate. How would she lead? Would she appoint competent people to key city positions? Would she be able to obtain the necessary state and federal funding to keep Buffalo moving forward? Aug. 7 Raptor Connections Meet and Greet at Montezuma Audubon, Savannah from 1 to 3 p.m. Daena Ford, President of Braddock Bay Raptor Research, will be with four species of raptors that can be seen in New York. Cost is $10 for youth, $20 for adults and $40 for a family. Space is limited and online reservations are required. To register, go to https://act.audubon.org/a/raptor-connections-meet-and-greet-8721. For more information call (315) 365-3588 or write montezuma@audubon.org. Aug. 8 Open Trap Shoot at Allied Sportsmens Club, 12846 Clinton St., Alden, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Open to the public through October. Instruction available. For more info call Joe Truty at 867-1458. Aug. 10 Open Trap Shoot at Allied Sportsmens Club, 12846 Clinton St., Alden, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Open to the public through October. Instruction available. For more info call Joe Truty at 867-1458. Huebsch testified in court earlier this month that Signal made it easier to carry on group chats with Android and iPhones and to keep from filling up his phones memory. He said he used the app to talk with friends about sports, health and family but not commission business. Walsh argued that opponents havent shown any evidence that Huebsch discussed matters before the commission. Here theres a lot of smoke and mirrors about how my client has communicated with this person or that person, he said. Nobodys pointed to a single communication about the PSC. What would be enough? Frost asked. Unless they have proof, they shouldnt have discovery? How would they ever prove it if its encrypted messages? Stephen Hurley, an attorney for DALC and WWF, said the PSC did not produce Huebschs phone records in response to an open records request. Theres a degree of trust that is lacking at this juncture, Hurley said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29) Filipino billionaires have backed homegrown financial technology startup NextPay in its $1.6-million (80.7 million) investment round. The Sy Family, which runs SM Investments Corp., led the oversubscribed seed financing round through its private investment vehicle Gentree Fund, together with Singapore-based venture capitalist Golden Gate Ventures. Local investors, including Ayala Group's Kickstart Ventures and Lisa Gokongwei of JG Summit, also participated in the financing round. Other investors were Tribe Capital, Broadhaven Ventures, 1982 Ventures, Saison Capital, and Razorpay, Rohit Mulani of GoTrade, and Abhinay Peddisetty, and Chinmay Chauhan of BukuWarung. Goodwater Capital which has invested in Facebook, Spotify, and Twitter also supported the funding exercise. NextPay provides digital invoicing, cash management, and batch payments to any bank or e-wallet in the Philippines. The company which has already processed over $9.1 million in digital transactions despite launching in the market just last year said proceeds will finance its target of developing new digital financial solutions for micro, small, and medium enterprises. NextPay's portfolio is expected to be boosted with digital banking solutions such as corporate cards, loans, and integration with other platforms focused on MSMEs, NextPay chief experience officer and co-founder Aldrich Tan said. Its chief executive officer and co-founder Don Pansacola is optimistic about the group's growth prospects, as efforts of Philippine companies to ramp up digital transformation got the coronavirus push. "We believe that business banking will continue to digitally evolve, as the Philippines accelerates its digital transformation initiatives," Pansacola was quoted as saying in a statement issued Wednesday. "This investment supports our goal of putting the power of big banks in the hands of small businesses," he added. Mang Nelsons filigree tambourine jewelry is modern, but not quite; he calls it modern heritage. A fourth generation craftsman and Living Treasure Awardee of the Province of Ilocos Sur, Mang Nelson is the designer behind local label Kaya Mana that focuses on traditional jewelry with a minimalist and contemporary feel, like a gold drum-shaped bead that can be worn as studs or a bracelet with interlocking lace-like chains. Born into a family of jewelers, 52 year-old Mang Nelson learned the craft when he was a child. As he started a family of his own, he like his father, his grandfather, and his great grandfather relied on making filigree tambourine-style jewelry for over 40 years to make a living, put his children through school, and build his own house. Ang filigree tambourine necklace ay ang kuwintas na buhay na ala-ala ng aming ama, he said. Dahil sa paglilikha ng kuwintas na ito, lahat kaming anim na magkakapatid ay napag-aral at napagtapos ng aming mga magulang. But as the bespoke handicraft waned in popularity against foreign goods, western trends, and rise of machinery, Mang Nelson realized that filigree tambourine was slowly becoming a dying craft. He also came to learn that unscrupulous businessmen were duping local customers by mimicking and overselling faux filigree tambourine jewelry (which is traditionally made with only 18K gold) produced using 10K or 14K gold at exorbitant prices. And because of these, both new and local customers developed a fear of buying from their community of craftsmen. The continued decline in demand for his pieces left him at a crossroads between joining his wife, an Overseas Filipino Worker in Canada, to make ends meet or continue saving the cultural heritage that his family had fought for and preserved for years. Fourth generation craftsman and Living Treasure Awardee Mang Nelson is the designer behind local label Kaya Mana that focuses on traditional jewelry with a minimalist and contemporary feel. Photo by JULI SUAZO Thats when he crossed paths with Paolo Palanca who, at the time, was a legal management student taking a sociology minor purely out of interest. During a sociology and anthropology course taught by his universitys Head of Cultural Heritage Studies Fernando Zialcita, Palanca was introduced to Mang Nelson who is the last practicing craftsman in Ilocos last 2017. Together with his groupmates Tenny Cayco, Bea Constantino, and Nikki Vocalan, he recorded and documented everything he could about the waning craft. When we first met, [Mang Nelson] said that there would be times they would go on for more than a year without selling a single piece which pushed him to take temporary jobs in construction or housework to make ends meet, Palanca said. It was heartbreaking. That was why our research was so important because if the last master craftsman chose to leave, then the knowledge and skills of the craft would go with him and we would lose a precious part of our cultural heritage. Filigree tambourine jewelry connects us to our past. Though the use of gold is an artifact of the Spanish colonization of the Philippines (the relikaryos or lockets themselves contained religious artifacts or relics of saints, strung on chains like rosary beads), there is an infusion of the artisans own culture in the design itself and the choice of motif. The word filigree refers to the art of turning gold ores into fine thin wires to be woven into the intricate designs while the etymology of tambourine remains to be fluid. According to craftsmen in Ilocos, the word is derived from tambol which is synonymous to drum (a style of necklace bead). Historical literature (Ramon Villegas book Hiyas) states that the origin of tambourine or tamborin traces back to tambour which refers to the frame used to guide looped and twirled gold wire in the making of these fine designs. During our fieldwork, [Mang Nelson] showed us some of the last few pieces he still had left unsold for so many years wrapped in simple red craft paper and stored in plastic pouches, Palanca shared. I think it was at this moment that my goal evolved from preserving knowledge of the tradition to trying to preserve the tradition itself. Going beyond research and documentation, Palanca wanted to revive the dying craft by helping Mang Nelson and his family sell his jewelry designs, bring it to areas they werent able to reach before, and conceptualize with modernized filigree tambourine designs. This was when preservation of this cultural heritage also meant the promotion of it, he shared. Having taken a number of business and marketing courses, Palanca built the brand of Kaya Mana in order to market Mang Nelsons pieces to a larger reach. Kaya points to strength while Mana refers to inheritance and heritage so putting them together, it becomes the power of our heritage while also being a play on the word kayamanan which points out the value of our rich history, he said. Mang Nelson designed new filigree tambourine jewelry with a more modern look exclusive to Kaya Mana. Photo courtesy of PAOLO PALANCA As weeks passed by, Palanca witnessed the project grow bigger and so did his goals. I wanted to show him that Filipinos are still interested in his works of wearable art so that he wouldnt be forced to leave the country to support his family, he said. Our group wanted to help him sell and make it a sufficient source of income for him enough for him not to need to leave the country just to support his family, finish putting his kids through school, and finish the construction of his then roofless house, said Palanca. While he had expected the original course of his life after university to lead him towards finishing law school, Palanca had discovered a new career path in continuing the business of Kaya Mana with the purpose of bringing a piece of Filipino heritage into the modern era, one fine handcrafted piece at a time. Paolo and Manang Cynthia (Mang Nelsons sister who assists in the administrative side of Kaya Mana) were able to earn enough profits to complete the construction of the roof of their house Ilocos Sur last March 2019. Photo courtesy of PAOLO PALANCA Youd think [filigree tambourine jewelry is] something old, something very traditional, something youd only wear for your Filipiniana Day or cultural events, Palanca explained. It has to break through that mentality. It cant just be limited to that one perception that thats all its good for. It needs to become a more contemporary type of jewelry in the sense you can walk on the streets and see someone wearing filigree tambourine jewelry. Theres a special kind of magic about something thats made entirely by hand. The delicate and elaborate process of making a single piece of filigree tambourine jewelry involves antique tools passed on from generations such as old draw-plates, molders, and pamuk-pok (pounder). Strings are cut into pieces and melted into miniscule balls of gold which are placed on the beads to add detail to each and every jewelry design. For Mang Nelson and his family, the craft was more than just their business but also an artistry that carried personal significance to his familys lifestyle. He said, Napakaimportante ang filigree tambourine sa akin kasi ito ay isang art. Lalo na, ito ay buhay na ala-ala sa aming ama na siyang nagturo kung paano gumagawa ng tambourine jewelry. Pinili naming i-preserve ang lokal tradisyon na ito dahil sa Ilokos lang makikita ito. (Filigree tambourine is very important for me because its an art form. Especially because its a living memory that has been handed down to us from our fathers who taught it to us). Uncompromising to the commitment to honest pricing, sustainable production, and ethical sourcing, Palanca continues to work directly with Mang Nelson to maintain the passion, dedication, and care that allows them to preserve the art and tradition that filigree tambourine jewelry carries. For me, the goal is for the craftsmen to no longer need us, shared Palanca. Eventually, I hope to return to the point before the industry declined when there was a steady demand for filigree tambourine jewelry and craftsmen like Mang Nelson can sustainably manage the entire business end-to-end by themselves and start crafting together again as a family. The delicate and elaborate process of making a single piece of filigree tambourine jewelry involves antique tools passed on from generations such as old draw-plates, molders, and pamuk-pok (pounder). Photo by JULI SUAZO Ang plano ay gumawa ng tambourine jewelries for Kaya Mana para lalong ma-preserve ang filigree making, lalong lalo na ang tambourine para mabuhay uli ang matamlay na industry ng pag-aalahas (The plan is to make tambourine jewelry for Kaya Mana so we can preserve filigree making, especially tambourine so we can keep the industry alive), said Mang Nelson. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) The state volcanology agency on Friday said it lowered the alert status of Mayon Volcano in Albay from Level 1 (abnormal) to Level 0 (normal) of the five-step warning system. No alert means no eruption in foreseeable future, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. Phivolcs said it has observed a continued decline in Mayons volcanic activity since July 17 last year, including fewer earthquakes. The frequency of volcanic earthquakes has declined to baseline levels (zero to five events per day) for the last six months, Phivolcs said in a statement This indicates that rock-fracturing within the volcanic edifice associated with magmatic or hydrothermal activity has diminished, the institute added. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) Voter registration in Metro Manila for next year's polls will be suspended when the capital region returns to the strictest enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from August 6 to 20, Commission on Elections spokesperson James Jimenez told reporters on Friday. The period of suspension falls a month before the September 30 deadline. The poll body did not say if there will be an extension. The national government announced that Metro Manila will continue to be under general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions until August 5, then will shift to ECQ from August 6 to 20 due to the rising number of cases of the highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant. The country already recorded over 200 Delta variant cases, including local infections. During ECQ, vaccination efforts are expected to ramp up and the government said financial aid will be provided. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) The Philippine economy stands to bleed 105 billion, with almost half a million Filipinos losing their jobs for each week the National Capital Region is under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Chua warned Friday. The number of poor people will also surge by up to 177,000, as 444,000 more will be out of work, Chua said. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque announced Friday that Metro Manila will be placed under the strictest COVID-19 lockdown from August 6 to 20 to contain the spread of the feared Delta coronavirus variant. NCR will remain under general community quarantine (GCQ) with "heightened and additional restrictions" until August 5. READ: Metro Manila still under week-long GCQ, to shift to ECQ starting August 6 Under the stricter GCQ, businesses will be forced to scale down operations. Authorized persons outside their residences are the only ones allowed to travel into and out of NCR Plus. READ: LIST: No dine-ins, other restrictions in Metro Manila under tighter GCQ Chua said the losses could be "partly reversed" if the government ramps up its vaccination efforts, especially for Filipinos in high-risk areas. "This way, the ECQ will be an investment to pave the way for a recovery once we control the Delta spread," he said. Business groups on Friday supported the pandemic task force's decision, saying while this will hurt the Philippines, the move is "necessary" to avoid a bigger blow to the economy. Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. president Henry Lim Bon Liong said the government should take advantage of this period to launch a "nonstop" vaccination drive. The Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) agrees. "We expect the government to mitigate the damage by increasing vaccine supply and ensuring that vaccination programs continue even under ECQ, as this is really the solution to controlling the pandemic," MAP said in a statement Friday. It also stressed the need to boost contact tracing efforts to isolate cases. "We cannot afford more lockdowns," MAP said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) Local shares plunged further on Friday as Metro Manila faced tighter quarantine measures due to the threat of the Delta coronavirus variant - sending jitters among investors. All indices were in the red as the Philippine Stock Exchange index finished at 6,270.23 - down 3.48% or 226.30 points from Thursday's close. "That's the biggest for 2021 so far," AAA Equities head of research Chris Mangun told CNN Philippines regarding the plunge. "The last time the market was down (like that) was in April of last year." He also described it as pandemic uncertainty striking again. "Nobody is confident enough or optimistic enough to say that we're gonna be out of this in a few months," Mangun said. Malacanang announced on Friday that the National Capital Region will be under general community quarantine (GCQ) with "heightened and additional" restrictions until August 5. It will then return to the strictest enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from August 6 to 20. Some investors "kept to cash to assess the impact of reverting to ECQ after a week," Regina Capital managing director Luis Limlingan said, noting establishments will have to adjust once again - particularly restaurants and other dining businesses. Philippine stocks also nosedived on Monday to the 6,300 territory due to fears over the highly contagious variant - with investors also uncertain with President Rodrigo Duterte's final State of the Nation Address. CNN Philippines correspondent Melissa Lopez contributed to this report. (CNN) Billionaire Sun Dawu, a vocal critic of the Chinese government, was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Wednesday for "picking quarrels and provoking troubles," according to an official statement posted by the court. Sun was arrested in March this year. His company, Hebei Dawu Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Group, owns farming operations in China and employs about 9,000 people in poultry processing, pet food production and other industries. He is also famous for being an outspoken critic of China's ruling Communist Party. Sun was found guilty of "gathering a crowd to storm state institutions, obstructing public service, picking quarrels and provoking troubles, disrupting production and operation, conducting coercive trade, illegal mining, illegal occupation of agricultural land, illegal absorption of public deposits," the People's Court of Gaobeidian said in a statement posted on its official WeChat account. As part of his 18-year sentence, Dawu was also fined 3.11 million yuan ($480,000). Sun was one of very few people in China to publicly accuse the government of attempting to cover up the extent of the African swine flu outbreak in 2019, which eventually killed more than 100 million pigs in the country. In an interview with CNN in May 2019, Sun said local officials had only retested his pigs for the disease when he had started to post pictures of the dead animals online. There have also been reports in local media that Sun was embroiled in a land dispute with a local government-owned farm, according to Reuters. The news organization reported Dawu claimed dozens of the company's employees were injured in a fight with police in 2020 after attempts to stop state farm staff from tearing down one of its buildings. In a statement on July 14, advocacy group Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) said Sun was being put on trial "as a blatant attempt to punish Sun for his support of human rights." "Sun Dawu has made extraordinary contributions to improving the life of Chinese citizens living in rural China. His support of rights defenders was an extension of his concern for the welfare of people on the margins of the Chinese economy," said Ramona Li, senior researcher and advocate for CHRD, in a statement at the time. CHRD added Sun was arrested along with his wife and adult children. Sun's sentencing comes amid a growing crackdown on private enterprises in China, as Beijing attempts to pull into line the country's free-wheeling entrepreneurs. In a set of guidelines put out in September 2020, the Communist Party said the private sector needed "politically sensible people" who would "firmly listen to the party." Chinese billionaire Ren Zhiqiang was imprisoned for 18 years in September 2020 on corruption-related offenses. Nicknamed "the Cannon" for his outspoken views, Ren had been a vocal critic of Chinese President Xi Jinping's coronavirus prevention strategy. In an essay published in March 2020, which was widely attributed to Ren, the author referred to Xi obliquely as a power-hungry "clown." CNN's Beijing bureau and Reuters contributed to this article. This story was first published on CNN.com "Outspoken Chinese billionaire Sun Dawu sentenced to 18 years in prison" Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) Those planning to file their certificates of candidacy (COCs) for the 2022 polls will have to do so in person, but minus the fanfare due to COVID-19, according to the Commission on Elections. The poll body earlier considered allowing the online filing of COCs during the scheduled period from October 1 to 8. But this is apparently not possible, Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez told CNN Philippines on Friday. "Meron nang study 'yung aming (There's already a study conducted by our) law department saying that online filing is legally questionable. We're trying to find a workaround but there's no word on that yet," Jimenez said. "Again, as a fundamental point, hindi 'yan (that's not) allowed," he reiterated. Republic Act 7166 states that COCs should be filed by candidates personally or through their duly authorized representatives. "No certificate of candidacy shall be filed or accepted by mail, telegram or facsimile," the law reads. Jimenez said Comelec is still working on the guidelines for the filing of COCs this year. It will surely limit the number of people in and out of Comelec offices, including supporters who will accompany the candidates, and the media covering the events. The Comelec is also studying designating separate dates of filing per elective post to avoid crowding. Where are we in election preps? The poll body targets to refurbish the vote counting machines (VCMs) in the last week of August or the first week of September. It wanted to jumpstart the process by conducting a walk-through of the location of the warehouse by the second week of August, but this will likely be affected by the imposition of enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila from August 6 to 20. "Like everyone else we are scrambling right now to see how that affects our schedule but yes that will affect our schedule," Jimenez said. Early this week, the Comelec declared the lowest calculated bid for the transport of VCMs and other election equipment and paraphernalia. It was won by F2 Logistics, which said it could transport election materials in several parts of the country at the price of 1.61 billion. Jimenez said nothing's final yet as the Comelec will still look into the company's capacity to deliver before it is awarded any contract. F2 Logistics' founding chairman, Efren Uy, is known as one of the businessmen who donated in President Rodrigo Duterte's 2016 campaign, but Jimenez said this should not be an issue. "Of course, it's understandable that some people would be wary about that," Jimenez said. "The thing is there are very strict rules for bidding...These are basically the securities and the guarantees that we have." Comelec expects high voter turnout In a June 2021 Pulse Asia survey commissioned by Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, 46% percent of the 2,400 adult respondents said they would not vote in the May 2022 elections if there's a high number of COVID-19 cases in their areas. Zubiri presented the results during the Senate's plenary session on Wednesday, as he called on relevant government agencies to take action to prevent a low voter turnout. Jimenez said this is a "very timely warning," but added that the Comelec is doing all it can to secure the voting precincts and assure the safety of voters. He said voter registration is also doing good, with more than 60 million registrants to date. The target is more than 61 million registered voters before the deadline ends on September 30. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) Polling places inside COVID-19 wards as well as a system to allow voting for those under home quarantine may help raise voter turnout for the 2022 general election, an Israeli disaster management official said on Thursday. In a media briefing, Magen David Adom disaster response coordinator Chalm Rafalowski said these are some interventions that allowed Israelis to participate in a democratic process while in a pandemic. Magen David Adom is the Israeli counterpart of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. Israel had two elections since the pandemic: one in March 2020 and another in March 2021. "I'm very proud to say that we did not see any increase in any new cases due to the election day," Rafalowski said. However, he did not provide data, specific information or procedures, as well as statistics regarding this claim and how the elections were conducted. He added a system may be suggested to the Philippines on how to conduct political rallies while keeping coronavirus-related restrictions in place. "Israel, of course through the embassy in Manila, would be more than happy to share our experiences and the tools that we used," Rafalowski added. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said his agency will meet with the Commission on Elections to come up with health and safety protocols during the campaign. "We are readying with the experts on how best we can continue to conduct the campaign activities, the electoral processes - but (we will also be) making sure that there will be compliance to the usual minimum public health standards and more interventions (that are) preventive in nature," Duque said during the same briefing. COMELEC spokesperson James Jimenez said the poll body is considering all suggestions in the conduct of the country's next presidential election. While saying that "nothing is off the table", Jimenez noted "legal impediments" to holding elections away from designated voting centers. Jimenez earlier said in a statement that the COMELEC remains confident that it will have a "sizable" voter turnout despite COVID-19 fears, and despite the results of a Pulse Asia poll commissioned by Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri that found out 46% of respondents won't vote if COVID-19 cases are high in their area. The elections are set for May 9, 2022. Filipinos will choose the next president, vice president, 12 senators, representatives and thousands of other local officials. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) The national government will distribute cash aid to poor families in Metro Manila once the National Capital Region is back in lockdown from August 6 to 20, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Benhur Abalos confirmed on Friday. The 17 local chief executives in the National Capital Region agreed to place Metro Manila under hard lockdown if the national government can provide cash aid to poor families and allocate more COVID-19 vaccines. Abalos, who coordinates between the COVID-19 task force and Metro Manila mayors, said the government has approved their request. "It goes without saying na pinyagan na rin po ito ng ating pamahalaan. Nagkaroon po sila ng paraan kaya pinayagan ang ECQ," he told CNN Philippines. [Translation: This was approved by the government. They found a way so they allowed ECQ.] The government will release details on the amount, qualifications, and mode of distribution. President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday ordered concerned agencies to "source for funds" for those affected by the lockdown, according to his spokesperson Harry Roque. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Chua said the Philippine economy stands to bleed 105 billion, with almost half a million Filipinos losing their jobs for each week the region is under the strictest lockdown. Duterte on Friday approved the recommendation of the government's pandemic response task force to place Metro Manila under general community quarantine with "heightened and additional restrictions" until Aug. 5, and for a shift to ECQ the following week to stop the spread of the more contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus. Abalos said vaccinations will continue during the ECQ period. DTI chief assures sufficient supply of goods during ECQ in Metro Manila Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said there is enough supply of goods in the market amid the looming ECQ in Metro Manila. "We assure the public of adequate supply of goods in supermarkets and groceries because agriculture and manufacturing activities shall continue," he said in a statement Friday. Lopez reiterated that while the economy, especially the micro, small and medium enterprises, can no longer afford another lockdown, this move is "inevitable" amid the threat of the Delta variant. "What is important is that even in the ECQ, we should allow the dominant portion of the production sector - agri industry services - to continue to operate so we save Jobs and income," Lopez said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) The government on Friday received an additional one million Sinovac vaccine doses, capping off its order of 2.5 million shots for this week. The National Task Force against COVID-19 said the Chinese vaccine manufacturer has so far delivered 16.6 million CoronaVac doses out of the 26 million doses ordered by the government. On top of this, the Chinese government also donated one million shots to the country. Sinovac accounts for the biggest chunk of the Philippines' 32.86 million vaccine stockpile. Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said 16.4 million vaccine shots from different manufacturers have been delivered this month. The government expects to get a total of 19,817,890 vaccine doses for July. The donation of the government of the United Kingdom for 415,000 doses of Astrazeneca will be delivered this weekend. Another three million doses of Moderna vaccines from the United States government and the COVAX are also due to arrive on Saturday or the first week of August. Galvez said the government needs to significantly increase its vaccine procurement for August and September to be able to vaccinate 70.8 million individuals this year. With this increased volume, our vaccine supply will be able to match the growing demand by October, as we have already seen our vaccination rate picking up because our LGUs are ramping up their capacities to quickly inoculate their constituents," he said in a statement. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) Almost half of Filipinos are not satisfied with how the Duterte administration is handling the maritime dispute against economic powerhouse China, according to a recent Social Weather Stations survey. The survey, conducted in late June and released on Friday, showed 47% of adult Filipinos agreed with the statement: "The Philippine government is not doing enough to assert its rights to the country's territories in the West Philippine Sea as stipulated in the 2016 decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration." Of this number, 18% strongly agreed while 29 somewhat agreed, the SWS said. Only 24% disagreed with the statement while 29% were undecided. The data provides a net agreement of +23, considered by SWS as "moderately strong." The independent pollster said the net agreement was "moderately strong" in all areas, with Metro Manila logging the highest number, followed by Balance Luzon, Mindanao, and the Visayas. More adult Filipinos - a total of 68% - would also like to see the current administration strengthening its ties with other nations to defend its rights in the disputed waters. Of that percentage, 33% strongly agreed, 36% somewhat agreed, 22% were undecided while 9% disagreed. This translated to a net agreement score of "extremely strong," the SWS said. The poll also found that 69% of the respondents supported the idea of building structures in the West Philippine Sea to further cement the country's claim. About 45% said it was "very important," 24% considered this as "somewhat important," 21% remain undecided, and 10% said it is not important. According to the SWS, the most demanded moves are: strengthen military capability, conduct joint military exercises with allies, and implement the terms of the Visiting Forces of Agreement and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. President Rodrigo Duterte in May said the arbitral victory against China on the West Philippine Sea is just a piece of paper. A month before that, Duterte said the Philippines has no chance of regaining the areas being claimed by China "without any bloodshed." Earlier this year, the Department of Foreign Affairs fired several diplomatic protests amid the presence of Chinese vessels in the disputed waters. The SWS conducted face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults across the Philippines. The sampling error margins are 3% for national percentages and 6% for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) The government's vaccine expert panel has rejected the proposal of OCTA Research to shorten the interval between two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, especially Sinovac and AstraZeneca shots, because doing so may result in lower antibody responses. Dr. Nina Gloriani, head of the Department of Science and Technology's vaccine expert panel, said studies have shown that shortening the interval between the first and second dose of Sinovac vaccine to 14 days from 28 days will lead to lower antibody responses. AstraZeneca vaccine, on the other hand, is more effective if the interval is prolonged to 12 weeks. "Ang data ngayon is showing, for most of these vaccines, mas mahaba-haba iyong interval, mas mataas iyong antibody levels," she said during a Palace briefing. [Translation: Latest data shows, for most of these vaccines, the longer the interval, the higher the antibody levels.] "Hindi natin puwedeng bilisan. Maaaring mataas pero bababa rin po agad iyan; in the long term, hindi po siya mabuti," she added. [Translation: We cannot speed up. Levels may rise but may also decline fast; this is not good in the long term.] Earlier, OCTA Research fellow Nic Austriaco called on the government to shorten the intervel between two doses to speed up the immunization program amid the threat of the Delta variant of the coronavirus. Currently, the government has received almost 33 million doses and over 17 million of which are Sinovac. At least 18 million shots have been administered and more than 7 million are now fully vaccinated, but this is still far from the government's target to vaccinate 70 million to achieve herd immunity. (CNN) Sitting in her hospital room in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Aimee Matzen struggled to breathe as she described how exhausting it is to have COVID-19. "The fact that I am here now, I am furious with myself," she told CNN between deep, deliberate breaths. "Because I was not vaccinated." Matzen, 44, finds herself in the Covid-19 intensive care unit at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge. She is receiving oxygen treatments and hopes she stays well enough to avoid getting hooked up to a ventilator. With Covid-19 surging in states across the country, Louisiana stands among those hardest hit by the most recent rise in cases, driven in large part by the Delta variant. The state has the highest 7-day average of new cases per-capita in the country, at 77 cases reported per 100,000 residents each day over the past week, according to a CNN analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University. "It is a kick in the gut to feel like we effectively have lost six or seven months of progress," Louisiana State Health Officer Dr. Joseph Kanter told CNN's John King on Wednesday. Kanter attributed the surge to a "perfect storm" of factors, including the Delta variant, which is believed to be more transmissible, and "unacceptably low vaccination coverage." Louisiana's vaccination rate is among the lowest in the country, with just 37% of residents fully vaccinated as of Wednesday, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It's the fifth lowest in the country, and Louisiana is one of six states that has less than 38% of residents fully vaccinated. The state's largest healthcare system, Ochsner, has seen a 700% increase in Covid-19 patients over the last month and a 75% increase in the last week, officials said during a news conference on Wednesday. And the vast majority of those patients -- 88%, according to Ochsner Health CEO Warner Thomas -- are unvaccinated. "This is absolutely disproportionately hitting folks that are unvaccinated," Thomas said. "Those are the folks that in a very high majority we're seeing coming to the hospital." Matzen told CNN she was not opposed to getting vaccinated -- she just hadn't gotten around to it. Every time she planned to get inoculated, "something would come up," she said. "I have this feeling ... if I was vaccinated, I wouldn't be hospitalized," Matzen said. Some Covid-19 patients deny the virus is real Louisiana is one of two states, along with Arkansas, where every county -- or parish, as the jurisdictions are known in Louisiana -- has "high" levels of community transmission of Covid-19, per CDC data. That means each parish has either 100 or more cases per 100,000 people, or a test positivity rate of 10% or higher. Hospitalizations in Louisiana are also skyrocketing, with 1,524 people hospitalized with Covid-19 across the state, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. On July 1 there were 259 hospitalized Covid-19 patients. The surge is again forcing hospitals to prioritize the treatment of Covid-19 patients over others. Harkening back to the early days of the pandemic, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center on Monday halted the scheduling of non-urgent surgical procedures that would require an inpatient bed. The hospital's problem isn't a lack of room, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Catherine O'Neal said. Our Lady of Lake is the largest regional medical center in the state, she said. But it doesn't have the staff to treat everyone. Patients are coming in waves, O'Neal told CNN, forcing the hospital to call in reserve workers and shut down other wards. "The load is becoming overwhelming," she said. There were 140 Covid-19 patients at Our Lady of the Lake as of Thursday, 30 of whom had been admitted over the previous 24 hours -- the most since the pandemic began, according to a hospital spokesperson. Almost 50% of the patients are under age 50. Fifty patients are in the ICU, and 11 of them are children. Morgan Babin, a registered nurse who has worked in the hospital's Covid-19 ICU since March 2020, told CNN the ICU's population has been rising rapidly with patients who are younger and sicker. "They were my age, my coworkers' age -- 30s, 40s," she said. "It made me scared for my own health as well as my community." Still, some remain in denial that Covid-19 is real, falling prey to rampant misinformation. And Babin has patients who insist their Covid-positive diagnosis is a lie. "I have patients that denied they have Covid all the way up until intubation," she said. "They think that they have a cold, and they think that we're lying to them." Nowhere is safe, doctor says O'Neal said the hospital assumes all cases now consist of the Delta variant, and the only place people are safe from the virus is in their homes, she said. Even outside, "there is no more safe," she said. "If you're interacting in this community, you should be vaccinated and you should have a mask on, because we're inundated with Covid," she said. Another patient at Our Lady of the Lake, Carsyn Baker, said she believed she got the virus when she visited her friend's house for her birthday, sitting on a screened porch. "I'd close my eyes and I'd feel like I couldn't breathe," Baker, 21, said. "Something in my body would tell me, like, 'hey, you need to breathe, like, wake up.'" Baker has a kidney condition, she said, and her doctor has advised against her getting vaccinated for now. "It kind of sucks because people like myself with an auto-immune disease, you can't really go anywhere now, because everybody's getting sick and it just don't matter what you do," Baker said. Ronnie Smith, another patient, was considering getting a vaccine. But he got Covid-19 instead. Smith, 47, believes he got the virus from a friend at an outdoors cookout. "Two days after the event, I went down on the floor and I couldn't get up," he said. In a statement this week, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards pleaded for eligible people to get a vaccine, saying all three were "safe and effective" and the best tools available to end the pandemic. "For anyone asking the question when will this end, the answer is simple: when we decide to do what it takes to end it," the governor said. Asked what she would tell people who remain on the fence about the vaccine, Matzen said, "Jump off. Run. Bring your family with you, get to the clinics. There is no excuse anymore. This is real." "I just don't want anyone else winding up like me," Matzen said, "especially when the vaccine is so easy to get now." (CNN) The COVID-19 vaccine has become so polarizing that some people in Missouri are getting inoculated in secret for fear of backlash from their friends and family who oppose vaccination, a doctor told CNN on Wednesday. "They've had some experience that's sort of changed their mind from the viewpoint of those in their family, those in their friendship circles or their work circles. And they came to their own decision that they wanted to get a vaccine," said Dr. Priscilla Frase, a hospitalist and chief medical information officer at Ozarks Healthcare in West Plains, Missouri. "They did their own research on it, and they talked to people and made the decisions themselves," Frase told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "But even though they were able to make that decision themselves, they didn't want to have to deal with the peer pressure or the outbursts from other people about them ... 'giving in to everything.'" In a hospital produced video, Frase said one pharmacist at her hospital told her "they've had several people come in to get vaccinated who have tried to sort of disguise their appearance and even went so far as to say, 'please, please, please don't let anybody know that I got this vaccine.'" Frase told CNN if a patient asks for privacy to get vaccinated, the hospital tries to accommodate the request whether at the drive-thru window or at their cars. "Anything we can do to get people in a place that they're comfortable receiving the vaccine," Frase said. "It's not a large number, but every single person that we can reach who wants to get vaccinated and we can provide that for them, that's a win. And we take every win that we can get." The doctor's assertion reflects the dramatic polarization of the COVID-19 vaccines and the extent to which vaccine skepticism has hardened into vaccine refusal. Studies of the three authorized vaccines have shown that they are not 100% effective but nevertheless provide strong protection against infection and severe illness. The vast majority of people hospitalized and dying of COVID-19 are unvaccinated, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said. Still, a Kaiser Family Foundation poll released earlier this month found that most people who'd made firm decisions one way or the other about their vaccination plans back in January hadn't budged since. Of those who were unvaccinated at the start of the year, only about 8% had changed their minds, the poll found. Missouri has 41% of its population fully vaccinated against COVID-19, which ranks 13th-lowest among all US states, according to the CDC. The state has had some of the highest rates of new cases per capita in recent weeks as the coronavirus has preyed upon the unvaccinated. Unvaccinated patients are getting sicker quicker Frase said her hospital had 33 patients admitted with COVID-19 as of Wednesday and she's expecting that number to rise. "The patients that are coming in are generally younger than what we saw before. It's more people requiring a lot more oxygen, a lot quicker," Frase said. "The majority of people we've admitted have not been vaccinated," she added. "The biggest thing that I think has been shocking for us is, back in the fall, in the winter, it took us four months to get to our peak admitted patients, which is around 22. It's taken us 30 days to exceed that and be up to 33 today." Frase said. And it's not just Frase's hospital that is dealing with an influx of patients in Missouri. The CoxHealth health system said it's expanding morgue capacity in due to an increase in COVID-19 related deaths. "We've actually brought in a portable piece of technology that allows bodies to be cooled and placed outside the morgue. We have had to expand that because the mortality has gone up so much lately," CoxHealth President and CEO Steve Edwards said during a news briefing in Springfield-Greene County Tuesday. CNN's Raja Razek, Jennifer Feldman and Eric Levenson contributed to this report. This story was first published on CNN.com "Some people in Missouri are getting vaccinated in secret to avoid backlash from loved ones, doctor says" (CNN) The South China Sea has been a hotbed of naval activity this week, with a British aircraft carrier strike group, an American surface action group, and forces from China's People's Liberation Army all staging exercises in the contested waterway. The British Royal Navy's aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has been the center of attention, with state-run Chinese media outlets and diplomats accusing Britain of stirring up trouble in the disputed waters at the behest of the United States. In a statement provided to CNN, a spokesperson from Britain's Ministry of Defense said the carrier strike group was lawfully navigating the South China Sea, "just as one third of global shipping does on an annual basis." The statement added the strike group was taking the most direct route through international waters to conduct exercises with allies and partners in the Philippine Sea. "As the Defense Secretary said to United Kingdom Parliament back in April, we are not going to go to the other side of the world to be provocative. We will be confident, but not confrontational," said the spokesperson's statement. On Friday, a series of photos posted on the United States Navy's website showed US Marine Corps jets involved in operations off the British carrier, with the dateline of the South China Sea. "A free and open Indo-Pacific region that is peaceful and stable is vital to ensuring greater prosperity for the region and the world," the photo captions said. Largest deployment in a generation Ten US F-35 warplanes are deployed aboard the British carrier, the byproduct of an agreement between Washington and London to harmonize and integrate the operation of their aircraft carrier fleets. A US Navy destroyer and Dutch frigate are also part of the strike group. In a previous statement, Britain's Ministry of Defense described the strike group as the largest concentration of maritime and air power to leave the UK in a generation. The group sailed from Britain in May and is expected to go as far as South Korea before heading back home in the fall. Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea as its sovereign territory. Beginning in 2014, it has worked to turn numerous obscure reefs and sandbars throughout the waterway into man-made artificial islands heavily fortified with missiles, runways and weapons systems, prompting outcry from other governments with competing claims. The arrival of the strike group has prompted anger in China. Writing in Chinese state media, Wu Shicun, president of China's National Institute for South China Sea Studies, described the UK carrier deployment as an attempt to "relive the glory days of the British Empire." "The latest voyage of British aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth is not simply what London calls a crossing of South China Sea waters in accordance with international law, but is a carefully planned trick serving multiple purposes," read an article from Wu, posted on the PLA's English-language website. "It's no secret that the UK has been acting in complicity with the US on the South China Sea issue, closely following its lead and dancing to its tune," Wu wrote. "The South China Sea was a symbol of Britain's glorious colonial past, through which the old-time empire that prided itself on its worldwide colonies shipped back the fortune and treasures it plundered in Asia," added Wu. But US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, in a speech in Singapore on Tuesday, called the UK deployment "historic," and pushed back against what he described as China's illegitimate claims to the waterway. Austin said the UK carrier's deployment demonstrated the strength of Britain's partnerships both with Washington, and other nations across the region. "I'm especially encouraged to see our friends building stronger security ties with one another, further reinforcing the array of partnerships that keeps aggression at bay," he said. US destroyer transits Taiwan Strait As the carrier strike group was moving through the South China Sea, a US Navy surface action group was for the first time bringing together two classes of US warships in the region. A US 7th Fleet press release said the combination of the littoral combat ship USS Tulsa and the guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd marked the first time ships of those classes have ever combined to form a surface action group. "These types of SAG operations are exceptional opportunities to harness the combined lethality of the fleet," Capt. Chase Sargeant, a task force commander, said in the release. Meanwhile on Wednesday, another US guided-missile destroyer, the USS Benfold, transited the Taiwan Strait between the democratically controlled island of Taiwan and the Chinese mainland and near the northern entrance to the South China Sea. It was the seventh such transit of the Taiwan Strait by a US warship in 2021. China has also been flexing its military muscles around the region this week with multiple exercises, according to state-run media outlets. Two areas of the northern part of the South China Sea were placed under restricted access this week for the exercises, according to an article in the state-run tabloid Global Times "While the Chinese military drills are not likely directly related to the UK warships, they show that the PLA is at a high combat readiness," the report said. This story was first published on CNN.com "UK's HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier pictured in South China Sea" You could just buy the car at a bargain price and keep it or quickly resell it at a profit. Or you could just negotiate for your dealer to buy the car from you, said Wiesenfelder. "Not everyone is built for this sort of transaction, playing those negotiations, but it's doable," he said. Also, it will require some patience to wait for all the paperwork to go through, he said. But it can pay off for those with the perseverance. Cash in on your current car There is some good news for car shoppers in this current crazy market. If you have a car to sell or trade in, it's worth way more than it would have been before. Sean Kalist, who lives in the southeastern part of Illinois, said he recently bought a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid -- not the plug-in version -- after selling his 2014 Volkswagen Passat. He had bought the Passat as a used car 18 months ago, he said, and sold it for exactly what he had paid for it back then. "So we drove it for free for a year and six months," he said. He also traded in a 2019 Toyota Sienna minivan, he said, which was also worth nearly the amount he'd paid for it two years ago. Editor's note: This story has been updated to include comments from ADM's media relations stating that no carbon monoxide has been found to escape the area. Residents living near Archer Daniels Midland in Columbus should be aware of possible carbon monoxide exposure, according to health officials. In a Thursday afternoon press release, the East-Central District Health Department said it was notified Thursday of a smoldering coal fire at the ADM plant in Columbus, 3000 E. Eighth St., by the City of Columbus. East-Central and Columbus city officials are working closely together to monitor the situation, the press release states. The incident has been reported to the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} ADM media relations told The Telegram Friday afternoon that ADM's test did not show any indication of carbon monoxide escaping beyond the dome area and independent consulting confirms those results. ADM is continuing to work with "outside experts" in extinguishing flames in the Columbus plant's coal dome and monitoring air quality, the company said. Nora said she and Gary met on a blind date. Following their encounter, Nora said she had hoped Gary would call her again for a second date, but if he didnt so be it. Gary called about two or three days later, Nora said, but when he told her who he was over the phone, Nora replied, Gary, who? It was all smoothed out eventually, Nora said. After several more dates, Nora said she knew Gary was the love of her life. She added she believes Gary felt the same way about her. Following Garys retirement from the Air Force, the family lived in Idaho and Indiana before calling Columbus home. Gary was a pilot at that time, working at Mountain West Airlines, Columbus Air Services and Douglas & Lomason during that stretch. In 1997, Gary retired as he and Nora relocated to Coeur d Alene, Idaho, but they later moved back to Columbus in 2011. Vos said there is no one definition of forensic audit but he is hopeful the results of the probe he ordered, and the one done by the nonpartisan Audit Bureau, will be sufficient. If you have two independent investigations where they are going to go the way the evidence leads them, that should be something we should all get around," Vos said. President Joe Biden won Wisconsin by just over 20,000 votes. There is no evidence of widespread fraud and courts rejected numerous lawsuits filed by Trump and his allies attempting to overturn the outcome. Democrats have derided calls for more investigations as feeding into conspiracy theories and lies that Trump actually won the state. Trump last month called out Vos and two other Republican legislative leaders, saying they were working hard to cover up election corruption. Vos and the other Wisconsin Republicans said Trump was misinformed. There are almost no documented cases of election fraud in Wisconsin. Two people have been charged with election fraud out of more than 3 million votes cast in the state, and prosecutors are still reviewing a handful of other cases that were among 27 forwarded to them by elections officials. Similarly, very few potential voter fraud cases have been identified in Arizona. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 From start to finish, it lasted around 90 seconds. Goodro pointed to a part of the video where Love appeared to go down on the ground but get back up again 1 second later, she said. "Not enough time for some savage, brutal beating of haymakers," she said. And she pointed to the fact that Winston admitted to firing four shots, telling the jury he kept firing until Montgomery stopped hitting Love. Goodro said it showed premeditation. "It's not just one to attempt to get him off. It's decisions," she said. Colton told jurors the state wanted them to believe that Winston had murder on his mind and Montgomery was his intended target. "A man with a gun and a plan finds his target and starts shooting. But Marcus Winston didn't do that," she said. She said Winston tried to talk it out with Montgomery, then tried to retreat after he punched him. But Montgomery kept coming. "He had to protect himself, and he had to protect Nate," Colton said. After eight days of testimony, the jury of six men and six women began deliberating at around noon Friday. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 History editor's pick featured Carlisle Group schedules private healing ceremony this Saturday at Barracks Cemetery Michael Bupp, The Sentinel Paza Tree of Life will host a public ceremony at the Carlisle Barracks Post Cemetery on Saturday. Prayers and songs of healing will be offered during the ceremony. Organizers also plan to read the names of Native American children whose remains have been returned in recent years to tribal burial grounds. Editor's note: This story was updated Friday morning to reflect changes. The ceremony Saturday is not a public event. Knowing what happened at Carlisle Barracks filled Delwin Fiddler Jr. with sorrow and anger. Two years ago, the Lakota Sioux Indian was walking among the tombstones of lives cut short by the social experiment known as the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. Touched by emotion, Fiddler prayed for the children and for himself. A boarding school survivor, he knew their pain of separation from family and the tribe. But Fiddler also realized that the true path of healing is to step away and move forward, never to linger in one spot and dwell on old resentments. Tour Through Time: Carlisle Indian School history includes two Sheldon Jacksons Two men named Sheldon Jackson played very different roles in the history of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. Love in action is what we need now to support each other, said Fiddler, executive director of Paza Tree of Life. We have to find a way to bring healing to everybody. A nonprofit support organization based in Easton, Northampton County, Paza Tree of Life has scheduled a private healing ceremony at the Carlisle Barracks Post Cemetery this Saturday. Prayers and songs of healing will be offered during the ceremony. Organizers also plan to read the names of Native American children whose remains have been returned in recent years to tribal burial grounds. Earlier this month, the Federal Office of Army Cemeteries exhumed the remains of one Alaskan Aleut child and nine Rosebud Sioux children who died at the Indian School, which was in operation from 1879 to 1918. Paza draws its name from Native American symbolism that all mankind can stand together as a tree of life bound by common roots. Tribe claims remains of children who died at Carlisle Indian Industrial School Some of the children will be reburied in a veterans' cemetery on the reservation and others will be interred at family graveyards, tribal officials said. The ceremony this Saturday is an idea developed by Fiddler and Maria Ragonese, director of administration and program development for the organization. Ragonese lost a sister-in-law and a firefighter cousin when the World Trade Center in New York City collapsed. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in Lower Manhattan and on the Pentagon along with the deaths of the Flight 93 passengers in the skies over Shanksville. There have been media reports lately of plans to identify burial sites and to return the remains of other Native American children who attended Indian boarding schools throughout the U.S. and Canada. Disinterment at Indian School cemetery concludes; one casket contained two sets of remains This was the fourth year that the federal Office of Army Cemeteries has exhumed remains from the Carlisle Barracks cemetery, which houses the graves of Carlisle Indian Industrial School students. These two developments made Fiddler and Ragonese realize that Native American families have something in common with the families of 9/11 victims. It is the pain of our relatives murdered because of someone elses hate, Ragonese said. We want Native people to know there are people that understand their loss and what they have been through. We are hoping to create unity. Fiddler is descended from Elk Head Raid Hair who fought at Little Big Horn. He believes his ancestors were correct in their prophecies that this is the time when all people will come together as one. Our mission here is to bring healing to all people who have suffered during traumatic events, Fiddler said. In this way, there is hope that someday we will heal ourselves and our Mother Earth, bringing harmony to the world as one true nation under the creator. Uncovering boarding school history makes for monumental task The U.S. Interior Department has started combing through records in hopes of identifying past boarding schools and the names and tribes of students. This Saturday, Tree of Life representatives plan to visit the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville before heading to Carlisle Barracks. In June, the organization traveled to South Dakota, Montana and Minnesota to visit the sites of the Wounded Knee Massacre, the Battle of Little Big Horn and Reconciliation Park in Mankato where the Dakota 38 were killed in the largest mass execution in U.S. history. The mission of Paza Tree of Life is to build a bridge between the past and future by providing humanitarian relief to disadvantaged communities and by promoting cultural awareness by cultural exchange. Paza Tree of Life is dedicated to the revival, empowerment and sovereignty of indigenous people. Its mission is to build a bridge between the past and future by providing humanitarian relief to disadvantaged communities and by promoting cultural awareness through cultural exchange. NEW YORK Wait, were supposed to wear masks again? Even if we are vaccinated? For a large part of the U.S., thats the latest advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC this week revisited and revised its guidance for wearing masks indoors to stop the spread of coronavirus. The change comes two months after the agency eased its mask advice, declaring that fully vaccinated people no longer had to cover up at indoor public places. Since then, the agency also said vaccinated adults and teens no longer needed to wear them at summer camps and schools. A look at the latest developments: WHAT CHANGED? CDC officials announced that people who are fully vaccinated should resume wearing masks indoors if they live in areas where the virus is surging which is most of the country, or more than 60% of U.S. counties. Masks generally arent needed outdoors. The agency also said everyone teachers and students should go back to wearing masks in schools, whether the virus is surging in your community or not. Earlier this month, the Federal Office of Army Cemeteries exhumed the remains of one Alaskan Aleut child and nine Rosebud Sioux children who died at the Indian School, which was in operation from 1879 to 1918. Paza draws its name from Native American symbolism that all mankind can stand together as a tree of life bound by common roots. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The ceremony this Saturday is an idea developed by Fiddler and Maria Ragonese, director of administration and program development for the organization. Ragonese lost a sister-in-law and a firefighter cousin when the World Trade Center in New York City collapsed. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in Lower Manhattan and on the Pentagon along with the deaths of the Flight 93 passengers in the skies over Shanksville. There have been media reports lately of plans to identify burial sites and to return the remains of other Native American children who attended Indian boarding schools throughout the U.S. and Canada. These two developments made Fiddler and Ragonese realize that Native American families have something in common with the families of 9/11 victims. CRANE, Texas (AP) Rusted pipes litter the sandy fields of Ashley Williams Watts cattle ranch in windswept West Texas. Corroded skeletons are all that remain of hundreds of abandoned oil wells. Unable to produce any useful amounts of oil or gas, the wells were plugged with cement decades ago. But something eerie is going on beneath the land, where Watt once played among the mesquite trees and jackrabbits. The wells seem to be unplugging themselves. Theyre leaking dangerous chemicals into her fields. First she found crude oil bubbling from one abandoned well. Then an another well was seeping pools of produced water, a byproduct of oil and gas extraction containing toxic chemicals. Im watching this well literally just spew brine water into my water table, and then I have to go home at night, and Im sweaty and tired and smelly, and I get in the shower, and I turn on the shower and I look at it, and I think, is this shower going to kill me? Watt said. A GROWING THREAT According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 3.2 million abandoned oil and gas wells exist in the United States. About a third were plugged with cement to prevent leaks. Most havent been plugged at all. Tesla, founded by tech industry tycoon Elon Musk, has contended that no franchise dealers can profitably operate under its direct-to-consumer, fixed-price business model in a manner consistent with the public interest. The Virginia Automobile Dealers Association, a trade group for independent dealers, had opposed Teslas previous attempts to open its own stores in the state. The trade group did not formally oppose Teslas application for the latest planned stores, but two dealerships in the Charlottesville area did notify the DMV that they believed they could own and operate a Tesla franchise. In his decision, Holcomb said evidence presented at a hearing in March indicated that the two dealerships in the Charlottesville region would need to change Teslas business model in order to sell its cars profitably. Holcomb also said members of the public and public officials in the Charlottesville, Arlington and Norfolk areas have expressed support for the Tesla stores. Much of that support revolves around the fact that Teslas business model is unique and outside the traditional model of motor vehicle dealerships in Virginia, Holcomb wrote in the decision. She later told investigators she did it, the prosecutor said. We have someone shot to death in his home while trying to flee and the defendant has admitted to doing it, Judy said. The prosecutor said Knicely deceived people to get use of a vehicle to go to the crime scene. He described the defendant as having delusions and full of malice for others. She has every incentive in the world to get lost if she gets out, he said in arguing against Knicelys release at the bond hearing. The prosecutor asked Judge Claiborne Stokes to hold Knicely without eligibility for release from jail prior to trialdue to the serious nature of the offense and evidence against her. He said she posed an unreasonable danger to herself and others and was a flight risk. The defendant, who left the crime scene and was picked up in Culpeper County later on June 16, the night of the shooting, told Orange authorities she shot the victim after Manning pulled her hair during an alleged conflict, according to the prosecutor. During cross-examination, Dortchs appointed attorney, Mike Hallahan, asked Bowlin why the police obtained a warrant for Dortchs DNA if the first swab of the victims hands had been a match. Bowlin said the request for an additional DNA swab was made by the lab and he did not know why the request was made. Bowlin also said Dortch had been a person of interest prior to the return of the DNA evidence due to footage from a nearby convenience store in the area that depicted him wearing clothing that matched the victims description. Hallahan did not try to contest the probable cause standard for the rape and abduction charges, but did point to a lack of evidence of a firearm. No firearm was located or seized during the investigation, he said. He might have had a gun, he might not have had a gun; all we know is that the victim perceived a gun and no gun has been found, Hallahan said. Pather countered this argument, pointing to code sections and previous cases that evidence of a physical firearm is not necessary for the two firearms charges facing Dortch. Precedent indicates that only the threat of violence via an object of instrumentality is necessary, Pather said, sharing an example of someone sticking their hands into their pocket to imply they have a firearm. After a brief recess, Judge Andrew Sneathern certified all four charges against Dortch. The case will now proceed to a Charlottesville Circuit Court grand jury on Aug. 16 and is pre-set for a three-day jury trial beginning Dec. 13. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions that was enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to oust tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households. Heres the situation in Indiana: The CDC on Tuesday walked back earlier guidance that said vaccinated Americans could opt out of wearing masks in most settings. Now, the CDC says that even those who are vaccinated should resume wearing masks inside indoor public spaces if their localities are reporting more than 50 new infections per 100,000 residents over the past seven days, or if the seven-day positivity rate is higher than 8%. That includes most localities in the state, though not the Charlottesville area, according to the CDCs COVID-19 data tracker. The CDC urged local and state health officials to examine its figures weekly and adjust local restrictions accordingly. The Northam administration, which controls public restrictions in the state, has declined to impose new requirements on Virginians, and will instead encourage people broadly to wear masks indoors. A Northam administration official said the CDCs new guidance would be confusing and practically impossible to enforce. The fast-changing local COVID-19 data could leave local health officials and businesses operating under new rules from one week to the next, and under different rules from one local county line to another. Coming out of this pandemic, we are doing what the president has been ushering in, which is we are building back better in Virginia, said Del. Chris Hurst, D-Montgomery, who joined Northam in Blacksburg. Northam emphasized that investing in higher education is critical as the commonwealth works to emerge from the pandemic stronger. He said one in three Virginians applied for unemployment during the pandemic, and while many jobs are coming back, not all of them will. For many people, this is an opportunity for them to consider what they want to do with their lives, he said. This funding can help them go back to school and get the education they need to make a career change or advance their education in their chosen field. Colleges have been highlighting their efforts on the job retraining front and not to just serve young people entering the workforce. By putting funds toward financial aid for low- and middle-income students, Northam said he is also trying to consider how the pandemic hit low-income populations disproportionately hard. This complements a program that Northam has prioritized and Virginia has begun offering this year: covering the tuition, fees and books at community colleges for low- and middle-income residents pursuing a degree, certificate or credential in a high-demand field. "We do know that people are vulnerable," Kaine said. The group that arrived at Fort Lee on Friday includes Afghans whose request for special immigration status is well-advanced. Some may require only medical screenings before they are resettled in communities in Virginia and other parts of the country, but Kaine said the process will be more complicated for thousands of others awaiting transportation out of their country while their applications are reviewed. He said the U.S. government is establishing to process applications in Kuwait and Qatar, as well as potentially in Kazakhstan and Kosovo. "We'll do it as expeditiously as we can, but we also want to do it in a way that protects American security," Kaine said. Fort Lee will serve as a "short-term processing center" for Afghans, he said. The base can accommodate up to 2,500 people, but Afghan allies and their families are likely to arrive several hundred at a time. "It will go on awhile," he said. As COVID-19 cases rise and vaccinations lag, the College of William & Mary is changing course and accelerating its vaccine requirement. In May, the university had announced it wouldnt require its students and employees to be vaccinated until one of the shots received full approval from the Food and Drug Administration. On Thursday, William & Mary changed direction, saying it will now require students and staff to have their first shot by Aug. 10. The decision comes as the number of coronavirus cases in Virginia is increasing. The seven-day moving average of cases has risen every day since mid-June, when there was an average of 140 cases in the state. That figure rose to 603 last week. The number of vaccines administered in the state has declined since early April. In Virginia, 60% of residents have received at least one shot, and 54% are fully vaccinated. There have been more than 20,000 cases at four-year colleges in Virginia since the beginning of the pandemic, according to a Times-Dispatch survey of school-reported figures. The rise of the delta variant and an effort to protect immunocompromised people and unvaccinated children helped drive the universitys change of direction, it said in a statement. In case you missed it, our little slice of paradise seems to be getting hotter and drier with each passing year, according to scientists and raw data. Climate change means a higher likelihood of devastating fires and thick smoke for Linn and Benton counties, as well as the rest of Oregon. The September 2020 wildfires, which shrouded much of the state in smoke and resulted in a wave of death and destruction, should have served as a major wakeup call. And in case you needed a reminder, the Bootleg Fire in Southern Oregon is the largest wildfire in the United States right now. Again, its great that officials are preparing. But residents need to make plans with their families, too. If you live out in the rural-urban interface, make sure you have defensible space around your home to protect your property and your loved ones. Plan an evacuation route, both from inside your home, and in travelling from your neighborhood. Plan a place to meet, too, just in case all family members aren't home at the time of the evacuation notice. Be prepared to improvise if necessary, since things often dont go as planned in an emergency. And, if you havent yet, wed urge you to create grab-and-go kits that could be critical in a disaster. The session, which included perhaps 40 people through its two-plus hour run, brought out the largest number of Corvallis councilors for any non-City Council function in recent memory. Seven of the eight sitting councilors were on hand as well as a county commissioner, an ex-councilor, four city of Corvallis officials and six more from ODOT or the Kittelson and Associates consultancy which is working with the state on the project. There is clearly strong public interest in the project. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Corvallis Gazette-Times. During the first hour, as consultants, councilors and community members put their heads together above the design charts and sprayed questions in all directions, the chatter produced such a din that some participants took to the 90-degree heat outside to save their ears. The consultants then went through 30 minutes of slides before taking questions from the audience as well as those monitoring the session online. ODOT hopes to adopt the plan by the winter of 2022, with the time between devoted to consideration of alternatives and plan development. Im excited to see this work being done, said Ward 9 Councilor Andrew Struthers, who added that he is hopeful that matters can move forward quickly so we can start talking about funding. Evictions are down by about half on average each month, compared to fiscal years before the pandemic, and it's unclear how much they will increase when the limitations on them expire. Morrissey told lawmakers he did not expect a tsunami of evictions to suddenly occur, due to the pandemic-related constraints on courts and the amount of available aid. Itll be a slower burn until we get back up to full-blown operations, and the number of evictions may increase over the baseline, but thats going to take a while still, Morrissey said. Tenant advocates point out that there are about 5,500 judgments for evictions that will be entered sometime in the next 30 to 45 days. It's certainly something that's important to all 5,500 of those households that those evictions not be entered, said Carisa Hatfield, an attorney with Homeless Persons Representation Project. Hatfield also noted that there have been 285,647 cases of failure to pay rent filed from July 2020 through May, and that about 4,600 evictions have happened since last July. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe US calls for halt to attacks against refugees as humanitarian crisis worsens in Tigray Hard on the heels of yesterdays announcement of its latest results, in which the company's mobile money business enjoyed a strong performance, pan-African operator Airtel Africa has announced another major investment in its mobile money operations. Qatar Holding LLC, an affiliate of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), will invest $200 million in Airtel Mobile Commerce BV (AMC BV), the holding company for several of Airtel Africa's mobile money operations. AMC BV is ultimately intended to own and operate the mobile money businesses across all of Airtel Africa's 14 operating countries. The transaction values Airtel Africa's mobile money business at $2.65 billion on a cash-and-debt-free basis. QIA will hold a minority stake in AMC BV (alongside other minority investors) upon completion of the transaction, with Airtel Africa continuing to hold the majority stake. There has already been a $200 million investment in AMC BV by TPG's The Rise Fund, and a $100 million investment in AMC BV by MasterCard. The Group's telecommunication towers companies in Madagascar and Malawi have also been sold. Airtel Africa describes the latest agreement as "a continuation of the group's pursuit of strategic asset monetization and investment opportunities". As before, the proceeds from the transaction will be used to reduce group debt and invest in network and sales infrastructure in its operating countries. Airtel Africa aims to explore the potential listing of the mobile money business within four years. Its reasonable to assume that Airtel Africa's mobile money services, which cater to a large addressable market of unbanked and underbanked end users in Africa, have good growth prospects. In the quarterly results reported yesterday the mobile money services delivered a strong operational performance. In addition, Airtel Africa's extensive distribution platform, as well as partnerships with companies like Mastercard, Samsung, MoneyGram, Mukuru and WorldRemit, to name only a few, will, it is hoped, help the company to drive sustainable long-term growth for its mobile money operations. Rachel Keber, from left, Shyla Paradis, both of Viola, and Tori Hazelbaker, of Moscow, wait in the drive-through line in a horse-drawn wagon at Dutch Bros Coffee in Moscow while training a 12-year-old horse named Drifter. Paradis, owner of Equine Connections, said that Drifter has gotten better on the road after multiple training sessions, including a couple trips to the Moscow Farmers Market. If (DeSantis) makes an emergency rule and we are not legally allowed to mandate masks, then we will have to change our policy, Broward board member Debbi Hixon told the South Florida SunSentinel. I am not looking to defy the governor. I believe it is an irresponsible decision but if it is the law, I will agree to follow it. The Florida Education Association, the states teachers union, said DeSantis should leave the decision to local officials rather than impose a statewide edict a position he once held. When the pandemic began in March 2020, DeSantis said local officials should control the response, that the business closures and mask mandates imposed in Miami, Tampa and other big cities wouldnt work in small, rural counties. Gov. DeSantis continues to think that Tallahassee knows best what all Floridians need, union President Andrew Spar said in a statement. We reject that kind of thinking. Instead, we ask Gov. DeSantis to allow all Floridas citizens to have a voice by empowering the elected leaders of cities, counties and school districts to make health and safety decisions locally. Meanwhile, Publix, the states largest supermarket chain, announced Friday that employees will again be required to wear masks and several hospitals said they are postponing elective surgeries and limiting visitors. The CDC levels of community transmission are referenced in many guidance documents, including the K-12 guidance for schools, so it is important to align with those measures, an ADPH news release stated. It is important to note that if the two indicators suggest different transmission levels, the higher level is selected. The dashboard also eliminates the Total Tested count, which ADPH said is less meaningful due to unreported tests and home testing. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} With the dashboard, users can click on their county and see the moving seven-day average of new cases instead of comparing a 3, 7, and 14-day averages. Users will see a percentage change in cases as well as the percent positivity rate based on the 7-day moving average. The moving average is used to identify trends by smoothing small fluctuations over a period of time, the ADPH release stated. The moving percent change, the 7-day average change in number of cases, and the moving 7-day percent positivity will be provided. Cases and deaths are also broken down by year rather than just a sum of both years. The new dashboard features only one overall total for cases and deaths, doing away with the confirmed and probable breakdowns previously used. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} McNair filled the story with Dothan references and even named his war veteran father after two men he idolized growing up Willie Rogers and Gene Elmore. Those were the last names of the two men who crewed my daddys construction company, McNair Construction Company, and with whom I worked summers from the age of 10 until I was in my mid-20s, McNair said. I stood with those guys they were heroic to me. Neither was educated but they were the backbone of my dads construction business and they taught me about endurance and about sort of this equality of men. Growing up in Dothan, McNair attended Cloverdale Elementary, Young Junior High, and Dothan High. He was a straight-A student, but working with Elmore and Rogers taught him that life is not all academic. It is a great humbling and leveling experience to work with people who have a different genius, and I grew to appreciate work and the working man, McNair said. While his latest novel is named for its villains, McNair said The Epicureans is also about surviving. McNair feels its his best book. Some courts have tried to connect tenants to rental assistance programs and mediators who can help resolve disputes between landlords and tenants. But in some counties, there's not enough collaboration between the rental assistance programs and the court system and applications aren't reviewed fast enough to prevent eviction orders, said Viraj Parmar, managing attorney with the Housing Court Assistance Center in Atlanta. Its hard to say how much homelessness will increase in Georgia. Eviction attempts didnt stop during the moratorium. Parmar said some tenants unaware of the moratorium or their right to challenge an eviction have given up their housing. Landlords have also cited other violations unrelated to rent to remove tenants. The fact that people have already moved out, and theres a ton of rental assistance, all of this Im hoping means we dont see a tsunami, he said. Still, he expects eviction filings to increase. One indication of the scope of the problem is census data showing 207,469 state residents concerned that they could be evicted over the next two months. Making people aware of rental assistance programs is key, said Protip Biswas, who spearheads efforts to address homelessness at the United Way of Greater Atlanta. Im hopeful that it won't be as bad as it could be, he said. Its not lack of availability, he said. Theres a lot of distrust when it comes to the vaccine. A lot of people thought (COVID-19) was going away. Kemp said he hears many people hesitating because the vaccines are still only approved for emergency use. "Id love to see the Biden administration put an operation warp speed on moving away from the emergency use authorization, the governor said. The Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday changed earlier guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in areas with substantial or high transmission. CDC figures show 138 of 159 Georgia counties in those zones. The CDC also recommended that everyone in schools wear masks indoors. Kemp said that shift was eroding trust. When you tell them they can get vaccinated and then take their mask off and then you turn around weeks later and reverse that, whos gonna trust anybody, any politician, Republican, Democrat, or otherwise? Kemp said. The governor also said he thought it was counterproductive to ask businesses or local police officers to enforce mask mandates. However, the ASDE said it does not believe that drivers should deny students access to transportation if they are not wearing a mask, according to an email sent to school systems on Wednesday that was obtained by the Eagle. In a Thursday joint Facebook livestream with an expert in pediatric infectious diseases, State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said case numbers are accelerating quicker than ever before in the pandemic with over 2,500 cases a day for the three days prior. Hospitalizations have increased at an unprecedented rate, Harris said. On Friday, Southeast Health reported 67 COVID-19 positive inpatients. Deaths will likely begin to incline in the next week or two, which is really unfortunate, Harris said. Harris said the ADPH will publish CDCs universal masking guidance in the school toolkit, which will be sent to Alabama school systems soon. Kimberlin said he is scared about the rate of infection and risks that poses to children. He said universal masking is the safest way to reopen schools. Because mask mandates are considered a school procedure, and not a policy, the requirement does not need to be passed by a school board vote. Sable Riley is a Dothan Eagle staff writer and can be reached at sriley@dothaneagle.com or 334.712.7915. Support her work and that of other Eagle journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at dothaneagle.com . Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Having the mobile welding unit downtown removes transportation obstacles students may have to attend classes at the main campus. It actually gives them the ability to have a career and mostly to have a living wage, said Sonja Lyles, the career center coordinator with the Alfred Saliba Family Services Center. That is really our focus, to make sure that were placing individuals in jobs where theyre making a good income where theyre able to support their families. This welding program will give all of these students the opportunity to do that. Lyles said the current wage offered by local employers for entry-level welders is $14 to $17 an hour or more. They have the opportunity as they learn and grow to make a much higher income, Lyles said. Students attend classes for eight weeks in the mobile lab Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The current class will graduate Aug. 5, and a new class will begin Oct. 4. The mobile lab can accommodate up to six students. For more information, call Amber Dunlap at 334-556-2208 or email adunlap@wallace.edu. Chip Powell said he had worked with Janness for eight years when she had been the bar manager at a local improv theater. Katie was the most down to earth, beautiful spirit that you would ever meet, Powell told WXIA-TV. So many people in the community knew and love her. Janness and her girlfriend, Emma Clark, had been together for about seven years and considered themselves married, said Clarks father, Joe Clark. They wouldve been together forever, Joe Clark told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. They were that couple. Janness was an avid reader who collected books, he told the newspaper. She had also taught herself to play guitar and sang songs that she'd written, he said. Mourners on Wednesday left flowers, as well as dog treats, near the park entrance where her body was found. Hampton said its too early to determine a motive for the killing. Investigators are offering a $10,000 reward for information regarding the slaying. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. MIAMI (AP) Hospital admissions of coronavirus patients continue to soar in Florida with at least two areas in the state surpassing the previous peaks of last summer's surge, prompting calls by local officials for the governor to declare an emergency. A large hospital system in Jacksonville said its hospitals were at maximum capacity, its emergency centers also at a critical point as the state grappled with the new and more infectious delta variant of the COVID-19 virus. In Brevard County, two hospitals began setting up treatment tents at its emergency departments. And at a Fort Lauderdale park, a long line of cars snaked around a testing site, recalling the first weeks of the pandemic last year. Florida hospitals reported more than 8,900 patients with COVID-19 on Thursday, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Florida Hospital Association said the state peaked at 10,179 cases last July. The patient number on Thursday was five times higher than a month ago, and it quickly climbed from about 5,500 in just one week. Anita Wells, an activist who helps fellow Nicaraguans on their way to the U.S. and recent arrivals, said she is overwhelmed with work. We have tons of people, of young men, in detention centers. Some are hurt, some are former political prisoners, and still, some of them are not allowed in (the U.S.), she said from her home in Virginia. Wells is one of the founders of Abuelas Unidas por Nicaragua (Grandmothers United for Nicaragua), a group that raises and sends money to Nicaraguans in need. She is also one of the founders of the Nicaraguan American Human Rights Alliance, which has increasing work because it assists with asylum applications and tries to avoid the expulsion of Nicaraguans at the border. Like Reyes Picado, Jose Olivera also fled Nicaragua, leaving behind a wife and two children. A sales executive in an appliances company based in the north of Nicaragua, Olivera took buses and walked towards the U.S. border in May after being fired for not accepting an ID card indicating support for the official political party, the Frente Sandinista. Government officials would knock on his door insisting he accept the card, and soon the threats started, he said. MEXICO CITY (AP) U.S. President Joe Biden will meet with Cuban-American leaders Friday to discuss the recent social protests in Cuba, the possibility of new sanctions on its government and options for providing internet access to the islands population. The afternoon White House meeting, previewed for The Associated Press by an administration official, will take place almost three weeks after unusual July 11 protests in which thousands of Cubans took to the streets in Havana and other cities to protest the shortage of products, power outages and government policies. They were the first such protests since the 1990s. Among the people who will meet with Biden is Yotuel Romero, one of the authors of the song Patria y vida! which has become a kind of anthem for the protests, said the official, who spoke on condition on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the plans in public. Also present will be L. Felice Gorordo, CEO of the company eMerge Americas; Ana Sofia Pelaez, founder of the Miami Freedom Project, and Miami's former mayor, Manny Diaz, among others. The White House did not provide more details, only saying that new sanctions will be discussed as well as ways to establish internet access for the Cuban people. Vegetables seen on the website of FlowerStore amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo by VnExpress/Vien Thong. Non-essential businesses are adopting various ways to survive the fourth Covid-19 wave, diversifying or shifting to a new product range, or boosting online sales and marketing. Many flower shops in HCMC these days have switched to selling agriculture produce. Some pack the produce in attractive wrapping and sell them as corporate gifts. The FlowerStore, which delivers flowers in Hanoi and HCMC, is promoting its vegetable combos including orange, carrot, guava and various types of vegetables at prices ranging from VND140,000-500,000 ($6.10-21.79). THEBEST Boutique, which sells cosmetics and perfumes in HCMC, now offers rapid Covid-19 test kits and supplements. The fact that Covid-19 patients with mild symptoms are allowed to treat themselves at home is an opportunity for the store to earn some revenue, said a company spokeswoman. Vua Cua, a crab restaurant chain in HCMC, is now selling all its products online alongside other types of food like corn, dumplings, sauces and bread. The companys CEO Doan Thi Anh Thu said they have sold over 50,000 breads since July. The company, which sources products from the southern province of Dong Thap, has seen a surge in online demand and has been unable to fulfill some orders due to staff shortage and lack of delivery platforms. "We are recruiting 20 more shippers to meet rising demand," Anh Thu said. Several other businesses, however, have stick to their original products and are trying to improve their services to prepare for a quick recovery after the pandemic crisis becomes less intense. Decoration and lifestyle brand Seeker is still ship products to localities where delivery is allowed. Ha Uyen, owner of the company, said: "We are investing more in customer interaction and research trends and products to be ready for a comeback." Children fashion brand Yodi Kids has chosen to upgrade their products. "Children fashion has higher requirements for environmentally friendly materials and therefore researching and creating new products is vital," said spokesperson Nguyen Viet Hoa. The company is also taking this opportunity to upgrade its stores and/or secure new locations. Other businesses have temporarily stopped operations, but remain active in interacting with customers and potential customers to retain brand recognition and awareness. "We have stopped selling plants and switched to showing customers how to take care of their plants using recycled materials via social media," said Lam Ha, owner of decoration plants shop Cay Nho. Bakery chain The Vagabond, which has stopped delivering, is now using social media to inspire people to bake and cook at home during social distancing. "Maintaining these activities is important to remind customers of our brand," said co-founder Nguyen Hoang Viet. Vietnam has recorded nearly 129,600 Covid-19 cases in the latest wave. HCMC and Hanoi continue to impose strict social distancing measures and have ordered all non-essential businesses to close to curb the spread of the disease. A woman receives a shot of the Nanocovax vaccine during a human trial phase in Hanoi, June 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh. President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has demanded the Health Ministry to simplify procedures and soon approve the use of Vietnamese Covid-19 vaccine Nanocovax. The Ministry of Health and related agencies need to create favorable conditions, reform administrative procedures, shorten the vaccine production process while ensuring people's health, Phuc told a meeting with Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC in HCMC on Thursday. As the community outbreak in Ho Chi Minh City is developing complicatedly, vaccine now plays a key role, he said. "In such an urgent context, it is imperative to consider early approval for Vietnamese vaccine to soon put it into use. Safety requirements are top priority, but all related procedures must be done quickly," Phuc said. Nanocovax by Nanogen is currently the Vietnamese vaccine that is closest completion as its third and final phase of human trials is being conducted. Ho Nhan, General Director of Nanogen, said that in the initial assessment, the Nanocovax vaccine is safe for people and creates certain protection against the Delta variant of the new coronavirus. To cope with the new strains of the virus, the company has studied and made adjustments to increase the effectiveness of the vaccine. "The vaccine has been tested on thousands of people, and there have been no cases of complicated reactions or fatalities," he said. He said the company can produce over 10 million doses per month and by October 2021 onward, it could raise the capacity to 30 million doses per month. The Nanocovax vaccine is expected to cost VND120,000 ($5.23) per dose. Vietnam has received over 14.8 million Covid-19 vaccine doses via contracts, global mechanism Covax and other countries' donations. The country has vaccinated more than 5.52 million people against Covid-19, including 546,402 who have got two shots. The nation is suffering the most challenging Covid-19 wave ever, recording almost 130,000 infections in in over three months. HCMC is now the worst-hit locality, with more than 84,500 cases. Reading the news about vaccines arriving in Vietnam, I feel reassured that we will one day defeat this virus and maybe return to "normal". Park Mi Hyung Like many other migrants, whether you are a foreigner living in Vietnam or Vietnamese worker overseas or even domestic migrants working in the industrial zones, I cannot help thinking about the day that we can all freely travel without restrictions. These days there is little difference between a Hanoian working in Bac Giang or a Korean working in Hanoi. We equally cannot return home to see our family (and our dog) freely. This is why any news on the vaccines is so welcoming. But the availability of vaccines is not the only challenge we face. We are not only fighting the virus itself but also the infodemic about the Covid-19. WHO defines infodemic as "an overabundance of information and the rapid spread of misleading or fabricated news, images, and videos." The sharp increase in peoples access to internet and development and use of diverse social media platforms have given people ability to share their views, experience as well as news and promotions with almost no regulations. As a result, we can all access useful information quickly and easily, but there is also inaccurate, exaggerated, unverified, false, fraudulent information reaching millions of people very easily and quickly. This has made Covid-19 response and now vaccine roll-out very challenging in many places. This is also true for migration. The amount of migration related infodemic both online and offline are incredible. And just like Covid-19, it is having a disastrous impact on the lives of millions of people. Last May, 165 Vietnamese in Da Nang were deserted by smugglers who promised to take them to South Korea by boat. Let me tell you as a South Korean, it is not possible to reach Korea by boat from Vietnam. If anyone tells you so, it is a flat out lie. There was also a report that Vietnamese are being cheated by human traffickers to work in casinos, gambling and online game facilities in Cambodia. Their mobility restricted, they are being exploited and forced to work 15-16 hours per day. Many were tortured and beaten brutally when they tried to escape or refused to work. Those who wished to return to Vietnam had to sign a debt of thousands of dollars or were sold to other companies. Unfortunately, these are all too familiar stories we hear from the migrants we assist as the U.N. agency for migration. A trafficked survivor reunites with her family in Vietnam. Photo courtesy f Blue Dragon Childrens Foundation. Decisions that migrants make about where to travel, what routes to take, and how to make a living are some of the most consequential choices they make. Without the right information, accessed at the right time and in the right way, migrants make decisions that can put them and their families in serious dangers, even death. A recent research conducted by IOM Vietnam and the University of Bedfordshire, U.K. showed that Vietnamese victims of trafficking have made their migration decision rationally but based on limited or unreliable information about costs, length, risks, legal requirements, alternatives or the situation en route or at the destination. Once their journeys begin, their situation becomes progressively more precarious with individuals facing new and rapidly changing vulnerabilities. Misinformation and disinformation cost lives. We are still mourning the tragic deaths of 39 Vietnamese in the U.K. in 2019. Unfortunately, Covid-19 crisis will very likely exacerbate human trafficking. The pandemic has not only made many more people economically vulnerable to seek livelihood opportunities overseas, but it has also made migration process even more complex and costly with increased requirements and restrictions on travel and entry, pushing people to seek irregular risky channels. Meaning more potential victims for traffickers and smugglers to exploit and take advantage of. So how can we protect ourselves from being tricked by criminals and make an informed migration decision? I find the WHOs top tips for navigating the Covid-19 related infodemic quite relevant and useful: Assess the source to ensure it is official, go beyond the headlines as they are often made intentionally sensational (if they sound too good to be true, they are not true); identify the author to check if the person is credible (your neighbor or friends do not know what the U.K. immigration regulations are); check the date to see if it is up-to-date (regular migration channels do often change); examine if their claims are backed up with facts (go to official websites); and lastly, check your biases to see if it is affecting your judgement (if you are desperate to take the journey, you will not be accurately assessing if it is accurate information, misinformation or disinformation). These are not vaccines against the mis- and dis-information virus, but preventive measures that anyone of us can easily apply. We have learned that wearing masks and washing hands save lives and are effective against SARS-CoV-2. Which is why, IOM, in close cooperation with the government of Vietnam as well as CSOs, U.N. agencies and destination countries like the U.K., Australia and the U.S., we are engaging with communities and the public to help people "wear masks" - equip themselves with safe migration knowledge and be vigilant of mis- and disinformation, and "wash hands" - identify and stay away from traffickers and smugglers. We are also working to support alternative livelihood opportunities in the country - providing economic incentives so that they would be less vulnerable to this virus. We don't have vaccine against misinformation and disinformation, but we can wear our information masks and wash hands against misinformation regularly to boost our immunity against the infodemic. It is a long and arduous battle ahead. Reaching 'herd immunity' seems almost unlikely for Covid-19, infodemic, or even human trafficking, but if we all do our parts, be responsible in discerning and sharing information, and always try to make informed decisions based on facts, we will one day reach it. *Park Mi Hyung is the chief of Mission, International Organization for Migration, U.N. Migration Agency in Vietnam. There have been six rounds of negotiations to date involving Iran and the P5+1 countries over a potential return by the United States and Iran to the Iran nuclear deal, the JCPOA, a goal vigorously supported by the Biden-Harris administration. Speaking to the UN Security Council concerning the implementation of the 2015 resolution that enshrines the JCPOA (UNSCR 2231), U.S. Senior Advisor for Special Political Affairs Jeffrey DeLaurentis welcomed UN Secretary-General Guterres support for the ongoing nuclear discussions in Vienna. He also praised the Secretary-Generals recent report for including information concerning Irans activities that are inconsistent with Resolution 2231. This report underscores what has been apparent for some time, he said. Iran continues to disregard the provision of 2231 that calls upon Iran not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons. Senior Advisor DeLaurentis also noted that the reports by the UN Secretary-General and by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi showed that Iran is taking escalatory steps which exceed the JCPOAs nuclear limits, including the enrichment of uranium up to 60 percent U-235, and the production of uranium metal. Ambassador DeLaurentis urged Iran to refrain from taking further escalatory steps and to return to full implementation of all its JCPOA commitments, including those related to IAEA verification, monitoring, and implementation of the additional protocol. Irans support for terrorism is also a concern, as it threatens U.S. forces, diplomatic personnel, and U.S. allies, said Ambassador DeLaurentis. We will continue to use all tools at our disposal to counter Irans destabilizing activities in the region, and to promote implementation of other Security Council resolutions to address Iranian conventional weapons proliferation. Regarding Irans nuclear activity, Ambassador DeLaurentis emphasized what President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have made clear: The United States is committed to ensuring Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon, and we believe diplomacy, in coordination with our allies and regional partners, is the best path to achieve that goal, he declared. The last few rounds of discussions in Vienna have helped to crystallize the choices that need to be made by Iran and by the United States in order to achieve a mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA. No media source currently available The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently announced $436 million in new humanitarian assistance for Syrians and the communities that host them. The United States is deeply concerned over a recent decision by a Russian court to uphold the designation of the Khakassia regional branch of Falun Gong as an extremist organization and to criminalize the peaceful practice of Falun Gong members for their spiritual beliefs. In a statement, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said, Russian authorities harass, fine, and imprison Falun Gong practitioners for such simple acts as meditating and possessing spiritual texts. He called on Russia to respect the right of freedom of religion or belief for all, including Falun Gong practitioners and members of other religious minority groups in Russia simply seeking to exercise their beliefs peacefully. Russia first passed an extremist law aimed at terrorism 19 years ago. Since then, other provisions have been added, and increasingly the Federal Law on Countering Extremism and other laws have been invoked against religious minorities, including Falun Gong, Jehovah Witnesses, and others. The State Departments most recent report on religious freedom in Russia noted that under the extremist law, government officials may prohibit the activity of a religious association for violating public order or engaging in extremist activity. "The State Department said that in 2020, Religious groups and nongovernmental organizations reported [that] authorities continued to investigate, detain, imprison, torture, and and/or physically abuse persons or seize their property because of their religious faith. Among the reported abuses was the detention of hundreds of Jehovah Witnesses and the physical abuse of some of them. Russias extremist law has also been used against secular targets. As Spokesperson Price pointed out, Earlier this year, another Russian court designated three organizations affiliated with imprisoned opposition figure Alexsey Navalny as extremist, further demonstrating Russias arbitrary and expansive application of this label. Spokesperson Price said the decision by the court to uphold the extremist designation for Falun Gong is another example of Russian authorities labeling peaceful groups as extremist, terrorist, or undesirable solely to stigmatize their supporters, justify abuses against them, and restrict their peaceful religious and civic activities. We urge the Russian government, he declared, to end its practice of misusing the extremist designation as a way to restrict human rights and fundamental freedoms. The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. The United States supports the right of the people of Taiwan to live in peace, and has warned China against any move against Taiwan. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} This expansion will increase the welding shop/classroom space by 4,500 square feet. Plans also include renovating the existing space to improve student safety, as well as provide ADA access. Upon completion, this new space will increase student capacity, allowing Great Basin College to admit and graduate more students from the Welding Programs. Assembly Bill 492 was signed on June 4, 2021 authorizing and providing funding for certain projects of capital improvement including the Welding Lab facilities located on the Great Basin College Elko Campus. The estimated cost is $6.4 million dollars. Of that estimate, Great Basin College has committed a match of $600,000 toward this public works project. Several opportunities are available to sponsor the space at different levels, including 26 welding lab booths in need of furniture, fixtures, and equipment for $5,000 each. Great Basin College Foundation Director, Geneil White, explains, Great Basin College was founded and funded by passionate local individuals. No contribution is too small to make a difference when enough people who care come together for a common goal. This project will provide opportunities for students seeking a career in Welding Technology, benefit employers needing the workers, and should enhance the local economy in the long-term by filling a vital industry workforce need. Accepting philanthropic contributions on behalf of Great Basin College, the Great Basin College Foundation is seeking support from business entities and individuals to invest in the future of our students. Donations of any amount are greatly appreciated. To learn more about how you can contribute to this campaign please visit: https://www.gbcnv.edu/foundation or contact the Foundation Office at (775) 753-2260. Great Basin College Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3). Contributions are fully tax deductible to the extent of the law. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The sign she held up was small but had the 14th Amendment written out that says, in part, No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.... Were a Constitutional County. We want to protect our 14th Amendment right, Armbruster said. We want choice for masks, especially for kids with school coming up. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Misty Atkins, the founder of Parents of Elko County, has been a vocal supporter of parental choice in schools for masks and vaccines. Her sign read, Parents choice period! No negotiating. Catherine Halley spoke against implementing masks in schools Tuesday night at the Elko County School Board of Trustees meeting. The recent developments in mask mandates combined with watching her grandchildrens discomfort and unhappiness wearing a face-covering prompted Halley to join the Parents of Elko County and bring her family to the courthouse protest to express her views. Were fighting for their future. Ive never been political before, Ive never stood for anything before, but I tell you this is more important than ever, Halley said. Our freedoms are at risk. Thats how I feel. ELKO Gov. Steve Sisolaks face mask mandate returned to Elko County on Friday, but it was business as usual for most local residents. Compliance was high at local casinos, which are closely regulated by the state. Local government offices also resumed mask requirements. Neither of Elkos two largest retailers Walmart and Home Depot had signs posted Friday morning informing customers to wear masks. Fewer than half of their customers were seen wearing one, which was typical during the prior mandate. All employees were masked. Grocery stores had posted signs and many customers were wearing masks, while convenience stores that posted signs saw little if any compliance from customers. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Some local businesses, such as Newe Cannabis and Ruby Mountain Thrift, never stopped requiring masks despite the lifting of the earlier mandate. Citizens are not fined by the state for failure to follow the mask mandate. Nevadas Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined a few local businesses during last years mandate but tapered off fines over the winter, despite high COVID-19 case numbers. The Labor Departments June jobs report on state unemployment found Nevada third from the bottom. With a national unemployment rate of 5.9% in June, Connecticut and New Mexico among the states had the highest unemployment rates, 7.9 %. Nevada trailed closely behind at 7.8%. The Nevada unemployment rate was unchanged from May (7.8%) when it was tied for the fourth-worst in the country. Unemployment in Nevada has remained stubbornly high all year 8% in April and 8.1% in March. Nevada set a record for the highest unemployment rate ever recorded in any states history during the middle of the Covid lockdown a record-breaking 29.5% in April, 2020. Thats higher than in the Great Depression. With Nevadas reliance on tourism and heavy economic dependence on the gaming and hospitality industries, theres some excuse for the states slow bounce back. But Governor Steve Sisolak along with other Democratic governors across the country maintained longer and stricter lockdowns during the pandemic. In Sisolaks case, he first ordered casinos closed in March 2020 and they remained closed until June. When they re-opened, state mandated capacity orders wildly fluctuated from 50 to 25%, then back to 50%. State and school district administers are coming up with creative ways to use additional stimulus money for education passed as a part of the American Rescue Plan. With many children at home during the pandemic, teachers had to adjust their curriculum and lessons for a virtual space. More than six states and districts are offering teachers a bonus or thank you payment for their work throughout the pandemic. Which states and districts are participating? Californias Berkley Unified School District (BUSD) will spend around $4 million to give teachers a 3.5% pay increase for this coming school year. In California, the average teacher makes 83,059. In Berkley, the pay scale starts at a little over $49,000 a caps the highest salaries for teachers at $102,000. Berkeleys plan is unique because it provides the bonus as a percent, meaning that higher-paid teachers will see larger payments. After the announcement was made, the President of the Berkeley Federation of Teachers said described the raise as a small but important step to keep up with the ballooning cost of living in the Bay Area and that it is not related to hazard pay or working conditions during the pandemic. The move has been criticized by parents who feel that the payments are a poor use of federal funds. Florida A Florida bill allocated more than $400 million to send bonuses to teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other first responders. Most teachers and administrators are expected to receive a $1000 check, but recent reporting shows that many educators may have been left out. The proposal to send the payments came from Governor Ron DeSantis, who asked the legislature to approve the funding for $1,000 checks to be sent to 3,600 public school principals and nearly 180,000 full-time classroom teachers. The law passed, but it leaves out critical school personal such as counselors and other support staff. The President Florida Education Association, Andrew Spar, has spoken out about his disappointment about the exclusion of 120,000 staff members, saying, It takes a whole educational village to serve students. Giving a bonus to only teachers and principals overlooks all the other people who are crucial to educating kids bus drivers, cafeteria workers, paraprofessionals, counselors, and many other support staff. To send the checks, the state contracted Fidelity, a large financial company that will send a physical check to all those eligible next months rather than sending the payments through direct deposit. This move has been criticized by Mr. Spar, who said told the Miami Herald that he believed the contract with Fiedelt was a waste of public funds and argued that the state could have just sent the money to school districts at no cost to taxpayers, like they had in the past. Georgia In March, the Georgia Board of Education approved a plan to send a $1,000 bonus to teachers using federal covid-19 relief aid. The move to incentivize teachers to stay in the sector will cost around $240 million. The bonus was applauded by teachers and the Superintendent of the Board of Education, Richard Woods, who said that the state wants to ensure these hard-working employees are recognized for their above-and-beyond efforts, and we want them to stay in public education for the benefit of the students they serve." Unlike Floridas plan, Georgia will send money to a wider range of educational professionals, which Woods said is critical because These bonuses are intended to thank all public-school employees from the teacher who found new ways to reach a classroom of students, to the bus driver who kept those students safe on the way to school." Michigan Earlier this year, the State of Michigan distributed a $500 hazard pay bonus to teachers in the state. The MI Classroom Heroes Grants also sent $250 to school staff and, in total, cost the state around $73 million. Tennessee The Tennesse state government passed a bill in June, which removed a 2 percent raise many educators had been expecting and replaced it with a $1,000 hazard pay bonus to full-time teachers and $500 for those working part-time. The bill was signed on 30 June, and educators are expected to receive their checks before 1 January 2022. Texas Various media outlets have reported that Texas teachers will be receiving a bonus. Still, nothing has been confirmed by the Texas Education Agency, the two largest teachers unions, or the Governors Office. However, some districts, including Fort Worth, Arlington, Mansfield, and Denton, approved bonuses and pay increases for their teachers in June. In Fort Worth and Arlington, the school boards passed a measure that will increase pay by 4% for all district employees. In Denton and Mansfield, district employees will see a 2% raise. Staff in Denton will also receive a $500 retention bonus, while in the Irving district, a $2,000 payment will be distributed to staff returning to the classroom this year. Are any other states considering the measure? Even before the pandemic, the United States was experiencing a teacher shortage. Having to "go virtual" was not seen as feasible for many teachers who opted to leave the profession. In June, as many of these bonus bills began to pop up, NBC reported: 270,000 public school teachers are projected to leave the profession between 2016 and 2026, according to government data, and recent polling by a prominent national teachers union showed that nearly 1 in 3 teachers said Covid-19 has made them more likely to resign or retire early. While these bills may not be a long-term solution, they are likely to help keep teachers in the classroom through next year. Lawmakers in California and Colorado have floated the idea, but no legislation has been made public. Other districts like that of Little Rock, Arkansas, have also passed bonuses to encourage vaccination among staff. The state is hosting a weekly przie drawer in an attempt to entice people to be vaccinated. For over 18s the prize is $1 million dollars with a draw every week for five weeks. For residents between 12 and 17 the prize is a $300,000 scholarship grant. The first winner of the $1 million was Darrell Washington from Weymouth, while Daniela Maldonado from Chelsea won the scholarship grant. Congratulations to Darrell Washington and Daniela Maldonado on winning the first-round drawing for the VaxMillions Giveaway, said Governor Charlie Baker. Since we launched VaxMillions, over 2.3 million residents have signed up and hundreds of thousands of residents have gotten vaccinated, building on Massachusetts nation-leading success in protecting our residents. Massachusetts continues to out-perform virtually every state on vaccinations How do I enter? Eligible residents are able to enter the giveaway at VaxMillionsGiveaway.com. For residents who do not have access to the internet or require assistance, a call center can be reached by calling 2-1-1 during the below hours: Monday-Thursday: 8:30 AM-6:00 PM Friday: 8:30 AM-5:00 PM Saturday-Sunday: 9:00 AM-2:00 PM Massachusetts VaxMillions remaining dates Registration Deadine How many drawings do I qualify for? Drawing date Announcement date July 29 All 4 August 2 August 5 August 5 Next 3 August 9 August 12 August 12 Next 2 August 16 August 19 August 19 Only final August 23 August 26 Why are states hosting vaccine lotteries? The US has seen dwindling vaccination rates in recent months, with just under 50% of the country fully vaccinated. With the resurgence of covid-19, with the Delta variant at the forefront, states are looking for any way to encourage residents to be vaccinated to prevent another wave. Many other states, including New York and California, have also created vaccine lotteries in a bid to drive up vaccination numbers. President Biden, along with New York and California, has announced that federal workers will need to be vaccinated by labor day in another attempt to convince people to be vaccinated. Has it improved vaccination rates? Massachusetts launched the VaxMillions lottery on June 15 and the governor claims that hundreds of thousands residents have been vaccinated in the month and a half since. As of yesterday 64% of the state was fully vaccinated and the state reported 54,300 vaccines administered in the last week. However, on the eve of VaxMillions being announced 47,980 people were vaccinated on June 15 alone. It seems the lottery has done little to speed up the rate of vaccination in the state. Heavy rains spread to northern China, precautions being taken in Beijing The disaster emergency response level for Central China's Henan province was raised on Thursday as the local death toll from flooding rose to 99. The provincial government said heavy rainfall and flooding had affected more than 13.91 million people by noon Thursday, wiped out over 198,200 hectares of crops and led to the collapse of about 18,000 houses, causing direct economic losses of nearly 91 billion yuan ($14.08 billion). At 10 am Thursday, the China National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Emergency Management decided to raise the emergency disaster response from level three to level two to further support disaster relief and recovery. From 7 am Wednesday to 7 am Thursday, heavy rain caused by Typhoon In-Fa hit six cities in Henan, and 65 weather stations in the province recorded rainfall in excess of 100 millimeters during the period, Li Changxun, deputy head of the province's emergency management department, said on Thursday. "Seven flood detention systems were activated in the Weihe River basin to drain the floodwater. Currently, water levels at four large reservoirs and 27 medium-sized reservoirs still exceed flood limits," he said. Xunxian county and Qixian county in Hebi in northern Henan have been badly affected by floods. Hong Limin, executive vice-mayor of Hebi, said that several main rivers and canals pass through the two counties, and six of the province's 13 flood-storage areas are located there. The storage areas, which are adjacent to each other, are accumulating even greater quantities of water. As a result, both counties have experienced severe water seepage, with dikes overflowing and breaching and mountainside torrents making flood control difficult. As of 8 pm Wednesday, about 588,000 people in Xunxian county and 172,000 people in Qixian county were affected by the floods, Hong said. A videoconference was held on Thursday on preventing flood and typhoon damage. It was attended by representatives of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, and the ministries of emergency management, water resources, and natural resources, as well as the China Meteorological Administration. The meeting tasked authorities with stepping up disaster relief work in Henan, accelerating the draining of floodwaters and thoroughly verifying the situation. Authorities were also asked to pay close attention to the path of Typhoon In-Fa and flooding in the basins of the Yellow, Haihe and Liaohe rivers, strengthen dike patrols and deploy rescue forces ahead of potential emergencies. In-Fa reached Shandong province on Thursday. Due to the combined influence of the typhoon and cold air from the north, heavy rain is expected to hit northern Shandong, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the eastern part of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and the central and western parts of Northeast China over the next three days, the meteorological administration said. The Beijing weather authority issued a blue alert at 6 am Thursday. Rainfall started at around 2 pm that afternoon and is forecast to last until 8 pm Friday. The capital has taken multiple measures, including introducing flexible working hours and temporary transportation controls, to cope with the expected strong rains. People of Xingjiaqiao community in Southwest China's Chongqing rest and mingle together outdoors by their residential buildings. [Photo/Xinhua] Meticulously trimmed flowers and green plants can be seen in the seven-story residential buildings of Xingjiaqiao community, which is nestled amid new high-rise blocks and industrial edifices, and the surrounding streets are tidy and clean. "We have no janitors or public attendants. We take care of our home by ourselves," says Huang Yantao, a resident of Xingjiaqiao community in the Liangjiang New Area, a State-level economic development zone in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality. Huang, along with some 1,400 other residents of Xingjiaqiao, takes the initiative in every matter concerning the community, from where a new tree should be planted to who should receive a social relief payment. However, things were wholly different before the renovation of the community. Tangles of bare wires crawled up walls or hung across streets. Calcimine on the walls of stairways could peel off at any time. Inside, conditions were unlivable, as domestic sewage escaped from aged pipes in both kitchens and bathrooms. "I had to hold up an umbrella in the bathroom," says Huang. Back then, residents were cantankerous, always grumbling about the situation and demanding to be resettled through government support. Xie Lan, head of the community workers and a resident of Xingjiaqiao, knew she had to help change the situation. In 2017, the local government provided financial support to the renovation of the community. But Xie's excitement was quickly dampened by unexpected objections. Only 23 percent of residents agreed to the renovation plan. Many residents questioned the point of renovating such a dilapidated community. Xie was not defeated. She and her colleagues visited residents, home by home. Built in the 1990s, the community was relatively new and did not qualify for government-supported demolition, she explained to them. She added that the buildings also had no potential dangers according to third-party evaluation reports and therefore could not be demolished. Four households agreed to have their apartments renovated first, to show the changes to their fellow residents. When they saw the new, tidy and clean apartments, others changed their minds and accepted the renovation plan. Xie recorded the personalized preferences of every household, including ceiling heights and the locations of electrical sockets, and discussed them with the contractors to try to meet the requests. In early 2020, residents of Xingjiaqiao moved into their newly refurbished apartments. "I could not believe the light and clean kitchen and bathroom belonged to me," says Huang. Xie won the trust and admiration of her fellow residents through the down-to-earth working style she exhibited during the renovation process. She also found an effective approach to improving community governance-sending community workers out to establish people's concerns, reporting the problems to the local government, and coordinating efforts to solve them. But just as celebratory joy filled the community, the COVID-19 pandemic struck China and the world. Xingjiaqiao's community workers faced immediate challenges including screening for possible infections and locking down the entire community. These tasks were impossible for Xie's team of just 14 workers, so she posted a volunteer recruitment announcement in a WeChat group, unsure whether or not residents would come forward to help. Despite her worries, the group chat was flooded with responses. "I'm ready and will go all out," one message read. "We trust her and are willing to contribute to safeguarding our homes," says Meng Jilun, a Xingjiaqiao resident. Though COVID-19 is largely under control in China, the volunteer team continues to serve the community. Some address difficulties faced by senior residents and the vulnerable who are living alone. Some are dedicated to accompanying seniors and helping them deal with loneliness. "I'm happy that our community is becoming more beautiful and harmonious, and that my fellow residents are more active in bettering our community," says Xie. Editor: WPY Screenshot of Russian media Sputnik Russian media Sputnik reported that an international online petition calling for For Detrick probe was hacked by hackers who were reportedly based in the US. The article titled Whos Afraid of Fort Detrick introduced the notorious history of safety failures of the US military laboratory Fort Detrick which is the center of its biowarfare research. The lab worked on a wide range of biowarfare pathogens and was shut down in the middle of 2019 for reasons which are not clear to the public. Over four million people worldwide and more than 600,000 in the US alone have been killed by the Covid-19 pandemic has so far. The article said that it is not unreasonable to call for an investigation into the practices and records at Fort Detrick so as to ascertain if it had any connection to the Covid-19 pandemic. It also pointed out that the US is using Covid-19 origin tracing to smear China while hypocritically suppressing any questions about its own conduct. At last the article said that the US seems afraid to permit a probe into Fort Detrick. Editor: Zhang Zhou Tourists are seen near the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, July 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) Different from its predecessor that frequently withdrew the US from international organizations and treaties, the new administration in the White House has been declaring "America is back" since it was established, vowing to "renew American leadership." However, Washington's hegemonic and arbitrary attitude on the origin tracing of COVID-19, which is still rampant around the world, is disappointing more and more countries, and presenting a clearer image of the so-called "leadership" that the US is trying to renew. To duck responsibilities for the failure of pandemic control, and divert people's dissatisfaction with the government's poor performance on solving inter-party conflicts, narrowing social divide and driving economic recovery, the current administration in the White House just returned to the old path of hegemony pursued by its predecessor. To discredit and oppress China, the US is forming cliques and playing the blame game. It shows no respect to science and runs counter to justice. Facts prove that the so-called "leadership" Washington aims to renew is just huge damage to the global anti-pandemic efforts. The US is the biggest force driving politicization of origin tracing. It has done everything in an attempt to achieve its secret political goals. Over the past year, the coronavirus mutated frequently as it swept around the world, which has triggered an increasingly stronger demand for joint efforts to cope with the pandemic. However, considering itself as the world's strongest science power and often stressing the importance of investigation, the US has always ignored science and facts. It called its allies to pressure the WHO on origin tracing of COVID-19, made its intelligent departments to find the origins of the virus, and repeatedly speculated the so-called "lab leak theory," blatantly spreading political virus on WHO and other international platforms. The above dangerous practices of the US have triggered doubts and criticism. Nature magazine said that hostile demands for an investigation into the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) will backfire, because they often sound like allegations. Mexican epidemiologist Gerardo Perez also noted that the US now again raises the issue of origin tracing mainly out of self-interests. However, generating a search for guilty right now is truly idle, he added. The wrongful remarks and practices of Washington on origin tracing reveal its zero-sum and confrontation mentality in dealing with international affairs. As it is known to all, the last US administration advocated "America first" and withdrew the country from multiple international organizations and treaties, and constantly bullied other countries with its hegemony, which triggered wide opposition from the international society. To rebuild its image, the current administration is acting like it's sorry for the past and spouting multilateralism and international responsibility. However, everyone can still see that the foreign policy of the current US administration is just old wine in a new bottle, no matter how hard American politicians are trying to sell it. To protect American hegemony, the current administration in the White House is also trampling on international rules and destroying international cooperation. The French newspaper Les Echos said the priorities of Washington are not very different from what they were when Donald Trump was in office. Melvyn Krauss, emeritus professor of economics at New York University pointed out that the foreign policy outlined by the incumbent US President was not all that different from his rococo predecessors America First credo, and the current administration has been following a form of America first policy even in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Compared with the last US administration, the current one obviously has spent more energy on forming cliques. It is more "skilled" and adept at practicing unilateralism under the banner of multilateralism, following the principle of "America first" in a more deceptive disguise. Many US politicians believe that such fake multilateralism could deceive the world and renew the "leadership" of the US. How ridiculous they are! Amid the global challenge of COVID-19, the real leadership is embodied only by the concrete efforts to promote solidarity and cooperation, rather than blame game. It lies in the respect to science and facts, not political manipulation. In the race between mankind and COVID-19, Washington has ignored people's lives and health, prioritized its international influence, and oppressed other countries. Such wrongful practices would only fail the US on its way to renew the so-called "leadership" and trigger more opposition. Joseph Sullivan, senior advisor at the Lindsey Group said in an article he published on Foreign Policy that the White House is still continuing to pursue US interests in a way that hurts the rest of the world. Major countries must take their responsibilities when the world is in urgent need of solidarity and cooperation to tide over difficulties. The US, addicted to confrontation games, has become the largest stumbling block for global solidarity and cooperation. In the 21st century, any country that holds onto Cold War mentality, employs outdated Cold War approaches, or forms cliques to oppress other countries would only be abandoned by the times, and there is no chance for it to renew the so-called "leadership." (Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People's Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.) Editor: WPY Syrian Minister of Health Hasan al-Ghabash (3rd R, front) welcomes the Chinese COVID-19 vaccines at the international airport of Damascus, Syria, on July 29, 2021. The Syrian Health Ministry on Thursday received a batch of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines provided by the Red Cross Society of China. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua) DAMASCUS, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian Health Ministry on Thursday received a batch of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines provided by the Red Cross Society of China. Health Minister Hasan al-Ghabash attended the reception ceremony at the Damascus International Airport alongside Chinese Ambassador to Syria Feng Biao, as the Chinese embassy has supervised the delivery of the vaccines to the Syrian government. During the ceremony, al-Ghabash expressed the Syrian government's gratitude to China for sending the vaccines, which he hailed as effective and successful. "We thank the government of the People's Republic of China and the Chinese people for their important contributions in light of the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the world," he said. "This vaccine is one of the recognized and registered vaccines by the World Health Organization and it has proven its effectiveness and success in China and in other areas which have received this vaccine," he said. Feng said the new delivery reflects the friendship between the Chinese and Syrian people. "Nowadays, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread around the world in tandem with the appearance of new variants of the virus, which makes it the most important duty for the world to exert efforts to counter the pandemic," the Chinese ambassador said. Feng called on all parties to abide by scientific principles in tracing the source of the virus and oppose politicizing this issue. In April, Syria received a batch of Chinese vaccines as part of many medical donations offered by the Chinese government to Syria to deal with the pandemic. Enditem 3 1 Editor: Zhang Zhou A medical worker scans ID information of residents at a nucleic acid testing spot in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, July 29, 2021. Nanjing, a mega-city with a population of more than 9.3 million in eastern China, launched the third round of all-inclusive nucleic acid testing campaign on Wednesday, according to the municipal COVID-19 prevention and control headquarters. The citywide testing covers all residents, including those who are paying a short visit to the city. (Xinhua/Li Bo) NANJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Nanjing, a mega-city with a population of more than 9.3 million in eastern China, launched the third round of all-inclusive nucleic acid testing campaign on Wednesday, according to the municipal COVID-19 prevention and control headquarters. The citywide testing covers all residents, including those who are paying a short visit to the city. Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, has seen a resurgence of locally transmitted COVID-19 cases since a number of airport workers tested positive for coronavirus on July 20. The city now has classified four areas as high-risk for COVID-19 and 42 as medium-risk areas, according to the municipal COVID-19 prevention and control headquarters. On Tuesday, the city's center for disease control and prevention said the virus strain behind the recent spike in COVID-19 cases has been identified as the highly infectious Delta variant. Officials therefore have urged those queuing up for the test to wear masks, keep at least one meter apart and avoid chitchat. Enditem 17 1 Editor: Zhang Zhou FRANKFURT, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Shuttling between stations in an assembly hall of a manufacturing base located in the Sino-France Ecology Park in Chengdu, several automated electric trucks carry materials in an orderly and efficient manner, enabling a brand-new car to roll off the production line in less than 20 hours. The ecology park, home to the manufacturing base of Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobile Company Ltd. (DPCA), is a cooperative project between China and a number of European countries. Inaugurated in 2017, the project aims at excelling in smart transportation, smart energy, high-end equipment manufacturing, energy saving and environmental protection. "By introducing the latest technology from France, we are now able to reduce volatile organic compound emissions when spraying sealer, and make the painting process more environmentally friendly and energy-saving," said DPCA representative Xu Changyu. According to him, the entire process management at the DPCA Chengdu plant was designed to support a low-carbon economy and to foster environmental protection, and the plant's practical experiences have been highly praised and shared by its France-based parent firm Groupe PSA. Having set ambitious climate targets and drawn up sweeping plans to limit greenhouse gas emissions, both China and the European Union (EU) are staying on track to pursue sustainable development and thereby to shape a green future, which opens up new vistas for bilateral cooperation. FIRM DETERMINATION As active players in the fight against climate change within the multinational framework, China and the EU share the firm determination to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. China has announced that it will strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, while the EU aims to become climate neutral by 2050 and reduce net emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. Furthermore, China has included carbon peaking and carbon neutrality in its overall plan for ecological conservation, and promoted the development of a green and low-carbon circular economy in an all-round way, which paves the way for the largest developing country to complete the world's most dramatic reduction in carbon emission intensity. China is ready to work with Europe to ensure positive outcomes at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Chinese President Xi Jinping said earlier this month during a virtual summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The EU has also unveiled ambitious climate policies, notably the European Green Deal -- a package of measures ranging from reducing greenhouse gas emissions and investing in cutting-edge research and innovation to preserving the natural environment. "Climate change and the transition to greener and more sustainable growth are surely key areas in which Sino-European cooperation can change the future of the planet," Xu Haifeng, chairman of both the Bank of China (Luxembourg) S.A. and the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU, said at the virtual China-EU Green Economic Cooperation and Development Summit held early July. PRAGMATIC APPROACH As bilateral collaboration in e-mobility, new energy and green finance is gaining momentum, China and Europe have significant opportunities to strengthen their win-win relationship in a pragmatic manner. In fact, the volume of cross-border investment between China and Europe in green tech projects has been on a steady increase. In the end of June, Envision AESC, the battery arm of Shanghai-headquartered global green tech company Envision Group, announced its intention to build a battery factory at France's second-largest automaker Renault's ElectriCity site in Douai, northern France. According to Envision AESC, the factory, which is the first digitalized and low-carbon battery plant in France, will reach a capacity of 24 GWh by 2030. Macron has welcomed the arrival of the Envision Group in France. "With an investment of two billion euros (about 2.37 billion U.S. dollars) on the part of the (Envision) group, the plant will become one of the largest battery producers in Europe," Macron's office has said, adding that it was good news for employment in the Hauts-de-France region as 1,000 jobs will have been created by 2024. Similarly, with the goal of promoting green and low-carbon energy cooperation between China and the EU, the Shanghai Electric Power Company has focused on building green energy projects in Malta and Montenegro. The company is in the process of transforming Gozo in Malta into a pilot "zero carbon island." This project will integrate wind energy, solar energy, energy storage, hydrogen and comprehensive smart energy. Seres, the electric vehicle (EV) unit of China's Chongqing Sokon Industry Group (Sokon), is among those Chinese EV manufacturers that are exploring the European market as well as expanding cooperation with European partners. Sokon's EVs have already entered 12 foreign markets, including Germany, Spain, France and Italy, contributing to the local efforts to achieve carbon neutrality, Wan Zhijun, deputy general manager of Chongqing Sokon Motor Imp. &Exp. Co., Ltd., told Xinhua. Meanwhile, the exchanges of technical and regulatory experiences in green development between China and Europe are becoming increasingly intense. For example, the UNEP DTU Partnership, a collaboration between the United Nations Environment Programme, the Technical University of Denmark and the Danish development agency Candia, has for several years worked directly with Chinese cities to develop and implement green solutions for district heating. On July 1, the Danish Energy Agency and the UNEP DTU Partnership signed a strategic collaboration agreement to facilitate the exchange of technical and regulatory knowledge and experiences with selected countries, including China. "With this new initiative, we will strengthen co-thinking and join forces," said Kristoffer Bottzauw, director general of the Danish Energy Agency. "In this way, we can stimulate the strategic approach in our cooperation with China and support the transformation of the Chinese energy system for the benefit of us all," he said. Enditem Editor: GSY BEIJING, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The claim that the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is made by humans is a terrible regression of scientific thinking, said a leading Chinese evolutionary biologist. Professor Wu Chung-I with the School of Life Sciences at Sun Yat-sen University said in a recent interview with the China Science Daily that Chinese scientists have proposed a series of models to trace the origin of COVID-19. He hopes that his international counterparts could find a way to the truth by an objective discussion with a scientific attitude. Wu and 21 other scientists working with universities and hospitals in China, or with institutions affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, published an article titled "On the origin of SARS-CoV-2 -- The blind watchmaker argument" on July 16 in the latest issue of the journal Science China: Life Sciences. "The article discusses the origin of SARS-CoV-2 in two ways. First, why can nature evolve such a virus? Second, why can't humans create such a virus?" said Wu. He mentioned the classic argument of the blind watchmaker in the history of science. "As we can see, all kinds of creatures in nature are perfectly adapted to their living environment," he said. In 1794, William Paley, a British priest, argued that this complex and perfect adaptability of natural creatures is like a delicate clock. He said it is impossible for people to imagine such adaptability comes from nature, and there must be a watchmaker, or a god, who designed and made it. About 200 years later, famous evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins refuted Paley's argument in his popular book "Blind Watchmaker." "Dawkins emphasized that natural species evolve without special purpose. If nature is a watchmaker, it could only be a blind one. A species that perfectly adapts to its environment is not created all at once but is the culmination of a series of small improvements from a large number of random mutations over a long period of time. "When some people claim the novel coronavirus is human-made or leaked from a lab, one of their main ideas is that how could a virus such as novel coronavirus, which perfectly adapts to the human body, come from a blind and aimless nature? "Such claim is a terrible regression of scientific thinking, a regression to the same level with a priest more than 200 years ago," said Wu. "SARS-CoV-2, as the most 'perfect' virus so far in human history, has to be the product of natural selection," he added. He said nobody, even the elite scientists, could know in advance how to create a virus that perfectly adapts to humans. He compared the process to mobile phone marketing -- even the most skilled electronic laboratory could not design the world's most popular mobile phone in one attempt. "The perfect product must be based on market testing and repeated adjustments," he said. "Therefore, we infer that the virus had gone through repeated mutual infections between wild animals and people before the first reported outbreak of COVID-19 and, gradually, accumulated mutations adapted to the human body. "In the process of human infection, the virus experienced repeated defeat until it evolved into the current strains that are extremely suited to mass transmission," he added. The evolution history of human coronaviruses relating to the common cold, such as types OC43, 229E and NL63, also proves this point. These coronaviruses have been infecting and spreading among humans and wild animals for hundreds of years before spreading globally. "People are trying to find a strain in a wild animal that is very similar to SARS-CoV-2. Given the current extent of SARS-CoV-2 infection, if such a wild animal could be found, it was most likely infected by humans, instead of the other way around," he said, adding that such efforts need guidance from scientific theories and models. He mentioned that Chinese scientists are working on various models and hypotheses. His team published an article "A theoretical exploration of the origin and early evolution of a pandemic" in the journal Science Bulletin. The article proposes an incremental evolution model of SARS-CoV-2, in which the virus is believed to have originated in a habitat of animal hosts, or PL0, sparsely populated by humans, and the frequent and long-term animal-human interaction allowed it to evolve. Both the animal and human hosts develop a degree of herd immunity. Then the virus could occasionally spread to somewhere outside the habitat with a large human population that does not have herd immunity, resulting in the first outbreak. Wu explained that the place of the first outbreak is different from PL0 because the human population in the place of the first outbreak does not have herd immunity. The flu pandemic in 1908 and the AIDS epidemic all prove the possibility of this model. The human population in PL0 may have established herd immunity to novel coronavirus a long time ago, and the trace of such herd immunity is likely to be stored in T cells rather than in antibodies. T cells are one of the primary types of lymphocytes that play a crucial role in the immune response. "It is a great challenge for our current detection technology to find such traces, but I believe sooner or later, we can solve this technical problem. "More importantly, even if somewhere is proved to be PL0, there is no so-called original sin in PL0. The origination of novel coronavirus is a natural disaster rather than a human-made disaster, and humans can only choose how to deal with the epidemic," said the biologist. "The COVID-19 pandemic concerns the lives and health of all people and the global community. We hope the global community can return to scientific rationality on this issue as soon as possible, and face up to the challenge and seek the truth." Enditem Editor: GSY by Muhammad Asif Noor Editor's Note: Muhammad Asif Noor is Director of the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies (IPDS). The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of Gwadar Pro. Recently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has proposed a second-phase plan to investigate the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic in China even as the country has fully cooperated with utmost honesty with the WHO officials in WHOs first-phase investigation into the origins of the virus. Of course, the plan was rightly and unapologetically rejected by the Chinese authorities for its significantly politicalised nature. The plan also falls short on both common sense and logic. The second phase of WHOs plans to trace the origins of the virus should be based on the evidence collected in the first phase and in accordance with the scientific principles and rules. In this sense, the logical next step will be to expand the investigations to other countries including the US instead of focusing solely on China as urged by the Chinese Vice Minister of the National Health Commission (NHC) and senior scientists. This is how the objective truth and reality will be discovered. Since the virus alarm was raised by the Wuhan authorities at the end of 2019, China has been communicating with WHO and the world about the virus, and against all odds, the Chinese people fought with bravery and strength to put all efforts to fight back and control the virus while keeping their spirits high as the hard-hit front-line country to face such a huge calamity. After winning the battle at home, China provided medical supplies for the countries in dire need, among which Pakistan was one of the first few countries to receive Chinese medical supplies including vaccines. Over 600 million doses of Chinese vaccines have been offered to more than 200 countries across the globe to help save lives and fight pandemic globally. The arduous fight against COVID-19 by China is outstanding with worth to stand the test of history. Through health diplomacy, China has proved to be friends of those in need. In addition to fighting against the deadly virus nationally and globally, China has been cooperating with the global health watchdogs in a transparent manner including WHO. The Chinese authorities invited the WHO delegation to investigate the origins of the virus in Wuhan, where the delegation and other officials have been greeted with cooperative Chinese teams and workers to find out through professional, scientific, responsible and unbiased manner the origins of the virus. Based on facts and the work that has already been done in the first phase, the investigation should not be repeated in this second phase. There has been a clear conclusion especially after the finalisation of the WHO-China joint report on the findings. Despite all these honest contributions, China has still been trapped in the suspicions and conspiracies of a bunch of countries. The superfluous politicisation and controversial statements made by the top leadership from the US and the western world will result only in failure and frustration among the global community suffering badly with the rampage of the virus on its current Delta variant stage. Politicisation and negative propaganda on the COVID-19 pandemic and its origin without relying on objective truth revealed by science is far more lethal and infectious than the virus itself. The ongoing tense and slander campaign against China at the global scale is despicable and distressing to the core. As a sovereign country, China has all the due rights to question the conduct of other countries at the same time. Nearly 10 million people have signed the petition to ask WHO to investigate lab leaks in the US as Americans and their allies have a history of making the world believe in the Iraq war where no evidence was found. The COVID-19 pandemic is a greater challenge to humanity and requires global responsibility to share this trial together. History will remember these conducts and humanity will never forgive negligence in helping the world come out of this deadliest virus onslaughts. Truth will be revealed sooner or later and is coming out especially on the global mishandling of virus in their own countries. Editor: JYZ The spread of the COVID-19 virus and the global pandemic has also paved way for a new wave for Anti-Asian hatred and rhetorics. Due to disinformation and fake news fueled by global politics, the Asians, especially China has been blamed for the COVID-19 virus. This accusation and following hysteria have been further exacerbated by some global powers such as the U.S. and its allies specifically blaming China and accusing that the COVID-19 virus originated from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. First promoted by then U.S. President Donald Trump as a part of his feud against China, the Wuhan Lab-Leak Theory was dismissed by Scientists and journalists as a conspiracy theory. However, when China curbed the spread of the virus and initiated one of the worlds most successful and largest vaccine drives while the U.S. recorded 35 million cases with 610,000 deaths along with it, Anti-Chinese rhetorics once against became mainstream as the U.S. struggled to maintain its dominance over the rest of the world. In a classic Chinese move, China gained the support of the globe by providing the much-needed aid. While the U.S. was hoarding COVID-19 vaccines enough for more than 3 times its adult population according to The Washington Post, China engaged in humanitarian work by donating and providing medical supplies and the COVID-19 vaccine to the rest of the globe. Till date, China has provided more than 300 billion masks, 3.7 billion protective suits, 4.8 billion testing kits and over 600 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to more than 200 countries. However, instead of working on eliminating the COVID-19 pandemic which has had devastating effects on the global economy and tracing the origin of the virus in a scientific manner, some western states backed and coerced by the U.S. is attempting to shift the blame to China by distorting facts and spreading disinformation surrounding the COVID-19 virus. An undeniable fact is that finding the origin of the COVID-19 virus is paramount to ensuring that health professionals are ready for when the next such pandemic strikes. The recently publish joint WHO-China report on the origin of the COVID-19 is the much-needed foundation and guideline on which the rest of the world should conduct their scientific studies on the origin of the COVID-19 virus. The notion that the virus originated from a laboratory in Wuhan, China is also highly unlikely as the Wuhan Institute of Virology is a highly specialized and respected institute with international standards of safety. The idea that the virus escaped due to poor security features is another aspect that one needs to analyze when looking into the accusations that the virus leaked from a lab in Wuhan. The age-old racism fueled viewpoint that all Chinese products and institutions are of inferior quality is undeniably a part of what is fueling the allegations that the virus leaked from an internationally accredited lab in Wuhan, China. Even following the publication of the joint WHO-China report on the origin of the virus, a few countries have politicized the efforts to find the origin of the virus. While this has been met with criticism from the vast majority of the world, these few states continue to act in a bid to politicize and blame shift for the current situation. In reaction to this, 48 countries around the globe have written to the Director-General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, urging the WHO to act according to the resolutions made by the World Health Assembly. They called for the WHO to push forward the Global probe on traceability of the virus. The 48 countries stated that the virus is the common enemy of humanity and that it can only be conquered through a joint effort by the global community. They also stated that the probe on the origin of the virus is a scientific work and that it should not be politicized. This sentiment was backed by several academics including Professor Su Jingjing from the Peking Universitys School of Health Humanities, who stated that while tracing the origin of a virus is critical to ensuring the medical professionals are better equipped to coping with future outbreaks, finding it however, is a massive scientific effort and a great deal of luck. If we are to look at other similar incidents, it took scientists nearly 2 decades of global research free of political bias before they could identify the patient zero of HIV/AIDS. In case of the Ebola pandemic, scientists have been researching its origin since the 1970s to no avail. This in itself is proof that tracing the origin of a virus is a highly scientific work requiring multiple disciplines and years of research without political influence or disinformation. The politicization of the tracing of the origin of the COVID-19 virus will undoubtedly interfere and obstruct the scientific effort required to successfully trace and establish proper procedures to combat the next such pandemic. If the WHO and other global powers are to successfully curb the spread of the virus and achieve normalcy, all states need to refrain from racism, blame shifting and politicizing a global pandemic. Editor: GSY Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, during a meeting of the Anti-Crisis Energy Headquarters in the Cabinet of Ministers, has agreed on the need to issue "green" bonds for settlements with renewable energy generation with an expected date for their issue in October this year. The co-chairman of Inter-Factional Union "Clean Energy," MP Oleksiy Honcharenko (the European Solidarity faction), who took part in the headquarters meeting, said this on Telegram. "At the meeting, the prime minister agreed that in order to pay off debts to "clean" energy producers, it is necessary to place bonds. The expected date for their issue is October," he wrote. Honcharenko recalled that the state did not fulfill the conditions of last year's memorandum between the government and "green" investors, which provided for the repayment of debts to renewable energy generation at the level of 40% in 2020 and 60% - evenly quarterly in 2021. "As of today, the debt is UAH 15.8 billion, and the repayment schedule is not being met. Also, current payments were not provided in full," the MP said. According to the data of state enterprise Guaranteed Buyer as of July 20, the level of payment for "green" electricity purchased in 2021 is 93% in January-April, 71% in May, 62% in June and 71% for the ten days in July. The debt of Ukrenergo to Guaranteed Buyer for compensation payments for renewable energy generation for 2020 is UAH 11.6 billion, for 2021 - UAH 7.1 billion. The Auction Commission for the privatization of PJSC First Kyiv Machine-Building Plant (formerly Bishovyk), following the meeting on Friday, will send the government a proposal to set a starting price of UAH 1.398 billion, Head of the State Property Fund (SPF) Dmytro Sennychenko told Interfax-Ukraine. "The privatization of the Bishovyk plant is a chance for a second life for this enterprise, which has more than UAH 500 million in debt. In previous years, production was destroyed, and now the main activity is leasing premises," Sennychenko said. According to him, the privatization conditions approved by the commission and subject to government approval provide, in particular, for investments in of more than UAH 57 million repair and modernization, preservation of core activities, repayment of accounts payable and debts to wages and to the budget. The SPF said that representatives of the plant, the state concern Ukroboronprom, the Kyiv city state administration, the Security Service of Ukraine, the State Bureau of Investigations and the privatization advisor KPMG-Ukraine also took part in the meeting of the commission. The National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) is considering the possibility of introducing temporary administrations at energy enterprises, NSDC Secretary Oleksiy Danilov has said. "We see signs of a certain monopolization in this market. Today we have eight names: Akhmetov, Novynsky, Surkis brothers, Hryhoryshyn, Boholiubov, Kolomoisky, Liovochkin, Boyko brothers and Russian citizen Voevodin. Today we are considering the possibility of imposing temporary administrations, if necessary, if there is a threat to national security," Danilov said at a briefing following the NSDC meeting on Friday. "Moreover, we will not allow anyone to manipulate tariffs. The president sets the task by no means to allow an increase in tariffs for vulnerable segments of the population. In no case should the cost for the population increase," he said. Preparations for the annual Hasidic pilgrimage to Uman, in particular, the need for mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination passports, were the subject of a meeting between the Ambassador of Ukraine to the State of Israel Yevhen Korniychuk and the Minister of Religious Affairs of Israel Matan Kahan. The Embassy of Ukraine reported this at Facebook. The parties discussed issues related to the preparation of this year's visit of pilgrims to the city of Uman during the celebration of the Jewish New Year. The Ambassador of Ukraine informed the Minister about the preparatory measures taken by the Ukrainian government to organize a safe pilgrimage to Ukraine in a pandemic, - the statement reads. The focus was on discussing measures to facilitate border crossings between States, in particular the need for mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination passports. Minister M. Kahana assured of readiness to work closely with the Ukrainian side on all issues raised during the meeting, - the Embassy noted. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky expressed condolences to his colleague Recep Tayyip Erdogan over large-scale fires in Turkey and noted that on Friday, Ukraine will send a firefighting plane to Turkey with help. "Expressed sincere condolences to my friend President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the large-scale fires. Ukraine will provide Turkey with all the necessary assistance. Our firefighting plane will depart to Turkey tomorrow. Ukrainian people will stand together with the friendly Turkish people at this hard time," Zelensky said on Twitter. Earlier on Thursday, Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Bekir Pakdemirli said that the situation with wildfires in the south of the country was gradually returning to normal. He noted that the hotbeds of fire had been mainly taken under control. Severe forest fires have been raging for several days in the provinces of Antalya, Adana and Mersin. A serious situation has developed in Manavgat district of Antalya. Two firefighting aircraft of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine An-32P depart to Turkey to assist in extinguishing the outbreaks of forest fires that broke out on July 28 in Antalya province and spread to the provinces of Osmaniye, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Adana, Mersin and Mugla, the press service of the State Emergency Service has reported on Friday. "Now the total area of fires is more than 1,500 hectares. As a result of the fires, four people died and 183 people were injured, of which 58 people were hospitalized, more than 100 private houses and structures were damaged. Rescue services took control over 36 forest fires, extinguishing of 20 hotbeds continues," the report says. It notes that in order to help Turkish firefighters, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding signed in February 2020 between the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Turkey on cooperation in the field of disaster prevention and emergency situations and elimination of their consequences, Ukraine sends two crews of An-32P firefighting aircraft with a support group. "These are experienced specialists who already have experience in mountainous areas and were previously involved in the elimination of large-scale fires in Montenegro, Israel and Georgia," the State Emergency Service said. They add that in total, as of July 30, more than 4,000 people, 457 units of equipment and 35 aircraft are involved in extinguishing fires, which is complicated by strong wind and hot weather. Success of the peaceful settlement of the conflict in Donbas largely depends on the role of the OSCE moderator in the negotiations of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov has said. "I am sure that [success] depends strongly. Success of the peaceful settlement largely depends on how a person moderates, how asks questions, what puts on the agenda," Reznikov said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine. He also added that he would like to expect from the new OSCE representatives at the TCG to analyze the reasons for the failure that led to the blocking of work in the TCG subgroups, as well as to make attempts to "cancel out" positions that hinder the negotiations, including procedural ones. "They [hindering positions] can be removed, for example, by changing the order of consideration of the agenda or approaches to our consultations, and, thereby, allow the parties to move forward," he said. As reported, on August 26 the next TCG meeting will be chaired by newly appointed Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office in Ukraine and the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Finnish diplomat Mikko Kinnunen. In addition, the OSCE coordinators in the humanitarian and political working subgroups were replaced. They were, respectively, Sylvie Bermann and Charlotta Relander. As of 15.30, the law enforcement officers who detained the former judge of Dniprovsky District Court of Kyiv did not contact the detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). "As of 15.30, the law enforcement officers who, according to our information, detained the suspect, the former judge of Dniprovsky District Court of Kyiv, did not contact the NABU detectives. We call on the law enforcement officers to comply with the law and hand over the suspect, who is wanted by the detectives, to authorized representatives of the National Bureau," the NABU said on Facebook. In turn, attorney-at-law of kidnapped Ukrainian judge Mykola Chaus Rostyslav Kravets said that his client was detained by officers of the State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). "The information that the SBU detained him is confirmed [...] then, most likely, the SBU will bring him to Kyiv [...]. I can assume that he will be brought to the anti-corruption court to choose a measure of restraint," Kravets said on the air of the Pryamiy television channel. Earlier, a number of Ukrainian media outlets said kidnapped Ukrainian judge Chaus was allegedly found in the village of Mazurivka in Vinnytsia region. He was found by the village headman, who reported this to law enforcement officers. Journalist Yuriy Butusov later said on Facebook that the National Police officers tried to detain Chaus upon arrival, but the Ukrainian State Security Service (SBU) officers "recaptured" the former judge from the police and took him away in an unknown direction. Later, attorney of Chaus Rostyslav Kravets said on the air of one of the television channels that, according to his information, the former judge was being taken to Kyiv. On Tuesday, August 3, at 10.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference entitled "Importance of city's long-term strategy in urbanization era: Odesa example." Participants include futurologist, founder of the Center for Economic Recovery Andriy Dlihach, Odesa entrepreneur, founder of Odesa Business Club Dmytro Kavzachynsky, Head of the Association of Sustainable Development Leaders Olena Zubareva (8/5a Reitarska Street). The broadcast will be available on the YouTube channel of Interfax-Ukraine. Due to quarantine restrictions, the number of seats in the press center is limited. Admission of journalists requires registration on the spot. On Tuesday, August 3, at 12.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference entitled "Further Development of Meat and Dairy Sector in Ukraine to be Determined by Govt Support Effectiveness." Participants include Head of the Ukrainian Union of Dairy Enterprises Vadym Chaharovsky; Head of the Meat Industry Association Council Oleksandr Skoryk; Executive Director of the Ukrainian Union of Dairy Enterprises Arsen Didur; Executive Director of the Meat Industry Association Council Mykola Babenko; Head of the Expert and Analytical Service of the Union of Dairy Enterprises Leonid Tulush (8/5a Reitarska Street). The broadcast will be available on the YouTube channel of Interfax-Ukraine. Due to quarantine restrictions, the number of seats in the press center is limited. Admission of journalists requires registration on the spot. KYIV. July 30 (Interfax-Ukraine) Ukrainians, in general, do not consider themselves one people with Russians and feel their differences from Russians, according to a study by the Ukrainian Institute for the Future (UIF). "There was a lot of talk about 'one people.' Our focus groups show completely different results than those shown by the Rating group. And to be honest, I have a lot of questions about the results that Rating gave. In fact, Ukrainians clearly distinguish themselves from Russians, they clearly believe that we are completely different, and this applies to all regions where our focus group studies were conducted, both in the east and in the west. Therefore, in the mass consciousness, we are not one people and, of course, we feel our complete difference from Russians. One of the main features of our difference is our love of freedom and the ability to say no to the authorities, in contrast to Russians," Director of the Ukrainian Institute for the Future Vadym Denysenko said at a press conference on the results of the focus group study entitled "Who are we? Ukrainians' portrait through Ukrainians' eyes," hosted by Interfax-Ukraine. According to the study, Ukrainians consider the following differences from Russians: decentralization of power in all forms; the presence of freedom of speech, the ability to disagree with the authorities; openness and sincerity; less aggression and bad manners; more hard work. "Ukrainians have a clear identification 'we are different.' The main difference from Russians is the attitude to the authorities. Ukrainians deny the sanctification of authorities in neighboring Russia, are critical of political leaders, and consider ineffective institutions to be the main problem for the development of the economy and society," the report said. The focus group study was carried out by the Ukrainian Institute for the Future together with the sociological company New Image Marketing Group from June 10 to June 15, 2021 throughout Ukraine. The sample was 12 focus group studies (one focus group study = eight participants). Target audience: men and women aged 18 and over; three age categories: 18-30 years old, 31-54 years old, 55 years old and older; representatives of various types of settlements: regional centers, other cities (not regional centers) and villages; representatives of various fields of activity, income level and educational level. As reported, according to a sociological study by the Rating group, the majority of Ukrainians, 55%, do not agree with the recent statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin that "Russians and Ukrainians are one people that belongs to the same historical and spiritual space." At the same time, 41% of respondents agree with this statement. KYIV. July 30 (Interfax-Ukraine) Ukrainians consider themselves freedom-loving, hospitable, economic, cunning in life matters, patriotic and hardworking, according to a study by the Ukrainian Institute for the Future. According to the results of the study "Who are we? Ukrainians' portrait through Ukrainians' eyes," which was presented at the press center of Interfax-Ukraine on Friday, Ukrainians believe that they are: freedom-loving, hospitable, economic, cunning in life matters, patriotic, hardworking and cannot unite for a long time. As for the credo of Ukrainians, the respondents singled out: "Glory to Ukraine!" "Glory to the Heroes!" "Glory to the Nation, Death to Enemies," "Ukraine is Above All," "Will, Freedom is Above All," "Everything is Enough," "Waiting for Changes," "Survive" and "It's no Concern of Mine." The symbols of Ukraine are defined: flag, anthem, coat of arms, language, Ukrainian songs and Ukrainian music, national cuisine and national clothes embroidery, nature. Among the values of Ukrainians, respondents identified: free expression of opinion; the ability to criticize the authorities; individualism versus collectivism; nationality; commitment to European values. Also, according to the study, Ukrainians are characterized by a lack of stability and predictability. The Ukrainian dream is described as: successful people oligarchs, officials and prosecutors; life in a successful country without corruption; peaceful country. At the individual level, the dream of Ukrainians is: life with a decent salary and life in a predictable stable country confidence in the future. The focus group study was carried out by the Ukrainian Institute for the Future together with the sociological company New Image Marketing Group from June 10 to June 15, 2021 throughout Ukraine. The sample was 12 focus group studies (one focus group study = eight participants). Target audience: men and women aged 18 and over; three age categories: 18-30 years old, 31-54 years old, 55 years old and older; representatives of various types of settlements: regional centers, other cities (not regional centers) and villages; representatives of various fields of activity, income level and educational level. Egypt's Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) and the Russian authorities signed on Thursday a preliminarily agreement to expand the Russian industrial zone in the SCZone. The agreement was signed by SCZone Chairman Yehia Zaki and Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of Vasiliy Osmakov in Moscow after two-days of negotiations. The final agreement is expected to be signed before the end of the year after an anticipated visit in August by a high-level Russian delegation to tour the new sites in the SCZone, Zaki said in a statement. The Russian zone, under the new agreement, will be extended to East Port Said and Ain Sokhna over an area of 5 million square metres, Zaki added, noting that the first phase of the project will include an extension of 1 million square metres in East Port Said and 500,000 square metres in Ain Sokhna. Zaki said that work is scheduled to begin on the Russian Industrial Zone in Ain Sokhna by the end of this year after signing the final contract. Short link: Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad said that Egypt proposed to host the United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP 27, in 2022 amid great support by African countries. In an interview with MENA Board Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Ali Hassan on Friday, the minister said the final decision on Egypt's hosting of COP 27 will be announced at the COP 26 UN Climate Change Conference, hosted by the UK in partnership with Italy, which will take in November in the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow, UK. In November 2020, Egypt proposed to host the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 27) to the UNFCCC in 2022, a decision that was taken at a difficult time when there was no manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines at that time. She further noted that every year, a certain region is chosen to host the conference, and in 2022, it will be the turn of Africa to host the conference. Egypt has submitted a letter to host the COP 27 and coordinated with the African group, the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN) and the council of African environment ministers, she said. The decision on Egypt's hosting of the COP 27 was adopted at the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC)'s meeting in April in presence of Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, she added. During the conference, Egypt will post the participants on national projects carried out in the country, taking into account the environmental dimensions that will greatly contribute to reducing global warming, the minister stressed. She cited Egypt's initiative to convert fuel-powered cars to natural gas vehicles (NGVs) or electric vehicles (EVs). As for steps taken to activate President El-Sisi's initiative to combine the three Rio environment agreements that was launched during the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 14), Fouad said she participated in a ministerial meeting to set the stage for the United Nations Food Systems Summit, set for September 2021. Among the issues discussed at the meeting, was means of mobilizing efforts to merge the three Rio conventions; the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), she added. The summit also aims at maximizing the co-benefits of a food systems approach across the entire 2030 Agenda and meeting the challenges of climate change. It also aims to provide a platform for ambitious new actions, innovative solutions, and plans to transform food systems and leverage these shifts to deliver progress across all of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Short link: Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel-Ati said on Thursday that cooperation with Nile Basin countries and African countries is one of the main pillars of Egypts foreign policy. This cooperation comes in light of what Egypt possesses of human resources and diversified technical and institutional experiments in the field of water resources and others, he told South Sudanese Vice President James Wani Igga, who toured the Egyptian National Centre for Water Resources. Igga arrived in Egypt on Monday at the head of a delegation participating in the first round of the Joint Higher Committee meetings between Egypt and South Sudan. Minister Abdel-Ati said Egypt has implemented many development projects for African people to raise their standard of living and achieve sustainable development in a manner that allows facing the challenges besting African countries, including overpopulation, poverty, illiteracy, and others. Cooperation between Egypt and African countries in the field of water resources is a successful model for cooperation between Egypt and its African brothers, he noted. Short link: More than 100,000 children in Ethiopias embattled Tigray region could face the most extreme and life-threatening form of malnutrition in the next year, the United Nations childrens agency warned on Friday, as humanitarian aid remains blocked from the region of some 6 million people. The U.N. estimate, a tenfold increase over the usual caseload in Tigray, is based on essentially the scenario were seeing now, in which the conflict escalates and food access is restricted, Marixie Mercado with UNICEFs emergency response team told The Associated Press. The warning comes as high-level officials from the U.N. and United States visit Ethiopia over the next several days to press the government to lift what the U.S. has described as a siege of Tigray and as some 200 food-laden U.N. trucks are stuck on the only remaining road into the region. The worlds worst hunger crisis in a decade is unfolding in Tigray, where the U.S. says up to 900,000 people now face famine conditions and international food security experts say the crucial planting season has largely been missed because of the war. The UNICEF estimate, based on screenings of more than 430,000 children during the nine-month conflict, comes after a rare visit to two districts in Tigray that had been virtually inaccessible, Gijet and Wajirat. While the AP has reported on scores of people dying of starvation in another inaccessible Tigray district, Mercado said she did not hear of any starvation deaths on her visit. But she warned of horrifying numbers of acutely malnourished people and expressed frustration as food, fuel, cash and other supplies are in short supply. While access inside Tigray has improved after a dramatic turn in the war in June as Ethiopian soldiers withdrew and the government declared a unilateral cease-fire, the U.N. has said aid workers are running out of the means to help. You cant bring services to people without fuel, an exasperated Mercado said, adding that during the visit to the previously inaccessible districts we were just overwhelmed by the numbers of mothers and children who showed up and desperately wanted some help. UNICEF also said screening data shows that 47% of all pregnant and breastfeeding women in Tigray are acutely malnourished, meaning more risk to both mothers and children. Ethiopias government has blamed the aid blockade on the resurgent Tigray forces who have retaken much of the region and crossed into the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions, but a senior official with the U.S. Agency for International Development this week told the AP that is 100% not the case. USAID administrator Samantha Power is set to visit Ethiopia next week to press for access. Meanwhile, new U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths is visiting Tigray as part of a six-day tour in Ethiopia meant to spotlight the crisis, while there is little sign of negotiations in sight between Ethiopias government and the Tigray forces who had long dominated Ethiopias government and military before being sidelined by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. A U.N. humanitarian update on Friday spelled out some of the latest aid challenges, including harassment and intimidation: No aid convoys have reached Tigray since July 12, even as up to 600 supply-laden trucks are needed weekly. Aid workers on the first U.N. passenger flight to Tigray on July 22 were extensively searched and not allowed to bring some essential medicines. And no such flight has received government clearance since then. Short link: Washington is sending USAID Administrator Samantha Power to Ethiopia this week while warning of punitive measures if aid is unable to reach the Tigray region, where hundreds of thousands of people are believed to be experiencing famine. A statement said Power will travel to Sudan and Ethiopia from Saturday to Wednesday in a fresh diplomatic push by President Joe Biden's administration amid fears of ethnic cleansing in the region and hopes for negotiations between the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan forces to resolve the conflict. Power is due to meet Ethiopia's national security adviser and hopes to meet Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a senior USAID official said. Washington hopes she will secure unhindered humanitarian access to Tigray. "There will be I think continued punitive measures as long as we are unable to access those populations," the official said. The Ethiopian government denies blocking food aid. The Biden administration has repeatedly called for humanitarian access to Tigray. Fighting erupted there in November when the government accused the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) of attacking military bases across the region, an accusation the group denied. The government declared victory three weeks later when it took the regional capital Mekelle, but the TPLF kept fighting and has since retaken most of Tigray. Ethiopian troops withdrew from most of Tigray in late June when the TPLF retook Mekelle. The central government declared a unilateral ceasefire on what it said were humanitarian grounds. Thousands of people have died in the fighting, around 2 million people have been displaced and more than 5 million rely on emergency food aid. Washington is also concerned about reports of mass arrests, beatings and torture of Tigrayans in custody in Addis Ababa as well as some of Abiy's rhetoric, the official said. "The concerns that we have about ethnic cleansing and ethnic targeting are very real," the official said, adding that Power will address this in meetings with Ethiopian leadership. The Ethiopian government has denied targeting Tigrayans as an ethnic group, saying their fight is with the ruling party that controls the region. "All statements by Federal and Regional Government refer to the criminal enterprise that is TPLF and not the people of Tigray," a government-run Twitter account focused on Tigray tweeted this week. Short link: Libya's warring sides said on Friday they had reopened the main coastroad across the frontline, a key element of a ceasefire they agreed last year that has involved months of negotiations. The U.N.-backed 5+5 committee drawn from commander Khalifa Haftar's eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) and western-based forces that have supported Tripoli-based governments said in a statement the road was open from 0900 GMT. It was not open to military traffic, the committee said, and the agreement also included some preparatory steps for the withdrawal of foreign fighters, another part of last year's ceasefire that has still to be implemented. The slow progress in opening the road has reflected other stumbles in the U.N.-backed effort to resolve Libya's long conflict with a ceasefire, a unity government, proposed elections and moves to unify economic institutions. The Government of National Unity (GNU), picked through a U.N.-aided process early this year and then ratified by the eastern-based parliament, took office in March. However, since that point there has been little agreement on key steps forwards including on a constitutional basis for the elections scheduled in December and for the GNU's budget. Parliament speaker Aguila Saleh and his allies in eastern Libya meanwhile accused the GNU of becoming "a Tripoli government" and blamed it for the failure to unify institutions. Last week Saleh warned that a failure to hold elections meant another rival administration could be set up in the east. *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Short link: The death toll in wildfires raging in southern Turkey rose to four as fire crews on Friday battled blazes that burned down homes and forced people to evacuate villages and beach resorts. Firefighters were still tackling wildfires in 14 locations in six provinces in Turkeys Mediterranean and southern Aegean region, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters. A total of 57 other wildfires that broke out amid strong winds and scorching heat have been brought under control since Wednesday, he said. The worst fires were in the Manavgat and Akseki regions in Antalya province, where strong winds pushed the fire toward settlements on Wednesday. An 82-year-old man and a married couple died, more than 50 people were hospitalized and dozens of homes were incinerated. More than 25 neighborhoods or villages were evacuated. Meanwhile, a 25-year-old volunteer died in another fire near the Turkish resort of Marmaris, 320 kilometers (200 miles) west of Antalya late Thursday, raising the death toll in the fires to four. The state-run Anadolu Agency said the man was taking drinking water to firefighters but got in a motorcycle crash and perished in the fire. The mountainside fire in Marmaris briefly threatened holiday homes and hotels on Thursday while guests at a luxury hotel in the Aegean beach resort of Guvercinlik, near the town of Bodrum, were evacuated in boats, reports said. Azerbaijan announced it would send 500 emergency workers, helicopters and other equipment to help Turkey, a close ally, battle the blazes. Erdogan said Azerbaijan would also provide an amphibious firefighting aircraft, in addition to firefighting planes sent from Russia and Ukraine. Neighboring Greece also offered help. In Greece, authorities on Friday ordered additional fire patrols and infrastructure inspections as the country grappled with a heat wave fed by hot air from Africa that is expected to last more than a week. Temperatures in Greece and nearby countries in southeast Europe are expected to climb to 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) Monday in many cities and towns and ease only later next week. Turkish authorities launched investigations into the fires on Thursday. The mayor for Marmaris said he couldnt rule out sabotage as a cause for the fire there. Erdogan said Friday that the Interior Ministry and intelligence services were engaged in an intense effort to shed light on the wildfires. Wildfires are common in Turkeys Mediterranean and Aegean regions during the arid summer months, though some previous forest fires have been blamed on arson or outlawed Kurdish militants. In other Turkish provinces, authorities declared a ban on people entering forests in a bid to prevent more fires. Short link: The firm managing an oil tanker attacked off Oman says two of its crew were killed in the assault. Zodiac Maritime said Friday that the two crew members came from the United Kingdom and Romania. It said it knew of no other injuries among the crew. The attack on Thursday night targeted Liberian-flagged oil tanker Mercer Street just northeast of the Omani island of Masirah. The location is over 300 kilometers (185 miles) southeast of Oman's capital, Muscat. London-based Zodiac Maritime, part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer's Zodiac Group, earlier issued a statement naming the ship as the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Mercer Street. Zodiac Maritime described the ship as being Japanese owned. Short link: A pro-democracy protester was sentenced Friday to nine years in prison in the closely watched first prosecution under Hong Kong's national security law as the ruling Communist Party tightens control over the territory. Tong Ying-kit, 24, was convicted of inciting secession and terrorism for driving his motorcycle into a group of police officers at a July 1, 2020, rally. He carried a flag bearing the banned slogan, ``Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times.'' President Xi Jinping's government imposed the law on the former British colony last year following protests that erupted in mid-2019. Beijing has rolled back the territory's Western-style civil liberties and tried to crush a pro-democracy movement by jailing activists. The public's role in picking Hong Kong's legislators has been reduced. Critics accuse Beijing of violating the autonomy promised when Hong Kong returned to China in 1997 and wrecking its status as a global business center. Human rights activists say the security law is being abused to attack legitimate dissent. Tong's sentence was longer than the three years requested by the prosecution. He faced a possible maximum of life in prison. Tong's sentence is a ``hammer blow to free speech'' and shows the law is ``a tool to instill terror'' in government critics, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific regional director, Yamini Mishra, said in a statement. The law ``lacks any exemption for legitimate expression or protest,'' Mishra said. ``The judgment at no point considered Tong's rights to freedom of expression and protest.'' The U.S. government, in a statement, criticized the ``unjust outcome'' of Tong's trial and said the security law was used ``as a political weapon to silence dissenting voices.`` It said China is undermining rights guaranteed by Hong Kong's mini-constitution, the Basic Law, and by the 1984 Chinese-British Joint Declaration on the territory's return. It called on Beijing to ``stop targeting individuals exercising their rights and freedoms.'' Chinese officials reject the criticism and say Beijing is restoring order and instituting security protections like those of other countries. More than 100 people have been arrested under the security law. Defense lawyers said Tong's penalty should be light because the court hadn't found the attack was deliberate, no one was injured and the secession-related offense qualified as minor under the law. Tong nodded but said nothing after Judge Esther Toh announced the sentence for a three-judge panel in the Hong Kong High Court. The former restaurant waiter wore a black shirt and tie with a blue blazer as he had throughout his trial. As Tong was led out of the courtroom, spectators yelled, ``We will wait for you!'' After the court adjourned, a spectator yelled to lead defense lawyer Clive Grossman, ``Mr. Grossman, appeal!'' Another lawyer, Lawrence Lau, said Tong expressed thanks to the Hong Kong public for their support. The judges convicted Tong on Tuesday, ruling his actions were aimed at intimidating the government and public. It said carrying the flag was an act of incitement to secession, rejecting defense arguments that Tong couldn't be proven to be inciting secession just by using the slogan. Tong was sentenced to eight years for incitement to secession and 6 1/2 years for terrorism, with some time to be served concurrently for a total of nine years, said Toh, the judge. Tong expressed remorse but that didn't count toward reducing his sentence because he failed to plead guilty, the judges said in a written ruling. They said he had ``good character'' and no criminal record but due to the ``serious offenses`` those would not mitigate the penalty. The sentence reflects ``the abhorrence of society,'' the ruling said. Tong's trial was conducted without a jury under rules that allow an exception to Hong Kong's British-style common law system if state secrets need to be protected or foreign forces are involved. The judges were picked by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam. The protests began over an extradition law proposed by Lam's government and expanded to include other grievances and demands for more democracy. At their height, thousands of people held marches and rallies every weekend. The last pro-democracy Hong Kong newspaper, Apple Daily, shut down last month after journalists and executives were arrested. Its owner, Jimmy Lai, is serving a 20-month prison term and faces charges of colluding with foreigners to endanger national security. Also last year, Hong Kong's Legislative Council was rearranged to guarantee a majority to Beijing-allied figures. Rules for elected officials were tightened to require them to be deemed patriotic. Last November, the remaining 15 pro-democracy legislators resigned after four were expelled for urging foreign governments to impose sanctions on China and Hong Kong over Beijing's crackdown. The United States stopped treating Hong Kong as a separate territory for trade, citing its reduced autonomy. Washington imposed travel and financial sanctions on leaders of China's ceremonial legislature. Canada, Australia and other governments suspended extradition treaties with the territory due to the security law. In December, 10 pro-democracy activists and protesters who tried to flee to Taiwan by speedboat were sentenced by a mainland court in the southern city of Shenzhen to prison terms ranging from seven months to three years. Search Keywords: Short link: The first flight evacuating Afghans who worked alongside Americans in Afghanistan brought more than 200 people, scores of them children and babies in arms, to new lives in the United States on Friday, and President Joe Biden said he was proud to welcome them home. The launch of the evacuation flights, bringing out former interpreters and others who fear retaliation from Afghanistans Taliban for having worked with American servicemembers and civilians, highlights American uncertainty about how Afghanistans government and military will fare after the last U.S. combat forces leave that country in the coming weeks. Family members are accompanying the interpreters, translators and others on the flights out. The first evacuation flight, an airliner, carried 221 Afghans under the special visa program, including 57 children and 15 babies, according to an internal U.S. government document obtained by The Associated Press. It touched down in Dulles, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C., after midnight, according to the FlightAware tracking service. Fridays flight was an important milestone as we continue to fulfill our promise to the thousands of Afghan nationals who served shoulder-to-shoulder with American troops and diplomats over the last 20 years in Afghanistan, Biden said. He said he wanted to honor the military veterans, diplomats and others in the U.S. who have advocated for the Afghans. Most of all, Biden said in a statement, I want to thank these brave Afghans for standing with the United States, and today, I am proud to say to them: Welcome home. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin lauded the Afghans for their work alongside Americans and said their arrival demonstrates the U.S. governments commitment to them. But a refugee agency said the Biden administration appeared to be still scrambling to figure out the resettlement of thousands more of the Afghans, and it urged Biden to bring them quickly to the U.S. or a U.S. territory, such as Guam. To date, there is simply no clear plan as to how the vast majority of our allies will be brought to safety, Krish OMara Vignarajah, president of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service resettlement agency, said of the Afghan interpreters. We cannot in good conscience put them at risk in third countries with unreliable human rights records, or where the Taliban may be able to reach them, the resettlement official said. The Biden administration calls the effort Operation Allies Refuge. The operation has broad backing from Republican and Democratic lawmakers and from veterans groups. Supporters cite repeated instances of Taliban forces targeting Afghans who worked with Americans or with the Afghan government. Congress on Thursday overwhelmingly approved legislation that would allow an additional 8,000 visas and $500 million in funding for the Afghan visa program. The United States has been talking with Qatar and Kuwait about temporarily hosting thousands of other Afghan interpreters who are much further along in their visa application process than Fridays arrivals. But U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations, said Friday that no deal had been closed with those two countries. Concerns about housing Afghans who have not completed their security screenings and uncertainty on the American side about finding funding for the massive relocation effort have remained obstacles, the U.S. officials said. Biden announced earlier this year the U.S. would withdraw all its troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, honoring a withdrawal agreement struck by former President Donald Trump. He later said the U.S. military operation would end on Aug. 31, calling it overdue. Some administration officials have expressed surprise at the extent and speed of Taliban gains of territory in the countryside since then. Biden said that although U.S. troops are leaving Afghanistan, the U.S. will keep supporting Afghanistan through security assistance to Afghan forces and humanitarian and development aid to the Afghan people. The newly arrived Afghan people will join 70,000 others who have resettled in the United States since 2008 under the special visa program. Subsequent flights are due to bring more of the roughly 700 applicants who are farthest along in the process of getting visas, having already won approval and cleared security screening. The first arrivals were screened for the coronavirus and received vaccines if they wanted them, said Tracey Jacobson, the U.S. diplomat running the effort. They were expected to stay at Fort Lee, Virginia, for about seven days, completing medical exams and other final steps, Jacobson said. Resettlement organizations will help them as they travel to communities around the United States, with some bound for family members already here, she said. Short link: The third edition of the Cairo International Gathering for University Theatre will take place between 24 and 30 October. Held under the patronage of Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, the gathering will be held under the theme of A New Egypt, a New Future. Headed by Amr Kabil, the gathering is organised with the support of the ministries of culture, youth, and sports, and the Tourism Promotion Authority. In its upcoming edition, the forum will see the participation of many Egyptian universities in addition to 24 countries from Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the organisers revealed. The third editions board includes Chairman Hossam Badrawi, director Amr Kabil, artist Samira Abdel-Aziz, novelist Doha Assy, head of the Theatre Department at the American University in Cairo Dina Amin; Vice Dean of the Higher Institute of Folklore Samar Said, among others. The event launched in 2018 under the patronage of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi with the aim to give an opportunity for Egyptian and international university students, artists, and researchers in the field of university theatre to discuss and develop their practice through exposure to different cultures. The gathering also emphasises on a dialogue and possible exchange between the students theatre sector. In its second edition in 2019, the event hosted Saudi Arabia as its guest of honour. The gatherings third edition was originally scheduled for 2020, however, it could not take place as planned due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the cancellation of all cultural events. The submissions of the plays were closed on 1 July and the viewing committee will announce the selected performances and the upcoming gatherings details within the coming days. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Short link: Tunisian President Kais Saied visited Egypt between 9 and 11 April at the invitation of President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi. It was Saieds first such visit since coming to power in October 2019. Talks between the two countries leaders focused on bolstering bilateral political, security, economic and cultural relations, and building a consensus on regional issues of mutual interest, including the Libyan crisis, combating trans-border terrorism, ending foreign interference in Arab domestic affairs, and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). In a statement on the eve of the visit, the Tunisian presidency said the trip aimed to build bridges and consolidate consultations and coordination between the leadership of both countries and the two sides would discuss new visions and concepts to further boost the excellent cooperation between Tunisia and Egypt. Regional issues topped the agenda of both one-on-one talks and group meetings, with ways to reach a settlement in Libya accorded most attention. Both Tunisia and Egypt have borders with Libya, which Saied visited in March in a show of support for the new powers there. Cairo and Tunis are keen to consolidate support for peace and stability in their neighbour and contribute to the reconstruction of Libyas state institutions. Security cooperation was also discussed, with a focus on combating trans-border terrorism. Over the past few years, both countries have suffered terrorist attacks and information and intelligence sharing on terrorist groups has consequently grown. President Al-Sisi stressed the importance of cooperating with Tunisia in combating terrorism in all shapes and forms. A third item on the agenda was ending foreign interference in Arab countries. Egypt and Tunisia share the same vision of centralised Arab nation-states, independent and sovereign. Increased foreign interference in Arab domestic affairs followed the Arab revolutions which in some countries devolved into armed internal conflicts. Cairo and Tunis agreed that all negative foreign interference in Libya must end, a reference to Turkey exporting mercenaries from Syria to Libya and fuelling the conflict there. Talks also touched on a key regional issue that concerns Egypt, the GERD. Cairo is counting on Tuniss support, not least because Tunisia is the only Arab country that is currently a member of the UN Security Council. Saied praised Egypts endeavours to reach a just and comprehensive agreement on the rules for filling the reservoir and operating the dam. While talks focused on regional issues, bilateral cooperation between Egypt and Tunisia was also on the agenda, highlighting that both sides aspire to increased cooperation and investment. Ibrahim Al-Arabi, chairman of the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce, said during a meeting with Samir Majoul, president of the Tunisian Union of Industry, Trade, and Handicrafts, that meetings of the Tunisian-Egyptian Commercial Chamber will resume on 9 April in a first step to grow bilateral economic relations with a focus on the specific advantages of the Egyptian and Tunisian markets. Strengthening cultural cooperation between the two countries was also discussed, with President Al-Sisi using the occasion of the visit to announce that 2021-2022 would be designated the year of Egyptian-Tunisian culture. Saied was keen to see some of Egypts many attractions and visited archaeological and historic sites in Cairo, including the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation, Amr Ibn Al-Aas Mosque, and the Salaheddin Al-Ayoubi Citadel. Egypt expressed interest in stregthening its representation at Tunisian art and cultural festivals, including the Carthage Film Festival and Tunis Book Fair. *The writer is head of Arab and regional studies at Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies. *A version of this article appears in print in the 15 April, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Short link: Plans are underway to develop the 590 feddans of the Fustat Hills Park as part of an initiative to develop Historic Cairo. On Sunday, Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli visited the Amr Ibn Al-Aas Mosque in Fustat in Historic Cairo to monitor the work in progress. The project comes as part of an initiative to develop Historic Cairo and to turn the park area of around 2.5 square km in the heart of the ancient capital into a central public park overlooking many historic and archaeological sites and monuments. This will help to make the park a regional and international tourist destination. Amusement activities and traditional industries will also be available. The courtyard area of the Amr Ibn Al-Aas Mosque is planned to be the main entrance to the new park and other religious sites in the area, including the Coptic churches and the ancient Jewish synagogue. The development plans also include an upgrade of the main entrance to the mosque, more greenery, new wooden terraces, a pedestrian sidewalk and parking areas, and a fountain, as well as the development of the existing Fustat Market. With the Arab conquest of Egypt in the mid-seventh century CE, Fustat, meaning tent, was founded as Egypts first Islamic capital city. Today, it is a part of the Old Cairo District and hosts many important cultural sites, including the Synagogue of Ben Ezra, more than seven Coptic churches, among them the Hanging Church and the St Sergius Church built above the cave where the Holy Family stayed during their journey across Egypt, the Amr Ibn Al-Aas Mosque, and the excavated remains of the old city of Fustat, the Nilometer on Roda Island, the Al-Manesterly Palace, and the Mohamed Ali Palace on Manial Island. The Amr Ibn Al-Aas Mosque was the first building planned in the city of Fustat, followed by the Emirate House, the residence of rulers in the early Islamic era. Houses were then built around the new city, and soon Fustat became a fully-fledged city with residential areas, commercial markets, lanes, alleyways and paths, all being manifestations of urban expansion and economic prosperity. At the end of the Fatimid period in the 12th century CE, the city was exposed to a huge conflagration that led to the burning of its eastern half. Over time, this area was concealed by mounds of earth, remaining in this condition until 1912 when the first archaeological excavations began. The remains of the citys houses and public baths were then uncovered, along with surviving artefacts such as objects from daily life and coins which are now on display at the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo. *A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Short link: The Ministry of Health and Population is receiving complaints about the lateness of Covid-19 vaccination messages sent to applicants who have registered for the shots on the ministrys website. Mohamed Ahmed, 55, a businessman who registered on the ministrys website to get the vaccination almost four months ago, has not received the vaccination message yet that stipulates when and where the shot will be taken. I registered on the ministrys website in April and did not receive any messages whereas my wife who registered last month received the message and has already got her first shot. I dont know what I should do to receive my shot, complained Ahmed. Egyptians must register to receive the vaccine on website https://www.egcovac.mohp.gov.eg. According to Naglaa Sallam, media coordinator at the Ministry of Health and Population, the vaccination messages are sent first to eligible groups, those who suffer chronic diseases and the elderly. The ministry was giving priority, in coordination with the Ministry of Education during the last several weeks, to teachers and education staff members especially those working during the Thanaweya Amma [high school] exams, said Sallam who added they were prioritised because they were among the people categorised as high risk. Vaccinations were also temporarily halted during the week-long Greater Bairam holiday. They resumed on 25 July at the countrys 400 vaccination centres, Sallam added. But some people with chronic diseases did not get their messages. Afaf Suleiman, a 63-year-old housewife who is diabetic and suffering from hypertension, registered for the vaccine but has yet to receive any messages. Two weeks ago, I complained on the ministrys 15335 hotline about not receiving the vaccination message and they told me I will receive it within the coming few days, but I am still waiting, Suleiman said. According to Khaled Megahed, the spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Population, citizens who registered on the ministrys website and are suffering from more than one chronic disease will be prioritised over people suffering one chronic disease. And a person suffering one chronic disease would be prioritised over those who do not have any illness, Megahed told Al-Ahram Weekly. This would explain why many people have not yet received their vaccination messages, Megahed said. Where people live was another factor in the delay. Megahed said heavily populated cities like Cairo and Alexandria have long waiting lines. Moreover, he noted, the ministry had to put on hold sending vaccination messages until it secured enough quantities of vaccines. In mid-June, Egypt was scheduled to receive 1.9 million AstraZeneca doses through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) but the shipment was delayed. COVAX is a worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines directed by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and the World Health Organisation. A few weeks ago, according to Megahed, Egypt obtained more than two million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, which were subjected to the necessary checks and analysis by the Egyptian Medicines Authority; 610,000 doses were distributed to vaccine centres earlier this week. According to Megahed, Egypt will receive two million doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine in the coming few days. Shortly afterward, Egypt will receive Johnson & Johnson shipments. Egypt signed a contract to buy 20 million doses of Johnson & Johnson. Moreover, Egypt is due to receive the substance needed to produce Sinovac vaccines. The Egyptian Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA) has already produced the first one million doses of Sinovac, the Chinese biopharmaceutical company, and the ministry will start using it in August. This would help end the waiting lists faster. Egypts daily production for Covid-19 vaccines currently is 300,000 doses, Megahed said, adding that the government is currently discussing doubling the raw materials Egypt imports to increase the countrys daily production to 600,000 doses. Manufacturing the Sinovac vaccine is part of an agreement signed between VACSERA and Sinovac. Rumours had gone viral that the ministry had stopped vaccinating people due to the lack of sufficient amounts of vaccines. The ministry is planning to vaccinate around 40 million of Egypts over 100 million population by the end of this year, Megahed added. *A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Short link: On 18 July and just two days before the Eid Al-Adha (Greater Bairam) holiday, the Egyptian authorities decided to release six activists after they found that they were not charged in any other cases. George Ishak, a political activist, wrote that the activists had been arrested at a time the country was facing a war against terrorists. But now, with the danger of terrorism ebbing, it is good that the authorities are moving to release activists as long as they are not charged in any other cases, he said, also recommending that there should be a kind of dialogue with all the forces in the coming period to reach a new political agenda, including the law on pre-trial detention. Mohamed Saad Abdel-Hafiz, managing editor of the Al-Shorouk newspaper and a member of the board of the Press Syndicate, said on 18 July that the syndicate expects that more activists will be released soon. We know that all of these cases are currently under review by the state authorities, and so we hope more will be released, Abdel-Hafiz said, also indicating that the syndicate has received assurances from the authorities that more will be released as long as they are not involved in any other cases. Gamal Zahran, a political science professor, told Al-Ahram Weekly that most of the activists were arrested at a time when Muslim Brotherhood elements living in Turkey were trying to cause trouble and spread instability in Egypt. In September 2019, these elements used their TV channels broadcasting from Turkey, Qatar, and London to incite people to protest on the streets, and so it was important that the authorities moved to do everything possible to safeguard the nation against chaos and violence, Zahran said. It is good that the judicial authorities are currently reviewing the conditions of activists in pre-trial detention and are releasing many of them. Zahran does not believe that the release of the activists over recent months has come as a result of US pressure. While the new administration led by US President Joe Biden puts a lot of emphasis on human rights issues, I think the decision whether to release or not mainly depends on the reviews conducted by the Egyptian judicial authorities. An AP press agency report on 19 July cited US State Department Spokesman Ned Price as saying that as a strategic partner, we have raised concerns on the detention of Egyptian civil-society leaders, academics, and journalists with the Egyptian government, and we will continue to do so going forward. Mohamed Anwar Al-Sadat, head of the Reform and Development Party, said in a press interview that the release of activists in pre-trial detention had come after a dialogue with the prosecution services and the security authorities. We began this dialogue six months ago, and it led to the release of several activists, Al-Sadat said. He is the coordinator of the dialogue initiative. Al-Sadat revealed that the contacts with the prosecution office and the security forces had come through Speaker of the Senate Abdel-Wahab Abdel-Razek. All the complaints we receive in this respect we send to the speaker of the Senate, Al-Sadat said, adding that the Senate speaker has promised that hearings will be held on the role of political parties and civil-society organisations and the media in October and November. Al-Sadat said he had invited several public figures and MPs to join the dialogue initiative. He said the release of many activists in recent months had sent a message that the authorities were willing to conduct a dialogue on all kinds of issues, including amending the law on pre-trial detention periods. The activists released included journalists Gamal Al-Gamal, Moataz Wadnan, Mustafa Al-Asar, and Israa Abdel-Fattah, and two political activists, Abdel-Nasser Ismail and Mahinour Al-Masri. They were released after months in pre-trial detention over charges that ranged from disseminating false news and the misuse of social media to joining a terrorist group, a reference to the Muslim Brotherhood, which was designated a terrorist group in 2013. Freelance columnist Al-Gamal was arrested in February 2021 at Cairo International Airport upon his return from Turkey. Journalists Wadnan and Al-Asar were both detained in 2018. A statement said the security forces had detained the three under an arrest order issued by the prosecution office on charges filed against them. Israa Abdel-Fattah, an activist and journalist, was one of the founders of the 6 April Movement that played a role in ending the rule of former president Hosni Mubarak in the 2011 uprising. She was arrested in September 2019 after calls for demonstrations by Muslim Brotherhood leaders living in Turkey. Abdel-Nasser Ismail, deputy head of the Socialist Peoples Alliance, was arrested almost two years ago. Mahinour Al-Masri, a human rights lawyer and activist, was also arrested in September 2019. The release of the journalists and activists was widely welcomed in political circles. *A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Short link: Tunisias political crisis has affected how its leaders are dealing with Covid-19 and the economic troubles besetting the country. Major political leaders President Kais Saied, Prime Minsiter Hichem Mechichi and Islamist Ennahdas leader and parliament speaker Rached Al-Ghannouchi have been fighting over ministerial changes, which led to two different sets of protests with opposite demands. Mechichi, who unlike Saied is not a member of any political party, changed 11 out of the 28 ministers making up the cabinet in January. This reshuffle process has been widely described as a bid to remove Saieds allies in government, replacing them with figures who are seen as pro-Ennahda and Qalb Tounes parties, the largest forces in parliament with 54 and 27 seats respectively. Qalb Tounes is led by businessman and former presidential candidate Nabil Karoui, who was recently released on bail as he faces charges of money laundering and tax evasion. In Tunisia, which saw a successful democratic transition after its 2011 revolution, the prime minister has the majority of executive authorities, with the president handling issues of national security and foreign relations. Yet Saied could still impact the outcome of the reshuffle. He refused to swear in four ministers, including those for the interior, justice and health, claiming each had a conflict of interest and that the reshuffle itself is unconstitutional. This led to a political deadlock that was followed by demonstrations by supporters of each political camp. This is partially related to the absence of the judicial force: the constitutional court is yet to be established with no political agreement on which judges are sufficiently impartial to join it. Moreover, the Tunisian constitution does not require parliaments approval for cabinet reshuffles, although it gives parliament the right to reject a newly appointed government. According to Sarah Yerkes, a senior fellow at Carnegies Middle East programme, the fact that the party in power felt the need to take to the streets makes it clear that Tunisians on all sides see protest as the most effective mechanism for making their point and getting what they want. Yerkes added that the protests reflect how polarised Tunisia has become and how ineffective the parliament and government are at handling disputes and moving the country forward. Tens of thousands of Ennahda supporters took the streets of the capital Tunis on Saturday as the Islamist party backs Mechichi in this game. They raised slogans such as Defending legitimacy and parliament, The people want to protect institutions, The people want national unity, The people want to protect the constitution and No return to dictatorship. Speaking to protesters, Ghannouchi called for a national dialogue to end the government paralysis. The Leftist Labour Party and the Tunisian Union of Youth Organisations, meanwhile, arranged rival counter protests. Clashes over power distribution and political representation regularly occur in Tunisia. Last July, although failing to gather the required 109 votes to do so, opposition MPs sought to have a vote of no-confidence against Al-Ghannouchi. They accused him of attempting to implement the Muslim Brotherhoods agenda in Tunisia and seeking to expand his authority by disregarding the president. This coincided with a clash between Ennahda and then prime minister Elyes Al-Fakhfakh, Mechichis predecessor, who removed all Islamist ministers from the ruling coalition. This followed a vote of no-confidence by Ennahda against Al-Fakhfakh, who undertook a cabinet reshuffle without consulting with Ennahda. Eight years ago, Ennahda handed over power to a transitional government till new elections could be held following talks with political parties that were brokered by the Tunisian General Labour Union. The aim of the talks was to end a severe crisis that emerged after the assassination of two opposition figures, Choukri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi. Mahmoud Al-May, a member of the constituent assembly that drafted the countrys new constitution after the 2011 revolution, told Al-Ahram Weekly that Ennahdas recent protests represent a reaction to protests by Abir Moussis Free Destourian Party, which the polls today indicate is the party with the highest chances in elections. Ennahda also wants to put pressure on the president to accept a national dialogue to put an end to the deadlock between him, the prime minister and Ennahda. Today, the situation is completely blocked and this is impacting the ability of the government to handle economic and health problems. For instance, the vaccination programme is still unknown while other countries have already vaccinated more than a quarter of their populations. Based on the governments Covid-19 restrictions, both protests are illegal, Al-May said. The International Monetary Fund said in January that, due to Covid-19, Tunisias GDP has contracted 8.2 per cent in 2020, unemployment reached 16.2 per cent and the current account deficits declined to 6.8 per cent of GDP. These figures, which the IMF considers the lowest since Tunisia gained independence, are related to a strong hit on exports and collapsing tourism receipts, disproportionally affecting low-skilled workers, women and youth, and fuelling social discontent. Given the precarious circumstances in which Tunisians are finding themselves due to the pandemic and a continuous economic crisis, calls for collective action to protest the current stalemate risk exacerbating social tensions instead of making room for dialogue and peaceful and non-violent solutions to the crisis, Arnaud Kurze, an associate professor of justice studies at Montclair State University in the US and a Woodrow Wilson Centre global fellow, said. In fact, the persisting socio-economic challenges of the pandemic and unrest by marginalised youth has been unsettling in many cities across the country. The current political crisis also translates into shifting government priorities. In other words, more pressing issues, such as implementing economic stimulus packages and addressing the current pandemic become secondary on the governments to-do list, which is concerning, Kurze stressed. For almost a week, in January, Tunisia saw violent protests in several cities, including poor areas such as Ettadamen and Sijoumi. Angry young protesters burned tyres and blocked roads, demanding better economic conditions. It is hoped the current deadlock will not involve a replay of that. *A version of this article appears in print in the 4 March, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: The recent spike in tensions between Israel and the Lebanese Shia group Hizbullah have led some political analysts to notch up their forecasts of a war between the two to impending. They base their predictions on the broader area of friction between the two sides, which has come to include Syria as well as Lebanon, the short intervals between their bouts of military strikes, and their race to bring about a significant shift in military balances. Hizbullah has been amassing weapons in Syria and Lebanon, gradually expanding its area of deployment and recruiting auxiliaries from the Palestinian camps in Lebanon. Palestinian factions were identified as the source of the two missile strikes against Israel on 20 July and of similar strikes against Israel from Lebanon during the Israeli war against Gaza in May 2020. Israel has been working to curtail Hizbullahs activities and abilities by expanding the scope of its preemptive strikes on Hizbullah targets in Syria, reinforcing its defence capacities, and staging attacks against the northern front. The tactics are part of the strategy the Israelis call the campaign between the wars. Military analysts, on the other hand, do not see a great likelihood of an impending war, though they do not dismiss the possibility entirely. They believe that both sides are keen to avert war as much as possible for fear of its potential consequences. The premises of the military calculations today are not the same as they were at the time of the last war between Israel and Hizbullah in 2006 as the next war will be an existential one for both sides. It would compel Israel to fight an open battle on at least two fronts, Syria and Lebanon, and to take on several adversaries, from Iranian forces in Syria to Hizbullah forces in Syria and Lebanon and the Palestinian factions in the camps in Lebanon. Israel would also have to be prepared to sustain major losses in the north of the country in particular. Israeli intelligence estimates that Hizbullahs missile arsenal has grown from an estimated 100,000-110,000 missiles last year to 130,000-150,000 today. The missiles are much more accurate, and Hizbullah now has the capacity to fire between 1,000 and 3,000 missiles a day. In addition, it has increased its attempts to smuggle fighters and mid-sized weapons into Israel and expanded its network of border tunnels. Other factors also need to be borne in mind. First, the results of the last Israeli-Hizbullah war came as a stunning eye-opener to Israelis, and not just because of failings in the countrys Iron Dome defence system. Israels forced retreat from Lebanon had a profound impact on the domestic front, which will make Israel think twice before embarking on another war on the northern front. Second, Hizbullah is clearly testing Israels political will under the new Naftali Bennett administration. While this is occurring at a time when another hardliner, Ebrahim Raisi, has been elected president in Iran, Tehran is preoccupied with domestic problems, such as the water protests in Khuzestan, and with delicate and still uncertain nuclear agreement negotiations. As a result, Iran is unlikely to risk supporting a drive to war at this point. While Hizbullah is better equipped militarily today compared to how it stood in the period before the Syrian Civil War started, it is also keen to avert a slide into an engagement in which its very existence would be on the line or at the very least it would risk losing its gains from more than a decade of fighting in Syria at a time when it believes it will soon reap the fruits of them. As a result, it appears that Israel and Hizbullah are establishing certain red lines, which, if crossed, would put paid to the rules of engagement they have worked by during the past decade despite the current escalation and the relative changes in Hizbullahs capacities and patterns of deployment. For example, after the Israeli strike against Hizbullah targets in Al-Safira and Al-Qusayr in the Syrian Aleppo and Homs provinces, Hizbullah retaliated indirectly from inside Lebanon via the Palestinian factions. According to Israeli accounts, these depend on Grad 122 mm missiles and are based in Qalile in the Beqaa region of Lebanon. The Israelis said they had come across one such missile that had not been fired and believe that the purpose was to leave it as proof that Hizbullah was not behind the attack. The breakdown of the red lines established by the two sides would mean that their deterrent strategies had collapsed and that things had spiralled out of control. This point has not been reached, despite the current tensions. Israel is compensating for the increased threats posed by Hizbullah by targeting the movements arsenal in Syria more than ever during the Syrian war. The politically wrapped military messages the two sides have been exchanging also reflect their ability to read one another closely. Israel believes that its border with Lebanon has become precarious because of Hizbullahs attempts to penetrate the country. However, in addition to countering infiltrations and the border tunnels, it is also working together with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and is stepping up its strategy of building up anti-Hizbullah sentiment in Lebanon, taking advantage of the part Hizbullah has played in worsening the crisis in the country. Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz recently said that Israel would not allow the political, social and economic situation in Lebanon to turn into a threat to the security of Israel. He also offered Israeli aid to Lebanon via UNIFIL, but Beirut rejected the offer. Commander of the Israeli 91st Division Shlomi Bender, responsible for the Israeli northern front, explained that Israel feared that Lebanons collapse could bring the collapse of the Lebanese army, which would give Hizbullah access to advanced weaponry, enabling it to control Lebanon and Iran to expand into the country directly. Recent statements by Lebanese army commanders have expressed concern over the lack of commitment of some military personnel and their failure to return from leave on time. This has been interpreted as a silent protest against the armys inability to pay salaries due to the economic situation in the country. According to some US and Israeli assessments, there has been a pickup in arms smuggling in Lebanon, particularly of modern weapons that Hizbullah does not possess, raising concerns that the economic crisis has driven some army personnel to sell arms in order to make money. If, as military analysts believe, the evolution and repercussions of the Lebanese crisis have become key factors in the calculations of the conflict between Israel and Hizbullah, then the exchange of missile fire and the situation at the Lebanese-Israeli border are merely preliminary symptoms of worse to come if Lebanon slips into a black hole, as Israeli assessments put it. One Israeli viewpoint holds that Hizbullahs tactical approach is to take advantage of Lebanons collapse in order to impose its own de facto control. But Israels greater challenge is to prevent the situation from turning into an Iranian encirclement of Israels northern borders with Syria and Lebanon. This explains why Israel is so keen to help Lebanon in its current economic crisis, despite Beiruts repeated rejection. Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallahs recent appeal to Iran for oil supplies in order to help Lebanon through the fuel crisis has heightened Israeli concerns in this regard. Earlier reports revealed that Iran had succeeded in delivering oil to Lebanon via Syria, using various forms of camouflage to convey it to the Baniyas Port south of Latakia, from where it was transported down the coast to Lebanon. For the moment, the Lebanese fuel crisis has abated thanks to an agreement between Lebanon and Iraq that should provide enough oil to last Lebanon for the next four months. However, Iran still retains the ability to resort to its camouflaged shipping strategy in the future. Changes in the Russian position towards the recent escalation between Hizbullah and Israel should also be taken into account. In the past, Russia tended to turn a blind eye to Israeli strikes in Syria, leaving it to the Syrian army to declare its own stance. However, in the wake of Israels strikes against Hizbullah targets in the Homs and Aleppo provinces, Russia issued two successive statements. These focused on the interception of the Israeli missiles by the Syrian aerial defence forces (which are actually Russian) and illustrated how this took place. Israel staged around 14 missile strikes in Syria in the first half of this year, destroying some 41 targets, such as weapons and ammunitions depots and military equipment and bases. According to Syrian reports, the Russian statements were misleading, since in fact the recent strikes did hit military installations, one of which was a scientific research centre, in areas under joint Iranian-Hizbullah-Russian influence. But Russias calculations operate on a different set of premises. Russia is determined to sustain its status as a key player in Syria capable of steering developments in the country. On a larger strategic level, Russia is also keen to prevent further Iranian expansion into Lebanon because of how this would impact the balance of power in Syria. On the other hand, the Israel escalation occurred as the Iranian navy was taking part in a Russian military exercise on the anniversary of the founding of the Russian Navy and at time when the Russians and Iranians need to coordinate more closely against the backdrop of the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan. At this stage, therefore, Russia is keen to send positive signals to Iran, and one of these took the form of its sharp denunciation of the recent Israeli strikes. Washingtons growing concern over political developments in Lebanon is informed in part by changes in the Russian position, the incremental strengthening of the Russian-Iranian partnership and the decline in Russian-Israeli coordination in Syria. *A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: The Palestinian Ministry of Works, in cooperation with Egyptian technical and engineering teams, will soon complete removing the rubble from the latest Israeli military onslaught on the Gaza Strip (10-11 May). This is a record time compared to previous military operations in Gaza. Aided by Egyptian engineers and technicians and using equipment from Egypt, the Ministry of Works has been able to work faster and more effectively than before. The Egyptian teams went home for the Eid holiday, but returned to the Gaza Strip on Sunday to continue clearing the rubble of 1,400 housing units that were pulverised by Israel. They will also survey the newly cleared areas to prepare for the next phase of reconstruction, in which they will be directly participating. The Undersecretary of Works and Housing in the Gaza Strip Naji Serhan said that the 50 Egyptian machines used in the clean-up operation greatly helped remove, especially with taller buildings that had been more than 15- storey high. Serhan asserted that these machines remarkably accelerated the process of removing debris in just two months. These Egyptian machines were used to remove the rubble of the Hanadi, Jalaa and Shorouk towers, as well as other residential buildings, he said. Serhan went on to say that, having removed 80 per cent of the debris by helping Palestinian contractors, Egyptian technical construction teams will begin work soon, with the residential towers rebuilt as soon as the debris is cleared, as per the deal made with Egyptian officials. After visiting Egypt, we agreed to draw up a list of priorities, said Serhan. Egyptian engineers inspected all the areas that need construction, and we hope this begins soon. The Palestinian official expressed gratitude to President Al-Sisi and the people of Egypt for their goodwill, which demonstrates the deep historic ties between Palestine and Egypt. About 1,400 housing units were completely demolished during the assault on Gaza, Serhan said. The rubble of more than 1,000 of these has been cleared away so far. Partially destroyed homes will remain as is. He hoped Egypt would soon allow the transport of construction materials into the Gaza Strip without restrictions, since Palestinians are hoping to use only Egyptian construction materials to rebuild what was wiped out during Israels ferocious attacks. Egyptian engineering teams conducted field visits in several destroyed and damaged areas, and presented a comprehensive overview of what the Gaza Strip requires for reconstruction and restoring normal life, as well as improving and developing infrastructure facilities based on Egypts extensive experience in the field of engineering construction and advanced infrastructure projects. After completing the first phase, several challenges now face reconstruction under complicated political conditions: the fragile situation on the ground in Gaza, an unstable ceasefire between Palestinian factions and Israel, and the yawning gap between the two sides on the issue. Israel ties reconstruction with progress on other political and security issues, most notably the return of captured Israeli soldiers who were taken by Hamas. The group admits to capturing four Israelis, including two soldiers during the 2014 Israeli war on Gaza. However, Palestinian factions insist that progress should be made simultaneously and in parallel on all tracks, not consecutively. Recently, these factions in the Gaza Strip threatened that siege and closure will no longer be tolerated by the Palestinian people, stating, We will give mediators a chance to end this siege and closure, bring in construction and building materials, and guarantee freedom of movement for our people at border crossings... If these efforts fail, the Palestinian people will only have the option of confrontation, and they will use all their might to take back their rights to dignity and freedom. Palestinian forces further explained that they will never allow homeowners, factory and farm owners in the Gaza Strip to be punished twice. Once, when their properties were incinerated, and again, when they are prevented from rebuilding them. The factions warned Israel against continuing this unacceptable siege, saying they would not allow it to overturn the situation or establish new rules. Hamas Spokesman Hazem Qassem threatened a return to escalation against Israel due to the explosive situation in Jerusalem and the continued closure of Gaza. Qassem warned that these issues were the triggers most likely to ignite the situation, noting that Hamas has informed all mediators that resistance factions in Gaza will never succumb to blackmail. He noted that Israel has started to talk about gradual facilitation for Gaza, adding that conditions must be restored to pre-aggression times. Hamas, said Qassem, is adamant about lifting the siege on Gaza and that Gazans should live with dignity. Meanwhile, Israel will not allow the transfer of any funds for reconstruction in the Gaza Strip, except through the Palestinian Authority (PA) or the UN. Despite ongoing talks by the UN and Egypt to enforce the ceasefire and make progress on the issue of the prisoners captured by Hamas, all efforts ground to a halt when both sides refused to compromise. According to the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (KAN), Egypt is working on defusing the crises and on several issues, including resolving the matter of transferring Qatari funds to Gaza as a first step, and then moving on two parallel tracks of reconstruction and exchange of prisoners between Hamas and Israel. KAN also reported on Egypts efforts to contain any possible escalation by Hamas against Israel, as the latter resumes strict measures against Gaza. Most recently, on Sunday, Israel bombed Hamas locations in Gaza in response to what Israel claimed were fires caused by incendiary and booby-trapped balloons launched from there. Relations with Israel, however, are not the only problem facing reconstruction in the Gaza Strip. The PA and Hamas differ over the mechanism needed for reconstruction in Gaza. The former believes reconstruction must be through and directly supervised by the PA and its institutions, while Hamas proposed a national committee, coordinated with Egypt, to oversee construction. Tensions and lack of trust overwhelm the issue. Despite all these challenges, Palestinians hope this urgent matter will soon be resolved and are counting on Egypt to put pressure on Israel, as well as bring the Palestinian viewpoints closer together. Al-Sisi also promised $500 million for rebuilding Gaza, and gave directives to Egyptian state institutions to provide all that is needed to accelerate reconstruction and completion. *A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Short link: In early July, Culture Minister Ines Abdel Dayem appointed Gamal Yakout president of the 28th Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre (CIFET, 14-19 December). Though this is Yakouts first time as president of Egypts most important theatre festival, the celebrated Alexandrian theatre maker is hardly new to the scene. Originally a graduate of the Faculty of Commerce and overseeing a textiles business, Yakout has nonetheless made numerous theatrical achievements.In 2011 he earned his PhD in directing and production, having studied for a masters in his forties, and he teaches at the Faculty of Arts, Alexandria University, the Higher Institute of Child Arts (part of Academy of Arts) and other institutions across the country; he also gives workshops for adults and children in the fields of acting, directing, playwriting, storytelling, and theatrical production all over the Arab world. Yakouts acting career kicked off in early 1980 but he soon shifted to directing, contributing over 70 plays many of which garnered awards at, among other events, the National Theatre Festival. He founded his own theatre troupe Creation Group, and in 2008, he founded Alexandrias Theatre Without Fund Festival, an event over which he had presided until this year. His studies which include musical theatre in the UK, and Avignon Theatre Festival in France, are topped with the accumulated experience working with independent troupes.As CIFETs president, Yakout replaces Alaa Abdel-Aziz who presided over the festivals 27th round, which took place in 2020 under the challenging conditions of a global pandemic at its peak. Abdel Dayems announcement also named Mohamed Abdelrahman El-Shafei and Saeed Kabeel artistic directors, and listed an impressive coterie of theatre people as the festival board: Hoda Wasfi, Abu Hassan Salam, Ayman El-Shiwi, Ahmed Megahed, Yehia El-Taher, and Hazem Shebl.To understand the weight CIFET places on its presidents shoulders, a little history is in order. The Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre was launched in 1988 on the initiative of then culture minister Farouk Hosny. Taking place annually in the first week of September (with a few roynds moved to October), over the years the festival expanded in size, inviting an ever growing number of international troupes and guests until it became a lavish, high-budget event. By the 2000s quantity began to undermine quality, however, and in 2011 it was interrupted by the revolution. With the cultural scene undergoing all kinds of transformations, it was clear that the CIFET as we had known it could no longer return. After a five-year hiatus, however, the festival was finally relaunched in 2016 as a smaller event without a competition as the Cairo International Festival for Contemporary and Experimental Theatre (CIFCET). Following much debate the word contemporary was removed and the competition restored under Alaa Abdel-Aziz. The 2020 round was anticlimactic, however, since the international shows were only shown online. With CIFETs next round scheduled for December and many countries slowly allowing international travel again, the role of Gamal Yakout seems even more challenging. He is in charge not only of a major festival in Egypt and the region but also of the first (competitive) round of that festival to be held following a debilitating shut-down. As the theatre scenes asks more and more questions, pressure on Yakout is mounting. We are very ambitious and hopeful, Yakout says, stressing the handpicked boards support. The pandemic is not over and were taking into account difficulties in travel and other restrictions that are still in place in many countries. But this will not discourage us as we aim to focus on quality and not quantity, keeping health concerns in mind. Unlike previous rounds, which lasted for 10 days, this time the festival will take place over only six days, providing the best truly experimental performances with a stage. The only advice I am giving the viewing committee is to prioritise quality, even if this means we end up with a small number of performances. Our aim is to present up to 12 international and two Egyptian performances in the competition. A couple of performances will be also presented in CIFETs non-competitive segment. It is worth adding that the festival has already released a call for submissions with 7 August as the deadline, and international troupes have begun to respond. Yakout continues that while the viewing committee prepares to review the submissions, he is already laying plans for CIFET to reach numerous Egyptian cities, an approach different from that of previous rounds which were held in Cairo (with only a very occasional performance staged in some other city). But Yakouts horizontal strategy aims to make performances and workshops available all across the country. As a specialist who dedicated a significant portion of his life to theatre for children, did Yakout consider incorporating childrens performances into the festival? To be honest, he says, I did not have a chance to think about this issue in depth. The proposal hangs on educational and social issues that might conflict with the idea of experimental theatre. It needs more time to study, but I do hope future editions of CIFET can have a section for young audiences. The idea of a dedicated childrens theatre festival is also on his mind. Among this years organizational challenges, Yakout says, is one major change: I want to reassess the awards system. This is not a conventional festival, so the awards dont have to be granted in a traditional way, putting successes in boxes: best actress, best actor, best director, etc. During the festival, we might be surprised by amazing theatrical solutions that deserve an award but do not fall under the traditional award protocols. Id rather set up a number of awards to be given depending on what we see. We might find that a theatrical component video mapping, communication between the actors, music, choreography, etc deserves an award, or a combination of components, but maybe no actors or directors will stand out. I want to have the freedom to award what is exceptional. I am thinking of how to allow the festival to evolve. After all, it is an experimental festival. Yakout is considering setting up a total of ten awards to be given by the jury to any exceptional creative component in a play. This approach might prove shocking to some, but its benefits are immeasurable. As Yakout continues to explain, the festival will also include workshops and seminars tailored to the development of theatre practitioners and those who want to enter the field. Regarding workshops, however, Yakout thinks in even bigger terms. This festival is a creative organisation and its operation cannot be limited to the few days programme. We should be present throughout the year. Plans, which Yakout feels should be feasible, include continuing to invite theatre specialists to educate artists and the public. CIFET is after all a unique international event stressing the experimental concept, which does not reflect a specific time or place in theatre history but rather a flexible dynamic. What was new or unconventional at the time of Alfred Jarry is no longer new in the West. Over a century or so, the avant-gardes conceptual revolution that began then has given way to new approaches to texts and the relation with the spectator. With all kinds of cultural, technological and conceptual variables, this makes the term confusing and raises the question of parameters. There is definitely a big problem with the terminology, Yakout agrees, since experimental theatre has many definitions, each correct in its own way. To me, the only one solid truth about experimental theatre is the concept of departing from what has already been done. Yakout goes on to argue that the idea of experimental theatre is not static. The form surprises us with what is unexpected, what is novel, whether in acting, directing, music, sets, technology, relation to the audience, or any other element. What was experimental on the CIFET stage in the early 1990s might be classical today. For example, experimental theatre makers make use of new technological inventions, setting them within their artistic concepts. Experimentation has many different layers; its an ocean of endless possibilities. For Yakout, as the world keeps moving forward and developing, so does experimental theatre. He points out that the creator experiments with the audience as well, hence you may find that what is traditional to one audience is experimental to another. With local, regional and international companies submitting their fare, the festival has yet to decide on the stages to be used. We thought about regular theatres of course, Yakout explains, but there are other unconventional venues such as the Amir Taz Palace, Bayt Al-Suhaymi, the Saladin Citadel, open-air theatres in Cairo, Alexandria or other cities. However we cannot decide on the venues before deciding on the performances as each of the chosen plays will fit a specific location. Regardless of location, however, each year CIFET sees large audiences queuing up at theatres where the halls are often filled to capacity before everyone has a seat. Yakout is considering online ticketing or registration to avoid large crowds, as well as a special committee to be in charge of this aspect of the festivals organisation. I am fully aware of the problems at entry points, and we will definitely have a solution to avoid tensions and allow those who are interested to get in. Together with his passion for the theatre, Yakouts business background makes for a powerful recipe for realizing all those ambitions and reviving what is arguably the most important theatre festival in the Arab world. It is probably the Avignon Festival that presents the most useful model for Yakouts project of using creative business skills to the benefit of theatrical practice. His combination of interests and accomplishments not only qualifies him to head CIFET but also promises to benefit the festival itself. *A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Short link: We all have our theories and views about how the world works and how different actors deal with each other on the domestic and the international level. Some of us base these views on what they see directly without assuming any hidden actions behind the curtains. Others, on the other hand, have reasons to believe that there is more than meets the eye and that there are certain powers-that-be controlling the world and influencing its events behind closed doors. In other words, they have their own conspiracy theories about how the world works. According to European academics Michael Butter and Peter Knight, conspiracy theories are narratives that assume that a group of evil agents, the conspirators, are secretly controlling events and developments. Conspiracy theories have three assumptions in common. First, nothing happens by accident, and everything is done by the conspirators behind the curtains. Second, nothing is what it seems; you have to look beneath the surface to know the real truth. Third, everything is connected, and events that may seem unrelated to each other are actually deeply interlocked. A conspiracy theory can differ from one region of the world to another, depending on the political circumstances. Each person propagating one considers himself to know the real truth behind events. Conspiracy theories become popular in times of crises and uncertainties, and they are mostly believed by people who have a problem dealing with uncertainties and ambiguities. It has therefore been natural for conspiracy theories to cast their shadows on the most influential event that has changed the world over the past couple of years: the Covid-19 pandemic. Those who believe in Covid-19 conspiracy theories have blamed evil forces for being behind the spread of the virus and/or have been pushing for vaccination against it for their own sinister purposes. Like most conspiracy theories, the Covid-19 conspiracy theories dismiss the science in favour of some extreme, outlandish claims. Furthermore, because this is about a disease that has affected us all, such conspiracy theories, and peoples acceptance of them and acting upon them, may actually cause a delay in eradicating the virus, because these conspiracy theories cause people to doubt the effectiveness, or even the very purpose, of the vaccines that aim to eradicate the disease. Nevertheless, there is hope that these Covid-19 conspiracy theories can be reversed, if we all improve the way we deal with people who believe in them. Before I proceed, there are a few points which I would like to emphasise regarding my own personal views. First, I am not dismissing all conspiracy theories outright. Indeed, human history is full of conspiracies and hidden agendas. The overthrow of Irans democratically elected prime minister Mohamed Mossadeq in 1953 was a real CIA conspiracy. The Israeli Mossad did plan a series of terrorist attacks against US facilities in Cairo in the 1950s to ruin Cairo-Washington relations (the so-called Lavon Affair). The Tripartite Attack against Egypt in 1956 was a real conspiracy against former president Gamal Abdel-Nasser that was secretly planned in Sevres just outside Paris. The CIA did conduct mind-control experiments on people (the so-called Manchurian Candidate conspiracy), although these experiments failed. The US government did have plans to orchestrate acts of terrorism inside the United States to use them as an excuse to attack Cuba and its leader Fidel Castro in the 1960s, although this plan was never actually implemented. The CIA was indeed involved in drug-trafficking to finance certain militias in South America in the 1980s. Secret societies like the Illuminati and the Freemasons have existed for hundreds of years, although we can disagree over the extent of their influence on global events. I am not against believing in conspiracies, provided that there is evidence to support them. What I do have a problem with, however, is propagating conspiracy theories based on myths and rumours, instead of solid scientific and historical evidence. Second, I am not a medical doctor. I do not have a degree in medicine or health science, and I am not qualified to discuss these claims. Scientists and medics have done a much better job at debunking these myths and conspiracy theories than I ever could. Third, even though I am defending science and logic here, I have not been vaccinated myself (at least not yet). This is due to a certain condition that prevents me from having the vaccination for now. Having said these things, I will now present my views about the goofy conspiracy theories about Covid-19 and its vaccines, the sad consequences of these conspiracy theories, and the useful things that we can do to talk the Covid-19 conspiracy theorists out of their potentially harmful beliefs. GOOFY THEORIES: Vaccine-related conspiracy theories existed even before Covid-19. For decades, there has been a widespread belief in the West that vaccinations, especially the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination, can cause autism among children. This was based on a scientific paper by a British doctor named Andrew Wakefield published in a respectable scientific journal in 1998. The article caused a great deal of controversy. Years later, it was discovered that Wakefield had not followed scientific or ethical methods in writing his article. He has since had his medical licence revoked and been banned from practicing medicine. There have been other similar conspiracy theories claiming that Big Pharma was concealing the real data about the hazardous effects of vaccinations and bribing government officials to allow and even promote them among children. These anti-vaccination conspiracy theories existed even before the Covid-19 outbreak. In fact, health-related conspiracy theories have existed for centuries. They happened, for example, when the plague, or Black Death, spread in Europe and wiped out a third of the population in the 14th century. Due to widespread hatred of the Jews in Europe at the time, Christian Europeans accused the Jews of being behind the spread of the Black Death by poisoning the wells from which the Christians were drinking. Needless to say, this has been scientifically disproven, and modern science now knows that the Black Death spread through rats and fleas. Conspiracy theories have been abundant as a result of the outbreak of Covid-19 and the promotion of the vaccines against it. These conspiracy theories, and claims about the hazards of the vaccines, have caused vaccine hesitation, or the fear of having a vaccine due to such claims. Even before the current Covid-19 outbreak, studies showed that parents who were subject to such conspiracy theories, whether from social media or other sources, were less likely to vaccinate their children. Several conspiracy theories were being thrown around as Covid-19 started to spread all over the world and cause lockdowns and deaths. Former US president Donald Trump and his supporters implied that the pandemic was a hoax led by the anti-Trump deep state aiming to undermine the US economy and halt the gains it had achieved under Trumps management. Other Americans said that Covid-19 was a Chinese bioweapon that had originated in the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. Others said that the virus was being transmitted by 4G and 5G communication technologies. The Chinese version of the conspiracy theories, on the other hand, said that Covid-19 was an American bioweapon that had been released in China, but had backfired and had eventually hit the US itself. Needless to say, all these conspiracy theories are not based on hard evidence, but on personal views and on imagining a link between unrelated events, like the timing of Covid-19 and the timing of the 2020 presidential elections in the United States. Conspiracy theories have hit the Covid-19 vaccination process as well. Conspiracies about the vaccines have revolved around two main beliefs. The first is that the vaccination, or the cure, has existed for a long time, but the large multinational pharmaceutical corporations, or so-called Big Pharma, hid it until the situation became critical in order to raise vaccination prices and make more profit. The second is that Big Pharma is pushing plans for mass mandatory vaccination in order to sell the vaccines and make profits. There has also been the conspiracy theory that the vaccines contain microchips enabling the intelligence agencies to put citizens under surveillance and mind control and that this particular scheme was masterminded by US billionaire Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft. There have also been claims that the vaccines make you magnetic, that they alter your DNA, that they do not work, and that they can actually kill. This plandemic (a combination of the words plan and pandemic), according to conspiracy theorists and those who follow them, is all a scheme by the deep state, Big Pharma, and business magnates. These conspiracy theories, which sound goofy due to their far-fetched claims and lack of solid scientific evidence, could have sad consequences on those who believe in them and on society in general. They could delay or even prevent the publics acceptance of the real medical treatment of Covid-19, thus delaying the eradication of the pandemic. SAD THEORIES: These conspiracy theories reach millions of people through social media. Influencers then take these claims and spread them, and their followers listen to them without questioning or double-checking. Such conspiracy theories have led to the rise of anti-vaccination groups, or anti-vaxers, in several countries in the West. These groups promote conspiracy theories to discourage vaccinations. Former US president Trump did not want to harm the economic boost the American economy had experienced during his administration, thus weakening his chances of winning the 2020 presidential elections. He therefore went to great lengths to dismiss the Covid-19 pandemic as a common, non-dangerous flu epidemic that would not cause deaths and should not force people to change their lifestyles. He tweeted that the Democrats and the liberal media in the US were doing everything possible to make Covid-19 look as bad as possible, including panicking markets, if possible, and then claimed that the USA is in great shape. Needless to say, his actions were a factor in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans of Covid-19. He also made other claims that dismissed the real science behind Covid-19. In fact, he appeared wearing a mask only a few times during the pandemic, and the vast majority of his public appearances were without a mask. Among the controversies that Trump caused was his apparent claim that Covid-19 could be cured if people injected disinfectants like bleach into their bodies. To be fair, Trump did not explicitly recommend ingesting a disinfectant like bleach. What Trump actually did was say that disinfectants are very effective in killing the virus on surfaces, wondering if this could be applied to the human body as well. Is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning, because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so itd be interesting to check that, so that youre going to have to use medical doctors with, but it sounds interesting to me. So, well see, but the whole concept of the light, the way it kills it in one minute. Thats pretty powerful, Trump said. The wording of his remarks led some companies and state agencies to issue warnings about ingesting disinfectants. For example, the makers of certain disinfectant products said in statements that under no circumstances should their products be used in the human body. Nevertheless, some Americans were hospitalised, and at least one died, after they injected cleansing agents into their bodies based on Trumps statements. He never apologised for them, even though he knew the effects of his statements on his loyal and often poorly educated followers. Another factor that added to the anti-vax movement has been that a percentage of people who have died of the Delta variant of Covid-19 had received one or two shots of the vaccine. While experts said that this was indeed a fact, they counter-argued that deaths among those who were vaccinated were much less than among those who were not vaccinated. Such conspiracy theories, and claims about the hazards of the vaccines, also cause vaccine hesitation, which is the fear of having a vaccine due to such claims. It is indeed sad that people base life decisions on rumours and unfounded conspiracy theories instead of scientific and medical evidence. What are the useful things that we as individuals can do when we are faced in our daily lives with people who believe in such conspiracy theories? USEFUL THEORIES: The good news is that experts on conspiracy theories and their spread offer a series of useful steps you can follow to debate a conspiracy theorist effectively and perhaps even eventually convince him to give up his beliefs without getting involved in a shouting match or losing a friendship. According to Knight, it is very hard to argue a committed conspiracy theorist out of his beliefs using logic and facts. The long-term solution is to improve the education system and to increase awareness of what social-media spreads, to not believe everything you read, and to fact check what you hear and see on the media. Do not get angry or get involved in a shouting match with conspiracy theorists, because this will just make them angrier and cling more to their beliefs. Do not bombard them with logic or scientific evidence straight away, as this will simply not work. They will simply dismiss what you say and continue to cling to the beliefs they have. This is because conspiracy theories, and those who believe in them, do not depend on facts and information. Rather, they depend on deep feelings, emotions, and perhaps even fears not based on science or logic. According to psychologist Jovan Byford, a lecturer at the Open University in the UK, conspiracy theories often have a strong emotional dimension. They are not just about right and wrong, he told the BBC, but are underpinned by feelings of resentment, anger, and indignation over how the world works. People who believe in a conspiracy theory will claim that the ideas they believe in are based on their own research, even though their research is usually based on biased, unscientific sources (whether social media or TV hosts with certain biases). Therefore, instead of using facts when you deal with a conspiracy theorist, perhaps it would be more effective if you addressed his emotions and feelings. People seem receptive to you when you use the same ways in which they may have been manipulated, said Sander van der Linden of Cambridge University in the UK, an expert on the spread of misinformation and ways to stop it. For example, people who spread conspiracies depend heavily on provoking other peoples emotions, telling them that the fact that they believe in such conspiracies is a sign of high intelligence, a willingness to think outside the box, an independent personality, and even personal superiority. Therefore, if you want to convince a conspiracy theorist to give up his ideas, then perhaps you should use these techniques, too. Instead of being confrontational and bombarding them with lots and lots of facts and evidence, you should, first, use empathy and show that you understand the fears and concerns which have led them to believe the beliefs they have. Praise their intelligence and express your admiration that they have principles that are they enthusiastically defending. Do not shame them for what they believe and do not be dismissive. Instead, try to find middle ground where you can both agree and start from there. Try asking them questions which could make them realise the contradictions or the fallacies in their beliefs. You will, of course, have to use logic and evidence, but present it to them gently and calmly without offending them and show that you respect them even as you do not share their beliefs. Finally, do not expect quick results, because it will take a long time for a conspiracy theorist to reverse ideas in which he strongly believes. According to experts, this is the useful and effective recipe you should follow when you are faced with a conspiracy theorist who strongly believes in his ideas and is stubbornly defending them with all his power. Now that you have reached the end of this article, I strongly suggest that you do not just take everything I have written for granted. Instead, I advise you to fact-check everything I have written. I think that this would be a good first step for all of us to combat conspiracy theories based on rumours and myths instead of science and facts. The writer is a political science lecturer at the British University in Egypt, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs and the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, UK. *A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Short link: The Taliban's claim to hold 90 percent of Afghanistan's borders is an "absolute lie", the defence ministry said Friday, insisting government forces were in control of the country's frontiers. "It is baseless propaganda," deputy spokesman of the Ministry of Defence Fawad Aman told AFP, a day after the insurgents made the claim, which was not possible to independently verify. The Taliban's claim on Thursday came after the group captured key border crossings with Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Pakistan in recent weeks in a staggering offensive launched as US-led foreign forces began their final troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. On Friday, Aman insisted government forces were in control of the country's borders and all "main cities and highways". And even as large-scale fighting decreased during this week's Eid al-Adha holiday, the interior ministry accused the Taliban of killing about 100 civilians in the town of Spin Boldak along the border with Pakistan since seizing the crossing last week. "Afghan security forces will soon take revenge on these wild terrorists," interior ministry spokesman Mirwais Stanekzai said on Twitter. "The Taliban whenever they get control (of territory), the first thing they do is destroy public facilities or public infrastructure, harass people and forcefully displace families," Aman told AFP. "It happened in Spin Boldak too." With the withdrawal of American-led foreign forces all but complete, the resurgent Taliban now controls about half of Afghanistan's roughly 400 districts. Earlier this week, the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff General Mark Milley said the Taliban appear to have "strategic momentum" on the battlefield. With the militants putting pressure on around half of the country's provincial capitals, Afghan troops are in the process of "consolidating their forces" to protect those major urban centres, Milley added. Short link: In 2011, Tunisia set an inspiring model for the so called Arab Spring, sparking popular revolts in several Arab countries against autocratic leaders who had clung to power for decades. The mantra was that if the Tunisian people were able to oust the countrys strongman, Zein Al-Abidin Bin Ali, why couldnt other people likewise put an end to years and years of single mans rule under which corruption, violation of basic human rights and poverty were rife? While Tunisians, Egyptians, Libyans, Syrians and Yemenis demanded bread, freedom, social justice and human dignity, the experience of the later years has proved that ending a single mans rule was not the only obstacle needed to achieve those goals. Demanding free elections disregarded the sad reality that the lack of democracy and rotation of power for decades had only benefited political Islamic groups, led by the Muslim Brotherhood, who had their own goals and aims, totally separate from those of the Arab street during the popular revolts. The Brotherhoods illusion of creating a so called Islamic state, if not a caliphate that would spread all across countries where a Muslim majority exists, its abuse of religion and false portrayal of itself as the only true representatives of Islam, drove nearly all Arab countries that had aspired to a fresh start to chaos, civil war, sectarian strife and sharp deterioration in living conditions. This was the lesson Egyptians learned the hard way after the removal of the late president Hosni Mubarak on 11 February, 2011, and a bitter year under the rule of late Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi. On 30 June 2013, it was Egypts turn to become the inspiring model for other Arab countries, showing how the failed policies of the Muslim Brotherhood could lead to civil war. When millions of Egyptians took to the streets to demand the removal of the Brotherhood president, this quickly sent shockwaves to other Arab countries, including Tunisia. Tunis was going through hard times in early 2013 because of the same Brotherhood policy of seeking to dominate the political scene after winning elections, in defiance of the basic principles of democratic rule. Under Brotherhood rule in both Egypt and Tunisia, the two countries all but turned into safe havens for terrorist groups and figures. Assassins and convicted terrorists were glorified and dubbed martyrs. When secular, human rights defenders and members of parliament in Tunis protested the Brotherhoods extremist policies that divided the country, they were simply shot dead. Then the Islamists in Tunisia hardly managed to avoid a fate similar to that of their brethren in Egypt, after retreating and allowing new presidential and parliamentary elections to take place. Yet that change of heart was not genuine, but only a tactical truce before trying again to take over and rule alone. It would not normally seem right for Tunisian President Kais Saied to suspend an elected parliament, fire a prime minister and take over all executive powers. However, as was the case in Egypt in June 2013, the alternative would have been total chaos and further deterioration in the lives of the Tunisian people. Only days before Saied announced his decisions, thousands of Tunisians were already on the streets protesting the rising numbers of deaths due to Covid-19 amid a state of negligence by government officials. The Tunisian branch of the Brotherhood, Ennahda Party led by Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, had abused their share in the parliament to stall taking any decisions that would help improve the lives of Tunisians. The message by Ghannouchis party was that you either let us rule the country alone in our own way, or we mess things up. President Saied, who was also directly elected by a popular vote and enjoys the trust of many Tunisians who see him as an outsider to the political class and man known for his integrity, had to interfere to save his country. What is required of Tunisias neighbours and concerned observers across the world is to support the Tunisian people and help them restore stability and economic prosperity. Only two days after Saieds decisions, life went back to near normal in most Tunisian cities, implying that the majority support those moves and were fed up with the stalling role performed by Ennahda and its supporters. The message by the majority of Tunisians was Enough is enough of divisive policies using religion as a cover. And that is why world reactions to the changes in Tunisia did not rush into the classic statements of rejecting what the Brotherhood has reflexively dubbed as a coup, and reflected understanding of the complicated situation. The attitude is Wait and see, with many expecting President Saied would to keep his promise to restore an elected parliament after drafting a new constitution and restoring stability. Meanwhile, if the Brotherhood in Tunisia lost their minds and decided to resort to violence as they did in Egypt, they would be digging their own grave once and for all not just in Tunisia, but all over the Arab region. *A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Short link: Supposedly, there is nothing worse than a war, but actually there is something worse an incomplete war. An incomplete war is a war that has lost its purpose and deviated from its original mission and one that ends in massive compromises and withdrawal. Following the most devastating terrorist attack in history on 11 September 2001, which left over 3,000 people dead in New York and Washington, former US president George W Bush responded by declaring a war on terrorism. The main target was to avenge the civilian causalities by uprooting Al-Qaeda and its ally the Afghan Taliban Movement, which came to power in 1996 seven years after the withdrawal of Soviet troops from the country in 1989. The US had a casus belli for the war, and in every political sense it was a justified war to topple a regime that had turned Afghanistan into a launching pad for terrorism that had reached as far as the United States. The initial Operation Enduring Freedom campaign against Afghanistan was successful, and in record time the US forces, aided by the Afghan Northern Alliance which had been fighting the Taliban for years, had brought down the movement. But after the initial successes, the US leaders did not finish the job. They were unable to capture Saudi-born Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, until 2011, or nearly a decade after the beginning of the war. Instead, Bush switched his focus from ending the Afghanistan conflict to targeting Saddam Husseins Iraq. Instead of finishing the hard job of eliminating and neutralising the threat of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, Bush switched his countrys military might and financial resources to commit the worst political blunder in recent history, namely the invasion of Iraq in 2003. It was not long before the US forces and their allies overthrew the longstanding Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and eventually managed to capture him. But this came at the expense of finishing the job in Afghanistan. The US military could not fight both wars at the same time efficiently enough to score any decisive victory, and the financial burdens and human casualties, along with the members of the civilian population that were killed during the operations, became enormous. The terrorist group that the US forces had come to fight and defeat also did not disappear, but actually grew in size and capabilities. It managed to find a new nesting ground in Iraq, from where it spread to the rest of the Middle East. Other franchises of the group in the forms of jihadists pledging allegiance to it continued to grow in numbers. Terrorist groups from Nigeria, such as Boko Haram, all the way to the Philippines, in the case of Abu Sayaf, also joined Al-Qaeda. In recent years, the US media has labelled the Afghanistan war the forgotten war given the disregard that it has suffered from US officials. The costs of the war for the US range from $933 billion to nearly $2 trillion, counting various expenses which include reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, medical care and rehabilitation for returning US soldiers and nearly $530 billion in interest to cover the expense of borrowings. This is the third most-expensive war in history following World War II and the Iraq War and ahead of the Vietnam War, all of which ironically involved the United States. The staggering cost, more than the annual GDP of some G20 countries, would have been warranted if its announced goals had been met by success. But alas, the 20-year-old war has not attained most of its targets despite the efforts and sacrifices it has involved. The terrorist Taliban group, which the US administration has negotiated with in recent years, has increased in power and influence. It was not obliterated as planned in the early days of the war. Al-Qaeda and its current leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri are also still holding their ground in Afghanistan and the neighbouring Waziristan region of Pakistan. The group is projected to expand later this year, with the Afghan army retreating to protect the capital Kabul from what seems to be its imminent fall into the hands of Taliban. The war in Afghanistan is thus the longest war that the US has been through, and it is closest in character to the Vietnam War (1955-1975), in which the US was involved starting from former president John F Kennedys escalation of it in 1961 to its last days in 1975. This was when the US pulled its last troops out, leaving North Vietnamese troops to capture the South Vietnamese capital Saigon in the most humiliating manner. The fall of Saigon marked the end of the Vietnam War and was a blatant defeat for the United States despite the massive casualties inflicted on the Vietnamese Vietcong. The same thing will be the case if Kabul falls into the hands of the Taliban after the US withdrawal this year. As a general rule, victory or defeat in war is not counted by the amount of damage caused by one belligerent to another, but rather by attaining the planned goals in launching the war. In the case of Vietnam, despite the massive casualties that the US troops caused the North Vietnamese side, running into millions, they failed to attain their goals as they were forced under the brunt of heavy casualties and costs to withdraw. The two wars have other things in common. The Vietnam War aimed to curb communist expansion in Southeast Asia and put a halt to Soviet influence in the region. The war in Afghanistan aimed to end the Al-Qaeda terrorist group and the spread of jihadist Salafism in Central Asia, which was pouring into neighbouring countries from Afghanistan. Both wars left the job unfinished, and the enemies which they targeted became more powerful and had the upper hand in both. Over the next few months, the Taliban will seek to spread their control over Afghanistan, which means they will either clash with the new player in the country, the Islamic State (IS) group, or seek to recruit its members to their ranks. Meanwhile, Russia is alarmed at the thought of IS spreading across Afghanistan, but it is unlikely to do anything about it except use airstrikes as it has done in Syria. The Russians do not want to engage in another war in Afghanistan whatever the reason may be. Eight years of war in the country in the 1980s left the former Soviet Union militarily and economically battered, hastening the fall of the entire state in 1991. Therefore, Russia as the Soviet Unions successor state, will not be eager to repeat that bitter experience. Moreover, the US withdrawal and capitulation to the likes of the Taliban is a message that even the most powerful of nations will yield if a terrorist group holds its ground for long enough. Countries such as Russia and Iran may be thrilled that the US is withdrawing from the region, but at the same time their governments are not thrilled that it has left a ticking bomb behind it in the form of an empowered Taliban and a resurgent Al-Qaeda and IS. The cost of this incomplete war may be too vast for the world to bear if Al-Qaeda recommences its activities. Moreover, the human costs for the Afghan population may be staggering, especially if the government of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fails to prevent the country from falling into the hands of Taliban and its Al-Qaeda allies. What US politicians have left in Afghanistan as a result of their decision to withdraw from the country without defeating the Taliban and Al-Qaeda is a mess that will have ramifications for both the Afghan people and the rest of the world. The world is much less safe now that the Taliban is poised once again to take over Afghanistan. The writer is a political analyst and author of Egypts Arab Spring: The Long and Winding Road to Democracy. *A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Short link: On 26 July 1956, president Gamal Abdel- Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal. In his annual address to the nation from Manshiya Square in Alexandria, he said that the famous canal would now become Egypts exclusive property. Until that point, Egypt had had no control over it because it was run by a foreign-owned firm, and the country obtained only five per cent of its revenues. Although six decades have passed since that day, we still find people who question whether the nationalisation proclamation was worth it, given how it triggered the Tripartite Aggression by France, Britain and Israel in November that year. Ironically, rather than harm us, the invasion boosted Egypts political might and confirmed its role as a post-colonial leader. Egypt became a model for the third world countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America struggling for independence and control over their national resources. Fidel Castro once acknowledged that Nassers nationalisation of the Suez Canal had inspired the Cuban revolution, which occurred some years later. One of Castros first actions, after the revolution succeeded, was to nationalise all the US oil refineries in the country. Meanwhile, the Tripartite Aggression proved a fiasco in the lead-up to the collapse of the old British and French colonial empires. Critics of the nationalisation of the canal argue that the foreign companys concession was going to expire in 1968 anyway, after which ownership would revert to Egypt automatically, so there was no need for nationalisation and the war that followed. That argument is a misleading oversimplification showing a weak grasp of the realities which clearly indicated that the foreign powers affiliated with the company planned to retain control of the canal even after the concession expired. The very fact that Britain and France went to war in order to seize control of the canal militarily already confirms that they never intended to let it out of their grip. If they truly intended to hand over the canal after the concession expired, they wouldnt have gone to the trouble of holding secret war planning meetings in Sevres or incurred such exorbitant economic, military and political costs. Ever since 1909, the Universal Company of the Maritime Company of Suez had persistently tried to have the concession extended for another 30 years. Shortly before the nationalisation, Jacques Georges-Picot, who served as the companys French general-director until it was nationalised, said the company had sent memoranda to France, Britain, the US and Italy, warning of problems that would arise when the concession expired and urging those governments to intervene to internationalise the canal. London and Washington rejected the request for fear that it would give an opening to the USSR to participate in negotiations, since Tsarist Russia had been a party to the 1888 Convention of Constantinople regulating the use of the Suez Canal. As for the countries that were parties to the concession, they preferred extension over internationalisation. The company then put together a group of prominent British figures to launch an international campaign to keep the canal administration under foreign control. Their role was to spread alarm over the impending handover of the canal to Egypt which, they said, would lead to the withdrawal of the foreign supervisors and the consequent malfunctioning of the waterway. In 1954, the company also organised a massive media campaign in the US to build up pressure on officials in Washington to support the idea of creating an international authority based in Egypt to supervise the canal. Critics of the decision to nationalise the canal also argue that Egypt was forced to pay huge sums of money as compensation to the companys foreign shareholders. In the 1990s I had the opportunity to meet Jean-Paul Calon, the honorary president of the Association du Souvenir de Ferdinand de Lesseps et du Canal de Suez, who had represented France in the negotiations with Egypt over the amount of compensation the Egyptian government owed the shareholders after nationalisation. He told me that the French shareholders had received all the amounts due to them on time and that the amount they received was used to establish the association of which he was now the honorary president. In addition to activities intended to keep alive de Lesseps memory, the association also organises a range of cultural activities related to the canal and its history. Some years ago, Colon donated an important collection of historical documents that his association had possessed. What many critics and others do not realise is that the natural expiry of the concession and handover of the canal to Egyptian administration would also have cost Egypt quite a lot. One of the terms of the concessionary contract stipulated that, upon expiry, Egypt would have to compensate the company for all the companys machinery, equipment and materials, and that the price of these items would be determined by mutual agreement and, if that was not possible, then by experts. That would naturally have left the door open to disputes, which would have prevented the handover of the canal on time. The decision to nationalise spared Egypt all these problems and ensured the return of the canal to its legitimate owners, the descendants of those who built it and who now enjoy its revenues in full. *A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Short link: This troubled world of ours, almost unrecognisable, helped us create a myriad causes for weeping. Our lives have become so adrift in a vast, unfeeling universe we are being dehumanised, slowly but surely. Our life has become so mechanised and electronified, lamented Hungarian writer Laszlo Feneki, half a century ago. How astounding, how precise. Mechanisation is not the only way to dehumanise life. Man has created countless other means to diminish his humanity, far grimmer, far worthier of weeping. If coronavirus is indeed man-made, it has crowned his woes, ravaging lives willy-nilly, reducing him to a robot, following orders from Big Brother. How can we make it all bearable? We need some potion, an elixir to preserve our sanity. What better elixir than humour? If I had no sense of humour, I would long ago have committed suicide, said Mahatma Gandhi. How grateful must we be that we do have a sense of humour? Everybody does. It is not distressing if it has a genetic component. Researchers have linked it to certain variants of the 5GHTTLPR gene, but no matter, it is a trick that can be learned. By mastering the art of living it is inevitable that from time to time we see things through a humorous light. It is a critical life skill and it can be taught. How tragic to lack a sense of humour. It is not just the ability to laugh, we all do, but while there is a parallel between humour and laughter, they do not always have a one to one correlation. Previous theories assumed that both were almost synonymous, but psychology has been able to scientifically and empirically investigate the supposed connection. In 2009, Diana Szameitat conducted a study on the differentiation of emotions and laughter. The study discovered different laughter types varied with emotional dimension. Humour therefore, is defined by the cognitive processes which display laughter. It can encompass a multiplicity of negative as well as positive emotions. Humorists are distinct from comedians. A humorist is an intellectual who uses humour as a commentary on life be it in writing or public speaking. A comedian is a show-business entertainer whose business is to make people laugh. The connotation between humour as opposed to comic is said to be that of response vs stimulus. Additionally, humour is thought to include a combination of wit and ridiculousness. The more you know humour, the more you are demanding in fineness. To find humour in the grimmest circumstances is not only a survival tool, but a supreme act of creativity. If you have ever attended an Irish wake, you would hardly be aware they are mourning the death of a dear one. Defining humour is no easy task. The distinguished writer E B White, used this comparison, like a joke, It can be dissected like a frog, but the thing dies in the process. That did not stop psychologists from trying to find out what it is and where it comes from. They came up with three theories: the relief theory, a way of letting off steam; the superiority theory laughing at others misfortunes, (already espoused by Aristotle); the incongruity theory, when contrasting ideas mingle. Our conclusion is that it is indefinable. Similar to a joke, the best way to explain it is to destroy it. It is difficult to say what type of subject is humorous. It depends on a host of relative variables: culture, geography, intelligence, and appeal. Lost in translation, humour does not travel well and cannot be as effective among those with different expectations. Naturally there are universal forms of humour, the Chaplinesque style that is visual, poignant, funny and ridiculous. Basically human, all respond to it, but undoubtedly cultural differences can be a barrier. The neuro-science view is that it is rooted in the frontal lobe of the cerebral cortex. It engages a core network of cortical or sub-cortical structures, involved in detecting and resolving incongruity, (mismatch between expected and presented stimuli), and the amygdala key structured for reward and salience processing. Among its many benefits of easing tension, relieving anxiety, removing boredom, rejuvenating the aged, building relationships, diffusing negative emotions, scientists have discovered a relationship with a healthy immune system, of both mind and body just what the doctor ordered. Sig A, a type of antibody that protects us from infections is significantly increased with humour. There is also a spiritual view, that Humour is a gift of God an unexplainable mystery, very much like a mystical experience. Gelatology is the study of laughing and laughter and its effects on the body from a psychological perspective; fancy that. It would be remiss if discussing humour, not to mention the British sense of humour, famous worldwide. It carries a strong element of satire aimed at absurdity of everyday life. Deadpan delivery, with innuendo, sarcasm, intelligence, wit and parodies on everyday life, it travels effortlessly and has gained international popularity. From Chaucer to Jonathan Swift, from Shakespeare to Jane Austen, humour flows like a fountain from the British tongue. Just looking at actor Rowan Atkinson, aka Mr Bean, evokes laughter. Their comedy series Fawlty Towers, Monty Python and many more can illicit laughter no matter how often theyre viewed. Their intellectual nature survives. German Comedy is for Germany; American comedy is seen on Saturday Night, and Egyptian Comedy flies faster than a rocket. It must be a Gift of God. Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humour to console him for what he is. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) *A version of this article appears in print in the 29 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: KYODO NEWS - Jul 30, 2021 - 22:20 | All, Japan, World The Japanese and U.S. defense chiefs agreed over the phone on Friday to further strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the bilateral alliance in light of the increasingly severe security environment. Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi told reporters after the talks that he and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also exchanged views over the current situation in the East and South China seas, where China is expanding its military presence. The talks, held at the request of the United States, came as Austin wrapped up his trip to Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines from Monday. Austin's trip to the Southeast Asian countries "clearly shows that the United States will deeply commit to this region's security and is very significant," Kishi said. The defense chiefs also confirmed the importance of cooperating with the international community to maintain and strengthen the free and open Indo-Pacific and vowed to work with partners in and out of the region, according to Kishi. China, which has overlapping territorial claims with its neighbors in the South China Sea, has raised concerns by building military outposts in the disputed waters. In the East China Sea, China has frequently sent its coast guard vessels near the Senkaku Islands, a group of uninhabited Japanese-administered islets claimed by Beijing, despite protests from Tokyo. KYODO NEWS - Jul 30, 2021 - 13:35 | All, World, Japan Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi expressed his opposition Friday to the nullification of the November general election results by Myanmar's military government reported by a state media. "The development is not preferable because it goes against the realization of a swift return to the democratic process that Japan has been demanding," Motegi said at a regular press conference in Tokyo. Motegi maintained the latest general election, which resulted in a resounding win for the formerly ruling National League for Democracy, was conducted in a fair manner under the eyes of domestic and foreign election monitoring teams. The military ousted the NLD from power in a February coup. "I think it is important to promote dialogues between people of different political stances" in the Southeastern Asian country, he said. The nullification of the poll results by a military-appointed election commission, reported earlier this week, came as the military alleged there was widespread fraud by the NLD during the election process and called for an investigation. It could be the prelude to a dissolution order for the NLD, whose civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi was also ousted in the February coup. Japan has condemned the Myanmar military's violent crackdown on peaceful protesters and called for a halt to violence, the release of Suu Kyi and other detainees and a return to the democratic process. Tokyo has put on hold new official development assistance for the Southeast Asian country in response to the coup, though it has not joined the United States and other democracies in imposing sanctions on individuals and groups involved. Related coverage: Japan to hold meeting with Mekong states including Myanmar on Aug. 6 Myanmar military-appointed commission officially nullifies Nov. poll Asylum-seeking Myanmar soccer player to join Japanese club as trainee KYODO NEWS - Jul 31, 2021 - 13:25 | All, Japan Police are considering charging the head of a nursery school in southwestern Japan for professional negligence resulting in death, as she is suspected of having left a 5-year-old boy behind on a school bus she had driven, causing him to die after several hours in the heat, investigative sources said Friday. The boy, Toma Kurakake, was found unconscious in a locked school bus on Thursday evening and later pronounced dead at a hospital. Autopsy results show he died of heatstroke, the police said. The head of the nursery school in Nakama, Fukuoka Prefecture, usually drives the school bus herself to pick children up every morning, without any other staff members on board. After the bus arrived at the facility at around 8:30 a.m., the boy is likely to have been left behind. He was not discovered until about nine hours later, when school staff found him on the bus at around 5:15 p.m. A female staff member, who was with the school head to check whether everyone had alighted, has told police that whether the boy was still in the vehicle was "not thoroughly confirmed," according to the sources. The nursery school head in her 40s was quoted by the police as saying, "I was aware of (the boy's) boarding, but thought he got off the bus," while admitting she did not confirm it at the time. The sources said Kurakake sat in a rear seat of the bus when he boarded, but was found in a seat at the front with his bag nearby. A teacher in charge of the boy told city officials that she was aware of his absence, but did not contact his mother. The accident came to light as the boy's mother called the nursery school to report him missing, prompting school staff to locate the boy in the bus. According to the municipal government, the nursery school head and a female staff member were in charge of confirming attendance when children arrived at the facility. They told city officials that they were checking the day's attendance while taking care of a crying child, suggesting the school head and others may have been sloppy in the checking process. According to a local meteorological observatory, the temperature on the day of the incident surpassed 33 C in nearby Kitakyushu City before noon. Related coverage: 5-yr-old boy dies after being left unattended in school bus for hours KYODO NEWS - Jul 31, 2021 - 01:04 | All, World U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Singapore and Vietnam in August to strengthen relationships and expand economic cooperation with the two "critical" partners in the Indo-Pacific region, the White House said Friday. The White House said the upcoming visit is aimed at "deepening our engagement in Southeast Asia," a region that has been directly affected by China's growing clout. Harris will be the first sitting U.S. vice president ever to visit Vietnam. During the trip, the vice president will meet with the leaders of both governments on issues including regional security, the global response to the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and efforts to promote a rules-based international order, the White House said. The administration of President Joe Biden is working to enlist U.S. allies and partners to counter China's economic and military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific. The upcoming trip can be seen as part of efforts to increase U.S. presence in Southeast Asia. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is just ending a trip that took him to Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines, which made him the first member of Biden's Cabinet to visit Southeast Asia. New Delhi: In a shocking incident, a woman was tied to a tree and brutally beaten with sticks by her sister and other relatives over a property dispute in Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu district, police said on Monday. A video which went viral on social media shows a helpless woman being assaulted by a few people with her hands tied to a tree as she cries for help and mercy. As per the police, a land dispute was going on for a long time between Dayaram and his elder brother Maniram. While the younger brother Dayaram left the village for some urgent work, Maniram pounced on the opportunity to torture the victim. The victim was also dragged and abused at a farm in Nawalgarh area by the seven people, including four minors, they said. Her innocent son cried and asked them to leave his mother as he saw his mother get beaten up black and blue with sticks and rods, but the merciless family did not have compassion for the woman of their own family. Police said a case has been registered against the seven people, including victim's sister who is also her sister-in-law. The victim and her sister are married to two brothers. The accused have fled since the incident, Nawalgarh police station SHO Surendra Singh said, adding the woman was beaten over a dispute over the ownership of the farm. The woman who was later beaten up had objected to farming by her sister's husband which apparently angered his family. Police are working to arrest the assaulters as soon as possible, and appropriate action would be taken against the person who shot the video and circulated it online, Surendra Singh said. No arrests have been made so far in the case as the search for Maniram and others continue. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said the government is creating strong connections with southeastern countries, which will help develop the Northeastern region of the country. Our Govt wants to ensure delivery of socio-economic prosperity in the Northeastern region, we are creating strong connections with south-east countries that will help in the upliftment of this region, ANI quoted Singh as saying. The union home minister was speaking at the 67th Plenary of the North Eastern Council (NEC) in Shillong, Meghalaya. This was the first time a union home minister presided over the plenary meet of the council. Union minister for development of Northeastern region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh, the along with chief ministers and governors of the Northeastern states, also attended the plenary to discuss development projects with the home minister. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday accused the Congress party of betraying the farmers and using them only as a vote bank to further the interests of one particular family. Addressing a rally in Punjabs Malwa belt, Modi said despite toiling hard, farmers lived a life of despair for decades because of the policies of the previous Congress-led governments. Modi said the NDA government had taken several steps for the benefit of farmers, which was making the Congress and its allies lose sleep. The prime minister said the NDA government was trying to restore respect to farmers and soldiers, and committed to doubling farmers income by 2022. The rally showcased the recent Cabinet decision to hike the minimum support price of kharif crops, fulfilling the poll promise of ensuring farmers 50 per cent profit of farm input costs. In a veiled attack on the Gandhi family, Modi said the only the concern he had was for one particular family. I know why for years you could fetch only 10 per cent profit on the cost of inputs incurred by you, he said. Farmers are the soul of our nation, they are our annadata. But the Congress always betrayed them and told lies to them. The Congress used them as a vote bank, he said. He said that the NDA government at the Centre was working towards changing this scenario. We had promised to double the income of farmers by 2022 and efforts are being made in this direction for the past four years, he said. The Kisan Kalyan Rally (farmers welfare rally) was attended by several leaders from the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP, including Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal. Farmers from different parts of Punjab and neighbouring Haryana and Rajasthan gathered at the rally in Congress-ruled Punjab. Modi spoke a few lines in Punjabi to strike a chord with the farmers at the rally. Be it defending the borders and or ensuring food security, Punjab has always inspired the country, he said. However, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh dismissed the rally as just fluff which had disappointed farmers who attended it. The prime minister also said the decision on the MSP had tackled a big concern of the farmers. Now a farmer is assured that after the hard work he puts in, he will reap its fruit, he said. It is not acceptable to the Congress that the farmers can sleep peacefully and progress, and this has disturbed their sleep. The Congress is unable to comprehend that it could not take this decision for 70 long years. It is not something that was not discussed before or such a demand was not raised earlier or that farmers did not hold agitations. The Congress is not able to accept this fact that our government has taken such a decision on which they were sitting over for years together," he said. At the meeting dubbed a thanksgiving rally, he told farmers that he bowed to them for the manner in which they had been filling the granaries with record production in the past four years. Be it wheat, paddy, cotton, sugar or pulses, all previous records are being broken. Even now, new records would be set, this is being predicted, he said. Modi said the Congress had made several announcements in the past for the farmers, but held only one dream - to benefit one particular family. The entire nation knows this truth very well. The prime minister said the NDA government had also fulfilled the promise of One Rank One Pension (OROP). Those who did not have time to implement OROP for the last 40 years, those who did not have time to give due rights to farmers for the last 70 years are today misleading the farmers, he said, adding that Malout connected Punjab with Rajasthan and Haryana. I am happy that farmers in large numbers from Rajasthan and Haryana have reached here. In a way, Malout is witnessing a kumbh of farmers today, Modi added. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Pneumonia is an infection in the lungs. It is an acute respiratory infection where the air sacks in the lung are filled with fluid instead of air, which makes breathing difficult. Caused by infection with bacteria and viruses, pneumonia can affect any age group. But the most vulnerable are children under the age of five. Around 2,500 children die due to pneumonia every day across the world. Pneumonia claimed the lives of more than nine lakh under-5 children across the world in 2015. Of these deaths, about 1.8 lakh occurred in India. An Indian government programme to vaccinate 27 million new-born babies against pneumococcus will be worth the expense preventing 34,800 under-five deaths, suggests a new study. Researchers at the University of Strathclyde in the UK and the Center for Disease Dynamics Economics and Policy in the US and India, who conducted a joint research to determine the cost outcome and cost-effectiveness of the vaccination programme found that it could prevent 34,800 under-five deaths, cost USD 240 million (Rs 1,600 crore) and save families USD 48.7 million in treatment costs annually. Pneumonia is a major cause of death in India and as many other countries have done the government decided to introduce PCV in its vaccination programme, says Dr Itamar Megiddo, Assistant Professor and Chancellors Fellow at Strathclyde Business School. Merits of the vaccination programme Besides averting a significant number of deaths, the vaccination coverage levels was approximately 77 per cent, which is similar to those achieved by the diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus (DPT) immunisation programme. Increasing the coverage level to 90 per cent was found to be the most cost-effective outcome in over 95 per cent of simulated outcomes. Limitations of the vaccination programme The pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) is expensive than other vaccines included in Indias Universal Immunisation Programme. It lacks information on the distribution of the disease-causing strains in India. It lacks contextualised information on the efficacy of the vaccine in India. In addition, its effectiveness in low and middle-income countries remains uncertain. The study published was in the journal BMJ Global Health. (With inputs from agencies) New Delhi: Controversial Muslim preacher Zakir Naik, wanted in India for alleged terror activities and money laundering, has thanked Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad for not deporting him and promised not to break any laws of the country. India had made a formal extradition request for Naik, who left the country in 2016, to be returned to the country after accusing him of inciting youngsters to commit terror activities through his hate speeches. Naik, 52, in a statement published in Malaysian newspapers, thanked Prime Minister Mahathir for examining his case from an unbiased perspective. Mahathir, who had met the radical Indian cleric last week, has made it clear that his government will not easily give in to Indias demand to deport Naik. We do not easily follow the demands of others. We must look at all factors before we respond, Mahathir was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times. Otherwise, someone will become a victim, the prime minister said in his first public comment yesterday on Naik since meeting with the hardline preacher. Mahathir has also said that Malaysia will not deport Naik back to India, as long as he does not create problems in the country. The previous Malaysian government had granted Naik permanent resident status. Also Read | Zakir Naik will not be extradited to India, says Malaysian PM Naik, in his statement said Mahathirs decision reaffirmed his faith in Malaysias justice and communal harmony. I am humbled to be a part of this diversity, and I also acknowledge the sensitivities it entails. I would never wish to disrupt or jeopardise this balance in any way or to break the rule of law of this country because it is my primary concern to foster the social harmony currently enjoyed by its citizens, he said in the statement carried by the Malaysian media. He said that while he hoped for justice and peace to return to India, he remained indebted to Malaysia - not just as one seeking fair treatment, but as an individual with a love of humanity. He also claimed that over the last few years, thousands of news articles, YouTube videos and social media posts have attributed appalling statements to him that he did not make. Naik is being probed under terror and money laundering charges by Indias National Investigation Agency (NIA). The NIA had first registered a case against Naik under anti-terror laws in 2016 for allegedly promoting enmity between different religious groups. Naik is also under investigation for issuing hate speeches that inspired a deadly terror attack on a popular cafe in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh in 2016. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Taking stringent steps against tobacco consumption, police in Assam have started fining people for smoking in public places, selling tobacco products to minors and advertising nicotine-based items, in violation of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003. The drive against tobacco consumption by the Assam Police started on June 10. As a part of the drive, shop owners were fined for selling cigarette packets with inadequate display of warnings and setting up stalls for selling tobacco products within 100 yards of schools. Enforcing the Act would go a long way in reducing the prevalence of tobacco use among people, Dr Ramandeep Kaur, DCP East Guwahati, said. We hope this campaign will increase public awareness and help in making our public places and educational institutes tobacco-free, the DCP said. The police action was taken under the direction of the Guwahati Commissioner of Police Hiren Chandra Nath, Kaur said. It was being done with the objective of keeping the youth away from tobacco addiction and preventing non-smokers from the bad effects of inhaling passive smoke, Kaur said. The police officials who are involved in the enforcement of COTPA participated in a training conducted by Sambandh Health Foundation (SHF) during which they had taken a pledge to support the cause of tobacco control in the state. Dr Ashok Das, a cancer surgeon at B Barooah Cancer Institute (BBCI) in Guwahati and patron of Voice of Tobacco Victims said, The enforcement of COPTA by the police in Guwahati is commendable. New Delhi: The Delhi-Ahmedabad Vistara flight was on Monday delayed by around four hours following a bomb threat which turned out to be a hoax, a senior aviation official said. An unidentified person had called Vistaras call centre in Gurgaon in the morning today and claimed that the explosives have been planted on the Ahmedabad flight, Manoj Gangal, Director of the Ahmedabads Sardar Vallabhbhai PatelInternational (SVPI) Airport, said. The Ahmedabad-Delhi flight, which was scheduled to depart at 10:55am, took off at 3:27 pm today. The call centre had informed the local Vistara office in Ahmedabad about the threat call, Gangal said. On receiving the information, a Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) was convened immediately at the SVPI Airport. The committee viewed the call as non specific but advised for a complete security drill, said Gangal in a statement. As directed by the BTAC, the authorities checked the UK 976 Ahmedabad-Delhi flight thoroughly at the airport before giving it the green signal to fly as nothing suspicious was found, said Gangal. After thorough checks, flight number UK 976 was cleared for operation at 2:15 pm today, said Gangal. In a series of tweets following the incident, Vistara had informed passengers that due to mandatory security checks its Ahmedabad-Delhi flight had been delayed. With inputs from agencies For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. ADDIS ABABA: An infiltration attempt by the al-Shabab terror group to Ethiopia from neighbouring Somalia has been foiled, authorities said. In a statement issued on Thursday, Ethiopia's Somali region communication office said two suspected al-Shabab operatives were intercepted earlier this week, according to an international media report. "Two suspected al-Shabab operatives who tried to enter from neighbouring Somalia to Ethiopia were intercepted in the Mustahil locality of Ethiopia Somali regional state. One suspect was killed in a shootout, while the other suspect was injured and subsequently apprehended said the statement. The weakness of the central government of Somalia has led to the proliferation of sea piracy, illegal fishing by foreign boats and attacks by terror groups, most notably al-Shabab. Somalia has struggled with the lack of an effective Central government since 1991 when former President Mohammed Siad Barre was ousted from power by armed rebellion, leading to the Somalian Civil War. In January, Ethiopia announced the arrest of dozens of suspected extremists linked to al-Shabab. Joe Biden steps up endeavors to fight Covid surge fuelled by Delta variant US announces Strategy for Addressing the Root Causes of Migration in Central America Iranian nuclear pact: Fully prepared to continue negotiation with Iran, says Blinken Swabhiman Ball (Mr.Swabhi) is a very popular Indian TikTok star, and Influencer. Mr.Swabhi has gained a big fan base through his TikTok videos in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh and many more country's. Mr.Swabhi usually posts short funny and comedy video clips and makes musical lip-syncs videos Swabhiman Ball. Lets check out more about, personal life interesting facts career, and other Mr.Swabhi was born on 25 March 1997 and his age is 24 years old (as in 2021). He completed his graduation from A.S College. Mr.Swabhi is an actor, model, Influencer, fashion blogger, and Tik-Tok star. He is mainly known for his amazing TikTok videos. Mr.Swabhi is yet unmarried. He also has not posted any picture of her girlfriend in the social media. Therefore, we can believe that the star is still single. Mr.swabhi mentioned that his relationship status is single.He has always focused on his career and how to grow as an artist. He also said that he does not have time for relationships because of his busy schedule. Mr Swabhi has also collaborated with Aashika Bhatia,Awez Darbar,Nagma Mirajkar one time in Kolkata meetup in year 2017 and fans love their cute chemistry.Mr.Swabhi started his career in the year 2016 , He joined Instagram the 2017 year. The actor used to make TikTok videos and slowly he got famous through TikTok. He has his official hastag on Tiktok #TeamSwabhi which got many post under it and got 2 Billion Watch (View) .He also collaborated with other TikTok stars later on. He also mentioned that he is inspired by Awez Darbar. Net worth As per online portals and reports, his net worth is pegged between 2-3 lakhs he often charges a huge amount for his shows/events. Other work He also create video in Indian App Name Josh where he has over 1.7 Million Followers and he is verified Josh star. Social account : Instagram : @mr.swabhi Facebook : @kumar.swabhiman.9 Josh : @Mr.Swabhi Also Read: Bajaj Auto Soon to launch its Pulsar 250F: Here's Specs 9th day of Parliament session wasted! Opposition uproar lead Lok Sabha adjourned till Monday BJP MPs write to Speaker demanding removal of Shashi Tharoor from IT parliamentary committee chief's post Colombo: A study conducted in our neighboring Sri Lanka on the covishield vaccine has yielded shocking results. In fact, the study has shown that single doses of covishield begin to reduce after 16 weeks in people above 60 years of age. On the other hand, the impact of a single dose of this vaccine on youth is effective up to 93 percent. The study has been conducted at Colombo University. Tell us that the vaccine is administered in India under the name Covishield is a vaccine manufactured by Oxford and AstraZeneca and is produced by the Serum Institute of India. Neelika Malavige, professor of immunology and molecular sciences at Jayawardenepura University in Colombo, tweeted about the results of the study, in which she said that 16 weeks after a 60-year-old person has a single dose, the effectiveness of the vaccine begins to decline. However, the effect of the vaccine has been very good in the elderly. Even after 16 weeks, 93 percent of the antibodies have been observed in elderly persons. Prof. Neelika Malavige has said that our study has appeared in nature comms. He said that after taking a single dose of covishield, 93.4 percent of the individuals showed antibody levels of up to 97.1 percent. Also Read: Nora Fatehi treats fans with new photoshoot, crosses 30 million followers on Instagram Shefali Jariwala slaying on the seashore in a bodycon dress, see pictures Indian cricket team suffers, two players test positive for CORONA after Krunal Pandya Workforce Biden tells civilian feds to get vaccinated or take regular COVID tests President Biden announced a push to encourage more COVID vaccinations in the U.S. that includes new measures directed at the civilian federal workforce. The White House announced vaccination and testing requirements for over 2 million federal employees on Thursday. Federal employees can either confirm their vaccination status or follow strict protocols like masking and regular testing. "I'm asking the Defense Department to look into how and when they will add COVID-19 to the list of vaccinations armed forces must get our men and women in uniform," Biden said in a speech from the White House. He added that he's directing the administration to "to take steps to apply similar standards to all federal contractors." The move comes as agencies are planning their "reentry" into physical workplaces. COVID-19 cases and deaths have been on the rise nationwide, and public health officials have flagged increased concerns about the Delta variant of the virus and vaccination rates. Guidance released by the White House-led Safer Federal Workforce Taskforce on Thursday spelled out the new rules, which overturn a set of instructions that urged federal managers not to directly ask employees and contractors to share their vaccination status. "Employees and onsite contractors must sign an attestation confirming their vaccination status, or they will be treated as not fully vaccinated for the purposes of safety protocols," the guidance states. Anyone who doesn't provide a response will be treated as unvaccinated. In areas of high or substantial transmission, all feds, contractors and visitors must mask in buildings. In areas of low or moderate transmission in most settings, fully vaccinated people won't need to mask or distance. Agencies also have to set up a system to test feds and onsite contractors who aren't vaccinated either weekly or twice-weekly. Unvaccinated feds and contractors will need to mask, physically distance and comply with the testing requirements. They'll also be subject to existing limits on official travel. Fully vaccinated federal employees and contractors won't need to distance or be tested and aren't subject to any government-wide limits on official government travel. The guidance also addresses reasonable accommodations. For feds who don't vaccinate because of religious reasons or due to a disability will follow the same safety protocols as unvaccinated individuals. They'll be subject to the reasonable accommodations process "in the rare case where they cannot." Other items included in the new guidance include instructions that in-person meetings with greater than 50 participants will require the agency head's approval. There are also guidelines on quarantining and exposure. Notably, the guidance says that fully vaccinated people who have had close contact with someone with a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 case should get tested 3-5 days later regardless of whether they have symptoms. It also says they should mask indoors in public for two weeks or until they get a negative test result, or quarantine for 10 days if it's positive. Agencies will be able to cap occupancy levels in specific workplaces to allow physical distancing. The guidance also addresses cleaning protocols. It also includes a reminder to agencies to satisfy bargaining agreements for their workplace safety plans and notes that agencies are "strongly encouraged to communicate regularly with employee representatives." Unions, others respond The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal employee union, responded cautiously to the widely expected announcement. "We expect that the particulars of any changes to working conditions, including those related to COVID-19 vaccines and associated protocols, be properly negotiated with our bargaining units prior to implementation," AFGE National President Everett Kelley said in a statement. "Based on todays announcement, it is our understanding that under President Biden's proposal the vast majority of federal employees would not have to be vaccinated as a condition of employment, but that those who choose not to receive the vaccine may face certain restrictions. While we await specific proposals and anticipate the negotiation process, we encourage all of our members who are able to take advantage of the opportunity to get vaccinated and help our nation put an end to this deadly pandemic." Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), whose district is home to thousands of federal employees, cheered the move. "Requiring vaccinations for the full federal workforce is the right thing to do for the health of the workforce and the nation they serve. Including all civilian federal employees and contractors in this mandate is huge, it will mean this covers a very large number of workers," Beyer said. "This policy rightly prioritizes federal workers' health, and demonstrates again the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to winning the fight against this pandemic, eradicating the virus, and keeping Americans safe." Comment Globally connected data can safeguard the defense industrial and technology base Over the past two decades, U.S. businesses have become global enterprises, creating interconnectivity and reliance on foreign partners, suppliers and governments. While the nation has benefitted from the virtues of globalization, it now faces with a number of complex challenges: As a result of the pandemic, the U.S. is suffering from a shortage of items such as semiconductors, which is slowing the production of cars and electronic devices. The nation's innovation edge is slipping away. The number and sophistication of cyberthreats and attacks is growing. On June 7, President Joe Biden announced the formation of the Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force to address supply chain vulnerabilities. As the administration formalizes its strategies for six industrial bases that underpin America's economic and national security, it is essential that the task force, in partnership with the administration, considers how data can play a critical role in planning and ultimately protecting the nation's valuable talent, resources and supply. Creating transparency in an opaque environment Those responsible for protecting the global defense industrial and technology base (DITB) must uncover, isolate, monitor and remediate the chronically opaque problem of risk, specifically foreign influence. For example, in a recent study conducted by Dun & Bradstreet, analytics experts found that approximately 26% of U.S.-based lithium-ion battery suppliers had foreign-owned suppliers in their supply chain. This includes suppliers to U.S. government contractors. A similar picture emerges with semiconductors, the majority of which are produced in Asia. Below are four ways the government can use data to create greater transparency and manage risk across the DITB: 1. Use trusted sources of data. Ensure data is globally comprehensive, updated regularly and adheres to privacy regulations. For example, agencies should leverage a combination of trusted first- and third-party data to validate suppliers are financially healthy, and tap into the data to discover further linkages and hierarchies. In addition, they should require that supply chain analysis not rely on self-certification by vendors and contractors. Having access to global, robust and real-time business data, analytics and signals during the source selection and due diligence process will allow the government to gain further transparency into partners' and suppliers' activity to ensure that they are doing business with worthy and upstanding parties. 2. Identify points of origination and business lineages. The opacity of business relationships in supply chain networks can disguise risk, which can threaten Department of Defense programs that operate on a global scale. These global business relationships, ownership information and foreign activities are complex, and the constant evolution of the commercial business environment makes supply networks extremely fluid. Therefore, when evaluating suppliers across the DITB, it is essential that the government leverage trusted data sources to consider: Is a small business truly a small business or connected to a larger corporate family? Is there direct, legal foreign ownership? Are numerous firms within the DOD supply chain linked to the same global ultimate parent? If so, are they all active or inactive businesses? 3. Create a resilient supply chain. Recent product shortages illuminate the need for the U.S. to create a more agile supply chain that can quickly anticipate, adjust and respond to unexpected events. While short-term shortages are hard to overcome, it is essential that government leaders consider longer-term strategies to diversify their suppliers across regions, focusing on building talent and operations first in the U.S. and then extending the reach of suppliers to a diverse number of geographic locations to create increased agility to weather any unexpected event. 4. Create a robust risk mitigation monitoring system. In an ever-changing threat environment, DOD must stay steps ahead to detect, protect, pivot and continue operations with as minimal impact as possible. To do so, defense agencies must use the latest artificial intelligence and automation technologies to create an integrated solution that uses near real-time data and analytics to look beyond the surface to monitor the business activity of tier 1 and all sub-tier networks to identify risks of any type -- from cyberthreats and network vulnerability, to business closures and inactivity that could impact supply chain productivity. Agencies can then take immediate action to remedy a situation if needed. It is time to take immediate action, as transformative investments in data and risk management technology today will create a more resilient and agile supply chain tomorrow ultimately strengthening domestic competitiveness and ensuring the longevity and vibrancy of America's economy. Acquisition Senate-passed bill looks to modernize federal contracting, expand small business opportunities The Senate passed bipartisan legislation on Thursday designed to modernize the federal acquisition process while expanding governmentwide contracting opportunities for small businesses by encouraging the implementation of innovative new systems and procedures. The legislation passed under a unanimous consent agreement. The bipartisan group of senators who sponsored the Promoting Rigorous and Innovative Cost Efficiencies for Federal Procurement and Acquisitions (PRICE) Act, celebrated the bill as "commonsense legislation" that "will give small business owners a fair shot to win federal contracts and grow their businesses" in statements on Friday after the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted unanimously to approve the bill. The PRICE Act seeks to address long-standing challenges that small businesses -- particularly those owned by women, minorities and veterans -- face while attempting to secure contract opportunities with the federal government, in part by mandating the Office of Management and Budget to share innovative best practices with federal acquisition administrators. The bill also looks to spur acquisition process modernization across federal agencies by requiring new reports on how to improve mission outcomes and increase small business participation in government contracting. "These businesses, which are the backbone of our economy, should never be left behind in this process," Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) said in a statement. "I will work with my colleagues in the House to pass it into law as soon as possible." Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a member of the Senate Small Business Committee and a co-sponsor of the legislation, said the bill will help business owners "have the opportunity to compete and succeed." The bill's sponsors say the legislation could lead to eventual cost savings for taxpayers, as government entities become more efficient in providing contracting opportunities for small businesses nationwide. The Senate's passage of the PRICE Act follows a White House plan to steer $100 billion toward small disadvantaged businesses in part through new federal contracting opportunities. Experts previously told FCW the government will likely encounter major challenges while expanding contracting opportunities for SDBs and other small businesses as large firms and major corporations attempt to take advantage of new set-asides. Results of the 3500 MHz auction increased spectrum holdings of small and regional providers by over 50% across the country OTTAWA, ON, July 29, 2021 /CNW/ - Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada Canadians rely on wireless services for work, school, finances and health care, making access to highquality and affordable services essential. That is why the Government of Canada is making spectrum available to encourage competition, improve rural connectivity and ensure the effective deployment of 5G technologies. Today, the Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced that Canadians will benefit from higher-quality telecom services at competitive prices as a result of the 3500 MHz spectrum auction that concluded on July 23, 2021. In total, 1,495 out of 1,504 available licences were awarded to 15 Canadian companies, including 757 licences to small and regional providers across the country. In all 172 service areas, there is now at least one small or regional provider holding spectrum for the purpose of deploying new services to Canadians. Together, these small and regional providers have increased their total mobile spectrum holdings by over 50%, strengthening their ability to offer competitive services. In addition to encouraging competition, the results of this auction will improve Canada's high-quality networks in every part of the country. Quote "The 3500 MHz auction is a key step in our government's plan to promote competition in the telecom sector, improve rural connectivity, and ensure Canadians benefit from 5G technologies and services. As intended, small and regional providers have gained access to significantly more spectrum, meaning that Canadians can expect better wireless services at more competitive prices, which has never been more important for working, online learning and staying connected with loved ones." The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Story continues Quick facts The auction started on June 15, 2021, with 23 Canadian companies participating and 15 companies winning spectrum, including national incumbents, regional providers, small local operators and other specialized telecommunications companies. The rules for the auction, set out in the Policy and Licensing Framework for Spectrum in the 3500 MHz Band , included a set-aside of up to 50 MHz for small and regional providers to enhance competition in the Canadian wireless marketa method that has been proven to help lower prices. Licences were made available based on 172 localized service areas covering the entire country, allowing bidders to target geographic markets, including rural areas. The 3500 MHz spectrum band has been globally recognized as key for 5G networks as it provides both coverage and capacity for a wide array of new applications. Winning bids totalled $8.91 billion, which will be paid into the Consolidated Revenue Fund administered by the Receiver General of Canada. Associated links Stay connected Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on Twitter: @ISED_CA SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada Cision View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2021/29/c9024.html JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African state logistics firm Transnet on Friday said it would lift the force majeure it declared at its container terminals from Monday, after a cyber attack hampered operations. The force majeure -- a contractual clause invoked when factors outside a company's control render it unable to meet its commitments to customers -- took effect from July 22 at terminals in the ports of Cape Town, Durban, Ngqura and Port Elizabeth. "Transnet believes it is now in a position to service its customers and meet all contractual obligations reliably," the company said in a statement. (Reporting by Tanisha Heiberg; Editing by Alexander Winning) LONDON, July 30, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B+ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "bbb-" (Good) of Dunav-Re a.d.o. (Dunav-Re) (Serbia), a subsidiary of Dunav osiguranje a.d.o. (Dunav Insurance) (Serbia). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. The ratings reflect Dunav-Res balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. Dunav-Res risk-adjusted capitalisation remains at the strongest level on a standard basis, as measured by Bests Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), in spite of strong business growth over the past two years. AM Best expects further growth in future years to be supported by internal capital generation and financial support from its parent company. Risk-adjusted capitalisation on a catastrophe-stressed basis is significantly lower, in part due to the companys dependence on retrocession to manage catastrophe risk. However, the credit risk associated with this dependence is partially mitigated by the excellent credit quality of the companys retrocession panel. Offsetting factors in the balance sheet strength assessment include the companys concentration toward Serbias financial system and the small size of its capital base. Dunav-Re has a track record of good underwriting performance, with a five-year (2016-2020) weighted average combined ratio of 77.9%. However, the companys business outside Serbia has grown rapidly, with net written premium more than doubling during 2019 and 2020. Although initial indications suggest that this new business is performing well, its long-term performance will not be clear for some time. Dunav-Res results remain susceptible to potential volatility due to its exposure to catastrophe events. Dunav-Re is a multiline reinsurer operating in Serbia. It has a dominant position in its core market, where it generates the majority of its business, with Dunav Insurance being its largest cedant. The company is active outside of its domestic market, where it wrote approximately half (USD 10.8 million) of its net written premiums during 2020. Story continues This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Bests website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Bests Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Bests Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Bests Credit Ratings, Bests Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Bests Ratings & Assessments. AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com. Copyright 2021 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005450/en/ Contacts Stanislav Stoev, ACCA Financial Analyst +44 20 7397 0306 stanislav.stoev@ambest.com Christopher Sharkey Manager, Public Relations +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159 christopher.sharkey@ambest.com Tim Prince Director, Analytics +44 20 7397 0320 timothy.prince@ambest.com Jim Peavy Director, Communications +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5644 james.peavy@ambest.com SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2021 / The law firm of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP announces that class action litigation has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired the securities of Athira Pharma, Inc.("Athira" or the "Company") (NASDAQ:ATHA) between September 18, 2020 and June 17, 2021 (the "Class Period"), including Athira common stock purchased pursuant or traceable to the registration statement and prospectus issued in connection with the Company's initial public offering ("IPO") in September 2020. https://www.accesswire.com/users/newswire/images/657086/lchblogo122.png If you purchased or otherwise acquired Athira securities during the Class Period and/or in the IPO, you may move the Court for appointment as lead plaintiff by no later than August 24, 2021. A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Your share of any recovery in the actions will not be affected by your decision of whether to seek appointment as lead plaintiff. You may retain Lieff Cabraser, or other attorneys, as your counsel in the action. Athira investors who wish to learn more about the litigation and how to seek appointment as lead plaintiff should click here or contact Sharon M. Lee of Lieff Cabraser toll-free at 1-800-541-7358. Background on the Athira Securities Class Litigation Athira, headquartered in Bothell, Washington, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of molecular technology in the treatment of neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's disease. In September 2020, Athira completed its IPO by issuing and selling approximately 13 million shares of common stock at $17.00 per share, for net proceeds of approximately $186 million. The actions allege that, throughout the Class Period, defendants made materially false and misleading statements and/or omitted to state material adverse facts regarding the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, the actions allege that defendants failed to disclose to investors that the doctoral research conducted by Athira's Chief Executive Officer and President, defendant Leen Kawas contained improperly altered images and constituted potential research misconduct. Kawas's research reportedly was foundational to Athira's efforts to develop treatments for Alzheimer's disease and cited in a patent licensed by Athira. Story continues On June 17, 2021, after markets closed, Athira announced that Kawas was placed on temporary leave pending an investigation by a special committee into "actions stemming from doctoral research Dr. Kawas conducted while at Washington State University." The same day, the scientific publication STAT reported that the investigation involves allegedly altered images appearing in four papers for which Kawas was the lead author. According to STAT, Kawas's research papers "are foundational to Athira's efforts to treat Alzheimer's" and her "doctoral work laid the biological groundwork that Athira continues to use in their approach to treating Alzheimer's." According to an investment analyst, the investigation could have "clear negative implications for how we/investors view the asset, and/or management credibility." On this news, the price of Athira common stock fell $7.09 per share, or 38.9%, from a closing price of $18.24 on June 17, 2021, to close at $11.15 per share on June 18, 2021, on heavy trading volume. About Lieff Cabraser Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, with offices in San Francisco, New York, Nashville, and Munich is an internationally recognized law firm committed to advancing the rights of investors and promoting corporate responsibility worldwide. The National Law Journal has recognized Lieff Cabraser as one of the nation's top plaintiffs' law firms for fourteen years. In compiling the list, the National Law Journal examines recent verdicts and settlements and looked for firms "representing the best qualities of the plaintiffs' bar and that demonstrated unusual dedication and creativity." Law360 has selected Lieff Cabraser as one of the Top 50 law firms nationwide for litigation, highlighting our firm's "laser focus" and noting that our firm routinely finds itself "facing off against some of the largest and strongest defense law firms in the world." Benchmark Litigation has named Lieff Cabraser one of the "Top 10 Plaintiffs' Firms in America." For more information about Lieff Cabraser and the firm's representation of investors, please visit https://www.lieffcabraser.com/. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. Source/Contact for Media Inquiries Only Sharon M. Lee Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP Telephone: 1-800-541-7358 SOURCE: Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/657086/ATHIRA-SHAREHOLDERS-August-24-2021-Filing-Deadline-in-Class-Action--Contact-Lieff-Cabraser Former Chancellor Bouchards Final Decision in Office Upheld More Than $3,000,000 in Legal Fees Charged to TransPerfect by Custodian Robert Pincus in an Extraordinary Decision WILMINGTON, Del., July 30, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Following a recent court filing from TransPerfect lawyers in the Delaware Supreme Court appealing Chancery Court Chancellor Andre Bouchards decision to uphold the majority of Custodian Robert Pincus and Skadden Arps outrageous fees of more than $3.9 million - part of more than $50 million total throughout the duration of the custodianship - from May 2019 to December 2020, Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware Campaign Manager Chris Coffey released the following statement: "This latest filing makes clear what weve known all along: the Chancery Court during former Chancellor Bouchards reign had zero interest in treating TransPerfect fairly. Not only did Bouchards Chancery Court uphold an obscene $3.2 million in fees charged by Pincus - in bulk and without explanation - it even contradicted itself in forcing the company to cough up $400,000 in fees that it had previously rejected, which stemmed from a failed Contempt motion filed by Pincus. The Bouchard-era Chancery Court was so invested in protecting its handpicked Custodian - who had already bilked the company for more than $50 million in total fees - that it couldnt even hold itself accountable to its own decisions. "Theres no justice when a court-appointed Custodian like Pincus can prop up his own fees by filing frivolous motions against the very company for which hes a fiduciary, then charge the company for the motion. And there need to be consequences for enablers like Skadden Partner Jennifer Voss, who for years has defended Pincus at every turn and now faces a litany of open lawsuits against her. Its high time for the states Supreme Court to step in and end the clownery of Bouchards Chancery Court to deliver justice and pause the rapid erosion of trust in Delawares judiciary." Story continues Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware is a group made up of more than 5,000 members including employees of the global translation services company TransPerfect, as well as concerned Delaware residents, business executives, and others. They formed in April of 2016 to focus on raising awareness with Delaware residents, elected officials, and other stakeholders about the unprecedented forced sale of TransPerfect. While their primary goal of saving the company has been accomplished, they continue their efforts to fight for more transparency in the Delaware Chancery Court. For more information on Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware or to join the cause, visit DelawareForBusiness.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005434/en/ Contacts Chris Coffey, ccoffey@tuskholdings.com NEW YORK, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The English language training market in China is set to grow by USD 80.54 billion, progressing at a CAGR of over 22% during 2021-2025. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, the latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled English Language Training Market in China by End-user and Learning Methods - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025 Download a Free Sample Report for More Insights Factors such as increased private investment in online English training vendors will offer immense growth opportunities. To leverage the current opportunities, market vendors must strengthen their foothold in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments. The English language training market in China is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. English Language Training Market in China 2021-2025: Segmentation English Language Training Market in China is segmented as below: End-user Product Learn more about the factors assisting the growth of the market, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR40432 English Language Training Market in China 2021-2025: Vendor Analysis and Scope Some of the major vendors of the English language training market in the education services industry include Berlitz Corp., ChinaEDU Corp., EF Education First Ltd., italki HK Ltd., iTutorGroup, New Oriental Education and Technology Group Inc., Pearson Plc, Puxin Ltd., TAL Education Group, and Xueda Education. To help businesses improve their market position, Technavio's report provides a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the market. The report also covers the following areas: English Language Training Market in China size English Language Training Market in China trends English Language Training Market in China industry analysis The English language training market in China is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. The rise in the number of international schools will offer immense growth opportunities. However, the availability of an increasing number of open-source materials will hamper the market growth. Story continues Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research report on the English language training market in China is designed to provide entry support, customer profile & M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support. Related Reports on Consumer Discretionary Include: Global Business English Language Training Market - Global business English language training market is segmented by end-user (institutional learners and individual learners), learning methods (blended learning and online learning), and geography (APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and MEA). Download Exclusive Free Sample Report Global Digital English Language Learning Market - Global digital English language training market is segmented by end-user (non-academic learners and academic learners), deployment (on-premise and cloud-based), and geography (APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and MEA). Download Exclusive Free Sample Report English Language Training Market in China 2021-2025: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2021-2025 Detailed information on factors that will assist English language training market growth during the next five years Estimation of the English language training market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the English language training market in China Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of English language training market vendors Table of Contents: Executive Summary Market Landscape Market ecosystem Value chain analysis Market Sizing Market definition Market segment analysis Market size 2020 Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025 Five Forces Analysis Fiver forces summary Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Threat of rivalry Market condition Market Segmentation by End-user Market segments Comparison by End-user Institutional learners - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Individual learners - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Market opportunity by End-user Market Segmentation by Learning method Market segments Comparison by learning method Classroom-based - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Online - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Blended - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Market opportunity by learning method Customer landscape Volume driver - Demand led growth Volume driver - External factors Market challenges Market trends Vendor Landscape Overview Vendor landscape Landscape disruption Vendor Analysis Vendors covered Market positioning of vendors Berlitz Corp. ChinaEDU Corp. EF Education First Ltd. iTutorGroup New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. Pearson Plc Sprout4Future TAL Education Group The Walt Disney Co. Xueda Education Group Appendix Scope of the report Currency conversion rates for US$ Research methodology List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Website: www.technavio.com/ Report: www.technavio.com/report/english-language-training-market-in-china-industry-analysis Newsroom: Newsroom.technavio.com/news/english-language-trainingmarket Technavio (PRNewsfoto/Technavio) Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/english-language-training-market-in-china-to-witness-over--80-bn-growth-during-2021-2025--technavio-301344442.html SOURCE Technavio Dublin, July 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "The European Market for Kitchen Furniture" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The European market for kitchen furniture offers an accurate comprehensive picture of the kitchen furniture industry in 30 EU countries, providing data and 2015-2020 trends (both in value and in volume) in kitchen furniture production and consumption, imports and exports, at European level as a whole and for each country considered, for the total sector and by six price range groups. Marketing policies, the main macroeconomic indicators necessary to analyse the performance of the sector for the last six years and forecasts for the years 2021-2024, an analysis of the supply structure and the competitive system, and an overview of the distribution system are also provided. The value and weight of the built-in appliances on the domestic sales of kitchen furniture are considered, too. Analysis of the leading local and foreign players present in each price range and in each European country considered. Detailed tables show sales data and market shares for the leading kitchen furniture companies and short profiles of the major players in the kitchen furniture industry are also available. At the end of this chapter, there is a focus on the performance of the main European companies on extra EU30 markets, with exports data and market shares by geographic area of destination (Russia and other CIS Countries, Middle East and Africa, Asia and Pacific, North America and Central-South America). Overview of the main distribution channels active on the European kitchen furniture market, at European level as a whole and for country clusters considered. The analysis of the distribution system covers the following channels: Kitchen specialists; Furniture retailers; Large furniture chains; Contract; Building trade; DIY stores; Direct sales; E-commerce. A breakdown of kitchen furniture sales by distribution channel is available for a sample of companies. Story continues Kitchen furniture imports and exports in the 30 European countries considered, broken down by country and by geographical area of destination/origin. The time frame considered is 2015-2020. An overview of international trade of selected household appliances for the last three years is also provided for each European country considered. Key Topics Covered: Introduction Basic data The European framework: Kitchen furniture production, international trade and consumption by country, in value and volume Kitchen furniture production and consumption by market segment: in value and volume, at European level as a whole and for each European country considered Activity trend and Forecast For the total Europe as a whole and for each European country considered: Production, consumption, international trade of kitchen furniture and comparison with selected country indicators, 2015-2020 and forecast 2021-2024. COVID-19 pandemic variables tracked, 2020 International trade For the total Europe as a whole and for each European country considered: Kitchen furniture exports and imports 2015-2020, by country and by geographical area of destination/origin and international trade data for selected household appliances Financial analysis Financial results: ROI, ROE, EBITDA and EBIT ratio for a sample of 60 companies; Employment analysis: number of employees, turnover per employee, average cost of employee, cost of employees/turnover for a sample of companies Supply structure Analysis of the kitchen furniture production (Sector estimates and data for a sample of companies) broken down by: Cabinet door material Cabinet door style Cabinet door colour and lacquered type Kind of wood Worktop material Kind of lay-out Distribution channels Overview of the main distribution channels active on the European kitchen furniture market, at European level as a whole and for each country considered Kitchen specialists, Furniture shops, Furniture chains, Building trade, Contract, DIY, E-commerce, Direct sales Estimates of the value and weight of the built-in appliances on the domestic sales of kitchen furniture by country Kitchen demand in a selected sample of European cities: focus on the potential growth in selected metropolitan areas (2023 forecast) The competitive system Total production of kitchen furniture for a sample of 50 leading European players: turnover data, market shares and short profiles The European competitive system by market segment: luxury, upper, middle-upper, middle, middle-low, low price range The European competitive system for each of the 30 European countries analyzed Focus on European kitchen furniture sales and market shares on extra EU30 markets, by geographic area of destination Annex Directory of around 380 European kitchen furniture companies Select Companies Mentioned: Antalia Aran Arredo3 Artego Aster Aviva Cuisines Baldai Ballingslov Ballerina Bruynzeel Bulthaup Colombini Dan Decodom Dica Doca DMG Eggo Elkjop Fournier Haecker Hanak Howdens Joinery Ikea Koryna Kvik Leicht Lube Lupus Mandemaakers Menuiseries du Centre Mob Cozinhas Mobexpert Murelli Neoform Nikolidakis Nobia Nobilia Nolte Novy Pedini Poggenpohl Poliform Pronorm Puustelli Rempp Rust Mebel Rus Savitar Sanitas Troesch Santos SBA Furniture Scavolini Symphony Szynaka Schmidt Siematic Snaidero Stosa TCM Turi Ultima Furniture Valcucine Vedum Veneta Cucine Veriset Vordingborg Wren Kitchens For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/isduex About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 FILE PHOTO: The seal of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is seen at their headquarters in Washington, D.C. By Echo Wang, Scott Murdoch and Kane Wu (Reuters) -The U.S. securities regulator will not allow Chinese companies to raise money in the United States unless they fully explain their legal structures and disclose the risk of Beijing interfering in their businesses, the agency said on Friday, confirming an exclusive report by Reuters. In a statement, Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler said he had also asked staff to "engage in targeted additional reviews of filings for companies with significant China-based operations." The development underscores U.S. policymakers' concerns that Chinese companies are systematically flouting U.S. rules that require public companies to disclose to investors a range of potential risks to their financial performance. Chinese listings in the United States have reached a record $12.8 billion so far this year, according to Refinitiv data, as companies swooped in to capitalize on the U.S. stock market reaching daily record highs. Deal flows slowed substantially this month after Chinese regulators banned ride-sharing giant Didi Global Inc from signing up new users just days after its blockbuster IPO. They followed up with crack-downs on technology and private education companies. In an interview with Reuters earlier this week, SEC Commissioner Allison Lee said that Chinese companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges must disclose to investors the risks of the Chinese government interfering in their businesses as part of their regular reporting obligations. On Friday, Reuters reported that the agency was not processing registrations for the issuance of Chinese company securities pending SEC guidance on how to disclose the risks they face in China. Following that report, Gensler issued Friday's statement saying that in light of Beijing's crackdown, he had asked staff to seek additional disclosures from Chinese companies before making their registrations effective. These should include that investors face "uncertainty about future actions by the government of China that could significantly affect the operating companys financial performance" and the enforceability of certain contractual arrangements. Story continues Chinese issuers must also disclose if they were denied permission from Chinese authorities to list on U.S. exchanges and the risks that such approval could be denied or rescinded. In addition, Chinese companies should disclose when Chinese law requires them to list in the United States via an offshore shell company, which carries additional legal risks. "I believe these changes will enhance the overall quality of disclosure in registration statements of offshore issuers that have affiliations with China-based operating companies," said Gensler. For a FACTBOX see: LATEST SALVO The SEC's move represents the latest salvo by U.S. regulators against corporate China, which has frustrated Wall Street for years with its reluctance to submit to U.S. auditing standards and improve the governance of companies held closely by founders. The agency has been under intense pressure from U.S. lawmakers to take a tougher line. A group of senators including Republicans John Kennedy and Bill Hagerty wrote to Gensler this week urging "thorough investigations of U.S. listed Chinese companies' concerning lack of transparency." Last month, the SEC removed the chairman of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), which has been unsuccessful in a push to ensure independent auditing of U.S.-listed Chinese companies. The SEC is also under pressure to finalize rules on the delisting of Chinese companies that do not comply with U.S. auditing requirements. A total of 418 Chinese companies are listed on U.S. exchanges, according to Refinitiv. The S&P/BNY Mellon China Select ADR Index, which tracks the American depositary receipts of major U.S.-listed Chinese companies, has lost 22% of its value year-to-date, compared with an 18% rise in the S&P 500 index. No major U.S. IPO of a Chinese company is in the works following Didi, as the business community in China tries to come to grips with the regulators' intentions. Chinese officials said last week they would bar tutoring for profit in core school subjects to ease financial pressures on families that have contributed to low birth rates, sending shockwaves through the country's private education sector. This came on the heels of a broad crackdown on China's massive internet sector amid concern in Beijing over the safety of the personal data of its citizens. China's securities regulator met with executives of global investment banks on Wednesday to calm financial market nerves, reassuring them that policies will be rolled out more steadily to avoid volatility, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. State-backed newspaper China Daily also said Beijing remained supportive of domestic companies seeking to list overseas. Some Chinese companies canceled their U.S. IPOs this month proactively. LinkDoc Technologies pulled its offering to raise $211 million soon after Didi's troubles emerged, while Hello Inc this week announced its U.S. listing plans were on hold., (Reporting by Echo Wang in New York, Scott Murdoch and Kane Wu in Hong Kong; additional reporting by Katanga Johnson in Washington, D.C.; editing by Greg Roumeliotis, Richard Pullin and Dan Grebler) BOSTON, MA, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund (NYSE: HTD) (the "Fund"), a closed-end fund managed by John Hancock Investment Management LLC and subadvised by both Manulife Investment Management (US) LLC, and Wells Capital Management Incorporated, announced today sources of its monthly distribution of $0.1380 per share paid to all shareholders of record as of July 12, 2021, pursuant to the Fund's managed distribution plan. This press release is issued as required by an exemptive order granted to the Fund by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. John Hancock Investment Management Logo (CNW Group/John Hancock Investment Management) Notification of Sources of Distribution This notice provides shareholders of the John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund (NYSE: HTD) with important information concerning the distribution declared on July 1, 2021, and payable on July 30, 2021. No action is required on your part. Distribution Period: July 2021 Distribution Amount Per Common Share: $0.1380 The following table sets forth the estimated sources of the current distribution, payable July 30, 2021, and the cumulative distributions paid this fiscal year to date from the following sources: net investment income; net realized short term capital gains; net realized long term capital gains; and return of capital or other capital source. All amounts are expressed on a per common share basis and as a percentage of the distribution amount. For the period 07/1/2021-07/31/2021 For the fiscal year-to-date period 11/1/2020-07/31/2021 1 Source Current Distribution ($) % Breakdown of the Current Distribution Total Cumulative Distributions ($) % Breakdown of the Total Cumulative Distributions Net Investment Income 0.0746 54% 1.0554 85% Net Realized Short- Term Capital Gains 0.0000 0% 0.0000 0% Net Realized Long- Term Capital Gains 0.0083 6% 0.1865 15% Return of Capital or Other Capital Source 0.0551 40% 0.0000 0% Total per common share 0.1380 100% 1.2419 100% Average annual total return (in relation to NAV) for the 5 years ended on June 30, 2021 6.11% Annualized current distribution rate expressed as a percentage of NAV as of June 30, 2021 6.75% Cumulative total return (in relation to NAV) for the fiscal year through June 30, 2021 19.02% Cumulative fiscal year-to-date distribution rate expressed as a percentage of NAV as of June 30, 2021 5.06% You should not draw any conclusions about the Fund's investment performance from the amount of this distribution or from the terms of the Fund's managed distribution plan. Story continues The Fund estimates that it has distributed more than its income and net realized capital gains; therefore, a portion of your distribution may be a return of capital. A return of capital may occur, for example, when some or all of the money that you invested in the Fund is paid back to you. A return of capital distribution does not necessarily reflect the Fund's investment performance and should not be confused with "yield" or "income." The amounts and sources of distributions reported in this Notice are only estimates and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during the remainder of its fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. The Fund will send you a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will tell you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes. The Fund has declared the July 2021 distribution pursuant to the Fund's managed distribution plan (the "Plan"). Under the Plan, the Fund makes fixed monthly distributions in the amount of $0.1380 per share, which will continue to be paid monthly until further notice. If you have questions or need additional information, please contact your financial professional or call the John Hancock Investment Management Closed-End Fund Information Line at 1-800-843-0090, Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time. Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined by the United States securities laws. You should exercise caution in interpreting and relying on forward-looking statements because they are subject to uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Fund's control and could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. An investor should consider a Fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. About John Hancock Financial and Manulife Financial John Hancock is a division of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading international financial services group that helps people achieve their dreams and aspirations by putting customers' needs first and providing the right advice and solutions. We operate primarily as John Hancock in the United States and as Manulife elsewhere. We provide financial advice, insurance, and wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups, and institutions. Assets under management and administration by Manulife and its subsidiaries were over CAD$1.3 trillion (US$1.0 trillion) as of March 31, 2021. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as MFC on the TSX, NYSE, and PSE, and under 945 on the SEHK. Manulife can be found at manulife.com. One of the largest life insurers in the United States, John Hancock supports approximately 10 million Americans with a broad range of financial products, including life insurance, annuities, investments, 401(k) plans, and education savings plans. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com. 1 The Fund's current fiscal year began on November 1, 2020, and will end on October 31, 2021. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/john-hancock-tax-advantaged-dividend-income-fund-notice-to-shareholders--sources-of-distribution-under-section-19a-301345451.html SOURCE John Hancock Investment Management CAMBRIDGE, Mass, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Omega Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: OMGA) ("Omega"), a development-stage biotechnology company leveraging its OMEGA Epigenomic Programming platform to harness the power of epigenetics to develop a new class of DNA-sequence-targeting, mRNA-encoded programmable epigenetic medicines, today announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 7,400,000 shares of its common stock at a price to the public of $17.00 per share. All of the shares of common stock are being offered by Omega. The gross proceeds from the offering, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by Omega, are expected to be approximately $125.8 million, excluding any exercise of the underwriters' option to purchase additional shares. Omega's common stock is expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol "OMGA" on July 30, 2021. The offering is expected to close on August 3, 2021, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions. In addition, Omega has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,110,000 shares of common stock at the initial public offering price less underwriting discounts and commissions. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Jefferies LLC and Piper Sandler are acting as joint book-running managers of the offering. Wedbush PacGrow is acting as lead manager. A registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-257794) relating to the offering has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and became effective on July 29, 2021. The offering is being made only by means of a prospectus. Copies of the final prospectus relating to the offering may be obtained from: Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Attn: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, NY 10282, by telephone at (866) 471-2526 or by email at prospectus-ny@ny.email.gs.com; Jefferies LLC, Attn: Equity Syndicate Prospectus Department, 520 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022, by phone at (877) 821-7388, or by email at Prospectus_Department@Jefferies.com; or Piper Sandler & Co., Attn: Prospectus Department, 800 Nicollet Mall, J12S03, Minneapolis, MN 55402, by telephone at (800) 747-3924 or by email at prospectus@psc.com. Story continues This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. Investor contact: Joseph Rayne Argot Partners 212.600.1902 ArgotOmega@argotpartners.com Media contact: David Rosen Argot Partners 212.600.1902 david.rosen@argotpartners.com Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/omega-therapeutics-announces-pricing-of-initial-public-offering-301344870.html SOURCE Omega Therapeutics GATINEAU, QC, July 29, 2021 /CNW/ - The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, will announce how the Government of Canada will give additional support to families with young children. A photo opportunity and media availability will follow the announcement. Please note that all details are subject to change. All times are local . DATE : Friday, July 30, 2021 TIME : 1:30 p.m. PLACE : Wild Child Camp (Childreach) Huron Pavillion 930 Western Counties Road London, Ontario MEDIA INSTRUCTIONS Anyone attending the event must not present any symptoms associated with COVID-19 or have been in contact with anyone who has received a positive diagnosis within the last 14 days. Please note that wearing a face covering is mandatory. Follow us on Twitter SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada Cision View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2021/30/c8473.html Yahoo Entertainment Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ken Resnicow, appeared on The Weekend With Joshua Johnson Sunday, where he explained how to convince unvaccinated people to get the COVID-19 vaccine with a technique called motivational interviewing. Let them express their anger, their mistrust, their doubts, and then reflect it back with you statements, Resnicow said. Youre worried that the government is trying to force this on people. You dont trust the public health system. Youre not convinced that the disease is as scary as people say. Those you statements without judgement, without trying to persuade, send a meta-message that Im trying to understand you, Im not gonna judge you and Im not gonna push you. Resnicow said the important first step is to listen to whatever grievances and concerns a person has, and let them know theyve been heard. He also said its important to keep whatever anger or frustration you may be feeling toward the unvaccinated to yourself. We know from hundreds of randomized trials that that type of communication, guilt and shame or pressure, are not gonna move the unpersuaded. We have to do things like affirm. Things like, You really care about understanding this vaccine. Youve really tried to figure it out. You value your independence. God is important to you. Its important to establish that bridge between you two before you try to persuade or in any way inform, Resnicow said. And we understand it takes some psychological discipline because human nature is aligned with what you (Johnson) just said, where some people are getting frustrated with the unvaccinated. Its not gonna help. Delivered Year-over-Year Growth in Reported Revenue of +18.4% and Underlying Revenue of +3.8%, Driven by 14 Global Brands Grew Reported Operating Profit of 248.6 Billion Yen ($2.2B) and Solid Underlying Core Operating Profit Margin of 30.5% While Increasing R&D Investments Paid 242.9 Billion Yen Toward $2.2 Billion of Debt in Q1 and Company Expects to Pre-pay a Total of Approximately 450 Billion Yen (~$4.1B) of Debt in FY2021 Anticipated Inflection Year for the Pipeline with Five to Six Regulatory Submissions and Seven New Molecular Entities in Pivotal Studies by Fiscal Year-End Confirms Full-year FY2021 Management Guidance and Forecast OSAKA, Japan, July 30, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TOKYO:4502/NYSE:TAK) ("Takeda") today announced financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2021 (period ended June 30, 2021). Based on the solid first-quarter results, the Company also confirmed its fiscal year 2021 management guidance and forecast. Fiscal year 2021 remains a year of inflection with Takeda positioned for topline acceleration and continued pipeline progress, including critical regulatory submissions, potential approvals and additional new molecular entities (NMEs) advancing in pivotal studies. Costa Saroukos, Chief Financial Officer, commented: "With the Shire integration behind us and continued transformation over the last two years, weve pivoted towards accelerating topline growth and investing in R&D to fuel our highly innovative pipeline. Takedas first-quarter results demonstrate the continued strength of our 14 global brands and, with the business momentum from this strong start to our fiscal year, we remain on track towards our full-year management guidance." "FY2021 is an inflection year for our pipeline as we ramp up strategic R&D investments and the pipeline starts to deliver. We anticipate having five to six Wave 1 pipeline regulatory submissions by the end of this fiscal year, with the potential for five approvals by end of H1 FY2022. The resilience of Takedas business model is a testament to our unwavering commitment to serving patients, our people and the planet. We are focused on discovering and delivering life-transforming treatments to people around the world to create and maximize long-term value for society." Story continues FINANCIAL AND BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS Results for Q1 FY2021 Ended June 30, 2021 (billion yen, except percentages and per share amounts) REPORTED CORE (Non-IFRS)(a) UNDERLYING(b) (Non-IFRS)(a) Q1 FY2021 vs. PRIOR YEAR Q1 FY2021 vs. PRIOR YEAR Revenue 949.6 +18.4% 816.6 +1.8% +3.8% Operating Profit 248.6 +48.6% 248.9(c) -11.4% -2.1% Margin 26.2% +5.3pp 30.5% -4.5pp 30.5% Net Profit 200.4 +142.8% 176.6 -7.4% EPS (JPY) 128 yen +141.9% 113 yen -7.7% +3.9% Operating Cash Flow 166.9 +14.4% Free Cash Flow (Non-IFRS)(a)(d) 129.9 -11.2% (a) Further information on certain of Takedas Non-IFRS measures is posted on Takedas investor relations website at https://www.takeda.com/investors/financial-results/. (b) Underlying growth compares two periods (quarters or years) of financial results under a common basis and is used by management to assess the business. These financial results are calculated on a constant currency basis and excluding the impact of divestitures and other amounts that are unusual, non-recurring items or unrelated to our ongoing operations. (c) Core Operating Profit represents net profit adjusted to exclude income tax expenses, the share of profit or loss of investments accounted for using the equity method, finance expenses and income, other operating expenses and income, amortization and impairment losses on acquired intangible assets and other items unrelated to Takedas core operations, such as non-recurring items, purchase accounting effects and transaction related costs. (d) Free Cash Flow represents cash flows from operating activities, excluding acquisition of plant, property and equipment, intangible assets and investments, and any other cash that is not available to Takedas immediate or general business use, and including proceeds from sales of property, plant, sales and redemption of investments and businesses, net of cash and cash equivalents divested. https://www.takeda.com/investors/financial-results/ Reported Revenue increased +18.4% to 949.6 billion yen ($8.6B); Underlying Core Revenue increased +3.8% vs. FY2020 Q1, driven by the 14 global brands Takedas 14 global brands, with an aggregate reported revenue of 335.6 billion yen ($3.0B), posted year-over-year underlying revenue growth of +6.8% despite quarterly phasing headwinds for TAKHZYRO and IG. Takedas 5 key business areas with 708.0 billion yen ($6.4B) in reported revenue represented 87% of core revenues 1 . GI with 210.5 billion yen ($1.9B) in reported revenue, with underlying revenue growth of +8% spearheaded by gut-selective ENTYVIO. Rare Diseases with 155.5 billion yen ($1.4 B) in reported revenue declining -3% on an underlying basis, with HAE growth impacted by phasing, but remains in line with the current plan. Plasma Derived Therapy (PDT) Immunology with 107.2 billion yen ($1.0B) in reported revenue declining -2% on an underlying basis, impacted by quarterly phasing of Immunoglobulin products, with full-year outlook unchanged. Oncology with 121.4 billion yen ($1.1B) in reported revenue, with underlying revenue growth +9% driven by indication expansion across the portfolio. Neuroscience with 113.4 billion yen ($1.0B) in reported revenue, with underlying revenue growth +3% driven by strong rebound of Vyvanse following impact of COVID-19 in the prior year. ------------------------ 1 Percentage of sales are based on Core revenue; adjusted to remove JPY 133.0B from sale of Japan diabetes portfolio recorded in revenue Reported Operating Profit increased 48.6% Underlying Core Operating Profit Margin was 30.5% for Q1 Reported operating profit increased 48.6% to 248.6 billion yen ($2.2B) compared to FY2020 Q1, driven by a gain on the sale of the diabetes portfolio in Japan, lower purchase price accounting expenses and lower integration costs. These items more than offset a decrease in other operating income due to a one-time gain recorded in FY2020 Q1. Underlying core operating profit for the current period declined -2.1% reflecting an increase in R&D investment and is expected to recover to "mid-single digit" growth for the full year. Continued progress in debt pre-payment with approximately 242.9 billion yen toward $2.2 billion paid in FY2021 Q1. Achieved several critical pipeline milestones to date in FY2021 Modernas COVID-19 Vaccine, approved in Japan for adults in May and expanded age indication to adolescents 12+ years old in July, with distribution underway. Mobocertinib (TAK-788) filing under review in US, China, and other countries. Maribavirs (TAK-620) filing and acceptance in the US and EU, with FDA granting priority review. Orexin (TAK-994) granted Breakthrough Therapy designation by the FDA for Narcolepsy Type 1. TAK-999 granted Breakthrough Therapy designation by the FDA for AATD 2 Liver Disease Collaboration with Frazier Healthcare Partners to launch HilleVax, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company to develop and commercialize TAK-214, Takedas norovirus vaccine candidate. ------------------------ 2 AATD = Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency Important recognition in Q1 Two of Takedas facilities in Japan and Ireland were recognized by the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) with the 2021 Facility Of the Year Awards for the use of digital and innovative technologies to enhance manufacturing capabilities. FY2021 Guidance On track towards full-year FY2021 guidance (Unchanged from May 2021) (billion yen) FY2021 CURRENT FORECAST Underlying Management Guidance Revenue 3,370.0 Mid-single-digit growth R&D Expenses -522.0 Reported Operating Profit 488.0 Core Operating Profit 930.0 Mid-single-digit growth Reported EPS (Yen) 160 Core EPS (Yen) 394 Mid-single-digit growth Free Cash Flow 600-700 Annual Dividend per Share (Yen) 180 Key assumptions in FY2021 forecast Company guidance reflects managements expectations for continued business momentum across Takedas five key business areas, underlying revenue growth of its 14 global brands, and accelerated realization of cost synergies, while continuing to invest in R&D. FY2021 guidance reflects the following key assumptions, including (1) Takeda expects at least one 505(b)2 competitor for subcutaneous VELCADE to launch in the U.S. around mid FY2021; (2) Takeda does not expect to restart sales of Natpara in the U.S. market in FY2021; and (3) FY2021 guidance does not include the impact of any potential further divestitures beyond what has already been disclosed by Takeda. To date, Takeda has not experienced a material effect on its financial results as a result of the global spread of the novel coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19). Based on currently available information, Takeda believes that its financial results for FY2021 will not be materially affected by COVID-19 and, accordingly, Takeda's FY2021 forecast reflects this belief. However, the situation surrounding COVID-19 remains highly fluid, and future COVID-19-related developments in FY2021, including new or additional COVID-19 outbreaks and additional or extended lockdowns, shelter-in-place orders or other government action in major markets, could result in further or more serious disruptions to Takedas business, such as slowdowns in demand for Takedas products, supply chain related issues or significant delays in its clinical trial programs. These events, if they occur, could result in an additional impact on Takedas business, results of operations or financial condition, as well as result in significant deviations from Takedas FY2021 forecast. For more details on Takeda's Q1 FY2021 results and other financial information, please visit: https://www.takeda.com/investors/financial-results/ More information on Takedas Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) approach and values-based corporate governance can be found in the 2021 Annual Integrated Report for FY2020, which ended March 31, 2021. This report can be accessed on Takedas website at: https://air.takeda.com. About Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TOKYO:4502/NYSE:TAK) is a global, values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader headquartered in Japan, committed to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments, guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Takeda focuses its R&D efforts on four therapeutic areas: Oncology, Rare Genetic and Hematology, Neuroscience, and Gastroenterology (GI). We also make targeted R&D investments in Plasma-Derived Therapies and Vaccines. We are focusing on developing highly innovative medicines that contribute to making a difference in peoples lives by advancing the frontier of new treatment options and leveraging our enhanced collaborative R&D engine and capabilities to create a robust, modality-diverse pipeline. Our employees are committed to improving quality of life for patients and to working with our partners in health care in approximately 80 countries and regions. For more information, visit https://www.takeda.com. Important Notice For the purposes of this notice, "press release" means this document, any oral presentation, any question-and-answer session and any written or oral material discussed or distributed by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited ("Takeda") regarding this release. This press release (including any oral briefing and any question-and-answer in connection with it) is not intended to, and does not constitute, represent or form part of any offer, invitation or solicitation of any offer to purchase, otherwise acquire, subscribe for, exchange, sell or otherwise dispose of, any securities or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction. No shares or other securities are being offered to the public by means of this press release. No offering of securities shall be made in the United States except pursuant to registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or an exemption therefrom. This press release is being given (together with any further information which may be provided to the recipient) on the condition that it is for use by the recipient for information purposes only (and not for the evaluation of any investment, acquisition, disposal or any other transaction). Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of applicable securities laws. The companies in which Takeda directly and indirectly owns investments are separate entities. In this press release, "Takeda" is sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Takeda and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" are also used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies. The product names appearing in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks owned by Takeda, or their respective owners. Forward-Looking Statements This press release and any materials distributed in connection with this press release may contain forward-looking statements, beliefs or opinions regarding Takedas future business, future position and results of operations, including estimates, forecasts, targets and plans for Takeda. Without limitation, forward-looking statements often include words such as "targets", "plans", "believes", "hopes", "continues", "expects", "aims", "intends", "ensures", "will", "may", "should", "would", "could" "anticipates", "estimates", "projects" or similar expressions or the negative thereof. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including the following, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements: the economic circumstances surrounding Takedas global business, including general economic conditions in Japan and the United States; competitive pressures and developments; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; challenges inherent in new product development, including uncertainty of clinical success and decisions of regulatory authorities and the timing thereof; uncertainty of commercial success for new and existing products; manufacturing difficulties or delays; fluctuations in interest and currency exchange rates; claims or concerns regarding the safety or efficacy of marketed products or product candidates; the impact of health crises, like the novel coronavirus pandemic, on Takeda and its customers and suppliers, including foreign governments in countries in which Takeda operates, or on other facets of its business; the timing and impact of post-merger integration efforts with acquired companies; the ability to divest assets that are not core to Takedas operations and the timing of any such divestment(s); and other factors identified in Takedas most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and Takedas other reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, available on Takedas website at: https://www.takeda.com/investors/sec-filings/or at www.sec.gov. Takeda does not undertake to update any of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or any other forward-looking statements it may make, except as required by law or stock exchange rule. Past performance is not an indicator of future results and the results or statements of Takeda in this press release may not be indicative of, and are not an estimate, forecast, guarantee or projection of Takedas future results. Financial information Takedas financial statements are prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). Convenience translations of JPY figures into USD are included for reference and have been calculated at a rate of JPY/USD of 111.05. Certain Non-IFRS Financial Measures This press release and materials distributed in connection with this press release include certain IFRS financial measures not presented in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"), such as Underlying Revenue, Core Operating Profit, Underlying Core Operating Profit, Core Net Profit, Underlying Core EPS, Net Debt, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow. Takedas management evaluates results and makes operating and investment decisions using both IFRS and non-IFRS measures included in this press release. These non-IFRS measures exclude certain income, cost and cash flow items which are included in, or are calculated differently from, the most closely comparable measures presented in accordance with IFRS. By including these non-IFRS measures, management intends to provide investors with additional information to further analyze Takedas performance, core results and underlying trends. Takedas non-IFRS measures are not prepared in accordance with IFRS and such non-IFRS measures should be considered a supplement to, and not a substitute for, measures prepared in accordance with IFRS (which we sometimes refer to as "reported" measures). Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation of non-IFRS financial measures to their most directly comparable IFRS measures. Further information on certain of Takedas Non-IFRS measures is posted on Takedas investor relations website at https://www.takeda.com/investors/financial-results/ Medical information This press release contains information about products that may not be available in all countries, or may be available under different trademarks, for different indications, in different dosages, or in different strengths. Nothing contained herein should be considered a solicitation, promotion or advertisement for any prescription drugs including the ones under development. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729006282/en/ Contacts Investor Relations: Christopher OReilly, +81 (0) 3-3278-2543 christopher.oreilly@takeda.com Media Contacts: Japanese Media Ryoko Matsumoto ryoko.matsumoto@takeda.com +81 (0) 3-3278-3414 Media Outside Japan Christina Beckerman christina.beckerman@takeda.com +1 908-581-4133 Today, on 30 July 2021, AS Tallinna Vesi held an investor conference webinar where the Management Board Members Chief Executive Officer Aleksandr Timofejev and Chief Financial Officer Kristi Ojakaar introduced the performance of the 2nd quarter of 2021. We thank all the participants. Webinar recording is available here and the presentation is available here. AS Tallinna Vesis financial results for the 2nd quarter of 2021 in more detail are available here. Laura Korjus Head of Communications Tallinna Vesi (+372) 626 2271 laura.korjus@tvesi.ee ANN ARBOR, Mich., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Xoran Technologies announced today that the company has commenced a clinical trial at St. Johns-Providence to document a series of cases using Xoran's xCAT IQ mobile CT scanner. Xoran xCAT IQ in use during neurosurgical clinical research. The study is designed to examine benefits associated with easily obtained CT imaging of the head at the point of care, instead of transporting the critical patient to a conventional scanner. "... xCAT IQ used intraoperatively, advancing the field of medical imaging in support of complex neurosurgical cases." The intent of the study is to demonstrate that the selected techniques and resulting image quality are adequate for clinical assessment of common neurosurgical conditions. The study includes patients undergoing complex cranial neurosurgical procedures which can greatly benefit from low dose intraoperative imagingallowing surgeons to view anatomy during surgery and confirming surgical completeness. These procedures can include endonasal pituitary and skull base tumor resection, and open craniotomy treatment of tumors such as meningioma, glioblastoma, or acoustic neuroma, ventricular shunts and/or neurosurgical procedures for hydrocephalus, deep brain stimulation electrodes, subdural hematoma evacuation, or ventricular endoscopy. The study is designed to examine benefits associated with easily obtained CT imaging of the head at the point of care, instead of transporting the critical patient to a conventional scanner. Other points of interest include the ability to obtain intra-operative imaging prior to procedure completion, the potential for reduced radiation exposure, ease-of-use, and ease-of-access to imaging. Principal investigators of the study include Chester Griffiths MD, FACS, Professor of Surgery and Garni Barkhoudarian MD, FAANS, Associate Professor of Neuroscience / Neurosurgery. Co-investigators are Daniel Kelly MD, Kian Karimi MD, and Nathan Pierce MD. "We are very pleased to support doctors Griffiths and Barkhoudarian, and his colleaguesto see the xCAT IQ used intraoperatively, advancing the field of medical imaging in support of these complex neurosurgical cases," said Laura Dennis, Xoran's Vice-President of Sales and Marketing. "Xoran is committed to meeting the needs of today's surgeons, helping them provide real-time low dose imaging, in the OR and the critical care unit." Story continues xCAT IQ is a mobile CT scanner which can be positioned in the operating room to acquire cranial images at the time of surgery. This device, which resembles a large cart, is relatively compact, can be pushed into position by a single operator. Once in place, acquisition of the CT scan takes about 40 seconds and image reconstruction takes a couple of minutes. With a two-decade track record of innovation in medical CBCT imaging, Xoran understands the CT needs and practical considerations in both the OR and office settings. About Xoran Technologies Since 2001, Xoran is the pioneer and medical market leader in low-dose radiation, cone beam CT systems specifically designed for the patient's point-of-care. Providers around the world rely on our industry-leading MiniCAT, xCAT, VetCAT and vTRON systems to diagnose and treat patients. Xoran is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. For more information visit www.xorantech.com/xCAT Pacific Neuroscience Institute www.PacificNeuro.org 2021 Xoran Technologies, LLC Xoran Technologies, LLC. We make the complex simple. (PRNewsfoto/Xoran Technologies, LLC) Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xoran-technologies-sponsors-clinical-research-at-providence-saint-johns-health-center-santa-monica-ca-301345454.html SOURCE Xoran Technologies, LLC Essex County is one of only two localities in Virginia with low transmission rates. The other is Nelson County west of Charlottesville. How are people who live in one locality, work in another and visit friends and family or go out to eat in yet another supposed to interpret the CDC rates and recommendations? Its just so confusing, said Mary Chamberlin, public information officer with the Rappahannock Area Health District. Chamberlin suggested the same course of action she did months ago before the delta variant arrived on the scene. I just feel like people need to take responsibility for their own health, she said. If that means youre fully vaccinated and you go into indoor public spaces and dont have a clue about others vaccinations, then by all means mask up. The CDC also suggests that fully vaccinated people who have compromised immune systems or are at increased risk for severe disease from COVID-19or have someone in their household in that situation or who isnt fully vaccinatedwear a mask regardless of an areas transmission rate. And the federal agency recommends that schools implement universal indoor masking for all students, teachers and staff regardless of their vaccination status. A judge Thursday upheld the 33-year prison sentence a King George jury recommended for a county man who shot and strangled a woman after finding out she'd been with another man. Paul Allen Marshall, 29, was convicted in May of aggravated malicious wounding, attempted murder, abduction, strangulation and using a firearm in the commission of a felony. At a sentencing hearing Thursday in King George Circuit Court, Judge Herbert Hewitt declined to reduce the sentence suggested by the jury. According to the evidence presented during his four-day trial, Marshall and the woman had been dating about six weeks when the incident took place on Feb. 27, 2018. Prosecutors said Marshall was upset after finding out the woman had been seeing someone else and he blamed her for giving him a sexually transmitted disease. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} During a 20-hour period, Marshall shot the 21-year-old Maryland woman in the chest, strangled her and denied her medical care. At some point, the woman managed to send a text to her brother telling him that she'd been shot and that Marshall was trying to kill her. She knew she was in the Dahlgren area, but did not know the exact location. Clark detailed a horrific attack that included the woman being hit, called names, laughed at, dragged by her hair, raped and sodomized. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} She was lying on the floor in pain when Black put on his pants and said "thanks for the [expletive]" before leaving. After police developed Black as a suspect, he admitted taking the woman home but denied raping her or even being in her bedroom. DNA evidence recovered in the home showed that he had been. Defense attorneys Austin Timberlake and Patricia Bolen put on evidence showing that Black had no criminal record prior to this incident, and pointed out the dozen or so supporters he had in the courtroom. They asked Hewitt for a sentence toward the lower end of the recommended guidelines, saying Black is not beyond redemption and rehabilitation. "As horrible, awful and unnecessary all of this was, this was one night in his life," Bolen said. "This event was an anomaly. It's not who he is." Clark called the attack "one of the more vile rapes I've seen" and argued that Black deserves a lengthy sentence. "Anyone who is capable of doing this to another human being is capable of doing it again," Clark said. Many of those who got vaccinated at the fair werent philosophically opposed to the COVID-19 vaccine, but werent exactly eager to get one. Sisters Beverly Roman of Spotsylvania and Dalphine White of King George County were the last in their family of seven to get vaccinated, and theyd talked daily about whether they should do it. As Roman stepped up to a table, White watched from the sidelines, wearing a mask and wondering if she should proceed. Im stuck in the middle, she said. One part of me feels like I really need it with this new variant out there, and then the other part, I dont know after listening to the media [Fox News] about the side effects. I dont know what to believe. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} But White had promised her sister theyd get vaccinated together, that if we went down, wed go down together, White said, laughing, before she stepped up to get her own shot. Thats what you call love. Several of the 15 clinic participants said they felt almost forced to be there. Andrew Taylor lives in Fredericksburg and works for a credit union, where employees must either get vaccinated or wear masks the whole time theyre in the office when many workers are scheduled to return next month. NEW YORK (AP) Chinese companies hoping to sell their shares in the United States must start making more disclosures about their potential risks before U.S. regulators will allow them to list their stock. The Securities and Exchange Commission announced the move Friday after Beijing said it would step up its supervision of Chinese companies listed overseas, including reviews of their cybersecurity. SEC Chair Gary Gensler pointed in particular to Chinese businesses that use shell companies to get around Chinese rules blocking foreign ownership for their industries. Under these deals, the Chinese business forms a shell company in the Cayman Islands or somewhere else. The shell company then sells its stock to investors after listing in New York. The shell company has no ownership of the Chinese company. Instead, it has service contracts with it. These arrangements are called variable interest entities, or VIEs. I worry that average investors may not realize that they hold stock in a shell company rather than a China-based operating company, Gensler said. The campaign will begin early next week as the resurgent coronavirus in the form of the highly contagious delta variant is skyrocketing cases in Pennsylvania and across the nation. The text message will tell the recipient that the delta variant is here and encourage them to check vaccines.gov to find a provider nearby. Those receiving the text will have gotten their first shot between Dec. 14 and May 14, said the states acting health secretary, Alison Beam. Beam said the second dose will provide stronger protection against the delta variant. Its not too late to get it, and its not necessary to start over with the first shot, she said. WASHINGTON President Joe Biden is telling the Pentagon to determine how and when the COVID-19 vaccine will be made mandatory for members of the U.S. military. Until now, defense leaders have said that the vaccine will remain voluntary for troops around the world until the Food and Drug Administration gives final approval to the drug. The White House on Thursday said Biden will tell the Defense Department to look at when the COVID-19 shot will be added to the list of vaccines already required for military service members. LANSING, Mich. (AP) Two of Michigans largest health systems will require all employees and physicians at their hospitals and other facilities to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Spectrum Health, a 14-hospital network, and eight-hospital Beaumont Health announced the mandates Wednesday. At least five major hospital systems in the state have announced such requirements. Grand Rapids-based Spectrum has 31,000 employees. Beaumont, based in Royal Oak, has 33,000 workers. They join the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Livonia-based Trinity Health and Ascension Health, which is headquartered in Missouri but has 15 hospitals in Michigan. About 70% of Spectrum's onsite staff are vaccinated, a spokesman said. We must do all we can to take care of each other and our community, Spectrum President and CEO Tina Freese Decker said in a statement that cited the coronavirus vaccines' effectiveness in reducing the risk of hospitalization, death and long-haul symptoms. Together, our actions will serve to save lives and shorten the impact of the pandemic both clear benefits to the public good. Both Spectrum and Beaumont said their requirements will go into effect after the U.S. Food & Drug Administration approves one or more of the current vaccines. Three vaccines currently have emergency use authorization. The closing of the Grand Island office leaves Lincoln and Omaha the only cities in Nebraska with a Planned Parenthood location. This is welcome news, said attorney Bob Sullivan, who is opposed to abortion. I believe Planned Parenthoods retreat from central Nebraska speaks well for the people of central Nebraska, who recognized Planned Parenthoods misinformation and called them on it, Sullivan wrote in an email to The Independent. The lack of local support was obvious when people started to take a stand against Planned Parenthood, and that is the most likely cause of the decision to close their office. The writing was on the wall, and Planned Parenthood obviously knew that continued attempts to gain a foothold in the Tri-City area were going to be a failure. Sullivan, a former Hastings resident, now lives in Wahoo. He still maintains a practice in Hastings. On Nov. 21, 2019, Planned Parenthood supporters assembled at the Grand Island office and met the next day for a five-hour policy summit. The revised proposals from the US Department of Education still advocate critical race theory in all but name, Noem said in a statement. We are the Mount Rushmore State, home to our nations greatest monument to our history. And we take the study of American history seriously. Our classrooms are meant for education, not indoctrination, and that is how we will continue to operate in South Dakota. Critical race theory is a framework for understanding systemic racism and how it pervades American society. It began as an academic movement in the 1960s to examine U.S. law's intersection with race but has since expanded to other academic circles. The main tenet of CRT is that racism is embedded in every American institution, which are used to create and maintain racial inequality. Noem's order says that the 1619 Project and the work of Kendi are "infused with factual errors" such as the idea that the nation was founded in 1619 with the first slave ship entering the American colonies rather than with the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The federal grants, she continues, have "open-ended and vague requirements" that evaluate potential grant-receiving programs on the basis of an interpretation of American history that she views as antithetical to American principles. The state DOE is currently in the process of developing its own new curriculum for history and civics, as well as its own set of pilot grants to strengthen history and civics education in the state. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Dear reader, Welcome to Gandhara's weekly newsletter. This briefing brings you the best of our reporting from Afghanistan and Pakistan. If youre new to the newsletter or havent subscribed yet, you can do so here. Cross-border terrorism In a major scoop, RFE/RLs Tajik service reports on how the Afghan Taliban has embedded and empowered radical Islamists from Tajikistan, which contradicts the groups assurances that it wont host international terrorists or groups that threaten Afghanistans neighbors. We know from our experiences that [Jamaat] Ansarullah -- which currently is serving the Taliban -- has many times changed its stance and objectives, a Tajik official told us of why his country fears the militants, who previously had ties to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. No one can guarantee that in the future Ansarullah wont turn its back to the Taliban and attack Tajikistan, the official added. Ansarullah is one of several militant groups that have longstanding relations with the Taliban. Afghanistans neighbors worry these groups are seeking to destabilize them. Anxious over possible attacks from the separatist East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), China invited senior Taliban leaders this week to garner guarantees that the hard-line Islamists will fight against ETIMs presence. Afghanistans neighbors are scrambling to prevent the fallout from the final withdrawal of international forces. (You can see our timeline, here, of the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan). A UN report submitted to the Security Council this week revealed that Al-Qaeda is present in 15 Afghan provinces while the country is home to thousands of foreign jihadist militants. A new mass exodus Frud Bezhan reports on the plight of thousands of Afghans who are fleeing the escalating violence in their country as the Taliban pushes to control more territory. There is no prospect for peace. The war just goes on and on. So we have to go to a safe country, Hafizullah Naseri, a resident of Kunduz, told us as he prepared to flee. We live in misery. An estimated 10,000 Afghans leave through Pakistan and Iran to get to Western Europe by making the dangerous journey through Turkey. Some 600 to 700 families are thought to migrate each week. Within the country, many Afghans are taking refuge in provincial capitals still under government control. In this video report, we travel to Farah City, the capital of Farah Province, which the Taliban has largely overrun. Fatima, her husband, and their nine children are living in an abandoned house after their home was bombed. Its the second day we dont even have flour or cooking oil, she told us of their struggle to survive as cities attempt to cope with the flood of internally displaced persons. Afghan women journalists I write about how declining press freedom and security are forcing Afghan women journalists to give up their jobs, go underground, or even flee their country while the Taliban continues its blistering offensive. Our homeland is like our mother. No one is able to abandon their mother, Shakiba Saeedi, a newspaper reporter in Mazar-e Sharif, told me. I hope that I dont have to see the day when I or another journalist or a common citizen has to abandon our homeland. We also hear from a young female reporter for RFE/RLs Radio Azadi who maintains that they are committed despite the risks to covering the issues that impact the daily lives of women and girls in areas controlled by the Taliban. Every time I leave home to go to work, I worry that something could happen to me, says the reporter, whose identity cant be revealed for her safety. The battle for Kandahar The toll of the unfolding violence on Afghan lives is becoming clearer in Kandahar, where traders find themselves obligated to pay taxes to both the government and the Taliban as civilians seek shelter from the incessant fighting. We are calling on both sides to spare our lives and give us some love, peace, and quiet, said Kandahar resident Wali Mohmmad Badizai. My family has already been forced to move twice, but others have been forced to move even more. Kandahar has been the scene of a series of reprisal killings, and the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission says scores of civilians including activists, tribal elders, and journalists have been killed in targeted attacks. In an alarming report, the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan recorded 2,400 civilian casualties in May and June -- the highest number in those two months since the organization began its records in 2009. Protecting Chinese interests Reid Standish looks at how China is reevaluating the security of its projects after workers were killed in attacks in Pakistan. The reassessment comes as Beijing struggles to protect its interests in the country long touted as its closest ally and home to its multibillion energy and infrastructure investments. There will be more pressure on Pakistan to protect the Chinese and maybe let the Chinese take care of their own security, said Ayesha Siddiqa, a research associate at London's School of Oriental and African Studies. But Pakistan absolutely does not want this. They do not want Chinese boots on the ground. Two Chinese workers were injured in a gun attack in Karachi this week. The attack follows the killing of nine Chinese workers in a remote Pakistani region earlier this month. I hope you enjoyed this weeks newsletter, and I encourage you to forward it to colleagues who might find it useful. If you havent subscribed yet, you can do so here. I encourage you to visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Yours, Abubakar Siddique Twitter: @sid_abu P.S.: You can always reach us at gandhara@rferl.org. An attack by gunmen on two Chinese workers in Pakistan on July 28 is the latest in a string of incidents that has left Beijing reevaluating how best to protect its citizens and interests in the country, which has become strategically important as the centerpiece of its multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The most recent incident happened in the port city of Karachi, where gunmen on a motorbike opened fire on a car carrying the Chinese men, which sent them to the hospital with serious bullet wounds, RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal reported. The shooting comes on the heels of a July 14 explosion that caused a bus carrying Chinese and Pakistani personnel for a Chinese-funded dam project in northwest Pakistan to plunge into a ravine, killing nine Chinese citizens and four Pakistanis in an alleged terrorist attack. While Chinese workers and diplomats have been targeted before in Pakistan, the scope and frequency of the attacks is growing. The bus incident represents the deadliest-ever attack on Chinese personnel abroad and comes as the region braces itself for a worsening security situation in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of American troops that could spill over into neighboring countries like Pakistan. This recent wave of attacks is happening at a moment when the violent actors that tend to be most interested in targeting Chinese interests in Pakistan are undergoing a resurgence, Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at the Wilson Center, told RFE/RL. The risks to Chinese workers in Pakistan will only increase with the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan. The authorities are still investigating both incidents -- Pakistani law enforcement announced that they arrested two suspects in connection with the explosion on July 28 -- but the motive behind the attacks is not immediately clear, and no group has claimed responsibility for either incident. Still, China has responded with an aggressive posture and forceful rhetoric. The Chinese state-run Global Times said Beijing is closely following the shooting in Karachi and in response to the bomb blast, the newspaper said, anti-government forces who target Chinese nationals and projects in Pakistan would incur Beijings wrath. This was followed by similarly tough language by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who called for punishment of those responsible and for Pakistan to better protect Chinas interests in the country. "[China] will not only provide the necessary support and assistance if Pakistan's strength is insufficient, China's missiles and special forces could also directly participate in operations to eliminate threats against Chinese [nationals] in Pakistan with the consent of Pakistan, said a July 16 Global Times editorial. We will set an example as a deterrent. A New Normal The spate of attacks comes as China looks to cement its status as a regional leader in South and Central Asia. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) -- an estimated $60 billion worth of energy and infrastructure projects under the umbrella of the BRI -- has grown into one of the most visible displays of Chinas geopolitical ambitions abroad. The changing situation on the ground brings with it added security costs for CPEC. According to Kugelman, the situation could become increasingly risky for Beijings wider ambitions in Pakistan and potentially lead to China reconsidering its security options in the country. China has demanded more security in the past and yet the attacks have continued to happen, said Kugelman. One of the big questions is whether continued attacks could propel China to change course in how it addresses its security issues in Pakistan. Beijing appears to already be pressing Pakistan for action in the wake of the attacks. Following the bus explosion, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry called the incident an accident, which prompted a strong response from Beijing, which later demanded a probe of the blast. A Chinese investigative team has since been dispatched to Pakistan, and Islamabad appeared to change track on the explosion. During a July 16 phone call with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan assured his counterpart that Pakistan would investigate the terrorist attack. Beijing also canceled the 10th Joint Coordination Committee meeting -- a gathering that oversees CPEC and is chaired by top Pakistani and Chinese officials -- and suspended work on the Dasu Hydropower Project, where the workers killed in the bus explosion were employed. It added that most local employees would be laid off. That measure was later reversed following a request from Pakistani authorities. Beijing also met with top Pakistani officials on July 23 to discuss the security of Chinese citizens in the country and press Islamabad for changes, with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, the director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency. As the Americans leave [Afghanistan], attention is being diverted toward China, Ayesha Siddiqa, a research associate at London's School of Oriental and African Studies, told RFE/RL. This has been building for some time, but it is reaching a new phase. [Beijing] is looking for how it can bring things back under control. Looking To Afghanistan While the attacks still go unclaimed, Chinese experts have pointed to two groups that have targeted Chinese personnel and interests in the past as potential attackers: Balochistan militants and the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e Taliban (TTP). Baluch insurgents claiming to be aided by Sindhi separatists attacked Pakistan's stock exchange in June 2020, and in 2018 three gunmen tried to enter the Chinese Consulate in Karachi before being killed in a shoot-out. The attack was later claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army, a separatist group. In April, Chinas ambassador to Pakistan was narrowly missed in a terrorist attack at a hotel in Quetta where his delegation was staying. While stopping short at singling out a specific group on July 28, Qureshi blamed unnamed enemies for the Karachi attack on Chinese workers. Similarly, Pakistani Army spokesman Major-General Babar Iftikhar attributed the risk in attacks to the accelerating conflict in Afghanistan, saying during a July 17 interview that the leadership of all these [terrorist] networks is sitting across the border [in Afghanistan]. According to a recent monitoring report prepared for the United Nations Security Council, the TTP is growing in Afghanistan with an estimated 6,000 fighters along the Afghan border. The report added that the group has distinctive anti-Pakistan objectives but also supports the Afghan Taliban militarily inside Afghanistan against Afghan government forces. The Security Council report also pointed to the presence of hundreds of militants in Afghanistan with the aim of attacking China. There was a focus on anti-Beijing militants on July 28 in Tianjin, China, when Wang hosted a Taliban delegation. The talks reportedly covered urging the Taliban to accept a diplomatic solution to resolve hostilities in Afghanistan, but also focused on getting the militant group to rein in foreign fighters and not provide sanctuary to groups that could target Chinese interests, both inside and outside of China. The deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan and stepped up attacks on Chinese personnel has led to some speculation that China may push Islamabad to have its own security in Pakistan, as it currently does in many other countries along the BRI where Beijing uses private Chinese military contractors to protect workers and companies. But Siddiqa says such measures would face stiff resistance in Pakistan. While Islamabad is keen to preserve its relationship with Beijing and assuage its growing security concerns, Pakistani officials remain worried about the implications of Chinese security forces operating in the country, which could be a slippery slope for Islamabad. There will be more pressure on Pakistan to protect the Chinese and maybe let the Chinese take care of their own security, said Siddiqa. But Pakistan absolutely does not want this. They do not want Chinese boots on the ground. Pakistans foreign minister has blamed enemies of Pakistan for targeting workers at major Chinese-funded infrastructure projects after two attacks in which Chinese workers were killed or injured. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi did not elaborate on who the "enemies" were. But it is a term often used by officials to describe militants deemed as members of terrorist groups. Qureshi said a gun attack that injured two Chinese workers in Karachi on July 28 and an explosion of a bus that killed nine Chinese citizens on July 14 in the northwestern part of the country cannot demoralize Pakistan. An initial police report said one of the Chinese men who was shot in the July 28 attack was a nuclear engineer at the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant. But a later police report identified both Chinese men merely as "factory workers," omitting the reference to the nuclear plant. The Karachi nuclear plant has been undergoing an expansion since 2015 under a $10 billion project financed by China -- the biggest energy and infrastructure investor in Pakistan. Two new nuclear reactors there are scheduled to go online in 2021 and 2022. Our enemies want to weaken us, but they will not succeed," Qureshi said on July 29. "It was an act of the enemies of Pakistan who dont want progress of Pakistan. But we have close relations with China -- something that our enemies dont realize. Karachi -- the capital of Pakistan's southern Sindh Province -- also is home to several other major Chinese-funded construction projects. The attack on the bus took place in Upper Kohistan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province that borders Afghanistan. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry initially said the bus had a mechanical failure resulting in "the leakage of gas that caused a blast." But investigators later concluded the bus driver lost control after a suicide car bomber detonated his explosives nearby. The bus was carrying 40 Chinese workers to the construction site of a hydroelectric dam when it plunged into a ravine, killing nine Chinese workers and three Pakistanis. China has invested billions of dollars into Pakistan in recent years. But Chinese-funded projects have triggered discontent among some separatist groups who say local communities benefit little from the projects. Unidentified attackers threw a hand grenade at a police van in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar, killing a police officer and wounding two other officers and a bystander before fleeing the scene, police said. No one immediately claimed the attack. Police say they have launched an investigation into the attack on July 30 at the Karkhano Market. In a statement, Peshawar police said the attack happened while officers were visiting the market to ensure people were adhering to social distancing rules to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Pakistani authorities have tasked police and government administrators of ensuring that people wear face masks and take other precautions after the country saw a spike in COVID-19 cases flooding hospitals last week. The Karkhano Market is known for its smuggled imported goods with large crowds visiting daily from all over Pakistan. Peshawar is the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, which borders Afghanistan. The Pakistani military has carried out several operations against militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. With reporting by AP HERAT, Afghanistan -- Fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security forces was reported July 30 on the outskirts of the western city of Herat, the capital of Herat Province. The Taliban claimed its fighters entered part of the provincial capital. But Afghan officials in Kabul rejected that claim, saying a Taliban advance was repelled. The reports come as the Taliban continues to seize territory across Afghanistan while U.S. and other foreign forces near the completion of their withdrawal from the country. Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Mirwais Stanekzai told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi on the evening of July 30 that the districts of Enjel and Gozara, adjacent to the provincial capital, were both under the control of government forces and that the "outskirts of the city of Herat also has been cleared of Taliban." "Dozens of villages have been cleared," Stanekzai told Radio Azadi, adding that the Taliban "were defeated intensively." "Their death toll is also very high," Stanekzai said. "At the moment, the Gozara and Enjel districts are in our control. Both districts are near the city of Herat -- located at the entry point of the city. Fawad Aman, deputy spokesman of the Afghan Defense Ministry, told Radio Azadi that Afghan security and defense forces "defeated Taliban and repelled their attacks in the provinces of Herat, Kandahar, Helmand, and Takhar." WATCH: Taliban Threat Drives Families In Kunar Province To Flee Through Harsh Desert "They were defeated on the outskirts of Herat city," Aman said. "Taliqan, the capital city of Takhar Province, also was cleared of Taliban. On the outskirts of Kandahar city, the Afghan security forces have launched offensive operations. Inshallah, the situation will get better." Reuters quotes one Afghan government official on July 30 as saying that government forces have been able to hold back the Taliban's advance into Herat city with the help of air strikes. Speaking on condition of anonymity, that Afghan official said the operations were hampered by the presence of civilians in the area. UN Compound Under Attack Meanwhile, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said one security guard was killed when the UN compound in Herat came under attack on July 30. The United Nations said after the attack that it was urgently seeking to establish a full picture of the assault. It said the attackers fired guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers at entrances to the compound that were clearly marked as the gates of a UN facility. This attack against the United Nations is deplorable and we condemn it in the strongest terms, said Deborah Lyons, the UN special representative for Afghanistan. The perpetrators of this attack must be identified and brought to account." U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter condemned what she described as an "attack on the UN compound in Herat by anti-government militants." "We continue to call for an immediate end to this ongoing violence in Afghanistan," Porter told reporters in Washington. The chairwoman of Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission, Shaharzad Akbar, said the attack on the UN compound could amount to a war crime. Reading the news and my heart is burning, Akbar said on Twitter. Thinking about everyone who is living in fear at this moment in Afghanistan. Every family that cant even plan for tomorrow. All the terrorized children. What has war brought us but misery, suffering, uncertainty, and dependency? Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that security guards could have sustained injuries in a cross fire due to close proximity of the [UN] office to the fighting." In a Twitter statement on July 30, Mujahid said Taliban fighters have "arrived at the scene" and that the UN compound is "not under any threat." The Taliban has already captured most districts in the province of Herat, which borders Iran. If confirmed, even a brief advance by the Taliban into Herat city would mark the second provincial capital to be entered by the militants within 24 hours. The Taliban on July 29 entered Lashkargah, the capital of the southern province of Helmand, with fighting reportedly continuing there on July 30 as civilians fled. The Taliban has overrun dozens of districts and seized several strategic border crossings during the last two months. Earlier on July 30, UNAMA expressed deep concern about fighting in and around the southern city of Kandahar. It warned of grave consequences for civilians. A senior government official in Kandahar told Reuters on condition of anonymity on July 30 that fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security forces had reached the central parts of the city, adding that residents fear the Taliban could take over the city. Human Rights Watch warned on July 30 that Taliban fighters are targeting their known critics with "revenge attacks" in territory that the militants have recently seized, despite claiming they have ordered their fighters to act with restraint. "In Kandahar, the Taliban have been detaining and executing suspected members of the provincial government and security forces, and in some cases their relatives," the U.S.-based rights group said. This story is based on reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Azadi correspondents on the ground in Afghanistan. Their names are being withheld for their protection. Colorado Springs, CO (80903) Today Scattered thunderstorms during the morning becoming more widespread this afternoon. High 78F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. Low 58F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. PUEBLO Dean Gray knows exactly where his hometowns signature dish was born. You can pretty much go to any restaurant in Pueblo and get a slopper, he says, but were the ones that originated it. By we, he means the joint his family has owned for nearly 40 years, Grays Coors Tavern, previously Johnnies Coors Tavern when it opened in 1934. The tavern has been called an institution and landmark, a center where locals and visitors converge for a schooner of beer the bowl-shaped glass associated with margaritas and a burger submerged in green chili. Bartenders celebrate newcomers by ringing a bell and announcing (so and so) is no longer a slopper virgin! while regulars offer a warning: Dont go too far from the bathroom. One can stick around and survey history on the walls, learning of how Coors Tavern came to be in the year after Prohibition lifted. Adolf Otterstein picked the booming steel city to host a pub showcasing his brew. Now the tavern is a go-to spot for families after ball games and families reuniting. Those who leave Pueblo work up a craving that they swear cant be satisfied anywhere else. The tavern is kind of like a beacon for the community, Gray says, and the slopper is such a staple. And indeed, the wide belief around town is that the soaked burger took off inside Coors. Covering our buns in chili since 1950, reads the back of Grays shirt, proudly worn as he scarfs down another mound of meat and goop. You think of a chili dog, people get that all the time, says the taverns co-owner and Grays sister, Carrie Fetty. I dont know what possessed someone to say, I want chili on my burger. Apparently, that was tavern regular Herb Casebeer in the 50s. He asked owner Johnnie Greco to slop up his burger, according to the story maintained by the tavern and told in a Pueblo Chieftain investigation from 2007, which included interviews with Greco descendants. One remembered Casebeer always wanted an open-faced hamburger with lots of red chili over it. So we put it in a bowl. The story continues of cook Bennie Palumbo spreading the slopper gospel beyond Coors, helping to establish green chili, not red, as the standard. He went on to own Star Bar, which reportedly thrived thanks to the most indelicate delicacy. You couldnt even sit in here! recalls John Armijo, who grew up in Star Bars neighborhood in the 1960s and still lives down the street. Sorry, he tells the bars two-year owner sitting beside him with a Bud Light: The slopper simply migrated here. Sam Romero has heard different from other old-timers. No, no, Romero replies. I say it started here! Its a story many a local eatery would like to claim especially Star Bar, a dive with years of fits and starts (the kitchen today is a work in progress, admits the new owner). Hard as it may be to top Coors Tavern as the first, several have vied for the title of best. That includes Sunset Inn, which creates a distinct slopper. Rather than split and smothered, Sunset Inns burger is fully formed to float in what appears to be a salad bowl. The shredded cheese atop the bun melts with the steamy ladle of green chili. Other places might also top the burger pool with tomato and lettuce, while the old style at Coors consists of chopped onions and oyster crackers. The way it was originally intended is the way we serve it, Gray says with a hint of defiance. In 2010, Travel Channels Food Wars featured a bout between Grays Coors Tavern and Sunset Inn. The show told of Pueblos most famous natural resource: the Pueblo chile or mira sol chile, Spanish for facing the sun, as the peppers do in the surrounding fields. No dish has made the mira sol more famous than the saucy, sexy slopper, said the shows host, Camille Ford. And no dish, she said, has been more locally disputed than the slopper. In the show, Coors Tavern was depicted as a perennial champion and Sunset Inn an underdog, its slopper having only hit the scene in 1996. In a blind taste test with five judges, the underdog prevailed with one more vote. Gray shrugs at the nationally televised upset. Whatever. He points to a Chieftain poll that preceded the contest: 779 voters said Coors made the best slopper, followed by 343 for Sunset Inn and 282 for elsewhere. At any rate, it seemed everyone was a winner after the show. Lines of people spilled out the doors of Coors. In the steel heyday, there were similar lines at the tavern working men of Colorados largest population ending the day with a cold one. The industry and population took a hard turn in the 1980s, when the Gray family took over the tavern. The economy threatened their new enterprise. But I dont ever remember Mom and Dad struggling, Fetty says. The good times still roll for her and her brother. Theyll sell close to 300 sloppers on an average day, they say, with that number closer to 500 on busy days. For the changes theyve seen in their hometown, the slopper crave remains. Grays pride is no wonder. Ive probably eaten 20,000 of these sloppers in my life, he says, and theyre still good to me. On the menu Gray's Coors Tavern's "regular" slopper ($10.75) consists of two beef patties and an open bun and can be doubled (four patties, $12.25) and tripled (six, $14.25). Smothered fries on top $2.95 extra. Cheeseburgers without green or red chili also available, starting at $7.75. Steel City S.O.B. ($11.95) is an Italian sausage sandwich on a hoagie, topped with green chilies, mustard, lettuce and cheese. Another take on the S.O.B. includes barbecue sauce, mayo and fried peppers and onions. The Mexican side of the menu is also popular. Burritos ($8.25) and enchiladas ($8.95) are stuffed with choice of beef, chicken or chorizo and topped with green chili. Colorado Springs, CO (80903) Today Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High 76F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms. Low 59F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. "She just did not want to accept the fact that John had died," Jack Adams, a second cousin of Mulick's, said. "And I dont blame her. Mary was very soft-hearted." Now, there no longer needs to be alternative theories about what might've happened. On Saturday, at 11 a.m. at Calvary Cemetery in Elma, Mulick will be reinterred after about 80 years away from his hometown. Closure "My wife and myself will be there. And our families. And were just looking forward to the closure. Its going to be a nice thing," Adams said. Unfortunately Mary won't see her brother finally laid to rest. Adams said that she died several years back. As did Mulick's brother Bob, who also tried to find out as much as he could about John and served in the military as well. In fact, he enlisted in the Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor. "They didnt know anything except that he was MIA and that fired Bob up enough that he enlisted," Adams said. Adams and his cousins, Maureen and Theresa Gaffey, actually had a hand in helping to confirm Mulick's identity, which started the process for his reinternment. If tourists are getting sick, they're taking it home with them. Sohal said most of the COVID-19 patients at Lake Regional are locals, or people like Barker transferred from other hospitals. Statewide, hospitalizations for COVID-19 have more than doubled since the start of June, and the number of ICU patients has more than tripled. Since June 7, Lake Regional has admitted 125 patients with the virus. As of Tuesday, it had 21 COVID-19 patients, including eight in intensive care and four on ventilators. Sohal himself signed about a half dozen death certificates over the past week. Sohal said many patients now are younger in their 20s, 30s or 40s and sicker, often with gastrointestinal distress in addition to breathing problems. Hospital staff members are exhausted. Among those feeling the strain is ICU nurse Chris Murphy, who spends much of his day running from one room to the next. Its devastating people and families, Murphy, a former combat medic, said of the virus. "And you should take precautions. Sohal said nearly everyone hospitalized is unvaccinated. Patients have said they worried about vaccine side effects, or felt the vaccines were rushed out took quickly. So a smug boomer like John Skipper thinks I'm incredibly selfish because I will not take an experimental mRNA gene therapy that has only received emergency use authorization rather than FDA approval under any circumstances as a matter of principle. Silly me. I thought I lived in a free country where I could make my own medical decisions, leave my house without government permission, choose to wear a burka, yarmulke, or face mask in public if I do or do not want to, and where even smug boomers were entitled to their opinions. And yet there is a worrying trend where it seems increasingly like I am the one, who in fact, is wrong. I don't trust the authorities and that's their own fault. Anyone who thinks "misinformation" is a threat should just throw the Bill of Rights in the trash, stop calling themselves American, and just admit you'd rather live in Communist China because we lowly peasants aren't smart enough to be allowed to think. Last week Fauci perjured himself to Congress by denying that the American NIH has funded gain of function virus research in the Wuhan lab with American taxpayer dollars. The US intelligence apparatus says the virus came from that Wuhan lab. China's says it came from Fort Detrick. Danville plans to buy 53.45 acres from the Danville Industrial Development Authority to expand Anglers Park. A $200,000 grant from the Virginia Outdoors Foundation would pay for purchase and development of the land that begins at the end of Stinson Drive. The property is located between Dan Daniel Memorial Park and Anglers Park. It really is a good connection between the two parks, said Bill Sgrinia, director of Danville Parks and Recreation. Anglers Park currently covers more than 300 acres and includes about 27-30 miles of single-track bike trails, Sgrinia said. Development of the additional 53 acres would include adding a half mile of paved walkway to the Riverwalk Trail and extending the bike trail. The Riverwalk Trail is about 10 to 11 miles long. The grant calls for the project to include a trail head to connect to the Riverwalk Trail, interpretive signs and a picnic shelter, Sgrinia wrote in a letter to Danville City Council. This grant requires the city to agree to an easement on the property that will protect the forest from deforestation, Sgrinia wrote. Please log in to keep reading. Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. It is the 24th historical highway marker erected in Danville, Mayor Alonzo Jones pointed out during the ceremony. The marker was installed last year, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused the the dedication to be postponed, Jones said. The historic resources board approved the marker for the site because it met criteria including historic significance beyond the city, Jennifer Loux, Highway Marker Program manager with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, said during an interview in January 2020. It needs to have significance on at least a regional, if not statewide, level and it ties to trends in American history, Loux explained of requirements needed to qualify for a historic sign. The building was donated by the Mary B. Yancey family to Alpha Kappa Alpha in 2006. The Grasty branch, which was torn down, was adjacent to the Yancey House and served as the library for African Americans in Danville. Karice Luck-, a member of the Virginia Board of Historic Resources, said, "All of these sites are essential in telling the complete story, the story of our ancestors, by including their stories in the historical narrative of this country that they helped build." The CDC on Tuesday walked back earlier guidance that said vaccinated Americans could opt out of wearing masks in most settings. Now, the CDC says that even those who are vaccinated should resume wearing masks inside indoor public spaces if their localities are reporting more than 50 new infections per 100,000 residents over the past seven days, or if the seven-day positivity rate is higher than 8%. That includes most localities in the state, including all localities in the Richmond area, with the exception of Powhatan County, according to the CDC's COVID-19 data tracker. The CDC urged local and state health officials to examine its figures weekly and adjust local restrictions accordingly. The Northam administration, which controls public restrictions in the state, has declined to impose new requirements on Virginians, and will instead encourage people broadly to wear masks indoors. A Northam administration official said the CDC's new guidance would be confusing and practically impossible to enforce. The fast-changing local COVID-19 data could leave local health officials and businesses operating under new rules from one week to the next, and under different rules from one local county line to another. British militarys United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said an investigation was underway into the attack and that coalition forces were taking part. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation, told The Associated Press that the attack appeared to have been carried out by a one-way drone and that other drones took part. The official said it wasn't immediately known who launched the attack and declined to elaborate. Israeli officials, who similarly spoke on condition of anonymity as they weren't authorized to talkj to the media, blamed Tehran for the attack, adding that Israel's campaign against (Iran) will continue. Israel considers Iran to be its biggest threat, citing Tehrans hostile rhetoric, support for anti-Israeli militant groups and growing influence in the region. The remarks came after an earlier report from private maritime intelligence firm Dryad Global referred to a drone sighting involving the vessel prior to the attack. Iran and Yemen's Tehran-backed Houthi rebels have in the past employed suicide drones unmanned aircraft loaded with explosives that detonate on impact with a target. GREENSBORO The Lee + Wrangler Hometown Studio store in downtown Greensboro has moved to a new location, the clothing brands parent company announced Thursday. The store is now at 603 S. Elm St., Kontoor Brands said in a news release, and will have its grand opening next Friday. The store, which was previously in a smaller space just a few blocks north, will be open intermittently until then, a spokeswoman said. Since opening in 2019, the Lee + Wrangler Hometown Studio has provided a unique opportunity for our brands to create a direct connection with our consumers in Greensboro, a community that we are proud to call home, Chris Waldeck, global brand president of Lee, said in the release. The new location ... offers an expanded retail footprint that we can leverage as a test-and-learn environment, offering local consumers a taste of the latest retail trends along with our iconic denim products. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The Lee + Wrangler Hometown Studio will feature the brands most popular collections, as well as rotating, limited edition brand collaborations. The store also will offer custom tailoring and laser imaging, along with music and special events throughout the year, according to the release. Steinway provides all three to EMF. When the festival ends, Steinway offers each piano for sale at prices ranging from $7,000 to $170,000, said Leeanna Spellman, who manages the Steinway Piano Gallery in the Jefferson Village Shopping Center. Although the upper range might sound pricey, thats less expensive than a new one. A handcrafted Steinway baby grand piano starts at $80,000, Love said. At EMF, they get test driven during high-quality concerts. And if they sell the pianos at the festival, Steinway doesnt have to shoulder the expense of moving them back to galleries. Steinway Carolinas typically sells 10 to 14 pianos during the EMF event each year, Spellman said. Don Bastin of Greensboro said he plans to visit the sale. It wasnt the piano sales trend that attracted him, but a flier in the mail. He and his wife, Kathy, are looking for an upright for their two grandchildren to play at their grandparents home. After the vaccine requirement was announced July 22, Davis said he came home to find his wife weeping on the bathroom floor. She was told if she does not take the vaccine, shes going to be forced to be fired, Davis said. She feels betrayed. She was on the frontlines for two years. Now, all of a sudden, they want to do this. The hospital system, which serves Guilford, Alamance, Rockingham, Forsyth, Caswell and Randolph counties, announced the decision amid the spread of the virus more contagious delta variant. Health officials have said the variant is dominating new COVID-19 cases. Though the requirement goes into effect Friday, employees are being given a window of time to comply. They have until Oct. 1 to receive the vaccination and must submit proof of vaccination by Oct. 8, Cone Health said. The organizations stance hasnt changed in light of the protest. We value our team members rights to voice their concerns, Cone Health said in a statement Thursday. At the same time, we remain steadfast in our decision to require the COVID-19 vaccine because keeping our patients and communities safe at all times is at the core of our values and our commitments. James added that the police department has seized more than 1,000 illegal firearms this year. Thats more than double the number picked up this time last year. He talked about the variety of programs he hopes will continue to decrease violent crime. Still, he added that poverty and the many disadvantages associated with it are at the root of many violent crimes. Councilwoman Goldie Wells, who represents District 2 in east Greensboro, said the crime map that James presented on Thursday shows the legacy of neglect in an entire swath of the city. We have the most poverty, the most unemployment, the worst schools, Wells said of her district and Councilwoman Sharon Hightowers District 1, which is also in east Greensboro. We have all of the worst of everything. We represent that crescent. If anybody looks at those maps theyre going to say, Whats wrong with that part of our city? She called for City Council to create an intentional strategy to target the root causes of crime, whether they be poverty, inadequate housing or the lack of broadband internet. The police department cannot do it all theyre doing the best they can, Wells said. We as council need to focus on the root cause of poverty. I do think we have a responsibility to lift them out of it. Were the ones sitting here now and were the ones at this point of change. Were going to have to step out and do something that nobody else has done. Contact Richard M. Barron at 336-373-7371 and follow @BarronBizNR on Twitter. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. CHARLOTTE The summer heat can be an inconvenience for many, but too much exposure to the sun can lead to heat-related illnesses and death. There were 75 heat-related deaths in North Carolina from 2016 to 2020 and on Monday, more names were almost added to the list. Two surveyors working in a remote area in southeast Winston-Salem got dehydrated after they ran out of water. Emergency crews mounted a rescue operation to bring them to safety. For the past few years, every summer seems to bring hotter temperatures for longer periods, and were starting to feel it. More than 1,000 heat-related visits to hospital emergency departments were reported in North Carolina between May 1 and July 10, according to the state. Last year, nearly 3,100 such visits were reported in the summer months. Climate Central, a research organization made up of scientists and journalists, says the state is seeing more extreme heat these days. Since 1979, the group reported, there has been a 19-day increase in Charlotte in the average number of days above 90 degrees days each year. The average summer temperature in the city has increased 2.4 degrees since 1970. They say one thing then they tell you another, she said, cigarette in hand. I keep up with all that Fauci stuff. The mask wasnt going to do good, then the mask was good. How do you know what to do? If they cant say the truth about one thing, how do you know theyre telling the truth about the other? Ive got friends say to me, I got the COVID shot and still got COVID. Why get the shot? The anti-vaccine type Inside Eds Grill, a downtown hot dog restaurant, few diners wear masks, though the staff mans the cash register, takes orders and cooks lunch with their faces covered. Ringing up a customer, Robert Strickland explains that he worked 20 years for the Columbus County Health Department before taking this job, and he knows the anti-vaccine type. They dont want to listen to nobody, he said. Some people think the vaccine has some kind of chip in in it. I dont know if its pride or what. Theyre just not going to do it. At the health department, Director Kim Smith said she has held clinics in Whiteville, Riegelwood, Tabor City, Chadbourn and Fair Bluff some of them until 8 p.m. Vaccinations at the clinic are down to one day a week Friday and roughly 30 people come. Sometimes I hate it when Im right. My April Fools Day column predicted that our return to life as we knew it before COVID would likely be determined by those who refused to take the shot. We, who have been vaccinated, are paying a price for those anti-vaxxers who selfishly choose not to protect themselves, but they also disregard the health and freedoms of the rest of us. Here are the facts, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. After peaking at 12,079 cases on Feb. 3, North Carolina began a decline in the number of daily new cases, reaching a low of 55 on June 26. About that same time, we witnessed a slowdown in the numbers being vaccinated. The delta variants appearance sparked a dramatic spike in our case numbers and hospitalizations. In just a bit more than a month we jumped from 55 to 3,268 on July 29. Our hospitalizations more than doubled, rising from 374 on June 26 to 1,141 this week. Almost every new case, every new hospitalization came from those who were not vaccinated. Location of the body, according to the FCSO. Ashley Williams Watt walks near a wellhead and flowline at her ranch, Friday, July 9, 2021, near Crane, Texas. The wells on Watt's property seem to be unplugging themselves. Some are leaking dangerous chemicals into the ground, which are seeping into her cattle's drinking water. And she doesn't know how long it's been going on. Montana renters are protected by the CDC order halting evictions until it expires. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates just over 400 Montana residents are somewhat likely to be evicted from their homes in the next two months. WHAT'S BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? Montana has received more than $350 million in federal funding to help tenants with outstanding rent, utility payments and other expenses. Last year, it allocated $50 million from the federal CARES Act for rental assistance and ended up providing $8.4 million to 2,500 tenants. The $600 per week in supplemental unemployment payments last year appeared to be a factor in lower-than-expected application numbers early in the pandemic, the Department of Commerce said. Late last year and this year, the state received another $352 million in federal emergency rental assistance, the minimum amount allocated to small states. Renters can receive up to $2,200 per month for past-due and future rent payments, up to $300 for utility payments and $50 per month for internet. Households are eligible for that assistance for a maximum of 15 months, dating back to April 1, 2020, if they earn less than 80% of the median income in their area and can show the pandemic affected their income. Roughly 2% of Montana is in "abnormally dry" territory, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, a collaborative effort by federal agencies. The rest of the state is in worse condition: moderate, severe, extreme or exceptional drought levels. "What's keeping me up at night is that right now 100% of the state is anywhere from abnormally dry to a state of exceptional drought," said Michael Downey, water planning section supervisor with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. "There's not much of the state that's even in an abnormal drought, everything is moderate to extreme." Downey said dry conditions last fall and limited snowpack over the winter teed Montana up for the cookoff that has put city officials statewide on their toes over the last month. Current temperatures last time Helena had this many days above 90 degrees was 2007 has Downey concerned about the months to come. The state is in "substantially worse" drought conditions than 2017, but those 2017 conditions didn't arrive until the end of August. "If you look at where we are now, right now we're about where we were at the end of August, early September," Downey said. "And we still have six weeks to go." Every day that we awaken to a red sun or feel the heat or worry about Montana's fisheries collapse brings the effects of climate change that much closer. With record floods, heat waves, and hurricanes, the stakes keep mounting. And unfortunately, it will get worse before it gets better. We know we need to limit carbon use but that process will take effort. Finally, there are bipartisan efforts to address climate crisis through market solutions. Now it's within our reach that everyone can get paid in the process! There are several carbon pricing bills gaining steam in Congress now, including the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (HR 2307) with 77 co-sponsors, Americas Clean Future Fund Act (S. 685), Save Our Future Act (S. 2085), and the Market Choice Act (HR 3039), introduced by Republican Brian Fitzpatrick. Putting a price on carbon would not only reflect the real costs of burning fossil fuels, but could put money in the pockets of every citizen by returning the revenue as a dividend. That means each of us would get a monthly check while we reduce carbon worldwide. Q: What happened to So You Think You Can Dance for this summer? Also, Jennifer Lopezs dance show. A: A profile of SYTYCDs Nigel Lythgoe in Variety earlier this summer said the shows highly anticipated return is still to be determined; (but) the last season wrapped up with a live finale in September 2019, almost two years ago. While that long delay could be blamed on the pandemic, which scuttled a 17th season originally planned for 2020, I have not seen anything from Fox about the show coming back. World of Dance, NBCs competition series with Lopez, did manage a COVID-protected fourth season in 2020, but the network decided not to order a fifth run. Q: I enjoy Vera on PBS. Is David Leon being replaced? A: You may be seeing older episodes of the British mystery series starring Brenda Blethyn as police detective Vera Stanhope. David Leon left the show in 2014 after four seasons as Joe Ashworth, with Kenny Doughty replacing him as a new character, Aiden Healy. Blethyn reportedly said that Leons leaving was a low point for her during the show. Still, she praised Doughtys work, saying theres a great camaraderie among the whole cast and crew, but especially between Kenny and me. David Leon, who is also a director, did return to helm an episode in 2018. Q: What has happened to Frank on American Pickers? A: The History series announced Frank Fritzs departure in late July after more than a decade on the show, although he had reportedly not been in a new episode since early 2020. Fritz in a recent interview with the U.S. edition of Britains Sun publication, discussed his battle with Crohns disease, a back problem that required surgery, and a drinking problem he blamed on his breakup with a girlfriend (adding he now has not had a drink in almost a year). He also underscored a feud with Pickers star Mike Wolfe, saying he had not talked with Wolfe in almost two years. Fritz has speculated that Wolfe disliked Fritzs stardom being on a par with his own. But in a statement Wolfe reportedly said, I will miss Frank, just like all of you, and I pray for the very best and all good things for him on the next part of his journey. Q: Midnight, Texas, was a show I enjoyed. Any news about a possible revival? A: No. After NBC canceled the series in 2018, the studio was said to be shopping it to other programmers. But so far no one has decided to bring back the drama based on the books by Charlaine Harris. Q: Do you know where to find an episode of a Twilight Zone type show (i.e., Outer Limits, Night Gallery, Tales from the Darkside, etc.) that featured a magician who transplanted a gland from a cat that gave him nine lives? He used the nine lives to perform death-defying stunts in his magic act. Can you tell me the show it was on and the episode title? A: That was a 1989 episode of Tales from the Crypt called Dig That Cat Hes Real Gone. It was written by Terry Black and Steven Dodd and directed by Richard Donner (who passed away in early July). The cast included Joe Pantoliano and Robert Wuhl. The series has been released on DVD, with this episode in the first season package. Q: I am wondering if one of my favorite shows, Bless This Mess, is returning. I laughed so hard at EVERY episode. I LOVED the quirky characters. A: Unfortunately, not enough people shared your enthusiasm. ABC canceled the series after two seasons. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Decatur police on Friday released details about a crash that sent four people, including an infant, to the hospital. JEFFERSON CITY More than 200,000 visitors are expected to roll into a central Missouri county next month, but there will be no requirement that anyone wear a mask. Amid a surge in coronavirus cases and a stagnant vaccination rate, the head of the Pettis County Health Center said officials have not issued a mask mandate during the Aug. 12-22 running of the Missouri State Fair. We have no plans to reinstitute a mask requirement, health administrator JoAnn Martin told the Post-Dispatch on Thursday. In a state where just 41% of the population is vaccinated against the deadly respiratory disease, Pettis County, home to Sedalia and the state fairgrounds, sits at a 30% vaccination rate. In neighboring Johnson County, Whiteman Air Force base recently declared a public health emergency and imposed COVID safety measures for base personnel. Since Monday, all individuals on the base have been required to wear cloth face coverings at all times when indoors and when the maintenance of 6 feet of physical distance in outdoor work areas is not possible, regardless of personal vaccination status. This years fair comes after the 2020 event was canceled because of the pandemic and replaced by a smaller youth livestock show. The fair also lost a number of off-season events due to the ongoing spread of the virus. There were 345 events on the fairgrounds in 2019 but fewer than 260 last year. To get the 2021 fair running, Gov. Mike Parson convinced lawmakers to earmark $1.6 million to replace fees and sponsorships the fair lost last year. Parson, a cattle farmer, was reluctant to shutter last years event. In June, just a month before it was canceled, Parson said he was trying to do everything we can to safely make it happen and keep tradition going and alive. Now, Parson has been lashing out at renewed calls for mask mandates, saying in a series of posts on Twitter that mask mandates for vaccinated people are wrong and erode public trust. Parson also called the new mask guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention disappointing and concerning and inconsistent with the overwhelming evidence surrounding the efficacy of the vaccines and their proven results. He, like others, warned that the measure would undermine efforts to encourage vaccine holdouts to get their shots by casting further doubt on the efficacy of approved vaccines, which have been shown to dramatically decrease the risk of death or hospitalization, despite the occurrence of breakthrough cases. Martin said the health department and fair officials will provide vaccines and COVID-19 testing opportunities to fairgoers while the event is underway. We are working closely with fairground administrators and staff, Martin said. She said Pettis County had a mask requirement, but the order expired in May and no members of the health board have expressed interest in a new one. In 2019, more than 337,000 people attended the fair. Attendance was not counted in 2020. Budget documents show the fair is expecting 200,000 visitors when it begins its 11-day run. Kurt Erickson 573-556-6181 @KurtEricksonPD on Twitter kerickson@post-dispatch.com Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 CLAYTON St. Louis Countys acting health director says the rumor is true: He gave someone the middle finger on his way out of the council meeting on the mask mandate Tuesday night. But in a letter to County Councilwoman Rita Heard Days sent Wednesday, Dr. Faisal Khan said he did it after a string of racist provocations from Republican politicians like Councilman Tim Fitch and a boisterously anti-mask audience pushed him past his limit. I have never been subjected to the racist, xenophobic and threatening behavior that greeted me in the County Council meeting last night, he wrote, after noting hes been in public health for 25 years. Fitch and others blamed for stoking racism and xenophobia dismissed Khans allegations as baseless. Fitch also said Khan was trying to provide political cover for County Executive Sam Page, who called for the mask mandate. The entire letter is another desperate attempt at deflection and diversion by Sam Page, Fitch said in an interview. Dr. Khan knew he was in trouble for (giving the middle finger) and this was an opportunity to put that on someone else. Khan appeared at the meeting as the council was considering a move to terminate the mask mandate as unlawful and unnecessary, which it would do despite the rising threat of the delta variant. During the debate, dozens of people, some of whom held signs with anti-mask messages, filled the council chambers to cheer on the action and jeer the mandates defenders. Khan said the trouble began as soon as he took the podium with a dog-whistle question from Fitch, looking to emphasize Khans foreign background. As he spoke, Khan said he also endured harassment from Republican politicians Paul Berry and Mark McCloskey, who sat close behind him in the audience. Berry was an unsuccessful candidate for county executive in 2020; McCloskey, who is running for U.S. Senate, gained notoriety with his wife, Patricia, for brandishing firearms at protesters last year. Both McCloskeys attended the council meeting. Khan also complained that when he asked Days for help ending the harassment, she lectured him on decorum rather than the hecklers. Khan said he also heard audience members mocking his accent while he was presenting and doing an impersonation of Apu, the caricatured Indian character in The Simpsons, the long-running animated comedy. And he said when he finished his presentation, the trouble really started. I tried to leave the chamber but was confronted by several people who were in the aisle, he said. I was shoulder-bumped and pushed. When he approached the exit, Khan said he was surrounded by the crowd and berated with racial slurs. After being physically assaulted, called racist slurs and surrounded by an angry mob, I expressed my displeasure by using my middle finger toward an individual who had physically threatened me and called me racist slurs, Khan wrote. He said he wished he had not reacted that way because it risked distracting people from the public health issue at hand. I have to say, however, that when faced with the racist vitriol that Councilman Fitch has been privately and publicly stoking against me since my appointment, I cannot say I am sorry, he wrote. Page, the county executive, backed Khan after the letters release. These actions against Dr. Khan are troubling and under investigation, he said in a statement. The behavior he has detailed is shameful and cannot be tolerated. Those criticized mostly brushed off the allegations. Fitch said he had no idea what Khan meant in accusing him of stroking racist vitriol. And he said the so-called dog-whistle question was simply an attempt to familiarize the audience with Khans credentials and referred a reporter to a recording of the meeting. Dr. Khan, we certainly have heard of your background before, but most here have not, he said during the meeting. Can you tell us why youre called Dr. Khan? Are you a physician in the United States? Khan said at the time that he is not a clinical physician but an epidemiologist focused on infectious diseases control. Fitch said that if Khan was indeed mistreated by the crowd, it would be uncalled for but said he did not know if Khans claims are true. Ben Bradley, a spokesman for McCloskeys campaign, said his boss never once heckled Khan. That is fictitious, he said. And Days, who chaired the meeting, said she did not intend to allow for any hostility toward Khan as he was speaking. She also noted that at one point Khan threw a little threat at her in threatening to leave if she did not impose decorum. That aside, she called the alleged treatment of Khan by the audience "unfortunate. Certainly its regrettable that he says he heard racial slurs and was surrounded by an angry mob, she said. That kind of activity should never be tolerated. Updated at 9:50 p.m. Wednesday, July 28, 2021 Austin Huguelet 314-788-1651 @ahuguelet on Twitter ahuguelet@post-dispatch.com Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 I was not expecting Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to be the voice of reason on the federal government's continuing and inane classification of cannabis as a dangerous drug with no currently accepted medical use. But there he was late last month, the author of a five-page statement accompanying the court's decision to turn down an appeal from a medical marijuana dispensary in Colorado. The dispensary has challenged a provision in the tax code that prohibits businesses that "traffic in controlled substances" from deducting ordinary business expenses from their taxable income. Although the court did not take the case, Thomas had some choice words for the government's illogical approach to pot. "The Federal Government's current approach is a half-in, half-out regime that simultaneously tolerates and forbids local use of marijuana," Thomas wrote. "This contradictory and unstable state of affairs strains basic principles of federalism and conceals traps for the unwary." While federal law still prohibits possession, cultivation or distribution of cannabis, the Department of Justice, Thomas noted, "has sent mixed signals." Under President Barack Obama, the Justice Department stopped interfering with legalization efforts in states, and every year since 2015, Congress has forbidden the department from spending any money to thwart the implementation of medical marijuana laws. A majority of states nearly 40 have legalized cannabis for medical use. And as Thomas noted, 18 of those have legalized marijuana for both medical and recreational use. Despite legalization, pot businesses are treated wildly unfairly when it comes to federally regulated areas such as income taxes and banking. They are forced to conduct all transactions in cash, because credit card companies generally do not permit cannabis-related charges and banks don't want to tangle with the feds. They can't deduct certain business expenses, including rent and employee salaries, from their federal taxable income. There are some glimmers of hope that the federal government will eventually liberalize its sclerotic view of marijuana. In January, Republican U.S. Rep. W. Gregory Steube of Florida introduced a bill, the Marijuana 1-to-3 Act, that would knock pot off the Drug Enforcement Administration's list of most dangerous substances, Schedule I, and list it in Schedule III, the category for drugs that have a currently accepted medical use and a risk of dependence. In April, the House of Representatives passed the SAFE Banking Act, which would allow cannabis-related businesses to access the banking system in states where they are legal and regulated. (This is the fourth time the House has taken on this issue; the first was in 2013.) The current bill passed with bipartisan support 321 to 101 and had the backing of 106 Republicans. In the past, bills like these haven't gotten far the first bill to deschedule pot was introduced in 1981, after all but attitudes toward cannabis have changed dramatically in the last decade. An overwhelming percentage of Americans 60% according to the latest Pew Research Center survey say marijuana should be legal for both medical and recreational use. If respondents are asked only whether medical marijuana should be legal, that number soars to 91%. At a moment when we are so riven by partisanship and conflict, who would have ever guessed that weed is one thing we can (almost) all agree on? Robin Abcarian is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 THUMBS DOWN! To staff vacancies. Macon County public schools may not be any worse off than anyplace else in the country, but the number of job vacancies for teachers is unnerving. There's also a shortage of bus drivers, which was also a concern for Decatur Public Schools when it reopened during the pandemic. There are enough uncertainties about returning to schools that shortages of those delivering the children and delivering the lessons benefit no one. THUMBS UP! To the special House committee investigating the Jan. 6 incident at the U.S. Capitol. Central Illinois representative Adam Kinzinger is on the committee. The role he plays and the decisions he makes on the committee will play a key role in his political futures. THUMBS DOWN! To high prices at the gas pump. There are understandable reasons for the increase. Supply is down thanks to unanticipated post-pandemic issues. (Parts of the country are also experiencing automobile and housing shortages.) Summer is traditionally a travel time, and people are making up for what they've missed. And of course, Illinois taxes have increased. We eagerly anticipate the flattening of the price. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 20 Thats why Im not giving you exact numbers on whats going to go to the counties, because that piece has not been added in there yet, but it will increase it some, Stranch said. He said that the full stipulations of the settlement will be publicly released next week and once the paperwork is complete, Endo will have a week to pay out the full $35 million. Turning damages into repairs The cases plaintiffs include more than 20 county, city and town governments in addition to the three DAGs and Baby Doe. In a joint statement about the settlement released Thursday morning, Staubus, Baldwin and Armstrong said that money will be divided among participating cities and counties based on population levels, with no restrictions on how the resources are to be expended. But Stranch said that each county, regardless of its size, will first get a flat amount he didnt say what that could fully fund a mobile addiction treatment program. JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. As Ballad Health officials continue pleading with the public to get vaccinated against COVID-19, they acknowledge there are instances that messaging falls on deaf ears. On Wednesday, the regions hospital system held its first media briefing in nearly two months after cases and hospitalizations increased sharply due to the novel coronavirus and its delta variant. Much of their message was urging people to learn about and take the vaccine. Only about 37% of residents of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia are fully vaccinated against the virus a figure that is significantly lower than the national average of nearly 50%. I cant tell people what to do for themselves. People have to make the choice for themselves, Ballad Health President and CEO Alan Levine said. The most important thing you can do is go to a trusted source of data and information. We would not advise you to get the vaccine if we felt the vaccine was unsafe. We believe the best way to protect yourself and not end up in the hospital struggling for your breath is to get vaccinated. Since last December, more than 160 million Americans have been vaccinated. Levine said there remain many sources publicly challenging the usefulness, efficacy and safety of the vaccines. As of Wednesday, the CDC listed Tennessee and a slew of other states as areas of high transmission. Meanwhile, the state continues to have one of the countrys lowest vaccination rates. As of Monday, nearly 39% of Tennessee residents have been fully vaccinated, while 43.7% have received at least one dose, according to the Tennessee Department of Health. Asked what prompted the letter, Lundberg said it emerged from conversations he had with the others who signed it. We thought there was a misperception out there. ... Lundberg said. We are absolutely against a mandate for vaccines. But a lot of people perceive that [as meaning], well, if youre against a mandate for vaccines, youre against vaccines. Well, thats not true. ... We werent being clear that while were against a mandated vaccine, we would certainly encourage everyone to go out and get vaccinated. Not only for them, but for their families, for their neighbors and for their friends. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} In the letter, the group said that the COVID-19 vaccines in use in the U.S. have been found to be safe and effective against the illness. It states that vaccines helped eradicate polio, smallpox and a string of other illnesses in the previous century. Florida is one of several states that enacted a moratorium last year halting eviction proceedings. Gov. Ron DeSantis allowed his executive order to expire at the end of September 2020, leaving only the CDC moratorium in place. When the federal protections are lifted, landlords in Florida must give tenants a minimum of three days to pay back rent before they can initiate the eviction process. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? Florida is using $1.4 billion from the federal government to help tenants pay delinquent rent, utility payments and other overdue expenses. About $530 million of that money will go directly to the state's largest communities those with populations of more than 200,000 to help renters in arrears. The rest of the money is being distributed by the state's Department of Children and Families through a new program called OUR Florida." The department website indicates that as of July 13, the program had paid more than $3.9 million in rental or utility assistance to 869 people. It says an additional $24 million has been pledged to more than 7,030 tenants deemed eligible and that it should be disbursed by the end of July. But the money isn't reaching needy families fast enough, said Democratic state Rep. Anna Eskamani. Revenue Commissioner David Gerregano said hes happy to help Tennesseans save more money and provide some tax relief. State Sen. Jon Lundberg says the new sales-tax holiday on food is intended to provide relief to all Tennesseans. He said the sales tax relief for prepared food will also aid restaurants, which have been especially hurt by the effects of the pandemic. The traditional sales tax holiday, which occurs before students go back to school each year, helps parents, students and teachers with expenses in preparation for the fall semester, said Lundberg, who supported passage of the legislation. But people of all ages, not just students, can realize sales tax savings on clothing, shoes, computers and other supplies. Lundberg said legislation passed by the General Assembly this year provided a sales tax holiday on gun safes and safety devices. The yearlong holiday began July 1 and ends June 30, 2022, and was designed to help encourage safe storage of firearms. Virginia's sales tax holiday is scheduled Aug. 6-8. Consumers can buy qualifying school supplies, clothing, footwear, hurricane and emergency preparedness items, and Energy Star and WaterSense products without paying sales tax, according to the Virginia Department of Taxation. New York City is planning to spend hundreds of millions of its pandemic-relief dollars to pay for, among other things, a mandatory new curriculum and 9 million books focused on cultural diversity. Some schoolchildren will surely benefit. But the citys one-size-fits-all approach to spending the first installment of its three-year, $6.9 billion windfall for schools is a mistake one that the next mayor should undo and other jurisdictions should avoid. In its latest, $129 billion round of pandemic aid for K-12 schools, the federal government is earmarking 90% for school districts the rest will go to state education departments and giving districts broad discretion for how to spend the money. Districts should give just as much discretion to individual schools, which have the best grasp of the needs of their students and communities. Chicago has taken that approach and will give about one-third of its pandemic funds to principals to spend as they see fit. This doesnt mean funds shouldnt be earmarked for broadly defined purposes for example, investing in outdoor learning or arts education, which has lacked funding for years. These officers from the Capitol Police and the Washington, D.C., police department are heroes. They defended the temple of American democracy as crazed supporters of President Donald Trump besieged the complex, seeking to disrupt a joint session of Congress meeting to certify Joe Bidens election. It was the only time the Capitol had been overrun since a British invasion during the War of 1812. Much more detail about the attack will be revealed as the select committee examines the causes of the Capitol riot, as well as the security vulnerabilities it exposed and the delayed response of the other police and armed forces who eventually arrived to help. But it is difficult to imagine testimony more compelling, vivid and frightening than the accounts of the officers who put their lives on the line to prevent an even greater calamity than the deaths of five people, including one officer. We now know that numerous leaders, including Vice President Mike Pence, would surely have been beaten or even killed if quick-thinking officers had not kept them from harm. A week after the riot, the House impeached Trump for inciting an insurrection, though he was acquitted thanks to Senate Republicans too cowardly to separate their once-great party from the parasitic demagogue who now controls it. HICKORY Seniors Morning Out sites are now open. Participants will enjoy a variety of activities in August including trips to the Hickory Farmers Market and many educational programs. Any resident of Catawba County who is 60 or older is invited to join Seniors Morning Out, which is held between 8 a.m. and noon Monday through Thursday at five locations. A hot, balanced lunch is served each day. Programs are free to participants, who may pick and choose which days to attend. Bus transportation to and from the sites is available in some locations. Program highlights include the following: At the Newton site, located at First Presbyterian Church, 701 N Main Ave., Newton: Aug. 5, summer sun safety; Aug. 9, painting wooden picture frames; Aug. 10, tai chi with Mary, Newton Recreation; Aug. 17, cooking class on banana pinwheel sandwiches; Aug. 24, science magic with Catawba Science Center; Aug. 25, breakfast at Parkway House then Hickory Farmers Market; Aug. 30, Medicare scams and fraud with Diane Trainor; Aug. 31, making healthy lifestyle choices. If you would like to participate in any of these activities, contact Jennifer Garcia at 828-455-4133 at least two days in advance. When the Net Zero Initiative was announced in 2020 as a commitment for dairy production to be carbon neutral by 2050 while optimizing water usage and quality, farmers may have been asking themselves the same question that Marilyn Hershey said shes heard from producers: Are we putting the cart before the horse? You know what, we did. We know we dont have all the answers in how were going to get there, said Hershey, a Pennsylvania dairy farmer and board chair for Dairy Management Inc., on the July 21 Hoards Dairyman DairyLivestream. But its very important that we come out with that commitment because, in coming out with it ourselves, were in charge of the narrative, she continued. Were in charge of the conversation. Of course, as dairy processors and customers aim to have more stake in how their food is produced, the sustainability conversation is not going to go away. If not driven by the producers, it will be driven by the consumers. Thus far, producers have had a say in this conversation, Hershey highlighted. We have farmers at the table who are helping to make this decision, she emphasized. Theres nothing that is not debated and discussed very strongly when we look at the board of directors. Economic opportunity At the same time that farmers need a voice at the table, climate and sustainability goals cannot come on the backs of farmers. The methods must make sense and be profitable. As a farmer myself, I dont want something coming down the pipe thats going to cost me more money. But we also know that theres opportunity there, Hershey said of existing and evolving environmental markets. Her own farm uses an anaerobic digester to process their manure, creating recycled bedding for the cows as well as electricity that is sold to the Philadelphia Electric Company. But she also emphasized that solutions must exist for every size and type of farm. While a digester might not be feasible for everyone, other manure products, carbon credits, or technologies that have yet to be developed can help turn practices farmers have been using for decades into additional revenue. Thats the mission of Newtrient, a company formed five years ago from 12 dairy co-ops and checkoff organizations. Jamie Vander Molen, vice president of sustainability initiatives and outreach, explained that they want to help farmers reduce their environmental impact, but in the most economically viable way possible. There is no one solution that will work for every farm, she noted. Read more about the revenue opportunities Newtrient is following in the article, Can we make sustainability a market? To watch the recording of the July 21 DairyLivestream, go to the link above. The program recording is also available as an audio-only podcast on Spotify, Google Podcasts, and downloadable from the Hoards Dairyman website. An ongoing series of events The next broadcast of DairyLivestream will be on Wednesday, August 4 at 11 a.m. CDT. Each episode is designed for panelists to answer over 30 minutes of audience questions. If you havent joined a DairyLivestream broadcast yet, register here for free. Registering once registers you for all future events. To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com. (c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2021 July 26, 2021 The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoards Dairyman. The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) today commended Representative Ron Kind (D-WI) and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai for hosting a trade forum at a Wisconsin dairy farm. Several dairy farmers had the opportunity to voice their concerns and priorities for dairy exports with Ambassador Tai and highlight the impact of trade policy on American dairy producers. USDEC and NMPF members participating in the event emphasized the need for greater market access for dairy products and the impediments trade barriers pose to greater international trade. At the event, dairy farmers belonging to NMPF and USDEC members Associated Milk Producers, Inc., Dairy Farmers of America, FarmFirst, and Organic Valley, among others, praised Congressman Kind for his leadership as he continues to encourage the Biden Administration to work toward greater opportunities in international markets. The event was hosted by Hamburg Hills Farm, an Organic Valley member located in Stoddard, Wisconsin. On behalf of dairy producers and their cooperatives, NMPF thanks Congressman Kind for his ongoing advocacy in securing trade opportunities for dairy farmers in Wisconsin and nationwide. Were grateful that Ambassador Tai and hardworking USTR staff are pursuing a dispute settlement case to finally secure Canadian market access granted under USMCA, said Jim Mulhern, President and CEO of NMPF. We look forward to working with Ambassador Tai, Representative Kind, and their staff to reduce foreign trade barriers through country-to-country dialogues and new trade agreements. Obtaining and expanding market share abroad is critical to U.S. dairy manufacturers and exporters. The global dairy industry is more competitive than ever, so we greatly appreciate Congressman Kind hosting Ambassador Tai on a dairy to provide tangible examples of why the U.S. dairy value chain depends on international trade, said Krysta Harden, President and CEO of USDEC. Were thrilled the ambassador could visit the farm to see for herself how Americas dairy farmers are producing for the global marketplace. We appreciate both of their personal efforts to ensure Canada meets its tariff-rate quota obligations under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Reuters journalist Danish Siddiqui, who was killed while covering the violence in Afghanistan, was apparently executed by the Taliban, a US-based weekly magazine has claimed. 38-year-old Siddiqui, who was the Chief Photographer for Reuters in India, was killed in Kandahar province's Spin Boldak district. Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui (Photo Credit - Tolo News) A new report published by The Washington Examiner claims that Danish was "not simply killed in the crossfire" but was rather "murdered" by the Taliban. Writing for the US magazine, Michael Rubin said the local probe suggests the Taliban attacked a mosque where Siddiqui was receiving treatment after they got to know about the presence of a journalist. NANGARHAR, AFGHANISTAN - JULY 23: Afghan security forces deployed and start operations against Taliban around Torkham border point between Afghanistan and Pakistan in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan on July 23, 2021, as recently Taliban attacked Spin Boldak border point in Kandahar. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) "Siddiqui was alive when the Taliban captured him. The Taliban verified Siddiqui's identity and then executed him, as well as those with him. The commander and the remainder of his team died as they tried to rescue him," he said. The report magazine further said: "While a widely circulated public photograph shows Siddiqui's face recognisable, I reviewed other photographs and a video of Siddiqui's body provided to me by a source in the Indian government that show the Taliban beat Siddiqui around the head and then riddled his body with bullets." Rubin further said that the Taliban's decision to execute Siddiqui, and then mutilate his corpse shows that they do not respect the rules of war or conventions. "The Taliban are always brutal but likely took their cruelty to a new level because Siddiqui was Indian. They also want to signal that Western journalists are not welcome in any Afghanistan they control and that they expect Taliban propaganda to be accepted as truth." NANGARHAR, AFGHANISTAN - JULY 23: Afghan security forces deployed and start operations against Taliban around Torkham border point between Afghanistan and Pakistan in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan on July 23, 2021, as recently Taliban attacked Spin Boldak border point in Kandahar. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Rubin even questioned State Department's decision to "pretend" that Siddiqui's death was just a tragic accident." "We are deeply saddened to hear that Reuters photojournalist Danish Siddiqui was killed while covering fighting in Afghanistan," said Jalina porter, principal deputy spokesperson State Department on July 16. Story continues Last week, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani had called the father of Danish Siddiqui and conveyed his condolences over the demise of his son to his family and friends. He termed his death as a great loss for the journalism fraternity. (Inputs by ANI) Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. Islamabad [Pakistan], July 30 (ANI): Pakistan election commission has issued a show-cause notice to Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, for not holding intra-party elections within the stipulated time. Dawn reported that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday served the notice and sought reasons from the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief for not holding intra-party polls due on June 13, 2021. Under the Elections Act, 2017, all political parties are required to hold intra-party elections on time. The ECP requires political parties to conduct intra-party elections before every five years, and the parties can hold the polls in three or four years as enshrined in their respective constitutions. "... in terms of Section 215 (4) of the Elections Act, 2017, you are required to show cause as to why your party may not be declared ineligible to obtain an election symbol for upcoming Election (s)," the ECP notice to the premier reads. The ECP also sought a response from the prime minister within 14 days, warning that the election commission "shall take further action under the law" if the notice was not responded to, Dawn reported further. The election commission said a political party was required to submit a certificate signed by an office-bearer of the party, assuring that the polls were held in accordance with the constitution of the political party and the Elections Act. However, the PTI failed to provide the certificate with regard to the conduct of intra-party elections due on June 13, 2021 as required under legal requirements, said the ECP. It also highlighted that a political party enlisted under the Elections Act shall be eligible to obtain an election symbol for contesting elections for parliament, provincial assemblies or local government after the submission of the certificate of intra-party elections. (ANI) By Doina Chiacu and Nandita Bose WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Kamala Harris will become the first U.S. vice president to visit Vietnam next month during a trip that will also include Singapore and is aimed at rallying international support to counter China's growing influence. Harris will discuss regional security, the global response to COVID-19, climate change, and "our joint efforts to promote a rules-based international order," said spokesperson Symone Sanders. Former U.S. foe Vietnam has emerged as a key U.S. partner and a vocal opponent of China's territorial claims in the South China Sea. Harris' trip will follow one that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made this week to Hanoi. "President Biden and Vice President Harris have made it a top priority to rebuild our global partnerships and keep our nation secure, and this upcoming visit continues that work," the White House said in a statement outlining Harris's travel plans. It did not give precise dates for her trip and diplomats said these were still being worked on. In Vietnam on Thursday, Austin sought to nudge forward security ties that have been steadily deepening amid shared concern about China's activities in the South China Sea. Austin also visited the Philippines and scored a significant success when its President Rodrigo Duterte restored a pact governing the movement of U.S. troops in and out of the country, something strategically vital for U.S. efforts to counter China. Analysts said Harris's visit would be important to emphasize Washington's commitment to Southeast Asia, and several speculated it could result in more pledges of U.S. vaccines to the region, which has been hit hard recently by COVID-19. "The Austin visit this week was badly needed to show Southeast Asia that the U.S. wants to engage," said Murray Hiebert, a Southeast Asia expert at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies. Story continues "Austin was under pressure to deliver this message and Harris will do the same." On Sunday, the United States shipped 3 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam and it has sent doses to other Southeast Asian countries too, but an agreement it reached in March with Japan and Australia and India to provide a billion doses to the region stalled due to an Indian export ban. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman visited Indonesia, Cambodia and Thailand in late May and early June and Japan, South Korea and Mongolia this month before heading to China for talks that appeared to do little to ease deeply strained ties. President Joe Biden highlighted the threat Washington sees from China this week, saying that Chinese leader Xi Jinping was "deadly earnest about becoming the most powerful military force in the world, as well as the largest and most prominent economy in the world by the mid-40s, the 2040s." On her first overseas trip in office, Harris visited Mexico and Guatemala in June with the aim of lowering migration from the region. During her trip she focused on issues such as economic development, food insecurity and women's issues. (Reporting by Nandita Bose, Doina Chiacu and David Brunnstrom; Additional reporting by Aradhana Aravindan in Singapore; Editing by Joe Bavier, Alistair Bell and Daniel Wallis) LOS ANGELES (AP) Saginaw Grant, a prolific Native American character actor and hereditary chief of the Sac & Fox Nation of Oklahoma, has died. He was 85. Grant died peacefully in his sleep of natural causes on Wednesday at a private care facility in Hollywood, California, said Lani Carmichael, Grants publicist and longtime friend. He loved both Oklahoma and L.A., Carmichael said. He made his home here as an actor, but he never forgot his roots in Oklahoma. He remained a fan of the Sooner Nation. Born July 20, 1936, in Pawnee, Oklahoma, Grant was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. He began acting in the late 1980s and played character roles in dozens of movies and television shows over the last three decades, including The Lone Ranger, The Worlds Fastest Indian and Breaking Bad, according to Grant's IMDB filmography. Grant was active for years in the powwow circuit in California and traveled around the globe to speak to people about Native American culture, Carmichael said. His motto in life was always respect one another and don't talk about one another in a negative way," she said. Answer: Kira Boyd, a spokeswoman for the Winston-Salem Police Department, explained how state law says you should pass a slower vehicle: N.C. General Statute 20-150 (e) The driver of a vehicle shall not overtake and pass another on any portion of the highway which is marked by signs, markers or markings placed by the Department of Transportation stating or clearly indicating that passing should not be attempted. The prohibition in this section shall not apply when the overtaking and passing is done in accordance with all of the following: (1) The slower moving vehicle to be passed is a bicycle or a moped. (2) The slower moving vehicle is proceeding in the same direction as the faster moving vehicle. (3) The driver of the faster moving vehicle either (i) provides a minimum of four feet between the faster moving vehicle and the slower moving vehicle or (ii) completely enters the left lane of the highway. (4) The operator of the slower moving vehicle is not (i) making a left turn or (ii) signaling in accordance with G.S. 20-154 that he or she intends to make a left turn. (5) The driver of the faster moving vehicle complies with all other applicable requirements set forth in this section. Wake Forest leases space at Deacon Station, she said. As part of preventative maintenance, the university inspects leased units before they are occupied. The inspections were routine and not responsive to a problem. Q: Are we in the dog days of summer? D.C. Answer: Yes. The phrase dog days refers to a period of hot and uncomfortable weather during July and August. The days included in that period vary, and in ancient Rome the dog days were considered to last from July 23 or 24 to Aug. 23 or 24. They are now often reckoned from July 3 to Aug. 11, according to Dictionary.com, and the phrase is also more generally used to denote a period marked by lethargy, inactivity or indolence. The phrase is a translation of the Latin phrase dies caniculares, which means days of the dog star, because during those months, the rising of Sirius, the dog star, coincides with the rising of the sun. Charles Joseph Donohoe, a Proud Boys leader from Kernersville, is joining a motion to dismiss criminal charges that was filed by attorneys for his co-defendant, Ethan Nordean. His attorneys, Louis C. Allen III and Lisa Costner, filed court papers Wednesday asking a federal judge to allow Donohoe to join Nordeans motion to dismiss, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., on June 3. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly granted the motion on Thursday. Donohoe, 33, was arrested in March on a six-count indictment alleging that he helped plan the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and participated in it. Federal prosecutors said Donohoe, president of the Piedmont chapter of the Proud Boys, set up new encrypted messaging chats to evade law-enforcement detection, provided instructions to Proud Boys members and helped lead a surge up the Capitol steps that overwhelmed law-enforcement officers. Proud Boys is a far-right group and its members have gotten into violent clashes at protests. He was charged along with Nordean, who is from Auburn, Wash. Also charged were two other men Joseph Biggs of Ormond, Fla., and Zachary Rehl of Philadelphia. All are leaders of the Proud Boys. Biggs has also joined Nordeans motion to dismiss. DENVER (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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: CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money has been slow and that more time was needed to distribute 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. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 Nevada: The bigger problem Vaccine hesitancy didnt arise overnight. Its the result of decades of former President Trumps forgotten people, otherwise known as deplorables, being told that the world ridiculed them and hated them. It arose from President Ronald Reagan channeling their hatred for the federal government, which forced them to let Black people vote. It came from decades of Rush Limbaugh teaching them to guffaw about things they didnt understand. It was fed by Fox News telling them that people who object to racism are the real racists. It was encouraged by conservative preachers who insisted that the Republican Party was the Christian party and the Democrat Party was the Satan party and Love your neighbor didnt mean your brown-skinned neighbor from the other side of the border. Fortunately, Wachter rallied and now is on the mend. Maslonka said she's almost to the point of getting off of supplemental oxygen while resting, but will still need it for awhile when doing even the slightest activities. Wachter is eager to go home, possibly later this week. For now, she's trying to get the word out to people to get vaccinated so they don't wind up like her. "Now, knowing what I do, I would get the shot," she said, noting that she plans to get vaccinated once it's recommended for her. People who have had a COVID-19 infection generally have to wait 90 days before they can get the vaccine. "I could have saved myself and my family so much by having gotten the vaccination," Wachter said. Maslonka said it's "disheartening" to see patients such as Wachter in the hospital knowing that with the vaccine, COVID-19 hospitalizations now are almost totally preventable. But those who are unvaccinated are very susceptible to it, especially the delta strain of the disease, which is much more infectious. On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed the level of community transmission as high in 37 of Nebraska's 93 countries, including Lancaster and Otoe. Weekend editor Alex Lantz is a Lincoln native and University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate who has had various roles at the Journal Star since 2012. He currently manages the news section on weekends and oversees the internship program. Lincoln police are investigating after an employee of Boss' Pizza said her life was threatened as she made a delivery to a hotel room near Interstate 80 and Cornhusker Highway. Officer Erin Spilker said LPD fielded a call from the pizza restaurant near 11th Street and Saunders Avenue at about 2 a.m. Friday, where the woman said the pizza's recipients, two men, were upset that she didn't have the correct bills to make change for their order. The woman told police that one of the men showed a handgun and threatened to kill her, Spilker said. LPD acquired a search warrant and dispatched its SWAT team, searching the room and transporting two men and two women to be questioned. Police did not find any weapons in the room, Spilker said, and no arrests have been made in the incident. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. From start to finish, it lasted around 90 seconds. Goodro pointed to a part of the video where Love appeared to go down on the ground but get back up again 1 second later, she said. "Not enough time for some savage, brutal beating of haymakers," she said. And she pointed to the fact that Winston admitted to firing four shots, telling the jury he kept firing until Montgomery stopped hitting Love. Goodro said it showed premeditation. "It's not just one to attempt to get him off. It's decisions," she said. Colton told jurors the state wanted them to believe that Winston had murder on his mind and Montgomery was his intended target. "A man with a gun and a plan finds his target and starts shooting. But Marcus Winston didn't do that," she said. She said Winston tried to talk it out with Montgomery, then tried to retreat after he punched him. But Montgomery kept coming. "He had to protect himself, and he had to protect Nate," Colton said. Marcus Winston took the stand at his murder trial Thursday, telling jurors he tried to talk Timothy Montgomery out of the beating on the night he fatally shot him. He said he tried to backpedal to get away from him when Montgomery, a boxer who had 90 pounds on him, punched him, cutting his lip and loosening a tooth. The defense says Winston was defending himself when he fired. The state says it was first-degree murder. Winston said he'd been laying low for seven months after getting death threats after Montgomery's cousin, Antwan Gary, got shot six times by Winston's cousin, DaQuan Love, who later went to prison for it. At 1:30 a.m. March 15, 2020, after being downtown about 45 minutes, Winston said he went out to smoke in front of Main Street Bar when Montgomery, whom he'd known for 10 years and had been like a brother to him before the Gary shooting, walked up and said he was going to "f--- him up." Winston said he told him they didn't have to do that. They could walk and talk like men. He got a bad feeling in his stomach. But he acknowledged that many of those topics were "problematic" and too explicit to many across the state, and he stressed that parents play a key role in educating their children. He also added that the standards are not meant to be prescriptive when it comes to curriculum. That's up to the schools, Blomstedt said. "When we write a standard, the intention is that our school curriculum experts are able to kind of look at the standard say, 'Here are the best ways,'" he said. References to gender aren't totally omitted from the second draft. The standards' glossary defines gender identity, for example, as "internal deeply held thoughts and feelings about gender." Under one section in the human growth and development portion, seventh graders would learn to "recognize that biological sex and gender identity may or may not differ," which some critics say is too vague. The new draft "rightly acknowledges the fundamental role of parents and guardians as the first educator of their children," said Tom Venzor, executive director of the Nebraska Catholic Conference, in a statement. "However, issues remain in the new draft of these standards that must be addressed." The man who wasn't wearing a mask ran up and spit at the man who was, police said. The two men began scuffling and wrestling, and the unmasked man pulled out a pistol-type BB gun and shot the man in the neck. A second murder trial has been delayed for a Nebraska prison inmate after his attorneys claimed that state prosecutors had missed a "speedy trial" deadline to hold the court proceedings. The first trial of Eric Ramos, who is accused of killing another inmate during a 2017 prison riot at the Tecumseh prison, ended in a mistrial. A second trial had been scheduled to begin Aug. 10. But attorneys for Ramos recently filed a motion to discharge the first-degree murder charge against him, maintaining that the trial should have been held back in June or earlier. State law requires that a trial be held within six months of a charge being filed, but the calculation of that time period was complicated in Ramos case by the mistrial and then an unsuccessful appeal. Johnson County District Court Judge Vicky Johnson took the discharge motion under advisement Thursday after a court hearing. She also postponed the second trial and asked lawyers to file written arguments on the speedy trial issue. Ramos, 30, is accused in the slaying of Michael Galindo, one of two inmates found dead in March 2017 after prisoners took over a portion of a maximum-security housing unit at Tecumseh. The prisoners started fires and ransacked cells. BERLIN (AP) German beer sales in this year's first half were 2.7% lower than a year earlier, dragged lower by closures of bars and restaurants that stretched through winter and into spring, official data showed Friday. German-based breweries and distributors sold about 4.2 billion liters (1.1 billion gallons) of beer from January to June, the Federal Statistical Office said. That figure doesnt include alcohol-free beer or beer imported from outside the European Union. Domestic sales dropped 4.9% compared with the first half of 2020 to 3.3 billion liters (872 million gallons). There were steep drops of 27% and 19.1% respectively in January and February compared with the last months before the coronavirus pandemic hit Germany but gains after that. Sales were up 12.4% on the year in March and 11.2% in June. In contrast, first-half exports were higher. There was a 3.5% increase in exports to other EU countries and an 11.9% jump in sales to nations outside the EU. Regional authorities in Germany started relaxing restrictions on restaurants and bars in the spring. New COVID-19 infections sank to a very low level in early July; they have been creeping higher since but remain much lower than in several other European countries. It is imperative for the safety and health of our communities that eligible individuals receive the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible, said Dottie-Kay Bowersox, public health administrator for Racine. Vaccine is plentiful and available at many locations throughout the City and County. Now is not the time to relax against the virus. We must protect ourselves and those who are not able to be vaccinated such as children under the age of 12 years. Police were at the scene of a nearby standoff involving gunfire just minutes earlier in a neighborhood immediately to the south when officers heard the gunshots coming from the north; half of the squads on scene at the standoff were then dispatched to the grocery store, Patton said. Suspects had fled the area before police arrived. We know he wasnt shot in the store, Patton said. Patton said police do not believe the shooting death was related to the standoff. He said the Medical Examiners Office was notified to respond to the grocery store shortly before 8 p.m. Thursday. Multiple squad cars and layers of yellow police tape surrounded the scene at 19th Avenue in the neighborhoods immediately to the north and south of 52nd Street. Authorities also blocked off an area between 22nd and 18th avenues while they conducted their investigation, giving notification on social media for motorists to use alternate routes. At the edge of 19th avenue, just west of the grocery store, Rodriguez-Rojas moped remained upright in the street. Detectives arrived in pairs entering the store while patrol officers secured the area. There were a lot of moving parts out there, said Patton. Family looking for answers 1. Yes. A sudden surge could be devastating. A mask mandate may be required. 2. Yes. Each county faces different COVID challenges. Let local officials act accordingly. 3. No. Nobody should be forced to wear a mask. It should always be optional. 4. No. A mask mandate isnt any more effective than a strong recoommendation. 5. Unsure. Its hard to say whether a change is in policy is necessary at this point. Vote View Results The La Crosse County Health Department is strongly encouraging La Crosse County residents to return to wearing masks indoors, including those who have been vaccinated. The new recommendation from public health officials follows an increase in COVID-19 cases in La Crosse County. The increase is likely caused by the delta variant, which has been spreading rapidly around the nation. La Crosse Countys seven-day case rate on July 28, including both confirmed and probable cases, was 50 cases/100,000 population/week, a more than 10-fold increase from 4.2 cases/100,000 population/week on July 1. COVID-19 is still very much present in our community, and we are seeing a concerning increase in cases, said Audra Martine, director of the La Crosse County Health Department. This is why we are strongly recommending that anyone over the age of 2 wear a mask in public indoor spaces and at indoor private gatherings. Local data currently indicates that La Crosse County has a high level of community transmission. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has recommended communities with substantial or high transmission levels return to indoor masking for both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} A federal freeze on most evictions that was enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to oust tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households. Heres the situation in Iowa: BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) Republican House Speaker Clay Schexnayder on Friday said he removed two Democrats from their leadership positions, fallout from Louisiana's failed veto session in which Democrats blocked GOP efforts to overturn any of the governor's bill rejections. The citys public health emergency expired this week, but a general state of public emergency remains in place, empowering Bowser to impose the new restrictions. She said the only exception to the mask requirement is when people are actively eating and drinking, but added that the city is not imposing any fresh limits on capacity or indoor social distancing. Health Director Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt said the new precautions will be paired with a renewed vaccination push, offering incentives to help boost lagging vaccination rates in Washingtons Black community. Nesbitt said that the city's daily case rate had jumped fivefold in July but that vaccinations appear to be having a positive effect. Infections among vaccinated people, known as breakthrough cases, have constituted less than 1% of infections in recent months. The vaccines are working as they were expected to do, Nesbitt said. They continue to prevent severe illness, hospitalization and death. Bowser said she didn't expect the mask mandate to be too much of a hardship for D.C. residents, whom she credited with remaining generally cautious even when the infection numbers declined over the spring and early summer. DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has no plans to offer $100 incentives to Iowans to get the coronavirus vaccine after President Joe Biden pleaded with states and local governments to use federal funds to entice people to stop the rapid spread of a virus variant, an aide said Friday. While many states and some Iowa counties have offered incentives for citizens to get a COVID-19 vaccination, Iowa's governor continues to call for citizens to get vaccinated while repeating that ultimately it's their choice. Iowa had 49.5% of the population fully immunized as of Thursday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That ranks 21st in the nation. Vaccination rates have fallen rapidly in Iowa since the spring, from a seven-day average of over 17,000 people becoming fully vaccinated in May to 1,402 in recent days. Reynolds spokesman Pat Garrett said Friday the governor has no plans to comply with Biden's offer Thursday for states to spend $100 in federal funds for each newly vaccinated person. In an email, Iowa Department of Public Health Sarah Ekstrand said the state's strategy is unchanged from its current education and communications efforts. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has extended an air quality alert until noon Tuesday for the entire state, due to what authorities are calling an unprecedented significant air quality event. Minnesota has been dealing with smoke from Canadian wildfires that has created some of the highest particulate readings on record. An air quality alert was set to expire Friday afternoon, but it was extended through Tuesday and includes the whole state. While the air will see some improvement on Friday night, things will get worse Saturday morning as northerly winds will bring a cold front that will carry more smoke from the wildfires, which are north of the Canadian border in Ontario and Manitoba. The MPCA said smoke will continue pouring into the state into Sunday. High pressure will build over the area and the smoke will recirculate under that high pressure through Tuesday, leading to a prolonged period of heavy smoke. The agency said fine particle levels are expected to reach the purple category, a level considered very unhealthy for everyone, across north central and south central Minnesota. That area includes Roseau, Hibbing, Brainerd, St. Cloud, and the Twin Cities. It also includes the tribal nations of Red Lake, Leech Lake and Mille Lacs. BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) Member cooperatives of a Minnesota electric company endorsed a deal Friday to sell a financially troubled coal-fueled power plant in North Dakota to a Bismarck firm. Great River Energy said its 28 member cooperatives at a special meeting approved the sale of the Coal Creek Station and an associated transmission line that runs from the plants location in central North Dakota to Minnesota. Terms of the deal have not been publicly disclosed. The company said the deal is expected to be finalized later this year. The company said the cooperatives also approved an agreement to purchase electricity over the next decade from the plants new owner, Rainbow Energy Center, a marketer that sells wholesale electric power. Great River said in a statement the transaction could save its members about $130 million, instead of shuttering the power plant. The company did not elaborate on how those savings would be realized. When Zoe Allaire Reynolds Kississippi project takes the stage in Lancaster County on Saturday, it will be 513 days since she last played a live show in front of an audience. That last show was March 6, 2020, at PhilaMOCA in Philadelphia. Kississippi played with a band that has since seen its first big brush with success, with music placement featured on the 2021 HBO hit Mare of Easttown (Mare is Marianne, a Delaware County detective played by Kate Winslet with a thick Delco accent). This show reunites those bands, this time at Millersvilles Phantom Power. The show starts at 8 p.m. at the West Frederick Street venue (tickets are $15 in advance, $18 at the door). Were so happy about it, Reynolds says over the phone. It just feels like a natural transition back into playing shows. Its going to be really fun, because were playing with friends, so itll take the nerves off. I havent socialized that much in the past two years, but Ill figure out my way around it. The first Kississippi set in Lancaster since 2017 also comes just a week before the release of Mood Ring on Aug. 6, Reynolds first album since Sunset Blush dropped in 2018. The new albums first single, Around Your Room, came out in 2020 and heralded a slight shift from Reynolds previously indie emo sound to something much brighter. Ive always wanted to make pop music, but I just did not know what I was doing," Reynolds says. Growing up with emo and indie music, it was easy to do the more indie pop vibe which is also very fun but the last few years has opened me up a little more to explore different production styles. This record is what Ive been trying and wanting to make for a long time, but I just needed to get to the point where I was ready to make it. It feels like my first piece of music that I love entirely. It feels like my first record, in a way. While the themes havent changed drastically love lost and won, the intense traversal of personal relationships - the music bubbles and percolates in a way Kississippis songs havent before. At my old shows, it was a lot of people standing around looking a little bit sad," Reynolds says. And I thought, that's cool and all, but I want people to have fun. That's why I wrote a lot of the songs the way I did - man, I want to dance onstage, so I want people to dance in the audience, too. I don't want people to be like, 'I cried at the Kissy show.' I want you to at least be dancing while you're crying. Mood Ring has a kaleidoscope of feelings throughout, from the infectious, gang vocal-assisted 80s pop of opener Were So in Tune to the pangs of wanting throughout album centerpiece Twin Flame. The latter song features fellow buzzy Philly musician Bartees Strange on vocals (That man is an absolute king! Reynolds shouts at his mention). The album is both a stylistic jump from Reynolds previous work and a natural progression to where she wanted to be, musically. Reynolds credits Seattle producer Andy Park, known for helping create such diverse works as rapper Mac Millers Swimming and the Halo: Reach soundtrack, with helping to pinpoint the albums aural palette. He was working on stuff with the Deftones at the same time as me, and also recording with Ciara," Reynolds recalls. And I'm like, here you are recording my emo band right now, OK! I really struggled with projecting myself on old records. I was really shy and not ready to share my voice. Andy really brought that out of me in our studio sessions and really pushed me to focus on the emotions of the lyrics and reflect them through my tone. The Phantom Power show also serves as a warmup for Kississippis first headlining tour in mid-August, which coincidentally includes a sold-out show at PhilaMOCA, the last place Reynolds performed those hundreds of days ago. After a long wait, Kississippi seems poised to break out and show the true colors of that titular Mood Ring. I wrote this record kind of thinking that this is a record for someone that needs a friend, you know? Reynolds says. Its a very open record, so I would hope that people are able to find comfort in it, whether theyre sad or happy. I used this record to make myself smile when I needed to, so I hope that it can do that for other people, too. Editor's note: This article formerly had a headline that erroneously said Kississippi was featured in "Mare of Easttown." This has since been corrected. For decades, the house at 207 E. Main St. stood halfway up the Main Street hill, the elegant home of Ephratas Grand Lady, Anne Brossman Sweigart. However, in the 14 years since her death in 2007, the house went through several owners and in recent years stood abandoned and forlorn, its spacious, once elegantly furnished rooms stripped of everything except the wallpaper, its exterior paint dulled and chipping. That condition is what Glen and Mandy Stull intend to remedy. The Ephrata couple hes a retired male nurse and shes a physician recently purchased the home through a foreclosure. Now they can be seen industriously cleaning up years of debris from the outside grounds and sanding the outside walls, while inside, they are cleaning up, repairing woodwork, pipes and wiring, and removing old wallpaper in transforming it from a house to a home. I was looking for project to keep me busy, Glen said. Ive always liked this house. I thought it had sold years ago because its been vacant for so long. It was a foreclosure. Basically, we bought it from the bank, he said. It sold at public auction in 2009. From there Im not sure what happened. According to records kept by the Historical Society of the Cocalico Valley, the house was built around 1878 on ground purchased from Henry Winters, by James and Catherine (Bitzer) Bryson. The house, half the size it is now, was sold in 1889 to John J. Eshleman for $3,400. Between 1911 and 1913 it went through three more owners, the last being Lancaster County Coroner Elmore Miller. Although when the expansion took place is not know, Miller moved his medical practice there. He kept it until his death in 1941, when it was sold to William E. and Minerva Eirich who soon sold it to Christian and Bertha (Brossman) Eaby who, together, controlled and ran Denver and Ephrata Telephone and Telegraph Co. With Berthas passing in 1985 the house went to her sister Anne, who was D& Es president and CEO. Mandy Stull, who is Ephrata- bom, knew her through Annes sister, Emily Sprecher. I helped take care of Emily, she said. Now the house is theirs. So where does one begin? We took 13 loads of debris away from outside, Mandy said. In doing so, they discovered a stone patio buried under a foot of leaves Mandy said. one small room just inside and to the right. The room contains a gas-operated fireplace. To bathroom on the first floor and the left inside the front door are two large rooms, well lit by numerous windows. Theres a to the rear, and a small room exits out into an attached and spacious greenhouse. This is probably everyones favorite room, Mandy said. I probably will put a lot of plants out here. The trouble spot on this range built into an island is in bad shape as is much of the marble counter top throughout the room. In one place a large section of the marble is missing entirely. Well probably just tear out everything and start over, Glen said. three bedrooms and one-anda- half baths. The entire eastis taken up by what had been Annes very large bedroom, complete with a clothes closet as large as a small bedroom. Anne reportedly had a sitting area by the front windows. To the rear of the bedroom was her very large bathroom that may even have doubled as her personal hair salon. Id have loved to have seen it when Anne had it, Mandy said. She was always meticulously dressed so Id sure the bedroom was done up the same way. There are two more bedrooms in the attic but Mandy said they need work. Both upstairs and down, what had been porches were enclosed to create small rooms. Considering how long the house stood empty, its in better shape than one dared to hope. The roof, except for one or two damaged slates, is intact and there have been no leaks. Inside much the same can be said. Structurally, most of the wood is still in good shape and is nice looking, Glen said. The electric seems to work. Were working on the plumbing right now. It has copper pipes and copper pipes after sitting empty tend to blow apart. In a project like this, every time you turn something on you run into unforeseen problems, especially with pipes and so on, In the early stages of renovation, the focus has been on the outside of the house. Im working on sanding down the chipping paint on the chimney and walls outside and Mandy said. Those are my two projects right now. I have to focus on those two, otherwise I feel overwhelmed, Glen is fine with Mandy concentrating on the walls. "The first time I walked through, I saw the wallpaper, he said. I dont like taking it down so thats our arrangement. She takes down the wallpaper and Ill paint. Other than that on the inside, the Stulls hope to complete all of the outside work over the summer and work inside when cold weather commences. The Stulls arent new to this type of project. Together they renovated an old farmhouse on Hammon Avenue about 15 years ago. This isnt quite as bad as that one except for this has more wallpaper to take down, Glen said. Additionally, Mandys father, Bob, owns Rineer Builders, so any questions we have he helps out, Glen said. Also one of the couples sons works for Rineer so he comes and helps us once a week. Glens father was also handy with repair projects and he watched him work. He taught me some skills. For the Stulls, its a labor of love. I like coming here to work on it, Glen said. Hopefully someday soon itll be back to its former glory. Mandy agrees. I enjoy it, she said. Its a fun project. Larry Alexander is a correspondent for The Ephrata Review. When: July 27 council meeting, held in council chambers and streamed on the citys YouTube channel. What happened: City Council unanimously voted to raise the mayors salary in accordance with a state index, starting in two years. Council President Ismail Smith-Wade-El was absent. Background: Mayor Danene Sorace who is seeking a second term was paid $85,000 in 2018 with a salary increasing 1.5% each year to $88,883 this year. An initial proposal presented to council in June would have followed the same annual percentage increase, starting in 2022 and taking it to $94,337 in 2025. But City Council instead decided to keep the salary at $88,883 through next year. Each year after that, the mayors salary will increase by the same percentage given to members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly based on the consumer price index formula. If the General Assembly votes to freeze salaries for any period, as happened last year, the Lancaster mayors salary will also be frozen. Key question: Can Council vote to change it again? Not for the mayoral term that runs from 2022 to 2025. That raise plan is now locked in for that term per state rules dictating when third-class cities can vote to change a mayors pay. City Council could vote to change the mayors salary for subsequent terms. If no future vote is taken, an annual raise for the mayor would indefinitely follow the percentage raise given to General Assembly members. Pandemic relief funds: Sorace said the citys allocation of $39.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds can be used to respond to the impact of COVID-19, to replace lost municipal revenue and to invest in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure. Council must approve all ARPA fund spending, and the first request for such funds will come in August for water infrastructure. Sorace said the city will seek community input on a broader plan for how to use the money within a month or so. Affordable housing is a likely option, she said. Quotable: Council and neighbors, we look forward to working with you through these next steps, and I thank you for engaging with us in this process to utilize this money in the most forward-looking, the most long and impactful way that we collectively can muster as a community, Sorace said. I cant even wrap my head around the fact that we have this opportunity. Its never going to come again at least not in our lifetime. In other business: Council repealed an ordinance adopted last year that imposed COVID-19 related construction guidelines. Council also approved some tweaks to the sewer and water bill collections process in preparation for when failure-to-pay cutoffs resume. Sorace said she is urging residents who are behind on rent or utility payments to apply for Emergency Rental and Utility Assistance. More information, including a list of places inside and outside the city providing in-person assistance to anyone needing help filling out forms, is available at www.lchra.com/rent or 717-590-3101. When: Manheim Township commissioners meeting, July 26, in person and also virtually. What happened: The board unanimously approved the preliminary/final land development plan for the proposed Granite Run Office Building at 365 Carrera Drive. Details: The 75,000-square-foot building, near Planet Fitness, will span about 7 acres on two lots. The number of units was not available. The applicant seeking the land use is Granite Properties, care of Horst Realty, 205 Granite Run Drive. Landis Homes: The board also unanimously approved financing, not to exceed $85 million, through the Lancaster Industrial Development Authority for Landis Homes Retirement Community and Landis Place on King LLC. Commissioner Donna DiMeo said the project would update the retirement community at 1001 E. Oregon Road. Traffic: Commissioner Carol Gifford said after numerous communications with residents concerned about traffic issues, the board is looking at studies of devices that would reduce the speed of motorists. In response to Giffords request for input, police Chief Thomas Rudzinski said warnings and tickets are not a long-term solution. Quotable: It involves more than the police department. More police are a temporary solution. We need to look at a bigger, more permanent solution, Rudzinski said. Parks and recreation: Gifford announced that the Manheim Township pathways Global Positioning System is underway, with maps of biking and walking trails, including photographs, for people to put on their phones. She said it should be completed next month. National Night Out: The annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie will be held in Overlook Park from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 3. Public library: Manheim Township Public Librarys annual book sale will be from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 14 and 15, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 16, at the Overlook Roller Skating Rink. Upcoming: Board President Tom OBrien said the board will hold a work session at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 16 on how to spend federal dollars the municipality received from the American Rescue Plan to fight COVID-19. On Sept. 20, the board will discuss the municipalitys comprehensive plan, outlining its vision for future growth and development. TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) Tunisian authorities jailed an opposition lawmaker Friday and briefly detained four members of the powerful Islamist movement Ennahdha in the wake of the president's decision to seize exceptional powers, according to Tunisian media reports. The Ennahdha members were brought before investigating magistrates and accused of trying to incite violence outside the parliament building after President Kais Saied's announcement Sunday, according to party official Riadh Chaidi. The four were questioned but later released for lack of proof of violence, Chaidi told The Associated Press. The president suspended parliament, lifted the immunity of parliament members, fired the prime minister and took control of the executive branch. He said the move was necessary to save the country amid public anger at the government over joblessness, rising prices and one of Africas worst coronavirus outbreaks. But Saieds decision raised concerns about Tunisias young democracy. Critics most notably Ennahdha accused him of a coup. Ennahdha has been a major player in Tunisian legislative elections since the countrys 2011 revolution, which unleashed the Arab Spring uprisings across the region. The next day, Ennahdha supporters skirmished with backers of the president outside parliament, but the crowd was eventually dispersed by police. Among those detained Friday were the bodyguard of Ennahdha leader and parliament speaker Rachid Ghannouchi, his protocol officer and a member of the partys advisory council. The four were accused of inciting people from a working-class neighborhood close to parliament to bring sticks to carry out acts of violence during the rally, according to the official TAP news agency. There was no link with violence, said Chaidi, a member of the party's executive bureau. Violence is not a choice of Ennahdha. He sought to minimize the detentions, and played down concerns that they were a sign of a government crackdown singling out his party. U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke Saturday with Tunisia's president and conveyed President Joe Bidens strong support for the people of Tunisia and for Tunisian democracy, National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said in a White House press release. In this spirit, the call focused on the critical need for Tunisian leaders to outline a swift return to Tunisias democratic path, the press release said. National Security Advisor Sullivan underscored that this will require rapidly forming a new government, led by a capable prime minister to stabilize Tunisias economy and confront the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as ensuring the timely return of the elected parliament. Also Friday, outspoken legislator Yassine Ayari was arrested outside his home, according to a Facebook post by his party, the Hope and Action Movement. His lawyer Mokhtar Jemai said Ayari was apparently arrested in connection with a June 30 court conviction, but was not informed of the reason for conviction. Ayari has spoken out against the military and the government and faced legal problems in the past, but no longer enjoys parliamentary immunity because of the president's decisions. On Thursday, the president named a new interior minister, his first major appointment since the shakeup. Ridha Gharsallaoui, a former national security adviser to the presidency, will now head the Interior Ministry, which oversees domestic security, including policing. In 2019, a 6-year-old boy named Christian traveled almost 2,000 miles to the United States. His father had abandoned him, and his mother had left him in Guatemala to be cared for by another family while she migrated to the U.S. to set up a better life for them. She thought she had made the safest choice for Christian, but the family who had promised to love and care for him instead abused and beat him. So, accompanied by his 16-year-old uncle, Christian made the dangerous journey to the U.S. in search of safety. Ive worked in the child welfare field for over 20 years, and I hear stories about unaccompanied migrant children like Christian more and more every day. They have experienced extreme poverty, abuse, trafficking and more. On top of that, COVID-19 only worsened the already growing humanitarian crisis in Latin American countries. In search of refuge and safety, children flee. And right now, these children need the help of the local community. Children especially vulnerable children thrive in stable family environments. Emergency intake sites may be critical to preventing a long-term stay in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection holding centers, but dorms, military bases and warehouses will never be a substitute for safe and caring homes. For children like Christian, the need for temporary foster families is urgent. Unaccompanied children need secure, temporary foster families that provide love and care. This is why in my work with Bethany Christian Services, we are opening a Transitional Foster Care program for unaccompanied migrant children in Pennsylvania. For Lancaster County families who want to help, this expansion now allows them to partner with our local office in Reading. We walk alongside families to provide temporary housing and tangible support to these children while Bethany staff work to reunite them with family members who are already in the United States. Local families are a crucial and irreplaceable part of what we do. Bethany has successfully operated temporary foster care programs for unaccompanied migrant children in several states for many years, and weve seen firsthand the power families have to transform childrens lives with love and support. Although the average length a child stays with a local family is short, ranging from 45-60 days, the impact a temporary foster family has on a child during this time is long-lasting. At Bethany, we assist foster families to make sure both the foster parents and the child are supported. Through the Transitional Foster Care program, unaccompanied children not only get to experience a stable home, but also get access to medical and mental health care, education and legal services. Up to 24 children at a time can be cared for by foster families who live in the Reading/Lancaster area. For families who are farther away or unable to foster, you can show your love and support through tangible resources like monetary donations or even donations of food and clothes. Every child deserves to feel safe, loved and connected. Your home and support could change the course of a child's life forever. Mark Unger is the regional director of Bethany Christian Services in Pennsylvania. THE ISSUE Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that K-12 schools require masks for all students and staff this fall, regardless of vaccination status, as the nation deals with the highly infectious delta variant of the novel coronavirus. As LNP | LancasterOnlines Alex Geli reported in Wednesdays edition, some Lancaster County school officials nevertheless said theyre forging ahead with plans to enter the 2021-22 school year mask-optional, barring a state or federal mask mandate. Although the Pennsylvania Department of Education encouraged schools to follow the (CDC) recommendation, published reports indicate Gov. Tom Wolfs administration would not make it a mandate, Geli reported. Schools are meant to teach science. They ought to heed it, too. We know the messaging from the CDC on mask-wearing has been confusing. But science evolves. Recommendations change. We now know that even vaccinated people who get infected with the delta variant carry significant amounts of the virus, raising the risk of infecting others. As The Washington Post reported Thursday night, an internal CDC document indicated that the delta variant appears to cause more severe illness than earlier variants and spreads as easily as chickenpox. Indeed, that document indicated, the delta variant is more transmissible than the viruses that cause the common cold, seasonal flu, smallpox, severe acute respiratory syndrome and Ebola. Data illustrating the dangers of delta is what spurred the CDC last week to revise its mask guidance. The internal document argues that officials must acknowledge the war has changed, The Post reported. The good news remains that COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective in preventing hospitalization and death in people who get infected even with the delta strain. Sadly, that variant has become dominant because too many Americans have refused to get vaccinated. The more viruses are allowed to circulate, the greater the chances they mutate and develop other strains. This is the hand the unvaccinated have dealt the rest of us. Now we have to face the consequences. We were wary when school administrators asserted last spring that the return to school this fall would be as close to normal as possible, with no masks required. We knew that circumstances could change and they have. In the words of the CDC document, the war has changed. The delta variant now is threatening to undo the progress weve made toward beating this pandemic. Its already done this is in other regions of the United States. Rely on experts Some parents immersed in a nonsensical culture war that had nothing to do with public health waged protests last spring in the Solanco, Manheim Central and Ephrata Area school districts. But theirs are not the voices that school superintendents and directors should be heeding now. In the absence of a county public health department, they must rely on the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics to help guide their decision-making. Brian Barnhart, executive director of the Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13, told LNP | LancasterOnlines Geli that going against the CDCs guidance would be like going against your attorney. Without any new guidance from the state, Barnhart said he feels he has no choice other than to adhere to the CDCs recommendations, particularly given the large number of medically fragile students the intermediate unit serves. Weve gotta base our decision-making on something, he said. Im not an epidemiologist. And neither, wed point out, are the parents who wielded signs and shouted angry anti-masking slogans outside school board meetings last spring. Nevertheless, Ephrata Area School District Superintendent Brian Troop said the new mask guidance from the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics dont automatically change anything for our plan. Ephrata Areas draft health and safety plan for the upcoming school year states that the district would examine any new guidance and implement it if practicable, Geli reported. If practicable? Whats easier than requiring students to wear masks like they became accustomed to doing last year? Troop told Geli that measures such as social distancing, air ventilation and increased hand-washing and sanitizing practices will be implemented. But he apparently views mask-wearing differently. Thats a more personal and a more individualized measure, he said. When are we going to accept the fact that there is nothing personal about a highly transmissible virus which even when it doesnt seriously sicken people can leave some with symptoms that debilitate them for months? Children and teens, sadly, can get long COVID-19, too, and hospitals affiliated with Yale School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins Medicine have established clinics to treat children with lingering symptoms, which can include cognitive problems. Mask-wearing is easy Health experts, including those at the American Academy of Pediatrics, talk of the importance of layering protections against COVID-19. Masking is an important layer of protection, proven to reduce transmission of the virus, the academy said in a news release. Dr. Sara Bode, chairperson-elect of the academys Council on School Health Executive Committee, points out that there are many children and others who cannot be vaccinated. This will remain the case until the COVID-19 vaccines are approved for children under 12. This is why its important to use every tool in our toolkit to safeguard children from COVID-19, Bode said. Universal masking is one of those tools, and has been proven effective in protecting people against other respiratory diseases, as well. The CDC and the Academy of Pediatrics agree that returning kids to the classroom and working to ensure that their schooling isnt disrupted must be the priorities. This means first and foremost getting them vaccinated against COVID-19 if theyre 12 or older. Parents and other eligible family members need to get vaccinated, too. As Dr. Ramnarine Boodoo, a psychiatrist with Penn State Health Medical Group, and Dr. Melissa Tribuzio, a family medicine physician and pediatrician at Penn State Health Lime Spring Outpatient Center in East Hempfield Township, write in todays Perspective section, Vaccination remains the most effective way of stopping the spread. Period. The doctors also urge school districts to work to mitigate risk. That means, they write, social distancing where possible, contact tracing if infections occur, improved school cleanliness and ventilation and masking up. They write that, in their experience, we dont hear many complaints (about masks) from our pediatric patients. Sometimes, we as parents project our own feelings onto our kids. That has been our experience, too. As we wrote last month, most children took to mask-wearing with ease. Even the youngest students happily wore masks emblazoned with Marvel, Sesame Street and Disney characters. It was mostly grown-ups who made a mountain out of masking. We continue to be perplexed by the political brouhaha over masking. As we wrote in May, surgeons wear face masks during grueling and lengthy surgeries. Nurses wear face masks and other protective gear during long, physically demanding shifts. Some of them have asthma and still manage to take in enough oxygen because, as a study reported in February by Medscape Medical News showed, wearing a mask to protect against transmission of COVID-19 does not decrease oxygen saturation, even in people with asthma. Masks dont impede breathing. They impede the transmission of a virus that can leave people children included struggling to breathe. If we want students to return to school safely later this month, and to remain in school, masks need to be required. Universal masking will reduce the chances that a school experiences an outbreak and has to return to remote learning. Nobody wants that. lancasteronline.com/coronavirus Ryabkov Content with Results of Geneva Strategic Stability Talks with U.S. July 29 , 2021 (EIRNS)Commenting on the Strategic Stability talks with the U.S. on July 28, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov was positive. The U.S. delegation was led by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who had just arrived from talks in Tianjin, China. As for the meetings atmosphere, Id describe it as very down-to-earth, very businesslike, very focused, conscious and rational, to quote the statement adopted after the Geneva summit on June 16 between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Joseph Biden, he said. They are ready. This is a good thing. They sent an impressive delegation representing all departments from the U.S. and the Washington worked through its agenda 100%, he told TASS. We managed to broadly present positions to each other; we also heard critical comments from the American side which is very normal; we also heard their opinion about the way we need to continue working. In general, we are very content about this first opening meeting at our level in Geneva, he told reporters on July 28. Pointing out that the talks were not a formal negotiation, he explained: We are engaged in dialogue; lets be frank. It is a less formal process than negotiations. We are fine with that. If this dialogue is conscious and rational, it will be an achievement in itself when we will be able to report back to our leaders about fulfilling the instructions in the way they were delivered. It appears that working groups could come out of these talks, but that has not yet been agreed upon. The issue of working groups sounded. The key idea of our approach is that the topics of working groups derive from the task that we want to solve, Ryabkov said. Now, we dont have mutual understanding with the Americans on this issue, but this is a purely passing moment, and a current one; it should not be dramatized at all. What working groups could be and what could be their agenda is an important issue. Some time later, I think we will iron this out on a reasonable and mutually acceptable basis for Moscow and Washington. While saying that what clearly emerged in the arms-control sphere was the key topic to act on, they could not agree on how to overcome the current crisis in relations. We could not work out an answer to this question, it is very difficult. This issue has been long stripped of attention, and we are now only in the beginning of the process of exchanging opinions about what exactly to do and how to continue our work, he stressed. As for the U.S. pressure for China to join the arms-control talks, he expressed real doubt. China proceeds from the fact that Russia and the United States are the largest possessors of nuclear armaments, the biggest nuclear powers by the scope of their arsenals, and it is illegitimate now to raise the issue of Beijing joining these efforts under any formula. Heavy rains have fallen for days on Rohingya refugee camps in southern Bangladesh. The floods have destroyed houses and sent thousands of people to live with relatives or in large shelters. In a 24 hour period this week, more than 30 centimeters of rain fell on the camps in the Cox's Bazar area. It is where more than 800,000 Rohingya refugees live, the United Nations refugee agency said. In one day, the area received more than half the usual monthly rainfall. There is a prediction of more heavy rain in the coming days. The monsoon season of heavy rains stretches over the next three months. The agency said the situation is even worse because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is currently a strict national lockdown in response to rising cases across the country," the agency said. It said six people died in the camps earlier this week. Five people died in a landslide caused by the rains and a child was carried away by floodwaters. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said the heavy rain affected more than 12,000 refugees and it destroyed about 2,500 shelters. More than 5,000 refugees have temporarily moved into other family members' houses or community shelters, the agency said in a statement. Hannah Macdonald, a spokesperson for the UNHCR, said in an email that emergency teams have moved into the camps to help. Refugees said they were struggling to eat and drink properly. Khatija Begum is the mother of five children. She said, "Due to the continuous rainfall for the last four days, today my house is full of water. We are not even able to eat." Begum said she fears her children will drown and die in their sleep. The refugee agency said the bad weather, landslides and floods have increased the suffering and humanitarian needs of the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Cyclones, heavy monsoon rains, floods, landslides and other natural dangers affect the camps every year. More than 700,000 Rohingya have fled to refugee camps in Bangladesh since August 2017. That period marked the beginning of a military campaign in neighboring Myanmar against the Muslim ethnic group. The campaign followed an attack by rebels against Myanmar government forces. Myanmar is a Buddhist-majority country. The campaign included rapes, killings and the burning of thousands of homes. Human rights groups and the United Nations called the campaign ethnic cleansing. While Bangladesh and Myanmar have tried to negotiate the return of the refugees, the Rohingya are too fearful to return home. The International Organization for Migration says Cox's Bazar, where more than 1 million Rohingya refugees live, is likely to have more disasters. Im Jill Robbins. Julhas Alam wrote this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story cyclone n. an extremely large, powerful, and destructive storm with very high winds that turn around an area of low pressure strict adj. describing a command, rule or something that must be obeyed lockdown - n. a state of isolation or restricted access put in place as a security measure. response v. something done that is a reaction to something else; an answer or reply What do you think of the heavy rains falling in many parts of the world? Are there heavy rains where you live this summer? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. In their cell, Uyghur prisoners sat quietly in straight lines, looking at a television playing black and white images of Chinese Communist Party history. They were in one of an estimated 240 cells in just one part of the Urumqi No. 3 Detention Center in far western China. Reporters from The Associated Press recently visited the center as part of a government-led visit to the far western Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The detention center is the largest in the country and, possibly, the world. Its size is estimated to be almost 90 hectares. A sign at the front identified it as a kanshousuo, a pre-trial detention center. Chinese officials did not say exactly how many people were being held were there. The AP estimated the center could hold about 10,000 people, and possibly more. The AP is the first Western media organization permitted into the facility. The center suggests that China still detains and plans to continue detaining large numbers of ethnic Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim minorities. Satellite imagery shows that new buildings nearly two kilometers long were added to the facility in 2019. China describes the arrests of a million or more minorities over the past four years as a war against terror. The campaign began after several knife attacks and bombings by a small number of extremist Uyghurs. One part of Chinas campaign is its so-called job training centers. Former detainees have described the centers as severe prison camps. Thick wire barriers and armed guards surround such centers. At first, China denied their existence. In 2019, under heavy international criticism, the government said that everyone who had been in such camps had completed the program. Information gathered from the APs visit and other sources suggest that while many training centers have closed, others were simply turned into prisons or pre-trial detention centers. Many new centers have also been built. The changes seem to be a move from the temporary job training centers into a more permanent system of prisons and pre-trial detention centers. While some Uyghurs have been released, others have simply been moved into this prison network. Darren Byler is a Uyghur expert at the University of Colorado. He noted that many prisoners did not carry out real crimes by any standards. Were moving from a police state to a mass incarceration state. Hundreds of thousands of people have disappeared from the population, Byler said. During the APs visit in April, officials noted the differences between the No. 3 facility and the training centers that the Chinese government claims have closed. There was no connection between our detention center and the training centers, said Urumqi Public Security Bureau director Zhao Zhongwei. But in September 2018, the Reuters news agency took a picture of the front of the center. It shows that the facility used to be called the Urumqi Vocational Skills Education and Training Center. A former building contractor who visited the facility in 2018 told the AP that it was the same as the Urumqi Vocational Skills Education and Training Center. The contractor said it had been turned into a detention facility in 2019. He asked not to be named for fear of punishment against his family. All the former students inside became prisoners, he said. At the center, officials led the AP reporters past gun-carrying guards in military clothes. In a control room, workers watched a wall of televisions showing images from each cell. We can see if theyre breaking regulations, or if they might hurt or kill themselves, said Zhu Hongbin. He is the centers director. The center shows the prisoners video classes, Zhu said, to teach them about their crimes. Zhao, the other official, said prisoners are held for 15 days to up to a year before trial, depending on their suspected crime. Zhao said the legal process is the same in Xinjiang as in the rest of China. Since the crackdown started in 2017, hundreds of thousands have been sent to prison, say Chinese government numbers. Many are serving prison terms of five years or more. A Xinjiang spokesperson called the higher imprisonment rates severe measures in the war against terror. By taking these measures, terrorists are more likely to be brought to justice, the spokesperson said. Many family members of those imprisoned, however, say they were sentenced on false charges. The online publication the Intercept reported that its reporters had seen a police report involving eight Uyghurs from one Urumqi neighborhood. The Uyghurs were detained for reading religious materials, or for being an untrustworthy person. AP reporters did not witness any signs of torture at the facility. The reporters were unable to speak to any former or current detainees. But a Uyghur who fled Xinjiang, Zumret Dawut, said a friend who worked at the center had witnessed severe treatment. The friend is now dead, but she told Dawut she had seen two young adults forced to sign confessions claiming they were involved in terrorism. Their bodies had been beaten until their skin was bloody, the friend said. Xinjiang officials deny all claims of abuse. Im Ashley Thompson. And I'm Dan Novak. The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Words in this Story cell n. a room in a prison autonomous adj. existing or acting separately from other things or people facility n. a building built for a specific purpose standard n. a level of quality, achievement, etc., that is considered acceptable or desirable incarceration n. to put someone in prison regulation n. an official rule or law that says how something should be done crackdown n. a serious attempt to punish people for doing something that is not allowed U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin looked to improve military relations with Vietnam during talks Thursday. The two countries are slowly gaining closer ties as they watch Chinas activities in the South China Sea with growing concern. The closer security relations come more than 40 years after the Vietnam War ended in 1975. President Joe Biden's administration, however, has said there are limits to the relationship unless Hanoi makes progress on human rights. Vietnam has strongly opposed China's claims to territory in the South China Sea. Vietnam has also received U.S. military equipment, including navy ships. Before a meeting with the Vietnamese defense minister in Hanoi, Austin said the United States is not asking Vietnam to choose between countries, as some countries in the area feel China is doing. "One of our central goals is ensuring that our allies and partners have the freedom and the space to chart their own futures," Austin said. On Wednesday, a U.S. Navy warship took a trip through the Taiwan Strait. While those kinds of operations are normal, they usually anger Beijing. Greg Poling is with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. He said Vietnam wants to know that the U.S. is going to remain engaged militarily, it's going to continue its presence in the South China Sea. Vietnam and the Philippines are among Chinas biggest opponents in the territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Ignoring protests from neighboring countries, Beijing has built several islands with military equipment and airplane runways. Earlier, Vietnam had accused China of preventing its gas exploration off its southern coastline. In a speech in Singapore Tuesday, Austin condemned Beijings actions in the South China Sea. He said Chinas territorial claim has no basis in international law. Limits to ties On Sunday, the U.S. shipped 3 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam. That raised the amount given to Vietnam by the U.S. through the global COVAX program to 5 million doses. But Poling said there was a limit to how fast and far the Vietnamese would deepen ties with the Americans. Experts say Vietnams concerns about the U.S. remain from the Trump Administration. Former President Donald Trump withdrew from the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement in 2017. There are also limits to how far the United States is willing to increase relations if Vietnam does not improve its human rights record. Vietnam has seen economic reforms and social change in recent decades. The ruling Communist Party, however, keeps tight control over the media and accepts little political debate. In a meeting with Austin on Thursday morning, Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc said he was looking forward to an upcoming visit by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. A source told the Reuters news agency that Harris could be traveling to Vietnam and Singapore in August. Im Dan Novak. Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English from reporting by Reuters and The Associated Press. Susan Shand was the editor. _________________________________________________ Words in This Story ensure v. to make (something) sure, certain, or safe chart v. to make a plan for (something) engaged adj. busy with some activity basis n. a reason for doing something The key to the spike: Vaccination. The CDC reports that 97% of those hospitalized for COVID-19 nationwide are unvaccinated. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Corvallis Gazette-Times. In Pendleton, CHI St. Anthony hospital has reported a significant uptick in positive COVID-19 cases over the past week, nearing peak numbers seen last winter, the spokeswoman, Emily Smith, said in an email. Fourteen people have been hospitalized with the virus over the past seven days, with eight hospitalized on Monday alone. Local hospitals will sometimes refer critically ill patients to other facilities for a higher level of care. But regional hospitals have been unable to accept transfers because they are full with patients, Smith said. For one patient in need of a transfer, health care workers reached out to 15 different hospitals before finding one with an available bed, Smith said. On Monday, the emergency departments physician director reported a threefold increase in patients testing positive in the department over the past five days, Smith said. On Friday and Saturday alone, approximately 40% of patients who came to the hospital with COVID-19 symptoms tested positive. None had been vaccinated against COVID-19. The U.S. on Monday finally reached President Joe Bidens goal of getting at least one COVID-19 shot into 70 percent of American adults a month late and amid a fierce surge by the delta variant that is swamping hospitals and leading to new mask rules and mandatory vaccinations around the country. 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 Asked about Brandtjen's statement, Vos told reporters, "as far as her launching her own investigation, I dont know what that would prove." "Were already doing the forensic audit, Vos said. "So just like perhaps President Trump was misinformed about what were actually doing in Wisconsin, I feel like my colleague Rep. Brandtjen is misinformed about what were doing in Wisconsin because were already doing a forensic audit." In a video message played at the Republican Party of Wisconsin's state convention last month, Trump repeated the false claim that he "won" Wisconsin in 2020. In a statement issued the previous night, he accused state Republican leaders including Vos of "working hard to cover up election corruption." All of these proposed audits and expansions come days after new guidance from the U.S. Department of Justice reminding states pursuing election reviews of their obligations to follow federal voting laws. "This document sets down a marker that says the Justice Department is concerned about this, and we will be following this closely," a DOJ official said on Wednesday. Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less. Maybe we should grab our pitchforks and chase these damnable politicians out of Madison to leave us alone. Enough is becoming enough as our self-proclaimed full-time legislators dream up yet more conspiracy-laden initiatives to torment the state's citizenry. First there was the introduction last month of legislation to lower the state's concealed carry age to 18 and allow weapons to be taken to school. It's the brainchild of state Rep. Shae Sortwell, a Two Rivers Republican whom we last saw trolling for publicity by erecting a 6-foot "Christmas tree" in the rotunda of an empty Capitol building, closed last holiday because of the pandemic. So take that, Tony Evers. You have to wonder how many of Sortwell's bloated legislative staff it took to come up with that piece of needed public policy. But if misogyny remains central to the GOP toolkit, so does racism. Politico reported that the GOP plans to double down on messaging about race in the 2024 cycle. Instead of denying that many Americans are racist or that racism exists in the country, which is pretty much beyond debate, the GOP presidential candidates are expected to brag that they, unlike Democrats, believe America is not a racist nation. Earlier this year, Biden had a reasoned answer to the question: No, I don't think the American people are racist. But I think after 400 years African Americans have been left in a position where theyre so far behind the eight ball in terms of education, health, in terms of opportunity. The GOP deception is to misrepresent any criticism about race by Democrats as tantamount to saying the country is fundamentally racist, which is not the common view. BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) A government warehouse storing movies, documents and antique projectors from Brazil's film industry caught fire Thursday night in Sao Paulo. The fire department said 15 fire vehicles and 50 firefighters were at the site trying to prevent the flames from spreading to a larger area of the building. The warehouse is owned by the national film institute, Cinemateca, and houses South Americas largest collection of films, some made of cellulose nitrate, a highly flammable material. The films in the warehouse were copies for exhibition, not originals, and the extent of the loss wasnt immediately clear. Last year, a flood at the same warehouse damaged part of the collection. In 2016, Cinematecas headquarters in another area of the city also suffered a fire. Public prosecutors warned in a lawsuit filed last year that there was a danger of fire at the Cinemateca warehouse, charging that the federal government had neglected to maintain the building. The suit also said there had been delays in paying the institute's utility bills and wages. In April, Cinemateca employees wrote an open letter decrying the institutions abandonment and demanding it be reopened after being closed for eight months. Chandler Halderson, 23, was arrested a day after he reported his parents missing on July 7 initially for providing false information when investigators quickly poked holes in his story about their disappearance. He was later charged on July 15 with murdering and dismembering his father, Bart Halderson, 50, and disposing of his torso at a rural property outside Cottage Grove. On Wednesday, Chandler Halderson was bound over for trial on charges of first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, hiding a corpse and providing false information. Barrett said he expects Chandler Halderson to face the same set of charges in the killing of his mother. As part of the case, authorities searched a landfill near Watertown, which wrapped up Wednesday, Barrett said. Sheriffs Office spokesperson Elise Schaffer declined to say whether anything was found at the landfill. A dive team continues to check the pond behind the Halderson familys home in Windsor where Chandler Halderson lived with his parents, Barrett said. The Sheriffs Office last week lowered the water level of the private pond after a cadaver dog signaled at several points when it was brought out on the water. The plaintiffs had previously discovered that Huebsch applied to be CEO of Dairyland after leaving the commission in February 2020, though he did not get the job. In a court brief, Huebsch argued the request for his phone records was oppressive and unduly burdensome, and that the power line opponents lack legal standing to demand them. The former Republican lawmaker from West Salem who served in Gov. Scott Walkers administration before being appointed to the PSC in 2015 said there is nothing objectively problematic about a former state official whos developed an expertise in an industry later applying for a job or with cultivating relationships and talking to acquaintances. Doing so is, in fact, routine for public officials, attorney Ryan Walsh argued, just as it is routine for judges to keep in touch with former law clerks who might from time to time argue cases before them. Opponents said Huebsch is a central actor in the case and they need to question him soon in order to argue their case at a hearing scheduled for September. According to court documents, Huebsch used Signal to send encrypted, ephemeral messages, and its unknown if the contents can be recovered. The investigation follows unfounded claims of election fraud by former President Donald Trump and other national Republicans, who have called for a broadened probe into the results of the 2020 election, which saw Joe Biden win the state by a little more than 20,000 votes. There is no evidence of widespread fraud and courts have rejected several lawsuits filed by Trump and his allies attempting to overturn the outcome. Democrats have blasted GOP calls for more investigations as feeding into the lie that Trump actually won the state. Giving Gableman a blank check from taxpayers makes our state and nation less secure, by continuing to give oxygen to lies and conspiracies about the 2020 election, Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, tweeted, adding that Vos and Gableman are threatening our democracy and abusing their power power Vos only has because of gerrymandering. Vos said he hopes the investigation will be complete by this fall to allow for a review of its findings at the same time that the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau completes its election audit, which state Republicans ordered in February. PRAIRIE DU CHIEN You might call me a creature of habit. Or a person predisposed to predictability. Whatever description you choose, I have a propensity to do the same things the same way every time. If it wasnt for my routines, I might get lost on the way to the post office and discover something new. As I have occasionally chronicled in this space, I take a hike in the woods in the evening. I usually walk the trails in the same direction counterclockwise if only to show my slightly rebellious nature. Last time, we parked in a different place and walked the trail in the opposite direction. I got lost. Not lost in the park lost in a new perspective. Landmarks look different after a 180-degree shift in view. Following the path backward felt like looking behind a photograph to see what was on the back. Our dog Fargo seemed right at home. I guess smells have no front and back. As a society, we are lost. In the wake of a pandemic and a fraught election, we find ourselves separated from our routines and what we thought we knew. We are used to going the same direction. We wake up, scrub our teeth, steal a shower, slug our coffee, and hurry to work. We travel the same streets. We clock in and clock out. We check our schedules and sync our calendars. The Catholic Churchs attempt to repair the damage caused by decades of priestly abuse would be vastly improved by a full, transparent, easy-to-use national list of abusive clerics. And no, that still doesnt exist. Two years ago, many dioceses but not all began publishing lists of priests credibly accused of abusive behavior. But these are too often incomplete, as well as difficult to find and use. There are far more names out there now than ever before, said David Clohessy of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP. Is it anywhere near the totals? Absolutely not. Bishops always have, and still, put out the very least amount of information as possible. The Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, for example, has published a list of substantiated abuse allegations against nearly two dozen clerics. Yet the list lacks photographs of the offenders, or full work histories, or the names of any lay offenders. Other dioceses provide this critical information. A comprehensive list would better notify the community. Emergency situations can justify actions that would normally be inexcusable. The social order is not damaged if a lost hiker breaks into an unoccupied cabin to avoid freezing to death. The damage comes if the exception becomes the norm and cabin owners lose all protection from intruders. In the early months of the pandemic, the federal government was doing everything it could think of to limit the damage from COVID-19. One measure was a ban on evictions by landlords at a time when many renters were suddenly out of work and unable to pay. Originally part of the coronavirus relief package passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump, the moratorium was extended in September by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Congress later extended it again, and when that extension lapsed, the CDC renewed it until the end of June. Some states, including California, New York and Illinois, imposed their own bans. The overall policy made sense during a grave public health crisis. Depositing millions of tenants onto the streets and into crowded shelters would have accelerated the spread of the virus. The moratorium originated when cities and states were enforcing lockdowns. People who lose their homes cant very well isolate at home. Entertainment alert top story Here are all the winners of the 2021 Magic Valley Art & Soul DREW NASH, TIMES-NEWS Breezy Given creates a mural for Art and Soul of the Magic Valley on June 15 in Twin Falls. TWIN FALLS The Magic Valley Arts Council announced the winners of the 11th Annual Art & Soul of the Magic Valley on Thursday. Part of the Art in the Park festivities, the Art & Soul Awards Ceremony was July 23 in Twin Falls City Park. The 11th anniversary saw the third largest number of participants in the main contest with 199 entries, and 91 children registered in the Youth Contest. Last year there were 201 entries in the main contest, and in 2019 there were 202 entries in the main contest All artwork was showcased in 97 venues in Twin Falls. Art & Soul of the Magic Valley is a city-wide art contest and arts appreciation event awarded $40,000 in prize money. Major Supporters of this years contest are Times-News, Pioneer Federal Credit Union, Magic Valley Mall, Premier Autogroup, Colliers International, College of Southern Idaho Foundation, Idaho Central Credit Union, Middlekauff Auto Mall, Art Guild of the Magic Valley, Lithia Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Twin Falls and Five Fish Press. Youth Category Pioneer Federal Credit Union and the Magic Valley Mall sponsored the 8th Annual Youth Category. All student-entries were showcased at the Magic Valley Mall. Chosen by public vote, the winners are: Elementary Grades K-2 Division Honorable Mention and recipient of $25: Quinn McKee, Xavier Charter School; 3RD Place winner and recipient of $50: Loinel Sojka, Morningside Elementary School; 2ND Place winner and recipient of $75: Quincy Godfrey, Homeschool; and 1ST Place winner and recipient of $100: Evelyn Fluckiger, Homeschool. Elementary Grades 3-5 Division Honorable Mention and recipient of $25: Daniel Fluckiger, Homeschool; 3RD Place winner and recipient of $50: Dakota Bennett, Harrison Elementary School; 2ND Place winner and recipient of $100: Scout Heatwole, Stricker Elementary School; and 1ST Place winner and recipient of $200: Brody Higley, Popplewell Elementary School Middle School Division Honorable Mention and recipient of $25: Cameron Hilverda, Xavier Charter School; 3RD Place winner and recipient of $75: Nolan Godfrey, Homeschool; 2ND Place winner and recipient of $150: Mylee Reid, Kimberly Middle School; and 1ST Place winner and recipient of $300: Bailey Robison, Kimberly Middle School High School Division Honorable Mention and recipient of $25: Eliza Lee, Homeschool; 3RD Place winner and recipient of $75: Vanessa Pires, Wendell High School; 2ND Place winner and recipient of $150: Hannah Aguirre, Twin Falls High School; and tied for 1ST Place winner and recipients of $300: Reece Garey, Kimberly High School and Gage Carter, Kimberly High School. Professionally Judged Competition Artists entered in the main contest were invited to enter the Professionally Judged Competition. The judge was Stephanie Werntz. Stephanie currently runs two Art in Medicine programs in Boise, Idaho. One is hospital based at Saint Alphonsus Hospital, and the other is community based at the Treasure Valley YMCA, for people living with cancer or neurological disorders. Both programs are patterned after The Creative Center at University Settlement in New York City, and embrace their philosophy of, Medicine cures the body, but ART heals the spirit! Her workshops include any medium she can make work, including painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, fiber arts, jewelry making, glass fusing, etc. In the Professionally Judged Two-Dimensional Category, recognized with the Honorable Mention award: Hailey, ID artist Christopher Brown for his 4 x 5 drawing entry titled As Winter Fades. The award for 1st Place in the Two-Dimensional Division and $1,000 was given to Boise, ID artist Marne Elmore, for her 42 x 100 printmaking entry titled Sturgeon. In the Three-Dimensional Category, the judges recognized two entries with the Honorable Mention award the judges recognized Twin Falls, ID artist Jim Woods for his 18 x 9 ceramic entry titled Salmon Frenzy. The award for 1st Place in the Three-Dimensional Division and $1,000 was given to Boise, Idaho artist Michael Cordell for his 10 x 20 untitled sculpture. New categories added to the 11th annual Art & Soul of the Magic Valley were Original Art Quilt, Pastel and Mural. The contest rules accommodate for low entry in categories. The rules stipulate that a $1,000 prize would be awarded if ten or more artists entered that category. Categories with at least five entries were awarded $500. Nine of the 18 categories fell below the 10-entry requirement to receive $1,000. Those nine category winners will receive $500. The category Sculpture, 3ft and under did not have the minimum number of entries to receive a prize. Winners in each category ACRYLIC: Honorable Mention was awarded to Selena Garcia, Bliss, ID; and recipient of $1,000 for BEST IN SHOW ACRYLIC Rick Kuhn, Twin Falls, ID. CERAMIC: Honorable Mention was awarded to Mayumi Kiefer, Twin Falls, ID; and recipient of $1,000 for BEST IN SHOW CERAMICS Jim Woods, Twin Falls, ID. DIGITAL: Honorable Mention was awarded to Cindy Churchman, Jerome, ID; and recipient of $1,000 for BEST IN SHOW DIGITAL Ron Yates, Twin Falls, ID. DRAWING: Honorable Mention was awarded to Judy VanDellen, Twin Falls, ID; and recipient of $500 for BEST IN SHOW DRAWING Kathy Lily Field, Buhl, ID. FIBER: Honorable Mention was awarded to Trisha Chubbs, Twin Falls, ID; and recipient of $500 for BEST IN SHOW FIBER Roseanne Anderson, Cheney, WA. GLASS: Honorable Mention was awarded to Sandy Swope, Twin Falls; and recipient of $500 for BEST IN SHOW GLASS Shahab Fakhr, Twin Falls, ID. MIXED MEDIA: Honorable Mention was awarded to Shena Bingham, Buhl, ID; and recipient of $1,000 for BEST IN SHOW MIXED MEDIA Connie Wood, Hagerman, ID. MURAL: Honorable Mention was awarded to Lydia Hernandez, Boise, ID; and recipient of $500 for BEST IN SHOW MURAL Jason Hicks, Twin Falls, ID. ORIGINAL ART QUILT: Honorable Mention was awarded to Julie Stadtherr, Twin Falls, ID; and recipient of $500 for BEST IN SHOW ORIGINAL ART QUILT Carmen Sidlaruk, Twin Falls, ID. OIL: Honorable Mention was awarded to Leon Smith, Twin Falls, ID; and recipient of $1,000 for BEST IN SHOW OIL Virgia West, Mountain Home, ID. PASTEL: Honorable Mention was awarded to Ron Hicks, Twin Falls, ID; and recipient of $500 for BEST IN SHOW PASTEL Jill Storey, Boise, ID. PHOTOGRAPHY: Honorable Mention was awarded to Marta Moyle, Heyburn, ID; and recipient of $1,000 for BEST IN SHOW PHOTOGRAPHY Jerry Dodds, Twin Falls, ID. PRINTMAKING: Honorable Mention was awarded to Angela Batchelor, Twin Falls, ID; and recipient of $1,000 for BEST IN SHOW PRINTMAKING Laurel Macdonald, Boise, ID; QUILT: Honorable Mention was awarded to Robin Schenk, Twin Falls ID; and recipient of $500 for BEST IN SHOW QUILT Cynthia England, Dickinson, TX. SCULPTURE, OVER 3 FEET: Honorable Mention was awarded to Michael Cordell, Boise, ID; and recipient of $500 for BEST IN SHOW SCULPTURE, OVER 3 FEET Khiyam Zahroun, Twin Falls, ID. WATERMEDIA: Honorable Mention was awarded to Leslie Lambert, Twin Falls, ID; and recipient of $1,000 for BEST IN SHOW WATERMEDIA Connie Pepper, Twin Falls, ID. WEARABLE: Honorable Mention was awarded to Mike Metzler, Twin Falls, ID; and recipient of $500 for BEST IN SHOW WEARABLE Paula Brown Sinclair, Twin Falls, ID. WOODWORK: Honorable Mention was awarded to Robert Jackman, Filer, ID; and recipient of $1,000 for BEST IN SHOW WOODWORK Rickey Highland, Twin Falls, ID. From the 97 Venue locations, the public voted for their two favorite Venues. The Peoples Choice Venue Award for Venue 2 or Fewer Artists was St. Vincent de Paul. The award for Peoples Choice Venue 3 or More Artists was Premier Autogroup, who showcased 22 artists. There was a tie for the Art & Soul 4th Place award. Winners and recipients of $750 each Christopher Brown, Hailey, ID, who was sponsored by Jason and Nikki Halverson and showcased at Middlekauff Ford; and Jeffro Uitto, from Tokeland, WA and was sponsored by Kim and Buck Syth. His 75 x 46 sculpture entry is titled Saddle Seat Bust. His venue was Webb Landscape. Sponsored by Fran and Al Frost, the Art & Soul 3rd Place winner and recipient of $3,000 Kay Taylor Affleck, from Paul, ID, for her 23 x 31 pastel entry titled Molly. Her venue was Premier Autogroup. Sponsored by Mason Taylor Art, the Art & Soul 2nd Place winner and recipient of $6,000 is Mason Taylor, from Kimberly, ID, for his 4 x 8 sculpture title Leo. His venue was Koto Brewing Co. The 11th Annual Art & Soul of the Magic Valley Grand Prize winner and recipient of $12,000 is Twin Falls, ID artist Floyd Drown, for his 18 x 36 oil painting entry titled Misty Crossing. His sponsor was Judy and Mike Youngman and his venue was Premier Autogroup. BOISE (AP) Australia has sent a jet airtanker to the United States to help fight wildfires. Officials at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise said late Wednesday that the Boeing 737 from the New South Wales Rural Fire Service arrived at the center last weekend. The jet is being made available through an agreement between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Australia. The airtanker has two internal tanks with a capacity of 4,000 gallons (15,000 liters), classifying it as a large airtanker. The aircraft is named Marie Bashir after Dame Marie Bashir, the former governor of New South Wales We greatly appreciate having this airtanker from the New South Wales Rural Fire Service assisting us, said Kim Christensen, deputy assistant director for operations for the U.S. Forest Service. Were proud of the long history of cooperation we have with Australia and other countries. The center moved to national preparedness level 5 earlier this month. Thats the highest level and means firefighting resources are stretched thin due to multiple large wildfires burning in the U.S. West. BOISE Police officers removed flags bearing the emblem of an organization widely criticized as a hate group from multiple interstate overpasses in Boise last weekend. Haley Williams, a spokesperson for the Boise Police Department, told the Idaho Statesman in an email that officers removed the flags, which were tied to the far-right Proud Boys group, on Saturday morning. The Proud Boys are classified as a hate group by organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center and Anti-Defamation League, which say the Proud Boys espouse xenophobic views, including white nationalism and anti-Semitism. The group describes itself as Western chauvinists. It wasnt immediately clear who hung up the flags, which reportedly appeared at the Curtis Road overpass on Interstate 184 and from the Cloverdale overpass on Interstate 84. Williams said anyone with information is asked to contact BPD or Crime Stoppers. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Williams said the flags displayed the initials PB, a logo frequently seen on Proud Boys items, surrounded by a yellow laurel wreath. HOUSTON (AP) Authorities on Thursday released the names of two workers who died in a chemical leak at a Houston-area plant that also injured dozens of others. Dustin Day, 36, and Shawn Kuhleman, 32, died after about 100,000 pounds (45,359 kilograms) of a mixture that primarily included acetic acid was released in the leak that started Tuesday evening at LyondellBasells La Porte complex. The cause of their deaths was still pending, according to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. Thirty other workers were taken to hospitals and two were still there on Thursday, LyondellBasell said in a statement. The company said the cause of the leak is under investigation and that it is cooperating with the authorities. The chemicals involved in the leak can severely burn skin and are toxic if inhaled, according to officials. The leak occurred inside a unit that produces acetic acid and had been shut down for planned maintenance. The acetic acid produced in the unit meets food grade requirements for shipping in the food industry and is also used in textiles, plastic bottles and other chemicals. WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump urged senior Justice Department officials to declare the 2020 election results "corrupt" in a December phone call, according to handwritten notes from one of the participants in the conversation. The notes of the Dec. 27 call, released Friday by the House Oversight Committee, underscore the lengths to which Trump went to try to overturn the results of the election and to elicit the support of law enforcement officials and other government leaders in that effort. Emails released last month show that Trump and his allies in the last weeks of his presidency pressured the Justice Department to investigate unsubstantiated claims of widespread 2020 election fraud, and the department's inspector general is looking into whether department officials tried to subvert the results. "Just say the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen," Trump said at one point to then-Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, according to notes taken by Richard Donoghue, a senior Justice Department official who was on the call. The pressure is all the more notable because just weeks earlier, Trump's own Attorney General William Barr, had declared that the department had found no evidence of widespread fraud that could have overturned the results. A 6-3 conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court said in May that the court would consider arguments over the Mississippi law. Justices are likely to hear the case this fall and could rule on it in the spring. The 11 other states whose Republican governors also signed onto the amicus brief in support of Mississippi are Montana, Texas, Florida, Arizona, Iowa, South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri and Oklahoma. Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, a group that describes itself as protecting and promoting reproductive health in Idaho, Washington and four other states, condemned Little's decision to join the amicus brief. Idaho politicians claim to support individual freedoms, while ruthlessly attacking the right of a pregnant person to access the full spectrum of safe and legal reproductive health care," Mistie DelliCarpini-Tolman, the group's Idaho director, said in a statement. Despite these attacks, we want our patients and the public to know that our doors stay open. Abortion is still legal, and safe, everywhere in the United States and we will continue to fight to keep it that way and to expand access. However, it remained unclear whether the road would become fully functional amid objections to the reopening by militias that control parts of it. The reopening was a long-held demand by the U.N. to enable the safe passage of civilians and goods. Hifters endorsement came shortly after a U.N.-backed joint military committee representing the warring factions announced the road would reopen on Friday morning and that a subsidiary committee would be in charge of securing it. In a televised speech, Hifter congratulated the Libyan people on this achievement, affirmed his full commitment to achieving peace in the oil-rich country and pledged to work toward that goal with all sincerity and honesty." However, he also cautioned that peace will not be possible unless all foreign forces and mercenaries leave the Libyan territories unconditionally" and urged the international community to double its efforts to achieve this end. Libya has been wracked by chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, and split the North African country between a U.N.-supported government in Tripoli and rival authorities loyal to Hifter in the east, each backed by different armed groups and foreign governments. Kapel said once they were there, they encountered Jaylen Pritchett, with whom he once argued about a girl. Kapel said when he went to the bathroom, Pritchett said something to Reid about the argument, and it enraged Reid. Video played in the courtroom showed Reid walking from the bar area toward the front entrance of the restaurant and then shooting at Pritchett from the front area and missing. Pritchett ran back to the bar area, and Kapel said Reid tried to go after him. Keilo Anton Martin, 23, was behind Reid, and Kapel said he was behind Martin when the two tried to hold back Reid. Instead, Reid turned and shot Martin at point-blank range. Thats when the video showed Jenkins move into the front dining area, where he fired twice at Reid, striking him in the side and in the leg. A medical examiners report determined the shot to Reids side was fatal. Earlier testimony explained that Jenkins wasnt with the crowd having drinks that night, but he was acquainted with many of them including his best friend, Martin. Jenkins had ordered food and was waiting near the cash register, dressed for his upcoming shift at Monogram Foods, when the argument and shooting began. MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after President Joe Biden's administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 Alabama: BEREA, Kentucky Caitlyn Hansberger, a resident of Marion, has been named to the spring 2021 deans Llst at Berea College. A student is named to the deans list who achieves a GPA of 3.4 or higher while passing at least four total credits, a course load equivalent to 16 semester hours. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Berea College is distinctive in higher education. Offering bachelors degrees in 34 majors, including arts and sciences and select professional programs, as well as independent majors designed by students to mirror approved majors at other colleges. Berea College awards four-year tuition scholarships to all its students, who because of financial circumstances cannot otherwise afford a high-quality, residential, liberal arts education. All students are required to work at least 10 hours per week in campus and service jobs. Bereas student labor program creates an atmosphere of democratic living that emphasizes the dignity of all work and provides opportunities for students to earn money for their rooms, books, and board. Japan extended a virus state of emergency after new cases topped 10,000 for the first time on Thursday. Hundreds of thousands of people in China were in lockdown on Friday as the country battled its worst COVID-19 outbreak in months, while Japana week into the Olympicsextended its state of emergency due to surging infections. The average number of new daily cases globally jumped by 10 percent over the last week, according to an AFP tally, largely due to the highly contagious Delta variant, after slowing between late April and mid-June. While the Asia-Pacific region has been hard-hitwith Vietnam and Japan recording a 61 percent jump in daily casesWestern countries are also facing surges, with the US and Canada seeing 57 percent more infections. The World Health Organization has warned that the Delta variant, first detected in India, could unleash more outbreaks in a high-risk zone stretching from Morocco to Pakistan where vaccination rates are low. In China, a cluster of infections in Nanjing city linked to airport workers who cleaned a plane from Russia earlier this month had reached Beijing and five provinces by Friday. Hundreds of thousands of people have been locked down in Jiangsu province, of which Nanjing is the capital, while 41,000 came under stay-at-home orders in Beijing's Changping district. Manila misery The Philippines, which has closed its airport to most international travel for months, will send more than 13 million people in the national capital region back into lockdown next week because of a Delta-linked increase, the government said Friday. Graphic highlighting twenty countries with the largest number of Covid-19 cases and deaths in the past week. And Japan extended a virus state of emergency in Tokyo and expanded the measure to four more regions after new cases topped 10,000 for the first time on Thursday. Japan's case figures remain small compared to many places, with 3,300 new infections reported in Tokyo on Friday, but experts say the medical system is already at risk of being overwhelmed with only around a quarter of the population fully vaccinated. The record cases come as Tokyo hosts the Olympics, where organisers on Friday reported 27 new cases related to the eventthe highest daily figure yet. Australia said it would not reopen borders and end lockdowns until vaccination rates reach 80 percent. Nastier variants In Germany, the government tightened restrictions on unvaccinated people entering the country, "regardless of whether they come by plane, car or train", Health Minister Jens Spahn said. The Philippines will reimpose restrictions on millions of people in the capital region to fight a Delta-fuelled coronavirus outbreak. Governments of other wealthy countries have amplified efforts to get more of their populations to accept jabs. Bolstering their case, new research shows that relaxing anti-virus measures before an entire population is vaccinated greatly enhances the risk of more resistant variants evolving. At a time when nearly 60 percent of Europeans have received at least one vaccine dose, the authors said their study showed the need to maintain non-vaccination measures until everyone is fully jabbed. "Delta is a warning: it's a warning that the virus is evolving but it is also a call to action that we need to move now before more dangerous variants emerge," the WHO's emergencies director Michael Ryan said. Kenya curfew More than four billion doses of vaccines have now been administered across the globe, according to AFP data. China is facing its biggest coronavirus outbreak in months, driven by the Delta variant. If she can do it... Ana Lucia Palacios receives a dose of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine in Bogota. High-income countries gave out an average of 97 shots per 100 inhabitants compared with just 1.6 in low-income nations. Kenya, where only 1.7 million shots have been given to the population of 52 million, on Friday extended a nighttime curfew and banned public gatherings after a surge in Delta cases. Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe said hospitals were becoming overwhelmed. "If you fall sick today, you will not get a hospital bed," Kagwe said. "I am not scaring you, I am telling you the reality." To help fill the vaccine gap, rich countries are stepping up donations to the less wealthy. The US sent three million Moderna doses to Uzbekistan and one million doeses to Tunisia on Friday, following a delivery of 1.5 million Moderna jabs to neighbouring Tajikistan earlier this week. Even while many of the world's poorest are yet to receive a first dose, Israel on Friday began rolling out a third booster dose for over-60s. Explore further China battles biggest Covid outbreak in months as US ramps up vaccine push 2021 AFP (HealthDay)Cognitive impairment has been reported following recovery from COVID-19, according to two studies presented at the annual Alzheimer's Association International Conference, held from July 26 to 30 in Denver. Gabriel de Erausquin, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Long School of Medicine, and colleagues conducted a prospective cohort study involving older Amerindians from Argentina to examine chronic neuropsychiatric sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Data were included for 233 SARS-CoV-2-infected participants and 64 controls. The researchers categorized the sample into three groups: normal cognition, memory-only impairment, and multiple-domain impairment (44.6, 21.0, and 34.4 percent, respectively). There was a correlation observed for severity of cognitive impairment with severity of olfactory dysfunction, but no correlation with severity of acute COVID-19. George Vavougios, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Thessaly in Volos, Greece, and colleagues examined the prevalence and associations of cognitive impairment in 32 patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 followed for two months after hospital discharge. The researchers found that 56.2 percent of the patients presented with cognitive decline, with a Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score <24. The predominant patterns of cognitive impairment were short-term memory impairments and multidomain impairment without short-term memory deficits. There was an association observed for MoCA score with age, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and pulse oximetry oxygen saturation during the six-minute walk test. "A brain deprived of oxygen is not healthy, and persistent deprivation may very well contribute to cognitive difficulties," Vavougios said in a statement. "These data suggest some common biological mechanisms between COVID-19's dyscognitive spectrum and post-COVID-19 fatigue that have been anecdotally reported over the last several months." Explore further Research looks for possible COVID tie to later Alzheimer's Copyright 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain University of Queensland researchers are refuting claims that COVID-19 can enter a person's DNA. The researchers from UQ's Queensland Brain Institute say the claims have led to "scaremongering" and people should not hesitate to be vaccinated. Professor Geoff Faulkner said his team's research published in Cell Reports showed there was no evidence of COVID-19or the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccinesentering DNA. "The evidence refutes this concept being used to fuel vaccine hesitancy," he said. Professor Faulkner conducted the research to assess now widely spread findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggesting positive COVID-19 tests long after recovery are due to the virus being incorporated into DNA. "We looked into their claims that the human cells and machinery turned COVID-19 RNA into DNA, causing permanent mutations," Professor Faulkner said. "We assessed the claims in cells grown in the laboratory, conducted DNA sequencing and found no evidence of COVID-19 in DNA. "From a public health point of view, we would say that there are no concerns that the virus or vaccines can be incorporated into human DNA." Professor Faulkner is a computational and molecular biologist with expertise in genomics and transposable elementsmeaning his team studies DNA changes to determine how they impact human biology. He is also affiliated with Mater Research Institute at UQ. For the Cell Reports publication, he worked with virologists, including Associate Professor Daniel Watterson from UQ's School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences. Associate Professor Watterson said the research confirmed there was no unusual viral activity and the COVID-19 behaviour was in line with what was expected from a coronavirus. Explore further AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine reduces viral shedding when administered intranasally Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain People who purposefully breach COVID-19 regulations tend to share certain characteristics, finds a study of attitudes and behaviors in Australia, the UK, the US and Canada. When people protested the COVID-19 lockdown in Sydney last week, many were speculating about whether a certain type of person was more likely to be involved. Does science back that up? A new University of Sydney study assessed people's behaviors and attitudes towards pandemic regulations in Australia, the UK, the US, and Canada. It found that roughly 10 percent of people were noncompliant. Those individuals were mostly male, less agreeable (cooperative, considerate), less intellectual as a personality trait (less willing to try new experiences), and more extroverted. Published in high-ranking journal PLOS ONE, the study also found that these people tended to prioritize freedom and their own self-interest. They also perceived their social culture as tolerant to variation in values and behavior, with greater tolerance for deviance. Contrary to the stereotype, most of them were not young. They also tended to engage less with official sources, such as government announcements and news and engaged more in unhealthy coping strategies such as denial and substance abuse. "Alarmingly, the non-compliant group were more likely than the compliant group to leave their home to meet friends or family, for religious reasons, because they are bored, and to exercise their right to freedom," said lead author, Associate Professor Sabina Kleitman from the University of Sydney School of Psychology. This behavior is a major concern in Australia, especially during the current Sydney lockdown." She continued: "Our research reveals the need for targeted interventions to enhance COVID-19 regulation compliance, such as observing physical distancing. More targeted approaches might utilize a variety of media outlets, provide education to help people identify misinformation, and target specific false beliefs." The researchers gleaned their results from an online survey of 1,575 participants in March and April 2020. Participants reported their behaviors; attitudes; personality; cognitive/decision-making ability; resilience; adaptability; coping; political and cultural factors; and information consumption during the pandemic's first wave in 2020. Compliant characteristics Those more likely to comply with COVID-19 restrictions (90 percent of participants across four countries) were more likely to be young, educated and/or at-risk due to poorer health. Compliant individuals were more likely to be female, worry more, and believe in government-mandated protective measures. They coped with stress and anxiety more productively, with strategies like distraction and planning. Making non-compliers comply Associate Professor Kleitman identified key strategies to shift non-complaint individuals' attitudes and behaviors: Focus more attention/resources on regulating and monitoring misinformation. Non-compliers appear not to use official sources for COVID-19 information, nor do they tend to verify the legitimacy of information. Frame some public health messages to appeal to self-interest. This may be more effective in promoting positive behavior change among non-compliant people than appealing to social obligations. Explore further Understanding how African-Australians think about COVID can help tailor public health messaging More information: Sabina Kleitman et al, To comply or not comply? A latent profile analysis of behaviours and attitudes during the COVID-19 pandemic, PLOS ONE (2021). Journal information: PLoS ONE Sabina Kleitman et al, To comply or not comply? A latent profile analysis of behaviours and attitudes during the COVID-19 pandemic,(2021). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255268 Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Symptoms for early COVID-19 infection differ among age groups and between men and women, new research has found. These differences are most notable between younger age groups (16-59 years) compared to older age groups (60->80 years), and men have different symptoms compared to women in the early stages of COVID-19 infection. The paper, published today in the Lancet Digital Health, and led by researchers from King's analyzes data from the ZOE COVID Symptom Study app between April 20th to 15th October 2020. App contributors are invited to get tested as soon as they report any new symptoms, thanks to a joint initiative with the Department of Health and Social Care. The researchers modeled the early signs of COVID-19 infection and successfully detected 80% of cases when using three days of self-reported symptoms. Researchers compared the ability to predict early signs of COVID-19 infection using current National Health Service UK diagnostic criteria and a Hierarchical Gaussian Process model, a type of machine learning. This machine learning model was able to incorporate some characteristics about the person affected, such as age, sex, and health conditions, and showed that symptoms of early COVID-19 infection are different among various groups. 18 symptoms were examined, which had different relevance for early detection in different groups. The most important symptoms for earliest detection of COVID-19 overall included loss of smell, chest pain, persistent cough, abdominal pain, blisters on the feet, eye soreness and unusual muscle pain. However, loss of smell lost significance in people over 60 years of age and was not relevant for subjects over 80. Other early symptoms such as diarrhea were key in older age groups (60-79 and >80). Fever, while a known symptom of disease, was not an early feature of the disease in any age group. Men were more likely to report shortness of breath, fatigue, chills and fever, whereas women were more likely to report loss of smell, chest pain and a persistent cough. While these models were generated in the COVID Symptom study app, models were replicated across time suggesting they would also apply to non-app contributors. Although the models were used on the first strain of the virus and Alpha variants, the key findings suggest the symptoms of the Delta variant and subsequent variants will also differ across population groups. "Its important people know the earliest symptoms are wide-ranging and may look different for each member of a family or household," says lead author, Claire Steves, Reader from the School of Life Course Sciences. "Testing guidance could be updated to enable cases to be picked up earlier, especially in the face of new variants which are highly transmissible. This could include using widely available lateral flow tests for people with any of these non-core symptoms." Dr Liane dos Santos Canas, first author from the School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, said that "currently, in the UK, only a few symptoms are used to recommend self-isolation and further testing. Using a larger number of symptoms and only after a few days of being unwell, using AI, we can better detect COVID-19 positive cases. We hope such a method is used to encourage more people to get tested as early as possible to minimize the risk of spread." Dr Marc Modat, Senior Lecturer from the School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, said that "as part of our study, we have been able to identify that the profile of symptoms due to COVID-19 differs from one group to another. This suggests that the criteria to encourage people to get tested should be personalized using individuals' information such as age. Alternatively, a larger set of symptoms could be considered, so the different manifestations of the disease across different groups are taken into account." Explore further There may be 6 types of COVID-19 More information: Liane S Canas et al, Early detection of COVID-19 in the UK using self-reported symptoms: a large-scale, prospective, epidemiological surveillance study, The Lancet Digital Health (2021). Liane S Canas et al, Early detection of COVID-19 in the UK using self-reported symptoms: a large-scale, prospective, epidemiological surveillance study,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/S2589-7500(21)00131-X Credit: CC0 Public Domain Since the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established its accelerated approval pathway for drugs in 1992, nearly half (112) of the 253 drugs authorised have not been confirmed as clinically effective, an investigation by The BMJ has found. Elisabeth Mahase, clinical reporter at The BMJ, carried out an in depth analysis of FDA data up to 31 December 2020 and found that of these 112 drugs approved in the last 28 years a fifth (24) have been on the market for more than five years and some have been on the market for more than two decadesoften with a hefty price tag. The accelerated pathway allows drugs onto the market before efficacy has been proven, she explains. But as part of this approval, the manufacturer must conduct post-approval studiesknown as phase IV confirmatory trialsto "verify the anticipated clinical benefit." If these trials show no benefit, the drug's approval can be cancelled. But further analysis of FDA data revealed that only 16 drugs approved through the pathway have ever been withdrawn. Most of these were shown to lack efficacy, but in some cases the confirmatory trials were never done. For example, Celecoxib (Celebrex), which was given accelerated approval in 1999 for the treatment of familial adenomatous polyposis (a genetic disorder that carries a high risk of bowel cancer), was on the market for 12 years before the FDA finally asked Pfizer to voluntarily withdraw it for this indication due to the efficacy trials never being done. The BMJ asked the manufacturers of 24 treatments that have been on the market for more than five years whether they had conducted phase IV trials. Six drugs had been withdrawn, approved, or postponed. Out of the remaining 18 drugs, just one third of manufacturers (6/18) provided information on a relevant trial. And of these only four had started to recruit patients, while two companies said they were still in discussion with the FDA over the final study design. "Despite the pathway's good intentions to accelerate 'the availability of drugs that treat serious diseases' experts are concerned that it is now being exploitedto the detriment of patients, who may be prescribed a drug that offers little benefit and possible harm, and to taxpayers," writes Mahase. Huseyin Naci, associate professor of health policy at the London School of Economics, expressed concern, saying "we may have drugs on the market that don't have any benefits, but certainly predictably have harms associated with them." In 2015, a review of the FDA's expedited pathways by the US Government Accountability Office said that its "data on post-market safety issues and studies were found to be incomplete, outdated, [and] to contain inaccuracies." And in April 2021, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) reported that a lack of "credible threats" to withdraw approval if companies didn't carry out confirmatory trials meant that study sponsors had little incentive to do them. When efficacy is unclear, the FDA uses indirect (surrogate) measures of clinical benefit. In some cases, there is a strong indication that the surrogate measure predicts meaningful benefit, explains Mahase, but where the situation is less straightforward, "inconsistencies and a lack of transparency surrounding decisions have led to serious questions over the standards of evidence being accepted." Rachel Sachs, an associate professor of law at Washington University, said, "There are some instances where the companies really do seem to be taking advantage of the accelerated approval pathway and are using it in a way that makes it harder to get at the truth about whether these products really are safe and effective." Despite the concerns raised, Mahase points out that all experts who spoke to The BMJ agreed that the accelerated pathway is still useful and can be truly beneficial to patients, although some changes are needed. One effective reform could be that confirmatory trials are designed, agreed, and even started as part of the approval, she says. Other suggestions set out in the ICER white paper include strengthening the selection of surrogate endpoints, regulating the price of accelerated drugs, and regularly re-reviewing and renewing the approval to ensure that it continues to justify the risk benefit tradeoff. In response, an FDA spokesperson said it was "committed to working with sponsors to ensure that confirmatory studies are completed in a timely manner." They added, "We expect sponsors to commit all resources needed to move trials forward as effectively as possible, with the aim of completing trials as soon as is feasible, while assuring the quality of the data and the robustness of the results." Explore further Study examines quality of evidence for drugs granted accelerated FDA approval More information: FDA allows drugs without proven clinical benefit to languish for years on accelerated pathway, BMJ (2021). Journal information: British Medical Journal (BMJ) FDA allows drugs without proven clinical benefit to languish for years on accelerated pathway,(2021). www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n1898 A cyclist passes cars at a standstill along West Colonial Drive in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, July 29, 2021, as residents wait in line for COVID-19 testing at Barnett Park. The line stretched through the park for more than a mile to the entrance to the Central Florida Fairgrounds. Orange County is under a state of emergency as coronavirus infections skyrocket in Central Florida. The Barnett Park site is testing 1,000 people a day and has closed early in recent days due to reaching capacity. Credit: Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP Hospital admissions of coronavirus patients continue to soar in Florida with at least two areas in the state surpassing the previous peaks of last summer's surge, prompting calls by local officials for the governor to declare an emergency. A large hospital system in Jacksonville said its hospitals were at maximum capacity, its emergency centers also at a critical point as the state grappled with the new and more infectious delta variant of the COVID-19 virus. In Brevard County, two hospitals began setting up treatment tents at its emergency departments. And at a Fort Lauderdale park, a long line of cars snaked around a testing site, recalling the first weeks of the pandemic last year. Florida hospitals reported more than 8,900 patients with COVID-19 on Thursday, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Florida Hospital Association said the state peaked at 10,179 cases last July. The patient number on Thursday was five times higher than a month ago, and it quickly climbed from about 5,500 in just one week. "What's extraordinary is the speed at which we are currently seeing new cases," said Dr. Vincent Hsu, executive director of infection prevention and hospital epidemiologist at AdventHealth in Orlando. "The slope is pretty steep, and we haven't seen the end of it. This is still coming." Signage stands at the ready (foreground) in case COVID-19 testing at Barnett Park reaches capacity, as cars wait in line in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, July 29, 2021. The line stretched through the park for more than a mile out to West Colonial Drive near the Central Florida Fairgrounds. Orange County is under a state of emergency as coronavirus infections skyrocket in Central Florida. The Barnett Park site is testing 1,000 people a day and has closed early in recent days due capacity limits. Credit: Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP AdventHealth said Thursday it had reached a new high on Thursday since the pandemic began with about 1,000 COVID-19 hospitalized patients across its system in central Florida. Twelve hospitals in the state are reporting critical staffing shortages to the federal government. The state reported to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention an additional 17,500 casesmaking one fifth of the national new caseloadand 56 new deaths, raising the total death toll for the state to nearly 38,900. The rapid rise in hospitalizations and cases has prompted officials in Miami-Dade and Orlando to issue new orders requiring masks at indoor county buildings. The mayor of Orange County, home to Walt Disney World, is forcing all nonunion county employees to get vaccinated by August. And Walt Disney World also announced this week that it would again be requiring the use of masks indoors. Cars line up at Miami Dade College North campus' COVID-19 testing site, Thursday, July 29, 2021, in Miami. Hospital admissions of coronavirus patients continue to soar in Florida with at least two areas in the state surpassing previous peaks reached during last summer's surge. Credit: AP Photo/Marta Lavandier Just 48 percent of the state's population is fully vaccinated, and hospitals say the vast majority of the patients with COVID-19 are unvaccinated. Despite calls for him to declare an emergency, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has vowed not to reinstate any pandemic restrictions. In early June the state stopped providing daily figures of cases and deaths, switching to weekly reports. He signed a law in May a measure that invalidated local COVID-19 orders and gave him power to nullify future ones. On Wednesday, the governor mocked new federal guidelines recommending use of masks even for those vaccinated against COVID-19. He also took aim at Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease specialist, who recently said the U.S. is in an "unnecessary predicament" of soaring cases fueled by unvaccinated Americans and the virulent delta variant. A cyclist passes cars at a standstill along West Colonial Drive in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, July 29, 2021, as residents wait in line for COVID-19 testing at Barnett Park. The line stretched through the park for more than a mile to the entrance to the Central Florida Fairgrounds. Orange County is under a state of emergency as coronavirus infections skyrocket in Central Florida. The Barnett Park site is testing 1,000 people a day and has closed early in recent days due to reaching capacity. Credit: Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP DeSantis said Florida would "choose freedom over Fauci-ism." "I think it's very important we say, unequivocally, 'No to lockdowns, no to school closures, no to restrictions, no to mandates,'" DeSantis said. "We'll be holding the line. We will not back down." His words drew enthusiastic applause during his appearance in Salt Lake City, Utah, before the American Legislative Exchange Council, a group that pushes conservative policies in Republican-controlled state legislatures. DeSantis said he opposes those measures because they were ineffective and "had catastrophic consequences" for the economy. The governor's stance against lockdowns, mask mandates and vaccine passports is a key component of his reelection campaign. The campaign is selling koozies with the phrase "How the hell am I going to drink a beer with a mask on?" and T-shirts reading: "Don't Fauci My Florida." Cars wait in line for COVID-19 testing at Barnett Park, in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, July 29, 2021. The line stretched through the park for more than a mile to the entrance to the Central Florida Fairgrounds. Orange County is under a state of emergency as coronavirus infections skyrocket in Central Florida. The Barnett Park site is testing 1,000 people a day and has closed early in recent days due to reaching capacity. Credit: Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP Charlie Crist, a Democrat challenging DeSantis next year, condemned his speech in Utah in a statement sent Thursday. Crist served as a Republican governor from 2007 to 2011, before joining the Democratic party. He has served in the U.S. House since 2017. "Our hospitals are being overrun by sick patients, families are losing their loved ones, and our children are facing another difficult and confusing school year. But where's Governor DeSantis? He's profiting from selling merchandise that demonizes our nation's top doctor" he said. Explore further Florida COVID-19 hospitalizations jump significantly again 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Fig. 1. Flowchart of DDF computation. A: Generating skeletonized MD map (TBSS). B-D: The computation of DDF: Column C shows the PDF for skeletonized MD distribution. Column D shows the CDF for skeletonized MD distribution. The upper row is the reference, the lower row is an individual subject, and row in the middle shows the comparison between individual and reference. The value of DDF is the area with green dash lines. The gray dash lines are the 5th to 95th percentiles of the differences of the inversed distribution functions. Abbreviations: DDF, Difference in distribution functions; TBSS, Tract-Based Spatial Statistics; MD, mean diffusivity; PDF, probability density function; CDF, cumulative distribution function. Credit: DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118381 Researchers from UNSW Sydney's Centre for Healthy Brain Aging (CHeBA) have developed an improved neuroimaging measure to monitor age-related cognitive decline in older adults. The findings, published in NeuroImage, indicate that the measurenamed "Difference in Distribution Function' will ultimately assist in monitoring the aging process and brain changes seen in Vascular dementias and Alzheimer's disease. Diffusion Weighted Imaging has been the most widely recognized neuroimaging technique for evaluating the microstructure of white matter in the brain, with white matter integrity critical to normal brain structure and function. Various diffusion weighted imaging measures have been developed to investigate white matter but all have had inherent limitations. Leader of CHeBA's Neuroimaging Group Associate Professor Wei Wen said that there was a distinct need for an enhanced neuroimaging measure to be developed to overcome these limitations and particularly be able to more effectively and comprehensively describe changes to the white matter. Lead author Dr. Jing Du said that white matter is important because it is vulnerable to the effect of vascular risk factors. "It is possible that aging brains suffer significant micro-structural changes due to vascular factors before functional changes are obvious, such as cognitive decline and impact on memory," says Dr. Du. "The improved measure we have created also differentiates diseased brains from healthy ones," said Dr. Du. The researchers developed the new measure using study participants from the UK Biobank and validated the measure in healthy brains through CHeBA's Sydney Memory and Aging Study and a study addressing cerebral small vessel disease. The improved diffusion imaging measure has shown to be highly associated with age and cognition across all three cohorts and better explains variance of the changes related to age and cognition than established Diffusion Weighted Imaging measures. The new measure also has higher sensitivity in distinguishing cerebral small vessel disease patients from cognitively normal participants. Co-directors of CHeBA and co-authors Professor Perminder Sachdev and Professor Henry Brodaty said that the superior measure shows promise to become a surrogate marker for monitoring the white matter microstructural changes and aging related cognitive decline in older individuals. "The sensitivity of tracking the brain aging process allows this improved measure to be a biomarker applied for monitoring the structural and functional changes in both healthy and diseased brains, expanding our research potential." Dr. Du and colleagues are delighted their work is clinically meaningful and immediately useful to the global neuroimaging community, with the computer program for the improved measure already accessible online: bit.ly/CHeBANeuroimaging_DCDF. Explore further People aged 95 and over show stronger brain connectivity More information: Jing Du et al, Difference in distribution functions: A new diffusion weighted imaging metric for estimating white matter integrity, NeuroImage (2021). Journal information: NeuroImage Jing Du et al, Difference in distribution functions: A new diffusion weighted imaging metric for estimating white matter integrity,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118381 Provided by CHeBA Credit: CC0 Public Domain After a controversial federal order suspending travel to the U.S. from seven Muslim-majority countries was signed in 2017, the number of visits to emergency departments by Minneapolis-St. Paul area residents from those nations increased significantly. And that development followed an already marked increase in primary care visits by members of the same population, which began in November 2016 following an election season characterized by significant anti-immigrant rhetoric. That's according to a new JAMA Network Open study led by a Brown University health services researcher in collaboration with a group of public health and health services researchers from across the country. Those changes in health care utilization likely reflected elevated cumulative stress due to an increasingly hostile climate toward Muslims in the U.S., the authors say. "It's clear that U.S. immigration policies can have significant effects on the health of people living here in the U.S.," said Dr. Elizabeth Samuels, corresponding author of the study and an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Brown University's Warren Alpert Medical School. "In this case, we saw a rise in emergency department visits among people from nations targeted in the ban as well as a rise in missed appointments from people from Muslim majority countries not named in the ban. I think that that's indicative of the kind of rippling health effects these types of policies can have." On Jan. 27, 2017, one week after taking office, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 13769, "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States." Samuels said that when the order took effect, she and other medical colleagues wondered how the immigration policy might affect the health of people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen (the included countries) living in the U.S. Similar policies have exacerbated levels of discrimination, hostility and "othering" that Muslims in the U.S. experience, she said, and research has shown that increases in hate crimes and hostility directed toward Muslims negatively impacts their health. For example, Samuels notes, after the Sept. 11 attacks, rates of anxiety, depression and low birth weights increased among Arab Americans. However, because of the way demographic and health data is collected in the U.S., Samuels wasn't sure if the changing health behaviors of Muslims in the U.S. was even something that could be measured, because health care administrative databases are not mandated to collect information on religious affiliation. "One of the biggest challenges for those of us who work in Muslim communities is to try to figure out how to find Muslim Americans within U.S. health care databases, because unlike race, ethnicity or even sexual or gender identity, religious identity is not routinely captured or recorded," said Dr. Aasim I. Padela, a study author and professor of emergency medicine, bioethics, and the medical humanities at the Medical College of Wisconsin. "And in an emotionally-charged post-9-11 environment in which Muslims are often stigmatized, there's actually a disincentive to offer up this kind of information." The result is that while there are smaller studies involving these communities, there is a lack of population-level data. But in researching potential study populations, Samuels discovered that health care provider and insurance company HealthPartners collected country of origin data on patients visiting clinics and hospitals in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, home to the largest Somali Muslim community in the U.S. In conducting the study, the researchers analyzed the HealthPartners database and grouped 252,594 patients receiving care between January 2016 and December 2017 into three groups: adults born in one of the nations included in the executive order; adults born in Muslim-majority nations not listed in the order; and U.S.-born non-Latinx adults. They compared changes in primary care and emergency department visits, missed scheduled clinic appointments, and visits they categorized as "stress-responsive," among individuals from nations included in the executive order from one year before to one year after it was issued. They found that after the order was issued, there was an immediate increase in emergency department visits among people from the included countries. The study estimates that 232 additional emergency department visits were made by people from Muslim ban-targeted nations in the 360 days after the Muslim ban was issued beyond what would have been estimated if emergency department utilization had followed a trend similar to that seen by U.S.-born non-Latinx adults. This was especially pronounced in the first 30 to 60 days after the ban was issued. Study results suggested that adults born in Muslim-majority nations not listed in the order missed approximately 101 additional primary care appointments during the time period beyond what they would have expected to miss if following the trend of non-Latinx U.S.-born people. Some forms of health care utilization were also noted to change even before adoption of the ban. Clinic visits and stress-related diagnoses increased before the executive order was issued, most notably after the 2016 presidential election. Despite the statistically significant increase in emergency visits, Samuels says she was surprised not to see larger overall health effects, especially related to stress, in the wake of the order. In the study, the researchers discuss why this might be, and how potential changes in health care utilization after the order may have been attenuated by factors specific to Minneapolis-St. Paul. The very factor that made it possible to focus on this population in the studya concentrated, civically engaged community of Somali-Americans and Muslimsmay have also offered protection against political stressors, they note, as the ability to secure benefits through social structures, like community associations or civic organizations, may attenuate the negative health impacts of discrimination. Padela said that while discrimination is known to impact health care behaviors, measuring the health effects of discrimination in an aggregate fashion, especially for a population that isn't quantified by health care groups, is tricky. "This study was able to not only identify a Muslim community within the health care system, but also to analyze their health care behaviors before and after a policy-level decision widely recognized as discriminatory," he said. Explore further How anti-immigrant rhetoric affects health care use More information: Elizabeth A. Samuels et al, Health Care Utilization Before and After the "Muslim Ban" Executive Order Among People Born in Muslim-Majority Countries and Living in the US, JAMA Network Open (2021). Journal information: JAMA Network Open Elizabeth A. Samuels et al, Health Care Utilization Before and After the "Muslim Ban" Executive Order Among People Born in Muslim-Majority Countries and Living in the US,(2021). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.18216 (HealthDay)Some Missourians are sneaking off to get COVID-19 shots because their family and friends would disapprove, a doctor says. "They've had some experience that's sort of changed their mind from the viewpoint of those in their family, those in their friendship circles or their work circles. And they came to their own decision that they wanted to get a vaccine," Dr. Priscilla Frase, a hospitalist and chief medical information officer at Ozarks Healthcare in West Plains, Mo., told CNN. "They did their own research on it, and they talked to people and made the decisions themselves," she explained. "But even though they were able to make that decision themselves, they didn't want to have to deal with the peer pressure or the outbursts from other people about them ... 'giving in to everything.'" A pharmacist at her hospital told Frase that "they've had several people come in to get vaccinated who have tried to sort of disguise their appearance and even went so far as to say, 'please, please, please don't let anybody know that I got this vaccine,'"' she said in a hospital-produced video, CNN reported. If a patient seeking a COVID-19 shot asks for privacy, the hospital tries to provide it, Frase said. "Anything we can do to get people in a place that they're comfortable receiving the vaccine," Frase added. "It's not a large number, but every single person that we can reach who wants to get vaccinated and we can provide that for them, that's a win. And we take every win that we can get." Only 41% of Missouri's population is fully vaccinated, the 13th lowest rate among all states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In recent weeks, Missouri has had some of the highest rates of new cases as infections spread among unvaccinated people, CNN reported. Studies of the three authorized U.S. vaccines have shown that they provide strong protection against infection and severe illness. The vast majority of people hospitalized and dying of COVID-19 are unvaccinated, the CDC has said. But a Kaiser Family Foundation poll released earlier this month found that most people who had decided one way or the other on vaccination back in January hadn't changed their minds since. Of those who were unvaccinated at the start of the year, only about 8% had changed their minds, the poll found. Explore further Fully vaccinated people can visit unvaccinated family and friends: CDC More information: Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more on Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more on COVID vaccines. Copyright 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved. In this March 14, 2020 file photo, Royal Caribbean International cruise ship docked at PortMiami in Miami. Six passengers from a Royal Caribbean cruise have tested positive after the ship docked in the Bahamas. Royal Caribbean said Friday, July 30, 2021, that four of them are adults who were all vaccinated against COVID-19, and two are minors who were not vaccinated. Credit: AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File Six passengers who sailed on a Royal Caribbean ship tested positive for COVID-19 near the end of their cruise and were immediately quarantined, the company said Friday. The passengers four adults and two minors were on the Adventure of the Seas ship for a 7-day trip that left the Bahamas last Saturday and returned on Friday, said Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Lyan Sierra-Caro. They were tested Thursday while the ship was at sea. The adults were all vaccinated against COVID-19, Sierra-Caro said, and one has mild symptoms of the virus while the other three do not. They were not traveling together. The two minorswho were in the same group but not traveling with any of the four adults who tested positivewere not vaccinated and were not showing symptoms, the spokeswoman said. All six are American citizens, Sierra-Cano said. They were quarantined and people traveling with them were traced and tested negative, she said. Sierra-Cano said the six passengers would fly back to the U.S. on private transportation at Royal Caribbean's expense and won't need to quarantine in the Bahamas. The ship was in Freeport, Bahamas, on Friday, where other passengers were free to go on shore, and the cruise will end Saturday in Nassau as scheduled. Sierra-Cano said the company would tell other passengers about the infections once they were all back on board Friday. Royal Caribbean Group says it requires passengers who are 16 or older to be fully vaccinated and provide a negative test for COVID-19 before boarding, and children who aren't old enough for the vaccines must test negative. All crew are fully vaccinated, according to the company. Explore further CDC sets rules for trial cruises with volunteer passengers 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Fig 1. A "second-person" perspective social interaction and a "third-person" perspective social interaction. Credit: Yuhui Cheng Humans are endowed with intrinsic social motivation to interact with others and to maintain social relationships. It has been demonstrated that pupil size may serve as a window for personal motivations, such as sex, money and etc. However, to date, it remains elusive regarding whether pupil size gains an insight into social motivation, in particular social interaction. Recently, Prof. Yi Jiang and his colleagues from Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences systematically examined whether human's propensity for social interaction can be reflected by the eyes. "The social interaction signals people are inundated with everyday consist of either an agent who sends an interactive invitation towards us (a "second-person" perspective) or pairs of people who are engaged in reciprocal communications (a "third-person" perspective)," said Prof. Yi. Using the pupillary assessment method, the researchers recorded the observers' pupil size when they were viewing these social interaction signals. The results showed that the observers' pupil size was significantly enlarged either when they viewed a single agent that sent interactive intention towards them versus towards others, or when they viewed facing agents engaged in social interaction as compared with non-facing dyads. By contrast, such pupil dilation effects disappeared when these social interaction entities were inverted. Moreover, this pupil dilation effect relied on the correct understanding of the communicative intention of the interactive agents. Fig 2. The procedure and result of Experiments 13. Credit: Yuhui Cheng Taken together, these findings provide robust evidence that perception of social interaction unfolds through pupil dilation, which sheds light on the visual system's innate sensitivity to social interaction. More importantly, the pupillary response to social interaction information potentially offers a convenient biomarker to facilitate the early diagnosis of social cognitive disorders, for instance, autism. This study entitled "The eyes have it: Perception of social interaction unfolds through pupil dilation" has been online published on July 1 in Neuroscience Bulletin. More information: Yuhui Cheng et al, The Eyes Have It: Perception of Social Interaction Unfolds Through Pupil Dilation, Neuroscience Bulletin (2021). Yuhui Cheng et al, The Eyes Have It: Perception of Social Interaction Unfolds Through Pupil Dilation,(2021). DOI: 10.1007/s12264-021-00739-z Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain In June, the G7 pledged 870 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, or COVAX, to help it meet its two billion vaccine goal for lower- and middle- income countries by the end of 2021. The global vaccine-sharing initiative is pooling funds and vaccines to distribute to 92 low- and middle- income countries with the goal of vaccinating 20 percent of their populations. But as high-income countries move into post-vaccination life with vaccination rates of more than 80 doses per 100 people, a number we're not seeing in the headlines is the 1.1 percent. That's the percentage of people in low-income countries who have received at least one dose. Globally, 3.83 billion vaccine doses have been administered so far, but a large vaccine gap exists between countries and continents. Africa has the lowest vaccination rate. With a global population of 7.88 billion, and only 27.1 percent of the population vaccinated, that means 5.74 billion people globally aren't vaccinated. And the majority of those people are in South America, Asia, Oceania and Africa. The pandemic has left asylum-seekers, refugees and undocumented migrants in the lurch and when it comes to vaccination rates, they're being similarly affected. With 86 percent of the world's refugees living in low- and middle- income countries, their inclusion and prioritization in national vaccination plans is crucial. The case of undocumented Venezuelans As World Vision argues, refugees are "high risk, low priority." The Venezuelan refugee crisis is one of the biggest in the world and is predicted to continue to increase. Venezuelan refugees are at great risk of contracting COVID-19 due to their large numbers and slow vaccination rates across the South America. Since 2015, more than 5.6 million Venezuelans have fled their country due to violence, persecution and poverty. And an additional 1.6 million will likely be displaced by the end of 2021. A global vaccine shortage has contributed to the exclusion of migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers on national vaccination plans. Colombian President Ivan Duque announced in December 2020 that undocumented Venezuelan migrants and asylum-seekers would be denied access to vaccines before making a policy U-turn in February 2021 giving them temporary protection status. This temporary status gives undocumented Venezuelans access to the national health-care system and eventually, vaccination. But they still face many challenges amid growing xenophobia and discrimination in the country's health system. Brazil, Manaus and COVID-19 Venezuelan refugees have also fled to Brazil a country that doesn't clearly list migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees as priority groups in their federal vaccination plan, despite some states including them at the state level. Despite Brazil having the world's third highest number of COVID-19 cases, Venezuelans are still crossing the border daily into the country through dangerous armed group-controlled "trochas," or informal trails. I am in the process of conducting research on the impact of COVID-19 on Venezuelan LGBTQI+ asylum-seekers and refugees in Manaus, a COVID-19 hotspot in Brazil. Preliminary findings from our research indicate that almost 40 percent of respondents contracted COVID-19, and three got it twice. (Names have been changed to protect the identities of participants.) From March to July 2021, our team surveyed 56 Venezuelan LGBTQI+ asylum-seekers in Manaus. Only six people received a vaccine and the rest don't know when they'll get vaccinated. And for some it's not when, but ifvaccine hesitancy is also playing a role among asylum-seekers. Approximately 15 percent of respondents shared that they would not, or may not, get vaccinated. Jose told us: "I'm afraid the vaccine won't work and it gets worse." Others are concerned about side effects. Many respondents reported limited knowledge on COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine access. And Kim, who came to Brazil using the trochas, is unsure if she is eligible for a shot because documentation is required for vaccination. Violence and discrimination against LGBTQI+ asylum-seekers also increased during the pandemic 21 percent of respondents reported facing violence and/or discrimination. Emerald, a young trans woman, said she was targeted by a group of male assailants who beat her and robbed her at gunpoint. Another trans woman, Jane, shared she was discriminated against while looking for work, saying she received "many rejections from people who want us to stay away because they think LGBT caused the pandemic." Others faced exploitation and discrimination at work because they are Venezuelan. The need to vaccinate refugees Echoing World Vision's recent findings, we argue that Venezuelan asylum-seekers are indeed high risk, low priority. Without prioritizing vaccination in most South American countries in policy or in practice millions of asylum-seekers, refugees and undocumented migrants will be vulnerable to infection and violence. U.S. President Joe Biden's recent shipment of 3.5 million Moderna vaccines to Colombia, with an explicit request for some doses to be given to Venezuelan migrants and refugees, provides hope. And COVAX's humanitarian buffer, a measure of "last resort," has opened the application process to vulnerable populations like refugees and asylum seekers. However, with severe donation shortfalls, schedule delays and concerns about non-government organizations shouldering the legal liabilities of vaccinations, it is not yet clear how effective the humanitarian buffer will be. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. This Saturday, March 6, 2021 file photo shows vials of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a pharmacy in Denver. Hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 vaccine doses have been saved from the trash after U.S. regulators extended their expiration date for a second time, part of a nationwide effort to salvage expiring shots to battle the nation's summer surge in infections. The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 sent a letter to shot maker Johnson & Johnson declaring that the doses remain safe and effective for at least six months when properly stored.Credit: AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File Hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 vaccine doses have been saved from the trash after U.S. regulators extended their expiration date for a second time, part of a nationwide effort to salvage expiring shots to battle the nation's summer surge in infections. The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday sent a letter to shot maker Johnson & Johnson declaring that the doses remain safe and effective for at least six months when properly stored. The FDA's move gives the shots an extra six weeks as public officials press more Americans to get inoculated. Similar efforts are happening in multiple states as public health officials try to ensure that soon-to-expire shots are put into arms before they must be discarded. The surge in infections is largely due to the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus, which has spread rapidly, particularly among unvaccinated people. Inoculation rates have climbed only slightly after a steep fall from their April peak. "It's a critically important timewe have children headed back to school in just a few weeks' time," said Juliann Van Liew, director of the public health department in Wyandotte County, Kansas. Federal health officials have shipped an additional 8 million doses of the J&J shot to states that have not yet been used, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine-tracking website. The company did not share specific expiration dates. In this April 8, 2021 file photo, the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is seen at a pop up vaccination site in the Staten Island borough of New York. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is allowing the problem-plagued factory of contract manufacturer Emergent BioSolutions to resume production of COVID-19 vaccine bulk substance to resume, the company said Thursday, July 29. The Baltimore factory was shut down by the FDA in mid-April due to contamination problems that forced the company to trash the equivalent of tens of millions of doses of vaccine it was making under contract for Johnson & Johnson. Credit: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File The J&J vaccine is not the only one facing expiration. States also report that many Pfizer and Moderna doses are approaching expiration, which is set at six months from the manufacturing date. In Louisiana, about 100,000 Pfizer doses are set to expire in about a week, for example. Governors are pleading with the public to get vaccinated, and some are offering cash incentives$100 payments in New Mexico and New York City, among other places. Some states have set up marketplaces for shot providers or dedicated staff to redistributing about-to-expire vaccines to places that need them. Such efforts are underway in New Jersey, Washington and Wisconsin. In Iowa and North Dakota, officials say they send vaccines approaching expiration to locations where they are most likely to be used. "We have a lot of interest from the public in receiving J&J, so if we find doses that may go unused, we will transfer them to providers in need," said Molly Howell, North Dakota's immunization director. A registered nurse gives James Mullen the second dose of the coronavirus vaccine at a COVID-19 vaccination site at NYC Health + Hospitals Metropolitan, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, in New York. After months of coaxing people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 with incentives like museum tickets and transit passes, New York City is sweetening the pot by offering $100 to any city resident who gets a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine at a city-run site, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday, July 28, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File Lacy Fehrenbach, deputy director for COVID-19 response for the Washington state Department of Health, said officials want the doses used as efficiently as possible. "Otherwise, we're working with our providers to move them around, or, of course, the federal government to get them to other places that need it," she said. Dr. Clarence Lam, interim executive medical director of occupational health services at Johns Hopkins University, was encouraged by the extension for the J&J shots. "We hate to see this supply go to waste, especially when there are areas of the world where this is needed," Lam said. "But now I think we'll be able to better utilize the supply that's already been distributed here in the U.S." The J&J vaccine was eagerly anticipated because it involves just one shot and has easy refrigeration requirements. Zhaequan Brown, 19, gets the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at Lehman High School, Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in New York. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging everyone in K-12 schools to wear a mask when they return to class, regardless of vaccination status. Credit: AP Photo/Mark Lennihan Katrina Taormina draws the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine into a syringe at Lehman High School, Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in New York. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging everyone in K-12 schools to wear a mask when they return to class, regardless of vaccination status. Credit: AP Photo/Mark Lennihan But use of the vaccine has been hurt by several rare possible side effects. This month, U.S. health regulators added a warning about links to a potentially dangerous neurological reaction. That followed a break in its use in April after the shot was linked to a rare blood clot disorder. Government health advisers said the overall benefits of the shot still greatly outweigh the risks. Also in April, a Baltimore vaccine factory was shut down by the FDA due to contamination problems, forcing the company to trash the equivalent of tens of millions of doses being made under contract for Johnson & Johnson. Pfizer and Moderna have already supplied more than enough doses to vaccinate all eligible Americans. More than 150 million Americans have been fully vaccinated with the companies' two-dose shots. By comparison, just 13 million, or 9%, have been vaccinated with the J&J shot. All told, nearly 164 million people have been vaccinated, according to the CDC, or just over 49% of the U.S. population. Explore further US extends expiration dates on J&J COVID vaccine to 6 months 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Myanmar is facing a catastrophic health crisis that could have ramifications not just for the country's long-suffering people, but across the region as well. The country is experiencing a major spike in COVID caseswhat one Doctors Without Borders official referred to as "uncontrolled community spread"fuelled by the military junta's gross mismanagement of the crisis and a collapsing health sector. The military regime's official COVID statistics are running at around 6,000 cases and 300 deaths per day, but no one believes these are accurate. This is, after all, the junta that staged a military coup in February and then tried to argue it was constitutionally valid. With only 2.8% of Myanmar's 54 million people fully vaccinated, there are now concerns the country could become a "COVID superspreader state." And this could lead to the emergence of new variants, says the UN's special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar. "This is very, very dangerous for all kinds of reasons [] This is a region that is susceptible to even greater suffering as a result of Myanmar becoming a super-spreader state." Courageous health care workers fight the ravages of COVID in Myanmar while the junta fights themhundreds arrested, even more evading outstanding arrest warrants, 7 medics murdered according to AAPP. You can't attack a pandemic AND health care professionals at the same time. pic.twitter.com/Dyl7SjyLxJ UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews (@RapporteurUn) July 25, 2021 Doctors being imprisoned The UN says a "perfect storm" of factors is fuelling the deepening health crisis. Medical staff have been on strike as part of the civil disobedience movement against the coup. Oxygen and other medical equipment are increasingly expensive and in short supply. Even getting an oxygen concentrator into Myanmar is not straightforward, though Singapore said this week it will rush 200 machines into the country. Most troublingly, at least 157 medics, including the former head of Myanmar's COVID-19 vaccination program, have been arrested and charged with high treason. In Yangon, military personnel have pretended to be COVID patients in need of emergency treatment, then arrested the doctors who came to help. Reliable figures on the infection rate are impossible to obtain, but civil society groups that assist with cremations and funeral services in Yangon say they are seeing up to 1,000 uncounted COVID deaths a day in that city alone. The national total may be several thousand per day. One reason it's impossible to get an accurate count of COVID cases is the extremely low rate of testing. There are only around 15,000 COVID tests being conducted per day in a country of 54 million people. The tests are, however, returning a positive rate of around 37%, or 370 positives for every 1,000 tests. It's also believed nearly 50 prisoners at the crowded, notorious Insein Prison are now infected with COVID but are being denied treatment by the military. These prisoners include top leaders from Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, doctors connected with the civil disobedience movement, and foreigners like Australian academic Sean Turnell, an adviser to Suu Kyi who was arrested by the junta after the coup and is being held on bogus charges. Another adviser and lawyer to Suu Kyi, Nyan Win, died last week after being infected with COVID at Insein. Myanmar's poor are disproportionatly suffering Such a catastrophic health situation is exacerbating Myanmar's inequalities. Poorer people are less able to socially distance and less likely to get tested and receive meaningful treatment. They suffer invisibly, often in silence. In a report published this week, the World Bank estimated Myanmar's economy would contract by 18% this year due to the effects of the pandemic and the coup. The share of people living in poverty is also likely to more than double by the beginning of 2022, compared to 2019. The ethnic minority regions of the country may well be disproportionately suffering, too. Since the coup, conflicts have intensified across the country between the military and the ethnic armed organizations and pro-democracy advocates that have joined them, causing immense social dislocation. The UN refugee agency estimates 200,000 people were internally displaced from February to June, bringing the total of displaced people in the country to 680,000. These marginalized groups are even less likely to have access to medical treatment. These figures are also not taking into account the refugees outside the country, such as the million Rohingya languishing in the cramped refugee camps in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has said it will begin vaccinating the Rohingya next month. International aid desperately needed When Cyclone Nargis killed 140,000 people in Myanmar in 2008, the country's previous military regime received wide-ranging offers of assistance from ASEAN, the regional bloc, and the wider international community. But since the coup, Western aid to Myanmar has been redirected through non-government groups, causing hold-ups. The UN says the junta has also yet to account for US$350 million in COVID aid the International Monetary Fund sent to Myanmar just days before the coup in February. The country hasn't received vaccine doses since May, though China pledged to send 6 million doses by August, with the first batch arriving last week. China may end up being the most proactive donor, since it is worried about a COVID outbreak along its shared border with Myanmar. Optimists say this may be a time for reconciliation and for everyone in Myanmar to unite against the common enemy of COVID. Yet it is hard to imagine that happening right now, when the military's own mishandling of the pandemic has generated so much outrage from the population. What can be done? Perhaps Australia, which we are told is "awash" in AstraZeneca vaccines, could make rapid moves to send desperately needed supplies to Myanmar via its non-government partners. It would be a bold and impressive diplomatic move. There is then the need for the international community to confront the Myanmar generals for their appalling mishandling of the country since the coup. By seizing control from elected leaders, they have impoverished their own people, sparked new conflicts and exacerbated the damage done by a global pandemic. The heartbreaking reality is the people of Myanmar have been left without the prospect of significant relief at the worst possible time. Explore further Myanmar orders 2 million to stay home as COVID-19 cases spike This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. A 1,800-bed field hospital is set up inside a cargo building in Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, July 29, 2021. Health authorities raced on Thursday to set up yet another large field hospital in Thailand's capital as the country recorded a new high in COVID-19 cases and deaths. The hospital, one of many already in use, was being set up at one of Bangkok's two international airports after the capital ran out of hospital beds for thousands of infected residents. Credit: AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit Health authorities in Thailand raced to set up a large field hospital in a cargo building at one of Bangkok's airports on Thursday as the country reported record numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths. Other field hospitals are already in use in the capital after it ran out of hospital facilities for thousands of infected residents. Workers rushed to finish the 1,800-bed hospital at Don Mueang International Airport, where beds made from cardboard box materials were laid out with mattresses and pillows. It is to be ready for patients in two weeks. The airport, a domestic and regional hub, has had little use because almost all domestic flights were canceled two weeks ago. The quick spread of the delta variant also led neighboring Cambodia to seal its border with Thailand on Thursday and order a lockdown and movement restrictions in eight provinces. Thailand reported 17,669 new cases and 165 deaths on Thursday, its highest number since the pandemic began in early 2020. Of those, 7,875 cases and 127 deaths were in metropolitan Bangkok, a region of nearly 15 million people. Bangkok and its surrounding provinces have been in lockdown for more than two weeks, with overnight curfews and access only to supermarkets, pharmacies and essential services such as hospitals. A worker installs partitions at field hospital set up inside a cargo building in Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, July 29, 2021. Health authorities raced on Thursday to set up yet another large field hospital in Thailand's capital as the country recorded a new high in COVID-19 cases and deaths. The hospital, one of many already in use, was being set up at one of Bangkok's two international airports after the capital ran out of hospital beds for thousands of infected residents. Credit: AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit Authorities said about 6,100 patients in the Bangkok area are waiting for beds. Of those, 103 are in critical condition, 1,410 have moderate symptoms and 4,662 have mild symptoms. Nearly a quarter of a million people around the country are in medical facilities, some with symptoms and some without. Thailand has recorded a total of 561,030 cases and 4,562 deaths. More than 90% have been reported during the surge that began in early April. At a market near the airport, a few people were out shopping and many said they were concerned about the virus's spread. "I watched the news and I got so stressed and depressed about so many people needing help. I don't leave the house very often anymore, only once in a while when it becomes necessary to buy some supplies," said Chaninart Aimoat, a 32-year-old office worker. A worker carries a pipe while preparing a field hospital set up inside a cargo building in Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, July 29, 2021. Health authorities raced on Thursday to set up yet another large field hospital in Thailand's capital as the country recorded a new high in COVID-19 cases and deaths. The hospital, one of many already in use, was being set up at one of Bangkok's two international airports after the capital ran out of hospital beds for thousands of infected residents. Credit: AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's government is facing harsh criticism over its handling of the virus surge and slow vaccination program, amid reports of people dying in the streets or in their homes while waiting for treatment. Thailand hopes to provide 100 million doses of vaccines and inoculate 70% of its population within this year. So far it has administered 16.6 million doses nationwide. Around 18.5% of its 69 million people have received at least one dose while 5.5% are fully vaccinated. On Wednesday, Swiss Humanitarian Aid dispatched 100 respirators and more than a million antigen tests to Bangkok to help fight the outbreak, while Britain is to send 415,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine within two weeks. Meanwhile, 1.5 million doses of Pfizer vaccine donated by the U.S. government are to arrive Saturday morning. Workers prepare a field hospital set up inside a cargo building in Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, July 29, 2021. Health authorities raced on Thursday to set up yet another large field hospital in Thailand's capital as the country recorded a new high in COVID-19 cases and deaths. The hospital, one of many already in use, was being set up at one of Bangkok's two international airports after the capital ran out of hospital beds for thousands of infected residents. Credit: AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit A volunteer and a worker prepare a 1,800-bed field hospital set up inside a cargo building in Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, July 29, 2021. Health authorities raced on Thursday to set up yet another large field hospital in Thailand's capital as the country recorded a new high in COVID-19 cases and deaths. The hospital, one of many already in use, was being set up at one of Bangkok's two international airports after the capital ran out of hospital beds for thousands of infected residents. Credit: AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit Workers install partition at field hospital set up inside a cargo building in Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, July 29, 2021. Health authorities raced on Thursday to set up yet another large field hospital in Thailand's capital as the country recorded a new high in COVID-19 cases and deaths. The hospital, one of many already in use, was being set up at one of Bangkok's two international airports after the capital ran out of hospital beds for thousands of infected residents. Credit: AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit A worker prepares a 1,800-bed field hospital set up inside a cargo building in Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, July 29, 2021. Health authorities raced on Thursday to set up yet another large field hospital in Thailand's capital as the country recorded a new high in COVID-19 cases and deaths. The hospital, one of many already in use, was being set up at one of Bangkok's two international airports after the capital ran out of hospital beds for thousands of infected residents. Credit: AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit A volunteer walks past a 1,800-bed field hospital set up inside a cargo building in Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, July 29, 2021. Health authorities raced on Thursday to set up yet another large field hospital in Thailand's capital as the country recorded a new high in COVID-19 cases and deaths. The hospital, one of many already in use, was being set up at one of Bangkok's two international airports after the capital ran out of hospital beds for thousands of infected residents. Credit: AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit A 1,800-bed field hospital is set up inside a cargo building in Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, July 29, 2021. Health authorities raced on Thursday to set up yet another large field hospital in Thailand's capital as the country recorded a new high in COVID-19 cases and deaths. The hospital, one of many already in use, was being set up at one of Bangkok's two international airports after the capital ran out of hospital beds for thousands of infected residents. Credit: AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit "We will be sending no less than 1.5 million doses of COVID vaccine, in fact the goal is 2.5 (million). But the first shipment will be 1.5 (million)," said Thai-born U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth. Neighboring Cambodia is to receive its first batch of 1 million vaccines donated by the U.S. on Friday, as it takes steps to slow a surge around the country thought to be caused by Cambodian workers fleeing Thailand. Prime Minister Hun Sen said the border will be shut to everything except commercial traffic until Aug. 12. Cambodia's health ministry on Thursday reported 765 new cases and 11 deaths. It has confirmed a total of 75,152 cases and 1,339 deaths. Unlike Thailand, more than 40% of its population has had at least one vaccine dose. Cambodia plans to vaccinate at least 12 million of its approximately 17 million people. Explore further Bangkok closes public spaces as virus surges in Thailand 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Researchers at the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai have identified specific transient visual evoked potential waveform abnormalities in individuals with Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS), proving the method to be an effective, noninvasive technique to gather objective data from a range of individuals, including those who are profoundly affected. The study results were published online July 23 in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP). A visual evoked potential measures electrical activity in the brain by evoking a brain response to a visual stimulus, such as an alternating checkerboard on a computer screen. Responses are recorded from electrodes that are placed on the scalp and are observed as a reading on an electroencephalogram. Phelan-McDermid syndrome is a rare disorder caused by mutations in the SHANK3 gene and is a leading single-gene cause of autism. The study results suggest that there is a link between the magnitude of loss of function in the SHANK3 gene and subsequent dysregulation of glutamate, a powerful excitatory neurotransmitter that plays an important role in learning and memory. "Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) can be collected rapidly, repeated frequently, and are a cost-effective method with strong translational potential across human and animal studies," said Paige Siper, Ph.D., Chief Psychologist at the Seaver Autism Center and first author of the publication. "With this approach, the availability of treatments targeting core mechanistic disturbances in Pheland-McDermid syndrome and autism may progress more rapidly, thereby making a significant clinical contribution." The data collected from the study also provide information about the underlying neurophysiology of Phelan-McDermid syndrome, offering a noninvasive method to examine excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission that holds promise for stratification and surrogate endpoints in ongoing clinical trials for Pheland-McDermid syndrome and autism. The results are based on data from 175 children, including 31 with Phelan-McDermid syndrome, 79 with idiopathic autism, 45 typically developing controls, and 20 unaffected siblings of children with the syndrome. Stimuli included standard and short-duration contrast-reversing checkerboard conditions. The results show that gene deletion size is significantly correlated with the amplitude of an initial negative peak, thought to reflect excitatory activitywhile no significant differences between the typically developing and sibling control groups were identified. Both control groups showed significantly stronger VEPs responses compared to the syndrome group, while a subset of children with idiopathic autism displayed a similar response pattern to the Phelan-McDermid syndrome group. VEPs will now be examined as a biomarker of Phelan-McDermid syndrome and will measure treatment efficacy in ongoing clinical trials in the syndrome. Explore further Researchers generate rat model of autism Provided by Mount Sinai Health System A member of the Capitol Police wears a face mask by a sign stating that face coverings are required, outside a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing, Thursday, July 29, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Credit: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin In the face of rising regional COVID-19 infection numbers, the nation's capital is returning to mandatory indoor mask requirements, regardless of vaccination status. Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser says the new regulations will kick in on Saturday and apply to everyone over age 2. "I know that D.C. residents have been very closely following the public health guidelines, and they will embrace this," Bowser said on Thursday. "We will continue to do what is necessary to keep D.C. safe." The announcement didn't come as a surprise considering rising local infection numbers and fresh guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which now encourages vaccinated people to wear masks indoors in areas classified as having "substantial community transmission" levels. That includes Washington and the neighboring Virginia communities of Loudoun County and Alexandria. The city of Alexandria recently took the step of encouraging indoor masks for everyone, but has not made masks mandatory. Just before Bowser's announcement, the Smithsonian network of museums announced that it would unilaterally require all museum visitors to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status. Capitol Police officers wear face masks by a signs stating that face coverings and social distancing are required, outside a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing, Thursday, July 29, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Credit: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin The city's public health emergency expired this week, but a general state of public emergency remains in place, empowering Bowser to impose the new restrictions. She said the only exception to the mask requirement is when people are "actively eating and drinking," but added that the city is not imposing any fresh limits on capacity or indoor social distancing. Health Director Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt said the new precautions will be paired with a renewed vaccination push, offering incentives to help boost lagging vaccination rates in Washington's Black community. Nesbitt said that the city's daily case rate had jumped fivefold in July but that vaccinations appear to be having a positive effect. Infections among vaccinated people, known as "breakthrough" cases, have constituted less than 1% of infections in recent months. "The vaccines are working as they were expected to do," Nesbitt said. "They continue to prevent severe illness, hospitalization and death." Bowser said she didn't expect the mask mandate to be too much of a hardship for D.C. residents, whom she credited with remaining generally cautious even when the infection numbers declined over the spring and early summer. "A lot of people still do wear masks. They never stopped, especially in public places," she said. "We're still going to have to function in the world. Kids are going to have to go to school. People are going to have to go to work." Bowser said the city was also strongly encouraging and incentivizingbut not yet requiringD.C. government employees to get vaccinated. A recent voluntary internal survey of government employees received responses from just over half of city employees, and 92% of those respondents reported that they were fully vaccinated. Without getting into details, Bowser said the next step was "sitting down and having some very serious discussions with our labor leaders as to how we go forward." 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. The Northern Rockies Type 1 team that managed the Thorne Creek fire as part of the West Lolo Complex in the first two weeks of the blaze will retake command Saturday morning. The fire has consumed 13,831 acres and is 0% contained. It has caused four injuries and 225 personnel are assigned to the fight. Assistance from the Montana National Guard and an additional two helicopters have been requested, according to a Friday report. Nine aircraft were working on the fire on Thursday, the report said. The Type 1 team taking command is comprised of many Sanders County residents. Crews have prepped indirect control lines on Sundance Ridge to the east of the fire, the report said. On the south side of the fire, crews performed dust abatement on roads on the south side of the fire. Teams on the west cleaned pockets of unburned fuel to "ensure a strong containment line." Aircraft dumped water and retardant on a large spot fire west of Graves Creek Road. "Crews anchored in and held the line with helicopters and hand crews," the fire report said. Missoula is a great place to be an artist, they said, because there are a lot of others who are willing to support you. They hope to start connecting more with other studios around town and the state. I think we're doing this just as much for the community as we are for ourselves and really trying to create opportunity for folks, Kitts said. Theyre also still learning the ropes of finding ways to provide all the equipment they need and running gallery shows. Dishno said when they first bought their kiln it was supposed to arrive in a month, but instead took six months and showed up broken. Thats just part of the artist's life, whether youre running a business or not, its always a huge balancing act, Kitts said. The group started an Indiegogo fundraising campaign for $13,500 to help cover the costs of rent, equipment and general upkeep, and theyre at a quarter of their goal. HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) Philadelphias elections board voted Friday to reject a Republican state senator's request for access to its voting machines for a forensic investigation into former President Donald Trump's 2020 reelection defeat. The Office of the City Commissioners' unanimous decision will be laid out in a letter telling state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, that Philadelphia will not participate in your proposed analysis. Omar Sabir, one of two Democrats on the three-person board, said shortly before the meeting that he thinks its time to move on. Its time, its resources, he said. The 2020 election has been proven by many standards that there was no fraud and the election went well." The vote occurred during a brief meeting at which the three election board members said little about Mastriano's July 7 request that gave them until the end of the month to reply. Mastriano has said he plans to subpoena the three counties through the state Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee, which he chairs, but it's unclear if he has enough support from his fellow Republican senators to follow through with that threat. SAN DIEGO (AP) The U.S. Navy charged a sailor Thursday with starting a fire last year that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard docked off San Diego, marking the maritime branch's worst warship blaze outside of combat in recent memory. The amphibious assault ship burned for more than four days. Left with extensive structural, electrical and mechanical damage, the ship was later scrapped. Estimates to replace it ran up to $4 billion. The sailor was a member of the crew at the time, Cmdr. Sean Robertson, a U.S. 3rd Fleet spokesperson, said in a statement. The sailor was charged with aggravated arson and the willful hazarding of a vessel, Robertson said. No name was released. No other details were provided, and it was unclear what evidence was found or what the motive was. The amphibious assault ships are among the few in the U.S. fleet that can act as a mini aircraft carrier. The Bonhomme Richard had been nearing the end of a two-year upgrade estimated to cost $250 million when the fire broke out on July 12, 2020. About 160 sailors and officers were on board when the flames sent up a huge plume of dark smoke from the 840-foot (256-meter) vessel, which had been docked at Naval Base San Diego while undergoing the upgrade. The 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and the courts 1992 decision in a Pennsylvania abortion case said states may not put an undue burden on abortion before viability. If those rulings are overturned, as Mississippi officials argue they should be, states would decide whether to regulate abortion before a fetus can survive outside the womb. Led by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, the amicus brief argues abortion as a states rights issue and that citizens have the ability to vote out state lawmakers with whom they disagree over abortion policies. Rather than creating a federal constitutional right, the Court should leave regulating abortion to the States, where the people may act through the democratic process, McMasters attorneys wrote. The Mississippi law goes beyond Montanas abortion framework, which includes three laws passed in the recent legislative session and a referendum that voters will see on the ballot next year. In April, Gianforte signed three bills that ban abortions after 20 weeks gestational age, require a woman be informed of the option to view an ultrasound before an abortion and require informed consent before a drug-induced abortion. Similar legislation was vetoed in the past by Democratic governors. Bales of hay and fabric sacks have been placed strategically along that route to further collect sediment. The blockage at the entrance of the mine has also been removed. The slope of earth above the entrance was re-groomed to prevent future collapses. And the more than 100,000 gallons of contaminated mine runoff and acidic sludge that built up behind the section of mine that collapsed in 2016 was siphoned out and trucked away to Luttrell Repository. "We're pretty much wrapped up," said Marco San Filippo, a member of the EPA crew working at the site. "We'll be coming back though to monitor." City staff discovered the spill July 12, the day it occurred, and reportedly contacted the EPA and Montana Department of Environmental Quality. Helena Public Works Director Ryan Leland previously told the Independent Record the city had not been contacted about work the EPA was doing in the area, nor did the city receive notice of the spill. "With our water supply being right there, it would have been nice to know about the work they are doing," Leland said. During Monday's meeting, Harlow-Schalk said the lack of communication by the EPA is concerning. Systemwide staffing shortages, however, leave the small parks ill-equipped to pick up that excess demand, said NPCAs Brengel. During the high-growth years of 2011 to 2019, the NPS lost 16% of its staff capacity, she said. Some parks have turned to ticketed entry reservations to equalize demand throughout the day. This system has improved the situation at Glacier National Park, though it has frustrated those without tickets, said Kevin Gartland, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce for Whitefish, a tourist hub near the park. To alleviate parking and traffic bottlenecks, such parks as Acadia in Maine have restricted private vehicles, providing shuttle service in certain areas. Often, we talk about too many people but actually, were talking about too many cars, said King. National Parks could expand this transit service if they were allocated money via the infrastructure or surface transportation bills that are currently being negotiated in Congress, Brengel told the senators. This is where we need your help. Jenn Tyler, a teacher from Pennsylvania, has been taking National Park vacations with her family since the early 2000s. She tells Bloomberg that the parks she visited recently were more crowded than shes ever seen. Big Horn County Wyoming Search and Rescue personnel have found two hikers lost for more than a week in rugged Simmons Canyon. The hikers, a 25-year-old woman and her mid-fifties stepfather, left the Porcupine Falls area on July 18, hiking west toward Little Mountain. The two may have underestimated the amount of supplies needed to complete the trek, or run through their supplies more quickly than expected, said Big Horn County Sheriff Ken Blackburn. After running out of food and water on either Sunday or Monday, the two deviated from their planned course, attempting to head directly downhill toward sources of food and water. They went from a higher elevation to a lower elevation, and temperatures increased exponentially, said Blackburn. The additional heat compounded the problem of not having water, resulting in severe dehydration. From Little Mountain, they tried to make their way south to an access road but became trapped on a cliff face in Simmons Canyon. On July 26, eight days after they set off, they were able to get sufficient cell service to call the Big Horn County Sheriffs Office to request rescue, according to a Thursday social media post by the sheriff's office. BEIJING (AP) Didi Global Inc. on Friday denied a report by The Wall Street Journal that the ride-hailing service was considering buying back its U.S.-traded shares after its June market debut was disrupted by Chinese government orders to overhaul data security. The Journal, citing unidentified sources, said buying back the shares was one option being considered by Didi and its bankers to resolve investor complaints. Didis share price has fallen about 25% since its June 30 debut after the company was blocked from adding new customers while it overhauled how it handled their data and regulators announced a review of company-wide network security. The company affirms that the above information is not true, Didi said on its website. The company is fully cooperating with the relevant government authorities in China in the cybersecurity review of the company. The three-sentence statement gave no information about the security review, when normal operation might resume or possible options being considered in response to investors' complaints. Didi, headquartered in Beijing, raised about $4.4 billion in its stock offering. It is one of a series of Chinese companies hit by stepped-up enforcement of anti-monopoly, data security and other regulations. The new data comes as some Spanish regions push for vaccine certificates or negative COVID-19 tests to enter bars and restaurants, though they are facing legal challenges. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem says she has no plans to ratchet up her messaging to urge people to get a COVID-19 vaccine, even as Republican leaders across the country try to persuade vaccine skeptics to roll up their sleeves and take the shots in response to a new, more contagious variant that has sent caseloads soaring in some parts of the country. The Republican governor told The Associated Press this week she believes her messaging has reached a saturation level where people start to tune you out. South Dakotas Department of Health is trying a targeted approach to reach groups where vaccine uptake has been low. But it has been months since the governor used her position to encourage the vaccine, even with infections rising again in the state after a steep decline in the spring and early summer. Noems rise as a potential contender for the 2024 GOP presidential ticket has been mostly fueled by her hands-off approach to the pandemic. The governor acknowledged the delta variant poses a new risk. So tell those climate change deniers (overwhelmingly Republicans) to go to Montana. Give em bloody Montana, just for the Montana of it. Tell the Exxons of the world, who have wasted 30 years of opportunity to tackle climate change with lies and propaganda, to go to Montana. Will any of them listen? Montana if I know. Maybe when Montana freezes over. Maybe just a snowballs chance in Montana. But give em Montana just the same. If they dont shape up, they can rot in Montana. While past joint worship services have been bilingual, this years VBS program will be primarily in English. It will just be in English, said the Rev. Orlando Mendez, pastor of River of Life. All of our kids go to school. They will have no problem. Mendez added that, from his perspective, children often have an easier time overcoming language barriers and adapting to multi-cultural settings than adults do. Still, his goal is to have Spanish-speaking leaders from his church available, just in case the need arises. In recent weeks, the two churches have held several planning meetings together to work out the details of the program. According to Dianna Turpin, this years VBS director, it has not been much of a challenge to overcome the language barrier between the two congregations. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} It has been a blessing to have both churches come together, she said. In our initial meeting, it was a little bit of a challenge to communicate, but as weve started working together, it hasnt been a huge deal. Whisnant highlighted the willingness of River of Lifes members to serve in whatever capacity is needed. BOSTON (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after President Joe Bidens administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 Massachusetts: The program in Granite is just one example, and Montana State University boasts an exemplary 85-hour training course, with full tuition reimbursements available. Speaking with Heidi Blossom, a nurse from Helena that designed the course curriculum, CHWs predominantly dont have prior medical experience. Instead, they are folks intimate with the community, highlighting retired hairdressers as excellent CHWs she has trained. Finally, while there are many federal grants for counties to kickstart their own programs, Montana must be pragmatic with how we fund CHWs to make them a sustainable entity. Hospitals and physicians should readily support CHW proposals, as they will reduce unnecessary visits by patients and focus on preventative medicine, which will in-turn improve community health outcomes and free up resources for treating more pressing ailments. Currently, CHWs are not recognized through Montanas Medicaid program. This must change, as rural states such as Alaska and Texas already have taken this key step to serve their most vulnerable, and we are falling behind. Best of all, studies have shown that CHWs are a cost-effective option for Montanas budget: one intervention of six CHWs in a community saved a state Medicaid program $1.4 million, with a return of $2.47 per every dollar invested. MUSCATINE Following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation for those in high transmission areas to begin wearing masks indoors regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status, Muscatine County Public Health said this week Muscatine County was one of these high transmission areas. For the CDC to consider a county to be a high transmission county, there either has to be a test positivity rate of 10% or higher over the course of a week, or if there have been 100 or more cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents. Muscatine County has seen a test positivity rate of 13.23%, which was an increase of 5.69% since last week. Currently, the Delta variant is considered to be the most common strain of the COVID-19 virus in Iowa and the country. This variant, which first started appearing in the U.S. in March after originally being discovered in India, is seen by the CDC as more than two times as transmissible than the original COVID-19 strain. Although anyone of any age or vaccination status can contract or spread the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus, it is those who have not been vaccinated yet that are the most at risk of contracting the Delta variant. These residents will likely be the most physically affected by the virus, as well as being the most at risk of being hospitalized and potentially dying from the virus. Discovery Life has announced that new clients who refuse to be vaccinated against Covid-19 will be treated similarly to smoking or lifestyle diseases such as diabetes which receive a higher premium. This premium may be adjusted should an unvaccinated client later decide to get vaccinated. COVID-19 has touched every facet of our society, and we have received claims from clients of all profiles, said Discovery Life CEO Riaan van Reenen. Clear trends have emerged over the last year. These relate to gender, age, lifestyle choices, co-morbidities and occupation, which influence the number and severity of Covid-19 claims. He said that Covid-19 adds significant risk to the health of life insurance clients across all age groups. Mortality rates also rise far above the average population mortality rates once a client has tested positive for Covid-19. Our research reveals that middle-aged clients have the highest relative increase in mortality risk once becoming infected with Covid-19, said Van Reenen. The relative mortality risk is highest for people in their mid-40s, emphasising that the risks caused by contracting Covid-19 cannot be ignored in any age group. Van Reenen said that risk due to Covid-19 is two-fold mortality and morbidity risk. While life cover will always be essential, with its value amplified throughout the pandemic, morbidity risks manifest through benefits such as the Income Continuation Benefit and Severe Illness Benefits, which are associated with severe cases of Covid-19. By reducing their risks from Covid-19, Discovery Life clients create savings that the company said could be returned to them. Healthy behaviours are proven to lower a clients risk. A healthier client exhibits lower mortality, morbidity and lapse rates. When our clients lead a healthy life, it allows us to derive insurance savings over a longer period. Through engagement with Vitality, we can determine a clients individual level of risk and pass these insurance savings back to them through rewards such as lower premiums and PayBacks, Van Reenen said. This same concept applies to vaccinations since they result in healthier clients. Our internal data suggests that an average 75-year-old who is fully vaccinated has a similar risk of dying from Covid-19 to a typical 40-year-old who has not been vaccinated, said Van Reenen. Vaccinations are also extremely effective in preventing hospitalisations. A recent study showed that even if only 8% of a population does not get fully vaccinated, that 8% is expected to experience more hospitalisations than the other 92%, Van Reenen explained. This follows from the fact that fully vaccinated individuals experience a 94% lower real rate of admission than those who are not vaccinated. If a new Discovery Life client is vaccinated against Covid-19, Discovery Life will return this value to them through the Vaccination Max PayBack Offer. This offer provides vaccinated clients who qualify for PayBacks the maximum PayBack percentage available to them for the first year of their policy. This is significant as Discovery Life clients can earn PayBacks of up to 100% depending on their chosen policy options, said Discovery Life deputy CEO Gareth Friedlander. The vaccination status of the main client on the policy is considered for the offer. Discovery said its decision comes on the back of clear evidence on the efficacy of vaccinations and South Africas acceleration of its vaccination campaign during the remainder of 2021. Research further highlighted that people infected with the Delta Covid-19 variants have a 95% lower risk of being hospitalised after having both doses of the Pfizer vaccine, with significant benefits even after a single dose, Discovery said. This research also revealed that clients have a 47% lower risk of contracting Covid-19 three weeks after taking their first dose of the Pfizer vaccination. The new rules for premium calculations and Discvory Lifes PayBack reward mechanism came into effect on 29 July 2021. The Bureau of Land Management says it has been consulting with the three federally recognized tribes at Thacker Pass the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone tribes and Winnemucca Indian Colony about plans on how to treat historic properties. The agency said it didnt object to the two other tribes intervening, but Lithium Nevada said it did, partly because it argued Atsa Koodakuh Wyh Nuwu/People of Red Mountain isnt a tribe defined under the National Historic Preservation Act. The company said a review has included substantial consultation with local tribes that never raised similar concerns, while it spent $10 million on the permitting process for the mine. Tribal lawyers said in Thursdays filing that the government also should be consulting with at least nine other tribes in Nevada, California and Oregon with ties to Thacker Pass. Michon Eben, the Reno-Sparks Indian Colonys tribal historic preservation officer, said she told federal officials last month that just because regional tribes have been isolated and forced onto reservations relatively far away from Thacker Pass does not mean these regional tribes do not possess cultural connections to the pass. Darranda Hinkey, a Paiute-Shoshone member who serves as secretary of the People of Red Mountain, said the Fort McDermitt tribe might not exist if not for the caves and rock outcrops at Thacker Pass where their ancestors hid from American soldiers who were rounding them up at the point of a gun to force them onto reservations. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Pikeville, KY (41501) Today Cloudy this morning with showers during the afternoon. High 77F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Armenia MP: Azerbaijan's actions are also targeted against CSTO and Russian peacekeeping mission in Karabakh Karabakh President: We have decided to build a new, large hydro power plant in Getavan village of Martakert region Digest: Pashinyan appointed Armenian PM, Armenia confirms over 200,000 COVID-19 cases Armenia parliament to try to elect the remaining two deputy parliamentary speakers tomorrow Armenia PM holds phone talks with France President, Macron attaches importance to demarcation and delimitation Armenia President congratulates Artur Davtyan who scored bronze medal at Summer Olympic Games Nikol Pashinyan dismisses Deputy Chief of Staff of PM's Office Armenia Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Ministry's General Secretary sacked Armenia parliament respects memory of victims of Yazidi massacres in northern Iraq in 2014 with moment of silence Armenia President holds phone talks with Bulgarian counterpart Georgia PM congratulates Nikol Pashinyan on being appointed Armenia PM Armenia MOD: Iran Ambassador visits Gegharkunik Province US begins largest naval drills since Cold War Chief of Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff meets with Russia Embassy's new military attache Appeal of Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh to international community and PACE NATO and EU blame Iran for attack on merchant ship in Arabian Sea Armenia President congratulates new parliamentary speaker Saudi Arabia changes rules of entry into country Exchange rates in Armenia Armenia President confers diplomatic rank of ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary upon Lilit Makunts Yerevan Council of Elders member is in critical condition, on ventilator IMF to allocate $ 650 billion to restore global economy New York Times editor bans employees from investigating COVID-19 origin Rotation of Armenian peacekeepers takes place in Kosovo Armenia parliament considering election of the other two deputy parliamentary speakers (LIVE) Armenia president appoints 6 ministers Armen Sarkissian has phone talks with Nikol Pashinyan Ruben Rubinyan elected as one of 3 Armenian parliament vice-speakers Forest fires start in vicinity of Jerusalem Mher Grigoryan appointed as Deputy PM of Armenia Armenian journalists holding petition in parliament with the demand to lift restrictions on them Pashinyan proposes to appoint another Deputy PM and 6 ministers Azerbaijan cannot invade Armenia when it pleases Anti-record in Georgia: 4,827 new COVID-19 cases reported per day 237 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Armenia per day Armenia opens case on damaging army vehicle amid Azerbaijani shelling Azerbaijani Parliament to convene for emergency meeting Oil prices are going down Newspaper: Armenian authorities deployed troops near parliament building Armenia's Journalists Union condemns actions of National Security Service against journalist Nairi Hokhikyan US orders 24 Russian diplomats to leave country by Sep. 3 Armenia ruling party MP on his future activities in parliament Armenia justice minister recalled from leave Officials from 73 countries to attend inauguration of Iran's President-elect France Ambassador to relatives of Armenian POWs: Captives shouldn't be used to exert pressure on Armenia Aurora Prize Laureate Kyaw Hla Aung passes away Bus transporting tourists overturns in Turkey, leaving 3 dead Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani army opens fire at Yeraskh and Kut villages with firearms of various calibers Relatives of Armenian POWs from Armenia's Shirak Province submit documents to France Ambassador 'Armenia' bloc MP: We will apply to Constitutional Court to demand restoration of deputies' parliamentary immunity Armenia PM congratulates Alen Simonyan on being elected parliamentary speaker Russia's Putin congratulates Nikol Pashinyan Armenia MP Hakob Simidyan appointed Advisor to PM Armenia Armed Forces Combat Readiness Department chief dismissed Digest: Armenia MPs discuss parliament speaker's candidacy, Armenian soldier found dead in Artsakh His Holiness Karekin II sends congratulatory message to Nikol Pashinyan Armenia's ruling Civil Contract faction elects Alen Simonyan parliamentary speaker in the absence of opposition blocs Lilit Makunts appointed Armenia's Ambassador to the United States of America Armenia Gegharkunik Province ex-governor appointed territorial administration and infrastructure minister Armenian ruling party MP: Security comes first, and Armenia will always be a sovereign state Opposition MP: Even if there is pause in the current situation, it can't help ensure long-term peace for Armenia Dollar and euro continue to go up in Armenia Karabakh: Remains of another 4 Armenian servicemen found in and removed from Varanda Armenia's new parliament convenes special session today Kazakhstan President congratulates Armenia's Pashinyan Second secret ballot for election of Speaker of 8th convocation of Armenia National Assembly being held Karabakh President congratulates Nikol Pashinyan on being appointed Armenia's premier Argentina President congratulates Armenia PM Relatives of Armenian POWs gather near parliament building, demand inclusion of captives' issue in agenda Armenia Gegharkunik Province governor sacked Armenia President signs decisions on appointing Deputy Prime Minister and 3 ministers Armenia Investigative Committee: Soldier who left military unit dies from explosion of illegally kept grenade Armenia Prosecutor General receives Russia Ambassador, Armenian POWs' issue discussed Opposition 'Armenia' bloc MP: Government has forgotten about motion that ex-PM had filed for Nikol Pashinyan Coronavirus in Armenia: 2 new deaths Armenia first deputy minister of labor and social affairs sacked Armenian PM recommends that President appoint Suren Papikyan Deputy PM and Arshak Karapetyan defense minister Armenia PM dismisses first deputy defense minister Arshak Karapetyan Nikol Pashinyan appointed Prime Minister of Armenia Body of 22-year-old soldier found in Artsakh President: For preserving statehood in Armenia, it is necessary to overcome the existing split Young Liberals of Australian Capital Territory recognizes Armenian, Greek, Assyrian Genocides Azerbaijan refutes information about opening of air corridor over Armenia Armenia's new parliament discusses candidates running for speaker Azerbaijani authorities sentence 2 captured Armenians to 20 years in prison Deputies of newly elected Armenian parliament take oath Safoian-founded SADA named Google Cloud Partner of the Year for third year in a row Oil is getting cheaper Newly elected parliament session kicks off in Armenia Hackers paralyze vaccination record in Italy California: 4 people die in a helicopter crash YouTube suspends Sky News Australia channel amid COVID-19 disinformation New surge in COVID-19 incidence expected in Canada No COVID-19 new cases reported in Artsakh Armenian president sends congratulatory message to his Swiss counterpart Trump to return $ 1 million for taxes on skyscraper in Chicago Iran rejects allegations of involvement in attack on tanker in Arabian Sea Israeli FM discusses attack on chemical tanker with US Secretary of State Magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Greece Over 200,000 people held 3rd series of protests in France Lies, selfishness, arrogance and self-deception: American experts have named the reasons for the failure of the United States in the war in Afghanistan, which lasted two decades, AFP reported. The US official oversight body for operations in Afghanistan said it was too early to call the war a complete failure because the government had little chance of defeating the Taliban. According to him, the US forces will leave behind a corrupt and unmotivated Afghan security forces and a government that could easily yield to the Taliban. The "big question," said John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, is "after all the money, $86 billion, and 20 years, why did we see such poor results?" "One is hubris, that we can somehow take the country that was desolate in 2001, and turn it into a little Norway." "And the other thing is mendacity. We exaggerated, over exaggerated, our generals did, our ambassadors did, all of our officials did, to Congress and the American people, about 'we're just turning the corner, we're about ready to turn the corner.'" He said that the US military was fixated on short-term gains and constantly changed its goals to look better. The opposition Armenia and I Have Honor blocs have agreed on which member of the blocs will be nominated for Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly. This is what representative of the Supreme Body of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun political party (ARF-D) Ishkhan Saghatelyan, who was elected Member of Parliament and represents Armenia bloc, said in an interview with Channel 5 TV. The blocs have reached an agreement, but well announce the name on Monday, he added. Touching upon the political developments, Saghatelyan said the following: The next elections will also be snap elections because people who were defeated in the war and brought misery to the people and country cant continue to rule the country. Its impossible. Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Armen Grigoryan received Thierry Ribaux, the Head of the Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Armenia. During the meeting Armen Grigoryan stressed the need for immediate repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians illegally detained in Azerbaijan, and underlined the inadmissibility of their prsecution under false charges by the Azerbaijani authorities. Armen Grigoryan particularly mentioned that according to the third Geneva Convention, the latter have the status of prisoners of war, so they must be under the protection of international humanitarian law. He added that the policy of Azerbaijan contradicts the Provision 8 of the November 9 trilateral Statement, according to which the exchange of prisoners of war, civilians and others detained was to be held. It was emphasized that Azerbaijan denies the fact that a large number of prisoners of war reported by numerous sources are under its control, refusing to provide information about them, including their places of detention. Such behavior raises serious suspicions that severe crimes were committed by Azerbaijan against the prisoners of war, including enforced disappearances. Touching upon the issue of providing humanitarian aid to the affected population, Armen Grigoryan emphasized the need to expand the presence of international humanitarian organizations in Artsakh. During the meeting Armen Grigoryan drew attention to the humanitarian situation resulting from Azerbaijan's attacks against the sovereign territory of Armenia, expressing concern that the continued presence of the Azerbaijani armed forces in the territory of Armenia disrupts the normal life of the population living in border areas and leads to violations of their rights. The head of the ICRC delegation, in his turn, briefed on the steps being undertaken by the organization to ensure the communication between the prisoners and their families, as well as presented in detail the work carried out by the ICRC in the border areas. The bill proposes to criminalize heavy swearing. This is what Chair of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs of the National Assembly of Armenia, deputy of the My Step bloc Vladimir Vardanyan said during todays discussion on the package of bills on making supplements to the Criminal Code and related laws. According to Vardanyan, pursuant to the Constitution, human dignity is the foundation for human rights. Many years ago, Armenia decriminalized criminal liability for swearing, and it was the right decision, but it is necessary to differentiate between insults and swearing, as well as insulting human dignity in an extremely indecent manner, Vardanyan said, emphasizing the fact that distance insults through social networks have become particularly dangerous in the country. Vardanyan stated that the supplements to the Criminal Code comprise three parts, and only the third part implies detention as an extreme measure, and there are fines in the rest of the cases. According to the bill, insulting a person will be punished with a fine in the amount of AMD 100-500,000. Moreover, disseminating materials containing swearing through the use of information and communication technologies or by other means in public, as well as certain public activities will be fiend in the amount of AMD 500,000-1,000,000. If the insults are made by the same person periodically, according to the bill, the fine must be AMD 1-3,000,000,000. In this case, the person will be detained for one to three months. In his turn, deputy of the My Step bloc Nikolay Baghdasaryan criticized his fellow deputys legislative initiative, noting that its unclear how judges will differentiate between slight insult and a swear word. MP Sofia Hovsepyan expressed concern that the new law will become a tool for political persecution since the assessments on or criticism of the swear words may be rather subjective. In response, Deputy Minister of Justice Kristinne Grigoryan stated that this concerns uncensored swear words, not criticism. Residents of the civilian community called "Saradeghy" of Verin Shorzha village are under the direct target of the Azerbaijanis. This is what Human Rights Defender of Armenia Arman Tatoyan posted on his Facebook page and added a photo. "This is the civilian community called Saradeghy of Verin Shorzha village in the Gegharkunik Province of the Republic of Armenia, and this picture presents one of the residents home where they live with the family and have their cattle barn. The Azerbaijani military position is immediately above civilians. It is obvious from this picture that people are under the direct target of the Azerbaijanis. These are the situations I mean, especially when I say that the presence of their armed forces is in itself a violation of the right to life (along with other rights, of course). Yesterday we were in this particular place when Azerbaijani shootings started. Azerbaijani Military fires from this position as well; one of the residents' cattle was shot dead on July 23," he wrote. " target="_blank">http:// Banak.info, a specialized military news website, has released the photo of an Aerostar UAV downed by the air defense forces of Armenia. The photo was taken minutes after the downing of the UAV. Earlier, the Ministry of Defense of Armenia had reported that on July 29, starting from 11 p.m. the Armenian air defense forces suspended the attempts of UAVs to enter the airspace of Armenia in the Gegharkunik sector of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. All the attempts were suspended through the operations of Armenias air defense forces. In particular, the air defense forces downed the Azerbaijani Armed Forces Aerostar UAV, the pieces of which fell 3.5 km north from Vanevan village of Gegharkunik Province. Story Highlights Reduced majorities perceive equality of jobs, housing in own community Less than half now see equality in hiring for racial minorities in U.S. Affirmative action receives broader support than in early 2000s WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans are less certain today than in the recent past that equality of economic opportunity exists for Black Americans. This is seen in slimmer majorities perceiving there to be equality for Black people in employment or housing in their own communities. Also, less than half of Americans believe racial minorities, generally, have the same job opportunities as White people in the U.S. And six in 10 now favor affirmative action programs for racial minorities, up from less than half a decade ago. Job and Housing Fairness in Own Community Currently, 55% of U.S. adults, similar to 58% in 2020 but down from over 70% as recently as 2011, say Black people have as good a chance as White people in their community to get any kind of job for which they are qualified. Forty-four percent now disagree with this sentiment, in line with the 42% recorded last year but otherwise the highest since Gallup's earliest readings, in 1963. Similarly, 60% of Americans currently say Black people have the same chance as White people to get any housing they can afford. While roughly the same as last year's 63%, this is down from 67% in 2018 and around 80% from 1997 through 2015. Just under four in 10 (39%) now disagree that Black people have the same housing opportunities as White people in their community. Line graph. Trends from 1989 to 2021 in Americans belief that Black people have as good a chance as White people in their community to get any job for which they are qualified and, separately, to get any housing they can afford. The broad pattern for both is that after about two-thirds were positive about equality in 1989, positive perceptions swelled to three-quarters or more in 1997 and remained near those levels through 2009. Belief that Black people can get any job for which they are qualified fell sharply by 2015 to 66%, while belief in equality of housing remained at 77%. But by 2019 both figures were down by more than 10 percentage points compared with 2009. They decreased further in 2021 with 60% believing Black people have the same rights in getting housing and 55% saying the same for jobs. These findings are from Gallup's June 1-July 5 Minority Rights and Relations survey. The survey includes oversamples of Black and Hispanic Americans, weighted to their correct proportion of the population, to allow for reliable reporting of these groups' views. Equality of Job Opportunity in the Country Separately, the poll finds less than half of Americans -- 40% -- believing racial minorities, generally, in the country have equal job opportunities with White people, down from 45% in the last measurement in 2018 and from 53% in 2008. Line graph. Trend from 2001 to 2021 in Americans belief that racial minorities in the U.S. have equal opportunities with White people. The percentage believing this was 48% in 2001, rose to 53% in 2005 and was also 53% in 2008. It fell to 47% in Gallup's next measure in 2016, was 45% in 2018 and is 40% in 2021. The majority of Americans, 59%, do not think racial minorities have equal job opportunities, as was the case in the 2016 (52%) and 2018 (54%) surveys. Support for Affirmative Action at Two-Decade High Along with diminished confidence in equality of opportunity in jobs and housing, Gallup finds increased support for "affirmative action programs" for racial minorities. Sixty-two percent of adults now favor such programs, roughly tying the 61% found in 2018. But this is up from 54% in 2016 and is the highest in the trend since 2001. In that initial measure, 47% favored it. The question does not specify a type of affirmative action program, such as in the workplace or for college admissions; however, since the survey asks about racial fairness in jobs, but not education, respondents may be thinking more about jobs in answering it. Line graph. Trend from 2001 to 2021 in Americans support for affirmative action programs for racial minorities. The percentage in favor was 47% in 2001 and 50% in 2005. It rose to 54% by the next measure in 2016 before jumping to 61% in 2018. Black Americans Remain Distinctly Dubious About Equal Opportunity Belief that racial equality exists in the job market has declined to a similar degree among Black, White and Hispanic Americans over the past decade. However, significant racial gaps have persisted throughout Gallup's trend on this since 1963. Majorities of White Americans -- now 61% -- contrasted with less than half of Black Americans (now 31%), believe that Black people have the same chance as White people to get a job in their community. The views of Hispanic Americans, which Gallup has tracked on this since 2004, have been much closer to those of White than Black Americans. Line graph. Trend from 1963 to 2021 in perceptions by racial group about whether Black people have the same chance as White people in their community to get any job for which they are qualified. The trend among Black adults shows 24% perceiving equality of jobs opportunity in 1963. This rose to 35% in 1978 and 43% in 1989. It peaked at 52% in 1995 but subsequently fell to about 40% for much of the next decade. Since 2016 it has been closer to 30%. Meanwhile 46% of White adults perceived there was hiring equity in 1963. By the next measure in 1978, this had risen to 73% and it remained near that level for the next three decades. Since 2013 the percentage has declined from 74% to 60%. The trend among Hispanic adults, available since 2004, has been similar to that of White adults. The trends by race are similar with respect to perceptions that Black people have the same chance as White people in their community to get any housing they can afford. There have been 20 percentage point declines since 2013 in the percentages of Black and White Americans saying equal housing exists for Black people in their community. Belief in this has declined from 85% to 65% over this period among White adults and from 56% to 36% among Black adults. As with White adults, a majority of Hispanic adults believe that equal housing opportunity exists for Black people in their community, but this declined from 77% in 2013 to 63% today. Line graph. Trend from 1989 to 2001 in perceptions by racial group about whether Black people have the same chance as White people in their community to get any housing they can afford. About half of Black Americans thought there was equality of housing in 1989, but after varying between 44% and 55% in the 2000s, this fell from 56% in 2013 to 40% in 2019 and 36% today. Agreement is much higher among White Adults with 71% in 1989 and approximately 85% from 1997 to 2015 saying Black people had equal housing opportunity. Since then, the rate has slid to 65%. Agreement among Hispanic adults has tended to be just a little lower than agreement among White adults. Most of the decline since 2008 in Americans' belief that racial minorities in the country have the same job opportunities as White people is owing to shifts in White and Black adults' views. There has been little change in perceptions on this measure among Hispanic adults. Just 14% of Black Americans, down from a high of 24% in 2008, say racial majorities have the same job opportunities as White people in the U.S. For the first time, less than half of White Americans (46%) perceive equal job opportunities for racial minorities, down from a high of 60% in 2008. The 42% of Hispanic Americans who think equal job opportunities exist is within the 41% to 45% range seen most years since 2001. Line graph. Trend from 2001 to 2021 in racial groups belief that racial minorities in the country have equal job opportunities with White people. Views on this were fairly stable from 2001 through 2008 with more than half of White adults, just under half of Hispanic adults and between 18% and 24% of Black adults agreeing there were equal job opportunities. Since 2016, this view has declined among White adults (to 46%) and Black adults (14%), while Hispanic adults' perceptions have stayed about the same (now 42%). Meanwhile, support for affirmative action has increased since 2016 among White and Hispanic adults, to 57% and 79%, respectively. Prior to that, fewer than half of White adults and just over six in 10 Hispanic adults favored it. At the same time, support declined among Black adults, from 75% in 2016 to 69% today. The percentage of Black adults favoring affirmative action today is similar to what it was in the early 2000s, while the rates are significantly higher among White and Hispanic adults. Line graph. Trend from 2001 to 2021 in racial groups support for affirmative action programs for racial minorities. Support has been fairly steady among Black adults over this time, ranging from 69% to 75%, including 69% in 2021. At the same time, support has increased among White adults from 44% in 2001 and 48% in 2016 to 57% since 2019. Most years, support among Hispanic adults has been in the low 60s, but this year it rose to 79%. Bottom Line Americans have become less confident in recent years that equality exists for Black people in the nation, as well as in their own community. Consistent with Americans' tendency to be more positive about local than national conditions in a number of areas, the majority (albeit diminished) still believe Black adults have the same chance as White people in their community to get jobs or housing, while less than half (now 40%) perceive racial equality exists nationally. Some decline in belief that racial equality exists has occurred since 2019, spanning the upwelling of concern about racial justice sparked by George Floyd's death. But Americans were already becoming more skeptical following the peak of optimism in 2009 -- President Barack Obama's first year in office. In later years, particularly after 2013, public perceptions of Black-White relations began to deteriorate over several cases of unarmed Black men being killed during encounters with White police officers. Coincident with these trends, majorities of Black, White and Hispanic Americans now share a favorable view of affirmative action. One thing that hasn't changed is the racial gap in attitudes about equal rights, with Black Americans maintaining a much more negative outlook than White Americans. To stay up to date with the latest Gallup News insights and updates, follow us on Twitter. Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works. View complete question responses and trends (PDF download). At the age of 14, while he was a student at Coral Gables High School, Brian Breslin developed an early interest in blogging. The internet was a Wild West back then, said Breslin, referring to 1996. The term blog didn't even exist. Breslins hobby would later evolve into a tech start-up, Mac Mania, and give him his first dose of entrepreneurship at 15 years old. We built an ad network for blogs back in 1997. It was the first time I experienced dealing with hiring employees, payroll, and paying taxes, he said. Breslins entrepreneurial spirit, startups, and innovation brought him to the Launch Pad in 2017, when he was appointed director. The support center at the University of Miami helps enterprisers start and build businesses. Recalling how his ventures started, Breslin said that the revenue from his first company gave him the opportunity to attend and graduate with a bachelors degree from the University of Virginia. Afterward, he decided to move back to Miami and start his second venture. When I came back in 2004, I came back with the idea of starting a new business, so I started building software for companies around Miami, he said. I got into the logistics and transportation space and dedicated the next 16 years to building custom software for that industry. While working in the tech sector, Breslin realized that there wasnt a space in Miami for like-minded individuals, so he took the initiative to host his first tech meeting. The first meeting I hosted in 2016 was out of a need to connect with other tech colleagues and entrepreneurs, he said. The meeting ended with everyone saying, this was fun, let's do this again next month,'' recalled Breslin. That was the moment when Breslin realized that once again, he had started something. The monthly meetings became known as Refresh Miami, a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting Miami's tech scene and startup community. Using his expertise, the director and his team at the Launch Pad have helped more than 2,000 self-starters during the past four years. Even through the lockdown days of the pandemic, the Launch Pad was able to support nearly 300 entrepreneurs virtually by adding webinars, Zoom meetings, and increasing online content, said Breslin. We adapted and made sure we developed the proper digital resources to help students, alumni, faculty, and staff commercialize their ideas, because this is a free service for life. The Launch Pad was created in 2008 by University faculty members who understood that not all students were cut out for a traditional 9 to 5 job upon graduation. The concept then became a national model. Back in 2008 the Blackstone Foundation licensed the model from UM and spread it to 30 other universities and colleges across the globe, explained Breslin. The directors biggest goal for the Launch Pad right now is to remove all the barriers and stigmas to starting a business for the UM community and to leverage all the assets we have available to help people with their existing businesses, he said. Breslin has seen the Miami Tech scene evolve significantly in the past 12 years and said that he believes the current momentum is a great opportunity for the University to reverse the brain drain for talent who would otherwise leave Miami to pursue opportunities in other cities. The U has a ton of intellectual property and talent at its disposal. It also has the geographic advantage of being in the center of the tech topic. With over 5,000 tech jobs opening up in the Miami market over the next few months, this is the time to pipeline our graduates into these positions, he pointed out. Since his early start in the Miami tech scene in 2006, Breslin always sought to create a Miami he wanted to live inand thats finally coming to fruition. Now, as Miami continues to see unprecedented momentum on the tech front, his vision is aligned with that of Mayor Francis Suarezs for building and sustaining an innovation ecosystem. Seeing people bringing their ideas to life, their pride and joy, when they share their creations with the community and then getting interest from investors, partners, or team members, really reinforces why I do what I do, he said. Miami is a very young and malleable city and as a first-generation Miamian, I'm happy that this is happening. I think this is good for the locals, the overall ecosystem, the universities, and all the Miami institutions, he added. Marc E. Morris is interim associate provost for academic administration. (Photo by Russell Bailey) Morris named interim associate provost for academic administration by Pete Rosenbery Marc E. Morris, director and professor in SIU Carbondales School of Accountancy, has been named the interim associate provost for academic administration. He replaces David DiLalla, who retires Sunday, Aug. 1. The appointment, effective July 23, is pending approval by the SIU Board of Trustees in September. Morris has been with the university since 2004, when he started as an instructor. He became an assistant professor of accounting with a cross appointment to the SIU School of Law in 2008, an associate professor in 2016 and a professor in 2021. He has been director of the School of Accountancy since 2019. Morris is also a member of several university committees, including graduate council chair, research task force chair, the Chancellors Diversity and Inclusion Task Force and Chancellors Leadership Council. His numerous community-related activities include serving on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Illinois. Meera Komarraju, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, said shes pleased Morris accepted the position and looks forward to working with him. He brings various strengths to the role, including prior administrative experience and a good understanding of the various academic units on campus along with an ability to work well with others, she said. Morris noted that through his various roles over the past few years, hes had the privilege to work with the dedicated staff in the provosts office. I am honored to be part of the team, and I look forward to collaborating with faculty and staff campuswide on efforts that will promote and enhance our national academic and research profile, he said. Our faculty are the engine driving innovation, quality and student success at this research university. It is important to maintain and build partnerships with faculty and leaders from varied disciplines and backgrounds and work toward improving the academic administrative leadership at the school or department level. We must stay committed to working closely with the faculty to strengthen shared governance across the university. Morris is a three-degree SIU graduate. He earned his bachelors degree in university studies with an emphasis on business administration; a master of business administration in finance and a doctorate in accounting. Morris earned his law degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Climate change driven redistribution of key commercial tuna species will deliver an economic blow to the small island states of the Western and Central Pacific and threaten the sustainability of the worlds largest tuna fishery, a major international study has found. UC Santa Cruz Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Katherine Seto is a coauthor on the new paper, alongside researchers from a consortium of institutions and organizations across the Pacific, North America, and Europe, including the University of Wollongong (UOW), Conservation International, the Pacific Community, the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, and the Parties to the Nauru Agreement Office. The study, published in Nature Sustainability, combines climate science, ecological modeling, and economic data to provide a comprehensive analysis of the impact of climate change on Pacific tuna stocks and on the small island states that depend on them. The 10 island states of the Western and Central PacificCook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, and Tuvaluare so reliant on their tuna fisheries for economic development and food security that they are considered tuna dependent. The management of most of the islands tuna fisheries through a cooperative agreement has been a sustainable development success story over several decades, providing reliable and much-needed revenue for development while preventing the depletion of fish stocks through overfishing. But as the climate changes, key species like skipjack, yellowfin, and bigeye tuna that are currently found largely within the waters of Pacific Island states are projected to shift eastward, out of sovereign waters and into the high seas. UC Santa Cruz Assistant Professor Katherine Seto noted that, as more tuna move into the high seas, beyond areas of national jurisdiction, they become vulnerable to overfishing. Preventing overfishing, and ensuring compliance with fisheries management measures, is more difficult outside the exclusive economic zones of the island states because the sole responsibility for compliance rests with the states that flag the fishing vessels, often resulting in self-regulation, she said. Beyond overfishing concerns, the large-scale movement of fish away from sovereign waters could be devastating to local economies on its own. Around half of the worlds tuna catch comes from the waters of the Western and Central Pacific, and for those 10 small island states, fishing fees from industrial fishing fleets to gain access to their waters accounts for an average of 37 percent of all government revenue (ranging from 4 percent of government revenue for the relatively large economy of Papua New Guinea to 84 percent for Tokelau). Under a continued high greenhouse gas emissions scenario, as more fish move into the high seas, the total biomass of skipjack, yellowfin, and bigeye tuna in the waters of the 10 Pacific Island states could decline by an average of 13 percent by 2050, said study lead author Johann Bell, the Senior Director for Pacific Tuna Fisheries at the Conservation International Center for Oceans and a Visiting Professorial Fellow at UOWs Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security. The potential implications for Pacific Island economies in 2050 include an average decline in purse-seine catch of 20 percent, a loss in regional tuna-fishing access fees of up to $140 million, and reductions in government revenue of up to 17 percent for individual Pacific Island states. The greenhouse gas emissions of these small island states are negligible, and yet they are among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, Bell said. Many of the island states have very few opportunities to earn income other than from their tuna resources, which are expected to move from their jurisdictions due to ocean warming. This is a climate justice issue that should be raised at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow later this year. The future for the Pacific Island states looks more promising under lower greenhouse gas emission scenarios, which would lead to smaller losses. Reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement would provide a pathway to sustainability for tuna-dependent Pacific Island economies. Regional fisheries management organizations can also play a role in helping Pacific Island states negotiate agreements to maximize the economic benefits of tuna, even as the future distribution of fish may change. A map of Antioch, California, showing the Chinatown in the 1800s (Antioch Historical Society & Museum) A historian believes there could be many more Chinatowns that have disappeared off the map, after the Californian city of Antioch officially apologised for the burning-down of its own Chinese quarter 145 years ago. The Chinatown in Antioch, which was founded by arrivals during the Gold Rush era, saw Chinese immigrants sell noodles and herbs from shopfronts on 1st and 2nd streets but today, almost nothing remains of the neighbourhood. As Eventually, tensions between the citys white and Asian residents would result in an attack that would almost wipe the community off the map for a century, after a doctor allegedly blamed illnesses among young men on Chinese prostitutes. A confrontation forced Antiochs Chinese residents to flea, and the buildings that once made-up one of Californias earliest Asian communities was torched. Today, only a bare brick wall remains. In May, the Antioch City Council issued a formal apology to the citys Chinese residents and descendants of the Gold Rush era arrivals, in what was a 145 year wait. Mayor Lamar Thorpe old the LA Times that as official of mixed ethnicity, he needed to spearhead the campaign to apologise for the burning-down of the Chinatown after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last year, and the anti-racism movement that cascaded from it. Attacks against Asian-Americans are also on the rise, with the advocacy group Stop AAPI Hate saying it received over 2,800 reports of hate incidents last year. I got elected during the Black Lives Matter wave, and I feel our city that drove the Chinese Americans out over 100 years ago needs to confront what happened, and we need to make amends, said Mr Thorpe. It was so painful to watch the news, and I kept thinking to myself, Its not enough to say we stand in solidarity with this group or that group. Many residents of Antioch, which is 33 per cent Latino, 28 per cent white, 22 per cent Black and 12 per cent Asian, told the LA Times they had been unaware of the Chinatowns history until the apology in May. Story continues The council is planning on creating a Chinatown Historic District that will include street murals and museum exhibits honouring the citys Asian history. The designation shows us that there were so many Chinatowns springing up, said Laureen Hom, an assistant professor of political science and Chinese-American researcher. We dont know where they all were yet we should try to find out more to preserve them. Read More Los Angeles police officer arrested for allegedly filing a false police report California governor Gavin Newsom compares unvaccinated to drunk drivers Trump calls critical race theory flagrant racism at Phoenix rally New Zealand. Beerpixs / Getty Images Researchers created a "shortlist" of five nations most likely to survive the apocalypse. The list includes New Zealand, Iceland, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Ireland. Silicon Valley billionaires are already investing in bunkers and doomsday shelters in New Zealand. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. With climate change strengthening its grip on the planet, researchers are searching for the best possible hideout locations post-apocalypse. Using data from the University of Notre Dame's Global Adaptation Initiative, researchers at Anglia Ruskin University's Global Sustainability Institute in England graded the 20 least vulnerable countries on three main criteria: Carrying capacity: How much land is being used for farming to sustain the current population? High agricultural land per capita is good. Isolation: How close is the country to other highly populated areas? Further away is better. Self-sufficiency: Does the country produce its own renewable energy and have manufacturing capacity? More is better. Using these parameters, co-authors Nick King and Aled Jones found five locations particularly suited for global collapse, or what they call "de-complexification." Each of the five are notably islands with large metropolitan regions, meaning they've already shown they can sustain millions of people. Their work was published in the peer-reviewed journal Sustainability on July 21. Read more: Reclusive billionaire and Google cofounder Larry Page has been off the grid for over a year. Sources say he's been hiding out on Fijian islands that are cut off from most travelers during the pandemic. New Zealand Hydroelectric plants in New Zealand. DeAgostini/Getty Images Located roughly 2,800 miles from the equator, New Zealand is naturally cooler than many regions in the world, boding well for the area in the event of a large temperature increase due to climate change. Close to 40% of the country's primary energy supply comes from renewable energy sources and the nation produced enough energy to cover 75% of its energy requirements, according to a New Zealand's Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment, making it an ideal location in the event of societal collapse. Story continues Sheep on farm land at the base of the crown range are seen on June 25, 2020 in Queenstown, New Zealand Hannah Peters/Getty Images The only highly populous country close to New Zealand is Australia, making the country harder for global refugees from around the world to travel to in an apocalypse with scarce resources. Based off the country's COVID-19 response, New Zealand's already proven that its leaders and region can survive intense periods of hardship. The nation shuttered its borders to nearly all travelers early on in the pandemic and instituted internal lockdowns to prevent the spread of the virus - and it worked. Only 26 people have died of COVID-19 in New Zealand, making it one of the safest places to be in the world during the ongoing pandemic. A lone walker on Oriental Bay beach on April 06, 2020 in Wellington, New Zealand. Mark Tantrum/Getty Images Wealthy Silicon Valley executives have reportedly been buying property in New Zealand over the last decade in preparation for an apocalyptic scenario. Billionaire Peter Thiel has already purchased several properties in the region and buying property in New Zealand is code for getting "apocalypse insurance." Iceland Bjarnarflag Geothermal power station / Bjarnarflagsvirkjun, operated by Landsvirkjun near Namafjall Mountain in the geothermal area of Myvatn, Iceland. Sven-Erik Arndt/Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Coming in at No. 2 on the list, Iceland is home to an abundance of natural and renewable energy sources in the form of geothermal and hydroelectric power plants. Workers transplant saplings at Kvistar greenhouse near Selfoss, southern Iceland before the young trees are planted on May 20, 2019. HALLDOR KOLBEINS/AFP via Getty Images Being substantially closer to the North Pole than the equator, Iceland's climate is much cooler than other regions of the planet. So the arable land should continue to be tenable as the climate keeps warming. While Iceland's land is icy and seemingly inhospitable, the country grows more than half of its produce with renewable energy, according to the US Green Chamber of Commerce. Many farmers use greenhouses and natural geothermal steam to "actively enhance photosynthesis" in their plants. Arnardrangur / Eagle rock, basalt sea stack on the Black sand beach Reynisfjara near Vik i Myrdal in summer, Iceland. Sven-Erik Arndt/Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Iceland is also home to an abundance of fisheries along its coastlines, allowing for readily available food in the event of a sudden collapse. According to the the Global Sustainability Institute, the nation has several "favorable starting conditions" and is prepared to survive a disaster. United Kingdom Tregothan Estate staff member Darcie Dawe oversees the first pluck of tea in October on the west banks of Tregothnan on October 14, 2020 at Truro, England. Hugh Hastings/Getty Images The United Kingdom has lots of available farmland, a milder temperature climate, and a plethora of precipitation that makes it a fantastic region to rebuild society, the researchers found. The area also isn't regularly hit with major natural disasters, which bodes well for its survival chances. Hours before the England football team play an historic game against Italy the first time since 1966 that the English national team have played in a major mens' international football final, thousands of supporters congregate. Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images One major drawback of the United Kingdom is its fairly limited amount of land and increasingly large population. The study authors noted the energy demands of the UK's population is substantial enough to be a problem in the event of an apocalyptic scenario. Nearly half of the UK's energy comes from fossil fuels and nuclear power generation, making it difficult to adjust to changing supply chains in a de-complexification scenario. About 42% of the country's power comes from renewable energy, a statistic that continues to rise as the nation slowly taps more into unexploited wind resources. Australia Sheep graze in front of wind turbines on Lake George on September 1, 2020 on the outskirts of Canberra, Australia. David Gray/Getty Images The only continent on this list, Australia's location and massive land mass make it another prime spot to ride out the apocalypse. Each region boasts a different climate and temperate, which allow for increased agricultural and animal biodiversity. The study notes that climate change is expected to have a large impact on Australia by exacerbating trends: rainy regions will see more precipitation, deserts will get less water, and so on. Trees becoming drier and drier due to hot and arid conditions have already led to repeated wildfires in the continent. Tasmania, Australia. Steve Lovegrove/Shutterstock Tasmania, an island state directly off the coast of Australia, faces fewer effects from climate change and already uses an abundance of hydroelectric and wind-powered stations. A quarter of the island is already used for agriculture, which could be increased in the event of a disaster. The study authors note that Tasmania could become Australia's "lifeboat" if conditions on the main continent become uninhabitable. Ireland Brian Staunton of Lettershinn brings the sheep and lambs back to the field after spray marking. On Saturday, 1 May 2021, in Lettershinna, Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images The entire island of Ireland comes in at fifth on the shortlist and is notably a combination of Northern Ireland - which is part of the United Kingdom - and the Republic of Ireland. Ireland's climate is similar to the UK's with lots of precipitation and fertile soil. Windmills producing alternative energy near Kenmare, County Kerry, Republic of Ireland. Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Ireland's low population conversely means it has less energy demand. While about one-third of Ireland's energy came from renewable sources in 2018, the region continues to expand its clean energy initiatives via wind generation and hydroelectric plants. Low energy demand and increasing renewable energy sources make for a promising spot for a doomsday bunker, the authors concluded. Read the original article on Insider Taliban supporters carry their signature white flags after the group's seizure of Spin Buldak, a border town near Pakistan, this month. (Tariq Achkzai / Associated Press ) The first group of Afghan interpreters and contractors who aided U.S. military and diplomatic missions arrived in the U.S. overnight Thursday. The flight was part of a frantic Biden administration effort to evacuate thousands of people potentially facing retribution in Afghanistan from a resurgent Taliban amid the withdrawal of American forces. But the 200 or so individuals on the initial flight from Kabul amount to just a fraction of the tens of thousands of Afghans increasingly desperate to flee their country amid rising violence. They arrived overnight in Dulles, Va., just outside Washington, according to the FlightAware tracking service. They will next head to Ft. Lee, an Army base in central Virginia, where they'll remain for a week while undergoing security and medical screenings, before they are resettled across the country. About 2,500 Afghans are set to arrive in the U.S. in the coming weeks, the administration said. Of those, roughly 700 worked as interpreters, guides or contractors alongside U.S. forces and received special immigrant visas along with their families. President Biden, in a statement, called the arrival "an important milestone" and vowed that American security assistance and diplomatic support for Afghanistan would continue after the departure of U.S. forces. "I want to thank these brave Afghans for standing with the United States, and today, I am proud to say to them: 'Welcome home.'" According to the administration, all visa recipients were tested for the coronavirus before flying and offered the COVID-19 vaccine in Kabul before departure. The first arrivals came just hours after Congress took action to expand the Afghan special immigrant visa program by approving $1.125 billion in additional funding to cover the costs of processing applications and transporting, screening and resettling an additional 8,000 Afghans desperate to flee their country. The money is part of a $2.1-billion supplemental budget bill, which also included money to reimburse the National Guard for expenses incurred during the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, as well as extra funding for Capitol Police. The bipartisan proposal passed the Senate 98-0 on Thursday afternoon and was approved by the House hours later by a vote of 416-11. Story continues "We must stand with the brave Afghans who supported our mission through two decades of war," said Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), one of the co-sponsors of the legislation. "By now, we have all seen the reports of men and women being summarily executed in the street. The slaughter will only escalate. We must provide resources for additional special immigrant visas for translators and other Afghans who worked with Americans over the past two decades, as well as for additional humanitarian relief to Afghan refugees." But it's still highly unlikely that the Biden administration, which has ordered all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan by Sept. 11, will be able to evacuate the roughly 20,000 Afghans who are seeking the visas by that deadline. More than 70,000 Afghans have received special immigrant visas since 2008. As U.S. forces have departed, the Taliban has overtaken the country's roads, leaving the Afghan government with one airfield from which refugees can depart. "We're going be moving folks as fast as we logistically can," said Ambassador Tracey Jacobson, a member of the State Department's Afghanistan coordination task force, who acknowledged that Taliban gains have made evacuating Afghans increasingly difficult. "We do lack the capacity to bring people to Kabul from other parts of the country or to house them in Kabul itself." She added that the administration was still "considering a variety of different options" to get vulnerable Afghans to safety. Without a military rescue operation to airlift the thousands of Afghans seeking to flee the country, scores may be killed, especially with the Taliban having gained access to the U.S. database of biometric information the fingerprints and retinal scans of nearly all who aided the American war effort. "When [the Taliban] scan your iris or fingerprint and it pops up in the database that you used to work for the Americans, they behead you right there on the side of the road," said Matt Zeller, chairman of the Assn. of Wartime Allies, an advocacy group that has been unable to persuade the Biden administration to take stronger action to ensure the safety of Afghan allies. "What good is the visa to somebody who's dead? It takes 800 days on average right now for somebody to get that visa processed. These people don't have 800 days, or even 80 days at this point," Zeller said. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken indicated Thursday that talks are ongoing with several Arab and Central Asian countries about temporarily relocating another group of about 4,000 Afghans to allow more time to review their visa applications and determine how to help them. But on a 24-hour stop in Kuwait City to meet with the emir, crown prince and other top Kuwaiti officials, Blinken appeared visibly drained and disappointed as he apparently failed to reach an agreement with Kuwait on temporarily accepting Afghans seeking to reach the U.S. under the special visa program. For weeks, the administration under intense criticism for moving too slowly to help the Afghans whose lives are in jeopardy in a Taliban takeover has been quietly telling journalists that Qatar and Kuwait would probably cooperate, and the topic may have been at the heart of Blinken's visit Thursday. "We are talking to a number of countries about the possibility of temporarily relocating these applicants," Blinken said. "We are very much focused on making good on our obligations to those who stood with us." Several regional allies are concerned about the looming U.S. departure and worry that additional Taliban gains will make Afghanistan a breeding ground for terrorist groups. Several are also dreading an inevitable influx of Afghan refugees fleeing expanding Taliban rule. Times staff writers Tracy K. Wilkinson in Kuwait and Jennifer Haberkorn in Washington contributed to this report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Amanda Knox is complaining angrily that the new Matt Damon movie "Stillwater" -- a drama about a young American jailed in Europe for a killing she insists she did not commit -- cashes in on her own ordeal. Knox and her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were convicted of the 2007 murder of her British roommate Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy while the women were students there. The trial was a media sensation on both sides of the Atlantic and Knox spent four years in prison before her conviction was overturned in 2015. "Stillwater" director Tom McCarthy told Vanity Fair magazine this week that his idea was to "leave the Amanda Knox case behind." "But let me take this piece of the story -- an American woman studying abroad involved in some kind of sensational crime and she ends up in jail -- and fictionalize everything around it," he added. Knox, now 34, erupted Thursday in a series of tweets. "Does my name belong to me? My face? What about my life? My story? Why does my name refer to events I had no hand in? I return to these questions because others continue to profit off my name, face, & story without my consent. Most recently, the film #STILLWATER," Knox wrote. She took issue with Vanity Fair's statement that the movie is "directly inspired by the Amanda Knox saga." "I want to pause right here on that phrase: 'the Amanda Knox saga.' What does that refer to? Does it refer to anything I did? No. It refers to the events that resulted from the murder of Meredith Kercher by a burglar named Rudy Guede," Knox wrote. Guede was convicted of the Kercher killing in a separate trial in Italy in 2008. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison. In "Stillwater" Damon plays a burly American oil worker who travels to Marseille, France to help his daughter, who is jailed over the killing of her lover. Knox blasted what she characterized as McCarthy's depiction of her role in the killing. "That story, my story, is not about an American woman studying abroad 'involved in some kind of sensational crime.' It's about an American woman NOT involved in a sensational crime, and yet wrongfully convicted." dw/ft In a regulatory filing on Friday, Amazon revealed that Luxembourgs National Commission for Data Protection (CNPD) has hit the company with a record $746 million euro fine ($887 million). If it stands, it will be the largest penalty ever handed out due to Europes data protection rules. Bloomberg reports CNPD issued its decision on July 16th. The group accused Amazon of processing personal data in violation of the EUs General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Of course, this is about more than just a fine. The CNPD is also demanding that Amazon stop the practices that resulted in the alleged violation. On July 16, 2021, the Luxembourg National Commission for Data Protection (the CNPD) issued a decision against Amazon Europe Core S.a r.l. claiming that Amazons processing of personal data did not comply with the EU General Data Protection Regulation, Amazon explained in its 10-Q filing. The decision imposes a fine of 746 million and corresponding practice revisions. We believe the CNPDs decision to be without merit and intend to defend ourselves vigorously in this matter. In addition to slapping Amazon with a huge fine, the CNPD also ordered Amazon to revise its business practices. CNPD did not specify which practices Amazon needs to revise, nor would it comment on the decision. As Bloomberg notes, local laws prevent the Luxembourg commission from commenting on any specific cases or confirming receipt of a complaint. Amazon will appeal the CNPDs fine Amazon argues that the case is without merit for several reasons. The company noted that hackers have not stolen any data. Additionally, Amazon says that all customer data remains secure. Amazon plans to appeal the decision, which means that it could be quite some time before this resolves. Amazon provided The Wall Street Journal with the following statement regarding the fine: Maintaining the security of our customers information and their trust are top priorities. There has been no data breach, and no customer data has been exposed to any third party. These facts are undisputed. We strongly disagree with the CNPDs ruling, and we intend to appeal. The decision relating to how we show customers relevant advertising relies on subjective and untested interpretations of European privacy law, and the proposed fine is entirely out of proportion with even that interpretation. Story continues Currently, Googles 50 million euro fine is the largest under the GDPR. Frances data watching, the CNIL, issued the fine in 2019. Google lost its appeal in 2020. The CNPDs fine eclipses that sum, and will be a new record by a wide margin if it stands. Today's Top Deals See the original version of this article on BGR.com By Jeff Mason and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States imposed sanctions on the Cuban police force and two of its leaders on Friday in response to the Havana government's crackdown on protesters, and President Joe Biden promised Cuban-American leaders more actions were coming. The U.S. Treasury Department said the sanctions, which appeared to be largely symbolic, were a reaction to "actions to suppress peaceful, pro-democratic protests in Cuba that began on July 11." Targets of the sanctions are two Cuban police force leaders, as well as the Cuban interior ministry's national police force, the department said. "There will be more, unless there's some drastic change in Cuba, which I don't anticipate," Biden said during a meeting with Cuban-American leaders at the White House. His meeting came as the politically important community calls for more support for protests https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/street-protests-break-out-cuba-2021-07-11 in Cuba that represent the biggest populist outpouring against the government on the Communist-run island in decades. "The United States is taking concerted action to bolster the cause of the Cuban people," said Biden. Biden said he had asked the Treasury and State departments to report back in a month on how to allow remittance payments from Americans to Cubans without the Cuban government profiting. In addition, Biden has been working on a plan to try to provide wireless communications to Cubans and augment U.S. embassy staff in Cuba, a senior administration official said. The protests erupted this month amid Cuba's worst economic crisis since the fall of its old Soviet Union ally and a record surge in coronavirus infections. Thousands took to the streets, angry over shortages of basic goods, curbs on civil liberties, and the authorities' handling of the pandemic. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has blamed the unrest on the United States, which in recent years has tightened its decades-old trade embargo on the island. He has said many protesters were sincere but manipulated by U.S.-orchestrated social media campaigns. Story continues Last week, the U.S. Treasury announced sanctions https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-impose-sanctions-cuban-officials-over-crackdown-protests-source-2021-07-22 on Cuba's defense minister and an interior ministry special forces unit over allegations of human rights abuses in the crackdown that followed the protests, which saw hundreds of activists detained. Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill have urged more measures. Participants in Friday's meeting included Yotuel Romero, a hip hop musician and author of "Patria y Vida," a song that has become the anthem for the protesters; Ana Sofia Pelaez, founder of the Miami Freedom Project; and former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz. CUBAN AMERICANS SEEK TOUGHER POLICY Florida's 1.5 million Cuban Americans voted heavily for Republican Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Winning back their support is crucial for Biden's Democratic Party to clinch the swing state in the 2024 presidential election. "I think if Biden has a successful Cuban policy that is able to put the regime on the defensive and provide concrete support to Cubans, that will benefit him with voters in Florida," said John Suarez, executive director of the Center for a Free Cuba. "If the regime collapses on his watch, that could be a game changer." Guennady Rodriguez, 40, who said he moved to Miami from Cuba in 2013, said he thought Biden had moved too slowly in addressing Cuban policy in the months before the protests. The Biden administration has been engaged in a lengthy review of the Cuban policy it inherited from the Donald Trump administration. Rodriguez said Biden was unlikely to please Cuban-American hardliners without running afoul of liberal voters. "Biden has put himself in a lose-lose position. Now it is going to be more difficult for him to select an engagement policy," he said. Alejandro Ortiz, 32, who also moved to Miami from Cuba, said he thought Biden's response to the Cuban government after the protests was too slow. "I see an attitude that is a little passive," he said. "He needed to be faster and more severe with his measures." (Reporting by Steve Holland; Additional reporting by Daphne Psaledakis in Washington and Saundra Amrhein in Miami; Editing by Heather Timmons, Cynthia Osterman and Rosalba O'Brien) The White House will not extend the eviction moratorium, which expires on Saturday, and congressional Democrats arent poised to do anything about it. As of June, more than 3.6 million adults were likely less than two months away from eviction, and more than 2 million households with children faced losing their homes, according to a U.S. Census Bureau survey. State and local governments have struggled to get out federally approved rent relief funds, and the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus continues to spread rapidly. President Biden would have strongly supported a decision by the CDC to further extend this eviction moratorium to protect renters at this moment of heightened vulnerability, the White House said, but argued it cannot, citing a June 29 Supreme Court ruling. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put in place a federal eviction moratorium last September and has extended it four times since. More recently the protections for renters have faced legal challenges. Just last month the Supreme Court allowed the moratorium to stay in place, but apparently on the condition that it would expire at the end of July. In light of the Supreme Courts ruling, the President calls on Congress to extend the eviction moratorium to protect such vulnerable renters and their families without delay, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Thursday. Its a confusing last-minute punt to Congress from the White House, a month after the ruling from the Supreme Court. With a three-day lead time, theres no conceivable way Congress can extend the moratorium without first letting it lapse, not to mention the political challenges of getting such an extension through a razor-thin Democratic majority. A Democratic aide told HuffPost that lawmakers and staff were caught off guard by the White Houses statement this morning. They believe the White House can [extend] it on their own, the aide said. Story continues Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who joined the three liberal justices and Chief Justice John Roberts to let the moratorium to stay in place, said he only did so to allow for additional and more orderly distribution of the congressionally appropriated rental assistance funds through the end of July. Any additional extension, he wrote, would need congressional authorization. But while more rent relief money went out the door in June than in any other month this year, only a fraction of the aid Congress has allocated has actually been distributed to help tenants and landlords. In total, only about $3 billion of the $46 billion in total funds that Congress allotted for emergency rental aid had been spent by the end of June, and hundreds of thousands of applications for aid remained pending. Its up to state and local governments to get out the money, and many have been plagued with shoddy programs and backlogs that may take weeks or months to resolve. In recent weeks, the White House has hosted public webinars to help local and state government officials start building eviction prevention strategies, knowing the eviction moratorium would soon come to an end. The stakes are high and rising as COVID-19 case numbers pose another threat to an already vulnerable population. Last year, researchers at UCLA found evictions may have led to an acceleration of COVID-19 infections and more than 10,000 deaths. Already, local housing advocacy groups are expecting the end of the moratorium to bring a deluge of eviction claims. Protesters in Minneapolis rally to stop housing evictions during the pandemic. (Photo: UniversalImagesGroup via Getty Images) Democratic leaders in the House are rushing to whip support behind a last-minute extension of the moratorium, and the Senate is considering attempting to pass an extension through unanimous consent. That, of course, carries the threat of any single objector in the Senate. Few congressional Democrats, who for weeks have been preoccupied negotiating a bipartisan infrastructure package and a budget resolution, have focused on the issue of the eviction moratorium at all. Last week, Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), who has been behind some of the most impactful anti-poverty measures passed by Congress in the past year, said he hadnt thought about the moratoriums looming expiration and had to read up on it. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), who sits on the Senates committee on housing, said he was very aware of the issues with getting rent relief out in his state, but did not have a position on whether he thought the White House should extend the eviction moratorium. The state of Georgia has received a very significant amount of rental assistance funding through the American Rescue Plan and expended almost none of it, and right now what Im working with my team on is trying to figure out what we can do to unlock some of those federal resources that we already passed for rental assistance, Ossoff said. Meanwhile, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), who also sits on the committee, said only, I think its important for us to get these two bills done on infrastructure. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who chairs the Senates committee on housing, told HuffPost last week he didnt want to be too critical of the White House over the issue. The CDC is making that decision, Brown said again this week. My job is to make sure the money gets out as quickly as possible. The most forceful push came from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who said the White House should extend the moratorium regardless, and also chided state and local governments for not getting the relief aid out fast enough. I feel real frustration with some of the states that they havent acted more quickly to use the money that weve sent for purposes of stabilizing housing, Warren said. Families cant live on the streets or couch surf for three months waiting for the money to come through and similarly, small landlords need that money to keep their places up and running. She added that the CDC is the one that has the authority ... Families should not be pushed out of their house at a time when we do not have this pandemic entirely under control. Now, with the White House bucking the responsibility to Congress, its clear that it will be first up to the states to deal with the estimated millions of Americans at risk of losing their homes during a pandemic. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. Related... A significant migration from paper currency to digital means of payment will take place in the next few years, according to Joao Manoel Pinho de Mello, a director of the Central Bank of Brazil (BCB). During a panel discussion Thursday about the potential of the digital real organized by BCB, Mello stated that the move to digital payments will involve the use of central bank digital currencies (CBDC), Valor Economico, a Brazilian financial newspaper, reported. We understand that the use of CBDC will occur in situations where it is able to bring greater efficiency and transparency to transactions, whether from the retail perspective or its use by agents that make up the financial and payments industry, said Mello, director of the financial system organization and resolution division at BCB. Related: Feds Brainard Says US Cant Not Have a CBDC in a World in Which Others Have Them If they are designed well, official digital currencies can expand financial inclusion and reduce the cost and time of cross-border payments, Mello said, adding that the process requires extreme care in the choice of design and technologies to avoid violations of data protection laws, bank runs and cyberattacks. Mello also argued that the use of digital currencies between different countries should be given special consideration to avoid unwanted substitutions of one countrys sovereign currency for that of another. In June, BCB told CoinDesk that it was pushing for more time to roll out its CBDC. According to the current BCB assessment, the conditions for the adoption of a Brazilian CBDC will be achieved in two to three years, the bank added. Related: Irelands Central Bank Governor Says Digital Euro Is Very Likely Roberto Campos Neto, president of the central bank, said Brazil could be ready for a digital currency next year. Story continues Fresh elements of Brazils financial system include a newly launched instant payment system known as PIX and an open banking model. The bank said the success of those initiatives helped propel it toward the launch of a CBDC. Related Stories Raulino de Oliveira Maciel was reportedly arrested on child rape charges in Brazil.` @raulzitoyt/Instagram Brazilian streamer Raulino de Oliveira Maciel was arrested on Tuesday, G1 reported. Police said in a statement that a YouTuber was arrested on child rape charges on Tuesday. Maciel is a streamer with hundreds of thousands of subscribers on YouTube and Twitch. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. A Brazilian "Fortnite" streamer was arrested on child-rape charges in Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, on Tuesday, the Brazilian outlet G1 reported. Raulino de Oliveira Maciel is a video game streamer and content creator who goes by RaulZito online. Maciel has 117,000 followers on the live-streaming platform Twitch and roughly 144,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel. According to his channel description, which is in English, his "Headquarters" is comprised of "several child talents" with whom he produces family-friendly content. The Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro said in a statement that a team from the Child and Adolescent Victims Department (DCAV) arrested a video game YouTuber, whose name is not specified in the statement, on charges of rape of the vulnerable (estupro de vulneravel), a charge in Brazil involving victims younger than the age of 14. The cases, according to police, took place in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, and Sao Caetano, Sao Paulo. The victims are reportedly child actors between 10 and 14 years old. The YouTuber contacted the children through Instagram promising access to jobs and saying that he had been hired by a major TV station, police said. Maciel was a presenter for SBT Games, the gaming division of Brazilian television network SBT, which linked Maciel to the arrest in a statement on Tuesday. Video of the arrest from Brazilian outlet G1 shows a man that appears to be Maciel. SBT Games said that Maciel was no longer part of the segment of streamers for SBT Games. "The SBT awaits the elucidation of the facts and the result of the investigation, which resulted in the arrest of the YouTuber this Tuesday morning," the statement reads. Story continues This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. According to the police statement, a mother told police that her son had suffered from abuse from the arrested YouTuber between February and May, with another child younger than 12 reporting having been abused as well. Maciel did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. To read more stories like this, check out Insider's digital culture coverage here. Read the original article on Insider Hospitals in Broward and Miami-Dade counties admitted the most COVID patients of any counties in the U.S. in the last seven days, with more than 800 patients each, according to a White House report. Signs of the pandemic toll on South Florida health systems emerged this week as South Florida hospitals enacted surge plans: Memorial Healthcare System set up triage tents outside its Emergency Departments and is using conference space to care for patients. Broward Health and Cleveland Clinic Florida began converting regular rooms into COVID wards. The two counties childrens hospitals are triaging a crunch of patients in their emergency rooms and admitting the most critically ill children with COVID. In July alone, more than 30% more children per day have been treated in Nicklaus Childrens Hospitals emergency department than during the summer of 2019, before the pandemic began. Cleveland Clinic Florida, which also has seen COVID patient numbers increase, will hold a vaccine clinic Saturday at its Weston campus from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in an attempt to curtail the tide of patients flooding in. We have seen a 200% increase in hospitalized COVID patients in the last month and a 400% increase in the last two months, said Dr. Scott Ross, chief medical officer at Cleveland Clinic Weston. Last night, we put a 19-year-old who was unvaccinated on life support. Broward healthcare workers say they are emotionally and physically exhausted, and watching younger unvaccinated and formerly healthy people express regret as they are put on ventilators. We recently lost a patient, 51, and some of his last words were I wish I could have gotten vaccinated. I wish I could have known that this was real. I wish I would have listened, said Juana Mejia, a nurse manager in the ICU at Memorial Hospital Miramar. In the last five days, the numbers started skyrocketing, said Dr. Sunil Kumar, medical director of the intensive care for Broward General Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale. Its so sad because its preventable. As patients come into my care they are asking for vaccines and I tell them its too late for that. Story continues On Friday, local hospital leaders began pleading for people to get vaccinated, saying Delta is more aggressive than the original strain. A new CDC report calls the Delta strain of coronavirus as contagious as chickenpox. At a news briefing Friday, Dr. Aharon Sareli, chief of critical care medicine for Memorial Healthcare System, said patients are flooding into emergency rooms and intensive care units quicker than during the two previous waves in Florida and 98% of them are unvaccinated. Memorial has half of its 200 ventilators in use and has asked the state for more. Weve seen a four-fold rise in COVID patients in the last month and the numbers grow every day, Sareli said. Of 400 patients, more than 96% are unvaccinated. We are asking everyone to get vaccinated. Vaccines are not bulletproof, but those who do get infected tend not to be critically ill. This is a preventable loss of life. Sareli said only one patient of the 55 now in the ICU is vaccinated. A teary-eyed Mejia at Memorial Hospital Miramar, spoke out too, saying she is working seven days a week and has witnessed COVIDs toll on the unvaccinated who are no longer older with underlying health conditions. I have never experienced anything of this magnitude, she said. Ive seen so many lives lost. We have lost husbands and wives, brothers and sisters and young people, as young as 20. In the ICU, were the ones right in front of them, and when we get personal with them, we cry. Broward Generals Kumar said he expects the visible surge in cases to continue for at least another month, or two. He said he urges residents to wear masks and get vaccinated, noting that Miami-Dades and Browards low vaccination rate is the reason local counties are leading the country in COVID cases and hospitalizations. Theres no doubt in my mind that Delta is more contagious and more dangerous, he said. Healthcare workers pleas come as the daily COVID case counts across Florida surge to numbers not seen since the height of the pandemic in January. The large daily case count 17,093 new cases on Thursday has led to long lines at test sites, curtailed visitor hours at crowded hospitals and ramped-up mask restrictions in government facilities and businesses. Jennifer Smith, a spokesman for Broward Health, said along with COVID patients, Broward Health has seen an increase in people with other serious illnesses exacerbated by delaying medical care. Thats absolutely complicating matters, she said. Floridas children also are being affected. At this time, only children 12 and older can get vaccinated, leaving younger kids vulnerable as the aggressive Delta spreads in communities. Pfizer is studying the use of its vaccine in children 5 to 11. Joe DiMaggio Childrens Hospital in Hollywood has admitted seven children with COVID two are in intensive care. However, the hospital also is seeing an uptick in children arriving at the Emergency Department with COVID symptoms but not sick enough to be admitted. In June, 36 children were seen in the Emergency Department, and thus far in July, 190 have been treated, a hospital spokeswoman said. Broward Health and its Salah Foundation Childrens Hospital have seven children admitted, including a 15-year-old on a ventilator, Kumar said. Nicklaus Childrens Hospital in Miami has admitted 17 children and six are in intensive care. One is on a ventilator. The children range from 15 months to 19 years old all unvaccinated. Kids do fairly well, said Dr. Marcos Mestre, Nicklaus Childrens senior medical director of Pediatric Services. Only 1 to 2% of them require hospitalization. Mestre said he expects COVID cases and hospitalizations to rise further in the next few weeks. I am pleading with parents of children 12 and older to get them vaccinated now even though its already the eleventh hour. Palm Beach County ranks eighth in the country for COVID hospital admissions in the last seven days with about 500 new patients. Bethesda Hospital East, Bethesda Hospital West and Boca Raton Regional Hospital report they have 127 COVID patients, the majority of whom are unvaccinated. All three tightened their visitor guidelines last week along with most hospitals in Palm Beach County, which now allow only one visitor during restricted hours. Sun Sentinel health reporter Cindy Goodman can be reached at cgoodman@sunsentinel.com. Then-President Trump pressed top Justice Department officials in a December phone call to "just say that the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me" and Republican congressmen, according to handwritten notes of the call released by the House Oversight Committee on Friday. Why it matters: Its the latest example of how aggressively Trump publicly and privately pressured the Justice Department to overturn the results of the election, despite no evidence of widespread voter fraud. Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free. Driving the news: In a phone call on Dec. 27 with the acting attorney general at the time, Jeffrey Rosen, and his deputy, Richard Donoghue, Trump raised fraud claims that the department had already dismissed. Rosen told the then-president that the DOJ could not change the election outcome. Trump also suggested that he would receive support from some Republican members of Congress. He had referred to Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Scott Perry (R-Pa.) at other points in the phone call. Rosen and Donoghue told Trump that they were doing their job, had looked at the allegations, and that "[m]uch of the info youre getting is false." Trump also demanded that the Justice Department "figure out what to do" with Hunter Biden, President Biden's son, saying that he needed to be "investigated for real, according to the notes. The big picture: The Democratic-led House Oversight Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee are both investigating Trump and his allies efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election based on conspiracy theories about voter fraud. Donoghue's notes were handed to Congress as part of the investigation. The Fulton County district attorney is also investigating Trumps efforts to pressure Georgia election officials to overturn his loss to Biden in the state. What they're saying: "These handwritten notes show that President Trump directly instructed our nations top law enforcement agency to take steps to overturn a free and fair election in the final days of his presidency," House Oversight Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) said in a statement. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free Foot traffic along Commercial street in Provincetown on July 20, 2021. Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images A CDC study of a COVID outbreak suggests vaccinated people may spread the Delta variant as easily as the unvaccinated. Almost all the symptomatic vaccinated people in the study had mild symptoms like headaches and sore throats. The study was a major factor in the CDC's new mask guidance for vaccinated people. See more stories on Insider's business page. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study on Friday which suggests that fully vaccinated people can transmit the Delta variant of the coronavirus just as easily as the unvaccinated - a find that may change the calculus of what's safe for vaccinated people to do, now that the Delta variant is responsible for more than 80% of US cases. "Unlike with other variants, vaccinated people infected with Delta can transmit the virus," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement released alongside the new report. The study is a big part of the reason why the CDC changed its guidance for vaccinated people on Tuesday, saying that where COVID-19 transmission is substantial or high, vaccinated people should mask up again indoors in public. Delta was responsible for at least 90% of the cases in this outbreak, according to viral sequencing. It didn't matter much which shots vaccinated people with Delta infections got, but the most common symptoms - including cough, headache, and sore throat - were mild. Massachusetts is a state with a relatively high vaccination rate Dressed as Maxine the Vaccine, Poppy Champlin encourages pedestrians to get vaccinated while promoting her comedy show on Commercial Street in Provincetown on July 24, 2021. Craig Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images The study, released by the CDC on Friday, followed an outbreak that started in Barnstable County, an area of coastal Massachusetts that's popular for summer vacations and parties, and attracts people from across the US. According to the report, during the first half of July, multiple large events were held in an unnamed town there (local media coverage makes clear that it's Provincetown). The festivities included "densely packed indoor and outdoor events at venues that included bars, restaurants, guest houses, and rental homes." Story continues The outbreak is noteworthy, as Massachusetts is a state with a relatively high vaccination rate. Among Massachusetts residents tied to the cluster and tracked by the state health department, 74% of the cases (346 infections) were in fully vaccinated people. The vast majority of the vaccinated infections were among men, with a median age of 42. But the outbreak extends far beyond Massachusetts, with the total number of cases tied to the outbreak now estimated at more than 830 people, Provincetown Town Manager Alex Morse said on Facebook. Though the study demonstrates that vaccinated people are at greater risk of infection with Delta, the overwhelming majority of the breakthrough cases in the cluster have been mild, with symptoms including coughs, headaches, sore throats, muscle aches, and fevers. At least four vaccinated people were hospitalized, ranging from ages 20 to 70, but no deaths were reported. Two of the hospitalized patients had underlying conditions. In other words, the vaccines are still achieving what they were designed to do: prevent severe infections and deaths. Delta will 'find any gap in our defenses' Pedestrians walk down Commercial Street on May 25, 2020 in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images Experts have been saying for weeks now that the Delta variant spreads both faster and more easily than other versions of the coronavirus, but this study provides some of the first clear evidence for why that's the case. Not only is the viral load of a person infected with Delta estimated to be about 1,000 times higher than with other versions of the virus, this study shows that a vaccinated person's load is roughly equal to an unvaccinated person's, meaning that vaccinated and unvaccinated people likely spread Delta equally well. Andy Slavitt, a former senior adviser to President Joe Biden's coronavirus response team, has called Delta "COVID on steroids," while a leaked CDC slide presentation obtained by the Washington Post late Thursday said "the war has changed," now that Delta is here. The CDC slides also say Delta is more contagious than the common cold - on par with chickenpox in its ability to spread. "What the Delta variant will do is that it will find any gap in our defenses," Hilary Babcock, medical director of infection prevention at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children's Hospital in Missouri previously told Insider. "You have to be really more careful about it all the time." Read the original article on Business Insider SAITAMA, Japan (AP) Li Yueru hit two free throws with 0.6 seconds left, and China advanced to the Olympic quarterfinals by holding off a furious rally by Australia 76-74 on Friday night. China led 61-50 with 7:09 left on a layup by Wang Siyu. Then the Opals stormed back, and Jenna O'Hea knocked down back-to-back 3s tying it at 75 with 2.1 seconds remaining. Cayla George fouled Li under the basket, and Li made both free throws to send the Chinese players running onto the court to celebrate. With Yao Ming, president of the Chinese Basketball Association, watching from the bench behind the coaches, China (2-0) has a berth secured in the knockout round after opening Group C play routing Puerto Rico. Wang led China with 20 points. Li Yueru finished with 12, Li Meng added 11, and Yang Liwei had 10. Australia, second only to the U.S. in FIBA's world rankings with five WNBA players on the roster, now is 0-2 with only one game remaining in pool play. The Opals, playing without WNBA star Liz Cambage, were routed by Olympic newcomer Belgium in its opener. Stephanie Talbot, who plays with the WNBA's Seattle Storm, was back in the starting lineup for Australia after missing the Olympic opener with an injured foot. Early in the third quarter, she was walking along the end line and didn't play after halftime. A collision in the first quarter sent Katie Ebzery to the locker room for stitches on her left eyelid, while Wang had her right forehead bandaged on the sideline. Ezi Magbegor led Australia with 15 points. O'Hea finished with 11, and George had 10. Australia plays Puerto Rico and China faces Belgium on Monday to wrap pool play. ___ More AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2020-tokyo-olympics and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports A coronavirus cluster that emerged in the Chinese city of Nanjing has now reached five provinces and Beijing, forcing lockdowns on hundreds of thousands of people as authorities scramble to stamp out the worst outbreak in months. China has previously boasted of its success in snuffing out the pandemic within its borders after imposing the world's first virus lockdown in early 2020 as Covid-19 seeped out of Wuhan in the centre of the country. But an outbreak this month driven by the fast-spreading Delta variant has thrown that record into jeopardy since it broke out at Nanjing airport in eastern Jiangsu province. The city reported a total of 184 local coronavirus cases Friday, after nine cleaners at Nanjing Lukou International Airport tested positive on July 20. At least 206 infections nationwide have been linked to the Nanjing cluster, which officials have confirmed as the highly transmissible Delta variant. "It was discovered that these cleaners took part in cleaning the cabin of flight CA910" from Russia on July 10, said Nanjing health official Ding Jie. Hundreds of thousands have been locked down in Jiangsu province, of which Nanjing is the capital, while the city has tested all 9.2 million residents twice. In Beijing's Changping district, where two locally transmitted cases have been found, 41,000 people in nine housing communities were placed under lockdown Thursday, according to city officials. The infections are the first local cases reported in the capital in six months. The outbreak is geographically the largest in several months, challenging China's aggressive containment efforts which have relied on mass testing, lockdowns and swift contact tracing. China's top disciplinary watchdog has blamed Nanjing airport officials for "poor supervision and unprofessional management" including not separating cleaning staff who worked on international flights from those on domestic flights. Most of the early Nanjing patients had been vaccinated, a senior doctor in the city was quoted as saying by local media last week, leading online users to question the efficacy of domestic vaccines. Story continues "If the goal is to slow down the spread and reduce the fatality rate, [Chinese vaccines] can afford a certain degree of protection," top Shanghai infectious disease expert Zhang Wenhong said in a social media post Thursday. "But as for the goal of eradicating the virus, it may be something that the current vaccine cannot achieve." The tourist city of Zhangjiajie in Hunan province has become another focal point of the latest outbreak after at least 18 cases were traced to the city, including infections picked up at a theatre, reported the state tabloid Global Times. lxc/apj/axn SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Citigroup said on Friday it had become the first major global custodian allowed to operate an onshore fund custody business in China, tapping into the country's $19 trillion asset management industry. Citibank (China) Co Ltd obtained the approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), Citi said in a statement. China is accelerating opening up its capital markets despite rising Sino-U.S. tensions. The Citi announcement came on the same day an Allianz unit got Chinese regulatory approval to become the country's first wholly foreign-owned insurance asset management company. Earlier this week, China's financial hub Shanghai unveiled measures to become a global asset management centre by 2025. "We look forward to servicing global asset managers as they establish onshore China business and to work with domestic asset managers as they grow their businesses onshore and globally," David Russell, Citi's APAC Head of Securities Services and Hong Kong Markets Head, said in a statement. Citi China Chief Executive Christine Lam said the bank will leverage its strengths in cross-border services, and bring best practices to the Chinese market. Citi has been providing cross-border securities services in China for more than two decades, and plans to expand its investment banking business in the country. The Wall Street bank plans to set up local securities and futures companies in China, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters in April. (Reporting by Samuel Shen and Andrew Galbraith; Editing by Richard Chang) Terry Francona has decided to step away from baseball to focus on his health. The manager in Cleveland will take a leave of absence for the remainder of the 2021 season, the team announced Thursday. Bench coach DeMarlo Hale will assume managerial duties in the interim. Francona has had several health issues since last year, which required some hospital trips, as well. In the first half of 2020, he was sidelined and hospitalized multiple times with gastrointestinal issues. Franco later recounted being under anesthesia about 10 times to have medical procedures done. He resumed managerial duties for all of 14 games of the pandemic-shortened season, then was re-hospitalized for a blood clot that re-clotted three times after his first procedure which required three more surgeries and a four-day stint in the Intensive Care Unit at Cleveland Clinic. Sandy Alomar Jr. filled in for him then. After only briefly getting to celebrate his teams playoff run from a hotel room, he developed gout in December. In February of 2021, he was hospitalized again for 10 days with a staph infection in his toe. Upon his return to the team for Spring camp, he was required to use a walking boot and was on antibiotics. I still have my toe, Francona said at the time during a Zoom call at camp. They just went in and took out some of the bone that was infected and they replaced that with some cement. I guess the cement oozes like antibiotics, and Im also getting the IV antibiotics. Jul. 29AUGUSTA, Maine A referendum aiming to take down the Central Maine Power corridor will appear as one question on Maine ballots this fall after the state's high court rejected an attempt to split it into three separate questions. Opponents of the CMP corridor project, which aims to connect hydropower from Quebec with New England's electric grid via a transmission line in western Maine, gathered enough signatures earlier this year for a referendum that would ban such construction in the region and require a two-thirds vote in the Legislature for similar projects on public lands. State Rep. Chris Caiazzo, D-Scarborough, a corridor proponent, challenged Secretary of State Shenna Bellows' decision to draft a single question for a challenge to the CMP corridor project that will be on the ballot this November. He argued the initiative contained three separate issues that should be split into three questions. The question, as developed by Bellows' office, reads: "Do you want to ban the construction of high-impact electric transmission lines in the Upper Kennebec Region and to require the Legislature to vote on other such projects in Maine retroactive to 2014, with a two-thirds vote required if a project uses public lands?" The Maine Supreme Judicial Court concluded Bellows was correct in drafting only one question, saying there is no specific language in state law requiring her to draft multiple questions if the ballot initiative addresses multiple issues. "Requiring the Secretary of State to separate provisions of an initiative into multiple questions could infringe on the electors' right of direct initiative because splintering a single bill that was proposed to be presented for a yes-or-no vote into multiple pieces of legislation might be inconsistent with the intent of those who drafted or signed the petition," Justice Thomas Humphrey wrote. The referendum, set for November, is the second aiming to challenge the CMP corridor project. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled last year that the first planned ballot question was unconstitutional, saying the voters could not overturn a utility regulator's past decision. The political fight over the corridor has attracted tens of millions of dollars in spending from utility companies, as CMP and Hydro Quebec, the Canadian energy company behind the project, have aimed to boost its popularity, while other energy companies that could lose market share if the project is completed try to defeat it. Correction: An earlier version of this story had the wrong name of the justice who wrote the opinion. It was Thomas Humphrey. LONDON (Reuters) -The protection that vaccines give against coronavirus infection, and potentially severe disease, is highly likely to wane over time so vaccine campaigns will continue for years to come, scientists told the British government's advisory group. "It is highly likely that vaccine induced immunity to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and potentially severe disease (but probably to a lesser extent) will wane over time," according to an executive summary of a document considered by the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). "It is therefore likely that there will be vaccination campaigns against SARS-CoV-2 for many years to come, but currently we do not know what will be the optimal required frequency for re-vaccination to protect the vulnerable from COVID disease," the scientists said. The document, titled "How long will vaccines continue to protect against COVID?", was written by prominent virologists and epidemiologists from Imperial College London, University of Birmingham and Public Health England. Britain has approved and is using three shots - Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna - in a mass vaccination programme that started in December 2020. Real world data show that these vaccines protect with 95% or greater effectiveness against the Alpha variant that dominated in Britain in early 2021, the scientists said, although the ability of the shots to protect against infection and onward transmission was lower. They said it might be expected that vaccine effectiveness would remain high for severe disease but effectiveness against mild disease and infection could fall off over time. Anecdotal reports from Britain and Israel, which rolled out a comprehensive early campaign, supported that concept, they said. Israel will begin offering a third shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to people aged over 60, a world first in efforts to slow the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. Since the emergence of the Delta variant, the Israeli health ministry has twice reported a drop in the vaccine's efficacy against infection and a slight decrease in its protection against severe disease. (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Paul Sandle) (Bloomberg) -- Two crew members were killed when an oil products tanker with links to Israel came under attack off the coast of Oman. A Romanian and a U.K. citizen died on the 600-foot carrier Mercer Street when the vessel came under attack on Thursday while sailing from Tanzanias Dar es Salam to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, said Zodiac Maritime Ltd., the manager of the tanker. Zodiac is controlled by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer and operates the Japanese-owned carrier. Its initial statement said pirates appeared to be responsible. The ship was targeted in retaliation against an Israeli strike on Syria, Irans state-run Al-Alam reported, without specifying who was behind the attack. The Associated Press, citing a U.S. official it didnt name, said the attack may have been undertaken by drones. This isnt the first time we are aware of Irans aggression in the seas, and generally in the region, and by that hurting civilians, a senior Israeli official said, responding to reports that Iran was behind the incident. The fact that people died in the attack marks a major shift in the seriousness of incidents. Its very unusual for people to be killed in such incidents, whether they involve pirates or state forces. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter said in a briefing Friday that the U.S. is working with partners to establish the facts about the attack, and she declined to speculate on possible Iranian involvement. On Friday, Saudi Arabia said it thwarted an attempted drone attack by Yemens Iran-backed Houthi rebels on one of its commercial ships, Al Arabiya television reported. Two Incidents The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations, a Royal Navy capability, reported two incidents in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, one of which it said was not piracy. Its unclear if theres any connection between the two situations. The area has seen repeated attacks on Israeli and Iranian ships since February this year that the two states have blamed on each other, with both denying responsibility. Story continues We are aware of reports of an attack on a merchant vessel off the coast of Oman, a spokesman for the U.K. Ministry of Defence said. U.K. military headquarters in the region are currently conducting investigations. The MoD earlier said the ship was Israeli-owned, before removing the reference to Israel. The UKMTO reported a non piracy incident at 8:00 a.m. U.K. time on Thursday, and an attack around 7:00 p.m., without giving further details on either. Vessels must be allowed to navigate freely in accordance with international law, a spokeswoman for the U.K. Foreign Office said via email. We are working with our international partners to urgently establish the facts. (Updates with State Department spokeswoman in seventh paragraph) More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2021 Bloomberg L.P. Reuters It was difficult for American Rai Benjamin to comprehend how he ended up finishing second best despite running a massive half a second inside the existing world record in the men's 400 metres hurdles final at the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday. Norway's Karsten Warholm destroyed his own world record of 46.70 seconds with a breathtaking 45.94 to take gold but he would probably give a bit of credit to Benjamin for pushing him to such an extraordinary feat. Benjamin took silver for the U.S. in 46.17 after staying neck-and-neck with Warholm going into the final straight. A month before the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, two South Florida men turned up at an unusual meeting in the Caribbean nation, according to information presented to a Haitian prosecutor. The men were there on a mission. Its purpose: To discuss an elaborate U.S. government plan to bust drug trafficking Haitian government officials using Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration agents. The plan was apparently bogus, but no matter. The meeting got underway. It ultimately helped foreshadow Moises shocking death. The bearers of the fictitious plan are now in custody, accused in connection with the killing. Most everyone else in the meeting is either being held by authorities or sought by them. The bizarre tale is told in a five-page letter written by a lawyer for one of the accused, a security company owner, and sent to Haitian prosecutors. The letter was obtained by journalists for the Miami Herald and McClatchys Washington Bureau. The meeting and its aftermath offer a new data point in the murky timeline leading up to Moises July 7 assassination and could widen a U.S. government probe into the involvement of American citizens. Discussions of the supposed plan coincided with the arrival in Haiti of several former Colombian military soldiers also accused in the crime from the Dominican Republic, and came a month after several of those now in custody held a pivotal May 12 meeting in Fort Lauderdale to discuss financing a presidential transition in Haiti but that Haitian police say was to plot out the killing. The meeting in Haiti purportedly happened either on June 8 or June 9. It took place at the home of Haiti-based security firm owner Reynaldo Corvington. The six-man delegation, including South Floridians James Solages and Joseph Vincent, arrived to discuss what they described as a State Department operation involving the FBI and the DEA, according to the letter. The correspondence was sent by Corvingtons attorney, Samuel Madistin, to Haitian government prosecutor Bedford Claude. It describes discussions involving Solages and Vincent, both Haitian Americans, an unidentified Spanish-speaking foreigner and several others who are either currently under arrest in Haiti or wanted in the assassination. Story continues Madistin said the meeting took place at about 6 p.m. and that the aim was not to plot a middle-of-the-night armed assault, as Haitian police have accused his client of doing, but to gauge the business owners opinion about the supposed crackdown on drug traffickers and money launderers. As described, the operation would have resulted in the arrest of as many as 34 Haitian business owners and senior Haitian government officials involved in money laundering, drug trafficking, the sale of diplomatic passports to citizens of the Middle East region, corruption and the seizure of their property. Haitians march to demand justice for slain President Jovenel Moise in Lower Delmas, a district of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Monday, July 26, 2021. Moise was assassinated on July 7 at his home. Corvington, his lawyer said, was told that 25% of the proceeds from the property seizures would be retained by the FBI as commission, with most of the rest going back to the Haitian populace in the form of development projects, including school and hospital construction. After being informed of the operation, his client asked to see the warrants. He wanted to get an idea of who would be arrested, as the list of people affected by these operations had not been presented, Madistin said. Thats when the meeting derailed. Faced with the delegations refusal to show any mandate, the meeting was abruptly ended, he said. In an interview with the Herald, Madistin said his client, who rarely went to the office and whose beachfront home was set ablaze after his arrest, now realizes the entire plan was a farce. It wasnt really the FBI at the meeting, Madistin said. It was Colombians implicated in the plot who were there. Others present included Joseph Felix Badio, a former Haitian government employee who worked for Corvington and called him up saying an FBI officer and a DEA official wished to meet with him and asked him if he could receive them at his home in the afternoon. Solages and Vincent were allegedly part of the delegation, as well as Rodolphe Jaar, a convicted drug trafficker, who showed up late. During the subsequent FBI questioning of his client, Corvington was shown a photo of a Colombian and asked if he was the one present at the discussion, Madistin said. Corvington replied in the affirmative. Madistin said he doesnt know who the individual in the photo was. If Corvingtons statement turns out to be true, the fictitious operation is one more twist in the ongoing multinational whodunit investigation that so far has not revealed who is behind the murder or who financed it. A gang member poses with his revolver before a rally to demand justice for slain Haitian President Jovenel Moise in the La Saline neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, July 26, 2021. As conditions have deteriorated, gangs have been driving people from their homes in the impoverished neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince. A well-known security firm in Haiti, Corvingtons company has received several contracts from the State Department dating to a period between 1993 and 1995. The company, Corvington Security Service, first won a $666,000 competitive bid award to provide guard services for the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince. In October 1994, Corvington was awarded a supplemental contract worth more than $1.9 million and in 1995 another competitive-bid contract totaling $1.135 million. There are no records of further work for the U.S. government. On its website, Corvington boasts of Integrity-Independence-Confidence. Haitian police have arrested at least 26 individuals, including the head of the presidents security team, 18 Colombians, and five of the individuals who were present at the June meeting. Those individuals include Corvington, his son-in-law Dominick Cauvin, employee Gilbert Dragon and Haitian Americans Solages and Vincent. A representative of Dragon confirmed to the Herald that Dragon was present on the day in question but said he was there to meet with Cauvin and Corvington for a work visit the next morning and was not part of any plot to kill the president. Three other individuals who were allegedly present at the meeting Badio; John Joel Joseph, a former senator whose actual name is Joseph Joel John, according to his passport, and Jaar remain at large. Solages and Vincent have told investigators and a Haitian judge that they worked as translators for the Spanish-speaking Colombians involved in the operation. They said the mission was not to kill the president but to serve an arrest warrant on him and take him to the presidential palace, where Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a South Florida-based Haitian doctor also now under arrest, would be installed as president. The July 7 operation at Moises hilltop residence in the Pelerin 5 neighborhood, they said, lasted an hour and 15 minutes. During that time, residents in the area and police reported hearing the hit squad yell DEA operation through a megaphone. The DEA has said there was no such operation. Reporting by McClatchy and the Miami Herald has confirmed that Vincent was at times an informant for the DEA. Prior to the June meeting, Solages, Vincent and Joseph Joel John, the ex-senator, would participate in several other meetings, including at least two just weeks before the assassination, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation. One involved approximately a dozen Colombians arriving to accompany Sanon and another to secure arms. A Miami attorney representing Vincent said she has spoken to her client twice since he has been in custody in the aftermath of the Haitian presidents killing. Attorney Regina de Moraes told the Herald Thursday that Vincent had worked for the DEA as a confidential informant for more than 10 years and had left South Florida for Haiti in January of this year. He has been in Haiti because hes usually there at the behest of the U.S. government, de Moraes said. He didnt know anything about the assassination. He was shocked by the assassination. She said in the immediate aftermath of Moises death, Vincent called his DEA handler. Vincents attorney also said she was unaware of her clients presence at the meeting in June with other suspects and persons of interest in Haitis investigation who the national police now suspect concocted a plan to kill Moise. This is the first time Ive heard about the meeting, de Moraes told the Herald. I dont know if he was there or not. She said her client has reached out not only to his DEA handler but also voluntarily spoken to State Department officials in Haiti on two occasions since his arrest. Meanwhile, Solages, who until April was a maintenance director of a senior living center in Lantana, Florida, and ran a small charity for his native city of Jacmel, is said to be the person who introduced Sanon to Antonio Intriago, according to sources familiar with their business relationship and participated in meetings with Solages in South Florida this spring, including one in May at the Tower Club in Fort Lauderdale. Intriago is the Venezuelan emigre whose Doral security firm, CTU, has been linked to the presidents killing. It was at the Tower Club meeting where Solages and Sanon pitched a group on the idea of investing in energy projects in Haiti and on removing its president in a peaceful transition of power. Miami Herald staff writer Jay Weaver contributed to this report. While Disney Cruise Line has plenty of stock keeping kids happy, for its new ship Disney Wish, the adults will find more options in more places to stay entertained than other ships in the fleet. That includes a secret bar found at Hooks Barbery, one half of a double salon offering that marks the first time DCL has had standalone hairstyle venues. The other half is the Untangled Salon, with Rapunzel-themed flourishes from Disneys Tangled. But who better than Captain Hook from Peter Pan to headline the ships European mens salon? Hes a bit of a Dapper Dan so to speak, so the space will feature leather chairs, ornate golden mirrors and pirate-themed adornments such as an inlaid wooden map of Never Land. Even Tinker Bell will flit about if you keep an eye on three lantern fixtures about the venue. But the best feature arguably is the hidden bar boasting pre-Prohibition bourbons, vintage whisky and port, aged rum and premium spirits. The line calls it a liquor enthusiasts paradise. On a much longer hair-theme, Untangled Salon, will feature floating lantern light fixtures and cut-metal screens based on Rapunzels paintings plus a signature chandelier in the floral design featured in the 2010 film. The venues are among several new adult escapes announced by the line for the ship set to debut out of Port Canaveral in June 2022. Also on the list is the lines first ever outdoor spa retreat and several new bars and lounges. With the Disney Wish, we wanted to design an experience that allows our grown-up guests to relax, recharge and reconnect in unique ways that only Disney Cruise Line can create, said Imagineering exec Laura Cabo in a press release. Not only did we infuse more storytelling and enchantment into the adult-exclusive venues, but we added more variety and made them more accessible than ever before. The ships Senses Spa will be the first in the fleet with an ice lounge and also will spill over to the outside while whirlpool spas, lounges and yoga sessions. The spa features both private treatment rooms and spa villas for couples. Story continues While the line already announced a Star Wars-themed bar on the ship, several more unique spaces will be littered about the ship. The placement is different than the adult spaces on its other vessels, most of which are placed adjacent to one another. The line wanted to spread the offerings out to give parents more opportunities to enjoy me time throughout their cruise, according to the press release. The venues also embrace the Disney tradition of storytelling. That includes the Keg & Compass pub with a rustic 1800s Norwegian sailors map room design. Design pulls from Norse seafaring with a ceiling design of a global maritime map that calls out locations important to the Walt Disney Company including the design and construction of the ship itself, plus a few homages to saltwatery characters like Ursula and Moana. As a pub, this will be the place to watch sports events and enjoy three custom craft brews exclusive to the ship along with a wide selection of beer plus liquor, wine and cocktails. In deference to the song Sing Sweet Nightingale from 1950s Cinderella, is piano bar Nightingales, which will have fine wine, bubblies and cocktails. Located off the Grand Hall, it continues the halls fairytale theme. The prime home for cocktails will be The Bayou, a New Orleans lounge themed to The Princess and the Frog, specifically the marsh (aka swamp) where Tiana and Naveen get in touch with their inner amphibians. Each will have their own bronze statues along with two gazebos for some intimate seating on opposite sides of the lounge. Home to live entertainment, the venue will also have specialty coffees and for fans of the Big Easys Cafe du Monde, heres the place to find beignets. With four announced bars plus three previously announced premium dining experiences as well as segregated pool space, Disney Wish will offer more for the 18 and older crowd than any other ship in the fleet. Disney Wish will be the first of three of a new class of ship, all powered by cleaner burning liquefied natural gas, being built for DCL at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany. The ship will make its maiden voyage on June 9, 2022 from Port Canaveral as it takes over the three- and four-night Bahamas sailings duties currently in the hands of Disney Dream. When it debuts, it will have been more than a decade since the lines last ship joined the fleet in 2012. Reform isnt optional for the Chicago Police Department. Its mandated by the consent decree imposed by the federal government after the 2014 murder of Laquan McDonald, a Black teen, by a white police officer. But even with the weight of the Justice Department behind it, the consent decree still needs a crucial component buy-in from rank-and-file police officers. Getting cops on board with the decrees edicts isnt easy. In 2018, the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police pulled out all stops against court-mandated police reforms, claiming that the push for a consent decree was costing lives. The union unsuccessfully sought court intervention to roadblock the consent decree process and argued that federal oversight would prevent officers from doing their jobs. We will continue to fight the imposition of this consent decree to protect our officers and the public, Kevin Graham, FOP president at the time, said in a union blog in 2018, because our elected officials have decided not to. Now, however, the city is poised to take another step toward meaningful police reform. The tentative agreement reached this week between Mayor Lori Lightfoot and FOP leaders on a new union contract for officers includes several consent decree reforms aimed at infusing the department with more accountability and transparency. Those reforms include ending a 40-year ban on the investigation of anonymous complaints about police misconduct. That ban discourages alleged victims of police abuse and misconduct from stepping forward. The tentative agreement also would bar officers from changing their testimony about an incident after they view video of what happened and regard officers who report potential misconduct by other cops as acting in the highest traditions of public service. According to the city, CPD has had a practice of refusing to reward or recognize an officer who reports misconduct. Officers shouldnt have any qualms about the money side of the contract: a 20% raise over an eight-year span, 10.5% of which is retroactive to 2017 when the last contract expired, and 9.5% coming over the next four years. That mirrors the pay raises firefighters and police supervisors received in their latest contracts. Rank-and-file officers will have to vote on the proposed agreement, as will the City Council. Cops and aldermen should say yes to this contract. Story continues The consent decree contains a broad gamut of other reforms that arent part of the proposed agreement, but this contract puts the department on the right path. As long as officers and their union leadership resist reform, the culture within the department that has allowed misconduct and the covering up of that misconduct will continue to corrode the relationship between police and community. Officers need to see the consent decree not as an impediment to their jobs, as the FOP has claimed in the past, but as a blueprint for safer, more effective policing. It took too long to get to this point four years from the end of the last contract until now. Lightfoot, who has been negotiating with the union since taking office two years ago, blamed FOP leadership for refusing, literally refusing, to get to the table I told them over and over again, were not going to talk about money unless we talk about accountability. The consent decree demands much more from CPD than whats included in the new police contract. It overhauls the departments use of force training, body camera policies and recruitment, hiring and promotions practices. It calls for commitments to community policing, de-escalation techniques and training in dealing with individuals with mental health or behavioral issues. Negotiations over consent decree reforms are far from over. The proposed agreement is just one step toward forging stronger bonds of trust between police and neighborhoods but its a promising one. Police reform isnt something that happens over the course of weeks or months. It takes time. But it wont happen at all without buy-in from cops. A contract that embraces that buy-in is a step in the right direction. Environmental groups are ramping up pressure on MidAmerican Energy to shutter its coal plants in Iowa. Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free Why it matters: While the tug-of-war between financial interests and curbing the use of fossil fuels continues, the debate also raises questions about Iowa's access to reliable sources of energy and how to accurately forecast our energy needs. Remember that polar vortex that walloped Texas in February and left 4.5 million people without electric? Driving the news: The Environmental Law and Policy Center, Iowa Environmental Council (IEC) and the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit against the Iowa Utilities Board last month, accusing the state panel of neglecting its regulatory obligations. The groups allege that the board refused to consider evidence about the need to retire two of MidAmerican's Sioux City coal plants: George Neal Center North and South. The plants are outdated, dirty and cost ratepayers an extra $17M a year in unnecessary operating costs, scientists hired by the groups have testified. What they're saying: MidAmerican plans to close its five coal plants by 2049, company spokesperson Geoff Greenwood told Axios. Maintaining a diverse power portfolio that includes coal is important for the foreseeable future in times when sun or wind are not adequate, Greenwood said. Yes, but: IEC believes MidAmerican can safely close the two Neal Center plants now without jeopardizing energy security, Steve Guyer, a policy specialist for the group, told us. Be smart: MidAmerican and Alliant Energy are the state's two investor-owned electric utilities that supply power to most Iowans. Both companies are transitioning to renewable fuels like wind and solar, and have decommissioned multiple units of their coal plants or converted them to natural gas in the last decade. Alliant will convert its only solely owned Iowa coal plant in Burlington to natural gas by the end of this year, spokesperson Cindy Tomlinson told Jason. Other coal facilities where its a co-owner will be converted or taken out of its fleet by 2040. The big picture: The environmental wheels may not be moving fast enough for some, but change is occurring. Story continues More than 100 coal-fired plants have been closed or converted to natural gas since 2011, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. What's next: The IEC is holding an education webinar on coal plants Aug. 18. Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement is planning a demonstration in Des Moines against MidAmerican's coal use, also on Aug. 18. A Polk County District Court hearing in the lawsuit against the Iowa Utilities Board is slated for Oct. 8. Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free. Photograph: Drew Angerer/Getty Images Joe Biden has announced that all civilian federal workers must attest to being vaccinated against the coronavirus or face regular testing and stringent physical distancing, masking and travel restrictions. Facing a daunting political test as the Delta variant cuts a swath through unvaccinated Americans, the president outlined a more aggressive approach by the federal government and expressed hope that it would offer a model for corporate employers. But not for the first time, the pandemic response in the US is hampered by partisan politics and a growing divide between the vaccinated and unvaccinated. Bidens intervention was likely to produce a renewed backlash from Republican politicians warning against government encroachment on individual freedom. The highly infectious Delta variant has caused coronavirus cases and hospitalisations to rebound in many parts of the US, which is averaging nearly 62,000 new Covid-19 infections a day. The vast majority of those hospitalised and dying have not been vaccinated. Calling it a pandemic of the unvaccinated, Biden noted on Thursday that about 90m Americans who are eligible for a shot have not yet got one. Masking is one defense against the spread of Covid-19 but make no mistake: vaccines are the best defence against you getting severely ill from Covid-19. The very best defence. Signalling a shift in tone for the administration, he said in the East Room of the White House: In addition to providing incentives to encourage vaccination, its time to impose requirements on key groups to ensure theyre vaccinated. Every federal government employee will be asked to attest to their vaccination status. Anyone who does not attest or is not vaccinated will be required to mask, no matter where they work, test one or two times a week to see if theyve acquired Covid, socially distance, and generally will not be allowed to travel for work. The president added: Likewise, today, Im directing my administration to take steps to apply similar standards to all federal contractors. If you want to do business with the federal government, get your workers vaccinated. Story continues The federal government is Americas biggest employer, including about 2.18 million civilian workers, while another 570,000 people work for the postal service, according to 2020 data. The workers are spread across the country, including many in states where vaccine scepticism runs high. Paul Light, a public service professor at New York University, told the Associated Press before the announcement, If the federal government were to say that everybody who works for the government directly or indirectly must be vaccinated, thats a massive footprint. It was unclear whether the new requirement would apply to the postal service. But the White House said Biden was directing his team to take steps to apply similar standards to the Department of Defense to look into how and when it will add Covid-19 vaccination to the list of required vaccinations for members of the military. But the pandemic response continues to divide the country, with some Republicans already pushing back at the new guidance. Ralph Norman, a congressman from South Carolina, said: To require individuals to provide proof of vaccination would be a massive intrusion on the doctor-patient relationship and the privacy of the individual. Congress itself has become a partisan battleground over the issue after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidance on Tuesday that vaccinated people should wear masks indoors in areas of substantial or high Covid-19 transmission. Some Republicans revolted after the US Capitols attending physician sent a memo informing members that masks would again have to be worn inside the House of Representatives at all times. The Democratic House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, called the Republican House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, a moron after McCarthy tweeted: The threat of bringing masks back is not a decision based on science, but a decision conjured up by liberal government officials who want to continue to live in a perpetual pandemic state. The head of the US Capitol police announced that congressional aides and visitors to the House side of the Capitol will face arrest if they are not wearing masks. Republicans also forced a vote to adjourn the chamber in protest against the mandate, which was defeated along mostly party lines, and there were angry confrontations between members in the corridors. Many Republican state leaders are blocking preventive measures, potentially making it harder to tame virus outbreaks in conservative communities. At least 18 Republican-led states have moved to prohibit vaccine passports or to ban public entities from requiring proof of vaccination. Some have prohibited schools from requiring any student or teacher to wear a mask or be vaccinated. Biden, a champion of bipartisanship, pointedly praised the efforts of Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate minority leader, and Kay Ivey, the Republican governor of Alabama, to get people vaccinated. He added: People are dying and will die who dont have to die. If youre out there unvaccinated, you dont have to die. This is not about red states and blue states. It is literally about life and death. Its about life and death. Seeking to pre-empt criticism from the right, the president said: I know people talk about freedom, but I learned growing up ... with freedom comes responsibility. Your decision to be unvaccinated impacts someone else. Unvaccinated people spread the virus. Divisions extend to workers, however. Richard Trumka, the president of the AFL-CIO union, told the CSPAN network that its members support vaccine mandates. If you come back in and you are not vaccinated, everybody in that workplace is jeopardised, Trumka said. But the American Postal Workers Union said it opposed a vaccine mandate for federal employees and expressed concern about Bidens announcement. While the APWU leadership continues to encourage postal workers to voluntarily get vaccinated, it is not the role of the federal government to mandate vaccinations for the employees we represent, the group said in a statement. Biden also announced that small- and medium-sized businesses will be reimbursed for offering their employees paid leave to get their family members, including their children, vaccinated. He called on states, territories and local governments to do more to incentivise vaccination, including offering $100 to those who get vaccinated. Heres the deal: if incentives help us beat this virus, I believe we should use them. With incentives and mandates, we will make a huge difference and save a lot of lives. And, in an effort to get more children 12 and older vaccinated, Biden urged school districts nationwide to host at least one pop-up vaccination clinic over the coming weeks. Biden missed his goal of having 70% of adults get at least one shot by 4 July; the latest figure is 69.3%. About 60% of American adults have been fully vaccinated meaning that, despite a head start, it now has a lower share of fully vaccinated people than the European Union and Canada. Companies including Google have announced vaccine mandates. Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are requiring new employees to show proof of vaccination. Goldman Sachs is requiring its employees to disclose their vaccination status but is not mandating they be vaccinated. France on Friday cleared the extradition of Francois Compaore, the brother of Burkina Faso's former president, to his home country where he is wanted in connection with the murder of a prominent journalist. The Council of State, France's highest court for cases involving public administration, rejected an appeal by Compaore's lawyers against a previous ruling for his extradition, saying there were no constitutional or other grounds to overturn the decision. Compaore is the younger brother of Blaise Compaore, who was ousted in a popular uprising in 2014 -- after 27 years in power that started with a coup d'etat -- and went into exile in Ivory Coast. The murdered journalist was Norbert Zongo, director of the weekly magazine L'Independant and an investigative reporter. His charred body was found on December 13, 1998, along with three killed colleagues in a burnt-out car on a road south of the capital Ouagadougou. The killings sparked mass protests in Burkina Faso and drew international condemnation. Initially only one suspect, presidential guard member Marcel Kafando, was charged for the killing and later acquitted. Zongo had been investigating the death of David Ouedraogo, Francois Compaore's driver. Burkina Faso closed the probe after freeing the guard member, but the judiciary reopened the case after Blaise Compaore had been deposed. An independent investigation ordered by the subsequent government concluded that the assassination was linked to the professional activities of the journalist who had a track record of uncovering irregularities in the Compaore regime. Six suspects, all members of the presidential guard, were identified by the independent investigators and three were charged. The Burkina Faso judiciary suspects that Francois Compaore may have ordered the hit, although he has not so far been charged with any crime. Burkina Faso on Friday hailed the decision as a "victory". "We are convinced of the validity of our demand," said Ousseni Tamboura, communications minister and a government spokesman. Story continues French police arrested Compaore at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris in October 2017 following an international arrest warrant issued by his country's government. In 2020, Burkina Faso made a deal with France for his extradition. Compaore's lawyers said on Friday that their client was ready to face his country's judiciary "with dignity, honour and responsibility". But they added in a statement sent to AFP that he felt the extradition was politically motivated, and that the council had failed to take into account the risk of torture, inhumane treatment and of an unfair trial awaiting him. "He would certainly be exposed to such risks if he were handed over to Burkina Faso," they said. Compaore has appealed to the European Court of Human Rights in the hope of stopping the extradition, they said. The court has given France until August 3 to ensure that Compaore does not face torture back home. lp-jh/ach/pbr A Frenchman who went on hunger strike in Tokyo seeking access to his children said Friday he had ended his protest to undergo surgery on his finger after a fall. For three weeks, Vincent Fichot sat outside a train station near the Olympic Stadium in a bid to be reunited with his two children, who he says were abducted by their Japanese mother in 2018. The 39-year-old former finance worker told AFP he had stopped his hunger strike in order to regain strength ahead of an operation under general anaesthetic. He said he had fractured his finger in a fall on Wednesday, having lost around 14 kilograms (31 pounds) since he started his protest on July 10 weighing 80 kilograms. "Thank you everyone for your support. The fight continues," Fichot tweeted. Joint custody of children in cases of divorce or separation does not exist legally in Japan, where parental abductions are common and often tolerated by local authorities. Fichot, who has lived in Japan for 15 years, says his wife accused him in court of domestic violence but later retracted the claim. The wife's lawyer refused to comment to AFP earlier this month, only denouncing "biased" media reports. No official numbers exist, but rights groups have estimated that about 150,000 minors are forcibly separated from a parent every year in Japan. French President Emmanuel Macron raised the issue with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga last week on a visit to the country to attend the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony. But Fichot, who has not seen his six-year-old son and four-year-old daughter since August 2018, said Macron's appeal had "changed nothing" about his situation. Before he called off his protest on Friday, Fichot was visited by a group of 10 ambassadors from EU countries, who expressed support for his cause. Macron's advisors, but not the president himself, met Fichot during their short trip to Japan. etb/kaf/mtp Looking for more celebrity and entertainment news? Sign up for Yahoo Lifestyle Canadas newsletter! Gigi Hadid was spotted with her daughter, Khai, wearing bold bike shorts from Alo Yoga. (Images via Getty Images) Yahoo Lifestyle Canada is committed to finding you the best products at the best prices. We may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change. Gigi Hadid looked trendy and comfortable while taking her daughter 10-month-old daughter, Khai, for a stroll in New York. The model was spotted pushing a stroller in a pair of $70 CAD/$56 USD ocean teal High-Waist Biker Shorts by celebrity go-to brand, Alo Yoga. Hadid looked effortlessly on-trend by pairing shorts with a loose-fitted, white T-shirt, slippers, and a multi-coloured bucket hat. Alo Yoga High-Waist Biker Short as seen on Gigi Hadid (Image via Alo Yoga) SHOP IT: Alo Yoga, $70 CAD/$56 USD Alo Yoga has consistently earned stamps of approval from numerous other celebrities who swear by the eco-conscious brand, including Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, and Ashley Graham. ALSO SEE: These are the top 10 items Yahoo Canada users bought on Amazon in July While Hadid opted for a bold colour choice, the High-Waist Biker Short is available in 11other stylish shades including black, pink lavender, neon apricot, sterling, green apple, ivory, and true navy. Click here to sign up for Yahoo Canada's lifestyle newsletter. Alo Yoga's comfortable, contouring, and moisture-wicking bike shorts are made with a four-way stretch and odour resistant fabric that features a smoothing front panel for "commando comfort." Reviewers have raved about the style, calling them "the most comfortable shorts ever." Gigi Hadid wearing Alo Yoga's High-Waist Biker Short (Image via Getty Images) "I love how these shirts stay in place all day. They dont ride up and are super comfortable!" one person wrote on Alo Yoga's website. "Really comfy short and a perfect fit! Honestly, these are simply amazing. They are so flattering and just perfect." "A really comfy short and a perfect fit!" another said. "Honestly, these are simply amazing. They are so flattering and just perfect. I love them." Story continues ALSO SEE: 11 fall wardrobe essentials to buy at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale before they sell out Although the reviews for the Biker Shorts are overwhelmingly positive, some shoppers have advised investing in some skin-coloured undergarments if you plan on wearing a light shade. "These are super comfortable and have the perfect amount of compression. However I got the macaroon pink and just realized they are completely see through," one shopper warned. "Ive been wearing them for home work-outs, but wanted to wear them out the other day and realized you could see the tag and my seamless parties completely. I love this colour and wish they were more opaque!" Let us know what you think by commenting below and tweeting @YahooStyleCA! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram and sign up for our newsletter. A group of Republican lawmakers were accused of "trespassing" on the property of a Washington, D.C. correctional facility Thursday, after they attempted to view the "conditions of the January 6th prisoners." Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, and Louie Gohmert of Texas were refused entry by the D.C. Department of Corrections as they tried to make contact with inmates held on charges related to the Capitol riot. "You right now are obstructing entrance into this facility," an officer informed GOP lawmakers in a video posted to Twitter. DOZENS OF HOUSE REPUBLICANS, STAFFERS MARCH MASKLESS TO SENATE FLOOR TO PROTEST MASK MANDATE Gohmert and Greene objected to being told they were trespassing. "Were the people that vote on whether or not to fund you, at what level, and were trespassing?" Gohmert said to the officer. "My gosh the government is upside down," he added. The detention center is funded through D.C. taxpayers and is not a federal facility. Gaetz tweeted a video of himself walking up to one of the building's doors and attempting to enter. "The door's locked and were just here to ask questions and now theyve locked the door and not given us access," Gaetz said. "This was apparently a bait and switch. We are here just to speak to a supervisor and when the supervisor came out and we came out to have that discussion, they literally ran behind us and locked the doors," he added. Fox News could not immediately reach the D.C. Department of Corrections for comment. FREEDOM CAUCUS TELLS MCCARTHY TO EXPEL KINZINGER, CHENEY FROM GOP CONFERENCE: 'SWITCHED TEAMS' The lawmakers' attempts to get inside the correctional facility followed a Tuesday press conference outside of the Department of Justice where they demanded answers from the Biden administration as to the treatment of those charged in the Jan. 6 attack. Story continues The group, joined by Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar, alleged that those charged in the attack on the Capitol are "political prisoners." The lawmakers have questioned whether the prisoners are being treated unfairly and accused the federal government of concealing their living conditions. "We suspect there is a two-tier justice system in the United States, for Trump supporters that are charged for Jan. 6 and catch-and-release for BLM rioters," Greene said Thursday. A spokesperson for Greenes office said the lawmakers "wrote multiple letters informing the facility they would conduct oversight with no response." Her office did not comment on whether they will try to schedule a future visit. By Scott McIntosh, Opinion Editor If you like this newsletter, forward to a friend or colleague, and they can sign up here. Well, that didnt last long. Our little taste of life as somewhat normal has been short-lived. Were back to wearing masks indoors and talking about canceling live events because of a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. Scott McIntosh is the Idaho Statesmans opinion editor. This is infuriating and frustrating, especially for those of us who have been doing the right things all along. The delta variant of the novel coronavirus is spreading like wildfire, driving up COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths, and some people who are unvaccinated and unmasked are walking around like back to normal. Sorry, it doesnt work that way. I know that you thought you could fly under the radar, until things went back to normal, and when all of us vaccinated people took off our masks like Mary Tyler Moore in the middle of midtown Minneapolis, you all thought you got away with it. Well, you didnt, and here we are, back to the pandemic. And for those of us who have sacrificed these past 16 months working from home, missing events, wearing masks, doing all the right things we are tired of it, and we are mad as hell at you folks not getting your vaccine and ruining the recovery for the rest of us. Now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is telling us we need to go back to wearing masks indoors, which well do, but we sure as heck arent happy about it. Well probably be back to travel restrictions and canceled events that weve all been looking forward to returning to. Thanks a lot. As Alabamas Republican Gov. Kay Ivey said last week, Folks (are) supposed to have common sense. But its time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks, not the regular folks. Its the unvaccinated folks that are letting us down. If you dont like the new mask recommendations and a return to restrictions, theres one simple thing you can do to stop the spread of COVID-19: Get the vaccine. Otherwise, this is never going to end. Story continues And the rest of us are tired of it. Were begging you, please Its sad that there are so many things that people have to be begged to do. From the vaccine and wearing your seat belt to not starting wildfires, its incredible that some people have to be begged to just do the right thing. Indoctrination task force targets higher education Fifth grade teacher Sonia Galaviz says that more experienced educators are needed on the indoctrination task force headed by Rep. Pricilla Giddings that is investigating the use of Critical Race Theory in schools. On Thursday, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachins education indoctrination task force set its sights on higher education. Idaho Statesman reporter Becca Savransky did an incredible job interviewing teachers who said theyve been vilified and left out of the conversation completely. Its worth your time to hear from them. So what is it like inside a university classroom? Boise State University professor emeritus Mohan Limaye wrote a wonderful guest opinion piece this week explaining what higher education is really like. Support for Simpsons dam breaching plan Rudy Soto Western Leaders Network, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization composed of 450 local and tribal elected officials across the Interior West, has expanded its conservation work to include salmon restoration and to garner support for U.S. Rep. Mike Simpsons Columbia Basin Initiative. Rudy Soto, the indigenous leaders organizer for Western Leaders Network, explains why in a guest opinion this week. What youre saying Letters To Editor This week, weve received letters on tax cuts, Murgoitio Park, the city of Boises failed efforts at community engagement, the vaccine requirement, salmon, drought, climate change and more. You can read those letters and more by clicking here. You can submit a letter to the editor or guest opinion by clicking here. Like this newsletter? If you like this newsletter, forward to a friend or colleague, and they can sign up here. By Aditi Shah NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian billionaire Rakesh Jhunjhunwala's plan to launch an ultra-low-cost airline, could give planemaker Boeing a chance to regain lost ground in India after the fall of one of its biggest customers, Jet Airways, two years ago, industry executives say. Jhunjhunwala, known as "India's Warren Buffett" for his successful stock investments, plans to team up with former CEOs of IndiGo, the country's biggest carrier, and Jet Airways to tap into demand for domestic air travel. While Jhunjhunwala's Akasa Air comes at a time when India's aviation industry is reeling from the impact of the pandemic, with airlines losing billions of dollars, the sector's long-term prospect makes it a hot market for planemakers Boeing and Airbus. "There will be a big fight between Airbus and Boeing," said Nitin Sarin, managing partner at law firm Sarin & Co, which advises lessors and airlines. "For Boeing this is a great opportunity to step in and up their game, considering they don't have any other major operator for their 737 aircraft in India apart from SpiceJet," Sarin said, referring to Boeing's narrowbody aircraft. One industry source said the new venture was already moving towards what could be one of the biggest deals of the year outside the United States to acquire purchased or leased 737s. Boeing did not comment on Akasa's plans, but said it always seeks opportunities and talks to current and potential customers about how it can best support their fleet and operational needs. Details of the venture, including any decision on plane orders, have not been formally disclosed, but Jhunjhunwala told Bloomberg he plans to have a 40% stake in Akasa, which will have 70 aircraft of up to 180 seats within four years. Jhunjhunwala, valued at $4.6 billion by Forbes, did not respond to an interview request. Indian skies are dominated by low-cost carriers (LCCs) including IndiGo, SpiceJet, GoFirst and AirAsia India, with the majority of them operating a fleet of Airbus' narrowbody planes. Story continues Boeing dominates India's widebody market of 51 planes but fare wars and high costs have led to casualties among full-service carriers, including Kingfisher Airlines in 2012 and Jet Airways in 2019, making LCCs and Airbus even more dominant. Boeing's share of India's 570 narrowbody planes fell to 18% after Jet's demise from 35% in 2018, data from consultancy CAPA India shows. Jet was recently rescued from bankruptcy and is expected to fly again. Indian carriers have over 900 planes on order of which 185 are Boeing 737 aircraft and 710 are Airbus, which counts IndiGo as one of its biggest customers globally. "If you have to lease an aircraft there is an abundance and lessors would be happy to provide competitive rates, even better than pre-COVID times," Sarin said. He warned, however, that India is still a difficult place to do business, with regulatory hurdles and expensive and under-developed airports making LCCs less efficient than elsewhere. Even as Akasa faces tough competition in a battered, post-COVID market which has pushed airlines to renegotiate terms with lessors and vendors, raise fresh funds and trim costs, starting with a clean slate and good capital will give it an advantage. Akasa's other co-founders are Aditya Ghosh, who spent a decade with IndiGo and was credited with its early success, and Vinay Dube, former CEO of Jet who has also worked with Delta. "It will be a long haul and the new airline will be very severely tested but the capitalisation and the start team gives confidence that it is possible for them to be successful," CAPA India head Kapil Kaul said. (Reporting by Aditi Shah, Additional reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Anil D'Silva) CLEVELAND (AP) Eddie Rosario had moments for the Indians. Not nearly enough of them. Reshuffling its roster with an eye toward the future with several deals before the trading deadline Friday, Cleveland traded Rosario to the Atlanta Braves, who needed another quality hitter to make a run for the NL East. The Indians got veteran infielder Pablo Sandoval, and immediately released the 2012 Wold Series MVP. Cleveland is sending Atlanta $500,000 as part of the trade. It was Cleveland's second significant trade in two days. On Thursday, the Indians essentially signaled surrender in the AL Central by dealing second baseman Cesar Hernandez to the first-place White Sox for a minor league pitcher. The Indians made two other smaller deals on Friday. Rosario signed a one-year, $8 million free agent contract this winter with the Indians. They were hoping the outfielder would hit for them the way he did with the Minnesota Twins, but Rosario was injured and never got rolling. The 29-year-old Rosario has been on the injured list since July 6 with an oblique strain, and isnt quite ready to return. Hes batting .254 with seven homers and 46 RBIs in 78 games. Eddie got off to a tough start, said Chris Antonetti, the Indians' president of baseball operations. "We saw stretches prior to him getting inured where he started to heat up, but then unfortunately went on the injured list with the oblique. We just never did get to see the best of Eddie. I do think hes going to go over to Atlanta and be able to help them for the last month and a half for the season once hes ready to come off the injured list. The Braves will pay a portion of Rosario's contract, easing the financial burden on the Indians, who have been ravaged by injuries and are quickly fading from the playoff chase. Atlanta's been in the market to bolster its lineup since losing its best player when All-Star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. suffered a season-ending knee injury while trying to make a leaping catch earlier this month. Story continues The Braves also acquired outfielder Adam Duvall from Miami on Friday. The Indians have begun looking toward next season. They trail Chicago by eight games entering a weekend series between the teams. Also, manager Terry Francona has stepped down for the rest of this season to address some serious health issues. Antonetti, the club's president of baseball operations, expected the club to be busy and the were one of the teams which made several moves. They all feel busy, but today was nonstop, Antonetti said. "We went all the way down to the wire. We executed a number of trades but there were probably at least another dozen other ones that we contemplated seriously at different points in time and exchanged different ideas. Some of them we felt we were really close to the finish line on. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Isabel dos Santos, daughter of Angola's former president and Africa's onetime richest woman, must return to Angola her shares in Portugal's Galp energy firm worth 422 million euros ($500 million), an international arbitration court has ruled. Dos Santos is accused of diverting billions of dollars from state companies during her father Jose Eduardo dos Santos's nearly 40-year rule of the oil-rich southern African nation. The embattled ex-first daughter, whose business assets have been frozen since 2019, was ordered by a Dutch court this week to return shares worth $500 million to Angola's national Sonangol energy group, which she chaired until Lourenco took power. The transaction under which Dos Santos acquired her stake in the oil and gas company Galp is "null and void", according to a copy of the ruling seen by AFP on Friday by the Netherlands Arbitration Institute (NAI), which is part of the International Court of Arbitration. After paying a 15 percent deposit from the bank account of another company in the British Virgin Islands, dos Santos allegedly paid the rest of the amount in Angola's local currency, worth little outside the country, rather than in euros as agreed on the sales contract, according to the NAI. Santos's six-percent stake in Galp is part of a myriad of investments in Angola and former colonial ruler Portugal, worth about $3 billion according to Forbes magazine, that have been under scrutiny. The court's decision -- dated July 23 and first reported by Dutch media late Thursday -- said that the 2006 purchase of the shares, acquired through a company owned by dos Santos' late husband Exem Energy, was illegal. Dos Santos had consistently denied any wrongdoing and denounced all accusations as a politically motivated witch hunt. Exem's lawyers intend to appeal the decision "with the competent court". "In this arbitral award the political narrative clearly overrides the legal analysis," the company said in a statement emailed to AFP on Friday. Story continues One of Sonangol's lawyers, Yas Banifatemi, told Dutch media there was "nothing political" in the court's decision. "The arbitration court has judged that Isabel dos Santos enriched herself with money stolen from Angolan people," said Banifatemi, cited in Dutch daily newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad. - 'The princess' - President Joao Lourenco has vowed to crack down on corruption since dos Santos retired in 2017, removing his predecessor's cronies from key positions and probing the former regime for alleged graft. He has targeted several members of the dos Santos family, including Isabel and her younger brother Jose Filomeno dos Santos, sentenced to five years in prison for diverting oil revenues last year. Isabel is the eldest daughter of Angola's ex-president, accused of ruling the country with an iron fist, leaving a legacy of poverty and nepotism. The British-educated billionaire businesswoman has faced several allegations of plundering the public purse and funnelling the money abroad. In a trove of 715,000 files released in January 2020 by the award-winning New York-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and dubbed the "Luanda Leaks," dos Santos was accused of syphoning state funds from the oil-rich, but impoverished country into offshore assets. Nicknamed "the princess" in Angola, she was accused of amassing her vast fortune thanks to the backing of her authoritarian father. In Portugal, in addition to Galp, she has major bank stakes and has a controlling share of a Portuguese cable TV and telecom firm. In December 2019, Angola's prosecutors froze the bank accounts and assets owned by her and her Congolese husband Sindika Dokolo, who died last year, a move she described as a groundless political vendetta. Dos Santos became Africa's richest woman after Forbes magazine named her the continent's first female billionaire in 2013. She lost that title when her assets were frozen. cvo/yad/spm/lc Israel launched a campaign Friday to give the over-60s coronavirus booster shots, at a time when the rest of the world is still struggling to complete the standard course. Kicking off the campaign, Israel's President Isaac Herzog, 60, received a third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at a hospital in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv. "We are beginning the booster vaccination" so that life in Israel can return to "normal" as soon as possible, Herzog said after getting the injection. "With this new step of the Israeli government... I believe that it's also a lesson to the entire humankind that we have to protect each other and take the necessary steps." An Israeli epidemiologist of Jerusalem's Hebrew University, Hagai Levine, acknowledged his country was going it alone with third shots, which have yet to be approved in the United States or European Union. "This decision is based on experts' opinion, on logic but not on solid scientific evidence, but that is okay," Levine told AFP. "In public health and in medicine, you sometime make a decision based on your experience and reason." Israel was quick to roll out its vaccination campaign and had dropped many restrictions on public gatherings in June, as new Covid-19 cases shrank from 10,000 a day to less than 100. But infections have soared in recent weeks, and masks are once again mandatory in enclosed public places. About 55 percent of its nine million population has been double vaccinated, most with the Pfizer-BioNTech jab, thanks to a massive campaign launched in late December after an agreement with its developers. About one million Israelis eligible for the shot, however, still refuse to be vaccinated. Israel's digitised medical databases allowed for rapid large-scale studies, and its initial vaccine rollout of the jab was among the world's fastest. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced the start of the booster campaign for over 60s on Thursday, as concern mounts over the fast-spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus. Story continues "Israel is a pioneer in going ahead with third doses for people of the age of 60 and above," said the 49-year-old premier who accompanied Herzog to the hospital for the jab. "The fight against the Covid pandemic is a global fight. The only way we can defeat Covid is together," he said. - 'We can win together' - "Together means sharing information, together means sharing methods, technologies, insights and actionable steps," said Bennett. "Israel is open to share all the information that we can gain from this bold move. We can win together." Benjamin Netanyahu, the longtime premier that Bennett ousted in June, also took a third jab on Friday. In mid-July, Israel had already authorised the administration of a third dose of vaccine for people with severe immunosuppression, since their immune system made them vulnerable to the virus. Pfizer, which produces the vaccine used in Israel, has said research shows that a third dose has neutralising effects against the Delta variant of Covid. But the US Food and Drug Administration, whose recommendations Israel generally follows, has yet to give the green light to administering a third dose to the elderly. Israel recorded more than 2,100 Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours to Friday. Over 160 people remain in serious condition out of a total of 286 Covid patients receiving hospital treatment, according to the health ministry. Last month, health officials announced they would open up vaccination to children as young as 12, while earlier this week, they said those aged five to 11 at risk of serious health complications could be vaccinated from August 1. gl/dv/hc/kir The approximate location of an attack on the Mercer Street oil tanker on July 29, 2021, according to the UK Marine Trade Operations. Google Maps; Insider An oil tanker managed by an Israeli-owned company was attacked off the coast of Oman. The company, Zodiac Maritime, said two crew members were killed. It called it a "suspected piracy attack." See more stories on Insider's business page. An oil tanker managed by an Israeli-owned company was attacked off the coast of Oman, the company said. The UK Marine Trade Operations said it had received reports saying the attack took place on Thursday night. Two crew members were killed, according to the Associated Press. The Mercer Street ship, which is Japanese owned, is managed by Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime, according to Reuters. A January 2016 photo of the Mercer Street oil tanker off Cape Town, South Africa. Johan Victor via AP Zodiac Maritime said in a statement on Friday: "We can confirm that there has been a suspected Piracy incident onboard the product tanker M/T Mercer Street." It said that the two killed crew members were from the United Kingdom and Romania, and that the company was "not aware of harm to any other personnel." It said there was no cargo on board at the time. Read the original article on Business Insider Attorney General Merrick Garland urged Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to withdraw the dangerous and unlawful executive order he instituted on Wednesday aimed at restricting the transport of illegal migrants in Texas who may have COVID-19. Garland said Abbotts order, which provides that no person, other than a federal, state, or local law-enforcement official, shall provide ground transportation to a group of migrants, cannot be lawfully enforced. He threatened to take legal action against Texas if the Republican governor doesnt withdraw the order. The order would jeopardize the health and safety of noncitizens in federal government custody, federal law enforcement personnel and their families, and our communities, Garland told Abbott in a letter Thursday, also saying Texas cant enforce the order against federal officials or private organizations working with the federal government. TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT CLAMPS DOWN ON MIGRANT TRANSPORTS TO STOP COVID-19 SPREAD IN COMMUNITIES Garland cited the Constitutions supremacy clause, saying, A state may not interfere with or obstruct these federal officials in the performance of their duties. Abbotts Wednesday order followed news of COVID-positive migrants being dropped off by Homeland Security Department officials in the border towns of La Joya and McAllen pending their U.S. immigration court proceedings. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The dramatic rise in unlawful border crossings has also led to a dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases among unlawful migrants who have made their way into our state, and we must do more to protect Texans from this virus and reduce the burden on our communities, Abbott said in a statement Wednesday. This Executive Order will reduce the risk of COVID-19 exposure in our communities. Washington Examiner Videos Tags: News, Merrick Garland, Justice Department, Immigration, Coronavirus, Greg Abbott, Texas Original Author: Jeremy Beaman Original Location: Justice Department threatens Texas with legal action over COVID-19 migrant order The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department is investigating after the bodies of two adults were found late Thursday morning as officers were responding to a welfare check. Around 11:15 a.m., police were sent to the Cambridge at River Oaks Apartments at North 70th and Riverview Avenue, Nancy Chartrand, a department spokeswoman, said in a statement. The two bodies, described by police only as adults in their early 20s or 30s, were found by responding officers. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Police were unsure how long the two adults have been deceased or an apparent cause of death. But a family member spoke with one of the deceased adults on Sunday, according to police. The departments major case unit is investigating the deaths. Police are encouraging anyone with information to contact the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477). By George Obulutsa NAIROBI (Reuters) -Kenya's health minister said on Friday the government had suspended all in-person meetings and public gatherings to try to contain COVID-19, whose spread in the country he now attributes to the more infectious Delta variant. Mutahi Kagwe said in a televised address that the government had asked public and private-sector employers to allow their workers to work from home, unless they were classified as essential services. "All public gatherings and in-person meetings of whatever nature are suspended countrywide. In this regard, all government, including intergovernmental meetings and conferences, should henceforth be converted to either virtual or postponed in the coming 30 days," he said. Kagwe singled out politicians for holding meetings that turn out to be "super spreader" events. "We want to be part of the solution. We are asking those in politics to be part of the solution instead of creating epicentres of spreading of the disease," he said. "There is no point of calling all these rallies, and then we follow with all these deaths." Waves of COVID-19 infections this year have forced Kenya to re-impose strict partial lockdown measures. As of Thursday, Kenya had registered 200,109 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 3,910 deaths, health ministry data showed. It had vaccinated 1.7 million people, of whom 647,393, or 2.37% of adults, are fully vaccinated. Kenya has been expecting from next week to start receiving more vaccines, comprising 700,000 AstraZeneca shots from Britain, Greece and Latvia. The health ministry has said it will also receive another 1.76 million doses of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, starting two weeks from now, once storage facilities to handle them are in place. (Reporting by George Obulutsa; Editing by Alison Williams, William Maclean and Timothy Heritage) Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., are the only two Republicans on the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack. WASHINGTON Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said Tuesday that the House committee investigating the insurrection Jan. 6 vows to uncover "every minute" of what happened at the White House that day. "Every phone call, every conversation, every meeting leading up to, during and after the attack," Cheney said during a panel hearing. A change in Justice Department policy this week may help investigators do just that. After the department announced Monday it wouldn't block testimony from former government officials, legal experts said the committee will have a strong case to compel testimony about who organized the attack, who financed it and how the government responded. Even as the chairman of the committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., moved briskly to issue subpoenas, experts cautioned that former administration officials could fight them in court for years. DOJ policy: Trump administration officials can testify about president's actions leading up to Jan. 6, DOJ says As soon as the subpoenas are served, they will be challenged, said Jimmy Gurule, a University of Notre Dame law professor and former justice official. I would expect this to be litigated for some time on a range of issues, from claims that the subpoenas are too broad or unduly burdensome for the testimony or documents being sought. Part of the investigation will focus on what President Donald Trump was doing as rioters breached the Capitol and ransacked offices on live television. Lawmakers urged Trump to call off the mob. Potential witnesses include lawmakers and the officials they contacted at the White House, Pentagon or other federal agencies. A woman was fatally shot by a Capitol Police officer while trying to enter the House chamber. Two of the rioters died of natural causes, according to the District of Columbia medical examiner, and one died of a drug overdose. About 140 police officers were injured in the melee, and a Capitol Police officer died of a stroke the day after. Story continues Other committees stitched together timelines but found discrepancies such as a three-hour gap between the request for National Guard reinforcements and their arrival. Liz Cheney's full statement: Liz Cheney calls for answers, accountability on Jan. 6: 'We must know what happened' Cheney, the committee's top Republican, said the American people deserve the full and open testimony of everyone who knows about the planning and participation for the attack. We must know what happened here at the Capitol, Cheney said at the committee's first hearing, which heard from four police officers who defended the building. We must also know what happened every minute of that day in the White House." Who could testify? Lawmakers have called for testimony from Trump, who exhorted a crowd of supporters to "fight like hell" before the riot and diminished the seriousness of the attack; former Vice President Mike Pence, whose life was threatened by rioters and who called acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller for help; House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.; and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. McCarthy and Jordan spoke with Trump that day as the building was under siege. Thompson said he would issue subpoenas because letters seeking voluntary testimony would take too long. The committee would like to know who financed, encouraged and orchestrated the attack, he said. The investigation is going to go wherever it may lead," Cheney said. "Obviously, the events at the White House are the focus of what went on." Police testify about Jan. 6: Officers ask lawmakers to 'get to the bottom' of Jan. 6 Capitol riot McCarthy and Jordan said they would testify, but McCarthy said his call with Trump on Jan. 6 won't answer why the Capitol was unprepared for the attack. "When I called the president, I was telling about what was happening in the Capitol because none of you would know unless you were in the Capitol," McCarthy, who wanted resources brought as fast as possible, said Thursday. If they call me, I got nothing to hide," Jordan told CNN. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he called Ivanka Trump, the presidents daughter and senior adviser, during the attack. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said he notified Trump that Pence had been taken to safety. Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., said he called White House officials. Lawmakers sought answers about the preparation for and response to the attack by Trump's Cabinet secretaries such as Miller at the Defense Department and Chad Wolf, who was acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. 'This is how I'm going to die': At Jan. 6 hearing, officers tell of harrowing attacks Former acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen told lawmakers at a hearing May 12 that he met with Trump on Jan. 3 and didn't speak with the president Jan. 6. Asked whether Trump pressed him to investigate claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election Trump lost, Rosen refused to describe the conversations. Paul Rosenzweig, a former Whitewater senior counsel who investigated the Clinton administration, said he would like to know all sorts of stuff about the White House response. What did they say? I dont know, said Rosenzweig, founder of Red Branch Consulting. Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., plans to issue subpoenas in the investigation of the attack Jan. 6 on Capitol Hill. Justice Department will allow testimony from Trump officials The Justice Department's announcement that former administration officials could testify is a stark change under Attorney General Merrick Garland from Trump's attorney general, William Barr. Without the department blocking testimony, as it did repeatedly during the impeachment investigations of Trump, former officials who defy their subpoenas will have to pay for their own court battles. The department said it will not assert executive privilege for officials such as Rosen because the issues under investigation are "exceptional circumstances warranting an accommodation to Congress," according to a letter from Associate Deputy Attorney General Bradley Weinsheimer. "Congress has articulated compelling legislative interests in the matters being investigated, and the information the Committees have requested from you bears directly on Congress's interest in understanding these extraordinary events: namely, the question whether President Trump sought to cause the Department to use its law enforcement and litigation authorities to advance his personal interests with respect to the results of the 2020 presidential election," Weinsheimers letter said. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., left, says he called President Donald Trump during the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6. McCarthy says he's willing to testify before the House committee investigating the attack. Donald Ayer, a former deputy attorney general in the George H.W. Bush administration, said the decision represents a piece of a larger effort making possible accountability for various misdeeds of the previous administration, including but not limited to the attempt to overturn the election and the conduct in instigating Jan. 6. Gurule said the Justice Departments move to set aside the executive privilege protection removes a substantial legal obstacle. But the American people shouldnt expect to see Trump officials to be sitting for testimony any time soon, Gurule said. Thompson said Friday the departments decision about access to witnesses would make the committees work a little easier. He said subpoenas would go out soon, but that depositions would not begin next week. Therell be quite a few, he said of the subpoenas. The House has clear legal authority to subpoena former Trump administration officials, who are private citizens, and even its own members, according to legal experts. I dont think theres any question about their legal authority, said Michael Stern, a former House senior counsel. The practical matter is how do they enforce it. Takeaways from the first Jan. 6 hearing: Police accounts of Capitol attack made for an emotional day If potential witnesses defy their subpoenas, the House could ask the courts to enforce the subpoenas through civil lawsuits, or lawmakers could refer the cases to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution for contempt. Stern said people in the private sector sometimes resist subpoenas, but that puts them in a position facing potential prosecution. Unless they have a strong privilege claim, they are taking a big risk, Stern said. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ark., speaks Jan. 6 in Washington at the "Save America" rally in support of President Donald Trump. After the rally, some of the president's supporters stormed the Capitol to try to stop the congressional confirmation of the election Trump lost in November. McGahn case illustrates disputes Despite the Justice Department decisions, potential witnesses could fight subpoenas on their own. The Supreme Court upheld a doctrine of executive privilege, which says presidents can keep communication confidential so they can receive candid advice. Don McGahn, the former White House counsel for Trump, fought a House subpoena in federal courts for two years before negotiating a compromise to testify behind closed doors in May, and a transcript was released days later. His case illustrated the kinds of arguments witnesses might make in the Jan. 6 investigation. The House Judiciary Committee sought McGahns testimony in May 2019 because he was a key figure in special counsel Robert Muellers investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. McGahn described several episodes of possible obstruction by Trump as he sought to remove Mueller or curb his probe. Congress approves Capitol security funds: Senate and House pass $2.1B bill for Capitol security and to assist Afghans who helped US in war McGahn defied the subpoena. The head of the Justice Departments Office of Legal Counsel, Steven Engel, told then-White House counsel Pat Cipollone that McGahn and other advisers to the president could not be compelled to testify because they were protected by absolute immunity. The Department has long taken the position across administrations of both political parties that the President and his immediate advisers are absolutely immune from testimonial compulsion by a Congressional committee, Cipollone wrote in May 2019. Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., argued during Trump's first impeachment trial in January 2020 that he waived claims to executive privilege by giving his side of contested conversations. He has claimed, instead, absolute immunity a ridiculous doctrine that the president has absolute immunity from any questioning by the Congress or by anybody else. It is a claim rejected by every court that has ever considered it, Nadler said. U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson rejected the White House's claims of absolute immunity in the McGahn case, saying the president "does not have the power" to prevent his aides from responding to congressional subpoenas. "Today, this Court adds that this conclusion is inescapable precisely because compulsory appearance by dint of a subpoena is a legal construct, not a political one, and per the Constitution, no one is above the law," Jackson wrote. Former White House counsel Don McGahn arrives to answer questions behind closed doors from House Judiciary Committee investigators, two years after House Democrats originally sought his testimony as part of the probe into former President Donald Trump, on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 4, 2021. Swalwell case against Brooks reveals how testimony could occur A lawsuit between two House members over responsibility for the insurrection could shed light on how the Justice Department and the courts will deal with the attack on the Capitol. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., sued Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala.; Trump; the former presidents eldest son, Donald Jr.; and Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, alleging they helped instigate the attack. Each of the defendants spoke at a Trump rally near the White House before the attack on the Capitol. Brooks sought to have the case thrown out, arguing he was acting in his official capacity as a House member. The Constitution typically protects what lawmakers say under a speech-and-debate clause, so they can speak freely. The Justice Department filed a response in the case Tuesday that the protection doesnt apply because Brooks was speaking in a personal capacity at a political rally rather than an official government function. Biden on eviction moratorium: Biden asks Congress to extend eviction moratorium 'without delay' as expiration looms "The record indicates that Brookss appearance at the January 6 rally was campaign activity, and it is no part of the business of the United States to pick sides among candidates in federal elections," Taheerah El-Amin, a Justice Department lawyer, said in the filing. "The conduct at issue here thus is not the kind a Member of Congress holds office to perform, or substantially within the authorized time and space limits, as required by governing law." Ayer said the same reasoning could apply to Trump. "The most important reason given by the government for that conclusion is that actions aimed at undermining the functioning of our government, including interference with the outcome of a free and fair election, are not within the scope of duty for any government employee, Ayer said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jan. 6 committee: DOJ policy may help compel Trump officials testimony U.S Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang stand for a photo in Hanoi, Vietnam (AP) In a new twist on a familiar genre, US Senator Marco Rubio trolled Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for his Covid behaviour, not for being reckless or skipping a mask, but rather for wearing one on a recent trip to the Philippines. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The Florida Republican dubbed Mr Austins protocols, which included a mask and a face shield, embarrassing COVID theatre. Our [Secretary of Defense] is vaccinated, Mr Rubio wrote on Twitter. But he arrives in the Philippines wearing a mask AND a face shield. Embarrassing COVID theatre. As Politico defence editor Dave Brown reported, the military official, who stepped onto the tarmac and fist-bumped his Philippines counterparts, was actually following the countrys Covid guidelines. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. "The Philippine government has mandated that everyone must wear full-coverage face shields together with face masks while in public places, according to the US Embassy in the Philippines. Local governments continue to implement additional requirements to slow the virus spread. Other journalists traveling with the secretary confirmed these rules. We were told prior to arrival in Manila that the Philippines required everyone getting off @SecDef s plane to wear a mask and face shield, Voice of America Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb wrote on Thursday on Twitter. I am traveling with Austin as a member of the press and had to wear both as well. #COVID19 cases are surging here. The Florida conservative has been a sceptic of public health messaging throughout the pandemic, and caught heat in December after getting vaccinated while also claiming Dr Anthony Fauci lied about masks and was distorting the level of vaccination needed for herd immunity. More recently, Mr Rubio has criticised mask mandates, even as the Delta variant surges, particularly in conservative states with low masking and vaccination rates. Government SHOULD encourage vaccination & make them available, the senator wrote on Thursday on Twitter. Government SHOULD NOT force anyone to get vaccinated, punish those who refuse or use a mask mandate to make everyone angry at the unvaccinated. Story continues The Independent has reached out to Mr Rubio for comment. Read More Environmentalists slam pathetic climate spending in infrastructure deal Jim Jordan dodges question on whether he spoke to Trump before, during or after US Capitol riot US to study internet access for Cubans; more sanctions Leading academic warns that America is on precipice of losing democracy Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gives thunderous takedown of GOP voter fraud claims Conservatives want to boot Cheney, Kinzinger from House GOP By Nupur Anand, Aditya Kalra and Euan Rocha MUMBAI (Reuters) - Mastercard has submitted a new audit report to India's central bank, it told Reuters, as it seeks to overturn a ban on card issuance linked to concerns over the U.S. giant's handling of data processed abroad. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on July 14 sent panic-waves through Indian banking partners by announcing a ban, effective from July 22, to prevent the U.S. giant from issuing new cards. It cited non-compliance with 2018 rules that required it to store payments data only in India. The RBI imposed the ban after deciding a "system audit report" submitted by Mastercard's auditor Deloitte in April was unsatisfactory, three sources familiar with its decision-making said, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. Two of the sources said the RBI was reviewing the new report. In a statement to Reuters, Mastercard said Deloitte performed a "supplemental audit" and a new report was submitted on July 20 to the RBI, six days after the ban was announced. "We look forward to continuing our conversations with the RBI and reinforcing how seriously we take our obligations. We are hopeful that this latest filing provides the assurances required to address their concerns," it said. Deloitte declined to comment, citing confidentiality obligations. The RBI did not respond to a request for comment. The sources said the RBI was concerned Deloitte's audit did not clearly state how long Mastercard took to purge Indians' card data that is processed abroad before being stored locally. India's 2018 rules do not restrict where the data is processed, but for "unfettered supervisory access", the RBI mandates that within a day the data - including transaction details and amount - should be stored domestically. Mastercard in 2018 said it had started storing data at a facility in India's western city of Pune to comply. But it still processes a part of each Indian transaction through data centres abroad, and later transfers and stores that data in Pune, one of the sources said. Story continues The RBI has given no details beyond a seven-line statement announcing the ban. The details of RBI's concern with Deloitte's submissions have not previously been reported. American Express, whose Indian presence is much smaller than that of Mastercard and Visa, has also has been banned from issuing new cards since April for violating the 2018 rules. A fourth person with direct knowledge of the matter said the RBI had given Mastercard multiple extensions to submit clarifications and RBI only issued the ban when Mastercard asked for more time when an extension to July 9 lapsed. Mastercard did not comment on the extension and the situation in Pune. (Reporting by Nupur Anand, Aditya Kalra and Euan Rocha; editing by Barbara Lewis) Matt Damon appeared as a guest star on the "WTF with Marc Maron" podcast and acknowledged that "The Great Wall" was a terrible movie. Damon's thoughts: The award-winning actor told Maron that the film "doesn't cohere" and "doesn't work as a movie," according to The Hollywood Reporter. Damon also stated that director Zhang Yimou was pressured by Hollywood producers to change the film and sacrifice his original ideas. In addition to the movie's critics, Damon's daughter also thinks it's terrible. She calls the movie "The Wall" and when Damon attempts to correct her, she responds by saying that "there's nothing great about that movie." "I came to consider that the definition of a professional actor, knowing you're in a turkey and going: 'OK, I've got four more months. It's the up-at-dawn siege on Hamburger Hill. I am definitely going to die here, but I'm doing it.' That's as sh*tty as you can feel creatively, I think. I hope to never have that feeling again," said Damon. The actor also addressed the film's accusations of whitewashing and stated that he "saw the movie as the exact same plot as 'Lawrence of Arabia'" where an "outsider comes into a new culture, finds value in the culture, brings some skill from the outside that aids them in their fight against whatever and they're all changed forever." This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. About the movie: The Great Wall is about European mercenaries who discover a secret army that defends the Great Wall of China against monsters in ancient times. The movie came out in 2016 and was rated 35% by critics with a 42% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and 5.9 stars out of 10 on IMDb. While several critics commended Zhang for the visually stunning scenes, many found the storyline to be bland. Hollywood Reporter's Clarence Tsui wrote that it was easily the least interesting and involving blockbuster of the respective careers of both its director and star. Featured Image via deepskyobject (CC BY-SA 2.0) Story continues Enjoy this content? Read more from NextShark! Grammy Winning Canadian Singer Blames Virus Making Greedy Bastards For Cancelled Shows Kelly Marie Tran Opens Up About Leaving the Spotlight After 'Star Wars' Cyberbullying Youn Yuh-Jung Makes History After Winning Oscar for Best Supporting Actress 2 Asian Filmmakers Could Get Oscar Nominations for Best Director This Year Jul. 30Detroit A federal moratorium on evictions is set to expire Saturday and Michigan still has a half-billion dollars in unspent rental assistance grants. State officials and nonprofit groups are urging tenants and landlords to apply for the aid as they work through a backlog of nearly 32,000 applications, more than half in Wayne County. If 65% of the funding isn't obligated by Sept. 30, state officials warn it could vanish. "There is a lot of money to be had," said Katie Bach, spokeswoman for the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, adding if the requirements aren't met "the unobligated funds could be clawed back by the U.S. Department of the Treasury." The push to get more of the funds to renters and landlords comes as President Joe Biden's administration called on states to "urgently accelerate" distribution of money given the ending of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eviction moratorium imposed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden's administration noted Thursday that the CDC order prevented hundreds of thousands of Americans from experiencing homelessness and health risks and said the president is urging Congress to take action to extend the eviction ban, citing an uptick in the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus. The CDC issued the moratorium in September. In May, a federal judge struck it down, ruling that the CDC did not have the authority to issue an eviction ban. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the moratorium through July 31, but also indicated there would be no further extensions, absent "clear and specific congressional authorization." That's why the White House is urging Congress to make a law. The Michigan State Housing and Development Authority is administering $622 million through the COVID Emergency Rental Assistance program, or CERA. About $110 million has been distributed to households so far. Story continues Officials said $404 million needs to be committed in two months. The state's 32,000 outstanding applications represent $200 million in requests, Bach said. That's still $94 million short of the 65% threshold. More than half of the backlog is tied to 17,664 still-processing applications in Wayne County. That's 83% of what's been submitted. The program covers up to 15 months of back rent, along with utility assistance and an Internet stipend for those who qualify. Applicants must earn below 80% of the area median income, which for a two-person household in Detroit is $50,240 a year, and claim a COVID-19 related hardship. "We would rather folks go that route than have landlords getting that eviction and not being paid," said Michael Centi, department director of integration for Wayne Metro Community Action Agency. Of the $110 million in aid already given, about 40% has gone to households in Metro Detroit's three counties, Wayne ($22 million), Oakland ($14.6 million) and Macomb ($7 million). "This is a gift for landlords as much as tenants," added Eric Hufnagel, executive director of the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness, a Lansing-based nonprofit. A letter in the mail offering help This spring, Ted Phillips, executive director of the United Community Housing Coalition, said his group sent out about 750 letters to Detroiters with eviction cases at Detroit's 36th District Court. The Detroit-based nonprofit coalition, which helps low-income residents stay in their homes, gets a weekly update from the court and sets out to reach people with cases in the system. "It appears you have a non-payment of rent case and may qualify for an extension to 7/31/21 under the federal CDC order or help to pay your rent under a new program," read a sample letter for a non-payment of rent case, in all capital letters. Those who respond are offered assistance and if they qualify, are urged to apply for eviction-prevention funds through CERA. It covers any arrearage since March 2020 attributable to a "COVID hardship." Gerri Swims, 34, of Detroit admits she was hesitant when she first heard of the program. A program to pay her back rent? It sounded too good to be true. Swims said if a cousin hadn't applied and gotten aid, the skepticism might have won out. Permanently laid off from her job as a card dealer at Greektown Casino, Swims fell three months behind in rent, September to October, and behind on her DTE bill, too. The same pandemic that kept her out of work is why she couldn't be evicted from the apartment complex she'd called home for a decade by that point. "They couldn't evict anybody at that time," Swims said. "That was a great thing for me." After applying to CERA, she got three months of back rent covered, along with three months of future rent and her DTE payments. Judges at Detroit's 36th District Court signed more than 10,000 writs of eviction in 2019, Chief Judge William McConico said in a statement. It fell to a small fraction of that, 2,428, in 2020, and it has fallen lower still. This year, 549 eviction orders have been signed, he said. Things will change, McConico said. "Given that the eviction moratorium has served as a barrier to evictions for non-payment of rent, the court expects that the number of evictions could return to pre-pandemic levels such as those seen in 2019," the chief judge wrote. 'Scary' times for landlords Drew Sygit has been president of the Real Estate Investment Association of Oakland for a decade. The association tends to focus on investments on "ring" suburbs that touch the city. When he bought his first property in 1994, it was on the advice of successful investors and presented as a means of achieving long-term wealth. Almost 30 years later, the landscape has changed. Sygit says many people conflate landlords with slumlords. "Overnight, you are viewed as the bad guy," Sygit said. Sygit contends that while tenants received stimulus checks and enhanced unemployment, they felt empowered by the eviction moratorium to not pay rent. "Whatever they did with that money, they didn't pay back rent," Sygit said. "They think you can't do anything about it anyway." That changes when the moratorium lifts, landlords say. "We're not rich," Sygit added. "We've got mortgages to pay." Real estate attorney Dominic Silvestri of Farmington Hills noted that while mortgage holders can get foreclosure forbearance on their homes, no such option exists for rental properties. "Landlords remain obligated, even if there are no funds coming in," Silvestri said. "We've unfairly shifted all the financial responsibility to landlords, while the rest of the country was getting assistance." While landlords can initiate the CERA application process, the tenant still must participate, said Bach of the housing authority. And that can take some convincing, landlords say. "We'll be going back and forth with tenants for months about applying," Sygit said. "Then they show up in court and say they've just applied for CERA." So far in Michigan, 16,600 households have been approved for $100 million in CERA aid. Some 3,338 applications were denied, and 1,609 were duplicates. All told, 53,638 applications have come in, including 14,600 in Detroit, Bach said. Altogether, 21,230 applications came from Wayne County. "That Wayne County alone accounts for about 20% of the applications tells you how serious the problem is," said Centi of Wayne Metro. "Top priority are those who are facing evictions or utility shutoffs those applications are processed immediately. But we will end up serving everyone who applied." Of the $622 million, $130 million in rent and utility assistance is allocated for Detroit, Bach said. Processing speeds range from two weeks in some parts of the state to eight weeks in others. In Detroit, it takes Wayne Metro about a month to assign an application and another month to process it, Centi said. Wayne Metro and the United Housing Community Housing Coalition have grown their staffs temporarily to deal with the influx of applications. To evict or settle? With financial-based evictions forbidden until August, the eviction rate is down more than half in Michigan compared with pre-pandemic levels, according to State Court Administrative Office data. In the year before the pandemic, which the state defines as April 2019 to March 2020, 29% of landlord-tenant cases ended in eviction. Since April, that's down to 14%. Evictions for issues of safety or violations of policy were not covered by the CDC moratorium. Tenancy can be terminated if the landlord successfully argues the tenant poses a threat to people or the property, or for rule violations. Housing coalition's Phillips said before the pandemic, termination cases were often solved with judgments for possession for non-payment of rent. With money-based evictions off the table, that dynamic has flipped. What might be a money matter at heart can be presented as a safety issue. "You will see people claim a tenant is causing a health hazard and causing damage to the property when really that person is behind on rent," Phillips said. Hufnagel, of the coalition against homelessness, is also mayor of St. John's in Clinton County. He said he's also troubled by the unknowns of what's to come. "The data is lacking," Hufnagel said. "How many arrearages are there? For how much? How many landlords will file for eviction but haven't? How many landlords will accept the CERA funds?" According to the U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse survey conducted between June 23 and July 5, an estimated one-third of Michigan households are "not current on rent or mortgage where eviction or foreclosure in the next two months is either very likely or somewhat likely." Phillips worries about what the next weeks will bring. "There could be mass evictions pretty quickly," Phillips said. "Landlords want their property back, and bailiffs are looking to get back to work. That's a bad combination." Hufnagel noted that while landlords are made "about 90% whole" with CERA, they also sign agreements not to evict the tenant. He wonders whether "maybe some have a bad taste in their mouth" about not being paid during the pandemic and would refuse the funds, just for the chance to evict. Added Sygit: "The courts have rewarded tenants' bad behavior. It becomes a game 'how far can I push this?' Sygit said those frustrated with the situation on his side also will face difficult decisions. "Do you take the $10,000 at the last minute?" he said. "Or nothing, and evict, and hold on to all that anger?" jdickson@detroitnews.com An auto racing announcer from Fairmont, Minn., who launched a racist rant at a race in Iowa last month will sit out the rest of the season, and a Minnesota track promoter has apologized for supporting him. Jon McCorkell, who promotes auto racing at Fairmont Raceway, said he made "a bad mistake" in defending his longtime track announcer Lon Oelke, who was fired from an Iowa racetrack after complaining about "those folks, I guess the darker-toned skin color," who refuse to stand for the national anthem. "I realize that I cannot take back or fix what I said, but I would like to say I was wrong and I am sorry for the comments that I made last week," McCorkell said in a statement released by the raceway. The raceway announced that Oelke would be taking a leave of absence for the rest of the racing season. The Fairmont track also cancelled its normally scheduled Friday night race card, saying that recent rains had made the track unsuited for racing. "I have talked to many people on these issues over the last few days," McCorkell said. "I learned a lot about what some of the underlying deeper issues are for a lot of people. "I guess I have learned that you cannot always just look at things from your own perspective. Sometimes you have to keep an open mind and to try to look at what things are like from someone else's perspective." Earlier this month, in a livestreamed race broadcast from the Kossuth County Speedway in Algona, Iowa, Oelke said he wanted to make "a public service announcement" and raged about people who take a knee or won't stand for the national anthem. "I've got four words for you: Find a different country if you won't do it," he said. "Get the hell out of Dodge." Oelke continued by criticizing the NFL's plans to play "Lift Every Voice and Sing," often called the Black national anthem, before games this season. Story continues His remarks, he said, were "for those folks, I guess the darker-toned skin color, I'll just say, Blacks. They want a different national anthem and the NFL is thinking about doing it. I just say shut the TVs off and let them play in front of nobody." McCorkell had strongly supported Oelke, telling the Star Tribune he would "stick by my guy" and promising that Oelke would get a standing ovation at the next race card in Fairmont. At that race last Friday, however, there was no standing ovation and no special recognition of Oelke, who announced the races that night. McCorkell said Oelke had been uncomfortable with the plan, but added that local residents were strongly in favor of his stance on "one nation under God, one national anthem and you stand for it." Fairmont is a city of 10,000 residents 130 miles southwest of the Twin Cities. John Reinan 612-673-7402 Saif al-Islam, the son of late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi A son of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi who vanished six years ago and was thought to have died has reappeared and announced his intention to re-enter politics. Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, who is still wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, said he intended to unify Libya at the head of his father's Green movement. In his first public remarks since he was sentenced to death by a Libyan court in 2015, the 49-year-old claimed he would command widespread support from the Libyan public fed up with the factions who have fought for control of the country since his father was overthrown. Its not in their interest to have a strong government, he told the New York Times. Thats why they are afraid of the elections. They are against the idea of a president. They are against the idea of a state, a government that has legitimacy derived from the people. He did not clarify his own political ambitions and avoided the question of whether he planned to run for president in elections scheduled for December. Ive been away from the Libyan people for 10 years, he said. You need to come back slowly, slowly. Like a striptease, he told the paper. You need to play with their minds a little. He also defended his fathers record in power and refused to apologise for atrocities committed by his regime, saying most Libyans now thought the government should have taken an even harder line. Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, attends a hearing behind bars in a courtroom in Zintan, Libya in May 25, 2014 - Reuters What happened in Libya was not a revolution, he said. You can call it a civil war, or days of evil. Its not a revolution. The second son of long-serving dictator Muammar Gaddafi, Saif al-Islam was educated at Tripoli university and studied for an MBA in Vienna and a PhD at the London School of Economics. He was seen as a modernising figure under his fathers rule and was credited by some for presiding over a brief period of liberalisation and reform in the last few years of the regime. That reputation was tarnished when he backed the government crackdown against the anti-government protests in 2011, warning of rivers of blood if the revolution was not averted. Story continues He was captured in southern Libya after his fathers regime collapsed later that year, and held prisoner by a militia group in the city of Zintan. The Zintanis refused to hand him over to the International Criminal Court in the Hague, which had indicted him for war crimes allegedly committed during the war in 2011. They did allow him to stand trial by video link in front of a court in Tripoli, but refused to hand him over to authorities there when he was found guilty and sentenced to death. It was later reported that he had been released, but he never appeared in public and rumours have swirled ever since that he was either dead or planning a political comeback. In 2018, the Libyan Popular Front party claimed that he would be running for president as their candidate in that years elections, but promises of a public appearance came to nothing. In 2020, Bloomberg reported the arrest in Libya of two Russians who were allegedly involved in a plot to install Mr Gaddafi as a pro-Moscow president. He would have stiff competition if he did seek the presidency. Rivals for national leadership include Khalifa Haftar, the general who controls much of eastern Libya and is backed by Russia and the UAE, and Fathi Bashagha, a former interior minister from the city of Misrata, who is favoured by Turkey and many Western governments. A ceasefire signed last October has largely frozen Libyas long-running civil war, but the country remains riven by a bitter east-west divide and is awash with foreign troops and mercenaries from Turkey, Russia, the Middle East and Africa. Factions have agreed to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in December, but diplomats say privately the chances of those polls going ahead are slim. Peter Millett, a former British ambassador to Libya, said: It is interesting to confirm he is actually alive, but I think the analysis that Libyans would welcome the Gaddafis back is exaggerated. An Oregon county judge has dismissed a case challenging the validity of two gun rights measures passed by local voters in recent years in a move that Second Amendment advocates are hailing as a "victory with national implications." The Columbia County Board of Commissioners had hoped for a court to review the Second Amendment Sanctuary Ordinance and Second Amendment Preservation Ordinance which prohibit county enforcement of most state and federal gun control measures, according to the Columbia County Spotlight. The newspaper says the Oregon attorney general and lawyers from Everytown for Gun Safety entered their own filings in court opposing the two ordinances, arguing they violated state and federal laws. "While a governing body may seek review of an ordinance... judicial examination still requires a justiciable controversy," Judge Ted Grove wrote in his ruling issued Thursday. ACLU SLAMMED FOR ARGUING RACISM IS FOUNDATIONAL TO THE SECOND AMENDMENT "Petitioners have not demonstrated such a controversy," he added, noting that instead they "seek what amounts to an advisory opinion designed to invalidate their own newly passed ordinance." The Oregon Firearms Federation applauded the cases dismissal, saying in a statement that "the Columbia County Court shot down Everytown For Gun Safety, Mike Bloombergs New York Lawyers, and the usual gaggle of state worshippers and upheld the Countys 2nd Amendment Sanctuary ordinance, an ordinance the county commissioners hoped to torpedo." "This is a victory with national implications and a repudiation to the politics of division that Bloomberg and the gun grabbers are so famous for," the gun rights group added. The Second Amendment Sanctuary Ordinance, in its language, says "while within Columbia County, this Ordinance preserves the right of any person to keep and bear arms as originally understood; in self-defense and preservation, and in defense of one's community and country, and to freely manufacture, transfer, sell and buy firearms, firearm accessories and ammunition, which are designed primarily for the same purposes and protects ancillary rights that are closely related to the right to keep and bear arms protected by the Second Amendment." Sarah Hansen, an attorney for the county, told the Columbia County Spotlight that "I strongly disagree with Judge Grove's decision that there is no justiciable controversy in this case and his dismissal of the petition for validation," but added that she is unsure if the county will appeal the decision. Republican critics of Donald Trump have raked in campaign cash this year as their votes to impeach the former president and investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol attack have put them in the crosshairs of Trump and his allies. Why it matters: The 2022 midterms won't just determine which party controls Congress. They're also shaping up to be a test of Trump's continued hold on the GOP. The few remaining Republican dissenters in Washington need to put up big fundraising numbers if they hope to stave off a purge. Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free. Two prime Trump antagonists, Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), were front and center this week as the sole Republicans on the House select committee investigating the Capitol attack. It earned them the fury of Trump's many Republican allies, but they and a larger cohort of Trump-skeptical Republicans are building huge political war chests nonetheless. What's new: Americans Keeping Country First, a super PAC created in late February to defend Republicans who voted to impeach Trump this year, is set to report $525,000 in income through the end of June, the group tells Axios. That puts it on or above the fundraising pace of independent political groups going after the few remaining Republican Trump critics in Congress. One such pro-Trump group, Drain the DC Swamp PAC, brought in a little over $600,000 during the first half of the year. And America Strong PAC, which formed in early May to attack the 10 House Republicans who voted for impeachment, raised $51,000 during its first two months. What they're saying: "The strong start for Americans Keeping Country First reflects the broad support for the Republicans who voted to put country first," Brendan Buck, a senior adviser to the group, told Axios in an emailed statement. "These members stood on principle and now we are prepared to stand with them." Cheney and Kinzinger themselves are also putting up huge fundraising numbers for the first six months of an election off-year. Story continues Cheney raised more than $3 million in the first half of the year. She has $2.8 million cash on hand. Kinzinger's campaign raised nearly $2 million, and ended June with more than $3 million in the bank. His leadership PAC raised more than $1.5 million, according to a Federal Election Commission filing on Thursday. That leadership PAC has also steered cash to Cheney and seven of the other Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in January. The big picture: Their votes for impeachment and the Jan. 6 select committee have cost both members support with the national Republican base and its media allies. A recent survey showed Cheney 43 points underwater with GOP voters. They're also substantially outraising their intra-party competition. Former Trump Commerce Department official Catalina Lauf, Kinzinger's most well-funded Republican primary opponent raised just over $350,000 from the start of her campaign in February through June. Cheney's top challenger, Wyoming state Sen. Anthony Bouchard, brought in about $550,000 through the end of June. Yes, but: It's not just Trump allies or independent spenders Kinzinger faces, it's Trump himself and a political operation that's raised $75 million this year. The former president has singled out Kinzinger as one of a handful of "RINO losers" who "are whats really wrong with the Republican Party." Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free. Shenandoah Telecommunications (SHEN) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.04 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.67 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.58 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of -94.03%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this telecommunications service provider in parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia would post earnings of $1.01 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.06, delivering a surprise of -94.06%. Over the last four quarters, the company has not been able to surpass consensus EPS estimates. Shenandoah Telecom, which belongs to the Zacks Diversified Communication Services industry, posted revenues of $60.7 million for the quarter ended June 2021, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.90%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $169.53 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Shenandoah Telecom shares have added about 22.5% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 17.2%. What's Next for Shenandoah Telecom? While Shenandoah Telecom has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Story continues Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Shenandoah Telecom was unfavorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to underperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is -$0.23 on $61.41 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $1.97 on $244.04 million in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Diversified Communication Services is currently in the bottom 21% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Shenandoah Telecommunications Co (SHEN) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research A shooting that killed eight victims including four Sikh Americans at a FedEx warehouse in Indianapolis in April was not motivated by hate, the FBI and local authorities announced on Wednesday. Investigation results: After going through 120 interviews and 150 pieces of evidence, investigators found no evidence that the suspect Brandon Scott Hole committed his crimes "to address perceived injustices or to advance an ideology." Instead, they concluded that the 19-year-old -- who killed himself after murdering his victims -- performed "an act of suicidal murder," according to the Indianapolis Star. The shooting, which Hole had planned for at least nine months, occurred at the FedEx Ground Facility on Maribel Road on April 15. The Sikh victims were Jaswinder Singh, 70; Amarjeet Kaur Johal, 66; Jasvinder Kaur, 50; and Amarjit Sekhon, 49. Hole had World War II, Nazi and white supremacist content on his computer, but those accounted for a small fraction of 175,000 files that authorities found, according to NBC News. There was no indication that there was any animosity towards the Sikh community, or any other group for that matter, Paul Keenan, the Indianapolis FBI special agent in charge, told reporters on Wednesday. Hole, who had multiple suicide attempts in the past, thought of killing himself almost every day, authorities said. Last year, his own family reported him for planning to commit "suicide by cop." Others killed in the shooting were John Weisert, 74; Matthew Alexander, 32; Samaria Blackwell, 19; and Karli Smith, 19. Five more people were reportedly injured and rushed to a hospital. Demand for answers: Hole launched his attack at a facility where most of the workers are Sikh. This leaves the religious community scrambling for answers after Wednesdays decision. While we recognize that it is impossible to know exactly what was in the shooters mind, we are disappointed that the IMPD (Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department) and FBI still have not detailed how they ruled out bias as a possible motive in their accounting of the investigation, said Amrith Kaur, legal director of the Sikh Coalition, a national civil rights organization. The shooter chose a place known for hiring people of color, specifically a Punjabi Sikh-majority, for his attack; we dont know why he chose this location, but we now know the attack was planned at least nine months in advance. FedEx has reportedly become a household name among Sikhs in Indianapolis for being a reliable source of employment. One of the Sikh victims, Jaswinder Singh, decided to work at the facility so he can be part of its community, his family said. Indianapolis police chief Randal Taylor described the shooting as an attack on Indianapolis residents who were just trying to do their jobs. "[They were] trying to provide for their families, trying to do what they felt was right, and had the right to do when their lives were so tragically cut short, he told reporters. The Sikh Coalition reiterated that they are not dismissing the role of mental health issues in the shooting. However, they believe the IMPD and FBI could have provided more information about how and why they ruled bias out. Hole himself was a former employee of FedEx. After the shooting, his family apologized to his victims' families: "We are devastated at the loss of life caused as a result of Brandons actions; through the love of his family, we tried to get him the help he needed. Our sincerest and most heartfelt apologies go out to the victims of this senseless tragedy. We are so sorry for the pain and hurt being felt by their families and the entire Indianapolis community." Featured Image Screenshot via WRTV Indianapolis Story continues Enjoy this content? Read more from NextShark! African-Chinese Idol Show Contestant Targeted by Racist Attacks Online 70-Year-Old Woman Viciously Attacked in Her Home in Canada 100-Year-Old Man Beats Coronavirus With Plasma Donation, China Claims Black, Asian and Hispanic House Caucus Assemble Like Voltron to Fight Attacks on Asian Americans "Saturday Night Live" comedian Michael Che sparked backlash after his account posted offensive jokes about gymnast Simone Biles on Instagram. Biles, 24, has mostly received overwhelming support after she pulled out of the team final and then decided not to compete in the women's individual all-around gymnastics final in an effort to focus on her mental health. However, screenshots of Che's Instagram stories that were later posted to the BallerAlert Twitter account appear to show the "Weekend Update" host had other ideas. Michael Che, Simone Biles (NBC / Getty Images) "man, I want to make fun of simone biles," one post said. That was followed by this post: "I got like 3 mins of simone biles jokes in my head. im going to the cellar tonight to say them into a microphone. as the dorky kids say, im choosing violence." Ches account posted a joke someone had sent to him about Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics doctor and convicted sex offender who is accused of abusing hundreds of girls and women, including Biles. "Goddamn that's rough, absolutely tasteless 9/10," the post said. The post also gave a racist joke someone sent about Biles an 8 out of 10. Later, Che wrote in his stories, using the same background, font and format as the original posts: "maaannnn, i got hacked today. cant believe they got me. yall know i only do jokes about whites and cops. s'all good now, i changed my password and everything .. anyway yall hear about dababy tho.. ? Thats crazy .. iight. see yall at church. imma get there early." Rapper DaBaby faced widespread criticism earlier this week for homophobic comments he made about people living with HIV/AIDS. Related: The 29-year-old rapper is receiving widespread criticism for his comments about HIV, AIDS and the LGBTQ community. It's unclear if Che's "hacked" post was an actual defense or a joke. Reaction to Che's posts were swift. "Larry Nassar sexually assaulted over 300 gymnasts including Simone Biles. Jokes about this immense violence are never okay," tweeted gender justice advocate Farrah Kahn. Story continues "Michael Che - and all of these tacky ass clowns who call themselves comedians need to keep Simone's name out their damb mouths," podcaster Carolyn Hinds wrote in a tweet. Che has since wiped his Instagram page save for a story post showing a piece of cheesecake with a candle in it and a drink captioned, "happy birthday to meeeeeeeeeeeeee." Managers and publicists for Che did not respond to requests for comment Friday. Representatives for NBC and "SNL," where Che is co-head writer, also did not immediately return requests for comment. NBCUniversal is the parent company of both NBC and NBC News. Representatives for HBO Max, which airs Che's sketch comedy series, also did not return requests for comment. Biles has been widely lauded for her bravery in speaking out about mental health in sports. Texas deputy attorney general Aaron Reitz was also criticized after calling Biles a "national embarrassment" Tuesday. He later posted an apology on Twitter. "Simone Biles is a true patriot and one of the greatest gymnasts of all time," he said. This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. Related: The 20 Republican-led states that reduced unemployment benefits in June did not see an immediate spike in overall hiring, but early evidence suggests something did change: The teen hiring boom slowed in those states, and workers 25 and older returned to work more quickly. A new analysis by payroll processor Gusto, conducted for The Washington Post, found that small restaurants and hospitality businesses in states such as Missouri, which ended the extra unemployment benefits early, saw a jump in hiring of workers over age 25. The uptick in hiring of older workers was roughly offset by the slower hiring of teens in these states. In contrast, restaurants and hospitality businesses in states such as Kansas, where the full benefits remain, have been hiring a lot more teenagers who are less experienced and less likely to qualify for unemployment aid. In the eight states, including Idaho, that ended federal unemployment benefits on June 19, the share of the population receiving the benefits dropped by 60%, according to a study by Arindrajit Dube, an economics professor at the University of Massachusetts. Roughly 2.2% of all people 18 to 65 stopped receiving benefits. but there was no immediate boost to employment during the two to three weeks after the pandemic benefits were dropped, Dube said. Gov. Brad Little announced the cutoff in May, giving workers five weeks notice. Employers are telling me one of the big reasons they cannot recruit and retain some workers is because those employees are receiving more on unemployment than they would while working, Little said then. We see Help Wanted signs everywhere. Employers interviewed by the Idaho Statesman this spring expressed frustration over people who responded to job solicitations but who did not show up for interviews. Weve had people who are unemployed come and sign up for an application, set up an interview and then not show up, because that checks the box to make sure they get their unemployment benefits, said Dodds Hayden, owner of Hayden Beverage in Boise, in May. Story continues It remains to be seen whether official data will indicate whether Idahos cutoff boosts the states employment significantly. Julys official employment estimate from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics isnt out yet. The number of people employed in Idaho rose 0.8% from May to June, with 789,700 Idahoans employed. There were 794,800 people employed in the state in April, before dropping to 783,500 in May. Employment was up 50,300 from June 2020 to June 2021. The findings suggest hiring is likely to remain difficult for some time, especially in the lower-paying hospitality sector. The analysis also adds perspective to the teen hiring boom, revealing that more generous unemployment payments played a role in keeping more experienced workers on the sidelines, forcing employers to turn to younger workers. It indicates teen hiring could slow further in September, as unemployment benefits are reduced across the country and young people return to school. Theres a growing trend in help wanted ads of lowering the age and experience requirements, especially in the hospitality sector, according to QuickHire, a recruiting firm in Wichita.ngest employee is 15, and she has many teens working as hostesses, assistant servers and table bussers. Weiss said she has been inundated with applications from teens this summer, but few from workers in their 20s or 30s. Weve definitely lowered that minimum age, said Weiss, a part owner of 715 who has worked there since it opened in 2009. The federal government is providing unemployed workers an extra $300 a week through Sept. 6, roughly doubling how much the typical unemployed American would otherwise receive in aid. Yet, federal benefits have ignited political debates, because hiring in recent months has been weaker than expected. Republicans say the enhanced payments are playing a major role in keeping workers at home, while Democrats argue the money is a needed lifeline to help people still unable to return to work or those hoping to find a better job. So far, early data suggests that cutting the benefits given to Americans who lost their jobs during the covid-19 pandemic has not led to a big pickup in hiring. The 20 states that reduced benefits in June had the same pace of hiring as the mostly Democrat-led states that kept the extra $300-a-week unemployment payments in place, according to state-level data from the Labor Department. Survey data from the Census Bureau and Gustos small-business payroll data show similar results. Many economists and business owners say other issues such as health concerns, child-care problems and workers reassessing their career choices appear to be larger factors keeping them home. If what we want is a speedy economic recovery, ending unemployment insurance is not the silver bullet, Gusto economist Luke Pardue said. But, he added, unemployment insurance was at least partially a cause of the boom in teen employment. Theres a growing trend in help-wanted ads of lowering the age and experience requirements, especially in the hospitality sector, according to QuickHire, a recruiting firm in Wichita. Almost all of the restaurants that we work with are willing to hire kids as young as 16 now, said Deborah Gladney, co-founder of QuickHire. We saw a big shift in May when we started seeing a lot of restaurants drop their age requirements and offer bonuses. The teen unemployment rate is at its lowest level since the 1950s, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The more generous unemployment benefits allowed older workers to stay home, care for children or relatives, and avoid the deadly coronavirus. Teenagers often dont qualify for unemployment assistance, because many werent working pre-pandemic, and they are often still supported by parents or guardians. At 715, Weiss and her business partners raised wages for all employees and began offering signing and referral bonuses. Even with those changes, the bulk of their applicants were teens. Weiss is hopeful that might change in September as more college students return to the University of Kansas and the unemployment benefits are reduced, but she is not banking on it. We are only open five days a week right now. Were only doing dinner shifts. The main reason for that is we dont have the staff to expand our hours, she said. She has been telling customers that lunch and brunch probably wont return until 2022. The Kansas-Missouri state line provides an interesting test case for what happens when one state changes its unemployment policies. When Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced in May the state would end federal expanded unemployment assistance programs as of June 12, the Republican said it ensures that we will fill existing jobs, as well as the thousands of new jobs coming to our state as businesses continue to invest and expand in Missouri. So far, there hasnt been a major hiring boom in Missouri. Business owners who operate in both Missouri and Kansas told The Post that Missouris reduction of jobless benefits had a small impact on hiring. Total employment in Missouri rose by 4,200 jobs in June with a slight increase in hospitality jobs, according to the Labor Department. Across the border in Kansas, overall employment increased by 8,100 in June and was flat in the hospitality industry. Restaurant owners say that while unemployment benefits may be keeping some workers at home, their biggest issue is that so many workers are rethinking their lives post-pandemic and may not want to return to grueling restaurant work. Employees went out and found other industries. And thats been a bigger problem than just the unemployment insurance. Getting restaurant hospitality workers back to our industry has been a challenge for almost every restaurant in the Midwest, said Kevin Timmons, owner of sports bar Nick and Jakes and former president of the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association. Some businesses that operate in both Kansas and Missouri say they have noticed more serious applicants from the Missouri side, especially in the hospitality industry. One recruiting firm that works in both states has noted some hiring differences. Ken Meeks, chief executive of hospitality-recruiting firm ResourceOne, said he has been frustrated by the number of ghost applicants in Kansas, in which people apply but when his firm calls, texts and emails them to follow up, they say they still havent found a job but they arent interested in talking further. He said the situation has been a lot better in Missouri since the unemployment benefits were cut. Weve seen a bump in applications over on the Missouri side in servers, bartenders and cooks coming back into the fold, Meeks said. No one was against unemployment when restaurants were closed. But now the jobs actually exist. Lately in Missouri, Meeks has also seen restaurants scaling back pay. Jobs that were paying $18 an hour now pay $15, but employees are taking it because theyve lost leverage on the Missouri side, Meeks said. The Gusto analysis also noted that among more experienced workers who returned to the workforce as benefits ended, people who had worked for a company before the pandemic were especially likely to return to their prior employer when states announced benefits would end early. For policymakers, its a difficult balance figuring out when to scale back unemployment insurance for the nations 9.5 million unemployed. As the delta variant of the coronavirus flares up, some workers are reluctant to return to jobs in which they encounter a lot of people. Economist Arindrajit Dube of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst found that a lot more people reported having a hard time paying their bills in states where unemployment benefits were slashed in June. He analyzed Census Bureau survey data and found a roughly 60% drop in the number of people on unemployment in the states that ended the extra $300 and the aid for self-employed and gig workers in June, but no increase in employment. There is evidence that the reduced UI benefits increased self-reported hardship in paying for regular expenses, Dube wrote, adding, Of course, this evidence is still early. A restaurant owner asked President Joe Biden at the recent CNN Town Hall in Ohio about what the White House is doing to help businesses hire. Biden reiterated his stance that he does not think unemployment insurance is holding workers back, but even if it is, the extra payments are soon coming to an end. I see no evidence [unemployment insurance] had any serious impact on it. But you can argue it. Lets assume it did. Its coming to an end, Biden said. In Kansas City, Mo., restaurant owner Jerry Rauschelbach was optimistic that the cut in unemployment benefits would help drive more talented workers back to his industry. He has been looking for another manager for Arthur Bryants Barbeque for six months. In the two weeks after the unemployment money scaled back in Missouri, Rauschelbach said he was flooded with applications for the manager position, but few had worked in the industry before. The type of employee applying is not what Im used to, Rauschelbach said. The people applying are grasping for any job. Im looking for somebody who is committed to the industry. Its a hard life. The manager position pays about $50,000 a year and remains unfilled. Like many, Rauschelbach described this summer as both the best and worst of times - business is hitting numbers we havent seen in years as customers return and the mail-order meat business he started during the pandemic remains strong, but his staff of 20 is stretched. He still thinks the generous unemployment benefits hurt hiring, but his recent experience has also caused him to realize a lot of Americans are reassessing their careers and no longer want to work 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Idaho Statesman business reporter John Sowell contributed. Make minimum wage and need a 1-bedroom apartment in Idaho? Double your workweek hours Fight for employees forces up starting pay in Boise. Whos raising wages, offering bonuses Desperate Idaho restaurants are begging you to work for them, and theyre raising pay Fraudsters with stolen IDs flood Idaho agency with unemployment claims, force delays By Byron Kaye and Swati Pandey SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australian soldiers will help to enforce coronavirus isolation orders in the hard-hit city of Sydney, police said on Friday, as resentment seethed in some communities over new curbs to stem the highly contagious Delta variant. Prime Minister Scott Morrison held out hope of better times with a four-stage plan back to freedom but said 80% of adults would have to be vaccinated before the border can begin to open. Sydney's five million people are under a strict stay-at-home order because of a worrying surge of nearly 3,000 infections since the middle of June. Authorities have this week outlined even tighter restrictions for some worst-affected suburbs, including mandatory testing and mask-wearing outdoors. From Monday, some 300 army personnel will help police go door to door to ensure people who have tested positive are isolating, New South Wales police commissioner Mick Fuller told a news conference. "The sheer volume of increase over the last week, the level of compliance has gone from hundreds into thousands," he said. The military personnel will not be armed and will be under police command, he said. Australia had handled the coronavirus crisis much better than many other developed countries, with just over 34,000 cases and fewer than 1,000 deaths. But it has been achieved that largely by sealing its border to all but a trickle of people since the pandemic began. A vaccination drive that got off to a slow start because of a shortage of doses - only 18% of adults are fully vaccinated - coupled with the emergence of the virulent Delta variant have triggered new clusters, shaken public confidence and stirred anger. Sydney's latest surge of cases has been traced back to an unmasked, unvaccinated airport driver who got infected last month. Since then, Australia's biggest city has reported 13 deaths. On Friday, Sydney entered its sixth week of a nine-week lockdown with 170 new cases, down from a record 239 a day earlier. Of the new cases, at least 42 spent time in the community while infectious. Story continues State health minister Brad Hazzard said people were waiting too long to get tested after developing symptoms. FRUSTRATION OVER CURBS The outbreak has crossed Sydney from the affluent beachside district of Bondi to the poorer western suburbs, where community leaders said residents felt unfairly targeted by the new curbs. "They've got no other ideas than to bring in the military as a last resort because they're lost for answers on issues they created," said Steve Christou, mayor of the Cumberland area, where 60% of its 240,000 residents were born overseas. "They are a poor community, they are a vulnerable community, and they don't deserve these lockdowns or these extended and harsh measures," he said in a telephone interview. People in the western suburbs have been told to stay within 5 km (3 miles) of home and have a virus test every three days in order to be allowed to do essential work outside the area. Police have also been given powers to close businesses breaking the rules. With anger rising, the prime minister set out a four-stage escape route to freedom. Australia is now in phase A, or the suppression phase of the plan, with large parts of the country plunging in and out of lockdowns to stamp out the virus, Morrison told a news conference. Phase B would be reached when 70% of adults are vaccinated, which Morrison said would mean greater freedoms and special rights for the inoculated. He did not specify a timeframe but said phase B could be reached by Christmas. "Lockdowns in phase B are less likely, but they are possible," he said. Morrison said the border would be gradually reopened in phase C of the plan, when 80% of adults have been vaccinated. "We are vaccinating the nation, and that enables the nation to be able to move forward ... to the types of freedoms that we're seeking," he said. (Reporting by Renju Jose, Byron Kaye and Swati Pandey; Editing by Sam Holmes, Richard Pullin, Robert Birsel) A year ago, the Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA was among several tournaments canceled by the LPGA because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Thursday, the tournament has met the same fate. The LPGA announced that the 2021 Swinging Skirts, originally scheduled for Oct. 28-31 at Miramar Golf Country Club in New Taipei City, has been canceled again due to ongoing travel and border restrictions as well as the current health concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. We are thankful to Swinging Skirts, the Sports Administration, Ministry of Education, GAROC, and IMG for their continued support and efforts in trying to conduct the 2021 tournament, the LPGA also said in the statement. The LPGA Tour and Swinging Skirts remain committed in the events return to the 2022 Tour schedule. A 60-woman field will still compete in the Olympic womens golf competition in Tokyo next week. The LPGA just staged its fourth major of the year, the Amundi Evian Championship, in Switzerland. The ISPS Handa World Invitational is being played this week in North Ireland followed by tournaments in Scotland the next two weeks before the tour returns stateside. Related KABUL (Reuters) -"Anti-government elements" in Afghanistan attacked the main U.N. compound in the capital of the western province of Herat on Friday and at least one security guard was killed, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said. The attack, involving rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire, happened hours after Taliban fighters penetrated deep into Herat city, and there were heavy clashes with Afghan security forces near the UNAMA provincial headquarters, officials said. It also came as U.S.-led foreign forces near a complete withdrawal of troops and Afghan security forces struggle to hold back Taliban fighters in three major provincial capitals. In a statement following the attack, the United Nations said it was urgently seeking to establish a full picture of the assault and was in contact with the relevant parties. It was not immediately clear who attacked the compound, but a Western security official told Reuters all diplomatic compounds in the city were put on high alert. "The United States strongly condemns the attack on the United Nations compound in Herat," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement, reiterating a U.S. call for reduction in violence in Afghanistan. UNAMA said the attack was against the entrances of the compound that were clearly marked as a U.N. facility. This attack against the United Nations is deplorable and we condemn it in the strongest terms, said Deborah Lyons, the U.N. Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Afghanistan. UNAMA said no U.N. personnel were hurt. The Taliban put the incident down to possible crossfire. "It is possible that guards could have sustained harm in crossfire due to close proximity of the office to the fighting," the insurgents' spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said on Twitter. He added that Taliban fighters had "arrived at the scene" and that the compound was "not under any threat". Story continues The Taliban have already captured swaths of the province of Herat, which borders Iran, before entering the capital. A high-ranking foreign security official told Reuters Iranian border guards were on high alert as they fear many could flee across the border in coming days. Foreign staff in all embassy offices in the city had been advised to observe a strict lockdown, the official added. LASHKARGAH CLASHES Herat city is the second provincial capital the Taliban have entered in the last 24 hours. Insurgents entered Lashkargah, the capital of the southern province of Helmand, a day earlier, and clashes were under way there. Civilians rushed to evacuate the city. The Taliban, seeking to reimpose strict Islamic law after their 2001 ouster, have made swift territorial gains over the last two months but have not yet captured any provincial capitals. "Since Thursday morning, the Taliban have launched attacks from several directions on Lashkargah city," a government official told Reuters on the condition of anonymity. The official said government forces had thus far held back the Taliban with the help of airstrikes, but operations were hampered by the presence of civilians in the area. "Hundreds of families have left the area," Hafiz Ahmad, a resident of Lashkargah, told Reuters. He said those unable to move had locked themselves in their homes, and the city wore a deserted look as gun and artillery fire reverberated through neighbourhoods. A U.N. report this week said civilian casualties had been surging in recent weeks, with as many killed in May and June as in the previous four months. The report did not cover casualties in July, when fighting intensified further. KANDAHAR BATTLES Earlier on Friday, UNAMA expressed deep concern at the escalating violence in and around the southern city of Kandahar and warned of grave consequences for civilians. It said more than 230 civilians had been wounded, and there were reports that scores had been killed, over the last two weeks. A senior government official in Kandahar told Reuters that fighting between the Taliban and government forces had reached the central parts of the city, and residents feared insurgents could take over. Airstrikes targeted Taliban positions to ensure security forces' supply lines remained open in the besieged city, known as the birthplace of the Taliban. The United States' top regional military commander has said the U.S. Air Force had increased airstrikes to support Afghan forces - but declined to say whether this would continue after their military mission ends on Aug. 31. (Reporting by Kabul bureauEditing by Frances Kerry and Alistair Bell) Under Phuket Sandbox, tourists were not required to quarantine upon arrival, but they were required to stay in Phuket for a minimum of 14 days. Lauren DeCicca / Stringer / Getty Images Thailand has ordered the island of Phuket to be completely sealed off from the rest of the country. On July 1, Thailand opened the island to international vaccinated tourists without quarantine, a landmark moment for tourism in Southeast Asia. On July 28, Thailand recorded a daily record of 16,533 COVID-19 cases. Less than 6% of the country is fully vaccinated. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. The Phuket experiment lasted 30 days. On July 1, the Thai government launched a plan called Phuket Sandbox and opened up the island of Phuket to international vaccinated tourists without quarantine. On July 30, it announced it would seal the island off from the rest of the country. Under Phuket Sandbox, tourists were not required to quarantine upon arrival, but they were required to stay in Phuket for a minimum of 14 days before being allowed to travel to other parts of the country. All tourists were required to present a series of documents, including a certificate of entry, proof of vaccination, and a negative RT-PCR test. But now, as of August 3, travelers from other Thai provinces will no longer be allowed to enter Phuket, the Bangkok Post reported. Overseas travelers, however, will remain largely unaffected, per Reuters. The rule amounts to a walling off of Phuket from the rest of the country. Director-general Kajornsak Kaewjaras of the Department of Disease Control (DDC) said the situation in Phuket would be monitored for two weeks to decide whether the Phuket Sandbox can be relaunched, under its current parameters, per the Post. Insider has reached out to the Tourism Authority of Thailand for comment. Dale Ford is an American who has lived in Asia for 20 years and retired in Phuket six months before the pandemic began. He told Insider that the government's announcement didn't create any immediate change on the island. "Domestic travelers can no longer come to Phuket, but since the domestic flights from the red zone have been canceled for a week or so and even before that only fully vaccinated locals were allowed in Phuket, there hasn't been any noticeable change," Ford said. Story continues "Sandboxers are fully vaccinated, mostly with mRNA vaccines, and are tested four times," Ford added. "The worry shouldn't be about international travelers passing COVID-19 to the locals; the worry should be about the locals passing COVID-19 to the international travelers." The updated restrictions come as COVID-19 cases in Thailand soar: On July 28, the country recorded a daily record of 16,533 cases, Johns Hopkins University (JHU) data shows. It also continues to lag in vaccinations: Only 5.6% of the country's population is fully vaccinated. In Phuket, meanwhile, the story is starkly different: More than 60% of the island's population had been vaccinated by mid-July, Bloomberg reported. The US announced on July 29 that it would be sending 2.5 million vaccine doses to Thailand and Cambodia, with 1.5 million Pfizer doses set to arrive in Thailand on Friday. But the country is already facing down a health crisis, with hospitals on the brink of collapse and COVID-19 patients being moved to sleeper trains to get them out of Bangkok. Earlier this month, Insider spoke to long-time Phuket residents and locals about their reactions to their island reopening to tourism. They expressed split sentiments: While some were proud of Phuket for being the first part of Thailand to reopen to tourists, others feared for their futures should another wave of COVID-19 break out. "If there is another outbreak, what are we going to do? Shut down again? Then what's next," said Pimchanok KhetARan, a 29-year-old sales executive who has lived in Phuket for seven years. To date, Thailand has recorded 543,000 COVID-19 cases and 4,397 deaths, per JHU data. Read the original article on Insider WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Friday it has approved the potential sale of 18 CH-53K heavy lift helicopters to Israel in a deal valued at up to $3.4 billion. The package would include engines, navigation systems, weaponry, support equipment, spares and technical support. Lockheed Martin Corp and General Electric Co are the prime contractors on the deal. The State Department said in a statement "the United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability." Despite the approval by the State Department, the notification does not indicate that a contract has been signed or that negotiations have concluded. (Reporting by Chris Sanders; Editing by Leslie Adler and Peter Graff) The United States has been forced to lay off more than 180 local employees and contractors at its embassy in Moscow and two consulates, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Friday. Driving the news: "Starting in August, the Russian government is prohibiting the United States from retaining, hiring, or contracting Russian or third-country staff, except our guard force," Blinken said in a statement. Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free. "We are deeply saddened that this action will force us to let go of 182 local employees and dozens of contractors at our diplomatic facilities in Moscow, Vladivostok, and Yekaterinburg." "These unfortunate measures will severely impact the U.S. mission to Russias operations, potentially including the safety of our personnel as well as our ability to engage in diplomacy with the Russian government," he noted. Blinken said the United States regrets the directive's impact on workers but will adhere in order to pursue a "predictable and stable relationship with Russia." The big picture: After the United States discharged some Russian diplomats earlier this year, the Russian government barred non-Americans from working at the United States' three diplomatic missions, the AP reports. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's arrest, American sanctions on Russia for the latter's interference in the 2020 election and alleged Russian involvement in cyberattacks on critical U.S. infrastructure all played a role in the decision making, per AP. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administrations office in Haiti mishandled a major investigation into a Colombian ship loaded with hundreds of kilos of cocaine and heroin, including assisting and paying Haitian officials to destroy some of the drug evidence, according to a U.S. special counsels report issued Friday. The DEAs botched procedures were highlighted by the Office of Special Counsel in a letter to President Joe Biden in which the drug agencys own findings and report on the 2015 narcotics-trafficking case involving the MV Manzanares ship were found to be unreasonable. [S]ince the U.S. government expends resources for the DEA to operate in Haiti, it is incumbent on the agency to be as effective as possible in its mission to disrupt the flow of illegal drugs into the United States, wrote Special Counsel Henry Kerner, who was tasked with assessing the allegations of wrongdoing by two former DEA agents in Haiti. Kerner criticized the agencys claim that because it has a limited role in promoting seaport security, it is not accountable for the effectiveness of its work in Haiti, calling that assertion not reasonable. He also said the DEA does not adequately explain its destruction of drugs in the Manzanares investigation and that the agency failed to explain why there was a significant delay in severing ties with a corrupt Haitian official. The counsels report is based on two former DEA agents once stationed in Port-au-Prince who filed whistle-blower complaints. In his letter to the president, Kerner urged the DEA to more closely review its operations in Haiti and implement measures to improve its effectiveness. In a news release issued Friday, Kerner said the DEA whistle-blowers claims were serious allegations. Although coincidental, the long-awaited special counsels report was released just weeks after the assassination of Haitis president, Jovenel Moise, on July 7. How the DEA, whose Haiti narcotics unit falls under the authority of the agencys Caribbean office in San Juan, Puerto Rico, plans to carry out any corrective measures remains to be seen. The special counsels report clearly lays out serious flaws in the way that the DEA supervisor agents in Haiti investigated the Manzanares case a bungled probe that was exposed by the Miami Herald in 2018. Story continues A spokesman for the U.S. Office of Special Counsel said an unreasonable finding is fairly uncommon in disclosure cases. The determination itself does not initiate corrective actions, though OSC alerts both the president and the congressional committees of jurisdiction to its finding, which could initiate further oversight, said spokesman Zachary Kurz. Not only did the DEA assist the Haiti National Police in destroying some of the drug evidence and pay them $1,500 for costs, but most of the cocaine and heroin smuggled on the ship into a private seaport near Port-au-Prince went missing. The 700 to 800 kilos of cocaine and 300 kilos of heroin hidden among bags of sugar in the hull of the ship had an estimated U.S. street value of $100 million, authorities said. Perhaps most significant, because of the DEAs mishandling of the Manzanares case, federal prosecutors in Miami were able to bring criminal charges only against a low-level stevedore who was implicated in the narcotics probe. The stevedore cooperated with federal prosecutors, received a lenient one-year prison sentence and then was granted asylum in the United States after establishing a fear of persecution in his homeland. Other than the conviction of Gregory George, whose life had been threatened repeatedly while he had been in jail in Haiti, no other suspects in the Manzanares investigation were brought to justice in Miami. The case, with the statute of limitations having expired, is effectively closed contrary to assertions by the DEA in the special counsels letter to the president. One of the DEA whistle-blowers who filed the complaint against the agency said it was a conflict of interest that the agency itself was assigned the initial task by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to investigate the claims of wrongdoing. More significantly, the former DEA agent, who had worked for the agency for 23 years and is now retired, said the Manzanares case exposed how his bosses in Haiti failed to fight the influx of drugs flowing through the island into the United States. It was a cover-up, Keith McNichols told the Miami Herald in an interview. One of my big complaints was all the millions of dollars in U.S. taxpayer money that was wasted in fighting drug trafficking in Haiti. ... Nothing is being done in Haiti. There is a floodgate of dope coming through Haiti. McNichols lawyers also echoed his views, saying the DEAs own probe of the bungled Manzanares case is nothing more than a buddy system where the higher-ups protect their own. For example, the DEAs country attache in Haiti, Shawn Alexander, who was implicated in the corruption scandal by McNichols and the second whistle-blower, was eventually reassigned to the agencys office in South Florida. Alexander, a supervisor in the DEAs Homestead office, did not respond to a request for comment. We dont have any confidence that DEA is going to do the right thing in pursuing justice, said attorney Tom Devine, who represented McNichols along with lawyer Samantha Feinstein at the Government Accountability Project in Washington, D.C. Were going to stick with it and brief Congress and hope that some lawmakers will take it seriously enough to put pressure on [them]. In their review of the whistle-blowers allegations, the DEAs chief counsel did not substantiate them, rejecting almost of all their claims including allegations that agents in Haiti had a corrupt relationship with a commander in the counter-narcotics squad in the national police. The governments Office of Special Counsel was so disappointed by the DEAs initial probe that it asked the agency to submit a follow-up report. The report stated that the DEA removed the Haitian law enforcement commander of that [counter-narcotics] unit in 2018 after the current Port-au-Prince Country Attache requested his removal due to corruption concerns, the DEA found, according to the special counsels letter to the president. DEA did not find sufficient evidence to support the whistle-blowers allegations that DEA denied resources for the Manzanares investigation. The US Justice Department ordered the Treasury on Friday to hand Donald Trump's tax records to Congress, in a major break in an investigation involving former president's finances launched in 2019. The Justice Department said the House Ways and Means Committee, which sought six years of records that some believe could expose questionable accounting, had a legitimate reason to see them. "Access to former president Trump's tax returns is a matter of national security," said House speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress. "The American people deserve to know the facts of his troubling conflicts of interest and undermining of our security and democracy as president." The ruling was the second legal setback this year to the real estate tycoon's longstanding efforts to keep his tax filings, which include asset, income and tax payment data, from becoming public. In February the Supreme Court declined to block a subpoena of Trump's taxes by a New York prosecutor investigating his business and personal financial dealings. In that case the records are protected from being disclosed to the public. If the records are turned over to the House committee, which wanted them in a probe of the Internal Revenue Service, there is a much greater chance of their being revealed. All US presidents since Richard Nixon, who took office in 1969, have made public their tax and asset records. But from before he was elected Trump refused to divulge data on his income, claiming that his records were "under audit" by the IRS. If true, that audit remained incomplete by the time he left office on January 20, an extraordinary time for such a process to still be running its course. Meanwhile the Treasury and Justice Department, at the time led by Trump loyalists, resisted subpoenas to hand the records over, forcing the committee to pursue the case in the courts. Committee chairman Richard Neal had argued that his members needed the returns to understand how the IRS conducts its presidential audits and whether Trump had exerted "undue influence" over the agency. Story continues "Without reviewing the requested return materials, the committee cannot ensure that the IRS's audit process is functioning fairly and effectively, understand how provisions of the tax code are implicated by President Trump's returns, or exercise its legislative judgment to determine whether changes to the code may be warranted," the panel said in 2019. But behind that question are suspicions that billionaire Trump has manipulated the tax code to pay very little, and may have significantly broken tax laws, as alleged in the New York investigation. pmh/ft The Guardian US viewers have been able to see everything at any given moment while understanding fundamentally nothing about whats going on The womens 100m final was a brilliant spectacle but you might have had to wait to watch it. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters If theres one message the Olympics unfailingly conveys, its that elite competition is all about making the right choices. At a certain point every athlete needs to make the decision not to do certain things: the fencer lunging for the head ra Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, right, greets U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Wednesday. The U.S. says India remains a priority. (Jonathan Ernst / Pool Photo) Eric Garcetti is not exactly a household name in India. The Los Angeles mayor whom President Biden nominated to be his ambassador to New Delhi has raised questions for some Indians about whether U.S.-Indian ties might change after the Trump-era favored-nation status. Administration officials insist India remains a priority and a vital partner. But few things can match the "Howdy, Modi" rally then-President Trump staged for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019 at a state fair in Houston. Modi responded in kind a few months later with a massive gathering billed as "Namaste, Trump" in India's Gujarat state. The two regularly heaped praise on each other, even as Modi's policies on human rights and democracy were criticized as abusive. Garcetti, as a political appointee, has little expertise in India beyond several visits and a year of college study of two languages spoken here, Hindi and Urdu. He does not have much professional experience in diplomacy, although he has a master's in international relations and was a Rhodes scholar, and he chairs C40 Cities, a global network on climate change. Traditionally, U.S. envoys to New Delhi are steeped in knowledge of the complex, volatile region or have lofty credentials. It may not matter. "Overall, the trajectory of U.S.-India relations has been going steadily upward for two decades," said Vikram Singh, an India expert at the U.S. Institute for Peace's Asia Center. The changes in the relationship are more likely to be in form and efficiency, with the substantive issues too big to allow for major shifts in the dealings between the two countries, he said. Those include forming a bulwark against an aggressive China and U.S. requests for assistance on Afghanistan. The relationship "won't be performative, as it was with Trump," Singh said. "It will be much more businesslike." Singh noted there were already several touchstones for Garcetti: focus on an enormous city, issues like climate and energy, emerging technologies and the arts. Story continues Then-candidate Joe Biden and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti at a news conference in Westwood on March 4, 2020. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) It will be natural fit to go from Hollywood to Bollywood and Indias own tech industry, Singh said. Garcetti did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reaction in New Delhi to Garcetti's nomination has been subdued but generally positive. In a leading newspaper, the Hindu, commentator K.V. Prasad took note of "unflattering" assessments of Garcetti on his home turf but added he would be welcome here. He gets high marks for what is perceived as a close friendship with Biden, whom he served as a national campaign co-chair in 2020. "From the standpoint of India, what is important is that Mr. Garcetti can pick up the phone and talk to the President and the Vice-President when required to move the pieces to provide momentum to the bilateral global strategic partnership,'" Prasad wrote. Others are more dubious, especially given this delicate moment for India, with a flagging economy, devastation from the pandemic and worries about threats from neighbors such as China and Pakistan. "Garcetti is a rather lightweight appointment," said Mumbai resident Kishore Mandhyan, a retired senior United Nations official. "The appointment of an ambassador to India who understands the regional situation, who understands the internal situation in India, who understands his own government is very important. You would normally want somebody who can hit the ground running." Since taking office, Biden administration officials have taken pains to reassure the Indians of continued goodwill. "There are few relationships in the world that are more vital than the one between the United States and India," Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said this week as he visited New Delhi and met with Modi and other senior Indian officials. Biden, Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III telephoned their Indian counterparts within days of the inauguration, a sign of the high priority being given the longstanding partnership. India was part of Austin's first trip overseas as secretary, with both sides keen to enhance military cooperation as defense against China. Vice President Kamala Harris is of Indian descent, and there are numerous Indian Americans in senior government posts. India and the U.S. share wariness of an emerging China, on India's northern border and threatening to overpower numerous states in the Indo-Pacific region where the U.S. is focusing its own military and political resources. India also fears a return of the Taliban in Afghanistan, which would work with India's archenemy, the nuclear-armed Pakistan. India also is a partner in the so-called Quad, a "security dialogue" involving the U.S., India, Australia and Japan aimed at countering Chinese influence, especially in the South China Sea where Beijing is erecting military bases on the disputed islands of the region. Blinken spent about 24 hours in New Delhi, and repeatedly stressed the shared values of the worlds oldest democracy the U.S. and the largest India. In meetings with reporters, Blinken was asked if he had pressed Modi on human rights. Modi has come under severe international criticism, including from U.S. lawmakers of both parties though never a cross word from Trump on several steps he has taken to consolidate power and promote his party's Hindu nationalist agenda. For example, he pushed through Parliament an act that makes it more difficult for India's Muslim population to acquire full citizenship, and he has repressed dissidents and opposition news media. Blinken said he raised these problems while continuing to celebrate a shared set of values that underpins the two countries democracies. We view Indian democracy as a force for good in defense of a free and open Indo-Pacific indeed, a free and open world, Blinken said at a news conference, with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar at his side. We also recognize that every democracy, starting with our own, is a work in progress, Blinken continued. Were at moments when the challenge [to democracy] is painful. It can even be ugly. But as democracies, we deal with it openly. No democracy, regardless of how large or how old, has it all figured out. Jaishankar seemed to hit back, albeit subtly, at Blinken, saying recent policy decisions in India were taken to right historical wrongs. Freedoms are important, we value them, but never equate freedom with nongovernance or lack of governance, he said. They are two completely different things." Some local journalist organizations and other activists attacked Blinken for failing to take on the Indian government with sufficient force. It is not yet clear how Blinken's comments went over with Modi, who takes umbrage at most criticism. It will be a challenge now left to Garcetti, assuming he is confirmed by the Senate, and it could be a prickly endeavor when he moves into the heavily guarded Roosevelt House in the verdant 28-acre Delhi compound that contains the embassy and other official U.S. properties. Five chandeliers grace the wide entry hallway, where photographs of almost every U.S. president since Franklin Roosevelt, all of whom visited India, line the marble walls. U.S. ambassadorships can be political plums, with assignments to more ceremonial embassies like those in the Holy See or Paris often doled out as rewards. For Garcetti, the posting to a country like India, which plays such a significant and precarious role in international geopolitics, will be a complicated test. Milan Vaishnav, director of the South Asia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said many in India have a model for what a good U.S. ambassador should be: He or she has the ear of the president; is prominent in his or her own right, so as to carry a certain cachet; and has the need to make a mark on a high-profile stage, which will make him or her enthusiastic about the job. And for the 50-year-old mayor with aspirations to higher national office, the job will give him a chance to burnish his international credentials, what Vaishnav called the missing piece in his CV. "Garcetti fits the bill," Vaishnav said. Clearly the missing piece in his resume is the diplomatic and international dimension. Hes going to want to prove himself. Nirupama Rao, a former Indian foreign minister, also welcomed the Garcetti appointment. She said she was confident the strength of the India-U.S. relationship and its pragmatic imperative will allow the two sides to speak about delicate issues such as human rights. Both countries, being the complex plural societies they are, have work to do in this field, she said. The important factor is that in a durable and resilient relationship such as that between India and the U.S., the two sides have to build habits of listening to each other, avoiding public spats on such issues, and cultivate a constructive dialogue that enables each of them to understand each other better. A.K. Merchant, a leader in the minority Bahai community in New Delhi, needed prompting in remembering Garcettis name he knew it was someone from California. Merchant was emerging from a meeting with Blinken where he and other members of the Indian civil society explained the difficulties religious minorities face under the Modi government, one of the challenges awaiting Garcetti. Let us see what happens, Merchant said. Special correspondent Parth M.N. in Mumbai contributed to this report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. DETROIT (AP) The White House and Canada issued a joint statement of support for a commuter bridge that when completed will span the Detroit River, connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. The statement issued Thursday calls the Gordie Howe International Bridge a top infrastructure priority for both governments. Were committed to continuing our support to ensure the projects state-of-the-art ports of entry are fully funded so vehicles can begin crossing the architecturally stunning cable-stayed structure once completed for the benefit of our shared prosperity, the statement read. It comes as U.S. President Joe Biden and Republican senators try to work out a compromise over a nearly $1 trillion infrastructure package. Seventeen GOP senators joined all Democrats in voting this week to start a debate to consider the bill. The plan includes $550 billion in new spending beyond the typical highway and public works accounts. This full-throated support of this vital bridge comes as President Biden and Congress continue to make progress on bipartisan and significant investment in transportation and other infrastructure, Michigan Gov. Whitmer said in her own statement. The ongoing construction of this bridge has created jobs on both sides of the border, and will continue to spur economic development for many years to come. This bridge also affirms Michigans ongoing partnership with Canada, the top purchaser of U.S. goods among countries. In 2012, then-Gov. Rick Snyder and former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper struck a deal calling for Canada to pay for the bridge after the Republican governor ran into opposition in the GOP-led Legislature. The $4.4 billion ($5.7 billion Canadian) six-lane, span is expected to open in late 2024. Its named for Gordie Howe, a native of Canada and hockey legend who starred for the Detroit Red Wings. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the Detroit-Windsor, Ontario, corridor was the busiest commercial land crossing on the U.S.-Canada border, handling more than 30% of truck-hauled trade. The privately owned Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel are the only current commuter crossings between the cities. WASHINGTON President Joe Biden found out about a significant move by his public health officials this week one that created the most visible symbol yet of his setback in the battle against Covid-19 around the same time the news was breaking on cable television. The Tuesday afternoon timing of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's official recommendation that individuals who are vaccinated might need to wear masks in some areas left White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who had repeatedly insisted in recent days that they did not, as the first public official to face questions on a policy shift White House officials had only recently learned of themselves. "We are always going to be guided by our North Star, and that is the CDC and our health and medical experts," she said in response to a crush of questions Monday, as rumors swirled ahead of the official announcement. Throughout the White House, the swift policy change caught staffers by surprise, but the dynamic was far from unfamiliar: Since Biden took office, much of the decision-making and messaging around pandemic policy has been in the hands of public health officials, not politicians. The hands-off approach has at times left his White House scrambling to find its footing in the wake of some of the agency's most consequential moves. It's a stark reversal from the Trump administration, which was accused by some members of its own coronavirus task force of interfering in public health decisions and releasing false information that contradicted the messaging from CDC officials. But it's an approach that has come with its own set of drawbacks. It has fallen on the White House to deal with the aftermath of confusing messages out of the agency on whether schools can reopen if teachers aren't vaccinated or if it's safe for vaccinated people to travel. When peppered with questions about why restrictions are still in place for travel to many countries, a decision that has frustrated the tourism industry and Americans with family abroad, the White House has deferred to its public health officials, who haven't provided a clear rationale. Story continues Now, medical experts say this week's announcement that vaccinated people might need to put their masks back on has suffered from the same lack of clear, unified messaging that plagued the spring guidance that they could take them off leading to a similar swell of public confusion. "This has been a consistent problem with the CDC," said Dr. Leana Wen, a former Baltimore health commissioner. "The same thing happens back in May, where they got the science right but the policy and communications really confused. And that directly led to where we are today." While the CDC and West Wing are in near-daily contact, administration officials said the timing of the mask announcement was driven by the agency. We are dealing with a constantly changing virus, evolving and mutating and generating new threats," one official said. "When that happened in 2020, politics and preferred messaging trumped public health, with a president who buried his head in the sand at best and overruled or contradicted public health leaders at worst. The science is the science, and thank God we follow it because lives are at stake here." But so, perhaps, is Biden's presidency. The gap between White House hopes and the CDC's hard reality has come into especially sharp relief over the course of the past week, as a cascade of events have left the summer of freedom Biden predicted in June, and potentially his wider agenda, increasingly under threat. Covid cases have spiked due to the rapidly spreading delta variant. New data indicates that even vaccinated people may be able to spread the virus. The number of new daily vaccine doses delivered has plateaued at levels far below spring highs. And the virus's continued threat has hit home for Biden in recent days, with infections in a fully vaccinated White House staffer, an aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a group of Texas state representatives who visited with Vice President Kamala Harris. During a presidential trip to Pennsylvania on Tuesday, White House officials found themselves trying to determine if the Mack Trucks plant he was touring was in a "yellow zone," which would allow him to remain mask-free, or an "orange zone," which would have required him to don a face covering in public for the first time in two months. (A CDC map with county-level data based on weekly averages from three days ago indicated it was yellow, though the neighboring county was orange.) Back in Washington, the White House was nearing the end of a month that began with an "independence from the virus" bash with a far more subdued tone. Just over an hour after the CDCs mask announcement on Tuesday, a White House aide began handing out masks to reporters planning to cover an event with the vice president, telling them that Washington now fell into the category of substantial risk areas where the CDC advised mask use. At the event, Harris sounded a frustrated note. "Nobody likes wearing a mask," she said. "Get vaccinated." By the end of the day, the entire West Wing was again masked including the president. The abrupt policy directives from public health officials within the administration have left the White House visibly struggling with how to respond to the evolving dynamic around the pandemic. "It is really a challenge, because of course we want to support the CDC, and you dont want people to lose trust in the CDC," Wen said. "But it makes our job as public health leaders much harder, because we are now trying to defend a message from the CDC that is convoluted and confusing." In the absence of a coordinated administration push on mask guidance changes this week, Republicans quickly moved to fill the void, calling the announcement an overreaction, government overreach and a politically driven move. "Dont surrender to COVID. Dont go back! Why do Democrats distrust the science?" said former President Donald Trump, who usually refused to wear a mask even before he was vaccinated, in a statement to supporters. "Dont let this happen to our children or our Country." The public marks for Biden's handling of the pandemic have dipped just slightly since May to 59 percent approving of the job he is doing and 35 percent disapproving, according to the FiveThirtyEight polling average. But the rise in Covid cases in recent weeks has appeared to contribute to a rising pessimism among Americans, according to a recent ABC News/Ipsos poll, which found 55 percent of Americans saying theyre pessimistic about the year ahead, versus 45 percent who say theyre optimistic. Thats a sharp reversal from April, when 64 percent said they were optimistic about the next year, while 36 percent said they were pessimistic. Amid the souring public mood, administration officials defended their pandemic messaging approach. "Last year, when things changed and cases spiked, the consequences of inaction or conflict or overruling experts were thousands of dead Americans," the administration official said. "We arent going to let that happen." We know we will not be able to please everyone and we know this is a challenging plan to prepare; however, our number one priority is to have our students in-person, five days a week, and to safely educate and serve them, Eagle said. NCPS is grateful for such an understanding and supportive community and we appreciate their feedback. Until the Nelson County School Board has a chance to vote on the matter, all NCPS schools will adhere to current guidelines regarding face masks. Regardless of vaccine status, all students, staff and visitors are required to wear face coverings while indoors when students are in the building. All staff also must wear masks unless they are working alone or not in common areas. All students and staff also must wear masks while riding on buses until further notice. Masks are not required in outdoor settings or where in-person instruction is not taking place. In the event of a positive case, the goal is to quarantine as few close contacts as possible, the release states. With a public order requiring masks now over, the two state agencies released guidance stating local school divisions now had the authority to implement masks policies based on community health metrics. As COVID-19 transmission begins to pick up, Lynchburg General Hospital is again starting to see the number of infected patients in the double digits, while more than half of adults in the greater Lynchburg area still are unvaccinated. With the more contagious delta variant rapidly spreading the coronavirus and causing more severe disease, particularly in undervaccinated areas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reupped masking requirements and refreshed calls for vaccinations in recent weeks. As a whole, Virginia has been experiencing moderate transmission of the disease especially compared to other states and Gov. Ralph Northam recommended, but did not require, residents to wear masks while indoors in high-risk areas Thursday. The Central Virginia Health District, made up of Lynchburg and the surrounding counties, is one of several areas in the state thats experienced consistently high levels of community transmission of the disease for more than a week, according to data from the CDC, making it one of those high-risk areas. As of Friday, Lynchburg General Hospital was treating 16 COVID-19 patients, five of them in the ICU and four of those five on a ventilator. Inge claimed many of the pictures and statements in the lawsuit are rife with, frankly, personal attacks that arent relevant to the case, and asked the court to order LU to cut out those portions of the complaint. If allowed to file the same sort of material, weve got a lot of things we could say about Liberty, he added. Scott Oostdyk, the attorney representing LU on Friday, maintained the question of whether Falwell had a duty to disclose the alleged extortion attempts at the time would be something for a jury to decide. Watson upheld most of the lawsuit at the close of Fridays hearing, which lasted a little more than two hours. Falwells 2019 contract, vital to most of the legal arguments in the case, will remain under a seal while both sides attorneys file arguments over whether to keep it protected in the next two weeks. Liberty will be able to alter sections of the lawsuit regarding digital and computer property LU alleges Falwell kept unlawfully after his resignation attorneys said Friday he kept a computer containing more than 100,000 of the universitys files on it. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Leamys comments earned a standing ovation from the community members in attendance. Sexual assault is going to happen. I think that this policy that came down from the VDOE is going to facilitate that, Leamy said. Bergin reiterated all students have access to other accommodations if they are uncomfortable, but Leamy still had concerns. In the instance where biological females are uncomfortable using the female restroom because transgender females are using the restroom and they opt to use the private restroom, why do they have to seek accommodation when the female restrooms were designed for biological females? Leamy said. Board vice chair Susan Kirby said she was not in favor of the proposed changes because transgender students would be offered a single-use, gender-inclusive bathroom as an alternative accommodation but not required to use a separate bathroom. I get it, I understand equality, I understand everyone should be treated fairly, but to some extent we need to make concessions, Kirby said. Kirby also added her concerns as a parent to a student in the division. The student vaccination rate in ACPS is 23%, or roughly 470 students ages 12 to 18, while about 1,600 are not vaccinated, Arnold said. In the upcoming school year that kicks off Aug. 18, 98% of students are coming back to learn in person five days per week while 72 students are staying remote through the states Virtual Virginia program, according to Arnold. The board agreed to give Arnold discretion to put the mask mandate in place if the numbers rise to levels reached during the height of the pandemic, which he described as a period from mid-November to early February. If we get to numbers like that and we dont have the mitigation factor of a mask in place, its going to explode in our buildings, Arnold said of ensuring the emergency trigger is in place. Board members John Grieser and Chris Terry both said the vast majority of people they have heard from voiced support for having masks optional. Personally, I would like to see it be up to the parents, up to the students, make it a family issue and let them determine, Terry said. I dont think anyone should have to wear it if they dont feel its best for them. The CDC on Tuesday walked back earlier guidance that said vaccinated Americans could opt out of wearing masks in most settings. Now, the CDC says even those who are vaccinated should resume wearing masks inside indoor public spaces if their localities are reporting more than 50 new infections per 100,000 residents during the past seven days, or if the seven-day positivity rate is higher than 8%. That includes most localities in the state, according to the CDCs COVID-19 data tracker. The CDC urged local and state health officials to examine its figures weekly and adjust local restrictions accordingly. The Northam administration, which controls public restrictions in the state, has declined to impose new requirements on Virginians, and will instead encourage people broadly to wear masks indoors. A Northam administration official said the CDCs new guidance would be confusing and practically impossible to enforce. The fast-changing local COVID-19 data could leave local health officials and businesses operating under new rules from one week to the next, and under different rules from one local county line to another. The official said the governor aimed to keep public guidance as simple as possible, with heavy emphasis on the need for people to get vaccinated. WASHINGTON (AP) The Biden administration announced new sanctions on Friday against Cuba's national revolutionary police and its top two officials as the U.S. looks to increase pressure on the communist government following this month's protests on the island. The Police Nacional Revolcionaria and the agency's director and deputy director, Oscar Callejas Valcarce and Eddie Sierra Arias, were targeted in the latest sanctions announced by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. The police are part of Cuba's interior ministry, which was already the subject of a blanket designation by the Trump administration back in January. "We hear the cries of freedom coming from the island. The United States is taking concerted action to bolster the cause of the Cuban people, President Joe Biden said at the start of a White House meeting with Cuban Americans not long after Treasury announced the sanctions. The administration says it is considering a wide range of additional options in response to the protests, including providing internet access to Cubans, and has created a working group to review U.S. remittance policy to ensure that more of the money that Cuban Americans send home makes it directly into the hands of their families without the government taking a cut. Biden added that more sanctions were in the offing. ROANOKE A counselor at a pain management and addiction clinic in Western Virginia has pleaded guilty to illegally distributing prescription medication. Charles Wilson Adams, of Dobson, North Carolina, worked for L5 Medical Holdings, which has locations in Christiansburg, Galax and Lynchburg, according to federal authorities. At a hearing Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Abingdon, Adams admitted he and other non-medical professionals controlled the treatment of patients, including prescribing them pain medications and Suboxone, which is used to treat opioid addiction, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office. Adams chose to use his position to assist in the illegal distribution of powerful opioids rather than their use for legitimate medical purposes, thus causing additional harm to the community, acting U.S. Attorney Daniel Bubar said in the release. It was not clear if Adams, 50, still works for L5 Medical Holdings. A call to a clinic official was not returned Thursday. Efforts to reach his attorneys also were unsuccessful. RICHMOND Virginia could set aside up to $1 billion in uncommitted federal aid as the General Assembly prepares to decide next week how to handle the $4.3 billion the state received under the American Rescue Plan Act. The budget Gov. Ralph Northam will propose would leave $800 million of the federal funds uncommitted, after rolling out plans to spend about $3.5 billion over the next 3 years. Its the responsible thing to do, Secretary of Finance Joe Flores said Thursday. House and Senate budget leaders said they want to push that number to $1 billion as a hedge against an uncertain recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic going into a potentially perilous fall and winter. We dont have to spend it all right now, House Appropriations Chairman Luke Torian, D-Prince William, said Thursday. The money can be spent through the end of 2024 six months after the end of the two-year budget the assembly will adopt early next year. We have plenty of time to appropriate those resources, Torian said. We dont need to do it all in one fell swoop. "I wasn't surprised by people's fear and anger about the situation," she said. "Everybody has an idea about what they think should have been the right decision to be made. I really thought that the school board would have their minds and their hearts with the children who are in the schools. It was clear that the school board was influenced by the turnout of the crowd." Simmons, who recently graduated from the University of Virginia, said she was surprised so few supporters of transgender rights attended the meeting. "There were so many people in our community who were not represented in that room and there is this false majority of people that were present in that room because of the fear that was installed in everyone that couldn't show up," she said. I feel like we're just letting our fear guide us. Will said the community needs to be more understanding. Think about your children, because I know some kids that are at my school and their parents are Republican but they want to come out as homosexual or transgender and theyre scared to because of their parents and the way their parents have brought them up," he said. "And theyre scared to come out because they think that their parents are going to yell at them." Japan has confirmed more than 10,000 daily coronavirus cases for the first time. The nationwide record is fueled by a surge of infections in the capital and surrounding area. That spike has the central government looking to expand the current emergency declaration to include four more prefectures. Prime Minister Sugar Yoshi hide said, "The government is dealing with the situation with a strong sense of urgency. At the request of local governments, I decided to call a meeting of experts on Friday to discuss the state of emergency and quasi emergency measures meant to curb the virus's spread." Tokyo and Okinawa are under a state of emergency, while four other prefectures have less restrictive "quasi-emergency" measures in place. The government plans to expand the emergency to include Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa and Osaka. If the plan becomes final, five other prefectures are expected to enter a state of "quasi-emergency." Under the restrictive measures, restaurants in Hokkaido, Ishikawa, Hyogo, Kyoto, and Fukuoka Prefectures will be urged to stop offering alcohol. Both types of states of emergency will likely be in effect between August 2 and the end of this month. Tokyo's case count topped 3,800 on Thursday, continuing a record-breaking upward trend. One expert within the Metropolitan Government called it an unprecedented, explosive surge. The head of the government's expert panel is also concerned. Government advisory panel chief Omi Shigeru said, "Now, there are barely any factors that could curb the number of infections." Omi warned that Japan's health care system will soon be overwhelmed unless society shares a sense of crisis. - NHK She said people have the misconception that being outdoors ensures safety, when the virus actually can spread in large dense crowds such as state fairs and large concert venues. Anytime we see a large congregation of people especially with the mixed vaccination status, were going to see high risk for transmission and increases in transmission, she said. In addition, the delta variant is two to three times more transmissible than prior virus strains, creating an additional risk among fairgoers as they stand in line for food, share condiment dispensers and hop into carnival rides, Srinivas said. The Iowa State Fair will be in Polk County, where health department spokeswoman Nola Aigner Davis expressed concern about the states virus trends and a reluctance to get vaccinated or wear masks. We know what the numbers say. We know that our cases are going up. We know trends are going up. What is the safe thing to do when people cant get vaccinated? They need to wear a mask, Davis said. Asked Wednesday if she was concerned about infections at the Iowa State Fair, Gov. Kim Reynolds didnt directly answer but advised potential fairgoers to get vaccinated and noted most people hospitalized with COVID-19 have not been vaccinated. It was so exciting. The atmosphere, you can feel it, the vibrancy and buzz and the nervousness. It was a wonderful group of candidates this year, all very active in their communities, she said. It went really well. It was really warm, but it was good. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Vorthmann, the daughter of Kelby and Jennifer Vorthmann, said of winning, to be honest, I didnt really expect it at first. I thought this year I might just learn the ropes, she said. Its exciting. And now shell compete for the title of Iowa State Fair queen. Vorthmann is a member of the Silver Keg Feeders 4-H club and has been in 4-H for eight years. When shes not handing out ribbons this Westfair, shell be showing off livestock. Vorthmann showed her sheep on Thursday, and will show market hogs, breeding heifers and feeding calves today and market cattle on Saturday. Shes also participating in apple pie baking on Sunday, while on Wednesday she showed off her static project which is agriculture-focused. After high school Vorthmann plans to attend Northwest Missouri State, where shell study agriculture science with a focus on ag business and animal science. But for now, shes enjoying her crown and all that Westfair has to offer. DES MOINES Gov. Kim Reynolds on Wednesday again urged Iowans to get vaccinated as the best defense against COVID-19 and its variants, but expressed frustration with changing federal mask guidelines she said are counterproductive in conveying a consistent message. Speaking to reporters, the governor said she has not seen data to support new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending that even vaccinated people who live in communities with elevated transmission rates again wear masks indoors. Many but not all counties in Iowa are rated as having substantial or high rates of virus transmission. According to state data released Wednesday, Iowa has seen an average of 308 new COVID-19 cases a day over the last week the highest it has been in over two months. As of Wednesday, the last day of available data the state reports COVID numbers weekly now Pottawattamie County was at a 17.9% seven-day positivity rate and 11.5% 14-day positivity rate, according to state public health data at coronavirus.iowa.gov. The site showed that 32% of positive cases over the previous seven days were among 18 to 29 year olds. Reynolds said that new cases have been similar regardless of whether states have mask mandates 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. The railroad, the Iron Horse, the pioneers who would plow the land, the merchants who would supply them with their needs and those who would help build towns didnt arrive in North Platte at the same time. But as the twin ribbons of steel were tied to the prairie, they began to come together. It was soon after Nov. 9, 1866, the day North Plattes first store (Peniston & Miller) opened for business, that the railroad made its way into what would eventually become North Platte. Union Pacifics chief engineer, Gen. Grenville M. Dodge, began to lay out the site for the city on Sections 32 and 33, Township 14, Range 30 and Section 4, Township 13, Range 30. Log houses and shacks began to spring up. The population soon swelled to more than 2,000 people, most of them railroad workers but many of them unwelcome camp followers, gamblers, frontier toughs and unprincipled women. The tracks through North Platte supported their first train on Dec. 3, 1866. In June 1867, when the railroad had been completed to Julesburg in Colorado Territory, the construction gang moved there. A considerable portion of the town went along, packing up temporary buildings, belongings and even the towns first newspaper. Lincoln County Treasurer Shelli Franzen resigned Friday before an emergency meeting of county commissioners. Franzen was arrested Thursday in connection with an investigation of financial transactions in her office that were personal in nature, according to the North Platte Police Department. She was released from the Lincoln County Detention Center Friday after posting 10% of $10,000 bail, according to jail officials. No formal charges have yet been filed against Franzen, who had been treasurer since replacing ousted predecessor Lorie Koertner in mid-2019. Franzen had been in custody on suspicion of felony theft by deception, $1,500 to $5,000, and official misconduct by a public servant, a misdemeanor. Before Fridays emergency County Board meeting could begin, Deputy County Attorney Tyler Volkmer announced he had received Franzens letter of resignation. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} He said that negated the need for the emergency meeting. Commissioners will consider accepting Franzens resignation at Mondays regular County Board meeting. Board Chairman Kent Weems issued a press release after Fridays announcement. 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 June 23 to July 5, about 31,000 households statewide are not paying rent and more than 174,000 have no confidence they could pay next months rent. The Census survey found that more than 53,000 respondents said it was very likely they would have to leave their homes because of eviction in the next two months. More than 61,000 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. Ken Perkins, president of the retail research firm Retail Metrics, said that Walmart's move could serve as a green light" to other companies to require vaccines, given its massive following and its location. It's based in the middle of the country," Perkins said. They speak to the lower-, middle-income shoppers and workers." Walmarts dramatically shifting policy reflects the growing worry about the rising infection rates. We continue to watch with deep concern the developments of the pandemic and the spread of variants, especially the delta variant," wrote Donna Morris, Walmart's chief people officer, in the memo circulated to employees that was shared by the company. We know vaccinations are our solution to drive change. We are urging you to get vaccinated and want to see many more of you vaccinated. In a separate memo sent to employees who work at the company headquarters, Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Walmart Inc., wrote, The virus is not over, and the delta variant has led to an increase in infection rates across much of the U.S." The retailer has seen a positive response" to the first financial incentive and is anticipating the sweetened perk will drive a similar response from workers, Pope said. HOUSTON (AP) ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill, one of the Texas blues rock trio's bearded figures, died at his Houston home, the band announced Wednesday. He was 72. In their Facebook post, guitarist Billy Gibbons and drummer Frank Beard said Hill died in his sleep. They didn't give a cause of death, but a July 21 post on the band's website said Hill was "on a short detour back to Texas, to address a hip issue." At that time, the band said its longtime guitar tech, Elwood Francis, would fill in on bass, slide guitar and harmonica. Born Joe Michael Hill in Dallas, he, Gibbons and Beard formed ZZ Top in Houston in 1969. The band released its first album, titled "ZZ Top's First Album," in 1970. Three years later it scored its breakthrough hit, "La Grange," which is an ode to the Chicken Ranch, a notorious brothel outside of a Texas town by that name. The band went on to chart the hits "Tush" in 1975, "Sharp Dressed Man," "Legs" and "Gimme All Your Lovin'" in 1983, and "Rough Boy" and "Sleeping Bag" in 1985. The band's 1976 "Worldwide Texas Tour," with its iconic Texas-shaped stage festooned with cactuses, snakes and longhorn cattle, was one of the decade's most successful rock tours. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey appointed Jessica Ventiere as Lee Countys new district attorney Thursday after the last district attorney, Brandon Hughes, pleaded guilty to two felonies. I am honored to accept Governor Iveys appointment as District Attorney of Lee County, Ventiere said in a statement. I am humbled by this opportunity, and I look forward to continuing to serve the citizens in Lee County. In the governors letter to the new district attorney, she asks Ventiere to be a good steward of the taxpayers money and work to instill trust in government. I have made honesty and integrity a priority in my Administration, and I know that you will embody these two virtues while serving the people of Alabama, Ivey said in her letter. The responsibility that comes with this appointment is not to be taken lightly. I trust that you will rise to the occasion and set a standard for others to follow. Ventiere formerly served as the as the chief assistant district attorney under Hughes before becoming the countys district attorney pro tem following Hughes indictment Nov. 6, 2020, for multiple felony charges, which included five counts of using a position for personal gain, one count of conspiracy to commit theft and one count of first-degree perjury. White Demon is garbage, so I wasn't even gonna try it with this bs anyway. Reply Thread Link Seriously. Someone accusing MD of being a opportunistic greedy asshole? That's a given. I feel so bad for her. I wonder if she can sue for defamation of character or something (ONTD Legal Dept, what do you think?) Reply Parent Thread Link it was an interesting read but a big part of the reason AMANDA KNOX is so popular here is because of her family's push to get extensive media coverage around it (which i think was the correct move). if they hadnt done that we probably would have not really known about the case in the US. anyway amanda knox is innocent and i cant imagine how terrible it has been for her from the day of her arrest Reply Thread Link There was already an enormous amount of British media coverage and demonization of Amanda. They picked her as a the most exciting story since she was an American with all the stereotypes they could put on her. Remember, there were two other Italian roommates that got out of the whole thing with almost no media attention. There was just no way for her to get fair judicial treatment once the media turned their eyes to her. Reply Parent Thread Link Im pretty sure Ananda didnt murder Meredith but she still seems like an awful person. I wish she would just go away. She could absolutely disappear into anonymity again if thats what she truly wanted. We live in a culture where people have short attention spans. Reply Thread Link What makes you think that? Genuinely curious, I know about the case and that she was wrongfully convicted but not much else about her personally. Reply Parent Thread Link I think it was the way she responded to her murder while she was detained in jail; it was strange at best, but I also dont know if thats an accurate depiction of her response because it came from Italian authorities. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Oop, just read her wiki and she falsely blamed a bar owner for the murder, (a man of African descent), so thats even worse Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Based on the twitter thread she posted, she tried to both go back to school as well as work a minimum wage job and was harassed by strangers while doing so. Edited at 2021-07-30 04:00 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link She could absolutely disappear into anonymity again if thats what she truly wanted. We live in a culture where people have short attention spans. This whole post is literally about them making a movie inspired by her case without her consent. It's not (just*) her keeping herself in the public eye. *saying just only because she does have a twitter account. Reply Parent Thread Link she would have to change her name to live any sort of anonymous life Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Thats how I feel too. At best, shes been very callous about Merediths death. She tweets some joke about it at least once a year as if a woman wasnt brutally murdered. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link didn't she made a gofundme for her wedding? Reply Parent Thread Link Americans always defend her but her behavior after Meredith was found, her jokes about Meredith and her accusing a black man of murder speak volumes about this person. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link She's literally trying to just go away and she can't because they keep on making media about her without her consent? Reply Parent Thread Link She literally tried to "go away." She went to school and worked in a bookstore but was constantly harassed. She can't have a normal job because people won't let her. Reply Parent Thread Link Damn she went in. Good for her for speaking up, and if Matt has any guts he'll take the invite and go on her show and apologize. But I doubt it. Reply Thread Link It would be glorious but he definitely won't. Reply Parent Thread Link this is just really deeply fucked up and we REALLY need to reevaluate our relationships with celebrity, true crime, and the depictions of real people's lives in media. this also makes me think of Zola i read that the real Stefani did not want the movie to be made and does not wish to be associated with those events in her life anymore. but she's apparently unlikable so who cares. same thing with the depiction of Asia Argento in Roadrunner. they didn't bother to reach out to her but they sure did bother to imply really really hard that she was an awful person whose actions may have driven Anthony Bourdain to die by suicide! even if she is a terrible person i still have a huge issue with the presentation of that movie and the way it piles on the angry comments from his friends about his death. it's a garbage fire and i'm glad some media is holding the director accountable for his choices in that film. i think artists can be so fucking callous in how they treat real people's lives as if anything is justified in the pursuit of their art. who cares who gets hurt? i had to express myself!!! there really needs to be a reckoning around this. i literally could sit here and write a dissertation, i can think of so many examples just off the top of my head. whew i'm mad. Reply Thread Link I'm ready to read this dissertation!! Reply Parent Thread Link you jest but I would honestly love an ONTD U Dissertation Day post where people write thesis-level comments about overarching pop culture and media consumption issues that would probably never get discussed that in-depth in a regular post Reply Parent Thread Link oh damn, i hadn't heard any of that about roadrunner. my partner is a bourdain fan, so i told her we'd go see it this weekend. sounds like i should skip it? Reply Parent Thread Link i am a huge Bourdain fan and i really, really hated it. here is a more in depth article if you would like to read more before you decide: https://www.rogerebert.com/features/send-it-back-how-roadrunner-fails-anthony-bourdain Reply Parent Thread Expand Link but she's apparently unlikable so who cares. It's wild how much people change what they think someone else deserves based on whether they like them/find them attractive/find their lifestyle "appropriate," etc. It reminds me of how less attractive = less good in most peoples subconscious, so the less attractive you are the more likely you are to be convicted. Reply Parent Thread Link Well, the Zola situation is different since it's not only Jess'/stefani's story to tell or not to tell and she allegedly wasn't 100% honest with Zola either about what was going to happen in Florida. It's not just about her being unlikable especially since Zola was heavily involved in making the movie. Edited at 2021-07-31 02:05 am (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link I was thinking this in the Prince George tv show/Michael Che post. Like why are so many people including the artists themselves so up their own ass about the importance of their ~art. Just dont be a fucking dick. Being a dick isnt activism or inherently intelligent or whatever you think it is. Reply Parent Thread Link The true crime obsession has always bothered me since it comes out. Look at the way people talk about Burke Ramsey, or the McCanns or others as if theyre not REAL PEOPLE who experienced horrible tragedy. No they have their favourite murder. Even with Shanann Watts and her children, they pour over it like its entertaining and these were a woman and her two daughters killed in a horrible way by someone who was meant to protect them? How can you obsess over that? Some of the details of that case have made me cry and yet people talk about it constantly? How is that healthy? Reply Parent Thread Link This is why I could never get into true crime stuff, it feels grossly voyeuristic. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link it's always pretty easy to tell where someone is from by how they react to her the coverage of her case has been very different on both sides of the atlantic Reply Thread Link Its a great thread. I couldnt imagine how it must feel to have your name forever associated with a murder youre innocent of. The bit about how people refer to the case was really interesting to me. Reply Thread Link Needs the "Who Asked For This?" tag. Is Damon's appeal so strong people will want to see this obvious attempt at acting awards? Unfortunately for Knox, her case was a public spectacle and like others, she's now stuck with never having the ability to be forgotten. That's a terrible thing to have to live with. But I also feel for Kercher's family. Because their daughter gets no voice to correct what this film is saying about her and her murder. She's just a plot device now. Victimized again. This is a fictional film but everyone knows what and who it's about. Edited at 2021-07-30 03:52 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link Good for her. So many people still think she's guilty because of media like this. She might be trying to bail out a sinking boat with a thimble, but still. Good for her trying to reclaim her name and her story. Edited at 2021-07-30 03:45 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link i do wonder about the morality of using true crime cases for entertainment sometimes... and i do watch a lot of true crime Reply Thread Link Same. It's a moral dilemma for me, which has lead me to cut down watching true crime Reply Parent Thread Link it might be because i grew up watching them, but i definitely prefer more documentary series like forensic files rather than series that are all about one specific crime case because i feel like they are ... less romanticized? and i feel like the same might be said for the true crime podcasts (or it might be because they usually state when their sources are books so I automatically assume things might be biased) (and i am aware that this sounds slightly macabre, but I wish there were more podcasts about true crimes around the world, especially Italy, because Meredith Kercher's was not the only murder where the media went too far) Reply Parent Thread Link There have been quite a few true crime Netflix shows about crimes in Spain and they've been very helpful in unraveling the mistakes made in the investigation and press coverage of well known cases. They serve to highlight how the victims were failed and how things could have been done better. Also, these shows have the cooperation of the families, so they're tastefully done and without gossip purposes. There was one about three young girls who were murdered and it makes you cry and feel how the families were taken advantage of by the press when they just wanted help to find the murderers of their girls. Reply Parent Thread Link i think there's a respectful way to do it, and that is typically in the case of getting lesser known cases out there and of course not in an exploitative way. or in a way that focuses on the victims. that's typically the type of true crime i consume, not richard ramirez in american horror story or a ted bundy movie. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link a big part of it for me is that even if it's done with respect to the victims, or focusing on the failure of authorities, there's so much "this was a WoMaN! and here's how she was MuRdErEd!" that really turns me off. I wish all true crimes would spend more time contextualizing just how much violence is done to women, all the time, every day. not just scandalous unsolved crimes but how it's something that we constantly have to be wary of. Reply Parent Thread Link I honestly dont know how people can still think shes guilty. I find it so ignorant tbh. The facts of the case are so clear when you strip away all the bs and media frenzy. Reply Thread Link a lot of looks like people who bought into the initial Italian police reports and then because like, they hate being wrong have decided to ignore anything new or informative so they can be smug in their rightness about KNOWING who is a bad person Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah that's why it just reeks of ignorance to me. Even the people in this post saying they thinks she's a shitty person even if she's innocent. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link yep there's idiots in this post saying that "no one in Europe is convinced by her story" like what... Reply Parent Thread Link It reminds me of the Lindy Chamberlain case in Australia. Her tiny baby was taken by a wild animal and she was convicted and falsely imprisoned cos she didn't react the way people expected. And even now she'd have to live with people making "dingo took my baby" remarks like the death of her child and the destruction of her life was a joke. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I truly don't know much about her - like, I remember her name and the case being a thing a long time ago, but I didn't care about it at all so I never learned the details. But after reading this, I can see why she's mad, especially when people will surely confuse the plot of the movie with her actual case. Reply Thread Link Very interesting thread. Really hammers in that she's going to be the one dealing with the consequences of it. "Changes" or not. Also lol at how she spoiled the movie. Reply Thread Link And what a dumb twist tbh. You're supposed to be rooting for this dad to free his daughter and the whole time she IS guilty? Ok. Reply Parent Thread Link I knew this movie was shit when they used "Fortunate Son" in the trailer. nah. Reply Thread Link I hope that this isn't really making waves in the UK and that George's parents can shield him from it. And that like... kids at his school are unaware of it too. Idk. I'm just trying to imagine what it's like being an 8 year old and knowing how cruel kids can be... idk. I just hope George doesn't have to deal with this stuff irl. Reply Thread Link how many people in the US even have HBO Max? Gonna take that number and divide by 3 and assume thats the UK equivalent. Reply Parent Thread Link We don't have HBO Max in the UK at all, afaik - so the only people watching this are the ones torrenting it. It might get a trash tabloid article about Americans mocking the royal family, but no one's going to actually see it. Reply Parent Thread Link Havent seen any coverage of this at all in the UK yet (but would assume the Mail and other rags will pick up on it due to the US coverage). Edited at 2021-07-30 07:59 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link Of all the things fellow kids can roast him over, this would be very very very very very very far down the list. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link He's the Prince of England Thrice Removed. He's not going to get bullied over this by anyone in his cohort who is close to him. If he's on social media he would need to be protected, but if a kid at school gives him shit about it, that kid will be dealt with (lol the autosuggest for this was "death wish" which is probably not far off from the truth) in some kind of way. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I thought we all agreed this was in poor taste when he only did it on his tragic Instagram. Reply Thread Link And they still left in a joke about George making fun of Charlottes weight. Theres a quick moment when she picks up a croissant and he takes it out of her hands and puts it back. Reply Parent Thread Link oh wow... Reply Parent Thread Link "We" doesn't include the thousands of people who liked and commented on his posts. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Who is we? Yall dont hold no weight snksnksn Reply Parent Thread Link That disclaimer is flippant and obnoxious as fuck. Big time Sorry-you-are-offended vibes. Reply Thread Link Honestly... I'm still wondering who the audience is? like I can see this as a instagram/twitter/whatever and it being stupid but working, because it's tiny bite sized posts, but who's going to sit down for 30mins and want to watch an animated tv program of this? Edited at 2021-07-30 07:38 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link definitely side-eyed all the celebs who thought his Instagram posts were funny. Its basically assuming a little kid thinks his sister is fat and his aunt sucks especially those celebs that cry about protecting their kids privacy lol Reply Thread Link https://www.pajiba.com/celebrities_are_better_than_you/gary-janetti-meghan-markle-and-the-weakness-of-the-satire-defense.php Fuck Gary Janetti. During the height of the BLM movement, he quietly deleted a lot of the vile posts he made about Meghan Markle. I highly encourage you guys to read this article because it details just how fucked up he is. Reply Thread Link Kayleigh Donaldson has been on his ass about that account for years always interesting who liked his posts (looking at you Patrick J. Adams) Reply Parent Thread Link Shes a former ONTDer! So glad shes doing well. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I'm still sad the podcast ended so soon. Reply Parent Thread Link Patrick Adams liking that guys posts makes it so clear hes seething about the attention Meghan is getting. Reply Parent Thread Link Is Patrick the guy who played The Spirit because that film was shit Reply Parent Thread Expand Link He's fixated on that kid, it's disturbing. Reply Parent Thread Link I wish that the celebrities that would reply got heat too. I cant remember all of them, but I do remember Sarah Michelle Gellar posting a positive comment on one of those post that regarded Meghan Markle. But of course he is shit and deserves the worst. Edited at 2021-07-30 10:58 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link Out of all of the royals who would be so easy to parody they picked an actual child? Thats so low. Reply Thread Link The live action royal parody show was pretty good (and as far as I know didn't involve kids). How many royal parody tv shows are needed? Reply Parent Thread Link They should've just done a parody from the perspective of a corgi tbh Reply Parent Thread Link I regret to inform you that this exists. Reply Parent Thread Link What was HBO Max thinking by green lighting this. Reply Thread Link Don't forget HBO also greenlit a show with the plot "But what if the south won, guys???" Reply Parent Thread Link I don't know anything about this show but this is a dumb concept to begin with. Yes, the young kid should be off limits. The market is oversaturated with bad shows. Reply Thread Link Sometimes I feel insecure and bad about how little Ive accomplished in life, like Im so far behind of all my of peers and then I see something about this weirdo and Im like well, at least my biggest claim to fame isnt mocking a child who has no choice but to be in the public eye. Like why would you want your name attached to something like this? Reply Thread Link Not just attached, he's the voice of the character. It feels like all he did was Family Guy'd the Royals. Reply Parent Thread Link So Orlando didn't have a moment of ...maybe I should keep reading scripts or start begging for better ones. Reply Thread Link Orlando has two huge trilogies under his belt (Lord of the Rings and Pirates, which could be more than three movies I have no idea other than it's at least three) and he doesn't have to work another day in his life. He easily could've passed on this. Reply Parent Thread Link I'm tickled by the idea that he and Harry are apparently neighbors. So like you voice him in a parody and then wave at him when jogging in the neighborhood? Reply Parent Thread Link they chat. iirc when Harry was on Armchair Expert he had an anecdote about Orlando giving him a heads up about a pap in the neighborhood trying to get shots of him & his kid(s). v interestingggg. Reply Parent Thread Link Very Suri's Burn book of them. Reply Thread Link lol this is was my first thought My second was i dont recall anyone complaining about it back then Reply Parent Thread Link https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/you-let-it-out-suri-put-it-in-the-burn-book/2012/08/23/31ac4ca4-eaf9-11e1-a80b-9f898562d010_story.html https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2198303/As-snarky-blog-Suris-Burn-Book-gets-print-version-author-reveals-handled-THAT-divorce-draws-line-mocking-celebrity-kids.html Edited at 2021-07-30 08:32 pm (UTC) Oh they most certainly did. Many think pieces and the writer spoke out regularly about satire and ground rules and defended her right to do this. Reply Parent Thread Link Well they should have Reply Parent Thread Link This was real? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Everything about this is a mess. Even the heels on a literal child MESS Reply Parent Thread Expand Link That quote about the handbag barely makes sense and they decided it's witty enough to go on the cover. Reply Parent Thread Link omg Reply Parent Thread Link They got a book deal out of that? I always thought that account was really fucking weird, isn't there one with North West too? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I'm surprised Scientology never came for the author. Back then Tom and Katie were married. Reply Parent Thread Link Hmm I agree kids of celebs, politicians, royals, or any other media person should be off-limits. It's low hanging fruit. "Followers of Orlando Bloom and Sophie Turner have branded the actors as hypocrites for participating in the show while demanding privacy for their own children." 10000% Reply Thread Link Pretty much. How are you gonna work on a show that is literally centered around mocking a child and his family? How would Orlando Bloom feel if someone made a show about his kid, and how much his kid hated him? Reply Parent Thread Link That might be my favorite part tbh. Love when hypocritical celebs are called out on their bullshit. Reply Parent Thread Link The Biden administration is making strides in reducing the United States dependence on fossil fuels for its energy needs. The federal governments post-pandemic plan involves hundreds of billions in financing for renewable energy and electric vehicle projects. But it might be harder to get rid of oil and gas than some would like to believe. In a recent report commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute, PwC described the oil and gas industry as a critical one for the United States in terms of both direct and indirect impacts in the form of employment, labor income, and value added. The report makes for quite interesting and sobering reading. For example, the oil and gas industry employed 11.3 million Americans in 2019, both directly and indirectly. Labor income from these jobs, which PwC defines as wages and salaries, and benefits as well as proprietors income, came in at $892.7 billion for that same year. Finally, the value added by the oil and gas industry in the U.S. for 2019 came in at about $1.688 trillion. In other words, the oil and gas industry contributed close to $1.688 trillion to the national GDP. PwC noted that each direct job in the oil and gas industry supported another 3.5 in other industries. And that is counting only so-called backward linkages, as the authors of the report point out. Backward linkages refer to those with the industrys suppliers. Forward linkages, which were not included in the calculation of the impact of oil and gas on the U.S. economy, refer to those with the industrys consumers. Related: Top Oilfield Service Providers See Multi-Year Recovery Ahead Now, the pandemic last year wrought havoc on the oil and gas industry, but it didnt kill itit is far too big to kill, if you will. This year, it is in recovery mode, and even production has been growing consistently, albeit cautiously. Yet green transition plans envisage a much smaller role for oil and gas for the U.S. economy. What will replace it? The obvious answer would be Renewable energy. Yet wind and solar farm construction is very different from oil and gas production. Lets talk about employment as it would be the simplest example. Oil wells are drilled and then monitored and maintained. Solar farms, once built, need a lot less maintenance and monitoring than an oil wellafter all, thats one of the best things about solar; the panels just sit there soaking the suns heat, turning it into electricity. Oil and gas, meanwhile, need someone watching them flow out from the ground properly. What this means is that oil and gas production needs more people than solar farm operations. And what this means is that oil and gas production creates more jobs than solar farm construction could, on a permanent basis. On the one hand, this makes oil and gas an uneconomical industry. On the other, it creates jobs, and job creation is good for the economy. And what about those $1.688 trillion that oil and gas production, transport, storage, and property generated for the U.S. economy? Some $1.4 trillion of this total came from direct and indirect operations, PwC said. Capital investments by the industry added another $245.4 billion. The total amount accounted for 7.9 percent of U.S. GDP for 2019. Related: Can The Airline Industry Live Without Fossil Fuels? Here are some of the industries that oil and gas impacted indirectly with regard to GDP generation: the service sector was by far the most heavily impacted, followed by finance, insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing. Wholesale and retail trade was also considerably affected by oil and gas, as were manufacturing, transportation, and warehousing, and information, although to a lesser extent. The total indirect impact of oil and gas on these industries came in at $924.3 billion, in both operational and capital investment impacts. Now lets consider renewables and their impact on job creation and GDP. A 2016 report by the International Renewable Energy Agency estimates that Given the distributed and labor-intensive nature of renewable energy, direct and indirect employment in the renewable energy sector could reach 24.4 million people in 2030. Thats 24.4 million people globally. Also, the IRENA estimated that Doubling the share of renewables in the global energy mix increases global GDP in 2030 by up to 1.1%, equivalent to USD 1.3 trillion. Thats compared with $1.688 trillion in GDP contributions from oil and gas in the U.S. alone in 2019. In a more recent report, from last year, IRENA estimates that the total number of energy sector jobs globally will increase to almost 100 million under an energy transition scenario the agency called ambitious yet realistic that would allow the world to achieve its goal of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius. Thats almost a doubling of the 58 million employed in energy in 2017. As to what these renewable-energy jobs would be, IRENA is scarce on the details, mentioning renewable energy and energy efficiency as some job avenues in its scenario. At the same time, the agency forecasts a 40-percent decline in fossil fuel jobs in North America, as well as Europe. IRENA mentions the effects of the energy transition on GDP, too, noting these would be mostly positive, but they would depend on differences in the socio-economic starting point. Yet for North America, the agency sees GDP gains from the transition, to the tune of $659 per capita per year. From IRENAs perspective, this outweighs any economic benefits the oil and gas industry in any country could provide because these go hand in hand with emissions. However, the U.S. government data cited in the PwC report suggests that emissions or not, the contributions of oil and gas might be difficult to let go of. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Natural gas prices are rising across Europe and Asia due to tighter supply of the commodity, lower production in Europe, and lower exports from Russia, the Financial Times reports, noting the supply crunch may intensify in the coming weeks. In Europe, the report notes, prices for natural gas have hit 40 euros per mWh for the first time ever, with UK gas prices at the highest in 16 years. This is equal to approximately $14 per million British thermal units. In Asia, gas prices have hit $15 per mmBtu. The price situation may worsen still, according to analysts. If anything its surprising there hasnt been more concern, Tom Marzec-Manser at ICIS told the FT. In terms of additional supply there arent many options on the table globally. Russia is really the only discretionary source of supplies out there but we dont know when additional deliveries might start. So traders around the world, from Japan to Brazil, are starting to watch European prices too. Demand for natural gas has been on a strong rebound globally. And the economic recovery has not been the only factor. In Brazil, for instance, LNG imports hit the highest ever because droughts have reduced the countrys hydropower capacity, according to the FT. in Europe, the long winter emptied gas storage facilities, and they have yet to be replenished. In Asia, the strong economic recovery has coupled with a seasonal peak in demand during the summer to push prices higher still. For some, this has been good news: U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas reached a record high during the first half of the year, at an average of 9.6 billion cu ft daily. Asia remained the top destination for U.S. LNG exports from January through May in 2021, accounting for 46 percent, the EIA has estimated. Asia was followed by Europe with a 37-percent share of American LNG exports. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Local residents, ranchers, and farmers are opposing plans for the largest solar power facility in the San Francisco Bay Area, suing the county that approved the project and potentially opening future projects in California to opposition. While most Californians approve of the states ambitious clean energy goals, some people living close to proposed large projects are in the not in my backyard (NIMBY) camp, saying that industrial-scale solar projects take up a lot of land and ruin the views. It would be a sea of glass, Chris OBrien, a supporter of renewable energy but opponent of the Aramis project in North Livermore Valley, told Bloomberg. OBrien chairs the Save North Livermore Valley group, which opposes the Aramis solar project, approved by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors earlier this year. North Livermore Valley is one of the few unspoiled scenic corridors and agricultural areas remaining in Alameda County, the group says, adding that If we do not challenge in the Court the Countys approval of the Aramis Project the precedent will be created that industrial solar power plants qualify as appropriate uses of land zoned for agricultural and rural residential uses throughout Alameda County. The Aramis Renewable Energy Project, developed by Intersect Power, was unanimously approved by Alameda County earlier this year. The local organizations of ranchers and farmers are suing Alameda County about the project, but Intersect Powers CEO Sheldon Kimber told Bloomberg that the lawsuit wouldnt impact the projects timeline. The Aramis project, which will include solar plus battery storage to provide clean electricity to 25,000 homes and businesses in the Bay Area annually, is expected to start operations in 2023. The opposition to this project could spread to other, especially large-scale, projects and undermine the timeline of California to decarbonize its power grid. Earlier this year, the California Energy Commission (CEC), California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), and California Air Resources Board (CARB) said that California would need to roughly triple its current electricity grid capacity and sustain its expansion of clean electricity generation capacity at a record-breaking rate for the next 25 years if it wants its electricity system to become carbon free by 2045. Last month, CPUC ordered utilities to procure 11.5 gigawatts from zero-emission electricity sources in what it described a historic decision aimed at ensuring reliability and the states clean energy goals. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Canadian TC Energy plans to start using renewable energy to run its pipeline network in a bid to reduce its carbon footprint, Reuters reports, citing a senior company official. "We started just with our liquids pipeline and it gives us really a lot of confidence that we'll be able to pivot quickly to our natural gas pipeline business both in the U.S. and in Canada," Corey Hessen, president of power and storage at TC Energy, told Reuters. Currently, the company is measuring how many tons of carbon dioxide it would save by switching from natural gas to wind and solar power to operate its pipeline network. What is clear is that it generated close to 14 million tons of CO2 in 2019 from its pipelines. TC Energy's plan is the latest sign that the energy industry is taking the emission challenge seriously and seeking ways to improve its track record in this respect. Yet emission-cutting for companies like TC Energy is also to their own benefit. Canada plans to raise the price of carbon dioxide emissions from around $32 (C$40) per ton now to as much as $136.50 (C$170) by 2030. That's a price the government would use to charge big polluters such as TC Energy for their emissions. The pipeline operator would need to spend billions to build the renewable energy capacity it would need to run its 62,000 miles of oil and gas pipelines. Still, over the long term, it will probably save money from the move. "It's a big prize and it's a really big opportunity," Hessen told Reuters, which also quoted an IHS Markit analyst as saying, "It's in their interest to green their portfolio and start this strategy now." "The world is going to get more aggressive on climate policies and that means carbon is going to be a cost," IHS' Kevin Birn also said. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Russia says it wants Britain and France to become part of wider nuclear arms control talks with the United States as Washington continues to seek China's inclusion in the negotiations. Anatoly Antonov, Moscow's envoy to the United States, said on July 29 that enlarging the framework of the arms control talks to include more nuclear powers would be inevitable and that Russia sees Britain and France as priorities in that regard. "This question has taken on particular relevance in light of London's recent decision to increase the maximum level of nuclear warheads by 40 percent -- to 260 units," Antonov said in comments published by the Russian Foreign Ministry, a day after senior U.S. and Russian officials restarted nuclear talks in Geneva. In separate comments reported by the Interfax news agency, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, the head of the Russian delegation to the Geneva talks, said on July 29 that Washington wanted China to be included in wider talks on nuclear arms control. The United States and Russia possess some 90 percent of the world's arsenal of nuclear weapons. The exact agenda of the Geneva talks was not made public, but State Department spokesman Ned Price said the meeting was "substantive and professional" and the two sides agreed to hold a further plenary round of high-level talks in late September. The rivals have been looking at strategic stability issues such as how to move beyond the New START treaty that Biden and Putin have agreed to extend until 2026. New START first went into effect in 2011. The treaty limits the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads at 1,550, deployed strategic delivery systems at 700, and provides for a verification regime. U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed last month to launch a bilateral dialogue on strategic stability to "lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures." By RFE/RL More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: News AP Biden asks Pentagon to look at vaccine mandate WASHINGTON President Joe Biden will require federal employees to wear masks, physically distance from others in the workplace and get tested regularly if theyre not willing to get vaccinated against COVID-19. More than 1.4 million uniformed military personnel will not yet be affected, but Biden is directing the Pentagon to detail when it will add the coronavirus shots to the list of required vaccinations for members of the armed forces. However, more than 2 million civilian federal workers who live around the country will be affected by the mandate. Speaking Thursday, Biden denounced an American tragedy of rising-yet-preventable deaths among unvaccinated U.S. employees and others. The new rules place the federal government, the countrys largest employer, at the forefront of efforts to boost vaccination rates by applying pressure at offices and other job sites. Some private companies including Google and Facebook and local governments have already announced similar policies. The new rules reflect a frustration with dragging vaccination rates and fears over the more contagious delta variant, which has increased hospital caseloads. The Defense Department already requires service members to be vaccinated against smallpox, measles, mumps, diphtheria, hepatitis and more. But it has so far not mandated the COVID-19 vaccine. After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week recommended that even vaccinated people wear masks in crowded indoor settings in areas where transmission is high, the Pentagon on Wednesday announced it is reimposing its mask mandate for vaccinated personnel in areas of high transmission, the Hill news site reported. The Air Force is the most vaccinated service, according to the Hill, with 81 percent of its force having received both doses of the shot. The Navy comes in second with nearly 80 percent vaccinated, the Army is at 71 percent, while the Marines are at 57 percent. Bidens announcement included other steps intended to increase vaccinations. Washington will reimburse small- and medium-sized businesses that grant paid leave to employees who are helping get their children or other family members vaccinated. Biden is also asking schools to host clinics to help get students vaccinated. The shots are approved for children as young as 12. The Treasury Department said state and local governments could use COVID relief funds to pay $100 to people to persuade them to get their shots. The rules on vaccinations will also apply to contractors employed at federal sites. The White House is working on applying the same standard to all federal contractors. The White House has previously been wary of any kind of vaccine requirements. Vaccine mandates are controversial, especially with some Republicans and conservative commentators expressing outrage over heavy-handed government initiatives. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has already introduced a bill to prohibit mandating the COVID vaccine for troops. According to the Hill, he tweeted this month that he had been contacted by members of our voluntary military who say they will quit if the COVID vaccine is mandated. There also is opposition to vaccine mandates from lawmakers in some states. State lawmakers across the U.S. have introduced more than 100 bills aiming to prohibit employers from requiring vaccinations, according to the National Academy for State Health Policy. The pressure on employees could work because evidence shows people would rather get the vaccine than deal with burdens they consider onerous at work, said Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University Law School. People would much rather roll up their sleeves and get a jab, than undergo weekly testing and universal masking, he said. In many ways, this is really not a mandate, its giving workers a choice. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday that some people are sort of allergic to mandates of any kind. I dont want to turn them off, she said in an interview on SiriusXMs Doctor Radio Reports. Walensky said that requiring vaccines at this point could be tricky because the Food and Drug Administration has authorized them only on an emergency basis and the full approval process could last several more months. Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said she worried earlier this year that vaccine mandates could backfire. However, she said, Were at a different place than we were then. I can see employers deciding, we have to get back to business. She said it was particularly important to require health care workers or nursing home employees to get their shots. Only 70% of adults in the U.S. have received at least one shot, a reflection of how difficult it can be to reach and convince holdouts. But Thursdays move is not just about federal workers. The administration hopes it will nudge private companies push their workers harder to get vaccines. I think weve reached this tipping point, and Bidens announcement will provide a lot of air cover for companies and boards of directors who have difficult decisions facing them, said Jeff Hyman, a Chicago-based business author and recruiter for start-up companies. But fewer than 10% of employers have said they intend to require all employees to be vaccinated, based on periodic surveys by the research firm Gartner. This report includes material from the Hill news site and the Associated Press. Omahans likely will see or smell smoke at some point Saturday. But it was too early to predict on Friday how air quality will be impacted, said Brian Barjenbruch, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Valley. Smoke drifting in from wildfires in Canada led to a drop in air quality in the Omaha area on Friday. Douglas County's air quality fell into the "unhealthy" range. Air quality had improved slightly by Friday afternoon, Barjenbruch said, but it still was unhealthy, especially for sensitive groups. In the "unhealthy" air quality range, anyone can experience harmful health effects. Members of sensitive groups including those with heart or lung diseases, older adults and children may experience more serious problems. Whether poor air quality persists over the weekend depends on how hot and fast the fires are burning, Barjenbruch said. He noted that air quality in South Dakota and Minnesota still was poor as of Friday afternoon, and that air will move into Nebraska over time. "There will probably be smoke in the air, but will it be thick enough to cause issues?" Barjenbruch said. To teach about gender identity only once in later grades diminishes the effectiveness, she said. Kids who need accurate sex education are not getting it at home, she said. Jo Giles, executive director of the Womens Fund of Omaha, said that because of the absence of such topics as pregnancy prevention, sexual orientation and gender identity, the second draft fails to align with best practices in the health field. Giles said it also contradicts a nondiscrimination statement the board adopted that says all students should be known, heard and supported. Giles said 38 organizations in various fields of service and advocacy have signed on to a letter calling for inclusive standards that reflect all the diverse identities that our students bring to school and that create the diverse fabric of our communities including LGBTQ+ students and youth of color and their families. The organizations among them GLSEN Omaha, OutNebraska, Girls Inc. of Omaha, the ACLU of Nebraska, the Nebraska AIDS Project and Heartland Family Service say the standards must be medically accurate, evidence-informed and include concepts that have been proven to prevent or reduce negative health outcomes. Keck directed chemical dependency programs in Hastings and Omaha before starting his work at the Siena Francis House. He was Bauers counselor at Siena Francis when Bauer sought treatment there. Bauer said Keck was very knowledgeable and committed to the 12-step program, and was also a living, breathing example of how an addicted person can be transformed. Think about the ripple effect, Bauer said. All those people he helped had families, friends, people who loved them. Dan Keck said his father went at recovery and addiction counseling as extremely as he had gone at his addiction. He said that it was hard and scary growing up with his father but that they made peace and got along well for many years. He said he hears evidence all the time of how his father made a difference in peoples lives, although he said his father gave credit to God rather than taking it for himself. Its hard to turn around in Omaha without bumping into somebody that my dad has impacted in a major way, he said. Often people he meets will ask if hes related to Bill Keck. And I know instantly what is going to follow: a story of how he helped them, encouraged them, he said. And they were just like, he saved my life. Six passengers who sailed on a Royal Caribbean ship tested positive for COVID-19 near the end of their cruise and were immediately quarantined, the company said Friday. The passengers four adults and two minors were on the Adventure of the Seas ship for a 7-day trip that left the Bahamas last Saturday and returned on Friday, said Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Lyan Sierra-Caro. They were tested Thursday while the ship was at sea. The adults were all vaccinated against COVID-19, Sierra-Caro said, and one has mild symptoms of the virus while the other three do not. They were not traveling together. The two minors -- who were in the same group but not traveling with any of the four adults who tested positive -- were not vaccinated and were not showing symptoms, the spokeswoman said. All six are American citizens, Sierra-Cano said. They were quarantined and people traveling with them were traced and tested negative, she said. Sierra-Cano said the six passengers would fly back to the U.S. on private transportation at Royal Caribbean's expense and won't need to quarantine in the Bahamas. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk said Friday that he had a small heart attack but will be back soon. The 58-year-old actor took to Twitter to make his first public statement since collapsing on the show's Albuquerque, New Mexico, set on Tuesday. Hi. Its Bob, Odenkirk tweeted. Thank you. To my family and friends who have surrounded me this week. And for the outpouring of love from everyone who expressed concern and care for me. Its overwhelming. But I feel the love and it means so much. I had a small heart attack, he continued. But Im going to be ok thanks to Rosa Estrada and the doctors who knew how to fix the blockage without surgery. His representatives had previously only said that he had a heart related incident and was stable in an Albuquerque hospital after collapsing while shooting the show's sixth and final season. Odenkirk also thanked the network that airs Better Call Saul and the company that produces it. AMC and SONYs support and help throughout this has been next-level, he tweeted. Im going to take a beat to recover but Ill be back soon. WASHINGTON (AP) Congress has overwhelmingly passed emergency legislation that would bolster security at the Capitol, repay outstanding debts from the violent Jan. 6 insurrection and increase the number of visas for allies who worked alongside Americans in the Afghanistan war. The $2.1 billion bill now goes to President Joe Biden for his signature. The Senate approved the legislation early Thursday afternoon, 98-0, and the House passed it immediately afterward, 416-11. Senators struck a bipartisan agreement on the legislation this week, two months after the House had passed a bill that would have provided around twice as much for Capitol security. But House leaders said they would back the Senate version anyway, arguing the money is urgently needed for the Capitol Police and for the translators and others who worked closely with U.S. government troops and civilians in Afghanistan. The bill loosens some requirements for the visas, which lawmakers say are especially pressing as the U.S. military withdrawal enters its final weeks and Afghan allies face possible retaliation from the Taliban. It also takes time to start foreclosure proceedings, at least 120 days per federal law, plus time for court proceedings. There are likely to be more forced sales than foreclosures, in some cases. That way a bank gets its money back and the delinquent homeowners gets the equity they earned in the home and will walk away without a negative mark on their credit report. WHEN CAN WE EXPECT FORECLOSURES TO START? Mortgage industry analytics firm Black Knight expects some foreclosure proceedings to start in September, when the pandemic forbearance plans will come to an end. While roughly 1.75 million homeowners are still in forbearance, that figure is expected to keep decreasing. But still, the firm expects roughly 1 million homeowners to still be seriously delinquent, 90 days or more, on their loans. WHAT CAN HOMEOWNERS EXPECT IN TERMS OF RELIEF? NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) A Tennessee lawmaker who battled COVID-19 for nearly eight months is encouraging the public to consider getting vaccinated. Republican Rep. David Byrd detailed his struggle with the virus in a lengthy statement Friday, describing how the disease put him in an intensive care unit on a ventilator for 55 days. He says his family began planning his funeral. I have no memories of this time, but my family will certainly never forget it. They were traumatized daily by the distressing updates on my status, Byrd wrote. Byrd, 63, added that eventually his liver began to fail after he was taken off the ventilator, requiring him to need a transplant. He received a new liver on June 12. The Republican lawmaker says he understands the concerns of those who are hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Last June, Byrd joined many of the House GOP caucus in approving a resolution that declared the news media sensationalized the reporting on COVID-19 in the service of political agendas. In his Friday statement, Byrd did not acknowledge his previous actions to downplay the coronavirus outbreak or his fellow Republican legislative colleagues who worked this year to limit certain public health measures. The only moratorium in Idaho is the one issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reduce the chances of homeless people spreading the coronavirus. It ends Saturday. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? The state received $15 million in CARES Act money last year that was used through Jan. 18 to help people who couldn't pay rent because of the coronavirus pandemic. The state received another $175 million in federal coronavirus relief money to continue the program through Sept. 30, 2022. The Idaho Housing and Finance Association has been distributing the money, except in highly populated Boise and Ada County in southwestern Idaho. Officials with the association said the initial $15 million has been spent as well as nearly $10 million of the $175 million. Boise and Ada County have populations large enough to opt to receive and distribute federal emergency rental assistance funds themselves, which they are doing through the Boise City/Ada County Housing Authorities. That entity has distributed about $8.8 million of the $24 million the city and county have received to help nearly 1,800 households. It must use the money by the end of September 2022. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? PHOENIX (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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: The Democratic governor's administration laid the blame at the feet of former Republican President Donald Trump for leaving the newly designed pandemic unemployment system up to the states with ever-changing rules. The audit findings are the result of that burden placed on state unemployment systems across the country as they simultaneously worked to quickly get billions of dollars into the hands of an unprecedented number of claimants in the middle of a global pandemic and economic crisis, Illinois Department of Employment Security spokeswoman Rebecca Cisco said in a written statement. The administration did not comment on whether it supported a special audit. The Senate GOP's resolution seeking the review cannot be acted on until the Senate reconvenes scheduled for the fall or the bipartisan Legislative Audit Commission takes it up. Republicans complained from the beginning that Pritzker's administration was not doing enough to help desperate families who couldn't get through on the agency's lines and that fraud was going undetected. Many have complained the agency still is unresponsive, with local offices closed because of the virus. Through last week, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported that COVID-19 had led to 23,401 deaths in Illinois among 1.4 million confirmed or probable cases. Ramos, 30, is accused in the slaying of Michael Galindo, one of two inmates found dead in March 2017 after prisoners took over a portion of a maximum-security housing unit at Tecumseh. The prisoners started fires and ransacked cells. At the first trial, prosecutors said that Ramos was one of four inmates responsible for the slaying. But Ramos attorneys maintained there was no physical evidence linking him to the crime and that he was a victim of misidentification. Grainy surveillance tape was shown during the first trial showing inmates, in the smoky housing unit, with towels over their faces. The uprising began after a search of cells in a housing unit found 29 gallons of homemade alcohol. Galindo was stabbed more than 130 times but died of smoke inhalation after he had retreated to his cell. Ramos first trial ended in a mistrial in 2018 after three weeks. Johnson ruled that a Nebraska State Patrol investigator had violated a court order banning witnesses called to testify from talking about the case with each other after the trial began. An investigator had inquired with prison officials about a missing video surveillance tape showing the attack on Galindo. BRUSSELS (AP) The European Union's general court on Friday dismissed a request to suspend the lifting of parliamentary immunity for three former top Catalan officials who fled Spain fearing arrest over a secessionist push they led in the region. The European Parliament in March lifted the immunity of the former president of Spains Catalonia region, Carles Puigdemont, and two of his associates, former Catalan health minister Toni Comin and former Catalan education minister Clara Ponsati. In May, the trio had filed an application to the Luxembourg-based EU general court for emergency interim proceedings as they sought the annulment of the contested decision in a separate action. They regained provisional immunity in June until the termination of interim proceedings. But the court ultimately ruled Friday that the Spanish lawmakers failed to demonstrate that the urgency requirement was met. The court will still rule on the merits of the case. The court stressed that the three EU lawmakers, who currently live in Belgium, did not demonstrate that they were at risk of being arrested. The applicants are still free to travel in order to attend meetings of the Parliament," the general court said. At the schools, the children were taught the basics, including trade skills for boys and domestic skills for girls. The use of tribal language, religion and customs were severely punished, and every other kind of abuse imaginable was common. I do not want to dwell on the abuses because it is hard to even think about thousands of helpless Native children far from home with no parental support being indoctrinated into the dominant culture by a system based on punishment. The legacy of these boarding school lives on today. Children often never visited home during their entire time at the boarding schools. When they did come home, they returned to poverty, discrimination and lack of opportunity. These children did not belong anywhere. They did not speak their traditional language and had trouble meshing back into their tribal culture. They were not accepted by the dominant culture either. The result was often hopelessness and alcoholism, which lead to generations of broken homes and troubled lives. Guard members complete mission to supply critical PPE during COVID-19 pandemic Story by Spc. Jessica Silhavy, Ohio National Guard Public Affairs COLUMBUS, Ohio (07/29/21) Since mid-September 2020, the Ohio National Guard aided in distributing personal protective equipment to Ohioans in need at the Ohio Department of Healths Receive, Store and Stage warehouse. When COVID-19 hit Ohio in March 2020, there was a high demand for personal protective equipment, or PPE, specifically for healthcare professionals and essential workers in Ohio. The Receive, Store and Stage (RSS) warehouse mission supported this critical need by working with the Ohio Department of Health and various medical facilities throughout Ohio, to help facilitate the distribution of PPE. On any given day, the warehouse would see up-to 15 semi-truck deliveries of important medical equipment such as gloves, masks and gowns. The supplies were accounted for, inventoried, stored or directly shipped out to locations across the state. About 40 Ohio National Guard members supported the operation, along with approximately 60 employees from the Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Expositions Center. The Chief Executive Officer of leading steel manufacturing company in West Africa B5 Plus Limited, Mr. Mukesh Thakwani has been adjudged the CEO of the decade. The astute businessman has bestowed the honour at the just ended Ghana CEO Excellence Awards. The award scheme recognizes, celebrates, and profiles the achievements of businesses and leaders and it also celebrates business success, innovation, leadership, and contribution to the economy. The award is presented to individuals and organizations that exemplify outstanding practices and achievements and who demonstrate leadership, vision, and the creation of business and economic growth. Mr Thakwani, an Indian businessman beat off competition from other notable nominees to win the enviable award due to his vast contribution to the growth of the West African economy. Speaking after receiving the awards, Mr. Thakwani expressed his gratitude to the organizers of the awards for the recognition and stated that it will go a long way to motivate him to work harder. He said that Im grateful to the organizers, and I feel it will motivate me to do more by making sure I keep delivery my best. B5 Plus Ghana Company Ltd is a West African, manufacturing, fabricating, and trading enterprise with the vision to become the worlds steel industry benchmark through the excellence of its people, its innovative approach, and overall conduct. With corporate headquarters in Tema Ghana, today, B5 Plus Limited operates in all the ECOWAS Countries, with a significant presence in African steel as an integrated manufacturer of steel and finished steel products. The principal product is steel products which come in seven major categories: Mild Steel, High Tensile & Iron Rods, Galvanized Products, Stainless Steel, Marine & Mining, Roofing & Nails and Concrete & Fencing. As a supplier, B5 Plus Limited is an accessible business partner who can ensure quality and security of supply, and value strong relationships with their customers, and believe that commercial relationships are a learned skill. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vodafone Ghana, Patricia Obo-Nai has won Africas Most Respected CEO in the Telecommunications category at the Africa Most Respected CEO Awards, held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The awards celebrated CEOs and senior public officers from Botswana, Cote dIvoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa and Tanzania in various categories such as agro-processing, automobile franchise sales, ICT, tourism, leisure and recreation, private security services, health, insurance, telecommunications, media, pharmaceuticals, aviation, among others. Speaking at the awards ceremony, Mr. Surrender Singh Kandhari, the chairman of Al Dobowi Group, and African Chamber for Trade United Arab Emirates, said: The awards are aimed at bringing together business captains, public sector officials and investors in Africa who deserve recognition for accomplishments in their respective areas of endeavor in the COVID-challenged emerging African corporate ecosystem. Patricias contribution to the telecommunications industry is unquestionable. In addition to championing various innovations in the industry, she is celebrated for her outstanding leadership during the heights of the pandemic. Under her leadership, Vodafone Ghana introduced remarkable initiatives as part of a comprehensive relief package for Ghanaians. She is a fierce advocate for technology and continues to emphasize the need for Africa to leverage technological advancement to drive sustainable development and secure its participation in the digital economy. Patricia reinforced this in her recent OpEd titled 'Connecting Africa is the Seminal Challenge of our Time, she said: To expedite Africas economic recovery post-pandemic, the continent must accelerate digitalisation and expand regional cooperation. She also called on governments, industry players and businesses to join Vodafone as it embarks on this campaign. Patricia is also known for her strong passion for gender issues and interventions that offers economic opportunities to women. Whilst speaking during the United Nations General Assembly last year, she made a call for an urgent solution to end maternal mortality across sub-Saharan Africa, describing it as unacceptable in this age. She also joined other female giants last year at the G7 Partnership on Womens Digital Financial Inclusion in Africas event to deliberate on Catalyzing Digital Financial Services for Women Across Africa. The Mobile Magazine describes her as the First lady of Mobile. She has also won several awards including the CEO of the Year at the Ghana Information Technology and Telecommunications Awards (GITTA) as well as the Women Leadership Excellence Awards at the CEOs Summit and Awards. The Africas Most Respected CEOs Awards was held under the theme: The Role of the African Corporate Pace-setters in Maximizing the Opportunities Offered by the AfCFTA. The awardees are first selected by public voting for nominees in each category. The awards event was organized by The Business Executive Ltd., an events and media company based in Accra, Ghana. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Movenpick Ambassador Hotel Accra collects over a hundred pints of blood during blood donation drive with Accra Technical University. Accra, Ghana, 29 July 2021 Movenpick Ambassador Hotel Accra, as part of its 10th year anniversary celebration, embarked on a blood donation drive in collaboration with the Accra Technical University to boost up the National Blood Banks blood supply. Recently, the Ghana National Blood Service (NBS) has lamented on shortfalls in achieving a hundred percent voluntary blood donations nationwide. The COVID-19 pandemic has been noted as a key contributing factor in the ongoing struggle to receive voluntary blood donations. However, Mr. Victor Israel, Donor Recruitment Officer with the NBS, cited the importance of sensitising the public and educating them on the values of donating blood. Blood donation is priceless, he said. You cannot quantify health. Once you donate, the first thing you receive is the health check-up to check if the donor has enough blood. They are screened for health-related issues and have their blood pressure checked as well so, the benefits, apart from the core value of saving a life, are endless. The upscale hotel, located in Accra Central, undertakes blood donation annually with its team members under its strategic corporate social responsibility initiatives, drawing on the hotels mandate to encourage mindful sustainability and community welfare. Not only are we intimately involved in the lives of our guests, but we are also committed to the welfare of communities within which we find ourselves, said Deborah Lee-Ann Sivertsen, General Manager of the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel Accra. Seeing how these students have turned out for todays exercise reminds me of what I was like back in school as well. They, along with our team members, are lifesavers and their desire to donate blood goes a long way to save the lives of friends, family and citizens at large. Making moments with those in need is always our collective goal, she said. Over a hundred pints of blood were gathered after the successful exercise and to thank donors for their generosity, goodie bags were distributed containing non-perishable foods, stationery, and t-shirts from the hotel as well as the Ghana National Blood Service. The Movenpick Ambassador Hotel Accra recently launched its 10-year anniversary celebrating a decade of doing the ordinary in extraordinary ways. After the Ambassador Hotel, completely rebuilt under the global Swiss brand reopened in 2011, it has remained a beacon of excellence in the hospitality sector of Ghana hosting several high-level delegations and events while maintaining their health and safety as a priority. The hotel will continue to roll out a series of events leading up to the climax of the anniversary in November giving people the opportunity to be up close and personal with the brand whilst winning several prizes, enjoying offers, and having dreams come true. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Ghanaian- based steel manufacturing company, B5 Plus Limited has been named as the Corporate Social Responsibility company of the year at the just ended Millennium Excellence Awards 2021. This years edition of the awards was held at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi on July 17, 2021, and it was chaired by the overlord of the Asante kingdom Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Held every five years, this years event also saw President Akufo-Addo and other notable government appointees in attendance The Millennium Excellence Awards is organized every five years to honor institutions and individuals for their contributions to national development. The citation handed to the company which was accompanying the plaque reads, the Life Patron, HRM Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Asantehene and the illustrious Board of Governors of the Millennium Excellence Foundation, are pleased to confer on B5 Plus Care Foundation the coveted Millennium Excellence Award for Corporate Social Responsibility in high recognition of the marked improvement it has made in the lives of Ghanaians. The Foundation has indeed changed the lives of many underprivileged children by providing them with free education and primary healthcare. The MEF also salutes B5 Plus for its annual Blood Donation Camo and free health Check up Campaign and for establishing the DPS international Ghana School which is a very significant contribution to education development in GhanaAyekoo. Speaking after the awards, the Chief Executive Officer of B5 Plus Limited, Mukesh Thakwani said that, this is a special award because of what B5 Plus Limited has been doing in CSR, this is a very good recognition. He continued that, today we are very proud to say that since March 2020, we delivered free oxygen to all government and private hospitals, 100% medical care, free education and donations so all our Corporate Social Responsibility works have been recognized and we are thankful to the Asantehene and his Excellency Nana Akufu Addo, in their presence, this award was given to us, we are really thankful to Millennium Foundation for this and I will like to add that B5 Plus will keep delivery the free Oxygen to all government and private hospitals till are able to put the Covid behind us. B5 Plus Ghana Company Ltd is a West African, manufacturing, fabricating, and trading enterprise with the vision to become the worlds steel industry benchmark through the excellence of its people, its innovative approach, and overall conduct. With corporate headquarters in Tema Ghana, today, B5 Plus Limited operates in all the ECOWAS Countries, with a significant presence in African steel as an integrated manufacturer of steel and finished steel products. The principal product is steel products which come in seven major categories: Mild Steel, High Tensile & Iron Rods, Galvanized Products, Stainless Steel, Marine & Mining, Roofing & Nails and Concrete & Fencing. As a supplier, B5 Plus Limited are an accessible business partner who can ensure quality and security of supply, and value strong relationships with their customers and believe that commercial relationships are a learnt skill. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Parliament on Friday (30 July) unanimously approved the nomination of Kissi Agyebeng as the special prosecutor. The 43-year-old has now been cleared to take office as the countrys second special prosecutor since the office was created by an Act of Parliament. The Appointments Committee of Parliament on Thursday (22 July) vetted the special prosecutor nominee of the President, Akufo-Addo, and approved his nomination within hours. With his approval by the entire House, the next phase is for President Akufo-Addo to swear him into office in the coming days. Agyebeng, currently a private legal practitioner with nearly 19 years standing at the Ghanaian bar, answered a myriad of questions from the 26-member parliamentary committee. Following his approval, Agyebeng, managing partner at Cromwell Gray LLP, is the second person to occupy the office of Special Prosecutor since the Act establishing the Office of the Special Prosecutor (Act 959) came into force in 2017. Martin Amidu, the countrys first Special Prosecutor resigned from office on 16 November 2020, 21 days to the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections, citing alleged executive interference with his work. The Office of the President subsequently denied his allegations, noting that he was given the free hand and resources to operate. The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Dame, on 16 April 2021 wrote to Akufo-Addo, nominating Kissi Agyebeng to serve as special prosecutor in line with section 13(1) and (2) of Act 959. Section 13(8) of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959) requires the President to appoint a person qualified for appointment as Special Prosecutor to that position, within six months of the Office of Special Prosecutor becoming vacant subject to the approval of Parliament. Acting SP As a result of the events of 16th November 2020, Ms. Jane Cynthia Naa Koshie Lamptey, the Deputy Special Prosecutor, has been acting, in accordance with section 17 (3) of Act 959, which states, the Deputy Special Prosecutor shall act in the absence of the Special Prosecutor or in the event of a vacancy in the position of the Special Prosecutor. She has held the fort for over five months. The OSP mandate Act 959, which establishes the Office of the Special Prosecutor, spells out three main objectives of the Office, namely: (i) investigate and prosecute alleged corruption or suspected corruption and corruption related offences, (ii) recover the proceeds of corruption and corruption related offences, and (iii) take steps to prevent corruption. Functions of the OSP The functions entrusted to the Office are: (a) the investigation and prosecution of cases of alleged or suspected corruption and corruption related offences under the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663); (b) investigation and prosecution of cases of alleged corruption and corruption related offences under the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) involving public officers, politically exposed persons and persons in the private sector involved in the commission of the offence; (c) investigation and prosecution of cases of alleged or suspected corruption and corruption related offences involving public officers, politically exposed persons and persons in the private sector involved in the commission of the offence under any other relevant law; (d) recover and manage the proceeds of corruption; (e) disseminate information gathered in the course of investigation to competent authorities and other persons the Office considers appropriate in connection with the offences specified in paragraphs (a) and (b); The Office of Special Prosecutor is to further: (f) co-operate and coordinate with competent authorities and other relevant local and international agencies in furtherance of the Act; and (g) receive and investigate complaints from a person on a matter that involves or may involve corruption and corruption-related offences. Source: asaaseradio.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain James Meador, an independent researcher at the California Institute of Technology, has found evidence that suggests the Apollo 11 ascent stage may still be orbiting the moon. He has written a paper outlining his research and findings and has posted it on the arXiv preprint server. In 1969, NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made history when they landed a craft successfully on the moon. After more than 21 hours on the surface, the astronauts blasted off the surface in a part of the Eagle lander called the ascent stage. They soon thereafter rendezvoused with Michael Collins in the command module which carried them back to Earth. Before departing for Earth, the ascent stage was jettisoned into spaceNASA engineers assumed that it would crash back to the moon's surface sometime later. Meador reports that the ascent stage may not have crashed into the moon after all and might, in fact, still be orbiting the moon. Meador began his investigation by considering whether it might be possible to find the ascent stage, which he assumed would be on the surface of the moon. He noted that NASA had sent spacecraft into orbit around the moon in 2012 as part of the GRAIL project to map the moon's gravitational field. That suggested he should be able to track the ascent stage's descent to the moon using a tool created by NASA called the General Mission Analysis Tool, which can be used to map spacecraft trajectories around planets or moons when their gravitational field is known. After adding data from GRAIL, Meador ran the simulation multiple times using different parameters to simulate conditions that likely existed from the time when the ascent was jettisoned on up to the present. He also included data to take into account gravity from the sun and the other planets (except Mercury) and data describing forces due to solar radiation. He found that all of his simulations showed the ascent stage maintaining a steady orbit. Meador acknowledges that other factors could have led to the demise of the craftits remaining fuel could have exploded as the craft degraded, for example, changing its orbit. But he also notes that if the agency chooses to look for it, NASA possesses the technology needed to find the craft if it is still in orbit. Explore further Chinese probe prepares to return moon rocks to Earth More information: James Meador, Long-term Orbit Stability of the Apollo 11 Eagle Lunar Module Ascent Stage, arXiv:2105.10088v1 [physics.space-ph] James Meador, Long-term Orbit Stability of the Apollo 11 Eagle Lunar Module Ascent Stage, arXiv:2105.10088v1 [physics.space-ph] arxiv.org/abs/2105.10088 2021 Science X Network A Natal long-fingered bat (Miniopterus natalensis) parasitized by a male bat fly (Penicillidia fulvida) on the wall of a diatomite mine in Nakuru, Kenya. Credit: Holly Lutz We humans aren't the only animals that have to worry about bug bites. There are thousands of insect species that have evolved to specialize in feeding on different mammals and birds, but scientists are still learning how these bugs differentiate between species to track down their preferred prey. It turns out, the attraction might not even be skin-deep: a new study in Molecular Ecology found evidence that blood-sucking flies that specialize on bats may be locating their preferred hosts by following the scent of chemicals produced by bacteria on the bats' skin. Holly Lutz, the paper's lead author, got the idea for the project from previous research showing that mosquitoes seem to prefer some people over others. "You know when you go to a barbeque and your friend is getting bombarded by mosquitos, but you're fine? There is some research to support the idea that the difference in mosquito attraction is linked to your skin microbiomethe unique community of bacteria living on your skin," says Lutz, a research associate at Chicago's Field Museum and a project scientist with the labs of Jack Gilbert (who co-authored this study) and Rob Knight at the University of California, San Diego. "Keeping in mind that some people are more attractive to mosquitoes than others, I wondered what makes insects attracted to some bats but not others." Lutz encountered plenty of bats during her Ph.D. work and postdoctoral residency at the Field Museum, on fieldwork trips to bat caves in Kenya and Uganda studying malaria. "In these caves, I'd see all these different bat species or even taxonomic families roosting side by side. Some of them were loaded with bat flies, while others had none or only a few. And these flies are typically very specific to different kinds of bats you won't find a fly that normally feeds on horseshoe bats crawling around on a fruit bat." says Lutz. "I started wondering why the flies are so particular clearly, they can crawl over from one kind of bat to another, but they don't really seem to be doing that." Natal and African long-fingered bats (Miniopterus natalensis, M. africanus), Mauritian tomb bats (Taphozous mauritianus), and Noack's roundleaf bats (Hipposideros ruber) roosting together in a fossilized coral cave in Arabuko Sokoke Forest, Kenya. Credit: Holly Lutz The flies in question are cousins of mosquitoes, and while they're technically flies, most can't actually fly. "They have incredibly reduced wings in many cases and can't actually fly," says Lutz. "And they have reduced eyesight, so they probably aren't really operating by vision. So some other sensory mechanisms must be at play, maybe a sense of smell or an ability to detect chemical cues." "How the flies actually locate and find their bats has previously been something of a mystery," says Carl Dick, a research associate at the Field Museum, professor of biology at Western Kentucky University, and one of the study's co-authors. "But because most bat flies live and feed on only one bat species, it is clear that they somehow find the right host." Furthermore, bat flies transmit malaria between bats, and the malaria parasites are host-specific as well. It's an intricate, complex system with important parallels to other vector-borne pathways for disease transmission, such as malarial and viral transmission among humans by anopheline mosquitoes. Previous research has shown that different bacterial species associated with skin or even the disease status of individual humans can influence feeding preferences of blood-seeking mosquitoes. Closeup of a bat fly (Penicillidia fulvida). Credit: Holly Lutz Lutz suspected that, similarly to what's been observed in humans, the bats' skin microbiomes may be playing a role in attracting the flies seeking them out. Skin whether it belongs to a human or a bat is covered with tiny microorganisms that help protect the body from invading pathogens, bolster the immune system, and break down natural products like sweat. Host species evolve alongside their skin microbiomes, leading to different species being home to different sets of bacteria. All these different kinds of bacteria produce a unique bouquet of airborne chemicals as they metabolize nutrients. And, according to Lutz's hypothesis, different kinds of insects are attracted to different chemical signals, which could help explain why some bats are more attractive to blood-sucking flies than others just like your friend at the barbeque. To test this hypothesis, Lutz examined dozens of bats from a variety of species. "We went into a ton of different caves where they roost and used long bat nets, which are basically like super sturdy butterfly nets, to catch them," says Lutz. She and her colleagues took skin and fur samples from the bats' bodies and wings in order to examine both the bats' DNA and the microbes living on their skin. The researchers also examined the bats for flies. "You brush the bats' fur with your forceps, and it's like you're chasing the fastest little spider," says Lutz. "The flies can disappear in a split second. They are fascinatingly creepy." Eye-shine reflects from thousands of Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) sampled by Lutz and her team at Kitum Cave in Mount Elgon National Park, Uganda. Credit: Holly Lutz "The flies are exquisitely evolved to stay on their bat," says Dick. "They have special combs, spines, and claws that hold them in place in the fur, and they can run quickly in any direction to evade the biting and scratching of the bats, or the efforts by researchers to capture them." The researchers then analyzed the specimens back at the Field Museum's Pritzker DNA Laboratory. "Once we were back at the lab, we extracted all the DNA from the bacteria and sequenced it. We basically created libraries of all the bacteria associated with each individual skin sample. Then we used bioinformatics methods to characterize the bacteria there and identify which ones are present across different bat groups, comparing bats that were parasitized by flies to those that were not," says Lutz. The team found that the different bat families had their own unique combinations of skin bacteria, even when the bats were collected from different locations. "The goal of this study was to ask, 'Are there differences in the skin microbiome of these different bats, and are there bacteria that are common among bats that have parasites versus those that don't?'" says Lutz. "Getting these results was really exciting this paper is the culmination of years of thinking and wondering and sampling." One of the bat species studied in this project, Hipposideros caffer. Credit: Holly Lutz There are still some big questions to answer, however. "We weren't able to collect the actual chemicals producing cue- - secondary metabolites or volatile organic compounds during this initial work. Without that information, we can't definitively say that the bacteria are leading the flies to their hosts. So, next steps will be to sample bats in a way that we can actually tie these compounds to the bacteria" says Lutz, "In science, there is always a next step." In addition to explaining how blind, flightless flies are able to be so picky with which bats they feed on, the study gets at bigger-picture questions of how different organisms coexist. "We live in these complex communities where different types of life are always bumping into each other and interacting and sometimes depending on each other or eating each other," says Lutz. "In a healthy natural state, these organisms partition themselves so they can coexist. But as habitats are destroyed, organisms are forced to share resources or start utilizing new ones." Animals that used to be able to give each other a wide berth might no longer be able to, and that can lead to new diseases spreading from one organism to another. "Humans are affecting these ecosystems, and these ecosystems can in turn affect us," says Lutz. "That's why it's important to study them." Explore further Bats don't rely on gut bacteria the way humans do More information: HL Lutz et al, Associations between Afrotropical bats, eukaryotic parasites, and microbial symbionts, Molecular Ecology (2021). Journal information: Molecular Ecology HL Lutz et al, Associations between Afrotropical bats, eukaryotic parasites, and microbial symbionts,(2021). DOI: 10.1111/mec.16044 Tourists walk through water sprayed by a mister at a cafe during a heatwave in Athens. In Athens' parliament square, the Evzones parade under their red berets and stifling heat. With sweat beading on their foreheads, the presidential guards rehearse their choreography in front of a cluster of tourists as a new heatwave hits the Greek capital. "They're amazing, but they must be suffering," says Jim Grace, an Irish tourist who, holding a bottle of water, watches them under the scorching sun. "We're adapting," says his wife Esther Grace. "We're drinking lots of water and putting on sunscreen." Dubbed a "dangerous" event due to how long it will last and the small difference between maximum and minimum temperatures, the heatwave is expected to peak on Monday, with temperatures likely reaching 42 to 44 degrees Celsius (107 to 111 degrees Fahrenheit). It's the second one this year, part of a trend of more frequent heatwaves and rising average temperatures that prompted the municipality of Athens to appoint a climate officer earlier this month to try and mitigate the heat. 'There are solutions' On Monastiraki Square, Alexandra Holarou drags her cart full of sweets through tourists trying on caps and straw hats. "I'm going to die in this heat," she says. Her face red, the 60-year-old shopkeeper sets up a parasol but "there are not many options to protect oneself," she says. Temperatures could reach 44 degrees Celsius in mainland Greece in the next days, Greek National Meteorological Service has warned in an emergency bulletin. "It's hard, very hard to work in these conditions." Passers-by stay close to the walls in search of shade and air conditioning that blasts out from shops. The cafe terraces are oases where water misters and fans are running at full speed. "We weren't really prepared," confesses Frenchman Nicolas Deshayes. "We left this morning from Paris where it was 15 degrees." Eleni Myrivili, Athens' climate officer, tells AFP the situation will only worsen if nothing is done. "By 2050, the number of rainy days will have dropped by 12 percent and the temperature will have risen by 2.5 degrees," she says. But she adds "there are solutions" such as developing green spaces in a city that looks like a sea of concrete, helping vulnerable people and raising public awareness. "We need to rethink the public space as a whole because the consequences affect the health of our population and the economy of our country," she says. "There are more workplace accidents with the rise in temperatures and people go to shops less." A street musician plays drums during a heatwave in Athens. Second heatwave of the summer Greece has already experienced a heatwave earlier this summer, when temperatures reached 44 degrees Celsius for 11 days. According to data from the National Observatory of Athens, this was the fifth longest heatwave in Greece in 40 years. "These climatic phenomena are becoming more and more frequent," Konstantinos Lagouvardos, the observatory's director of meteorological research, says. "Beyond the heatwaves, the most worrying thing is that average temperatures are rising considerably summer after summer. "The average for Athens is now 34-35 degrees, which is two degrees higher than in previous years," he says. "This is already the second heatwave of the summer, a third would be an unprecedented event." Several municipalities have opened air-conditioned shelters for the homeless and vulnerable. In Piraeus, at a short distance from the port where tourists escape to the islands, about 15 people come every day to find a little respite in one such centre. "This is the fourth time we've opened an air-conditioned space this year," says Argyro Koika, a social worker at the centre. The Ministry of Civil Protection has recommended protecting oneself from the sun by staying in shaded and air-conditioned places, avoiding physical activities and drinking water regularly. Explore further Morocco swelters in a record heatwave 2021 AFP Digital image of mango tree by Dr Liqi Han. Credit: University of Queensland Using technology familiar to computer gamers, University of Queensland scientists are creating 'digital twins' of mango and macadamia orchards to help boost food production. Professor Neena Mitter, the Director of the Centre of Horticultural Science at Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), said it was an example of how computers were changing the industry. "Developing a digital model for an orchard with slow growing crops like mango and macadamia enables us to run virtual experiments at a scale and speed never before possible," Professor Mitter said. "Digital technologies offer an unprecedented acceleration in innovation that will help make food production more productive, resilient, and sustainable." Lead researcher Dr. Liqi Han said the technology would particularly benefit slow growing crops like fruit trees. "The digital modeling provides untapped opportunities for users to rapidly trial new ideas and acquire a reliable indicator of how to best optimize production systems," Dr. Han said. "We call this technology 'DigiHort', short for Digital Horticulture." The computer simulations can be a conceptual design of an orchard that doesn't yet exist, a digital twin or detailed replica of an existing orchard, or a digital variant, where changes are made to a digital twin. "All three forms can be integrated with environmental and management simulators," Dr. Han said. "For example, this might include sunlight and chemical spray simulations to allow for evaluation and optimisation of orchard management practice." Virtual trials start with the design, with software users able to decide where in a landscape to plant trees, the density of the canopies and the configuration of the rows. Users then consider how the trees are maintained, wielding virtual pruners and testing the impact of differentand even unconventionaltree training systems. This innovation is based on new LiDAR scanning technology applications undertaken with industry partner, Riegl Australia, and state government research stations in Queensland, Western Australia and Northern Territory. It relies on High Performance Computing (HPC), which allows Dr. Han to run extremely fast virtual experiments without loss of accuracy. "These days, we talk more and more about precision agriculture," Dr. Han said. "We enhance precision by looking at the details, such as how much light can be captured by each leaf or fruit, or the distribution of sprayed chemicals across the canopy. "We can accumulate small benefits into big benefits or prevent big losses from occurring. "And we've found that small differences can have a big impact." The DigiHort platform was designed as a decision-support service for industry and will be accessible via the internet. Explore further Critically endangered macadamia species becomes a plant supermodel Fig. 1: Regulation of Them1 phosphorylation and its subcellular localization in iBAs. a LC-MS/MS data for iBAs expressing Ad-Them1-EGFP stimulated with PMA for 04 h. The data are presented as normalized aggregate abundance of N-terminal phosphopeptides using hormore sensitive lipase as a reference for normalization, which does not change after PMA stimulation (see Supplementary Fig. 3). Regression line indicates a positive and significant correlation between phosphorylation events at the N-terminus and time after stimulation. Data are means SE for n = 3 different experiments/timepoint. Statistical significance was determined by ANOVA on the regression line, where P Linked to serious health problems including cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, obesity affects more than a third of adults in the United States. Presently, there are few safe and effective nonsurgical therapeutic interventions available to patients with obesity. Now, a multi-disciplinary team of researchers has demonstrated that a metabolic regulatory molecule called Them1 prevents fat burning in cells by blocking access to their fuel source. Led by microscopy experts at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and metabolism experts at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian, the study may contribute to the development of a new type of obesity treatment. The team's findings were published June 9 in Nature Communications. To help explain how the protein Them1 turns off heat production, BIDMC's cell biology and microscopy expert, Susan Hagen, Ph.D., associate vice-chair for research in the Department of Surgery at BIDMC, and Yue Li, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in her laboratory, used light and electron microscopy to observe Them1 in action in mouse brown fat cells grown in the laboratory. "Them1 is an interesting molecule," said Hagen. "If you inhibit or block its expression, metabolism increases and that reduces body weight." The experiments showed that when the cells are stimulated to burn fat, a chemical modification causes Them1 molecules to spread out, or diffuse, throughout the cell. This frees the cellular powerhouses called mitochondria to efficiently turn the cell's fat stores into energy. But when the stimulation stops, Them1 molecules quickly reorganize into a structure called a biomolecular condensate. Situated between the mitochondria and the fats they use as fuel, the condensed Them1 molecules limit energy production. "It turned out to be so incredibly interesting," said Hagen, who is also director of Microscopy and Histology Core Facilities at BIDMC and associate professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School. "We asked other microscopy experts whether they had ever seen anything like the unusual images we found in resting cells. Using very sophisticated electron microscopy techniques, we were able to showfor the first time, as far as we knowwhat the bimolecular condensate looks like in electron microscopy." "The study explains a new mechanism that regulates metabolism," said David Cohen, chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and the Vincent Astor Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. "Them1 hacks the energy pipeline and cuts off the fuel supply to the energy-burning mitochondria. Humans also have brown fat and produce more Them1 in cold conditions, so the findings may have exciting implications for the treatment of obesity." Cohen and Hagen, both members of the Harvard Digestive Diseases Center, have been collaborators since 1983. The current studysupported in part by a five-year, multi-PI grant from the National Institutes of Healthalso included collaborators with expertise in structural biology from Emory University. "This was the most fun I have ever had in science in my life," Hagen added. "Including multiple primary investigators with different expertise gives you the power of doing things that you could never do on your own." Explore further New super-resolution microscopy method approaches the atomic scale More information: Yue Li et al, Thioesterase superfamily member 1 undergoes stimulus-coupled conformational reorganization to regulate metabolism in mice, Nature Communications (2021). Journal information: Nature Communications Yue Li et al, Thioesterase superfamily member 1 undergoes stimulus-coupled conformational reorganization to regulate metabolism in mice,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23595-x Atlas of genetic control elements in the cerebellum: most control elements are specific for individual cell types and development stages. Credit: Research group Prof. Dr Henrik Kaessmann The mammalian cerebellum has long been associated almost exclusively with motor control, yet recent studies indicate that it also contributes to many higher brain functions. An international research team led by Prof. Dr. Henrik Kaessmann from the Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH) has now decoded the genetic programs that control the development of cerebellar cell types before and after birth. The molecular biologists compared data from the mouse cerebellum with corresponding data from the opossum, revealing fundamental gene regulatory networks that must have already formed in the early stage of mammalian evolution more than 160 million years ago. The study was carried out in close collaboration with Prof. Dr. Stefan Pfister of the Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ). The development of mammalian organs is controlled by the finely tuned activation and complex interaction of many different genesalso known as gene expression networks. "Although developmental gene expression in the cerebellum has already been studied relatively well, its genetic control has remained elusive," explains Dr. Mari Sepp, a postdoctoral researcher in Prof. Kaessmann's "Functional evolution of mammalian genomes" research group. In the current study the researchers mapped, at the cellular level, the control elements of all active genes over the entire developmental period of the cerebellum in mice. They used state-of-the-art single-cell sequencing techniques for this task. On the basis of these data and bioinformatic analysis methods, they were then able to decode the regulatory programs that control the gene expression networks of all cells and hence the development of the cerebellum. The researchers identified more than 200,000 control elements, most of which are highly specific for individual cell types and development stages. However, some of these elements are activated in multiple cell types, especially in early stages of development. To also understand the evolution of these gene regulatory programs, the researchers compared their results from the mouse with corresponding data from the opossuma marsupial that shares with mammals like mice or humans a common evolutionary ancestor dating back nearly 160 million years. According to Prof. Kaessmann, this comparison revealed a temporal pattern that is shared between different cell types. "The gene regulatory programs of each cell type deviate more between species as development progresses," explains Ioannis Sarropoulos, a doctoral researcher in Henrik Kaessmann's research group. The researchers explain that, at the level of individual cell types, these findings lend further support to a groundbreaking hypothesis on embryonic development from the 19th century: the Baltic German naturalist Karl Ernst von Baer (1792 to 1876) observed that the embryos of different types of vertebrates were more difficult to distinguish from one another the younger they were, thus pointing to progressive divergence in the development of vertebrate embryos. The research results were published in the journal Science. In addition to the Heidelberg scientists from the ZMBH and the KiTZ, a joint institution of the German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg University Hospital and Heidelberg University, researchers from the Museum fur Naturkunde in Berlin, the Francis Crick Institute in London (Great Britain), and the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona (Spain) also participated. The European Research Council funded the research work. The research data are available in a publicly accessible database. Explore further Networks of gene activity control organ development More information: Ioannis Sarropoulos et al, Developmental and evolutionary dynamics of cis-regulatory elements in mouse cerebellar cells, Science (2021). Journal information: Science Ioannis Sarropoulos et al, Developmental and evolutionary dynamics of cis-regulatory elements in mouse cerebellar cells,(2021). DOI: 10.1126/science.abg4696 A manioc tuber. Manihot esculenta, also called yuca or casava. Credit: Wikipedia. Two new publications examining cassava flowering reveal insights into the genetic and environmental factors underpinning one of the world's most critical food security crops. A tropical root crop that is a daily staple food to hundreds of millions of people in Africa and increasingly being used by smallholder farmers in commercial production, cassava has historically been difficult for plant breeders to improve in part because of delayed and poor production of flowers. The new studies, funded by the NextGen Cassava project and led by scientists at Cornell University and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, provide plant breeders with potential best practices to overcome poor (particularly low numbers of female flowers) or delayed flower production. The lead authors on both papers are Deborah Oluwasanya and Tim Setter, professor of soil and crop science in the School of Integrative Plant Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The first study, published May 21 in Frontiers in Plant Science, aims to better understand the factors regulating cassava flowering and its low ratio of female to male flowers. Cassava's natural tendency is to produce several more males than females, but for breeding to be effective, more females are required as they become seeds bearing improved traits. Combinations of plant-growth substances and pruning treatments were examined for their effectiveness in improving flower production. Through various trials, a three-input combination was eventually found to promote flowering with an increased ratio of female to male flowers. First, specific pruning methods stimulated flower growth; second, application of a compound called silver thiosulfate (STS) also increased flower abundance; third, applications of benzyladenine, a synthetic plant hormone, also feminized flowers. Combining pruning and STS treatments led to an increase in flower abundance. With the hormone addition, more than 80% of flowers were female. This three-way treatment combination also led to an increase in fruit. "We saw an additive effect when treatments are layered upon each, providing new insights into how cassava production can be increased," Oluwasanya said. "Our findings give clear direction, which is not always the case in science." The second study, published July 21 in PLOS ONE, examined the effects of delayed flowering on breeding cycles. Longer breeding cycles mean delays in bringing improved varieties to smallholder farmers, many of whom depend on cassava for food security. To determine optimal conditions that encourage flower induction, the authors compared early flowering cassava against late flowering cassava at two field locations in southern Nigeria: in Ibadan and in Ubiaja. The researchers simultaneously tested different controlled temperature conditions. While the early flowering varieties flowered at similar times and rates under all growing conditions, late-flowering genotypes were environmentally sensitive such that they were substantially delayed at warmer temperatures under controlled conditions and at the Ibadan field site, previously known to be a more challenging environment for flowering. Even though the studies were independent of each other, researchers noted a plant gene called TEMPRANILLO1 (TEM1) in each study that had the lowest expression levels in treatments that improved cassava flowering. This was true with the three-part combination that boosted female flower numbers and cool temperature and Ubiaja field sites where cassava flowering was the earliest. These studies represent the first report of a possible significant role TEM1 plays in cassava flower development. "Previously the conversation in cassava flowering has been about 'early' versus 'late' lines, but from our study, I think we can modify the narrative to consider lines as either environmentally insensitive or sensitive," said Oluwasanya. "Hopefully, these studies can be useful in exploring more deeply the effects of the TEM1 gene on cassava flowering." The results advance understanding of factors that regulate flowering in cassava and are potentially valuable in managing genotypes and environmental conditions in breeding programs. "Much of this important work came from Deborah's Ph.D. research and it has the potential to greatly assist cassava improvement in Nigeria and neighboring regions," Setter said. "It is also emblematic of Cornell's mission of global impact." "Rigorous scientific research into cassava is helping to optimize production in Africa and better ensure a food-secure future," said Chiedozie Egesi, director of NextGen Cassava, adjunct professor in the Department of Global Development and senior scientist at IITA. "These studies into cassava flowering open new insights to improve the lives and livelihoods of Africa's farmers." Explore further Environmental cues control cassava flowering More information: Deborah Oluwasanya et al, Flower Development in Cassava Is Feminized by Cytokinin, While Proliferation Is Stimulated by Anti-Ethylene and Pruning: Transcriptome Responses, Frontiers in Plant Science (2021). Journal information: PLoS ONE , Frontiers in Plant Science Deborah Oluwasanya et al, Flower Development in Cassava Is Feminized by Cytokinin, While Proliferation Is Stimulated by Anti-Ethylene and Pruning: Transcriptome Responses,(2021). DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.666266 Researchers found that treating the same material at different stages of preparation could produce controllable valves for microfluidic devices. On the left, the material was stretched after treatment, resulting in cracks. On the right, the material was stretched before treatment and released, producing wrinkles. The bottom images are close ups of a crack and a wrinkle, respectively. Credit: Huanyu "Larry" Cheng/Penn State Size matters when it comes to sorting biological materials. From identifying pathogens to screening for drug treatments, the ability to quickly identify and separate particles based on their size is an increasingly important tool in diagnosing and treating patients, according to Huanyu "Larry" Cheng, Dorothy Quiggle Career Development Professor in Penn State's Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics. Cheng and his international collaborators at Xiangtan University in China developed a low-cost, efficient way to fabricate a flexible sorting device for use in biomedical sensors. They published their approach this week in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, a journal of the American Chemical Society. Traditional microfluidic devices are produced with precise measurements to sort specific sized particles, such as identifying the pathogens underlying an infection in a patient's blood. The devices are built in clean rooms with highly specialized equipment to achieve the necessary degree of accuracy. "Microfluidic devices are very important, but we need to do a better job fabricating them," Cheng said. "Current methods can take days, if not weeks, and they are often expensive." To reduce the cost and time of producing the devices, the researchers took inspiration from what they want to monitor: the bendy, stretchy, sometimes wrinkly human body. They used a polymer containing carbon and silicon called PDMS, which becomes stiff when treated with ultraviolet light. Once the top surface of the polymer was stiff, they stretched it out, creating tiny cracks in the stiff layer. The researchers then encapsulated it with another cap layer of the same polymer. Next, they repeated the process but stretched the polymer before treating it with UV light. Once they released the stretched polymer with a stiff surface, it crinkled, with little wrinkles lining its face. When the devices are stretched and released, the cracks and wrinkles operate as valves, allowing small particles to flow through while restraining larger objects. "We can use the cracks or the wrinkles to manipulate the fluid flow," Cheng said. "These mechanical deformations aren't new, but they haven't been explored for use in microfluidic devices. We ended up with a nice marriage between the two structures, which can be fabricated simply and at a low cost." Cheng focuses on developing flexible, stretchable sensors capable of wirelessly monitoring a person's health through their physical motions and chemical signals in their sweat, skin and more. The goal, he said, is to improve the patient's comfort and quality of life while obtaining as much information as possible to help inform diagnosis and treatment. "We want to develop a standalone, stretchable system that allows for the long-term, continuous use of wireless sensing devices to advance both the capabilities and comfort of health monitoring for patients," Cheng said. "The ability to manufacture a low-cost, large-scale approach to allow for further testing is a critical component of such a system." The researchers plan to continue collaborating, Cheng said, and will explore how to produce and use the microfluidic device even more efficiently. Explore further Researchers harvest energy from radio waves to power wearable devices More information: Ying Liu et al, Strain-Tunable Microfluidic Devices with Crack and Wrinkle Microvalves for Microsphere Screening and Fluidic Logic Gates, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (2021). Journal information: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces Ying Liu et al, Strain-Tunable Microfluidic Devices with Crack and Wrinkle Microvalves for Microsphere Screening and Fluidic Logic Gates,(2021). DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c08745 UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies In a new survey of Los Angeles County renters, 49% of households reported that they were unable to pay all of their rent during the pandemic. The study, by researchers from UCLA and the University of Southern California, found the median amount renters owe their landlords is $2,800. That suggests that countywide, tenants owe landlords upwards of $3 billion. The findings are from one of a pair of surveys of 1,000 renters eachone conducted in July 2020, which focused on renters' ability to pay rent in the short term, and another in March 2021, asking about their ability to pay over the entirety of the pandemic. The preliminary results show that in both surveys, about 7% of renters missed a full rent payment in at least one of the three months before the study was conducted. But by the time the second survey was conducted, the share of renters paying less than the full amount to a landlord at least once during the crisis had almost doubled to 31%, up from 17% in July 2020. The study was co-authored by Michael Manville, Paavo Monkkonen and Michael Lens, associate professors at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs; and Richard Green, director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate. A slight majority of respondents reported paying their rent on time and in full, and many of those who owe rent said they were behind by less than a month. But other renters are emerging from the COVID-19 emergency in a financial hole they will struggle to climb out of on their own, the authors write in a research brief published today. Of particular concern is evidence from the surveys that renters' debt rose sharply as the COVID-19 crisis dragged on. Only about 6% of Los Angeles tenants reported using a credit card to pay their rent prior to the pandemic. That figure rose to 19% of respondents in the early days of the emergency, and to 44% in the latest survey. Also in the 2021 survey, 49% said they turned to friends and family to help them pay rent, 58% dipped into their savings and another 37% reported taking out an emergency or payday loan. The overall share of renters taking on debt reached 45% in the second survey, up from 32% in the first. Credit: UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies Other findings include: Just over 15% of tenants who were behind on their rent payments in 2020 had been threatened with eviction; that figure increased to 25% in the 2021 survey. Although an eviction moratorium is still in effect in Los Angeles County, tenants can still be threatened with evictions or have evictions initiated against them; a court won't act until the moratorium ends. Similarly, 6% reported in 2020 that an eviction had been initiated against them. In 2021, that percentage tripled to 18%. In the 2021 survey, about 68% of all respondents said they had received federal aid during the pandemic, and about 15% reported getting local aid. California's eviction moratorium will remain in place through at least September, and the brief notes that the state has committed to helping renters pay the back rent they owe. Through existing rental assistance programs, which generally require that both landlords and tenants agree to participate, the state or city pays landlords on the behalf of tenants who qualify for assistance. The problem? The data show that many tenants owe money to people or institutions other than their landlords, and the researchers write that many may be in that position precisely because they were deeply concerned about their housing security. The report suggests a solution often advocated by economists as the best way to help people facing financial trouble: Just give people money. Distributing cash to tenants who are financially distressed would allow them to pay back whomever is owed the moneya landlord, another creditor or a family member. "Programs where the government pays a landlord are sometimes justified as ways to prevent fraud or misuse," Manville said. "And we should certainly be concerned about fraud. But we need to weigh those concerns against the possibility that an overly cautious program will deny needed assistance to some people who are in real financial trouble." To allay concerns about fraudulent claimswhich in most government redistribution programs are very rarethe authors suggest ways the state could ask for evidence of debt, lost work or income. The 2021 survey was funded and produced by the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies in partnership with the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and the Committee for Greater LA. Explore further 1 in 5 tenants in L.A. County has struggled with rent during the pandemic A line of cars evacuates the Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska on July 28, 2021, after a tsunami warning was issued following a magnitude 8.2 earthquake. The tsunami warning for much of Alaska's southern coast was canceled when the biggest wave, of just over a half foot, was recorded in Old Harbor. Alaska. Credit: Sarah Knapp/Homer News via AP The largest earthquake in the United States in the last half century produced a lot of shaking but spared Alaska any major damage in a sparsely populated region, officials said Thursday. The magnitude 8.2 earthquake was reported about 10:15 p.m. Wednesday, and struck just south of the Alaska Peninsula, nearly 500 miles (804.67 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage. The quake was about 60 miles (96.56 kilometers) offshore and 29 miles (46 kilometers) below the surface of the North Pacific Ocean, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The Alaska Earthquake Center said on its website that it was the largest quake in the U.S. since a magnitude 8.7 quake in the Aleutians in 1965. A year before that, the magnitude 9.2 Good Friday earthquake devastated parts of Anchorage and other Alaska communities. That quake and ensuing tsunami killed 131 people from Alaska to California. The late Wednesday quake produced a lot of shaking. But the director of the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said Thursday no major damage was reported anywhere in the nation's largest state. "You could imagine if that earthquake happened in Anchorage or in Los Angeles the damage that would have occurred and the loss of life and injury and property damage and all of that. But so far, so good," said the director, Bryan Fisher. He's been with the agency for 26 years, and this was the largest quake he's experienced. "I was really assuming the worst, that there was going to be widespread catastrophic damage," he said. But as calls were made to coastal communities while they were evacuating during the tsunami warning, the calls were able to go through, a good initial sign. And local officials reported they didn't see any structural or significant damage. Given how long the ground shook, up to two minutes in some places, they expected to have broken glasses or plates and items thrown out of pantries and refrigerators. "But to not have roads collapse, not have a damaging wave from the tsunami that was generated was just incredible," Fisher said. "It's really a miracle." A common saying is that earthquakes don't kill people, buildings do, said Peter Haeussler, a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. "Because this earthquake was so far from the shoreit was basically out in the middle of nowhere and also in places where nobody is really livingthen the ability to have strong ground shaking, to damage buildings, to injure people goes to pretty close to zero," Haeussler said. Tsunamis generated by earthquakes can also cause a lot of damage. But he said this one occurred underneath a shelf, so it didn't displace very much water. "We were fortunate, very fortunate," said Jordan Keeler, the city administrator in Sand Point, a community of about 1,300 people located about 65 miles (104.61 kilometers) southwest of the quake's epicenter. City crews went out at first light Thursday and performed assessments. "Everything appears to be in working order," he said. This followed reports of no major damage from the city's police chief and harbormaster. A tsunami warning for Alaska was canceled early Thursday when communities started reporting minor wave sizes, some just over a half foot (15.2 centimeters). A tsunami warning that also had been issued for Hawaii was canceled, and officials said there was no threat to Guam, American Samoa or the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands. The tsunami warning for Alaska covered nearly a 1,000-mile (1,600-kilometer) stretch from Prince William Sound to Samalga Island, Alaska, near the end of the Aleutian Islands. In the Kenai Peninsula community of Homer, a steady stream of cars was seen evacuating the Homer Spit, a jut of land extending nearly 5 miles (8 kilometers) into Kachemak Bay that is a draw for tourists and fishermen. In King Cove, up to 400 people took shelter in the school gym. "We're used to this. This is pretty normal for this area to get these kind of quakes, and when the tsunami sirens go off, it's just something we do," school principal Paul Barker told the Anchorage Daily News. "It's not something you ever get used to, but it's part of the job living here and being part of the community." The earthquake was in an area where a roughly magnitude 8 earthquake was recorded in 1938. Haeussler said not much is known about that quake, but the Wednesday temblor seems to have re-ruptured the southwestern part of that area. The quake was also in an area where two fairly strong earthquakes were reported last year. Haeussler said earthquake scientists will be interested in understanding the relationship between them. Several aftershocks have been reported in the hours since the quake. 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. An individual can create a stone tool or a pot without assistance, but creating a metal tool like the spear here is a group endeavorand a complex one. Artifacts like this found in Thailand showed that such metal technology could be developed and exchanged using an economic model based on communities making decisions about how to participate in regional exchange systems. Credit: The Ban Chiang Project In archaeometallurgy, the study of ancient metal, archaeologists have historically taken a top-down approach, meaning that the jewelry, tools, weapons, and other artifacts they discover have come to signify a dominant ruling group that exerted overarching control over how to use such resources. The Penn Museum's Joyce White and Elizabeth Hamilton have a different idea. In an open-access article in Archaeological Research in Asia, the researchers argue that in Southeast Asia, where they have conducted the bulk of their work, communities actually took a bottom-up approach, each deciding how to use these precious resources rather than being told what to do with them. The article highlights key findings from a four-volume monograph suite being published by Penn Press. "A progressive view of human development originating in 19th-century perceptions of cultural evolution gets told over and over again. But it doesn't work well when you look at areas in closer and finer detail," says White, director of the Museum's Ban Chiang Project and an adjunct professor in Penn's Department of Anthropology. "We should be looking at cultural development in fine-grained ways analogous to genetics, natural selection, the nitty gritty mechanisms by which cultures evolved." Though this line of thinking isn't entirely new, it's never before been applied to Southeast Asia, Hamilton says. "Such a reconsideration has been taking place, for example, in European archaeology and other places," she says. "But where we work, the old ways of thinking tend to dominate." Penn Today spoke to White and Hamilton about the paradigm shift in archaeology they hope to spark with this research, plus thoughts on where they see the field heading. For Southeast Asia, to which specific metals are you referring? Hamilton: Metals found in ancient Southeast Asia tend to be copper/bronze and iron. Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin. In much of the world, the appearance of bronze tends to roughly correlate with the rise of social hierarchy, partly, it's assumed, because bronze is a beautiful, hard metal you can use for weapons or tools. In most places, tin is relatively rare, so you usually must import it from a long way away. There's this theory that elites, in the ancient Near East for example, were trying to control the tin trade because it's a prestige good. But Southeast Asia is one of the few places where both copper and tin are readily available. No one needs to control it; no one can control it. How did these metals reveal a bottom-up approach these communities were taking? White: For metal to be produced, you must find the ores and then create the right physical conditions, which is a combination of atmosphere and temperature. In the case of bronze, you must do this with both tin and copper and then combine either the two ores in a furnace or the two metals in a crucible in certain proportions. Hamilton: And then you need to cast and/or hammer the product. In northern northeast Thailand, bracelets like these were by far the most popular metal object, and almost all of them were made of a tin-bronze alloy. A few hundred kilometers south to another prehistoric site, bangles werent all that prominent. Credit: The Ban Chiang Project White: The ability to produce metals was undoubtedly a significant technological development in human societies. Hamilton: You can create a stone tool or a pot by yourself. But creating a metal tool, a metal artifact is a group endeavor and a complex one. White: Complex and also requiring a great deal of knowledge, expertise, know-how. The big discomfort scholars from a European background have with metallurgy in Thailand is that all this complexity was done by non-urban, non-warring, non-hierarchical societies. Part of the point of our article is to offer a solid counternarrative to how this metal technology could be developed and exchanged not reliant on a top-down model but using an economic model that has been way underutilized in archaeology, one based on communities making decisions about how to participate in regional exchange systems. Can you provide an example based on your findings? White: In northern northeast Thailand, at Ban Chiang, bracelets were by far the most popular metal object made, and almost all of them were made of a tin-bronze alloy. If we go a few hundred kilometers south to another prehistoric site, bangles weren't all that prominent. That community wasn't so focused on jewelry. Instead, they had these odd-shaped adzes, which I haven't seen from any other site, these little paddle shapes. At least two of them were made not of tin-bronze but of copper. Looking at a small amount of evidence from lead isotopes, we can see that the northern site is getting its copper from Laos, and the southern site is getting its copper from central Thailand. To me, this is one of the coolest and most significant things we have found so far. In very early stages, villages are linking to different metal supply lines. They're using locally specific technologies, and they're making locally specific items. Production was not uniform. Hamilton: There's also evidence that a lot of these small villages were manufacturing their own metal artifacts. We've found crucibles in most villages, along with other evidence for casting final products including molds. They were not importing them from some big central emporium that was churning out metal and metal products. How does this research turn previous thinking about metallurgy on its head? Hamilton: Most laboratory work on ancient metals is still performed on a loose collection of metal artifacts that were commonly excavated from graves, so they're well-preserved, or they happen to be what the excavator allows the analyst to sample. Those studies often don't sample all artifact types, periods, and contexts. In other words, most previous technical studies cherry-picked their samples. Through our work, which sampled from entire populations of excavated metal objects, we can get a picture of the full evidence for the place metals held in an ancient society. We can look at specific changes through time, in context, in artifact type. The vast majority of archaeometallurgical investigations cannot reliably perceive such fine-grained details. We were lucky, of course, that we had pretty well-preserved metal artifacts. White: Beyond that, archaeologists of a traditional bent tend to have a particular thought structure called essentialism, which means that they do everything they can to come up with a coherent story according to a progressive view of social change. They keep looking for and exaggerate specific evidence to fit that progressive model. Southeast Asia is different. It offers an outstanding example of bottom-up social change, of community-level decision making. It's a chance to study prehistoric societies in a more granular way, and it's a fundamental shift for archaeologists. We're still early on in trying to promote this different point of view and in using metals as a vehicle to gain this perspective. What do you hope for the future of the field? White: I really call on the next generation of up-and-coming Southeast Asian archaeologists to test, fill in, and develop the new paradigm further. I also think that as archaeologists, broadly, we can contribute to a larger discussion of how we all live in this world going forward, to have a more successful existence on this Earth, by studying ancient societies like those in prehistoric Thailand that were enduring, resilient, and peaceful. Explore further Bronze Age Scandinavia's trading networks for copper settled More information: Joyce C. White et al, The metal age of Thailand and Ricardo's Law of Comparative Advantage, Archaeological Research in Asia (2021). Joyce C. White et al, The metal age of Thailand and Ricardo's Law of Comparative Advantage,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.ara.2021.100305 Mosquitofish (female). Credit: Public Domain It turns out age is no barrier when it comes to reproducingwell, at least for one type of fish. A new study by researchers at The Australian National University (ANU) examined the impact of aging on the ability of male mosquitofish to reproduce. Lead author, ANU Ph.D. candidate Upama Aich, says while there's been plenty of studies done on the impact of aging on female reproduction, the evidence is much less clear for males. "We also wanted to look at mating history and what part that played," Ms Aich said. "So we compared four groups: older males and younger males, who were either virgins or non-virgins." "Surprisingly, the older males had the best fertility, and produced the most offspring, irrespective of their mating history," co-author Professor Michael Jennions added. Older, virgin males produced the most sperm of any group. According to Ms Aich this shows the general pattern of male reproductive decline in many animals, including humans, could have more to do with mating history than age. The researchers say mosquitofish were the perfect animal for this kind of study. "They happen to be easy to track down, as well as being extremely effective breeders," Ms Aich said. "They also produce live offspring, like humans, rather than laying eggs. "The females mate with lots of different males, so there is sperm competition after mating. We were able to study what happened when the sperm was put into that competitive scenario." The study is published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Explore further Choosy female fruit flies reproduce anyway More information: Upama Aich et al, Male age alone predicts paternity success under sperm competition when effects of age and past mating effort are experimentally separated, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2021). Journal information: Proceedings of the Royal Society B Upama Aich et al, Male age alone predicts paternity success under sperm competition when effects of age and past mating effort are experimentally separated,(2021). DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0979 Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Red Tide is sweeping through much of the Gulf Coast of Florida, having killed millions of fish and other marine life, and it could be headed toward Texas, according to a Texas A&M University at Galveston marine biologist. Daniel Roelke, professor and head of marine biology at Texas A&M-Galveston, said that Red Tidetechnically called Karenia brevisis an algae bloom that produces toxins that can kill fish. So far, it has killed more than 1,400 tons of fish in the Tampa area in the last few weeks. "Yes, there is a chance the ongoing bloom could find its way here to the Texas coast, but not much of one," Roelke said. "If it were to happen, the likely mechanisms include accidental release of ship ballast waters containing the red-tide organism and counter currents moving in a westward direction. Regarding currents, the primary circulation pattern off the west coast of Florida is southward, eventually working its way around the southern tip of Florida then northward along the Florida eastern coastline." Roelke said the toxins can be deadly to organisms that consume the contaminated fish, such as aquatic mammals, birds and even humans. In Florida, dolphins, turtles and manatees have died because of the surge of Red Tide. "The bloom-initiating mechanisms for Karenia brevis are not fully understood, and what we know so far suggests they are complex," he said. "This is true for almost all harmful bloom-forming microalgae. We do know that once the initiating mechanisms are underway, excessive nutrient concentrations enable the bloom to reach high population densities and to become widespread. That's when the fish kills begin." He added that there are many types of marine organisms affected by toxins produced by red tides. Fish, marine mammals and birds are only the most visible. Roelke said that it is possible that Red Tide is already present in waters off the Texas coast. "The red-tide organism has formed blooms in the past along the Texas shoreline," he said. "Once an organism is introduced to an area, it can remain for a long time, but just at population densities too low for us to detect. So, we cannot say where exactly it might be if it is indeed still in our waters. "We know that fish-killing blooms here have occurred in the past. That is why Texas A&M-Galveston, the University of Texas and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department cooperatively monitor the Texas shoreline looking for signs of harmful algal bloom-forming species. In this photo provided by Roscosmos Space Agency Press Service, the Nauka module is seen prior to docking with the International Space Station on Thursday, July 29, 2021. Russia's long-delayed lab module successfully docked with the International Space Station on Thursday, eight days after it was launched from the Russian space launch facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The 20-metric-ton (22-ton) Nauka module, also called the Multipurpose Laboratory Module, docked with the orbiting outpost after a long journey and a series of manoeuvres. Credit: Roscosmos Space Agency Press Service photo via AP A newly arrived Russian science lab briefly knocked the International Space Station out of position Thursday when it accidentally fired its thrusters. For 47 minutes, the space station lost control of its orientation when the firing occurred a few hours after docking, pushing the orbiting complex from its normal configuration. The station's position is key for getting power from solar panels and or communications. Communications with ground controllers also blipped out twice for a few minutes. Flight controllers regained control using thrusters on other Russian components at the station to right the ship, and it is now stable and safe, NASA said. "We haven't noticed any damage," space station program manager Joel Montalbano said in a late afternoon press conference. "There was no immediate danger at anytime to the crew." Montalbano said the crew didn't really feel any movement or any shaking. NASA said the station moved 45 degrees out of attitude, about one-eighth of a complete circle. The complex was never spinning, NASA spokesman Bob Jacobs said. NASA's human spaceflight chief Kathy Lueders called it "a pretty exciting hour." The incident caused NASA to postpone a repeat test flight for Boeing's crew capsule that had been set for Friday afternoon from Florida. It will be Boeing's second attempt to reach the 250-mile-high station before putting astronauts on board; software problems botched the first test. This Thursday, July 29, 2021 image provided by NASA shows the 20-metric-ton (22-ton) Nauka module, also called the Multipurpose Laboratory Module as it approaches the International Space Station space station. Russia's long-delayed lab module successfully docked with the International Space Station on Thursday, eight days after it was launched from the Russian space launch facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA via AP Russia's long-delayed 22-ton (20-metric-ton) lab called Nauka arrived earlier Thursday, eight days after it launched from the Russian launch facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The launch of Nauka, which will provide more room for scientific experiments and space for the crew, had been repeatedly delayed because of technical problems. It was initially scheduled to go up in 2007. In 2013, experts found contamination in its fuel system, resulting in a long and costly replacement. Other Nauka systems also underwent modernization or repairs. Stretching 43 feet (13 meters) long, Nauka became the first new compartment for the Russian segment of the outpost since 2010. On Monday, one of the older Russian units, the Pirs spacewalking compartment, undocked from the station to free up room for the new lab. Nauka will require many maneuvers, including up to 11 spacewalks beginning in early September, to prepare it for operation. The space station is currently operated by NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur; Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov of Russia's Roscosmos space corporation; Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet. In 1998, Russia launched the station's first compartment, Zarya, which was followed in 2000 by another big piece, Zvezda, and three smaller modules in the following years. The last of them, Rassvet, arrived at the station in 2010. Russian space officials downplayed the incident with Dmitry Rogozin, head of Roscosmos, tweeting: "All in order at the ISS. The crew is resting, which is what I advise you to do as well." Explore further Russia launches lab module to International Space Station 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Western Australian pastoralist David Pollock argues much needs to be learned about how to transition Australia's vast, arid rangelands pastures from their present, significantly degraded condition to become truly sustainable farming operations. Overgrazing has been the overwhelming cause of the declining condition of our rangelands, yet domestic stock have contributed to less than half the total impact. Unmanaged animals such as rabbits, wild goats and kangaroos ramp up the grazing pressure, leading to a "set stocking" approach to pastoralism, a constant competition over scarce resources at the expense of plant and animal biodiversity. Any responsible grazing system must allow the most palatable plants time to recover through a rotational grazing system, which is unworkable when so many unmanaged animals continue to graze pastures vacated by stock. Pastoralist David Pollock recommends that hardest of all thingsa cultural shift. "By far the cheapest, most guaranteed to be effective thing we can do as Australians to recover our rangeland resources, whether it be for production or conservation, is to stop killing the dingoes," he argues. In an article published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, David illustrates how the large properties involved in the infertile, dry soils of the rangelands make animal-proof fencing economically unviable. "The most viable option on larger properties is to make use of the dingo to control unmanaged grazers, with one important caveatcattle must be run instead of sheep." "As a nation, we need to start the conversation about how to transition from our current practices, which have proven to be immensely destructive, towards those that restore and sustainably utilize our resources. And there is a lot at stake, as pastoralism in semi-arid and arid regions is the predominant land use in Australia, covering around 40% of Australia's land mass." David believes the change must start at the top. "The fiction of the wild dog has been created over the past twenty years to enable the Australian Government to continue to fund dingo culling." He points to "a sustained campaign of misinformation that is directly contrary to the available science." Australia's maligned apex predator Throughout Australia dingoes are maligned by primary producers, through adherence to the long-established cultural norm of believing that the dingo is their enemy, and by the public, through a sustained campaign of misinformation that is directly contrary to the available science. Credit: Royal Society of Victoria David considers the substitution of the term 'wild dog' for the term 'dingo' conjures up very different mental images and is a deliberate fiction that enables the Australian Government to continue to fund dingo culling. "The single most influential move towards restoring the dingo to its rightful level of immense ecological and productive worth would be for all government departments to discontinue the use of the term 'wild dogs' to describe dingoes," David claims. "This move could easily be justified by the recent, current and ongoing genetic research, which overwhelmingly shows that public funds are not currently being used to kill wild dogs, because they are so few in number that it is arguable they don't even exist in Australia's wild places." Currently, the definition of the term 'wild dog," as described by government agencies, includes pure-bred dingoes. Transitioning from sheep farming David is resolute: "Sheep and dingoes cannot co-exist and without the dingoes on large properties to manage the total grazing pressure, there is almost no likelihood that the landscape will be managed sustainably. If we continue to degrade our soil and pasture, then sheep will not survive there for much longer anyway." So, is this the end of sheep farming in the rangelands? Not necessarily. If the land becomes more productive with the sheep gone and dingoes "managing the unmanageable," then it's likely pastoralists can transition to owning smaller, more productive properties that will be a cheaper proposition on which to maintain exclusion fencing. "It is also the point at which management becomes intensive enough that those properties have the capacity to control their unmanaged grazers themselves." Good news all round David points out that dingoes are not just essential for good grazing management, but also the survival of native flora and fauna in rangeland areas. "Wherever dingoes have gained a foothold they have completely removed the fox in the southern rangelands. They have also affected cat numbers." "Australia has the largest extinction rate of mammals in the world, and that will continue for as long as we deny the dingo its ecological role." Explore further All the colours of the dingo: not just a yellow dog More information: David Pollock, Managing the unmanageable: reinstating the dingo for pastoral sustainability in Australian rangelands, Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria (2021). David Pollock, Managing the unmanageable: reinstating the dingo for pastoral sustainability in Australian rangelands,(2021). DOI: 10.1071/RS21005 Provided by Royal Society of Victoria Every Monday, the villagers walk to the main square in Lastras to buy multipacks of mineral water in 1.5 litre bottles. Less than two hours from Madrid, 76-year-old Francisca Benitez has to brush her teeth every night with bottled water because her village has no supply of drinking water. In Lastras de Cuellar in the central Castilla y Leon region, nitrates and arsenic have made the water undrinkable for the village's residents, who number 350 in winter and nearly 1,000 in summer. And across the country, dozens of villages are suffering the same fate because groundwater resources are at risk from agricultural pollution, a lack of water quality controls and drought. Every Monday, the villagers walk to the main square in Lastras to buy multipacks of mineral water in 1.5 litre bottles, sold at a discounted price, which some take away in wheelbarrows. Alejandro Martin, 17, is there to help his 95-year-old grandfather bring home the precious resource which is then poured into a pan so they can prepare coffee. Outside, clusters of empty plastic bottles dangle from the balconies alongside banners demanding access to drinking water. "This is not normal in the 21st century!" protests Mercedes Rodriguez, 41, who belongs to a local residents association. Mayor Andres Garcia also points to the "lack of (public) funding" which has slowed down a project to ensure drinking water supplies by the end of the year. Groundwater resources are at risk from agricultural pollution, a lack of water quality controls and drought. In Castilla y Leon alone, 63 municipalities were without running water in March, according to the region's main television station. National figures are not available. According to the health ministry, a 2019 study of national water resources found that 67,050 samplessome taken from the same place on different dateswere undrinkable. Nitrates and manure Nitrate levels are a cause for concern, with nearly three out of 1028 percentof Spain's groundwater monitoring stations registering a concentration close to or above the potability threshold. Fully 22 percent of Spain's overall surface areawhich covers 506,000 square kilometres (195,000 square miles)is exposed to nitrate pollution due to the nature of the soil or through agricultural activities, the environment ministry says. And many are increasingly blaming agricultural pollution for the water crisis. Many are increasingly blaming agricultural pollution for the water crisis. Lierta, a tiny village in the northeastern Aragon region, has been deprived of drinking water since 2018 because of nitrate pollution and residents are currently fighting plans to set up a new farm for 3,000 pigs. Under a scorching sun, a lone dog can be seen drinking from a fountain in a landscape dominated by vast golden wheatfields that are dotted with pig farms. In this area, there are already "close to 20,000 pigs and just 50 villagers", says 68-year-old Bernard Mas, a member of the residents' association that has just managed to get the farm project suspended for a year. In a country where pork products reign supreme, "intensive livestock farming and huge macro farms are a real problem" for local water quality due to the pollution from manure, says Luis Babiano, head of the Spanish Association of Public Water Supply and Sanitation Operators (AEOPAS). But excess nitrates in water sources are mainly the result of "fertiliser use in agricultural activity" which is "the main problem" in the countryside, an environment ministry report found late last year. 'Without water, we'll disappear' "In rural areas, water resource management is lacking and residents of some small settlements may be drinking non-potable water without knowing it," the report said. Mayor Andres Garcia points to the "lack of (public) funding" which has slowed down a project to ensure drinking water supplies by the end of the year. And such concerns have even reached Brussels with the European Commission last year issuing an ultimatum, warning Spain to improve its water quality control or face heavy fines. In the long term, drought could also jeopardise the quality of Spain's water resources, especially as the impact of climate change gathers pace. If the quantity of water decreases but the level of harmful substances does not, proportionally it means the level of such pollutants in Spain's water resources increases, explains Babiano. In Lastras, Rodriguez fears that the water shortage could spell the end of their little community. "A village that doesn't have water is destined to disappear. Who is going to come and live in a village where they don't have tap water?" she wonders. "Who is ever going to set up a business here?" Explore further Nitrate in drinking water tied to spontaneous preterm birth risk 2021 AFP Figure 1. (a) Schematic representation of the experiment: a tunnel current flows from a Au STM tip to a Ag(111) surface exciting plasmons, the radiative decay of which leads to photon emission. (b) Level diagram showing that the width of the energy window of possible initial and final states of an inelastic tunnel process exciting a plasmon of energy h is eV B h; i.e., for low photon energies, more inelastic transitions contribute to the emission. For photon energies higher than the bias voltage, inelastic processes linking occupied states in the tip and empty states in the sample become impossible. (c) Tunnel electroluminescence spectra recorded at 4.9 K with a bias voltage of 3.5 V, where all the relevant plasmonic cavity modes can be accessed by inelastic processes, and at lower voltages (2.42.5 V), demonstrating the suppression of intensity at photon energies larger that the applied bias. Inset: Zoom into the emission edge. The overbias emission tail is shadowed. (d) Comparison between the voltage dependence of the overbias amplitude (A, i.e., the light intensity at the cutoff) and total integrated emission (I light T, i.e., integrated light intensity at energies larger than the cutoff) with the fully developed spectra at 3.5 V. (e) Normalization of the emission edge spectra at different voltages by their respective amplitudes, A, makes the spectra voltage independent. Credit: DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c00951 It is well known that an electric current increases the temperature of the material through which it is conducted due to the so-called Joule effect. This effect, which is used daily in domestic and industrial heaters, hair dryers, thermal fuses, etc., occurs because the new electrons injected into the material cannot go to the lower energy states because those are already occupied by the electrons of the material and therefore they must start their journey with relatively high energies. These electrons are called hot carriers. However, as they move through the material, hot carriers lose energy through collisions with other electrons and atoms in the solid. The process by which this lost energy is translated into thermal energy and, therefore, into an increase in temperature, is known as thermalisation of hot carriers. It should be noted however that this well-known effect takes place for very high electron fluxes, which can reach billions of electrons per second in electronic conventional devices. Therefore, it reveals information about the collective behavior of electrons, but how long it takes each of them to lose their energy is a generally difficult question to answer experimentally. In an article published in Nano Letters, a group of Spanish researchers has proposed a new method to explore the thermalisation of hot carriers with temporary resolution of billionths of a second. The work, which results from a collaboration between the Autonomous University of Madrid, IFIMAC, the Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies in Nanoscience (IMDEA Nanociencia), the Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC) and the University of the Basque Country (EHU), used a scanning tunnel microscope to inject electrons into a silver surface at a rate thousand times lower than that corresponding to operating currents in standard devices. The researchers examined the energy distribution of the emitted light at the junction in response to electron injection. A naive view of the law of conservation of energy would imply that photons should not be emitted with energies greater than the voltage applied to the junction: The experiment, on the contrary, shows that although the number of photons with energies greater than the applied voltage is very small, it is not completely zero. In its work, the consortium, led by Prof. Roberto Otero, explains this phenomenon as the result of taking into account the temperature of the electron cloud of the solid, and allowed the researchers to extract this temperature from the energy distribution of the photons with energies above the voltage. This analysis shows that the temperature of the electron cloud and that of the material itself do coincide for high temperatures and low currents. However, as the current is increased, the estimated electronic temperature increases above the sample temperature. The authors rationalize this behavior taking into account that, by increasing the current, the average time between the injection of consecutive electrons decreases. When this time is less than the time corresponding to the thermalisation of hot carriers, the second electron injected notices the electron cloud temperature is higher than the one of the sample, because the energy of the first electron has not yet been completely dissipated. If the injection of the second electron results in the emission of light, the energy distribution of the light with energies above the voltage will reflect the temperature of the electron cloud at the time of injection. In this way, by measuring the emission of light with energies above the voltage at different currents it is possible to follow the speed with which the thermalisation process takes place. The study clarifies the nature of photon emission above the applied voltage and shows how this fact is perfectly consistent with current scientific knowledge. Additionally, it offers a new way of measuring the electronic temperature of solids via scanning tunnel microscope with atomic spatial resolution. And it offers a new tool to study the thermalisation processes of hot carriers one at a time. For all these reasons, the authors are confident that this work is essential for the design and characterization of nanoscale thermal and luminescent devices, and could have important implications for the design of nanometer catalysts for different chemical reactions, or the manufacture of nanometer lasers that could work with extraordinary low pump powers. Explore further Microscope allows ultrafast nanoscale manipulation while tracking energy dynamics More information: Alberto Martin-Jimenez et al, Electronic Temperature and Two-Electron Processes in Overbias Plasmonic Emission from Tunnel Junctions, Nano Letters (2021). Journal information: Nano Letters Alberto Martin-Jimenez et al, Electronic Temperature and Two-Electron Processes in Overbias Plasmonic Emission from Tunnel Junctions,(2021). DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c00951 Credit: CC0 Public Domain In 2020, Colorado battled the four largest wildfires in its history, leaving residents anxious for another intense wildfire season this year. But last week, fires weren't the issueit was their aftermath. When heavy rains fell over the burn scar from the 2020 Cameron Peak fire, they triggered flash flooding and mudslides northwest of Fort Collins which destroyed homes, killed at least three people and damaged major roads. Flooding along the 2020 Grizzly Creek and East Troublesome burn scars also unleashed mudslides across Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon and in Grand County just west of Rocky Mountain National Park. These tragic events make it clear that the effects of wildfire don't end when the flames go out. There can be environmental consequences for years to comeand keeping an eye on water is key. CU Boulder Today spoke with Professor Fernando Rosario-Ortiz, an environmental chemistry expert who studies how wildfires impact water quality; and Assistant Professor and CIRES Fellow Ben Livneh, a hydrologist who studies how climate change affects water supplies and how fires and rain influence landslide risk, about how fire may shape the future of water in the West. What happens to water in lakes, rivers and streams after a nearby wildfire? Rosario-Ortiz: When you have open flames, a lot of gaseous reactions and solid phase reactions, it results in the transformation of chemicals and alterations to the soil, and we observe the effects once we look at the water quality. For example, we observe the enhancement in the concentration of nutrients in water, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can cause subsequent issues in the reservoirs like algae blooms. There can also be a mobilization of metals and enhanced concentration and activity of what we call organic carbon as well as turbidity, which can then impact water treatment production and formation of disinfection byproducts. How do city water suppliers and treatment plants deal with these impacts? Rosario-Ortiz: Ideally, you want to have a secondary water source. In Fort Collins, back in 2012 after the High Park fire, the river was impacted but the reservoir was not impacted. So they could draw from the reservoir and wait for the worst to pass. If you don't have that option, some of the challenges after wildfire and rain events include increased sediment mobilization, which is very challenging for water treatment operations. Those are short-term effects that might give you a headache, but they can also become long-term challenges. Never mind the fact that you may have issues with infrastructure. How can wildfire affect water quantity and timing in a landscape? Livneh: In the western U.S. we really rely on water that flows in rivers and streams, and that fills the reservoirs for our supply. So when we think about even small changes to the amount of water that comes off of the hill slope, or across the landscape, that can have a big impact on the total availability of water. One of the most notable things that happens in a fire is that the texture of the soil changes. Initially, less rain will soak into the soil, and more rain will become surface runoff. There's a lot of reason to think that you will get more total waterbut it'll be much more "flashy" when it comes. On one hand, that can be good if you have a reservoir to collect it. But we've heard of water utilities actually turning off their intakes after a fire if the quality of the water is too low. And that's tricky, because often drought is involved in some fashion. So there's often this competing need for more water, and yet the quality is low. What are the factors that affect the likelihood of floods or mudslides after wildfire? Livneh: When water carries enough stuff with it, we call it a debris flow, which is a type of landslide. The bigger and bigger it gets, the more impactful it is. We have research funded by NASA where we looked at 5,000 landslide sites around the world. We found that sites that had a fire in the past three years required less precipitation to cause a landslide. But there's also a lot of local variability that really matters. Moderately steep, heavily vegetated areas, types of soilsespecially sandier soilsincrease risk. Also we now have a lot of people who have built structures on steep slopes in these areas, so there's a human element there, too. And the time of the year that it happens can matter. A fire right before your rainy season is an important factor. What does this all mean for the future of Colorado and the western U.S.? Rosario-Ortiz: When homes burn, you're not just combusting houses, you're combusting everything inside those homes. You might now be combusting electric vehicles, for example, with a large battery. Then what are some of the other potential concerns with exposure to air? Water? That's going to be something that we will need to explore further over the next few years. Livneh: Some estimates say the amount of forest area being burned each year in the western U.S. has doubled in the last 25 years. And it really poses risks to communities, especially in the wildland-urban interface (WUI). Managing it is largely a kind of a policy problem, but in the next 10 years or so we're going to continue to have these big fires. First and foremost, people need to be paying attention to these flood watches and to local guidance on evacuation. The most important thing is saving lives. What can we do to prepare for the future? Rosario-Ortiz: Utilities might have to be thinking about potential upgrades in facilities. That means we may have to also consider financing of these projects and how to improve overall resiliency. Livneh: One of the most robust features of climate change is warming, right? As rain becomes more prevalent, we're just going to have to continue expanding our portfolio of things we do to keep up. The more open-minded we can be about managing for these things is important. I'm kind of an optimist. As humans, we've overcome so many technical challenges; it's not going to be something we can't solve our way out of. Explore further Wildfire intensity impacts water quality and its treatment in forested watersheds (a) Diagram of the laser-triggered driving circuit with (b) voltage and current traces for a typical event. (c) Power and energy calculated from direct integration. Credit: Texas A&M University Occurring faster than the speed of sound, the mystery behind the breakdown of plasma discharges in water is one step closer to being understood as researchers pursue applying new diagnostic processes using state-of-the-art X-ray imaging to the challenging subject. These diagnostic processes open the door to a better understanding of plasma physics, which could lead to advances in green energy production through methods including fusion, hydrocarbon reforming and hydrogen generation. Dr. David Staack and Christopher Campbell in the J. Mike Walker '66 Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University are part of the team pioneering this approach to assessing plasma processes. Partners on the project include diagnostics experts from Los Alamos National Laboratories and using the facilities at the Argonne National Laboratory Advanced Photon Source (APS). The team is working with LTEOIL on patented research into the use of multiphase plasma in carbon-free fuel reforming. The research is supported by the dynamic materials properties campaign (C2) and the advanced diagnostics campaign (C3) at Los Alamos National Laboratories through the Thermonuclear Plasma Physics group (P4) principal investigator, Zhehui (Jeph) Wang. The research, which was recently published in Physical Review Research, is producing the first-known ultrafast X-ray images of pulsed plasma initiation processes in water. Staack, associate professor and Sallie and Don Davis '61 Career Development Professor, said these new images provide valuable insight into how plasma behaves in liquid. "Our lab is working with industry sponsors on patented research into the use of multiphase plasma in carbon-free fuel reforming," Staack said. "By understanding this plasma physics, we are able to efficiently convert tar and recycled plastics into hydrogen and fuels for automobiles without any greenhouse gas emissions. In the future, these investigations may lead to improvements in inertial confinement fusion energy sources." Inertial confinement fusionin which high temperature, high energy density plasmas are generatedis a specific focus of the project. To better understand the plasma physics involved in this type of fusion, Staack said the team is developing short timescale, high-speed imaging and diagnostic techniques utilizing a simple, low-cost plasma discharge system. Additionally, they are seeking to better understand the phenomena that occur when plasma is discharged in liquid, causing a rapid release of energy resulting in low-density microfractures in the water that move at over 20 times the speed of sound. Campbell, a graduate research assistant and Ph.D. candidate, said the team hopes their discoveries can prove to be a valuable contribution to the collective knowledge of their field as researchers seek to develop robust predictive models for how plasma will react in liquid. "Our goal is to experimentally probe the regions and timescales of interest surrounding this plasma using ultrafast X-ray and visible imaging techniques, thereby contributing new data to the ongoing literature discussion in this area," said Campbell. "With a complete conceptual model, we could more efficiently learn how to apply these plasmas in new ways and also improve existing applications." Although they have made progress, Campbell said current methods are not yet sophisticated enough to collect multiple images of a single plasma event in such a short amount of timeless than 100 nanoseconds. "Even with the state-of-the-art techniques and fast framerates available at the Advanced Photon Source, we have only been able to image a single frame during the entire event of interestby the next video frame, most of the fastest plasma processes have concluded," Campbell said. "This work highlights several resourceful techniques we have developed to make the most of what few images we are able to take of these fastest processes." The team is currently working to measure the pressures induced by the rapid phenomena and preparing for a second round of measurements at APS to investigate interacting discharges, discharges in different fluids and processes that may limit confinement of higher energy discharges. They look forward to the opportunity of using even higher-framerate X-ray imaging methods ranging up to 6.7 million frames per second, compared to 271 thousand frames per second in this study. Explore further Research describes slow and fast light in plasma More information: Christopher Campbell et al, Ultrafast x-ray imaging of pulsed plasmas in water, Physical Review Research (2021). Christopher Campbell et al, Ultrafast x-ray imaging of pulsed plasmas in water,(2021). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevResearch.3.L022021 The human landing system (HLS) contract, worth $2.9 billion, was awarded to Elon Musk's company in April but was challenged by the other bidders, who argued NASA was required to make mulitple awards and that the evaluation process was unfair. NASA did not violate regulations when it decided to give SpaceX the sole contract to build a Moon lander, a watchdog said Friday, in a ruling that denied challenges by competitors Blue Origin and Dynetics. The human landing system (HLS) contract, worth $2.9 billion, was given to Elon Musk's company in April, but was protested by the other bidders, who argued NASA was required to make multiple awards and that the evaluation process was unfair. The Government Accountability Office said NASA's initial announcement "reserved the right to make multiple awards, a single award, or no award at all," adding that the space agency had acted in accordance with the level of funding it had. The finding is a blow in particular to Blue Origin, which was seen as the second strongest bid. Blue Origin's owner Jeff Bezos this week wrote an open letter to NASA offering a discount amounting to at least $2 billion to reconsider the decision. On Friday, Blue Origin said it believed the GAO wasn't able to address "fundamental issues" with the original decision because of its limited jurisdiction. "We'll continue to advocate for two immediate providers as we believe it is the right solution," said a spokesperson. "The Human Landing System program needs to have competition now instead of laterthat's the best solution for NASA and the best solution for our country." SpaceX's winning bid involves a lunar version of its prototype Starship spacecraft, which is designed to carry large crews and cargo for deep space voyages, and land upright both on Earth and other celestial bodies. Since losing the award, Blue Origin has strongly lobbied to have the decision reversed, leading the US Senate to pass a bill agreeing to add $10 billion funding to the program. But the legislation is still being debated in the House of Representatives, and has been branded a "Bezos Bailout" by critics. SpaceX's winning bid involves a lunar version of its prototype Starship spacecraft, which is being developed to carry large crews and cargo for deep space voyages, and land upright both on Earth and other celestial bodies. Under the Artemis program, NASA is planning to return humans to the Moon in the middle of this decade and build a lunar orbital station, before a crewed mission is sent to Mars in the 2030s. Musk's company, founded in 2002, is currently NASA's leading private sector partner. It began operating Crew Dragon capsules to take astronauts to the International Space Station last year, while its competitor in that sector, Boeing, has yet to launch a successful uncrewed test flight. Last week, SpaceX was awarded the contract to launch a planned NASA mission to Jupiter's icy moon Europa, where a probe will look for signs of life. Explore further Bezos offers NASA a $2 billion discount for Blue Origin Moon lander 2021 AFP Credit: Prajval Shastri, Author provided All around the world, there is an extreme gender imbalance in physics, in both academia and industry. Examples are all too easy to find. In Burkina Faso's largest university, the University of Ouagadougou, 99% of physics students are men. In Germany, women comprise only 24% of physics Ph.D. graduatescreeping up from 21% in 2017. No women graduated in physical sciences at the University of El Salvador between 2017 and 2020. Australia fares little better. Australian National University Professor Lisa Kewley forecasts that on current settings, it will take 60 years for women to comprise just a third of professional astronomers. And the hits keep coming. A survey by the UK Royal Astronomical Society, published last week, found women and non-binary people in the field are 50% more likely than men to be bullied and harassed, and that 50% of LGBQ astronomers have suffered bullying in the past 12 months. There are occasional glimmers in the gloom. In India, for instance, women now comprise 43% of those with a degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM). But that figure is much lower in physics and in the higher echelons of academia. Clearly, this gender imbalance urgently needs to be fixed. This is not simply a matter of principle: around the world, many of our best and brightest minds are excluded, to everyone's detriment. This month, the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics held its seventh conference focused on the roles and prospects of women in the discipline. Held online, but hubbed in Melbourne, the five-day event was attended by more than 300 scientists from more than 50 countries. We met many women who showed strength, leadership and commitment to progress physics in their countries, sometimes under very difficult circumstances. As the conference progressed, some distinct targets for action emerged. Dissolving barriers One priority is the need to overcome the barriers that prompt many women to leave physics before reaching its most senior levels. This happens for many reasons, including uncertainty in gaining long-term employment and the associated doubts about ever achieving senior positions, but research shows the effect is felt disproportionately by women. Kewley's analysis found that in Australian astronomy, 62% of women, compared with 17% of men, leave between postdoc and assistant professor level. A further 48% of women (and 28% of men) leave before the associate professor level. Similar results are found in the UK, where the Royal Astronomical Society reported that women make up 29% of astronomy lecturers but only 12% of astronomy professors. Collaborating with industry Mentoring women to become entrepreneurs and commercial leaders is a key strategy for underpinning independence, well-being and social standing for women physicists. "Entrepreneurship isn't common in many developing countries, particularly not among women physicists, where social and economic conditions impede innovation and collaboration with industry," Associate Professor Rayda Gammag, from Mapua University in the Philippines, told the conference. Prajval Shastri at work. Author provided Another participant, Professor Mmantsae Moche Diale, a senior physicist at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, reflected that many people don't know how to translate their research ideas into business. "It is important that you get guidance on how to navigate challenging situations to translate your research into a product you can sell," she said. Helping women physicists in developing countries In some countries, social, cultural, economic and religious norms mean there is little support for women physicists. This can be deep-rooted, with discrimination at the earliest levels of education. University-educated women often find themselves blocked from research funding or leadership positions. IUPAP has an important role to play here, through connecting women physicists in developing countries with their global colleagues, developing codes of conduct to combat discrimination and aggression, and reaching out through our regional chapters. "Some countries have so few women that they'd benefit from joining a network with others in a similar situation," Adjunct Professor Igle Gledhill from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa told the conference. Showing the way Despite the deeply ingrained challenges, there are some signs of progress. Two standout nations are Iran and India. In Iran, women make up 55% of physics Ph.D. candidates and high-school science teachers, Azam Iraji zad of the Physics Society of Iran told the conference. It was also revealed that the proportion of women in STEM education in India is larger than in the UK, the United States or France. Nevertheless, the conference heard stark evidence that action to remove gender barriers in physics around the world will often be met not just with resistance but sometimes violence. One of us (Prajval Shastri) led a workshop that delivered powerful and practical recommendations on how to ensure no one is left behind. Physicists have multiple identities beyond gender, such as race, class, caste and abled-ness, creating a complex pattern of disadvantage and privilege. Ultimately, the physics enterprise should learn from the gender gap but go beyond it and aim to center itself on the interests of its most vulnerable members. That way, it will emerge as a better and more inclusive profession for everybody. This needs to happen everywhere from the classroom to the lab, to conferences, industry networking and public science communication. Boys and girls alike deserve to see more role models from all marginalized groups doing physics. The conference generated a series of recommendations, which we will now share with the wider physics community. We welcome the debate that will follow. Excluding, silencing and discouraging so many brilliant minds carries a very heavy cost, not just to the women directly impacted, but to all of humanity. Explore further Modelling shows urgent need to revamp hiring and working conditions for astronomers This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. WASHINGTON Just as soon as youll finally be able to cross into Canada again, a lot of really big trucks could be blocking the way. Thats because the unions that represent Canadian customs workers this week voted to strike as soon as Aug. 6 three days before the Canada border is set to open again to vaccinated Americans. I think were in a good place and the trajectory is very promising, said Arnold Chacon, interim charge daffaires at the U.S. embassy in Ottawa. While most Canadian Border Services Agency employees are considered essential personnel and therefore cannot go fully on strike, a bigger concern is what type of job action will they do you know, will they take much longer to process a truck and all those types of things? Ron Rienas, general manager of the Peace Bridge, said Wednesday. So there could be an impact in terms of truck use across the bridge and onto the New York State Thruway system, Rienas added. That happened a number of years ago, and that obviously creates a very dangerous situation when that happens. As New York state school districts muddled their way through an academic year with pandemic restrictions, one of the more frustrating periods came in the early spring when it started to become clear that COVID-19 cases were declining. State officials had information about decreasing infection rates, along with data that showed students who were able to attend in-person school were excellent at wearing masks and not spreading infections while in classes. The also had revised CDC guidance about distancing among masked students. But for many weeks, despite the pleadings of school district leaders and families around the state, state officials refused to update their guidance. When they finally did, students in many districts had just a couple of months left for expanded in-person instruction. It was a failure by state education and health officials, and it was one they should have been determined not to repeat. But as the final days of July count down, school officials trying to plan for the 2021-22 academic year find themselves in an unpleasantly familiar situation. They are waiting for the state to put out some guidance. Local top story Atlantic City's Venice Park bridge 'falling apart,' weight limit instituted Edward Lea photos, Staff Photographer A weight limit spans the Penrose Canal bridge in Atlantic Citys Venice Park neighborhood. The city on Thursday announced a 3-ton limit for another nearby bridge officials say is in need of repair. Edward Lea, Staff Photographer Its long overdue, but were proud to accomplish this for the people in Venice Park and the residents of Atlantic City, Mayor Marty Small Sr. said of the work planned during a news conference. Police interim Officer-in-Charge James Sarkos is behind Small. ATLANTIC CITY Officials added a weight limit Thursday to one of the citys Venice Park bridges, saying its poor condition is a public safety risk. Mayor Marty Small Sr. announced the new weight restriction during a news conference Thursday. Small also outlined the citys plans to repair the existing bridges and eventually replace them with new versions over the next two years. The decision came after an inspection found the substructure of the bridge, which was built in 1969, is in need of repair. Its an old bridge, said Uzoma Ahiarakwe, director of the citys Department of Engineering. Its falling apart little by little. Now, any vehicle over 3 tons, or 6,000 pounds, will be prohibited from crossing the bridge over the Venice lagoon at North Ohio and Kuehnle avenues. Ahiarakwe outlined the process during the news conference: Atlantic City to update residents on Venice Park bridge replacement ATLANTIC CITY The citys engineering office will hold a meeting Thursday evening to update residents on the bridge replacement project in Venice Park. Were going to start making immediate repairs to bridge number 2, but also bear in mind that the bridge is under design, we will be done with design by sometime in February or March of next year. Once were done with the design, its likely well be done with construction sometime in mid-2023. The 3-ton limit will prevent the buses from going across the bridge, Ahiarakwe said. Ahiarakwe said once the repairs are completed he expected the limit to be raised so buses could resume their routes. It will (be inconvenient), but were trying to make it a very soft landing. Were going into the neighborhoods to talk to them (residents), he said. Reached after the meeting, Sylvester Showell, president of the Westside Neighborhood Protective Association, said he was concerned about how the detours will work while both bridges the Venice Lagoon bridge and the nearby Penrose Canal bridge are under construction. The school kids would have to walk along Route 30. It was a hassle last time they had a detour, Showell said. So thats my main concern, how the kids are going to get to and from school. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, a 3-ton weight limit on a bridge prohibits five common agricultural vehicles from crossing, anything from a small tractor to a tractor trailer. Ahiarakwe said making immediate repairs to the bridge will save money in the long run because when the bridge goes under reconstruction, it can be done in stages. We felt that it was prudent instead of putting a temporary bridge somewhere, to see if we can start repairing it,Ahiarakwe said. If we repair the bridge, during the construction of that same bridge we can stage it. It saves money if we do that. Small said putting in a temporary bridge would cost the city $350,000 initially and $20,000 per day. The citys engineering office had scheduled a meeting Thursday evening to update residents on the replacement of the bridge over the Penrose Canal, but due to inclement weather, the meeting was postponed to Aug. 5. City Council last week awarded a $2.5 million contract to South State Inc., of Bridgeton, for the bridge replacement. Ahiarakwe said Thursday that construction for the Penrose Canal bridge will likely begin at the end of August. Well probably be done (reconstruction) in six, seven months, Ahiarakwe said. Both bridges on Ohio Avenue were identified as being in need of replacement by the Federal Highway Administrations National Bridge Inventory in 2013. In 2016, city officials considered the bridges critical needs in a list submitted to the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization. Two years later, the city was awarded a $2 million grant from the state Department of Transportation to cover part of the cost to replace the bridges. An additional $400,000 was provided by the South Jersey Transportation Authority for work on the bridges over the canal. According to the SJTPO, construction costs to rehabilitate the bridges were estimated at $6.5 million. Its long overdue, but were proud to accomplish this for the people in Venice Park and the residents of Atlantic City, Small said. Related 1:27 1:27 Atlantic City's Venice Park bridge 'falling apart' Two bridges on Ohio Avenue one that crosses the Venice Lagoon and one that spans the Penrose Canal have been identified as being in need of re Three residents were treated on the scene for lacerations, police said. Others were evacuated and taken to the Barnegat Light firehouse for shelter. Five utility poles were damaged in the storm, and several roofs were blown off houses, police said. Survey teams examined damage left behind in the storms wake Thursday as it crossed the Delaware River and moved across the state to the Jersey Shore. Multiple storm surveys took place Friday. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Strong winds downed trees and power lines near Trenton and Hopewell in Mercer County. There also were reports of wind, rain and hail damage in Lakehurst and Barnegat Township in Ocean County, and Willingboro and Mount Holly in Burlington County. A home on Arnold Avenue in Long Beach Township had siding from another propertys fence in its lawn. The home also sustained some broken windows and had fence knocked down. At another home, a boat and its trailer were flipped upside down in a driveway. Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardy said at least eight homes suffered major damage. There was also a significant amount of tree damage in Barnegat and in the area of Wells Mills County Park. Emergency crews worked through the night to render aid to the area. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Hoffmann described her sister as a fun-loving mother of four with a passion for animals. Wardell had been diagnosed with lupus, but Hoffman said she smiled through it all. She would have done anything for anyone, Hoffmann said. Her love for animals was huge. She never met an animal she didnt like. She just didnt have a mean bone in her body at all. +2 Ocean City flag display honors heroes OCEAN CITY A display of American flags at Veterans Memorial Park at Fifth Street and Wesle Hoffmann, who lives in Ventnor, said she received a call shortly after midnight from Wardells neighbor saying there had been an accident. When she said that my sister Star was involved in a hit-and-run accident, I just couldnt even comprehend it. I just talked to her. Im like, Are we talking about my sister? Theres no way. I just talked to her. Hoffmann arrived 10 minutes later at the scene, which had already been taped off by police. She wasnt allowed through to see her sister, but from the tape she could see her shoes on the ground. She estimated Wardell was dragged by the car after she was struck. Since the accident, Hoffmann has contacted police multiple times for updates. She was told theyre working on a few leads, which she hopes yield something as soon as possible. +2 11-year-old rescued in near-drowning at Egg Harbor City lake Sunday EGG HARBOR CITY An 11-year-old boy was rescued from the Egg Harbor City Lake in a near-dro Perhaps because it was thoroughly expected, and partly because so many other issues and stories demanded more immediate attention, New Jerseys recent investment in the workers of the future hasnt caused a stir. This is a big deal right now especially, with countless jobs across the nation unfilled because those who want the better pay, benefits and career path they offer dont have the needed training and skills. Following up on the 2018 approval by voters of funding to help expand programs and facilities in New Jerseys 15 county vocational-technical school districts, the Legislature passed and Gov. Phil Murphy signed $220 million in grants for 17 projects in those districts. The approval of these projects is a tremendous step forward for students, employers and New Jerseys economy, said Michele Siekerka, president of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association. This much-needed expansion of career and technical education responds to the needs of employers who consistently struggle to fill well-paying, career-track technical jobs. MADRID (AP) Food delivery platform Deliveroo says it is considering shuttering its operations in Spain, ahead of a deadline to comply with a new law that requires it to hire workers who are freelancing for the company. Deliveroo's announcement Friday came as the mid-August deadline looms for delivery platforms to hire couriers who are currently freelancing for them. The change is required by legislation passed in May. Deliveroo currently uses around 2,500 delivery workers in Spain. The changes in Spain come as other countries in Europe and elsewhere are deciding on a labor model for the so-called gig economy, which is often blamed for precarious jobs and low salaries. Thats because, until now, gig and other contractor workers had to pay social security fees from their own pockets if they wanted to receive benefits, including unemployment subsidies and a public pension. Some freelancers have protested against the changes, saying they prefer flexible work and dont want to be hired as staff. App-based food delivery businesses say the new law threatens a 700-million-euro ($832 million) industry in Spain. Quad-Citians should mask up when they are in indoor public spaces, vaccinated or not, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends. That's because COVID-19 metrics for Rock Island and Scott counties have climbed to the level of "substantial" transmission of the coronavirus that triggers the CDC recommendation. In the greater Illinois-Iowa region, Muscatine now has a "high" rate of transmission, Henry and Mercer counties have "substantial" transmission, and Louisa and Clinton counties have "moderate" transmission. The CDC calculates the metric from a combination of two data points from the previous seven days: total new cases per 100,000 people and the percentage of positive diagnostic and screening tests. Scott and Rock Island counties climbed from "moderate" to "substantial" levels in the past week. Scott County added 104 cases, or 60.14 new cases per 100,000 people, up 103.92% from last week, according to CDC data, available at covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view. The county's positivity rate climbed to 8.02%, up 2.27%. There were nine new hospital admissions in Scott County, according to CDC data, a 125% increase. David Shapiro, with the MacArthur Justice Center and one of Beamans lawyers, said that in addition to the malicious prosecution claim, Beaman and his lawyers claim the officers engaged in a conspiracy and that it was intentional conduct causing emotional distress. The civil case, which was filed in 2014, now goes to the McLean County Circuit Court. This is a case about a great wrong that was done to a citizen of our state and it ought to be heard and decided by a jury of citizens of Illinois, Shapiro told The Pantagraph. They ought to hear this story and ultimately be able to decide what is appropriate and whether and how to try to compensate the years that Alan has lost are not possible to compensate but to make some effort to provide recompense for the extraordinary injustice that he suffered. The Town of Normal and three former police officers are represented by Thomas DiCianni of Ancel Glink law firm in Chicago. Four people three adults and one juvenile were seriously wounded in a rolling shooting Thursday in the area of West Locust and Pacific streets, Davenport Police said. Police issued an update on the four victims Friday. All four suffered what are considered non-life threatening injuries, though one victim remains in serious condition. Police were called to the area at 9:15 p.m., receiving multiple 911 calls about the shots being fired. The victims two men, one woman and one girl were taken to Genesis Medical Center East, Davenport. They were riding in a blue Honda sedan, which came to a stop in the 1700 block of Pacific. They fled the vehicle. One victim was found near the vehicle while the others were found either on Howell Street and Wilkes Avenue. Police said there was a feud between the occupants of two vehicles that escalated into gunfire. Neighbors in the 1700 block of Pacific said they heard six to eight shots. One neighbor said he saw a man run from the Honda sedan into the trees near the ravine that is on the west side of Pacific Street. That man came back out of the woods, and he and a woman fled the scene. HB 2621, sponsored by Chicago Democrats Rep. Will Guzzardi and Sen. Mattie Hunter, aims to incentivize further development of housing complexes similar to Hope Manor II. It is expected to fund the development and preservation of up to 3,500 affordable rental homes and apartments by the end of 2024, according to the governors office. The new law directs the Illinois Housing Development Authority to launch a COVID-19 Affordable Housing Program and directs $75 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars to support the construction and rehabilitation of affordable rental housing in areas most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Funds will be directed to projects in disproportionately impacted areas based on metrics such as unemployment rate, students on free lunch programs and poverty rates. The measure also extends through 2026 an affordable housing tax credit that would have expired by the end of the year. That credit is for 50% of the value of a qualified donation to affordable housing developments. Donations for the program that began in 2001 have included land, buildings and funding. Karen Davis, assistant director of the states Illinois Housing Development Association, said Illinois was already facing a shortage of safe, affordable housing for extremely low-income households before the COVID-19 pandemic. But hours after Lollapalooza got underway, Cook County was added to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions lists of areas experiencing substantial COVID-19 transmission. Cook now joins DuPage, McHenry and Will counties in the Chicago area in meeting the threshold where masks are recommended for everyone indoors, regardless of vaccination status. Also at the entrance, Samantha Trampush had never been to the Lollapalooza music festival before, but said this year was different. She and her five friends, some donning face sparkles, all in their early 20s, decided to buy tickets this year. On the first day the sales were available, the squad agreed to snag their tickets. They said they are most excited to see the performances of Olivia OBrien and Miley Cyrus. Emily Ermal, 20, from Downers Grove, said she wanted to be in the front row at the Bud Light Seltzer stage. She was last at Lolla in 2019. Ive just missed concerts so much, she said. Inside, the T-Mobile stage gathered some of the largest crowds, including for sister pop duo Aly & AJ early in the afternoon. Before their second-to-last song, they thanked C3 Presents for having them and musician Perry Farrell, who is in attendance this year, for founding the festival decades before. Lollapalooza is calling 2021 its 30th anniversary. This years fair comes after the 2020 event was canceled because of the pandemic and replaced by a smaller youth livestock show. The fair also lost a number of off-season events due to the ongoing spread of the virus. There were 345 events on the fairgrounds in 2019 but fewer than 260 last year. To get the 2021 fair running, Gov. Mike Parson convinced lawmakers to earmark $1.6 million to replace fees and sponsorships the fair lost last year. Parson, a cattle farmer, was reluctant to shutter last years event. In June, just a month before it was canceled, Parson said he was trying to do everything we can to safely make it happen and keep tradition going and alive. Now, Parson has been lashing out at renewed calls for mask mandates, saying in a series of posts on Twitter that mask mandates for vaccinated people are wrong and erode public trust. On the northwest corner of Gaines Street at 13th Street, a group of eight people gathered for a prayer vigil on Friday. The group has met many times and sometimes the crowd is bigger and sometimes it's smaller. Sister Johanna Rickl, of the Congregation of the Humility of Mary, was among the people gathered for the vigil. The shooting from Thursday night was on their minds, as were many other problems that are facing the community. In explaining why the gathering, Rickl said that people need to realize that, "We are all beloved of God, that we are one and that we all have worth and value, and so it's important for us to keep lifting that up and not let us forget just because of all of the bad things we see happening and the violence, but to kind of keep calling each other to our better selves, and as somebody mentioned here, being in solidarity not only with the people who are suffering the wounds, but also the ones who are doing it because they too are broken and in need of healing. "So when we feel like we can't do anything, sometimes it's good to come together and by the strength of our own presence and our prayer there's a multiplication that's beyond us to measure and it does matter and it does make a difference," Rickl said. Oswald said in addition to the formal roles there was always someone willing to reach out to students who might be in need of a positive male role model or offer support in some other way. Oswald said Teed and all Hamilton staff valued social-emotional learning for all students. The Illinois State Board of Education defines social-emotional learning as the process through which children and adults acquire the knowledge, attitudes and skills they need to recognize and manage emotions, demonstrate caring for others, establish positive relationships, make responsible decisions and handle challenges constructively. I feel like they all really believe in all kids getting what they need to feel successful, Oswald said. To make sure all kids feel safe at school. Teed said one way she ensured every Hamilton student benefited from the counseling program was teaching lessons in every classroom about the mindsets and behaviors students need for success in life. In order to apply for RAMP, Teed collected data on a variety of areas during the 2019-2020 school year. That school year she set a goal of decreasing office referrals by 10%. By the end of the year, the reduction was more than 25%. Lawyers prevented an immediate eviction in some cases, Petersen said. In some, a solution was worked out with a landlord the resident applied for rental assistance or was on hold for aid or lawyers helped a renter submit the eviction moratorium declaration if they qualified to have their hearing postponed another week, Petersen said. Of 43 eviction cases on the docket last week, 23 were continued, which Petersen said were most likely because of the moratorium. Another 11 eviction cases were dismissed and nine households were evicted. Petersen said 11 people spoke to either Iowa Legal Aid, Eastern Iowa Community Action or both. Next week, however, renters wont be able to invoke the moratorium in Iowa. It's still crucial for people to show up to their eviction hearings, Petersen said. If residents dont appear, they could be forced from their homes later that day. Molly McDonnell, staff attorney at the HELP regional office of Iowa Legal Aid in Davenport, said showing up to the hearing and asking for more time could delay the eviction or lead to the case being dismissed with help of the help desk attorneys. CHICAGO (AP) A judge on Friday said he would not kick one of Jussie Smollett's attorneys off the case even though he believes the attorney spoke to two men the actor allegedly hired to help him carry out a staged racist and homophobic attack. In his ruling, Cook County Judge James Linn took the unusual step of prohibiting Smollett attorney Nenye Uche from questioning the two brothers, Abinbola and Olabinjo Osudairo, should the case go to trial, and that someone else on the actor's legal team would have to do it should the need arise. Special Prosecutor Dan Webb argued that the alleged conversations between Uche and the brothers in 2019, shortly after Smollett said he was a victim of a hate crime, created a conflict of interest. However Linn found that it was in the court's interest to allow Smollett to retain his chosen lawyer when his liberty is at stake, even if the judge found Webb's concerns to be legitimate. The totality of the evidence shows clearly and convincingly that at different points, Mr. Uche talked to both brothers and their mother, Linn wrote. The Bureau of Land Management says it has been consulting with the three federally recognized tribes at Thacker Pass the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone tribes and Winnemucca Indian Colony about plans on how to treat historic properties. The agency said it didnt object to the two other tribes intervening, but Lithium Nevada said it did, partly because it argued Atsa Koodakuh Wyh Nuwu/People of Red Mountain isnt a tribe defined under the National Historic Preservation Act. The company said a review has included substantial consultation with local tribes that never raised similar concerns, while it spent $10 million on the permitting process for the mine. Tribal lawyers said in Thursdays filing that the government also should be consulting with at least nine other tribes in Nevada, California and Oregon with ties to Thacker Pass. Michon Eben, the Reno-Sparks Indian Colonys tribal historic preservation officer, said she told federal officials last month that just because regional tribes have been isolated and forced onto reservations relatively far away from Thacker Pass does not mean these regional tribes do not possess cultural connections to the pass. Darranda Hinkey, a Paiute-Shoshone member who serves as secretary of the People of Red Mountain, said the Fort McDermitt tribe might not exist if not for the caves and rock outcrops at Thacker Pass where their ancestors hid from American soldiers who were rounding them up at the point of a gun to force them onto reservations. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A roundup of legislative and Capitol news items of interest: 5-2-1-0 EXPANSION: The Iowa Department of Public Health is expanded funding of 5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count!, which began in 2017 in Iowa. Five communities will receive grants, while 11 communities currently funded for the initiative will receive additional grants. The funded communities will work to create policies and environments that support healthy choices by implementing strategies for healthy eating and active living in communities, schools, child care and out-of-school programs, health care practices and workplaces. New communities each receive $30,000. 5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count! is a nationally recognized and evidence-based prevention framework to promote healthy habits. The goal is to increase physical activity and healthy eating through policy and environmental change. 5-2-1-0 focuses on the importance of four daily health habits: five or more servings of fruits and vegetables; two hours or less of screen time (television, computer, video games, phones); one hour or more of physical activity; and zero sugar-sweetened beverages. For two presidential elections in a row, millennials and Gen Zers had to choose contenders who were old enough to be their grandparents. Young people were looking for ... whats the term? Oh yes, new blood. Sanders, its true, is beloved by many young progressives. They felt like a leading Democratic candidate was finally speaking about the issues that matter to them, including student debt, the Green New Deal and higher education. But in 2020 the nod went to Biden, and young people were told, Hey, at least hes not Trump. The DNC Convention didnt help. Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich might have swayed moderate Republicans to come to the Democratic side, but he didnt excite young people. Why not invite Rep. Sharice Davids, the first Democrat elected to represent a Kansas congressional district in a decade? She was then a mere 40 years old. Dont tell me that my president and his staff cant respond to everyone and that my want is just one thing on a billion list of things to do. Asking to implement and lead an Office of Young Americans is not asking too much. Young people are willing to do the work. And how about creating positions that enhance youth voice and youth power? A federal freeze on most evictions that was enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to oust tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households. Heres the situation in South Dakota: This weekend may not be the best to get picturesque photos of the Black Hills, as large wildfires in Canada and east to southeast winds have blanketed South Dakota with heavy smoke. The conditions are also a health risk. As of Friday morning, the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources listed the Air Quality Index for Rapid City at 218, which is considered very unhealthy. The air quality was worse Friday morning at Wind Cave National Park and Badlands National Park, with indices increasing nearly to the hazardous level. Oglala Sioux Tribe President Kevin Killer granted administrative leave Friday for all tribal employees because of the air quality surrounding the area to decrease the prolonged exposure to the smoke. According to the DANR, very unhealthy levels are considered to be emergency conditions, where the entire population is more than likely to be affected by the smoke. At the hazardous level, everyone may experience more serious health effects. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Brian Walsh, public affairs director for the DANR, said the smoke from western Canada is a serious health issue, especially for the elderly and those with respiratory issues. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} We wanted to make sure we would make a really big impact for these nice folks and for the people they represent and take care of, Malmberg said. Malmberg visited the Rapid City location Thursday to present the check to BHW staff, who said they were grateful for the new partnership. Black Hills Works has a very strong tie to the community, and Im glad Mike recognizes that, Foundation President Andrea Serna said. We thought it was a fabulous opportunity to partner with a new restaurant in town. They selected us because of our unique mission, and we wanted to honor that as well. BHW will use the money to help fund its community involvement. Serna said one of the organizations biggest focus areas is community life, which encompasses anything from the Special Olympics, going to Rapid City Rush games or other out and about activities, volunteering and giving back to the community and transporting people to Summer Nights downtown on Thursday nights. BHW also plans to connect Old Chicago with its employment support specialists to get people with disabilities employed at the restaurant. Old Chicagos donation will not be a one-time occurrence. Serna said the partnership will be a true partnership, not just a transaction. I feel like its a lot more impactful to select one group and do all the donations to that group rather than spread pennies around everywhere and nobody really gets very much help, so were going to continue the partnership. When we have fundraisers they will be with these guys. And if they do anything and need some help and assistance, they can ask us, our employees, managers and, if Im in town, will all be happy to volunteer. Those are all things we want to continue, Malmberg said. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 6 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Staff and inmates at South Dakota prisons are no longer required to wear masks following an order from Gov. Kristi Noem lifting the requirement. The Republican governor's move, made after a meeting with prison staff Friday, comes as virus cases have seen a recent uptick and defies a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that masks still be worn in facilities like prisons where large numbers of people are in close proximity to each other. Among neighboring states, South Dakota is the only one to lift a mask requirement in prisons, the Argus Leader reported Noem's move was spurred by a meeting she had with employees at the state penitentiary in Sioux Falls. They cheered when she told them they could remove their masks. The governor was at the prison to respond to an ongoing human resources investigation into complaints of low employee morale, shorthanded prison staff, and insufficient tactical gear for corrections officers. Noem's spokesman Ian Fury told the Argus Leader the governor would have made the move even sooner if she was aware of the Department of Corrections policy. He said it was common sense given the rate of virus cases and would help boost employee morale. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Black Hills National Forest officials are urging people to use extreme caution on the forest and on prairie lands over the next couple of mont Teens learn the technical aspects of setting up and using a professional mixer board, and using a controller to adjust volume and high, mid and low sounds in the music. The teens learn to use professional software to load songs and build playlists. Tafoya said every month, White supplies new music edited to be appropriate for a younger audience for the boys to use as they hone their deejay style and abilities. Theyre looking to fine-tune what they know about music and mix and merge that to create an atmosphere and energy for whatever the gig is, Tafoya said. Theyre not just being able to play things they like, but (theyre learning) to think about their customers and think about whatever theyd want them to play. What kind of music are they going to want? Then, the Club for Boys lets teens put their deejay skills to use. When we have club-wide events or on Friday night (family nights), if we need music played for an event, well ask one of the teen deejays, Tafoya said. With money we raise from our snack bar, well pay them so theyre earning money and practicing their skills. There are various reasons why the annual Days of 76 rodeo attracts the very best rodeo professionals: historic Deadwood, a gorgeous setting and a $263, 000 plus payout among them. Add to that the wooden bucking chutes made from the same ponderosa pine that blankets the Black Hills. Whether it be any or all, the Days of 76 rodeo does, year after year, draws to Deadwood the best professional rodeo athletes in the world. While many of those with impressive NFR resumes were in the Days of '76 Arena on Thursday night, none were able to match the talents of a trio of South Dakota cowboys all of whom turned in rodeo topping performances. Jacob Kammerer from Philip kicked off the South Dakota surge to the top of the leaderboard with a 91-point saddle bronc ride aboard South Point, an outstanding NFR bucking horse out of the Sutton Rodeo string. He was just himself and gave me a very good trip and let me get a lot of points. Im always happy to have that horse, and I am lucky to be able to get on her twice the last month, Kammerer said. I had him in Mobridge and got second on him. Hes a lot of fun, and since Ive been on him before, it was pretty easy ride for me. I met Maj Toure recently, the leading force behind Black Guns Matter. His conclusions are stunning. Realistically, the majority of people disarmed in the big cities (Philadelphia, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, for example) are law-abiding, frequently poor, and usually black. The most at-risk individuals living in some of the most dangerous parts of our country have been disarmed. They must adhere to complicated local laws that ignore federal law with hefty fines and jail time and have no access to firearms or firearm safety and training. Yet, criminals always have guns. For some of those big cities with restrictions, a gun disassembled, locked in a safe does very little good when you're attacked in public or in your home in the middle of the night. Many college campuses have similar gun restriction laws, including those in South Dakota. When my mom was going to college, while not allowed to be armed, she had an escort permitted to walk with her across campus. Her companion would sit next to the desk to watch over her during class. Afterward, the two of them would head to the library and back to the car for the drive home (this was her Doberman pinscher, Strider, who was given full campus access). Lindstrom floated the same stretch Wednesday and only found one dead mountain whitefish. While the river remains open to fishing without restrictions, Lindstrom said anglers should take into account the water is low and fish are stressed. People should fish in the mornings if they can, he said. Play the fish as quickly as possible and keep them wet. Treat them as gently as possible. When water temperatures start to reach 66 or 67, it may not be the time to fish the river. Theres not much water and its certainly not great by any means, Lindstrom said. Typically, especially in the upper Bitterroot, the last week of July is the hottest week of the year. After the first week of August, we normally start to see a cooling trend. As much as I hate the smoke, thats what kept temperatures in the river down. Hopefully, we can sneak through this. There are a lot of factors that impact surface water supplies in the Bitterroot, but the valley is fortunate to have stored water at the two larger reservoirs and a series of mountain lakes. Sometimes people worry that newcomers want to make changes to make their new home look like their old one. Kyra Harris of Pinesdale is working to show folks that might not be all bad. Harris moved from Watford City, North Dakota in May. Back there, the community came up with the idea of creating a cash mob to support their local small businesses. Regularly, the community would pick a business and then people would mob that business on a specific day. I always thought it was cool because it benefited the small little stores there, Harris said. Harris suggested the idea on Scott Earls Bitterroot Valley Connections Facebook page and was happily surprised by the support she received from the community. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} It didnt take long before she had over 100 names of potential small businesses that would benefit from being mobbed by customers. As a group, we were all excited about the idea, Earl said. Our group wants to be involved in our community. Its all about connection and giving back. The Facebook group voted to call the idea Bitterroot Business Boosters. By dismantling old beadwork, EJ Not Afraid taught himself how to bead. He unraveled and stitched back together beadwork on a pair of his great-grandmothers leggings. I wanted to see the technique, and I was able to replicate it, said Not Afraid, who grew up in Lodge Grass on the Crow Indian Reservation. Though his great-grandmother, Joy Yellowtail, died before he was born, Not Afraid found inspiration from her beading and research materials left at the house. Yet, when Not Afraid wanted to learn more about beading, he didnt have much support. I asked my aunts, my grandmothers ... They didnt bead. Beading wasnt passed on. Not Afraid, who still resides on his family's property in Lodge Grass, was not swayed, and hes now been working on his craft for nearly 20 years. Beading became a gateway to learn about the Apsaalooke culture, language and art, something he wasnt connected to growing up. Mixing traditional Apsaalooke designs with a contemporary spin, Not Afraid is racking up praise and awareness for his unique style, a merging of edgy punk rock vibes with the triangular sharp lines of historic Crow beadwork, punched up with spikes, elk teeth, and psychedelic colors. Native fashion is starting to become more seen, he said. Its not a trend because trends die. In January, Not Afraid and others of the Apsaalooke tribe were featured in Vogue Magazines United States of Fashion spread. Then in June, he received a request to send In Style Magazine a collection of scarves featuring his beadwork designs. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American cabinet member U.S. history, was photographed in one of these scarves, featured in the August issue. Last year, he was one of five Indigenous artists selected from around the United States to design a bank card for Wells Fargo. Everything has happened so quickly, said Not Afraid, who launched his first clothing line on July 21. A limited run of dresses, shirts, hoodies and other items were offered for a one-week period. Its the first step in what he hopes will lessen his reliance on commissioned work. Not Afraid has long wanted to get into fashion, and taught himself how to use Photoshop and created his own patterns from photographs he took of his beaded designs. Its more about the art than the actual clothing, he said. Tracing history Not Afraid works in tight quarters. In a basement room at a small desk, with magazine articles, research books, and beaded pieces in progress strewn about, he's surrounded himself with jars of more than 200 different colored beads. About 95% of the beads hes amassed were made between 1920 and 1960. Others are antique, dating back to 1800s, including Venetian beads crafted in Italy. Many of the colors are no longer being made. He scours eBay, Etsy, auction sites, pawn shops, antique stores and even doll shops for beads. I search everywhere, call places, reach out to them and ask, he said. Vintage beads, he explained, are often are strung onto hanks a swooping loop of beads strung onto thread, then bunched into a master hank of several loops. Factories in Italy employed mostly women to string beads, one giveaway that theyre from that era. Glass beads from Europe made their way into Native American culture via trade routes. Colonists moving into the Western plains in the 1800s brought with them trade goods, including glass beads. Such beads became hugely popular being small and easy to trade in a variety of colors and were stitched into regalia and outfits for Native American parades, ceremonies and adornment. Glass and seed beads replaced most Native-made stone, copper, bone, and shell beads. Quill work also became nearly nonexistent, in part because of the removal of Native people from their traditional land, practices, and access to porcupines. Beads came in a spectrum of colors. Some of the formulas included using gold, which became some of the more coveted beads, while others used toxins. Not Afraid said hes careful not to use beads that contain arsenic, often added as a firing agent in older glass-making techniques, which resulted in beads containing high levels of arsenic and lead. They used to experiment with making the beads, and the first batches they used lead or arsenic to make certain colors, Not Afraid said. He suspects that Native Americans were the target of such beads. Once they found out as the bead breaks and deteriorates over years, youll poison yourself, they strung them up on hanks and sent them to the Natives. Using historical beads to create contemporary work, Not Afraid participated in Apsaalooke Women and Warriors, exhibited in 2020 and 2021 at the Field Museum in Chicago. It was the largest exhibit of contemporary and historic Crow works in museum history curated by scholar Nina Sanders, a member of the tribe. While at the Field Museum, Not Afraid and other tribal members were granted access to the artifacts in the archives. Many were collected in the 1920s, when museums and other institutions were collecting Indigenous artwork from tribes many starving, unable to hunt and suffering under the colonial expansion and forced eradication of their culture, language, and ways of life. It was pretty bad for us here in the 1920s, said Not Afraid. The Field sent people to the reservation to start collecting more items, because they thought we were going to be completely wiped out. Among the items collected was unfinished beadwork. The Smithsonian already got the good beadwork, the cradleboards, the bags," Not Afraid explained. "By the time the Field got there, people were at their wits end, and a lot of the beadwork is half finished. They gave up some of their most sacred medicine objects just to provide for their family. Included in those items is the countrys largest collection of sacred war shields, many which were on display during "Women and Warriors," where Not Afraid and many of the tribe's artists exhibited contemporary works alongside ancient and sacred objects. Looking at the unfinished Crow beadwork, Not afraid noticed four distinct techniques that are no longer being practiced. They are dead techniques, he said. So, I took video and photos, and when I got back home that next day I replicated them all. This included a style of buckskin choker rolled up to look like two ropes, made with only one needle. It almost looks like a rattle snake tail, he said. Another technique he discovered created a scalloped edging for beaded pieces and clothing. He figured out this style and posted a tutorial on YouTube. "Ive always shared the knowledge that Ive gotten over the years, said Not Afraid, who attributes much of his social media following to being inclusive. There are people out there that want to do this and are going through the same things I did, not being taken seriously. Headed to market Not Afraid now plans to focus on larger beaded works. Hes preparing to attend his fifth Santa Fe Indian Market, one of the most prestigious and competitive Native American artwork fairs in the country. You have to be at the top of your game to be in there, he said. Within that weekend alone, it is in the millions of dollars of art being sold. I have collectors that will wait at my booth, before I even get there. Not Afraid first applied to the event in 2016 and was selected. Hes returned each year, and each year his works sell out. The sale opens to the public Aug. 21 at 9 a.m., with a pre-sale event to club members and private collectors earlier that day. Not Afraid said he usually arrives at this booth by 5:30 a.m. and there are already people waiting. This year, Not Afraid was also asked to jury beadwork entries submitted from the more than 220 federally recognized tribes in the U.S. and First Nation tribes of Canada. I was like, Who me? Do you have the right person? I was in shock for a bit. In preparation for market, he has been working on his largest beaded piece to date, a cradleboard that he's been constructing for the better part of two years. Six panels in total will adorn the top, bottom, and sides, made with vintage beads and 150 elk ivory teeth stitched into buckskin and then stretched over the board. Such ivory teeth are a precious commodity, as an elk only has two, situated in the molar area. They have long been used as adornment and a symbols of honor and hunting prowess in Apsaalooke culture, as each set of ivories represents a kill. In contemporary works, elk teeth are often recreated with a mold and used in various fashions, presenting a signature style known to the Crow tribe. Not Afraid prefers to use authentic materials and said he obtains elk ivories from eBay or directly from taxidermists. The design of the cradleboard is based upon Crow artifacts he studied in the archives of the Field Museum. He took videos of the objects, recording where the stitches are located, how the baby would be placed into the board, and how the lining was assembled. The intention is that the piece could be used, not just hung on a wall. I make things for actual use, said Not Afraid. Stitching history When Not Afraid first took up beading, he was teased by his peers and told by schoolmates and adults that beading was not something he should spend time learning. They told me I wouldnt get the hang of it. That it takes too long. Its a womans craft Even after I learned how to bead, there would be people who would tell me beading is for women. You are a man. You should be out hunting. Not Afraid hid the fact that he beaded until he was a senior in high school, because it was cool by then, he said. Around that same time, he came out as gay. I didnt want to wait. I didnt want to live my life a lie and pretend to be straight. And, coming from a family that is really conservative ... they respect me, but they kept their distance because its something they dont believe in. Among the gifts beading has given, Not Afraid said it truly saved his life. In 2012, he left Lodge Grass and checked himself into treatment in Casper, Wyo. for opioid addiction following an overdose. He then moved to Arizona, where he stayed sober and lived for nine years before returning to Montana. When I left here, to be honest, I really didnt care about my culture. When I got down there and being away from people from home, I got lonesome, and then thats when I started beading full time. The research helped him stay focused and invested. Though he didnt see it going anywhere, he began selling earrings for $30 each. Now, Not Afraid can sell such jewelry for 17 times that. If am making a living off beading and doing it out in my house in the country, anyone else can do it, said Not Afraid. There are so many opportunities out there for Native artists. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 If they need to play a little ball right in front of their face because they cant really see very well, or they want to do a little walk, just moving around the property because thats who they are, theyre physical dogs. You can see the light in their eyes. At the time the light dims and its time to let them go, its very fulfilling to have given them something they couldnt have had very easily any other way. Its hard. Its hard because they all do die, but theres the next one that comes. You get up and you say, heres another one that needs your help. Its a graceful experience. Rivergoers should stay out of the James River all weekend, the Virginia Department of Health said Friday, three days after a ruptured sewer line caused 300,000 gallons of raw sewage to dump into a creek that feeds into the river. The Health Department first advised people to stay out of the water Thursday, telling residents to avoid many of Richmonds most popular destinations, including Pony Pasture, Texas Beach and Belle Isle. They were advised Thursday to stay out of the James from Robious Landing Park to Belle Isle. The department issued an update Friday saying residents should continue avoiding that part of the river out of an abundance of caution. Additional water samples will be collected Monday, and updated guidance will be released Wednesday, the VDH said. The latest guidance is based on samples collected Wednesday in Tuckahoe Creek, which later revealed high levels of fecal bacteria. The samples did not indicate that raw sewage concentrations were in the connecting James River. But the Health Department said that because of the volume of sewage released into the creek and its potential to flow into the river, people shouldnt take the risk. The department also advised residents to avoid both the eastern and western branches of Tuckahoe Creek beginning at River Road in Goochland County. The bar to qualify is a lot lower than people realize, Cook said. Its not quite as daunting of an application as people realize. They are trying to be generous in their definition of who qualifies. One question to qualify asks if COVID-19 affected your wages. Cook explained that could mean you were laid off or your hours were reduced, but there is a second part of the question that asks if your expenses have increased. You could qualify if you are paying more in energy costs because you are working from home, or child care costs because your kids arent in school. Renters and landlords can both apply for, and benefit from, rent relief. A state requirement that landlords apply on their tenants behalf expired at the end of June, Wegbreit said. But Patrick McCloud, CEO of the Virginia Apartment Management Association, said many landlords will continue to try to seek relief for themselves and on behalf of their renters because it makes financial sense. The relief funds may be the only way landlords get the rent theyre owed, McCloud said, adding that people dont pay after theyre evicted. Plus, he said, it takes months to go through the court eviction process, which means more rent goes unpaid. Next spring, after learning about World War II and the Holocaust, the entire seventh grade at Providence Middle School in Chesterfield County will visit the Virginia Holocaust Museum. I think its incredible we have this in our backyard. Its literally 10 miles from the school and many students havent been there, said Michelle Sears, a seventh-grade American History teacher at Providence Middle School. Sears, along with 19 other Chesterfield County Public School educators, received an MCD Classroom Innovation grant from the Chesterfield Education Foundation to fund either field trips, nature projects or projects rooted in social and emotional learning. An annual program, the grants are designed to encourage educators to think outside the box when considering how to deliver academic content and life skills to students in grades K-12, according to a Chesterfield Education Foundation news release. Ultimately, I believe it is important for students to understand what the Holocaust was and the impact it had and the impact it continues to have, Sears said in an interview. It is important for students to make the connections between racism and all its forms and devastating consequences if left unchecked. Whatever the case might be, we all isolated from our loved ones, Chung said. As a freshman at the University of Richmond, Alicia found it hard to make new friends. She had struggled with depression before, and the pandemic amplified her challenges. She felt like she had no support system. Alicia, who declined to give her last name because of the stigma sometimes attached to seeking mental health treatment, started missing assignments and classes, lying in bed all day. At the end of October, she overdosed and called poison control. She gave them only her first name and the fact that she was a UR student. But poison control called university police, who connected the dots and found her. Police and paramedics knocked on her door and took her to the hospital. She withdrew from classes to return home and focus on recovery. Alicia will return to UR this fall, but shell continue seeing her therapist from home, as UR isnt equipped to give her all the care she needs, she said. Mental health was already a crisis before the pandemic began, Chung said. One in five kids or young adults experiences a diagnosable mental health condition. The number of VCU students who have sought care has risen about 15% between 2014 and 2019, Aziz said. VCUs counseling staff has grown to keep up with the rise. I think that the issue is that children are already focusing on other childrens races, Perrin said. They often are not getting an education with regard to differences between people. I dont think that children know how to challenge bullying. I dont think that they know well how to challenge racism when it comes out in conversations. So its already happening. And I guess that to not educate them and empower them and give them the tools to combat that racism or other forms of prejudice or bullying or marginalization thats happening ... youre sort of allowing the status quo. Belgrave said the goal of any discussion of race is to understand, appreciate and embrace different people and cultures. This is multiculturalism, which is not to be confused with critical race theory, she added. I dont want my children to only be around children who look like them because the world is not like them. So why wouldnt I want my children to be around and understand the people theyre going to play with, the people that theyre going to work with when they grow up to be adults, the people theyre going to be roommates [with] in college. The program is of no cost to the students, who applied to attend. Tyrell declined to discuss the cost or involvement of the CIA in detail. It held a similar event two weeks ago in Oak Ridge, Tenn., she said. According to Tad Douce, who led the program instruction through the third-party National Robotics Challenge, the middle school years are a time when a lot of students are unsure of what they want to do careerwise, so a program like this can help lead them down the path to a job in science. The CIA, of course, is very interested in targeting students to get them interested in STEM and STEAM initiatives and careers, Douce said. So really looking at kids that maybe theyre disengaged with school, maybe they didnt have success as a younger student, but now in middle school, its an opportunity to kind of think, Hey, what do I want to be? and This might be something I could do after all. Tyrell said the students first had to learn how to build the robot, then they learned how to control it before they used coding to program it. The students, who worked in pairs, took their robots around obstacle courses in preparation for the tournament-style competition. The effort by Rep. Spanberger to secure a million in funding is something that helps move the project forward and open the facility as soon as possible, McDowell said. The idea for the detox center, to be located on the countys Eastern Government Campus on Nine Mile Road, came from the Henrico Recovery Roundtable. The group, established to address jail overcrowding and the addiction crisis, was co-chaired by Board of Supervisors members Tyrone Nelson and Tommy Branin, members of the Chamber of Commerce and the Henrico NAACP, and representatives from local health departments, health care providers and law enforcement. Branin said in an interview that after working on the roundtable with Nelson for about nine months, the biggest thing that came out of it was to address the opioid crisis. In 2018, the most recent year for which the county data was available, Henrico had 57 overdose deaths compared with 72 in Richmond, 87 in Chesterfield County and 18 in Hanover County, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Henrico reported 65 overdose deaths in 2017, 61 in 2016 and 46 in 2015. In Henrico County, delta accounts for 1 in 4 cases caused by COVID strains. Vaccination rates are still below herd immunity levels and, with many Virginians returning to normal, the virus has room to run, the report read. If vaccination rates pick up, the model estimates that over 60,000 cases could be avoided. While Virginia is averaging the same doses administered per day that it was in January when most residents were ineligible, data on Friday indicated that could soon change with a steady rise past 12,000 for the first time in nearly a month. But as vaccinations increased, so did the number of new infections every day this week, from 505 on Monday to 1,178 on Friday, which is why the UVA report emphasizes the need to give vaccines time to have an impact. A person is not considered fully vaccinated until two weeks after receiving the final dose. Virginias seven-day case average remains lower than last years figures when there were no vaccines available to curb hospitalization and surges. The difference isnt substantial 865 on Friday versus 1,095 in July 2020 but last year, there wasnt a delta variant, either. Aside from the mental health crisis and just all the stress that people have been under, its definitely going to be impactful, Wynn said. Were going to see how that unfolds in the years to come, how its unfolding now for us and for people in the community. Fontes said a common misconception regarding domestic abuse is that the abuse is an issue of conflict. In reality, it is about control. A lot of times people have the mistaken idea that its conflict. A couple gets in an argument and then theres fighting, and it sounds really mutual, she said. But most of the time, its one person systematically dominating them through controlling their movements, through isolating them, through controlling their contact with other people, through controlling their finances. These actions are known as coercive control, which the state of Virginia does not have legal protections against. To receive protective orders from the court, survivors must prove family abuse occurred behavior involving violence, force or a threat of violence or force that results in bodily injury. The definition of family abuse also includes stalking and sexual assault. HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) The first donation came in early May, for $50, and with a message: GOD BLESS THE USA!! In just over a month, the crowdfunding page dedicated to bringing an Arizona-style review of the 2020 presidential election to Pennsylvania had collected $15,339 from 332 donors. Today, the effort has morphed into a full-fledged campaign to Audit the Vote PA. The website offers a six-week course on the Constitution and encourages supporters to become a walking billboard for a forensic audit by purchasing various hats and T-shirts. Still prominent is the donate button. But unlike the initial crowdfunding page, it's hard to tell how much money the group is bringing in or how the money is being spent. Multiple requests for information sent to an email listed on the site received no replies. Efforts to expand Arizonas controversial, Republican-led review of the 2020 election to other states are growing, fueled by former President Donald Trumps false claims of victory and funded by a network of groups operating with little oversight. Election officials and experts have raised the alarm about these private fundraising efforts and what they see as a broader push by candidates to raise money off conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. I thought Id come here and get it today and get my hundred dollars because Im going to get it anyway, Sharp said. Other states are beginning programs to hand out money too. New Mexico helped pioneer cash incentives in June and is starting another $100 handout for vaccinations on Monday. Ohio is offering $100 to state employees who get vaccinated. Minnesota's $100 incentive started Friday, although several people who showed up at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to get jabbed with the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine hadn't heard about the money. Vidiya Sami, an office worker from the Minneapolis suburb of Richfield, went to the airport because it was the only location offering the one-and-done vaccine. "Thats why I chose it, Sami said. She said she delayed getting the shot because she was scared at first, especially reading about ... the side effects from other people." And then I kind of made myself more paranoid by joining Facebook groups, and reading everybody elses symptoms after they got the shots, she said. I was basically just giving myself anxiety, but the more I researched about it, you know, the pros outweighed the cons. The Bureau of Land Management says it has been consulting with the three federally recognized tribes at Thacker Pass the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone tribes and Winnemucca Indian Colony about plans on how to treat historic properties. The agency said it didnt object to the two other tribes intervening, but Lithium Nevada said it did, partly because it argued Atsa Koodakuh Wyh Nuwu/People of Red Mountain isnt a tribe defined under the National Historic Preservation Act. The company said a review has included substantial consultation with local tribes that never raised similar concerns, while it spent $10 million on the permitting process for the mine. Tribal lawyers said in Thursdays filing that the government also should be consulting with at least nine other tribes in Nevada, California and Oregon with ties to Thacker Pass. Michon Eben, the Reno-Sparks Indian Colonys tribal historic preservation officer, said she told federal officials last month that just because regional tribes have been isolated and forced onto reservations relatively far away from Thacker Pass does not mean these regional tribes do not possess cultural connections to the pass. Darranda Hinkey, a Paiute-Shoshone member who serves as secretary of the People of Red Mountain, said the Fort McDermitt tribe might not exist if not for the caves and rock outcrops at Thacker Pass where their ancestors hid from American soldiers who were rounding them up at the point of a gun to force them onto reservations. Judge William G. Petty has announced he will retire in November. Of the current 10 judges, three are women (one African American), while seven are white men. The court has appellate jurisdiction over criminal matters and very limited civil cases, according to Richmond law firm McGuireWoods. The expanded court, however, will become the intermediate appellate court for all criminal and civil cases, McGuireWoods lawyer Robert Loftin wrote in a recent article. This guarantees people a right to appeal in civil lawsuits relating to such things as personal injury, business or real estate; they currently can ask the Supreme Court of Virginia for a right to appeal, but many requests are denied. The Virginia State Conference NAACP and other groups sent the State Bar and legal associations a letter in April urging them to recommend lawyers who are diverse both demographically and professionally. The court is lacking in judges with experience as legal aid attorneys or public defenders, the letter said. We do know that people are vulnerable, Kaine said. The group that arrived at Fort Lee on Friday includes Afghans whose request for special immigration status is well-advanced. Some may require only medical screenings before they are resettled in communities in Virginia and other parts of the country, but Kaine said the process will be more complicated for thousands of others awaiting transportation out of their country while their applications are reviewed. He said the U.S. government is establishing ways to process applications in Kuwait and Qatar, as well as potentially in Kazakhstan and Kosovo. Well do it as expeditiously as we can, but we also want to do it in a way that protects American security, Kaine said. Fort Lee will serve as a short-term processing center for Afghans, he said. The base can accommodate up to 2,500 people, but Afghan allies and their families are likely to arrive several hundred at a time. It will go on awhile, he said. This means that within many potential legislative districts, a large number of communities of interest will exist, and even if the VRC were to consider them all, it cannot preserve them all. In preserving one or more of them, it will necessarily divide other communities. This leads to the third question: Which communities of interest should the VRC preserve? Should it rank those in any given area, and if so, on what basis? According to how many members they have? But can that be ascertained? And what if the interest of a large community is rather trivial in nature? Also, should the intensity of a communitys commitment to its interest be a factor? Questions like these make the goal of preserving such communities in legislative districts appear ludicrous. Ultimately, however, it is interests and not communities that are at stake, which leads to the fourth question: Why should any interest be protected by the VRC? After all, it is individuals not communities or interests who vote, and individuals have both many different interests and the same basic interests. Also, most do not vote on the basis of a single interest. On Wednesday evening, we gave our thanks and bid farewell to RTD Opinions inaugural Community Advisory Board. This outstanding group of people from across the Richmond region gave us their insights and expertise into the issues of the day to help us better understand the many challenges facing our communities. Engaging our readers and members of the public is a vital part of RTD Opinions mission. We pursue a solutions-based approach to editorials, looking for answers and raising questions about pressing issues in our region, state and nation. The Community Advisory Board plays a key role in that undertaking. In an email to us after our final meeting, board member Fletcher Lowe, the 2018 Correspondent of the Year, praised the Opinions team for creatively [drawing] together a significantly diverse group that well represents the Metro Richmond community. I have been blessed by our lively interchange of views and perspectives with the hope that it has been helpful to those who drew us together. That was our aim, and indeed it was. Our initial group of 12 members represented a cross-section of ages, professions and backgrounds. The youngest was a college student; others were retired. One was a teacher. Others hailed from the business, local government and nonprofit sectors. Irreplaceable trees must be protected Editor, Times-Dispatch: I live in Richmond's East End, which the Shockoe Small Area Plan and Richmond's master plan both acknowledge suffers from "high" or "highest" vulnerability to urban heat, thanks to inadequate tree cover. Both plans call for investing in more trees. I agree but what about protecting the trees we already have? I have followed the coverage regarding displacement of Mosby Court and Creighton Court residents and I'm grateful for the Richmond Times-Dispatch's diligent attention to that issue. What about the beautiful mature oak trees in the Mosby and Creighton Courts public housing communities? Archival photos show that some of these trees were mature in 1962 when Mosby Court was built. Others were planted at that time and now are almost 60 years old. They are irreplaceable and the East End has very few trees of their caliber. Their prospective loss is both an environmental and an equity issue. Ive been looking for news coverage regarding Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority plans vis-a-vis these trees but have seen nothing. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Boothe said his feelings about naming the courtroom instead of the courthouse itself was no reflection on the judges service to our community but said the courthouse was a collection of offices and agencies that have been served by others who have benefitted the county. The approved resolution names the building the Marcus H. Long, Jr. Courthouse. It notes Judge Long created and implemented the Drug Court in Floyd County which has provided citizens a second chance to be productive members of the community. It continues: Judge Longs effective sentencing of manufacturers and distributers of methamphetamine has curtailed the epidemic of this dangerous drug that was harming the citizens of Floyd County and his support for and activity in the STOMP program helped to spread awareness the dangers of methamphetamine to the schools and community. Even after retirement, Judge Long has remained committed to Floyd County through his leadership and participation in Safe Surfing. The judge also established drug courts in Pulaski and Montgomery counties. He was known to exceed what he thought were too lenient recommendations of sentencing guidelines by the state, noting they were just recommendations and that he was not bound by them. Branscom has told The Floyd Press that Longs removal from the bench came in part from criticisms of his strong sentences and has caused fewer judges now from going beyond the guidelines. Last week, PG&E announced plans to bury 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) of its power lines in an effort to prevent its fraying grid from sparking wildfires when electrical equipment collides with millions of trees and other vegetation across the drought-stricken state. The cost was put at $15 billion, most of which will likely be covered by customers. The announcement came just days after PG&E told regulators that its equipment may have ignited the Dixie Fire northeast of San Francisco. That blaze in Plumas County had burned more than 346 square miles (896 square kilometers) of timber and head-high chaparral and was only 23% contained. Currently the largest fire in California, it has destroyed more than 40 homes and other buildings and threatens about 10,700 more while the end of the week could see hotter temperatures and lower humidity that could make the battle harder, fire officials said. A historic drought and recent heat waves tied to climate change have made wildfires harder to fight in the American West. Scientists say climate change has made the region much warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. A King George County man was arrested this week on charges that he took part in the Jan. 6 uprising at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. According to a Department of Justice news release, James Russell Davis, 45, was arrested Wednesday at his home in Presidential Lakes by FBI agents. He is charged with federal offenses that include assaulting, resisting or impeding officers and obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder. Davis made his initial appearance in federal court in Washington Wednesday afternoon. The release alleges that Davis was on the west front terrace stairs of the Capitol when he confronted officers who were trying to protect the building from rioters. Body camera footage showed Davis charging toward officers while holding a large stick, court records allege. After an officer shouted for him to move back, court records state that Davis ignored the command and charged at officers again. Camera footage showed him shouting and pushing down the hands of a second officer as the officer tried to stop Davis advance. The release states that Davis was captured on film pointing to his U.S. Marine Corps ball cap as he pushed officers and saying, I fought for this county ... Im a military [expletive] police. Tesla, founded by tech industry tycoon Elon Musk, has contended that no franchise dealers can profitably operate under its direct-to-consumer, fixed-price business model in a manner consistent with the public interest. The Virginia Automobile Dealers Association, a trade group for independent dealers, had opposed Teslas previous attempts to open its own stores in the state, including one that opened in western Henrico County in 2017. The trade group did not formally oppose Teslas application for the latest planned stores, but two dealerships in the Charlottesville area did notify the DMV that they believed they could own and operate a Tesla franchise. In his decision, Holcomb said evidence presented at a hearing in March indicated that the two dealerships in Charlottesville region would need to change Teslas business model in order to sell its cars profitably. Holcomb also said members of the public and public officials, in the Charlottesville, Arlington and Norfolk areas have expressed support for the Tesla stores. Much of that support revolves around the fact that Teslas business model is unique and outside the traditional model of motor vehicle dealerships in Virginia, Holcomb wrote in the decision. We can now offer some national context that underscores our point that the vaccine divide isnt a purely urban and rural divide, and its not purely partisan, either. The good news is that Southwest and Southside Virginia, however laggard they be compared to other Virginia localities, arent the worst in the country. There are rural parts of the South and Midwest that are far worse. In Slope County, North Dakota, only 11% of all adults are vaccinated. In Miller County, Arkansas, only 12% are. In Cameron Parish, Louisiana, only 16% are. There are lots of other counties where the rates are in the teens or twenties. If we have another lockdown, it will be because of places like that. But then there are some rural counties that are quite different. Presidio County, Texas, is along the Rio Grande in west Texas. Its adult vaccination rate is somewhere in the 80% range were not entirely sure where because Texas only reports statistics for those 12 and up, not 18 and up, but 89% of those in that age range have been fully vaccinated. Thats higher than any any place in Virginia, and one of the highest in the country. Now, perhaps Presidio County doesnt fully prove our point because its the rare rural county that votes Democratic, casting nearly 66% of its votes for Biden. The families of eight Marines and one sailor who died when their amphibious assault vehicle sank off the Southern California coast last summer say they plan to sue the manufacturer Seven of the state's largest county governments also received a total of $74 million in federal emergency rental assistance to distribute in their own programs. In Richland County, which received $12.5 million, 4,243 people had applied as of Tuesday. Administrators have approved 1,699 applications and distributed $9.6 million in funding so far. 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? BJS releases notable new recidivism data for 2012-released state prisons | Main | Highlighting how the Biden Administration could and should start reforming federal BOP July 29, 2021 Federal judges expressing some concern about lenient plea deals for some Capitol riot defendants This new BuzzFeed News article, headlined "A Judge Questioned If Capitol Rioters Are Getting Off Too Easy For 'Terrorizing Members Of Congress'," reports on some notable comments by some notable federal judges about the plea deals being given to some of the Capitol rioters. Here are excerpts: A federal judge on Thursday pushed back on the governments decision to ink deals in the Capitol riot cases that involve low-level misdemeanors, questioning whether that was appropriate for people involved in terrorizing members of Congress. The unusual exchange came during a plea hearing for Jack Jesse Griffith, who was charged solely with misdemeanor crimes for going into the Capitol on Jan. 6; he wasnt accused of violence or property destruction. As Griffith prepared to plead guilty to one count of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building a class B misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of six months in jail US District Chief Judge Beryl Howell asked the prosecutor to explain why Griffiths deal involved a class of crime typically reserved for people who did things like trespass in a national park at night. I'm just curious does the government have any concern given the factual predicate at issue here, of the defendant joining a mob, breaking into the Capitol building through a broken door, wandering through the Capitol building and stopping a constitutionally mandated duty of the Congress and terrorizing members of Congress, the vice president, who had to be evacuated? Howell asked. Does the government, in agreeing to the petty offense in this case, have any concern about deterrence? It was the second time this week that a judge questioned whether defendants charged in connection with Jan. 6 are getting off too lightly in plea deals, even if theyre not accused of more serious criminal activity, such as attacking police. On Tuesday, US District Judge Reggie Walton, one of Howells colleagues on the federal bench in Washington, DC, briefly pondered whether he should jail two defendants who signed a deal similar to Griffiths, given their involvement in the atrocious act of storming the Capitol; he ultimately allowed them to go home until theyre sentenced in October. Griffith is the 27th defendant charged in the Jan. 6 riots to appear before a judge to plead guilty, and the 21st person to plead guilty to a single misdemeanor as part of an agreement with prosecutors either the parading count that Griffith pleaded guilty to or disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, which also has a maximum sentence of six months in jail. Howell in the end accepted Griffiths guilty plea, but, like Walton, put the government and defense through several paces before she did. She asked whether the government was concerned that an agreement involving a low-level misdemeanor was enough not only to deter Griffith from participating in a similar event in the future but also the broader universe of the hundreds of people who descended on the Capitol that day. The circumstance that led to the Jan. 6 insurrection, a presidential election, happens every four years, the judge noted. Assistant US Attorney Mitra Jafary-Hariri and Griffiths lawyer H. Heather Shaner defended the deal, telling Howell that Griffith had expressed interest in pleading guilty early on something defendants throughout the criminal justice system typically get credit for and had cooperated with law enforcement officials by turning over his devices and giving them access to his social media. Jafary-Hariri said that under those circumstances, the government decided it was willing to resolve it this way. Some prior related posts: July 29, 2021 at 06:57 PM | Permalink Comments The judges are making excellent points here. Howell in particular summed it up nicely. I hope Garland/DOJ are getting the message and don't intend to pursue a "look forward not backward" strategy. Posted by: kotodama | Jul 30, 2021 1:08:34 AM I am concerned but the assistance, including access to devices helps in the one case. I welcome a range of consequences, including civil liabilities in these situations. I continue to push for passage of enforcement of the 14A disqualification provision to help have that available to the group for which that is applicable. It also would show the serious nature of the situation. Perhaps, it will come up during the 1/6 select committee hearings. Posted by: Joe | Jul 30, 2021 7:33:20 AM Federal judges expressing anything (including concern)about 1/6 should resign in shame and be disbarred. The idea that some DC cops let a few people into the Capital where people wondered around aimlessly doing nothing, thus warranting punishment of any kind is an atrocity on the American people. Have these judges watched antifa and BLM burn and murder? And yet a grandma who supports Trump should not receive lenient plea deals from the rapid dogs who call themselves federal prosecutors is subject to "concern?" Concern over what? That a guy who murders people is released without bail while a guy wearing make up and horns is in solitary for 6 months? Nope These "concerned" judges are not concerned about that. Concern that it is obvious that the FBI had more agents provacuer than there were actually real people there on 1/6? No concern over that. How could these "concerned" judges be so stupid? What on Earth has happened to their brains? We see that UFOs are apparently real. Did the UFOs destroy the US Judiciary? That any judge any where would not see through this utter sham is impossible to believe. Is this willful incredible ignorance of current events a result of the Judicial Culture? The DC Bubble Culture? I mean how could anyone possibly express "concern" about something so non-existent? It just beggars belief.Hey "concerned" judges. Judge then convict those antifa/BLM who murder and burn. That is the true insurrection. Do it before that power is taken from you due to the clear fact that you are so out of touch with reality. You repudiate the ideal of American Justice. You are "concerned"? You should be. Be "concerned" that you are too cowardly to speak up and repudiate rabid dogs calling themselves Federal prosecutors. They have gone off the hook. Only the juidiicay can rein these evil people in. Don't be "CONCERNED" like a coward, weeping in the corner! REIN THESE RUINING DOGS IN!! Do it. Do it now. Posted by: restless94110 | Jul 30, 2021 6:16:55 PM Post a comment Federal judges expressing some concern about lenient plea deals for some Capitol riot defendants | Main | Lots and lots more great new content at great new Inquest website I have lamented in post after post that the Biden Administration has so far failed to seize the opportunity to advance federal sentencing reforms by making needed appointments to US Sentencing Commission, and I will continue to be troubled by (and complain about) its failings in this space for as long as it lasts. In the meantime, I am pleased to see this new AP article highlighting another so-far-missed Biden Administration missed opportunity under the headline: "Is Biden overlooking Bureau of Prisons as reform target?". Here are excerpts from a long piece worth a full read: Biden is overlooking a prime -- and, in some ways, easier -- target for improving the conditions of incarcerated people: the federal Bureau of Prisons. While most criminal justice overhauls require action from local officials or legislation, reforming the federal prison system is something Biden and his Justice Department control. And there are crying needs there for improvement. Even before the coronavirus, federal prisons were plagued by violence, suicide, escapes, understaffing and health concerns. The pandemic made things worse. And now these facilities are set to absorb even more prisoners from private institutions that are no longer in business with the government.... Meanwhile, the number of federal prisoners is rising. Defendants end up in federal prison usually because their crime crossed state lines, or they violated a specific federal law. There are about 156,000 federal inmates. In total, 38% are Black and 57% are white, 1.5% Asian and 2.4% Native American. Most are serving sentences between 5 and 20 years, and 46% of those sentences are for drug offenses. Another 20% are for weapons, explosives or arson charges. The administration cant control the laws that get someone sent to prison. But it can control staffing, transparency, health care, the use of solitary confinement and, most of all, agency leadership. The head of the Bureau of Prisons is a Trump holdover, Michael Carvajal, who has been in charge as the coronavirus raged behind bars, infecting more than 43,000 federal inmates. He also oversaw an unprecedented run of federal executions in the last six months of Donald Trumps presidency that was a likely virus super spreader. Administration officials have been mulling whether to replace him, but no decision has been made, according to officials who spoke to The Associated Press. One question they should be asking, according to Andrea Armstrong, a Loyola Law School professor who studies prisons, is whether the directors role is to do more than keep operations running smoothly. Real leadership, she says, would be convening people incarcerated, wardens and programming staff together to say, OK, we have an enormous problem ... how do we address this?.... The First Step Act, approved in 2018, gives judges more discretion when sentencing some drug offenders, eases mandatory minimum sentences and encourages inmates to participate in programs designed to reduce the risk of recidivism, with credits that can be used to gain an earlier release. But those programs cant be completed right now, because there are not enough workers to facilitate them. Nearly one-third of federal correctional officer jobs in the United States are vacant, forcing prisons to use cooks, teachers, nurses and other workers to guard inmates. There need to be enough people working in a prison to keep people housed in a prison safe. And they must be able to get access to the programs that should allow their release, said Maria Morris of the American Civil Liberties Unions National Prison Project. SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa -- A second person has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with the December death of a Lake Park, Iowa, woman. Justice Berntson, 23, was arrested Thursday at the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility on a charge of first-degree murder. His bond has been set at $1 million, though according to the Dickinson County Sheriff's online jail roster, he has not yet been transported from prison. Earlier this week, Allison Decker, 26, was charged in Dickinson County District Court with first-degree murder in connection with the death of 25-year-old Angel Bastman, whose body was found Dec. 22 at her home at 104 Maple Ave. According to court documents, Bastman was killed at approximately 5 p.m. Dec. 21. Her body was discovered the following day. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Bastman's death was determined to be a homicide, and court documents do not indicate how she died. Authorities have declined to comment on the cause of death. Investigators determined that Bastman's rental car was missing from her home, and four days later police spotted Berntson driving it in Sioux City. A police pursuit ensued, and Berntson was arrested after crashing the car. At the time of his arrest, he had an Elk Point, South Dakota, address. His sentencing faced recent uncertainty. Earlier this month, Bauer filed a motion on his own telling District Judge Zachary Hindman he wanted to withdraw his plea, saying that his attorney, Matthew Metzgar, had pressured him into pleading guilty. He also asked that Metzgar be replaced as his lawyer. He withdrew his request for a new attorney last week. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} At the beginning of Friday's hearing, Hindman confirmed with Bauer that he did indeed want to proceed with Metzgar. Hindman has said he can not consider Bauer's motion to withdraw his plea because Bauer is represented by an attorney, and Iowa law prohibits the court from considering a pro se motion from a defendant who is represented by counsel. That issue was not addressed at sentencing. Bauer waived his right to address the court prior to being sentenced, though Metzgar spoke on his behalf, telling the court that Bauer "expresses his deep regret for Mia's death." Bauer, Metzgar said, regrets the physical and emotional pain he has caused the victims and their families. Bauer has admitted to aiding and abetting in the shooting at 2636 Walker St., where Kritis was among 20-25 people gathered for a New Year's Eve party. Three others were injured when Bauer and at least one other person fired shots into the house. SIOUX CITY -- Smoke from wildfires in the western United States and Canada is expected to drift into Siouxland Thursday evening and Friday. The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls has issued an air quality alert for all Northwest Iowa counties until 4 p.m. Friday, while the weather service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for Southeast South Dakota and Northeast Nebraska, due to the smoke. In some areas, the wildfire smoke could reduce visibility to as little as a mile Thursday evening, according to the National Weather Service. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The heavy smoke was expected to roll into the area Thursday afternoon. By midnight, the smoke is likely to reach as far down as Interstate 80, and it is likely to reach southern Iowa by 5 a.m. Friday. The smoke was pushed to the area by Northerly winds behind a cold front, according to the NWS. Levels of fine particles in the air are expected to reach level orange in the Air Quality Index, which is unhealthy for sensitive groups. These groups include children, the elderly, and those with respiratory or heart conditions. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is recommending these groups limit prolonged outdoor exertion until the smoke clears. HONOLULU (AP) A former CIA officer accused of spying for China is asking for a mental competency evaluation after telling his attorney he believes he is suffering from the early stages of Alzheimers disease and is having trouble remembering things. Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, a former CIA officer and contract linguist for the FBI, was arrested last year after an undercover operation in which prosecutors say he accepted thousands of dollars in cash in exchange for his past espionage activities. He told a law enforcement officer who was posing as a Chinese intelligence officer that he wanted to see the motherland succeed and that he was eager to resume helping China after the coronavirus pandemic subsided, prosecutors said. Ma's court-appointed attorney, Birney Bervar, said Thursday that he felt compelled to file a motion for a mental competency evaluation after meeting with Ma a couple of weeks ago. Ma said he just can't remember things and that he believes it impairs his ability to assist properly in his defense, the motion said. AKRON, Ohio (AP) A jury in Akron on Friday convicted a longtime Cleveland City Council member on numerous federal charges that included stealing $127,000 in expenses from the city over nearly a nine-year period. The jury deliberated around four hours before returning its verdicts against Kenneth Johnson, 75, cleveland.com reported. Johnson stands convicted on 15 counts that include conspiracy to commit federal program theft, tampering with a witness, falsification of records, federal program theft and aiding in the preparation of false tax returns. His longtime assistant, Garnell Jamison, 63, was convicted of 11 counts. Johnson could receive 10 years in prison at sentencing in October. Johnson testified on Wednesday the expense reimbursement reports were accurate and that he had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars helping his constituents during his 40 years on the council. Margaret Paton Walsh, an attorney for the state, argued the attorney general has independent authority to bring actions in the public interest. The fact that the governor wanted him to do it doesnt change the fact that he has that independent authority, she argued last week. Walker, in his ruling, noted a June 18 letter Dunleavy sent the chief justice of the Alaska Supreme Court. In the letter, Dunleavy said that given the consequences flowing from the lack of an effective date he had asked Taylor to seek a determination of the issue through the courts. This belies the assertion that Attorney General Taylor brought the present suit under his common-law powers as Attorney General, Walker wrote. Despite having independent powers, the attorney general "serves under the supervision of the Governor and at this pleasure," Walker wrote. The judge also said public statements by Dunleavy and Taylor had consistently framed the suit as a vehicle to resolve a dispute between the executive and legislative branches. He said he concluded the lawsuit was an action by Dunleavy 'in the name of the state' directed against the legislature,' and prohibited by the constitution. In the state's large cities, rents for a two-bedroom apartment have gone up over the past year. In the region that includes Philadelphia, such rents rose about 3.2% in the year ending in June, for a median rent of about $1,800, according to Realtor.com. Pittsburgh rent for a two-bedroom apartment went up by 10.3% over the past year, to about $1,500, the site reported. Philadelphia is affordable compared to other big cities, but it's the poorest of the nation's 10 largest cities, making its housing less affordable for its residents. Rich said affordable rental units can often be of lower quality. If you find a place that's affordable, it's usually affordable because there are problems with the property which make it affordable, Rich said. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? A recent U.S. Census Bureau study suggests more than 186,000 Pennsylvanians are somewhat likely or very likely to lose their homes to eviction over the coming two months. Many people involved with tenants and landlords fear there will be a spike in homelessness. And we do have a housing shortage there's no two ways about it," said Rita Dallago with the Pennsylvania Residential Owners Association in Camp Hill. "And this housing shortage is going to get worse before it gets better. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. LAS VEGAS (AP) Money is available for tenants who could face eviction as early as this weekend as pandemic protections expire, and Nevada's governor and advocates called Thursday for affected renters to quickly contact programs set up to help. We will see landlords evicting tenants for non-payment of rent, and courts may be flooded, said Bailey Bortolin, director of the Nevada Coalition of Legal Service Providers. The Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada encourages property owners to work with renters through a coronavirus relief housing assistance program, commonly known as CHAP. If a tenant applies to the program, a court will delay an eviction to allow time try to reach a mediated agreement, Bortolin said. Evictions in Nevada follow a backward process, she said. Once a tenant is served with an eviction notice, they must respond to initiate a court case by filing an answer, and then the landlord files a complaint. Most tenants don't know they have to act in order to have an opportunity to speak with a judge and avoid an automatic lock-out, Bortolin said. He also said he suspected that had he disclosed the cancer before the election, he would be accused of using it to his advantage. Youre damned if you do or damned if you dont," he said. In the culture of today, there would be those people saying youd try to get the sympathy vote." The congressman first revealed some details of his cancer diagnosis in an interview with the Nevada Independent published Friday. Fred Lokken, a political science professor at the Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, said theres no standard about if or when to disclose such procedures and it's up to voters to decide if it matters. Different voters have different values systems. I think most voters would probably prefer knowing, he said. Loyola Law School Professor Jessica A. Levinson, whose work includes a focus on politics and ethics, said it's a gray area and unlike a House member's financial interests, there is not an expectation that medical information be disclosed. It strikes me that medical information is very different in that were not wondering if hes going to vote for or against a tax bill because of his medical diagnosis whereas we might have that concern when it comes to financial conflicts," she said. When she was told her car would be towed and she could remove any personal belongings, she then removed a tote bag and something wrapped in a trash bag from the trunk. The officer reported smelling a powerful stench. When the officer saw maggots in the trash bag and discovered the decomposing body of a young child, Johnson allegedly attempted to run away. She was swiftly caught and detectives say they found the other child's body in a tote bag. According to the charging documents, she initially told officers she had no idea the bodies of her niece and nephew were in the trunk. She thought the stench was from a rat in the engine, officers wrote. She later told investigators that she was staying at a motel when she hit the girl. The child hit her head, and Johnson put the body in a suitcase and carried it around in the car for many months, the charging documents state. Some two months ago, according to the charging documents, the other child was tired, went to lie down in the car and never woke up. Police allege Johnson then put his body in a tote bag and stuffed him in the trunk next to the body of his dead sister. LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) Three men who were found dead last week at the entrance of a Wisconsin quarry were forced to kneel on the ground before they were shot multiple times over a $600 debt, officials said Thursday. Khamthaneth Rattanasack, 44, and Nya Thao, 33, have each been charged with three counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. They are accused of killing Peng Lor and Nemo Yang, both 24, and Trevor Maloney, 23, whose bodies were discovered shortly before 5 a.m. on July 23 outside the Romskog Quarry in western Wisconsin by two workers, La Crosse County Sheriff Jeff Wolf said. Wolf said that hours after the bodies were found, a woman told authorities that she was with the victims the night before they were killed and the four of them were staying in the same hotel room in Onalaska. The woman said that early on the morning of July 23, she and the victims believed they were being followed by a black Mercedes Benz. They briefly stopped at another hotel and she went inside to drop off some items. She returned to her car to find the Mercedes next to it. Thao was sitting in her vehicle, behind the drivers seat, and Rattanasack was in the Mercedes, with one of the victims who had been in her car. The woman said Rattanasack had a gun, Wolf said. Justin Smith, a Burt County Sheriff's Deputy and the former police chief of Decatur, died on Wednesday after battling COVID-19. He was 43 years old. Smith, a deputy since 2008, had been placed on life support in the days before his death, according to the Burt County Sheriff's Office news release announcing the deputy's death. Smith, described as a devoted husband and father, was surrounded by family and friends when he died, according to the release. A longtime figure in law enforcement in Burt County, Smith had worked in various roles and assignments in his time with the sheriff's office and Decatur Police Department careers that accompanied his time in the U.S. Army Reserve. "During this difficult time our thoughts and prayers go out to Justin's family, his Burt County Sheriff's Office Family, and the Decatur Police Department," Sheriff Eric Nick said in the statement. "Please keep them in all your thoughts and prayers." Nebraska State Patrol Col. John Bolduc said in a statement that the patrol is "deeply saddened by the loss of Deputy Smith," nothing that he served not only Burt County, "but also our country, and will be greatly missed." SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions that was enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to oust tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households. Heres the situation in South Dakota: Amtrak Joe delivers. The bipartisan infrastructure bill that seems likely to pass the Senate contains $66 billion for intercity rail, which is pretty damn close to the $80 billion President Joe Biden asked for in April. The White House calls it the largest investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak 50 years ago. The deal includes $22 billion in grants for Amtrak, another $24 billion specifically for the Northeast Corridor, and another $20 billion for intercity service, safety grants, and grade crossing improvements. (Whats the difference between the first chunk of grants and the last? The White House hasnt detailed that yet.) Advertisement That will mean better Amtrak service on existing high-traffic routes (relatively speaking) like PortlandSeattle, RichmondD.C., and ChicagoMilwaukee. It might mean new service in fast-growing regions, like between Charlotte and Atlanta or Atlanta and Nashville. Advertisement Advertisement Hopefully it will not mean big investments in intercity rail between Wichita and Oklahoma City or Cheyenne and Pueblo, to pick two new routes identified on a wish list map Amtrak released this spring. (Sorryits not a priority.) The biggest-ticket item is, as it should be, money for the route that not only delivers the best service and takes in the most revenue but also has the most potential: the Northeast Corridor. The string of cities between Washington and Boston is the densest part of the country. Its home to one in five U.S. jobs, and its economy would be the fifth largest in the world on its own. Advertisement This is why it is home to the countrys best-performing Amtrak routebut also why it deserves better. The Northeast version of high-speed rail is both less fast and more expensive than international peers, and judging by the regions crammed highways, busy intercity bus services, and short-haul airplane shuttles, theres a lot of room for improvement. We can presume the $24 billion for the Northeast Corridor contains money for the decrepit Baltimore & Potomac Tunnel in Maryland, which has been labeled the routes greatest bottleneck. And it probably gives a final green light to build a second tunnel under the Hudson River to Manhattan, which has been a top regional priority for two decadesbut gained new urgency when Superstorm Sandy flooded the existing tunnel with corrosive saltwater. That tunnel is part of the Gateway Project, which also includes a series of bridges in New Jersey. If you put all of that together this bill funds Gateway. Full stop, New Jersey Democrat Tom Malinowski, who serves on the House Transportation Committee, told NJ.com. Advertisement Thats great. But for north of $24 billion, the Northeast Corridor should be getting real high-speed rail servicenot a series of piecemeal upgrades that shave minutes off of trip times. An investment of this size ought to put a dent in the Boston-to-Washington air travel market. Does this seem like funny money to you? Youre not alone. Instead, $24 billion barely covers the expected cost of the Gateway program ($22 billion), and thats before you even count the $11 billion Amtrak wants to expand Penn Station in New York. Does that seem like funny money to you? Youre not alone. Many people have noticed that American transit projects are out-of-this-world expensive, from California high-speed rail to the Second Avenue Subway. Few people have dedicated more time and study to this subject than Alon Levy, who along with Eric Goldwyn is leading the Transit Costs Project at New York University to figure out what has gone wrong. Nearly a decade ago, Levy outlined some ways that Amtrak could achieve Japan-grade high-speed rail for one-tenth the $150 billion price tag that Amtrak has outlined. Advertisement But Amtrak does not care about how much this stuff costs. How do I know this with such certainty? Because I asked Amtrak CEO William Flynn about it in March. In particular, I wanted to know how he justified the $11.6 billion price tag on the new Hudson River tunnel projectwhich comes out, according to the Transit Costs Project, at almost $3 billion per mile of tunnel. Flynn said he just didnt think it was that expensive. Advertisement In reality, it will be the most expensive train tunnel ever built aside from two other New York City projects, each of which at least includes some stations. It will cost twice as much per mile as Londons Crossrail, five times as much as the Paris extension of Line 1, and so on. And those projects have stations! Advertisement The cynical counterargument is that advocates should stop worrying about this stuff, since scrutiny of transit capital projects is not matched by any scruples from highway builders. Taking Amtrak to task amounts to unilateral disarmament, in this view, and will only perpetuate the status quo in which highways are funded and transit gets pegged as wasteful. So thats why Im proposing an ingenious compromise: Amtrak should stay the course until Congress writes the check. But then it should bring in some experts from Japan, France, Spain, or China. If Amtrak could spend that $66 billion like literally any other country in the world, we could end up with train service that looks a lot more like the Shinkansen or the TGV.* And that, in turn, would mean a real passenger-rail legacy for Joe Biden. It looks as if President Joe Biden might just get his bipartisan infrastructure deal after all. After weeks of will-they-or-wont-they drama, Republican and Democratic negotiators finally managed to agree on $550 billion of new spending this week, and on Wednesday, 67 senators voted to move forward with the bill, signaling wide support. While the effort could still stall out, it appears to finally have real Are you nodding off yet? Eying another tab in your browser? Maybe letting your mind wander back to gymnastics for the fifth time today? Look, internet traffic doesnt lie. This legislative odyssey is not exactly grabbing the hearts and imaginations of the American people. I specifically chose a headline about your apathy toward the thing because I thought the faint hint of emotional recognition might somehow convince you to click. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And that, in the end, may be why this bill might actually stand a chance of passing. The infrastructure deal may be an absolutely crucial keystone in Bidens agenda, but its also kind of boring, which has actually allowed a bunch of Republicans who appear to have genuine interest in legislating to push forward on it without worrying about a backlash from their voters. Why should anybody get excited about this bill? I mean, for starters, its a pretty decent piece of legislationaside from roads, bridges, shipping ,and airports, it throws billions upon billions at mass transit, rail, clean water, and climate-related priorities like grid modernization and electric vehicles. Also, it may be the key to unlocking the rest of the White Houses agenda: Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, the two moderate Democrats standing between Bidens legislative plans and oblivion, have said they want this bipartisan bill to pass before they sign on to the several-trillion-dollar reconciliation package, containing everything else Democrats want to do, thats moving in parallel. Advertisement But neither of those facts has seemingly been enough to make people particularly amped or angry about this legislation so far. Advertisement For proof, witness Donald Trumps ineffective attempts to undermine the whole effort. The former president appears to be miffed at the idea that Biden might pull off the big infrastructure bill he himself promised but never delivered, and doesnt want his former (and maybe future) opponent to get a big and beautiful win on policy. This week, Trump went so far as to threaten GOPers who supported it with primary challenges. Dont do it Republicans Patriots will never forget! he warned. Seventeen GOP senators proceeded to shrug it off, and the very obvious reason why is that Americas Fox-binging patriots are barely aware its even happening. Tucker Carlson is too busy fear-mongering about vaccines. Right-wing Twitter trolls are occupied with whether Simone Biles should have risked breaking her neck for the gold. Conservative media thrives on a perpetual culture war, not road and transit funding. Advertisement In a lot of ways, this all fits the idea that Capitol Hills legislative process tends to work best when nobody is really paying attentionwhat Matt Yglesias and Simon Bazelon called the Secret Congress theory of governance a few weeks back. (It also squares with the notion that Bidens own mild manners may help him sign a law or two.) We may live in polarized times. But when the spotlight is off, it turns out that Democrats and Republicans are reasonably capable of reaching compromises on issues of medium and sometimes large import. At the end of the Trump administration, lawmakers passed a deal to end surprise medical billing, as well as a $35 billion clean energy bill. Under Biden, the Senate approved a $250 billion science and technology bill ostensibly meant to help us compete with China that almost nobody outside a small slice of Twitter geeks got excited about. Advertisement Advertisement The are a few reasons why Congress might do its best bipartisan work in the dark. The more attention the media and voters pay to an issue, the more polarizing it tends to become (think of TV coverage as a giant centrifuge spinning lawmakers to their extreme sides). Generally speaking, Republican lawmakers dont want Democratic presidents to be seen as successful, and vice versa, so they have a natural incentive to oppose their major priorities. Political science research has found that when presidents throw their weight behind an issue, it tends to create more opposition. In that sense, however, the infrastructure bill doesnt really fit the Secret Congress model. After all, everyone knows Biden really wants this deal. He spent his whole presidential campaign promising bipartisanship, and in the early stages of this effort held meeting after high-profile meeting with Republican senators trying to hash out an accord. Much of the final negotiating was done between Republican Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and White House counselor Steve Ricchetti, one of Bidens closest aides. Trump isnt wrong: If Republicans do eventually pass this, they will be giving White House a big beautiful win. But unless theyre just trying to string Biden along and run out the legislative clock (which feels kind of unlikely at this point), it seems like a critical mass of GOP Senators are choosing to play ball even if it means giving the White House a bump. Advertisement The more inherently dull a piece of legislation is, the greater chance it has of actually passing. What we are seeing at work here, I think, is an addendum to Secret Congress: The rule of boring Congress. The more inherently dull a piece of legislation is, and the harder it is to fit into the sort of culture-war narrative that drives political conflict in this country, the greater chance it has of actually passing. And infrastructure spending generally is kind of dull, the kind of agenda item that voters broadly support but tend not to get passionate about as they do health care or immigration. Politicians from both parties have for years treated it as an uncontroversial good thing where the main challenge was finding the proper way to pay for it. And though we still dont know all the details of this billthere are outlines, but not legislative textit is clearly designed to be inoffensive to almost everyone involved. Republicans said they wouldt agree to tax hikes, and so, with a liberal dose of budget gimmicks, negotiators basically found a way to basically fund it without tax hikes on anything but cryptocurrency. (Sorry, laser-eyes Twitter.) Progressives were horrified by a scheme to privatize large swaths of existing infrastructure that for a moment seemed to make its way into the bill. Thats been dropped, reduced to a negligible rump. Theres funding for climate-related priorities, like grid modernization and electric vehicles, but not so much as to offend semi-moderate Republicans who are getting other things they want in the bill. Its pretty much pure vanilla. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Not that theres anything wrong with vanilla. Sometimes vanilla is just what you want. But it also illustrates something important about the zone for potential bipartisanship in Washington. If this bill does ultimately passand again, it might not!Republicans and Democrats will have shown they can come together in essentially three kinds of circumstances. There are truly catastrophic emergencies, when the cost of inaction is obvious to everybody, such as when the coronavirus hit in March of 2020. There are moments when the sheer, immediate weight of electoral politics forces one party to bend, such as when Mitch McConnell agreed to a new COVID relief bill last December in the lead-up to the Georgia runoffs. And then theres the boring stuffthe issues that make for terrible Facebook posts and worse TV. It might fix some train tracks after a summer of negotiating. But bipartisan legislating probably isnt going to save the day when it comes to the big, existential issues that you really care about. Theme-park fans are a tough crowd. As the Walt Disney Company attempts to navigate an environment in which some fans justifiably demand that longstanding attractions embrace the 21st century, others are so rooted in their own past attachments that theyll vociferously attack even the mere possibility of modernization. After Disney announced theyd retool both the Disneyland and Walt Disney World versions of Splash Mountain so theyd be patterned after the delightful The Princess and the Frog rather than the notoriously racist Song of the South, some fans were furious (although plenty more have applauded the change). With the release of Disneys latest theme-park-inspired blockbuster, Jungle Cruise, the spotlight has fallen on the Jungle Cruise itself, and especially the character of Trader Sam, the cheery cannibal who offers shrunken heads to the rides jungle visitors. The character vanished from the Jungle Cruise attraction in April, but he appears in the movie in a transfigured capacity, one that speaks volumes about Disneys delicate balancing of outward progressivism and backwards-looking nostalgia, and the times when its simply not possible to reconcile the two. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California on July 17, 1955, one of its marquee attractions was the Jungle River Cruise, whose guests traveled on boats through a carefully designed and mapped-out river, where they could encounter everything from lions to hippos to elephants, all of which were completely fake. Over time, the animals stayed fake, and the Jungle Cruise skippers have become the stars of the show, unleashing dad joke after dad joke on guests who either delight in the groaners or who had no idea they were going to drown in puns. One of the rides hallmarks is its exoticized treatment of tropical locations, exemplified in the finale where the skipper introduces us to Trader Sam, a dark-skinned native headhunter whose business has recently been, well, shrinking. Dont worryhes got a deal for you: two of his heads for one of yours. (Those are genuine Jungle Cruise puns, folks.) Trader Sam has become a beloved part of the Jungle Cruise, even inspiring two hotel bars, one at each U.S. Disney resort, in spite of being an immensely racist stereotype of indigenous cultures. Only recentlyas in, within the last six monthshas Disneys Imagineering team redesigned the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland and Walt Disney World to scale back its racial stereotypes. (There had been broad critiques of the attraction in the past, but it was only after the Splash Mountain overhaul that Jungle Cruises number came up.) Trader Sams gift shop still awaits at the end of the ride, its proprietor is mysteriously absent. Advertisement Advertisement [Read: Karen Hans review of Jungle Cruise.] The movie version of Jungle Cruise handles Trader Sam in a radically different way. The character still exists, but hes now a wily woman, played by Mexican actress Veronica Falcon. And while English siblings Lily and MacGregor Houghton (Emily Blunt and Jack Whitehall) are delivered to what theyre told is a tribe of ruthless cannibals with sharp spears and wooden masks, its quickly revealed that its all an act, a tourist-bilking scam conjured by the cruises skipper, Frank (Dwayne Johnson) and Sam herself. The ooga-booga stuff, as she puts it, is just for show. On one hand, this is a pleasant twist on how the Jungle Cruise typically operates. Gender-flipping Sam, and presenting her as extremely self-reliantin one scene, she escapes the clutches of a villainous German royal (Jesse Plemons) with no regard for MacGregors safetyallows her more agency than the rides character, who simply served as one of the last opportunities on the cruise for skippers to let loose some bad jokes. But the script, by Michael Green, Glen Ficarra, and John Requa, struggles to fit in Sam alongside other recognizable elements of the theme park attraction. Its unnecessary at best and sweaty at worst. Advertisement Advertisement Its been years since the Pirates of the Caribbean series proved that attraction-spawned movies didnt have to hew too closely to their sources to guarantee successthe first Pirates had one prominent reference to its theme-park inspiration, when a group of prisoners haplessly try to convince a mangy dog to hand over the keys to their cellbut Jungle Cruise is still intent on servicing the subset of the audience who are there for the theme-park references. Before the opening title card even appears, were treated to Frank delivering a pun-heavy spiel to a group of confused riverboat tourists, powering through the dumb jokes come hell or the backside of high water. [Read: After Jungle Cruise, Which Theme Park Attractions Should Disney Adapt Next?] Advertisement After that opening, Jungle Cruise mostly veers away from its boat-on-a-track forebear. Frank is tasked with leading Lily and MacGregor down the Amazon in search of the fabled Tears of the Moon, which are said to have immense healing powers. Frank, its soon revealed, knows more about this fable than hes letting on and wants to keep the siblings away from their quarryand his fail-safe is using Trader Sam and her tribe to scare them off. The gag wherein the Houghtons initial terror at being placed in front of a fierce tribe of natives is used against them is clever enough. But once the racist caricature is subverted, theres not much more to Trader Sam. Advertisement Hoary stereotypes aside, the Jungle Cruise is a consistently delightful ride largely because of its standout characters: the skippers. Trader Sam, even now that hes the (absent) purveyor of a gift shop, is a one-joke figure who really didnt need to be brought to life on the big screen, and the updating of the character rings hollow in a movie that, while its set on the Brazilian Amazon, doesnt manage to find significant speaking roles for any other non-European characters. Its as fleeting a concession to contemporary viewpoints as the revelation that McGregor is gay, revealing to Frank to that his romantic interests, rather than involving women, lie elsewhere. The problem of serving two masterstense theme-park fanatics hungry for reference points, and viewers who dont know the Jungle Cruise from an actual cruiseis the same problem Disney deals with in its remakes of animated classics. But while Tim Burtons Dumbo lost its minstrel-show crows and the Disney+ remake of Lady and the Tramp its caricatured Siamese cats, Jungle Cruise cant just let Trader Sam go. Its true that Trader Sam is a character theme-park fans know welland those aforementioned hotel bars are among the favorite spots of many Disney foodies. (Not surprisingly, both Trader Sams Grog Grotto and Trader Sams Enchanted Tiki Bar reopened at their respective resorts just in time for the movies release.) But even the parks Imagineers knew it was long past time for Jungle Cruise rebrand. When your theme-park characters are intentionally two-dimensional, bringing them to the big screen only makes clear that sometimes, what happens in Disneyland ought to stay in Disneyland. It turns out there is a line at Fox News after all. After years of mind-bending Trump boosterism and months of giving a megaphone to scattershot conspiracies on vaccines and the 2020 election, against all odds, there is something so outrageous that Fox News wont air it. This from the same network that earlier this month aired a segment on why slavery in America had nothing to do with race. Born again, however, the network has refused to run an ad from MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a leading member of the right-wing loonerati, for a cyber symposium that, Lindell told the Wall Street Journal, would totally prove that the mass manipulation of voting machines swung the 2020 election, stealing victory from former President Donald Trump. Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. If that line of argument sounds familiar, kind of like a regular old weeknight segment on fantastical crank Lou Dobbs Fox Business show, well, youd be right. But Fox News has changed its tune, ever so slightly, perhaps because a host of plaintiffs are suing the bejesus out of the broadcaster for its ludicrous election coverage that gave airtime to just about anyone, saying nearly anything, no matter how absurd. Lindell, the Journal reports, tried to reassure the network that the ad would be tasteful, classy, or at least just wouldnt specifically mention claims of election fraud. But the network, for once, was unmoved. In response to Fox News refusal to air the advertisements for the livestream of his symposium, Lindell claimed he was being silenced (!) and was therefore pulling his companies pillow-based ads from the network, which, he says, amounted to $50 million in 2020 and some $19 million so far this year. Nevada is at it again as it seeks to resume executions after a 15-year hiatus. The state wants to put Zane Michael Floyd to death for the 1999 murder of four people in a Las Vegas grocery store, and it plans to use a novel and untested cocktail of drugs to do so. Depending on availability, Nevada officials say that Floyds execution could be carried out using either a three- or a four-drug cocktail. Neither combination has been tested for safety and reliability, and neither has been used in any other American execution. Advertisement Using them would make Floyd a human guinea pig and turn his execution into what death penalty opponents have rightly called a cruel and dangerous form of experimentation on persons who, no matter how heinous their crimes, deserve to be treated humanely. That is an ethical matter, but it is also a legal one: in the U.S., all are to be protected from cruel and unusual punishment, and Nevada officials have no way of knowing whether their proposed methods meet that standard. Advertisement Advertisement The states proposed three-drug cocktail would mix the powerful opioid fentanyl, the sedative ketamine, and potassium chloride, which stops the heart and ends life. Fentanyl has, of course, played a large role in this nations devastating opioid epidemic. Ketamine is commonly known to be used in sexual assaults. Wanting to prevent further damage to the drugs already sullied reputation, its manufacturer, Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., has threatened to sue to stop Nevada from using its product in executions. Advertisement According to Floyds lawyers, ketamine can induce hallucinations, delirium and psychosis, and prevent their client from comprehending the reasons for the penalty or its implications. They contend that Nevadas drug combination could leave Floyd awake, unable to move and suffocating while he is strapped to a gurney. Further compounding the risk is that no other state has used either ketamine or the fentanyl substitute, alfentanil, another opioid that Nevada might to use if it cannot get fentanyl. Alfentanil is not the only substitution that officials could slip in or the only last-minute change under consideration. The Department of Corrections says it might decide to add the muscle paralytic cisatracurium to inhibit breathing before the heart-stopping agent is administered. It also says that it is considering potassium acetate, which is also found in automobile antifreeze, instead of potassium chloride. Advertisement Advertisement On June 29, U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware II stayed Floyds execution to allow time for his lawyers to mount legal challenges to Nevadas ghoulish plan. And, on July 26 the ACLU filed a suit challenging its Rube Goldberg-like execution protocol and planned drug combination as well as the states plan to limit media witnesses. One cannot help but wonder, as an aside, whether the plan to limit witnesses was engendered by the risky execution protocol: officials may be trying to do damage control in advance of an execution that could go horribly wrong. Remarkably, however, those officials are doing what the law allows them to do. Nevada leaves the choice of lethal injection drugs to the complete discretion of its Department of Corrections. Responding to escalating political pressure to resume executions, that department came up with the risky and complicated set of drug combinations for Floyds execution. Advertisement In an important recent article, law professor Corinna Barret Lain suggests that the situation in Nevada is typical of what is happening across the country. As she puts it, correction departments have about as much knowledge of what it takes to perform a medical procedure as your average person on the street. Knowledge of what drugs to use for lethal injection requires expertise in the field of anesthesiology (or at least pharmacology), and corrections department officials do not haveeither. Advertisement Alas, the plan for the Floyd execution proposed by Nevada correction officials is not the first time that they have wanted to employ untested drugs and drug combinations. Four years ago, they planned to use another drug combination which had never before used in the United States. They wanted to combine fentanyl, the deadly opioid, with a sedative (valium), a muscle relaxant (cisatracurium), and postassium chloride to kill another convicted murdered, Scott Dozier. We cannot know how dangerous this proposal was: Dozier frustrated Nevadas plan by committing suicide in prison. Advertisement In 2006, when Nevada carried out its last execution, it used what was then a standard three-drug combination of the ultra-short-acting barbiturate sodium thiopental, potassium chloride, a paralytic drug, and potassium chloride to stop the heart. In fact, for every lethal injection during the years between 1982the year of the first execution by lethal injection in Texasand 2009, all death penalty states used the same three drug protocol. However, over the course of the last decade, owing to shortages of some of the standard drugs, the lethal injection paradigm has come apart. Where once states could rely on a standard drug cocktail, they now use a wide variety of drugs and procedures. Advertisement By the end of 2020, death penalty states had used at least ten distinct drug protocols in their executions. Advertisement While lethal injection has always been rife with problems, a recent study I and five of my students carried out considered every execution by lethal injection in the last decade. We found that mishaps and botched executions have multiplied. Executions using new drug cocktails are more prolonged and problematic than they have ever been. Where sedatives like those to be used in the Floyd execution are involved, we found that they take on average twice as long as those carried out with the original, three-drug cocktail. In addition, in more than 1 in 5 of lethal injections using sedative combination protocols, a serious mishap occurred during the execution. A 2020 National Public Radio investigation documented similarly disturbing problems. It found signs of pulmonary edemafluid filling the lungsin 84 percent of the 216 post-lethal injection autopsies it reviewed. Inmates lungs filled while they continued to breathe, which would cause them to feel as if they were drowning and suffocating. Advertisement These findings suggest that todays brand of lethal injection is far cry from the promise of swift, reliable executions made by lethal injections proponents more than four decades ago. Instead, experimentation with lethal injection drugs has taken a horrible toll on those who have been subject to it. Advertisement Advertisement All the while, as Professor Lain notes, legislatures in death penalty states have turned a blind eye and abdicated their responsibilities. And courts, encouraged by a string of troubling Supreme Court decisions, have deferred to the uniformed and unreliable choices of lethal injection drugs made by low level officials in state correctional bureaucracies. That is why the pending Nevada litigation is so important. Judge Boulware has an opportunity to draw a line in the sand and set a new precedent by saying no to Americas increasingly desperate and damaging attempts to keep the machinery of death running. It is time to stop any state from using those they wish to put to death as human guinea pigs. If states like Nevada cannot ensure that executions are safe, reliable, and humaneand experience shows that they cannotthen they should not be in the execution business at all. On Thursday night, the Washington Post resolved some of the mystery of why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had suddenly changed its mask guidance with little explanation. It turned out that an internal CDC document had indicated that the delta variant of COVID-19 was likely both more dangerous and more contagious than previously thought. The document warned that there was evidence that vaccinated people who became sick from the delta variant shed as much of the virus as the unvaccinated. On Friday afternoon, the Post reported that a CDC study bore that out: Vaccinated people carried just as much virus as unvaccinated people. The study found that three-quarters of an outbreak in Provincetown, Massachusettsan outbreak that began with July 4 celebrationshad been vaccinated. Advertisement This finding is concerning and was a pivotal discovery leading to CDCs updated mask recommendation, the CDC director said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement To make sense of just how concerning this news is, Slate spoke with Dr. Larry Corey, a virologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Slate: How surprising is this news? Larry Corey: I would call it a teaching moment. And a learning moment that density is the fuel of the virus. Potentially density is the enemy of the human. And indoor crowding, especially celebrations in which youre speaking, drinking, and unmasked, are still high-risk situations. Theres a threshold for everything. How should people understand this news? Advertisement OK, we have an outbreak here. That reminds us that all vaccines, no matter how good they are, can be overpowered. There can be limitations. Having said that, its still an infrequent event. When we look at the data out of the United States, for the last month in which delta has been the overpowering variant, 99 percent of the hospitalizations were in unvaccinated persons. Here we have some hospitalizations in which people were vaccinated. But having said that, they did well from a hospitalization perspective. And no one died. So, I do think that it is a sort of teaching moment that were not invulnerable, that delta is a formidable variant, and that high-risk indoor exposures can overpower vaccination. I dont even look at it as a durability issue [with the vaccine], because it appears that the vaccination was within less than 100 days of the second dose for the vast majority of people. Advertisement So in terms of how vaccinated people should modify their behavior, youre mainly saying to avoid crowds indoors? To avoid indoor events with high density. I will say personally, when Im going to the grocery store now, or indoor shopping malls, Im wearing my mask. What would you say to people who are worried less about their own personal safety and more about giving COVID to someone else? The acquisition of asymptomatic infection is possible with vaccination. How frequently that occurs, how frequently you actually get infected and transmit it, we actually dont know. We have a study or two in the field that may allow us to grab a handle on that, but thats a couple months away. So I have to say, I dont think we have the data to quantitate that. I think that keeping an eye on the ball, vaccines are meant to reduce the severity of disease and the medical complications of the disease. The vaccines against the initial variant even prevented you from getting ill at all at 94 percent. So, OK, with delta, that may drop into the 80s, to 85 percent. But thats still 98 percent against hospitalization and death. Weve got to understand thats the goal. That was always the main goal of vaccination. Advertisement Advertisement Would you say you have any other sort of big, outstanding questions? I also say that at the moment I dont think this outbreak says anything about booster shots, because even if we boosted, we wouldnt know whether it would change any of this. Would it protect you from nasal colonization even better? We dont actually know that at the moment. I dont think this outbreak reflects upon that one way or the other. How worried should people be right now? I dont think that the sky is falling. I think it is a moment to understand that you need to be prudent, even if youre vaccinated. Vaccines work. They clearly do work, and the data from the United States continue to show that if youre vaccinated, the likelihood of you getting hospitalized or dying from COVID goes down by 99 percent. But nothing is infallible. You take an enormous number of people and pack them into an indoor room, we can get transmission. A parishioner of Los Angeles Hillsong Church dies of COVID-19 after making anti-vax jokes on Facebook and Instagram, some of which were posted from his hospital bed; after his death, the founder of the church tells CNN that vaccines are a personal decision. A Nashville radio host who had voiced skepticism about the COVID vaccine gets the disease and, after suffering from COVID-related pneumonia, goes on a ventilator; his brother tells the media, If he had to do it over again, he would be more adamantly pro-vaccination. Another pastor, from Texas, speaks publicly about his regret at not getting vaccinated before getting COVID and going to the intensive care unit: I recognized that I had been a bit cavalier. Advertisement This was a week for these kinds of stories to circulate, as the delta variant has surged and it became clear that, as the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at the White House, this is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated. These stories, which Ive come to think of as Fables of the Sick Anti-Vaxxer, are familiar from past battles over vaccination. Theres a 1975 poster, created by the World Health Organization in service of worldwide childhood vaccination campaigns, that epitomizes health authorities belief in the power of this kind of morality tale. The poster features two mothers, one who vaccinates her baby, one who doesnt. After an epidemic strikes, sparing the vaccinated baby, the vaccine-hesitant mother, standing over a little bed, begs the health worker: Is it too late to vaccinate? The health worker, walking away, says (harshly!) Yes, it is! as the mother weeps over the little bed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Andrea Kitta, who studies vaccination folklore, suggests that the fable has diverse social functions. It cements the in-group of the vaccinated, providing the vaccinated reader with confirmation that their choice was the right one. Jonathan Berman, author of Anti-Vaxxers: How to Challenge a Misinformed Movement, said that the fable allows the vaccinated some choice-supportive bias/post-purchase rationalization, pointing out that people will look up reviews of cars theyve already bought or vacation destinations theyve already been to because they want to reassure themselves that they made the right choicethis may be similar. Its also delicious for vaccinated people to see the unvaccinated finally realizing that they were wrong and being forced to acknowledge a shared realitysomething thats been hard to come by in the Trump years. Kitta told me about a meme she saw recently that embellished on the saying You cant fix stupid with a picture of the coronavirus, next to a speech bubble: Well, I can! (Kind of a rough one there, Kitta added.) Advertisement Theres often a certain meanness to the circulation of these stories. Responses to a tweet about a 31-year-old anti-vax father on a ventilator in Missouri saying goodbye to his 6-year-old son were unsympatheticeven though this story, like many others, featured the mans avowed desire to get the vaccine if he recovers. They should be sent home with a religious book of their choice, one replier said. If only there were scientific evidence at how bad this virus is and what it can do to youoh wait, another snarked. Here is how much I am concerned for someone that had 18 MONTHS of warnings, plus a chance for the vaccine: I really want tacos, another joked. Advertisement Advertisement But what about any onlookers among the hesitant? Might these stories be serving a different function for them? A media circus from the American smallpox outbreaks of the early 20th century is an object lesson in the way this fable does, and doesnt, convince anyone to change their position on vaccination. During this time, many people resisted compulsory vaccination against smallpox, because they were (justifiably, in some cases) afraid of the quality of the vaccines, unwilling to miss the week of work to suffer through the vaccine reaction, resistant to government compulsion, or all three. As historian Michael Willrich points out, this was a period where newspapers often featured Fables of the Sick Anti-Vaxxer. The New York Times reported on one such death by writing that the person in question had died of the disease he defied, and editorialized, when an epidemic broke out among anti-vaccinationists in Zion City, Illinois, in 1904: There is likely to be an excellent, though rather dangerous, opportunity to see what can be done with a disease of that sort by the exercise of faith. Advertisement Advertisement The center of the most memorable media frenzy of this type was Immanuel Pfeiffer. In retelling his story, I am relying on an account of it in Karen Wallochs book The Antivaccine Heresy. Pfeiffer was a burr in the side of Bostons public health authorities. He ran a magazine, Our Home Rights, that railed against compulsory vaccination (while advancing other Progressive Era causes like pacifism and vegetarianism), and he spoke on the topic in every public forum he could find, as Walloch writes. Pfeiffer was publicity-stunt-friendly, having fasted for weeks on two occasions as a way to attract people to his medical practice. He had a medical license, but participated in many fringe-y practices, like using hypnotism on his patients and treating people by mail. Advertisement Annoyed to death by Pfeiffer as smallpox hit the city, Samuel Holmes Durgin, the chairman of the Boston Board of Health, dared the doctor to expose himself to smallpox, unvaccinated. Durgin had said publicly of Pfeiffer: I have no patience with those who say vaccination is useless and harmful. I wish the smallpox would get into their ranks instead of among innocent people. In early 1902, Durgin invited the adult and leading members of the anti-vaccinationists to a grand opportunity to test their beliefs publicly by inspecting sick patients personally. Pfeiffer said hed do it. He visited a smallpox isolation hospital on Gallops Island and examined patients during a tour, then slipped away, taking public transportation home, and attending a public meeting at a church. Advertisement Advertisement Thirteen days later, just about the amount of time it takes to incubate a case of smallpox, Pfeiffer vanished from public view. Durgin, questioned by reporters about whether his bet had been ill-advised, defended himself by saying that he had assigned a policeman to tail Pfeiffer and make sure that if he got smallpox, he wouldnt come in contact with the public. The press was on the case, and police detectives were dispatched to find him. When health authorities finally located him, at his family farm in Bedford, Massachusetts, Pfeiffers smallpox was, according to the doctor assigned to examine him, fully developed. The press, Walloch writes, exploded with articles and editorials about his illness. The story made it into the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and many medical journals. The victim of his own folly and professional vanity, the Boston Herald editorialized under the front-page headline Anti-Vaccinationist May Not Live. This was an excellent story, and the health authorities knew it; one, Pfeiffer said, even tried to take a picture of his face, covered in pustules, presumably with the intention of getting it to the press. (His physician intervened.) Advertisement And yesPfeiffer lived. Not only that, he refused even to acknowledge that the experience had been a negative one, saying the disease of smallpox, dreadful as it is said to be, never caused me pain for one minute. And he still wouldnt admit that vaccines worked. He said that the reason he got the disease wasnt because he was unvaccinated, but because he was immensely overworked and exhausted. He even refused to acknowledge that his neighbors were angry at him for going through with the stunt, instead saying that they were only mad that the vaccines they rushed out to get upon learning that he had smallpox had made them sick. Advertisement Advertisement And so even this extreme example of the Fable of the Sick Anti-Vaxxer didnt seem to have the effect authorities thought it would. The day after this fable hit the press, the health department made a vaccination sweep through Boston and met with but little objection; the case of Dr. Pfeiffer had helped their cause immediately. Medical journals argued that the case had been an object lesson that had helped the cause of vaccination. But when the vaccinators went back to knocking on doors a couple of weeks later, after the public learned about Pfeiffers survival, they had less luck. And other anti-vaccinationists refused to acknowledge this episode as a blow to their cause, saying that this was just one anecdote, that Durgin should have been more careful, and that the childhood vaccination Pfeiffer had 60 years prior meant that he actually was immunized, and therefore his illness was proof that vaccination didnt work. In the end, Walloch argues, the episode was not quite the magic bullet of persuasion that Durgin hoped for. Even the anti-vaxxers sickness meant different things to different people. Advertisement In his book, Berman categorizes anti-anti-vaccination persuasion tactics in three ways: reactive (think mean-spirited arguments with anti-vaxxers); information-deficit (dumping info on people); and community-based (tactics that demonstrate that other people around anti-vaxxers are vaccinating, taking into consideration their self-identity and values). These lessons, taken from research done around vaccination drives conducted in service of childhood vaccines, may or may not translate to our current situation. But I think its clear that these new fables will only be as useful as we let them. Its difficult to be kind, when our fragile hopes for some post-pandemic normalcy seem to be falling apart due to other peoples refusal to get vaccinated. But the Fable of the Sick Anti-Vaxxera story aimed at the hesitant, from somebody who once thought as they didmay work best when we, the vaccinated, just let it sit, and resist the temptation to gloat. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. Sports, travel and culture stories about Slovakia in one place. Wrapped up in a rainbow flag, Slovak singer Karin Ann performs "babyboy" on a national TV broadcaster in Poland. (Source: Twitter) Hello. This week, we are covering a Slovak singer's rainbow flag scandal in Poland and Slovakia's version of Stonehenge in the Tatras region. A new pump track has been opened in the Bratislava borough of Petrzalka. (Source: Dano Veselsky/TASR) Slovak Billie Eilish's rainbow flag scandal in Poland She did not stick to the plan of "just" singing her latest single babyboy and went on to make a gesture in support of the LGBTI community during a live TV broadcast in Poland, not realising how big a scandal she was about to cause. The 19-year-old Slovak singer Karin Ann, who has been compared to Billie Eilish on several occasions, made a splash in Poland two weeks ago for her controversial performance on the breakfast programme "Pytanie na sniadanie", broadcast by the Polish national TV station TVP 2, when she dedicated the song to the LGBTI community and wrapped herself up in a rainbow flag. "I want to dedicate the song to the LGBTI community in PolandYou deserve love, you deserve to be safe. I am with you," she had said before she started singing. The conservative Polish government has long been criticised for its anti-LGBTI policies, including the controversial establishment of LGBTI-free zones in Polish municipalities. A week after Karin Ann's performance, Telewizja Polska (TVP) sacked the editor of the programme Radosaw Bielawski, calling the singer's action a "planned occurrence." video //www.youtube.com/embed/DObjJu2srwI "Karin Ann used her performance as an opportunity for her own campaign, causing discomfort to many viewers and at the same time drawing the programme into an ideological dispute," the channel told Wirtualnemedia.pl. The singer said she did not mean to cause trouble for the editor and hoped other stations would soon offer Bielawski a job. "I do not think it is okay to fire someone just because I exercised my fundamental right to freedom of speech," Karin Ann, who ended her tour around Poland on July 28, told Onet.pl. OTHER NEWS FROM THIS WEEK: Eighty paintings by Slovak artist Edmund Gwerk are being exhibited in a Banska Bystrica gallery until early October. A new automaton clock celebrates the mining history of Banska Bystrica. The new Na dreve malovane (Painted on Wood) museum has been opened in the village of Cicmany. Decorated folk chests from Slovakia and the Czech Republic are among the items on display. The western part of the Danube Limes is now listed on the World Heritage List. Five beech forests in eastern Slovakia have been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Stonehenge of the Tatras It took three men 10 years to confirm the existence of a megalithic construction serving as a "calendar" near the town of Kezmarok in the Tatras region, which has already been dubbed "Stonehenge of the Tatras." As the TASR newswire writes, the adventure of the men from the Nezdolny Vrch organisation began soon after they came across a photograph featured in a book written by local historian Nora Baratova, in which five large boulders are depicted. "We managed to find the place near Kezmarok where five boulders originally stood," said surveyor and cartographer Rastislav Ferulik. Stonehenge of the Tatras. (Source: Nezdolnyvrch.sk) The first mention of boulders on the Michalske pole field near Kezmarok dates to 1725. Similar boulders are believed to have been located on Jerusalem Hill near the town as well. Ferulik added that they gradually clarified the function of the construction, which ancestors used for time orientation. The trio also created a functional "Tatra calendar", which should be valid for a thousand years. The organisation's findings are on display at Kezmarok Castle until late November. TRAVEL IDEAS Castle: Explore unseen castle ruins across the Presov Region and win travel shoes. Explore unseen castle ruins across the Presov Region and win travel shoes. Hiking: From the village of Cerveny Klastor in northeast Slovakia, tourists can set out on a trip to the Haligovske skaly rocks. From the village of Cerveny Klastor in northeast Slovakia, tourists can set out on a trip to the Haligovske skaly rocks. Swimming: Slovakia offers plenty of wild swimming spots. WEEKEND READ In Slovakia, the British Council is 75 years old The British Council, which spreads awareness of British culture and education, opened its doors in Bratislava 75 years ago for the first time. The British Council opened its office in Slovakia 75 years ago. (Source: Martin Baumann/TASR) The institution started operating in post-war Czechoslovakia in 1946. It opened its Bratislava office on June 20, 1946, just one week after its office opened in Prague. But after communists usurped the power, the Council had to shut down its offices for many years. The mission of the British Council has not changed much over the decades, director of the British Council in Slovakia Alastair Bassett said, even though the digital era continues to impact the Councils operations. "We will continue with in-person activities as well because we know that people appreciate them," Bassett said. "The future is not just digital." BRATISLAVA The 1976 plane crash in Bratislava Held in the Slovak Technical Museum Museum of Transport in Bratislava, a new display remembers the July 28, 1976 crash of the Ilyushin Il-18 aircraft into Zlate Piesky lake. Of the 79 people on board, 76 were killed. A display presenting one of the biggest and most tragic airplane crashes in the history of Czechoslovakia was opened in Bratislava on July 27, 2021. (Source: TASR) The exhibition presents the personal stories of victims, rescuers and three survivors. Of them, only one is alive today: French citizen Gerard Menard. The exhibition is held under the auspices of the Czech Ambassador to Slovakia Tomas Tuhy and will run until May 31, 2022. In short: Rare historical photos uncover the story of Bratislava's Old Market Hall. The Bratislava Transport Company will operate an open-top Cabrio bus every Sunday, until August 29. The Slavin monument remembers the lives of the 6,845 Soviet soldiers who died during the liberation of Bratislava in April 1945. The festival of classical music Viva Musica! takes place in the capital city until August 14. See a list of concerts and where to buy tickets. OLYMPICS On the way to her first Olympic gold Sports shooter Zuzana Rehak Stefecekova is the first Slovak athlete to win a medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. "I am full of immense joy. I am very happy about my gold, but also about having proved to myself that I can shoot a final," she said after the final for the public-service broadcaster RTVS. She has won Olympic medals before - silver at the 2008 Beijing games and the 2012 London games. Tokyo is her third Olympics, but are these games the last for her? Slovak sports shooter Zuzana Rehak Stefecekova (centre) wins a gold medal in Tokyo. (Source: TASR) In brief: Slovakia's slalom paddler Jakub Grigar won a silver medal at the Olympics on July 30. Golfer Rory Sabbatini's silver medal came as a surprise to many in Slovakia. The country has never won an Olympic medal in golf. That is it for now. Thanks for joining me. Have a great weekend. - Peter Do you have any tips? You can reach Peter at peter.dlhopolec@spectator.sk. 30. Jul 2021 at 9:51 | Peter Dlhopolec Standardbred owner Steve Heimbeckers passion for young trotters and the Mohawk Million concept has created a powerful, symbiotic relationship. I did buy a lot of trotters (last year), and part of the attraction, to be quite honest, was the Mohawk Million. Its right in our own backyard, and I totally love the concept of it and everything. I just thought, Id love to have one in there, said Heimbecker, who not only owns 20 two-year-old trotters but also owns a slot on the starting gate in the second annual Mohawk Million, which will be contested Sept. 25 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The $1 million race for two-year-old trotters uses a buy-in format. A total of nine slots for the race were available for purchase, each priced at $100,000 (CAD). Each slot owner was required to submit two $50,000 payments to secure their slot. The slot owners can use the slot to put their own horse on the gate or make a deal to sell their slot to someone else. Heimbecker, a broker from Waterloo, Ont., said he became interested in buying a slot to this years Mohawk Million after being close to the deal fellow owner Brad Grant made last year for the inaugural event to sell his slot last to trainer Julie Miller and the other connections of eventual winner Venerate. Grant and Heimbecker are partners on the trotter named Maverick, who is notable for being the most expensive Standardbred ever sold at auction. Maverick was purchased for $1.1 million at the 2019 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale, and one of the hopes was that he might race in last years Mohawk Million. When Maverick wasnt ready to do that, Grant sold his slot. Im a 20 per cent owner of Maverick, Heimbecker said, so we were kind of involved with allocating the slot to (Miller). Even though I didnt have a pony in the race, so to speak, I was cheering her on. So, that was my introduction.... I love trotters they kind of break your heart or they give you the best feelings in the world, so it was one of those things. Obviously, it intrigued me this year when the slots came open ... I jumped on it right away. There was no question that I was going to get involved. Youve got to keep going with things and youve got to keep supporting the industry. Heimbecker said he currently owns some 60 horses in all. In a scary way, thats the most Ive had, he said, laughing. The original thought was his Mohawk Million slot might be filled with a trotter named Trunk Bay, that he, Miller and Quebec-based owner Daniel Plouffe purchased for $400,000 at last years Lexington Selected Yearling Sale, but the horse has not yet raced. That hasnt really worked out, so, can I fill the spot with something else? Yeah, I think so. Absolutely. I think the real one to look out for is World At War Deo. I think hes going to be the one that likely will take that slot. World At War Deo, a son of Chapter Seven out of Yalta Hanover trained by Dave Menary, is undefeated through two career starts and handily won the opening leg of the $20,000 Millard Farms series on July 22 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. He was off for about a month, which is maybe a little longer than youd like to see, but, at the end of the day, they are two-year-olds so he probably wasnt as sharp as what he could be, but he stormed home in :27.3 and he was pretty under wraps. He wasnt overused or pushed too hard. Hes got a lot more speed in the tank and hes definitely a special trotter. So, were really optimistic. Heimbecker said hes already had a good omen about World At War Deo, bred by Deo Volente Farms in New Jersey. Over time, once you get these animals back home, they all look the same. The ones you paid big money for youre like, Geez, I paid too much, and the ones you got cheap, you think you got a great deal on. They kind of all look the same, but this one did look a little different. He really did. I remember one particular day and Dave (Menary) and I still talk about it I brought the kids out and we saw this one trotter just dancing around in the field with a burst of speed, then easing up, and it was just beautiful. That was our World At War Deo. I just remember hanging off the fence thinking, This thing looks like hes supersonic. With the Mohawk Million just two months away, Heimbecker expects hell find out a lot about the potential competition in the weeks ahead. Theres going to be lots to measure up in the next couple of weeks. Its right around the corner. Its not that far away, so I think in the next few weeks well get a pretty good idea of where things are at, he said. Heimbecker said he cant wait until Sept. 25. On both sides of the border, its a race that has attracted and appealed to a lot of owners and trainers. Its a great track, best track in North America in my opinion, and youre racing for a million bucks. Its exciting. Its a high-purse event and its where you want to be racing. You want to have one in that race; its the marquee race. Im definitely excited, Heimbecker said. Traditionally, I kind of waffle on my attendance at the track, but this year, I basically said that Im going to every race that I can possibly make it to. (Woodbine) Twin B Archie made an impressive debut in the Gold Series at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Thursday, July 29, clocking a 1:55.3 victory in the first of three $70,533 divisions for the two-year-old trotting colts and geldings. From Post 1, driver James MacDonald settled the fan favourite in fourth as Drinks At Home clocked a :28.1 opening quarter. Following Red Overbach past Renegade Gypsy and Drinks At Home, MacDonald allowed that colt a brief moment on the lead before Twin B Archie took command heading for the :57.1 half. Untroubled on the lead through the 1:26.3 three-quarters, Twin B Archie opened up a seven and one-half length margin on his peers down the stretch to secure his first lifetime win after runner-up efforts in the Grassroots and Millard Farms Series. Drinks At Home finished second and Red Overbach was third. I was a little worried when he moved him to the front because hes never been any good training on the front, so I was kind of impressed with him today, said trainer Scott McEneny. He looks like he could be hopefully a contender here for the year if we can keep him sound and keep him sane. The Puslinch resident shares ownership of Twin B Archie with Domenic Chiaravalle of Hamilton, Floyd Marshall of Jarvis and Martwest Racing Stable of Mississauga, ON. The partners offered up $52,000 for the Archangel gelding at last falls Black Book Yearling Sale and he has been a bit of a project since Day 1. Hes a big dummy. They had problems when they brought him in before they sold him, thats why he was gelded before he even went through the sale. He just gets scared and does stupid things, said McEneny. Walking to the paddock one day in the snow he heard somebody kicking the walker and he darted sideways and dragged me for like 20 feet on the ground. Hes come a long way. I always thought he had the ability, he just never kind of showed it, he was always lazy, but I figured as soon as he got behind the gate hed wake up, the trainer added. Hes just done everything that I thought he would do. The second division saw Esplosione earn his second straight Gold Series win with an off-the-pace effort for driver Trevor Henry. Also starting from Post 1, the Kadabra gelding watched from fourth as fan favourite Luca Hanover reeled off a :27.4 quarter, :58.1 half and 1:28.1 three-quarters. When Henry opened the throttle in the stretch Esplosione powered away to a three and one-quarter length victory in 1:57.4. Mr Fritter finished second and Luca Hanover settled for third. He does it really easy, like Trevor the last two weeks he hasnt had to pull the plugs or anything. Hes just very professional, when he comes off cover he just wants to go forward, said trainer Meg Crone. And hes really smart, which helps a lot with a two-year-old trotter. Crone trains Esplosione for owner-breeder Melvin Hartman of Ottawa, ON and trainer Richard Nifty Normans Enzed Racing Stable Inc. of Allentown, NJ. A 1:58.2 winner in the July 8 Gold Series season opener, the gelding prepped for Thursdays leg in a well-attended schooler at Woodbine Mohawk Park last week. There was no race for him so we had to end up schooling him last week and it was funny, almost every horse in his race was in his schooler because they were in the same boat, said Crone, who may resort to the same strategy before the third Gold Series event on Aug. 19 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. This was his fourth start and well try to get one more, but we dont want to have too many because well probably try the Grand Circuit races with him. The last $70,534 division saw favourites Duly Resolved and driver Paul MacDonell pick up their second Gold win with a front end effort from Post 7 that saw them log fractions of :28.2, :58.1 and 1:27.4 on the way to a four and one-half length victory in 1:56. HP Maestro finished second and Century Isaiah completed the top three. I still get nervous, but I was impressed tonight. I mean truthfully its hard to get a read on him because hes fairly laid back and so youre saying, Geez, has he got any more or not? said trainer John Bax. I mean last time was 1:57 and youre thinking, Was he all out in 1:57? And then he goes out there in 1:56 tonight and he looks like hes just loafing. Were tickled. Bax Stable of Campbellville, Don Allensen of Wyoming, Gaelic Stable of Sharon, ON and David Hudson of Dallas, TX share ownership on the gelding, who is three for three with earnings of $93,067 in his young career. Ontario Sires Stakes action returns to the Campbellville oval next Friday, Aug. 6 with the third Gold Series Leg for the three-year-old trotting fillies. (OSS) To view results for Monday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Results Woodbine Mohawk Park. Harness racing fans are invited to join the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame at Grand River Raceways Industry Day, Monday (Aug. 2) from 2-3 p.m., for a special autograph session with CHRHF 2020 Inductee Paul MacDonell. It all began at Grand River Raceway in 2007, when Somebeachsomewhere and Paul MacDonell won the Battle of Waterloo. Join the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame at Grand River Raceways Industry Day, Monday (Aug. 2) from 2-3 p.m., for a special autograph session with CHRHF 2020 Inductee Paul MacDonell. Paul will be signing copies of Somebeachsomewhere: The Harness Racing Legend from a One-Horse Stable, by Canadian author Marjorie Simmins. The recently released book tells the story of the life and career of the Canadian-sired superstar and includes in-depth interviews with many of the people who were part of "Beach"'s journey. Copies of the book will be available to purchase on Industry Day for $24.95 each plus tax, at the Hall of Fame display, located in the trackside tent, with proceeds supporting the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. Books are also available online at shop.horseracinghalloffame.com. (Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame) Hanover Raceway is going to be the centre of attention Saturday (July 31) afternoon with the 2021 Dream Of Glory Trot set to take place. With all the hype this weekend, one horse will be seeking more of the attention. Publicity Seeker, as his name suggests, will look to stay in the spotlight after his elimination win last weekend. Publicity Seeker went into the first Dream Of Glory elim as the second choice behind the favourite, Highland Mowgli, and he sprung the minor upset in the time of 2:01.2 while paying $5.70 to win. Richard Thompson of London, Ont. bred the son of Muscle Mass - Pretty Crafty and sold him in the 2019 London Selected Yearling Sale for $38,000. He went through the sale, but it stopped at $38,000 and I was hoping for higher. I told Steve Bossence to put his hand up and we will take him home. I then pieced him off to Steve and Derek Reid, said Thompson. I wanted $50,000 for him and I was firm on that. Thompson has been in the harness racing industry since the late 1970s and has had his fair share of horses, but he has always enjoyed the home-grown ones a bit more. Ive had bits and pieces of a lot of horses, but I have enjoyed the ones Ive bred the most. Getting Publicity Seeker ready for his rookie campaign was no easy task and had a few roadblocks, making that voyage from homebred to stakes winner all the more rewarding. We werent shooting to be ready early and after we gelded it set him back a bit. He was just late getting to the dance, but we always knew we had something. It was just a question of when we could get him on the track. Once Publicity Seeker was able to get on the track, he was able to show that something to his connections and his competition. He ended his season with five wins from eight starts, including three straight wins in the Ontario Harvest Series to conclude his season. We got him in at the end of the year at Flamboro Downs and then he did well in the Harvest Stakes. We put him away after that and I think it did him some good, he looks like a different horse. Hes really figured his game out. That late season success has translated into early sophomore season success as well. In four 2021 starts for trainer Bossence, Publicity Seeker has finished in the top three every time (1-2-1) and added $56,250 in earnings along the way to boast lifetime earnings of $118,000 averaging nearly $10,000 per start. Going into last Saturdays Dream Of Glory eliminations, Thompson was confident the young colt would be able to perform well. Everybody was high on Highland Mowgli, and I respected him, but I knew my colt would have a good trip. After the race, the whole team was pleased with the winning performance over the less than ideal track conditions created by constant rain in the Hanover area last weekend. We were thrilled with him. He raced in the slop and took a ton of mud, but he still raced like a trooper. There is an impressive field in Saturdays $56,200 Dream Of Glory Final including fellow elim winners Sweet Soul David (PP1, Sylvain Filion, 4-1) and Tipsy In Dixie (PP4, James MacDonald, 5-2). And even though Publicity Seeker is the slight 8-5 morning-line favourite from post three, Thompson knows the colt still has a challenge ahead. A lot of nice horses in there and anything can happen. Thats why you can bet on it. With the talent of horses he is facing, Publicity Seeker might have to change up his game plan to have a chance at getting the win, but the owners are confident that driver Doug McNair will once again map out the winning trip. I really dont want to see him up front, but we might have to do that. Doug (McNair) knows him really well and no one has to say anything to him. They go out and just do their thing. Its nice that a driver is comfortable with the horse. Publicity Seeker might have an extra advantage going into the finals. His second dam is Appleby Dreambelle, who was sired by the stake races namesake Dream Of Glory, making Publicity Seeker the closest descendant to the Hall of Fame racehorse and sire in this years event. I tell the other guys that its an omen in our favour. In this business you need all the different kinds of luck you can get. This connection could be the last bit of luck to push Publicity Seeker to the winners circle on Saturday afternoon. Publicity Seeker and his seven rivals will go to post in the 2021 Dream Of Glory at Hanover Raceway in race nine at the estimated time of 4:10 p.m. ET. The full 10-race card will start at 1:30 p.m. The final is complemented by the $10,000 Gail Murray Invitational, which hosts a field of top-class pacers. Wagering enhancements for Saturdays race card includes a $2,000 guaranteed Pick-5 beginning in the first race and a $2,500 Pick-4 starting in the seventh race. Fans can catch all the action by visiting hanoveraceway.com to register to attend the races or view the HD live stream. The Dream Of Glory Trot will be part of a special COSA TV live broadcast that will be available on the SC website. To view the entries for Saturdays card, click the following link: Saturday Entries - Hanover Raceway. (A Trot Insider Exclusive by Trey Colbeck) BRADY Turning their hobby and passion into a business has brought fulfillment for Jeff and Necole Miller and Jason and Sharon Axthelm. The two couples celebrated the first official day of business at the Old Depot Vineyard south of Brady recently. They purchased the historic Gothenburg train depot and moved it into its current location at 33651 E. Banner Road on Oct. 24, 2018. My husband (Jason) has been making hobby wine for years, Sharon Axthelm said. It just happened we were having some wine with the Millers Jason had made some new wine and Jeff was like, This is really good, Jason. Like, really good. Then the depot came up for sale, and the conversation turned more serious. (The Millers) kind of off-handedly said, you know what we should do, we should buy that and open a winery, Sharon said. We put in the bid and we got it, and then things got real. The location on Banner Road offers a fabulous view, Jeff said. The important part is that actually a system of structured standards will not solve all of those issues. What we need is a structure within our education system that supports students where theyre at academically, whether socially or emotionally or wherever they may be. The important work that were going to have to do is to continue to work with adults to understand those students who might be left out. Following the release of the second draft, Abbi Swatsworth, executive director of OutNebraska, an advocacy organization for Nebraskas LGBTQ+ community, said, We are deeply disappointed to learn that the second draft of the proposed health standards have largely omitted the reality of LGBTQ+ youth and families. A recent study by the Trevor Project suggests that as many as 1 in 4 young people identify as non-binary. Swatsworth said schools need to be welcome, safe spaces for all students and such omission does nothing to protect LGBTQ+ students. Gov. Pete Ricketts, who has spoke publicly about his opposition to the standards, also said the second draft needs improvement. Ricketts said sex education and other controversial topics should be addressed at home rather than in the classroom. For about 20 years, our guys have been working really hard to get a lot of certifications and credentials to meet the requirements to do these things (fight wildfires). Several years ago, we signed a contract with the state to be able to cooperate with federal agencies, like the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Once we became a cooperating agency, they entered us into the federal dispatching system. At any time, he said, the resources of the Gering Fire Department can be called into play to fight wildfires throughout the region. Last week, the regional dispatch center, the Great Plains Interagency Dispatch in Rapid City, South Dakota, issued the call to Gering and three of its firefighters responded to an order to assistance and left last Thursday. The standard assignment is 14 days, however, dependent on the individual fire managers at an incident, crews can switch firefighters during that time. Gering has opted to do so, so the crew that responded last Thursday will switch with another crew after serving seven days. That second crew was expected to travel on Thursday, June 29, to Montana. The firefighters who respond to wildfires are making a commitment that comes with sacrifice, leaving their families and jobs for their rotation. Its also a sacrifice for the department. CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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: NEW YORK (AP) Remy Ma, George Clinton and KRS-One are among the headliners of a series of free concerts next month meant to celebrate New York City's emergence from the coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination will be required for the Its Time for Hip Hop in NYC concerts taking place at outdoor venues in the Bronx, Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens starting Aug. 16. While a previously announced Aug. 21 Central Park concert will feature performers across multiple genres, the four concerts outside of Manhattan will focus on hip-hop, and particularly New York Citys essential historic contribution to hip-hop and what each borough has contributed, de Blasio said at a virtual news briefing. The Aug. 16 show at Orchard Beach in the Bronx will include performances by KRS-One, Slick Rick, Remy Ma, Furious 5 featuring Grandmaster Melle Mel and Scorpio, Kid Capri and Soul Sonic Force. Raekwon and Ghost Face Killah of Wu-Tang Clan will headline at Aug. 17 on Staten Island in a concert that will also feature Crystal Waters, Force MDs and Rob Base. NEW YORK (AP) A former New York City Council member was sentenced Thursday to three months in prison after pleading guilty to charges that he evaded $82,000 in taxes. Chaim Deutsch, 52, a Brooklyn Democrat, was sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge James L. Cott in Manhattan. Deutsch was ousted from the 51-member City Council after pleading guilty in April to filing a false tax return in connection with outside income he received from his real estate management company. He was first elected to the council in 2013. As part of the sentence, Deutsch will pay $107,000 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service for unpaid taxes and interest. He also must pay a $5,500 fine. U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said Deutsch violated his oath of office and the law with his fraud. At the same time he was serving as an elected official and community leader, Deutsch concealed his true business income to avoid paying his fair share of taxes, she said in a release. In a letter to the judge, Deutsch said he was humbled and penitent. BEAVER CITY An Oxford man has been denied a new trial in a Furnas County sex trafficking case. According to court records, Judge David Urbom overruled William Billy Quinns motion for a new trial last week during a teleconference hearing at Furnas County District Court. Quinn, 57, was found guilty of 13 counts of sexual assault and sex trafficking of a 15-year-old during a two-week trial in June in Beaver City. He was acquitted of one count of felony first-degree sexual assault. Quinns attorney, Joseph Howard of Omaha, filed the motion earlier this month saying that statements made by U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse during the course of Quinns jury trial prejudiced his ability to receive a fair trial by improperly influencing the jurys deliberations and verdict. The court found that Sasses comments did not prejudice Quinns right to a fair trial because on both occasions when the jurors were questioned about the comments, only two of 14 jurors had heard that Sasse made comments about the case. None had heard any substantive information conveyed in Sasses comments about the case. The revised proposals from the US Department of Education still advocate critical race theory in all but name, Noem said in a statement. We are the Mount Rushmore State, home to our nations greatest monument to our history. And we take the study of American history seriously. Our classrooms are meant for education, not indoctrination, and that is how we will continue to operate in South Dakota. Critical race theory is a framework for understanding systemic racism and how it pervades American society. It began as an academic movement in the 1960s to examine U.S. law's intersection with race but has since expanded to other academic circles. The main tenet of CRT is that racism is embedded in every American institution, which are used to create and maintain racial inequality. Noem's order says that the 1619 Project and the work of Kendi are "infused with factual errors" such as the idea that the nation was founded in 1619 with the first slave ship entering the American colonies rather than with the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The federal grants, she continues, have "open-ended and vague requirements" that evaluate potential grant-receiving programs on the basis of an interpretation of American history that she views as antithetical to American principles. The state DOE is currently in the process of developing its own new curriculum for history and civics, as well as its own set of pilot grants to strengthen history and civics education in the state. Submit Your News We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Students need to attend school five days per week, not four. Schools are supposed to prepare students for life in the real world. When students attend school only four days per week, it gives them a false sense of how life in the real world operates. Nebraskas public school calendars are not family friendly. Whenever students and teachers take a midweek day off it puts an undue strain on families to have to care for their children. Working parents seldom ever have the luxury of being able to take a day off from work midweek or work from home in order to care for their children when they really ought to be working for their employer. Consequently, giving teachers the luxury of a midweek day off constitutes an undue burden for working families to have to bear. Teacher in-service days do not need to be scheduled during the academic calendar year. Instead, teacher in-service days should be scheduled during the summer months when children are out of school. Under my plan public schools would have three full months for holding in-service days without disrupting the academic calendar or the normal five day school week. So, instead of starting student learning on August 12, let the teachers begin working on August 12. Though your managers may not immediately embrace the idea of less work for the same amount of pay, I imagine you have instantly grokked the advantage of having a few extra hours of the working week to run errands, participate in home duties, exercise and spend quality time with family and friends. Social scientists believe that having more freedom will make you a happier person, and therefore a more productive person. A more realistic reason is that you will probably take the time to fulfill these personal obligations anyway, and having the companys approval, rather than sneaking around like the little weasel you are, will make you feel less guilty. While the United States is showing little enthusiasm for shrinking the workweek, the idea of a four-day week has gained traction in New Zealand and Spain. Im not sure what Kiwi workers do with their extra day off -- how much time can you spend grooming your pet sheep? -- but if you worked in Spain, the shorter workweek would definitely allow you to devote more time to your bullfighting hobby or perfect your skills as a flamenco dancer. To which I say, Ole! You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 McKinney Police are seeking information on two suspects shown in a video. Police say the suspects broke into mutliple unlocked vehicles on June 30. Back on May 14, Gov. Roy Coopers Executive Order No. 215 was enacted, effectively ending a good portion of the COVID-19 protocols that had been put in place more than a year prior. No more masking or social distancing requirements, just in time for summer. For many it was a sign of freedom. At the time, the state of North Carolina had reached a modest threshold of vaccination with 46% of the population over the age of 18 having received both doses of the vaccine. Among the older population (65 and older), 75% of people had been fully vaccinated. However, in the just over three months since that executive order went into effect, the rate of vaccinations both at the state and county level, saw a considerable drop off in first and second doses administered. In the nine weeks prior to and the week of the announcement, 25,773 Iredell County residents received their first dose of the vaccine. In the nine weeks fully reported since that announcement, just 7,301 residents have gotten their first dose. Mitchell Community College students relying on scholarships to afford their education got a major boost with the announcement that longtime Statesville residents Frank and Carol Childress have committed $1 million for financial aid at the college. Their gift, which created an endowed scholarship fund through the Mitchell Community College Foundation and Endowment for Excellence, is the second commitment of a million dollars or more this academic year, according to James Hogan, Mitchells vice president for advancement. In the fall of 2020, the foundation announced a million-dollar commitment from Lake Norman residents John and Teresa Schaefer a gift that inspired the Childresses. We talked with James last year and told him of our desire to provide scholarships for students who sought avenues of higher education after their high school graduation. We saw what the Schaefers did for the college, and that inspired us to make a more substantial commitment, Frank Childress said. This gift is a means whereby students can have the resources to accomplish their educational goals without a financial burden. Ultimately, this gift will help our community, and hopefully it will challenge others in our community to help support the students at Mitchell. July 30, 2021: The July 26 agreement with the U.S. for American forces to end combat operations in Iraq left many confused about what it actually meant. The agreement does not mean a reduction of the 2,500 American forces still in Iraq. These personnel will remain to provide training and advisory services. It is unclear exactly what this agreement is to accomplish. Hours after the agreement was signed and announced, the Iranian Quds commander made a well-publicized secret visit to Baghdad to confer with Iran-backed militia leaders, who refused to comment on the new agreement right away. These militia leaders take their orders from Iran and the commander of the Quds force. Its been hard times for Quds since January 2020, when an American airstrike killed the most successful Quds force commander, Qassem Soleimani along with the commander of the Iraqi Katab Hezbollah and several other key Iran-backed Iraqi militia leaders. Iran has not been able to find anyone as capable as Soleimani to keep Quds, and the foreign military operations it controls, operating effectively. This was immediately evident when Soleimanis successor found that he was not feared and respected as much as his predecessor and could not make truly secret visits to Iraq by being waved through border crossings. The new Quds commander had to ask for permission before visiting Iraq or cross at one of the unofficial crossing sites where bribes and threats of attacks by local Iran-backed militias made it possible for the Quds force commander to enter whenever he wanted. Despite that clandestine access, the Iraqi government was soon informed by one of a growing number of anti-Iran Iraqis who are now too numerous for the Iranians to monitor and intimidate. Between 2011 and 2014 Iraqi attitudes towards the United States underwent a painful reality check. By the end of 2014 Iraqi leaders, including many still in office, admitted that the withdrawal of all U.S. troops in 2011 was a mistake they would never again repeat. The pro-Iranian PMF (Popular Mobilization Forces) militia leaders calling for violence against American forces after 2014 grew less effective because of declining popular support for Iran and pro-Iran militias. That slide continues and Iran is still searching for a solution that wont make their position in Iraq even more precarious. Iran was not pleased when Iraq changed its mind back in 2014 and signed a status of forces agreement with the U.S. that enabled hundreds of American Special Forces and intelligence personnel to enter Iraq and assist in battling the ISIL advance. Special Forces and SOCOM (Special Operations Command) personnel provide ground controllers for American air strikes and advisors for Iraqi army and police commanders. The advice included a better sense of who was where on the ground by virtue of American intel efforts. The American personnel were also there to report a more accurate picture of what was going on. Even the Iraqi government was badly in need of better intel. For ISIL intel was less of a problem because many of their men were on a mission from God and victory was assured. ISIL leaders do make use of a network of informants they have long employed to determine who to bribe or assassinate in the government and which criminal or Islamic terrorist group they could work with. The American data collection via aircraft, satellites or monitoring the Internet, provided the Iraqis with names for many of the Iraqi officials ISIL had corrupted and that played a major, if largely unpublicized, role in defeating ISIL. Until the ISIL crises in mid-2014 the Iraqis could not muster the political will to provide the United States with a Status of Forces agreement so that American troops could operate inside Iraq. No one from the West would send trainers to Iraq without a Status of Forces agreement. In 2013 Iraq, beset by a resurgence of Sunni Islamic terrorism, appealed for international support, especially from America. The U.S. responded with some intelligence support, handled by personnel outside Iraq and a few experts with diplomatic passports on the ground. Because Iraq refused to provide American troops with protection from corrupt Iraqi police and courts, there was no Status of Forces agreement and the only suitable Americans available in Iraq were a few with diplomatic immunity. What prevented Iraq from providing Status of Forces- type immunity was pressure from Iran. Refusing to sign a Status of Forces agreement, which is actually quite common, was seen as a matter of honor among some Iraqis and no politician dared to point out that countries like German, South Korea and Japan disagreed with this stand. U.S. troops would not return without the Status of Forces agreement and that was not negotiable. After 2015 the Iraqis were not asking for American combat troops but a smaller number of American trainers and technical experts, including intelligence collection and analysis. This anti-American attitude can be traced to the situation at the end of 2007, when there were 170,000 American troops in Iraq and everyone agreed that the al Qaeda Islamic terrorist effort was crushed, along with the first version of the Islamic State. It was the appearance of the "Islamic State of Iraq" in late 2006 that turned most Iraqi Sunni Arabs against "Al Qaeda In Iraq", the group responsible for most of the Islamic terrorist violence in Iraq after 2004. Al Qaeda-In-Iraq leadership had long been considered out of control by the most senior al Qaeda people like bin Laden and his successor. Most of the Iraqi Islamic terrorist leaders are really out there, at least in terms of fanaticism and extremism. This led to declaring the establishment of the Islamic State of Iraq in 2006. This was an act of bravado, touted as the first step in the re-establishment of the caliphate, as in a global Islamic state, ruled over by God's representative on earth, the caliph. The caliphate has been a fiction for over a thousand years. The Islamic world was split by ethnic and national differences early on, and the first caliphate fell apart after a few centuries. Various rulers have claimed the title over the centuries, but since 1924 when the Turks gave it up after four centuries, no one of any stature has stepped up and assumed the role. When al Qaeda in Iraq "elected" a nobody as the emir of the Islamic-State-of- Iraq, and talked about this being the foundation of the new caliphate, even many pro-al Qaeda Moslems were aghast. A Sunni Iraqi Islamic state was strenuously opposed by over 90 percent of Iraqis, who equate al Qaeda with intolerance against Shia Moslems, and persecution of the Sunni Kurds for not being religious enough, and not being Arab at all. These two groups represented 80 percent of Iraqis with the Sunni Arab minority consisting of about 20 percent. For centuries this Sunni minority had ruled what is now Iraq, initially for the Turks and then as a key component of the constitutional monarchy the British created in 1932 for the newly independent Iraq. The Sunni Arabs dominated the economy and the military and eventually, in the 1950s, gained complete control over the country. This was marked by a military coup led by Sunni generals and troops who massacred the Sunni Arab royal family (imported from Saudi Arabia) and did the same to any Shia or Kurdish Iraqis who objected. Those Shia and Kurds kept fighting the Sunni minority until 2003 when three divisions of foreign troops (two American and one British) overthrew the Sunni Arab government in three weeks. This was not as remarkable as it appeared because the same thing happened in 1941 when the Sunni Arab Iraqi leadership declared their support for Nazi Germany. They also asked the Germans to send troops and aircraft to deal with any British interference. Before that could happen the British cobbled together a force of three divisions, one of them mainly loyal Arab troops from Jordan and what is now Israel. This force invaded, overthrowing the pro-Nazi government within three weeks. The British found Sunni Arabs willing to remain loyal to the allied cause and that lasted for about fifteen years. The Shia and Kurdish majority never forget their history while some of the more fanatic Sunni Arabs remember things differently. By 2008 the few remaining Sunni Islamic terrorists went into hiding, some finding sanctuary in Syria, which was a majority Sunni Arab country run by a Shia minority (the Assads) who would, like Iran, form temporary relationships with Sunni Arab terrorists if it was mutually beneficial. That strategy is dangerous and often backfires, which happened to the Sunni Arabs in Iraq as well as pro-Iran Shia Arabs in Iraq. The Iraqi Islamic terrorists became more active after the Americans left in 2011 and many went to Syria in late 2011 when the civil war there broke out. It was the Iraqi Islamic terrorists that organized and declared the new and improved ISIL in 2013. By the end of 2014 ISIL controlled most of eastern Syria and about a third of Iraq. The Baghdadi Arabs again demonstrated their reputation for efficiency and decisiveness. This was a reputation the Sunni Arabs who dominated Baghdad for over a thousand years developed to survive. It also led to their downfall after 2014, because of American and NATO air support and special operations troops as well Iranian help in forming Shia militias willing and able to fight ISIL. By 2019 the Islamic State did not control any territory and were again small groups of Islamic terrorists in Iraq and Syria trying to survive in very hostile environments. In Iraq the Shia controlled government faced new threats; internal corruption and Iranian efforts to turn Iraq into a client state or unofficial part of the Iranian Shia Islamic empire. This time you have about 90 percent of Iraqi very much opposed to corruption. There were regular gatherings for large anti-corruption demonstrations that continued. Many of these demonstrations are anti-Iran as well. While corrupt Iraqi officials and pro-Iran Shias are on the defensive, they are still a major factor in Iraq and Iraqis in general dont want this to degenerate into another war. They just want less corruption and a major reduction in Iranian efforts to control Iraq. July 29, 2021 : In the north (Babel province) a roadside bomb was used to attack an American supply convoy from Kuwait. Some trucks were damaged but there were no casualties. In Baghdad two unguided rockets landed in the heavily guarded Green Zone. There were no casualties or damage. No one took credit for the attack. July 28, 2021: A third major political party announced it will boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections on October 10th. That means another party that will not automatically support any new government resulting from the October elections. The last elections, in 2018, had a very small turnout because of the lack of controls against voting fraud. Growing demonstrations since 2018 demanding election reforms and less corruption have not resulted in much actual change. July 27, 2021: In the southwest (Anbar Province) security forces coordinated counter-terrorism operations with their Saudi counterparts across the border. This is part of increased cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The Saudis are willing to make major economic investments in Iraq and work with Iraq to oppose Iranian aggression in Arab countries. The Saudis have detected small groups of ISIL members entering Saudi Arabia along the lightly guarded desert border. There is very little visible ISIL activity in Saudi Arabia, where the local civilians are generally hostile to Islamic terrorists, especially foreign ones or those who carry out attacks in Saudi Arabia. Iraq is also working with neighbor Jordan and even distant Egypt to improve economic and security links. July 26, 2021: While visiting the United States the prime minister met with the American president and signed an agreement that ends American combat operations in Iraq by the end of 2021. In the north ( Hakurk, the mountainous region where the borders of Iraq, Turkey and Iran meet) a Turkish soldier was killed during operations against PKK (Turkish Kurdish separatists). The PKK and a similar Iranian group have long maintained bases in these mountains and the Iraqi Kurds will not fight their fellow Kurds, but will tolerate Turkish and Iranian airstrikes and some operations by foreign ground forces. July 25, 2021: In the south (the Shia shrine city Najaf) two Iran-backed PMF militias reported that their ammo depots had been attacked by missiles fired by unidentified UAVs. The missiles set off numerous secondary explosions by the stored munitions, finding enough missile fragments to identify who made the missile; the U.S., Israel or China, which supplies Iraqi forces with UAVs armed with Chinese versions of the American Hellfire missile. Israel doesnt use armed UAVs that much and that far from Israel. The Americans denied responsibility. July 23, 2021: Government officials revealed that China was the major customer for Iraqi oil, currenting receiving 40-44 percent of what Iraq exports. July 21, 2021: In the north (Erbil, the capital of the Kurdish north) another Iranian attack employed an Iranian UAV used by an Iran-backed Iraqi militia that dropped one or more bombs and missed the U.S. military compound that was apparently the target. This was the second time pro-Iran Iraqi militias used Iranian UAVs for this kind of attack. The first attack was in April. American bases have ani-rocket defenses but nothing very effective for armed UAVs. That is supposed to be fixed in 2021. In central Iraq (Saladin, or Salahuddin, Province) an ISIL attack against an army brigade headquarters left two soldiers dead and three wounded. Currently most ISIL activity takes place in Diyala, Kirkuk and Salahuddin provinces. July 19, 2021: In Baghdad ( the Shia Sadr City neighborhood) ISIL was apparently responsible for a large bomb that went off in a crowded market, killing 32 and wounding about twice as many. Somehow one of the ISIL groups north of Baghdad got a suicide bomber and his explosive vest past the usually tight security in Shia neighborhoods of Baghdad. This was the third ISIL attack against Shia in Baghdad this year. July 15, 2021: Senior Shia cleric Muqtada al Sadr announced he would boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections on October 10th. He is also withdrawing support for the current government and any new government resulting from the October elections. This is all about corruption and resistance by senior politicians to do anything effective to deal with the problem. Sadr has also made enemies with Iran-backed PMF militias as well as some local tribal leaders. Sadr was once a pro-Iran cleric but has openly turned against Iran since mid-2015, when thousands of pro-reform Iraqis began demonstrating in Baghdad and other cities every Friday to encourage the government to take more action against corruption. Those demonstrations continue although their intensity varies over time. The demonstrations were most intense in southern cities like Basra and Mayan, the capital of Mayan province which borders Iran. July 14, 2021: In the north (Erbil, the capital of the Kurdish north) Turkish warplanes carried out airstrikes on villages outside the city that Turkey believed were harboring PKK members. July 11, 2021: Iran quickly protested a rally by the NCRI (National Council of Resistance of Iran) in Germany. NCRI began as an Iranian secular (Marxist) group formed in 1965 to oppose the monarchy and later the religious dictatorship that replaced the monarchy in 1979. NCRI previously called itself the PMOI (People's Mujahideen Organization of Iran) or the Mujahideen Khalq. The PMOI fled to Iraq in 1986 when Saddam Hussein offered sanctuary for over 3,400 Khlaq members and their families who lived at Camp Ashraf, near the Iranian border. The Khalq was disarmed by U.S. forces in 2003. America and Iraq refused Iranian demands to arrest and return most members of the Khalq to Iran for prosecution for terror attacks Khlaq made in Iran while working from their Iraqi base. After 2003 there were several raids on Camp Ashraf and in 2012 most residents were moved to the more secure Camp Liberty near the Baghdad airport. There have been over a thousand Khalq deaths since 20o3 because of attacks by pro-Iran Iraqi Shia militias. The U.S. and the UN long sought countries willing to take PLOI members as political refugees. PMOI members were dedicated leftist terrorists and no one was eager to accept them. The PMOI reformed itself into the NCRI and did so convincingly that by 2012 the UN and United States had removed NCRI from their list of international terrorists. The rally today was attended by European and American officials who spoke in support of the NCRI to replace the current Iranian government with a democracy. The recently elected Iranian president Ibrahim Raisi, an infamous mass-murderer and recognized war-criminal, into office. Raisi was particularly brutal against the PMOI during the 1980s when as a senior judge, he sentenced hundreds of them to death. While the PMOI reformed itself, the Shia religious dictatorship was not so flexible and will kill as many Iranians as it takes to stay in power, or trigger another revolution. Raisi was not the choice of the Iranian people, but the religious dictatorship who decided who can run for any government office. This time around anyone with any hint of reform was barred from running for a seat in parliament or the presidency. The election of Raisi turned many European nations against Iran and efforts to lift the economic sanctions, including the ones revived by the previous American government in 2017. At the rally the European officials mentioned current EU (European Union) efforts to impose sanctions on members of the new government in Iran, especially president Raisi. Hollywood actor Cuba Gooding Jr. was found guilty of rape. He was ordered to pay a $ 6 million fine, Reuters reported. Judge Paul Crotty did not consider the merits of the victim's statement, who wished to withhold her name. He stated that the actor completely refused to participate in the case and thereby made his guilt intentional. According to the woman who brought the charges, the incident took place in 2013. She said that the actor invited her for a drink at the hotel, and later offered to go to the room under the pretext of changing clothes. Already there, the actor locked the door and committed violent acts of a sexual nature. Follow NEWS.am STYLE on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram While they speak of the sadness and unfairness of her not living to pursue that dream, Steven and Brandy have established a foundation in her memory, the Gracie LeAnn Dimit Memorial Foundation. We want her servants heart to live on, said Brandy. Well do it for her in her honor her legacy. They also believe supporting the foundation will help Gracies brothers as they grieve and remember their sister. Brian, 25, was Gracies big brother, and Garrett, 16, and Grady, 13, were among the first youngsters their sister nurtured. Of all her brothers, Brandy reflected, She mothered them so much. Stevens brother, Scott, and his wife, Analia, wanted to help grow the foundation. This spring, they bought a farm of 100+ acres on Old Ebenezer Road in Marion to be used for that purpose. One day, the Dimits want the former cattle farm that includes a stretch of river frontage and a panoramic view of mountains to become a camp for children with special needs and disabilities and their families. Brandy and Steven, who have already had plans drawn, imagine cabins for families to stay together, and opportunities for fishing, hiking, and so much more. Now, Steven said, the camp is in the early planning stages. An inversion layer, which is a cap of relatively warmer air over cooler air, trapped smoke over much of the fire Monday, and the shade helped lower temperatures and keep humidity up, incident meteorologist Julia Ruthford said. Similar smoke conditions were expected through Tuesday. Monsoon moisture was streaming in over the region but only light showers were likely near the fire. A return to hotter, drier weather was expected later in the week. The Dixie Fire, burning mostly on federal land, is among dozens of large blazes in the U.S. With so many fires, officials have to prioritize federal resources, said Nickie Johnny, incident commander for the Dixie's east section, crediting help from local governments and California's firefighting agency. "I just wanted to thank them for that because we are strapped federally with resources all over the nation," she said. Authorities also were hopeful that cool temperatures, increased humidity and isolated showers will help them make more progress against the Bootleg Fire in Oregon. Crews have it more than halfway contained after it scorched 640 square miles (1,657 square kilometers) of remote land. I do not like sweeps, and I do not like that we have a shortage of housing that people can afford to live in, Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty said. But I cannot stand by and do nothing as people are at risk of dying by fire. Detailed maps of high-risk areas prepared by the city's fire marshal will help campers know where they can't live, said Kaia Sand, director of Street Roots, an advocacy group for people experiencing homelessness and weekly alternative newspaper. But she said the solution is half baked unless the city also provides safe places for displaced residents to go. The fact that our city removes people without good alternatives for them to live has always been a problem and continues to be a problem, she said. A historic drought and recent heat waves tied to climate change have made wildfires harder to fight in the American West. Scientists say climate change has made the region much warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, The Oregonian/OregonLive. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Today, Acer Malaysia has kicked off the much anticipated annual Acer Day campaign with the theme "Live Your World". Under the theme, Acer Malaysia plans to offer exciting promotions, activities and challenges for Malaysians with a prize pool worth more than RM10,000 to be won. The company will also donate a portion from each purchase of selected devices during this campaign to World Vision. Held virtually across 10 regions, including Malaysia, Acer Malaysia has prepared a series of performances and activities that will go live at 8:00 pm (GMT+0800hrs) on 7 August 2021 as a platform for everyone to connect simultaneously this year. The livestream of the event can be viewed together by all at or Acer Malaysia Facebook. If you're here for the promotions and prizes, here is the list of online activities that will happen. In line with the theme, Acer encourages Malaysians to Live Your World by offering more than RM10,000 worth of prizes to be brought home in the #LiveYourWorldWithAcer challenge. Starting from 7 August until 30 September, participants can record a 30-second video to show how they can Be An Entertainer, Inspire Healthy Lifestyle or Unleash Your Inner Artist. Prizes include Acer Aspire 5 and Swift 3 worth RM3899 and RM3499 respectively for the grand winner and first runner-up, while bi-weekly winners can bring home Touch n Go credit worth RM200, an Acer Day Yoga Mat or an Acer Day T-shirt. At the same time, Acer Malaysia is preparing several promotions to thank its supportive customers with the Acer Day x Shopee Superbrand Day on 3 and 4 August 2021. Promotions include: Up to 60% or up to RM500 off for Acers wide range of products Up to RM200 store vouchers are available for customers to collect and apply during checkout The top 10 spenders from select Acer Stores on Shopee (table 1) will be able to bring home a Predator Gaming Chair that is worth RM1299 100 units of Predator Gaming Chair specially priced at RM359 will be available once Acer Malaysia Official Store on Shopee hits 30,000 followers Standard Chartered Bank and HSBC Bank credit cardholders will be able to stack vouchers up to RM300 when they check out their shopping cart Wait, there's more - from 1 August until 30 September 2021, customers will also be entitled to redeem gifts such as the Acer Yoga Mat, Predator Mousepad, Gateway Pro Wireless Headset or eWallet vouchers worth up to RM250. In addition, customers stand a chance to bring home Acer products worth RM10,000. For every purchase of select devices during this campaign period, Acer will donate up to RM50 to World Vision. To know which selected models are eligible for the campaign or to complete the redemption form, you can visit the official webpage here. There are a couple of participating stores during the promotion period (3-4 August 2021) as well. You can check them out below as reference: Good luck and have fun, stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com. This April 16, 2020 shows the Amazon logo in Douai, northern France. Amazon on Thursday, July 29, 2021 turned in a mixed bag of results for its fiscal second quarter, coming up short of Wall Street expectations in revenue but beating on profits. Credit: AP Photo/Michel Spingler, File The world's return to almost normalcy is slowing down Amazon's pandemic-induced sales surge. The online behemoth on Thursday posted better-than-expected second-quarter profits. But it delivered sales results that came in short of expectations and offered a disappointing outlook for the current quarter. Amazon said that revenue will be in the range of $106 billion to $112 billion for the third quarter. Analysts were looking for $119.3 billion. Shares in Seattle-based Amazon.com Inc. fell more than 7% in after-market trading following. Amazon is one of the few retailers that has prospered during the pandemic. As physical stores selling non-essential goods like clothing temporarily or permanently closed, people stuck at home turned to Amazon for everything from groceries tp cleaning supplies. Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky said the slowdown in sales growth is a result of the company lapping against last year's huge pandemic-induced COVID-19 shopping binges. The slowdown also reflects that people, particularly in Europe and the U.S., are more mobile and are doing other things besides shopping online, he added. When the pandemic hit and lockdowns began in March 2020, it took some time for Amazon to add more workers and expand its capacity to meet a surge in shopping. By May 2020, the company's revenue growth rate jumped in the 35% to 40% range from what had been a 20% to 21% range during the pre-pandemic days. It remained at that level through the first quarter of this year, when its revenue growth hit 41%. Excluding its annual Prime Day event, held in June this year, Amazon's year-over-year percentage growth rate has dropped into the mid-teens. Its revenue guidance for the current quarter now forecasts a range of 10% to 16% growth. Amazon executives say a more accurate way of assessing its growth rate is on a two-year compounded annual rate, which remains at a hefty 25% to 30%. Olsavsky told reporters that rising coronavirus infections linked to the delta variant are pushing the company to get more workers vaccinated. It's also working with local authorities on safety measures. He said that could mean requiring workers to wear masks in some areas, even if vaccinated. "The bigger goal is to stamp this out and get people vaccinated and have a successful return to life," Olsavsky said. During the three-month period ended June 30, the company reported a profit of $7.78 billion, or $15.12 per share, compared with $5.24 billion, or $10.30 a share, during the year-ago period. Revenue jumped 27% to $113.08 billion. Analysts surveyed by FactSet on average expected $115.42 billion in quarterly revenue and per-share earnings of $12.28. Besides online shopping, Amazon's other businesses expanded, too. Sales at its cloud-computing business, which helps power the online operations of Netflix, McDonald's and other companies, grew 37% in the quarter. And at its unit that includes its advertising business, where brands pay to get their products to show up first when shoppers search on the site, sales rose 87%. Amazon held its Prime Day from June 21 to June 22, the earliest it had ever held the sales event, because it didn't want any distractions from the Tokyo Olympics. Last year, Amazon postponed Prime Day to October because of the pandemic and used it to kick off holiday shopping early. The quarter that ended June 30 was the company's last with founder Jeff Bezos as CEO. He stepped down to become executive chairman in early July. Andrew Jassy, who headed its cloud-computing unit, Amazon Web Services, succeeded him. Amazon continues to add more businesses to its empire even as regulators around the world scrutinize the company's business practices. In May, Amazon announced it was buying MGM, the movie and TV studio behind James Bond, "Legally Blonde" and "Shark Tank," with the goal of filling its video streaming service with more material to watch. Explore further Amazon's profit more than triples as pandemic boom continues 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. The reactor is located in Taishan in China's southern Guangdong province, not far from Hong Kong. A reactor at a nuclear plant in southern China has been shut down because it is damaged, the operator said Friday, but it insisted there were no major safety issues. Chinese authorities last month blamed minor fuel rod damage for a build-up of radioactive gases at the Taishan plant in Guangdong province, describing it as a "common phenomenon" with no need for concern. French nuclear firm Framatome, which helps operate the plant, last month reported a "performance issue" which caused the US government to look into the possibility of a leak. "After lengthy conversations between French and Chinese technical personnel, Taishan Nuclear Power Plant... decided to shut down Unit 1 for maintenance," China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) said Friday in an online statement. The company added that "a small amount of fuel damage" had occurred. CGN said both reactors at the plant have "maintained safe and stable operations throughout" and that the faulty unit is "completely under control". Engineers will now "find the cause of fuel damage and replace the damaged fuel", the statement added. There are more than 60,000 fuel rods in the reactor and the proportion of damaged rods is "less than 0.01 percent", China's environment ministry and nuclear regulator previously said. They called the damage "inevitable" due to factors including fuel manufacturing and transportation. French energy giant EDFthe majority owner of Framatomealso previously blamed the build-up of radioactive gases on deteriorating coating on some uranium fuel rods. EDF said it was first informed about the fuel rod problem in October, but only learned about the gas build-up in mid-June. Official environmental monitoring data shows a slight increase in radiation near Taishan compared with other nuclear plants in China, but experts say this remains within the normal range of environmental radiation levels in Guangdong. 'Permanently monitored' The shutdown follows the French firm stating last week that it would have shut down a nuclear reactor in France if it suffered problems similar to those reported at the Taishan plant. "Based on analyses, EDF operating procedures for its French plant would have led it to shut down the reactor to fully understand the problem and halt its development," the company said in a statement. However, they noted that the situation was "not urgent". The radioactivity levels in the water of the reactor's primary circuit "remain below regulator levels in place for Taishan, which are in line with international standards", they said. But based on earlier data provided by Chinese officials, the deterioration of the structural integrity of some fuel rods "appears to be continuing, and is being permanently monitored", the firm added. The problem is the latest blow to the European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) design, which is being used to build power plants in France, Britain and Finland that have racked up delays and billions of euros in cost overruns. Explore further China blames minor fuel rod damage for nuclear plant issues 2021 AFP Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain China on Friday told the country's tech giants to conduct "deep self-examination" over issues including data security and user rights, as Beijing turns up the heat in its broadening regulatory clampdown. From e-commerce to ride-hailing, Chinese firms have been battered recently as regulators tighten the leash on tech corporations, citing national security and antitrust concerns. On Friday, major names including Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance and Pinduoduo were among more than 20 firms summoned to a meeting with a department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). "It is necessary to conduct deep self-examination," officials told the gathered corporations, according to a statement released afterwards. The firms should scrutinise their approach to user rights infringement, data security threats as well as violations of resource management regulations, the ministry said. "Major internet platform companies must serve as an example, be a builder of good market order, and create an open, inclusive and fair competitive environment," according to minutes from the meeting, detailed in the MIIT statement. Just two days earlier, Alibaba and Tencent, along with 10 other businesses, were asked by the Internet Society of China to step up data security protection. Meituan, Xiaomi and ByteDance were also called to both meetings. The orders come a week after the MIIT launched a six-month campaign to clamp down on illegal web activity, days later ordering Tencent and 13 other developers to tackle pop-up windows on their platforms. China has recently launched probes into major companies and unveiled sweeping new regulations for a range of industries, rattling global markets and causing Chinese companies to reconsider overseas listing plans. A politburo meeting on Friday stressed the need to "improve the regulatory system for the overseas listing of enterprises". Explore further China watchdog launches review of Didi Global days after IPO 2021 AFP Schell & Hogan LLP, a leading accounting firm in Brunswick, has its beginnings 65 years ago in Jacksonville, Florida, when it began as a branch of Smoak, Davis and Nixon LLP. In 1967, J. Powell Schell and Terry D. Hogan, already partners in the firm, acquired it to operate it independent Gov. Greg Abbott announced an executive order Thursday afternoon affirming that local government entities, including school districts, cannot require masks in Texas. Sullivan noted the ban on mask mandates, and said indoor mask use should be recommended as the science supports their effectiveness. We know that masks work. We have seen it work and we know social distancing works. The schools, obviously, will do the very best that they can do with the reality that they face, Sullivan said. He added that vaccination rates among county residents aged 12-30 are far below that of older residents; as of Thursday, 90.14% of the countys 65-and-up population had received at least one vaccine dose. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} In Texas and in Brazos County, according to Sullivan, vaccination rates among Black and Hispanic residents are disproportionately low. Statewide, Hispanic and Black populations trend younger than the states white population, which could be one of several factors for the lower rates. Sara Mendez from the health district said just more than 32% of the 34 new cases reported Thursday were among the 18-24 age group. Active cases in the county are above 400 for the first time since the spring. Many Republican leaders, however, are blocking preventative measures, potentially making it harder to tame virus outbreaks in conservative communities. At least 18 Republican-led states have moved to prohibit vaccine passports or to ban public entities from requiring proof of vaccination. And some have prohibited schools from requiring any student or teacher to wear a mask or be vaccinated. In its announcement, the CDC cited troubling new thus far unpublished research that found that fully vaccinated people can spread the delta variant just like the unvaccinated, putting those who havent received the shots or who have compromised immune systems at heightened risk. The CDC also recommended that all teachers, staff and students wear masks inside school buildings, regardless of vaccination status. The backlash was swift. We wont go back. We wont mask our children, declared Trump, who routinely cast doubt on the value of mask-wearing and rarely wore one in public while he was in office. Why do Democrats distrust the science? Missouri Gov. Mike Parson called the new guidance disappointing and concerning and inconsistent with the overwhelming evidence surrounding the efficacy of the vaccines and their proven results. Some 64 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the Roanoke City and Alleghany Heath Districts on Wednesday, according to director Dr. Cynthia Morrow. That single-day total accounts for more than a quarter of the 230 infections logged in the region during the past seven days, and Morrow said in her weekly update that the figure represents an ongoing rise in local totals. The districts had been averaging about 75 new cases per week over the previous two months. Morrows announcement came one day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended universal masking in K-12 schools, and for fully vaccinated people to wear masks in indoor public spaces in areas with substantial to high rates of transmission. Thats defined by the CDC as having between 50 and more than 100 infections per 100,000 people; its a bar that most Virginia localities currently meet. I think all of us are waiting to hear how Virginia is going to interpret the most recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, Morrow said, calling it an ongoing discussion. In my conversations with the superintendents, I know that they are all truly invested in doing whats best for their communities, she said. The Franklin County Sheriffs Office and the Rocky Mount Police Department each will host National Night Out events Tuesday evening. We are so excited to be able to bring National Night Out back to the residents of Franklin County, said H.L. Nolen, community outreach coordinator for the sheriffs office. It was a tough decision last year to not have the event, but it was made out of an abundance of caution and courtesy for the well being of all of our residents. Those residents have shown overwhelming support for all of the law enforcement agencies that represent Franklin County, Nolen said. This is just a small way that we can show them in more detail what were about, and say thank you for being that much of a support to us. The sheriffs office gathering will take place 6-8 p.m. in the parking lot of Westlake Cinema at 84 Westlake Road in Hardy. There will be childrens activities, martial arts and canine unit demonstrations, free hot dogs and a food vendor selling barbecue. Representatives from Burnt Chimney Fire Department, Scruggs Fire and Rescue, Commonwealth Search and Rescue, Virginia State Police, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources and more will take part, Nolen said. Henry County will embark on a project of renaming 10 bridges in honor of the 10 law enforcement officers who lived in Henry County and died in the line of duty. Everywhere you go you see it, and I think its time Henry County do it, Reed Creek District Supervisor Tommy T.J. Slaughter said at Tuesdays meeting of the board. Slaughter, a retired Martinsville Police officer, said the idea began when another police officer asked him if one of the bridges in Henry County could be named for Paul Grubb, a Henry County officer who died after being shot by a suspect near the Virginia-North Carolina line. Slaughter said he was personal friends with Grubb, and they had attended training sessions together. But after a while members of another family of a slain officer who lived in Henry County approached him with the idea of naming a bridge for their loved one, too. I dont know how you could do one without doing them all, Iriswood District Supervisor David Martin said. Henry County Administrator Tim Hall suggested his office would work with Lisa Hughes, VDOT resident engineer, and present a resolution for the board to consider at a future meeting. The continued presence of gender ideology in the standards leaves the door open for this material to be expanded either before these draft standards are approved or in future years when these standards are revisited, Ricketts said. Some doors are open already, as the standards do not have to be strictly adhered to once approved by the State Board of Education. While some subjects under Nebraska Revised Statute 79-760.01 must have specific, solid, measurable state requirements (reading, writing, mathematics, science and social studies), others including health education have content standards drafted as frameworks for schools to follow, and are not necessarily legally binding. Blomstedt said the following final health education road map is recommended by NDE: Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The standards as we adopt them here are really to help provide a role for those places that maybe are looking to make sure they have an expectation and a balance. He added that schools can adjust their curriculum to cover more ground than what the guidelines contain. Theres not a limitation on schools, Blomstedt said. No matter the content of Hetricks sturdy plastic bags, he said he strives to get things as litter-free as possible. He recently received help from some found friends, Hetrick said. Herman Plumbing has been helping by giving me trash bags and gloves and all that good stuff, he said. Wednesday was sultry enough for a heat advisory, so Hetrick made a pit stop at Herman Plumbing. Besides cooling off in the business, he got to see his most ardent supporters. Erin Harston is the manager at Herman Plumbing. Since the first day of his five-day trash pickup stretch, she has been supporting Hetrick. Hes out there and seems to be enjoying it, Harston said. Sometimes its hard for people to take care of their own property. Hes cleaning up all these areas of town that most people take for granted. Hetrick knows all too well the importance of being a good steward and helping others. Ive got a bad history, he said. But Im trying to do a redemption on that. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} KEARNEY A leader of the Kearney Whitewater Association, Carson Rowh, told members of his group to take a look around as they neared the end of their float Thursday night. We really want to get out and be nostalgic about those good old days that weve had and done, Rowh said as 90 paddlers prepared to shove off at Yanney Heritage Park on a group float to the water trails main take-out point near Central Avenue. Rowh encouraged Whitewater Association members to look and remember how the trail looks today because by spring 2022, there will be major changes. Manmade rapids soon will be built near the Kearney Cinema 8 Theater close to Second Avenue and Kearneys hotel district. Whitewater Association members have been instrumental, Rowh said, in developing the Kearney Canal and Turkey Creek into the citys water trail. The manmade rapids referred to as water features will challenge the skills of kayakers and canoeists, but there will be more to the project. The part of the water trail near Second Avenue will include spots where people can get a close-up view of paddlers as they navigate the rapids. Even motorists passing on Second Avenue will see the paddlers. I come from a region ravaged by hurricanes and tornados. And, folks, maybe it was because in those communities we rely so heavily on one another in times of need, or maybe it was because I was raised with the Christian values that we respond to our neighbors' call for help; but, we reach out to them in their hour of need. It is what I understood is the farmer's way; it's what I thought I had found in this community ... in my community of York. I am truly sorry that yesterday we let you down. Either I didn't say it right, or the board just wasn't getting it, but either way, you the people of York deserve much more from us. You deserve leadership that works together to meet your needs and the needs of our neighbors. You have my promise that I will do better to foster relationships with allies and win over adversaries to the cause of making yours a better community to live in. I have worked tirelessly to make York a community that everyone can be proud of. My office has partnered with multiple jurisdictions' agencies to combat crimes affecting our community that originate here and from a number of surrounding counties and metropolitan areas. I have taken seriously my oath to protect and defend the public and the rule of law. I am so ashamed that my colleagues on the Board of Commissioners chose not to join us all, you the good citizens of York County and myself, in that fight. Q: I have a 2010 car I bought in 2017. It is a Flex Fuel car yellow cap, sticker on hatch says Flex Fuel. I am clueless and no mechanic. I have always used regular unleaded. I am in no position to replace this car but since E85 is $2.53 and regular unleaded is about $3, Im wondering if I could use the E85. My car has 118,400 original miles on it and I dont want to damage it in any way. Q: Does anyone know why York does not provide a live broadcast of the city council meetings to the taxpayers? It would be a great benefit to the York community to broadcast the city council meetings live via a streaming service like YouTube, Facebook, Zoom, or some other media. It was done during the time of the pandemic. It would be a great way to involve those who cannot physically attend meetings and would encourage more of our community to take part in our city government. It should be an option for all open meetings that follow the Sunshine Laws. I know they are currently looking at updating the citys website. Now would be a wonderful time to include a link to real time meetings with an option to go back and watch them on the site. This should not be the responsibility of the York News-Times or the York radio station. Many communities currently offer this service to their taxpayers, and I believe York should follow their examples. For instance, Columbus City Council meetings may be viewed live on the city meetings page of their website. Seward offers them live and keeps them on their website clear back to 2015. Auroras are carried on their community television station, KACT-TV cable channel 8 and the meeting repeats several times throughout the week. It would be a welcome service to our community. Equity Issues in K12 Report: The Pandemic 'Grossly Exacerbated' Disparities in Education A new report noted that students on the whole did make gains during the 20202021 school year. However, those gains were lower than seen in previous years. Underrepresented groups and students in high-poverty areas were disproportionately impacted negatively by the public policy response to the pandemic. The report, Learning during COVID-19: Reading and math achievement in the 2020-2021 school year, from the non-profit NWEA, used data from it's MAP Growth assessments from 5.5 million students in grades 38 in spring 2020 and fall 2021. It found that, while growth was lower for all student groups, "historically underserved students (e.g., American Indian and Alaskan Native, Black, and Latino and/or students in high poverty schools) were disproportionately impacted, particularly in the elementary grades that NWEA studied." "As our nation continues to grapple with COVID-19 and its impact on every facet of our lives, this new research from NWEA illuminates just how devastating the academic consequences have been for our nation's children. While all students have suffered from interrupted instruction, students of color and students from low-income families who are more likely to receive virtual instruction but less likely to have access to sufficient broadband and devices necessary to access virtual learning have borne the brunt of the pandemic's academic burden. It is vital that policymakers, school leaders, and educators act on this crucial research to ensure that students who need the most support receive it," said Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League, in a prepared statement released to coincide with the report. Overall achievement was also lower than historical averages, according to the report three to six percentage points lower in reading and eight to 12 points in math. The report's authors and others noted that we are now in a time where it is possible, from both a policy and funding standpoint, to go beyond earlier reform efforts to completely reimagine the old industrial model of formal education. A separate policy paper from NWEA details several policy recommendations, including "investing in school counselors and nurses to address mental health and social-emotional well-being of students, tutoring and extending instructional time, professional development geared at meeting the needs of diverse learners and redesigning state accountability systems to better align with recovery plans." "The data sets from the NWEA study confirm the profound impact COVID-19 had on families and students. They also highlight the stark inequities that existed before March 13, 2020 the pandemic grossly exacerbated the disparities we see in the education sector," said Dr. Michael Conner, Superintendent of Middletown Public Schools in Middletown, CT, in a statement released to coincide with the report's release. "However, the data sets also call for the holistic redesign and transformation of an operating model that can finally ground the principles of innovation, creativity, and equity in every fabric of our schools. At this juncture, we have permission to be bold, creative, innovative, and experimentative for acceleration and recovery. There has not been a time in our industry where we can reimagine the traditional industrial model that historically marginalized students. This is the opportunity where systemic change in the context of policy, investments, and organizational practice can shift the trajectory of every student we encounter." The complete report and additional resources can be found on NWEA's site. Paris, TX (75460) Today Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 87F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mainly clear. Low 69F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Schools are soon to start back in session just as Covid-19 cases are rising in the Red River Valley. The rise is due to the delta variant, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says is as contagious as chickenpox and four to nine times more infectious than previous Covid-19 strains. The majority of cases are being seen in unvaccinated people, a group that includes school-age children. The back to school guidance from local and national medical groups includes having mask requirements in place, however, Gov. Greg Abbott has prohibited schools from taking such action. Should schools be allowed to require masks? You voted: PADUCAH Police are seeking the publics help in locating a man charged in connection with the shooting death of a Paducah man last week. Areion T. Jones, 25, whose last known address was in Bowling Green, Kentucky, has been charged in a warrant with murder and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, according to a news release from the Paducah Police Department. Areion T. Jones is accused of shooting Justin Crabtree, 26, early last Thursday morning outside Crabtrees home on North 12th Street, police said. Officers were called at 4:05 a.m. Thursday, July 22, to a home in the 1100 block of North 12th Street, where they found Crabtree had been shot. He was taken to a local hospital, then transferred to a Nashville hospital for treatment. He died there Thursday afternoon, police said. During his investigation, Det. Kevin Wilson learned that there was an argument between Crabtree and two others behind a home on North 13th Street, police said. Crabtree returned to his home and was shot a short time later as he stood outside. Jones was determined to be the shooter, and Wilson sought a warrant for his arrest. Sen. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, on Friday joined the growing list of GOP lawmakers calling for a full audit of Gov. JB Pritzkers management of the states unemployment programs. A state auditor general report released Wednesday found that about $155 million in potentially invalid benefits were paid out in the early months of the COVID-19 crisis. The financial audit of the Illinois Department of Employment Security, or IDES, that detailed the failures regarding the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) Program. While the audit covered only seven weeks of the multi-month program, its findings were stark, Bryant said in a news release. Under the failed leadership of Governor J.B. Pritzker, the unemployment benefit system, which is designed to help Illinoisans in need, has now turned countless citizens into victims, Bryant said in a release. This report shows that fraud and identity theft were allowed to run rampant while Governor Pritzker dragged his feet, and this is just the beginning of what were uncovering. According to the AP, the Democratic governors administration laid the blame at the feet of former Republican President Donald Trump for leaving the newly designed pandemic unemployment system up to the states with ever-changing rules. MERMET LAKE Scouring the flooded timber on the west side of Mermet Lake, the juvenile wood stork initially went unnoticed. However, the Southern Illinois birding world had been abuzz for nearly a week about the rare visitor. And, a bird that stands nearly four feet tall shouldnt be that difficult to find. A brief consultation with another Mermet visitor provided verification that the wood stork was still present. After retracing steps, the bird was located thanks to the reflection of its massive bill under the thick underbrush where it was feeding. Seeing a wood stork in Southern Illinois isnt unprecedented, but its not an everyday occurrence either. It looks like maybe the most recent sighting of one was at Rend Lake in July 2017, before that it was really spotty, said Jeff Hoover, an ornithologist with the Illinois Natural History Survey. It is kind of an unusual thing for a wood stork to be in Southern Illinois. Back in the 1940s there were about 12 maybe around Neunert. In 1926 there were 50 reported. It seems like its typically late July, early August. Hoover said the earliest reported sighting was around Cairo in 1877. Biden, seemingly fed up with persistent vaccine resistance among many Americans, delivered a sharp rebuke to those who have yet to get shots, saying they get sick and fill up our hospitals, taking beds away from others who need them. If in fact you are unvaccinated, you present a problem to yourself, to your family and those with whom you work, he said bluntly." At the same time, he expressed sympathy for people who have received their shots and are frustrated with the consequences of the minority that fail to get vaccinated. And he again emphasized that the fight against the virus is far from over, girding Americans to remain strong in the face of setbacks in the pandemic. I know this is hard to hear. I know its frustrating. I know its exhausting to think were still in this fight. I know we hoped this would be a simple straightforward line, without problems or new challenges. But that isnt real life," he said. His comments came as some 60% of American adults have been fully vaccinated. He had set a July 4 goal to get at least one shot in 70% of adults, and is still not quite there. The latest figure is 69.3%. And there remains significant resistance from many Republicans and some unions to vaccine mandates for employers. NASHVILLE, Tenn. The 51st Quadrennial Session of the General Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church met from July 6-10, 2021, at the West Concourse of the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Over 1600 delegates met as the churchs supreme governance body to review and change the denomination's laws and policies, receive reports from its agencies, and elect denominational leadership. Due to restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 200 delegates representing countries on the continent of Africa were unable to travel to the United States and were to participate via a satellite location in Cape Town, South Africa. After the South African government restricted in-person gatherings due to public health concerns, a virtual platform was created to allow these delegates to participate in the deliberations virtually. The 2021 General Conference was truly a test of the denominations resilience and capacity to adapt, stated Dr. Jeffery B. Cooper, General Secretary of the AME Church. In spite of the last-minute difficulties, we were able to ensure that all members of our family were able to share in this important aspect of the life of our Church. I am proud of our planning team and grateful to the AME Church leadership and delegates for their patience and understanding as we made this shift. DENMARK -- Denmark Technical College announced Friday that it will forgive all outstanding balances for students who have been enrolled at any point since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. "We are elated to have the opportunity to use our resources to wipe the financial slate clean for our students, many of whom have faced additional hardships while attending college during the COVID-19 pandemic. We care deeply about our students and want them to be able to move forward in pursuing their education without the added burden of having to pay off balances from recent semesters," said Dr. Willie L. Todd Jr., president and CEO of Denmark Tech. "Our students' academic success is of the utmost importance. Relieving them of these balances will allow them to keep their eyes on the prize, without having to take time off from college as they work down balances," said Dr. A. Clifton Myles, executive vice president for administration and innovation and chief strategy officer. The historically Black college, located in rural Bamberg County, says it is dedicated to helping students overcome the challenges they face. A tsunami warning for Alaska was canceled early Thursday when the biggest wave, of just over a half foot, was recorded in Old Harbor. A tsunami watch that also had been issued for Hawaii was canceled, and officials said there was no threat to Guam, American Samoa or the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands. The tsunami warning for Alaska covered nearly a 1,000-mile stretch from Prince William Sound to Samalga Island, Alaska, near the end of the Aleutian Islands. In the Kenai Peninsula community of Homer, a steady stream of cars was seen evacuating the Homer Spit, a jut of land extending nearly 5 miles into Kachemak Bay that is a draw for tourists and fishermen. In King Cove, up to 400 people took shelter in the school gym. "We're used to this. This is pretty normal for this area to get these kind of quakes, and when the tsunami sirens go off, it's just something we do," school principal Paul Barker told the Anchorage Daily News. "It's not something you ever get used to, but it's part of the job living here and being part of the community." There have been numerous reports of minor damage, such as glasses or plates being broken in the temblor. Last week, White House officials reported that vaccination rates were on the rise in some states where COVID-19 cases were soaring, as more Republican leaders implored their constituents to lay lingering doubts aside and get the shots to protect themselves. That includes Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who has pleaded with unvaccinated residents, saying they are the ones "letting us down." "This self-inflicted setback encourages skepticism and vaccine hesitancy at a time when the goal is to prevent serious illnesses and deaths from COVID-19 through vaccination," Parson tweeted. "This decision only promotes fear & further division among our citizens." The announcement "will unfortunately only diminish confidence in the vaccine and create more challenges for public health officials people who have worked tirelessly to increase vaccination rates," echoed Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who has banned mask and vaccine mandates in his state. In his Wednesday speech, DeSantis took particular aim at the CDC's call for kids to wear masks in the classroom. "It's not healthy for these students to be sitting there all day, 6-year-old kids in kindergarten covered in masks," he said though there is no evidence that wearing masks is harmful to children older than toddler age. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) As Utah's daily coronavirus count eclipsed 1,000 cases Thursday for the first time in five months, Gov. Spencer Cox said he wouldnt be pushing for mask mandates in schools during the upcoming year or a rollback of a state law that prohibits individual districts from passing their own mandates. Children cant yet receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and health experts have raised alarms about a school year without masks set to begin next month. Young children have suffered far fewer adverse effects as compared to older adults, Cox told The Associated Press before a speech in front of nearly 1,500 conservative state legislators and business people from around the U.S. at the American Legislative Exchange Commission convention in Salt Lake City. I dont believe that mandates are, under the circumstances, with what we know right now, are necessary, said Cox, a Republican. He said he's instead pushing for a program to make N95 masks available to any student who wants one. Almost none of the attendees wore masks in spite of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance this week that said people should resume wearing masks indoors if they live in areas where the virus is surging. In releasing the directive Wednesday, Abbott said we must do more to protect Texans from this virus and reduce the burden on our communities." The order allows the Texas Department of Public Safety to stop any vehicle upon reasonable suspicion" that it was providing ground transportation to a group of migrants. Troopers could then reroute vehicles back to its point of origin or impound it. Abbott shrugged off Garland's letter in a statement that blamed the Biden administration for high levels of migration along the southern border. The Biden Administration is jeopardizing the health and safety of Texans on a daily basis by refusing to follow the law," he said. The directive is not the first time during the pandemic that Abbott has put focus on migrants and the virus spread at a time of heightened worry over COVID-19. He raised similar worries over migrants in March without providing any evidence that they were causing increased COVID-19 caseloads which came as he faced criticism from public health officials for lifting a statewide mask mandate. Led by South Carolina's Henry McMaster, a dozen Republican governors are wading into a lawsuit over Mississippi's new anti-abortion law, the outcome of which could have implications for similar measures across the country. On Thursday, attorneys for McMaster submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Mississippi, which wants to enforce its abortion ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy. That states sole abortion clinic is challenging the measures legality. The nations high court will likely hear that case in the fall, with a decision probably in 2022. Arguing the issue of abortion is best left to the states, rather than federal-level entities, the attorneys wrote that citizens have the ability to vote out state lawmakers with whom they disagree over abortion policies. This subscription will allow existing subscribers of The World to access all of our online content, including the E-Editions area. NOTE: To claim your access to the site, you will need to enter the Last Name and First Name that is tied to your subscription in this format: SMITH, JOHN If you need help with exactly how your specific name needs be entered, please email us at admin@countrymedia.net or call us at 1-541 266 6047. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Submit Here 'Carlo, I read what you wrote. I like it. Whatever you write that you think important, send it to me. Don't think about writing books that sell, think only if you have true things to say. I'll publish them,'' Rovelli wrote. What more can you hope to have from your own publisher?" Rovelli wrote, adding that the "extraordinary care with which he published books is mythical." His U.S. editor, Jonathan Galassi of Farrar, Straus & Giroux, called Calasso one of the great literary publishers of postwar Europe. He was also a prolific writer of wide and deep imagination and insight, Galassi said in a statement. Basically, his lifes work was all one project: to plumb the inter-connectedness of human culture across time and across civilizations. There was no one like him. Starting with Adelphi when he was 21, Calasso developed the publishing house. Among those he published were Sicilian writer Leonardo Sciascia and the Czech-born Milan Kundera. Adelphi was essentially the invention, in 1962, of a Trieste intellectual, Roberto Bazlen, who quickly enlisted the efforts of Luciano Foa' and the young Calasso, then living in Rome. Italian industrialist Roberto Olivetti helped finance the venture. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} During his first trial, Cercy testified hed had no sexual contact with the woman. At his second, he did not take the stand. The womans complaint says she got up from the couch and gathered clothes she alleges he removed from her body before leaving the house and trying to contact friends for help. According to the suit, Cercy tried to convince her to come back inside, and refused to let her use one of his vehicles to leave. After Cercy drove the woman close to a friends trailer, the lawsuit states, he allegedly threatened to kill her if she told anyone about the incident. Cercy admitted in his answer to calling the woman the next day, but does not agree with her account of what he said. She alleges he said the two of them needed to get on the same page with what happened the night before. Cercys response also indicates he knew the woman went to Wyoming Medical Center that day, but did not know why. The woman says she was reporting the incident and completing a rape kit. In his answer, Cercy says the womans own negligent conduct and/or the conduct of third parties is responsible for her physical or emotional injuries. He also suggests her claims may be invalidated by a statute of limitations. The woman has requested a jury trial, and is seeking damages. But a lawyer working the case said the matter may still be settled outside of a courtroom. Follow city and crime reporter Ellen Gerst on Twitter at @ellengerst. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Carver Kimms attorney hasnt responded to the states arguments and a judge has yet to rule on them. Miller spokesman Lynn Hicks said the brief presents a legal argument, not a policy statement. We are not saying the Iowa Open Records Act is not important public policy, he said. But leaders of the Iowa Capitol Press Association and the Iowa Freedom of Information Council said Friday that the arguments by the state's top lawyers were discouraging and would send the wrong message to public officials. Council director Randy Evans said they could embolden officials who want to limit public information and deter records custodians from releasing politically sensitive documents. Government officials from border to border are going to see this brief and if the state prevails, public information is not going to be nearly as public, Evans said. Evans, a retired editor for the Des Moines Register, said the case comes in a broader context in which state agencies compliance with the open-records law is the worst he has seen in 50 years. He said he has received numerous complaints that the governors office has failed to acknowledge or fulfill information requests. Since then, Republicans in his district and across the state have declared their displeasure with Rice, who has represented the district since its creation in 2012. The South Carolina GOP formally censured him to show disapproval over his vote, a step also taken by other party committees across the country to punish many of the 10 House Republicans who supported Trumps impeachment. The symbolic expression was seen as a possible bellwether of a tough 2022 primary for Rice, long a reliable backer of Trumps policies who campaigned with the president and, according to FiveThirtyEight, voted 94% of the time in favor of Trump-backed legislation the highest percentage among South Carolinas current delegation. Had he been in Congress at the time, Fry said that he would have opposed the impeachment vote, which he said came too quickly for a proper case to be made. At the very least, you have to build a case, and I think that the speed at which the House of Representatives brought impeachment charges and impeached President Trump really left devoid any factual record, he told AP. Detectives reviewing the photo identified it as a place close to where Thorntons remains were discovered and discovered other evidence linking Alcala to Thorntons disappearance and murder. The fact that this case will not be proven in court does nothing to dissuade me from knowing that Alcala murdered Ms. Thornton, Erramouspe said in the press release following the decision not to extradite Alcala. Alcala is believed to be involved in up to 130 murders across the country. Alcala was sentenced to death in Orange County in 2010 after being convicted of five counts of first-degree murder in deaths that had originally taken place between 1977 and 1979. This would not be the first time Alcala was sentenced to death in California. He was sentenced to death in 1980 for the 1979 kidnapping and murder of 12-year-old Robin Samsoe, but the judgement was revised by the California Supreme Court in 1984 and a new trial was granted. He was again convicted of Samsoes murder in 1986 and sentenced to death, but a federal appeals court overturned the sentence in 2003 and he was given a new trial. According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, DNA evidence linked Alcala to other murder cases and he was indicted in the murders of four other women. Alcala was named the Dating Game Killer following his appearance on the television game show, where he was identified as a successful photographer. He won the game show, but the woman who selected Alcala ultimately decided against going through with the date. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 The special agent spoke with County Clerk Linda Fritz, who was able to show him pertinent information on the countys vehicle registration system. The tabs were allegedly originally issued to a customer on January 29. On March 3, the system showed that the sticker was lost in the mail and a new sticker had been issued. The special agent asked if it was possible for Kuhl to change the system to show the vehicle as having current registration. Fritz responded that it would be possible; however, the date and time on the bottom of the screen would show when it was changed. The special agent conducted a non-custodial interview with Kuhl in her office. Kuhl was advised that she was not under arrest and could choose not to answer any questions. When asked about the license plate tabs, Kuhl allegedly responded that she has several vehicles registered to her and her husband and that she must have placed the wrong tabs on this vehicle. Kuhl advised agents that she did not remember purchasing current registration [for the vehicle] and that she had no explanation of how the tab ended up on her vehicle, said the agents report. Kuhl allegedly confirmed the information about the tab originally being issued to someone else and then being listed as lost in the mail. Gov. Mark Gordon announced Thursday that Wyoming has joined 24 other states in filing an amicus brief before the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that states should be left to regulate elective abortions. This year has made abundantly clear that federal overreach harms Wyoming and its citizens, Gordon said in a statement. Wyoming must stand up for states rights. I am happy to extend support to Mississippi in order to properly keep state control over state issues, especially in the fight to protect the unborn. An amicus brief is a legal document filed by a party or parties taking one side in the case and who have some interest in the outcome of the matter. The brief was filed in support of Mississippi in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health, a pending case on the constitutionality of a 2018 Mississippi law that banned abortion operations after the first 15 weeks of pregnancy. In this case, Mississippi is challenging lower court rulings that held that the states Gestational Age Act, which prohibits elective abortions at 15 weeks gestation, is unconstitutional. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The state's 14-day average in total new cases is 134.7 per day. That number is up 57.1 from a month ago. The state's number of total active cases is 781. That number is up 326 from a month ago. State Health Officer Dr. Alexia Harrist is recommending vaccinated residents in areas with moderate to high COVID-19 transmission wear face masks in indoor public settings, she told the Star-Tribune on Thursday. Just eight Wyoming counties are seeing low enough transmission for that recommendation not to apply, according to state data. That list includes Crook, Hot Springs, Johnson, Natrona, Niobrara, Sheridan, Washakie and Weston counties. That leaves 15 other counties, including four of the five largest in the state: Laramie, Campbell, Sweetwater and Albany. The recommendation comes two days after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued similar guidance that vaccinated residents in areas with low vaccine uptake should again don masks indoors as a more contagious variant of the virus spreads. That variant, called the Delta variant, is already considered dominant in Wyoming, Harrist said. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} State Health Officer Dr. Alexia Harrist is recommending vaccinated residents in areas with moderate to high COVID-19 transmission wear face masks in indoor public settings, she told the Star-Tribune last week. Just eight Wyoming counties are seeing low enough transmission for that recommendation not to apply, according to state data. That list includes Crook, Hot Springs, Johnson, Natrona, Niobrara, Sheridan, Washakie and Weston counties. That leaves 15 other counties, including four of the five largest in the state: Laramie, Campbell, Sweetwater and Albany. The recommendation comes two days after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued similar guidance that vaccinated residents in areas with low vaccine uptake should again don masks indoors as a more contagious variant of the virus spreads. That variant, called the Delta variant, is already considered dominant in Wyoming, Harrist said. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} BILLINGS At nearly 66,000 acres, the Poverty Flats fire is the largest active fire burning in Montana, and its largest wildfire so far this year. The fire began about 10 miles north of Hardin, and is one of 19 large wildfires in the state, according to data from the Northern Rockies Coordination Center. Winds and dry fuels caused the blaze to explode in size over the course of two days. The state hasnt seen fires reaching more than 60,000 acres since 2017, which marked the worst wildfire season on record in terms of land burned. I was out at the briefing at 0700 this morning, and there wasnt any smoke coming up. Thats a good sign, said Brian Mischel, the disaster and emergency services coordinator for Big Horn County. President Ronald Reagan was clever in gaming the system. He used recess appointments for the purpose of undermining the Legal Services Corporation, a governmental agency created to provide legal assistance to the poor in civil cases. In his first year in office, President Reagan made no appointments to the board of directors of the corporation. In his second year, for the purpose of ensuring that holdovers from Jimmy Carters term did not dominate the board, Reagan made seven recess appointments at the end of 1981. Over the next couple of years, Reagan nominated people to the board, but then withdrew their names before the Senate could act on the nominations. With the vacancies intact, Reagan proceeded to fill the openings with recess appointments, a strategy that enabled him to control the agency from 1981 through 1984, even though none of his appointees was ever confirmed by the Senate. Both biologists also stressed that black bears arent generally dangerous if theyre not habituated to food. For anyone living or playing in Wyomings mountains, Knox and Thompson offered a series of advice on how to keep yourself and bears safe the rest of this summer and fall. Call if you see a bear near humans or food Many people believe if they call wildlife officials about a black bear, the bear will be killed on the spot, Thompson said. Thats just not the case. None of us wants to catch a bear and kill it, Thompson said. But once a bear becomes food conditioned, really food conditioned, we dont have any options. Dont wait a week or more to call biologists about a bear wandering in rural neighborhoods, getting into bird feeders or campsites. If biologists catch bears early, they can help people secure food and vehicles and hopefully the bear will move on to better habitat. Keep food inside Store any food including dog food, snacks, meat and vegetables in vehicles or other bear-proof containers. People recreating in grizzly bear country might be used to properly storing food, but those outside of the northwest corner should also be aware, Knox said. Bears can open coolers, garbage bags and plastic tubs. MASSY Group president Gervase Warner says the issue of whether Caribbean countries should have a fixed or floating exchange rate is a bit of a red herring. But he told a conference organised by the Central Bank of Barbados last week that one of the reasons the group has applied to cross-list its shares on the Jamaica Stock Exchange is because of T&Ts foreign exchange regime. Warner was one of the panellists at the keynote discussion of the Central Bank of Barbados 41st Annual Review Seminar last Tuesday on Rebuilding Economies for the Future: Opportunities for Resilience through Diversification. The other panellists were Ian Durant, director of economics department of the Caribbean Development Bank; and Michelle Doyle, adviser to the Governor, Central Bank of Barbados. Responding to a question on whether resilient and competitive economies can be built in the Caribbean with fixed exchange rate regimes, I think yes, we can build resilient economies. Fixed or floating foreign exchange; thats a bit of a red herring. It very much depends on the structure of each economy. We should be much more focused on the things that can make us more efficient and more competitive. Unfortunately, some of those things are often not popular. Earlier in his response to the question, Warner said: I dont know that fixing a foreign exchange rate or floating an exchange rate is really the determinant to the economic success and growth of our economies; whether it makes us more or less resilient. It is the fundamental, underlying performance of our economies is really what matters. If you are going to be an export earner and are blessed with some natural resourcewhether it is sunny beaches and beautiful waters or petroleum or other mineralsyou are going to have to work for it. You are going to have to find a way to make yourself efficient. Trying to get efficiencies just by adjusting a foreign exchange rate, you are always going to be in a race to the bottom, as opposed to building strong institutions and strong enterprises. I am much more in favour of having greater competitiveness by developing economies of scale in operations. He said that involves looking beyond individual island markets and treating the entire Caricom region as a domestic market. Warner advocated making the entire Caricom region accessible as a domestic market to any and every one of us individually. He said the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) is not delivering on the promise and vision of 20 or 40 years ago. Why Massy is cross-listing On the question of whether the Massy Groups proposed listing on the Jamaica Stock Exchange would improve its competitiveness and resilience, Warner said: We have found, partly driven by the foreign exchange regime in Trinidad and Tobago, that the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange is not as attractive as it has been in the past for international investors. Warner added: You are very familiar with international investors being unable to repatriate the proceeds of a sale of locally listed shares in Trinidad and Tobago. This is a great nuisance to any sophisticated financial institution that is moving money back and forth. Warner said the inability of international investors to repatriate the proceeds from share sales is a good example of a breakdown that makes Trinidad and Tobago less competitive. In a notice to shareholders on May 9, 2021, Massy advised that its board took a decision to apply to cross-list the companys shares on the Jamaica Stock Exchange. The group said: The board considered the market sophistication and growth opportunities evident in the Jamaican securities market, which has become increasingly more dynamic over the past few years. The Massy Group president said the Jamaica Stock Exchange is attractive to international investors like the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange once was. He said the Massy Group sees the Jamaica Stock Exchange as a place that we see we can invite more shareholders, more institutional investors, more traders to participate in the Massy Holdings share. For us, it represents another step in this integration of the Caribbean in the mindset of what we created in Caricom. The Massy Group president said all publicly traded entities that operate in multiple jurisdictions across the region would prefer to have one stock exchange where the shares of these companies could all be traded with economies of scale on a platform that is more robust than the multiple, small stock exchanges across the region. If you were to ask any of us would we like to have one financial services regulator for banks and insurance companies, (the answer would be) absolutely. It is a great nuisance to deal with 14 different regulators, particularly with all of the new regulations that are coming out that are internationally driven and affect us as small entities. Warner said: Small entities having to manage relationships with multiple regulators is a cost, which then makes us uncompetitive. And we do not understand that there is a reason that we make ourselves uncompetitive. Thats why the Canadian banks are withdrawing from the Caribbean because it is just not worth it to operate in all of these small, little islands with different regulators. It just does not make a lot of sense. Massy in Jamaica In its 2020 annual report, Massy Holdings Ltd stated that it received seven per cent of its profit before tax and four per cent of its revenue from its Jamaican operations. The group indicated it operates two businesses in Jamaica: Massy Gas Products (Jamaica) and Massy Distribution (Jamaica). Massy Gas Products (Jamaica) is the market leader of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) distribution in Jamaica which is used as a fuel source for cooking, heating, power generation and manufacturing. MGPJ imports and markets its product under the brand name Gas Pro and supplies LPG to both the commercial (bulk) and domestic (packed) markets, according to the annual report. As part of a strategy to focus on three main portfolios of businessintegrated retail, motors and machines and gas productsMassy Holdings divested Massy Technologies to a Jamaican company last year for about US$50 million. The combined businesses will have over US$250 million of annual revenue, operate in 19 countries, and have over 2,100 information technology professionals, according to the annual report. The 2020 annual report indicates that Massy received about US$50 million for the sale of the companies. Groups shareholders Massys single largest shareholder is the National Insurance Board of T&T, according to the groups 2020 annual report. NIBTT owned 19,801,051 million of the 98,342,382 shares issued by Massy, accounting for 20.13 per cent of the company, as at September 30, 2020. Other significant shareholders of Massy Holdings include: RBC/RBTT Nominee Services Ltd 10,246,075; RBC/RBTT Trust Ltd 9,410,305 Republic Financial Holdings Ltd 7,198,348 Barbados Central Securities Depositary5,909,175 Of the directors and senior officers of the company, Massy Holdings chairman Robert Bermudez holds the largest block. As at September 30, 2020, Bermudez owned 14,820 shares in his name and 1,901,393 shares in what is described in the annual report as associates shareholdings. This suggests that a shareholder associated with Bermudez acquired 1,111,489 Massy Holdings shares between October 1, 2019, and September 30, 2020. The Massy share price closed at $80.50 a share on Friday, putting its market capitalisation at $7.91 billion. On the day after the Massy board decided to cross-list the companys shares on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, May 7, Massy traded at $65 a share. Do you have a news tip? Want to share good news story, or do you have information that should see the light of day? Then we want to hear from you. More here It really is the highest recognition that a museum can get in the United States and it shows our audience and the university that we are taking care of the collections and museum, McCleary said. The accreditation comes 40 years after the museum was first accredited in 1981. Museums can apply for accreditation every 10 years and the process involves opening the museums records, from its financials to its mission statement and strategic plan, to inspectors who determine if the museum is acting in the best interest of the public, the artists and the facility. Its truly a commitment to excellence, McCleary said of the process, which she said many museums are not inclined to participate in. Of the nations 33,000 or so museums, only 1,070 are accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Coming up UA Museum of Art, located in a building that dates back to the 1950s at 1031 N. Olive Road, is expected to reopen in October after construction to update the courtyard and entryway is finished. The first post-COVID exhibit, The Art of Food, will open Oct. 24 and run through next March. The Feast of the Seven Fishes is a much-anticipated holiday tradition for Italian-Americans, traditionally served on Christmas Eve to celebrate La Vigilia, the period of waiting for the Christ childs birth. Menus range from simple to over the top, with everything from squid, smelts and shrimp sharing the table with cod, octopus and lobster. The only rule is there has to be at least seven courses, each with a different seafood. Summer is prime time to source seasonal, responsibly caught seafood like branzino, shrimp and octopus. To whet your appetite, DiAnoias Eatery in Pittsburgh's Strip District is sharing Chef Tyler Englands recipe for Puttanesca Crostini. Puttanesca is a simple and spicy sauce made with anchovies, olives, tomatoes, capers and garlic. Its usually served on top of pasta but can also be enjoyed on toasted crostini as a summer appetizer, as it is here, or on crusty sandwich bread for lunch. I know there are rules about cheese and fish, but I think a dusting of grated Parmesan would add a lovely finish. Puttanesca sauce is much loved because it usually comes together quickly, in less than 30 minutes. This version cooks a bit longer until it is thick and stew-like. While the sauce simmers, cook the lasagna noodles until al dente in salted water. Now its time to make the mixture for the creamy layer of this pasta dish. Typically people like to use ricotta cheese for a lasagna recipe, but you can substitute it with cottage cheese, which is similar to ricotta in flavor and texture but lighter. Take ricotta cheese and mix it with mozzarella, Parmesan, garlic powder and eggs. Now you can start layering your masterpiece. In a casserole dish, spread the tomato sauce on the bottom, then layer with lasagna noodles and cover with more sauce. Add your ricotta mixture with some spinach. If you desire, toss in some bell peppers and mushrooms for extra color and flavor to this dish. Continue layering everything until you run out of ingredients. If you're making your lasagna ahead of time, stop here and refrigerate or freeze until you're ready to bake. Instead, he has signed every bill restricting abortion that has reached his desk. A panel of appointees hand-picked by the governor blocked state employees from making payroll deductions to Planned Parenthood yet allowed donations to Alliance Defending Freedom, an anti-abortion public interest law firm that has gone to court to defend legislation to restrict abortion rights. In their legal brief, the governors said: Once voters cast their ballots, it is up to a state legislature to decide how the state will regulation abortion. And if voters do not like what a legislature does, then they have democracys ultimate check: the ballot box, they continued. There is nothing wrong with giving this issue back to the people. That also would shift the debate stage. No longer would the issue dominate presidential campaigns, the governors said. Instead, the focus would shift to the state level which they said better allows those differing voices to be heard and to shape policy. For the most part, the makeup of the Arizona Legislature has tilted toward adopting more and more restrictions in a bid to get around if not directly challenge Roe v. Wade. At risk of being evicted? Apply for rental assistance at PimaEP.com. For more information and assistance visit the Community Investment Corporation at cictucson.org/eviction-prevention or call 831-292-4308; Set up a payment plan with your landlord, make partial payments as much as possible, and do not violate any other terms of the lease. Ordinarily, substitute teachers don't get to apply for unemployment benefits simply because there is no work for them over the summer, when schools aren't in session. School districts nationwide routinely send notices to subs at the end of the academic year giving them a reasonable assurance there will be work available in the fall. Ahmed got such a notice in June of 2020 from New York City. But advocates argue that at that point in the pandemic, it was hard to predict whether the promised work would actually come through. It wasnt clear when and how schools would reopen. Gov. Andrew Cuomo was warning of potential 20% aid cuts and did not give classrooms a green light to reopen for in-person learning until August. In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio was saying the stress on city government was so great there might be sweeping layoffs. There was no way that they could have provided reasonable assurance because the economic conditions were very poor. And there were a huge amount of uncertainties, said Nicole Salk, senior staff attorney at Legal Services NYC. Ultimately, the start of the school year was delayed and a majority of kids did their instruction through remote learning. A primary change in the new law allows the state to hire private contractors to kill wolves and provides more money for state officials to hire the contractors. The law also expands killing methods to include trapping and snaring wolves on a single hunting tag, using night-vision equipment, chasing wolves on snowmobiles and ATVs and shooting them from helicopters. It also authorizes year-round wolf trapping on private property. The state Department of Fish and Game reported in February that the wolf population has held at about 1,500 the past two years. The numbers were derived in part by using remote cameras. About 500 wolves have been killed in the state in each of the last two years by hunters, trappers and state and federal authorities carrying out wolf control measures. Wildlife authorities in Montana, following new laws, have been looking at changes such as increasing the number of wolves an individual can hunt to between five and 10. A decision is expected in August. He has been with the agency for 26 years, and this was the largest quake he has experienced. I was really assuming the worst, that there was going to be widespread catastrophic damage, Fisher said. But as calls were made to coastal communities while they were evacuating during the tsunami warning, the calls were able to go through, a good initial sign. And local officials reported they didnt see any structural or significant damage. Given how long the ground shook, up to two minutes in some places, they expected to have broken glasses or plates and items thrown out of pantries and refrigerators. But to not have roads collapse, not have a damaging wave from the tsunami that was generated was just incredible, Fisher said. Its really a miracle. A common saying is that earthquakes dont kill people, buildings do, said Peter Haeussler, a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. Because this earthquake was so far from the shore it was basically out in the middle of nowhere and also in places where nobody is really living then the ability to have strong ground shaking, to damage buildings, to injure people goes to pretty close to zero, Haeussler said. HONOLULU (AP) If youre homeless and looking for temporary shelter in Hawaiis capital, expect a visit from a robotic police dog that will scan your eye to make sure you dont have a fever. Thats just one of the ways public safety agencies are starting to use Spot, the best-known of a new commercial category of robots that trot around with animal-like agility. The handful of police officials experimenting with the four-legged machines say theyre just another tool, like existing drones and simple wheeled robots, to keep emergency responders out of harms way as they scout for dangers. But privacy watchdogs the human kind warn that police are secretly rushing to buy the robots without setting safeguards against aggressive, invasive or dehumanizing uses. In Honolulu, the police department spent about $150,000 in federal pandemic relief money to buy their Spot from robotics firm Boston Dynamics for use at a government-run tent city near the airport. Because these people are houseless its considered OK to do that, said Jongwook Kim, legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii. At some point it will come out again for some different use after the pandemic is over. In Wisconsin, the strong winds that moved across the state from the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan began Wednesday evening. By 2 a.m. Thursday, the numerous tornado warnings around the state had expired. Hours later, one man died when he crashed his vehicle into a fallen tree and power line near the town of Ripon at about 6 a.m. Thursday, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. The National Weather Service surveyed hard-hit areas in southeastern Wisconsin and confirmed one tornado, probably rated EF1, caused damage around the Jefferson County community of Concord, toppling farm buildings. Cows could be seen grazing among debris that landed in farm fields. By Thursday afternoon, the weather service confirmed at least two other tornados were also responsible for damage near Waukesha and Watertown. Gov. Tony Evers signed a declaration imposing a state of emergency in Wisconsin. Evers order directs state agencies to help those impacted by the storms. It also allows the National Guard to be activated to support local authorities with recovery efforts. The weather service on Wednesday warned that the severe weather sweeping across upper Midwest states could include hurricane force winds and tornadoes and develop into a derecho a rare type of storm thats often described as an inland hurricane. KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Belarus' authoritarian president said Friday he is prepared to invite Russian troops into the country, if such a move is necessary to ensure the security of both Belarus and Russia. But, President Alexander Lukashenko said, at the moment there is absolutely no need to do that. In remarks carried by the state-run Belta news agency, Lukashenko stressed that he had dealt with last year's antigovernment protests without involving other countries' armed forces, but added that he would not hesitate to bring in Russian troops if necessary. Belarus is able to quickly call to arms 500,000 of its own personnel, but if it is not enough, all Russian armed forces will be brought in, Lukashenko said, according to Belta. If it is necessary, we won't hesitate. Russia and Belarus have close military and defense ties. Two Russian radar stations providing communication with nuclear submarines in the Atlantic, Indian and parts of the Pacific are based in Belarus. In September, the two ex-Soviet nations are scheduled to conduct large-scale joint military exercises. Until recently, Belarus had resisted Russia's attempts to expand its military presence there and rejected Moscow's requests to open an airbase and station additional troops in the country. WARSAW, Poland (AP) Polish Communist-era judge Stefan Michnik, whose extradition Poland had sought over the death sentences he handed down in the early 1950s, has died in Sweden at 91. The news came from an obit that his half-brother, Adam Michnik, the editor-in-chief of Poland's liberal Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper, placed Friday. Sweden twice refused to extradite Michnik since the turn of the century, saying the statute of limitations had expired on the death and prison term sentences that Michnik's panels of the military court had given Polish freedom and anti-communist fighters after World War II. Poland protested the refusals, arguing that in 1952-53 when they were given, the death sentences qualified as crimes against humanity. Poland also argued that the nation's wartime heroes of anti-Nazi resistance and fighters against the imposed, oppressive communist regime were sentenced on trumped-up charges and false evidence. Michnik quit the military court for other jobs in 1953 and left Poland in 1969, following an anti-Semitic purge. He settled in Sweden and became a citizen there. He died on Tuesday, the obit said. PRAGUE (AP) The Czech government on Friday approved a program of help for Afghans who worked with Czech troops during their deployment in NATO missions. Defense Minister Lubomir Metnar said the help meant for Afghan interpreters and their families includes their relocation, an offer of asylum and financial aid. Metnar said the goal of the program is to ensure safe and decent live conditions for them after NATO troops pull out of Afghanistan. The governments move came days after the Czech veterans, current service members, human rights organizations and others urged the government to help resettle the Afghans because of the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan. NATO troops are ending a deployment launched against al-Qaida and Taliban forces in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. President Milos Zeman asked the government on Thursday to approve the program without any delay because of fears that Afghans who worked with the Czech military could be killed by the Taliban. The Defense Ministry declined to provide further details about the program, which is classified in order to protect its recipients. Their number wasn't given. Greece has for years been one of the most popular entry points into the European Union for people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The vast majority attempt to reach Greek islands near the Turkish coast, often in dangerously overcrowded inflatable dinghies and unseaworthy boats. Mitarachi stressed that Greece was protecting its borders and that entries by migrants heading from the Turkish coast to the Greek islands were 96% lower in the last 12 months compared with the previous 12-month period. Rights groups and migrants have repeatedly accused Greece of carrying out illegal summary deportations of people who arrive on the islands without giving them the chance to apply for asylum. Greek authorities vehemently deny they carry out pushbacks, but do say they robustly patrol the borders. The governments policy is clear. We do not want to be the gateway for smuggling networks into the European Union, Mitarachi said. We have denied hundreds of millions of euros from the smugglers of human pain, who operate to the east of our country. Our country has land and sea borders. Follow APs global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) The International Criminal Court has withdrawn its arrest warrant for the wife of former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo following her husband's acquittal on charges of involvement in deadly violence that erupted following his country's disputed 2010 presidential election. Simone Gbagbo had faced similar charges under an arrest warrant issued by the global war crimes court in 2012. Her husband was acquitted in 2019, midway through his trial at the ICC, of responsibility for crimes including murder, rape and persecution during post-election violence in Ivory Coast. Judges said prosecutors failed to prove their case. Appeals judges at the global court upheld the acquittal in March, clearing Gbagbo and co-defendant Charles Ble Goude to fly home. In a written ruling issued confidentially on July 19 and made public this week, a panel of ICC judges approved a request by prosecutors to withdraw the warrant against Simone Gbagbo. Abdelrahman al-Rashed, who runs a Saudi-owned media group and is close to the royal court, said Saied is saving the country from returning to the chaos sparked by the Arab Spring. In a column for the Arabic Ashraq al-Awsat newspaper, he wrote that political turmoil in Tunisia marks the death of the Muslim Brotherhoods authority." Ennahdha itself has distanced itself from more militant Islamists, and its leader, Rachid Ghannouchi, told The Associated Press this week that its critics are using it as a scapegoat for Tunisias problems. He noted that his party has played a major role in parliament in the decade since the revolution, which opened the way for his return from 22 years of exile in London, and won the most seats in the last legislative elections. Some question whether the Gulf states had a role in Tunisias current tensions. But others argue that Tunisians are more focused on day-to-day concerns than the discourse around the Muslim Brotherhood. Meanwhile, Tunisias strategic importance to the European Union cannot be overstated. OPINION: Vaccinations seem to be the main topic of the day with Tucsonans urging others to think of the kids who don't qualify for the vaccinations to get theirs to help protect our young ones. Join the discussion by submitting a letter at tucon.com/opinion. Local journalism is important and producing it costs time and money. To continue viewing content on tucson.com, please sign in with your existing account or subscribe. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? Despite the CDC moratorium, more than 38,658 evictions have been filed by landlords and 15,551 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. Were also excited to add in-demand college degree and certificate options in business administration, supply chain and cybersecurity. These additional offerings join a robust catalog of programs to set associates up for new career opportunities, said Stomski. Our education offerings tie directly to our growth areas at Walmart, and what better way to fill the pipeline of future talent than with our own associates. In addition, Walmart will add four academic partners, including Johnson & Wales University, the University of Arizona, the University of Denver and Pathstream. These complement the existing partners: Brandman University, Penn Foster, Purdue University Global, Southern New Hampshire University, Wilmington University and Voxy EnGen. Each of these institutions were chosen for their history of success with adult and working learner programs as well as their focus on degree completion. Walmart is committed to eliminate the burden of education debt. Cost is a leading barrier for earning a degree with student-loan debt in the U.S. topping $1.7 trillion. Since launching LBU in 2018, more than 52,000 associates have participated in the program to date and 8,000 have already graduated. Nearly 28,000 associates have been active in a LBU program this summer. An 18-year-old gang member was arrested on a first-degree murder complaint early Friday on allegations that he fatally shot a Tulsa bar bouncer and DJ who had told him to leave the property. Chris Bratton reportedly was messing with or looking into cars in the parking lot of DDs Double Shot Bar near 11th Street and Sheridan Road about 1:20 a.m. Friday when a customer and the bars bouncer and DJ, Nathan Hull, took notice, according to a police news release and Brattons arrest and booking report. Hull told Bratton to leave, and Bratton is allegedly to have turned as he was leaving and pulled a gun from his waistband, firing it twice at Hull, police said. Hull was struck in his chest and died before officers arrived, according to the arrest report. Bar patrons followed Bratton as he walked east, and he surrendered to police in the parking lot of a convenience store after attempting to hide his gun in a strangers purse, police said. Bratton is listed in jail records as homeless. He had been released from jail July 8 on $1,000 bond in a separate case in which he and a co-defendant are charged with possession of a firearm after conviction of a felony, gang-related offense and obstructing an officer. A judge ordered on Friday that a man be held in jail pending the outcome of child enticement and pornography charges filed against him after an FBI agent detailed the mans attempts to marry his alleged victim and potentially flee the country with her. U.S. Magistrate Susan E. Huntsman found probable cause for Alexander Nicholaus Sweet to stand trial and ordered that he be held without bail after determining that no conditions of release could reasonably assure his appearance at future court hearings and ensure the safety of other people. Sweet, 28, was jailed July 22 on a criminal complaint following a nearly seven-month investigation. The complaint charges Sweet with production, receipt and possession of child pornography as well as an offense linked to the coercion or enticement of a person under the age of 18 to engage in any sexual activity for which a person can be charged with a criminal offense. Huntsman said prosecutors had offered strong evidence during the hearing that images and videos allegedly exchanged between the victim and Sweet qualified as child pornography. She also said there was probable cause to believe that Sweet enticed the minor to engage in sexual activities for which someone could be charged with a crime. The brother of a man whose children died after being trapped in a hot pickup last summer pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor drug possession charge in Tulsa federal court. As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors that calls for no prison time but 18 months of probation, Michael Scott Dennis, 50, admitted to possessing cocaine during June 2020. Michael Dennis was named March 4 in a 16-count indictment along with his brother, Dustin Lee Dennis, who was arrested earlier on charges linked to the death of his children. The indictment charged both brothers with 12 felony counts of using a cellphone to commit a drug-related felony. The charges alleged that the brothers exchanged text messages about obtaining cocaine for the pair and plans to play video games together the evening before the children died. A second superseding indictment filed May 3 charged Michael Dennis with three more related counts. Prosecutors filed the misdemeanor drug charge against Michael Dennis on Monday, usually a sign a plea deal is in the works. The plea deal is still subject to approval by a judge. JENKS With local COVID-19 case numbers climbing, Jenks Public Schools is reopening the 2021-22 application window for its full-time virtual option for younger students. Applications for Jenks students in kindergarten through sixth grade to switch from in-person instruction to the Trojan Connect program must be submitted by 5 p.m. Aug. 13. Until the district is able to confirm staffing and capacity levels, all new applications will be placed on a wait list. Spokesman Rob Loeber said every effort will be made to notify families of their status before the districts Meet the Teacher events Aug. 16. Classes start Aug. 18. We will provide as much notice as possible, but we have to acknowledge that were changing a students programming, Loeber said. Weve been preparing all summer for them to be there in person this fall. If that changes, it just cant happen overnight. For the 2021-22 school year, Jenks East Elementary School and Jenks East Intermediate School will host Trojan Connect for students in sixth grade and younger. Students will be expected to come to campus once a week and will have access to the schools libraries. More than a decade ago, Oklahoma City addressed a similar issue by rerouting Interstate 40 so that it closely followed the contours of what is now known as the Oklahoma River. That opened up the area adjoining downtown Oklahoma City on the south and eliminated one of those most dangerous and high-maintenance stretches of highway in the state, but at considerable expense most of it borne by the federal government through the efforts of U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe. Now President Joe Biden advocates spending billions to address neighborhoods, and especially minority neighborhoods, bisected by infrastructure. But figuring out an alternative to the IDL might not be easy. About 90,000 vehicles a day pass over the busiest stretch the north leg and is no obvious new route to follow, such as the river in Oklahoma City or the railroad right-of-way that largely determined the path of the Broken Arrow Expressway. "They talk about tunnels and they talk about going back to a particular kind of street grid," Goodwin said when asked what would happen to the IDL, particularly the north leg. "The traffic would be rerouted. There will still be streets that course through the community. The question is where will those streets be, how would that traffic flow all of that has to be worked out. The remains of 19 people exhumed from Oaklawn Cemetery earlier this summer were reinterred Friday over the loud objections of 25 to 30 possible descendants of those individuals. This is criminal! shouted Celi Butler-Davis from beyond a fence along the southwest side of the cemetery. The protesters said that at a minimum they should have been allowed to be graveside. At best, they wanted the reburial postponed. The remains were exhumed as part of the citys search for unmarked burials from Tulsas 1921 Race Massacre, and on Friday they were put back in the same spots where they were found. Michelle Brooks, a spokeswoman from the city, said that course followed a plan adopted by the processs public oversight committee in March and the conditions of its permit from the Oklahoma State Department of Health to exhume the remains. Analysis of the remains will determine if they are Race Massacre victims or not, Brooks said in an email. If they are, then we will want to try to match DNA with descendants and let descendants decide where they want them to be buried. If they cant be identified, we would work to establish a permanent memorial. Reparations for damage done to Tulsa's Greenwood district during the 1921 Race Massacre were a matter of discussion at that time, and they still are today, a state representative said. Earlier this summer, state Rep. Regina Goodwin, D-Tulsa, requested an interim study on the issue. That request was turned down by House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka. Goodwin said last week she wanted to look into why recommendations issued in February 2001 by a legislative commission have not been fully implemented. In fact, the commission's original call for restitution was made a year earlier, in a letter to Gov. Frank Keating. That letter was included in the 2001 report with a figurative line drawn under it. The five recommendations were direct payments to massacre survivors and descendants of people harmed by the massacre, a scholarship fund, establishment of an "economic development zone," and "a memorial for the reburial of any human remains found in the search for unmarked graves." The commission acknowledged the recommendations were non-binding, and not all commissioners agreed on some of the them, but Goodwin and others think most of those were too easily dismissed. The Court should take this opportunity to correct the mistakes in its abortion jurisprudence and recognize that the text and original understanding of the Fourteenth Amendment have nothing to do with abortion, McMasters attorneys wrote. Rather than creating a federal constitutional right, the Court should leave regulating abortion to the States, where the people may act through the democratic process. McMasters attorneys also argued that the high courts landmark abortion decisions have upended the careful balance that the Constitution strikes between the Federal Government and the States. The arguments are similar to the ones made by Mississippi's attorney general. Also Thursday, an amicus brief from 184 U.S. House members and 44 U.S. senators, all Republicans, also argued in favor of delegating governance over abortion-related issues to the states, calling it "long overdue for this Court to return lawmaking to legislators." European Jews were forced to wear the yellow star of David by Nazis as a form of persecution and forced exclusion, she said. How do you then compare that to the vaccine that is saving lives? It is really insulting to the survivors and to the 6 million Jews that were slaughtered in the Holocaust. It is horribly upsetting and not right. While some people make a choice not to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the Jews did not have a choice in this matter in the way they were exterminated and murdered, she said. Former Rep. John Bennett, R-Sallisaw, is the Oklahoma Republican Party chairman. He did not respond to a request for comment. During his time in the Legislature, Bennett made repeated verbal attacks on Muslims and Islam. Not all leaders in the Oklahoma Republican Party approve of the Facebook post. A party official issued a statement Friday evening saying the Oklahoma party vice chairman, a national committeeman and a national committeewoman denounce the use of the Star of David and call on all Republicans to join us in support of honoring the memory of those murdered in the Holocaust. Millers proposal suggests that taking certain minor criminal records out of the public eye could have a positive impact on economic opportunity, educational access and workforce development. Rep. Mark Lawson, chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, got approval for a study of the impact of incarceration on Oklahoma families. Lawson points out that on any given day, Oklahoma has 26,000 children whose parents are in state custody, a number that doesnt count those in jails, federal prisons or other facilities. What are the financial and social impacts of having that many parents in prison, and what better outcomes are possible if parents convicted of drug and property crimes can be diverted to rehabilitation and training programs that can keep family units whole, he asks. Lawson told me he isnt sure what legislation his study might lead to, but he wants more lawmakers to understand that there are financial and social costs to leading the nation in the incarceration of women. Some of those costs, such as the cost of foster care for children or of holding a prisoner for a year, are easy to calculate, but Lawson asks what are those costs to the state that we cant put a dollar figure on? U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe has never made a secret of the fact that he goes to Washington to fight for Oklahomas needs. Regardless of whether you like his policy positions, no one can fault his attention to making sure Oklahoma gets its fair share of federal benefits. An obvious example is the widening of Interstate 44 in the city of Tulsa, a project so closely associated with Inhofe that the outside lanes of the highway should be named in his honor. Inhofe also has been a consistent advocate for improving the decaying Arkansas River levee system that protects much of Tulsa from spring floods, and, more recently, advocating for needed improvement to Tulsa International Airport. For years, the contrast was stark to Sen. Tom Coburn, who not only refused to advocate on the states behalf but also successfully led efforts to ban congressional earmarks. That didnt decrease federal spending by a penny. It just gave most of the control over where our tax money was to be spent to the bureaucrats and the White House, neither of which can be counted on to prioritize the people of Oklahoma. Many lenders in Ho Chi Minh City have applied the three-on-the-spot mechanism, one of two models required for production companies in virus-hit areas, to deal with difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. To maintain economic growth during the pandemic prevention time, many firms in Vietnam have followed either the three-on-the-spot or one road, two places model. In the first model, enterprises and employees must conduct production, have meals, and rest after work at the same place. Enterprises and employees following the second protocol must arrange isolated production and accommodations at two separate locations, connected by a single transport route for workers to commute every day. Under no obligation to implement any of the two aforementioned mechanisms, many banks in Ho Chi Minh City, including the Vietnam Export Import Commercial Joint - Stock Bank (Eximbank), the Ho Chi Minh City Development Joint Stock Commercial Bank (HDBank), and the Saigon Thuong Tin Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Sacombank), still stick to the stay-at-work mode to maintain normal operations during the current social distancing drive. Eximbank has temporarily suspended transactions at more than 50 of its branches and transaction offices, according to the banks representative. It has continued providing services at only about 30 venues, which are advantageous for pandemic prevention and health protection for customers and employees. At the 30 active facilities, Eximbanks employees have followed the three-on-the-spot model. In addition, employees at HDBank and Sacombank are subject to COVID-19 testing every five days and on a weekly basis, respectively, and work alternatively in different shifts. As city authorities have enforced a ban on outdoor travels betweem 6:00 pm and 6:00 am the next day since July 26, it is hard for bank employees to finish their work before 5:00 pm every day and return home prior to the restriction hours. The three-on-the-spot implementation is expected to help bankers complete their tasks without spending time traveling and allow lenders to have a backup workforce, in case many of their workers are infected with the coronavirus or their residential areas are locked down. We have also prepared contingency plans to ensure smooth operation in unexpected situations, a representative of Sacombank said. The Ministry of Health on Friday morning confirmed 4,987 new domestic COVID-19 cases, including 2,740 infections in Ho Chi Minh City, taking the countrys tally to 133,405, with 31,780 recoveries, as recorded since early 2020. Since April 27, when the pandemics fourth wave appeared in Vietnam, the city has accounted for 84,521 cases in the countrys total of 129,622 domestic infections and recently led the nation in daily new infections, with thousands of patients registered per day. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Vietnams Ministry of Planning and Investment has coordinated with Bach Mai Hospital to organize a COVID-19 vaccination session for disabled and disadvantaged workers in Hanoi. About 200 disabled and disadvantaged workers received COVID-19 vaccine jabs on Thursday morning, according to Dr. Dao Xuan Co, deputy director of Bach Mai Hospital. We have selected hospital staff with expertise in the field to administer the shots to the disabled workers, said Dr. Co. The vaccination drive for disabled workers was carried out in accordance with the governments policy of prioritizing COVID-19 vaccine access for the poor and social policy beneficiaries. Amid the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are well aware that disabled workers are more vulnerable than ever, said Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment. The vaccination priority is a driving force for them to overcome daily difficulties in the context of the pandemic." Pham Viet Hoai, a representative of KymViet, a social enterprise employing people with disabilities for handicraft making, said that all of its 22 members participating in Thursdays vaccination session were grateful for the priority. They were very eager to be vaccinated to stay safe against the COVID-19, and especially to continue working and creating useful products for life, Hoai said. A volunteer moves a disabled worker in a wheel chair to a COVID-19 vaccination room in Hanoi, July 29, 2021. Photo: Ministry of Planning and Investment Authorities have administered more than 5.5 million vaccine shots, including nearly 379,000 doses in Hanoi, since Vietnam rolled out inoculation on March 8. About 546,400 people have been fully vaccinated, with more than 32,600 of them living in the capital city. The Ministry of Health on Friday morning confirmed 4,987 domestic COVID-19 cases, taking the countrys tally to 133,405, with 31,780 recoveries, as recorded since early 2020. Of the new cases, 63 transmissions were detected in Hanoi while 2,740 infections were logged in Ho Chi Minh City, which has recently led the country in daily new infections, with thousands of patients registered per day. Since April 27, when the pandemics fourth wave appeared in Vietnam, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have accounted for 1,203 and 84,521 cases, respectively, in the countrys total of 129,622 domestic infections. A staff member assists a disabled worker with paperwork before a COVID-19 vaccination session in Hanoi, July 29, 2021. Photo: Ministry of Planning and Investment A staff member assists a disabled worker with paperwork before a COVID-19 vaccination session in Hanoi, July 29, 2021. Photo: Ministry of Planning and Investment Disabled workers wait for a COVID-19 vaccination session in Hanoi, July 29, 2021. Photo: Ministry of Planning and Investment Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has issued official guidance on how to monitor and care for COVID-19 patients at home as part of its bid to reduce pressure on local treatment facilities. The guidance was signed by Tang Chi Thuong, deputy director of the citys health department, and was sent to local hospitals and district-level administrations and medical centers. The document highlighted that COVID-19 patients with no symptoms who meet certain requirements on their seventh day at treatment facilities are allowed to be discharged and have their health monitored at home for 14 days. Asymptomatic patients who were recently detected in the community can also be quarantined at their houses for 14 days if they do not suffer from obesity and underlying health conditions. Quarantined people must stay in a separate room with windows and have a separate bathroom. The room must have a recycle bin with a proper cover, sufficient personal items, hand and surface sanitizer, face masks, thermometers, essential medicine, and vitamin supplements. A table should be put in front of the room for the supply of meals and personal items. Each patient must have their own phone number and must be provided with the contact information of the local medical center and rapid response team. Children and the elderly should be taken care of by family members. If all family members are infected with the disease and are allowed to undergo home quarantine, a separate room for each patient is not necessary. Patients are advised to wear face masks all the time and change their masks twice a day. The face masks must be disinfected before being discarded. They must measure their body temperature at least twice a day and file health declarations via mobile apps at least once a day. Sufficient nutrition and hydration as well as frequent physical exercise should be maintained. Patients are advised to contact local medical centers if they have a fever, coughing, a sore throat, diarrhea, loss of smell or taste, chest pain, and signs of difficulty breathing. They should call the 115 emergency hotline or rapid response team if having serious symptoms including shortness of breath, rapid breathing (over 30 breaths per minute), extreme fatigue, and cyanosis. Family members who live with the patients must also fill out health declaration forms at least once per day. Vietnam had documented 133,405 COVID-19 cases as of Friday afternoon, with 31,780 recoveries and 1,022 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health. The country has recorded 129,622 local infections in 62 provinces and cities, including 84,521 cases in Ho Chi Minh City, since the fourth wave broke out on April 27. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade proposed on Thursday that health authorities vaccinate 62,000 delivery workers against COVID-19 to ensure the flow of goods during the current social distancing period. The 62,000 workers provide motorbike delivery service under the management of 16 companies, including food delivery applications Grab, Now, Baemin, and Gojek and e-commerce platforms such as Shopee and Lazada. The list of delivery workers had been complied and submitted to the Department of Industry and Trade before city authorities enforced extensive social distancing rules on July 22, according to a representative of a tech-based company. The representative emphasized that vaccination for delivery workers is necessary in order to ensure the safety of delivery and the circulation of essential goods during the period of restrictions. On Tuesday, 1,500 Grab motorbike partners in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City were given the COVID-19 vaccine. The Peoples Committee of Ho Chi Minh City currently allows delivery workers to transport essential goods between different districts and Thu Duc City from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm every day. The delivery workers must wear uniforms, including an armband, and be equipped with a quick response code and other paperwork to pass through checkpoints. Authorities have administered more than 5.5 million jabs, including over 1.2 million doses in Ho Chi Minh City, since Vietnam rolled out its inoculation campaign on March 8. About 546,400 people are fully vaccinated, with more than 66,800 of them living in the southern metropolis. The Ministry of Health on Friday morning confirmed 4,987 new domestic COVID-19 cases, including 2,740 infections in Ho Chi Minh City, taking the countrys tally to 133,405, with 31,780 recoveries, as recorded since early 2020. Since April 27, when the pandemics fourth wave appeared in Vietnam, the city has accounted for 84,521 cases in the national caseload of 129,622 domestic infections. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) on Tuesday sent a letter to U.S. President Joe Biden on behalf of 1,000 businesses to urge the donation of more COVID-19 vaccines to partner countries, including Vietnam. In the letter, Steve Lamar, president and CEO of the AAFA, stressed that the success of the U.S. apparel and footwear industry and three million American workers is directly dependent on suppliers with healthy workforces around the world. Vietnam is the second-largest supplier of apparel, footwear, and travel goods to the U.S. market, accounting for 20 percent of all U.S. imports, a number that grows every year, even during the pandemic, Lamar stated. He urged President Biden to dramatically ramp up distribution of vaccines, including Americas stockpile of Astra Zeneca vaccines, as well as testing supplies and personal protective equipment to Vietnam. Immediate and dramatic actions by the U.S. will not only save millions of lives worldwide but could also save Americas economic recovery, the AAFE resident remarked. The AAFA previously sent another letter to the White House on June 9 to applaud the latters efforts to distribute vaccines to countries and key partners around the world. In a letter to Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Tuesday, Lamar urged the government to prioritize the distribution of vaccines to Vietnams apparel, footwear, and travel goods industries. The government should also work with the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS) and Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (LEFASO) to develop and implement protocols for businesses and workers in these industries to safely produce and transport goods, he added. The AAFA representing more than 1,000 world famous brand names in apparel, footwear, and other sewn products, including Gap, Adidas, and Nike. The U.S. has so far provided Vietnam with five million doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine via the COVAX Facility. The White House and American diplomats stressed that the vaccine shots represent humanitarian assistance from the U.S. for the Southeast Asian country. Vietnam set a target of immunizing two-thirds of a population of nearly 98 million people against COVID-19 by the first quarter of next year. The nation has received about 15 million vaccine shots from various sources, with more than 5.5 million doses having been administered. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! HANOI -- Vietnam will accelerate its vaccine rollout in COVID-19 hotspot Ho Chi Minh City and build more field hospitals, authorities said on Thursday, as it battles a worsening wave of infections driven by the virulent Delta variant. After successfully containing the virus for much of the pandemic, Vietnam has been facing record daily increases in infections since late April. The health ministry said in a statement it will simplify procedures in order to speed up vaccinations in Ho Chi Minh City - Vietnam's business hub and largest population centre. It is aiming to administer at least one shot to 70% of the city's 9 million residents over the next month. The city currently administers between 70,000 and 80,000 coronavirus vaccine doses per day. "It must be done quickly, using up all the vaccines as they arrive," Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said on Thursday during a meeting with municipal authorities. Vaccination centres will remain open late in the evening and more medical staff will be deployed to the city, the ministry said. Procedures before and after the shots will be shortened. Vietnam, with a population of 98 million, has so far administered over 5.3 million vaccine doses, but fewer than 500,000 people have been fully vaccinated. It reported 7,594 new infections on Thursday, raising its overall caseload to 128,413, with at least 630 deaths. More than 40% of those cases were recorded over the past week. The outbreak has forced around one third of Vietnam's cities and provinces to impose strict restrictions on movement, including in the capital Hanoi and the central tourist hub Danang. Rising infection numbers have also forced labour-intensive businesses, including Nike and Adidas suppliers, in Ho Chi Minh City and neighbouring industrial provinces to halt production. Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday launched a new field hospital, the health ministry said, adding to more than a dozen set up recently to provide tens of thousands of beds for sick patients. "The city is switching its focus to treatment to limit the number of deaths," a separate statement posted on the website of the central government said on Thursday. Vietnam has previously concentrated most its resources on contact tracing and quarantining. Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked health authorities to promptly authorize Nano Covax, a vaccine being developed domestically, to make the first made-in-Vietnam vaccine available soon amid surging COVID-19 cases. The president made the direction during a meeting at Ho Chi Minh City-based Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC, which he visited on Thursday to review its production progress. At the meeting, President Phuc emphasized the importance of the compliance with epidemic prevention and control rules and the acceleration of mass vaccination to prevent the rising coronavirus spread. The leader said the Party and State have been proceeding with securing vaccine supplies from abroad while speeding up domestic vaccine research and production, with a vision to ensure proactiveness in inoculation. Administrative procedures should be sped up so that the vaccine can be approved for emergency use soon provided it is safe for people, the president said. The State leader added he set out a policy for domestic research on COVID-19 vaccine as early as March 2020 and directed the transfer of VND200 billion (US$8.7 million) to the health sector for vaccine studies. As the pandemic has been raging in Vietnam, the production of a COVID-19 vaccine has become an urgent requirement that needs to be met soon, President Phuc said. Ho Nhan, Nanogen director, told the president that after seven months of human trials since December 2020, the vaccine showed no adverse responses while having good immunogenicity and neutralization efficacy, including for the Delta variant of the coronavirus. During the clinical trials on 14,000 people, the ratio of people having side effects was very low while no severe reactions or deaths were recorded, Nhan claimed. About 30 countries have contacted the company for vaccine technology transfer negotiation, including India, the director told the meeting, adding that the World Health Organization (WHO) is also evaluating Nanogen's vaccine profile to integrate it into the worlds vaccine sources. This image shows a woman receiving a Nano Covax vaccine shot in phase-2 human trials conducted by Nanogen in Long An Province, Vietnam. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre Nhan also announced that Nanogen is now able to produce 10 million Nano Covax doses per month and will increase the capacity to 30 million jabs in October. The director proposed that Nagogen be granted an urgent conditional approval within this week or next week while the company is continuing phase-3 clinical trials. President Phuc asked the health ministry and other relevant agencies to support the company in accelerating its vaccine production, and streamline administrative formalities in approval, on the principle of protecting vaccinated people. Based on the objective scientific assessments, the health ministry is requested to grant an early license to Nanogen so that the company can produce the vaccine and put it to use soon," he said. "Safety is above all, but procedures should be quick in the current urgent context." The Department of Science, Technology, and Training and the Pharmaceutical Department under the health ministry should push administrative procedures related to COVID-19 vaccine, while Nanogen should continue perfecting its vaccine product, the leader directed. We must take action faster, stronger, and more drastically as the pandemic is putting everyone in danger, the president emphasized. Vietnam needs to have 150 million vaccine doses to inoculate 70 percent of its 98 million-strong population to reach herd immunity, but the country has so far received only about 15 million shots in total from different sources, including COVAX Facility, contractual purchases, and donations, the health ministry said. As of Friday, more than 5.5 million vaccine shots have been administered nationwide, with the numbers of people receiving the first and second doses nearing five million and some 546,000, respectively, the ministry reported. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Ministry of Health documented more than 8,600 local COVID-19 infections in Vietnam on Friday, while logging more than 3,700 recoveries. Thirty-eight provinces and cities reported 8,622 locally-infected patients while another 27 cases were imported from abroad, the health ministry said. A total of 1,702 cases were detected in the community whereas the remainder were found in isolated areas or centralized quarantine facilities. Ho Chi Minh City registered 4,282 of the latest domestic infections, Binh Duong Province 1,920, Long An Province 469, Dong Nai Province 360, Tien Giang Province 242, Khanh Hoa Province 217, Can Tho City 174, Dong Thap Province 157, and Hanoi 144. Since the fourth COVID-19 wave began in Vietnam on April 27, the country has registered 133,257 community transmissions in 62 out of its 63 provinces and cities. Ho Chi Minh City is on top with 86,063 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 12,604, Bac Giang Province with 5,735, Long An Province with 4,899, Dong Nai Province with 3,670, Dong Thap Province with 2,955, and Tien Giang Province with 2,097. By comparison, Vietnam confirmed 106 community cases in the first wave from January 23 to April 16, 2020, 554 in the second from July 25 to December 1, 2020, and 910 in the third from January 28 to March 25, 2021. The health ministry announced 3,704 recoveries on Friday, bringing the total to 35,484 recovered patients. The death toll has surged to 1,161 after 298 fatalities were logged the same day, including 254 in Ho Chi Minh City. The Southeast Asian country has overall recorded 134,827 domestic and 2,235 imported cases since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit it on January 23, 2020. Health workers gave 208,041 vaccine doses today. Over 5.5 million jabs have been administered to medical workers, teachers, factory workers, and other frontline staff since Vietnam rolled out inoculation on March 8. Roughly 546,000 people have been fully vaccinated. The Vietnamese government expects to obtain 175 million shots of various vaccines, including 51 million Pfizer-BioNTech jabs, by early 2022. It set a target of immunizing two-thirds of a population of nearly 98 million people against COVID-19 by the first quarter of next year. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! SKY News has apologised to Senator Sarah Hanson-Young and paid $40,000 and legal costs after broadcasting a defamatory attack. The claim made by Tasmanian Senator Jonathon Duniam was broadcast in April. To use my family, including my 7-year-old niece to launch a political attack is gutter politics. To broadcast false lies about my family is gutter journalism, Senator Hanson-Young said. These claims were utterly false, and have caused ongoing harm and stress to my family. It was a brazen, lazy attempt at a political hit job. It was a lie and it should never have gone to air. I was never given an opportunity by SKY News to comment on the entirely false allegations before they were published. Senator Duniam has since apologised and I am pleased that SKY News has now too. Monies will be donated to the Australian Youth Climate Coalition. A published apology from SKY News reads: An interview with Senator Duniam broadcast on 20 April 2021 concerned anti-logging protests in Gippsland, Victoria and in Tasmania. During the interview, Senator Duniam made claims about Senator Hanson-Young which he now accepts were false and defamatory. Senator Duniam has withdrawn those claims unconditionally and apologised to Senator Hanson-Young for making them. SKY News also apologises to Senator Hanson-Young and her family for broadcasting the claims and unreservedly withdraws those claims. "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." Sports Editor I am a native Tylerite and I grew up reading the Tyler Morning Telegraph and The Tyler Courier-Times. My parents took both the morning and afternoon papers. I came to work here 35 years ago at the age of 23, right after college. Wayne LaPierre, the former head of the National Rifle Association. AP The LaPierres secretly shipped elephant parts from their Botswana hunt to avoid public outcry. Susan LaPierre requested the shipment have no clear links to the couple, The New Yorker reported. Taxidermy records showed the parts were turned into stools, an umbrella stand, and a trash can. See more stories on Insider's business page. Wayne LaPierre, who serves as executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, and his wife, Susan, secretly shipped parts of elephants they shot in 2013 to turn them into home decor, said a new report published on Thursday. In late April, leaked graphic video footage obtained by The New Yorker and The Trace showed the LaPierres each shooting and killing an elephant in Botswana in 2013. An export company in Botswana emailed the couple to confirm the shipment of animal parts, which included one Cape-buffalo skull, two sheets of elephant skin, two elephant ears, four elephant tusks, and four front elephant feet, according to The New Yorker report published on Thursday. Susan LaPierre later requested that the shipment have no clear links to the couple, asking to use the name of an American taxidermist as "the consignee," and that the company not use their names "anywhere if at all possible," The New Yorker reported. In one message sent by the taxidermist, who was not named in the report, to the shipping company, he explained that the LaPierres "can not afford bad publicity and a out cry," which is "why they are trying not to have there names show up on these shipments so the information does not fall into the wrong hands," records obtained by the news outlet said. Susan LaPierre also said the couple expected to receive "an assortment of skulls and skins from warthogs, impalas, a zebra, and a hyena" in the shipment, the report said. "Taxidermy work orders containing the LaPierres' names called for the elephants' four front feet to be turned into 'stools,' an 'umbrella stand,' and a 'trash can,'" The New Yorker reported. "At their request, tusks were mounted, skulls were preserved, and the hyena became a rug." Story continues The request was made amid the public backlash against Tony Makris, a longtime advisor to Wayne LaPierre, after he shot and killed an elephant on the hunting show "Under Wild Skies." The LaPierres' hunt was filmed to air as part of an episode for the show, but it was canceled, The New Yorker reported. There are approximately 415,000 African elephants in the wild, and the World Wildlife Fund lists the species as vulnerable, meaning they are not endangered but are at risk because of hunting and elephant poaching. Andrew Arulanandam, the managing director of public affairs for the NRA, said in a statement that the LaPierres' "activity in Botswana - from more than seven years ago - was legal and fully permitted." "This is stale news, being recycled to advance a personal agenda," Arulanandam continued. He added that many NRA members and donors participate in big-game hunting, and the LaPierres "participated in some trips abroad to extol the benefits of hunting and promote the brand of the NRA with one of its core audiences." "Many of the most notable hunting trophies in question are at the NRA museum or have been donated by the NRA to other public attractions," Arulanandam said in the statement. Last August, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit to dissolve the NRA, saying the organization was "fraught with fraud and abuse" and accusing LaPierre of leveraging his status as executive vice president of the NRA for personal gain. In a complaint filed last August, James' office said the LaPierres received free taxidermy work, which "constituted private benefits and gifts in excess of authorized amounts pursuant to NRA policy to LaPierre and his wife." Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Wayne LaPierre was a former head of the NRA. Read the original article on Business Insider This summer, 55 students from across the country immersed themselves in a foreign language on the University of North Georgia's (UNG) Dahlonega Campus in six-week Summer Language Institutes (SLI). The SLI academies, which ran from June 19-July 30, returned to campus after being held virtually in 2020. Students learned Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Russian through extensive speaking practice and cultural activities, including field trips, cultural food and snacks, and art, cooking and dancing classes. Jaden Davidson and Brandon Clark, a pair of incoming UNG freshmen from Dallas, Georgia, took part in the Chinese SLI. Both are pursuing a degree in cybersecurity and minoring in Chinese and have been accepted into UNG's Chinese Language Flagship program. The incoming cadets and Army ROTC Scholarship recipients were eager to earn eight credit hours of Chinese before starting their first full academic year. The European Union has met its 70 per cent Covid-19 vaccination target. But the rise of anti-vaccine conspiracy theories has ensured that vaccination rates in all emerging European nations remain below the EU average, Emerging Europe writes. In May, Vera Jourova, vice-president of the European Commission, announced the EUs ambitious plan to address the spread of disinformation online by asking social media giants to introduce more through fact-checking tools and algorithm changes. It said that the new social media code would only be voluntary, but it would go hand-in-hand with an also upcoming digital services act, which could see social media companies fined up to six per cent of their annual revenue if they did not act upon content proven to be harmful a tough stance on platforms, largely inspired by the dire need to address the rapid increase of anti-vaccine conspiracies throughout a high number of social media spaces. We see a very massive anti-vaccination campaign, which can really hinder our efforts to get people vaccinated and to get rid of Covid, Jourova said. Maria Chayinska, a researcher in social psychology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, has an explanation. People who are exposed to a large amount of misleading and false information about the virus, especially on social media, and discuss news mostly within their echo-chambers, will be more likely to endorse conspiracy theories because then it is not merely response to their perceived anxiety but a normative group behaviour, she tells Emerging Europe The brain of an anti-vaxxer In Ukraine, there are still many false narratives circulating in the media that decrease peoples willingness to comply with public health guidance, for example regarding wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, etc., and make them less likely to recommend vaccination to vulnerable people in their social circle, says Chayinska. In the early days of the pandemic, Chayinska conducted a study on conspiracy beliefs and distrust of science in Ukraine, Germany and Turkey, together with colleagues from the two countries. The study included a community-based sample of 390 Ukrainians who strongly endorse two different groups of conspiracy theories. The findings further suggest a high likelihood of risky social behaviour amongst conspiracists. The first large group comprised theories about the unnatural origin [of the virus], so-called bioweapons beliefs such as that the Coronavirus is of unnatural origin, created artificially in the laboratory, the Coronavirus was started by an experiment that went out of the control, and that the the coronavirus was created for the purpose of genocide, Chayinska explains. The other group of Covid-19-related beliefs centred around the idea that an individual or an organisation manufactured the virus in order to get a profit. They suggested that the coronavirus was created by China to destroy the Wests economies, the coronavirus is a myth deliberately spread to influence societies, the coronavirus was created to destroy Chinas economy, the coronavirus was created by Bill Gates to sell more vaccines, she adds. Daniel Jolley, a Northumbria University professor who focuses on researching the psychology of conspiracy theories, tells Emerging Europe that while the rise of vaccine scepticism in the region is undoubtedly a public health hazard, it is not unique nor unusual. Conspiracy theories can flourish in times of societal crisis from rapid political change to a virus outbreak. Such events breed feelings of anxiety and threat. A conspiracy theory that points the finger at a powerful hidden group provides a simple answer to what is often a complex problem. This could breed the view that something sinister is happening with vaccines such as the dangers of vaccines being hidden due to profits, Jolley argues. According to estimates by the World Health Organisation, 11 per 100 people in Ukraine have been administered a vaccination against Covid-19. Narcissism Poland performs significantly better in terms of vaccination uptake, 58.5 per cent have received at least one shot of the vaccine. However, even there, anti-vax conspiracies appear to be in an upswing. This week, local media reported a physical attack on a vaccination point it in the town of Grodzisk Mazowiecki committed by anti-vaccine conspiracies. The head of the Polish Chamber of Physicians and Dentists, Andrzej Matyja, also informed the public of cases where doctors and hospitals have also been attacked by those opposing vaccination. Aleksandra Cichocka, a psychology researcher at the University of Kent, argues that anti-vaccine attitudes in Poland are not so much caused by fear, but a symptom of the nationalistic sentiments present throughout the country. Our research shows that one factor closely linked to conspiracy beliefs, including those about vaccines, is so-called collective narcissism. It is a belief that ones nation is exceptional and entitled to special treatment by others. Collective narcissists are convinced that others do not appreciate their nation enough and even purposefully seek to undermine it, for instance, by conspiring against it, Cichocka tells Emerging Europe. Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Cichoka has completed a series of studies on Polish society, alongside colleagues in Warsaw, Aleksandra Cislak and Adrian Dominik Wojcik, as well as Taciano L. Milfont, who is based at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. We indeed found that collective narcissism was associated with beliefs in conspiracy theories claiming that large pharmaceutical companies, together with researchers and scientists, are colluding to cover up the negative effects of vaccines. Further, conspiracy beliefs explained the association between collective narcissism and vaccination hesitancy, she further adds. In the context of anti-vaccination movements, those who hold a narcissistic view of the nation might want to show their resistance from high-status groups, such as scientists or pharmaceutical corporations. This could be a way of maintaining an image of a strong, independent nation that is not gullible and will not let others dictate what to do, argue the groups of researchers. Before Covid-19 Anti-vaccine conspiracy theories seem to have become prominent again since the famous case of the retracted paper by Andrew Wakefield, which linked the Measles, Mumps, Rubella vaccine to autism based on fraudulent research, Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Kent, Karen Douglas, tells Emerging Europe. She refers to a 1998 paper that created a wave of anti-vaccine views in the West, which eventually found their way to other parts of the world, including Ukraine. According to one report published in 2019 by the UKs Wellcome Trust, based on the attitudes of 140,000 people from 140 countries, close to 50 per cent of Ukrainians did not believe that routine vaccination works. In 2016, healthcare authorities in Ukraine reported that only half of the babies and children in the country had received their routine vaccination against diseases such as measles, mumps, polio, tetanus and whooping cough. Between 2017 and 2019, a measles outbreak in the country infected 115,000 and killed 41 people, including 25 children. Prior to that, in 2015, two children were paralysed due to polio, Europes first outbreak of the disease since 2010. and now On July 27, the EU announced that its target of 70 per cent of EU adults having received at least one vaccination has been reached. Meanwhile, the majority of emerging European nations are falling behind their Western counterparts. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, as of July 29, Hungary is the country closest to reaching the 70 per cent EU target, with 66.4 per cent of the population having received at least one dose. In contrast, Bulgaria has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the European Union only 18.8 per cent have received one shot of the vaccine. And Ukraine has the lowest vaccination rate across the 23 countries of the emerging Europe region 7.66 per cent, according to Our World in Data. According to the World Health Organisation, vaccination rates of at least 97 per cent are necessary for herd immunity to take place, but with anti-vaccine conspiracies on the rise even in regional vaccination leaders, the prospect of Covid-19 fully disappearing from the region appears bleak. The Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani lands impacted many things, including the environment. Looking at the region today, the serious environmental, water supply and pollution problems speak for themselves. The world's understanding of security differs across time and, in our modern world, the rapid pollution of the environment, the depletion of drinking water resources and global warming caused by the brutal abuse of nature by humans pose a greater threat than wars, Daily Sabah reports. During the decades-long occupation, the waters, forests and natural resources of this region were used not only illegally, but also brutally, causing serious harm to the environment and humanity. It has been determined that more than 100,000 trees were cut down in the occupied territories. Trees were being felled even during the Armenian retreat from the Lachin and Kalbajar regions of Azerbaijan. During the period of occupation, Armenia blocked the rivers and prevented the flow of water to the Azerbaijani side. Moreover, during the 44-day war, the occupier attempted to use natural resources as a tool of war, trying, contrary to international law, to cause a humanitarian and ecological disaster in the region by firing missiles at Azerbaijan's Mingachevir Dam, oil and gas resources and pipelines. What is happening? One of the most important environmental problems of the region is the pollution of the transboundary Okchuchay River (Armenian: Voghji River) by Armenia. The Okchuchay, with a length of 84 kilometers (52 miles), rises in west Zangezur and flows into east Zangezur, which was liberated from occupation during the 44-day war. The Okchuchay River passes through Armenia's two mining districts. One of them is the Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine (ZCMC), which is located upstream of the Okchuchay River in the territory of Kajaran city, in the southeast of Armenia. The second mining district, Kapan Polymetal, is located downstream of the Okchuchay River, 1.5 kilometers east of the town of Kapan in the southeast of Armenia. The Okchuchay River has become a source of pollution due to the flow of heavy metals out of Armenian factories over the past decade. After the liberation of east Zangezur, the Ministry of Ecology of Azerbaijan conducted monitoring in the river and discovered that the level of pollution of the Okchuchay River is higher than other border rivers. The amount of nickel is seven times higher than the norm, iron four times and copper-molybdenum compound two times higher. According to an evaluation by the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) dating back to 2007, the ecological and chemical status of the Okchuchay River system is not satisfactory for aquatic life ... Industrial activities are the main pressure factor. Data from Armenia's Ministry of Ecology proves this. According to data, the Okchuchay is one of Armenia's most polluted rivers and has been classified as Class 5 in terms of pollution, the highest possible level. Research by Armenian experts (A. V. Gabrielyan, G. A. Shahnazaryan and S. H. Minasyan, 2018) found that the root causes of the river's pollution were lack of management and planning, poor operating experience and inadequate waste management. All the research results above were confirmed during a period of management by a German company. Most of ZCMCs shares (60%) belonged to Germanys CRONIMET Mining AG until 2019. Meanwhile, the managing partner of CRONIMET, 83-year-old Gunter Pilarsky, has a close connection with Armenia and has served as an honorary consul of Armenia in the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg since 2006. Pilarsky's name also appears on a list of Armenias paid lobbyists in Germany. According to The USA Tribune, until the autumn of 2020, Germany was one the main countries where Armenian lobbying organizations were engaged in attracting corrupt lawmakers. Threat to the biological security Water pollution has altered the rivers ecosystem; many fish species have been killed and some have disappeared altogether. The metals discharged into the Okchuchay pollute not only the river itself but also other nearby rivers. The Okchuchay flows directly into the Aras River, the second largest river of the South Caucasus, thus it is directly affected by the pollution from the Okchuchay. According to Iranian experts, despite Armenia accepting responsibility and committing to repair and refurbish facilities to completely clean up the rivers, no action has yet been taken. With this gross violation of international protocols and conventions, more pressure should be put on Armenia for polluting this and also the Aras River. The Aras River is the largest right tributary of the Kura River, and together they form the most important water resources of the South Caucasus, flowing into the Caspian Sea. These two rivers also affect the water quality of the Caspian as they flow into the inland sea. Therefore, the cleanliness of these rivers concerns all Caspian coastal states for fishing and other reasons. According to the Caspian Convention, coastal states have a duty to protect the environment and biological assets in the Caspian Sea. The Okchuchay is an important domestic and irrigation resource of the eastern Zangezur economic region of Azerbaijan. It is an important water source for the development of this region after its liberation. Legal aspects The Republic of Armenia signed the Protocol on Water and Health, part of the 1992 UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention), on June 17, 1999. Since signing the protocol in 1999, Armenia has twice initiated the process of ratifying the protocol. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has some reservations about the ratification process, taking into consideration the polluter pays principle and the reference to the convention in Article 13.2 of the protocol. The ministry has suggested revising the aforementioned reference information on the ratification of the protocol and clearly states that: a) the principle of polluter pays in the protocol is applied only within the country, and cannot serve as a basis for the claiming of compensation by downstream countries in case of transboundary impacts; and b) the reference to the convention mentioned in Article 13 is applied only to those countries that are at the same time parties to the UNECE water convention. Another important aspect of the statement is that nations have the responsibility to ensure that activities within their jurisdiction or control do not cause damage to the environments of other states or of areas beyond the limits of national jurisdiction. This implies consultations between neighboring countries, instead of compensation payments by upstream countries to downstream countries for the damage caused. Therefore, Armenia has consciously avoided signing the convention, thus failing to take responsibility for, but on the contrary benefitting from, the issue of pollution of the environment and water resources. To sum up, mining activities in Armenia heavily damage the regions aquatic ecosystem. Owing to the presence of a German company here, Azerbaijan expected a reaction from the German government. Unfortunately, however, there was no official reaction from Germany against the pollution of water and the environment in the region. In 2019, Armenian authorities opened a criminal investigation into the Kajaran Mine Operating Company. This investigation had only a political purpose, and a Civilnet investigation report in 2019 noted that a co-owner of ZCMC, concealed through third parties, was Mikael Minasyan, a former ambassador of Armenia to the Vatican and a son-in-law of former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. Sargsyan was overthrown in the 2018 revolution and remains a political rival of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. The aim of the investigation was to remove Minasyans share of the company. So far, the company continues to pollute the Okchuchay River. Therefore, a strong international reaction is needed to protect the ecosystem and biological assets in the region for a safe future. The Caspian Sea is one of the worlds largest and oldest oil and gas producing regions. Of the littoral states, Turkmenistan has by far the largest reserves when it comes to natural gas. Geographic isolation and animosity with Azerbaijan long prevented the export of gas to customers in Europe, Oil Price writes. Recently, however, relations between Ashgabat (Turkmenistan) and Baku (Azerbaijan) have improved as the countries signed an agreement to jointly develop a shared natural gas field. While the size of the field isnt a game-changer, the renewed cooperation between the countries could be. Turkmenistan has the worlds fourth-largest gas reserves at 19.5 trillion cubic meters and 10 percent of the global total. It includes Galkynysh with 2.8 trillion cubic meters which is one of the world's largest gas fields. The geographic isolation of Turkmenistan as a landlocked nation is the most important impediment to large-scale exports. That changed somewhat with the ascendance of the Chinese economy and the massive demand for raw materials and energy. Chinese companies imported 43 bcm in 2019 from Turkmenistan which is 80 percent of the total exports that year. While the contracts are kept secret, analysts assume that Ashgabat is still heavily indebted to China for the construction of the Central Asia-China Gas pipeline (CACG). Therefore, Turkmenistan is adamant about diversifying towards Europe. The recent conclusion of the $40 billion Southern Gas Corridor, which consists of the pipelines TANAP and TAP, from Azerbaijan to southern Europe also underlines the opportunity for Turkmenistan. For the first time in decades, the export of natural gas from Central Asia to Europe directly is a viable option if the involved states play their cards well. The TANAP and TAP pipelines are designed to transport 10 bcm to Europe and 6 bcm to the Turkish market from Azerbaijans Shah Deniz field. Currently, the pipelines operate only at half of their capacity and could also be upgraded. Only a trans-Caspian pipeline needs to be constructed for gas to flow from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan. Therefore, modest exports are possible relatively quickly from a technical point of view. The first step towards a major deal could be announced in August after the summit in Turkmenistan's Awaza seaside resort that will be attended by Turkey and Azerbaijan. The presence of Turkish President Erdogan can be a sign of a breakthrough on the production side. The problem, however, is more likely to be found on the demand side. The European market is already well connected to producers through pipelines and LNG import facilities. Furthermore, gas from Turkmenistan will head to southeastern Europe where Russia has aggressively built new pipelines to discourage competitors. It could be too little too late for the export of Central Asian gas to the European market. Although there is some capacity in the TANAP and TAP pipelines to include gas from Turkmenistan, a multi-billion investment in a trans-Caspian subsea pipeline is required. The European Investment Bank wont finance fossil fuel projects from the end of 2021 anymore. Therefore, funding needs to come from an alternative source which could prove to be a challenge. Also, the Central Asian gas is intended for a market that is rapidly transforming due to the energy transition. The EU is decarbonizing and focussing on sustainability which will eventually reduce demand for natural gas in the long-term. This affects the profitability of new large scale energy projects and reduces the likelihood of exports from Turkmenistan to Europe. Nevertheless, expect the leaders from Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan to use invigorating language in August to underline their intentions to become a major exporter to Europe. The coming two years will see whether such a deal can be struck for Central Asian gas to flow to an already saturated market. The aircraft of Azerbaijans flag carrier, Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), received this week the first radio call signs transmitted in the skies over the country's Karabakh region after a nearly 30-year break. aspian News reports that according to AZAL, the airplanes flying over the liberated Azerbaijani territories can now receive call signs sent from the ground-based VOR/DME navigation system. The cutting-edge technology has been introduced at the Fuzuli International Airport, one of three new airports to operate in the Karabakh region. The European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation, known as EUROCONTROL, has registered and approved the radio signs transmitted over these lands. The reconstruction and modernization of the civil aviation infrastructure in the Karabakh region come as part of the state-run programs. The radio technical equipment for air navigation, a radar complex, and instrumental landing system support are being installed at the Fuzuli International Airport under the standards and requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The aviation and meteorological support systems have already come online at the airfield. Azerbaijan's Karabakh (Garabagh) region fell under Armenias occupation during the First Karabakh War in the early 1990s. Following the Soviet Unions dissolution in 1991, Armenia launched a military campaign against Azerbaijan that lasted until a ceasefire deal was reached in 1994. As a result of the war, Armenia occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijans internationally recognized territories. Over 30,000 ethnic Azerbaijanis were killed and one million were expelled from those lands in a brutal ethnic cleansing policy carried out by Armenia. Armenia's authorities have repeatedly attempted to use the Karabakh regions airspace and the Khojaly airport of Azerbaijan, to host the flights of Armenian companies, as well as military flights. However, such illegal attempts faced a severe backlash from Azerbaijan, including ultimatums at international platforms. Azerbaijan regained access to the airspace over the Karabakh region after its liberation from Armenias occupation last year. As a result of the 44-day-long war, the Azerbaijani army liberated over 300 settlements, including five major cities from nearly 30-year-long illegal Armenian occupation. The war ended in a tripartite ceasefire statement signed on November 10 by Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia. Armenia returned three more districts to Azerbaijans control within its obligations under the agreement. The Azerbaijani government rolled out projects for the construction of three new airports in the post-war region. An airport with a 3,000-meter long runway in the Fuzuli district will reportedly come online on September 5, 2021, to operate its first flight. Two more airports will be located in the districts of Zangilan and Kalbajar. The skies over the Karabakh region are internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijans airspace. ICAO confirms that the codes of airports located there belong to Azerbaijan. The Khojaly (Khankendi) airport, located in the territories now monitored by the Russian peacekeeping mission, does not have an international status. ICAO recognizes it as an Azerbaijani airport, stating that any flights if operated by the facility should be confirmed by Baku. The information disseminated by the Armenian side about two unmanned aerial vehicles belonging to the Azerbaijani army allegedly shot down over Basarkechar does not correspond to reality, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said. This is another misinformation from the opposite side, the ministry added. The coronavirus situation in Moscow is rapidly improving, the citys Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in an interview with the Rossiya-1 TV channel on Thursday. "Indeed, the situation is rapidly improving. The average number of daily cases has dropped threefold, which made it possible to halve the number of hospital beds for coronavirus patients, from 23,500 to 12,000," Sobyanin pointed out. According to him, vacant beds are now available to patients in need of routine treatment. "In any case, people still need to be very careful and get vaccinated. This particularly goes for elderly people because COVID-19 is still there and the danger is, too," Sobyanin added. Earlier, the mayor reported that over four million people had been inoculated in Moscow. A total of 2.2 million people received both components of the vaccine as of Thursday. Moscow has the highest number of coronavirus cases nationwide. The city has so far recorded 1,499,131 cases, 1,351,297 recoveries and 25,477 deaths. Three people were reported dead Thursday and more than 100 injured as thousands of firefighters battled huge blazes spreading across the Mediterranean resort regions of Turkey's southern coast, France 24 reports. Officials also launched an investigation into suspicions the fires that broke out Wednesday in four locations to the east of the tourist hotspot Antalya were the result of arson. Turkey's disaster and emergencies office said three people were killed -- including an 82-year-old who lived alone -- and 122 injured by the fires. "Treatment of 58 of our citizens continues," it was quoted as saying by the Anadolu state news agency. Former Danish Foreign Minister Uffe Ellemann-Jensen of the liberal-conservative party Venstre has urged Western countries to use all the means at their disposal and find a way to turn the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline into a "Pyrrhic victory for Russia". The former foreign minister admitted that Nord Stream 2 is "almost finished" despite long delays, including the Danish environmental approval which took a long time, and the US sanctions that "almost completely stopped the project". Ellemann-Jensen also decried the Biden administration's handling of the pipeline, calling it a "genuflection" to President Putin. "Had his predecessor Donald Trump done so, this columnist, alongside many others, would have described it as yet more proof that Trump was in Putin's pocket", he admitted. "There is an important point to be made: it must not become a carte blanche for Putin and Gazprom to divide and conquer in European energy policy", Ellemann-Jensen wrote in an opinion piece for the newspaper Berlingske. "Europeans should be able to turn off the tap when they need to put pressure on Russia", Sputnik cited him as saying. In order to reduce "the threat of dependence on Russian gas", as he put it, he mused that the construction of a gas pipeline from Norway to Poland should be completed as soon as possible. "In several places in Denmark, you can see large stocks of pipes, which are waiting for a resolution in a case that where suddenly some protected mice appear to be bothered by the pipeline", Ellemann-Jensen wrote, citing the Danish authorities' rejection of the 210-kilometre $2.6 billion Baltic Pipe due to protected habitats of the hazel doormouse and the birch mouse. The pipeline, intended to be put into operation in 2022, was to link Danish and Polish gas consumers with Norwegian gas fields in the North Sea. The ex-Danish foreign minister additionally suggested purchasing American liquefied gas as an alternative and concluded that a common European energy policy could also put "pressure" on Moscow in the gas market, urging Europe to "think creatively". Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said the implementation of reforms will continue despite the ruling Georgian Dream partys withdrawal from the EU-mediated agreement which ended the six-month political crisis caused by the parliamentary elections of 2020. The April 19 agreement obliged all signatory parties to participate in the process of fundamental electoral and judicial reforms implementation. According to Garibashvili, the ruling party fulfilled all the obligations unilaterally, noting that the opposition United National Movement (UNM) partys involvement was very important for the Georgian Dream. He also underscored that the opposition UNM party deliberately did not sign the agreement, completely ignored it, insulted the EU and the United States. Garibashvili thanked European Union President Charles Michel and stated that he did a lot to calm the political situation in Georgia. "I want to call on everyone to calm down. We need development now, our people need the stability and development that is essential for our country," Agenda.ge cited him as saying. The ruling Georgian Dream party announced their withdrawal from the agreement on July 28, noting that it completed its mission. Several opposition leaders already left their parliamentary mandates due to the Georgian Dreams decision, while some opposition parties stated that they might boycott the upcoming local municipal elections. Charles Michel responded to the ongoing political process in Georgia and underscored that the agreement remains the best way to advance a reform agenda which would strengthen the democratic institutions of Georgia. The international community has harshly criticised the ruling party for its recent political act and called on all parties to work together for Georgias Euro-Atlantic future. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressed condolences to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 30 over deadly wildfires across Turkey's various regions, AzerTAc reported. On my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I extend my deepest condolences to the families and relatives of those killed in the devastating fires, and wish the injured a speedy recovery, Aliyev said in a letter sent to Erdogan. Today, as always, the Azerbaijani government and people are in solidarity with the fraternal Turkish people, the letter reads. Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov also extended condolences to the families of those killed in the wildfires in Turkey. "We were shocked by the incessant forest fires in brotherly Turkey, as well as the death of three people in Antalya", said the minister. The Minister expressed condolences to the families of the victims and expressed Azerbijans readiness to provide any support. Israel will begin offering a third shot of the Pfizer (PFE.N)/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to people aged over 60, a world first in efforts to slow the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, launching the campaign, said President Isaac Herzog would be the first to receive the booster, on Friday. Israel was a world leader in the vaccination rollout, with many seniors getting their shots in December, January and February as they were regarded as the most vulnerable sector of the population. But since the emergence of the Delta variant, the health ministry has twice reported a drop in the vaccine's efficacy against infection and a slight decrease in its protection against severe disease. The booster campaign, with shots administered by health maintenance organisations, will effectively turn Israel into a testing ground for a third dose before approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). "Findings show that there is a decline in the body's immunity over time. The aim of the supplementary dose is to build it up again, and thus reduce the chances of infection and serious illness significantly," Bennett told a news conference. "I call on all the seniors who received the second dose, go get the supplementary one," he said. "My first telephone call, after I finish speaking, will be to the person dearest to me, my mother, so that I can take her to be vaccinated immediately." Last week, the health ministry estimated the vaccine was only 41% effective at halting symptomatic infections over the past month. Protection against severe disease remained strong at 91%. Around 57% of Israel's 9.3 million population has been vaccinated. Around 160 people are hospitalised with severe symptoms and daily new infections have spiked to more than 2,000, up from a handful of cases per day a few months ago. Bennett said his government hoped that stepped-up vaccination efforts would enable Israel to avoid further costly lockdowns, Reuters reported. Azerbaijan`s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has had a telephone conversation with EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Toivo Klaar. The sides exchanged views on the implementation of trilateral statements and the current situation in the region. The EU Special Representative expressed concern over tensions on the border between the two states. Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said that provocations were committed by Armenia in the border area of the two states in recent days, as a result of which one Azerbaijani serviceman was killed on July 23 and two Azerbaijani servicemen were injured on July 28. He noted that the Azerbaijani Armed Forces responded to these military provocations and protected Azerbaijan's international borders. It was emphasized that Armenia must put an end to such irresponsible actions and fulfill its obligations. FM Bayramov drew the EU Special Representatives attention to the fact that Azerbaijan is not interested in border tensions and supports a diplomatic solution to these issues. Archaeologists have uncovered a rock-hewn 'dining room' in the 'House of Muses,' an excavation site in southeast Turkey that dates to the 2nd or 3rd century BC, when Asia Minor was under Roman rule. After early field work in the 1990s, excavations of the ancient city of Zeugma, now modern-day Gaziantep, began in 2004. Ankara University archaeologist Kutalmis Gorkay soon unearthed a trio of amazingly intact mosaics from almost 2,200 years agoone mosaic, unearthed in 2014, depicted the famed Nine Muses of ancient mythgiving the site the name 'The House of the Muses.' 'Muses are the most important personifications of classical Greek education, especially in antiquity,' Gorkay told Hurriyet Daily News. 'In the mosaic found in this house, goddesses and personifications believed to contribute to Greek literature, history, poetry and music are depicted.' After excavating some 50 feet of dirt on the site, Gorkay has discovered two rock chambers in the house he believes were ancient dining rooms. The rooms were adorned with elaborate mosaic floors and 'show traces of the intellectual life of its owner at that time,' he told the paper. At its height Zeugma had some 80,000 inhabitants but the house probably belonged to a family 'having better than the middle-class economy,' Gorkay said, with multiple courtyards where dinner parties would have been held and basins would have collected rainwater. Strategically located near both the Taurus Mountains and Euphrates River, Zeugma was originally founded by the Greeks in 300 BC, when it was known as Seleukia-on-the-Euphrates. One of Alexander the Great's generals, Seleucus I Nicator, constructed the first bridge over the Euphrates there. In approximately 64 BC, it was conquered by the Romans, who renamed it Zeugma, after the Greek name for the 'bridge of boats' that crossed the Euphrates there. Zeugma was 'one of the most important cities in Anatolia, especially on the Eastern Roman border,' Gorkay said, referring to the half of Turkey on the Asian continent, also known as Asia Minor, which was claimed by the Roman republic in 129 BC. Roman rule of Anatolia continued after the rise of the Roman Empire in the first century BC, until shortly after the sacking of Rome in 410 AD. Work in the chambers has paused, as Gorkay's team works to shore up a series of 'risky cracks' they identified on the ceilings, but they hope to complete the excavation later this year. Protective measures, including 'injections or steel structures' will ensure the site is safe when the rooms are eventually opened to the public. Numerous other mosaics, frescos and architectural details have been found in the area, with many pieces on display at the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, which has the largest collection of mosaics in the world. Russias Beriev Be-200 aircraft, designed for firefighting, for the second day have been engaged in efforts to combat a major forest fire in Turkeys Antalya province. "Three Russian Be-200 firefighting aircraft are providing assistance to Turkey in the regions where firefighting efforts are underway on the ground and from the air," the Russian embassy in Ankara said in a statement on Twitter on Thursday. The diplomatic mission was hopeful that "the forest fire in southern Turkey will be extinguished shortly so that it causes the least damage possible." Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Turkish authorities have mobilized all available opportunities to eliminate forest fires that have spread to a number of regions of the country. In connection with current situation, Erdogan maintains regular contacts with Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Bekir Pakdemirli, Minister of Environment and Urban Development Murat Kurum and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu, who arrived in one of the regions affected by the natural disaster. The ministers informed the president about the situation in the wildfire zone. The Turkish leader expressed condolences over the loss of life as a result of the fires and wished the victims a speedy recovery. President Erdogan assured that the state will provide the necessary assistance in eliminating the consequences of the natural disaster. A forest fire began on Wednesday near the resort city of Manavgat in Antalya Province in the south of Turkey. According to early reports, it was triggered by intense heat in the region. On Thursday, fires broke out in some other provinces, including the resort provinces of Aydin and Mugla. According to Turkeys emergency management agency, at least four people have been killed and 183 have been injured. Moscow calls on Baku and Yerevan to refrain from actions that could further aggravate the situation on the border, Russian Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Alexander Bikantov said in a statement on Friday. According to him, the state of affairs on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border remains tense. "We urge both parties to refrain from actions that could further exacerbate the situation and resolve all issues through political and diplomatic means," the Russian diplomat emphasized. According to the Foreign Ministry, Moscow is highly concerned about the incidents on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, "which led to the loss of human life." "We convey [our] condolences to the families of those killed and wish those wounded a speedy recovery," the statement said. Russia is ready to continue furnishing assistance to help improve the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border "through de-escalation measures and the early launch of joint activities aimed at demarcating the border," the ministry pointed out. "We intend to actively work on turning the South Caucasus into a region of stability, security and prosperity based on the trilateral agreements reached by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia on November 9, 2020, and January 11, 2021," the Russian Foreign Ministry stated. The White House said that Washington is ready to return to talks in Vienna on the Iranian nuclear program after Iran is done with its presidential transition process. "Weve demonstrated time and again that were prepared to move forward with a mutual return to the compliance with the JCPOA, the Iran nuclear deal. When Iran is done with its presidential transition process, we are prepared to plan our return to Vienna to continue with our talks," White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. "We remain interested in seeking mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA, though, as the Secretary has made clear Secretary Blinken this offer will not be on the table indefinitely," she stressed. Dr Pham Trong Nghia suggested that the Government have scenarios on epidemic developments with different levels, possible impacts, solutions and policy adjustments in both the short and long term. Based on the current epidemic situation and the United Nations' guidance, Dr Pham Trong Nghia, director of the Legislative Science Information Center, Institute for Legislative Research under the National Assembly Standing Committee, said that Vietnam can consider and apply five pillars to cope with the Covid-19 epidemic. Dr Pham Trong Nghia. Along with the fast, complicated and unpredictable development of the Covid-19 epidemic in our country, in parallel with the current measures, as well as the use of stronger legal tools approved by the National Assembly during this session, the Government needs to quickly develop a master plan on Covid-19 prevention and control," Nghia told VietNamNet on the sidelines of the first session of the 15th National Assembly (NA), which concluded in Hanoi on July 28. NA deputy Nghia suggested that the Government have scenarios on epidemic developments with different levels, possible impacts, solutions and policy adjustments in both the short and long term. He noted that it is necessary to take into account the development of a post-Covid recovery plan. "People need 'ventilators' to win against Covid-19, businesses also need 'oxygen' to overcome difficulties during the pandemic and need support to recover in the future," he said. Covid-19 has been creating an increasingly large social gap through income reduction and income redistribution. This makes disadvantaged groups, who are the poor, self-employed workers, motorbike taxi drivers, street vendors, individual business households, and small agricultural production households, more and more vulnerable. These are people who make a living from income by daily labor, but now their income has been reduced, lost due to Covid-19. They need to be given special attention during the pandemic as well as in post-pandemic policies, Nghia said. Emergency measures Ho Chi Minh City prepares more ventilators and oxygen to treat people infected with Covid-19. According to deputy Nghia, during the Covid-19 pandemic, besides successful countries, many others failed because they did not properly assess the danger of the pandemic. Many countries have not yet determined at what stage and to what extent they will give priority to fighting the epidemic or stabilizing the economy; have not promptly introduced support measures that are large and long enough for people and businesses, leading to serious difficulties in people's lives, and businesses being exhausted during the pandemic without having enough strength to recover. Based on this fact, the United Nations has issued a framework to guide emergency measures to respond to Covid-19, including five main pillars. The first is health, which focuses on protecting health workers, health facilities and health systems. The second is to protect the people, focusing on ensuring medical care, social security and basic services. The third is economic response and recovery, focusing on protecting jobs, small and medium enterprises, workers in industrial zones and workers in the informal sector. Fourth is the macroeconomic response through fiscal stimulus packages to make macroeconomic policies more relevant to the most vulnerable. The fifth is to solve social relationships and social recovery well. Deputy Nghia said that this can be a reference model to apply in Vietnams current conditions. According to the Government's report to the National Assembly, the production capacity of oxygen plants in the country totals about 851,759 m3 of oxygen/day (equivalent to 1,300 tons/day) and is capable of increasing by a 50% - 100% capacity. There are 993 medical facilities that satisfy the treatment requirements for 66,200 patients requiring oxygen. The Government also has set the goal of improving response capacity and preparing for the treatment of 100,000 and 200,000 infected people within a 28-day period; having vaccines for at least 50% of people aged 18 and over by the end of 2021 and 70% of the population by the end of the first quarter 2022; and having at least one vaccine factory in early 2022, and by the end of the second quarter of 2022 at the latest to have domestically produced vaccines. Thu Hang Lessons from Ho Chi Minh City amid the Covid-19 outbreak Vietnams history before the Doi Moi (renovation) period has proven that many experiments and reforms appeared from the grassroots, and now, during the Covid-19 epidemic, experiments and reforms have begun from Ho Chi Minh City. Nguyen Quan Anh Minh and Nguyen Tuan Khoi of the local messaging app Zalo have won the Show US the Data competition, organized by Coleridge Initiative on Kaggle, the world's most prestigious artificial intelligence competition platform. Achievements of the Zalo team on Kaggle's Leaderboard. Photo: Kaggle In addition to winning a prize of $30,000, their solutions will be applied in data analysis in the United States. Show US the Data is a contest launched on a global scale with a total prize value of $90,000. The contest aims to find solutions in data analysis and processing to address global issues such as pandemics, climate change, food security, biodiversity, poverty, and child malnutrition. The champion will receive a prize of $30,000. This is a highly competitive playground, requiring participating AI experts and computer scientists from all over the world to find an outstanding and unprecedented AI solution that helps document and data recognition efficiently and quickly. After nearly three months of competition, the two Vietnamese engineers overcame 1,600 teams from many countries with advanced levels of technology to clinch the top position. While competitors focused on detecting main keywords, were dependent on provided data and might miss out on value, Vietnamese engineers chose a Deep Learning-based approach to offer AI solutions that can detect data based on provided elements and contextual information related to key data. The detected data is almost unmissable and depends on the source (name, code) of the data initially provided. Nguyen Quan Anh Minh, AI engineer, born 1997 Nguyen Tuan Khoi, data engineer, born 1994. Zalo is a leading company in Vietnam in AI research and application, focusing on four areas: computer vision, speech processing, natural language processing, and big data & machine learning. Zalo's AI research achievements are being applied on many existing products of its ecosystem to bring the best experience to Vietnamese people. Zalo also provides tools to help detect Chinas illegal cow's tongue line, convert text to speech, classify images, and censor content for free to the community. Its Kiki voice assistant product, based on speech synthesis and natural language processing technology, is popular in voice-controlled cars and on Zing MP3 music players, and will soon appear on the smart home system. In the academic field, Zalo is also positively evaluated. Zalo AI Summit is the biggest forum about artificial intelligence for professionals. Meanwhile, Zalo AI Challenge is a contest that encourages young people to participate and research AI with advice and guidance from AI experts. Launched in 2010, Kaggle has become the world's largest AI competition platform, especially in the fields of Data Sciences and Machine Learning. Phuong Dung HCMC wont place as much emphasis as before on tracing F0 cases. Instead, it will focus on treatment to minimize the mortality rate, said Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son, who has been in the city for 45 days. Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son Has the pandemic in HCMC reached its peak? Will we be able to control the situation in 10-14 days? It is difficult to say if the pandemic has reached its peak now. If we strictly apply Directive 16 on social distancing, the number of newly infected cases will decrease in the next two weeks. But treatment is unpredictable. Some cases turn serious and deaths are still being reported. Under the plan, the current social distancing campaign will last until the end of August 1. Will the prevention measures be eased to the level stipulated in Directive 15+? With the current conditions, HCMC will surely have to apply Directive 16 after August 1, or it may have to even apply stricter measures. The city will give detailed assessments by that time. On July 22 and 23, the municipal authorities released Directive 12 and Dispatch 2468 on strengthening social distancing measures in accordance with the PMs Directive 16. Two weeks ago, at a meeting at the Ministry of Health, you proposed that the anti-pandemic strategy needs to change its focus into easing the impact and focus on treatment. And HCMC has begun following the new strategy. Does this mean that it is no longer necessary to focus on tracing and isolating? Different strategies are needed for different periods of the pandemic, which need to change to adapt to new circumstances. In the previous period, when the number of F0 (infected) cases was low, we could trace F0s to find out tens or hundreds of F1 (close contacts of F0) cases. But now, with the presence of Delta variant which can spread very rapidly and 4,000-6,000 new F0s found every day, gathering strength on tracing F0s is no longer suitable to the new conditions. Under the new strategy, we will still conduct tracing, but wont put as much emphasis on this. But we need to gather strength to treat patients, and protect the people with underlying health conditions and old people to ease the mortality rate. There are 16 field hospitals in the city and it has received 6,000 staff who have come to reinforce the fight against the pandemic. Is this enough for us? Some hospitals are still having big difficulties in workforce, especially district hospitals. In current conditions, the health sector still has to make every effort to struggle to protect patients. How many F0s are under home quarantine? More than 37,000 F0s and F1s are under home quarantine, as of July 28. Thuy Hanh Vietnam logs additional 3,698 new COVID-19 cases on July 28 Vietnam recorded 3,698 new COVID-19 infections, including one imported cases, in the past 13 hours to 7pm on July 28, the Ministry of Health has announced. Azure Sentinel in the Real World Smaller organizations need the same IT security services as larger businesses but without the corresponding price tag, says Paul Schnackenburg, so he decided to "build a SIEM for SMBs" on a shoestring budget. Back in mid-2019 we looked at Azure Sentinel (then recently released), Microsoft's cloud-based Security Information and Event Management (SIEM). In this article I'll guide you through a real-world Sentinel deployment for one of my clients, lessons learned and some thoughts around SMB cybersecurity in general. Stuck in the Middle My business has been providing IT services to SMBs since 1998 so I know the challenges and limitations of the "smaller end of town" intimately. The move to cloud is completed for most of my clients, with some still in a hybrid world with a few workloads on-premises. Just like larger businesses, SMBs feel the pressure of shrinking IT budgets, the challenge of the Covid pandemic and, most of all -- the changing cybersecurity landscape. But there's no way that they are going to be able to afford a full-blown Managed Detection and Response (MDR) solution, backed by a 24/7/365 Security Operations Center (SOC). So, I do what I can -- I deploy centrally managed antimalware on each endpoint, I ensure they have a business class firewall for their offices, I provide security awareness training and simulated phishing campaigns and I configure their cloud services according to best practices. I also make sure they have solid backups, with copies stored off site. But my concern is the same as many larger organizations, the lack of visibility -- if (when) they're compromised we won't know about it until it's too late. It's the same dilemma as always: SMBs need the same IT services as larger businesses but without the corresponding price tag. When I saw that Sentinel provided several free data sources (Azure activity, Office 365 audit logs and alerts from the Microsoft 365 Defender suite) as long as I don't retain it for longer than 90 days and that Sentinel has connectors for nearly every data source, I decided to see if I could "build a SIEM for SMBs" on a shoestring budget. The client I started with is an independent school with approximately 90 students, from year 1 to year 12, plus about 20 staff. They have Microsoft 365 A3 (equivalent to E3 in the commercial world) deployed to all staff and students and two on-premises Dell Hyper-V hosts running Windows Server 2019 with a total of seven VMs. The newer server runs all VMs, and the older server is in a separate building as a Hyper-V replica target for DR. The VMs are two DCs, a file/print server, a LOB app, Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), Microsoft's Advanced Threat Analytics (ATA) and a Linux syslog server (more on that last one later). Connecting Data Sources I set up an Azure account for the client, based on the same Azure Active Directory as their Microsoft 365 tenant, and deployed a Log Analytics workspace with Azure Sentinel on top of it in the Australia East region (I always use https://www.azurespeed.com/ to make sure I host resources in the closest region whenever possible). I set the retention to 90 days (as that's free), but I know that many security professionals will probably choke on their morning coffee reading that because it severely limits the ability to find intruders with long dwell times -- many organizations (and regulatory frameworks) require several years of retention. But the aim here is to fit within a small budget and provide visibility to catch the bad guys early, so 90 days it is. Next, I configure Data connectors (there are 116 to pick from at the time of writing with more being added each week) -- Azure AD, DNS, Office 365, Security Events, Threat intelligence -- TAXII and Windows Firewall. Two of those are simple cloud connectors, just provide Global Administrator (or Security Administrator) credentials and pick what to ingest, here's the configuration for AAD: [Click on image for larger view.] Azure AD Connector Most connectors come with workbooks for visualization; here's a workbook for Office 365: [Click on image for larger view.] Office 365 Activity Workbook These give you a way to visualize and dig into normal activity by your users, in this case what they do across OneDrive, Exchange, SharePoint and Teams. The DNS, Security events and Windows Firewall connectors rely on log data from the on-premises VMs and hosts. On each of them I installed the Microsoft Monitoring Agent (MMA) and configured them with the workspace ID and primary key from the Log Analytics workspace. This is a simple install If you have servers that don't have internet connectivity, you can use the Log Analytics gateway to proxy the uploads, but that's not an issue at this client. If I was going to do this again, I would instead opt for the newer Azure Monitoring Agent (AMA) as it's the future log collecting agent across both Windows and Linux. One benefit of AMA are data collection rules that let you filter to collect only specific log entries using XPath queries, but fortunately the Security events connector with MMA lets you filter on Minimal or Common (or all) events. I picked Common. Again, in an ideal world I would deploy the agent on all client endpoints as well for full visibility of all security events across all nodes (which I'll do at my next client who only has 10 client devices and a NAS file server), but at this client I'll need to watch the ingestion cost carefully before expanding log collection. The last data connector is Threat intelligence -- TAXII, which is one way to ingest TI data into Sentinel. Based on this blog post I connected to Anomali's free intel feed to get data on new ransomware domains/IPs, malware domains, TOR nodes, C2 servers and compromised hosts. [Click on image for larger view.] Threat Intelligence Feed Rules, Log Queries and Workbooks Once the data is in Sentinel it's time to mine it for suspicious activity. Sentinel comes with hundreds of built-in analytics rules templates -- I looked through the list (filtering on High and Medium severity) to start with and enabled all of them that relied on the data connectors we have. Here's an example of one such rule -- Rare RDP Connections -- which identifies when a new or unusual connection is made to any of our servers (RDP is only available on the internal network). [Click on image for larger view.] Analytics rule - Rare RDP Connection I've set up most of these rules to run once a day to generate alerts. When you're trying to understand the data you have you can use Logs to explore the different data sources and tables. Here I'm looking at the data coming back from Windows Firewall on the servers. [Click on image for larger view.] Log Query - Windows Firewall Most connectors come with a set of workbooks, which is another way of visualizing the data. Here's the Insecure Protocols workbook, aggregating legacy protocols in use across AD and AAD in the last seven days. [Click on image for larger view.] Workbook - Insecure Protocols Visualization Automation Alerts in the portal are great -- once you see them you can start an investigation to determine if this is really a malicious issue that needs further investigation or a benign false positive. But as mentioned, there's just me and I certainly have better things to do than sitting and staring at a portal UI all day. Each alert rule has the ability to configure an automated response when it's triggered, but I didn't want to have to set up and maintain this for each rule, so I created a single Logic App that catches any alert and emails it to me (and the local IT teacher at the school). Aimee Surprenant, associate vice president (academic) and dean of the School of Graduate Studies for Memorial University of Newfoundland, will serve as the new dean of Virginia Techs Graduate School, effective Sept. 1. Following an international search, Surprenant has been appointed by Executive Vice President and Provost Cyril Clarke to succeed Karen DePauw, who announced her retirement in January 2020 after a distinguished 18-year career at Virginia Tech. Surprenant will lead and advance the Graduate Schools budgetary, admissions, and program development operations and will serve as a member of the executive vice president and provosts leadership team as well as an advisor to graduate student organizations. Im excited to join the team in the Graduate School to continue and advance the great work that is already underway at Virginia Tech, said Surprenant. Im eagerly looking forward to working with students, faculty, and staff to support an equitable and just graduate community that nurtures practitioners, scholars, and researchers, and prepares them to be future leaders on the national and global stage. The recent upheavals caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, continuing social injustices, and climate change have created daunting challenges, but I am confident that in working together, we can find innovative solutions to create transformative change. I am grateful for the opportunity to take on this position and offer my deepest thanks to outgoing Dean Karen DePauw. Surprenant brings a wealth of leadership experience to Virginia Tech and a distinguished record of accomplishment as an academician, researcher, and administrator. As associate vice president and dean at Memorial University, Surprenant successfully led a program portfolio of more than 120 graduate diploma, master's, and doctoral degree programs for over 4,000 graduate students, and guided the universitys strategic graduate enrolment management planning and recruitment processes. She also was responsible for the leadership and growth of graduate student funding and partnered with Memorials Graduate Council to advance policies and curricula to promote continuing improvement of and innovation in graduate programs. Aimees strength of leadership and scholarship, and her commitment to collaboration with faculty and students comes at a critical time for our Graduate School and university, said Clarke. I look forward to working closely with her to develop and implement strategies for growth of graduate education in support of our commitment to impactful scholarship. I want to thank Dean DePauw for her years of service and invaluable contributions to Virginia Tech," Clarke continued. "Karen has been a dedicated advocate for graduate students and her impact on the university will be felt for years to come. I wish her all the best in her retirement. Surprenant is a respected expert in the field of psychology and research in the intersection of auditory perception and memory. She has co-authored two books, "Human Memory: An Introduction to Research, Data, and Theory" and "Principles of Memory," and authored, edited, and contributed to numerous book chapters, papers, publications, and other scholarly articles. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies and the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools. She has also served as chair of the Scientific Affairs Committee for the Canadian Psychological Association and is active in Science Atlantic and the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour, and Cognitive Science. During her tenure at Memorial University, Surprenant was honored with The Glenn Roy Blundon Award Leadership in Institutional Change (with School of Graduate Studies) for contributions to the ongoing development of equitable and accessible learning and living environments for students at Memorial. She also earned the Richard C. Tees Distinguished Leadership Award from the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour, and Cognitive Science, and the Dean of Science Distinguished Scholar Medal. Surprenant is a Fellow of the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour, and Cognitive Science for her distinguished, sustained, and exceptional contributions to the society and to the advancement of the field of brain, behavior, and cognitive science. She is also a Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association and the Psychonomic Society. Surprenant holds a Ph.D., Master of Philosophy, and Master of Science degrees in psychology from Yale University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from New York University. She told the jury she took photos of cuts, bruises and abrasions inflicted on her by Coleman, a lesson she learned from her mother, who also was in abusive relationships. She said she feared Coleman would kill her on several occasions. She testified Coleman punched her in the face, pushed her down, strangled her and bit her on the ear in separate incidents in July 2019 and August 2019. She said they were in a motel and she waited for him to fall asleep before making her escape and reporting the abuse to Bellmead police. Coleman testified Wednesday and denied punching Reznicek in the face. He admitted pushing her to the ground while trying to get items out of her grandmothers house. Reznicek returned to the witness stand Thursday during the punishment phase of the trial and said she finally feels safe now that Coleman has been convicted. Im definitely not the same person I was, she said. Im stronger than I was, I know that. I question every day, What did I do? Why? I let it go on for so long. Coleman has two felony convictions for possession of methamphetamine and four felony convictions for burglary of a building, according to court records. He also has two misdemeanor convictions for burglary of a motor vehicle, two for possession of marijuana, two for theft, two for criminal mischief and one each for harassment, misapplication of fiduciary property, evading arrest and fleeing an accident. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden on Friday announced his picks for four key religious freedom roles, including Khzir Khan, the Muslim-American father of a slain U.S. soldier who became an outspoken critic of former President Donald Trump throughout both of his campaigns. Khan was appointed to be a commissioner of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, a body that investigates and monitors religious freedom issues across the globe and makes recommendations to the administration on how to address abuses. He rose to national prominence during the 2016 campaign with his sharp critiques of Trumps policies and rhetoric towards Muslims, ultimately speaking out against the Republican at the 2016 Democratic National Convention and sharing the story of his son, a U.S. Army captain who died in Iraq in 2004. Biden is also appointing Sharon Kleinbaum, a rabbi at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in New York City and a prominent activist for LGBTQ rights, as a commissioner of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Scheindlin also ordered what's known as a joint-remedial process seeking input from more than 2,000 people in communities most impacted by police stop-and-frisk and trespass enforcement practices. That process, which led to more than dozen reform proposals, ended in 2018. Since then, according to lawyers involved in Thursday's court filing, Zimroth has excluded community members perspectives from his semi-annual assessments. Instead, they said, he has relied on NYPD data, statements of police personnel and civilian complaints that have been seen by the court as a dubious measure of whether a stop was motivated by race. A message seeking comment was left with Zimroth, a law professor and the director of the Center on Civil Justice at New York University. A message was also left with the NYPD. Plaintiffs in the stop-and-frisk lawsuits held a rally Thursday outside police headquarters on to announce the court filing and demand an end to stop and frisk abuses. They were joined by the city's public advocate, Jumaane Williams, several members of city council and police reform organizations. The community board proposed in Thursdays court filing would consist of seven members, including three living in public housing and two from the police watchdog organization Communities United for Police Reform. THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) French-Dutch airline group Air France-KLM said Friday that the first signs of recovery are visible in bookings amid easing pandemic travel restrictions as it reported a second-quarter net loss of nearly 1.5 billion euros ($1.8 billion). Air France-KLM's fleet of planes carried just over 7 million passengers in the year's second quarter, a rise of 477% compared to the same quarter last year, when strict lockdowns and travel restrictions slammed the brakes on the global aviation industry. The quarterly earnings report is the latest sign of tentative recovery in one of the sectors hardest hit by the COVID-19 crisis. Earlier this week, European plane maker Airbus and its rival Boeing both posted second-quarter net profits. Air France-KLM made a 7.1 billion-euro ($8.4 billion) loss in 2020 as the global pandemic grounded planes and halted travel plans worldwide, causing a 67% slump in passenger numbers. But with many countries now easing restrictions amid vaccination campaigns, travelers are taking to the skies once more. Theres a big travel appetite; where people can travel, they will travel, said CFO Steven Zaat. But, of course, we are still far away from the 2019 levels. But Bosnian Serb officials and officials in neighboring Serbia have refused to accept the designation. As the top international body overseeing implementation of the peace agreement that ended Bosnias 1992-95 war, the Office of High Representative has the authority to impose decisions or dismiss officials who undermine the post-war ethnic balance and reconciliation efforts among the Bosniaks, who are mostly Muslim, Bosnian Serbs and Croats. Inzko also banned the glorification of war criminals. He was appalled that Bosnian Serbs widely honor their wartime political leader Radovan Karadzic and military commander Ratko Mladic as heroes, though both have been convicted of genocide and sentenced to life in prison by the Hague-based tribunal. Inzko's decision will not be possible, Bosnian Serb parliament speaker Nedeljko Sarovic said after Friday's vote. It was wrong, unnecessary and it complicated the situation in Bosnia. The genocide in Srebrenica happened after Bosnian Serbs took control over the eastern enclave in July 1995. They executed Bosniak men and boys and dumped their remains into mass graves which were later dug up and reburied to cover the crime. The victims remains are still being unearthed and identified. Inzko is leaving his post on Saturday following his resignation in May after 12 years in office. He will be succeeded by Christian Schmidt of Germany. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. WAVERLY The District 145 website has a new look for the first time in about 18 years. On June 29, the district launched the new site using website provider Apptegy. Director of Technology Adam Bauman said the reason for the change was for ease of use by administrators for updates. It (the old website) was cumbersome to update the site, multiple clicks, Bauman said. The secretaries and the administrators, theyre like this is great, this (the new website) is so much easier to update and to post things. Not only can administrators make quick and easy updates to the website, they can also post the updates to social media like Facebook and Twitter all with the click of a button. While the new website is easier for administrators to use, its also easier for district patrons to use, Superintendent Dr. Cory Worrell said. Comments or concerns that I would hear from people with our old website was that it was hard to find stuff, you had too many clicks to get to information, Worrell said. Hopefully this new one will be a little bit more user friendly and people can get in there and find stuff a lot easier. CHICAGO (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions that was enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to oust tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households. Heres the situation in Illinois: WORKFORCE Biden tells civilian feds, contractors to get vaccinated or take regular COVID tests NOTE: A version of this article appeared first on FCW.com The White House announced vaccination and testing requirements for over 2 million federal employees on Thursday. Federal employees can either confirm their vaccination status or follow strict protocols like masking and regular testing. "I'm asking the Defense Department to look into how and when they will add COVID-19 to the list of vaccinations armed forces must get our men and women in uniform," Biden said in a speech from the White House. He added that he's directing the administration to "to take steps to apply similar standards to all federal contractors." (In April, Washington Technology explored the prospect of such a directive for contractors in a Project 38 podcast episode with Brooke Iley, a partner for labor and employment law at law firm Blank Rome LLP; and Albert Krachman, a partner for government contracts at the firm) The move comes as agencies are planning their "reentry" into physical workplaces. COVID-19 cases and deaths have been on the rise nationwide, and public health officials have flagged increased concerns about the Delta variant of the virus and vaccination rates. Guidance released by the White House-led Safer Federal Workforce Taskforce on Thursday spelled out the new rules, which overturn a set of instructions that urged federal managers not to directly ask employees and contractors to share their vaccination status. "Employees and onsite contractors must sign an attestation confirming their vaccination status, or they will be treated as not fully vaccinated for the purposes of safety protocols," the guidance states. Anyone who doesn't provide a response will be treated as unvaccinated. In areas of high or substantial transmission, all feds, contractors and visitors must mask in buildings. In areas of low or moderate transmission in most settings, fully vaccinated people won't need to mask or distance. Agencies also have to set up a system to test feds and onsite contractors who aren't vaccinated either weekly or twice-weekly. Unvaccinated feds and contractors will need to mask, physically distance and comply with the testing requirements. They'll also be subject to existing limits on official travel. Fully vaccinated federal employees and contractors won't need to distance or be tested and aren't subject to any government-wide limits on official government travel. The guidance also addresses reasonable accommodations. For feds who don't vaccinate because of religious reasons or due to a disability will follow the same safety protocols as unvaccinated individuals. They'll be subject to the reasonable accommodations process "in the rare case where they cannot." Other items included in the new guidance include instructions that in-person meetings with greater than 50 participants will require the agency head's approval. There are also guidelines on quarantining and exposure. Notably, the guidance says that fully vaccinated people who have had close contact with someone with a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 case should get tested 3-5 days later regardless of whether they have symptoms. It also says they should mask indoors in public for two weeks or until they get a negative test result, or quarantine for 10 days if it's positive. Agencies will be able to cap occupancy levels in specific workplaces to allow physical distancing. The guidance also addresses cleaning protocols. It also includes a reminder to agencies to satisfy bargaining agreements for their workplace safety plans and notes that agencies are "strongly encouraged to communicate regularly with employee representatives." Blue Origin, Dynetics see their lunar lander protests grounded The Government Accountability Office found nothing wrong with the way NASA picked SpaceX to build the new lunar lander under a $2.9 billion contract. GAO has denied protests by other competitors Blue Origin and Dynetics, whose bids NASA deemed too expensive and not as highly rated. The companies claimed NASA should have opened discussions with all bidders and allow them to amend their proposals, or just cancelled the contract. NASA's preference going into the source selection to make two awards. But each bid came in higher than NASA expected. The agency concluded it didnt have the funding to make more than one award. Blue Origin and Dynetics also challenged the funding rationale given by NASA. In denying the protests, GAO first concluded that NASA did not violate procurement law or regulation when it decided to make only one award, GAO said in a statement announcing its decision. GAO said the solicitation for the broad agency announcement gave NASA the flexibility to make one, two or no awards. The agency also dismissed the challenge to how the evaluations were conducted, ruling that NASAs process was reasonable. One area GAO agreed with the protesters on was how NASA waived one of the requirements for SpaceX, although there was not enough signs in GAO's eyes to show Blue Origin and Dynetics suffered any harm. The decision is still sealed as NASA and the companies will negotiate a public version. Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos recently made an offer to NASA that the company would cover an additional $2 billion in expected costs if it was awarded a contract. NASA hasnt publicly responded to the offer, which is an indicator of how important the contract is to Bezos and Blue Origin. Bezos also famously just made a trip to space aboard one of his rockets. Obviously, the space market means a great deal to him and Blue Origin. So it should be no surprise if he takes his arguments over the lunar lander to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Well keep an eye out for that. In familiar refrain, it's Amazon versus Microsoft for this $10B NSA cloud contract We should be used to seeing Amazon and Microsoft go head-to-head against one another in the federal market given the acrimony that surrounded their competition for the now-defunct $10 billion Defense Department JEDI cloud contract. They are now up against each other over this whopper of another cloud competition: the National Security Agencys $10 billion single-award contract going by the code name of "WildandStormy." But unlike how JEDI's initial award went to Microsoft before being cancelled in July, Amazon Web Services has come out as the winner of "WildandStormy" and Microsoft is the protester. Microsoft is challenging that decision at the Government Accountability Office, saying NSA didnt conduct a proper evaluation. If the agency had, Microsoft says it would have been picked over AWS. Details are obviously hard to come by for this undertaking, but NSA and the rest of the intelligence community have several initiatives underway to bring in commercial cloud computing capabilities. The current GovCloud that NSA uses is an on-premise environment it wants to move away from. NSA is pursuing what it calls a Hybrid Compute Initiative to manage what goes into a commercial cloud infrastructure and what pieces cannot be moved. WildandStormy is a separate effort from the multiple-award Commercial Cloud Enterprise contract awarded last year that could be worth tens of billions of dollars over 15 years to provide cloud hosting services across some 17 intelligence agencies. Just a few years ago, it seemed AWS had the intelligence market to itself. But Microsoft has built out its top secret cloud capabilities over the last few years. We expect the competition to continue remaining red-hot between these two. Microsoft filed its protest July 21. A decision is expected back from GAO by Oct. 29. Security fits into so many roles these days, said Jay Bracken, information security officer with The VGM Group. People working in areas like accounting or facilities need to have some knowledge of security, he noted. The skills students will learn in the new program can launch you into a lot of career paths. Since were in the health care business, we need to be in the security business, said Jeremy Kauten, VGMs chief information officer and senior vice president of information technology. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Robin Nelson, shareholder director of security projects at BerganKDV, suggested that in coming years students from other Hawkeye programs may begin to take some cybersecurity classes because those skills are so important. So, I definitely give Hawkeye credit for getting ahead of this, he said. With everything in the news, having that security foundation is going to be huge, added Brian Frederick, manager of technology support services for BerganKDV. The Iowa Department of Public Health is expanded funding of 5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count!, which began in 2017 in Iowa. Five communities will receive grants, while 11 communities currently funded for the initiative will receive additional grants. The funded communities will work to create policies and environments that support healthy choices by implementing strategies for healthy eating and active living in communities, schools, child care and out-of-school programs, health care practices and workplaces. New communities each receive $30,000. 5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count! is a nationally recognized and evidence-based prevention framework to promote healthy habits. The goal is to increase physical activity and healthy eating through policy and environmental change. 5-2-1-0 focuses on the importance of four daily health habits: five or more servings of fruits and vegetables; two hours or less of screen time (television, computer, video games, phones); one hour or more of physical activity; and zero sugar-sweetened beverages. For more information, visit https://idph.iowa.gov/5210 JUDICIAL APPOINTMENT: James Daane of Sioux City has been appointed district court judge in Judicial Election District 3B by Gov. Kim Reynolds. The annual cicadas are green, brown and black, with green eyes. They can be 2 to 2.5 inches (5.1 to 6.4 centimeters) long, which is a bit larger than their periodical friends. There are 163 species of annual cicadas that live in the United States and can be seen in the lower 48 states, Kritsky said. There are seven species of US periodical cicadas, he said. Cicadas make their homes all over the globe, with nearly 3,400 species of cicadas worldwide. They like to scream It's hard to find an annual cicada once you hear one singing its buzzy, screaming tune. Kritsky heard the song of annual cicadas recently in Cincinnati and even with his trained eye, he said it took a few minutes to spot who was singing. c "If you approach a tree that's screaming, the cicada may stop singing because while they're singing, they're going to be vulnerable for bird predation," he said. "So, a lot of times they'll quiet down, shut up if you get too close, or if a predator approaches." Their singing is like a loud, buzzing sound that peters off when the insect loses steam, Kritsky explained while he played various clips over the phone. The 28-year-old singer had previously admitted she was struggling with the long distance between her and Jed. She said: "It's s*** - we never see each other. We've been together two years but it feels like we've only just started going out because we never see each other. It's been a bit s*** not seeing each other I must admit ... We hardly ever see each other as he's signed in the US and I'm always on tour, but we fly to see each other as much as possible." The 'Shout Out to My Ex' hitmaker "chased" the 'Low Key in Love' rocker for "months" before he agreed to go on a date with her as she claimed Jed "wasn't interested" in her when they first met. She said: "I saw him on stage and was like he's got to be mine. I chased him for months. I didn't take no for an answer. You know what it was though? He wasn't interested. I flew to LA for like a weekend to go on a date with him, that's how Desperate Dan I was." Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 This article originally ran on celebretainment.com. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Love live music? Then August is really heating up. Don your coolest getup and get ready for shows ranging from jazz at the San Francisco venue Black Cat, opera in a Berkeley parklet, and funk and soul at the Petaluma Music Festival. Plus, see OMCA's new exhibit Mothership: Voyage Into Afrofuturism; adopt a pet at SFSPCA for free; enjoy Shakespeare in the Park; and slurp your way through National Oyster Day. Have a good one! Adopt a new furry friend at the SFSPCA. For the next few weeks, you can give an older dog or cat or dog over 30 pounds a forever home without paying the usual fee; through August 15th. // SFSPCA, 201 Alabama St. (Mission), sfspca.org Grab some cornmeal popovers, gumbo, and a cocktail named for an indie music venue at Rock & Rye, the new restaurant at Mill Valley's Sweetwater Music Hall. Then buy tickets to one of the venue's September shows; open daily starting Monday. // The Rock & Rye, 19 Corte Madera Ave. (Mill Valley), sweetwatermusichall.com Learn to make impressive cocktails at The Alembic's Seasonal Mixology course. You'll mix up four full-sized drinks and pick up some mixology history tidbits; Monday from 7pm to 9pm. // The Alembic, 1725 Haight St. (Upper Haight); tickets ($85) on eventbrite.com See Lauren Quin: Vocal Fry, an exhibit of paintings that explore themes of love, power, consumption, and communication; by appointment through September 2nd. // Four One Nine, 419 10th St. (SoMa), friendsindeed.art Get tix to Black Cat's first-ever Jazz@TheEdge Festival, in celebration of the bar and music venue's post-Covid reopening as well as its fifth birthday. A curated lineup of special guests. The fun kicks off this Wednesday with Grammy Awardnominated trumpeter Theo Croker; through October 10th. // Black Cat, 400 Eddy St. (Tenderloin), lineup and tickets on blackcatsf.com See the Mission Art and Comic Expo with pieces by more than 60 artists focusing on POC and LGBTQ voices; 3pm to 8pm Wednesdays through Saturdays, through August 28th. // Evolved, 3067 24th St. (Mission), details on Instagram Enjoy free Shakespeare in the Park. SF Shakes will present a four-part version of Pericles, Prince of Tyre, a story with plenty of adventure and cliff hangers. Catch up with on-demand showings of episodes one and two; watch episode three on YouTube Live this week; and then at the end of the month, see the final act in person at Golden Gate Park. // Find details on sfshakes.org. Hear Penny Opera perform from the bed of a truck at a Downtown Berkeley parklet, 7pm to 9pm Thursday. Locations to be announced soon. // Find details at downtownberkeley.com. See Bay Area Walls, a series of commissions by local artists that consider the Covid-19 pandemic and unfolding crises of 2020. Displayed across three floors of the museum, the artworks reveal the far-reaching impact of these events on Bay Area communities; ongoing. // San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), 151 Third St. (SoMa), bit.ly/3bWs1Ei Thank you to our partners at SFMOMA. Slurp your way through National Oyster Day with a chef's selection of oysters and specially priced bottles of Delamotte Brut Champagne ($75); Thursday at Waterbar. // Waterbar, 399 The Embarcadero, waterbarsf.com Catch David Martin's House Party playing the kickoff of Night at the Green concert series. Then, see more live bands every week through October 28th. Two drink tickets are included with admission; Thursdays at 7:30pm. // Par 3 at Poplar Creek, 1700 Coyote Point Dr. (San Mateo), par3thelodge.com LOL because you can relate at the return of About Last Night: A One Night Stand Storytelling Series. Face it, we've all experienced embarrassing and awkward one-night stands; Friday at 7pm. Proof of vaccination will be required at the door. // Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd St. (Mission); tickets ($10 and up) on eventbrite.com Explore Sonoma County Regional Parks with REI's Dirt, Sweat & Beers series. Run a 5K through Shiloh Ranch or a 10K through Spring Lake, and don't forget to give back to these spaces with a DIY cleanup. This race is open from now through September 29th. // Register and check out more events at reidirtsweatandbeers.splashthat.com/7x7. Thank you to our partners at REI. Team award-winning film screenings with wine tastings and chef dinners at Sonoma International Film Festival's Summerfest; Thursday through Sunday. // Various locations in Sonoma, eventive.org Go see Kristina Micotti's whimsical works in Rare Device's in-store gallery (and maybe do some shopping while you're there). You can even book an opening reception timeslot if you want to meet the illustrator, opening on Friday from 7pm to 9pm, show through September 20. // Rare Device, 600 Divisadero St. (Fillmore), raredevice.net Listen to jazz while imbibing al fresco at Hotel Healdsburg. The Carlitos Medrano Trio kicks off the Jazz Summer Music Series, 5pm to 8pm Saturdays through August 28th. // Hotel Healdsburg, 25 Matheson St. (Healdsburg), hotelhealdsburg.com View Mothership: Voyage Into Afrofuturism, a new exhibit celebrating the past, present, and future through Black imagination. Pieces include a costume from Black Panther and music by jazz artist Sun Ra; opens Saturday, through February 27, 2022. // Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St. (Oakland), museumca.org Hang out at the Petaluma Music Festival. Acts include San Francisco soul group Royal Jelly Live, soul band Monophonics, and funk-meets-pop group The Motet. Meander between the four stages with brews by Lagunitas and plenty of specialty food vendors; Saturday from 11:30am to 9pm. // Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds, 175 Fairgrounds Drive (Petaluma); GA tickets ($55) on petalumamusicfestival.org Spend a leisurely afternoon at Cornerstone Sonoma. During the weekly Summer Music Series, foodies and wine and cocktails connoisseurs can kick back to live bands while munching on gourmet offerings like wood-fired pizzas; 11am to 3pm Saturdays and Sundays, through August 29th. // Cornerstone Sonoma, 23570 Arnold Drive (Sonoma), details on eventbrite.com Stop by the opening reception of "Layers." You'll be able to chat with Bay Area artists Trent Thompson and John Osgood and hear more about their street artinspired works. The opening reception is Friday from 5pm to 9pm; exhibit through August 28th. // Voss Gallery, 3344 24th St. (Mission), details on eventbrite.com Get groovy at the outdoor All Day I Dream event. Expect live music and art, yoga, clothing and jewelry vendors, and food trucks. Bring a blanket for picnicking with fellow creatives; Saturday from noon to 7pm. // Golden Gate Park, 880 John F. Kennedy Drive (Golden Gate Park), tickets on ra.co Partake in Balletto Vineyards' Summer Supper. This weekend only, chef Fernando Ruiz (perhaps you've seen him on Chopped or Beat Bobby Flay) will serve a special menu of six courses with wine pairingsthink halibut ceviche with sparkling brut rose; Saturday and Sunday from 5pm to 8pm. // Balletto Vineyards, 5700 Occidental Rd. (Santa Rosa); tickets ($125 for GA) on ballettovineyards.com Take your pup to Harmonic Brewing. On Sunday, pair your beers with DJ beats, tacos from El Fuego, and special treats for the dogs; noon to 6pm, DJ at 1:30pm. // Harmonic Brewing, 1050 26th St. (Dogpatch), harmonicbrewing.com Signs MOA with Universiti Kebangsaan Sydney, July 29, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - AdvanceTC Ltd ( OTCMKTS:ATCLF ) ( NSX:A88 ) is pleased to advice that it had signed a MOA with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia ( The National University of Malaysia ) to jointly develop AI Technology related to Image Processing for mobile devices. This will be the 1st of the many projects that the Company and UKM will jointly work on. The Company and UKM expect numerous new technologies to be developed from this joint collaboration that will contribute to new innovative products and devices for commercialisation including our new X8 Android Satellite Voice & Data and X7 Tetra models . The Company will also start to delve into current technologies that UKM has available and evaluate on possibilities to commercialise it through this joint partnership. The Company and UKM joint developments will produce more exciting technologies that the Company will bring to the market.About Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia ( The National University of Malaysia )UKM is one of five research universities in Malaysia with a strategic direction to be the regional leader in academic and research excellence. UKM is ranked amongst the Top 1% of Universities in the World.About AdvanceTC Limited AdvanceTC is a premier technology company specializing in the design and development of mobile telecommunication and computing devices. AdvanceTC is listed on NSX Australia (NSX:A88). More information on the company can be found at www.advancetc.com Quarterly Activities Report Ballarat, July 30, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - During the Quarter, White Rock Minerals Ltd ( ASX:WRM ) ( OTCMKTS:WRMCF ) commenced field activities at its 100% owned Red Mountain Project, located in central Alaska. The Company is exploring for Intrusion Related Gold System (IRGS) mineralisation and high-grade silver-zinc-gold-lead volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits.Field activities to date include:- Drilling for down-dip extensions to the silver-rich zinc Dry Creek VMS deposit.- Drill testing of new VMS targets in the Red Mountain area and along the newly identified Keevy VMS Trend, where additional tenements were staked during the Quarter.- Drill testing of the Last Chance Gold Target.- To date, some 2,769 metres have been drilled from 9 holes across 6 prospects. o Surface reconnaissance of numerous VMS targets in both the Red Mountain and Last Chance areas has been a key focus with detailed soil sampling, ground magnetics and CSAMT geophysics completed and/or underway at:o Jack Frost and Easy Ivan, both are new prospects identified during the 2021 field season that are now drill ready in less than 7 weeks of field work;o Yogi, Kiwi and Yeti, all on the newly identified Keevy VMS trend, ando Horseshoe, Ringer, Bullseye, Bib, Bib West, Copper Creek and Peaches.- Surface reconnaissance of new gold stream anomalies identified during 2020 has also been occurring with detailed prospect soil sampling and ground magnetics at the newly identified Pepper gold prospect, east of the Last Chance Gold Target.- In total, across both the VMS and gold targets, over 5,000 soil samples and 200 rock chip samples have been taken, plus over 70 line kilometres of ground magnetics and 10 line kilometres of CSAMT surveyed and 1,900 line kilometres of airborne EM acquired over 400km2.MT CARRINGTON PROJECT, NSW- White Rock and Thomson Resources Ltd ("Thomson") ( ASX:TMZ ) executed a definitive agreement for a 3 stage Earn-In and Option to Joint Venture Agreement, whereby Thomson can earn up to 70% of White Rock's advanced Mt Carrington gold-silver Project in north eastern NSW by funding the project through a Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS), Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and the environmental permitting process to a Decision to Mine. White Rock is free-carried during the Earn-In period and will receive a series of cash payments including A$550,000 over the first 18 months, an additional payment of $500,000 if Thomson elect to earn 51% and a further $12,500,000 if Thomson elect to earn 70%.PROPOSED MERGER WITH AUSTAR GOLD- White Rock and AuStar Gold Ltd ("AuStar") ( ASX:AUL ) signed a revised Merger Implementation Deed (MID) whereby White Rock would acquire 100% of AuStar Gold by way of scheme of arrangement in an all-equity transaction.- The Scheme would move White Rock into the league of gold producers and secures a large (~670km2) under-explored land package with historic high-grade gold production in the highly prospective Victorian goldfields.To view the full quarterly report, please visit:About White Rock Minerals Ltd White Rock Minerals Ltd (ASX:WRM) (OTCMKTS:WRMCF) is a diversified explorer and near-stage producer, headquartered in Ballarat, Victoria. The Company's flagship exploration project is Red Mountain in central Alaska. At Red Mountain, there are already two high grade zinc - silver - gold - lead VMS deposits, with an Inferred Mineral Resource of 9.1 million tonnes @ 609g/t AgEq / 13% ZnEq. The Company is also exploring its recently discovered large intrusion related gold anomaly at Last Chance, also located in the Tintina gold belt of Alaska, home to multi-million gold ounce deposits like Pogo, Fort Knox and the Donlin Project. The Company also has the Mt Carrington project, located near Drake, in Northern NSW, which is a near-production precious metals asset with a resource of 341,000 ounces of gold and 23.2 million ounces of silver on an approved mining lease, and with a Gold First PFS and JORC Reserve. Quarterly Activities Report Perth, July 30, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - OzAurum Resources Ltd ( ASX:OZM ) is pleased to provide a summary of activities for the June 2021 Quarter. The Company continues to deliver excellent drilling results from the large-scale Reverse Circulation (RC) and Aircore (AC) drilling programs that began earlier this year over the Mulgabbie North Project situated North East of Kalgoorlie and adjacent Northern Star Limited's ( ASX:NST ) Carosue Dam Mine operations. In addition, OzAurum commenced a Maiden Drilling Campaign at its 100%-owned Patricia Gold Project situated 40 kilometres (km) north east of Mulgabbie, and announced a new 10,000 metre (m) drilling program to extend current drilling and to test newly granted prospects over the Mulgabbie Project area.HIGHLIGHTS- OzAurum nearing completion of its large-scale 50,000 metre (m) drilling program at the Mulgabbie North Project- Intersection of high-grade gold in both RC and AC drilling programs over the period, with best results including 14 m @ 3.89 g/t gold (Au) within a wider zone of 27 m @ 2.20 g/t Au, and includes 5 m @ 9.44 g/t Au (RC) & a significant AC drilling result of 1 m @ 162.50 g/t Au from 27 m (MNOAC 120)- Significant wide zones of gold mineralisation intersected, with mineralisation open along strike and at depth at both the James and Ben Prospects at Mulgabbie North, with new exciting targets identified at Mulgabbie to be tested with future RC drilling- Additional 10,000 m RC drilling campaign approved to expand on current drilling at these Prospects, and to target three regional prospects on recently granted tenements along the Relief Shear - The Golden Goose, Alicia and Libby Prospects- Maiden 28-hole RC drilling campaign underway at OzAurum's 100%-owned Patricia Gold Project with the aim of discovering further high-grade gold mineralisation- Acquisition of 100% interest in a new tenement, E31/1186, adjoining the Patricia Project - adding an additional 6 km of prospective strike to the Project- Strategic Board appointments over the quarter including OzAurum director, Martin C Holland, appointed to Executive Director - Head of Corporate, and Stephen Hewitt-Dutton appointed to Chief Financial Officer- Large-scale drilling at Mulgabbie almost complete and the Company remains well funded to continue exploration activities, with a cash balance of A$7.6mTo view the full quarterly report, please visit:About OzAurum Resources Limited OzAurum Resources Ltd (ASX:OZM) is a Western Australian gold explorer with two advanced gold projects located 130 km north east of Kalgoorlie. The Company's main objective is to make a significant gold discovery that can be brought to production. Quarterly Activities Report Sydney, July 30, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - The second Quarter has been productive for Empire Energy Group Limited ( ASX:EEG ) ( OTCMKTS:EEGUF ). The Company continues to progress towards its objective to achieve commercial production and cash flows.Major highlights of the Quarter:- Transformational acquisition of Pangaea and EMG NT, Beetaloo Sub-basin assets, nearly doubling Empire's NT acreage focused on the highly prospective Beetaloo Sub-basin- Post-acquisition, Empire's best estimate Prospective Resources (2U) will total ~47 Tcfe comprising 42 Tcf gas and 791 MMbbls liquids (condensate and oil) while 2C Contingent Resources will be 220 Bcfe comprising 199 BCF gas and 3.5 MMbbls of liquids- The Board and management team of Empire has been strengthened with Mr Louis Rozman completing his first full Quarter as a Director and Mr Paul Fudge and Ms Jacqui Clarke (his alternate) will join the Board once the acquisition completes- The Carpentaria-1 well targeting the Velkerri shales was successfully fractured stimulated. Following completion, extended production testing produced pleasing results at a peak rate of >1.6 mmcf / day, an average flow rate of 0.25 mmcf / day over a 17-day test period during which the well was continuing to dewater, with a final rate of 0.25 mmcf / day- After Quarter end, approvals were received for three grants totaling up to $21 million under the Beetaloo Cooperative Drilling Program - funds will be applied to up to three horizontal wells on EP187- Empire raised new equity capital of ~$37.2 million (gross) at $0.30 per Empire share- The Company ended the Quarter with $41.9 million in cashOther highlights:- The Carpentaria-1 well was shut-in on 16th July 2021 to comply with COVID-19 operating constraints - the technical team intends to recommence production testing when operating conditions allow- Preparations for the drilling of Empire's first horizontal well in EP187 are well advanced- Empire's US business executed US$120,000 in wind and solar project land leasing contracts over its New York State oil and gas leases with negotiations for further renewable energy project leasing opportunities developing- Empire and Macquarie Bank executed amendments to the Credit Facility, removing two financial covenants: the interest coverage ratio and 1P PV10 ratio. Repayments to the Credit Facility totaled US$412,500 during the Quarter- The General Meeting to consider the acquisition of the Pangaea and EMG NT assets will be held at 2.00pm (AEST) on Tuesday, 3rd August 2021- Gas prices in the United States, Australia and Asia have surged to multi-year highsTo view the full quarterly report, please visit:About Empire Energy Group Ltd Empire Energy (ASX:EEG) (OTCMKTS:EEGUF) holds over 14.5 million acres of highly prospective exploration tenements in the McArthur and Beetaloo Basins, Northern Territory. Work undertaken by the Company since 2010 demonstrates that the Eastern depositional Trough of the McArthur Basin, of which the Company holds 80% has very considerable conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon potential. The Beetaloo sub-Basin, in which Empire holds a substantial position, has independently assessed world class hydrocarbon volumes in place with a major ramp up in industry activity underway to appraise substantial discoveries already made by major Australian oil and gas operators. Empire Energy is an experienced conventional oil and gas producer with operations in the Appalachia region (New York and Pennsylvania). Empire has been successfully developing and producing oil and gas since 2006. Quarterly Activities Report Perth, July 30, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Okapi Resources Limited ( ASX:OKR ) ( FRA:26O ) is pleased to report activities completed during the 30 June 2021 quarter.Highlights- Drilling commences at the Enmore Gold Project in NSW with an initial drill campaign of 10 holes, with a minimum drilling distance of 1,000m over priority prospects following approvals awarded by the NSW Government and drill rigs secured- Post quarter end, drilling program at the Enmore Gold Project in NSW completed, comprising 10 holes for 1,257m- Program to test the depth extent of shallow mineralisation reported from historic drilling- Completion of an infill geochemical soil survey on Mount Day Project- The survey on Mount Day Project increases the resolution of the previously completed soil survey, identifying areas for more detailed follow up and defining drilling targets- Okapi's 100% highly prospective gold tenement E63/2039 granted- Infill soil sampling program at E63/2039 conducted during the quarter and completed in July 2021- Completion of Tranche 2 Placement raising $0.8M at $0.19 per share to progress the Enmore Gold Project- Completion of Placement raising $0.65M at $0.21 per share with one free attaching Listed Options for every share subscribed- Appointment of Mr Peretz Schapiro as Non-Executive Director/Interim Chairman and Mr Leonard Math as Executive DirectorOkapi's Executive Director, Mr David Nour said, "The June quarter has been an extremely busy quarter with exploration activities conducted on Okapi's projects including a drilling program at the Enmore Gold Project.""In addition, during the quarter, the Board has been busy assessing a number of project opportunities and successfully entered into a binding agreement in July to acquire Tallahassee Resources, which holds a portfolio of large, superior and high-grade uranium projects in the US combined with an experienced team holding in-depth knowledge of North America. This is a transformational opportunity for Okapi to become one of the most prominent uranium developers in the world.""The Company is fortunate to have Peretz and Leonard joining the Board of Okapi and their experience and knowledge will be invaluable to this growing Company. It has also been a great pleasure working with Andrew, Rhod and Raymond. On behalf of the Company, I thank them for their contribution and wish them well for their future endeavours.""It has been a busy quarter and I thank everyone involved. The Board and I look forward to a great 2021/2022 ahead."To view the full quarterly report, please visit:About Okapi Resources Ltd Okapi Resources Limited (ASX:OKR) is a minerals exploration company focused on the discovery and commercialisation of mineral deposits in Australia. Okapi's primary objective is to discover and develop mineral resources from its current portfolio. The Company has carefully selected projects with historical workings and excellent results. Okapi has a team of professionals with an exemplary record of success and with a particular history in Australia. Okapi is also pursuing a growth strategy that aims to appraise and secure further exploration and development opportunities within gold and mineral endowed districts. Quarterly Activities Report Perth, July 30, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Wiluna Mining Corporation Limited ( ASX:WMC ) ( FRA:NZ3 ) ( OTCMKTS:WMXCF ) controls 100% of the Wiluna Mining Operation. The Wiluna Mining Operation is located at the northern end of the Western Australian Goldfields approximately 530 km north of Kalgoorlie and is 900 km northeast, and one and a half hours by direct flight, from Perth.The Wiluna Mining Operation has an endowment (historic and current) of over 11 million ounces and currently has a Mineral Resource of over 7 million ounces which is the 8th largest gold district in Australia under single ownership.The Wiluna Mining Operation is currently in development stage with a two-staged, 3-year development underway to transform Wiluna from a modest, cashflow positive producer of free milling ore via a conventional CIP plant to a multi circuit operation producing circa 250kozpa. The staged development plan on completion will enable Wiluna to treat all the ore types at Wiluna through four processes including;- Existing 2.1Mtpa CIP process plant;- 750,000 tpa flotation concentrator which has commenced construction and will be commissioned in Q2 FY2022 scaling up to 1.5 Mtpa capacity by FY2024;- Gravity circuit which produces gold dore; and- Tailings retreatment plant which links tailings reclaim and reslurrying with the existing CIP circuit for the production of gold dore.Stage 1 development is defined at a production profile of 120kozpa and is fully funded. The final size and shape of the Stage 2 development at the Wiluna Mining Operation will depend on the conclusions from the Feasibility Study currently taking place. This Feasibility Study includes significant resource reserve drilling which is aiming to add an additional 500koz of to the current Wiluna Mining Centre Underground Ore Reserve of 661koz @4.74 g/t by the end of CY2021.The Wiluna Mining Operation also has significant exploration and discovery potential within its 1,600km2 tenement area, under the headframe near current known deposits and regionally, with multiple million-ounce exploration targets. The Operation also boasts, in addition to the Wiluna Mining Centre (which is where all the current attention is focused), three additional well-defined mining centres at Regent, Lakeway and Matilda, all with stand-alone, long life mining potential.Milan Jerkovic, Wiluna Mining's Executive Chair commented:"The June quarter, and in fact the entire 2021 Financial Year, saw significant steps taken towards the renaissance of Wiluna back to one of the great mining centres in Western Australia.WMC invested nearly $100 million during the year into the development of the assets at Wiluna including on underground development, sustained capital, resource/reserve drilling, construction of infrastructure for the Stage 1 development and Stage 2 Feasibility Studies. Modest operating cashflows continue to contribute to this investment.This development is staged to methodically unlock the Wiluna Mining Centre potential. We believe Wiluna could end up one of the largest gold mines in Australia. We look forward to the new financial year and the commissioning of Stage 1 and the results of the Stage 2 Feasibility Study. We believe that FY2022 will be a year where we benefit from work and effort put into the project in the 2021 FY and that the new financial year turns out to be a watershed year for WMC, its stakeholders and our shareholders".To view the full quarterly report, please visit: https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/1342I94Y About Wiluna Mining Corporation Ltd Wiluna Mining Corporation (ASX:WMC) (OTCMKTS:WMXCF) is a Perth based, ASX listed gold mining company that controls over 1,600 square kilometres of the Yilgarn Craton in the Northern Goldfields of WA. The Yilgarn Craton has a historic and current gold endowment of over 380 million ounces, making it one of most prolific gold regions in the world. The Company owns 100% of the Wiluna Gold Operation which has a defined resource of 8.04M oz at 1.67 g/t au. In May 2019, a new highly skilled management team took control of the Company with a clear plan to leverage the Wiluna Gold Operation's multi-million-ounce potential. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... The actor Val Kilmer sits behind a table at a Comic Con in London, looking pale and unsteady. His voice has been reduced to a whispering rasp after tracheostomy surgery for throat cancer in 2015 although the good news is, the surgery was successful and he tries to smile gamely as fan after fan asks him to sign posters and photos of his Iceman character in Top Gun, always asking for the same caption: You can be my wingman any time. Iceman. Kilmer signals he needs a break, and we see him vomiting into a trash can before he is wheeled out of the convention, with a blanket covering his face so nobody can see its Val Kilmer. Its a profoundly sad sequence in the fascinating and insightful and often beautifully moving documentary Val and yet one has to admire Kilmers willingness to allow the cameras to keep on rolling, not to mention his candor as he acknowledges much of his income these days comes from attending events such as Comic Con, a screening of Tombstone in Texas, etc. Revisiting his long-ago prime could be viewed as the lowest thing an actor could do, Kilmer says, but when he interacts with fans who have genuine and abiding affection for him, he feels grateful rather than humiliated. (The meet-and-greet before the Tombstone screening is a much more uplifting experience than the Comic Con signing, as fans connect with Kilmer and tell him how much his work has meant to them.) Val Kilmer played Batman and Jim Morrison and Doc Holliday and Iceman and Elvis Presley, and he was a standout in films such as Real Genius and Heat and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Salton Sea, and he continues to act even after his surgery. (Hes reprising his Iceman character in Top Gun: Maverick.) He had the leading-man looks and the Juilliard School chops and the charisma to become one of the great movie stars of the latter part of the 20th century but he never reached the heights of his Top Gun mate Tom Cruise. Its been a roller-coaster career, with Kilmer constantly pegged as someone who is difficult to work with, who made some questionable career choices (he walked away from the Batman franchise), who was his own worst enemy. Kilmer addresses all of that and much more in this documentary from Leo Scott and Ting Poo, who do a remarkable job of weaving together present-day footage of Kilmer with a gold mine of video footage shot by Kilmer himself, who was an early adopter of amateur video and took his cameras along everywhere he traveled. Ive kept everything, Kilmer says, as we see him going through dozens upon dozens of boxes of videotape. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ With Kilmers son Jack providing the voice-over narration of his fathers words, Val features home movies from Kilmers childhood in which Val and his two brothers made elaborate homemade spoofs of Jaws and other films on the familys California ranch, which was formerly owned by Roy Rogers. When Vals younger brother Wesley died after having an epileptic seizure in the familys hot tub, Val was devastated and notes now, Our family was never the same. Still in the grips of grief, the 18-year-old Kilmer left California for Juilliard. From this point on, Kilmers camera is omnipresent, whether hes backstage with fellow hotshots Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon, goofing around with his buddy Rick Rossovich (who played Slider) on the set of Top Gun, bantering with Kurt Russell while making Tombstone, or getting married to his Willow co-star Joanne Whalley, the mother of his children, Jack and Mercedes. We see Kilmers homemade and quite sophisticated audition tapes for Full Metal Jacket and Goodfellas and The Doors, and while he wasnt cast in the former two films, he delivered a performance for the ages in Oliver Stones trippy biopic. Kilmer talks about how the suit in Batman Forever was so constraining he could barely move in it and couldnt hear what the other actors were saying. He resigned himself to just showing up and standing for as long as he could, while the likes of Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey chewed up the scenery. We also see some bizarre footage shot during the making of the ill-fated The Island of Dr. Moreau, in which Kilmer comes across a morbidly obese Marlon Brando on a hammock, and Brando implores him to give us a shove so he can keep on swinging back and forth. Despite his health problems and a career that carried as many setbacks as triumphs, Kilmer comes across as a self-deprecating, thoughtful, likable and almost jovial figure with a wicked sense of humor and a deep appreciation of artists, writers, poets, actors and thinkers. (Hes been obsessed with Mark Twain much of his life and played him in a one-man show, Citizen Twain.) Most heartwarming of all are the moments when we see him with son Jack and daughter Mercedes, who clearly adore their father, and he lights up whenever hes in their presence. Those relationships are Kilmers greatest and lasting legacy. VAL 3.5 stars RATED: R (for some language) WHEN: Now showing WHERE: On Amazon Prime Video on Aug. 6 .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal An Albuquerque man will spend almost 50 years in prison for stabbing his girlfriend and her mother to death inside their university area home in 2019. Second Judicial District Judge Joseph Montano on Wednesday sentenced Jesus Cartagena to 50 years behind bars with five years suspended for the June 2019 deaths of Shanta Hanish, 19, and Laura Hanish, 58. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ The 22-year-old pleaded no contest to two counts of second-degree murder and one count each of aggravated burglary with a deadly weapon and tampering with evidence. His attorney could not be reached for comment. Police say Cartagena killed the women June 21 at their home near Girard and Coal SE, before fleeing to Mexico in Shanta Hanishs car. Cartagena turned himself in to the El Paso Police Department a day later. The double slaying rocked the community as those in the criminal justice system mourned the loss of Laura Hanish, a longtime social worker with the state Law Offices of the Public Defender, and University of New Mexico students and friends grieved the death of fellow UNM student and city lifeguard Shanta Hanish. Our public defender family is still hurting over the death of our dear friend and colleague Laura. She was a deeply caring person, and a dedicated social worker and advocate for our clients, and we miss her, Chief Public Defender Bennett Baur said in a statement Thursday. Those who knew Cartagena teachers, neighbors, friends and relatives of the Hanishes were in disbelief as many remembered him as soft-spoken and a gentle giant. Court records hinted at possible abuse and neglect in Cartagenas childhood following his parents divorce. As the trial against Cartagena approached, there were questions of whether he was competent to stand trial. By September 2020, he had been found competent but would remain at the New Mexico Behavioral Health Institute in Las Vegas until trial. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Copyright 2021 Albuquerque Journal With COVID-19 cases beginning to rise, the Lensic Performing Arts Center is taking precautions. The Santa Fe-based arts organization will require that everyone attending events at the theater including patrons, artists, staff, volunteers and backstage crew provide proof of full vaccination or the results of a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours to gain admittance. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ The move will begin Aug. 24. With continued developments in the virus and its variants, we feel this is the best way to protect our patrons and artists, support the numerous performing arts groups that use the Lensic, and do whats right for the community that makes the Lensic what it is, says Executive Director Joel Aalberts. Aalberts said Lensic staff is finalizing policies and procedures, which will be released in early August. Our goal is to make this process as easy and comfortable as possible for everyone entering the Lensic, Aalberts said. Aalberts said audience members with previously purchased tickets who are unable or unwilling to follow the new guidelines will be given an opportunity to ask for a full ticket refund up to 48 hours prior to their scheduled performance. The Lensic is joining venues across the country, such as Radio City Music Hall, The Los Angeles Opera and McCallum Auditorium in Palm Desert, California, in tightening their admission procedures policy. Policies regarding masks and other COVID-safe practices will be updated as needed, based on current guidelines and best practices outlined by public health professionals. All Lensic staff members and volunteers are fully vaccinated. Aalberts said the change has the full support of the Lensics Board of Directors, its consortium partners and key renters. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... If you have an important letter or check you want to mail, you know the local post office is the safest place to go. And if you have an absentee ballot, you know you can mail it or drop it off at your county clerks office or an early voting site. Rules proposed by Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Olivers office would mandate a certain number of absentee ballot drop boxes in every county and allow them just about anywhere as long as theyre locked at all times and bolted to the ground. The minimum number of boxes would be mandated by a voter population formula set by the Secretary of States Office. The proposed rules dont require in-person monitoring, instead relying on 24/7 video surveillance to record any mischief. State Bureau of Elections Director Kari Fresquez says a mix of federal and state money would pay for the equipment to ensure 24/7 surveillance. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ While an expansion of secured drop boxes for absentee ballots makes it more convenient for busy voters, the drop boxes should not be allowed on just any corner. And they shouldnt be unattended, where they can be vandalized or carted away as happens to many mail boxes regardless of how well they are bolted down. Absentee voting has surged during the coronavirus pandemic. And efforts that make voting more accessible to the citizenry are worth pursuing. Of the 928,000 voters who cast ballots in the November 2020 general election, roughly 35% cast absentee ballots. Absentee voting rates were even higher during the June 2020 primaries, not long after COVID-19 appeared in New Mexico. A record 264,793 New Mexicans used the method to cast their ballots in the 2020 primaries, about 63.4% of all votes cast. The Secretary of States idea to increase the number of drop boxes to ensure they are present in all counties makes sense. But do we need ballot drop boxes scattered in parking garages and parking lots? Why not centralized sites where voters will take advantage of the convenience and deliver taxpayers more bang for the buck? Along those lines, early voting and Election Day polling sites seem like more logical, secure and cost-effective locations. It also seems logical that the boxes would be brought in at night, when most vandalism occurs. The 24/7 video monitoring will not prevent vandals; how does watching video of vandalism after the fact help protect your vote? A 2019 state law first allowed the use of ballot drop boxes outside traditional polling places for elections in 2020. The ballot containers were required to be continually supervised by a person, and the law didnt make them mandatory in every county. Expanding options for busy voters is a good idea. But its an idea that should be approached with caution. Placing drop boxes where voters are likely to expect them and use them such as polling locations has proven successful. And keeping them secure overnight so ballots cant easily be stolen, damaged or destroyed will make us all sleep better at night. 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. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... MANILA, Philippines The Philippines will keep having large-scale combat exercises with the United States after President Rodrigo Duterte retracted his decision to terminate a key defense pact in a move that may antagonize an increasingly belligerent China. Dutertes decision was announced Friday by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana in a joint news conference with visiting U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin in Manila. It was a step back from the Philippine leaders stunning vow early in his term to distance himself from Washington as he tried to rebuild frayed ties with China over years of territorial rifts in the South China Sea. The president decided to recall or retract the termination letter for the VFA, Lorenzana told reporters after an hour-long meeting with Austin, referring to the Visiting Forces Agreement. There is no termination letter pending and we are back on track. Austin thanked Duterte for the decision, which he said would further bolster the two nations 70-year treaty alliance. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Our countries face a range of challenges, from the climate crises to the pandemic and, as we do, a strong, resilient US-Philippine alliance will remain vital to the security, stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific, Austin said. A fully restored VFA will help us achieve that goal together. Terminating the pact would have been a major blow to Americas oldest alliance in Asia, as Washington squares with Beijing on a range of issues, including trade, human rights and Chinas behavior in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety. The U.S. military presence in the region is seen as a counterbalance to China, which has used force to assert claims to vast areas of the disputed South China Sea, including the construction of artificial islands equipped with airstrips and military installations. China has ignored and continues to defy a 2016 international arbitration ruling that invalidated its historic basis. China, the Philippines, Vietnam and three other governments have been locked in the territorial standoff for decades. The U.S. doesnt lay any claim to the busy waterway and has sailed Navy warships close to Chinese-claimed islands on so-called freedom of navigation operations in a challenge to Beijing. Beijing has warned Washington to stay away from what it describes as a purely Asian dispute. In a speech in Singapore on Tuesday, Austin said that Beijings claim to the South China Sea has no basis in international law and treads on the sovereignty of states in the region. He said the U.S. supports the regions coastal states in upholding their rights under international law, and is committed to its defense treaty obligations with Japan and the Philippines. Duterte notified the U.S. government in February last year that the Philippines intended to abrogate the 1998 agreement, which allows large numbers of American forces to join combat training with Philippine troops and sets legal terms for their temporary stay. The pacts termination would have taken effect after 180 days, but Duterte has repeatedly delayed the decision. While it was pending, the U.S. and Philippine militaries proceeded with plans for combat and disaster-response exercises but canceled larger drills last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. and Philippine forces engage in about 300 activities each year, including the Balikatan, or shoulder-to-shoulder, exercises, which involve thousands of troops in land, sea and air drills that often included live fire. Theyve sparked Chinese protests when they were held on the periphery of the sea Beijing claims as its own. The Balikatan exercises resumed last April but were considerably scaled down due to continuing COVID-19 outbreaks and lockdowns. A Philippine military official told The Associated Press that the U.S. continued to provide intelligence and satellite and aircraft surveillance photos of Chinese activities in the South China Sea despite Dutertes earlier threat to abrogate the VFA. The U.S. images have helped the Philippines to become aware of encroachments and lodge diplomatic protests, said the military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity for lack of authority to speak publicly. Lorenzana said he was unaware of the reason behind Dutertes change of heart. The brash-talking president, who has been under intense pressure to contain one of Southeast Asias worst outbreaks, warned in December that he would proceed to abrogate the VFA if the U.S. did not provide at least 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine. No vaccine, no stay here, Duterte said then in blunt remarks that one Filipino senator said may have given the impression that the Philippines is a nation of extortionists. The Philippines recently received at least 3.2 million doses of Johnson & Johnsons COVID-19 vaccine from the U.S. through the COVAX global vaccine-sharing program, and has been assured of more American aid. President Joe Biden has said Americas vaccines were being donated to poorer countries to save lives and dont include pressure for favors or potential concessions. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. A federal grand jury subpoena was served on Albuquerque Public Schools District this week seeking records of state House Majority Floor Leader Sheryl Williams Stapleton, D-Albuquerque, in what apparently is a parallel investigation to the racketeering, fraud and kickback investigation by the state Attorney Generals Office. The subpoena asks APS for many of the same records the state Attorney Generals Office seized in search warrants in their investigation involving Stapleton and Robotics Management Learning Systems LLC. According the state search warrants, businesses and charities owned by or connected to Stapleton received more than $950,000 in payments from Robotics. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ State investigators were unaware of the federal interest in Stapleton until recently. The federal investigation, the Journal has learned, began almost 18 months ago and focused on misuse of federal grant money. Stapleton was put on administrative leave from her $78,673-a-year job at APS as director of Career and Technical Education this week by Superintendent Scott Elder, as were 11 other employees involved with that department. Stapleton was suspended after state search warrants were served on her home, business, her office at APS and the state Legislature on Wednesday. The federal investigation, which involves the FBI and the criminal division of the Internal Revenue Service, focuses on money APS received through the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical education Improvement Act. Grants from that federal program, in part, paid for the software and training provided to APS by Robotics. The subpoena asks for any and all correspondence, to include emails, between Sheryl Williams Stapleton and APS and its employees regarding Robotics Managment Learning Systems LLC. It also asks for all policy guidance and procedures APS uses for requesting, spending and accounting for federal grant funding, along with travel vouchers, evaluatons, and earning and leave statements among other documents. Robotics supplied software that was supposed to provide students with multiple choice online quizzes and develop teacher training materials integrating math and science into the Career and Training Education programs that Stapleton oversaw. Robotics was paid $5.3 million by APS between 2006 and 2021. In 2018, the APS procurement office asked Robotics for a report on the number of students using the Robotics quizzes and received a spread sheet showing 691 unique users out of almost 80,000 students in the APS system. The procurement office found that the spread sheet was done by Stapletons office and not Robotics. APS has until Aug. 24 to turn over the records to either the FBI or in person to the federal grand jury. Federal agents were present on Wednesday morning when investigators from the Attorney Generals Office served search warrants on APS, Stapletons home and the familys restaurant, A Taste of the Caribbean. The FBI and U.S. Attorney had no comment and are prohibited from discussing matters pending before a federal grand jury. Federal agents were also in contact with the Washington, D.C.-based Robotics and its owners this week, the Journal has learned. The Journal has been unable to contact anyone at Robotics. Federal grand jury subpoena served on APS by Albuquerque Journal on Scribd .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... KYIV, Ukraine Belarus authoritarian president said Friday hes prepared to invite Russian troops into the country if such a move is necessary to ensure the security of both Belarus and Russia. But, President Alexander Lukashenko said, at the moment there is absolutely no need to do that. In remarks carried by the state-run Belta news agency, Lukashenko stressed that he had dealt with last years anti-government protests without involving other countries armed forces, but added that he would not hesitate to bring in Russian troops if necessary. Belarus is able to quickly deploy 500,000 of its own personnel, but if it is not enough, all Russian armed forces will be brought in, Lukashenko said, according to Belta. If it is necessary, we wont hesitate. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Moscow hasnt received any official requests from Belarus to deploy troops, and the move is possible only after an official request from the leadership of one country to the leadership of other. Russia and Belarus have close military and defense ties. Two Russian radar stations communicating with nuclear submarines in the Atlantic and Indian oceans and parts of the Pacific are based in Belarus. In September, the two ex-Soviet nations are scheduled to conduct large-scale joint military exercises. Until recently, Lukashenkos government had resisted Moscows attempts to expand military presence in Belarus and rejected requests to open an airbase and station additional troops in the country. But amid the political crisis that unfolded in Belarus after Lukashenkos reelection to a sixth term in August 2020 was met with huge protests, Russia promised its neighbor military support and allocated a $1.5 billion loan for Belarus ailing economy. Lukashenko faced months of protests that were triggered by his being announced the winner of an August 2020 presidential vote that the opposition and the West saw as rigged. He responded to demonstrations with a massive crackdown that saw more than 35,000 people arrested and thousands beaten by police. The United States and the European Union have imposed multiple sanctions targeting the Belarusian leadership and key sectors of its economy in the wake of the crisis. Belarusian political analyst Valery Karbalevich told The Associated Press that Lukashenkos statements on Friday were a clear attempt to scare the West. For the first time, he threatened with the deployment of Russian troops to Belarus. However, the Kremlin is no hurry to support these initiatives, Karbalevich said. Lukashenko has accused the West of attempting to orchestrate a revolution in the country he has ruled with an iron fist for decades and of plotting a coup, including by pressuring Belarus with sanctions. His challenger in the election fled to Lithuania and Lithuanian officials say authorities in Belarus are now flooding Lithuanias border with migrants to put that EU nation under pressure. They seem to seek out our sore spots. They hit primarily the export sectors of the Belarusian economy: petrochemistry, mechanical engineering, potash, and so on. But the main goal is to leave the people without pensions, salaries, benefits, education, medical care and cause discontent among Belarusians, Lukashenko said. The Belarusian president called for further action against the countrys human rights groups, alleging that behind them are foreign masterminds, and said government pressure on independent media would continue. Freedom of speech that were protecting under the constitution today has turned into extremist activities, Lukashenko charged, urging state officials to closely control every journalist and blogger. Its one thing to criticize the authorities. We have always took criticism adequately Its a different thing to call for a rebellion and massacre of those who dont support these so-called revolutionary, thuggish sentiments. Belarusian authorities in recent weeks have ramped up the pressure against non-governmental organizations and independent media, conducting more than 200 raids of offices and apartments of activists and journalists this month alone, according to the Viasna human rights center. The Belarusian Association of Journalists said raids and detentions targeting reporters continued Friday in Minsk and other cities. Earlier this week, the authorities declared the Polish-funded Belsat TV channel an extremist group. A total of 28 Belarusian journalists remain in custody either awaiting trial or serving their sentences. Journalist groups on Thursday demanded that authorities give urgent hospital care to a leading journalist who has been in pre-trial detention. Associated Press writer Daria Litvinova contributed to this report from Moscow. Instagram Celebrity The family of the TikTok influencer sets up a GoFundMe page as the internet star remains in a critical condition after he was seriously wounded after a shooting at 'The Forever Purge' screening. Jul 30, 2021 AceShowbiz - TikTok star Anthony Barajas is on life support after a shooting at a California cinema claimed the life of his friend. The 19 year old was seriously injured in the Monday (26Jul21) shooting at a movie theatre in Corona, which claimed the life of his friend Rylee Goodrich, 18, who died from her injuries on the scene. Anthony's cousin, Jamie Bacon, shared a heartbreaking update to Twitter on Wednesday (28Jul21), writing, "My cousin was shot on Monday night. He won't make it. The family could use help with medical bills and beyond. At the very least, prayers, thoughts, vibes needed please." The family has set up an account on donation site GoFundMe.com to cover medical costs. Barajas was taken to a local hospital following the shooting, which happened during a screening of horror film "The Forever Purge." Cinema workers reportedly did not hear any gunshots at the time and only discovered the victims when they were cleaning the venue after the film ended. Goodrich was declared dead at the scene, and Barajas, a TikTok star who uses the name itsanthonymichael and has almost one million followers, was left with life-threatening injuries. Detectives arrested a suspect, Joseph Jimenez, 20, on Tuesday (27Jul21) after issuing a search warrant. A motive has not yet been revealed. "The Forever Purge" is the fifth film in the horror franchise, about a fictional national holiday called The Purge when all crime, including murder, becomes legal for a 12-hour period. In the new film, which was released on 2 July in the U.S., rogue groups continue killing after the bloody holiday was supposed to end. WENN/ATP Celebrity Despite the rumors, a source claims that there's hope for the Monaco royal couple to fix the situation as the source believes that the princess will 'never leave her kids.' Jul 30, 2021 AceShowbiz - There seems to be a trouble in paradise between Princess Charlene of Monaco and her husband, Prince Albert. As the prince has been living in South Africa due to medical issues, it has been reported that the pair are heading for impending divorce. Despite the rumors, a source told PEOPLE that there's hope for them to fix the situation. "She'll never leave her kids," said the insider. The source also insinuated that the princess will return to Monaco as soon as her health issues are resolved. Additionally, the palace confirmed to the news outlet that the prince and their twin kids, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques, are set to revisit South Africa in the near future. However, they need to monitor "health, safety and political concerns in the country" beforehand. This arrived after German magazine Bunte and France's Paris Match claimed that splitting was inevitable for the couple as they've been living apart for months. "The princess 'has, for the time being, in reality, no intention of returning,' " Paris Match's sources stated, while Bunte reported that Charlene has been house-hunting near Johannesburg. Princess Charlene traveled to her homeland in early May for several activities in support of her South Africa Foundation. In late June, however, the 43-year-old royal announced that she had to miss her 10th wedding anniversary with Albert because of additional surgery required after complications arose from a prior procedure. Of her medical issues, the former Olympic swimmer detailed in an interview with the South African outlet Channel24, "I was instructed by the doctors that I can't fly yet because I'm unable to equalise my ears and therefore cannot fly above 20,000 feet ... due to the pressure." She went on to say, "I miss my husband, my babies -- Jacqui and Bella -- and my doggies terribly, [but] I can't force a recovery of bone and membrane. It takes time." Instagram Celebrity After her ex-boyfriend confirms that they are going separate ways, the former Miss USA posts a quote that urges, 'stop putting an effort into those who show no effort towards you.' Jul 30, 2021 AceShowbiz - Shanna Moakler appears to shade her ex-boyfriend Matthew Rondeau following their split. In a new social media post, the former Miss USA let out a cryptic post that urged people to stop wasting "energy and time" for those who don't deserve it. On Thursday, July 29, the former "Meet the Barkers" star took to her Instagram Story to share a quote that read, "Stop putting an effort into those who show no effort towards you." The statement continued, "There's only so much you can do before you're wasting your energy and time." Shanna Moakler posted cryptic post about wasting 'energy and time' following her break up with Matthew Rondeau. Her post came shortly after Matthew confirmed their split to Life & Style Magazine on the same day. During an interview, her ex-boyfriend told the publication that he broke up with the model a few "months ago" and is now "happier" than he's ever been. The 28-year-old added, "I'm focusing truly on finding myself again as a person emotionally and mentally." "I hope she finds what she's looking for, but it's not going to be me," Matthew continued sharing his message to his ex. He also told PEOPLE, "I do wish her nothing but the best in all her endeavors." A source, in turn, claimed that "it's not true [Matthew] broke up with her". Offering more details, the insider said, "She's focused on her own life and happiness, not on Matthew." The so-called inside source further stressed, "She's busy with work and is moving on." The pair, who began dating in 2020, first sparked split rumors weeks earlier when they unfollowed each other on social media. They also erased all memories of their relationship from their Instagram pages. In June, however, their relationship seemed to be smooth sailing, as Shanna shared that Matthew was helping her create content for her OnlyFans page. "He's amazing. He and I talked about it a lot, and I told him I wouldn't do it if he didn't support it, and he's been super supportive," the mother of three gushed. "He's actually been helping me edit my content and he's tried to help me with pictures I should use. I'm really thankful to have someone who's supportive." A month prior, Shanna opened up to PEOPLE that she and Matthew had reached a more stable place in their relationship. She said at the time, "When we were on our break, I think we both realized how much we just missed each other and how much we meant to one another." WENN/FayesVision Celebrity Talking about living her life which she describes as a 'constant metamorphosis,' the 'Halloween' actress shares that she has 'watched in wonder' as her son became daughter Ruby. Jul 30, 2021 AceShowbiz - Jamie Lee Curtis is a proud mom of a transgender. The acting vet is opening up about her life, which she describes as a "constant metamorphosis," when she reveals with her younger child's consent that her son has become daughter Ruby. In an interview with AARP The Magazine, the 62-year-old shared that she and her husband Christopher Guest "have watched in wonder and pride as our son became our daughter Ruby." She further spilled, "And she and her fiance will get married next year at a wedding that I will officiate." Ruby, who was previously known as Thomas, is a computer gaming editor. She is now 25 years old. Jamie also shares another daughter, 34-year-old Annie, who is married and a dance instructor, with her husband Christopher. The actress and her longtime spouse adopted both children when they were infants. The "Halloween" star says she currently has no grandchildren, but she is looking forward to the day she becomes a grandparent. "Not yet, but I do hope to," so she says. Jamie has been showing her support for trans community. In 2017, she shared a Huffington Post article on Twitter which was titled "Dear Trans Kids. The letter we all wish we had written. (from a trans teacher)." Later in 2020, she signed on to direct and star in a TV movie about GLAAD Media Institute alum Sara Cunningham. In a 2019 interview with Pride Source, Jamie also talked about growing up comfortable around gay people thanks to her Hollywood parents, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. "[My mother's] make-up artist was gay, the playwright that she did a play with was a great friend of our family who was gay," she said. She went on explaining her support for the community, "You don't have to have your own experience in order to feel compassion and the need for justice and equality. In the LGBTQ world, certainly I have friends and family, but I don't have to have the direct experience in order to feel the compassion that I truly feel for acceptance and equality in all areas." Marvel Studios Movie The leading actress of the Marvel blockbuster movie has filed suit against the studio with a claim that she has been cheated out of a $50 million payday due to its decision of simultaneous release. Jul 30, 2021 AceShowbiz - Disney bosses are firing back at Scarlett Johansson's shock lawsuit over the release of "Black Widow", revealing the actress has already bagged $20 million (14.3 million). The movie star filed suit in Los Angeles on Thursday, July 29, claiming she has been cheated out of a $50 million (36 million) payday by Disney chiefs' decision to release the film simultaneously in theaters and on the Disney+ streaming platform earlier this month (July 2021). The actress' lawyer, John Berlinski, wrote, "It's no secret that Disney is releasing films like 'Black Widow' directly onto Disney+ to increase subscribers and thereby boost the company's stock price - and that it's hiding behind COVID-19 as a pretext to do so. But ignoring the contracts of the artists responsible for the success of its films in furtherance of this short-sighted strategy violates their rights and we look forward to proving as much in court." Officials at The Walt Disney Co. have been quick to respond, claiming Scarlett's suit showed a "callous disregard" to the problems film studios faced amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A Disney spokesperson says, "There is no merit whatsoever to this filing. The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic." "Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson's contract and furthermore, the release of 'Black Widow' on Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20 million she has received to date." Instagram Celebrity The 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' alum's real estate developer husband was previously hospitalized for 6 weeks as it was revealed that his cancer returned after 2 years. Jul 30, 2021 AceShowbiz - NeNe Leakes' husband Gregg Leakes is now back home after being hospitalized for weeks. The former "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" cast member offered fans updates on her husband's health following the return of his cancer. In response to a fan question about her absence on "The Talk" despite her planned guest host gig, the TV personality revealed on Twitter on Wednesday, July 28, "I was suppose to be hosting The Talk today." She added, "But I got good news that Gregg was coming home after being hospitalized 6 weeks." NeNe Leakes gave update on husband Gregg's health. NeNe shared about the setback in Gregg's health back in June. During an Instagram Live with theJasmineBrand on Monday, June 28, the 53-year-old shared, "He's been in the hospital, tomorrow will be a week." "I'm sure he'll be home in about a week or so. He had to have a surgery," she said at the time. She then asked her fans and followers to send their love and support to her and her husband, saying, "This is the first time I'm saying something about it. I'd love everybody to pray for Gregg...pray for his strength...and pray for me, too." Gregg initially was said to be cancer-free in May 2019. The TV star broke the exciting by writing on social media, "No cancer found. Praise God. Look at God! We are over joyed to say, we saw the doctors for the results of Gregg' Pet Scan he took last week! Test show, wait for It..WE ARE CANCER FREE!!! Yes God!" NeNe first revealed about Gregg's cancer diagnosis in June 2018. At the time, the reality star posted a photo of her husband, who is a real estate developer at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. "Our New Normal and the fight begins #f**kcancer," so she wrote in the caption. Instagram Celebrity In a video addressing the controversy, the former star of 'The Real Housewives of Orange County' insists that she is accepting everyone for 'who they want to be and who they believe themselves to be.' Jul 30, 2021 AceShowbiz - Kelly Dodd has defended herself after being accused of making transphobic comments in a Cameo video. Taking to her Instagram account, the former star of "The Real Housewives of Orange County" insisted that she is "tolerant." "I've been doing Cameos now for two years and I never saw the pronoun thing before," the 45-year-old star explained on Thursday, July 29 in a nearly 2-minute video she posted on her Instagram page. "This was the first time I saw a reference of he/him/she/they/them. I grew up, I grew up in Arizona with people who were born a boy and a girl and maybe a hermaphrodite here and there," she added. Kelly continued, "When I was reading the Cameo I saw the pronouns and we'd been drinking and I was just reacting in my own raw and unfiltered way. I want to be very, very clear about this. That I accept everyone for who they are." The mother of one went on to insist that she's "not transphobic." She said, "I accept everyone for who they want to be and who they believe themselves to be and I don't hate on anyone. I'm not transphobic. I was just unfamiliar with the language." "If you want me to be tolerant, then you also need to be tolerant of me," Kelly further stressed. The TV personality also stated, "That's only fair. And I'm learning and I'm growing and maybe you can help me with this." Along with her clip, she captioned, "My Cameo controversy. Please listen to my side with an open mind ! Thank you." Kelly was initially paid $100 to give someone named Jennifer a shout-out for her birthday via Cameo, but instead gave her an earful of transphobia. "This is Jennifer 'she/her,' I don't get this," the former reality star began saying. She further called out the birthday girl, "You're either a boy or a girl, OK? You're born a girl or a boy. I don't get it. You're Jennifer. I'm sorry, I don't give a f**k." Instagram/WENN/Pat Denton Movie The 'Amanda Knox' star, who was wrongly convicted of the 2007 murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher, calls out the Oscar-winning actor in a Twitter thread. Jul 30, 2021 AceShowbiz - Amanda Knox took issue with Matt Damon's new film "Stillwater". The journalist, who was wrongly convicted of the 2007 murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher in Italy, blasted the Oscar-winning actor for "profiting off" her story without her consent. The 34-year-old voiced her frustration in a Twitter thread on Thursday, July 29. "Does my name belong to me? My face? What about my life? My story? Why does my name refer to events I had no hand in? I return to these questions because others continue to profit off my name, face, & story without my consent. Most recently, the film #STILLWATER," she first argued. "This new film by director Tom McCarthy, starring Matt Damon, is 'loosely based' or 'directly inspired by' the 'Amanda Knox saga', as Vanity Fair put it in a for-profit article promoting a for-profit film, neither of which I am affiliated with," she added. " 'The Amanda Knox saga.' What does that refer to? Does it refer to anything I did? No. It refers to the events that resulted from the murder of Meredith Kercher by a burglar named Rudy Guede." "It refers to the shoddy police work, prosecutorial tunnel vision, and refusal to admit their mistakes that led the Italian authorities to wrongfully convict me, twice. In those four years of wrongful imprisonment and 8 years of trial, I had near-zero agency," Amanda further fumed. "Everyone else in that 'saga' had more influence over events than I did. The erroneous focus on me by the authorities led to an erroneous focus on me by the press, which shaped how I was viewed. In prison, I had no control over my public image, no voice in my story." The "Amanda Knox" star, who was acquitted in 2015, went on to note that "Stillwater" was not the first movie to "rip off my story without my consent at the expense of my reputation." She continued, "There was of course the terrible Lifetime @LMN movie that I sued them over, resulting in them cutting a dream sequence where I was depicted as killing Meredith." Amanda Knox slammed Matt Damon for 'profiting off' her story with 'Stillwater'. While Amanda believes that Matt's new movie was inspired by her wrongful conviction, director Tom has previously insisted that the story is complete fiction. "There's no similarity in our two stories beyond an American student in jail. I was just fascinated with that so I sort of from that moment on left the story behind. Obviously, we created a completely new story around it," the Oscar-winning director recently told Cleveland.com. In "Stillwater", Matt stars as an oil rig worker from Oklahoma named Bill Baker. Bill travels to Marseille, France to free his estranged daughter Allison (Abigail Breslin), who is imprisoned for a murder she didn't commit. The film will hit theaters on Friday, July 30. Instagram Celebrity In a stunning photo she shares on her social media account, the plus-sized model flaunts her pregnant belly while wearing nothing but a towel to cover her hair. Jul 30, 2021 AceShowbiz - Ashley Graham is embracing her pregnant body. Taking to her social media account, the plus-sized model, who is currently expecting her second child with her husband Justin Ervin, posted a naked mirror selfie baring her growing baby bump. On Thursday, July 29, the 33-year-old beauty shared a stunning nude selfie on her Instagram Story. In the photo, the model could be seen flaunting her curves in a bathroom wearing nothing but a towel over her hair. One arm covered most of her breasts, while some squiggle lines artfully camouflaged her bottom. The "Pretty Big Deal" podcast host also unleashed another naked picture on Sunday, July 25 from what appeared to be a maternity shoot taken by her 32-year-old husband. In the snap, she is seen posing in a field of long grass. "Earth mother vibes," she simply captioned the image. A day after, Ashley flaunted her baby bump in a swimsuit while sharing empowering messages about body positivity on her TikTok page. The clip saw her lip-syncing to a woman saying, "You look good. Don't change" while rocking a black lacy bra and high-waisted panties, striking a few poses and twerking for the camera. She captioned the clip, "And today's affirmation is." The soon-to-be second mom first announced her second pregnancy on July 13. At the time, the star debuted her growing baby bump in a maternity photo taken by Justin on her Instagram page. "The past year has been full of tiny surprises, big griefs, familiar beginnings and new stories," she raved in the caption. "I'm just beginning to process and celebrate what this next chapter means for us." Ashley admitted earlier this year the couple had started trying to expand their family. "I would get pregnant yesterday if I could," the brunette beauty confessed to WSJ. Magazine in February. "I've 'accidentally' had unprotected sex while I'm ovulating just to see if I can (get pregnant) while I'm breastfeeding." Ashley and Justin got married in August 2010. In January 2020, they welcomed their first child together named Isaac. Celebrity The slice, which was given by Queen Elizabeth to a member of her household at Clarence House named Moyra Smith, is expected to fetch between 300 ($418) and 500 ($697). Jul 30, 2021 AceShowbiz - A slice of Princess Diana and Prince Charles' wedding cake is up for sale. The 28-ounce piece, which was given by Queen Elizabeth to a member of her household at Clarence House named Moyra Smith, is said to go up for auction on August 11. Moyra reportedly kept the slice in a plastic wrap inside a decorative cake tin with a label on top that read, "Handle with care - Prince Charles & Princess Diane's [sic] Wedding Cake" with the date "29/7/81." The slice itself came from 27 cakes which were offered at the royals' nuptials. The iced cake, which is 8 inches by 7 inches, features white marzipan base. It is decorated with a sugar onlay coat-of-arms which is colored in blue, red and gold. Moyra previously sold the cake to a collector in 2008. However, it is now up for sale again and is expected to fetch between 300 ($418) and 500 ($697) along with an order of service, ceremonial details and a royal wedding breakfast programme. Chris Albury of the U.K.'s Dominic Winter Auctioneers said in a statement, "It appears to be in exactly the same good condition as when originally sold... But we advise against eating it." A slice of late Princess Diana and Prince Charles' wedding cake which is up for sale. Princess Diana and Prince Charles exchanged vows at St Paul's Cathedral in London on July 29, 1981. The ceremony was attended by 3,500 guests, with an audience of 750 million people around the globe watching the then 32-year-old prince say "I do" to his then-20-year-old bride. The pair later welcomed Prince William in June 1982 and Prince Harry in September 1984. The royal couple, however, called it quits in December 1992. They finalized their divorce in 1996. The Princess of Wales passed away in 1997 following a car accident in Paris. She was 36 at the time of her death. Around eight years later, in April 2005, Prince Charles wed Duchess Camilla. WENN/FayesVision Celebrity The couple is said to be expecting new additions to their family, four years after the human rights lawyer gave birth to their first children, daughter Ella and son Alexander. Jul 30, 2021 AceShowbiz - George Clooney and his wife Amal Clooney (previously Amal Alamuddin) are about to expand their family, if a tabloid report is to be trusted. The couple is reportedly expecting not only one, but two babies at the same time, four years after they welcomed their first children. Per OK! Magazine's report, the human rights lawyer is pregnant with twins again and is said to be "past her first trimester." A source tells the news outlet, "She's already starting to show, so soon enough, everyone will know." The so-called insider says the couple has already told close friends as "George was giddy with excitement and couldn't wait to tell everyone." They reportedly made the big announcement during an intimate dinner party which they hosted at the "Ocean's Eleven" actor's favorite restaurant Il Gatto Nero, near their Italian villa on July 4. Of how their friends reacted to the big news, it "was met with well-wishes all around." The source added, "George was so proud, and Amal was glowing." Making it more special, George and Amal were said to have been considering to have more kids, but they weren't sure it could happen because of their ages. "This is something both George and Amal really wanted, but at her age, there was no guarantee," the source explained. "It's so exciting. George has been open about wanting more kids, so getting two at once would be ideal." Apparently, the expecting parents are not the only ones thrilled with the pregnancy as their children Ella and Alexander are allegedly also thrilled about becoming big siblings. "They told the twins on their [June 6] birthday," the insider dishes. "Ella's been begging for a baby sister, so they're all hoping for at least one little girl. But, of course, they'll be happy either way, as long as the babies are healthy." To prepare for their babies' arrival, George and Amal have been reportedly building a new nursery at their Los Angeles home, where they spent most of lockdown. "It used to be George's bachelor pad, but he's turned it into the ultimate family compound," the insider further spills about the renovation, which reportedly has cost $1 million. "They've been working on it for the past three years, and now they're getting ready to add a huge nursery," says the source, adding that George is even planning to have his parents move in so they can be closer to the kids. And the couple may have already enlisted their friends to be their unborn children's godparents. The source says the 60-year-old actor and his 43-year-old wife have already asked Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to receive the honor as "they're on the same page about human rights and so many other big issues." "George and Amal have spent quite a lot of time with Harry and Meghan since they moved to California," the insider says of how close the two couples are, adding, "George and Amal respect them deeply." George and Amal have neither confirmed nor debunked the new pregnancy report. They got married in September 2014 after getting engaged in April of the same year. In June 2017, their twins Ella and Alexander were born. Amid the pregnancy speculation, George and Amal have been stuck in their Lake Como holiday home as North Italy was hit with devastating floods and mudslides. Fortunately, the couple and their children were unhurt and their property was not damaged. "It's so much worse than anybody thinks. We were in Cernobbio and it was very bad, but here in Laglio it's much worse," the "Money Monster" star told Italian media. "They think it could be years and millions of dollars before they fix it up." George has been pictured on the streets as he and Mayor Roberto Pozzi offered their support to locals amid the havoc. The mayor said the floods were caused by "three days of continuous rain and then all hell broke loose and we were flooded with an amazing wall of water and debris from the mountain." Instagram Celebrity The 'Black Widow' raptress calls out Jodie Woods and Alabama Barker over their joint TikTok video, in which the teens hop on the TikTok trend using audio of Izzy's verbal attack on her ex Playboi Carti. Jul 30, 2021 AceShowbiz - Iggy Azalea isn't all into viral trend, particularly one that takes on her personal issue. The Australian rapper has called out "weird" TikTok users, including Jodie Woods and Alabama Barker, for using an audio of her rant at Playboi Carti. Jumping into the trend, the younger sister of Jordyn Woods and the daughter of Travis Barker teamed up for a video which featured a mashup of an audio of Iggy calling out her ex and Playboi's song. In the audio, someone used the Atlanta star's "SRT" featuring Lil Uzi Vert and dubbed Iggy's voice over it. In the now-deleted TikTok video, the teens wore matching white sweatsuits while listening to the audio, before they started dancing. "This man didn't even come to see his son be born. He went to Philly to play the PlayStation with Lil Uzi," the mother of one blasted her baby daddy in the audio, which was taken from her December 2020 Instagram Live session. "He thought that was more important than seeing his son be born and I had a scheduled C-section." Seeing this, Iggy was completely baffled. She commented on it, "Y'all weird as f**k for this." Alabama seemed to regret it as she later deleted the clip and uploaded a new post to apologize for her "insensitive" video. "Sorry about that Iggy video! We understand it was insensitive," she wrote in the caption. However, a fan defended the 15-year-old, writing, "TBH, I think the sound was misunderstood, but like, it's not fair that she only called out you and Jodie." To this, Alabama replied, "Exactly, I agree," insinuating that Iggy unfairly picked on her and Jodie while not criticizing other TikTok users who were posting a similar video. Another sided with Alabama, "LMFAO. Girl, you don't owe her an apology. That audio has been out for months. It's not fair that she just singled you guys out." The teen responded, "[That's what] I'm sayin'." Alabama also liked a comment which read, "I'm still trying to figure out why she only called y'all out?" Some others, meanwhile, thought that Alabama was clearly at fault. "I'm just confused. I like Alabama a lot but why apologize then 'like' and agree with comments saying you don't owe her an apology? Just keep the apology," someone weighed in. Another echoed, "How can you say, 'Oh, I'm sorry' and then show you're not sorry in the comments? Pick a struggle." Someone else slammed the teen, "How are you dancing to someone's trauma and then wondering what you did wrong?" WENN Celebrity The 'Deadpool 2' actor walks away scot free in fake bomb threat case after he agrees to pay the costs of the law enforcement response to his false report. Jul 31, 2021 AceShowbiz - Prosecutors have moved to dismiss a fake bomb threat charge against "Deadpool 2" star T.J. Miller. The actor and comedian was arrested in April 2018 for allegedly providing false information about a bomb threat to federal authorities after claiming a woman wearing a scarf had a "bomb in her bag" on an Amtrak train travelling from Washington, D.C. to New York. Miller reportedly gave authorities the wrong train number, prompting them to stop and search a train in Connecticut, resulting in massive delays and wasted law enforcement efforts. Authorities subsequently determined the 40-year-old was allegedly intoxicated and he made the report after getting into a fight with the woman. Miller had been facing up to five years in prison for the crime, but prosecutors filed on Thursday (29Jul21) to dismiss the case, explaining that the actor's past brain surgery and its "continued neurological impacts" impacted their decision. "The government makes this request based upon... expert medical analyses and reports regarding the defendant's prior brain surgery and its continued neurological impacts, which cast doubt upon the requisite legal element of 'intent' to commit the charged offence (of what turned out to be a false 911 call)," District of Connecticut prosecutors wrote in their filing. "Silicon Valley" star Miller has also agreed to pay the costs of the law enforcement response to the fake bomb threat and will undergo "a thorough and necessary program of Cognitive Remediation to render any recurrence of such conduct most highly unlikely." WASHINTON D.C. - On Thursday, 228 Republican lawmakers called upon the Supreme Court to overturn the landmark court case Roe v. Wade. In a brief, lawyers representing senators and House members said that the Supreme Court should use the upcoming Mississippi court case to leave abortion-related legislation up to the states to decide. The brief is tied to a major abortion case concerning whether a 2018 Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy is unconstitutional. U.S. Representative for Californias First District Doug LaMalfa shared his stance with Action News Now. "Science has progressed since Roe V. Wade was elected in 1973. 3D ultrasounds, in utero surgery, and every aspect of health and its technology have advanced and improved. No one can honestly look at the face of a child in the womb and deny its humanity. Infant children are now surviving outside the womb at only 15 weeks of life, LaMalfa said. Setting a standard that protects innocent life and relies on the latest medical technology is appropriate. Im happy to join with 228 of my Republican House and Senate colleagues to ask the Supreme Court to recognize the new 15-week standard and understand that states and legislatures have an interest in protecting innocent life. I am proudly pro-life and will continue to pursue policies that affirm that conviction." Planned Parenthood Northern California also shared a statement regarding the brief. Despite any efforts by those who oppose abortion and our organization, Planned Parenthood Northern California will always remain focused on providing our patients equitable, accessible, and high-quality reproductive health care services that they need and deserve, CEO of Planned Parenthood Northern California Gilda Gonzales said. The Supreme Court will take up the Mississippi abortion case later this year. PARADISE, Calif. The Community Action Agency of Butte County, Inc. (CAA) North State Food Bank will host a produce tailgate distribution on Friday in Paradise. The event will be held at the Paradise Tailgate Distribution at 6491 Clark Rd. The distribution begins at 9 a.m. and will end at noon or when supplies run out The food boxes include healthy, shelf-stable and perishable food depending on seasonal availability. Boxes weighing between 15 20 pounds will be placed by volunteers into vehicles attending. Participants are asked to remain in their vehicles. Weve organized a drive-through event using pre-boxed food to help protect those in need of food and our volunteers to the maximum extent, Tom Dearmore, CAA Community Services Manager for the North State Food Bank said. PLUMAS COUNTY, Calif. - Several areas have been removed from the evacuation warning in Plumas County, the Plumas County Sheriff's Office said. The areas include Moonlight Valley, Engel Mine, Lone Rock Valley and a portion of Growers Blvd. Kettle Rock, Taylor Lake, Wilcox Valley, Rattle Snake Peak and Franks Valley have also been removed from the warning. The Sheriff's Office said Lone Rock and West of Antelope Lake are no longer under a warning. No evacuation orders have been downgraded and remain in effect as of 3 p.m. Thursday. Lassen County lifted evacuation warnings from Mountain Meadows Reservoir from Hamilton Branch to the Plumas and Lassen County line. The Dixie Fire has burned over 221,000 acres and remains at 23% containment. Hiveminds Innovative market solutions, the digital specialist of Madison World has appointed Manav Khurana to head their growing Marketplace vertical. HiveMinds handles marketplace growth for 50+ brands across marketplace platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart, BigBasket, Grofers, 1Mg, etc. Manav is a seasoned E-commerce professional with over 12 years of experience across global brands, he used to work with BestBuy Canada before joining HiveMinds. He has also worked with the early e-commerce platforms in India like ShopClues and with brands like Asian Paints and Lava mobiles. Jyothirmayee JT, Founder & CEO of HiveMinds commented, E-commerce platforms, direct-to-consumer platforms and direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands are changing the consumer landscape. We have built some great AdTech capabilities to help our clients grow on e-commerce and gain market share. And now, we are investing in growth levers for India and International markets. Manav is the right person to lead our expansion across geographies and to develop the team in India and to serve our ever-growing client list. Sam Balsara, Chairman, Madison World said, I am sure Manav will add heft to Hiveminds considerable expertise and experience in e-commerce. Most clients are increasing their focus on e-commerce and Manav joins our expanding team to steer it to deliver outstanding results to our clients. Commenting on his appointment Manav Khurana, Business Head Marketplaces, HiveMinds said This is the best time to be in the Indian digital ecosystem. I am delighted to be leading such an important vertical for HiveMinds. With the unique tech capabilities it possesses, HiveMinds is already ahead in the marketplace growth, I plan to strengthen the team further to deliver spectacular results for our clients in India, USA, & UAE. HiveMinds is Bengaluru based full-service digital marketing Company and Consultancy with a specialization in search, display, e-commerce and programmatic buying. On e-commerce, the company manages clients like Nivea, Saffola Honey, Pidilite, Crompton Greaves, Sonata, Stanley Black & Decker, IFB, Wipro, and startups like Skillmatics, Just Herbs, TeaBox, Kicks & Crawls. The Company also works on larger digital marketing mandates of clients such as Dominos, BigBasket, Cure.fit, MobiKwik, and many others. The company owns unique technology, tools, and data analytics methodologies that enable it to deliver outstanding results to its clients. HiveMinds is a unit of Madison World which through its 11 companies served last year, as many as 500 Advertisers. Lionsgate Play, the premium streaming platform from Starz Global, announces the premiere of 60 English titles including blockbuster movies and series for the Indian audiences over next one year. The slate of titles will include Digital Premieres like Spiral, Way Down, OscarWinner- The Father, Cold Pursuit, Till Death among other and series like Dr. Death, Vigil, Heels, Power Book Raising Kanan, The Pier, Spy City and many more releasing every Friday. At a super attractive pricing of INR 699 yearly, Lionsgate is the one-stop-Friday-destination! The OTT platform known for its curated and gripping content has released critically acclaimed shows like Normal People, The Pact, Wrath of Man, The Goes Wrong Show, Seduced: Inside NXIM Cult, The Girlfriend Experience, Home Economics, to name a few. Lionsgate Play is home to the best Hollywood content from across genres like action, horror, romance, comedy and more. With the philosophy of bringing the best from the world, Lionsgate Play boasts the largest library curated from global giants like BBC, Lionsgate, ITV, NBC, Endeavour. Mr. Amit Dhanuka - Executive Vice President at Lionsgate elated on the announcement says We are very encouraged by the response we are receiving from our audiences. Titles like Wrath of Man, Normal People, Hunter Killer, Chaos Walking, The Girlfriend Experience amongst many others have broken all records on our service. I am very thrilled to share that in the coming year we have a strong line up of 60-70 titles for our subscribers. Curated by the best studios we are looking at strengthening our content slate with edgy, bold, and strong story lines. My personal favourite is Anthony Hopkins, The Father. Keeping our users preference in mind we will continue to localize our content in six Indian languages so they can enjoy the Best of Hollywood in a language of their preference. Towards the end of the year, we will be ready to top this offering with our Indian Originals as well. Streaming giants ALTBalaji and MX Player are coming up with an exciting action drama. Titled Cartel, the show has been one of the most ambitious projects from their kitty. The makers finished the final schedule of the show in Mumbai today at ElloraStudios. Cartel's lead protagonists Tanuj Virwani, Rithvik Dhanjani, and Sanaya Pithawala were present as the wrapping of the series took place. Amidst the crew and limited media present on the sets to witness the celebration, it was an overwhelming moment for everyone. Tanuj and Rithvik reminisced the fun times they shared in the show. Everyone was gung ho, and exhilaration was in the air. Not much is known about Tanuj and Rithvik'scharacters. However, if rumours are to be believed, they play brothers in the series. Actor Tanuj Virwani said, "I had a ball of a time while shooting for the show. I will miss the team and the fun on the sets! However, I'm now just having butterflies in my stomach now that the show is done and it'll be out in a few days." Actor Rithvik Dhanjani added, "Cartel is a really special show for me and it is because of the character that I play. Trust me when I say this, my fans have not seen me in something like this. I'm just too excited for everyone to see it." Along with Tanuj and Rithvik, Sanaya Pithawala, who has been a popular face amongst the youth was also present during the cake cutting. For the unversed, Cartel, is an upcoming action-drama on MX Player and ALTBalaji. The show based in Mumbai has a story laced with intense action, drama, powerplay, and much more. The cast comprises Tanuj Virwani, Rithvik Dhanjani, SanayaPithawala, and many others who shall be revealed in the course of time. The show will soon hit the streaming platforms. Stay tuned for more updates from the show! Tata Tea Premium has launched two fresh films in its series of hyper local campaigns in continuation of its strategy of celebrating Indias rich cultural diversity and invoking regional pride. The new hyper local commercials are rooted in region-specific insights that reflect not just the true spirit of a region, but also the unique traits of its people . The brand has previously released its hyper local campaigns in markets like Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and Odisha. In continuation of its national restage campaign, Tata Tea Premium, Desh ki Chai, has made a revamped entry with separate advertisements for Maharashtra and Mumbai. Through the Maharashtra commercial the brand pays homage to the Sarv Guni aspect (multi-faceted) of Marathi women. Maharashtrian women are known to be the keepers of tradition and customs. However, this isn't the only facet of her. The film showcases a traditional homemaker who is family-oriented, taking care of her kids, elders, and her home. But is also unconventional, modern, and welcomes new thinking as she plays all these multiple roles to perfection. She is, in a sense, Sarv Guni just like Tata Tea Premium, a multi-faceted tea with great taste, strength and body, specially blended for Maharashtra The Mumbai film goes on to celebrate the Kadak (strong) spirit of Mumbai whose residents are perceived to be thorough professionals and at time detached or indifferent but are known to be equally kind and humane, showcasing a true Mumbaikar Spirit. Like most cities of India, Mumbai is associated with a certain stereotype, which is typically an outsiders perspective. The film unveils an insiders perspective by showcasing the real, raw truth behind this stereotype. It is perceived that Mumbai is remarkably different from other cities, with extremely fast-paced, no-nonsense, busy lives led by its citizens, but it also harbours within itself a passionate spirit of humanity that manifests in times of need - be it rains, floods or any other crisis. Just like Kadak chai of Tata Tea Premium, made for Mumbai. Capturing this stereotype is the protagonist of the film,a high-end, highly professional restaurateur, who sternly refuses to hire an employees brother for lack of skills and experience. But her large-heartedness and compassion is revealed when she notices some underprivileged people take shelter outside her high-end restaurant to save themselves from torrential rains. She invited them in and serves them food and tea - embodying the true humane spirit of Mumbai. The new films are backed by a complete pack change Maharashtra as well as Mumbai, showcasing iconic motifs that reflect pride for the state as well as the city. Talking about the new campaigns, Puneet Das, President - Packaged Beverages (India and South Asia), Tata Consumer Products said: Tata Tea Premiums expertise has always been catering to local taste preferences. Thus, weve always offered distinct blends meeting consumers taste preferences in various geographies across the country. This has made Tata Tea Premium one of the leading brands across India, and the Desh ki Chai in the truest sense of the term. The two new TVCs made specially for the markets of Maharashtra & Mumbai are a step forward in our hyperlocal approach; Wherein we aim to celebrate regional pride with region specific packaging and a local communication lensed through a pertinent local insight showcasing the insiders perspective, reflective of the true spirit of the region. While the Maharashtra film celebrates Marathi women for being Sarvguni, the Mumbai film salutes Mumbaikars for their Kadak Insaniyat . Both films aim to deepen the emotive connect the brand enjoys in these markets, in line with our over-arching strategy of celebrating regional pride and driving thought leadership Talking about the campaign, Azazul Haque and Garima Khandelwal, CCOs at Mullen Lintas, said: Doing a separate campaign for Maharashtra and Mumbai was a challenge as Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra. But then Mumbai has it's own identity. It has many personalities, characters and many stereotypes. But we thought nothing can make for a better stereotype than the professional, cold, bordering insensitive stereotype of Mumbai. So we have a story that reflects the 'Kadak Dil' stereotype of Mumbai and celebrates the 'Kadak Insaaniyat' that Mumbai and Mumbaikars show time and again! While for Maharashtra, we thought celebrating the multifaceted aspect of the state would connect better with Maharashtrians. We wanted to celebrate the Marathi culture that values traditions and customs but also welcomes new thinking, is progressive and connected with the world., which makes it a Sarv Guna State. Just like Tata Tea Premium tea. The campaigns is live across online and offline mediums. Times Network, Indias premium broadcast network today announced its foray into India Language with the launch of its Hindi News Channel, Times Now Navbharat in HD on August 01, 2021 . Originating from the lineage of Indias most influential News Network that has redefined the prototype of News broadcast in the country, Times Now Navbharat with its positioning Ab Badlega Bharat, Banega Navbharat, will be the new and clear voice propelling change through an inclusive movement for a New India. Promising to disrupt the Hindi News genre, Times Now Navbharat elevates the news viewing experience with its premium visual & sound quality and infuses freshness with its edgy, radiant and bold avatar which is reflected in the channels vibrant logo and distinctive visual identity. With an unwavering determination to enlighten viewers with insights rather than transmitting news just to create headlines, Times Now Navbharat champions a unique brand of action-oriented journalism driven by credible and decisive content. Focussed on the true essence of the news, the channel transcends the noise in its relentless pursuit of fact-based reportage with incisive journalism, sharp & balanced analysis, an evocative attitude that will inspire impact and resolution. Successfully fronting its debut in Hindi news with trail blazing anchors and renowned journalists, led by firebrand anchor Navika Kumar as the Editor-in-Chief, Times Now Navbharat launches 7 prime-time shows hosted by powerhouse anchors including Sushant Sinha, Padmaja Joshi, Ankit Tyagi and Meenakshi Kandwal. Breaking away from stereotypical news formats, the channel explores an interactive & innovative news delivery that focuses on issues that directly impact the people and entails an in-depth and conclusive analysis of news through solution-oriented discussions. Prime time shows include Rashtravad at 5pm , Log Tantra at 6pm , Dhakad EXCLUSIVE at 7pm , Sawal Public Ka at 8pm , News Ki PaathShala at 9pm and Opinion India at 10 pm . Commenting on the launch, MK Anand, MD & CEO, Times Network said, We have dominated the English news category with our flagship brand, Times Now, ever since we came into the space. We are now thrilled to mark our debut into Indian language News with our maiden Hindi news channel. We believe News has the power to transform and create impact for a better society. With Times Now Navbharat, we are pioneering disruption with a powerful proposition centred on the core promise of bringing news that will drive change, where we follow a Content philosophy that puts Social Impact and not Ratings at the centre. I am confident Times Now Navbharat will contribute to further improve the Hindi News broadcast space which is already served by some of the best Media brands. Marking this landmark launch, the network has planned a reverberating marketing campaign across Hindi Speaking Markets. Conceptualized by McCann Worldgroup India, the channel will unveil its brand film which embodies the channels genesis and brand manifesto written by the renowned Prasoon Joshi. With a high decibel promotion planned across TV, outdoor, print, radio, multiplexes, social media and leading digital platforms, the Network has left no stone unturned for the launch of its Hindi news channel. With an unmissable display of the channel and its key faces, the networks outdoor promotion spans over 400 sites across 19 cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Patna, Jaipur, Dehradun, Indore, Punjab, Raipur and Varanasi. The network is also set to splash its Print Ads across leading Hindi & English dailies of the country. Sealing the faith and support of the countrys top advertisers, Times Now Navbharat has roped in Kent RO System, Century Ply, Radico Khaitan, Vedanta, Medibuddy, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Darwin Platform Group of Companies, Mylab Discovery Solutions, Meghdoot Herbal, Kirloskar Brothers to name a few. Times Now Navbharat will be available across all the leading Cable Operators, MSOs & DTH platforms. Alton, IL (62002) Today Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High near 80F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Clear skies. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. A celebration of the life of Maureen LaPour is planned for 4 p.m. on Sept. 11, 2021, at A View Venue, 13267 State St., in Omaha. The former Te Landus Cooperative, Iowas largest agricultural cooperative, opened its brand new Innovation Center in Ralston, Iowa with a tour and talks June 30. According to Landus Project Manager Erika Osmundson, the Innovation Center will serve as a hub of resources and information for their farmer-owners. Its a unique way of doing things, Osmundson said. We manage the burden of sifting through the overwhelming number of options farmers have. In a way, Landus will serve as the Google of innovation, placing dozens of new technological advancements at the fingertips of farmers. In fact, Landus President and CEO Matt Carstens stated at the event that Google was one of the driving factors behind the implementation of the Innovation Center as they had contacted him on LinkedIn. The agriculture value stream is upside down today said Carstens in a press release. As more and more industries look to us to solve the latest problems of sustainability, consumer desires, rural vitality and food security its critical that we enable our farmers to actually drive innovation and co-author the solutions of tomorrow. Agriculture has not kept up other industries in finding a bridge to connect end-users (farmers) with innovation, he said. To make the farmer the motivating force behind ag solutions. Landus will be that bridge, Carstens told reporters and others at the Innovation Centers media event. We accept that obligation. The press release also mentioned that in addition to the opening of the Innovation Center, the company has also invested in a first-of-its-kind Innovation Cell to redefine the future of farming around emerging technology, sustainability and long-standing farmer legacies. Fall calving can give cattle producers some other options, from a management and marketing perspective. Teresa Steckler, University of Illinois Extension educator, says the herd at the universitys Dixon Springs Agricultural Center in southern Illinois has been fall calving for several years. Steckler says weather factors were a big part of the decision. One of the biggest contributing factors for us was the mud issue, she says. For us in southern Illinois, we get a lot of rain in the spring. While fall rains are common, it is a less muddy time, and Steckler says this helps with disease control. It also helps to avoid late winter and early spring winter storms. You dont have to worry about respiratory issues as much, she says. Sometimes certain diseases are transferred through mud, and mud can get on the udder. There are a number of factors to consider when thinking about switching partially or entirely to fall calving. Steckler says in addition to weather, the grass and forage situation is a key consideration. Were going into the fall growth of fescue as well (during fall calving), she says. There are not as many endophyte issues either. There can be challenges, such as when late summer and early fall conditions are hotter especially if cows calve a few weeks early. Summer droughts can challenge producers ability to get cattle in good condition ahead of calving. But Steckler says having a good mix of cool-season and warm-season grasses can help work through the summer heat and keep good forage for cattle. She recommends a 50-50 mix of cool- and warm-season grasses, or at least having 30% warm season grasses. Production agriculture is a life dependent entirely on the weather and those who chose to make a living raising food for the rest of the population are well aware of the adherent risks. That doesnt make years like 2021 any easier though when drought conditions get so tough that cattle need to be culled and crops fail due to heat stress. Fort Keogh, a USDA Ag Research Station located in Miles City, Mont., has been keeping weather records since 1878. This longstanding data is precious to say the least, as it helps researchers study and compare years according to their weather. According to Dr. Lance Vermeire, range ecologist at Fort Keogh, forage production across the state is predominately determined by precipitation received during the months of April and May and the growing conditions experienced during the months of May and June. For 2021, precipitation was low and temperatures were warmer than normal during this crucial time. Continuing, he said it is important to keep in mind that by the first of July, 90 percent of forage production is already complete. While timely rains occur in June, July, and August, they can help keep grass green, but they will not do much for actual growth. The same theory applies to fall rains. While late-season moisture will soften the grass and replenish water reserves it, on average, does little to actually initiate forage growth. We actually just completed research on this and what we found is when you add a lot of water in the fall, most of it percolates deep and it goes down to levels lower than where most of the roots are, Vermeire said. Lake Charles, Louisiana (70615) Today Cloudy skies early then heavy thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 84F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near an inch.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Communisms greatest enemy has traditionally been organized religion, especially the Roman Catholic Church. The beginnings of the Soviet empires unraveling can be traced to 6:15 pm on October 16, 1978, when Polands Cardinal Karol Wojtyla was elected Pope and took the name John Paul II. Upon hearing of Wojtylas election, Soviet KGB chief Yuri Andropov called a subordinate in Warsaw and asked: How could you possibly allow the election of a citizen of a socialist country as pope? Andropov ordered the KGBs First Chief Directorate to assess this developments consequences. The KGB report warned about Polands potential destabilization and the end of the Warsaw Pact. The Soviet Central Committee conducted its own assessment and concluded that the new pope would work for religious freedom in Poland and throughout Eastern Europe. George Weigel, John Paul IIs best biographer, noted that the election of a Slavic Pope who was capable of addressing the restive peoples of the external and internal Soviet empires in their own languages, was a nightmare beyond the worst dreams of the masters of the Kremlin. The new Pope, Weigel continued, posed a serious threat, not simply to the Warsaw Pact, but to the Soviet Union itself. John Paul II moved cautiously but forcefully to buttress religious resistance to communist tyranny throughout Eastern Europe and within the Soviet Union itself. In March 1979, the Pope wrote a letter to Czechoslovakian Catholic leaders urging religious resistance to political tyranny. That same month, John Paul II sent a letter to a Ukrainian cardinal defending the idea of universal religious freedom. Most dramatically, between June 2 and 10, 1979, the Pope made his first pilgrimage to Poland, what George Weigel later called Nine Days That Changed the World. The world witnessed an outpouring of love and faith among Poles that demonstrated their allegiance to their faith and the Catholic Church over the communist state. A revolution of the spirit, Weigel wrote, had been unleashed. Malachi Martin wrote that John Paul II showed that he was more than a religious leader; he was a geopolitical pope. Martin explained it this way: [T]he Pontiffs first step into the geopolitical arena was eastward into Poland, the underbelly of the Soviet Union. In John Pauls geopolitical analysis, Europe from the Atlantic to the Urals is a giant seesaw of power. Europe from the Baltic to the Atlantic Sea is the center of that power. The Holy Fathers battle was to control that center. From now on, wrote Carl Bernstein and Marco Politi, ...thunderbolts against Communist ideology would be hurled from the chair of St. Peter. A year later, the independent Polish trade union Solidarity was born. John Paul II and his Polish followers had shaken the empire. It would never fully recover. The Pope, as Paul Kengor has noted, formed an informal alliance with the Reagan administration, many of whose upper-tier national security advisers were Catholic (Secretary of State Alexander Haig, National Security Advisers Richard Allen and William Clark, CIA Director William Casey, and special envoy Vernon Walters). President Reagan and Pope John Paul II shared the same goal -- to liberate the subject peoples of the Soviet empire. By 1988, George Weigel writes, the seeds of resistance [John Paul] had sown in east central Europe began to flower. The Soviet empire gradually and mostly peacefully began to disintegrate. There were, of course, economic and political reasons for the Soviet Unions fall, but John Pauls contribution was large. His determined spiritual leadership and courage answered Josef Stalins rhetorical question: How many divisions does the pope have? The great communist power of the 21st century is China, a large Eurasian country run by a regime every bit as ruthless and cunning as the former Soviet Union, but that also shares some of the Soviet Unions vulnerabilities. There are an estimated 10 million Catholics in China. Other major religions include Buddhists, Taoists, Muslims, Protestants, and members of Falun Gong. The Chinese Communist regime persecutes all religions, including the so-called underground Catholic Church. Religious minorities and nationalities in China want independence and freedom. The late Chinese Cardinal Ignatius Kung Pin-mei of Shanghai, for example, was imprisoned for 30 years for defying the CCP and professing loyalty to the Pope. John Paul II met with Cardinal Kung in the Vatican in 1988 and acknowledged the cardinals courage and steadfastness of faith. There is a moving photograph of that meeting that shows John Paul hugging and kissing Cardinal Kung on the forehead. Pope Francis and the current Vatican leadership have sought accommodation with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), recently renewing a secret deal that gives the CCP a significant role in selecting bishops. The Pope has encouraged Chinese clergy to join the state-run church and has been accused of delaying the beatification process of Cardinal Kung so as not to offend the CCP. The Wall Street Journal has called Francis deal with China unholy. Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong has been openly critical of Pope Franciss concessions to the CCP on the selection of Chinas bishops and other matters. He has labeled Francis approach to the CCP appeasement. Cardinal Zen has vigorously and repeatedly denounced Chinas human rights violations, including its repression of religious organizations throughout China. He has been joined in these criticisms by Cardinal Charles Muang Bo of Burma and Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo of Indonesia. The courage and steadfastness of these three Asian cardinals are reminiscent of John Paul II. Perhaps when Pope Francis papacy ends, it will be time for an Asian Pope -- an Asian prelate with the qualities, character, and geopolitical savvy of John Paul II. Perhaps that Pope will, like John Paul II, shake the foundations of another communist empire. And then the CCP may learn -- as the Kremlin did -- how many divisions the Pope has. IMAGE: John Paul IIs first visit to Poland in 1979. Public domain. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. There has been a growing belief in progressive circles of the 1619 Project ilk, that all Jews are of European descent and all Europeans who came to the Americas owned African slaves. It's not based on history. There is no basis for this belief other than a desire to believe it is true. Racial justification is based on an old hatred that alters form while remaining hatred. Jews, as historical records prove, are not of European origin, and most have no lineage in Europe, but that does not stop them from being classified as white by those who are inclined to base things on race. So let's look at some authentic New World history to set the record straight. In 1619, shortly after the first laws were passed by representative government in Virginia, the English privateer ship, The White Lion, arrived in Virginia with what was noted as twenty and some odd Angolans. The number is believed to be closer to thirty. They had been taken from a Portuguese ship that had intended to take them to Mexico to be sold as slaves. Upon arriving in Virginia, the Angolans were traded for supplies and became indentured servants. They became this, along with many whites in the colony, as there was no law allowing for slavery. Indentured servitude was the standard for the British, which was harsh and resulted in shortened life spans. Most, regardless of origin, did not survive their contracts, but none were held beyond what the contract allowed without violation of the law. One of the Angolans was a man named John Gaeween, who changed his name to Gowen. He was the first to be free of the contract since he saved up the money he needed to pay for his freedom. Following his freedom, he married Margaret Cornish, who was born somewhere in England, but the exact location is not known. What is known is that she was a white woman who violated no law and did not marry in secret. Leftist revisionist historians of today have claimed that the colonists' had an obsession with race. But there are no historical facts to support it since there were no laws based on race. The Angolan-born John Gowen arrived at a time when no one cared about race in Virginia. Mixed marriages and children had already been happening with the local tribes with no negative societal impact of any kind. The only thing the Virginians cared about was whether a person was Christian. John Gowans occupation, according to geni.com, an invaluable resource for those interested in genealogy, was, a magistrate, auditing and ruling over smaller filings. In York County, in his later years, John judged Europeans and Africans alike until his death. In other words, he was a judge who ruled over people equally under the law. Anthony Johnson, another Angolan-born indentured servant, was brought to Virginia two years after John Gowan and served out the entirety of his contract before becoming a successful and wealthy farmer. Being born in Angola had no bearing on the achievements that would come later in his life. As the owner of a farm, he had indentured servants work the crops. Among those indentured servants was the African-born, (country of origin unknown), John Casor. After the expiration of the contract, Johnson refused to give Casor his earned freedom. The case was taken to court and initially ruled in favor of Casor. Casor indentured himself to another farmer and the entire matter should have been settled. The same judge, a year later in 1655, reversed his own ruling to enable Johnson to become the owner of Casor for life without a single law to support the ruling. Slavery had not been added into the laws of Virginia and Casor more than fulfilled his contract. It was not until 1662 that a law was passed to enslave people based on the status of their mothers, over four decades after the first Africans arrived in Virginia. WHEREAS some doubts have arrisen whether children got by any Englishman upon a negro woman should be slave or ffree, Be it therefore enacted and declared by this present grand assembly, that all children borne in this country shalbe held bond or free only according to the condition of the mother, And that if any christian shall committ ffornication with a negro man or woman, hee or shee so offending shall pay double the ffines imposed by the former act. With genetic lineage the basis, slavery soon became racial, and eventually led to eugenics. Eugenics fell out of fashion following the end of WWII, but never fully let go. Today, rather than have the white race superior to all, which was the belief of the eugenicists of the past, eugenicists today put other races on the top and it is white people who sit at the bottom with the Jews included, in part, through the erroneous belief that all Jews are of European descent. Now history has been bastardized with critical race theory, and with it comes an attempt to return to eugenics by another name. Eugenics brought about the rebirth of the Klan in the United States before reaching its full ugliness in Germany. There were increased attacks on Jews and blacks in the United States as institutions, such as segregation, were put into place. This current round of eugenics is in some ways worse than the original that swept through Europe and the United States. People are branded racists from birth in the new incarnation, with no redemption possible. Those who push the CRT narrative, complete with distorted history and happen to be white, are effectively saying that they are racists with the expectation that everyone is just as racist as they are. It's nonsense. Children are not born racist, and those who become racists learn it over time. History should be taught as it happened, not as it was perceived to be. The United States is new enough to have many documents still intact from the colonial days. We know when the laws were written which legalized slavery and textbooks should reflect the facts of who the colonialists were from the first generation on to show the changing attitudes that did come to impact every colony. John Gowen lived a remarkable life in Virginia. His story is being ignored amounts to a sorry erasure of what he did. His accomplishments, including that of becoming a judge, show just how truly little the first settlers cared about race and how much they valued the equality of the law. It also shows just how wrong the current crop of CRT enthusiasts has become. The case of John Casor is truly egregious. To claim slavery started in 1619 is to take away his story, which should be known. For the first time in the colonies, a man was enslaved without violating a single law. His name should be known, and his story taught in every school in the United States. Bob Ryan is the pen name of a write who has an MBA and is a science fiction writer. He has been a weekly blogger at the Times of Israel since 2019. He is an American Zionist who staunchly supports Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. Image: Picryl / Library of Congress / public domain To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Joe Biden, not the brightest bulb in the box, has unwittingly declared war on his own political base. What else to make of his mandatory vaccine diktat for the federal workforce, which came out yesterday, demanding that 2.876 million federal workers be vaxxed for COVID, or else? WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden on Thursday announced sweeping new pandemic requirements aimed at boosting vaccination rates for millions of federal workers and contractors as he lamented the "American tragedy" of rising-yet-preventable deaths among the unvaccinated. Federal workers will be required to sign forms attesting they've been vaccinated against the coronavirus or else comply with new rules on mandatory masking, weekly testing, distancing and more. The strict new guidelines are aimed at increasing sluggish vaccination rates among the huge number of Americans who draw federal paychecks and to set an example for private employers around the country. "Right now, too many people are dying or watching someone they love die and say, 'If I'd just got the vaccine,'" Biden said in a somber address from the East Room of the White House. "This is an American tragedy. People are dying who don't have to die." For good measure, Biden threw in the military, too. And federal contractors. Hear that? Get vaxxed, or Biden will make your life miserable. The unvaccinated will have to put up with regular testing, required masking and social distancing, and they will be barred from official travel. Similar rules will be applied to federal contractors. That's bad news for the reportedly 40% of the federal workforce that refuses to get vaccinated. And who might these targeted people be? Well, the federal workforce and the military both include a higher proportion of minorities, particularly black people, over the civilian population. According to FedWeek, citing a 2016 study, 35.3% of the 2-million-plus federal workforce is minority, which includes 18.1% black. In the military, it's even higher. According to Statista, citing 2018 data, among 1.3 million active-duty military members, about 30% of men are classed as minority, which includes 17% black men, and about 46% of the women are minority, which includes 29% black women. Blacks and minorities have some of the highest vaccine refusal rates out there. It's not Trumpsters who are the vaccine-refusers, as the Bidenites and press have been hectoring about, and Joe has been hurling insults at; it's actually minorities. According to this piece that ran last week in Issues & Insights, citing a study: The states with low vaccination rates also tend to have larger minority populations. And blacks are the least likely racial or ethnic group to have been vaccinated, with Hispanics the second least likely, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. And according to a 2021 study by the RAND Corporation: Recent polls show that Black Americans are less willing than Americans of other races or ethnicities to be vaccinated for COVID-19. These lower vaccination rates among Black Americans would further widen COVID-19 inequities in diagnosis, hospitalization, and mortality. Military Times also reported a study with similar figures: Black service members were least likely to choose to receive the COVID-19 vaccination, as well as female service members and those with lower ranks and education levels. Research surveying the civilian population also suggests high rates of vaccine hesitancy among Black Americans. Bother Biden much that maybe they won't care for this kind of coercion? Or that he's on a collision course with a critical part of his political base? Vaccine refusal does have a lot of different reasons from true vaccine hesitancy, to bona fide anti-vax sentiment, to distrust of the government (presumably, the federal workforce would know), to a desire to see the FDA fully approve the experimental vaccine first, to religious or moral objections to how the vaccine was made using fetal-derived stem cells, to already having had COVID and therefore having natural immunities, to being pregnant and not wanting to harm the baby, to not wanting to open the door to developing heart problems after getting the vaccine, to inability to sue manufacturers for any post-vaccine medical issues, to having a history of bad reactions to vaccines. There are all kinds of reasons, reasonable and unreasonable, all of them individual, and many resisters quite well informed, according to one U.S. study (can't find it, but there's also this). Not a problem to Joe, though, who wants his vaccine "numbers" in line with the central planning goal, and too bad about the views of the federal workforce. And sure enough, his vax-or-else diktat is already triggering opposition. Here's the reliably pro-Democrat American Postal Workers Union: "Maintaining the health and safety of our members is of paramount importance. While the APWU leadership continues to encourage postal workers to voluntarily get vaccinated, it is not the role of the federal government to mandate vaccinations for the employees we represent," the union's official statement reads. "Issues related to vaccinations and testing for COVID-19 in the workplace must be negotiated with the APWU. At this time the APWU opposes the mandating of COVID-19 vaccinations in relation to U.S. postal workers." Here's a warning from an even bigger federal workers' union: The largest union representing federal workers, the American Federation of Government Employees, already served notice it expects any changes to working conditions will be "properly negotiated with our bargaining units prior to implementation." All this, while private sector companies (which are having trouble keeping workers with all the generous COVID unemployment benefits) don't want to get involved with this sort of Bidenite central-planner compulsion. According to the AP: [F]ewer than 10 percent of employers have said they intend to require all employees to be vaccinated, based on periodic surveys by the research firm Gartner. That's a heckuva battle he's started with some of the most loyal members of his political base. Obviously, he's doing it because he lacks persuasive capacities, which is hard to do when you're doddering and have only a phony as a vice presidential sidekick. This won't end well for him. To coerce instead of persuade, just because you can, isn't going to go down well with anyone, minority or non-minority. That he's targeted his most important political base, the one that put him into power from his primary days in South Carolina, rather speaks to some amazing political stupidity. Republicans to black voters in 2022? Welcome aboard. Image: USA Today video screen shot, via shareable YouTube. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. On September 14, Californians of all political persuasions will answer two questions on their ballot: 1) Do you want to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom? 2) Whom do you want to replace him? The fate of our nation will be determined by the outcome of those two questions. How can I say that? First, you have to know what's really going on, so let's pull back the curtain. Months ago, Ric Grenell publicly said he had no interest in running for governor because Pelosi's daughter said there wasn't going to be a recall. If it came down to it, Feinstein would have a sudden reason to retire, and Newsom would appoint himself to fill that Senate seat. Yet here we are, with a recall election on the calendar. What changed? We the People. The recall signature effort shocked the world just by forcing the vote to happen. The establishment greatly underestimated how much Californians loathe this governor. He's toast. Damaged goods. The challenge now is to mitigate his impact going forward. But the California Republican Party (CAGOP) has no interest in seeing Gavin Newsom recalled. They didn't support the recall effort until the eleventh hour and then basically used it as a fundraiser. Minimal effort, maximum credit taken. Realizing the inevitable, they positioned their de jure candidate early on in Kevin Faulconer and lined up all the right consultants to make sure the money would flow in the right direction. And we're talking millions. But then the unimaginable happened. Larry Elder entered the race, and suddenly Faulconer is barely polling in the top five! What is the CAGOP to do? Aha! New strategy we will endorse Faulconer! But since the CAGOP has no mechanism for a special recall endorsement, it decides to change the rules. And that's exactly what the Republicans have done. Rep. Kevin McCarthy's surrogate, Chairwoman Jessica Patterson, convened a "special session" of the Executive Committee to force an emergency amendment to the bylaws. Equally egregious is the fact that she and her committee have constantly reminded members of their "wokeness" in pursuit of candidates "of color." But now they willingly jeopardize the efforts of a strong black frontrunner for the highest office in the state. Hypocrites? Racists? You be the judge. Ridiculously, her committee minions parrot the line, "We must be able to endorse a single candidate! We need it for our future!" Really? The voters of California seem to have done a pretty good job already without the help of the CAGOP. And if we need it for our future, let's address it at the next convention (like that it should have been addressed in the last convention). What's the rush? In reality, none of this infighting is about removing and replacing Gavin Newsom. It's about money and power. I just showed you some of the money. Now let's have a look at some of the power. The results of this special recall election have already been decided. The same system the same voting machines, bloated voter rolls, mail-in ballots, and ballot-harvesting used to put Gavin Newsom in office and steal the election from President Donald Trump will be used on September 14. Right now, California Democrats control everything. The outcome of every single race is pre-determined by the laws and regulations they put in place over the last two decades. They own it. Consequently, any "elected" seat held by anyone in California has been negotiated. When was the last time you heard any official declare, "I want election integrity! Even if it costs me my seat!"? So here's what I believe is going to happen in September. Because Gavin Newsom is now damaged goods, he's going to be removed from office via the first question on the recall ballot. But while Republicans are tearing each other apart over the second question, the Democrats will ensure that Caitlyn [AKA Bruce ed.] Jenner is our next governor. Remember, the goal here is to demoralize and then punish all who endeavor to thwart the system. Millions of Christians, conservatives, and other voters who fought so hard for the opportunity to recall Newsom will feel betrayed at the deepest level and will completely remove themselves from the political process. "What's the point of it all? Why even vote if the system is rigged?" And they would be right in how the recall will play out. It gets worse. Because Democrats hold supermajorities in both halves of the Legislature and can override any veto threat, in 2022, Jenner "the Republican" will be held up as the worst "do nothing" governor we've ever had. And the CAGOP will be all too happy to affirm that narrative. Both parties will then return to their negotiated power, and the Uni-Party will return to business as usual. Only God knows what the future holds, but I know this. "As California goes, so goes the nation." This has never been truer than now. Mike Cargile is a congressional candidate in Southern California's 35th District. He is a co-plaintiff with the Election Integrity Project California in a lawsuit heading to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals over irregularities in the 2020 congressional elections. Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. "If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging." Will Rogers The ventriloquist who speaks through Biden is about to dictate that all government employees must be vaccinated for COVID. This despite dire warnings about the vaccines, most of which warnings have, of course, been censored and disregarded. Here in California, we're re-entering the mask-up phase, including the declaration that all the kids need to wear one full-time in school in the fall. They've already been pushing for everyone over the age of 12 to be vaccinated, and the government and media (social and otherwise) are suppressing information on adverse reactions and deaths. In my mind, there can only be nefarious intent in these proclamations. If you do only one thing for your own well-being today, whether you've been vaccinated or not, take the time to listen to part one of this interview with Dr. Robert Malone, and then find part two on Rumble and listen to it as well. It could be the most important 20 minutes of your life. In the videos I linked above, immunologist Dr. Robert Malone, inventor of mRNA vaccines, and staunch vaccine proponent, says the vaccine is making getting the virus more dangerous. That, as the least potent of the jabs, the Pfizer shot, wanes in efficacy, something called antibody-dependent enhancement takes place. This is happening now which is why Pfizer announced a couple of weeks ago that boosters would be needed after six months, only to be shut down by Fauci. This is also why the government is panicking and asking vaccinated people to wear (ineffective) masks again and, apparently, backtracking and saying that the elderly and immune-compromised do need the boosters if they had the Pfizer vaccine. Dr. Malone says every single coronavirus vaccine they've tried has had the same problem. That as the vaccine's effectiveness wanes, the virus replicates more efficiently. He also baldly states that the people getting the delta variant are the vaccinated, not the rest of us, contrary to what's being stated by the MSM. He states that our paternalistic government is heavily invested in the "noble lie" that vaccination is in "the best interest of the public" and that is why they've suppressed all information to the contrary. Fauci just declared that nasal titers of the virus are the same in the vaccinated and unvaccinated, puzzling everyone. What does this mean? Dr. Malone says it's a poor indicator of anything, and blood titers should be studied. He says, basically, that simply comparing the blood titers of viral load in a goodly sampling of ill, vaccinated, and unvaccinated patients would show that the load is much higher in the vaccinated, proving that antibody-dependent enhancement is occurring. To prove him true, that must be done, and of course, the government doesn't want to do it. It would rather obfuscate. There was no discussion in the interview of this occurring with the other two vaccines, Moderna and J&J, but the implication is that the same thing will occur; it will just take longer. I also wished that the question of whether it would be wiser for the vaccinated to get a booster or just try to get through the "long, slow" process of the vaccine effectiveness waning. Would they then be back to the same state as those of us who didn't get the jab? Steve Bannon, the interviewer, asked a final question in part one: basically, what would Dr. Malone recommend be done for us all? His answer was to use the currently suppressed treatments that are effective, such as ivermectin. Here's a chart of delta variant cases in India. If you remember, I wrote about an interview with Dr. Joseph Varon early in July. He's the guy who has helped India achieve the startling diminution of cases of delta, with his successful, ivermectin-based treatment protocol. But of course, that's cheap, easy, and effective, and would make people far less likely to take the dangerous vaccine. It might also make the families of those who have died, after being told to "go to the hospital if you get too sick to stay home," pretty angry. Of the 600,000-plus who have succumbed to COVID, how many might have been saved? I'm guessing, conservatively, at least half. Image: Public domain. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. It should have been a big story on the nightly news that France warned the Obama administration in 2015 about the Wuhan lab, but it didn't seem to make the cut. It should also have been a big story last year when President Trump, Sen. Tom Cotton, and others were raising concern about the lab as being the origin of the virus, but most of the media and other Democrats dismissed that as a false conspiracy and buried the story because all they cared about was defeating Trump and discrediting everything he said. Why did taxpayer funds ever end up at a Chinese lab? Here's the story: France Warned US in 2015 About China's Wuhan Lab, Investigator Says In 2015, French intelligence officials warned the U.S. State Department and their own foreign ministry that China was cutting back on agreed collaboration at the lab. The U.S. has had over 600,000 deaths attributed to the COVID-19 virus, yet when Republicans had a congressional hearing about the origins of the virus, House speaker Nancy Pelosi, other Democrats, and Dr. Anthony Fauci didn't even show up because they didn't care. The media barely covered the hearing because they also didn't care. The media and other Democrats know that Dr. Fauci lied before Congress when he said taxpayer funds didn't get to the Wuhan lab to be used for gain of function research but don't care. They all still trot out the known liar Fauci, who has continually misled the public about the virus, as someone the public should obey because they don't care about facts. The CDC refuses to share data that justifies the idea that vaccinated people must wear masks because there is none, and they know that most of the media and other Democrats don't care. The CDC refuses to share data that says unvaccinated children, masked or unmasked, are actively spreading the virus because there are none, and they know most of the media and other Democrats don't care. The government edicts have caused immeasurable physical, mental, and financial damage to children, and they don't care as they reimpose and extend the edicts. The media, the CDC, and other Democrats know that states without the mask mandate did as well as or better than states with the mask mandate but don't care. New York's Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Michigan's Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and a couple of other Democrat governors essentially sent in sick, contagious people like loaded guns into nursing homes and caused excess deaths, and the Justice Department dropped an investigation into whether people's civil rights were violated because they don't care. And the media will continue to spread the misinformation that the Biden Justice department is apolitical. It is a good thing Whitmer and Cuomo didn't carry a flag into the Capitol, because then they would have been in trouble. The news of what they got away with is here: Most of the media have stopped reporting on the insurrection at the border because they don't care. They don't even care that many of the illegals are spreading the virus into America even as they put strict mask and lockdown restrictions onto American citizens. The fact that journalists, entertainers, and other Democrats aren't protesting or even talking about the border shows they never cared. The protests against Trump were purely political. The fact that the Biden administration will let almost anyone but Cubans into the country as refugees shows that their talking points against root causes for mass migration are for appearance only. If anyone has a root cause, it is Cubans, who have been oppressed by communism for 62 years. The Justice Department dropped criminal cases against five Chinese researchers who lied about their affiliation with the Chinese military because they like to treat the Chinese with kid gloves. U.S. Drops Visa Fraud Cases Against Five Chinese Researchers The Justice Department dropped cases against five visiting researchers accused of hiding their affiliations with China's military, in a major setback to a landmark effort to root out alleged Chinese intelligence-gathering in the U.S. In brief court filings late Thursday and Friday, prosecutors said they would no longer pursue visa fraud and other charges against the scientists, including biomedical and cancer researchers in California and a doctoral candidate studying artificial intelligence in Indiana. It reminds me of when the Obama Justice Department dropped charges against drug-running terrorists to appease Iran. The media and other Democrats have never cared about all the deaths from terrorism and drug overdoses because Obama dictatorially ordered the Justice Department to set the dangerous criminals free. It's a good thing that these Chinese researchers and terrorists aren't Trump-supporters protesting an election, or they might be in solitary confinement instead of running free to cause harm throughout the world. Joe Biden, many journalists, and other Democrats continually lie about election integrity laws to gin up rage and division because the truth doesn't matter. The media and other Democrats fight election audits and never cared that election officials violated their state laws in the 2020 election because their chosen one won. The media continue to bury the story about the Biden family corruption, just as they buried the truth about the Clinton family corruption, because they don't care about anything but power. Career criminals are set free to commit more crimes because of soft-on-crime politicians and district attorneys. Why don't the media care about these DAs who won elections because of support from people like George Soros? The Biden administration is working as fast as it can to destroy the oil and coal industry by claiming it destroys the climate. Not once have the media asked anyone in the Biden administration or anyone else pushing this radical agenda for one piece of scientific data that shows a direct relationship between oil and coal use and temperatures or storm activity. The reason they don't ask is either because they know there are no scientific data to support the destruction or because they don't care. Will anyone care about the deaths of Ashli Babbitt, Seth Rich, and all the kids getting killed in inner cities, or do only the deaths that fit an agenda get attention? Why don't we hear about the Twenty-Fifth Amendment when we witness pure cognitive decline by Biden and as it becomes clear that he is not running anything because he is not capable? Is it because they don't care or because they recognize that Kamala Harris is as incompetent as he is? I am sure others can think of thousands of things the media and other Democrats bury or don't care about as they push their radical leftist agenda to remake or destroy America. Isn't it time that the media and other Democrats stopped pretending they care about science, facts, and transparency when all they care about is power? Image: Pixabay, Pixabay License. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this cartoon here. After months of dithering, Kamala Harris has released her long-awaited report on her migrant-surge strategy, an 18-page report with all the "root causes," with a thud. In Central America, the root causes of migration run deepand migration from the region has a direct impact on the United States. For that reason, our nation must consistently engage with the region to address the hardships that cause people to leave Central America and come to our border. That'll solve the monster surge which is now coming over our border? So she wrote in her 'cover letter' which didn't include a press conference. This report comes as the border has skidded from crisis into chaos, with New York Post op-ed contributor John Daniel Davidson writing: U.S. Border Patrol agents in Texass Rio Grande Valley arrested more than 20,000 migrants just last week, including 6,000 over the weekend, adding to the more than 1.1 million apprehensions so far this fiscal year. We havent made that many arrests on the southwest border since 2006, and theres still three months to go. At this rate, the Biden administration will break the record for border arrests set in 2000. It's a long menu of nation-building measures, basically, building the wretched countries of Central America from the ground up with a heavy U.S. hand, and includes more than a hint of regime change: Here's just one of her five big "pillars" of action for starters: Strengthen democratic institutions to improve governance and rule of law. The United States will work with countries to promote reform agendas across all branches of government so government better serves all citizens. This will include a focus on adequately resourcing judicial and oversight institutions, ensuring their independence, and promoting reform of personnel selection and retention processes. Strengthen the independence of the justice sector. The United States will promote a merit-based, independent process for nomination and selection of justice and oversight officials, and establish anti-corruption norms limiting immunity of officials from prosecution and banning candidates for office with disqualifying criminal records. We will promote adequate funding of justice institutions so they have the resources to serve the country. Promote transparency. The United States will work with partners to promote transparency in electoral systems through reform and enforcement of electoral campaign finance rules and open list systems to allow for direct representation. We will empower independent audit and oversight institutions to monitor use of public funds, and promote transparency in government processes, including open government mechanisms and the promotion of open data. We will explore how to leverage the concept of vetted units to bring trusted actors into key roles in oversight bodies, including in legislative committees. Improve efficacy of legislative branches. The United States will work with partners to root out corruption in legislative branches and improve the transparent and efficient functioning of those bodies. Empower public and private sector actors. The United States will partner with civil society and independent media so they have the tools, knowledge, and networks needed to safely identify government neglect and abuse, raise awareness, and demand accountability. We will partner with the private sector to advocate for necessary reforms and regulations to promote transparency Basically, they plan to pick and choose El Salvador's, or Honduras's or Guatemala's justices based on their leftist standards, which doesn't sound too democratic. Establishing anti-corruption norms? Banning certain candidates from office? Do they run the legislatures of these places? They don't say by what authority they get to do this. Oh, and they plan to fund these countries' departments of justice, just so you and they know. As for transparency, they plan to decide who the "trusted actors" will be in government oversight bodies, which won't go over well with the locals. Improve the efficacy of legislative branches? Maybe they should think about what's going on at home. As for partnering with NGOs on certain reforms they want, the Soros bunch is rejoicing. Who the heck picks these people and why is this better than having Central Americans do it themselves? That's just one point, and there are four others, it's a study in nation-building that seems to think that this can be done without military intervention, maybe just a little rigging and money-flinging, same as is done at home. And it includes several hints at regime-change. And as the report notes, the project certainly is not going to be done quickly: Ultimately, our Administration will consistently engage in the region to address the root causes of migration. We will build on what works, and we will pivot away from what does not work. It will not be easy, and progress will not be instantaneous, but we are committed to getting it right. Because we know: The strength and security of the United States depends on the implementation of strategies like this one Which won't do much for the chaos at the border, which is seeing a migrant surge go up like a rocket. That point is noted in Karen Townsend of HotAir's excellent piece here. It also comes against Harris's previous statements and acts which are about enabling illegal immigration -- we don't want you to come, but if you choose to come... Specifics of that I've written about earlier -- from bringing in companies to set up remittance services in Central American countries, to meeting with some of the most militant open-borders activist groups on the planet on her supposed border tour in El Paso, Texas, all of which are likely to encourage illegal immigration rather than stanch it. The scope of course is limited to just three countries, at this point, the surge involves more than a hundred countries, which renders the report limited at best if not useless. The bottom line here is that this isn't about root causes, it's about nation-building, from people who never asked for it. And with the per capita salary of a national from Honduras running in the $1,000 a year range, any job in the U.S., including a bad one, is going to raise that salary at least tenfold, which is the real factor behind the surge. She barely touched on that amid all this talk of nation-building. Sound impressive? Only perhaps to George Soros. Image: Gage Skidmore, via Flickr // CC BY-SA 2.0 pTo comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Have any questions? Please give us a call at 907-561-7737 (Image source from: Telugu.newsmeter.in) AP Government Extends Night Curfew Till August 14th:- Andhra Pradesh is one of the most impacted states of the country due to the coronavirus pandemic. After the arrival of the second wave of coronavirus, more than 25,000 cases are reported on a regular basis in April and May. The wave slowly calmed down and the government of Andhra Pradesh imposed strict restrictions and curfews during the second wave. The borders of Andhra Pradesh are completely closed. After the second wave of coronavirus calmed down, several Indian states lifted the complete restrictions but the government of Andhra Pradesh continued some of the restrictions. One among them is the night curfew that is imposed from 10 PM till 6 AM. The night curfew is imposed till July 30th and the government announced the restrictions for the next couple of weeks today. The night curfews are extended till August 14th and the curfew time is between 10 PM and 6 AM. All the district Collectors and SPs are informed about the same. Close to 2000 new cases of coronavirus are reported in Andhra Pradesh on a regular basis. Close to 70,000 samples are tested on a regular basis in Andhra Pradesh. There are 21,279 active cases of coronavirus as per the health bulletin that is released last evening. The government of Andhra Pradesh is extra cautious about the third wave and Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy instructed the officials to take special care to prevent the further spread of the new cases in the state. The health experts of the country warned of a possible third wave of coronavirus and it is expected to hit the country in the last week of August. Close to 40,000 new cases of coronavirus are reported in India on a regular basis. (Video Source: Sakshi TV) (Image source from: Twitter.com/RadheShyamFilm) Radhe Shyam Release Date Announced:- Young Rebelstar Prabhas is shooting for Radhe Shyam since 2018 and the film's release is delayed due to various reasons. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic even delayed the shoot further and the entire shoot of this romantic saga is completed recently. The makers announced that the film will hit the screens on July 30th this year but the second wave of pandemic delayed their plans. The makers today announced that Radhe Shyam will have its theatrical release on January 14th, 2022 in all the Indian languages. Radha Krishna Kumar is the director and Pooja Hegde is the leading lady in this romantic entertainer that is set in the backdrop of Europe. New Year. New Beginnings. And a New Release Date! #RadheShyam all set to release in a theatre near you on Makar Sankranti, 14th January 2022! Starring #Prabhas & @hegdepooja pic.twitter.com/YLdBvCauVu Radhe Shyam (@RadheShyamFilm) July 30, 2021 Prabhas will be seen in the role of a palm reader and Pooja Hegde essays the role of a princess in this romantic entertainer. A major portion of the film is shot in Italy and the other portions are canned in several special sets in Hyderabad. Justin Prabhakaran is the music director. Gopikrishna Movies in association with UV Creations are the producers. The film is made on a budget close of Rs 250 crores and the theatrical, non-theatrical deals are closed. Prabhas looks super stylish in the release date poster. He is dressed in a suit with a charming look. An FCC filing earlier this month revealed that Samsung has a new stylus called S Pen Pro in the pipeline. The device is expected to launch alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 3 (which supports S Pen) and a bunch of other Galaxy devices in a couple of weeks from now. Ahead of that, a fresh leak has revealed some of its specifications. The S Pen Pro features a 0.7mm tip, claims a tipster identified as Chun (@chunvn8888) on Twitter (via SamMobile). However, it is still safe to use on the Galaxy Z Fold 3s screen, which is understandably quite prone to scratches. Samsung is offering a pressure sensitivity of 4,096, the same level since the big S Pen upgrade with the Galaxy Note 7 in 2016. The upcoming stylus will feature a USB Type-C port for charging. You might have guessed by now that the S Pen Pro will come as an optional accessory from Samsung, so users of S Pen compatible devices such as the Galaxy S21 Ultra and the upcoming foldable can purchase it. Neither of these devices features a built-in silo to store the stylus though. But Samsung has a solution for that too: a silo on the case. Advertisement The new leak also suggests that the Korean firm will offer specialized cases that will magnetically attach the S Pen Pro at the back of the devices. Probably something similar to the Galaxy Tab S7 lineup, though these tablets have built-in grooves on their back. In terms of pricing, the S Pen Pro will reportedly cost around 70 (nearly $100) at launch in the UK. That pricing is likely for the stylus only, without those specialized cases. The standard S Pen currently costs $29.99, so thats quite expensive. But it still undercuts Apples second-gen Apple Pencil that currently costs $119. The S Pen Pro has been coming since early this year Samsung introduced S Pen support to its Galaxy S lineup with the Galaxy S21 Ultra in January this year. But that S Pen was pretty barebones in terms of functionality as compared to what we used to get with the Galaxy Note devices. It lacked Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connectivity, meaning there was no Air Actions support. Advertisement Put it another way, the S Pen sold alongside the Galaxy S21 Ultra wasnt much more than a drawing and handwriting tool. To that end, the company did promise to launch a more powerful stylus called S Pen Pro later in the year. And its seemingly almost here. Samsung recently confirmed that its next foldable Galaxy device, i.e. the Galaxy Z Fold 3, will feature S Pen support. The company said it has created a special S Pen for the upcoming Fold. It now remains to be seen whether that special S Pen is the S Pen Pro or theres one more in the pipeline. Its not a very long wait now before things go official. Samsungs next Galaxy Unpacked event will take place on August 11th. Along with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the new stylus (or two of them?), the event will also see the Galaxy Z Flip 3, Galaxy Watch 4, Watch 4 Classic, and the Galaxy Buds 2 break cover. Stay tuned as we will be covering all the happenings at the event here. Advertisement Purchase an online subscription to our website for $7.99 a month with automatic renewal. Each online subscription gives you full access to all of our newspaper websites and mobile applications. To cancel you may contact Customer Service @ 256-235-9253 or email JPAYNE@ANNISTONSTAR.COM For a limited time, for NEW SUBSCRIBERS ONLY a NEW ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION is just $59.99 for the first year. Existing customers do not qualify for the specials! After the first year, well automatically renew your subscription to continue your access at the regular price of $69.99 per year. Please note *Your Subscription will Automatically Renew unless you contact Customer Service To Cancel* Anniston, AL (36206) Today Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 84F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. (ANSA) - ROME, JUL 29 - Italy has "effectively entered the fourth wave" of COVID-19 contagion, the Gimbe health foundation said in its weekly coronavirus monitoring report on Thursday. The report said that Italy 's COVID deaths increased in the July 21-27 period after 15 consecutive weeks of falls, rising 46% to 111 from 76 the previous week. It said the number of new cases increased by 64.8% to 31,963 from 19,390. It said there was a 42.9% rise in the number of people self-isolating due to contagion, going to 68,510 from 47,951. It said there was a 34.9% rise in the number of coronavirus sufferers admitted to hospital and a rise of 14.5% in the number of COVID patients in intensive care. (ANSA). (ANSA) - ROME, JUL 29 - Premier Mario Draghi's cabinet has reached an agreement on a compromise in relation to a reform of Italy's criminal-justice system, sources said on Thursday. The compromise has the backing of the 5-Star Movement (M5S), the sources said. The reform has caused considerable tension within the government and the cabinet meeting was suspected as one stage to allow for mediation. The reform, drafted by Justice Minister Marta Cartabia, is aimed at speeding up Italy's criminal-law system. Speeding up Italy's notoriously slow judicial system is necessary, among other things, because the granting of EU COVID Recovery Plan funds is conditional upon it. The reform had set a two-year limit on the time it takes to rule on first appeals, and a further one-year limit on appeals to the supreme court - barring mafia and the other most serious crimes that would have the one-year extension. The judiciary's self-governing body, the CSM, said a huge number of cases would end up being shelved if the reform is approved in that form. The M5S has demanded changes to the reform to stop this happening. (ANSA). RIYAHD - Saudi Arabia has announced that it will open its borders Aug.1 to foreign tourists that have been fully vaccinated after a 17-month closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the national news agency reported. Restrictions on religious pilgrimages to Mecca remain, which every year draw millions of Muslims from around the world. Travellers that have been fully vaccinated with vaccines approved by the Saudi authorities - the Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines - will be able to enter the country without being quarantined if they test negative to a PCR test less than 72 hours before their entry. Saudi Arabia, which has invested billions in the tourism industry to diversify its oil-based economy, issued its first tourism visas in 2019. Between September 2019 and the closing of the borders in March 2020, it issued 400,000 tourist visas. The COVID-19 pandemic has also led to strict restrictions on religious pilgrimages to Mecca, open only to vaccinated residents of the country. Arc de Triomphe being 'wrapped' in Paris Christo's work on display from 18/9 to 3/10 (ANSAmed) - PARIS, JULY 30 - The Arc de Triomphe in the French capital will be wrapped in fabric and rope as a posthumous project planned by the artist Christo in the 1960s. The details wanted by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, an artist couple that recently passed away after leaving their mark on contemporary art in Europe and the world, will be complied with. 'L'Arc de Triomphe Empaquete' (Projet pour Paris, Place de l'Etoile-Charles de Gaulle) is the title of the project, which will be on display from September 18 to October 3. The move is a sign of renaissance for Paris, which has long focused on art and culture for success, after the COVID pandemic. The Napoleonic arch, inspired by one in ancient Rome, will be covered by 25,000 square metres of recyclable polypropylene fabric, fixed with 3,000 metres of red rope, also recyclable. Like in every project of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, it will not receive private or public funding and will instead be financed by the estate of Christo V. Javacheff, in part through the sale of his original works. In 1961, three years after they met in Paris, the two artists began to create temporary works of art designed for public spaces. Some 36 years ago, also in Paris, the two impressed the world by wrapping Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in the city. Born June 13, 1935 in Gabrovo, Bulgaria, Christo Vladimiroff Javacheff passed away on May 31, 2020 at age 84. Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon, born on the same day in Casablanca, Morocco, had instead died at age 74. Among the couple's most well-known works was Floating Piers, 2018. In January 1974, Christo wrapped four of the arches of Rome's Aurelian Walls entirely. (ANSAmed). Eni-Saipem deal for new contracts in Med Adding to new purchases in first six months (ANSAmed) - MILAN, JULY 30 - Saipem has signed a new agreement with Eni for the use of Saipem 10000 in Mediterranean waters after the end of the first six months of 2021 and is not re-entering into the new orders that had been announced worth 4.4 billion euros. Due to the contract, the new drilling vessel Santorini, which was announced June 29 and which will be part of the fleet from November 2021, will enter into the contract today at the head of Saipem 10000 for operations in the US sector of the Gulf of Mexico. Saipem has also signed with Eni Angola a contract for the use of the semi-submergible Scarabeo 9 for drilling operations in three wells, in addition to three other optional ones off the coast of Angola. They were purchased prior to the end of June and two other orders are part of the portfolio for the 1st six months: one for the Saudi Aramco, for a long-term agreement for further development of the Marjan offshore oil field. (ANSAmed). BRUSSELS - The court of the European Union on Friday rejected a request for the suspension of the revocation of parliamentary immunity of former Catalonia region president Carles Puigdemont and his former ministers Toni Comin and Clara Ponsati. The European Parliament, where they were elected members in 2019, in March revoked parlamentary immunity for the three Catalan separatists. There is no reason to believe that the Belgian judicial authorities of the authorities of another member state can carry out the European arrest warrants against the MEPs and hand them over to the Spanish authorities, however, the court ruled. On January 13 and February 10, 2020, the European Parliament received the requests for the revocation of immunity for Puigdemont, Comin and Ponsati, elected members of the European Parliament, the court said, and on March 9, 2021 the parliament revoked their immunity. On May 19, the court added, the three filed a request for the annulment of these decisions. After fleeing Spain, Puigdemont and Comin sought refuge in Belgium while Ponsati did in Scotland. Spain has accused them not only for their participation in a referendum for independence of the region as well as for "sedition" and "embezzlement" for Puigdemont and Comin. The three claim that the case is political in nature and that it is not within the jurisdiction of the Spanish Supreme Court to decide on the request for extradition. Legal proceedings are currently underway in Belgium and the UK to decide whether the local authorities must extradite them to Spain. However, the legal battle will not finish any time soon: whatever the European justice system and Belgian courts decide, Puigdemont and Comin could take the case to the Supreme Court and, if necessary, also before the European Court of Human Rights. MADRID - The 24th summit between the top representatives of the central state and the regional governments in Spain was underway on Friday. On the agenda, among other things, are the management of the anti-COVID vaccination campaign and the distribution of EU aid for post-pandemic recovery. The meeting is being held in Salamanca, a city located in Castiglia e Leon in western Spain, where almost all participants have arrived including King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. The regional president of Catalogna, Pere Aragones, is not taking part. Tunisian president appoints Gharsallaoui interior minister Intelligence director at the ministry loses position (ANSAmed) - TUNIS, JULY 30 - Ridha Gharsallaoui was on Thursday appointed Tunisia's new interior minister through a decree by president Kais Saied. The announcement was made in a statement issued by the president's office, which noted that Gharsallauoi had been sworn in before the head of state as foreseen by Article 89 of the constitution. Meanwhile, after having removed from their positions about 20 high-ranking government officials as well as the top military prosecutor and the director of the state-run television station, Saied also fired the general director of the special services under the interior minister, Lazhar Loungou. Luongou had been in the position since April 2021, after being appointed by the prime minister at that time. He will be replaced by the central director of general information at the interior ministry Mohamed Cherif, according to local media. (ANSAmed). Saudi Arabia opens borders to vaccinated tourists (ANSAmed) - RIYAHD, JULY 30 - Saudi Arabia has announced that it will open its borders Aug.1 to foreign tourists that have been fully vaccinated after a 17-month closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the national news agency reported. Restrictions on religious pilgrimages to Mecca remain, which every year draw millions of Muslims from around the world. Travellers that have been fully vaccinated with vaccines approved by the Saudi authorities - the Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines - will be able to enter the country without being quarantined if they test negative to a PCR test less than 72 hours before their entry. Saudi Arabia, which has invested billions in the tourism industry to diversify its oil-based economy, issued its first tourism visas in 2019. Between September 2019 and the closing of the borders in March 2020, it issued 400,000 tourist visas. The COVID-19 pandemic has also led to strict restrictions on religious pilgrimages to Mecca, open only to vaccinated residents of the country. (ANSAmed). A health workers union is to recommend rejection of the Governments 3% pay deal and will have no hesitation in supporting members if they want to take industrial action. The GMB said the increase was months late being paid, and amounted to another real-terms pay cut. The union is campaigning for a 15% increase to make up for a decade of pay cuts under the Conservatives. Its ballot opens on August 6 and closes on September 17. Other health unions are considering their next step, with industrial action not being ruled out by some. GMB national officer Rachel Harrison said: A miserly 3% is simply not good enough. Its another real-terms pay cut, and after the year health workers have had its downright offensive. GMB is calling for a restorative 15% increase to make up for a decade of slashed pay under the Conservatives. We have no hesitation in recommending members vote to reject the 3% and no hesitation in supporting members if they want to take action. The announcement was made as health workers staged a protest outside Downing Street over the 3% pay deal for NHS staff. Workers, including from hospitals in London, marched to Downing Street amid continued anger over the delay in awarding a wage increase, which was due in April, but was only announced last week. Nurses described the 3% increase as criminal after a year of struggle, resulting in more and more people leaving the profession. Speaking in Whitehall, Janet Maiden said: Its a big kick in the teeth because we know and weve heard and seen that theres money in the system. People are voting with their feet and leaving the health service and thats criminal, she told the PA news agency. David Carr added he had been in utter dismay following the announcement and found the news really depressing. It took the wind out of my sails and made me sad, he said. The Unite national officer for health, Colenzo Jarrett-Thorpe, said: We fully support our health members in their protest at the grossly inadequate and underwhelming 3% pay recommendation. We believe that the public shares our disgust at this paltry offer, which reinforces our resolve for pay justice. The Government decision to accept the NHS Pay Review Bodys recommendation was too little and too late after we have been asking for an early and significant pay rise for health workers for over a year. Three per cent will do very little to staunch the escalating recruitment and retention crisis. It is estimated there are 100,000 vacancies in the health service and very little in the way of a plan to recruit the numbers needed. Ministers could scrap the quarantine exemption for fully vaccinated UK holidaymakers returning from Spain, an analyst has warned. Data expert Tim White believes the Government may announce next week that the country will be added to the amber plus list. This is due to NHS Test and Trace figures showing that 2.9% of people arriving in England from Spain between July 1 and 21 tested positive for coronavirus. Mr White said: More worryingly for Spain is that 3% of the samples had a variant not widespread in UK. So, from the data, my analysis is bleak. He described the decision on Spains status as a huge call for Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. Spain is the UKs most popular tourist destination. I cannot see Spain being put on red, but realistically amber plus is likely, and likely for the islands of Spain, too, because of the very high infection rates, Mr White added. Spain is currently on the amber list, which means fully vaccinated travellers returning to the UK do not have to self-isolate for 10 days. Moving to amber plus would remove the quarantine exemption. France is the only country currently in that tier, but there is speculation it will be promoted back to amber when the Government updates the travel lists on August 5. Changes are likely to be implemented on the following Monday. All travellers entering the UK from green list locations do not have to self-isolate, while those returning from a red list country must enter a quarantine hotel at a cost of 1,750 for solo travellers. Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said he does not believe Spains status will be changed in the short-term as the Government wants to move away from amber plus following criticism at the creation of the tier. The number of coronavirus infections in Spain is flatlining at the moment and starting to reduce a little bit, Mr Charles told the PA news agency. That could be a sign that things are starting to improve. I think it would be a very brazen Government that would tell a million British tourists in Spain at the moment, and the Balearics, that they would have to quarantine on their way back. It would be a really tough decision. I cant believe theyre going to do that. Mr Charles also predicted that the green list will be expanded, with potential additions including Bosnia, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia and Slovenia. WASHINGTON President Biden announced in a speech Thursday that all federal employees and contractors are now required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or face regular testing before returning to in-person work, and he also encouraged states and localities to pay $100 to each newly vaccinated American. You want to know how we put this virus behind us? Ill tell you how. We need to get more people vaccinated, Biden said. I know that paying people to get vaccinated might sound unfair to folks who have already gotten vaccinated already, Biden later added. But heres the deal: If incentives help us beat this virus, I believe we should use them. We all benefit when we can get more people vaccinated. President Biden in the East Room of the White House on Thursday. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images) Bidens mandate and his pushing of cash incentives comes as the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus continues to drive up infections across the country, with the District of Columbia among the many areas of substantial spread, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The mandate for federal employees and contractors also requires them to adhere to mitigation efforts, such as regular testing. The federal government employs nearly 2 million people in its civilian workforce. This mandate does not yet extend to members of the military, though Biden has directed the Department of Defense to see how requirements and mitigation efforts can be safely met within all the service branches. Federal employees and contractors who are unable to attest to their vaccination status will undergo regular coronavirus testing, will be required to wear a mask and will likely be unable to travel, Biden said. We all want our lives to get back to normal, and fully vaccinated workplaces will make that happen quickly and more successfully, he added. D.C.s infection rate remains high and growing, seeing an average of 52 cases per day in the past week, a 172 percent increase from weeks prior, according to data from the New York Times. Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Thursday that the city will return to mask mandates indoors beginning this weekend for everyone over 2 years old, regardless of vaccination status, reversing her June decision to loosen COVID-19 restrictions. Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser at a public safety briefing in Washington on Wednesday. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images) Other high-transmission states, such as California and Nevada, are also reinstituting their indoor masking requirements. Stricter mitigation efforts are returning to White House grounds too. Visitors and staff are again required to wear masks when on site despite vaccination status. The White House and Congress had lifted masking restrictions for vaccinated staff, guests and reporters in May, based on CDC recommendations at the time. The White House encouraged unvaccinated individuals to wear a mask but required no proof of vaccination to enter the building. Just last week, a White House staffer and a Capitol Hill staffer who interacted with 60 Texas Democrats visiting D.C. contracted the virus. Six of those Texas Democrats all vaccinated have since tested positive. The administration previously has been hesitant to issue coronavirus mandates, and press secretary Jen Psaki denied rumors about potential vaccination travel requirements, often referred to as vaccine passports. Instead, the White House has supported various vaccination incentives, which range from free doughnuts at fast food restaurants to thousands of dollars in statewide cash prize lotteries. But incentives were not enough to motivate a large swath of Americans, and many parts of the country fell well behind Bidens goal of having at least 70 percent of adults receive at least one vaccine dose by Independence Day. Thursdays announcement may telegraph a new willingness to embrace more rigid governmentwide guidelines. White House press secretary Jen Psaki at a press briefing at the White House on Tuesday. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) We have tools to prevent this new wave of COVID. From shutting down our businesses, our schools, our society, as what happened last year, said Biden. In the meantime, senior members of Bidens coronavirus team, as well as the president himself, have recently stressed how the latest uptick in infections and hospitalizations illustrate how the current state of affairs is a pandemic of the unvaccinated. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky recounted the tragic reality Tuesday, explaining nearly every death, especially among adults, due to COVID-19 is, at this point, entirely preventable. During a CNN town hall in Ohio earlier this month, Biden urged viewers to get the shot. If youre vaccinated, youre not going to be hospitalized. Youre not going to be in an ICU unit. And you are not going to die, he said. Recent clinical data lends credence to Bidens claims. The CDC reports that less than 1 percent of current coronavirus deaths are from vaccinated individuals and only slightly more than 1 percent of fully vaccinated individuals report breakthrough infection. Biden called the uptick in sickness of the unvaccinated an American tragedy. Medical staff with a patient in the COVID-19 ICU at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, Calif., on July 21. (Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images) People are dying and will die who dont have to die. If youre out there unvaccinated, you dont have to die, Biden said. Right now too many people are dying or watching someone they love dying. While Biden repeated his adage that vaccines are apolitical, GOP-led states are among those with the highest infection rates and spread, and Republicans have higher rates of vaccine hesitancy. The vaccine was developed and authorized under a Republican administration and it has been distributed and administered under a Democratic administration, Biden said. With freedom comes responsibility, he added. So please, exercise responsible judgment. ____ Read more from Yahoo News: TOKYO Sunisa Lee was standing in the middle of Ariake Gymnastics Centre, standing on the verge of Olympic glory, standing 90 seconds from fulfilling a goal that seemed impossible from her first tumbles as a 6-year-old daughter of immigrants in Minnesota until, well, about 48 hours ago. John Lee was sitting half a world away watching his 18-year-old daughter on television, sitting in the wheelchair that has mostly confined him since an accident left him partially paralyzed, sitting in the middle of a watch party for the local Hmong community where moments like this Olympic greatness simply dont happen. They were separated, father and daughter. Yet, somehow, they couldnt have been closer. This, Suni Lee said, a gold medal draped around her neck after coming through on floor and winning the women's all-around competition, is our dream. It was an improbable one. Oh, Suni had talent from Day 1, but what did her family know about elite gymnastics? Besides, she said, within the Hmongs exists a cultural hesitation to push toward big goals, to even step too far outside their close-knit families. The Hmongs are a people from Southeast Asia who fought alongside the United States during the Vietnam War, got left behind and had to flee as refugees. Some made it to America, only to struggle for recognition, let alone acceptance. They tend to stay within, Suni said, leaning on brothers and sisters and cousins and grandparents. Yet here was John Lee, who had come from Laos, not only never holding his bold, fearless daughter back, but also pushing her to consider even unthinkable heights American heights. You come so your children can have a better life. Why not the best life? Why not you, hed say? Why not us, hed ask? He and his wife, Yeev Thoj, would drive Suni to practice, drive her to meets, find ways to pay for new leotards and extra training. When Suni needed a balance beam at their home so she could put more hours in, John balked at the cost and simply built one himself. They would find a way. Gold medalist Sunisa Lee of the United States displays her medal for the artistic gymnastics women's all-around at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 29, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) To Suni a gold medal was too much to consider. She had almost quit in 2020 during the boredom of quarantine and again when she returned to training only to break her foot and it didnt seem to heal. None of it seemed worth it in 2019, when two days before nationals, her dad fell while helping a neighbor trim a tree. The accident changed the course of everything. Even when she made the Olympic team, gold wasnt a consideration. Her idol Simone Biles was here as well, the greatest gymnast ever, the reigning Olympic champion sitting on a nearly decade-long unbeaten streak. Biles had degrees of difficulty in her routines that made her nearly unbeatable. The gold was hers for the taking. I was competing for a silver medal," Lee said. Then on Wednesday, Biles withdrew from the all-around to work on her mental health. She cited an inability to focus on a vault during Tuesdays team event. She would spend Thursday evening in the first row, cheering Suni, American Jade Carey and just about every other gymnast here on. Come on, Suni, Biles shouted as Lee stood out on that mat, about to begin the final floor routine. Suni tried to block it all out. The stakes. The score. The voices. Even the family back at home, crowded into a banquet hall just outside St. Paul, just waiting to go wild, just waiting to chant USA! USA! She could feel her dad, though, always, even as he sat so far away, sporting a Team Suni T-shirt and seemingly dying of nerves. Ive just been telling myself, Do nothing less, nothing more, because everything I've been doing has been pretty good so far, Lee said. She delivered a strong performance and surged into first place. She waited out a final routine by silver medalist Rebeca Andrade before clinching gold. She then tried to find her phone and a quiet spot amidst the frenzy to call home. The medal ceremony was about to begin but that wasnt her priority. Shed climb that podium and take her necklace of gold and proudly stare up as the American flag was raised and the American anthem was played. But first things first. I FaceTimed him, Suni said. I was like, I did it and we all started crying. No, this was never the plan, except somehow this was always the plan. A father and a daughter and an immigrant family's why-not spirit? Here in a back area of the gymnastics hall, trying to make sense of it all, Suni Lees eyes welled up again. We always talked about, If I won a gold medal, he would come out on the floor and do a backflip with me, she said. The accident and the pandemic made that impossible. And yet neither distance nor disability mattered right then. We were all just crying on the phone, Suni said. It was a very, very surreal moment. I am super proud of them. My parents are just the most amazing people in my life. I love them so much. More from Yahoo Sports: The Nauka (Science) Multipurpose Laboratory Module is seen during its docking to the International Space Station (ISS) The International Space Station (ISS) was thrown briefly out of control on Thursday when jet thrusters of a newly arrived Russian research module inadvertently fired a few hours after it was docked to the orbiting outpost, NASA officials said. The seven crew members aboard - two Russian cosmonauts, three NASA astronauts, a Japanese astronaut and a European space agency astronaut from France - were never in any immediate danger, according to NASA and Russian state-owned news agency RIA. But the malfunction prompted NASA to postpone until at least Aug. 3 its planned launch of Boeing's new CST-100 Starliner capsule on a highly anticipated uncrewed test flight to the space station. The Starliner had been set to blast off atop an Atlas V rocket on Friday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Thursday's mishap began about three hours after the multipurpose Nauka module had latched onto the space station, as mission controllers in Moscow were performing some post-docking "reconfiguration" procedures, according to NASA. The module's jets inexplicably restarted, causing the entire station to pitch out of its normal flight position some 250 miles above the Earth, leading the mission's flight director to declare a "spacecraft emergency," U.S. space agency officials said. An unexpected drift in the station's orientation was first detected by automated ground sensors, followed 15 minutes later by a "loss of attitude control" that lasted a little over 45 minutes, according to Joel Montalbano, manager of NASA's space station program. 'TUG-OF-WAR' Flight teams on the ground managed to restore the space station's orientation by activating thrusters on another module of the orbiting platform, NASA officials said. In its broadcast coverage of the incident, RIA cited NASA specialists at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, as describing the struggle to regain control of the space station as a "tug of war" between the two modules. At the height of the incident, the station was pitching out of alignment at the rate of about a half a degree per second, Montalbano said during a NASA conference call with reporters. The Nauka engines were ultimately switched off, the space station was stabilized and its orientation was restored to where it had begun, NASA said. Communication with the crew was lost for several minutes twice during the disruption, but "there was no immediate danger at any time to the crew," Montalbano said. He said "the crew really didn't feel any movement." Had the situation become so dangerous as to require evacuation of personnel, the crew could have escaped in a SpaceX crew capsule still parked at the outpost and designed to serve as a "lifeboat" if necessary, said Steve Stich, manager of NASA's commercial crew program. What caused the malfunction of the thrusters on the Nauka module, delivered by the Russian space agency Roscosmos, has yet to be determined, NASA officials said. Montalbano said there was no immediate sign of any damage to the space station. The flight correction maneuvers used up more propellant reserves than desired, "but nothing I would worry about," he said. After its launch last week from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome, the module experienced a series of glitches that raised concern about whether the docking procedure would go smoothly. Roscosmos attributed Thursday's post-docking issue to Nauka's engines having to work with residual fuel in the craft, TASS news agency reported. The Nauka (Science) Multipurpose Laboratory Module is seen during its docking to the International Space Station (ISS) "The process of transferring the Nauka module from flight mode to 'docked with ISS' mode is underway. Work is being carried out on the remaining fuel in the module," Roscosmos was cited by TASS as saying. The Nauka module is designed to serve as a research lab, storage unit and airlock that will upgrade Russia's capabilities aboard the ISS. A live broadcast showed the module, named after the Russian word for "science," docking with the space station a few minutes later than scheduled. "According to telemetry data and reports from the ISS crew, the onboard systems of the station and the Nauka module are operating normally," Roscosmos said in a statement. "There is contact!!!" Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Roscosmos, wrote on Twitter moments after the docking. ALPHARETTA, Ga. Appen Media Group announced July 26 the appointment of Chamian Cruz as reporter. Cruz will work with the news team to cover local government in north Atlanta. She will report to Carl Appen, director of content and development, and will be based in Alpharetta. Were thrilled to have Chamian join us, Carl Appen said. She is an experienced journalist who can smell a great story and has the chops to see it through. Her background covering crime and courts will be a big add for our accountability reporting. She also understands the importance of keeping the communitys voice in the news. Its just really exciting to have her on the team. Cruzs appointment continues the companys plan to invest in rebuilding a robust local newsroom. A journalists duty is to use facts and first-hand experiences to tell stories of communities and the people in them, Cruz said. As a bilingual journalist, I am passionate about bridging gaps and going the extra mile to answer broader questions of the community. I believe there is power in being informed. I am excited to join a team that cares about getting the facts straight as much as telling engaging stories. Cruz previously worked in north Georgia, where she covered public safety, education and local government. Originally from Gwinnett County, she graduated from Appalachian State University with a bachelor of science in journalism in 2018. Online Access for Print Subscribers. Do you have a print subscription with the Argus-Press? If yes, then click here to enjoy complimentary access to our Online Content! We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Submit Have any questions? Please give us a call at 541-889-5387 YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Parliament has convened an extraordinary session today. The session has been convened at the initiative of the ruling My Step faction members. The lawmakers will debate at second hearing the bills on making amendments and changes to the Low on Road Traffic Safety, Automobile Transport and the State Border. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS. The Institute of Economics and Business of the Russian-Armenian University and IDBank signed a memorandum of cooperation, within the framework of which, with the support of the Bank, the master's educational program "Data Analytics" will be developed and implemented. For this specialization, an admission has been announced for the 2021-2022 academic year. According to Ani Avetisyan, the head of the Department of Mathematical Methods and Information Technologies in Economics and Business, the program was developed with the direct participation of IDBank specialists, as well as with the involvement of graduates of foreign universities in the field of data analysis, considering the modern requirements of the Armenian and international markets. Cooperation between the university and the private sector is very important for us, as we try to provide students not only with theoretical knowledge, but also with practical courses. We are glad that IDBank, as a leading company in the region, through its professional employees expressed its readiness to participate in the development of the program, Ani Avetisyan said, noting that the classes will be conducted by leading experts in the field of data analytics of the educational system from Armenia, as well as from other countries. Business Development Director of the Bank Karen Nalbandyan singled out the specialization data analytics as a developing direction. Now, not only the banking system, but all sectors of the economy are guided by a data-driven strategy. Without a database, and more importantly, without the right analytics, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to make strategic decisions in today's world. This also applies to our state: only with quality education can build a strong state. It is for this reason that we are very interested in the proposal of the Russian-Armenian University, and as a result of our cooperation, in the near future we will have experienced, highly qualified specialists in the Armenian market, said Karen Nalbandyan. Mariana Edilyan, the Director of Human Capital Management of IDBank, noted that data analysts are in great demand on the market, but there are almost no specializations that give the appropriate qualifications, so students receive qualifications through international courses. We are glad that from now on, with the active participation of IDBank specialists, our students will have the opportunity to study in Armenia, at the same time receiving high qualifications from the Armenian-Russian University. By the way, I would like to note that the best graduates will have the opportunity to use their knowledge at IDBank as part of an internship or in another format. To apply for the Master's Degree Program in Data Analytics, visit the university website. THE BANK IS CONTROLLED BY CBA YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS. The acting Minister of Economy of Armenia and his Georgian counterpart discussed a number of joint projects in the field of infrastructure, tourism, railway and energy, ARMENPRESS reports acting Minister of Economy of Armenia Vahan Kerobyan informed, noting that the possibilities of launching high-speed train between Armenia and Georgia was also discussed. According to him, it will give an opportunity to reach to Tbilisi from Yerevan in 2-3 hours, which will also foster the development of tourism. ''In the sidelines of my visit to Georgia on July 29 I met with Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia Natela Turnava. Our countries have relatively small markets, but they cn become much more attractive in the region together. In this context, we discussed a number of joint projects in the fields of infrastructure, tourism, railways and energy. We talked about the possibility of launching a high-speed train, which will allow reaching Tbilisi from Yerevan in 2-3 hours, as a result of which tourism will develop. We also referred to the prospects for the development of wine tourism between our countries. In the sidelines of my visit I also met with Deputy Prime MInister- Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture Levan Davitashvili and Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure Irakli Karseladze. We discussed issues related to the regional cooperation, transit transportation through Georgia,a s well as referred to the possibilities for cooperation in the sphere of agriculture'', Minister Kerobyan wrote on his Facebook page. The event has been organised by the Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation New Delhi: To tackle the human-trafficking nexus operating globally, the Union government has decided to set up centres where women and children who are in crisis internationally can get protection, said Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani on Friday. With the passage of the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2021, the government will enhance cooperation internationally to address cross-border trafficking, she said at the inaugural session of the national consultation on the elimination of human trafficking. The event has been organised by the Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation and its sister group Bachpan Bachao Andolan. "On international nexus with regard to trafficking, in partnership with the External Affairs ministry, we have decided to set up centres for women who are in challenge or in crisis internationally so the women and children get protection. "I am sure that with the passage of the bill we will enhance that cooperation internationally as well so that cross-border trafficking, which is a major concern with regard to trafficking of women and children, can also be addressed," Irani said. About the bill, Irani said it is for the first time that "we are looking at trafficking in its entirety as an organised crime which means that the bill will now propose a comprehensive list of different forms of trafficking which are aggravated in nature and accordingly enhance punishment for the same". The Union Minister said that in many conversations it was highlighted how the Indian Penal Code (IPC) does not live up to the expectation of the populace with regard to the stringent punishment when it comes to human trafficking. "In our conversation with the Home Ministry we are assured that appropriate amendments to IPC will be made to complement the seriousness with which the government proposes the trafficking bill," she added. "The important one aspect I would like to flag is the issue of mandatory reporting and punishment for those who neglect to report a case of trafficking when it comes before them. "We have provided provision for closure of premises and eviction of offenders from properties who indulge in purchase from trafficking. In the bill, we have provided for an institutional arrangement to combat trafficking, apart from rescue, recovery, rehabilitation, repatriation and reintegration of victims," she said. Irani also highlighted that the bill has been drafted with a victim-centric approach to provide for the safety and protection of witnesses and entitle them to basic benefits and services and prescribe measures for their further care, relief and compensation. "Special courts designated in districts for speedy trials and justice is delivered within a limited time frame that has also been proposed within the exacts of the bill," she said. Out of the Nirbhaya Fund, the government has monetarily provided support to every state government to ensure that every district has an anti-human trafficking unit specially dedicated to this cause, Irani said. "Additionally, we have ensured that we enhance helpdesks across the country in so far as those police stations that are still uncovered. Women helpdesks are now mandatorily and monetarily supported under the Nirbhaya fund," she added. Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi said human trafficking is not only one of the most heinous crimes against humanity but is also one of the most lucrative illicit trades in the world where there is a price tag on human beings. "We have to build awareness about this bill because we feel this is going to be one of the best pieces of legislation in the world. There will always be room for improvisation that we will keep on working on but today is the time we have to put an end to this menace and build awareness about issues and law," he said. "We have to build that sense of collective responsibility... moral accountability is the key to ensure freedom and dignity of every child, every human and every citizen," he added. OYO's survival through the COVID crisis and resurgence shows that it is a company with strong fundamentals and high value potential OYO and Microsoft did not respond to queries seeking comments on the matter. (Photo | AFP) New Delhi: Microsoft is in advanced stages of discussions to pick up a stake in OYO that would value the hospitality firm at about USD 9 billion (around Rs 67,000 crore), according to sources. While the deal size is not known, sources close to the development said it will not be a significant stake. The transaction is likely to be completed before the proposed initial public offering (IPO) planned by OYO, for which no definitive timeline has been given. OYO and Microsoft did not respond to queries seeking comments on the matter. Earlier this month, OYO had raised a term loan B (TLB) funding of USD 660 million (nearly Rs 4,920 crore) from global institutional investors. The capital will be used for paring debt and other business investments. The offer was oversubscribed by 1.7 times and the company received commitments of close to USD 1 billion from leading institutional investors, OYO had said in a statement. TLB refers to a tranche of senior secured syndicated credit facility from global institutional investors. OYO is backed by marquee investors like SoftBank Vision Fund, Sequoia Capital, Lightspeed Ventures and Hero Enterprise, among others. Earlier this year, OYO Founder and Group CEO Ritesh Agarwal had said the company "is on a steady path of resurgence in 2021" and is seeing signs of recovery across India, Europe, and Southeast Asia. OYO's survival through the COVID crisis and resurgence shows that it is a company with strong fundamentals and high value potential, he had stated. The govt does not identify deaths due to manual scavenging but calls them deaths due to hazardous cleaning of septic tanks and sewers Manual scavenging is banned under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013. (File) New Delhi: No death has been reported due to manual scavenging, the Union Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry has told Parliament, drawing sharp reaction from activists who said that those people were being robbed of dignity even in their deaths. Manual scavenging is banned under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013. In response to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale has said 66,692 manual scavengers were identified. However, on how many deaths of manual scavengers have been recorded, he replied, "No such deaths have been reported due to manual scavenging." The government does not identify deaths due to manual scavenging and instead calls them deaths due to hazardous cleaning of septic tanks and sewers. During the last session of Parliament, on March 10, Athawale had said, "No deaths due to manual scavenging has been reported. However, there have been reports of death of persons while cleaning sewers or septic tanks." Activists have described the government's response as a complete lack of apathy. Bezwada Wilson, the national convener of Safai Karmachari Andolan, an organisation working to eradicate manual scavenging, said the minister had himself admitted that 340 people died while cleaning sewers. "Now, he is making a statement technically and thinking manual scavenging as dry latrines. So, he must mention in his statement very clearly that in dry latrines people may not die but here in septic tanks people die. The government is denying everything and in the same manner, he is denying deaths due to manual scavenging," he told PTI. "It is not fair on the part of the government. When we kill these people we must have the courage to say that it is due to some kind of mistake that we are going to prevent. The government is denying the fundamental right of dignity to these people and is not even counting the deaths. It is a modern form of untouchability -- ignoring the life of a Dalit," Wilson added. Sanjeev Kumar, the secretary of Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch, told PTI that the number of deaths is anyway underreported and the government denying it completely is highly condemnable. "In Delhi alone, there have been so many such deaths. It is very sad that the government is not acknowledging their deaths. Those who lost their lives are being robbed of dignity even in their deaths," he said. While a planned $2.5 million reconstruction of the Aspen roundabout, pictured here, received a $271,000 commitment from the Elected Officials Transportation Committee during its meeting Thursday, there was little discussion of the project details or impacts to the community. People crowding into the Glenwood Springs City Council Chambers during a special meeting Thursday regarding the proposed land annexation behind the Glenwood Springs Mall. Those opposed to the proposed development wore teal and passed out bandanas at the front. One woman held a sign that read, "Don't overcrowd West Glenwood." Carlon Rogers Dowell, born August 24, 1941 in Athens, passed peacefully at home in the arms of his wife of 61 years. He left earth to go to his Heavenly home April 1, 2020. Carlon was preceded in death by his parents, A.A. "Nate" and Christeen Dowell of Athens, brother Adrian Dowell of Athen In a very rare instance when Daimler reveals such things, the German behemoth said this week it had detected an increase in the number of counterfeit parts for the cars it sells, especially safety-related products like brakes and wheels.According to Daimler, last year saw no less than 1.7 million such parts being confiscated in over 550 raids the carmaker called for and supported in various and undisclosed parts of the world. Back in 2019, Porsche was not so discreet, and called out China for being the source country for most of the 200,000 fake items confiscated a year before.The value of the merchandise seized on behalf of Daimler was not disclosed, but just to give us a sense of scale when it comes to such illegal operations, the company cites a Unifab trade association report that says counterfeiting car parts is at times more lucrative than selling drugs.Aside from the physical world, Daimler said it registered a three times increase in online trade with fake parts, with 138,000 fake products removed from online platforms at the Germans' request, made through their Intellectual Property Enforcement unit.Daimler also gives people some advice when shopping for parts, saying fake ones are easy to spot because of their low price, dubious sources, and questionable quality.What Daimler does not say is that some people (not few) actively look for fake parts to buy and use, mostly on account they are cheaper than the original ones. And sadly it is these customers that keep this underground industry alive. So ugly is this thing that people like to call it Warthog . And just like the namesake animal, it likes to travel in packs, with the latest outing taking place back in June, during the Red Flag-Alaska 21 exercise that was held in the North American region.The planes belong to the 25th Fighter Squadron, and weve seen them before in photos released by the U.S. Air Force (USAF), at the same Alaska event. This time, we get to see four of them conduct a close formation flight near Eielson Air Force Base.Even if they are not hunting for active targets, the planes do look as menacing as always, with their pair of General Electric turbofan engines attached to the rear side of the body, weapons dangling under their wings, and the simply monstrous gun sticking out of its nose.Aside for their iconic shape, that nose gun is what makes these planes so fearsome. Were talking about the mighty seven-barrel Gatling gun known as the Avenger. The weapon can fire rounds from an altitude of 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) directly at the ground, hitting a target area just 40 feet (12 meters) in diameter and shredding whatever sits in there to bits.The Thunderbolt can fly at an altitude of 45,000 feet (13,636 meters), and can keep going for up to 800 miles (1,287 km) on a single outing, reaching speeds of 420 mph (676 kph).You can see the plane in action and hear the amazing sounds it makes in the video attached below. Al Waab II is one such boat and, at the same time, the worlds longest steel and aluminum superyacht in its class. Also of note is the fact that it was built during a two-year period when the naval industry stalled, due to the effects of the international health crisis. Even so, Alia Yachts was able to complete it with just a couple of weeks worth of delays.At 180 feet (55 meters), it is very long and very spacious, but interior volume isnt above 500 GT. This possibly record-breaking feat was accomplished through custom design, with a minimalist layout and optimized use of outdoor space, as per the requests of a very determined client.Yachts are getting longer and wider, but owners still want to stay below the 500GT mark, Alia President, Gokhan Celik says in a statement. Weve seen increasing interest in this kind of yacht and so to be one of the first with such an impressive project is an important milestone for Alia.Al Waab II is essential a floating family apartment, of the most luxurious kind, as we discussed in a previous coverstory . Built in Antalya, Turkey by Alia Yachts, on commission with brokerage firm SF Yacht, it boasts a naval architecture by Vripack, which also signs the interior and exterior design.It is a gorgeous, sleek vessel that will provide accommodation for 12 guests across six lavish suites, including a double-level master suite on the upper deck. It comes with a generously-sized beach club and all the other amenities that have become standard on superyachts.Al Waab II is now getting ready for sea trials and the public debut that has been scheduled for September 2021. EV According to Bloomberg , the Biden administration wants General Motors, the Ford Motor Company, and Stellantis NV to pledge that 40 percent of the vehicles they sell in the U.S. will be fully electric by decades end. But at first glance, thats not technically possible from at least two standpoints.On the one hand, think about how many billions of dollars the Big Three will have to invest into research and development, manufacturing capacity, and so forth. On the other hand, the charging infrastructure of 2021 cannot handle that volume of electric vehicles. Oh, and by the way, think about how many people are hesitant in regard to the viability of electric vehicles.Charging takes a lot, driving range is abysmal in cold-weather states, and servicing costs are shocking in some instances. For example, an independent garage has recently fixed a gentlemans Model 3 for $700 whereas Tesla quoted him a ridiculous $16,000 to replace the whole battery.We also have to consider what sells best in the United States. I am referring to pickup trucks and utility vehicles, and most of those are sold with internal combustion engines because lithium-ion batteries still are too darn costly.Think about GMC for a minute. The Sierra 1500 goes for approximately $50,000 with a few extras while the Hummerstarts at $79,995. Adding insult to injury, the most affordable Hummer of the lot is a 2024 model.Criticism aside, there is a glimmer of hope for the Biden administration because the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning and Tesla Cybertruck are bringing those prices down. But if you ask me, internal combustion is here to stay for at least one more decade. On that bombshell, the Ford has pledged to switch to EVs by 2030 in Europe while GM intends to be fully electric by 2035 Available to purchase in select markets where safety and emission regulations arent as harsh as in the United States and Europe, the LC70 is a square-bodied overlander with two, three, or four doors. Body styles range from trucks to wagons and a troop carrier, and they all are tough as nails.Over in Australia and New Zealand, the Land Cruiser 70 series will be updated within 12 months over the ADR 85 side-impact test protocol. Speaking to our friends at Motoring.com.au, a representative said that no Toyota in the NA category will be affected by the regulation change.If these acronyms dont ring a bell, fret not. ADR stands for Australian Design Rules and NA represents light goods vehicles - including utility vehicles - with a gross vehicle mass that doesnt exceed 3.5 tonnes (7,716 pounds). The LC70 for Australia tips the scales at 2,165 kilograms (4,773 pounds) for the cab-chassis GX while the "Troopie" GXL weighs 2,325 kilograms (5,126 pounds). Both variants have a braked towing capacity of 3,500 kilograms plus an unbraked rating of 750 kilograms (1,653 pounds).Add those numbers up, and youll understand why the cited publication expects the 70-series Land Cruiser to receive the NB classification for medium goods vehicles. Last updated in August 2020, the old-school 4x4 is a vital model for Toyotas Australian division. Since 1984, our Aussie friends have accounted for 20% out of a total of 1.5 million sales worldwide.Priced from 67,400 kangaroo bucks ($49,640) before on-road costs, the LC70 mates a 4.5-liter turbo diesel V8 with a five-speed manual transmission and four-wheel drive. The troop carrier boasts a 180-liter fuel tank, which converts to 47.5 gallons over in the United States of America. Alfa Romeo's presence in Formula 1 will continue to play a key role in the brand's future, even if the Milanese marque is going through a paradigm shift towards electrification. Alfa Romeo plans to use Formula 1 as a laboratory to improve its future models, including those that will come with a charging plug. Naturally, the Italian brand will also profit from the marketing opportunities brought by its presence in the most expensive branch of motorsport.The new responsible for Alfa Romeo's Formula 1 team has been with the FCA Group since 2013. Cristiano Fiorio was born in Turin (Italy) in 1972 and was previously responsible for Advertising, Digital, Events, Sponsorships, and Trade Fairs for all FCA brands. Before that role, he was responsible of Brand Marketing Communication for the EMEA region at FCA.If you remember the launch of the new Fiat 500 electric model, you should know that he led the team behind the event. Previously, Mr. Fiorio has handled brand promotion throughout the FCA Group, as well as licensing and merchandising. While his earlier job description may not be impressive for the layperson, we will have you know that it was complicated.The Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team is based in Hinwil, Switzerland, and has Jan Monchaux as technical chief, while the team chief is Frederic Vasseur. Before being named Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen, the team was known as Sauber and has nurtured talents like Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Michael Schumacher Currently, the Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen team has numbers 99 and 7 on the grid, and those single-seaters are raced by 27-year-old Italian Antonio Giovinazzi and 41-year-old Kimi Raikkonen . The latter was the 2007 Formula 1 World Champion, but the Finnish racing driver, nicknamed "The Iceman," is also known for his reserved personality and straightforward way of speaking. In the meantime, however, Huawei is partnering with local carmakers to supply intelligent software specifically developed to power new-gen capabilities, with the Huawei HI platform powered by HarmonyOS bundling everything from autonomous driving to software for 4D imaging and 5G connectivity.So at the end of the day, its pretty clear Huawei is betting big on autonomous cars in the long term, which means the company doesnt afford to many any bad moves in this side of the industry.And yet, a Huawei executive has recently made some public comments that put not only Tesla in a bad light but the entire self-driving tech industry.Speaking at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai in July, Su Qing, who has until recently been the director of the smart driving product department, explained that Teslas self-driving technology ended up killing people, somehow proving autonomous driving is as dangerous as it gets.So in theory, Su made not only Tesla look bad, but his employer as well, as Huawei is one of the companies investing big in this market sector.Tesla vehicles have had a rather high accident rate in the past few years. From the killing of the first person to the most recent person, the nature of the accidents is very similar. I use the word killing here. It may sound too serious to some. But come to think of it, if machines enter human society and we have a human-machine symbiosis, machines will most definitely cause accidents. To put it more plainly, it is killing people, he was quoted as saying by local media A video recording with this statement went viral in China this week, and this prompted Huawei to take action and remove Su from this position. He will be reassigned to a new role, according to the linked source, though for the time being, no further specifics have been shared. Alongside the automotive star was up and coming 16-year-old rising star Jax Redline. And a bunch of other people, because we all know Ken Block is a true socialite. Oh, yes, and the truck. Which is a 1,100-horsepower Geiser Bros G6 Trophy Truck. But its not like other racer monsters , as the rally legend also got a 2021 Its a Living livery from Mexican artist Ricardo Gonzalez.Just in case the design seems familiar, its because Ken Block also has other vehicles with the same unique touches, such as a Subaru STI, a Ford Escort Cossie V2, and even a Tuthill Safari Porsche 911! Oh, and the Baja 1000 team just got complete: 2019s overall winner, Alan Ampudia, has been welcomed in the (slightly deranged but in a good way) family as the third driver of the truck.All these announcements and just a beach rip to showcase the efforts? No way, of course. Instead, everything was put into a cool perspective with the live reveal party at Papas & Beer in Rosarito, Mexico. There, rapper Lil Jon made sure to entertain this unconventional launch venue and the atmosphere got so hot that Ken Block needed to cool down for a moment (at the 4:10 mark).Keep all that in mind as we go through the traditional vehicle presentation from the eight-minute mark. Its a great interlude for the little rip on the beach that comes from the 15:35 mark... Surely you dont need any explanations about what happens there, those brake discs that were literally on fire should be enough of a hint! EV The new partnership, which has led to the creation of a new company called LG Magna e-Powertrain, will be specifically focused on the manufacturing of electric powertrains, inverters, chargers, and e-drive systems.The company will be led by CEO Cheong Won-suk, whos been with LG for over two decades, and COO Javier Perez, a Magna veteran that will oversee day-to-day operations.Leaving aside the official details shared by the two companies, what does this joint venture have in common with the Apple Car and why is it so important for the iPhone maker?Weve known for a while Apple is developing its very own self-driving, but the company has been having a hard time finding someone to manufacture its car.Naturally, Apple originally reached out to traditional carmakers for the job, but after failed talks with Hyundai and a series of other companies, the tech giant started considering other options as well. Including a possible collaboration with long-time partner Foxconn but also a deal with a new joint venture formed by LG and Magna Earlier this year, the manufacturing deal between Apple and the new JV was said to be just a matter of time, with people familiar with the matter indicating LG and Magna planned to finalize the terms of their collaboration by the summer.As it turns out, this was indeed the plan, so now it remains to be seen if the newly-formed LG Magna e-Powertrain will indeed be in charge of making the Apple Car happen.But even if it is, dont expect any information on this front to make the headlines earlier than 2024 or 2025. Sources with knowledge of the matter said the Apple Car wouldnt see daylight earlier than 2025 at the earliest, so for now, everything is very likely to remain unconfirmed. Its not just the cars involved, but also the production value. The races will always take place at a prepped drag strip with proper timing gear, and we will get all the relevant information stuff like tires or charging state if were talking about electric cars. Well, today we are talking about EVs, and its actually the two best ones you can currently buy.Well start with the Taycan, which, not that long ago, was the newcomer that rocked the Model S boat by beating in over the quarter mile. Now, though, it has to defend its title in front of the same Tesla Model S not the same-same, that would be boring, but you get what we mean. Tesla has upgraded the electric motors in the S as well as adding a third and called the new vehicle the Plaid. The unique configuration gives the sedan a total power output of 1,020 hp which makes the 761 hp produced by the Porsche suddenly seem puny.Oh, itll do more than that once the races start, though the first one takes us a little by surprise. The Plaid wins it, and comfortably, but the Taycan strangely manages to keep up for the first two seconds or so. The Model S manages an unlikely 9.673 seconds run, but even before seeing the timeslip, Brooks experience tells him something was off. Indeed, the Tesla wasnt in Drag Strip mode.Even this toned-down exhibition of the Plaids performance is enough to have the Taycan owner order one on his phone on the side of the drag strip. Thats not a good look for Porsche The second run brings unusually poor reactions from Brooks in the Taycan (0.780), so the race looks even worse than it should for the Porsche. If we were to guess, wed say Brooks probably doesnt like racing when he knows there is no chance of winning, so the motivation is gone. Either way, he gets a 10.393 second run at 130 mph, which was almost exactly one second and 20 mph slower than Teslas result.The third race seems like a carbon copy of the second thats what you get with these electric cars, unbelievable consistency. Sadly, the Taycan once again dawdles on the line (well, it gets a 0.338 reaction time, but compared to the Teslas 0.031, thats an eternity), so the visual gap is once again huge. Just like the one on the time slip (though its under a second this time).The result was never in doubt, but the race between these two had to happen. It looks like Tesla is working on the Taycans Nurburgring record as well, so we might be witnessing a double swoop that sees the Porsche lose both of its titles in quick succession. Whether the Germans fight back or not, remains to be seen, but the fact that Rimac is now officially part of the company suggests we might see a lot faster electric cars from Porsche in the future. That amount would include $410,000 due to the owners attorneys and $625 for each of the 1,743 vehicles that Tesla claims that had voltage caps. With that many vehicles, compensations would total $1,089,375, leading to a total value of $1,499,375.The U.S. District Court in San Francisco that is in charge of the lawsuit set a hearing for December 9, probably to check if the owners involved will accept the settlement. We have contacted Rasmussen to hear what he had to say about the proposition, but he preferred not to make any public statements about it because the court has not signed off on this settlement yet. Apart from the financial part of the lawsuit, it is crucial to understand if other relevant issues it raised will also be addressed. In his lawsuit , Rasmussen accused Tesla of consumer fraud and abuse act for knowingly access a computer without authorization or exceeding authorized access. In other words, Rasmussen was not ok with Tesla making an update and changing things in his car that he did not agree with.Thats a similar protest to that made by Jason Hughes, the Tesla Hacker. On June 25 , we told you that Hughes argued that Tesla had no right to block his car from fast charging in other charging networks and even at his home: the "Tesla Hacker" installed two Supercharger stalls in his garage. The company did that with an update that Hughes quickly reverted, but which other customers may not have the means or skills to solve.Rasmussens lawsuit also said Tesla hurt the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and Californias Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty for refusing to put the cars to the condition in which they were before. That has apparently changed: the owners' lawyers would have admitted that the voltage restriction was temporary. For 1,552 vehicles, the voltage cap was completely reverted. For 57, a battery replacement was the solution. The other 134 would get the maximum voltage back over time.Among the 19 allegations the lawsuit originally had are also fraud by concealment (due to the risk of fire), and breach of warranty, good faith, and fair dealing.If the lawsuit is carried on, Tesla will probably have to expose why it made the updates in the first place. At least two more cases show that Tesla customers and fans have the right to learn more about that. The first one happened in Coral Gables, Florida, in July 2010 . The second one was in Frisco, Texas, on November 24, 2020 . More recently, a brand new Model S Plaid caught fire on June 29, 2021, but it is not clear if this case can be related to those that required the mysterious voltage-capping update.If the Tesla owners feel that the companys proposition is fair, they will most certainly have to sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) about everything. In other words, well never know if the updates goal was to prevent fire risks, as the lawsuit claimed they did. GM tried to use updates to fix the Chevrolet Bolt EV fire risks , but it warned its customers about that before performing the updates.Any present or eventual fire case with a Model S or X will require an individual lawsuit to determine the causes and ask for a proper fix or compensation. If a settlement does not kill our chances to know what happened, mind you. It would not be the first time. Thrilled to announce Victorian Big Battery is now registered with the Australian Energy Market Operator - just over 200 days since the start of construction ! Thanks to everyone involved ! @AEMO_Media @VicGovAU @LilyDAmbrosioMP @Tesla @AusNetServices @downergroup @UGLPtyLimited pic.twitter.com/OD67kUbjF2 Neoen Australia (@NEOEN_AU) July 28, 2021 We can confirm that during initial testing today at approximately 10 -10:15 AM, a fire occurred within one of the Tesla Megapacks at the Victorian Big Battery. No one was injured, and the site has been evacuated.Neoen and Tesla are working closely with emergency services on-site to manage the situation.The site has been disconnected from the grid, and there will be no impact to the electricity supply.We will provide updates and further details as they become available. According to Bay 93.9 , authorities have issued a local warning about toxic fumes coming from the Big Battery, located in Moorabool. People that live close to it (Batesford, Bell Post Hill, Lovely Banks, Moorabool) were told to move indoors, close all windows and doors, turn off heating and cooling systems, close vents and fireplace flues, and bring pets indoors.For the ones that were driving, the recommendation is to close the windows of your vehicle and turn off air conditioning. Prolonged or heavy physical activity in the areas should also be avoided. Theres a risk of wheezing, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing.This is not the first equipment from Tesla operated by Neoen in Australia, only the first to use Megapacks. Neoen previously used Powerpacks. Another company, Transgrid, is also building a Megapack structure for 50 MWh to 75 MWh in Wallgrove.The Victoria Big Battery was supposed to start operating by the end of the year (summer in Australia). Neoen has a 10-year contract with the Australian Energy Market Operator to balance the grid and help increase the capacity of the main transmission link between Victoria and New South Wales at peak-demand times. 4 Classic Kawasaki KZ750B Goes on A Custom Pilgrimage, Returns Looking the Part 3 These Are the 8 Motorcycles Reproduced with Insane Realism in RiMS Racing 2 Hemi Cuda Gets Challenged by Kawasaki Ninja, the Gap Is Big More on this: This Reconditioned 1978 Kawasaki KZ650 Knocks on Your Door at No Reserve It is often said that riders dont need psychologists, because theyve got their motorcycle. Were inclined to agree. 26 photos About one year ago, the bike was thoroughly reconditioned by its current owner over a four-month period. You will immediately spot a reupholstered two-up saddle atop the frame and a tasty layer of youthful paint covering the bodywork. The fenders and engine covers have all been polished to keep things looking neat, while the standard exhaust system was replaced with a new four-into-one item. Furthermore, the wheels which measure 19 inches up front and 18 inches at the other end were subjected to an invigorating makeover, receiving a set of pristine spokes and modern rubber. The standard forks have been treated to a comprehensive rebuild, as were KZ650s front and rear brake setups. In terms of powertrain modifications, the aftermarket exhaust is appropriately complemented by revamped Mikuni carbs and pod filters on the intake end of the combustion cycle. Were also greeted by a fresh chain that enables the engines oomph to reach the rear hoop. The finishing touch on this meticulous overhaul comes in the form of a stealthy low-rise handlebar adorned with foam grips. This reborn 78 MY KZ650-B2A is being auctioned off at no reserve on Bring A Trailer, with a top bid of just over 2,000 bucks. To submit yours, youll have to pay the BaT website a visit before Tuesday afternoon (August 3), when the online Kawasaki s KZ650 (also known as Z650) is one of many great motorcycles produced by Japans big four during the 20th century. Our hearts tend to fill with sheer joy whenever we spot a KZ650 thats been restored back to its former glory, and the 1978 variant you see above certainly made our day!About one year ago, the bike was thoroughly reconditioned by its current owner over a four-month period. You will immediately spot a reupholstered two-up saddle atop the frame and a tasty layer of youthful paint covering the bodywork. The fenders and engine covers have all been polished to keep things looking neat, while the standard exhaust system was replaced with a new four-into-one item.Furthermore, the wheels which measure 19 inches up front and 18 inches at the other end were subjected to an invigorating makeover, receiving a set of pristine spokes and modern rubber. The standard forks have been treated to a comprehensive rebuild, as were KZ650s front and rear brake setups.In terms of powertrain modifications, the aftermarket exhaust is appropriately complemented by revamped Mikuni carbs and pod filters on the intake end of the combustion cycle. Were also greeted by a fresh chain that enables the engines oomph to reach the rear hoop. The finishing touch on this meticulous overhaul comes in the form of a stealthy low-rise handlebar adorned with foam grips.This reborn 78 MY KZ650-B2A is being auctioned off at no reserve on Bring A Trailer, with a top bid of just over 2,000 bucks. To submit yours, youll have to pay the BaT website a visit before Tuesday afternoon (August 3), when the online auction will come to an end. There are plenty of things to love about the machine were pointing to, so bidding for it is the next thing you ought to be doing. Editor's note: This article was not sponsored or supported by a third-party. This article was not sponsored or supported by a third-party. While the charges do not reflect in any way Nikola does business today, back when the company was just getting started, Nikola and Milton were practically inseparable, in a way that can only be compared to how Elon Musk is inseparable from Tesla. Milton was ousted from the company in 2020, after short-seller Hindenburg Research published a damning expose calling him out for making false claims that would ultimately serve to drive up stock price.In short, it claimed that Nikola had been selling lies and that all of Miltons claims of having built an electric pickup truck and a hydrogen-powered truck from the ground up were blatant lies. The damning report was followed by a separate investigation by U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department, and an internal review. In early 2021, the internal review established that all the accusations brought forth by Hindenburg were accurate.The U.S. Attorneys Office feels the same way, so its formally pressing charges against Milton, alleging that he deliberately lied and misrepresented facts so he could artificially inflate the Nikola stock price and, in the process, enrich himself. Even after Milton was exposed by Hindenburg, he continued to get rich, U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss told the press, since Nikola had gone public through a SPAC merger.This is a very straightforward case, Milton told lies to generate popular demand for Nikola stock, Strauss explained (she comes in at the 6.40-minute mark in the video below). Beginning at least in or about March 2020, when Nikola announced that its stock would become publicly listed, Milton became increasingly preoccupied with keeping Nikolas stock price high.Strauss says prosecutors believe Milton lied about nearly all aspects of the business, including development on the Nikola One truck , the Badger pickup, hydrogen production, how they were developing technology in-house, and the number and nature of reservations. Theyre charging him with three counts of fraud and are asking that he forfeit all property obtained through said acts of fraud.Milton turned himself in before the press conference, and was released on a $100 million bond secured against two of his properties in Utah, after pleading not guilty. In a statement to CNBC , his attorneys maintain his innocence, noting how hes being turned into a scapegoat by the government, which is looking to criminalize lawful business conduct. HP kW The go-to summer destination for the worlds rich and famous, this is where the Molsheim company is hosting the Summer Road Show, from mid-July to mid-August. However, only guests personally invited by Bugatti can experience and test drive their fine machines.Should you find yourself on the guest list, then you could take the Pur Sport and Sport versions of the Chiron out for a quick drive, subsequent to a briefing given by official Bugatti drivers. The journey will take you around Saint-Tropez, through Ramatuelle, and past Pampelonne Beach, and lasts for approximately one hour.For the event, Bugatti is working closely with the local authorities, tourism companies, luxury hotels, and restaurants, said Bugatti Europes Regional Director, Guy Caquelin. We are delighted that the Bugatti Summer Road Show is being so well received and has already established itself as a highlight in our annual events calendar.After each driver, Bugattis personnel disinfects the vehicle. The surfaces of the Bugatti Show Truck, which features a roof terrace, and configuration lounge, are also regularly disinfected, and all staff are vaccinated and tested daily.An even more exciting version of the regular Chiron, the Pur Sport has several mods, and takes 2.3 seconds to accelerate to 62 mph (100 kph), from a standstill, with the 124 and 186 mph (200/300 kph) marks being hit in 5.5 and 12 seconds respectively. Top speed is limited to 217 mph (350 kph), and the quad-turbo 8.0-liter W16 engine develops 1,479(1,500 PS / 1,103) and 1,180 lb-ft (1,600 Nm) of torque.With its tuned chassis and tweaked suspension, as well as dynamic torque vectoring that increases the transverse dynamics, the Chiron Sport is also available for test drives.Guests will also get to check out the fabulous Chiron Super Sport , which will enter production soon and will be shipped as of early 2022, but without putting through its paces, though. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Billionaire Najib Mikati was named Lebanon's prime minister-designate on Monday after receiving enough votes from parliamentarians, AP reports. Why it matters: Mikati will now be tasked with forming a viable government that can pursue immediate reforms for recovery amid the country's devastating economic crisis. Driving the news: Mikati's appointment comes less than two weeks after Saad Hariri stepped down as prime minister-designate amid months of political deadlock. Hariri cited "key differences" with President Michel Aoun. Lebanon has not had a working government since Hassan Diab's Cabinet resigned days after a deadly explosion last August that killed more than 200 people and left roughly 250,000 homeless. Since then, Diab's government has stayed on in a caretaker capacity, compounding the country's economic and political crises, AP notes. The big picture: Mikati, who has been prime minister twice before, received the backing of most of Lebanon's political parties. The international community has repeatedly called on the country to form a government that can enact structural economic reforms, per Al Jazeera. What he's saying: Alone, I dont have a magic wand and cannot achieve miracles, Mikati said, per AP. We are seriously concerned about recent armed incidents at certain sections of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border which led to casualties, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Alexander Bikantov, said in written comments posted on the ministrys website. Unfortunately, the situation along the border remains tense, he said. We call on the sides to refrain from any actions fraught with a further degradation of the situation and to resolve problems by diplomatic-political means. Russia is prepared to continue to provide necessary support for normalizing the situation along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border through de-escalation measures and a quick launch of joint work on delimiting and demarcating the border, added Bikantov. Tensions have run over the past week at border sections separating Armenias northeastern Gegharkunik province from the Kelbajar district handed back to Azerbaijan after the autumn war in Nagorno-Karabakh. Three Armenian soldiers were killed and four others wounded there early on Wednesday in what the Armenian military described as a failed Azerbaijani attempt to capture one of its border posts. The Armenian military claimed to have shot down on Thursday night an Azerbaijani surveillance drone in the same mountainous area. It released photographs purportedly showing fragments of the Israeli-manufactured Aerostar unmanned aerial vehicle lying in a field. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry denied the claim. The Defense Ministry in Yerevan also accused Azerbaijani forces of opening fire on Friday morning at its positions outside an Armenian village bordering Azerbaijans Nakhichevan exclave. It said Armenian troops returned fire. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on Thursday Armenia will ask Russia to deploy Russian border guards along the entire frontier. Russian officials responded coolly to the idea. Moscow already proposed in May that Yerevan and Baku set up a commission on the delimitation and demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed his countrys readiness to participate in its activities as a consultant or mediator. The offer came days after Azerbaijani troops advanced a few kilometers into Gegharkunik and another Armenian province, Syunik, through several sections of the border. Pashinian said at the time that Yerevan will agree to the proposed creation of an Armenian-Azerbaijani commission on border demarcation only if Baku withdraws its forces from Armenian territory. Azerbaijan has since repeatedly ruled out such a withdrawal, saying that they took up positions on the Azerbaijani side of the frontier. A relevant amendment to the Armenian Criminal Code drafted by pro-government lawmakers stipulates that individuals voicing grave insults or offending others dignity in an extremely indecent manner must be fined up to 500,000 drams (just over $1,000). Such insults publicly and repeatedly directed at persons because of their public activities will be punishable by fines ranging from 1 million to 3 million drams ($2,000-$6,000) and a prison sentence of up to three months. According to the amendment, those persons include state officials, politicians, civic activists and other public figures. All forms of defamation and slander had been decriminalized in Armenia in 2010 during then President Serzh Sarkisians rule. Vladimir Vartanian, the pro-government chairman of the parliament committee on legal affairs and the main author of the bill, said penalties for such offenses must be toughened now because verbal abuse in the country has since become widespread, especially on social media. This bill is primarily aimed at not so much punishing individuals resorting to grave insults as having a preventive impact and eliminating insults from our society, he said. Vartanian emphasized the fact that the parliament is amending Armenias current Criminal Code which will be replaced in 2022 by a new code enacted earlier this year. If we manage to achieve these results during this year there will be no need to make the same changes to the new Criminal Code, he said. Opposition lawmakers dismissed this explanation. One of them, Naira Zohrabian, said that the bill is aimed at holding in check the two opposition blocs to be represented in Armenias incoming parliament elected on June 20. The blocs have a much tougher anti-government stance than the opposition minority in the outgoing National Assembly. Their supporters believe that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian himself has relied heavily on hate speech since coming to power in 2018. The new parliament, also controlled by Pashinians political allies, is scheduled to hold its inaugural session on Monday. Sofia Hovsepian, another opposition deputy who defected from Pashinians My Step bloc late last year, said the amendment could be used to stifle harsh criticism of the Armenian government. Deputy Justice Minister Kristine Grigorian assured Hovsepian that the authorities will not be cracking down on any discourse going slightly beyond criticism. Pashinians political team already sparked controversy in March this year when it pushed through the parliament a bill tripling maximum legal fines for defamation. Armenias leading media associations criticized the move, saying that it could be exploited by government officials and politicians to stifle press freedom. Consequently, President Armen Sarkissian refused to sign the bill into law and asked the Constitutional Court to assess its conformity with the Armenian constitution. TUCSON, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- One of the two Tucson EMTs wounded in a mass shooting on July 18 has died. According to a post on the Community Praying for Jacob Dindinger Facebook page, he died on Thursday night, July 29. The company for which he worked, American Medical Response, confirmed his death. Dindinger was shot in the head, and his partner was shot in the arm and chest as they sat in their ambulance at Quincie Douglas Center at Silverlake Park. They were staged there during a shooting and house fire near South Campbell Avenue and East Irene Vista. Governor Ducey on Friday ordered flags at all state buildings to be lower to half-staff to honor Dindinger. "Jacob Dindinger was a brave, selfless member of our community whose life was taken far too soon. Arizona's deepest prayers are with Jacobs family, loved ones and fellow first responders," Ducey said in a tweet. The suspect Leslie Stephen Scarlett, 35, was shot by a police officer and later died. When the ambulance got to Silverlake Park, near the Quincie Douglas Community Center, police say Scarlett drove up in a silver SUV, got out, and approached the ambulance. Police say Scarlett pointed in the direction of the fire, and when the EMTs looked that way, Scarlett fired multiple shots through the driver's side window. Dindinger was in the driver's seat. Although his partner was wounded, he was able to call for help. Both were later taken to the hospital. In a statement posted July 23 on social media, Dindingers family said the 20-year-old was born in Long Beach, California, and moved to El Paso, Texas, as a child before settling in Tucson. He graduated from Canyon del Oro High School in 2019. Dindingers older brother, Bryan Presetti, is a firefighter/engineer, the family said. Dindinger decided he wanted to become an EMT after visiting him in Long Beach, Calif. Dindinger then enrolled in the EMT program at Pima Community College and became a certified EMT in Arizona shortly after. Dindinger was hired at AMR in March, and had plans to attend paramedic school. ODFW authorizes rancher or designated agent to kill up to 4 wolves from Lookout Mountain pack Aunt of children found dead during Baltimore County traffic stop is charged with their deaths Not so long ago, cotton was king in Kern County. Potatoes were plentiful and golden fields of hay stretched far into the horizon. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Bluefield, WV (24701) Today Mostly cloudy this morning. A few showers developing during the afternoon. High 73F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 57F. Winds light and variable. This tale of a childless couple whose hopes come true thanks to an abomination of nature that arrives on Christmas Eve is a strange one. A24 picked up Lamb before it debuted at Cannes this year the reviews out of the festival describe it as twisted, slow-burning horror. The dark folktale soaked in fits right in with their current catalog. It has that permeating feeling of dread that Hereditary has and the closed-in atmosphere of Robert Eggers The Witch. It also pulls in that disturbing weirdness A24s horror movies are known for. Its definitely bizarre. Lamb is the story of a childless couple, Maria and Ingvar who are sheep farmers in Iceland. On Christmas Eve they find a newborn who is half human, half sheep. Longing for a child of their own they decide to keep the lamb-child and raise it as their own regardless of the consequences. This unexpected prospect of a new family brings them much joy, before ultimately destroys them. Lamb is Valdimar Johannssons directorial debut, he also penned the script; hes worked on set and on special effects for Rogue One, Game of Thrones, Prometheus and others. The small cast includes the always amazing Noomi Rapace, Hilmir Snaer Gudnason, and Bjorn Hlynur Haraldsson. Lamb arrives in theaters on October 8th. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (left) bumps fists with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during his visit to the Malacanang Palace in Manila, July 29, 2021. The 70-year-old defense alliance between Manila and Washington is back on track after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he would fully restore a key bilateral military pact following his meeting with Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin in Manila, officials announced Friday. The U.S. defense secretary visited the Philippine capital as he wrapped up a weeklong tour of three Southeast Asian countries located in the heart of the contested South China Sea, a geopolitical issue that headlined the agenda during his stops in Singapore, Hanoi and Manila. On Friday, Austins Philippine counterpart, Delfin Lorenzana, who challenged recent incursions by Chinese ships into Philippine-claimed territory in the strategic waterway, announced the decision about the 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement. Last night, after the meeting between Secretary Austin and the president ... the president decided to recall or retract the termination letter for the VFA, Lorenzana told reporters during a joint press conference with Austin. So the VFA is in full force again. There is no termination letter pending and we are back on track, he said, adding that Dutertes letter informing Washington of his plan will be retracted as if nothing happened. Lorenzanas announcement reverses Dutertes February 2020 pronouncement to scrap the 22-year-old pact after Washington had denied a U.S. visa to Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, his former national police chief and main enforcer of his administrations bloody war on drugs. Duterte would later rescind that decision after Washington, under then-President Donald Trump, reinstated dela Rosas visa, but the VFA needed to be renewed every six months. At the time of the last renewal in February, Duterte told the U.S. to pay for the right of American troops to stay in the Philippines. At their joint news conference, Lorenza and Austin both emphasized that the military pact was back for good meaning military drills and exercises in Philippine territory involving U.S. troops would proceed unhampered. Dutertes office, meanwhile, said that the president and Austin had an open and frank discussion on Thursday focused on enhancing the two countries military cooperation in the South China Sea. According to Dutertes office, both men agreed that the alliance can be further strengthened through enhanced communication and greater cooperation, particularly in the areas of pandemic response, combating transnational crimes, including the war on illegal drugs, maritime domain awareness, the rule of law, and trade and investments. On Friday, Lorenzana and Austin discussed the way ahead for the Philippine-U.S. alliance. This visit is another manifestation of the shared commitment to the alliance between our defense establishments and the inherent risks and challenges of the times, Lorenzana said. Responding to a question on Friday about Dutertes decision, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said he was aware, but did not specifically comment about it. China always maintains that state-to-state exchanges and cooperation should not only benefit the countries concerned but also regional and global peace and stability, he said. Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana (right) and U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin wave to journalists before meeting at Camp Aguinaldo in Metro Manila, July 30, 2021. [European Pressphoto Agency/ Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines pool] Austin said he was pleased to visit the Philippines to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to the alliance in person. He also thanked Duterte for restoring the Visiting Forces Agreement. Our countries face a range of challenges from the climate crisis to the pandemic. And as we do, a strong, resilient, U.S.-Philippines alliance will remain vital to the security, stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific, Austin said in a statement released by the Pentagon. A fully restored VFA will help us achieve that goal. Austin also said he had a productive discussion on Friday with Lorenzana on maritime and counterterrorism cooperation along with efforts to modernize the Philippine military. We also talked about how we can work toward a free and open Indo-Pacific rooted in a rules-based international order, a region in which countries work together to realize their highest aspirations and to safeguard the rights of all other citizens, he said. During a speech in Singapore on Tuesday, Austin repeated the U.S. view that Chinas claim to almost all the South China Sea has no basis in international law and treads on the sovereignty of states in the region, according to a transcript from the Pentagon. Unfortunately, Beijings unwillingness to resolve disputes peacefully and respect the rule of law isnt just occurring on the water, Austin said. Later, while in Hanoi, he assured Vietnam that he was not seeking to force that nation to choose between China and the U.S., saying allies and partners should have the freedom and space to chart their own futures. American Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin walks past an honor guard during a visit to the Philippine Department of National Defense in Manila, July 30, 2021. [European Pressphoto Agency/ Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines pool] President Duterte, whose six-year term ends in less than a year, has spent much of his time in office building up Manilas relationship with Beijing while backing off on bilateral ties with Washington. In late August, the U.S. and the Philippines will mark the 70th anniversary of the Mutual Defense Treaty, under which the two allies are bound to come to each others military aid if one of them comes under attack from another power. Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared that America would invoke that treaty if Philippine ships or aircraft came under attack in the South China Sea an indirect warning aimed at Beijing, which has vast territorial claims in the maritime region. Analysts have said Duterte and the defense establishment have been under pressure from the public and the political opposition over Chinas continued expansion in the South China Sea. Earlier this year, government patrols reported spotting 240 Chinese ships in Philippine waters. Geopolitics analyst Chester Cabalza, founder of the Manila-based International Development and Security Cooperation, noted that proof that Dutertes announcement has repaired ties with Washington has yet to be seen. He said Duterte, in his final State of the Nation speech to Congress on Monday, showed he has not closed the door on diplomatic efforts with Beijing. The president had previously said he was indebted to Chinese leader Xi Jinping for Beijings help during the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. has to work harder as China enjoys preferential treatment in the Philippines, Cabalza told BenarNews. The Thai governments crackdown on alleged fake news went into effect Friday, with the order published in the Royal Gazette stating that its purpose is to prevent news or information that causes public confusion or undermines the states security. Representatives of six leading Thai media associations submitted a petition to the government spokesman on Friday protesting the new measures. These allow the prosecution of journalists, celebrities and social-media administrators suspected of spreading fake news. The associations, in a joint statement earlier this week, had condemned the order as a crackdown on free speech. The order says it prevents people from presenting news, selling or disseminating papers or print other materials which cause public fears, or distorted information to cause public confusion during the emergency state and undermine the states security or public morality in areas under the emergency decree. Under the order, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC) has been empowered to get details about people or groups spreading allegedly distorted information from internet service providers (ISPs) and terminate their connections for spreading alleged fake news. Then, the NBTC shall promptly file the information to the national police bureau to begin legal action, said the order signed by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha. Should any ISPs refuse to comply, the NBTC shall take against action against them. The order was made under the provisions of the current emergency, which was imposed by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha in March 2020 and will last least until at least the end of September. It came after a Facebook post on Tuesday in which Prayuth said there had been widespread dissemination of false information or distortions of officials quotes by traditional and social-media users, leading to public misunderstanding. The Digital Economy and Society Ministry, the polices Technology Crime Suppression Division and the national police bureau must take measures to promptly and attentively prosecute major disseminators be [they] the media, celebs or Facebook page administrators not small users, Prayuth had said on Facebook. Chaiyawut Thanakmanusorn, the minister of digital economy and society (DES), last week warned celebrities and actors to stop using social media to attack the government, saying it could be considered fake news. Order gives broad power to government Prayuth and his government have been the focus of the ire of pro-democracy activists who began protests in July 2020 to demand that the PM step down, the constitution be updated and the monarchy be reformed. Beginning in November 2020, at least 97 people have been charged under the draconian Lese-Majeste the royal defamation law after Prayuth vowed to exercise all pertaining laws against the youth-led anti-government demonstrations. Lese-Majeste carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years per count. Since a spike in COVID-19 cases started in April, doctors, celebrities and citizens on social media have also joined in the criticism of the government. They have said the government had mishandled the pandemic and been overly dependent on the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine and British-Swedish drug maker Astra-Zenecas jabs, which are being produced by Siam Bioscience, a local company owned by the Crown Property Bureau. Even before the new measures went into effect, a 19-year-old rapper Danupa Milli" Khanatheerakul was last week accused of defaming Prayuth after she criticized the government, on social media, for its alleged mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. On July 22, police fined the rapper 2,000 baht for her alleged defamation of Prayuth. Two other celebrities, Miss Grand Thailand 2020, Patcharporn Chantharapradit, and film director Yutthalert Sippaphak are also being investigated for actions similar to the rappers, police said last week. An academic, Werayuth Theerakamol, said this latest crackdown on alleged fake news gives blanket power to the government to target citizens. The order gives broad power to the government to interpret what is deemed distorted, creating fear that official could abuse the power. That affects the peoples rights and freedom of speech to voice criticism of the government, Werayuth, a doctoral candidate in communication and media at Loughborough University in England, told BenarNews. What the government is doing is not right. Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri, meanwhile, told representatives of the six media associations that the latest order was meant to curb fake news about COVID-19. The government only intends to crack the whip on agencies responsible for countering fake news dissemination and purported distortion of information, he said on Friday, according to local media reports. It is not meant for enforcement on professional media. But on Wednesday, the six media associations said the new crackdown would amount to an official assault on the publics right to accurate information as well as free speech during a pandemic. The associations urged journalists to call on Prayuth to stop threatening to sue news organizations that disseminate what he described as fake or distorted reports about the governments handling of the COVID-19 crisis. The Prime Ministers insistence on enforcing the new measures, along with the recent attempts by his government to intimidate and take legal action against members of the public who simply exercise their constitutional rights to criticize the administration during the COVID-19 pandemic, clearly reveal an intent to crack down on the freedom of expression enjoyed by the media and the public, the associations said in their statement. The six professional media associations hereby uphold the principle that media freedom is the freedom of the people. Any attempt to infringe on the freedom of the press is an assault on the publics freedom of expression. Shahrul Kamaruzaman Kudong, a coffin builder from Malaysias Selangor state, has seen orders for his products more than double lately as a surge in cases has broken records for virus-related deaths. This rise in demand, though, has brought additional concerns for the 44-year-old, who is not vaccinated against the novel coronavirus. When I think about it, I am very worried about the increasing orders for coffins, which means that the number of COVID-19 deaths is surging and infections are rampant, the Port Klang resident told BenarNews. Shahrul, who suffers from diabetes, has to work late into the evening to meet the demand. Previously, he built about 15 to 25 coffins in a month. As July comes to an end, he has delivered more than 70 coffins to the Selat Klang Muslim Cemetery. The coffin maker has increased his output although his suppliers have begun charging more for raw materials, Shahrul said. I am finding it difficult getting materials such as plywood and cloth because the suppliers are closed for business during the lockdown, so I have to pay more to get the materials I need, he said. Despite his concerns, Shahrul wants to ensure he meets all orders because he sees it as a service to his suffering community. I am not that concerned about making a big profit because this is part of my contribution to the local community here, especially during this trying time, he said. If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom. Greg Sukiennik has worked at all three Vermont News & Media newspapers and was their managing editor from 2017-19. He previously worked for ESPN.com, for the AP in Boston, and at The Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, Mass. Features Intern Jacob Posner is a features intern at the Berkshire Eagle. He is a rising junior at Williams College and is the executive editor for podcast at the Williams Record. He can be reached at jposner@berkshireeagle.com. PITTSFIELD A city man has been sentenced to up to five years in state prison for intentionally running over a woman in September 2018, the Berkshire District Attorney's Office said. Alfredo Osorio, 27, pleaded guilty in Berkshire Superior Court on Monday to assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injuries and leaving the scene of personal injury, according to a report released Friday by the DA's Office. Pittsfield man allegedly ran over woman, abandoned her PITTSFIELD A city man is facing an aggravated assault charge for allegedly striking a woman with his car, causing serious injury, and abandoning her in the roadway.Alfredo A. Osorio, 25, of The victim told police that she asked Osorio for a ride home from the parking lot of the Cumberland Farms on First Street on Sept. 4, 2018, and called 911 once he started to drive erratically. She exited the the car and began speaking with the 911 operator, which angered Osorio, who then "ran her over with the car" and fled, according to police. The woman suffered significant injuries and was airlifted to Albany Medical Center in New York, where she spent time in critical condition. She suffered severe, long-term injuries, the report said. Judge John Agostini sentenced Osorio to serve three to five years in state prison, a penalty that was similar to the request by prosecutors and more severe than requested by the defense. Since Massachusetts eviction moratorium expired in October, courts have authorized at least 1,500 evictions in the state for failure to pay rent, including at least 35 in Berkshire County. A less-protective federal moratorium through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expires Saturday, a change that, observers say, could open the floodgates to greater displacement. With many people still reeling from the coronavirus pandemic-related recession, tenant advocates fear that renters forced to move out would have nowhere to go but move in with others, just as COVID-19 cases rise once more in Massachusetts. Anyone concerned about their ability to pay rent should reach out to Berkshire Housing at 413-499-1630, ext. 168, as soon as possible, the organization told The Eagle. To find help Anyone who needs help catching up on payments can call Berkshire Housing at 413-499-1630, ext. 168, or visit berkshirehousing.com for information on how to apply for assistance. The application process takes time, so it is recommended to reach out early. If you receive a notice to quit, you do not need to leave your housing unit. You are entitled to a trial. Tenants with a household income of up to 200 percent of the poverty level (about $4,367 a month for a family of four) can seek free legal assistance from Community Legal Aid it has offices in North Adams and Pittsfield at 855-252-5342 or communitylegal.org/get-help. Have you applied or are you applying for assistance as a tenant, landlord or homeowner? We want to hear from you. Send an email to djin@berkshireeagle.com or call 413-496-6221. President Joe Biden has said he will let the moratorium expire but, citing concerns over the delta variant of COVID-19, he has asked Congress to extend the moratorium. Also set to expire Saturday are CARES Act foreclosure protections for federally backed mortgages. Hundreds of millions in assistance dollars remain available to renters, homeowners and landlords in Massachusetts, and a December law requires that Massachusetts courts pause an eviction case if the defendant has a pending application for rental assistance. The process typically takes a few weeks, though, before an applicant is approved or denied for money. While regional housing agencies have gotten more money out the door than ever before, some believe that the state should simplify further the application process to accelerate the flow of money. Even though we have plenty of money in Massachusetts to have people get their back rent paid, many of them wont have time to access it before landlords file to evict them, said Rose Webster-Smith, program coordinator for Springfield No One Leaves. Webster-Smith, who fought off a post-foreclosure eviction in 2017, says she still experiences post-traumatic stress from her six-year fight against Freddie Mac. In addition, landlords often will choose not to rent to people who have had eviction cases filed against them, even if those cases did not result in a finding of wrongdoing. It is not a pretty process to have to deal with, Webster-Smith said. Local need Research group Surgo Ventures estimates that about 10 percent of renters in Berkshire County are behind on rent, owing an average of $2,676. That proportion ranks second among the four western counties to Hampden County, where slightly less than 15 percent of renters are estimated to be behind. With the CDC moratorium in place, Massachusetts courts have continued to accept eviction filings and proceed with eviction cases. For tenants who file the necessary legal declaration for the moratorium, cases can go all the way until a judgment is entered, although the moratorium stops courts from ordering an execution, which authorizes a property owner to reclaim possession through a sheriff. Since the state eviction moratorium expired in October, more than 200 eviction cases in Berkshire County and roughly 13,500 cases statewide have been filed for nonpayment of rent, the Massachusetts Trial Court reports. The state does not report the number of cases in which the CDC moratorium prevented an execution, but observers believe that the moratorium has affected a significant number. The end of the CDC moratorium is a concern and something we have been preparing for here at Berkshire Housing, Berkshire Housing President and CEO Eileen Peltier said in an email. The organization works with struggling tenants, landlords and homeowners to apply to assistance programs. In the past year, the organization has helped 537 Berkshire County renters, Peltier said, more than twice its pre-pandemic level of activity. Statewide, assistance programs have shot up in scale since the state eviction moratorium expired in October. The state has turned a program that typically served 7,000 households and distributed $20 million per year into a disaster relief fund that has served 33,000 households since March 2020 and now distributes more than $1 million per day, said Stefanie Coxe, executive director of the Regional Housing Network of Massachusetts, of which Berkshire Housing is a member agency. In 2021, the state already has doled out $165 million in assistance to more than 26,000 households. Massachusetts added more than $400 million in federal aid to its rental assistance programs in April, and more than $300 million still is to come through the American Rescue Plan Act. The end of CARES Act foreclosure protections has received less attention than the end of the CDC eviction moratorium, but nonetheless it could hurt homeowners, Webster-Smith said. At least 552 properties in the four western counties of Massachusetts are in danger of foreclosure, Webster-Smith said, citing numbers she has compiled from auction notices that banks have published in newspapers.Application processRegional agencies have worked with the state Department of Housing and Community Development to simplify the application process for rental assistance, Coxe said. While Coxe said that a simplified process has sped up the flow of money, some tenant advocates believe that the DHCD should further cut documentation requirements to make the process easier on applicants and regional agencies. With very technical requirements, its inevitable that balls are going to get dropped, said Andrea Park, a staff attorney who works on housing for Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. The people who pay the price for that are the applicants. Tenant advocates say they believe regional agencies are doing the best they can to process applications but have their hands tied by DHCD requirements. Some cite a July 2 communication from the U.S. Department of Treasury asking state and local governments to do more to accelerate aid to struggling renters. Coxe, though, said she believes that Massachusetts has diminished requirements to the point that the program runs smoothly. The state now requires identification from only the head of household, a change from previously requiring ID for all household members, and income verification now is quicker, Coxe said. You really cant get much simpler unless youre basically trying to do state stimulus checks that go out to anyone, Coxe said. You need to make sure the person is who they say that they are, they are income-qualified and there is an arrearage or they will get behind if they dont get support. If we dont, the funds could easily go to scammers or others instead of people who need it. Although Coxe said she believes that complaints over the application process stem from previous iterations, calls to reduce documentation requirements have held steady. Acceptance rate for assistance Ninety to 95 percent of applications for assistance are accepted, Berkshire Housing President and CEO Eileen Peltier estimated. While Department of Housing and Community Development data shows that more applications for assistance have been denied than accepted, those numbers count applications that were not completed as denials, said Stefanie Coxe, executive director of the Regional Housing Network of Massachusetts. A timeout or closeout occurs when a tenant or landlord does not reply within a 14-day period of a communication, Coxe said. Applicants can reopen the case if they respond within 30 days, and Berkshire Housing seeks to assist applicants who have timed out through communication by phone, email and mail, Peltier said. The leader of the statewide trade association for landlords criticized the process as unnecessarily difficult, in comments to Boston 25 News last month. Were so wrapped around the axel, worried about accidentally paying someone fraudulently, said Doug Quattrochi, executive director of MassLandlords.net. As a matter of fact, weve failed to reward tens of thousands of households the assistance they would be entitled to, if only they could complete the paperwork. Kathy Keeser, who works with applicants for assistance as executive director of the nonprofit Louison House, added that the process requires back-and-forth between agencies and applicants. Some applicants have missed calls because they have been out of cellphone minutes, Keeser said. People who do not speak English as a first language, or people who lack technological expertise, also might miss communications. Its not a blame on the agency. Its on the system, Keeser said. If rental assistance takes so long, its hard for small landlords, and theyre not going to carry their bills long enough to wait. With complicated systems, well lose the landlords who are willing to work with folks. James Stockley III, president of the Rental Housing Association of Berkshire County, said that he has not spoken with many other landlords about recent experiences with rental assistance programs. But, he said, he has had two tenants who received assistance within a few weeks, although he believes that a third tenant began, but did not complete, an application. Since small landlords struggle to make payments for insurance, mortgages and taxes, rental assistance programs can serve as a lifeline, Stockley said. Youre no different from a tenant in that case, because if you get behind on your bills, most landlords start pulling out of their personal savings, said Stockley, who said he has about 30 tenants. Massachusetts is working to set up a centralized application for regional agencies to use. Peltier, of Berkshire Housing, said the new system will make it even easier to apply through a user-friendly mobile portal available in multiple languages.Call for legislative actionTrue eviction diversion, tenant advocates say, would mean ensuring that landlords have pursued and cooperated with rental assistance programs before filing for eviction. Advocates are pushing for a bill in the Massachusetts Legislature that would do just that, in addition to reforming rental assistance distribution, reinstating a pause on foreclosures and requiring forbearance based on federal policies. While the Legislature traditionally takes a recess in August, the bill is the answer right now to preventing evictions due to COVID-19, said Pamela Schwartz, executive director of the Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness. In the 160-member House, 65 lawmakers have co-sponsored the bill, in addition to 13 lawmakers in the 40-member Senate. State Rep. Paul Mark, D-Peru, state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, D-Pittsfield, and state Sen. Adam Hinds, D-Pittsfield, have signed on as co-sponsors. Also, the Springfield City Council has passed a resolution in support of the bill. Stockley said he believes that landlords should not face restrictions on evictions, particularly because many landlords feel that the legal system is their best chance for collecting money they are owed. But, he does not believe that landlords face much of a negative impact from the states current eviction protections, which do not affect cases that are not related to COVID-19. He also likes the added focus on rental assistance programs. Instead of doing evictions, if you can get people to get those applications in and get all the funding, basically, financially taking care of the landlord, I think thats great and I hope thats whats actually occurring, Stockley said. Schwartz argues, though, that further legislative action is necessary to meet the level of crisis among renters and homeowners. In recent days, Google searches for terms such as eviction, eviction moratorium news and rental assistance have spiked, Google Trends show. What the CDC moratorium did was, at the very end of an eviction case, it stopped the last gasp that make people displaced, Schwartz said. The need is huge, and I just dont know that the system can get the help out quickly enough. Danny Jin, a Report for America corps member, is The Eagles Statehouse news reporter. He can be reached at djin@berkshireeagle.com, @djinreports on Twitter and 413-496-6221. Love your pet enough to leave them? Prioritize your pets safety and well being at Love Us and Leave Us The Hot 97 Summer Jam concert is back in action and will return to MetLife Stadium on Aug. 22, with sounds from some of your favorite artists. Swizz Beatz is scheduled to lead a tribute to rap icon DMX, who tragically passed away in April. In case you missed it, Swizz led another star-studded tribute for X at the 2021 BET Awards with performances by Method Man, Busta Rhymes, Griselda, and The Lox. For Summer Jam, the act is titled Swizz Beatz with a NY Tribute To DMX, and its for sure that whatever Swizz has up his sleeve for his friend and frequent music collaborator will be one for the books. RELATED: BET Awards 2021: Stage Explodes in Electrifying Tribute to DMX On Wednesday (July 28), Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued an executive order requiring masks to be worn in all indoor public places. Local station WXIA reports the mandate requires a face mask or cloth covering while indoors at a public place, which includes private businesses and establishments in the City of Atlanta. The rising number of COVID-19 cases via the Delta variant and the new CDC guidance are the reasons for the new mandate, according to the mayors office. Public health experts overwhelmingly agree, and data has proved, that wearing a face covering helps slow the spread of this deadly virus, Mayor Bottoms said, according to the news station. As COVID-19 rates increase, we must remain vigilant, wear a mask, follow CDC guidelines and other measures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our communities. RELATED: Atlanta Mayor To Create Office Charged With Reducing Crime On Tuesday, the CDC made new recommendations regarding mask usage after new information revealed that the Delta variant of the coronavirus can spread among vaccinated people. They also recommended that even people who are fully vaccinated should wear masks indoors to help prevent community transmission. Bottoms orders are at odds with Georgia Governor Brian Kemps announcement that he will not be issuing a statewide mask mandate. The CDC says that fully vaccinated people usually only suffer mild symptoms if they catch COVID-19 or the Delta variant. Infections in fully vaccinated people (breakthrough infections) happen in only a small proportion of people who are fully vaccinated, even with the Delta variant, the agency states in their latest guidance. Moreover, when these infections occur among vaccinated people, they tend to be mild. However, preliminary evidence suggests that fully vaccinated people who do become infected with the Delta variant can be infectious and can spread the virus to others. Atlantas new mask mandate comes as cities across America are grappling with new COVID-19 data that shows transmission of the disease is rising. Kansas City, St. Louis, Los Angeles, and more have issued similar guidance. The husband of a popular high school teacher in the Birmingham, Ala., area has been charged with her murder. Adamsville police announced the arrest of Kelvin Lowe for the murder of his wife Nakeshia Biggs-Lowe on Tuesday (July 27). Biggs-Lowe, 41, died Sunday afternoon in a shooting at their home in Adamsville, a suburb of Birmingham, according to Birmingham Real Time News. Biggs-Lowe was a paraprofessional in special education at Midfield High School. RELATED: Family Searching For Birmingham Woman Who Disappeared After Traveling To Germany Biggs-Lowes father, Rufus Biggs, said his daughter was cooking in preparation for her husbands birthday celebration scheduled for later that Sunday. He said Lowe called him to tell him about the shooting, according to BRTN. Biggs said he rushed to the couples home, but he couldnt get to his daughter because police had already roped off the scene. According to Adamsville Police Chief Warren Cotton, Lowe told investigators his wife was accidentally shot during a struggle over the firearm. They had some type of disagreement,' Cotton said. Detectives interviewed a witness who was at the home at the time of the fatal shooting, according to Cotton. According to Rufus Biggs, a U.S. Air Force retiree, Biggs-Lowe leaves behind a 14-year-old son and a 6-month old daughter. She was a vibrant, very strong-willed person who loved life and tried living it to the fullest,' he said. Following Haitian president Jovenel Moises assassination on July 7, the country is looking to quickly elect a new leader. According to Reuters, on July 28, Haiti's new Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who has been in office since last week, said at a brief news conference, "The mission of this government is to prepare the conditions to hold the elections as quickly as possible. Henry did not give a possible date but did say the goal is to stop "all irritants" that could hinder the country from having an election. Before Moises assassination, he wanted to change the constitution to give more power to the presidency over the parliament. Henry did not address the constitutional reform at the press conference. RECENT: Haiti Continues Spiral Into Turmoil Over Presidents Legitimacy Haiti is known historically for successfully rebelling against and ousting its slaveholding French colonizers in 1804, to begin as a new republic. But afterward it was economically choked by European and American powers consistently stifling its growth. The assassination of Moise is the latest of decades, and perhaps generations, of instability in Haiti including the days of Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, and his son Jean-Claude Baby Doc Duvalier. Moise, 53, had been accused of autocracy and corruption by his critics, spurring massive demonstrations. He had been in power since February of 2017, but his opposition said that his five-year term began in 2016 and was set to end in February of 2021. However, those results were negated by Haitis electoral council. Moise has said because of that, he ran and won again and took office in 2017, which would make him set to step down next year. President Moise was assassinated on the morning of July 7 when an armed collective approached his estate and opened fire. A motive has not yet been revealed. Call ahead to confirm events. Due to COVID-19, many events have been canceled but hosting organizations might not have updated their entries. Email Blast Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Daily News Headlines & Events Email Blast Would you like to receive a digest of each day's headlines & events from The Daily News by email? Signup today! The Amplifier Headlines & Events Email Blast Would you like to receive a weekly digest of headlines & events from The Amplifier by email? Signup today! Daily News Hosted Events The Daily News is a proud host of community enrichment events. Join our Daily News Events mailing list to learn about the next event we are planning. Sign up now. Manage your lists Spearfish, SD (57783) Today Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 89F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Cloudy. Low near 65F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Rotary Club of Chennai Capital, Madras West Round Table 10, Sathyalok Charitable Trust and TANKER Foundation will run the 20-bed dialysis centre Sathyalok Charitable Trust Dialysis Centre - Porur, established jointly by Rotary Club of Chennai Capital, Madras West Round Table 10 and Sathyalok Charitable Trust was inaugurated in Chennai. The Tamilnad Kidney Research Foundation (TANKER Foundation) is roped in to provide dialysis services and operate the centre. Among the major donors include Sanjay Lulla, an industrialist. The centre is set to offer it at a subsidised rate of Rs 375 per session. It is also exploring ways to offer the service free of cost in future. Constructed at the cost of Rs 3 crore, the 20-bed dialysis centre, houses a 5,000 sq ft building, well-equipped with 20 modern dialysis equipment. It will function from 8 am to 4 pm every day, including Sundays. The centre is expected to cater to 40 patients a day, impacting in a year close to 15,000 lives who suffer from kidney-related issues. Opinion | 03 August 2021 | Views "Provisions of a safety net could help scientists to take more risk" Has the number of health-tech startups increased due to the ongoing pandemic?One would have expected it to hap...Read more A 61-year-old doctor contracted both the Alpha and Delta variants at various stages The Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI) Dr KK Aggarwal Research Fund has documented severe SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough reinfection with Delta variant after recovery from a breakthrough infection by Alpha variant in a fully vaccinated healthcare worker. C urrently under study, the case in point is that of a 61-year-old doctor from Delhi in whom the Delta variant infection resulted in hypoxia, hospitalisation, and illness lasting seven weeks. The second and third infections occurred after the doctor had taken both the vaccine shots and developed antibodies. The term breakthrough reinfection has been specifically coined for this, and it is also the first proven case of the same. The doctor was first infected in August 2020. The study done on this case will soon be published in an international peer reviewed medical journal called Frontiers in Medicine. Speaking about this, Dr Veena Aggarwal, Trustee HCFI and co-author of the study said, The study conducted identifies a rare breakthrough infection that was also confirmed as a reinfection. The breakthrough reinfection was severe enough to result in hypoxia and hospitalization and was contracted from a fully vaccinated family member. The Ct values in the Delta variant breakthrough reinfection were low enough to suggest transmission potential. This reinforces the recommendation that fully vaccinated individuals should continue to take precautions to protect themselves and others. There is no definite data on reinfections currently since whole-genome sequencing is not accessible and expensive. Labs also do not have much access to samples. As per the study conducted, post-infection and post-vaccination immunity both confer protection against COVID-19. However, there have been many whole-genome sequencing proven and breakthrough infections. Both are most often mild and caused by variants of concern (VOC). Armed with a BCom, post-graduate degree and an MBA in strategic marketing, EF-Active founder and CEO Salil Dhingra is growing his hygiene business beyond borders. Having successfully established and serviced the expanding EF-Active range within South Africa, the brand is now focusing on introducing itself to new markets on the African continent. Source: Supplied Billions in export revenue at risk if suppliers don't cut carbon emissions - study South African suppliers who fail to transition towards net-zero products and services alongside their multinational counterparts stand to lose billions of rands in export revenue... Logistically smart Eyeing new export markets #StartupStory: EF-Active, a cost-conscious and sustainable hygiene business At the height of the 2020 global coronavirus pandemic, a quality, cost-conscious and sustainable hygiene business, EF-Active, was born... Product development We have already started to expand into many African territories. We are now regularly exporting to Mauritius, we have also landed the brand in Ghana, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, says Dhingra.Before we started on the export market, we wanted to make sure that we had the local South African market optimally serviced, Dhingra points out.We have achieved this and continue to support that network. The countries we are exporting to now do not offer manufacturing opportunities, so we are merely responding to the need to import a decent, reliable product, which we can do and successfully cater to their demands.We are taking things slowly. One country at a time is our approach. We need to best understand the need and the demand in each and couple that with our ability to deliver before we expand further, he adds.Reliable distribution is critical, something that the business understands implicitly. My team cannot [currently] travel to many of these countries, something that I used to do a lot. So, connecting and establishing critical networks, remotely, is something weve worked hard to achieve, and weve successfully overcome the many hurdles each has placed before us.EF-Actives entire product line has been endorsed and regulated by the Department of Trade and Industry in South Africa. We have the special licences to export our product out of South Africa too, Dhingra points out. Not everyone can export. Each business needs to apply for permission and that is only for a limited time, six to eight months before you need to re-apply again."The government has, since the lockdown commenced, acknowledged that sanitiser products, the likes of ours, are a longer-term demand product and they want to make sure that the local demand is first fulfilled before the product is exported out.The Department of Health certification, pharmaceutically speaking, is another hurdle EF-Active responded to and adheres with. NRCS and SABS protocols are all adhered to, so thats why it is easier for us to export to more SADC (Southern African Development Community) countries, Dhingra explains. They accept our local certifications, which makes it possible for us to service those needing markets, effectively.Angola and Nigeria are the next two territories where EF-Active anticipates landing and serving the broader population with their key products. Nigeria is highly regulated. There is a lot of red tape, but we are accustomed to challenges and continue to distribute our products within that framework. There are 200-million-plus people across both countries and its a region we can actively service, for the greater good.As for whats next, Dhingra says, We are currently exporting to Botswana, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Mozambique and Mauritius, so yes, the export model is tried and [successfully] tested."Bringing new products online remains a key growth area for the business. After sifting through US-based research, EF-Active took the initiative to identify a longer-term sanitiser product line, and with that US, along with UK research in hand, what came out of it was that about 80% of consumers stay true to their initial brand choices and pre or post-Covid, they will make the likes of our product a part of their regular basket shop, Dhingra explains.Knowing that this category is here to stay, we decided to stick with the pre-and post-wash solutions, Dhingra shares. So, we have a range of liquid hand soaps, for the normal, at home, routine. Then you carry sanitiser with you, wherever you go. With all of that, your skin dries out, due to the alcohol in the product."And with EF-Active becoming a known and respected hygiene brand with the South African consumer, we then responded and launched a skincare cream range, including camphor, peppermint and 100% eucalyptus oil varietal balms to counter the effects of intense sanitisation. We were the first on the African continent to launch an aerosol format of these varietals, he adds.Dhingra concludes, We see EF-Active evolving into a full bath, body and personal hygiene brand in future, Dhingra concludes. That is what we are working towards at this stage. Bringing in more skin-friendly ingredients is key for us, all while increasing our market share. South African banks said that replacing 1,400 automatic teller machines (ATMs) vandalised and looted during recent violent unrest could take about two months. Members of the military look at damaged ATM machines outside a bank as the country deploys army to quell unrest linked to jailing of former President Jacob Zuma, in Soweto, South Africa, 13 July, 2021. Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko Rough estimate As much as R20m could have been taken, "however that is a rough estimate," according to Bongiwe Kunene, managing director of the Banking Association South Africa.Days of riots and looting earlier this month left more than 300 people dead and damaged thousands of businesses, including 269 bank branches.Banks are still assessing the extent of the damage and developing recovery plans, with the indicative average replacement cost of an ATM at R385,000 rand, Kunene told a media briefing."We haven't been able to add up the exact numbers of how much was in the ATMs that were looted. What we do know is we're working with estimates which are close to R20m, however that is a rough estimate," Kunene said.She added that despite the disruption of cashpoints, there is currently no shortage of cash in the affected areas.To assist social grant recipients who live in areas where banking services are currently unavailable, customers will be able to use any ATM, including those not operated by their own bank, without incurring additional charges, from 1 August to 30 September, Kunene said.Rioting broke out on July 9 after former president Jacob Zuma handed himself in to start a 15-month jail term for contempt of court. A 55-year-old woman was beheaded in broad daylight Wednesday in Shakopee, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The victim, Shakopee resident America Mafalda Thayer, was an employee of MyPillow, according to Fox-9 Minneapolis. Alexis Saborit, 42, also of Shakopee, was reportedly in an abusive long-term relationship with her, and he was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder, according to the Shakopee Police Department. Graphic video of the beheading was circulating on social media. Shakopee PD tweeted a statement Wednesday about the homicide before the suspect was identified: "On July 28, 2021, at approximately 2:31 p.m., Shakopee Police officers responded to a report of a homicide near the intersection of 4th Avenue and Spencer Street. A suspect is in custody, and there is no threat to public safety. An investigation is ongoing. We do not believe this was a random act of violence. We will release additional information at a later date. Again, there is no threat to public safety." Saborit was convicted in 2017 of domestic assault in Carver County, according to CBS-4 Minnesota. Shakopee Police Chief Jeff Tate told ABC-5 he was "incredibly disappointed" that cellphone video of the attack was posted on social media. The killing comes just days after the Minneapolis City Council voted 11-1 to put a measure on the November election ballot to disband the Minneapolis Police Department in favor of a public safety department. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of George Floyd last year. France's personal data protection agency on Wednesday fined US firm Monsanto for illegally compiling files of public figures, journalists and activists with the aim of swaying opinion towards support for its controversial pesticides. The firm, now owned by German chemical giant Bayer, failed to inform the people on the watch lists compiled in the context of a heated public debate about glyphosate, a weed killer, it ruled. The CNIL agency fined Monsanto 400,000 euros ($473,000) in the case brought by seven plaintiffs. Compiling lists of contacts was not in itself illegal, the agency said, but only people who could "reasonably expect" to figure on such lists because of their business sector or their public standing should have been included. Furthermore, data had to be collected legally and targets informed, including of their right to refuse being listed. By keeping the lists secret, Monsanto deprived them of this right, CNIL said. Monsanto gave a rating of one to five to each of the over 200 people on its French lists corresponding to their estimated influence, credibility and level of support for Monsanto on several topics, especially pesticides and genetically-modified crops. Chinas controversial one-child policy has led to a major demographic crisis. To rectify the problem of population decline, now China is offering cash subsidies to couples for making more babies. While China is moving to provide incentives for more childbirths, Indian government on the other hand is set to introduce a new Population Control Law. Panzhihua city in Southwest Chinas Sichuan Province, with 1.23 million population, announced on Wednesday it plans to dole out money to couples giving birth to more than one child, the first-ever official incentive of its kind to spur more childbirths as part of broad-based efforts to address Chinas demographic decline in the longer term. The local government in Panzhihua decided to offer a subsidy of 500 yuan ($76.87) per baby every month for families with a local hukou that have a second or third child, until the babies turn three. The city became the first in China to have announced childbirth bonus. The cash incentive came after the recent introduction of various childbirth incentives to respond to the countrys shift toward a third-child policy. Last week, the central government rolled out a set of measures, including reducing childbirth and education costs, to aim for a balanced population growth in the long run. China announced in May the relaxation of its two-child policy to allow couples to have up to three children. The policy shift would help in addressing the countrys low childbirths, improving demographic structure, and pushing for the balanced development of the population, Fu Linghui, spokesman for the National Bureau of Statistics, said in mid-June. Chinas population grew to 1.412 billion at the end of last year, but new births shrank for a fourth straight year to merely 12 million, according to official data. According to FTs sources, the latest Chinese census data, which was completed in December and has yet to be publicly released (the issue is reportedly so sensitive that it wont be released until many government agencies reach a consensus on the data and its consequences), is expected to show the countrys first population decline since records began in 1949. Chinas birth rate has been in decline for years and the introduction of the two-child policy in 2016 failed to make a dent. The number of newborns in 2019 fell to 14.65 million, a decrease of 580,000 from the year before. To cope with the shrinking population, a PBOC study urged a drastic overhaul of the policy to encourage three or more children per household. It called for a total lifting of any restrictions to fully liberalize and encourage childbirth to reverse the current four-year straight decline in births nationwide. While China is moving to provide incentives for more childbirths, Indian government on the other hand is set to introduce a new Population Control Law. Contrary to popular belief, barring a few states, the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in most Indian states has declined significantly over the last decade. The Economic Survey of India 2018-19 clearly states that the population growth rate has been slowing down in recent decades. It mentions that the population growth rate of 2.5 per cent annually during 1971-81 has reduced to 1.6 per cent during 2011-16. Many significant states such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana, that, at one point, were infamous for their large population are now experiencing a deceleration in population growth. According to the census, the Total Fertility Rate or TFR, which is the number of children born to a woman during her lifetime, has reduced from 5.2 to 4.1 between 1971-1981 and from 3.6 to 2.4 during 1991-2016. A fertility rate of 2.1 is the ballpark figure indicating population stabilisation. Therefore, we can conclusively say that Indias population is not exploding. The current rate of population growth too was achieved via coercive population control schemes and policies under which women have disproportionately suffered. Women have undergone forced sterilisation and died in the process, consumed harmful contraceptive pills/injections and have had injections like Depo-Provera tested on them, without adequately obtaining their consent. Population Control Law is actually Agenda 21 which is a British policy to reduce the population of former colonies like India through various sterilization projects and other policies implemented through the United Nations and popularised by Hollywood to effectively keep nations under Anglo-American orbit. We need your support to carry on our independent and investigative research based journalism on the Deep State threats facing humanity. Your contribution however small helps us keep afloat. Kindly consider supporting GreatGameIndia. Pfizer's mRNA injection that we were told earlier this month was "99% effective" in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 fell to at most "39% effective" against preventing Delta variant infections last week in Israel and now they're planning to start giving out a third dose in just days. From The Times of Israel, "Israelis age 60 and up to start getting third coronavirus vaccine dose next week": Health Ministry Director-General Nachman Ash on Thursday told health management organizations to start giving a third COVID-19 vaccine shot to elderly Israelis from the beginning of next week. Ash told the HMOs the shots should be given to those aged 60 and older. His order came hours after Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with top health officials to review an expert panel's recommendations that older Israelis receive a third shot. Israel is among the first in the world to offer a third dose of a coronavirus vaccine Hungary has also said it would begin rolling out booster shots beginning Sunday, joining Turkey, which adopted the measure earlier this month. The American Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve third doses. The booster shots are going to start on Sunday, according to NBC News. From Wikipedia, "Foot-in-the-door technique": Foot-in-the-door (FITD) technique is a compliance tactic that aims at getting a person to agree to a large request by having them agree to a modest request first. This technique works by creating a connection between the person asking for a request and the person that is being asked. If a smaller request is granted, then the person who is agreeing feels like they are obligated to keep agreeing to larger requests to stay consistent with the original decision of agreeing. This technique is used in many ways and is a well-researched tactic for getting people to comply with requests. The saying is a reference to a door to door salesman who keeps the door from shutting with his foot, giving the customer no choice but to listen to the sales pitch. We know from the initial trials that the second Pfizer shot has the most serious side effects. What's going to happen when people take the third? From The Jerusalem Post, "Israel's two-week window to halt the 4th COVID-19 wave - analysis": And now, it is starting to appear that two shots of the Pfizer vaccine at least if they were taken more than six months ago, or you are old or immunocompromised also might not be quite enough to stop the disease. "We had a very good vaccine, and now we have a mediocre vaccine," [Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Campus Director-General Dr. Eitan Wertheim] said. "We don't have enough protection, and we are not taking severe measures to prevent the spread." [...]Pfizer and Moderna are currently working on new versions of their vaccines that would better combat coronavirus variants, which are supposed to be out by the end of the year. It is unclear if those who get a shot now could take a booster again then. Moreover, despite research showing that the neutralizing antibodies in people who got the jab five or six months ago are starting to wane, it is unclear because no research yet exists as to whether it is the lack of these particular antibodies, or also how resistant the Delta variant is to the current vaccine, that is leading to so many breakthrough infections. Therefore, there is always a possibility that a third shot might not fully protect those at risk anyway. Israel wants a global regime to be formed to mass "vaccinate" the entire planet all at once with Pfizer and Moderna's newest mRNA shots, Wertheim suggested: "We will have to produce another vaccine that will cover the newer variants, and then we will have to be much quicker at using it," Wertheim said. "If the vaccine is not delivered at almost the same time to all the countries if there is no global rollout strategy then there will also be one or two big countries where a new variant develops. It will start by infecting those nations, but it will eventually spread to other nations, even those who think they are already in good condition." He said: "We might be happy again in January or February," but without global vaccination, Israel could expect to be struggling again by Passover. He described a situation in which Israel, which had prided itself on helping lead the world out of the pandemic, might now be perpetually in a situation akin to a dog chasing its tail, always trying to get ahead of the next variant but finding itself on the losing end until a global solution is found. "If every country will do only a local strategy," Wertheim concluded, "it is only going to keep us a little bit protected but not completely cured." Are you starting to get an idea of what they've got planned? Pfizer's COVID vaccine generated $7.8 billion in second-quarter revenue https://t.co/6b1yu0vKkJ MarketWatch (@MarketWatch) July 28, 2021 "Pfizer said it expected its data for the trials in children aged two to 11 to be handed down by September. For children aged 6 months to two years, it will be later in the year." $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ All logic about cost v benefit has gone. https://t.co/cVxcO0yCf6 Bev Turner (@beverleyturner) July 29, 2021 Pfizer expects revenue from the COVID-19 vaccine will reach $33.5 billion this year a 29% jump from the previously estimated $26 billion. https://t.co/K6WyUYpRrk Axios (@axios) July 28, 2021 Axios reported on Wednesday that Pfizer's experimental mRNA therapy injection "is on pace to be the world's top-selling drug of all time, by far." "Pfizer expects revenue from the COVID-19 vaccine, co-developed by BioNTech, will reach $33.5 billion this year a 29% jump from the previously estimated $26 billion," Axios said. "Pfizer registered $7.8 billion of COVID-19 vaccine sales in the second quarter, bringing total worldwide sales so far this year to $11.3 billion." Follow InformationLiberation on Twitter, Facebook, Gab, Minds, Parler and Telegram. The Department of Justice and the FBI have a message for local police departments: start charging more white people with hate crimes or invite an investigation. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta told an assembly of FBI agents yesterday that they are now tasked with hounding police departments in their district if they do not register any "hate crimes." Gupta and FBI Deputy Assistant Director of the Criminal Investigative Division Jay Greenberg have declared "hate crimes" by "racially motivated violent extremists" (a euphemism generally reserved for right-wing white men) to be a national threat priority -- a rare designation. According to Greenberg, the FBI will be increasingly specialized in pursuing "hate crimes" through increased training in the matter, an aggressive media campaign designed to recruit victims in "underrepresented and targeted populations," and putting federal pressure on local law enforcement to charge and report hate crimes when they otherwise wouldn't. Hate crimes laws are political and racially motivated. Blacks and Jews are heavily overrepresented as supposed victims in the FBI's "hate crime" database, while whites are charged at higher rates than general crime rates. Blacks are rarely charged with hate crimes when they commit bias crimes against whites. For example, last month a black man who shot five white men in a multi-state shooting spree told police his sole motive was that he hated white people, yet neither local prosecutors or the FBI have charged him with a hate crime. According to the FBI's 2019 hate crime report, blacks are 49% of victims of racial bias while Jews are 60% of crimes motivated by religious animosity. Most of the blacks in the data were victims of "intimidation," an often Constitutionally dubious charge. A large number of reported hate crimes targeting both blacks and Jews are hoaxes, as seen in famous cases like the Jussie Smollett incident and the thousands of bomb threats targeting Jewish community centers that were the work of a Jew in Israel. Just yesterday, a white man was charged with "ethnic intimidation" for putting up stickers that say "I Love Being White." The FBI wants more police departments to exploit the legal gray area and lack of First Amendment advocacy groups for white dissidents to juke crime statistics and distort the reality of crime. Blacks commit roughly 90% of violent interracial felonies, a statistic the Critical Race Theorists at the FBI find inconvenient. The mad rush for white racists at the FBI is bound to cause more embarrassments for the increasingly discredited agency. Last year, the theater put on by the FBI over NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace's "noose," which turned out to be a hoax, served to reveal the hyper-politicization and lack of seriousness at the Bureau. The DOJ has just dropped a nuclear legal bomb on Americas legal system by summarily declaring that employers have a legal right to force employees to receive injections of FDA unapproved gene therapy. This is totally false and shows that yet another federal agency has been weaponized against the American system and people. TN Editor The corporate media is making much ado about the U.S. Department of Justice issuing a legal opinion that employer mandates of the Covid shots are legal. Are they hoping their readers and viewers are unable to tell the difference between a DOJ opinion and a Supreme Court opinion? It certainly looks that way. In a July 6 memorandum opinion for the deputy counsel to the president, the DOJ magically determined theres no federal law that prohibits public or private entities from imposing vaccination requirements, even when the only vaccines available are those with [Emergency Use Authorization]. Lets be frank. This is a case of one arm of the Biden administration telling another arm of the Biden administration what it wanted to hear. EUA status means the so-called vaccines havent been licensed for use but were allowed to be rushed to market due to a declared health emergency by former President Donald Trump. They are still investigational, according to the FDA, and everyone whos received one is part of a massive human experiment. Final say on whether an arm of the government or a corporate employer can legally mandate people to get the shots will rest with the courts, probably the US Supreme Court. But the DOJ could not resist the urge to weigh in on the budding controversy of whether employers should be allowed to jump out of their lane and interfere in their employees personal medical decisions something that has never before happened in U.S. history. This is nothing but a political opinion coming out of a totally politicized DOJ that provides cover for the Biden regime and its corporate cronies on Wall Street, which we all know are desperate to get this experimental serum into the arm of every American 12 years old and up. Pfizer, one of the three U.S. companies granted EUA permission for its Covid vaccines, announced Tuesday it has upped its already exponentially high earnings forecasted for 2021 by another 30 percent. Moderna likewise expects record profits. What a wonder to have the government buy your product, launch a massive ad campaign at taxpayer expense, and then mandate people to get the product. Never mind that the product doesnt even work. USA Today quickly scrubbed an NBC News report Tuesday that cited an anonymous source inside the federal government saying vaccinated people are spreading the Delta variant to the non-vaccinated. And CDC director Rochelle Walensky said Tuesday we may be only a few mutations away, from the virus totally evading the vaccinations. The propaganda campaign surrounding these shots has been unprecedented, not just in America but worldwide, in spite of the fact that Covid-19 has a survival rate of more than 99 percent for healthy individuals, even higher in school-age children. See, also from LeoHohmann.com, Whos calling the shots? Push is on to mask up and shoot up the school children: What parents need to know The DOJ is simply putting us on notice that it will refuse to do its job of enforcing current U.S. law. It wont be filing any lawsuits or criminal charges against employers or government agencies that violate both the U.S. Constitution and federal law by disrespecting the personal bodily autonomy of American citizens. [For a more detailed legal analysis of this issue, see COVID-19 Vaccines and Emergency Use Authorization Challenges, National Law Review, July 26, 2021] There is a good argument to make that telling someone they must inject an unknown substance based on an all-new technology, completely untested for the long-term impact on the human body, violates the Fourth Amendment. If the state, let alone a private company, is prohibited from breaking into your home and sifting through your personal effects without a warrant, how is it OK to break your skin with a needle and put a bio-chemical agent into your bloodstream? This DOJ opinion has absolutely no binding legal authority, but you wouldnt know it by reading the days news headlines. The motivation behind this opinion is as obvious as the toothy grin on Bidens face: To send a message of intimidation to Americans and convince them that they might as well give up right now in their fight against vaccine mandates and totalitarian digital health passports. The federal Emergency Use law that allows the FDA to authorize new drugs to be administered to the public before being licensed is crystal clear that persons receiving such drug treatments must have the option to accept or refuse. But of course the mainstream media was all over the story, spinning it as if the DOJ had just issued the final, authoritative word on vaccine mandates. More surprising was how some conservative news outlets walked right into the DOJs propaganda trap, coming out with their own deceptively headlined articles. Both Fox News and the Epoch Times posted headlines saying the DOJ had declared vaccine mandates legal. Anyone who passed political science 101 in freshman year of college knows the DOJ, as a federal agency of the executive branch, doesnt have the authority to DECLARE anything legal or illegal. They are a law enforcement agency, specifically set up to enforce federal laws. Who are they to tell us whats legal or illegal? They dont make federal laws [the job of the Congress] and they dont interpret laws [the job of the courts]. They are neither a legislative body nor a court. The DOJ, like anyone else, is entitled to have an opinion. But thats all it is. An opinion. It is utterly meaningless other than to inform us which federal laws this agency intends to enforce and which laws it intends to not enforce. The federal Emergency Use Authorization law passed by Congress more than two decades ago does require that drugs still in the FDAs investigational stages may be allowed to be administered during an emergency but such drugs must remain optional at the patients discretion. The DOJ knows this. They simply dont want to enforce the law. But even if there was no such federal law, the DOJ has no say over the numerous state laws that have banned vaccine mandates and vaccine passports. A few states, like Montana, have banned this type of medical tyranny from being implemented by both government and private industry while a larger number of mostly red states have banned only government agencies from requiring people to be vaccinated. The DOJ has become a rogue federal agency that selectively enforces laws based on its political opinion. But the question remains, why did both Fox News and the Epoch Times choose to deceive their readers by suggesting in their headlines that the DOJ had just declared the law of the land on vaccine mandates? Either they are completely bereft of understanding with regard to our Constitution and how it lays out the separation of powers via a system known as federalism, or they are involved in the mass propaganda campaign surrounding these shots. Shame on Fox. Shame on the Epoch Times. We expect more of you. Read full story here Hundreds of military personnel will be drafted in to patrol the countrys largest city despite coronavirus cases remaining in the low hundreds per day, far lower than other developed nations like the UK that have lifted some of the restrictions. It remains to be seen whether the troops will be used to police protesters, hundreds of thousands of whom hit the streets of major cities last weekend to demonstrate against the measures. People in New South Wales are basically under the most draconian form of lockdown where they are only allowed to leave home for work, exercise and food and are not permitted to venture more than 3 miles from where they live. Hundreds of military personnel have been called up to help enforce a COVID lockdown in Australia's biggest city, as the Delta variant fuels a record one-day rise in coronavirus cases.https://t.co/ZCH0TDLOrm Megan Baynes (@megbaynes) July 29, 2021 Mask wearing both indoors and outdoors is again mandatory as the country pursues a bizarre and unattainable zero COVID policy which has led to entire towns and cities being locked down after the discovery of just a single infection. As we have previously highlighted, Australians have been placed under one of the most authoritarian lockdowns out of any major developed country. A pregnant woman was arrested in her own home for planning an anti-lockdown protest on Facebook, while the state also gave itself the power to seize children from their parents and enter homes without a warrant under COVID-19 rules. The chief health officer of New South Wales even went so far as to tell Australians that they shouldnt engage in conversation with each other, even if theyre wearing masks, in order to reduce the transmission of COVID. Australian MP Frank Pangallo also recently asserted that unvaccinated people will need to be controlled and restricted by authorities. Follow on Twitter: Follow @PrisonPlanet Brand new merch now available! Get it at https://www.pjwshop.com/ ALERT! In the age of mass Silicon Valley censorship It is crucial that we stay in touch. I need you to sign up for my free newsletter here. Support my sponsor Turbo Force a supercharged boost of clean energy without the comedown. Get early access, exclusive content and behinds the scenes stuff by following me on Locals. Rep. Jesse Johnson (D-Federal Way) filed House Bill 1054 (HB1054) in January. The new law makes numerous policing reforms and includes provisions to prohibit no-knock warrants and limit the type of military equipment police can obtain through federal programs. The House approved the final version of HB1054 by a 55-42 vote. The Senate passed the bill 28-20. With Gov. Jay Inslees signature, the law went into effect on July 25. POLICE MILITARIZATION The new law prohibits state and local law enforcement agencies from acquiring or using military equipment. The law defines the following as military equipment. firearms and ammunition of .50 caliber or greater machine guns armed helicopters armed or armored drones armed vessels armed vehicles armed aircraft tanks long-range acoustic hailing devices rockets rocket launchers bayonets grenades missiles directed energy systems electromagnetic spectrum weapons A ban on mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles (MRAPs) in the original House version was amended out of the bill in the Senate. The legislation applies both to the well-known 1033 program, along with any other military surplus program operated by the federal government, as well as federal programs that fund the acquisition of surplus military equipment. Any law enforcement agency in possession of military equipment as of the effective date of the law must return the equipment to the federal agency from which it was acquired, or destroy the equipment by December 31, 2022. While the enactment of HB1054 will not end the militarization of local cops, it will keep some dangerous weapons out of the hands of police officers. Federal Surplus and Grant Money Police can get military-grade weapons through a number of federal programs, including the 1033 program, and via the Department of Homeland Security through the (DHS) Homeland Security Grant Program. The DHS doles out over $1 billion in counterterrorism funds to state and local police each year. According to a 2012 Senate report, this money has been used to purchase tactical vehicles, drones, and even tanks with little obvious benefit to public safety. And, according to ProPublica, In 1994, the Justice Department and the Pentagon-funded a five-year program to adapt military security and surveillance technology for local police departments that they would otherwise not be able to afford. In August 2017, President Trump issued an executive order that gave a push to local police militarization. Trumps action rescinded an Obama-era policy meant to provide greater transparency and oversight around the Department of Defense 1033 program and other federal resources that provide military weapons to local police. Biden will reportedly reinstitute the Obama policy, but it was nothing more than window-dressing. In practice, the Obama EO did little to stem the flow of military equipment to state and local law enforcement agencies. Even with the Obama-era limits back in place, the 1033 program will remain essentially intact. Military gear will continue to pour into local police agencies, just as it did when Obama was in the White House. Even if you see the Obama/Biden limits as a positive, the multiple federal flip-flops underscore the importance of putting limits on police militarization at the state and local level. Federal policy tends to change depending on the party in power. Whatever limits Biden imposes through executive order can be undone with a stroke of the next presidents pen. The only way to effectively end police militarization for good is permanently withdrawing the state from these federal programs. The enactment of HB1054 limits Washingtons participation in federal police militarization programs. Command and Control Arming peace officers like theyre ready to occupy an enemy city is totally contrary to the society envisioned by the founders. Theyve turned protect and serve into command and control. In the 1980s, the federal government began arming, funding and training local police forces, turning peace officers into soldiers to fight in its unconstitutional War on Drugs. The militarization went into hyper-drive after 9/11 when a second front opened up the War on Terror. By making it more difficult for local police to get this military-grade gear, they become less likely to cooperate with the feds, and it also removes incentives for partnerships. The enactment of HB1054 takes a first step toward limiting police militarization in Washington State. NO-KNOCK WARRANTS Another provision in HB1054 effectively bans no-knock warrants. Under the law, police are prohibited from seeking and courts cannot issue a search or arrest warrant granting an express exception to the requirement for the officer to provide notice of his or her office and purpose when executing the warrant. Police can only enter a building if, after notice of his or her office and purpose, he or she be refused admittance. The enactment of HB1054 effectively nullifies and makes irrelevant several Supreme Court opinions that give police across the U.S. legal cover for conducting no-knock raids. In the 1995 case Wilson v. Arkansas, the Supreme Court established that police must peacefully knock, announce their presence, and allow time for the occupants to open the door before entering a home to serve a warrant. But the Court allowed for exigent circumstance exceptions if police fear violence, if the suspect is a flight risk, or if officers fear the suspect will destroy evidence. As journalist Radley Balko notes, police utilized this exception to the fullest extent, simply declaring in search warrant affidavits that all drug dealers are a threat to dispose of evidence, flee or assault the officers at the door. The SCOTUS eliminated this blanket exception in Richards v. Wisconsin (1997) requiring police to show why a specific individual is a threat to dispose of evidence, commit an act of violence or flee from police. But even with the opinion, the bar for obtaining a no-knock warrant remains low. In order to justify a no-knock entry, the police must have a reasonable suspicion that knocking and announcing their presence, under the particular circumstances, would be dangerous or futile, or that it would inhibit the effective investigation of the crime by, for example, allowing the destruction of evidence. [Emphasis added] Reasonable suspicion is an extremely low legal bar to meet. Through this exception, police can justify no-knock entry on any warrant application. In effect, the parameters in the SCOTUS ruling make no-knock the norm instead of the exception. A third Supreme Court ruling effectively eliminated the consequences for violating the knock and announce requirement even without a no-knock warrant. In Hudson v. Michigan (2006), the High Court held that evidence seized in violation of knock and announce was not subject to the exclusionary rule. In other words, police could still use the evidence in court even though they technically gathered it illegally. Significantly, were it not for the dubious incorporation doctrine made up by the Supreme Court based on the 14th Amendment that purportedly empowers the federal government to apply the Bill of Rights to the states, these cases would have never gone to federal court and we wouldnt have these blanket rules. Without specific restrictions from the state, police officers generally operate within the parameters set by the High Court. By passing restrictions on no-knock warrants, states set standards that go beyond the Supreme Court limits and in effect, nullify the SCOTUS opinion, OTHER REFORMS HB1054 bans law enforcement officers from using chokeholds. It also prohibits the use of tear gas unless necessary to alleviate a present risk of serious harm posed by (a) Riot inside a correctional, jail, or detention facility; (b) barricaded subject; or (c) hostage situation. Other provisions in the legislation institute rules for police vehicular chases. What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 814-368-3173 or email nfinnerty@oleantimesherald.com. Help Our Community Please help local businesses by taking an online survey to help us navigate through these unprecedented times. None of the responses will be shared or used for any other purpose except to better serve our community. The survey is at: www.pulsepoll.com $1,000 is being awarded. Everyone completing the survey will be able to enter a contest to Win as our way of saying, "Thank You" for your time. Thank You! Take The Survey DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) An attack on an oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire killed two crew members off Oman in the Arabian Sea, authorities said Friday, marking the first fatalities after years of assaults targeting shipping in the region. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) An attack on an oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire killed two crew members off Oman in the Arabian Sea, authorities said Friday, marking the first fatalities after years of assaults targeting shipping in the region. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the Thursday night raid on the Liberian-flagged tanker Mercer Street. However, a U.S. official said it appears a so-called suicide drone was used in the attack, raising the possibility that a government or a militia group was behind it. An Israeli security official alleged, without providing evidence, that an Iranian drone had attacked the ship. The U.S. Navy rushed to the scene following the attack and was escorting the tanker to a safe harbor, a London-based ship management company said Friday. The assault represented the worst-known maritime violence so far in regional attacks on shipping since 2019. The U.S., Israel and others have blamed the attacks on Iran amid the unraveling of Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers. Iran now appears poised to take an even tougher approach with the West as the country prepares to inaugurate a hard-line protege of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as president next week. The attack on Thursday night targeted the tanker just northeast of the Omani island of Masirah, over 300 kilometers (185 miles) southeast of Omans capital, Muscat. London-based Zodiac Maritime, part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofers Zodiac Group, said the attack killed two crew members, one from the United Kingdom and the other from Romania. It did not name them, nor did it describe what happened in the assault. It said it believed no other crew members on board were harmed. At the time of the incident the vessel was in the northern Indian Ocean, traveling from Dar es Salaam to Fujairah with no cargo onboard, the statement from Zodiac Maritime said, naming ports in Tanzania and the United Arab Emirates respectively. Satellite tracking data from MarineTraffic.com showed the vessel had been near where British officials said the attack occurred. However, the last signal the ship sent came early Friday morning. Zodiac Maritime described the Mercer Street's owners as Japanese, without naming them. Shipping authority Lloyd's List identified the vessel's ultimate owner as Taihei Kaiun Co., which belongs to the Tokyo-based Nippon Yusen Group. Late Friday, Zodiac Maritime said the tanker was sailing under the control of her crew to a safe location with a U.S. naval escort. The company did not elaborate. The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, which patrols the Mideast, did not respond to a request for comment. British militarys United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said an investigation was underway into the attack and that coalition forces were taking part. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation, told The Associated Press that the attack appeared to have been carried out by a one-way drone and that other drones took part. The official said it wasn't immediately known who launched the attack and declined to elaborate. The Israeli official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity because the official wasn't authorized to speak to reporters, blamed Iran for the attack and confirmed other public details of the incident. Israel considers Iran to be its biggest threat, citing Tehrans hostile rhetoric, support for anti-Israeli militant groups and growing influence in the region. The remarks came after an earlier report from private maritime intelligence firm Dryad Global referred to a drone sighting involving the vessel prior to the attack. Iran and Yemen's Tehran-backed Houthi rebels have in the past employed suicide drones unmanned aircraft loaded with explosives that detonate on impact with a target. British maritime security firm Ambrey said the attack on Mercer Street had killed one of its team members, along with a member of the tanker's crew. The intelligence firm said it was working with authorities and offering support to the victim's family at this incredibly sad time. Omani officials did not respond to requests for comment. The sultanate sits on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula and is along vital shipping routes for cargo and energy moving through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf. Israel did not publicly acknowledge the attack. Other Israel-linked ships have been targeted in recent months as well amid a shadow war between the two nations, with Israeli officials blaming the Islamic Republic for the assaults. Israel meanwhile has been suspected in a series of major attacks targeting Iran's nuclear program. Also, Iran saw its largest warship recently sink under mysterious circumstances in the nearby Gulf of Oman. Thursday's attack comes amid heightened tensions over Irans tattered nuclear deal and as negotiations over restoring the accord have stalled in Vienna. The series of ship attacks suspected to have been carried out by Iran began a year after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in 2018. Iranian media quoted foreign press reports on Thursday's attack but did not offer anything more. The attack came the night after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking from Kuwait, warned Iran that talks in Vienna over the nuclear deal cannot go on indefinitely. This is the second time this month a ship tied to Ofer apparently has been targeted. In early July, the Liberian-flagged container ship CSAV Tyndall, once tied to Zodiac Maritime, suffered an unexplained explosion on board while in the northern Indian Ocean, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration. Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP. Associated Press writers Robert Burns in Washington, Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report. What do you do if most places are closed and youre looking for something to do outdoors? Go for a bike ride. Advertisement Advertise With Us What do you do if most places are closed and youre looking for something to do outdoors? Go for a bike ride. At least, that seems to be what a lot of Brandonites have been up to during the COVID-19 pandemic. So much so that it has been hard for some local bicycle shops to keep the things in stock. "Its been happening since late last summer," said Clayton Heppner, co-owner of Stream n Wood in Brandons north end. "Realistically, its mostly bike parts, which does affect the complete bikes. A lot of the frame manufacturers can still make the frames, but its the components that go on the bikes that are quite far behind. "Its kind of a mix of things, from being shut down for a while (and) a huge amount of demand has kind of made the perfect storm for a shortage. On top of that, there are massive shipping delays as well." According to an article published in The Chatham Voice newspaper in Ontario, a sea-can that used to cost $2,000 now carries a $20,000 price tag. Combined with labour shortages at Canadian ports, there are ships waiting offshore for weeks waiting to offload their cargo. In March, The Canadian Press reported that bike shops are in a tougher position this year than last year because they started with full inventories last year before getting cleaned out. Stream 'n' Wood co-owner Clayton Heppner says all the bikes his store get in stock are spoken for before they arrive. (Photos by Colin Slark/The Brandon Sun) "A lot of our bikes left to come this year are already made and ready to go, but they just cant find shipping containers to send them to us," Heppner said. "Were still getting similar amounts of bikes compared to previous seasons, but (with) the increase in demand, we cant completely supply." As a result, most of the bikes destined for Stream n Wood are spoken for before theyve arrived. The next time bikes will arrive that arent spoken for will likely be late fall or during the winter. At A&L Cycle on Rosser Avenue, co-owner Colleen Wirch told the Sun that bike production is also having trouble keeping up with demand on top of the shipping issues. "When we get a shipment in, one, maybe two go onto the floor and we still have some in stock," co-owner Colleen Wirch told the Sun. "Its very busy and were already taking deposits for the summer after, actually. Next summer will be very similar." They have shipments arriving almost every week for the rest of the summer. "If I could get them all here tomorrow, I would," Wirch said. "But I cant." While all kinds of bikes are popular, Heppner said that mountain bikes are especially in demand right now. Wirch has also seen interest in electric bikes at her store. A&L sells pedal-assist electric bikes, which give riders a boost but doesnt stop them from having to pedal completely. "It doesnt do all the work for you, but it sure makes you feel like youre not working," Wirch said. "On a windy day, it doesnt feel like theres any wind at all. Tyler Wirch and Chris Clark show off some of the mountain bikes on sale at A&L Cycle. However, most of those electric bikes also allow the rider to adjust how much assistance theyre getting in case they want more of a workout. The parts shortage also caused a slowdown in repairs at both shops, though thankfully the wait list has gone from several weeks back in the spring to a few days now. "Weve been working very, very hard and extra hours to make sure people arent having to wait," Heppner said. "Were able to sneak in some walk-ins every day now. If someone has a flat tire, we dont want them to have to wait a week." With new bikes sometimes in short supply, A&L Cycle has also seen a lot of cyclists bringing in their older bikes for a tuneup. The increase in demand is good for business, but it also warms Heppner and Wirchs hearts to see so many people getting into the hobby. "I hope that holds on even when things open, that people will continue to spend more time as a family, going for bike rides, heading out to the Brandon Hills or Clear Lake," Heppner said. "That is a very positive thing." "Im always excited when someones like hey, I want to get into this," Wirch said. Both stores said that on top of bikes, kayaks have been in high demand as well during the pandemic. Like with bicycles, most of the kayaks Stream n Wood got in this year have been spoken for before they arrived, though not to the same extent. A&L Cycle has been sold out of their inventory for a few weeks for kayaks, canoes and paddleboards. cslark@brandonsun.com, with files from Local Journalism Initiative reporter Pam Wright and The Canadian Press. Twitter: @ColinSlark There are more than 100 soldiers from CFB Shilo from the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricias Canadian Light Infantry deployed across the province to support the Manitoba Wildfire Service. Advertisement Advertise With Us There are more than 100 soldiers from CFB Shilo from the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricias Canadian Light Infantry deployed across the province to support the Manitoba Wildfire Service. Soldiers were put through a week of firefighter training and planning. They started putting that training to the test immediately as they assisted firefighters in holding fire lines, building new lines on priority fires and suppressing hot spots. CFB Shilo military members from 2PPCLI recently to assist the province in its firefighting efforts in Operation LENTUS in Gypsumville (Photo by Lt. Gabriel Spence) Cleanup work by the specially trained soldiers has freed up the firefighters who are battling larger fires in the province. There are 151 active fires in the province according to the provinces wildfire website. Sixteen are out of control and 14 new fires have started in the last 24 hours. The Brandon Sun Canadas top doctors say Albertas decision to end isolation requirements for those who test positive for COVID-19, or who have been in close contact with someone who has, could have ripple effects across the country. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney speaks at the Premier's annual Stampede breakfast in Calgary on Monday, July 12, 2021. The Canadian Paediatric Society has written an open letter to Alberta's top doctor urging her to reconsider lifting isolation and testing requirements to curb the spread of COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh Canadas top doctors say Albertas decision to end isolation requirements for those who test positive for COVID-19, or who have been in close contact with someone who has, could have ripple effects across the country. "I firmly believe that quarantine and isolation can help prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially in light of the spread of the Delta variant," Theresa Tam, the country's chief public health officer, said Friday during a news briefing in Ottawa. She urged people to continue isolating, get tested for COVID-19 and inform their close contacts even if it is no longer required. Alberta announced earlier this week that close contacts of positive cases are no longer being notified of exposure by contact tracers, nor are they required to isolate. The government has also ended asymptomatic testing. As of Aug. 16, individuals who test positive won't be legally required to isolate either, although it will still be recommended. Isolation hotels will close and quarantine supports will end. During the height of the third wave, Alberta led Canada and the United States in per capita COVID-19 cases. Infections are now rising again in the province with the Delta variant, first identified in India, dominating. Vaccination rates are also lagging. About 75 per cent of eligible Albertans have received at least one dose of vaccine and 65 per cent are fully immunized. That means there are hundreds of thousands of unvaccinated people in Alberta, Tam said, creating the potential for large COVID-19 clusters and outbreaks. "The bottom line is get vaccinated. Theres still a ways to go in Alberta." The consequences of Albertas decision could spread beyond provincial boundaries, added Dr. Howard Njoo, Canada's deputy chief public health officer. "Everyone is alive to the fact that there could be, as they say, 'knock-on effects' to the other provinces and territories with travel within Canada," he said. Local leaders and health-care providers across Canada have been highly critical ofAlberta's decision. Dr. Andrew Boozary of the University of Toronto said Alberta's decision to drop public health measures while it faces lower vaccination rates, growing cases and a mutating virus sets the entire country behind. "It just really appears as a cruel policy experiment for far too many Albertans and a cruel policy experiment that has far-reaching effects across the country," said Bozary. "This is a pandemic that requires a global response and, in our own country, it's going to require provinces working in concert, co-ordinating their responses." Saskatchewan's requirement that positive cases must self-isolate expired July 11 when other restrictions there were lifted. But the government says people who are infected are asked to isolate and can still be ordered to do so by a medical health officer. Lisa Glover, a spokeswoman for Alberta Health, said in a statement that health officers also have the authority to act in Alberta if "an unacceptable or significant risk" is posed. She said the province is enhancing how it monitors COVID-19 and it will review its approach if there is too much pressure on hospitals. Also Friday, protesters in Calgary and Edmonton called for public health measures based in evidence. Many expressed concern for children returning to school in the fall, especially those under 12 who are not eligible for vaccinations. In an open letter to Alberta's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the Canadian Paediatric Society also spoke to the vulnerability of that age group and urged herto think twice about lifting isolation and testing requirements. The letter called the move an "unnecessary and risky gamble." "Dropping these public health measures, especially when we are in such a delicate phase of recovery, has the potential to worsen the spread of the virus and could jeopardize future recovery plans and supports," the letter said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2021. With files from Julia Peterson in Regina OTTAWA - The federal Conservatives are urging the Liberal government to do more to ensure that Canadians who received two different doses of COVID-19 vaccines are able to travel internationally. Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner holds a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday, June 4, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA - The federal Conservatives are urging the Liberal government to do more to ensure that Canadians who received two different doses of COVID-19 vaccines are able to travel internationally. Tory health critic Michelle Rempel Garner sent a letter Thursday to Health Minister Patty Hajdu highlighting multiple reports of Canadians being barred entry to countries due to their mixed vaccinations. The Calgary Nose Hill MP saidin the absence of federal direction, provincial health authorities have begun to offer third doses to Canadians who need to travel where their vaccination status is not recognized abroad. She saidthe Quebec Health Department is telling potential recipients the safety of this practice is unclear and that they should seek advice to weigh the risks of a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines. The department said in a news release on Monday that a third dose was an "exceptional measure" for people who have essential travel plans in the short-term and need to meet vaccination requirements. Rempel Garner is calling on the Liberal government to release federal guidelines on the issue of third doses so that Canadians can make safe, informed choices. In the absence of data to support third doses, she saidthe government must release a plan to have a mixed vaccination status recognized internationally. "Canadians listened to your advice and got vaccinated. Telling them what your government is doing to ensure that their vaccination status is recognized abroad is the very least you can do," she saidin the letter. Rempel Garner's letter follows a similar plea from Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott earlier this week for Ottawa to work with the World Health Organization to ensure that mixing vaccines is internationally accepted as a complete vaccine regimen. Hajdu's office said in a statement Thursday that it continues to work with provinces and territories on a proof of vaccination for international travel that may be required by other countries. The U.S. has been reluctant to sanction the practice of following a Moderna shot with a Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, or vice versa, while many European countries don't recognize the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot made at the Serum Institute of India, which may impact Canadians who received it. Several cruise lines have also said they won't accept customers who have received different types or brands of vaccines. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland are among the many Canadians who received a mixture of COVID-19 vaccine doses. Trudeau and Freeland received Oxford-AstraZeneca as a first dose and Moderna as a second. Freeland said last week that the advice allowing Canadians to get mixed doses was science-based, noting there is research that shows getting two different doses offers superior protection. "As finance minister, I attended the G20 meeting in Italy earlier this month and there was certainly recognition of my double vaccination status there with the mixed doses," she told reporters while speaking virtually in Whitehorse. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2021. OTTAWA - The email address where Afghan interpreters were told to send their application forms under an urgent resettlement plan crashed Thursday, snarling what applicants and Canadian veterans say is an already chaotic process. Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, responds to questions in Vancouver, on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. Freeland says the federal government's goal is to have Afghans who assisted Canada and are now facing danger on planes out of the war-torn country as quickly as possible.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck OTTAWA - The email address where Afghan interpreters were told to send their application forms under an urgent resettlement plan crashed Thursday, snarling what applicants and Canadian veterans say is an already chaotic process. The recipients mailbox is full and cant accept messages right now. Please try resending your message later, or contact the recipient directly," reads the automated response to two submissions and seen by The Canadian Press. Global Affairs Canada spokesman Jason Kung said the government has received "a number of applications and questions" about the new immigration measures since July 23. "In rare circumstances, the mailbox may near or exceed its mailbox storage limits depending on the volume and size of the e-mails received. The issue was immediately resolved. The mailbox remains active and operational," he said in an email Thursday night. Nonetheless, the frustrated effort raised security concerns as interpreters and former staff for Canadian soldiers and diplomats scramble to leave a country rapidly losing ground to Taliban militants seeking vengeance against those who supported coalition forces. "It's just added to the pandemonium on the ground," said Andrew Rusk, co-founder of advocacy group Not Left Behind. Theres now over 600 families whose lives are on the line, and we need to stop putting up barriers to getting them to safety. Earlier Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said the federal government's goal is to have Afghans who assisted Canada and now face danger on planes out of the war-torn country as quickly as possible. Freeland was responding to criticism after the Immigration Department released an application form on Wednesday for eligible Afghans to fill out within just 72 hours, a timeline which it walked back later in the day. She told reporters the next day that the government's desire is to move "very, very quickly" with the process, and that sense of urgency is what has driven its approach, rather than any attempt to restrict anyone from coming. Last week her government announced new immigration measures for what it described as potentially "several thousand" Afghans, including interpreters who worked with the Canadian Armed Forces, staff currently or previously employed at the Canadian Embassy and their families. The plan, although light on details, followed growing concern within Canada's veterans' community after the sudden withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan emboldened the Taliban to ramp up its offensive and exact revenge on those who helped western forces. Veterans and interpreters have criticized the rollout of the new measures, saying that an Adobe Acrobat application form published in English makes little sense in a country with low literacy and patchy internet, and that calls to the immigration minister's office have been met by answering machines. They have also raised concerns about whether extended family members will be included in the immigration effort, as they say the Taliban is not only targeting interpreters' spouses and children but also their parents, siblings and other relatives. Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole called the three-day application deadline initially given to Afghans "the height of hypocrisy" and "wrong." While the Trudeau Liberals sat on their hands for weeks and failed to put forward a plan to help these brave Afghans they are now giving these same individuals three days to save their lives," he said in a statement. Canadians and these brave Afghans cant afford more of this incompetence from Liberals. This artificial date set by the Trudeau government must be immediately dropped. Canadas Conservatives are calling on the Liberal government to do the right and only thing extend the deadline for these Afghans and their families to apply to come to Canada." Emilie Simard, a spokeswoman for Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino, said Wednesday that the 72-hour application timeline is not a "firm'' one and submissions outside that window will still be processed. "We have also engaged support staff to assist clients with language barriers in submitting their applications and requested documentation," she added. Freeland stressed that the government is not attempting to restrict the right of people who served Canada to relocate to the country. "What we are really, really focused on is ensuring that the logistics work and that these brave people have a chance to come to Canada," she told reporters in Lakefield, Ont. "I am sure they will make great Canadians." She also said the plight of Afghans who helped Canada during its combat mission in the country is of personal significance to her, as a former journalist whose husband reported from Afghanistan. "There's been a lot of personal concern in my home about this," she said. "Speaking as a minister of the Crown, let me say to all of the people in Afghanistan who worked to support the important work that the government of Canada was doing there: We are very, very grateful for your work and we absolutely recognize the responsibility we have towards you and your families." This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2021. CHISASIBI, Que. - Mandy Gull-Masty has become the first woman to be elected grand chief of Quebec's Cree Nation. CHISASIBI, Que. - Mandy Gull-Masty has become the first woman to be elected grand chief of Quebec's Cree Nation. Gull-Masty won 64 per cent of the vote in a run-off election held Thursday, defeating Pakesso Mukash, who received 34 per cent. Mandy Gull-Masty, shown in this handout image, has become the first woman to be elected grand chief of Quebec's Cree Nation. Gull-Masty won 64 per cent of the vote in a run-off election held Thursday, defeating Pakesso Mukash, who received 34 per cent. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO Gull-Masty, who was elected deputy grand chief in 2017, had received 46.6 per cent of the vote in the first round of the election, held on July 14, ahead of incumbent Abel Bosum, who had 29.5 per cent. Bosum dropped out after the first round, leaving Gull-Masty to contest the run-off against Mukash, a musician and activist, who received 24 per cent of first-round votes. Gull-Masty campaigned on a platform of improving transparency and accountability and creating a strong financial plan for the Cree Nation, which represents a population of more than 18,000 people in northern Quebec. Her victory follows other firsts for women Indigenous leaders this month, with RoseAnne Archibald elected national chief of the Assembly of First Nations and Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer becoming grand chief of the Kahnawake Mohawk community south of Montreal. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2021. This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship. WASHINGTON (AP) The first flight evacuating Afghans who worked alongside Americans in Afghanistan brought more than 200 people, including scores of children and babies in arms, to new lives in the United States on Friday, and President Joe Biden said he was proud to welcome them home. FILE - In this Friday, Dec. 11, 2009, file photo, United States Marine Sgt. Isaac Tate, left, and Cpl. Aleksander Aleksandrov, center, interview a local Afghan man with the help of a translator from the 2nd MEB, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion on a patrol in the volatile Helmand province of southern Afghanistan. More than 200 Afghans were due to land Friday in the United States in the first of several planned evacuation flights for former translators and others as the U.S. ends its nearly 20-year war in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer, File) WASHINGTON (AP) The first flight evacuating Afghans who worked alongside Americans in Afghanistan brought more than 200 people, including scores of children and babies in arms, to new lives in the United States on Friday, and President Joe Biden said he was proud to welcome them home. The launch of the evacuation flights, bringing out former interpreters and others who fear retaliation from Afghanistans Taliban for having worked with American troops and civilians, highlights American uncertainty about how Afghanistans government and military will fare after the last U.S. combat forces leave that country in the coming weeks. Family members are accompanying the interpreters, translators and others on the flights out. The first evacuation flight, an airliner, carried 221 Afghans under the special visa program, including 57 children and 15 infants, according to an internal U.S. government document obtained by The Associated Press. It touched down in Dulles, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C., after midnight, according to the FlightAware tracking service. Friday's flight was an important milestone as we continue to fulfill our promise to the thousands of Afghan nationals who served shoulder-to-shoulder with American troops and diplomats over the last 20 years in Afghanistan, Biden said. He said he wanted to honor the military veterans, diplomats and others in the U.S. who have advocated for the Afghans. Most of all, Biden said in a statement, I want to thank these brave Afghans for standing with the United States, and today, I am proud to say to them: Welcome home.'" FILE - This July 2, 2009, photo shows Josh Habib, far left, a 53-year-old translator for the U.S. Marines, speaking with Afghan villagers and two Marines in the Nawa district of Afghanistan's Helmand province. More than 200 Afghans were due to land Friday, July 30, 2021 in the United States in the first of several planned evacuation flights for former translators and others as the U.S. ends its nearly 20-year war in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder) Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin lauded the Afghans for their work alongside Americans and said their arrival demonstrates the U.S. governments commitment to them. Friday's flight was all about keeping promises, said Will Fischer, an Iraq war veteran and an advocate on veteran's issues. But a refugee agency said the Biden administration appeared to be still scrambling to work out the resettlement of thousands more of the Afghans, and it urged Biden to bring them quickly to the U.S. or a U.S. territory, such as Guam. To date, there is simply no clear plan as to how the vast majority of our allies will be brought to safety, Krish OMara Vignarajah, president of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service resettlement agency, said of the Afghan interpreters. We cannot in good conscience put them at risk in third countries with unreliable human rights records, or where the Taliban may be able to reach them, the resettlement official said. The Biden administration calls the effort Operation Allies Refuge. The operation has broad backing from Republican and Democratic lawmakers and from veterans groups. Supporters cite repeated instances of Taliban forces targeting Afghans who worked with Americans or with the Afghan government. Congress on Thursday overwhelmingly approved legislation that would allow an additional 8,000 visas and $500 million in funding for the Afghan visa program. The United States has been talking with Qatar and Kuwait about temporarily hosting thousands of other Afghan interpreters who are much further behind in their visa application process than Friday's arrivals. But U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations, said Friday that no deal had been closed with those two countries. Concerns about housing Afghans who have not completed their security screenings and uncertainty on the American side about finding funding for the massive relocation effort have remained obstacles, the U.S. officials said. Biden announced earlier this year the U.S. would withdraw all its troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, honoring a withdrawal agreement struck by former President Donald Trump. He later said the U.S. military operation would end on Aug. 31, calling it overdue. Some administration officials have expressed surprise at the extent and speed of Taliban gains of territory in the countryside since then. Biden said that although U.S. troops are leaving Afghanistan, the U.S. will keep supporting Afghanistan through security assistance to Afghan forces and humanitarian and development aid to the Afghan people. The newly arrived Afghan people will join 70,000 others who have resettled in the United States since 2008 under the special visa program. Subsequent flights are due to bring more of the roughly 700 applicants who are furthest along in the process of getting visas, having already won approval and cleared security screening. The first arrivals were screened for the coronavirus and received vaccines if they wanted them, said Tracey Jacobson, the U.S. diplomat running the effort. They were expected to stay at at a hotel on a base in Fort Lee, Virginia, for about seven days, completing medical exams and other final steps, Jacobson said. Resettlement organizations will help them as they travel to communities around the United States, with some bound for family members already here, she said. Lolita C. Baldor contributed. Knickmeyer reported from Oklahoma City. The Taney County Sewer Sales Tax is on the ballot for all of Taney County on Tuesday, August 3. Sacred sites, endangered sawfish and Aboriginal rainbow serpents are the latest challenges confronting Australia as the nations top mining companies meet for their biggest annual conference. Since the destruction last year by Rio Tinto Group of a 46,000-year-old Aboriginal rock shelter at Juukan Gorge, the industry has been scrambling to deal with a backlash over heritage protection and environmental issues. A national enquiry into the incident and new laws being drafted by the WA government could have an impact on some $18 billion in projects planned by mining giants operating in the Pilbara, the nations iron-ore heartland, as well as other resources projects. Iron ore miners have been raking in the cash - some of it at the expense of Aboriginal communities. Credit:Louie Douvis The industry, which gathers on Monday for the three-day Diggers and Dealers conference on the edge of a huge gold mine in Kalgoorlie, is already facing the threat of increasing restrictions on emissions, as well as a political spat with China, its biggest buyer. Now, Aboriginal communities are fighting for a stronger role to protect their culture from resources extraction and agriculture. The new legislation will put Aboriginal people at the centre of decision making, the Western Australia government said in an emailed statement. One of the primary objectives of the bill is to ensure that Aboriginal people have custodianship over their heritage. They found Burkes earliest commissions in the 1930s and early 40s were for Georges, Myer and Hicks Atkinson department stores; bolts of hand-blocked cloth worked into house brand sportswear collections (Georges swimwear models Honolulu Lass, Bags of Fun and Escape me never were hits in 1937) or sold for curtains and furnishings. Loading Her work did, however, find its sweetest spot as Australians emerged in the 1940s from decades of comfortingly claustrophobic interiors. In the post-war revolution of lightness and space we know now as mid-century modernity, Burke established her legendary credentials. She was already in her 40s, co-heading her city-based textile factory, Burway Prints. The studio had blossomed from a home workshop, and through criss-crossing partnerships had become the go-to crew for artful, upmarket textile designs that would not only NOT fade in sunlight (as others scandalously did) but were plugged thrillingly, deeply into The Now. Business was romping, as Burke always planned it would. According to Oswald-Jacobs and Carter, although Burke had formally trained at both the National Gallery of Victoria and George Bell schools and by rights should have been starving in a garret like any self-respecting artist, she had unromantically scrapped that destiny and all the trappings of her born-in-Spotswood working-class origins (including her accent) for a life plan they found scribbled into one of her old sketchbooks. She didnt want to be an artist because she didnt want that hardship, Oswald-Jacobs says. She knew money does count; it makes peoples lives easier and happier. She could see that, and thats what she wanted. Burkes early switch to commercial reality was fortuitous. When her historic shot to shine did arrive on the lip of postwar modernity, she was primed, ready, her business savvy and compelling ways with pattern and colour (she once described colour as a living joyous thing it vibrates) considered rare and right-for-the-moment by architects and private clients. Roy Grounds own flat in Tooraks Quamby apartments, with curtain covering kitchenette in Frances Burkes Rangga, 1940. Credit:The Home, March 1942, State Library Victoria Burke was friend and collaborator to a galaxy of mid-century modern architects: Robin Boyd, Roy Grounds, Guilford Bell, Bates Smart McCutcheon, and many more who consulted her on the interiors of lavish modern homes, sprawling community projects and even whole company towns. Houses until then were all crowded and stuffy, all browns and maroons, Carter says. And then this new light and space and colour Colour was always sooo important to Frances, Oswald-Jacobs adds. You can imagine, after the war when she was working with these young architects on these light-filled houses with wonderful big windows and light, open spaces flowing into one another, she picked up on that excitement and distilled it all into these fantastic colours and fabrics. Tiger Stripe, 1938. Courtesy Ararat Gallery TAMA, Ararat Rural City Council and MDP Photography and Video. Credit: RMIT University, 2021 Burke worked with a dye-chemist, nutting out the maths for her own colour formulas keyed to sky and earth, flora and fauna, rivers and seas: rock red, waxflower, Yarra green, Potatoe brown, Blue violet, Hot pink. She was inspired mostly by nature, especially loved the seaside and the beach, Oswald-Jacobs says. She built a little house at Anglesea after the war and spent a lot of time there. Like many artists and designers before cultural appropriation was a thing best avoided, Burke also harvested motifs peculiar to indigenous Australian and Pacific island cultures. [Artists] saw that simply as nationalistic, Carter says. Especially during the war years it was, Well, were fighting for Australia, its land and people and Aboriginal culture just got drawn up into that. It was part of the national identity. Architect Robin Boyd and Indigenous elder Bill Onus were among few at the time to question the appropriation in published editorials, but mostly the practice passed unremarked. Wuramu, 1945-9, screenprint on cotton, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Credit: RMIT University, 2021 Burke slithered lizards and snakes across her fabrics, framed them with distinctive dots and swirls and concentric campfire circles. The elemental graphics were already familiar among her techniques of stripping back a flower, a leaf, waved tiger-esque stripes, a stylised koala or bird and hand-blocking or screen printing them on repeat for curtains or to upholster the new leggy furniture. Quite a lot of her designs have this strong horizontal emphasis, Carter says, and that fit with the horizontal emphasis of the modern interiors at the time. The new architectures oblong elevations, long runs of landscape windows, floating stairs, stone features and slim timber or steel-rod furniture were fuss-free and serene in comparison with their predecessors. She picked up on that idea of modern interiors being a respite from the chaos of the world outside, says Carter: Calm spaces with lots of white where you could rest your eyes: white walls, white door frames, white window frames. Eve Gye Living Room, Beaumaris, with Shields curtain by Frances Burke. Credit: Australian Home Beautiful, 1961, State Library Victoria Yacht Race, 1939, screenprint on cotton, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Credit: RMIT University, 2021 Burke often printed a single dye colour directly onto base cloth, enabling its white weave to show through and become the designs negative space. She started this technique very early and it became her signature, Carter says. After so many years of very fussy interiors, lots of colours and confusion, her limited palette and use of white with white made the whole thing of decorating a modern space much easier. Burke accented the white without overwhelming the architects and craftsmens visions. Even a commissioned wall-wide run of curtains could be intuitively tempered to chime visually with the interior design elements and layout while adding Burkes unique and striking smack of nowness. Out of lockdown and out ... to buy a book. At least thats what the seven general bookshops within the boundaries of the City of Melbourne are hoping. They have come up with a new scheme Melbourne City Reads. For the next four months, the shops Dymocks Melbourne, Hill of Content, Mary Martin Southbank, North Melbourne Books, The Paperback Bookshop, Readings Carlton, and Readings State Library will offer a particular new book by a Victorian author for sale with 25 per cent off the cover price. Allee Richards (left) and the booksellers who will offer her novel at a special price: Mark Rubbo (Readings), Jaye Chin-Dusting (Mary Martin), Dino Traverso (Dymocks), Diana Johnston (Hill of Content), Chris Saliba (North Melbourne Bookshop) and Anna MacDonald (Paperback Bookshop). Credit:Joe Armao The idea is to boost the shops, attract more people into the city after the end of Melbournes fifth lockdown, and give a fillip to local writers. This month the shops will be selling Small Joys of Real Life, the first novel by Allee Richards. It will be followed by In Moonland by Miles Allinson and Wild Abandon by Emily Bitto, and in November Maxine Beneba Clarkes new poetry collection, How Decent Folk Behave. In their incisive, dramatic and masterful account of President Donald Trumps last year in office what we read is the closest version of the truth that we could determine based on rigorous reporting veteran Washington Post reporters Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker build on their stunning book about Trumps first years in office, A Very Stable Genius. Trumps final year was the most consequential and for many Americans the most frightening, they say. They fully capture Trumps terrifying character deficiencies that drove the fear, chaos and instability that culminated in nothing less than a violent threat to Americas democracy itself. Donald Trump will not forgive those such as Mike Pence and Bill Barr who refused to declare an election fraud. Credit:Jose Luis Magana Trump cared more about himself than the country, always putting his political and personal interests over the common good. They give us this wrenching insight: Trumps self-victimisation yoked him to his supporters, who also felt disrespected by elites and wronged by the global economy. Thats who showed up at the Capitol riot on January 6. Last year was not just a presidential election year, but an election in a once-in-a-century pandemic. Even though the early internal polling showed the Trump base as energised as ever and poised to deliver a win even bigger than in 2016, Trump was warned repeatedly, by his aides and by allies such as Israels Bibi Netanyahu, that his catastrophic mismanagement of the pandemic could cost us the election. But Trump persisted with dangerous stunts such as touting the virtues of bleach to fight COVID-19 and politicising the wearing of masks. The virus would ultimately invade him. Other Peoples Clothes, Calla Henkel, Sceptre, $32.99 Credit: Calla Henkel is a young American artist living in Berlin whose debut novel concerns a couple of young American female art students living in Berlin. This closely observed autobiographical material features another real-life aspect in that one of the women has a fascination with the case of Amanda Knox, the young American who was arrested and jailed following the mysterious death of a friend in the apartment they shared in Italy. The novel also features a mysterious pair of landladies and a persistent fascination with dress-ups and parties, though the students call their regular parties a club. Henkel weaves all this into a semi-thriller thats essentially a tale about writing and art, although more about those things and less about the sex-and-drugs routines of the two main characters, Zoe and Hailey, would have made for a more interesting book. The Other Side of Beautiful, Kim Lock, HQ, $29.99 Credit: Mercys most immediate problem is that her house has burned down. But as her story develops we realise that many other troubles, not of her own making, have led to this moment, and by the time she buys a clapped-out camper van and sets off to drive from Adelaide to Darwin in it, the reader is in full sympathy with her desire to run away. What follows is a colourful, engaging story of escape and road-trip adventure. This novel is published by Harlequin, self-defined as a romance and womens fiction publisher, and some aspects of this novel are geared towards that kind of readership. But beyond the simple prose style and the tendency to spell everything out, Locks novel deals with some weighty matters. Its also compellingly cinematic and features an endearing narrator-heroine with plenty of meaty real-world troubles. NON-FICTION PICK OF THE WEEK So You Think You Know Whats Good for You?, Norman Swan, Hachette, $32.99 Credit: This guide to healthier living, by the ABC health guru Dr Norman Swan, covers the waterfront. Much of it is about what to eat and drink hes a big coffee fan, saying its good for you, but predictably disappointing on how much wine you can have and parts of it may be familiar. Vegetables, especially red and green, doused in olive oil and slow roasted, are a good way to go, so too slow-cooked meats. But this is far more than a cooking guide, Swan goes into such health factors as anxiety, debilitating conditions such as endometriosis, and sex, fertility, pornography, screen addiction and more. Along the way he explodes the Paleo diet myth and shares aspects of his Jewish, Glaswegian upbringing. Entertaining, knowledgeable, full of common sense, and its impossible not to hear that voice throughout. The Battle of the Bismarck Sea, Michael Veitch, Hachette, $32.99 Credit: After their defeat at Guadalcanal, the Japanese decided to send reinforcements to New Guinea in early 1943. What followed was the battle of the Bismarck Sea a combined US/Australian aerial attack brought colourfully to life by Michael Veitch in this impressively researched and dramatised account. There are colourful characters aplenty, notably Australian Group Captain William Bull Garing, who devised the attack and even insisted on a rehearsal to fine tune it. No wonder, it was a huge operation involving a wide range of bombers and fighters that required precision timing. The attack, assisted by codebreakers in Melbourne, blew the Japanese convoy out of the water and was a pivotal moment in the Pacific War. There are moments of melodrama, and Veitch skilfully orchestrates an intricate tale. Blackface, Ayanna Thompson, Bloomsbury, $19.99 Credit: When academic Ayanna Thompson visited her eight-year-old sons school for the presentation of his class history assignments about their heroes, she was stunned when several white children were in full blackface make-up to be figures such as Martin Luther King jnr. This gave way to anger when the principal told her she was making a tempest in a tea-cup. Her study of the history and legacy of blackface (from Shakespeare, black and white minstrel shows and Al Jolson, up to the present day when blackface is still pervasive) is a result of the visit and an attempt to put the practice in perspective. Integral to her study are questions such as, why the black and brown children who chose white heroes did not employ whiteface. Woven into this is the George Floyd murder and the BLM movement. Crisp and clearly argued. The Advocates, Robyn Gulliver and Jill L. Ferguson, MUP, $34.99 Credit: When we think of environmental activists its usually in terms of high-profile, headline examples. But as this group portrait of women activists demonstrates, much of the work is done quietly by ordinary people. Robyn Gulliver and Jill L. Ferguson acknowledge earlier activists such as poet Judith Wright, but focus on nine women from across the country and the different forms of activism they engage in. One Brisbane woman employs shareholder activism, standing up in AGMs and holding directors to account, another through a website advocates such simple things as cold-water washes and short cycles, while another became a Greens councillor. Theyre diverse but united by an urgent need to address climate change and their tales an instructive study of the work going on behind the scenes. Other great writers have also examined and recorded their reactions to grief; amid the differences of personality and belief systems there are common threads. Joan Didion and C.S. Lewis, like Adichie, tell how the axis of ones life shifts and shatters. Perceptions and realities churn: Didion kept her dead husbands shoes in case he might need them when he returned; Lewis questioned his solid faith, writing that even if he felt assured that his wife continued in a Christian afterlife, that he should distrust it think it a self-hypnosis induced by [his] own prayers. Adichie finds she cannot accept the past tense when people refer to her father: My sister forwards a message from her friend that says my father was humble despite his accomplishments. My fingers start to tremble and I push my phone away. He was not; he is. Like Lewis, she notes the physical effects of grief: the fluttering stomach or heart, the true physical ache of belly muscles strained by weeping or vomiting. Recent news now has informed us all of broken-heart syndrome, for among the mental confusion of imagined realities, the explosion of cortisol in the body can destabilise everything that keeps us breathing, moving, living. We see that rage and confusion are at least as common as tears. In the end, everyone who has ever known grief will find themselves saying yes, thats absolutely true as they read her. Notes on Grief is short but important. Adichies fiction works Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun, The Thing Around Your Neck, and Americanah are resonant, meaningful, great; her creative experiences enrich and delight. But here we see in her non-fiction (as we have in her earlier We Should All Be Feminists and Dear Ijeawele) that when sharing her truths she is probably at least as great, as significant in the lives of her readers. ESSAYS Gentle and Fierce Vanessa Berry Giramondo, $26.95 Artists generally dislike having the sobriquet quirky attached to them. Rightly so: it is a pallid descriptor, all coy distance and faintly ridiculous camp. But I couldnt help feeling it applied to Vanessa Berrys fourth book, Gentle and Fierce. Here, Berry uses a number of characteristic techniques along with a detached style to reflect on animals, as well as her life as an author, zine-maker, daughter, and younger self. Berrys style relies on diffidence, on placing objects before subjects; as she writes in a chapter about a wildlife park in Germany, I was external to the scenes going on around me, like a background figure. This externality is mirrored in the syntax (Berry is fond of employing for as a conjunction) and sinuous circumspection of her prose; a typical sentence manages to combine the passive voice with a movement like a camera tracking back from its object until the subject finally comes into view: On the other side of the path was an aviary inside which an owl stared from orange eyes the colour of marigolds. (My italics.) Vanessa Berrys essays have a Russian doll-like structure. Credit:Janie Barrett Tortuous and twee, this remove from Berrys subjects zoomed-out, lightly ambling characterises not only the writing but the essays construction. Glass Fish gives us rooms within rooms; Rabbit Island, a thought-path that crosses continents; Frank the Bear, a museum corridor that doubles as a time machine. The most unusual occurs in Lassie Come Home, as Berry imagines a torch beam tracking across various objets memoire through the dark. The most clever, Junk Bug, splices Kafka with an eye for ephemera reminiscent of Georges Perec. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size In the spring of 1944, Phillip Maisel had reached the lowest ebb of his life. Held captive in an Estonian labour camp, the 21-year-old Polish-born Jew and his fellow inmates were forced, every Sunday, to haul a pile of rocks from one end of an icy field to the other, back and forth, over and over again. It was back-breaking work, made even more miserable by their gnawing hunger and perilously weak physical states. The task had no practical purpose, since the workshops and shale-oil mines were all closed on this supposed day of rest, but their Nazi overseers had a unique talent for inflicting misery: this exercise in futility had been expressly designed to shatter the mens spirits. Sitting on their bunks one Sunday that spring, Maisel and his four friends were given just three potatoes to share, and Maisels portion was gone in a single mouthful. Hope was evaporating and death seemed near. At a moment like that, anybody who is next to you is more than a friend, says Maisel, who will be 99 next month. They are part of yourself. He asked his companions to make a vow: if any of them made it out alive, they would tell the world what the Nazis had done. They shook on it. Maisel did survive and made good on his promise. Painstakingly, over the course of three decades, he has recorded the video testimonies of 1000 fellow Holocaust survivors in Australia, helping younger generations walk in the shoes of their Jewish forebears. The collection of testimonies at the Jewish Holocaust Centre in Melbournes Elsternwick is his proudest achievement. And now, with the release of his memoir, The Keeper of Miracles, Maisel is adding his own remarkable story of love, luck and resilience to the record. This morning, on a quiet, tree-lined street in North Caulfield in Melbournes south-east, Maisel answers the door of his tired but neat three-bedroom Italianate home. He is barely five feet tall and hunched over his walker, but he offers a jaunty elbow bump, his face breaking into a warm smile. Immaculately groomed, he wears a blue checked shirt, argyle woollen vest, grey trousers and black leather dress shoes. Maisel lives alone (with weekday visits from a carer) in the same suburban family home he bought for his wife, Miriam, and their two daughters, Michelle and Yvonne, almost half a century ago. With its original red floral carpet and assortment of tiles and wallpapers, the house looks frozen somewhere midway through the 20th century. The living room is home to a collection of traditional Chinese and Japanese paintings, oversized Papua New Guinean tribal art, antique dinner sets and crystal chandeliers. There are family photographs everywhere: his daughters weddings, the bar-mitzvahs and university graduations of his three grandsons, Robert, Nathan and Jason, and a Fathers Day photo montage on the wall. Maisel has been a compulsive snapper since he bought his first Leica in 1948 and, considerably more tech-savvy than most nonagenarians, has been posting to Facebook and Instagram for years, mostly pictures of the flowers, birds and changing colours at his local park, but also streetscapes and architecture, captured from curious angles. Everybody sees the world differently, he explains. With photography, you can show the world the way you see it. Advertisement His walker parked beside him, Maisel perches himself on the edge of his armchair by the bay window for an extended conversation with Good Weekend. He considers each question with a furrowed brow and takes up to 10 seconds before answering, staring into the middle distance and rubbing his left thumb and forefinger together as he speaks deliberately in a pronounced Polish accent. Maisel has written his memoir at the suggestion of Pan Macmillan commissioning editor Alex Lloyd, who interviewed him three years ago for a podcast about war veterans, Life on the Line. I was taken by this short, gentle, kind man [who was] full of good energy and purpose, Lloyd recalls. He spoke with such clarity and detail and measured emotion. In 2020, we were looking for stories of hope, and a story like Phillips shows us dark times and great challenges, yet resolve pulling you through that. Earlier this year, ghost writer Liam Pieper recorded more than 20 hours of conversation with Maisel and, with the help of his younger daughter, 61-year-old Yvonne Sherwin, pored over stacks of documents and books on the Holocaust written in English, Polish and Yiddish to fact-check Maisels recollections. The dining table is still littered with fragile family albums and loose photographs, including one of 26-year-old Maisel with his beloved twin sister, Bella, taken in 1948, just before they left Europe to begin their new lives in Australia. Phillip (sitting front left) with his family at his grandmas house in the early 1920s. Growing up in Vilnius which from the early 1920s until 1939 was a Polish city, in the north-east of the country the twins were inseparable. Phillip was the serious one, while Bella, beautiful, outgoing and opinionated, was the family favourite, according to Maisel. Although their mother, Slava, died when they were 10 (of a parasitic infection that was treated with too high a dose of toxic medication), they, along with their older brother Joseph, enjoyed a comfortable, middle-class upbringing. Their father, Samuel, ran a successful flax-export business. Change was sweeping through Europe and in October 1939, the Soviets seized Vilnius, transferring it to neighbouring Lithuania. During the ensuing period of Soviet occupation, which would last until June 1941, Maisel became a die-hard Communist, even when they stripped Samuel of his business and forced the Maisels to share their home with two families who were unknown to them. For 18-year-old Maisel, who, as a Jew, had grown up a second-class citizen in his homeland, the ideologys egalitarianism made sense. He laughs now at his naivety: Communist ideas are very sound, he says, but not practical. Advertisement Towards the end of June, 1941, though, the Germans conquered Vilnius, set up a joint administration with the Lithuanians, and used mobile killing squads to begin the work of murdering the citys 65,000 Jews. Within months, theyd established the notorious Vilna Ghetto. In September, when a soldier pounded on the Maisels front door, the family was given just 20 minutes to collect a few possessions before being herded there. For two years, the Maisels subsisted in the impoverished, overcrowded ghetto, initially sharing an apartment with more than 50 others. Samuel bought Bella false Aryan identity papers, so she managed to survive mostly outside the ghetto (She didnt look as Jewish as we did, says Maisel) but she would regularly visit her father and brother. To improve Maisels chances of survival, Samuel put him forward for a job as an auto electrician, even though the 19-year-old had never looked under the bonnet of a car. Undeterred, Maisel taught himself the trade by reading books at the ghetto library and joined the resistance. In September 1943, when the Nazis began their final liquidation of the ghetto, Maisel took his place among 200 fighters, but their makeshift acid grenades were no match for machine guns. Separated from Samuel and Bella, he was arrested and transported to Estonia in a stiflingly hot cattle train, with 80 people to a wagon. We were each given one loaf of bread and one bottle of water to last us the three days, he writes. In the corner was a single bucket, which all 80 of us, men and women alike, had to use as a toilet. Eventually, he arrived at Vaivara, the largest of the 22 labour camps the Germans would establish in Estonia, where the inmates had to build their own prison barracks. Initially we had to sleep on the ground, he writes, with only the shirts on our backs and a flimsy tent overhead to protect us from the freezing cold. It would be the first of many camps across Estonia, Poland and, finally, Germany over the next 17 months. He says a single thought played on a constant loop in his head: What will happen to me next? In this new, precarious world, the most basic commodity, like good shoes, could mean the difference between life and death. In the ghetto, Samuel had traded a few precious belongings to secure his son a pair of World War I French army boots. Many prisoners just had [SS-issued] clogs, explains Maisel. But the snow stuck to them and theyd fall down. They froze to death. With temperatures dipping below minus 40 degrees, sturdy boots even ones, in Maisels case, that were too big and stuffed with rags were priceless. So he was devastated when, some months later, arriving at a new camp back in Poland, he was forced by the SS to surrender all his possessions. After they were shaved and disinfected, the inmates were handed random items of clothing. Maisel was given a small womans coat to wear, but his boots and the family photos hed hidden inside them were gone. Later, he spotted them on another prisoner and told the man they were his. Not any more, the man replied. But somehow, Maisel was able to appeal to his fellow prisoners better nature. I said, Now you have an opportunity to be a decent fellow and he gave me back the boots. To this day, he considers the negotiation one of his greatest achievements. Advertisement Reflecting on the string of seeming miracles that saved him from death, Maisel puts his survival down to staggering luck. Like when he contracted typhoid in Estonia: after two weeks of delirium, he feared that even if he did survive the disease, he would become a muselmann a walking skeleton with no will to live so, one night, he crawled into the snow to wait for the cold to finish him off. I wanted to die, says Maisel, but instead the icy conditions caused his fever to break. Sitting in the snow helped me survive! he says, laughing. Recounting the bleakest periods of his life, Maisel often laughs. I have good reason to laugh now, he points out. He describes himself as a natural optimist. Even now, if I dont feel well, theres this inner desire to believe it will be better tomorrow, he says. There is something within us. And in moments of need, it wakes up. Loading Maisel encountered unspeakable cruelty friends shot dead in from of him; SS men who beat inmates for the pleasure of hearing them scream; guards who sprayed them with water so theyd go to bed soaking wet to shiver through a winter night but he remembers kindnesses, too. If it wasnt luck that saved him, he says, it was acts of humanity. Hed been assigned to a mobile garage in Estonia and would fix German military vehicles by day and sleep in the closest labour camp at night. His mechanical skills soon made him indispensable to the Nazis. I was a very valuable possession, he says. Nevertheless, the typhoid had weakened him and he knew hed be killed if he couldnt work. For three days, his German boss instructed Maisel to lie down on the floor in a secluded room in the mechanics quarters with a screwdriver in his hand. If anyone opened the door, he was to act as if he was repairing a power point. He even gave me an aspirin! says Maisel. At night, when the truck took the inmates back to the labour camp, his boss made sure Maisel stood with men either side of him so he wouldnt collapse. I cant remember praying to God to save me, says Maisel. My life depended on people. I met a lot of good, decent people. Advertisement A German co-worker letting Maisel read the newspaper over his shoulder, a bottle of beer found in a car he was repairing, even a mouthful of grass reimagined as a piece of cake small moments of pleasure fortified him, he says. A clear conscience helped, too. I tried to be a decent man, he says. That helped me to survive. I dont know if its logical, but I felt if you do a good deed, youll be rewarded. The moral attitude was as important as food, maybe more. In the course of our conversation, Maisel says the word decent 18 times; its the quality he values most in a person. I was always proud of myself, he says, that I was a decent human being in the worst possible conditions. By April 1945, the Allied forces had all but overwhelmed the Germans, and Maisel, together with a band of 200-odd inmates from a sub-camp of political prisoners in Frommern (in Germanys south-west), began their death march deeper into Nazi territory, walking day and night, under the most brutal conditions, as the sound of Allied artillery grew louder. After three weeks, their SS captors, whod received an order to slaughter all the Jews in the company, marched the prisoners into a forest clearing and instructed all the men to stand in a line. I was always proud of myself, that I was a decent human being in the worst possible conditions. They ordered the Jews to take one pace forward. In an unrehearsed moment of solidarity, all of the prisoners Dutch, French and Belgian alike, the vast majority of them non-Jews stepped forward, too. The SS officers tried three more times, only to be met with the same response and, frustrated and demoralised, eventually gave up. When the group reached Ostrach, the guards fled and Allied tanks rolled into the town square. The impossible had finally happened, writes Maisel. We had survived. Phillip (at top row, far left) with the Balingen garage crew in May 1945, shortly after liberation and still wearing their prison camp uniforms. Advertisement Calls for tighter regulation on Facebook are the standard reaction to the spread of disinformation across the social media giant, but considering the recent anti-lockdown protests, perhaps the platform should do nothing. Activist groups are calling on Facebook to tighten measures on misinformation, claiming disinfo kills. Killer disinformation was potentially manifest in the anti-lockdown protests in Sydney last weekend, where the social media platform was likely used to promote and organise. The protest organisers are again encouraging their networks to take to the streets on Saturday to call for change against mandatory vaccinations and lockdowns. These protests have prompted renewed pressure to monitor Facebooks capacity to attract problematic groups. Anti-lockdown protests in Sydney on July 24. Credit:Brook Mitchell However, digital traces of the anti-lockdown protesters on Facebook serve as aides to law enforcement agencies who seek to identify and prosecute hundreds of individuals since the chaos erupted in Sydney. The platform also provides insights for planned activities of these same groups. The amplification of social media messaging left a trail of videos, images, chats and discussion among thousands of individuals who opposed the current public health orders to stay at home, wear a mask when in public and get vaccinated against COVID-19; a veritable honeypot of data for use by law enforcement agencies seeking to identify and prosecute those who flout public health orders. Before being employed by the institute, Mr Traill had been providing hyperthermia treatment to one of the patients whose deaths were relevant to the decision to cancel his medical registration. Both of the deceased patients had been diagnosed with cancer and there is no suggestion Mr Traills treatment directly led to their deaths. The National Institute of Integrative Medicine building in Hawthorn. Credit:Penny Stephens Mr Traill told The Age he had been recruited by the institute in 2012 after it purchased a hyperthermia machine. [The medical board] got me for treating with hyperthermia. And then I was taken by NIIM, Mr Traill said. I said what about the bureaucrats?, and [they] said its all right, [were] great friends with people on the Peter Mac, were buddy-buddies, and were right, he said. [NIIM] have a Chinese machine, which we call the NRL. That particular one, uses like a microwave oven principle, radio waves, down at a lot lower frequency. Tumours dont like being heated up very much. Weve never killed anyone yet. Treated a lot of them. I sometimes wondered how the heart manages to handle it when we treat the chest, but never had any problems. In a statement, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre said it has no association with the National Institute of Integrative Medicine and would never support or endorse someone providing cancer treatment without a medical licence. A spokeswoman for the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency confirmed Mr Traill was not a registered medical practitioner. She would not say whether his work at NIIM constituted medical treatment, and referred inquiries about unregistered health practitioners to the Victorian Healthcare Complaints Commissioner. A spokeswoman for the commission would not say whether Mr Traill was allowed to administer hyperthermia or not. Mr Traill was listed as an academic staff member on the institutes website before he was removed after questions from The Age. His interest in cancer continues, with his involvement in hyperthermic treatments and the potential for Lithium to boost responses, the website said. Do you know more? Email the journalist at liam.mannix@theage.com.au or securely at liam.mannix@protonmail.com. In 2014, four researchers from the institute, including Mr Traill, published results of a hyperthermia trial on 52 cancer patients, some of whom received as many as 64 treatments. In 2012, according to its website, the institute purchased a Morestep NRL-003 Hyperthermia System via a donation the same system Mr Traill said he was employed to maintain. The Morestep NRL is not approved for use in Australia on the general public. Unapproved medical devices can be used in clinical trials with permission from the Therapeutic Goods Administration. Whether the NRL machine was approved for use in a clinical trial was confidential, a TGA spokeswoman said. The institute pointed to two clinical trials for which it claimed the device was approved, and said it was being used appropriately. However, both trials are for an unrelated cancer screening test, and neither trial mentions the Morestep machine by name. A search of the [clinical trial registry] does not appear to include a trial for Morestep Hyperthermia System, a Therapeutic Goods Administration spokeswoman told The Age. The TGA is responsible for approving devices used in medical trials. Dean of the Faculty of Radiation Oncology at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists, Dr Keen Hun Tai, said the clinical evidence for using hyperthermia to treat cancer was not convincing enough. The Faculty of Radiation Oncology cannot endorse its routine use in the treatment of cancers, he said. A 2004 report commissioned by the federal government found there was no evidence microwave cancer therapy worked, and that it may be associated with significant side effects and toxicities. The institute said its NRL device had been decommissioned. The Age revealed earlier this month senior cancer scientists held major ethical concerns about a human clinical trial of a cancer test the NIIM had been running. Mr Traill was not involved in that trial and it did not involve hyperthermia treatment. In 2006, Mr Traills medical registration was cancelled after the Medical Practitioners Board of Victoria found he failed to exercise the care and skill of a competent medical practitioner in his treatment in 2000 and 2001 of three patients suffering from cancer. One, a five-year-old boy, received microwave therapy before dying. In a second, he charged a woman with breast cancer $10,734 for treatments which included hyperthermia and microwave therapy therapies the tribunal found to be unproven and not helpful. Her condition severely deteriorated and she ended up in palliative care. Loading In a third case, Mr Traill treated a woman with lung cancer with hyperthermia, microwave therapy and lithium. She later died. At a hearing about Mr Traills medical registration, the tribunal heard her cancer was potentially curable. We found Dr Traills conduct and attitude very disturbing in a number of respects, the tribunal concluded. Co-living, a trendy new wave of communal housing championed by millennials, will be automatically approved in all areas where apartments are allowed in order to flood NSW with affordable developments. Seniors will also be housed in vertical villages that could be in the middle of CBDs or on top of shopping centres under new planning changes to boost housing options amid an affordability crisis and shortages of supply. Monica Rodriguez is the community host of UKO co-living in Glebe. Credit:Wolter Peeters The reforms under the NSW governments new consolidated housing policy also include classing aged care homes as state significant developments to create more appropriate facilities and giving greater flexibility over the allowable size of secondary dwellings on rural-metropolitan land. The policy, which aims to create clearer definitions for each housing type, comes as the state challenges the argument that affordability means more supply, and continues calls for the Commonwealth to ease tax burdens on the build-to-rent sector to boost the viability of building a greater diversity of living options. In a sea of uncertainty, year 12 cant help but feel we havent been offered a lifejacket. No message of hope and certainty to cling to whilst we swim against the currents of anxiety. From information being withheld from us overnight until the 11am briefing, to the revolving status of trial and HSC exams, this is the sense of needless anxiety my cohort is experiencing at the moment. Tom Barker, vice-captain of Muirfield High School, said he thought many questions about the return to school were still unanswered. Despite making an effort to stay across the new COVID updates, I am left with so many questions unanswered, and my voice drowned by political platitudes. Am I putting my family at risk by going to school? How are my friends in the Blacktown LGA going to have equal access to their education? How is my teacher going to be safe at school when she isnt eligible for Pfizer, yet has been advised against AstraZeneca by her GP? How is it safe when students have the option to come to school unvaccinated? All year 12 students in NSW may be in the same storm, but whilst some elite private schools may have a superyacht at their disposal (or in this case an early Pfizer vaccination), others are clinging onto a buoy, desperately trying to avoid succumbing to the waves of distress and burnout. Its time for the Department of Education to reassess what really matters; the magic number we receive at the end of the year, or the physical and mental wellbeing that keeps us afloat? Emma Skehan, St Ives High School What is expected of every year 12 student currently in lockdown: go to school for six hours, do the set homework, study for three plus hours every night at the same desk you have been sitting at all day, find some time to exercise, eat and have quality family time, and yet still be emotionally prepared for the HSC. Emma Skehan said she was cautious about health risks for her family, after losing her father late last year. I understand the lockdown is necessary and so is the HSC, but the wellbeing of myself and all my peers need to be taken into consideration when thinking about what the HSC is going to look like. Case numbers are rising by the second and my peers are having to travel from all different areas, some even on public transport. I feel trapped. If I do attend school, I am risking the health and safety of myself and my family. But if I dont, what happens to my future without my ATAR? I want to study criminology in Canberra. I want to have my final year of year 12. I want to graduate, I really do. But after losing my father late last year, risking the health of myself and family for an exam that only shows the ability Ive already proved over the past 13 years seems a bit redundant, dont you think? Ambrose Konstantinidis, Sydney Technical High School My fist bangs against the desk as my face falls into my hands. This is the third time Ive tried to write this practice English essay today. Im on the verge of exploding. I look around my stuffy room at the infinite number of possible distractions. YouTube, Instagram, Facebook. None catch my eye. Instead, my eyes glance down toward something much worse: my unchecked to-do list. Year 12 student Ambrose Konstantinidis has felt his productivity drop with each day he has spent confined to his Oatley home. Credit:Louise Kennerley Are trials really only two weeks away? I feel like Ive done nothing this entire lockdown. I call my friends. The knot in my chest loosens as I find out that my household isnt the only red zone in this productivity pandemic facing my me and my peers. From friends, I learn it has even penetrated the mighty walls of James Ruse. Were all in the same boat, right? Well, I also hear of some fellow students who are immune to this productivity pandemic: students who can study through the night until the sun rises once again. I stare at my empty wall. It was where my 99 ATAR goal hung before I binned it. A week ago, I wasnt sure thered even be HSC exams. I try to reassure myself. I dont have it all that bad. My four-unit mathematics class set up an online study group. It was where students sacrificed their precious study time just to help others. I collapse into my chair. As I stare out the window of my cement cage I reminisce about a better time. Dori El-Khoury, Holy Spirit Catholic College, Lakemba I was born with an eye condition called nystagmus that severely affects my ability to undertake online learning efficiently. This condition has made my eyes very sensitive to the light emitted by laptops and phones, which means I rarely use devices in my day to day activities - unless Im in the mood to spend the rest of my day sleeping and sooking. But now, that is the only way I can learn and I am constantly faced with the severity of a creeping migraine and bloodshot, sore eyes. Dori El-Khoury has an eye condition that makes working on screens - and therefore online learning - very uncomfortable. I feel like people assume that because we went through lockdowns last year, we are suddenly accustomed to it this year. We arent. It is draining and has caused a world of problems. There are 100 different ways the state could go about administering these exams more effectively and fairly. But instead, it appears as if they have thrown us right into the deep end, with the expectation that we can swim. We want some kind of modification that extends beyond a two week delay. We need some display by [the school system] that they favour the interests of the students, and the ambitions of the hard working few, rather than the automatic presumption that the HSC must happen . Jessica Grimes, Sydney Secondary College, Blackwattle Bay Some of Australias most notorious terrorists have not disavowed their extremist beliefs in prison and remain dangerous as their re-entry into the community looms, the outgoing boss of the NSW corrections system says. Speaking on his final day as commissioner of Corrective Services NSW, Peter Severin made the frank appraisal of the challenges of rehabilitation in the area of violent extremism that has emerged since the September 11 attacks almost 20 years ago. Corrective Services NSW Commissioner Peter Severin has finished his last day in the role. Credit:James Brickwood Six offenders convicted following Operation Pendennis in 2005 which dismantled a terrorist network operating between Sydney and Melbourne remain in custody in NSW and will become eligible for release between now and 2026. Theres certainly some of those that are still quite dangerous, to be very black and white, Mr Severin said in an interview. An Olympic gold medallist has told a Queensland magistrate she would plead guilty to stealing from a Brisbane Woolworths earlier this month. An arrest warrant has been prepared for former professional diver Chantelle Lee Newbery and if she does not appear in court next week to deal with the stealing charge, the warrant will be activated. Chantelle Newbery competing in the womens 10m platform final at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. Credit:Getty Images - Mike Hewitt Newbery, 44, is accused of stealing several items from Woolworths at Buranda in Brisbanes south about 3pm on July 14. On Friday, Newbery wrote a letter to the Brisbane Arrests Court explaining her failure to appear in the court to deal with the stealing charge. A tandem skydiving session has turned fatal with two men crash-landing in a paddock on Victorias Great Ocean Road. Emergency services were called to Fischer Street in Torquay just before 1pm on Friday but paramedics were unable to save a skydiving instructor in his mid-30s who died at the scene. Another man in his 50s was rushed to hospital in a critical condition. Victoria Police said the instructor had attempted to cushion the landing for the other man and asked emergency service workers if he could stand up during the 20 minutes paramedics were treating him. Henry Kissinger famously suggested that the fights in academia are so vicious because the stakes are so small. Theres something in that, no doubt. But many of my colleagues at the University of Western Australia are about to be summarily sacked, for no other reason, apparently, than university leaders have historically been unable to balance the books. The University of Western Australias independence is being eroded as it panders to the states resources sector. Credit:Trevor Collens Stakes really dont get much higher than getting the chop for no fault of your own after spending decades acquiring intellectual capital that cant be easily redeployed elsewhere. An instructive lesson for the next generation of scholars if there is one currently toiling over their PhDs. Supreme Court Justice Jeremy Curthoys has reserved his decision over the matter after listening to two hours worth of arguments from the Finks lawyer, Lachlan Palmos, and Joshua Berson from the State Solicitors Office. Loading Justice Curthoys initially questioned why the Finks case went beyond a personal tragedy and was in the public interest given we may never know [all the reasons] and this will be a source of grief forever. Not wishing to discredit the grief of the family, the issue of suicide is all too common ... if the Coroners Court investigated every suicide, the system would be overwhelmed, he said. Mr Palmos argued that a coronial inquest should go beyond the mere cause of death and probe the Department of Education and the schools response in the lead up to Cohens suicide, which included a failure to put Cohen on a Student At Educational Risk (SAER) list despite being advised to do so. Mr Palmos called it the best fact finding system available to the family, who have already used freedom of information laws to uncover what information they could but who still had unanswered questions not satisfied by the departments investigation into the matter. He argued if an inquest was held and new evidence came out there was an opportunity for the state coroner, at their discretion, to make comments about the public health and safety within WA schools. Lessons can be learned but thats up to the coroner and we want that opportunity, Mr Palmos said. He said those findings would also go on the public record. Mr Palmos quoted in court the former medical advisor to the coroner, Dr Robert Turnbull, who said: It is the role of the Coroners Court to speak for the dead to protect the living. The Coroner has a vital role to play as an independent judicial officer serving the Crown and the public. Cohen Fink was 17 when he killed himself. The coronial system is essentially a fact finding system that should reflect commitment to the deceased, the community and the family of the deceased. The system seeks to be efficient, consistent throughout the state and compassionate and ever mindful of human distress and the need to preserve human dignity. Mr Berson argued there had already been an administrative finding by then-deputy state coroner Barry King last year, which was revisited by the coroners registrar and no inquest was deemed necessary given the answers supplied by the Education Departments investigation into the matter. He questioned whether Cohen being put on to a SAER list would have altered the monitoring that his teachers and others were already conducting, and if it would have prevented his suicide. Knowing now, staff at Warnbro Community High School would have acted differently, he said. Mr Berson argued that Cohens teachers witnessed no signs of emotional distress beyond what was seen in his exams in the days before his suicide, which the acting school principal sought to address with the family the week of his death. The state extends its condolences to the family of Cohen Fink on his passing, Mr Berson said at the outset of proceedings and privately to the family after the hearing. Mr Palmos countered in court that the deputy coroner was not presented with the correct facts and the coroners office changed the goal posts only weeks before the Supreme Court was to make a decision on the matter. Crystal Club, Crown Towers Still in the Towers, and the views from this exclusive sky-high space at Crown are worth the money alone, the connecting outdoor terrace the base for one of the best skyline views of Perth. Once back inside, up to 12 guests can enjoy a plethora of cuisines custom-made from Crowns acclaimed chefs seated at a custom-made marble table with velvet chairs. For larger parties, theres provision for up to 35 guests in a cocktail-style set up. Santini Bar and Grill, QT Hotel Behind the fancy, emerald, stage-style curtain lies one of Perths most stylish private dining spaces. Dimly lit and decadent in every detail, the semi-private area to the side of the Santinis epic restaurant layout seats up to 36 guests, who are spoilt for culinary choices from Kalbarri snapper, Shark Bay prawns and yellowfin tuna from new executive chef Andrew Barkham. Santini Bar and Grills private dining room at QT Hotel. Pooles Temple, State Buildings No you havent entered a secret bar in New York City, but with a three-piece jazz band jamming away, freshly-shucked oysters and all sorts of martinis, newly opened Pooles Temple in a corner of the State Buildings is as close to Manhattan as Perth gets. The private dining room down a small flight of stairs from the main action continues the dimly lit venues 1920s vibe and ensures an evening to remember. Lamonts Bishops House, CBD Old-school style meets wartime charm at this purpose-built CBD venue, where youre spoilt for choice for beautiful, stylish function spaces outside or in, the private dining room a highlight with its Downtown Abbey-esque decor, led by an artful blend of turquoise and yellow wallpaper theme. With capacity up to 20 guests at its long dining table, the room suits any intimate occasion and features the renowned culinary vision of Kate Lamont thats simple but always on the mark, with butler-like attention to guests from your own waitstaff. Lamonts Bishops House has made its name on offering private dining options, indoor or out. Besk, West Leederville This chic joint has been bustling since opening the doors a few years back, with lines out the front not uncommon on weekends, the core clientele returning for the well-above-average food offerings and array of regular-changing beer styles from around that world poured in three different sizes. The cellar space downstairs is perfect for private gatherings up to 40 people seated or 90 standing, with your own bar pouring four brews, a customised wine, spirit and cocktail offering, and food in the form of banquets, grazing platters or canapes, depending on the occasion. Post, State Buildings Some of the citys best Italian dining can be devoured in this light, lush, grandiose private room that was once the citys general post office. Good food and good wine are a given among the three private spaces to choose, with menus catered to suit the size and style of your occasion. Will not disappoint. Garum, The Westin Perth Two private dining rooms adorn Guy Grossis osteria at The Westin in the CBD. Relaxed and stylish, one room underneath the Roman-inspired restaurant offers the ultimate privacy: a self-contained space seating up to 12 people, while those wanting a little more noise and action can opt for the semi-private alcove just off the restaurant. Gershwins Wine Room, Hyatt Regency CBD Elegance and opulence is the beating heart of this beautifully furnished wine room at the five-star Hyatt Regency. The striking surrounds are enhanced by wood-inspired decor, a sunken ceiling covered in silk and a ginormous crystal chandelier which your 18 guests sit under at a long table, or up to 40 guests should your private soiree require that many. The Boatshed, South Perth Spectacular views of the citys skyline are the main lure of this private, expansive room over the foreshore, and you can customise your experience with personal touches from management such as name tags for your guests up to 16 people. Great food and interesting wines are the go here, the million-dollar vista icing on the cake. The Cellar at Steves Bar, Nedlands The intimate French-inspired layout will warm your heart the moment you descend on this elegant underground space. Surrounded by bottles of the worlds finest and wine racks to boost, The Cellar in Nedlands can seat up to 40 people or 50 cocktail style, ideal for casual or intimate celebrations. One of the opulent private dining rooms at Post, in the State Buildings. Nobu, Crown Perth Often the choice when dignitaries and VIPs come to town, world-famous Nobu at Crown Perth is just as noted for its sublime private dining rooms, which come with private balconies and bathrooms. Each room features teppanyaki tables from eight to 22 people, with three food packages on offer. Rockpool, Crown Perth Two extravagant, raised and elegantly understated dining rooms bookend Rockpool, where diners get the best choice of the most coveted steaks in the city. Enviable views of the Swan River, city skyline and Optus Stadium precede a culinary experience with spot-on service at the Crown original. Bill Shorten has publicly backed the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine as a path out of lockdowns as Labor leader Anthony Albanese continued his reluctance to encourage take-up of the vaccine. The shadow spokesman for government services and former party leader declared the vaccine the cure to getting out of lockdown as he carried an Australian flag into the manufacturing site at CSL in Melbourne, where he met workers and posed for photographs. Im here today to see the magic bullet to get out of lockdown, the AstraZeneca vaccine. Im here to see how Australian made is going to break the lockdown and help stop the spread of COVID, Mr Shorten said. Ive had the jab you should get the jab so we can get out of lockdown. Health authorities are waiting to learn whether a COVID-positive Sydney man attended last weeks protest while infectious. Police are investigating the 35-year-old Granville man who was allegedly stopped at Central Station before he could attend the anti-lockdown protest last Saturday, only to test positive to COVID-19 the next day. Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant. Credit:James Brickwood The man was on his way to the protest when he was met by officers from the Police Transport Command, who found him in breach of the stay-at-home orders. He was issued with a $1000 penalty infringement notice and directed to return home. The man tested positive to COVID-19 on Sunday and was required to self-isolate. However, when police went to the mans home on Friday to conduct a compliance check, he was not present. Western Australia could start turning away international cargo ships and ban companies from entering the states ports if they knowingly or recklessly bring in COVID-infected crew. Premier Mark McGowan announced a swag of new rules on Friday afternoon for ships coming from designated high-risk countries as the state continues to deal with two ships docked in Fremantle riddled with the virus. WA Premier Mark McGowan has announced new international shipping rules for entering the state. Credit:Getty Mr McGowan said six ships currently on their way from the Delta variant-stricken Indonesia could be turned back. If we have COVID present on ships that have come in through other countries and we see it again, then we reserve the right to stop ships coming in from that country, he said. With a majority of the 17,000-plus new daily cases in Malaysia recorded in the Klang Valley, it is on a very different scale to Australias most serious outbreak in western Sydney. But Malaysia has been able to funnel vaccines to the epicentre without the tensions of federalism that have impeded the NSW governments appeal for more doses to vaccinate Sydney. Only a minimal number of vaccines have been diverted from other states, as the nation has ramped up its supply. Malaysias Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who is in charge of vaccine procurement, was able to renegotiate the countrys deal with Pfizer to have 25 million of the American shots delivered by September. That has allowed the daily vaccination rate to become one of the fastest in the world, exceeding 500,000 doses administered per day, after a sluggish start. The Klang Valley surge includes plans to use the single-shot Chinese vaccine CanSino for people such as the homeless and the more than 2 million migrant workers because of difficulty contacting them twice. Ong Kian Ming, an MP in Selangor who was a deputy minister in the previous Malaysian government led by Mahathir Mohamad, is helping co-ordinate the vaccine drive in the state despite belonging to the opposition Democratic Action Party. To me, this is a no-brainer, he said. If the cases in Klang Valley are not under control, then the overall number of cases in the country cannot come down and the economic recovery process cannot begin in earnest. Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin speaks at a special session of parliament, which resumed this week for the first time since a state of emergency was declared in January. Credit:Malaysia Department of Information Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, however, says speed of vaccination now must not overshadow the failures of Muhyiddins government in handling the virus. We were late and we were weak, he said last week of Malaysias accessing of vaccines. We are distributing vaccines but because of carelessness, the number of deaths has increased. Anwar was also front and centre of proceedings on Thursday during the extraordinary events that pitted Muhyiddin and his government against the countrys monarch, King Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah. For the first time since independence in 1957, the king took aim publicly at the government, saying in a statement his function as head of state had been disregarded by the cancellation of emergency rule laws by the cabinet last week without his consent. Malaysias King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah took the government to task, saying parliament had been misled. Credit:Malaysia Department of Information Malaysia has been in a state of emergency since January that critics believe has been used by Muhyiddin to cling to power but it comes to an end on Sunday. Accusing the leader and his cabinet of violating the constitution and insulting the royal institution, Anwar demanded the Prime Minister resign as cries of treason rang out in the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of parliament. But as he sought to challenge Muhyiddins majority by filing a motion of no-confidence, the special sitting was suspended as it emerged two parliamentary staffers had the virus. Mass testing found nine more positives on Friday and with the session not due to resume until Monday, Muhyiddin supporters would be busy this weekend trying to ensure he had the numbers, said Professor James Chin, an expert on Malaysian politics at the University of Tasmania. My understanding is theyre running around collecting statutory declarations of support for Muhyiddin because they are afraid if theres a confrontation between Muhyiddin and the king, Muhyiddin needs to show the king that he has the support of at least 110 MPs, he said. The kings missive raised alarm bells about a potential constitutional crisis but Professor Chin believes his statement may not be supported by all of Malaysias eight other state sultans. Malaysias kings are elected for five-year terms from within the countrys nine ruling royal families. Washington: China is fighting its biggest COVID-19 outbreak in months fuelled by the Indian/delta variant while the United States is intensifying efforts to combat the strain which officials believe is more contagious than chickenpox. Hundreds of thousands of people in Jiangsu province were in a coronavirus lockdown yesterday (Fri) after a cluster of infections were detected in the provincial capital Nanjing. Temporary laboratories for nucleic acid testing are seen in a sports stadium in Nanjing in eastern Chinas Jiangsu Province. Credit:AP The outbreak was linked to airport workers who cleaned a plane from Russia this month. By yesterday, infections were detected in Beijing and five provinces. At least 206 infections across China have been linked to the cluster and the outbreak is geographically the largest in several months. China reported on Saturday 55 new coronavirus cases in the mainland for July 30, compared with 64 cases a day earlier, the health authority said. Dubai: An Israeli-owned merchant ship reportedly came under attack off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea, the British military said Friday, offering few other details about the incident. Israeli officials did not immediately acknowledge the incident, but it comes amid heightened tensions between that nation and Iran as negotiations remain stalled over Tehrans nuclear deal with world powers. Other Israeli ships have been targeted in recent months as well amid a shadow war between the two nations, with Israeli officials blaming the Islamic Republic for the assaults. An brief initial statement from the British militarys United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said an investigation was underway into the incident, which it described as happening late Thursday night (Friday AEST) just northeast of the Omani island of Masirah. The location is over 300 kilometres south-east of Omans capital, Muscat. The statement did not elaborate, other to say that it suspected the attack did not involve piracy. Earlier on Thursday, the British military group had said it was investigating another unexplained incident in the same area, but it did not elaborate. New York: The Delta variant is much more contagious, more likely to break through protections afforded by the vaccines and may cause more severe disease than all other known versions of the virus, according to an internal presentation circulated within the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr Rochelle Walensky, the director of the agency, acknowledged Tuesday that vaccinated people with so-called breakthrough infections of the Delta variant carry just as much virus in their nose and throat as unvaccinated people. But the internal document lays out a broader and grimmer view of the variant. The Delta variant is more transmissible than the viruses that cause MERS, SARS, Ebola, the common cold, the seasonal flu and smallpox, and it is as contagious as chickenpox, according to the document, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky this week announced changes to mask-wearing guidance, but the centres report said the war has changed. Credit:AP The immediate next step for the agency is to acknowledge the war has changed, the document said. The Justice Department, reversing course from the stance it took when Trump was in office, paved the way for the Internal Revenue Service to hand over the businessman-turned- Republican politicians tax records to congressional investigators a move he has long fought. Handwritten notes taken by Acting Deputy Attorney-General Richard Donoghue in December and released on Friday by the chair of the House of Representatives Oversight and Reform Committee paint a damning picture of Trump as he desperately sought to get the department to take the unprecedented step of intervening to try to upend his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden. The fact that the Justice Department allowed the handwritten notes concerning the election to be turned over to congressional investigators marked a dramatic shift from actions taken during the Trump administration, which repeatedly invoked executive privilege to skirt congressional scrutiny. Just say that the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen, Trump, referring to Republican lawmakers, told Jeffrey Rosen in a December 27 phone call days before Rosen was appointed as acting attorney-general. The notes show Rosen telling Trump that the department could not and would not change the outcome of the election. Trumps representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Justice Department ordered the IRS to hand over Trumps tax returns to a US House of Representatives committee, saying the panel has invoked sufficient reasons for requesting it. The departments Office of Legal Counsel declared the department had erred in 2019 when it found that the request for Trumps taxes by the House Ways and Means Committee was based on a disingenuous objective aimed at exposing them to the public. The moves illustrated that a department that was accused by Democrats of subverting itself to Trumps personal and political goals during his four years in office is now taking a fresh path with Biden in office. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, welcomed the departments action, saying access to the documents represents a matter of national security. The American people deserve to know the facts of his troubling conflicts of interest and undermining of our security and democracy as president, Pelosi said in a statement. Damaging week The news comes at the end of a week that has brought bad news for Trump. Four police officers who were beaten by his supporters during the January 6 Capitol riot testified on Tuesday about the violence that flared after he repeated his false claims that the 2020 election had been stolen from him through widespread voting fraud. That same night, the candidate he endorsed to succeed a Texas congressman who died of COVID-19 in February lost her run-off election against a Republican state legislator even after Trumps political organisation made a last-minute ad buy to support her. And Trump fumed throughout the week in a series of statements as a bipartisan agreement on Bidens $US1 trillion ($1.36 trillion) infrastructure bill advanced in the Senate. Trump failed as president to get infrastructure legislation through Congress. Loading The Justice Departments actions will make it easier for congressional investigators to interview key witnesses and collect evidence against Trump. The Justice Department this week decided that due to compelling legislative interests, it was authorising six former Trump administration officials to sit for interviews with the House Oversight and Reform Committee. These include Rosen and Donoghue, as well as former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, former Associate Deputy Attorney-General Patrick Hovakimian and former Assistant Attorney-General Jeffrey Clark. The committee has begun scheduling interviews with key witnesses to investigate the full extent of the former presidents corruption, and I will exercise every tool at my disposal to ensure all witness testimony is secured without delay, the panels chairwoman, Carolyn Maloney, said in a statement. Clark is at the heart of an ongoing inquiry by the Justice Departments inspector general after news came to light he had plotted with Trump in a failed bid to oust Rosen so he could launch an investigation into alleged voter fraud in Georgia. In the December 27 call with Rosen, Trump threatened to put Clark in charge, according to the handwritten notes, telling Rosen: People tell me Jeff Clark is great, I should put him in. People want me to replace DOJ leadership. Throughout the call, Trump repeatedly pushed false claims that the election had been stolen. You guys may not be following the internet the way I do, Trump said. Rosen and Donoghue tried to tell Trump his information was incorrect multiple times. Sydney: The new Prime Minister of Samoa has confirmed she will cancel a China-backed port project, but hasnt closed the door to China as she navigates a path for the Pacific nation against a backdrop of intensifying regional competition between Beijing and Washington. Fiame Naomi Mataafa indicated she would only approve investments that had clear benefits for her country as she expressed doubts about being a pawn in a geopolitical tussle between the two superpowers. Samoas Prime Minister-elect Fiame Naomi Mataafa. Credit:Samoa Observer/AP Mataafa said Chinas interest in the Pacific had grown as the United States effectively moved out of the region. There seems to be a renewed interest in the Pacific, which may be a good thing, but not necessarily, Mataafa said in an interview over Zoom on Wednesday, days after her election was confirmed, ending a months-long political crisis. Lansdale, PA (19446) Today A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 79F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable. (EVs) could constitute about 25 per cent of the total passenger vehicle sales at in the medium to long term, said the company on Friday, as it seeks to ride the electrification trend in the country. The automobile major will announce its fundraising plans to support the EV business, N Chandrasekaran, chairman, Tata Motors, told shareholders at the companys 76th annual general meeting. At present, EVs account for 2 per cent of the companys passenger vehicle (PV) sales. has a very ambitious goal for EVs. We have planned at least 25 per cent of our total to come from electric in the medium to long term, Chandrasekaran said. We will launch 10 EV models before 2025. We have aggressive growth plans, and towards this, we will also raise capital at an appropriate time. The company is also looking to set up a battery plant outside of Tata Motors, he added. As part of the plan, the company will launch the e-Tigor with a higher range during the current financial year. It will also bring more affordable vehicles to target the mass market. Most other manufacturers, as of now, have their products positioned in the premium end of the market. Plans are also afoot to set up 10,000 charging points in 25 cities with Tata Power in the coming years, he said. The company is also working on hydrogen and fuel cell technology. It has seven hydrogen buses that are in the trial stage, and it has got the first order of 15 buses from Indian Oil Corp, Chandrasekaran said. ALSO READ: Tata Motors lost 91 people from its ecosystem due to Covid: Chandrasekaran Within PV, the performance of the EV business is particularly noteworthy. We strengthened our market leadership to 71.4 per cent, led by sales of more than 4,000 Nexon EV units since its launch last year, he said. sold a total of 222,025 PV units in FY21, up 69 per cent year-on-year. It was the only company in the PV segment to see such a significant jump in sales. During the two-and-half hours virtual AGM, multiple shareholders expressed concern over non-payment of dividend, high debt levels, and steep losses incurred by the company on account of the UK subsidiary, Jaguar Land Rover Automotive Plc. This is the fifth straight year for which the maker of Safari and Harrier models has failed to pay dividend. It had a good track record till FY16. For senior citizens like us, income from the bank and dividend income are the only sources of livelihood, said an aggrieved shareholder. In his response, Chandrasekaran said, We understand your concern and we hope to become a dividend paying company very soon. At the end of FY21, Tata Motors net automotive debt stood at Rs 40,876 crore, down from Rs 48,282 crore a year ago. We are on track to reduce to achieve net zero auto debt in three years, said Chandrasekaran, assuaging the shareholders concerns. It will be done through a combination of operational cash flow and monetisation of non-core assets. Net loss at the consolidated entity at the end of FY21 widened to Rs 13,395 crore from Rs 11,975 crore in the previous fiscal. In response to a question on the chip shortage and its impact on the overall business, Chandrasekaran said he expected the supply related issues to get resolved by the second half of the current year. He assured the shareholders that there is unlikely to be more impairment in the coming years. Imagine you have just joined the Indian government as chief economic advisor (CEA) in the ministry of finance. You are given the final draft of the Mid-Year Economic Review, which your predecessor has prepared and which you now have to approve before the finance minister (FM) tables it in Parliament. You take that copy along to read on your flight from New Delhi to Kolkata, and after reading it, place it in the magazine pouch in front of your seat but absentmindedly leave it behind while disembarking. You realise your folly only when you reach home. What would you do? All kinds ... Ltds wholly-owned arm Allcargo Belgium NV has signed a definitive joint venture agreement with Swedish logistics company Nordicon Group. Nordicon Group is a market leader in Nordics in Less-Container-Load (LCL) and rail consolidation, said Allcargo in its release today. Allcargo Belgium, which operated ECU Worldwide, will hold a 65 percent stake in the JV, while the remaining would be held by the owners of Nordicon, said. With this strategic investment, ECU Worldwide will now be a market leader with a near 40 percent market share of the LCL business in the Nordic region. The partnership with Nordicon is in line with our vision of consolidating our market leadership and working with entrepreneurial teams to expand into new territories who share our vision for digital innovation for the Nordicon is led by a strong and capable team, and we are very pleased to welcome them into the larger ECU Worldwide family. This partnership is a great way to scale the global business and better serve customers, the release quoted Shashi Kiran Shetty, chairman, Allcargo Logistics, ECU Worldwide, and Gati Ltd as saying. This agreement expands ECU Worldwides service network and global reach further, adding new geography and specialised rail freight consolidation services to expand further across Europe. This partnership will help better serve customers who are looking at flexible and time-bound logistics solutions in the Nordic region, said Allcargo. Shares of were up 2 percent from previous close on BSE today at Rs 194 per share. The company last year had announced its plans to delist from the stock market.Allcargo Logistics Ltds wholly-owned arm Allcargo Belgium NV has signed a definitive joint venture agreement with Swedish logistics company Nordicon Group. Nordicon Group is a market leader in Nordics in Less-Container-Load (LCL) and rail consolidation, said Allcargo in its release today. Allcargo Belgium, which operated ECU Worldwide, will hold a 65 percent stake in the JV, while the remaining would be held by the owners of Nordicon, Allcargo Logistics said. With this strategic investment, ECU Worldwide will now be a market leader with a near 40 percent market share of the LCL business in the Nordic region. The partnership with Nordicon is in line with our vision of consolidating our market leadership and working with entrepreneurial teams to expand into new territories who share our vision for digital innovation for the Nordicon is led by a strong and capable team, and we are very pleased to welcome them into the larger ECU Worldwide family. This partnership is a great way to scale the global business and better serve customers, the release quoted Shashi Kiran Shetty, chairman, Allcargo Logistics, ECU Worldwide, and Gati Ltd as saying. This agreement expands ECU Worldwides service network and global reach further, adding new geography and specialised rail freight consolidation services to expand further across Europe. This partnership will help better serve customers who are looking at flexible and time-bound logistics solutions in the Nordic region, said Allcargo. Shares of Allcargo Logistics were up 2 percent from previous close on BSE today at Rs 194 per share. The company last year had announced its plans to delist from the stock market. By Christoph Steitz FRANKFURT (Reuters) - will keep a 35% stake in the division it plans to spin off this year, the luxury carmaker said on Friday, giving more details on a landmark corporate split it hopes will boost share values. The spinoff of Truck Holding AG as a separate listed entity, first announced in February, will be voted on by shareholders at an extraordinary general meeting on Oct. 1. They will receive one share in the division for every two Daimler shares they own. Daimler, in turn, will be renamed Mercedes-Benz Group AG to reflect its focus on the car and van business, including the Mercedes-Benz brand, and efforts to challenge Tesla and other rivals in the market for electric premium cars. "Daimler's realignment makes one success story into two," Daimler Chief Executive Ola Kaellenius said. "With this courageous step into a new future, we are creating added value with two pure-play for our customers, employees, shareholders and partners." Daimler will provide Daimler Truck Holding AG with net liquidity of 5 billion euros ($5.9 billion) until the end of the year, when the truckmaker's shares are expected to start trading, so that it can achieve an investment-grade rating. Spin-offs, under which existing shareholders get shares in the new vehicle for free, have been a prominent way for large corporations to unlock value and respond to investors demanding a sharper business model. Daimler shares are up about 17% since the spin-off announcement, in line with the broader European automotive sector. "Up until now, we had to travel in a convoy. In the future, we will be able to plan our own route and choose the best route for us," said Martin Daum, designated chief executive of Daimler Truck Holding AG. Of the 35% Daimler plans to retain in the division, which is the world's largest truck and bus maker and will be a contender for Germany's blue-chip DAX index, 5% will be transferred to the carmaker's pension fund. As of Jan. 1 2021, Daimler Truck Holding AG shareholders' equity on a pro-forma basis stood at about 11.1 billion euros, equivalent to an equity ratio of 22%, Daimler said. ($1 = 0.8418 euros) (Reporting by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Douglas Busvine and Keith Weir) (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) in India removed over 150,000 pieces of content based on complaints received in May and June. Over 98 per cent of these were related to copyright, the Internet giant has said in its transparency report under the new intermediary Rules under the Information Technology Act. received 34,883 complaints in May 2021, and 36,265 in June 2021, according to details provided in the report. In May, 98.9 per cent (71,132) and in June, 99.3 per cent (83,613) removal action was taken because of copyright issues. Further, trademark issues were the cause of removal of 1.1 per cent content in May, and 0.6 per cent in June. Copyright issues include requests related to alleged copyright infringement, received under notice and takedown laws such as the US Digital Millennium (DMCA). Trademark requests relate to claims of infringement and misuse of trademarks. has explained earlier that each unique URL in a specific complaint is considered an individual "item". A single complaint may specify multiple items that potentially relate to the same or different pieces of content. In accordance with the Information Technology (Guidelines for Intermediaries and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules (IT Rules), 2021, which includes details of complaints received from users in India and the actions taken across Google's platforms that are classified as "significant social media intermediaries" ("SSMIs") under the Rules. The IT Rules, notified on February 25, ask significant social media intermediaries, or those with over 5 million users, to "publish periodic compliance report every month mentioning the details of complaints received and action taken thereon, and the number of specific communication links or parts of information that the intermediary has removed or disabled access to in pursuance of any proactive monitoring conducted by using automated tools or any other relevant information as may be specified". The Rules came into force from May 26. Number of removal actions as a result of automated detection was 634,357 in May, and 526,866 June. According to Google, these numberes represent the removal actions taken across its SSMI platforms "using automated detection processes for some of our products to prevent the dissemination of harmful content such as child sexual abuse material and violent extremist content. We balance privacy and user protection to: quickly remove content that violates our Community Guidelines and content policies; restrict content (e.g., age-restrict content that may not be appropriate for all audiences); or leave the content live when it doesn't violate our guidelines or policies". According to Google, each unique URL in a specific complaint is considered an individual "item". A single complaint may specify multiple items that potentially relate to the same or different pieces of content. "When we receive complaints from individual users regarding allegedly unlawful or harmful content, we review the complaint to determine if the content violates our community guidelines or content policies, or meets local legal requirements for removal," Google said in the report. While most technology publish an annual or bi-annual transparency report, under the new Rules, Google, Twitter, Facebook, and Indian players like ShareChat, Koo, Chingari, and others will have to publish a compliance report on a monthly basis. Mining major Ltd will be investing about USD 1 billion (around Rs 7,440 crore) to replace diesel-run vehicles and equipment with battery electric vehicles across its eight mines in the next five years, company CEO Arun Misra said on Friday. The company, which has signed an agreement with Finnish technology firm Normet Group Oy to introduce front line battery-powered service equipment in underground mining, will deploy three of Normet SmartDrive EVs a 'Spraymec', an 'Agitator', and a 'Charmec' - in their underground mines, in the first phase. "We have a timeline of next five years of replacing all our current equipment as and when the replacements are due. Then they will be replaced by battery operated equipment, so that in five to six years time our mines will be free from diesel operated equipment. We have hundreds of them, not even ten or twenty," Misra told PTI. When asked how much investments will the company put in the exercise, he said "it can go up to say (USD) 200 to 250 million per year" and for the five year time frame "close to about a billion (USD)". Earlier this year, HZL had signed an MoU with Epiroc Rock Drills AB to introduce another fleet of battery electric vehicles (BEV) in their underground mines for production equipment, Misra said adding the partnership with Normet is for support equipment. "So, the two together will complete one mining operation section of a mine. We have got eight mines (in India). This is the beginning," he said, adding this would help the company test and understand the pros and cons and the infrastructure required for maintenance and take the process forward. HZL said the Normet SmartDrive EV will significantly help it in saving a huge amount in high speed diesel (HSD) and its maintenance. By substituting the HSD vehicles with Normet SmartDrive battery operated vehicles, around 3 lakh litres of HSD can be saved per vehicle. In total, by substituting 3 SmartDrive EVs for HSD vehicles, almost 10 lakh litres of fuel can be saved, it added. Commenting on the development, Subhasis Mohanty, Vice President, India Sales Area and MD Normet India said,"Our partnership with for the Normet SmartDrive Vehicles is a step on our collective journey for safe, sustainable and green mining." Normet SmartDrive is a modular BEV architecture designed to optimise energy consumption and performance in underground mining and tunnelling applications. The SmartDrive equipment enables higher productivity, lower operating costs and most importantly - zero local emissions, the company said, adding with in-built energy recuperation technology, it maximizes the storing of regenerative braking energy during downhill driving and deceleration. Misra said HZL's move towards EVs for underground mining operations has largely been driven by its commitment to sustainable business and the 'Race to Net Zero'. "Our partnership with Normet reinforces our commitment to sustainable operations for a greener tomorrow by helping us achieve our Sustainability Development Goal of reducing carbon emissions. We believe the introduction of Battery Electric Vehicle in underground mining will be a game-changer for the industry and a big leap by India towards responsible mining," he said in a statement. With diesel vehicles and equipment in the mines generating a lot of heat, fumes and carbon dioxide requiring constant supply of oxygen, he said replacing these with battery operated EVs, HZL will be able to save on maintenance costs, total cost of ownership besides making the mine environment "much superior compared to what we have". "Since we will not consume diesel, CO2 reduction will happen. We already have solar power plants in many of our mines and will be using the solar power for charging the vehicles," Misra 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.) Cash-laden are set to step up the hunt for Indian firms, mainly tech start-ups, likely to benefit in the post-pandemic world, after pumping in a record $30 billion via public and this year, bankers and analysts said. Eyeing India's large middle class with access to cheap smartphones and the internet, global have flocked to online platforms in the country and helped swell the ranks of unicorns, or start-ups valued at $1 billion or above. In addition, a regulatory clampdown by China on its technology firms is spurring some foreign to turn to the world's second-most populous nation instead, analysts said. The fundraising boom in India by companies, ranging from an e-commerce platform to a food delivery app operator, comes even as country's economic rebound, already weakened in recent months, faces risk from variants. In private equity capital deals, which include placements and pre-IPO funding rounds, $22 billion has been raised so far this year, according to Pitchbook data, putting India on track to exceed 2020's record of $37 billion. Of the amount raised in 2021, foreigners invested $13.21 billion in the first half of this year - the most ever - compared with $4.99 billion in the same period last year, separate Refinitiv data showed. In addition to that, there was $5.4 billion raised via 43 initial public offerings (IPOs) year to date, making it the busiest period ever, the Refinitiv data showed, up sharply from $1.24 billion during the same time last year. IPO growth in India was about double the rate of growth in Asia, including Japan, in the first half, according to Refinitiv data, which show that $71.6 billion was raised in Asia, up from $31.08 billion in the period a year earlier. Big ticket public offerings in the pipeline for the rest of the year include an up to $2.2-billion float by Indian digital payments firm Paytm, which counts China's fintech giant Ant Group and Japan's SoftBank among its backers. "COVID has accelerated the existing trend towards digital consumerism, be that in food delivery, ecommerce or retail," said Gaurav Maria, JPMorgan's head of private capital markets in Asia Pacific. "That trend in consumer behaviour is unlikely to reverse, which is why you're seeing tech-driven businesses coming to the fore ... Investors are looking to the long-term and are focused on whether these businesses are fundamentally sound." BILLION DOLLAR DEALS The near-term IPO pipeline is set to get a boost from Indian food delivery firm Zomato Ltd's blockbuster market debut last week. The stock surged nearly 66% after the company raised $1.3 billion in an IPO. Rival Swiggy this month completed a $1.3 billion fund raising which attracted Soft Bank Vision Fund II and technology investor Prosus. The company had raised $800 million in April. Walmart Inc-owned Flipkart also earlier this month raised $3.6 billion in its latest funding round, doubling the Indian online retailer's valuation to $37.6 billion in less than three years, ahead of its expected market debut. "This is a growing economy where the local market and businesses across sectors will grow faster than pretty much anywhere in the world," said Devarajan Nambakam, a managing director at Goldman Sachs in India. JPMorgan's Maria said the level of foreign investor interest had increased as larger deals become available in the country. "There used to be very few situations where you would see a billion dollar fundraise ... We are (now) seeing a greater enthusiasm from investors looking at private in India as the capital markets mature," Maria said. Bank of America equities analysts last week said Australian and Indian tech firms were well positioned to benefit from a weakening China tech sector after Beijing's sweeping regulatory crackdown on its behemoths for antitrust and other violations. "The Indian market is much more open to foreign investors," said London-based Kiran Nandra, head of emerging equities management at Pictet Asset Management, which invested in the Zomato IPO. "There are a number of non-Indian that own tranches of Indian companies, so the ecosystem is a lot more diverse. It's good for competition." (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 Oil Corporation (IOCL) has reported a consolidated net profit (attributable to equity holders of the parent) of Rs 6,109.69 crore in the first quarter of FY22. This is 174 per cent higher than the Rs 2,226.80 crore consolidated net profit reported by the company in the same period of FY21. Consolidated total income during the period under review stood at Rs 1,57,018.41 crore, up from Rs 90,775.15 crore in the quarter ending June 30, 2020. The higher profit is mainly on account of inventory gains and better petrochemical margins during the current period, a company statement said. The gross refining margin or gain per barrel of crude oil processed stood at $6.58 per barrel in the period under review. This is up from (-)$1.98 a barrel in the same period of financial year 2020-21, said Chairman Santosh Vaidya. The core GRM for current period after offsetting inventory loss/gain comes to $2.24 per barrel, he added. Commenting on fuel demand recovery, Vaidya said that he expects it to reach pre-Covid-19 levels by Diwali (November 4) this year. Petrol demand has crossed the pre-pandemic levels; we are currently nearly 3-5 per cent more than pre-Covid levels. demand is around 88-90 per cent and I expect to get it back to pre-Covid levels by Diwali. We may have to wait till the end of the current financial year to get Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) to come back to its normal. Vaidya explained that this is because of preference for personal mobility. The demand for remained down as public transport still remains restricted in parts of the country. Indias fuel demand has not fully rebounded from Covid-19 lows. While Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) consumption is well above 2019 levels, petrol, and jet fuel trail. The higher LPG demand is presumably because of more people staying back home. Petrol, diesel and jet fuel consumption are lower as people continue to avoid inessential travel and commute. Vaidya also said that joint venture between and Malaysias Petronas will be expanded to cover more businesses. Currently the business is only limited to LPG. We have now extended our cooperation to retailing petrol and diesel, as well as natural gas, he said. In response to queries from journalists, Vaidya said that there will be a separate branded fuel retailing outlets under the IndianOil-Petronas JV. He also said that the JV will enter the natural gas retailing business. Vaidya maintained that the Petronas (IPPL) retail business would not be at the cost of IOCLs market share. Commenting on the current crude oil prices, he said that a price band of $60-70 a barrel will be better for India. Shares of closed at Rs 103.20 a scrip, down by 0.67 per cent during trade on Friday. Leading by example and creating "messengers" at lower levels who can share good values and ethics are critical instruments for building a "culture of ethics" in an organisation, co-founder N R Narayana Murthy said on Friday. Addressing young innovators from Atal Innovation Mission's ATL Tinkerpreneur programme, Murthy said there is nothing as powerful as leadership by example. "If you want to communicate good or bad values, your followers will pick up those habits with a lot of enthusiasm, because they are watching the leader all the time and they want to imitate the leader," he said. Murthy added that in large organisations, it may not be possible for the head of the organisation to interact with everyone and therefore, it is important that leaders create and train "messengers" at lower levels who can share the good values and ethics with others. The industry veteran also cited the example of an initiative called 'Value Champion' at Infosys, wherein the company would honour "champions" in various departments. "Good culture takes time to develop, bad culture spreads very fast. I believe that the best instrument for creating a culture of ethics is leadership by example...second is create messengers at lower levels, and third, create value chain," he told the students. To a question on how one can continue to remain true to their ethics in challenging times, Murthy narrated how difficult it was to build a company in the 1980s in India. "You know, building a company in the India of the 1980s was very, very difficult. The government was anti-business, the rules and laws shackled us unbelievably. It took two to three years, and about 30 to 50 visits to Delhi to get a license to import a computer," he reminisced. Murthy noted while many of these challenges could be overcome by means of corruption, had decided against it. "Values are about standing firm, and ready to pay a certain cost for your beliefs and convictions, otherwise there is no value. We chose the option to accept delays in approvals, and even forgo some of our rights and benefits, rather than give in to corruption," he said. Murthy added that this strategy paid off in the future as even corrupt officials started respecting the company and became allies. "...after the initial setback, we became highly respected in the society for our honesty and that helped us a lot. And we became stronger and stronger. Therefore, this refusal to cave in, became a big asset for and we became a strong company," he said. Under the Atal Innovation Mission, Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs) have been set up in schools across the country with the objective of fostering curiosity, creativity, and imagination in young minds; and inculcating skills such as design mindset, computational thinking and adaptive learning. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Friday agreed to hear next week Vedanta's plea seeking to continue operating its oxygen plant at Tuticorin beyond the July 31 deadline set by the top court. A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah agreed to hear the matter next week after senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for Vedanta, mentioned that the court had allowed the oxygen plant operations on April 27 till July 31 in view of oxygen crisis due to the COVID pandemic. We would like to continue operating the plant, he said, adding that an application has been filed for it. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Tamil Nadu government, said that he was opposing the petition as the state has enough supply of Oxygen. He told the bench that he does not have the application filed by in the matter. The bench asked Salve to serve the copy of application to Sibal and directed for listing of the matter next week. On April 27, the top court had allowed to operate its closed oxygen plant at Tuticorin, saying the order has been passed in view of national need for oxygen and there should be no political bickering over the generation of the gas by the company as the country is facing a national crisis. The apex court made it clear that shall not be allowed to enter and operate its copper smelting plant under the garb of this order and that permission to operate an oxygen plant would not create any equity in the company's favour. It had directed the state government to form an oversight committee to oversee the functioning of the plant which would include District Collector and Superintendent of Police (SP) of Tuticorin, District Environmental Engineer, Sub-Collector Tuticorin and two government officials. The court had said the order allowing Vedanta to operate its oxygen plant would be in operation till July 31, 2021 after that it will assess the ground situation of the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 23, the top court had said people are dying due to lack of oxygen, and questioned the Tamil Nadu government on why it can't take over Vedanta's Sterlite copper unit at Tuticorin, closed since May 2018 over pollution concerns, for producing oxygen to treat COVID-19 patients. It was hearing Vedanta's plea seeking opening of its Sterlite copper unit at Tuticorin on the ground that it would produce thousand tonnes of oxygen and give it free of cost to treat patients. The apex court on December 2, 2020 had rejected the plea of Vedanta that it be permitted to inspect its Sterlite copper plant and to operate it for a month to assess the pollution level. Vedanta had sought handing over of the plant for three months saying it requires two months to start the unit and the company should be allowed to run it for four weeks to ascertain whether its polluting or not. Vedanta, in August last year, moved the apex court challenging the Madras High Court order refusing it to allow reopening of the Tuticorin plant. The high court had upheld the orders of Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) directing closure of the unit in May 2018. Vedanta had approached the high court in February 2019, seeking to reopen Sterlite plant which was closed following an order of May, 2018 issued by the TNPCB in the backdrop of violent protests against the unit which left 13 people dead in police firing on May 21 and 22. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 3SC (SS Solutions Pvt Ltd), a Gurugram-based supply chain, planning and logistics company, has raised $15 million in Series-B funding led by GEF Capitals South Asia Fund. Prior to this, the company raised angel funding in 2013 -14. The fund raise will be used to scale 3SCs domestic business and augment its geographical reach further across Europe and Southeast Asia. The company plans to strengthen its existing software as a service (SaaS) and Analytics as a service (AaaS) based SCM solutions through both organic and inorganic routes. "This investment round is testament to the incredible work our team is doing to help our customers drive efficiencies, said Lalit Das, founder and CEO, 3SC. With strong industry tailwinds towards digitization and our capitalized balance sheet, we are poised to grow 2-3x in the next couple of years. We will continue to invest in building talent and technology to reinforce this exponential growth. Founded in 2012 by Lalit Das and Sarita Das, 3SC is a leading integrated service provider and offers Analytics solutions to blue-chip clientele across pharma, healthcare, industrials, FMCD, FMCG and e-commerce industries. The company said it has developed efficient execution solutions and proprietary technology stack, using advanced analytics and AI and ML tools. This helps in orchestrating complex supply chains while driving compelling ROIs (return on investment) for its diverse customer base in India and Europe. With the onset of Covid, the global SCM industry is ripe for modernization, said Raj Pai, managing partner at GEF Capital Partners. 3SC is uniquely positioned as an end-to-end execution plus analytics service provider suited for customers of all scale and size. The firm said it is increasing visibility, responsiveness, and resilience in the client's supply chain. It also helps in significant reduction of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions in supply chains by leveraging its sophisticated technology and analytics offerings. AstraZeneca's intranasal Covid vaccination reduced virus concentrations and curbed transmission in two different SARS-CoV-2 animal models, demonstrating the need for further investigation as a potential method of inoculating Covid-19 shots. The trial, led by researchers including from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the University of Oxford, UK, was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine. While previous studies in rhesus macaques revealed that intramuscular vaccination with Covid shot provided protection against pneumonia, it did not reduce shedding of SARS-CoV-2 from the upper respiratory tract. In the new study, intranasal vaccination of rhesus macaques and hamsters resulted in reduced virus concentrations in nasal swabs and a reduction in viral loads in bronchoalveolar lavage and lower respiratory tract tissue. "The data presented supports the investigation of intranasal delivery of Covid-19 vaccines. With the roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines worldwide, it will be crucial to investigate whether the vaccines provide sterilising immunity, or whether vaccinated people are still susceptible to infection of the upper respiratory tract and onward transmission of the virus," Vincent J Munster, from the Laboratory of Virology at the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The data presented here demonstrates SARS-CoV-2-specific mucosal immunity is possible after intranasal vaccination, and results in a reduction in virus detection in nasal swabs in hamsters and macaques, he added. The team investigated whether intranasally administered ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AstraZeneca's intranasal Covid vaccine) reduces detection of virus in nasal swabs after challenging vaccinated macaques and hamsters with SARS-CoV-2 carrying a D614G mutation (the original Covid variant) in the spike protein. "Viral loads in swabs obtained from intranasally vaccinated hamsters were decreased compared to control hamsters, and no viral RNA or infectious virus was found in lung tissue after a direct challenge or after direct contact with infected hamsters," Munster said. The macaques "exhibited low titers of IgG and IgA antibodies in nasosorption samples coupled with low virus neutralising (VN) and sera IgG titers, suggesting that a robust humoral response in the nasal mucosa and in circulation is necessary to efficiently control nasal shedding," he added. Although protection of the lower respiratory tract was complete in intranasal-vaccinated animals, only partial control was seen in intramuscular-vaccinated animals, in contrast to the direct challenge experiment, the researchers said. The team also mentioned that the animal numbers were limited and although differences were observed and were very encouraging between intranasally vaccinated and control animals, these were not significant. The University of Oxford has started a phase 1 clinical trial including 54 healthy adults to investigate intranasal vaccination of human volunteers. --IANS rvt/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.) China on Thursday opposed contact between foreign officials and the after US Secretary of State met with a Tibetan Buddhist monk during his India visit. US top diplomat met on Wednesday Geshe Dorji Damdul, current director of House in New Delhi, what was seen as a big political message to China. Damdul, the former interpreter of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, was a part of a group of civil society leaders who met US Secretary of State during his two-day visit to India. Damdul is a director of House, which was founded in 1965 by the to preserve and disseminate the unique cultural heritage of During a presser on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the contact between the US side and the Dalai clique goes against the US promise to recognising Tibet as being part of China. "China firmly opposes any form of contact between foreign officials and the Any form of contact between the US side and the Dalai clique is a violation of the US commitment to acknowledging Tibet being part of China, to not supporting 'Tibetan Independence', and to not supporting attempts to separate China," Lijian said. The spokesperson further said that the US side should "stop meddling" in China's internal affairs under the pretext of Tibetan affairs, and offer no support to the "Tibetan independence" forces. The meet is expectedly irked Beijing, which considers Tibet as an integral part of China. The meeting took place in the backdrop of strained Beijing and Washington ties. Meanwhile, Blinken after the meeting civil society leaders, including the Tibetan monk, said that US-India share a commitment to democratic values, which is the bedrock of their relationship. "I was pleased to meet civil society leaders today. The US and India share a commitment to democratic values; this is part of the bedrock of our relationship and reflective of India's pluralistic society and history of harmony. Civil society helps advance these values," Blinken had tweeted. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The (SII) said on Friday it had partnered the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to expand the reach of Covid-19 shots in the countryside as it had "plenty of supply" of the AstraZeneca drug. India has reported more than 31.5 million infections in the world, the most after the US, with 423,217 deaths. While some 452 million vaccine doses have been administered, the pace of inoculations in rural areas, where two-thirds of Indias 1.35 billion people live, has lagged that of urban centres. SII will be working with the CII, which has set up vaccination camps in smaller towns and While SII has manufactured the vaccine at scale within a short period of time, it is essential that all stakeholders work together towards carrying out the inoculations, CEO Adar Poonawalla said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Culture and creative sectors can drive growth by generating employment, reducing inequalities and promoting development in a sustainable manner, Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakashi Lekhi said at a meeting of the G-20 grouping on Friday. In her address, Lekhi presented India's perspective on the theme culture and creative sectors as drivers for growth and outlined their significance in providing economic growth and as well as the potential to give more opportunities to women, youth and to local communities. "She emphasized that culture and creative sectors can drive growth through generating employment, reducing inequalities, promoting development in a sustainable manner and providing distinct identity to people," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. The virtual meeting of the G20 culture ministers was hosted by Italy in its capacity as chair of the grouping in 2021. The MEA said Lekhi highlighted various measures taken by India to develop the cultural and creative sectors. "She emphasised and supported the need for international dialogue and collaboration to tackle common issues connected to the cultural and creative sectors and to suitably inform and adapt public policies," it said. The MEA said Lekhi reiterated India's commitment to international cultural cooperation and collaboration in efforts to support and facilitate the cultural and creative sectors of societies. The meeting adopted a declaration for submission to the G20 Leaders' summit to advocate the introduction of culture in the G20 work stream, given its strong economic and social impact at the and global level, the MEA 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.) India on Friday reported a net addition of 1,315 in active cases to take its count to 405,155. Indias share of global active cases now stands at 2.77 per cent (one in 36). The country is seventh among the most affected countries by active cases. On Thursday, it added 44,230 cases to take its total caseload to 31,572,344 from 31,528,114 an increase of 0.1%. And, with 555 new fatalities, its Covid-19 reached 423,217, or 1.34 per cent of total confirmed infections. With 5,183,180 more Covid-19 vaccine doses being administered on Thursday, Indias total count of vaccine shots so far reached 456,033,754. The count of recovered cases across India, meanwhile, reached 30,743,972 or 97.38 per cent of total caseload with 42,360 new cured cases being reported on Friday. Now the seventh-most-affected country by active cases, third by deaths, second by total cases, and first by recoveries, India has added 279,282 cases in the past 7 days. India now accounts for 277% of all active cases globally (one in every 36 active cases), and 10.03% of all deaths (one in every 10 deaths). India has so far administered 456,033,754 vaccine doses. That is 1444.4 per cent of its total caseload, and 32.7 per cent of its population. Among Indian states, the top 5 in terms of number of vaccine shots administered are Uttar Pradesh (51634640), Maharashtra (47777860), Gujarat (36590047), Rajasthan (36514020), and Madhya Pradesh (33597965). Among states with more than 10 million population, the top 5 in number of vaccine shots per one million population are Kerala (612475), Delhi (584890), Gujarat (572862), Uttarakhand (560950), and J&K (496939). Backwards from here, the last 1 million cases for India have come in 26 days. The count of active cases across India on Friday saw a net addition of 1,315, compared with 4,404 on Thursday. States and UTs hat have seen the biggest daily net increase in active cases are Kerala, (5287), Karnataka (685), Meghalaya (294), Andhra Pradesh (280), and Mizoram (252). With 42,360 new daily recoveries, Indias recovery rate stands at 97.38%, while fatality rate remained unchanged at 1.34%. The Indian states and UTs with the worst case fatality rates at present are Punjab (2.72%), Uttarakhand (2.15%), and Maharashtra (2.1%). The rate in as many as 14 is higher than the national average. Indias new daily closed cases stand at 42,915 555 deaths and 42,360 recoveries. The share of deaths in total closed cases stands at 1.31%. Indias 5-day moving average of daily rate of addition to total cases stands at 0.1%. Indias doubling time for total cases stands at 494.4 days, and for deaths at 528.2 days. Overall, five states with the biggest 24-hour jump in total cases are Kerala (22064), Maharashtra (7242), Andhra Pradesh (2107), Karnataka (2052) , and Tamil Nadu (1859). Among states with more than 100,000 cases, the five with worst recovery rates at present are Kerala (94.87%). India on Sunday conducted 1,816,277 to take the total count of tests conducted so far in the country to 464,650,723. The test positivity rate recorded was 2.4%. 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 (16.32%), Dadra & Nagar Haveli-Daman & Diu (14.7%), Maharashtra (13.22%), Sikkim (12.98%), and Kerala (12.48%). Five states with the highest TPR by daily numbers for tests and cases added are, Mizoram (69.45%), Sikkim (16.09%), Manipur (15.03%), Kerala (13.53%), and Meghalaya (12.97%). 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 (1256993), J&K (852702), Kerala (751505), Karnataka (567849), and Uttarakhand (555240). The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (6290156), Kerala (3349365), Karnataka (2901247), Tamil Nadu (2555664), and Andhra Pradesh (1962049). Maharashtra, the most affected state overall, has reported 7242 new cases to take its tally to 6290156. Kerala, the second-most-affected state by total tally, has added 22064 cases to take its tally to 3349365. Karnataka, the third-most-affected state, has reported 2052 cases to take its tally to 2901247. Tamil Nadu has added 1859 cases to take its tally to 2555664. Andhra Pradesh has seen its tally going up by 2107 to 1962049. Uttar Pradesh has added 60 cases to take its tally to 1708373. Delhi has added 51 cases to take its tally to 1436144. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has described the Delta variant of the as being as transmissible as chickenpox and cautioned it could cause severe disease, the Washington Post said, citing an internal CDC document. The variant was also more likely to break through protections afforded by the vaccines, but the health authority said such incidents were very rare, the CDC report posted on the Washington Post website showed. In its summary, the CDC report said Delta is highly contagious, likely more severe than other variants and breakthrough infections may be as transmissible as unvaccinated cases. Still, the CDCs figures show that the vaccines are highly effective in preventing serious illness, hospitalisation and death. The findings add to evidence of how the Delta variant, the fastest and most formidable version of the that causes Covid-19, has upended assumptions among virologists and epidemiologists about the disease. Delta has become the dominant variant globally, documented in 132 countries to date, according to the World Health Organization. On Tuesday, the CDC reversed course on guidance for mask wearing, reinstituting them as a precaution against the possible transmission of the virus by fully vaccinated people. The agency said it had seen evidence suggestive of this in outbreak investigations in the and overseas. The agency also cited high viral loads as a reason for changing guidance. On Thursday, US President Joe Biden urged local governments to pay people to get vaccinated and set new rules requiring federal workers to provide proof of vaccination or face regular testing, mask mandates and travel restrictions. The findings may stir debate about whether masks, social distancing and other measures may again be needed even in countries with broad vaccination campaigns and where lockdown restrictions have eased. The CDC report said that universal mask wearing is still needed to reduce transmission in addition to vaccines. The main thing that does change is that masks will still be used and that in countries where this requirement has been lifted, it will have to be re-introduced," said Carlo Federico Perno, Head of Microbiology and Immunology Diagnostics at Romes Bambino Ges Hospital. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The (ED) has attached a hotel named Bed and Breakfast valued at Rs 58.61 crore in London owned by Ibournshorne Limited, an associate company of Carnoustie Group in a case involving Group. An ED official here said that the agency has attached the hotel in London under sections of the Prevention of Act (PMLA). The ED had registered a case of on the basis of various FIRs filed by homebuyers against Group and its promoters before the Delhi Police. The financial probe agency official said that money laundering probe has revealed that tainted funds to the tune of Rs 325 crore belonging to homebuyers were diverted to Carnoustie Group. "Out of this, Rs 41.3 crore were diverted to the UK after substantial layering through Carnoustie Group, India and through Indesign Enterprises Pvt. Ltd., Cyprus," he said. "These funds were used for purchasing the shares of Ibounshorne Limited, UK in the name of Carnoustie Management India Pvt Limited, an entity belonging to Carnoustie Group," he said. The official said that earlier ED had conducted searches on 38 locations in NCR and Mumbai on the premises of Shivalik Group, Trikar Group, Group and Carnoustie Group. After analysis of the seized records followed by the disclosures of various persons, the above diversion and laundering of POC has been unearthed. "Total Proceeds of Crime in the case has been arrived at Rs 5,063.05 crore as determined till now," he said, adding that the agency had earlier attached immovable properties to the tune of Rs 537 crore belonging to Trikar Group, Carnoustie Group and Shivalik Group. "With the Rs 58.61 Crore attachment, the total attachment in this case reached to Rs 595.61 crore," he added. --IANS aks/dpb (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India and will hold the 12th round of Corps Commander-level talks at Moldo on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on Saturday to iron out an agreement for the next phase of disengagement in Eastern Ladakh. "The talks will begin at 10.30 am," said a military source. The latest round of talks will take place after a gap of three months. Indian military delegates will meet their counterparts to discuss disengagement of troops at the friction areas such as the Hot Springs, Gogra and the Depsang plains spread over 900 sq km land. While the build-up in Depsang was not considered as part of the current standoff that started in May last year since the escalations here took place in 2013, India has insisted during the recent military commander-level meetings to resolve all the issues along the LAC. "The initial attempt will be to resolve the issues in Gogra and Hot Springs. Finding a solution to Depsang might be tricky and take longer time," said an officer. In April, during the 11th round of Corps Commander-level talks, the focus was on disengagement at the friction points of Gogra, Hot Springs and Depsang. On February 20, the two sides had held the 10th round of military dialogue to de-escalate tension along Line of Actual Control. has been enhancing military infrastructure across the LAC for some time now. Looking at it, India has changed its posture towards China, and unlike its previous defensive approach that placed a premium on fending on Chinese aggression, India is now catering military options to strike back and has reoriented its forces accordingly. India has reoriented around 50,000 troops whose main focus is on the disputed borders with The reorientation comes at a time when China is refurbishing its existing air-fields in the Tibetan Plateau that will allow twin-engine fighter aircraft to be stationed, sources said. In addition, China has also also brought troops from the Tibet military region to the Xinjiang region. The Chinese side is also rapidly building infrastructure in the Tibetan Plateau. --IANS sk/arm (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid the raging countrywide debate over the Pegasus scandal, ex-top bureaucrats here have underlined that authorised phone-tapping is permissible in the country and is no exception, but no allegation of snooping on politicians, mostly aimed at deriving mileage for a party, has been proved in this state thus far. Former DGPs, chief secretaries and home secretaries agreed that charges of political snooping have flown thick and fast from time to time in the state, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee among others having claimed on occasions that their phones were being tapped. None of the cases, however, reached a logical conclusion, they pointed out. The latest snooping scandal involving Israeli spyware Pegasus, nevertheless, has left politicians, officials and journalists shaken in the country. With TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and party's poll strategist Prashant Kishor reportedly figuring in the Pegasus target list, the controversy has hit the state anew. The chief minister has formed a two-member inquiry panel to probe into the snooping allegations. Earlier, after coming to power in 2011, the CM had ordered a similar probe into allegations of phone-tapping during the tenure of the erstwhile Left Front government. However, the inquiry report was never made public. Former DGP Bhupinder Singh, who headed the police force when Maoist insurgency was at its peak in 2009-2010, said phone-tapping is a common phenomenon to track down criminals and terror suspects, but snooping on politicians is a complicated matter and no evidence has ever surfaced to prove such allegations. "During my tenure, we generally tapped landlines or mobiles phones of criminals, Maoist leaders and terror suspects. There are laid-down guidelines for the process... permission has to be sought and phones can be tapped only for a fixed period. At the state level, phone-tapping is done after getting a written consent from the home secretary," Singh told PTI. He claimed that tapping the phone of Maoist leader Koteshwar Rao alias Kishenji had led to several breakthroughs and helped the security agencies put up a stronger fight against the Maoist menace. "But allegations of phone-tapping of politicians always ended up being described as rumours. No one could ever prove anything, and unless you have evidence, there is no point speaking about it," he said. Asked if phones of politicians can be tapped without official brief or nod, Singh said, "You can't blame the force or the government if a rogue element within a system is doing something illegal for personal reasons. We always used to be doubly sure before recommending a number for tapping." Echoing him, former chief secretary Ardhendu Sen said police officers in charge of criminal investigation could request for access to phone conversations if they believe it could help them in their investigations. These requests have to be approved by the home secretary of the state or the central government who assesses the importance of carrying out such vigilance before giving its consent, he said. When prodded about the allegations of phone-tapping of politicians, Sen said it is possible only if a "home secretary is negligent in his duty". "It is true that Mamata Banerjee often alleged that her phone was tapped during the Left front rule. It is also true that she could not produce any evidence in the matter over the last ten years," Sen said. Ironically, during the TMC government's first two tenures, political opponents and journalists have also levelled allegations of surveillance against the ruling dispensation. Listing out the categories under which a phone is tapped, senior police officials said the person can be put under surveillance if he or she is a threat to national security, has a criminal background or Maoist links or cases under the UAPA law. Once an officer comes up with an application for a specific phone number which supposedly needs to be tapped, he has to list valid reasons for his request. It is then passed on to senior officers. After clearance from the higher-ups, it is sent to the home secretary for final approval. "It takes around a month to get the nod for tapping a specific number. Every month, there is an audit to determine if the snooping should continue. If there are no proper leads, then the tapping is stopped immediately," a former state home secretary, who was later elevated to the post of chief secretary, said. The retired official, however, agreed that there might have been instances of illegal tapping by some officials, "but that is unlawful, and if proved is a punishable offence ". Former Kolkata police commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakraborty said no one would be able to throw light on allegations of political snooping as "tapping phones of politicians" is illegal. "I can comment on something legal, not something that is illegal," he said. The ruling TMC claimed that there have been allegations galore about phone-tapping over the years but none other than BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari has gone on record to say he has access to call records of political opponents. Adhikari, during a recent party meeting in Purba Medinipur, had said that he is aware of the phone conversations that TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee had been having with police officers in the district. "It is true that during the Left Front regime, allegations of snooping were made. Never, however, has any politician openly admitted that he has access to phone conversations, barring Adhikari. The matter should be investigated," TMC's state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said. In a counter attack, Bengal BJP unit's chief spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya asked the state government to come clean on whether "any police commissioner visited Israel in the last ten years" to buy a snooping device. "Mukul Roy, after joining the BJP in 2017, had alleged that his phones were being tapped. The state government should first come clean on whether any police commissioner ever visited Israel to buy a snooping device," he said. CPI (M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty, on his part, said the allegations of phone tapping during the Left Front regime were "completely baseless", and no proof to substantiate the charges has been found so far. (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.) Kerala on Friday saw over 20,000 Covid cases for the fourth day in succession, making it account for 50 per cent of the country's daily tally. In a statement issued here, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said 20,772 people turned positive after 1,52,639 samples were tested in the past 24 hours. The test positivity rate was 13.61 per cent, while the total number of active cases was 1,60,824. Incidentally all these basic indicators for the past few days have been showing that Kerala is leading in all the respects, and a special health team from Delhi has arrived in the state and will now split into two and travel around to find out how best things can be contained. Friday also saw 115 new deaths, taking the death toll to 16,701. Meanwhile with the state observing lockdown based on the TPR, there were 323 local bodies with a TPR of above 15 per cent, while in 355, it is between 10 to 15 per cent, in 294, between 5 to 10 per cent and in 62, it was below 5 per cent. --IANS sg/vd (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ganpatrao Deshmukh, the longest-serving MLA of Maharashtra and a senior leader of the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP), died in a private hospital in Solapur on late Friday evening, said family sources. According to the sources, Deshmukh (94), a former state minister, was admitted in the hospital for the last 15 days and died due to old age-related ailments. He was being treated for stones in the gall bladder and recently underwent a surgery. Deshmukh represented Sangola in Solapur district in the state legislative assembly for 11 terms since 1962 across multiple terms and served as an MLA for 54 years. He got defeated in 1972, but again won in a bypoll n 1974. In 1995, he lost by a slender margin of 192 votes, said his grandson Aniket Deshmukh. He had won the Sangola seat in the 2014 state elections for a record 11th time and served in the assembly till 2019. Deshmukh also served as a minister in the government of Sharad Pawar in 1978 and again in 1999 (in Vilasrao Deshmukh cabinet) when his party PWP gave support to the Congress-NCP alliance. His last rites will be performed in Sangola. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari condoled the death of Deshmukh and paid rich tributes to him. "Deshmukh carved out a niche for himself in public life. He not only represented his constituency for the longest period in the state assembly and consistently, but he will be remembered for his simple living and high intellect," the CM said. In his condolence message in Mumbai, the Governor said the veteran politician was a model public representative and an epitome of simple living and high thinking. "I was saddened to know about the demise of the senior-most leader of the Peasants and Workers Party and the longest term member of the State Legislature Shri Ganpatrao Deshmukh. "A model people's representative, Shri Deshmukh maintained his chord with farmers, workers and ordinary citizens all his life. He was an epitome of simple living and high thinking," Koshyari said. The Governor said Deshmukh was an institution in himself. "A man of peace and restraint, Shri Deshmukh was a fearless leader, having friends across the political spectrum. In his demise, the State has lost an institution in State legislature," Koshyari 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.) reported 326 new cases and seven fresh deaths on Friday, taking the tally of infections to 7,35,505 and the toll to 15,808, a civic official said. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said as part of the ongoing data reconciliation exercise with the figures, 1,393 COVID-19 infections were removed from the cumulative tally of positive cases and the discharge count, while 65 deaths were added to the toll. Significantly, for the 15th day in a row, the daily COVID-19 cases in the city remained below the 500-mark, a period during which fatalities were in the range of five to 14. has witnessed a drop in the new COVID-19 cases and fatalities as compared to Thursday, when it had reported 340 infections and 13 deaths. The civic official said 32,285 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours. With the discharge of 366 patients, the number of recovered cases jumped to 7,11,073, leaving the financial capital with 5,082 active cases, he said. The official said the city's average growth rate of COVID-19 cases is 97 per cent. Mumbai's case doubling rate has climbed to 1,434 days, while the average growth rate of COVID-19 cases for the period between July 23 and July 29 was 0.05 per cent, he said. According to the BMC official, has only three containment zones in 'chawls' (old row tenements) and slums, whereas the number of sealed buildings (where certain number of residents have tested positive) is 55. This year, Mumbai reported the highest daily cases at 11,163 on April 4, while most deaths in a day at 90 were registered on May 1. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid rising cases of in Kerala, Congress leader on Friday appealed to people in the state to follow all safety measures and guidelines. reported over 22,000 cases for the third day in a row on Thursday. The Central government is sending a six-member team to to aid the state's ongoing efforts in COVID-19 management. "Rising cases of infections in are worrying," Gandhi said. "I appeal to our brothers and sisters in the state to follow all safety measures & guidelines. Please take care," the MP from Kerala's Wayanad said in a tweet. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Friday said it would hear on August 3 a plea filed by former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh seeking protection from any coercive action in a case lodged by the (ED). When Deshmukh's lawyer suibmitted that the politician be granted protection from coercive action, a bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar said it would hear the plea next week along with other connected matters and would consider this aspect. The top court was hearing a batch of pleas, including those challenging the constitutional validity of certain provisions of the Prevention of Act (PMLA). The summons to 71-year-old NCP leader by ED was issued in connection with the criminal case registered under the PMLA related to an alleged Rs 100 crore bribery-cum-extortion racket that led to Deshmukh's resignation in April this year. The ED case against Deshmukh and others was made out after the CBI had lodged a corruption case related to allegations of at least Rs 100 crore bribery made by former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh. 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 suspended Mumbai Police assistant police inspector (API) Sachin Waze to extort over Rs 100 crore a month from bars and restaurants in Mumbai. Deshmukh had to resign from his post in April following the allegations and he has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. The ED had arrested Deshmukh's personal secretary Sanjeev Palande and personal assistant Kundan Shinde after it carried out raids against them and the NCP leader in Mumbai and Nagpur. (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.) Q1 net profit falls 32% to Rs 373 cr, asset quality weakens on Friday reported 32 per cent decline in net profit at Rs 373.10 crore for June quarter 2021-22 as provisions for bad loans spiked. The bank had posted a net profit of Rs 549.80 crore in the same quarter a year ago. Read more starts winding-off operations at oxygen plant in Tuticorin Ltd on Friday said its oxygen plant at its copper smelting unit, Sterlite Copper, in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukodi will start winding-off of operations. According to Vedanta, the start of winding-off operations on Friday is done to allow enough time for the defrosting process before the date indicated by the Supreme Court. Read more European economy grows 2% in second quarter, ending double-dip recession Europe emerged from a double-dip recession in the second quarter with stronger than expected growth of 2% over the quarter before, according to official figures released Friday, as hard-hit southern European economies Spain, Italy and Portugal delivered surprisingly strong results. But the economy in the 19 countries that use the euro currency still lagged pre-pandemic levels and trailed the faster recoveries in the US and China, with the delta variant continuing to cast a shadow of uncertainty over the upturn. Read more posts consolidated net profit of Rs 1,444 crore in Q1 Drug major Sun Pharmaceutical Industries on Friday reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 1,444.17 crore for the June 2021 quarter, mainly on account of robust sales across markets. The company had posted a net loss of Rs 1,655.60 crore for the corresponding period of the previous fiscal, said in a regulatory filing. Read more After showing a resurgence from mid-February and peaking in May, the trajectory of COVID-19 cases in the country is now registering a sustained and considerable decline, the government said Friday. However, Kerala and Maharashtra are still recording high number of cases while certain northeastern states are also showing an upward trend, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar informed the Lok Sabha Friday. States like Punjab and Rajasthan are showing a decreasing trend of COVID-19 cases, she added in her written response to a question. "As on 28th July 2021, the trajectory of cases in the country after showing a resurgence from mid-February 2021, peaked in May 2021, is now registering a sustained and considerable decline," she said. Pawar said although health is a state subject, the Centre has provided required technical support and also aided states through logistics and finances to tackle the pandemic. A three-tier arrangement of dedicated COVID-19 health facilities -- COVID Care Center (CCC); Dedicated COVID Health Centre (DCHC) and Dedicated COVID Hospital (DCH) -- has been implemented in the country to reduce the risk of cross-infection as well as to maintain continuity of non-COVID essential health services, she said. The Centre has roped in tertiary care hospitals under other ministries to supplement the hospital facilities, she said, adding many large temporary treatment facilities were established by the DRDO to manage the surge in COVID-19 cases. The isolation bed capacity and ICU bed capacity were also enhanced continuously, she said. The daily liquid medical oxygen (LMO) supply was increased by the enhancement of LMO production in steel plants as well as in other LMO plants. Further, restrictions were also imposed on industrial use of oxygen, she said. In order to avoid the wastage of medical oxygen, guidelines on rational use of oxygen were issued on 25th September 2020, and further revised and disseminated to States on 25th April 2021, the reply stated. Also, to generate oxygen at the health facility level, PSA plants are being established in each district hospitals to reduce the burden on the medical oxygen supply grid across the country, she added. Further, to fast-track the availability of medical oxygen in rural and peri-urban areas, more than 39,000 oxygen concentrators have been allocated to various states, she said. State drugs controllers have been requested to verify the stock of the drugs and check other malpractices and take effective steps to curb hoarding and black-marketing of Remdesivir, the reply said. Under the National COVID Vaccination Program, the Centre is procuring vaccines and providing them free of cost to states and UTs, she said, adding as on July 25, a total of about 44.91 crore doses have been supplied to states and UTs from all sources. (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.) Another 291 million people wont have enough to eat this year Global hunger will surge by about a third this year, driven by continuing income losses from the pandemic, according to the US Department of Agriculture. The departments annual assessment of food security in 76 middle- and low-income nations that are past or current recipients of US food aid estimates an additional 291 million people in those countries wont have enough to eat in 2021. That comes on top of a huge spike in hunger last year as the pandemic unleashed economic distress. Read here Let's look at the global statistics Global infections: 196,631,596 Global deaths: 4,199,002 Vaccine doses administered: 4,001,521,825 Nations with most cases: US (34,751,033), India (31,572,344), Brazil (19,839,369), France (6,142,282), Russia (6,138,969). Source: John Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center says it has made alternative proposal for virus origin probe says it has put forward alternative parameters for a second probe into the origins of Covid-19 that should span multiple countries, in Beijings latest move to counter a push by the US for a deeper investigation into the theory the virus leaked from a Wuhan lab. China, from where the that caused the pandemic first emerged, submitted a counterproposal for how the second phase of the World Health Organizations study should be conducted, foreign ministry spokesman told a regular press briefing in Beijing. He didnt specify when or to which body the proposal had been submitted. Read here pulls ahead of US in vaccinations The 27 member states of the altogether have now administered more vaccine doses per 100 people than the United States, in another sign that inoculations across the bloc have maintained some speed throughout the summer, while they have stagnated for weeks in the US. EU countries had administered 102.66 doses per 100 people as of Tuesday, while the US had administered 102.44. This month, the also overtook the United States in first injections; currently, 58 percent of people across the bloc have received a dose, compared with 56.5 percent in the United States. Read here Israel to offer Covid booster shots to people over 60 Israels prime minister has announced that the country would offer a booster shot to those people over 60 who have already been vaccinated. The announcement by Naftali Bennett makes Israel, which launched one of the worlds most successful vaccination drives earlier this year, the first country to offer a third dose of a western vaccine to its citizens on a wide scale. The decision comes at a time of rising infections and signs that the vaccines efficacy dwindles over time. Read here The government introduced amendments to the Business (Nationalisation) Act, 1972, in the to enable the privatisation of public sector The Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021, will allow private participation in public sector insurance companies, with the government reducing its shareholding below 51 per cent and transferring management control to the prospective buyer. The Bill removes a clause that requires the Centre to hold at least 51 per cent shares in the National Insurance Company, New India Assurance Company, Oriental Insurance Company, Corporation of India, and United India Insurance Company. The Bill seeks to enhance insurance penetration and social protection and secure the interests of policyholders, according to the statement of objects and reasons. It includes a new section that states that the applicability of the Act ceases from the date the central government relinquishes control over an insurer. Control, according to current law, gives the Centre the right to appoint a majority of directors and power over its management or policy decisions by virtue of its shareholding rights or management rights under its articles of association. Such power would now vest with the board of the privatised insurer. The Bill makes the director of an insurer, who is not a whole-time director, liable for any acts of omission or commission committed with his knowledge and consent. A new section in the Bill also makes a director liable for acting in connivance or for not practicing his/her duties diligently. The board of directors of the insurer will be empowered to frame a new policy for regulating pay scales and other terms and conditions of service of employees or of any acquiring company. The government has opened the doors for private players to enter the public sector insurance space, and at the same time, tightened the noose around directors (other than whole-time directors), said by Nischal S Arora, partner at Nangia Andersen. The directors will be held liable for not acting diligently until privatisation is completed. However, the provisions of the Act shall not apply on the insurer after stake dilution, Arora said. The General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Act, 1972, was enacted to provide for the acquisition and transfer of shares of Indian insurance firms for developing the general insurance business. In 2002, the Act was amended to transfer and vest the shares of the acquiring companies back with the central government, mandating it to maintain at least 51 per cent shareholding in general The registration of in the municipal region has jumped to its highest in a decade for the month of July, mainly because of the leeway given by the Maharashtra government. As many as 9,037 units were registered in the month as of Friday, as against 2,662 registrations in July 2020, a sharp rise of 239 per cent. The number of registrations is also 57 per cent higher compared with the pre-pandemic period of July 2019, consultant Knight Frank said. In December last year, the state government granted four months to to register their after the payment of stamp duty in order to prevent crowding of registration offices. This ensured that those who had purchased houses and paid stamp duty on or before March 31, 2021 had a maximum window of four months till July 31 for registering their Normally, properties need to be registered within three months of the purchase. The leeway was given after the state government cut the stamp duty paid on transactions in August last year. It was cut to 2 per cent till December, and 3 per cent till March this year. Before this leeway was permitted, for over 95 per cent of the registrations in recent years, the difference between the date of payment of stamp duty and the date of registration was less than 10 days, and for less than 2 per cent of the registrations, the difference was over 30 days, it said. The consultant said 53 per cent of the registrations in July 2021 were from new residential sales concluded in the month, recording a sharp improvement compared to 42 per cent in June 2021, 29 per cent during May 2021, and 7 per cent during April 2021. At 4,824 units (July 30, 2021 till 12 pm), the number of new apartments sold (fresh sales) during July 2021 were 45 per cent higher compared to 3,300 units sold in June 2021, 207 per cent higher compared to 1,554 units sold in May 2021, and 573 per cent higher compared to 710 units sold during April 2021. To celebrate the International Womens Day, the state government announced a 1 per cent rebate in stamp duty for women homebuyers, effective from April 1, 2021. As a result, women constituted 6.6 per cent of the new home sales in April, paying a discounted stamp duty rate of 4 per cent over their purchase. The share of women in May 2021 dropped to 1.7 per cent. In June, the share increased to 4.7 per cent, but fell to 3 per cent in July. The Delhi assembly on Friday passed the 'Delhi Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2021' on the second day of the Monsoon session amid opposition from the BJP over its introduction and passage on the same day. The bill is about 15 new amendments to the Delhi Act. These changes will help smoothen the working of traders, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said while introducing it. is a new law; it has come to our notice that some people have been evading tax. So, some amendments are aimed at plugging tax evasion, he said. Sisodia said one of the amendments does away with the need for a mandatory audit of registered traders with a turnover of 1.5 crore and above. As the bill was being introduced, BJP MLA Vijender Gupta objected to the government bringing the bill, discussing it and passing it the same day. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Ministry of Petroleum and held an investor meet for the third round of Discovered Small Field (DSF) auctions. There are 75 oil and gas discoveries with 230 million tonnes of oil equivalent resources as 32 contract areas up for bidding in this round. This round was launched in June this year. Speaking at the investor meet on Friday, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Puri said, Indias demand for energy will continue to grow. He also invited foreign to participate in the domestic oil and gas sector. Highlighting the demand potential in India, Puri said that the country's per capita consumption is poised to grow. According to him, as urbanisation increases, economic activities will speed up and the demand for energy will rise. These DSF oil and gas discoveries were made by public sector undertaking oil companies, Oil and Corporation and Oil India. But they were eventually relinquished, citing unviability. This was either due to their small size or because of the restrictive fiscal regimes under which they were awarded to these firms. Also speaking at the event, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Rameshwar Teli highlighted the strategic significance of North East Region in achieving countrys self-reliance in energy sector. He pointed out that there are three contract areas from the North East in this bid round. In the first DSF round, the Centre had offered 46 contract areas spread across 67 fields. There were 25 contract areas covering 59 fields in the second round. After the first round, 30 contract areas were awarded while 24 were awarded after the second round. An official statement said that the DSF rounds are held under the Revenue Sharing Model and a single license for Conventional and Unconventional Hydrocarbons is awarded. There is no upfront signature bonus and a reduced Royalty rate in line with the Hydrocarbon Exploration Licensing Policy (HELP) regime. There will also be no cess, and full marketing and pricing freedom for the gas produced. Indias in the first quarter of 2021-22 stood at 18.2 per cent of the Budget Estimates (BE) against 83.2 per cent in the same period last year. This is less than half of last fiscal years level of Rs 6.6 trillion recorded during the pandemic induced-lockdown. The controller general of accounts data showed the government received Rs 5.47 trillion (27.7 per cent of the corresponding BE 2021-22 of total receipts) up to June. This comprises Rs 4.12 trillion of tax revenues, Rs 1.27 trillion of non-tax revenues, and Rs 7,402 crore of non-debt capital receipts. The expenditure incurred by the Centre was Rs 8.21 trillion (23.6 per cent of the corresponding BE 2021-22). The government could limit the to an eight-year low of Rs 2.7 trillion mainly due to buoyancy in tax receipts and some contraction in revenue expenditure. Besides, surplus transfer by the (RBI) had helped attaining over half the target for non-tax revenue. Reflecting the low base of the nationwide lockdown, gross tax revenues nearly doubled in the first quarter and reached 24 per cent of the BE, despite the impact of the second wave of the pandemic on economic activities. However, the governments spending recorded a volatile trend on a monthly basis in the April-June period. However, economists said the full-year was expected to overshoot the BE of Rs 15.1 trillion in case the government missed the disinvestment target of Rs 1.75 trillion. Further, they cautioned a subdued rise in spending might dampen the pace of expansion of GDP in the first quarter of the fiscal year. The government has been slower on total expenditure, which includes even In terms of the proportion of budgeted amounts, spending has been lower for fertilisers and roads, while that for agri and food has just about been maintained, said Madan Sabnavis, chief economist, CARE Ratings. After recording a 35.6 per cent contraction on a YoY basis in April, the Centres revenue expenditure expanded by 32.4 per cent in May and a lower 8.9 per cent in June, despite the gradual unlocking across various states. During Q1, the revenue expenditure of the government recorded a decline of 2.4 per cent, which absorbed the 26.3 per cent expansion in capital outlay and net lending, resulting in a total expenditure that was virtually flat. The subdued rise in the Centres spending is expected to dampen the pace of expansion in GDP in first quarter, said Aditi Nayar, chief economist, ICRA. She further said given the moderate growth of 9.5 per cent embedded in the governments BE for gross tax revenues (relative to FY21 provisional), we do not foresee a material undershooting of the targeted tax collection, even with some eventual reduction in excise duty on fuels. In our view, the magnitude by which the governments fiscal deficit in FY22 will overshoot the FY22 BE of Rs 15.1 trillion will depend on how much of the disinvestment target of Rs 1.75 trillion remains unachieved at the end of this year, and any other major fiscal stimulus measures that may be announced. At present, we expect the fiscal deficit to print at Rs 16.1-16.3 trillion in FY22, overshooting the BE, Nayar added. The receipts were 6.8 per cent of the BE at the end of June 2020. Non-debt capital receipts consisted of recoveries of loans worth Rs 3,406 crore and disinvestment proceeds of Rs 3,996 crore. Further, more than Rs 1.17 trillion was transferred to state governments up to June as devolution of the share of taxes. The RBI surplus, on the other hand, provides a cushion to absorb the modest net cash outgo of Rs 23,670 crore under the first supplementary demand for grants, as well as some step-up in the outlay for vaccine procurement above the budgeted Rs 35,000 crore, which may be necessary to achieve early vaccine imports, said economists. With over 70,000 students scoring more than 95 per cent in CBSE Class 12 Boards, the cut-offs are going to be on the higher side than previous years, according to college principals. They said the exact picture will be clear once the registration starts but were unanimous in predicting higher cut-offs than last year. The registration process for nearly 70,000 seats available for undergraduate courses will start on August 2. Anju Srivastava, principal, Hindu College, said they will go by the scores in the state boards, CBSE and ISC boards. "With the high number of students scoring more than 95 per cent, we have no choice but to keep the cut-offs on the higher side. We have limited number of seats for every course and despite the very high cut-offs, we end up admitting students above the sanctioned strength. If the student is meeting the cut-off and the eligibility criterion, we have to give them admission," she added. Rama Sharma, principal, Hansraj College, said they will wait for the full data to appear. "It will be studied. It will increase than last year but whether the increase will be 0.5 per cent or one per cent and for which course, it will have to be seen. Also, some popular courses like B.Com (Hons), BA (Hons) English, Political Science (Hons) are likely to see higher cut-offs," she said. Manoj Sinha, principal of Aryabhatta College, said the exact picture will be clear when the applications come but he said the cut-offs are expected to soar this year. Rajeev Gupta, chairperson, Admissions, said the first cut-off list is likely to be released between September 8-10. Last year, LSR had pegged the cut-offs for three courses at 100 per cent. "The respective admission committees of colleges will analyse the trend. It is difficult to say at this point but seeing the numbers, the cut-offs are going to be higher. The admissions happen on the basis of best of three or best of four subjects and students usually have 100 per cent scores in them," he said. He said a large percentage of students also clear NEET and JEE exams and opt for those choices. "CBSE has given option to students that they can appear for physical exams if they are not satisfied with their results. Also there is a possibility that students might not get marksheets from their respective boards. We will provide adequate time to students for updation of marks in case they do not have their marks available with them," he added. LSR principal Suman Sharma said they will have a meeting with their college officials over cut-offs and noted that it is too early to comment. The Central Board of Secondary (CBSE) recorded the highest ever pass percentage of 99.37 in this year's class 12 results, declared on Friday, with girls outshining boys by a slender margin of 0.54 per cent. The pass percentage increased by over 10 percentage points against last year's 88.78 per cent. The difference between the pass percentage of girls and boys was nearly six per cent last year. The number of candidates scoring above 95 per cent has increased from 38,686 last year to 70,004 this year. However, the number of candidates scoring between 90-95 per cent has gone down from 1,57,934 to 1,50,152. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After the BJP's proposed 'Ashirwad Yatras', it is now time for the Samajwadi Party's cycle yatras in Uttar Pradesh. President had directed his party workers across the state to take out cycle yatras on August 5, to mark the birth anniversary of socialist leader Janeshwar Mishra. Mishra, incidentally, has been the Brahmin face of the party and the event will turn the spotlight on the Samajwadi efforts to woo Brahmins. Akhilesh Yadav, meanwhile, has cautioned his party leaders of the 'BJP's conspiracy to defame leadership through a social media campaign orchestrated by the saffron brigade'. He has asked his cadre to beware of such designs. "The excels in rumour mongering to spread falsehoods and is now making a strategy to plant its cadres, posing as supporters, and post material on social media that may eventually show our party and leaders in poor light. We have to be alert against such designs," Akhilesh told party leaders in an informal interaction. The SP president's statement came after a fake social media account was created in his name and was used to make false and baseless statements related to the Babri demolition in Ayodhya. The party has lodged an FIR with the Lucknow police in connection with the fake account. "It is not only about maligning the image of political adversaries. With the Assembly fast approaching, the is also planning to influence the objectivity and fairness of the electoral process. They have already weakened the constitutional institutions that form the very basis of Indian democracy and now they want to target the objectivity of elections," he said. --IANS amita/dpb (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The City of Joy is currently busy hosting back-to-back shooting schedules of films with actors from different parts of the nation. Just a few days after Kajal Aggarwal was seen shooting near Kumartuli for Tathagata Singha's "Uma", Yami Gautam has started shooting for director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury's "Lost" in Earlier, several biggies including "Yuva", "Kahaani", "Piku", "Lootera", "Gunday" and "Parineeta" were shot across vintage and picturesque locales of the city. What makes a favourite with filmmakers? Answering that, producer and trade business analyst Girish Johar said: " is one of the most beautiful cities of our country. It is rich in culture, heritage. The feel and vibe which Kolkata gives, is very intellectual and upmarket. Makers get a lot of energy from the city and its people, so they are able to tell amazing stories. That's why it is always a key city in terms of giving and creating content. "Since all the facilities are available and the government is also very helpful, so it is a pocket friendly city as well." Kolkata-based film trade analyst, Sumit Kadel shared: "Kolkata has always been Bollywood's top choice for film shoots due to its rich heritage and vintage locations. From '36 Chowringhee Lane' to 'Yuva', 'Parineeta', 'Kahaani', 'Love Aaj Kal', 'Barfi', 'Lootera', 'Gunday' and many more films have ventured into Kolkata to find the real essence of their stories. "The city has always been Bollywood's favorite cultural destination. Even South films are opting for Kolkata, Rajinikanth's Annaatthe being the latest one." While the City of Joy never fails to charm creative people like filmmakers, actors and cinematographers, mouthwatering cuisines from the land of mishti doi and roshogolla only makes the experience a little more sweet and memorable. --IANS abh/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.) pressed ahead with moves to assert greater control over technology companies, continuing a campaign thats roiled financial markets from New York to Shanghai. In a flurry of action Friday, authorities summoned the countrys largest technology for a warning on data security, vowed tighter oversight of overseas share listings and accused ride-hailing of anti-competitive behavior. The Ministry of Industry Information Technology on Friday told 25 of Chinas largest internet and hardware companies, including Holding Ltd. and Tencent Holdings Ltd., to carry out internal reviews and rectify issues ranging from data security to consumer-rights protections. Ride-hailing firms under scrutiny In a separate statement, Chinas transport ministry said authorities will step up oversight of ride-hailing and on-demand trucking companies, adding that some firms are operating irregularly and disrupting fair competition. A meeting of the Communist Partys Politburo chaired by President Xi Jinping offered investors little reassurance that overhauls tightening the states grip on industries from private education to tech and property will slow in the second half. Risk disclosures prompt US to freeze Chinese IPOs The crackdown by has prompted action from US stock regulators, according to Reuters. The Securities and Exchange Commission has stopped processing registrations of US IPOs and other sales of securities by Chinese companies, the news agency reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Corp on Friday reported its highest profit in six quarters and joined an oil industry stampede to reward investors with share buybacks, as rebounding crude oil prices carried earnings and cash flow to pre-pandemic levels. Oil and gas are trading near multi-year highs as fuel consumption has thrown off pandemic losses and natural gas has soared on weather demand. OPEC's decision to carry production curbs into next year has kept oil above $70 per barrel. The company cut its annual capital spending forecast to about $13 billion, now below what it had spent last year. It had earlier budgeted $14 billion to $16 billion a year in annual capital spending through 2025. last year cut expenses to allow profits to flow at above $50 a barrel. Lower costs and higher prices generated the highest cash flow in two years, enabling it to pare debt and resume share repurchases, officials said. Share buybacks will resume this quarter at an annual rate of between $2 billion and $3 billion, said Chief Executive Michael Wirth, about half the annual rate it had planned. The company and its rivals halted purchases early last year as the pandemic cut oil demand. now joins Royal Dutch Shell, TotalEnergies and Equinor in resuming buybacks. "We've always said we would begin buybacks when we were confident that we could sustain it, and our breakeven is $50 per barrel and we are now well above it," Chief Financial Officer Pierre Breber told Reuters. "We're trying to win back investors... demand for our products has fully recovered, demand for our stock is recovering." The second-largest U.S. producer's oil and gas production unit earned $3.18 billion in the quarter compared with a loss of $6.09 billion a year ago. Total production rose 5% to 3.13 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), while Chevron sold its U.S. oil for $54 a barrel last quarter, compared with $19 a year earlier. Chevron expects output from the Permian basin to be almost same as last year's, but said it will add drilling rigs in the second half. Its production rate from the top U.S. shale basin is expected to be 600,000 boepd by 2021 end. "It's still a fundamentally oversupplied world and that's why we're being cautious... We're not going to be driven by an output target or a production target," Jay Johnson, Chevron's upstream executive vice president told analysts. Meanwhile, top U.S. oil producer Exxon Mobil said it expects more spending on key projects, including Guyana and Permian, in the second half of this year. Anish Kapadia, director of energy at London-based Palissy Advisors, said Chevron's Permian additions "still seem measured" and the two U.S. producers seemed to be focusing on cashflow over production. Crude oil prices this year through June were up 57%, while hard-hit refining and chemicals improved with better plant utilization rates and margins. The United States accounted for most of a $839 million profit at Chevron's refining operations in the quarter as Asia units suffered from weak margins. CFO Breber said cost-cuts are largely over and it has achieved targeted savings from its 2020 takeover of Noble Energy. It is aiming to raise up to $2 billion from asset sales this year. Its adjusted profit of $1.71 per share beat Wall Street estimates of $1.59, according to Refinitiv IBES data. The company's shares were down 0.9% at $101.65 in afternoon trade after opening higher amid a broader drop in energy stocks. (Reporting by Shariq Khan in Bengaluru; additional reporting by Gary McWilliams; editing by Richard Pullin and Arun Koyyur) (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.) ZURICH (Reuters) - Chairman Antonio Horta-Osorio has bought another 1 million Swiss francs ($1.1 million) worth of shares in the group as he tries to restore order to Switzerland's second-biggest bank. Regulatory filings showed a member of the bank's board of directors had purchased the shares on Friday. A spokesperson confirmed it was Horta-Osorio. In May, Horta-Osorio had bought 1.1 million Swiss francs worth of shares in the group. The former Lloyds chief executive is looking at the bank's risk management and culture in the wake of two major crises as well as reviewing the bank's strategic options. His purchase comes a day after a review found a "lackadaisical" attitude towards risk and "a lack of accountability" were to blame for its $5.5 billion loss on investment fund Archegos as the bank reported a near 80% fall in second-quarter profit. ($1 = 0.9063 Swiss francs) (Reporting by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi; Editing by Michael Shields 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.) has launched a probe into the allegations of wrongdoing against the Group in the Pegasus snooping scandal, with authorities inspecting the cybersecurity company's offices over alleged abuses of its spyware by several government clients which have raised eyebrows the world over. Representatives of several bodies visited the office of to assess the allegations raised in regards to the company on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Israel's Ministry of Defence said. When asked to share details, she told PTI that "we aren't elaborating at the moment". Local media reports said that the bodies conducting the inspection are the Export Control Division of the Ministry of Defence and the National Security Council, which is also authorised to conduct investigations if necessary. The focus of the investigation is to examine whether the company acted in accordance with the permits and powers granted to it by the Export Control Division of the Ministry of Defence, the reports said. The alleged use of the Pegasus software to spy on journalists, human rights defenders, politicians and others in a number of countries, including India, triggered concerns over issues relating to Politicians, rights activists and journalists were among those targeted with phone spyware sold to various governments by the Israeli firm, according to an media consortium. Amid reports of the use of spyware against French President Emmanuel Macron, Israeli Defence Minister, Benny Gantz, visited Paris on Wednesday and assured his French counterpart, Florence Parly that Jerusalem is taking the issue "seriously". ALSO READ: Pegasus issue: SC to hear plea of journalists N Ram, Sashi Kumar next week "Minister Gantz addressed the topic of and stated that is taking the allegations seriously. He noted that the State of approves the export of cyber products exclusively to governmental entities, for lawful use and only for the purpose of preventing and investigating crime and counter terrorism," a spokesperson for the Israeli Defence Minister said. "He also informed Minister Parly that officials visited NSO's office (Wednesday) and that Israel is investigating the allegations thoroughly", she said. Israel last week established a committee to review the allegations of misuse of the NSO group's surveillance software and hinted at a possible "review of the whole matter of giving licences". The defence establishment appointed a review committee made up of a number of bodies," lawmaker Ram Ben-Barak, the head of Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, had announced without sharing further details. When they finish their review, we'll demand to see the results and assess whether we need to make corrections," Ben-Barak, who earlier was the former deputy head of Israel's Mossad spy agency, added. Israel's priority was to review this whole matter of giving licenses, he then stressed. NSO's chief executive, Shalev Hulio, had welcomed the move in an interview to Army Radio saying that he would be very pleased if there were an investigation so that we'd be able to clear our name. Hulio claimed that there was an effort to smear the whole Israeli cyber industry". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States has expressed "deep concerns" with what it called increasingly harsh surveillance, harassment, and intimidation of US and other foreign in China, after correspondents of several media outlets were reportedly heckled and booed on the streets of Henan province while covering floods. In a statement, the US State Department said that Beijing claims to welcome foreign media and support their work but in reality, its "harsh rhetoric" toward any news it perceives to be critical of Chinese policies, has provoked negative public sentiment leading to tense, in-person confrontations and harassment, including online verbal abuse and death threats of simply doing their jobs. "Foreign are increasingly refused visas to enter or remain in the PRC, severely limiting the quantity and quality of independent reporting on important issues. We call on the PRC to act as a responsible nation hoping to welcome foreign media and the world for the upcoming Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games," the state department. Recently, after Chinese state media hit out at foreign media for their coverage of floods in Chinese cities, citizens harrassed correspondents for several media outlets on the streets of Zhengzhou city of Henan province over the weekend. According to a report in Hong Kong Free Press early this week, the Chinese social media platform Weibo was filled with angry posts criticising the coverage of foreign correspondents as Chinese cities witnessed heavy downpours and flooding. The criticism was mainly aimed at BBC's Correspondent Robin Brant for a report that questioned government policies after a dozen people die in a train carriage amid the flooding. Chinese Communist Party (CCP) under President Xi Jinping rules with an iron fist. The media in the country is tightly controlled and journalists, who are deemed as anti-government, are punished and jailed. According to Reporter Without Borders, continues to be the world's "biggest jailer of press freedom defenders", with more the 120 currently detained in the country, "often in life-threatening conditions". In recent months, China has been targeting foreign journalists for highlighting the atrocities of the Chinese Communist Party and the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. At least 20 journalists have been expelled or forced to leave China since last year, the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China has said. The club says Beijing deploys "intimidation" tactics as part of efforts to obstruct the work of foreign reporters. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has stopped processing registrations of U.S. initial public offerings (IPOs) and other sales of securities by Chinese companies while it crafts new guidance for disclosing to investors the risk of a new regulatory crackdown by Beijing, according to people familiar with the matter. Chinese listings in the have reached a record $12.8 billion so far this year, according to Refinitiv data, as companies swooped in to capitalize on the U.S. stock market reaching daily record highs. Deal flow slowed down substantially this month after Chinese regulators banned ride-sharing giant Didi Global Inc from signing up new users just days after its blockbuster IPO. They followed up with crackdowns on technology and private education companies. SEC commissioner Allison Lee said on Tuesday that Chinese companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges must disclose to investors the risks of the Chinese government interfering in their businesses as part of their regular reporting obligations. The SEC has asked companies not to submit any registrations for the issuance of securities until it gives them specific guidance on how to disclose the risks they face in China, the sources said. It was not immediately clear how long this would take. A spokesman for the SEC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The SEC's move represents the latest salvo by U.S. regulators against corporate China, which has frustrated Wall Street for years with its reluctance to submit to U.S. auditing standards and improve the governance of companies held closely by founders. The agency has been under intense pressure from U.S. lawmakers to take a tougher line. A group of senators including Republicans John Kennedy and Bill Hagerty wrote to SEC chair Gary Gensler this week urging "thorough investigations of U.S. listed Chinese companies' concerning lack of transparency." Last month, the SEC removed the chairman of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), which has been unsuccessful in a push to ensure independent auditing of U.S.-listed Chinese companies. The SEC is also under pressure to finalize rules on the delisting of Chinese companies that do not comply with U.S. auditing requirements. Some 418 Chinese companies are listed on U.S. exchanges, according to Refinitiv. The S&P/BNY Mellon Select ADR Index, which tracks the American depositary receipts of major U.S.-listed Chinese companies, has lost 22% of its value year-to-date, compared to an 18% rise in the S&P 500 index. No major U.S. IPO of a Chinese company is in the works following Didi, as the business community in tries to get to grips with the regulators' intentions. Chinese officials said last week they would bar tutoring for profit in core school subjects to ease financial pressures on families that have contributed to low birth rates, sending shockwaves through the country's private education sector. This came on the heels of a broad crackdown on China's massive internet sector amid concern in Beijing over the safety of the personal data of its citizens. China's securities regulator held a meeting with executives of top global investment banks on Wednesday to calm financial market nerves, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Official policies will be rolled out more steadily to avoid sharp volatility in the markets, the regulator told the banks. State-backed newspaper Daily also said Beijing remained supportive of domestic companies seeking to list overseas, and that regulators would soon unveil measures to further open capital market to foreign entities. Some Chinese companies canceled their U.S. IPOs this month proactively. LinkDoc Technologies pulled its offering to raise $211 million soon after Didi's troubles emerged, while Hello Inc this week announced its U.S. listing plans were on hold., (Reporting by Echo Wang in New York, Scott Murdoch and Kane Wu in Hong Kong; additional reporting by Katanga Johnson in Washington, D.C.; editing by Greg Roumeliotis and Richard Pullin) (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Shares of International soared 15 per cent to Rs 211.45, also its 52-week high on the BSE in intra-day trade on Friday after the information technology (IT) consulting & software company announced that its board will consider share proposal in their forthcoming board meeting. In the past one month, the stock rallied has 36 per cent, as compared to a 0.48 per cent rise in the S&P BSE Sensex. The board of directors of the company is scheduled to meet on August 06, 2021, to consider the proposal for of equity shares of the company, quantum & mode of buyback, appointment of intermediaries and other matters incidental thereto, International said in an exchange filing. The company further said the board will also consider and approve the financial results of the company for the quarter and half year ended June 30, 2021 (Q1FY22). As of June 30, 2021, the promoters held a 51.58 per cent stake in International, 48.42 per cent was in public shareholding and 36.85 per cent stake was held by a single investor Bhavook Tripathi, the shareholding pattern data shows. is a corporate action in which a company buybacks its shares from the existing shareholders usually at a price higher than the market price. When it buys back, the number of shares outstanding in the market reduces. A buyback allows companies to invest in themselves. By reducing the number of shares outstanding on the market, buybacks increase the proportion of shares a company owns. The reasons for buy-back are to improve earnings per share, return on capital, return on net worth and to enhance the long-term shareholder value. It also provides an additional exit route to shareholders when shares are undervalued or are thinly traded, enhances consolidation of stake in the company, prevents unwelcome takeover bids, returns surplus cash to shareholders and helps achieve optimum capital structure. Buybacks also support the share price during periods of sluggish market conditions and help to service the equity more efficiently. At 09:43 am, the stock of R Systems traded 13 per cent higher at Rs 207.55 on the BSE, as compared to a 0.17 per cent rise in the S&P BSE Sensex. The trading volumes on the counter more-than-doubled, with a combined around 1 million shares having changed hands on the NSE and BSE so far. The initial public offer (IPO) of Rings was subscribed 130 times on Friday, the concluding day of the offer. The institutional portion was subscribed 143 times, the wealthy investor portion by 360 times and the retail investor portion by 24.5 times. The Rs 731-crore generated bids worth Rs 66,744 crore. Rings had priced its initial public offer (IPO) between Rs 880-900 per share. The offer comprised a fresh issue of Rs 56 crore and an offer for sale of shares worth Rs 675 crore. Rings will have a market cap of Rs 2,451 crore at the upper end of the price band. The promoter holding in the company will decline from 59 per cent to 57.64 per cent following the For the year ended March 2021, Rolex Rings had reported a net profit of Rs 87 crore on revenues of Rs 616 crore. The company is a manufacturer and supplier of hot rolled forged and machined bearing rings, and automotive components for two-wheelers, passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, off-highway vehicles, electric vehicles, industrial machinery, wind turbines and railways, amongst other segments. It also supplies its products to some leading bearing manufacturing companies, tier-I suppliers to global auto companies and some auto original equipment manufacturers (OEM). Rolex Rings started its manufacturing operations in 1988, with its first manufacturing plant set up in Rajkot. The date of filing its red herring prospectus (RHP) has three manufacturing units in Rajkot. Rolex Rings product portfolio includes a wide range of bearing rings, gearbox, and automotive components. For fiscal 2021, the company supplied bearing rings and automotive components to over 60 customers in 17 countries, including India, the United States of America, Germany, France, Italy, the Czech Republic, and Thailand. The company plans to utilise the net proceeds from the fresh issue for funding long-term working capital requirements. Equirus Capital, IDBI Capital and JM Financial were the book running lead managers to the offer. Ajanta Pharma's consolidated net profit jumped 17.58% to Rs 173.75 crore on a 11.94% increase in revenue from operations to Rs 747.99 crore in Q1 June 2021 (Q1 FY22) over Q1 June 2020 (Q1 FY21). Consolidated profit before tax rose 6.65% to Rs 220.45 crore in Q1 FY22 as against Rs 206.69 crore in Q1 FY21. Consolidated EBITDA fell marginally to Rs 220 crore in Q1 June 2021 as against Rs 223 crore in Q1 June 2020. The EBITDA stood at 29% of revenue from operations. The Q1 earnings was declared post trading hours yesterday, 29 July 2021. In India, Ajanta Pharma's Q1 FY22 sales grew 32% to Rs 229 crore as against Rs 174 crore in Q1 FY21. As per IQVIA MAT June 2021, the pharmaceutical company posted a healthy growth of 14% in Cardiology (segment growth of 15%), 17% in Ophthalmology (segment growth of 10%), 21% in Dermatology (segment growth of 12%) and 30% in Pain Management (segment growth of 10%). The total export sales rose 6% to Rs 513 crore in Q1 FY22 as compared to Rs 483 crore in Q1 FY21. During Q1 FY22, Research & Development (R&D) expenses stood at Rs 45 crore (which was 6% of revenue from operations) from Rs 31 crore in Q1 FY 2021 (which is 5% of revenue from operations). Ajanta Pharma is a speciality pharmaceutical formulation company having branded generic business in India and emerging markets, generic business in US and institution business in Africa. Shares of Ajanta Pharma declined 2.11% to Rs 2,343.70 on BSE. The scrip hovered in the range of Rs 2,331 to Rs 2,381.65 so far. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ashoka Buildcon gained 3.41% to Rs 109.25 after the EPC company won the contract for development of existing Grand Port Hospital to 600 beds super speciality hospital. The company will also construct a medical college with residential quarters of Zodiac Healotronics. The project is to be completed in the space of 60 months. The accepted EPC contract value of the project is Rs 600 crore. Ashoka Buildcon is engaged in construction & maintenance of roads and supporting services to land support-operation of toll roads. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd is quoting at Rs 262.9, down 0.27% on the day as on 13:24 IST on the NSE. The stock jumped 22.28% in last one year as compared to a 42.8% rally in NIFTY and a 24.54% spurt in the Nifty Energy index. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd fell for a fifth straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 262.9, down 0.27% on the day as on 13:24 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.22% on the day, quoting at 15812.9. The Sensex is at 52746.76, up 0.18%.Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd has eased around 11.24% in last one month.Meanwhile, Nifty Energy index of which Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd is a constituent, has eased around 3.26% in last one month and is currently quoting at 18975.35, up 0.48% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 38.41 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 44.27 lakh shares in last one month. The benchmark August futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 264.75, up 0.04% on the day. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd jumped 22.28% in last one year as compared to a 42.8% rally in NIFTY and a 24.54% spurt in the Nifty Energy index. The PE of the stock is 3.51 based on TTM earnings ending March 21. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Japan stock market finished session steep lower on Friday, 30 July 2021, giving up all the gains in the previous session, as risk aversion selloff triggered across the board amid deepening uncertainty over Japan's economic rebound following nationwide COVID-19 infection cases reached 10,693 on Thursday. Meanwhile, sentiments also weighed down by government plans to expand the COVID-19 state of emergency to four more prefectures struggling to contain the virus. At closing bell, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average tumbled 498.83 points, or 1.8%, to 27,283.59. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange retreated 26.35 points, or 1.37%, to 1,901.08. Trading volume turnover in the 1st section increased to 1,236 million shares from 1,169 million shares in previous session. Trading value turnover increased to 2,846.93 billion yen from 2,579.05 billion yen in previous session. Total 31 of 33 sectors sub-indexes on the Tokyo exchange ended lower, with bottom performing sectors were Pharmaceutical (down 3.2%, Other Products (down 2.6%), Information & Communication (down 2.1%), Other Financial Business (down 1.9%), Construction (down 1.8%), Glass & Ceramics Products (down 1.6%), Services (down 1.6%), Fishery, Agriculture & Forestry (down 1.5%), and Electric Power & Gas (down 1.4%) sectors. Tokyo stocks commenced trading with a back-foot on cautious over recent record COVID-19 infections and remained in negative territory throughout the day, as COVID-19 cases nationwide reached 10,693 on Thursday and Tokyo confirmed 3,865 infection cases the same day, marking an all-time high for the third straight day. Meanwhile, sentiments weighed down by government plans to expand the COVID-19 state of emergency to four more prefectures struggling to contain the virus. Government expected to expand a virus state of emergency from Tokyo and the southern Okinawa region to several other areas, and extend the measures to the end of August. Shares of Airlines were lower as recent surge in coronavirus cases has amplified concerns about potential restrictions in movement, with ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines both finishing nearly 1% lower. Shares of Fujiya closed higher, after the confectionary company revised upward its earnings projection for the business year through December. Omron shares advanced after the electronics company reported strong earnings for the April-June quarter, with its operating profit more than doubling from a year earlier. ECONOMIC NEWS: Japan Industrial Production Advances 6.2% On Month In June- Japan industrial output advanced a seasonally adjusted 6.2% on month in June, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on Friday, following the downwardly revised 6.5% contraction in May, originally -5.9%. On a yearly basis, industrial production spiked 22.6% following the 21.1% gain in the previous month. Upon the release of the data, the METI maintained its assessment of industrial production, saying that it is picking up. Japan Retail Sales Up 3.1% On Month In June- Japan total value of retail sales was up a seasonally adjusted 3.1% on month in June, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on Friday, following the upwardly revised 0.3% contraction in May. On a yearly basis, retail sales rose 0.1% following the upwardly revised 8.3% gain in the previous month. CURRENCY NEWS: The Japanese yen traded at 109.57 per dollar, strengthening slightly from levels above 109.9 earlier in the week. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Generic Health, the Australia based wholly-owned subsidiary of Lupin today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement under which Lupin will acquire 100% of the shares of Southern Cross Pharma (SCP). Incorporated in Melbourne, Australia, SCP is engaged in developing, registering, and distributing generic products. As a part of the transaction, Generic Health will gain access to over 60 registered products having sales of over AUD 30 Mn (approximately USD 22 Mn). This will significantly increase Lupin's value proposition and market share in the Australian market. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor The key equity indices traded with decent gains in early afternoon trade. The Nifty traded above the 15,800 mark. Pharma shares witnessed some bargain buying after a three-day losing streak. At 12:27 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 99.72 points or 0.19% to 52,752.79. The Nifty 50 index added 32.85 points or 0.21% to 15,811.30. In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.75% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index gained 0.82%. The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 1889 shares rose and 1205 shares fell. A total of 139 shares were unchanged. Derivatives: The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of market's expectation of volatility over the near term, rose 0.61% to 13.03. The Nifty 26 August 2021 futures were trading at 15,811.60, at a premium of 0.30 points as compared with the spot of 15,811.30. The Nifty option chain for 26 August 2021 expiry showed maximum Call OI of 21.2 lakh contracts at the 15,800 strike price. Maximum Put OI of 28.9 lakh contracts was seen at 15,000 strike price. Buzzing Index: The Nifty Pharma index rose 1.22% to 14,090.20, amid some bit of bargain hunting. The index had declined by 5% in the past three sessions. Alkem Laboratories (up 3.29%), Cadila Healthcare (up 2.10%), Dr. Reddy's Labs (up 1.95%), Torrent Pharma (up 1.48%), Cipla (up 1.19%), Divi's Labs (up 1.14%), Biocon (up 0.90%), Lupin (up 0.74%), Sun Pharma (up 0.71%) and Aurobindo Pharma (up 0.35%) advanced. Stocks in Spotlight: Tejas Networks hit an upper circuit of 5% at Rs 258.30. The company's board had approved the issuance of shares and warrants to Tata Sons and its subsidiaries for an investment of Rs 1,884 crore. The transaction, when warrants are fully converted to shares, will give Tatas a 43% shareholding in the company, putting them in control. In addition, Tatas have announced an open offer to buy 26% of the company's shares from public shareholders, in compliance with Sebi's takeover code. Ashoka Buildcon gained 2.79% to Rs 108.60. The EPC company won the contract for development of existing Grand Port Hospital to 600 beds super speciality hospital. The company will also construct a medical college with residential quarters of Zodiac Healotronics. The project is to be completed in the space of 60 months. The accepted EPC contract value of the project is Rs 600 crore. Ashok Leyland jumped 6.83% to Rs 133.80. Switch Mobility, an electrified commercial vehicles company and a subsidiary of Ashok Leyland, has announced a strategic agreement with Dana Incorporated (Dana), the global leader in drivetrain and e-propulsion systems, to make a minority investment in Switch. Under the terms of the agreement, Dana will make a strategic investment in Switch Mobility and will also be a preferred supplier of electric drivetrain components for the company's e-bus and EV commercial vehicle offering - including e-Axles, gearboxes, motors, inverters, software and controls, and electronics cooling, Switch Mobility said in a release. The company further said with this agreement, Dana not only becomes an important supplier to Switch but will also invest $18 million in the company, representing an approximate 1%stake. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian students headed to foreign universities for higher education must ensure they buy a student travel insurance policy. They can buy this policy from an insurer in India, or from a foreign insurer approved by their university. Buying this cover is essential. In countries like the US, it is mandatory for foreign students to have student insurance. Even if the university does not impose this condition, students must buy this cover for their own financial well-being. They will spend several years abroad, and the cost of medical treatment tends to be very high in the developed world. ... Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai Friday said the imminent could take place early within next week in the wake of rising Covid cases and floods in some districts in the state. Bommai, who is on his first visit to Delhi as chief minister, said he "explained the necessity of early cabinet expansion" in a meeting with BJP president J P Nadda. "We will get the nod within next week. I have not discussed the list of probables in today's meeting. But told the need of early decision on this issue," he told reporters here. Bommai said he may visit Delhi again on this issue and sought time from the BJP high command. Expanding the Ministry will be the first big challenge before Bommai as he will have to navigate through the cabinet formation exercise by maintaining balance between factions within the ruling BJP. There are several aspirants among the party old guard, and legislators who had joined the BJP after quitting the Congress-JD(S) coalition in 2019. Bommai also made it clear that his government will not be a rubber stamp. "No Bommai stamp or rubber stamp, my administration will have only the BJP stamp," he asserted. In a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bommai said he updated him about Covid and floods situation. "I discussed about vaccination shortage in the state. The prime minister has assured full support," he added. Bommai also announced setting up of a small working group to fast track clearances of central projects and make commissionerate in Delhi proactive and accountable. Apart from the prime minister, Bommai called on Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and the Jal Shakti Minister. He also hosted a lunch for MPs from the state at Hotel Ashoka here. Bommai, who was elected as the new leader of the BJP legislature party on Tuesday, following B S Yediyurappa's resignation, took oath as the chief minister on Wednesday. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai left for New Delhi on Friday morning from Bengaluru HAL airport. He is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Naredra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, party President J.P. Nadda and other senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party and seek blessings. Though he had clarified that there will be no discussion on cabinet expansion, Chief Minister Bommai is expected to give feelers about his cabinet to the Central leadership and get instructions on preparing his list of cabinet ministers. Chief Minister Bommai will also hold a meeting with MPs from the state to discuss issues related to the state and coordination. He will meet Union Ministers regarding pending projects and funds of the state and seek their cooperation for speedy implementation of various developmental works. Bommai will return to Bengaluru on Saturday. He is expected to make another trip to New Delhi after four days to finalise the the list of cabinet ministers. --IANS mka/dpb (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Newly appointed Chief Minister of Basavaraj Bommai on Friday met Defence Minister here. After the meeting, tweeted, "Met with the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Basavaraj Bommai today. I conveyed my best wishes to him for a successful tenure ahead." Bommai is likely to meet Prime Minister Modi around 4 p.m. today. He will also meet BJP chief J.P. Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Chief Minister is on a two-day visit to the capital. "It is a courtesy visit to the capital during which Bommai will discuss his cabinet expansion with the central leadership. During his meeting with Prime Minister Modi, Bommai is also likely to discuss issues concerning the development and Covid situation in the state," sources said. This is the first visit of Bommai to Delhi after being sworn in as the Chief Minister of He was elected leader of the BJP Legislative party after former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa resigned on July 26. On Thursday, Bommai had said that he is going to Delhi, where he will meet Prime Minister Modi, Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, J.P. Nadda to take blessings from them. Bommai had also hinted that cabinet expansion will be discussed with the party's central leadership. --IANS ssb/dpb (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The proceedings were adjourned till Monday amid continuous protests by over the Pegasus snooping controversy, farm laws and price rise. After the House resumed post lunch at 2.30 pm, Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh, who was in the chair, called for private member business. The government introduced two bills -- the Limited Liability Partnership (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2021. Subsequently, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar moved a motion for consideration of the Coconut Development Board (Amendment) Bill, 2021. The bill was passed by a voice vote amidst the protest and sloganeering by the Opposition after a short reply from the minister. The deputy chairman then adjourned the House till Monday 11 am. Earlier, the proceedings were adjourned twice -- first till noon and then till 2.30 pm. When the House re-assembled at noon after the first adjournment for the Question Hour, several Opposition members trooped into the Well, some of them carrying placards, and started raising slogans against the government. The House took up a few of the listed questions and the ministers concerned replied to the members' queries. However, as the sloganeering by the Opposition members continued, the deputy chairman adjourned the proceedings till 2.30 pm. Earlier, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu had adjourned the proceedings till 12.00 hours just as the members of the Congress, TMC and other stood up to raise the issues they have been pressing for since the start of the Monsoon Session of on July 19. Before adjourning the House, Naidu expressed concern over parliamentary dignity and prestige being compromised by MPs by conducts such as whistling and placing placards in front of the ministers speaking during their protests in the last few days. He appealed to the members to see that the decency and dignity of the House are maintained. Thereafter, the listed official papers were laid on the table of the House. Naidu then called for the Zero Hour, where MPs raise issues of public importance. But just like the previous days, the Opposition MPs were up on their feet raising the snooping controversy, farm laws, fuel prices and other issues. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The parliamentary standing committee on saw a battle of letters play out with its head urging Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to take action over ministry officials' "last-minute refusal" to attend a meeting of the panel and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey shooting off a missive to Birla calling for the Congress leader's removal as the panel's chairperson. Dubey in his letter, also alleged that Tharoor is known for his "eccentric nature" as well as "acute psychological disorder and disorientation", while the Congress leader later tweeted, without naming anyone, that he doesn't want to respond to "uncouth and obnoxious comments" and cited a quote from Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw -- "I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it." In his letter to the speaker, Tharoor said the action of representatives of three ministries constitutes "breach of parliamentary privilege and contempt of the House". Dubey, who is a member of the panel, urged the speaker not to take any cognizance of Tharoor's letter. The BJP MP urged Birla to "initiate urgent action and dismiss" Tharoor from the parliamentary standing committee on information technology's chairmanship, saying otherwise he will continue to raise "irrelevant issues". The panel was to hold a meeting on Wednesday to discuss several issues including the Pegasus snooping allegations. It had summoned officials from the Ministry of Electronics and (MeitY), the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Communications (Department of Telecommunications) on the subject 'citizens data security and privacy'. However, the meeting could not take place as BJP members of the panel did not sign the attendance register, even though they were present in the meeting room, leading to a lack of quorum. In his July 29 letter to Birla, Congress MP Tharoor said just before the sitting, he was informed by the committee branch of the secretariat that e-mail communications have been received on July 28 afternoon from the three ministries/department that their representatives would not be able to appear before the committee. Tharoor said the Ministry of Home Affairs forwarded their mail at 2:33 pm, MeitY at 2:44 pm and the Department of Telecommunications at 2:52 pm on July 28. He said that as chairperson of the panel he did not excuse these witnesses from attendance. The notice informing the members of the committee for the sitting was issued on July 20 and the ministries/department concerned were also informed on that day, he said, adding that all the three ministries/department had confirmed their participation. "The last-minute refusal of the ministries/department to appear before the committee has been unprecedented and clearly constitutes breach of parliamentary privilege and contempt of the House. Besides, this has undermined the authority of a parliamentary committee," Tharoor said. He urged the Lok Sabha speaker to take serious cognisance of this matter and undertake action as deemed appropriate under the rules. In his letter to Birla, Dubey hit out at Tharoor for seeking action over the issue, saying it is also a matter of record that till date, no Parliamentary Committee - either serviced by Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha - has ever initiated any privilege proceedings against the officials of the Government of India who expressed their inability to appear before any Committee due to administrative exigencies. "But, Dr. Tharoor, who is known for his 'eccentric nature' as well as 'acute psychological disorder and disorientation' has not honoured this tacit 'concept of mutual respect' between the two organs of the governance i.e., the 'Executive' and the 'Legislature', purely due to his parochial objective of loosening the noose of his 'sacking' from the chairmanship of the committee on information technology," Dubey alleged in his letter dated July 30. Without naming anyone, Tharoor tweeted a quote from Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. "To the journalists asking for my response to certain uncouth & obnoxious comments, this is why I have no intention of replying!" he said on Twitter with Shaw's quote -- "I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it." The committee was expected to discuss the Pegasus snooping case in its last meeting which did not take place due to lack of quorum. An international media consortium has reported that over 300 verified Indian mobile phone numbers were on a list of potential targets for surveillance using Israeli firm NSO's Pegasus spyware. Opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi, two union ministers -- Prahlad Singh Patel and Railways and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, businessman Anil Ambani, a former CBI chief, and at least 40 journalists are on the list on the leaked database of NSO. It is, however, not established that all the phones were hacked. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India and the US on Friday renewed for another five years a global development partnership agreement that provides for jointly offering assistance to their partner countries in areas of connectivity, trade and investments, healthcare and agriculture. Both sides signed the second amendment to the Statement of Guiding Principles (SGP) on Triangular Cooperation for Global Development, the Ministry of External Affairs said. The SGP agreement was signed in November 2014 and the fresh amendment extended the pact's validity up to 2026. "Under the agreement, India and US will continue to offer capacity building assistance to partner countries in multiple sectors, focusing primarily on agriculture, regional connectivity, trade and investments, nutrition, health, clean and renewable energy, women empowerment, disaster preparedness, water, sanitation, education and institution building," the MEA said. The US embassy said the SGP between the US and India leverages the combined capacities of the two sides to address global development challenges facing countries in the wider region and the world, particularly in Asia and Africa. "The US-India partnership is a significant contributor to regional and global stability and prosperity. Today the two countries reiterated their commitment, signing a five-year extension to the Statement of Guiding Principles on Triangular Cooperation for Global Development (SGP)," it said in a release. Atul Keshap, the Charge d'Affaires of the in India, described renewal of the agreement as a signal by the two sides to their joint commitment to global prosperity. "As a signal of our joint commitment to global prosperity, today, the United States and India renewed our global development partnership agreement, affirming our goals to meet the development aspirations of partner countries, particularly in Asia and Africa. #USIndiaDosti," he tweeted. The MEA said the second amendment expands the scope of capacity building activities undertaken jointly by India and the US and also provides for a consultative mechanism for biannual monitoring and review of activities undertaken under the SGP. "The agreement helps fulfil the joint commitment of both nations to work together and leverage their combined capacities to provide demand-driven development partnership," the MEA said in a statement. "This triangular cooperation with the US will complement India's other ongoing and future development partnerships, capacity building and technical assistance with countries globally," it said. The signing of the agreement came two days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited India during which both sides agreed to further expand cooperation in several areas. The amendment was signed by Abhilasha Joshi, Joint Secretary, Development Partnership Administration-II division in the MEA, and Karen Klimowsky, Acting Mission Director for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in India. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chairman voiced strong concern on Friday over the conduct of some MPs in the Upper House of Parliament during their protest over the Pegasus snooping row and other issues, saying such conduct lowered the dignity and prestige of the House. Appealing to the members to maintain decorum and decency in the House, he said some MPs were whistling while some others used placards to block the view of ministers. A few others placed their hands over the shoulders of the marshals when the MPs of opposition parties such as the Congress and the TMC were protesting over different issues in the Well of the House. "All these things are taking the House to a new low. I am very much concerned about this," Naidu said at the start of the day's business. "I only request to all the members to see that the decency and dignity of the House is maintained. That is my earnest appeal. There is a limit to patience and we should not exhaust the patience of the House." He said the two options before him are to either allow such conduct and convert the House into a "bazaar" or take action. "House has a decorum, prestige and practice. That has to be seen," he said. While protesting over issues is fine, the dignity and the prestige of the House should not be compromised, Naidu said. MPs from opposition parties have stalled the proceedings in the since the start of the Monsoon Session of Parliament on July 19 over issues ranging from the use of Israeli-made, military-grade Pegasus spyware to snoop on political rivals, critics of the government and journalists, to contentious farm laws and the fuel price hike. "It was brought to my notice that some members are whistling in the House. 'Siti baja rahe hai apni purani aadat se' (whistling because of an old habit). This is House," Naidu said. "Secondly, some members are putting their hands on the shoulders of the marshals. I do not know what prompted them." Also, some members carrying placards are standing in front of the ministers, blocking their view, he said. "There are two ways (to deal with this) -- one, ignore this and allow this to become a bazaar (market). 'Har ek apna siti bajata rahe, bajate raho' (everyone can whistle)," Naidu said. "Second, taking action." The chairman said he felt really sorry to say this from the podium. "I never expected my members to go to that level," he said. MPs can protest, walk out of the House, vehemently oppose the government and even stall business, Naidu said, adding that some had told him that business was stalled during the previous regimes as well. "I am not going into that," he said. The chairman, who is also the vice president of the country, said the Question Hour and the Zero Hour are the members' property and not the property of the government. During the Question Hour, the members can raise questions over various issues and elicit a response from the ministers concerned, while in the Zero Hour, they can raise issues of public importance. But when names are called to raise questions or present Zero-Hour subjects, the members do not respond because they are protesting in the Well, Naidu said. To educate people about the issues their MPs wanted to raise during the Zero Hour, the Rajya Sabha Bulletin, which carries the day's proceedings, will mention those, he added. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bangalore (Karnataka) [India], July 30 (ANI/PRNewswire): (https://www.linkedin.com/company/talview) Talview, a leading provider of an end-to-end,(https://www.talview.com) AI-powered hiring and proctoring solution, today announced it closed $15M in Series B funding led by Silicon Valley investor Eileses Capital with participation from existing investors Storm Ventures, Inventus Capital and Emergent Ventures. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kishorebopardikar) Kishore Bopardikar, Co-founder at Eileses Capital LLC, will join the Talview board, while (https://www.linkedin.com/in/arunpenmetsa) Arun Penmetsa, Partner at Storm Ventures, will continue on the board. The new capital further validates that Talview's video AI platform is perfectly positioned to help organizations analyze talent interactions for more efficient and effective talent decisions in a digitized world where video plays a key role. With (https://www.hr.com/en/resources/free_research_white_papers/the-state-of-high-volume-recruitment-and-assessmen_kio3mboj.html) 42 per cent of organizations believing assessing a candidate for a job fit is challenging, Human Resources (HR) and Talent Acquisition (TA) leaders seek AI-powered talent solutions to support smarter decisions through the talent lifecycle. "Our customers seek to tap into the rich talent and video data generated off and on the platform to improve decision-making through the talent process beyond the date of hire to career development, advancement, upskilling, and more," explained (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjoetomjose) Sanjoe Tom Jose, CEO, and Co-founder of Talview. "With this funding, we plan to further innovate our video AI platform by adding major capabilities at transaction and aggregate levels and also build extensions for many of the mainstream remote-work platforms to help our customers gain profound insights into talent, and make informed, data-driven, and unbiased talent decisions." The funding caps a strong year for the company, where it tripled its customer base, grew revenue more than twice and launched a remote and live proctoring solution for education and certification institutions. It also entered into key partnerships with SAP and expanded scope of its already strong partnership with Microsoft. By transforming talent hiring and lifelong learning, combined with actionable intelligence, the company's enterprise-grade hiring and the proctoring solution delivers better talent and learning results for all stakeholders. Ultimately, this enables customers to create a level playing field for candidates and learners who aspire to succeed in their careers. "The talent lifecycle is increasingly complex and digitized, and we see Talview well positioned to leverage their innovative AI-powered video platform to address the challenges of remote hiring and exam-taking with automation and data intelligence," said Kishore Bopardikar. "Their customer growth globally and product innovation is a testament to their leading platform and strong leadership. We are excited to continue our partnership with Talview to turbocharge their growth." Talview will continue to accelerate and expand their business with enterprise corporations, educational institutions, and certification organizations on a global scale. The company will expand go-to-market efforts across the US, EMEA, and APAC to better support existing and new customers, including Accenture, Allianz, Best Buy, Cognizant, Enel Group, City & Guilds, Cambridge Assessments, and the British Council. "We've been impressed with the level of collaboration and partnership we've experienced from Talview for our hiring initiatives," said Sarah McPherson, Senior D & T Product Manager, Hiring, Onboarding, and Inclusion at Best Buy. "Talview's approach to video AI provides us with valuable candidate insights to support our talent hiring decisions, selection speed, and development strategies for today and the future." This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire) DISCLAIMER (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The University of Michigan and Michigan State University will require all students, faculty and staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the fall semester Whats new: Chinas state energy giant China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (Sinopec) inked a deal Wednesday to purchase 100,000 tons of carbon emission quota from China Resources Group, marking the first bulk transaction since the official launch of the countrys national carbon market. The transaction totaled 5.29 million yuan ($817,190), equivalent to 52.92 yuan ($8.18) per ton, according to data from the Shanghai Environment and Energy Exchange, which operates the carbon market. Analysts said petrochemical companies like Sinopec are engaging in national carbon trading with their own power generation units, which are under mounting pressure to meet emission goals. A total of 17 Sinopec subsidiaries with their own power plants are included in the national carbon market so far. The background: China kicked off its long-awaited national carbon market last week. The goal is to reduce the volumes of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, going into the atmosphere by imposing limits on emissions by factories, generating plants and others. Installations that emit less than their quota can sell excess credits to operations that cant meet the limits. Chinas market is expected to become the worlds largest, outpacing Europes, as total annual carbon emissions of just the first batch of companies involved amount to more than 4 billion tons. The participants include more than 2,162 power generation companies, which account for more than 40% of Chinas energy-related carbon emissions. As of Wednesday, the market completed transactions totaling 4.6 million tons of carbon quotas. Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use. To read the full story in Chinese, click here. Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bobsimison@caixin.com) Download our app to receive breaking news alerts and read the news on the go. Follow the Chinese markets in real time with Caixin Globals new stock database. The torrential rain in Central Chinas Henan province has damaged 150 cities and 1,663 towns, affecting over 14 million people. So far, 302 people have been killed and 50 are missing, authorities said at a news conference Monday. The village of Wangzongdian in Zhengzhou is among the hardest hit places, where landslides triggered by the heavy rain have turned houses into rubble, resulting in at least eight deaths as of Thursday Aug 03, 2021 05:33 PM Become A Subscriber A subscription opens up access to all our online content, including: our interactive E-Edition, a full archive of modern stories, exclusive and expanded online offerings, photo galleries from Caledonian-Record journalists, video reports from our media partners, extensive international, national and regional reporting by the Associated Press, and a wide variety of feature content. article $100.00 / for 365 days Sponsored Content Articles Policy & Procedure Only content submissions which satisfy our conditions for publication will be published. The fee for publication via this portal is $100. This fee is non-refundable. 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Submissions will not be processed for publication without advance payment. Submissions requiring additional support services e.g., to amend content or to effect payment will not be published. By mutual agreement, editorial services may be provided for an additional charge; otherwise, advance payment rendered will be deemed a non-refundable service charge. Upon request to Advertise@cmcHerald.com a link to the published article will be transmitted via email. Our website is directed to a U.S.-based audience; our content may not be accessible to some international audiences due to technology restrictions. By initiating this transaction, the submitter assumes any and all liability associated with publication of the submitted content (e.g., infringement, licensing) and agrees to defend and hold the Publisher harmless. The U.S. Capitol Building, facing east, home of Congress, and located atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Beaufort town manager John Day poses with the sign at town hall in this 2017 photo. The town is expected to announce his retirement plans Friday. (Town of Beaufort photo) Grace Nichols of Montreat puts on her "I voted" sticker as she prepares to scan her 2020 primary election ballot at the First Baptist Church of Black Mountain polling place in Buncombe County on March 3, 2020. Colby Rabon / Carolina Public Press On July 18, two years to the day since it was devastated by an arson attack, Kyoto Animation streamed a short memorial video on its Youtube channel. On the same day, Tatsuki Fujimoto, a 27-year-old mangaka known for the series Chainsaw Man, published a manga that alludes to the attack without mentioning it explicitly. Look Back features an incident that recalls what happened at the studio. It is also a story about the comfort art can bring to those in distress, and so serves as a tribute to all artists, including those who have suffered and died for their work. The 140-page one-shot manga instantly made waves, racking up 2.5 million views in one day on Shonen Jump Plus (the online magazine that released the Japanese version). It can (officially) be read in English for free in Viz Medias Shonen Jump online library check it out here. Read all the news online FREE, for 30 days at no charge. After the trial period well bill your credit card just $6 per month. The charge will appear as "Country Media Inc." on your credit card statement. Cementir sees 1H net profit rise of 140% ICR Newsroom By 30 July 2021 Cementir reported a 16.5 per cent rise in revenues for the first half of 2021 to EUR664.5m from EUR570.4m in the 1H20. The increase reflects an 18.7 per cent rise in the sales of grey and white cement and clinker to 5.457Mt, a 31.4 per cent increase in ready-mix concrete sales to 2.515Mm3 and a 12.2 per cent uptick in aggregates sales to 5.211Mt when compared with the 1H20. EBITDA increased by 36.6 per cent to EUR133.5m in the 1H21 from EUR97.8m in the year-ago period. Group net profit advanced 139.6 per cent to EUR47.9m when compared with the 1H20, when group net profit stood at EUR20m. In addition, the company reduced its net financial debt by 51 per cent to EUR137.6m at 30 June 2021 from EUR280.6m at 30 June 2020. The first half of 2021 closes with very satisfactory results. Compared to the first half of 2020, revenues grew by over 16 per cent, EBITDA by 37 per cent and group net profit by 139.6 per cent. Despite the first half 2020 results were affected by the lockdown due to COVID-19, during 2021 all the markets in which we operate are showing signs of vivacity and in particular Turkey is recovering significantly, commented Francesco Caltagirone Jr, chairman and CEO. Nordic and Baltic performance The Nordic and Baltic market saw a 12.5 per cent rise in revenues to EUR305.6m while EBITDA edged up 2.9 per cent to EUR69.2m. In Denmark sales revenues in the 1H21 reached EUR204.5m, up nine per cent YoY. Growth in the ready-mix concrete, precast and bagged cement segments lead to a seven per cent increase in the domestic market while a favourable product mix positively impacted average sales prices. White cement exports were up around 22 per cent as exports to the USA, UK, Germany, Poland, Belgium and France increased. However, exports of grey cement declined 11 per cent YoY due to lower deliveries to Norway, only partly offset by higher sales in Iceland. In Norway and Sweden revenue was up 14.3 per cent YoY to EUR95.7m on the back of improving ready-mix concrete sales. Belgium In the 1H21 cement sales in the Belgium market increased by 16.4 per cent to EUR139.9m on the back of positive sales volumes in Belgium and France while sales slipped in The Netherlands and Germany. EBITDA was up 25.2 per cent YoY to EUR29.1m in the 1H21. North America In North America revenues edged up 1.2 per cent to EUR76.2m in the 1H21 while EBITDA advanced eight per cent to EUR10.9m. White cement sales volume growth of 13 per cent in the USA was supported by higher deliveries in Florida and New York, while sales in California and Texas were in line with the 1H20. The YoY change reflects the negative impact in 2020 due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Turkey In Turkey revenues reached EUR82.6m in the 1H21, representing a 44.4 per cent increase YoY, despite the devaluation of the Turkish lira agains the euro. EBITDA surged 183.3 per cent to EUR7.4m in the 1H21. Egypt Revenue from sales in Egypt advanced 19 per cent YoY to EUR23.6m in the 1H21 while EBITDA increased by 41.7 per cent YoY to EUR5.3m as sales volumes of white cement increased 30 per cent from a low base in the 1H20 due to the pandemic. Following the impact of the pandemic in the 1H20, exports improved in the 1H21 by 20 per cent, with Russia and the USA taking in higher volumes while Saudi Arabias offtake is contracting. Asia-Pacific In the Asia-Pacific area, which includes China and Malaysia, revenues in the 1H21 were up by 28.6 per cent YoY to EUR48.6m as the Malaysian market saw a 36.6 per cent increase in sales while deliveries in China were up 22.2 per cent. EBITDA improved 33.1 percent to EUR10.9m, supported by a 78.6 per cent advance to EUR2.7m in Malaysia and a 22.6 per cent uptick to EUR8.1m in China. Sales volumes increased by 16 per cent compared to the corresponding half of 2020 due to the start of numerous works, favoured by a substantial public spending plan by the government to support growth, and the recovery of both residential and industrial construction activity. Outlook In light of the results for the first half of the year, the group expects to achieve consolidated revenues of approximately EUR1.35bn (previous target at EUR1.3bn), an EBITDA of between EUR295m-305m (previous target between EUR285m-295m), a net financial debt at the end of 2021 of approximately EUR30m, including both a higher share buyback cash outlay than originally estimated and approximately EUR95m of investments. No substantial changes in the workforce are expected. This forward-looking indication does not include any new outbreaks of the COVID-19 pandemic in the coming months. Published under Buena Vista, CO (81211) Today Isolated thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High near 70F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 49F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact The Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions Chatham, VA (24531) Today Some sun this morning with increasing clouds this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 79F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chatham, VA (24531) Today Mainly cloudy. A few peeks of sunshine possible. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 79F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Physicians in Hamilton County have been asked to release inpatients at Chattanoogas largest hospitals as soon as medically feasible, this after a raging variant of COVID 19 pandemic is buckling the South. Chattanoogas Erlanger, Memorial and Parkridge Hospitals are each at full capacity due to the powerful delta variant yet they are hardly alone. The latest information obtainable from the Johns Hopkins coronavirus dashboard Thursday night show six of the most infected states in the country are located in the South and stunningly -- epidemiology experts are saying this (fourth wave) of the disease is just getting started. Whats more unbelievable is that virtually every person now hospitalized has not been vaccinated; did not take advantage of the massive vaccination program that has been widely available since February in this newest tragedy that is now being called the pandemic of the unvaccinated. One Chattanooga doctor said that of the number of patients under her care who are now COVID positive, there are three who were fully vaccinated but who have been stricken with this latest wave as well. There are some cases where those who received the vaccine have become infected but, in my case, the three patients of mine all have mild symptoms, and none require hospitalization. I have some patients who opted not to take the vaccine who are really sick right now. I believe it is a personal decision each person should make, and not under pressure from anyone, the doctor added, but if there ever was a study to determine the worth of the vaccine, look no further than the hospital admissions right now. The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Dashboard lists the Most Active States where the COVID-19 has now spread like wildfire from Florida. On the list below you will see new cases, which is actually an average over seven days. Mind you, every day this changes, as a new day takes place and the oldest day of the seven days is eliminated. The current Top 10 in the United States: No. 1 -- TEXAS: 9,288 new cases, with 227.9 tests per 100K, and a 10.7% positive rate. No. 2 CALIFORNIA: 7,689 new cases, with 398.4 tests per 100K, and a 4.6% positive rate. No. 3 LOUISIANA: 4,699 new cases, with 438.7 tests per 100K, and a 17.5% positive rate. No. 4 GEORGIA: 3,828 new cases, with 243.3 tests per 100K, and a 17.4% positive rate. No. 5 MISSOURI: 2,835 new cases, with 212.7 tests per 100K, and a 18.9% positive rate. No. 6 ALABAMA: 2,726 new cases, with 89.9 test per 100K, and a 44.0% positive rate No. 7 NORTH CAROLINA: 2,633 new cases, with 185.0 test per 100K, and a 10.1% positive rate. No. 8 TENNESSEE: 2,226 new cases, with 143.3 tests per 100K, and a 16.1% positive rate. No. 9 IOWA: 2,158 new cases, with 36.6 tests per 100K, and a 20.8% positive rate. No. 10 ILLINOIS: 2,082 new cases, with 309.0 tests per 100K, and a 4.0% positive rate MISSISSIPPI, at No. 11, is a simmering cauldron; 1,875 new cases, with 104.5 tests per 100K, but with 42.6 positive results. ARKANSAS has 1,703 new cases and was 20.5 percent positive on 262.1 tests per 100K. KENTUCKY shows 1,549 new cases with 13.5 percent positive testing and SOUTH CAROLINA reports 1,439 new cases with 12.8 percent positive. * * * OUR HOSPITALS FACE A TWO-FRONT WAR Dr. Michael Saag is professor of medicine and infectious diseases and virology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. In Thursdays Editions of the Washington Post, he penned an op-ed post that merits sharing. BY MICHAEL SAGG M.D., Birmingham, Ala. Through the spring and into the early summer, owing in large part to large-scale vaccine production and distribution, every American age 12 and over had access to the vaccine. Many received their jab as soon as it was available. As a result, the number of COVID cases plummeted, the grip on our hospital systems relaxed, death rates fell, and we began to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But in many regions of the country, including the Southeast where I live, up to two-thirds of the population chose not to protect themselves. Ive heard all the reasons: The vaccines are experimental. I am young and healthy; I dont need the vaccine. So what if I get covid? The epidemic is over. The vaccine will destroy my fertility. The vaccine is a government plot. I have the freedom to choose. Nobody can tell me what to do. The doctors are lying to me. Like most of my fellow health-care workers, these comments stunned and stung me. We had spent a year fighting a raging pandemic. We suspended activities in our usual disciplines of medical care, rolled up our sleeves and provided care to the more than 30 million people who showed up in our ERs, clinics, and hospitals. Covid was more than disruptive; it was exhausting. Most of us survived. But we were also fatigued and battle worn. Enter delta. We knew variants had emerged elsewhere in the world. The alpha variant entered the United States as the vaccines were rolling out and, fortunately, was well neutralized by the vaccines immune response. Delta, we thought, would be similar. It is not. As we entered into the July Fourth weekend, many Americans celebrated as if the epidemic had ended: traveling in record numbers and engaging in large gatherings with no masks and no social distancing. All the while, many of those celebrating were unvaccinated and immunologically vulnerable. With the delta variant going from zero cases in March to 60 percent of cases by mid-July, we were approaching a near-perfect storm. Now we are in it. Cases are exploding. Here in Alabama, the state with the lowest vaccination rate (less than 35 percent), rates of infection have risen from less than three cases per 100,000 people four weeks ago to more than 54 cases per 100,000 this week. Suzanne Judd at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health generated models that show, by Labor Day, cases will skyrocket to two to three times the peak we experienced in January. At our 1,157-bed hospital in Birmingham, Alabamas largest, we have risen from three cases in-house in mid-June to more than 67 cases on Wednesday. Statewide, the rise exceeds 500 percent since July 4. These trends are terrifying and, as a virologist who had covid-19 last spring, I can say they induce a kind of pre-traumatic stress in our health-care workers. We know whats coming. Weve experienced this trauma before. We dont want to do this again, but the die is already cast. My fellow health-care workers are being thrown back into the fire, like servicemen and women going back for a third tour of duty in a war zone. This week alone, one infectious-disease colleague and four ER physicians, all fully vaccinated, have become ill with the variant. This is very different from what we experienced before. Delta is different. With the current spike of cases, 99 percent of deaths are occurring in unvaccinated people. Almost all of these are preventable. That is particularly troublesome to health-care workers who struggle valiantly to save the lives of those who now present to the hospital, the vast majority of whom chose not to be vaccinated. Making it worse is the hate we experience from a small, but very real, group of people who seek to undermine our efforts through the steady release of misinformation in social media and elsewhere. I received an inquiry this week from a person who claimed to be a CNN reporter, initially asking me for information about delta and then demanding proof that delta is here. Despite my best effort to explain, I was berated with accusations that I was making this up. (He later posted most of the exchange on Facebook.) I am not alone in suffering these types of attacks. It is this sort of behavior that has led to poor vaccine uptake among many people and resulted in this new spike of cases. Despite the static and misinformation, we will get it done. It will be helpful, however, if this time around we pull together as a country, ignore those who spew hate and sow mistrust of those trying to serve the public. The virus is a formidable enemy and terrifying enough. We cant afford to be fighting a two-front war. * * * For information on vaccine availability and appointments, go to the Hamilton County Health Department website https://health.hamiltontn.org A 67-year-old woman was killed in a wreck on Bonny Oaks Drive early Thursday morning. At approximately 5 a.m., the Chattanooga Police Traffic Division responded to a vehicle crash at 6200 Bonny Oaks Drive. It was found that a Ford was traveling east on Bonny Oaks Drive when for reasons unknown it made contact "in a side swipe style manner" with a Toyota that was also eastbound. The driver of the Ford then then lost control and it slid off the roadway and crashed into a utility pole before coming to rest against a nearby structure. Hamilton County EMS responded and pronounced the driver of the Ford deceased on scene. The other driver was not injured. Hamilton County Assessor of Property Marty Haynes announced Friday his office, in conjunction with the Comptroller of the State of Tennessee, has completed the 2021 countywide reappraisal of property values, which occurs every four years as required by state law. The Assessor has officially released the new lower certified property tax rates for all local governments in Hamilton County. Under Tennessee law, the Hamilton County Commission and local municipalities are now required to accept the new lower certified property tax rate to maintain the same tax revenues prior to the reassessment. Local governments may vote to increase the property tax rate to generate additional tax revenue. Following the conclusion of the 2021 Property Value Reappraisal, my office followed state law and submitted a new, lower certified property tax rate for all local governing bodies in Hamilton County, said Mr. Haynes. A property value reappraisal must be revenue neutral for local governments meaning local governments cannot use the reappraisal process to generate additional tax revenues unless it relates to new construction. Upon receiving the new certified tax rate, the governing body must accept the new lower tax rate, as required by law. If local governments require additional property tax revenue, their city council or commission must publicly vote to increase the property tax rate. "The decision to raise and lower property taxes is a decision made solely by the local governing body not the Assessor of Property, said Mr. Haynes. The Assessors Office is solely responsible for property values and setting new values based on recent property sales. These are the new certified tax rates for Hamilton County and its municipal governments that were submitted on July 14 2020 Tax Rate 2021 Certified Tax Rate HAMILTON COUNTY 2.7652 2.2373 CHATTANOOGA 2.2770 1.8529 COLLEGEDALE 1.6500 1.3897 EAST RIDGE 1.3381 0.9929 LAKESITE 0.2350 0.2007 LOOKOUT MTN. 2.0900 1.7881 RED BANK 1.3900 0.9923 RIDGESIDE 2.7310 2.0517 SIGNAL MTN. 1.8866 1.6412 SODDY DAISY 1.3524 1.1159 WALDEN 0.6053 0.5315 : The overall increase of the final property values countywide was 25 percent higher than in 2017, which is unprecedented since reappraisals began in 1989. In all, the Assessors Office handled 15,000 calls and emails from property owners about their new property assessment. Mr. Haynes said, I especially want to thank all of the employees in the Assessors Office for their hard work, tireless efforts and dedication to completing the reassessments done accurately and on schedule. No part of this reassessment was easy, but the professionalism and commitment to service my employees showed throughout this process is a testament to why this office is considered one of the best Assessor of Property Offices in the state. The next Property Value Reappraisal is scheduled for January 1, 2025. As a voice for the public, writers and journalists carry the duty to report on the events in society and the community. Rick Norton has not only upheld his duty to his career, but also gives his community the words of hope, truth, and courage to cope with the changing times, said officials. When the pandemic changed the lives of the world, Mr. Norton stepped up to deliver life-saving information to a community he has loved and served for many years at the Cleveland Daily Banner. Because of his actions during the pandemic, Mr. Norton has been chosen as the honoree for Arts for the Community First Awards. "With all the stellar, and often unseen, work performed throughout the pandemic by front-line humanitarians like medical specialists, doctors, nurses, assistants and aids, as well as the long line of first responders and long-term healthcare workers, Im humbled that the efforts of someone in the arts could be seen as making a difference, said Mr. Norton, associate editor of the Cleveland Daily Banner. As a community newspaper, it is our job to get the word out to as many people as possible those who subscribe to the Cleveland Daily Banner and those who dont and to do it in a timely, fair and accurate fashion. As a newspaper editor, Mr. Norton writes editorials, personal columns and news stories, while balancing scheduling personnel, assignments, and making sure that all the rest of the news of the day gets reported. As the pandemic started to progress in the early stages of the COVID-19 virus, he saw his regular daily shifts turn into 12 to 14-hour days. His normal became compounding the challenges of daily developments on the virus while presenting the facts to a skeptical public whose fears were worsened by political partisanships and misinformation. Its certainly not on the level of overworked medical professionals or understaffed hospitals, but its a stress that carries its own kind of burden, said Mr. Norton. With the pressures of everyday changes during the pandemic, Mr. Norton took on the challenges of COVID-19 to build a stronger and personal connection to Bradley County and surrounding areas. His weekly column, "Inkspots," has reflected not only the times during which they were written, but the souls and hearts of the community and the people of which they are written. Mr. Nortons writing has reminded his readers of just what a community is all about. He reminds readers of the importance of family, your youth, and the promise of hope and future for the community, said officials. Rick Norton has consistently written from a community-based heart, said Brian Graves, friend and former employee of Norton. They are the heart and soul words from which we all learned and hope are sinking into the hearts and souls of our next generation. Rick Norton reminds us we can get through life. It's not easy and it sometimes comes to an end that may be tragic and too early. But, the foundation of spirit, prayer, support, generosity, charity and yes, even food of which this community's soil is rich has been made stronger by the fertile and timeless words of Rick Norton. Mr. Norton declares that in all of his decades of serving his community, he has never seen such an impact that the pandemic has created across the world. He does believe that it takes a village to keep a community safe, informed, and assured that better days will come. In my 44-plus year career in communications, 24 of which came in a newsroom, I can report the COVID-19 pandemic has become and still is one of the most difficult chapters in a pretty long journalism career, said Mr. Norton. Yet, when considering the trials of those on the true front line, our experiences in newspaper work probably couldnt pass the litmus test. Mr. Norton will be honored at the Community First Awards Gala hosted by Cleveland State Community College in September at the Barn at Faith Farms in Athens, Tn. To purchase a ticket or for more information, contact Cindy Dawson at 614-8703. Tickets for the gala will be on sale Aug. 1 online at mycs.cc/communityfirst. All proceeds from the event will go to the CSCC Foundation Annual Campaign. Sarkes Tarzian, Inc. announced Friday that Callie Starnes has been named station manager of WRCB, Chattanoogas NBC affiliate, effective immediately. Ms. Starnes will continue to serve as the stations news director, while assisting the president and general manager in overseeing the stations operations across broadcasting, digital and mobile platforms. Callie truly deserves the opportunity to lead Channel 3 as its General Manager, said Tom Tolar, Sarkes Tarzian chief operating officer. She is passionate about providing outstanding service to our viewers, community, and advertisers. Her leadership and focus have produced impressive results for the Eyewitness News Team. I am confident she will use those same leadership and decision-making skills to continue the strong performance of WRCB. Pam Teague, president and general manager of WRCB-TV agreed, Callies commitment to excellence in news and strategic thinking make her a natural for this new role. She is highly respected in the industry and by her peers. She will lead the talented staff of Channel 3 for years to come. Ms. Starnes will serve as station manager until the end of the year. At that time, she will move into the general manager position when Ms. Teague is promoted to the companys chief operating officer. Ms. Starnes first joined WRCB in 2008. After serving as an anchor and investigative reporter for several years, Ms. Starnes was named assistant news director. She has led the news department since being named news director in 2016. Prior to becoming news director, Ms. Starnes served as relationship manager at a Chattanooga public relations firm. Ms. Starnes is a graduate of Berry College with a Degree in Communications. She has been honored with multiple Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards and recognized by the Tennessee Associated Press for investigative reporting. She is a fellow with the Carole Kneeland Project for Responsible Journalism. Starnes is a 2021 member of Leadership Tennessee Next and a 2012 graduate of the Chattanooga Womens Leadership Institutes Women Mentoring Women program. In 2017, Ms. Starnes was named by CityScope Magazine as one of 34 influential business leaders in Chattanooga. Here is the upcoming City Council agenda for Tuesday: I. Call to Order by Chairman Henderson. II. Pledge of Allegiance/Invocation (Councilman Byrd). III. Special Presentation. IV. Minute Approval. V. Ordinances Final Reading: LEGAL a. An ordinance granting unto Chattanooga Gas Company, a Tennessee Corporation, a franchise for the purpose of operating a system of gas distribution and service within the City of Chattanooga so as to furnish gas service within the City to its inhabitants for domestic, commercial, industrial, and municipal general use. PARKS AND PUBLIC WORKS Public Works b. MR-2021-0075 QuikTrip Corporation c/o Eubie Capley (Abandonment). An ordinance closing and abandoning sewer easements located in the 300 block of Browns Ferry and Patten Chapel Road, as detailed on the attached map, subject to certain conditions. (District 1) (Recommended for approval by Public Works)c. MR-2021-0087 Collier Construction c/o UNO Terra, LLC (Abandonment). An ordinance closing and abandoning a drainage easement located in the 700 block of North Market Street, as detailed on the attached map, subject to certain conditions. (District 1) (Recommended for approval by Public Works)PLANNINGd. 2021-0091 Talitha Adkins (M-2 Light Industrial Zone to C-2 Convenience CommercialZone). An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 38, Zoning Ordinance, so as to rezone property located at 2255 Center Street, from M-2 Light Industrial Zone to C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone. (District 6) (Recommended for approval by Planning and Staff) (Planning Version #2)e. An ordinance amending Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 38, Article V, Division 15, C-3 Central Business Zone, by deleting and replacing the Intent section, and adding a new Division 15A establishing new standards that supersede other conflicting sections of the Zoning Code. (Alternate Version)VI. Ordinances First Reading: (None)VII. Resolutions:ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTa. A resolution authorizing the Mayor or his designee to enter into a contract for sale and purchase with Roger D. Hendrix, in substantially the form attached, for the purchase of 4126 Hooker Road, identified as Tax Parcel No. 167C-P-001, for the amount of $50,000.00, with earnest money, in the amount of $1,500.00 deposited with Jones Title Agency, Inc. and to execute all documents related to the transaction, with closing fees, for an amount not to exceed $3,500.00, for a total amount not to exceed $53,500.00. (District 7)b. 2021-01 No. 21-STVR-73 Abigail Moreland. A resolution considering Short Term Vacation Rental Application No. 21-STVR-73 for property located at 1605 Read Avenue. (District 7) (Request for deferral to 08-10-2021)COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTc. A resolution authorizing the Administrator of Community Development to award $116,136.00 in HOME Program funds to the Chattanooga Community Housing Development Organization (CCHDO) to construct a single-family house located at 198 N. Willow Street for affordable homeownership. (District 8)d. A resolution to rescind Resolution No. 30611 due to owner/developer deciding to rehab and sell the unit, thereby forfeiting the $20,000.00 award of HOME Program funding to develop affordable rental housing. (District 8)e. A resolution authorizing the Administrator of Community Development to award $127,086.00 in HOME Program funds to the Chattanooga Community Housing Development Organization (CCHDO) to construct a single-family house located at 200 N. Willow Street for affordable homeownership. (District 8)f. A resolution authorizing the Administrator of Community Development to transfer project ownership from American Lotus, LLC to 2545 McCallie, LLC/Peter Nikic via an Assignment and Assumption Agreement which contains a HOME Program assisted duplex located at 2545 McCallie Avenue, Tax Map No. 146K-V-017, Lot No. 11. (District 9)FINANCEg. A resolution authorizing the Interim City Treasurer to award commercial and general banking services to First Horizon Bank, including lockbox services, payroll cards, safekeeping and custodial accounts, and for the collection and sewer fees, property taxes, and water quality fees at branch locations, for a four (4) year contract, for an annual amount not to exceed $85,000.00 of $340,000.00 for the total contract period.h. A resolution authorizing the Interim City Treasurer to award commercial and general banking services to Truist Bank, including purchasing cards, safekeeping, and custodial accounts, for a four (4) year contract of an annual amount not to exceed $30,500.00 or $121,800.00 for the total contract period.HUMAN RESOURCESi. A resolution authorizing the Interim Chief Human Resources Officer to exercise the second of two (2) renewal options with Industrial/Organizational Solutions (I/O Solutions) through May, 2022, for a total amount not to exceed $87,940.00.PARKS AND PUBLIC WORKSPublic Worksj. A resolution authorizing the Department of Public Works to approve Change Order No. 1 for Wright Brothers Construction Company, Inc., of Charleston, TN, relative to Contract No. S-15-007-201, Citico Creek Sub-Basin Combined Sewer Separation Project Phase 1, for an increased amount of $156,575.01, to release the remaining contingency amount of $118,424.99, for a revised contract amount of $2,908,534.01. (District 8)VIII. Purchases.IX. Committee Reports.X. Other Business. (Item listed below:)? Nomination of Kathy Jones Von Schaaf to the Industrial Development Board (District 6)XI. Recognition of Persons Wishing to Address the Council.XII. Adjournment.TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2021 CITY COUNCIL AGENDA 6:00 PM1. Call to Order by Chairman Henderson.2. Pledge of Allegiance/Invocation (Councilwoman Coonrod).3. Special Presentation.4. Minute Approval.Order of Business for City Council5. Ordinances - Final Reading: (None)6. Ordinances - First Reading:PARKS AND PUBLIC WORKSPublic Worksa. MR-2021-0117 Chaudhari Group Investments, LLC c/o Skip Pond (Abandonment). An ordinance closing and abandoning a portion of an open alley and unopen right-of-way west of the 700 block of Central Avenue, as detailed on the attached map, subject to certain conditions. (District 8) (Recommended for approval by Public Works)b. An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 24, Article XIV, Section 24-502, Schedule II Speed on Through Streets.PLANNINGc. 2021-0108 Eigentum Development c/o Wick Spears (R-1 Residential Zone to C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone). An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 38, Zoning Ordinance, so as to rezone properties located at 3916 and 3920 Murray Hills Drive, from R-1 Residential Zone to C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone, subject to certain conditions. (District 3) (Recommended for approval by Planning)2021-0108 Eigentum Development c/o Wick Spears (R-1 Residential Zone to C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone). An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 38, Zoning Ordinance, so as to rezone properties located at 3920 Murray Hills Drive, from R-1 Residential Zone to C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone, subject to certain conditions. (Staff Version)2021-0108 Eigentum Development c/o Wick Spears (R-1 Residential Zone to C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone). An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 38, Zoning Ordinance, so as to rezone properties located at 3916 and 3920 Murray Hills Drive, from R-1 Residential Zone to C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone. (Applicant Version)d. 2021-0109 Berry Engineers, LLC (R-1 Residential Zone to R-1 Residential Zone and C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone). An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 38, Zoning Ordinance, so as to rezone properties located at 1744 (Part) and 1746 Eagle Drive, from R-1 Residential Zone to R-1 Residential Zone and C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone, subject to certain conditions. (District 3) (Recommended for approval by Planning)2021-0109 Berry Engineers, LLC (R-1 Residential Zone to R-1 Residential Zone and C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone). An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 38, Zoning Ordinance, so as to rezone properties located at 1744 (Part) and 1746 Eagle Drive, from R-1 Residential Zone to C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone, subject to certain conditions. (Staff Version)2021-0109 Berry Engineers, LLC (R-1 Residential Zone to R-1 Residential Zone and C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone). An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 38, Zoning Ordinance, so as to rezone properties located at 1744 (Part) and 1746 Eagle Drive, from R-1 Residential Zone to R-1 Residential Zone and C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone. (Applicant Version)e. 2021-0112 Callio Properties, LLC (R-1 Residential Zone to R-3 Residential Zone). An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 38, Zoning Ordinance, so as to rezone properties located in the 6000 blocks of Big Ridge Road, from R-1 Residential Zone to R-3 Residential Zone. (District 3) (Recommended for approval by Planning and Applicant)2021-0112 Callio Properties, LLC (R-1 Residential Zone to R-3 Residential Zone). An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 38, Zoning Ordinance, so as to rezone properties located in the 6000 blocks of Big Ridge Road, from R-1 Residential Zone to R-3 Residential Zone, subject to certain conditions. (Staff Version)f. 2021-0114 KA Management (R-1 Residential Zone to C-2 Convenience CommercialZone). An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 38, Zoning Ordinance, so as to rezone property located at 2511 Jenkins Road from R-1 Residential Zone to C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone. (District 4) (Recommended for denial by Planning)g. 2021-0115 EBES Partners, LLC c/o Clint Wolford (C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone to UGC Urban General Commercial Zone). An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 38, Zoning Ordinance, so as to rezone property located at 7453 East Brainerd Road, from C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone to UGC Urban General Commercial Zone, subject to certain conditions. (District 4) (Recommended for approval by Planning and Staff)2021-0115 EBES Partners, LLC c/o Clint Wolford (C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone to UGC Urban General Commercial Zone). An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 38, Zoning Ordinance, so as to rezone property located at 7453 East Brainerd Road, from C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone to UGC Urban General Commercial Zone. (Applicant Version)h. 2021-0118 JMB Investments Company, LLC (R-1 Residential Zone and R-2 Residential Zone to O-1 Office Zone and R-T/Z Residential Townhouse/Zero Lot Line Zone). An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 38, Zoning Ordinance, so as to rezone property located at 8187 East Brainerd Road, from R-1 Residential Zone and R-2 Residential Zone to O-1 Office Zone and R-T/Z Residential Townhouse/Zero Lot Line Zone, subject to certain conditions. (District 4) (Recommended for approval by Planning and Staff)2021-0118 JMB Investments Company, LLC (R-1 Residential Zone and R-2 Residential Zone to O-1 Office Zone and R-T/Z Residential Townhouse/Zero Lot Line Zone). An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 38, Zoning Ordinance, so as to rezone property located at 8187 East Brainerd Road, from R-1 Residential Zone and R-2 Residential Zone to O-1 Office Zone and R-T/Z Residential Townhouse/Zero Lot Line Zone. (Applicant Version)i. 2021-0119 Outlook Masonry c/o Melquiades Portugal (C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone and M-1 Manufacturing Zone to M-1 Manufacturing Zone). An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 38, Zoning Ordinance, so as to rezone properties located at 5217 Hunter Road and 8627 Hilltop Drive, from C-2 Convenience Commercial Zone and M-1 Manufacturing Zone to M-1 Manufacturing Zone. (District 6) (Recommended for approval by Planning and Staff)j. 2021-0110 Hamlett Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (R-3 Residential Zone to UGC Urban General Commercial Zone). An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 38, Zoning Ordinance, so as to rezone two properties addressed as 2512 Cowart Street, from R-3 Residential Zone to UGC Urban General Commercial Zone, subject to certain conditions. (District 7) (Recommended for approval by Planning and Staff)2021-0110 Hamlett Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (R-3 Residential Zone to UGC Urban General Commercial Zone). An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 38, Zoning Ordinance, so as to rezone two properties addressed as 2512 Cowart Street, from R-3 Residential Zone to UGC Urban General Commercial Zone. (Applicant Version)k. 2021-0111 Pond Holding MLK @ Palmetto Series 4 LLC c/o Skip Pond (U-RA-3 Urban Residential Attached 3-Story Zone to U-CX-3 Urban Commercial Mixed Use 3-Story Zone). An ordinance to amend Chattanooga City Code, Part II, Chapter 38, Zoning Ordinance, so as to rezone properties located in the 700 block of East Martin Luther King Boulevard, from U-RA-3 Urban Residential Attached 3-Story Zone to U-CX-3 Urban Commercial Mixed Use 3-Story Zone. (District 8) (Recommended for approval by Planning and Staff)7. Resolutions:ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTa. A resolution authorizing the Mayor or his designee to enter into Amendment No. 1 and a Third Agreement to Exercise Option to Renew with Friends of the Zoo, Inc., in substantially the forms attached, to extend the term for an additional period of six (6) months to the date of March 17, 2022. (District 8)COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTb. A resolution authorizing the Administrator of Community Development to award up to $80,000.00 in program income generated from the Tennessee Housing Development Agencys (THDA) housing program to Chattanooga Property Group, LLC, to assist with rehabilitating two affordable rental units located at 2602 and 2602 1/2 14th Avenue. (District 9)MAYORS OFFICEc. A resolution confirming Mayor Kellys appointment of Tiffany Bell to the Beer and Wrecker Board for District 9 with a term expiration of July 31, 2022.d. A resolution to declare Chattanooga a World War II Heritage City.PARKS AND PUBLIC WORKSPublic Workse. A resolution authorizing the Administrator for the Department of Public Works to approve Change Order No. 1 (Final) for Robert Roberts, LLC, of Chattanooga, TN, relative to Contract No. R-20-017-202, Summit of Softball Complex Improvements from the Easter Tornado 2020 Dugout and Scorestands Replacements, for the decreased amount of $16,114.35, to release the remaining contingency amount of $30,000.00, for a revised contract amount of $212,835.68. (District 4)f. A resolution authorizing the City of Chattanooga to enter into an agreement with and accept a donation from the Chattanooga Design Studio of multiple elements installed at Patten Porch, in the amount of $93,278.67. (Districts 7 & 8)g. A resolution authorizing the Administrator for the Department of Public Works to award Contract No. S-18-010-201, Brannon Avenue Drainage Improvements, to Wright Brothers Construction Company, Inc., of Charleston, TN, in the contract amount of $769,506.00, plus a contingency amount of $76,950.00, for an amount not to exceed $846,456.00. (District 8)h. A resolution authorizing the Administrator for the Department of Public Works to approve Change Order No. 2 (Final), for Wright Brothers Construction Company, Inc., of Charleston, TN, relative to Contract No. D-18-002-201, Gravity Sewer Relocation former Harriet Tubman Homes Site, for an increased amount of $34,546.99, to release the remaining contingency amount of $85,453.01, for a revised contract amount of $1,294,646.09. (District 9)i. A resolution authorizing year two (2) of a five (5) year term for the on-call blanket contract(s) to supply Horticultural and Green Infrastructure Consultation, Materials, and Maintenance for various City properties, per Resolution No. 30301, with the followingvendors: (1)CircadianConsulting,LLC;(2)DavisKeeOutdoor,LLC;(3) Hickory Hardscapes, LLC; and (4) Sweeping Corporation of America, for the renewal of the one (1) year blanket contracts for horticultural and green infrastructure services estimated at $1 million total annually for all four (4) vendors for use by Public Works Water Quality.j. A resolution authorizing the Administrator for the Department of Public Works to approve Change Order No. 2, for Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. for Contract No. E-20-010-201, Disaster Recovery Management Services Contract, for the renewal of year two (2) of the four (4) year term blanket contract, for the increased amount of $33,620.00, for a revised contract amount of $316,907.00.8. Purchases.9. Committee Reports.10. Recognition of Persons Wishing to Address the Council.11. Adjournment. Its been more than 10 years after the series premiere of Breaking Bad and its still one of the most-streamed. This isnt lost on star Aaron Paul who played Walter Whites (Bryan Cranston) meth-making accomplice Jesse Pinkman. The role came off so effortlessly, youd never know that Pauls childhood was a dramatically different scene. Aaron Pauls role as Jesse Pinkman on Breaking Bad put him on the map Aaron Paul attends El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie | Borja B. Hojas/Getty Images for Netflix RELATED: Breaking Bad: Why Dean Norris Loved Hanks Death Scene Outside from a few other projects, Breaking Bad became the breakout role for Paul. The star knew he wanted to hit the big time and began saving money to move to Hollywood at the tender age of 11. According to The Guardian, Paul graduated a year early and made the move at 17. He found fame in commercials around 50. The jobs werent steady, as Paul found. Hed land a recurring guest spot on one series only to go without a job even longer. When he did make bank, Paul said it wasnt exactly big money. Theyd squeeze all my scenes into a day, so I was making about $600 an episode, he said. After a handful of failed pilots, Paul reached a point where he couldnt pay his bills. He had to ask his parents for money to get by just as the audition for Breaking Bad came along. Even then, Jesse Pinkman wasnt meant to last the series but Pauls chemistry with Cranston led to Jesses full-time status. When the first three series landed on Netflix, my life changed, he said, as millions of new viewers caught onto the show. Its just as popular now as ever. The premise of Breaking Bad a cancer-stricken teacher who becomes a meth kingpin was nothing compared to Pauls real-life growing up. How did his parents feel when he landed the role? Pauls childhood was drastically different than Jesse Pinkmans when I get my first haircut pic.twitter.com/z9UD7mivZO Nerdist (@nerdist) May 12, 2021 RELATED: Breaking Bad and Better Call Sauls Real-Life Reformed Gang Member Served Time Before Superstardom: I Had to Change Born Aaron Paul Sturtevant as the youngest of four to a Southern Baptist minister, you can imagine Paul had little in common with his fictional counterpart, Jesse. The love of acting came from acting in church plays before the dream became bigger than that, leading him to Hollywood. Growing up in a religious home, Paul said, was very intense, adding, my father had me quote scripture. I still have multiple scriptures in my head. He said that now, he doesnt carry any of that with him. So what do his parents think of Breaking Bad and Jesse Pinkman? Paul said theyre fans, but wouldnt elaborate. Hes now a married father to a child of his own likely without mirroring the same biblical actions of his parents. Paul looks back on his Breaking Bad time fondly RELATED: Breaking Bad: Heres What the Meth Was Really Made of, According to Bryan Cranston In his time since Breaking Bad ended in 2013, Paul has taken on other roles in projects like The Path, but Jesse Pinkman will forever be the one that changed everything. It was next to perfect, Paul said of the series finale. Brian and I read it together at his place in New Mexico. When he read the screen direction end of series we just sat in silence for 30 seconds. He continued, adding what the show meant and still means. A lot of people will always see me as Jesse, and I take that as a compliment, he said. The show was a game-changer. While its the end of an era, fret not fans. Its not the last of Paul and Cranstons amazing partnership as the two announced the release of their signature mezcal, Dos Hombres, in July, 2019. Of all the tumultuous events Greys Anatomy writers threw onto Dr. Callie Torres and Dr. Arizona Robbins relationship, it might seem surprising that a custody battle is the event fans simply cannot abide. Leg amputation, a car crash, a musical episode, and co-parenting with Mark Sloan (Eric Dane), all of these incidents were mostly taken in stride, yet it was the contentious custody battle between the longest-running LGBTQ couple on network television that caused fans the most distress. Callie and Arizonas parenting roller coaster According to Autostraddle, [the]romantic pairing, dubbed by the fans as Calzona, aired for 133 episodes counting from their first kiss through their divorce. Thats a long romantic arc for any couple, but it wasnt always a monogamous one. Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres was the result of Callies one-night stand with her then-best friend Mark Sloan. Though Callie and Arizona were on a relationship break during the infidelity (Robbin was in Africa on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to save kids), she was understandably upset when Callie revealed her pregnancy. Arizona did some soul-searching and ultimately decided to marry Callie and raise their child with Mark Sloan. Unfortunately, Arizona proposed moments before the car she and Callie were riding in slammed into the back of a logging truck. Callie ended up giving birth to Sofia while in a coma but ended up recovering from her injuries. During the crisis, Mark and Arizona gained a better understanding of one another and the resulting co-parenting scenario between Sofias three parents was sweet and caring. Like all things Greys Anatomy, the happiness was short-lived. A plane crash destroyed one of Arizonas legs and ultimately led to Marks death. Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres lost her biological father and was being cared for by two mothers who found their own relationship challenged by the stress of lingering injuries. Calzona deserves to be happy. When questioned about their least favorite Greys Anatomy plot points, one Reddit commenter expressed their doubts about the custody episode, The Calzona custody battle was unnecessary and didnt really fit. Felt super rushed and in the end, was pointless. Other fans noted that Penny Blake was a plot point and not even a real character. Theres no doubt that the custody battle was ugly. Both sides of Calzona revealed their imperfections to fans. The surgical staff split into odd lines that didnt seem to make sense, with many choosing not to take sides at all. One thing most doctors agreed on was that Mark Sloan would have been disgusted that no one was placing Sofia first in the debacle. When they finally do, current viewers will know its because Marks spirit yelled in their ears. In todays Greys universe, Sofia is living her best life with her mom, Callie, in New York. Arizona, who always places Sofias needs first, has decided to relocate to the Big Apple. She is doing this for the sake of optimal co-parenting, of course, but a flirtation between the exes was teased at the ending of season 14. It seems unlikely that Dr. Torres and Dr. Robbin will return to Seattles Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Fans might be angry that they had to endure the roller coaster that the Greys Anatomy writers developed for Calzona, but it seems the couple has found a happy ending somewhere in the Greys Anatomy universe. Callie decides to follow Penny Blake to New York. After a 30-day trial separation prompted by Arizonas affair with a visiting doctor, Callie decides to end the relationship because she realizes that she has spent most of her time loving Arizona and not enough time loving herself. Sara Ramirez and Jessica Capshaw | Scott Garfield/Getty Images Callie does not stay single for very long. She begins dating fellow doctor Penelope Blake (the doctor who failed to save Dr. Derek Shepherds life). When Penny gets a job offer in New York, Callie falls back into old patterns. Instead of loving herself, she decides to follow Penny to New York and take Sofia with her, but she doesnt include Arizona in her decisions. Fans were not very happy with Dr. Torres during this time, with many wondering why the prominent orthopedic surgeon would follow a young doctor to New York. RELATED: Greys Anatomy Gets a Lot Wrong, But It Totally Nails Good Parenting Matt Damon wears many hats. Hes an actor, screenwriter, producer, father, and husband. Now, thanks to his latest film Stillwater, he can add driving instructor to the list. The Oscar winner gave his co-star, Zombieland alum Abigail Breslin, a driving lesson on set. Abigail Breslin plays Matt Damons daughter in Stillwater Abigail Breslin and Matt Damon | John Macdougall /AFP via Getty Images Damon and Breslin play two key roles in Stillwater. Damons character is Bill Baker, a man from Oklahoma who works on an oil rig. Suddenly he finds himself headed to France to fight for his estranged daughters freedom. Upon his arrival, Bill quickly discovers that getting Allison (Breslin) out of a Marseille prison will be incredibly difficult. Shes been charged with murdering her lover. Bill gets help navigating the language and the ways of the French legal system from his bilingual neighbor Virginie (Camille Cottin). Damon taught Breslin how to do a U-turn on the set of Stillwater No time for doubt. Don't miss Matt Damon, Abigail Breslin and Camille Cottin in #STILLWATER, only in theaters July 30. pic.twitter.com/rOLABQZweY Stillwater (@StillwaterMovie) July 12, 2021 RELATED: Matt Damon Bought Champagne for Stunt Men He Accidentally Punched in Bourne Movies Damon gets a seal of approval from his Stillwater co-star. Speaking to People in July 2021, Breslin shared that the Good Will Hunting actor gave her a lesson in how to do a U-turn on set. I had to drive in the movie and I had just gotten my license and was terrified that I would accidentally kill him or something, she said. He was teaching me how to do a U-turn on set. Hes really good at teaching people how to do U-turns, Breslin added. The 25-year-old who rose to fame in 2006s Little Miss Sunshine continued, saying Damon was probably scared with her behind the wheel. I think for him it was probably scarier than it was for me because we were on a cliff and he knew that I had just gotten my license, so I think he was probably teaching me to avoid death itself, which he narrowly escaped, she joked. I think it was less for me and more so that he has four kids and he didnt want to die. They filmed Stillwater in the coastal city of Marseille, France A powerful film about family, forgiveness and unconditional love. #STILLWATER is only in theaters Friday. pic.twitter.com/aNIedUh5bG Stillwater (@StillwaterMovie) July 26, 2021 RELATED: Why Matt Damon Once Said He Has a Tough Time Finding Movies to Star In Breslin wasnt joking about navigating a car next to a cliff. Stillwater was filmed in the city of Marseille, which is located on the southern coast of France. Why did Damons character find himself in a fish-out-of-water situation going from Oklahoma to the south of France? Director Tom McCarthy felt it made for the perfect backdrop to the story. I liked the idea of it being on a coast, specifically on the Mediterranean, he told Deadline in July 2021. I just felt like Marseille provided all the elements, all the layers that I needed to tell the story. Because the story has a lot of dimension to it, and goes to a lot of different places and worlds, its essential to Bills journey and the storys journey. Now, thanks to the film and a few pointers from her co-star, Breslin can say she learned how to do a U-turn in Marseille with guidance from Damon. Stillwater premieres July 30, 2021. Based loosely on Curtis 50 Cent Jacksons real life and the character that he made notorious in the original Power, Power Book III: Raising Kanan is the origin story of Kanan Stark. Set in 1991 in Jamaica Queen, the series follows 15-year-old Kanan (Curtis Jackson), a seemingly carefree teenager who makes a drastic choice one day, changing the trajectory of his life. Though Kanan has the opportunity to go to one of the best schools in NYC, he opts instead to stay by his mother, Raquel Raq Thomas (Patina Miller) side. A calm and calculated drug queenpin, Raq runs her empire with her brothers Marvin (London Brown) and Lou Lou (Malcolm Mays) by her side. However, the scenes between the entire family have been quite a challenge to film on Raising Kanan. Patina Miller as Raq Thomas, London Brown as Marvin and Malcolm Mays and Lou Lou in Power Book IIII: Raising Kanan | Starz RELATED: Rapper Joey Bada$$ Joins Prequel Power Book III: Raising Kanan Cast as a Series Regular 50 Cent says Queens has changed drastically since the 1990s Since Raising Kanan occurs some 30 years before the events of the original Power, the set designer had to work hard to turn present-day Queens into what the borough looked like in the 90s. According to 50 Cent, there is a major difference, especially because of gentrification and the codes of the streets. Well, just the environment the neighborhood was, was a lot harder back then in the 90s, 50 Cent told Digital Spy. You look at the beautiful buildings in New York City, they just didnt have windows. There just was abandoned buildings at that part. It was like a lot more, see no evil, hear no evil. Then you scarper when the police come, and like I dont know what happened. And if you watch like First 48 now youll see how fast they tell. Theyre all just telling on everybody. Detective, all you had to do is just come in with a badge. RELATED: Power Book III: Raising Kanan: Mekai Curtis Studied 50 Cent to Transform Into Kanan Stark The family scenes are a major challenge on Power Book III: Raising Kanan Though the cast and crew certainly nailed down the authenticity of South Jamaica, Queens in 1991, Power Book III: Raising Kanan showrunner and creator Sasha Penn says the scenes with Kanan and his father, his mother, uncles, and cousin Jukebox (Hailey Kilgore) are super challenging. When you do something like this and you hire actors to play a family you dont know if theyre going to feel like a family, you know? Penn told UInterview. You put them together, it may feel like they dont know each other at all, you know? And theres nothing you can do its a leap of faith that you take. And so when we had to shoot the family scenes in the first episode I was really, really nervous cause I knew all the actors were spectacular, I knew they were spectacular individually, but you dont know if theyre gonna feel like a family. It turns out that Curtis, Miller, Mays, Brown, and Kilgore stepped into their roles as a family seamlessly. RELATED: Power Book III: Raising Kanan: The Character Symphony Bosket Could Be Connected to Ghost The 90s wardrobe on Power Book III: Raising Kanan was difficult to find In addition to those griping family scenes on Power Book III: Raising Kanan and making sure modern-day Queens looks as though it did in the 90s, Penn also explained the tall task the wardrobe department had. 90s fashion is extremely unique it was very hard to make sure that the costuming on the characters reflected that. This is really the challenge of the series, Penn told Complex. That wardrobe of that era is not that easy to find. Keep in mind, we have to have doubles and triples of it, because if it gets dirty or if we have to shoot someone one of the real challenges is getting wardrobe that was authentic to that particular moment. We try to get the real stuff. Meghan McCain might not be the most popular host on The View right not but theres no denying she is iconic. The political pundit made her mark as the resident Republican and made for riveting television. McCains time on the ABC talk show is almost up and the audience is divided on whether thats a good thing or a bad thing. What is not up for debate now is the date of McCains final appearance on the show. Meghan McCain | Lou Rocco/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images When will Meghan McCain last appear on The View as co-host? McCain was a controversial co-host on The View as she was the only one with the Republican viewpoint. The co-host knew she was seen as a supervillain and thrived in that environment. However, McCain announced she was exiting the talk show after four seasons. The View takes a month-long break in August between seasons to return right after the Labor Day holiday. McCain said that she would be leaving at the end of July and many believed her last day would be July 30. Fans that didnt want to continue seeing her, will have to endure her presence one more week. McCains actual last day is set to be on August 6. The first Friday of August is when ABC will bid farewell to McCain. Meghan McCain | Rommel Demano/FilmMagic RELATED: The View Feuds Dont Surprise Meghan McCains Mom She Was Always Fighting Who is replacing Meghan McCain on The View panel? ABC has not confirmed any hiring decision to replace McCain on The View just yet. Many fans on social media have been asking the network to promote Ana Navarro to a full-time co-host. The political analyst has only been on the show part-time and makes regular appearances on the Friday episodes when Whoopi Goldberg is off. However, according to a Page Six source, there are a number of reasons why Navarro might not be offered the role. Ana has a big following and is beloved, the source alleged. She likes being part-time at The View, she lives in Florida and doesnt want to move to New York. She appears on other shows and is big on the speaking-tour market and probably makes a lot of money from it. Theyd have to pay her well. Wendy Williams recently said that she talked to Joy Behar who allegedly said it was going to be difficult to replace McCain. Despite the show not having someone to sub for McCain, Page Six also reported that the network is not in a rush to replace her and is taking time to find the right person to fill the seat. No one is freaking out. The same source alleges there will continue to test out conservative co-hosts. Meghan McCain | Lou Rocco/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images RELATED: The View: Meghan McCain Is Bullied and Harassed on Instagram, Shares Vile DM Why is Meghan McCain leaving? McCain surprised The View audience when she announced she was leaving the talk show. Her official reason was that she wanted to stay in Washington D.C. and didnt want to move back to New York City, where the shows studio is at. I am just going to rip the Band-Aid off. Im here to tell all of you, my wonderful co-hosts, and the viewers at home that this is going to be my last season, she said. Covid has changed the world for all of us, and it changed the way, at least for me, the way that I am looking at life, the way Im living my life, the way I want my life to look like. The View airs weekday mornings at 11 a.m. ET and 10 a.m. CT/PT on ABC. Yellowstone tells the story of John Dutton (Kevin Costner) and his familys ranch one of the largest ranches in America. Of course, that makes it an extremely valuable piece of property. But how much is the Dutton ranch really worth? Kevin Costner and Luke Grimes in a scene from season 3 of Yellowstone | Paramount Network How big is the Yellowstone ranch? According to Yellowstone canon, the Duttons are a ranching dynasty in Montana who have lived on their property for generations. Located in Big Sky country, the fictional Dutton ranch shares a boundary with a local Native American tribe. Theres also another border with Yellowstone National Park. During the first three seasons, it was never made clear exactly how big the Duttons Yellowstone ranch is. But, there have been a few clues. During season 1, Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) made the comment that the ranch was 200,000 acres larger than when he first took over as the attorney. There was also a scene where Chief Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) tells John that you own a ranch the size of Rhode Island. That may have been a bit of an exaggeration. But if the Dutton Ranch is anywhere near the size of that state, that means its close to 776,900 acres. John Dutton does have some real-life counterparts John Dutton and the Yellowstone ranch may be fictional, but there are a couple of real-life counterparts. Montana ranch kingpin Bill Galt has been known to fly around in a helicopter so he can attend all of his important meetings with the rich and powerful. The Galt family owns the third-largest plot of land in Montana, approximately 248,023 acres in White Sulfur Springs. Theres also Texas ranching legend W.T. Waggoner. He owned the 525,000-acre North Texas Waggoner Ranch, which is actually the real-life largest ranch in the United States. Like John Dutton, W.T. Waggoner was successful for years when it came to keeping the land in his family. How much is the Dutton Ranch worth on Yellowstone? According to Bustle, Los Angeles Rams and Denver Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke bought the Waggoner Ranch in 2015 for approximately $725 million. That gives Yellowstone fans the best estimate they are going to get when it comes to the worth of the fictional Dutton Ranch. Of course, having land worth that much money doesnt necessarily make John Dutton a rich man. One of the main conflicts in Yellowstone is developers and rising property values, which in turn means higher property and inheritance taxes for ranch owners. Theres a difference between net worth and available cash John Dutton may own the largest ranch in the United States, which features hundreds of thousands of acres. And, that property may be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. But, John has made it clear that he is cash poor due to the expenses of running the ranch and the rising taxes. Im not a rich man despite what people think, John tells Jenkins in season 2 when he asks him to buy him out. This is one of the stories creator Taylor Sheridan wanted to tell about cowboy and ranch life in the United States. He says he put the white rancher in the position that Native Americans were in more than a century ago. The Yellowstone creator says his western is a reflection of real life Sheridan explained to Deadline that the way he framed his drama is accurate to whats taking place right now. He called it the gentrification of the west. It is the most American of us, the West, and land developers sell that fantasy, Sheridan said. And people who can afford the fantasy are very, very wealthy people from LA to New York, Dallas, and Florida. They buy their slice of it and use it for a weekend getaway. In the process, those land values and inheritance taxes are killing a way of life. Seasons 1 through 3 of Yellowstone are available on Peacock. Season 4 is expected to premiere in November on the Paramount Network. RELATED: Yellowstone Announces Major Cast Shake-Up Amid Season 4 Delay Visitors to a suburban Toronto congregation are greeted in the foyer or from the stage with the following: The Community Christian Reformed Church of Meadowvale is located on the Treaty lands and traditional Territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. The statement names the indigenous community that once stewarded the land where the Canadian church stands. But a visitor to one of Meadowvales hundreds of fellow American congregations across the border will likely find the practice of such land acknowledgements to be wholly unfamiliar. The discrepancy is part of a larger divergence within the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) as the denominations 1,000-plus congregationswith one quarter in Canada and three-quarters in the United Statesseek to serve amid neighboring cultures and governments moving at very different paces on addressing injustices done to their indigenous peoples. In Canada, where the native community is known as First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples, the abuse that many indigenous students suffered at residential schools was the subject of a national, years-long reckoning through a federally backed Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). In contrast, though many Native Americans in the United States experienced similar trauma, the schools aftermath has only recently gained mainstream attention. Because of the [TRC] and the things that the government has done, the Canadian church has been encouraged to continue doing the work, said Viviana Cornejo, the CRCNAs racial curriculum and instruction specialist. The United States as a whole is having a hard time dealing with the past. If the country is not able to do that, the CRC is not going to do that either. The remains of Canadas residential schools In May, dozens of First Nations families had their worst fears confirmed. The remains of 215 students were discovered in unmarked graves on the grounds of a closed residential school in Kamloops, British Columbia. Weeks later, an estimated 600751 unmarked graves were located at a former school in Marieval, Saskatchewan. And by the end of June, another 182 unmarked graves were found at a former school outside Cranbrook, British Columbia. The findings provoked intense emotion. More than a dozen Canadian churches were destroyed or damaged by fires. Dozens more were vandalized. Though the attacks appeared connected to the revelation of the graves (given that the Canadian federal government had tapped Christian denominations to run the schools), many of the impacted congregations primarily serve immigrants. Several cities canceled Canada Day celebrations planned for July 1. People placed teddy bears and shoes at memorials nationwide, creating visual representations of the lost children. In an era of reconciliation these precious 215 children should not be a brief emotional blip in the news cycle, affirmed a statement signed by nine CRCNA leaders, including the denominations executive director. Each one was a precious child and an image bearer of God. As the churchchildren of the reconciling Christtears of sorrow, prayer, and action are critical for the integrity of our reconciliation efforts. The statement came with nine suggested action steps, along with a prayer to be read by indigenous and nonindigenous Christians. (Almost two-thirds of Canadas indigenous population identifies as Christian, according to the 2011 National Household Survey.) The CRCNA never operated a residential school in Canada. However Roman Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian, and United churches did. Beginning in the 1980s, hundreds of residential school survivors began to file lawsuits against the Canadian government, ultimately becoming the countrys largest class-action lawsuit. The ensuing settlement agreement, approved in 2006, included payouts to survivors from the denominations and the federal government. Funds from these bodies also paid for the TRC, which ran from 2008 to 2015, allowing survivors to share their stories across the country. The TRC initiative also culminated in 94 calls to action. The Canadian CRC congregations committed to several, including one that asked faith communities to affirm the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a framework for reconciliation. The others called for equity in education for indigenous people and for churches to teach their communities about this history. On the ground, that means Canadian leaders have lobbied on behalf of educational justice issues and have also intentionally educated and resourced CRC congregations on the effects of colonization and residential schools. The results of the residential schools created the opportunity for settler acquisition of land and resources in this country, said Mike Hogeterp, who leads the Centre for Public Dialogue, the denominations Canadian public policy arm. Even though the CRC didnt run a residential school, we are beneficiaries of the colonial system that the residential schools represented. This gesture was far from the denominations first touch point with First Nations communities. While the first CRC churches in Canada opened in the early 20th century, the denomination organized and matured in the years following World War II. When many First Nations people began moving off their reservations and into urban areas, the CRCNA starting in the 1980s opened ministry centers in Regina, Winnipeg, and Edmonton. Image: Google Maps / Illustration by Mallory Rentsch Some CRC congregations have initiated relationships on their own. The Toronto Blessing, a charismatic revival that began in 1994, spurred the Meadowvale church to learn the history of its land as part of a spiritual-mapping exercise of the city. Several years later, when Meadowvale organized a March for Jesus, the church invited members of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation after learning that the tribe had a significant Christian presence on its reserve. (In the early 1800s, Methodist circuit riders spread the gospel to the Mississaugas, a faith which endured.) Church leaders from both Reformed and Wesleyan communities began to pray with each other. In 2000, Meadowvale organized a conference where members repented for past wrongs toward the Mississaugas. This gesture has deepened into two decades of friendship and partnership. Many church members attended TRC events and organized a community art project to highlight the commissions findings. A Mississauga chief has now twice invited delegates at CRC events to acknowledge the tribes traditional territory. The church erected a sign with the land acknowledgement in 2017. By Gods grace, we were able to acknowledge the host peoples of the land before we were acknowledging the land itself, said Sam Cooper, Meadowvales pastor. For us, it was the relationship that was most important. A land acknowledgement can be a sign of a relationship, but we wanted the substance of that. While Meadowvales relationship has been somewhat unique among Canadian CRC churches, there is far greater awareness among Canadians of the hardship of indigenous people than when the church first began the work. A 2016 survey found that two-thirds of nonaboriginal Canadians had read or heard about residential schools, compared with only half in 2008. The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) has intentionally sought relationships with the indigenous community since 1994, when it and leaders from World Vision met with more than 30 First Nations and Metis Christians. The following year, the EFC formed an aboriginal task force to strengthen ties and to create relevant educational material for churches. In the aftermath of the TRC, the EFC announced it was exploring what it means for us as a broad evangelical community to embrace and enact the principles outlined in the UN Declaration as a framework for reconciliation and committed to ongoing learning and reconciliation. In 2020, a committee of indigenous and nonindigenous Canadian evangelicals recommended seven specific reconciliation goals, which the EFC accepted. It is challenging, often difficult to fathom, especially as a Christian trying to come to terms with what was done in the name of the Christian faith and rationalized within the public square, wrote EFC president Bruce J. Clemenger in the aftermath of the mass grave findings. To come alongside Indigenous sisters and brothers is to listen and ask questions. When we own the shame of what was done in this land to our neighbours and their ancestors, we will be motivated to pray and seek healing for our country. In the wake of the TRC, Canadian schoolsincluding private onesnow teach about the history of residential schools. Andrew Beunk, who pastors New Westminster Christian Reformed Church in Burnaby, British Columbia, says his wife serves as a vice principal at a CRC school and that the curriculum additions have been well received. Though he attended a TRC session and was moved by the stories of survivors, he has felt less comfortable introducing land acknowledgements as part of his church service. Since we have no people in the congregation who are part of the indigenous community, we felt in some way that was a bit inauthentic, said Beunk of the discussion. Since we dont have meaningful connections, to just jump on board it felt a little bit disingenuous. He also has theological apprehensions. As Christians, all the land belongs to God, he said. To accent historical and in some cases political differences in a worship serviceI have some issue about doing that. Americas lack of acknowledgement Whereas few indigenous leaders hold CRC leadership positions in Canada, Navajo and Zuni pastors can be found in the American Southwest. The denominations first missionaries to Native Americans arrived in Arizona in 1896 before pivoting to Gallup, New Mexico, where local CRC congregations today are concentrated. Part of their ministry involved opening a residential school, with a history that often mirrored its Canadian contemporaries. As Rehoboth Christian Schools website explains: Although many families were introduced to the Gospel through Rehoboth in its early boarding school days, there were components of the methodology used to present Christ that Rehoboth now laments. Becoming a Christ follower sometimes appeared to be confused with becoming more like a white American. Many aspects of Navajo culture were prohibited, including the speaking of the Navajo language. The boarding school experience for some children resulted in trauma as they lived away from that which was familiar, especially their families. Still in operation, Rehoboth exists today as a day school. During its centennial in 2003, leaders of the school and of Christian Reformed Home Missions repented for disrespecting the culture and people the institutions had sought to reach. In turn, the head of the Red Mesa classis, the CRC term for a group of neighboring churches, asked forgiveness for his indigenous communitys bitterness toward their Anglo brethren. In 2012, the CRCNA launched a task force to research the effects of the Doctrine of Discovery on indigenous people in the US and Canada. In 2016, the denomination rejected as heresy this theological framework, which had allowed European Christians to justify taking and ruling over land that was already inhabited by indigenous people. (The Evangelical Covenant Church issued a similar repudiation last month.) The CRCNA also stated that it recognized the gospel motivation in response to the Great Commission, as well as the love and grace extended over many years by missionaries sent out by the CRCNA to the Indigenous peoples of Canada and the United States. For this we give God thanks, and honor their dedication. The two declarations showcased a tension among US-based CRC congregations. Two New Mexicobased churches serving indigenous communities criticized the task forces report for selecting some of the ugliest moments of that past in order to make their accusations against these early missionaries stick. But others felt that the desire to protect the missionaries came at the expense of telling the stories of those who had suffered as a result of the denominations initiatives. For my work with the Navajo, the CRC has still not done the right work yet, said Cornejo, who is based in Michigan. They need to recognize what they did, recognize how they started, and that they followed the pattern of all the other boarding schools. Cornejos team has educated various American congregations, often by teaching the Blanket Project, an interactive storytelling tool used on both sides of the border to viscerally illustrate the indigenous experience. After 2016, her team heard from many churches eager to bring it to their communities. But broad awareness remains a challenge. Far fewer Americans know the full extent of their countrys past and present treatment of Native Americans, and unlike in Canada, land acknowledgements have yet to be normalized. An official apology to Native Americans in 2009 introduced by then Kansas senator Sam Brownback was buried in a defense appropriations bill. (This month, Brownback and Yuchi pastor Negiel Bigpond launched an effort to revive the apology.) The lack of American awareness could change. In the aftermath of the discovery of the Kamloops graves, US Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced an investigation into past oversight of Native American boarding schools in order to uncover the truth about the loss of human life and the lasting consequences of the institutions, which across the decades forced hundreds of thousands of children from their families and communities. The resulting report may provide nonindigenous CRC churches the opportunity to engage their congregations around indigenous issues. Image: Courtesy of Community Christian Reformed Church / Illustration by Mallory Rentsch Land acknowledgements are starting points for conversations, said Shannon Perez, who comes from the Sayisi Dene community and serves as the justice and reconciliation mobilizer for the CRCNAs Canadian Indigenous Ministry Committee. Why is it important to understand the land youre on? The Doctrine of Discovery has engrained on us that indigenous people werent on this land before and this land is for the taking. It was free for development without regard for the people that made their life there. In doing a land acknowledgement, she said, it changes, it disrupts, it challenges that narrative. Yet Jose Rayas doesnt feel like a land acknowledgement would make sense at the Hispanic congregation he leads in El Paso at the Texas border with Mexico. It would almost seem like theyre blaming themselves, said the CRC pastor. A lot of the mindset that comes out here around the border is Are we really responsible for something that we didnt do? If youre talking to people of Hispanic descent, said Rayas, they are going to be questioning, What responsibility do I have for something from 500 years ago? Im still on the land that was taken from my people where my people are living. It doesnt make sense. Overall, churches who currently dont have any personal relationships with indigenous peoples shouldnt be wary of incorporating land acknowledgements, says Carol Bremer-Bennett, who is of Navajo descent and leads World Renew, the CRCNA international relief and development agency. Word may get to indigenous people in the area who will hear this is a space that is welcoming, she said. They may have visited the church or wanted to connect to it but didnt see themselves as being an important part or included in the community. You never know where that could go. Bremer-Bennett says a land acknowledgement, when done properly, recognizes that indigenous peoples remain. Too often, were treated as if we were a people of the past and we no longer have a significant role in whats going on today, she said. It makes me feel seen. The last several months have been hard for many Canadians. In the wake of the discovery of the mass graves at former residential schools, dozens of churches have been vandalized or burned to the ground. These churches represent places of worship for community members as well as gathering spaces for many for various celebrations and times of loss, the Lower Similkameen Indian Band said in a statement. It will be felt deeply for those that sought comfort and solace in the Church. And yet, Perez considers that even when indigenous people were confronted by news of the mass graves, their primary response to the injustice was to invite the nonindigenous to grieve alongside them. (As the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations told Canadian media, To burn things down is not our way. Our way is to build relationships and come together.) In the midst of what could be righteous anger and demand for the extreme because of this injustice, that wasnt the direction indigenous people took, said Perez. From that, we can say that the question of land and restitution is a conversation, but it doesnt have to be one done in fear. Where do we put our faith? Do we put our faith in the land of wealth, or in the land of God? The White House announced Friday a slate of nominations and appointments for top religious affairs roles, including the first Muslim American nominated to be the US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom (IRF). President Joe Biden will select Rashad Hussain as his nominee for that post, filling a State Department slot vacant since former Kansas governor and US Senator Sam Brownbackwho co-chaired a bipartisan IRF summit for 1,200 attendees this monthleft at the close of the Trump administration. Hussain, who would need to be confirmed by the Senate, currently works as director for Partnerships and Global Engagement at the National Security Council. He previously served as White House counsel under President Barack Obama, as well as US special envoy to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and US special envoy for the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications, among other roles. Knox Thames, who served as the State Departments special advisor for religious minorities during both the Obama and Trump administrations, told CT that Hussain was a strong pick. He knows human rights and cares about religious freedom, said Thames. I saw firsthand how he raised these issues when he served as [OIC envoy]. I know hell be able to hit the ground running from day one to combat religious persecution. Judd Birdsall, a senior research fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University who served with Hussain at the State Department from 20092011, told CT that the nomination is a fantastic choice because Hussain has impeccable credentials, extensive diplomatic and legal experience, and unique credibility as a Muslim American. I greatly respected his thoughtful, humble, and capacious approach to all things religion and diplomacy, including the promotion of religious freedom, said Birdsall. He understands the religious minority experience and is a passionate advocate for all those who suffer on account of their beliefs. Also noteworthy is the speed of the nomination, coming at a similar pace to President Donald Trumps selection of Brownback as IRF ambassador after just six months. The most tangible measure of an administrations commitment to international religious freedom is the quality of its IRF ambassador nominee and the speed with which it makes that nomination, Birdsall told CT. Whereas President Bush took 14 months to announce his nominee for the job and Obama took 17, Biden is strongly signaling his commitment to the issue by taking only seven months to announce an outstanding nominee. By nominating a Muslim to serve as IRF ambassador, the Biden administration is decisively turning the page on an era in which a perception of anti-Muslim sentiment undermined the nations reputation on religious freedom, he said. Rashad Hussain will help to restore Americas credibility as a champion of tolerance and inclusion. The task of advancing religious freedom is best done when all faiths work together, James Chen, vice president of global operations at the Institute for Global Engagement, told CT. So the Biden administrations appointment of Mr. Hussain is encouraging to see. Bob Roberts, global senior pastor of Northwood Church and founder of Multi-Faith Neighbors Network, told CT he was so excited for Hussains nomination. He will be incredible. Hes a wise man of character, said Roberts. Him being a Muslim is a very positive thing, in that he will be able to walk into sensitive places in the world and be unparalleled in his ability to understand, speak to issues, and challenge right actions. Weve had Christians in that role and a rabbi in David Saperstein, he said. A Muslim is a good choice. President Bidens appointment of a Muslim [IRF ambassador] is a reminder that the US position on religious freedom has always been for people of all faiths and even for those who express no particular faith, Randel Everett, founder and president of 21Wilberforce, told CT. Elijah Brown, general secretary and CEO of the Baptist World Alliance, told CT that the nomination is a strategic development because Hussain brings a depth of experience across all three branches of the US government and a wide array of faith-based initiatives including Baptist-Muslim conversations. I join with many others in urging Congress to quickly confirm [him] to this ambassadorship, he said, as manyespecially in light of the ongoing global pandemicface unprecedented restrictions as they seek to live out their faith convictions. Jeremy Barker, the Erbil-based Middle East program director at the Religious Freedom Institute, told CT that Hussain is a great choice who has done serious security and diplomatic policy work which will be vital in advancing religious freedom within an administration that had said it wants to prioritize human rights within its foreign policy. He is also a person of faith who takes his own religion seriously and understands that religious persecution strikes at something fundamental to an individual or community, said Barker. International religious freedom has been and should remain an issue with overwhelming bipartisan support. The Senate should move quickly to get Mr. Hussain confirmed and in the job, he said. The work is too important to be left undone and the Biden administration is to be commended for putting a qualified nominee forward early in the process. Rashads appointment demonstrates not only the importance the Biden administration places on religious freedom, said Saeed Khan, an expert on American Muslim communities at Wayne State University, it also shows the importance of the Muslim world to the administration both in terms of combatting Islamophobia and also promoting religious freedom in Muslim majority countries. Rashads background will allow him to have a frank discussion with Muslim majority countries about the importance of religious freedom. Biden is also expected to nominate Deborah Lipstadt as the next US special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism. Lipstadt is a professor at Emory University in Atlanta and a prominent Holocaust historian. She is the author of Antisemitism: Here and Now and is known for successfully defeating a libel suit brought against her by Holocaust denier David Irving. We are greatly heartened by the anticipated announcement of Prof. Lipstadt to continue our nations fight against antisemitism both here and abroad, said Mark (Moishe) Bane, president of the Orthodox Union. She is a leader with great moral courage; her dedicated work, clear voice in fighting Holocaust denial and preserving the memory of the attempted destruction of the Jewish people make her an exemplary choice for this role. Lipstadt, who would have the rank of ambassador, also requires Senate confirmation. The anticipated announcement follows a May 24 letter from several leading Jewish organizations calling on President Biden to address the recent rise in antisemitic attacks. The presence and efforts of an Ambassador to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism send a powerful signal to governments around the world that the U.S. takes combating antisemitism seriously and calls on them to do the same, the letter said. President Biden is to be congratulated for having moved relatively quickly in nominating people for religious freedom related posts, Paul Marshall, a veteran IRF scholar and author and the religious freedom chair at the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University, told CT. He noted that Lipstadt is a skilled veteran and that Husseins envoy roles had shown both his abilities and his commitment to religious freedom. Having a Muslim in the religious freedom ambassadorship may allay the canard that this is simply a sop to the religious right, said Marshall, currently a senior fellow at the DC-based Religious Freedom Institute and the Jakarta-based Leimena Institute. Nadine Maenza, chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), applauded the two nominations. We look forward to working closely with [them] to develop new ways for the United States to promote the freedom of religion or belief around the world, she stated in a press release. Global religious freedom violations continue to be a pervasive threat to our national security and global stability. [They] play an essential role in US efforts to counter that threat. In addition, Biden plans to appoint two new commissioners to USCIRF: Khizr Khan and Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum. Khan became famous in 2016 when he and his wife, Ghazala, spoke during the Democratic National Convention as Gold Star parents, discussing their son, Humayun, a US Army captain who died in Iraq in 2004. Khan, a Harvard-educated Muslim immigrant, directly challenged then-candidate Trumps proposal to ban residents of Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States, accusing the business mogul of having sacrificed nothingand no one. Let me ask you, have you even read the United States Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy, Khan said as he held aloft a worn booklet containing the text of the document. Khan, the founder of the Constitution Literacy and National Unity Project, runs his own law practice and has authored three books, including Founding Documents of the United States of America. Kleinbaum, for her part, already served as a USCIRF commissioner in 2020 and leads the Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in New York City, a community that centers LGBT people. A human rights advocate, she also sits on Mayor de Blasios Faith Based Advisory Council and serves on New York Citys Commission on Human Rights. In addition, she is a board member of the New York Jewish Agenda and the New Israel Fund. Todays announcement underscores the Presidents commitment to build an Administration that looks like America and reflects people of all faiths, stated the White House. David Curry, CEO of Open Doors USA, told CT he was heartened by the Biden administration filling the critical IRF roles. Rashad Hussain is a well-qualified nomination with a deep understanding of the factors at play in China, India, and elsewhere, he said. We look forward to building together the diverse coalition of leadership necessary to counter the rising tide of religious persecution worldwide. In a later press release, Open Doors welcome all four selections, stated Hussains expertise could play a major role in addressing some of the most challenging issues facing Christians, especially in the Middle East and West Africa, and called on Senator Mitch McConnell to fill the last remaining vacancy [at USCIRF] in a timely manner. Former USCIRF commissioner and spokesman for President Trumps evangelical advisers Johnnie Moore congratulated Hussain and the other appointees and told CT hell look forward to collaborating with each of them in order to advance the freedom of religion and belief around the world. There will, as always, be divergent points of view on certain ideas, policies, and strategies, but international religious freedom continues to beand must remainalmost entirely bipartisan, he said. In fact, it must be nonpartisan. I intend on doing my part to keep it so. Kori Porter, CEO of CSW USA, told CT she warmly welcomes Hussein and his excellent track record speaking out in support of religious minorities and against laws that violate freedom of religion or belief, including blasphemy laws. His nomination is an encouraging sign of the importance that the Biden administration places on religious freedom, which is particularly welcome as the world tackles the pandemic and worsening inequalities and rights violations, she said. We hope that Mr. Hussein will build on the excellent work of former ambassadors, particularly Ambassadors Saperstein and Brownback, in raising the profile of this fundamental human right. Thomas Schirrmacher, secretary general of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), told CT the alliance has had great experience with Muslim friends filling strategic religious freedom positions, such as Ahmed Shaheed, the current UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief (interviewed by CT here). The WEA is currently building a strong global alliance with major Muslim actors who fight for religious freedom, he said, evidenced by a joint statement and book release with Indonesias Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) at a DC event adjacent to Brownbacks IRF summit. With Rashad, we get one of the most experienced diplomats in dealing with concerned governments, so there is no need for him to warm up, said Schirrmacher. He can start to change things tomorrow. Jack Jenkins, Kathryn Post, and Joseph Hammond reported for RNS. Additional reporting by Jeremy Weber for CT. California won't force nonprofits to disclose donor names after Supreme Court ruling Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment California has amended its policies to comply with a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down the state's requirement that charities and nonprofits disclose their donors to the state, a Christian conservative legal group that challenged the state in court has announced. In a statement published Wednesday, the Thomas More Law Center announced that the California Attorney General's Office has "quietly" submitted to the decision from the nation's high court in the case of Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta, Attorney General of California. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 this month that California's attempt to require nonprofit organizations to share personal information about their donors with the state is unconstitutional. The California Attorney Generals Charities homepage has been amended to read, Effective July 1, 2021, the Registry of Charitable Trusts will no longer require the filing of Schedule B to the IRS Form 990 as part of the registration and annual reporting requirements. The Schedule B form asks organizations to list the name, addresses and ZIP codes of every individual who donated more than $5,000 and specify how much they donated. While nonprofit organizations must submit Schedule B forms to the Internal Revenue Service, the information is usually kept confidential and not shared with states. Before the Supreme Courts July 1 ruling, Californias Registry of Charitable Trusts required nonprofit organizations to share that information with the state. According to Bloomberg, California was one of four states with such a law on the books. The others were Hawaii, New Jersey and New York. The litigation against the California law dates back six years when the Thomas More Law Center received a letter from then-Attorney General Kamala Harris stating that failure to turn over information about its donors within the next 30 days would lead to the organization losing its right to solicit donations in California. In addition, the letter warned that the organizations officers and tax preparers could be held personally liable for any penalties. Rather than comply, the Michigan-based religious liberty law firm filed a lawsuit alleging that the policy violated the First Amendment rights of its donors and the company itself by infringing on the parties constitutionally protected free speech, freedom of association and free exercise of religion. While a federal judge sided with the law firm in 2016, the attorney generals office appealed that ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which reversed the lower court decision. The Supreme Court agreed to take up the case earlier this year. The Thomas More Law Center argued that the Supreme Court ruling eliminating the requirement for nonprofit organizations to fill out Schedule B forms means that Americans are free to support nonprofit organizations without fear of harassment. In the Internet Age, where doxing ones opponents has led to job loss, boycotts, ostracization, and violence, the fear of such repercussions should ones charitable contributions become public could be enough to stymy giving, leaving the personal beliefs of many Americans to go unrepresented in the public square, a Thomas More Law Center statement reads. Rep. Chip Roy slams Pelosi over House mask mandate, ignoring COVID spike at migrant facilities Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A Republican congressman accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democrats of hypocrisy after a mask mandate was reintroduced for vaccinated representatives while the Biden administration continues to transport COVID-19 positive migrants across the country without notifying local health authorities. During remarks on the House floor Wednesday, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, lamented that We have a crisis at our border and were playing footsie with mask mandates. Roys comments followed the re-introduction of mask mandates for members of the House as well as updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control stating that vaccinated Americans are to wear masks indoors in parts of the country and advised children to wear masks at school. Roy detailed the situation at the United States southern border with Mexico, which he described as people spilling across the border who are clearly testing positive for COVID. We have a hotel in La Joya, Texas, that is literally filled right now with individuals who are heavily testing positive for COVID, he added. The border town of La Joya is one of many Texas communities trying to manage the influx of migrants, some of whom need treatment for COVID-19. The La Joya Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Monday (followed by a press conference on Tuesday) that a La Joya police officer was waved down by a [concerned] citizen" at a Whataburger who was worried that a COVID-19 positive family was in the restaurant and not wearing face coverings to protect others from getting infected. The citizen explained to the officer that she had observed a family group who were not being observant of proper health guidelines. She stated that the family was coughing and sneezing without covering their mouths and were not wearing face masks. Upon talking to the family, the officer learned they had been apprehended by Border Patrol days prior and were released because they were sick with Covid-19. He also discovered that they were staying at the Texas Inn Hotel in La Joya. A manager for the hotel said Catholic Charities of The Rio Grande Valley had booked all the rooms in the hotel to house undocumented immigrants that were detained By Border Patrol, the department added. In the Facebook post, the La Joya Police Department added that Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley did not inform the La Joya Police Department that people that had symptoms or were sick with Covid-19 were going to be placed in the Texas Inn Hotel. During his speech on the House floor, Roy said he received a text message from the sheriff of Uvalde, Texas, stating that the city council planned to pass an "emergency declaration" stating that migrants would not be allowed to be released in the city unless they had tested negative for COVID-19. Roy maintained that congressional Democrats are going to do nothing, literally nothing to address the absolute travesty at the border. He further accused Democrats of mixed messaging regarding the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic. The American people are fed up. They want to go back to life. They want to go back to business; they want to go back to school without their children being forced to wear masks," Roy said. The speaker comes down here at 10 in the morning saying weve got to wear masks in the peoples House while weve got thousands of people pouring across our border and Democrats dont do a darn thing about it, heavily infected with COVID, he asserted. Roy added that he agreed with the characterization of the new CDC guidelines as some serious nanny state stuff that will only breed resentment, suggesting that imposing restrictions on the American people while none are placed on immigrants entering the country illegally will only worsen that resentment. The Texas congressman's concerns about COVID-infected migrants crossing the southern border were shared by two federal whistleblowers who filed a complaint Wednesday alleging that at a Texas facility set up to care for migrant children ... masks were not consistently provided to children, nor was their use consistently enforced. At the Fort Bliss facility, located near El Paso, Hundreds of children contracted COVID in the overcrowded conditions, the whistleblowers said. The whistleblowers' complaint, filed on behalf of Arthur Pearlstein of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and Social Security Administration lawyer Lauren Reinhold, stated that COVID was widespread among children and eventually spread to many employees. Both federal employees were stationed at Fort Bliss to help with the migrant surge. Despite the coronavirus outbreak, the complaint said that every effort was made to downplay the degree of COVID infection at the site, and the size of the outbreak was deliberately kept under wraps. The filing added: At a town hall meeting with detailees, a senior U.S. Public Health Service manager was asked and refused to say how many were infected because if that graph [of infections] is going to The Washington Post, its the only thing well be dealing with and politics will take over, perception will take over, and were about reality, not perception. At the beginning of his impassioned speech on the House floor, Roy mentioned Title 42, a policy implemented by the Trump administration amid the coronavirus pandemic that would allow border officials to turn away those seeking to enter the U.S. Upon taking office, the Biden administration tamped down enforcement of Title 42 and gutted the Migrant Protection Protocols, which required those seeking asylum in the U.S. to remain in Mexico while their asylum claims were adjudicated. Critics of the Biden administration blame the abandonment of the aforementioned policies for the astronomical number of border crossings that has continued to increase each month that President Joe Biden has been in office. According to Customs and Border Protection, there were 188,829 encounters between law enforcement officials and migrants at the southwest border in June, an increase of more than 8,000 from the previous month. By contrast, in February, Bidens first full months in office, there were 101,095 encounters between law enforcement officials and migrants. With three months to go in fiscal year 2021, 1,119,204 encounters have occurred thus far, more than double the 458,088 that took place in all of fiscal year 2002. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg hopes churches will one day host virtual reality services on platform Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Calling faith communities the best of Facebook, the social media giants Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg said she's looking forward to the day when churches and other religious groups begin hosting services in virtual reality on the platform as many flocked to the service amid the pandemic to stay connected. Sandberg made her intentions known during a recent virtual faith summit with several religious groups in which she highlighted the critical role Facebook played when communities of faith were unable to gather as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic. As a person of faith myself, I know how important it is for my family to be able to stay connected with our Jewish community remotely. Weve been able to celebrate high holy days from our home thanks to technology, Sandberg said. I sometimes reflect on how much harder the experience for the last year might have been if the pandemic had taken place just a few years earlier because it used to be you needed a TV studio to do what you can now do with your smartphone. Nothing has made me prouder than seeing the role Facebook apps have played in keeping people connected at a time when we all had to be apart, she added. Sandberg explained that well before the pandemic, Facebook began working with faith communities to see how the company could better serve them and those efforts proved fruitful during the pandemic. I know that faith organizations and social media are a natural fit because fundamentally, both are about connection. This was true long before the pandemic. Back in 2017, we changed our mission to give people the power to build community around the world closer together. We envisioned a world where our platform could help people build community by connecting with others who shared their interests. And we built a team within Facebook to help us better serve people of faith and houses of worship globally, she said. Four years later, we are gathering on Facebook to again affirming (sic) the value of connecting people to faith, hope, inspiration and love. Facebook can be a place where members of large denominations find common ground or where people from older or smaller religious tradition find each other no matter where they are in the world, she continued. Our hope is that one day people will host religious services in virtual reality spaces as well or use augmented reality as an educational tool to teach their children the story of their faith. While technology will never be a substitute for joining together in a space of worship, Sandberg believes it will empower them. Communities of faith represent the best of Facebook and we hope to keep it that way now and in the future, she said. Nora Jones, a pastor at Open Door Ministries in Gainesville, Florida, and Facebook's director for global faith partnerships, said the company has been working over the last four years to help churches and other houses of worship understand that Facebook is so much more than just a place to make people aware of your programs and events. Its a place where you can build authentic faith community. So many of you as people of faith and leaders of houses of worship had to reckon with the fact that physical gatherings were suspended for health concerns. And it was during this time of uncertainty when so many people felt lost that you stood up and said, lets take our faith into the digital domain." Jones said. "The reason why were hosting this gathering today is to celebrate you. To celebrate the fact that when the global faith community was challenged with the opportunity to continue to hope that there could be change and life and light, you created those spaces on Facebook, she added. A Facebook spokesperson told The Christian Post on Wednesday that churches will also be able to participate in a program called Fan Subscriptions, which allows fans to support their favorite creators with a monthly recurring payment. To participate, all creators, including religious groups, must also have 10,000 followers or 250+ return viewers along with 50,000 Post Engagements or 180,000 Watch Minutes in the last 60 days. Since the new coronavirus pandemic first led to lockdowns in March 2020, the Church, like many other sectors of society, has had to make many changes, including a significant shift to digital worship, and recent studies show that many of those changes are likely to endure. One study, Trends in the Black Church, showed that black churchgoers have adapted so well to online church amid the pandemic that some 41% of them now favor a hybrid model of in-person and online services, even after COVID-19 is no longer deemed as severe of a threat. Some 7% say they would rather their church services remain digital going forward the study revealed. No longer able to pass the collection plate around because they were not able to gather physically, many churches also increasingly shifted to online giving platforms. Lutheran bishops worldwide condemn criminal prosecution of Finnish MP Paivi Rasanen Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Lutheran bishops from around the world have issued a statement condemning the criminal prosecution of Paivi Rasanen, a Christian politician who is facing six years in prison for sharing her biblical beliefs on sexuality and marriage, and Finnish Bishop-elect Juhana Pohjola, who distributed a pamphlet written by Rasanen. The actions of the Finnish State in prosecuting Christians for holding to the clear teaching of the very words of Jesus regarding marriage and sex (Matthew 19:4-6) are egregious, says the statement issued by the International Lutheran Council and joined by the bishops and presidents of dozens of Lutheran church bodies worldwide. Rasanen, a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, could face up to six years in prison after being charged with three counts of ethnic agitation related to statements she made expressing her beliefs about human sexuality and marriage. A longstanding member of the Finnish Parliament, Rasanen publicly voiced her opinion on marriage in a 2004 booklet on sexual ethics, describing marriage as between one man and one woman. She also expressed her views on a 2019 radio show and tweeted church leadership on the matter. Pohjola, the bishop-elect of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, has also been charged with one count of ethnic agitation for publishing Rasanens booklet. The accused clearly affirm the divinely given dignity, value, and human rights of all, including all who identify with the LGBTQ community, says the letter, titled A Protest and Call for Free Religious Speech in Finland. We Lutherans make this strong confession along with Drs. Pohjola and Rasanen, it continues. The vast majority of Christians in all nations, including Catholics and Eastern Orthodox, share these convictions. Would the Finnish Prosecutor General condemn us all? Moreover, shall the Finnish State risk governmental sanctions from other states based on the abuse of foundational human rights? Prosecutors determined that Rasanens previous statements disparage and discriminate against LGBT individuals and foment intolerance and defamation. The mother of five maintains that her expressions are legal and should not be censored. I cannot accept that voicing my religious beliefs could mean imprisonment, said Rasanen in a statement previously issued by ADF International, which is representing her. I do not consider myself guilty of threatening, slandering or insulting anyone. My statements were all based on the Bibles teachings on marriage and sexuality. She added, I will not back down from my views. I will not be intimidated into hiding my faith. The more Christians keep silent on controversial themes, the narrower the space for freedom of speech gets. In May, law professors and scholars called on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom to pressure the State Department to sanction Finlands prosecutor general for prosecuting Rasanen and Pohjola. In an open letter published by Real Clear Politics, professors from Ivy League institutions like Harvard University, Yale University and Princeton University argued that the prosecution of the politician for her remarks could compel Finlands clergy and lay religious believers to choose between prison and abandoning teachings of their various faiths. Rasanen is no stranger to controversy as she has become known as a prominent Finnish defender of traditional Christian views on marriage, euthanasia and abortion. As Evangelical Focus noted earlier, Rasanens views are often more conservative than those in the ECLF leadership. Parents, politicians fighting back in CRT debate Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The escalating discussion across America that has been ignited by the debate over the merits of critical race theory (CRT) and whether it should be taught in our nations public schools is approaching fever pitch. The struggle to keep our nations children from being brainwashed by CRTs reverse racism (how else do you describe an ideology that judges everyone by the immutable characteristic of their ethnicity and skin pigmentation?) has commenced nationwide. One predictable early flashpoint is in my home state of Texas. Parents have responded with justifiable outrage as CRT has been unmasked as the corrosive and divisive ideology that it is in some media outlets and as parents have been exposed to it themselves during their childrens virtual schooling due to the COVID pandemic. Even in San Francisco (woke heaven or hell, depending on your perspective), at least three sitting school board members are now being opposed for reelection by candidates who are against CRT. In Texas, the Republican-controlled Legislature has passed a law (House Bill 3979), which limits how teachers can discuss race, current events and public policy issues in social studies classes. The bill also forbids teachers from what has been the fairly common practice of giving students extra credit for social justice and political advocacy activity. This part of the bill was a response to the increasingly common practice of teachers indoctrinating students using CRT and then sending them out to protest as social justice warriors and giving them extra credit for their activities. The bill does still allow teachers to give extra credit for non-partisan volunteer work on projects like community food banks. The law, which goes into effect Sept. 1, states that teachers cannot be forced (through curricular mandates, etc.) to discuss current events or debates over public policy. However, if they do choose to do so, they must approach the subject with diverse and contending perspectives without giving deference to any one perspective. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has now called the Legislature back into special session and upon his recommendation, the state Senate has passed Senate Bill 3, which includes much more wide-scale restrictions to include all curriculum K-12, including courses in ethnic studies. The bill awaits approval by the state House of Representatives (which does not have a quorum because a large percentage of the Democrat members have notoriously gone AWOL on their COVID-plagued exile in Washington, D.C.). On a positive note, SB 3 also specifies and requires the states students be taught about Americas founding documents as well as such events as the Lincoln-Douglas debates. The bill also requires students to be exposed to excerpts from Alexis de Tocquevilles Democracy in America. As a sidebar, this last item impressed me. I went to Texas public schools K-12 and was not introduced to the remarkable de Tocquevilles work until my first week as a freshman at Princeton. As part of freshman orientation, we had to read de Tocqueville and B.F. Skinner, thus symbolizing what would be the heights (de Tocqueville) and the depths (Skinner) of my four-year sojourn in the Ivy League. Predictably, the same teachers unions that declared a culture war against CRT opponents earlier this summer at their NEA Convention are shouting, Shouldnt the students be exposed to the persistent racism that unmistakably runs through our nations history and inevitably impacts the present? What about academic freedom? First, nothing in the legislation proposed, or already passed, prohibits the teaching of Americas history, warts and all. What it would prohibit is The New York Times nefarious 1619 Project, which asserts absurdly that America was founded on slavery and racism in 1619, not on freedom and equality in 1776. What it would prohibit is teaching that all whites are racists and oppressors, and all blacks are victims and oppressed, which only perpetuates and increases racial animosity. Second, nothing in this legislation violates academic freedom. We are talking about the publics schools which we pay for with our taxes. The public has the right, and indeed the obligation, to monitor and define what is taught in their schools to their children. The teachers are the publics employees and public servants. If they, in good conscience, cannot abide by the guidelines implemented by the publics elected representatives, they should resign and teach in a private school setting that is more in line with their personal philosophy. An event that occurred many years ago now illustrates this point. I was living in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex and a debate was raging about the curriculum on sex education in one of the major school districts in the area where I resided. The school district put out a publication with an article written by the school superintendent titled, The New Religious Right: A Threat to Our Schools, Our Jobs, and Our Students. I confronted him both in print and in person (where was the internet when I really needed it? Alas, it had not been invented yet.) I informed the superintendent that he was wrong. Not once, not twice, but on all three counts. His assumption of proprietorship of the publics schools was incorrect. They are the publics schools, the publics jobs, and the publics children, not the school districts. The superintendents response (he had evidently been briefed that all three of my children were attending private Christian schools which happened to be more racially diverse than the public school district in question) was to inquire if I had any children in the districts schools, and if not, what right did I have to intervene and express my objections to the school districts curriculum? I replied, Is your school district supported by local property taxes? If the answer is yes (and it was), I am in your district. I pay taxes, so you work for me and I have the right, an obligation, and a responsibility to monitor and supervise what you are doing with, or to, our children. Based on the public response to our exchange, a significant majority of the public agreed with me. I hope and pray they still do and they will act accordingly. Our countrys future may very well depend upon it. NEXT WEEK: What should be the Christian response to Americas identity crisis? Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment There is something that happened in Nigeria that is trending on the social media. A young man by the name of Peter Godwin recently posted a video on Facebook lamenting how his church (Living Faith Church) fired him, alongside other pastors. According to him, the state pastor invited him and 40 other pastors to his church, all of them were fired. What was the reason? Apparently, their congregations financial performance wasnt good enough. Initially, I found it difficult to believe that a pastor can be fired for not meeting financial targets. There were many opinions on social media, but I kept quiet because I thought that it is not good to jump to conclusions on a matter concerning two parties, without giving a fair hearing to both sides. According to pastor Godwin, the state pastor categorically told him that the Living Faith Church does not operate at a loss and that the income he was generating was below target. He also said that he was instructed to vacate the pastorate immediately and should hand over every property of the church to the state pastor. After a few days, I saw another trending video where the presiding Bishop of the churchBishop David Oyedeporeplied to the fired pastor. According to Bishop Oyedepo, We sacked you because you are unfruitful and a blatant failureWe have no patience with failures here. Bishop Oyedepo clarified that the issue was not about meeting financial targets, but that the pastors were fired because they did not meet the expected soul winning target. No matter how convincing their argument may sound, I cant believe that someone can have the temerity to fire a pastor because of his inability to generate income from the worshipers. I therefore decided to believe Bishop Oyedepo and his claim that the reason for the firing of these pastors was due to their unfruitful evangelism. The million-dollar question is: Who is responsible for soul winning into God's kingdom? The role of the man is to declare the Gospel. If the evangelist fails to preach the Gospel, no soul can be saved (Romans 10:14). In Act 10, God wanted to save Cornelius and his household, and He used human beings as His instruments. He instructed Cornelius to send for Peter in Joppa to declare the Gospel to them. Without the roles of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, no man shall be saved. If a billion strategic evangelists preach the Gospel to a single man without God the Father drawing such an individual to Christ, nothing will happen (John 6:44). If the love of Christ is not shed abroad in the heart of such a man by the Holy Spirit, no conviction and conversion will take place (Romans 5:5). For soul winning projects to be successful, all stakeholders must be adequately involved. I have been working as a missionary for the past 14 years and have taken the Gospel to 15 unreached communities where no one has either preached or heard about Jesus. I am presently working on reaching the unreached in metropolitan areas in Nigeria and have been frustrated many times by the lack of fruit. In some communities, many surrendered to Christ effortlessly, while in others we labored incessantly only to see just a few souls saved. I have read stories of missionaries laboring in hard-to-reach places for decades with not a single soul coming to Christ. Most missionaries are sent by God as forerunners, to break fallow grounds for incoming preachers. Should we label such faithful servants as failures? I have come to realize that it is not in the power of man to convince and convert sinners. The duty of man is to communicate the whole Gospel and leave the rest to God. Even if Anagkazo method (Luke 14:23) is applied by man, no one comes to Christ except by divine conviction and conversion. In the case of the fired pastors and Living Faith Church, the church is right if these pastors were fired due to their negligence in faithfully preaching the Gospel. But if they are fired because they were not able to convert souls into God's kingdom, the church should repent, apologize to them for acting in error, and reinstate them to their positions. No mortal can assume the position of the Trinity in the soul winning agenda. PCUSA pastoral letter to Cuban churches blames US for problems in communist nation Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A letter by an official with the Presbyterian Church (USA) to Christians living in Cuba declared their support for the nations people, but blamed United States' foreign policy for its poverty and instability while lacking any mention of communism or government repression. Recently, due to factors including medical supply issues and an economic depression, there have been widespread protests in Cuba against the communist government, which has been in power since 1959. The Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Advocacy Offices, penned a letter that was published last Friday in response to the protests in Cuba. In the letter, addressed to Cuban Siblings in Christ, Hawkins wrote that PCUSA expressed its solidarity to the Synod of the Presbyterian Reformed Church of Cuba, to your local congregations, presbyteries, and especially to each one of your members and their families. Hawkins went on to say that he and his denomination recognize and confess the part our country plays in the suffering of the Cuban people. The imposition of a blockade has restricted the Cuban economy for decades. Generations of Cuban men and women have been suffering from a lack of material resources, medicines, food, etc. U.S. policy has hindered the ability for Cuban families to maintain contacts between those who live on the island and the Cuban community abroad, he continued. In the case of our Churches, U.S. policy has caused difficulties in normal relations with our partners. But we continue to be committed to fostering a new momentum of hope for both countries. The official letter made no reference to communism or the abuses of the current regime, other than to note that they believe in Gods sovereignty and Gods ability to work through leaders and nations with different beliefs and that we should not absolutize or demonize our political antagonists. May the God of peace and reconciliation shed light upon your lives during these times of trouble and give you wisdom for working towards the much-needed reconciliation process, Hawkins concluded. The Christian Post reached out to PCUSA for an explanation, with a spokesperson emailing a joint statement by Catherine Gordon, representative for International Issues in the Office of Public Witness and Valdir Franca, area coordinator for Latin America & the Caribbean in Presbyterian World Mission. The statement explained that the letter was specifically centered on our siblings in Christ in the Presbyterian Reformed Church of Cuba who have requested prayers and solidarity during this difficult time. The PCUSA's statement also explained that the progressive mainline denominations General Assembly has, in the past, denounced all limitations on human rights in Cuba. Mark Tooley, president of the theologically conservative Institute on Religion & Democracy, told CP that he believed that the letter was in sync with a long tradition of PCUSA responding to anti-regime protests in Cuba by blaming America for Cubas problems. For decades the PCUSA and other mainline denominations have been mostly silent on communist totalitarian repression in Cuba. Some church officials have even praised it, said Tooley. In contrast, the Methodist Church in Cuba recently and courageously declared the Cuban people have a right to free speech. Churches should stand for freedom and human dignity. For their part, the PCUSA's National Hispanic Latin Presbyterian Caucus released its own statement on the Cuban crisis on Tuesday. They also called for the U.S. to end its economic measures against the island nation, but also denounced the acts of repression by government authorities against those who demonstrate peacefully. Michael Pfleger's Chicago church giving away $25K in gun buyback program in effort to reduce crime Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A congregation in Chicago, Illinois, has sought to combat gun violence in the city through a $25,000 firearms buyback program centered on young adults and youth. The Faith Community of Saint Sabina began the buyback event on Monday and plans to continue the event until they have fully spent the $25,000 allotted for the program. The Rev. Michael L. Pfleger of Saint Sabina Church provided The Christian Post with more information on the program, which is centered on getting guns out of the hands of youth. The event allows individuals 25 years old and younger to anonymously sell their guns to the church from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Listed prices for working firearms given to the church include $100 for rifles, $200 for modern rifles, what some call "assault weapons," and $20 for high-capacity magazines. We are continuing to try many things to stop this senseless killing, said Pfleger, who listed other events geared toward this effort, including weekly peace walks and block parties. This is just one more application. For the first two days of their buyback program, according to Pfleger, the church acquired 123 handguns, 31 rifles, and one assault weapon, with the pastor adding that they were able to meet and speak to many young brothers to help turn their lives around. Over the July 4 weekend, Chicago saw its "deadliest and most violent weekend," with 104 people being shot and 19 of them killed. Among the wounded were 13 children, The Chicago Sun Times reported. According to the Chicago Tribune, 2,021 people had been victims of shootings by July 7, which was 164 more than all of 2020. The high number of shootings and murders in Chicago has led many to refer to the city by using the pejorative nickname Chiraq, alluding to the idea that some parts of Chicago are more violent than war-torn countries like Iraq. Last weekend, there were 70 shooting victims in the city, 12 of whom have died from their wounds. Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown has blamed the spike in crime on the courts releasing suspects instead of prosecuting them. "We are arresting violent offenders, the courts are releasing these people back into the community," said Brown, as reported by ABC News' Chicago affiliate. "My question to you is, what the courts can do different[ly] rather than release violent people back to these communities to create an environment of lawlessness." Last week, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, disagreed, contending at a press conference that while she welcomed increased federal aid in response, we cannot arrest our way out of this problem. Fundamentally, if you look at the West Side and you look at the problems, the opioid addiction that is really harming so many individuals, families and communities, the investments we have to make in human capital and the investments we have to make in infrastructure, those are why I spend so much time on the West Side, said Lightfoot, as reported by NBC Chicago. If we can get it right [on the west side], with the mix of resources and investments and capacity building in neighborhoods, empowering residents to be able to hold the territory under their feet, with our help and our support not just in the short-term but in the long-term, thats really what the investments have to be about, and Im totally committed to that. 'Antiracists are the new racists': Black civil rights veteran Bob Woodson slams CRT Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Distinguished African American civil rights activist Bob Woodson recently expressed his opposition to critical race theory, arguing that the ideology in question is "racist" in nature. In an interview with conservative Christian author and radio host Eric Metaxas posted online Wednesday, Woodson discussed his issues with CRT and its proponents. Woodson, who spent years coordinating community development programs local and national organizations, including the NAACP, said that the "so-called antiracists are the new racists." Lets be very clear, said Woodson. They are propagating a theory that harkens back to the days of racism, where they are saying that we should not be judged by the content of our character, but by the color of our skin. He said that the arguments of CRT were an "esoteric debate on campuses for many years." "But then after the George Floyd and other incidents, the radical left has migrated it into the public domain and using it now as an instrument to attack American whites, attack democracy," he added. "Its being used as a pervasive strategy to really undermine the values and principles of the nation. Metaxas concurred, saying that CRT proponents are trying to get people to think racially, compelling people to think more in terms of racial identity than individual identity. It makes you look through the lens of race, which you and I know as Christians, as Americans, we know that thats wrong no matter where it goes, no matter where its coming from, Metaxas told Woodson. Theres something unhealthy about it, and it undermines our unity as Americans. It undermines our unity as believers. Whats wrong with Critical Race Theory? The first thing I would say is that it encourages people to think about race more and not less. Woodson described CRT as destructive to all Americans, but especially for African Americans because it tells them that personal responsibility has no role in our future. Despite being opposed to CRT, Woodson disagreed with the plans of some lawmakers and others to censor the ideology, believing that debate and dialogue were better alternatives. The pushback from that is not to ban it, continued Woodson. The best disinfectant is sunshine. So what we should do is challenge those who are propagating this destructive theory to prove how does it improve the quality of life of the people. How does it improve the quality of life? Does it increase performances in schools? Does it promote the kind of unity that we need to address the problems confronting America? he asked. Born in Philadelphia in 1937, Woodson became active in the civil rights movement and community development efforts. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1965 and served with the National Urban League in New York City the early 1970s. From 1974 to 1981, Woodson was a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He also directed the Neighborhood Revitalization Project in Washington, D.C. He founded the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise in Washington, D.C, which was re-christened the Woodson Center in 2016. The center seeks to empower indigenous leaders in troubled neighborhoods to increase public safety, spur upward mobility and inspire racial unity in America. In March, Woodson penned an op-ed arguing that the "Civil Rights Movement of which I was proudly a part has been betrayed by a twisted progressive ideology that hyper-racializes our country." "It divides our country into two groups: on the one side, blacks and other minorities who are permanent and powerless victims; and on the other irredeemable white supremacists, bent on their destruction," he warned. "Instead of helping to create a society in which all have an equal opportunity to thrive, it insists that systemic racism prevents anyone except 'privileged' whites from succeeding." Critical race theory drew its origins to the 1970s when academics and other intellectuals sought to explain the apparent loss of momentum of the 1960s civil rights movement. By and large, CRT proponents came to believe that the fundamental institutions of the United States were inherently and pervasively racist and geared towards defending white elites. Notable intellectuals of the movement include Kimberle Williams Crenshaw, Richard Delgado, Charles Lawrence III and Mari Matsuda, who in 1993 co-wrote a book titled Words That Wound: Critical Race Theory, Assaultive Speech, And The First Amendment. In the introduction of the 1993 book, the CRT proponents explained that their views were [b]orrowing from and critiquing other intellectual traditions, among them Marxism, feminism, postmodernism, and liberalism. Our work presented racism not as isolated instances of conscious bigoted decision making or prejudiced practice, but as larger, systemic, structural, and cultural, as deeply psychologically and socially ingrained, they explained. CRT has been criticized by many, especially conservatives, under the accusation that the movement wrongly vilifies the U.S. and is more racially divisive than informative. Many school boards have debated proposals to add CRT-inspired materials to the curriculum, while some state legislatures have advanced measures to ban CRT from classrooms. Georgia megachurch, UMC conference enter mediation amid threat of separation, asset seizure Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A Georgia megachurch seeking to leave the United Methodist Church and the regional church body that recently seized its assets have begun a mediation process to resolve the tenuous situation. Mt. Bethel UMC of Marietta, which has about 10,000 members, and the UMC North Georgia Conference jointly announced Wednesday that they are looking to resolve their differences. Mt. Bethel UMC and the UMC's North Georgia Conference have jointly agreed to use their best efforts to resolve an ongoing dispute through a mediation process and will refrain from public comment on this matter until the mediation process has concluded, reads the statement. The joint statement also explained that Mt. Bethel Christian Academy, a private school overseen by the megachurch that serves kindergarten through 12th grade, will also be included in the mediation process. In April, Mt. Bethel leadership unanimously voted to begin a process of discernment for leaving the UMC, citing as reasons the reassignment of lead pastor Jody Ray and what they considered the overall direction of the mainline Protestant denomination. UMC pastors are usually assigned to a congregation for one year at a time, with the possibility of being sent to another congregation or a different role occurring annually. Given the recent actions of our bishop and the direction of the United Methodist denomination, both the leadership and members of Mt. Bethel Church strongly believe it is time for us to part ways with the denomination, a church spokesperson told The Christian Post in April. We believe this process could be accomplished in a matter of months if the Bishop and the North Georgia Annual Conference are willing to enter into an amicable and orderly disaffiliation. The church went on to state that its members simply want to continue serving in this great community and making our church a beacon of hope for all Gods people. Mt. Bethel also filed a complaint before the UMC Southeastern Jurisdiction College of Bishops. The church accused North Georgia Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson and a local district superintendent of Disobedience to the Order and Discipline of The United Methodist Church and Haupert-Johnson of Relationships and/or Behaviors that Undermines the Ministry of Another Pastor. Haupert-Johnson wrote a pastoral letter defending the decision to reassign Ray to another position, saying it was not done out of spite. The placement of a pastor is not done as a form of punishment. The reassignment of a pastor is not designed to persecute, wrote Haupert-Johnson in April. Instead, the process is begun with the goal of matching the gifts and graces of a particular pastor with the ministry needs of a particular congregation and community in a particular season. Ray maintained that he wasn't consulted about the reassignment to a position in the conference on racial reconciliation. On July 12, the conference announced that it had seized control of the church's assets, explaining in a statement that it did so out of love for the church and its mission." The conference cited exigent circumstances for the decision. Given this determination, all assets of the local church have transferred immediately to the Conference Board of Trustees of the North Georgia Conference, stated the conference at the time. These conference agencies have taken action to preserve the legacy of the Mt. Bethel church and its longstanding history of mission and ministry. Mt. Bethel leadership disputed the claims of exigent circumstances, pointing to examples of the contrary, such as the church having a vibrant congregation, financial stability and adhering to Book of Discipline rules on clergy. Despite an unresolved formal complaint, Mt. Bethel has agreed to accept appointed clergy under protest given that said proposal has been approved by the North Georgia Conference and is now official, stated the church on an FAQ page entry. Mt. Bethel has not violated the Discipline by hiring its preaching pastor, nor has it allowed uncredentialed use of the Pulpit." Ousted Episcopal school teacher slams woke curriculum: 'There is no math without objectivity' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A teacher who was ousted after publicly airing his concerns about "antiracism" training at an elite New York City private school warns that an ideology taking aim at the concept of objectivity is harming American students. Paul Rossi, a former math teacher at the Grace Church School in Manhattan, appeared on Fox News Thursday to explain that the curriculum embraced by the $57,000-per-year school associated with the Association of Episcopal Schools is not an isolated incident. Rossi shared his concerns in an April 13 op-ed titled I Refuse to Stand By While My Students Are Indoctrinated. I got into trouble because at a racially segregated Zoom meeting, I questioned the facilitators assertion that values like objectivity and individualism were characteristics of white supremacy. I wanted to model for my students, who I knew had doubts that they couldnt voice, that its okay to question these beliefs and ideas that were being misrepresented as knowledge. The former teacher noted that after he raised objections, students did start to ask questions. Rossi said he was publicly reprimanded and had his classes reassigned. After he published the op-ed in April, he was "barred from the building. Whats the effect on our society when the most powerful people send their kids to schools that teach those kids theres no such thing as objectivity and individualism is racist and you can judge someone by the color of his skin? host Tucker Carlson asked Rossi. Rossi said, students are being sort of seduced away from their personal identity, their preferences, their character, their interests, goals and dreams into this group identity based around race and gender. My school, like so many others, induces students via shame and sophistry to identify primarily with their race before their individual identities are fully formed," Rossi told Carlson. "Students are pressured to conform their opinions to those broadly associated with their race and gender and to minimize or dismiss individual experiences that dont match those assumptions. The morally compromised status of oppressor is assigned to one group of students based on their immutable characteristics," he added. "In the meantime, dependency, resentment and moral superiority are cultivated in students considered oppressed." Rossi warned that once that "collectivist mindset is exposed to children by third or fourth grade, they will run on top of that kind of operating system" based on "all of the various claims that are made about our history, the one-sided claims. While he acknowledged that there is much truth to the claims, he alleged, they present a one-sided view of that and also about how that carries through to the present day. Im a math teacher. There is no math without objectivity, he declared. We have black and brown students struggling in math across the country. How does it help them succeed to tie objectivity to what is an ultimate evil? Rossi announced that he is working on a book illustrating for parents how these ideas manifest for their children in the classroom and what is happening on the ground for students. The book will include interviews with teachers, students and psychological experts, he added. In his April op-ed, Rossi said that the Antiracist training at his school "requires teachers like myself to treat students differently on the basis of race." "Furthermore, in order to maintain a united front for our students, teachers at Grace are directed to confine our doubts about this pedagogical framework to conversations with an in-house 'Office of Community Engagement' for whom every significant objection leads to a foregone conclusion," he said. "Any doubting students are likewise 'challenged' to reframe their views to conform to this orthodoxy." In his op-ed, Rossi admitted that he knew that publishing the piece could lead to loss of employment as an educator because too many schools are "captive to this backward ideology." "But witnessing the harmful impact it has on children, I cant stay silent," he argued. "They report that, in their classes and other discussions, they must never challenge any of the premises of our 'antiracist' teachings, which are deeply informed by Critical Race Theory. These concerns are confirmed for me when I attend grade-level and all-school meetings about race or gender issues. There, I witness student after student sticking to a narrow script of acceptable responses. Teachers praise insights when they articulate the existing framework or expand it to apply to novel domains. Meantime, it is common for teachers to exhort students who remain silent that 'we really need to hear from you.' Encyclopedia Brittanica defines critical race theory as an intellectual movement and loosely organized framework of legal analysis based on the premise that race is not a natural, biologically grounded feature of physically distinct subgroups of human beings but a socially constructed (culturally invented) category that is used to express and exploit people of colour. Those who subscribe to critical race theory believe that the law and legal institutions in the United States are inherently racist insofar as they function to create and maintain social, economic, and political inequalities between whites and nonwhites, especially African Americans. Several states have worked to ban the teaching of critical race theory in public schools in recent weeks. Grace Church School has come under fire for its Inclusive Language Guide, which advised students and staff members to refrain from using the terms Mom and Dad, traditional family, Happy Holidays and boys and girls. The guide suggested the use of phrases such as grown-ups, folks or family, Have a great break and people, folks, friends, readers, (and) mathematicians as more inclusive alternatives. The guide characterized the term traditional family as outdated because each family is unique. It also asserted that human sexuality exists across a spectrum, sexual orientation is a choice rather than an identity, and that when we see the skin tones of people, assumptions are made about how someone identifies racially. Therefore, people cannot be colorblind as it pertains to race. Families 'rejected' by churches unable to handle special needs children find acceptance Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The DiToro family in Westbury, New York, is among many that have felt rejected by churches incapable or unwilling to handle the challenges presented by their children with special needs. Edward and Jessica DiToro and their 7-year-old special needs son, Samuel, say they were turned away and rejected from a local church. They claim that their son was not welcomed in, wrongfully judged and misunderstood. The DiToros, both in their 40s, told The Christian Post that they left their previous church because they did not like the way the Sunday school nursery teachers treated their son. The teachers reportedly told the couple that their son "should walk and talk like the other children" and "should be more social with the other children. Samuel was often told to leave the nursery when he would hit another child and the teachers reportedly never took preventive steps to prevent the incidents from happening in the first place. I believed that the nursery teachers felt that our son had to fit the same phenotype as the other children in the nursery, Edward DiToro recounted. I also don't think that they spoke to him to make sure Samuel felt like he was welcome there. He was just thrown in with the other kids and expected to behave like them. All they would do was say that Samuel did something wrong, whether it's hitting a kid or soiling himself or having a temper tantrum. And there was never any positive feedback given on any week, nor did anyone work one-on-one with Samuel, Jessica DiToro added. The DiToros said the churchs congregation often avoided Samuel on multiple occasions and the pastor treated Samuel differently for years. Eventually, in 2019, the family switched to another church called Point Lookout Community Church in Point Lookout, New York. They said that their son is constantly engaged in an activity at their new church, whether coloring pictures or reading. Like DiToro's, many parents with special needs children are searching for in-person or online ministries geared towards meeting their childrens needs or even having the ability to attend a church that welcomes and loves their special needs children. For some, such ministries helped them overcome their painful experiences in their previous churches, but it has also helped them remain hopeful amid the challenges they have faced during the pandemic. The youth ministry curriculum developer Orange published a recent article titled How to Start a Special Needs Ministry at Your Church." The piece details three ways any church can learn and meet the needs of special needs children with ministries designed explicitly for them. The author, Rev. Meaghan Wall, has lead the special needs children's ministry at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas. She is the lead pastor of the special needs ministry for dozens of kids of all ages called GIFT: God Is Faithful Throughout." The ministry aims to nurture special needs students by encouraging their desire for a Savior and developing their faith. Having heard countless stories of church hurt from hundreds of families involved with her special needs ministry, Wall said she felt led by God to write the article because she truly believes all special needs children are made in the image of God and are created with great purpose." "Because God has a plan for them and churches can potentially harm family generations by turning families with special needs children away from the church," she told CP in an interview. Some churches put up barriers because they dont think God has it in their plan to serve the special needs population, and they dont take the time to learn how to meet the needs of special needs children, Wall added. How will the family members of these special needs children view the church as a whole if their sibling or child has been turned away from the church? When they see their special needs sister or brother was wrongfully rejected, they are likely to turn away from God," she continued. "[A]nd when these siblings get older, they will raise up children that also dont believe in God, and the cycle goes on and on for generations. ..." Many of the parents Wall works with have previously attended churches without special needs ministries, and some were asked to leave. Others were given ultimatums that involve choosing to follow strict stipulations for their special needs children or not return to the church. The pastors of these churches, she said, often demand the parents to have their special needs children sit very still, quiet, remain separated from the other children, or even stay monitored at all times by a caregiver in addition to the Sunday school teachers. It takes a lot for families to come back to church when theyve been hurt and told, your child cant be handled,' Wall said. We have to serve and love everyone and point everyone to the Gospel. Every church should have a special needs ministry, and every seminary school should teach special needs instructional classes to raise up generations of pastors who can meet everyone's needs. Wall said that "there is no excuse" for pastors and church leaders not to be educated on working with special needs children. Wall contends that pastors can "take a class, read a book, or an article online." Pastors can even go to their special needs teachers in the school districts in their communities and learn a thing or two from them, she added. Since the pandemic hit, Wall said, she has seen an increase in the number of people who attend her virtual special needs ministry classes from other countries. Her adult special needs class attendance has increased. And throughout the pandemic, she offered an online special needs marriage class, which was attended by more people than she has ever seen before. The pandemic has led me to offer activities in an online format which has allowed those who dont have access to a church with a special needs ministry to attend, she said. Although the DiToros new church does not have a ministry specifically designed to meet the needs of special needs children, the family said their new church had done its homework. The parents said the church had made an effort to treat special needs children equally and they are educated on special needs childrens specific needs and ways to work with them. The congregants have been very welcoming of Samuels needs in the Sunday school program during church services, Jessica DiToro said. When the pandemic first hit in 2020, the DiToros said their new church took it as an opportunity to love them even more deeply through maintaining connections virtually. At first, the pandemic transitions were frustrating and difficult because Samuel did not want to wear a mask and didn't understand the importance of wearing a mask. As a result, it was difficult for them to take Samuel to places where masks were required. During those early months of the pandemic, the DiToros said they would often take turns to run errands to allow for one parent to stay home to watch Samuel. They also stayed home and watched church virtually. Point Lookout church has a number of special needs children of all demographics, who were facing similar challenges during the pandemic, Edward DiToro said. The church rose to the occasion and provided not only the virtual services to those children in need but also a networking system with the parents of special needs children. Point Lookout Church has reportedly helped many parents with special needs children similar to the DiToro family. Although their ministry leaders and pastors do not specialize in special needs care and education, parents have said they have seen firsthand how the church demonstrates their mission to be and to build community for the glory of Jesus Christ. Long Beach, New York, resident Kathy Butler, 65, said when the pandemic first hit, she was riddled with fear about her safety and worried about the emotional and physical well-being of her 28-year-old autistic son, Charlie. She told CP that her family has attended Point Lookout Church for over 20 years and the church has "loved Charlie even in the very hard years when he was young. Despite her growing fears, she maintained her Christian faith while encouraging her son to have faith in God and participate in the church's networking and virtual services. Jesus loves all children and doesnt distinguish between special needs and other children, Butler said. I cant get through the day without Jesus, and it is very hard for special needs children during this pandemic, especially for those with serious behavior issues. Charlie, who has limited verbal abilities and was diagnosed with autism at age 3, had difficulty understanding the importance of wearing masks and social distancing. In addition to having her churchs support, Butler also found solace in another program for special needs young adults called Hangout One Happy Place. The nonprofit organization in Nassau County was founded in February of 2019 to provide an inclusive environment that allows young adults with special needs to create their own hands-on curriculums and do recreational activities together. However, she said it took many long weeks to find the program because many similar programs were shut down and not offering virtual services during the pandemic. Butler said for her and many other parents who found Hangout One Happy Place, finding such a program during the pandemic to meet the needs of their special needs children was no easy feat. "There are possibly many parents in the world who struggled the same or might still be searching for any program to meet their special needs childrens needs, especially a Christian-based program. The pandemic caused Charlies volunteer jobs to shut down and his college class and day program became remote. And Charlie began to miss having in-person contact with his peers at church and school and he was left feeling isolated, Butler said. The program Hangout One Happy Place changed Charlies life because he got to have social and emotional interactions with peers again during a really tough time. The founder of the program, Baldwin resident Angela Lucas, 53, has worked with special needs children for 15 years in various roles in the Baldwin School District. Although her nonprofit is secular, Lucas, who is Catholic, said she does not discourage the concept of parents establishing religion in the lives of their special needs children. It depends on the child because some special needs children are not able to fully understand religion because they are unable to speak, but clients like Charlie are verbal, she said. Faith definitely has an impact on everyone. And just because someone is special needs, does not mean they shouldnt have access to a form of religion. Tech pastor launching Miamis oldest church in virtual reality format as evangelistic tool Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A Presbyterian pastor in Miami is set to launch a fully immersive virtual reality worship service in a digital replica of Miamis oldest organized congregation. Christopher Benek, who pastors First Miami Presbyterian Church and is the CEO and pastor of the tech nonprofit CoCreators, believes a virtual reality service is an effective evangelistic tool to reach gamers and others with the Gospel. "I think that it is important to understand that creation of CHVRCH+ (pronounced Church Plus) is not to displace the local congregation. Thats part of why we called it CHVRCH+ because it is meant to be an additional complement to the existing physical church," Benek told The Christian Post in an interview Tuesday. Benek loves his local congregation, which is located in the heart of Brickell community and has nearly doubled in membership in the past year. "But we also realize that we, like the rest of the church universal, have a lot of work to do. We live in one of the highest population densities south of New York City, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only intensified our understanding that we need to meet peoples needs both physically and digitally," he said. Digital and virtual spaces are no less Gods territory than our physical spaces, he continued, and when Christ called His followers to Make disciples of all nations he was not excluding digital ones. "'There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!'" Benek said, referencing the words of the Dutch Reformed theologian Abraham Kuyper. "Certainly this applies to digital spaces as well." Creating virtual spaces is not a way to escape our present reality or ignore incarnational blessings, but rather a way to extend our understanding of reality and open our minds to the new possibilities that might exist in Jesus, the pastor elaborated. "I think that it is the destructive flaw of many armchair theologians to assume that when faced with new ministry options that we can only experience God in one way. God is the Creator of the cosmos. Certainly, we are not so prideful as to assume that we know all of the ways that God might reveal Gods-self to us?" he said. This is especially true given the public health crisis with COVID-19, he added, as it has disrupted our preconceived notions as to how the church must do ministry. "It has also freed church leaders to experiment, fail fast, and live into their creative giftedness. Many churches have been doing ministry in ways that havent produced fruit now for decades. The present crisis is a digital wakeup call and I think that churches and congregants are eager to rise to the occasion." Approximately 3.5 billion people are online today and the universal church has to have a sustainable long-term strategy, he stressed. "We want churches to have new ways of engaging community online that pay homage to their current, sacred physical spaces while also allowing for the expression of the creativity that humanity has as creatures made in the image of the Creator God. As churches move into the exponentially advancing technological future we want them to have the tools to both acknowledge that they are standing on the shoulders of the saints who have gone before them, and they are building a digital legacy that the saints of the future will use to reach future generations for Christ," Benek said. "Moreover, it is essential that churches take advantage of the current crisis in order to build sustainability plans. We know that COVID-19 will eventually pass. But when I speak around the world on artificial intelligence I remind people that the coming automation crisis will not have an end, he said, noting that 11% to 22% of the U.S. population is forecasted to lose their jobs by 2030 and that percentage only increases over time. Thus, his new tech church provides a way for churches to start expanding their digital base, increase online giving, and meet the needs of people around the globe while they still have the time. Asked how his congregation is responding to the idea of a VR church, Benek said they've been very enthusiastic. "We are widely multiethnic, relatively young, and very entrepreneurial. Additionally, South Florida is also a hotspot for start-up culture. So our congregation generally understands and supports the ingenuity and creativeness of that culture." When he preached during his Easter sermon last year he spoke of artificial intelligence and had a long line of people in the receiving line afterward who wanted to talk about emerging tech and theology. It was after that day when membership began growing. "What that indicated to us is that people want the pastors to talk about tech more because it is impacting their greater sense of ultimate meaning. If there was ever a time for pastors to do so, it is right now," Benek said. Are Virtual Reality Churches the Wave of the Future? Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Virtual reality, which can easily allow churches to have global presence and foster diversity and inclusiveness, is far more enabling than live-streaming, which numerous megachurches are currently using to conduct multi-site worship services. So are we going to see a rise of VR churches in the near future as the technology becomes cheaper and more accessible? "Attend a real church in virtual reality," says the website of a VR church established by Los Angeles, California-based Pastor D.J. Soto and whose mission is "to explore and communicate God through virtual reality, augmented reality, and next generation technologies." Soto, the owner of Sonata 7 Studios, LLC. which is a film production and virtual reality company, quit his job as a pastor at a branch of his local megachurch in Reading, Pennsylvania, a few years ago with a burden to reach out to people in unusual places. He and his wife even sold their home and most of their belongings and moved with their five young children into a 30-foot trailer. His journey soon took him to virtual reality as the vehicle of his dream. However, as Pastor Soto spoke about his vision with pastors and church planters, he realized that Christian ministers are not quite ready to try out this new technology, he tells Wired. "It has been abysmal, to be honest, just trying to connect," Soto is quoted as saying. At times, he wonder is "this the biggest mistake of my life?" "We haven't stopped trying to connect with churches, but we are wondering if that type of support is further down the road," he adds. "Maybe we need to do a radical tactical shift to support from outside the church and church planting organizations." The group is going to accelerate plans to create a 501(3)(c), and start a crowdfunding campaign, as he firmly believes that virtual churches can tremendously increase church attendance, particularly among the young and others who feel alienated by real world churches. According to a 2017 Baylor survey, some 45 percent of Americans already use the internet to access religious and spiritual content. Wired author Kristen French identifies herself as an atheist but likes the idea of VR churches. "I stopped going to church at the age of 13," she writes. "But as someone who remains curious about religion, I am, in some ways, Soto's target audience. When I attended a recent service in virtual reality, I was struck by how welcoming and informal it felt. To me, church meant the hushed tones, muted colors, and high tight collars of Sunday best in my youth. Here, the avatars of parishionerssleek chiseled robots and blocky cartoon humanscame and went throughout the service. Many huddled into the pews, laid out in orderly rows. Others spilled out onto a red carpet that stretched to a small stage in front. The music was thumping." Some Christian ministers share Soto's belief in this technology, but are treading with more caution. J. R. Woodward, national director of church planting at V3, is quoted as saying, "I think media used carefully and thoughtfully is really, really helpful. But I think what's most needed today is for Christians to be an embodiment of Christ in particular places and contexts. There's nothing really more transformative than that." However, Neal Locke, a Presbyterian minister who writes about religion and virtual reality, warns, "The virtual world is a place where identity is fluid," and adds that virtual worlds are often used to seek out people and places that differ from the experience of the users. In a 2015 Christian Post op-ed, Pastor Christopher Benek, who specializes in theology and technology, predicted that VR tech will benefit the physically disabled and others who are unable to be physically present at a worship service. "The main impact that VR is going to have on the global church is that it is going to, one-day, enable Christians to easily gather from a variety of places without being in the same physical location. This will enable persons who are homebound, sick, caregivers, without transportation, on vacation, or severely disabled to participate in worship with the larger community of faith without needing to leave the place where they are physically residing," he wrote. Last year, Roger E. Olson, professor of Christian Theology of Ethics at George W. Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University, warned that congregations that do not have a physical pastor present during worship services and only watch video streams of pastors preaching, could be a sign of Gnosticism. "One that comes to my mind, as a Christian theologian, is the question of possible partial Gnosticism at least the lack of concern about bodies and physical presences." He continued: "Virtual reality replaces bodily and physical reality. Or the two are confused as if the difference does not really matter. Can a pastor really 'pastor' (shepherd) a congregation if he or she never is among them? Is there really total commensurability spiritually between seeing and hearing a local pastor preach, pray and teach bodily, physically, and seeing and hearing a speaker via satellite feed or internet connection?" Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban is mainstream, most European laws more strict: report Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A new report reveals that Mississippis 15-week abortion ban, the subject of litigation before the U.S. Supreme Court, is in line with most European laws on abortion. The Charlotte Lozier Institute, the research arm of the pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List, published a study concluding that Mississippis 15-week Gestational Limit on Abortion is Mainstream Compared to European Abortion Laws. Conducted by the Charlotte Lozier Institute associate scholar Angelina Nguyen, the report comes as Supreme Court justices are poised to hear a case involving the law. After lower courts have ruled in favor of the abortion clinic seeking to invalidate the law, the state of Mississippi, which supports the bill, has asked the Supreme Court to review those decisions. The justices are expected to hear oral arguments in the case of Dobbs vs. Jackson Womens Health Organization in its upcoming term, scheduled to begin in October, and will make a decision next year. The report analyzed the abortion laws of 50 European countries, finding that the majority of European countries that allow elective abortion limit it to 12 weeks. Specifically, while 42 European countries permit elective abortions, 39 of those nations only allow the procedure to take place when the child is at 15 weeks gestation or less. A majority of European countries actually have stricter restrictions on abortion than Mississippis 15-week abortion ban. Croatia, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey only permit elective abortions within the first 10 weeks of a pregnancy. Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Moldova, Northern Ireland, North Macedonia, Norway, Russia, Slovakia, Switzerland and Ukraine restrict the procedure to the first 12 weeks. Austria and Italy only permit elective abortions in the first three months of a pregnancy, while Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Romania and Spain have 14-week limits on the procedure. Only three European countries allow elective abortions to take place more than 15 weeks into a pregnancy: Iceland, the Netherlands and Sweden. The Netherlands has the most permissive abortion law of the three countries, allowing elective abortions to take place as late as 24 weeks into a pregnancy. Iceland and Sweden limit elective abortions at 22 weeks and 18 weeks gestation, respectively. In contrast to elective abortion, or abortion without restriction as to reason, eight European countries require women seeking an abortion to have a specific reason for doing so: Andorra, Finland, Lichtenstein, Malta, Monaco, Poland, San Marino, and Great Britain. Restrictions in these countries range from most protective of life (to save the life of the mother or completely prohibited) to most permissive of abortion (socioeconomic grounds) with various reasons in between (e.g., physical health, mental health). As noted in the report, the United States Supreme Court precedent allows for elective abortions through all nine months of pregnancy, and only permits states to enact limitations on abortion on demand after viability, a legal definition which has not kept pace with science and is usually marked around 24 weeks. In 2017, a Washington Post fact check, citing a previous study from the Charlotte Lozier Institute, confirmed that the United States was one of only seven countries in the world to allow late-term abortions. The others are Canada, China, the Netherlands, North Korea, Singapore and Vietnam. Nguyen and Charlotte Lozier Institute President Chuck Donovan elaborated on the results of the study and abortion laws in the U.S. in a USA Today op-ed where they said: We reached this inglorious status by judicial decree, joining only Canada in the dubious distinction of completely sidelining the consent and consensus of the governed. As Donovan and Nguyen indicated in their op-ed, the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade and subsequent Supreme Court decisions have determined that women have a right to obtain an abortion throughout the first two trimesters of pregnancy, thereby limiting the ability of states to restrict the procedure. Pro-life activists see the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization as an opportunity to reverse the longstanding abortion precedent in the U.S. When the Supreme Court announced that it would hear the state of Mississippis challenge to a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision ruling the states 15-week abortion ban unconstitutional, Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser praised the development as a landmark opportunity for the Supreme Court to recognize the right of states to protect unborn children from the horrors of painful late-term abortions. Dannenfelser added, It is time for the Supreme Court to catch up to scientific reality and the resulting consensus of the American people as expressed in elections and policy. In addition to pro-life advocates, the attorney general of Mississippi and other pro-life politicians have explicitly called for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe. In a brief submitted to the Supreme Court last week, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch argued that Roe and the 1992 case Planned Parenthood v. Casey that upheld Roes central finding were egregiously wrong. She described the case for overturning the precedent of those two decisions as overwhelming. Roe and Casey are profoundly unprincipled decisions that have damaged the democratic process, poisoned our national discourse, plagued the law, and harmed the perception of this Court. Retaining those precedents harms this Courts legitimacy. This Court can thus offer the Nation an overwhelming case for overruling Roe and Casey, she added. Fitch also pointed to scientific advancements as another justification for reversing Roe and Casey, specifically highlighting that advances in neonatal and medical science now show that an unborn child has taken on the human form in all relevant respects by 12 weeks gestation. And while the Roe Court thought there was no consensus among those trained in medicine as to whether life is persistent throughout pregnancy the Court has since acknowledged that by common understanding and scientific terminology, a fetus is a living organism while within the womb before and after viability Yet Casey and Roe still impede a state from acting on this information by prohibiting pre-viability abortions. Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, filed a separate brief with the Supreme Court, maintaining that Roe and Casey should be overruled, and the question of abortion legislation should be returned to the states. If the Supreme Court sides with the state of Mississippi in Dobbs, abortion would not automatically become illegal in all 50 states. Instead, states like Mississippi would have the ability to limit abortions to the first 15-weeks, while states like New York could continue to enforce permissive abortion laws like the Reproductive Health Act, which allows women to obtain abortions up to the moment of birth. Sen. Tom Cotton rebukes Biden nominee who called kids an environmental hazard Cotton: 'What is wrong with these people? Every baby is a precious gift from God' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., condemned President Joe Biden's nominee for the Bureau of Land Management for once describing children as an "environmental hazard" in her master's thesis supporting population control. In late April, Biden announced the nomination of environmentalist Tracy Stone-Manning to be the director of the Bureau of Land Management. In a post on Twitter Monday, Cotton posted a screenshot of an essay by Stone-Manning that included a photo of a child in a field and asked the question: "Can you find the environmental hazard in this photo?" Biden's BLM nominee thinks a "cute baby" is actually an "environmental hazard." What is wrong with these people? Every baby is a precious gift from God. pic.twitter.com/IfwtcmdbOp Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) July 26, 2021 Biden's BLM nominee thinks a cute baby is actually an environmental hazard, tweeted Cotton. What is wrong with these people? Every baby is a precious gift from God. The essay, which was Stone-Manning's masters thesis written circa 1992, argued the case for promoting environmentalist ads that encourage parents to have no more than two children. Since her nomination, Stone-Manning has also garnered controversy for her ties to an eco-terrorist plot in 1989 in which environmental activists hammered hundreds of spikes into trees in a forest in Idaho that were slated for removal. Stone-Manning, still a student at the time, wrote a letter to authorities taking credit for participating in the action, and defending the act by arguing that this piece of land is very special to the earth. Tree spiking can cause serious injuries or even death for loggers. In 1987, for example, a 23-year-old mill worker in California had his jaw cut in half when his saw exploded upon striking an unnoticed tree spike. These actions have led many Republicans, among them Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, to denounce Stone-Manning as a radical unfit to head the Bureau of Land Management. We need a land manager who understands, respects and implements multiple use of public lands, with which Americans in the West are particularly accustomed, said Lummis last week. Under Ms. Stone-Manning, Im very concerned that multiple use principles will change. The reason is quite simple: This nominee is a radical. Shes been involved with eco-terrorists in the past, including during a tree spiking incident in Idaho. Jeff Fairchild, who spent two months in prison for tree spiking, defended Stone-Manning in an interview with The Washington Post earlier this month. Other than the mailing of the letter, Tracy knew nothing and was not involved, said Fairchild. She was a bridge builder. She was a moderating voice in every discussion She was always the one to say, Hey, look, loggers have families, too. For their part, the Biden administration is standing by Stone-Manning, giving a statement to Fox News in June in which they said she was exceptionally qualified to be the next Director of the Bureau of Land Management. Tracy Stone-Manning is a dedicated public servant who has years of experience and a proven track record of finding solutions and common ground when it comes to our public lands and waters, the Biden administration added. Christian web designer opposed to creating same-sex wedding websites loses at 10th Circuit Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit has ruled that a Christian web designer must create websites that conflict with her religious views. In a 2-1 decision released Monday, the circuit panel ruled against Lorie Smith and her web design company, 303 Creative, stating that they must provide services for same-sex marriages if they offer said services for traditional weddings. Smith filed a pre-enforcement legal challenge in 2016 to the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, arguing that the law would compel her to provide services that go against her religious beliefs and is unconstitutional. At issue was a plan to start building websites for weddings, but with the desire to not provide those services for same-sex weddings due to religious objections to the unions. In 2017, a district court ruled that Smith couldn't challenge the law and upheld that decision in a subsequent ruling. Circuit Judge Mary Beck Briscoe, a Clinton appointee, authored the majority opinion. The appeals court acknowledged that 303 Creative could face prosecution under CADA if they refused to build websites celebrating same-sex weddings while offering such services for opposite-sex weddings. Nevertheless, Briscoe concluded in part that CADA is a neutral law of general applicability, and that it is not unconstitutionally vague or overbroad. Colorado has a compelling interest in protecting both the dignity interests of members of marginalized groups and their material interests in accessing the commercial marketplace, wrote Briscoe. When regulating commercial entities, like Appellants, public accommodations laws help ensure a free and open economy. Thus, although the commercial nature of Appellants business does not diminish their speech interest, it does provide Colorado with a state interest absent when regulating noncommercial activity. Regarding the intentions of 303 Creative to put a statement on its website explaining its refusal to create websites for same-sex weddings, the majority opinion concluded that Colorado may prohibit speech that promotes unlawful activity, including unlawful discrimination. Lawyers for Smith say that the state has placed a "gag" rule that prohibits designers and artists from expressing religious views in the online marketplace about marriage that indicate someone is unwelcome, objectionable, unacceptable, or undesirable." Having concluded that the First Amendment does not protect Appellants proposed denial of services, we also conclude that the First Amendment does not protect the Proposed Statement, continued the majority opinion. Parts of the Proposed Statement might not violate the Accommodation Clause, such as those parts expressing Appellants commitment to their clients or Ms. Smiths religious convictions. Yet, the Proposed Statement also expresses an intent to deny service based on sexual orientation an activity that the Accommodation Clause forbids and that the First Amendment does not protect. Tenth Circuit Chief Judge Timothy M. Tymkovich, a George W. Bush appointee, authored a dissenting opinion. He argued that the Constitution protects Ms. Smith from the government telling her what to say or do. But the majority takes the remarkable and novel stance that the government may force Ms. Smith to produce messages that violate her conscience, wrote Tymkovich. In doing so, the majority concludes not only that Colorado has a compelling interest in forcing Ms. Smith to speak a government-approved message against her religious beliefs, but also that its public-accommodation law is the least restrictive means of accomplishing this goal. No case has ever gone so far. Tymkovich contends that while Colorado is rightfully interested in protecting certain classes of persons from arbitrary and discriminatory treatment, the state should not turn the tables on Ms. Smith and single out her speech and religious beliefs for discriminatory treatment under the aegis of anti-discrimination laws. CADA forces Ms. Smith to violate her faith on pain of sanction both by prohibiting religious-based business practices and by penalizing her if she does speak out on these matters in ways Colorado finds unwelcome or undesirable, he continued. Attorney John Bursch of the nonprofit legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, representing Smith, denounced the panel decision and declared plans to appeal the ruling. The government should never force creative professionals to promote a message or cause with which they disagree. That is quintessential free speech and artistic freedom, Bursch said in a statement. Lorie is happy to design websites for all people; she simply objects to being forced to pour her heart, imagination, and talents into messages that violate her conscience. Critics of 303 Creatives efforts include Americans United for Separation of Church & State. The progressive advocacy group joined several other groups in filing amicus briefs in 2020. The sweeping exemption for religiously motivated discrimination that 303 seeks so that it may deny equal service to same-sex couples would necessarily also permit businesses to deny service to people of the wrong religion (or race, or sex, or any other characteristic protected by the Act), the Americans United brief argues. A ruling in 303s favor would therefore undermine, not strengthen, religious freedom by impairing the ability of the people of Colorado to live as equal members of the community regardless of faith or belief. In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Colorado's treatment of a Christian baker punished for refusing to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding in defiance of the state's discrimination laws. However, the Supreme Court this month refused to hear the case of a Washington florist who was punished for refusing to provide floral arrangements for a same-sex wedding. Hillsong's Brian Houston says getting COVID vaccine is 'personal decision' following death of church member Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Brian Houston, founder and global Senior Pastor at Hillsong, said he believes getting the COVID-19 vaccine is a "personal decision" following the virus-related death of one of the church's members. The Sydney, Australia-based pastor announced the death of Stephen Harmon, 34, on social media last week. The post has since been removed. "Stephen was just a young man in his early 30s," Houston wrote on Thursday. "He was one of the most generous people I know and he had so much in front of him." Harmon had been vocal on social media about his opposition to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. "Got 99 problems but a vax ain't one," he tweeted to his 7,000 followers in June. The Hillsong member was treated for pneumonia and COVID-19 in a hospital outside Los Angeles, California, where he died on Wednesday. In a recent statement to CNN, Houston weighed in on Harmon's death: "Any loss of life is a moment to mourn and offer support to those who are suffering and so our heartfelt prayers are with his family and those who loved him." "On any medical issue, we strongly encourage those in our church to follow the guidance of their doctors," Houston added. The pastor emphasized that the role of Hillsong in Harmons life was to focus on his spiritual well-being. "While many of our staff, leadership and congregation have already received the Covid-19 vaccine, we recognize this is a personal decision for each individual to make with the counsel of medical professionals," Houston concluded. According to CBS News affiliate KCBS, Harmon attended Hillsong Los Angeles. Harmon had been hospitalized due to COVID-19 since June 30 and also got pneumonia while at the hospital. Following his death, the young man's social media page was set to private. However, many outlets have since shared his posts. In one post, Harmon clarified he was not "anti-vax" but instead was "pro information." "Im not against it, Im just not in a rush to get it," a July 8 post on his Instagram explained. "Ironically, as I continue to lay here ... in my covid ward isolation room fighting off the virus and pneumonia." Harmons last tweet, written the day before his death, read: Im choosing to go under intubation, Ive fought this thing as hard as I can but unfortunately its reached a point of critical choice & as much as I hate having to do this Id rather it be willingness than forced emergency procedure. dont know when Ill wake up, please pray. Houstons tribute honoring the Hillsong member clarified that "Stephen's thoughts on vaccines were his own." "They do not represent the views and thoughts of Hillsong Church. Many of our pastors, staff, and congregation are fully vaccinated and more will be when vaccines become available to them in their countries," Houston noted. Studies of the vaccines have shown varying rates of effectiveness from contracting the virus and its variants, from 39% to 64% to 88%. However, the vaccines are expected to reduce the severity of infection and reduce the likelihood of hospitalization for many people. Other studies have shown that people who've already been infected have natural immunity that might last a lifetime. The CDCs Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System database has received over 6,000 reports of death following COVID-19 vaccinations as of July 12, according to the CDC's website, along with thousands of other adverse events. It's been reported in California that areas with high vaccination rates are seeing an increase in COVID-19 infections, and areas with low vaccination rates are seeing low infection rates. CBS News' Sacramento affiliate reported that this is likely because many vaccinated people are unaware that they can still spread COVID-19 to others who have weaker immune systems, and transmission rates are higher in more densely populated areas. Professor apologizes to medical students for being 'offensive,' saying 'only women can get pregnant' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A California medical school student says professors are cowering to woke ideology out of fear that students will use an instant reporting system against them if they teach that sex is a biological reality and not a "social construct." In a piece titled Med Schools are Now Denying Biological Sex, on the Substack page called Common Sense with Bari Weiss, journalist Katie Herzog shared recordings of lectures captured by a student at a medical school in the University of California system. One recording details how, after using the term pregnant women during a lecture, the professor of an endocrinology course apologized for uttering that phrase. Im very sorry for that. It was clearly not my intention to offend anyone. The worst thing that I can do as a human being is be offensive, he said. I said when a woman is pregnant, which implies that only women can get pregnant and I most sincerely apologize to all of you. While biologically speaking, only women can get pregnant, Herzogs report comes at a time when many people are claiming otherwise. Just last week, draft drawings of a proposed emoji featuring a pregnant man first surfaced. The proposed emoji, designed to advance the idea that men can get pregnant as well as women, could be available to the public as early as next year. The medical school student who provided recordings to Herzog explained that from the perspective of some of her classmates, acknowledging biological sex can be considered transphobic. Herzog wrote that when sex is acknowledged by her instructors, its sometimes portrayed as a social construct, not a biological reality. For example, one of the girls professors reportedly argued that Biological sex, sexual orientation, and gender are all constructs. When asked whether professors actually believe the aforementioned statements that they recited in front of their students, the student, who Herzog referred to as the pseudonym Lauren, theorized, I think theres a small percentage of instructors who are true believers. But most of them are probably just scared of their students. Additionally, this particular medical school has an online forum where students can correct their professors for using gender-specific terms such as male, female, or breastfeed as opposed to gender-neutral terms like chestfeed. This forum enables students to lodge their complaints in real time during lectures. Lauren recalled how one time, a professor was so upset by students calling her out for using male and female that she started crying. Lauren also told Herzog that at the beginning of the previous school year, students circulated petitions in an effort to name and shame professors for engaging in wrongspeak. Examples of wrongspeak cited in the petitions included use of the pronouns she and her as well as the terms father and son. Upon receiving the petition, the professor accused of using the cisnormative language apologized for speaking in binary terms and noted that she had consulted with a member of the schools LGBT Committee before giving the lecture. Another professor became the subject of a petition for calling a trans-identified male a man changing into a woman, which upset students because it implies that the trans woman wasnt always a woman. Lauren added that since the petitions were sent out, instructors have been far more proactive about correcting their slides in advance or sending out emails to the school listserv if any upcoming material has outdated terminology. In one case, a professor sent out an email warning that an upcoming lecture might not align with the schools approach to gender inclusivity and gender/sex antioppression because it would include the phrase premenopausal women. The professor vowed to rectify the issue by using the term premenopausal people in the future. The woke ideology that has taken hold in medical schools has also made its way into the larger scientific community. Herzog mentioned that the American Psychological Association now considers the terms natal sex and birth sex disparaging and instead uses the phrase assigned sex at birth. She warned that the National Institutes of Health, the CDC, and Harvard Medical School have all made efforts to divorce sex from medicine and emphasize gender identity. The journalist wrote that In 2018, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that pediatricians affirm their parents chosen gender without taking into account mental health, family history, trauma, or fears of puberty. Herzog stressed that the ideology sweeping through medical schools and the medical community as a whole has led to a de-emphasization on the different medical experiences faced by males and females. For example, Lauren discussed how abdominal aortic aneurysms were four times as likely to occur in males than females, but she was never informed of that fact. Instead, she had to look it up. I dont have time to look up the sex predominance for all the diseases Im expected to know. Im not even sure what Im not being taught, and unless my classmates are as skeptical as I am, they probably arent aware either. Along with featuring firsthand testimony from a medical school student, Herzogs piece included quotes from established medical professionals who agreed that the imposition of woke ideology that ignores or downplays differences between the two biological genders into the medical community will have disastrous consequences. A former dean of a leading medical school told Herzog that the anecdotes shared in the article are a serious departure from the expectation that medical education and practice should be based on science and free from imposition of ideology and ideology-based intimidation. He also said that how male and female members of our species develop, how they differ genetically, anatomically, physiologically, and with respect to diseases and their treatment are foundational to clinical medicine and research. The former medical school official maintained that efforts to erase or diminish these foundations should be unacceptable to responsible professional leaders. Lauren expressed hope that the truth will come out and science will eventually prevail, but remained skeptical because the new gender ideology movement is portrayed as a civil rights movement that seems virtuous and seems like the right thing to do, concluding that it is difficult to fight against something thats being marketed as a fight for human rights. Summer reading: 10 of the best art books of the past year From Goya to Hogarth, histories to how-to guides theres something for everyone in our pick of light(ish) reads to enjoy on the beach or by the pool this summer 1 Goya: A Portrait of the Artist by Janis Tomlinson (Princeton University Press) Francisco de Goya is often thought of as the reclusive, deaf and delusional artist who depicted drowning dogs, mutilated bodies and Saturn devouring his son a haunting image he painted directly onto his dining-room wall. In Goya: A Portrait of the Artist the American art historian Janis Tomlinson goes some way to dispelling this perception, scouring primary resources including the Spaniards letters, court papers and sketchbooks to provide a more nuanced depiction. As a young man, Goya was well-travelled, likeable and ambitious, rising to become one of the most influential and popular portraitists at Madrids royal court. As for his infamous later years, the author suggests they represent a period of artistic liberation rather than a descent into madness. 2 What Artists Wear by Charlie Porter (Penguin) Fashion critic and lecturer Charlie Porter has spent his career dissecting what an outfit says about its wearer. Here he turns his eye to the clothes worn by the renegades and rule-breakers of the art world. For the last few decades, artists have been putting themselves at the centre of their work, he said in a recent interview with Esquire. Therefore, the clothing they wear is right at the centre of the work too. Take Francis Bacon posing in freshly pressed trousers and a clean, crisp shirt in the middle of his messy South Kensington studio in 1974. Thats because he was an artist of unremitting control who always wanted to be in charge, says Porter. The Savile Row suits of Gilbert & George, and Jean-Michel Basquiats Comme des Garcons outfits peppered with joint-burns, are among the other items of clothing he analyses. Richard Hamilton, photographed circa 1970. Photo: Tony Evans / Getty Images. Artwork Kent Slate, 1970. Richard Hamilton. All Rights Reserved, DACS 2021 Louise Nevelson in 1980. Photo: Nancy R. Schiff / Getty Images Full of brilliant archival imagery, What Artists Wear provides a new and fascinating lens through which to examine artists and their output. 3 Chasing the Thrill by Daniel Barbarisi (Knopf) After receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis in 1988, the American art dealer Forrest Fenn buried a chest filled with coins, jewellery and gemstones worth more than $1 million somewhere in the mountains north of Santa Fe in New Mexico. Two decades later, having recovered from his illness, Fenn told the world about the hidden booty in his memoir The Thrill of the Chase, sparking the 21st centurys most infamous treasure hunt. More than 100,000 people joined the race to find Fenns riches, following a trail of clues left by the hider. Five people lost their lives while searching for it. In 2017, a reporter named Daniel Barbarisi picked up the story: Chasing the Thrill documents the hidden treasures obsessive seekers, as well as the conspiracy theories and legal challenges it gave rise to. Barbarisis brilliant storytelling follows the hunt to its dramatic conclusion. 4 Video/Art: The First Fifty Years by Barbara London (Phaidon) A little over half a century ago, the genre of video art didnt exist. However, with advances in technology including the shift from analogue to digital, and from clunky hardware to nifty software it is now firmly established. Bill Viola, Room for St. John of the Cross, 1983. Video and sound installation in a dark room, with a black cubicle with window, peat moss, wooden table, glass and metal pitcher with water, colour video, and one-channel mono sound; black-and-white video projection; amplified stereo sound; room: 14 x 24 x 30 ft (4.3 x 7.3 x 9.1 m); projected image: 8 ft 7 in x 12 ft 8 in (2.6 x 3.7 m); continuously running. Photo: Kira Perov Someone who has promoted it throughout is the veteran curator Barbara London: she founded the video programme at New Yorks Museum of Modern Art in the mid-1970s. In this book, London looks back at the first five decades of video art, paying homage both to well-known pioneers including Nam June Paik and Bill Viola and slightly less famous figures such as Shigeko Kubota, while also considering how social media is affecting the genre today. 5 Painting Time by Maylis de Kerangal (Quercus) The latest book by the French author of award-winning novels Birth of a Bridge and Mend the Living is a coming-of-age drama that begins at a trompe loeil painting school in Brussels, where the storys protagonist Paula befriends classmates Kate and Jonas. Between 2007 and 2008, the trio, high on turpentine fumes, form a close bond over nights out and lectures in the art of conjuring marble and wood from paint. The book then follows Paulas artistic career from Moscow film sets to Romes Cinecitta and, ultimately, the prehistoric caves of Lascaux, home to some of the worlds oldest mark-making. The critic Beejay Silcox summarised the pleasure of the novel with a phrase lifted from one of de Kerangals own passages: capsules of pure sensation. 6 You Are an Artist by Bob and Roberta Smith (Thames & Hudson) Bob and Roberta Smith is the pseudonym of the British artist, activist, musician and art teacher Patrick Brill. Over the years, he has worked hard to arrest what he sees as a drastic and lamentable decline in creative arts education in schools and earned himself an OBE in 2017 in the process. In this book, the author combines a smattering of art history with an invitation to the reader to fulfil his or her artistic potential. It is full of practical exercises designed to encourage a creativity that is largely absent from most peoples everyday lives. 7 Hogarth: Life in Progress by Jacqueline Riding (Profile Books) William Hogarth tends to be remembered as the most British of artists: a beer-swilling chronicler of London life, who loved roast beef and disliked the French in equal measure. In this new biography, Jacqueline Riding shows that Hogarth was, in fact, deeply engaged with the art of his European predecessors and peers the likes of Watteau, Raphael and Pieter Bruegel the Elder. She also explores his roles as founder of the St Martins Lane Academy (for aspiring painters) and philanthropic supporter of the Foundling Hospital (for abandoned children). The Hogarth that emerges in this book is a much more rounded artist and person than many had previously imagined. 8 The House of Fragile Things: Jewish Art Collectors and the Fall of France by James McAuley (Yale University Press) James McAuleys debut explores the central role that art and objects played in the assimilation and identity of prominent Jewish citizens in fin-de-siecle and early 20th-century France. Weaving together the histories of such eminent collectors as the Camondos, the Rothschilds, the Reinachs and the Cahens dAnvers, McAuley reveals how material things can demonstrate ideas and attitudes. His real subject, however, is the depth of anti-Semitism that existed in France long before Hitler rose to power and subsequently occupied the country. Despite their riches, prominence and philanthropy, numerous members of the families in question succumbed to a tragic fate. McAuley delicately revives the collections and stories of those the Nazis sought to annihilate. The result is compelling. 9 Talk Art: Everything You Wanted to Know about Contemporary Art But Were Afraid to Ask by Russell Tovey and Robert Diament (Ilex Press) From the creators of hit podcast Talk Art actor Russell Tovey and gallerist Robert Diament comes their first book, a joyous celebration of creativity in all its forms. Actor Russell Tovey (foreground) and gallerist Robert Diament. Photo: Christine Ting All we wanted to do was make art accessible, non-academic, non-elitist, gossipy and fun, Tovey told The New York Times. Featuring interviews with the likes of Tracey Emin, Elton John and Grayson Perry, as well as full-colour reproductions of original artworks (some never before seen in print), Talk Art offers a fascinating glimpse into todays art world. With its fast-paced, jargon-free narrative covering everything from starting a collection to photojournalism as art, this is an informative and enjoyable holiday page-turner. Sign up today Christies Online Magazine delivers our best features, videos, and auction news to your inbox every week Subscribe 10 Walker Evans: Starting from Scratch by Svetlana Alpers (Princeton University Press) Walker Evans, arguably the quintessential American photographer, wanted to be a writer as a young man. Baudelaire and Flaubert were his heroes; later he would befriend literary giants ranging from John Cheever to Ernest Hemingway. With his discovery of the pocket Kodak camera, however, he pioneered a narrative style of photography that drew on his love of literature and paved the way for a generation of documentary photographers the likes of Diane Arbus and Garry Winogrand to follow. HONOLULU (AP) If youre homeless and looking for temporary shelter in Hawaiis capital, expect a visit from a robotic police dog that will scan your eye to make sure you dont have a fever. Thats just one of the ways public safety agencies are starting to use Spot, the best-known of a new commercial category of robots that trot around with animal-like agility. The handful of police officials experimenting with the four-legged machines say theyre just another tool, like existing drones and simple wheeled robots, to keep emergency responders out of harms way as they scout for dangers. But privacy watchdogs the human kind warn that police are secretly rushing to buy the robots without setting safeguards against aggressive, invasive or dehumanizing uses. In Honolulu, the police department spent about $150,000 in federal pandemic relief money to buy their Spot from robotics firm Boston Dynamics for use at a government-run tent city near the airport. Because these people are houseless its considered OK to do that, said Jongwook Kim, legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii. At some point it will come out again for some different use after the pandemic is over. Acting Lt. Joseph ONeal of the Honolulu Police Departments community outreach unit defended the robots use in a media demonstration earlier this year. He said it has protected officers, shelter staff and residents by scanning body temperatures between meal times at a shelter where homeless people could quarantine and get tested for COVID-19. The robot is also used to remotely interview individuals who have tested positive. We have not had a single person out there that said, Thats scary, thats worrisome, ONeal said. We dont just walk around and arbitrarily scan people. Police use of such robots is still rare and largely untested and hasnt always gone over well with the public. Honolulu officials faced a backlash when a local news organization, Honolulu Civil Beat, revealed that the Spot purchase was made with federal relief money. Late last year, the New York Police Department starting using Spot after painting it blue and renaming it "Digidog." It went mostly unnoticed until New Yorkers starting spotting it in the wild and posting videos to social media. Spot quickly became a sensation, drawing a public outcry that led the police department to abruptly return Digidog to its maker. This is some Robocop stuff, this is crazy, was the reaction in April from Democratic U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman. He was one of several New York politicians to speak out after a widely shared video showed the robot strutting with police officers responding to a domestic-violence report at a high-rise public housing building in Manhattan. Days later, after further scrutiny from elected city officials, the department said it was terminating its lease and returning the robot. The expensive machine arrived with little public notice or explanation, public officials said, and was deployed to already over-policed public housing. Use of the high-tech canine also clashed with Black Lives Matter calls to defund police operations and reinvest in other priorities. The company that makes the robots, Boston Dynamics, says its learned from the New York fiasco and is trying to do a better job of explaining to the public and its customers what Spot can and cannot do. Thats become increasingly important as Boston Dynamics becomes part of South Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor Company, which in June closed an $880 million deal for a controlling stake in the robotics firm. One of the big challenges is accurately describing the state of the technology to people who have never had personal experience with it, Michael Perry, vice president of business development at Boston Dynamics, said in an interview. Most people are applying notions from science fiction to what the robots doing. For one of its customers, the Dutch national police, explaining the technology includes emphasizing that Spot is a very good robot well-behaved and not so smart after all. It doesnt think for itself, Marjolein Smit, director of the special operations unit of the Dutch national police, said of the remote-controlled robot. If you tell it to go to the left, it will go to the left. If you tell it to stop, it will stop. Earlier this year, her police division sent its Spot into the site of a deadly drug lab explosion near the Belgian border to check for dangerous chemicals and other hazards. Perry said the company's acceptable use guidelines prohibit Spots weaponization or anything that would violate privacy or civil rights laws, which he said puts the Honolulu police in the clear. It's all part of a year-long effort by Boston Dynamics, which for decades relied on military research grants, to make its robots seem friendlier and thus more palatable to local governments and consumer-oriented businesses. By contrast, a lesser-known rival, Philadelphia-based Ghost Robotics, has no qualms about weaponization and supplies its dog-like robots to several branches of the U.S. military and its allies. Its just plug and play, anything you want, said Ghost Robotics CEO Jiren Parikh, who was critical of Boston Dynamics stated ethical principles as selective morality because of the companys past involvement with the military. Parikh added that his company doesnt market its four-legged robots to police departments, though he said it would make sense for police to use them. Its basically a camera on a mobile device, he said. There are roughly 500 Spot robots now in the wild. Perry said they're commonly used by utility companies to inspect high-voltage zones and other hazardous areas. Spot is also used to monitor construction sites, mines and factories, equipped with whatever sensor is needed for the job. Its still mostly controlled by humans, though all they have to do is tell it which direction to go and it can intuitively climb stairs or cross over rough terrain. It can also operate autonomously, but only if its already memorized an assigned route and there arent too many surprise obstacles. The first value that most people see in the robot is taking a person out of a hazardous situation, Perry said. Kim, of the ACLU in Hawaii, acknowledged that there might be many legitimate uses for such machines, but said opening the door for police robots that interact with people is probably not a good idea. He pointed to how Dallas police in 2016 stuck explosives on a wheeled robot to kill a sniper, fueling an ongoing debate about killer robots in policing and warfighting. Theres the potential for these robots to increase the militarization of police departments and use it in ways that are unacceptable, Kim said. Maybe its not something we even want to let law enforcement have. - AP Technology Writer Matt O'Brien reported from Providence, Rhode Island. Target Corp. If you couldn't wait to visit an Ulta Beauty shop inside Target, you will have to wait a little longer at least in San Antonio. According to a press release issued by Target, the Alamo City is not on the list of stores preparing for the launch in August. Other Texas cities will see the beauty mini-store including Dallas, Houston and Austin. Back in November, makeup enthusiasts got excited over the news of the collaboration. The announcement at the time didn't specify which Target locations. But don't worry, all is not lost for San Antonio. Ulta is expected to open a total of 800 locations inside Target in the coming years. Target's "shop-in-shop" concept will feature more than 50 prestige brands, located near the existing Target beauty section, and will feature specialized displays, discovery zones, and on-trend, season-specific products. Ulta Beauty at Target is unmatched in the industry, bringing guests the opportunity to discover new prestige brands while they shop Targets incredible beauty assortment. This unique partnership is another way we continue to elevate the guest experience across our multi-category business to drive traffic and preference as we meet guests needs in innovative ways, says Christina Hennington, Target Executive Vice President and Chief Growth Officer. With two powerhouse retailers, our collective brand love, loyalty and omnichannel expertise will inspire guests and raise the bar for the beauty shopping experience. President Biden announced on Thursday that he will require all federal employees and contractors to either attest that they were vaccinated against Covid-19, or submit to a variety of preventative protocols including regular testing, mask wearing, and social distancing. Every federal government employee will be asked to attest to their vaccination status, Biden said. Anyone who doesnt attest or isnt vaccinated is required to maskno matter where they worktest one or two times a week, social distance and generally will not be able to travel for work. Biden also said similar standards will apply to federal contractors. The president is also asking the Department of Defense to add the Covid-19 vaccination to the list of vaccinations troops are mandated to receive. And earlier this week, the Department of Veteran Affairs began requiring health care providers and personnel to be fully vaccinated. The administration will encourage employers across the private sector to follow this strong model, the White House said in a fact sheet released ahead of Bidens Thursday remarks. Every day more businesses are implementing their own vaccine mandates. And the Justice Department has made it clear that it is legal to require Covid-19 vaccines, Biden said. We all want our lives to get back to normal. And fully vaccinated workplaces will make that happen more quickly and more successfully. The announcements come as the highly contagious Delta variant of Covid-19 sweeps the nation, causing a spike in cases at a time when many believed the pandemic to be nearing its end. Its not, and on Wednesday the World Health Organization announced that the United States registered more cases in the past week than any other nation. According to the WHOs report, the U.S. saw a 131-percent increase in cases for the week ending July 25th over the previous week. Meanwhile, fatalities have increased by 30.7 percent in the past week, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Biden hinted earlier this week that a mandate for the nearly two million federal employees could be coming. Thats under consideration right now, he said on Tuesday. But if youre not vaccinated, youre not nearly as smart as I thought you were. In his Thursday remarks, Biden also said the federal government will reimburse employers who give time off to staff to get themselves and their families vaccinated. And he urged state and local governments to offer a $100 incentive to residents who get newly vaccinated, citing success by grocery chain Kroger with a similar initiative, using funding from the American Rescue Plan. The most dramatic increases in case rates have come in Southern states with low vaccination rates, and over 99 percent of recent Covid-related deaths are among unvaccinated Americans. Bidens announcement follows similar mandates in the nations most populous state, California, and its most populous city, New York City, both of which were announced on Monday. California Governor Gavin Newsom lamented the conservative disinformation campaign that has resulted in millions refusing the vaccine. We are exhausted by the right-wing echo chamber that has been perpetuating misinformation around the vaccine and its efficacy and safety, he said. We are exhausted by its politicization of this pandemic, and that includes mask wearing that has been equated to the Holocaust. Its disgraceful, its unconscionable and it needs to be called out. Biden pushed school districts across the county to host pop-up vaccination clinics ahead of the school year to help get kids ages 12 and older fully vaccinated, with help from the federal pharmacy program. He also addressed whether people will require a third booster vaccine to combat the variants of Covid-19. As of now, my medical advisors say the answer is no. No American needs a booster now, the president said. But if the science tells us theres a need for boosters, then thats what well do. Weve purchased all the supply wed need to be ready in case thats called for. Instead, Biden said the administration is focused on continuing to increase initial vaccinations. Nearly all the caseshospitalizations and deathsdue to Covid-19 today are from unvaccinated people, he said, adding, This is an American tragedy. People are dying who dont have to die. Click here to read the full article. The disinformation network known as Fox News recently told its viewers that Dr. Anthony Fauci is the guy who created covid after, mere days earlier, another host said the White Houses chief medical adviser had been unfairly vilified and treated as though hes Lex Luthor. On Wednesday, Foxs Tucker Carlson continued with his callous and dangerous campaign to downplay the effectiveness of the coronavirus vaccine, escalating his efforts to discredit the nations leading infectious disease expert by falsely labeling Fauci as the guy who created covid. But just last week, after a Senate hearing where Fauci defended himself against false attacks from Sen. Rand Paul regarding the origins of the virus, Foxs Neil Cavuto bemoaned the widespread disparaging of the doctor, calling it a pile on. He has been vilified to the point that youd think he was Lex Luthor, Cavuto said. I dont know how productive that is. Cavuto also said the attacks on Fauci were, odd to me, adding that at his core, [Fauci] is a good man, a good doctor and saying his detractors should step back, take the chill down. Fox hosts hit peak Bizarro World: Tucker lies, saying Fauci "created" Covid. But Cavuto says hes a "good doctor," "vilified" like "Lex Luthor" https://t.co/PteHnoj7wp pic.twitter.com/lbXB0HYNmh Peter Wade (@brooklynmutt) July 29, 2021 Tuckers dedication to vilifying Fauci with a seemingly farcical label is similar to what former president Trump has done in the past when attempting to discredit his opponents. When Trump was on the campaign trail in 2016, he falsely claimed that former president Barack Obama founded ISIS and his presidential opponent Hillary Clinton was the co-founder. Affixing a title that is easy to remember and feeds a narrative that the audience is already apt to believe seems a tactic Tucker and the president share. But unlike the ridiculous nicknames that Trump has trotted out over the yearssuch as Sleepy Joe for Biden, Crazy Nancy for Pelosi or Low Energy Jeb for Bushlabeling Obama as a terrorist leader seems to signal a more personal motivation, possibly with the aim to exact revenge. According to numerous reports, Trump never got past the public humiliation from the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2011 where Obama relentlessly roasted the then-reality show host. And so Tuckers labeling of Fauci as the creator of a virus that has killed millions worldwide seems to align with Trumps Obama founded ISIS smearan attempt at seeking revenge on the doctor for daring to disagree, as Cavuto explained. I think that a lot of this has to go back to his departure from the former president, Donald Trump at the time, Cavuto said. But whatever is behind it, I dont see it being constructive. Just days after Cavutos initial defense of the doctor, the host interviewed Fauci, who agreed with Cavutos take that those who support Trump are against him because he dared to be truthful about the virus, even sometimes contradicting what was coming out the former administrationthus making Trump look bad and angering his supporters. I think theres no doubt that because I had to speak the truth during the Trump administration, which at times was contrary to president Trump, that annoyed a lot of people who got very upset with me, Fauci said. When I was saying things that [Covid-19] is not going to just disappear, that this is not going to just go away, that we do have a very serious problem, that annoyed a lot of Trump loyalists. Tucker is a consistent Trump apologist on his show and reportedly speaks to the former president regularly. The host falls squarely into the group of bomb-throwing Trump sycophants including fellow Fox colleague Laura Ingraham and sitting politicians like Paul and Congressman Jim Jordan, all of whom seem bent on exacting some kind of revenge on Fauci. Im very sorry that [contradicting Trump] annoyed them, Fauci told Cavuto. But it is the truth. And thats what I was trying to do and still do, [which] is to tell the truth. Sign up for Rolling Stone's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. ROME (AP) Roberto Calasso, a towering figure in European publishing as the driving force behind an esteemed Milan-based publisher, as well as an inquisitive and prolific author himself, has died at 80, his company said. Italian news media, quoting his publishing house Adelphi, said Calasso died Thursday in Milan following a long illness and a wake was held Friday in the publishing house's Milan headquarters. Directing Adelphi since 1971 and being its chairman since 1999, Calasso adhered to the philosophy choosing books to publish not on how they might sell but on whether they had something important to say. A native of Florence, who grew up with parents steeped in the classics, Calasso also wrote his own books, using a fountain pen for all but the final draft. His 1988 Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony, a readable, imaginative exploration of Greek mythology, was his best-known work. Calasso's tastes in determining what titles Adelphi would publish were eclectic. Among his literary finds was an Italian physicist, Carlo Rovelli. Calasso started a new imprint to offer readers Rovelli's 2016 Seven Brief Lessons on Physics. In an article Friday in the Corriere della Sera newspaper, Rovelli recalled their first meeting as emblematic of Calasso's attitude toward publishing. 'Carlo, I read what you wrote. I like it. Whatever you write that you think important, send it to me. Don't think about writing books that sell, think only if you have true things to say. I'll publish them,'' Rovelli wrote. What more can you hope to have from your own publisher?" Rovelli wrote, adding that the "extraordinary care with which he published books is mythical." His U.S. editor, Jonathan Galassi of Farrar, Straus & Giroux, called Calasso one of the great literary publishers of postwar Europe. He was also a prolific writer of wide and deep imagination and insight, Galassi said in a statement. Basically, his lifes work was all one project: to plumb the inter-connectedness of human culture across time and across civilizations. There was no one like him. Starting with Adelphi when he was 21, Calasso developed the publishing house. Among those he published were Sicilian writer Leonardo Sciascia and the Czech-born Milan Kundera. Adelphi was essentially the invention, in 1962, of a Trieste intellectual, Roberto Bazlen, who quickly enlisted the efforts of Luciano Foa' and the young Calasso, then living in Rome. Italian industrialist Roberto Olivetti helped finance the venture. Corriere della Sera recalled that Bazlen used to say of Adelphi's mission: We'll only publish the books we really like. Calasso became editorial director, and later administrator and owner of Adelphi, a kind of "father-master,'' the newspaper wrote. The Paris Review in an 2012 interview with Calasso called him a literary institution of one and lauded Adelphi as Italy's most prestigious publishing house. In that interview, Calasso reminisced about his father, Francesco Calasso, a staunch anti-fascist and a history of law professor at the University of Florence who, in 1944, was almost executed by the then German occupying forces. Calasso reminisced growing up in a house lined with books. His mother, Melisenda Codignola, who earned a doctorate with a thesis on one of Plutarch's works, translated the classics. In a poignant turn of events, the publisher died just as two of his works, described as his most auto-biographical, went on sale in Italy's bookshops: Meme' Scianca,'' which draws on his Florentine childhood in a household of intellectuals, and Bobi," about the life of Bazlen. The subjects of Calasso's writing were wide-ranging, reflecting his curiosity, and included artist Giambattista Tiepolo and author Franz Kafka. Of Calasso's own books, it's difficult to say in particular what they spoke about, not because they wander but because they follow an internal logical that knows no borders, the Italian news agency ANSA wrote. Calasso also wrote about what he called the fascination with technology, bemoaning how the digital age was the gravest assault that the inclination to expose oneself to the shock of the unknown has known." Wrote Corriere della Sera in its tribute, for Calasso, the unknown is the essence of literature. ___ AP publishing reporter Hillel Italie contributed from New York. Montgomery County Precinct 2 is launching a new unit focused on fighting animal abuse officials say has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the countys budget workshop Thursday, Commissioners Robert Walker and Charlie Riley agreed to fund the two new positions for Constable Gene DeForests office. We are grateful to have the two deputies approved to start an animal cruelty unit, said Montgomery County Animal Shelter Director Aaron Johnson. It is a need and will be a benefit to us, the community and the animals we serve. This will help connect the circle of stakeholders in the animal cruelty investigations. We look forward to working very closely with this unit as well as sharing our animal knowledge and resources. Capt. Greg Thomason presented the item to commissioners Wednesday and provided data showing the spike in calls regarding animal abuse that he said it a gateway to more violent crimes against children and others. This people are abusing their animals while at home, he said. We are seeing an increase in cruelty against animals to gain control and power over their victims. I think this is something that is under investigated in Montgomery County and needs to be addressed. Thomason told commissioners the Federal Bureau of Investigation has provided data that shows that many who commit school shootings and serial crimes like murder and rape all started with the abuse of animals. A person who commits cruelty against animals is five times more likely to perpetrate a violent crime against other humans, Thomason said. Abusing animals is their test ground for crimes they will commit later. Data from the Humane Society of The United States shows there are approximately 70 million pet dogs and 74.1 million pet cats in the U.S. where 20 men and women are assaulted per minute. In one survey, 71 percent of domestic violence victims reported that their abuser also targeted pets. Additionally, families under investigation for suspected child abuse, researchers found that pet abuse had occurred in 88 percent of the families under supervision for physical abuse of their children. Thomason said he has been working on developing the unit for more than a year. Working with Montgomery County Animal Shelter Director Aaron Johnson, he learned there was no dedicated unit or staff to respond to calls of animal cruelty. Since 2015, Montgomery County had over 7,600 calls of cruelty, neglect and abandonment. While a percentage of those calls are unfounded, the number is still staggering Thomason said. Currently, Thomason said he have six open cases he is currently investigating. According to state law, animal cruelty includes torturing an animal, failing to provide food, care or shelter abandoning an animal, transporting or confining an animal in a cruel manner, killing, seriously injuring or poisoning an animal, causing an animal to fight with another, using a live animal as a lure in a dog race, tripping a horse, injuring an animal belonging to another person and seriously overworking an animal. The new unit will also address the growing number of dog and cock fighting in Montgomery County. Those illegal event bring other crimes such as drugs and prostitution. Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack said the cases need to be investigated. I would agree it takes a special person and training, he said. Precinct 1 Commissioner Robert Walker called the effort a huge responsibility for the countys smallest constables office. However, Thomason said he was dedicated to the effort and added his office works with the Montgomery County District Attorneys Office which offers them direction on each case. This is a county wide problem, Thomason said adding there is a critical need to stop these crimes. We have to try. cdominguez@hcnonline.com KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Belarus' authoritarian president said Friday he's prepared to invite Russian troops into the country if such a move is necessary to ensure the security of both Belarus and Russia. But, President Alexander Lukashenko said, at the moment there is absolutely no need to do that. In remarks carried by the state-run Belta news agency, Lukashenko stressed that he had dealt with last year's anti-government protests without involving other countries' armed forces, but added that he would not hesitate to bring in Russian troops if necessary. Belarus is able to quickly deploy 500,000 of its own personnel, but if it is not enough, all Russian armed forces will be brought in, Lukashenko said, according to Belta. If it is necessary, we won't hesitate. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Moscow hasn't received any official requests from Belarus to deploy troops, and the move is possible only after an official request from the leadership of one country to the leadership of other. Russia and Belarus have close military and defense ties. Two Russian radar stations communicating with nuclear submarines in the Atlantic and Indian oceans and parts of the Pacific are based in Belarus. In September, the two ex-Soviet nations are scheduled to conduct large-scale joint military exercises. Until recently, Lukashenko's government had resisted Moscow's attempts to expand military presence in Belarus and rejected requests to open an airbase and station additional troops in the country. But amid the political crisis that unfolded in Belarus after Lukashenko's reelection to a sixth term in August 2020 was met with huge protests, Russia promised its neighbor military support and allocated a $1.5 billion loan for Belarus' ailing economy. Lukashenko faced months of protests that were triggered by his being announced the winner of an August 2020 presidential vote that the opposition and the West saw as rigged. He responded to demonstrations with a massive crackdown that saw more than 35,000 people arrested and thousands beaten by police. The United States and the European Union have imposed multiple sanctions targeting the Belarusian leadership and key sectors of its economy in the wake of the crisis. Belarusian political analyst Valery Karbalevich told The Associated Press that Lukashenko's statements on Friday were a clear attempt to scare the West. For the first time, he threatened with the deployment of Russian troops to Belarus. However, the Kremlin is no hurry to support these initiatives," Karbalevich said. Lukashenko has accused the West of attempting to orchestrate a revolution in the country he has ruled with an iron fist for decades and of plotting a coup, including by pressuring Belarus with sanctions. His challenger in the election fled to Lithuania and Lithuanian officials say authorities in Belarus are now flooding Lithuania's border with migrants to put that EU nation under pressure. They seem to seek out our sore spots. They hit primarily the export sectors of the Belarusian economy: petrochemistry, mechanical engineering, potash, and so on. But the main goal is to leave the people without pensions, salaries, benefits, education, medical care and cause discontent among Belarusians, Lukashenko said. The Belarusian president called for further action against the country's human rights groups, alleging that behind them are foreign masterminds, and said government pressure on independent media would continue. Freedom of speech that we're protecting under the constitution today has turned into extremist activities, Lukashenko charged, urging state officials to closely control every journalist and blogger. It's one thing to criticize the authorities. We have always took criticism adequately ... It's a different thing to call for a rebellion and massacre of those who don't support these so-called revolutionary, thuggish sentiments." Belarusian authorities in recent weeks have ramped up the pressure against non-governmental organizations and independent media, conducting more than 200 raids of offices and apartments of activists and journalists this month alone, according to the Viasna human rights center. The Belarusian Association of Journalists said raids and detentions targeting reporters continued Friday in Minsk and other cities. Earlier this week, the authorities declared the Polish-funded Belsat TV channel an extremist group. A total of 28 Belarusian journalists remain in custody either awaiting trial or serving their sentences. Journalist groups on Thursday demanded that authorities give urgent hospital care to a leading journalist who has been in pre-trial detention. - Associated Press writer Daria Litvinova contributed to this report from Moscow. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk said Friday that he had a small heart attack but will be back soon. The 58-year-old actor took to Twitter to make his first public statement since collapsing on the show's Albuquerque, New Mexico, set on Tuesday. Hi. Its Bob, Odenkirk tweeted. Thank you. To my family and friends who have surrounded me this week. And for the outpouring of love from everyone who expressed concern and care for me. Its overwhelming. But I feel the love and it means so much. I had a small heart attack, he continued. But Im going to be ok thanks to Rosa Estrada and the doctors who knew how to fix the blockage without surgery. His representatives had previously only said that he had a heart related incident and was stable in an Albuquerque hospital after collapsing while shooting the show's sixth and final season. Odenkirk also thanked the network that airs Better Call Saul and the company that produces it. AMC and SONYs support and help throughout this has been next-level, he tweeted. Im going to take a beat to recover but Ill be back soon. The tone of Odenkirk's friends and co-stars had already shifted from concern to relief before his tweets. Just got off the phone with Bob and hes doing great! David Cross, who formed a comedy duo with Odenkirk to make the HBO sketch show Mr. Show. Joking and japing and joshing. Both he and his family are overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and concern everyone has shown. You will be hearing from him soon. But hes doing really well!!! Odenkirk has been nominated for four Emmys for playing the title character, a down-on-his-luck lawyer named Jimmy McGill who becomes increasingly corrupt and adopts the pseudonym Saul Goodman, the criminal lawyer who appeared in dozens of episodes of Breaking Bad before getting his own spin-off. Both shows were shot in, and mostly set in, New Mexico. BOSTON (AP) A new Boston police oversight board has found the department moved too slowly and did not do enough to protect the public when an officer was accused of child sex abuse in 1995. Internal affairs investigators took nearly a year after learning about the allegations before interviewing Patrick Rose, and even after concluding that he probably sexually abused a 12-year-old child, he was not punished other than to be limited to desk duty for two years, the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency said in a report released Thursday. MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. (AP) Two North Carolina parents are charged in the death of a 6-week-old baby who a district attorney says may have been exposed to drugs through breast milk. The Morehead City Police Department said in a news release that Mellony McIver, 20, and Zackery Phelps, 26, are each facing a second-degree murder charge. They're scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 13 and their attorneys weren't immediately available for comment on Friday. TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) A 20-year-old Tucson emergency medical technician who was critically wounded by a gunman in a shooting rampage last week has died, his employer said Friday. The death of Jacob Dindinger was announced by American Medical Response in a brief statement. Our thoughts are with Jacob and his family as we honor his life and his service," the company said. BRUSSELS (AP) The European Union's general court on Friday dismissed a request to suspend the lifting of parliamentary immunity for three former top Catalan officials who fled Spain fearing arrest over a secessionist push they led in the region. The European Parliament in March lifted the immunity of the former president of Spains Catalonia region, Carles Puigdemont, and two of his associates, former Catalan health minister Toni Comin and former Catalan education minister Clara Ponsati. In May, the trio had filed an application to the Luxembourg-based EU general court for emergency interim proceedings as they sought the annulment of the contested decision in a separate action. They regained provisional immunity in June until the termination of interim proceedings. But the court ultimately ruled Friday that the Spanish lawmakers failed to demonstrate that the urgency requirement was met. The court will still rule on the merits of the case. The court stressed that the three EU lawmakers, who currently live in Belgium, did not demonstrate that they were at risk of being arrested. The applicants are still free to travel in order to attend meetings of the Parliament," the general court said. Friday's order is the latest episode in the legal saga on the fate of the three separatists, which is expected to continue for months, if not years, since many avenues for appeal remain open before any possible extraditions to Spain Puigdemont and a number of his separatist colleagues fled to Belgium in October 2017, fearing arrest after holding an independence referendum for Catalonia that the Spanish courts and government said was illegal. In 2019, Puigdemont and his two associates won seats in the European Parliament and were afforded protection as members of the EU assembly. Spain has attempted to have Puigdemont returned for trial but failed to persuade Belgian justice authorities to extradite him. HONOLULU (AP) A former CIA officer accused of spying for China is asking for a mental competency evaluation after telling his attorney he believes he is suffering from the early stages of Alzheimers disease and is having trouble remembering things. Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, a former CIA officer and contract linguist for the FBI, was arrested last year after an undercover operation in which prosecutors say he accepted thousands of dollars in cash in exchange for his past espionage activities. He told a law enforcement officer who was posing as a Chinese intelligence officer that he wanted to see the motherland succeed and that he was eager to resume helping China after the coronavirus pandemic subsided, prosecutors said. CONCORDIA, Kan. (AP) A third person was arrested Friday in an investigation into the theft of public money at the Cloud County Jail, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said. Nicholas Clanin, 33, of Concordia, was arrested in Belleville and booked into the Republic County Jail facing possible charges of theft, misuse of public funds, official misconduct, and destroying a written instrument. Clanin was a Cloud County jail lieutenant when the alleged crimes occurred, The KBI said. BOISE, Idaho (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 Idaho: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? The only moratorium in Idaho is the one issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reduce the chances of homeless people spreading the coronavirus. It ends Saturday. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? The state received $15 million in CARES Act money last year that was used through Jan. 18 to help people who couldn't pay rent because of the coronavirus pandemic. The state received another $175 million in federal coronavirus relief money to continue the program through Sept. 30, 2022. The Idaho Housing and Finance Association has been distributing the money, except in highly populated Boise and Ada County in southwestern Idaho. Officials with the association said the initial $15 million has been spent as well as nearly $10 million of the $175 million. Boise and Ada County have populations large enough to opt to receive and distribute federal emergency rental assistance funds themselves, which they are doing through the Boise City/Ada County Housing Authorities. That entity has distributed about $8.8 million of the $24 million the city and county have received to help nearly 1,800 households. It must use the money by the end of September 2022. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? Courts shut down for about a month in the spring of 2020 but then began meeting virtually. In June, the Idaho Supreme Court issued new guidelines allowing flexibility for in-court proceedings based on the level of COVID-19 infections in an area. Ali Rabe of the Jesse Tree of Idaho, which works to prevent homelessness in the southwestern part of the state, said the courts moving online made it difficult for some people facing eviction who don't have access to the Internet or are unfamiliar with how to participate online. She said that has resulted in renters having a default judgement against them for failing to appear at a court hearing. Documentation required of renters to meet requirements of the relief program has been challenging for some eligible renters, causing them to fail to qualify, Rabe said WHAT IS THE AFFORDABILITY IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? Idaho is among the fastest-growing states, and home prices are skyrocketing in urban areas. That is also causing the price of rental homes and apartments to shoot up. According to Rentcafe, a nationwide apartment listing service, the cost for an average-sized apartment of 881 square feet (82 square meters) in Boise rose 20% to $1,481 over the last year. Apartment List, another apartment listing service, says that from March 2020 rent in Boise has increased 39%, the largest rent increase in the nation. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? The U.S. Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey found that nearly 1,500 people said they expect to face eviction in the next two months, with another 9,000 finding it somewhat likely. Idaho officials said they expect more people to become homeless once the moratorium ends. I think we will see a swelling at the homeless shelter entry point, said Deanna Watson, executive director of Boise City/Ada County Housing Authorities. We're seeing families who a year ago would never have contemplated what they're seeing now. Rabe, who is also a Democratic state senator, agreed. "We believe that the moratorium is creating a disincentive for some landlords to file eviction, but not all, she said. But we anticipate those landlords will take the opportunity to file when the moratorium lifts. PORTLAND, Maine (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after President Joe Bidens administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 Maine: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? Maine never had a moratorium on evictions at the state level. However, courts were closed early in the pandemic and that delayed most evictions except during emergency situations. Court rules banned most evictions in mid-March and those rules stayed in effect until Aug. 1, 2020. People can now be evicted for reasons other than back rent. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? There were several iterations of rent relief in Maine. Gov. Janet Mills and MaineHousing created a $5 million rent relief program in April 2020, offering up to $500 paid directly to landlords for tenants meeting certain criteria. On July 30, 2020, Mills extended that program through the end of the year, providing up to $1,000 per month for tenants who met certain income-based eligibility requirements. On Dec. 31, the rent assistance all came to an end. But it restarted on March 1 with the benefit of $200 million provided by Congress. The state has received 40% of an additional $150 million in federal relief, and will receive the rest later. The state announced Thursday that it was expanding the number of months a household could receive benefits from 15 months to 18 months effective Aug. 2. Based on federal guidance, it also tweaked eligibility requirements so that applicants have to show they experienced difficulties during the pandemic instead of because of the pandemic. Maines rental assistance is distributed by MaineHousing through community action programs, and there have been some notable delays processing applications. All told, the emergency rental assistance program has helped 9,286 Maine households with $46.2 million in paid and approved funding during the pandemic, officials said. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? Most evictions were held remotely during the pandemic, but more of them are being allowed in person as the summer progresses. There has been no pandemic spike in evictions, and evcition rates are actually lower than before the pandemic, said Greg Payne, director of the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition. There's no firm count on the total number of evictions during the pandemic. But Maine court data indicates there were 28% fewer eviction filings in the 2020 fiscal year compared to the previous year. WHAT IS THE AFFORDABILITY IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? Maine's urban centers are facing a housing crunch, and some places, including Portland, have extremely tight real estate markets. The Maine Association of Realtors reports that median home values grew by double digits every month starting in July 2020. Statewide, the increase was nearly 25% per the latest data available in June. The median value of a home in the state's most populous county, Cumberland, was $347,00 in April 2020 and grew to $450,000 by June 2021. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? Its hard to say how much homelessness will increase in Maine. But that's a worry and shelters have been busy during the pandemic. A bill was recently approved in the Maine Legislature requiring MaineHousing to partner with Pine Tree Legal Assistance to ensure every tenant understands their rights and the eviction process and, if eligible, receives rental assistance. The bill requires the courts to provide information to tenants on the availability of rental assistance, housing counseling resources, and court mediation services. The governor signed the bill into law. HELENA, Mont. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 Montana: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? Montana renters are protected by the CDC order halting evictions until it expires. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates just over 400 Montana residents are somewhat likely to be evicted from their homes in the next two months. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? Montana has received more than $350 million in federal funding to help tenants with outstanding rent, utility payments and other expenses. Last year, it allocated $50 million from the federal CARES Act for rental assistance and ended up providing $8.4 million to 2,500 tenants. The $600 per week in supplemental unemployment payments last year appeared to be a factor in lower-than-expected application numbers early in the pandemic, the Department of Commerce said. Late last year and this year, the state received another $352 million in federal emergency rental assistance, the minimum amount allocated to small states. Renters can receive up to $2,200 per month for past-due and future rent payments, up to $300 for utility payments and $50 per month for internet. Households are eligible for that assistance for a maximum of 15 months, dating back to April 1, 2020, if they earn less than 80% of the median income in their area and can show the pandemic affected their income. So far under the new rental assistance program, the state has distributed $13.6 million to over 2,400 households. The Department of Commerce is currently reviewing 830 additional applications. Landlords can apply for the assistance on behalf of their renters. However, tenants are also losing housing when rental units are sold to take advantage of the booming real estate market, when landlords stop accepting federal housing vouchers or raise rents out of the reach of some workers situations that aren't protected under the federal moratorium. Even with the federal assistance, renters are having a difficult time finding places to live. There just arent enough affordable housing options for Montana renters even if theyve been good tenants in the same place for years. If the landlord decides to sell their building or raise their rent, theres nowhere for the renters to go, said Amy Hall, an attorney with the Montana Legal Services Association. Under Montana law, tenants with month-to-month leases can be given a 30-day notice of a rent increase. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? Beginning last October, the state created the Montana Eviction Intervention Project, in partnership with the Montana Legal Services Association, to provide legal help to low-income renters facing eviction. Between then and June 22, attorneys have helped with 264 evictions statewide, helping 608 clients and their family members. We have throughout this entire moratorium been receiving calls, said Rachel Turnbow, coordinator for the project. We are anticipating that evictions will be increasing after the end of the moratorium. Of the attorneys who report data on their cases, 80% say tenants were behind on their rent directly because of COVID-19. Of the court cases filed, 73% resulted in an agreement to move out without an eviction on the tenant's record, which could otherwise make finding another rental very difficult. HOW AFFORDABLE IS HOUSING IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? The National Low Income Housing Coalition says there are 46 affordable and available rentals in Montana for each 100 extremely low income household, defined as those whose income is at or below the poverty level, or 30% of the area median income, whichever is higher. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? No clients assisted under the Montana Eviction Intervention Project have moved to a shelter or became homeless, the Montana Legal Services Association said. However, Hall said a lack of available rental housing in the state's major cities has people moving to other towns, sharing housing with family or friends or possibly leaving the state. In Montana since COVID, rental prices have increased, and the number of vacancies has decreased, Hall said. Thats a terrible combination, especially for renters with limited incomes or who lost work due to COVID. JACKSON, Miss. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after President Joe Biden's administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 Mississippi: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves temporarily suspended evictions for two months at the start of the pandemic in the spring of 2020. The CDC moratorium is the only current protection in place for renters. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? Earlier this year, Mississippi received $200 million in federal emergency rental assistance. Approximately $186 million of that funding is flowing through the Mississippi Home Corporation's Rental Assistance for Mississippians Program. The money can go toward 15 months of rent and other expenses, such as utilities and home energy costs, including electricity, gas, water and sewer trash removal. The funding can't be used to pay telephone, cable or internet bills, however. To qualify, renters must make no more than 80% of their area's median income. Mississippi Home Corporation Executive Director Scott Spivey said Thursday that the agency has approved $11.6 million in rent and utility assistance so far. Just over 9,000 applications have been accepted. Spivey said the Home Corporation is hoping to boost the number of people receiving assistance by helping them navigate the application process. More than 29,000 people have started applications since March and not completed them, he said. Often, people don't finish applications because they are confused or intimidated by the documentation requirements, Spivey said. Last weekend, Mississippi Home Corporation hosted an in-person rental assistance fair in Jackson, and more than 500 people completed applications. Theres plenty of money for rental assistance for the state of Mississippi, and were doing everything that we can to get it out the door, Spivey said. Mississippi's two most populous counties Hinds County in the Jackson metro area and Harrison County on the Mississippi Gulf Coast also received $7 million each to distribute to renters in need. Additionally, the state received $18 million in rental assistance from a pot of funds called the Emergency Solution Grants (ESG) program at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The state usually receives around $2 million in Emergency Solutions Grants a year. The money is targeted for rapid rehousing for people who are in danger of becoming homeless. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? Evictions in the Jackson metro area are being held remotely through the Justice Court System unless the judge requests individuals show up in person. The CDC moratorium has meant that many eviction lawsuits have been stayed. However, not all courts and landlords refrained from filing evictions. Jackson-area property owners filed evictions against 3,257 families from Sept. 4, 2020 when the CDCs moratorium went into place to June 15, 2021, according to Hinds County Justice Court Clerk Patricia Woods. The landlords secured warrants of removal against nearly 500 renters. Attorney Sam Buchanan, executive director of the Mississippi Center for Legal Services, said because the moratorium only prevented evictions due to nonpayment of rent, landlords continued to pursue evictions on other grounds. Whether or not they were initiated to circumvent the moratorium, I cannot say definitely, but that is what we will be suspicious of, he said. HOW AFFORDABLE IS HOUSING IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? Mississippi has some of the least expensive rents overall in the United States and the poorest residents. The average cost for a two-bedroom apartment was $774 a month in 2020, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. That's compared to $1,922 a month in California. However, renters living in a two-bedroom apartment in Mississippi were estimated to make $14.89 an hour, on average, compared to $36.96 an hour in California, according to the coalition. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? Its hard to say how much homelessness will increase in Mississippi. Buchanan, of the Mississippi Center for Legal Services, said he expects to see a surge. Spivey said his team has been trying to reach out to landlords to educate them on the available rental assistance and encourage them not to evict. We're trying to tell them, it's counterproductive for landlords to give up rent, he said. If they evict, theyre not entitled to the past rent that they were due. Were not going to pay them if theres nobody in the unit. One indication of the scope of the problem is census data from July 5 showing 79,324 state residents concerned that they could be evicted over the next two months. ___ Leah Willingham 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. CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money has been slow and that more time was needed to distribute 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. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 Nevada: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? Gov. Steve Sisolak's executive order putting a moratorium on evictions for those unable to pay expired on June 1, leaving the Center for Disease Control and Protection's moratorium as the final bulwark against eviction for struggling renters. The moratorium covered tenants who were unable to pay rent, but it allowed landlords to purse other kinds of evictions, for example no-cause evictions or lease violation evictions. As a variant-fueled surge sweeps Nevada, Sisolak said Wednesday that he did not intend to reimpose a statewide eviction moratorium. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? State and local governments have been allocated $365 million in federal coronavirus aid for rental assistance, the Nevada Treasurer's Office said last month. The aid is available to tenants and households with less than $99,000 in annual earnings, and approved funds are sent directly to landlords. Officials have aggressively sought to publicize assistance programs because dollars that aren't spent will revert to the federal government and, once evicted, tenants become ineligible. In Clark County, home to Las Vegas, Assistant County Manager Kevin Schiller said $162 million in rental and utility assistance had been distributed to about 90,000 families. But about 8,000 applications remain in a backlog a number that could balloon once the CDC moratorium sunsets. Sisolak signed legislation in June requiring courts halt nonpayment-of-rent evictions if tenants provide proof they have applied for rental assistance. The policy also requires landlords to offer information about protections and rental assistance to tenants before initiating evictions. Home Means Nevada, a state-affiliated non-profit, plans to post rental assistance forms for landlords on their website on Sunday to help them comply and direct aid to their tenants. The landlord cannot simply throw up their hands and say I dont want anything to do with this, said Shannon Chambers, the president of the non-profit's board. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? Nevada is the only state in the U.S. with a summary eviction system in which the burden of initiating court proceedings falls on tenants, not landlords. Renters arent granted court hearings unless they file challenges to eviction notices, meaning evictions can be carried out without court oversight and tenant protections only go to those who know and avail themselves of them. Advocates say the policy has limited the effectiveness of pandemic-eviction protections in comparison with other states. In some states, the federal moratorium's references to nonpayment of rent" are seen as a catch-all to prevent many kinds of evictions. In Nevada, the words non-payment of rent are used in state eviction laws, leading some judges to interpret federal guidelines narrowly and still allow for no-cause evictions, for example, for tenants with month-to-month leases who can't pay their rent. To prevent overwhelming courts with an onslaught of eviction cases, lawmakers last summer created a program to provide 30 days for landlords and tenants to pursue third-party mediation. WHAT IS THE AFFORDABILITY IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? Nevada, where nearly 45% of the population rents, ranks as the worst state in the U.S. for poor people seeking housing. A study of 2019 census data conducted by the National Low Income Housing Coalition concluded there are only 20 affordable and available units for every 100 extremely low-income renters in the state. Home prices and median rents have skyrocketed in the Reno and Las Vegas areas. In the Reno-Sparks area, the median rent for a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment has risen to $1,327, and the vacancy rate has fallen to 1.6%, according to an April study by appraisers Johnson Perkins Griffin. As of May, the median monthly rent in the Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise region had risen 12.2% over the last year to $1,397, according to a report released July 15 by Realtor.com. Only seven metro areas saw larger spikes over the duration. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? In Nevada, about 6,900 people experience homelessness on any given night, according to a January 2020 study. Experts aren't sure how much the lifting of the federal moratorium will exacerbate housing insecurity. One indication of the scope of the problem is census data showing nearly 29,000 state residents were concerned that they could be evicted over the next two months. Bailey Bortolin, policy director of the Nevada Legal Aid, said making it harder to evict tenants who have pursued rental assistance will to some extent insulate Nevada from a potential surge. But she still worries about vulnerable renters navigating the complexities of the eviction process on their own and finding the resources they are eligible for. At the end of the day, people are in crisis, and navigating our eviction legal processes for people in crisis has never been easy or accessible and that has only been made harder by the pandemic, she said. ___ Sam Metz is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. PHOENIX (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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? Arizona was among several states that enacted a moratorium last year halting eviction proceedings. That measure expired Oct. 31, leaving only the CDC moratorium. It's unknown what will happen Aug. 1 after the CDC's ban ends, according to officials with Maricopa Countys Justice Courts, which handle the bulk of Arizona's evictions. They and housing advocates say they don't expect too many evictions related to the end of CDC protections for at least 10 days to two weeks after the moratorium runs out. Preliminary Maricopa County Justice Court numbers show that 2,985 eviction lawsuits were filed in June, almost double the number during the same month last year but around half of the 5,669 filed in June 2019. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? To help tenants with outstanding rent and other expenses, Arizona has received about $900 million, about half from emergency rental assistance approved by Congress in December, with another big chunk from the American Rescue Plan. Renters earning 80% or less of the area median income and who meet Treasury Department requirements qualify. About $289 million of the assistance is being distributed by Arizonas Department of Economic Securitys emergency rental program to 12 of the states smaller rural counties. But the agency acknowledges so far only about $7.3 million of that has gone to 1,715 approved applicants. Local governments are distributing federal rental assistance money in larger Maricopa, Pima and Yuma counties. Tenants, landlords and advocates complain the distribution process has been slow because of cumbersome federal requirements. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? Eviction hearings in Arizona continue to be held remotely, and the CDC moratorium has meant that thousands of eviction lawsuits have been stayed. But Arizona housing advocates and court officials note that eviction lawsuits have proceeded in cases where tenants failed to file the required declaration for protection, missed a hearing or otherwise didn't follow rules. Still, evictions filings in Arizona dropped statewide from 87,933 in the 2019 fiscal year to 74,013 in 2020 fiscal year ending June 30, 2020. HOW AFFORDABLE IS HOUSING IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? Arizona has a tight rental housing market, driven in part by a strong economy and an ongoing flood of people moving to the state from California and the Midwest, squeezing an already limited supply of affordable housing. Greater Phoenix has seen some of the fastest-rising rents in the United States, with growth soaring into the double digits in several trend reports over the past year. As of June, the median monthly rent in the Phoenix metro area had risen 21% over the last year to $1,590, according to a report released July 15 by Realtor.com. Median rents for a two-bedroom apartment are $1,800. Low rental vacancy rates haven't helped, standing at 4.7% in Arizona and 4.1% in metro Phoenix during the second quarter of 2021, both down from the first quarter and below the 6.2% national average for the period, according to census data. Construction of multifamily homes has been steady, but insufficient for demand. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? Its hard to say how much homelessness will increase in Arizona. One indication might be census data showing 80,000 state residents are concerned about the possibility of eviction in the next two months. It would be hard for homelessness not to increase, said Chris Groninger, the Arizona Bar Foundation's chief strategy officer and tenant advocate. Follow Anita Snow: https://twitter.com/asnowreports. WASHINGTON (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after President Joe Biden's administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 Washington, D.C.: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA? Washington, D.C., has its own local ban on evictions, imposed by the District of Columbia Council in March 2020. The city's moratorium is tied to the public health emergency declared by Mayor Muriel Bowser, which expired on July 25. But the council unanimously approved emergency legislation earlier this month that will effectively keep residents in their homes through the end of the year. The new bill is characterized as a gentle phasing-out. District of Columbia Council President Phil Mendelson described it as a more thoughtful end to the moratorium. It allows landlords to resume sending notices of past due rent to tenants, but eviction filings for breaches of the lease can't begin again until Jan. 1, 2022. In the interim, both landlord and tenant are asked to seek assistance from the city. Tenants who were already slated for eviction before the ban was imposed can be removed from their homes starting Aug. 26. Local housing activists estimate that more than 250 families could be facing eviction under these rules. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? In April, Bowser devoted $350 million in federal aid to help qualifying tenants pay overdue rent and utility bills. But some members of the council have complained that not enough people are taking advantage of the program because the eviction ban was removing any sense of urgency. Tenant advocates and landlord groups also have complained that the distribution process has been prohibitively complex. In May, the council briefly considered allowing eviction filings again to prompt tenants and landlords to take advantage of the aid, but the idea was voted down amid public criticism. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? Landlords in the district remain prohibited from filing for eviction for nonpayment. The new emergency legislation extended that ban on filings through the end of the year. A group of landlords had sued to be permitted to start eviction proceedings that wouldn't be carried out until after the ban was lifted. The case remains tied up in court. HOW AFFORDABLE IS HOUSING IN THE DISTRICT'S RENTAL MARKET? Affordable housing is a major problem in Washington, D.C., with rents rising as the city has become wealthier in recent years. Many Black tenants complain of being displaced by rapid gentrification. The district has long been majority Black, but that population has dropped below 50%. Washington received more than $2.3 billion in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan, and Bowser devoted more than $500 million to a variety of programs to build more affordable housing or refurbish existing housing. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? Bowser and the council seem intent on avoiding a wave of evictions as they have repeatedly sided with tenants. The districts budget is flush with federal assistance money, and the city is focusing on more efficiently delivering that aid into the hands of both landlords and tenants. Immediately before the emergency legislation was passed, fresh census data in early July revealed that up to 16,000 District residents feared they would face eviction within the next two months. The new bill has bought those tenants several more months. CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN WYOMING? Wyoming hasn't put a moratorium on evictions. But landlords who participate in the state Emergency Rental Assistance Program agree not to pursue eviction proceedings amid applications for assistance, said the program's contract spokeswoman, Rachel Girt. The federally funded program run by the Wyoming Department of Family Services, with assistance from the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, helps people affected by the coronavirus pandemic to cover their rent and pay utilities. The program also helps landlords cover expenses. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? As of January, Wyoming had an estimated 23,515 households eligible for help with rental arrears totaling around $40 million. The federal government has given Wyoming $200 million, the amount allocated to the least-populated states, for such assistance. Of that, $180 million is available for direct rent, utility and internet assistance, and services to help prevent people from becoming homeless. The remaining $20 million may cover administrative costs and helping people apply for aid. As of Wednesday, the state Emergency Rental Assistance Program had approved 721 applications, or 37% of those submitted, paying out $2.3 million in assistance. Of that amount, $1.7 million went to landlords, $355,000 to renters and $170,000 to utilities., Girt said. HOW ARE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? The Wyoming Department of Family Services has been providing information about the Emergency Rental Assistance Program to Wyoming courts. The department also has provided $1 million to Equal Justice Wyoming for legal services to eligible households facing eviction or other housing instability, Girt said. While many evictions aren't going ahead while landlords get help covering costs, that could change once the eviction moratorium ends. HOW AFFORDABLE IS HOUSING IN WYOMING'S MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? Outside pricey Jackson Hole, rental housing in Wyoming is relatively affordable: About $700 a month for a two-bedroom unit as of the second quarter of 2020. That's a fraction of typical rents in major U.S. metro areas. Prices range from about $500 in Big Horn County to over $900 in Laramie County, where prices surged 9% from 2019 to 2020. As with home prices, rental rates in Teton County are the Wyoming outlier at almost $2,300 a month. The average Wyoming rent was up about 3% from 2019 to 2020, with the steepest increase (26%) in the Afton area and biggest decrease (13%) just across the Wyoming Range in Sublette County, according to the state Economic Analysis Division. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? This remains to be seen. Wyoming has about 600 homeless people, one the smallest homeless populations of any state, and with 560,000 people is the least populated state. Almost 1 in 4 renters in the state surveyed by the U.S. Census Bureau reported they expect eviction in the next two months. Many of the state's homeless come from elsewhere. The COMEA homeless shelter in Cheyenne served over 500 people in 2020. Especially in summertime, homeless people arrive in Cheyenne from elsewhere by highway and rail. The shelter gets busy but should remain able to help any influx of people, COMEA assistant director Camron Karajanis said. MADISON, Wis. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions that was enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to oust tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households. Heres the situation in Wisconsin: WHATS THE STATUS OF OTHER EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? Democratic Gov. Tony Evers issued an order in March 2020 barring landlords from evicting tenants as the pandemic began. The order expired that May, though, and the state Supreme Court ruled in March 2021 that Evers can't issue multiple emergency orders for a single crisis, preventing him from imposing another state moratorium, the governor's office said. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? Evers' administration has relied heavily on federal pandemic relief money to help tenants make ends meet. The Department of Administration dedicated about $35 million from the CARES Act last year to help roughly 13,000 tenants pay overdue rent and utility bills. That assistance ended at the end of the year. The Trump administration allocated about $385 million for rental assistance in Wisconsin in December. About $65 million of that has gone directly to the state's six most populous jurisdictions: Brown, Dane, Milwaukee and Waukesha counties and the cities of Madison and Milwaukee. The remaining money was earmarked for the rest of the state. So far this year, about $44 million has gone to roughly 12,000 tenants in smaller communities. DOA Secretary Joel Brennan said he didn't have exact figures on spending in the six metropolitan jurisdictions, but he estimated that a total of about 20,000 tenants have received assistance since this April. Renters who earn up to 80% of their county's median income can apply for aid through local social organizations that are acting as conduits between the state and tenants. The money can be used to cover up to 15 months of rent. The Biden administration has allocated another $250 million for rental assistance in Wisconsin through the American Rescue Plan Act, but the state has received only a small amount of that aid so far, Brennan said. 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-controlled 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? Rents in the Milwaukee area are below the national average for the largest metro areas, but they are increasing. As of June, the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis metropolitan area was $1,599, which was 4.2% higher than last year, according to a July 15 report from Realtor.com. That is below the national average of $1,770. The overall median cost for an apartment rental in the Milwaukee metro area was $1,395, up 3.3% from last year. The national average was $1,575. 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 July 5. Nearly 14,000 Wisconsin adults surveyed said they felt it was very likely they would be evicted within the next two months. Another 14,300 said they felt it was somewhat likely they would be evicted. Only about 12,000 of those respondents less than half who feared eviction said they were employed. The survey did not break down responses by specific metropolitan areas in Wisconsin. Brennan said it's 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. NASHUA, N.H. (AP) Christina Darling finally replaced her 2006 Chevrolet Equinox after it broke down several times while picking her children up from day care. But the 31-year-old mother of two was struggling to keep up with the car payments. Brianne Walker desperately wanted to take her three children and two siblings camping for the first time but wasn't sure how she could pay for it. After all, she was behind on her rent, and day care and grocery costs were adding up. Then, the two women from New Hampshire got a surprise in their bank accounts this month. They qualified for the expanded child tax credit, part of President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. Families on average are getting $423 this month; the Treasury Department estimates that 35.2 million families received payments in July. The additional money does help alleviate the pressure, said Walker, 29, who took custody of her two siblings last year after her mother overdosed. The $800 credit will help make up for losses she incurred after quitting a kitchen design job to care for the five youngsters, ages 3 to 19. Biden increased the amounts going to families and expanded it to include those whose income is so little they don't owe taxes. The benefits begin to phase out at incomes of $75,000 for individuals, $112,500 for heads of household and $150,000 for married couples. Families with incomes up to $200,000 for individuals and $400,000 for married couples can still receive the previous $2,000 credit. In the past, eligible families got a credit after filing their taxes either as a lump sum payment or a credit against taxes owed. But now six months of payments are being advanced monthly through the end of the year. A recipient receives the second half when they file their taxes. The credit is $3,600 annually for children under age 6 and $3,000 for children ages 6 to 17. Eligible families will receive $300 monthly for each child under 6 and $250 per older child. Advocates argue the monthly payments make more sense for low-income families. One of the problems with the big check in a year, if your car broke six months before, that is a long time to wait, said Michael Reinke, executive director of the Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter, which serves many families making less than $26,000 a year. When people have money over a consistent period of time, it's easier to make sure it's going to the expenses you really need, he said. Sometimes, if you get it all at once, it's hard to budget. Robin McKinney, co-founder and CEO of the CASH Campaign of Maryland, a Baltimore nonprofit organization that helps low-income residents file taxes, said the credit is providing people money in their pockets now, when they need it most. We know right now that peoples hours are down or theyre still struggling to get back to the same level of income that they had before, and this will create some stability for those families to know that over the next six months that theyre going to be getting this payment, McKinney said. If all the money goes out, the expectation is that could significantly reduce poverty with one study estimating it could cut child poverty by 45%. And it comes at a time when unemployment benefits are being phased out and the federal eviction moratorium is set to expire Saturday. The payments are also a test case of sorts. Biden ultimately would like to make them permanent and the impact they have could go a long way to shaping that debate later this year. It infuses money into the family home, said Suzanne Torregano, director of Family Services at Kingsley House in New Orleans, who estimated that 85%-90% of the parents the group serves are getting the monthly payments. Still, some advocates argue the money may never reach the neediest because their incomes are so low they aren't required to file a tax return, they don't have a fixed address or bank account, or don't have the internet savvy to apply. What we are finding is that homeless families while many of them are eligible for the tax credit, they have significant barriers to obtaining it, said Larry Seamans, president of FamilyAid Boston, which serves 900 families daily. We have some counter-intuitive struggles of families who may be unfamiliar with tax forms, tax laws and the fact that by filing a tax return, you can actually get money to support your family, Seamans said. Many families ... are not on the tax rolls. They now have to find sufficient documentation to prove that they are eligible. Families who do receive the credit are mostly spending it on rent, child care and groceries, as well as catching up on cellphone and other bills. For Darling, the $550 she gets will go to car payments, more fresh produce and a babysitter so she can attend Nashua Board of Education meetings. She is running for a seat on the board. Eventually, she hopes to put money aside to save for a home with a yard. Every step closer we get to a livable wage is beneficial. That is money that gets turned around and spent on the betterment of my kids and myself, said Darling, a housing resource coordinator who had been supplementing her $35,000-a-year salary with monthly visits to the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter's food pantry. McKinney, who is married with a 5-year-old son and qualifies for the tax credit, is getting $167 a month. She said its all going to help pay for child care, which costs $288 a week. Right now, its out-of-school time because its the summer, so people have to pay for camps and babysitting support so that the parents can go to work, said McKinney, of Columbia, Maryland. I know a lot of people who are like: This money is coming at just the right time, because this summer is more expensive for me for child care.' Many families in higher-income brackets who receive less money are socking it away for things like a family trip, school supplies or Christmas gifts. Carleigh Steele, who received several hundred dollars, said the money is giving her peace of mind a month after she moved into a house in Baltimore with the help of Habitat for Humanity. Its sitting in my bank account for all the home-buying things that I need, and for the rainy day fund for my house just to make sure that I can keep myself economically stable, said Steele, who has a 6-year-old daughter. Brianne Epps, a mother of four from Jackson, Mississippi, is using the money to pay bills but also to finance her dream of opening a soul food catering business. It will help me, for one, to promote my catering business to get that off the ground, she said. Molly Vigeant, of East Hartford, Connecticut, a 25-year-old single mother who works as a special needs paraprofessional in a high school, hopes to spend the money to repair or replace her car. But she's had trouble accessing a portal aimed at helping applicants and hasn't yet received anything. It doesnt hurt yet, she said of the delayed payment. But, its a 20-year-old car with over 200,000 miles on it and I make 20 grand a year. A new one is not going to fall from the sky, when your debt-to-income ratio is garbage and you know you cant finance a car. ___ Associated Press writers Brian Witte in Annapolis, Maryland; Rebecca Santana in New Orleans; Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Mississippi, and Pat Eaton-Robb in Columbia, Connecticut, contributed to this report. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) Floridas coronavirus cases jumped 50% this week, the state Health Department reported Friday, continuing a six-week surge that has seen it responsible for 1 in 5 new infections nationally, becoming the outbreak's epicenter. The release came shortly after Gov. Ron DeSantis barred school districts from requiring students to wear masks when classes resume next month. More than 110,000 new coronavirus cases were reported statewide over the past week, up from 73,000 last week and 11 times the 10,000 reported the week of June 11, six weeks ago. Case numbers are now back to where they in January, just before vaccinations became widely available. The Florida Hospital Association also said Friday that statewide COVID-19 hospitalizations are nearing last years peak. More than 9,300 patients are hospitalized, up from 1,845 a month ago and nearing the record 10,179 set on July 23, 2020. On a per capita basis, Florida now has more people hospitalized than any other state. The state reported 409 deaths this week, bringing the total to more than 39,000 since its first in March 2020. The states peak happened in mid-August 2020, when 1,266 people died over a seven-day period. Deaths usually follow increases in hospitalizations by a few weeks. DeSantis has blamed the surge on a seasonal increase more Floridians are indoors because of the hot weather with air conditioning circulating the virus. About 60% of Floridians 12 and older are vaccinated, ranking it about midway among the states. DeSantis said his executive order barring mask mandates at schools will improve students' experience and make it easier for them to focus on learning. I have (three) young kids. My wife and I are not going to do the mask with the kids. We never have; we wont. I want to see my kids smiling. I want them having fun, DeSantis said at a news conference in southwest Florida a few hours before he signed the executive order. DeSantis is seeking reelection next year and has been positioning himself nationally for a possible 2024 presidential bid. DeSantis also contended there is no evidence masks prevent outbreaks at schools, which is at odds with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidelines recommending universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. His critics say his unwillingness to mandate mask wearing endangers the health of students and staff. We know that masks are a simple and effective way to help prevent virus spread, and from a medical perspective it makes absolutely zero sense to discourage their use, said Dr. Bernard Ashby, head of Florida's progressive Committee to Protect Health Care. "DeSantis power grab will put the health of kids and teachers alike at risk. DeSantis' decision came after the Broward County school board voted to require masks and other districts and colleges across the state were considering it. We will have to change our policy, Broward board member Debbi Hixon told the South Florida SunSentinel. I am not looking to defy the governor. I believe it is an irresponsible decision but if it is the law, I will agree to follow it. The Florida Education Association, the state's teachers union, said DeSantis should leave the decision to local officials rather than impose a statewide edict a position he once held. When the pandemic began in March 2020, DeSantis said local officials should control the response, that the business closures and mask mandates imposed in Miami, Tampa and other big cities wouldn't work in small, rural counties. Gov. DeSantis continues to think that Tallahassee knows best what all Floridians need, union President Andrew Spar said in a statement. We reject that kind of thinking. Instead, we ask Gov. DeSantis to allow all Floridas citizens to have a voice by empowering the elected leaders of cities, counties and school districts to make health and safety decisions locally. Meanwhile, Publix, the state's largest supermarket chain, announced Friday that employees will again be required to wear masks and several hospitals said they are postponing elective surgeries and limiting visitors. At Tampa General Hospital, the 90-plus patients hospitalized with COVID already exceeds the previous high of 86, said Dr. Seetha Lakshmi, medical director of its Global Emerging Diseases Institute. She said the hospital, like many, can't hire enough staff and it is leaving those working exhausted. It feels like we are getting hit by a train, the pace is so fast and uncontrolled, Laskshmi said. I just dont have any words anymore. This is awful, just awful and it is going to be awful." She said last year, her patients' median age was in the 70s. Now, it is just over 50, with the younger patients getting sicker than in the past. She pointed to a patient in his early 30s whose lungs sound like Velcro being pulled apart. A father of young children, he will likely have permanent damage and might need a transplant eventually, she said. She said 83% of Tampa General's COVID patients are unvaccinated while the others have immune-deficiency issues that prevented the vaccine from working. ___ Gomez Licon reported from Miami. ___ Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak. AP BERLIN (AP) Germany's foreign minister is signaling growing impatience with Iran, saying that a revival of the country's frayed nuclear accord with world powers won't be possible forever," a German magazine reported Friday. The countries that remain parties to the agreement Russia, China, Germany, France, Britain and Iran have been trying during six rounds of talks in Vienna to resolve how the United States can rejoin and how Tehran can return to compliance. President Donald Trump pulled out of the agreement in 2018, but successor Joe Biden has said the U.S. wants to return. On Thursday, Gov. JB Pritzker signed House Bill 2621 into law, creating new financing programs and tax incentives to support the creation and preservation of affordable housing in communities across Illinois. The legislation includes several provisions aimed at reducing the shortage of affordable housing and builds on efforts to support housing stability in areas disproportionately affected by COVID-19. The bill passed both the House and Senate with unanimous bipartisan support. Pritzker also signed Senate Bill 0265 into law, prioritizing access to the state's Low-Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for families with young children and expanding access to undocumented residents. "These two new laws mark another step forward by state government on our collective mission to ensure all our residents have the basic foundation upon which to build a successful future for themselves and their families," Pritzker said in a statement. "To date, our COVID-19 relief dollars have helped more than 289,000 families pay their utility bills and over 76,000 families stay in their homes, with tens of thousands more to come. With this legislation, we'll fund 3,500 new affordable rental units - changing the lives of thousands of more families for the better." HB 2621 directs the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) to create a COVID-19 Affordable Housing Grant Program to support the construction and rehabilitation of affordable rental housing in areas most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This program directs $75 million in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to multifamily development costs to help keep rent affordable for low-income households. The program will supplement properties that qualify for federal low-income housing tax credits and is expected to fund the development and preservation of up to 3,500 affordable rental homes and apartments by the end of 2024. Through this bill, the Illinois Affordable Housing Tax Credit is extended through 2026 to encourage monetary or real estate donations to affordable housing developments. The program provides a one-time state of Illinois income tax credit equal to 50% of the value of qualified donations to affordable housing developments. Since creation in 2001, the program has motivated donations of land, buildings and funds to support the development of 21,000 affordable rental units. HB 2621 creates two separate property tax incentives which support the preservation of affordable housing, including a provision that encourages owners of multifamily buildings with seven or more units to invest in their properties and keep rents affordable through providing reductions in post-improvement assessed value. The legislation adds to existing state law requiring communities with limited stock of affordable housing to create plans to address their local housing needs. "Everyone deserves a safe, stable, and affordable place to live, and this bill will help us bring housing investment and opportunity to the communities where they are needed most," IHDA Deputy Executive Director Karen Davis said. "House Bill 2621 is a tremendous step forward in helping IHDA further our mission, and we want to thank Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Legislature for taking action to begin addressing housing affordability needs in our state." Madison County currently has multiple locations for affordable housing and has three housing authorities which help with affordable housing, including the Alton Housing Authority, Granite City Housing Authority and Madison County Housing Authority. "Those are the basic homes you think of," said Jenny Pruitt, homeless services program coordinator with Madison County. "It's a block of the section and it's divided up into apartments for lower-income people. Some are based on income, as people pay what they can and it's funded through the federal government." "Then there is low-income housing of apartments which get funding from the federal government as they provide housing to lower-income individuals. There are rent-controlled apartments for everybody who lives there. There are some programs we have that provide assistance in the form of a deposit and a couple of months rent and rapid rehousing for the homeless, also paid for through federal funds, where we partner with them to work on education, employability, some people have gone to college and gotten degrees and that lasts two years." These are the types of programs the new funding likely aims to help. There are also websites that list available housing for those with lower incomes. Also on Thursday, Pritzker signed Senate Bill 0265 into law, allowing the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, which oversees LIHEAP, to prioritize assistance for families with children under the age of six. The legislation also expands access to the state's LIHEAP program to all Illinois residents, regardless of immigration status. "Since launching the launch of Help Illinois Families last year, DCEO is proud to have deployed a record amount of economic relief - including expanded LIHEAP eligibility to serve hundreds of thousands of low-income families all around the state," said DCEO Acting Director Sylvia Garcia. "Thanks to the Governor's leadership throughout the pandemic and the bold action taken by members of the Illinois General Assembly, SB 0265 will help DCEO further increase the impact of the LIHEAP program this year and to bring more families on the brink of economic crisis the relief needed as we work to rebuild the economy." As part of Governor Pritzker's Help for Illinois Families program, last year DCEO expanded access to LIHEAP utility assistance funds. Since launching the program last June the Department has issued over $343 million in assistance to over 289,000 families statewide. Expanded eligibility created by passage of SB 0265 into law comes as the Department prepares to launch a new program to deploy additional LIHEAP funds authorized by ARPA - with funds set to be made available in September 2021. For more information on LIHEAP and to determine if you are eligible for utility payment assistance, go to DCEO's website. HB 2621 is effective immediately. SB 0265 is effective January 1, 2022. TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) An Illinois woman who oversees the estate of a slain Terre Haute police officer's son has been arrested for allegedly stealing more than $200,000 from the boy's estate. Josie M. Huff, 31, of Robinson, Illinois, was arrested Thursday on one felony count of theft, Indiana State Police said. She was being held at the Crawford County Jail in Robinson, but will be moved to Sullivan County, Indiana, and held on a $15,000 bond, state police said. WASHINGTON (AP) Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Singapore and Vietnam next month on a trip focused on strengthening economic ties and celebrating Americas cultural connection with the Indo-Pacific region. It will be Harris' first overseas travel and second foreign trip, after she visited Guatemala and Mexico in June as part of her role leading diplomatic efforts to address the root causes of migration to the United States. And it will be the first time a U.S. vice president has visited Vietnam. WARSAW, Poland (AP) Polands President Andrzej Duda said Friday he sees the need for changes to his country's law on disciplining judges, in a significant shift in tone on an issue that has brought a tense and drawn-out spat with European Union authorities. Duda was commenting on letters from the head of Polands top court appealing to him and other senior figures to initiate changes that would remove flaws in Polish legislation and bring it into line with EU law. Duda told state agency PAP that he agreed with the court president and that everything indicates that legislative changes will be needed. He insisted on the importance of a system of disciplining judges, but said the judges should be confident that it is really transparent, fair and honest. His words struck a different tone from government's insistence in recent years that the disciplinary procedures were only for the good of the judiciary and that the EU had no say on the organization of Poland's or any other EU member's justice system. Four letters written to Duda, to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and to the speakers of the two parliament chambers by the Supreme Court's first president, Judge Malgorzata Manowska, asking for changes to the law, were published on the court's website Friday. The EU Court of Justice said earlier this month that the way Poland is disciplining its judges undermines judicial independence and contravenes EU law, because it is politicized. Poland joined the EU in 2004. It has told Poland's government, which drew up the regulations, to immediately suspend the disciplinary body at the Supreme Court and introduce changes, under threat of financial and other sanctions. Adding to the growing conflict with the EU over Poland's rule of law and organization of the judiciary, the government has ignored the injunctions, arguing it has sole responsibility for the justice system. In her letters government loyalist Manowska appealed for swift but first of all well-thought-through changes to the law that would remove the flaws and bring it into line with European law. The four figures have the powers to propose and enact legislation. Manowska appealed to them to protect the common good that is Poland and said that the judicial dispute with the EU has paralyzed disciplinary proceedings. Earlier this week, 47 of the Supreme Court judges, along with thousands of other judges and prosecutors, have signed an appeal for the government to heed the EU court's rulings and immediately suspend the Disciplinary Chamber. Under the right-wing government that won power in 2015, Poland has been in an intensifying dispute with the EU as the government asserts more political control over the nations judicial system and judicial appointments. Polands Constitutional Court ruled last week that that temporary injunctions issued by the EU court regarding the national judiciary were nonbinding. One of them was an injunction for the suspension of the body disciplining high judges. However, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said last week that he would not exclude the possibility of a review of the Disciplinary Chamber, saying it has not met all the expectations placed in it. Days earlier, he met with the head of the EU Council, Ursula von der Leyen, for talks that included Poland's judiciary. A number of Poland's judges critical of the right-wing government have been suspended under the disciplining procedure, but the suspensions have been declared illegal by some lower courts, who questioned the authority of the disputed disciplinary body. THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) The International Criminal Court has withdrawn its arrest warrant for the wife of former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo following her husband's acquittal on charges of involvement in deadly violence that erupted following his country's disputed 2010 presidential election. Simone Gbagbo had faced similar charges under an arrest warrant issued by the global war crimes court in 2012. Her husband was acquitted in 2019, midway through his trial at the ICC, of responsibility for crimes including murder, rape and persecution during post-election violence in Ivory Coast. Judges said prosecutors failed to prove their case. Appeals judges at the global court upheld the acquittal in March, clearing Gbagbo and co-defendant Charles Ble Goude to fly home. In a written ruling issued confidentially on July 19 and made public this week, a panel of ICC judges approved a request by prosecutors to withdraw the warrant against Simone Gbagbo. The Chamber finds that developments at the trial and appeal stage of the case of Mr. Gbagbo make it apparent that the evidence upon which the Warrant of Arrest for Simone Gbagbo was grounded can no longer be considered as satisfying the evidentiary threshold required, the judges wrote. In 2017, a court in Ivory Coast found Simone Gbagbo not guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity for her alleged role in abuses following the 2010 election. She was convicted two years earlier of crimes against the state and sentenced to 20 years, but was released after being granted amnesty in 2018. Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara met on Tuesday with Laurent Gbagbo, who returned home last month, in an attempt to ease political tensions that have persisted in the West African nation since their last meeting more than a decade ago. Gbagbos refusal to concede defeat in the 2010 election led to months of clashes between their supporters that left more than 3,000 people dead. Ouattara ultimately prevailed and has been the president of Ivory Coast ever since BAGHDAD (AP) An attack on a funeral procession in northern Iraq has claimed a number of victims, Iraq's military said in a statement Friday. The military said the terrorist attack in the province of Salahaddin resulted in a number of victims but did not provide specific figures. An Iraqi security official said eight people had been killed, among them police and civilians, and that armed militants had opened fire on the crowd. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity said the attack had been perpetrated by the Islamic State group. The death toll could not be immediately confirmed. The military said it will provide details once an investigation is complete. Northern Iraq has been a hotspot for IS activity since their territorial defeat in 2017 by Iraqi security forces with assistance from the U.S.-led coalition. Iraqi forces routinely carry out anti-IS operations in the rugged mountainous northern region and the deserts of western Iraq where they are known to be holed up. IS attacks have abated in recent years but continue in these areas where security forces are often the target of ambushes, raids and IEDs. At times, IS has managed to launch attacks in the capital. At least 30 people were killed last week in a suicide bombing in the Baghdad suburb of Sadr City. The attack was claimed by IS. JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli health authorities began administering coronavirus booster shots Friday to people over 60 who've already received both does of a vaccine, in a bid to combat a recent spike in cases. The decision was announced Thursday by the Israeli prime minister, Naftali Bennet, making Israel the first country to offer a third dose of a Western vaccine to its citizens on a wide scale. Israel is a pioneer in going ahead with the third dose for older people of the age of 60 and above, Bennet said during Friday's launch. The decision comes following rising infections caused by the delta variant, and indications that the vaccines efficacy drops over time. Bennett said that a team of expert advisers had overwhelmingly agreed that the booster campaign was necessary. He said that this decision was made after considerable research and analysis and that its information would be shared around the world. The only way we can defeat COVID is together. Together means sharing information. Together means sharing methods, technologies, insights, and actionable steps, said Bennet said Friday. More than 57% of the countrys 9.3 million citizens have received both doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, and over 80% of the population over 40 is vaccinated. Neither the U.S. nor the EU has approved coronavirus booster shots, and the World Health Organization said earlier this month that there is not enough evidence to show that a third dose is needed. Most studies and real-world data from Britain and the U.S. so far show that the Pfizer vaccine remains powerfully protective against serious illness. Just Wednesday, Pfizer released data from its long-running 44,000-person study showing that while protection against any symptomatic infection declined slightly six months after immunization, protection against severe COVID-19 remained at nearly 97%. Earlier this month, Israels Health Ministry announced that protection against severe disease was around 93%. Israel has carried out one of the worlds quickest and most successful vaccination campaigns. They reached a deal with the pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, to purchase enough vaccines for its population in exchange for sharing its data with the drugmaker. The vaccination program allowed Israel to reopen its economy before other countries. The Israeli government had planned to reopen the country to vaccinated tourists in July but has pushed the date back following concerns over the rise in cases. PHOENIX (AP) A man charged with sexually attacking and fatally stabbing two young women in the early 1990s as they rode bikes near a canal system in Phoenix plans to mount an insanity defense at his upcoming trial. An attorney for Bryan Patrick Miller said in court records last week that he believes his client isnt psychologically fit to assist in his defense and is seeking a postponement of his Sept. 21 trial. Prosecutor Vince Imbordino said defense attorneys haven't disclosed to him Millers basis for requesting a mental evaluation and instead filed paperwork over the issue with the court, where it remains under seal. This defendant has been in custody for six years. He has been seen by multiple defense experts who have never even raised the possibility of insanity, the prosecutor wrote. This is just yet another in a long line of delaying tactics. R.J. Parker, one of Millers attorneys, declined to comment on the bid for an insanity defense. Authorities said DNA evidence links Miller to the deaths of 22-year-old Angela Brosso in November 1992 and 17-year-old Melanie Bernas in September 1993. Police said Miller denied any involvement in the killings but acknowledged living in the vicinity of the killings at the time and said he rode his bike on bike paths in the area. Miller has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, kidnapping and attempted sexual assault. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Brosso and Bernas disappeared in north Phoenix near the Arizona Canal. Brosso was found nude and decapitated in a field near a bike path thats adjacent to the canal. Ten months later, Bernas body was discovered floating in the canal. Authorities said semen evidence collected in the aftermath of both crimes showed the attacks were linked to the same suspect. The killings faded from public attention after police were unable to link the DNA profile collected from the scenes to a specific suspect. The Phoenix Police Departments cold-case unit was on the cases again in 2011, according to court records. In 2014, a genealogist who uses ancestry databases in her research was given access to the DNA gathered in the investigations and eventually came up with the last name Miller. Bryan Miller had been on the police departments list of investigative leads in the case, according to court records. Authorities have said Miller was charged with but ultimately acquitted in the 2002 stabbing of a woman in Everett, Washington, after saying the woman tried to rob him. The Washington state case didnt require him to submit a DNA sample because he was acquitted. He later moved back to Arizona. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moved three more Connecticut counties into the substantial transmission category for COVID-19, prompting the state's Department of Public Health on Friday to recommend anyone who lives, works or travels throughout Fairfield, Tolland and Windham counties to wear a mask in public indoor spaces. The recommendation comes a day after the agency issued the same alert for New London, Hartford and New Haven counties after case levels increased. That means just two counties Middlesex and Litchfield have not reached that level of transmission. This alert applies to all residents in these areas whether they are vaccinated or not," said Dr. Deidre S. Gifford, senior advisor to Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont for health and human services and the acting public health commissioner, in a statement. DPH is advising people with underlying medical conditions who are at high risk for complications from COVID-19, or residents who live with high-risk or unvaccinated individuals, including young children ineligible for vaccinations, to also consider wearing masks in indoor public spaces. State data released Friday show 491 new confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 have been reported since Thursday. The number of hospitalizations increased by four, to a total of 116. Of those, 41 patients were in Fairfield County hospitals. We are seeing that the dominant delta variant can infect those who are vaccinated and that they can transmit the COVID infection to others. But I cannot stress enough that the vaccine is the safest and most effective to protect yourself and your loved ones from COVID, Gifford said. Lamont's executive order, which requires people who are not fully vaccinated to wear a facemask when indoors and when they're unable to socially distance themselves, remains in place. In other coronavirus related news: __ REQUIRED VACCINATIONS? Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, told The Associated Press on Friday that he's calling on the governor to take steps similar to President Joe Biden and require state and municipal employees and government contractors to be vaccinated for COVID-19 or else be tested twice weekly, wear masks and physically distance. As we've seen with the President, governors and mayors, this is an executive function, Duff said in a text. Asked if he's calling on Lamont, a fellow Democrat, to include such a measure in an executive order, Duff responded, Yes. Biden announced Thursday that federal workers will be required to sign forms attesting theyve been vaccinated against the coronavirus or else comply with new rules on mandatory masking, weekly testing, distancing and more. He also directed the Defense Department to look into adding the COVID-19 shot to its list of required vaccinations for members of the military. Duff, the second-highest ranking Democrat in the Senate, issued a news release on Friday that said, given the fact federal employees will be subject to such restrictions, it would make sense to apply a similar framework to Connecticuts state and local employees. This would not be a mandate. Its a common-sense way to restrict the spread of COVID-19. Duff also said he's recommending medical offices, including doctors, dentists and other patient-facing professionals, disclose if their offices are fully vaccinated. Duff's release did not specifically call for Lamont to issue an executive order. Max Reiss, Lamont's communications director, said the governor continues to encourage everyone eligible, including state employees and health care professionals, to get vaccinated. The issue has been discussed, both at the state level and with our partners and other states regarding other ways ... we can get as many people to get it, he said. But at this time, we are not mandating state employees to receive them. BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) A bright pink lagoon is setting off red alarms for environmentalists in southern Argentina. The pond is one of several located about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the city of Trelew used by local industries for releasing chemicals or treated water. Pablo Lada, a member of the SocioEnvironmental Assemblies of Chubut province called Friday for an independent analysis to determine what is to blame. Landa said the water had taken on a rosy hue before, but now it is striking; it is an intense pink. He said specialists suspect it's caused by sodium sulfite, used to help preserve shellfish. Provincial officials have said they expect the color to disappear in a few days. Some local media have blamed a consortium from the regional capital of Rawson, suggesting it dumped chemicals there because neighbors closer had complained about the smell. But Adriana Sanz, in charge of water treatment for the Rawson Ambiental company, denied that and suggested it was part of a campaign by an unspecified rival company to damage Rawson's reputation. She said her company uses a separate pond about a kilometer (half mile) away for its discharges of treated water and that the one that turned pink is used by the Trelew Industrial Park. NEW YORK (AP) A 22-year-old man was arrested for assaulting an employee at a Staten Island hospital, then later died in custody at the hospital from unknown causes, police said Friday. Officers were called to Staten Island University North Hospital at about 8 p.m. Thursday after a 26-year-old staffer said Daniel Milton, a patient, had grabbed her buttocks, police said. LOS ANGELES (AP) Saginaw Grant, a prolific Native American character actor and hereditary chief of the Sac & Fox Nation of Oklahoma, has died. He was 85. Grant died peacefully in his sleep of natural causes on Wednesday at a private care facility in Hollywood, California, said Lani Carmichael, Grants publicist and longtime friend. He loved both Oklahoma and L.A., Carmichael said. He made his home here as an actor, but he never forgot his roots in Oklahoma. He remained a fan of the Sooner Nation. Born July 20, 1936, in Pawnee, Oklahoma, Grant was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. He began acting in the late 1980s and played character roles in dozens of movies and television shows over the last three decades, including The Lone Ranger, The Worlds Fastest Indian and Breaking Bad, according to Grant's IMDB filmography. Grant was active for years in the powwow circuit in California and traveled around the globe to speak to people about Native American culture, Carmichael said. His motto in life was always respect one another and don't talk about one another in a negative way," she said. Grant was also active in the Native American veterans community and participated for years in the National Gathering of American Indian Veterans, said Joseph Podlasek, the event's organizer. He thought it was important for Native people to get recognized as veterans," Podlasek said. He was kind and gentle, and very humble." A memorial for Grant will be held in the Los Angeles area, but details haven't been finalized, Carmichael said. COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) South Carolinians receiving federal food aid will continue to get extra emergency benefits through the end of the year, even though a pandemic-related state of emergency ended last month. State officials announced Friday that they were extending the deadline for the additional federal supplements, which were set to expire Aug. 1 after Gov. Henry McMaster brought the state's COVID-19 state of emergency to an end in June. CONCORD, N.H. (AP) Republican Gov. Chris Sununu on Friday vetoed a bill that would have moved up the date of New Hampshire's state primary elections from September to the first Tuesday in August. New Hampshire is known for its first-in-the-nation presidential primary every four years, but its state primary, held the second Tuesday in September, is one of the nations latest. HONOLULU (AP) A woman from Louisiana who was honeymooning in Hawaii has been fined $500 after a social media video showed her touching an endangered Hawaiian monk seal, U.S. authorities said. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration launched an investigation last month and found the woman violated the Endangered Species Act, said Dominic Andrews, a spokesperson for the agency's Office of Law Enforcement. NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) More than 100,000 children in Ethiopias embattled Tigray region could face the most extreme and life-threatening form of malnutrition in the next year, the United Nations childrens agency warned on Friday, as humanitarian aid remains blocked from the region of some 6 million people. The U.N. estimate, a tenfold increase over the usual caseload in Tigray, is based on essentially the scenario were seeing now, in which the conflict escalates and food access is restricted, Marixie Mercado with UNICEFs emergency response team told The Associated Press. The warning comes as high-level officials from the U.N. and United States visit Ethiopia over the next several days to press the government to lift what the U.S. has described as a siege of Tigray and as some 200 food-laden U.N. trucks are stuck on the only remaining road into the region. The worlds worst hunger crisis in a decade is unfolding in Tigray, where the U.S. says up to 900,000 people now face famine conditions and international food security experts say the crucial planting season has largely been missed because of the war. The UNICEF estimate, based on screenings of more than 430,000 children during the nine-month conflict, comes after a rare visit to two districts in Tigray that had been virtually inaccessible, Gijet and Wajirat. While the AP has reported on scores of people dying of starvation in another inaccessible Tigray district, Mercado said she did not hear of any starvation deaths on her visit. But she warned of horrifying numbers of acutely malnourished people and expressed frustration as food, fuel, cash and other supplies are in short supply. While access inside Tigray has improved after a dramatic turn in the war in June as Ethiopian soldiers withdrew and the government declared a unilateral cease-fire, the U.N. has said aid workers are running out of the means to help. You cant bring services to people without fuel, an exasperated Mercado said, adding that during the visit to the previously inaccessible districts we were just overwhelmed by the numbers of mothers and children who showed up and desperately wanted some help. UNICEF also said screening data shows that 47% of all pregnant and breastfeeding women in Tigray are acutely malnourished, meaning more risk to both mothers and children. Ethiopias government has blamed the aid blockade on the resurgent Tigray forces who have retaken much of the region and crossed into the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions, but a senior official with the U.S. Agency for International Development this week told the AP that is 100% not the case. USAID administrator Samantha Power is set to visit Ethiopia next week to press for access. Meanwhile, new U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths is visiting Tigray as part of a six-day tour in Ethiopia meant to spotlight the crisis, while there is little sign of negotiations in sight between Ethiopia's government and the Tigray forces who had long dominated Ethiopia's government and military before being sidelined by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. A U.N. humanitarian update on Friday spelled out some of the latest aid challenges, including harassment and intimidation: No aid convoys have reached Tigray since July 12, even as up to 600 supply-laden trucks are needed weekly. Aid workers on the first U.N. passenger flight to Tigray on July 22 were extensively searched and not allowed to bring some essential medicines. And no such flight has received government clearance since then. Also on Friday, the U.N. special adviser on the prevention of genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, condemned inflammatory statements used by top political leaders and associated armed groups, saying the use of terms such as cancer and weed to refer to the Tigray conflict was of utmost concern." Ethiopias prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, earlier this month described the Tigray forces as weeds and a cancer, further alarming ethnic Tigrayans who have alleged that thousands of non-combatants have been detained during the conflict because of their identity alone. And Tigray forces spokesman Getachew Reda replied by calling the Abiy Ahmeds of the world cancers to be removed at all costs. AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Donovon Rodriguez pursued a career with the state of Texas seven years ago because he viewed the work as public service and a steady income to provide for his family. But lately, his government job hasn't looked so stable. Rodriguez, the chief of staff for a Democratic state representative, is one of close to 2,000 legislative workers who risk going unpaid after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott slashed their salaries from the state budget as punishment after Democratic lawmakers walked out in May to block restrictions on voting. Paychecks could be restored during an ongoing special legislative session. Thats currently at a standstill after many of the same 50-plus Democrats ratcheted up their political maneuver and fled the state for Washington, D.C. to keep thwarting the GOP's plans for reducing polling hours and ballot access in Texas' already strict voting laws. The vicious cycle means employees who take calls and emails from constituents, help research and write bills and otherwise keep a legislative session moving wont be working when the new budget starts Sept. 1. Rodriguez and others say it feels like their livelihoods are collateral damage in the nations most visible standoff over voting rights. There is always somebody who feels left out, who feels betrayed, by the governor when he chooses to veto legislation, Rodriguez said. Unfortunately, it really hits home this time. Democratic lawmakers sued Abbott over the June line item veto of more than $400 million in salary funds, claiming the action was unconstitutional. Rodriguez, who makes $73,000 annually, was named in the suit, which is pending before the Texas Supreme Court. Abbott's office declined comment but previously said the Texas Constitution grants the governor the power to disapprove any bill. It's not clear when the court might make a decision, keeping the state employees in limbo. Abbotts move is unprecedented, at least in recent Texas history, and sparks an unusual constitutional debate about separation of powers, according to Joshua Blank, director of research for the non-partisan Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin. It is a bedrock principle of both the United States constitution and most state governments that governmental power is divided between executive, legislative and judicial branches and it is very rare to see such open conflict about the operation of one branch or the other, Blank said. Lawmaker salaries about $600 a month for the legislators who meet every two years, usually for five months are protected by the Texas Constitution, Blank said, and therefore can only be changed with a constitutional amendment. Most Texas lawmakers have other jobs where they make their real money. But for much of their staff, a state salary is how they pay their bills. Some members of the Texas Senate Democratic Caucus have pledged to cover their staffers' salaries themselves. And while Republicans have been less vocal as a group about their staff salaries, the potential pinch has not gone unnoticed. "The implications to the operations of the House are significant, Republican Rep. William Metcalf, who chairs the Committee on House Administration, said in a memo this week. Beyond payroll, the memo said, Abbott's veto means staff will be responsible for fully funding their own health insurance. Leases and phone lines for lawmakers' district offices will be canceled. And cleaning and disinfection services for the House Chamber will stop as COVID-19 infection and hospital rates are rising again in Texas and much of the U.S. For now, Rodriguez will carry on. On a recent workday, his wife and 15-moth-old daughter joined him on the 70-mile trip from their home in San Antonio to his office at the Capitol in Austin. At one point he held the toddler on one side and a phone on the other, speaking softly on a work call as his wife set up a crib. He likes to keep them nearby a family unit that appreciates the value of hard work and public service. Rodriguez's boss, Rep. Ray Lopez, is one of the Democrats currently in Washington seeking support from Congress and President Joe Biden to take federal action to block voting restrictions, with Abbott pledging to continue scheduling special sessions until his agenda is approved. But Congress acting is looking less likely, and Abbott is betting that Democrats won't be able to run for much longer. The governor is clearly to blame for the budget cut in Rodriguez's view, and he said he believes in the principles that drove the Democrats to flee. But he wishes he and others like him had not been caught in the political crossfire. Meanwhile, the 29-year-old said his family is refinancing their vehicle, considering a move to less-expensive housing, canceling subscriptions and buying baby supplies in bulk selling as they prepare for the coming months. I think the members are doing the right thing to add pressure in the way that they can, Rodriguez said. But I am very uncertain for what is going to happen, it definitely causes some discomfort for my family to not be certain about our future. ___ Acacia Coronado 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. Florida, FL (34429) Today Cloudy skies this morning followed by thunderstorms during the afternoon. High 81F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms. Low 73F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. An outline of the spousal sponsorship process for spouses and common-law partners of Canadians who live in the Philippines. How to sponsor your spouse from the Philippines An outline of the spousal sponsorship process for spouses and common-law partners of Canadians who live in the Philippines. How to sponsor your spouse from the Philippines An outline of the spousal sponsorship process for spouses and common-law partners of Canadians who live in the Philippines. How to sponsor your spouse from the Philippines An outline of the spousal sponsorship process for spouses and common-law partners of Canadians who live in the Philippines. Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A The first step to sponsoring your spouse for Canadian immigration is to make sure you are eligible. Are you a Canadian citizen, or permanent resident? Are you over the age of 18? Can you financially provide for your spouse, any dependent children, and yourself? See if Youre Eligible for Spousal Sponsorship These are some of the basic questions that determine your eligibility. From here, things get a little more specific. For instance, you can sponsor your partner from outside Canada but only if you have citizenship status. You also have to show in your application that you plan to settle in Canada when your spouse gets permanent residency status. Permanent residents cannot sponsor their spouse from outside of Canada. Also, if you live in Quebec, you have meet eligibility requirements at the provincial level as well. You can find out exactly what these are at the Quebec government website. Next comes the money talk. You cannot be receiving social assistance for reasons other than a disability. However, if youre receiving maternity, parental, or sickness benefits, you may still be eligible to sponsor. Other benefits such as employment insurance and federal training allowances are not eligible sources of income. In most cases, there is no minimum income cut off for sponsoring spouses, common-law partners, and children. There are very specific instances where you must meet a low-income-cut-off score, which are determined by the government each year. Generally, it only applies if the partner youre sponsoring has a dependent child who also has a dependent child of their own. What can make me ineligible to sponsor my spouse? Certain circumstances could make you ineligible to sponsor. Beyond violent criminal offences, you could also be ineligible for non-criminal reasons. Perhaps you failed to pay an immigration loan, are going through bankruptcy and not discharged, or if you sponsored a previous spouse within three years of your application. These are just some of the factors that could affect your eligibility to sponsor. Also, if you were a sponsored spouse now turned Canadian permanent resident, you cannot sponsor a new spouse within five years of your landing. Once you determine that you are eligible, the next step is to make sure that your partner is admissible to Canada. Is my spouse eligible to be sponsored? Your spouse must be over the age of 18, and pass background, security, as well as medical checks. The government department that processes immigration applications, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), will check to see that your spouse is admissible. People with criminal convictions are generally not allowed to come to Canada, but there may be options to overcome criminal inadmissibility. The immigration officer handling your file will also want to see that you and your partner are in a genuine relationship. They generally want to avoid admitting people who are just getting married for the sole purpose of getting Canadian permanent residency status. Outland vs Inland sponsorship for residents of the Philippines If your Filipino partner is living in the Philippines during the sponsorship process, you will be considered outland applicants. Again, it is possible for Canadian citizens to live in the Philippines throughout the process, but you have to show that you and your partner will both move to Canada if you are approved for permanent residency. If you and your partner are living in Canada, you will likely be processed as inland applicants. When applying from within Canada, you may be eligible for an Open Work Permit. What documents do you need from the Philippines? IRCC changes these guidelines regularly. The documents required for foreign nationals will depend on residency status, where they are applying from, and maybe even your travel history. The government provides an application guide with more specific and up-to-date information. The specific instructions for documents are available on IRCCs documents checklist. To give an example of what documents your spouse from the Philippines would need, here is what the IRCC checklist said at the time this article was written. Firstly, unlike some other countries, there are no additional forms required for residents of the Philippines. There are special instructions, however, for the documents that are required. Keep in mind, these document requirements are subject to change. Birth certificates need to be the original certifications issued by the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) and printed on PSA paper. The spouse being sponsored, also called the principal applicant and all children included in the application must submit this document. Any death certificates necessary must also be issued by the PSA and printed on PSA paper. If there is no record of birth registration with the PSA, or it was registered late meaning the registration date is more than one month after the date of birth, IRCC will want to see some other proof of identity. IRCC will accept copies of any of the following documents but may request originals for verification: baptismal certificate, hospital or medical birth record, permanent elementary and high school records, old passports, or the birth certificate issued by the local civil registrar. If you were married in the Philippines, you will need the original marriage certificate issued by the PSA, and printed on PSA paper. If you are not married to your Filipino partner, they will need a Certificate of no record of marriage, or a PSA Advisory on Marriages, providing details about any previous marriages registered in the Philippines. If there are any discrepancies between the documents and the principal applicant, IRCC asks for a sworn affidavit explaining the discrepancies. For any births, deaths, or marriages outside the Philippines, the documents will depend on whether it has been registered with the PSA. If so, you need to submit the registration document issued by the PSA and a copy of the certificate issued by the issuing country. IRCCs documents checklist will have more specific information on what other documents might be needed for that country. However, if the birth, death, or marriage has not been registered with the PSA, IRCC may request the original copy of the document for verification. Again, each country will require different documents, and IRCCs checklist will have the most up-to-date information. Philippine nationals and residents travelling with children are also responsible for respecting the Philippine governments travel requirements, when they eventually come to Canada. What happens after you submit the application? The processing begins once IRCC receives your complete application. If the department determines that your application is incomplete, it will be returned. IRCC has a 12-month processing standard on spousal sponsorship applications. In March 2021, Canada expanded its family-sponsorship processing capacity to help meet this one-year standard. During the processing period, IRCC asks for biometrics and a medical exam from the foreign spouse. You will have 30 days to send them in. IRCC may also ask for more information or an in-person interview at any time. You can track and update your application status online until IRCC makes a decision on your application. IRCC will send you instructions about the final steps the foreign spouse or common-law partner needs to take to become a permanent resident. The last step is to complete the landing process. After that, you have officially immigrated to Canada. See if Youre Eligible for Spousal Sponsorship CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options. Unique Logistics International, Inc. provides a range of international logistics services that enable its customers to outsource to the Company sections of their supply chain process. FREMONT, CA: Unique Logistics International, a global logistics and freight forwarding company, announced that it has entered into an agreement providing for an extension to purchase business assets in North and East China, Taiwan, and India. "To build on the momentum of our business growth and with our financial management team strengthened under the leadership of CFO, Eli Kay, appointed earlier this year, we have reached agreement to extend the deadline on our purchase of logistics assets in the Asia-Pacific region," said Sunandan Ray, Chief Executive Officer of Unique. "These acquisitions are strategically important to our long-term business plan. We believe that these acquisitions solidify our position in critical Asian markets. We intend to complete these acquisitions and continue to negotiate on the options we have secured for additional acquisitions in Vietnam and South China under the Securities Purchase Agreement, dated May 29, 2020, entered into with Unique Logistics Holdings Limited, a Hong Kong company." Under the original terms of the agreement, the company had until May 31, 2021, to acquire a 50 percent interest in operations in North and East China and Taiwan (collectively, "UL China") and a 65 percent interest in Unique Logistics International India (Private) Limited, currently owned by Unique Logistics Holdings Limited. The new agreement extends this period to December 31, 2021. Support local journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Sorry, no valid subscriptions were found for this Publication. Please select from an option below to start a subscription. SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 24 Hour Access Emerging as a force in American education a century ago, social studies was intended to remake the high school. But its greatest effect has been in the elementary grades, where it has replaced an older way of learning that initiated children into their culture with one that seeks instead to integrate them into the social group. The result was a revolution in the way America educates its young. The old learning used the resources of culture to develop the childs individual potential; social studies, by contrast, seeks to adjust him to the mediocrity of the social pack. Why promote the socialization of children at the expense of their individual development? A product of the Progressive era, social studies ripened in the faith that regimes guided by collectivist social policies could dispense with the competitive striving of individuals and create, as educator George S. Counts wrote, the most majestic civilization ever fashioned by any people. Social studies was to mold the properly socialized citizens of this grand future. The dream of a world regenerated through social planning faded long ago, but social studies persists, depriving children of a cultural rite of passage that awakened what Coleridge called the principle and method of self-development in the young. The poverty of social studies would matter less if children could make up its cultural deficits in English class. But language instruction in the elementary schools has itself been brought into the business of socializing children and has ceased to use the treasure-house of culture to stimulate their minds. As a result, too many students today complete elementary school with only the slenderest knowledge of a culture that has not only shaped their civilization but also done much to foster individual excellence. In 1912, the National Education Association, today the largest labor union in the United States, formed a Committee on the Social Studies. In its 1916 report, The Social Studies in Secondary Education, the committee opined that if social studies (defined as studies that relate to man as a member of a social group) took a place in American high schools, students would acquire the social spirit, and the youth of the land would be steadied by an unwavering faith in humanity. This was an allusion to the religion of humanity preached by the French social thinker Auguste Comte, who believed that a scientifically trained ruling class could build a better world by curtailing individual freedom in the name of the group. In Comtian fashion, the committee rejected the idea that educations primary object was the cultivation of the individual intellect. Individual interests and needs, education scholar Ronald W. Evans writes in his book The Social Studies Wars, were for the committee secondary to the needs of society as a whole. The Young Turks of the social studies movement, known as Reconstructionists because of their desire to remake the social order, went further. In the 1920s, Reconstructionists like Counts and Harold Ordway Rugg argued that high schools should be incubators of the social regimes of the future. Teachers would instruct students to discard dispositions and maxims derived from Americas individualistic ethos, wrote Counts. A professor in Columbias Teachers College and president of the American Federation of Teachers, Counts was for a time enamored of Joseph Stalin. After visiting the Soviet Union in 1929, he published A Ford Crosses Soviet Russia, a panegyric on the Bolsheviks new society. Counts believed that in the future, all important forms of capital would have to be collectively owned, and in his 1932 essay Dare the Schools Build a New Social Order?, he argued that teachers should enlist students in the work of social regeneration. Like Counts, Rugg, a Teachers College professor and cofounder of the National Council for the Social Studies, believed that the American economy was flawed because it was utterly undesigned and uncontrolled. In his 1933 book The Great Technology, he called for the social reconstruction and scientific design of the economy, arguing that it was now axiomatic that the production and distribution of goods can no longer be left to the vagaries of chancespecifically to the unbridled competitions of self-aggrandizing human nature. There must be central control and supervision of the entire [economic] plant by trained and experienced technical personnel. At the same time, he argued, the new social order must socialize the vast proportion of wealth and outlaw the activities of middlemen who didnt contribute to the production of true value. Rugg proposed new materials of instruction that shall illustrate fearlessly and dramatically the inevitable consequence of the lack of planning and of central control over the production and distribution of physical things. . . . We shall disseminate a new conception of governmentone that will embrace all of the collective activities of men; one that will postulate the need for scientific control and operation of economic activities in the interest of all people; and one that will successfully adjust the psychological problems among men. Rugg himself set to work composing the new materials of instruction. In An Introduction to Problems of American Culture, his 1931 social studies textbook for junior high school students, Rugg deplored the lack of planning in American life: Repeatedly throughout this book we have noted the unplanned character of our civilization. In every branch of agriculture, industry, and business this lack of planning reveals itself. For instance, manufacturers in the United States produce billions of dollars worth of goods without scientific planning. Each one produces as much as he thinks he can sell, and then each one tries to sell more than his competitors. . . . As a result, hundreds of thousands of owners of land, mines, railroads, and other means of transportation and communication, stores, and businesses of one kind or another, compete with one another without any regard for the total needs of all the people. . . . This lack of national planning has indeed brought about an enormous waste in every outstanding branch of industry. . . . Hence the whole must be planned. Rugg pointed to Soviet Russia as an example of the comprehensive control that America needed, and he praised Stalins first Five-Year Plan, which resulted in millions of deaths from famine and forced labor. The amount of coal to be mined each year in the various regions of Russia, Rugg told the junior high schoolers reading his textbook, is to be planned. So is the amount of oil to be drilled, the amount of wheat, corn, oats, and other farm products to be raised. The number and size of new factories, power stations, railroads, telegraph and telephone lines, and radio stations to be constructed are planned. So are the number and kind of schools, colleges, social centers, and public buildings to be erected. In fact, every aspect of the economic, social, and political life of a country of 140,000,000 people is being carefully planned! . . . The basis of a secure and comfortable living for the American people lies in a carefully planned economic life. During the 1930s, tens of thousands of American students used Ruggs social studies textbooks. Toward the end of the decade, school districts began to drop Ruggs textbooks because of their socialist bias. In 1942, Columbia historian Allan Nevins further undermined social studies premises when he argued in The New York Times Magazine that American high schools were failing to give students a thorough, accurate, and intelligent knowledge of our national pastin so many ways the brightest national record in all world history. Nevinss was the first of many critiques that would counteract the collectivist bias of social studies in American high schools, where old-fashioned history classes have long been the cornerstone of the social studies curriculum. Yet possibly because school boards, so vigilant in their superintendence of the high school, were not sure what should be done with younger children, social studies gained a foothold in the primary school such as it never obtained in the secondary school. The chief architect of elementary school social studies was Paul Hanna, who entered Teachers College in 1924 and fell under the spell of Counts and Rugg. We cannot expect economic security so long as the [economic] machine is conceived as an instrument for the production of profits for private capital rather than as a tool functioning to release mankind from the drudgery of work, Hanna wrote in 1933. Hanna was no less determined than Rugg to reform the country through education. Pupils must be indoctrinated with a determination to make the machine work for society, he wrote. His methods, however, were subtler than Ruggs. Unlike Ruggs textbooks, Hannas did not explicitly endorse collectivist ideals. The Hanna books contain no paeans to central planning or a command economy. On the contrary, the illustrations have the naive innocence of the watercolors in Scott Foresmans Dick and Jane readers. The books depict an idyllic but familiar America, rich in material goods and comfortably middle-class; the fathers and grandfathers wear suits and ties and white handkerchiefs in their breast pockets. Not only the pictures but the lessons in the books are deceptively innocuous. It is in the back of the books, in the notes and interpretive outlines, that Hanna smuggles in his social agenda by instructing teachers how each lesson is to be interpreted so that children learn desirable patterns of acting and reacting in democratic group living. A lesson in the second-grade text Susans Neighbors at Work, for example, which describes the work of police officers, firefighters, and other public servants, is intended to teach concerted action and cooperation in obeying commands and well-thought-out plans which are for the general welfare. A lesson in Tom and Susan, a first-grade text, about a ride in grandfathers red car is meant to teach children to move from absorption in self toward consideration of what is best in a group situation. Lessons in Peters Family, another first-grade text, seek to inculcate the idea of socially desirable work and cooperative labor. Hannas efforts to promote behavior traits conducive to group living would be less objectionable if he balanced them with lessons that acknowledge the importance of ideals and qualities of character that dont flow from the groupindividual exertion, liberty of action, the necessity at times of resisting the will of others. It is precisely Coleridges principle of individual self-development that is lost in Hannas preoccupation with social development. In the Hanna books, the individual is perpetually sunk in the impersonality of the tribe; he is a being defined solely by his group obligations. The result is distorting; the Hanna books fail to show that the prosperous America they depict, if it owes something to the impulse to serve the community, owes as much, or more, to the free striving of individuals pursuing their own ends. Hannas spirit is alive and well in the American elementary school. Not only Scott Foresman but other big scholastic publishersamong them Macmillan/McGraw-Hill and Houghton Mifflin Harcourtpublish textbooks that dwell continually on the communal group and on the activities that people undertake for its greater good. Lessons from Scott Foresmans second-grade textbook Social Studies: People and Places (2003) include Living in a Neighborhood, We Belong to Groups, A Walk Through a Community, How a Community Changes, Comparing Communities, Services in Our Community, Our Country Is Part of Our World, and Working Together. The books scarcely distinguishable twin, Macmillan/McGraw-Hills We Live Together (2003), is suffused with the same group spirit. Macmillan/McGraw-Hills textbook for third-graders, Our Communities (2003), is no less faithful to the Hanna model. The third-grade textbooks of Scott Foresman and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (both titled Communities) are organized on similar lines, while the fourth-grade textbooks concentrate on regional communities. Only in the fifth grade is the mold shattered, as students begin the sequential study of American history; they are by this time in sight of high school, where history has long been paramount. Todays social studies textbooks will not turn children into little Maoists. The group happy-speak in which they are composed is more fatuous than polemical; Hannas Reconstructionist ideals have been so watered down as to be little more than banalities. The ultimate goal of the social studies, according to Michael Berson, a coauthor of the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt series, is to instigate a response that spreads compassion, understanding, and hope throughout our nation and the global community. Bersons textbooks, like those of the other publishers, are generally faithful to this flabby, attenuated Comtism. Yet feeble though the books are, they are not harmless. Not only do they do too little to acquaint children with their cultures ideals of individual liberty and initiative; they promote the socialization of the child at the expense of the development of his own individual powers. The contrast between the old and new approaches is nowhere more evident than in the use that each makes of language. The old learning used language both to initiate the child into his culture and to develop his mind. Language and culture are so intimately related that the Greeks, who invented Western primary education, used the same word to designate both: paideia signifies both culture and letters (literature). The child exposed to a particular language gains insight into the culture that the language evolved to describefor far from being an artifact of speech only, language is the master light of a peoples thought, character, and manners. At the same time, languageparticularly the classic and canonical utterances of a people, its primal poetryhas a unique ability to awaken a childs powers, in part because such utterances, Plato says, sink furthest into the depths of the soul. Social studies, because it is designed not to waken but to suppress individuality, shuns all but the most rudimentary and uninspiring language. Social studies textbooks descend constantly to the vacuity of passages like this one, from People and Places: Children all around the world are busy doing the same things. They love to play games and enjoy going to school. They wish for peace. They think that adults should take good care of the Earth. How else do you think these children are like each other? How else do you think they are like you? The language of social studies is always at the same dead level of inanity. There is no shadow or mystery, no variation in intensity or alteration of pitchno romance, no refinement, no awe or wonder. A social studies textbook is a desert of linguistic sterility supporting a meager scrub growth of commonplaces about community, neighborhood, change, and getting involved. Take the arid prose in Our Communities: San Antonio, Texas, is a large community. It is home to more than one million people, and it is still growing. People in San Antonio care about their community and want to make it better. To make room for new roads and houses, many old trees must be cut down. People in different neighborhoods get together to fix this by planting. It might be argued that a richer and more subtle language would be beyond third-graders. Yet in his Third Eclectic Reader, William Holmes McGuffey, a nineteenth-century educator, had eight-year-olds reading Wordsworth and Whittier. His nine-year-olds read the prose of Addison, Dr. Johnson, and Hawthorne and the poetry of Shakespeare, Milton, Byron, Southey, and Bryant. His ten-year-olds studied the prose of Sir Walter Scott, Dickens, Sterne, Hazlitt, and Macaulay and the poetry of Pope, Longfellow, Shakespeare, and Milton. McGuffey adapted to American conditions some of the educational techniques that were first developed by the Greeks. In fifth-century BC Athens, the language of Homer and a handful of other poets formed the core of primary education. With the emergence of Rome, Latin became the principal language of Western culture and for centuries lay at the heart of primary- and grammar-school education. McGuffey had himself received a classical education, but conscious that nineteenth-century America was a post-Latin culture, he revised the content of the old learning even as he preserved its underlying technique of using language as an instrument of cultural initiation and individual self-development. He incorporated, in his Readers, not canonical Latin texts but classic specimens of English prose and poetry. Because the words of the Readers bit deepdeeper than the words in todays social studies textbooks dothey awakened individual potential. The writer Hamlin Garland acknowledged his deep obligation to McGuffey for the dignity and literary grace of his selections. From the pages of his readers I learned to know and love the poems of Scott, Byron, Southey, and Words- worth and a long line of the English masters. I got my first taste of Shakespeare from the selected scenes which I read in these books. Not all, but some children will come away from a course in the old learning stirred to the depths by the language of Blake or Emerson. But no student can feel, after making his way through the groupthink wastelands of a social studies textbook, that he has traveled with Keats in the realms of gold. It might be objected that primers like the McGuffey Readers were primarily intended to instruct children in reading and writing, something that social studies doesnt pretend to do. In fact, the Readers, like other primers of the time, were only incidentally language manuals. Their foremost function was cultural: they used language both to introduce children to their cultural heritage and to stimulate their individual self-culture. The acultural, group biases of social studies might be pardonable if cultural learning continued to have a place in primary-school English instruction. But primary-school Englishor language arts, as it has come to be calledno longer introduces children, as it once did, to the canonical language of their culture; it is not uncommon for public school students today to reach the fifth grade without having encountered a single line of classic English prose or poetry. Language arts has become yet another vehicle for the socialization of children. A recent article by educators Karen Wood and Linda Bell Soares in The Reading Teacher distills the essence of contemporary language-arts instruction, arguing that teachers should cultivate not literacy in the classic sense but critical literacy, a pedagogic approach to reading that focuses on the political, sociocultural, and economic forces that shape young students lives. For educators devoted to the social studies model, the old learning is anathema precisely because it liberates individual potential. It releases the powers of a young soul, the classicist educator Werner Jaeger wrote, breaking down the restraints which hampered it, and leading into a glad activity. The social educators have revised the classic ideal of education expressed by Pindar: Become what you are has given way to Become what the group would have you be. Social studies verbal drabness is the means by which its contrivers starve the self of the sustenance that nourishes individual growth. A stunted soul can more easily be reduced to an acquiescent dullness than a vital, growing one can; there is no readier way to reduce a people to servile imbecility than to cut them off from the traditions of their language, as the Party does in George Orwells 1984. Indeed, todays social studies theorists draw on the same social philosophy that Orwell feared would lead to Newspeak. The Social Studies Curriculum: Purposes, Problems, and Possibilities, a 2006 collection of articles by leading social studies educators, is a socialist smorgasbord of essays on topics like Marxism and Critical Multicultural Social Studies and Decolonizing the Mind for World-Centered Global Education. The book, too, reveals the pervasive influence of Marxist thinkers like Peter McLaren, a professor of urban schooling at UCLA who advocates a genuine socialist democracy without market relations, venerates Che Guevara as a secular saint, and regards the individual self as a delusion, an artifact of the material relations which produced itcapitalist production, masculinist economies of power and privilege, Eurocentric signifiers of self/other identifications, all the paraphernalia of bourgeois imposture. For such apostles of the social pack, Whitmans Song of Myself, Miltons and Tennysons soul within, Spensers my self, my inward self I mean, and Wordsworths aspiration to be worthy of myself are expressions of naive faith in a thing that dialectical materialism has revealed to be an accident of matter, a random accumulation of dust and clay. The test of an educational practice is its power to enable a human being to realize his own promise in a constructive way. Social studies fails this test. Purge it of the social idealism that created and still inspires it, and what remains is an insipid approach to the cultivation of the mind, one that famishes the soul even as it contributes to what Pope called the progress of dulness. It should be abolished. Photo: A Los Angeles social studies teacher displays traditional Peruvian clothing. (MICHAEL NEWMAN/PHOTOEDIT) On Tuesday, Fred Ryan, the publisher of the Washington Post, laid down the law: staffers will have to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by mid-September, when the paper plans to reopen its offices. If employees dont comply, they risk losing their jobs. Contractors and guests will also have to show proof of vaccination; the paper will make accommodations for people with documented medical conditions and religious objections. In the many conversations I have had with Post employees across all departments, I have heard the genuine concerns they have for themselves and their families with new COVID variants emerging, Ryan wrote in a memo to staff. Even though the overwhelming majority of Post employees have already provided proof of vaccination, I do not take this decision lightly. To my knowledge, the Post was the first major media company to take such a drastic step, though others have instituted vaccine policies: Fox, for instance, uses a voluntary reporting system that allows vaccinated employees to skip medical screenings. In the wider corporate world, the Post is not alone: this week, major companies including Google and Facebook spelled out vaccination requirements for staff. As CNNs Brianna Keilar said on air: Get vaccinated or get out. State officials have also set vaccination rules, as confirmed COVID case numbers, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, have risen nationally and vaccine rollout has stalled. On Monday, California announced that bureaucrats and healthcare workers will have to get vaccinated or submit to regular testing; New York City laid out similar requirements for municipal workers. On Wednesday, Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York State, put forth a vaccination policy for state employees. The federal government got involved, too; the Department of Veterans Affairs told more than a hundred thousand frontline healthcare workers to get vaccinated or face termination. Yesterday, President Biden broadened the scope further: federal workers who arent vaccinated will soon have to undergo mandatory testing. The Pentagon quickly applied the same standard to members of the military, who may soon have a vaccination requirement. Biden also called on states and localities to pay people a hundred dollars to get the vaccine. This is a pandemic of the unvaccinated, Biden said. If youre out there unvaccinated, you dont have to die. Read the news. ICYMI: Section 230 critics are forgetting about the First Amendment Well, read some of the news. In recent weeks, commentators have argued that the US is in trouble because right-wing outlets have spread misinformation about vaccines and Bidens efforts to distribute them. Fox has come in for the most criticism, but some polling shows that viewers of Newsmax and One America News are even more likely to be vaccine-hesitant. Many right-wing pundits have long expressed hysterical opposition to policies that make vaccination a condition of entry to social settingsvaccine passports, for example, which Tucker Carlson, of Fox, has likened to medical Jim Crowand lately have doubled down against vaccination rules in the workplace. On his show Tuesday, Carlson said that governments should never require people to submit to any medical procedure, whether that procedure is sterilization or frontal lobotomies or COVID vaccinations. On Wednesday, Jonathan Turley, a law professor and Fox guest, said that businesses are starting to act as a shadow state when it comes to vaccines, to which Charles Payne, a Fox host, replied that coerced consent sounds almost as oxymoronic as jumbo shrimp. (Several observers have noted the dissonance between Foxs corporate vaccine policies and its commentary. Karine Jean-Pierre, a deputy White House press secretary, yesterday compared Bidens stance to Foxs.) Away from right-wing media, the tone of coverage has been different. A narrative has taken holdin parts of the mainstream press and even among some Republican politiciansthat vaccinated Americas patience with unvaccinated people has finally snapped, and that its time to replace carrots with sticks. Weve had enough coaxing, weve had enough empathy, weve had enough understanding, weve had enough putting the medicine in the teaspoon and saying choo, choo, choo, please swallow the choo choo train, David Frum, of The Atlantic, said on CNN. Yesterday, some cable-news talking heads suggested that Biden hasnt gone far enough: CNNs Erin Burnett called his announcement a big step in the right direction but added that extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Politico canvassed the opinions of experts who agreed that testing is not an adequate substitute for vaccination, from a public health standpoint. From an ethical standpoint, others have stressed that refusing vaccination is not, as right-wing media claims, a personal choice with no consequences for others. As MSNBCs Ali Velshi put it, vaccine requirements are consistent with American law and our general sense of what we owe to each other as members of a shared society. As long as a significant proportion of the population remains unvaccinated, everyone is likely to face restrictions and risk. Its encouraging to see so many news outlets state that explicitly, in a country whose individualist myths have often been amplified by its media. Still, there is a risk, too, of oversimplifying the vaccine-rules story: Its not just right-wingers who have expressed skepticism about Bidens approach; some traditionally left-leaning unions have, too. Vaccine holdouts are not all white people inhaling right-wing talking points; rates are lagging among Black, Hispanic, and low-income Americans with different reasons for waiting. The most successful coverage seeks not to admonish, but to explain, teasing out the differences among types of vaccine rules, and considering their equity implications. (Biden has not, exactly, imposed a mandate, though numerous journalists have framed it that way.) Sign up for CJR 's daily email This week, as Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, announced his states new vaccine rules, he railed against right-wing media. Erika D. Smith, a columnist at the LA Times, who watched his press conference, wrote afterward that she wished she could get as angry as he did, but could not. Things are more complicated when youre Black, Smith wrote. When talking to my unvaccinated relatives about COVID-19, I have no choice but to consider the systemic racism that has long pervaded this country, and how it has resulted in deep distrust of the healthcare system, government agencies and most institutions, including legit media organizations. In other words, theres an inherent white privilege in white rage at the unvaccinated. Below, more on vaccines and the pandemic: Other notable stories: ICYMI: Reporters must center climate justice. Heres how. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop. ANKARA, Turkey (AP) Strong winds have fanned two separate forest fires in southern Turkey, killing at least three people and sending over 50 others to the hospital as homes burned down, officials said Thursday. A wildfire that broke out Wednesday near the Mediterranean coastal resort town of Manavgat, in Antalya province, had largely been contained, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said. But another fire that started early Thursday and swept through the district of Akseki, 50 kilometers (30 miles) north, kept firefighters engaged. Three people were killed in the fires, and authorities evacuated nearly 20 neighborhoods or villages. Meanwhile, another forest fire broke out near the town of Armutalan, close to the resort of Marmaris, 320 kilometers (200 miles) west of Antalya, threatening a coastal residential area that includes hotels. The state-run Anadolu Agency said some people were being evacuated from the area as a precaution. Pakdemirli said a firefighting plane and five helicopters were involved in efforts to bring the blaze under control. The dead in the fires in Antalya included a 82-year-old man in Aksekis Kepezbeleni neighborhood, where 80% of the houses were incinerated, the districts governor, Volkan Hulur, told Anadolu. The Turkish governments Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, or AFAD, said in addition to the three dead, at least 112 people were affected by the fires, including 58 who were hospitalized, mostly for smoke inhalation. Authorities also rescued 10 people who were stranded at a restaurant by a dam near Akseki. AFAD said several homes, businesses, crops and vehicles were damaged in Manavgat but did not elaborate. At the moment, there is no immediate threat to any settlement or to life, but in the hours to come, if the wind changes direction, we will need to take additional precautions, Pakdemirli, the forest minister, told reporters in Manavgat. He said 10 intubated intensive care patients at Manavgats state hospital were transferred to other hospitals as a precaution. The Antalya region is a popular vacation destination for tourists from Russia and other parts of Europe, but none of the holiday resorts were affected by the fires, officials said. Firefighters were also tackling wildfires in other parts of Turkey, including one that temporarily closed a highway between the southern Turkish cities of Mersin and Antalya, Anadolu reported. Wildfires are common in Turkeys Mediterranean and Aegean regions during the arid summer months, although some previous forest fires have been blamed on arson. About the photo: Paramilitary police officers and people watch as a wildfire fanned by strong winds rage near the Mediterranean coastal town of Manavgat, Antalya, Turkey, Wednesday, July 28, 2021. Authorities evacuated homes in Manavgat as a wildfire raged Wednesday through a forest. Gendarmerie forces helped move residents out of four neighborhoods in the town out of the fires path as firefighters worked to control the blaze, the Manavgat district governor Mustafa Yigit told the state-run Anadolu Agency. (Arif Kaplan/IHA via AP) Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) Flash flooding killed 150 people in a remote area in Afghanistans mountainous northeastern Nuristan province controlled by the Taliban, a spokesman for the insurgents said Thursday. The provincial government appealed to the Taliban to allow rescue teams into the area to help. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said heavy rains late Wednesday caused the flash flooding. In a statement, Mujahid said the insurgents ordered their own rescue crews to the affected area. He also said the Taliban have also ordered that 5 million Afghanis or about $62,000 be spent aiding the clean up and the villagers affected by the flooding. However, it is unclear how equipped the Taliban are to deal with emergencies in areas under their control, which are mostly rural areas. We re calling on the public to offer as much help as they can to the affected people of Merdesh village, Mujahid said in the statement, adding that charitable organizations are also being asked to assist. Reports reaching Parun, the Nuristan provincial capital, said water had inundated Merdesh. The village is located in Nuristans Kamdesh district, not far from the border with neighboring Pakistan. The provincial governors spokesman, Mohammad Sayed Mohmand, said the flooding destroyed at least 100 homes. Mohmand said he had received reports of 60 dead but that the death toll is likely much higher. Nuristan is a mountainous region and the Taliban control large swaths of the province. Mohmand said dozens of families fled the flooding to the neighboring Kunar region. In the Afghan capital of Kabul, Ahmad Samim Azimi, spokesman for the disaster management ministry, said they have reports of at least 100 dead. The Nuristan government appealed to the Taliban to allow rescue teams into their area to offer help, he added. For the past year, a resurgent Taliban have held sway over roughly half of Afghanistan. But since the announced withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops from the country, the insurgents have swept through dozens of districts, seizing more land and even taking control of key border crossings with neighboring countries. Two reinsurers that shared part of the risk on a $25 million umbrella policy issued to a New York manufacturer nearly five decades ago are not liable for defense costs in addition to the policy limits, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday. Whats more, one of the reinsurers is entitled to a new trial to settle the question of whether it is a valid successor to the insurance contract, the appellate panel ruled. The decision affirmed a ruling by U.S. District Brenda K. Sannes and reversed a jury decision and jury instructions issued by U.S. District Judge David N. Hurd. Both Northern District of New York judges had reached opposite conclusions on the same issue whether Munich Reinsurance America and Century Indemnity Co. are required under New York law to reimburse Utica Mutual Insurance Co. for the cost of defending asbestos claims against its policyholder Goulds Pumps Inc. in addition to the limits on their 1973 facultative certificates. We hold that the 1973 certificates reinsure defense costs within limits, not in addition, the 3-0 panel decision says. Gary L. Wickert, a national subrogation expert who writes a column on the subject for the Claims Journal, said claims professionals should be pleased that the court decided a 2007 settlement agreement between Utica and Goulds does not independently require Century or Munich to pay defense costs in addition to limits. This is good, in so far as underwriters and claims professionals alike can look to the policies and feel confident that the extent of their exposure is set forth therein, he said in an email. What is interesting, however, in that the holding appears to wag its finger at those who would try to expand coverage in a reinsurance agreement/facultative certificate beyond what is covered in underlying policies. Goulds Pumps, which traces its roots to an 1848 investment by dry goods merchant Seabury S. Goulds in a Seneca Falls, N.Y. pump factory, purchased insurance from Utica Mutual Insurance Co. from 1955 to 1986. The 1973 insurance package included an umbrella policy with an aggregate limit of $25 million. In the 1990s, Goulds contended with a wave of asbestos litigation that lasted until the 2000s. Utica defended the lawsuits as required by the policies it issued to the manufacturer. In 2007, Utica settled coverage disputes with Goulds and turned to Munich Re and Century to pay their undisputed one-fifth shares of the umbrella policy. Munich Re and Century each paid $5 million. But Utica billed the reinsurers $2,760,534, arguing that the insurance certificates required them to pay defense costs in addition to the policy limits because of an endorsement added to the policy in 1974. Alternatively, the insurer argued that the settlement it had reached with the plaintiffs required the reinsurers to reimburse its defense costs under a theory known as the follow-the-settlements doctrine. Utica argued that its settlement with Goulds requires the reinsurers to pay the billed defense costs, and that the reinsurers did not try to reopen the settlement after the endorsement was discovered. The 2nd Circuit disagreed. The panel said it agreed with Judge Sannes that the endorsement unambiguously does not apply to the excess coverage. The opinion says the endorsement in the umbrella policy applied only to occurrences not covered by the $300,000 primary injury for bodily injury claims. Asbestos injuries are clearly bodily injuries, the panel said. Having decided that the reinsurers werent obligated to pay defense costs in excess of the policy limits, the appellate panel reversed the jury verdict that was reached after a trial presided over by Judge Hurd. The panel also ordered the trial court to hold a new trial to decide whether Century is actually the successor to the original reinsurance contracts written in the 1970s. Century agrees that it is the successor to policies written by the Insurance Co. North America, which Utica alleges is the successor. But Century says the facultative certificate was actually issued by INA Reinsurance Co., a separate entity. The similarity of names is an unfortunate, confounding fact, the opinion says. The 2nd Circuit panel said in the opinion that Hurd abused his discretion when he refused to allow Century to enter into evidence documents that it said showed that INA Reinsurance, not INA, had issued the certificate. The opinion says Century is also entitled to a new jury trial on its claim that Utica acted in bad faith by billing it for defense costs beyond the policy limits. The panel said Hurd improperly instructed the jury that there was a question of whether Century had met its obligations under the contract, when actually there is no valid dispute about that fact. As a matter of law, Century is not obligated under the certificate to pay defense in addition to limitsthe only pertinent issue at trial regarding Centurys obligations, the opinion says. About the photo: Photo taken from a Goulds Pumps promotional video. ATLANTA (AP) Hotel owner Vimal Patel has traced a familiar path to success in the U.S. hospitality industry. Patel is part of the Indian diaspora, which owns a sizeable share of the hotels and motels in the country. Like others in the community, his start in the business was humble. He worked the front desk of a hotel owned by relatives, building his knowledge before eventually investing with them in multiple franchises. Now hes spearheading a legal fight that reflects the growing clout and confidence of Indian Americans in the hospitality sector _ and the toll of the coronavirus pandemic on their businesses. Patel and scores of other Indian owners have filed lawsuits in federal court accusing two of the biggest hotel chains in the world of gouging them with fees, penalties and overpriced products. The excesses by Choice Hotels International, the company behind the Comfort Inn brand, and Holiday Inn franchiser Intercontinental Hotels Group reached a tipping point during the pandemic when the hospitality industry experienced a steep drop in business, the franchisees say. The claims echo those made by franchisees in other industries. But the suits against IHG and Choice also claim the companies discriminate against Indian American owners, and Indian hoteliers have cast them as a racial struggle. Some, unironically, have likened the fight against United Kingdom-based IHG to Indias campaign against British rule. Indians still have this mentality. Were still afraid to stand up regardless of how powerful you are, how well off you are, said Patel, 51. Why should we be scared of these larger corporations? Patels lawsuit filed in May in U.S. district court in New Orleans was the first of at least five suits against IHG that are being coordinated by two law firms and seek to represent a larger group of franchisees as a class action. IHG spokesman Jacob Hawkins said in a statement that the company is committed to treating its hotel owners fairly and does not believe the claims have merit. Choice has always had a strong commitment to the success of its franchisees, the company said in a statement. Entrepreneurs from the western Indian state of Gujarat _ particularly those with the last name Patel _ found their niche in the motel business in the 1960s and 70s. They bought motels in far-flung places and often lived on site. Some moved on to start management firms with stakes in multiple properties, including big city hotels. The 20,000 members of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association _ nearly all of whom are of Indian descent _ own more than half the hotels in the country, according to AAHOA. If there werent Patels entering the industry, taking the risk to improve it and expand it, then you wouldnt have as prolific of an industry as we have today, said Pawan Dhingra, author of Life Behind the Lobby: Indian American Motel Owners and the American Dream. Patels introduction to the hospitality business began immediately after he arrived in the U.S. in 1991. His cousin owned a motel outside New Orleans, and he lived with him there while working at a donut shop and a McDonalds. Today, he and two relatives have their own company, QHotels Management, which owns nine hotels in Louisiana _ four of them IHG properties _ and manages two other properties in Texas. If we dont stand up, what are we teaching our next generation? he asked during a recent phone interview. His suit and the suit against Choice, which was filed by more than 90 franchisees last year, accuse the companies of receiving kickbacks from required vendors that charge franchisees higher prices for linens, utensils and other products. That allegation strikes at a cardinal rule of franchising, said Joel Libava, a franchise consultant who blogs about the industry at thefranchiseking.com. In exchange for paying royalties and fees for the brand name, franchise owners should expect the franchise company to use its buying power to get them discounts on products and services. If that is not true and if youre paying pretty much what the independent is paying, then why are you in a franchise? Libava asked. During the pandemic, Rich Gandhi said Choice made him buy its branded hand sanitizer though he had already secured a cheaper supply for his Quality Inn in Middletown, New Jersey. The company has penalized him for using a different internet provider and piled on fees for services such as credit card processing and cybersecurity that were not in his original agreement, he said _ all after his family spent $3.5 million buying and renovating the property. Its extortion, blackmail, said Gandhi, 39, one of the plaintiffs in the Choice suit. They are basically cutting up the hen that is laying the golden egg for short-term gain. Hawkins said IHG helped franchisees through the pandemic by relaxing standards, discounting fees and improving terms with suppliers. Choice suspended some fees and allowed owners to defer others, according to an April 2020 news release. The suits also accuse Choice and IHG executives of routinely making racially derogatory comments about Indian American franchisees, though they dont provide examples of any remarks. Both companies enforce their standards more strictly against Indian Americans, the suits allege. Choice provides more financing to white owners and has largely spared them from a rule forbidding two-story properties from carrying the Comfort Inn brand, the Choice suit says. Choice said in its statement it does not tolerate any form of discrimination and is regularly recognized for its long-standing and deep commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Hawkins said IHG values the diversity of its franchisees and does not make decisions based on their ethnicity or national origin. In a victory for Choice, a judge in Pennsylvania in March ordered the franchise owners in that suit to arbitrate their claims individually with the company. Gandhi said he will fight on. Theres nothing to lose now, he said. With COVID, weve been in such bad shape, it kind of emboldened us even more to go after these guys because youre like, `Weve seen the worst. About the photo: Vimal Patel president of Q Hotels, poses for a photograph at his Holiday Inn Express Hotel in LaPlace, La., Wednesday, June 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Its a new day at Richmond Heights schools. Our mission is to prepare all learners to navigate an ever-changing global community by offering a robust learning environment and innovative programming. Over the course of the last year despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic weve li Martha Koch, 63 of Clinton, passed away Tuesday, July 27th at her home. Cremation rites have been accorded. A celebration of life will take place at a later date. The Pape Funeral Home is assisting the family. In this June 9, 2021, photo, a woman applauds a speaker during a rally in Boston protesting housing eviction. The Biden administration announced Thursday, July 29 it will allow a nationwide ban on evictions to expire Saturday, arguing that its hands are tied after the Supreme Court signaled it would only be extended until the end of the month. Timon Oujiri, Commandant of the Iowa Veterans Home, speaks during a news conference on Iowas response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Johnston, Iowa, on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds fired Oujiri, the leader of Iowas state-run nursing home for veterans in May, after learning he had been overpaid by $90,000 over a nearly two-year period, a state audit reported Thursday, July 29, 2021. CMU Puts AI To Work in New NSF-funded Institutes July 30, 2021 Carnegie Mellon University researchers will contribute to four of the 11 new National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes announced today by the National Science Foundation. Focused on AI-based technologies, these new institutes, which will each receive $20 million in funding over five years, will advance technology in fields ranging from agriculture to wireless networks. The wide reach of these institutes illustrates the role AI will play in the next wave of transformational innovation and as a tool for improving daily life. CMU's inclusion in these efforts to expand the use of AI underscores the university's depth and breadth of expertise in the field, spanning deep learning, robotics, interaction, ethics and engineering. The university is one of the birthplaces of AI and continues to push its boundaries. AI-CARING Reid Simmons, a research professor in the Robotics Institute (RI) and the Computer Science Department (CSD), will lead CMU's involvement in the AI Institute for Collaborative Assistance and Responsive Interaction for Networked Groups (AI-CARING), which seeks to develop AI systems for caregiving environments. AI-CARING will be led by the Georgia Institute of Technology with partial funding from Amazon and Google. The institute will initially focus on assisting in the care of the elderly by seeking to understand and manage the interaction between humans and AI agents. Researchers will develop methods to teach AI systems to learn a person's needs, preferences and caregiving network, and enable the systems to adapt as those change over time. The tasks will involve not only coordinating a variety of AI agents like voice-controlled assistants, smart devices or chatbots but also managing human caregivers ranging from medical and assistance providers to family. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) High-profile inmate and convicted drug lord Vicente Sy has died, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) confirmed on Friday. In a statement, BuCor spokesperson Gabriel Chaclag said Sy detained at the Philippine Marine Corps extension facility passed away Thursday evening due to cardiac arrest. According to Chaclag, Sy was first brought to the Philippine Marine Naval Hospital on July 27 due to breathing difficulties. He then returned to his cell with prescribed medicines. On Thursday, doctors from the New Bilibid Prison visited and checked on Sy, who suffered a stroke. He experienced several seizures but was revived, Chaclag said. The same day, Sy was brought to the Bilibid hospital for further treatment and preparation for emergency referral to another Muntinlupa hospital. "While waiting for available slot for admission, Sy experienced another cardiac arrest and succumbed at around 8 p.m. yesterday, July 29," Chaclag said, adding Sy's remains are scheduled for autopsy. Sy was one of the witnesses in the drug case against jailed opposition Senator Leila de Lima. He was part of the so-called "Bilibid 19," drug lords who were found to be living high and continuing their illegal trade inside the national penitentiary. In 2019, Sy and other high-profile inmates were transferred from Bilibid to the Marines' barracks in Taguig over what officials described as "security reasons." Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Sy's death will not have an impact on de Lima's trial. "I've been informed that this witness had already testified...He had also been cross-examined. So I suppose his death will not have any impact on the prosecution of the cases," Guevarra told reporters. CNN Philippines Correspondent Anjo Alimario contributed to this report. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to recall the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States, the Philippine defense chief announced on Friday. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the change of heart came after the President met with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III on Thursday. He said the deal will proceed as if it did not face near abrogation, adding that Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and Philippine Ambassador to Washington Babe Romualdez may have convinced the President to reconsider his earlier pronouncement. "The President decided to recall or retract the termination letter for the VFA," Lorenzana told the media at Camp Aguinaldo. "The VFA is in full force again, there is no termination letter that is pending," he told his counterpart after their bilateral meeting. "We are back on track, Mr. Secretary, to plan for future exercises under the VFA." The Pentagon official thanked President Duterte for retaining the VFA, a decades-old agreement between Manila and Washington on the protocol for American military personnel in the country. On Dutertes order, the Philippines on Feb. 11, 2020 served the United States an official notice of termination of the two decade-old agreement. The termination process, however, was suspended in June last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and emerging threats in the South China Sea. The Philippine government in November 2020 extended the suspension for another six months or until August 2021. The fiasco on the VFA stemmed from the cancellation of Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa's visa due to alleged extrajudicial killings during his term as chief of the Philippine National Police from 2016 to 2018 under Duterte's war on drugs. Lorenzana said the Philippines and the U.S. are discussing the details on custody of American troops, but it will not affect the terms of the deal. Among the controversial provisions of the 1988 deal is the authority granted to the U.S. government to retain jurisdiction over its soldiers if ever they commit crimes on Philippine soil. "It will be an adjunct or additional agreement between the two countries," Lorenzana said. The agreement is also seen to support the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), another deal which guarantees that they will provide military aid to each other in case their metropolitan areas or territories in the Pacific are attacked by a foreign force. Lorenzana said he wants to "revisit" the MDT to make it more relevant to the current situation. Meanwhile, Austin reaffirmed Washington's commitment to protect the Philippines against any attacks including those carried out in the West Philippine Sea as part of the defense treaty. Speaking to CNN Philippines, international studies professor Renato de Castro said US assurance to provide "game-changing" COVID-19 vaccines may have affected Duterte's decision. De Castro added that in Austin's speech during his visit in Singapore, he emphasized how the coronavirus shots are being given for free with no political strings attached. De Castro also said he believes the decision will not affect Duterte's stand on foreign policies and issues, since he may be shifting his focus now on domestic matters like the 2022 elections. He noted that this may be the President's direction in the coming months, considering the fact that his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, is a potential presidential candidate in next year's polls. "He could put foreign policy, issues regarding our security relations with the United States, issues regarding China...aside because in the next months he will simply have one focus...to get his anointed successor be elected," De Castro explained. Penn State announced Friday it will lift its moratorium on university-affiliated international travel for employees and students, which has been in effect since March 2020 due to the pandemic. The revised guidelines, effective Aug. 16, apply to travel requests made on or after Aug. 16 for travel beginning Sept. 16 or later since international travel requests must be made at least one month in advance, according to a release. As a result of the lifted suspension, international travel will no longer need to be screened by unit executives or approved by other university authorities, the release said. However, anyone making university-affiliated international travel plans must follow Penn States international travel policy and their units pre-pandemic travel approval process, according to the release. Penn State also said all students and employees must be fully vaccinated before embarking on university-affiliated travel that begins Aug. 1 or later. Students can apply for exemptions based on medical conditions, documented disabilities and religious affiliations, the release said. Any university-affiliated international travel not associated with an Education Abroad program, will require registration in the Travel Safety Network at least 30 days in advance, and travel to some restricted countries may require further review, according to the release. MORE CAMPUS COVERAGE Penn State to host commencement celebration weekend for class of 2020 Penn State announced Thursday it will host a commencement celebration weekend this coming sp Penn State Homecoming is a weeklong celebration of university pride among students, but it has historically left out part of its population until now. Penn State World Campus will join in the festivities for the first time this fall. This years homecoming, themed Together State Prevails, will be held the week of Oct. 17, with activities catered toward World Campus students. Executive Director of the World Campus Homecoming Committee Jona Hall said Penn State World Campus students get to be involved in both in-person and virtual events this year at University Park. [The] World Campus Homecoming Committee is a partnership with the Penn State University Park Homecoming organization We will be in the parade, honoring World Campus students with homecoming courts and more, Hall (senior-digital journalism) said. Hall said she got approval from Penn State Homecoming at University Park to create the organization. Last year, she was the first World Campus student to be chosen for the Homecoming Student Court, and she came to State College for the event. I love being a Penn State student and wanted to create something that extended the same opportunities with tradition for homecoming to World Campus students, Hall said. Rachel Foster, who will assist in coordinating the Penn State Traditions Workshop, said homecoming is all about celebrating the universitys current World Campus students and alumni, as well as sharing existing Penn State traditions while crafting new ones. MORE CAMPUS COVERAGE World Campus is in the unique position to blend on-campus and online events into a hybrid homecoming celebration that students and alumni around the world can participate in, Foster (junior-criminal justice) said. Foster said she will also be the contact for organizing the Homecoming Parades broadcast portal, which is for those who cannot attend the parade in person. With this, Foster said World Campus will be involved both in person and virtually to ensure everyone can enjoy and have the same opportunities no matter which campus they attend. Not only will World Campus have a parade, but it will host other events as well, according to Hall and Foster. World Campus has a plethora of events that students can attend, as well as their own courts for students, graduate students, alumni and faculty, Hall said. Foster said she believes World Campus Homecoming Court will be a great way for students who arent normally on campus to get involved. We are going to have an amazing time, and we hope that this will be the first of many homecoming celebrations for World Campus, Foster said. Ariel Hinojos, World Campus Homecomings assistant executive director, said she believes these opportunities will be a great way to bring Penn State students together. Students from World Campus are traveling from all over the world to be a part of homecoming festivities in State College, Hinojos (senior-law and society) said. Hall said full information about the event can be found on its website. MORE CAMPUS COVERAGE Penn State student parking registration details released for fall, spring academic semesters Student parking registration for the fall 2021 and spring 2022 semesters will be available A Michigan State University announced Friday it will require all students, faculty and staff to be vaccinated for the coronavirus prior to Aug. 31. There will be "limited exceptions" provided for medical or religious regions, the release said. Additionally, all individuals will be required to wear masks while indoors on Michigan State's East Lansing campus beginning Aug. 1 due to recent concerning data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This requirement will remain "at least" for the first few weeks of the fall semester, the release said. Michigan State is the seventh in the Big Ten Conference to enact a similar requirement, following Indiana, Rutgers, Northwestern, Maryland, Illinois and Michigan. However, some of the aforementioned institutions will allow individuals to remain unvaccinated if they are tested weekly. On June 19, a federal judge upheld Indiana's decision to require on-campus students to receive vaccinations. Penn State is not currently requiring masking or social distancing for vaccinated individuals aside from on public transportation, but those who are unvaccinated will be required to wear masks while indoors this fall. CORRECTION: A previous version of this article stated that Michigan State was the second Big Ten university to mandate vaccinations for the fall semester. This is incorrect. The Daily Collegian apologizes for this error. MORE CAMPUS COVERAGE Currently, there is one vacancy in Colorado's federal trial court, and U.S. District Judge R. Brooke Jackson has already announced he will step down as an active judge effective at the end of September. Colorado's U.S. senators have also made one recommendation to the White House to fill the existing vacancy, but so far there have been no formal nominations. This week on Colorado Politicking, legislative reporter Pat Poblete and chief legislative reporter Marianne Goodland discuss Interior Secretary Deb Haaland's trip to Colorado, and judicial reporter Michael Karlik discusses Mesa County's chief judge, who is facing a lawsuit because he is alleged to have ignored expired protection orders not getting cleared, resulting in arrests that violate the Fourth Amendment. "The real focus of that trip was in Grand Junction when she met with employees of the Bureau of Land Management's national office," Goodland said. The headquarters moved in 2019, and only three employees relocated to Grand Junction. "They now have a problem of about 80 vacant positions," Goodland said, "and the Biden administration does not seem to be wildly enthusiastic about keeping that office out there." Pivoting to the case of Mesa County's District Court Chief Judge Brian J. Flynn, Karlik said one man is alleging that he was arrested seven times based on a protection order that had expired. Flynn, who Karlik reported was told several times that the protection orders were not being cleared for the police to see, is being defended by the government, which says it wasn't clear that Flynn was violating any constitutional rights. But the federal court in Denver didn't buy that defense. "It's really interesting to see what will happen to the judge," Karlik said, "and it's interesting to see what the state does, if anything, to make sure this doesn't happen in the 22 judicial districts across Colorado." Find related reading below: To see previous episodes, click here. The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form Stay up to date on COVID-19 Get Breaking News Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. (Disclosure: most of the companies mentioned are clients of the author.) The pandemic has had a fascinating impact on the speed of change in IT. We connect remotely now more than ever before. We have a real chance for videoconferencing to finally do what it always promised eliminate most business travel, including the morning commute. Tech companies in Silicon Valley have turned this into a massive hiring advantage: by hiring people who work remotely, they pay less than they otherwise would while offering salaries far above what workers would get locally. Its an ironic win/win for both sides. The business changes foisted upon companies by Covid-19 have also led to advances in other areas that could soon disrupt much of what we do. Those areas are conversational computing, ambient computing, and Cloud PCs. Lets take a look at each and their collective impact. Conversational computing With the help of Nvidia and a whole host of other companies, IBM is working to make it possible to have a conversation with an artificial intelligence peer. (Microsoft is working to advance this as well.) If you havent tried the conversation skills in an Amazon Echo, it is worth doing so to see how well this is evolving on the consumer side. Amazons conversational computing effort, which relies on its own technology, basically flips the script on computer interface development. In the past, a user typically had to learn how to communicate with the computer rather than the other way around. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems are seeing constant upgrades, making it harder and harder to tell whether that voice asking if you want a new car warranty is human or not. Advances in industries like insurance sales and healthcare have shown substantial benefits. I bring up IBM because, at one of the companys events, execs described how a man who had been called by a telemarketing system not only signed up for insurance but tried to flirt with the computer and asked it out on a date. Conversational computing doesnt just have enormous implications for call centers and boiler rooms; it will eventually redefine how we work with computers, allowing them to provide companionship, a better grasp of what you need the computer to do, and over time, more a human partner than tool as it self-optimizes for its user. Ambient computing This effort is mainly being driven by Amazon, but IBM (with Watson Assistant), Microsoft (with Cortana), and Apple (Siri) are playing in this space, too, though not as actively. Ambient computing involves computers you talk to every place you go. For instance, when getting gas, you might tell the pump what kind and how much fuel you want rather than using a keypad; you could tell the stove how to cook your meal; or you can turn on and off the faucet with your voice (which I can do now). With ambient computing, the predominant interface is voice, though it can also use displays to provide feedback and talk back to you. This concept builds on conversational computing by making computer technology so common youre always able to interact with one wherever you go. The variant to this is wearable computing, where a headset connects you to the computing resource rather than requiring a collection of devices everywhere. And if you move to smartglasses and earbuds, you can keep half of the conversation quiet. On a side note, I have Amazon Echo devices all over my house, and during a conference call where company officials started detailing all the commands available, I got a tad concerned because my devices were responding to their commands. Thank God I hadnt hooked my car up yet. Cloud PC Tied closely to the launch of Windows 365, the concept of a Cloud PC remains fascinating because it somewhat mimics the thin-client concept Oracle and Sun Microsystems tried two decades ago in their bid to displace Windows. Essentially, it allows anything connected to the cloud with a display and browser to be your Windows PC. You dont need traditional PC hardware. Smartphones arent yet able to pick up the slack, as they lack the needed high-speed wired or wireless ports for the necessary display. But very high-definition head-mounted displays are coming. Coupled with either a Thunderbolt-equipped smartphone or a more robust wireless display interface, they could evolve to become the perfect Windows hardware client. You might recall a Microsoft Continuum project that continued well into the last decade with the HP Elite x3 phone, where the phone would handle both smartphone and PC functions. This effort makes the Continuum concept of a smartphone-based PC real. Its only a matter of time before someone figures out the right hardware mix. Wrapping up: The PC isnt dead; its about to be reborn Maybe we should name this coming wave of Everywhere PCs that talk to you Lazarus. Because as these three trends mature, well be surrounded by computers that talk to us like people, offer a Windows experience wherever we and our smartphones are, and deliver an evolved computing experience that provides everyone with a companion. Form factors will need to change, interfaces will move toward voice, and head-mounted displays (once they mature) will forever change how we view and interact with our increasingly cloud-based PCs. We are at the start of a massive change, something we havent seen since the PC was born. By the time this trend ends, our computers will have become our companions, always with us, and with the power of the cloud to back them up. Well talk to them like we talk to each other with the main exception that the computers wont take offense or turn against us. This should make for a fascinating decade. GOPIO Singapore president Harikrishnan Muthusamy highlights his life as an entrepreneur and reformer Harikrishnan Muthusamy, the president of the Singapore chapter of the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), is a man used to wearing many hats. In this exclusive interview with Connected to India, he talks about his life, career and active involvement in Indian community organisations. Pulled into GOPIO by friends and business acquaintances, Muthusamy applied his intense drive and focus to improving the organisations activities and structure as well. Photo: Connected to India A highly successful entrepreneur in Singapore, he started his own firm in 1978; he has also been a key driving force in the formation of the 14 Tamil Toastmasters clubs in Singapore; he has also served as president of the Tamil Language and Cultural Society. Born in Tamil Nadu, Muthusamy moved to Singapore with his father when he was five-and-a-half years old and completed his education in the city-state. He has multiple degrees in accounting, business and experience in audit firms and training professionals, and served as a part-time lecturer while at college. Invited into the Tamil Language and Cultural Society to help reorganise the financial and operational structure of the body, Harikrishnan ended up in the presidents seat. When called upon, he became fluent in Tamil within a year of landing in the top post, delivering a 45-minute speech at the societys AGM. We launched many programmes involving schools and highlighting prominent Tamil figures who had contributed to the community, he said. Pulled into GOPIO by friends and business acquaintances, Muthusamy applied his intense drive and focus to improving the organisations activities and structure as well. He was elected as president of GOPIO unopposed and initiated major reforms, such as instituting corporate governance for the body. Whatever organisation Im linked with, I bring about a lot of transformation; otherwise, I dont feel that Ive fulfilled my role, he told Connected to India. My thinking was something along the lines of ensuring the organisation runs smoothly even when Im not the president. Another major change Muthusamy constituted was expanding the Singapore chapters participation in GOPIOs youth conferences, culminating in the Singapore chapter running this years digital youth summit. Muthusamy (centre, standing) was elected as president of GOPIO unopposed and initiated major reforms, such as instituting corporate governance for the body. Photo courtesy: GOPIO Under his leadership, GOPIO also constituted a youth charter for international youth conferences. On being asked about GOPIOs involvement with the Indian government, Muthusamy talked about the organisations interactions with the Indian High Commission as well as with erstwhile High Commissioner Jawed Ashraf. Most of the people of Indian origin have become highly successful in business and the profession. If their professional expertise and financial resources are to be pooled together, it will benefit not only people of Indian origin but also their countries and India, Muthusamy said. He added that various High Commissions and Indian Embassies should work closely with a global diaspora body like GOPIO, present in 40 countries across the world, and help enhance the connections between the various branches of the organisation as well as among Indian organisations in Singapore. We will be launching a souvenir magazine listing all of GOPIO Singapore chapters activities, he said, signing off. 07/30/2021 Photo (c) PeopleImages - Getty Images The latest installment of my travel experiences in our ever-changing world deals with finding a place to stay during your next vacation -- how to improve your search techniques, how to make sure you know what some companies are trying to pull on customers, and some tricks to help you get the best price on a room. Not all booking sites are transparent In a perfect world, a consumer should be able to go to a booking site and feel comfortable that theyll be treated straight-up with no nonsense. If things were only that simple in the world of accommodations booking sites. Let me ask you this: Which of these facts raise your hackles the most? Travelers get stung to the tune of 15 million bogus bookings every year thanks to booking websites that may look like the real thing but are far from it. Nearly one out of every four consumers (23%) who book a room online report being misled in some way by third-party booking sites, according to the National Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA). Comparison shopping for a good room rate probably wont save you much because around 95% of all booking aggregators are driven by two companies. Yes, two. Booking.com, Priceline.com, Agoda.com, Kayak.com, and momondo are all owned by Booking Holdings. BedandBreakfast.com, Classic Vacations, Ebookers, Egencia, Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Hotwire, Orbitz, Travelocity, trivago, and Vrbo are all owned by Expedia Group. Why sorting by prices may be in vain Out of all the factors that determine where you may stay on a trip, price is the overwhelming #1. If price is important to you, we uncovered something interesting in our travel planning. When searching for a hotel on a booking site and sorting the options based on price, your interpretation of what sort means might be different from the sites interpretation. Case-in-point is Hotels.com. When you sort a list on the site, theres a little note tucked in at the top of the sort that says, How much we get paid influences your sort order. Hotels.coms siblings Expedia and Orbitz do the same thing. However, that didnt appear to be the case for Booking Holdings Booking.com and Priceline sites. As they say, the devil is in the details. According to Frommers annual review of booking sites, Booking.com also scores big points when it comes to price transparency. We also like to note that [Booking.com] includes taxes on the first rates you see, whereas the others bury fees in the fine print, behind hidden filter buttons, or on later screens, Frommers Reid Bramblett said. Reservation site affiliations can be misleading Getting back into the wide open spaces has become a popular goal for travelers trying to find a break from being holed up for the last year and a half. One thing I uncovered when plotting out a trip to Yosemite National Park was considerable consumer flak over non-refundable reservation fees. For example, the Better Business Bureau received complaints about a company named National Park Reservations that also runs a site called U.S. Park Lodging. One would think that the company, given its name, is associated with the National Park Service. Guess what? Its not -- despite the fact that it says it provides lodging and activity reservations both inside as well as in the gateway communities of the United States national parks. To the companys credit, it does disclose that it is not an authorized concessionaire of any National Park nor ... affiliated with the National Park Service of the Federal Government, but its in small print that a typical website visitor might gloss over. The lesson here is that if something appears to be related to something else, take the time to investigate the relationship further, especially when it sounds like the deal of a lifetime. Although the company mentioned above may not be a scam, fraudsters are increasingly trying to trick consumers who are seeking to travel. Search smarter The AHLA hears lots of nightmares about booking sites, but it says paying attention to the details can save consumers money and trouble. In an effort to help, the organization launched SearchSmarter.org so that consumers can prep smarter, search smarter, and travel smarter. While searching the site, ConsumerAffairs found some helpful suggestions for online accommodation shoppers that are worth sharing: Look before you book. Some bogus booking sites are so unscrupulous that theyll even use the hotels brand name in the URL. The AHLA suggests double-checking the web address of the site. For example, Hilton uses Hilton.com, whereas a bogus site might use HiltonRoomDeals.com. Be aware of false advertising. Some online travel agencies employ false advertising tactics like discount rates and Only 1 room left! to pressure you into purchasing a room. The AHLA says if theres a best price guarantee, most hotels will honor that if you call them directly. Ask the right questions. Before providing your credit card information, check the following: What is the cancellation/trip change policy? Is it a secure payment site? The URL should have a small lock and should start with "https://" as opposed to just "http://". Is the site, in any way, affiliated with the hotel? Call and ask if youre not sure. Legitimate sites will have About Us and Site Map sections, as well as a phone number. Book directly with the hotel or a trusted travel agent. In some cases, avoiding booking sites altogether may be the smartest move. It can help ensure you get what you want and need from your reservation and often provides better value. Why not call the hotel directly and ask if theyll give you a discount for booking directly with them. It might only save you $10-$20, but it may also give you a direct connection with a hotelier who can verify prices, fees, amenities, etc. Try a travel agent and check reviews If you dont want to do all that work, consider using a travel agent -- and, yes, they still exist. In addition to time-saving, stress-relieving, and problem-solving skills, NomadicMatt says travel agents come in handy, especially if youre doing a very costly or complex trip, planning a honeymoon, or traveling with a large group. They have access to a number of deals and bulk buying options we DIY solo consumers dont, especially when it comes to tours, high-end flights, and cruises, he said. Secondly, look for reviews outside of the booking site or hotel site. Some accommodation website owners will go out of their way to only show flattering reviews. Take the added step of going to other travel websites like TripAdvisor -- who Marion of Warwick, Rhode Island, told ConsumerAffairs her family finds to be a valuable asset in planning a trip. Travelers should also consider scouring reviews on ConsumerAffairs for fee issues that others have had. Click here for car rentals; here for timeshares (that include services like Vrbo and Airbnb); and here for hotel brands. Tranny.su scored 41 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 4 Feb 2014, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. The total number of people who shared the tranny homepage on StumbleUpon. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the tranny homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if tranny has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the tranny homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. The total number of people who shared the tranny homepage on Delicious. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the tranny homepage on Twitter + the total number of tranny followers (if tranny has a Twitter account). Basic Information PAGE TITLE Tranny DESCRIPTION KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS luxury, shemale, The title found in the head section of the homepage. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. Domain and Server DOCTYPE CHARSET AND LANGUAGE Russian WINDOWS-1251Russian DETECTED LANGUAGE Russian Russian SERVER nginx/1.4.1 (PHP/4.4.9) OPERATIVE SYSTEM Character set and language of the site. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) The language of tranny.su as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Type of server and offered services. Operative System running on the server. Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world. Referring domains for tranny.su by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines. Facebook link FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND The URL of the found Facebook page. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The type of Facebook page. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND Doris Nell Gipson Lucky, 86, who passed away Tuesday, July 27, 2021 in Houston. Viewing will be held on Friday, July 30, 2021 at Emanuel Funeral Home of Palestine from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Funeral will be held on Saturday, July 31, 2021 at Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church in Oakwood at 11 a.m. with a A report from ChemicalWatch flags the European Commission's (EC's) amendments to REACH, stating they are more than 'clarifications' and could lead to increases in animal testing. As previously reported, under REACH, data from some animal testing endpoints is required in some cases to ensure the safety of cosmetic products. However, this is in direct conflict with the European ban on animal testing. In relation, the EC proposed changes to Annexes VII to XI of REACH in October 2020 to "clarify unclear or inconsistent wording" relating to information requirements, especially in terms of animal testing. Industry, NGO Objections Cefic (the European Chemical Industry Council) and other trade bodies including Eurometaux, Aise and Cosmetics Europe have come out in objection to the "premature" changes, which were officially adopted by the EC on June 17, 2021, stating they will profoundly increase animal usage. For example, one change requires that any positive result from an in vitro genotoxicity study should automatically trigger a follow-up animal test. The amendments would also limit the use of existing in vivo studies conducted via dermal or inhalation routes, ChemicalWatch reports, and restrict routes of administration of several tests that would "inevitably result in a compliance check rejecting existing animal studies," Cosmetics Europe stated. The law went into effect on July 8, 2021, and will apply from January 8, 2022. REACH Changes According to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), the main changes to REACH concern: requirements for surface tension and water solubility of metals and sparingly soluble metal compounds; requirements for in vitro testing for eye irritation and in vivo testing for skin or eye irritation; requirements and adaptations for 28-day and 90-day repeated dose toxicity studies; specific rules for adapting reproductive toxicity studies; general rules for adaptation based on: use of existing data; weight of evidence; substance-tailored exposure-driven testing; and grouping of substances, especially those of unknown or variable composition, complex reaction products and biological materials (UVCBs); new rules for adapting studies on fate and behavior in the environment based on a low octanol-water partition coefficient; new specific rules for adapting for dissociation constant and viscosity; and additional requirements for human health and environmental testing to be performed at appropriately high dose levels. The ECHA is updating its guidance materials and will publish more advice to registrants toward the end of 2021. Beauty Accelerate, a co-production of Cosmetics & Toiletries and Global Cosmetic Industry, will again host a virtual event featuring leaders in cosmetics innovation ranging from ingredients and R&D, to marketing, retail, packaging and more. Join us Oct. 18-21, 2021, to become a part of beauty's resurgence. Registration is now open! Featured Talk: Inclusive Design for Universal BeautyAdapting Cosmetics for Blind and Disabled Consumers Improves Products for All Inclusivity is a crucial social movement in todays world, highlighting longstanding inequities among groups that especially came into focus under the lens of the pandemic. Even pre-pandemic these prejudices were identified, and industries including cosmetics responded with strategies in support of equality and diversity. See related: Roundtable Underlines Diversity Gap in Dermatology, Medical Research One cosmetics R&D example are the gaps in dermatological research in skin of color. But theres more to inclusivity than skin tone or gender identity. Disabled consumers are an under-served population who can benefit from the positive effects of cosmetics and personal care products. And, designing products to meet their unique needs can translate to better product experiences for all. This panel discussion draws insights on inclusive design for universal beauty from several perspectives: cosmetic formulation, medical/therapeutic effects, quality of life/well-being, makeup applicator design, and even building planning, to inspire product developers. Panelists Iain McKinnon, Director, Inclusive Design Global Disability Innovation Hub Iain McKinnon is co-founder and director of the Global Disability Innovation Hub, born from his work on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as part of the London 2012 Paralympic Legacy. He leads the hubs inclusive design work with the ambition to ensure the needs of the disabled and elderly are central to all projects. He trained as a product design engineer and holds a masters degree in this area from the University of Glasgow. Gabriela Daniels, Program Director, Science and Lecturer, Masters of Cosmetic Science program, London College of Fashion Gabriela is the science program director at the London College of Fashion and lecturer for the Integrated Masters of Cosmetic Science program. She holds a degree in chemistry and specializes in cosmetics and fragrance technology and hair science. Daniels co-authored a recent paper in Cosmetics & Toiletries on making cosmetics more accessible for the blind; she hopes to continue this work to integrate novel sensory cues into consumer products. Trishna Daswaney, Director & Founder, Kohl Kreatives Trishna Daswaney is director and founder of Kohl Kreatives, a nonprofit providing adaptive tools for consumers with motor disabilities and visual impairments. Providing free makeup consulting for cancer care patients, transitioning transgender people and impaired individuals, the company aims to improve the self-esteem of users to help them reintegrate into society. Daswaney studied marketing and graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2015. Kaho Oishi, President, International Caremake Association Kaho Oishi is the president of the International Caremake Association and a research fellow of Nihon Fukushi University. She established the association while developing a cosmetic therapy program, BlindMake, to help visually impaired consumers independently apply makeup. The program, for which she is seeking a cosmetic therapist designation, was extended to hospitalized patients with physical impairments, skin diseases, dementia and others to improve their quality of life. When and where you need it! 786 Hwy. 7 Yes, employees have the option to work remotely. Employees have to work remotely because there isn't an office. Employees must physically be in the office. Employees have to be in the office certain days but can work remotely others. Vote View Results The education sector is a top target for cybercriminals, and faces an unusually large percentage of social engineering attacks, according to the 2021 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report. The coronavirus pandemic, which spurred many individuals to study and work remotely, added to the industrys challenges. For example, the K-12 Cybersecurity Resource Center reported an 18% increase in cyberattacks against schools over the previous year. Administrators at the Lewisville Independent School District (LISD) in Texas also noticed this significant jump in threats. In the first month of the 2020-2021 school year, we saw a major increase in phishing emails, said Chris Langford, director of network, infrastructure, and cybersecurity for LISD. Our system blocked 16 million email threat messages during that month alone. Prepared for the pandemic Lewisville ISD comprises five high schools, 15 middle schools, and 40 elementary schools with a total of 500,000 students. The district has sharpened its focus on security over the past several years, working to balance investments in hardware, software, and services with education and training to protect our users, Langford said. Part of those investments included deploying Cisco Umbrella and Cisco Secure Email Cloud Gateway. We liked how all of the different products easily integrated with one another and the accessibility of granular controls, Langford said. Those deployments helped to smooth last years sudden shift to remote learning. When everybody went remote last year, we simply deployed the Cisco Umbrella agent to all of the devices so that we had the same filtering off-site that we had when we were on-site, Langford said. It provided another layer of protection that we didnt have before. Both Umbrella and CES have proven their security worth. The district has had no major incidents, and Langford says CES has been huge in mitigating risks around the increase in email phishing threats. Secure communications and collaboration Lewisville ISD also reported a seamless transition to remote collaboration and communication because it had already been using Cisco Webex before the pandemic struck. Teachers were able to make and receive phone calls as if they were sitting at their desk in school because Webex integrated with our call manager system, he said. It prevented them from having to give out their personal information, and they werent getting interrupted by calls while they were trying to teach. Langford said the district is also pleased with Webexs granular reporting functionality. We can look at the number and length of meetings taking place, how many participants there were, and how many files are shared. Next, Lewisville ISD is rolling out Webex to provide more immersive experiences. Were starting to put Webex into conference rooms at each campus with microphones and cameras, so staff members can virtually meet with parents, Langford said. We also plan to use it for district level meetings, which will be a great help considering our schools are spread across 127 miles. As Lewisville ISD discovered, Cisco offers a full suite of comprehensive security and data protection solutions that streamline cybersecurity. Cyberattackers are becoming more sophisticated and the education sector is high on their target list. Schools, colleges, and universities should take a proactive approach toward securing both in-person and remote learning environments to protect students, faculty, and staff as well as sensitive data. Learn more about how Cisco products help secure the education industry. SAN DIEGO (AP) The U.S. Navy charged a sailor Thursday with starting a fire last year that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard docked off San Diego, marking the maritime branch's worst warship blaze outside of combat in recent memory. The amphibious assault ship burned for more than four days. Left with extensive structural, electrical and mechanical damage, the ship was later scrapped. Estimates to replace it ran up to $4 billion. The sailor was a member of the crew at the time, Cmdr. Sean Robertson, a U.S. 3rd Fleet spokesperson, said in a statement. The sailor was charged with aggravated arson and the willful hazarding of a vessel, Robertson said. No name was released. No other details were provided, and it was unclear what evidence was found or what the motive was. The amphibious assault ships are among the few in the U.S. fleet that can act as a mini aircraft carrier. The Bonhomme Richard had been nearing the end of a two-year upgrade estimated to cost $250 million when the fire broke out on July 12, 2020. About 160 sailors and officers were on board when the flames sent up a huge plume of dark smoke from the 840-foot (256-meter) vessel, which had been docked at Naval Base San Diego while undergoing the upgrade. The fire started in the ships lower storage area, where cardboard boxes, rags and other maintenance supplies were stored. But winds coming off the San Diego Bay whipped up the flames and the flames spread up the elevator shafts and exhaust stacks. Then two explosions one heard as far as 13 miles (21 kilometers) away caused it to grow even bigger. The fire sent acrid smoke billowing over San Diego, and officials had recommended people avoid exercising outdoors. Firefighters attacked the flames inside the ship, while firefighting vessels with water cannons directed streams of seawater into the ship and helicopters made water drops. More than 60 sailors and civilians were treated for minor injuries, heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation. The states top health official is recommending everyone wear masks indoors in three Connecticut counties that have been classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as having substantial COVID transmission. Cases over the past seven days have increased in New Haven, New London and Hartford counties, elevating the risk of community spread from moderate to substantial, according to the CDC. At nearly 49 cases per 100,000 people as of Thursday, Fairfield County was approaching the CDCs substantial spread threshold of 50 cases per 100,000 over a seven-day period. Deidre Gifford, the acting commissioner of the state Department of Public Health, said she strongly recommends that people who work, visit or live in New Haven, New London and Hartford counties wear a mask in indoor public spaces. Her statement stopped short of an outright mandate. City leaders in New Haven and Hartford said Thursday they do not have the authority to require people to wear masks indoors in private establishments. New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker encouraged everyone to wear masks indoors regardless of their vaccination status. "I think people need to consider their role in keeping themselves and others safe, even if theyre vaccinated, he said. Gifford said people across the state who have underlying medical conditions that put them at greater risk of COVID-19 complications should wear a mask indoors. That includes parents of children too young to be vaccinated, she said. Giffords recommendation follows the CDC releasing new guidance this week, calling on everyone to wear masks indoors in areas where there are substantial and high virus transmission. Giffords statement reiterated that people who are not fully vaccinated are still required to wear a mask indoors. Connecticuts outdoor mask mandate ended in May. Emerging science indicates that with the delta variant in circulation, in some cases, vaccinated individuals may become infected with and subsequently transmit COVID infection to others, the statement reads. The risk of contracting and transmitting COVID infection is far greater for the unvaccinated, and vaccination remains the safest and most effective way to protect yourself and your community from COVID. Gov. Ned Lamont, whose emergency powers are set to expire at the end of September, has so far issued no new statewide mask mandates. A spokesperson for the governors office said Thursday Lamont has not changed his position. On Thursday, 339 new cases of COVID-19 were found statewide out of 14,401 tests, for a one-day positivity rate of 2.35 percent. Nine more patients brought the total hospitalized statewide to 112 the most since late May. Seven COVID-related deaths were reported in the past week, bringing Connecticuts death toll to 8,293. The state released data Thursday that showed there have been 195 more breakthrough infections COVID-19 cases in people who are fully vaccinated in the past week. Nearly 70 percent of all Connecticut residents have started vaccination and just over 63 percent are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC data as of Thursday. Connecticut vaccinations have slowly risen over the past two weeks, but still hover below 40,000 doses per week far below the states peak of more than 315,000 weekly doses in early April. In Fairfield County, more than 72 percent of residents have received at least one dose of vaccine and more than 64 percent are fully vaccinated, the data shows. In New Haven County, about 68 percent of residents have received at least one dose, while more than 61 percent are fully vaccinated, the data shows. In New London County, about 69 percent have received at least one dose and about 64 percent are fully vaccinated. In Hartford County, nearly 67 percent are partly vaccinated and about 61 percent are fully vaccinated. This was avoidable Dr. Thomas Balcezak, chief medical officer of Yale New Haven Health, said infections will likely continue to rise in Hartford and New London counties. Each infected person is now estimated to pass the disease to six other people, he said during a news conference Thursday afternoon. He attributed the increased spread to the delta variant. Marna Borgstrom, the Yale health systems president and CEO, said 53 patients are hospitalized for COVID-19 across its health care system. Ten are in intensive care units, with five on ventilators. In areas with surging infections, doctors are now angry, Borgstrom said. Staff in areas with low vaccination rates feel they are being put at risk by unvaccinated people, she said. There is a sense that this was avoidable, Borgstrom said during the news conference. In Hartford, where a substantial amount of transmission in the county means people should be masking indoors under the CDC guidance, municipal buildings still require face coverings in areas where staff and the public interact, a spokesperson for Mayor Luke Bronins office said. West Hartford Town Manager Matt Hart said his team plans to meet next week to discuss whether to require everyone employees and visitors to wear masks in municipal buildings. The town of about 63,000 only requires people to wear a mask if they are unvaccinated, which is run on an honor system. I think one of the things we learned over the last two years is we need to be prepared to move quickly if case counts start to go in the other direction, Hart said. In New London, Mayor Michael Passero said Thursday the city will begin requiring everyone to wear masks in municipal buildings. Who knows whos vaccinated and who isnt? Passero said. Were much more comfortable just putting a sign on our public buildings saying, Everyone please wear a mask. The new CDC guidance hinges on a color-coded, county-level system of transmission levels. Counties marked in blue are low transmission areas, counties marked in yellow are moderate, orange is substantial and red is high. The CDC uses two data points to determine the community transmission level: The total number of new cases per 100,000 people, and the test positivity rate, both over seven days. Both conditions do not need to be met and the CDC takes whichever is higher. Low transmission areas are those with less than 10 cases per 100,000 or a positivity rate below 5 percent. Moderate areas have 10 to 49 cases per 100,000 or a positivity rate of 5 to 7.9 percent. Substantial areas have 50 to 99 cases per 100,000 or a positivity rate of 8 to 9.9 percent. Areas with high transmission have 100 or more cases per 100,000 or a positivity rate over 10 percent. Hartford, New Haven and New London counties are marked as areas of substantial transmission, while the states five other counties are marked in yellow, for moderate transmission. Staff writer Ed Stannard contributed to this story. MILWAUKEE (AP) Tornadoes touched down in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin amid powerful thunderstorms that caused widespread damage that contributed to the death of a man who crashed into a fallen tree and power line, officials said Thursday. The National Weather Service confirmed two tornadoes touched down in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on Thursday afternoon, sending trees falling and debris flying. A thunderous downpour flooded streets and roadways. The Courier Times of Bucks County reported one of the tornadoes in Pennsylvania damaged an auto dealership and a mobile home park. Bensalem Police Public Safety Director Fred Harran said four people were injured at the auto dealership in Bensalem, and a fifth person was hurt at a nearby business. All injuries were considered non-life-threatening. Anthony Perez, an employee at the dealership, said a weather alert sounded on his phone just before the tornado hit. At that point, we were looking for shelter, he said. Everything was in a flash. Severe weather was a concern along the east coast, with the weather service issuing warnings in New Jersey as well. In Wisconsin, the strong winds that moved across the state from the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan began Wednesday evening. By 2 a.m. Thursday, the numerous tornado warnings around the state had expired. Hours later, one man died when he crashed his vehicle into a fallen tree and power line near the town of Ripon at about 6 a.m. Thursday, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. The National Weather Service surveyed hard-hit areas in southeastern Wisconsin and confirmed one tornado, probably rated EF1, caused damage around the Jefferson County community of Concord, toppling farm buildings. Cows could be seen grazing among debris that landed in farm fields. By Thursday afternoon, the weather service confirmed at least two other tornados were also responsible for damage near Waukesha and Watertown. Gov. Tony Evers signed a declaration imposing a state of emergency in Wisconsin. Evers order directs state agencies to help those impacted by the storms. It also allows the National Guard to be activated to support local authorities with recovery efforts. The weather service on Wednesday warned that the severe weather sweeping across upper Midwest states could include hurricane force winds and tornadoes and develop into a derecho a rare type of storm thats often described as an inland hurricane. Andy Boxell, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Sullivan, said a derecho did not materialize. Thats not what we had last night, he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Utility crews worked to restore service to thousands of power customers. Electricity was knocked out to about 90,000 customers across Wisconsin, according to the tracking website poweroutage.us. DALLAS An administrative court judge has ordered that anyone entering a Dallas County courthouse must be wearing a mask to be admitted. The order Friday by Administrative District Judge Maricela Moore requires masks to be worn in the common areas of the George Allen Courthouse, which houses the countys civil courts; the Frank Crowley Courthouse, which houses its criminal courts; and the Henry Wade Building, which houses its juvenile courts. Those refusing could be barred from entering the buildings. The order comes after Gov. Greg Abbott repeated his order banning any mask mandates by any state, county or local government entity. However, it cites as its authority a Texas Supreme Court order that confirms the judiciarys authority to take reasonable actions to avoid exposing court proceedings and participants to the threat of COVID-19. Also cited is an opinion from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtons office upholding broad judicial authority to control orderly court proceedings. The order is effective starting Monday. A message to Abbotts office seeking comment was not immediately returned. The order came as COVID-19 was on a renewed rampage across the state, fueled by the highly contagious delta variant. The Texas Department of State Health Services reported 15,893 new cases Friday, the most since Feb. 3. Of those, 726 new cases came from Dallas County. Over the past two weeks, the rolling average of daily new cases has risen by 183% to 5,100. As of Thursday, the most recent day reported by state health officials, 5,846 people were in Texas hospitals with COVID-19, the most since Feb. 26. Fifty-seven new COVID-19 deaths were reported Friday, five of them in Dallas County. Texas had almost 44% of its population fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Friday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Thats well below the national average of 57.2%. ___ MORE ON THE PANDEMIC: CDC team: War has changed as delta variant dangers emerge US passport delays lead to long lines of would-be travelers Walmart mandates vaccines for home office workers Like Phantom: Broadway requires masks at theaters Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine ___ HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: HONOLULU Hawaii officials announced 622 new COVID-19 cases, the highest number of confirmed infections since the start of the pandemic. The total included cases from lab reporting delays from the past three days, officials said, but the number is still a significant spike for the state of about 1.4 million people. The seven-day positivity rate is now 5.1%, and officials said the average daily case count over the past three days is now over 300. Previously, the record high total for confirmed cases in a single day was 355 set in August 2020. Officials said the surge is associated with the highly contagious delta variant. Just over 60% of Hawaii residents are fully vaccinated. ___ ATLANTA Local officials in Georgia are scrambling to increase vaccination rates even as more schools continue telling students and employees to wear masks in the face of rising COVID-19 infection rates. At least 23 districts statewide, covering nearly a third of the public school population, now say they will require everyone to wear a mask. Dooly County had already started class on Wednesday, and someone at the 1,200-student districts high school tested positive for the respiratory illness, prompting a mask mandate. The Montgomery County school district on Friday delayed its start date by a week until Aug. 10, saying it had a staff shortage because too many teachers had been quarantined after exposure to COVID-19. Districts have been shifting policy after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week advised universal mask use in schools. Some parents are protesting mask mandates. Dozens of opponents gathered outside the administration building on Friday in Gwinnett County, Georgias largest school district. ___ DENVER Gov. Jared Polis has announced that state employees who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 will have to be tested twice a week for the coronavirus and continue to wear masks indoors in public spaces. The Colorado Sun reports Polis made the announcement Friday, citing the rise of the extremely contagious Delta variant of the virus and similar direction for federal workers announced by President Joe Biden on Thursday. State workers who are or get fully vaccinated wont be required to get the twice-weekly tests, Polis said in a statement. Employees who are tested must submit the results to human resources officials. I have heard from state employees who are terrified that their unvaccinated co-workers will give them COVID-19 and want vaccination mandated, and from other state workers who have hesitation towards the vaccine, the Democratic governor said in emphasizing he was seeking a middle ground. The new policy is effective Sept. 20. It covers about 30,000 state government employees who fall under the authority of the executive branch. It does not apply to judicial branch workers. ___ NEW ORLEANS New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is implementing a mandatory indoor mask mandate regardless of vaccination status and requiring that all city employees and city contractors be vaccinated against the coronavirus. The mayor and top officials sounded the alarm during a quickly called Friday afternoon news conference, noting the alarming spike in coronavirus infections in a city that was an early hot spot for the pandemic. All of our people need to mask up when they are indoors, Cantrell said. The city has a little over 4,000 employees, and all will be required to get vaccinated, effective immediately, she said. Contractors wanting to work for the city must also get vaccinated. Officials said the average daily case count in the city has nearly tripled, and six people have died in the last week. Especially concerning were the number of children falling ill, officials said. This touches everyone in our community, said Cantrell. Our children are dying. ___ CHICAGO There is now an indoor mask advisory in Chicago for everyone over 2 years old. The action taken Friday comes as the Centers for Disease Control recommended people, even if vaccinated, wear masks indoor in areas where there is a high transmission of COVID-19. Chicagos health department has announced the city surpassed 200 new coronavirus cases per day on Friday. Public health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady says the step advising indoor mask use was made to prevent further spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 2,348 new confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19, the second time in three days the tally has topped 2,000. ___ NEW ORLEANS -- Vaccinations and masks are both needed to slow a skyrocketing rate of new COVID-19 infections that is stressing health care facilities in Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Friday, but Edwards stopped short of ordering a statewide mask mandate. Having recommended statewide masking last week, Edward said he and state health officials would pore over the latest federal data before making a decision on a mandate, adding that an announcement would likely come Monday. But, to a very large extent, whether it s a mandate or a recommendation, the people of Louisiana ought to be doing this, Edwards said at a news conference with state health officer Dr. Joseph Kanter. Looming over his decision will be new findings from a big COVID-19 outbreak in Massachusetts. Scientists who studied the outbreak concluded that vaccinated people who got so-called breakthrough infections carried about the same amount of the coronavirus as those who did not get the shots. Officials still stress that vaccines help protect against infections and, when infections occur, against serious illness requiring hospitalization. ___ TORONTO The Public Health Agency of Canada says two travelers who arrived in Toronto from the U.S. have been fined close to CDN$20,000 (US$16,029.37) for providing fake COVID-19 proof of vaccination documents and lying about pre-departure tests. The pair also didnt comply with requirements to stay at a government-authorized hotel or to get tested upon arrival, the agency said in a new release Friday. The travelers arrived last week and were handed four fines totaling CND $19,720 ( US$15,804.96) each. For all travelers coming to Canada, it is important to be informed and to plan in advance, the release said. It is the travelers responsibility to ensure they are eligible to enter Canada and that they meet all of the mandatory requirements. Canada eased quarantine requirements on July 5 for fully vaccinated Canadians and foreign nationals with an exemption to enter the country, but they must upload their proof of vaccination documents to the ArriveCAN app before entry. Those who are not fully vaccinated are still required to stay for three days at a government-approved hotel, quarantine for 14 days and undergo tests pre-departure, post-arrival and eight days later. ___ FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis barred school districts Friday from forcing students to wear masks when classes resume next month even as the states coronavirus cases and hospitalizations continue to skyrocket toward levels not seen since before vaccines became widely available. The Republican governor said parents should decide whether their child should be masked, saying he has seen no studies that show mask-wearing lowers the chance of outbreaks in schools. DeSantis is seeking re-election next year and has been positioning himself nationally for a possible 2024 presidential bid. His decision comes after the Broward County school board this week voted to require masks and other districts and colleges around the state were considering it. The states confirmed coronavirus cases have grown nearly tenfold over the last month as the more contagious delta variant spreads. Florida is responsible for about 20% of the new cases reported nationwide over the last three weeks, even though it makes up 6.5% of the population. On a per capita basis, Florida is second nationally in both new cases, behind Louisiana, and hospitalizations, behind Nevada. While rare, pediatric hospitalizations for COVID-19 are also increasing statewide, studies show. ___ MADRID Spain announces a drop in the 14-day accumulated caseload of COVID-19 cases as part of prevailing downward trend in new infections, while the percentage of the Spanish population fully vaccinated hits 56.8%. The health ministry reported Friday it had registered 326,127 new cases in the last 14 days, reflecting an incidence rate of 687 cases per 100,000 people. Spains Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced the nation has also ordered 3.4 million extra Pfizer vaccines, with the aim of vaccinating 70% of the population by the end of August. The new data comes as some Spanish regions push for vaccine certificates or negative COVID-19 tests to enter bars and restaurants, though they are facing legal challenges. ___ SIOUX FALLS, S.D. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem says she has no plans to ratchet up her messaging to urge people to get a COVID-19 vaccine, even as Republican leaders across the country try to persuade vaccine skeptics to roll up their sleeves and take the shots in response to a new, more contagious variant that has sent caseloads soaring in some parts of the country. The Republican governor told The Associated Press this week she believes her messaging has reached a saturation level where people start to tune you out. South Dakotas Department of Health is trying a targeted approach to reach groups where vaccine uptake has been low. But it has been months since the governor used her position to encourage the vaccine, even with infections rising again in the state after a steep decline in the spring and early summer. Noems rise as a potential contender for the 2024 GOP presidential ticket has been mostly fueled by her hands-off approach to the pandemic. The governor acknowledged the delta variant poses a new risk. We might need to really step up our communication so that people understand how the variant is different, she said. You might see more communication from us if we start seeing cases dramatically increase. ___ PHOENIX Arizona has reported 1,965 new COVID-19 cases, the most in a single day since early March. It comes as virus-related hospitalizations continued to climb. The additional cases and 24 deaths reported Friday come as health officials in Arizona and across the country cite low vaccination rates and the fast-spreading delta variant for increasing numbers. Meanwhile, the Arizona Department of Health Services director spoke more about her departure next month during an interview on KTAR-FM. She denied there was any rift between her and Gov. Doug Ducey and plans to take a senior position with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. ___ BATON ROUGE, La. Two staffers in Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards office have tested positive for the coronavirus. The announcement Friday from Edwards office says both are at home, in isolation, in accordance with state and federal health guidelines. The release gave no details on their condition of the staffers. It says both had been vaccinated and noted breakthrough cases of vaccinated people typically do not result in serious illness. The governor, a Democrat, has previously been vaccinated and isnt in quarantine. Coronavirus infections and hospitalizations in Louisiana are soaring amid urgent requests by government officials and health care providers for residents to get vaccinated. Earlier, Edwards administration announced it is requiring Louisianas executive branch employees and visitors to state office buildings to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status. ___ LOS ANGELES Frustrated would-be travelers are overwhelming U.S. offices as easing COVID-19 travel restrictions have unleashed a pent-up demand for passports. At the West Los Angeles Federal Building, hundreds of passport applicants camped out overnight this week for same-day appointments only to be told that walk-ins were no longer being taken. Wait times for new passports and renewals are now up to 18 weeks, causing many to seek expedited appointments at understaffed agencies for travel in the next few weeks. But even expedited appointments can take up to 12 weeks. Officials encouraged those without immediate travel plans to renew their passports by mail. ___ DES MOINES, Iowa Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has no plans to offer $100 incentives to Iowans to get the coronavirus vaccine. Reynolds spokesman Pat Garrett says the governor doesnt plan to follow up on President Joe Bidens offer to states to spend $100 in federal funds for each newly vaccinated person to help slow the spread of the coronavirus delta variant. While many states and some Iowa counties have offered incentives for citizens to get a COVID-19 vaccination, Iowas governor continues to call for citizens to get vaccinated, repeating its their choice. Iowa had 49.5% of the population fully immunized Thursday, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. That ranks Iowa 21st in the nation. Vaccination rates have fallen rapidly in Iowa since the spring, from a seven-day average of 17,000 people becoming fully vaccinated in May to 1,402 in recent days. ___ ORLANDO, Fla. A large hospital network in Florida announced it will postpone elective procedures due to the sharp rise in admissions. Dr. Neil Finkler, chief clinical officer at AdventHealth in central Florida, says the network currently has 1,060 patients with COVID-19 of the 9,300 currently hospitalized in the state. We have peaked above any previous wave, and it is straining our system, our physicians and all of our clinicians and team members, he said. Throughout the week, we hoped we would see a sign of slowing down. Unfortunately, we have not. Dr. Finkler says hes imploring to the community to get vaccinated this weekend. It really is remarkable, over 90% of our COVID inpatients are unvaccinated, he said. None of these patients thought they would get the virus. But the delta variant has proven to be so highly contagious that even the young and the healthy, including pregnant patients, are now starting to fill up our hospitals. ___ NEW YORK Vaccinations for COVID-19 and masks will be required for all Broadway audience members when theaters reopen in the coming weeks. The Broadway League announced audience members must wear face coverings and show proof theyre fully vaccinated when they enter the theaters. Therell be exceptions to the vaccine rule for children under 12 and for people with a medical condition or religious belief that prevents vaccination. Those individuals will need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test. Vaccinations will be required for performers, crew members and theater employees. The move comes a day after Actors Equity Association, the union which represents nearly 52,000 actors and stage managers, said it would require cast and crew members to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Company members who are not vaccinated must wear masks, practice physical distancing and undergo testing at least twice a week. The protocols apply to both Broadway productions and Equity-backed shows across the nation. ___ FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says hell issue an executive order barring local school districts from forcing students to wear masks when classes resume next month. Thats despite skyrocketing coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in the state. The Republican governor says it should be up to parents to decide whether their child should be masked. He says he has seen no studies that show mask-wearing lowers the chance of outbreaks in schools. He didnt say when he would issue the order. This week, the Broward County school district in Fort Lauderdale voted to require masks. Other districts and colleges around the state were considering masks as the confirmed cases have grown nearly tenfold in the last month. Florida is responsible for about 20% of the new cases reported nationwide in the last three weeks, although just 6.5% of the total population. On a per capita basis, Florida is second nationally in new cases (behind Louisiana), and hospitalizations (behind Nevada). While rare, pediatric hospitalizations for COVID-19 are also increasing statewide, studies show. With new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending masks indoors for everyone in regions of high and substantial community transmission, some New London County businesses are considering changing their face covering policies. New London County was listed this week as having substantial COVID transmission, falling into one of two categories that the agency recommends vaccinated people wear masks indoors. In the past week, the county has seen 169 cases a more than 106 percent increase, according to CDC data. There has also been eight more hospitalizations a 14 percent increase over the last seven days. On Thursday, the state Department of Public Health recommended everyone in New London, New Haven and Hartford counties wear masks indoors, but no mandate has been issued. In these counties, cases have surpassed 50 per 100,000 people over a seven-day period to be classified as having substantial spread, according to the CDC. At Main Brace Package Store in Niantic, customers were not wearing masks on Thursday while some employees had face coverings. Carol Gill, who co-owns the liquor store, said she wears a masks all the time when shes in public because she has respiratory issues. She said she has been following the CDC guidance closely and realizes that transmission is on the rise in New London County. Gill said she is considering requiring people to wear masks when entering Main Brace, but she first wants to consult with her son, who co-owns the business. Ill talk to my son about it and see what he says, she said. Were (employees) wearing masks most of us. Gill said she is starting to see more people wear masks in Niantic and surrounding towns. For a while there, after the vaccine came out, nobody was wearing masks, she said. Better safe than sorry. If it continues like this, we will probably ask our customers to wear a mask again. Gill said she doesnt understand when some of her customers say they refuse to wear masks again. Its ridiculous, she said. Its a simple thing to do. Its not hurting anything. At Hair Trendz, a salon in Old Lyme, owner Christi Laquitara said she heard the transmission status had increased in New London County. However, she does not plan to change anything for her business unless theres a state mandate. Im basically thinking that Connecticuts done pretty well with COVID, she said. I think that, in this area anyway, that we should be pretty good and I hope that we dont have to put the masks on again, because I think people were quite done with having to do that for a while. Local government responds When the CDC elevated New London Countys transmission level to substantial, the Ledge Light Health District, the countys local health department, updated its own guidance. The organization is recommending that everyone get vaccinated to help reduce the spread of the virus, but also to help prevent hospitalization, severe illness and death. With the delta variant, this is more urgent than ever, the new guidance shared by Director of Health Stephen Mansfield read. The highest spread of cases and severe outcomes is happening in places with low vaccination rates. Nearly 70 percent of all Connecticut residents have started vaccination and just over 63 percent are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC data as of Thursday. In New London County, about 69 percent have received at least one dose and about 64 percent are fully vaccinated, the data shows. While the health district was urging vaccinations across New London County, Old Lyme First Selectman Timothy Griswold said Thursday he had not been contacted by LLHD officials recommending a change in local protocols. Griswold said municipal buildings are open and while masks are recommended, they are not being required indoors. Im not aware that theres an active problem with Old Lyme, Griswold said. Im not aware of a recommendation to do anything other than the normal precautions. In New London, Mayor Michael Passero said Thursday the city will begin requiring everyone to wear masks in municipal buildings. Passero said New London officials have reinstated the mask mandate in municipal buildings after meeting with the health district on Thursday afternoon. Passero said his overriding concern was the safety of public employees, and previous guidance allowing vaccinated people to remove their masks had become outdated with the recent spread. Who knows whos vaccinated and who isnt? Passero said. Were much more comfortable just putting a sign on our public buildings saying, Everyone please wear a mask. Will new guidelines impact schools? The CDC also issued guidance that now recommends everyone in public schools wear a mask regardless of vaccination status. Given the high mixing of vaccinated and unvaccinated people in schools, and the fact that vaccines are not available to children under 12, we recommend schools do universal masking, LLHD said in its own guidance. When the CDCs new mask guidance was announced Tuesday, East Lyme Public Schools Superintendent Jeffrey Newton said his districts plans have not yet been finalized. We have no finalized plans as of yet regarding mask wearing in our school buildings. We will await further guidance and follow-up from the state Department of Education, DPH and LLHD as well as the districts medical advisor, Newton wrote in an email. In New London, school reopening plans have also not changed yet. We remain steadfast in our plan to reopen and return students to in-person learning in the fall, however, should new guidance be issued, we will pivot to adjust, Kate McCoy, executive director of district operations for New London Public Schools, said Thursday in an email. 3 1 of 3 Marcus Harun / Contributed photo Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Debra Barnes / Contributed photo Show More Show Less 3 of 3 * Marcus Haruns documentary Essential Journalists: How Coronavirus Changed TV News was recently honored in the Online News category in the 42nd Annual Telly Awards. Harun is a journalist with experience working in ten newsrooms and is the CEO of Harun Media. Harun, who holds an MBA and a BA from Quinnipiac University, grew up in Hamden and now lives in New Rochelle, NY with his wife, Rabiah. He is a news producer at MSNBC in New York, where he produces interviews with presidential candidates and congressional leaders and has written breaking news scripts for nearly every MSNBC anchor including Brian Williams, Craig Melvin, Andrea Mitchell, Yasmin Vossoughian, and Alicia Menendez. Before moving to New York, he worked in local news for five years. As Executive Producer of FOX Connecticuts 7-hour morning show, he led a team of 25 reporters, anchors and producers, according to a statement. * Joshua M. Williams of West Haven, a student in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of New Haven, has been named to the Dean's List for the Spring 2021 semester. He is working on a bachelor of science degree in biology BRIDGEPORT The Bridgeport superintendent evaluation came to a close on Thursday with mostly favorable reviews and a 12 percent raise for Superintendent Michael Testani. Of the seven evaluations submitted, the superintendent scored an overall average of 4.44 out of 5. The board proposed raising his base pay from $245,000 to $275,000, retroactive to July 1 technically the start of a new school year. He was paid on that low end because he was brand new, said John Weldon, the board chairman. His work during the pandemic, he really proved himself to be every bit as competent as his peers. The superintendents in comparably sized Stamford and Norwalk made $300,500 and $290,000 respectively last school year, according to a Hearst Connecticut Media analysis. However, superintendents in New Haven and Waterbury made less than $250,000 for the 2020-21 school year. The average superintendent salary in Fairfield County is $253,312, according to the analysis. It was the first scored job review for Testani, who was promoted from acting schools superintendent to superintendent in January 2020. The month-long process began with a presentation by the superintendent to the board on his accomplishments. Board members then filled out evaluations, which included numerical scores and written comments, and brought them to a mid-July meeting, where his performance was discussed in executive session. But board members decided to extend the evaluation, giving those who hadnt submitted paperwork the chance to do so and those who did an opportunity to revise. Sybil Allen was the only board member to submit an evaluation during that time; Jessica Martinez and Chris Taylor did not provide feedback either chance for submission. Martinez, as well as board member Sosimo Fabian, were not at the meeting. The assessment had board members rate the superintendent in five areas. Testanis top scores came out of operations and finance (4.62 out of 5), while his lowest were in relationships with personnel (4.23 out of 5) and the school board (4.33 out of 5). Those were measures that board members Joseph Sokolovic and Albert Benejan thought he could improve on. The other categories were community relationships (4.56 out of 5) and educational leadership (4.45 out of 5). In written comments, board members praised the way Testani navigated the pandemic, remote schooling and a return to in-person classes. They also complimented his work on the school district budget and advocating for additional funding, and his availability to students and others at round-tables and forums. A point on which the board members diverged was his relationships with the school board and personnel. Benejan and Sokolovic encouraged Testani to seek and better accept constructive criticism, while others including Fabian, Joseph Lombard and Weldon described it as an area of strength. With the evaluation finalized, the meeting turned to the subject of salary. At the meeting, Sokolovic suggested an amendment to make the $30,000 raise contingent on Testani moving to Bridgeport, but the motion was not seconded. Testani, who has described himself as living five minutes away from the office, resides in a neighboring town. A residency requirement has been an ongoing source of contention during contract negotiations, after his predecessor Aresta Johnson, a Black woman, had to move from Waterbury to Bridgeport. I think Mr. Testani does deserve a raise, hes done a fine job, nothing against him, said Sokolovic. But I do believe we should put a restriction in that it starts when he establishes bona fide residence. And also I believe the percentage is way too high for a district that we are really low on funds and cutting programs. The base pay raise passed, 6-1, with Sokolovic voting against it. No one threw out any number in between, said Bobbi Brown. Weldon suggested he was less concerned with the percentage increase than with giving Testani a salary competitive with those of nearby superintendents. Negotiations are supposed to be give and take, Sokolovic told Hearst Connecticut Media after the meeting. A back and forth. There was only one number mentioned and immediately settled upon. Do I need to get tested for COVID-19 if Im vaccinated? Yes, if youve been around someone who has COVID-19. The latest guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people who are fully vaccinated should get tested three to five days after a potential exposure, even if they dont have symptoms. That change comes two months after the agency eased its initial testing guidance. In May, the CDC said vaccinated people face very little risk of serious illness and dont need to be tested in most cases, even if exposed to someone who was sick. The thinking was that vaccinated people also weren't likely to spread it to others. But the agency says it's reversing that guidance because of the more contagious delta variant, which now accounts for most COVID-19 infections. The COVID-19 vaccines are still very good at protecting people from getting seriously ill, but the CDC says new data shows vaccinated people infected with the delta variant could spread it to others. Doctors, nurses and other health care workers should consult with their employers, some of whom may require routine testing for their staff. People working in prisons and homeless shelters are also generally subject to stepped-up testing requirements. U.S. citizens returning from abroad still have to present a negative COVID-19 test before boarding their flights home, regardless of their vaccination status. Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 should still isolate for 10 days, the CDC says. ___ The AP is answering your questions about the coronavirus in this series. Submit them at: FactCheck@AP.org. Read more here: What is a COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough case? Should vaccinated people mask up with COVID-19 cases rising? What should I know about the delta variant? DETROIT (AP) Former Sen. Carl Levin, a powerful voice on military issues in Washington and a staunch supporter of the auto industry back home in Michigan during his record tenure in the U.S. Senate, has died. He was 87. The Harvard-educated civil rights attorney and former taxi driver, who for decades carried his faded 1953 auto union membership card in his wallet, died Thursday, his family and the Levin Center at Wayne State Universitys law school announced in an evening statement. We are all devastated by his loss. But we are filled with gratitude for all of the support that Carl received throughout his extraordinary life and career, enabling him to touch so many people and accomplish so much good, the statement said. First elected to the Senate in 1978, Levin represented Michigan longer than any other senator, targeting tax shelters, supporting manufacturing jobs and pushing for military funding. His tenure was a testament to voters approval of the slightly rumpled, down-to-earth Detroit native whom Time magazine ranked among the nations 10 best senators in 2006. Hes just a very decent person, Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, a fellow Senate Armed Services Committee member, said in 2008. Hes unpretentious, unassuming. He never forgets that what were doing is enmeshed with the lives of the people he represents. A Washington insider and former prosecutor known for his professorial bearing, Levin took a civil but straightforward approach that allowed him to work effectively with Republicans and fellow Democrats. He was especially astute on defense matters thanks to his years as the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee. And he didnt fear speaking his mind. He was in the minority even among his Democratic Senate colleagues when he voted against sending U.S. troops to Iraq in 2002, and two years later he said President George W. Bushs administration had written the book on how to mismanage a war. He gave a cautious endorsement to President Barack Obamas 2009 buildup of troops in Afghanistan, but later warned of the beginnings of fraying of Democratic support. He was also critical of President Ronald Reagans buildup of nuclear weapons, saying it came at the expense of conventional weapons needed to maintain military readiness. But, colleagues said, he almost always engendered a feeling of respect. Weve always had a very trusting and respectful relationship, the late-Republican Sen. John Warner, who worked closely for years with Levin on the Armed Services Committee, once said. We do not try to pull surprises on each other. The security of the nation and the welfare of the armed services come first. President Joe Biden, who served with Levin in the Senate for 30 years, said Friday he was one of the most honorable and decent people I have ever known. Levin, he said, was brilliant, humble and principled embodying the best of who we are as Americans. Famous for wearing his eyeglasses down on his nose, Levin seemed to be the same candid, hardworking guy wherever he went, whether he was in front of cameras on Capitol Hill, on an overseas fact-finding mission or lost in the crowd of a college football stadium on game day. No one would accuse Carl Levin of looking like Hollywoods version of a U.S. Senator. Hes pudgy, balding and occasionally rumpled, and he constantly wears his glasses at the very tip of his nose, Time magazine said in its 2006 article ranking the senator among the countrys best. Still, the Michigan Democrat has gained respect from both parties for his attention to detail and deep knowledge of policy, especially in his role as a vigilant monitor of businesses and federal agencies. A foe of fraud and waste, Levin led an investigation in 2002 into Enron Corp., which had declared bankruptcy the previous year amid financial scandals. The probe contributed to a new federal law that requires executives to sign off on financial statements so they could be criminally liable for posting phony numbers. Levin pushed legislation designed to crack down on offshore tax havens, which he said cost the U.S. government at least $100 billion a year in lost taxes. He also was an advocate for stem cell research and gun control. Closer to home, Levin promoted policies benefiting the auto industry and supported giving $25 billion in loan guarantees to General Motors and Chrysler. He argued that a vibrant domestic auto industry was crucial to rebuilding the economy after the Great Recession. He also was a member of a task force supporting efforts to fight pollution and other environmental problems affecting the Great Lakes. If youve ever worn the uniform, worked a shift on an assembly line, or sacrificed to make ends meet, then youve had a voice and a vote in Sen. Carl Levin, Obama said in 2013. No one has worked harder to bring manufacturing jobs back to our shores, close unfair tax loopholes and ensure that everyone plays by the same set of rules. Carl Milton Levin was born in Detroit on June 28, 1934, and he stayed in the Motor City for most of his life. After high school, he spent time as a taxi driver and worked on auto assembly plant lines to help put himself through school. Always proud of having helped build the DeSoto and Ford trucks at a plant in Highland Park, he held onto his United Auto Workers union membership card for decades. That ended when his wallet was stolen. He earned a bachelors degree in political science from Swarthmore College in 1956, and a law degree from Harvard in 1959. He married his wife, Barbara, two years later, and together they raised three daughters. Levin fell in line with his familys strong sense of civic duty in 1964, when he was named an assistant state attorney general and the first general counsel for the Michigan Civil Rights Commission. His older brother, former longtime U.S. Rep. Sander Sandy Levin, had a liberal voting record on many social issues, while their father served on the Michigan Corrections Commission, a citizens group that oversaw prison operations, and their mother volunteered for a Jewish organization. Carl Levin was Michigan's only Jewish senator. He once said that public service was in his DNA, and politics often was discussed at the dinner table when he was a boy. He dove into public office when Detroit voters elected him to the City Council in 1969, and he served as its president before ousting a Republican to win the 1978 Senate race. He won the seat five more times but decided against running for a seventh term in 2014. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called Levin a champion for Michigan. He saw what we were capable of when we came to the table as Michiganders, as Americans, to get things done," she said. Carl devoted his life to public service, and it us up to us to follow his example. After his retirement, the Levin Center at Wayne Law was established to promote fact-based, bipartisan oversight by Congress and state legislatures and to encourage civil dialogue on public policy issues. He chaired the center and co-taught law courses. He also was a partner and distinguished counsel at the Honigman law firm in Detroit. His memoir, Getting to the Heart of the Matter: My 36 Years in the Senate, was published in March. The Navy named a destroyer for him to honor his years of public service. His nephew, Andy Levin, was reelected in 2020 to his fathers 9th Congressional District seat that represents parts of suburban Detroit. Carl Levin personified integrity and the notion of putting the public good above self-interest," Andy Levin said, calling him the very picture of sober purpose and rectitude. In truth, he wasnt unfun. In fact, he often pierced tense situations with self-deprecating humor, and he privately shared incisive observations about others with staff and colleagues. Carl Levin is survived by his wife, their three adult daughters, Kate, Laura and Erica, and several grandchildren. There will be a private funeral. Information about a public memorial will be forthcoming. ___ Eggert reported from Lansing, Michigan. BRIDGEPORT A Fairfield University professor is suing a student who complained to school administrators that he had gotten an unfair grade. Sharlene McEvoy, a business law professor, is also suing Fairfield University claiming officials there defamed her after they determined the student was right. The lawsuit, filed in Superior Court, seeks an order prohibiting school officials from altering the grade she gave the student and unspecified money damages. McEvoys lawyer, Daniel Kryzanski, of Stratford, said neither he nor his client had any comment on the lawsuit. McEvoy is a tenured professor and has been teaching at Fairfield University since 1986, according to the suit. The lawsuit states that in the Spring of 2020, Joseph Moran, of New Jersey, was enrolled in McEvoys legal environment of business class. Because of the pandemic the final exam for the class, which accounted for 100 percent of the students grade in the class, was done remotely, the suit states. In McEvoys instructions for taking the exam, she specifically required that the exam had to be mailed by USPS. McEvoy provided the prepaid envelope and paid for tracking, the suit states. The exam package was sent to all of the students on May 28, 2020, the suit states. The instructions required that the exam be mailed to McEvoys home address to arrive no later than June 12, 2020. The instructions stated in part; No late papers will be accepted. If it is not received on or before the above date, you will receive a zero for the exam. The lawsuit continues that Moran mailed his exam to McEvoy on June 8, 2020 but failed to track delivery of the exam. McEvoy did not receive the exam until June 16 and she gave Moran a failing grade. After receiving his failing grade, the suit states that Moran wrote an email to Carl Scheraga, chairman of McEvoys department complaining about his grade and stating, I do not feel comfortable with Professor McEvoy re-grading my paper from a non-bias way after going to the head of the department and the dean of students. By reaching out to Scheraga, Moran violated the Fairfield University Student Academic Grievance Procedure which states in part that if a student has a grievance, the student must first attempt to resolve any academic grievance with the faulty member..., according to the suit. The lawsuit states that McEvoy eventually agreed to regrade Morans exam after talking to college administrators. She gave him a C minus. Not satisfied with this grade, the suit states that Moran further appealed to administrators. Following a grievance hearing, on May 5, 2021, Christine Siegel, the universitys provost, stated in a letter to McEvoy that she had determined the evaluation by McEvoy that led to the grade was prejudiced and authorized the grade changed to pass. Defendant Morans statement that he did not feel comfortable with (the Plaintiff) re-grading his paper from a non-bias way was defamatory in that he was representing that he felt she would be biased in grading his paper just because he filed a complaint with the Fairfield administration, the lawsuit states. It continues that Siegel also violated the Student Academic Grievance Procedure by agreeing to address Morans grievance outside of that process. During a hearing on a motion to dismiss the case earlier this week, Jonathan Sterling, the lawyer for Fairfield University and Moran, argued that McEvoy hadnt exhausted the administrative remedies available to her before filing the lawsuit because she had refused to participate in the school grievance hearing. Sterling did not return calls or emails for comment on the lawsuit. Kryzanski argued that his client wasnt allowed to participate in the grievance process. I was specifically not permitted to participate in this procedure. I was told she wasnt allowed to have an attorney at the meetings where they claimed they were going to go through this due process procedure, Kryzanski told Superior Court Judge Barry Stevens. Stevens did not immediately rule on the motion to dismiss. BRIDGEPORT The owner of a city furniture store was ordered Friday to stay away from three women who have accused him of sexually assaulting them in the store. Hennawi Salem, 59, owner of Salem Furniture on Porter Street, is charged with two counts of third-degree sexual assault, two counts of fourth-degree sexual assault, two counts of disorderly conduct and one count of risk of injury to a child. He is accused of groping the women while they were trying out mattresses in the store, telling them this is what your husband should do to you, according to police. During Salems arraignment hearing Friday afternoon, Superior Court Judge Kevin Doyle issued Salem a protective order barring him from any further contact with the victims. Absolutely no contact is allowed under this order, the judge told him. I understand, Salem responded through a Spanish interpreter. I read him the police reports, he knows to stay away from the protected individuals, Salems lawyer, Erin Field, told the judge. Salem did not enter pleas to the charges and the judge continued the case to Sept. 14. He is free on a total of $190,000 bonds. Both Salem and Field declined comment as they left the Golden Hill Street courthouse. According to the arrest warrants, in each case the women were shopping for mattresses at the furniture store when they were approached by Salem, who identified himself as the owner of the store, and offered to show them a better selection of mattresses in the basement. He led the women to the basement level where he had some mattresses lined up and urged them to lay down on them to try them out, the affidavit state. In each case, the affidavits state that Salem convinced the women to roll over on their stomachs to get a better feel for the mattress and then began massaging their back sides. One affidavit states that a victim immediately jumped up, telling Salem, This aint no massage parlor, and ran out of the store. The other two women lay stunned on the mattresses as Salem told them that what he was doing to them was good for them, the affidavit states. One woman had her 11-year-old daughter with her when the assault happened, the affidavit states. The first alleged assault occurred in April 2019, the last was on July 1 of this year, according to the affidavits. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) North Korea said Friday that leader Kim Jong Un called for stronger capability to cope with any foreign provocation as he met with military officers ahead of annual drills next month between South Korea and the United States that Pyongyang views as an invasion rehearsal. Earlier this week, Kim reopened suspended communication channels with rival South Korea, raising hopes of reduced animosities on the Korean Peninsula. But some experts say Pyongyang could conduct missile tests or take other tension-raising actions in response to the drills, which Seoul and Washington have altered in past years to support diplomacy. The official Korean Central News Agency said Kim held the workshop of military commanders and political officers from July 24-27 to discuss ways to enhance the Norths military strength. It said it was the first such meeting since North Korea's military was founded. During the meeting, Kim stressed that commanders and political officers should focus all efforts on completing preparations for actively and offensively coping with any military provocation of enemies, KCNA said. Kim accused the hostile forces, an apparent reference to the U.S. and South Korea, of bolstering their capabilities for making a preemptive attack and intensifying "all sorts of frantic and persistent war drills for aggression. Kim ordered the workshop attendees to put greater efforts to boost their units' combat efficiency, KCNA said. Kims speech carried by KCNA didn't mention his nuclear program and didn't contain any fiery rhetoric against the United States or South Korea. In the past few years, South Korean and U.S. militaries have cancelled or scaled back some of their regular military exercises to support the now-stalled diplomacy on North Koreas nuclear program or due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Asked over a possibility for next months drills being canceled or downsized, Boo Seung-Chan, a spokesman at South Koreas Defense Ministry, told a briefing Thursday that Seoul and Washington were reviewing factors like the pandemics current status, efforts to achieve denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and their combined military readiness. Some experts say North Korea could test-fire powerful missiles if the United States and South Korea conduct the drills in a full-fledged manner. U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear program remain stalled for about 2 years due to disputes over international sanctions on the North. During the diplomatic impasse, Kim has threatened to build up his nuclear arsenal if Washington doesn't withdraw policies it considers hostile to North Korea. MANILA, Philippines (AP) The Philippines will keep having large-scale combat exercises with the United States after President Rodrigo Duterte retracted his decision to terminate a key defense pact in a move that may antagonize an increasingly belligerent China. Dutertes decision was announced Friday by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana in a joint news conference with visiting U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin in Manila. It was a step back from the Philippine leaders stunning vow early in his term to distance himself from Washington as he tried to rebuild frayed ties with China over years of territorial rifts in the South China Sea. The president decided to recall or retract the termination letter for the VFA, Lorenzana told reporters after an hour-long meeting with Austin, referring to the Visiting Forces Agreement. There is no termination letter pending and we are back on track. Austin thanked Duterte for the decision, which he said would further bolster the two nations 70-year treaty alliance. Our countries face a range of challenges, from the climate crises to the pandemic and, as we do, a strong, resilient US-Philippine alliance will remain vital to the security, stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific, Austin said. A fully restored VFA will help us achieve that goal together. Terminating the pact would have been a major blow to Americas oldest alliance in Asia, as Washington squares with Beijing on a range of issues, including trade, human rights and Chinas behavior in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety. The U.S. military presence in the region is seen as a counterbalance to China, which has used force to assert claims to vast areas of the disputed South China Sea, including the construction of artificial islands equipped with airstrips and military installations. China has ignored and continues to defy a 2016 international arbitration ruling that invalidated its historic basis. China, the Philippines, Vietnam and three other governments have been locked in the territorial standoff for decades. The U.S. doesnt lay any claim to the busy waterway and has sailed Navy warships close to Chinese-claimed islands on so-called freedom of navigation operations in a challenge to Beijing. Beijing has warned Washington to stay away from what it describes as a purely Asian dispute. In a speech in Singapore on Tuesday, Austin said that Beijings claim to the South China Sea has no basis in international law and treads on the sovereignty of states in the region. He said the U.S. supports the regions coastal states in upholding their rights under international law, and is committed to its defense treaty obligations with Japan and the Philippines. Duterte notified the U.S. government in February last year that the Philippines intended to abrogate the 1998 agreement, which allows large numbers of American forces to join combat training with Philippine troops and sets legal terms for their temporary stay. The pacts termination would have taken effect after 180 days, but Duterte has repeatedly delayed the decision. While it was pending, the U.S. and Philippine militaries proceeded with plans for combat and disaster-response exercises but canceled larger drills last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. and Philippine forces engage in about 300 activities each year, including the Balikatan, or shoulder-to-shoulder, exercises, which involve thousands of troops in land, sea and air drills that often included live fire. Theyve sparked Chinese protests when they were held on the periphery of the sea Beijing claims as its own. The Balikatan exercises resumed last April but were considerably scaled down due to continuing COVID-19 outbreaks and lockdowns. A Philippine military official told The Associated Press that the U.S. continued to provide intelligence and satellite and aircraft surveillance photos of Chinese activities in the South China Sea despite Dutertes earlier threat to abrogate the VFA. The U.S. images have helped the Philippines to become aware of encroachments and lodge diplomatic protests, said the military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity for lack of authority to speak publicly. Lorenzana said he was unaware of the reason behind Dutertes change of heart. The brash-talking president, who has been under intense pressure to contain one of Southeast Asias worst outbreaks, warned in December that he would proceed to abrogate the VFA if the U.S. did not provide at least 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine. No vaccine, no stay here, Duterte said then in blunt remarks that one Filipino senator said may have given the impression that the Philippines is a nation of extortionists. The Philippines recently received at least 3.2 million doses of Johnson & Johnsons COVID-19 vaccine from the U.S. through the COVAX global vaccine-sharing program, and has been assured of more American aid. President Joe Biden has said Americas vaccines were being donated to poorer countries to save lives and dont include pressure for favors or potential concessions. CT State Police / Contributed BRIDGEPORT Troopers continue to investigate a shooting on the highway that investigators believe was linked to a possible road rage incident, according to Connecticut State Police. The gunshots rang out around 3 p.m. July 21. State police said the shots were fired on Interstate 95 north in the area of Exit 28 through the city. Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media BRIDGEPORT Detectives are investigating leads after one person was shot on Remington Street Thursday night, according to police officials. Capt. Kevin Gilleran said the citys Emergency Operations Center received a report about 6:20 p.m. of a person being threatened by another individual, armed with a gun, in the 100 block of Remington Street. Moments later, a second call came in, this one reporting a person shot at the same location, Gilleran said. Millions of people in the U.S. who haven't gotten the COVID-19 vaccine could soon have a new reason to roll up their sleeves: money in their pockets. President Joe Biden is calling on states and local governments to join those that are already handing out dollars for shots. New York, the nation's biggest city, started doling out $100 awards on Friday. The president, health officials and state leaders are betting that the financial incentive will spur hesitant people to get the shot just as the highly contagious delta variant sweeps through parts of the country particularly those with low vaccination rates and as the number of daily inoculations falls sharply from its April high. Jay Vojno, getting his shot Friday in New York, said he figured some kind of incentive was coming, so he was willing to hold off on getting vaccinated until it did. I knew they were going to do it, so I just waited," he said. Bradley Sharp was among those getting a shot Friday in Times Square. The soon-to-be college student had been putting it off, but knew he would have to get vaccinated because the school he's going to attend requires it. I thought Id come here and get it today and get my hundred dollars because Im going to get it anyway, Sharp said. Other states are beginning programs to hand out money too. New Mexico helped pioneer cash incentives in June and is starting another $100 handout for vaccinations on Monday. Ohio is offering $100 to state employees who get vaccinated. Minnesota's $100 incentive started Friday, although several people who showed up at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to get jabbed with the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine hadn't heard about the money. Vidiya Sami, an office worker from the Minneapolis suburb of Richfield, went to the airport because it was the only location offering the one-and-done vaccine. "Thats why I chose it, Sami said. She said she delayed getting the shot because she was scared at first, especially reading about ... the side effects from other people." And then I kind of made myself more paranoid by joining Facebook groups, and reading everybody elses symptoms after they got the shots, she said. I was basically just giving myself anxiety, but the more I researched about it, you know, the pros outweighed the cons. Incentives are not new: States have tried lottery-like giveaways, free beer, gift cards and more. Whether they result in getting more people vaccinated is not clear, said Harald Schmidt, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a research associate at the school's Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics. Turning to such measures suggests that governments are facing a level of desperation in trying to get shots into arms, he said. It is right to be alarmed," Schmidt said. It is right to be thinking how do we right this ship. He added that he understands the motivation for cash incentives, but questioned why they're needed in the first place. If we just get needles into arms we havent really made any progress on the bigger picture, which is that whole communities are lacking trust in health care systems or the government," he said. California awarded $116.5 million in gift cards and prizes the nation's biggest pot of vaccine prize money. The spending was aimed at getting 70% of eligible people inoculated by June 15. As of Thursday, though, 62.5% of Californians 12 or older were fully vaccinated. In Colorado, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis insists a host of prizes, including five $1 million awards and 25 $50,000 college scholarships, are critical to the vaccination campaign. The state health department sends text messages to unvaccinated residents who live near scheduled clinic locations to alert them about a $100 Walmart gift card incentive. The state says clinics have seen a 40% increase in visits since the program was announced July 21. The Biden administration is betting the incentives will work. In a statement this week, the White House cited a grocery store chain that offered $100 to its workers to get the COVID-19 shot and then saw vaccination rates climb. State and local governments can use federal American Rescue Plan relief funding to provide the $100, according to the statement. ___ The description of the delta variant has been edited for clarity. ___ Associated Press writers Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis; David Martin in New York; Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, New Mexico; James Anderson in Denver; Olga R. Rodriguez in San Francisco and Andrew Welsh-Huggins in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report. WESTPORT Ramin Ganeshram knew that most people walked by the historical marker outside Westport Town Hall without giving it any thought. After all, she said, historical markers largely exist to be ignored. Frankly the old plaque, I dont know if anyone read it, said Ganeshram, executive director of the Westport Museum for Culture and History. It was one of those things that just become part of the property. But we happened to notice it and thought it was very lacking. The marker started by mentioning the first white settlement here in 1648, and doesnt mention the contributions or exploitation of indigenous people or enslaved Africans. It was very Eurocentric, Ganeshram said. What was missing was the fact that there was a native settlement here for 7,500 years and that the white settlement was predicated on the destruction of that native community. She said it also omitted that the town was built largely through the forced labor of indigenous and African slaves. The story is not whole in the way it is told in that plaque, Ganeshram said. A few years ago, Ganeshram and others had an informal discussion with the town leaders about the plaque and how it could be more inclusive. But, she said, nothing really changed until the past year, when the museum was contacted by the First Selectmans Office about providing information for a new, more inclusive marker. In July, the town replaced the historical marker at Town Hall with one acknowledging that, among other things, the area was once home to native Paugussets who were driven away after the Great Swamp Fight between the Pequot tribe and European colonizers. The town also added a marker at 22 Main St. to remember the tragedy that befell upon the Black community there in 1949 when a fire broke out in the section of the building used as a church. All of the buildings (primarily Black) residents escaped, but most of the structure and nearly all of the residents possessions were destroyed. Arson was suspected, but there was no investigation. A third marker with Westports Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity statement is planned and currently underway. The new markers are a collaboration between the Westport Museum for Culture and History, the First Selectmans Office and TEAM Westport, which stands for Together Effectively Achieving Multiculturalism. TEAM Westport chair Harold Bailey Jr. said adding historical markers and changing existing ones is an idea that had been discussed at several TEAM meetings. Its one of those things that had been floated around for a while, he said. The idea behind the markers is to acknowledge the sacrifices and contributions of early Black and indigenous residents of Westport, Bailey said, adding that the town is far from the only one where non-White residents where exploited and mistreated. This was something whole country did, Bailey said. The problem Westport had was the same problem all of Connecticut had and it was the same problem the whole country had. In addition to acknowledging Westports difficult racial history, the new Town Hall marker also discusses the influx of writers, artists and actors into Westport before World War I, and the growth of a thriving Jewish community in town. This wasnt about erasing anyones story, but about including the story of everyone who was there at the time, Ganeshram said of the new markers. In a statement, First Selectman Jim Marpe said the town has a commitment to depict the full picture of its history. Today we realize that each day, we learn more about our history and new facts come to light, he said. These markers are customizable and can be modified, so that we can continue to tell an exhaustive and inclusive representation of Westports history, from the Indigenous to current times. As the overall economy is making strides, many Americans continue to experience financial difficulties as they did before the COVID-19 pandemic. Amid concerns over the impact the last year and a half have had on consumers financial well-being, a few members of Congress have once again called attention to claims of deceptive practices relating to financial services. For instance, on the 10th anniversary of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warrena long-time critic of undisclosed overdraft practicescalled for oversight to hold bad actors accountable for predatory behavior. In June, New York Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney introduced legislation to amend the Truth in Lending Act to establish fair and transparent practices related to the marketing and provision of overdraft coverage programs. Like her eight previous attempts, the proposed Overdraft Protection Act of 2021 targets unreasonable fees, undisclosed processes and procedures; limits the number of fees charged; requires consumer opt-in for overdraft coverage; seeks to improve transparency and disclosures; and more. Latest proposal lacks anything new Interestingly, many of Representative Maloneys recommendations have already been put into place. It seems unlikely this latest legislative effort will restrict the ability of credit unions to provide such a valuable service to members. Since 2005, regulators have been consistent in addressing issues related to providing consumers with clear, easily understandable disclosures and ongoing compliant communication to increase awareness of how to access and utilize overdraft services. With that said, if you are offering a well-managed, easy-to-understand and consumer-focused program, you are headed in the right direction. Commit to improving member communications With the continued focus on transparency, its a responsible business practice to have simplified and effective communication with your members. Reviewing and evaluating your programs communication impact is the best way to alleviate any confusion about how your program works and the fees associated with its use. For that reason, having the right resources to offer effective employee training is essential to making your efforts successful. Given that the work environment has been disrupted for so long, regularly offering educational opportunities for all staff interacting with members can make all the difference. Whether in-person, by phone, through a chat function, or on your website or social mediayour members should hear the same message. Without periodic reminders and reinforcement, its not unusual for important details and best practices to be overlooked. Often staff may lose the confidence to explain program specifics that continue to attract the attention of some lawmakers and consumer advocates. Comprehensive training delivered through convenient and effective channels for all learning styles ensures employees have a more thorough understanding of your overdraft program details and the certainty to explain the service to your members with confidence. Be mindful of expectations and best practices In addition to providing staff training resources, your programs practices and procedures need to measure up to both regulatory and consumer expectations. Here are a few things to consider that can put your credit union at risk if your program is out of sync: Are your overdraft fees significantly greater than the amount of the item being cleared? Do your item-clearing procedures maximize overdrafts and related fees? Do you charge overdraft fees on ATM and debit card transactions to those who have not opted in for the service? Are your overdraft limits and fees consistent and easy to understand? How knowledgeable is your staff when it comes to disclosing the details of how your overdraft program works? Do all of your members hear the same message? Are your members well informed about the alternative services you provide to help them with occasional liquidity needs? Mitigate potential compliance concerns While there are currently no imminent signs of new overdraft program regulations, the focus on consumer protection issues remains strong. An experienced overdraft program provider will help you navigate the complexities of the regulatory environment and mitigate any potential compliance issuesincluding litigation. And by increasing your commitment to employee training and program transparency, you can worry less about successfully demonstrating your commitment to providing conscientious financial services to all of your members. Credit unions searching for candidates to fill C-suite positions typically think in terms of two possibilities: internal candidates and external candidates. But there is a third possibility for finding qualified candidates: members of their own boards of directors. Two credit unions had similar experiences in tapping the talent of board members to fill the role of chief information officer. CUES member Rob Theriot joined the board at $470 million OnPath Federal Credit Union, Harahan, Louisiana, in July 2019 and then moved into the CIO position in October 2020. Cheri Spence served for 20 years on the board of a credit union in Richmond, Virginia, including 15 years as chair, until its 2019 merger with $600 ValleyStar Credit Union in Martinsville, Virginia. She served on the ValleyStar CU board for about a year and a half before being hired as CIO in February 2021. These two board members were well-qualified to become CIOs. Spence has amassed more than 25 years of CIO experience, most recently as a global CIO for an international company, before taking early retirement in 2020. When the position of CIO became available at ValleyStar CU, she came out of retirement to take the job. Gary Hill Cobb, 67, died suddenly at his home in Cullman on July 31, 2021. He was born in Cullman on May 29, 1954. He had been beset by a number of chronic physical problems over the years. A graduate of the University of North Alabama, Gary had graduate degrees from UAB and UAH. He was prec Twitter Celebrity Hack Suspect Arrested A British man has been arrested in Spain on suspicion of hacking some 130 celebrities' Twitter accounts in July last year. Joseph O'Connor was arrested in the coastal resort town of Estepona on an international warrant, the US Department of Justice has disclosed. O'Connor has been charged in the United States for alleged involvement in a widespread Twitter hack that compromised the accounts of a number of prominent US politicians, celebrities and tech moguls including those of Elon Musk, Barack Obama and Kanye West. The compromised accounts were was used to send messages to followers, encouraging them to join a Bitcoin scam. Also charged with hacking TikTok and Snapchat, O'Connor faces charges including three counts of conspiracy to intentionally access a computer without authorisation and obtaining information from a protected computer. The San Francisco Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been investigating the case, helped by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Cyber Crimes Unit and the United States Secret Service. A criminal complaint filed in federal court in the Northern District of California does not identify the popular TikTok personality whose account was compromised, but the date in the charging document matches up with the date that Addison Rae, who has about 82 million followers, revealed that she had been hacked. Hackers took control of public figures' accounts and sent a series of tweets asking followers to transfer crypto currency to a specific Bitcoin wallet to receive double the money in return. As a result, Twitter had to stop all verified accounts from tweeting. The social-media company later said the hackers had targeted Twitter employees to steal credentials to access the systems. Reuters: Sophos: Euronews: WSJ: DailyBeast: BBC: You Might Also Read: Donald Trump Had His Twitter Account Hacked: Elizabeth City, NC (27909) Today Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain for the afternoon. High 74F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Rain and thunderstorms. Low 68F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Elizabeth City, NC (27909) Today Cloudy with periods of rain. High around 75F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Rain and thunderstorms. Low 68F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Ashland, KY (41101) Today Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 79F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A shower or two around the area early, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%. Ashland, KY (41101) Today Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 80F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. @ChescoCourtNews on Twitter Michael P. Rellahan has been a staff reporter and editor at the Daily Local News since 1982. He has covered all kinds of news over the years but is now assigned to report on court and legal news, as well as Chester County government news and politics. Many readers will call me at best irresponsible, at worst a potential murderer, when I admit that after much soul-searching, Ive finally deleted the NHS Covid app from my mobile phone. Of those who would like to see me lynched, some will have lost dearly loved friends and relations to this horrible virus and to them I can offer only my deep sympathy and say that I understand their anger. It is often a comfort in bereavement to find someone to blame. But I hope others will understand when I say that my reasons for deleting the app, and thereby avoiding the risk of being pinged, are not entirely selfish. For Ive come to the view that the current pingdemic is causing more hardship, unhappiness and harm to the health and welfare of the nation than the app was devised to prevent. Before I go any further, I must stress that I have no scientific training (which is something I have in common with most of the Cabinet) and the last thing I intend to do is to encourage others to follow my example, which many experts will argue is a very bad one. I must confess that when the software first became available, I resisted downloading it Challenge Although it is not against the law to delete the app nor indeed to fail to self-isolate if it pings it is clearly a weighty moral decision, which none of us should take lightly. Many, almost certainly a majority, will take the opposite view from mine, and I think none the worse of them for that. No, my only purpose is to explain my reasons for acting as I have done, and to invite readers to challenge me if they disagree. If they persuade me that Im wrong, Ill have no hesitation in downloading the app again and obeying its advice to self-isolate if it pings. I must confess that when the software first became available, I resisted downloading it. This was partly because of my extreme incompetence with technology, about which Ive often written, but also because the libertarian in me strongly disliked the idea of carrying around a device that might allow the Government to track my every movement. No, my only purpose is to explain my reasons for acting as I have done, and to invite readers to challenge me if they disagree. If they persuade me that Im wrong, Ill have no hesitation in downloading the app again and obeying its advice to self-isolate if it pings But soon I became fed up with writing down my name, telephone number and time of arrival every time I went to the pub (which was often, when they finally reopened). I found the app was much easier to understand than Id feared, and it made checking in to my local much simpler, at the mere touch of a button. I also came to believe that my earlier fears about being monitored by Big Brother were probably misplaced, since the app promises anonymity to its users. Another attraction was the very fact that those pings are merely advisory. Had I gone on signing in to the pub with my name and telephone number, I risked being contacted by a real-life Test and Trace employee, whose instructions to self-isolate are legally enforceable. On that last point, of course nobody at the pub ever checked that the phone number I gave was genuine (although I assure readers that it was). Indeed, a young female friend tells me that she always wrote down the number of an ex-boyfriend who dumped her! But Im not that wicked. Nor, after I downloaded the app, did I ever switch off the Bluetooth function on my phone, which would have disabled the app. Many young people are not so scrupulous. Others avoid being pinged by merely holding up their phones to a venues QR code, without actually pressing the button. Ive seen them do it, and they are seldom challenged by the bar staff. Indeed, a YouGov poll last week found that more than a third of those who at first downloaded the app had either deleted it, like me, or abused it in ways like those Ive mentioned. But as I say, while I still had the app on my phone I abided by the rules and so lived in daily dread of facing the moral dilemma of a ping: should I self-isolate, or simply ignore it? Minuscule As it happens, the ping from the app never came. If it had, however, Im almost certain that I would have found the moral pressure to obey the official advice so strong that I would have meekly locked myself away for ten days. But to what purpose? Look, I had my first AstraZeneca jab at the end of January, and my second in late March. There is strong and mounting evidence that this and the other vaccines are extremely effective not only in protecting those who have had both doses from serious illness with Covid, but in preventing us from infecting others. Indeed, if the research findings are anywhere near accurate, those of us lucky enough to have had both doses present only a minuscule risk to others a smaller danger, I would venture, than the possibility of spreading flu in the days of earlier epidemics, when nobody would have dreamed of imposing a lockdown. Yet while infections are in decline, the numbers of those pinged by the app are going through the roof 689,313 last week alone. Add those contacted by Test and Trace staff, and were talking about 1.2 million people told to isolate in just seven days. You dont have to be a scientist to realise that something is seriously wrong with the app. You have only to listen to the huge wealth of anecdotal evidence, such as the letter in yesterdays paper from Clive Sillis, of Kings Lynn, Norfolk. A few weeks ago, he wrote, my wife and I returned from Spain and had to quarantine for ten days. We had three negative PCR tests, then on day seven we were pinged. We were told that in the previous two days we had been in contact with a person with Covid and would need to isolate for ten days, but, of course, we hadnt seen anyone. I called the helpline and was told the ping must have been a mistake. You dont have to be a scientist to realise that something is seriously wrong with the app Meanwhile, the pingdemics damage to the nations physical and economic health can be seen every day in the cancelled hospital appointments, the empty supermarket shelves, the trains delayed, roadworks abandoned, and shops and pubs closed for lack of staff Damage Multiply Mr Silliss experience by any number of similar stories, and it begins to emerge that the great majority of those pinged present no significant risk to anyone. Meanwhile, the pingdemics damage to the nations physical and economic health can be seen every day in the cancelled hospital appointments, the empty supermarket shelves, the trains delayed, roadworks abandoned, and shops and pubs closed for lack of staff. So why does the Government stick rigidly to its line that we should take all this pinging with the utmost seriousness? And why, if the double-jabbed who test negative are to be spared self-isolation after August 16, can they not be spared it today? I can think of only two possible reasons. One is that ministers have been so over-awed by scientific advisers, whose job is to be ultra-cautious, that they see the pingdemic as a face-saving way of prolonging the lockdown under another name, after promising us Freedom Day on July 19. The other is that the Government has sunk so much of our cash into this wretched Test and Trace programme 37 billion that it darent admit the app is riddled with flaws. So until someone persuades me that Im wrong, Im sticking by my decision to delete it. As it happens, I was planning to discuss my thoughts for this column at the pub, where my fellow regulars meet at lunchtime most Thursdays. But when I arrived there yesterday, I found it closed, with a notice on the door saying: We regret to inform you that due to our team members having to self-isolate, we will be operating on shorter opening hours. The harm the app does can be seen all around us. The good is much harder to discern. Amid escalating costs and post-Covid pressure on the public finances, the Government is under increasing pressure to officially halt work on the Eastern leg of HS2 connecting London and Birmingham to Leeds which is due to open between 2036 and 2040. Critics argue that HS2, a monumental piece of infrastructure and the biggest modernisation of Britains railways since Victorian times, is nothing more than a Boris Johnson vanity project and a vast waste of money. As with all infrastructure projects, the cost has soared from 32.7billion when the project was approved in 2012 (long before Johnson moved into Downing Street) to 107.7billion at last count. Mr Johnson should stand firm on HS2s Eastern leg and not allow himself to be dissuaded by the doubters and penny pinchers Among the reasons for the surging costs are a series of environmental studies that required the contractors to build 45 miles of tunnels and 37 miles of viaducts to protect ancient forests and the countryside and to ensure minimum disruption to life in the prosperous Tory shires. (Ironically, such expensive protective measures were not enough to prevent the Conservatives being given a bloody nose in the recent Chesham and Amersham by-election which saw the Liberal Democrats emerge victorious.) There are, however, high political stakes at play here. Mr Johnson has put levelling up front and centre of his Governments agenda. Certainly any decision to axe the Leeds link will be seen as a wilful act of neglect in the red wall constituencies in Yorkshire and the North East which voted heavily for the Tories in 2019. An alternative case is often made that the North would benefit far more by investing in and modernising existing commuter networks as well as creating a fit for purpose trans-Pennine link. But in reality money already has been allocated for better local Northern connections. High on the agenda, after HS2, is another high-speed link connecting the Northern cities. Critics of HS2 have been given renewed impetus by the pandemic, with a sharp drop in railway passengers and more meetings conducted digitally. But all the evidence from Japan, pioneers in high-speed rail travel, and parts of Continental Europe is that investment in more efficient travel brings prosperity. Commercial and residential housing development in and around the proposed stations for HS2 has already boosted investment in Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester, and the brownfield sites close to Euston station in North London. When Britains biggest bank HSBC opted to base its new UK headquarters in Birmingham, the proposed connections and speed of travel between North and South were undoubtedly a factor. Critics of HS2 have been given renewed impetus by the pandemic, with a sharp drop in railway passengers and more meetings conducted digitally Leeds already boasts an embryonic financial hub. Providing it with a superfast connection to London could see major financial and professional firms diverting to West Yorkshire. A Tory Government has a respo-nsibility to safeguard the public finances, but one should not confuse current department spending, which must be financed each year, with capital projects funded over many years and which bring a great economic legacy. Paying for infrastructure is like buying a house on a mortgage over 25 or 30 years. The UK is littered with brave but abandoned projects, including a 1970s plan and even foundations for an airport at Maplin in the Thames Estuary which by now could be relieving the pressures on an overstretched Heathrow. It was axed because of the inability of successive governments to think long-term. At its inception and through years of legislation, the proposals for a high-speed railway won support from both sides of the House. For decades green lobbyists have urged people and freight to get off the roads and on to trains. HS2 will do just that while delivering a great jobs and growth boost to Northern England. Mr Johnson should stand firm on HS2s Eastern leg and not allow himself to be dissuaded by the doubters and penny pinchers. A filmmaker's obsessive search to find a 21-year-old mother who vanished without a trace nearly 12 years ago is the subject of a new true crime docuseries. In Discovery+'s six-part series Relentless, director Christina Fontana explores the unfounded theories surrounding Christina Whittaker's mysterious disappearance in the small town of Hannibal, Missouri, where nothing is as it seems. 'What I find so intriguing about this case is that on the surface, it really did seem like there was this girl who was in the wrong place at the wrong time,' Fontana told Fox News. 'But once I started scratching underneath that surface and uncovering these layers to Christinas life, there was so much more to the story.' Vanished: The mysterious disappearance of Christina Whittaker, a 21-year-old mother from Hannibal, Missouri, in 2009 is the subject of the new true crime series Relentless The filmmaker was filming a separate documentary about families of missing persons when she met Whittaker's parents in 2010. They were so passionate about finding their daughter that she shifted the focus of her original project to focus solely on their case. Fontana has over 400 hours of footage from her 11-year investigation, which remains unsolved. She said there have been allegations against 'almost everyone in Christinas life,' including members of her family and the police. Whittaker disappeared on November 13, 2009, after going out with friends. There were eye-witness accounts of the young mom being intoxicated and getting into an altercation with someone at the bar, which led to her being kicked out. She was separated from her friends and went to two other nearby bars, reportedly begging people for a ride home along the way. She was last seen leaving one of the bars around 1 a.m. Obsessed: Filmmaker Christina Fontana started investigating the case in 2010 after meeting Whittaker's parents, who were desperate to find her Mystery: Whittaker disappeared on November 13, 2009, after going out with friends. She left behind her six-month-old daughter 'She had come alone, visibly upset and she was on the phone arguing with someone,' Fontana said. 'The bartender had asked her, "Do you need anything? Would you like a ride home?" And she said, "No, Im OK." And ran out the back door. The next morning, her phone was found on the ground. That was the last time anyone had seen her.' Whittaker left behind her six-month-old daughter, and her sudden disappearance has spawned hundreds of theories as to what has happened to her. Her mother, Cindy Young, is convinced that she was taken to Peoria, Illinois, against her will and put into sex trafficking. She believes her daughter was brainwashed into thinking she can't go home. Young shared her theory with the local ABC 7 news station KHQA on the 10th anniversary of Whittaker's disappearance in 2019. Theory: Whittaker's mother, Cindy Young, is convinced she was taken to Peoria, Illinois, against her will and put into sex trafficking Hard to handle: There are theories that Whittaker was murdered or died in a hit and run, but there is no evidence to back up any of the claims, and the case remains unsolved 'Christina, if you see this, honey, please contact me,' she said, hoping her daughter was watching. 'Please give just a call. No ones going to make you do anything you dont want to do. We all need you. We need you back home. 'You dont have to come if you dont want, but at least call me, and let me know youre okay,' she added. 'I need to hear your voice. I just want you to know I love you with all my heart. Youre my little hero, little survivor. Im so proud of you. Youve got nothing to be ashamed of.' The Hannibal Police Department told KHQA that it had interviewed more than 200 people during its investigation and worked with 45 agencies from across the country to obtain leads. Lt. Jennifer Grote said the FBI came to Hannibal two months into the case to investigate, and the department also interviewed prisoners behind bars who were convicted of other crimes. Missing: Whittaker was last seen leaving a bar around 1 a.m., according to Fontana, and her cellphone was later found on the ground outside Rumors: 'This isn't just a story of a girl gone missing,' the director explained in the trailer for the series. 'This is also a story of a small town filled with dark secrets' Fontana investigated a number of theories while filming the documentary. One popular belief is that Whittaker has been living in Peoria of her own volition this entire time. Another suggests she was murdered and her body was disposed of at a hog farm. There was even a theory that she was killed in a hit and run, but neither Fontana nor any of the private investigators working on the case have been able to uncover evidence that proves any of these suspicions. However, the information they do uncover doesn't match what they have been told by Cindy and her husband Alex Young, Whittaker's stepfather. In 2012, one of the family's cousins came into possession of a cellphone with a text message about removing Whittaker's body, Decider reported. The way in which they came about the text seems unlikely, and when Fontana showed it to the investigator the Youngs hired, she was told the message may have been faked to prevent her from uncovering the truth. Confusing: Fontana was told that Whittaker had a drug problem and her disappearance may be related to a drug-related debt, but her family denied that she used narcotics Conflicted: During her 11-year investigation, Fontana was confronted with possibility that the Youngs weren't being forthcoming with her about Whittaker's case The investigator also said Whittaker had a drug problem and her family knows her disappearance had to do with a drug-related debt, despite their denials that she abused narcotics. 'This isn't just a story of a girl gone missing,' the director explained in the trailer for the series. 'This is also a story of a small town filled with dark secrets.' Fontana told Fox News that there are 'a lot of what-ifs flying around' that add to the mystery of the case. 'Maybe she wanted to leave home because of certain things. Maybe people wanted to harm her because of certain activities that were going on in her life that we uncover in the show,' she said. 'This is a very small town of about 17,000 people. When you engage with the locals, they all have one thing in common to say there are a lot of rumors in Hannibal. And nothing is what it seems.' The founder of an Australian subscription toilet roll company says the panic buying frenzy that gripped the globe as cities shut down because of Covid saw his fortunes change forever. Simon Griffiths, 38, from Melbourne, had the idea for the online toilet roll service Who Gives A Crap in 2009. But it took a crowd-funding campaign in 2012 to get it off the ground and the global Covid pandemic of 2020 to send sales into the stratosphere. Simon, whose empire now sells 28 rolls per second, has revealed how he grew his business by 1000 per cent in 2020 The founder of a toilet roll empire selling 28 rolls per second has revealed how he grew his business by 1000 per cent in 2020 (founder Simon Griffiths pictured) The brand's rolls (pictured) are made from super-soft, 100 per cent recycled toilet paper, with an impressive 50 per cent of profits going towards building toilets in the developing world Who Gives A Crap isn't like any regular toilet roll business. The brand's rolls are made from super-soft, 100 per cent recycled toilet paper, with an impressive 50 per cent of profits going towards building toilets in the developing world. Simon (pictured with his co-founders) went from strength to strength with the business in 2020, when sales doubled before going 12 times more and even 40 times more in March 2020 While Simon and his co-founders Danny Alexander and Jehan Ratnatunga had some business experience before launching 'Who Gives A Crap', nothing could have prepared them for their unique crowd-funding experience. Simon said they spent $50,000 on 50,000 rolls and knew they needed customers to take the toilet rolls off their hands while they didn't have a warehouse. So Simon agreed to sit on a toilet until they sold the first 50,000 rolls in order to boost sales. 'The idea in theory was great, but it turned out there were people buying the toilet paper from all over the world, Brazil, Greece, Australia,' Simon said. 'So I had to stay awake for 50 hours until they were all sold. I was in a state of delirium by the end of it.' Who Gives A Crap's rolls (pictured) are unlike other rolls insofar as they are extra long and there is an 'emergency roll' at the end reminding you it's time to stock up What sets Who Gives A Crap apart from other toilet roll businesses? * Who Gives A Crap donates 50 per cent of their profits to help build toilets in the developing world. Who Gives A Crap donates 50 per cent of their profits to help build toilets in the developing world (rolls pictured) * The company has been able to donate $8.3 million to help provide proper sanitation for the two billion people in need. * The brand's rolls are made from super-soft, 100 per cent recycled toilet paper. * Who Gives A Crap allows you to do a big bulk order of 'extra-long rolls' so you run out of toilet paper less frequently. * As you near the end of a box, you will reach an 'emergency roll', which has been designed to help prompt you to stock up or re-order. * The rolls don't use any inks, dyes or scents, meaning they are good for your bum. * They are B Corp certified for the highest standards of social and environmental impact. Source: Who Gives A Crap Advertisement Following the launch, it wasn't long before the idea of Who Gives A Crap took off around the world. 'Customers love the fact that we think about everything when it comes to toilet paper, including selling extra-long rolls and labelling the rolls at the end of the a multi-pack "emergency rolls" so you know it's nearly time to stock up,' Simon said. The most environmentally-friendly product Who Gives A Crap sells is the recycled toilet paper. 'Some 27,000 trees are cut down globally every day and 10 per cent of those trees that have been cut down go to toilet paper,' Simon said. 'When you buy Who Gives A Crap, you're not taking trees out of the ground and then just flushing paper down the toilet.' 'The reaction to the pandemic and everyone rushing to stockpile toilet paper was actually quite natural,' Simon said (empty toilet roll shelves pictured in Melbourne 2020) With the onset of the global pandemic and people rushing to stockpile toilet paper, Who Gives A Crap has only gone from strength to strength. Last year, the business peaked at selling 28 rolls per second and recorded a 1000 per cent year-on-year growth. 'The reaction to the pandemic and everyone rushing to stockpile toilet paper was actually quite natural,' Simon said. 'Everyone realised they were going to be at home more, and supermarkets can't stock all that much toilet paper because it is bulky and doesn't bring in much money so they could do with saving the shelf space for something else.' The entrepreneur added that the rational response when something is scarce is to buy more. 'It took a few months for the manufacturers to re-centre and catch up,' he said. Who Gives A Crap's sales doubled on March 1 2020, then went up by 12 times on 3 March and 40 times by 4 March. 'It was wild for a bit. We were doing more than a month of sales in one day,' he said. 'But we've learned how to deal with it now, and we just re-direct stock to different states, depending on lockdowns.' The Who Gives A Crap customer, for Simon, is someone with a 'certain set of ethics', as people want to know where what they're buying has come from (rolls pictured) The Who Gives A Crap customer, for Simon, is someone with a 'certain set of ethics'. 'Profits and purpose have become inextricably linked in the modern world, and we've figured out that doing good ends up with good business,' he said. Who Gives A Crap has extended into selling things like paper towels, tissues and cloths, with more ranges planned over the next year. 'I think our purpose resonates with people, who now realise that every dollar they spend is a vote for the future,' Simon said. 'People are digging more deeply than ever to find out how things are made, about the money they're spending and where their cash is going.' To find out more about Who Gives A Crap, you can visit the website here. You can also follow the brand on Instagram here. The rise of raunchy Netflix shows mean streaming X-rated dramas into our living rooms has become increasingly common - but a new Russian series has enough sex scenes to make even the most barefaced TV fan blush. Gold Diggers, available to stream on All4, is an eight-part thriller set in Moscow's elite world of money, sex and power. The plot is centered around the murder of a socialite named Marina who is found dead in a restaurant bathroom after being cut off by the wealthy married politician who funded her lavish lifestyle. Tasked with solving the case is detective Lena Shirokova, who is sleeping with her baby-faced homicide partner behind her husband's back. While investigating she is drawn into a murky world of power, corruption and extra-marital affairs. Gold Diggers, available to stream on All4, is an eight-part thriller set in Moscow's elite world of money, sex and power. The first episode focuses on the murder of socialite Marina (pictured) Marina is found dead in a restaurant bathroom after being cut off by the wealthy married politician who funded her lavish lifestyle. Pictured, Marina in bed with her sugar daddy Igor Tasked with solving the case is detective Lena Shirokova, who is sleeping with her baby-faced homicide partner behind her husband's back (pictured having sex in a car) The series premiered in Russia in 2019 under its original title, Russian Affairs, and has proved a hit. It is now on its third series. British TV critics seem similarly taken by the glossy murder mystery, with The Scotsman's Aidan Smith describing it as his 'new guilty pleasure'. The characters are a mix of beautiful young women and sinister-looking men who seem to spend their days hopping in and out of bed with one another. In the opening minutes of the episode there is a shower scene featuring a line of naked women. Among them are Marina, who is later murdered, and Olga, who may or may not be a high-class madam and may or may not have been involved in the murder. Olga approaches Marina while she is showering and asks about her back tattoo, before inviting her to lunch the following day at the restaurant where Olga ends up murdered. Marina's world comes crashing down after Dasha secretly sends Igor a sex tape of she and Kir having sex. Pictured, Dasha and Marina together before Marina is murdered The first full-blown sex scene comes just 11 minutes into the episode. Marina has sex with Kir, her aspiring actor boyfriend, with such enthusiasm that it wakes her houseguest Dasha Kir is also sleeping with Karina, the gallery owner wife of a billionaire, who pleasures herself in the bath after speaking to him on the phone (pictured) Moments later Marina is seen in bed with Igor, the married politician, who gifts her a hairpin belonging to the mistress of a British king. She reveals him she is not happy with their relationship and wants children, he tells her it's not possible. The first full-blown sex scene comes just 11 minutes into the episode. Marina has sex with Kir, her aspiring actor boyfriend, with such enthusiasm that it wakes her houseguest Dasha. The scene lasts for more than a minute and shows the characters pleasuring each other in a number of flexible positions. Kir is also sleeping with Karina, the gallery owner wife of a billionaire, who pleasures herself in the bath after speaking to him on the phone. Elsewhere Lena's teacher husband kisses his student across a desk in an empty classroom At the same time Lena is having sex with her partner, Maksim, in the backseat of her car Maksim can't keep his hands of Lena as they go to Marina's house to investigate the murder Elsewhere Lena's high school teacher husband kisses his student across a desk in an empty classroom. At the same time Lena is having sex with her partner, Maksim, in the backseat of her car. Marina's world comes crashing down after Dasha secretly sends Igor a sex tape of she and Kir having sex. It is later revealed Dasha is bitter because Marina once stole a boyfriend from her. There is also a suggestion the two women were involved. A jealous Igor immediately cuts off her credit cards. Hours later Marina is found dead in the upmarket restaurant where she and Dasha had met Olga for a meeting. That night, Dasha and Lena both go to a party posing as Marina. Dasha leaves with Igor, while Karina's billionaire husband sets his sights on Lena as she dances seductively in the middle of the bar. That night, Dasha and Lena both go to a party posing as Marina. Dasha leaves with Igor, while Karina's billionaire husband sets his sights on Lena as she dances seductively (pictured) Kir and Marina sleep together in the closing scenes (pictured) before her husband serves her with divorce papers In the final minutes of the episode Olga is seen gazing at a web of photographs of people connected to Igor. Marina's photograph is removed. While the first episode has no fewer than half a dozen sexual encounters - Kir and Marina sleep together in the closing scenes, before her husband serves her with divorce papers - the second episode has none. The plot alone was enough to keep the attention of TV critics including The Times' Hugo Rifkind, who said it could be a slow-burning TV hit. 'Maybe it will sink like a stone,' he mused. 'Or maybe, by this time next week, nobody will be able to talk about anything else.' Gold Diggers is available to stream on All4. When Sophie Skellern lost her grandma, whom she had nursed through her dying days during the first lockdown, the one thing that helped ease her grief was open-water swimming. Whatever the weather, three times a week, Sophie would pull on her swimming costume and head to the lake at Sale Water Park, near her home in Manchester, where, front crawling through the chilly waters, she would briefly forget her sadness. In fact, wild swimming left Sophie, 29, feeling so exhilarated that it had never occurred to her what a risky form of exercise it can be. Woman in a mid air jump from the rocks into a beautiful clear blue rock pool on the coast of Australia Barely a day goes by without someone in the public eye supermodel Helena Christensen, (pictured) TV presenters Fearne Cotton and Susannah Constantine and even former Prime Minister David Cameron are all fans are talking about 'wild swimming' But last month if she hadnt had a float and her boyfriend on hand she could have died while swimming in a lake near Mount Snowdon during a holiday. I was half a mile from the waters edge when both my calves cramped up and I couldnt move or kick them, the pain was so intense, recalls Sophie, shuddering at the memory of what happened in Llyn Gwynant. I felt almost paralysed from the waist down as I lay on my back trying to float. Luckily I knew to immediately lie on my back and put the tow float I was pulling across my chest. Someone new to this may not have had a float with them and I dread to think what would have happened if Id panicked. Thats when people drown. However, the 30 minutes it took for the cramping to pass were among the scariest of my life. Fortunately, my partner, Jack, was also in the lake, in a kayak about 100 metres away. He noticed Id stopped swimming and was on my back and I was able to raise my arm and beckon him over. It was a tiny one-person kayak, so there was no way he could have pulled me in, or even towed me back to shore, but he stayed beside me, giving me sips of water, while I tried to point my toes to stretch out the muscles, until the cramping finally eased enough for normal sensations to return to my legs. It would have been so easy to start hyperventilating. However, thankfully, I forced myself to keep taking deep breaths and stay calm, because getting stressed and anxious in water is the very worst thing you can do. After half an hour, my legs felt strong enough for Jack to escort me back to the shore. Sophie, who organises art exhibitions and is studying for a PhD, believes her legs cramped because she had not drunk enough water and had become dehydrated in the heat, nor had she left enough of a gap between eating lunch and getting into the water mistakes she will not repeat. Shes one of many women who enjoy so-called wild swimming, which has caught on like wildfire in recent years. Barely a day goes by without someone in the public eye supermodel Helena Christensen, TV presenters Fearne Cotton and Susannah Constantine and even former Prime Minister David Cameron are all fans espousing its virtues. From improving sleep, boosting immunity and metabolism, to significantly reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression, outdoor swimming is seen by many as a cure-all. Yet despite its benefits, there is no denying that swimming in open water is far riskier than a trip to your local pool. Writer Lebby Eyres, 50, is painfully aware of the risk of injury from swimming in the great outdoors Since the heatwave began on July 14, at least 40 people have lost their lives in open water rivers, lakes, natural pools and the sea treble the usual rate of water deaths, which average 19 a year. But wild swimming poses risks whatever the weather, with dangers including near freezing temperatures, water-born contaminants and hidden obstructions. Cold water shock which can happen in water temperatures below 15c (59f), common all year round in the UK is one of the main contributing factors in drowning. It causes the heart to work harder to pump blood throughout the body, raising blood pressure. Additionally, people instinctively gasp when in cold water, which in turn causes panic, water inhalation, and, in some cases, cardiac arrest. Jade Stevens, 41, is all too aware of the risks of cold water shock. The mother of three was pregnant when she decided to go for a swim, alone, in a river in Yalding, Kent, to cool off on a very hot day a decision she mercifully lived to regret. Id been swimming in open water since I was a child, says Jade. And it felt so refreshing when I first got in. However, after about five minutes, it suddenly got so cold it literally took my breath away, and within seconds I was gasping, couldnt talk and my teeth were chattering. Then my whole body went into shock and I couldnt move. There were other people in the water and on the bank, but they didnt notice what was happening and I had no way of attracting their attention. Jade somehow made it to the waters edge, where she stayed, immobilised, hyperventilating and unable to make a sound, holding onto the rocky bank, certain she was going to die. Luckily a family walking by saw her distress, and the father was able to reach down and pull her out of the water to safety. Seeing the commotion, her partner, who was having a drink outside a nearby bar, came to Jades aid and took her to hospital, where she and her unborn baby were checked over. Fortunately, we were both in good health, says Jade. But I cannot let my mind wander to thoughts of what would have happened to us if that man hadnt been so observant. Estate agent Jade steered clear of open water for the remainder of her pregnancy, but, astonishingly, she and her three children, now aged 15, nine and five, are all keen wild swimmers though she insists they all wear buoyancy aids. Ever since my near-death experience, I realise how essential they are, says Jade. You cant predict when youll hit a cold patch, which can paralyse you and, Ive since also learned that youre far more likely to come across them in fresh water than in the sea. With public pools closed during much of the pandemic, membership of the Outdoor Swimming Society grew by 36 per cent in 2020 and internet searches for wild swimming increased by 94 per cent between 2019 and 2020. But those used to swimming in depth-regulated, temperature-controlled pools policed by vigilant lifeguards dont always realise just how different the experience can be. So concerned is environmental scientist Rob Gray, a keen open-water swimmer himself, about the risks those new to the sport are taking that he has created an app, Wild, which collates information on the various open water locations in the UK, including when to go, where to avoid, what to take and be aware of, plus how to team up with others. Julia Elliott is a recent recruit after suffering a horrendous stomach upset which shes convinced was the result of swimming in the sea off Brighton following heavy rainfall, a time when sewers often overflow and raw sewage leaks into the ocean Theres a fresh community of people who have recently taken up wild swimming, which is great, and its not our intention to put anyone off, says Rob. However, people do get into trouble all the time they get cramp, cold water shock and even injuries, and these are things you cant predict, so its a good idea always to have a buoyancy aid, like a tow float, and never to go wild swimming alone. Writer Lebby Eyres, 50, is painfully aware of the risk of injury from swimming in the great outdoors. Last summer, she and her children, aged 15 and 12, were walking close to their holiday home in Jura, Eastern France, when they came across a lake, Lac de Vouglans. It was a swelteringly hot day, so they decided it was the perfect place to enjoy a cooling dip. It was only a one-metre drop from the bank and my kids threw themselves in without a problem. But I had barely leapt more than a few centimetres when my left foot smashed into a ledge of rock, recalls Lebby. I carried on swimming, but once we got out, my toes and ankle really began to hurt. The half-mile walk back to the car was agony. Fast-forward two hours and Lebby was crawling around on her hands and knees, screaming in pain. But because the family was due to return home to London the next day, there was no time for her to have an X-ray. With no painkillers in the holiday property, Lebby resorted to drinking half a bottle of wine to dull the pain as her foot and ankle swelled and turned blue. Ill never forget the bleakness of lying awake in bed that night beside my sleeping husband, sobbing due to the intense pain in my foot, recalls Lebby. Ive given birth to two children, but never felt pain like that. Back in London, Lebby couldnt visit a hospital for an X-ray because she had to quarantine. In a video call, her GP diagnosed broken toes and a sprained ankle. It doesnt bear thinking about what could have happened if both my feet had hit the ledge, Lebby says. The impact would have reverberated through both my legs and then my spine. I could have been paralysed. Swimming outdoors feels wonderful, but you must never lose sight of the fact youre at the mercy of Mother Nature. Yet its not just the perils inflicted by the elements of which wild swimmers need to be aware. Outdoor swimmers on the South Coast are currently battling with Southern Water, which was recently fined 90 million for deliberately releasing billions of litres of raw sewage into the sea. For six years the company, whose operating profits totalled 213 million in 2019, poured untreated sewage into the sea in an attempt to avoid both financial penalties and the cost of upgrading and maintaining infrastructure. Vital advice before you take the plunge 1. Never swim alone. Always take someone with you so that you can look out for each other. 2. If youre swimming in the sea, choose beaches with lifeguards and pay attention to the flag warning system. 3. Check the water quality does it look clean? Is it free of blue-green algae and other obvious warning signs? Waterways near urban areas are particularly likely to contain harmful bacteria. 4. Wear the right kit swim shoes to protect feet from rocks, a wetsuit if its cold, and make yourself visible with a brightly coloured swim hat. 5. Plan your exit point before getting into the water and dont try to stay in too long, especially when its cold. Know your limits. 6. Use a tow float for buoyancy. 7. Pack warm clothes for afterwards and stay moving to warm up. 8. Keep an eye out for strong currents and sudden changes in depth. 9. Never jump in without acclimatising to the water temperature and check the landing area. 10. Swim where others swim but avoid areas crowded with boats or used for watersports. Advertisement Instead of treating the sewage, as required by law, it stored millions of litres of wastewater in storm tanks, before releasing it into the sea around North Kent, Hampshire and Sussex. Swimmers in these areas are so fed up with encountering faeces and sanitary products, they have set up a group South Coast Sirens: Clean Seas For All to put pressure on the water companies. Julia Elliott is a recent recruit after suffering a horrendous stomach upset which shes convinced was the result of swimming in the sea off Brighton following heavy rainfall, a time when sewers often overflow and raw sewage leaks into the ocean. Strictly a pool swimmer until lockdown, Julia, 47, an alliances manager in IT, started open-water swimming in March after becoming frustrated that local leisure centres remained shut. She quickly became hooked, and although she had heard talk about sewage leaking from overflow pipes, didnt pay it much heed. And so she went for a long swim in Brighton with a friend on July 3. The following day, Julia started suffering terrible stomach cramps and severe diarrhoea. Priding herself on having a cast-iron tummy and being impervious to stomach viruses, it was only when Julia spoke to her swimming companion, who had exactly the same symptoms, that it dawned on her they had probably picked up something in the sea. I felt dreadful for about a week, Id suddenly get these terrible cramps and be in excruciating pain, recalls Julia. Even a few weeks later, my stomach is still not 100 per cent better. It dont want to think about what we might have swallowed in the water that caused this. We live in a country where it rains heavily fairly frequently so, if Southern Water is using that as an excuse, it needs to spend some of the money we pay in hefty bills on sorting out the infrastructure, she adds. Im careful not to put my head below the surface when I swim, but its impossible to avoid getting water in your mouth. Im even more nervous since I was ill. If I see a wave coming towards me, Ill think: Oh God, no! What might I swallow? Off-putting though the myriad risks may be, its safe to say that many more people will join the swelling ranks of open-water devotees this summer. They can only hope that, in chasing the high that wild swimming gives them, they dont experience the lows that can come hand-in-hand with this sport. Crown Princess Elisabeth of Belgium has showed off her strength as she carried out tactical drills at the Royal Military Academy. Elisabeth, 19, the eldest daughter of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde and heir to the Belgian throne, is finishing her first year at the Royal Military Academy, after completing her secondary education at UWC Atlantic College in Wales. Latest photos show the royal this week as she took part in a three-day internship at a Commando Training Centre in Marche-les-Dames, Belgium. Crown Princess Elisabeth of Belgium has showed off her strength as she carried out tactical drills at the Royal Military Academy Elisabeth, 19, the eldest daughter of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde and heir to the Belgian throne, is finishing her first year at the academy after completing her secondary education at UWC Atlantic College in Wales Latest photos show the royal this week as she took part in a three-day internship at a Commando Training Cente in Marche-les-Dames, Belgium Clearly excelling in her training, the teenager was pictured acing rope courses and scaling the castle Clearly excelling in her training, the teenager was pictured acing rope courses and scaling the castle. Other shots show her cruising through a zipwire while in some she joined her fellow cadets as she carried a dignhy into water and rowed. For the officer cadets of the Royal Military Academy (RMA), this camp is part of the last training phase for first year students, and constitutes part of the Initial Military Phase. Elisabeth is following in her father King Philippe's footsteps, as he studied there for three years as a teenager. Other shots show her cruising through a zipwire while in some she joined her fellow cadets as she carried a dignhy into water and rowed For the officer cadets of the Royal Military Academy (RMA), this camp is part of the last training phase for first year students, and constitutes part of the Initial Military Phase Elisabeth (pictured) is following in her father King Philippe's footsteps, as he studied there for three years as a teenager. When the news Elisabeth was attending hit the headlines, one of the training school's students has offered insight into the course and some sage words of advice ahead of Elisabeth's enrolment. Evelyn Gravez, 22, has almost completed her master's degree in social and military Sciences at the school. She told local media: 'My advice? Above all, make as many friends as possible. They'll help you through if you're having a hard time.' Belgium's Crown Princess Elisabeth takes part in a three-day internship at a Commando Training Center, as part of her one-year training at the Royal Military Academy, A change in the law a decade ago made it possible for the eldest child, male or female, to ascend the throne in the country She will become the country's first Queen Regent if she takes up the role. Elisabeth spent 18 months boarding at UWC Atlantic College in South Wales before returning home to Brussels in March ahead of the government lockdown Elisabeth spent lockdown living with her parents, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, and her three siblings in Brussels. Acing the course! Elisabeth will be learning to fire a gun, setting up an army tent, marching with a backpack, tactical training and reading maps as part of her course Speaking about what life will be like for the teenage princess, Evelyn revealed her first weeks would include learning to fire a gun, setting up an army tent, marching with a backpack, tactical training and reading maps. She added that the experience is 'pretty tough' and that 'they really throw you in', warning the initiation period is not for everyone and that a number of students drop out each year. However, Ms Gravez added that the camp is not like the cliches of military school often seen in Hollywood movies: 'They don't yell at you when you make mistakes. Of course, sometimes they have to be strict. Ready for action! Elisabeth takes part in a three-day internship at a Commando Training Center Row row! Elisabeth is shown rowing in a dinghy as part of her work at the military academy 'Because mistakes, they have to be sorted out as quickly as possible. But if you are a bit slow to learn, they are there to encourage you, not to bark at you.' Although there will be tough days ahead, the student believes that the princess will get used to it and that it might even help her lead the country in the future. She added: 'I think Elisabeth will certainly get used to it. Even if she only stays one year. 'We learn to make decisions under stress, leadership techniques. That will be useful for her as head of state.' Learning the ropes! Elisabeth is shown scaling down the cliffside as part of the course Elisabeth, pictured, spent 18 months boarding at UWC Atlantic College in South Wales before returning home to Brussels in March ahead of the government lockdown. A change in the law a decade ago made it possible for the eldest child, male or female, to ascend the throne in the country. She will become the country's first Queen Regent if she takes up the role. Elisabeth spent 18 months boarding at UWC Atlantic College in South Wales before returning home to Brussels in March ahead of the government lockdown. The school is known as Welsh 'hippie Hogwarts' and has seen many European royals including Princess Leonor of Spain and Princess Alexia of The Netherlands. The princess, who received her International Baccalaureate Diploma last summer, is currently at the end of a one-year course in social and military sciences The course is said to teach in-depth about the four components of Belgian defence; Army, Air Force, Navy and Medical Elisabeth (pictured) is following in her father's footsteps. King Philippe, 61, spent three years at the esteemed institution between 1978 to 1981. Belgium's Crown Princess Elisabeth attending a three-day training camp at the Training Center Commando, to finish her one year formation at the Royal Military Academy in Marche-les-Dames. - Among other things, she does rock climbing, abseiling, death rides and dinghy. During this internship, the officer cadets work in an unusual environment, they learn to push their limits, develop their courage and their will to succeed in these group tests Elisabeth spent lockdown living with her parents, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, and her three siblings in Brussels. The princess, who received her International Baccalaureate Diploma last summer, is currently at the end of a one-year course in social and military sciences. The course is said to teach in-depth about the four components of Belgian defence; Army, Air Force, Navy and Medical. King Philippe, 61, spent three years at the esteemed institution between 1978 to 1981. From the breathtaking fireworks display to the A-list venue, Lady Kitty Spencer and husband Michael Lewis spared no expense when it came to their lavish wedding in Rome last weekend. One expert estimated the four-day extravaganza, which included a rehearsal dinner, day-after lunch and the main event at a 20,000-a-day castle, would have cost the bride and groom in excess of 1million. The same is true of socialite Kitty's stunning wardrobe, which is thought to have been worth more than 2.5million. Princess Diana's niece, 30, is the global ambassador for Dolce & Gabbana and dressed exclusively in dresses by the Italian design house for her hen do, wedding and honeymoon. No expense spared: Kitty's stunning wardrobe, which is thought to have been worth more than 2.5million. The highlight was this magnificent Victorian-inspired wedding gown by D&G D&G global ambassador Kitty Spencer dressed exclusively in dresses by the Italian design house for her hen do, wedding and honeymoon. Pictured, in a custom dress worth in the region of 60,000 (left) for lunch on Sunday and a 2,350 dress for dinner on Monday On the first day of her honeymoon Kitty wore a 1,500 printed cotton-poplin D&G midi dress, and finished the look with a 975 D&G bag and 925 D&G sandals For the three-day wedding, D&G created five different custom creations, including the breathtaking Victorian-inspired lace gown she wore down the aisle. These were paired with earrings, necklaces and rings from the label's exclusive Alta Gioielleria high jewellery collection. Prices for these diamond and jewel-encrusted pieces are not publicly available but start from 25,000, and raise to approximately 510,000 for top-of-the-range necklace. Fortunately for Kitty, it is highly unlikely she would have paid for the jewels. 'It's most likely she didn't pay for these, the same as when celebrities wear red carpet jewels they are mostly lent rather than purchased,' explained Amber Gordon of UK-based luxury personal shopping and fashion concierge service Tailored Styling, which specialises in finding one-of-a-kind pieces for shoppers. The same is true of the dresses. 'If she did it certainly would not have been the amount a regular client would have paid,' Amber explained. 'Dolce has heavily promoted the content and so are definitely benefitting from the partnership too.' Here, FEMAIL breaks down some of Kitty's most notable looks over the last 10 days - from hen do to honeymoon. HEN DO Total cost for all outfits: 7,500+ Kitty wore several stunning outfits for her pre-wedding celebrations, including a D&G printed charmeuse polka dot dress, 1,800, which she wore with a now discontinued 'devotion' bag in wicker and calfskin, thought to be worth 2,800 Another evening, the bride-to-be stepped out in a D&G leopard print dress, thought to be worth 1,500, that fit her like a glove. She carried her essentials in a 1,400 handbag Kitty spent the days leading up to the ceremony travelling around the Florence region with some of her closest girlfriends. The group enjoyed a sidecar tour of the surrounding wine country as one of their activities, stopping at a Chianti vineyard to try the wine. They also made the most of Florence's bars and restaurants, sharing photos of their adventures on social media. Kitty wore several stunning outfits for her pre-wedding celebrations, including a D&G printed charmeuse polka dot dress, 1,800, which she wore with a now discontinued 'devotion' bag in wicker and calfskin, thought to be worth 2,800. Another evening, the bride-to-be stepped out in a D&G leopard print dress, thought to be worth 1,500, that fit her like a glove. She carried her essentials in a 1,400 'devotion' crossbody bag in quilted nappa leather. REHEARSAL DINNER AND WEDDING DAY Estimated total for all outfits: 2million+ On the day itself Kitty wore three ever-more breathtaking dresses featuring yards of lace, silk and tulle. The star of the show was the high-necked Victorian-inspired lace gown (pictured) It was followed by a double organza hand-painted silk gown embellished with flowers and crystals. Each look was finished with exquisite jewels worn on the ears and neck The night before the wedding, Kitty wore a baby-blue tulle gown and cape embroidered with cross-stitched flowers also made for her by Dolce & Gabbana. The jewels were from the designer's high jewellery collection, with the necklace thought to be worth at least 500,000 There was also a a glitzy gold evening dress worn to party the night away (pictured). An expert estimates each of these looks would have cost in the region of 60,000, if not more On the day itself Kitty wore three ever-more breathtaking dresses featuring yards of lace, silk and tulle. The star of the show was the high-necked Victorian-inspired lace gown worn for the ceremony, which was made over six months. It was followed by a double organza hand-painted silk gown embellished with flowers and crystals, and a glitzy gold evening dress worn to party the night away. The night before the wedding, Kitty wore a baby-blue tulle gown and cape embroidered with cross-stitched flowers also made for her by Dolce & Gabbana. Amber estimates each of these creations would have cost in the region of 60,000, if not more. Each ensemble was finished with pieces from the high jewellery collection. It is not possible to put a price on each piece but the three necklaces could be in the region of 500,000 each. Even if the four sets of earrings were on the cheaper end of the pricing scale, this would bring the total value of jewellery to somewhere in the region of 2million. DAY-AFTER LUNCH Estimated outfit total: 500,000+ The bride wore her fifth custom D&G gown for the event. This one, which is also estimated to cost in the region of 60,000, featured intricate handmade flower applique The day after their wedding, Kitty and Michael invited friends and family back to the castle to enjoy a meal in the grounds. The bride wore her fifth custom D&G gown for the event. This one, which is also estimated to cost in the region of 60,000, featured intricate handmade flower applique and a structured bodice. Unlike the other wedding weekend dresses, this one was not full length, allowing Kitty to show off her 575 D&G Nappa leather sliders with baroque logo. She also wore a pair of 219 D&G sunglasses when arriving at the venue. Once again she was adorned with a glittering necklace, again estimated to be in the region of 500,000, and a pair of matching earrings. LUNCH WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY DINNER Outfit total: 27,350+ For lunch on Monday Kitty opted for the label's Camellia-print ruffled silk-blend midi dress, which retails for 2,350. The typically feminine dress has a retro-inspired feel and is trimmed with organza ruffles along the crossover V-neckline and midi hem Kitty swept her blonde locks back into a ponytail, giving a glimpse of the glittering 25,000 necklace with multi-coloured gems hanging around her neck. She added a favourite pair of red D&G slip-on mules with a gold logo on the toe On Monday Kitty continued the fun at an al fresco lunch with friends - and showcased yet another bright and breezy D&G ensemble. The socialite joined pals Pixie Lott, designer Jade Holland Cooper and her husband Superdry founder Julian Dunkerton, for a meal at an upmarket restaurant with stunning views over the city. For the outing Kitty opted for the label's Camellia-print ruffled silk-blend midi dress, which retails for 2,350. The typically feminine dress has a retro-inspired feel and is trimmed with organza ruffles along the crossover V-neckline and midi hem. Kitty swept her blonde locks back into a ponytail, giving a glimpse of the glittering 25,000 necklace with multi-coloured gems hanging around her neck. She added a favourite pair of red D&G slip-on mules with a gold logo on the toe. The bride wore the same outfit for dinner with Michael and her family that night. ARRIVING ON HONEYMOON Outfit total: 3,700 Kitty breezed into the five-star Positano hotel in a 1,500 printed cotton-poplin D&G midi dress decorated with the brand's signature medieval-inspired 'Carretto' print The frock has a nipped-in waist and falls to a full, pleated skirt with delicate mother of pearl buttons She accessorised with a 975 embroidered D&G straw beach bag (pictured) and finished the look with 925 D&G sandals Newlywed Kitty looked every inch the high-end holidaymaker as she and Michael arrived on the Amalfi Coast on Tuesday to kick start their honeymoon. Kitty breezed into the five-star Positano hotel in a 1,500 printed cotton-poplin D&G midi dress decorated with the brand's signature medieval-inspired 'Carretto' print. The frock has a nipped-in waist and falls to a full, pleated skirt with delicate mother of pearl buttons. She accessorised with a 975 embroidered D&G straw beach bag, 925 D&G sandals and finished the look with a pair of sunglasses, thought to cost 237 from D&G. Advertisement It is a blustery day at Goodwood Racecourse, but that hasn't stopped glamorous revellers for turning out in their finest frocks and fanciest fascinators for another day of racing action. Women held onto their hats as they arrived at the course in Chichester, West Sussex, for the fourth day of the Qatar Goodwood Festival. Racegoers organised enough to bring umbrellas whipped them out as a light shower rained down on the open-air enclosure ahead of today's races. It was held without any paying spectators in 2020 due to Covid restrictions, but racing fans have been determined to make up for lost time and have been putting on a dazzling sartorial display all week. Here come the girls! Glamorous women in white summer dresses arrived for the fourth day of Glorious Goodwood Blown away! A woman in a flattering white dress clutches her hat as she arrives (left). Right, model Rosie Tapner Bright and breezy: Racegoers held onto their hats and fixed their hair as they arrived at the West Sussex racecourse today Under my umbrella! Organised racegoers who had brought their brollies whipped them out when the heavens opened Today was no different with breezy white linen frocks, eye-catching blazers and elegant heels all on show as the gates opened at Glorious Goodwood. The famous racing event attracts guests from up and down the country and is considered one of the more relaxed meetings when it comes to the dress code, but plenty of racegoers still opt for a hat to elevate their look. The annual Qatar Goodwood Festival is touted as the sporting and social highlight of the calendar, with five thrilling days of world-class horse racing and elegant fashion for racing fans to enjoy. It was due to welcome 5,000 racegoers through its gates on the final day last summer but those plans were scrapped by the Government a day before it was due to go ahead because of the pandemic. Goodwood managing director Adam Waterworth said at the time that the U-turn cost the track a 'six-figure sum' but the cost to racing was much, much bigger. Windswept! These women had their hair blown into their faces by a gust of wind as they arrived for day four of the festival Blustery day: Men's ties were swept to the side and women's dresses flapped around their legs as the wind picked up Strike a pose! A member of musical act Elle & The Pocket Belles (left). A racegoer is ready for her close-up Let us entertain you! Musical act Elle & The Pocket Belles arrive ahead of day four of the Goodwood Festival Fashion parade: Women showed off their sartorial prowess as they arrived at the festival in the wet and windy weather 'It has cost us six figures. But it was never a money-making exercise, it was about proving we could get crowds back,' he said. 'The loss is huge in what is already a year when there is no profit and the loss figure is getting bigger and bigger. Crowds are what we are all about. 'Between 70 and 80 per cent of our revenue is directly due to people coming through the gates. It's a big kick because there was a bit of light at the end of the tunnel having thought we had actually done it getting crowds back.' Waterworth revealed to Sportsmail earlier this year that the cancellation of the trial did, in fact, cost Goodwood over 250,000 and confirmed that the track lost millions from not having any racegoers in attendance throughout the whole season. Goodwood held just 13 racedays - six less than usual - last year due to rescheduling and all went ahead without any paying punters. When starting a new life, it's always helpful to have the support of close friends. And if the friends in question are the former president of the United States and his wife, so much the better as Prince Harry and wife Meghan are discovering. As the Mail revealed last year, the couple have been taking advice from Barack and Michelle Obama about life outside the Royal Family. Harry has known them for years, bonding over humanitarian and military issues, as well as his inspirational Invictus Games for injured military personnel and veterans. Meghan is a huge admirer of the former U.S. First Lady, secretly attending a talk Michelle gave in London in 2018. So when launching their new life in the U.S., no wonder it was to the Obamas that Harry and Meghan looked for inspiration. Since leaving the White House in 2017, they have earned a fortune by selling rights to their autobiographies, embarking on lucrative speaking tours and setting up a production company and charitable foundation. The couple are now said to be worth $135 million (97 million), and everyone loves them. Who can blame the Sussexes for adopting a remarkably similar blueprint? Book deals, podcasts, Netflix deals, charitable deeds they're matching them step for step. Surely a run at the presidency is only a matter of time . . . When starting a new life, it's always helpful to have the support of close friends. And if the friends in question are the former president of the United States and his wife, so much the better as Prince Harry and wife Meghan are discovering FROM NETFLIX TO MEGFLIX In 2018, the Obamas signed a $50 million (35 million) multi-year deal to produce films and documentaries for Netflix. Projects include a documentary of Michelle's arena-filling book tour and a biopic about Tenzing Norgay, the Sherpa mountaineer who, along with Sir Edmund Hillary, became the first to climb to the top of Mount Everest, in 1953. But Harry and Meghan's deal is said to be double that, at an eye-watering $100 million (70 million). One of their first offerings will be a collaboration between Meghan and David Furnish husband of Elton John to produce an animated show called Pearl about 'a 12-year-old girl who finds inspiration in influential women'. Some have speculated the series will be based on Meghan's own life. PODCAST PLUTOCRATS The Obamas' multi-million-dollar deal with audio-streaming giant Spotify in 2019 was followed last July by the premiere of The Michelle Obama Podcast, in which the former First Lady discusses relationships with key people in her life. Then, earlier this year, Renegades: Born In The USA was launched, featuring long-time friends Obama and rock legend Bruce Springsteen chewing the fat about everything from modern manhood to the state of present-day America. At 18 million the Sussexes' deal is said to be one of the largest ever signed for a new podcast. Thus far the content comprises a 35-minute 'holiday special' episode. PECKING ORDER IN POLITICS When a friend recently asked Michelle Obama whether she could ever be persuaded to run for president, she replied: 'Absolutely not. I love the life I'm having now.' But what about Meghan? Ever since the couple moved across the Atlantic, speculation has been growing that she is eying up a place in the history books as America's first woman president. The couple have made little secret of their political beliefs. During the U.S. election last year they levelled a thinly veiled attack on Donald Trump by urging voters to 'reject hate speech'. And earlier this year there were reports that Meghan had been networking among senior Democrats with a view to building a campaign and fundraising teams for a tilt at the U.S. presidency. Watch this space? Yes we can! BIRTHDAY TWINNING On August 4, Barack Obama celebrates his 60th birthday and Meghan her 40th. The former president is said to be marking the day with a lavish party at his Martha's Vineyard holiday home. How Meghan intends to celebrate is unclear. But, with Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney reportedly on the Obama guest list, there's the risk of old friends falling out over shared friends . . . IN STEP WHEN IT COMES TO STYLE If further proof were needed as to how powerful a muse Michelle is to Meghan, take a peek in their wardrobes. Never can there be a bigger compliment than someone copying you frock-for-frock. The striking, yellow Jason Wu sheath dress Michelle wore on a tour of Italy in 2009 (left) is strikingly similar to the 1,150 Brandon Maxwell crepe midi dress worn by Meghan to a Commonwealth Youth reception in 2018 (right). The striking, yellow Jason Wu sheath dress Michelle wore on a tour of Italy in 2009 (left) is strikingly similar to the 1,150 Brandon Maxwell crepe midi dress worn by Meghan to a Commonwealth Youth reception in 2018 (right) More glamorous still was the then First Lady's black 2,500 Michael Kors one shoulder dress worn for a 2012 dinner for Shimon Peres, the late Israeli president. The look was mirrored by Meghan in 2018 with a 10,000 black velvet Clare Waight Keller at the London Fashion Awards. Then there are the turquoise dresses worn first by Michelle in 2012 as she met members of the U.S. Olympic team and followed by Meghan's similar Victoria Beckham number in London last year at a function. THE PLUSH PALACES With their new-found wealth in 2019, the Obamas enlarged their property portfolio, purchasing a swanky $11.75 million (8.5 million) waterfront home in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, the summer playground for America's wealthy East Coast elite. It has seven bedrooms, a pool and sits in 30 acres of land. Over on the West Coast, the Sussexes splashed out on a mansion of their own. Costing $14.65 million (10.6 million), their home in Santa Barbara, California, boasts nine bedrooms, a library, office, spa, wine cellar and five-car garage. So who gets the first invite? With their new-found wealth in 2019, the Obamas enlarged their property portfolio, purchasing a swanky $11.75 million (8.5 million) waterfront home in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, the summer playground for America's wealthy East Coast elite. It has seven bedrooms, a pool and sits in 30 acres of land Over on the West Coast, the Sussexes splashed out on a mansion of their own. Costing $14.65 million (10.6 million), their home in Santa Barbara, California, boasts nine bedrooms, a library, office, spa, wine cellar and five-car garage. So who gets the first invite? TWO FIRST LADIES OF TV Oprah Winfrey signalled an early interest in Senator Obama when she endorsed his run for the White House in 2007. Four years later, in 2011, she welcomed America's first black President and First Lady to her famous sofa, marking the first time a sitting U.S. president and his wife had appeared together on the primetime show. The trio have become firm friends, and Barack and Michelle have individually appeared with Oprah many more times since. The Sussexes' association with Oprah began even earlier in their relationship when they invited her to their 2018 wedding at Windsor Castle. US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama chat with talk show host Oprah Winfrey Duke and Duchess of Sussex during their interview with Oprah Winfrey And, this year, a huge 49 million viewers across the globe tuned in to the broadcasting coup of 2021 when the Sussexes celebrated finding freedom from the shackles of royal life by talking for two hours to TV royalty Oprah about the shackles of royal life. Oprah With Meghan And Harry: A CBS Primetime Special dropped a series of 'truth bombs' about racism, neglect and feuding within the House of Windsor and it was only the warm-up act for a star-studded documentary series on mental health fronted by Oprah and her new BFF, Prince Harry, for Apple TV. THE WORTHY CAUSES With all this talk of mega-deals, multi-million-pound mansions and designer dresses, it would be easy to forget that the Obamas and the Sussexes do a lot of work for charity. Neither Michelle nor Meghan are afraid to get their hands dirty be it the former serving lunch to the homeless in Washington DC in 2009 or the latter, a decade later, helping out in The Hubb Community Kitchen in London. And both couples have now set up their own charitable organisations in order to help spread their good works. Michelle Obama serves lunch to the homeless at Miriam's Kitchen March 5, 2009 Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visits the Hubb Community Kitchen in London on November 21, 2018 Established in 2014, The Obama Foundation's mission is to inspire ordinary people 'to take action' and to 'empower them to change their world for the better'. Harry and Meghan's charitable vehicle is called the Archewell Foundation. The name, the couple revealed, was inspired by the Greek word arche meaning 'source of action'. 'We connected to this concept for the charitable organisation we hoped to build one day, and it became the inspiration for our son's name,' they said in their mission statement. 'To do something of meaning, to do something that matters.' AFTER-DINNER SPEECHES After leaving office, the Obamas signed up with New York-based Harry Walker Agency, with the former president commanding up to $400,000 (288,000) for a single speech a figure reflecting his extraordinary journey from humble roots to become the first ever African-American president. In June last year, the Duke and Duchess joined the same agency. After leaving office, the Obamas signed up with New York-based Harry Walker Agency, with the former president commanding up to $400,000 (288,000) for a single speech a figure reflecting his extraordinary journey from humble roots to become the first ever African-American president. In June last year, the Duke and Duchess joined the same agency In February 2020, it emerged that Prince Harry had given a speech for bank JP Morgan in which he talked about being in therapy after the death of his mother. Experts believe the couple will command similar if not higher fees than the Obamas. MONEY-MAKING MEMOIRS... For their memoirs, the Obamas received a world-beating $65 million (47 million) combined advance from Penguin Random House. Michelle justified that early vote of confidence by selling 15 million copies of her autobiography, Becoming. The first volume of Obama's presidential memoir, A Promised Land, cleared 887,000 copies on its first day of publication last year. Not to be outdone, last week Prince Harry announced his own book deal with the same publisher said to be worth between 18 million and 29 million and involving up to four books in total, (although he says the proceeds of the first will go to charity). The first is billed as an 'accurate and wholly truthful' account of Harry's life written 'not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become'. But some speculate that the real prize is a Meghan memoir and the prospect of more dirt to be dished on the Royal Family. AND CHILDREN'S BOOKS TOO In 2010, Barack wrote Of Thee I Sing, a children's book described as a 'beautiful letter to his daughters' and a 'tribute to 13 groundbreaking Americans and the ideals that have shaped our nation'. 'Have I told you how wonderful you are? How the sound of your feet running from afar brings dancing rhythms to my day?' he wrote. This year, Meghan published her own children's book entitled The Bench, with the same publishers. Also illustrated by an award-winning artist, her 169-word long offering was inspired by a bench she bought for Harry for Father's Day, on which she inscribed: 'This is your bench/Where life will begin/For you and our son/Our baby, our kin.' Some fully vaccinated people who get infected with coronavirus develop long-term COVID-19 symptoms, a new study finds. Israeli researchers looked at immunized healthcare workers, 19 percent of those who were infected despite their vaccinated status had symptoms for at least six weeks. This was a small study, including only 39 breakthrough infections - seven of which led to long Covid. Experts say that future research in this area should follow patients for longer than six weeks. Still, the findings are troubling as the Indian 'Delta' variant spreads in the U.S. and globally. This study was conducted before Delta reached Israel - and breakthrough infections in the country are now much more common. Vaccinated people can get long Covid from a breakthrough infection, a new study from Israel finds. Pictured: A woman receives a booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine at Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv, Israel The Covid vaccines currently in use in the U.S. are very effective in protecting people against the coronavirus - especially against severe disease, hospitalization, and death. This effectiveness has been demonstrated by countless studies, as well as the low numbers of Americans who have been hospitalized or died from Covid after full vaccination. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified just 5,914 such cases as of July 19 - out of more than 160 million Americans who are fully vaccinated. But there's much less data available on how well the vaccines protect against so-called 'long Covid.' In long Covid, patients suffer from prolonged symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue, and loss of smell. Some patients have been impacted for more than a year. As more breakthrough infections are documented with the Delta variant sweeping across the world, long Covid patients and advocates have grown concerned that such infections may lead to more people getting this condition. A new study from Israel suggests that long Covid is indeed possible when a patient is infected after vaccination. The study was published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers at the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, tracked breakthrough infections among vaccinated healthcare workers. This institution is the largest medical center in Israel. It employs more than 12,000 healthcare workers, 91 percent of whom received the Pfizer vaccine. Between January and April 2021, the Israeli researchers evaluated healthcare workers with symptom questionnaires, contact tracing, and other measures to identify breakthrough cases. Out of about 1,500 vaccinated healthcare workers who opted into the study, 39 had breakthrough infections. That's a rate of just 2.6 percent - much lower than the case rates in Israel overall at the time. Most of these 39 healthcare workers with breakthrough cases had mild symptoms, in line with other findings on the vaccines' protective abilities. Most patients infected with Covid after vaccination have mild cases, but some can have symptoms in line with long Covid. Pictured: Hospital staff at a medical center in Tel Aviv, Israel But a small number had more persistent symptoms. About 31 percent of the patients still had symptoms after two weeks - and 19 percent still had symptoms after six weeks. That 19 percent represents just seven patients out of the original group of 1,500. But was sufficient for the researchers to conclude that long-term Covid symptoms are possible after vaccination. Among those patients with long Covid, the most common symptoms were prolonged loss of smell, cough, fatigue, and weakness. One worker still hadn't returned to work by the end of the six-week study period. 'It's really disturbing,' Dr Gili Regev-Yochay, director of the infection, prevention and control unit with the Sheba Medical Center and an author of the study, told NPR. 'If this is what we're going to see with all of the even mildly symptomatic infections that we're seeing now, it's definitely worrisome,' she said. Patients who got sick with Covid after vaccination had slightly lower antibody levels, on average, compared to those who were vaccinated and did not get sick The researchers also compared antibody levels and other immune system measures of the breakthrough case patients to measurements of vaccinated healthcare workers who did not become infected. These measurements suggested that the breakthrough patients had slightly lower antibody levels than vaccinated patients who didn't get infected - indicating that their immune systems were less prepared to face the virus. Low neutralizing antibody levels may be a sign of potential breakthrough infection, the researchers said. The study included a small number of long Covid patients and followed them for only six weeks - a short period, when the condition can last for a year or more. Experts are calling for more research on this topic that may back up the Israeli study's findings. 'We need more research to see whether this happens at the same frequency as #LongCOVID in unvaccinated people, but it does confirm that Long COVID from breakthrough infections is possible,' said Hannah Davis, a long COVID patient and researcher with the Patient-Led Research Collaborative, in a Twitter post sharing the study. Even a small number of long Covid cases among vaccinated patients is cause for concern. The Israeli study was done at a time that Alpha (or the UK variant, B.1.1.7) was dominant in Israel - and the researchers found that it was present in 85 percent of breakthrough cases. Delta is more infections than Alpha and may be causing more breakthrough cases - amplifying long Covid worries. 'We need a whole lot more data, but this is a really important first look in understanding the burden of breakthroughs,' said Dr Katelyn Jetelina, author of the Your Local Epidemiologist newsletter, in a post commenting on the study. 'We know that Delta is less forgiving than Alpha. If you're not convinced already, it's time to mask up.' Advertisement Unvaccinated Americans are most likely to be younger, male, black and living in a rural area, a DailyMail.com analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show. Around 66.9 percent of the eligible U.S. population - aged 12 and older - has received at least one dose and 60.3 are fully vaccinated. However, there is still a large segment of the population that hasn't been immunized, which is concerning as the Indian 'Delta' variant continues to spread. What's more many are unlikely to receive the shots unless it is mandated to them by either the government or an employer. Senior citizens and Asian Americans were also found to be most likely to have received the vaccine. White and black Americans are falling behind in the vaccine rollout, while Asian Americans are the most vaccinated group Younger people are less likely to have received the vaccine than older Americans. Many young people either do not fear the virus or do fear the vaccine Americans under the age of 40 are not receiving the vaccine at the same rate as their older peers, with less than half of this age group receiving the shot. Meanwhile, more than three-quarters of Americans above age 40 have received the shot. The 18-24 age group, for example, accounts for 9.2 percent of the U.S. population, but only eight percent of the vaccinated population. This group may be especially hard to convince, with a survey finding that 25 percent of unvaccinated people aged 18-25 have no intention of ever receiving the shots. Young people who do not want to get vaccinated often either do not trust the vaccines or believe that since they are young and healthy, they are safe from the virus anyways. This is a misconception, though, as COVID can cause harmful long-term conditions such as myocarditis and memory issues in survivors of any age. Because every American under the age of 12 - 14.4 percent of the population - is unvaccinated - other age groups should have a higher vaccine share than population share. Males are less likely to have received a COVID-19 vaccine than females so far Americans aged 25 to 39 account for 20.2 percent of the vaccinated population and 20.5 percent of the total U.S. population. For comparison, the most vaccinated age group are those aged 50 to 64 - who make up 25.5 percent of the vaccinated population despite only accounting for 19.4 percent of the U.S. population. In total, only 49 percent of people aged 16 and 17, 53 percent of people aged 18 to 24 and 57 percent of people 25 through 39 have received at least one shot of a vaccine. Numbers jump from there, with 66 percent of Americans aged 40 to 49, 76 percent aged 50 to 64, 92 percent aged 65 to 74 and 87 percent of Americans 75 and older being at least partially vaccinated. The gender split in this county is about even - with women making up 50.8 percent of the population and men making up 49.2 percent. Women make up 52.8 percent of the vaccinated population, compared to 47.2 percent of men. In total, 59.4 percent of women and 54.9 percent of men have received at least one shot of the vaccine. White and black Americans are least likely to have been vaccinated so far, according to CDC data Despite a racial gap who was receiving the vaccine early on in the rollout, the shots now seem to be distributed more equitably this late into the rollout. Just over a third of white Americans, or 34 percent having received at least one shot of the vaccine., Comparatively, black Americans are lagging, with only 27.7 percent received at least one shot so far. Additionally, black Americans, where they have only received nine percent of total shots despite making up 12 percent of the population. This may have less to do with vaccine hesitancy, though, and more to do with vaccine access. Some primarily African American counties do not have the resources or staff to distribute the vaccine as easily as they can in other communities. There has been an effort to close the gap, with even some in the private sector like Amazon opening clinics in cities like Los Angeles and New York to close the vaccine gap. Meanwhile, white Americans account for 59 percent of the vaccinated despite making up 61 percent of the population. Asian Americans are overrepresented in vaccination, making up 17 percent of those vaccinated despite only being 16 percent of the population In total, 47.6 percent of Asians have received at least one vaccine dose. Urban areas have relatively high vaccination rates across the country (shaded above) while rural areas (shaded below) are falling behind their urban peers with barriers like a lack of access to information and a lack of transportation playing a role Many rural areas also have lower vaccination rates than their urban peers, though the reason may not only be based in vaccine hesitancy. Official data shows that 45 percent of people in urban areas have received at least one shot of a vaccine, compared to only 39 percent of people who live in rural areas, according to CDC data. Rural Americans often have to travel further than their urban counterparts to receive the vaccine, and access to vaccine information is harder in areas that may not have full internet access. There have been efforts to close the gap, though, with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service dedicating $100 million to increasing vaccine access in rural areas last week. President Joe Biden also announced that his administration will support door-to-door vaccine campaigns across the country, to bring the vaccine to people's homes and allow them to get vaccinated without needing to travel. Door-to-door efforts have already kicked off in some parts of the country, including in rural Georgia. In total, nearly 350 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the United States. Almost half of the American population is fully vaccinated, and 57 percent are at least partially vaccinated. Experts project that it may require the nation reaching 80 percent of the population getting fully vaccinated to reach herd immunity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has finally released the data that was behind its recent backtrack on mask recommendations for vaccinated Americans to wear masks in indoor places in COVID-19 hot spots. In a report published on Friday, the federal health agency detailed a COVID-19 outbreak earlier this month in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, linked to the spread of the Indian 'Delta' variant. Researchers found nearly three-quarters of the infections occurred in people who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with either of three shots approved in the U.S. for emergency use. What's more, tests showed that immunized people carried about the same viral levels in their noses and throats as unvaccinated people did. However, there were just four hospitalizations and no fatalities among the fully vaccinated group, showing that the vaccines are very effective against severe disease and death. A new CDC report detailed 469 cases of COVID-19 linked to an outbreak in Provincetown, Massachusetts between July 3 and July 17, of which 74% were in fully vaccinated people Only four of the vaccinated people were hospitalized, two of whom had underlying conditions, and there were no deaths showing vaccines are effective even against the Delta variant, which now makes up 83% of all new infections 'The new data is scary,' Dr Ali Mokdad, an epidemiologist with the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, told DailyMail.com 'This is a stubborn virus and this mutation is a game changer.' For the report, the team looked at COVID-19 cases linked to summer events and large gatherings in Provincetown, on Massachusetts's Cape Cod, between July 3 and July 17. Thousands of residents and tourists flocked to the summer town for Independence Day celebrations as well as family vacations, resulting in crowded bars, restaurants, rental homes and more. On July 10, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health began receiving reports of an increased number of cases linked to the county. The 14-day rolling average of COVID-19 cases in the county rose from zero cases per 100,000 persons on July 3 to 177 cases per 100,000 persons. By July 26, 469 cases had been identified, of which 74 percent - or 346 - were among fully vaccinated with at least 14 days since their final dose. Among this group, 46 percent had received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, 38 percent got the Moderna vaccine and 16 percent got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The remaining 26 percent, or 84 cases, were among people who were unvaccinated, had only received one dose or whose vaccination status was unknown. Results showed that vaccinated people who get COVID-19 have same viral levels as the unvaccinated Nearly 80 percent of those with 'breakthrough' infections had signs or symptoms such as cough, fever or a headache. Of the five COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized, four were fully vaccinated of whom two had underlying conditions. No deaths were reported in either group. This is evidence that the Pfizer, Moderna and J&J vaccines are highly effective against severe disease and death. To measure levels of the virus, CDC researchers looked at a figure known as the cycle threshold (Ct) value. After an infected person is swabbed, the sample is isolated and has to undergo several amplification cycles to detect if there is any viral RNA, or genetic material. The Ct value is the number of cycles necessary to spot the virus at which point the machine will stop running. Any number under 30 is considered a high viral load. There was virtually no difference in the Ct value between vaccinated and unvaccinated people. Fully vaccinated patients has a Ct value of 22.77 while the unvaccinated group had a Ct value of 21.54. Ideally, the number among vaccinated people should be higher than 35 and closer to 40, which would indicate low levels of the virus. 'The findings are troublesome,' Dr William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist and a professor of preventative medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told DailyMail.com. 'Frankly it's not what I would have expected. II would have frankly expected vaccinated people to have lower viral loads...That makes me uneasy and explains it's much more contagious than the original Covid virus.' CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky, said there are few diseases as transmissible as the Delta variant, which can allegedly be spread to eight or nine people by an infected person. Pictured: Walensky at a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, July 2021 Dr Peter Chin-Hong, a professor of medicine and infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, said the report is like receiving a mix of good news and bad news. 'The bad news is sure, it seems the Delta variant can cause breakthrough infections in vaccinated people. And the other bad news is they are likely to be able to spread it,' he told DailyMail.com. 'The good news is it's still not causing a lot of illness. No matter how you slice and die the pie, people are not getting really ill if they've been vaccinated. 'There's a big difference between someone having the virus land on them and someone getting infected, going to the ICU and dying.' 'The masking recommendation was updated to ensure the vaccinated public would not unknowingly transmit virus to others, including their unvaccinated or immunocompromised loved ones.' The release of the data comes after The Washington Post obtained and published internal documents from the CDC. The documents claim the Delta variant has an R0, or is as infectious, as chickenpox or Ebola and that an infected person can spread the virus to eight or nine other people. The CDC's mask guidance states that masks only need to be worn in counties with 'substantial' or 'high' transmission of the virus. Experts tell DailyMail.com that, at the time, of the outbreak in Provincetown, the county was not experiencing 'high' (red) or 'substantial' (orange) virus transmission so the CDC mask guidance as it stands today would not have prevented the outbreak As of Friday, 73.8 percent of counties fall into one of these two categories, up from 69.3 percent the week before. Chin-Hong said that if the CDC guidelines had been in place at the beginning of June, it would not have prevented the outbreak. 'If you were in Provincetown...you wouldn't have needed to wear a mask indoors because that county did not fall into high or substantial transmission,' he said. 'There's not enough nuance and context in the CDC guidance. It's not a one size fits all Even if you have low prevalence, you can still see transmission.' Dr Gregory Poland, a Mayo Clinic professor of infectious disease, agreed, saying the CDC recommendations didn't go far enough to prevent an outbreak in the summer town. 'The case load in Provincetown started as zero and quickly zoomed to 177 cases per 100,000,' he told DailyMail.com. 'If there had been universal masking, then the outbreak would have been prevented.' Schaffner added that the CDC had to change its mask guidance because of what it learned about the Delta variant. 'We have to adjust preventions strategies to the characteristics of the virus. We can't issue guidance and then keep it the same for a year,' he said. 'If the wildfire moves in a new direction, you don't keep working in the old direction to try to put it out. The virus moved in a new direction so we had to change whst we do to fight it.' The Indian 'Delta' variant is far and way the dominant coronavirus strain in both New York state and New York City. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Twitter on Friday that the highly contagious virus strain now accounted for 75 percent of new coronavirus cases in the state. Meanwhile, official data from New York City shows the strain is beginning to take its toll there as well, accounting for 72 percent of cases. The highly transmissible variant is believe to be behind outbreaks in both the state and city as public health experts and local leaders urge people to get vaccinated. The Delta variant now accounts for 72 percent of new cases in New York City After enjoying declines for several weeks, New York has been seeing cases in increase over the past month.. The state is averaging 1,049 new cases per day, a 131 percent increase over the 454 cases per day average from two weeks ago, according to data from the CDC. Despite the recent increases, case rates are still relatively low compared to other states, largely because of the state's high vaccination rate. In New York, 63 percent of residents have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 57 percent are fully vaccinated. Cuomo is trying to push that rate higher, though. On Wednesday, the governor announced that all state employees will either have to get vaccinated or subject themselves to regular COVID testing, starting on Labor Day. Cases in New York have increased by 131 percent over the past two weeks, but still remain relatively low Both Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio announced vaccine or testing mandates for their employees this week New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio made a similar decision earlier this week, announcing that 300,000 municipal workers in the city will either have to get vaccinated or subject themselves to regular testing in order to continue working. The densely populated city accounts for a majority of the state's COVID-19 cases. As of Friday, an average of 788 new cases every day are being found in New York City, an increase from 430 two weeks ago. The city is also lagging behind the rest of the state in its vaccine rollout, with only 59.5 percent of residents having received at least one shot of the vaccine, and 54.6 percent fully vaccinated. The Delta surge in New York comes as the entire nation struggles to deal with the high contagious variant. Average cases have increased by 169 percent over the past two weeks, from 24,886 new cases on average on July 15 to 66,999 on July 29. The virus is especially getting out of control in parts of the U.S. south and Midwest. Florida, Missouri, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana in particular has been enveloped by the virus. Many of the states suffering from massive outbreaks also have low vaccination rates, as health officials urge Americans to get the shots and protect themselves. West Virginia will soon being measuring the level of COVID-19 antibodies in vaccinated nursing home residents who received the shots early on. The move comes after Pfizer-BioNTech released data earlier this week showing their vaccine's efficacy falls to 84 percent after six months. Nursing home residents were among the first to have the vaccine made available to them in December 2020, after the facilities quickly became sites of death and despair early in the pandemic. State health officials believe that - if the data is correct - some early adopters of the vaccine not be as protected as they were just after receiving the shots. West Virginia will soon begin research to find whether the state's elderly population that received COVID-19 vaccines early in the rollout of the shots still have high antibody levels Starting in August, nursing home residents who are five or more months removed from receiving the vaccine will be able to volunteer to join the research. Their blood will be drawn and tested for COVID-19 antibodies. Data from the research will be passed onto federal officials, who will consider it as they decide whether to approve to use of a booster vaccine shot. 'Our goal is to advance knowledge and information that exists about the vaccines,' Marty Wright, CEO of the West Virginia Health Care Association, told NBC. While intentions may be noble, not all agree with the effort being undertaken by the Mountain State. Dr Clay Marsh (pictured), one of West Virginia's chief COVID advisors, says the state should put more energy in getting unvaccinated people jabbed rather than take part in this kind of research 'In West Virginia, we were very aggressive in vaccinating our long-term care population, but we now worry and are paying more attention about whether we have sufficient immunity in those fully vaccinated,' Dr Clay Marsh, executive dean for health sciences at West Virginia University and one of the state's leading COVID advisors, tokd NBC. The virus is beginning to surge in West Virginia, just as it is across the nation. Over the past two weeks, cases have increased by 289 percent, from 67 per day on July 15 to 261 per day on July 29, according to data from the CDC. Only 46 percent of West Virginians have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and just under 40 percent are fully vaccinated - both figures among the worst in the nation. The state has not gone without trying to boost its low vaccine rates, though. State officials held a vaccine lottery earlier this year, where prizes like cash, custom guns and custom trucks were awarded to vaccinated winners. The effort proved not to do much to boost vaccination rates. Another issue with the antibody tests is that they may not give a clear picture as to how protected a person is. COVID cases in West Virginia are surging once again, up nearly 300% over the past two weeks While it is believed that higher antibody levels produce more immunity to the virus, there are not yet any studies that prove it to be the case. 'The question of whether antibodies are a marker of adequate immunity is one we have not answered yet,' Dr Michael Wasserman, a member of the California vaccine advisory committee, told NBC. Research finds that elderly people develop lower antibody responses to the vaccine. A large portion of breakthrough cases - where a fully vaccinated person tests positive for the virus - are also among the elderly. Discussions surrounding the need for a third dose have picked up in recent months. Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has said in the past that he expects a third dose to be needed in the coming months. Though, he said earlier this month that he does not expect booster shots to be needed for the fully vaccinated at this time. Fauci said earlier this week, though, that those who are vulnerable to the virus even after vaccination still may require a third dose. Pfizer also released data earlier this week showing that their vaccine's booster shot could increase antibodies in the elderly 11-fold. Other studies have also found that people who have received organ transplants can greatly benefit from a third dose of the vaccine. Judge Fred Crifasi (pictured) is offering some sentenced to community service in East Baton Rouge to opportunity to get vaccinated instead A Louisiana judge is using his position to get more of his state vaccinated against COVID-19. Louisiana is currently one of the least vaccinated states in America with under 40 percent of the population fully immunized. Judge Fred Crifasi, who serves on the 19th Judicial District Court in East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is now offering some convicts who were sentenced to community service as easy way out - get vaccinated instead. He began offering the jabs as a replacement for some community service hours earlier this week. 'Getting vaccinated is a service to the community,' Judge Crifasi said in a statement obtained by the Washington Post. 'So, if a probation candidate is inclined to get vaccinated, I will grant credit for that effort toward any requirement of community service. The amount of hours varies and depends on the person's circumstances.' Currently in Louisiana, only 42 percent of residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine - trailing every state other than Mississippi. East Baton Rouge is faring a little better than other parts of the state, with 45 percent of the population vaccinated, though it still is far away from herd immunity. Meanwhile, cases in the state are spiking, reaching a record 5,881 new cases on average - the most Louisiana has recorded since the pandemic began in March 2020 - and growing by 390 percent from 1,198 two weeks ago, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. In East Baton Rouge, cases have grown by 256 percent over the past two weeks, from 113 on July 15 to 403 of July 29. Louisiana is currently suffering from the largest spike in cases in the U.S. Louisiana is the second least vaccinated state in America, with only 42 percent of the population having received at least one shot. East Baton Rouge (within Region 2) has vaccinated 45 percent of its population Louisiana is currently experiencing the worst COVID-19 outbreak in the country, averaging 5,881 new cases per day East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore told The Post that he supports the judge's efforts among this massive surge. 'I think it is surely a viable option given where we are at,' said Moore. 'We'd like to keep our courthouse population safe and our inmates safe so this would maybe be one way to do it.' He also noted that normal community service opportunities could actually spread the virus, so this is a safer alternative. 'You are in group behavior in a lot of situations. In community service there are a lot of times where you might be in soup kitchens, maybe some folks that might not be as able to obtain a vaccine as others,' Moore told The Post. It is also fully legal for the judge to give this option to those sentenced to community service, though he can not mandate the vaccine to anyone. Convicts have the choice to decline the vaccine and perform standard community service instead. 'A judge has a lot of sentencing discretion when it comes to community service,' Franz Borghardt, a Baton Rouge defense attorney told The Post. 'It's an option, not a mandate. If you decide you don't want it, you don't have to get it.' Ashley Greenhouse, another Baton Rouge attorney, told the newspaper one of her clients was offered the opportunity to replace community service with receiving the vaccine earlier this week. 'My client had four hours of community service remaining and the judge offered it to him and then reset the matter,' said Greenhouse. 'He said if my client returned and showed proof he had been vaccinated he would receive credit for his community service hours.' When my 92-year-old mother died last September, as Executor of her will for the family, I informed NS&I of her death and received a payment amounting to 6 and was informed there were no outstanding prizes for the bonds. However, I have in my possession bonds amounting to 9. I have written, emailed and rang NS&I numerous times explaining the situation but the answer I get is 'without the bond holder's signed authority' they cannot disclose any information. I am presuming the holder was probably my father who died in 1999. Premium Bond prizes range from 25 to 1 million and are all tax-free. I have explained this to them and given an address where he lived when the bonds were purchased. They sent me form NS&I 71 changing your details? Do I put heaven as his new address? All I really want to know, as an Executor, is there any unclaimed prizes for the bonds which need to be dealt with or can I forget the 3 in bonds as it has cost more in time and postage corresponding with them. Ed Magnus of this is Money replies: With about one in three of the UK population - over 22million people - holding Premium Bonds, there will likely be many others facing a similar dilemma to yourself. Britain's best loved savings product has been around since 1956 and although the chance of winning a prize is remote at 34,500 to 1 for every 1 bond - with up to 1 million potentially at stake it is still worth the effort of checking. NS&I pay out around three million prizes every month to Bond holders, whose numbers are generated at random. Almost 3.2million prizes worth close to 92million were paid out in this month's draw with more than 110 billion bond numbers eligible. Prizes range from 25 to 1 million and are all tax-free. Although there are only two 1 million prizes on offer each month, there are also five 100,000 prizes, 11 50,000 prizes and 20 prizes worth 25,000. Premium Bonds are grouped under a single holder's number and this number has 10 or 9 digits, or 8 digits followed by a letter. If you believe the Premium Bonds belong to your late father but have no holder number then you can use NS&I's Tracing Service. Premium Bonds Winners Prize Area Value of bond 1,000,000 Devon 1,000 1,000,000 Wales 100 100,000 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 10,000 100,000 Wiltshire 12,500 100,000 Norwich 19,500 100,000 Avon 2,000 100,000 Lancashire 4,625 50,000 Essex 10,000 More August 2021 winners View list of August 2021 winners This requires filling in a form, which will include as much information as possible, such as previous names and previous addresses. However, a speedier approach enabling you to both trace and claim the individual bond numbers, without too much back and forth, would be to submit a Bereavement claim form. As an executor you can do this either online or by post without needing to create an online account with NS&I. Even without a holder number, the advice is to include as much information as possible, such as previous names and previous addresses so that NS&I can trace the account to your father. NS&I may then request a Grant of Representation - also known as a Grant of Probate or Grant of Letters of Administration - once it has received your completed form. Premium Bond Match Calculator Enter all or part of the bond number: Check latest draw only: Check all large prizes: Check If opting to send everything by post, the executor must have a registrar's copy of the death certificate (original or a certified copy) and the Will (original of a copy certified by the solicitor). You then will need to download, print out and complete the bereavement claims form and send to NS&I, Sunderland, SR43 2SB. If they then require a copy of the death certificate, they will contact you. Our reader's issue was solved in the process of investigating his query. They received a letter from NS&I saying the bonds were registered to their father and that there were no outstanding prizes on the holdings. However, NS&I came back with some further advice for those in a similar situation. What happens when a Premium Bonds customer dies? An NS&I spokesperson replies: If an NS&I customer dies, Premium Bonds cannot be inherited or transferred to another person. Info you'll need when filling in a claim form The customer's personal details (full name, address, date of birth, date and place of death) Spouse name (if applicable) Full name of the executor(s) if there is a Will, or administrators if there is no Will (if you're obtaining a Grant of Administration or Confirmation of Executor Dative) Type of NS&I account(s) the customer held Details of the person who is making the claim Bank account details to pay the money in to However, they can remain in the monthly Premium Bonds draws for up to 12 months after the customer has died. After the 12-month period has elapsed, the face value of the Premium Bonds will be repaid to the deceased customer's estate, along with any prizes they may win in this 12-month period. To keep the Bonds in the draw, the person responsible for the deceased customer's finances should tell us this on the death claims form that they fill out. Any Premium Bonds prizes won will be paid by prize cheque after that prize draw to the person entitled to the money - the estate's executor. We will hold on to any outstanding prizes won until we have completed the death claim and then they will be issued. Once the death claim has been completed, we will then send any future prizes won by cheque after each prize draw to the person entitled to the money. We can't pay these prizes electronically or consolidate them and pay them at the end of the 12 months. What would you advise our reader? An NS&I spokesperson replies: In this case, if the Premium Bonds did belong to the reader's late father and he passed away in 1999, then they would have stopped being eligible for the draws at some point in the year 2000. Provided that the reader is the beneficiary of their late father's estate, then they are entitled to the repayment of the holding, which they can claim using the above death claims form. Additionally, and as outlined above, they would be entitled to the original holding, plus any prizes that may have been won up to 12 months after their late father passed away. If the reader prefers to complete a paper form, they can call us on 08085 007 007 and a member of our team will be happy to arrange for one to be sent. NS&I will let the person responsible for the estate know if a Grant of Representation (also known as a Grant of Probate or Grant of Letters of Administration) is required once the completed Death Claims form has been received. What if they have no holder number? An NS&I spokesperson replies: If customers do not have a holder's number, this is not a problem when using the service if they will have the original Bond certificates. In cases where customers do not have any paperwork and suspect they have Premium Bonds, they should provide NS&I with as much information as possible to enable any holding to be traced. Breathe a sigh of relief: Britain's banks seem to be in a healthy state and they are once more returning cash to shareholders by paying dividends and buying back shares. Private investors will be gratified by this news, which is proof that pandemic anxiety is receding. But some may also be wondering whether this is as good as it gets. Fintechs, the new breed of challenger digital institution, are snapping at the heels of the mainstream banks Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and Natwest whose legacy IT systems make innovation expensive. Edward Firth of broker KBW says that the annual cost of operating a customer's account at one of the traditional names is 150- 200. At Starling, the challenger bank with its cloud-based systems, it is about 57. ' The incumbents face a multi-year challenge that only looks set to get worse,' he says. Such concerns have been heightened by this month's stock market debut of Wise, the money transfer group that allows customers to bypass the banks. Its shares have risen from 800p to 981p, highlighting the view that fintechs are the future. Competition is coming from another source for the UK banks. US giant JPMorgan Chase has snapped up the British robo-adviser Nutmeg and may also try to sell home loans here. John Cronin of broker Good body is among those who believe that a challenger could break into the mortgage business where Lloyds, owner of Halifax, controls 20 per cent. The returns from this lending can be attractive but only if costs are kept low. Anyone with a portfolio packed with traditional bank stocks may now be alarmed. This would be an overreaction, given the huge market share still held by the High Street names and the inertia of account holders (idleness, not love keeps us faithful). But monitoring the possibilities for diversification into fintech would still be useful. As Giles Worthington of Sanlam, the fund manager, says: 'Catastrophe is not coming tomorrow.' But the High Street names are being 'disintermediated' with rivals making inroads into profitable parts of the banking business, such as credit cards and foreign exchange. 'Your bank should know more about you than anyone on the planet,' says Worthington. Problem is, the traditional banks' systems (bits of which were built in the 1970s) impede the use of their precious customer data to sell more products. Newcomers, by contrast, exploit their knowledge of customers with ease. But what do we know about these interlopers? When will it be possible to invest in them? And how risky are they? Many investors woke up to the fintech threat when it was revealed this month that Revolut, a UK digital bank founded in 2015, was valued at 24billion following the injection of finance. This equals the 24billion market value of Natwest, a group that includes the 300-year old Royal Bank of Scotland. Revolut has no immediate plans for a flotation. However, Stripe, the Californian payments processing giant, is said to be closer to a float on Wall Street. This business, started 11 years ago by Irish brothers John and Patrick Collison and with former Bank of England governor Mark Carney on the board, could be worth as much as 72billion. That is exciting for holders of Baillie Gifford's US Growth and Scottish Mortgage trusts, which have stakes. It is expected that Klarna, the 33billion Swedish company, will go public at some point. Set up in 2005, it has 90m users worldwide, with 14m in the UK. Klarna provides BNPL (buy now, pay later), which allows shoppers to spread the cost of purchases and is an alternative to credit cards. Even Apple would like to break into this lucrative area, which is growing at 39 per cent a year in the UK, although regulation may slow this. Starling arrived on the scene in 2017, but already has 2.4m current accounts. This week it acquired a mortgage lender and confirmed its intention to float in late 2022 or early 2023. Unlike some other fintechs, Starling is profitable. Its backers include Goldman Sachs and the Chrysalis investment trust, which also owns a slice of Klarna. As an investor in Scottish Mortgage, I am taking a bet on the fintech incursion. But I do question some of the excitement. Venture capitalists are pouring money into the industry. Yet it's uncertain how some of these start-ups will earn revenue, let alone be profitable. Against this background, it's worth noting that the consensus of analysts rate Barclays and Lloyds a buy and HSBC and Natwest a hold. If you think that US banks are adapting slightly better to the fintech incursion, the Liontrust Global Dividend Fund holds JPMorgan Chase, an institution which can trace its roots back to 1799. Rolls-Royce investors could be forgiven for being nervous about the company's half-year results, which will come out next Thursday. The engine maker which is separate from the car brand has had a dismal 18 months since Covid struck. It makes the bulk of its money from the number of hours flown by the engines it supplies to large planes that travel on long-distance routes. And while budget airlines are ramping up their flight schedules to take Britons away on short-haul beach breaks, the recovery for long-haul specialists has been tepid and is not helped by the US in particular still declining to let British and European tourists enter. This is more than likely to have continued to hit Rolls' civil aerospace arm. Laura Hoy, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: 'We suspect the division is still under strain as its bread and butter is producing and servicing wide-body aircraft engines those that primarily power long-haul planes.' To counter the downturn Rolls raised extra cash and embarked on a huge cost-cutting plan that included slashing 9,000 jobs and selling parts of the business worth 2billion. It has had some setbacks with these sales but is still aiming to sell Spanish division, ITP Aero. Hoy added: 'We're expecting an update on Rolls' progress on the disposal of ITP Aero and whether or not it's on track to deliver on its target of 1.3bn savings per year.' Shares fell 2.4 per cent, or 2.47p, to 99.71p yesterday. After slashing payouts as the Covid crisis hit, companies are now bringing back their dividends. Dividends from UK-listed firms jumped a 51.2 per cent to 25.7bn between March and June, according to the latest UK Dividend Monitor from Link Group. This beat its expectations but the total payout remains a sixth below its pre-pandemic average levels. Mining and banking accounted for two-thirds of the increase, according to the report, while the oil sector acted as a brake. However, oil big guns Shell and BP are keen to lure investors back in with payouts and for those hunting income, the FTSE is making something of a return. On this episode of the Investing Show Simon Lambert and Richard Hunter discuss which firms and sectors are returning to rewarding investors. Prada saw its shares rocket yesterday as it became the latest fashion house to benefit from the post-pandemic luxury boom. Sales of its handbags, shoes and perfumes increased by 8 per cent to 1.1billion in the first six months of the year, compared with the same period in 2019. The brand boosted earnings to 141m, up from 128m two years ago, allowing it to post profits of 82.7m. Sitting pretty: Sales of Prada's handbags, shoes and perfumes increased by 8 per cent to 1.1billion in the first six months of the year, compared with the same period in 2019 Shares, listed in Hong Kong, rose 11.7 per cent, or 6.35HKD, to 60.7HKD on the news. The previous day luxury rival Hermes delivered revenues of 3.6billion in the first half of 2021, an increase of a third compared with 2019, at constant exchange rates. The sector's strong performance comes despite ongoing Covid restrictions, particularly on wealthy international tourists. Brands have harnessed social media to appeal to local audiences. Prada's chief executive, Patrizio Bertelli, hailed the 'stronger ties' his company had developed with customers during the pandemic. Hermes executive chairman Axel Dumas hailed his firm's 'exceptional' results too. When we think of ridding Australia of Covid-19, it's politicians, chief health officers and scientists who come to mind. But there's a job far more immediate and just as vital in the fight against the virus - the humble cleaner. Thousands of cleaners across the nation have been working away, killing the virus at the huge numbers of exposure sites where Australians have tested positive. Fear of catching the the highly transmissible Indian Delta variant is a major issue for the thousands of cleaners responsible for killing the virus at the huge number of exposures sites around Australia. Kasia Wrzesinski (pictured above) says 'none of us really expected to be dealing with biohazardous waste' Farina, a Nepalese accounting graduate, says her first experience of doing a late-night deep Covid clean at a Sydney exposure site was 'scary' and tiring but she enjoyed the work Because there hasn't been enough Pfizer to go around, the vast majority of them have are unvaccinated when they face the virus. Most cleaners are aged under 40 they are as apprehensive about the AstraZeneca vaccine as most Australians in their age group. While aerosol transmission is now believed to be the main way the virus spreads, cleaners scrubbing down surfaces are a key part of slowing the spread of Covid, especially the highly-transmissible Delta variant. When a positive case is identified, the premises - whether it's a shop, childcare centre or office - is listed as an exposure site, and the state health department often orders a 'hazmat deep clean'. While 'Tier one' Covid exposure sites don't look like violent crime scenes, the 'emergency response' cleaning teams assigned must dress as if they are. Hala, 45, a Covid deep cleaning expert loves how people have rallied together during the pandemic A deep Covid clean is often ordered at a premises by a state health department when a positive case is identified That means wearing the same gear as if the rooms were splattered in blood. The typical Covid response cleaning team is dressed head-to-toe in personal protective equipment including hazmat suits, boots and boot covers, two pairs of gloves, and full-face masks with respirators that make them look like astronauts. Because Covid is an invisible biohazard, cleaners say it is a 'scary experience' confronting the unseen enemy. Covid-19 can live for up to 72 hours on surfaces and is not detectable - so cleaners need to be as precise as surgeons during their work at exposure sites. 'It was a scary day, somebody had to do it and that somebody was me,' said Farina of her first 'deep clean' at an office in south Sydney where two people had tested positive. Most Covid cleaning is preventative which involves repeated cleaning done parallel to daytime workers use of 'high touchpoint' areas such as beer taps Suji Siv, a Christian pastor who runs his own cleaning company feels God called him to get out from behind his desk running his company to help out on the frontlines killing Covid Farina was called at 4pm one afternoon and told to make her way to a location in Sydney's south, where she was sanitised and sealed inside a suit with a filter respirator. She and four others spent five hours 'fogging' (spraying a peroxide-based chemical) and painstakingly disinfecting an office by hand. 'It's quite hard to describe, but it was scary and exhausting but an an amazing experience,' Farina, a Nepalese accounting graduate currently working as a fulltime cleaner in Sydney, said. 'It's so hot inside that suit and you dont know if you're going to get Covid, but thankfully I am fine.' Mr Siv demonstrates a fogging gun which is used at Covid Tier one exposure sites The two types of Covid cleaning Emergency response: - Typically late night jobs of at least three hours - Base, such as car park or foyer, is sanitised to start work - Teams of up to 10 specially-trained cleaners don head-to-toe hazmat suits and full-face masks - Cleaners use fogging guns and cloths and - Suits and gloves must be changed if cleaner leaves and re-enters the sterile environment Preventative: - Usually daytime work, while sites are in use - Repeated cleaning of 'high touch point surfaces' - These include: lift buttons; doors; all types of door handles such as fridges, cabinets; on/off switches for lights, computers, printers; vending machines and also all hand rails and toilets. Chemicals used include: - Stablished Hydrogen peroxide and benzalkonium chloride Advertisement Farina's employer, Prime Group, has about 200 cleaners trained specifically to kill Covid around Australia, including around 100 to clean at exposure sites which are regularly announced by the state's health departments. One of those is Hala, 45, a rock'n'roll and car lover. 'Lockdown hasn't been fun, but I love that everyone has rallied together,' she said. 'My biggest Covid fear is for the countries worse off than Australia.' The company has done 199 'emergency response' Covid cleans at exposure sites since February 2020. Cleaners' incomes and hourly rates have also increased since the pandemic, in some cases over 40 per cent. While award rates vary between $23 and $28 an hour, some cleaners are earning up to $40 an hour for emergency response cleaning jobs. 'I was a bit afraid, for sure,' said father-of-two, Bipin, 30, of his first Covid 'deep clean' at a Dandenong factory in March last year. 'We weren't sure how serious Covid would be at that time, it was new to everyone. What would happen to me if I caught it, or if my wife caught it?' Because his wife works in an aged care home in Melbourne, the couple spend half an hour cleaning and disinfecting themselves before they can hug when they get home from work. He has done over 50 Covid 'emergency' cleans since March 2020 and says the work still makes him feel nervous and a little edgy. 'But I'm confident as we are well trained and have the right equipment.' Suji Siv, a part-time Christian pastor and CEO of the Clean Group, hadn't done manual cleaning work for a decade before the phone started ringing with enquiries about Covid. Mr Siv, 42 and a father of three, felt obliged to get trained and confront Covid himself as a kind of calling from God. 'I hadn't done any manual cleaning for eight years but when we started getting a lot of calls, the more that we rejected those calls, the more I felt God was opening a door for me and there was a purpose to this.' Mr Siv, the senior pastor with Tamil Church at Toongabbie, didn't feel he could ask his 55 employees to do something he wasn't prepared to do himself. 'If there is a risk to doing this I want to be sure that what we do is safe.' Cleaner Bipin, 30, from Carnegie in Melbourne says he feared what would happen to himself or his wife if they caught Covid Covid cleaners don't usually come into contact with blood, but they have to suit up as if blood is everywhere because Covid is a biohazard He undertook training with Safework NSW and did the required online certifications and now gets out from behind the desk of his Pendle Hill office to clean at least two Covid exposure sites a week. Forensic Cleaning Australia, which also cleans crime scenes and biohazard sites, has taken on Covid cleaning in Sydney, Perth and Brisbane. Matt Lawson, 28, from the Central Coast, says while Covid cleaning is difficult because the virus can't be seen, it's fulfilling work. 'There's a sense of responsibility and doing something important for the community - all those feelings,' he said. Mr Lawson prefers messy cleaning jobs such as suicides because of the satisfaction of comparing the 'after' photos with the chaos they can see on arrival. When Covid cleaners are not doing 'emergency response' jobs they are busy with preventative cleaning during the day because surfaces have to be cleaned while people are touching them. While Prime is proud of its record of having zero positive cases among its 200-plus cleaners, the company says it is not fair that its staff - who are mostly aged under 40 - cannot get priority access to the Pfizer vaccine This involves repeatedly cleaning hundreds of 'high touch point' surfaces - from lift buttons, to fridge and door handles, vending machines and on/off switches for lights, computers, printers and also hand rails and toilets. A major issue for Covid cleaners is fear of catching the virus. 'You can see mould you can see a flood but you can't see a virus,' says Kasia Wrzesinski, director of Prime. 'None of us really expected to be dealing with biohazardous waste.' While Prime is proud of its record of having zero positive cases among its 250 cleaners, the company says it is not fair that its staff - who are mostly aged under 40 - cannot get priority access to the Pfizer vaccine. Why haven't they had AstraZeneca instead? Like many Australians under 40, they are apprehensive about it. 'They seem to think the chances of getting a blood clot is scarier than the chance of passing from Covid,' Ms Wrzesinski said. The answer is for authorities to treat Covid cleaners as essential workers, says Prime's CEO, Damien Smith. 'Hotel quarantine cleaners and health facility cleaners are considered essential workers and they all need to be vaccinated regardless of their age, but why not other cleaners?' he said. 'Covid-19 is not exclusive to the health/hotel sector. 'Our staff have been cleaning contaminated retail and hospitality businesses and are putting themselves at risk every day.' 'If you're literally going in to clean up the virus you should be vaccinated.' Amal, from London, flew to Turkey with her two children but within 24 hours was back in the UK, forced to stay in 10-day isolation An NHS worker and her two children are being quarantined in a 'prison like hotel' after going on holiday to Turkey and being refused entry to the country. Amal, 30, who has a Somalian passport had taken her daughters, aged three and seven, on a month-long sunshine break to see relatives in the Turkish capital Ankara. But she is now being forced to quarantine for ten days at a Holiday Inn in Slough after being kicked out of Turkey on her arrival at the airport and not even being allowed to start her holiday. Speaking to MailOnline: 'I feel like I am being treated worse than a prisoner. The food is unappetising, it's disgusting and we are only allowed out of our rooms to get some fresh air for 20 minutes a day. And I didn't even get to go on holiday.' Amal, 30, who lives in London, insisted that she had the correct Turkish E-visa, for tourism or business, allowing her to stay up to three months, and evidence that she had been a UK resident for nine years. She claims that border officials at Istanbul airport refused to accept that she had the right paperwork and ordered her to fly back to the UK. Amal and her children had to catch a flight back home without even leaving the airport and must quarantine for ten days under Government rules as Turkey is a 'red list' country. The married mother-of-two, who works as a health care assistant, paid 774 for her flights and has been forced to pay the official Government quarantine fee of 1,750 plus an extra payment of 325 for her seven-year-old. She has claimed that she and her children are being fed unappetising meals in cardboard boxes while having to stay in a 'prison like hotel in total mental distress'. Amal shared pictures with MailOnline showing child meals including a small nuggets and chips, a fish finger, a slice of toast and a carton of milk. Amal describes the meals like this plate of chicken burger and chips at the hotel as 'unappetising'. She shared photos with MailOnline of some of the food she has received Amal, who is an NHS health worker, says she receives three meals a day at the Holiday Inn in Slough, which are left outside her bedroom door by staff within a two-hour time slot Amal says that she was served this breakfast with one box of cereal, two slices of toast and a crossaint between her and her two children. She doesn't feel that her 3,000 stay is worth it She has been left reflecting on how her 'holiday' lasted less than 24 hours before she ended up back in the UK and in quarantine. Amal who has been fully vaccinated and had a negative PCR test before travelling said she was furious that Turkish officials refused to accept her documentation. She said: 'I didn't even step foot out of the airport. I hold a Somalia passport, my E-Visa obtained on my phone and the UK home office EU settlement papers, proving I have been a resident in the UK for nine years. 'I have been to Turkey many times with no significant issues. I had my E-Visa right in front of me and they didn't believe it. They told me I would be deported right back to the UK even though I am a UK resident and work in the NHS. 'It was a horrible situation. They locked me in a room without my phone, documentations, and no food. I was so terrified, I felt they treated me like a terrorist.' Amal said she had been offered quarantine accommodation in Birmingham or Oxford before being given the option of the hotel in Slough. She claimed she was threatened with a fine of 10,000 if she did not comply peacefully. Amal slammed the conditions in her quarantine hotel, saying: 'I don't even get nutritious food. They say if you want more you must pay for more. 'I never imagined it to be like this, I thought there would be facilities at least for my children. The mother-of-two also criticised the basic room room she has been given for ten days cooped up with her children who have little space to move around during their quarantine Amal has claimed the Holiday Inn Slough are unable to do your washing due to 'cross-contamination' and has to constantly call reception for cleaning products and basic essentials The Holiday Inn Slough (pictured) has cost Amal 3,000 to spend 10 days in isolation 'The hotel doesn't voluntarily bring you essentials like food, toilet roll, cleaning products and bed sheets. You must ring them constantly and hope they answer.' Amal said the Holiday Inn had provided only 'a very limited menu with specific times to eat'. Breakfast is served within a two-hour time slot from 7:30am, with lunch from 1.30pm and an evening meal from 7.30pm, with no snacks given in between. Amal added: 'There is a menu you get given, but they give you what's left available, even though you request a specific meal. 'Yesterday I chose scrambled egg, beans, a fruit bowl and juice but got given a slice of toast with jam. 'The first 24 hours was such a struggle as they were just bringing what they want and sometimes my children didn't like the food. 'When you ask to wash your kids' clothes, they tell you to wait 72 hours for it. I wasn't even allowed to get my husband to bring in fresh, clean clothes. 'The hotel told me they can't give back my kids clothes because of cross-contamination and my husband isn't allowed to bring any in either. Prison gives better treatment than this. Guests staying at the quarantine hotel are allowed to go outside three times for 20 minutes at a time to talk to relatives in a 'prison-like' scenario through a metal gate (pictured) 'I am speechless, I don't know where else to go to contact. 'Every door I have knocked on tells me to go to the Department of Health and Social Care and take it up with them, but it is impossible.' Turkey has been a 'red' country on the Government list since May, meaning that any adult or child aged over 11 returning to the UK from there has to pay 1,750 to be quarantined in a designated hotel for ten days. The ruling has devastated the tourism industry in the country which was one of the most popular donations for UK tourists before the pandemic. Amal is having to undergo two COVID-19 tests in her hotel during her isolation period, but the first has already proved negative. A spokeswoman for Holiday Inn said: We're unable to share any comment as the approach to quarantine and hotel selection is a matter for the Department of Health and Social Care.' Daphne Caruana Galizia, a Maltese journalist investigating state corruption, died in a car bombing on October 16, 2017 An independent inquiry into the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia released on Thursday has found that the Maltese state 'has to bear responsibility' for the assassination because of the culture of impunity emanating from the highest levels of government. Caruana Galizia's family had sought the inquiry into the October 16, 2017 car bombing near the family home in Malta. The murder in the small EU country sent shockwaves felt not just in Malta, but throughout Europe. The inquiry found that there was no evidence that the state played a direct role in the assassination, but said the state 'has to bear responsibility by creating an atmosphere of impunity, generated from the highest levels in the heart of the administration of (the prime minister's office) and, like an octopus, spread to other entities, like regulatory authorities and the police, leading to a collapse of the rule of law'. The report said the state and its entities failed to recognise the real risk to Caruana Galizia's life, given the threats she had lived under, and also failed to take measures to avoid the risk, the report found. The Caruana Galizia family said in a statement that the inquiry's findings confirm the family's conviction 'that her assassination was a direct result of the collapse of the rule of law and the impunity that the state provided to the corrupt network she was reporting on'. 'We hope that its findings will lead to the restoration of the rule of law in Malta,' the family added. Yorgen Fenech, a prominent businessman who had ties with some government officials, is alleged by prosecutors to have been the mastermind of the killing. Inquiry into Ms Galizia's death found the state must accept blame for 'creating an atmosphere of impunity' that 'led to a collapse of the rule of law' (file image) He has pleaded not guilty to charges of alleged complicity in the killing and allegedly organising and financing the bombing. In addition, three men have been charged with carrying out the attack, two with providing explosives and another with being the middleman. Trials are under way. One of those charged with carrying out the attack has admitted his role, as has the middleman. Joseph Muscat, Malta's former prime minister, stepped down in late 2019 following protests that pressed for the truth about the assassination of the investigative journalist, whose reports targeted Mr Muscat's administration but also the opposition. In a statement on Facebook, Mr Muscat sought to distance his administration from 'the state of impunity' mentioned in the report. He noted that the arrests of the alleged hitmen within two months and the alleged mastermind a few months later 'disproves any impression of impunity that the alleged perpetrators may have had'. And he pointed the finger at previous administrations, during which he said 'high profile crimes were committed, but nobody was ever prosecuted'. The inquiry report made a number of recommendations to improve laws and better protect journalists in Malta. Prime Minister Robert Abela called for a 'mature analysis' of the report 'beyond partisan arguments'. 'Lessons must be drawn and the reforms must continue with greater resolve,' Mr Abela said in a social media post. Anjem Choudary's social media accounts have been shut down just five days after he set them up. Twitter said the 54-year-old hate preacher's page was 'permanently suspended for violating the rules' of its violent organisations policy. Choudary, from Ilford in east London, had his account suspended on Wednesday, before Facebook followed suit on Thursday. Facebook has been approached for comment but is yet to confirm the suspension. It comes just weeks after the extremist had his ban on speaking in public lifted following the end of licence conditions imposed after his release from prison. Anjem Choudary's social media accounts have been shut down just days after he set them up Twitter said the 54-year-old hate preacher's page was 'permanently suspended for violating the rules' of its violent organisations policy He was jailed five years ago after being convicted of inviting support for the Islamic State terror group, and he left Belmarsh high-security jail on licence in 2018. He was freed automatically half-way through a five-and-a-half year sentence. A string of more than 20 strict licence conditions which Choudary has been subject to since his release expired on July 18. As well as being prohibited from speaking in public, his internet and mobile phone use was restricted and he was banned from being in contact with people who may be suspected of extremist-related offences without prior approval. It comes just weeks after the extremist had his ban on speaking in public lifted following the end of licence conditions imposed after his release from prison He had to wear an electronic tag and abide by a night-time curfew, only attend pre-approved mosques and stay within a set area, as well as adhere to other standard requirements, like having regular meetings with probation officers. On his accounts being shut down, he told the Sun: 'That was quick wasn't it. I did not even do anything. I thought I was quite moderate in my quotes. 'I tried to post something yesterday and it came up that I had been suspended. I asked them why but they have not come back yet.' Choudary's followers included the killers of soldier Lee Rigby and Siddhartha Dhar, who joined ISIS in 2014 reportedly as an 'executioner'. A record number of young Australians have received their AstraZeneca jab in the past four weeks in a positive sign vaccine hesitancy is on the way out. More than 340,500 under 60s have received their jab with under 40s accounting for a staggering one third. The massive uptick suggests a change in attitude to the AstraZeneca vaccine after its extremely rare blood clotting side effect fuelled hesitancy across the country. Jackson Gray, 21, said he got the jab after deciding the benefits far outweighed the 1.6 in 100,000 risk of getting the rare blood clot. A record number of young Australians have received their AstraZeneca jab in the past four weeks in a positive sign vaccine hesitancy is on the way out More than 340,500 under 60s have received their jab with under 40s accounting for a staggering one third 'My doctor explained the rates of the blood clotting and the chance of getting it and he said there's a much higher risk of blood clotting in different circumstances than from having the vaccine,' he told The Australian. 'That kind of took the pressure off.' The surge in demand comes after Prime Minister Scott Morrison opened up the jab to young people on June 28. The announcement went against the advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisations (ATAGI). The top medical authority had recommended Pfizer as the 'preferred' option for people younger than 60. ATAGI then changed its unofficial stance after the latest outbreak of Covid-19 began in Greater Sydney on June 16. The organisation is now urging younger Sydneysiders to consider getting the AstraZeneca vaccine. Mr Gray lives in Campbelltown, one of the Covid-19 hotspots in western Sydney. He said he felt more protected against the virus as cases continue to grow in the region with a record 239 reported on Thursday. 'With it going around here especially, cases are up every single day so I thought it was better to get the vaccine now and try to avoid getting the virus and spreading it, so we can get back to normal,' he said. The massive uptick suggests a change in attitude to the AstraZeneca vaccine after its extremely rare blood clotting side effect fuelled hesitancy across the country The uptick in demand among young Australians has also helped to raise national vaccination rates Pharmacies have also been running out of the AstraZeneca vaccine with demand outpacing supply. Cabramatta pharmacist Quinn On said he had run out of his two week supply in just four days after administering 300 shots. 'It's good to get the immunisation happening while people are enthusiastic, because there's always a lot of AstraZeneca hesitancy, especially among the ethnic groups,' he said. The uptick in demand among young Australians has also helped to raise national vaccination rates. Around 39.46 per cent of Australians have received their first dose while 17.73 per cent have been fully vaccinated. More than 78 per cent of over 70s have received their first dose while 39.5 per cent have received both. Around 64.13 per cent of over 50s have received one dose, while 24.34 per cent are fully vaccinated. Three Afghan witnesses called to give evidence against war hero Ben Roberts-Smith at his defamation trial did not see the alleged murder of a man called Ali Jan in their village. Two of the witnesses said they saw Mr Roberts-Smith kick Ali Jan while he was standing above a creek bed, and three said they later heard gunfire and saw his corpse. Mr Roberts-Smith is suing Nine newspapers over allegations he was involved in six murders during his deployments in Afghanistan with the Special Air Service. A fourth Afghan, a woman called Bora, was on Nine's witness list in the Federal Court defamation 'trial of the century' but did not give evidence. Mr Roberts-Smith (right) is suing Nine newspapers over allegations he was involved in six murders during his deployments with the Special Air Service in Afghanistan. Nine alleges Australia's most decorated soldier was responsible for the killing of a man called Ali Jan Man Gul gave evidence for Nine newspapers about the death of a man called Ali Jan at Darwan. Mr Gul is a corn, wheat, tomato and potato farmer, had spent all his life in Darwan and said Ali Jan was 'a distant cousin'. He did not see Ali Jan shot Mohammed Hanifa, who has also lived most of his life in the tiny village of Darwan, told the Federal Court on Tuesday a Dr Sharif had been paying for his accommodation, food and transport since earlier this year. Dr Sharif works for representatives of Nine newspapers Nine has alleged Australia's most decorated soldier was responsible for Ali Jan's murder in the village of Darwan after kicking him off a cliff. They claim Ali Jan was killed while in custody when Darwan was raided on September 11, 2012 by Australian soldiers including Mr Roberts-Smith. The SAS had come to the Taliban hideout looking for a rogue Afghan soldier called Hekmatullah, who had shot dead three Australian soldiers a fortnight earlier. The alleged murder of Ali Jan is the centrepiece claim in a series of stories accusing Mr Roberts-Smith of war crimes Nine newspapers published in 2018. The Victoria Cross recipient has told the court he did not kick or mistreat any prisoner at Darwan, there was no unlawful killing and there was not even a cliff. The Afghan witnesses gave their testimony to a Sydney court room from a lawyer's office in Kabul through a Pashto interpreter in Ontario, Canada via audio/visual link. Each said a local representative for Nine had been paying their family's living expenses since moving to Kandahar, then Kabul, earlier this year. One of them was accompanied by his wife and five children, another by his wife and six children and a third had 14 relatives with him. The alleged murder of a man called Ali Jan is the centrepiece claim in a series of stories Nine newspapers published in 2018 accusing Mr Roberts-Smith of war crimes. Mr Roberts-Smith is pictured in Aghanistan in 2006 The Afghan witnesses gave evidence about an Australian raid on Darwan (pictured) in which Ali Jan was allegedly killed. That day SAS troopers came to the village looking for a rogue Afghan soldier who had shot dead three Australian soldiers a fortnight earlier They all repeatedly denied telling lies about what happened in Darwan on the day Ali Jan was allegedly killed. Three described Ali Jan as a 'martyr' and two called the Australian soldiers infidels. Shahzad Aka, a farmer who had lived all his life until recently in Darwan, said Ali Jan was his brother-in-law and not a Taliban insurgent. On the day of the raid he was confronted by soldiers who asked him, 'Show me the Taliban'. He saw a 'tall soldier' go to the house of his neighbour Man Gul where Mr Aka's son Mohammed Hanifa and Ali Jan were tied up. Mr Aka, who said his eyesight was poor and his age 'could be 60, 70 years', was 250 to 300m away in a hut. Nine will suggest the 'big soldier' is Mr Roberts-Smith, who is 202cm (6'6") tall. 'I saw that he made Ali Jan stand up,' Mr Aka said of the tall soldier. 'Ali Jan was facing the soldier and then the soldier kicked him and he went down.' Mr Roberts-Smith, 42, is suing Nine newspapers at the Federal Court trial in Sydney over media reports alleging he was involved in war crimes including murdering prisoners in Afghanistan. He is pictured arriving at court on Monday The big soldier then walked down a path towards a creek and Mr Aka later heard 'light' gunfire. 'I didn't see the big soldier firing,' Mr Aka said. Sometime afterwards, Mr Aka went to a cornfield where he said he found Ali Jan's body. He was with Mr Gul and Mr Hanifa. Ali Jan was lying on his back with bullet wounds to his jaw, chest and arm, according to the witness. 'Some of the flesh was gone with the shots,' Mr Aka said. Nine alleges Mr Roberts-Smith was involved in covering up Ali Jan's murder and pretending he was a Taliban insurgent by planting a radio on his corpse. Mr Aka was shown a picture of a body Nine says is Ali Jan lying dead in the cornfield. 'This is Ali Jan,' Mr Aka said. 'They have put wireless device on his chest.' His neighbour Man Gul also told the court a 'big soldier' was present when Ali Jan was arrested but did not claim to have seen him shot. The villagers giving evidence against Mr Roberts-Smith are all from Darwan (pictured) in the Taliban stronghold of Uruzgan province and three have been described as members of the same extended family Mr Gul said Ali Jan had been 'martyred' and he considered foreign soldiers who invaded his war-torn homeland to be 'infidels'. He said the foreigners had been 'cruel' to him and his fellow villagers and murdered 'innocent people' during raids. When asked if he hated the soldiers who invaded his country and did not share his Islamic faith, Mr Gul said: 'Yes, it is like that.' Mr Gul, a corn, wheat, tomato and potato farmer, had spent all his life in Darwan until moving recently to Kabul via Kandahar, and said Ali Jan was 'a distant cousin'. The 38-year-old said Ali Jan was not a member of the Taliban. He owned animals and gathered wood from the mountains to sell. On the morning Ali Jan was allegedly killed Mr Gul said helicopters had passed by the village and one had landed on a hill. Mr Hanifa had called out to him and came to his house. The pair then saw Ali Jan in a creek bed with three donkeys. Barrister Bruce McClintock for Mr Roberts-Smith has accused Mr Hanifa of lying about details of the Darwan raid. Mr Hanifa has responded with versions of the same phrase: 'I have seen it with my own eyes. Whether you call it a lie, that is up to you.' Mr Roberts-Smith is pictured Mr Hanifa had gone down to join Ali Jan but after Mr Gul heard shots fired the two men walked up to his house. Mr Gul said soldiers came towards the house and shouted at him, and a black dog bit him on the upper thigh. The soldiers tied his hands behind his back and made him sit next to Mr Hanifa and Ali Jan as an interpreter began asking questions. 'After that the interpreter pulled out the pistol,' Mr Gul told the court. 'He was holding the pistol at Mohammed Hanifa and he was telling him "We are after the Taliban". 'Mohammed Hanifa told him, "I don't know where the Taliban are".' Mr Gul said the interpreter claimed the soldiers had killed Mr Hanifa's father Shahzad Aka and hit him in the head when he asked why. 'There was a big soldier sitting beside me,' Mr Gul said. 'I looked at him and he hit me. I looked at him again and he hit me.' Mr Roberts-Smith is pictured receiving his Victoria Cross for gallantry from then Governor-General Dame Quentin Bryce in 2011. He also holds the Medal for Gallantry The interpreter then told Mr Gul not to look at the big soldier because he did not like it. 'They told me they are after Taliban,' Mr Gul told the court. 'I said, "The Taliban are not sitting here with me".' Mr Gul said the soldiers took Ali Jan away. 'After this the big soldier went away from me. I didn't see him anymore.' He later heard gunshots. Once the soldiers were gone, Mr Gul asked one of his daughters to cut the ties binding his and Mr Hanifa's hands. 'I said, "Mohammed Hanifa, where is Ali Jan?" He said they kicked him and he went down to the river.' Mr Gul said he and Mr Hanifa went to a cornfield on the other side of the creek and found Ali Jan's body in a cornfield. 'He was laying on his back, he was shot,' he said, motioning to his the right side of his jaw and the left side of his head. 'He was also hit in the chest area.' 'We cleaned his face. There was a lot of dirt on his face and then brought him under the shade of the berry tree and then put a shawl over his body.' Mr Gul was shown a picture of Ali Jan's body which showed a bag and radio next to him. 'This wireless device and then the white bag they were not there,' he said. Australian troops aboard helicopters are pictured searching for Hekmatullah in the Gizab region of Uruzgan province after he murdered three of their comrades in August 2012 Mr Gul said Ali Jan had not been carrying a radio that day and he wouldn't know how to use one. 'No,no,' he said. 'He didn't even know how to work a watch.' Two other men were killed that day in Darwan - Haji Nazar Gul and Yaro Mama Faqir - and Mr Gul said neither was in the Taliban. An insurgent called Mullah Ghafur was shot dead by Mr Roberts-Smith on the other side of the Helmand River. Asked if he supported the Taliban's aim to rid Afghanistan of infidels, Mr Gul said: 'I do not agree with the Taliban.' 'The Taliban have done injustices to us and the foreigners have also done injustices to us.' Mr Hanifa had also spent all his life in Darwan until recently moving to Afghanistan's capital. One of his father's two wives is Ali Jan's sister. The 38-year-old was living with his father Shahzad Aka and some of his 18 siblings in the village on the day the SAS came for Hekmatullah and Ali Jan was allegedly killed. Australian troops, including the Special Air Service, were based at Tarin Kowt during the war in Afghanistan. Ali Jan was allegedly murdered in Darwan on September 11, 2012 Mr Hanifa said he did not know Hekmatullah but had known Ali Jan since childhood, although he lived in another village called Bagh three hours' walk from Darwan. He knew Hekmatullah was a Taliban fighter who used the radio call sign 'Abid'. 'He has a wireless,' Mr Hanifa told the court. 'And he has a gun.' Mr Hanifa denied Ali Jan was connected to the Taliban - 'no, nothing like that' - or any sort of fighter. 'No, he was providing for his children and he was protecting his family and his property,' he said. Mr Hanifa said Ali Jan had come to Darwan to mill wheat and was planning to collect woods from the mountains. He had two donkeys with him. The day Ali Jan was allegedly killed Mr Hanifa was at Mr Gul's house when he saw helicopters carrying soldiers arrive on the outskirts of the village. 'I told him there was a raid,' he said. Ali Jan was beside a creek with two donkeys heading towards the house and Mr Hanifa quickly hatched a plan. 'I took one of the donkey from him thinking that we will look like nomads and the foreign forces will think that we are nomads,' Mr Hanifa told the court. 'Two shots were fired at us so we returned back. We had the donkeys with us and we stopped at the guest house.' Mr Gul brought Mr Hanifa and Ali tea. Mr Roberts-Smith is pictured with his barrister Bruce McClintock SC outside court on Monday. The war hero is 202cm - or 6'6' - tall Soldiers came into the village and one confronted Mr Hanifa. 'He told me to get up or stand up. I told Ali Jan not do to that because in these types of situations the soldier shoots you.' The soldier grabbed Mr Hanifa by the neck and hit his against a wall, he told the court. Mr Hanifa said he and Mr Gul were detained and he was accused by an interpreter of being a member of the Taliban. 'He took out a pistol and he put it on my throat. He put it there and he said, "You are a Talib. I shot your father".' 'Then he pointed the pistol to my head and he hit me with the pistol and he said, "Show me Hekmatullah, otherwise I will shoot you in your head".' Mr Hanifa said he was ordered to stare into the eyes of a 'big soldier' while he was being interrogated and when he looked away that soldier punched him 'many, many times'. Mr Hanifa said the big soldier also kicked him twice in the abdomen before the interrogators turned their attention to Ali Jan. 'I told Ali Jan, "Don't laugh or don't smile because they do not like when you smile or when you laugh",' he told the court. The Afghans giving evidence against Mr Roberts-Smith have previously given statements to the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force. Australian Special Operations Task Group troops are pictured in Uruzgan province in 2012 Mr Hanifa said when the big soldier said something to Ali Jan, whose hands were tied, he smiled. The big soldier then kicked him 'really hard' and Ali Jan fell on his back. 'He was rolling down, rolling down, until he reached the river,' Mr Hanifa said. 'At that time, the big soldier, he shouted. Also a shot was fired.' Mr Hanifa said he saw two other soldiers drag Ali Jan to a berry tree and heard more shots. Afghan National Army sergeant Hekmatullah (pictured) shot dead three Australian soldiers near Tarik Kowt in August 2012 He did not see the big soldier again and did not see Ali Jan being killed. Mr Hanifa later followed a trail of blood and found what he said was the body of Ali Jan. He had one arm behind his back and his hands were not tied. Ali Jan had been shot in the face, the left side of the head and the belly, he claimed. He was then shown a photograph taken that day of a dead man with a radio and bag near his body. 'This was Ali Jan,' he said. 'They put those things with his body.' Under cross-examination Mr Hanifa said he had not seen any shots fired at Ali Jan by anyone, including the big soldier. 'I don't know if he fired the shots or someone else,' he told Mr McClintock. 'I told you that I saw Ali Jan being dragged to this tree, after that I didn't see him,' he told the court. 'Shots were fired, whether you consider this a lie or a truth is up to you.' Mr Roberts-Smith says that the day Nine claims Ali Jan was murdered the only Afghans killed were Taliban insurgents. Early in the mission Mr Roberts-Smith had swum the Helmand River and shot dead Mullah Ghafur who was armed with an AK-47-style assault rifle. Mr Roberts-Smith is suing newspapers including the Sydney Morning Herald which ran this front page investigation into allegations of war crimes committed in Afghanistan on the weekend of June 9 and 10, 2018 Nine alleges that near the end of the mission Mr Roberts-Smith and members of his patrol detained, handcuffed and questioned Mr Hanifa, Mr Gul and Ali Jan. The newspapers claim Mr Roberts-Smith forced Ali Jan to kneel at the edge of a cliff while still handcuffed and then took a number of steps back before kicking him hard in the midriff. According to Nine, Ali Jan fell over the cliff and landed in a dry creek bed below. The impact of the fall was so great it knocked Ali Jan's teeth out of his mouth. Nine alleges Ali Jan was moved by two soldiers to the other side of the creek bed where he was shot by Mr Roberts-Smith or another SAS member called Person 11, or both. Mr Roberts-Smith has given evidence that no such incident ever took place and disputed there was even a drop he would consider a cliff at Darwan. Instead of having executed a prisoner, Mr Roberts-Smith said he was nearby when Person 11 engaged and killed a Taliban 'spotter' in a cornfield. A Sydney University student has been forced to live off $20 a week after the government's financial Covid benefits left him with very little support. The 19-year-old, whose identity has been withheld for privacy reasons, moved out of his parents house in February this year after landing a spot in the university's Bachelor of Health Science degree. He moved into a shared flat in the inner-city suburb of Rozelle and got two jobs, one as a waiter and the other as a bartender to support himself. A young Sydney University student is living off just $20 per week due to the Covid-19 pandemic and government benefits (stock image) He would work 20 hours a week to pay off his rent, which was $225 per week, and was only receiving $40 in benefits from the government's youth allowance. But when Covid hit his shifts all but stopped and a caveat in the $500 weekly Covid Disaster Payments meant that he wouldn't receive any benefits. Until this week, anyone already receiving government help was excluded from the Covid-19 supplement, meaning he was expected to survive on just $20 dollars. 'I can't go back to my parents because of lockdown, I can't get benefits,' the student told news.com.au. 'Am I supposed to live on the streets?' When lockdown was announced at the end of June, he was stood down immediately from both jobs. 'I got the bad end of the stick with that one,' he said. 'I did have quite a bit of savings, there's not much left.' The young man's distraught parents have been trying to send him money whenever they can but he doesn't enjoy accepting the handouts. His mother works part-time while his father mows lawns for a living. On Wednesday the NSW government announced changes to their financial aid policies in light of the additional four weeks of lockdown for Sydneysiders. Similar to Jobkeeper, eligible workers can receive $750 per week if they lose 20 hours or more of work while those that normally work less than 20 hours will get $450 a week. People already receiving government support and who meet the other criteria can receive a $200 weekly lump sum through the Covid Disaster Payment. 'This new level of payment recognises the significant impact that the new Covid-19 Delta strain is having on communities, businesses and workers,' said Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, Senator Bridget McKenzie, Senator Anne Ruston and Senator Linda Reynolds in a joint media statement. That means the young student will receive his youth allowance plus $200, still barely covering his rent. The young student says he is disappointed but not surprised about how little the government is doing to help people in his position (stock image) Although disappointed, the student says he isn't surprised about how little help he is receiving. He had been working at fast food chain Oporto at the start of 2020 when he quit to work in a bar. However because he had only been working there for two months when Covid hit, he was ineligible for Jobkeeper. He also couldn't get Jobseeker because he was under the age of 22 and ended up having to return to Oporto for work. Australians may still be enduring lockdowns next year as the country continues its elimination strategy until enough people are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and state premiers will on Friday discuss what percentage of Australians need to be jabbed before the country can live with the virus like flu. Mr Morrison has said the level will be around 65 or 70 per cent after the UK scrapped restrictions on July 19 with 65 per cent of adults fully jabbed. Residents queuing for the Covid-19 vaccine at the New South Health Vaccination Centre at Sydney Olympic Park on Thursday 'The United Kingdom was at 65 per cent [and now] just over 70 per cent. So these are the sort of levels you're talking about,' Mr Morrison told radio 3AW on Thursday. He expects all eligible Aussies to be offered their first dose of a vaccine by January, but fears lockdowns may still be required next year. When asked if Australia will be open by Christmas, he said: 'No one can give those guarantees because the virus is unpredictable.' On Thursday a record 201,470 Covid jabs were administered across the country, the first time the daily figure has been over 200,000. So far 17.73 per cent of over 16s have been fully vaccinated and 39.46 per cent have had their first dose. On July 9, the Prime Minister announced a four stage plan to get Australia back to normal, with each step to be triggered when the vaccination rate hits a certain percentage. Pictured: Bondi Beach on Thursday The percentages required have been calculated by modelling experts at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity and handed to the government. When setting the target, Mr Morrison will also take into account economic modelling by Treasury on the impact of lockdowns as well as the country's hospital capacity. The Grattan Institute think tank released a report on Thursday saying 80 per cent needed to be fully vaccinated before opening up. 'Abandoning our Zero Covid strategy before 80 per cent of Australians are vaccinated would risk a rapid surge in cases that overwhelms our hospitals and imposes a high death toll,' the Race to 80 report says. Allowing the virus to spread with half the population vaccinated would lead to 31,440 deaths within 300 days, it claims. The Institute believes the country can hit the 80 per cent target by December 31 to avoid lockdowns next year. States and territory governments may disagree on the percentage required and set their own targets. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said she wants 80 per cent of adults - or 62 per cent of state's population - to be jabbed before opening up. Until the target is reached, short, sharp lockdowns will be implemented by states in response to a handful of cases to snuff out the virus. Sydney's lockdown has been extended until August 27 due to a growing Covid outbreak. On Thursday Mr Morrison told the Today show that the highly contagious Delta strain of the virus, which spawned in India in April, requires tougher restrictions than previous strains to control. 'The Delta strain is incredibly virulent and there is no country in the world that is not struggling,' he said. 'All around the world countries are wrestling with this and we have learnt a lot in recent weeks. 'Where the Delta strain hits you have to act quickly and we need to take that and move forward as quickly as we can.' During a morning media blitz, Mr Morrison was also grilled about the slow vaccine rollout and admitted he has made mistakes. The rollout has been hampered by supply delays and changing health advice over the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has left the government scrambling to bring in more Pfizer jabs. Mr Morrison warned he can't guarantee lockdowns won't be needed next year to control the spread of Covid-19. Pictured: Police patrol Bondi Beach during lockdown In July 2020, the US ordered 200 million doses of Pfizer, the UK ordered 90 million and Canada ordered 20 million. But Australia didn't order any until November, when it requested just 10 million doses of the highly effective jab. In April the government increased the order to 20 million and doubled it to 40 million in June - but critics say this quantity should have been ordered far earlier. When asked if the government secured a deal fast enough, Mr Morrison told Sunrise host Natalie Barr: 'We went from 10 million to 20 million to 40 million... now it's just about getting the job done. 'Very late though,' she said before Mr Morrison admitted: 'No country gets everything right and the vaccination program is hitting the marks we need it to hit now. 'We just got to focus forward and get this job done, Nat,' he said. A Test and Trace worker who knocked on a model's door to make sure she was isolating at home later sent her a flirty text asking if he could keep her number. Charlotte Roffey, 27, was left scared in her own home after the government employee accessed her details to ask if she was single. Roffey had been on holiday in Andratx, Majorca, and was home alone while self-isolating when the contact tracer visited her house in Winchester, Hampshire, reports The Sun. Just minutes after speaking to Roffey at her home, the man texted with a waving hand emoji and said: 'Do I have the permission to save your number at all? 'Please ignore this if you don't want that or have a husband or whatever lol. 'Apologies I asked.' Charlotte Roffey, 27, was left scared in her own home after the government employee accessed her details to ask if she was single Just minutes after speaking to Roffey at her home, the man texted with a waving hand emoji and said: 'Do I have the permission to save your number at all? 'Please ignore this if you don't want that or have a husband or whatever lol. 'Apologies I asked.' After receiving the texts, Roffey sent a screenshot to her partner William Machin, 29, who was playing rugby at the time. 'He was very angry. He was away and wanted to confront the man but I encouraged him not to,' Roffey told The Sun. Speaking about the NHS test and trace employee, she said: 'He's left me worried in my own home over who is going to knock on my door next. 'I think it's appalling that he used his power in a completely inappropriate way and it made me concerned for any other woman in the same position. 'I was alone and felt uncomfortable that he had access to all my details.' After receiving the texts, Roffey (right) sent a screenshot to her partner William Machin, 29, (left) who was playing rugby at the time Roffey, who did not respond to the man's message, revealed that he has since added her on social media and sent a friend request on Facebook. The Department of Health and Social Care has now launched a probe after their employee used Roffey's private details. Roffey added: 'It was drilled into me that I must stay at home, and the consequences if I didn't were a fine of up to 10,000. 'To then have someone arrive on my doorstep with such disrespect for the rules - illegally using my phone number - is ridiculous. 'I can understand why the Government is finding it so tough to enforce the rules and make people take things seriously.' Roffey had completed her passenger locator form before landing at Heathrow following a holiday with friends to Andratx, Majorca for three nights earlier this month. Roffey, who did not respond to the man's message, revealed that he has since added her on social media and sent a friend request on Facebook She had filled out her personal details on the form, including her name, age, mobile number and home address so that an NHS contact tracer could visit her home to check she was self-isolating for ten days. But on Saturday, two days after returning to the UK, she was visited by the man who later sent her a flirty text. Roffey said: 'He came to my door and we spoke for a while. 'He told me he had already marked me as 'at home' on the system they use, but he had no uniform or badges that I was aware of. 'He was friendly. It didn't feel professional at all, considering I had been anxious about someone coming to visit my home.' She revealed that the contact tracer had told her 'tricks' on how to avoid being caught if she needed to leave her home during the 10-day isolation period. Roffey has spoken out about the incident so that people can be aware of how their information could be exploited. She said: 'People definitely need to be aware that this is happening. 'I'm sure this isn't the first time but it's completely unacceptable and unprofessional. 'It also plays down the system that the Government has put in place. 'It's important to share my story as it highlights people that are willing to use their power to advantage. 'I am also worried for young women or vulnerable people that may be naive.' A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care told the newspaper: 'We take complaints about NHS Test and Trace contact tracers extremely seriously and they will all be investigated and appropriate action taken. 'The Government expects all of our operatives to behave in a professional manner at all times and if people are not happy with the service either the phone checks or in-person visits you can complain to NHS Test and Trace online or telephone 119.' Startling footage of decontamination tents outside a row of suburban houses has laid bare the reality of Sydney's Delta Covid-19 outbreak. A handheld video shared to TikTok on Thursday evening showed at least six white tents set up in front yards in Sentry Drive in Parklea in Sydney's north-west. The quiet suburban street was put on alert last week after four residents and four members of staff at the Unisson Disability care home tested positive to Covid-19. The footage has captured the grim reality of the Covid-19 outbreak in Greater Sydney with residents in eight local government areas banned from leaving their region, extra police sent in to patrol lockdown compliance and cases mounting. Once-busy streets in western and south-west Sydney are now deserted with residents only leaving their homes to shop for essential items or to get tested for Covid-19. On Monday, the situation is set to become more surreal when 300 defence force personnel will be deployed to assist police and ensure residents are following lockdown orders. Startling footage of decontamination tents outside a row of suburban houses has laid bare the reality of Sydney's Delta Covid-19 outbreak A handheld video shared to TikTok on Thursday evening showed at least six white tents set up in front yards in Sentry Drive in Parklea in Sydney's north-west The quiet suburban street was put on alert last week after four residents and four staff at the Unisson Disability care home tested positive to Covid-19 Sydneysiders have little expectation life will return to normal anytime soon with lockdown extended by another four weeks until August 28. While New South sales recorded 170 new cases on Friday - down from a record 239 cases on Thursday - premier Gladys Berejiklian warned cases were likely to rise. Of the newly-acquired cases, 42 were infectious in the community and 93 cases are still under investigation. NSW Health said 87 were reported in south-west Sydney and 32 in both the western and central local health districts in the 24 hours to 8pm. There are 187 patients suffering from Covid-19 across the state, of which 58 are intensive care and 24 are on ventilators. From August 9, she said Qudos Bank Arena - a 21,000-capacity complex in the Olympic Park in the city's west - would open to vaccinate students living in the city's eight hotspot local government areas. The state government hopes 20,000 Year 12 students a week will receive a Covid-19 jab every week at the arena-turned-vaccination hub. Friday's daily press conference also came with a warning that anyone who turns out in Sydney on Saturday for a second lockdown protest would be met by 1,000 officers 'who will be ready to deal with you'. 'Don't come into Sydney to protest,' NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said. 'If you do, you will be met by up to 1,000 police who will be ready to deal with you, whether that be via the health orders or other laws.' More than 300 ADF soldiers will meanwhile be deployed across Greater Sydney on Monday to help police enforce the lockdown, which was been extended for four weeks until at least August 28. Pictured is a Covid-19 drive-through testing clinic in Sydney on Wednesday as five million residents endure a hard lockdown to stop the spread of the Delta variant Decontamination tents have been set up as Greater Sydney as state premier Gladys Berejiklian doubles down on restrictions Since the start of the outbreak on June 16, NSW Health has failed to trace the source of 800 coronavirus cases - meaning there could be even more infections in Sydney which have gone undetected in the community Since the start of the outbreak on June 16, NSW Health has failed to trace the source of 800 coronavirus cases - meaning there could be even more infections in Sydney which have gone undetected in the community. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and state premiers will on Friday discuss what percentage of Australians need to be jabbed before the country can live with the virus like flu. Mr Morrison has said the level will be around 65 or 70 per cent after the UK scrapped restrictions on July 19 with 65 per cent of adults fully jabbed. 'The United Kingdom was at 65 per cent [and now] just over 70 per cent. So these are the sort of levels you're talking about,' Mr Morrison told radio 3AW on Thursday. He expects all eligible Aussies to be offered their first dose of a vaccine by January, but fears lockdowns may still be required next year. The footage emerged as the Covid-19 outbreak continues to cripple Greater Sydney with residents in eight local government areas banned from leaving their region, extra police sent in to patrol lockdown compliance and cases continuing to grow (pictured, a pedestrian in the Waverley LGA in Sydney's east on Thursday) Defence force personnel are pictured checking into the Pullman Hotel on College Street in Hyde Park in the Sydney CBD. More than 300 ADF soldiers will meanwhile be deployed across Greater Sydney from Monday to help police enforce the lockdown When asked if Australia will be open by Christmas, he said: 'No one can give those guarantees because the virus is unpredictable.' NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said she wants 80 per cent of adults - or 62 per cent of state's population - to be jabbed before opening up. Until the target is reached, short, sharp lockdowns will be implemented by states in response to a handful of cases to snuff out the virus. Sydney's lockdown has been extended until August 28 due to a growing Covid outbreak. While the majority of cases are still being found in the city's west and south-west, a new map has shown nowhere in the Harbour City has escaped being exposed to the highly-contagious Delta variant. Sydney is almost five weeks into a strict stay-at-home lockdown to slow the spread of Covid-19. Pictured is a masked pedestrian in the Sydney CBD on Friday A masked healthcare worker is pictured wheeling a patient outside Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital on Thursday Sydney LHD, which encompasses the CBD and highly-populated inner west, recorded 51 infections on the same day. In the South Eastern Sydney LHD, which includes Randwich, Woollahra and Waverley, there were 14 new transmissions and the Northern Sydney LHD saw three cases. Five were in the Blue Mountains and four from Illawarra Shoalhaven. Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone, whose suburb is one of eight deemed 'Covid red zones' along with Canterbury-Bankstown, Liverpool, Cumberland, Blacktown, Georges River, Campbelltown and Parramatta, says the lack of uniformity in the restrictions is causing a divide. He is calling on the Berejiklian government to introduce the same rules right across the Harbour City. 'The community has been fighting this for six weeks, we would much rather do what we have to do, let's get on with our life, let's beat this virus together, but it needs to be across the whole of Sydney,' he told A Current Affair. The map of case numbers over the past seven days shows what's happening on both sides of Sydney - and that there are far more cases in the CBD and east than most people realise 'There's no use eradicating the virus in half of Sydney and letting the virus spread in the other half of Sydney.' The mayor said the issue should be treated as a problem for all of Sydney, not just the west. 'Seventy-one of today's cases were outside the eight LGAs that are considered to be a hot spot and nobody is talking about that,' he said. 'We need the premier and the cabinet to step up. At the moment, we're getting policies that are dividing our community.' One of the most enduring mantras of the pandemic is that 'we are all in this together' but for many families living in the multi-cultural west, the saying rings out as a hollow slogan. Those communities are now preparing themselves for a contingent of Australian military personnel to set up a ring fence around their neighbourhoods with extra police on the streets to enforce Covid compliance. One of the most enduring mantras of the pandemic is that 'we are all in this together' but for many families living in the west, the saying rings out as a hollow slogan (pictured, a woman enjoying winter sun at Bondi Beach on Thursday) One of the most enduring mantras of the pandemic is that 'we are all in this together' but for many families living in the multi-cultural west, the saying rings out as a hollow slogan Defence Minister Peter Dutton confirmed on Thursday night 300 personnel would be brought into the city, with patrols starting Monday. 'We would support the army if they are doing contact tracing and supporting operational measures,' Mr Carbone said. 'The army and police are here to help the community, not work against it, and we need to make sure that the messaging is clear on that and that the community supports this.' Public health expert Bill Bowtell and adjunct professor at UNSW, who is also calling for uniform restrictions to be introduced throughout Sydney, said the tightening of lockdown measures announced today and impending use of the military is simply too little too late. 'Whatever you do today should have happened five and six weeks ago,' he said. In the South Eastern Sydney LHD, which includes Randwich, Woollahra and Waverley, there were 14 new transmissions and the Northern Sydney LHD saw three cases 'The harsher measures taken when the virus is rampaging through Sydney as it is now, well, it's a bit too late. 'We have to do a lot better. As the mayor says, this is not just a Fairfield or Liverpool problem. 'It's a problem for all of Sydney and we have to have an all of Sydney approach to what we do to start bringing this virus under control.' Unjustified racial disparities in policing including recruitment and use of stop and search remain more than two decades after the landmark Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, MPs have found. The Home Affairs Committee is calling for 'urgent action' to address 'persistent, deep-rooted and unjustified racial disparities' in policing, arguing the current system for delivering on race equality is 'not working'. And following an inquiry which it said was not specific to any individual policing institution, the cross-party group of MPs added there has been a 'systematic failure on the part of the police service and Government, over many years, to take race inequality in policing seriously enough'. Examining progress made 22 years on from the Macpherson report, MPs also warned that 'on the current rate of progress, we will not have properly representative police forces in England and Wales for another 20 years'. Unjustified racial disparities in policing including recruitment and use of stop and search remain more than two decades after the landmark Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, MPs have found The Macpherson report, published in 1999, examined failings in how the police investigated the murder of Stephen Lawrence, a black teenager killed in 1993 in a racist knife attack by five white youths in south London. It concluded the police investigation had been marred by, among other failings, 'institutional racism', and made a number of recommendations to 'increase trust and confidence in policing amongst minority ethnic communities'. The committee said there has been a 'welcome focus by all policing organisations' to implement the Macpherson report's recommendations and bring about institutional change. But Labour MP Yvette Cooper, who chairs the committee, said 'in too many areas progress has stalled'. In its report, the committee said: 'We have found that policing today is very different from 22 years ago. 'Since the Macpherson report was published there have been important improvements in policing including significant improvements in the policing of racist crimes, in the commitments made to promoting equality and diversity and in good examples of local community policing. 'But our inquiry has also identified persistent, deep-rooted and unjustified racial disparities in key areas including a confidence gap for BME communities, lack of progress on BME recruitment, problems in misconduct proceedings and unjustified racial disparities in stop and search. In those areas, we propose urgent action.' It added: 'There has been a systematic failure on the part of the police service and government, over many years, to take race inequality in policing seriously enough. 'The Macpherson report's objective at the end of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry to 'eliminate racist prejudice and disadvantage and demonstrate fairness in all aspects of policing' has not been met.' Labour MP Yvette Cooper (pictured), who chairs the committee, said 'in too many areas progress has stalled' The MPs said no evidence to their inquiry 'adequately explained or justified the nature and scale of the disproportionality in the use of stop and search powers'. 'While improved recording practices may have had an impact, statistics (for England and Wales) covering the year to March 31 2020 showed that ethnic disproportionality in stop and search is worse than it was 22 years ago,' the MPs said. Ms Cooper said: 'We have found that in too many areas progress has stalled and for too long there has been a lack of focus and accountability on race equality in policing.' She added: 'Without clear action to tackle race inequality we fear that, in 10 years' time, future committees will be hearing the very same arguments that have been rehearsed already for over 20 years. 'That cannot be allowed to happen.' The committee makes a number of recommendations, among them that a new statutory race equality commissioner for policing is needed, as well as a new race equality steering group to be chaired by the Home Secretary to respond to the commissioner's reports. Policing minister Kit Malthouse said the Macpherson report has 'left an indelible mark' on policing, adding: 'Good progress has been made since its publication. 'Our police are more diverse than ever before, forces have worked hard to improve community engagement and we have seen major improvements in the way the police deal with racist crimes. 'But we know there is much more to do that is why attracting more officers from a wide range of ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds is a core ambition of our drive to recruit an extra 20,000 officers. 'Stop and search along with other preventative activity set out in the Beating Crime Plan is also vital to ensuring we create safer streets and neighbourhoods.' Travel chiefs and business leaders demanded ministers act to reduce the cost of rip-off tests for holidaymakers. Ministers announced on Wednesday that restrictions on international travel will be scrapped allowing cruises to begin again. They also said that double-jabbed US and EU travellers will be able to travel to the UK without the need to quarantine. But there was nothing said about the high cost of tests that travellers must take to prove their Covid negative status, which can be hundreds of pounds. Travel chiefs and business leaders demanded ministers act to reduce the cost of rip-off tests for holidaymakers Abta, the group which represents tour operators and travel agents, welcomed the resumption of cruising but warned barriers remain. A spokesman said: We need to see the Government make further progress on making testing more affordable and proportionate, and we need to see more destinations added to the green list at next weeks review. Willie Walsh, the director of airline group IATA and former head of British Airways, said: Why are travellers forced to test twice, the second time using expensive PCR tests? Claire Walker, co-executive director of the British Chambers of Commerce, said firms wanted to see cheaper tests for foreign visitors to the UK to incentivise them to come. She added: These costs must not be allowed to become an impediment to the viability of businesses. Yesterday, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said easing restrictions for EU and US travellers coming to England was a smart, sensible approach. He admitted the Government cannot guarantee that US and EU travellers will not try to show fake vaccination certificates but said it was highly unlikely. Bill for testing cost almost as much as flights By Martin Beckford for the Daily Mail It was in the dark days of the winter lockdown that I booked a summer family holiday to Spain. Like millions of Britons, I wanted my children to have something to look forward to while stuck at home. And I felt sure that the vaccination programme would see foreign travel back on track within a few months. Months of anxiety later, my gamble appeared to have paid off as foreign travel restarted and then double-jabbed passengers like me were told we would not have to isolate on return from Amber list countries just days before we were due to fly. But it quickly became apparent that not all of the ever-changing rules had been relaxed as I had hoped. To get into Spain, my eldest child, 12, would have to take a commercial test less than 48 hours before arrival but some providers said it took that long to get the results. And what if her swab got lost in the post? It seemed safer to go to a drive-thru centre for a quick test that would be accepted in Spain and the fit to fly declaration within an hour but that cost 136 for my daughter and me. I got one myself in case my vaccination certificate wasnt accepted. To our relief, we tested negative and last Tuesday we breezed into Luton airport with only a cursory check of our printed test certificates, and had our Health Control Form QR codes successfully scanned at Alicante. To get back into the UK, all travellers have to fill out a Passenger Locator Form online and this requires a reference number to prove you have bought Covid tests for two days after your return Getting back to the UK this week was even more costly, however. A Spanish clinic charged us 190 Euros (162) for two lateral flow tests although they did check our blood pressure too, probably wise given the size of the bill they had just handed me. The local doctor signed a letter to show at the boarding gate but the airline staff barely glanced at it, let alone checked to see we hadnt just printed it ourselves at home. The biggest testing was still to come, however. To get back into the UK, all travellers have to fill out a Passenger Locator Form online and this requires a reference number to prove you have bought Covid tests for two days after your return. Although only 11-year-olds and older have to take pre-arrival tests, anyone over four has to get a post-arrival one so that covered all three of my children as well as me even though I have had both jabs and already provided two negative tests in the past ten days. In total I have spent 598 on tests as against 656 on flights. Anyone with more than one adult or teenager in their party would not see much change from 1,000 The Government website claims prices start at 24 but the cheapest I could find were 75 for self-swab ones. So that came to 300 for all of us. And, of course, after we had spent half an hour queuing at Passport Control, the over-stretched officers had no time to study our form details. In total I have spent 598 on tests as against 656 on flights. Anyone with more than one adult or teenager in their party would not see much change from 1,000. It makes sense to test passengers arriving from high-risk destinations, but why should young children and the fully-vaccinated pay such a high price for taking a well-earned break in a country the Government deems safe? Gladys Berejiklian's claim Sydney is currently in Australia's harshest lockdown has been disproven as experts say the restrictions as 'not enough' with the Harbour City bracing for another horrific day of cases Gladys Berejiklian has been slammed for claiming Sydney's lockdown is the harshest in Australia, with one leading infectious disease expert claiming the restrictions are 'not enough' to slow the spread of Covid. The New South Wales Premier has opened an entire arena to help boost the state's vaccination rates and called in 1,000 police and soldiers to enforce Sydney's lockdown as New South Wales recorded another 170 Covid-19 cases overnight. She said while the number of new cases was 'considerably less' than Thursday she expected that figure could spike again on Saturday. Ms Berejiklian claimed Sydney had the toughest Covid restrictions Australia has ever seen on Thursday - despite Melbourne's lockdown night curfews and compulsory outdoors masks and South Australia's harsh recent restrictions. Victoria implemented a curfew, ring of steel and one-hour exercise limit during their 112-day lockdown last year and Delta outbreak earlier this year. NSW currently has a construction ban in eight local government areas with mandatory three-day testing and residents aren't allowed to leave their zones. Victoria's strict mandate was city-wide, unlike NSW's which only includes the eight red zones - disproving the premier's claim it is Australia's harshest lockdown. University of Sydney Health Policy Expert Bill Bowtell told Sunrise on Friday morning that Ms Berejiklian's approach is simply 'not enough'. 'These restrictions are not what is going to get rid of Delta anytime soon in Sydney,' he said. 'A lot more has to be done than is being done by the government.' She claimed Sydney has the toughest Covid restrictions Australia has ever seen - despite Melbourne 's lockdown night curfews and compulsory outdoors masks and South Australia 's harsh recent restrictions University of Sydney Health Policy Expert Bill Bowtell told Sunrise on Friday morning that Ms Berejiklian's approach is simply 'not enough' Mr Bowtell said that there's 'no way out' of the risk of the Delta variant with vaccinations, with the professor saying he doubts the country will be vaccinated within four months. He said NSW should be looking to Victoria as a case study for how to deal with the highly-infectious variant. 'The harshest, best restrictions that can get rid of Delta were the ones adopted in Melbourne five weeks ago when they moved swiftly, stopped Delta over a few weeks and have now come out of lockdown,' he said. 'It was a very black day yesterday, 239 new cases, and it looks like it might go in the wrong direction now today and for the next few weeks.' Of the 170 newly-acquired cases, 42 were infectious in the community and 93 cases are still under investigation. From August 9, she said Qudos Bank Arena in the city's Olympic Park would open to vaccinate students living in the city's eight hotspot local government areas. The state government hopes 20,000 Year 12 students a week will receive a Covid-19 jab every week at the mass vaccination hub. Mr Bowtell said that there's 'no way out' of the risk of the Delta variant with vaccinations, with the professor saying he doubts the country will be vaccinated within four months Sydney is almost five weeks into a strict stay-at-home lockdown to slow the spread of Covid-19. Pictured is a masked pedestrian in the Sydney CBD on Friday The announcement follows footage of decontamination tents in Sydney's north-west laying bare the reality of the city's Delta outbreak. The record 239 cases announced Thursday included 70 cases that were infectious in the community from 110,962 tests - another milestone, and one that has resulted in further restrictions in the city's west and south-west. But the beleaguered Premier was swiftly called out on social media when she claimed at her daily press conference that NSW has the harshest rules of any Australian jurisdiction so far. The remark came after Sky News journalist Andrew Clennell demanded Ms Berejiklian admit her strategy had failed to stop the spread of Delta variant, dooming the city to at least four more weeks of lockdown, but possibly more. Clennell asked: 'Will you admit... the strategy is failing and this death of 1,000 cuts, a little bit of restrictions every day, is not working and you have to come down hard?' Ms Berejiklian responded that Sydney's mobility data showed the population was abiding by the restrictions, and claimed: 'Well, we have harsher restrictions in place than any other state has ever had.' MELBOURNE: During Australia's longest lockdown of 2020, residents were required to wear masks outside (above, at St Kilda) - and police were never far away ADELAIDE: South Australia's lockdown earlier this month saw the introduction of the nation's harshest ever restrictions, including a 2.5km exercise limit. Above, testing queues in the 'city of churches' Veteran journalist Janine Perrett tweeted in response: 'Will NSW Premier stop saying these are the harshest measures anywhere Australia has ever seen as it is blatantly untrue.' Punter Dianne Kaines erupted: 'I'm incandescent with rage. What an out and out LIE.' During last year's second wave, all Melbourne residents were required by law to wear masks outdoors. They were restricted from travelling more than 5km from home and required to be at home at night due to a curfew. Meanwhile, Premier Daniel Andrews erected a 'ring of steel' around the city to prevent the spread of the virus into the regions and other states. Likewise, South Australian residents briefly had even stricter restrictions imposed on them - including an onerous 2.5km exercise limit - during that state's brief lockdown earlier this month. The NSW Government has long resisted similar measures, although Ms Berejiklian announced that she will require masks to be worn outside the home at all times in eight Local Government Areas of concern. That applies for Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, Liverpool, Blacktown, Cumberland, Parramatta, Campbelltown and Georges River. The Premier also said the state's vaccination rate was 'higher' than other states. 'Whilst we're going through a very difficult time in NSW, let's think about a period of time when potentially, if we live more free than any other state, because our vaccination rates are higher,' Ms Berejiklian said. There have been 3.7 million vaccine doses delivered in NSW between federal and state programs, compared to 3.2 million in Victoria. One Twitter user remarked: 'Lets imagine our way out of this crisis? No wonder things are so bad with this kind of leadership (sic)'. Added a second: 'The hubris of this woman is infuriating.' A woman in activewear runs along the beachfront in Bronte in Sydney's eastern suburbs on Wednesday. Greater Sydney is almost five weeks into a strict stay at home lockdown to stop the spread of the highly-contagious Delta Covid-19 variant Thursday's spike in cases is the highest increase the state has recorded in one day in the entire pandemic. NSW Health also confirmed the death of another two of the state's residents from Covid-19 - a woman in her 90s and a man in his 80s from south-western Sydney. Neither of them were vaccinated against the virus. NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said 25 per cent of the state's residents over the age of 70 had yet to receive their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. There are now 182 patients suffering from the virus in hospitals across the state (up 17 from Wednesday) - of which 54 are in intensive care and 22 are on a ventilator. Dr Chant said 17 of the patients in intensive care (31 per cent) were under the age of 40 - including two in their teens, eight in their 20s and three in their 40s. Just a day after extending the city's stay-at-home lockdown for another four weeks, Ms Berejiklian also announced two million Sydney residents living in one of eight hotspot LGAs in the west and south-western suburbs would have to wear a mask whenever they leave home. Those areas are Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, Liverpool, Blacktown, Cumberland, Parramatta, Campbelltown and Georges River. 'If you step foot outside your household, you need to wear a mask at all times. It doesn't matter where it is,' she said. 'We're seeing too much evidence of people who are not wearing masks when they need to.' Penalties for not wearing a face mask across the state meanwhile will increase from $200 to $500. From midnight on Saturday morning, residents in those LGAs also cannot travel more than 5km from their home for essential shopping or for exercise. 'These harsh measures are the harshest Australia has ever faced in a lockdown,' she said. HOW SYDNEY'S TOUGHER LOCKDOWN RULES WILL AFFECT YOU In the eight hotspot LGAs (Blacktown, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool and Parramatta): Residents must wear a mask whenever leaving the home, including when they are outdoors. The travel limit for essential exercise and shopping has been reduced to 5km from 10km. Those in a 'singles bubble' with another person must follow the same travel restriction. Across NSW: The penalty for breaking mask restrictions will increase from $200 to $500 Advertisement 'The Delta strain is different to anything we have seen,' she said. 'I appreciate whilst all of us are under stress and pressure with the lock down, if you live in those eight local government areas, we are asking so much of you.' Health officials said 104 of the new cases - almost half - were found in south-west Sydney, while 58 were detected in the city's west. Another 51 though - up from 20 on Wednesday - were found in the central Sydney local health district in a worrying sign the outbreak has broken containment lines in the western suburbs and was moving back east. The outbreak began on June 16 when an airport transport worker tested positive to Covid-19 in the city's eastern suburbs. Thursday's spike in cases is the highest increase the state has recorded in one day in the entire pandemic She replied: 'I'm never going to suggest we get everything right.' The state leader has faced criticism for refusing to impose stay-at-home orders in Greater Sydney until June 26, 10 days after the city's outbreak began. Victoria has just removed restrictions after a two-week lockdown and South Australia has released residents from a one-week shutdown. 'I don't think any government around the world can say they get everything right because there's no rulebook,' Ms Berejiklian said. 'I'm the first one to admit at every stage of the process in the last 18 months, with the benefit of hindsight it would be wonderful to know the alternative course. We'll never know that.' Bookings for ocean cruises and transatlantic flights have surged following the relaxation of travel restrictions. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced fully vaccinated travellers from amber countries will not have to quarantine. It means from Monday, liners will be able to take passengers to foreign destinations for the first time in more than a year. To meet the pent-up demand, Viking Cruises has opened up bookings for three years and launched expeditions across the globe including river cruises on the Mekong in Vietnam, the Nile in Egypt and the Mississippi in America. P&O Cruises and Cunard announced international travel dates after being inundated with requests. From Monday, liners will be able to take passengers to foreign destinations for the first time in more than a year. A cruise ship is seen in Venice in 2019 Meanwhile demand for flights from the US to the UK has surged since the Government announced the scrapping of the quarantine requirement for fully jabbed travellers from America. Virgin Atlantic said it had more than three times as many bookings for New York to London flights compared with a week earlier. The reopening of Britains borders is a major boast to the cruise industry, which has suffered a worldwide loss of 36billion and 334,000 jobs since March 2020. The sector was shut down at the start of the pandemic and the Foreign Office had to repatriate some 19,000 Britons on 60 cruise ships hit by Covid outbreaks. After 14 months, domestic cruises have been permitted since May 17. But it is the reintroduction of international cruising that may save the industry. The Foreign Office has removed its advice against cruise travel and operators said they will pay to repatriate passengers if necessary. Tom McAlpin, boss of Virgin Voyages, said: This is tremendous news for UK cruising. Its been a long, challenging 18 months, and not only are people ready to travel again, theyre ready to do it in style and importantly in the safest way possible. The US Navy has charged a sailor with arson for setting fire to the USS Bonhomme Richard last July, destroying the $750million ship and injuring 63 people. The Navy has not released the name of the sailor, who was a member of the ship's crew at the time, according to a news release. Officials said on Thursday that the sailor 'is accused of starting the fire' and 'evidence collected during the investigation is sufficient to direct a preliminary hearing'. Vice Admiral Steve Koehler, the Third Fleet commander, is considering court-martial charges and has directed a preliminary hearing to determine any further action, as required by the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The US Navy has charged a sailor for the fire that destroyed the $750million USS Bonhomme Richard - injuring 63 people last July The Navy has not released the name of the sailor, who was a member of the ship's crew Officials said the sailor 'is accused of starting the fire' and that 'evidence collected during the investigation is sufficient to direct a preliminary hearing' 'An impartial hearing officer will make determinations and recommendations required by the UCMJ prior to any further trial proceedings,' the release reads. Those recommendations include whether there is probable cause to believe an offense has been committed. Navy spokesman Sean Robertson told NPR that the sailor was charged with aggravated arson and the willful hazarding of a vessel. The United States Naval Institute noted that the sailor was questioned in August by the Naval Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS) and agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The sailor was released in November after being held in custody at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported earlier this month. Photos show the charred insides of the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard, which burned for more than four days Vice Admiral Steve Koehler, the Third Fleet commander, is considering court-martial charges and has directed a preliminary hearing to determine any further action DailyMail.com has filed a Freedom of Information Act request for charging documents and other records related to the fire. The disastrous blaze began July 12, 2020, while the Bonhomme Richard was docked in San Diego. It burned through 11 of the ship's 14 decks before it was finally able to be put out four days later. There were 63 people injured in the fire, including 40 sailors and 23 civilians. The ship had a crew of 1,000 and about 160 sailors and officers had been onboard at the time of the fire. The amphibious assault ship, which was undergoing maintenance at the time, was commissioned in 1998 for $750million - but was ultimately scrapped when the ship was deemed unsalvageable. President Joe Biden said on Thursday that a big budget bill being written by Democrats in Congress should tackle immigration. 'I think we should include in reconciliation the immigration proposal,' Biden told reporters as he left for Walter Reed, as first lady Jill Biden is getting a procedure done there. 'My staff is putting out a message right now,' the president added. Biden wants there to be a pathway to citizienship for so-called 'Dreamers,' undocumented Americans who were brought to the country as kid. President Joe Biden told reporters Thursday evening that he wanted to see an immigration proposal as part of the $3.5 trillion budget bill The president has said he wants to see a pathway to citizenship for so-called 'Dreamers,' currently not available under the DACA - Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals - program Earlier Thursday, Biden had met with a group of Democratic lawmakers on DACA, whic stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. 'It went very well,' Biden said of the meeting. Senate Democratic leaders this month told other members the budget measure would open the door to legislation on climate measures, social spending, and extension of a child tax credit. However, it remains unclear if the Senate parliamentarian, who decides which provisions may be included in a budget package, will approve inclusion of an immigration measure. DACA protects recipients from deportation, grants them work authorization and access to driver's licenses, and in some cases better access to financial aid for education. It does not provide a path to citizenship. People protected under DACA primarily are young Hispanic adults born in Mexico and countries in Central and South America who were brought to the United States as children. Biden also said he believed Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema - who said Wednesday she doesn't support the $3.5 trillion budget bill - would eventually come along. 'She's on board for passing if in fact she sees all the pieces of it. Thats why she allowed the budget to go forward,' Biden said. A man who allegedly provoked a shark before he was bitten off the coast of Western Australia was filmed jumping onto a hammerhead for fun six years earlier. Aaron Moir, who calls himself the 'Shark Rider', was bitten by a three-and-a-half metre lemon shark while working as a skipper on a charter boat near Varanus Island, 120km west of Karratha, at 8pm on Tuesday night. Panicked boat crew sailed to Exmouth before the 32-year-old was treated by paramedics for back and leg injuries and taken to Royal Perth Hospital in a lengthy ordeal that lasted 10 hours. He is now being investigated by the Department of Fisheries, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and WorkSafe over claims he provoked the animal. Footage has since emerged showing Mr Moir jumping onto the back of a three-metre hammerhead in 2014. A man who allegedly provoked a shark before he was bitten off the coast of Western Australia was filmed jumping onto a hammerhead for fun six years earlier Panicked boat crew sailed to Exmouth before the 32-year-old was treated by paramedics for back and leg injuries and taken to Royal Perth Hospital in a lengthy ordeal that lasted 10 hours The animal is seen biting onto a baited rope before Mr Moir jumps off the boat and lands on its back. The dangerous stunt cost Mr Moir his job and he was sacked from Blue Juice Fishing Charters. Speaking to media at the time, Mr Moir admitted it was an irresponsible thing to do but stopped short of apologising for his actions. 'I was a bit of an idiot but I've worked with sharks for a long time and I understand them and how they go,' he said. 'I'd definitely love to get in the water with a great white if there was some who knew what they were doing.' Paying passengers on the charter boat claim that Mr Moir provoked the shark before he was mauled on Tuesday. Mr Moir has been working as a skipper for Montebello Island Safaris charter for the past three months. Passengers claim Mr Moir jumped off the boat and onto the back of the shark before he was bitten. They then had to administer first aid while crews manned the boat to Exmouth. Mr Moir remains in a stable condition after suffering significant but not life-threatening lower-body injuries. Footage has since emerged showing Mr Moir jumping onto the back of a three-metre hammerhead in 2014 Mr Moir was on a fishing charter boat off the coast of Western Australia. Pictured: Cape Range National Park near Exmouth His mother said Mr Moir remains in 'good spirits'. The passengers on the charter boat have been left outraged and have demanded compensation from Montebello Island Safaris. They say it took 18 months to plan the trip and cost $5,000 each. Daily Mail Australia contacted Montebello Island Safaris for comment. The area where Mr Moir was fishing is popular with recreational anglers but is known for the plentiful presence of sharks in the water. Lemon sharks are so-called because a yellow colouring to their skin provides camouflage as they swim over their regular habitat of the sandy seafloor. WA surfer Andrew Sharpe was taken by a shark near Esperance on the state's south coast in October 2020 They can grow up to 3.8m, weigh 90kg and are known to prefer feeding at night in fish nurseries. They are not generally considered a threat to humans. There were eight fatalities from shark attacks last year, Australia's highest number since 1929 when nine people died. In Western Australia, a 55-year-old man died at Cable Beach, Broome in November 2020 after an attack by a tiger shark. Another man in his 40s was bitten by a tiger shark while diving off Quondong Beach, 50km north of Broome, in May this year. In October last year, surfer Andrew Sharpe, 52, was dragged from his board by what witnesses described as a four-metre 'monster' shark in the waters off Esperance on WA's south coast. Middle-aged spread dramatically raises the risk of digestive system cancers, researchers have warned. The threat of a tumour developing in the stomach or liver soars 13 per cent for every extra unit of body mass index (BMI), according to a study. And the likelihood of gullet and pancreatic cancer also increases by 10 and 6 per cent respectively. Obesity is a major factor in all four types of the disease and shedding the pounds can help prevent them, scientists said. The study, carried out by British and Swedish researchers, analysed more than 350,000 people from the UK Biobank database. They found that being tall was associated with a greater risk of all cancers investigated. However, a high BMI was specifically linked to digestive system cancers. The study, carried out by British and Swedish researchers, analysed more than 350,000 people from the UK Biobank database (Picture: Stock image) The threat of a tumour developing in the stomach or liver soars 13 per cent for every extra unit of body mass index (BMI), according to the study This could be due to eating too many processed foods which are high in carcinogens or because fat triggers inflammation in the digestive tract, the researchers said. Anyone with a BMI of over 25 is considered overweight and over 30 is classed as obese. Study co-author Dr Amy Mason, from Cambridge University, said: The key message is that the public should focus less on physical size, which people can often do little about, and more on managing the amount of fat that they carry. Dr Stephen Burgess, also from Cambridge, added: Its well known that being large is linked with having a greater risk of cancer. But what was not known is whether the increased risk is an inevitable result of being a big person, or whether it is caused by a specific component of obesity that people can change. The team which also included scientists from Imperial College London, Bristol University and Stockholms Karolinska Institute published their findings in the journal PLOS Medicine. A service station worker has relived the terrifying moment he was robbed by a thief with a meat cleaver and a dog. Rashadul Islam was attending the petrol station in Newcastle when a man dressed in black with this face covered entered last Tuesday night. Holding the dog back on a short harness and lead, the man threw a bag at Mr Islam. 'Fill up the bag with f***ing cigarettes or I'll let the dog go and he's going to f***ing kill you,' the man said on CCTV footage from the incident. He then produces a meat cleaver and waves it towards Mr Islam while continuing to threaten him, 'Cigarettes! Cigarettes now!' He said. The man produced a meat cleaver and waved it towards to service station attendant while continuing to threaten him The man then grabbed the full duffel bag, bringing down the cashier's protective screen, and left with $250 cash and $1000 worth of cigarettes. Mr Islam told 7News he was still shaken by the robbery and had trouble sleeping. 'He will hit me with a meat cleaver knife if I don't do it in a hurry,' Mr Islam said the man told him. The thief warned the attendant that his dog would 'kill him', but the Staffordshire terrier appeared to be terrified during the encounter In the CCTV vision the man's Staffordshire terrier appeared frightened during its owner's tirade at Mr Islam. The man is seen to physically lift the dog off all fours as he exits the door. Newcastle Police are continuing investigations into the robbery, which it described as 'particularly violent'. Holidaymakers on the south coast are battling 75mph gusts and torrential rain lashing against their tents torm Evert to bring 'unseasonably strong winds and heavy rain to southern parts of UK into Friday' Advertisement Storm Evert has started to batter the UK with 75mph winds and torrential rain with the Met Office warning it 'will get worse before it gets better', after waves of devastating flooding and freak weather conditions. The newly named storm is continuing to gather pace and has started to lash the south-west, with coastal gales and rain set to affect parts of the country. Families camping in tents in the scenic south-west and others enjoying staycations in Cornwall have been subjected to horrific conditions as the storm moves inland. Meanwhile Rock Oyster Festival - where Sophie Ellis-Bexter is headlining tomorrow - is under threat and has delayed opening until midday today. It will move across parts of the UK, giving a 'wet and windy start' to Friday for the southern and central regions, the Met Office said. Steven Keates, a meteorologist from the Met Office, said: 'The wind will get worse before it gets better. Storm Evert has started to batter the UK with 75mph winds and torrential rain with the Met Office warning it 'will get worse before it gets better' An ice cream van became stuck in the sand after the tide turned on Polzeath Beach in Devon on Thursday amid the changing conditions Families camping in tents in the scenic south-west and others enjoying staycations in Cornwall have been subjected to horrific conditions as the storm moves inland It will move across parts of the UK, giving a 'wet and windy start' to Friday for the southern and central regions, the Met Office said Storm Evert is set to bring 'unseasonably strong winds and heavy rain to southern parts of the UK into Friday', the Met Office said (pictured: rain showers in central London on Wednesday) The blustery conditions are predicted to cause damage to buildings and fallen trees, with 'danger to life likely' due to large waves and beach material being thrown onto coastal roads An amber warning for wind has been issued for some of the south-west from 9pm until 7am, with gusts of up to 75mph forecast across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly 'The highest gust of wind is on the Isles of Scilly, which is 45 knots or 52mph. There is the potential for 60mph in coastal areas of west Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. 'There is the chance of seeing something a little stronger than that from midnight to 3am, where as per the amber warning, there is the chance of seeing gusts of up to 75mph in one or two very exposed coastal spots, mainly in Cornwall.' An amber weather warning has been issued for south-west England, with the Met Office saying Storm Evert will bring strong winds to the region, potentially causing damage to infrastructure and leading to travel disruption. This could include damage to buildings, fallen trees and a 'good chance' that power cuts could occur, which could affect other services such as mobile phone coverage. The warning, which is currently in place until Friday morning, also says large waves, flying debris and beach material being thrown on to roads and seafronts could lead to injuries or 'danger to life'. Thousands of drivers across the country will be setting off for staycations across the UK ahead of this weekend, after children broke up for their six-week school summer holiday on Monday (pictured: the A12 eastbound in Essex on Wednesday afternoon) The last named storm was Darcy, which battered the UK over five months ago towards the start of February. Pictured: hail stones that fell in Northampton on Wednesday Scientists fear the rate of global warming is spiralling out of control, saying that 'climate change is happening and it's happening now' (hail stones in Northampton earlier this week, pictured above) Flooding and stormy weather has already led to disruption in some parts of the country. Cumbria County Council said 14 properties have been evacuated and some roads and footpaths have been closed due to a landslip in Parton, west Cumbria. The Environment Agency has six flood alerts for areas including parts of south London and an area on the Isle of Wight. The naming of Storm Evert comes on the day the Government announced that more than 860 million is to be invested in flood prevention schemes across the UK over the next year. Evert is the first storm to be named in the month of July by the Met Office's storm naming group, although named summer storms are not unprecedented. The Met Office said: 'Storm Evert has been named and is forecast to bring unseasonably strong winds and heavy rain to southern parts of the UK' Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir said: 'For the next 24 hours or so, expect more impacts from some heavy rain with the risk of thunder, and then all eyes on the West Country' (pictured: a person walking through a downpour in Euston) In 2020, Storm Ellen hit from August 19 to 20, before Storm Francis moved over the UK on August 25. The last named storm was Darcy, which battered the UK over five months ago towards the start of February. Thousands of drivers across the country will be setting off for staycations across the UK ahead of this weekend, after children broke up for their six-week school summer holiday on Monday. RAC Breakdown spokesman Rod Dennis said: 'The arrival of a summer storm to the South West could take drivers and indeed all holidaymakers in the region by surprise. 'The sheer strength of the wind coupled with huge volumes of traffic will make driving conditions hazardous, particularly for those towing caravans and trailers. 'We strongly recommend drivers check over their vehicles before setting out ensuring roofboxes are firmly secured and try to avoid exposed coastal and moorland routes where the impacts of the wind on driving will be the greatest. 'Drivers should reduce their speeds accordingly to help ensure they complete their journeys safely.' Rain showers in central London pictured on Wednesday. Meanwhile, forecasters have warned that scorching summers of 104F (40C) will become the UK's new 'normal' by the end of the century Going into this evening, forecaster Ms Nasir said: 'The cloud will thicken across the West Country and winds will pick up some strength with some outbreaks of rain. Just clipping Cornwall as we go into the middle part of the afternoon' The meteorologist added: 'It will clear off the scene quite quickly and through the weekend the wind changes direction. We see our feeds coming in from the north, so temperatures will struggle a little bit' (pictured: showers in London on Wednesday) The first named storm of the summer follows two hikers being rushed to hospital after being struck by lightning on the summit of Snowdon in Wales when freak-weather hit the region on Wednesday. Rescuers said one of the women was bleeding and 'falling in and out of consciousness' when they arrived on the 3,560ft-peak at 1.47pm. North Wales Police were called and volunteer crews from Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team were sent along with the Coast Guard rescue helicopter. One of the walkers sustained minor injuries during the incident while the other sustained serious injuries. Meanwhile, forecasters have warned that scorching summers of 104F (40C) will become the UK's new 'normal' by the end of the century. The alarming prediction came as experts warned that temperature and rainfall records are being smashed at a 'shocking' rate in Britain. Scientists fear the rate of global warming is spiralling out of control, saying that 'climate change is happening and it's happening now'. The hottest temperature recorded in the UK stands at 101.6F (38.7C) in Cambridge in 2019. But the jump to 104F (40C) could come within the decade and become a regular occurrence every three to four years by the end of the century. Data from the annual State Of The UK Climate report showed that last year was the third warmest, fifth wettest and eighth sunniest year on record the first ever to fall into the top ten in all three categories. Gladys Berejiklian will open an entire stadium to help boost the state's vaccination rates and called in 1,000 police and soldiers to enforce the Sydney lockdown as New South Wales recorded another 170 Covid-19 cases overnight. The state premier said while the number of new cases was 'considerably less' than Thursday she expected that figure could spike again on Saturday. Of the newly-acquired cases, 42 were infectious in the community and 93 are still under investigation. NSW Health said 87 were reported in south-west Sydney and 32 in both the western and central local health districts in the 24 hours to 8pm. There are 187 patients suffering from Covid-19 across the state, of which 58 are intensive care and 24 are on ventilators. From August 9, Ms Berejiklian said Qudos Bank Arena - a 21,000-capacity complex in the Olympic Park in the city's west - would open to vaccinate students living in eight hotspot local government areas in Sydney's west and south-west. The state government hopes 20,000 Year 12 students a week will receive a Covid-19 jab every week at the arena-turned-vaccination hub. Footage meanwhile of decontamination tents in Sydney's north-west has laid bare the reality of the city's Delta outbreak. A handheld video shared to TikTok on Thursday evening showed at least six white tents set up in front yards in Sentry Drive in Parklea in Sydney's north-west. The quiet suburban street was put on alert last week after four residents and four staff members at the Unisson Disability care home tested positive to Covid-19. Sydney is almost five weeks into a strict stay-at-home lockdown to slow the spread of Covid-19. Pictured is a masked pedestrian in the Sydney CBD on Friday Defence force personnel are pictured checking into the Pullman Hotel on College Street in Hyde Park in the Sydney CBD. More than 300 ADF soldiers will meanwhile be deployed across Greater Sydney from Monday to help police enforce the lockdown Pictured is a masked worker leaving a tent on Sentry Drive, Drive Parklea. Five people at the Unisson Disability care home on the street tested positive to Covid-19 Friday's daily press conference came with a warning that anyone who turns out in Sydney on Saturday for a anti-lockdown protest would be met by 1,000 officers 'who will be ready to deal with you'. 'Don't come into Sydney to protest,' NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said. 'If you do, you will be met by up to 1,000 police who will be ready to deal with you, whether that be via the health orders or other laws.' More than 300 ADF soldiers will meanwhile be deployed across Greater Sydney from Monday to help police enforce the lockdown, which was been extended for four weeks until at least August 28. SYDNEY'S COVID 'HOT ZONES' Eight LGAs are bound by stricter rules than the rest of Sydney and must not leave their area unless they are an authorised essential worker: - Blacktown - Parramatta - Cumberland - Fairfield - Liverpool - Campbelltown - Canterbury-Bankstown - Georges River Advertisement NSW Police made a formal request to the federal government for the ADF to assist the force's Covid-19 compliance operation on Thursday afternoon. The state's health minister Brad Hazzard said Sydneysiders would 'have to be crackers' to think about breaking lockdown rules to attend the rally. 'You have to be crackers to go to that demonstration tomorrow because there will be a lot of people potentially with a deadly weapon - Delta,' he said. Police made 57 arrests last Saturday as more than 3,500 protesters took to the streets of the city's CBD to rally against the use of lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement came amid warnings Australia could be enduring lockdowns until next year as the country continues its elimination strategy until enough people are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and state premiers will on Friday discuss what percentage of Australians need to be jabbed before the country can live with the virus like it would with the flu. Mr Morrison has said the level will be around 65 or 70 per cent after the UK scrapped restrictions on July 19 with 65 per cent of adults fully jabbed. 'The United Kingdom was at 65 per cent [and now] just over 70 per cent. So these are the sort of levels you're talking about,' Mr Morrison told radio 3AW on Thursday. He expects all eligible Aussies to be offered their first dose of a vaccine by January, but fears lockdowns may still be required next year. When asked if Australia will be open by Christmas, he said: 'No one can give those guarantees because the virus is unpredictable.' Fencing is pictured outside a home in Sentry Drive in Parklea. The quiet suburban street was put on alert last week after the positive results at Unisson Disability home were confirmed From August 9, Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena in the Olympic Park in the city's west will be used as a vaccination hub to get jabs in the arms of 20,000 students a week A masked healthcare worker is pictured wheeling a patient outside Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital on Thursday A police officer is pictured monitoring lockdown compliance in the eastern Sydney CBD on Thursday NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said she wants 80 per cent of adults - or 62 per cent of state's population - to be jabbed before opening up. Until the target is reached, short, sharp lockdowns will be implemented by states in response to a handful of cases to snuff out the virus. While the majority of cases are still being found in the city's west and south-west, a new map has shown nowhere in the Harbour City has escaped being exposed to the highly-contagious Delta variant. HOW SYDNEY'S TOUGHER LOCKDOWN RULES WILL AFFECT YOU In the eight hotspot LGAs from 12am on Saturday, July 31 (Blacktown, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool and Parramatta): Residents must wear a mask whenever leaving the home, including when they are outdoors. The travel limit for essential exercise and shopping has been reduced to 5km from 10km. Those in a 'singles bubble' with another person must follow the same travel restriction. Across NSW: The penalty for breaking mask restrictions will increase from $200 to $500 Advertisement Since the start of the Sydney outbreak on June 16, NSW Health has failed to trace the source of 800 coronavirus cases. Pictured is a pedestrian in the Waverley LGA in Sydney's east on Thursday The Sydney local health district, which encompasses the CBD and highly-populated inner west, recorded 51 infections on Thursday. In the south-eastern Sydney LHD, which includes Randwich, Woollahra and Waverley, there were 14 new transmissions and the Northern Sydney LHD saw three cases. Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone, whose suburb is one of eight deemed 'Covid red zones' along with Canterbury-Bankstown, Liverpool, Cumberland, Blacktown, Georges River, Campbelltown and Parramatta, said the lack of uniformity in the restrictions is causing a divide. EXCLUSIVE: Bombshell leaked audio captures Scott Morrison saying 'the time will come' when only the fully-vaccinated may be allowed into bars and restaurants while those who refuse the jab stay locked down - but major changes are needed first The time will arrive when Australians fully vaccinated against coronavirus will enjoy more freedoms than their anti-jab counterparts, Scott Morrison has revealed. In audio obtained by Daily Mail Australia, voters from the Cook electorate in Sydney's south grilled their federal MP on a host of pandemic topics from the country's bungled vaccine rollout to more support for businesses crippled by a fresh horror wave of the virus in New South Wales. One fully-vaccinated constituent called Steve from Cronulla said he was frustrated that he was in lockdown despite answering the call to get vaccinated many months ago. Fully vaccinated Australians could enjoy more freedom once more of the population gets the jab (pictured, revellers partying in The Rocks before the recent outbreak) He said more Australians would get the jab if support was given to businesses such as cafes, restaurants, pubs and clubs by allowing them to open to fully-vaccinated patrons only. In a remarkably candid answer, Mr Morrison agreed the proposal should be looked at once more of Australia's population is vaccinated and the worst of the current NSW outbreak is over. 'Until the overall vaccine rates are higher than they are now... even with vaccinated people moving around, while vaccinations certainly reduce the risk of you catching Covid and transmitting it, there is still the ability to catch it and pass it on,' Mr Morrison explained. 'When we have such a large unvaccinated population and particularly when we've got an outbreak of the Delta variant, and we're getting increasing evidence to show it's more probably damaging to people's health, that could move through the unvaccinated population very quick and could even come from people who are vaccinated. 'When we get our vaccination levels a lot higher, I agree with you, and I think there should be those advantages to those who have done that and taken the opportunity. 'Because if you're vaccinated, you're less of a public health risk than you are to someone who's unvaccinated. 'I think the time will come when exactly what you're suggesting should be able to be achieved.' Advertisement Pictured is a Covid-19 drive-through testing clinic in Sydney on Wednesday as five million residents endure a hard lockdown to stop the spread of the Delta variant He is calling on the Berejiklian government to introduce the same rules right across the Harbour City. 'The community has been fighting this for six weeks, we would much rather do what we have to do, let's get on with our life, let's beat this virus together, but it needs to be across the whole of Sydney,' he told A Current Affair. 'There's no use eradicating the virus in half of Sydney and letting the virus spread in the other half of Sydney.' The mayor said the issue should be treated as a problem for all of Sydney, not just the west. The map of case numbers over the past seven days shows what's happening on both sides of Sydney - and that there are far more cases in the CBD and east than most people realise 'Seventy-one of today's cases were outside the eight LGAs that are considered to be a hot spot and nobody is talking about that,' he said. 'We need the premier and the cabinet to step up. At the moment, we're getting policies that are dividing our community.' One of the most enduring mantras of the pandemic is that 'we are all in this together' but for many families living in the multi-cultural west, the saying rings out as a hollow slogan. Those communities are now preparing themselves for a contingent of Australian military personnel to set up a ring fence around their neighbourhoods with extra police on the streets to enforce Covid compliance. Defence Minister Peter Dutton confirmed on Thursday night 300 personnel would be brought into the city, with patrols starting Monday. 'We would support the army if they are doing contact tracing and supporting operational measures,' Mr Carbone said. 'The army and police are here to help the community, not work against it, and we need to make sure that the messaging is clear on that and that the community supports this.' Public health expert Bill Bowtell and adjunct professor at UNSW, who is also calling for uniform restrictions to be introduced throughout Sydney, said the tightening of lockdown measures announced today and impending use of the military is simply too little too late. 'Whatever you do today should have happened five and six weeks ago,' he said. One of the most enduring mantras of the pandemic is that 'we are all in this together' but for many families living in the west, the saying rings out as a hollow slogan (pictured, a woman enjoying winter sun at Bondi Beach on Thursday) 'The harsher measures taken when the virus is rampaging through Sydney as it is now, well, it's a bit too late. 'We have to do a lot better. As the mayor says, this is not just a Fairfield or Liverpool problem. 'It's a problem for all of Sydney and we have to have an all of Sydney approach to what we do to start bringing this virus under control.' A tradie is the talk of an outback town after misspelling 'pub' while rebuilding the local watering hole two years after it was destroyed by fire. The Mucka pub in the town of Muckadilla, 40km west of Roman in Queensland, burned to the ground in August 2019, leaving the town's tiny community devastated. Farmer Marty Coomber took it upon himself to buy and rebuild the institution 12 months after the blaze. As the revamp reaches its completion, the pub posted a picture on Facebook showing it had been renamed 'The Mucka Bup'. 'Marty Coomber... you had one job!,' the caption read. The Mucka Pub took to Facebook to show off builder Rob Pollock's prank of switching the venue's name to 'The Mucka Bup' The Mucka Pub was struck by tragedy in August 2019 after the institution was gutted by a fire Mr Coomber's wife Christy said it took ten minutes for someone to stop and notice. 'We didn't expect it to get as much attention as it has. We've got heaps of great people who are supporting us from all over the country,' Mrs Coomber told Daily Mail Australia. Many users voiced their opinions on their love for the pub's sign. 'PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE leave it as the Mucka Bup,' one said. Another wrote: 'Don't correct it. It will become legendary and have even more people stopping.' The pub began its rebuild in August 2020, one year after the devastating fire The venue's sign change has been well-received by the local community online with many asking owner Marty Coomber to keep the name as is A third said patrons would read the sign correctly after when leaving the venue. 'When the pub shuts and the patrons walk out, they will read it as PUB anyway.' Mrs Coomber hinted that the pub's name could stay. There is a lot of love for the sign and people are begging us to keep it like it is, so maybe we will! We'll see how we go after opening.', said Mrs Coomber. NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller warned any anti-lockdown protest in the Sydney CBD this weekend would be met by 1,000 police officers. 'Please don't come into Sydney tomorrow to protest,' he said at the NSW Covid update on Friday morning. 'If you do, you will be met by up to 1,000 police who will be ready to deal with you, whether that be via the health orders or other laws. 'This is such an important time for New South Wales in terms of winning the battle against the virus and coming into town to protest is not the answer.' 'If you [protest], you will be met by up to 1000 police who will be ready to deal with you, whether that be via the health orders or other laws,' NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said at Friday's Covid update Commissioner Fuller said that any protest in another area of Sydney would also be met with force by NSW police. '[Our] force will be mobile and will be waiting to you,' he said. 'You have been given plenty of warnings. 'The strike force from last week has locked up over 60 individuals and issued over 200 infringements and that will continue. 'If you turn up, you can expect the same sense of force.' Around 3,500 protesters turned up to a 'freedom' rally in the Sydney CBD last weekend NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said police 'expect' another protest this weekend, though intelligence suggested smaller numbers would turn out The Commissioner said intelligence suggested police should expect a protest in Sydney this Saturday. 'Protesters are using chats and other forums so it has been more complex to work out numbers,' he said. 'From our perspective we have to expect it will be a protest. It appears it will not be in the same numbers but it can be a small group of people and can still look untidy and can still be violent.' Asked whether all offenders from last weekend's rally in the Sydney CBD had been identified, Commissioner Fuller said police were still looking for some offenders. 'There are still three individuals that exhibited violence,' he said. NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said NSW Health were concerned about one person who had tried to attend last weekend's protest and had since tested positive to Covid NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said he had called in the Australian Defence Force to help with community compliance with Covid restrictions in Sydney LGAs Chief health officer Kerry Chant said NSW Health had not seen any new cases of Covid related to last weekend's protest as yet, but were concerned about one person who had tried to attend the protest and had since tested positive to Covid. 'We are following up one person to ascertain whether they actually had made it to the protest,' she said. 'Police did turn that person away and issued an infringement to them. 'We are currently working with police operationally to locate that person and determine whether they actually did subsequently attend the protest. 'We need to have low tolerance for where people are flagrantly breaking the rules - this is too much of a severe disease, too serious [of a] situation to be in, to have people knowingly going out when they are positive.' NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said anyone attending a further anti-lockdown protest would be 'crackers'. 'You have to be crackers to go to that demonstration tomorrow because there will be a lot of people, potentially, that have a deadly weapon, Delta virus,' he said. Commissioner Fuller also explained the decision to call in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to help NSW Police in Sydney's locked-down LGAs. 'The primary reason is because of the compliance checks, particularly in the eight LGAs,' he said. '[There are] well 2,000 premises that we have to visit to make sure that people who have Covid or are a close contact are abiding by the health orders. 'An example this morning - a Covid compliance check where a young man who was Covid-positive was out of the house and he had gone to work on a building site. 'That sort of behaviour is exactly why we need strong health orders, law enforcement and defence, getting the highest level of compliance.' Fox News host Tucker Carlson has said he 'had some dark thoughts' as he was confronted by a man at a fishing supplies store in Montana last Friday, who called him 'the worst human being ever' all while he was on a trip with his kids. Dan Bailey had someone film the interaction as he accosted Carlson at a fly fishing store in the city of Livingston which he then shared it on Instagram. Carlson broke his silence on the incident on Fox News on Thursday night, saying: 'What you would have done if the person wasn't filming it? 'Hassling me in front of my kids? I mean, I had some dark thoughts which I'm not going to articulate here.' Tucker Carlson discussed an incident where he was accosted while in a fly fishing store in Montana last weekend. Carlson said he 'had some dark thoughts' Host Greg Gutfield added his own thoughts on the viral incident. 'I find it very frustrating that adult men are now becoming like mean girls. He could have come up to you and actually expressed himself and you could have had a conversation. But he couldn't do that without someone filming it, because he knew if he had someone to film it that would impact your response, which, as a wise person in the media, you know that.' Carlson then went on to talk about 'the bigger problem.' 'Leaving me totally out of it, the bigger problem is the mountain states are completely invaded by the people who destroyed California,' Carlson began. 'What's so interesting is they're the exact same people who lecture you day and night about diversity, and it's so important, and that you're a racist and etc. And then they run they literally run to the hills away from diversity. The hills greatly suffer when they do that. I will leave it there,' Carlson explained. A Montana fly fisherman confronted Tucker Carlson on Friday at a fishing supplies store in Livingston, Montana, where he called the Fox News host 'the worst human being ever' A local resident named Dan Bailey had someone film the interaction and shared it on Instagram, where he identified himself as the man in the video The Fox News host says, 'Settle down son,' to which Bailey says, 'Son? Don't call me son,' before Carlson walks away with Bailey trying to follow him before the video ends Although the 22-second clip is no longer on Bailey's Instagram page, it began with him already engaged in a conversation with the Fox News host with the caption: 'It's not every day you get to tell someone they are the worst person in the world and really mean it! What an a******!' Bailey has a wide smirk while Carlson appears more withdrawn and whispers, 'My daughter is here,' to which Bailey says, 'I don't care man. You are the worst human being known to man. I want you to know that.' In response, Carlson says. 'I appreciate that. I appreciate that.' Bailey continues, 'What you have done to everybody else in this state, to the United States, to everyone else in this world. What you have done to families, what you have done to everybody else in this world. I don't care that your daughter is here. What you've done to people's families ' Bailey shared the 22-second clip to his Instagram page which he has subsequently deactivated As he talks, Carlson notices he is being recorded on a camera and gives a grin. The Fox News host says, 'Settle down son,' to which Bailey says, 'Son? Don't call me son,' before Carlson walks away with Bailey trying to follow him as the video ends. Bailey captioned the video, 'This man has killed more people with vaccine misinformation, he has supported extreme racism, he is a fascist and does more to rip this country apart than anyone that calls themselves an American.' The video stood out on Bailey's now deactivated Instagram account which appeared otherwise apolitical and was filled with photos of him hunting and fishing. Health officials in the United States will on Friday explain the science behind their U-turn on face masks, as Republicans express skepticism over the decision - which appears to have stemmed from research into a July 4 outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday announced that they were updating their previous guidance to now recommend that vaccinated people wear face masks once more, when indoors and in parts of the country with substantial COVID-19 transmission. They did not explain their reason for the shift in policy - which has sparked fevered debate - and merely said it was due to new data on the highly contagious Delta variant. On May 13 the American public was told they no longer needed to wear masks indoors if vaccinated. An internal federal health document obtained by The Washington Post claimed that the Delta variant was as infectious as chickenpox or Ebola - with each infected person passing the virus to eight or nine others, on average. That infectivity is known as R0. The original lineage was about as transmissible as the common cold, with each infected person passing it to about two others, on average. CDC Dr Rochelle Walensky has previously noted the rarity of viruses with such high R values, telling CNN: 'When you think about diseases that have an R0 of eight or nine -- there aren't that many.' Officials, the document stated, must 'acknowledge the war has changed.' The source of the data was unclear but it appeared to have been provided to the Post and the New York Times at the same time - suggesting the possibility of a coordinated leak. Dr Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC, has said that they will publish the science behind their decision, announced on Tuesday, on Friday. The CDC has faced some criticism for announcing new recommendations on face masks without providing the science behind their decision The slide presentation said that the CDC must improve its messaging on COVID-19, and emphasize the urgency of the situation. 'I finished reading it significantly more concerned than when I began,' said Robert Wachter, chairman of the Department of Medicine at the University of California at San Francisco. Walensky, director of the CDC, said that the new data - to be published on Friday - showed that vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant carry tremendous amounts of the virus in the nose and throat. Walensky told The New York Times that the data suggest that even fully immunized people can be unwilling vectors for the virus - a change from the previously-held belief that vaccinated people were unlikely to increase the spread of COVID-19. Walensky privately briefed members of Congress on Thursday, drawing on much of the material in the slide presentation obtained by The Washington Post. Walensky is pictured on July 20 testifying before Congress. She briefed Congress on the new scientific findings on Thursday, and on Friday will make the results public 'I think people need to understand that we're not crying wolf here. This is serious,' she told CNN. One of the slides states that there is a higher risk among older age groups for hospitalization and death relative to younger people, regardless of vaccination status. Another estimates that there are 35,000 symptomatic infections per week among 162 million vaccinated Americans. The document outlines 'communication challenges' fueled by cases in vaccinated people, including concerns from local health departments about whether coronavirus vaccines remain effective and a 'public convinced vaccines no longer work/booster doses needed.' The CDC was criticized this week for updating the mask guidance without detailing the science behind it. Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, told The Washington Post that their move violated scientific norms. 'You don't, when you're a public health official, want to be saying, 'Trust us, we know, we can't tell you how,' Jamieson said. 'The scientific norm suggests that when you make a statement based on science, you show the science. 'And the second mistake is they do not appear to be candid about the extent to which breakthroughs are yielding hospitalizations.' Joe Biden has been strongly urging people to get vaccinated. On May 13 he celebrated the announcement that face masks were no longer necessary - something critics have seized upon Kevin McCarthy, the most senior Republican in the House, claimed the House doctor told them the study was conducted in India using a vaccine that was not approved in the U.S. 'The mask mandate is based upon a study in India, based upon a vaccine that isn''t approved in America that didn't pass peer review. Could this be a plan to keep our schools closed?' he asked on Twitter. The CDC cites research from India on viral loads as adding to global concerns about transmission post-vaccination, but they make clear that other research and additional studies were under way. McCarthy, however, tweeted a May 13 video of Joe Biden stating: 'Folks, if you're fully vaccinated you no longer need to wear a mask.' McCarthy captioned the clip: 'Total hypocrisy.' Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, was asked about the backlash to the new mask mandates, and McCarthy's anger. 'He's such a moron,' she reportedly said, in a scarcely-audible clip. Yet at the same time, Democratic-run cities have said they cannot make changes without being in full possession of the facts. Even officials in Democrat areas were unsure. Mitchell Katz, president of New York City Health and Hospitals, said at a press conference with Mayor Bill de Blasio that he wanted more information. 'While the CDC issued their guidance yesterday at about 3 p.m., they have not yet released their scientific reports on the data that underlies their recommendation,' he said. He added that his focus remained on getting people vaccinated. 'I think we owe it to New Yorkers to very carefully, as you say, review that information and understand its implications,' he said. The CDC experts have been paying particular attention to an outbreak in Provincetown, on Cape Cod, after the July 4 celebrations. As of Thursday, 882 people were tied to the Provincetown outbreak. The popular Cape Cod vacation resort of Provincetown is seen on July 24. The artistic and foodie city drew its usual large crowd for the July 4 weekend, with people believing that fully vaccinated people could not transmit the virus. It is now believed that that is not correct Dressed as Maxine the Vaccine, Poppy Champlin encourages pedestrians to get vaccinated for COVID-19 while promoting her comedy show on Commercial Street in Provincetown, on July 24 Provincetown: How July 4 weekend turned the partygoing playground of New England into the center of a covid cluster Located near the northern-most point of Cape Cod, Provincetown - or P-Town - is known for its beaches, artists and as a popular vacation spot for the LGBT+ community. It has a population of just under 3,000 people year-round, but this raises to as high as 60,000 in the summer months. Young party-goers descend on the town to make the most of the plethora of bars and clubs found along it's famous Commercial Street. Wealthy tourists usually found in nearby cities such a Boston and Manhattan will often use the town as their playground to spend their hard earned cash - or that of their parent's. But a week after crowds descended to celebrate the Fourth of July -- the holiday President Joe Biden hoped would mark the nation's liberation from COVID-19 -- the manager of the Cape Cod beach town said he was aware of 'a handful of covid cases among folks who spent time there' Within weeks, the outbreak rapidly grew until, as of Thursday, 882 people were tied to an outbreak in the town, with 74 per cent of those having had both doses of the vaccine. It was reported that seven people were hospitalised, ABC News reported. Before this, health officials were assuming that it was rare for a vaccinated person to become infected with the virus and, if they were, they probably wouldn't infect others. The assumption was based on studies of an earlier virus, and not the new Delta variant, which was first detected in India earlier this year. It is indicated that this outbreak is among the new evidence behind the decision to make masks compulsory indoors again, even if they have had both doses of the vaccine. The owner of Marine Specialties, a long running Army-Navy store, had been leery of officials dropping virus safety mandates ahead of what many expected would be a busy summer season. He even tried to require customers to mask up in his store through the summer, before finally relenting in June. 'If we'd stuck with masks all along, I don't think we'd be having this conversation," Patrick said, adding that he's required all his staff to be masked and vaccinated. "They're not entirely fun, but we wore them all last summer, and we didn't have a single case in Provincetown. Now see where we're at.' Advertisement Among those living in Massachusetts, 74 percent of them were fully immunized, ABC News reported, yet officials said the vast majority were also reporting symptoms. Seven people were reported hospitalized. The initial findings of the investigation led by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, in conjunction with the CDC, seemed to have huge implications. All indications now are that the Provincetown outbreak investigation is among the pieces of new evidence behind the CDC's decision to ask Americans to once again put on their masks indoors, even if they are vaccinated. The one glimmer of hope came from Britain, where the Delta variant has wreaked havoc, but is now dramatically slowing down. Experts hope that this may indicate the U.S. surge could also be over soon. Last week, the leading British COVID modeler said that the country was 'almost certain' to hit 100,000 cases per day, and the U.K.'s daily case count crossed the 50,000 threshold for the first time since January. Yet since July 20, cases have fallen fast. From a high of nearly 54,000 on July 17, the daily tally slid to 43,404 last Wednesday; and 28,652 on Sunday. This Monday, the U.K.'s case count slipped below 25,000 - a 50 percent reduction in a single week. 'In the United Kingdom, cases are clearly coming down at this point,' said Dr Scott Gottlieb, the former Food and Drug Administration commissioner, on Monday. 'If the U.K. is turning the corner, it's a pretty good indication that maybe we're further into this than we think, and maybe we're two or three weeks away from starting to see our own plateau here in the United States.' The CDC's sudden U-turn on masks sparked a political firefight on Capitol Hill as Republicans blasted a new mask mandate in the House of Representatives. Capitol Police backed down on Thursday and said they would ask people in the House not wearing a face mask to leave after Republican lawmakers blasted a memo that stated such individuals would be arrested. The agency did not specifically rule out arrests, but did say it should never come to that. 'Regarding the House mask rule, there is no reason it should ever come to someone being arrested. Anyone who does not follow the rule will be asked to wear a mask or leave the premises. The Department's requirement for officers to wear masks is for their health and safety,' US Capitol Police tweeted in a statement. The statement came after it was revealed officers been ordered to arrest visitors and staff who refuse to wear a mask on the House side of the Capitol complex. The policy did not apply to lawmakers who refuse to wear masks. Conservative Republican lawmakers gathered in the rotunda to march to the Senate side of Capitol, which does not have a face mask policy Republicans have protested a new policy to wear face masks in the House, refusing to don them US Capitol Police backed down on a memo that said staff and visitors not wearing face masks in the House would be arrested Many Republicans have refused to wear masks, citing it as an issue of personal freedom, criticizing the Capitol physician over implementing a mask policy for the House and not the Senate, and arguing the science means vaccinated individuals shouldn't have to mask up. Several staffers and visitors were seen walking around the House side of the Capitol without masks on Thursday but were not arrested. Additionally, several conservative Republicans gathered in the Capitol Rotunda without wearing face masks to protest the policy. 'Arrest us,' one shouted as their maskless staff recorded them to post the event to social media. No one was arrested. The GOP lawmakers marched to the Senate side of the Capitol, which does not have a face mask requirement. Nearly 100 per cent of the Senate is vaccinated. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie told reporters they walked across the Capitol building 'for a taste of freedom.' 'You don't have to wear a mask on the Senate side,' he pointed out. Many House Republicans blasted Pelosi for the 'tyrannical' directive, but the Democrat's office responded that she 'does not control the US Capitol Police.' The chief of the Capitol Police reports to the three-member Capitol Police board, which is made up of the House sergeant at arms, the Senate sergeant at arms and the architect of the Capitol. The chief does not answer to the speaker. The mask mandate in the House - which requires everyone, including those fully vaccinated, to wear one - was ordered by the Office of the Attending Physician but Pelosi said she would enforce it, which falls under her purview as speaker. The controversy on Capitol Hill came the same day that Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced masks will be required indoors throughout the District, including for those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Disturbing footage has captured the moment a gang of three teenagers set upon a defenceless man as he walked home. The thugs were filming kicking, punching and taunting the man as he walked alone on a dimly-lit suburban road in Darwin. Social media users were full of praise for the man's restraint and patience after the clip was shared online. A pack of thuggish teens film themselves stalking and assaulting a passerby in Darwin 'Very patient and brave bloke, he could've smashed them at any point,' wrote one. 'Love his patience and then his strategy,' added another. 'Old mate wasn't too worried, he didn't even bother kicking his thongs off.' joked a third. The youths involved appear to have uploaded and tagged themselves in the incriminating footage. It's understood the group of boys are part of a Darwin street gang, regularly filming their exploits and boasting about them online. Videos and images of drug use, cash and one youth holding an array of weapons including a machete, are just some of the disturbing content posted by the teens. Northern Territory Police are aware of the video and are currently making enquiries regarding the incident. The teens are filmed kicking and punching the man as he tries to flee the pack of violent youths Lockdowns and state borders will be largely removed when 70 per cent of Australians over 16 are fully jabbed against Covid-19 and overseas travel will be allowed when 80 per cent are double vaccinated, Scott Morrison has announced. The Prime Minster revealed the jab rates required for each step of his four-stage plan to get Australia back to normal after a National Cabinet meeting with state premiers on Friday afternoon. 'We've agreed that the way we get there is Australians, one by one, family by family, community by community, going out there, getting vaccinated, getting the job done,' he said. Australia - which has only vaccinated 18.24 per cent of over 16s - is currently in phase A of the plan which requires lockdowns 'straight away' to suppress Covid-19 to prevent thousands of infections and deaths. A state or territory can move to phase B when the national vaccination rate hits 70 per cent and the rate in that state also hits 70 per cent. Pictured: Sydney's Bondi Beach on Friday A state or territory can move to phase B when the national vaccination rate hits 70 per cent and the rate in that state also hits 70 per cent. Mr Morrison said he hopes this phase will be achieved before the end of the year but warned the timing 'is entirely up to how the nation responds to this challenge we're setting for ourselves.' This phase will make lockdowns 'less likely' and will give doubled-vaccinated people 'special rules' to allow them more freedom than Aussies who refuse a jab. 'If you get vaccinated, there will be special rules that apply to you. Why? Because if you're vaccinated, you present less of a public health risk,' Mr Morrison said. A 'small working group' involving the Northern Territory, Victoria and Tasmania has been set up to determine which restrictions will not apply to the double-vaccinated. The Prime Minister warned that some localised lockdowns may be required in phase B but 'broad-based metropolitan-wide lockdowns' shutdowns will not be needed. Lockdowns and state borders will be largely removed when 70 per cent of Australians over 16 are jabbed, Scott Morrison announced. He is pictured holding his four-stage plan 'Lockdowns in phase B are less likely, but they are possible... they may be necessary but they are not something that you would normally expect,' he said. 'Once we get into phase B, then the calculus does change and lockdowns do cost a lot. 'Where you have that higher level of protection then there is more discretion exercised. That's why that phase is referred to as less likely, but possible.' Mr Morrison said 'track, trace, isolate and quarantine remain very important parts of the program' in phase B. The phase will increase the cap for vaccinated Australians arriving from overseas and allow 'reduced' quarantine requirements such as home quarantine - as well as capped entry for students and economic visa holders. Phase C begins when 80 per cent of adults are double-jabbed, allowing vaccinated Australians to travel overseas for any reason. Pictured: Sydney Airport before lockdown Phase C begins when 80 per cent of adults are double-jabbed, allowing vaccinated Australians to travel overseas for any reason. Travel bubbles will be set up with safer countries such as Singapore to allow vaccinated travellers to fly in without quarantine. Mr Morrison said a country would be deemed safe if it has 'the same sort of vaccination levels as Australia'. The UK has already fully vaccinated 71.4 per cent of adults. Phase C will remove all domestic restrictions on double-jabbed Aussies and abolish caps on returning vaccinated Australians. There is no vaccination rate set for phase D, which will remove almost all rules except for testing of unvaccinated arrivals and quarantine for arrivals from 'high risk' places. 'It is too hard to say what the situation will be down the track,' Mr Morrison said. 'It will depend on the booster program, which we have ample vaccines for. 'But the durability and the proof of those vaccines over time, there are too many unknowns before we can understand life as normal, but that's certainly where we are heading.' What are the four phases of opening up? A. Vaccinate, prepare and pilot (from July 14) Arrival caps cut in half to 3,035 a week; early, stringent and short lockdowns if outbreaks occur; trials of seven-day home quarantine for vaccinated arrivals in South Australia; medicare vaccination certificates available on apps like apple wallet B. Post vaccination phase (when 70 per cent are jabbed, expected late this year) Lockdowns less likely but possible'; vaccinated people face reduced restrictions; caps for unvaccinated arrivals increased; a larger cap for vaccinated arrivals with 'reduced quarantine requirements'; capped entry for students and economic visa holders C. Consolidation phase (when 80 per cent are jabbed, time not announced) Lifting all restrictions for outbound travel for vaccinated travellers; no caps for vaccinated arrivals; increased caps for students and visa holders; more travel bubbles being set up with countries such as Singapore; booster shots rolled out D. Final phase (percentage or time not announced) Uncapped arrivals for vaccinated people without any quarantine and uncapped arrivals for unvaccinated people with testing before departure and on arrival Advertisement The Prime Minister warned the plan is based on the Delta variant and is 'subject to change' if a new, more contagious variant comes along. The percentages were calculated by modelling experts at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity. Mr Morrison also took into account economic modelling by Treasury on the impact of lockdowns as well as the country's hospital capacity. On Thursday a record 210,742 Covid jabs were administered across the country. So far 18.24 per cent of over 16s have been fully vaccinated and 39.46 per cent have had their first dose. The Grattan Institute think tank released a report on Thursday saying 80 per cent needed to be fully vaccinated before opening up. 'Abandoning our Zero Covid strategy before 80 per cent of Australians are vaccinated would risk a rapid surge in cases that overwhelms our hospitals and imposes a high death toll,' the Race to 80 report says. Allowing the virus to spread with half the population vaccinated would lead to 31,440 deaths within 300 days, it claims. Phase B will increase the arrival cap for vaccinated Australians arriving from overseas - and allow 'reduced' quarantine requirements. Pictured: Scott Morrison on Friday The Institute believes the country can hit the 80 per cent target by December 31. Meanwhile, NSW has suspended elective surgery in Sydney and called in 1,000 police and soldiers to enforce the city's lockdown as another 170 Covid-19 cases were recorded overnight. The premier said while the number of new cases was 'considerably less' than Thursday she expected that figure could spike again on Saturday. Of the newly-acquired cases, 42 were infectious in the community and 93 are still under investigation. Sydney's lockdown will last until August 28. Pictured: Woolloomooloo on Friday NSW Health said 87 were reported in south-west Sydney and 32 in both the western and central local health districts in the 24 hours to 8pm. There are 187 patients suffering from Covid-19 across the state, of which 58 are intensive care and 24 are on ventilators. From August 9, Ms Berejiklian said Qudos Bank Arena - a 21,000-capacity complex in the Olympic Park in the city's west - would open to vaccinate students living in eight hotspot local government areas in Sydney's west and south-west. The state government hopes 20,000 Year 12 students a week will receive a Covid-19 jab every week at the vaccination hub. Queensland is investigating a local Covid-19 case after a 17-year-old girl at Indooroopilly State High School tested positive on Thursday night. Victoria recorded three new cases, all in home isolation. Earlier Anthony Albanese slammed Mr Morrison for being 'too slow' to order vaccines last year and made four suggestions for speeding up the vaccine rollout. He said Australian officials should be calling the Americans and asking for any supplies they can spare, build MRNA vaccine production facilities faster, have more pop-up vaccine clinics and a better advertising campaign. In July 2020, the US ordered 200 million doses of Pfizer, the UK ordered 90 million and Canada ordered 20 million. But Australia didn't order any until November, when it requested just 10 million doses of the highly effective jab. In April the government increased the order to 20 million and doubled it to 40 million in June - but critics say this quantity should have been ordered far earlier. Leaders of the GOP have hit back at President Joe Biden's draconian new Covid measures after the CDC updated its guidance again. Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed an executive order on Thursday night banning mask and COVID-19 vaccination mandates to promote 'individual right and responsibility' in the Lone Star State. Abbott, 63, announced the executive order in a press release just hours after Biden called on states to do more to incentivize vaccination. 'Today's executive order will provide clarity and uniformity in the Lone Star State's continued fight against COVID-19,' Abbott said. 'The new Executive Order emphasizes that the path forward relies on personal responsibility rather than government mandates.' Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis mocked the new government guidance that is calling for more widespread use of masks to blunt a coronavirus surge. 'Did you not get the CDC's memo?' DeSantis joked on Wednesday before an almost entirely unmasked audience of activists and lawmakers crammed into an indoor hotel ballroom in Salt Lake City. 'I don't see you guys complying.' On Capitol Hill, a large group of GOP lawmakers protested Nancy Pelosi's reinstated mask mandate this week by walking over to the Senate side of the building, where there is no renewed requirement to wear a face covering. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stepped up mask and vaccination recommendations this week amid the worrying surge of the Delta variant - which some doctors have called the 'pandemic of the unvaccinated.' But from Texas to South Dakota, egged on by former President Donald Trump, Republican leaders responded with hostility and defiance to the updated mask guidance, who advise that even fully vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors if they live in areas with high rates of virus transmission. The backlash reopened the culture war over pandemic restrictions just as efforts to persuade unvaccinated Americans to get shots appeared to be making headway. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order on Thursday night preventing mask and COVID-19 vaccination mandates Abbott, 63, announced the executive order in a press release just hours after President Joe Biden called on states to do more to incentivize vaccination The response reflects deep resistance among many GOP voters to restrictions aimed at containing a virus they feel poses minimal personal threat. The party is also tapping into growing frustration and confusion over ever-shifting rules and guidance. But the resistance has real implications for a country desperate to emerge from the pandemic. Beyond vaccinations, there are few tools other than mask-wearing and social distancing to contain the spread of the delta variant, which studies have shown to be far more contagious than the original strain. Many Republican leaders, however, are blocking preventative measures, potentially making it harder to tame virus outbreaks in conservative communities. At least 18 Republican-led states have moved to prohibit vaccine passports or to ban public entities from requiring proof of vaccination. And some have prohibited schools from requiring any student or teacher to wear a mask or be vaccinated. In its announcement, the CDC cited troubling new - thus far unpublished - research that found that fully vaccinated people can spread the delta variant just like the unvaccinated, putting those who haven't received the shots or who have compromised immune systems at heightened risk. The CDC also recommended that all teachers, staff and students wear masks inside school buildings, regardless of vaccination status. The backlash was swift. 'We won't go back. We won't mask our children,' declared Trump, who routinely cast doubt on the value of mask-wearing and rarely wore one in public while he was in office. 'Why do Democrats distrust the science?' Missouri Gov. Mike Parson called the new guidance 'disappointing and concerning' and 'inconsistent with the overwhelming evidence surrounding the efficacy of the vaccines and their proven results.' He, like others, warned that the measure would undermine efforts to encourage vaccine holdouts to get their shots by casting further doubt on the efficacy of approved vaccines, which have been shown to dramatically decrease the risk of death or hospitalization, despite the occurrence of breakthrough cases. At an event in Salt Lake City on Wednesday (pictured) Florida Governor Ron DeSantis mocked the new government guidance that is calling for more widespread use of masks to blunt a coronavirus surge Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (pictured earlier this month in Kansas City) called the new guidance 'disappointing and concerning' and 'inconsistent with the overwhelming evidence surrounding the efficacy of the vaccines and their proven results' Pictured: Maskless GOP lawmakers stage a protest on Thursday. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) leaves the Senate chamber after marching with a group of House Republicans who oppose mask mandates to the Senate to highlight different coronavirus disease (COVID-19) mask rules between the House and Senate sides of the U.S. Capitol Last week, White House officials reported that vaccination rates were on the rise in some states where COVID-19 cases were soaring, as more Republican leaders implored their constituents to lay lingering doubts aside and get the shots to protect themselves. That includes Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who has pleaded with unvaccinated residents, saying they are the ones 'letting us down.' 'This self-inflicted setback encourages skepticism and vaccine hesitancy at a time when the goal is to prevent serious illnesses and deaths from COVID-19 through vaccination,' Parson tweeted. 'This decision only promotes fear & further division among our citizens.' The announcement 'will unfortunately only diminish confidence in the vaccine and create more challenges for public health officials, people who have worked tirelessly to increase vaccination rates,' echoed Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who has banned mask and vaccine mandates in his state. In his Wednesday speech, DeSantis took particular aim at the CDC's call for kids to wear masks in the classroom. 'It's not healthy for these students to be sitting there all day, 6-year-old kids in kindergarten covered in masks,' he said - though there is no evidence that wearing masks is harmful to children older than toddler age. And in South Dakota, Gov. Kristi Noem called out the CDC for shifting its position on masking 'AGAIN.' She said that those who are worried about the virus can get vaccinated, wear a mask or stay home, but that 'Changing CDC guidelines don't help ensure the public's trust.' On Capitol Hill, some Republicans were in revolt after the Capitol's attending physician sent a memo informing members that masks would again have to be worn inside the House at all times. The change set off a round robin of insults, with Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calling Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy 'a moron' after McCarthy tweeted, 'The threat of bringing masks back is not a decision based on science, but a decision conjured up by liberal government officials who want to continue to live in a perpetual pandemic state.' The mandate also prompted an angry confrontation, as Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., verbally assailed Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, who exited the House chamber and walked past her without a face covering. Conservatives also forced a vote to adjourn the chamber in protest to the mandate, which was defeated along mostly party lines. 'We have a crisis at our border, and we're playing footsie with mask mandates in the people's House,' railed Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, the motion's sponsor. 'The American people are fed up. They want to go back to life. They want to go back to business. They want to go back to school without their children being forced to wear masks.' Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., called the renewed mandates a 'socialist takeover of America' led by Pelosi and Biden. 'The Democrats are back at it again whatever it takes to put you back into lockdown,' she said in a video shared to her Twitter followers. 'Now we hear that Speaker Pelosi is going to have people arrested if they do not wear a mask. I don't know about you, I've not heard one valid reason that a person who has been vaccinated should be forced to wear a mask.' A person holds a sign to protest at Houston Methodist Hospital in Baytown in June after a policy that says hospital employees must get vaccinated against COVID-19 or lose their jobs John Kirkconnell is pictured as he receives his dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a city-run popup vaccine clinic on Wednesday in Brownsville, Texas Abbott, a Republican governor, said that Texans 'have mastered the safe practices' that prevent the spread of COVID-19, even as the state reported 6,347 new cases on Thursday. The Texas Health and Human Services data also shows 1,876 'possible cases' on Thursday, with 39 new deaths attributed to COVID-19. The data shows that the two largest demographics of deaths in Texas are white, 35 percent, and Hispanic - 36 percent. There have been a total of 2,628,438 confirmed cases in the Lone Star State and 51,984 deaths since the pandemic began. 'They have the individual right and responsibility to decide for themselves and their children whether they will wear masks, open their businesses, and engage in leisure activities,' Abbott said. He added: 'Vaccines, which remain in abundant supply, are the most effective defense against the virus, and they will always remain voluntary never forced in the State of Texas.' The executive order declared that 'no governmental entity can compel any individual to receive a COVID-19 vaccine administered under an emergency use authorization.' It declared that state agencies could not require proof of vaccination, or so-called 'vaccine passports,' from people entering a place of business or receiving services. Any public or private entity that receives state funds has also been ordered not to require proof of vaccination or deny people entry for not providing proof. Abbott also banned companies, state and local agencies - including school districts - from requiring patrons to wear masks. He also prevented local governments and entities from imposing their own restrictions on masks within their jurisdictions. Local governmental entities that impose directives that conflict with Abbott's orders can face fines up to $1,000. The executive order declared that 'no governmental entity can compel any individual to receive a COVID-19 vaccine' or compel people to provide proof of vaccination The orders stand in stark opposition to new CDC guidelines - effectively ordering all businesses, local governments and schools not to comply with federal recommendations. The CDC said on Tuesday that anyone walking into a school should wear masks and that even vaccinated people should wear them again indoors in public spaces in regions 'with substantial and high transmission.' Substantial transmission areas are defined as having 50-99 new infections for every 100,000 people over a seven-day period - while high transmission areas have 100 or more new infections per 100,000. More than 200 of the 254 counties in Texas are in such categories, the Texas Tribune noted. The Texas State Teachers Association sent a letter to Abbott on Tuesday requesting he let local school districts set their own mask mandates. 'Educators are eager to return to the classroom, but the pandemic is still dangerous,' said Ovidia Molina, the association's president. A map shows the total number of coronavirus deaths and cases in the United States A map shows the percentages of states that have received vaccinations so far A chart shows the number of vaccinations given in the United States per vaccine type A graph shows the average vs cumulative number of vaccinations in the United States A graph shows shows the daily number of COVID-19 vaccinations in the United States A graph shows the number of coronavirus deaths per day since the start of the pandemic A graph shows the number of coronavirus deaths per day in June and July A graph shows the number of coronavirus infections per day since the start of the pandemic A graph shows the number of coronavirus infections per day in June and July President Joe Biden on Thursday urged local governments to pay people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and set new rules requiring federal workers to provide proof of vaccination or face regular testing, mask mandates and travel restrictions. The measures are Biden's latest attempt to spur reluctant Americans to get vaccinated as the Delta variant of the coronavirus surges nationwide, infecting unvaccinated people in particular. The United States lags behind other developed countries in vaccination rates despite having plenty of free vaccines on hand. White House efforts to urge the hesitant to get vaccinated have hit a wall of anti-vaccine sentiment, misinformation, and political division. Biden's decision to require millions of federal workers and contractors to show proof of vaccination is a departure from a previous opposition to so-called vaccine passports. It shows the White House taking a tougher stance towards circumstances within Biden's control as the virus spreads. 'Right now too many people are dying or watching someone they love [dying],' Biden told reporters at the White House. 'With freedom comes responsibility. So please exercise responsible judgment. Get vaccinated for yourself, the people you love, for your country.' According to the CDC, roughly 163.8 million people in the United States are fully vaccinated out of a population of some 330 million. The federal government is the largest employer in the United States and Biden's move could serve as an example for private businesses and other institutions to follow as they assess getting workers back into offices and work places. Government employees who do not show they have been vaccinated will be subject to weekly or twice-weekly COVID-19 tests and restrictions on official travel. The United States has about 2.18 million civilian employees and 570,000 other U.S. Postal Service (USPS) workers, according to 2020 data. The U.S. government employed 3.7 million contract employees as of 2017, a New York University study found. Postal workers are not affected by the new rules. Biden also directed the Defense Department to look into 'how and when' it will require members of the military to take the vaccine. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, while traveling in Southeast Asia, said he would consult with his medical advisers and other senior military leaders and come up with a plan for the way ahead. Austin did not give a timeline on how long it would take to look into the issue but he said the military would move as fast as possible. Dr Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC, is pictured on July 20 An anti-vaccine rally protester dressed up as Joe Biden holds a sign outside of Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, on June 26 Retired RN Barbara Vicente administers a shot of the Pfizer vaccine to Bobbie Guillette, 68, from Austin, Texas, at a clinic at Mother's Brewing Company in Springfield, Missouri Anti-vaccine rally protesters hold signs outside of Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, on June 26 Meanwhile state, local and U.S. territorial governments will be able to dip into $350 billion in coronavirus aid to provide $100 payments for every newly vaccinated American to boost COVID-19 inoculation rates, the U.S. Treasury Department said. 'I know that paying people to get vaccinated might sound unfair to folks who have gotten vaccinated already. But here's the deal: if incentives help us beat this virus, I believe we should use them,' Biden said. Growing outbreaks could have an impact on the strong economic recovery. The U.S. economy grew at an annualized rate of 6.5 percent in the last quarter, the government said on Thursday. Another issue is how the surge in infections affects efforts to get children back into schools in the fall. 'We can and we must open schools this fall, full time,' Biden said. 'We can't afford another year out of the classroom.' Biden pressed school districts to hold at least one 'pop-up vaccination clinic' in the coming weeks to get children aged 12 and older vaccinated. The White House also said small- and medium-sized businesses will be reimbursed for offering their workers paid time off to get children and other family members vaccinated. The National Treasury Employees Union, which has 150,000 federal employees in 34 departments and agencies, said it encouraged its members to get vaccinated but had questions about how the new rules Biden laid out would be implemented. 'We will work to ensure employees are treated fairly and this protocol does not create an undue burden on them,' the union's president, Tony Reardon, said in a statement. The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, which has 90,000 members including some 30,000 NASA engineers and other skilled federal workers, said it supported a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal workers. 'We don't want any more of our members dying,' the union's president, Paul Shearon, said in a statement. Australia's most senior government ministers have mixed views about whether the nation could fall into a second recession. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has warned a return to recession could be coming if the lockdown in Sydney and surrounding regions failed to contain a worsening coronavirus outbreak. Defence Minister Peter Dutton, who is also a member of the federal budget razor gang, is more optimistic. While Treasurer Josh Frydenberg warned a return to recession could be coming with Sydney's worsening coronavirus outbreak, Defence Minister Peter Dutton was more optimistic on the matter Mr Dutton replied 'I don't think so' when asked whether Australia was heading towards another recession. 'The underpinning of the Australian economy is pretty strong,' he told the Nine Network on Friday. Deputy Opposition Leader Richard Marles is hopeful the nation does not slide into an economic slump. 'But the lockdown in Sydney is having a major impact on the economy,' Mr Marles said. Deputy Opposition Leader Richard Marles is hopeful the nation does not slide into an economic slump over lockdown extensions 'It's obviously our largest city, the lockdown is affecting those in Sydney, but it's also affecting the whole country's economy, so our fingers are crossed that we get through this. 'But the point is until we get that level of vaccination up, until we get past being the land of the lockdown, we can't be certain what the economic future is going to be.' Finance Minister Simon Birmingham said extended lockdowns could shatter consumer and business confidence. 'If you have huge outbreaks, as we've seen elsewhere around the world, you still get massive economic costs, even if there aren't restrictions in place because people change their behaviour,' he told Sky News. Finance Minister Simon Birmingham believes extended lockdown could shatter consumer and business confidence 'We know that those huge outbreaks come with big mental health costs as people confront loss of life, serious sickness, and they still face the economic impacts because of those behavioural changes that people make.' Senator Birmingham said it was important to reach a point where people had confidence to safely engage in the community without restrictions in place. The nation bounced back strongly after last year's lockdowns, but there are fears it could be harder to recover from Sydney's ongoing restrictions. A mother in Oklahoma has been arrested after her 12-year-old daughter gave birth to a baby. Desireee Castaneda's arrest was announced on Thursday by the Tulsa Police Department. The baby's father, Juan Miranda-Jara, 24, was arrested at the hospital on July 14 and charged with rape of a minor. He told police he had been 'in a relationship' with the child since October. 'The investigation revealed that the victim's mother and family members were aware of the relationship between the victim and Miranda-Jara,' said Tulsa police on Thursday. 'The family permitted the relationship, and there are photos of the family throwing a baby shower for the victim and the suspect.' Desireee Castaneda's arrest was announced by Tulsa police on Thursday, on charges of child neglect and enabling child sex abuse after her daughter, 12, gives birth to a 24-year-old man's child This photo shows Miranda-Jara posing with the pregnant 12-year-old at their baby shower Castaneda has been charged with child neglect and enabling child sex abuse. Her daughter and the newborn baby are both in care, and said to be doing well. The 12-year-old's father is in prison on an unrelated rape charge. Juan Miranda-Jara, 24, has been charged with first-degree rape of a minor after allegedly admitting to dating a 12-year-old girl and impregnating her Police were alerted by doctors at Hilcrest Medical Center. Police said Miranda-Jara proudly told them he was the father of the baby girl his girlfriend was about to deliver, and seemed confused as to why officers were called to the hospital. 'They walked in just like any other couple would, excited to deliver their newborn child,' Tulsa police officer Danny Bean told Fox 23. Bean added that the expecting couple thought the situation was 'kinda fine' and did not see anything wrong with it. The age of consent in Oklahoma is 16 years old. Despite her young age, the 12-year-old delivered a healthy baby daughter and was later released from the hospital, but without her boyfriend. Miranda-Jara was arrested on a charge of first-degree rape, and police have said he could face additional counts related to the underage pregnancy. On his now-defunct Facebook page, Miranda-Jara stated he was in a relationship with the underage girl Miranda-Jara was taken into custody on July 14 after bringing his underage girlfriend to Hillcrest Medical Center to give birth to their baby daughter Police have not said how Miranda-Jara first came into contact with the young girl, why she was allowed to have a sexual relationship with a man twice her age, and how she was able to carry her baby to full term with the full support of her mother, and without anyone reporting the pregnancy to the authorities. On his Facebook page, which has seen been deleted, Miranda-Jara openly stated that he was in a relationship with the underage girl and shared photos from their recent baby shower. In one image, the man is seen happily posing with the pregnant 12-year-old wearing a floral dress and a festive sash, with pink and gold balloons and a cupcake tower in the background. Miranda-Jara is due back in court on August 26. A Sydney tradie who was stopped by police attempting to jump on a train to attend the city's shameful anti-lockdown rally had tested positive for coronavirus - and wasn't home when officers checked in on him again. The tradie was caught on July 24 on his way to travel from a suburb in Sydney's west into the CBD after returning a positive test, being told to immediately go home and remain isolating. When authorities checked in on the man at a later time he was not at home again, instead was located at a house in Constitution Hill. 'That sort of behaviour is exactly why we need strong health orders, law enforcement and defence (to) get the highest level of compliance,' New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said. 'One person could spread the virus. All the workers (then) go home and spread it to their families so again.' A Sydney tradie who was stopped by police attempting to jump on a train to attend the city's shameful anti-lockdown rally had tested positive for coronavirus 'That sort of behaviour is exactly why we need strong health orders, law enforcement and defence (to) get the highest level of compliance,' NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said Sydneysiders who break the strict stay-at-home-orders in place will face immediate $1,000 fines - with further punishment if they continue to flout the rules. 'You are absolutely going to get a knock on the door and if you are not home, we will take action against you whether that be criminal (charges) or a $1000 infringement,' Commissioner Fuller said. 'If people do not listen, it puts us back into the lockdown and that is the key message.' He warned anyone planning on attending any anti-lockdown protest in the Sydney CBD this weekend would be met by 1,000 police officers. 'Please don't come into Sydney tomorrow to protest,' he said at the NSW Covid update on Friday morning. 'If you do, you will be met by up to 1,000 police who will be ready to deal with you, whether that be via the health orders or other laws. 'This is such an important time for New South Wales in terms of winning the battle against the virus and coming into town to protest is not the answer.' Commissioner Fuller said that any protest in another area of Sydney would also be met with force by NSW police. '[Our] force will be mobile and will be waiting to you,' he said. 'You have been given plenty of warnings. 'The strike force from last week has locked up over 60 individuals and issued over 200 infringements and that will continue. 'If you turn up, you can expect the same sense of force.' The Commissioner said intelligence suggested police should expect a protest in Sydney this Saturday. 'Protesters are using chats and other forums so it has been more complex to work out numbers,' he said. 'From our perspective we have to expect it will be a protest. It appears it will not be in the same numbers but it can be a small group of people and can still look untidy and can still be violent.' Asked whether all offenders from last weekend's rally in the Sydney CBD had been identified, Commissioner Fuller said police were still looking for some offenders. 'There are still three individuals that exhibited violence,' he said. NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said NSW Health were concerned about one person who had tried to attend last weekend's protest and had since tested positive to Covid Chief health officer Kerry Chant said NSW Health had not seen any new cases of Covid related to last weekend's protest as yet, but were concerned about one person who had tried to attend the protest and had since tested positive to Covid. 'We are following up one person to ascertain whether they actually had made it to the protest,' she said. 'Police did turn that person away and issued an infringement to them. 'We are currently working with police operationally to locate that person and determine whether they actually did subsequently attend the protest. 'We need to have low tolerance for where people are flagrantly breaking the rules - this is too much of a severe disease, too serious [of a] situation to be in, to have people knowingly going out when they are positive.' NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said anyone attending a further anti-lockdown protest would be 'crackers'. 'You have to be crackers to go to that demonstration tomorrow because there will be a lot of people, potentially, that have a deadly weapon, Delta virus,' he said. Commissioner Fuller also explained the decision to call in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to help NSW Police in Sydney's locked-down LGAs. 'The primary reason is because of the compliance checks, particularly in the eight LGAs,' he said. '[There are] well 2,000 premises that we have to visit to make sure that people who have Covid or are a close contact are abiding by the health orders. 'An example this morning - a Covid compliance check where a young man who was Covid-positive was out of the house and he had gone to work on a building site. 'That sort of behaviour is exactly why we need strong health orders, law enforcement and defence, getting the highest level of compliance.' The Home Office held 56 migrants including mothers with babies and very young children in a 'cramped' and 'unfit' room in Dover covered in thin mattresses, MPs say. The Home Affairs Committee slammed the conditions in Kent this week in a letter to Priti Patel after they made a surprise visit. Members said it was 'wholly inappropriate' and risked spreading coronavirus further and claimed some were being held illegally. The Home Office hit back saying it took the migrants' safety seriously but added it was facing an 'unacceptable numbers of people' crossing the English Channel. The Home Affairs Committee slammed the conditions in Kent this week in a letter to Priti Patel (pictured) Members said it was 'wholly inappropriate' and risked spreading coronavirus further and claimed some were being held illegally (file photo of the unit) In a letter seen by the BBC, Home Affairs Committee chairwoman Yvette Cooper said the holding room was 'clearly unfit' for purpose. She wrote: 'Most people were sitting or lying on a thin mattress and those covered almost the entirety of the floor including the aisles between seats. 'Sharing these cramped conditions were many women with babies and very young children alongside significant numbers of teenage and young adult men.' She added to the Today Programme: 'I think this immediate issue is a Home Office responsibility running the Kent Intake Unit. 'And this has been raised with the Home Office before. In September of last year, the Chief Inspector of Prisons warned that the Kent Intake conditions were unacceptable, particularly for child welfare. In a letter seen by the BBC , Home Affairs Committee chairwoman Yvette Cooper (pictured) said the holding room was 'clearly unfit' for purpose The number of migrants crossing the Channel between 2019-21 has been increasing year-on-year. The graph above shows how many have crossed each month. The red line for 2021 soars above the lines for previous years, showing the monthly total is now at its highest ever 'To keep so many people in a small room like that for such a long time is clearly not appropriate. So there is an immediate issue there.' Ms Cooper said there is a wider issue about what happens for under-18s and the need to have proper welfare support for unaccompanied under-18 asylum seekers. The group said they were worried about the lack of social distancing and stuffy conditions. Ms Cooper, a Labour MP, added Border Force could only hold someone for 24 hours but claimed some migrants were facing waits of twice that time. The letter also said it found five unaccompanied migrant children had been kept in office accommodation for ten days while waiting to be placed. Ms Cooper, a Labour MP, added Border Force could only hold someone for 24 hours but claimed some migrants were facing waits of twice that time. Pictured: Migrants arriving in Dover this week A Home Office spokesman said: 'Unacceptable numbers of people are making life-threatening journeys crossing the Channel at the hands of criminal trafficking gangs. 'We take the welfare of migrants extremely seriously and despite these pressures we have improved our facilities, arranged additional staffing and are working to process people as quickly and safely as possible. 'The government continues to take steps to tackle the unacceptable problem of illegal migration through the Nationality and Borders Bill which will protect lives and break this cycle of illegal crossings, and we are continuing to return those with no legal right to remain in the UK.' Revealed: How more than 2,000 UK-bound migrants have dispersed from Calais into small groups and gone into hiding in sand dunes and woodland along 100 miles of French coast to evade police Dozens of groups are hidden just back from the beaches from Dieppe to Dunkirk Those with more money stay further inland as they are less likely to be caught A record 8500 men, women and children have reached the UK already this year Thousands of migrants attempting to cross the Channel into Britain in small boats have dispersed into small groups hidden among sand dunes and woodlands across over 100 miles of coastline. Attempts by French police to prevent the would-be boat people to gather en masse in areas around Calais - the site of the infamous Jungle camp - have resulted in them dispersing over a huge area, a MailOnline investigation has revealed. The original intention of the crackdown by gendarmes was to stop Calais and Dunkirk being visibly populated by thousands of destitute migrants from Asia and Africa bent on reaching the Kent coast. But the effect has not reduced the numbers crossing at all - this summer has seen record numbers getting to Britain - only making it harder for the authorities to monitor them, to the fury of UK Home Secretary Priti Patel. She controversially pledged a handout of 54 million to the French this month to spend on tripling Police presence at Calais and installing state of the art surveillance equipment. But MailOnline's investigation showed the sheer scale of the area that now needs patrolling - and illustrated how hard they are to detect. This map shows how migrants have been dispersed from Calais and are hiding in small groups along the northern French coastline Attempts by French police to prevent the would-be boat people to gather en masse in areas around Calais - the site of the infamous Jungle camp - have resulted in them dispersing over a huge area The coastline from Dieppe to Dunkirk has dozens of small groups concealed in desolate places just back from the beaches that their boats will embark from There are thought to be around 2,000 migrants in small groups in areas around Calais and Dunkirk, mainly from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan as well as multiple countries across north and sub-Saharan Africa We toured the coastline from Dieppe to Dunkirk a distance of over 120 miles, and witnessed dozens of small groups concealed in desolate places just back from the beaches that their boats will embark from. As well as the famous Sangatte where the boats used to start in number there are now regular embarkations from smaller, quieter beaches further from Calais, at places like Escalles, Wissant, Audresselles, La Pointe des Oies at Wimereux and Equihen to the West and Platier Oye, Hemmes de Marck and Gravelines to the East. Hundreds more who have better financial resources are able to stay deeper inland where they have less chance of being spotted by police - and pay to be bussed in by van at the last minute to rush straight on to boats ready to go. The police, acting on the orders of Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart and hardline Interior minister Gerald Darmanin, have succeeded in ridding Calais and Dunkirk of mass squat camps. And since the closure of the last of these camps last year the authorities have been intent on preventing migrants settling in any fixed place. This is because under French law if the refugees manage to camp out in the same place for two days then the authorities need a court order to move them - and determination to prevent the establishment of new camps has resulted in a game of cat and mouse between police and migrants. But the French tactic has merely succeeded in driving the thousands into hiding out in small groups living rough and on the move - yet still determined to reach the UK. Hundreds more who have better financial resources are able to stay deeper inland where they have less chance of being spotted by police - and pay to be bussed in by van at the last minute to rush straight on to boats ready to go The original intention of the crackdown by gendarmes was to stop Calais and Dunkirk being visibly populated by thousands of destitute migrants from Asia and Africa bent on reaching the Kent coast The French tactics have merely succeeded in driving the thousands into hiding out in small groups living rough and on the move - yet still determined to reach the UK The police have succeeded in ridding Calais and Dunkirk of mass squat camps, but have pushed migrants into hiding along the French coast A record 8500 men, women and children have managed to get to England in small boats already this year, and the numbers are still rising. At least 430 crossed the Channel on Monday last week - a new record for a single day, the Home Office has confirmed. There are thought to be around 2,000 migrants in small groups in areas around Calais and Dunkirk, mainly from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan as well as multiple countries across north and sub-Saharan Africa. Many more are lying low deeper inland from Calais, Dunkirk and Boulogne, in Belgium and further west along the French coast as far as Dieppe and beyond. All are relentlessly pursued by police and told to move on wherever they are found, often having belongings confiscated. When the police arrive they cut and run for cover. Some even dig holes in the sand to hide in. If spotted police will confiscated sleeping bags, tents and personal possessions and tell them to move on. At night they creep out from their hiding places and those with the means risk their lives and head towards the Kent coast in the frail dinghies supplied by ruthless people smugglers. Those without money try to steal boats or hide in lorries. Officials claim that their numbers have been drastically reduced but charity organisers say that the refugees have merely become 'invisible' and are still numerous and in worse straits than ever before. If spotted police will confiscated sleeping bags, tents and personal possessions and tell them to move on All are relentlessly pursued by police and told to move on wherever they are found, often having belongings confiscated Officials claim that their numbers have been drastically reduced but charity organisers say that the refugees have merely become 'invisible' and are still numerous and in worse straits than ever before The French tactic has merely succeeded in driving the thousands into hiding out in small groups living rough and on the move - yet still determined to reach the UK Franck Dhersin, mayor of Teteghem, a suburb of Dunkirk, said: 'We are seeing daily interventions by riot police who confiscate sleeping bags, tents and personal possessions of migrants in a bid to harass them and prevent them settling in permanent squats. As a result the migrants have scattered and are hiding out in small groups in woods and the sand dunes between Calais and Dunkirk. 'The increased Police activity is doing nothing to stem the flow of migrants arriving daily.' He added: 'The only solution to the migrant crisis is to arrest and imprison people smuggler kingpins. 'The mafia overlords, mostly Albanian, Iraqi or Iranian British passport holders, control the trade but are based in London, acting with impunity and laundering the proceeds of their ruthless trade into clubs, restaurants and upmarket properties in London.' Marie Chapelle, organiser of charity migrant aid organisation Utopia 56 said: 'There are large numbers of migrants at Dunkirk and Calais hiding out and squatting in woods and the dunes. There are up to 600 at Grande Synthe on the outskirts of Dunkirk and up to 2000 in Calais and Coquelles close to the Channel tunnel terminal. 'They are being systematically traumatised by police who wake them up in the middle of the night shining torches in their faces and confiscating sleeping bags , backpacks with personal belongings , tents and blankets. 'They bring in a private contractor to shred their migrants' possessions so that they cannot be reused 'A lot are suffering from mental illness brought on stress and discomfort. Others have cuts and bruises and maladies like scabies and lung disease.' This week Gendarmes closed off a tourist beach at Belleville sur Mer north east of Dieppe 120 miles west of Calais and have carried out nightly raids on the coast after reports of migrants gathering on beaches to board dinghies supplied by people smugglers. The crossings diminish the further west you get as the distances to the UK increase hugely. But they don't stop at Dieppe. The port of Ouistreham even further west and Roscoff in Brittany have also been targeted by migrants attempting to stow away in UK and Ireland bound lorries. This week Gendarmes closed off a tourist beach at Belleville sur Mer north east of Dieppe 120 miles west of Calais and have carried out nightly raids on the coast after reports of migrants gathering on beaches to board dinghies supplied by people smugglers The port of Ouistreham even further west and Roscoff in Brittany have also been targeted by migrants attempting to stow away in UK and Ireland bound lorries There are up to 600 at Grande Synthe on the outskirts of Dunkirk and up to 2000 in Calais and Coquelles close to the Channel tunnel terminal We spoke to two migrants trying to get to Britain, both young men in their early 20s from Afghanistan. Firsah told us: 'The Taliban are coming back to Afghanistan. They killed my father and my brother and I had to run to save my life. Now I am in Dunkirk. I can see the coast of England but I don't have enough money to pay for a place in a boat. 'The French Police come every day or every two days. They take our blankets and tents and if we object they beat us or use tear gas. All the exiles I have spoken to tell the same story 'I don't know how long I will be here. I don't know what my future is. There are good people who give us food and encouragement. But I want to go to England. There I can find my own people and get work and somewhere to stay'. Aazar, said: 'We are frightened of the Police. We have to hide in the woods or the dunes. If they find us they take all our possessions and we are left with nothing. 'We have been here, around Dunkirk, for two months. We are waiting to get to England. I can't tell you how we are going to get there.' The danger involved was starkly highlighted when a whole family of Kurdish Iranians drowned last autumn: Rasul Iran Nezhad and his wife, Shiva Mohammad Panahi, both 35, and their children, Anita, nine, and Armin, six and baby brother Artin, 15 months. Artin's body was only discovered on a beach in Norway on two months later. The family had paid off the people smugglers. They were warned of the dangers due to bad weather but said it was 'their last chance'. Since Artin perished the situation of migrants on the French coast has become even more precarious. A doctor in Missouri has said that people in her state are getting vaccinated against COVID-19 in secret, to avoid the 'peer pressure' and accusations of 'giving in'. Only 40 percent of Missouri's population is fully vaccinated - making the state 12th worst in the nation for vaccine take-up. Alabama is the worst with 33 percent fully vaccinated; Vermont is the best, with 67 percent. Missouri has had the fourth worst caseload over the past week, with one in every 360 people diagnosed with COVID-19. COVID-19 hospitalization jumped by 168 percent from a low point of 628 of May 23, to 1,684 on July 24. The increase was even starker in sparsely-vaccinated southwest Missouri, where the number of hospitalizations leapt by 443 percent and reached pandemic highs. Dr Priscilla Frase, chief medical information officer at Ozarks Healthcare in West Plains, Missouri, told CNN on Wednesday night that the rising caseload was making people have second thoughts about holding out against vaccinations. Dr Priscilla Frase, chief medical information officer at Ozarks Healthcare in West Plains, Missouri, said that she has been shocked at the speed of the spread of COVID in her hospital, and by the young age of the patients being admitted Frase appeared on CNN on Wednesday night and said people were asking to be vaccinated in secret 'They've had some experience that's sort of changed their mind from the viewpoint of those in their family, those in their friendship circles or their work circles,' she said. 'And they came to their own decision that they wanted to get a vaccine. 'They did their own research on it, and they talked to people and made the decisions themselves. 'But even though they were able to make that decision themselves, they didn't want to have to deal with the peer pressure or the outbursts from other people about them 'giving in to everything.'' Frase said one pharmacist at her hospital told her 'they've had several people come in to get vaccinated who have tried to sort of disguise their appearance and even went so far as to say, 'please, please, please don't let anybody know that I got this vaccine.'' She said the clinics tried to accommodate the requests as far as possible, concluding that even one more person being vaccinated was worth the extra effort. Her hospital had 33 patients admitted with COVID-19 as of Wednesday and she's expecting that number to rise. 'The patients that are coming in are generally younger than what we saw before. It's more people requiring a lot more oxygen, a lot quicker,' Frase said. 'The majority of people we've admitted have not been vaccinated,' she added. A healthcare worker after administering the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to a resident at the Jordan Valley Community Health Center in Springfield, Missouri, on July 12. Missouri has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, with only 40 per cent vaccinated Dr Faisal Khan - St. Louis County's Asian public health director - was bumped, pushed and called a 'fat brown c**t' and 'brown b*****d' after Tuesday's council meeting after he spoke in favor of the mask mandate. The St. Louis County council ultimately voted 5-2 to overturn the mask mandate that went into effect 24 hours before. Republican politicians called masks 'unAmerican.' Before the vote, he shared the latest scientific research and surging COVID numbers across the state of Missouri and in St. Louis County, which is separate from the city of St. Louis. He said during the meeting that county hospitals are being overwhelmed with COVID patients, in large part because of the highly contagious and potent Delta variant strain, which accounts for more than 83percent of the United State's cases. While Dr. Khan spoke to a largely 'MAGA'-movement and anti-mask crowd that he said mocked his accent by mimicking The Simpsons character Apu, he wrote in a letter to Chairwoman Rita Days, which was obtained by DailyMail.com. Days had to briefly stop Dr. Khan's presentation a couple times to tell the crowd 'to be respectful' while he was speaking. After the meeting when he tried to leave, he was confronted by a mob of people who pushed him around, physically threatened him and shouted racial slurs at him. He responded by flipping someone off. His public health career spans 25 years and includes eight countries, including the US, where he's worked in three different states. During that time, he said he's 'never been subject to the racist, xenophobic and threatening behavior that greeted me in the County Council meeting (Tuesday) night.' More than 38,000 Australians stranded overseas have registered to come home as the coronavirus pandemic rages on. Senior foreign affairs official Tony Sheehan on Friday revealed 4569 on the list of 38,523 people are considered vulnerable. About 6000 people have indicated they do not wish to return to Australia until the final three months of the year. That means the remaining 32,000 want to come home during this quarter. More than 38,000 Australians stranded overseas have registered to come home as the coronavirus pandemic rages on, it's been revealed on Friday There are 438 unaccompanied children, including 191 in India, registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Since repatriation flights from India resumed, 84 unaccompanied children have returned to Australia. India remains the top country people are registered to come home from with 10,268, ahead of the UK at 6405. Mr Sheehan said demand for government-facilitated commercial flights from Britain was on the rise. 'That is a country where we've seen the biggest recent increase,' he said. The United States (2440), Thailand (1078), Pakistan (1018) and The Philippines (994) round out the top six. While tens of thousands remain stranded overseas those in Sydney remain in a strict lockdown There are around 780 Australian citizens and permanent residents in Indonesia wanting to return home. The UK has the most vulnerable people with 1124, ahead of 497 in India and 350 in Indonesia. More than $35 million has been loaned to 4727 people under the federal government's hardship program. There are six repatriation flights scheduled from London and New Delhi for next month and one apiece from Frankfurt, Johannesburg and Denpasar. A further three flights will return 360 Olympic team members from Tokyo. Mr Sheehan said those people would not take the place of other Australians wanting to return from overseas. All travellers on those government-facilitated flights will quarantine at the Howard Springs hub in the Northern Territory. The facility is expected to reach its full capacity of 2000 for the first time during August. The first group of Afghan translators who worked alongside American troops finally landed in the U.S. on Friday morning with their families after some waited years to have their visas approved. A dozen buses filled with 200 men, women and children arrived at Fort Lee in Virginia after landing at Washington Dulles Airport as part of the State Department's Operation Allied Refuge to get interpreters to safety. The U.S. started the evacuation flights to speed up the process of giving the translators visas and help them escape constant threats from the Taliban for working alongside American forces. Many have been forced to wait for their applications to be approved because of State Department backlogs, the struggle to track down paperwork and COVID closing the US embassy in Kabul. As Biden has pulled U.S. soldiers out of Afghanistan, the interpreters have been in constant danger. At least one has been beheaded by the Taliban and these is uncertainty over whether Afghan forces will be able to maintain stability. Hundreds of Afghans arrived at Fort Lee in Prince George County, Virginia, after being flown from their war-torn home country by the U.S. military A dozen buses filled with 200 men, women and children arrived at Fort Lee in Virginia after landing at Washington Dulles Airport as part of the State Department's Operation Allied Refuge to get interpreters to safety The commercial airliner carrying the 221 Afghans in the special visa program, including 57 children and 15 babies, according to an internal U.S. government document obtained by The Associated Press, touched down in Dulles, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C., according to the FlightAware tracking service. A line of chartered buses carrying the new arrivals could be riding to Fort Lee. Several outlets posted video of the Afghans. The administration had briefed on the first arrivals in advance, and users posted images on social media. Biden called the flight 'an important milestone as we continue to fulfill our promise to the thousands of Afghan nationals who served shoulder-to-shoulder with American troops and diplomats over the last 20 years in Afghanistan.' He said he wanted to honor the military veterans, diplomats and others in the U.S. who have advocated for the Afghans. 'Most of all,' Biden said in a statement, 'I want to thank these brave Afghans for standing with the United States, and today, I am proud to say to them: `Welcome home.'' As Biden has pulled U.S. soldiers out of Afghanistan, the interpreters have been in constant danger. At least one has been beheaded by the Taliban and these is uncertainty over whether Afghan forces will be able to maintain stability. A translator helps American Marines speak to a local in Helmand Province in 2009 Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin lauded the Afghans for their work alongside Americans and said their arrival demonstrates the U.S. governments commitment to them. The Biden administration calls the effort Operation Allies Refuge. The operation has broad backing from Republican and Democratic lawmakers and from veterans groups. Supporters cite repeated instances of Taliban forces targeting Afghans who worked with Americans or with the Afghan government. Congress on Thursday overwhelmingly approved legislation that would allow an additional 8,000 visas and $500 million in funding for the Afghan visa program. Biden announced earlier this year the U.S. would withdraw all its troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, honoring a withdrawal agreement struck by former President Donald Trump. He later said the U.S. military operation would end on Aug. 31, calling it 'overdue.' Some administration officials have expressed surprise at the extent and speed of Taliban gains of territory in the countryside since then. Biden said that although U.S. troops are leaving Afghanistan, the U.S. will keep supporting Afghanistan through security assistance to Afghan forces and humanitarian and development aid to the Afghan people. The newly arrived Afghan people will join 70,000 others who have resettled in the United States since 2008 under the special visa program. Subsequent flights are due to bring more of the roughly 700 applicants who are farthest along in the process of getting visas, having already won approval and cleared security screening. The first arrivals were screened for the coronavirus and received vaccines if they wanted them, said Tracey Jacobson, the U.S. diplomat running the effort. They were expected to stay at Fort Lee, Virginia, for about seven days, completing medical exams and other final steps, Jacobson said. Resettlement organizations will help them as they travel to communities around the United States, with some bound for family members already here, she said. Boris Johnson is under mounting pressure today to end the 'Pingdemic' by bringing forward the date for exempting fully vaccinated people from self-isolation rules. Keir Starmer has joined calls to bring the August 16 timetable forward to August 7 - pointing out that is what Wales has chosen to do. Scotland is also due to remove the requirement for the double-jabbed who come into contact with positive cases from August 9 - but the PM has refused to budge despite stricken businesses warning of food shortages. In a round of interviews this morning, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps reiterated that there is no intention of changing the date, although he admitted: 'We are being, if you like, slightly cautious about it.' However, Sir Keir said in a statement: 'This has been a summer of chaos for British businesses and British families.' Boris Johnson is under mounting pressure today to end the 'Pingdemic' by bringing forward the date for exempting fully vaccinated people from self-isolation rules Keir Starmer has joined calls to bring the August 16 timetable forward to August 7 - point out that is what Wales has chosen to do A record 1.5million people were asked to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace last week, official data showed yesterday 'The Tory government has never been able to explain the logic of their self-isolation rules and has just repeated the same mistakes over and over again. 'While the British public have been trying to do the right thing, we saw this Government's instincts when Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak tried to avoid the isolation millions have had to endure. 'The Government's slapdash approach to this global pandemic is crippling our economy and creating real problems for businesses and families alike. Welsh Labour has shown what can be done and it's time for the Tories to do the same.' Asked why Labour was not calling for an immediate lifting of quarantine measures on the fully vaccinated, Sir Keir said time would be needed to implement such a change. 'August 7 is only a week tomorrow and it takes a little bit of change to be put into the system,' he told broadcasters. 'And the other critical thing is that we need the testing centres up as quickly as possible. The Government I think has promised 2,000 of them, they've only put about 250 or so up already. 'We need to rapidly accelerate that so that those who are double vaccinated, who are not going to be required to self-isolate, can get tested very quickly and very efficiently, so there is a bit of time in that. 'But there is a huge difference between these dates. In that nine day difference, there are hundreds of thousands of working days that will not be lost. 'There are businesses that won't have the chaos they are facing at the moment and of course lots of people who are planning to go on holiday will have the peace of mind that they can actually go on their holiday so they don't have it interrupted by isolating.' Wales's change will come into effect on the same day the country is expected to move to alert level zero when most coronavirus restrictions will be lifted. Anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 or has symptoms must continue to isolate for 10 days regardless of their vaccination status, the Welsh Government has said. It will also advise those identified as a contact of a positive case to have a PCR test on day two and day eight, whether they are fully vaccinated or not. MPs and business leaders have been pleading with Mr Johnson to bring forward the date in England after a rise in Covid cases led to a surge in people being 'pinged' by the app, causing huge disruption. Mr Shapps did not completely rule out changing the date this morning, but said it was the 'only lever we have' to control infections after legal restrictions were aced on July 19. The government is also facing demands to recall Parliament amid concern Covid vaccine passports had been introduced by 'stealth' via the NHS app. Confirming the rule change for Wales, Mr Drakeford said: 'Self-isolation on symptoms or a positive test result continues to be a powerful measure in helping to break the chains of transmission and stop the spread of the virus. 'It is important we retain this, even for people who have been fully vaccinated. 'But we know a full course of the vaccine offers people protection against the virus and they are far less likely to contract it when they are identified as close contacts. In total, when children sent home to isolate from school are included, there were more than 2.5million people told to quarantine last week or four per cent of the entire population. However, some people pinged by the app would have also been contacted by Test and Trace. And some of the people who tested positive may have also been pinged or told to self-isolate The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said 75 per cent of respondents to a survey published today aged between 18 and 34 said they fully adhered to the isolation requirements for the entire 10-day period after testing positive for coronavirus 'This means they no longer need to self-isolate for 10 days.' Data published on Thursday showed the number of people being told to self-isolate reached another record, with almost 700,000 alerts sent to Covid app users in England and Wales. The so-called 'pingdemic' led to 689,313 alerts being sent to users of the NHS Covid-19 app last week telling them they had been in close contact with someone who had tested positive for coronavirus. Some frontline workers are exempt from isolation, including those in prisons, waste collection, defence, the food industry, transport, Border Force and police and fire services. Daily negative test results enable those eligible workers who have been alerted by the NHS Covid-19 app or called by NHS Test and Trace as coronavirus contacts to continue working. Elsewhere, figures from Public Health England estimated Covid vaccines have prevented an estimated 22 million infections and 60,000 deaths in England. The data also suggested jabs are estimated to have directly averted more than 52,600 hospital admissions. The figures were published as England's deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, said he hoped the worst of the pandemic was over in the UK, while warning there could be 'one or two bumpy periods' ahead. On the NHS app, a tweak to the wording on the NHS Covid Pass section has raised concerns. It now includes a 'domestic' section, which states: 'You may need to show your NHS Covid Pass at places that have chosen to use the service.' The Government has said it wants to make vaccine passports mandatory for some settings such as nightclubs and crowded events from the autumn. An incredible photo out of Indonesia will leave Australians apprehensive about travelling to Bali anytime soon. The image shows a sheet of paper confirming a positive Covid test which was then used by a street food vendor to wrap a gorengan, a deep-fried banana fritter, a popular snack for locals and tourists. Popular website Coconuts Jakarta shared the Instagram image, which has since gone viral, from Depok in the Indonesian province West Java. 'We just bought (some) gorengan, and they were packed in a used document of a PCR swab test result that declared someone testing positive for coronavirus,' the Instagram post revealed. The Covid test sheet, which revealed a positive Covid reading for an Indonesian resident - it was later used to wrap a banana fritter by a street stall operator in West Java Banana fritters (pictured) are a popular item sold on the street across Indonesia - usually without a Covid positive test confirmation 'We (still) ate the gorengan with apprehension and enjoyment.' The development comes as Indonesia struggles to contain the rapid spreading of Covid-19. Island paradise Bali is at breaking point, with tourism numbers at an all-time low. Beaches and bars remain deserted and the usually bustling streets in places such as Kuta and Legian resemble ghost towns. There are currently more than 1,000 reported Covid cases each day and over 90,000 deaths since the pandemic started last year. On Tuesday, Indonesia reported a record 2,069 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours as it faces its deadliest ever Covid-19 surge. The country has reported a total of more than 3.33 million cases and 90,552 confirmed coronavirus deaths. Alarmingly, those official figures are widely believed to be a severe undercount, due to low testing and tracing rates. Australia's most senior practising doctor has called for a tougher lockdown across all of Greater Sydney as Covid cases number remain high. Australian Medical Association president Dr Omar Khorshid, a Perth-based hip and knee surgeon, said Covid-19 didn't recognise suburb boundaries and called for more stringent rules across Australia's biggest city to slow the spread of the virus. Residents of eight council areas in Sydney's west and south-west are living under tighter restrictions, with the whole of Greater Sydney under lockdown until at least August 28 as cases numbers of the highly-infectious Delta strain stubbornly remain in the triple digits, after five weeks of less freedom. They are banned from leaving home for work, unless they are employed in health, aged care or emergency services, must now wear face masks outdoors and have a 5km limit on leaving home - compared with 10km in the rest of Sydney, Wollongong, the Blue Mountains and the Central Coast. Eight council areas have tighter restrictions than the rest of Greater Sydney (pictured is Bondi in the eastern suburbs), as four more weeks of lockdown was announced on July 28 but Dr Khorshid said clearer lockdown rules should be introduced across Greater Sydney Australian Medical Association president Dr Omar Khorshid (pictured) said Covid-19 didn't recognise suburb boundaries and called for more stringent rules across Australia's biggest city to slow the spread of Covid 'COVID-19 does not respect geography or local government boundaries on a map, and clear and simple rules applied everywhere will make a difference - including mandatory mask wearing indoors and outdoors when outside the home,' Dr Korshid said. 'We don't know if it will be possible to eliminate the Delta strain from Sydney, but the benefits of doing so will be enormous and worth the inconvenience, disruption and real hardship being faced by all of Sydney at the moment'. While Dr Khorshid urged anyone considering going to any protests to stay home as they are only potentially extending the lockdown they are against. 'If you want to be part of the solution, go get the vaccine and stay at home,' he said. Up to a thousand police officers will be on duty to meet anyone considering attending an anti-lockdown protest in Sydney this weekend, NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller has warned. Mr Fuller said police had already detained 60 people from last week's protests and issued more than 200 infringement notices. The commissioner said police had to 'expect there's going to be a protest' after monitoring online activity. At present eight council areas are under tighter restrictions than the rest of the city, with the whole city under lockdown until the end of August at the earliest HOW SYDNEY'S TOUGHER LOCKDOWN RULES WILL AFFECT YOU In the eight hotspot LGAs from 12am on Saturday, July 31 (Blacktown, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool and Parramatta): Residents must wear a mask whenever leaving the home, including when they are outdoors. The travel limit for essential exercise and shopping has been reduced to 5km from 10km. Those in a 'singles bubble' with another person must follow the same travel restriction. Across NSW: The penalty for breaking mask restrictions will increase from $200 to $500 Police will be given the power to shut down public premises, worksites, and businesses that are caught breaching public health orders. Advertisement NSW Chief Medical Officer Kerry Chant said authorities were still investigating whether a COVID-positive person had attended last Saturday's protest, which saw thousands march through Sydney's CBD demonstrating against the state's lockdown laws. NSW Police have confirmed a 35-year-old man from Granville, in Sydney's west, was caught more than 20km away at the city's central station by police targeting protesters, despite being subject to stay-at-home orders. The man, who was fined $1,000 dollars, was directed home and tested positive to COVID the next day. A NSW Police strike force was set up following last week's protests with up to 20,000 tip-offs to Crime Stoppers about attendees, with photos and names sent to police. On Friday Mr Fuller said police will be waiting for anyone planning to protest this weekend, and they had been given plenty of warnings. Police have been door knocking houses in southwest Sydney amid fears another violent anti-lockdown rally could erupt again in the city on Saturday. The blitz across locked-down areas of Sydney occurred as taxi and rideshare companies were instructed by NSW Police to refuse transport to anyone wanting to travel into the central business district tomorrow unless they had a hospital emergency. Social media pages have flagged more action on Saturday, a week after 3,500 demonstrators, many from locked-down council areas, marched from Victoria Park towards Town Hall. Scroll down for video Police have been door knocking houses in south-west Sydney amid fears another anti-lockdown rally could erupt again in the city on Saturday. Victor, a south-west Sydney resident, posted footage on his Exercising My Rights Facebook of two officers (pictured) from the Liverpool police station asking if he knew about any planned rally So far, 61 people have been charged with disobeying a public health order on July 24. NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller on Friday warned 1,000 officers would be deployed to confront any protesters on Saturday. On Saturday morning, an exclusion zone will be set up around the city from Milsons Point on the Lower North Shore to Zetland in the south, Darling Point in the east and Camperdown in the inner west, banning taxi drivers from taking passengers. From 9am to 3pm on Saturday, passengers will only be allowed into the city if they have an appointment or an emergency requiring treatment at St Vincent's Hospital in Darlinghurst or Royal Prince Alfred in Camperdown. Victor, a south-west Sydney resident, posted footage on his Exercising My Rights Facebook page of two officers from the Liverpool police station asking if he knew about any planned rally. 'We're just doing some private tasking in relation to the upcoming protests that may or may not be happening on Saturday,' a male constable said behind a screen door. 'I don't know anything about it,' Victor replied. Social media pages have flagged more action on Saturday, a week after 3,500 demonstrators, many from locked-down council areas, marched from Victoria Park towards Town Hall (pictured on July 24) The male constable, with his female colleague standing behind him replied: 'No worries pal. 'Mate, they just give us this bit of paper and ask us to ask you a couple of questions: so are you aware of any planned protests or event this weekend in Sydney?' Victor exercised his right to saying nothing. 'I don't actually have to answer any of these questions, do I?' he said. The officer replied: 'No, no, of course not, mate. These are just questions. If you're refusing to answer, just say so.' NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller on Friday warned 1,000 officers would be deployed to confront any protesters on Saturday (pictured are police at the July 24 rally at Victoria Park) Victor then asked the officers if they enjoyed this line of work. 'Do you guys actually like doing this?' The male officer ignored that remark and asked another question. 'Are you aware of any communications circulating between people about planned protests?' Again Victor refused. With New South Wales recording 170 new locally-acquired Covid cases overnight, the state government fears another rally in defiance of a public health order will be a super-spreader event. A taxi industry manager told Daily Mail Australia the NSW Police on Friday morning gave all cab and rideshare companies prohibition notices banning them from transporting customers into the CBD within the exclusion zone. 'I've had to tell all my staff to refuse to take any bookings that are going into the city,' he said. On Saturday morning, an exclusion zone will be set up around the city from Milsons Point on the Lower North Shore to Zetland in the south, Darling Point in the east and Camperdown in the inner west, banning taxi drivers from taking passengers (pictured is a protester at Victoria Park on July 24) 'We have messages going out to all of our drivers that if their destination is anywhere in that exclusion zone, we can't take them.' The taxi industry source said there was a grey area around medical appointments beyond a hospital emergency requiring treatment at St Vincent's or RPA. 'It's a bit of a grey area, I'm not 100 per cent sure,' he said. 'I can probably take a booking for somebody saying they're going to a doctor's appointment but whether or not they're going to give us permission to actually get into that red zone, I don't know.' Residents who live in eight council areas in south-west and western Sydney - Fairfield, Liverpool, Canterbury-Bankstown, Blacktown, Cumberland, Georges River, Parramatta and Campbelltown - are banned from leaving their area for work unless they are employed in the health, aged care or emergency services sectors. The taxi industry source said 90 per cent of his drivers lived in those areas and made very little from transporting customers within their local government area. NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant confirmed authorities were still investigating whether a Covid-positive person had attended last Saturday's protest NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant confirmed authorities were still investigating whether a Covid-positive person had attended last Saturday's protest. A 35-year-old man from Granville, in Sydney's west, was caught more than 20km away at the city's central station by police targeting protesters, despite being subject to stay-at-home orders as a resident of the Parramatta and Cumberland council areas. The man, who was fined $1,000 dollars, was directed home and tested positive to COVID the next day. 'We're just working with police to ascertain whether that person did attend. The police did indicate they had turned the person around and they had given an infringement notice,' Dr Chant told reporters. 'If that person would have attended the protest, they would have been infectious.' NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said if the COVID-positive man had attended the rally, 'he was effectively carrying a deadly weapon, he was carrying the virus'. Advertisement Straddled between two cliffs in China's Hunan province, a glass-bottomed suspension bridge offers the world's highest bungee jump from a footbridge. Visitors to the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge can take a leap from a height of 853ft, a stomach-churning way to take in the views of the surrounding Wulingyuan wilderness, a UNSECO World Heritage site. The area, a popular international tourist attraction, is famous for its quartzite sandstone pillars and peaks extending into the clouds, along with deep ravines and gorges. Bungee jumpers enjoy an aerial view of the Wulingyuan wilderness, a popular international tourist attraction, famous for its quartzite sandstone pillars and peaks extending into the clouds, along with deep ravines and gorges The pedestrian bridge, designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan and opened in August 2016, was once the longest glass-bottomed suspension bridge in the world Tourists stand on the edge of the platform, helped by an instructor, ahead of their 853ft bungee jump over the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, Hunan province, China Cameras capture the 853ft bungee jump from all angles, including upwards shots showing the bottom of the glass-suspension bridge in Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon The bungee jumping operation opened at the end of 2020, delayed by restrictions imposed by the Chinese government because of the coronavirus pandemic, which included some of the world's toughest border restrictions. Operator Jonni Deaker said business had been building slowly as domestic tourists began to return to the region. 'We are probably averaging twenty jumps a day at the moment, which is pretty good for a jump this size,' Deaker said, adding he was confident of a solid July-August holiday season. To compensate for the lack of foreign tourists, the cost of a jump has been cut by around 40 per cent to RMB 1998 (roughly US$306). A participant jumps during a freestyle bungee competition from the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge in China in May 2018, before the site was open to the public Jumpers from different countries joined a freestyle bungee competition from a 853ft platform looking down on the Wulingyuan wilderness, a UNSECO World Heritage site A tourist jumps from the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge in China on July 12, 2021, after the site opened to the public following the Covid-19 pandemic A freestyle bungee jumping competitor takes the leap while holding a miniature bike on May 26, 2018 in Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, China Jumping into the abyss below might be terrifying for some, but operator Jonni Deaker believes the sheer height makes it less intimidating than smaller jumps A tourist takes the leap from the bungee jumping platform at the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon in July 2021, only months after the operation opened amid the pandemic in 2020 A participant in a freestyle bungee jumping competition looks calm as they take a leap off the 853ft platform ahead of its public opening in May 2018 The pedestrian bridge, designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan and opened in August 2016, was once the longest glass-bottomed suspension bridge in the world. Jumping into the abyss below might be terrifying for some, but Deaker believes the sheer height makes it less intimidating than smaller jumps. 'Because it's so high, it actually makes it easier', Deaker said. 'When you're this high, it's kind of like skydiving.' Operators prepare tourists for the 853ft bungee jump from Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon's glass-bottomed suspension bridge Jumping into the abyss below might be terrifying for some, but operator Jonni Deaker believes the sheer height makes it less intimidating than smaller jumps The glass-bottomed suspension bridge, designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan and opened in August 2016, was once the longest in the world Tourists can walk along the 1410ft long glass-bottomed suspension bridge above Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, looking down at the Wulingyuan wilderness below Almost 60,000 Covid-infected people didn't tell NHS Test and Trace who they came into contact with last week, according to official figures which suggest England may be starting to rebel against the 'pingdemic' chaos. The controversial contact tracing system made 250,000 calls in the seven-day spell ending July 21, making it the busiest week since the darkest period of the second wave in January. But nearly a quarter of infected people who were contacted didn't cooperate, in a signal that people may now be trying to protect family, friends and colleagues from having to self-isolate. The rate of Covid-infected people who've avoided naming close contacts has risen consistently since the third wave started to gather steam in June, from 14.1 per cent to 23.1 per cent. Government data yesterday underlined just how bad the 'pingdemic' has become, with a record 1.5million quarantine instructions sent out in the same week. Millions of workers have been unable to do their jobs because they've been told to isolate, leaving supermarket shelves empty, pubs and restaurants shut, and trains cancelled across the country. Boris Johnson is under mounting pressure to end the chaos by bringing forward the date for exempting fully vaccinated people from self-isolation rules. The rate of Covid-infected people avoiding naming close contacts has risen consistently since the third wave started to gather steam in June, from 14.1 per cent to 23.1 per cent in the most recent week. Blue bars show the number of people contacted by Test and Trace who didn't name any close contacts, while the red line shows how the proportion of people not giving away any details has risen over time A record 1.5million people were asked to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace last week, official data shows as England's 'pingdemic' chaos continues to rage on Keir Starmer demands self-isolation for double-jabbed ends on August 7 more than a WEEK before government's plan as Scotland and Wales lead the way Boris Johnson s under mounting pressure today to end the 'Pingdemic' by bringing forward the date for exempting fully vaccinated people from self-isolation rules. Keir Starmer has joined calls to bring the August 16 timetable forward to August 7 - pointing out that is what Wales has chosen to do. Scotland is also due to remove the requirement for the double-jabbed who come into contact with positive cases from August 9 - but the PM has refused to budge despite stricken businesses warning of food shortages. In a round of interviews this morning, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps reiterated that there is no intention of changing the date, although he admitted: 'We are being, if you like, slightly cautious about it.' However, Sir Keir said in a statement: 'This has been a summer of chaos for British businesses and British families.' 'The Tory government has never been able to explain the logic of their self-isolation rules and has just repeated the same mistakes over and over again. 'While the British public have been trying to do the right thing, we saw this Government's instincts when Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak tried to avoid the isolation millions have had to endure. 'The Government's slapdash approach to this global pandemic is crippling our economy and creating real problems for businesses and families alike. Welsh Labour has shown what can be done and it's time for the Tories to do the same.' Advertisement Labour leader Keir Starmer has joined calls to bring the August 16 timetable forward to August 7 - pointing out that is what Wales has chosen to do. Scotland is also due to remove the requirement for the double-jabbed who come into contact with positive cases from August 9 - but the PM has refused to budge despite stricken businesses warning of food shortages. The 37billion Test and Trace programme set-up last May has been branded a monumental waste of money by politicians for failing in its only goal to stop another lockdown. Since it was set up 14 months ago, England has faced two more national lockdowns and two Covid waves. Even SAGE has criticised the programme as having a 'marginal impact' on the spread of the virus, and the former head of the Treasury called it the 'most wasteful public spending of all time'. The system is supposed to find and tell Covid-positive people and their close contacts to self-isolate in order to break chains of transmission. When someone tests positive for Covid they receive their results via text, email or a phone call and are told to self-isolate. They are sent one text to tell them they have tested positive, and then at least two follow-up messages to ask them to register with the service. Those who are called will have voicemails left on their answer machine. They are then contacted by Test and Trace to ensure they are staying at home, and asked for details of any close contacts people they came into contact with for at least 15 minutes who may also have the virus. If NHS Test and Trace contact tracers are unable to reach infected people, their details are passed on to local authorities to follow-up. Of the 251,190 people asked to provide close contacts in the most recent week, just 193,000 provided the names and numbers of those who they may have passed the virus onto. More than 58,000 refused to do so. It marks the largest number of people who refused to cooperate with Test and Trace since January and the highest rate since March - at 23.1 per cent. It is an increase from the 21.2 per cent (40,602 people) who didn't provide any details in the week ending July 14. Separate Test and Trace figures show that infected Brits named 596,643 people as close contacts, with 426,187 of them being household contacts and 170,456 non-household contacts. Data shows this is the lowest proportion of close contacts outside the household identified to Test and Trace since March - when the country was in lockdown and stay at home orders were still in place. The contact tracing system is also struggling to reach as many people, with 14.8 per cent of infected Brits not answering their calls. This is the highest proportion since last October, when Test and Trace was unable to reach 14.5 per cent of people who tested positive. In total, when children sent home to isolate from school are included, there were more than 2.5million people told to quarantine last week or four per cent of the entire population. However, some people pinged by the app would have also been contacted by Test and Trace. And some of the people who tested positive may have also been pinged or told to self-isolate Advertisement Two women have been seriously injured after an oak tree smashed into a private outdoor party in Suffolk as Storm Evert wreaks havoc across the country with 75mph gales and torrential rain. The woman, in their 20s, have been hospitalised, one with spinal and head injuries and another with pelvic and arm injuries after the incident near Heveningham. It comes amid chaos as the storm swept in from the Atlantic today, causing festivals to push back their opening times, ripping up tents and forcing campers to leave amid the horrendous conditions. Storm Evert battered Britain with the Met Office warning it 'will get worse before it gets better' - as tents and awnings collapsed at Camp Bestival in Dorset and organisers delayed opening the public arenas and gates. Staycationers were warned to take extra care while camping and driving on coastal roads as the storm blew into the South West of the country, as it continued to gather pace and swept east along the south coast. In Cornwall, guests at the Bedruthan Steps Campsite were moved to a field which is better protected from the wind, while Sarah Weeks from clifftop glamping site Seaview Tipis told guests to 'pack up and go' for their safety. Meanwhile the three-day Rock Oyster Festival - where Sophie Ellis-Bexter is headlining tomorrow - is under threat and delayed opening on its site at Dinham House in St Minver, Cornwall, until midday today due to the storm. Camp Bestival is still going ahead for the 30,000 attendees as it stands, with curator Rob da Bank saying: 'We've been through everything and are ready for anything - our customers are very hardy - we'll get through it.' An amber 'danger to life' wind warning was issued ahead of 'unseasonably strong winds and heavy rain'. The worst conditions were in Cornwall, where gusts of between 55mph and 75mph were hitting coastal areas. Downpours added to the miserable conditions for the thousands of families on holiday in Britain at the moment. The winds spread across South Wales and into South East England today, but will easing off towards the evening. But drinkers braved the rain for a night out on Friday, with many huddling under umbrellas and raincoats as they headed for shelter in pubs and clubs. Forecasters warned of possible damage to buildings, fallen trees, power cuts and cancellations to rail, air and ferry services, as the storm brings a 'wet and windy' day today for the southern and central regions of the country. The Met Office also issued thunderstorm warnings for a swathe of England from Nottingham to Norwich and north as far as Hull, with further heavy downpours expected tomorrow in central, eastern and southern England. Evert is the first named storm since Darcy in February. A Dutch boy's name meaning 'shepherd', it was chosen by Holland's KNMI forecasting service, which works with the Met Office to name storms in western Europe. Steven Keates, a meteorologist from the Met Office, said: 'The wind will get worse before it gets better. Women heading out in Leeds had to brave the blustery conditions with umbrellas catching the strong winds on Friday night In Leeds, revellers headed out into the city centre to party for the start of the weekend in spite of the miserable summer weather Storm Evert gives a wet and windy welcome to campers at the Farmfest event being held at Bruton in Somerset This tent in Cornwall failed to withstand the heavy winds, a fate shared by many across the south of England last night Shoppers dart across Oxford Street amid a heavy downpour in London on Friday as storms continue to wreak havoc across the country Some braved the conditions and headed out despite the rain and strong winds, armed only with an umbrella for a night out in Leeds Some partygoers were forced to wear makeshift rain covers as they headed out on Friday night in the rainy and windy conditions Drinkers shelter under umbrellas in Soho as they enjoy a Friday night in central London during the wet July weather Revellers took to the streets and relished the opportunity for a night out with no Covid restrictions despite the poor weather Despite the miserable conditions, many braved the rain to enjoy the start to their weekends in Soho as they headed to the pubs and bars armed with umbrellas Some who headed out on Friday night were well prepared in waterproof coats for a night drinking alfresco in the rain People stand in the rain at the wet and windy Farmfest event being held at Bruton in Somerset this morning Clouds loom above the Ageas Bowl in Southampton during the Hundred match between Southern Brave and Birmingham Phoenix The usually crowded streets of Soho were much more sedate on Friday night as revellers were turned away by the inclement weather Bodyboarders brave the waves in rough seas at Fistral beach in Newquay, Cornwall, today Empty chairs and tables lined the streets of Soho on the normally busy Friday evening as many stayed at home Storm Evert causes major damage to the campsite at Camp Bestival at Lulworth Castle in Wareham, Dorset, this morning People walk on Brighton beach in windy conditions today as parts of the south are feeling the effects of Storm Evert Despite the poor conditions some ventures out for alfresco dining on Friday but many were cautious and brought umbrellas A plane takes off from London Gatwick Airport in West Sussex in the wet and windy conditions today Miles of traffic was also bumper to bumper on the M25, pictured here near Swanley in Kent Heavy rain in London today as a family cross Westminster Bridge with the Houses of Parliament in the background The storm caused many tents and awnings to collapse during the night at the Camp Bestival site in Dorset, pictured today People out and about on a wet and blustery day along the Thames Path at Henley on Thames in Oxfordshire today Campers deal with the carnage the morning after Storm Evert struck Lighthouse Hill Campsite at Portreath in Cornwall People out and about on a wet and blustery day on a boat in Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, today Storm Evert gives a wet and windy welcome to campers at the Farmfest event being held at Bruton in Somerset today People walk through the muddy conditions at Farmfest at Bruton in Somerset this morning which has been hit by heavy rain Slide me People on Barry Island beach in South Wales this time one year ago (left) and today (right) as winds of up to 75mph lash the UK 'The highest gust of wind is on the Isles of Scilly, which is 45 knots or 52mph. There is the potential for 60mph in coastal areas of west Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. 'There is the chance of seeing something a little stronger than that from midnight to 3am, where as per the amber warning, there is the chance of seeing gusts of up to 75mph in one or two very exposed coastal spots, mainly in Cornwall.' The three-day Rock Oyster Festival is under threat and has delayed opening on its site at Dinham House in Cornwall An amber weather warning has been issued for south-west England, with the Met Office saying Storm Evert will bring strong winds to the region, potentially causing damage to infrastructure and leading to travel disruption. This could include damage to buildings, fallen trees and a 'good chance' that power cuts could occur, which could affect other services such as mobile phone coverage. The warning, which is currently in place until this morning, also says large waves, flying debris and beach material being thrown on to roads and seafronts could lead to injuries or 'danger to life'. Storm Evert, which began yesterday evening, produced gusts of winds close to 70mph across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The highest gust recorded so far was 69mph in St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly, the Met Office said. RNLI volunteer crew from St Mary's and Sennen Cove spent last night helping to rescue people from yachts around the Isles of Scilly. Falmouth Coastguard Operations Centre reported a total of 22 incidents last night. Pete Hicks, coxswain of St Mary's RNLI lifeboat, said: 'It was an incredibly busy night. We were afloat from about 11pm until around 3am this morning, it was a very busy night for everyone involved. Organisers at Camp Bestival in Dorset have delayed the opening to the public arenas and gates on the site Three people gather under an umbrella on Millennium Bridge in London today on a topsy-turvy day of weather in the capital Tents have collapsed at Camp Bestival in Dorset overnight - with the opening of the public arena delayed this morning Campers deal with the carnage on a Cornish camping site the morning after Storm Evert struck at Portreath in the night People walk over the River Thames on a wet Millennium Bridge today with St Paul's Cathedral visible in the background Walkers struggle in high winds on the seafront at Worthing in West Sussex this afternoon Storm Evert gives a wet and windy welcome to campers at the Farmfest event being held at Bruton in Somerset today Brave groups of families gather on Bournemouth beach in Dorset today despite the wet and windy weather A collapsed tent at Lighthouse Hill Campsite on the cliffs at Portreath in Cornwall today after the storm hit overnight The wet and windy conditions did not stop these two women enjoying a day at Bournemouth beach in Dorset today Racegoers arrive in strong winds ahead of day four of the Goodwood Festival at Goodwood Racecourse in Chichester today People struggle to walk in windy conditions on the seafront at Brighton in East Sussex this afternoon Racegoers hold onto their outfits and hair in the high winds ahead of day four of the Goodwood Festival today 'I went aboard Sennen Cove RNLI's all-weather lifeboat to assist the crew with local knowledge of the area, and with a huge team effort we were able to successfully rescue everybody in difficulty. 'The conditions were horrendous, at one point we had over 50 knots of wind with squally showers.' The Met Office added that the heavy showers and thunderstorms could lead to the flooding of homes and businesses, power cuts and transport disruptions. The Environment Agency has issued two flood alerts for Eastern Yar, Isle of Wight, and the Somerset coast at Porlock Weir. Mark Morgan-Hillam, 48, his wife, Leanne, 43, and children who are four, 10 and 14 respectively, went camping just above Polzeath, Cornwall, yesterday evening. The deputy head teacher from Appley Bridge, Wigan, said: 'The lack of warning was an issue. A man windsurfing in Poole Harbour in Dorset this afternoon as Storm Evert sweeps across the south coast Lifeguards put out flags at Fistral beach in Newquay, Cornwall, today as the area is hit by high winds A man falls into the water while windsurfing at Poole Harbour in Dorset today as Storm Evert sweeps across the south coast People walk their dog along the sea front in Porthcawl in Wales today after winds of up to 75mph lashed the South West A group kitesurfing in Poole this afternoon as Storm Evert hits the south coast of England People pull down their hoods to shelter from the wind as they walk along the sea front in Porthcawl, Wales, today Windsurfing in Poole Harbour, Dorset, today as Storm Evert brings wet and windy conditions to the south coast Bodyboarders brave the waves in rough seas at Fistral beach in Newquay, Cornwall, today Lifeguards warn surfers to stay within the flags at Fistral beach in Newquay, Cornwall, today Bodyboarders go into the rough seas at Fistral beach in Newquay, Cornwall, today amid the severe conditions A woman's hair is blown sideways as she strolls along the sea front in Porthcawl, Wales, today after winds of up to 75mph Bodyboarders brave the waves in rough seas at Fistral beach in Newquay, Cornwall, this afternoon 'It was only at 9/10pm at night that we noticed the storm warning had changed to amber and I think that caught a lot of people out on our site who went to bed thinking it would be windy, but not blow their tent over.' History teacher Laura J, from Tewkesbury, Glos, tweeted a video clip this morning showing her family's holiday tent in Cornwall being battered by Storm Evert. She said: 'My husband has been amazing. Literally guarding the door. Outside every hour...checking pegs and ropes and moving the cars. Utterly terrifying. Who thought camping in Cornwall would be a good idea? #StormEvert... We've been up all night. 'Thankfully girls are asleep and tent are OK. Many whose holidays have been cut short. Few more hours to survive.... Absolute carnage out there. Imagine Wizard of Oz. But worse.' Another Cornwall holiday camper, Liberty Williams, tweeted: 'Here I am in 65mph winds in a two-man tent about to face #StormEvert.' A lifeguard moves a chequered flag at Fistral beach in Newquay, Cornwall, today Bodyboarders amid the waves in rough seas at Fistral beach in Newquay, Cornwall, today Lifeguards put out flags at Fistral beach today in Newquay, Cornwall, amid the severe conditions A surf school and lifeguards are seen at Fistral beach in Newquay, Cornwall, today as Storm Evert strikes Two women walk on the sand at Bournemouth beach in Dorset today despite the wet and windy conditions Lifeguards watch over Bournemouth beach in the rain today as some people still played in the sand People out and about on a wet and blustery day along the Thames Path at Henley on Thames in Oxfordshire today People walk along The Thames Path at Henley on Thames in Oxfordshire today as the country is hit by wet and windy weather People out on Bournemouth beach in Dorset today despite the stormy conditions along the south coast Dark clouds as a dog walker makes their way along Polzeath beach in Cornwall this morning amid the very windy conditions Karen Higgins tweeted 'There are two types of people on our campsite, those drinking wine and those who are packing.' Weather forecast for today and this weekend Today: Today will be unsettled and gusty across southern England and Wales, with showers and spells of heavy rain. The rain will gradually clear east leaving a bright afternoon but with a few heavy showers. Mostly cloudy across Northern Ireland and Scotland, with fewer showers here. Gentle northerly winds. Tonight: Into the evening, the rain and showers will continue to clear to the east of the UK, leading to a dry and mostly clear night across England and Wales. However cloud and some showery outbreaks of rain will linger across north-east England and Scotland. Misty in Northern Ireland. Light westerly winds. Tomorrow: Tomorrow will see some bright or sunny spells across England and Wales. However showers will develop here in the afternoon, some heavy with thunder. It will stay cloudier in Scotland and Northern Ireland, with a light shower still possible, especially across north-east England. Gentle westerly winds. Sunday: More patchy rain on Sunday for northern England as an area of drizzle will move southwards through the day, fading as it does so. Showers will once again form in southern England. Mostly dry but cloudy elsewhere. Monday: Monday will be dry for much of the UK with variable cloud, some showers in the south. Advertisement And Alex Whittaker said: 'Go camping in the UK they said. It will be just like France they said. #Staycation #StormEvert.' Meanwhile the A381 Totnes bypass in Devon was blocked due to landslip between Harpers Hill and Plymouth Road. Torrential rain has loosened the roadside sub-soil and tons of earth has crashed on to the carriegway but there are no reports of injurie and traffic is said to be 'coping well'. As police pleaded with motorists to slow down in the heavy rain, there were reports of a collision involving a car and a truck on the A38 at Liskeard shortly before 7am today. Flooding and stormy weather has already led to disruption in some parts of the country. Cumbria County Council said 14 properties have been evacuated and some roads and footpaths have been closed due to a landslip in Parton, west Cumbria. The Environment Agency has six flood alerts for areas including parts of south London and an area on the Isle of Wight. The naming of Storm Evert comes on the day the Government announced that more than 860 million is to be invested in flood prevention schemes across the UK over the next year. Evert is the first storm to be named in the month of July by the Met Office's storm naming group, although named summer storms are not unprecedented. In 2020, Storm Ellen hit from August 19 to 20, before Storm Francis moved over the UK on August 25. The last named storm was Darcy, which battered the UK over five months ago towards the start of February. Thousands of drivers across the country will be setting off for staycations across the UK ahead of this weekend, after children broke up for their six-week school summer holidays on Monday. RAC Breakdown spokesman Rod Dennis said: 'The arrival of a summer storm to the South West could take drivers and indeed all holidaymakers in the region by surprise. Campers have gathered at Lulworth Castle in Dorset for Camp Bestival but it was hit by strong winds this morning Storm Evert caused damage to tents at Camp Bestival at Lulworth Castle in Wareham, Dorset, pictured this morning Tents were ripped up at the campsite at Camp Bestival in Dorset this morning after strong winds struck the area Camp Bestival organisers delayed the opening of the site in Dorset today following strong winds that damaged tents The Severn Crossing is pictured this morning as the Met Office warned the weather 'will get worse before it gets better' A spectacular sunrise in Sunderland this morning which has not yet been affected by Storm Evert sweeping The calm before the storm in Sunderland this morning where dog walkers on the beach saw a spectacular sunrise 'The sheer strength of the wind coupled with huge volumes of traffic will make driving conditions hazardous, particularly for those towing caravans and trailers. 104F (40C) heat will become the new 'normal' by the end of the century Scorching temperatures never seen before in the UK of 104F (40C) will soon become the new 'normal' by the end of the century, forecasters warn. Temperature and rainfall records are being smashed at a 'shocking' rate in the UK - with experts warning 'climate change is happening and it's happening now.' The current hottest UK temperature was 101.6F (38.7C), recorded in the Cambridge Botanic Garden in 2019. But the jump to 104F is a record that could soon fall - possibly within the decade - and become a regular occurrence every three to four years by the end of the century, experts warned. Last year, was the first ever year to reach the top 10 in all three categories of warmest, wettest and sunniest years on record: the third warmest, fifth wettest, and eight sunniest year. A heatwave in August 2020, which had more than six days above 34c (93.2F) claimed 1,700 lives, according to Public Health England. Meanwhile the average winter temperature for last year was 5.3C (41.5F), higher by 1.6C than the 1981-2010 average. Professor Liz Bentley, chief executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, said that the temperature in the UK has already increased by 1.2C and likely to soon rise a further 0.3C in the coming years. Advertisement 'We strongly recommend drivers check over their vehicles before setting out ensuring roofboxes are firmly secured and try to avoid exposed coastal and moorland routes where the impacts of the wind on driving will be the greatest. 'Drivers should reduce their speeds accordingly to help ensure they complete their journeys safely.' The first named storm of the summer follows two hikers being rushed to hospital after being struck by lightning on the summit of Snowdon in Wales when freak-weather hit the region on Wednesday. Rescuers said one of the women was bleeding and 'falling in and out of consciousness' when they arrived on the 3,560ft-peak at 1.47pm. North Wales Police were called and volunteer crews from Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team were sent along with the Coast Guard rescue helicopter. One of the walkers sustained minor injuries during the incident while the other sustained serious injuries. Meanwhile, forecasters have warned that scorching summers of 104F (40C) will become the UK's new 'normal' by the end of the century. The alarming prediction came as experts warned that temperature and rainfall records are being smashed at a 'shocking' rate in Britain. Scientists fear the rate of global warming is spiralling out of control, saying that 'climate change is happening and it's happening now'. The hottest temperature recorded in the UK stands at 101.6F (38.7C) in Cambridge in 2019. But the jump to 104F (40C) could come within the decade and become a regular occurrence every three to four years by the end of the century. Data from the annual State Of The UK Climate report showed that last year was the third warmest, fifth wettest and eighth sunniest year on record the first ever to fall into the top ten in all three categories. Advertisement Sunseeker are facing chaos today as Greece threatens a crackdown over spiking cases on islands, ministers 'tie themselves in knots' over France quarantine, Spain looks on the verge of tougher curbs - and Italy is refusing to exempt Brits from self-isolation. Hopes of escaping the dismal weather have been dealt more blows with doubts raised about some of the most popular destinations. Ministers are effectively warning the public they must get used to confusion and uncertainty, amid a patchwork of ever-shifting rules at home and internationally. In an extraordinary public volte face, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps was sent out to contract a claim from Dominic Raab that France was hit with 'amber plus' quarantine rules because of Covid cases on Reunion island 6,000 miles away. The suggestion sparked a furious reaction from Paris, with an ally of Emmanuel Macron raging that the UK position is discriminatory and 'baffling'. Another French MP branded the policy 'Kafka on holiday with Godot' - as critics pointed out that bizarrely Reunion itself is not covered by the upgraded controls. Meanwhile, Spain is believed to be at risk of being moved up the 'traffic light' system in a review next week, even as double-jabbed travellers from the rest of the EU and the US are due to be exempted from quarantine. Greece is also voicing alarm at soaring cases on popular islands such as Rhodes, Santorini and Mykonos, with Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias warning it is 'one step' away from authorities imposing restrictions. He said the situation was also worrying on the islands of Zakynthos, Tinos, and Paros. As tensions rise, Italy has announced it will not reciprocate the get-out granted by the UK to visitors. Vaccinated holidaymakers will still need to isolate for five days on arrival, until at least August 30. There are claims that EU leaders are resisting easing rules for Britons partly out of 'frustration' with the standoff over Brexit. The chaos is such that Britons appear to be giving up on going away. An exclusive poll for MailOnline has found that just 14 per cent are intending to travel abroad for a summer holiday this year. In other helter-skelter coronavirus developments today: Fresh questions have been raised about the recent slump in coronavirus cases after new figures showed around one in 65 people in private households in England had Covid-19 in the week to July 24 up from one in 75 in the previous week; More than 50 Tory MPs are threatening to vote against the government's 'misguided' plans for compulsory vaccine passports; An exclusive poll for MailOnline found Britons overwhelmingly back barring vaccine refusers from pubs, restaurants, nightclubs and non-essential shops; Ministers have been warned that travellers could face five-hour queues when Britain opens up to the US and most of the EU next week. A senior government source also slapped down Mr Raab (pictured yesterday), insisting that he had been wrong In a round of interviews this morning, Mr Shapps said the decision had been down to 'overall concern' about France, not the situation on Reunion A Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll for MailOnline found just 14 per cent of Brits are planning a summer holiday abroad this year Pingdemic pressure on Boris as Labour demands exemption for double-jabbed from August 7 Boris Johnson is under mounting pressure today to end the 'Pingdemic' by bringing forward the date for exempting fully vaccinated people from self-isolation rules. Keir Starmer has joined calls to bring the August 16 timetable forward to August 7 - pointing out that is what Wales has chosen to do. Scotland is also due to remove the requirement for the double-jabbed who come into contact with positive cases from August 9 - but the PM has refused to budge despite stricken businesses warning of food shortages. In a round of interviews this morning, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps reiterated that there is no intention of changing the date, although he admitted: 'We are being, if you like, slightly cautious about it.' However, Sir Keir said in a statement: 'This has been a summer of chaos for British businesses and British families. 'The Tory government has never been able to explain the logic of their self-isolation rules and has just repeated the same mistakes over and over again. He added: 'The Government's slapdash approach to this global pandemic is crippling our economy and creating real problems for businesses and families alike. Welsh Labour has shown what can be done and it's time for the Tories to do the same.' Advertisement The decision on France two weeks ago led to thousands of fully-vaccinated holidaymakers having to self-isolate for ten days on their return. The diplomatic spat escalated over recent days after the country was excluded from a UK quarantine exemption for travellers who have been double-jabbed in the EU. French Europe minister Clement Beaune yesterday branded the UK's stance towards his country 'excessive and frankly baffling'. 'If I understood correctly, this is being done in the name of the famous Beta variant, the South African variant, which represents less than 5 per cent of cases in France, most of which are in our overseas territories that are not affected by the same flows of people towards the UK,' he said. In a round of interviews this morning, Mr Shapps said the decision had been down to 'overall concern' about France, not the situation on Reunion. 'The Beta variant, it's not just as has been reported on an island thousands of miles away. It was also an issue in particular in northern France, so it has been an overall concern,' he told Sky News. 'And look, the big concern is that we don't allow a variant in which somehow is able to escape the vaccine programme that we have got.' Mr Shapps said a decision on France's status will be taken 'by this time next week' as part of the regular travel list update every three weeks. Asked if there could be a change before then, the minister told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'No, it's only six days away actually, so I wouldn't expect anything in advance of that, but it is the moment at which this will be looked at.' Pushed on whether that meant no move on Spain before then, Mr Shapps said: 'That's right. I would encourage people to broadly ignore the sort of ongoing speculation as much as is possible.' He added: 'One thing I have seen over the last year with all this going on is that, quite often, the speculation is not all that helpful, or all that accurate indeed. 'When we get the information from the Joint Biosecurity Centre, that's the first point at which it really becomes clarified.' A senior government source also slapped down Mr Raab, insisting that he had been wrong. The source said: 'Ministers took this decision based on data on the prevalence of the Beta variant in mainland France.' They added: 'This data did not include La Reunion.' Mr Raab's comments led to fresh criticism of the Government's decision, which many are hoping will be reversed next week. Shadow transport secretary Jim McMahon said: 'Ministers appear to be tying themselves in knots trying to explain their decision. If they misinterpreted the data over cases in mainland France they need to come clean and apologise. 'It's completely unfair that holidaymakers who booked in good faith in line with the Government's own advice, have had to fork out extra for early flights, or lost income through having to isolate when they came home. 'This is why Labour has been calling for the country-by-country data informing the traffic light system to be published. The Government must do that without delay.' French Europe minister Clement Beaune yesterday branded the UK's stance towards his country 'excessive and frankly baffling' Major Tory revolt over vaccine passports More than 50 Tory MPs are prepared to vote against the government's 'misguided' vaccine passport plan and said they are 'horrified' by the possible curbs on individual freedoms. Boris Johnson had announced that certificates proving double vaccinations will be needed to enter nightclubs and potentially other venues and universities from the end of September. But many Conservatives are prepared to rebel against the 'completely unnecessary, bureaucratic and unworkable' proposals, with as many as 50 MPs threatening to vote against them if they go to a vote. Despite the huge scale of the revolt, there are signs it will be pointless as Labour has indicated it is unlikely to oppose the proposals if they include a provision for tests to be used as well as vaccine status. It comes after the government was accused of introducing passports by stealth after the NHS App was updated with 'domestic' and 'travel' options for Britons to prove their vaccination status. Advertisement But there are also growing concerns that even if France is removed from the amber-plus list, Spain could be added because of rising cases there. The remote island is nearly 5,800 miles (9,334km) away from Paris and when this was pointed out during an interview yesterday, Mr Raab said: 'It's not the distance that matters, it's the ease of travel between different component parts of every individual country.' The Beta variant is a cause for concern because it is believed to be more resistant to the AstraZeneca vaccine. A spokesman for Brittany Ferries said: 'This is madness. It would be like France hammering British holidaymakers due to a Covid outbreak on the Falkland Islands. 'It makes you wonder if those in the centre of power have access to an atlas or a geography GCSE between them.' Paul Charles, of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: 'One has to question how long we will have to put up with poor political decision-making which is threatening people's livelihoods and jobs. France should be removed from the ridiculous amber-plus category quickly as it poses no major threat.' Layla Moran, chairman of the all-party Parliamentary group on coronavirus, said: 'Ministers should have clear justifications for any changes made with regards to international travel. This slapdash approach will only continue to undermine public confidence.' No 10 has continued to insist the decision to place France on the amber-plus list had no relation to La Reunion. It said the Government used data which said that Beta cases in mainland France stood at 5 per cent. France is the only EU country from which those vaccinated under the UK programme must self-isolate for ten days when they return. The decision is set to be reviewed next week and ministers are hopeful that the country could be removed from the list. The Government is considering replacing amber-plus with a new 'amber watchlist' to deter people from travelling to areas with high Covid rates. The list would show which countries could change to 'red' at any moment, forcing travellers to pay 1,750 per adult to stay in quarantine hotels on their return. There are fears that Spain could be added to the amber watchlist next week. IAG, the owner of British Airways, today revealed more details of the huge hit from the pandemic. The London-listed conglomerate suffered a loss after taxation of 2billion euros in the six months to the end of June. That was almost half the group's net loss of 3.8billion euros in the same period a year earlier, when the pandemic erupted and ravaged air travel. Revenues were down 60 per cent at 2.2billion euros and the airline said it 'continues to be adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic together with government restrictions and quarantine requirements'. Passenger capacity in the second quarter was only 22 per cent of its pre-pandemic level. Looking ahead, the group plans to operate about 45 percent of its capacity in the key summer months, compared with 2019. IAG added that it remained ready to ramp up services once international travel curbs are fully lifted. 'In the short term, our focus is on ensuring our operational readiness, so we have the flexibility to capitalise on an environment where there's evidence of widespread pent-up demand when travel restrictions are lifted,' said chief executive Luis Gallego. 'We know that recovery will be uneven, but we're ready to take advantage of a surge in air travel demand in line with increasing vaccination rates.' IAG was 'ready to fly as much as 75 percent of its 2019 capacity' in the final three months of this year. Travellers could face FIVE-HOUR queues at airports when UK opens up to the US and EU on Monday as unions call for vaccine checks to be done 'upstream' to save Border Force Airports could face five-hour queues when Britain opens up to the US and most of the EU next week, ministers have been warned. Officials said staff should expect the staggering waiting times during peak hours after international travel restrictions are relaxed on Monday. They called for vaccine checks to be done 'upstream' - at the border before people fly - to help out airport workers in the UK. The Border Force union said there will be more queuing for passengers if they have to check the jab status of arrivals but did not think it would be 'catastrophic'. But the Department for Transport last night confirmed to MailOnline travellers would be checked before people fly to Britain. England will allow US and EU travellers who are fully vaccinated against coronavirus to enter without the need to quarantine from Monday. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced the new rules on Wednesday following intense pressure from the travel sector. The Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Assembly followed the move. But earlier this month the US State Department advised all Americans not to travel to the UK due to the Delta variant and this is not expected to change until August. Officials said staff should expect the staggering waiting times during peak hours after international travel restrictions are relaxed on Monday. Pictured: Heathrow last weekend The Border Force union said there could be more queuing for passengers if they have to check the jab status of arrivals but did not think it would be 'catastrophic'. Pictured: Gatwick last weekend The Department for Transport last night confirmed to MailOnline travellers would be checked before people fly. Pictured: Heathrow last weekend UK officials warned ministers before the Covid-Operations committee's move to open up travel it will cause a huge surge in arrivals. They said it could lead to staggering queues of up to five hours at airports during peak times. According to the Times, they called for vaccination checks to be done 'upstream' to limit pressure on Border Force workers. But the enforcement agency's union said they did not think the queues would be 'catastophic' depending on if they had to check vaccine passports. A spokesman told MailOnline: 'It depends on the traffic. All the resources we have are there but there will still be queues. 'We don't have fewer staff than before the pandemic but they are structured differently. 'There are queues in normal years, that won't be different. If we have to check vaccination certificates, which we're not sure if we will have to, then it will be different. 'The problem has been checking them at the border for the Department for Health. 'There will be more waiting but it will not be catastrophic. It won't be as bad as we have seen during the pandemic if we don't have to check these documents.' The Department for Transport last night said EU passengers will use an electronic system to show their vaccine status while in the US they have physical copies that will be checked by airlines before departure. It will help speed up Border Force moving people through British airports when they land. A thug who disguised himself as an Amazon delivery driver and pulled a shotgun on his victim has been jailed for six years and nine months. Doorbell footage captured the moment Vicente Forde, 32, disguised himself as a delivery driver before brandishing the firearm, only to have the weapon ripped from his grasp as he was wrestled to the floor by the victim and his dog. Forde knocked on the door dressed in a high-vis jacket and carrying an empty package before pulling the loaded shotgun from his jacket, in East Dulwich, south London. at 9.30am on July 13 last year. The thug, of Gaveston Road, Greenwich, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence at Croydon Crown Court. He was sentenced to three years and six months for possession of a prohibited firearm by a prohibited person and four years for possession of a firearm to cause fear of violence in court on Thursday. The sentences will be served concurrently. The victim did not want to proceed with a trial. Vicente Forde, 32, was sentenced to six years and nine months in court on Thursday after posing as an Amazon delivery driver and pulling on a gun on victim Rachid Ben-Mhamedi Forde was addicted to crack cocaine and said he was forced to carry out the attack to settle his debt with Class A drug dealers. Subsequent investigations revealed Forde had carried out reconnaissance in the area the week before. Matthew Bagnall, in mitigation, said that Forde had written an open letter to the court expressing his sorrow and remorse. He said: 'I am sorry for the pain I caused the victim. 'I know what I done was very wrong. and I hope I have not affected the victim and his daughter too much. 'I'm sorry to them both. They did not deserve to be hurt by me and I still can't believe I got into this situation. 'I feel sick to my stomach when I think about what I did to my victims. 'Since being in custody I've begun to right my wrongs by seeking help for my mental health and drug problems and engaged with a psychologist for the first time in years.' Vicente Forde, 32, attacked Ben-Mhamedi at his home on Crystal Palace Road in East Dulwich, south London Investigations found that Forde had scoped out Ben-Mhamedi's place the week prior to the attack and said he was 'forced' to carry out the attack to settled his debts with Class A drug dealers Forde wrote to the court to an open letter to the court expressing his sorrow and remorse, stating that he was 'sorry' for the pain he caused the victim Doorbell footage shows the victim - who had been at home with his seven-year-old daughter and was on the phone to a friend at the time - prise the firearm from Forde and throw it under a nearby car. Forde kicks and punches at the victim during the struggle, threatening to stab the young man if he doesn't let go of the gun. Ben-Mhamedi was reportedly punched in the face by Forde. Ben-Mhamedi managed to Forde in a chokehold during the attack and, assisted by builders, managed to restrain him until the police arrived. Members of the public, including some builders working nearby, came to the victim's aid and restrained Forde until police arrived to detain him. The firearm was seized and found to be viable and loaded with two live cartridges. Forde was arrested and taken into custody, while the victim was taken to a south London hospital for treatment for bruising and a broken nose. Forde was later charged and remanded in custody. At the court on Thursday, Judge James Lewis QC said: 'This is an extremely serious case. 'The sawn-off shotgun was loaded, the right barrel was cocked, and when it was test-fired it was in full working order. The serial number and identifying numbers had been filed off. 'Thankfully, the gun did not go off when you pointed it at the victim or during the struggle. If it had done so, it's quite possible you would be facing a murder charge.' The shotgun Forde brandished at another man as he opened his front door (pictured) Detective Constable Imran Hansraj, of the Met's Specialist Crime Command, said: 'The victim had no idea what was about to unfold when he saw what he thought was a delivery man bringing a parcel to his address. 'He had been home with his young daughter and was going about his business as usual when he was thrust into an incredibly frightening ordeal in which he fought for his life. 'His life was turned upside down in a split second by Forde's actions, which were wicked and cowardly in the extreme. 'He was disguised and armed with a lethal weapon but the victim displayed incredibly bravery to disarm him. 'He was lucky that a number of members of the public took heed of his cries for help and came to his aid. 'They too deserve enormous recognition. I hope Forde will now spend a substantial amount of time in prison, and I am sure that London will be all the safer for it.' A diving firm gave eight children carbon monoxide poisoning including one who was left fighting for his life in a coma - but its director has avoided jail. Two boys, aged 14 and 15, had to be pulled from The Manchester Grammar School's on-site pool after becoming seriously ill in the water, and a further six pupils were rushed to hospital following the class. One of the boys was placed in an induced coma after medics described his injuries as 'life-threatening'. The teenagers were exposed to 'high levels' of deadly fumes through the air tanks they were using during the lesson in June 2017, a court heard. The company which supplied the equipment, Aqua Logistics Ltd, has been fined 9,300, while its director, 51-year-old Geoffrey Shearn, was made the subject of a 12-month community order. A diving firm gave eight children carbon monoxide poisoning including one who was left in a coma - but its director, 51-year-old Geoffrey Shearn (pictured above), has avoided jail Mark Monaghan, prosecuting, told Wigan and Leigh Magistrates' Court that the incident happened while a group of 12 pupils were taking part in a week-long scuba diving course as part of the school's activities week. The course was being run by an experienced diving instructor from an external company named YU Diving. Each boy was given their own kit and an air cylinder, which had been supplied by Aqua Logistics Ltd, based on Chester Road, Stockport. But shortly after entering the pool, a number of boys fell ill. The court heard one boy was found 'face down in the water' and had to be pulled out of the pool by the instructor. He was unconscious and an ambulance was called while the school nurse gave him oxygen. In the meantime, another boy had to be helped from the pool after he became 'agitated' and stopped breathing. Six more boys were taken to hospital and treated for carbon monoxide poisoning, including one who had to be put into the recovery position after he began 'acting strangely' in the changing rooms. In a victim impact statement, one boy said the last thing he recalled was being unable to breath or see. Now aged 19, he revealed he has continued to suffer headaches since the incident. When the air tanks the boys used were later tested, eight were found to contain 'high levels of carbon monoxide'. Investigators from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited Aqua Logistics Ltd and also found high levels of carbon monoxide in a compressor which had been used to fill the tanks. Mr Monaghan told the court that Shearn (pictured) had modified the compressor himself two years earlier in an attempt to combat moisture problems The court heard experts had concluded the machinery had become contaminated with carbon monoxide as a result of a fire in its filtration system. A sensor designed to cut off the compressor in such an event was not working at the time, Mr Monaghan said. It meant the carbon monoxide was then transferred to the air tanks when they were filled. Mr Monaghan told the court that Shearn had modified the compressor himself two years earlier in an attempt to combat moisture problems. Shearn, from Frodsham, Cheshire, pleaded guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act. Aqua Logistics Limited also pleaded guilty to a breach of the same act. Andrew McGhee, mitigating on behalf of both Shearn and the company, said the compressor in question had been used for two years without any problems. He added: 'Nobody really knows what caused the fire although it could not have been systemic within the compressor, or it would have happened over the two years, and it didn't. 'This was an extremely unique event brought about by a combination of factors as yet unexplained. Two boys, aged 14 and 15, had to be pulled from The Manchester Grammar School's on-site pool after becoming seriously ill in the water (pictured: the school in Rusholme, Manchester) 'It was not foreseeable and no risk was run, or recklessly run.' Mr McGhee said there was no evidence any 'obvious industry standard' had been neglected by Aqua Logistics Ltd, which he described as a 'hugely conscientious company'. Shearn had expressed 'genuine and deep remorse' over what had happened, he added. Mr McGhee told the court that Shearn and his company had supplied the diving industry for more than two decades without any previous issues. He said: 'He was absolutely shaken and taken aback by this and is upset it has happened. 'He is a man of good character and an upstanding professional in his field.' Passing sentence, District Judge Mark Hadfield described the incident as being of 'the utmost seriousness'. However, he said he believed it was 'very much an isolated incident from an unknown cause'. Judge Hadfield fined Aqua Logistics Ltd 9,300 and ordered it to pay 11,000 in costs. Shearn was made the subject of a 12-month community order, requiring him to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay 5,085 in costs. Speaking after the hearing, HSE specialist diving inspector Richard Martins said: 'This case highlights the importance of ensuring that compressed breathing air sold to the public is safe. 'The quality of the air supplied is essential to the preservation of life. 'Suppliers of breathing air to the diving community and public should ensure that they use correctly installed and maintained equipment accompanied by regular testing of the air supplied. 'Further tragedy was narrowly averted through the quick response of the school staff, diving instructors, and the Manchester emergency services.' Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has been mocked for wearing a protective visor over a face mask during a diplomatic visit to Manila even though a local law requires both coverings. The covered face of the United States military boss sparked derision at home after he was snapped walking along the front row of a Philippines military guard of honor on Friday, while a battle over mask mandates between GOP and Democratic lawmakers rages in America. US Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) mocked Austin for his PPE, calling a video of the retired four-star general's Thursday arrival in the country 'embarrassing COVID theatre.' 'Our [Secretary of Defense] is vaccinated,' Rubio wrote on Twitter. 'But he arrives in the Philippines wearing a mask AND a face shield.' Rubio's comments came despite the fact that the Philippines in December made it a legal requirement to wear both a face shield as well as a face mask in public with police ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte to arrest anyone not wearing the proper protection. 'The Philippine government has mandated that everyone must wear full-coverage face shields together with face masks while in public places,' according to the US Embassy in the Philippines. 'Local governments continue to implement additional requirements to slow the virus' spread.' But the Asian nation has faced its own disagreements over face coverings. Officials say the mask and visor rule remains in place, despite Duterte calling for the rule to be limited to healthcare settings earlier this month. Austin's mission to the Philippines appeared successful when on Friday it was announced by his Filipino counterpart Delfin Lorenzana, in a joint press conference, that the country would continue to hold large-scale combat exercises with the United States. Pictured: United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin - seen left wearing a visor and face mask as protection again Covid-19 - views the military honor guard at Camp Aguinaldo military camp in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines Friday, July 30, during a diplomatic mission to the country The announcement is step back from Duterte's stunning vow early in his term to distance himself from Washington as he tried to rebuild ties with China over years of territorial rifts in the South China Sea. Meanwhile in the United States, the CDC has faced a backlash from GOP leaders after it stepped-up mask and vaccination recommendations this week amid the worrying surge of the Delta variant - which some doctors have called the 'pandemic of the unvaccinated.' From Texas to South Dakota, egged on by former President Donald Trump, Republican leaders responded with hostility and defiance to the updated mask guidance. It advises that even fully vaccinated people should return to wearing masks indoors if they live in areas with high rates of virus transmission, although no compulsory rule has been imposed by the federal government. Austin (second left) is visiting Manila to hold talks with Philippine officials to boost defense ties and discuss the The Visiting Forces Agreement between the US and Philippines. In December, the Philippines made it a legal requirement to wear both a face shield as well as a face mask in public with police ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte to arrest anyone not wearing the proper protection Austin's (left) mission to the Philippines appeared successful when on Friday it was announced by his Filipino counterpart Delfin Lorenzana (right), in a joint press conference, that the country would continue to hold large-scale combat exercises with the United States U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, left, leads his delegation in a bilateral meeting with Philippines counterparts, separated by plexi-glass screens as a precaution against Covid-19 The backlash reopened the culture war over pandemic restrictions just as efforts to persuade unvaccinated Americans to get shots appeared to be making headway. The response reflects deep resistance among many GOP voters to restrictions aimed at containing a virus they feel poses minimal personal threat. Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed an executive order on Thursday night banning mask and COVID-19 vaccination mandates to promote 'individual right and responsibility' in the Lone Star State. Abbott, 63, announced the executive order in a press release just hours after Biden called on states to do more to incentivize vaccination. Biden announced a series of new measures Thursday meant to boost vaccination rates in the federal workforce and around the country as the Delta variant hospitalizes COVID patients and threatens the nation's recovery. 'You want to know how we put this virus behind us? Ill tell you how: We get more people vaccinated,' Biden said in remarks at the White House Thursday. He called for Americans to get their shots, for those who got a first dose to follow up, and for people to follow evolving government mask guidance. 'With incentives and mandates, we can make a huge difference and save a lot of lives,' Biden said about 19 minutes into his speech using a term that vaccine opponents have turned into a rallying cry. Asked about doing even more to get people vaccinated through mandates by states, localities, and businesses, Biden said he wants them to 'continue to move in that direction.' He also didn't rule out the idea of a national mandate, though he wouldn't vouch for his authority to impose one. 'Its still a question of whether the federal government can mandate the whole country. I dont know that yet.' Biden acknowledged exploring the authority even amid pockets of opposition to much more mild regulations, such as wearing masks in indoor settings as a precaution. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order on Thursday night preventing mask and COVID-19 vaccination mandates Biden said Americans may soon need to provide proof of vaccination when flying abroad, although he didn't say whether the requirement would be imposed by host countries or other authorities Announcing the executive order, Abbot said: 'Today's executive order will provide clarity and uniformity in the Lone Star State's continued fight against COVID-19. The new Executive Order emphasizes that the path forward relies on personal responsibility rather than government mandates.' Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis mocked the new government guidance that is calling for more widespread use of masks to blunt a coronavirus surge. 'Did you not get the CDC's memo?' DeSantis joked on Wednesday before an almost entirely unmasked audience of activists and lawmakers crammed into an indoor hotel ballroom in Salt Lake City. 'I don't see you guys complying.' On Capitol Hill, a large group of GOP lawmakers protested Nancy Pelosi's reinstated mask mandate this week by walking over to the Senate side of the building, where there is no renewed requirement to wear a face covering. In its announcement, the CDC cited troubling new - thus far unpublished - research that found that fully vaccinated people can spread the Delta variant just like the unvaccinated, putting those who haven't received the shots or who have compromised immune systems at heightened risk. The CDC also recommended that all teachers, staff and students wear masks inside school buildings, regardless of vaccination status. The backlash was swift. At an event in Salt Lake City on Wednesday (pictured) Florida Governor Ron DeSantis mocked the new government guidance that is calling for more widespread use of masks to blunt a coronavirus surge Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (pictured earlier this month in Kansas City) called the new guidance 'disappointing and concerning' and 'inconsistent with the overwhelming evidence surrounding the efficacy of the vaccines and their proven results' 'We won't go back. We won't mask our children,' declared Trump, who routinely cast doubt on the value of mask-wearing and rarely wore one in public while he was in office. 'Why do Democrats distrust the science?' Missouri Gov. Mike Parson called the new guidance 'disappointing and concerning' and 'inconsistent with the overwhelming evidence surrounding the efficacy of the vaccines and their proven results.' He, like others, warned that the measure would undermine efforts to encourage vaccine holdouts to get their shots by casting further doubt on the efficacy of approved vaccines, which have been shown to dramatically decrease the risk of death or hospitalization, despite the occurrence of breakthrough cases. Last week, White House officials reported that vaccination rates were on the rise in some states where COVID-19 cases were soaring, as more Republican leaders implored their constituents to lay lingering doubts aside and get the shots to protect themselves. That includes Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who has pleaded with unvaccinated residents, saying they are the ones 'letting us down.' 'This self-inflicted setback encourages skepticism and vaccine hesitancy at a time when the goal is to prevent serious illnesses and deaths from COVID-19 through vaccination,' Parson tweeted. 'This decision only promotes fear & further division among our citizens.' The announcement 'will unfortunately only diminish confidence in the vaccine and create more challenges for public health officials, people who have worked tirelessly to increase vaccination rates,' echoed Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who has banned mask and vaccine mandates in his state. In his Wednesday speech, DeSantis took particular aim at the CDC's call for kids to wear masks in the classroom. 'It's not healthy for these students to be sitting there all day, 6-year-old kids in kindergarten covered in masks,' he said - though there is no evidence that wearing masks is harmful to children older than toddler age. And in South Dakota, Gov. Kristi Noem called out the CDC for shifting its position on masking 'AGAIN.' She said that those who are worried about the virus can get vaccinated, wear a mask or stay home, but that 'Changing CDC guidelines don't help ensure the public's trust.' On Capitol Hill, some Republicans were in revolt after the Capitol's attending physician sent a memo informing members that masks would again have to be worn inside the House at all times. The change set off a round robin of insults, with Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calling Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy 'a moron' after McCarthy tweeted, 'The threat of bringing masks back is not a decision based on science, but a decision conjured up by liberal government officials who want to continue to live in a perpetual pandemic state.' The mandate also prompted an angry confrontation, as Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., verbally assailed Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, who exited the House chamber and walked past her without a face covering. Conservatives also forced a vote to adjourn the chamber in protest to the mandate, which was defeated along mostly party lines. Pictured: Maskless GOP lawmakers stage a protest on Thursday. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) leaves the Senate chamber after marching with a group of House Republicans who oppose mask mandates to the Senate to highlight different coronavirus disease (COVID-19) mask rules between the House and Senate sides of the U.S. Capitol President Joe Biden (pictured on Thursday) urged local governments to pay people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and set new rules requiring federal workers to provide proof of vaccination or face regular testing, mask mandates and travel restrictions 'We have a crisis at our border, and we're playing footsie with mask mandates in the people's House,' railed Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, the motion's sponsor. 'The American people are fed up. They want to go back to life. They want to go back to business. They want to go back to school without their children being forced to wear masks.' Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., called the renewed mandates a 'socialist takeover of America' led by Pelosi and Biden. 'The Democrats are back at it again whatever it takes to put you back into lockdown,' she said in a video shared to her Twitter followers. 'Now we hear that Speaker Pelosi is going to have people arrested if they do not wear a mask. I don't know about you, I've not heard one valid reason that a person who has been vaccinated should be forced to wear a mask.' Abbott said that Texans 'have mastered the safe practices' that prevent the spread of COVID-19, even as the state reported 6,347 new cases on Thursday. The Texas Health and Human Services data also shows 1,876 'possible cases' on Thursday, with 39 new deaths attributed to COVID-19. The data shows that the two largest demographics of deaths in Texas are white, 35 percent, and Hispanic - 36 percent. There have been a total of 2,628,438 confirmed cases in the Lone Star State and 51,984 deaths since the pandemic began. 'They have the individual right and responsibility to decide for themselves and their children whether they will wear masks, open their businesses, and engage in leisure activities,' Abbott said. He added: 'Vaccines, which remain in abundant supply, are the most effective defense against the virus, and they will always remain voluntary never forced in the State of Texas.' The executive order declared that 'no governmental entity can compel any individual to receive a COVID-19 vaccine administered under an emergency use authorization.' It declared that state agencies could not require proof of vaccination, or so-called 'vaccine passports,' from people entering a place of business or receiving services. Any public or private entity that receives state funds has also been ordered not to require proof of vaccination or deny people entry for not providing proof. Abbott also banned companies, state and local agencies - including school districts - from requiring patrons to wear masks. He also prevented local governments and entities from imposing their own restrictions on masks within their jurisdictions. Local governmental entities that impose directives that conflict with Abbott's orders can face fines up to $1,000. The orders stand in stark opposition to new CDC guidelines - effectively ordering all businesses, local governments and schools not to comply with federal recommendations. The CDC said on Tuesday that anyone walking into a school should wear masks and that even vaccinated people should wear them again indoors in public spaces in regions 'with substantial and high transmission.' Substantial transmission areas are defined as having 50-99 new infections for every 100,000 people over a seven-day period - while high transmission areas have 100 or more new infections per 100,000. More than 200 of the 254 counties in Texas are in such categories, the Texas Tribune noted. The Texas State Teachers Association sent a letter to Abbott on Tuesday requesting he let local school districts set their own mask mandates. 'Educators are eager to return to the classroom, but the pandemic is still dangerous,' said Ovidia Molina, the association's president. A map shows the total number of coronavirus deaths and cases in the United States A map shows the percentages of states that have received vaccinations so far A chart shows the number of vaccinations given in the United States per vaccine type A graph shows the average vs cumulative number of vaccinations in the United States A graph shows shows the daily number of COVID-19 vaccinations in the United States A graph shows the number of coronavirus deaths per day since the start of the pandemic A graph shows the number of coronavirus deaths per day in June and July A graph shows the number of coronavirus infections per day since the start of the pandemic A graph shows the number of coronavirus infections per day in June and July President Joe Biden on Thursday urged local governments to pay people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and set new rules requiring federal workers to provide proof of vaccination or face regular testing, mask mandates and travel restrictions. The measures are Biden's latest attempt to spur reluctant Americans to get vaccinated as the Delta variant of the coronavirus surges nationwide, infecting unvaccinated people in particular. The United States lags behind other developed countries in vaccination rates despite having plenty of free vaccines on hand. White House efforts to urge the hesitant to get vaccinated have hit a wall of anti-vaccine sentiment, misinformation, and political division. Biden's decision to require millions of federal workers and contractors to show proof of vaccination is a departure from a previous opposition to so-called vaccine passports. It shows the White House taking a tougher stance towards circumstances within Biden's control as the virus spreads. 'Right now too many people are dying or watching someone they love [dying],' Biden told reporters at the White House. 'With freedom comes responsibility. So please exercise responsible judgment. Get vaccinated for yourself, the people you love, for your country.' According to the CDC, roughly 163.8 million people in the United States are fully vaccinated out of a population of some 330 million. The federal government is the largest employer in the United States and Biden's move could serve as an example for private businesses and other institutions to follow as they assess getting workers back into offices and work places. Government employees who do not show they have been vaccinated will be subject to weekly or twice-weekly COVID-19 tests and restrictions on official travel. The United States has about 2.18 million civilian employees and 570,000 other U.S. Postal Service (USPS) workers, according to 2020 data. The U.S. government employed 3.7 million contract employees as of 2017, a New York University study found. Postal workers are not affected by the new rules. Biden also directed the Defense Department to look into 'how and when' it will require members of the military to take the vaccine. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, while traveling in Southeast Asia, said he would consult with his medical advisers and other senior military leaders and come up with a plan for the way ahead. Austin did not give a timeline on how long it would take to look into the issue but he said the military would move as fast as possible. Dr Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC, is pictured on July 20 An anti-vaccine rally protester dressed up as Joe Biden holds a sign outside of Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, on June 26 Retired RN Barbara Vicente administers a shot of the Pfizer vaccine to Bobbie Guillette, 68, from Austin, Texas, at a clinic at Mother's Brewing Company in Springfield, Missouri Anti-vaccine rally protesters hold signs outside of Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, on June 26 Meanwhile state, local and U.S. territorial governments will be able to dip into $350 billion in coronavirus aid to provide $100 payments for every newly vaccinated American to boost COVID-19 inoculation rates, the U.S. Treasury Department said. 'I know that paying people to get vaccinated might sound unfair to folks who have gotten vaccinated already. But here's the deal: if incentives help us beat this virus, I believe we should use them,' Biden said. Growing outbreaks could have an impact on the strong economic recovery. The U.S. economy grew at an annualized rate of 6.5 percent in the last quarter, the government said on Thursday. Another issue is how the surge in infections affects efforts to get children back into schools in the fall. 'We can and we must open schools this fall, full time,' Biden said. 'We can't afford another year out of the classroom.' Biden pressed school districts to hold at least one 'pop-up vaccination clinic' in the coming weeks to get children aged 12 and older vaccinated. The White House also said small- and medium-sized businesses will be reimbursed for offering their workers paid time off to get children and other family members vaccinated. The National Treasury Employees Union, which has 150,000 federal employees in 34 departments and agencies, said it encouraged its members to get vaccinated but had questions about how the new rules Biden laid out would be implemented. 'We will work to ensure employees are treated fairly and this protocol does not create an undue burden on them,' the union's president, Tony Reardon, said in a statement. The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, which has 90,000 members including some 30,000 NASA engineers and other skilled federal workers, said it supported a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal workers. 'We don't want any more of our members dying,' the union's president, Paul Shearon, said in a statement. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to have lost even more weight in new photos after he shed up to 44 pounds earlier this year. The despot was shown waving to a crowd of enthusiastic military officers and seemed to have lost weight around his waist and face with his trademark Mao suit appearing slightly baggy. Images from the first workshop of the commanders and political officers of the Korean People's Army show held in July showed Kim with a noticeably slimmer face. It comes a month after state TV said Kim's 'emaciated' condition was 'breaking our people's hearts' in a highly unusual broadcast in a country where public discussion of the leader's health and personal life has always been off-limits. The tightly controlled state media on June 25 quoted an unidentified resident of Pyongyang as saying that everyone in North Korea was heartbroken after seeing images of the noticeably slimmer Kim. New pictures from show Kim Jong Un waving to a crowd of enthusiastic military officers looking noticeably slimmer in his trademark Mao suit The North Korean leader - seen in a picture taken on July 24 - is thought to have lost between 22 and 44 pounds already this year Kim Jong Un also appears to have shed weight on his face, images from the first workshop of the commanders and political officers of the Korean People's Army in July 2021 show South Korea's spy agency reported Kim (pictured in 2018) had bulked up to 285 pounds, having piled on around 90 pounds since taking power in 2011, 'bingeing on food and drink' Analysts say the remarks showed authorities were seeking to use the change to Kim's weight to reinforce loyalty to the regime in desperate times. The impoverished, nuclear-armed country is more isolated than ever behind its self-imposed coronavirus barricade, and this month admitted it was tackling a food crisis, sounding the alarm in a nation with a moribund agricultural sector that has long struggled to feed itself. At the same time Kim's health has long been closely watched internationally as his sudden death would raise questions over succession and stability. Known as a heavy smoker, the leader has long been obese, with his weight appearing to increase steadily in recent years. But he looked noticeably less overweight in recent media images published by Pyongyang's official KCNA news agency and on state television. Some observers say Kim - who is about 5ft8in tall and has previously weighed 308 pounds may have lost between 22 and 44 pounds. Kim's personal life is normally taboo for North Korea's state media and Pyongyang has never even confirmed how many children he has. But KCTV last week aired a clip of an unnamed resident of the capital claiming everyone in the country was 'heartbroken' by his 'emaciated' condition. 'Seeing our respected general secretary looking emaciated breaks our people's hearts the most,' he said. 'Everyone is talking about how their tears welled up immediately.' North Korean state TV says Kim Jong Un's 'emaciated' condition is 'breaking our people's hearts' in a highly unusual broadcast (pictured at a concert this month) Analysts say the remarks showed authorities were seeking to use the change to Kim's weight to reinforce loyalty to the regime Analysts say Pyongyang is using Kim's appearance as a way to glorify him by portraying him as a 'devoted, hardworking' leader as the country struggles to tackle its food crisis and other challenges. 'If outside observers picked up on the change in Kim's appearance, you can bet your bottom dollar that the North Korean people noticed it, too, and more quickly,' said Christopher Green, a Korea specialist at Leiden University in the Netherlands. It shut its borders in January last year to protect itself against the pandemic, and as a result trade with Beijing -- its economic lifeline -- has slowed to a trickle while all international aid workers have left the country. 'The message Pyongyang is sending is that Kim is a leader who works very hard for his people even to a degree he skips meals and loses weight,' defector-turned-researcher Ahn Chan-il told AFP. Global speculation about Kim's health flared last year after he missed the commemoration of the birthday of his late grandfather, and was absent from public view for about 20 days. Kim's father Kim Jong-Il and grandfather Kim Il-Sung were also obese and heavy smokers. Both died of heart attacks. In 2016, South Korea's spy agency reported Kim had bulked up to 285 pounds, having piled on around 90 pounds since taking power in 2011, 'bingeing on food and drink'. Some observers say Kim (pictured on February 8) - who is about 5ft8in tall and has previously weighed 308 pounds may have lost between 22 and 44 pounds Last year it was estimated Kim Jong Un (pictured in May 2020) had put on another 20 pounds, taking him to around 305 pounds Last year it was estimated he had put on another 20 pounds, taking him to around 305 pounds. But Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, pointed out it was unlikely his recent weight loss was a symptom of acute ill health, as he had attended several public events this month. 'No one can really know why he lost weight,' he told AFP. 'What's clear -- from the KCTV footage -- is the regime wants the world to think that its people love care for their leader, to a point where they'd cry over his thinner appearance.' Kim has acknowledged a 'tense' food situation that could worsen if this year's crops fail, exacerbating economic problems amid strict self-imposed border and movement restrictions that have slowed trade to a trickle. 'The most likely reason they would mention his declining weight in this way would, in my opinion, be related to ongoing COVID-19-related border measures,' said Chad O'Carroll, CEO of the Seoul-based Korea Risk Group. 'Regardless of the motivation for Kim's rapid weight loss, it seems there is propaganda value in showing that even the leader of North Korea is enduring the same food shortages that are hitting the country at the current time.' The regime may have intended from the beginning to emphasise the fact that Kim is working hard for the people at a time of widespread hardship, or its messaging may have been an unintended consequence of Kim's inevitable appearance, Green said. 'What matters is that the North Korean regime will have received word from its many, many, many informants that Kim's condition was a talking point among ordinary people,' he said. 'From there it is a simple matter to respond by designing a propaganda strategy to use the existing public discussion to the regime's advantage.' Analysts say Pyongyang is using Kim's appearance as a way to glorify him by portraying him as a 'devoted, hardworking' leader The 'pseudo-voxpop' - carefully staged by state media to look authentic - such as the one from the unnamed Pyongyang resident was a common North Korean media tactic, he added. It is unusual, though not unheard of, for North Korean state media to mention a leader's health. In 2014 it reported that Kim - who inherited his position from his father and grandfather before him - suffered from 'discomfort' after a prolonged period out of the public eye. With succession plans unclear, a sudden decline in Kim's health could throw nuclear-armed North Korea's 76-year-old system of hereditary leadership into disarray. 'It is a major weight loss, and his health is important to the functioning and fate of the state, which is why people are watching this closely,' said Town of 38 North. A 30-year-old man was stabbed to death near the Cutty Sark tourist attraction in London this morning. The Metropolitan Police said officers found a 30-year-old man suffering from stab wounds in Welland Street, Greenwich, south-east London, in the early hours of the morning. He was taken to hospital where he died shortly after 2am and a 20-year-old man found nearby, also suffering from stab injuries, has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Two crime tents remained in place this morning - one outside a Waitrose supermarket - and police officers cordoned off all the roads leading up to the town centre. The man died in hospital at 2.37am after he was rushed there by paramedics A 30-year-old man was fatally stabbed near the Cutty Sark tourist attraction in Greenwich early this morning The force said it was called by London Ambulance Service at 1.06am and the man was given CPR before being taken to hospital, where police said he died at 2.37am. Another man, in his 20s, was found nearby, also suffering from stab injuries. He was also taken to hospital, though his condition is not thought to be life-threatening, and he has been arrested on suspicion of murder. The attack happened in Welland Street, near the historic Cutty Sark clipper, which attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists to the Thames' riverfront every year. It is also not far from the National Maritime Museum. A man was also found suffering from stab injuries nearby and has been arrested in suspicion of murder A spokesman for the Met Police said: 'A crime scene is in place and enquiries into the circumstances are ongoing.' Any witnesses or anyone who has information that could help police are urged to call 101. A Briton is among two crew members killed when an oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire was attacked off the coast of Oman. The M/T Mercer Street, a Japanese-owned ship managed by a company owned by billionaire Eyal Ofer, was targeted late Thursday near the island of Masirah in the Arabian Sea - with an Israeli official saying the vessel was hit by a drone. Zodiac Maritime, the company which operates the ship, said two crew members were killed during an attack by 'unknown assailants' including one British national and one Romanian. Analysts said the attack bore all the hallmarks of tit-for-tat exchanged in the 'shadow war' between Israel and Iran, which has seen frequent attacks on vessels around the Arabian peninsula in the last three years. While no government or group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, Iran and its proxy groups are known to operate combat drones and have markedly increased their use in recent months. The British victim worked as a guard for UK maritime security firm Ambrey, the company said. Israeli-operated tanker Mercer Street was attacked north east of the island of Masirah, near the coast of Oman, late on Thursday night 'We are not aware of harm to any other personnel,' the London-based office of Zodiac Maritime said, adding that it is investigating alongside UK authorities. Details about the attack are remain sparse, and what little information has been released appears contradictory. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a branch of the Royal Navy, said the attack happened Thursday night and did not involve piracy. However, a statement put out by Zodiac said the company is investigating 'a suspected piracy incident' on board the vessel. The company said the tanker was travelling from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's largest port, to Fujairah in the UAE with no cargo on board when the attack happened. 'We will provide additional information as it becomes available,' the statement said. Israeli officials did not immediately acknowledge the incident, and neither did Iranian state-owned media. Meir Javedanfar, an expert on Iranian diplomacy and security at Israel's IDC Herzliya university, told AFP the attack was 'most probably Iran'. Exact details of how the attack occurred have not yet been confirmed. Javedanfar said Iranians 'feel badly disadvantaged when it comes to responding to attacks inside Iran which have been associated to Israel', including an April strike on the Natanz uranium enrichment site reportedly executed by Israel. An attack on a maritime vessel 'is one area where (Iranians) feel they can try to at least retaliate,' he added, calling the latest strike an escalation in the 'shadow war' between the two Middle Eastern powerhouses. But he assessed the fundamental dynamics of the rivalry would change little. 'Both sides will continue what they're doing,' he said. Zodiac Maritime is part of the Zodiac Group, owned by billionaire Ofer, whose enterprises span shipping, real estate, technology, banking and investments. Ofer was ranked the world's 197th richest person by Forbes this year, with a fortune of $11.3billion. His firms own and operate over 160 ships. In Israel, the office of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, and spokespeople for Defence Minister Benny Gantz and the Israeli army, declined to comment on the attack. But it comes amid heightened tensions between Israel and Iran as negotiations remain stalled over Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers. Tankers linked to Israel and other US allies have been targeted by attacks around the Arabian peninsula dating back to 2019. In May that year, a series of explosions and fires on oil tankers linked both Iran and Saudi Arabia around the Arabian Peninsula brought the two sides close to war. The blasts began in when four tankers - two Saudi-flagged, one Norwegian-flagged and one Emirati-flagged - were damaged near the coast of UAE. Then in June, the Front Altair and Kokuka Courageous were damaged in what was initially reported as a fire on the latter vessel. American intelligence agencies backed by the UK and Saudi Arabia later accused Iran of attaching limpet mines to the side of the tankers, blowing holes in the hull which sparked the blaze. Mercer Street is operated by Zodiac Maritime, part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer's Zodiac Group. The firm said it was sailing from Tanzania to the UAE with no cargo when it was hit That was followed by drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia's largest oil processing facility at Abqaiq which it blamed on Iran. In October, Iran then reported that one of its oil tankers had been hit by two missiles in the Red Sea, on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula, in what it said was a 'terrorist attack.' Then, the follow year, Iran was hit by a series of major fires that broke out on land - sparking rumours of sabotage operations. Israeli ships have been targeted in recent months, with the MV Helios Ray - a car carrier - hit by an explosion in February that Israel blamed on Tehran. In March, an Israeli-owned cargo ship was also hit by rockets which Tel Aviv again said had come from Iran. Two more attacks in April and May also targeted Israeli-owned vessels around Oman and in the northern Indian ocean. Earlier on Thursday, the British military group had said it was investigating another unexplained incident in the same area, but it did not elaborate. Later Friday, the British Defense Ministry identified the nationality of the ship's owners, but did not elaborate further. Oman did not immediately acknowledge an attack and officials there did not respond to requests for comment. The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, which patrols the Mideast, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The incident comes amid heightened tensions over Iran's tattered nuclear deal and as negotiations over restoring the accord have stalled in Vienna. Since then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in 2018, there have been a series of ship attacks in the region suspected to have been carried out by Tehran. UK shoppers will save 20 pence per bottle on Australian wine under the terms of Britain's new free trade deal with Canberra, according to the Government. Boris Johnson and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison agreed to the trade pact in principle back in June and it will come into force later this year. The deal will see tariffs on Australian wine imports slashed from up to 20p per bottle to zero. It is hoped the move will see more varieties of wine imported, giving shoppers greater choice. Liz Truss, the International Trade Secretary, said that 'more free trade means lower prices and more choice for shoppers' while the Australia deal will be the 'tip of the iceberg'. UK shoppers will save 20 pence per bottle on Australian wine under the terms of Britain's new free trade deal with Canberra, according to the Government The deal will see tariffs on Australian wine imports slashed from up to 20p per bottle to zero The deal with Australia represents the first 'from scratch' trade agreement struck by the UK since it left the European Union. The Government hopes it will pave the way for similar deals with other nations in the coming months and years. The removal of tariffs on Australian wine imports will apply to household name brands like Jacob's Creek and Hardys. The tariff on wine imports from the nation is currently charged at 26 per hundred litres which translates to up to 20p per bottle. The UK imported an estimated 290million worth of wine from Australia last year, making it Britain's top food and drink import from the country. Official figures from Wine Australia showed that more than a third of its wine exports by volume go to the UK. That makes the UK Australia's top global export market for wine when measured by volume. Ms Truss said: 'Our trade deals with Australia and other friends will bring a big, post-Brexit divided for consumers. Ms Truss and Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan met in London earlier this year to finalise the deal 'It is clear the UK has a great thirst for Australian wine, and it is fantastic that we will now have a greater selection on our shelves. 'More free trade means lower prices and more choice for shoppers. 'This is just the tip of the iceberg, with more deals in the pipeline and I will be fighting hard in all of these to bring home the benefits for the British people.' Advertisement Nearly a quarter of patients admitted to hospital with Covid in England are actually getting treated for a different condition, the health service's first national audit has revealed. NHS statistics show just 3,855 of the 5,021 of people in hospital with Covid on Tuesday were in primarily in hospital because they were unwell from the virus. The remaining 1,166 patients were receiving care for other illnesses and injuries, such as a broken leg. Daily figures on the number of Covid patients in hospitals have been released throughout the pandemic, and have been paraded by ministers at No10 press conferences to justify keeping lockdown restrictions in place. But, until now, they were never broken down to reveal exactly how many people occupying beds were truly ill with the virus, meaning counts included patients who just so happened to test positive. The figures prompted criticism from Tory MPs who vented that the 'misleading' data will have been used to justify important lockdown decisions the Government has taken throughout the crisis. Experts claimed the numbers are 'incredibly important' and should have been collected since the beginning of the pandemic. It comes after NHS England data last week revealed only 44 per cent of Covid patients tested positive before they went into hospital, meaning many catch the virus and fall in while on the wards. Meanwhile, admission rates are already slowing down, in sign that the third wave is finally coming under control. Scientists believe hospitalisations may even start to fall next week, in line with cases which have been plunging for over a week. Official figures have been published daily since the beginning of the pandemic on the number of patients admitted to hospital with Covid (blue line). But new data released by the NHS shows the proportion of patients whose primary reason for going to hospital was to get treatment for Covid. The figures, which the NHS only started collecting on June 18, show the proportion of people who went to hospital 'with Covid' varied between 74.9 per cent and 79.7 per cent Figures for hospitalisations in England show that just 44 per cent of the 827 people categorised as being hospitalised with Covid on Thursday July 15 tested positive in the two weeks before going to hospital. An additional 43 per cent tested positive for the virus within two days of being admitted, while the remaining 13 per cent were found to have the virus after two days in hospital Fury over 'misleading' Covid hospital figures as it's revealed half of patients only test positive AFTER admission for another illness but NHS bosses say they're 'as busy now as they were in January' More than half of people labelled as a Covid hospital patient in England only tested positive after being admitted for a different reason, leaked figures revealed last week. Of the 827 people classed as in hospital in England on July 15 with Covid, 56 per cent were diagnosed during their stay. An additional 43 per cent tested positive for the virus shortly after admission, while the remaining 13 per cent were found to have the virus after two days in hospital. Covid testing is mandatory in all hospitals and patients are regularly checked for the virus, no matter what they are in hospital for. It means patients giving birth or getting routine operations may be being added to the daily numbers. Experts said officials must do more to differentiate between actual Covid admissions and 'incidental' cases. Increased testing - officials are doing more now than ever before - and high levels of transmission in the community will have played a role, they said. It comes after MailOnline's analysis earlier this month found 40 per cent of Covid 'admissions' were in hospital for other reasons. Tory MPs are now demanding new figures be published every day to paint a clearer picture of pressures on the NHS. But health service bosses claimed today that trusts are just as busy as they were in the second wave of the pandemic, when there were more than 4,000 Covid admissions per day. They said medics were juggling frantic efforts to chop down the 5.3million backlog of patients before winter as well as record numbers in A&E admissions. It comes as Covid infections fell for the sixth day in a row in the UK for the first time since November. Latest hospital admission data shows there were 922 on July 22, up a quarter on the previous week. Advertisement Before ministers pressed ahead with Freedom Day this month, newly-appointed Health Secretary Sajid Javid asked NHS England to differentiate between the types of patients in hospital to get a better idea of the actual state of the outbreak. Hospitals were told to give a breakdown of those who went to hospital primarily because of Covid and are suffering from severe symptoms, as well as those who test positive but are in hospital for another reason. The figures, which the NHS only started collecting on June 18, show the proportion of people classed as Covid patients who were in hospital due to the virus varied between 74.9 per cent and 79.7 per cent. It suggests daily hospitalisation numbers are inflated and include incidental cases. In the most recent week, just 77.8 per cent of Covid patients were primarily ill because of the virus. But in the South East, as little as 68.5 per cent of infected patients were being treated for the virus, with 140 of the 444 people in hospital who tested positive seeking other treatment. Meanwhile, 266 of the 312 (85.3 per cent) Covid patients hospitalised in the South West were admitted due to the virus. In retaliation to the figures, health officials warned those classed as 'primarily non-Covid' could be suffering from an illness that was exacerbated because of the virus. Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Tory MP and former leader of the party, told The Telegraph: 'What we are beginning to discover is that the nature of the data collection has been really poor. 'This in turn means that ministers who have to make very big decisions are too often sitting on misleading data, which often leads to flawed decision-making. 'It really does not speak well that they have not been forthcoming in what the real figures are. These figures will be having a direct impact on some of the decisions that have been made and are being made.' Tory MP Sir Graham Brady said it was 'frustrating and ridiculous that this was not available months and months ago'. He said: 'Accurate and timely data is vital for good policy-making. 'It is essential we know why people are being admitted to hospital, how long they are remaining in hospital and how effective the new medical treatments and interventions are in reducing the dangers of Covid, alongside the success of the vaccination programme.' But a Department of Health and Social Care spokesman warned the total number of patients with Covid whether that is primarily what they are being treated for or not is 'a crucial indicator of pressure on the NHS', because they all require careful infection control, including quarantining and PPE. They added: 'The Health and Social Care Secretary asked for this data to help us better understand the impact of the vaccine programme on stopping people infected with Covid requiring hospital treatment.' Hospitals are still required to separate any patient who tests positive, no matter what condition they were primarily admitted for, which puts extra pressure on the NHS. Stringent infection control measures and repeated lockdowns during the pandemic have led to a record waiting list of 5.3million in England. Professor Carl Heneghan, the director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine at the University of Oxford, told the newspaper: 'This data is incredibly important, and this is information we should have had a very long time ago. We have been crying out for it for nearly 18 months. 'The Government might have made very different decisions about restrictions if it had access to data which actually measured the situation accurately.' Professor Heneghan said the trends suggested tens of thousands of patients may have been inaccurately counted as Covid hospitalisations. He added: 'This data shows that, for the last month, around one in four Covid hospital cases were admitted primarily for another reason. 'At the peak of the pandemic in January, we were talking about close to 40,000 patients in hospital this new data suggests that back then around 10,000 of them were primarily there for other reasons.' Meanwhile, figures published by the NHS last week showed more than half of people labelled as a Covid hospital patient in England only tested positive after being admitted for a different reason. There were 827 patients admitted for coronavirus in England on July 15, according to the Government's statistics dashboard. But 56 per cent of these were only diagnosed with the virus after being in hospital for a different illness, with some patients only testing positive weeks later, according to data seen by The Telegraph. It comes as the growth in hospitalisations are slowing. At the beginning of the month, cases were rising up to 75 per cent week on week, but this fell drastically to just 18 per cent, according to the latest figures from Sunday. Covid infections have been falling over the last week, and with hospitalisation running a couple of weeks behind cases, some experts think they may mirror the pattern by next week. Hospitalisations are also significantly lower now than in the previous waves. At the peak of the first wave last April, the number of people seeking hospital care hit 3,099. Daily figures jumped to 4,134 at the peak of the second wave in January. Virginia scout Jacquelyn 'Jack' Cooper has become the first non-binary person to become an Eagle Scout, and received the accolade alongside their big brother. Jack, 15, of Blacksburg, joined the 100 year-old Troop 158 and was the first in this region to earn the highest rank, doing it in just 22 months while the average is four years. The organization only permitted boys to join until February 1, 2019, when girls were allowed to sign up. Jack, who came out as non-binary around a year ago, uses they/them pronouns and prefers to be labeled as the first female Eagle Scout in the Blue Ridge Mountains Council, Roanoke reported. Jacquelyn 'Jack' Cooper, 15, of Blacksburg, joined Troop 158 and was the first in this region to earn the highest rank, doing it in just 22 months while the average is four years Jack said: 'After I joined, everyone had to adjust to it a little bit. Some people are a little more welcoming than others, but most of them are pretty nice about it.' Chief executive officer for the Blue Ridge Mountains Council of BSA George Clay said: 'It's certainly a barrier that's been broken through to let full families participate in scouting. It's a real milestone.' Mother Kirstie spoke at a ceremony which honored both Jack and her son Fitzhugh Cooper, 17, who also attained the rank. Jack (pictured with mother Kristie), who came out as non-binary around a year ago, uses they/them pronouns and prefers to be labeled as the first female Eagle Scout in the Blue Ridge Mountains Council Mother Kirstie spoke at a ceremony which honored both Jack (right) and her son Fitzhugh Cooper (left), 17, who also attained the rank She said that 'what that required was extreme tenacity', adding that Jack 'set the goal and worked every single day on scouting requirements'. Leaders and friends of Troop 158 gathered at St Michael Lutheran Church on Tuesday to celebrate Jack and their brother. Eagle Scouts must earn 21 out of 121 merit badges, attain several ranks, garner recommendation letters, serve in leadership roles and complete a project that benefits the wider community to be an Eagle Scout. For their project, Jack built an outdoor kitchen for the Blacksburg United Methodist Preschool. Jack and their older brother Fitz fist bump prior to being honored as the newest Eagle Scouts of Troop 158 in Blacksburg Blue Ridge Mountains Council has 250 female scouts in a total membership of 1,800 with seven females, including Jack, attaining Eagle rank so far. Jack said that being part of scouting is like having another 'set of family'. They added: 'I've got people that I hang out with every week and, you know, go camping, and I know I can rely on them for anything I need.' Their father Al is an Eagle Scout and a scoutmaster in Troop 158. Their uncle and maternal grandfather are also Eagle Scouts. The first person to be convicted under Hong Kong's national security law was jailed for nine years on Friday. Tong Ying-kit, 24, was convicted on Tuesday for driving a motorbike into a group of police officers while holding a flag bearing a protest slogan on July 1, 2020. The apparent stunt came a day after Beijing imposed sweeping national security legislation on Hong Kong following months of anti-government protests in 2019. Ying-kit pleaded not guilty to charges of inciting secession, terrorism and an alternative charge of dangerous driving. The trial was a watershed moment that laid down a new marker in the city's changing legal landscape and confirmed that certain outlawed political slogans now carry lengthy jail terms. The flag Ying-kit flew read 'Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times', a ubiquitous chant during the huge and often violent pro-democracy protests two years ago. Tong Ying-kit, 24, the first person to be convicted under Hong Kong 's national security law, was jailed for nine years on Friday Ying-kit convicted for driving a motorbike into a group of police officers while waving a flag bearing a protest slogan 'Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times', on July 1, 2020 (pictured) The judges ruled that Ying-kit driving his bike into police met the bar for terrorism while the flag he flew was capable of 'inciting secession'. They sentenced him to a total of nine years, saying his offences were of a 'serious nature' but were 'not the worst case of its kind'. Tong's legal team told AFP they planned to appeal. One of the lawyers, Lawrence Lau, read out a statement from Tong. 'Time travels fast,' it said. 'I thank you for all your support and concern.' The trial has profound implications for future national security cases, which can carry up to life in jail. More than 60 people have been charged under the law, including some of the city's best-known democracy activists such as Jimmy Lai, owner of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper. Most are now in jail awaiting trial. A prison van carrying activist Tong Ying-kit leaves the High Court in Hong Kong on Friday after the 24-year-old was sentenced to nine years in prison Police gathered outside the High Court on Friday ahead of activist Tong Ying-kit's sentencing after he was convicted under Hong Kong's national security law on Tuesday His lawyers had argued it was impossible to prove he was inciting secession by merely using the slogan. The defence added there was no evidence Ying-kit committed the act deliberately, that he avoided crashing into officers and that his actions couldn't be considered terrorism since there was no serious violence or harm to society. Ying-kit's sentencing came after a frenetic few days of activity by police and the courts that illustrates the breadth of that campaign. Hours before Tong's jailing, Chow Hang-tung, a barrister and democracy activist, appeared in court to plead not guilty to a charge of encouraging Hong Kongers to mark the anniversary of Beijing's deadly Tiananmen Square crackdown. 'Mourning is not a crime. I plead not guilty,' she told the court. At a separate court hearing across town, law professor Benny Tai - a key leader of democracy protests back in 2014 - was facing new charges brought by the city's anti-corruption watchdog. Tai, 57, has been jailed multiple times for his involvement in pro-democracy causes and is currently in detention on national security charges. Tong Ying-kit's apparent stunt on July 1 (pictured, protests the same day) came a day after Beijing imposed sweeping national security legislation on Hong Kong Yong-kit's apparent stunt came a day after Beijing imposed sweeping national security legislation on Hong Kong following months of anti-government protests in 2019 The trial, which ended on July 20, was closely watched for indications as to how similar cases will be dealt with in future as over 100 people have been arrested under the security legislation In another court, radio talk show host Tam Tak-chi was partway through a trial for sedition in the first use of the colonial-era law since the city's 1997 handover by Britain to China. Tam was hit with sedition charges for a number of slogans he used last year, including 'Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times'. On Friday, police also announced they were investigating Olympics fans who booed China's national anthem and drowned it out with chanting during a public screening at a mall on Monday. Authorities passed legislation last year banning any insults to China's national anthem and flag. Officials also said a teenager and a 26-year-old man had been arrested for 'criminal intimidation' over Facebook posts urging consumers to boycott advertisers of a local news channel considered pro-government by many democracy activists. Ying-kit's trial, which ended on July 20, was heard without a jury - a significant departure from Hong Kong's common law tradition - and was decided by three judges handpicked to try security crimes. Trials can be held without jurors under Hong Kong's common law system in cases involving state secrets or foreign forces, or for the personal safety of the jury. While Hong Kong has its own Legislative Council, Beijing's ceremonial legislature imposed the national security law on the semiautonomous city after it determined the body was unable to pass the legislation itself because of political opposition. It followed the increasingly violent 2019 protests against China's growing influence over the city's affairs, despite commitments to allow the city to maintain its own system for 50 years after the 1997 handover from British rule. China's legislature has mandated changes to the makeup of the city's Legislative Council to ensure an overwhelming pro-Beijing majority, and required that only those it determines 'patriots' can hold office. The national security law was mandated by the Chinese legislature following increasingly violent protests against China's growing influence in Hong Kong The trial, which ended on July 20, was held without a jury in Hong Kong High Court and presided over by a judge handpicked by Chief Executive Carrie Lam (pictured) Authorities have banned the protest slogan 'Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,' stating that it has secessionist connotations. Library books and school curricula have also been investigated for alleged secessionist messages. Hong Kong's last remaining pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily, was forced out of business last month and a court denied bail for four editors and journalists held on charges of endangering national security as part of the widening crackdown. Beijing has dismissed criticisms, saying it is merely restoring order to the city and instituting they same type of national security protections found in other countries. Human remains found last Friday in the Pyrenees have been confirmed as those of missing hiker Esther Dingley. The Oxford graduate disappeared in November while on a solo-hike in the Pyrenees. Police last week discovered a skull with long hair near the site where she last made contact with her boyfriend Dan Colegate and used dental records to confirm a match. Her mum Ria Dingley-Schoneveld and Colegate announced the news in a statement. They said: 'We are distraught to report that we have received DNA confirmation that one of the bones found last week belongs to Esther. 'We have all known for many months that the chance we would get to hug our beloved Esther again, to feel her warm hand in ours, to see her beautiful smile and to watch the room light up again whenever she arrived was tiny, but with this confirmation that small hope has now faded. It is devastating beyond words.' Dingley's final moments remains a mystery as police are yet to recover her clothing or equipment, including a distinctive yellow tent and a bright red-and-grey rucksack that would last for years out in the open. Police said they were searching urgently for the missing items. The human remains found last Friday in the Pyrenees have been confirmed as those of missing hiker Esther Dingley (pictured with her boyfriend Daniel Colegate) Oxford graduate Esther Dingley disappeared in November while on a solo-hike in the Pyrenees in November The statement added: 'At this stage, with just a single bone found and no sign of equipment or clothing in the immediate area (which has been closely searched again over several days), the details of what happened and where still remain unknown. 'The search and rescue teams intend to continue their search on foot and with drones, particularly trying to find some sign of Esther's equipment to understand how this tragedy occurred. 'The family would like to express their gratitude to the officers in charge of the various police units in France and Spain, the British consulates in Bordeaux and Barcelona, and LBT Global, all of whom have remained in close contact with us for months now. 'Their continued support and their determination to find answers is welcome.' Spanish police confirmed last Friday bones had been found near the spot where Oxford graduate went missing late last year. A mountain runner raised the alarm around 2pm after discovering what he believed could be the remains of a body. Spanish police went to the area but alerted their French counterparts after discovering the spot was just over the border. French police subsequently took charge of the investigation to try to confirm they were human remains and who they could belong to if so. Unconfirmed reports at the time said the runner had come across a skull with hair that appeared to be the same colour and length as Dingley's. The remains were found at Puerto de la Glera - Port de la Glera in France - which is close to the 8,796ft Pico Salvaguardia summit where Dingley last made contact with her partner around 4pm on November 22 last year. Specialist officers from Spain and France had carried out several searches of the area around the hiking trail. Police last week found bones near the spot where missing hiker Esther Dingley went missing late last year Specialist officers from Spain and France have carried out several searches of the area around the Puerto de la Glera hiking trail, where Esther was hiking before she went missing Bones were discovered in the search for the missing British hiker last Friday after a mountain runner raised the alarm French police chief Jean-Marc Bordinaro, who has been involved in the search from day one, said after the find at the French mountain pass animals could have dragged the remains to the spot where they were discovered. 'Everything suggests that these bones were recently moved by animals. They would not have been there a few days earlier', he said. Brown bears and wolves are among the creatures roaming freely in the mountain range, where birds of prey such as vultures are also a common sight. Commander Bordinaro confirmed that police on both sides of the border were carrying out urgent searches to see if they can trace where the skull and related bones may have been hidden. Ms Dingley was carrying a distinctive yellow tent, and had a bright red-and-grey rucksack with her when she went missing, but no trace of either has been found. Both are made of hardwearing material that would last for years out in the open, including in the rugged Pyrenees countryside. Chief Executive of LBT Global, who have been supporting Dingley's boyfriend, Matthew Searle MBE said: 'This is the tragic end we have all feared. 'This is devastating news for Esther's loved ones never before have I seen such incredible determination as that showed by Daniel in his relentless physical search of the mountains. 'We ask that media leave the family in peace at this incredibly difficult time. 'The investigation into the circumstances surrounding Esther's death is still very much in its infancy, and updates will be issued by LBT Global as they become available. 'For now, however, we urge that Esther's loved ones are left in peace to come to terms with this horrific news, and that online speculation is kept to a minimum. 'There will be no further statement or interview until further notice please do not attempt to contact the family.' Dingley had planned a solo hike from the Spanish town of Benasque to Pic de Sauvegarde, a mountaintop in the Pyrenees - which she reached on November 22, sending Colgate a picture via WhatsApp, which was their last contact. She was seen by several witnesses including an Olympic Spanish skier asking for some fruit hiking on the path leading up to the summit. From there she planned to walk between Port de la Glere and Port de Venasque - a route of some eight miles - before hiking down from the mountains. But after two days without contact, Colgate reported Esther missing on November 24, just a day before her trip was due to end, sparking a massive manhunt. Esther's partner of 20 years Dan Colegate (pictured together) claimed in a recent BBC interview he 'could no longer agree' with the idea she had suffered an accident Dingley had planned a solo hike from the Spanish town of Benasque to Pic de Sauvegarde, a mountaintop in the Pyrenees - which she reached on November 22, sending Colgate a picture via WhatsApp, which was their last contact Esther's partner claimed in a recent BBC interview he 'could no longer agree' with the idea she had suffered an accident The pass was part of an area described as an 'easy' walk for the missing Brit hiker by her boyfriend. Dan Colegate said Puerto de la Glera was part of the route he had expected her to take and insisted it would have been 'well within' her capabilities in a dossier he released in January through LBT Global. He wrote in the 23-page dossier, referring to key locations in France by their French name, about Esther's plans to do a circular hike between Spain and France which involved sleeping at a mountain refuge: 'An individual that Esther met on November 19 came forward to say he had specifically suggested this route through France, between Port de Venasque and Port de la Glere, to Esther when he met her. 'There is no reason to think that Esther did not stick to this plan.' He added, in a section titled 'Esther's Planned Onward Route', reflecting on the idea she reached the mountain refuge in France and slept there overnight before continuing what would have been a five to seven hike to return to her initial starting point in Spain. 'Her onward route would have involved a descent northwards towards the Hospice de France, a flat traverse westwards around the Imperatrice Way, and a climb southwards to the border at Port de la Glere. 'From the border the route descends back towards Hospital de Benasque. 'This route would have been well within Esther's capabilities for a day hike, in addition to the fact she had a tent, camping equipment and significant experience using it. 'Distance was 16km with 1100 metres of ascent, five to seven hours of hiking time. 'The weather remained excellent that Monday. The route is very obvious on the ground and also from the terrain when starting from Refuge de Venasque. 'It's basically impossible to get lost in good visibility here. 'The entire route is a well-made and easy to follow path. 'Although Esther believed and had warned family that there was poor signal in the area, in fact the signal is very good on the French side. 'Within half an hour of leaving the refuge, Esther should have been able to use her phone for most of the rest of the day.' Dingley (pictured with boyfriend Colegate) was seen by several witnesses including an Olympic Spanish skier asking for some fruit hiking on the path leading up to the summit The pass where Esther Dingley went missing was part of an area described as an 'easy' walk for the British hiker by her boyfriend The 37-year-old from Durham was on a month-long solo trip and was supposed to return on November 24 Spanish Civil Guard sergeant Jorge Lopez Ramos, whose Greim elite mountain search and rescue team led an eight-day search for Esther on the Spanish side of the border before it was halted last December because of bad weather, confirmed late last year Puerto de la Glera was on the route she told her boyfriend she was planning to take before she disappeared. Referring to the mountain pass by its Spanish name, he said at the time: 'Esther told her partner she was planning to spend the night in a nearby refuge on the French side of the border called Venasque before doing a long half-circle to re-enter Spain through a mountain pass called Puerto de la Glera and heading back down to Llanos del Hospital. 'It would have been a long day's walk or she could have spent the night somewhere and finished the following day. 'We don't know if she reached Venasque that night. It's shut at the moment and only an emergency part of it is open for people to sleep in and consume any food they have with them.' Esther's partner of 20 years claimed in a recent BBC interview he 'could no longer agree' with the idea she had suffered an accident. He said: 'The search has been so prolonged and so intense, that as far as I'm concerned the probability of an accident is now less than the probability of a criminal act.' Major Tory donors have written to the Prime Minister to express their concern over a bill which would recognise that animals feel pain. The Government is facing a rebellion over the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill amid concerns among some Tories that it could be hijacked by animal rights campaigners. Some fear it could be a Trojan Horse for eco-zealots and affect farming, fishing, hunting, angling and horse racing. The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill currently applies only to vertebrates - animals with backbones - but could be expanded to include invertebrates, such as lobsters The letter outlines fears the bill could be used by activists looking to ban kosher and halal slaughter, game shooting, killing vermin on farms and testing medical products on animals. If it is passed, the bill will explicitly recognise in law for the first time that animals are sentient, a term defined as having the capacity to experience feelings and sensations. Currently it will apply only to vertebrates - animals with backbones - but it could be expanded to include invertebrates, such as lobsters and octopuses. Pressure from campaigners including the Boris Johnsons wife Carrie led to renewed calls for invertebrates to get the same protection. Billionaire Lord Spencer of Alresford, who has donated about 5million to the Conservatives, is among the signatories and said the bill was poorly drafted, according to The Times. Another significant donor, Peter Hargreaves, did not sign the letter but shared his concerns about the legislation. He said: I would be concerned if I was a farmer with any crops susceptible to fauna. 'Any legislation in this area must be sensitive to ensuring the country continues to have a successful agricultural industry. Earlier this month MPs were reassured that the UK fishing industry has nothing to fear from the new laws. Only a few small changes will be needed, an RSPCA scientific adviser told a Commons panel to prevent British fishing vessels inflicting unnecessary pain to crustaceans and molluscs. But major changes were needed on land, however, as boiling lobsters alive for two to three minutes was gratuitous and barbaric according to a scientific advisor to the government. In further comments, the adviser told MPs that sentience - the capacity to feel pleasure and pain - should be extended to animals not currently considered - including king prawns, the favourite centrepiece of many an Indian curry. The letter outlines fears the bill could be used by activists looking to ban activities like game shooting Jonathan Birch, Associate Professor, Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science, London School of Economics (LSE) has been asked to draw up a review of evidence on whether crustaceans and molluscs should be treated as sentient by the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Professor Birch, was asked whether the new bill would result in a fishing industry that is non-existent as it would be impossible to harvest seafood without causing pain, by Sheryll Murray MP, for South East Cornwall. Professor Birch said: Some of the ways decapods are slaughtered are just extreme methods that are gratuitous. I think throwing an animal into a pot of boiling water is gratuitous when there are ways to kill it much more quickly and professionally and I think it would be entirely proportionate to look for ways to eliminate that gratuitous infliction of suffering. When you are talking about whats happening on fishing vessels, the measures have to be constrained by what is feasible to implement on those vessels. He said that a boiled lobster took two to three minutes to die, and this could be shortened to just ten seconds in the hands of a skilled chef. RSPCAs Head of Animals in Science, Penny Hawkins, With respect to what happens on fishing vessels, its my understanding that actually amongst fishers, theres a pretty good awareness they have to take care of the animals in order to land a viable catch. Its my understanding that probably a few small changes in practice that would enable them to comply with requirements with regard to welfare. China has been hit by what state media has called its 'most extensive outbreak of Covid since Wuhan' after cases of the highly-infectious Delta variant escaped from border quarantines. The country, which has prided itself on its zero tolerance approach to Covid, has reported 206 new cases since July 20 linked to an outbreak in the city of Nanjing. That outbreak began when airport workers who had cleaned a plane that arrived from Russia tested positive, and has since spread to five provinces and at least 13 cities, including the capital Beijing. While the number of cases is relatively small they are spread out across the country, prompting state media to compare it to the initial outbreak in Wuhan in 2019. China has been hit by what state media are calling the 'most extensive Covid outbreak since Wuhan' after cases of the Delta variant escaped border quarantine in the city of Nanjing and spread around the country, at the same time as a separate outbreak is underway in Yunnan All flights from Nanjing airport have been suspended until at least August 11 to try and contain the outbreak, while all 9.3million people living in the city have been ordered to take PCR tests. Hundreds of thousands of people have been locked down in Jiangsu province, of which Nanjing is the capital, while 41,000 came under stay-at-home orders in Beijing's Changping district. Sichuan and Liaoning provinces have also reported cases, as has Hunan province - where the original outbreak began - after four people who had attended an open-air event in the city of Zhangjiajie tested positive. Two people identified as close contacts of those cases subsequently tested positive after travelling to Beijing. Hebei province and Inner Mongolia have also been carrying out testing and contact tracing after it was revealed people had travelled there from Nanjing. Another outbreak has also hitting Yunnan province after Chinese people who had visited neighbouring Myanmar - where cases are surging due to the Delta variant - tested positive after arriving home. The Delta variant, which first emerged in India and is much more transmissible than the original version of Covid, has proved particularly hard to control for many countries which until now had relied on border closures to keep cases low. Couple with low vaccination rates, such countries - most of which are in Asia - are now seeing cases rise to record or near-record levels with leaders rushing to impose lockdowns. Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia have all seen cases skyrocket in recent weeks, having previously been hailed virus success stories. Cases are also at or near all-time highs in Japan and South Korea, though strict domestic lockdown measures there have slowed the kind of exponential growth that is being seen elsewhere. Australia is also struggling to bring and outbreak of the Delta variant under control, with the city in Sydney currently in the midst of its longest lockdown since the initial wave of the virus hit back in 2020. 206 cases have now been linked to the Nanjing outbreak, and while that figure is far below the initial Wuhan outbreak (pictured left on the graph, with recent cases right) they are spread across the country - causing panic among officials The Delta variant is more transmissible than the pathogens that cause SARS, Ebola and smallpox, and as easily spread as chickenpox, according to an internal US Centers for Disease Control presentation reported by The Washington Post and The New York Times. The Philippines next week will send more than 13 million people in the national capital region back into lockdown because of a Delta-linked increase, the government said Friday. The variant has also been linked to around half of new cases in Tokyo. Japan on Friday extended a virus state of emergency in the capital a week into the Olympics, with the city reported a record number of new cases the day before. Meanwhile, Australia said Friday it would reopen borders and end lockdowns when vaccination rates reach 80 percent. The United States ramped up efforts to get people vaccinated in the face of a Delta variant-fuelled surge. With infections and hospitalisations rising, President Joe Biden asked every US federal worker to either declare they are fully vaccinated or wear masks and be tested. 'People are dying - and will die - who don't have to die,' Biden said Thursday. 'If in fact you are unvaccinated, you present a problem - to yourself, to your family, and to those with whom you work.' The president also said he would ask the Pentagon to consider making the coronavirus vaccine mandatory for active duty military personnel, and asked state and local governments to offer $100 to holdouts who get the shot. Later, the Pentagon said all its military and civilian personnel would require masks, regular testing and travel restrictions if they are unvaccinated. The CDC has already asked people in virus hotspots - including the vaccinated - to wear masks indoors again. All 9.3million people living in Nanjing (pictured) have been ordered to take a PCR test while contact tracing and testing is underway in at least 13 other cities where the virus has spread The moves stop short of a politically sensitive vaccination mandate for federal workers, but mark a dramatic return to restrictions after a rapid vaccination phase. The surge across America - which has the highest known Covid-19 death toll in the world - has left early vaccine adopters angry at those who have so far opted against the shot. 'It's almost like they don't care about the rest of the world,' Alethea Reed, a 58-year-old healthcare administrator in Washington, told AFP. 'They're being selfish and self-centred.' Nearly 4.2 million people are known to have died of Covid-19 worldwide so far, and vaccines are widely considered to be the main weapon against the disease. Israel was an early leader in vaccinations, with around 55 percent of the population fully vaccinated using mRNA two-dose vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced that those over the age of 60 would be offered a third booster shot from Sunday. But while wealthy nations like Israel can offer third doses, many poorer nations are struggling to even provide the first. More than four billion doses have been administered around the world, according to an AFP tally. High-income countries gave out an average of 97 shots per 100 inhabitants compared with just 1.6 in low-income nations. A former stockbroker has been jailed for kicking a passenger 'like a penalty' and punching another man when a violent brawl erupted during a cruise ship's late night buffet. The drunken fight broke out after couple Paul Evans, 45, and Tabatha Young, 43, became angry when a family asked them to stop swearing as they dined on board P&O's Royal Britannia ship. Young - a popular YouTuber - attacked fellow holidaymaker Sarah Gardner, a nurse who had retired to the Horizon Buffet with her husband Justin Gardner and her two daughters after attending a family disco. Then Evans, a financial advisor who previously worked as a stockbroker, assaulted statistician Mr Gardner, before kicking project manager Andrew Irving as part of a 'brutal attack' when he attempted to intervene. A court heard other passengers, who had been enjoying a 'spectacular' cruise through the Norwegian fjords, looked on in horror as 'intoxicated' Evans punched and kicked the men as if he were 'taking a penalty'. Paul Evans assaulted statistician Justin Gardner, who was aboard the P&O vessel with his wife and two daughters, before kicking project manager Andrew Irving when he tried to intervene The fight on board P&O's Royal Britannia ship had been sparked when the Gardners asked Evans, 45, and partner Tabatha Young (pictured), a social media star, to tone down their language as they dined in the Horizon buffet Andrew Irving (pictured) suffered a knee injury that requires surgery after being 'kicked like a penalty' which he fears will affect him permanently Young, a mother of three, pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm and today sobbed as she was handed a nine month jail sentence suspended for two years in what judge Nicholas Rowland described as a 'close shave'. Evans had denied one count of robbery and three counts of assault causing actual bodily harm following the extraordinary scenes during the early hours of July 26 2019, claiming he had simply been trying to protect his girlfriend. But the 45-year-old was found guilty by jurors of two counts of actual bodily harm at Southampton Crown Court, Hants, last month. The Gardners had attended a family disco with their two daughters when they retired to the buffet, but became upset by language coming from the neighbouring table. A fight quickly broke out after Evans, of Clayhill in Essex, was overheard saying he wanted to 's***' and 'f***' their 16-year-old daughter Amelia, the court heard. Evans had also claimed he was acting in self-defence but the judge said 'there was no need for defensive force' as he jailed Evans for 21 months. Paul Evans, 45 was jailed for 21 months after he was found guilty of two counts of ABH against Mr Gardner and Mr Irving Tabatha Young (pictured during a YouTube interview) wept in court as she was handed a nine month suspended prison sentence in what was described as 'a close shave' A court heard other passengers, who had been enjoying a 'spectacular' cruise through the Norwegian fjords, looked on in horror as 'intoxicated' Evans punched and kicked the men Judge Rowland said: 'There were other family members [in the buffet]. You two - Evans and Young - arrived worse for wear - that is an understatement. You were swearing at each other.' 'You [Young] were making inappropriate comments. You cannot remember any of it but things became darker when Evans started making grossly offensive comments. You were abusive to the [Gardner's] daughter. '[Young] started the violence. Mrs Gardner intervened and she says she was bitten. There was evidence of head butting and punching. 'Evans then became involved. I do not accept that this was self defence. There was no need for defensive force to be used. You punched Mr Gardner on the ground. 'You punched him on the back of the head and a witness described it as 'brutal'.' Evans, of Clayhall, Essex, was cleared of attacking Alice and robbing Mrs Gardner of the phone, but convicted of causing ABH to Mr Gardner and Mr Irving, after the jury deliberated for more than six hours Young, who interviews boxers on YouTube, pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm against Mrs Gardner last year Families ran to hide during the late-night buffet fight that broke out aboard the P&O Royal Britannia ship (pictured in 2015) The seven day trial had heard that as they dined the Gardner family became upset by the language from a neighbouring table and had a word with the couple. Young, who interviews boxers on YouTube, and their eldest daughter, 21-year-old Alice Gardner, then became involved in an altercation. Mrs Gardner told the jury she tried to film Evans on a phone for 'evidence' as tempers flared and he grappled with Alice. The court heard he then turned his 'rage' on 48-year-old Mrs Gardner by 'rugby tackling' her to the ground, snatching her mobile phone and hurling it out to sea, although he said he had simply taken the phone as he feared she would use it as a weapon. Mrs Gardner said Tabatha Young, (above) 'punched and attacked' her 21-year-old daughter during the late-night buffet Mr Irving, who was there with his wife and 10-year-old granddaughter, said he couldn't stand by so went to help but was then knocked to the ground and kicked by Evans 'like he was taking a penalty'. In a victim impact statement he today told the court he suffered a knee injury which now requires surgery, adding: 'The impacts on the way I live my life will affect me permanently.' The trial had heard that after he was captured on CCTV hurling the phone into the sea, Evans returned to the dining room and the brawl continued before he and Young were eventually restrained by security. They were taken into custody by police once the ship docked at Southampton, Hants. Evans, of Clayhall, Essex, was cleared of attacking Alice and robbing Mrs Gardner of the phone, but convicted of causing ABH to Mr Gardner and Mr Irving, after the jury deliberated for more than six hours last month. Royal Britannia had just left Bergen, Norway, a few hours earlier and was five days into a seven night tour of Norway's famous fjords when the brawl erupted. Its Norwegian Fjords Cruise Holidays are described by P&O as: 'One of the most spectacular regions of the world. Cruising through the deep-blue waters of Norway's UNESCO-protected fjords is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.' Detective Constable Lisa Robins from the Western Investigation Team said 'This was a nasty incident that happened on board a cruise ship in front of families and children. 'Nobody should have to tolerate inappropriate and abusive language or behaviour. Alcohol can often lead to violence and we simply won't tolerate it. Having a few drinks does not excuse criminal behaviour, in any setting.' A P&O Cruises spokesman said: 'We will not tolerate disruptive behaviour on board our ships' Washington homeless encampments in the shadow of the Watergate complex will remain - at least for now - amid an intense battle between locals angry about health dangers and dipping quality of life, and activists concerned about displacing camp residents. The camps in D.C. are among many that sprung up in cities during the coronavirus pandemic, leading to debates over how to tackle the growing issue. Neighbors near 12th Street and Massachusetts Avenue in the northwest section of the city have written to the United States Park Police (USPP), asking that it clears camps from Burke Park, Gompers Park and 9th and Massachusetts. Citing public safety, they asked officers to enforce rules by preventing the camps from growing any further on federal properties. 'There is ample evidence that these encampments are a danger to the community, bringing with them excess refuse, human excrement and other bodily fluids, heated domestic disputes, drug abuse, weapons, and an inability to enjoy resources and green space under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service,' the letter read. A view of a campsite near the Watergate complex (pictured in the background) as the number of homeless encampments grow, July 29, 2021, in Washington, DC 'While we are sympathetic that people need a place to reside and the DC government must do something to address the increasing homeless population in the city, camping in these federal land parks is both unlawful and unsafe.' Burke Park is a small park off Massachusetts Avenue and 12th Street NW with about 19 people living in it, said Alexandria Bailey, the advisory neighborhood commissioner (ANC) for the area that includes the park. CDC COVID-19 guidelines recommend that people be allowed to stay unsheltered or in encampments if other housing options are unavailable. But the residents who signed the letter have argued that this guidance is being used as an excuse not to address the homelessness problem. 'If these encampments were set up on the National Mall, there is no doubt that they would be removed without hesitation or delay,' the letter said. The vagrants harassing folks outside do not simply ask for money and move on. They are confrontational, often screaming at passersby on the sidewalk or in their cars or people exiting the CVS or Quincy Court and Quincy Park (the building across the street from CVS). Many are clearly on drugs. Others have robbed the CVS and neighborhood residents. But amid fears of eviction, community advocates quickly reacted. Citing public safety concerns, a local group has asked officers in a letter to enforce rules by preventing the camp to grow any further on the federal properties, and to tear down the camp CDC Covid-19 guidelines recommend that people be allowed to stay unsheltered or in encampments if other housing options are unavailable Bailey said she received an email from the USPP's chief of staff saying 'we have a plan to move on Burke shortly after July 4th' and that while she understands local concerns over the camps, she said she agreed with 25 other commissioners who expressed to the DC council that removing the camps would not solve the issue of homelessness in the area. The National Park Service has since backed off, telling DCist/WAMU that it engaged in conversations about encampments in national parks in D.C. with the city and community partners but has no imminent plans to remove existing encampments. Bailey has asked for a two-month extension to help move encampment residents, but said earlier this week that she was yet to hear from the USPP, adding that she was working on a voucher program that could get them re-housed. 'Unfortunately, with this pressure, time is working against me now,' Bailey said. Residents who signed the letter have argued that the CDC guidance is being used as an excuse not to address the homelessness problem in the area. Pictured: Tents at the camp Pictured: Tents across the street from Watergate Hotel (pictured in the background) in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Sunday, June 13, 2021 As the debate continues, Remora House DC - an organization that provides essentials to homeless individuals - has been giving residents of the camps supplies, food and water since Monday. The group has said it plans to watch over the residents and hopes to protect them from future eviction. Shannon Clark of Remora House DC said: 'We want to make sure that camp residents are safe and they're not being harassed and that police aren't going to move in and throw their stuff away without us being able to help and support them.' According to a recent report by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, homelessness in the region is at its lowest rate since the District began counting in 2001. The study found there are 8,309 homeless individuals in the area, with the total being below 10,000 for a third year in a row. The Watergate building was at the centre of the 1972 Watergate scandal, in which President Richard Nixon's administration was caught breaking in to the building which served as the Democratic National Committee. The scandal ultimately led to Nixon's resignation on August 9, 1974. A vegan artist has had her anti-fox hunting painting removed from a gallery after a complaint that it was 'offensive.' Joanne Oddie, 56, created the artwork depicting a giant werewolf attacking a huntsman for an open exhibition at her local gallery. The painting - called Karma - showed foxes looking on as the severed body of a red-coated huntsman is throttled in the woods. But Joanne said the work was taken down from Llanwrtyd & District Heritage and Arts Centre in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales, after one comment in the visitor book said the work was 'out of place.' She said in a Facebook post, 'Clearly, it's contentious. 'This one's a bit dark', people are saying that to me. 'But I don't think it's dark. It's not as if no-one has ever not done a painting with blood in it before.' Joanne Oddie, 56, painting was taken down from Llanwrtyd & District Heritage and Arts Centre in Wales after one person complained it 'seemed out of place' Joanne - who creates animal portraits - says she was delighted the painting evoked such 'emotion.' She said: 'My recent creative painting Karma, was hung for only two weeks of the exhibition because it caused offence. 'The controversy I have caused locally is the icing on the cake, as in my wildest dreams, I didn't think my artwork would cause such a stir, after all 'art' is executed to evoke reaction, whether it be positive or negative. The animal-loving vegan is happy her work provoked such a strong reaction, claiming art is meant to make people feel something, whether it be negative or positive The artist is now working on five more exhibitions to go along with Karma and people have been in touch with commissions 'My painting is pretty unambiguous, but then the bottom line is that me, the artist, has love, and respect for all living creatures. 'There was one negative comment, in the Heritage Centre visitors book, which suggested, that Karma was out of place. 'I beg to differ, I think the Heritage Centre is the perfect place to hang my painting because foxes are indeed part of our wonderful British Heritage.' Llanwrtyd & District Heritage and Arts Centre only displayed the painting in the gallery for two weeks before removing it after backlash, but Oddie says she's 'glad' it got taken down Supporters of Joanne claimed her painting may have been taken down as there are many fox-hunting supporters in the area. But they're pouring in support. The painting now has thousands of shares on Facebook, and more pieces like Karma are in the works. Oddie added: 'Taking it down has actually done me the world of good. 'It is going everywhere, it is really great,' she said. 'I'm doing five more exhibitions of that series and people have been getting in touch with commissions.' One supporter said: 'A painting says a thousand words, you can see its message straight away. Shame we live in a society that everyone is frightened to offend everyone else.' Another wrote: 'Amazing picture, very poignant, it shouldn't have been removed! People need to grow up and get a backbone!' Oddie is now selling tee-shirts of her painting on her Facebook page for 25. She wrote: 'I'm pretty sure there won't be flocks of people following my page who are desperate to don a Karma tee shirt, but by popular demand, I am having tee shirts printed to order.' Llanwrtyd & District Heritage and Arts Centre has been contacted for comment. Advertisement Pictures today showed a deserted Whitehall amid increasing calls for civil servants to get back to the office amid fears the working from home culture could wreck the economies of town and city centres. Critics believe private businesses are waiting for the Government to 'take the lead' before they ask their own workers to return to their desks. But Boris Johnson has so far taken a softly-softly approach to getting staff back into the workplace, despite mounting confidence that the worst of the pandemic is over. The effects of the approach were clear to see this morning, with the roads around the Houses of Parliament - where thousands of civil servants have their offices - almost empty of pedestrians between 8 and 9am. Slide me Empty streets in Whitehall and the surrounding streets this morning as business leaders urged civil servants to get back to their offices. The picture on the left is from 2017 Slide me Whitehall when it was bustling with pedestrians and traffic in 2016 (left) and in a photo taken this morning, showing the pavements almost deserted The effects of the approach were clear to see this morning, with the roads around the Houses of Parliament - where thousands of civil servants have their offices - almost empty of pedestrians at the start of the day Boris Johnson has so far taken a softly-softly approach to getting staff back into the workplace, despite mounting confidence that the worst of the pandemic is over Endless working from home 'will blight the careers of the young', says PwC boss By Ruth Sunderland for the Daily Mail Kevin Ellis, senior partner and chairman of PwC UK, told the Mail that his generation had reaped enormous advantages from being in the office. And he firmly believes that staff in their 20s and 30s should have the same chances to get ahead. The 58-year-old fears youngsters may miss out on the benefits of office working and may not achieve their potential as a result. He believes staff need to be in the office or at a client's premises around three days a week, 'or you will blight your career'. Mr Ellis added he was keen to encourage workers back into the office so they did not feel isolated, to create more camaraderie and to help them flourish in their job. He said: 'I have been very open. I am not telling people to come in. But you need to observe, to network and to socialise. That's why the office is so important. 'I don't want people turning around in two or three years' time and saying you never told me about this. 'We are offering the flexibility of home working but with guardrails or you will blight your career.' And he argued that being physically present with colleagues results in better quality work. 'When you are making a judgment, it is helpful to get input from other people. It is much easier to get their peripheral vision if they are in the room.' Advertisement Downing Street yesterday said there were 'no plans' to order Whitehall civil servants back to their desks or to launch a wider return to work push this summer. However, former cabinet minister David Jones said it was vital for the Government to encourage firms to bring their offices back into use. Mr Jones said: 'It is essential we get office workers back to their desks. They are vital for local economies in town centres the sandwich shops, restaurants and dry cleaners that depend on them. 'But it is also vital for work, whether it's the increased productivity from people being able to bounce ideas off each other, or the career development of younger workers who need to learn from their colleagues. Government has got a role in this. There is no reason why civil servants shouldn't be returning to work in much greater numbers. 'And I think many businesses are waiting to take their lead from that before ordering their own staff back.' For much of last year more than 95 per cent of Whitehall civil servants worked from home, in line with Government advice. Privately, some ministers are also frustrated by the lack of a back to work drive. One described the situation as 'ridiculous', adding: 'The number of officials back at their desks is still tiny. Yes, people can work from home in extremis we have shown that but it is not a serious long-term option. 'Most people are double-jabbed now, cases are falling there is no reason to delay, certainly beyond September.' Another Whitehall source said the PM had been 'burned' by the experience last summer, when a major drive to get Whitehall civil servants back to their desks had to be abandoned after only a few weeks when cases surged. No 10 yesterday said the Government had lifted the work from home order, but wanted to see only a 'gradual' return to the office. Asked whether there was a plan to get civil servants back to their desks, a spokesman for the PM said: 'You have seen a number of civil servants in the office throughout the pandemic and as we move through this year I am sure you will see more returning.' Meanwhile, Lloyds Bank yesterday became the latest major firm to signal a shift to 'hybrid' working. Downing Street yesterday said there were 'no plans' to order Whitehall civil servants back to their desks or to launch a wider return to work push this summer The Houses of Parliament this morning. Big Ben is undergoing a major refurbishment so remains enclosed by scaffolding Police officers guarding the gates to Number 10 this morning, where the pavement outside would usually be thronging with commuters Empty pavements are seen around the Cenotaph war memorial on Whitehall in a picture taken early this morning Interim chief executive William Chalmers said: 'From October, we expect our hybrid way of working involving time both at home and in the office will be in place for all roles. We remain very committed to central London and I think a lot of people enjoy spending time here. From what we can see, it gradually is returning to life.' Lookers, which has 150 franchise car dealerships, has brought only 40 staff back to its head office. Chief executive Mark Raban said: 'We've got no target or plan to get people back to the office. 'We're not in a rush, we're not out of the woods yet so let's see how it goes. People can work very effectively from home. 'What you do lose is the immediacy, the ability to walk into the next office and have dialogue with a colleague and there are certain things when we do need to be together.' Former cabinet minister David Jones said it was vital for the Government to encourage firms to bring their offices back into use. Pictured: The scene in Westminster this morning Just 14 per cent of Brits are intending to travel abroad for a summer holiday this year as the coronavirus crisis continues to wreak havoc with people's plans for a getaway. An exclusive poll for MailOnline found just 10 per cent of people intend to travel abroad while four per cent intend to travel both abroad and domestically in the coming weeks. However, more than half of respondents to the Redfield & Wilton Strategies survey said they do not intend to travel anywhere and will be staying at home. The findings were published amid growing fears of a European 'travel war' because of a standoff over quarantine restrictions. The UK and France are locked in a row over the Government's decision to put the country on the 'amber plus' list, requiring arriving travellers to quarantine. Meanwhile, Italy is expected to force double-jabbed Brits to self-isolate despite the UK dropping the rule for EU tourists and it is also thought Spain is at risk of being moved up the 'traffic light' system in a review next week. A Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll for MailOnline found just 14 per cent of Brits are planning a summer holiday abroad this year More than two thirds of Brits - 71 per cent - have not yet travelled for a summer holiday, whether abroad or domestically The new poll, conducted on July 29, revealed that just four per cent of Brits have travelled abroad so far this summer while two per cent travelled abroad and in the UK. Almost a quarter - 23 per cent - said they have travelled domestically while 71 per cent said they have not travelled anywhere for a break. Asked whether they intend to travel for a holiday this summer, some 10 per cent said they are planning to go abroad. An additional four per cent said they intend to travel both abroad and in the UK while 30 per cent intend to travel domestically only. Some 55 per cent of respondents said they do not intend to travel anywhere this summer. The Government announced earlier this week that fully vaccinated travellers from the US and the EU will soon be spared quarantine. Ministers are hoping for the UK's major international partners to agree to reciprocal arrangements for British tourists. But the hopes of a swift return to easier travel to holiday hotspots have been dashed in recent days by rows and fears of rules being tightened on some countries. Dominic Raab sparked a furious backlash after he claimed that France was hit with 'amber plus' quarantine rules because of Covid cases on Reunion island 6,000 miles away. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps insisted this morning that the Foreign Secretary was wrong to make the connection yesterday, amid a furious reaction from Paris. France is currently the only EU country from which those vaccinated under the UK programme must self-isolate for ten days when they return. The decision is set to be reviewed next week and ministers are hopeful that the country could be removed from the list. The Government is considering replacing 'amber plus' with a new 'amber watchlist' to deter people from travelling to areas with high Covid rates. The list would show which countries could change to 'red' at any moment, forcing travellers to pay 1,750 per adult to stay in quarantine hotels on their return. There are fears that Spain could be added to the amber watchlist next week. Meanwhile, Italy is reportedly not reciprocating the double-jabbed get-out granted by Britain, meaning vaccinated holidaymakers will still need to isolate on arrival. A Satanist teenager who idolised Norwegian mass killer Anders Breivik and downloaded 11 different terrorist manuals has escaped a jail sentence after the judge heard he was on course to get straight As in his A-levels. Bristol Youth Court was told the neo-Nazi teenager, who cannot be named, plans to study at Bristol University and will need straight As to get in. Stephen Donnelly, defending, said the 17-year-old was 'still on course to achieve high grades if allowed to complete his A-level studies next year.' The judge was handed letters from both parents, from his head of year at school and an academic progress report. District Judge Paul Goldspring told the youth he had planned to sentence him to 12 months in custody but had changed his mind. The judge added: 'You clearly work very hard in school and are obviously very, very intelligent. 'Although, I don't want anyone to get the impression that someone less intelligent should be treated less well.' He said the youth had downloaded a 'significant volume of terrorist material accrued over a number of months' and had talked online about avoiding being sent on the Prevent de-radicalisation course. A Satanist teenager who downloaded 11 different terrorist manuals has escaped a jail sentence after the judge heard he was on course to get straight As in his A-levels. Pictured: Bristol Youth Court The teen had documents similar to these which showed how to make poisons, instructions on knife attacks, and the 'Terrorist handbook' After his arrest, the youth told the probation officer he had an interest in 'historical things' including war, weaponry, and right-wing ideologies. (Pictured, a replica gun similar to what the teenager owned) The court heard the youth had 'failed to respond' to a warning from his school about the views he was expressing, which was shared with his parents. But he had written a letter to the judge in which he said he understood what he did wrong and his idea of 'writing research on extremism' had 'disappeared due to my distaste for it.' 'Much has changed in my life,' he added. The youth was stopped at Bristol Airport on December 2 2019 as he and his father were about to catch a flight to his native Poland. A Samsung Galaxy 8 phone and Huawei tablet, later found at his home, included chat messages from encrypted social media apps including Discord and Wire in which the youth adopted the name 'Apollo'. Investigating officers identified thousands of images, pdf books and documents that demonstrated a 'concerning level of commitment to an extreme ideology,' Kelly Brocklehurst, prosecuting, told the court. The devices contained numerous images of the boy performing Nazi salutes, making 'white power' gestures, posing with imitation firearms and memes idolising mass killers such as Anders Breivik, who killed 77 people in Norway in 2011. The youth had 'immersed himself' in 'Siege Culture', advocated by a notorious US neo-Nazi called James Mason, that involved the 'neo-Nazi rejection of all political compromise', Mr Brocklehurst said. But he had also downloaded books from a 'still more dangerous, terroristic doctrine' developed by an American group called 'Tempel ov Blood' that 'actively celebrates violence and undertakings such as human sacrifice,' the prosecutor said. 'Siege Culture and Tempel ov Blood both appear to rely heavily upon an online presence to advance a doctrine of unparalleled extremity,' Mr Brocklehurst told the court. When police raided the family home they found the desk in his bedroom had a number of symbols etched into its surface including swastikas and the letters DOTR and a noose, a reference to the 'day of the rope' when far right extremists plan to rise up and hang 'race traitors'. They found the teenager had a book called Siege in his bedroom by James Mason, the US neo-Nazi, and they also found a skull face covering favoured by the far right, and a skull balaclava. Bristol Youth Court was told the neo-Nazi teenager, who cannot be named, plans to study at Bristol University and will need straight As to get in (file photo of the institution) Further investigation revealed the youth was 15 when he started downloading documents showing how to make napalm, plastic explosives, improvised munitions and Molotov cocktails. He also had documents called the 'Death Dealer's Manual' showing how to make poisons, '21 techniques of silent killing' containing instructions on knife attacks, and the 'Terrorist handbook'. Two of the documents had been produced by al-Qaeda, including the 'al-Qaeda Manual' and a notorious English-language bomb-making document produced by Abu Khabbab al-Masri. 'The Crown contend that each of the 11 documents charged provides useful and practical guidance that would assist in the commission and preparation of terrorism,' Mr Brocklhurst added. After his arrest, the youth told the probation officer he had an interest in 'historical things' including war, weaponry, and right-wing ideologies. A pre-sentence report said the teenager 'continues to state that he has not read nor is interested in understanding the contents of the downloaded documents.' But his father told police he 'clearly remembers' a discussion with his son about the Anarchist Cookbook and making dynamite, 'suggesting he has read more than he is willing to accept'. The judge said the interview with the youth offending team suggested the teenager 'may not be quite so remorseful'. 'The pre-sentence report suggests you feel you didn't do much wrong and you have been harshly treated by the authorities,' the judge added. 'In your letter you say very much the other thing, the level of immaturity, you let it run away with you, where does the truth lie?' The judge told him he could not reconcile the two versions but the youth had convinced him after he was questioned in court. 'I have to give you the benefit of the doubt but I am not entirely convinced that you are not so articulate that you have pulled the wool over my eyes,' the judge said. 'I hope that you go on to prove my scepticism is wrong.' The judge said he was going to sentence the teenager to 12 months in youth custody, but he had reconsidered. 'My initial view was to send you into custody for 12 months, I have taken a step back, I am satisfied I don't need to do that,' the judge said. The most important factor apart from his age was that in the 19 months since his arrest, he had not reoffended, the judge said. Stephen Donnelly, defending, insisted there was an 'air of optimism for the future and the way [the youth] can be confronted by his actions in the past.' The youth is 'very much loved' Mr Donnelly said and 'whilst the arrest came as a shock to the family, the family unit has remained strong and solid throughout.' 'The court can take assurance from the fact there is that network of support in the future,' he added. 'He is still on course to achieve high grades if allowed to complete his A-level studies next year. 'That should be a pointer for the court. Rehabilitation outside the custodial environment is the best course.' Mr Donnelly said 'naivety and youthful ignorance certainly played a part in the offending' and he was a 'young man who is maturing'. The blond-haired youth stood in the dock at Bristol Youth Court in a white collared shirt as the judge made a 12-month referral order. The judge told the court a custodial sentence 'would not only undermine the rehabilitative and steps but would do irreparable harm to your future'. 'It is really important that you take this opportunity to pause and think. I have to be honest there will be almost no way out if I see you in court again,' the judge added. Detective Superintendent Craig McWhinnie, head of Counter-Terrorism Policing South West, said: 'Whilst there was no risk to the county, individuals such as this who promote dangerous extremist views and content have no place in our society. We will continue to seek them out and prosecute them. 'The entrenched views and hatred displayed by this young person combined with their consumption of violent and disturbing literature remain deeply concerning. 'This investigation is another stark reminder of the hateful and damaging material found online that for all of us, is only a few clicks away. 'This material creates a very real risk to the young and vulnerable in our communities, in our schools and indeed, in our own homes. 'This is especially true over the course of the pandemic where young people spend more time online, often alone and unsupervised. 'We would encourage those who care for young persons to have honest and frank conversations about online activity, to look out for the signs that indicate a potential shift in beliefs or attitude and to be intrusive on occasion to ensure they are safe online.' Advertisement Scotland Yard was today criticised for failing to catch a knifeman five days after he stabbed a Christian preacher wearing a Charlie Hebdo T-shirt at Speakers' Corner, as counter-terrorism officer continue to investigate. An estimated 30 witnesses saw Hatun Tash, 39, being slashed across the face in broad daylight at Hyde Park on Sunday with some filming what happened in an area of Central London that is packed with CCTV cameras. The force are believed to be holding a meeting today to discuss how they police Speakers' Corner going forward, but questions are being asked about how the attacker got away so easily after stabbing the preacher. Some witnesses have claimed police quickly dispersed the gathered crowd after the attack without taking witness statements, and a film crew who are regularly at the site have published a clear picture of the alleged knifeman. Ms Tash since claims to have had police officers turning up at her house trying to speak to her and pressurising her not to talk to broadcast media, before she did an interview with GB News on Wednesday. When she arrived at Paddington station ahead of the chat she was escorted to the GB News studios by police, who have also turned up at the offices of the Christian Legal Centre, which is representing her, trying to find her. The incident is not being treated as terror-related, despite Ms Tash being from the DCCI (Defend Christ Critique Islam) Ministries group which 'seeks to preach the Gospel to Muslims using apologetics and polemics'. Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, told MailOnline: 'It is extraordinary that the attacker is still at large given the video evidence and witnesses at the scene, some of whom, we believe, know him. 'The footage clearly shows an attempt to kill, or at least seriously harm, a Christian woman in broad daylight in front of the police. Speakers' Corner is one of the most monitored places in the UK.' The Metropolitan Police told MailOnline that no arrests have been made, but officers from SO15 Counter Terrorism Command are 'working hard to follow up all lines of enquiry and identify the person responsible for this attack'. Asked about going to her home, the force said: 'Officers from SO15 have been providing support to the victim.' Hatun Tash (leftin Charlie Hebdo T-shirt) was treated in hospital after being slashed with a knife at Hyde Park on Sunday Ms Tash is a Christian preacher from a group which 'seeks to preach the Gospel to Muslims using apologetics and polemics' Ms Williams continued: 'This is not the first time that Hatun has been threatened and assaulted at Speakers' Corner. The threats and attacks are intended to shut down any critique of Islam. 'If that's what happens the attacker wins. We are also concerned that blaming the victim for wearing a Charlie Hebdo T-shirt amounts to an acceptance that it is OK to shut down opposition to Islam through extreme violence. Who is Hatun Tash? The ex-Muslim from Turkey who is now a regular at Speakers' Corner Hatun Tash is a Christian preacher from a group called DCCI (Defend Christ Critique Islam) Ministries who is a regular at Speakers' Corner. The 39-year-old is a former Muslim from Turkey who is now a prominent critic of Islam and believes Muslims should be encouraged to convert to Christianity. She has had many heated discussions with Islamic preachers and others, and has previously been attacked for piercing holes through the Koran and waving a cartoon image of the Prophet Mohammed depicted as a crying baby. DCCI Ministries 'seeks to preach the Gospel to Muslims using apologetics and polemics', adding: 'Our motivation is a love for Muslims to bring them to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ in order to attain eternal life.' In October 2020, Sadiq Khan was asked about Ms Tash at Mayor's Question Time and said police had escorted her out of Hyde Park 'for her own safety' after a large and hostile crowd had gathered around her. He added that 'freedom of speech is a principle that I hold dear', adding: 'One of the best things about London is the fierce way in which we protect this right and people's ability to exercise it.' Advertisement 'An attack like this is an attack on us all. It strikes at the heart of what our society was built upon - freedom. Freedom to believe, freedom to disagree, freedom to move and speak without fear.' Speaking about the incident, Ms Tash said: 'I am upset and disturbed by what has happened to me. I am asking myself if have done anything wrong? I am convinced I have not broken any law or incited hate. 'All I did was question Islam and I wanted to debate discuss and to tell people about Jesus Christ. Speakers' Corner is a great place to do this, it is a shame that this has happened at the home of freedom of speech. 'Watching the video, the intention is clearly to kill me. I can't believe this has happened in broad daylight at Speakers' Corner. You do not expect such things to happen in Great Britain. Police inaction has led to what happened to me (on Sunday). 'In the past, they have seen it as easier to remove me than deal with people intimidating and threatening me. My attacker was not even afraid of the police as he did it right in front of them.' Ms Tash's reference to 'police inaction' is in relation to two previous incidents at Speakers' Corner when she was arrested but claims officers should have removed those threatening her instead. The first incident on December 20 last year saw Ms Tash arrested for breaching coronavirus regulations. She was then charged but pleaded not guilty, and the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges on May 5. The second incident was less than three weeks later on May 23 and this time saw Ms Tash arrested for a breach of the peace. But she was released with no further action after eventually spending 23 hours in custody. As for the stabbing on Sunday, a distressing recording of the incident which happened at 3.34pm was posted on YouTube showing an unknown person dressed in a black hoodie attacking Ms Tash, then running away. She fell to the ground and was seen bleeding as crowds gathered around her. But she got up and proclaimed: 'Cutting people's arms is not going to help you'. The preacher added that it is 'not about the blood on my hands' and continued: 'It is unacceptable that you are running away from Jesus Christ.' Video footage showed a large group of people standing outside in torrential rain at Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park on Sunday Her Charlie Hebdo T-shirt had a cartoon showing a man kissing a cartoonist with the slogan 'L'amour plus fort que la haine' (love is stronger than hate). Responding to the criticism by Ms Williams, a Met Police spokesman told MailOnline today: 'No arrests have been made at this stage, but officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism (SO15) are working hard to follow up all lines of enquiry and identify the person responsible for this attack. 'We would urge any witnesses or anyone with information who has not yet come forward to contact police. The incident is not being treated as terrorism-related at this time.' Asked whether they turned up at Ms Tash's home, the spokesman said: 'Officers from SO15 have been providing support to the victim.' He added that the force was not prepared to discuss this further. Ms Tash suffered a stab wound and was seen with blood pouring down her face on Sunday as she was taken to a police van The Met did not comment on whether the force are discussing policing arrangements for Speakers' Corner. Ms Tash has since been discharged from a hospital in London and Scotland Yard's SO15 Counter Terrorism Command are now leading the investigation. But the force insisted the incident 'is not being treated as terrorism-related at this time' and that it was keeping an open mind about possible motives. Detective Superintendent Alex Bingley, of the Central West Command Unit which covers policing in Westminster, said: 'This was clearly a very distressing incident for the woman involved and officers have spent time with her, whilst she was being treated for her injury, to get an account of what happened. The man who carried out the attack sprinted away as he was chased by members of the public - but he has not been caught 'We know that this assault was witnessed by a number of people, many of whom captured it on their phones. I would ask them, if they have not already done so, to contact police. 'We remain in the early stages of our investigation and are working hard to trace the person responsible.' DS Bingley also asked people not to 'speculate on the motive for the attack until we have established the full facts'. Footage shared on social media showed someone dressed in black approaching Ms Tash who was wearing a Charlie Hebdo T-shirt. Ms Tash claims police officers pressured her not to talk to broadcast media, before she did an interview with GB News Ms Tash was later seen clutching her right hand close to her body and with what appeared to be blood at her temple as she was helped into a police van by officers who were nearby. No arrests have been made and a knife was found near the scene of the attack. Twelve members of staff at the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo were gunned down in January 2015 by two brothers who vowed allegiance to Al Qaeda. The gunmen said they were taking revenge for the magazine's publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that many Muslims find offensive. Ms Tash has previously been attacked for piercing holes through the Quran and waving a cartoon image of the Prophet Mohammed depicted as a crying baby. DCCI Ministries states on its website: 'Our motivation is a love for Muslims to bring them to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ in order to attain eternal life.' Speakers' Corner is a historic place for open-air debate, where people have gathered at Speakers' Corner since the 1860s to exercise their right to free speech. Ms Tash was interviewed by GB News on Wednesday, having been escorted to the studios by police from Paddington station Historic figures such as Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin and George Orwell are all known to have visited to discuss the issues of the day. In recent years, topics such as Islamic fundamentalism have often featured in the debates which normally take place on Sundays. Anyone with information about Sunday's incident is asked to contact Scotland Yard via 101 or @MetCC quoting reference Cad 4376/25Jul. To remain anonymous, witnesses can instead call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 An ex-Royal Navy gunner dubbed the Brighton cat killer has been jailed for more than five years after being found guilty of killing nine cats and maiming seven more during a nine-month campaign of cruelty. Steve Bouquet, 54, approached the pets close to their homes and began to show them affection before launching his attacks in East Sussex. The cats that greeted the shopping centre security guard were left to die after he pulled out a knife and stabbed them with 'force'. Bouquet's killing spree brought fear to pet owners across the seaside resort who were too scared to let their cats out. Between October 2018 and June 2019, Bouquet stabbed at least 16 pet cats, killing nine and seriously injuring seven. He was only caught after the owner of one killed cat set up CCTV overlooking the alleyway outside his house and caught him attacking his final victim. Pet owners broke down in tears today at Hove Crown Court while reading statements about the impact of their beloved pets' deaths. Steve Bouquet (pictured above), 54, approached the pets close to their homes and began to show them affection before launching his attacks in Brighton, East Sussex Claire Taylor with her cat Merlin. Bouquet is thought to have killed other cats, including Merlin, but this allegation was not added to the charges as there was not enough evidence to prosecute How a single mistake led to the unmasking of the Brighton cat killer Police spent months chasing after a faceless and nameless cat killer who was finally exposed after he made a single mistake, prosecutors say. Security guard Steve Bouquet was able to move through the city of Brighton undetected, preying on cats in a gruesome spree that left nine of the creatures dead and others injured. As well as leaving owners traumatised at finding their beloved pets bleeding on their doorsteps, the string of attacks prompted fear and confusion in the East Sussex city. In the end, it was a CCTV camera set up by one such owner that captured Bouquet on video - evidence prosecutors say was 'pivotal' in finally bringing the bloody campaign to an end. Convicted at trial of 16 offences of criminal damage and possession of a knife, 54-year-old Bouquet was jailed for five years and three months at Hove Crown Court on Friday. District crown prosecutor Sally Lakin said the case was 'highly unusual' with cats being attacked at a rate she had never seen before. She said: 'When we deal with cases that concern injuries or death to animals it's usually the actual owner being responsible for inflicting suffering on their own animal, but of course this was a very different case. 'Steve Bouquet preyed on a large number of cats from his local area and inflicted horrendous harm and suffering on them and a great deal of trauma to their owners, who ultimately discovered their cats injured.' Ms Lakin said Bouquet 'certainly wouldn't have been caught so quickly' had it not been for the CCTV which appeared to capture one of his attacks on camera. Even so, with so many incidents it took police and the CPS 'well over a year' to investigate and authorise charges. After arresting Bouquet, police were able to use mobile phone data to link his movements to many of the attacks. But even now, nearly three years after the first attack in October 2018, the motives behind his offending remain a mystery. Ms Lakin added: 'I think it's a shame for the owners of the cats that they don't know why he did it. 'It's such an unusual offence and extremely traumatic. 'You could guess all day long as to why somebody would do something so heinous.' With Bouquet now facing a prison sentence of five years and three months, Ms Lakin says she hopes the convictions give the owners and the wider community 'some peace and comfort' and stressed that offending of this type is 'extremely rare'. Advertisement Emma O'Sullivan, whose cat Gizmo was killed, wept as she told the court: 'I miss Gizmo every day. After it happened it could not sleep. I spent many months in therapy working through what had happened. 'I'll miss her for the rest of my life. She was such a friendly and loving cat who loved sitting outside the house getting petted by people walking past.' Katherine Mattock, owner of Alan, said: 'This was a murder of innocent and much-loved cat called Alan. Alan was my family. He made my house a home. 'One minute he was running round the kitchen then next he was dead, covered in blood. 'He had an innocent and playful nature. It was dreadful to think he went to a stranger for a stroke and then got a stab instead. In the immediate time after his death meant I had to have medication to sleep. Law is not fit for purpose.' Lucy Kenward, who spent 5,000 on veterinary treatment trying to save her cat Cosmo, broke down in tears as she recalled the horrific killing. She said: 'I thought he may be injured, get hit by a car, get into a fight with other cats but I never expected him to be stabbed by a person.' Andrea Williams, whose pet Wheatley was injured and then later died, said her cat was a Maine coon. 'Our cat was famous in Brighton, a feline celebrity. People went out of their way to come and talk to him. He showed us so much love. I still wake up in the small hours thinking of him and crying. 'We had a murderer walking the streets with a knife with an intent to kill.' She said she developed 'acute paranoia' and mental health suffered as a result. Bouquet, who authorities fear could be responsible for over 30 cat attacks in the city, was charged with 16 offences of criminal damage because, under current legislation, cats and other animals are deemed to be property. But Chief Superintendent Nick May, divisional commander for Brighton and Hove, today tried to calm fears that Bouquet was killing other pets around the country, after a series of dead animals were discovered around the South East - dubbed the Croydon Cat Killer. He added that Bouquet rarely left Brighton and all the attacks occurred only a short distance from his home. CSI May said: 'There is no indication to suggest that Bouquet is involved in any other incidents relating to the killing or injuring of cats elsewhere in the country - indeed, evidence suggests that he rarely leaves Brighton. 'There are no indications that there is any other person in Brighton and Hove causing harm to cats and we are not looking for anyone else involved in this type of criminality. 'However, we understand the considerable public interest in this case and we are sharing our learning with the National Crime Agency and with other forces who have experienced similar incidents.' Meanwhile, in a video released by police today, Bouquet said cats have 'always been friendly to him'. He added: 'I'm no threat to animals'. Responding to a question on whether he likes cats, Bouquet said: 'They come up to me and I give them a stroke and send them on their way. 'I have no issues with cats, dogs or anything like that.' He failed to appear at court for his trial last month, and was tried and convicted in his absence of all 16 counts of criminal damage and the possession of a bladed article. Police eventually apprehended him after a tip off from a member of the public who saw him drinking and behaving oddly at a park in Brighton. Sentencing, Judge Jeremy Gold QC said the crimes were 'appalling' and the impact on the owners and their families was 'considerable and grave'. 'No explanation for your behaviour has been put forward but no sensible explanation could be advanced.' He jailed Bouquet for five years for the cat killings, three months for possession of the knife to be served concurrently and three months for failing to answer bail to be served consecutively - a total sentence of five years and three months. Between October 2018 and June 2019, Bouquet stabbed at least 16 pet cats across the seaside resort, killing nine and seriously injuring seven Stewart and Agathe pictured with Hendrix, a nine-month-old black kitten, who was killed on the narrow passageway linking Church Street and North Road in Brighton Lucy Kenward, who spent 5,000 on veterinary treatment trying to save her cat Cosmo (pictured), broke down in tears as she recalled the horrific killing 'Animals have always been friendly to me': Brighton cat killer's police interview in full In a video released by police, Steve Bouquet said cats have 'always been friendly to him'. He added: 'I'm no threat to animals'. Here is the transcript between Bouquet and the interviewer in full. For what we're talking about, do you like cats? Yeah, yeah. They've always been friendly to me and I'm no threat to animals. If you put yourself over as a threat then they'll bite, scratch and do whatever you like. They come up to me and I give them a stroke and send them on their way. I have no issues with cats, dogs or anything like that. How would you send them on their way? Well I'd just walk off. Oh you mean you..? Yeah. I'll give them a quick pat like away you go [chuckles]. Advertisement The court heard the attacks began in October 2019 with cats being indiscriminately stabbed in the street. Police were initially stumped for clues as more than a dozen cats were killed or maimed in horrific stabbings. For nine months owners were left terrified of letting their cats out of the front door in case they fell victim to the killer. A breakthrough in the search for the killer came when a CCTV system set up by an owner of a killed cat appeared to capture a fresh attack on camera, a court heard. Footage shows the moment Bouquet struck after stooping to stroke Hendrix, a nine-month-old black kitten, on the narrow passageway linking Church Street and North Road in Brighton. Bouquet can be seen taking something from his rucksack and then making a sudden jerk forwards, towards the cat who then flees into his house. Rowan Jenkins, prosecuting, said that in the footage Bouquet can be seen stopping and beginning to show affection to Hendrix. He told the jury: 'But as he goes he seems to take something from his rucksack and you will see a sudden jerk form the defendant's arm which is the moment he stabs Hendrix with force. 'Hendrix immediately gets to his feet and flees to his home. The defendant is seen to rearrange his rucksack and walks past the camera.' Hendrix was later found by his owners bleeding heavily from an apparent knife wound and he was rushed to a vet but sadly died of his injuries. When his owner, Stewart Montgomery, discovered his neighbour, Mr Levy, had a CCTV camera trained on the alleyway he approached him and the pair viewed the footage of the stabbing. The footage was instrumental in catching Bouquet, police said. Social media groups in the communities were also set up to help Sussex Police in bringing the killer to justice. Mr Jenkins said: 'He made a single mistake but that was all that was needed to expose him.' In a video released by police (pictured above), Bouquet said cats have 'always been friendly to him'. He added: 'I'm no threat to animals' Black cat Sammy, whose owner Jean Powell was among those who reported that their cats had fallen victim to a killer Samson, who was injured but survived. Authorities fear that Bouquet could be responsible for more than 30 cat attacks in the city Nancy, who belonged to Jeff Carter, was killed in March 2019. When police searched Bouquet's flat they found a knife stained with feline blood in his kitchen The cats Bouquet killed on his nine-month campaign of cruelty 1. Hannah, who belonged to Alan Levy in October 2018. 2. Tommy, who belonged to Carolyn Green in November 2018. 3. Alan, who belonged to Katherine Maddock in February 2019. 4. Nancy, who belonged to Jeff Carter in March 2019. 5. Gizmo, who belonged to Emma O'Sullivan in March 2019. 6. Hendrix, who belonged to Stewart Montgomery, in May 2019. 7. Kyo, who belonged to Paul Tofts in May 2019. 8. Ollie, who belonged to Suzanne McKenzie in May 2019. 9. Cosmo, who belonged to Lucy Kenward in June 2019. Advertisement Detective Inspector Chris Thompson said after the sentencing: 'We examined the footage and discovered that it had captured Bouquet stooping to stroke the cat before taking something from his rucksack and making a sudden jerk towards it. Hendrix fled, but he later sadly died from his injuries. 'This was to prove a turning point in our investigation as, for the first time, we had evidence of who was responsible. Two days later, on June 2, 2019, we arrested the suspect and in a search of his house found a knife with cat DNA on the blade and his DNA on the handle. 'We also found a number of images of live cats in various locations around the city and also one that showed a dead cat, Kyo that had been killed in May 2019. 'In interview, Bouquet told us how cats had always been friendly to him and he would often stroke them while he was walking.' Two days later, Mr Levy saw Bouquet walking past his house again on his live CCTV and immediately called police and officers who had been hunting the alleged cat killer for almost a year attended. They arrested him minutes later and after searching him they found a Leatherman multi-tool on him. The court heard Bouquet had several pictures of the cats he attacked, both alive and dead, on his phone. When police searched his flat they found a knife stained with feline blood in his kitchen. Phone data also placed him at or near the scene where the cats were attacked at almost the exact time. Judge Jeremy Gold QC described the attacks as very unpleasant and said they had a significant impact on the owners who relied on their cats for companionship and comfort. Nine pets died following vicious attacks with a knife or knives, the court heard. Hannah, Tommy, Alan, Nancy, Gizmo, Kyo, Ollie, Hendrix and Cosmo were all killed. Black cat Kyo (pictured), who belonged to Paul Tofts, was killed in May 2019. Sentencing, Judge Jeremy Gold QC said the crimes were 'appalling' Alan, who belonged to Katherine Maddock, was killed in February 2019. His owner told the court: 'Alan was my family. He made my house a home' A handout CCTV image issued by the Crown Prosecution Service showing Bouquet befriending a cat before going on to stab it Another seven animals - Wheatley, Alistair, Rigby, Gideon, Samson, Jasper and Maggie - survived, although Wheatley later died from his injuries. Ravi Dogra, defending, said Bouquet served in the Royal Navy for 22 years and may suffer from PTSD. The court heard he served in Northern Ireland and manned a gun post on a ship during service in Iraq. Mr Dogra said that Bouquet now has thyroid cancer which has spread to his liver and his lungs. Speaking after the sentencing Jayne Cioffi, Senior Crown Prosecutor for the CPS, said: 'None of us can comprehend what drove Bouquet to do this to family pets. 'His claims that it was simply chance that he was present at various times when the animals were attacked were rightly dismissed by the jury after being disproved by the investigation and prosecution work.' A Saudi Arabian judoka faced off against her Israeli opponent at the Tokyo Olympics today - defying pressure to follow the lead of two other Muslim athletes who boycotted their bouts. Tahani al-Qahtani fought against Raz Hershko in the women's 78kg category at Tokyo on Friday, before the pair clasped hands and raised them in the air as a show of solidary when the bout was over. Questions had swirled over whether the bout would go ahead after two Muslim athletes in the men's 73kg competition walked out rather than get in the ring with an Israeli opponent. Saudi Arabian judoka Tahani al-Qahtani stepped up to fight Israeli Raz Hershko in the women's 78kg even in Tokyo on Friday, defying pressure for a boycott After the bout the pair clasped hands and raised them in the air in a show of solidarity, after two Muslim athletes quit the men's contest rather than face an Israeli opponent A new Middle East: A judo match at the Olympics between Saudi Arabias judoka Tahani Alqahtani and Israeli Raz Hershko ended with a beautiful and historic moment when both athletes shook hands and hugged. For us, both are winners pic.twitter.com/5q0lWBmUIj StandWithUs (@StandWithUs) July 30, 2021 Algerian fighter Fethi Nourine was the first to quit after the competition draw meant he would have been forced to fight Israeli Tohar Butbul on his way to the medals. Nourine was first due to fight Mohamed Abdalrasool of Sudan, with the winner of that fight guaranteed to face Butbul because of the way the seeing system works. The Algerian quit the contest before even facing Abdalrasool, saying he didn't want to 'get my hands dirty' by risking a fight with the Israeli. Mohamed Abdalrasool, of Sudan, quit rather than face Israel's Tohar Butbul in the men's 73kg competition earlier this week It is the second time Nourine has quit a contest because Butbul was due to face him, saying it is part of a protest in solidarity with Palestinians. He was subsequently suspended by the Algerian Olympic Committee and judo's governing body, and send home from Tokyo. His withdrawal meant Abdalrasool progressed automatically to fight Butbul, but then he also withdrew from the contest. Abdalrasool never made the reasons for his withdrawal explicitly clear, though it is thought he also did not want to fight the Israeli. That left questions hanging over Al-Qahtani and Hershko's fight, which ultimately went ahead on Friday. Hershko won the bout by ippon - the judo equivalent of a knockout blow - after just one minute and 44 seconds. The pair bowed to one-another after the bout, before Hershko advanced across the ring and the two fighters shook hands. Hershko then lifted the Saudi's hand in the air in a show of mutual respect. Fethi Nourine of Algeria also withdrew from the judo contest after it emerged he might end up facing Israel's Butbul, saying it was a protest in solidarity with Palestinians Hershko defeated al-Qahtani by ippon after just a minute and 44 second, before being beaten in the next round by Japan's Akira Sone - who went on to win the gold In her next bout, Hershko face off against Japanese opponent Akira Sone who beat her by ippon after three minutes. Sone went on to claim gold in the event - Japan's ninth in judo alone - beating Idalys Ortiz of Cuba by ippon after almost nine minutes in the ring. Al-Qahtani's show of solidarity with Hershko comes amid shifting alliances in the Middle East, with a number of Muslim countries breaking with a decades-long boycott of the country by normalising relations. Traditionally, Islamic and particularly Arab Islamic countries have refused to deal with Israel until Palestinian people are granted their own state. But after talks spearheaded by the Trump administration, the UAE, Sudan, Morocco, and Bahrain all agreed to establish diplomatic relations and economic ties, including allowing flights between each-other's territory. Trump hinted at the time that Saudi Arabia was considering joining the initiative, and while this was publicly denied by Riyadh, it is thought that back-door diplomatic talks have been taking place between the pair. Former President Donald Trump has referred to some of the officers who fought the MAGA mob on January 6 as 'p***ies' and believes they're being exploited by his political enemies, a new report in The Daily Beast claims. The Beast reports that in private discussions this summer, the ex-president has told people close to him that the outspoken police officers seem 'broke[n]' by the events of January 6. Trump then suggested that they don't display the normal toughness associated with law enforcement officers who support the former president. Former President Donald Trump reportedly called some of the officers who responded to the January 6 Capitol riot 'p***ies' Officers (from left) Aquilino Gonell, Michael Fanone, Daniel Hodges and Harry Dunn are sworn in to testify Tuesday in front of the House select committee on the January 6 Capitol attack Three sources told The Beast that Trump has alleged that these police officers are allowing themselves to be used as political pawns by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi - or are Democrats themselves. The sources also said that Trump has expressed pity for the police officers - but because he believes they're being exploited by the Democrats. Among those Trump has spoken about is D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone, who testified Tuesday in front of the House's select committee on January 6. Even before Tuesday's testimony Fanone had become a face of the officers who had battled with Trump supporters on January 6. He went around the Capitol earlier this year with the mother and girlfriend of the late Officer Brian Sicknick, trying to pressure lawmakers into voting for legislation that would create a 9/11-style commission to probe January 6. U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn (left) hugs Washington Metropolitan Police Department Officer Michael Fanone (right) after Tuesday's House select committee hearing on the January 6 Capitol attack That effort died in the U.S. Senate thanks to a Republican-led filibuster. Pelosi then created the House-based January 6 select committee instead. On January 6, Fanone suffered a heart attack, concussion and traumatic brain injury as he was dragged outside by Trump supporters. He's since lashed out at Republican lawmakers who have tried to whitewash what happened that day. 'I feel like I went to hell and back to protect them and the people in this room, but too many are now telling me that hell doesn't exist or that hell isn't that bad,' he said during Tuesday's hearing. 'The indifference shown to my colleagues is disgraceful.' Other officers who testified Tuesday included U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, who recalled being called the N-word by the MAGA crowd. He testified that rioters told him 'nobody voted for Joe Biden.' 'I'm a law enforcement officer and I do my best to keep politics out of my job, but in this circumstance, I responded, "Well I voted for Joe Biden. Does my vote not count? Am I nobody?"' Dunn said his comment 'prompted a torrid of racial epithets.' 'One woman in a pink MAGA shirt yelled, "You hear that guys. This n****r voted for Joe Biden." Then the crowd, perhaps around 20 people, joined in screaming, "Boo, f***ing n****r.' 'No one had ever, ever called me a n****r while wearing the uniform of a Capitol Police officer,' Dunn said. Santos Rodriguez was killed in 1973 by a Dallas police officer playing Russian roulette The chief of the Dallas Police Department has apologized to the family of a 12-year-old Mexican American boy who was killed in 1973 by a police officer who shot him while playing Russian roulette in an attempt to force a confession. On July 24, 1973 Santos Rodriguez and his brother David were handcuffed in a police car when cop Darrell Cain shot Santos in the head while questioning over the theft of $8 from a gas station. Fingerprint evidence later would show no connection of the boys to the gas station robbery. Chief Eddie Garcia formally apologized to Bessie Rodriguez, Santos' 77-year-old mother, during a graveside memorial last weekend observing the 48th anniversary of Santos' murder. 'On behalf of the Dallas Police Department, as a father, I am sorry,' said Garcia, according to the Dallas Morning News. 'We are sorry that someone trusted to protect you, someone who wore the same uniform I proudly wear today took your son and took David's brother away by way of murder.' Chief Eddie Garcia formally apologized to Bessie Rodriguez, Santos' 77-year-old mother, during a graveside memorial last weekend observing the 48th anniversary of Santos' murder Chief Garcia and his officers stood along side Santos' mother Bessie at the ceremony Bessie Rodriguez, Santos' 77-year-old mother, has been attending the annual memorial ceremony since 2013, the 40th anniversary of the murder Flowers are seen at the grave of Santos Rodriguez at the ceremony last Saturday Cain, the Dallas cop who shot the 12-year-old, died in March 2019, the Dallas Morning News reported. He served only two-and-a-half years for the death. It marked the first time a Dallas police chief has publicly apologized for the murder, though last year then-Police Chief U. Renee Hall attended the memorial event, but she wasn't allowed to speak. Former Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings also gave an apology for the murder on behalf of the city of Dallas and the Dallas Police Department in 2013. At last Saturday's event, Garcia and Ms. Rodriguez stood together as the police chief laid a wreath of white carnations with a blue ribbon inscribed with Dallas Police Department at Santos' grave. She later told the Morning News that Garcia had been 'very respectful' and added 'I have to forgive to be forgiven.' In 1973, Santos was just 12 and living with his adoptive grandfather in Dallas while his mother served a five-year prison sentence for killing her boyfriend. Officers Cain and Roy Arnold responded to a call about a burglary at a gas station at around 2am. Darrell Lee Cain, pictured above, was sentenced to five years in prison for the shooting, but ended up serving only a two-and-a-half years. He died in 2019 Officer Cain seemed certain that Santos (right) and 13-year-old David (left) were the robbers in a gas station burglary and went to the boys' home to roust them Officers Cain and Roy Arnold responded to a call about a burglary at a gas station (above) at around 2am on July 24, 1973 Robbers had broken in through a window and stole $8 from this cigarette vending machine They claimed at the time that they didn't encounter any suspects, but Arnold was later fired after he admitted firing a 'warning shot' at someone fleeing the area. For reasons that are unclear, Cain seemed certain that Santos and 13-year-old David were the robbers and went to the boys' home to roust them, handcuffing them in their pajamas and placing them in the police car. Arnold was sitting in the driver's seat, with Cain in the seat behind him, and Santos sat in the front passenger seat with his brother David in the rear passenger seat behind him. Cain later testified that he believed he fully emptied his .357 Magnum revolver of bullets and planned to bluff the boys into confessing by pretending a bullet remained in the cylinder and playing Russian roulette with them. Cain spun the cylinder on his revolver and snapped it shut, then put the gun to Santos' head and demanded a confession in the gas station robbery, in which about $8 in change was stolen from a vending machine. The boy's final words were 'I am telling the truth.' Cain pulled the trigger, shooting Santos in the head. The boy was pronounced dead on arrival at a nearby hospital. A jury sentenced Cain, right, to five years in prison; he served only two-and-a-half years More than 5,000 community activists rallied in downtown Dallas on July 28, 1973, in protest of the murder of Santos Rodriguez A July, 28 1973 march after the death of Santos Rodriquez erupted in violence in downtown Dallas. Five police officers were hospitalized and nearly 40 people arrested An officer who retrieved Cain's gun afterward found 'five live rounds and one empty cartridge' in the revolver, according to court records. Most .357 Magnum cylinders have six chambers, and it appears the gun was fully loaded. Within hours of the shooting, Cain was suspended from the police force, and the following morning the police chief filed malice murder charges against him. The Dallas Morning News said a jury had been given the option of sentencing Cain to life behind bars. At trial, the jury found Cain guilty of murder with malice. He was sentenced to five years in prison, but only served the minimum of two and a half years before his release on good behavior. A Dallas County prosecutor said at the time, according to the Morning News, that if Santos Rodriguez had killed Cain, the jury would have 'thrown the book at him and locked him up and thrown away the key.' Cain settled eventually in West Texas where he had a family, the Morning News reported; he died in March 2019, nine days short of his 76th birthday. 'He concluded his career as an insurance claims adjuster where he enjoyed helping others when tragedy struck,' his obituary read, according to the Morning News. Fingerprint evidence from the gas station robbery later showed no connection to the Rodriguez brothers. Since 2013, marking 40 years since the murder, Santos' family and community members have held an annual memorial event by his grave on the anniversary of his death. At last weekend's event, Garcia embraced Rodriguez after issuing an apology for the department. 'We must apologize as a Police Department, a department made up of mothers, fathers, daughters and sons,' the chief said. Amanda Knox has slammed Matt Damon for 'profiting from her story without her consent' with his new movie Stillwater which is based 'loosely' on her time in Italian prison for the murder of Meredith Kercher. Stillwater is about an American girl imprisoned in France for a murder she says she didn't commit. Damon plays the girl's estranged father, an oil-rigger, who travels to Europe to help her. In an interview with Vanity Fair on Thursday, the film's director and co-screenwriter Tom McCarthy said the film was based on the 'Amanda Knox saga' somewhat but that he decided to 'leave the Amanda Knox case behind' and focus instead on the relationship between the girl and her father. Knox however says she should have been consulted at the very least about the plot. In a series of tweets on Thursday, Knox fumed that the makers of Stillwater who she says are taking advantage of her story without her consent and making money from it. She also joked that she was going to write a screenplay about a 'Damon-like character' committing a murder, and a movie director named 'Tim McClatchey' who is a 'Harvey Weinstein type'. ''Shouldn't bother Matt or Tom, right?' she said. Scroll down for video Amanda Knox fumed that the makers of Stillwater who she says are taking advantage of her story without her consent and making money from it. Stillwater is about an American girl imprisoned in France for a murder she says she didn't commit. Damon plays the girl's estranged father, an oil-rigger, who travels to Europe to help her. Knox fumed in a series of tweets on Thursday night that the movie profits from her story without compensating her and also 'fictionalizes away her innocence' 'Does my name belong to me? My face? What about my life? My story? Why does my name refer to events I had no hand in? I return to these questions because others continue to profit off my name, face, & story without my consent. 'Most recently, the film #STILLWATER,' she said. 'This new film by director Tom McCarthy, starring Matt Damon, is loosely based or directly inspired by the Amanda Knox saga, as Vanity Fair put it in a for-profit article promoting a for-profit film, neither of which I am affiliated with.' She went on to say it's not her fault she is constantly associated with Meredith's murder, and say: '#STILLWATER is by no means the first thing to rip off my story without my consent at the expense of my reputation. 'There was of course the terrible Lifetime movie that I sued them over, resulting in them cutting a dream sequence where I was depicted as killing Meredith.' She also fumed that the movie 'reinforces an image' of her as a 'guilty and untrustworthy person' because in the movie, the girl is involved in the murder. 'My screenplay idea. It's directly inspired by the life of Matt Damon. He's an actor, celebrity etc. Except I'm going to fictionalize everything around it and the Damon-like character is involved in a murder. 'He didn't plunge the knife per se, but he's definitely at fault somehow. Stillwater is about an American girl imprisoned in France for a murder she says she doesn't commit. Damon plays the girl's father. He is shown above with Abigail Breslin who plays his daughter Knox was convicted of murdering Meredith Kercher, a British exchange student, but had her conviction overturned British student Meredith Kercher was brutally murdered in Perugia in 2007 His name is Damien Matthews and he starred in the Jackson Burne films. 'He works with Tim McClatchy, who's a Harvey Weinstein type. It's loosely based on reality. 'Shouldn't bother Matt or Tom, right?' Knox invited Damon and McCarthy on her podcast to talk to her about the film and her decisions. Knox was imprisoned for the murder of Meredith Kercher, her British friend, in Perugia, Italy, in 2007. She had her conviction overturned in 2015 and returned to the US, where she has since written books and released a documentary about her experience. Rudy Guede was sentenced to 30 years in prison for Meredith's murder but upon appeal, had it reduced to 16 years. In 2017, he was released early and allowed to complete the remainder of his sentence on community sentence. He'll be completely free next year. Stillwater will be released today in theaters across the US. In his interview with Vanity Fair, McCarthy said: 'There were so many characters around the case that I really followed pretty closely. The film's cast including French actress Camille Cottin at the Cannes Film Festival this year 'But really the first thing that I took away from it was, what would that be like as an American student to go over [to Europe] for what should be one of the most exciting moments in a young-adult life and to find yourself in that tragedy? 'There were just so many layers to that story that kept anyone who was following pretty riveted. 'Who are the people that are visiting [her], and what are those relationships? Like, whats the story?' Neither Damon nor the film's makers have responded yet to Knox's criticism or her invitation to go on their podcast. The film was shown at the Cannes Film Festival this year where Damon said he'd gone to Oklahoma to immerse himself in the life of an oil-rigger to connect to the part. 'Being invited into their homes, into a backyard barbecue, a guitar comes out and they start singing church songs. It's a very specific place.. and very different to where I grew up. 'It was really eye-opening for me.' He said that he'd been able to connect to the role because he has kids too, but didn't mention Knox. 'Since I've had kids I feel like everything is a lot more available in my job, emotionally speaking.' Twitter has come under fire for locking the account of conservative commentator Dave Rubin over a post where he said COVID-19 vaccines aren't working as promised, officials want a federal mandate and booster shots are in the works. Rubin, whose new book is released today, tweeted Thursday evening that society should 'take a pause' amid the vaccine rollout. 'They want a federal vaccine mandate for vaccines which are clearly not working as promised just weeks ago,' he wrote. 'People are getting and transmitting Covid despite vax. Plus now they're prepping us for booster shots. A sane society would take a pause. We do not live in a sane society.' Twitter temporarily locked Rubin's account, determining that the post violated its policy on 'spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19.' He was informed by the social media giant that his account access would be fully restored in 12 hours if he removed the tweet. He did, but said it was 'against his better judgment.' The incident comes just weeks after Donald Trump launched a class action lawsuit against CEO Jack Dorsey, as well as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai claiming he is the victim of censorship by the tech giants. Twitter has come under fire for locking the account of conservative commentator Dave Rubin (above) over a post where he said COVID-19 vaccines aren't working as promised, officials want a federal mandate and booster shots are in the works Rubin, whose new book 'Don't Burn (Fill in the blank) is released today, tweeted Thursday evening that society should 'take a pause' amid the vaccine rollout Rubin and other conservative commentators hit out at Twitter over Thursday's action, slamming the power of 'Big Tech' and questioning what aspects of his original post were 'misleading' or 'potentially harmful'. The creator and host of political talk show The Rubin Report told Fox News his comments were all factual and accused Twitter of 'lying' with its claims he violated policy. 'Every single thing that I said in that tweet was true and this is a complete continuation of silencing any sort of dissent, anyone that questions the narrative is in a lot of trouble when it comes to Big Tech and we better fight it because we're running out of time,' he said. On Thursday, Joe Biden announced a series of new measures to try to boost vaccination rates, as infections continue to rise driven by the spread of the more contagious Delta variant. The president issued a new policy for federal government workers, requiring all staffers and on-site contractors to either get vaccinated or face strict protocols. These include weekly or twice weekly testing, wearing a face mask, social distancing from other employees and visitors and being subject to restrictions on official travel. Biden also would not rule out a national mandate, saying: 'It's still a question of whether the federal government can mandate the whole country. I don't know that yet.' Twitter temporarily locked Rubin's account, determining that the post violated its policy on 'spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19.' The Biden administration has termed the new spread of the virus a 'pandemic of the unvaccinated' as the vast majority of cases, deaths and hospitalizations are among people who have refused the shot. Now, 57 percent of Americans have had at least one dose while 49 percent are fully vaccinated, CDC data shows. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky warned Thursday that new research shows vaccinated people can spread the Delta variant just as much as unvaccinated people. Research shows, she said, that people infected with so-called breakthrough infections - where they become infected despite being vaccinated - of the new strain carry high amounts of the virus in the nose and throat making them just as contagious. Conservative activist and Parkland shooting survivor Kyle Kashuv also slammed the locking out of Rubin as 'insanity' and posted a screenshot of the original tweet on Twitter Health officials are expected to release the findings Friday as they explain the science behind their U-turn on face masks, recommending that vaccinated people wear face masks once more indoors in parts of the country with substantial COVID-19 transmission. An internal federal health document obtained by The Washington Post reported that the Delta variant was as infectious as chickenpox or Ebola - with each infected person passing the virus to eight or nine others, on average. The original lineage was about as transmissible as the common cold, with each infected person passing it to about two others, on average. Meanwhile, Pfizer said Wednesday it was looking into the possibility of a third booster shot to its two-dose vaccine, noting that the vaccine's power can reduce over time. Rubin pointed to both Pfizer's exploration of booster shots and the Post's report, telling Fox: 'I basically paraphrased what the president said today.' On Thursday, Joe Biden issued a new policy for federal workers to either get vaccinated or tested regularly and wouldn't rule out a national mandate The CDC said vaccinated people can spread Delta as much as unvaccinated and new research also showed the Delta variant was as infectious as chickenpox or Ebola - with each infected person passing the virus to eight or nine others, on average The political commentator repeated this assertion in a video posted on his new tech platform Locals.com. 'I have been locked out of Twitter for saying something completely 100 percent true,' he says in the video. Conservative activist and Parkland shooting survivor Kyle Kashuv also slammed the locking out of Rubin as 'insanity' and posted a screenshot of the original tweet on Twitter. 'Insanity. Twitter just locked out @RubinReport. Everything he said was 100% ACCURATE,' he wrote. 'Another instance of Democrats and Big Tech working hand in hand to censor political dissidents...' Rubin said he bowed to Twitter's demands to delete the tweet rather than appeal against the social media giant's decision so that he could get full access back in time for Friday's book launch. However, he told Fox his decision went 'against my better judgment.' 'I would have preferred to stand up and fight them,' he said. Twitter did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment and clarification on which part of Rubin's tweet was 'misleading' or 'potentially harmful information.' The furor marks just the latest recent instance where Republicans and Big Tech have gone to war. On July 7, Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against Twitter, Google and Facebook and their CEOs, claiming to be the victim of censorship. The former president said he had brought the suit on behalf of victims of 'cancel culture' and demanded the end of 'shadow banning' and 'blacklisting.' 'In addition, we are asking the court to impose punitive damages on these social media giants,' he said. 'We're going to hold big tech very accountable.' Trump will serve as the lead plaintiff in the suit, claiming he has been wrongfully censored, he added. His lawyers said they will argue that Congress has frequently pressured Big Tech to take action on conservatives, making them 'agents of government' and therefore subject to the First Amendment. The legal moves are backed by the America First Policy Institute, a non-profit that includes several former senior administration officials. Donald Trump announced class action lawsuits against Twitter, Facebook Google and their chief executives July 7 (above) The two tweets that got Trump banned by Twitter. The social media platform said the comments fell foul of its Glorification of Violence Policy Trump was suspended from his social media accounts back in January after a mob of his supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6 in a violent riot that left five dead. Rather than condemn the violence, Trump wrote on January 8 that his supporters were 'great American patriots' who 'will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form.' Twitter banned him indefinitely two days later, citing his 'glorification of violence.' 'After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,' the company said at the time. Trump tried to get around the ban in the hours that followed by addressing his supporters through other people's accounts. This led to several others also being suspended. Pictured: mugshot of Johnathan Rossmoine, 36, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to having sexual relations with a minor in Hernando County A man managed to live in his underage girlfriends closet for weeks, police said, secretly dashing out occasionally to have sex with the 15-year-old girl all while her parents were living in the house. Authorities in Florida were amazed he was able to remain undetected for so long, slipping in and out of the girl's closet whenever her parents would leave the house for work. Johnathan Lee Rossmoine was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to having sex with a minor, who he had met through the online virtual reality app VRChat, which uses avatars in place of actual photographs. The girl had told investigators that Rossmoine was her boyfriend and that she initially told him she was 18 before admitting she was only 15 when they met in person, according to authorities. However, he did not attempt to end the relationship upon learning of her actual age, according to authorities. Fox 13 reports that deputies with the Hernando County Sheriffs Office responded to a bizarre call at a home in Spring Hill in September 2020. The parents of a teenager reported that they had found a man hiding in their child's bedroom. Police went upstairs and discovered the 36-year-old still in the closet. Rossmoine told investigators he met the underage girl through the online app VR Chat (pictured) which uses virtual avatars Rossmoine was arrested and booked at the Hernando County District Court (pictured) back in Sept 2020 A spokesman for Hernando County Sheriff's Office told Mail Online that 'children have too much free time... their online activities are not monitored by their parents' The outlet says Rossmoine told deputies he had driven from his home state of Louisiana to Spring Hill, Florida, several times to have sex with the 15-year-old. Police said he told them he had been living off and on in the teen's bedroom since August 2020, but had been there steadily in the weeks before they found him. He would hide in the closet when the victim's parents were home, only coming out when they left for work, according to HCSO. 'Although the specifics of this case were somewhat unusual, the basics are not. All too often children have too much free time, and their online activities are not monitored by their parents,' Hernando County Police Department spokesman Michael Terry told Mail Online. The platform allows users to interact with others using 3D avatars. Investigators say on several occasions Rossmoine drove from Louisiana to Spring Hill to have sex with the victim. 'Adults who are communicating with children via social media for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity need to understand they will spend many years behind bars when caught.' Rossmoine said there were numerous sexual encounters in his van, which was parked close to the victim's house. He was charged with four counts of lewd and lascivious behavior with a victim between the ages of 12 and 16, obscene communication, and traveling to meet after using a computer to lure a child. In addition to the 15-year sentence, Rossmoine will receive 10 years of sex offender probation upon his release and be required to report as a sexual offender for life. An angry Tasmanian has sent a huge bill to his local council for using his land for a footpath, a bench, network pits and power poles. Burnie resident, Michele 'Mike' Mauceri sent the City Council a invoice for $174,713 on May 27 - $208 per day since he moved into his house in February 2019. Although the public bench and footpath were already there when he moved in, TasNetworks and Telstra pits and poles were installed in December 2019 without notice. Mr Mauceri said the new infrastructure blocked him from using his own driveway. Mike Mauceri sent an invoice to the Burnie City Council, for $208 a day since he moved in to his property (pictured) in February 2019 for usage of a footpath and bench within his property When the 62-year-old had a surveyor peg out his property, he discovered the structures were within his land, but not on his land title when he purchased the property. 'I've made an assumption of the amount of land occupied by the council, with the amount of money I could have made on car parking (in that space). It's an estimate,' Mr Mauceri told news.com.au. '$1 an hour for X amount of cars. That's how I came up with that figure.' Mr Mauceri purchased the 2,671sqm block and was hoping to turn it into a bed and breakfast, but council hasn't allowed his plans to go ahead. He said they had not even replied to him until he threatened to cut off the public footpath. 'I expect the council to say "look I know there's a problem. Let's sit down and work it out" but they totally refuse to do that,' Mr Maurceri told the ABC. The bench (pictured) and railings were already installed when Mr Mauceri bought the property in 2019 Pictured: The guardrail and public footpath which crosses onto Mr Mauceri's property As Mr Mauceri's property is on a busy road, his potential actions would have directed traffic in front of incoming cars, and this caught the attention of the council. While he didn't want to hurt anyone or cause any disruption, he said he was at his wit's end and wanted the problem resolved after being ignored by the council for over a year. He was then informed in a letter that his invoice would not be paid and that he should 'desist' from sending any more notices. He also received an invite to meet with council members, after they told him he had no legal right to block a public footpath, irrespective of where his land boundaries were located. The former Melbourne resident, who worked in hospitality and has extensively travelled, said that his normal $150,000 income had vanished due to the pandemic. Burnie City Council confirmed to ABC News that they had responded to Mr Mauceri, but were unable to give a public statement. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Mauceri and Burnie City Council for comment. Camera crews have captured the extraordinary moment the Governor of Rhode Island was branded a 'coward' by the mayor of Providence during a public spat at a news conference. Gov. Dan McKee was preparing to address a throng of reporters in the city on Wednesday, before he was heckled by Mayor Jorge Elorza, who was so fired up that he had to be held back by a security guard. 'Governor, this is too important for you to play the coward role on this,' Elorza yelled as he was held back from getting into McKee's face. 'You gotta face the community on this.' The men - who are both Democrats - have been clashing over a Providence Teachers Union contract. It's also been reported that Elorza is considering a bid to challenge McKee for the Governorship when he comes up for reelection next year. War of words: Gov Dan McKee (left) and Mayor Jorge Elorza (right) were seen talking on Wednesday before a security guard (center) was forced to intervene Passions running high: Mayor Elorza is seen after he was held back from confronting McKee McKee and Elorza have been at odds over the Providence Teachers Union contract for several months. The Union is set to vote Friday night on whether or not to ratify the contract -the contents of which have not been made fully available to the public. McKee announced earlier this month that the state had reached a deal with the Union, and he is pushing for the contract to be ratified. According to WJAR, the contract includes pay raises and a one-time $3,000 payment for the 1,900 union members. Elorza has previously pleaded with McKee and the Union for more transparency. 'All we're asking for today is to be able to evaluate whether it's transformational before it is signed,' Elorza stated earlier this month. McKee and Elorza are pictured after the clash on Wednesday. Elorza says he has no 'There's no need to make such an important decision in secret. There's no need to go forward without facing the community first.' He also told WLNE that he believes the contract 'protects adults at the expense of children'. 'This contract is going to govern our children's education for the next 50 and 60 years in the City of Providence... We only get one chance to do this right,' he stated. Elorza says he has no regrets about calling McKee a 'coward' in front of news cameras on Wednesday. 'Our ask is very simple and very basic," he told reporters. Meanwhile, McKee says he is 'taking the high road'. 'The Mayor making an issue out of this, it could be really disruptive and so I think it's important to take the high road on this one and I'll be as polite as I can be,' he stated. 'In the end, the goal is to help the students of Providence and the state is in control of those schools.' Meanwhile a spokesperson for the Rhode Island Department of Education said 'specific details [of the contract] will be shared upon ratification per an agreement between parties involved'. China has warned Britain is 'a bi*ch... asking for a beating' if British warships challenge Beijing's claim to the South China Sea. The HMS Queen Elizabeth and her carrier group arrived in the disputed waters on Thursday and are set to sail through Beijing's backyard alongside eight other vessels in a show of strength to Chinese President Xi Jingping. But Chinese state media has warned any move seen as a challenge to islands which Beijing lays claim to would mean Britain 'is being a bi*ch' and 'asking for a beating'. Editor-in-chief of the state-run Global Times Hu Xijin said China would 'make an example' of any British incursion into waters claimed by Beijing. 'US ships have repeatedly entered the 12-nautical-mile limit of Chinese islets in the South China Sea, and China has exercised maximum restraint,' he said. 'But it doesn't mean we will tolerate such provocations for long, and it definitely doesn't mean US allies can imitate Washington's dangerous acts.' 'To say it precisely, if the UK wants to play the role to coerce China in the South China Sea, then it is being a bitch. If it has any substantial move, it is asking for a beating,' Hu said. HMS Queen Elizabeth (front pictured earlier this week) has arrived in the South China Sea as Beijing threatens to 'expel' the British warships if they sail close to islands it lays claim to F-35 lightning stealth fighters are seen on the deck of Big Lizzie, with a warship of the Singapore navy in the background during joint drills earlier this week The UK strike group plans to carry out 'freedom of navigation' operations in the South China Sea as a rebuke to Beijing, which claims part of the waters as its own Beijing later toned down the warning, rewriting the line to warn Britain 'is demeaning itself' by trying to have a military presence in the South China Sea. Chinese state mouthpiece Global Times warned any 'real action' against China would mean British warships were 'looking for a defeat'. 'All other countries outside the region are advised to stay away from this confrontation to avoid "accidental injury"', it added. China also doubled down on threats to 'expel' British warships from parts of the Southern China Sea today, warning Beijing was 'likely to escalate' attempts to remove the vessels. Meanwhile a Chinese academic yesterday told state media that 'China welcomes friends with wine but deals with wolves with a shotgun'. The UK carrier strike group, spearheaded by HMS Queen Elizabeth, is currently on a round-the-world tour as part of her maiden deployment in what is believed to be the biggest show of British naval power to leave the UK in generations. Vessels have already sailed through the Mediterranean to the Red Sea via the Suez canal, then from Oman to India where the British ships took part in joint military exercises with the Indian Navy. Earlier this week, the group sailed via the Malacca Strait to Singapore where more joint drills were carried out, before heading north into the South China Sea. There, Queen Elizabeth, affectionately dubbed Big Lizzie, plans to carry out freedom of navigation operations designed as a rebuke to China which claims part of the sea as its own in violation of international treaties. The carrier also plans to sail through the Taiwan Strait in another move that is sure to anger authorities in Beijing. A member of the Royal Navy on board HMS Queen Elizabeth salutes at a passing warship of the Singapore navy during joint drilld HMS Kent, a Type 23 frigate, is shown resupplying from RFA Tidespring during military exercises in the South China Sea HMS Defender is shown at anchor alongside a ship of the Brunei navy during a visit to port as the UK's carrier group carries out exercises in the South China Sea Global Times reported on Tuesday that China will also be carrying out two separate sets of military drills in the sea at the same time, warning British vessels to stay away. An anonymous expert told the newspaper: 'While the Chinese military drills are not likely directly related to the UK warships, they show that the [navy] is at a high combat readiness. 'Just like US warships that intruded Chinese islands and reefs in the region, if UK vessels do the same, they will also be expelled.' A second anonymous expert added: 'The [navy] will closely monitor the UK warships' activities, stand ready to deal with any improper acts, and also see this as a chance for practice and for studying the UK's latest warships up close.' After sailing through the South China Sea, the carrier group will take part in Exercise Bersama Gold with Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. Its final stops will be in Japan and South Korea, ending a voyage of some 26,000 nautical miles which will have spanned some 40 countries. Following joint exercises with the navy of Singapore, Commodore Steve Moorhouse who leads the carrier group said: 'The Royal Navy has huge affection for Singapore based on our history together, but Singapore is also a beacon of enterprise in a region that is growing in strategic importance. 'The arrival of the Carrier Strike Group in Southeast Asia is a clear sign that the United Kingdom is ready to work with friends and partners, new and old, to strengthen the security and freedoms upon which we mutually depend. 'We are grateful to Singapore for supporting an important logistics stop for RFA Tidespring as the Carrier Strike Group continues our programme at sea. 'We look forward to working with Singapore again in the autumn for Exercise Bersama Gold, which marks the 50th Anniversary of the Five Power Defence Arrangements.' Big Lizzie (far left) has been sailing across the globe accompanied by ships that form the UK strike carrier group, in one of the largest concentrations of British naval power in a generation An American F-35 stealth fighter lands on the deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth during joint operations in the South China Sea Vigil was charged with eight counts of criminal sexual penetration of a minor, 12 counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor A New Mexico teacher is accused of emotionally blackmailing a then-15-year-old girl into daily sexual abuse for the almost a year. Elizabeth Vigil, 32, has been charged with eight counts of criminal sexual penetration of a minor, 12 counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The victim - who was 15 at the time of the alleged abuse in 2017 - told her therapist that the teacher threatened to kill herself if the girl stopped seeing her. According to police, Vigil told the student, a freshman, in April 2017 that she was attracted to her and asked the student if she would want to 'do sexual things.' Vigil then began assaulting the student almost every day, whenever she was able to be alone with her. The encounters were on school property at Aztec High School in Aztec, New Mexico - and at nearby San Juan park. Vigil told the student that she 'was in love with her and would kill herself if she left', so the student felt forced to engage in intimate acts during summer break, police said. Before the physical abuse began, the school told police that 'flirtatious' but 'not sexual' messages that were exchanged between Vigil and the student via Instagram were shown to the administration by the victim's parents, leading them to pull the student out of Vigil's class. It is unclear what subject Vigil taught, or how long she worked at Aztec High School. School officials could not be reached for comment. As the abuse continued into the student's sophomore year, Vigil began to talk to the student about their 'future' together and the possibility of being married, but the student said she 'exploded' and told Vigil she felt manipulated and emotionally blackmailed. After a final sexual encounter, the pair never spoke again. The student told police she 'repressed everything until 2019,' when she began seeing a school therapist. It is unclear which school she was attending at the time. Before their physical relationship began, Aztec High School administration had pulled the student from Vigil's class due to an exchange of Instagram messages that was 'flirtatious' but not 'sexual in nature.' The messages continued after the school's intervention, according to an affidavit, and the student told investigators that she felt Vigil 'was lying to her, manipulating her and emotionally blackmailing her to stay together.' The student had five 'breakdowns' in this timeframe, the affidavit said. Vigil told the student that she 'was in love with her and would kill herself if she left' - afraid that her teacher would actuate her suicidal words, the student continued to engage in intimate acts during summer break (pictured: Aztec High School) Aztec Superintendent Kevin Summers said the school's 'first priority is the safety of our students and community.' 'To this end, (Aztec Municipal Schools) has committed to full cooperation with State and Local authorities and has been engaged in conversations with the New Mexico Public Education Department's Professional Licensure Bureau.' This is the third accusation of felony sex crimes involving an Aztec High teacher since 2016. In 2016, a 22-year-old drama teacher at Aztec was arrested, accused of grooming then having sex with a 15-year-old student; these charges were quickly dropped due to insufficient evidence. Later, in 2018, math and ethics teacher James Coulter was convicted of felony criminal sexual contact with a minor after conducting relationships with multiple girls. Police began investigating Coulter in 2017 when their investigation into a school shooting in December led to the discovery of intimate messages between the teacher and one of two students who had been shot. On December 7 of that year, 21-year-old ex-student William Atchison shot two students dead with a Glock 9mm pistol, then himself when law enforcement arrived. Billionaire tech exes Mackenzie Scott - formerly MacKenzie Bezos - and Melinda French Gates teamed up to donate nearly $50million to fund gender-equality projects. Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos - who Forbes says is the richest person in the world at a value of over $200billion - has been criticized for years for not sharing his mega-wealth. The two philanthropists - along with the family foundation of billionaire Lynn Schusterman - awarded $10million each to four projects as part of the The Equality Cant Wait Challenge, a funding competition launched in June 2020 with the goal of expanding womens power and influence in the US. Two additional finalists were given $4million each for the projects, which were chosen from a pool of more than 500 proposals submitted from across the country. Melinda French Gates (left) and MacKenzie Scott, along with along with the family foundation of billionaire Lynn Schusterman - awarded $10million each to four projects as part of the The Equality Cant Wait Challenge and an additional $4million each to two finalists French Gates is going through a divorce with Bill Gates but they've had a long history of philanthropy and donations. They also started The Giving Pledge, which is a promise to give away at least half of their wealth Mackenzie Scott, who divorced Jeff Bezos (left) in 2019, is one of the co-signers of the pledge and has donated billions already Scott, who divorced Bezos in 2019, and French Gates, who's currently going through a divorce with Bill Gates, have a history of philanthropy and generous donations and signed The Giving Pledge, which was created by Bill and Melinda French Gates and is a promise to give away at least half of their wealth. Other cosigners include Steve and Jean Case; Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan; and Sara Blakely. Scott has a net worth of $61billion, and French Gates has a net worth of $3.2billion, according to Forbes. In a Medium post in December, Scott revealed she had given away $4.1 billion in the previous four months to hundreds of organizations in a bid to help those financially gutted by the COVID-19 pandemic. She had previously donated $1.68billion to 116 nonprofits, universities, community development groups and legal organizations in July 2020 as part of The Giving Pledge. Bezos has not signed The Giving Pledge to date and has given $1.5billion to charity - 0.7 percent of his wealth - according to a Tuesday report in Time magazine. Bezos, who went to space on July 19, has been criticized for years for not donating In the same story, Time reported that Bezos spent $5.5billion to fly to space on July 19 and ended up richer after his wealth reportedly increased by $13billion the day before because of a bump in Amazon's share price. Benjamin Soskis, who researches philanthropy for the Urban Institute, told Time magazine that Bezos' philanthropy 'is the weird tension between its scale and its strange lack of consequence.' 'Hes committed a large amount of money. But it still feels very, very half-baked,' Soskis said. An emotional Labour MP wept in court after today being cleared of housing fraud after she blamed her 'hard-drinking' ex-husband for making bids for council properties behind her back. Apsana Begum, 31, was on trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court in London for three counts of dishonestly failing to disclose information relating to her council housing application during three periods between January 2013 and March 2016. Tower Hamlets Council, which brought the prosecution, alleged that the cost to the local authority was 63,928, because someone else on the housing list had to be given accommodation elsewhere. She successfully gained a social housing tenancy in under four months, rather than the average three-year wait, due to her claims, a court heard. As jurors found the Poplar and Limehouse MP not guilty of all charges on Friday, she collapsed and wept in the dock. Speaking after her acquittal, Ms Begum claimed the 'malicious' case against her had caused 'great distress'. She said: 'As a survivor of domestic abuse facing these vexatious charges, the last 18 months of false accusations, online sexist, racist, and Islamophobic abuse, and threats to my safety, have been exceedingly difficult.' Her husband Ehtashamul Haque today denied the allegations made against him, saying their separation had been 'amicable' and that he and Begum had been in each other's company 'many times' since they separated. Labour MP Apsana Begum, 31, reads a statement outside court on Friday after she collapsed and wept in the dock at Snaresbrook Crown Court, London upon being cleared of all three charges of housing fraud Ms Begum said outside court today (pictured) that she felt she had been 'vindicated' after the jury found her not guilty Begum denied three counts of fraud dating between 18 January 2013 and 31 March 2016 and was cleared by the jury. She sobbed and fell to the floor as the not guilty verdict was announced this afternoon. Begum, who had been on trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court, later blamed her partner, local councillor Ehtashamul Haque, for making an application to Tower Hamlets Council in her name, it is claimed. She claimed she had twice fled from 'honour based' abuse at her family home in Woodstock Terrace, Poplar and then from her 'controlling' councillor husband Ehtashamul Haque, at St Bernard House, Toynbee Street, Whitechapel. Mr Haque denied the allegations made against him today, saying they came as a 'surprise' to him Mr Haque denied the allegations made against him today, saying they came as a 'surprise' to him. He said in a statement on Twitter today: 'I am aware that a number of serious allegations were made against me during this trial. At no point was I given an opportunity to respond to a number of false and defamatory accusations. 'I completely deny that at any stage I behaved inappropriately towards Aspana Begum during our marriage. 'These allegations come as a surprise to me as they are the first time I have heard Aspana make such accusations against me. Our separation a number of years ago was amicable and I have been in Aspana's company whilst campaigning for the Labour Party many times since.' Begum said Mr Haque was a heavy drinker while her brother believed she was possessed and read chapters of the Qur'an to her. She moved in him in June 2013 and no longer needed to apply for social housing but bids continued to be made on her account. Begum had split from her ex-husband partly due to his 'coercive and controlling behaviour' and reported him to police for harassing her, jurors heard. The MP, who won the east London seat of Poplar and Limehouse with a 28,904 majority in the general election in December 2019, contested 'malicious and false allegations' that she failed to tell the council that she was no longer living in overcrowded conditions when she made her claims. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn welcomed the not guilty verdict, writing on Twitter: 'Congratulations @ApsanaBegum; Always knew you to be a woman of amazing strength and fortitude and yet again that has been proven.' During the trial, the court heard Ms Begum had applied to go on the council's social housing register on July 22, 2011. She was placed on the priority housing list after claiming to be living in an 'overcrowded' three-bedroom house in Poplar with five members of her family and without her own room. Ms Begum, pictured previously leaving court wearing a purple face mask, was found not guilty of all charges on Friday Apsana Begum (left and right in court), the MP for Poplar and Limehouse in east London, claimed she was living in 'overcrowded conditions' with her family when she was in a four-bedroomed house, jurors heard However, the prosecution said the property in Woodstock Terrace had four bedrooms, according to both a housing application made by Begum's aunt in 2009 and a council tax form submitted by her mother in 2013. Prosecutor James Marsland said Ms Begum had deliberately lied about the number of bedrooms in order to move higher up the housing register and also failed to tell the council that by January 2013 there were only four people living at the address after her father died and her aunt moved out. Ms Begum maintained there had only ever been three bedrooms in the house and that she had never had her own bedroom while living there, and could not explain why her family members had said there were four bedrooms. She also said it was a period of turmoil during which she was struggling to come to terms with her father's death and her Bangladeshi-heritage family's disapproval of her relationship with her then-partner, Tower Hamlets councillor Ehtasham Haque. Mr Marsland said in November 2015, Mr Haque began harassing Begum and had threatened to kill himself. 'Ms Begum told police that she was currently staying with a female friend. 'Police heard that Mr Haque was following her. He was constantly calling and texting her. Jurors heard in November 2015, Begum returned to her family home. She was awarded the one-bedroom studio flat in March 2016. Begum informed police Mr Haque was harassing her in April 2016. Ms Begum's defence lawyer, Helen Law also claimed that the complaint which triggered the investigation of Begum, made in 2019 by Sayed Nahid Uddin - Mr Haque's brother-in-law - was 'false'. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted his support after the not guilty verdict was passed The MP, who won the east London seat of Poplar and Limehouse with a 28,904 majority in the general election in December 2019, contested the 'malicious and false allegations' In a statement provided after her acquittal, Ms Begum claimed the case against her had been driven by 'malicious intent' and had caused her 'great distress'. She said: 'I would like to say a sincere thank you to all my legal team and all those who have shown me solidarity, support and kindness. 'As a survivor of domestic abuse facing these vexatious charges, the last 18 months of false accusations, online sexist, racist, and Islamophobic abuse, and threats to my safety, have been exceedingly difficult.' She added: 'I will be consulting and considering how to follow up so that something like this doesn't happen again to anyone else.' The court heard Ms Begum left the property in May 2013 due to her family's growing hostility towards her desire to marry Mr Haque, who was seven years her senior and twice divorced. Giving evidence during the trial, an emotional Ms Begum said she had visited a police station to make a report about her brother following her to work and said she feared becoming the victim of honour-based violence. She told the court she returned home on the same day and was locked in the living room by her brother, who said he thought she should visit an imam because he believed she was 'possessed'. Ms Begum said she managed to call 999 and fled the house with only her handbag. Days later she was told to pick up her belongings, which had been put in black bin bags outside the house. Ms Begum and Mr Haque then were married in an Islamic ceremony before she moved in with him. Mr Marsland had argued Ms Begum had been fully aware of the housing register policies and the fact she was no longer eligible for social housing due to her experience working in the town mayor's office and then as a housing adviser for Tower Hamlets Homes. But Ms Law said her client had only worked at a low level in both jobs, mainly as a call handler, and had no special knowledge of the housing register. Begum was one of 26 new Labour MPs elected in 2019, winning her seat with a majority of nearly 30,000. A supporter of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Momentum, she has spoken in Parliament about the impact of coronavirus on ethnic minorities and sits on the Commons education committee. She is also notable for being the chair of an all-party committee on domestic abuse and violence and has spoken in the House of Commons about being a survivor. A Tower Hamlets spokesperson said in a statement: 'We have a duty to investigate any allegations of housing fraud in order to ensure public money is spent correctly and that those waiting on our housing register are treated fairly. 'After reviewing the evidence with the benefit of independent legal advice, it was found it to be strong enough to bring the matter to court where it was agreed there was a case to answer. 'We fully accept the verdict, that justice has run its course and that the matter is now closed.' Advertisement She was the first woman to drive around the world, travelling 75,000 miles across 43 countries in a Ford Model T when she was still a teenager. Idris Galcia Hall, from Winnipeg, Canada, was just 16 when, in 1922, she answered a newspaper advert asking for 'Brains, Beauty and Breeches - World Tour Offer For Lucky Young Woman Wanted to join an expedition!' The advert had been placed by Polish adventurer and inventor Captain Walter Wanderwell, whose real name was Valerian Johannes Piecynski. Impressed by her sense of adventure, the captain quickly signed her up after meeting her and gave her a stage name which stuck: Aloha Wanderwell. Aloha became the star of what became known as the Wanderwell Expedition and, during their magnificent tour through countries including Egypt and India, the pair fell in love. During the American leg of their expedition, the couple married after Wanderwell had divorced his first wife Nell and they went on to have two children, Nile and Valri. The innovative couple also released a documentary titled With Car And Camera Around the World, making them internationally acclaimed. But then tragedy struck when, in 1932, Captain Wanderwell was shot dead on his yacht in Long Beach, California, and his killer was never found. The main suspect who was dubbed the 'man in grey' by witnesses was acquitted by a jury. Aloha remarried the following year and continued her travels before passing away in California in June 1996. Her incredible life story has led to her gaining the nickname the 'female Indiana Jones'. Aloha Wanderwell, who was born Idris Galcia Hall, was the first woman to drive around the world, visiting 43 countries in a Ford Model-T when she was still a teenager She was just 16 when, in 1922, she answered a newspaper advert asking for 'Brains, Beauty and Breeches - World Tour Offer For Lucky Young Woman Wanted to join an expedition!' The advert had been placed by Polish adventurer and inventor Captain Walter Wanderwell (left), whose real name was Valerian Johannes Piecynski. Impressed by her sense of adventure, the captain quickly signed her up after meeting her and gave her her stage name. Above: The pair together Aloha saw Captain Wanderwell's newspaper advert when she was living in France with her mother and sister after the death of her father in the First World War. She applied for a position as secretary and driver for the ambitious expedition. Captain Wanderwell begun the expedition in 1919 in the hope of promoting world peace. He had previously been jailed in the US during the war, on suspicion of being a German spy. By the time Aloha answered the advert, he and his wife had already separated, although were not officially divorced. The Daily Mail reported in 1930 how Wanderwell had the idea for his world tour after seeing 'boys leaving college and wasting two or three years in making up their minds about what they wanted to do.' Whilst he spoke ten languages, Aloha spoke four, according to the report. Aloha quickly made herself indispensable, performing whatever tasks were needed. Their journey saw them go through France, newly-Fascist Italy, and into Germany which was grappling with the punitive reparations imposed on it as a result of its defeat in the war. Some of their best photos were taken in Egypt, where they camped at the foot of the Great Sphinx in the Valley of the Kings. They also drove into Palestine and through India. Aloha became the star of what became known as the Wanderwell Expedition and, during their magnificent tour through countries including Egypt and India, the pair fell in love even though the soldier was still married Aloha visited 43 countries on her first trip around the world, crossing war-torn Europe over several months Aloha saw Captain Wanderwell's newspaper advert when she was living in France with her mother and sister after the death of her father in the First World War. She applied for a position as secretary and driver for the ambitious expedition. Captain Wanderwell begun the expedition in 1919 in the hope of promoting world peace During the American leg of their expedition, the couple married after Wanderwell had divorced his first wife Nell and they went on to have two children, Nile and Valri. Above: Aloha is seen with Valri on the family's yacht, the Carma, after her husband had been murdered The couple's future plans were cut short when, in December 1932, Captwain Wanderwell was shot in the back on his boat. Above: Aloha waves as she sits on the bonnet of a car emblazoned with her husband's name A publicity photo shows a headshot of Aloha bearing a caption which reads: 'The World's Most Widely Travelled Girl' Aloha is seen on the Carma looking upset after her husband's shocking death. The main suspect who was dubbed the 'man in grey' by witnesses was acquitted by a jury. Aloha remarried the following year and continued her travels before passing away in California in June 1996 In East Africa, Aloha is said to have nearly died of thirst, whilst in the Islamic holy city of Mecca, she disguised herself as a man. After the tour and once they were married, Aloha and Captain Wanderwell continued their travels. They visited the Amazon basin and Aloha made another film, about the Bororo tribe in Brazil. It remains the earliest filmed record of the group. However, the couple's future plans were cut short when, in December 1932, Captwain Wanderwell was shot in the back on his boat, The Carma. A Daily Mail news report from the time notes how the 'noted traveller' was killed on his 'luxurious yacht'. Four of the boat's crew members told police that a 'stranger' went on board to see Captain Wanderwell, before the explorer's body was found in the cabin a few minutes later. A January 1930 edition of the Daily Mail describes how Aloha and Captain Wanderwell met. It then tells how they got married and 'continued their journey together' The couple's future plans were cut short when, in December 1932, Captwain Wanderwell was shot in the back on his boat, The Carma. A Daily Mail news report from the time notes how the 'noted traveller' was killed on his 'luxurious yacht' The stranger had by then 'disappeared'. Further reports reveal how the main suspect, William James Guy, from Cardiff, was dubbed the 'man in grey'. Aloha told investigators how Guy had joined the Wanderwells during a boat trip in South America, but was put ashore after trying to start a mutiny. The female explorer then told officers that he had reappeared in Hollywood and tried to strangle her husband. However, in 1933, Guy was acquitted at his murder trial after the jury decided that guests on the boat would not have been able to identify him due to the fact it was nighttime and that he had only been seen through a porthole. A witness also claimed that Guy had been at their home more than 30 miles away when the murder took place. Aloha went on to marry former cameraman Walter Baker and continued her career as an explorer and filmmaker. She passed away on June 4, 1996. Democratic swing vote, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, told Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer that she would not be staying in town through the August recess - as she already had vacation plans. On Friday, Politico's Playbook cited several unnamed Senate sources reporting that the Arizona Democrat told the party leader that she would not be sticking around to vote. That's problematic because Democrats need every single senator to get through a potential $3.5 trillion budget bill using reconciliation, and need to pass the bipartisan infrastructure deal. Democratic swing vote, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, told Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer that she would not be staying in town through the August recess, according to Politico's Playbook Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has floated keeping the Senate in session through a portion of August recess to get the infrastructure bill and the reconciliation bill through the upper chamber Schumer has floated that he might push off the start of August recess to get the votes through. Even before the vacation threat, Sinema has indicated she could derail the reconciliation bill. On Wednesday she said she doesn't support the $3.5 trillion pricetag. However on Thursday night, President Joe Biden said he believed Sinema would eventually vote for the package, which includes a number of 'human infrastructure' proposals the president has pitched. 'She's on board for passing if in fact she sees all the pieces of it. Thats why she allowed the budget to go forward,' Biden said. During the same brief Q&A with reporters, Biden said he wanted to see an immigration proposal tucked into the legislation. 'I think we should include in reconciliation the immigration proposal,' Biden said. 'My staff is putting out a message right now,' the president added. It will be up to the Senate parliamentarian to determine what can be included in the reconciliation bill, which can be passed by a majority vote, bypassing the 60-vote threshold needed to break a filibuster. Politico's Playbook also reported that Sinema is staying in Washington this weekend and skipping a ritzy wine retreat at Sonoma's MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa. Sinema's office has yet to respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment. At Friday's White House briefing, deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about Sinema's vacation threat. 'Look, I know that this has come up and I just want to be really clear about this and what she actually said,' Jean-Pierre said. Jean-Pierre then didn't directly address it. 'She is going to vote to proceed with the debate on the budget resolution. She expressed reservations about the top line, which she's been clearly clear about, and other senators have said the same,' she continued. 'But she's not standing in the way of moving this process forward.' Fully vaccinated Australians should be given immediate benefits to encourage more people to get the jab, an infectious diseases expert has said in response to Australia's new four-phase Covid-19 plan. Prime Minister Scott Morrison revealed the vaccination levels required for each stage on Friday afternoon after a marathon National Cabinet meeting with state premiers. For Australia to move out of the current stage into Phase B, 70 per cent of the eligible population will need to be fully vaccinated - a target the government aims to hit by December - followed by an 80 per cent threshold for Phase C. Under Phase B lockdowns would be possible but less likely, while Phase C only allows for 'highly targeted' shutdowns. Bans on overseas travel have been in place since March 2020 and are likely to continue into 2022 before Australia moves into Phase C. This third stage will see the lifting of all restrictions for vaccinated travellers, and no caps for vaccinated arrivals. The transition plan was met by a mixed response from Australians, with some predicting vaccination rates would soar as a result and others objecting to Mr Morrison's plan to introduce digital vaccination certificates. The Prime Minister said certificates for Apple and Android devices were 'days away' and would be used to allow vaccinated citizens from other countries to visit Australia and for Australians to have their vaccination status recognised overseas. 'Digital vaccination certificates for many nations will already be in place. Indeed for Australia, they will be in place,' he said. 'If you get vaccinated, there will be special rules that apply to you. Why? Because if you're vaccinated, you present less of a public health risk,' he said. But Professor Greg Dore, an infectious disease physician at Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital Sydney and an epidemiologist at the University of New South Wales' The Kirby Institute, said fully vaccinated Australians should be allowed to travel overseas now and quarantine at home when they returned. Scroll down for video Australians who are fully vaccinated should be allowed to travel overseas now for a holiday (pictured is a Sydney airport traveller) instead of having to wait until 2022, infectious diseases experts say. Bans on overseas travel have been in place since March 2020 Scott Morrison said certificates for Apple and Android devices were 'days away' and would be used to allow vaccinated citizens from other countries to visit Australia and for Australians to have their vaccination status recognised overseas 'You could exempt fully vaccinated individuals now,' Professor Dore told ABC Radio National broadcaster Patricia Karvelas on Friday afternoon. 'I don't have any problems with them going overseas now. 'I can't see the significant risk they provide for the community. 'They could come back into home quarantine, they're fully vaccinated. 'We've estimated the number of positive cases among fully vaccinated coming back would be something in the order of six to 12 per 10,000 returnees.' With fewer than one in five Australians fully vaccinated, Professor Dore said scrapping bans on overseas travel would encourage more people to get vaccinated as more Pfizer doses arrived. 'It incentivises vaccination,' he said. As of July 29, just 18.24 per cent of Australians 16 and over were fully vaccinated, having received two jabs of either AstraZeneca or Pfizer. But with one million doses now being administered a week, Professor Dore said a 70 per cent vaccination rate by the end of 2021 was achievable with the 80 per cent target set to be reached early next year. 'Vaccine hesitancy has fallen off a cliff. There's a sense of urgency,' he said. Mr Morrison on Friday declared 80 per cent of those aged 16 and over would have to be fully vaccinated against Covid before Australians were allowed to travel overseas again for a holiday Businessman and politician Clive Palmer led the criticism of Mr Morrison's plan to only lift some restrictions for the fully vaccinated, promising to challenge the proposal in court. 'I will commence a high court challenge to any vaccine passport Scott Morrison introduces. It's unconstitutional,' Mr Palmer said. But others endorsed the idea, with one supporter of the Prime Minister saying: 'Give those who are fully vaccinated total freedom and watch the vaccination rate soar.' Poll Do you agree that Australians who are fully vaccinated against Covid should be allowed to travel overseas now and home quarantine when they return? Yes No Unsure Do you agree that Australians who are fully vaccinated against Covid should be allowed to travel overseas now and home quarantine when they return? Yes 474 votes No 143 votes Unsure 22 votes Now share your opinion ABC 702 Sydney breakfast broadcaster Wendy Harmer sarcastically endorsed the four-phase plan. 'Yep, hitting those marks,' she tweeted, with a summary of Department of Health vaccination data from ABC News Breakfast host Michael Rowland. In another scathing tweet, she said: 'Um, PM hopes Phase B achieved by end of the year but 'we're not going to put timetables on it'. That's EXACTLY how you win Olympic Gold!' France on Monday introduced laws that will from early August require vaccine certificates or a negative Covid test result for anyone entering a public, indoor setting. Similar rules came into effect in Greece on July 16, stopping anyone being served at indoor restaurants, bars and cafes unless they could prove they had been immunised. A swathe of European nations including Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Denmark, Austria, Italy and Spain require proof of vaccination for customers to be served, or are at least planning to. Australia is currently in phase A of the plan which requires lockdowns 'straight away' to suppress Covid-19 to prevent thousands of infections and deaths Australia is currently in phase A of the plan which requires lockdowns 'straight away' to suppress Covid-19 to prevent thousands of infections and deaths. The New South Wales government has extended Sydney's lockdown until at least August 28, with the state on Friday recording 170 new cases despite even more severe restrictions on leaving home in eight council areas across the city's west and southwest. A state or territory can move to phase B when the national vaccination rate hits 70 per cent and the rate in that state also hits 70 per cent. Mr Morrison said he hopes this phase will be achieved before the end of the year but warned the timing 'is entirely up to how the nation responds to this challenge we're setting for ourselves'. ABC 702 Sydney breakfast broadcaster Wendy Harmer sarcastically endorsed the four-phase plan In another scathing tweet, she said: 'Um, PM hopes Phase B achieved by end of the year but 'we're not going to put timetables on it'. That's EXACTLY how you win Olympic Gold!' What are the four phases of opening up? A. Vaccinate, prepare and pilot (from July 14) Arrival caps cut in half to 3,035 a week; early, stringent and short lockdowns if outbreaks occur; trials of seven-day home quarantine for vaccinated arrivals in South Australia; medicare vaccination certificates available on apps like apple wallet B. Post vaccination phase (when 70 per cent are jabbed, expected late this year) Lockdowns less likely but possible'; vaccinated people face reduced restrictions; caps for unvaccinated arrivals increased; a larger cap for vaccinated arrivals with 'reduced quarantine requirements'; capped entry for students and economic visa holders C. Consolidation phase (when 80 per cent are jabbed, time not announced) Lifting all restrictions for outbound travel for vaccinated travellers; no caps for vaccinated arrivals; increased caps for students and visa holders; more travel bubbles being set up with countries such as Singapore; booster shots rolled out D. Final phase (percentage or time not announced) Uncapped arrivals for vaccinated people without any quarantine and uncapped arrivals for unvaccinated people with testing before departure and on arrival Advertisement Professor Greg Dore said scrapping bans on overseas travel would encourage more people to get vaccinated as more Pfizer doses arrived Phase B will make lockdowns 'less likely' and will give doubled-vaccinated people 'special rules' to allow them more freedom than Aussies who refuse a jab. A 'small working group' involving the Northern Territory, Victoria and Tasmania has been set up to determine which restrictions will not apply to the double-vaccinated. The Prime Minister warned that some localised lockdowns may be required in phase B but 'broad-based metropolitan-wide lockdowns' shutdowns will not be needed. 'Lockdowns in phase B are less likely, but they are possible... they may be necessary but they are not something that you would normally expect,' he said. 'Once we get into phase B, then the calculus does change and lockdowns do cost a lot. 'Where you have that higher level of protection then there is more discretion exercised. That's why that phase is referred to as less likely, but possible.' Mr Morrison said 'track, trace, isolate and quarantine remain very important parts of the program' in phase B. Lockdowns and state borders will be largely removed when 70 per cent of Australians over 16 are jabbed, Scott Morrison announced. He is pictured holding his four-stage plan Phase C begins when 80 per cent of adults are double-jabbed, allowing vaccinated Australians to travel overseas for any reason. Travel bubbles will be set up with safer countries such as Singapore to allow vaccinated travellers to fly in without quarantine. Mr Morrison said a country would be deemed safe if it has 'the same sort of vaccination levels as Australia'. The UK has already fully vaccinated 71.4 per cent of adults. Phase C will remove all domestic restrictions on double-jabbed Aussies and abolish caps on returning vaccinated Australians. There is no vaccination rate set for phase D, which will remove almost all rules except for testing of unvaccinated arrivals and quarantine for arrivals from 'high risk' places. 'It is too hard to say what the situation will be down the track,' Mr Morrison said. Phase B will increase the arrival cap for vaccinated Australians arriving from overseas - and allow 'reduced' quarantine requirements. Pictured: Sydney Airport before lockdown 'It will depend on the booster program, which we have ample vaccines for. 'But the durability and the proof of those vaccines over time, there are too many unknowns before we can understand life as normal, but that's certainly where we are heading.' The Prime Minister warned the plan is based on the Delta variant and is 'subject to change' if a new, more contagious variant comes along. The percentages were calculated by modelling experts at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity. Mr Morrison also took into account economic modelling by Treasury on the impact of lockdowns as well as the country's hospital capacity. On Thursday a record 210,742 Covid jabs were administered across the country. Phase C begins when 80 per cent of adults are double-jabbed, allowing vaccinated Australians to travel overseas for any reason. Pictured: Scott Morrison on Friday Earlier, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese slammed Mr Morrison for being 'too slow' to order vaccines last year and made four suggestions for speeding up the vaccine rollout. He said Australian officials should be calling the Americans and asking for any supplies they can spare, build MRNA vaccine production facilities faster, have more pop-up vaccine clinics and a better advertising campaign. In July 2020, the US ordered 200 million doses of Pfizer, the UK ordered 90 million and Canada ordered 20 million. But Australia didn't order any until November, when it requested just 10 million doses of the vaccine. In April, the Government increased the order to 20 million and doubled it to 40 million in June - but critics say this quantity should have been ordered far earlier. A high-ranking Sinaloa Cartel member who was the architect of tunnels linking Mexico to California was sentenced by a San Diego federal court on Wednesday. Jose Sanchez got 10 years and one month in prison for drug distribution conspiracy, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Known as El Senor de los Tuneles or The Man of the Tunnels, Sanchez admitted during a court hearing in December 2020 to masterminding the construction of various underground passages that allowed Joaquin El Chapo Guzmans transnational organization to smuggle drugs from Tijuana to San Diego. I promise I will not do anything illegal again, because the easy way to get money is usually the bad way to get it, he said during his court hearing. The 58-year-old told the government he planned, covered the costs and oversaw construction of the cross-border tunnels from 2010 to 2012. However, under the indictment and plea bargain agreement he was only found guilty of setting up two passageways. A San Diego federal court sentenced Jose Sanchez to 10 years and one month in prison during a court hearing Wednesday. Sanchez admitted to being the mastermind of the construction of various underground passages that allowed Joaquin El Chapo Guzmans transnational organization to smuggle drugs from Tijuana, Mexico to San Diego Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel was known for using underground passageways to smuggle drugs from Tijuana, Mexico to San Diego A secret tunnel connecting warehouses in Tijuana, Mexico and San Diego was discovered by authorities November 29, 2011. It was built by Jose Sanchez, a ranking member of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel Sanchez was arrested in Mexico in 2012 and served almost eight years in prison as his extradition played out. In January 2020, Sanchez was extradited to the United States, where he has been in custody for a year and a half. He could be released from jail in the coming months due to good behavior and because he spent years in prison in Mexico. He will likely be deported to Mexico after his release. A Mexican soldier patrols a tunnel discovered at a warehouse in Tijuana on Thanksgiving 2010. It spanned 612 yards and was equipped with rail tracks that linked it to a second building in the San Diego neighborhood of Otay Mesa A Mexican soldier walks through a trans-border tunnel - connecting two warehouses in Tijuana and San Diego - on November 30, 2011. The passageway was planned and financed by Jose Sanchez, a ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel, who was sentenced by a San Diego federal court Wednesday The first tunnel was discovered Thanksgiving 2010. It spanned 612 yards and was equipped with rail tracks that linked a warehouse in Tijuana to another in the San Diego neighborhood of Otay Mesa. On the Mexico side, it included a hydraulically controlled steel door and an elevator hidden under the warehouse floor. More than 22 tons of marijuana were removed from the San Diego warehouse by authorities. According to the indictment, the second tunnel was discovered November 29, 2011 in the same area. The underground passage stretched 600 yards between the United States-Mexico border, and led to the seizure of 32 tons of marijuana, including 26 tons that were confiscated on the San Diego side - one of the largest busts in U.S. history. View of a trans-border tunnel and wagons found in Tijuana, Mexico on November 29, 2011. The underground passage covered 600 yards between the United States-Mexico border and led to the seizure of 32 tons of marijuana, including 26 tons that were confiscated on the San Diego side - one of the largest busts in U.S. history. Authorities carry out the inspection of one of the two cross-border tunnels that Jose Sanchez was accused of building for the Sinaloa Cartel to smuggle marijuana from Tijuana, Mexico, to the San Diego neighborhood of Otay Mesa More than 54 tons of marijuana were recovered from two warehouses in San Diego that were connected to other ones in the Mexican border town of Tijuana Sanchez moved from Mexico to Los Angeles in his 20s and spent almost 20 years there, becoming a legal resident of the United States before he returned to his native country in 2005, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Sanchez reportedly oversaw the smuggling of drugs for the cartel in the Mexican states of Jalisco and Baja California. A multi-millionaire divorce lawyer was today ordered to hand her violent ex-husband 625,000 after losing a 'self-destructive' family court battle following their breakup. Sorour Bassiri-Dezfouli, 55, claimed her ex, Kianoosh Azarmi-Movafagh, 58, deserved 'nothing whatsoever' when they divorced following an 11-year marriage. As a London barrister and property owner, she had been the breadwinner, while her husband had been 'unemployed, having not worked independently throughout the marriage.' Sorour Bassiri-Dezfouli, 55, (left) claimed her ex, Kianoosh Azarmi-Movafagh, 58, (right) deserved 'nothing whatsoever' when they divorced following an 11-year marriage During their relationship, she had twice been subjected to domestic abuse, with a family court judge finding as a fact that her ex had been 'violent' towards her. At the High Court, she was ordered to hand him 625,000 to finalise their divorce, but was also allowed a 200,000 charge over his home, to cash in when he died or remarried. But Mr Azarmi-Movafagh appealed and today saw the charge wiped out by Court of Appeal judges in London. Ms Bassiri-Dezfouli had asked the court to also slash the sum she has to pay to 425,000, but three senior judges did not do so, meaning she has to stump up the full 625,000 to pay off his debts and allow him to buy a home. Breakdown of the 625,000 payment lawyer has to make to her violent ex 400,000 - To pay for a house 25,000 - To cover living expenses and a car 200,000 - For his legal costs Advertisement Giving judgment, Lady Justice King said the findings of domestic abuse did not justify Mr Azarmi-Movafagh being tied to his ex-wife, potentially for life, by the charge over his home. She said what should have been a straightforward divorce had been marked by what a High Court judge in 2019 called 'extreme positions and a degree of bitterness' betwen the former couple. 'The judge if anything understated the position - the degree of acrimony on both sides has been such that the parties embarked on a course of litigation which became an exercise in self-destruction,' she said. 'As a consequence, the costs have become so disproportionate relative to the assets that it is now hard to achieve an outcome in this uncomplicated needs case which will not leave each of the parties profoundly discontented.' The court heard Bassiri-Dezfouli, a London barrister whose specialisms include matrimonial money fights, and her ex met in March 2006 and married in an Islamic ceremony in 2006 and a civil marriage ceremony in March 2007. They lived together in a 727,000 home in upmarket Surbiton, south west London, until separating in December 2017. 'The marriage ended in December 2017 following two incidents of violence on the husband's part,' said the appeal judge. 'The husband was subsequently acquitted in criminal proceedings, but a finding was made on the balance of probabilities at the conclusion of a fact-finding hearing...that he had been violent to the wife.' Bassiri-Dezfouli had been the breadwinner, while her husband had been 'unemployed, having not worked independently throughout the marriage' The split led to a bitter court battle between the 'financially stronger' wife, who makes the bulk of her earnings through a 2.3m property portfolio, and the husband, who is dependent on universal credit payments. At an initial divorce hearing in 2019, she was ordered by Judge Richard Robinson to pay him a total of 625,000, made up of 400,000 for a house, 25,000 for expenses and a car, and 200,000 towards his legal costs of the divorce. The pair had already by then run up a combined court bill of 390,000, the court heard. But she challenged that and, in November 2019, Mrs Justice Judd altered the order to give Mrs Bassiri-Dezfouli a 200,000 charge over the property which her husband would buy. That could be cashed in if he died or started living with a new partner. Appealing against the grant of the charge over his home in May, Mr Azarmi-Movafagh's lawyers argued that neither party had wanted to be tied to the other. It produced a 'manifestly unjust' outcome to the case and appeared to have been partly justified by the judge's reference to the findings of domestic abuse against him. For the wife, barrister Sarah Phipps also appealed, arguing that as well as removing the charge over the husband's house, the amount Mrs Bassiri-Dezfouli has to pay should be cut by 200,000 as she should not have to pay his legal debts. The pair had already by then run up a combined court bill of 390,000, the Court of Appeal heard Giving judgment today, Lady Justice King - sitting with Lord Justice Moylan and Lord Justice Newey - allowed the husband's appeal and removed the 200,000 charge against the home he will buy with his payout. 'Whilst understanding entirely the desire of Mrs Justice Judd to achieve a result which she believed to represent a fairer outcome than that reached by Judge Robinson, in my view the order made by Judge Robinson, which allows the parties to achieve a clean break, cannot be regarded as being outside his wide discretion such that it was appropriate for his order to be altered on appeal. 'Further, Mrs Justice Judd was in error in making an order placing a charge on the husband's property without having heard submissions on the point and in circumstances where neither party sought such an outcome. 'I note that Mrs Justice Judd said that it was likely that she would make an order not wanted by either party, but that does not mean that such an order can be made without the parties having the opportunity to make submissions in respect of the same. 'For the reasons set out in this judgment, the findings of domestic abuse made against the husband do not justify making what would otherwise be an inappropriate order. 'It follows that, in my judgment, the appeal against the judge's order imposing a charge on the property the husband hopes to buy will, if my lords agree, be allowed.' All three judges agreed and Mr Azarmi-Movafagh's appeal against the charge on his home was allowed. The White House is struggling with its messaging on COVID vaccines after President Joe Biden said his administration is exploring a mandate but an adviser quickly walked that back. The confusion comes as the White House COVID team - consisting of adviser Jeffrey Zients, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky - have not briefed the public in over a week. Their last briefing was July 22nd. The trio have made individual appearances in the media and Walensky held a press conference on Tuesday, the day the CDC changed its mask guidelines to ask those fully-vaccinated in high infection areas to wear face masks again. But the changing guidelines and significant percentage of Americans still unvaccinated has led to questions about a national vaccine mandate. About 67% of eligible US residents have received at least one dose, and the rate of new vaccinations has fallen drastically since the spring. From a peak of 3.4 million shots per day in April, the number of daily new injections is down to around 600,000. About 60% of the country is fully vaccinated. President Joe Biden said his administration is exploring a vaccine mandate COVID adviser Jeff Zients quickly walked it back Biden said on Thursday it was still 'a question' as to whether a national vaccine mandate would be legal but said the Justice Department was looking into it. 'I had asked the Justice Department to determine whether that is -- they're able to do that legally, and they can. Local communities can do that. Local businesses can do that. It's still a question whether the federal government can mandate the whole country. I don't know that yet,' he said. But Zients went on CNN later that night to clarify the matter. He said the DoJ wasn't exploring a national mandate but whether employers can mandate the vaccine. 'That's not an authority that we're exploring at all. But I think what the president was referring to is his Justice Department has said that it is legal for employers to require vaccination,' he said. Biden also said on Thursday that areas with high vaccination rates do not need to wear masks if individuals are fully vaccinated - which is not quite the CDC guidelines. 'Like in my home state of Delaware, where I lived in New Castle County, where I was yesterday in Pennsylvania. Because people got vaccinated. They got vaccinated. They don't need a mask when the majority, the vast majority of the people got vaccinated,' the president said. But the CDC mask guidance is based on the level of transmission and COVID case rate in an area, not specifically the rate of vaccination. Some places with high vaccination rates, like Vermont, also have low levels of transmission. But other areas with high vaccination rates, like Washington D.C., has a high rate of transmission and is re-instituting face mask wearing for everyone. The messaging and confusion comes as more data is to be released on Friday to explain why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reissued its mask policy. On May 13 the American public was told they no longer needed to wear masks indoors if vaccinated. An internal federal health document obtained by The Washington Post claimed that the Delta variant was as infectious as chickenpox or Ebola - with each infected person passing the virus to eight or nine others, on average. That infectivity is known as R0. The original lineage was about as transmissible as the common cold, with each infected person passing it to about two others, on average. Walensky said that the new data coming out on Friday showed that vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant carry tremendous amounts of the virus in the nose and throat. 'I think people need to understand that we're not crying wolf here. This is serious,' she told CNN. She told The New York Times that the data suggest that even fully immunized people can be unwilling vectors for the virus - a change from the previously-held belief that vaccinated people were unlikely to increase the spread of COVID-19. COVID cases are on the rise in the United States, mainly due to the highly-contagious Delta variant. On Wednesday, the country recorded 68,771 new cases with a seven-day rolling average of 63,842, which is a 322 percent increase from the 15,126 average recorded three weeks ago. A suspect, who allegedy boasted with pals about gang-raping a 13-year-old Austrian schoolgirl who died in the attack, has been arrested. The teenager's lifeless body was dumped beside a road next to a tree after allegedly being raped by the four men. Austrian police say all four were immigrants from Afghanistan and arrested three, with an international manhunt carried out searching for the fourth. The suspect has now been arrested in London. Schoolgirl Leonie, 13, from the city of Wiener Neustadt near Austria's capital Vienna, was reported missing by her parents Melanie P, 40, and Hannes W, 39. A suspect, who boasted with pals about gang-raping a 13-year-old Austrian schoolgirl Leonie (pictured) who died in the attack, has been arrested Three days later, on June 26 in the morning, she was found dead on a road verge with her body leaned up against a tree. Austrian Police arrested two Afghan immigrants in June and a third one at the beginning of July, after they allegedly boasted about having wild sex with the child. They have now captured a fourth one in the city of London on Thursday. An 18-year-old was the first one to be caught by the police and was arrested while he was eating pizza in a local Italian restaurant on June 28. Austrian police say all four were immigrants from Afghanistan and arrested three, with an international manhunt carried out searching for the fourth. The suspect has now been arrested in London (Pictured: Leonie) The teenager's lifeless body was dumped beside a road next to a tree after being raped by the four men On the same day, a 16-year-old was arrested at a skating site on Danube Island, while a third alleged offender, 23, was caught several days later. According to a spokesperson from the public prosecutor's office, the fourth suspect who was reportedly aged 22, ran away and was searched for with an international arrest warrant issued by the Criminal Police Office of Austria (BK). Despite the investigators' suspicions that he fled to Italy, the man was found in a neighbourhood in London. Initial findings revealed that the schoolgirl from the Lower Austrian district of Tulln met the 22-year-old man and his 16-year-old friend at the Danube Canal in the city of Vienna where they all took ecstasy on June 25. Schoolgirl Leonie, 13, from the city of Wiener Neustadt near Austria's capital Vienna, was reported missing by her parents Melanie P, 40, and Hannes W, 39 Three days later, on June 26 in the morning, she was found dead on a road verge with her body leaned up against a tree The two suspects then took the girl to the 22-year-old's apartment located in Vienna's 22nd district named Donaustadt, where they were joined by the 18-year-old and 23-year-old. The men reportedly then gave Leonie more drugs to 'make her compliant' and then savagely raped her before rolling her body in a carpet and disposing it on the street around 330ft from the apartment. Reportedly, the men were busted after an acquaintance of theirs went to the police and revealed that one of them who was his friend told him what had happened in the apartment. The spokesperson did not reveal further details regarding the 22-year-old man's arrest but Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer told ORF that it was a tribute to the hard work of the detectives involved. Nehammer added: 'The interrogations will now show the escape route.' The investigation continues. Austrian Police arrested two Afghan immigrants in June and a third one at the beginning of July, after they allegedly boasted about having wild sex with the child Shocking cellphone video captured the moment a Venice Beach homeless man with his face painted screamed like a banshee as he attacked a rival with a stick during a three-man brawl while innocent bystanders walked past. The two-plus-minute video, posted on Twitter on Wednesday, captures the latest incident in the Los Angeles tourist hot spot that has been plagued by obscenities and violence among the homeless encampments. Two shirtless men, including the one with the stick, appear to be allies and gang up on a third man and beat him. The homeless man screaming like a banshee hits a man with a stick during a three-man brawl in Venice Beach in southern California The two-versus-one street fight starts. The two shirtless men in the photo appear to be allies The victim is thrown to the ground, punched and beaten with the stick The two shirtless men continue the assault until the lone wolf can get back to his feet The second man threw a flurry of punches during the three-man brawl The man with the stick is seen on the video crouching into a fighting stance and screaming at a rival while inching towards him with the stick held up high. A security guard tries to break up the fight before it happens, but the three men engage in a wild, two-versus-one street fight. They surrounded the lone wolf, and punches start flying before the brawl is momentarily blocked by passersby. Then the man who was by himself is seen and heard crashing to the concrete. He's repeatedly punched and wacked with the stick. He finally clamors to his feet, and the violence stops but tensions escalate as more people join in. Flanking the man with the stick, they surround the victim who puts his hands up in a boxer's stance. The man crouches with the stick at his side and screeches over and over again. The man crouches with the stick at his side and screeches over and over again The man with the stick is joined by several other aggressors. The victim is seen backpedaling while a security guard tries to deescalate the situation to no avail The victim is chased by the two shirtless men down the boardwalk The man with the stick is seen walking away after the fight ends The security guard tries to break up the battle but gets out of the way when the violence picks back up. The man who was by himself backpedals, but he's followed, and the man with the stick continues to screech and bangs on his chest. The victim turns to run and is chased down until sirens are heard in the background and they disperse. The video appears to cut out and resume later when police are seen talking to the two aggressors. No arrests were made. The fighting finally stops after they hear sirens and disperse. They're later seen talking to police but no arrests were made The Los Angeles sanitation services and the LAPD conducted a massive clean-up to remove homeless encampments from the Venice Beach boardwalk earlier this month. Less than a week later, new arrivals swarmed the area, and city officials promised they would return at the end of July to finish the job, but residents and shop owners say enough is enough, and tell DailyMail.com that the early July sweep was 'all for show'. Last Thursday, a naked homeless man was seen in a video holding his penis while smoking a cigarette in at 9am as groups of children were walking nearby, witnesses told DailyMail.com. People who have spoke to DailyMail.com said criticized the city for its inaction. Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin has come under fire for what many call a lack of leadership and a lack of concern for the residents of Venice. He tweeted about the clean-up efforts on July 12 Los Angeles County has seen the number of homeless double over the last decade from about 40,000 to about 80,000, according to the Los Angeles County Homeless Count. A group called the California Peace Coalition wrote a letter to Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva the same day as the fight - July 28 - saying the homeless, mental illness and open-air drug dealing on Venice Beach is a microcosm of what's happening across the state. In the letter, they requested to meet with Sheriff Villanueva and elected officials to find a resolution. On Friday, Villanueva tweeted the letter and said, 'Due to prior commitments, I am unable to meet today, but I would definitely like to schedule a day next week to discuss problem solving strategist with your representatives in order to address these problems and take action on real solutions.' A Louisiana millionaire has pleaded guilty to orchestrating a kidnapping plot against his ex-wife which unraveled when the men who he'd hired to take her drowned while trying to get away from police with her tied up in the back of their van. Lawrence Michael Handley, 53, a recovering alcoholic, sold his healthcare company for $21million in 2015, two years before he filed for divorce from his wife, Schanda. The pair both claimed that the other had tried to have them killed. In August 2017, two men - Sylvester Bracey and Arsenio Haynes - went to Schanda's home to kidnap her. They put a bag over her head, tied her up and threw her into the back of a van then set off. Handley had hired them while he was high on meth and cocaine, according to his lawyer. It's unclear why Handley wanted to kidnap his ex or if he intended to kill her. After placing Schanda in the back of their van at gunpoint, the two kidnappers drove away but they ran into traffic. Rather than wait it out, they drove up the shoulder of the road and attracted the attention of a deputy who started pursuing them. During the chase, they turned off the road and crashed into a swampy area. They then abandoned the van on foot, leaving Schanda tied up in the back, and as they ran, decided to jump into a canal where they later drowned. Lawrence Michael Handley, 53, plotted to have his ex-wife Schanda kidnapped in August 2017. Two men he hired went to her home, put a bag over her head and put her in the back of a van Sylvester Bracey and Arsenio Haynes both drowned trying to run away from police after crashing the van then deciding to flee on foot. They jumped into a canal and their bodies were found days later Their bodies were found two days later. Schanda was rescued by the deputies from the back of the van. Handley's attorney said he was high on methamphetamine and cocaine when he hatched the kidnapping plot Handley was arrested four days later after police tracked him down to a hotel. He had chartered a plane and had plans to leave the country. Since then, he has been in jail. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to multiple charges, claiming insanity, but in 2018 a judge deemed he was mentally competent to stand trial. On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree kidnapping and one count of attempted second-degree kidnapping as part of a plea deal. He now faces between 15 and 35 years behind bars. Before taking the plea deal, he was facing life in prison on an aggravated kidnapping charge. Handley made his fortune with companies that, among other things, sold vitamins. In 2015, he sold his group of recovery addiction centers which operated all over the South, for $21million. He himself is a recovering alcoholic, according to The Clarion Ledger, and as his marriage deteriorated, he started using drugs. Handley and Schanda married in 2006. It's unclear why their marriage fell apart but in 2017, multiple restraining orders were filed involving both of them. He alleged that she was trying to have him killed. His attorney told The New York Times that he was not thinking clearly when he plotted to have her kidnapped because he was high on methamphetamine and cocaine. 'It was certainly not logical thinking, but when youre doing a lot of meth and cocaine, I guess it seemed rational to him. 'It turned out to be a terrible decision,' Kevin Stockstill told The Times. She said he had 'lost his mind' on drugs. Handley is yet to be sentenced. Hunter Biden had a sharp message for his critics on Friday as he defended his overpriced paintings amid ethical concerns over the sales at his upcoming art show. The president's son addressed the controversy over his artwork - which is estimated to cost up to $500,000 a piece - in an interview with podcast Nota Bene this week. When asked about his response to the 'crazed narrative' surrounding his paintings, Hunter replied: 'Other than 'f**k 'em?' 'Yeah look, I never said what my art was going to cost or how much it would be priced at,' he continued. 'I'd be amazed if my art had sold for $10, just because the first time you ever go about it is the idea someone is attracted to your art, let alone that they would pay something for it.' Hunter Biden had a sharp message for his critics on Friday as he defended his overpriced paintings in an interview with podcast Nota Bene The president's son, 51, now has a studio for painting artworks he will display when he makes his controversial debut at a Manhattan gallery this fall Hunter, 51, a former lobbyist, has shifted his focus to the art world in recent years and is due to make his professional debut this fall at two exhibitions in Los Angeles and New York. But the shows have raised concerns among critics and ethics watchdogs who worry buyers willing to pay for the pricey paintings could do so to try and curry favor with the Biden administration and even the president himself. According to art dealer George Berges, who is selling his work, the paintings are expected to fetch anywhere from $75,000 for a piece on paper to half a million dollars for large-scale paintings - an eye-popping sum for someone with no formal art qualifications. But Hunter told podcast hosts Nate Freeman and Benjamin Godsill that the price of a work of art is 'completely subjective.' 'The value of an artist's work is not necessarily determined by the price,' he argued. 'The price is completely subjective and sometimes has nothing to do with anything other than the moment. 'What's probably the most overused example is if you tape a banana to the wall,' Hunter added, prompting laughter. 'But it means something. It means something to someone. Hunter Biden's artist profile on the Georges Berges Gallery website. He is set to debut his work at two exhibitions - one in Los Angeles and another in New York Would you pay half a million for a Hunter Biden original? The eye-popping prices have prompted some to accuse Hunter of trying to cash in on his proximity to power This oil on canvas painting by Hunter Biden is titled, 'St. Thomas' and is expected to be displayed at the exhibition this fall Pictured: Untitled painting on yupo by Hunter Biden. Art dealer George Berges, who is selling his work, said the Hunter's pieces are expected to fetch anywhere from $75,000 for a piece on paper to half a million dollars for large-scale painting 'I'm not saying that I would be as audacious or as presumptuous to tape a banana to the wall and try to sell it, but I think that I'm doing stuff. 'Or at least I spent a lot of time - as my brother would say focus on the beautiful things - I spent a lot of energy on this.' He also argued that if he were going to 'hatch' some sort of plan, 'it certainly wouldn't be to make paintings.' Earlier in the interview, Hunter admitted that his father's role in politics has been the 'unfair advantage of my whole life at different levels.' Georges Berges, the gallerist representing Hunter Biden 'It's a hell of a lot easier to get noticed not only by the cop who pulls you over for speeding, but also by the school or whatever the endeavor may be. Or the law firm, or the whatever,' he said. 'I don't do this lightly and I don't do this without the knowledge that there are so many incredible artists that never get the chance to find a gallery or to share their art with the world. He then took a jab at his conservative news stations criticizing his work, saying: 'Now I've gotten to share my art, not only with you guys and the people that I care about, but I also got to share it with the entire viewing audiences of Fox News, OANN, and Newsmax.' 'I think I'm the most famous artist in the MAGA world,' he added. The White House said it had established an arrangement that would allow Hunter to sell his artwork for tens of thousands of dollars without knowing the identity of the purchaser, an agreement established in attempt to avoid any potential ethical concerns surrounding his sales. Under the arrangement, a private art gallery owner will set prices for his work and will handle all bidding and sales, but will not share any information about buyers or prospective buyers with Hunter or anyone in the administration. But critics including George W. Bush's former ethics chief have cast doubt on the plan. 'It's going to be very clear with people in the know as to who buys Hunter Biden's art,' Richard Painter said on Fox. 'The question is, are the American people going to know? The White House should insist on complete transparency.' Walter Shaub, who was appointed by President Obama and led the Office of Government Ethics from 2013 to 2017, also blasted the arrangement in an interview with CBS News last week. 'Is Hunter Biden going to walk around the art show with a blindfold on?' Shaub sarcastically asked. 'It just goes to show you the focus isn't on government ethics. It's just showing the child of a president can cash in on the presidency.' A spokeswoman for Georges Berges Gallery - who are selling Hunter's paintings - confirmed last week that he will be in attendance at both of the exhibits. 'He's looking forward to it. It is like someone debuting in the world... of course he will be there,' spokeswoman Robin Davis told CBS News. Davis stated that everyone invited to the two art shows would be 'vetted' to make sure that they are 'appropriate''. The French island of La Reunion is going into lockdown after a surge of Covid cases driven by the arrival of new and more-infectious variants of the virus. Those living on the Indian ocean island, population 860,000, will be largely confined to their neighbourhoods from Saturday - unable to stray further than six miles from home during the day and under strict curfew between 6pm and 5am. The situation on La Reunion is being closely watched after Britain suggested it was the main reason why travellers from France are still being obliged to quarantine for 10 days on arrival in the country despite being on the travel amber list. But that position was hammered by Brittany Ferries, which runs passenger boats across the Channel, saying it is 'like France hammering British holidaymakers due to a Covid outbreak on the Falkland Islands.' La Reunion is suffering through an 'unprecedented' wave of Covid infections driven by the arrival of new and more-infectious variants of the virus Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab tried to clarify the reasoning to the BBC, saying it is not the distance that matters but the ease with which people can travel between parts of the territory. French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune also lambasted the British restrictions as 'discriminatory towards French people' and making 'no sense in terms of health policy'. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps was then sent out to clarify the policy, saying La Renuion's outbreak is not to blame and hinted that quarantine rules for French travellers may be relaxed. Whatever the case, it has drawn attention to La Reunion - a small island off the coast of Madagascar - which is suffering through a painful wave of new infections. Islanders were largely spared the first two waves of Covid but have seen cases spiral out of control following the arrival of new variants. The French island, located near Madagascar, was largely spared the worst ravages of Covid in 2020 but has been hit hard this year with lockdown now in effect La Reunion, which only reports case data once a week, was logging a little over 100 cases in each report it filed during January this year. But that rose sharply to more than 600 cases in February, as new and more-infectious variants such as Alpha - the one discovered in Kent - and Beta - the one found in South Africa - began to spread. The Delta variant - which originated in India and is more infectious than either Alpha or Beta - was then confirmed on the island in late June. Since then cases have rocketed even further, with 1,450 infections logged in a report on July 13. That prompted Jacques Billant, the prefect of La Reunion, to warn the island is now seeing 'unprecedented exponential growth' of the virus and that as many as 350 people out of every 100,000 inhabitants are now infected. To help control the spread he announced lockdown measures which will begin this week, including confining people to the areas around their homes as well as shutting cafes, restaurants and gyms for the next two weeks. Dominic Raab thrust La Reunion into the spotlight by suggesting it was to blame for French people having to quarantine in the UK, before Grant Shapps (right) shot him down As well as the spread of new variants, a slow vaccination campaign has left many of the island's residents vulnerable to infection. France is now prioritising medical staff and supplies for some of its overseas territories after many of them saw the Covid situation rapidly deteriorate. The French military has said it is sending 40-50 doctors and nurses to the Caribbean island of Martinique to fight a surge in cases. The number of positive cases in Martinique has swelled from 2,241 last week to 3,537, while the incidence rate has gone from 280 cases to 995 for every 100,000 people. Martinique, where only 15 percent of people are vaccinated, will also go into a three-week lockdown from Friday with only limited movements allowed in daytime and a curfew from 7:00 pm, said its prefect, Stanislas Cazelles. Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin today raised hopes of a breakthrough in the post-Brexit border row between the UK and the EU as he said he believes it is possible to 'iron out' problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol. Mr Martin said the 'potential exists' to resolve the issues that have arisen as a result of border checks being carried out in the Irish Sea. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland First Minister Paul Givan also struck an optimistic tone as he said he believes there is now a 'window of opportunity' for progress to be made. Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin today raised hopes of a breakthrough in the post-Brexit border row between the UK and the EU Northern Ireland First Minister Paul Givan also struck an optimistic tone as he said he believes there is now a 'window of opportunity' for progress to be made The protocol, agreed as part of the Brexit deal, was put in place to ensure there would be no hard border with Ireland. But it has instead effectively placed a trade barrier in the Irish Sea, causing disruption to the movement of goods and inflaming community tensions. The UK and the EU have been locked in talks for months to try to smooth the implementation of the protocol but progress has been slow and talks have been repeatedly hit by rows and threats of legal action. Mr Martin today said he believes the post-Brexit issues can be fixed if the 'political will' exists to do so. Speaking following a meeting of the North South Ministerial Council, he said: 'I think there are issues in the (Northern Ireland) Protocol that we can work together to try and resolve. 'The British Government and the European Union Commission are engaging in respect of dealing with those issues. 'The British Government has issued a command paper, the EU have responded, the EU has extended the grace periods. There has been a lot of work done over the last number of months. 'If the political will exists, I do believe that within the framework of the Withdrawal Agreement that the potential exists there to iron out and to resolve issues that have arisen in terms of the smooth implementation of the protocol and the resolution of those issues. 'Again, there's obviously more work to be done there, but there is engagement between the UK Government and European Union Commission.' Meanwhile, the DUP's Mr Givan said: 'What we have is a window of opportunity with the UK Government recognising the political, societal and economic harm that has been caused by that protocol. 'The European Union has now suspended its litigation and there's recognition that the protocol is causing harm, that there needs to be constructive engagement between the UK Government and the European Union. 'Obviously the Irish Government have a very important role in influencing how the European Union conducts its approach to addressing those issues.' The protocol has effectively placed a trade barrier in the Irish Sea, causing disruption to the movement of goods and inflaming community tensions The comments came after Downing Street this week dismissed proposals put forward by the EU to smooth the rollout of the protocol. Brussels published plans to simplify parts of the protocol and to remedy some of the issues associated with post-Brexit border checks. But Number 10 said the suggested measures, which focused on the movement of medicines and livestock, were the same as ones floated previously. Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, has already rejected Boris Johnson's demands to renegotiate major parts of the protocol. Republican Rep. Mo Brooks said in an interview this week that he wore 'body armor' to former President Donald Trump's rally on January 6 because he had been 'warned' of potential violence. 'I was warned on Monday that there might be risks associated with the next few days,' he told Slate for an interview published Wednesday night. 'And as a consequence of those warnings, I did not go to my condo. Instead, I slept on the floor of my office. And when I gave my speech at the Ellipse, I was wearing body armor.' Brooks, a Republican from Alabama, didn't specify who warned him or what 'risk' he had been warned about. Rep. Mo Brooks told Slate this week that he was wearing 'body armor' under the yellow jacket he wore to former President Donald Trump's 'Save America' rally on January 6 because he had been 'warned' about threats Brooks, an Alabama Republican, said rioters stormed the Capitol because they were upset over COVID-19 protocols, thought the election had been stolen or had 'a great love and respect for President Trump' He spoke of the clothing he sported to Trump's 'Save America' rally that day, which happened prior to the MAGA attack on Capitol Hill. 'Thats why I was wearing that nice little windbreaker,' the congressman said. 'To cover up the body armor.' Brooks also told Slate that the people who stormed the Capitol probably had a 'half-dozen different motivations that affected people in varying degrees.' One, he noted, was 'financial losses suffered because of the government's reaction to COVID-19.' Another was 'the belief that there was significant voter fraud and election theft activity.' And yet another was 'a great love and respect for President Trump.' He added that, 'It might be that some of them were just militant anarchists and saw this as an opportunity to infiltrate an otherwise peaceful protest and turn it into a riot.' This week at the House select committee on January 6th's first Congressional hearing, officers who responded to the MAGA riot testified about the brutality they faced and the name-calling, including the N-word being shouted at a black officer. At the 'Save America' rally, Brooks encouraged attendees to 'start taking names and kicking a**.' Brooks told Slate he didn't watch Tuesday's hearing. 'The purpose of that committee is not to discern the truth,' he said. 'The purpose is to create political propaganda that may be used in the elections in 2022 and perhaps 2024.' A father-of-five sent a heartbreaking text message to his fiancee saying he should have had the COVID-19 vaccine - just days before he succumbed to the deadly disease. Michael Freedy, 39, passed away Thursday at a hospital in his hometown of Las Vegas, less than two weeks after contracting the virus. Earlier this month, Freedy and his fiancee, Jessica DuPreeze, took a beach vacation to California with their five kids - aged between 17 and 17 months. After returning to Las Vegas, Freedy fell ill and went to hospital believing he was suffering from severe sunstroke. Doctors discovered his blood oxygen level was critically low and tested him for Covid, which returned a positive result. As his breathing deteriorated, Freedy texted DuPreeze saying: 'I should have gotten the damn vaccine.' He was later placed on a ventilator before he passed away. Speaking with KMOV on Friday, a heartbroken DuPreeze explained: 'We wanted to wait just one year from the release [of the vaccine] to see what effects people had, but there was never any intention to not get it'. She said that she has now had her first shot and will 'always regret' not making Freedy get immunized. 'He was only 39. Our babies now don't have a dad. You can't say I am young and it won't affect me because it will,' she told the news network. Michael Freedy, 39, passed away Thursday at a hospital in his hometown of Las Vegas, less than two weeks after contracting the virus Freedy is pictured with his fiancee Jessica DuPreeze and four of their five children DuPreeze sayshat she has now had her first shot and will 'always regret' not making Freedy get immunized. The couple are pictured together in happier times The tragic news comes as America's vaccination rates stall, despite the spread of the highly-contagious Delta variant. Less than half of Americans are fully vaccinated as of Friday, with 164 million people, or 49.4% of the total US population, having received both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or a single dose of the Johnson &Johnson jab. In the past week, the US has averaged just over 700,000 shots per day - far below the average of 4 million shots per day at the beginning of April. Even the surge of the Delta variant does not seem to be incentivizing unvaccinated Americans to get the vaccine. On Thursday, the US reported a whopping 95,000 new COVID cases - up from just 15,000 on the same day last month. Meanwhile, DuPreeze has defended her decision to go on vacation with Freedy and their kids on a GoFundMe account. 'It was to get the kids out of the heat advisory warning that Vegas had, but also because we actually had two days off in a row together. We went to the beach,' she stated, sharing a photo of Freedy holding their youngest son on the shore. DuPreeze continued to update the page as her partner's condition deteriorated, before she heartbreakingly disclosed he had died on Thursday. 'I was at the hospital visiting Mike and telling him all about our kids day and how everyone was pulling for him. His numbers crashed and they were not able to bring them back up,' she wrote. 'The love of my life, my rock, my everything. The father to my babies, is no longer with us. I dont know what to do.' DuPreeze defended her decision to go on vacation with Freedy and their kids on a GoFundMe page DuPreeze shared this selfie that Freedy took as he fought COVID in the ICU Republican resistance to House mask mandates has trickled down to the staff level, with unmasked GOP staffers pictured congregating in Capitol hallways playing 'water pong' in defiance of the latest order. About 100 'unmasked Republican staffers' could be seen at an end-of-the-day party inside the corridors of the Rayburn House Office building Thursday, in images posted by a Democratic staffer. According to an aide to Democratic Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia who Tweeted the image, the staffers were 'crammed together in a narrow hallway' on the second floor of the Rayburn building 'almost all unmasked.' 'Theyre playing water pong, they have corn hole, I even smelled a cigar,' wrote communications aide Aaron Fritschner on Twitter. Unmasked aides gathered in the House Rayburn Office Building and defied an indoor mask mandate Pre-congressional recess parties in the hallways where aides put on long hours aren't out of the ordinary although in this case the 20-something aides were taking a page from elected Republicans in skirting the latest mask guidance put out by the Capitol Physician and enforced by Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Lawmakers have their names posted outside their congressional offices. It came on a day a group of elected Republicans raged at the mandates on the House floor and defied them inside the building, even posing in the Capitol rotunda. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged fully vaccinated individuals 'wear a mask in public indoor settings if they are in an area of substantial or high transmission.' Staffers engaged in a game of corn hole as the House prepared to go on its annual August recess The party featured 'water pong' and corn hole, and red plastic cups but few signs of masks Aaron Fritschner, an aide to Virginia Democratic Rep. Don Beyer, posted the images. The post drew thousands of retweets The Capitol physician made different recommendations for the Senate, where substantially more senators have been vaccinated, than in the House, where fewer than half of elected Republicans said they had been vaccinated this spring. The staffers pictured in business dress could be seen lined up around rectangular tables with plastic cups filled with water in a recreation of 'beer pong' games at frats and house parties. The aides stood closely together. Some lobbed sacs down the marble hallways in a game of corn hole. Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert was one of the lawmakers seen not wearing a mask on the House floor Wednesday Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., walks through the Ohio Clock Corridor to the Senate chamber as a group of maskless Republican members of Congress made their way to the Senate in the Capitol on Thursday, July 29, 2021. The members were drawing attention to different mask rules on the House and Senate sides of the Capitol Conservative Republican lawmakers gathered in the rotunda to march to the Senate side of Capitol, which does not have a face mask policy Republicans in the House of Representatives on Thursday vowed to defy a requirement that visitors and staff wear masks inside the Capitol. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is seen above on Wednesday 'This institution is a sham, and we should adjourn and shut this place down,' fumed Rep. Chip Roy of Texas Thursday on the House floor Thursday as a maskless Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stood up to applaud. Roy and Greene were reportedly joined by more than a dozen members of the House in defying the mask mandate, including Republican lawmakers Lauren Boebert, Andy Biggs and Matt Gaetz. 'It's absolutely absurd what this body is doing, the people's house,' Roy yelled to his fellow lawmakers. 'While we've got thousands of people pouring across our border, and Democrats don't do a darn thing about it, heavily infected with COVID.' The Hill hall party action came on a day U.S. Capitol Police backed down and said they would ask people in the House not wearing a face mask to leave after Republican lawmakers blasted a memo that stated such individuals would be arrested. The agency did not specifically rule out arrests, but did say it should never come to that. 'Regarding the House mask rule, there is no reason it should ever come to someone being arrested. Anyone who does not follow the rule will be asked to wear a mask or leave the premises. The Department's requirement for officers to wear masks is for their health and safety,' US Capitol Police tweeted in a statement. A group of House conservative lawmakers gathered in the Capitol Rotunda without wearing face masks in one staged protest. 'Arrest us,' one shouted as their maskless staff recorded them to post the event to social media. The GOP lawmakers marched to the Senate side of the Capitol, which does not have a face mask requirement. Nearly 100 per cent of the Senate is vaccinated. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) told reporters they walked across the Capitol building 'for a taste of freedom.' DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Thursday that masks will be required indoors throughout the District, including for those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Advertisement RULES FOR TRAVELLING BETWEEN THE UK AND FRANCE, SPAIN AND GREECE France The UK is currently on Frances amber list. Unvaccinated (or not fully vaccinated) arrivals in France from countries on the French amber list will only be permitted to travel for essential reasons. But travellers who are fully vaccinated do not need an essential reason to travel to France and do not need to self-isolate on arrival. And from 18 July, fully vaccinated adults no longer need to present evidence of a negative test result before travel. If you intend to travel to England, Scotland, or Wales, including UK nationals returning home from travel abroad from France, you must provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test result, taken up to 3 days before departure. If you do not comply (and you do not have a valid exemption) your airline or carrier may refuse you boarding and/or you may be fined on arrival. Spain The Spanish government requires all arrivals to Spain from the UK to present on entry a pre-travel declaration form and either a negative COVID-19 test or proof of vaccination. Before travel to Spain, all passengers (including children under 12 years old) travelling by air or sea must complete and sign an online Health Control Form no more than 48 hours prior to travel declaring any known history of exposure to COVID-19 and giving contact details. Spain, including the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, is on the amber list for entering England. Adults entering Britain from an amber list country no longer do not have to quarantine if they are fully vaccinated by the NHS. Greece If youre travelling to Greece from the UK, you will need: To have completed a Passenger Locator Form (PLF) no later than 11:59pm (local time Greece) the day before arriving in Greece. The form is required regardless of the means of transport you use to travel to Greece (including by ferry, road, rail or air); and Proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test, undertaken within the 72 hour period before arrival into Greece; or Proof of a negative COVID-19 rapid antigen test from an authorised laboratory, undertaken within the 48 hour period before your arrival into Greece; or Proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at least 14 days before travel (see Demonstrating your COVID-19 vaccination status); Greece will also accept proof of recovery from COVID-19. While the NHS does not provide proof of recovery records, evidence of a positive COVID-19 PCR test result taken between 30 to 180 days of your travel dates can be used. These requirements are compulsory for all travellers above the age of 12. In addition, arrivals into Greece may be required to undergo a rapid COVID-19 test on arrival. If you test positive on arrival in Greece, you (and those you are travelling with) will have to self-isolate in quarantine hotels provided by the Greek state. The length of time you need to self-isolate depends on your vaccination status. Advertisement Sunseekers are facing chaos today as Greece threatens a crackdown over spiking cases on islands, ministers 'tie themselves in knots' over France quarantine, Spain looks on the verge of tougher curbs - and Italy is refusing to exempt Brits from self-isolation. Hopes of escaping the dismal weather have been dealt more blows with doubts raised about some of the most popular destinations. Ministers are effectively warning the public they must get used to confusion and uncertainty, amid a patchwork of ever-shifting rules at home and internationally. In an extraordinary public volte face, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps was sent out to contract a claim from Dominic Raab that France was hit with 'amber plus' quarantine rules because of Covid cases on Reunion island 6,000 miles away. The suggestion sparked a furious reaction from Paris, with an ally of Emmanuel Macron raging that the UK position is discriminatory and 'baffling'. Another French MP branded the policy 'Kafka on holiday with Godot' - as critics pointed out that bizarrely Reunion itself is not covered by the upgraded controls. Meanwhile, Spain is believed to be at risk of being moved up the 'traffic light' system in a review next week, even as double-jabbed travellers from the rest of the EU and the US are due to be exempted from quarantine. Greece is also voicing alarm at soaring cases on popular islands such as Rhodes, Santorini and Mykonos, with Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias warning it is 'one step' away from authorities imposing restrictions. He said the situation was also worrying on the islands of Zakynthos, Tinos, and Paros. As tensions rise, Italy has announced it will not reciprocate the get-out granted by the UK to visitors. Vaccinated holidaymakers will still need to isolate for five days on arrival, until at least August 30. There are claims that EU leaders are resisting easing rules for Britons partly out of 'frustration' with the standoff over Brexit. The chaos is such that Britons appear to be giving up on going away. An exclusive poll for MailOnline has found that just 14 per cent are intending to travel abroad for a summer holiday this year. Travel experts have also criticised the UK's frequently-changing traffic light system, saying it needs to be 'scrapped' . Paul Charles, CEO of The PC Agency travel consultancy, told MailOnline: 'Even government ministers are disagreeing with themselves over how to apply their own traffic light rules. The system is a complete mess. 'No-one apart from ministers seems to have confidence in how red, amber or green countries are chosen. The data is opaque, the explanations lacking. 'Those fully-jabbed should be given the freedom to decide their own level of risk, as US citizens are. 'The Prime Minister wanted to give people back their freedom it's time he stuck to his word when it comes to travel.' In other coronavirus developments today: Britains daily covid cases fell again today for the ninth day in a row, falling 18.6 per cent on last week to 29,622 Fresh questions have been raised about the recent slump in coronavirus cases after new figures showed around one in 65 people in private households in England had Covid-19 in the week to July 24 up from one in 75 in the previous week; More than 50 Tory MPs are threatening to vote against the government's 'misguided' plans for compulsory vaccine passports; An exclusive poll for MailOnline found Britons overwhelmingly back barring vaccine refusers from pubs, restaurants, nightclubs and non-essential shops; Ministers have been warned that travellers could face five-hour queues when Britain opens up to the US and most of the EU next week. In a round of interviews this morning, Mr Shapps said the decision had been down to 'overall concern' about France, not the situation on Reunion A Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll for MailOnline found just 14 per cent of Brits are planning a summer holiday abroad this year Pingdemic pressure on Boris as Labour demands exemption for double-jabbed from August 7 Boris Johnson is under mounting pressure today to end the 'Pingdemic' by bringing forward the date for exempting fully vaccinated people from self-isolation rules. Keir Starmer has joined calls to bring the August 16 timetable forward to August 7 - pointing out that is what Wales has chosen to do. Scotland is also due to remove the requirement for the double-jabbed who come into contact with positive cases from August 9 - but the PM has refused to budge despite stricken businesses warning of food shortages. In a round of interviews this morning, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps reiterated that there is no intention of changing the date, although he admitted: 'We are being, if you like, slightly cautious about it.' However, Sir Keir said in a statement: 'This has been a summer of chaos for British businesses and British families. 'The Tory government has never been able to explain the logic of their self-isolation rules and has just repeated the same mistakes over and over again. He added: 'The Government's slapdash approach to this global pandemic is crippling our economy and creating real problems for businesses and families alike. Welsh Labour has shown what can be done and it's time for the Tories to do the same.' Advertisement The decision on France two weeks ago led to thousands of fully-vaccinated holidaymakers having to self-isolate for ten days on their return. The diplomatic spat escalated over recent days after the country was excluded from a UK quarantine exemption for travellers who have been double-jabbed in the EU. French Europe minister Clement Beaune yesterday branded the UK's stance towards his country 'excessive and frankly baffling'. 'If I understood correctly, this is being done in the name of the famous Beta variant, the South African variant, which represents less than 5 per cent of cases in France, most of which are in our overseas territories that are not affected by the same flows of people towards the UK,' he said. In a round of interviews this morning, Mr Shapps said the decision had been down to 'overall concern' about France, not the situation on Reunion. 'The Beta variant, it's not just as has been reported on an island thousands of miles away. It was also an issue in particular in northern France, so it has been an overall concern,' he told Sky News. 'And look, the big concern is that we don't allow a variant in which somehow is able to escape the vaccine programme that we have got.' Mr Shapps said a decision on France's status will be taken 'by this time next week' as part of the regular travel list update every three weeks. Asked if there could be a change before then, the minister told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'No, it's only six days away actually, so I wouldn't expect anything in advance of that, but it is the moment at which this will be looked at.' Pushed on whether that meant no move on Spain before then, Mr Shapps said: 'That's right. I would encourage people to broadly ignore the sort of ongoing speculation as much as is possible.' He added: 'One thing I have seen over the last year with all this going on is that, quite often, the speculation is not all that helpful, or all that accurate indeed. 'When we get the information from the Joint Biosecurity Centre, that's the first point at which it really becomes clarified.' A senior government source also slapped down Mr Raab, insisting that he had been wrong. The source said: 'Ministers took this decision based on data on the prevalence of the Beta variant in mainland France.' They added: 'This data did not include La Reunion.' Mr Raab's comments led to fresh criticism of the Government's decision, which many are hoping will be reversed next week. Shadow transport secretary Jim McMahon said: 'Ministers appear to be tying themselves in knots trying to explain their decision. If they misinterpreted the data over cases in mainland France they need to come clean and apologise. 'It's completely unfair that holidaymakers who booked in good faith in line with the Government's own advice, have had to fork out extra for early flights, or lost income through having to isolate when they came home. 'This is why Labour has been calling for the country-by-country data informing the traffic light system to be published. The Government must do that without delay.' Major Tory revolt over vaccine passports More than 50 Tory MPs are prepared to vote against the government's 'misguided' vaccine passport plan and said they are 'horrified' by the possible curbs on individual freedoms. Boris Johnson had announced that certificates proving double vaccinations will be needed to enter nightclubs and potentially other venues and universities from the end of September. But many Conservatives are prepared to rebel against the 'completely unnecessary, bureaucratic and unworkable' proposals, with as many as 50 MPs threatening to vote against them if they go to a vote. Despite the huge scale of the revolt, there are signs it will be pointless as Labour has indicated it is unlikely to oppose the proposals if they include a provision for tests to be used as well as vaccine status. It comes after the government was accused of introducing passports by stealth after the NHS App was updated with 'domestic' and 'travel' options for Britons to prove their vaccination status. Advertisement But there are also growing concerns that even if France is removed from the amber-plus list, Spain could be added because of rising cases there. The remote island is nearly 5,800 miles (9,334km) away from Paris and when this was pointed out during an interview yesterday, Mr Raab said: 'It's not the distance that matters, it's the ease of travel between different component parts of every individual country.' The Beta variant is a cause for concern because it is believed to be more resistant to the AstraZeneca vaccine. A spokesman for Brittany Ferries said: 'This is madness. It would be like France hammering British holidaymakers due to a Covid outbreak on the Falkland Islands. 'It makes you wonder if those in the centre of power have access to an atlas or a geography GCSE between them.' Paul Charles, of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: 'One has to question how long we will have to put up with poor political decision-making which is threatening people's livelihoods and jobs. France should be removed from the ridiculous amber-plus category quickly as it poses no major threat.' Layla Moran, chairman of the all-party Parliamentary group on coronavirus, said: 'Ministers should have clear justifications for any changes made with regards to international travel. This slapdash approach will only continue to undermine public confidence.' No 10 has continued to insist the decision to place France on the amber-plus list had no relation to La Reunion. It said the Government used data which said that Beta cases in mainland France stood at 5 per cent. France is the only EU country from which those vaccinated under the UK programme must self-isolate for ten days when they return. The decision is set to be reviewed next week and ministers are hopeful that the country could be removed from the list. The Government is considering replacing amber-plus with a new 'amber watchlist' to deter people from travelling to areas with high Covid rates. The list would show which countries could change to 'red' at any moment, forcing travellers to pay 1,750 per adult to stay in quarantine hotels on their return. There are fears that Spain could be added to the amber watchlist next week. IAG, the owner of British Airways, today revealed more details of the huge hit from the pandemic. The London-listed conglomerate suffered a loss after taxation of 2billion euros in the six months to the end of June. That was almost half the group's net loss of 3.8billion euros in the same period a year earlier, when the pandemic erupted and ravaged air travel. Revenues were down 60 per cent at 2.2billion euros and the airline said it 'continues to be adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic together with government restrictions and quarantine requirements'. Passenger capacity in the second quarter was only 22 per cent of its pre-pandemic level. Looking ahead, the group plans to operate about 45 percent of its capacity in the key summer months, compared with 2019. IAG added that it remained ready to ramp up services once international travel curbs are fully lifted. 'In the short term, our focus is on ensuring our operational readiness, so we have the flexibility to capitalise on an environment where there's evidence of widespread pent-up demand when travel restrictions are lifted,' said chief executive Luis Gallego. 'We know that recovery will be uneven, but we're ready to take advantage of a surge in air travel demand in line with increasing vaccination rates.' IAG was 'ready to fly as much as 75 percent of its 2019 capacity' in the final three months of this year. Travellers could face FIVE-HOUR queues at airports when UK opens up to the US and EU on Monday as unions call for vaccine checks to be done 'upstream' to save Border Force Airports could face five-hour queues when Britain opens up to the US and most of the EU next week, ministers have been warned. Officials said staff should expect the staggering waiting times during peak hours after international travel restrictions are relaxed on Monday. They called for vaccine checks to be done 'upstream' - at the border before people fly - to help out airport workers in the UK. The Border Force union said there will be more queuing for passengers if they have to check the jab status of arrivals but did not think it would be 'catastrophic'. But the Department for Transport last night confirmed to MailOnline travellers would be checked before people fly to Britain. England will allow US and EU travellers who are fully vaccinated against coronavirus to enter without the need to quarantine from Monday. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced the new rules on Wednesday following intense pressure from the travel sector. The Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Assembly followed the move. But earlier this month the US State Department advised all Americans not to travel to the UK due to the Delta variant and this is not expected to change until August. Officials said staff should expect the staggering waiting times during peak hours after international travel restrictions are relaxed on Monday. Pictured: Heathrow last weekend The Border Force union said there could be more queuing for passengers if they have to check the jab status of arrivals but did not think it would be 'catastrophic'. Pictured: Gatwick last weekend The Department for Transport last night confirmed to MailOnline travellers would be checked before people fly. Pictured: Heathrow last weekend UK officials warned ministers before the Covid-Operations committee's move to open up travel it will cause a huge surge in arrivals. They said it could lead to staggering queues of up to five hours at airports during peak times. According to the Times, they called for vaccination checks to be done 'upstream' to limit pressure on Border Force workers. But the enforcement agency's union said they did not think the queues would be 'catastophic' depending on if they had to check vaccine passports. A spokesman told MailOnline: 'It depends on the traffic. All the resources we have are there but there will still be queues. 'We don't have fewer staff than before the pandemic but they are structured differently. 'There are queues in normal years, that won't be different. If we have to check vaccination certificates, which we're not sure if we will have to, then it will be different. 'The problem has been checking them at the border for the Department for Health. 'There will be more waiting but it will not be catastrophic. It won't be as bad as we have seen during the pandemic if we don't have to check these documents.' The Department for Transport last night said EU passengers will use an electronic system to show their vaccine status while in the US they have physical copies that will be checked by airlines before departure. It will help speed up Border Force moving people through British airports when they land. The widow of assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Moise has recalled the terrifying moment her husband was shot dead next to her as she claims she only survived because the killers thought she was already dead. 'When they left, they thought I was dead,' Martine Moise, 47, told the New York Times. President Moise and First Lady Martine were asleep in their bed in their home on the hills of Port-au-Prince on July 7 when deafening gunshots rung out and woke them up in a state of panic. Martine ran to wake up her two adult children instructing them to hide in the bathroom - the only room with no windows - with the family dog. President Moise called his head of security and told his wife to lie down on the floor 'That's where I think you will be safe,' she remembers him saying. It turned out to be the last thing he would say to his wife of 25 years. Moments later the group of assassins broke into the presidential bedroom and opened fire. Gun shots hit Martine first, in the hand and the elbow, as she lay on the floor as instructed. Her elbow was shattered by a gunshot and her mouth filled with blood was she lay on the floor as the group of assassins charged into her bedroom. 'The only thing that I saw before they killed him were their boots. Then I closed my eyes, and I didn't see anything else.' She heard as the men searched the room and her husband's files until they found what they were looking for. What that was she in still unsure of. Martine Moise, 47, (right) was laying on the floor of her bedroom as her husband Haitian President Jovenel Moise, 47, was shot dead next to her. Her daughter Jomarlie Moise (right) was also home at the time of the attack. Haitian President Jovenel Moise, left, and Haitian First Lady Martine Moise are seen at the National Palace in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on May 23, 2018 Suspects in the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, who was shot dead at his home, are pictured Suspects in the assassination of Haiti's President Jovenel Moise are moved to be displayed to the media at police headquarters in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Haitian authorities have implicated at least 20 retired Colombian soldiers in the president's assassination on July 7 She stayed motionless and listened as they tore the room apart clearly searching for something in particular. 'That's not it. That's not it,' she recalled them saying in Spanish, over and over and talking on the phone as they foraged through the president's files until, 'That's it.' 'They were looking for something in the room, and they found it.' But Martine doesn't know what the hunt was for. The men filled out of the murder scene as one stepped on her foot and another waved a flashlight in her eyes, presumably checking to see if she was still alive. 'At this moment, I felt that I was suffocating because there was blood in my mouth and I couldn't breathe,' she said. 'In my mind, everybody was dead, because if the president could die, everybody else could have died too.' Thankfully her children survived the attack. No guards were killed or wounded during the invasion - something that has sparked suspicion and led to the arrests of the security officials her husband had called that night. One of the homes searched belongs to Walter Veintemilla - president of Worldwide Capital Lending Group A spokesperson for the FBI said the affidavits in support of the search warrants have been sealed under a court order Although the former First Lady was terrified in the moment, she wants her husband's killers to know she's not afraid of them. 'I would like people who did this to be caught, otherwise they will kill every single president who takes power,' she said. 'They did it once. They will do it again.' Martine has admitted that she is seriously considering entering a bid for the presidency, once she has recovered. 'President Jovenel had a vision,' she said, 'and we Haitians are not going to let that die.' Martine has already undergone two surgeries, and doctors now plan to implant nerves from her feet in her arm. She was warned she may never regain use of her right arm and can move only two fingers. The Moise family was relocated to South Florida immediately following the assassination. Haitian police have detained a group of people in connection with the killing, including 18 Colombians and several Haitians and Haitian Americans, and continue to search for others. While Martine is grateful that some people have already been detained she believes there is a lot more work to be done. She wants wants international law enforcement agencies like the FBI to track the money that financed the killing. She expects the money will lead back to wealthy Haitian oligarchs whose livelihoods were disrupted by her husband's politics. The former First Lady was shot and seriously injured before her husband was fatally shot Two of the president's adult children including Jomarlie Moise (right) were home at the time of the assassination but survived the attack along with their dog The presidents funeral was held in Cap-Haitien a few days after the attack Martine is asking for the help on international law enforcement agencies such as the FBI to help answer, Who ordered and paid for the assassination of her husband? The Moise family has been relocated to South Florida since the deadly attack on their family Presidential honor guards carry the coffin of late Haitian President Jovenel Moise, who was shot dead earlier this month, during the funeral at his family home in Cap-Haitien She specifically points to Reginald Boulos, a powerful Haitian businessman. According to Martine, Boulos' bank accounts were frozen before the assassination and were released to him immediately after. Boulos has already claimed his innocence saying 'I had absolutely, absolutely, absolutely nothing to do with his murder, even in dreams. I support a strong, independent international investigation to find who came up with the idea, who financed it and who executed it.' Federal agents raided five South Florida locations on Tuesday while serving warrants in an investigation into the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise. The search warrants included the homes and offices of Antonio Intriago and Walter Veintemilla - two businessmen whom officials in Haiti suspect funded and trained those who have been implicated in the assassination, the Miami Herald reported. Helicopter footage from WPLG shows FBI agents and investigators with Homeland Security searching for financial records and other documents at the home of Veintemilla - president of Worldwide Capital Lending Group. Federal agents raided five South Florida locations on Tuesday while serving warrants in an investigation into the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise Helicopter footage from WPLG shows FBI agents and investigators with Homeland Security searching for financial records and other documents Agents with Homeland Security Investigations were also present during the raid Investigators hope to determine if Intriago and Veintemilla played roles in the July 7 assassination, or committed other crimes. Haitian authorities had tied them to South Florida doctor Christian Emmanuel Sanon's alleged plot to become president. Haitian authorities have alleged that Intriago, head of the firm CTU Security in Doral, trained a group of Colombians implicated in the assassination - while Veintemilla's Capital Lending Group is alleged to have funded their training. Sources told the Miami Herald that US officials have not yet found evidence that the businessmen know of a plot to kill President Moise. A spokesperson for the FBI told WPLG that the affidavits in support of the search warrants have been sealed under a court order and he was prohibited on commenting further about the investigations. Veintemilla, an Ecuadorian immigrant, was not seen at his home during the raid, WTVJ noted. Walter Veintemilla, the president of Worldwide Capital Lending Group, is pictured Attorneys for Intriago, a Venezuelan immigrant, told the outlet he has been cooperating with officials since Moise was killed - and so they were shocked that federal agents raided his home. The businessman had reportedly already turned over his cellphone and computer to agents with Homeland Security Investigations. 'We're doing everything we can to show our client has nothing to do with this. Our client is not hiding. He's trying to clear his name,' attorney Gilberto Lacayo said. Joseph Tesmond, an attorney working with Lacayo, told the Miami Herald his client secured two loans from Veintemilla's company, one for general operation expenses. The other $172,000 loan was to provide security for Sanon in his quest to become Haiti's next president through a peaceful transition of power, Tesmond said. He said CTU Security hoped to land more 'security opportunities' in Haiti. Veintemilla's attorney Robert Nicholson told the Miami Herald that his client's company simply brokered a loan for CTU Security. Nicholson also said his client raised less than $200,000 from private lenders to allegedly create renewable energy in Haiti if Sanon, who was arrested in Haiti after President Moise's death, were to become president. Concerns have been growing in Haiti that authorities are trying to influence the results of investigative efforts, as noted by the Miami Herald. People take part in a day of protests going on at the same time as Haitians pay tribute to assassinated president Jovenel Moise, in Cap-Haitien, on July 22 Security footage shows the security response in the moments after the Haitian president was killed Judges and court clerks have said they have received 'serious death threats' by phone pressuring them to change document related to the investigation - two of whom have filed formal complaints, the Miami Herald reported. Esperance, executive director of National Human Rights Defense Network, told the outlet the country's justice minister 'has not done anything to help them.' Clerks have allegedly been asked to remove the names of people from court documents and replace them with President Moise's political opponents, as well as tamper with witness statements. Esperance accused the country's police of possibly violating Haitian law by not turning the case over to an investigative judge. Meanwhile, cops have arrested Haiti National Police Divisional Commissioner Jean Laguel Civil - President Moise's security coordinator - and released a wanted poster for a member of the country's highest court. Superior Court Justice Windelle Coq Thelot has been accused assassination, attempted assassination and armed robbery, the Miami Herald reported. A mother charged with murdering her eight-week old son and the attempted murder of a toddler has been remanded in custody. Raluca Ioana Tagani, 29, appeared via video link before a judge in Belfast Magistrates Court this morning. She is accused of murdering her son Liam OKeefe in a house in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast on Tuesday evening. Tagani, who is originally from Romania, is also accused of the attempted murder of a two-year-old child in the same stabbing incident at the home on Brompton Park. That child is in a critical condition in hospital. Raluca Ioana Tagani, 29, appeared via video link before a judge in Belfast Magistrates Court this morning. She is accused of murdering her son Liam OKeefe on Tuesday night Baby Liam, who was eight weeks old, was found dead in a house in the Northern Irish capital Tagani appeared from a custody cell for the brief hearing before deputy district judge Liam McStay. She spoke only briefly to confirm she understood the charges she faced and a Romanian interpreter translated the court proceedings. A detective sergeant with the Police Service of Northern Ireland told the court he could connect the accused to the charge. A solicitor for Tagani said he had no questions for the officer in respect of the connection. The lawyer also said he would not be applying for bail for his client. Tagani was remanded in custody to appear before the court again on August 27. Liam O'Keefe, the father of baby Liam, went from England to Northern Ireland after the alleged attack. Liam O'Keefe, the father of baby Liam, speaks to local residents as they take part in a vigil and balloon launch at Brompton Park, Ardoyne, North Belfast Speaking to residents at the vigil on Thursday in the blue balloon-filled street, Liam said he was 'truly heartbroken' A local priest also offered up prayers outside the Brompton Park home in north Belfast Speaking to residents at a vigil yesterday in a blue balloon-filled street, Liam said he was 'truly heartbroken' as he thanked the community for their support. According to Belfast Live, he said: 'To all the neighbours and the full community for all their help and support, I really appreciate it all. 'Holding this vigil means the world to me. I am truly heartbroken but it gives me the strength to know you are all giving so much love and support. 'Thank you from the bottom of my heart.' A local priest also offered up prayers outside the Brompton Park home. Police forensics officers at the scene following the incident. A detective sergeant with the Police Service of Northern Ireland told the court he could connect the accused to the charge House Speaker Nancy Pelosi agreed that immigration reform should be included in the Democrats $3.5 trillion budget bill that they hope to pass without Senate Republican support using reconciliation. 'I do believe that immigration should be in reconciliation, some piece of that in the reconciliation,' Pelosi said at a press conference Friday. She wouldn't get into specifics on how an immigration proposal - which would likely give DACA recipients and other so-called 'Dreamers' a pathway to citizenship - would comply with Senate reconciliation rules simply saying, 'But we know we have a very good case for this to be included.' Pelosi was echoing comments President Joe Biden made Thursday night. He said that the big budget bill being written by Democrats in Congress should tackle immigration. 'I think we should include in reconciliation the immigration proposal,' Biden told reporters as he left for Walter Reed, as first lady Jill Biden is getting a procedure done there. 'My staff is putting out a message right now,' the president added. At a press conference Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she agreed with President Joe Biden that an immigration proposal should be included in the Democrats $3.5 trillion budget bill that will be passed using reconciliation in the Senate President Joe Biden told reporters Thursday evening that he wanted to see an immigration proposal as part of the $3.5 trillion budget bill The president has said he wants to see a pathway to citizenship for so-called 'Dreamers,' currently not available under the DACA - Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals - program Biden wants there to be a pathway to citizienship for so-called 'Dreamers,' undocumented Americans who were brought to the country as kid. Earlier Thursday, Biden had met with a group of Democratic lawmakers on DACA, whic stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. 'It went very well,' Biden said of the meeting. Senate Democratic leaders this month told other members the budget measure would open the door to legislation on climate measures, social spending, and extension of a child tax credit. However, it remains unclear if the Senate parliamentarian, who decides which provisions may be included in a budget package, will approve inclusion of an immigration measure. DACA protects recipients from deportation, grants them work authorization and access to driver's licenses, and in some cases better access to financial aid for education. It does not provide a path to citizenship. People protected under DACA primarily are young Hispanic adults born in Mexico and countries in Central and South America who were brought to the United States as children. Biden also said he believed Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema - who said Wednesday she doesn't support the $3.5 trillion budget bill - would eventually come along. 'She's on board for passing if in fact she sees all the pieces of it. Thats why she allowed the budget to go forward,' Biden said. A doomsday new Covid variant that could kill up to one in three people is a 'realistic possibility', according to the Government's top scientists. Documents published by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) today warned a future strain could be as deadly as MERS which has a case fatality rate of 35 per cent could be on the way. No10's expert panel claimed the likelihood of the virus mutating is highest when it is most prevalent as is currently the case in Britain. And in a downside of Britain's hugely successful vaccination drive, the team warned the country's greater levels of immunity may help speed up the virus's evolutionary process. Rolling out booster vaccines this winter and curbing transmission may help prevent a mutant strain occurring, according to the paper. It also said ministers may have to consider culling or vaccinating animals which are found to be harbouring the virus, in order to stop it potentially picking up another mutation and jumping back to humans. However, the SAGE report also claimed it was equally realistic that Covid will mutate to become less lethal over time. A doomsday new Covid variant that could kill one in three people is a 'realistic possibility', according to the Government's top scientists Why the Delta Covid variant ISN'T really spreading as quickly as chickenpox Top scientists today claimed the Indian 'Delta' variant is not spreading as quickly as chickenpox, despite US health officials saying it is just as contagious. Data circulating within America's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) claimed people infected with the mutant strain can go on to infect eight others. The same internal document also alleged that fully-vaccinated people can spread the Indian variant just as easily as unvaccinated people because they carry a similar amount of the virus in their nose and mouth. Dr Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC, insisted the agency was 'not crying wolf', saying the situation was 'serious' and that the measures needed to tackle the spread of Delta were 'extreme'. But British scientists have questioned some of the claims made by the department, which has urged Americans to keep their coverings on indoors regardless of whether they've been vaccinated or not. Professor David Livermore, an infectious diseases expert from the University of East Anglia, said vaccine-triggered immunity and the endless waves of Covid which nations have endured meant there were fewer susceptible people around for people to infect. 'The US, like the UK, has substantial immunity from prior infection and from vaccination,' he told MailOnline. 'This will surely be a major drag on Delta's spread, precluding (viral spread) numbers of that magnitude.' And Professor Julian Tang, a virologist at Leicester University, said the theory was likely just 'speculation' because it was very difficult to track down the number of cases sparked by a single infection. Advertisement UK FACES A 'RISKY' AUTUMN BECAUSE FOREIGN HOLIDAYS AND RETURN OF STUDENTS A document dated July 14 stated the importance of global surveillance on the emergence of new variants and added: 'Any increase in foreign travel over the summer and the return of international students to universities in the autumn is of particular concern.' In the same document from the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, Operational sub-group (SPI-M-O), experts warned that September and October 'will be a particularly risky point in the trajectory of the epidemic'. It states that 'significant pressures on healthcare could be seen' if more normal behaviours, following the lifting of many restrictions, coincide with the return of schools and universities. Advertisement Scientists unveiled the threat of a super mutant variant in a paper that looked at potential scenarios that could emerge in the not-so-distant future. Experts who weren't named said a future strain may be resistant to vaccines if it came about by the jab-resistant Beta variant merging with the more transmissible Alpha or Delta variants. The process known as recombination could lead to a strain with 'increased morbidity and mortality'. The team admitted vaccines should work unless there was an extra-potent mutation that rendered jabs much less effective at blocking serious disease which many experts say is unlikely. But they said the extra lethality would be expected 'even in the face of vaccination since vaccines do not provide absolute sterilising immunity.' The prospect of a deadlier variant is a 'realistic possibility' and would have a huge impact on the UK's death toll moving forward, the scientists said. Politicians have warned the damning report shows the Government 'must not be complacent' as Britain appears to be coming out its current third wave of the pandemic. Dr Philippa Whitford, vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus, said: 'This report, which should have sent shock waves through the UK Government, was instead quietly snuck out among a glut of reports during parliamentary recess. 'Recommendations and comments made by SAGE bring home the simple reality that we have not yet "defeated" this virus. 'The UK only donated its first vaccine doses internationally this week and, unless there is a rapid increase in global production, through sharing knowledge and technology, it simply will not be possible to vaccinate the world and bring the pandemic to an end. 'Without stricter border control measures we risk importing vaccine-resistant variants while uncontrolled spread here could lead to yet another UK variant.' The Scottish National Party MP: 'The government mustn't stick its head in the sand or it will run the risk of un-doing the progress we have made over the past eighteen months.' Professor Martin McKee, an expert in public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: 'These stark words from the Government's own advisors underlines what many of us have been warning about and confirms there are still obstacles to overcome. 'The government can't be complacent, they must continue their support for the development of the next generation of vaccines and prioritise the reduction of infections here at home to reduce the possibility of another domestic variant emerging.' The warnings about variants were scattered in a series of reports unveiled by the Government advisory group as part of its weekly transparency pledge. SAGE warned that the virus can infect a host of different animals including minks which have had to be culled in Denmark in their thousands. The group warned further culling or animal vaccinating may be needed in other species to prevent them becoming reservoirs for the virus. They listed dogs, cats, mice, rats and ferrets as animals who are known to have been infected with Covid. Another potential issue they found is the use of anti-virals to treat Covid once a patient is already infected. No10 has already launched an 'anti-virals taskforce', with the goal of finding drugs that Britons can take at home to treat any symptoms of Covid. Scientists warned overusing the drugs could lead to more mutant strains and warned doctors to only prescribe them in the most serious cases of Covid. But in more hopeful news, the group also predicted it is a 'realistic possibility in the long term' that as Covid continue to mutate it will cause less serious disease. The group wrote: 'In other words, this virus will become like other human CoV that causes common colds, but with much less severe disease predominantly in the old or clinically vulnerable.' Screens at work can RAISE risk of virus transmission, scientists warn Perspex screens in workplaces may increase the risk of virus transmission, government scientists have warned. There is little evidence on the effectiveness of these barriers at reducing transmission through droplets, experts from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said. Coronavirus spreads through small liquid particles when infected people cough, sneeze, speak or breathe. They range from larger respiratory droplets to smaller aerosols, according to the World Health Organisation. In an undated document released yesterday, Sage experts said: Screens are unlikely to provide any direct benefit in reducing exposure to the virus from droplets or aerosols when people are already located at two metres or greater or where they are not face to face. And some evidence suggests that screens could increase risks of aerosol transmission due to blocking airflow patterns or creating zones of poor air circulation behind screens. Advertisement Now PHE spots ANOTHER variant: 16 Brits have tested positive for 'Colombian' strain Health chiefs have spotted another Covid variant spreading in Britain, with 31 mutant strains now on the UK's watchlist. Sixteen cases of the B.1.621 version of the virus which is thought to have originated in Colombia have already been detected. Public Health England insists there is no proof it is deadlier than Delta, which makes up 99 per cent of all cases in the UK. And it says there's no evidence that the strain renders any of the vaccines currently deployed any less effective. The Government-run agency also claims there is no sign that B.1.621 is spreading in the community. But it does admit the variant contains a number of 'mutations of concern'. The figure shows how the B.1.621 variant which was first identified in Colombia spread across different countries over time, indicating that an increasing number of countries reported cases in June and July. The US and Mexico are among the countries to record the most cases The coronavirus, called SARS-CoV-2, is mutating all the time as a result of genetic errors when it multiplies. Most mutations are harmless (stock) Testing shows it does carry the same N501Y mutation that researchers believe made the Alpha variant so transmissible. Some samples also contain E484K, which is also found in the Beta strain that experts say can partially evade vaccines. The coronavirus, called SARS-CoV-2, is mutating all the time as a result of genetic errors when it multiplies. Most mutations are harmless. But ones that make it able to spread quicker or to survive longer inside the human body are the ones that are likely to stick around. They will be passed on to future generations if they give the virus a survival advantage, and the ability to spread faster and keep spreading for longer will help versions of the virus with that mutation to become dominant by overtaking slower, weaker versions. The World Health Organization says the first documented sample of B.1.621 was in Colombia in January. Another 25 countries have also recorded cases since then, including the US, Spain, Mexico and the Netherlands. As well as the 16 cases already spotted in England, another six suspected samples are currently being analysed. Almost all of the samples (10) have been detected in London. And most have been among twenty-somethings (six). Two cases were spotted among people who were fully vaccinated. No-one has died yet. Despite PHE saying there was no evidence of community transmission, only three of the cases had a history of travel. Health chiefs said additional contact tracing has already been carried out. Targeted testing will be deployed to limit its spread, if necessary. Further laboratory tests are now being carried out to help officials understand more about the strain. Former President Donald Trump told top Justice Department officials to 'say the election is corrupt' as his election overturn efforts were reaching a crescendo in December 2020, internal government notes reveal. The hand-written notes, released by a congressional committee, reveal how Trump how Trump told the heads of the top U.S. law enforcement agency they should pursue his claims of fraud and that President Biden had not really won the election even as they pushed back on his wildest claims and scribbled won his musings and directives. 'Just say that the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen,' Trump told then-Acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue of a December 27, 2020 phone call that also included Acting AG Jeffrey Rosen. 'Just say that the election was corrupt,' former President Donald Trump told top Justice Department officials, according to notes of a Dec. 27, 2020 converstaion He was referring to Republican congressional allies in the Capitol who were putting forward his election fraud claims, according to the notes Donoghue took. 'These handwritten notes show that President Trump directly instructed our nation's top law enforcement agency to take steps to overturn a free and fair election in the final days of his presidency,' said House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York, who is probing Trump's efforts. The notes memorialize a phone call between Trump, identified as 'P,' and Rosen, identified as 'DAG.' He had assumed authority in the last weeks of Trump's term after Attorney General Bill Barr departed days earlier after himself saying there was not evidence of widespread election fraud. Rosen tried to tell the president there were limitations preventing him from giving the president what he wanted. The notes say: 'understand that the DOJ can't + won't snap its fingers + change the outcome of the election, doesn't work that way.' 'We have an obligation to tell people that this was an illegal, corrupt election,' according to notes on Trump call with DOJ officials 'These people who [are] saying that the election isn't corrupt are corrupt,' according to notes of the president's conversation with top DOJ officials The notes on the Dec. 27, 2020 'DAG call' include Tump's claims of election fraud, reference Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Acting Deputy AG Richard P. Donoghue took notes on the call The call came days after Acting AG Jeffrey Rosen took over leadership of the agency It came days before the 'Stop the Steal' rally and the Capitol riot That prompted Trump to say 'Don't expect you to do that,' and to just 'say' the election was corrupt. Near the bottom of the nine-page notes, in quotation marks, is another line from Trump: 'We have an obligation to tell people that this was an illegal, corrupt election.' Such a statement by the Justice Department might have provided fuel for various state audit and recount efforts being pushed by Trump and his allies, amid a flurry of litigation an Kraken lawsuits that were being tossed out of court. It also would have bolstered Republican congressional allies, many of whom would ultimately vote not to certify electoral votes from states that certified their votes for Biden over Trump in states where Trump was claiming fraud. The notes reveal that Trump rehashed many of the comments he and allies were making publicly, claiming fraud in Georgia, Arizona, and other states where Trump continues to make his claim. Trump also appeared to threaten a leadership shakeup in his final days in office, suggesting he might put in the acting head of DOJ's civil division. 'People tell me Jeff Clark is great, I should put him in. People want me to replace DOJ leadership,' Trump said. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who Speaker Nancy Pelosi bumped off a select committee probing the Jan. 6th attacks, is also mentioned on the call. Trump calls him a 'fighter.' Trump, who along with his allies put forward a string of claims about dead people voting and machines 'flipping' votes as part of his bid to stay in office, encouraged the officials to go online. 'You guys may not be following the internet the way I do,' he said. DOJ this week told former government officials they can speak to congressional committees probing the Jan. 6th Capitol riot raising the likelihood that the officials on the call will be called to testify about the conversation with Trump. The officials also memorialized their own efforts to pushback at Trump, at a time of chaotic maneuverings inside the agency. 'Told him flat out that much of the info he is getting is false, +/or just not supported by the evidence we look at allegations but they do not pan out,' the notes said. Another line shows Trump urging an investigation of the president's son, Hunter. Trump's recorded request with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky seeking a probe of the Bidens were critical to the first unsuccessful impeachment effort in Congress. It came following revelations Trump allies said came from Hunter Biden's laptop. 'You figure out what to do w/ H. Bidenpeople will criticize the DOJ if hes not investigated for real,' Trump said according to the notes. President Joe Biden on Friday warned Cuba could face more sanctions unless there was 'drastic change' on the island. Earlier in the day, his administration announced new sanctions against Cuba's national revolutionary police and its top two officials as the U.S. looks to increase pressure on the communist government following this month's protests on the island. 'There will be more or less are some drastic change in Cuba, which I don't anticipate,' the president said during a meeting at the White House with Cuban-American leaders. In his remarks, Biden called the situation in Cuba 'intolerable,' blasted the regime's censorship of the internet, called Cuban-Americans the best ambassadors for Cuba and described the government a failed regime. 'We are increasing direct support for the Cuban people by pursuing every option available to provide internet access to help the Cuban people bypass the censorship that s being mandatorily imposed. You always know something is not going well when a country will not allow, will not allow their people to be on the internet and being able to make their case known around the world,' he said. President Joe Biden warned Cuba could face more sanctions unless there was 'drastic change' on the island The Police Nacional Revolcionaria and the agency's director and deputy director, Oscar Callejas Valcarce and Eddie Sierra Arias, were all targeted in the latest sanctions announced by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. The police are part of Cuba's interior ministry, which was already the subject of a blanket designation by the Trump administration back in January. 'The Treasury Department will continue to designate and call out by name those who facilitate the Cuban regimes involvement in serious human rights abuse,' said Andrea Gacki, director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control. 'Todays action serves to further hold accountable those responsible for suppressing the Cuban peoples calls for freedom and respect for human rights.' But Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida is one of many critics who call the sanctions 'meaningless,' noting the U.S. already has an embargo on the island nation. The Biden administration says it is considering a wide range of additional options in response to the protests, including providing internet access to Cubans, and has created a working group to review U.S. remittance policy to ensure that more of the money that Cuban Americans send home makes it directly into the hands of their families without the government taking a cut. The White House meeting comes almost three weeks after unusual July 11 protests in which thousands of Cubans took to the streets in Havana and other cities to protest shortages, power outages and government policies. They were the first such protests since the 1990s. The Cuban regime deployed the PNR to attack protesters, the Treasury Department said in a statement. The police were photographed confronting and arresting protesters in Havana, including members of the Movement of July 11 Mothers, a group founded to organize families of the imprisoned and disappeared, according to Treasury. In Camaguey, a Catholic priest was beaten and arrested by the PNR while he was defending young protesters, according to Treasury. PNR officers also beat a group of peaceful demonstrators, including several minors, and there have also been documented instances in which the PNR used clubs to break up peaceful protests across Cuba, Treasury said. The Biden administration announced a new round of sanctions on Cuba Friday after the protests there Biden met with Cuban American leaders at the White House on Friday Among the people meeting with Biden is Yotuel Romero, one of the authors of the song 'Patria y vida!' which has become a kind of anthem for the protests. Also present were L. Felice Gorordo, CEO of the company eMerge Americas; Ana Sofia Pelaez, founder of the Miami Freedom Project, and Miami's former mayor, Manny Diaz, among others. The White House did not provide more details of the meeting, only saying that new sanctions will be discussed as well as ways to establish internet access for the Cuban people. Internet access is a sensitive issue in Cuba. In the days before the recent protests, there were calls on social media for anti-government demonstrations. Cuba's government said anti-Castro groups in the United States have used social media, particularly Twitter, to campaign against it and blamed Twitter for doing nothing to stop it. Internet service was cut off at one point during the July 11 protest, though Cuban authorities have not explicitly acknowledged that they did it. Some U.S. leaders, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, have said the White House should do something to maintain internet service in Cuba, including using balloons as Wi-Fi access points for the population. The Biden administration is also considering proposals put forward by U.S. advocates of trade with Cuba that would restore ways for Cuban-Americans to send money to relatives on the island. Biden and others have rejected the outright restoration of remittances because of a percentage fee of the transaction paid to the government. But under one proposal being considered, the transfer agents would waive that fee until the end of the year, according to proponents. The proposal would have to be cleared by the Cuban government, however, and it is not at all clear it would agree. Last week, the U.S. government announced sanctions against the minister of the Cuban armed forces, Alvaro Lopez Miera, and the Special Brigade of the Ministry of the Interior - known as the 'black berets' - for having participated in the arrest of protesters. International organizations have harshly criticized the Cuban government, which has said that while people affected by the country's crisis participated in the protests there were also 'criminals' who took advantage of the situation to create disturbances. At times, the protests turned into vandalism with looting, robbery and confrontations with the police. Government sympathizers also took to the streets to defend the authorities and the revolution. So far it is unclear how many people were detained, although the judicial authorities have said there have been 19 trials involving 59 people. Six passengers who sailed on a Royal Caribbean ship tested positive for COVID-19 near the end of their cruise and were immediately quarantined, the company said Friday. The passengers - four adults and two minors - were on the Adventure of the Seas ship for a 7-day trip that left the Bahamas last Saturday and returned on Friday, said Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Lyan Sierra-Caro. They were tested on Thursday while the ship was at sea. The adults were all vaccinated against COVID-19, Sierra-Caro said, and one has mild symptoms of the virus while the other three do not. They were not traveling together. Six guests on the Adventure of the Seas cruise ship tested positive for COVID. One had mild symptoms; four out of the rest were vaccinated and not traveling together, while two others were unvaccinated minors (file photo) The two minors -- who were in the same group but not traveling with any of the four adults who tested positive -- were not vaccinated and were not showing symptoms, the spokeswoman said. All six are American citizens, Sierra-Cano said. They were quarantined and people traveling with them were traced and tested negative, she said. Sierra-Cano said the six passengers would fly back to the U.S. on private transportation at Royal Caribbean's expense and won't need to quarantine in the Bahamas. The ship was in Freeport, Bahamas, on Friday, where other passengers were free to go on shore, and the cruise will end Saturday in Nassau as scheduled. Sierra-Cano said the company would tell other passengers about the infections once they were all back on board Friday. The cruise set sail from Nassau in the Bahamas on July 24 and required all travelers aged 16 or older to be fully vaccinated and test negative before boarding (file photo) The Adventure of the Seas cruise, which set sail from Nassau in the Bahamas on July 24, required all travelers aged 16 or older to be fully vaccinated and test negative before boarding. Those ineligible for the vaccine had to show a negative test result to travel including children. All the crew are fully vaccinated, according to the company. Royal Caribbean Group said on Friday that from now on, only passengers with a negative COVID-19 test will be let aboard. The rule will apply to all guests departing on cruises that are five nights or longer, irrespective of their vaccine status, the company said. Cruise operators, one of the sectors hit hardest by the pandemic, have been slowly restarting operations after more than a year of being docked at ports. The Diamond Princess was locked down for more than two weeks off the coast of Japan in February 2020, with 700 passengers confined to their rooms. 14 passengers died from COVID One cluster on the Diamond Princess at the start of the pandemic led to the ship being quarantined off the coast of Japan for weeks. A total of 712 of the ship's 3,711 passengers and crew were found to be infected during the lockdown, sparking severe criticism of how Japanese authorities had handled the case. 14 passengers died. Passengers were confined to their cabins on board the ship in what scientists described as an ideal breeding ground for the virus, with tourists also voicing concerns about the conditions on board. Several countries eventually lost patience with Japan and airlifted their citizens home. Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Singapore and Vietnam next month on a trip focused on strengthening economic ties and celebrating America's cultural connection with the Indo-Pacific region. It will be Harris' first overseas travel and second foreign trip, after she visited Guatemala and Mexico in June as part of her role leading diplomatic efforts to address the root causes of migration to the United States. That trip attracted bipartisan criticism, with progressives angry she told Guatemalan migrants to stay in their country - and conservatives irritated she wouldn't commit to a U.S.-Mexico border trip. Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Singapore and Vietnam next month, the White House announced Friday It will mark her second trip abroad, with her first being to Guatemala (pictured) and Mexico in June Vice President Kamala Harris and Guatemala's President Alejandro Giammattei arrive for a news conference at the Palacio Nacional de la Cultura in Guatemala City Harris later traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border days before it was visited by former President Donald Trump. The Vietnam trip will mark the first time the country has been visited by a U.S. vice president. And Harris will be the highest-ranking official from President Joe Biden's administration to visit Asia. Her visit comes as the administration is working to counter China's influence in the region and globally. According to chief Harris spokesperson Symone Sanders, Harris will meet with the leaders of Singapore and Vietnam to discuss regional security, the coronavirus pandemic and climate change. 'President Biden and Vice President Harris have made it a top priority to rebuild our global partnerships and keep our nation secure, and this upcoming visit continues that work - deepening our engagement in Southeast Asia,' Sanders said Friday, adding that Harris would be 'the first vice president to ever visit Vietnam.' She's also the first vice president of Asian descent. Both Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump visited Vietnam during their time in office - with Hanoi being the host summit for Trump's second summit with North Korean leader Kim Kim Jong Un. Singapore was the locale for Trump's first summit with the North Korean dictator. The Biden administration has placed an emphasis on strengthening diplomatic ties with nations in the Indo-Pacific region to push back against China. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is visiting the region this week, with a focus on offering support for Southeast Asian nations embroiled in territorial rifts with China. First lady Jill Biden went to Asia last week for her first solo overseas trip - spending two and a half days in Tokyo, Japan for the summer Olympics. Johnny Depp has scored a major court victory in his battle to discover if ex-wife Amber Heard stuck to her promise and donated her $7million divorce payout to charity, Dailymail.com can exclusively reveal. Heard, 35, declared she didnt want Depps cash after their explosive 2016 break-up and vowed to split the settlement between two good causes the American Civil Liberties Union and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. But lawyers for the Pirates of the Caribbean star, 58, believe the gesture was a sham and have spent a year chasing exactly how much was donated. They filed a petition in New York Supreme Court for the ACLU to hand over documents proving Heard stuck to her pledge, after it refused to cooperate. Now a judge has granted 23 of the 24 requests in the actors motion to compel, meaning the organization must produce the paperwork relating to Heards charitable contributions. The only thing Judge Arthur Engoron refused was a request for documents relating to the actresss role as a brand ambassador for the ACLU. The judge ruled Depp has satisfied the initial burden of stating the circumstances of reasons underlying the subpoena the ACLU has failed to demonstrate that the information sought it utterly irrelevant to the action Thus, for the reasons stated herein, the petition is granted and denied in part and respondents are ordered to comply with all subpoenas with the exception of documents pertaining to Ms Heards role as a brand ambassador for the ACLU. Depps victory follows Dailymail.com revealing in January that documents turned over by Childrens Hospital Los Angeles suggested they received only $100,000 way short of the promised $3.5m 'gift'. Johnny Depp filed a lawsuit asking the court to compel the ACLU to reveal whether ex-wife Amber Heard gave them $3.5m from her divorce settlement as she promised. A judge ruled in his favor today, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal Depp's lawyers filed the case with the Supreme Court in New York to force the ACLU to reveal whether they received any of the promised $3.5m from his ex-wif Depp and Heard fought a bruising defamation case last year against the UK's Sun newspaper when a British High Court judge agreed the publication's depiction of him as a 'wife beater' The ACLU refused to cooperate but Depp ramped up the pressure by filing a motion to compel in New York Supreme Court to force them to comply with a string of subpoenas and end their 'outrageous stonewalling'. Depp's lawyers want the docs to prove Heard was lying when she boasted about the giveaway, not only in media interviews but in evidence she gave to a London court. The Pirates of the Caribbean star lost a bruising defamation case last year against the UK's Sun newspaper when a British High Court judge agreed the publication's depiction of him as a 'wife beater' was 'substantially true' based on blood-curdling accounts of their numerous bust-ups. Giving evidence in a witness statement dated February 26, 2020, Heard stated: 'I remained financially independent from him [Depp] the whole time we were together and the entire amount of my divorce settlement was donated to charity.' Judge Andrew Nichol cited the gesture while deciding the case in The Sun's favor, writing: 'Her donation of the $7 million to charity is hardly the act one would expect of a gold-digger.' Depp, 57, belatedly raised the issue of the 'missing' charity payments when he challenged the ruling, his lawyers arguing the UK court was fed a 'calculated and manipulated lie, designed to achieve a potent favorable impression.' A panel of judges said the new evidence wouldn't make any difference, however, and refused his bid for an appeal, saddling him with $840,000 in legal costs. That won't stop Depp deploying the same arguments in a separate $50 million defamation suit filed in Fairfax County, Virginia, which accuses Heard of creating a 'hoax' account of being a domestic violence survivor for a 2018 newspaper article. The Washington Post op-ed headlined 'I spoke up against sexual violence and faced our culture's wrath, That has to change' - didn't mention Depp by name but he claims it wrecked his reputation and got him axed from the role of Captain Jack Sparrow. In the new filing, the star's lawyers point to a September 2019 declaration from Heard in the Virginia suit that states that the idea for the article came from the ACLU itself. Anthony Romero, the executive director of the ACLU, introduced Heard to a colleague, Jessica Weitz 'who in turn suggested the idea that [she] might write an Op-ed about how [her] experience exemplifies the issues faced by those who speak out about abuse and violence,' the filing states. 'Ms. Heard goes on to describe how she worked with the ACLU to draft the Op-Ed and the ACLU handled placing the Op-Ed in a newspaper.' Depp's lawyers say that after Heard cited her charitable giveaway in sworn evidence for the London court action they initiated legal moves in the US to get to the bottom of her claims. Depp and Heard met on the set of The Rum Diary back in 2011 and married four years later before a now-infamous blowout fight ended their marriage in May 2016. Heard cataloged the 'horrific' abuse she claims to have suffered at Depp's hands, describing him as 'the monster' and recalling many of the allegations she made during their divorce. The filing included photos of bruises and scars (left and right) The American Civil Liberties Union has refused to say whether Heard donated any of the $3.5m she promised, and Depp's lawyers have filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court in New York to compel them to say 'Ms. Heard made multiple attempts to thwart Mr. Depp's discovery into her purported donation of her entire divorce settlement,' the filing states, describing how she tried and failed to have their subpoenas quashed in the Californian courts. Heard eventually complied, as did the Children's Hospital Los Angeles, but the ACLU has so far only handed over a limited number of documents and emails. These include a September 9, 2016 letter from Romero to Heard, on ACLU Foundation letterhead, thanking Ms. Heard for her donation of $350,000 as 'the first installment of your very generous pledge of $3.5 million', the motion reveals. Also included is 'email correspondence between Ms. Heard and Mr. Romero from June 2017, reflecting that the ACLU had received a $350,000 donation from Ms. Heard, a $100,000 donation from Mr. Depp towards Ms. Heard's pledge, and an 'anonymous' $500,000 which appears from the correspondence to be from 'Elon'. 'Elon' is believed to refer to Tesla and Space-X founder, Elon Musk, with whom Ms. Heard is alleged to have had a romantic relationship during and following her marriage to Mr. Depp.' Depp's lawyers concluded from the documents that Heard donated $450,000 to the ACLU, not the $3,500,000 she claimed. The organization indicated it 'would not be producing the documents and testimony concerning the Op-Ed without an agreement on confidentiality.' When no such agreement was reached, Depp's legal crew sued in New York, where the ACLU is based. 'The ACLU Witnesses' reticence to provide more information 'appears to be part of a collusive effort with Ms. Heard to prevent evidence showing that Ms. Heard perjured herself from becoming public,' they allege. 'Applying New York law, the Court should reject the ACLU Witnesses' outrageous stonewalling. Mr. Depp, accordingly, respectfully requests that this Court enter an order directing the ACLU Witnesses to fully comply with the Subpoenas.' Depp and Heard met on the set of The Rum Diary back in 2011 and married four years later before a now-infamous blowout fight ended their marriage in May 2016. Heard sought a restraining order and a divorce claiming Depp hurled a phone in her face but after months of back and forth accusations they reached a surprise deal. Heard said in August 2016: 'As described in the restraining order and divorce settlement, money played no role for me personally and never has, except to the extent that I could donate it to charity and, in doing so, hopefully help those less able to defend themselves. 'As reported in the media, the amount received in the divorce was $7 million and $7 million is being donated. This is over and above any funds that I have given away in the past and will continue to give away in the future. 'The donation will be divided equally between the ACLU, with a particular focus to stop violence against women, and the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles where I have worked as a volunteer for past 10 years.' Amber Heard, left, with her partner Bianca Butti, right, address the media outside the High Court in London after the final day of her ex-husband Johnny Depp's libel trial. Heard cited the $7m donation in court to prove she had not been after Depp's fortune Judge Andrew Nichol cited the gesture while deciding the case in The Sun's favor, writing: 'Her donation of the $7 million to charity is hardly the act one would expect of a gold-digger' DailyMail.com published a series of documents earlier this year however that called the pledge into doubt. We revealed that, within days of her remarks, Edward L. White, a certified public accountant, wrote to Tiffanie Al-Nasser, a senior executive at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles, enclosing a check for $100,000. The check was signed John C. Depp II but White said in his letter that the donation was on behalf of Heard and was the first installment of a 'pledged gift of $3,500,000'. Depp said publicly at the time that, seeing as his wife had pledged her entire $7m divorce settlement to charity, he would go ahead and start paying the money directly to the organizations involved 'in the name of Amber Heard.' He backed off from sending further money on her behalf, however, when Heard suggested it would breach their deal and challenged him to double the amount. 'If Johnny wishes to alter the settlement agreement, we must insist that he honor the full amount by donating $14m to charity, which after accounting for his tax deduction, is equal to his $7m payment obligation to Amber,' her spokesman said in late August 2016. 'We would also insist that the full amount be paid immediately and not drawn out over many years.' The hospital's thrilled CEO, Paul Viviano, meanwhile, thanked Heard for her 'tremendous gift' in a gushing media statement, saying it would 'support lifesaving treatments and cures for critically ill children.' She was also included on a 2017 donor's list recognizing contributions in excess of $1m. But on June 26, 2019 Associate Senior Vice President Candie Davidson-Goldbronn wrote to the Aquaman actress asking to know why they had not received further installments. Depp and Heard are due back in court for upcoming defamation case in Virginia 'I am inquiring if you have knowledge if CHLA should expect further payment installment(s) on your behalf or if the pledge will not be fulfilled,' she wrote. 'I appreciate any insights on this matter.' Heard's attorney, Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, did not specify how much her client had given to either organization, saying only that she intended to fulfill the $7m pledge 'eventually'. She blamed Depp for the delay, saying Heard has been forced to spend millions defending herself against 'false accusations' made against her in the ongoing defamation case. Friends say Depp is determined to fight on and won't contemplate settling the upcoming Virginia case, which has been repeatedly pushed back because of the Coronavirus pandemic and won't go before a jury until next year. Heard's legal team has asked the judge to toss the case, arguing Depp's arguments were dismantled in the London proceedings. Seven men have been arrested over the shooting of a New York City father who was struck by a stray bullet as he tried to shield his children from gunfire at a car dealership. Anthony Jefferson, 39, was shot in the thigh as he sat waiting at the Road Automotive Group car dealership in the Bronx on September 21, 2020. Surveillance video captured at the time of the shooting showed gunfire shatter the glass of the dealership's window as Jefferson jumped in front of his three young sons in order to protect them. Jefferson was left unable to walk following the attack, and was subsequently let go from his two jobs. On Wednesday - almost a year after the shooting - the NYPD revealed they had arrested seven people over the incident, which they claim was 'gang related'. The suspects have been named as Tahari Pritchard, 20, Dorien Alexander, 20, Daijon Crawford, 21, Aaron Heredia, 21, Zykeith Fearon, 21, and Akeyle Baker, 22, who have all been arrested for attempted murder. According to The New York Post, known gang member Hasani John, 22, has also been arrested in relation to the shooting, and has been charged with two counts of assault and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon. Anthony Jefferson, 39, was shot in the thigh as he sat waiting at the Road Automotive Group car dealership in the Bronx on September 21, 2020 Last year, Jefferson spoke out following the attack saying he wasn't a hero, and was simply trying to protect his children. 'I just went into daddy mode,' he told PIX 11. 'They could have been burying me or my kids.' Jefferson was at the dealership shopping for a vehicle to surprise his wife, Danica Jefferson, for her birthday. Following the shooting, a launched a GoFundMe raised a whopping $270,000 to help cover Jefferson's medical bills and cost of living expenses as he was unable to provide for his family. One anonymous altruist gave a whopping $25,000 to the Jefferson family, while around 8,100 kindhearted others donated smaller amounts. 'This is every parents worst nightmare and ultimate sacrifice. This man has brought honor to his family and courage to my heart,' one person wrote. 'My dearest wish is that his children recover from this traumatizing experience and that the fear in their hearts is replaced with the same courageous spirit of their father. It is my honor to provide what little I have for such a courageous hero and his noble actions.' Terrifying video captured the moment Anthony Jefferson (pictured) was shot in the leg as he shielded his three young children from a gunman who opened fire at a car dealership in the Bronx on Monday The dad and his children were sitting on a couch inside the used car shop when a man in a black hoodie (circled) ran up and began firing through an open glass door The shooting occurred amid a surge in gun crime in New York City, following Mayor Bill de Blasio's decision to slash $1 billion from the NYPD budget. Data shows that shootings have become even more frequent in 2021, increasing by 13.4 percent. Meanwhile, felony assaults and murders are also up on when compared to the same time last year. Earlier this month, De Blasio defended a decision not to hire more cops in the wake of surging gun crime, stating: 'We have a lot of work to do to turn around. But a number of other American cities unfortunately are going through much, much worse.' Raymond Wilson, 31, was arrested for burglary and molesting a young girl while she was sleeping her bed in Greenwich Village last week. He has been arrested 19 times since November. A serial burglar in New York City who has been arrested 19 times in the past eight months was free on bail when he broke into a child's bedroom and molested her this week. Raymond Wilson, 31, was detained this week after allegedly breaking into a Greenwich Village home and rubbing his exposed genitals on a 10-year-old girl's feet while she slept. NYPD Police Commissioner Dermot Shea slammed 'the failed policy' that allowed Wilson to be on the streets on Friday. Shea has been a vocal opponent of New York City's bail reform since it was enacted. He tweeted: 'A 10 year old girl traumatized and we are again left to pick up the pieces for a failed policy. How long must we wait? How many victims must suffer? Over and over NY'ers ask, 'How can they be released?' and there is no logical answer.' Police say the assault happened on June 12 when Wilson allegedly got into the young girl's home at 1 am while she and her younger sister were home alone sleeping. 'The victim felt something slimy on her feet and noticed the defendant was rubbing his penis against her toes,' said Assistant District Attorney Meghan McNulty. 'The victim screamed for her parents, but nobody was home except her younger sister, who was sleeping in another room.' On Friday, NYPD Police Commissioner Dermot Shea tweeted about Wilson's crimes seeming to blame New York City's bail reform for allowing Wilson on the streets Shea has been a vocal opponent of the bail reform consistently blaming the city's spike in crime on the law's recent reforms The disturbed man quickly redressed and fled the scene once the young girl woke up screaming. The terrified girl stared at the bedroom door for 15-20 minutes, worried that the guy might return, before calling her mother. Police later released surveillance images of the suspect and asked for the public's help identifying him. He left a cigarette lighter and a camera lens at the scene and stole a bicycle from the building hallway which he rode away on. Wilson fled the scene before officers arrived but was later connected to the crime from DNA from a stain left on the young girl's duvet cover. When police recovered his DNA and ran his name they realized he was also being sought for additional burglaries. The serial burglar and sexual assailant was arrested and jailed this week on $500,000 cash bail or $750,000 bond at a hearing in Manhattan Criminal Court on Thursday. NYPD released surveillance video image of a suspect back in June before identifying Wilson 'I'm requiring this defendant to return to court,' said Judge Anne Swern of the bail. 'Because of that criminal record. Because of the fact that he was not reachable by phone. Because I know he goes by a number of different names. Because he has 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ... a number of different Social Security numbers.' 'I think he faces a significant period of incarceration.' Wilson's recent prior arrests include at least six burglaries, plus arrests on four successive days in May for lesser offenses since November. He was repeatedly released with no bail sometimes with no conditions, other times under terms of supervisory release such as addiction treatment or job training. A spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. acknowledged bail was not sought in a number of cases where prosecutors had the option to do so, according to the Daily News. The attacks came as violent crimes across the city continue to spike. Overall crimes, however, are down .4% this past week New state reform laws enacted in 2020 demand that suspects in a long list of crimes go free without having to post bail. Shea has blamed New York's sharp rise in crime on New York's new bail reform laws. On July 7, Shea pointed to the sweeping bail reform measures when asked about the city's surge in crime. 'I think you've got to get uncomfortable here, and the uncomfortable conversation for a lot of people is we have to address that law that was passed in 2019, and the implications that we're feeling today' referring to the bail reform. In February the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice released a report showing that, 97%, of the roughly 50,000 people awaiting trial monthly in 2020 haven't been re-arrested. While Judges have increasingly used supervised released as an alternative to jail, this trend existed before New York City reformed bail laws and continued afterward. A New York Post analysis of NYPD's crime statistics data found that most people released under the criminal justice reforms were not connected to the surge of violent crimes. Criminal justice experts suggest that the cops focus on the flow of illegal guns into the city instead which the White House has announced plans to do. A probe found that Officer Rory Spain (pictured) of the Dewitt Police Department was justified in his use of force when he punched Tyrena Edmonds in the throat July 4 A white cop in Upstate New York was cleared of wrongdoing after he was filmed punching a black woman in the throat at an East Syracuse Walmart earlier this month. An internal probe found that officer Rory Spain of the Dewitt Police Department was justified in his use of force when he punched Tyrena Edmonds and knocked her to the floor July 4, according to a News 10 report. Dewitt PD held a press conference Thursday afternoon to announce the probe's findings. Spain, who has been on the force since 2018, was initially placed on administrative leave following the incident. He is set to return to the force next week, but must complete training to review the incident. Tyrena Edmonds (pictured center) allegedly attempted to bite Spain just prior to the knockout blow, which floored the woman Spain unloaded a brutal punch on Edmonds' throat amidst the squabble Pictured is one of the suspects Tajenik Byrd, 22, who is accused of using pepper spray on other shoppers prior to police arriving to the scene The probe found that Edmonds bit Spain more than once prior to Spain punching her in the throat, a move which is a part of officers' training, according to the Dewitt Police Department. Spain and several other officers had arrived at the Walmart around 5 p.m. upon receiving a call of a fight between five or six people, with pepper spray involved. According to Lt. Jerry Pace, employees were threatened and struck in the face, and customers, including children, were pepper-sprayed by two women identified as Edmonds and her sister, Tajenik Byrd, 22. Video from Spain's bodycam, of which authorities released 15 minutes on July 8, shows Spain as he enters the Walmart. He heads straight toward Edmunds, 26, who was flanked by several young children at the time. Pace said that store surveillance captured the initial altercation, and body camera and bystander footage shows the officers struggling to handcuff the women. Officer Corey Buyck uses his body weight to hold Byrd down on the floor as he puts handcuffs on her. In the footage, her sister is heard telling the officers Byrd is a month pregnant and was 'jumped.' As the officers struggle to drag the women out of the store, video shows Spain punching Edmonds in the throat after she apparently tries to bite his arm. News Channel 9's Josh Martin tweeted that Dewitt PD determined that Spain was justified for his use of force, after he 'defended (him)self (with) a right to act' following being bitten by Edmunds. WARNING: Possible profanity and graphic images. DeWitt Police provide an update on a use of force incident at the East Syracuse Walmart, where an officer punched a woman in the face. STORY: https://cnycentral.com/news/local/watch-dewitt-police-share-updates-on-officer-who-punched-woman-at-east-syracuse-walmart Posted by CNYCentral.com on Thursday, July 29, 2021 Dewitt PD held a presentation on Thursday afternoon (pictured) to reveal the probe's findings Officer Corey Buyck (pictured center) takes Byrd to the ground using his body weight to hold her down as he places handcuffs on her, as Edmunds yells at the officers that Byrd is pregnant The probe found that Spain 'defended (him)self (with) a right to act' following being bitten by Edmunds Meanwhile, the police department stated it is entertaining the idea of creating a policy to investigate all 'use of force' incidents, including bodycam footage, as well as adding training, according to News 10. Edmonds was charged with second-degree attempted assault of a police officer, fourth-degree criminal mischief, second-degree harassment, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and obstruction of governmental administration, Mail Online reported earlier this month. Byrd was charged with third-degree assault, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, endangering the welfare of a child, possession of a noxious material, resisting arrest, and obstruction of governmental administration. They were both released later on desk appearance tickets. About 25 people protested on July 9 outside of the DeWitt Police Department. Hasahn Bloodworth, leader of area police reform activist group Rebirth SYR, organized the gathering just days after the incident in the DeWitt Police Departments parking lot to hold the department accountable, according to NewsOnyx. The Justice Department ordered Treasury on Friday to turn over former President Donald Trump's tax returns to the House Ways and Means Committee, which first requested them more than two years ago. 'The Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee has invoked sufficient reasons for requesting the former President's tax information,' read the opinion from the DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel. Trump has long fought requests by the Democratically-controlled congressional committee to gain access to his financial information. The opinion noted the request for Trump's taxes 'would further the Committee's principal stated objective of assessing the IRS's presidential audit programa plainly legitimate area for congressional inquiry.' 'Treasury must furnish the information to the Committee,' it read. The Justice Department ordered Treasury to turn over former President Donald Trump's tax returns to the House Ways and Means Committee President Biden's Justice Department ruled there was a 'sufficient' reasons for Congress to request and receive Trump's tax returns Democratic Rep. Richard Neal, the chairman of the committee, first sent a request for six years of Trump's personal business tax returns Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Charles Rettig in April 2019. The IRS is part of the Treasury Department. In his request, Neal said his committee had the responsibility of ensuring elected officials complied with the nation's tax laws. The Ways and Means committee is the tax-writing body in Congress. Then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he wouldn't turn over the tax returns because he concluded they were being sought by Democrats who control the House of Representatives for partisan reasons. Trump also defeated congressional attempts in court. It's unclear if Trump will try and fight this ruling. Trump, unlike previous presidential nominees, declined to release his tax returns during the election, saying he was the subject of an IRS audit. The decision comes more than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court said that Trump's tax returns and other financial records had to be turned over to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., who is conducting a separate investigation into Trump's business practices. A father who brutally murdered his four-month-old daughter after she cried while he was playing Call of Duty has been jailed for a minimum of 16 years. Jordan Lee, 29, who was given a life sentence at Preston Crown Court on Friday, was heard shouting at baby Willow Lee to 'shut up' before carrying out the 'horrific assault' on December 3 last year, a spokesman for Lancashire Police said. In police interview, Lee claimed Willow, who was teething at the time, suffered her injuries after falling from the sofa while he played a computer game at their home in Onslow Road, Blackpool. Jordan Lee has been jailed after killing his four-month-old daughter Willow at their Blackpool home But he was convicted by a jury after a Home Office pathologist found that the baby's death was a direct consequence of a traumatic head injury, consistent with forceful shaking and probable impact to the head, the police spokesman said. Willow's mother, Jade Bell, said: 'Willow was such a beautiful, happy baby that had the best cheeky smile, and that smile would always cheer you up and light up the room. 'We all miss her dearly and there are not enough words to express that.' A CPS spokesman said neighbours heard a baby crying, a man shouting at her to shut up and a series of bangs before the house fell silent. Lee, 29, who was given a life sentence at Preston Crown Court on Friday, was heard shouting at baby Willow Lee Ipictured) to 'shut up' before carrying out the 'horrific assault' Willow's mother Jade's statement 'Willow was such a beautiful, happy baby that had the best cheeky smile, and that smile would always cheer you up and light up the room. 'We all miss her dearly and there are not enough words to express that. 'To have lost her at such a young age and in the way we have has impacted myself and my family so much and my life will never be the same without my blue-eyed angel. 'The first time anyone met her they instantly fell in love, she was always so happy and smiley.' Advertisement Police said Willow also suffered extensive bruising to her ear, face and arm which a pathologist found was likely to have been the result of gripping, pinching or squeezing, punching or slapping and would have caused 'immense pain and suffering'. Willow was taken to hospital after she was found with serious injuries but died three days later. Detective Inspector Mark Dickinson said: 'Willow Lee was a four-month-old baby who died at the hands of someone who should have protected her - her father, Jordan Lee. 'Lee carried out a horrendous series of assaults on his daughter, leaving her with catastrophic head injuries. These injuries led to her death three days later. 'Thankfully the jury saw through his lies and he has now been found guilty of and sentenced for Willow's murder. 'Willow's mother and wider family have been left utterly heartbroken by her death and I have no doubt they will never fully recover from this horrendous loss.' Victoria Agullo, for the CPS, said: 'This is a tragic case involving the death of a small, defenceless baby at the hands of the person who should have loved and cared for her. 'He lost control when she wouldn't stop crying and caused her catastrophic head injuries.' An aunt has been charged with child abuse after she was caught driving around with the decomposing bodies of her niece, 7, and nephew, 5, for months, before bragging to cops she would be making her 'big debut' on the news. Nicole Michelle Johnson, 33, of Baltimore, Maryland, is accused of stuffing the body of 7-year-old Joshlyn Johnson in a suitcase in the trunk of her car back in May 2020 after the child died. Joshlyn's body was allegedly rotting in the car for a year when her five-year-old brother Larry Darnell O'Neal also died this May. Johnson allegedly then shoved Larry's corpse into a plastic tote bag and placed him in the trunk next to the remains of his older sister. The 33-year-old was the siblings' aunt and had been trusted by their mother to care for them since 2019. Police documents state the two children were severely malnourished at the time of their deaths, weighing less than half the weight of healthy children their ages. An aunt has been charged with child abuse after she was caught driving around with the decomposing bodies of her niece, 7, and nephew, 5, for months. Cops made the discovery during a traffic stop on Eastern Boulevard near Wagners Lane in Essex County (above) Police made the gruesome discovery around 11pm Wednesday when they pulled Johnson over for a traffic stop on Eastern Boulevard near Wagners Lane in Essex County. The officer said Johnson's car had a fake temporary tag and registration and she was also driving without a license, according to charging documents obtained by Capital Gazette. Johnson was issued a citation to appear in court and was told her car would be towed, the documents state. On hearing this, Johnson allegedly told the cop: 'It don't matter, I won't be here in five days.' She also boasted: 'Y'all going to see me on the news making my big debut.' The officer opened and cleared the trunk so the car could be towed and noticed the smell of decomposing bodies coming from some bags, the documents state. Police said they then found the two siblings' decomposing corpses in the car - Joshlyn in a suitcase and Larry inside a plastic tote bag. Johnson allegedly tried to flee the scene when the first body was discovered but was detained by officers. A witness who filmed the heavy police presence on the scene of stop told WBALTV he had no idea at the time what he was looking at. 'There was a pile of like garbage next to [the car] and police around it,' he said, adding that it was 'heartbreaking' to learn what had happened. Johnson was taken into custody where she allegedly told police she had been driving round with Joshlyn's body in the trunk of her care since May 2020. Johnson allegedly told cops the little girl had died that month when they were staying at the Regal Inn on Pulaski Highway in Rosedale. A witness filmed the heavy police presence on the scene of the traffic stop (above). Nicole Michelle Johnson, 33, of Baltimore, Maryland, was arrested after cops found the bodies of 7-year-old Joshlyn Johnson and 5-year-old Larry O'Neil BREAKING UPDATE: We just spoke with a father who was driving home when he passed the traffic stop last night. He said he didnt know what was happening and started recording simply b/c of the amount of @BaltCoPolice officers. He says hes shocked. @wbaltv11 pic.twitter.com/xWW0kMB6B7 Tre Ward (@TreWardWBAL) July 29, 2021 According to the charging documents, Johnson said she became angry with the 7-year-old and hit her several times, causing her to strike her head on the ground. She claimed Joshlyn fell to the floor and hit her head so she stuffed her body in a suitcase in her car, the documents state. Then, two months ago, Larry told her he was tired, lay down to sleep and never woke up again, Johnson told police. She allegedly also said she noticed the 5-year-old had a wound on his left leg but provided no further detail on the cause of the injury. The aunt said she then placed her nephew's body in a tote bag next to the suitcase containing her niece, the documents state. The remains of Joshlyn and Larry were taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner where cause of death will be established. Due to the level of decomposition, authorities said it will take time to determine the exact circumstances that led to the children's deaths so it is not yet clear if there is evidence to support Johnson's version of events. Joshlyn weighed just 18 pounds at her autopsy, less than half the 50 pound weight of an average, healthy seven-year-old girl. Larry weighed just 21 pounds, down from the average 40 pound weight of a healthy five-year-old boy. The Regal Inn on Pulaski Highway in Rosedale where Johnson said Joshlyn died in May 2020. She allegedly told cops she drove around with her body in the car for around a year before putting the remains of the girl's brother Larry in the trunk as well The child's mother Dachelle Johnson had left the children in her sister's care back in 2019, police said. Dachelle told investigators she had tried multiple times to contact her sister since but had not been able to find her or her children. Baltimore County Police Chief Melissa Hyatt described their deaths as 'unspeakable' and vowed to get justice for Joshlyn and Larry. 'Tonight, the entire Baltimore County Police Department grieves with the community over the unspeakable deaths of two innocent children,' said Hyatt. 'The investigation into this atrocious crime will not stop until those responsible are brought to justice.' Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. said the incident 'is horrific and a heartbreaking loss of life.' Authorities released the identities of the two children Thursday and announced the charges against Johnson Friday. Johnson was slapped with multiple charges including first degree child abuse that resulted in the death of a child under the age of 13, neglect, disposal of bodies and failure to report a death. She waived her first appearance in Baltimore County District Court Friday where she was scheduled to appear for a bail review hearing. The 33-year-old is now being held without bail. Governor Ron DeSantis declared Friday that there will not be any new COVID-19 restrictions in Florida as the state health department reported a 50% jump in coronavirus cases this week. This data shows a continuing a six-week surge, making the state the outbreak's epicenter and responsible for 1 in 5 new infections nationally. The Florida Department of Health's report came just hours after DeSantis signed an executive order banning schools from requiring students to wear face masks when they return to class next month. His edict, which is effective immediately, also stressed that 'all parents have the right to make healthcare decisions for their minor children,' - such as whether to mask them up. Meanwhile, more than 110,000 new coronavirus cases were reported statewide over the past week, up from 73,000 last week and 11 times the 10,000 reported the week of June 11, six weeks ago. Case numbers are now back to where they in January, just before vaccinations became widely available. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, pictured in Miami on July 13, has introduced an executive order banning schools from making students wear masks COVID infections are rising again in Florida, with 17,589 new cases reported on Thursday. Deaths have remained relatively flat, with half of all residents fully-vaccinated The state reported 409 deaths this week, bringing the total to more than 39,000 since its first in March 2020. The state's peak happened in mid-August 2020, when 1,266 people died over a seven-day period. Deaths usually follow increases in hospitalizations by a few weeks. Just under half - 48 per cent - of Floridians are fully vaccinated against COVID. A slightly higher number - 57 per cent - have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine. DeSantis has blamed the surge in cases on a seasonal increase saying more Floridians are indoors because of the hot weather with air conditioning circulating the virus. Speaking at a Cape Coral event hours before signing the order, the GOP lawmaker said his executive order barring mask mandates at schools will improve students' experience and make it easier for them to focus on learning. He argued that making children wear masks 'may lead to negative health and societal ramifications...could inhibit breathing, lead to the collection of dangerous impurities and adversely affect communications in the classroom and student performance.' 'I have (three) young kids. My wife and I are not going to do the masks with the kids; we never have,' DeSantis shared. 'I want to see my kids smiling. I want them having fun.' The governor's executive order also said that 'there is no statistically significant evidence to suggest that counties with mask requirements have feared any better than those without.' DeSantis was cheered by supporters as he made the pronouncement, and also welcomed parents who are against masks to address the crowd. 'I think that this decision about whether parents want their kids to have to wear masks all day at school, I think that's a decision that falls squarely within the concord of this Parents' Bill of Rights that I signed,' the governor said. The governor also vowed not to re-impose any COVID rules as cases surge because of the Indian 'Delta' variant, DeSantis continued: 'In Florida, there will be no lockdowns, there will be no school closures, there will be no restrictions and no mandates in the state of Florida.' DeSantis signed an executive order Friday (above) saying that making children wear masks 'may lead to negative health and societal ramifications,' as well as adversely impact their academic performance The governor's newly-signed order puts him on a collision course with two Florida school districts, in Broward and Gadsden Counties. Both have warned students that they must wear masks when they return to school next month The new executive order supersedes those rules, and will likely trigger confrontations between pro-mask school workers and parents as well as students who are opposed to masks. DeSantis also vowed to call a special session of the state assembly if schools ignored his planned order. Vaccines are currently only available to children aged 12 and over. Pro-maskers say letting them go barefaced in class risks an infection spike - and harming those who are unvaccinated or immunocompromised. Supporters' of DeSantis's policy say children rarely fall seriously-ill with COVID, and cite the availability of vaccines for adults as reason to avoid mask rules. DeSantis's announcement on his order drew fury from state teachers' union the Florida Education Association, the Tallahassee Democrat reported. A spokesman said: 'Whether it is mandating a pay plan that requires teachers with 15 years of experience to be paid the same as a first-year teacher or telling locally elected officials they cannot enforce recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Gov. DeSantis continues to think that Tallahassee knows best what all Floridians need,' FEA President Andrew Spar said. 'We ... ask Gov. DeSantis to allow all Florida's citizens to have a voice by empowering the elected leaders of cities, counties and school districts to make health and safety decisions locally based on their unique needs and circumstances.' Democratic State Representative Anna Eskamani also condemned the move, tweeting: 'Our Governor continues to prioritize his own political agenda over the health and well being of Floridians by going after masks. A worker checks' kids temperatures at Baldwin Park Elementary School in Orlando last August. DeSantis's planned executive order would supersede compulsory mask rules recently announced by two Florida school districts, Broward and Gadsden Democrat state representative Anna Eskamani issued two tweets claiming DeSantis's mooted executive order would 'endanger lives' 'Meanwhile homelessness and poverty are legitimate issues he could be focused on. But NOPE, let's keep on w/the culture wars & endanger lives.' She then invoked another culture war issue, writing: ''Defends Freedom of Choice' is what Republicans are saying during the Governor's anti-mask press conference; I'll be sure to re-quote them when we're debating against proposed abortion bans in the upcoming legislative session!' But Florida State Speaker Chris Sprowls issued a statement saying he 'applauded' his fellow Republicans' 'decisive action' He said: 'While there are some public officials who will seek to use the power of government to compel uniformity and adherence to their preferred course of conduct, that approach is not in keeping with Florida values. 'Gov. DeSantis recognizes that parents are in the best position to make choices for their children. His actions today demonstrate his faith and trust in our fellow Floridians, and he and they have my full support.' Protesters campaign against mask mandates outside a school board meeting in Hillsborough County in Tampa, Florida, on Tuesday, with pro-mask schools and parents now on a collision course with the state itself And Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson, who is also a Republican, hailed the governor for letting parents decide for themselves whether to make their children wear masks. He said: 'I trust Florida parents to evaluate all of the information available and make the best decision about whether their children will be wearing a mask when they return to school next month DeSantis - a close ally of Donald Trump, and possible future GOP presidential candidate - lifted all Florida's remaining COVID restrictions in May. The governor has taken several steps to limit COVID-19 protocols in Florida. In June, he signed a bill into law that prohibits individual counties within Florida from imposing any new rules. In April, he signed an emergency order banning Covid-19 vaccine 'passports' claiming they are 'completely unacceptable' and would create 'two classes of citizens'. The order prevented any state-run organization and private business from demanding that their staff or customers show a vaccine passport to work there or gain services. He also initiated a lawsuit against the CDC over the No Sail Orders that were in effect for cruise ships. He argued that the continued ban against cruises was hurting Florida and had no effect on the pandemic, citing instances of cruising resuming elsewhere in the world. He also noted that Americans are flying to the nearby Bahamas to board ships. In June, the federal district court in Tampa ruled in favor of the state and concluded the CDC's restrictions were likely unconstitutional and overstepping their legal authority. The health organization's order became guidance at that point. On Friday, DeSantis also said he has no plans to re-enact a state of emergency, even though Florida leads the US with new COVID infections. The state is currently responsible for around 20 per cent of all new diagnoses in the United States. Florida is seeing an increase in vaccination rates as well as weekly cases of COVID-19 New case positivity rates in the state have increased by nearly 15% in the past two months Daily COVID deaths in the state have remained relatively static in recent months, with 56 people losing their lives to the virus on Thursday The Florida Hospital Association reported Friday that statewide COVID-19 hospitalizations are nearing last year's peak. More than 9,300 patients are hospitalized, up from 1,845 a month ago and nearing the record 10,179 set on July 23, 2020. On a per capita basis, Florida now has more people hospitalized than any other state. Hospitals across the state are reportedly seeing a rise of COVID in young cases, the Miami Herald reported. Officials say nearly all of these patients were not vaccinated and required intensive care. Juana Mejia, the COVID ICU nurse manager at Memorial Hospital Miramar, located in southern Florida, told the newspaper the hospital chain is treating COVID patients in their 30s, 40s and 50s, which trends much younger than the patients they were treating last year. The hospital also noted that they are seeing an increase in COVID-related hospitalizations. On June 19, Memorial Health had fewer than 90 patients with COVID-19. However, on Friday that number was 420. 'It is very sad to have someone dying in the ICU by themselves without the touch of their family, without seeing a loved one,' Mejia said. 'And the only person or the only place that they see is a face of a stranger, of a nurse.' At Tampa General Hospital, the 90-plus patients hospitalized with COVID already exceeds the previous high of 86, said Dr. Seetha Lakshmi, medical director of its Global Emerging Diseases Institute. She said the hospital, like many, can't hire enough staff and it is leaving those working exhausted. 'It feels like we are getting hit by a train, the pace is so fast and uncontrolled,' Laskshmi said. 'I just dont have any words anymore. This is awful, just awful and it is going to be awful.' She said last year, her patients' median age was in the 70s. Now, it is just over 50, with the younger patients getting sicker than in the past. She pointed to a patient in his early 30s whose lungs 'sound like Velcro' being pulled apart. A father of young children, he will likely have permanent damage and might need a transplant eventually, she said. She said 83% of Tampa General's COVID patients are unvaccinated while the others have immune-deficiency issues that prevented the vaccine from working. Hospital officials are urging all citizens to get vaccinated, wear masks and practice social distancing amid the surge. While average U.S. coronavirus cases rise by 322% over the last three weeks COVID-19 deaths have risen just 27% Average virus-related has remained below 300 since June 25, showing the effectiveness of vaccines (above) 57.2% of the US population eligible to get the coronavirus vaccine, has received at least one dose Meantime, arguments about masks and vaccination rules have become the latest flashpoint in the ongoing argument over how to tackle COVID in the US. The CDC is now urging fully-vaccinated Americans to consider wearing a mask indoors if they are in a high-transmission area. Their guidance was updated after new outbreaks showed that people who have completed their jab can still catch 'breakthrough' cases of COVID thanks to the Delta variant. Researchers found nearly three-quarters of the infections occurred in people who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with either of three shots approved in the U.S. for emergency use. What's more, tests showed that immunized people carried about the same viral levels in their noses and throats as unvaccinated people did. However, there were just four hospitalizations and no fatalities among the fully vaccinated group, showing that the vaccines are very effective against severe disease and death. Only four of the vaccinated people were hospitalized, two of whom had underlying conditions, and there were no deaths showing vaccines are effective even against the Delta variant, which now makes up 83% of all new infections A new CDC report detailed 469 cases of COVID-19 linked to an outbreak in Provincetown, Massachusetts between July 3 and July 17, of which 74% were in fully vaccinated people The CDC claims the Delta variant has an R0, or is as infectious, as chickenpox or Ebola and that an infected person can spread the virus to eight or nine other people. President Biden has since ordered draconian new rules to try and encourage federal government staff to get vaccinated, including weekly testing, mask-wearing and social distancing for people who haven't taken the shot. He has been accused of undermining confidence in vaccines with the measure, just two months after telling people who'd been jabbed they could take off their masks and relax. The president has defended his latest pronouncements, insisting the explosion in Delta variant cases have left him with no other choice. A Canadian priest said reporting of more than a century of abuse of indigenous children at residential schools - where more than 1,000 graves have been found since May - is 'fake news.' Father Rheal Forest went on to accuse survivors of lying about sexual abuse to get money from court settlements during a July 10 mass at St. Emile Roman Catholic Church in Winnipeg. 'If they wanted extra money, from the money that was given to them, they had to lie sometimes - lie that they were abused sexually and, oop, another $50,000,' Forest said. 'So it's kind of hard if you're poor not to lie but all the ones I met said they liked the residential schools.' Eight days later, during a July 18 sermon, he said he wanted to shoot church vandals with a shotgun. The Manitoba archdiocese has since been made aware of his comments and banned him from publicly teaching, and the St. Emile Church removed the videos of his sermons. Father Rheal Forest, pictured here in March 2013, said he wanted to shoot church vandals and called genocide of indigenous children at Catholic Church-run boarding schools in Canada 'fake news' After being made aware of Forest's comments, the Manitoba archdiocese banned him from publicly speaking The July 10 sermon was said at St. Emile Roman Catholic Church in Winnipeg, which is pictured here People from Mosakahiken Cree Nation hug in front of a makeshift memorial at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School on June 4 to honor the 215 children whose remains have been discovered buried near the facility, in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada Shoes placed on the steps of the Manitoba Legislature on July 2 to honor hundreds of children recently discovered in unmarked graves on the sites of several former residential schools across Canada. The discovery of unmarked graves coincided with a series of fires in churches across the country Forest was talking about Native American boarding schools that the Catholic Church ran from the 19th Century to the 1970s that forced indigenous children to convert to Christianity and assimilate to Canadian society. They weren't allowed to speak their native language and many were beaten and verbally abused. Preston McBride, a Dartmouth College scholar, predicts as 40,000 native children may have died from poor care at government-run boarding schools. As of 2015, there were about 38,000 claims of sexual and serious physical abuse that were submitted but less than fifty people were convicted of crimes, according to a 2015 report by Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The Commission called the boarding schools 'cultural genocide'. 'Many students who went to residential school never returned. They were lost to their families,' the report says. 'They died at rates that were far higher than those experienced by the general school-aged population. 'Their parents were often uninformed of their sickness and death. They were buried away from their families in long-neglected graves.' Forest denied these horrors during the July 10 sermon saying, it's the 'evil of media that makes people believe so many things.' People rally as several rallies took place following the discovery of the remains of hundreds of children at former indigenous residential schools on Canada Day in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada July 1 From the 19th century until the 1970s, more than 150,000 First Nations children were required to attend state-funded Christian schools as part of a program to assimilate them into Canadian society. Indigenous boys of the Indian School of Marieval in 1934 Cowessess First Nation Chief Cadmus Delorme said that the graves were marked at one time, but that the Roman Catholic Church that operated the school had removed the markers. Marieval Residential School in Saskatchewan in an undated photo Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was 'terribly saddened' by the new discovery at Marieval Indian Residential School, and told indigenous people that 'the hurt and the trauma that you feel is Canadas responsibility to bear.. Justin Trudeau visits the makeshift memorial erected in honor of the 215 indigenous children remains found at a boarding school in British Columbia, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 1 At the end of May, remains of 215 children, some as young as three years old, were found buried on the site of what was once Canada's largest Indigenous residential school near Kamloops, British Columbia. Since then, at least 12 churches were burned throughout the country between June 21 and July 9. Most of the fires were set near the town of Penticton, British Columbia - about 40 miles north of Washington state - the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in multiple statements. It is estimated that there have been about 57 acts of arson or vandalism to Canadian Christian churches or places of worship since June, according to countersignal.com. During a July 18 sermon, Forest said he was angered by the vandalism and said he would like to scare off vandals with shotgun and shoot them if they didn't run. 'If I had a shotgun at night and I'd see them, I'd go, "Boom!" just to scare them and if they don't run away, I'll shoot them,' Forest said in the July 18 sermon, laughing, CBC reported. Flames engulf a Catholic church as firefighters work to extinguish the fire at St. Jean Baptiste Parish in Morinville, Alberta, Canada June 30 Maryanne Klaassen looks inside the church doors covered in red paint July 3 at Grace Presbyterian Church in Calgary, Alberta. It's among dozens of Canadian churches that have been vandalized He reportedly backpedaled and said, 'But this would not help. It's bad to do that. I'd go have a chat with them' and then went on to blame the media again, the CBC reported. The Manitoba archdiocese was made aware of Forest's comments this week, which is when St. Emile Church, which livestreams its services, removed the videos. Daniel Bahuaud, a spokesperson for the archdiocese and Archbishop Albert LeGatt, apologized for the comments in media statements and said the archdiocese barred Forest from preaching and teaching publicly. Puerto Rican investigators of Command Region Fajardo ruled Christian Quezada's death an accident after investigating. However, Quezada's siblings, who traveled to Puerto Rico to see their younger brother's body, are convinced foul play was involved. The body of a man vacationing in Vieques, Puerto Rico, was found naked and badly bruised on a beach the day before he was scheduled to return home to Texas. Another tourist found the body of Christian Quezada of Plano, 36, at around 8:30 a.m. Sunday along the black sand beaches of the small island of Playa Negra an hour offshore from the mainland. Puerto Rican investigators of Command Region Fajardo ruled Quezada's death an accident following an investigation. However, Quezada's siblings, who traveled to Puerto Rico to see their younger brother's body, are convinced foul play was involved. 'I've seen the body, I've seen all of the pictures of my brother after they found him - this [case] should have been [ruled] a homicide immediately,' Cynthia Quezada, Quezada's older sister, told MailOnline. Another tourist found the body of Christian Quezada of Plano, 36, at around 8:30 a.m. Sunday along the black sand beaches of the small island of Playa Negra an hour offshore of the mainland. She said after seeing their brother's body, the family tried to piece together his final days. 'All the people they're interrogating, it's because we found them,' said Cynthia Quezada on Friday. 'They found is body, they took it to the morgue, they didn't do anything. WE find things... we were finding and finding and finding and finding names where he stayed, the people he met and the AirBnb where he stayed.' MailOnline is still waiting for further information from the command center's press officer. Quezada said that her brother had been staying in the Santurce arts district of San Juan, and that his days were packed with activities after he arrived July 14. He was supposed to head home Monday for his father's funeral. The last person to see him, she said, was a woman from Virginia who was staying at the same AirBnb. The two went together, she said, to the island where Quezada died. But the woman has returned to the States, she said. 'He was last see with her, she is back in Virginia continuing her life,' Cynthia told MailOnline. 'The police say, "we're calling, she's not answering."' Sabrina Colirri organized a GoFundMe page on the family's behalf, to cover funeral expenses, hire investigators and have the body shipped back to the states. '[When they] saw [the body's] horrific condition, that was enough for them to realize it was not a mere accident, but instead, [that] their younger sibling was MURDERED.' she wrote. His head was 'severely beaten with a possibility of concussion,' his back was 'severely bruised, turning its color almost to black,' and more bruises peppered his ribcage, according to the GoFundMe page. Before his trip to Puerto Rico, Quezada had been his father's primary caretaker after he suffered a stroke 18 months ago. Now, the two will be buried at a joint ceremony in Plano in August. Cynthia Quezada said her brother worked in telecommunications, and was finishing coursework for his bachelor's at University of Arizona. He was working from home with his parents during the pandemic. Thus far, nearly $5,000 has been raised through GoFundMe in just two days. 'Help us solve Christians murder and to also put an end on tourists killing at the so-called Fantasy Island,"' the page says. 'He was shy at first but that look wont deny the good heart and amazing character he had,' wrote Colirri on the page. 'His passing caught all of us by surprise, where no one ever expected such a sudden and inhumane death.' Gary Vanryswyk, 76, performed the botched procedure on the 55-year-old male back in August 2019, after they connected on eunuch.com A Florida pensioner is expected to spend two years behind bars after he was charged for castrating a man he met on a eunuch fetish website. Gary Jon Vanryswyk, 76, performed the botched procedure on the 55-year-old male back in August 2019 after they connected on eunuch.com. The man - who has not been publicly identified - had to be airlifted to Tampa General Hospital's trauma unit after the three-hour-long operation left him bleeding uncontrollably from the groin. On Thursday, Vanryswyk pleaded no contest to unlicensed practice of a health care profession resulting in serious bodily injury, documents obtained by DailyMail.com show. He had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges, records show. The charge carries a maximum 15-year prison term, but The Smoking Gun reported that Vanryswyk could be free as soon as 2023. According to charging documents, officers arrived at Van Ryswyk's home in Sebring on the evening of August 18, 2019 after he dialed 911. He subsequently confessed to having performed 'a castration on a male subject within the residence'. Cops found the man with a blood-soaked towel pressed up against his groin and quickly called for medical help. Inside the home, officers also seized a range of bloodied medical tools, including scissors, scalpels, clamps and a surgical stapler Evidence photo shows bloody surgical scissors from the court case of Gary Van Ryswyk, who castrated a man at his Sebring Cops discovered that one of the property's bedrooms had been converted into a makeshift operating theater and they located the man's severed testicles inside of a a pink jar placed atop a bedside table. Inside the home, officers also seized a range of bloodied medical tools, including scissors, scalpels, clamps and a surgical stapler. Shocking photos obtained by The Smoking Gun through a Freedom of Information Act request show the grisly scene with blood covering the tile floors and filling toilet bowls - as well as the array of medical equipment. In the bedroom, there was also a camera set up on a tripod and spare memory cards to record the horrific castration. The man was purportedly told by Vanryswyk that the procedure would 'take around 45 minutes'. However, he quickly started to notice that Vanryswyk was 'constantly fumbling and dropping stuff.' The procedure stretched on for more than three hours, with blood covering the walls and floor of the room. The alleged procedure took place at Van Ryswyk's home in the above area in Sebring, Florida Lawyers for Vanryswyk claimed he should not be in jail while awaiting trial because he takes testosterone pills Vanryswyk called the cops when he realized he was unable to stop the man's bleeding. During a later interview, Vanryswyk told police he had castrated a number of animals while growing up on a farm in Minnesota. He also confessed to cutting off one of his own testicles in 2012, without the aid of painkillers. Vanryswyk's victim was initially reluctant to press charges and described the castration as 'consensual'. However, in the months after the botched surgery, the man said he began to suffer from suicidal thoughts and 'regrets' ever having his testicles removed. Court records show Vanryswyk has changes his plea to no contest from not guilty Vanryswyk's charging documents obtained by DailyMail.com are pictured in full Lawyers for Vanryswyk filed a motion to try to get his bond reduced last year and claimed in a hearing that he should not be in jail while awaiting trial because he takes testosterone pills, according to a transcript obtained by DailyMail.com. 'Mr. Vanryswyk is over 70 years old and he has been continually incarcerated since he was arrested in July, I think it was,' his attorney Jennifer Powell said during the hearing last year. 'He has vision issues. He has glaucoma that he was getting treatment for that hes not getting treatment for now that hes in jail.' She added: 'He has hip problems that he was getting treatment for that hes not getting treatment for now that hes in jail. And he was taking testosterone prescription that if he doesnt take, it could lead to osteoporosis. 'And hes not getting that treatment while hes in jail.' Pictured: Leslie Stephen Scarlett, 35, who police say killed EMT Jacob Dindinger on July 18 during a violent crime spree A 20-year-old Tucson emergency medical technician who was critically wounded by a gunman in a shooting rampage last week has died, his employer said Friday. Jacob Dindinger died 12 days after being hospitalized following the tragic shooting on July 18, American Medical Response revealed in a brief statement. 'Our thoughts are with Jacob and his family as we honor his life and his service,' the company said. Police said several other people were also wounded or grazed by gunfire during a violent crime spree at the hands of Leslie Stephen Scarlett, 35, on July 18. Scarlett's other victims included a neighbor, 44-year-old Corey Saunders, who was fatally shot while trying to extinguish a house fire and the gunman's girlfriend, 36-year-old Jennifer Fells, who was found dead inside the house after the fire. Saunders was shot to death in front of his 11-year-old son, according to Tucson.com. Dindinger, who had been working as an EMT for only four months at the time of his death, was hospitalized in extremely critically condition with a gunshot wound to the head. He was hit while sitting in an ambulance with a co-worker, 21, who was shot in the arm and chest but survived. The two EMTs had been responding to an unrelated call at Quincie Douglas Center at Silverlake Park when Scarlett arrived and opened fire. Jacob Dindinger (pictured) died 12 days after being hospitalized following the tragic shooting, American Medical Response revealed in a brief statement Bodycam footage of Tucson Police Officer Danny Leon responding to the chaotic shooting scene on Irene Vista. Leon shot suspect Leslie Scarlett, 35, July 18 Scarlett, who Tucson PD described as having 'mental health issues,' died July 21 after being wounded in an exchange of gunfire with Officer Leon, finally ending the three-day rampage He died of his injuries Thursday night, according to a statement from Gov. Doug Ducey. The deadly crime spree was first brought to authorities' attention after police received a phone call about a house fire at 3:45pm. As the Tucson Fire Department and neighbors worked to douse the flames, Scarlett returned to the home after killing Dindinger and opened fire on emergency personnel and neighbors. A 17-year veteran of the fire department was shot in the arm, and was released from the hospital on Sunday night, according to KOLD News 13. Scarlett's other victims included a neighbor, 44-year-old Corey Saunders, who was fatally shot while trying to extinguish a house fire and the gunman's girlfriend, 36-year-old Jennifer Fells (pictured), who was found dead inside the house after the fire Tucson Police investigators work at the scene of a house fire authorities believe Scarlett is responsible for, where a body was found in Tucson on July 19 Police secure the scene at Quincie Douglas Center at Silverlake Park, where Scarlett had shot and killed the 20-year-old EMT and injured his 21-year-old coworker Scarlett, who Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus described as having 'mental health issues,' died July 21 after being wounded in an exchange of gunfire with Tucson Police Officer Danny Leon. Pictured: Cory Saunders, 44, was shot to death in front of his 11-year-old son by Scarlett after he killed Dindinger 'I am beyond grateful that Officer Leon had the skill, courage and presence of mind to end this suspect's rampage,' the chief said of the eight-year Tucson Police Department veteran, the news outlet reports. Tucson Mayor Regina Romero echoed Magnus' sentiments. 'Despite having gunshots fired right at him, demonstrated incredible composure and bravery in neutralizing the threat,' Romero said of Officer Leon. 'His actions were heroic and likely saved lives.' Meanwhile, the governor ordered that flags at all state buildings fly at half-staff Saturday in Dindinger's honor. A paramedic who was a co-worker of Dindinger, and a firefighter also were wounded, and a second neighbor was grazed by a bullet. Scarlett had previously been sentenced for a six-year prison sentence following a 2007 conviction for an attempted armed robbery. He was released in August 2013, KOLD News 13 reports. A motive for the attack remains unclear, police said. The White House on Friday argued it did not need to have a briefing from COVID experts amid changing face mask guidelines because President Joe Biden, a 'trusted voice,' was speaking about the matter. 'I would argue that we had the President of the United States speak to this yesterday, he gave more than 30 minute speech about where we are as a country, and he is a trusted voice, he's the leader of our country. We heard from him,' White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said when asked why the country wasn't hearing from medical experts at this time. The White House is struggling with its messaging on COVID vaccines after President Biden said his administration is exploring a mandate but an adviser quickly walked that back. The confusion comes as the White House COVID team - consisting of adviser Jeffrey Zients, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky - have not briefed the public in over a week. Their last briefing was July 22nd. The trio have made individual appearances in the media and Walensky held a press conference on Tuesday, the day the CDC changed its mask guidelines to ask those fully-vaccinated in high infection areas to wear face masks again. Jean-Pierre argued the health experts are out there: 'We have had our doctors on your networks,' she told the press. 'They've been out there. They're not hiding. They're actually speaking to this almost every day,' she noted. The White House called President Biden a 'trusted voice' on COVID guidelines White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre brushed off questions on why there haven't been briefings recently from health experts The last briefing from the White House's COVID team was on July 22 But the changing guidelines and significant percentage of Americans still unvaccinated has led to questions about a national vaccine mandate as COVID cases are on the rise. About 67% of eligible US residents have received at least one dose, and the rate of new vaccinations has fallen drastically since the spring. From a peak of 3.4 million shots per day in April, the number of daily new injections is down to around 600,000. About 60% of the country is fully vaccinated. Biden said on Thursday it was still 'a question' as to whether a national vaccine mandate would be legal but said the Justice Department was looking into it. 'I had asked the Justice Department to determine whether that is -- they're able to do that legally, and they can. Local communities can do that. Local businesses can do that. It's still a question whether the federal government can mandate the whole country. I don't know that yet,' he said. But Zients went on CNN later that night to clarify the matter. He said the DoJ wasn't exploring a national mandate but whether employers can mandate the vaccine. 'That's not an authority that we're exploring at all. But I think what the president was referring to is his Justice Department has said that it is legal for employers to require vaccination,' he said. Biden also said on Thursday that areas with high vaccination rates do not need to wear masks if individuals are fully vaccinated - which is not quite the CDC guidelines. 'Like in my home state of Delaware, where I lived in New Castle County, where I was yesterday in Pennsylvania. Because people got vaccinated. They got vaccinated. They don't need a mask when the majority, the vast majority of the people got vaccinated,' the president said. But the CDC mask guidance is based on the level of transmission and COVID case rate in an area, not specifically the rate of vaccination. Some places with high vaccination rates, like Vermont, also have low levels of transmission. But other areas with high vaccination rates, like Washington D.C., has a high rate of transmission and is re-instituting face mask wearing for everyone. The messaging and confusion comes as more data is to be released on Friday to explain why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reissued its mask policy. On May 13 the American public was told they no longer needed to wear masks indoors if vaccinated. An internal federal health document obtained by The Washington Post claimed that the Delta variant was as infectious as chickenpox or Ebola - with each infected person passing the virus to eight or nine others, on average. That infectivity is known as R0. The original lineage was about as transmissible as the common cold, with each infected person passing it to about two others, on average. Walensky said that the new data coming out on Friday showed that vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant carry tremendous amounts of the virus in the nose and throat. 'I think people need to understand that we're not crying wolf here. This is serious,' she told CNN. She told The New York Times that the data suggest that even fully immunized people can be unwilling vectors for the virus - a change from the previously-held belief that vaccinated people were unlikely to increase the spread of COVID-19. COVID adviser Jeff Zients quickly walked comments from President Biden that suggested he was considering a federal mandate for vaccines COVID cases are on the rise in the United States, mainly due to the highly-contagious Delta variant. On Wednesday, the country recorded 68,771 new cases with a seven-day rolling average of 63,842, which is a 322 percent increase from the 15,126 average recorded three weeks ago. A three-year-old boy drowned in a Martha's Vineyard country club pool that costs members $100,000 to use or requires ownership of a multi-million dollar home. The young child, who has not yet been identified, was pulled from the pool in Edgartown's Field Club on Monday and died in Boston Children's Hospital on Wednesday, the Cape and Islands District Attorney said on Friday. Local and state police are investigating the case, along with the DA's Office and Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, but no charges have been filed. DailyMail.com left a message with The Field Club for comment. A swimming pool at The Boathouse and Field Club on Martha's Vineyard. It's unclear if this is the pool where the child drowned Views of the swimming pool at The Boathouse and Field Club, which costs members $100,000 to use or requires members to own multi-million dollar property An aerial view of The Boathouse and Field Club on Martha's Vineyard The Field Club on Martha's Vineyard has high-end amenities that include the swimming pool, racket sports, fitness facilities and luxury homes. Members pay $100,000 to use the amenities or they bought a Field Club home that sells for around $4million. The Field Club is connected to The Boathouse, a private club on the island that includes fine dinning, views of Edgartowns historic harbor and access to yachts. The Boathouse costs an additional $50,000 a year plus $8,000 in annual fees. The island of Marthas Vineyard is seven miles east of Cape Cod and just over 90 miles southeast of Boston and is known for it's scenic views and a vacation spot for former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Obama announced this week that he'll be hosting his 60th birthday party on the island. Sitting behind the steering wheel of my beloved Aubergine my nickname for my purple Chrysler PT cruiser I suddenly realised that I was hopelessly stuck. I was attempting to navigate a maze of narrow streets in the heart of Gallipoli, the town in southern Italy. Id managed to get half-way round a corner, but was now unable to move forward or backwards without scraping the sides of the Aubergine. Somehow, my bumper had become hooked on some stone steps that thrust out into the alleyway. Around me, a crowd of bemused onlookers had gathered amid the scorching heat of the Italian summer, to see how on earth the pink-cheeked signora inglese would manage to extricate herself from this situation a question I was also asking myself. My saviour came in the form of Marco, a genial local man who opened the drivers side door. Waving me over to sit in the passenger seat, he said in heavily accented English: You move, I drive. Burning with feminist indignation I might have been, but I was also hugely thankful. To cheers from the crowd, Marco wriggled my car out, then led us on through a series of tortuous alleys to freedom. Grinning, he handed me back the keys and disappeared into Gallipolis centro storico. Ive navigated Italys notorious red tape, stumbled over endless language hurdles and had to learn to cope with the muffa, the black mould that sprouts alarmingly from those pale ochre walls in the damp Puglian winters This, I confess, would not be the last time I came a cropper in the perilously narrow streets of the ancient villages of Puglia: just one of the endless escapades that have come to characterise my unexpected new life in the corner of Italy I now call home. Just a few weeks before Marco came to my rescue, I had packed up my entire belongings into the Aubergine to start a new life in Italys heel, leaving my home, my friends and almost everything I knew for something that, if not quite a whim, certainly looked that way. I spoke only basic Italian and had merely the faintest idea where I was going. Yet two years and three months later, here I am, blissfully installed in a small sunlit two-floor apartment with steep stairs and pale ochre and ivory stone walls: purchased for the grand total of 50,000 (42,500), furniture and all. Ive navigated Italys notorious red tape, stumbled over endless language hurdles and had to learn to cope with the muffa, the black mould that sprouts alarmingly from those pale ochre walls in the damp Puglian winters. But I have also harvested olives, dined like a queen, learnt new cookery skills (my orecchiette, Puglias favourite ear-shaped pasta, look close to the real thing now) and, as I nurse my Campari spritz on a summers evening on the beautiful sun-filled main square of my adopted town, found a level of deep contentment in my soul in this, my seventh decade. Ive always loved travelling. Throughout my childhood, my family spent three months a year in France in the Loir-et-Cher, where I went to the local school. In my early twenties, I had grand plans to spend a year in France and Italy after finishing my maths degree at Manchester University, only to lose the courage of my convictions. As for so many, life got in the way. After starting my career as a food writer, marriage and a family followed. My husband William and I settled in Northamptonshire, where our children Florrie and Sid came along. As the years went by, I soon had a number of successful cookery books to my name as well as a few television series. I was happy and successful, although that thwarted year abroad lingered in the recesses of my mind, coupled with a growing sense of the fragility of life. Two years and three months later, here I am, blissfully installed in a small sunlit two-floor apartment with steep stairs and pale ochre and ivory stone walls: purchased for the grand total of 50,000 (42,500), furniture and all In 1990, my dear mother, the renowned cookery writer Jane Grigson from whom I inherited my passion for food died at the relatively young age of 62. I felt her loss keenly. Then, in 2015, William passed away from a brain tumour. We had divorced by then, but this tragic end for a man who for so many years had been such a major force in my life was another seismic moment. As I approached my sixtieth birthday, it was hard to shake off thoughts about the unforgiving march of time. I was also whisper it bored. Even so, I might have done nothing about these feelings were it not for a chance encounter in early 2018. I had been asked to interview Russell Norman the famed restaurateur behind the Polpo chain about his book Venice, a fascinating account of a year he spent living in the backstreets of that magical city, learning to cook like the locals. Russell was wonderful company, but as I fired my questions at him, my prevailing emotion was envy. Why couldnt I do something like that? The answer, of course, was that I could. By then, I was presiding over an empty nest. And much as I enjoyed many things about my life in Oxford, where I had moved following my divorce, I didnt need to be there anymore. So when, a few days after, I stumbled across a news story about a village in the north of Puglia whose shrinking population had led the local council to offer outsiders 1,000 (850) to move there, it was as if a lightbulb had come on above my head. Finally, here was my chance to indulge that ancient wanderlust to the full. I had no plan at all other than to drive south, pulling off the road wherever I fancied. It was gloriously liberating Two weeks later, I flew to Bari airport and bowled up in a hire car at that village, Candela, with Florrie, now 27, and Sid, 25. If my children thought I was a bit bonkers they hid it well although later, when it became clear I was serious about this dramatic new start, they admitted feeling a little wistful and apprehensive about potentially losing their base in Oxford: my home. It will be a new kind of base, I confidently told them. I knew straight away that Candela was not right for me: it was too remote. But driving through more of Puglias glorious hilltop towns had brought a new impetus to my thoughts about moving there. In short, my mind was made up. Giving myself a deadline of the following spring, I returned to Britain and set about divesting myself of the past. I had a lifetime of stuff to get rid of, and while it helped that I was renting my house in Oxford, I still spent months sorting, selling and restocking the shelves of my local Oxfam. Friends were part-envious, part-stupefied, and not all convinced I would see my plans through. Nonetheless, at the end of April 2019, I climbed into the Aubergine and then pointed the bonnet due south. I had everything I then owned in the back: my clothes and some essentials, some cookbooks and paintings, and what I call my granny trolley, a shopping bag on wheels that I packed on the basis it would come in useful if I happened to find myself living up a devilishly steep hill. Friends texted anxiously to ask how I was coping, but the truth is that while there were moments of boredom, I still found plenty to occupy myself, not least writing a book about living, eating and cooking in Puglia My forward thinking stopped there, though. I had no plan at all other than to drive south, pulling off the road wherever I fancied. It was gloriously liberating. I had fallen in love with the fertile plains of the Valle dItria in Puglias centre, but my ardour was not matched by the weather. Besieged by spring downpours, the streets there were overwhelmed by gushing torrents of water. Thank goodness for the local hospitality. Within moments of my arrival at my first B&B, the hostess was drying my clothes and whipping up supper for me: a marvel created from the wheat, wine and olive oil that are the foundation stones of every meal in this corner of Italy. I spent my first damp nights in Manduria, a town famous for its purple Primitivo wines which, I discovered, staved off the cold in a most pleasing way. Later, Id be introduced to the crisp whites and roses from the north of Puglia, as well as the inky, aromatic richness of southern Negroamaro. By day, undeterred by the rain, I drove around the region searching for my new home, although in the event, the small town of Ceglie Messapica found me. A local estate agent had suggested that a two-bedroom apartment available to rent in this citta gastronomica (gastronomic city) might suit me. He was right. Located near the town centre, with a balcony overlooking a small street and with a distant view of the church in the oldest part of the town, I knew instantly I wanted to live there. Six months after moving in, I bought it outright. My first weeks in Ceglie Messapica felt like a holiday. By day, I explored: sampling the local cuisine, everything from bombette tender rolls of meat oozing cheese and herbs to pasticciotto, a divinely crumbly pastry filled with creme patissiere. I marvelled at the lusciousness of the fruit: ripe juicy cherries, abundant golden lemons, huge watermelons, and by midsummer, the heavenly-sweet figs falling from the trees by the roadside. By night, I would enjoy the passeggiata, the traditional evening promenade around town. During these evenings, Franco, with his broad shoulders and plump tanned face looks everything an Italian butcher should be, as do the workmen eating lemon sorbets with their evening beers. The nightly arrival of the local eccentric a parrot on one shoulder and a beatbox on the other only enhanced the sense of a daily unfolding street party. My domestic welcome, meanwhile, was equally warm. Within days of my arrival, my neighbour below known ever since as Downstairs Maria summoned me to dinner. Downstairs Maria speaks no English, but I soon came to understand that Scendi Sophie! (Come down, Sophie!) meant I had to get moving sharpish. That first night, she thrust a bowl of friggitelli al pomodoro into my hands, a local dish of green peppers in tomato sauce: the best Id ever tasted. This has been followed by delicious pastas (her pasta al forno, baked with meatballs and mozzarella, is divine) and stuffed focaccia hot from her wood-fired oven. Of course, reality soon had to bite. I hadnt investigated quite what you needed to do to move to another country, especially one not known for its smooth administrative processes. Getting residency status was crucial, but Kafkaesque: you need a bank account to secure residency, but you cant open a bank account without a residency document. Eventually, I found a bank that grudgingly offered me a foreigners account: but dont get me started on the byzantine process involved in getting an Italian number plate. Suffice to say, my Aubergine still marks me out to everyone as the local Brit. It hasnt helped that my Italian was only functional. The locals, however, are delighted youre trying to converse with them at all and even more delighted when you get it badly wrong. During one particularly hot and humid period, I remember happily throwing round the word afa, meaning muggy weather. Sadly, I was mispronouncing it, and a bilingual friend took great joy in explaining to me that I had been giving it a different and distinctly ruder meaning. I was dismayed to discover that some of the divinely plump Puglian tomatoes I enjoyed so much were harvested by workers paid a slave wage and presided over by the local Mafia that still lurks in the shadows. The dampness of the winter also took me by surprise, as well as the black muffa on the walls, which I could exterminate only with ferocious chemicals. Yet not once have I been blighted by homesickness. By the first winter, I had established some good friendships both with expat English-speakers and Italians; and the only thing I missed, aside from my friends and children, was my local Thai takeaway. Friends texted anxiously to ask how I was coping, but the truth is that while there were moments of boredom, I still found plenty to occupy myself, not least writing a book about living, eating and cooking in Puglia. I spent the days researching the history of Italian food, hunting for local recipes and working out how to make them for myself. I became a dab hand at cleaning and braising octopus, learnt to cook wild asparagus and made my first fabulous batch of the local speciality, allorino, a sensational liqueur flavoured with bay leaves. Any nostalgia for my old life was offset by magical moments. The thrill, before Covid, of attending a country palio: jostling among the crowds of spectators as we watched the fearless local horsemen thundering bareback down the streets of the town. Watching the sunset over the olive groves after bringing in the olive harvest. And today it is the simple things that continue to thrill. I love sitting in my little local corner cafe, eavesdropping on the local workers as they sip their morning espresso, or watching the world go by in the evening, nursing a gin and tonic with lightly crushed juniper berries, in my favourite bar. I wasnt unhappy before, but Im so much happier here. And it says a lot about my assimilation that now I can navigate the Aubergine through Puglias narrow streets, and nobody bats an eyelid. A Curios Absence of Chickens, A Journal of Life, Food and Recipes from Puglia is out now, published by Hachette 20. Visit trullidelicious.com The boyfriend of a Minnesota woman who was found beheaded on the sidewalk on Wednesday has now been charged with her murder. America Mafalda Thayer, 55, was found with stab wounds at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Spencer Street in Shakopee, Minnesota, around 2.31pm on Wednesday, the Shakopee Police Department said in a news release. Cops discovered Thayer's body lying next to a car - with her head nearby, according to a search warrant obtained by KMSP. Alexis Saborit, 42, who was reportedly in a rocky relationship with Thayer, was arrested in connection with her killing. He was being held in the Scott County Jail. On Friday, he was charged with second-degree murder. A woman was founded beheaded on a Minnesota sidewalk by police responding to calls of a stabbing incident on Wednesday Police scanner traffic showed that Saborit allegedly dropped a knife while fleeing the scene, MN Crime reported. Saborit was spotted by police walking near Shenandoah Drive and 4th Avenue where cops arrested him without incident around 3.20pm, the outlet reported. Cops later reportedly found the sheath for a large knife in a nearby yard and the knife in a trash can in a nearby alley, KMSP reported. Thayer reportedly worked at Dollar Tree and MyPillow, her coworkers told KMSP. Her coworkers said she had been in a long-term relationship with Saborit, and alleged that domestic violence had been a 'consistent problem' with the couple. In 2017, Saborit was convicted of domestic assault in Carver County, WCCO noted. The crime scene was processed by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, cops said. 'The department would also like to extend its condolences to the family of the victim,' cops said. Neighbors told KMSP that they were stunned by the daytime beheading. 'I have no words for it. Just scary. I just feel very sorry for the families,' said neighbor Jessica Sondrol. Cops found Thayer's body lying next to a car - with her head lying next to the body, according to a search warrant obtained by KMSP Saborit was spotted by police walking near Shenandoah Drive and 4th Avenue where cops arrested him without incident around 3:20 p.m. Neighbors said that they were stunned by the daytime beheading DailyMail.com has reached out to the Shakopee Police Department for more information and additional comment. The shocking beheading came after another woman was found beheaded in her burning apartment in Indiana on Monday. Cops later allegedly found her head in a suitcase and 'human digits' - such as fingers and toes - inside a plastic container at the home of suspect Brian Williams, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by WDRB. Williams, 36, has been charged with murder, arson and misdemeanor theft in connection with the death of 67-year-old Melody Gambetty. Police said they do not believe Williams knew Gambetty and that the murder might have happened as the result of burglary attempt or home invasion, WDRB reported. Cressida Dick is at the centre of a new 'cover-up' storm after it emerged she was secretly referred to the police watchdog over comments she made about the controversial stop and search of Team GB sprinter Bianca Williams. A formal complaint was made over remarks by the Met Commissioner during a radio interview after the athlete and her partner Ricardo dos Santos, a Portuguese sprinter, were handcuffed and separated from their three-month-old son when their car was stopped. Video of the incident last July showed a distressed Miss Williams telling officers: 'My son is in the car.' Weeks later, Dame Cressida jumped to the defence of her officers, telling LBC's Nick Ferrari that 'having seen some of the footage myself, I would say that any officer worth their salt would have stopped that car that was being driven in that manner and, secondly, my professional standards people have looked at it and they don't see any misconduct'. Critics accused Dame Cressida of trying to pre-empt the outcome of an ongoing independent investigation into the incident. Controversy deepened this month after the police watchdog revealed that three Met officers were under investigation for gross misconduct over alleged racism and dishonesty. Miss Williams and Mr dos Santos were stopped in north-west London by the Met's Territorial Support Group. The Mail can reveal that a complaint was made last August about Dame Cressida's comments on LBC, and subsequently referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which carried out an 'assessment' of her remarks, before she was cleared of misconduct (Pictured: Dame Cressida) They were searched on suspicion of having drugs and weapons, with none found, while their son was in the back seat. Both athletes are trained by former Olympic champion Linford Christie, who accused police of institutional racism. The Mail can reveal that a complaint was made last August about Dame Cressida's comments on LBC, and subsequently referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which carried out an 'assessment' of her remarks. But details of the referral, which cleared her of misconduct, have been kept under wraps for nearly a year, with the Met refusing to answer key questions. It is only because of Mail inquiries that details of the complaint and the link to the Bianca Williams case have come to light. It is the latest row to engulf Dame Cressida's increasingly troubled reign as head of Britain's biggest police force. Team GB's Bianca Williams and Ricardo dos Santos, a Portuguese sprinter (pictured), were handcuffed and separated from their three-month-old son when their car was stopped In a bombshell interview with the Mail this year, former home secretary Leon Brittan's widow accused Scotland Yard of a 'culture of cover up and flick away' under Dame Cressida. An investigation by this newspaper revealed how senior officers launched a major operation to ensure the Met Commissioner was 'not pulled' into the Operation Midland VIP abuse inquiry scandal. Last month a damning 16 million panel inquiry report into the unsolved murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan singled out Dame Cressida for criticism for putting 'hurdles' in the way of the search for the truth. The panel branded her force 'institutionally corrupt' and found that Scotland Yard had been more interested in protecting its reputation than in cracking the 'most investigated unsolved murder in the history of the Metropolitan Police'. She has rejected the report's key finding. The latest controversy to hit Dame Cressida emerged only after a Freedom of Information request to the IOPC, which revealed that a complaint about the Commissioner's conduct had been referred to it last year. A still from a video of the controversial stop and search last July, which showed a distressed Miss Williams telling officers: 'My son is in the car' But for data protection reasons to ensure the privacy of her accuser the watchdog refused to elaborate on the allegation. Scotland Yard declined to say why the complaint was not made public last year. Nor would it say whether the Met chief approved the decision not to publicise it. Former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, who received 500,000 compensation from Scotland Yard over its shambolic Operation Midland inquiry, said: 'What is alarming is that the Met, the IOPC and MOPAC (the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime) refuse to reveal the nature of the complaint other than that it refers to inappropriate comments made by the dame in the media about a case. 'This shows the continuation of secrecy in the police complaints system in the UK, especially concerning the Met and its senior officers and a lack of transparency and public accountability when the role of the commissioner is involved. 'Every effort is being made to conceal Dick's failings in an orchestrated minuet of cover-up facilitated by the dark arts of back-room deals. 'Transparency is urgently required to shine the light of truth on professional bungling by our top police officer.' Additional reporting by Lydia Wilkins Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar wrote President Biden asking him to appoint a new 'czar' to tackle the surge of unaccompanied migrants with a blunt warning about what they say are health risks. The bipartisan pair wrote Biden about the 'escalating situation' at the southern border, and call for a special executive appointment to handle the burden of southern border areas. Their bicameral concern is 'neither partisan nor political,' they wrote the president. WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 30: U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) (L), joined by Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), speaks on southern border security and illegal immigration, during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on July 30, 2021. The pair want President Biden to appoint a czar to handle the border crisis Graham, a Donald Trump loyalist from South Carolina, and Cuellar, a centrist Democrat from Texas, cite former Obama Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson as a potential candidate. They write that the current influx is 'neither seasonal nor temporary.' Unstated is that Biden has already tapped Vice President Kamala Harris to focus on the root causes of migration. She visited the southern border after weeks of pressure, but now is planning a trip to Singapore and Vietnam. The lawmakers floated former Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson for the role The lawmakers are seeking action amid a surge of migrants and asylum seekers The lawmakers did not mention Vice President Kamal Harris in their letter. President Biden put her in charge of addressing root causes of migration They write that border agents are testing positive for COVID-19 at 'alarming rates.' They cite Johnson's 'exceptional bipartisan reputation for pragmatic approaches to complex border security and immigration challenges' on an issue that has increasingly taken on partisan tones. Former U.S. ambassador to Mexico Roberta Jacobson stepped down from the role this year. Many Republicans have blasted new mask mandates by pointing to the risk of immigrants released into the community who may be carrying the highly infections Delta variant, which is already sweeping across the country. They wrote Biden and Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that in the Texas Rio Grande Valley, border agents 'had over 20,000 enforcement encounters last week.' Cuellar said of border agents: 'They don't need pats on the back. They need help down there on the border. Something has to change when it comes to border immigration issues.' Families were in a fight to save summer last night with holiday hotspots in Europe facing new travel rules. Plans for an 'amber watch list' have sparked uproar in Whitehall, with some ministers warning the scheme could wreck the hopes of millions of Britons. The idea, which was agreed in principle this week, would see holidaymakers warned that while they are abroad certain amber countries could go straight on to the red list. This would leave them facing compulsory hotel quarantine on their return, at a cost of 1,750 a head. Spain and Italy both featured in talks about countries that could be put into the new category as soon as next week amid fears about the Beta variant, which first emerged in South Africa. A graph shows how the number of Covid cases per million people compares in the UK, France, Italy and Spain Plans for an 'amber watch list' have sparked uproar in Whitehall, with some ministers warning the scheme could wreck the hopes of millions of Britons. Pictured: Eiffel Tower in Paris UK FACES A 'RISKY' AUTUMN BECAUSE FOREIGN HOLIDAYS AND RETURN OF STUDENTS A document dated July 14 stated the importance of global surveillance on the emergence of new variants and added: 'Any increase in foreign travel over the summer and the return of international students to universities in the autumn is of particular concern.' In the same document from the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, Operational sub-group (SPI-M-O), experts warned that September and October 'will be a particularly risky point in the trajectory of the epidemic'. It states that 'significant pressures on healthcare could be seen' if more normal behaviours, following the lifting of many restrictions, coincide with the return of schools and universities. Advertisement There was a glimmer of hope that France could be released from the 'amber-plus' list, meaning the fully vaccinated will finally be able to return to the UK without the need to quarantine. But it could still go into the amber watch category. Senior ministers, including Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Chancellor Rishi Sunak, are said to have reservations about imposing further disruption on the beleaguered travel sector. Mr Shapps urged people to 'ignore speculation' ahead of decisions next week. But behind the scenes a battle is raging. One Whitehall source said: 'You would have to be crackers to book a holiday to a place knowing that it could go on to the red list at any moment. 'If you have already booked to go there you are going to spend your whole holiday worrying whether you are going to have to make a dash to the airport to get home. 'The decision next week will basically be in place for August. It is peak holiday season are we really going to cause that much disruption to this many people?' Another source said that the Treasury had warned ministers to 'stop messing about with travel'. Some ministers doubt whether it is even possible to put Spain on the red list this summer, given the limited amount of hotel quarantine capacity in the UK. The row came as: Boris Johnson faced pressure to end the 'pingdemic' early, after Wales said it was lifting self-isolation rules for the fully vaccinated on August 9; Mr Shapps warned that businesses would be allowed to insist that staff have the Covid jab before returning to work, despite a Tory mutiny over vaccine passports; Italy extended quarantine provisions for UK visitors; Greece warned tighter restrictions could be imposed on party islands such as Mykonos amid concerns that tourists were ignoring Covid rules; Daily case numbers fell below 30,000 again, with the weekly total down by 36 per cent; Mr Shapps denied claims by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab that France had been placed on the 'amber-plus' list because of an outbreak of Beta cases on the overseas territory of Reunion; Sources suggested a string of European countries, including Germany, Slovakia and Slovenia, could go on the green list this week; A shock poll found that the Tories could lose a dozen seats in their southern heartlands, with Mr Raab and former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith among those at risk. Government health advisers however, are said to be alarmed by the potential for importing Covid infections. Cases of the Beta variant are of particular concern because it has proved more resistant to the AstraZeneca jab. Spain and Italy (pictured) both featured in talks about countries that could be put into the new category as soon as next week amid fears about the Beta variant The idea, which was agreed in principle this week, would see tourists warned that while they are abroad certain amber countries could go on to the red list. Pictured: Benidorm in Spain The Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) said that England's R rate was now thought to be between 1.1 and 1.4, but it was a varied picture across the country. The R rate was estimated to be the highest in the East (1.1 to 1.5), followed by London, the South East and the South West (all 1.2 to 1.5). Following these regions was the Midlands (1.1 to 1.4), the North East and Yorkshire (1.1 to 1.3) and the North West (1 to 1.2) Sage committee papers released yesterday revealed scientists have warned that 'any increase in foreign travel over the summer ... is of particular concern'. Data expert Tim White said Test and Trace figures showed 2.9 per cent of arrivals in England from Spain between July 1 and 21 tested positive for Covid. He added: 'From the data, my analysis is bleak.' But Paul Charles of the PC Agency, a travel consultancy, predicted ministers would back off putting Spain on the new amber watch list. 'It would be a really tough decision,' he said. 'I can't believe they're going to do that.' Ministers this week agreed a lifting of quarantine restrictions for fully vaccinated tourists arriving from the United States and Europe. They also discussed the 'traffic light' system that governs Britons returning from abroad. The original green, red and amber scheme has already been supplemented with green watch and amber-plus. ENGLAND COVID HOSPITALISATIONS: Department of Health statistics show the average number of patients needing care stood at 785 on July 25, down on the day before (793) The next Covid variant could kill up to one in THREE people: SAGE warns doomsday scenario is 'realistic possibility' and UK's vaccine roll-out may even speed up mutant strain's emergence SAGE today warns a future Covid mutant strain could be as deadly as MERS No10's expert panel say coronavirus mutates most when it is in high prevalence Group warns strains could become more resistant to vaccines and antivirals A doomsday new Covid variant that could kill up to one in three people is a 'realistic possibility', according to the Government's top scientists. Documents published by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) today warned a future strain could be as deadly as MERS which which has a case fatality rate of 35 per cent could be on the way. No10's expert panel It said the likelihood of the virus mutating is highest when it is most prevalent as is currently the case in Britain. And a downside of Britain's hugely successful vaccine drive, it appears the country's greater levels of immunity could help speed up the process. Scientists said Britain should bring in booster vaccine doses over the winter, minimise new variants coming from abroad and consider culling animals including minks and even cats, which can harbour the virus to prevent the mutant strain occurring. A doomsday new Covid variant that could kill one in three people is a 'realistic possibility', according to the Government's top scientists Scientists unveiled the threat of a super mutant variant in a paper looking at potential scenarios that could emerge in the not-so-distant future. Experts said a future strain could be resistant to vaccines if it came about by the jab-resistant 'South Africa' Beta variant combining with the more transmissible 'Kent' Alpha or 'India' Delta variants. Why the Delta Covid variant ISN'T really spreading as quickly as chickenpox Top scientists today claimed the Indian 'Delta' variant is not spreading as quickly as chickenpox, despite US health officials saying it is just as contagious. Data circulating within America's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) claimed people infected with the mutant strain can go on to infect eight others. The same internal document also alleged that fully-vaccinated people can spread the Indian variant just as easily as unvaccinated people because they carry a similar amount of the virus in their nose and mouth. Dr Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC, insisted the agency was 'not crying wolf', saying the situation was 'serious' and that the measures needed to tackle the spread of Delta were 'extreme'. But British scientists have questioned some of the claims made by the department, which has urged Americans to keep their coverings on indoors regardless of whether they've been vaccinated or not. Professor David Livermore, an infectious diseases expert from the University of East Anglia, said vaccine-triggered immunity and the endless waves of Covid which nations have endured meant there were fewer susceptible people around for people to infect. 'The US, like the UK, has substantial immunity from prior infection and from vaccination,' he told MailOnline. 'This will surely be a major drag on Delta's spread, precluding (viral spread) numbers of that magnitude.' And Professor Julian Tang, a virologist at Leicester University, said the theory was likely just 'speculation' because it was very difficult to track down the number of cases sparked by a single infection. Advertisement The process known as recombination could lead to a strain with 'increased morbidity and mortality'. The team admitted vaccines should work unless there was an extra-potent mutation that rendered jabs much less effective at blocking serious disease which many experts say is unlikely. But they said the extra lethality would be expected 'even in the face of vaccination since vaccines do not provide absolute sterilising immunity.' The prospect of a deadlier variant is a 'realistic possibility' and would have a huge impact on the UK's death toll moving forward, the scientists said. And experts and politicians have warned the damning report shows the Government 'must not be complacent' as Britain appears to be coming out its current third wave of the pandemic. Dr Philippa Whitford, vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus, said: 'This report, which should have sent shock waves through the UK Government, was instead quietly snuck out among a glut of reports during parliamentary recess. 'Recommendations and comments made by SAGE bring home the simple reality that we have not yet "defeated" this virus. 'The UK only donated its first vaccine doses internationally this week and, unless there is a rapid increase in global production, through sharing knowledge and technology, it simply will not be possible to vaccinate the world and bring the pandemic to an end. 'Without stricter border control measures we risk importing vaccine-resistant variants while uncontrolled spread here could lead to yet another UK variant.' The Scottish National Party MP: 'The government mustn't stick its head in the sand or it will run the risk of un-doing the progress we have made over the past eighteen months.' Professor Martin McKee, an expert in public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: 'These stark words from the Government's own advisors underlines what many of us have been warning about and confirms there are still obstacles to overcome. 'The government can't be complacent, they must continue their support for the development of the next generation of vaccines and prioritise the reduction of infections here at home to reduce the possibility of another domestic variant emerging.' The warnings about variants were scattered in a series of reports unveiled by the Government advisory group as part of a weekly transparency pledge. SAGE warned that the virus can infect a host of different animals including minks which have had to be culled in Denmark in their thousands. The group warned further culling or animal vaccinating may be needed in other species to prevent them becoming reservoirs for the virus. They listed dogs, cats, mice, rats and ferrets as animals who are known to have been infected with Covid. Another potential issue they found is the use of antvirals to treat Covid once a patient is already infected. Britain invested heavily in the new technologies which were used to treat Donald Trump during his bought with the virus last year but scientists warn overuse could lead to more mutant strains and warned doctors to only prescribe them in the most serious cases of Covid. But in more hopeful news, the group also predicted it is a 'realistic possibility in the long term' that as Covid continue to mutate it will cause less serious disease. The group wrote: 'In other words, this virus will become like other human CoV that causes common colds, but with much less severe disease predominantly in the old or clinically vulnerable.' Screens at work can RAISE risk of virus transmission, scientists warn Perspex screens in workplaces may increase the risk of virus transmission, government scientists have warned. There is little evidence on the effectiveness of these barriers at reducing transmission through droplets, experts from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said. Coronavirus spreads through small liquid particles when infected people cough, sneeze, speak or breathe. They range from larger respiratory droplets to smaller aerosols, according to the World Health Organisation. In an undated document released yesterday, Sage experts said: Screens are unlikely to provide any direct benefit in reducing exposure to the virus from droplets or aerosols when people are already located at two metres or greater or where they are not face to face. And some evidence suggests that screens could increase risks of aerosol transmission due to blocking airflow patterns or creating zones of poor air circulation behind screens. Advertisement Now PHE spots ANOTHER variant: 16 Brits have tested positive for 'Colombian' strain Health chiefs have spotted another Covid variant spreading in Britain, with 31 mutant strains now on the UK's watchlist. Sixteen cases of the B.1.621 version of the virus which is thought to have originated in Colombia have already been detected. Public Health England insists there is no proof it is deadlier than Delta, which makes up 99 per cent of all cases in the UK. And it says there's no evidence that the strain renders any of the vaccines currently deployed any less effective. The Government-run agency also claims there is no sign that B.1.621 is spreading in the community. But it does admit the variant contains a number of 'mutations of concern'. The figure shows how the B.1.621 variant which was first identified in Colombia spread across different countries over time, indicating that an increasing number of countries reported cases in June and July. The US and Mexico are among the countries to record the most cases The coronavirus, called SARS-CoV-2, is mutating all the time as a result of genetic errors when it multiplies. Most mutations are harmless (stock) Testing shows it does carry the same N501Y mutation that researchers believe made the Alpha variant so transmissible. Some samples also contain E484K, which is also found in the Beta strain that experts say can partially evade vaccines. The coronavirus, called SARS-CoV-2, is mutating all the time as a result of genetic errors when it multiplies. Most mutations are harmless. But ones that make it able to spread quicker or to survive longer inside the human body are the ones that are likely to stick around. They will be passed on to future generations if they give the virus a survival advantage, and the ability to spread faster and keep spreading for longer will help versions of the virus with that mutation to become dominant by overtaking slower, weaker versions. The World Health Organization says the first documented sample of B.1.621 was in Colombia in January. Another 25 countries have also recorded cases since then, including the US, Spain, Mexico and the Netherlands. As well as the 16 cases already spotted in England, another six suspected samples are currently being analysed. Almost all of the samples (10) have been detected in London. And most have been among twenty-somethings (six). Two cases were spotted among people who were fully vaccinated. No-one has died yet. Despite PHE saying there was no evidence of community transmission, only three of the cases had a history of travel. Health chiefs said additional contact tracing has already been carried out. Targeted testing will be deployed to limit its spread, if necessary. Further laboratory tests are now being carried out to help officials understand more about the strain. The Eastern leg of the HS2 rail line to Nottingham, Sheffield and Leeds has been shelved amid concerns about soaring costs. Ministers have ordered HS2 Limited to halt all planning work on the Eastern leg and focus solely on the Western route to Manchester. A Tory source said the Eastern leg was unlikely to be formally cancelled because of fears of a political backlash in the East Midlands and Yorkshire. Ministers have ordered HS2 Limited to halt all planning work on the Eastern leg and focus solely on the Western route to Manchester The DfT last night insisted the Eastern leg had not been formally shelved. A spokesman said the project could survive in some form when the Governments delayed Integrated Rail Plan is finally published But, with no work in progress and no target date for completion, the source said the project could be left to wither on the vine. The move could slash tens of billions of pounds off the 107billion bill for the controversial rail route at a time when the Department for Transport (DfT) is under pressure to save money. But critics warn it could jeopardise the business case for the entire project, as well as undermine Boris Johnsons pledge to level up the whole country. The DfT last night insisted the Eastern leg had not been formally shelved. A spokesman said the project could survive in some form when the Governments delayed Integrated Rail Plan is finally published. But the timing of the revelation is potentially embarrassing for the Prime Minister ahead of a planned infrastructure week push by No 10 next week. Mr Johnson is expected to make announcements on broadband rollout and other infrastructure projects in a bid to show that his levelling up agenda has not been knocked off course. HS2 is Britains biggest single infrastructure project. Supporters claim it will revolutionise transport links and provide vital capacity for the future. But it has been plagued by soaring costs and political uncertainty. Construction has started on the first phase of the line from London to Birmingham. Plans to extend the line to Crewe are also advanced. The next phase would see the line split, with one leg going to Manchester and the other to the East Midlands and Leeds at a cost of up to 46billion. But HS2 chief executive Mark Thurston told MPs this month that the future of the Eastern leg was uncertain. He said the original plan had been to carry out the scheme as one integrated project but the firm was now only focused on the route to Manchester. He added: The company has been asked by the department to focus on the route into Manchester, and the Eastern leg will play out in the fullness of time. West Midlands Mayor Andy Street told MPs that while he would like to see the entire line built, there were cheaper ways of improving rail links to the East. HS2 chief executive Mark Thurston told MPs this month that the future of the Eastern leg was uncertain In a joint letter to the PM this week, Nottinghamshire County Councils Tory leader Ben Bradley and Leeds City Councils Labour leader James Lewis called for an immediate commitment to the Eastern leg Asked what he expected the Government to announce later this year, he said: An absolute commitment to the Western leg. I am realistic that there will probably be a serious delay in the Eastern leg... I believe the Government will still commit to doing it but will not be specific about the timing of when. The move will infuriate local leaders in the East Midlands and Yorkshire. In a joint letter to the PM this week, Nottinghamshire County Councils Tory leader Ben Bradley and Leeds City Councils Labour leader James Lewis called for an immediate commitment to the Eastern leg. Mr Bradley, who is also Conservative MP for Mansfield, said: HS2 East is more than a railway line it is fundamental to our vision for levelling up communities throughout our country. The DfT last night insisted that the Eastern leg could still go ahead as part of the Integrated Rail Plan which was due in the spring but has been delayed until the autumn. A spokesman said: The Eastern leg has not been shelved. Work has been paused while the Integrated Rail Plan is put together. ALEX BRUMMER: What a way to ruin the railway Amid escalating costs and post-Covid pressure on the public finances, the Government is under increasing pressure to officially halt work on the Eastern leg of HS2 connecting London and Birmingham to Leeds which is due to open between 2036 and 2040. Critics argue that HS2, a monumental piece of infrastructure and the biggest modernisation of Britains railways since Victorian times, is nothing more than a Boris Johnson vanity project and a vast waste of money. As with all infrastructure projects, the cost has soared from 32.7billion when the project was approved in 2012 (long before Johnson moved into Downing Street) to 107.7billion at last count. Mr Johnson should stand firm on HS2s Eastern leg and not allow himself to be dissuaded by the doubters and penny pinchers Among the reasons for the surging costs are a series of environmental studies that required the contractors to build 45 miles of tunnels and 37 miles of viaducts to protect ancient forests and the countryside and to ensure minimum disruption to life in the prosperous Tory shires. (Ironically, such expensive protective measures were not enough to prevent the Conservatives being given a bloody nose in the recent Chesham and Amersham by-election which saw the Liberal Democrats emerge victorious.) There are, however, high political stakes at play here. Mr Johnson has put levelling up front and centre of his Governments agenda. Certainly any decision to axe the Leeds link will be seen as a wilful act of neglect in the red wall constituencies in Yorkshire and the North East which voted heavily for the Tories in 2019. An alternative case is often made that the North would benefit far more by investing in and modernising existing commuter networks as well as creating a fit for purpose trans-Pennine link. But in reality money already has been allocated for better local Northern connections. High on the agenda, after HS2, is another high-speed link connecting the Northern cities. Critics of HS2 have been given renewed impetus by the pandemic, with a sharp drop in railway passengers and more meetings conducted digitally. But all the evidence from Japan, pioneers in high-speed rail travel, and parts of Continental Europe is that investment in more efficient travel brings prosperity. Commercial and residential housing development in and around the proposed stations for HS2 has already boosted investment in Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester, and the brownfield sites close to Euston station in North London. When Britains biggest bank HSBC opted to base its new UK headquarters in Birmingham, the proposed connections and speed of travel between North and South were undoubtedly a factor. Critics of HS2 have been given renewed impetus by the pandemic, with a sharp drop in railway passengers and more meetings conducted digitally Leeds already boasts an embryonic financial hub. Providing it with a superfast connection to London could see major financial and professional firms diverting to West Yorkshire. A Tory Government has a respo-nsibility to safeguard the public finances, but one should not confuse current department spending, which must be financed each year, with capital projects funded over many years and which bring a great economic legacy. Paying for infrastructure is like buying a house on a mortgage over 25 or 30 years. The UK is littered with brave but abandoned projects, including a 1970s plan and even foundations for an airport at Maplin in the Thames Estuary which by now could be relieving the pressures on an overstretched Heathrow. It was axed because of the inability of successive governments to think long-term. At its inception and through years of legislation, the proposals for a high-speed railway won support from both sides of the House. For decades green lobbyists have urged people and freight to get off the roads and on to trains. HS2 will do just that while delivering a great jobs and growth boost to Northern England. Mr Johnson should stand firm on HS2s Eastern leg and not allow himself to be dissuaded by the doubters and penny pinchers. A Harvard professor of evolutionary biology has been slammed by her department's diversity head for rejecting the term 'pregnant people' and insisting on referring to people as male or female instead. Carole Hooven, who has been at the university for 20 years and received multiple teaching awards, spoke of feeling 'frustrated' at the atmosphere in academia. She told Fox News on Wednesday that she was dismayed at the insistence on politically correct terminology, which she felt was misguided. University professors were discouraged from using the words male and female, and referring to pregnant women, she said. The terms were deemed offensive to the transgender and LGBTQ community. 'I've been feeling pretty frustrated over the last five years or so. It's been gradual,' she said. Carole Hooven, a Harvard professor of evolutionary biology, on Wednesday appeared on Fox News to discuss her concern about politically correct language 'infiltrating' her classrooms 'This kind of ideology has been infiltrating science. It's infiltrating my classroom, to some extent.' Hooven said that her lessons were focused on hormones and behavior, sex and sex differences. Hooven has been teaching at Harvard for 20 years but said she had been growing increasingly worried over the last five years On July 13 she published a widely acclaimed book, 'T: The Story of Testosterone, the Hormone That Dominates and Divides Us'. She continued: 'Part of that science is teaching the facts. 'And the facts are that there are in fact two sexes - there are male and female - and those sexes are designated by the kind of gametes we produce. 'Do we make eggs, big sex cells, or little sex cells, sperm. And that's how we know whether someone is male or female. 'And the ideology seems to be that biology really isn't as important as how somebody feels about themselves, or feels their sex to be.' Earlier this week reporter Katie Herzog, writing for Bari Weiss' Substack newsletter, spoke with one student at a med school in the University of California system who says instructors are too scared to acknowledge the existence of two different sexes because it 'can be considered transphobic.' The student, identified only as Lauren, told Herzog: 'I think there's a small percentage of instructors who are true believers [in woke ideology], but most of them are probably just scared of their students.' Lauren says that there are real world implications for trying to erase the differences between biological sex, as medical conditions often affect biological males and females differently Reporter Katie Herzog (pictured) spoke with Lauren for her story, which was published on Bari Weiss's Substack Lauren claimed that, in recent months, students have circulated a number of petitions designed to 'name and shame' instructors for 'wrongspeak.' Hooven was interviewed for the story, and said she was concerned about the trend in academica. The article was published Tuesday on Bari Weiss's Substack page 'You know, we can treat people with respect and respect their gender identities and use their preferred pronouns,' she said on Wednesday. 'So understanding the facts about biology doesn't prevent us from treating people with respect.' Hooven said that the political correctness was 'incredibly confusing for science educators and for students trying to learn about the world and learn the tools of science and critical thinking.' She said it was wrong for professors and the media to 'start backing away from using certain terms that they are afraid people will find offensive.' She continued: 'And that fear is based in reality. People do find these terms offensive; they do complain on social media; they do shame people and even threaten to get people fired. 'So it's no wonder that a lot of people are caving and yielding to the social pressure. 'But we are doing students and the public a great disservice, and dividing the populace.' Hooven's remarks were strongly criticized on Friday by Laura Simone Lewis, who tweeted: 'As the Director of the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force for my dept @HarvardHEB, I am appalled and frustrated by the transphobic and harmful remarks made by a member of my dept in this interview with Fox and Friends. Laura Simone Lewis, the diversity director for the Harvard department where Hooven teaches, said she was 'appalled' at the professor's comments 'Lets be clear: if you respect diverse gender identities & aim to use correct pronouns, then you would know that people with diverse genders/sexes can be pregnant incl Trans men, intersex people & gender nonconforming people. That isn't too hard for medical students to understand. 'Inclusive language like pregnant people demonstrates respect for EVERYONE who has the ability to get pregnant, not just cis women. It is vital to teach med students gender inclusive language, as they will certainly interact with people that identify outside the gender binary.' Lewis concluded that Hooven's remarks were 'dangerous' and inappropriate. 'This dangerous language perpetuates a system of discrimination against non-cis people within the med system,' she said. He learned his sanctuary plea was rejected as he recovered from a bullet wound Farid escaped by slamming his car into reverse as blood poured from his wound He was hit once in the arm and narrowly escaped with his life as gunman fired Interpreter Farid, 37, was refused sanctuary in UK three weeks after being shot The senior interpreter at the British embassy in Kabul was refused sanctuary in the UK just three weeks after being shot in a suspected Taliban ambush as he drove home. Farid, a veteran of 17 years working with UK diplomats and soldiers, was hit once in the arm and narrowly escaped with his life as a gunman fired from just one metre away. The 37-year-old escaped by slamming his car into reverse as blood poured from his wound, speeding backwards until he was safely behind a wall and Afghan parliament security forces appeared. That chilling attack happened while British officials were considering Farid's application for relocation to the UK because, as the 'face of the embassy', he feared for his and his family's lives. Farid (pictured), a veteran of 17 years working with UK diplomats and soldiers, was hit once in the arm and narrowly escaped with his life as a gunman fired from just one metre away And he learned that his plea for sanctuary had been rejected as he recovered from the bullet which smashed into his left arm. 'I was so very shocked and disappointed to be told that my case had been rejected when the threat and danger to me was so obvious,' the father of six said. 'I am often the face of the embassy, the first person people going to security at the embassy must see so I know that I must be a target.' Recalling the chilling attack, Farid said: 'It was very frightening and I was lucky to escape without the other bullets killing me. I have no doubt that I was targeted. I was driving home when three men from a black car shouted for me to stop. One was holding a phone, I think with my picture on, because he said, 'That's him'. 'One of the men came out and had an AK-47 and started shooting at me, four or five times. A bullet hit me in the left arm, there was great pain and blood poured out. I thought, 'He's killing me'.' He added: 'I put my car into reverse and pushed the pedal hard to go backwards. My window glass had smashed in with the bullet impact and I tried to remain low away from bullets. The 37-year-old escaped by slamming his car into reverse as blood poured from his wound, speeding backwards until he was safely behind a wall. Pictured: The bullet hole in his car The chilling attack (pictured: his wounds) happened while British officials were considering Farid's application for relocation to the UK because he feared for his and his family's lives 'I waited for 15 minutes, going to the back seat as it was easier to hide and rest my arm. I then went to hospital. They operated that night. I am sure I was a target because of my work at the embassy. My face is widely known.' With an emboldened Taliban making sweeping gains across Afghanistan and carrying out revenge attacks, the ambush shortly after 9.30pm on June 20 sent shockwaves among embassy interpreters, who fear they will also be targets. Incredibly, Farid is among 21 translators currently working at the embassy who have seen their applications for sanctuary in the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Programme (ARAP) rejected, as they are employed through private subcontractors. Their role is high-profile, often on the embassy's front gate, meeting visitors and translating for diplomats and the military. Ironically, they play a pivotal role in the administration of ARAP, working with former military interpreters, their families and other at-risk Afghans on their cases. More than 40 British military chiefs joined in a plea to the Prime Minister this week to relax guidelines for which translators can resettle under ARAP, after more than 500 workers including 130 translators were turned down. They also criticised long delays in reaching decisions. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace is understood to be considering loosening the rules. One proposal could involve flying applicants to the UK to be assessed here. Farid said he first applied for relocation on security grounds on May 3. But when he heard nothing, he re-applied on June 15. UK officials asked for documents, which he submitted. But he received an email saying his case had been rejected on July 13, three weeks after the attack. The Mail's award-winning Betrayal of the Brave campaign has highlighted how interpreters not directly employed by the UK, including those who worked with Special Forces, have had their cases turned down. Farid learned that his plea for sanctuary had been rejected as he recovered from the bullet which smashed into his left arm (pictured) They accuse the Government of 'abandoning' them. A dozen men who worked with the SAS and SBS are currently waiting to hear if they can relocate. The decision is said to be 'with ministers'. Farid said: 'When I heard about ARAP I was optimistic that we would be included because of our work and profile but all of us were denied visas. 'We hear the cases each day of people who have been accepted and our current profile is far greater. My wife worries every time I go out, we are afraid our children (four girls and two boys) will be kidnapped. 'The Taliban want me dead, I am a very well-known face, they know me and know my name. I honestly believe that next time they will behead me.' At least seven former Coalition translators have been murdered this year, with the most recent reportedly beheaded after being caught in a Taliban roadblock. Farid said: 'I very much respect those I work with and have worked with but I am afraid to remain in Afghanistan.' Farid's concerns are echoed by his colleagues. Mataachi, 30, a father of one who has worked at the embassy for over four years, was also rejected under ARAP. He said: 'Here we help others to escape, we are enrolling hundreds of other guys in the scheme, but we are being told 'no'.' While ARAP requires an Afghan to have been directly employed by the UK Government, officials have the power of 'discretion' in cases with exceptional circumstances. Following the Mail's intervention into Farid's case, Government sources last night indicated the translator's plight could be reviewed. Recalling the attack, Farid said: 'It was very frightening and I was lucky to escape without the other bullets killing me. I have no doubt that I was targeted.' Pictured left and right: Bullet holes and blood stained seats after the attack Some 12 translators employed through a contractor working with troops in Kabul have been granted sanctuary after their cases were highlighted by the Mail's campaign. The plight of those employed through subcontractors was one of the issues in the letter to Boris Johnson, which warned that Britain faces 'dishonour' if those who served are left to be murdered by the Taliban. It was coordinated by the Sulha Alliance, campaigning for translators and other Afghan workers. Founding member Sara de Jong said: 'We were dismayed to find out that the long-serving British embassy interpreters are excluded from the resettlement scheme, because they are subcontracted. 'Not only do they work on behalf of the British state, they are extremely exposed as their job requires them to move outside the gates of the embassy compound. 'The compelling case of the embassy interpreters illustrates the wider structural injustices that result from the UK Government trying to absolve itself of responsibility for its Afghan staff by using third party contractors.' Ministers will take personal charge of the race to save Britain's Afghan interpreters as a 'doubling of the pace' is ordered amid fierce criticism Ministers are to take personal charge of Britain's Afghan interpreters rescue programme in a desperate bid to speed up the relocation process. After fierce criticism, they have ordered a 'doubling of the pace' at which the scheme is administered, with a wide review of rejected cases. Some 1,500 officials are now working here and in Afghanistan to assess claims of former UK staff living under a Taliban death sentence. It comes as the United States began its airlift of interpreters and militants continued their relentless advance across the war-ravaged country. A 'mercy flight' of 221 Afghans, including children and babies, touched down in the US state of Virginia yesterday. Ministers are to take personal charge of Britain's Afghan interpreters rescue programme in a desperate bid to speed up the relocation process (file photo of British soldiers in Afghanistan) Up to 50,000 former US workers and their families are set to follow as part of Operation Allies Refuge. Today the Daily Mail reveals the shocking story of Farid, a translator whose bid to relocate to Britain under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Programme (ARAP) was rejected even after he was shot by suspected Taliban gunmen. Last night Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer urged the Government to revamp ARAP and take the US's lead. The US is willing to airlift interpreters and families, whose applications are pending, while generally UK interpreters must wait in Afghanistan for their applications to be accepted. Only then are they permitted to travel to Britain. On numbers rescued, however, the UK is ahead of the US with more than 2,000 Afghans already relocated to Britain, with around 400 to arrive this week. 'We are light years ahead of the Americans', said a senior British official. But Sir Keir said: 'The interpreters in Afghanistan have been hugely important to us and we owe them a moral duty to look after them. I would like to see our Government matching the US's commitment and the sooner we are able to do this, the better.' Since British troops and Western allies withdrew, the Taliban has expanded territory, controlling at least half the country. Experts fear the national government could fall in six months. In response, 40 former senior military officers warned the Prime Minister that Britain faced 'dishonour' if any UK interpreters were murdered. Last night, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (pictured) urged the Government to revamp ARAP and take the US's lead Just hours later sources indicated Britain might be willing to bring interpreters over 'on spec', to wait here while their cases are considered. But there has been no official confirmation this will be implemented. The Daily Mail has highlighted the plight of the translators with our award-winning Betrayal of the Brave campaign. Yesterday Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat, who served in Afghanistan, said: 'We need the bureaucracy and the system to catch up. Some interpreters had their service terminated for disciplinary reasons [preventing relocation]. But are issues worth a death sentence? Anyone found by the Taliban will be killed and so will their families.' Last night a Ministry of Defence spokesman said: 'Nobody's life should be put at risk because they supported the UK Government in Afghanistan. 'Our Afghan relocation policy is one of the most generous in the world and has already supported over 2,300 former Afghan staff and their families to start new lives in the UK, with 1,000 of them arriving over the last few weeks alone. 'As we continue to significantly accelerate the pace of relocations, hundreds more will follow.' Ministers are to take personal charge of Britain's Afghan interpreters rescue programme in a desperate bid to speed up the relocation process. After fierce criticism, they have ordered a 'doubling of the pace' at which the scheme is administered, with a wide review of rejected cases. Some 1,500 officials are now working here and in Afghanistan to assess claims of former UK staff living under a Taliban death sentence. It comes as the United States began its airlift of interpreters and militants continued their relentless advance across the war-ravaged country. A 'mercy flight' of 221 Afghans, including children and babies, touched down in the US state of Virginia yesterday. Ministers are to take personal charge of Britain's Afghan interpreters rescue programme in a desperate bid to speed up the relocation process (file photo of British soldiers in Afghanistan) Up to 50,000 former US workers and their families are set to follow as part of Operation Allies Refuge. Today the Daily Mail reveals the shocking story of Farid, a translator whose bid to relocate to Britain under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Programme (ARAP) was rejected even after he was shot by suspected Taliban gunmen. Last night Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer urged the Government to revamp ARAP and take the US's lead. The US is willing to airlift interpreters and families, whose applications are pending, while generally UK interpreters must wait in Afghanistan for their applications to be accepted. Only then are they permitted to travel to Britain. On numbers rescued, however, the UK is ahead of the US with more than 2,000 Afghans already relocated to Britain, with around 400 to arrive this week. 'We are light years ahead of the Americans', said a senior British official. But Sir Keir said: 'The interpreters in Afghanistan have been hugely important to us and we owe them a moral duty to look after them. I would like to see our Government matching the US's commitment and the sooner we are able to do this, the better.' Last night, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (pictured) urged the Government to revamp Afghan Relocation and Assistance Programme (ARAP) and take the US's lead Since British troops and Western allies withdrew, the Taliban has expanded territory, controlling at least half the country. Experts fear the national government could fall in six months. In response, 40 former senior military officers warned the Prime Minister that Britain faced 'dishonour' if any UK interpreters were murdered. Just hours later sources indicated Britain might be willing to bring interpreters over 'on spec', to wait here while their cases are considered. But there has been no official confirmation this will be implemented. The Daily Mail has highlighted the plight of the translators with our award-winning Betrayal of the Brave campaign. Yesterday Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat, who served in Afghanistan, said: 'We need the bureaucracy and the system to catch up. Some interpreters had their service terminated for disciplinary reasons [preventing relocation]. But are issues worth a death sentence? Anyone found by the Taliban will be killed and so will their families.' Last night a Ministry of Defence spokesman said: 'Nobody's life should be put at risk because they supported the UK Government in Afghanistan. 'Our Afghan relocation policy is one of the most generous in the world and has already supported over 2,300 former Afghan staff and their families to start new lives in the UK, with 1,000 of them arriving over the last few weeks alone. 'As we continue to significantly accelerate the pace of relocations, hundreds more will follow.' It was a tragedy that sent shockwaves across Europe as a family drowned trying to cross the Channel, with the body of their toddler son Artin Iran-Nejad later washing ashore some 700 miles away. But now the suspected kingpin trafficker who is thought to have organised the deadly trip has been arrested. A French and British undercover police operation led to the 36-year-old Iranian-Kurds capture at his spacious home in Denmark. The arrest came just hours before he attempted to flee Europe with his wife and two children to escape justice. The detainee is a suspected master criminal, believed to have organised hundreds of illegal migrant boat crossings in the past two years. He was preparing to drive his car secretly from Denmark via Turkey to Iran, before the net closed in on him in a dawn raid last month. Artin Iran-Nejad (pictured) tragically drowned alongside his family while trying to cross the English Channel before being discovered by fishermen some 700 miles away in Norway It comes after Iranian construction worker Rasoul Iran-Nejad, 35, his wife Shiva Mohammad Panahi, 35, along with children Anita, nine, Armin, six, and 15-month-old Artin drowned off the coast of Dunkirk last October. Their boat had capsized, with two other migrants also dying, and 15 surviving. Four of the Iran-Nejad familys bodies were recovered from the water but Artin was swept off to sea. His body was found in a blue overall and life jacket by fishermen in Norway on New Years Day, but was not identified until June this year. Last night, a British source said: We were about to lose this trafficker. He planned to leave Denmark and return to his home country of Iran. 'A French arrest warrant on him had been issued and he knew things were getting hot for him in France and Europe. We suspect he planned to continue, even expand, his trafficking activities, buying boats, outboards and organising the migrant crossings, on his return to Iran. That is why we had to find him. He had to be stopped. A search for the suspect began a year ago before the drowning of Artin and his family. The Iranian-Kurd was believed to be a central cog in one of the biggest Channel boat-trafficking operations with tentacles stretching back to Iran. A sophisticated undercover surveillance operation by French police and Britains National Crime Agency led to his arrest at the 11th hour, the Daily Mail can disclose. He is now in a Danish jail awaiting extradition to France facing charges of negligent manslaughter over little Artin and his family. The reputed kingpin is also expected to be accused by the French of aiding illegal immigration and high-level involvement in a criminal trafficking gang. Capturing the suspect whose name the Mail knows but is not disclosing for legal reasons is a brilliant joint coup for France and Britain in the fight against Channel boat crossings run with slick, cruel efficiency by international criminals reaping millions. It is claimed he had been slipping from his home in Denmark into northern France to oversee boat crossings before the terrible deaths. Family tragedy: Rasoul Iran-Nejad, 35 (far left), Anita, aged nine (centre), Armin, aged six (second from right) and Shiva Mohammed Panahi, 35 (far right), all drowned alongside Artin (pictured on relative's knee second from left) The suspect has a peeping Tom conviction after he was caught spying on a woman as she was getting undressed at home. He denied the offence, but was fined 5,000 Danish kroner (470). The hunt for him was stepped up after Artin and his familys drownings and his suspected involvement. The French issued a warrant for the suspected kingpin, but he stopped going there when he discovered it existed. Just before his early-hours arrest on June 22 at his home in the city of Viborg, a three-hour drive north-west of Copenhagen, intelligence had been received that he was plotting an imminent getaway. At an emergency overnight court, a Danish judge issued an arrest warrant for him which was served on the suspect at 5am at his home. Crucially, the Danish warrant unlike the French one which only covered his activities in France stopped his escape from the country back to Iran. A source said yesterday: Once he got to Turkey, it would have been near impossible to get him back. If he had crossed the border from there to Iran, there would have been little hope of ever catching him. Danish prosecutor Niclas Nissen, who had received evidence from French and British authorities, asked the court last week to extend the suspects detention, and he will remain in jail pending extradition proceedings until August 18. The Iran-Nejad family drowned when their flimsy boat capsized off Loon-Plage near Dunkirk. Fellow migrants describe seeing traffickers forcing people aboard the boat in perilous conditions, including winds of up to 47mph, before it set off for Kent. Distraught friends said the family had agonised over making the crossing just hours before the disaster the worst in the Channel during the migrant crisis. Some of them reported back spasms and joint pain or swollen ankles. Others a constant tingling in their hands and feet. Still more emerged reeling from acute hearing loss and nausea. The noise and vibrations that members of the British Army trials team endured while trying out the latest high-tech vehicle were insufferable. Had the test-drives not been stopped, the damage they suffered could have become permanent. There were concerns about Vibration White Finger syndrome, an injury suffered by industrial workers handling vibrating heavy machinery, where fingers and toes suffer blood circulation loss and can go white and numb. As it was, more than 30 of the men required medical treatment, with two dozen given steroid injections. This is the story of the Ajax light tank that makes its drivers sick. One that cannot fire on the move as vibrations affect the gun stabilisation system, and which, due to this issue should not be driven faster than 20 mph comparable vehicles reach 45 mph. An armoured vehicle so unwieldy it cant fit into transport aircraft. A light tank that has cost billions yet could be scrapped before it enters service and is set to become the most expensive procurement failure in Army history. The MoD and General Dynamics (UK), the makers of Ajax, seem on course for a legal battle over the eye-watering sums involved As Conservative MP and Defence Select Committee member Mark Francois says: It is heavier than a Sherman tank and as stealthy as a Ford Transit full of spanners. And, if you are giving people steroid injections after having been in the vehicle, that tells you everything. The scandal of the armoured vehicles glaring problems raises concerns about the governments procurement process and why ministers were not alerted to the difficulties, but instead continued to write huge cheques. Above all, it poses the fundamental question: How on earth is it possible for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to spend billions on a light tank that does not work? It is a question to which MPs have demanded urgent answers as they urged the government to seek liquidated damages and salvage whatever it possibly can from the billions of pounds of public money already banked by the arms manufacturer behind the vehicle. Whatever happens, the MoD and General Dynamics (UK), the makers of Ajax, seem on course for a legal battle over the eye-watering sums involved. Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace, who inherited the Ajax debacle, pulled no punches when he said: We paid for a piece of equipment, we expect it to be delivered, and like any consumer we have rights. If its not up to scratch, well take action. If only things were so simple. General Dynamics (UK) has received in excess of 3 billion for design and manufacturing work already completed, and these payments were made after the MoD agreed the company had met its production targets. The money will never be seen by the taxpayer again. So where does responsibility lie? The answer is complicated but involves an extraordinary revolving door process whereby senior Army staff have ended up working for the firm that makes Ajax, General Dynamics (UK). How on earth is it possible for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to spend billions on a light tank that does not work? It includes decisions to reject a cheaper alternative made by British Aerospace (BAe), and then to change the vehicles design half-way through the process. On top of this, there is the hubris of decision makers in the Army with their insistence that only the very best machine, with the latest technology, would do. To understand where things went wrong, we must examine these issues, starting with the revolving door between the MoD and General Dynamics (UK). Certainly, for a clique of former British Army generals, the company has proved highly lucrative. After overseeing procurement projects at the MoD, for which they were handsomely rewarded and given gold-plated pensions, they cashed in by joining the arms manufacturer. General Dynamics (UK) hires these senior officers and defence officials not only because of their knowledge of securing contracts, but also because of their relationships with their successors at the MoD the people responsible for deciding what equipment the UKs armed forces should purchase. The most senior soldier to spin through this revolving door is the former head of the Army, General Sir Peter Wall. Sir Peter completed his term as Chief of the General Staff (CGS) in January 2015. Around the same time he approached the governments Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) to say he had been offered a non-executive directorship by General Dynamics a position which came with a substantial salary. Given Sir Peters knowledge of army procurement contracts, ACOBA advised his appointment should be subject to strict conditions. These included a waiting period of 18 months from the day he left the Army, stipulations he should not draw on information available to him from his time in Government and that he should not be involved with matters relating to the Ajax contract. Sir Peter accepted these terms in September 2015 and took up his role with General Dynamics in August 2016. There is no suggestion he breached the ACOBA requirements by getting involved in the Ajax project. Nevertheless, as a board member of the manufacturers U.S. parent company he is paid more than $300,000, according to U.S. public sources. Sir Peter was a Royal Engineer. Two years later he was joined at his new firm by another ex Sapper slang for Royal Engineers Major General Carew Wilks. Wilks commanded RE units while in uniform before branching into procurement, eventually becoming Director Land Equipment in September 2011 the year the Army chose General Dynamics (UK) to design and build its new armoured reconnaissance vehicle. General Dynamics (UK) hires these senior officers and defence officials not only because of their knowledge of securing contracts, but also because of their relationships with their successors at the MoD the people responsible for deciding what equipment the UKs armed forces should purchase. The most senior soldier to spin through this revolving door is the former head of the Army, General Sir Peter Wall. He is pictured above with Prince Charles According to Maj Gen Wilkss LinkedIn profile, he was responsible for the acquisition of all equipment in the land environment, principally the Army so, it is likely, he would have been involved with the Ajax project. Earlier this month the retired Major General enraged MPs on the Commons Defence Select Committee when he stonewalled questions about Ajaxs failures. Indeed, former Defence Minister Kevan Jones nearly exploded after repeatedly asking Maj Gen Wilks, now Vice President and General Manager of General Dynamics (UK), why the company was paid so much up front and had taken on little or no risk if the project failed. Mr Jones snapped: Oh forget it, Chair! He is not answering the question! But personnel apart, why did the government choose General Dynamics (UK) in the first place? The firm was chosen to provide 589 armoured vehicles to the Army. Ajax is the companys biggest project and the UK government is its biggest client. In 2018, the company reported a total operating profit of 89.1 million from a turnover of 736 million of which 509 million was revenue directly generated by Ajax. The accounts for that year were signed by another former senior Army officer, Lieutenant General Andrew Figgures. He became a director of General Dynamics (UK) after retiring from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Here we come to the second issue in the decision-making process. According to defence sources, the Ajaxs problems can be traced to the Armys insistence on having the companys armoured vehicle rather than BAes CV90. In contrast to the Ajax, the CV90 has been introduced into service with armies across the world. A source told the Mail the MoD wanted to punish BAe for the failure of the MRA4 Nimrod programme the ministry ordered 21 maritime reconnaissance and attack aircraft from BAe but after delays and hitches the programme was scrapped with losses exceeding 4 billion. Anyone but BAe, was the mantra. And when the choice of Ajax was challenged by the MoDs procurement scrutiny committee, the Army blustered it through, according to sources. The initial development contract was signed in 2011 and the deal was stacked so the manufacturer received more than half the value of the contract before the Ajax vehicles entered service. To this day 26 have been received by the Army. Astonishingly, the Defence Select Committee heard that any compensation claims brought by soldiers suffering injuries due to the noise and vibrations aboard Ajax will come not from the manufacturer but public funds. And while a 7.7 million grant from the Welsh government to construct the vehicle at a factory in Wales must be repaid, the company only has to do this at a rate of 1 million year. Compounding the problems was the fact that commanders were determined to create the perfect vehicle, irrespective of cost and they could not stop changing the design, long after the project was under way. Amazingly, senior Army officers were apparently jealous of their Royal Navy and Royal Air Force counterparts as they had new aircraft carriers and next generation stealth jets. According to sources, they were determined to have their own prestigious piece of kit. Officers were also smarting after procurement minister Lord Drayson scaled back a programme called FRES (Future Rapid Effect System) which involved a suite of sensors, communication systems and high-tech vehicles likened to the gadgetry on Thunderbirds. All that remained of FRES after this downgrade was the requirement for an Armoured Infantry Reconnaissance and Command Vehicle which explains why Army officers were determined to make it the best. They insisted on the enhanced lethality offered by the 40 mm cannon, despite its eye-watering cost a source recalled that in 2011 the estimated cost of each round was 250, against 20 per round for the smaller cannons on other armoured vehicles. By 2016 General Dynamics (UK) had produced working prototypes of Ajax but the Army, seeing how rapidly battlefield technology, in particular communications, was moving on, feared Ajax could be obsolete when it eventually entered service. So it set about re-casting its agreement with the manufacturer for what would be delivered. This re-casting was not just a tweak here and there, it was a transformative overhaul of the vehicle. The latest high-tech equipment had to be retrofitted into hulls and turrets designed for different communication and intelligence systems and armaments. The process lasted four years and meant the companys 2014 production contract had to be re-drafted as, effectively, the Army was asking for a different vehicle. It was a move described by one source as the most cardinal of sins in procurement. Inevitably, the MoD paid a hefty financial price. Re-casting was the Armys biggest mistake, said the source. You have to stick to your choices. Otherwise the contractor gets to bury its own mistakes in the changes you want. Publicly available MoD reports written around this period do not mention the problems the 2017-18 accounts claim Ajax armoured vehicles are progressing through their final acceptance process before being accepted into service. By then, the Armys demands for a light tank with a 40 mm cannon, which was globally deployable and delivered ISTAR (Information, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance) capabilities, was causing headaches. Whats more, the changes had made the vehicle heavier so much so that its deployment is now compromised by its weight. The chair of the Defence Select Committee, Tobias Ellwood MP, said: Its weight has ballooned from eight tonnes to 43 tonnes, meaning it is too heavy for the A400 transport aircraft, and only with partial dismantling can it fit into the (much bigger) C-17. At the hearing Mr Francois advised the Defence Minister Jeremy Quin to rip off the plaster on Ajax, go for your liquidated damages and move on. So what happens now? Commanders and ministers are prepared to give General Dynamics (UK) a few months to rectify the noise and vibration issues, but not much longer. The trouble is the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir Nick Carter, who was the head of the Army, has put Ajax at the centre of the new strategic approach to ground warfare known as Strike Brigades. The vehicle was intended to provide covering firepower to troops and provide and relay intelligence and communications across the battlefield. Equally, there is now little money left in the pot for an alternative. One option is to replace Ajax with drones. The latest technological developments mean they offer increasing amounts of firepower and theres the bonus that, being unmanned, they do not put friendly lives at stake. But whatever happens, nothing can now gloss over this ruinous scandal which could turn out to be the most expensive mistake the MoD has ever made. Two hotels being used to house child migrants have been fully booked by the Home Office until the end of the year. The three-star venues on the south coast have been commandeered to secure extra accommodation for the record numbers of asylum-seekers crossing the Channel in dinghies. It could mean a six-figure bill for taxpayers as some rooms can cost more than 200 a night. The block-booking came as MPs told of 'shocking conditions' in a cramped office space in Dover where new arrivals are being held for days on end until they can be found homes elsewhere. A group of migrants from Napier Barracks walking along the seafront near the Oyo Stade Court Hotel, Hythe, Near Folkestone, Kent A view of Napier Barracks in Folkestone, Kent, used by the government to house people seeking asylum in the UK More than 9,000 migrants have made the treacherous journey across the Channel this year. As many as 56 would-be refugees were moved into the Langfords Hotel in Hove, East Sussex, last week. Phelim Mac Cafferty, leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, said they were 'deeply concerned' the Home Office had given them less than 24 hours' notice about the hotel's block-booking. The Oyo Stade Court Hotel in Kent has also been fully booked by the Home Office until the end of the year. The Government insists that unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and family groups are a priority at the Kent Intake Unit in Dover and are cared for by social services as soon as possible. A Briton was one of two crew killed in a suspected Iranian attack on an oil tanker in the Arabian Sea, according to authorities. The tanker Mercer Street, linked to an Israeli billionaire, was targeted north-east of the Omani island of Masirah, 185 miles south-east of the capital Muscat, on Thursday. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the raid. However, the US, Israel and others have blamed the attacks on Iran amid the unravelling of Tehrans nuclear deal with world powers. A US official said it appeared a suicide drone was used in the incident, raising the possibility that a government or a militia group was behind the incident. Mercer Street off Cape Town, South Africa. The oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire reportedly came under attack off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea London-based Zodiac Maritime, owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer, said two crew members one a security guard from the UK and the other from Romania were killed. It said it believed no one else on board was harmed. The tanker was in the northern Indian Ocean, travelling from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates at the time of the incident. United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a Royal Navy warning system for attacks on shipping, said an investigation was under way and that coalition forces were taking part. A US official said it appeared to have been carried out by a one-way drone and other drones took part. The official said it was not immediately known who had launched the attack. Shipping authority Lloyds List identified Mercer Streets owner as Taihei Kaiun Co, which belongs to the Tokyo-based Nippon Yusen Group. After the incident the tanker was sailing under the control of her crew to a safe location with a US naval escort, Zodiac Maritime said. An Israeli official blamed Iran for the attack and confirmed other public details of the incident. Israel considers Iran to be its biggest threat, citing Tehrans hostile rhetoric, support for anti-Israeli militant groups and growing influence in the region. The remarks came after an earlier report from private maritime intelligence firm Dryad Global referred to a drone sighting involving the vessel prior to the attack. Iran and Yemens Tehran-backed Houthi rebels have employed suicide drones in the past. These are unmanned aircraft loaded with explosives that detonate on impact with a target. British maritime security firm Ambrey confirmed the attack had killed one of its team members. It said it was working with authorities and offering support to the victims family. Omani officials did not respond to requests for comment. Other Israeli-linked ships have been targeted in recent months amid a shadow war with Iran, with Israeli officials blaming the Islamic Republic for the assaults The sultanate sits on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula and is along vital shipping routes for cargo and energy moving through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf. The deaths mark the first fatalities after years of assaults targeting shipping in the region. Other Israeli-linked ships have been targeted in recent months amid a shadow war with Iran, with Israeli officials blaming the Islamic Republic for the assaults. Israel, meanwhile, has been suspected in a series of major attacks targeting Irans nuclear programme. Iran also saw its largest warship recently sink in mysterious circumstances in the nearby Gulf of Oman. Thursdays attack comes amid heightened tensions over Irans tattered nuclear deal and as negotiations over restoring the accord have stalled in Vienna. The series of ship attacks suspected to have been carried out by Iran began a year after then US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in 2018. Iranian media quoted foreign press reports on Thursdays attack but did not offer anything more. Victoria has recorded two new local Covid cases on Saturday after lifting many of its restrictions earlier this week. While one of those cases was in quarantine throughout their infectious period, the other was not and visited a shopping centre in Melbourne's east. Anyone who visited the Woolworths store in Devon Plaza, Doncaster, on Wednesday July 28 from 10:20am to 11:25am must get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days. Victoria has recorded two new local Covid cases on Saturday after lifting many of its restrictions earlier this week While one of those cases was in quarantine throughout their infectious period, the other was not and visited a shopping centre in Melbourne's east The venue is now a Tier 1 exposure site. Both of the cases are linked to known outbreaks. More than 32,000 Covid tests were carried out on Friday with an impressive 19,502 vaccine doses administered. There are 202 active cases of the virus in Victoria. It comes after genomic sequencing results confirmed a mystery case circling during the week was linked to the current outbreaks. The man, who works as a traffic controller at the Moonee Valley drive-through testing site, tested positive on Wednesday. Residents are seen walking in Melbourne this week. One case recorded on Saturday was infectious in the community More than 32,000 Covid tests were carried out on Friday with an impressive 19,502 vaccine doses administered He worked two days while infectious but his close contacts have so far tested negative. The young man also visited his partner at a Newport apartment building while infectious, with residents tested and in isolation. It's believed he had not been vaccinated despite being eligible as a frontline worker. Meanwhile, authorities are urging people in Balwyn, Camberwell, Canterbury, Mont Albert and Surrey Hills to get tested if they have even mild symptoms after wastewater testing in the area showed virus fragments. The International Space Station (ISS) averted a disaster on Thursday after a newly arrived Russian module suffered a concerning mishap. In a worrying episode for NASA, the ISS was thrown out of control when jet thrusters of the 22-ton Nauka research module inadvertently fired a few hours after it docked. Nauka, which is designed to serve as a research lab, storage unit and airlock, docked at the ISS on Thursday at 9:29am EDT (2:29pm BST). But following the docking, the flight control team noticed the 'unplanned firing' of its thrusters about three hours later, NASA announced. This caused the ISS to move out of attitude its orientation in relation to its direction of travel by 45 degrees, or one-eighth of a complete circle. The station's position is key for getting power from its solar panels. If this was lost, the ISS would 'decay', meaning it would get closer and closer to Earth before it came crashing down. Russian state-owned news agency RIA cited NASA specialists at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, as describing the struggle to regain control of the ISS as a 'tug of war' between the two modules. The seven crew members aboard two Russian cosmonauts, three NASA astronauts, a Japanese astronaut and a European space agency astronaut from France were never in any immediate danger, according to NASA. Scroll down for video Nauka (left) is seen docked to the International Space Station (ISS) next to Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft on July 29, 2021 Pictured is the current configuration of the International Space Station (ISS). Three spaceships are docked at the space station including the SpaceX Crew Dragon and Russias Soyuz MS-18 crew ship and ISS Progress 78 resupply ship. The new Nauka Multipurpose Logistics Module (MLM) is now attached to the Zvezda service modules Earth-facing port THE NAUKA MODULE The Nauka module is designed to serve as a research lab, storage unit and airlock that will upgrade Russia's capabilities aboard the ISS. Nauka will be a new science facility, docking port and spacewalk airlock for future operations, along with providing additional crew quarters, a galley and a toilet. Nauka, which means 'science' in Russian' launched on July 21 atop a Russian Proton rocket. It docked with the ISS on July 29 - but for some reason, it mistakenly fired its thrusters and caused the ISS to move out of orientation. Advertisement 'The crew was never and is not in any danger, and flight controllers in Mission Control Houston are monitoring the status of the space station,' NASA said in a statement. 'Ground teams have regained attitude control and the motion of the space station is stable.' What caused the malfunction of the thrusters on the Nauka module, which was delivered by the Russian space agency Roscosmos, has yet to be determined, NASA officials said. The malfunction has forced NASA to postpone its planned launch of Boeing's new CST-100 Starliner capsule on a highly anticipated uncrewed test flight to ISS until at least August 3. The Starliner, which will transport up to seven passengers to and from low-Earth orbit, had been set to blast off atop an Atlas V rocket on Friday (July 30) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA had reported Nauka's successful docking on Thursday before announcing the incident that followed. The mishap began about three hours after it latched onto the ISS, as mission controllers in Moscow were performing some post-docking 'reconfiguration' procedures, according to NASA. The module's jets inexplicably restarted, causing the entire station to pitch out of its normal flight position some 250 miles above the Earth, leading the mission's flight director to declare a 'spacecraft emergency', US space agency officials said. An unexpected drift in the station's orientation was first detected by automated ground sensors, followed 15 minutes later by a 'loss of attitude control' that lasted a little over 45 minutes, according to Joel Montalbano, manager of NASA's space station program. Flight teams on the ground managed to restore the space station's orientation by activating thrusters on another module of the orbiting platform, NASA officials said. Following this morning's docking of the Nauka module to the @Space_Station, the module's thrusters started firing at 12:45pm ET inadvertently and unexpectedly, moving the station 45 degrees out of attitude. Recovery operations have regained attitude and the crew is in no danger: pic.twitter.com/jFlDZD7ZHp NASA (@NASA) July 29, 2021 Nauka, which means 'science' in Russian', launched on July 21 atop a Russian Proton rocket At the height of the incident, the station was pitching out of alignment at the rate of about a half a degree per second, Montalbano said during a NASA conference call with reporters. The Nauka engines were ultimately switched off, the space station was stabilised and its orientation was restored to where it had begun, NASA said. Communication with the crew was lost for several minutes twice during the disruption, but 'there was no immediate danger at any time to the crew, who 'really didn't feel any movement', Montalbano said. Had the situation become dangerous enough to require evacuation, the crew could have escaped in a SpaceX crew capsule still parked at the outpost and designed to serve as a 'lifeboat' if needed, said Steve Stich at NASA's commercial crew program. Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft sits atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, on Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station ready for the second un-piloted test flight to the International Space Station, Thursday, July 29, 2021. The launch was scheduled for Friday afternoon but has been delayed until August 3 at the earliest Montalbano said there was no immediate sign of any damage to the space station. The flight correction maneuvers used up more propellant reserves than desired, 'but nothing I would worry about,' he said. After its launch last week from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome, the module experienced a series of glitches that raised concern about whether the docking procedure would go smoothly. Roscosmos attributed Thursday's post-docking issue to Nauka's engines having to work with residual fuel in the craft, TASS news agency reported. 'The process of transferring the Nauka module from flight mode to "docked with ISS" mode is underway.' Roscosmos was cited by TASS as saying. 'Work is being carried out on the remaining fuel in the module.' Luxury car manufacturer Porsche has entered the space race, investing in a German start-up looking to take on the likes of Blue Origin, SpaceX and Virgin Galactic. The Ottobrunn-based rocket firm Isar Aerospace develops and manages launch vehicles designed to transport satellites into orbit around the Earth. Isar Aerospace is planning its first launch for late next year and claims that its 'Spectrum' rocket vehicle will provide cheaper and more flexible satellite launches. Key to this promise is its plan to increase the extent of the automation in its rocket production processes, which will also incorporate 3D printing. Porsche has given Isar $75 million (54 million) in funding, which the automobile firm said represents a 'low single-digit percentage stake' in the start-up. Luxury car manufacturer Porsche has entered the space race, investing in a German start-up looking to take on the likes of Blue Origin , SpaceX and Virgin Galactic. Isar Aerospace is planning their first launch for next year and claims that its 'Spectrum' rocket vehicle (pictured) will provide cheaper and more flexible satellite launches Porsche (whose logo is pictured) has given Isar $75 million (54 million) in funding, which the automobile firm said represents a 'low single-digit percentage stake' in the start-up SPECTRUM ROCKET Isar Aerospace is planning their first launch for late next year. They claims that their 'Spectrum' rocket vehicle will provide cheaper and more flexible satellite launches. Key to this promise, they say, is their plans to increase the extent of the automation in their rocket production processes. The Spectrum design which includes various 3D-printed components will be able to carry payloads of up to 2,204 lbs (1,000 kg) into a low-Earth orbit with a fraction of the pollution thanks to its light hydrocarbon and liquid oxygen fuel. Advertisement 'As an investor with a focus on mobility and industrial technology, we are convinced that cost-efficient and flexible access to space will be an enabler of innovation in many industry sectors,' said Porsche management board member Lutz Meschke. 'With Isar Aerospace, we are investing in a company that is well-positioned to establish itself as a leading European manufacturer of launch vehicles.' Mr Meschke added that he considered the rapid development of the rocket firm to be 'impressive'. 'The funding will allow Isar Aerospace to further invest in its launch, testing, and manufacturing infrastructure for its largely automated rocket production and commercial operations,' an Isar Aerospace spokesperson said in a statement. 'Space will become a key technological platform for many industries worldwide from the automotive to the telecoms sector.' This, they added, will bring 'advances and new capabilities [to the Internet of Things], data encryption and storage, as well as smart farming applications and surveillance for tackling climate change.' Isar Aerospace is an Ottobrunn-based rocket firm that develops and manages launch vehicles designed to transport satellites into orbit around the Earth. Pictured, the Isar Aerospace team, with part of their high performance rocket engine (left to right: Lin Kayser, Markus Brandl, Daniel Metzler, Josef Fleischmann and Bulent Altan) ISAR AEROSPACE'S OTHER INVESTORS Unlike some of its more high-profile competition like Blue Origin's Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk's SpaceX Isar Aerospace does not have the benefit of a billionaire's backing. However, the rocket firm has secured a grand total of $180 million (129 million) in funding since 2018 from various investors, alongside Porsche. These include Airbus Ventures, Earlybird, HV Capital, Lakestar, Lombard Odier and former SpaceX executive Bulent Altan. Advertisement According to the firm, the space launch services market is expected to increase to over 30 billion (25.6 billion) within the next six years, with a third of this expected to stem from the launching of small and medium -sized satellites into orbit. Much of this growth is expected to be driven by a boom in both satellite-driven software applications across various industries as well as earth observation missions. According to Porsche, however, 'existing launch capacities are not sufficient, or too expensive or inflexible.' It added: 'Private companies like Isar Aerospace aim to satisfy this demand in a more cost-effective and flexible way compared to established space companies.' While yet to launch its first rocket, Isar Aerospace already claims Airbus Group as a paying customer and, back in may, secured a contract from the German Aerospace Center to launch two satellites into orbit in the future. In fact, after its maiden launch next year, the firm has plans to deploy 34 rockets in 2023 and aims to get up to a rate of ten launches per year after that. Unlike Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, however, Isar Aerospace has said that it plans to focus on cost-efficient satellite launches, and is not planning manned spaceflights or a move into the burgeoning space tourism sector. 'As an investor with a focus on mobility and industrial technology, we are convinced that cost-efficient and flexible access to space will be an enabler of innovation in many industry sectors,' said Porsche management board member Lutz Meschke. 'With Isar Aerospace, we are investing in a company that is well-positioned to establish itself as a leading European manufacturer of launch vehicles.' Pictured: a Porsche car beneath a starry sky While yet to launch their first rocket, Isar Aerospace already claims Airbus Group as a paying customer and, back in may, secured a contract from the German Aerospace Center to launch two satellites into orbit in the future. Pictured: Isar Aerospace's early high-performance 'Finch' rocket engine, which uses a LOX/Hydrocarbon alternative fuel While investment in Isar Aerospace may represent only a small deal for Porsche, it represents something of a departure from their usual concerns. The luxury vehicle manufacture's investment portfolio has primarily been composed of other automotive firms and related industries. Some of their recent investments have resulted in notable successes with both LiDAR for autonomous vehicle sensing developer AEVA and American 3D printer manufacturer Markforged going public. Scientists have created three more embryos to help save the functionally extinct northern white rhino, bringing the total to 12 embryos they have created so far. The newest embryos were created after Fatu, who lives with her mother Najin on Kenya's 90,000-acre Ol Pejeta wildlife conservancy, provided eggs for them. The sperm from two different deceased males was used to fertilize the eggs. Scientists created three more embryos to help save the northern white rhino. The sperm came from two different deceased males This group of three brings the total to 12 embryos created so far The news, announced Thursday night, comes six months after researchers from the BioRescue team at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research created five embryos using eggs from Fatu. The first batch of embryos was created in 2019. Fatu, right, and her mother Najin are the only two remaining northern white rhinos. Fatu provided the eggs for the embryos In a press release, Biorescue described how the eggs were collected from Fatu in early July and then subsequently airlifted to a lab in Italy for fertilization, development and preservation. WHY ARE WHITE RHINOS ON THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION? Northern white rhinos were once found in southern Chad, the Central African Republic, southwestern Sudan, northern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and northwestern Uganda, and as recently as 1960, there were more than 2,000 remaining, according to WWF. However, poaching has led to their extinction in the wild, with just two known individuals left. WWF explained: 'Uncontrolled hunting in the colonial era was historically the major factor in the decline of white rhinos. Today, poaching for the illegal trade in their horns is the major threat. 'Powdered horn is used in traditional Asian medicine as a supposed cure for a range of illnesses from hangovers to fevers and even cancer.' Advertisement Both Fatu and Najin are unable of carrying a calf to term, so surrogate mothers for the embryos will be selected from a population of southern white rhinos. 'During the recent procedures it was clear that Najin's ovaries are no longer producing large number of eggs and that their quality is compromised,' said Jan Stejskal, Director of International Projects at Safari Park Dvur Kralove in the release. 'She is an old lady, and it seems it's not worth subjecting her to the stress of any further procedures. However, her health status will be frequently monitored.' It is estimated there are around 18,000 southern white rhinos left in the world, with a status that is classified as 'near threatened,' according to the World Wildlife Fund. Ol Pejeta director Richard Vigne told AFP on Friday that he believed in the project's chances of success, while emphasizing the high stakes. 'No one is going to pretend that this is going to be easy,' he said. 'We are doing things which are cutting-edge from a scientific perspective and we a dealing with genetics, with the two last northern white rhinos left on the planet,' said Vigne. 'There are many, many things that could go wrong,' he added. 'I think everybody understand the challenges that remain.' Since 2019, Biorescue has collected 80 eggs from Najin and Fatu, but the 12 viable embryos all hail from the younger rhino. A surrogate mother will be selected from a group of southern white rhinos The project is a multi-national effort with scientists from the German Leibniz Institute backing the Kenya Wildlife Service and Ol Pejeta, and the Italian Avantea laboratory providing fertilization support. Kenyan Tourism Minister Najib Balala welcomed the news. 'It is very encouraging to note that the project has continued to make good progress in its ambitious attempts to save an iconic species from extinction,' he said in the press release. Since 2019, 80 eggs have been collected from Najin and Fatu, but the 12 embryos all come from Fatu 'With 12 pure northern white rhinoceros embryos so far developed, the project should now focus on the next steps of embryos transfer into the surrogate females at Ol Pejeta Conservancy for it to achieve its ultimate objective.' Rhinoceroses have very few natural predators but their numbers have been decimated by poaching since the 1970s. Modern rhinos have roamed the planet for 26 million years and it is estimated that more than a million still lived in the wild in the middle of the 19th century. History changed forever after Neil Armstrong said, 'The Eagle has landed,' but a new study suggests that part of the Apollo 11 'Eagle' Lunar Module (LM), once thought to have crashed on the moon, may still orbit the celestial satellite. California space enthusiast James Meador ran simulations of the predicted orbit of the ascent stage of the LM using the General Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT), which was developed by NASA as part of the GRAIL spacecraft, and found that it may still orbit the moon at roughly 100 kilometers, the same distance it was left at. 'These results indicate that the "Eagle" might remain in lunar orbit today,' Meador wrote in the study. The ascent stage of the Apollo 11 'Eagle' Lunar Module may still orbit the moon, according to a new study. It may orbit the moon at roughly 100 kilometers, the same distance it was left at Meador's simulations show that the perilune altitude of the Eagle in the time periods of 1969-1970 and 2019-2020 were roughly the same. Meador's simulations show that the perilune altitude of the Eagle in the time periods of 1969-1970 and 2019-2020 were roughly the same On July 21, Armstrong and Aldrin used the ascent stage to rendezvous with the Columbia command module It's assumed the lunar module crashed into the moon's surface, but its fate is unknown Scroll down for video He continued: 'Although catastrophic outcomes are possible, there exists some possibility that this machine might have reached an inert state, allowing it to remain in orbit to the present day. If so, it should be detectable by radar, similarly to the way that the Indian Moon orbiter Chandrayaan-1 was relocated in 2016 (JPL, 2017). 'A rough analysis indicates that Eagle would be more than 125 [kilometers] above the surface in about 25 [percent] of limb crossings. If one assumes radar is able to detect objects at this altitude, then four judiciously chosen 2-hour observation periods should provide sufficient coverage to possibly relocate one of the most important artifacts in the history of space exploration.' The location of Apollo 11's lunar module is the only lunar module of the Apollo missions that is not known, according to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. WHY WAS THE EAGLE LUNAR MODULE ASCENT STAGE SO IMPORTANT? The ascent stage of the Eagle Lunar Module (ELM) housed Aldrin and Armstrong, as well as instrument panels and flight controls. It had its own Ascent Propulsion System engine, as well as two hypergolic propellant tanks, so that it could return to lunar orbit and rendezvous with the Apollo command module. In addition, it had a Reaction Control System that let the astronauts control their attitude and translation, with 16 thrusters similar to what was used on the Service Module. It also had a forward EVA hatch that let Aldrin and Armstrong step down and up from the lunar surface. The overhead hatch and docking port provided access to and from the Command Module. Advertisement DailyMail.com has reached out to NASA with a request for comment. The ascent stage of the Eagle lander, an 'irregularly shaped unit approximately 2.8 [meters] high and 4.0 by 4.3 meters in width,' according to NASA, housed astronauts Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin during their descent to the moon and subsequent return. On July 21, Armstrong and Aldrin left the surface of the moon, with their cargo of 22 kilograms of lunar rock, using the ascent stage to rendezvous with the Columbia command module and pilot Michael Collins, who died earlier this year at the age of 90. From left to right: Apollo 11 Commander Neil A. Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin Aldrin Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin (pictured) takes his last step off the Eagle lunar module onto the surface of the Moon Once they boarded the command module, the ascent stage was discarded and long believed to have crash landed onto the surface of the moon. According to NASA, it's assumed the lunar module crashed into the surface of the moon between one and four months after the mission ended. However, its fate is unknown after it was jettisoned into lunar orbit on July 22, 1969, two days after Armstrong and Aldrin first stepped on the moon. In an interview with New Scientist, Meador said that it would be incredible if the ascent stage of Apollo 11's Eagle Lunar Module still existed. 'A lot of people would be really excited to hear this thing still existed,' said Meador. 'It would be amazing to bring it back to Earth and put it in a museum.' As exciting as a discovery like this would be, Meador cautioned, however, the ascent stage may have also been completely destroyed once Armstrong and Aldrin were safely with Collins, on their way back to Earth. 'It must be remembered that the Lunar Modules were designed for 10-day missions, and little consideration was given to long-term reliability,' Meader wrote in the study. 'For this reason, fuel leaks might have resulted in propulsive events or even complete destruction at any time after the craft was jettisoned.' The study is available on the preprint arXiv server and can be read here. Keeping your exes on the 'back burner' leads to negative feelings all around even if you don't actually jump back into bed with them a study has warned. Experts led from the University of Oklahoma surveyed nearly 400 adults in long-term relationships to find that more than half were keeping someone else 'in spare'. However, doing so led to bad feelings about both the other person and themselves, especially when the flirt is supposedly in an exclusive relationship. Keeping your exes on the 'back burner' leads to negative feelings all around even if you only message and don't actually jump back into bed with them a study has warned EX COMMUNICATIONS According to the team, some two-thirds of participants reported keeping in touch with their exes. A separate study found that 54 per cent of women have engaged in sex with an ex, compared to just 44 per cent of the men. Of those who had sex with their ex-partners, the lion's share said that they did it because being with an old flame was comforting. However, 14 per cent of those surveyed admitted that they had sex with the ex in the hope of reconciling. Advertisement The study was conducted by interpersonal communication expert John Banas of the University of Oklahoma and his colleagues. 'If having ex-partner back burners cascades into increased communication, increased sexual activity, and bad feelings for the admirer,' began Dr Banas. Then, he continued, 'those in committed relationships might wish to exercise greater caution before forming a back-burner relationship with an ex-partner.' In their study, the researchers surveyed 397 adults in committed romantic relationships with an average length of seven years. The team found that the majority of subjects 62 per cent admitted to keeping someone on the proverbial back burner. This is even though 85 per cent said they were married and 93 per cent said their relationship with their partner was exclusive. And of those keeping someone or multiple people in their back pocket, half said that they were stringing along one or more exes. 'As we see society re-opening, there appears to be a surge in the use of dating apps during what has been dubbed "The Summer of Love",' said psychologist Brenda Wiederhold of California's Interactive Media Institute, who was not part of the study. This, she continued, makes it 'ever more important to study new trends in connecting for friendship and romance.' The full findings of the study were published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. A wasp that emerges from the ground this time of year looks eerily similar to the murder hornets that wrecked havoc on Washington state in 2020, but these insects are harmless to humans and only have a single prey cicadas. Known as the cicada killer, these wasps can grow up to two inches long and are either black or brown, with colorful yellow markings on several segments of their abdomen very similar to the Asian giant hornet. Cicadas, however, only have the female wasp to fear - it paralyzes them with its venomous stinger and drags their limp bodies back to its hole, dug 10 inches below the surface of the soil. Jim LaBonte, a retired entomologist from the state Department of Agricultures insect pest prevention and management program, told The East Oregonian that the wasp drops the stunned cicada into a chamber where it lays eggs on its prey. The newly hatched larva feasts on the cicada, which is still alive, and can take two weeks to finish off the entire body. Scroll down for video A wasp that emerges from the ground this time of year looks eerily similar to the murder hornets that wrecked havoc on Washington State in 2020, but these insects are harmless to humans and only have a single prey cicadas Cicada killer wasps live 60 to 75 days before they migrate back underground until the next year, but people can expect to see them until September. The cicada killers do not have a taste for periodical insects, such as the Brood X that appeared this year, but prefers cicada groups that come out every year. After mating, the female cicada killer wasp selects a site to lay its eggs and then starts digging a burrow. Soil or sand is first loosened with the front legs, then scooted out of the hole with her middle and hind legs. Cicada killer wasps can grow up to two inches long and are either black or brown, with colorful yellow markings on several segments of their abdomen which look very similar to the Asian hornet Cicadas, however, only have the female wasp to fear that paralyzes the cicada with its venomous stinger and drags the limp body back to its hole that is dug 10 inches below the surface of the soil Sometimes the female enters the burrow and pushes out soil with her head and front legs. Females burrow into the soil for approximately ten inches, with a channel of about half an inch. Oval chambers are excavated at the end of the burrow, large enough to accommodate a few cicadas to feed its young. Females scout for their victims in trees using its powerful vision, which typically gets them a female cicada because they do not make the noisy chirp like their male counterparts. The wasp drops the stunned cicada into a chamber where it lays eggs on its prey. The newly hatched larva feasts on the cicada, which is still alive, and can take two weeks to finish off the entire body And cicadas are usually captured in flight. John Alcock, an entomologist at Arizona State University, told National Geographic that most sightings of cicada killers are males. While females are feeding their young, males spend their time fighting for mates and vomiting on their own heads as a way to cool down in the summer heat. Cicada killers are found all over the US, but those appearing in the west are being mistaken for murder hornets that became famous last year. In October 2020, experts found nearly 500 live 'murder hornet' specimens, including 200 queens, in a nest that was destroyed by agriculture officials in Washington state. Cicada killers are found all over the US, but those appearing in the west are being mistaken for murder hornets that became famous last year. In October 2020, experts found nearly 500 live 'murder hornet' specimens including 200 queens in the nest that was destroyed by agriculture officials in Washington State On October 24, entomologists eradicated the first-ever US nest of the giant Asian insect in Blaine, north of Seattle, by using a vacuum to suck them out. The scientists had attached radio trackers to three insects caught in a trap, with one leading them to their nest. The nest was then removed by members of the Washington State Department of Agriculture's (WSDA) Pest Program. It contained 108 cells, which looked like queen hornets ready to emerge, while another 76 had already spawned, according to the state agriculture officials. After opening the nests, scientists found 190 larvae, 112 worker hornets and nine male hornets in addition to the queen count. The nest contained six combs with at least 776 cells, but Sven Spichiger, of the states department of agriculture said some outer cells may have been damaged upon removal and not counted. Entomologists first discovered the Asian giant hornet nest in a tree cavity on private property in Blaine, Whatcom County, close to the US-Canada border on 22 October. However, Asian hornets, like the killer cicada wasps, do not have a thirst for humans, but instead hunt honeybees. The murder hornets invade hives, decapitate bees and feed the bodies to their young. Species of sharks that normally swim in waters near the equator have started to trek north due to climate change, officials have warned. A number of blacktip reef sharks have been spotted recently off New York's coastline, including one incident Thursday morning at Jones Beach State Park, CBS News reports. Local officials are concerned because the sharks are not native to the area and could pose a threat to swimmers. 'Our guards spotted numerous not just one, but numerous blacktip reef sharks,' said Hempstead town supervisor Don Clavin told the news outlet. Sharks that normally swim in warmer waters have trekked north due to climate change, including the blacktip reef shark (pictured) Blacktip reef sharks have been spotted recently off New York's coastline, including one incident Thursday morning at Jones Beach State Park 'These are really unique sharksthey're Caribbean sharks. They're known to come close to the shoreline in feeding areas. So the concern is obviously with swimmers.' Human activity 'forces animals to move 70% further to survive' Human activity over the past 40 years has changed the behavior of animals, increasing their movement by up to 70 per cent, a new study has warned. Researchers from the University of Sydney analyzed 208 separate studies on 167 animal species published since the early 1980s to track animal movement. Human activity such as logging and urbanization, as well as episodic events like hunting and military activity, disrupts animal movement as they flee humans or travel further to find mates and food, the study found. Animals looked at ranged from the sleepy orange butterfly to the heavily culled European badger, the black bear and the 2,000 kilogram great white shark. Advertisement There have been just 14 non-fatal unprovoked attacks on humans by blacktip reef sharks, according to data from the International Shark Attack File. The vast majority of unprovoked attacks by sharks on humans comes from three species of sharks - bull, great white and tiger. South Fork National History Museum shark researcher Chris Paparo said the sharks are being driven north by changing conditions. 'Climate change is definitely playing a role [...] especially in the sightings we're seeing this year and last year,' Paparo said. 'As sea temperatures are rising due to climate change, a lot of fish populations are shifting north,' he added. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature states blacktip reef sharks are considered 'Near Threatened,' susceptible to fishing and habitat destruction. Earlier this month, researchers discovered that different species of sharks that share the same waters hunt in 'shifts.' Blacktip sharks were most active during evening hours, peaking just before 8 p.m. Blacktip reef sharks are not the only species being pushed north because of changing weather patterns. In February, researchers in California found that great whites were moving north off the California coast, from Santa Barbara all the way to Bodega Bay, to seek cooler waters as a result of climate change. 14 non-fatal unprovoked attacks on humans have been from blacktip reef sharks Though climate change is impacting the migrations and hunting patterns of the apex predators, it's also impacting how they swim. In March 2020, Australian researchers found that sharks became 'right handed,' swimming to the right, after swimming in tanks heated to simulate temperature changes that are expected by the end of the century. Rising sea temperatures may also negatively impact young sharks by shortening their freeze response times they implement to keep from being eaten by predators such as large fish and other sharks, a recent study found. Blue Origin's protest against NASA's decision to award a contract to build the lunar lander for the Artemis mission to a single company was denied Friday by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO). The 'congressional watchdog' released its conclusion that found 'NASA did not violate procurement law or regulation when it decided to make only one award,' which was Blue Origin's entire defense on the matter. The Jeff Bezos-founded company, along with Dynetics, which was also in the running, filed the protest in April after the American space agency awarded a $2.9 billion contract to Elon Musk's SpaceX. 'The announcement reserved the right to make multiple awards, a single award, or no award at all,' GAO shared in a press release. 'In reaching its award decision, NASA concluded that it only had sufficient funding for one contract award.' 'As a result, GAO denied the protest arguments that NASA acted improperly in making a single award to SpaceX.' Scroll down for video Blue Origin's protest against NASA's decision to award a contract to build the lunar lander for the Artemis mission to a single company was denied Friday by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) Days after the protest was filed, NASA told SpaceX to halt building a lunar spacecraft until the GAO made its ruling. Today's announcement means Musk's company can restart work to land the first woman and next man on the moon. GAO's Friday announcement also concluded that there was no need for NASA 'to engage in discussions, amend, or cancel the announcemrf5rent as a result of the amount of funding available for the program.' A Blue Origin spokesperson told DailyMail.com in email: 'We stand firm in our belief that there were fundamental issues with NASAs decision, but the GAO wasnt able to address them due to their limited jurisdiction. The Jeff Bezos-founded company, along with Dynetics, which was also in the running, filed the protest in April after the American space agency awarded a $2.9 billion contract to Elon Musk's SpaceX. 'Well continue to advocate for two immediate providers as we believe it is the right solution. 'The Human Landing System [HLS] program needs to have competition now instead of later that's the best solution for NASA and the best solution for our country.' Musk also responded to the decision by posting 'GAO' with the strong arm emoji on Twitter, which is the typical gesture of someone who won a fight. NASA made the initially announcement about the lunar lander contracts in April 2020. It awarded the Blue Origin team with $579 million, the Dynetics team with $253 million and SpaceX with $135 million. The firms were given until 2021 to create a lander and then NASA would choose one or more winners to turn the design into a working spacecraft. Musk also responded to the decision by posting 'GAO' with the strong arm emoji on Twitter, which is the typical gesture of someone who won a fight On April 16, 2021, NASA announced SpaceX was going to be the only company to construct a lunar lander. SpaceX received a $2.9 billion contract, which was reportedly much lower than what competitors bid. Hours before the official announcement, The Washington Post, which is owned by Bezos, broke details of the contract, reporting the Musk-led firm had beat out Blue Origin and Dynetics. The Post branded Musk's win a 'stunning victory' over Bezos, adding: 'The defeat is a huge blow Blue Origin, and to Bezos.' Just 10 days later, Blue Origin filed its 50-page protest, which was first reported by The New York Times. Bob Smith, CEO of Blue Origin, said in April that NASA's decision to award the contract to SpaceX was based on flawed evaluations. Smith also accused NASA of placing a bigger emphasis on cost than it said it would. He said the space agency should have stuck to its oft-stated desire to award the contract to two companies. 'It's really atypical for NASA to make these kinds of errors,' Smith told the Times. 'They're generally quite good at acquisition, especially its flagship missions like returning America to the surface of the moon. 'We felt that these errors needed to be addressed and remedied.' 'NASA has executed a flawed acquisition for the Human Landing System program and moved the goalposts at the last minute,' the company said in a statement. 'In NASA's own words, it has made a 'high risk' selection,' the Blue Origin statement said. A Blue Origin spokesperson told DailyMail.com in email: 'We stand firm in our belief that there were fundamental issues with NASAs decision, but the GAO wasnt able to address them due to their limited jurisdiction. Pictured is Blue Origin's concept for the lunar lander 'Their decision eliminates opportunities for competition, significantly narrows the supply base, and not only delays, but also endangers America's return to the Moon. 'Because of that, we've filed a protest with the GAO.' Nonetheless, the Blue Origin spokesperson told DailyMail.com on Friday that it 'has been encouraged by actions in Congress to add a second provider and appropriate additional resources to NASA's pursuit to return Americans to the Moon. 'Were also very encouraged by Administrator Nelsons comments over the past week that reaffirm NASAs original intent to provide simultaneous competition,' the spokesperson added. The Artemis mission, which is set for 2024, will see four spacefaring heroes board the Orion spacecraft and be jetted off to space by NASA's powerful Space Launch System (SLS). Once in orbit, two crew members will transfer to the SpaceX HLS and head to the moon. After approximately a week exploring the surface, they will board the lander for their short trip back to orbit where they will return to Orion and their colleagues before heading back to Earth. SpaceX revealed plans for its lunar lander on April 16, which will include the company's tested Raptor engines, along with pulling inspiration from the Falcon and Dragon vehicles' designs. The lander will feature a spacious cabin and two airlocks for astronaut moonwalks. 'The Starship architecture is intended to evolve to a fully reusable launch and landing system designed for travel to the Moon, Mars, and other destinations,' NASA shared in the April announcement. Selemon Barega has been crowned as the new 10,000m champion after the London 2012 and Rio 2016 gold medal winner, Mo Farah, failed to qualify for this summer's Games. World record holder Joshua Cheptegei was among the favourites to win the race, while Jacob Kiplimo fancied his chances after registering the fastest time in the world earlier this year at 26.33.93. However, it was Barega who asserted his dominance after the bell went and produced a final lap of 53.94 to bring home the gold medal for Ethiopia. Selemon Barega (above) has been crowned as the new 10,000m champion after taking gold He will take the title from Mo Farah - who failed to qualify for this summers Olympic Games Barega's final lap was enough to hold off Cheptegei and Kiplimo, who took home silver and bronze retrospectively. As a result, Barega has not only replaced Farah as the new Olympic champion, but has also followed in the footsteps of Kenenisa Bekele - who won gold at Athens and Beijing. World record holder Joshua Cheptegei was among the favourites to win the race, while Jacob Kiplimo fancied his chances after registering the fastest time in the world earlier this year However, it was Barega who asserted his dominance after the bell went and produced a final lap of 53.94 to bring home the gold medal for Ethiopia TOP THREE TIMES 1/ Selemon BAREGA ETH 27.43.22 2/ Joshua CHEPTEGEI UGA 27.43.63 3/ Jacob Kiplimo UGA 27.43.88 Advertisement However, the 21-year-old did appear to be taking home gold until the final lap - having sat in the firmly in the middle of the group until then. It was Stephen Kissa who stormed off into the lead and acted as a pace-maker for his colleagues at the start of the race. He maintained a steady pace, creating a 75m and seven second gap ahead of Kiplimo within the first five laps. However, Kenya's Rodger's Kwemoi put an end to Kissas solo effort on the 9,000m mark. While Rhonex Kipruto and Barega also put pressure on the leaders and positioned themselves as real challengers on the 20th lap. Canada's Mohamed Ahmed - who finished the race in fifth place - also pushed on in the final 600m. While Italy's Yemane Crippa travelled well throughout and pressured the top three in the final 500m. Stephen Kissa (above) stormed off into the lead and acted as a pace-maker for the opeing laps Team GB's Sam Atkin was forced to pull up with a calf problem during the Olympic final However, Barega coped well with the pressure produced a decisive performance worthy of a gold medal. As for Team GB, it was disappointment for Sam Atkin - who was forced to pull up with a calf problem despite having 11 laps left to run. Therefore, the pressure fell on Marc Scott - who finished just outside the medals in fourth place. The new season of The Bachelor has been a ratings disaster for Channel 10, delivering a record-low metro audience of just 360,000 viewers on Wednesday. And as network executives struggle to keep the flagship dating show afloat amid cancellation rumours, Jimmy Nicholson's contestants are 'desperately worried' about what it all means for their career prospects. Many of the women only applied for the show in order to become influencers or start podcasts, and now they're panicking because no one is watching. 'Since making their social media accounts public some girls have had less than one hundred new followers,' a source told Daily Mail Australia on Friday. 'They don't understand why no one is watching': Fame-hungry Bachelor stars are 'panicking' over the dreadful ratings, with some gaining just a few hundred Instagram followers 'Steph [Lynch] has only had just over 1,300 new followers, while Jacinta [Boys] has picked up less than one hundred.' 'The girls are panicking that they won't get many followers or even their blue tick,' the insider added, referring to Instagram's verification badge for 'public figures'. According to another source, Jimmy's girls are particularly worried because only five contestants from last year's season - which delivered far better ratings than Jimmy's season has so far - got blue-tick verification 'Some girls have had less than one hundred new followers': Many of the women only applied in order to become influencers, and now they're panicking because no one is watching A third insider said: 'They dont understand why people are not watching the show. 'They are p**sed off that nobody is following them. They were hoping the show would be as good as Honey Badger's [Nick 'The Honey Badger' Cummins' season in 2018]. Some girls were expecting 30k to 80k followers. Some are actually depressed that they put in so much effort on the show and are not getting anything out of it.' Bondi fitness trainer Elena Wee is the most-followed contestant this season with 9,856 followers, while bookies' favourite Holly Kingston has just over 6,580 followers. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Friday, celebrity agent Max Markson reiterated his warning from earlier this month that wannabe influencers shouldn't quit their day job unless they have at least 100,000 followers. 'Look. They aren't getting a career out of this full stop. Unless you've got the numbers there's no career,' he said of this year's crop of Bachelor contestants. No influence here! Bondi fitness trainer Elena Wee is the most-followed contestant this season with 9,856 followers, while bookies' favourite Holly Kingston (pictured) has just over 6,580 'All you've got to do is look at the recent Married At First Sight series; the numbers weren't there for them,' he explained. Markson stressed you can make a decent living as an influencer at the 100,000 mark, but anything less than that just isn't a sustainable career. 'I look back at previous years, the girls, unless you've got decent numbers, you don't earn money from this. They have to keep doing a normal job,' he said. 'Don't quit your day job': Celebrity agent Max Markson (pictured) told Daily Mail Australia of this year's crop of Bachelor contestants: 'They aren't getting a career out of this full stop' Jimmy Nicholson's season of The Bachelor had the lowest-ever audience for a season premiere last week, and it's only been downhill from there. The ratings have plunged from 482,000 to 360,000 in a week, leading to rumours Channel 10 may be forced to cancel the show. The Bachelor continues Wednesday at 7:30pm on Channel 10 Farmer Wants a Wife's Will Dwyer really doesn't want you asking about his love child. The 39-year-old has turned off comments on his latest Instagram post to stop fans from discussing the fact he is expecting a baby with his ex-girlfriend Hayley Love. His most recent upload, a gallery of photos of FWAW contestants Jaimee and Kristina having fun at his farm in Longwood, Victoria, isn't accepting any comments. Zip it! Farmer Wants a Wife's Will Dwyer (pictured) really doesn't want you asking about his love child. The 39-year-old farmer has turned off comments on his latest Instagram post to prevent fans from discussing the fact he is expecting a baby with his ex-girlfriend Hayley Love Will's photo gallery comprised several selfies his winner Jaimee - with whom he has since broken up - took on his phone while goofing around on his farm with Kristina. 'These two had a habit of abducting my phone. I'm very glad they did because when I find these photos they make me laugh every time,' he captioned the post. It comes after Hayley, 25, revealed on Wednesday she was 22 weeks pregnant with Will's child, but confirmed they were no longer together. Awkward: His most recent upload, a gallery of photos of FWAW contestants Jaimee (left) and Kristina (right) having fun at his farm in Longwood, Victoria, isn't accepting any comments FWAW shock: It comes after 25-year-old Hayley (pictured) revealed on Wednesday she was 22 weeks pregnant with Will's child, but confirmed they were no longer together She was originally matched with farmer Matt Trewin on the Channel Seven show, but he broke up with her shortly before the finale, which aired last week. She went on to briefly date Will and became pregnant with his child, but they broke up after she told him she was expecting. Hayley and Will had a short-lived romance after the FWAW finale was filmed in December - and after he'd split from his winning contestant, paediatric nurse Jaimee. Case of the ex! She was originally matched with farmer Matt Trewin (pictured) on the Channel Seven show, but he broke up with her shortly before the finale, which aired last week But they ended things around April. 'I am 22 weeks pregnant with Farmer Will's child,' Hayley told News.com.au on Wednesday. Channel Seven said in a statement they wished Hayley 'all the very, very best for her pregnancy and life ahead'. Will hasn't properly addressed the pregnancy, but did share a cryptic quote on Instagram that read: 'A wolf does not concern himself with the opinions of sheep.' Steven Spielberg's daughter Destry Spielberg denounced claims of nepotism after her second directorial project was announced this week, to much criticism. Weighing in on a heated Twitter debate about the nature of her success on account of her mega-famous father, the 24-year-old filmmaker owned up to her 'privilege' but maintained that she 'worked hard' to get where she is today. 'People can argue nepotism, But i know deep down that I worked hard to get where I am and it wasn't easy,' she asserted in a now-deleted tweet on July 28. 'I worked hard to get where I am': Steven Spielberg's daughter Destry denounced claims of nepotism after the nature of her success was brought into question upon the announcement of a second directorial project; pictured July 23 Destry's latest project 'Let Me Go (The Right Way)' involves participation from a string of Hollywood elite offspring including a script penned by Stephen King's son Owen, and a starring role by Sean Penn's son Hopper. After the very stacked film was announced via Deadline on July 27, disgruntled social media users including Vanity Fair contributing editor Franklin Leonard weighed in. 'Hollywood's a meritocracy, right?' Leonard wrote, which eventually prompted Ben Stiller another byproduct of Hollywood heavyweights Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara to defend the film's honor, before Destry responded to the commotion herself. 'I am just a young aspiring female filmmaker who admires the art of cinema,' her now-deleted tweet began. 'People can argue nepotism, but I know deep down that I worked hard to get where I am and it wasn't easy. Beyond proud of the team it took to make it.' Speaking out: 'People can argue nepotism, but I know deep down that I worked hard to get where I am and it wasn't easy,' Destry said in a now-deleted tweet Silver spoon: 'I acknowledge that i was born with privilege! I own that through and through!' the filmmaker wrote She continued to 'acknowledge' her privilege in a second tweet and spoke about it being her 'mission to bring new talent into the industry' despite her very privileged collaborators. 'I acknowledge that i was born with privilege! I own that through and through! I make it my mission to bring new talent into the industry & give opportunities to artists of all backgrounds. No one should be left out because of the connections they dont have.' One user lambasted that statement as they responded: 'So casting hopper penn, another nepotism baby, is bringing in new talent?' Destry's statements were prompted by a back and forth between Stiller and Leonard that picked up speed on the day her project was announced. Daddy dearest: Despite her her statements, it remains impossible to acknowledge that doors were opened on account of being the daughter of a four-time Oscar winning director; pictured with Steven in 2019 Leonard the founder of the Black List had reposted the Deadline announcement on social media where he spoke about 'meritocracy' and continued to double down. 'In fairness, this is apparently a short film. A short film whose casting apparently merited trade coverage.' The Zoolander star responded to his criticism: 'Too easy @franklinleonard. People, working, creating. Everyone has their path. Wish them all the best.' Leonard retorted: 'I do without fail, but I also think it's important that we acknowledge those paths.' And Stiller engaged in a dialogue. 'Just speaking from experience, and I don't know any of them, I would bet they all have faced challenges. Different than those with no access to the industry. Showbiz as we all know is pretty rough, and ultimately is a meritocracy.' Call out: Vanity Fair contributing editor Leonard first tweeted in response to the Deadline article 'Hollywood's a meritocracy, right?' Defensive: Stiller came to the defense of the film's very stacked lineup of Hollywood babies and called Leonard's criticism 'too easy' 'Challenges': Despite the nature of their privilege, Stiller asserted that he said the kids of Spielberg, Penn, and King had all likely 'faced challenges' Hitting back: Stiller later seemed to take offense at implications he had not acknowledged being afforded a leg up in the industry on account of his parents Leonard hit back: 'I don't for a second doubt that they've all faced challenges. They're human. I simply reject the claim that the industry is in the short term or long term a meritocracy. If it were, how do you explain the utter lack of diversity behind the camera? Lack of merit?' Stiller then replied: '100 percent agree. Diversity is much bigger issue. No question. And I see your point, access is access. So yes. I'm saying that untalented people don't really last if they get a break because of who they are or know or are related to.' He later seemed to take offense at implications he had not acknowledged being afforded a leg up in the industry on account of his parents. 'Wow. Really? I totally owe a huge debt to my folks and in no way have said I didn't. Why make broad generalizations? Your argument about diversity is very sound and I agreed with it.' Fashion designer Samantha Cameron looked typically stylish at Glorious Goodwoods Ladies Day yesterday in an elegant burgundy frock from her own label, Cefinn. On the same day, newly published accounts for her high-end fashion business revealed the label has suffered its fourth consecutive loss, ending last year with 561,000 less than it started. The amount of cash in the bank has also halved. The wife of former PM David Cameron knows all too well that fashion is a famously tricky industry in which to achieve sustained financial success with only a handful of British brands, such as Burberry and Jasper Conran, achieving it. The results mean the mother-of-three, 50, has never made a profit, and her cumulative losses since Cefinn launched in 2017 have mounted to 2.2 million. The brand, which sells dresses ranging from 150 to 400, has won fans including the Duchess of Cambridge and former First Lady Michelle Obama, while Samanthas status in the industry has seen her attend parties with Vogue U.S. editor Anna Wintour and designer Christopher Kane. Samantha Cameron (pictured) looked typically stylish at Glorious Goodwoods Ladies Day in an elegant burgundy frock from her own label, Cefinn Fashion, alas, is fickle. Three years ago, investors including Tory donor Lord Brownlow of Shurlock Row were so confident in her vision they poured in 2.5 million. Though the pandemic has been hard on businesses, Samantha, whose pop-up store on the Kings Road is one of the most popular in London, remains optimistic and will soon release a summer collection. In May, she said of the effect of lockdown on her label: Its been very tough and like most people we werent prepared. Newly published accounts for Samantha Cameron's high-end fashion business revealed the label has suffered its fourth consecutive loss, ending last year with 561,000 less than it started But weve just had some big orders come in for the first time in a year, so everyones feeling more confident. Her prominence in fashion derives from her time as chief creative officer of luxury stationery brand, Smythson, where she earned 400,000 a year more than twice her husbands Prime Ministerial salary. No one denies that Sam has tremendous style and is determined to give it ago, says a friend. Fashion, for everyone, is a very slippery slope on which to succeed financially. Covid has been a really rough time for many industries. Sad Camilla mourns her racing pal The Duchess of Cornwall is mourning the death of her horse-racing chum Broderick Munro- Wilson, who died on Monday, aged 76, after a fall at his home in Little Venice, West London. The former SAS officer used to go hunting with her in Sussex and was also a contemporary of Prince Charles at Cambridge University. It is very sad, his daughter Emma, 42, tells me. He had an amazing life and certainly lived it to the full. He used to say life belongs to the optimist. Broderick was once an unsuspecting victim of Sacha Baron-Cohens alter ego, Borat, when he likened sipping wine to lovemaking in an episode of Da Ali G Show in 2000. Dad thought that was absolutely hilarious, adds Emma. He loved it. A service will be held at Golders Green Crematorium on August 9. Poignantly, he had requested his ashes be scattered on the finishing line of Sandown Park Racecourse, where he had lots of winners. Jo's hunt for love on hold Searching for romance, Ronnie Woods ex-wife, Jo, turned to a dating agency earlier this year which has a 5,000 joining fee. Sadly, the former model reveals shes had to put her hunt for husband number three on hold. Jo Wood, 66, at the LG Signature OLED R TV launch party in South Kensington Last year was so tough. My brother died, my sister got Covid, my grandson got really ill, Ronnie got cancer and all these situations just made me not want to be in a relationship, she tells me at the LG Signature OLED R TV launch party in South Kensington. Jo, 66, split from businessman Carl Douglas last year. She adds: I couldnt deal with it emotionally. Were not even friends any more men arent good at getting their hearts broken. Channel 4 newsreader Jon Snow, who became a new dad at 73 in March, enjoys having someone new to perform to at home. A former chorister at Winchester Cathedral, he says: I sing a lot. If not in the bath, certainly in the car. Anywhere Im alone, I let go. But because of my job, I dont belong to a choir. Now Ive got my son, I will be singing to him extensively. Snow, who is married to Zimbabwean scientist Dr Precious Lunga, 46, adds: I have two daughters from an earlier marriage and I will be singing to their children in turn. Forget climbing the walls. When eccentric film star Helena Bonham Carter gets frustrated, she paints them. The 55-year-old reveals she did a bit of home improvement at her North London house to keep boredom at bay in lockdown. Half of my hallway is now pink, she says. I have yet to finish it. Im very good at not finishing things. All white on the night for Eliza Lady Eliza Manners is turning up the heat on her romance with dashing pearl dealer Charlie Barron. The Duke of Rutlands youngest daughter, 24, is on holiday in Greece her first trip abroad with 25-year-old Barron, who has designed jewellery for European royalty and Hollywood stars. Lady Eliza Manners, 24, on holiday in Greece with 25-year-old Charlie Barron, who has designed jewellery for European royalty and Hollywood stars Wearing matching white for a night out in Mykonos, Charlie and interior designer Eliza who grew up at her familys magnificent ancestral home, Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire also sport identical tans. Loved-up Eliza prefers to say they are sun-kissed. Top restaurateur Jeremy King is savouring his victory over Sadiq Khan. Earlier this month I revealed that King confronted the London mayor at his Piccadilly venue, The Wolseley, about his crippling congestion charge which prevented diners from travelling to restaurants in the capital. The levy end time is being rolled back from 10pm to 6pm, and King tells me: Im delighted the Mayor has seen sense and given London the boost it needed. On the other hand, why on earth is the charge remaining at weekends in the daytime? They went Instagram official with their romance in May this year. And Emily Atack, 31, and her fashion entrepreneur boyfriend Jude Taylor looked loved-up at the launch night of The Ivy Asia restaurant in Chelsea on Thursday night. The actress looked resplendent as she showcased her womanly curves in her vivid green dress, but suffered a wardrobe mishap as she shared a glimpse of her underwear through the garment's sheer material. Whoops: Emily Atack suffered wardrobe mishap in a knitted green sheer dress as she and her entrepreneur beau Jude Taylor attended The Ivy Asia launch in Chelsea on Thursday The Celebrity Juice captain showed off a glowing tan which was complemented by the white cropped top beneath her knitted frock. The plunging neckline of her attire left her decolletage on show with a simple chain necklace resting down over her collar bone. Her long blonde tresses fell down either side of her face, perfectly framing her pretty. Good to go: The actress and her fashion entrepreneur boyfriend looked in good spirits as they visited the restaurant on Chelsea's Kings Road in London Hand-in-hand: The Celebrity Juice captain showed off a glowing tan as she walked hand-in-hand with her beau Up for a laugh: The couple looked in high spirits as they left the party, giggling as they walked down the street She wore a pair of bright white trainers and carried a black clutch purse in her hand. Businessman Jude opted for an outfit just as bright as 2018 I'm A Celeb star Emily, wearing a sky blue shirt with red love hearts, and a bright white top underneath with matching trousers. They looked in high spirits as they left the party, giggling as they walked down the street hand-in-hand. Heading home: Emily wore a pair of bright white trainers and carried a black clutch purse in her hand Businessman Jude opted for an outfit just as bright as 2018 I'm A Celeb star Emily, wearing a sky blue shirt with red love hearts, and a bright white top underneath with matching trousers The couple hopped into the back of a black cab before heading home for the evening, with Emily smiling at photographers as the vehicle moved off. Emily and Jude went Instagram official in May this year, with Emily sharing loved-up snaps beside her partner with her fans. In a sweet photo, Emily could be seen leaning into Jude as they posed for a mirror selfie at a swanky London hotel. Ready to roll: The couple hopped into the back of a black cab before heading home for the evening, with Emily smiling at photographers as the vehicle moved off Star power: Emily smiling at photographers as the vehicle moved off after the pair enjoyed a delectable meal at the new eatery Emily and Jude were first romantically linked to each other earlier the same month, and were said to have 'hit it off'. The star had been seen leaving Soho House's newest venue 180 The Strand in London with Jude - who used to work for Burberry and is now preparing for the launch of his own brand - during a night out. And shortly after a source claimed that the duo have 'hit it off' after going on 'dates in recent weeks', adding that they're not 'rushing to make it super serious'. Smitten: Emily went Instagram official with entrepreneur boyfriend Jude as she shared loved-up snaps with him in May this year Cute! Jude, meanwhile, also shared some sun-soaked snaps with Emily while they enjoyed a date at a rooftop bar near The Shard at the time Blossoming romance: Emily and Jude were first romantically linked to each other earlier this month, and were said to have 'hit it off' (pictured in May) A source told The Sun at the time: 'Emily and Jude know a few of the same people and have hit it off. 'They have been going on dates together in recent weeks and have just enjoyed spending time together. 'Neither of them are rushing to make it super serious, they're just seeing how it goes and having a good time.' Emily split from her model ex Charlie Edwards in January this year after their work schedules and the coronavirus pandemic reportedly put pressure on their relationship. Someone was humming For The First Time In Forever in the cafe at the Jerwood Space, where the musical Frozen (from which the number hails as if you didn't know!) was in its final week of rehearsals before transferring to the refurbished Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, for technical run-throughs. The song seemed appropriate. The last face-to-face (not virtual) interviews I did, back in March last year, were with Samantha Barks and Stephanie McKeon. They play the show's stars, sisters Elsa and Anna, whose once close relationship is torn apart when Elsa exiles herself, terrified her deep-freezing powers are getting out of control. McKeon, who sings the song in the show, told me she is already wondering how she'll get through the first preview on August 27 without being overcome. 'It's going to be emotional!' she said. Someone was humming For The First Time In Forever in a cafe where the musical Frozen was in its final week of rehearsals. Pictured: Stephanie McKeon, Craig Gallivan and Samantha Barks Samantha Barks and Stephanie McKeon (pictured with Obioma Ugoala) play the stars, sisters Elsa and Anna, whose once close relationship is torn apart when Elsa exiles herself Barks says living alone in her flat early in the pandemic helped her to understand Elsa's isolation in her ice palace. 'I've had a lot of practice,' she said, drily. Eighteen months on, Barks and McKeon seem more sister-like, often finishing each other's sentences. 'We've been chatting away non-stop since we were cast,' McKeon said. Thomas Schumacher, the globe-trotting president of Disney Theatrical Productions (he's had to quarantine FIVE times since we last met) noted that the Frozen tale has been changed by Covid, too. Elsa, Anna and the people of Arendelle are all frozen in place in the story. 'What is happening to the characters, has happened to the audience,' he observed. Upstairs in the rehearsal room, director Michael Grandage and choreographer Rob Ashford preside over a run-through of new song, I Can't Lose You. Barks (pictured) says living alone in her flat early in the pandemic helped her to understand Elsa's isolation in her ice palace The musical - the biggest new show to open this year - will be the flagship production. Pictured: Stephanie McKeon, Obioma Ugoala, Samantha Barks and Oliver Ormson Written by Kristen Anderson Lopez and Robert Lopez, it's a duet for Barks and McKeon, sung when Anna finally reaches her estranged sister. It's just one of many ways in which the West End's Frozen will be different from the iterations of the show I saw in Denver four years ago, and on Broadway in early 2018. 'It's not a blueprint of what we did in America,' Grandage agreed. Designer Christopher Oram has built a sprawling staircase and a bridge, for Elsa's icy monument. 'There's a new ice palace, for God's sake!' he cried. 'And new icicles!!' The musical the biggest new show to open this year will be the flagship production; more awesome than its namesakes in Australia, Japan and the U.S. During the rehearsal, my eye kept being drawn to Craig Gallivan, who plays Olaf (Do You Want To Build A Snowman?), perhaps because he had a large snowman puppet strapped to his person. Gallivan and his wife have an 18-month-old son, Jasper, and Gallivan said when he nursed him to sleep 'it was a good way of conditioning the muscles in my back' for the physical demands of carrying Olaf. Lurking in the wings was Oliver Ormson, who plays dastardly Hans. 'He's a prince and a villain. I tick two boxes,' Ormson said, with the hint of a regal (yet wicked) smile. Eighteen months on, Barks and McKeon (both pictured during rehearsals) seem more sister-like, often finishing each other's sentences McKeon (pictured) , who sings the song in the show, said she is already wondering how she'll get through the first preview on August 27 without being overcome Obioma Ugoala was kitted out in a fur-lined gilet as Kristoff, the iceman who helps Anna search for Elsa. He was with Ashley Birchall and Mikayla, who share the role of Sven the reindeer. I was transfixed, watching them contort their limbs so they could climb inside the massive puppet creature designed by Michael Curry. (Sven was on the verge of being dropped because they couldn't figure out how to make him move, until Curry hit on the idea of a sort of Trojan reindeer). Grandage noticed me looking agog at the array of belts, wires and pulleys attached to the two actors. 'Aren't we all trying not to give up the child in us?' Grandage commented. Which is why, he added, Frozen is 'not for children only'. AFTER GODZILLA, REBECCA PROVES SHE'S... THE HALL OF HORRORS! As if a brush with Godzilla wasn't terrifying enough, actress Rebecca Hall threw herself into battling the paranormal which was even more scary. And by then she had a baby daughter and has told how she shook off 'the demons' from the horror movie, so she wouldn't take the 'terror' home with her. The acclaimed actress, who starred in Parade's End on TV with Benedict Cumberbatch, as well as recent blockbuster Godzilla vs. Kong, faces vivid psychological trauma in The Night House, directed by David Bruckner. As if a brush with Godzilla wasn't terrifying enough, actress Rebecca Hall (pictured) threw herself into battling the paranormal which was even more scary In The Night House, Beth's grief following her husband's death plunges her into a series of terrifying nightmares, where she imagines what might have led him to kill himself She plays Beth, a woman 'who loses her mind' after her husband commits suicide. Hall, 39, told me she liked the idea of 'one woman in a house, alone, wrestling with her demons'; particularly given Beth is 'in an alcoholic stupor at the time'. 'Instead of running away, screaming, she runs straight into it, which makes her utterly reckless and really terrifying to watch.' She described Beth, as 'heroic, witty, dark, strange and real'. But admirable as she found her, she did not want her toddler, now three, to be exposed to any aspect of this person. 'She was the fence against bringing any of the difficulties of shooting that movie home,' she recalled of the time she and her daughter spent on location in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York, an area overflowing with vineyards. 'You can't take what Beth was going through into your own house,' she said during a Zoom call from NY where she lives with husband Morgan Spector, who played FBI agent Dante Allen in Homeland. The couple met when they played lovers in the Broadway production of Sophie Treadwell's play Machinal in 2014. The acclaimed actress, who starred in Parade's End on TV with Benedict Cumberbatch, faces vivid psychological trauma in The Night House (pictured), directed by David Bruckner In The Night House, Beth's grief following her husband's death plunges her into a series of terrifying nightmares, where she imagines what might have led him to kill himself. 'If he's capable of killing himself, what was he not capable of doing?' Hall commented, after we agreed not to give anything away. It's not all scary stuff. The film is laced with dark humour, especially in scenes set at the school where Beth teaches. She and co-star Sarah Goldberg have some good moments, too. Hall doesn't watch many horror pictures, but she's made a few, including The Awakening and The Gift. 'It's a genre that appeals to me as an actor, because I think there's a streak in me that's always trying to push further into extreme danger.' She said she had no personal experience of the paranormal, though she recognised the 'enduring allure' it holds for many. The acclaimed actress has starred in Parade's End on TV with Benedict Cumberbatch, as well as recent blockbuster Godzilla vs. Kong (pictured) The Night House will premiere at next month's Edinburgh International Film Festival before opening in cinemas on August 20. Pictured: Rebecca Hall in March 2020 'There's something about going into a room full of strangers, and all screaming together in the dark. That can end up being cathartic, because we all have anxieties to purge.' Hall has been busy behind the camera, too. She directed a film called Passing, based on Nella Larsen's 1929 novella about a young black woman passing for white, starring Ruth Negga, Tessa Thompson and Andre Holland. The movie, bought by Netflix at Sundance, will feature at many of the autumn film festivals, and could be an awards contender. The Night House will premiere at next month's Edinburgh International Film Festival before opening in cinemas on August 20. CINDERS STILL A SLOW BURN Believe it or not, there are other big shows on in the West End right now and not just Cinderella, which has had the sort of bad luck evil stepsisters dream of. Take the breathtaking Anything Goes at the Barbican, with Sutton Foster making the kind of de-lovely debut in this rollicking delight that will be talked about for years. She's supported by Robert Lindsay and Felicity Kendal, giving masterclasses in effortless comic ingenuity. Joseph, at the London Palladium, is a delicious parable of fun an extravaganza for all the family. Believe it or not, there are other big shows on in the West End right now - and not just Cinderella (pictured), which has had the sort of bad luck evil stepsisters dream of Cinderella (scenes left and right) is on an enforced hiatus, thanks (partly) to the pingdemic, and its cast will receive little in the way of wages during the shutdown Cinderella (scene pictured) is a Marmite show: some love it, some hate it. Let's hope there are plenty of the former, so it can recoup its multimillion-pound costs And Hairspray, at the ENO, is another unmissable treat. At the time of writing, those shows were playing to packed houses. Cinderella, meanwhile, is on an enforced hiatus, thanks (partly) to the pingdemic, and its cast will receive little in the way of wages during the shutdown. They will resume work in under a fortnight for two weeks of rehearsals, before opening cold at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in front of theatre critics on August 18. Judging by what I've seen and heard, it's a Marmite show: some love it, some hate it. Let's hope there are plenty of the former, so it can recoup its multimillion-pound costs. Kristin Scott Thomas has begun casting her directorial debut film The Sea Change, based on Elizabeth Jane Howard's 1959 novel about an eminent playwright with a wandering eye, and his wife. The couple are haunted by the death, 14 years before, of their two-year-old daughter. But things change when, on holiday on a Greek island, a young woman enters their lives. The award-winning star has been wanting to direct the film for years. No word yet as to whether she'll appear in it, too. Shooting is set to start in 2022. WATCH OUT FOR Rachel Brosnahan, as a U.S. spook who helps turn a British businessman (Benedict Cumberbatch) into a Cold War secret agent in director Dominic Cooke's film The Courier, in cinemas from August 13. Brosnahan, who stars as The Marvelous Mrs Maisel on Amazon Prime, told me she'd been eager to work with Cumberbatch ('Is there anything that man can't do?) and to film in the UK. Rachel Brosnahan (pictured) stars as a U.S. spook who helps turn a British businessman (Benedict Cumberbatch) into a Cold War secret agent in Dominic Cooke's film The Courier Brosnahan, who stars as The Marvelous Mrs Maisel on Amazon Prime, said she'd been eager to work with Cumberbatch (both pictured) and to film in the UK Her mother is from Leeds but now resides in the States with Brosnahan's American father. As a child, she liked staying with her English cousins and watching our telly. 'A lot of Anne Robinson in The Weakest Link,' she said. Camille Griffin, whose film Silent Night, starring Keira Knightley, Roman Griffin Davis, Matthew Goode, Lily-Rose Depp, Annabelle Wallis, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Sope Dirisu, Holly Aird, Rufus Jones, Dora Davis and Davida McKenzie, will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. Camille Griffin's film Silent Night, starring Keira Knightley, Roman Griffin Davis and Lily-Rose Depp (all pictured), will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September In the story, friends and family gather to exchange presents on a festive occasion. But there's a dark 'surprise' in store. Pictured: Keira Knightley, Hardy Griffin Davis and Roman Griffin Davis Just one problem. In the story, friends and family gather in a country pile to exchange presents on a seemingly festive occasion. But there's a dark 'surprise' in store... which is the film's whole point. And alas, the good citizens of Toronto can't keep a secret. Deborah Lukumuena and Souheila Yacoub, who star in director Anais Volpe's tale of thespian heartbreak, The Braves, shown at the Cannes Film Festival. They play (with gusto) Parisian actors and friends who are trying out for a new play. I liked Lukumuena swatting away some man with, 'Get lost, I'm done with you!' Reminded me of a lady who chucked my belongings from a third-floor window when she was done with me (back in my youth). Deborah Lukumuena and Souheila Yacoub (both pictured) star in director Anais Volpe's tale of thespian heartbreak, The Braves, shown at the Cannes Film Festival Bagdad Cafe (Old Vic, London) Rating: Verdict: Warm and fluffy The Two Character Play (Hampstead Theatre, London) Rating: Verdict: Requires concentration Messianic theatre director Emma Rice is offering to heal the loneliness of lockdown with a bit of alternative therapy at the Old Vic: her own adaptation of the 1987 art house movie Bagdad Cafe best known for Bob Telson's haunting theme tune, Calling You. It's the story of a Bavarian woman, Jasmin, abandoned by her husband beside a freeway through the Mojave desert in the western U.S., who takes refuge in a roadside cafe. The diner-cum-gas-station is run by Brenda, a brassy Caribbean woman who has kicked her husband out for failing to buy a new coffee machine. Jasmin brings a suitcase full of lederhosen and a special kind of remedial magic to this woebegone spot. It's an oasis for oddballs who, with the exception of Brenda, quickly take to Jasmin and Brenda finally comes round, too, as the cafe turns into a sort of petting zoo for waifs and strays. It's the story of a Bavarian woman, Jasmin, abandoned by her husband beside a freeway through the Mojave desert in the western U.S., who takes refuge in a roadside cafe These include an ageing hippy who paints portraits (eventually nudes) of Jasmin; and an Australian yogi with short shorts and a boomerang. It is certainly a lovely, cuddly vision of humanity, set to Bach piano music played by Brenda's daughter and a beguiling rendition of Telson's hit tune. But it's a slow burn. The caravan gets tidied, Brenda's daughter has a Bavarian dance lesson. I checked my watch. The minute hand appeared to be stuck. About halfway through, though, I did start to feel the magic. Gareth Snook's painter, Rudi, is a charmer. And Brenda's feckless husband Sal (an actor known as Le Gateau Chocolat) has an extraordinary bass singing voice. It's very much a mood piece, though. Sandra Marvin's Brenda is stressed but big-hearted, while Patrycja Kujawska's Jasmin remains a fascinating enigma. Did it lift me out of my lingering lockdown blues? Not really. But like many alternative therapies, it felt pleasantly indulgent. The Two Character Play, by Tennessee Williams, is much darker medicine. It premiered at the Hampstead Theatre in 1967 and has been revived for their 60th anniversary celebrations. It's a specialist 'late Williams' work, nothing like his great 1940s and 1950s dramas such as A Streetcar Named Desire. There are, however, parallels with his early autobiographical drama The Glass Menagerie, touching on his relationship with his mentally ill sister, Rose. The work is about a couple of highly strung actors in a touring production of a play about an agoraphobic brother and sister in the American Deep South. The thespians have been abandoned by the rest of the cast. Their characters, meanwhile, are awaiting an insurance payout after their father's death (he shot their mother, then himself). Confused? You're not alone. At times it's hard to tell whether we're in the play . . . or the play within the play. Actors Zubin Varla and Kate O'Flynn go at this murky material with verve and commitment. Varla's character, Felice, is a writer like Williams desperate to protect his sister. O'Flynn's Clare is like a dysfunctional Dorothy who has managed to escape from The Wizard Of Oz. Sam Yates's impressively drilled production milks every drop of theatricality from Rosanna Vize's design, which presents a shabby wreck of a set with projections of nostalgic Super-8 video. There is also a terrific horror-film soundtrack from Dan Balfour, with some sweet snatches of song including Me And My Shadow. But it's niche viewing; and a great deal more 'interesting' than it is enjoyable. High spirits in this hymn to gin As a way of returning to life as we once knew it, Gin Craze! (), at the Royal & Derngate in Northampton, hits the spot as indeed does gin. It's a musical version (with lyrics by Lucy Rivers) of that Hogarth picture Gin Lane, showing the evils of gin: drunken mothers and penury. Mary (Aruhan Galieva) But April de Angelis's take is different: a 'Booze-Soaked Love Ballad From The Women Of Gin Lane'. Our heroines Lydia (Paksie Vernon) and Mary (Aruhan Galieva) set up as gin-sellers as a way of earning a living that doesn't involve prostitution. This brings them into conflict with the male Establishment: libidinous Henry Fielding (Alex Mugnaioni), the novelist and founder of the Bow Street Runners; and his blind brother John (Peter Pearson). Their opening number, Gin Lane Versus Beer Street, sums up the show. It's a clever idea to bring the anonymous women of Gin Lane to rumbustious life. Some of the show is based on history, plus a little-known Fielding novel, The Female Husband. Here, Lydia turns into John and sets up house with Mary, but the idyll doesn't last. The male authorities, and noisy Germanic Queen Caroline (Debbie Chazen), get the upper hand. But there's plenty of boozing, brawling and female solidarity en route to the gallows. Some numbers are catchy, but the plot can veer off drunkenly and the sense is sometimes lost. Still, hats off to a great cast (in a joint production with English Touring Theatre) for a lively celebration of a girl's best friend. MELANIE McDONAGH Chloe Ferry flashed plenty of underboob in a chocolate-hued top and skin-tight PVC pants at the Dreamboys show in London on Thursday - where she was joined by dumped Love Islander Sharon Gaffka. Geordie Shore's Chloe, 25, put on quite the display as she headed into the event, clearly eager for the night of male strippers that awaited her. Her top barely contained her bust and showed off her honed waist as she posed for snaps on the street outside. Gals: Chloe Ferry [L] flashed underboob in a chocolate-hued top at the Dreamboys show in London on Thursday - where she was joined by dumped Love Islander Sharon Gaffka [R] Her very tight trousers showed off her pert behind as she twirled around and showed off all angles. Chloe finished off the look with white killer heels and wore her chestnut locks loosely around her shoulders. She wore her typical wash of cosmetics - lashings of bronzer and a slick nude sheen to her pout. Sharon - who was recently axed from Love Island's current series - went for an all-white look. Commanding attention: Geordie Shore's Chloe, 25, put on quite the display as she headed into the event, clearly eager for the night of male strippers that awaited her Girls' night out indeed: Her top barely contained her bust and showed off her honed waist as she posed for snaps on the street outside Tight! She twirled around and showed off all angles A laugh a minute: Chloe finished off the look with white killer heels and wore her chestnut locks loosely around her shoulders. She wore her typical wash of cosmetics - lashings of bronzer and a slick nude sheen to her pout Peachy keen: Her very tight trousers showed off her pert behind Pose: Sharon - who was recently axed from Love Island's current series - went for an all-white look She wore an intricately designed top, which showed off her waist, and a matching skirt. She completed this look with killer cream heels. Sharon was still showing off her tan from her time in Spain, having been booted off after failing to find love. She wore her hazel locks loose and displayed a bronzed wash of make-up. Chic: She wore an intricately designed top, which showed off her waist, and a matching skirt She's smiling now: Sharon was still showing off her tan from her time in Spain, having been booted off after failing to find love Say cheese! She wore her hazel locks loose and displayed a bronzed wash of make-up More glam: Bianca Gascoigne was also in attendance Bianca Gascoigne was also in attendance. She wore a white off-shoulder dress with a leg split. Another former Love Islander turned up, in the form of Anna Vakili. She wore a nude mini-dress featuring a wraparound neck, teasing her waist and long pins. Once inside the venue, the girls were sure to sit together inside and enjoy the eye candy on stage. Busty: She wore a white off-shoulder dress with a leg split Oh, hi! Another former Love Islander turned up, in the form of Anna Vakili Baggy: Bethan Kershaw wore an oversized pinstripe shirt Cheers! The girls were sure to sit together inside and enjoy the eye candy on stage Busty: Chloe struggled to contain her surgically-enhanced cleavage as she left the venue Inking: Chloe showed off her rib tattoo in the racy crossover top The Dreamboys features another ex-Love Islander: Michael Griffiths. The former firefighter appeared on the show two years ago and has now turned his hand to strip-tease. The show was for the first for the male troupe for two years, having had to rest the act amid the COVID-19 crisis. No Body Recovered Rating: Yorkshire Firefighters Rating: Some of us love it and others can't wait for it to end. But most people over the past chaotic 18 months have figured out ways of working from home. The emergency services can't do that. It's worst of all for firefighters, obviously if they're working from home, it probably means their kitchen is ablaze. While a grateful nation stood on its doorsteps last year to applaud the nurses, paramedics and other NHS stalwarts who have kept us going through the pandemic, we've tended to ignore how tough it must have been on the ordinary men and women of the police and fire services. Crime and catastrophe don't stop just because of a virus. As lockdown loomed at the start of last year, Carmarthen detectives had a more immediate problem with a murder suspect in custody and no corpse. Dyfed-Powys Police undertake a painstaking search of killer Andrew Jones property in No Body Discovered (ITV) No Body Discovered (ITV) was a methodical account of the CID probe after builder Michael O'Leary disappeared, leaving a three-word text for his family: 'I'm so sorry.' His wife and sons were certain from the outset that Michael had not taken his own life. The details didn't fit. For a start, he invariably sent messages in Welsh, not English. Detectives, led by Chief Inspector Paul Jones, quickly had a pretty good idea what had happened. As always on these documentaries, filmed as the case unfolds, they guarded their words I suspect those on camera get media training before filming starts, because no one shows off or makes melodramatic statements. There was only one suspect and he was soon in custody: a rugby club pal of the missing man. Andrew Jones was also a builder. His wife, Rhiannon, had been having an affair with Michael . . . and was now in hospital, suffering from headaches and memory problems. Sophie, watch commander at Killingbeck Station in Leeds standing in front of a fire engine Boldly goers of the week: Was a hint of transatlantic romance in the air, as Eamonn Holmes met Star Trek's original Captain Kirk, William Shatner, via Zoom on This Morning (ITV)? 'You're beautiful,' the actor told blushing Eamonn, 'with your little, round Irish face.' That's illogical, Captain. Advertisement We never learned what caused Rhiannon's collapse, which left the story feeling frustratingly incomplete. Nor was Michael's body ever found. But detectives did piece together what had happened from the tiniest scraps of evidence a button with blood on it at a deserted farm, two bullet shells, a smear of blood on a fork-lift truck, a lump of human flesh in a fire pit. Jones, who had lured his victim to his death and dismembered the body before destroying it, was a cold-blooded killer. But he wasn't a clever one. He forgot that his own CCTV cameras would record him at his builder's yard, building a cremation fire in the small hours. And when a thoughtful officer asked if he wanted anything to read in his cell, Jones replied: 'As long as it's not a Midsomer Murders novel.' The crews on Yorkshire Firefighters (BBC2) faced nothing so lurid, though there was drama on an even bigger scale. A blaze on waste ground in Bradford set tens of thousands of old tyres burning, in a conflagration that took 20 million litres of water to douse. Around the station and in the fire engines, the camera work tended to be jerky, with shifts of focus that made tiresome viewing. But the images from the monstrous fire, which burned for days last November, were spectacular and filmic. With the orange glow and the blue lights against the smoke, the scene was like a sci-fi movie with figures in breathing apparatus emerging from the Technicolor smog. Director Ben Sheldon caught the camaraderie within the team. Firefighter Sarah, who was getting her head shaved for charity, said: 'I wouldn't trust them with my phone, I wouldn't trust them with the combination to my locker but I'd trust them with my life, basically.' So do we all. Australian billionaire James Packer was spotted relaxing on his $200million superyacht IJE in St Tropez this week. The 53-year-old casino mogul was joined by his long-time best friend and right hand man, Ben Tilley. There were also a few glamorous pals seen enjoying the sunshine on-board. Good life: Australian billionaire James Packer has been spotted relaxing on his $200million superyacht IJE in St Tropez Packer kept things in casual in a navy blue T-shirt, trousers and a pair of sunglasses. He seemed to be in good spirits as he chatted to his friends and guests aboard the luxury vessel. His long-term girlfriend Kylie Lim was nowhere to be seen during the celebrations. The last time she and Packer were photographed together was more than a year ago in May 2020 holidaying on the Isle of Capri. Friends: The 53-year-old was joined by several glamorous guests and his long-time best friend and right hand man, Ben Tilley Fun times: Packer's guests spoke to some staff members on the yacht before boarding James divorced ex-wife Erica in 2013 after six years of marriage. The former couple have remained amicable since the split, and are often pictured holidaying together with their three children. Packer began dating Kylie in early 2018 following his high-profile romance with Mariah Carey. Guests: A male in patterned shorts and a female in a revealing swimsuit are pictured Relaxing: Two guests soaked up the sun on the deck of the superyacht The casino magnate has a stake in Crown - and the company recently opened its new $2.4billion venue in Sydney in a soft launch. The luxury six-star hotel Crown Towers and a series of fine dining restaurants are open to the public at the Crown Sydney complex in Barangaroo. Among the lavish eateries include a Japanese restaurant owned by renowned chef Nobu Matsuhisa, a Chinese-style tea house, and a high-end cocktail bar. A 2,000sqm spa connected to the hotel is also available for bookings - complete with relaxation rooms, vitality pools and infrared saunas. Transportation: A smaller boat was used to bring guests to and from the yacht Amber Heard is currently filming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, returning as Mera from the 2018 blockbuster Aquaman, though a rather vocal fan base would rather she not returned. The 35-year-old actress has been embroiled in legal drama with her ex-husband Johnny Depp for the past few years, which has lead some fans to call for her removal from the film. While Depp was ultimately removed from his Fantastic Beasts movies, producer Peter Safran recently told Deadline they had never considered removing Amber. Amber returns: Amber Heard is currently filming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, returning as Mera from the 2018 blockbuster Aquaman, though a rather vocal fan base would rather she not returned Producer Peter: While Depp was ultimately removed from his Fantastic Beasts movies, producer Peter Safran recently told Deadline they had never considered removing Amber 'I dont think were ever going to react to, honestly, pure fan pressure. You gotta do whats best for the movie,' Safran said. 'We felt that if its James Wan, and Jason Momoa, it should be Amber Heard. Thats really what it was,' Safran continued. He added that the producers were, 'not unaware of what is going on in the Twitter-verse, but that doesnt mean you have to react to it or take it as gospel or accede to their wishes.' No fan pressure: 'I dont think were ever going to react to, honestly, pure fan pressure. You gotta do whats best for the movie,' Safran said 'You have to do whats right for the film, and thats really where we landed on it,' Safran stated. Fans started calling for Heard's dismissal after her ex-husband Depp filed a libel lawsuit against the UK tabloid The Sun for branding him a 'wife beater.' Depp ended up losing that lawsuit, with the court ruling in favor of The Sun, which lead to the actor stepping away from his role as Gellert Grindelwald in the Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts 3, with Mads Mikkelsen replacing him. Dismissal: Fans started calling for Heard's dismissal after her ex-husband Depp filed a libel lawsuit against the UK tabloid The Sun for branding him a 'wife beater' Heard herself addressed the campaigns to get her removed from the film in November, stating they had, 'no basis in reality.' 'Paid rumors and paid campaigns on social media dont dictate [casting decisions] because they have no basis in reality. Only the fans actually made Aquaman and Aquaman 2 happen. Im excited to get started next year,' she said. Production started on Aquaman 2 started in late June in London, with Warner Bros. setting a December 16, 2022 release date. No reality: Heard herself addressed the campaigns to get her removed from the film in November, stating they had, 'no basis in reality' Heard also starred as Mera in Zack Snyder's Justice League, which debuted on HBO Max in March. She also starred as Nadine Cross on The Stand TV series adaptation, which was released in late 2020. The actress will next be seen in Run Away With Me, following, an American in Paris who falls for a model and the two become intertwined in the criminal underworld of the European modeling industry. Advertisement Are George and Amal Clooney expecting another baby? The actor, 60, and human rights lawyer, 43, welcomed twins Ella and Alexander four years ago after getting married during a lavish Venice ceremony in 2014. Insiders claim the happy couple have already told their close friends when they threw a small dinner party near their Italian villa on July 4th. The couple were spotted out with pals on July 20, where Amal sported a form-fitting white dress. A source told OK! US: 'Amal's said to be past her first trimester. She's already starting to show, so soon enough, everyone will know.' Family: Are George and Amal Clooney expecting another baby? (the couple are pictured on July 20 in Lake Como, Italy) Representatives for George and Amal have been contacted by MailOnline. It was reported last month that George had whizzed his wife and their children to Lake Como ahead of the twins' fourth birthday. A source told E! News at the time that the family 'haven't been there in two years' but they'll be spending the summer at their family home, Villa Oleandra. They added: 'They brought along their giant St. Bernard puppy, Rosie. They will be spending as much of the summer as they can in Lake Como.' Stepping out: The couple are pictured on July 20 in Lake Como, Italy Stepping out: Amal is pictured with the couple's kids in 2018 A helping hand: During their outing, Amal was assisted on to waiting boat by George In March, George spoke about how life changed when he became a father. He said: ''I don't think anyone is ever going to say at the end of the day 'God, I wish we'd done two more interesting films' rather than 'God, I'm really glad I spent this time with my kids or I did this with my kids.' In December, he gave a rare into fatherhood as he spoke to AARP The Magazine about naming their twins and being a famous parent. He said: 'I didn't want, like, weird-a*s names for our kids. They're already going to have enough trouble. It's hard being the son of somebody famous and successful... 'It's hard being the son of somebody famous and successful. Paul Newman's son killed himself. Gregory Peck's son killed himself.... Lifestyle changes: In March, George spoke about how life changed when he became a father Chatting away: She looked sensational in a white dress with ruching at the waist Happy couple: The actor, 60, and human rights lawyer, 43, welcomed twins Ella and Alexander four years ago after getting married during a lavish Venice ceremony in 2014 (pictured on July 4) Out and about: She looked impossibly glamorous for the trip 'Bing Crosby had two sons kill themselves. I have an advantage because I'm so much older that by the time my son would feel competitive, I'll literally be gumming bread.' He later spoke to CBS This Morning about how Amal and the kids changed his life. George said: 'There is no question that having Amal in my life changed everything for me. It was the first time that everything that she did and everything about her was infinitely more important than anything about me... We never talked about having kids, and one day we said, 'What do you think?' And then we go to the doctor and you do the ultrasound and they're like, 'You got a baby boy!' and I was like, 'Baby boy, fantastic!'... Blooming: Amal is pictured in Paris while pregnant with her twins in February 2017 Radiant: She emerged arm in arm with her husband while looking chic in the white look Glam: She looked stunning as she emerged with her husband Elegant: She paired the ensemble with gold heels and a clutch bag 'And they go, 'And you got another one there.' I was up for one. Again, I'm old. All of a sudden, it's two. It's hard to get me to not talk, and I just stood there for, like, 10 minutes just staring at this piece of paper going, 'What? Two?' He was later asked about why he 'waited so long' to become a father. George said: 'I found the right person to have them with, he said. There are some people, their goal was: I have to have children. Mine wasnt... 'I wasnt looking at life, going: My life will be unfulfilled without children. I felt like I had a pretty full life. Then I met Amal and realised that my life had been pretty empty. 'And then we throw these two kids in there and suddenly you realise how incredibly empty it was and, you know, it fills it all up. It makes it fun.' He went on: '[Fatherhood] gives a sense of belonging, and a sense of home and the unconditional love, all the things that you were hoping you could get from a really good career and a dog. You realise that this is a lot more than that'. Chatting away: She was engaging in animated chats with the fellow holidaymakers Sharon Stone claimed she was threatened with the loss of a job over demanding a vaccinated set, and that she lost her health coverage during the pandemic over an unpaid $13 bill. The 63-year-old Oscar nominee revealed that and more Thursday while announcing her candidacy for SAG-AFTRA's National Board and National Delegate on the Membership First slate. 'Things have not been going well for [actors]. I don't think you need me to tell you that,' Sharon said in her Membership First video. Outraged: Sharon Stone claimed she was threatened with the loss of a job over demanding a vaccinated set, and that she lost her health coverage during the pandemic over an unpaid $13 bill 'I want a seat at the negotiating table': The 63-year-old Oscar nominee revealed that and more Thursday while announcing her candidacy for SAG-AFTRA's National Board and National Delegate on the Membership First slate 'I mean, I lost my vested insurance after 43 years in the business because of Covid. I was $13 short and, you know, I don't really think that that is reasonable for any of us when we go through a global pandemic, to lose decades worth of our insurance or to lose all of the things that we need when we're trying to put food on the table, we're trying to keep our homes, and we're trying to feed our kids, families.' Stone was recently offered a 'good job' that she really wants to do in Atlanta, but the Producers Guild of America won't guarantee that everyone on set is vaccinated. 'Will I go to work before everyone on my show is vaccinated? No. No, I won't. Am I being threatened that I will lose my job? Yes. Yes I am,' The Beauty of Living Twice author confirmed. 'Will I lose my job if everyone is not vaccinated on my show? Yes. Yes I could. Will I stand up for all of us so that every set that we go on is vaccinated? Yes. Yes, I will. Why? Because that's ridiculous - that we should have to go to work where we are not safe to work. I am standing up for all of us when I say that the Screen Actors Guild that I will be working for with Membership First will be safe for us to go to work.' Sharon said in her Membership First video: 'I lost my vested insurance after 43 years in the business because of Covid. I was $13 short and, you know, I don't really think that that is reasonable for any of us' 'Am I being threatened that I will lose my job? Yes': Stone was recently offered a 'good job' that she really wants to do in Atlanta, but the Producers Guild of America won't guarantee that everyone on set is vaccinated The Beauty of Living Twice author said: 'We should have to go to work where we are not safe to work...I'm not going to work until all of our sets are vaccinated. And you shouldn't either. Why? Because I am running for us' Sharon continued: 'I'm not going to work until all of our sets are vaccinated. And you shouldn't either. Why? Because I am running for us. Why? Because we are you. I'm so sorry that this is our working conditions, but this is the Screen Actors Guild that we have today. Thank you.' In her voters guide bio, Stone said she was qualified because she's 'been the victim of sexual harassment and discrimination' and 'suffered an extreme health emergency.' 'I know how critical it is to have our promised healthcare when that unforeseen moment comes,' wrote the Never Before songwriter, who suffered a cerebral hemorrhage stroke in 2001. Voters guide bio: Sharon said she was qualified because she's 'been the victim of sexual harassment and discrimination' and 'suffered an extreme health emergency' Stone wrote: 'I know how critical it is to have our promised healthcare when that unforeseen moment comes' 'Compassion and hard work are my commitment to you': The Ratched actress is running with Membership First's Matthew Modine and Joely Fisher because 'they're great people' and 'they have your best interests at heart' 'It was an honor to be presented with a Nobel Peace Summit Award for work with the HIV/AIDS crisis. Compassion and hard work are my commitment to you.' Sharon also indicated she'd fight for people with contracts trying to take actors' likenesses and images 'in perpetuity.' 'We need someone who shows up for us and someone who negotiates for us in streaming services, in film and in television and computer, as it exists today, not in the way that we were told, oh, it was just a passing, fancy,' Stone said. 'It is not, and it is our lifestyle. And we are struggling with this new lifestyle and we are struggling.' SHARON STONE'S SPEECH Hi, I'm Sharon Stone and I am running as a Membership First National Delegate and National Board Member because I want a seat at the table at the next negotiations. I am running with Matthew Modine and Joely Fisher because, well, I love them. And I know that they're great people and that they have your best interests at heart. And when I say you, I mean us as actors, you know, things have not been going well for us. I don't think you need me to tell you that. I mean, I lost my vested insurance after 43 years in the business because of Covid. I was $13 short and, you know, I don't really think that that is reasonable for any of us when we go through a global pandemic, to lose decades worth of our insurance or to lose all of the things that we need when we're trying to put food on the table, we're trying to keep our homes, and we're trying to feed our kids, families. This is a very, very, very tough time. And we have all been through so much. Film and television family is struggling and we need representation that says that we understand one another, that we understand that we are all all going through a devastating time and that we need better representation. We don't need to get our contracts the day we arrive at work and we don't need to have people trying to take our likeness and image for "in perpetuity," whatever the heck that means. We need someone who shows up for us and someone who negotiates for us in streaming services, in film and in television and computer, as it exists today, not in the way that we were told, oh, it was just a passing, fancy. It is not, and it is our lifestyle. And we are struggling with this new lifestyle and we are struggling. And we need people who are going to stand up for us. And Matthew and Jolie will stand up for us. I've known both of them forever and they stand up for me just as a person. And I am really grateful to be running with them. And I will be sitting at that table and I will be fighting for you because we need people to fight for us. Who's been fighting for you lately? I know, nobody. Nobody has been fighting for me lately. And I know that it's time for someone to stand up for you. And I want to be one of those people that stands up with Matthew and Jolie and says, we need, we need it. We need care. We need compassion. We need empathy. And we need someone who looks out for us during these times. That someone is going to be us, that someone is going to be Membership First, that someone is going to be those of us who've actually been through hard times. Those of us who actually have won and lost, and lost it all, and know what its like to try to crawl back to work. And we'll win for you because it is darn hard to win and it is darn hard to lose and it is hell when you go through these difficult times. Where is our Guild? Where are the people that are supposed to be looking out for us? Well, here. We are Membership First and we are here to look out for you. And when I have a seat at that table, you can believe that I'm going to look out for you. Just like I stood up for AIDS, just like I stood up for Covid. I will stand up for you at the Screen Actors Guild, and I will stand up with Matthew Modine. I will stand up with Joely Fisher and we at Membership First are going to stand up for you and we're going to stand up loud and proud. So please go to http://www.membershipfirst.com. And if you have a little money. You know, that's always really helpful, and you have helped us so much with many things in the past. Please help with Membership First because we're here to take care of you. Why? Because we are you. Advertisement The Ratched actress is running with Membership First's Matthew Modine and Joely Fisher because 'they're great people' and 'they have your best interests at heart.' Sharon currently showcases her painting skills in the semi-animated stand-up comedy special Tig Notaro: Drawn, which premiered last Saturday on HBO Max. Stone picked up at age 15 while studying on a creative writing scholarship at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. When they're not renovating houses, Mitch Edwards and Mark McKie are campaigning to get people vaccinated against COVID. The Block's beloved 'gay grandads' revealed they'd just received their second shots of the Pfizer vaccine and urged others to do the same. In a post on their joint Instagram page on Thursday, Mitch, 58, and Mark, 59, shared a shirtless photo of themselves with tell-tale Band-Aids on their arms. Jabbed: When they're not renovating houses, Mitch Edwards and Mark McKie are campaigning to get people vaccinated against COVID. Both pictured 'We armed ourselves for Our grandkids, our kids, our friends and community, our vision of a shared freedom, and, WE GOT IT FOR EACH OTHER!!!' they wrote. They added: 'Australia, let's get vaccinated please!' Mitch and Mark first appeared on The Block back in 2019, renovating The Oslo, and will return for this year's season, Fans v Faves, which premieres on August 8. Protected: The Block's beloved 'gay grandads' revealed they'd just received their second shots of the Pfizer vaccine and urged others to do the same 'Last time we got so caught up with the build and doing well that we didn't allow ourselves the time to have as much fun as we could have,' said Mitch in a statement to Channel Nine. Added Mark: 'I think to come out of The Oslo and achieve what we did made us realise we can do anything.' The couple - who has been together for 16 years - hinted at their return to The Block during an exclusive interview with Daily Mail Australia in November. Smart: 'We armed ourselves for Our grandkids, our kids, our friends and community, our vision of a shared freedom, and, WE GOT IT FOR EACH OTHER!!!' they wrote on Instagram Despite previously claiming they'd never appear on the show again, they admitted they'd changed their minds after briefly appearing on last year's series. 'If you asked us this right at the end of the Oslo, our answer would have been NObut now a big YES,' they said at the time. They added: 'If we were asked, we'd do it again in a heartbeat. It's full-on, but such a unique experience.' They first went public with their relationship in January and since then things have been going from strength to strength. And proving she completely trusts her rocker boyfriend, Kourtney Kardashian teased on Thursday that she gave Travis Barker the green light to cut her hair for her. The reality star, 42, shared a huge chunk of her hair that had been chopped off and tagged her boyfriend in her post shared to her Instagram story, penning: 'Haircuts by @travisbarker.' Brave: Kourtney Kardashian teased fans on Instagram on Thursday and suggested that boyfriend Travis Barker has cut her hair for her (pictured with Travis in Las Vegas) Suggesting she handed over the scissors to the Blink 182 drummer, Kourtney kept fans guessing over her new look as she didn't share a photo of the finished result online. However, it seems like she didn't hold back and asked Travis to give her chop as the chunk of hair on the floor that had been cut was the length of her long ponytail. Since getting together with Travis, Kourtney has been experimenting with her look and not only switched up her eye colour from brown to green with contacts, but has also been seen posing on social media with silver caps on her teeth. Her recent posts have also seen Kourtney add an edge to her wardrobe, with her latest outfits seeing the star channel her inner rock chic in a sexy lace-up all-in-one. Bold move: The reality star shared a snap of a huge chunk of her chopped off locks on the floor and tagged her rocker beau, as she captioned it: 'Haircuts by @travisbarker' On a recent trip to Las Vegas, Kourtney and Travis looked so in sync as she rocked a corset and leather trousers, while he teamed a leather biker jacket, with a beanie hat and checked trousers. It was reported that during their trip to Sin City, Travis popped the question to Kourtney, asking the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star to marry him. Sources claimed at the time: 'I think Travis has been planning the proposal for ages. 'They want to start their own family together - that is the bigger thing for them because they both have kids, but they want to bring the two families together.' Switching up her look: Kourtney didn't show off the finished look, but has been experimenting with her appearance since dating Travis and was recently pictured with green eyes (above) Edgy: She also previously posed with silver caps on her teeth to channel her inner rock chick He allegedly got down on one knee while the couple were in Vegas to watch a UFC fight, with the insider adding: 'Kourt's never been married, and for years, told [her ex] Scott [Disick] she wasn't interested because of her parents' divorce. 'She actually turned down Scott a few times - but things with Travis are different. They've talked a lot about marriage and the future.' Neither Kourtney or Travis have publicly confirmed the engagement rumours. Kourtney was previously in a nine-year relationship with ex Scott, who she shares three kids with; sons Mason, 11, and Reign, six, and daughter Penelope, nine. Sexy: Her outfits have got a little edgier too with Kourtney favouring lace-up leather Wedding bells? Reports claim Travis popped the question to Kourtney during their trip to Las Vegas earlier this month, but neither have confirmed the engagement rumours Travis, meanwhile, has been married twice before - he first wed ex Melissa Kennedy in 2001, who he split from a year later, and he was married to second wife Shanna Moakler for four years between 2004 and 2008. The musician is dad to two kids, son Landon, 17, and daughter Alabama, 15. Prior to dating, he and Kourtney were good friends. Both live in Calabasas and their families have known each other for a long time. Since getting together, it's been claimed that Kourtney - whose name Travis has tattooed onto his body - are 'very much in love'. An insider told Us Weekly magazine: 'They're very much in love and are deeply connected as a couple. Their bond is unbreakable at this point.' Her mother is one of the world's most celebrated models. And Lila Moss rocked a Mickey Mouse top for a photoshoot on Friday which was reminiscent of her mother Kate's famous 2018 snap by Rankin. In an exclusive image obtained by MailOnline, the 18-year-old bore a striking resemblance to her mum as she posed in a portrait with best friend Ella Richards as part of Misan Harrimans photography series, championing the power of friendship. EXCLUSIVE: Lila Moss, 18, bore a striking resemblance to her mother Kate as she sported a Mickey Mouse top for a photoshoot with pal Ella Richards to celebrate International Friendship Day Lila sported a simple tee with Mickey printed on the front which she teamed with denim jeans. Her pal Ella, who is the granddaughter of Keith Richards, wrapped her arm around Lila as she donned a white tee and jeans. The blonde beauties styled their tresses in effortless waves and opted for minimal make-up. The photography series in collaboration with Disney, is raising awareness for MediCinema which creates cinemas in NHS hospitals to improve patient's wellbeing. She got it from her mama: The exclusive image obtained by MailOnline was reminiscent of Kate's famous 2018 snap by Rankin Good cause: The new Disney photography series by Misan Harriman is raising awareness for MediCinema which creates cinemas in NHS hospitals to improve patient's wellbeing (pictured Rochelle Humes) Misan captured real-life tales of friendship from around the world as part of the eagerly-awaited Mickey & Friends: The Power of Friendship campaign. She included a variety of celebrity friendships which stars such as Laura Whitmore, Reggie and Cobbie Yates, Rochelle Humes, Nicola Adams, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Clara Amfo, Olly Murs and more. The series included the iconic duo, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who are also patrons of the Disney charity MediCinema. Misan Harriman said of the campaign: 'It has been truly empowering to capture so many incredible tales of friendship from across the globe, both in real life and virtually. Bond: Misan captured real-life tales of friendship from around the world as part of the eagerly-awaited Mickey & Friends: The Power of Friendship campaign (pictured Clara Amfo left) Star-studded: She included a variety of celebrity friendships which stars such as Laura Whitmore (pictured), Reggie and Cobbie Yates, Nicola Adams, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and more 'I hope that seeing the images released today fill people with as much hope as I had in taking them, and the joy of discovering what has brought each of the individuals together. I am proud to have worked with Disney to capture so many moving stories that really demonstrate the true power of friendship.' For the shoot, Lila followed in the footsteps of her mother Kate who rocked a similar Mickey T-shirt in a 2018 photo celebrating 90 years of Mickey Mouse. The supermodel looked nothing short of sensational in the asymmetric tee as she gave a smouldering look towards the camera. Bond: The series included the iconic duo, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who are also patrons of the Disney charity MediCinema The famous mother daughter duo have a close bond but are believed to be staying in different countries at the moment. While the famous daughter recently returned to London from Rome, Kate has been enjoying the sights that Ibiza has to offer. And she made sure to make time for some relaxation on Thursday as she enjoyed a laid-back lunch with pals at Casa Jondal on the sun-soaked island. The supermodel kept things casual for the meal and nailed boho chic in a semi-sheer and flowing red beach coverup as she departed the meal arm-in-arm with a friend, who she chatted with fondly while flashing her seldom-seen smile. Friendship and family: Lila and Kate have a close bond and frequently attend events together, but they are believed to be staying in different countries at the moment Sharon Gaffka has revealed that Love Island bosses had to feed the girls through a secret hatch because the boys were eating so much food. Sharon, 25, was dumped from the villa last week and told The Sun's 'About Last Night' web series that producers had to find creative ways to make sure the girls had enough food for themselves. Referring to the 'secret hatch', Sharon explained: 'It is a cat flap but there's a magical box on the other side of it, rather than a cat. No going hungry: Love Island's Sharon Gaffka revealed that the girls had to be fed through a secret hatch because the boys were 'inhaling snacks like hoovers' 'The girls loved the cat flap so much because that's also where we got our makeup dropped.' The civil servant admitted that she complained all the time that the boys were 'inhaling snacks like hoovers' - so the producers used the hatch to put all the 'cookie sin' for the girls. Sharon previously feared that Liberty could be set for heartbreak as she wondered whether Jake's head would be turned in Casa Amor. Foodies: Sharon, 25, was dumped from the villa last week and told The Sun's 'About Last Night' web series that producers had to find creative ways to make sure the girls had enough food for themselves Greedy! The civil servant admitted that she complained all the time that the boys were 'inhaling snacks like hoovers' Questioning loyalty: Sharon previously feared that Liberty could be set for heartbreak as she wondered whether Jake's head would be turned in Casa Amor Last weekend, she said: 'I think Lib is going to stay loyal, but Jakes head could be turned. I could be proved wrong and I want to be proved wrong.' Jake has remained loyal to Liberty, who he made his girlfriend before the boys left for Casa Amor. But fans are having to wait until Friday night's episode to find out the rest of the results of the recoupling. Here we go! Fans are having to wait until Friday night's episode to find out the rest of the results of the recoupling (Chloe and Dale pictured above) Moving mad: During Thursday night's drama, viewers saw Chloe recouple with Dale, while her previous match Hugo paired up with Amy (Hugo and Amy pictured above) During Thursday night's drama, viewers saw Chloe recouple with Dale, while her previous match Hugo paired up with Amy. Elsewhere, although Abi wanted to stick with Toby when he returned from Casa Amor, he decided to recouple and enter the villa with Mary. Avid Love Island fans were not happy when they realised the rest of the recoupling would be revealed on Friday. Many took to Twitter to Twitter to express their annoyance. 'Don't know how I feel about that #LoveIsland ending!!! I thought we were seeing ALL the recoupling tonight!! I actually feel betrayed!' one fan wrote. Another penned: 'i am so annoyed they only did half the islanders for the recoupling and now i have to wait until tomorrow to find out the rest'. Love Island continues tonight at 9pm on ITV2 and ITV Hub. Not impressed: Avid Love Island fans were not happy when they realised the rest of the recoupling would be revealed on Friday Unhappy: Many took to Twitter to Twitter to express their annoyance Love Island 2021 - Meet the contestants Which Love Island couples are still together? Where are the Love Island winners now - and what are they worth? Abbie Chatfield has lashed out at 'weird' anti-vaxxers who claimed she was seriously unwell after having the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine on Thursday. In a series of Instagram Stories shared on Friday night, Abbie, 26, who had earlier said she had experienced completely normal side-effects such as tiredness and a mild headache, slammed those claimed those her condition was serious. 'Anti-vaxxers in my DMs [direct messages] are literally tagging me in stories, saying stuff like, 'I love watching Abbie Chatfield slowly die or decline over the last 25 [hours]',' the former Bachelor contestant said in one clip. Feeling fine: Abbie Chatfield (pictured) has lashed out at 'weird' anti-vaxxers who claimed she was seriously unwell after having the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine on Thursday 'First of all, that's twisted. Second of all babe, I had a slight headache. I had a wee headache. And I took a nap for three hours. I'm not dying. I'm f**king fine babe.' 'Get a grip. Get vaccinated,' she went on, 'Or enjoy having to be in lockdown for the rest of our lives.' Abbie than went on to say she had had 'about 400 hangovers that were worse than I feel today.' Normal: In a series of Instagram Stories shared on Friday night, Abbie, 26, who had earlier said she had experienced completely normal side-effects such as tiredness and a mild headache, slammed those claimed those her condition was serious and she was 'dying' Fine! 'First of all, that's twisted. Second of all babe, I had a slight headache. I had a wee headache. And I took a nap for three hours. I'm not dying. I'm f**king fine babe' Abbie said Just over a day after getting her jab, she rated her vaccine experience as a'ten out of ten' and recommended it to others. The reality star concluded: 'If you're thinking about getting AstraZeneca and you're worried about feeling bad afterwards, this is nothing compared to even a slight hangover. It's not a big deal.' Abbie had received her first AstraZeneca vaccine on Thursday. In a series of videos uploaded to Instagram Stories chronicling her vaccination journey, the podcaster joked she looked 'hotter' after receiving the jab. Looking good: Abbie had received her first AstraZeneca vaccine on Thursday. In a series of videos uploaded to Instagram Stories chronicling her vaccination journey, the podcaster joked she looked 'hotter' after receiving the jab 'Got the vaccine. I look, like, I actually look hotter. Like, I actually look hotter...' she began in a video, filmed in her car after leaving the vaccination clinic. She took a swipe at anti-vaxxers by adding: 'I will keep you updated on how I feel afterwards and also how the 5G is in my house and in my phone, which I'm excited about. 'I'll let you know if I feel closer to Bill Gates. I'll let you know if the government controls my mind. We'll see how it goes.' She took a swipe at anti-vaxxers by adding: 'I will keep you updated on how I feel afterwards and also how the 5G is in my house and in my phone, which I'm excited about' In a separate video, Abbie explained her decision to get the AstraZeneca vaccine rather than Pfizer, which is the preferred vaccine for people under 60. The Pfizer vaccine is in short supply in Australia, with the government now advising younger people to reconsider their options. 'Pfizer wasn't going to happen for me before probably the end of the year. That was kind of the estimation I was getting, and I just wanted to get vaxxed for my own protection and also to help the community. I just wanted to be vaccinated,' she said. 'It's also that I live obviously in Sydney, and if I get COVID, I could die. I mean, a 38-year-old woman died from COVID without any pre-existing conditions, so I just wanted to make sure that I was safe, and I feel good about it.' Advertisement Simon Cowell and Lauren Silverman enjoyed an idyllic day on a yacht in Barbados on Friday - two days after it emerged the music mogul had 'axed' The X Factor after 17 years. The businessman, 61, and New Yorker Lauren, 44, looked to be having the time of their lives as they splashed about in the ocean and soaked up the sun on the luxury vessel. On Wednesday evening, it was reported that Simon had pulled the plug on the ITV talent show - which launched in 2004 and last aired in 2018 - because he doesn't want the programme to 'become a bit of a joke.' Sun-soaked: Simon Cowell and Lauren Silverman enjoyed an idyllic day on a yacht in Barbados on Friday - two days after it emerged the music mogul had 'axed' The X Factor after 17 years Relax: The businessman, 61, and New Yorker Lauren, 44, looked to be having the time of their lives as they splashed about in the ocean and soaked up the sun on the luxury vessel But Simon was in full holiday mode for his day out as he hit the waters with a snorkel in place while his stunning partner put on a show-stopping display in a multicoloured swimsuit and chic red hairband. Lauren's form-fitting swimwear featured a strapless design and showed off her youthful figure. She swept her raven tresses back with the headband and shielded her eyes from the Caribbean sun with angular sunglasses. Meanwhile Simon went went shirtless in his black swimming trunks and enjoyed a cigarette on board after his snorkel session before headed up to the deck for a coffee. While he relaxed, The X Factor news hit headlines back home this week. The X Factor format is still successful around the globe yet it seems Simon has accepted in the UK 'the show has become slightly stale' and so has reportedly decided to 'shelve it' for five years, but sources are claiming it's now 'unlikely' to ever return. Beauty: Lauren's form-fitting swimwear featured a strapless design and showed off her youthful figure. She swept her raven tresses back with the headband and shielded her eyes from the Caribbean sun with angular sunglasses Multitasking: Simon was seen on the phone at one point having an animated conversation as he sat on the deck with Lauren Incredible: Brunette beauty Lauren put on a show-stopping display in a multicoloured strapless swimsuit and chic red hairband Youthful: Meanwhile, slim Simon went went shirtless in his black swimming trunks and enjoyed a cigarette on board after his snorkel session Taking a dip: Simon was in full holiday mode for his day out as he hit the waters with a snorkel in place A show insider told The Sun: 'Globally, it is still a phenomenon and rakes in millions every year. But in the UK, there is no question it has become slightly stale. Simon remains at the top of his game and knows how to make a hit. He owns the rights to the show, and it's his call not ITV's whether or not he drops it. 'Clearly the last thing he wants is for X Factor to fizzle out with a whimper and become a bit of a joke especially in contrast to the show in its pomp.' The source explained there is the option for Simon to return the talent show in 2023, which would see auditions take place next summer, however the entrepreneur is thought to be focused on his new game show Walk The Line. Gorgeous: Lauren looked beautiful for her day on the yacht teaming her eye-catching swimsuit with sunglasses and a red hairband Cooling off: Lauren looked incredible as she climbed out of the water via the yacht's stairs while wearing her stunning strapless swimsuit Worry: The X Factor format is still successful around the globe yet it seems Simon has accepted in the UK 'the show has become slightly stale' MailOnline has contacted Fremantle for comment. An ITV spokesperson told MailOnline: 'There are no current plans for the next series of The X Factor at this stage.' In March, Dermot O'Leary, 47, told new! magazine of the X Factor: 'I can't see it coming back this year. If it does come back, it'll be 2022 - maybe 2023.' The presenter admitted he is missing filming the show, which launched in 2004, adding: 'You do miss it, definitely. You work with people for the best part of 10 years and you become a really tight team. And you do miss the buzz of a Saturday night show. There's something great about it.' The father-of-one has hosted the show since 2007, taking over from former host Kate Thornton, who was at the helm from 20042006. Dermot has hosted every series since, aside from in 2015 where he was replaced with former contestant Olly Murs and the late Love Island presenter Caroline Flack. Accident: Their latest Caribbean holiday comes after Simon vowed to do everything he can to ensure he makes a full recovery after breaking his back Oh dear: Simon told Extra in February of the horror bike incident: 'I nearly smashed my spine to pieces!' Its last traditional series of X Factor aired back in 2018, with judges Simon, Louis Tomlinson, Robbie Williams and his wife Ayda Field on the judging panel. Dalton Harris, mentored by former One Direction star Louis, won the series, with Scarlett finishing in second place and Anthony Russell taking third. Simon then brought one-off series The X Factor: Celebrity to screens in 2019, which saw famous faces showcase their vocal talents. Megan McKenna was crowned the winner of the show and landed a record contract with Simon's major music label, Syco. The X Factor was then halted in 2020 when coronavirus hit, rendering it impossible to produce the show, which involves mass gatherings for open public auditions. On holiday: Simon went shirtless as he lapped up the sunshine and got involved in some snorkelling while Lauren swan around Safety first: Lauren could be seen sensibly topping up her sunscreen on board Their latest Caribbean holiday comes after Simon vowed to do everything he can to ensure he makes a full recovery after breaking his back. Simon was left bedridden for months after a devastating electric bike accident at his Malibu home in August last year. The record executive now walks for several hours a day and holds business meetings at 9AM so that he no longer lives like a 'vampire'. Of his new fitness regime, a source told MailOnline: 'Simon said how he hasn't worn trainers as much as this in 20 years. He feels fitter than ever before and is keeping to a normal routine rather than being on the phone until into the early hours of the morning.' Legs eleven: She showed off her staggering pins in the chic one-piece Simon told Extra in February of the horror bike incident: 'I nearly smashed my spine to pieces!' The X Factor boss also admitted he 'couldn't have got through' it without his girlfriend Lauren and son Eric, who sweetly called him 'iron man' when he first saw his dad with metal rods and screws in his back following surgery. Simon met Lauren when she was still married to millionaire property developer Andrew Silverman. Their affair became public and Simon's life changed at the end of July 2013 when news broke of Lauren's pregnancy. In 2015, Simon told Mail on Sunday Event magazine: 'I'm not proud of the circumstances, I can't hold my head up about it.' Of the pregnancy, he admitted: 'This was not something I planned. But I remember going to the first scan with Lauren. I called him Tad because he looked like a tadpole. Something just kicked in. I felt unbelievably protective of both of them. I just absolutely wanted him. I just hadn't known that before.' Selling Sunset love birds Chrishell Stause, 40, and Jason Oppenheim, 44, looked besotted with each other during a romantic tour of Rome, Italy on Friday. The newly minted couple walked hand-in-hand to check out some of the city's ancient landmarks during the current leg of their Italian holiday. Chrishell and her Oppenheim Group boss Jason recently confirmed their romance on social media and shortly after headed to Europe with friends for a summer vacation. Love is in the air! Chrishell Stause, 40, and Jason Oppenheim, 44, looked happier than ever together during a romantic tour of Rome on Friday Ready to explore the historic city, Stause stepped out on a warm summer day in a mocha brown cropped tank top and flouncy creamy colored printed skirt. She kept it smart with topaz tinted sunglasses and flat sandals for a sunny day of walking through Rome's cobble stoned streets with boyfriend Jason. Not one to give her glam a rest - even for sight seeing - Chrishell's long honey toned locks were left down in sleek curls. The real estate mogul, meanwhile, opted for trainers, white shorts and a blue T-shirt. Style star: Ready to explore the historic city, Stause stepped out on a warm summer day in a mocha brown cropped tank top and flouncy creamy colored printed skirt All the sights! She kept it smart with topaz tinted sunglasses and flat sandals for a sunny day of walking through Rome's cobble stoned streets with boyfriend Jason New love! The couple, who costar together on Selling Sunset, went public with their relationship earlier this week While visiting iconic wonders like the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, Chrishell wrapped her manicured fingers around Jason's buff tan biceps. The couple held hands as the checked out the bucket-list sights, stopping for cold waters and nuzzling close for photos. The loved up pair is in Italy along with Jason's brother Brett, his girlfriend Tina Louise and several others. Busy day! Chrishell and Jason are in Italy with several other couples but made time for a solo outing to sight see toether Smitten: The couple held hands as the checked out the bucket-list sights, stopping for cold waters and nuzzling close for photos Power couple: While visiting iconic wonders like the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, Chrishell wrapped her manicured fingers around Jason's buff tan biceps They seem to be hitting all the most coveted destinations, beginning in Capri then heading to Rome. Tina Louise was spotted heading into a van ahead of the group with her oversized Christian Dior tapestry bag as they left Rome for yet another destination. Chrishell revealed her surprising new romance with her Selling Sunset costar and boss Jason on Wednesday with a series of cuddled-up snaps taken in Capri from their current getaway to Italy. So new: Chrishell revealed her surprising new romance with her Selling Sunset costar and boss Jason on Wednesday with a series of cuddled-up snaps taken in Capri from their current getaway to Italy While the romance between the pair may definitely come as a surprise to many fans, their close friends were delighted the relationship was finally out in the public. Selling Sunset stars took to the comments section to congratulate the pair on their new romance. 'So happy for you guys! Finally people will stop with Jason and Mary hopefully,' costar Romain Bonnet joked, referencing his wife Mary Fitzgerald's past romance with Jason. Roma: Needing a break from the late July heat, the pair were seen cracking open ice cold water bottles Office romance: Chrishell is not the only Selling Sunset star Jason has romanced, despite being the boss at the Oppenheim Group Ex factor: The real estate agent was also in a relationship with his coworker Mary Fitzgerald, but the duo remained friends after their split and now work together at Jason's company 'Love you Chrishell. Thank you for making my brother happy,' Jason's twin brother Brett Oppenheim commented. Chrishell is not the only Selling Sunset star Jason has romanced. The real estate agent was also in a relationship with his coworker Mary Fitzgerald, but the duo remained friends after their split and now work together at Jason's company, The Oppenheim Group. Their working relationship came under scrutiny from their peers, whom accused Jason of favoring Mary over his other employees. Family affair: Jason's brother and business partner Brett is also in Italy on vacation with the Selling Sunset couple, along with his girlfriend Tina Louise (pictured) Vacation vibes: Tina Louise was spotted heading into a van ahead of the group with her oversized Christian Dior tapestry bag as they left Rome for yet another destination It's been nearly two years since Chrishell split from Justin Hartley, who filed for divorce from her in November 2019 following two years of marriage. Chrishell would go on to file for dissolution of the marriage the following month. The divorce was finalized earlier this year, and the immediate fallout was captured on Selling Sunset. On the show, the Days Of Our Lives alum slammed Justin for telling her about his intent to file for divorce over text message just 45 minutes before the news was made public. The If Beale Street Could Talk actress was recently in Capri, Italy with her friends and family. But it was back to work on Thursday for Regina King, who was seen filming a lively commercial in Los Angeles, California. The actress, 50, smiled graciously while getting touched up by a glam team in between takes, wearing a lovely red dress adorned with a black belt detail at the waist. Smiling on the job: It was back to work on Thursday for Regina King, who was seen filming a lively commercial in Los Angeles Reginas dress looked to be made up of a button down blouse on top and pleated skirt on the bottom. The Jerry Maguire actress wore white sneakers and had her long, braided hair up in a high bun before it hung down luxuriously over one shoulder. The Emmy winner appeared fresh-faced, and had a silver cuff on one ear. Touch-up: The actress smiled graciously while getting touched up by a glam team in between takes, wearing a lovely magenta-colored dress adorned with a black belt detail at the waist While the Watchmen actress did not wear any PPE for filming: Crewmembers around her made sure to keep their face masks on as Covid cases have begun to rise precipitously in LA county While the Watchmen actress did not wear any personal protective equipment for filming, all the crewmembers around her made sure to keep their face masks on as Covid cases have begun to rise precipitously in Los Angeles county. Kings sighting comes one week after she was spotted out on a boat cruise in Capri, Italy while on vacation with her sister Reina and four friends. And before that she attended a party at the Cannes Film Festival. Cannes do: She posed in a black strapless dress with Darren Criss, Sharon Stone and Rachel Brosnahan on July 16 She posed in a black strapless dress with Darren Criss, Sharon Stone and Rachel Brosnahan. The event was the the amfAR Cannes Gala 2021 at Villa Eilenroc on July 16 in Cap d'Antibes, France. Her schedule looks to be somewhat busy in the coming weeks, as her two most recent films are preparing for release. Seen here in April: King's schedule looks to be somewhat busy in the coming weeks, as her two most recent films are preparing for release Regina is part of the cast of Sean Penns latest directorial effort Flag Day, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this month. Its set to premiere stateside on August 20. Her other project, The Harder They Fall, is currently in post production and will premier on Netflix later this year. The film is a western featuring a primarily black cast, which includes top actors Zazie Beetz, Idris Elba, LaKeith Stanfield, Delroy Lindo along with Regina and Jonathan Majors. He stars in in too: Regina is part of the cast of Sean Penns latest directorial effort Flag Day, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this month It looks like fans won't have to wait much longer for the much anticipated fourth season of Stranger Things. On Wednesday, the cast of the hit Netflix show were pictured filming scenes together in Rome, Georgia, for the finale, where they have been for some time now. Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke's daughter Maya Hawke was pictured with the cast, who plays Robin Buckley. However, it was original star Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler who stood out onset, sporting a fun '80s-style perm. The gang are back together: Stranger Things cast (L-R) Gaten Matarazzo, Dustin Henderson, Maya Hawke, Sadie Sink, and Natalia Dyer film season four in Georgia Sadie Sink, who plays Max Mayfield, also looked the part sporting a huge Walkman on her stonewashed jeans. Gaten Matarazzo was also back on set Dustin Henderson, and Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, as the group made their way to a vintage car while on location. There had been some speculation could be the last for the series, but creators the Duffer Brothers have said it won't be the last, leaving the door open for a season five. Looking good: Original star Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler who stood out onset, sporting a fun '80s style perm This new season of the science fiction-thriller series, which also stars Millie Bobbie Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Winona Ryder and David Harbour, has been in development since 2019. The production team has experienced several delays for various reasons, including lockdown from COVID-19. A trailer for the upcoming fourth season of the Netflix hit was released in May. Cast: Gaten Matarazzo was also back on set Dustin Henderson, and Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, as the group made their way to a vintage car while on location Development on the fourth season of Stranger Things officially began in 2019, shortly after the premiere of the show's third run of episodes. The series' writers previously hinted at a change in setting that would occur in the project's future, with many fans expressing that Russia would be used as a principal location. Several new performers, including Robert and Jamie Campbell Bower, were later added to the show's cast. Schapelle Corby has made light of her previous arrest for drug smuggling, revealing that she 'doesn't live in fear' of flying on aircraft after the experience. In October 2004, she became a household name when she was arrested at Bali airport with 4.2kg of cannabis wrapped in plastic inside her boogie board bag. The 44-year-old joked on Friday that she no longer travels with checked baggage. The past: Schapelle Corby has made light of her previous arrest for drug smuggling, revealing that she 'doesn't live in fear' of flying on aircraft after the experience. Pictured with her mother, Rosleigh Rose Sharing a photo to Instagram in which she was aboard a flight with her mother, Rosleigh Rose, the reality star was inundated with comments from fans. One wrote: 'I'm surprised you don't have an absolute fear of flying now... good on you'. Schapelle replied: 'I don't let fear control me. Live life without barriers,' then added dryly, 'Only carry on luggage'. Flight: Sharing a photo to Instagram in which she was aboard a flight with her mother, Rosleigh Rose, the reality star was inundated with comments from fans. One wrote: 'I'm surprised you don't have an absolute fear of flying now... good on you' Schapelle replied: 'I don't let fear control me. Live life without barriers,' then added dryly, 'Only carry on luggage' The world watched in May 2005 as she broke down in the Denpasar courtroom after being sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment in Kerobokan Prison. Following a series of sentence reductions, Schapelle was released on parole in February 2014, having served nine years behind bars. She lived in Bali with family until she was deported back to Australia in May 2017. Conviction: In October 2004, Schapelle became a household name when she was arrested at Bali airport with 4.2kg of cannabis wrapped in plastic inside her boogie board bag. She was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment in May 2005. Pictured in 2005 Convicted: Schapelle was released on parole in February 2014, having served nine years behind bars. The former beautician has always denied knowingly importing drugs and maintains the marijuana was planted in her luggage by corrupt baggage handlers The former beautician has always denied knowingly importing drugs and maintains the marijuana was planted in her luggage by corrupt baggage handlers. It comes after Schapelle hinted she could be joining the cast of Seven's Big Brother VIP, when she teased fans about going on a 'new adventure' on Friday. The convicted drug smuggler shared an Instagram selfie from a flight alongside her mother, Rosleigh. 'Up, up and away. Adventure time with mum,' Schapelle captioned her photo. Soon? It comes after Schapelle hinted she could be joining the cast of Seven's Big Brother VIP, when she teased fans about going on a 'new adventure' on Friday Star power: Schapelle's possible inclusion on the show comes after her stints on Seven's Dancing with the Stars (pictured) and SAS Australia The cast of Big Brother VIP already includes several controversial figures, including Keeping Up with the Kardashians star and California gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner; Meghan Markle's estranged half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr; and Omarosa Manigault Newman, a former advisor to Donald Trump. Other rumoured housemates include retired athlete Married At First Sight's Jessika Power, Matt Shirvington, TV presenter James Tobin and comedian Josh Thomas. Schapelle's possible inclusion on the show comes after her stints on Seven's Dancing with the Stars and SAS Australia. She made her debut as a reality star in November, appearing on SAS Australia. Advertisement They're gearing up to get married when their wedding finally takes place in September, after being postponed due to Covid-19 restrictions. And, Jess Wright, 35, displayed her curves in a frilly black bikini as she enjoyed a boat day in Mallorca with fiance William Lee-Kemp, 38, on Thursday. The former TOWIE star sizzled in the Spanish heat, wearing her skimpy two piece as she sunbathed and cooled off in the sea. Gorgeous: Jess Wright, 35, displayed her curves in a frilly black bikini as she enjoyed a boat day in Mallorca, on Thursday Jess' stunning bikini top featured a dramatic V-neck and eye-catching ruffle sleeves, white the high-cut bottoms flattered her shape. The reality stunner topped up her tan aboard the speedboat before covering up with a black tassel wrap as the duo headed ashore to grab lunch. William kept things simple in blue and white swim shorts, and added a plain T-shirt for their restaurant date. Couple goals: The TOWIE babe and her fiance William Lee-Kemp, 38, spent quality time together aboard the vessel before heading ashore to grab lunch The look of love: The couple gazed into each others eyes while relaxing at the end of the boat Tender touch: Jess rubbed SPF into her beau's back to ensure he was safe in the sunshine Sunny days: Jess looked incredibly glamorous while William kept things low-key Designer diva: Jess carried her belonging in a woven Prada handbag Taking charge: As Jess walked barefoot, William was there to steady her before arranging where they'd go for lunch The couple are due to marry in September after having to delay their big day due to COVID-19 and look happy out on their boat to sea in tranquil surroundings. The former TOWIE will tie the knot with her businessman fiance in less than two months time and recently revealed that she's selected Michelle Keegan, 34, as a bridesmaid. Jess also revealed she will have fifteen bridesmaids to join her on her trip down the aisle after struggling to choose from a long list of candidates. Gorgeous: The raven-haired reality star accessorised with a gold chain necklace, a chunky watch and a pair of vintage shades Gorgeous: Jess flashed a wide smile as she enjoyed their day at sea Water baby: Jess looked completely at ease as she cooled off in the water while William sat at the end of the boat Leg's up! Jess rested her feet on William's back as she lay back, scrolling on her phone Fun in the sun: William and Jess displayed their incredible chemistry Staying hydrated: Jess was sure to drink water during their day in the sunshine Speaking to The Mirror, Jess explained: 'I couldn't choose so I thought, sod it, let's have them all. 'I've chosen my dress now too and hopefully it will look stunning on the day. I can't wait to be a bride. Will is absolutely perfect.' Jess also told the publication she'd been working out five days a week ahead of the big day and plans to start a family immediately after the nuptials. The beauty became engaged to beau William in March last year after he popped the question during a trip to the French Alps. Sunny days: The couple were inseparable as they made their way onto dry land Advertisement George and Amal Clooney are not expecting their third child, their representative has confirmed. Insiders had earlier claimed that the happy couple, who wed in 2014, had told their close friends that they were expanding their family when they threw a small dinner party near their Italian villa on July 4th. However speaking on Friday, their representative shut down any speculation and said: 'Stories saying that Amal Clooney is pregnant are not true.' The statement comes after the duo were seen enjoying a family outing in Cernobbio, Italy, on Thursday, with George, 60, and Amal, 43, doting on twins Ella and Alexander, four, ahead of lunch and watching some ducks. PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: George and Amal Clooney have been seen enjoying a family day with their four-year-old twins in Italy on Thursday, with the couple's representative representative confirming they are not expecting their third child on Friday Amal looked sensational in a bright red dress which scooped at the front and showcased her sensational figure, with the beauty accessorising with a stylish sun hat. Her hunky husband also cut a smart figure for the low-key lunch date at the Grand Hotel Villa D'Este donning a navy polo shirt and cream trousers. George was seen carrying little Ella, with the proud father lifting her into the air and beaming a smile as they chatted in the Italian sunshine. While Amal crouched down with Alexander, pointing to something in the distance as she wrapped a protective arm around her smartly-dressed little boy. Stunning: The human rights lawyer, 43, looked sensational in a thigh-skimming red mini dress and a large sun hat Doting parents! The couple were seen playing and chatting with their children, with the Hollywood star lifting little Ella into the air and smiling as they waited for the motorboat following lunch After enjoying their meal and ahead of hopping back on the motorboat, the parents stopped to look at some ducks with the twins. It comes amid reports on Friday, which have been denied by the couple, that Amal is pregnant with their third child. Sparking speculation the Clooneys were adding another baby to their brood, a source had told OK! US: 'Amal's said to be past her first trimester. She's already starting to show, so soon enough, everyone will know.' The couple were spotted out with pals on July 20, where Amal sported a form-fitting white dress. All together: George and Amal could not stop smiling as they spent quality time with their two adorable children on Thursday Family-of-four: Ella and Alexander held onto their parents hands, with the little boy appearing to ask some questions Mama's boy: Stylish Amal held onto Alexander's hand while on the walkway (left and right) before picking him up (right) to get back on the boat Dad duties! Doting dad George happily picked up his daughter Ella (left) and lifted her high into the air (middle) while they soaked up the scenery after the meal Off they go: The family all coordinated in their smart ensembles and summer shoes for the lunch out in Cernobbio, Italy Family man: George has previously said that there 'is no question that having Amal in my life changed everything for me' It was reported last month that George had whizzed his wife and their children to Lake Como ahead of the twins' fourth birthday. A source told E! News at the time that the family 'haven't been there in two years' but they'll be spending the summer at their family home, Villa Oleandra. They added: 'They brought along their giant St. Bernard puppy, Rosie. They will be spending as much of the summer as they can in Lake Como.' In March, doting dad George spoke about how life changed when he became a father. Smart: George cut a smart figure for the low-key lunch date at the Grand Hotel Villa D'Este donning a polo shirt and trousers Waiting: The family, who have a house in Italy, seemed to be in good spirits during the fun lunch outing Inquisitive: Amal pointed something out to her son, who seemed very interested in their conversation Summer style: Amal rocked her mini dress and strappy sandals. which matched Ella's own pair of open-toe shoes Making an entrance: The family arrived at the restaurant in style, with the Clooneys pals disembarking first before the family Protective: George held onto his twins while the boat arrived at the restaurant (left) before heading onto the dry land first Helping hand: He reached out towards Alexander and Amal to help the four-year-old get off the boat Steady does it: Alexander stood on the edge of the boat with both his parents carefully holding onto his hands Success: George was then able to grab Alexander with both hands and help him onto the walkway He said: 'I don't think anyone is ever going to say at the end of the day 'God, I wish we'd done two more interesting films' rather than 'God, I'm really glad I spent this time with my kids or I did this with my kids.' In December, he gave a rare into fatherhood as he spoke to AARP The Magazine about naming their twins and being a famous parent. He said: 'I didn't want, like, weird-a*s names for our kids. They're already going to have enough trouble. It's hard being the son of somebody famous and successful... 'It's hard being the son of somebody famous and successful. Paul Newman's son killed himself. Gregory Peck's son killed himself.... 'Bing Crosby had two sons kill themselves. I have an advantage because I'm so much older that by the time my son would feel competitive, I'll literally be gumming bread.' Next up! The happy couple then repeated the process with Ella, with the youngster not hesitating to jump into her dad's arms Hello! A smartly dressed man welcomed all four of the Clooneys outside the restaurant Kicking back: It was reported last month that George (pictured with his pals on Thursday) had whizzed his wife and their children to Lake Como ahead of the twins' fourth birthday Group outing: They were joined by several friends for lunch and the Clooneys headed down the stairs first Cool: George added a pair of suave sunglasses to complete his stylish but laid-back vacation look Pick me up, dad! Ella asked her dad to hold her while they waited for their ride, with George happily indulging his daughter Twins: Ella and Alexander both donned white outfits and sweet summer sandals Day trip: Everyone seemed to be having a fabulous time while soaking up the Italian sunshine He later spoke to CBS This Morning about how Amal and the kids changed his life. George said: 'There is no question that having Amal in my life changed everything for me. It was the first time that everything that she did and everything about her was infinitely more important than anything about me... 'We never talked about having kids, and one day we said, 'What do you think?' And then we go to the doctor and you do the ultrasound and they're like, 'You got a baby boy!' and I was like, 'Baby boy, fantastic!'... 'And they go, 'And you got another one there.' I was up for one. Again, I'm old. All of a sudden, it's two. It's hard to get me to not talk, and I just stood there for, like, 10 minutes just staring at this piece of paper going, 'What? Two?' He was later asked about why he 'waited so long' to become a father. Standout: Amal caught the eye in her bright dress which accentuated her stunning figure and was paired with sandals Dinner date: The couple had been pictured enjoying an evening out in Italy on July 20 in Lake Como, where Amal donned a figure-hugging white dress and George looked sharp in a grey suit Chatting away: Amal looked sensational in a sleeveless white dress with ruching at the waist and a ruffled skirt Blooming: Amal is pictured rocking a stunning white ballgown in Paris while pregnant with her twins in February 2017 George said: 'I found the right person to have them with, he said. There are some people, their goal was: I have to have children. Mine wasnt... 'I wasnt looking at life, going: My life will be unfulfilled without children. I felt like I had a pretty full life. Then I met Amal and realised that my life had been pretty empty. 'And then we throw these two kids in there and suddenly you realise how incredibly empty it was and, you know, it fills it all up. It makes it fun.' He went on: '[Fatherhood] gives a sense of belonging, and a sense of home and the unconditional love, all the things that you were hoping you could get from a really good career and a dog. You realise that this is a lot more than that'. Arnold Schwarzenegger was showered with warm wishes by his children on Instagram for his 74th birthday Friday. His daughter Katherine Schwarzenegger uploaded a string of throwback pictures dating back to when she was a little girl. 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY! I love you so much and cant wait to celebrate you ! Have the best day ever!!' she gushed. 'Schnitzel, schnapps and stogies': Arnold's son Joseph Baena, who has followed his footsteps into bodybuilding and acting, posted a more recent picture to wish his father a happy birthday Festive: Arnold Schwarzenegger was showered with warm wishes by his children including his daughter Katherine on Instagram for his 74th birthday Friday Katherine included a heartwarming snap of herself sitting on horseback next to her father who sweetly gave her bunny ears. One of the pictures showed Katherine celebrating her own first birthday and sitting at her cake with both parents - Arnold and his now estranged wife Maria Shriver. She also included a photograph that showed Arnie with both of his daughters - Katherine and her younger sister Christina. Arnold's son Joseph Baena, who has followed his footsteps into bodybuilding and acting, posted a more recent picture to wish his father a happy birthday. Heartwarming: Katherine marked the special day by uploading a string of throwback pictures dating back to when she was growing up Cute as a button: 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY! I love you so much and cant wait to celebrate you ! Have the best day ever!!' she gushed The dynamic duo were sat next to each other at a restaurant and clinked their breakfast beverages - tea or coffee for Joseph, a green juice for Arnie. 'Happy Birthday Dad! I hope your pump was juicy and may your day be filled with lots of schnitzel, schnapps and stogies!!!' gushed Joseph. Arnie is famously a big fan of cigars and once told the Associated Press that 'a juicy wiener schnitzel' was one of the things he missed about his native Austria. Arnie and his estranged wife Maria Shriver share four children - Katherine, 31, Christina, 29, Patrick, 27, and Christopher, 23. Goofing around: Katherine included a heartwarming snap of herself sitting on horseback next to her father who sweetly gave her bunny ears The way they were: One of the pictures showed Katherine celebrating her own first birthday and sitting at her cake with both parents - Arnold and his now estranged wife Maria Shriver Family matters: She also included a photograph that showed Arnie with both of his daughters - Katherine and her younger sister Christina Maria left Arnold a decade ago after it emerged that he had fathered Joseph by the family's housekeeper Mildred Baena. Although they have been separated since 2011 and he is now dating blonde physical therapist Heather Milligan, 46, the divorce has not been finalized. As Arnie's birthday wore on this Friday he also got a sweet message from Patrick, who starred alongside Bella Thorne in the flop movie Midnight Sun. Patrick posted an astonishing video of Arnold pulling an enormous weight and then declaring with a sigh: 'I needed that.' Proud: As Arnie's birthday wore on this Friday he also got a sweet message from Patrick, who starred alongside Bella Thorne in the flop movie Midnight Sun Wow: Patrick posted an astonishing video of Arnold pulling an enormous weight and then declaring with a sigh: 'I needed that' Incredible: Patrick noted that 'i have no idea how your 74 today & still pullin this weight. I truly hope Im half as strong physically & mentally when Im your age' 'Happy Birthday pops! Cant believe you became a grandpa this past year. Cant wait to see what happens this year!' wrote Patrick in his caption, referring to the fact Katherine and her husband Chris Pratt welcomed a daughter called Lyla last year. 'Also i have no idea how your 74 today & still pullin this weight. I truly hope Im half as strong physically & mentally when Im your age. PS: wait till end.' Arnold himself was spotted on his birthday getting in a bit of exercise with one of his regular bike rides in sunny Los Angeles. He opted for a route by the beach in Santa Monica, masking up and accessorizing with a pair of butterfly sunglasses. Fit as a fiddle: Arnold himself was spotted on his birthday getting in a bit of exercise with one of his regular bike rides in sunny Los Angeles As a celebrated actor of the stage and screen his good looks don't go unnoticed by his fans. And Kit Harington looked effortlessly dapper in charcoal grey blazer at the cast and creator dinner for season two of Amazon's Modern Love on Thursday. The actor, 34, ensured his dark beard and quiffed locks were impeccably groomed for the event at the Edition Hotel in New York. Handsome chap: Kit Harington, 34, looked dapper in a charcoal blazer at the cast and creator dinner for season two of Amazon's Modern Love in New York on Thursday night He looked dashing in his attire which perfectly complemented his dark brown eyes and his skin looked flawless under the bright lighting at the venue. Kit styled his sharp jacket with a laid-back black T-shirt and opted for a comfortable pair of black chinos for the evening. The new dad, who recently welcomed his first child with wife Rose Leslie, was announced as a cast member of season two of Modern Love in February. The show is a romantic comedy based on the weekly column of the same name published in The New York Times. Man of style: The actor showed off his clear complexion as he cut a smart figure at the event, opting for a comfortable pair of black chinos for the evening New role: Kit was announced as a cast member of season two of Modern Love in February The programme is set for release on Amazon Prime Video on August 13, with Kit, famous for his role as Jon Snow in Game of Thrones, playing an as yet undisclosed role. It has been a busy year for Kit, with the star also appearing in the Friends Reunion special, and welcoming his first child. Kit and Rose first revealed the arrival of their son by stepping out with the little one in London in February, with their representative later confirming they were 'very, very happy'. Married couple: Kit and Rose Leslie (both pictured in 2017) married in 2018 and they welcomed a baby boy together in February this year but are yet to reveal his name In pictures obtained by Page Six, beaming Kit held his wife's hand while she cradled their newborn in a baby carrier on her chest. They had largely stayed out of the public eye since announcing that Rose was pregnant via a photoshoot in September last year. In October 2020, Rose revealed she was 'thrilled' to be expecting her first child as she addressed her pregnancy for the first time. Speaking to the New York Post, she gushed: 'I am thrilled to be expecting. I can't wait to meet the new member of our family!' Bob Odenkirk, 58, shared on Friday that he suffered a 'small heart attack' after he collapsed on the set of Better Call Saul in New Mexico earlier this week. The actor took to Twitter to share the news, adding he is 'going to be okay' and will be 'back soon.' The TV star, 58, also thanked the doctors who were able to 'fix the blockage' without having to perform surgery. Scare: Bob Odenkirk, 58, shared on Friday that he suffered a 'small heart attack' after he collapsed on the set of Better Call Saul earlier this week; seen in 2019 On the mend after a heart attack: 'I had a small heart attack,' stated the Hollywood veteran. 'But I'm going to be ok thanks to Rosa Estrada and the doctors who knew how to fix the blockage without surgery' His note began, 'Hi. It's Bob. Thank you.' The actor then shared: 'To my family and friends who have surrounded me this week. And for the outpouring of love from everyone who expressed concern and care for me. Its overwhelming. But I feel the love and it means so much.' The star then shared the details of his traumatic experience. 'I had a small heart attack,' confirmed the Hollywood veteran after there was much speculation about his incident. 'But I'm going to be ok thanks to Rosa Estrada and the doctors who knew how to fix the blockage without surgery. Also, AMC and SONYs support and help throughout this has been next-level. I'm going to take a beat to recover but I'll be back soon.' Slippin' Jimmy: The final season of Better Call Saul is scheduled to air in early 2022. He also said in his tweet: 'AMC and SONYs support and help throughout this has been next-level. I'm going to take a beat to recover but I'll be back soon' DailyMail.com confirmed earlier this week that the AMC star was rushed to hospital on Tuesday after an incident on the New Mexico set of his hit series. Odenkirk was shooting a scene on location in Albuquerque when the incident took place. Sources told TMZ that the actor went down mid-scene and crew members immediately called for an ambulance. The Emmy-winning actor is currently filming the sixth and final season of his Breaking Bad spin-off, which began production on March 10 this year. The series centers around lawyer Jimmy McGill [Odenkirk] who, over the course of several years, mishaps and questionable ethical choices rebrands himself as smarmy criminal attorney Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad. Better: 'Just got off the phone with Bob and he's doing great! Joking and japing and joshing,' his costar Cross tweeted. 'Both he and his family are overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and concern everyone has shown. You will be hearing from him soon. But he's doing really well!!!' A prequel spin-off of the Bryan Cranston series, Better Call Saul managed to carve out a home for itself among televisions great dramas. Earlier on Friday his friend and costar David Cross spoke out. Cross, 57, took to Twitter to give fans a positive update on the actor's condition saying that he was 'doing great' and is already 'joking and japing and joshing.' 'Just got off the phone with Bob and he's doing great! Joking and japing and joshing,' Cross tweeted. Adding: 'Both he and his family are overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and concern everyone has shown. You will be hearing from him soon. But he's doing really well!!!' Best of friends: Cross and Odenkirk are long time friends who created and costarred together for four seasons on HBO's sketch comedy series Mr. Show with Bob and David Fans had been waiting for an update on the Better Call Saul's star's health from Cross who had previously promised to keep people abreast of the situation. 'I will share what I know when I can but Bob is one of the strongest people I know both physically and spiritually. He WILL get through this,' he Tweeted earlier this week. Cross and Odenkirk are long time friends who created and costarred together for four seasons on HBO's sketch comedy series Mr. Show with Bob and David. Bob also made a cameo appearance as a marriage therapist in David's cult-classic sitcom Arrested Development. Pals: Cross and Odenkirk are long time friends who created and costarred together for four seasons on HBO's sketch comedy series Mr. Show with Bob and David; seen in 2012 Following his collapse this week, Cranston, 65, took to Instagram to express his concern for his former colleague. 'Today I woke up to news that has made me anxious all morning. My friend, Bob Odenkirk collapsed last night on the set of Better Call Saul,' he wrote in the caption of a photo of the two. 'He is in the hospital in Albuquerque and receiving the medical attention he needs but his condition is not known to the public as yet. Please take a moment in your day today to think about him and send positive thoughts and prayers his way, thank you.' Aaron Paul, who costarred on Breaking Bad as Jesse Pinkman, sounded relieved in his Instagram Stories post, which he shared after Odenkirk confirmed he was recovering. 'Love you my friend! You are a treasure,' he wrote, along with a photo of Bob and screenshots of his reassuring tweets. Well wishes: Breaking Bad costar Bryan Cranston confirmed the news that Odenkirk was hospitalized in an Instagram post asking fans for 'positive thoughts and prayers' Phew! Aaron Paul, who costarred on Breaking Bad as Jesse Pinkman, sounded relieved in his Instagram Stories post, which he shared after Odenkirk confirmed he was recovering Executive producer of Better Call Saul, Peter Gould, previously confirmed the show's final season will consist of 13 episodes rather than the usual 10. 'From the beginning when we started this, I think all our hopes and dreams were to be able to tell the whole story,' Gould said in a statement. He added: 'And make it to be a complete story from beginning to end. We're going to try like hell to stick the landing of these 63 episodes.' The final season is scheduled to air in early 2022. Advertisement Selling Sunset's Chrisell Stause and Jason Oppenheim are hiding nothing when it comes to their feelings for one another. The hot new couple - who shocked fans of the hit Netflix show by going public with their romance this week - have been packing on the PDA in Rome, Italy. On Thursday, the loved-up pair put on an amorous display as they took tourist photos together with their friends and co-stars Romain Bonnet and his wife Mary Fitzgerald, and Brett Oppenheim and girlfriend Tina Louise. It appeared that Jason, 44, may have treated Chrishell, 40, to some gifts as bags of designer shopping were seen at her feet as she posed with her man. Hot new couple! Chrishell, 40, and Jason, 44, looked particularly enamored with one another, having only just gone public with their hot new romance this week The pair barely came up for air as they made out publicly with Chrishell cradling Jason's head with her hands. Jason and Chrishell - who are used to luxury surroundings dealing with million-dollar real estate in LA - have been staying at the stunning five-star hotel, Le Sirenuse in Positano. 'Arrived in Positano last night without our luggage,' Tina Louise told fans this week, showing off the hotel's incredible views, adding: 'Lucky this hotel and view make up for it.' Going to town... literally! Jason and Chrishell barely came up for air while on their romantic trip with the cast There's no stopping them! Despite crowds taking pictures, the new couple appeared to be in their own little world Shock twist: Fans were sent into a frenzy this week when it was revealed Chrishell is now dating her boss Mary also posted a loved-up message about Romain, saying: 'I'm in heaven! Vacationing with my true love and best friends in one of the most beautiful cities on earth.' However, most eyes were on new couple Chrishell and Jason - as fans of the show have been shocked to find out she is now dating her boss. 'So happy for you guys! Finally people will stop with Jason and Mary hopefully,' costar Romain joked in an Instagram comment, referencing his wife Mary Fitzgerald's past romance with Jason. Holding her close: The pair couldn't keep the smiles off their faces while embracing near the water The pair barely got up for air as they made out publicly with Chrishell cradling Jason's head with her hands. City of love: The loved-up pair looked comfortable while packing on the PDA in Rome All together now: The star couples line up after madly kissing by the fountain for a photo opp Coming up for air: After packing on the PDAs, the couples took time out for a group photo 'Love you Chrishell. Thank you for making my brother happy,' Jason's twin brother Brett Oppenheim commented. Brett's girlfriend Tina was over the moon learning the relationship had finally made it to social media. 'Awwwww!!!! Congratulations you guys!! Finally IG official,' Tina commented. Mary Fitzgerald wrote: 'Nothing makes me more excited than to see two of my closest friends together and making each other so happy!' Jason left a red heart emoji in the comments section. And it seems that the couple are in the perfect destination to explore their new romance. Impressive: Jason and Chrishell certainly scored extra points for their commitment to kissing Not just for the photo opps: The pair genuinely appear to be head over heels for one another Nicki Minaj will be hosting the Real Housewives of Potomac reunion this fall. The rapper, 38, revealed the news to her Instagram page on Thursday night with a remixed version of her song Moment 4 Life. The opportunity arose after Andy Cohen said he 'would gladly give up his seat' to Nicki to host the reunion. The latest: Nicki Minaj will be hosting the Real Housewives of Potomac reunion this fall. The rapper revealed the news to her Instagram page on Thursday night with a remixed version of her song Moment 4 Life The mother one of one also shared a screenshot of her text conversation with her publicist about the opportunity. Her publicist revealed the news to her: 'Andy Cohen said he would glad give up his seat to have you host the Potomac reunion. Tapes around October.' Nicki couldn't hide her excitement in her response to him and told that she wants to do it.' She then shared a screengrab of her Instagram story, which said: 'Don't move! Everyone binge watch all the episodes cuz we finna get into some thagz hunty: 'My questions will be well thought out, too.' How it went down: The opportunity arose after Andy Cohen said he 'would gladly give up his seat' to Nicki to host the reunion Facts! She then shared a screengrab of her Instagram story, which said: 'Don't move! Everyone binge watch all the episodes cuz we finna get into some thagz hunty: 'My questions will be well thought out, too' She continued, asking her fandom to not send in questions about her upcoming album and documentary: 'Mixed with funny & epic, of course. And Barbz, plz don't send me a million comments about the album & doc chile just lemme have my moment,' adding an eye rolling emoji. Addressing the album and album she added: 'We almost there. Promise. Not lying this time. Love you,' tagging RHOP's Instagram as well as Bravo and Andy Cohen's account. She shared the grabs on her Twitter on Friday morning with the caption: 'Who tf is ready #RHOP.' Real talk: She shared the grabs on her Twitter on Friday morning with the caption: 'Who tf is ready #RHOP' Hours before, Nicki shared a remix of her hit song Moment 4 Life featuring the cast of RHOP to her Instagram page. The tune was remix done with clips from the show; Nicki captioned it: 'I'll be hosting the reunion. lmk what y'all want me to ask chile.' RHOP cast includes: Gizelle Bryant, Karen Huger, Ashley Darby, Robyn Dixon, Candiace Dillard Bassett, Wendy Osefo and Mia Thornton. Last month, Nicki revealed she has chosen the name of her upcoming album, but has not given a release date or any additional details. Her documentary will be a six part series on HBO Max; the official premiere date and the title have not yet be released. A vibe: Hours before, Nicki shared a remix of her hit song Moment 4 Life featuring the cast of RHOP to her Instagram page The Hilton family has come a long way in the last decade and they seemed to want to prove it with their new photo shoot. Paris Hilton, 40, posed for a power shoot with her sister Nicky, 37, and mother Kathy, 62, in the matriarch's stunning Beverly Hills mansion as they looked like the cast of a new version of Dynasty. This comes after the Simple Life star denied she was pregnant with her first child with fiance Carter Reum after a report from PageSix that she was expecting. Power trio: The Hilton family has come a long way in the last decade and they seemed to want to prove it with their new photo shoot. Paris Hilton, 40, posed with her sister Nicky, 37, and mother Kathy, 62, in the matriarch's mansion as they looked like the cast of a new version of Dynasty Paris has a new cooking show and will be in the wedding show Paris In Love about her nuptials. Nicky is making shoes for her own line as she takes care of her two kids. And Kathy is the latest guest member of Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills which also stars her sister Kyle Richards. The photo shoot was for FootWear News and showed off the shoes from Nicky's Nicky Hilton x French Sole line. Busy: Paris has a new cooking show and will be in the wedding show Paris In Love about her nuptials. Her shoes are Valentino, not her sister's Designer: Nicky is making shoes for her own line as she takes care of her two kids In one shot the ladies all had on suits looked like they were made by Chanel as they wore Chanel accessories. They were also seen in Alice + Olivia, Valentino and Prabal Gurung. Earlier this week Paris said on her podcast This Is Paris that she is 'not pregnant, not yet' and does not want to start a family until after she gets married: 'Im waiting until after the wedding,' said the socialite. The DJ also went as far as to say that she does not want a child until 2022. Bravo babe: And Kathy is the latest guest member of Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills which also stars her sister Kyle Richards 'My dress is being made right now so I want to make sure it looks gorgeous and fits perfectly,' said Paris. 'So definitely waiting for that part.' She added, 'I'm not yet... I will be after the wedding, I can't wait to have children in 2022. But like I said I am just preparing for the wedding right now.' Paris then reminded her fans that the 'rumor is definitely not true' as she noted her cell phone had been blowing up all morning with friends wanting answers. Hilton noted: 'One day I can't wait to have a little girl, I'm going to name her London. I love London and Paris together. And for my boy I want to name him after a city, or a country or a state as well. I have the name but I'm not going to say it yet. I might keep it a surprise, I don't want anyone stealing my baby name for that one. Stylish star: They were also seen in Alice + Olivia, Valentino and Prabal Gurung 'One day there will be little mini Paris and mini Carters, but not yet. Stay tuned for 2022.' Paris then said the only thing in her oven was her Sliving Lasagna that she has touted on her cooking show. On Tuesday morning, her sister Nicky Hilton attempted to dispel the rumors telling the editor of Avenue magazine that the story was 'not true.' Fans have been on high alert at a possible Paris pregnancy as in January the blonde beauty said she was undergoing fertility treatments and hoped to be a mother soon. She also noted that she was hoping to have twins and specifically a boy and a girl. Cool kicks: The photo shoot was for FootWear News and showed off the shoes from Nicky's Nicky Hilton x French Sole line Earlier this year, Hilton shared on The Trend Reporter With Mara podcast that she was already working on becoming a mother. 'We have been doing the IVF, so I can pick twins if I like,' said the Guess model. She added that IVF was the only way she could be sure to have 'twins that are a boy and a girl.' Her friend Kim Kardashian - who has four child with Kanye West - was the one who informed her she could pre-select the gender of her kids. 'I'm happy that she told me that advice and introduced me to her doctor,' Hilton shared. Before her 40th birthday, Paris went through the egg retrieval procedure: 'It was tough, but I knew it would be worth it. I did it a couple of times,' she said. She also shared that she and her fiance had already discussed the named she would choose for her kids. With child? No: Paris has denied she is pregnant with her first child with fiance Carter Reum after a report from PageSix that she was expecting; seen July 4 Paris and Carter became engaged in February on a private tropical island as he presented her with a massive $1M diamond ring designed by Jean Dousset. They had been together for only a year. 'I couldn't be more excited and lucky to have her as my future wife and partner,' he said at the time. This will be a first marriage for both Paris and Carter. Paris is currently preparing for her wedding to Reum while filming a 13-part docu series for Peacock reality TV special about her Big Day which it titled Paris In Love. Hilton has been engaged several times before. In 2018 she accepted a proposal from actor Chris Zylka. Film producer Paris Latsis popped the question in 2005. In 2002 she was engaged to model Jason Shaw. This comes days after Hilton said she is 'over' going to parties. Sofia Vergara said she is ready for the weekend, and she took a picture of her bikini body to prove it. The 49-year-old wore a hot pink top and bottoms with her dirty blonde locks cascading down her shoulders in a selfie shared to her 22.5M Instagram followers. The Modern Family actress captioned the photo, 'Ready pal weekend!!' 'Ready Pal Weekend': Modern Family star Sophia Vergara, 49, posts a revealing selfie of her hot pink bikini The Fading Gigolo star included the hashtag #outdoorsonly on her post with an emoji wearing a surgical mask next to it, presumably in reference to the CDC's guidelines against gathering indoors with people in multiple households. The star, who is married to actor Joe Manganiello, looked ready to take a little time off from judging America's Got Talent to enjoy the sun and the pool. Despite turning 49 earlier this month, age has not done much to dim the Colombia native's beauty. A full summer: Vergara posted this picture July 12 with the caption, 'Enjoying the last days of summer vacay' While it's unclear whose home the star is in, many people have been trying to get into hers. Last September, the couple's house was targeted by a trespasser, who claimed he knew Manolo when questioned by security at the exclusive gated community where the property is situated. Police were called to the scene and the man was arrested and charged with trespassing after he refused to leave quietly. Is Vergara off to the Fountain of Youth? The ageless beauty posted this on her 49th birthday earlier this month More recently, the couple had to deal with a vandalizer. Police were called in the early hours of a Monday morning earlier this month to a Los Angeles property being renovated for the couple to find the newly-completed paint job had been ruined by a guy who was still present at the address. Sources told TMZ the man admitted to just finishing some major vandalism on the exterior, having used orange paint to write and etch his social media handles onto and into the walls, as well as messages for the star, who he believed to be his mother and was keen to get in touch with via Instagram. The unnamed man was arrested, and he was believed to have caused more than $100,000 in damages. 'She was it for me': Manganiello, seen here with Vergara at the 2019 premiere of Jay & Silent Bob Reboot, said the biggest adjustment to marriage is 'coming to grips with the idea that someone who is not related to you could possibly love you that much'; seen in 2019 Meanwhile, Joe recently admitted he is still 'coming to grips' with the fact he is married to Sofia and she has so much love for him. He said: 'The biggest adjustment in marriage? Coming to grips with the idea that someone who is not related to you could possibly love you that much. 'She was it for me. People say things like, 'Marriage and relationships are work'. But it's not. Life is hard. Having somebody to help you deal with it is the greatest thing that ever happened.' WASHINGTON (AP) A nationwide eviction moratorium is set to expire Saturday after President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress worked furiously but ultimately failed to align on a long-shot strategy to prevent millions of Americans from being forced from their homes during a COVID-19 surge. More than 3.6 million Americans are at risk of eviction, some in a matter of days, as nearly $47 billion in federal housing aid to the states during the pandemic has been slow to make it into the hands of renters and landlords owed payments. Tensions mounted late Friday as it became clear there would be no resolution in sight. Hours before the ban was set to expire, Biden called on local governments to take all possible steps to immediately disburse the funds. Evictions could begin as soon as Monday. There can be no excuse for any state or locality not accelerating funds to landlords and tenants that have been hurt during this pandemic, Biden said in a statement. Every state and local government must get these funds out to ensure we prevent every eviction we can, he said. The stunning outcome, as the White House and Congress each expected the other to act, exposed a rare divide between the president and his allies on Capitol Hill, and one that could have lasting impact as the nation's renters face widespread evictions. Biden set off the scramble by announcing he would allow the eviction ban to expire, rather than challenge a recent Supreme Court ruling signaling this would be the last deadline. He called on Congress on Thursday to swiftly pass legislation to extend the date. Racing to respond, Democrats strained to rally the votes early Friday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi implored colleagues to pass legislation extending the deadline, calling it a moral imperative, to protect renters and also the landlords who are owed compensation. Congress must meet the needs of the American people: both the families unable to make rent and those to whom the rent is to be paid, she said in an overnight letter late Thursday. But after hours of behind-the-scenes wrangling throughout the day, Democratic lawmakers had questions and could not muster support to extend the ban even a few months. An attempt to simply approve an extension by consent, without a formal vote, was objected to by House Republicans. The Senate may try again Saturday. Lawmakers were livid at prospect of evictions in the middle of a surging pandemic. Housing is a primary social indicator of health, in and of itself, even absent COVID, said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. A mass eviction in the United States does represent a public health crisis unto itself. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., the Financial Services Committee chair who wrote the emergency bill, said House leaders should have held the vote, even if it failed, to show Americans they were trying to solve the problem. Is it emergency enough that youre going to stop families from being put on the street? Waters testified at an hastily called hearing early Friday morning urging her colleagues to act. What the hell is going to happen to these children? But Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, the top Republican on another panel handling the issue, said the Democrats bill was rushed. This is not the way to legislate, she said. The ban was initially put in place to prevent further spread of COVID-19 by people put out on the streets and into shelters. Congress pushed nearly $47 billion to the states earlier in the COVID-19 crisis to shore up landlords and renters as workplaces shut down and many people were suddenly out of work. But lawmakers said state governments have been slow to distribute the money. On Friday, they said only some $3 billion has been spent. By the end of March, 6.4 million American households were behind on their rent, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. As of July 5, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. said they faced eviction in the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey. Some places are likely to see spikes in evictions starting Monday, while other jurisdictions will see an increase in court filings that will lead to evictions over several months. Biden said Thursday that the administration's hands are tied after the Supreme Court signaled the moratorium would only be extended until the end of the month. At the White House, deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration backs the congressional effort to extend the eviction moratorium to protect these vulnerable renters and their families. The White House has been clear that Biden would have liked to extend the federal eviction moratorium because of the spread of the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus. But there are also concerns that challenging the court could lead to a ruling restricting the administrations ability to respond to future public health crises. The administration is trying to keep renters in place through other means. It released more than $1.5 billion in rental assistance in June, which helped nearly 300,000 households. Biden on Thursday asked the departments of Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture and Veterans Affairs to extend their eviction moratoriums on households living in federally insured, single-family homes. In a statement late Friday the agencies announced an extension of the foreclosure-related ban through the end of September. On a 5-4 vote last month, the Supreme Court allowed the broad eviction ban to continue through the end of July. One of those in the majority, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, made clear he would block any additional extensions unless there was clear and specific congressional authorization. Aides to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, the chair of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, said the two were working on legislation to extend the moratorium and were asking Republicans not to block it. The public health necessity of extended protections for renters is obvious," said Diane Yentel, executive director of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. "If federal court cases made a broad extension impossible, the Biden administration should implement all possible alternatives, including a more limited moratorium on federally backed properties. Landlords, who have opposed the moratorium and challenged it repeatedly in court, are against any extension. They, too, are arguing for speeding up the distribution of rental assistance. The National Apartment Association and several others this week filed a federal lawsuit asking for $26 billion in damages because of the impact of the moratorium. Any extension of the eviction moratorium equates to an unfunded government mandate that forces housing providers to deliver a costly service without compensation and saddles renters with insurmountable debt, association president and CEO Bob Pinnegar said, adding that the current crisis highlights a need for more affordable housing. ___ Casey reported from Boston. Associated Press writers Alexandra Jaffe, Mark Sherman and Kevin Freking in Washington contributed to this report. HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after President Joe Bidens administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rent. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 Pennsylvania: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? Pennsylvanias court-ordered housing eviction moratorium ended in August 2020, but there also have been local moratoriums in at least two cities. In Philadelphia, an order that requires landlords to go through the Philadelphia Eviction Diversion Program before seeking a court eviction for nonpayment of rent has been extended until the end of August. In Harrisburg, a citywide eviction moratorium which also extended to rooming houses expired in mid-June. In January, the state Supreme Court modified rules for landlords, giving them more time to seek repossession of their properties. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? In January, Pennsylvania used its share of the federal pandemic housing relief money to set up the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, which helps with rent, overdue rent, utilities and other housing-related costs linked to COVID-19. The program began in March. The state Human Services Department says $847 million in federal pandemic aid is designated to help renters and landlords in Pennsylvania. Through June, $133 million has gone to more than 30,500 Pennsylvania households. Another $671 million in federal rental aid is in the pipeline, and a Human Services spokesperson said this week the agency is developing a distribution formula to get that money to counties. Eligible applicants can get up to 18 months of help for past-due or future rent or utility costs. Matthew Rich, a tenants lawyer for MidPenn Legal Services in Harrisburg, said Dauphin County has paid out more than $3 million in rental support to slightly more than 570 applicants since March 1, but still has nearly 2,100 applications pending. He said about $48,000 of that total went toward overdue electric bills. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? Lawyers say procedures and practices have varied across the state, in some cases from courtroom to courtroom within a county. Since early this year, courts have generally been handling eviction cases but not issuing final eviction orders in cases of nonpayment of rent often leaving landlords unauthorized to take possession of their properties and change locks. Community Legal Services says Philadelphia's landlord-tenant officer is currently locking out about 100 tenants a week, with a backlog of about 900 as of July 1. In the first weeks, all have been cases that were heard before the pandemic. Community Legal Services says the great majority didn't realize they were being locked out and many have pending applications for rental assistance. HOW AFFORDABLE IS HOUSING IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? Experts say there is a shortage of quality, affordable housing in Pennsylvania, with a significant percentage of renters paying 30% to 50% of their gross income on rent. In the state's large cities, rents for a two-bedroom apartment have gone up over the past year. In the region that includes Philadelphia, such rents rose about 3.2% in the year ending in June, for a median rent of about $1,800, according to Realtor.com. Pittsburgh rent for a two-bedroom apartment went up by 10.3% over the past year, to about $1,500, the site reported. Philadelphia is affordable compared to other big cities, but it's the poorest of the nation's 10 largest cities, making its housing less affordable for its residents. Rich said affordable rental units can often be of lower quality. If you find a place that's affordable, it's usually affordable because there are problems with the property which make it affordable, Rich said. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? A recent U.S. Census Bureau study suggests more than 186,000 Pennsylvanians are somewhat likely or very likely to lose their homes to eviction over the coming two months. Many people involved with tenants and landlords fear there will be a spike in homelessness. And we do have a housing shortage there's no two ways about it," said Rita Dallago with the Pennsylvania Residential Owners Association in Camp Hill. "And this housing shortage is going to get worse before it gets better. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription and are still unable to access our content, please link your digital account to your print subscription If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. In September last year, Sanjjanaa was named as one of the accused in the infamous Sandalwood Drug Case. After undergoing a trying year and a half, the actress has been working hard at settling back in life. Signalling changing times, she has signed a multilingual film, for which she has even commenced shooting for in Hyderabad. We caught up with the actress to get the low-down on how she handled the year that went by. Excerpts from the conversation: Q You have gone through a rather hard phase in your life. What were your realisations? I want neither friends nor relatives in my life anymore; all of them turned out to be gold-diggers. Do you know that Id cleared the hospital bill of one of my friends when his daughter was born? And yet the other day, he became a fake witness in my case. Even my relatives have been trying to be sweet with me since I came out of this. But my family has always been supportive. From now on, I want to make work my friend as my complete focus is on films now. Q What were you going through when all of this started? Initially, I was shattered and dejected. I was clueless about what was happening and was shocked to see what was being written about me. In fact, at one point, while watching the news I wondered, Is it about me? The whole episode has been an eye-opener and has taught me life lessons. Certain people try to harm others but they cant do it forever. Harming is temporary; blessings are permanent. But lifes good now. Q What did it take for you to come out of the traumatic episode? Prayers kept me strong; I am a changed person now. I have been practicing yoga for the longest time, so yoga gave me psychological strength. I try to be neutral and dont get carried away with successes and dont get into a shell because of a failure. This attitude has helped me in coming back. Also, Ive been working ever since I was 12, so situations have taught me to come back strongly from any corner alone. I can fight it out, and I dont need sympathy. I have been dragged into the controversy needlessly because I am a celeb. But I believe in the law and respect the judiciary. The truth will ultimately prevail. In the meantime, Ive put on around 10 kilos, out of which I have lost 5 kg since I began working out. Q Given that you started working in life rather early, how do you reflect on your journey? Before coming into films, I was part of more than 100 commercials. So looking back, the journey has been gratifying because I did everything on my own. Ive seen highs and lows, but sustaining for so many years in the film industry has been a blessing. Q You always wanted your marriage to be a low key affair. In October 2018, Id gotten engaged to Azeez Pasha, whos a cardiovascular surgeon based in Bengaluru. Back then, Id wanted to get married in one of the best places in India, and hoped to invite guests from all over. But the pandemic broke out just as I was planning the wedding. Then this entire episode played out. After the incident, I realised that some of those I was hoping to invite for my wedding were among the gold-diggers in my life. Id started my foundation during this pandemic and have been doing my bit to alleviate the sufferings of people. Soon, however, the expenses started piling up and I had to break my fixed deposits (FDs) in the bank. Also, I had to spend a bomb for my lawyer fee. I eventually ran out of my savings. In fact, my husband had to clear some of my foundation bills. [Smiles softly] Q You and Pasha had been seeing each other for 13 years? I first saw him in a hospital in Bengaluru in 2006. I went as one of the guests to celebrate the hospitals ceremonial day. And it was love at first sight for me as I walked the ramp with him. And you know what, my face turned red instantly when I saw another model trying to get close to him. I wondered why its happening, but then I quickly realised it was love. Our friendship developed into love. Neither of us proposed to each other because we both had the same feelings. Our respective families also know about us. But I was the one who made the first move for marriage. I asked him, When are we getting married? And he then replied, Soon. So finally, we got married towards the end of 2020. Q How has life been after marriage and how supportive has your husband been? I feel companionship is a must, and Pasha has been the pillar of my strength. My in-laws too were supportive as theyve known me for a long time, too. Honestly, without their support, I wouldve perhaps struggled to come out of this. Q Tell us about Manishankar, your upcoming film? Manishankar is a multilingual philosophical thriller, in which I play Sharanya, its an intense character. I cant talk about my role much, but I can share that I am done with 80% of the work. New releases like Ishq: Not A Love Story and Thimmarusu helped the exhibitors make a good start to the screening of films. (Representational Photo: PTI) Vijayawada: Cinema theatres resumed screening of films after a gap of three months, with 50 per cent occupancy and in strict compliance with Covid-19 protocol across Andhra Pradesh with an exception for East Godavari, on Friday. Though exhibitors feared a poor turnout of movie buffs to watch the films for fear of the Covid19 conditions, there was a good response on the first day morning show itself. For the matinee show, the turnout was higher. Second show would remain suspended as the AP government has extended the night curfew from 10pm to 6am the next day up until August 14. New releases like Ishq: Not A Love Story and Thimmarusu helped the exhibitors make a good start to the screening of films. Exhibitors, distributors and producers held a meeting in Vijayawada on July 29. The executive committee of the Telugu film chamber of commerce also met on Friday to discuss the problems they are facing in the present context. Exhibitors were unanimous that they can no longer screen the films at the rates of admission fixed by the state government via GO 35 in municipal corporation, municipality, nagar panchayat and gram panchayat areas for some classes. The highest rate fixed was at Rs 250 and lowest at Rs five. Their main contention is that except for some classes in AC theatres, the rates are no longer remunerative even to meet the maintenance expenditure of theatres. However, the exhibitors appreciated the state governments decision to apply curbs on hefty charges being collected from the movie buffs for the screening of benefit shows of high budget films of popular actors. The meeting appealed to the state government to consider their plea to revise the rates also as they are incurring huge amounts by way of power bills ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 4 lakh per month. This apart, there existed the tax burden and the problem of a decline in revenue collections due to reduced admissions to theatres at 50 per cent occupancy and limit for screening of only three shows a day -- unlike the earlier practice of four -- and payment of wages to nearly 20 to 30 workers for each theatre, apart from other maintenance expenses. It was alleged that the lions share of revenue from the film production and screening is being knocked away by the top actors who charged Rs 40-50 crore and directors Rs 10-15 crore per film, while producers, distributors, exhibitors, artists and workers are bearing the brunt of the enhanced costs in film production and screening for varied reasons. Meanwhile, no film was screened in East Godavari district as the exhibitors, distributors and producers insisted that their grievances vis-a-vis the rates for admission be redressed first. Telugu film chamber of commerce vice president Rama Dasu said, We make an earnest appeal to our CM to address our grievances and help the Telugu film industry revive in AP. The judge said that if the students had already paid the first installment for this academic year, the balance shall be paid by way of installments and the last one shall be paid on or before February 1, 2022. (PTI Photo) Chennai: The Madras High Court on Friday permitted private unaided schools in Tamil Nadu to collect 85 per cent of the annual fees for the year 2021-22 in six installments from students whose parents had not suffered loss of income during the COVID-19 pandemic period. This, provided the schools conducted the online classes without any hindrance, the court said. Parents who have suffered loss of income during this period shall make an application to the school management, who shall consider their request and collect 75 per cent of the fees, as per a circular by the Commissioner of School Education for 2021- 2022, in six instalments. Justice D Krishnakumar issued directions to this effect today while disposing of a batch of over 45 writ petitions from the Federation of Association of Private Schools in Tamil Nadu (FAPSIT). This revised order was passed to protect the interest of the students, as well as the school managements during this extraordinary situation, the judge said. The fees was 75 per cent for the 2020-21 academic year. The judge said that if the students had already paid the first installment for this academic year, the balance shall be paid by way of installments and the last one shall be paid on or before February 1, 2022. If any parents/students seek further concession for payment of annual fees for 2021-22, apart from the above two categories on account of unemployment or close down of business due to lockdown, they shall make a representation to the school management, who shall consider such representation on a case-to-case basis, sympathetically. The institutions shall also collect the arrears of fees payable for 2020-2021 in similar terms. The judge made it clear that if any student has already paid the entire fees, including arrears, the same shall not be a ground to claim for refund of the fees. Further, schools shall not debar any student from attending online or physical classes on account of non-payment of fees, arrears/outstanding fees, including the instalments referred to above and not withhold the results of the examinations of any student on that ground. Regardless of the above, it will be open to the schools to give further concessions to their students or to evolve a different pattern for giving concessions over and above those noted above. No student shall be removed or allowed to drop out from under any circumstances during 2021-22 and it is the responsibility of the jurisdictional educational authorities to monitor the same, the judge said. If any difficulty is faced by the students to continue in a particular school, they can approach the jurisdictional educational authorities, who shall make necessary arrangements to accommodate the ward in a nearby state-run institution. As a special case under extraordinary circumstances, the state government may also consider to sanction amount for the fees if there is any unfilled seats available under the 25 per cent quota under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 for 2021-22, subject to eligibility criteria. The managements of CBSE schools shall publish the details of fees to be collected for 2021-2022 in their respective websites, within four weeks. In case of a dispute in respect of determination of fees, the school managements or students/parents concerned can approach the Fee Determination Committee for redressal of their grievances. Students who seek to leave the school may inform the schools concerned. The education department has already issued a circular that schools cannot insist upon production of Transfer Certificates for admission of students in schools. The state government shall take all necessary steps to fill up the vacancies in the cadre of staff and ensure effective functioning of the Fee Determination Committee. The said exercise shall be completed by the secretary, School Education department within eight weeks, the court said. KCR was addressing a meeting at Telangana Bhavan on Friday after formally inducting senior BJP leader from Huzurabad, E. Peddi Reddy into the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) fold along with his supporters. (Photo:DC) HYDERABAD: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao said Opposition parties in Telangana were gripped by fear of Dalita Bandhu scheme. He said the very mention of the scheme was creating tremors among the Opposition parties and their leaders were scared as if someone had dropped a bomb on them. The CM categorically stated no one could stop Dalita Bandhu and he would go ahead with the scheme, come what might. He said he would not go back on the scheme even if it required spending Rs 1 lakh crore. Rao said he had three more new schemes like Dalita Bandhu in his mind and if he implemented them, the Opposition parties would lose their identity and vanish from Telangana. "I fail to understand why the Opposition parties are so much frightened of Dalita Bandhu. Ever since I announced the Dalita Bandhu, Opposition leaders are raising a hue and cry as if someone has dropped a bomb on them. They should realise that Dalit Bandhu is not a new scheme. It was conceived in March 2020 but its implementation was delayed by over a year due to Covid-19 and subsequent financial crisis. Even in this year's budget in March, we sanctioned Rs 1,000 crore for this scheme. Since we have to make a beginning somewhere, I have decided to launch this scheme in Huzurabad soon," the Chief Minister stated. Rao was addressing a meeting at Telangana Bhavan on Friday after formally inducting senior BJP leader from Huzurabad, E. Peddi Reddy into the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) fold along with his supporters. "When I said I will provide 24x7 uninterrupted power supply to all sectors soon after becoming Chief Minister in 2014, the Opposition parties ridiculed me. When I launched Kaleshwaram, Mission Bhagiratha, 24x7 free power to agriculture, Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima, Kalyana Lakshmi schemes etc, they again expressed doubts over the implementation. But today, they all are a reality in front of our eyes. They are now talking against Dalit Bandhu in the same manner. But I will successfully implement Dalit Bandhu and show them the results," the Chief Minister remarked. He said Dalit Bandhu was the result of six years of his brainstorming sessions with officials and intellectuals on how to empower Dalits in the state socially and economically and it was not done overnight. "It requires a lot of money to implement Dalit Bandhu. For this reason, it took time. Today Telangana has reached a stage where it can afford to implement this scheme. Telangana GSDP and per capita income today is double the national average. Telangana is flooded with more and more investments and industries. Our agriculture production has increased by leaps and bounds and contributed 17 per cent to GSDP, the highest in the country. Our state will prosper even more in the coming years. I felt this is the right time to implement Dalit Bandhu," Rao added. Google has been publishing its Transparency Report since 2010(Photo: PTI/File) New Delhi: Google removed 71,132 pieces of content in May and took 83,613 removal actions in June following user complaints, the company said in its monthly transparency reports released on Friday. In addition to reports from users, Google also removed 6,34,357 pieces of content in May and 5,26,866 in June as a result of automated detection. The US-based company has made these disclosures as part of compliance with India's IT rules that came into force on May 26. In its maiden report, Google said it had received over 27,700 complaints in April this year from individual users in India over alleged violation of local laws or personal rights, which resulted in the removal of 59,350 pieces of content. In its report for May, Google said it had received 34,883 complaints from individual users located in India via designated mechanisms, and the number of removal actions as a result of user complaints was 71,132. These complaints relate to third-party content that is believed to violate local laws or personal rights on Google's SSMI (significant social media intermediary) platforms, it added. The content removal was done under several categories, including copyright (70,365), defamation (753), counterfeit (5), other legal (4), circumvention (3) and graphic sexual content (2). Google explained that a single complaint may specify multiple items that potentially relate to the same or different pieces of content, and each unique URL in a specific complaint is considered an individual "item" that is removed. In June, Google received 36,265 complaints - the highest till now - from individual users located in India via designated mechanisms. It removed 83,613 pieces of content as a result of user complaints in the said month. Content removed during June was done under similar categories as in May. Copyright segment accounted for the largest number of content removed (83,054), trademark (532), counterfeit (14), circumvention (4), other legal (2), graphic sexual content (1) and defamation (1). Three content pieces were removed under the impersonation category and two under court order. Under the new IT rules, large digital platforms - with over 5 million users - will have to publish periodic compliance reports every month, mentioning the details of complaints received and action taken thereon. The report is to also include the number of specific communication links or parts of the information that the intermediary has removed or disabled access to in pursuance of any proactive monitoring conducted by using automated tools. Google removed 6,34,357 pieces of content in May and 5,26,866 in June as a result of automated detection. This data is a new addition to the compliance reports. Talking about automated detection, Google said it invests heavily in fighting harmful content online and uses technology to detect and remove it from its platforms (including YouTube). This includes using automated detection processes for some of our products to prevent the dissemination of harmful content such as child sexual abuse material and violent extremist content. Automated detection enables us to act more quickly and accurately to enforce our guidelines and policies, the company noted. These removal actions may result in removing the content or terminating a bad actor's access to the Google service. The volume of automated detection is close to 10x that of user complaints, the company said. Google has been publishing its Transparency Report since 2010 that provides details on government requests for content removals on a biannual basis. The company also reports on YouTube content removals quarterly. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Monsoon floods and landslides have cut off more than 300,000 people in villages across southeast Bangladesh and killed at least 20 people including six Rohingya refugees, officials said Friday. The region along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border where nearly one million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar are in camps has been battered by torrential rain since Monday. "The floods have stranded some 306,000 people in Cox's Bazar district. At least 70 villages have been submerged by floods," Mamunur Rashid, the district administrator, told AFP. "At least 20 people have died in floods and landslides including six Rohingya refugees," he added. About 36,000 people have been moved into schools and cyclone shelters, officials said. "Many homes are waterlogged. Thousands of people have not been able to get out for the last three days. The roads are all blocked," Tipu Sultan, a councillor in remote Jhilwanja Union, told AFP by telephone. Earlier this week Bangladesh evacuated 10,000 Rohingya from around refugee camps in Cox's Bazar because of the storms. Aid workers said a coronavirus lockdown in the camps, following a major spike in cases, has affected rescue work as access is restricted. About 740,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar's Rakhine state in 2017 after security forces launched a clampdown that the UN has said may amount to genocide. Resurgent after her re-election, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is on a short reconnaissance to explore Opposition unity for the 2024 general election. If the regional parties start working together now, she says, no one can stop a "political toofan (storm)" when the time comes. Her election strategist Prashant Kishor may have planted the seed of ambition in her mind to lead the Opposition to victory. However, she claims ignorance about who would lead the Opposition saying she was no "political astrologer". By meeting Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, leaders of the only national, even if somewhat ramshackle, party, Banerjee is testing the waters. Leaders of regional parties like Sharad Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party and Uddhav Thackeray of the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, and YS Jaganmohan Reddy of the YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh also seem convinced that an effective Opposition-formation must include the Congress. However, Banerjee's announcement of a two-judge commission of enquiry into the Pegasus surveillance scandal before coming to Delhi looks like one-upmanship vis-a-vis the rest of the Opposition, demanding either a parliamentary probe or a judicial inquiry. Inexplicably after ordering an inquiry, Banerjee now wants a Supreme Court supervised investigation. Read | IOU is Mamata Banerjee's khela: Will it work? She should have known that Section 3 of the Commissions of Inquiry Act 1952 clearly states that if a state government has already ordered an inquiry into a subject of public importance, "the Centre shall not appoint another Commission to inquire into the same matter" - unless it wants to expand the scope of the inquiry to two or more states. Banerjee says that she was prompted to act by the Centre's inaction. However, she has not explained why she did not consult other opposition parties. Their leaders have also been ostensible targets of Pegasus surveillance. In her exuberance to take on the Modi government, Banerjee seems to have lost sight of the need to work together with the parliamentary Opposition. To bring the enquiry within the jurisdiction of West Bengal, her government has cited the impact the spying scandal has had on public order and the police both matters which lie in the State List. However, the Centre could ask the Supreme Court to dismiss the West Bengal Inquiry, arguing that the transgressions, if any, fall within the competencies assigned to it in the Union List (i.e. posts and telegraphs, telephones, wireless, broadcasting and other like forms of communication). If Banerjee wants to lead a national Opposition front against the BJP, she will also have to temper her ambition with some realism. Her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), returned to power by decimating not the BJP but the parties of the Opposition in Bengal, the Congress and the Left. While the BJP failed to get the 200 plus seats central to its election hype, its seat tally went up from 3 in 2016 to 77 in 2021 and its vote share from 10 per cent to 38.13 per cent. Also Read | Didi's national gambit to push Modi's hand That the Congress lost constituencies considered its home turf like Malda and Murshidabad suggests that Muslim voters chose to abandon it and the Left parties to strategically vote for the TMC. In the extreme polarisation of the election by the BJP, they probably saw the TMC as the only party capable of forming a government and preventing a communal tsunami. However, different factors could determine their voting behaviour in 2024. Also, after bottoming out, the electoral prospects of the Congress and BJP can only improve in West Bengal. So can Banerjee win all 42 Lok Sabha seats from her state in 2024? In 2019 TMC won 22, BJP 18 and the Congress 2. If the Congress wins more than 42 seats from the rest of India, can Banerjee justifiably claim to be the national leader of the Opposition post-2024? Will the DMK, for example, then go with her or with the Congress? If the Congress with its all-India reach emerges as the largest anti-BJP party (although it is incompetent enough to lose that position), then would it support a government led by Banerjee as it did in 1996 with the HD Devegowda government and then the one led by IK Gujral, which it knew could be brought down easily? Its experiment with the Maharastra Vikas Aghadi alliance suggests that the Congress is now more interested in sharing power than bolstering someone else's power ambitions. There could, therefore, be many imponderables in Banerjee's way. It is also possible that Banerjee is being encouraged to test the waters by Sharad Pawar. He nurtures national ambitions and may reveal his cards at a more appropriate stage. Banerjee has done well to initiate early efforts for Opposition unity. However, a more collegial approach without one-upmanship is likely to be more productive not only for her but also for the Opposition. (The writer is a journalist based in Delhi) Trials mixing a first dose of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine with AstraZeneca's vaccine revealed no serious side effects among volunteers, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said on Friday. The trial involved 50 people and began in Azerbaijan in February, RDIF, which is responsible for marketing Sputnik V vaccine abroad, said in the statement. Released: July 30, 2021 The Delaware County Emergency Rental Assistance Program Offering Help As the end of the Federal Moratorium on Evictions approaches July 31, the Delaware County Emergency Rental Assistance Program (DELCO ERA) stands ready as a vital resource to help qualified low-income renters with emergency rent and utility assistance. Since April 1, 2021, DELCO ERA has received 7,000 applications, approved and/or funded 2,600 grants for a total of $19.5 million. We are grateful to the U.S. Treasury and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for their confidence in DelCo ERA with the $37 million allocated for ERA 1 and the $11.9 million down payment on ERA2, said Delaware County Councilman Kevin Madden. Each day 50 to 60 households register for DelCo ERA. Our network of Community Partners and our investment in our production system means that DelCo ERA has the capacity to effectively serve our residents in need. DelCo ERA can assist qualifying households with up to twelve months of back rent and utilities and up to three months of future assistance. Registration for the program is open for both tenants and landlords at www.delco-era.com. DELCO ERA is fully equipped to move quickly to help qualifying applicants facing eviction. Tenants and landlords are strongly encouraged to register for assistance at www.delco-era.com. Applications from tenants experiencing or facing eviction are processed at the highest priority. In an effort to support residents or landlords without access to the Internet or devices to apply, In-Person Application Intake Sessions are held every Saturday at The Countys Upper Darby Office, (20 South 69th Street, Upper Darby) on the fourth floor. Sessions are by appointment only. Call: (484) 729-4200 or Email: info@delco-era.com to schedule an appointment. Program staff are eager to serve residents in need of assistance. Please see attached schedule of a series of in-person application intake sessions for the month of August coordinated by the Multicultural Community Family Services and the Delaware County Immigrant Coalition. Please call: (484) 729-4200 or Email: info@delco-era.com to schedule an onsite appointment. How the program works: DELCO ERA will pay for past due rent and utilities, and up to three months of future eligible housing/utility expenses totaling up to 15 months of assistance for qualifying applicants. Past due rent can go as far back as April 1, 2020. DELCO ERA does not pay for deposits or late fees. No more than one application per household. Grant funds are paid directly to the landlord/property manager and the utility company. Funds will be distributed on a first-come, first qualified and approved basis until program funds are depleted. Applicants must provide evidence of disruption and/or loss due to the COVID pandemic such as: - Qualified for unemployment benefits during the pandemic or can attest in writing that they, or a member of their household, has experienced a reduction of income, incurred significant costs, or experienced other financial hardship due, directly or indirectly, to the pandemic; and - Can demonstrate a risk of housing instability and/or homelessness such as a past due utility, past due rent notice, or eviction notice. Eligible applicants must earn 80% or less of the area median income (AMI) for their household size. Applicants get highest priority for processing if the total household income is less than 50% AMI and/or households with at least one person unemployed for at least 90 days prior to the date of their full application and/or currently undergoing eviction proceedings that commenced prior to January 1st, 2021. HUD INCOME LIMITS 2020 DELAWARE COUNTY Household Size 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Very Low Income (50%) $33,850 $38,650 $43,500 $48,300 $52,200 $56,050 $59,900 $63,800 Low Income (80%) $54,150 $61,850 $69,600 $77,300 $83,500 $89,700 $95,900 $102,050 Residents are encouraged to apply early as funds are limited. Application Specialists are available to assist. People with language and/or physical challenges can request assistance with application submission. Residents can email or call for assistance: Email: info@delco-era.com Call: (484) 729-4200 Editor of Town Talk, News & Press of Delaware County Call me wife, mom, daughter, granny, writer, neighbor, sister, aunt, editor, Godmother, niece, friend, acquaintance, co-worker, cousin, news junkie, diva, funmeister... call me them all, just call, text or e-mail me-- especially when there's "a scoop!" You are the owner of this article. The Western Trust is asking patients and their families to assist the Trust by supporting timely discharge from its hospitals as our health service continues to deal with severe bed pressures due to the escalating demands of Covid-19. Executive Director of Nursing, Primary Care and Older People's Services with the Western Trust, Dr Bob Brown, said: Our Health and Care Services are experiencing a period of sustained pressure at present. Our hospitals, like all others across the region are working beyond capacity, with many very ill patients waiting for hospital beds. The essential co-operation of patients, and their families and carers on discharge, will help free up beds during this extremely challenging time. To help the Western Trust free up essential beds, which are required for very sick patients, the Trust is appealing to both patients and families to assist by considering the following actions: If patients are deemed medically fit by the consultant/senior doctor to go home, they and their families should ensure there are arrangements in place to be picked up promptly on the day of discharge. Medical and nursing teams can help you make these arrangements. If patients are deemed medically fit by the consultant/senior doctor to go home and are waiting on a care home placement, Trust staff will allocate the first place that is suitable for you. This may not necessarily be your first choice but it is important to note that the Western Trust will work closely with you to move your family member to your first choice at a later date. If you are deemed medically fit by the consultant/senior doctor to go home, and there is a delay in sourcing new or additional home care (domiciliary care), you may be discharged and these elements of your care package will be organised when you get home. Additional family support may be required until the home care package is finalised. Encouraging families and carers to help with timely discharges, Dr Brown continued: Everyone is aware, from ongoing daily media reports, that Health and Social Care across the region is again currently under huge strain due to current Covid-19 surge. We are in very challenging times so we are asking you to help us so we can help others who are very ill and need a hospital bed. We continue to need your support. Our staff are continuing to work hard to ensure that patients receive the treatment and care that they need. To help them, we are asking that patients do not remain in hospital any longer than necessary. We also need families to provide transport to transfer loved ones from the hospital in a timely manner (whenever this is possible). A Derry man who told police he loves to drive has been disqualified for 12 months after committing a series of motoring offences. Robert Payne, 27, whose address was given as John Street, admitted failing to stop for police, two counts of using a motor vehicle without insurance, two counts of having no driving license and driving without due care and attention. The offences took place on March 9 and 13, 2021. A Public Prosecution Service (PPS) representative outlined the facts. On March 9 after 6pm the defendant was driving a Peugeot on Bridge Street when he was found to have no driving documentation. He failed to stop for police and his car was seized at a later date. On March 13 a Seat car failed to stop for An Garda Siochana while heading in the direction of Killea. A Seat car was spotted at Bridge Street and it was suspected that Payne owned it. He was subsequently arrested. A PPS representative said the defendants mobile phone was seized which contained evidence of buying the car. She added that a video also showed the pursuit with the Garda. During police interview Payne told officers, I love to drive, the PPS representative said. Defence solicitor Paddy MacDermott said his client had been in custody from March to July and this was his first no insurance offence. He also pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and didnt try to evade responsibility. Mr MacDermott said the defendant has difficulties driving and other difficulties in his life. Deputy District Judge OHare fined the defendant 750 and disqualified him from driving for a period of 12 months. Ganapath: Kriti Sanon reveals when the Tiger Shroff starrer will go on floors; opens up about her prep Back in 2014, Kriti Sanon and Tiger Shroff began their journey together in the magical land of cinema with Sabbir Khan and Sajid Nadiadwalas romantic action film Heropanti. They blew audiences away with their raw talent, fresh pairing and adorable on-screen chemistry. Well, 7 years later Tiger and Kriti are two of the most sought after actors of the film industry. Much to our delight, they are now gearing up to share the big screen once again in their upcoming project Ganapath. In February this year, Tiger unveiled Kritis first look from their action thriller. The actress looked badass in a ripped black outfit with messy hair as she posed on a dirt bike with fire blazing in the background. Talking about her prep for the film in a recent interview with Mid Day, Kriti shared, I have some action sequences in Ganapath. I train for them [whenever] the 'Adipurush' shoot [affords me] breaks. She went on to add, I have to pick up dirt biking in the [weeks to come]. The project will go on floors sometime this year. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tiger Shroff (@tigerjackieshroff) Other than Ganapath, Kriti has many other exciting projects in the pipeline, which fans are eagerly waiting to hear more about. She will be seen as Sita alongside South superstar Prabhas and Saif Ali Khan in Om Rauts Adipurush, will reunite with her Bareilly Ki Barfi co-star Rajkummar Rao in Hum Do Hamare Do and will share the big screen with Akshay Kumar in Bachchan Pandey. Thats not all! Kriti has also completed the shoot of her monster comedy Bhediya, opposite Varun Dhawan. Busy bee! Khushiyaan Foundation thanks Maniesh Paul for recognising their efforts and extending help as Bharti Singh donates through his podcast Through the pandemic, Maniesh Paul has extended his support to the needy through various means. The actor and host launched his podcast, which also turned into a medium to help Khushiyaan Foundation as his guest Bharti Singh made a generous donation via his platform. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Maniesh Paul (@manieshpaul) In the latest episode of Maniesh Paul's Podcast, the actor welcomed Chinu Kwatra, the founder of Khushiyaan Foundation who has been actively supporting people through their fight against the pandemic. While Maniesh Paul has earlier offered his help to the foundation, Bharti Singh also used his podcast as a platform to make a donation. Expressing his gratitude towards Maniesh for the help, Chinu Kwatra said, "It's people like you (Maniesh) who shine the spotlight on us. You've made a platform for real people, to share their voice with others." He also said that Bharti Singh's contribution could feed the kids of his foundation for a month. Maniesh Paul had earlier hosted a doctor in the first episode of his podcast to impart knowledge about the various aspects of the pandemic. The actor also welcomed social activist Jitendar Singh Shunty to recognise his efforts through the second wave of Covid-19. Giving importance to mental health, Maniesh also hosted a hypnotherapist on his podcast, along with welcoming Bharti Singh and Chinu Kwatra. Using his colloquial skills and social media platforms, Maniesh Paul has brought to light heartwarming conversations with people from different walks of life through his podcast. Currently gearing up for his upcoming film 'Jug Jugg Jeeyo' under the banner of Karan Johar's Dharma Production, Maniesh Paul also has an interesting line up of projects which is expected to be announced soon. Subscriber content preview PORTLAND (AP) The state of Oregon will require students and staff in K-12 schools to wear masks indoors this fall, Gov. Kate Brown announced Thursday. The decision follows this week's updated national masking guidelines and a spike in COVID-19 cases in Oregon, due to the highly transmissible delta variant. . . . Subscriber content preview BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) An Illinois woman faces criminal charges after she was captured on video being bluff charged by a grizzly bear while she was taking photos in Yellowstone National Park. The woman was among a small group of tourists who spotted the female grizzly and her two cubs on May 15 in the Roaring Mountain area of the park, The Billings Gazette reported. . . . The Perils of `Indian' Democracy Like the socialist state withering away at its extreme, the liberals think that extreme liberalism would also help drive the state into anarchy! Democracy, it is said, represents the will of the people, reflected through majority voting. It does not, however, provide for a subversion process to undo the majority will. But the so-called liberal democracy has added a new feature of destabilising elected governments using media propaganda and supporting opponents of the government, including anti-nationals. Liberal democracy pours in various ways human rights being the first stream media propaganda about cultural attacks on religious groups, races and social castes and classes, allegations of fraud and so on as its protagonists think suitable for meeting their ends. These liberals also consider it their right to decide what is good or bad for the Indian people, assigning to themselves the right to oppose laws of the land and government decisions. The spokespersons and supporting structures of the so-called `liberal democracy are driving too hard and spending liberally to make India as liberal as possible so that Indians can walk free, speak their minds out, do whatever they think, call anyone names they prefer, use the internet and the so-called social media to malign cultures and people and justify anti-national activities. The many privileges of the Indian state model include the right to oppose any move or decision good or bad - by the government and the ruling party, destabilise the government at any cost (including with support from anti-nationals and enemy nations) and even do research on how to destabilise a lawfully elected government. The liberals also have their supporting messiahs who come in various `avtars, like Rakesh Tikait, Prasant Kishore, Mamata Banerjee or the Gupkar Gang! The opposition parties in the country are now queuing up behind the so-called poll strategist, Prashant Kishore, who has been hip-hopping from the Bhartiya Janatha Party to Mamata Banerjis Trinamool Congress and is now available to any party with the right financial strength. Currently, however, Prashant Kishors Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) is in Tripura doing, what the poll strategist says, groundwork for Trinamool Congress (TMC) for the state assembly elections that will become due in 2023! Liberal democracy in its true form, however, has a more serious aim of achieving the right political-business nexus that would allow both the politicians and businesses to appropriate gains of trade and investments to themselves. Most supporters of the liberals do not understand this while several others get paid to overlook this element. They still believe that India is not one nation and can be manipulated to wither away and form different warring states so that businesses, especially the buy-out class can prosper. Like the socialist state withering away at its extreme, the liberals think that extreme liberalism would help drive the state into anarchy! They also fear the prospect of India becoming another China, which will make the market difficult to access. China, instead of withering away at the peak of communism or socialism, emerged as a state capitalist structure! The main reason behind this is the Narendra Modi governments Make in India strategy, which in one way is foreclosing some market segments permanently to foreign businesses. In olden days, there were stories of foreign powers working undercover to influence Indian state agencies and even its armed forces to revolt and seize power. In the early 60s of the last century, stories were floating about state agencies of the United States covertly egging on the Madras Regiment to seize power in the state and form a government. These liberals are using all their means to force out the duly elected government through all possible means. Inside Parliament, the opposition parties are forcing both houses to adjourn by non-stop shouting demanding discussion on their various demands, the latest being the alleged spying on opposition party leaders and so-called media persons using the Pegasus spyware. Outside the House, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, recently showed his allegiance to Rakesh Tikait, who has been protesting against the governments pro-farmer legislation. Tikait, who claims to represent farmers, has deployed his supporters on Delhis peripheries, for eight months now, running a Kisan Sansad at Jantar Mantar, parallel to the monsoon session of Parliament. The latest example of the active destabilisation effort is the forced resignation of BS Yediyurappa as Karnataka's chief minister on 26 July. Certainly, there is an external force trying to influence ruling party members to oppose their own governments. What else would explain the forced resignation of a leader who built up the Bahartiya Janata Party in a difficult state like Karnataka. These forces are counting on the caste considerations to destabilise the government and the ruling party from within the government itself! They are exploiting the incapability of Yediyurappa to rise above the position of a caste chieftain a leader of the dominant Lingayat community and accept a more generous approach to its electoral base. The fact remains that despite dissidence from within the party, Yediyurappa remains the leader who built BJPs Karnataka unit from scratch. He also is the only unifying force who can bring together different caste groups that vote for the BJP. China demonstrates 600 kmph Maglev train China has launched the worlds fastest train that can reach a speed of 600 km per hour. The magnetic levitation (Maglev) train, which made a debut in Qingdao, China, currently covers a distance of 1,000 km in 2-1/2 hours and is also the fastest ground vehicle globally. Developed in China, in the coastal city of Qingdao, the Maglev train almost floats in the as it uses ng electromagnetic force, andt levitates above the track with no contact between body and rail. China has been using the technology for almost two decades, with the maximum speed being 350 kmph. The new Maglev train not only achieves near double speeds but also emits low levels of noise pollution and requires less maintenance than other high-speed trains, Chinese media quoted Liang Jianying, deputy general manager and chief engineer of CRRC Sifang, as saying. It is also safe, reliable and has low noise pollution, small vibration, large passenger capacity, he said, adding that it can fill the speed gap between the current high-speed rail and air travel. The maglev train is the fastest mode of transportation within the 1,500 km range in terms of actual travel time. China is focusing on connecting more of its large cities by train to reduce the time and expense required to travel around the worlds most populous country while reducing pressure on air travel. There is also short-distance Maglev line that runs from one of Shanghai airports to town. With the new Maglev train, it would only take 2.5 hours to travel from Beijing to Shanghai, a distance of more than 1,000 km. It would take 2-1/2 hours by air. China is ahead of its competitors in high-speed railway technology, Lu said, adding that China, along with Germany, Japan, the UK, Canada and the US, are the main countries that are engaged in the development of maglev trains. ADA [ndash] Bryan Randall Benefield, 64, of Ada, Oklahoma passed away Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, in Ada. Memorial services will be held at 10 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021, at Estes-Phillips Funeral Home Chapel in Ada, Oklahoma. Interment will follow at Holdenville Cemetery in Holdenville, Oklahom Louth County Council (LCC) are set to spend a bonus of 385,000 on housing maintenance and disability access grants, after receiving the money unexpectedly from Irish Public Bodies Insurance Chief Executive (CE) of LCC, Joan Martin, made the announcement at the July council meeting, saying that the funding boost was not accounted for in the original 2021 budget. According to Mrs Martin, the company were in a position to pay out a 2nd premium credit to LCC, speculating that this was due to a lack of claims during the Covid-19 pandemic. Mrs Martin then proposed that the funding be spent on both housing maintenance costs for council houses, as well as disability access grants. The move was warmly welcomed across the political spectrum, with councillors saying that the funding would be well spent on housing maintenance and disability access grants. 385,000 will go a long way, said Independent Councillor Maeve Yore, who then proposed the CEs motion. Sinn Feins Kevin Meenan seconded the proposal, with nobody expressing any disagreement. Fianna Fail councillor Conor Keelan said that the proposal was very sensible from the Chief Executive, and that it had his support. The Green Partys Marianne Butler questioned if some of the funding could be used to help restore some of the tricky vacant properties owned by the council. However, Paddy Donnelly, the Director of Housing and Community Services, told the meeting that funding from the 2021 Voids Programme would bring back all current vacant houses by the end of the year, with two exceptions. According to Mr Donnelly, the council are currently working towards securing additional funding to restore the two exceptions, as the money provided by the Voids Programme is not enough to cover their repairs. Currently, there are 115 houses that are being refurbished in Louth under the 2021 Voids Programme, with 49 of those currently in Louth. Fianna Fail councillor James Byrne queried the CE about whether some of the funding could be set aside to develop an app for service alerts in the Louth area, like water outages. The CE responded that she didnt know the cost or development time for an app, but that the development of an app may be possible within LCCs yearly budget rather than using the extra funding. Concerns have been raised about the welfare of Carlingfords resident bottlenose dolphin, Finn after photos show cuts along its side. Photos of the dolphin with wounds on its side first emerged on social media last week, with the public raising concern about the welfare of Finn and whether the injury was caused by the propellor of a boat. #GiveFinnSpace Huge response to this on Facebook between myself and @CarlingfordIRE Raising awareness for the harm being caused to our Loughs resident, Bottlenose Dolphin is key to ensuring its safety. I was sad to photograph this nasty new wound on Sunday evening. pic.twitter.com/LShQBgV3MT Stephen Rooney (@ArtistRooney) July 27, 2021 The photos, which appeared on the Carlingford Lough and the Cooley Peninsula Facebook page, show a cut on the side of the local dolphin. The page itself put out a warning, asking people to be careful around Finn. Since the photos emerged last week, there have been calls for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to step in with a marine officer for the Carlingford area. Liz Sandeman, co-founder of Marine Connection, an organization based in the UK which deals with the protection of dolphins and whales, told the Democrat that the public need to be careful with dolphins. Dolphins are enigmatic mammals and the excitement they cause when they appear close to shore, and peoples wish to see or get closer to them, is understandable, said Ms Sandeman. However, it is critical the public respect that Finn is a wild dolphin and caution around him is required for the safety of both the dolphin and all water users. People should view the dolphin from a safe area on the shoreline, and if in a vessel, keep a distance of at least 100m from the animal and not change direction to follow him. Ms Sandeman said that she has contacted the Department for a marine officer to monitor potential threats to Finn. I have been in contact with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs requesting that one of their marine officers visit the area to monitor potential threats the dolphin is now facing on a regular basis (all be it unintentionally), from boats, jet skis or swimmers, said Mrs Sandeman. Finns latest injury down one side of his body is of real concern, and although there is no evidence of how he sustained this serious gash, his future welfare is at risk. Carlingford Lough is very fortunate to have its own resident dolphin and the fate of Finns future is, to a great extent, at the mercy of people's desire to swim or be closely around him. Hopefully Greenore will have its dolphin for some time yet. Finn was first spotted in the Greenore and Carlingford areas last June, where he was officially named in a poll on Facebook. Three people accused of breaching Covid public health regulations in north Louth during lockdown, have had a date fixed for the hearing of their case. They did not attend Dundalk district court last week but Judge Eirinn McKiernan said the prosecution would proceed on the next occasion. Fergal Sheehy (41) with an address at Aisling Park, Cox's Demesne, Dundalk, 65 year old Patrick Brocklebank of Rose Park, Kill Avenue, Dun Laoghaire and 26 year old Holly Casey of Tubber Lane, Arderrig, Lucan each face the two same charges. They are accused of failing to state their name and address, at Upper Faughart on January 31st last, after a requirement was made by a member of An Garda Siochana under the Health Act 1947 as amended. They are also charged with contravening a penal provision of a regulation made under the Health Act, to prevent, minimise or slow the spread of Covid-19. None of the accused attended court last month, but Mr. Sheehy had written to gardai in advance informing them he would not be appearing in court due to what he called "My own ongoing criminal investigation into the matter at hand", while Mr. Brocklebank said he would not be appearing, nor would he be represented at court, as to date he had not received a formal court summons and he claimed that 'no crime has been committed'. Last Wednesday the court heard the DPP has directed summary disposal - which means that it will be heard at district court level. Judge Eirinn McKiernan remanded all three in their absence and adjourned the charges to November third for hearing. In putting back Holly Casey's case, the judge said "I don't think they have any intention of attending" but added once they're notified we'll proceed. Readers Survey As our valued readers, we want to hear from you. Please take a moment to fill out the survey below. - Thank you, Eastern Arizona Courier Click Here Claremont, NH (03743) Today Mostly sunny skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. High 77F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy. Low 54F. Winds light and variable. New Port Richey - Francis W. Lannon, Jr, 88, passed away in Florida on July 24, 2021 after a short illness. He was surrounded by all six of his children. Frank was born in Lawrence the son of Julia and Francis Lannon, Sr .He graduated from Central Catholic High School and Boston College. Aft From left, Richard Schwartz, Raenell Walker and Dee Anna Davis, all of Portales, acknowledge a show of support from a passing motorist. They were among protesters against state school masking policies who lined East Second Street Saturday in front of the Roosevelt County Courthouse. The number of COVID-19 patients in New Mexico hospitals increased again last week, reaching the highest peak in more than two months. Health Department officials on Friday reported 148 people were hospitalized in the state with the virus. At the end of June, that number was 64. It's the most hospitalizations in New Mexico in a single day since 155 people with the virus were in state hospitals on May 20. The numbers also are rising in Clovis, though not significantly. Plains Regional Medical Center Director Jorge Cruz said Friday there were seven virus patients in the Clovis hospital - up from four on Tuesday and two on July 22. Cruz said two COVID patients were in intensive care on Friday. In July, through Friday, Curry County has reported 137 new COVID cases, compared to 78 new cases in June. Roosevelt County has recorded 53 new cases in July, compared to 19 in June. The peak for new cases during the pandemic was in November when Curry-Roosevelt counties combined reported 2,073 new cases. The last COVID-related death among Curry-Roosevelt county residents was recorded on June 30, though Cruz said PRMC has seen two COVID-related deaths in recent weeks. Increasing cases across the nation are being blamed on the delta variant of the virus, which health officials say is more contagious than the original, which has killed more than 600,000 Americans. In response to the rising numbers, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham last week signed an executive order requiring state employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or face regular testing. The order covers about 17,000 state workers. "We're not safe if we're not vaccinated," the governor said in a news conference at the Capitol. "It's as simple as that." Under the order, state employees who are not fully vaccinated must be tested every two weeks and wear a mask when working indoors, with exceptions for eating and drinking. Failure to comply can result in disciplinary action, including termination. The order takes effect Monday. Lujan Grisham is also evaluating whether to mandate vaccination as a condition of employment in certain high-risk settings under her executive authority - a move that would mean some employees would not have the option to choose testing over vaccination. COVID-19 hospitalizations in New Mexico have doubled over the past three weeks. The number of daily cases has also exploded as health officials plead for more people to get vaccinated. But New Mexico Republican Party Chairman Steve Pearce accused Lujan Grisham of "overstepping her authority and having government make personal choices for its citizens." The mandate, he said, is unjustified and "a slap in the face to hardworking state employees." That too was the feeling among about 50 area residents who gathered outside the Roosevelt County Courthouse on Saturday morning to protest mask mandates. Similar protests were planned across the state this week, including Clovis Municipal Schools at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. Wade Fraze, a Portales High School history teacher who helped spread the word about the protests, said mask requirements are a "power play" by the governor. Elementary school-age children, he said, are mostly immune from COVID-19, and even if they do get it, he said, the cases are mild. In fact, he said, COVID-19 overall has been blown out of proportion. He said he had the disease himself and was only sick "for a couple of days." "It's like a cold or the flu," he said. "Some people get it bad, but most people don't." A BENCH warrant was issued for the arrest of a Polish man who failed to show up at Cork District Court for two cases against him. Judge Olann Kelleher directed that the evidence in the cases against Krzysztof Sienicki, of no fixed address in Cork, should be given in his absence. Garda Brian Barron said gardai arrived at Lapps Quay, Cork, on February 24, 2020, where they saw Sienicki acting suspiciously and nervously. He was attempting to leave the area on seeing the gardai. During a search under the Misuse of Drugs Act he was found with a box-cutter knife with a sharp blade. I cautioned him and put a number of questions to him. Asked, Why do you have the knife? he replied, I was cutting carpet with friends last Saturday, Garda Barron testified. He said he had all of his stuff with him because he was homeless and did not realise that he had the knife with him. Judge Kelleher convicted the defendant of having the weapon. In a second case, Garda Enda Cotter said that the following day he was on duty in Cork city centre and noticed traffic was backing up. He saw the accused and another man fighting in the road. I saw him punching another man, Garda Cotter said of Sienicki. He was very abusive, shouting in Polish. Arising out of that incident, Judge Olann Kelleher convicted him of being drunk and a danger and engaging in threatening behaviour. Close to 500 natterjack toadlets reared in Corks Fota Wildlife Park have been released into the wild at Castlegregory today, giving a much-needed boost to the endangered species. The toadlets are the latest to be reared as part of a joint National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Fota Wildlife Park project. Nearly 6,000 toadlets have been successfully released into the wild as part of this initiative to date. The natural range of the natterjack toad is restricted to the coastal zones of Castlemaine Harbour and Castlegregory in Kerry. The species suffered significant losses in range and population in the early 20th century due to land reclamation and changes in agricultural practises in these areas. Latest estimates put the population at less than 10,000 individuals in the wild. As a result, the natterjack toad is considered to be endangered in Ireland and the species is also protected under the EUs Habitats Directive. Large numbers of tadpoles are typically lost in the wild every summer due to pond desiccation and predation. Under the captive rearing project, staff from NPWS, part of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, collect toad spawn and tadpoles from ponds in the wild, where mortality rates can be as high as 90%. They transport them to Fota where they are carefully looked after in special holding tanks over the summer months. Following metamorphosis, the resulting toadlets are then returned to the species native range in Kerry. Minister of State Malcolm Noonan visited Fota to see the conservation project for himself, and was in Castlegregory today to see the toadlets being returned to the wild. It is a privilege to see this beautiful animal up close, and I want to commend my staff in NPWS and thank the team in Fota Wildlife Park for their efforts in this important conservation project, he said. The natterjack toad is an iconic native species and we will continue working with Fota Wildlife Park, with farmers and with local communities in Kerry to improve its conservation status. Both the natterjack toad and the habitats it depends on, such as sand dunes, are protected under EU legislation and my Department is committed to finding ways to protect them, he added. Welcoming the release, Dr Sean McKeown, Director of Fota Wildlife Park, said Fota is delighted to be working with the NPWS on the recovery programme for the natterjack toad. Fota is involved in breeding programmes for endangered species from all over the world, but we are particularly pleased to be able to support this project for a threatened species closer to home, he said. NPWS efforts to address habitat loss for the natterjack toad have focussed on pond creation schemes. A new results-based farm plan scheme specifically for natterjack toads is being trialled by NPWS with local farmers in the area throughout 2021. The natterjack is a boom or bust species, explained Dr Ferdia Marnell, the amphibian specialist in the NPWS, who has been overseeing the project. Good years can see mass metamorphosis and subsequent juvenile recruitment to the breeding population. However, in three or four years out of five, breeding success can be very low. This captive rearing project provides a vital boost to supplement the wild population in Kerry." Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. Mercy Hospital pictured from the intersection of Third Street and Highway 47 Wednesday, Sept. 16. To be here today at Daniel Boones home with the icon he was, not only for the state of Missouri but for the nation, is pretty remarkable, Parson said. Applications for postal voting open ahead of general election Postal voting will be available for the first time in the Isle of Man during this years House of Keys General Election. The intention is to provide a convenient and secure alternative for registered electors who are unable to attend their allotted polling station or who choose not to vote in person. A postal voting application form is available to download for each of the 12 Keys constituencies at www.gov.im/elections. Electors who wish to vote by post should complete the application form and send it back to the Returning Officer for their constituency. A signature and date of birth are required on the form, and again when mailing in a postal ballot, in order to prevent fraud. Postal voting ballot packs will be issued to applicants once the Notices of Poll have been published confirming the list of official candidates in each constituency. The nomination period for election candidates closes on Wednesday 25 August, so it is proposed that postal voting ballot papers will be printed ready for distribution from 31 August. The packs can be sent to addresses in the Isle of Man, UK and overseas. Individuals must be registered on the electoral roll in order to vote and be 16 years old or over on polling day, Thursday 23 September 2021. Electors, particularly those who may be temporarily overseas, are encouraged to apply in advance of the deadline for applications, so that their ballot pack can be issued in good time. The closing dates for the receipt of postal voting application forms are as follows: Wednesday 15 September 2021 for those voting by post in the Isle of Man Thursday 9 September 2021 for those voting by post within the British Isles, but outside the Isle of Man Tuesday 31 August 2021 for those voting by post outside of the Isle of Man and the British Isles. Packs will include instructions to help electors to complete the postal voting statement and the ballot paper. Information and guidance is also available on the Gov.im election webpages. Tynwald backs scheme to make homes more energy efficient A scheme that will help reduce carbon emissions and household bills by helping people make properties more energy efficient will come into effect on 1 October. The Green Living Grant scheme was approved by Tynwald on Thursday, and is part of Governments commitment to reach net zero by 2050, for the benefit of the environment. It is estimated that the 7.2m scheme, paid from the Climate Change Transformation fund, could significantly lower emissions in around 1,200 properties and save nearly 100,000 tonnes of CO2 entering the atmosphere - the equivalent to taking 1,500 cars off the road over the next 30 years. First, applicants will be invited to apply for a Government funded Manx Home Energy Audit (MHEA), based on the UK Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), which will provide an overall energy rating and a list of energy saving solutions for each property. When a home is built, sold or rented in the UK, it needs an EPC, which rates properties from A (most efficient) to G, and shows how much the building will cost to heat and light, and what its emissions are likely to be. Applicants in receipt of this certificate and whose household has an annual income below 112k (before tax allowances), and an EPC rating of D or lower, will be offered support to pay for up to 50% of the listed measures, capped at 6,000 per property. At this stage home owners, landlords (up to six properties) and tenants (with the owners permission), will be able to apply for financial support to install improvements ranging from insulation and double glazing to low carbon heating systems and solar panels. Ray Harmer MHK, Minister for Policy and Reform, said: This Government is committed to reaching net zero by 2050 and this important scheme targets one of the biggest contributors of carbon emissions our homes. As well as the environmental implications it will also create jobs for the construction industry as it recovers from recent restrictions. This scheme delivers on the climate change action plan which followed Professor James Currans independent report and sets out our plan to reach carbon neutrality. Properties will be assessed before and after work to confirm energy efficiency improvements and allow the cumulative reductions to be monitored and recorded. Amazon has been handed its largest ever privacy fine in the EU by Luxembourg's data watchdog. The CNPD fined the company 746 million ($888 million) on July 16th for violating the bloc's strict data privacy laws, known as GDPR. Amazon disclosed the ruling in an SEC filing on Friday in which it slammed the decision as baseless, adding that it intended to defend itself "vigorously in this matter." There has been no data breach, and no customer data has been exposed to any third party, Amazon told Bloomberg. These facts are undisputed. We strongly disagree with the CNPDs ruling. It added that it plans to appeal the decision. Amazon has its EU headquarters in Luxembourg, tasking the local data regulator with overseeing its compliance. The penalty is the result of a 2018 complaint by French privacy rights group La Quadrature du Net, which filed numerous lawsuits against Big Tech companies on the behalf of 12,000 people shortly after the GDPR was established that year. Among those was a case involving Google's Android operating system that led to France's CNIL regulator slapping the search giant with a $57 million fine in January, 2019 the biggest GDPR fine to date. The watchdog ruled that the company had violated the GDPR due to its failure to obtain legal consent for data collection related to its ad targeting practices. The record penalty comes amid heightened scrutiny of Amazon's business in Europe. Its use of data is also at the heart of the EU's antitrust investigation. Following a year-long probe, officials in November reached a preliminary decision that Amazon had breached competition rules by using third-party seller data to boost its own products. At the same time, they launched a second investigation into its alleged preferential treatment of its own products on its site and those of its partners. A 13-tonne Tesla Megapack caught fire on Friday morning at a battery storage facility in south-east Australia. The blaze occurred during testing at 10 -10.15am local time, according to Victorian Big Battery. The regional fire service said a specialist fire crew had been dispatched to the site in Geelong, Victoria. Firefighters were using a hazmat appliance designed for hazardous chemical spills and specialist drones to conduct atmospheric monitoring, according to Fire Rescue Victoria. JUST IN: Fire crews are currently on the scene of a battery fire at Moorabool, near Geelong. Firefighters are working to contain the fire and stop it spreading to the nearby batteries. https://t.co/5zYfOfohG3 #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/HAkFY27JgQ 7NEWS Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) July 30, 2021 The site was evacuated and there were no injuries, Victorian Big Battery said in a statement. It added that the site had been disconnected from the power grid and that there will be no impact to the electric supply. French energy company Neoen, which operates the facility, and contractor Tesla are working with emergency services to manage the situation. As a result of the fire, a warning for toxic smoke has been issued in the nearby Batesford, Bell Post Hill, Lovely Banks and Moorabool areas, reports The Sydney Morning Herald. Residents were warned to move indoors, close windows, vents and fireplace flues and bring their pets inside. The Victorian Big Battery site, a 300 MW/450 MWh battery storage facility, is viewed as key to the Victorian government's 50 percent renewable energy target by 2030. It follows the success of Neoen and Tesla's 100 MW/129 MWh battery farm in Hornsdale in South Australia, which was completed ahead of schedule and has resulted in multi-million dollar savings for market players and consumers. Both sites essentially provide a regional power backup for when renewable energy is not available, effectively filling the gap when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing. In February, Neoen announced that the Victorian Big Battery would utliize Tesla's megapacks utility-sized batteries produced at the company's Gigafactory and Autobidder software to sell power to the grid. Victorian Big Battery has a contract with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). As part of the pact, the site will provide energy stability by unlocking an additional 250 MW of peak capacity on the existing Victoria to New South Wales Interconnector over the next decade of Australian summers. Following the death of a sight-impaired relative, Wataru Chino had no choice but to take action. In response to the tragedy, the Honda EV engineer developed an in-shoe navigation system, dubbed Ashirase (both the name of the product and the name of the company) that allows low-sighted people to use their feet to navigate, rather than cell phones or other visual aids. The tactile navigation system has earned the financial backing of Hondas Ignition startup incubator program and continues to gain traction. The Ashirase system is two-part, consisting of the dedicated Ashirase navigation app running on the users smartphone and a silicone shoe insert cradling a combination motion sensor-electronic compass. Once the user programs their walking destination into the app, the shoe inserts will vibrate in various patterns and tempos walk forward causes vibrations under the balls of the feet, turn left rubs the appropriate side of both feet and the speed at which the inserts vibrate indicate proximity to the turn or obstacle. The idea behind the system is to allow users to remain more aware of their surroundings while they walk, using their feet to navigate rather than repeatedly stopping to consult their smartphones or passersby for directions. Ashirase Currently the insert prototypes can only be used in low top sneakers and dress shoes but Chino already has plans to expand the footwear selection. We are thinking about [new footwear styles], and the idea is twofold at this moment, Chino told Engadget through an interpreter. One is to try to change, modifying the [electronic] device so that the shape can be fitted to other types of shoes. Otherwise, he continued, what we can do is to change the yellow parts of this device so that it fits other types of shoes noting that the white puckpart can be disconnected from the flexible yellow insert that sits around the wearers foot and houses the various vibrating navigation gyroscopes. The system has a reported week-long battery life when using the system to navigate an average of three hours a day. Initially, the insert will be offered in generic small, medium and large sizes in Japan but he plans to offer more personalized fittings once the product hits market. The navigation system is currently a bit limited, based on the Google Maps API rather than an HD map source, in that it will work so long as a navigation data signal is available. That means that the system may not initially work in indoor areas like malls or hotels though hiking trails, parks and other public lands should be no problem. Chino and his team are reportedly looking into incorporating either a Personal Dead-reckoning (PDR) system, Wi-Fi-based positioning or IoT navigation capability to help users make their ways through indoor public spaces at a later date. The team also reportedly plans to add public transportation options to the program in the future. The company plans to release a beta version of the Ashirase system in Japan in October or November of this year. Users will be given free use of the insert and app for one week before being asked for feedback. Following the public beta, Ashirase executives expect the commercialized product to be ready by October 2022 and include a 2,000 - 3,000 yen ($18 - $27) monthly subscription. Before that can happen, however, the startup is seeking some 200 million yen in additional funding not including the 70 million yen in equity the Ignition program already provided in order to scale up to full production. A group of scientists has discovered two unusually red objects in the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars, and they may have originated from farther in the solar system. These objects called 203 Pompeja and 269 Justitia are redder than the reddest known objects in the asteroid belt and may have migrated to the area from beyond Neptune. If that's true, then they could provide insight into the chaos of the early solar system and into how the solar system as we know it today came to be. The team led by JAXA's Sunao Hasegawa identified the objects through observations collected at the Infra-red Telescope Facility and Seoul National University Astronomical Observatory, according to the paper they published. As The New York Times points out, most objects in the inner solar system tend to reflect blue light, because they're devoid of or have very little organic materials. Objects from the outer solar system such as the Kuiper belt, however, tend to be redder. That's because they have a lot of organics like carbon and methane, which may have been the building blocks of our planet. As you may know, the Kuiper belt is the region extending from the orbit of Neptune where you can find remnants of our solar system's formation. If Pompeja and Justitia truly were transplants from beyond Nepture, then they'd serve as evidence for the hypothesis that a fraction of the asteroids between Jupiter and Mars came from the Kuiper belt. They'd also support the set of theories, called the Nice Model, on how our gas giants settled into their orbits. The Nice model says our giant planets formed closer to the Sun until an instability forced Neptune, Uranus and Saturn to move outwards and Jupiter to move inwards. The event would've caused asteroids rich in organic materials to scatter and move around the solar system. Of course, more observations and evidence are needed to be able to prove that the two objects are from the Kuiper belt. The good thing is that since the asteroid belt is much closer to us than Neptune, it would take a spacecraft less time to reach them if ever Earth's space agencies decide to send a probe to study them more closely. A line of cars evacuates the Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska on July 28, 2021, after a tsunami warning was issued following a magnitude 8.2 earthquake. The tsunami warning for much of Alaska's southern coast was canceled when the biggest wave, of just over a half foot, was recorded in Old Harbor. Alaska. U.S. health officials are expected to release new data about the spread of COVID-19 on Friday that led to their decision to recommend that vaccinated people wear masks in some situations, a reversal of previous guidance Graveside services for Annie (Thibodeaux) Rowley, 72, Enid, are 10:00 am, Tuesday, August 3, 2021 at Enid Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Ladusau-Evans Funeral Home. Condolences may be made at www.ladusauevans.com. Actor Cuba Gooding Jr., popularly known for his roles in "Gladiator" and "Boyz n the Hood," was found liable in a rape case filed by an unnamed woman. According to The Independent, the Hollywood actor wasn't able to respond to the accusations against him. Judge Paul Crotty of the U.S. district made a default judgment on his liability to the victim. Crotty added that the actor failed to engage with authorities in the case. Gooding Jr.'s next step is to argue that his accuser deserves $6 million in the case she filed last year. The woman will use the money for "damages, pain and suffering." The actor has until September 7 to come forward and address the allegations in court. Gloria Allred, the woman's legal counsel, also issued a statement to Reuters saying their camp is looking forward to the damages hearing. Cuba Gooding Jr.'s Rape Allegations In early reports, a woman filed a lawsuit last year alleging that the actor raped her twice in 2013. The woman, who goes by the pseudonym "Jane Doe," claims that Gooding Jr. approached him in a restaurant in Greenwich Village, and she was invited to the Mercer hotel to have drinks. When they arrived in the lobby, Gooding Jr. allegedly asked her to come up to his room because he needed to change his clothes. Upon entering the room, Jane Doe claims the actor played "Mumford & Sons" and started undressing. READ NOW: Britney Spears' Medical Team Supports Singer's Plea to Remove Jamie as Conservator Over This Reason The woman attempted to escape the situation by saying she would go to the bar, but she claims that the actor blocked her way, and he pushed her onto the bed before allegedly raping her. When she tried to leave the room again, the horrifying act was allegedly done for the second time despite her repeatedly saying "no." The 53-year-old actor denied all allegations through his legal representative, Attorney Mark Jay Heller, at the time, saying that the event happened seven years ago and questioned the woman why no complaint was ever filed. Who Is Cuba Gooding Jr.? The actor is known for his film "Jerry Maguire," where he snagged an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. He's also an actor for television like the show "American Crime Story: The People v OJ Simpson." READ ALSO: Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi Fighting Over TV Host's 'Crazy Obsession' With Gorillas? LONDON, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Modulaire Group, Europe and Asia Pacific's leading business services company specialising in modular services and infrastructure, is pleased to announce that it has completed the acquisition of Tecnifor S.p.A and the business and operations of Locabox S.r.l. and F.A.E. S.p.A. from the shareholders. Headquartered in San Gemini, near Rome, Tecnifor and Locabox are together one of the leading providers of modular building leasing solutions in Italy. The company operates a fleet of over 12,000 modular units primarily for clients within construction and public administration. FAE also operates a facility in San Gemini that manufactures units for the rental fleet or sales market. Tecnifor, Locabox and FAE have approximately 140 employees and annual revenue of c.35m. A targeted acquisition strategy is one of Modulaire Group's four strategic objectives, alongside a focus on optimising sales, an efficient cost base and granular management of branch level performance, and effective capital investment.Mark Higson, Modulaire Group's Chief Executive Officer, commented: "High quality acquisitions are a core component of our strategy, alongside our focus on organic growth and operational performance. This acquisition strengthens Modulaire Group's presence in Italy, building on our existing position. I am delighted to welcome Tecnifor, Locabox and FAE into the Group and look forward to working with their highly experienced and expert management team." About Modulaire GroupModulaire Group is a leader in European modular services and infrastructure. We create smart spaces for people to live, work and learn. Our business is designed to help customers find the right space solution, no matter what their requirements. Modulaire Group has operations in 25 countries with approximately 271,000 modular space and portable storage units and 3,400 remote accommodations rooms. The company operates as Algeco in Europe and Scandinavia, Elliott, Advante, Carter and ProComm in the United Kingdom, BUKO Huisvesting, BUKO Bouw & Winkels and BUKO Bouwsystemen in The Netherlands, Tecnifor and Locabox in Italy, Ausco in Australia, Portacom in New Zealand, and Algeco Chengdong in China. For further informationInvestor relations: Phil Vellacottinvestorrelations@modulairegroup.com07841 563541 Media enquiries:Tulchan Communicationsmodulairegroup@tulchangroup.com0207 353 4200 Friday, July 30, 2021 Ivan Illich Do educational institutions make people stupid? Do medical institutions make people sick? Such questions may at first glance seem preposterous, but they were raised in all seriousness a few decades ago by Ivan Illich, and strongly argued in his books, Deschooling Society (1971) and Medical Nemesis (1975). In both cases his arguments stem from his overarching belief that as institutions become too large and too centralized they end up doing the exact opposite of what they are intended to do. Over the subsequent decades, weve seen mounting evidence that Illich was correct in his assessments. In our attempts to improve efficiency, eliminate uncertainty, and get more done in less time, we have allowed everything to become too big, too rigid, too fast, and too centrally controlled. In the process the individual has become ever more helpless and alienated and more dependent on impersonal institutions that are being corrupted by their power and inherent conflicts of interest. As Illich argues, we have become slaves to our institutions and our myths about who we are and how the world works. George Bernard Shaw spoke similarly in declaring that all professions are conspiracies against the laity. Ivan Illich (19262002) was a Catholic priest, theologian, philosopher, and social critic, who became famous in the 1970s and 80s, and although his fame may have faded a bit in recent years, his ideas and works have been, and remain highly influential and are now more relevant than ever. Notable in this regard are such resources as The International Journal of Illich Studies, the upcoming, The Philosophy of Ivan Illich: An 8-Week Course, being offered by Nina Power, PhD, and a brand new book by noted journalist and broadcaster, David Cayley, titled, Ivan Illich:An Intellectual Journey (2021). Cayley has followed the work of Illich since the 1960s, and in 1989 he visited Penn State University where Illich was then teaching, to record a series of interviews that were then used in a five part series in Cayleys Ideas program that aired on CBC (the Canadian Broadcasting Company). That series titled, Part Moon, Part Travelling Salesman: Conversations with Ivan Illich, was comprised of one hour segments that included biographical information and comments about Illich and his ideas by others who knew him. The series is now available online and can be accessed here. I became an instant admirer of Illich and his work in the early 1980s after reading both of the above mentioned books, as well as his prescriptive work, Tools for Conviviality (1973). In the latter he points out what Wikipedia calls the institutionalization of specialized knowledge, and the dominant role of technocratic elites in industrial society. Illich argues in favor of appropriate technology and the reacquisition of practical knowledge and simple tools that empower people and help to build community. In short, he calls for a general deinstitutionalization of society and a reconceptualization of what it means to be human.We have, by and large, internalized the belief that we are, in Illichs words, poor, sick and ignorant, and in need of institutional services to remedy that situation. In August of 1989 I had the honor of welcoming Illich to give a presentation at the 8th Assembly of the Fourth World and Decentralist Congress that was held in Toronto, Canada. As President at that time of the School of Living, the sponsoring organization, I served as moderator of the event which also included presentations by such insightful thinkers and activists as Leopold Kohr and John Papworth. Both Cayley and I have taken Illichs insights to heart in our personal responses to the ongoing crisis of civilization and to its latest manifestation, the pandemic and official reactions to it. Cayleys sentiments are expressed in his recent post, Concerning Life, in which he delves deeply into Iliichs expressions of what the word life actually means and what Illich meant when he said that life has become an idol and a fetish. He and I seem to share the view that the concept of life has been distorted in the public mind as Christendom, and religious institutions in general, have tried to accommodate with a materialistic civilization that is now unraveling. For me it comes down to this: Life is more than breath and pulse, flesh and blood, muscle and bone. The fear of death inhibits true life which is more than physical, it is spiritual free, adventuresome, and spontaneous and open to unknown possibilities. Perhaps this is what Jesus meant when he said, For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it (Matthew 16:25). And this, from a more secular point of view states the same essential truth: Life is the destiny you are bound to refuse until you have consented to die. W.H. Auden. God grant that I might find the courage to push through my fear of death, embrace my destiny, and choose to truly live. # # # Everything appears to be hunky-dory again between Houstons Midway Holdings and San Antonios GrayStreet Partners. Midway Holdings has dropped a lawsuit it filed last month against GrayStreet over land across from the Pearl on Broadway. The parties settled their differences in an amicable fashion, Mikal Watts, an attorney for Midway, said this week. His company had alleged in its complaint that GrayStreet breached a contract that gave Midway the right of first refusal to develop a massive, mixed-use project on the property. On ExpressNews.com: Denver developer drops lawsuit that sought to stop sale of land across from San Antonios Pearl Simultaneously with filing the suit June 18, Midway obtained a temporary restraining order that prevented GrayStreet from disbursing any monies received from a sale of the land. A judge issued the order without GrayStreet having an opportunity to challenge Midways application. The lawsuit was noteworthy because Midway and GrayStreet have teamed up to develop the former Lone Star Brewery site south of downtown. Everybodys happy and theyre back to being the partners they should have been, so it worked out fine, Watts said. The settlement did not include any transfer of the Broadway property, he said. Peter French, GrayStreets development director, had no comment on the resolution but provided an update on the partners South Side venture. Planning and design continues for phase I and approvals for selective demolition are actively being sought from the city, French said in a text message Friday. The makeover of the brewery complex is expected to cost $709.3 million and encompass more than 1 million square feet of space on 32 acres. The mixed-use development is slated to include 1,282 rental units, 182 hotel rooms and nearly 360,000 square feet of offices. SA Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox Midways decision to drop its lawsuit marked the second time in eight days that a complaint against GrayStreet over the Broadway land had been halted. On July 14, Denver-based McWhinney Real Estate Services declined to pursue a suit it had filed. Attorneys for McWhinney and GrayStreet didnt respond to a request for comment last week. McWhinney also alleged it had a right of first refusal to buy the Broadway land. GrayStreet breached an expression of interest agreement by pursuing a sale with San Antonios Fulcrum Development, McWhinney claimed. Just who may end up with the land is still not publicly known. Earlier this year, GrayStreet put up for sale 14.7 acres of the roughly 20-acre site. The parcels stretch from Broadway past North Hackberry Street between Casa Blanca and Carson streets. Before listing the land for sale, GrayStreet planned to team up with Midway to turn the 20 acres into a 1.6-million-square-foot mixed-used community with multifamily housing, offices, retail and hospitality space, and an outdoor plaza. The $560.8 million development, dubbed Broadway East, was expected to take about a decade to complete. pdanner@express-news.net madison.iszler@express-news.net Rackspace Technology co-founder Graham Weston is out as a director of Frost Banks parent company after a four-year stint. Westons departure didnt result from anything as dramatic as a culture clash between a conservative, 153-year-old lender and a fast-moving tech evangelist. It came down to old-fashioned real estate deals and potential conflicts of interest. Phil Green, chairman and CEO of Cullen/Frost Bankers, said he spoke with Weston about the need to have his seat on the publicly traded companys board occupied by an independent director. Graham is an awesome director for us, but he was not able to be an independent director because hes my landlord, Green said. Weston did not respond to an email requesting comment. Prior to Weston joining Cullen/Frosts board in 2017, his company Weston Urban struck a deal to build the banks headquarters building on West Houston. He is a managing member of the building owners general partner. Weston holds a 21 percent interest in the buildings owner. Thats why he was not deemed an independent director within the meaning of New York Stock Exchange rules, Cullen/Frost reported in a regulatory filing this year. NYSE rules say a director is not independent if they have received payments from the public company in an amount that exceeds the greater of $1 million or 2 percent of revenue in any of the last three fiscal years. Frost has made $8.3 million in lease payments on its headquarters to the building owner. The bank will pay $180.4 million over the remaining term of the lease. Weston, 57, was the youngest member of Cullen/Frosts board and served as the chair of its technology committee, overseeing information technology projects and security. He did a fantastic job for us and really helped move us forward in the area of technology, which is really his area of expertise, Green said. I look at where we are now, governance-wise and organization-wise, compared to where we were. We just made a lot of progress. Cullen/Frost has disclosed its various transactions with Weston in regulatory filings in previous years. But Green said Westons independence became more of an issue this year with the size of the board shrinking. Its down to 12 directors from 14, he said. We needed everyone to participate fully, Green said. Ultimately, Weston did not stand for reelection to the board, and his term simply expired in April. As for how Weston reacted when asked to step aside, Green said he was very understanding. Weston earned $141,250 for serving on the board last year, a figure that included $70,000 in stock awards. Last year, Weston spent $2 million to acquire 29,400 Cullen/Frost shares pushing his holdings to more than 164,000 shares. His Trout Capital Ltd. acquired 29,400 shares at prices ranging from $67.06 to $69.44 each. Frost has the strongest banking franchise in Texas, Weston said in an email at the time, explaining why he bought the shares. The stock seldom is sold at a discount! Cullen/Frosts stock currently trades at more than $107, so Weston has made a tidy profit on paper, at least if he still holds the shares. Cullen/Frost has disclosed other relationships with Weston. In February, Cullen/Frost agreed to sell two parcels of downtown land to Weston Urban for almost $6.5 million. The deal was signed before Westons nomination to the board. The bank also leases property for a drive-thru bank owned by a partnership connected with Weston. Frost made more than $200,000 in lease payments to the partnership last year. Weston garnered attention by co-founding cloud computing company Rackspace, which vaulted him to the Forbes billionaires list in 2013. The company was sold for $4.3 billion to New York private equity firm Apollo Global Management in 2016. Weston is also co-founder of Geekdom, the tech and entrepreneurial co-working space on Houston. In addition, Weston does charitable work through the 80/20 Foundation, which promotes entrepreneurship and education. Lately, Weston and his wife, Elizabeth, have been going through a contentious divorce. They wed in 1994. pdanner@express-news.net A San Antonio jury has awarded nearly $700,000 to a former Bill Miller-Bar-B-Q employee, finding the company fired him for filing a complaint that alleged his boss had harassed him. Joseph Sifuentes, an 18-year employee at Bill Miller, alleged the harassment began in late 2017 after a female restaurant manager told him she had been sexually harassed by an area manager who reported to him. Sifuentes, 44, directed her to report the harassment to Bill Millers human resources department. Bill Miller terminated the area manager for violating company policy, it said in a court filing last week. Sifuentes boss, operations director Edward Chagoya, began harassing him in retaliation for the area managers termination, according to Alex Katzman, Sifuentes lawyer. Josephs boss was mad because he was close friends with the area manager, Katzman said in an interview. Sifuentes wasnt getting the direction that he was used to. Communication was strained. He knew it was because (the area manager) got fired. Sifuentes lawsuit described an incident where Chagoya allegedly told him that Bill Miller employees wanted to hang Mr. Sifuentes and put a bullet in (his) head. On ExpressNews.com: Bill Miller Bar-B-Q closer to leaving downtown with San Antonio City Council approval of land sale Sifuentes reported Chagoyas actions to human resources in November 2018. A week later, Bill Miller terminated Sifuentes. The company fired him for gambling on the job, the companys court filing said. In Thursdays verdict, 10 of the 12 jurors agreed to award Sifuentes $689,000 for back pay from the date of his termination through the trial. They declined to award Sifuentes any future pay or compensatory damages for pain and suffering or mental anguish. At this point, we only have the verdict finding damages of less than 10 percent of the amount being sought by the plaintiff, Barry A. McClenahan, Bill Millers attorney, said in a statement. The court, however, has not entered a judgment in the case, he said. If and when that happens, we will consider the law, the rulings made and the judgment entered and make a decision what, if any, post-judgment action to pursue, McClenahan added. It appears jurors incorrectly awarded $300,000 in punitive damages to Sifuentes. They were supposed to address the issue of punitive damages only if they unanimously agreed that Sifuentes was fired for filing the harassment complaint. Katzman said he waived the punitive damages award so it would not be an issue. Judge Laura Salinas presided over the trial, which began with jury selection July 20. Sifuentes started at Bill Miller in 2000 as a 23-year-old trainee making a $24,000 annual salary. He rose to become assistant operations director, supervising 17 district managers and overseeing about 76 restaurants, his complaint said. Sifuentes earned $360,000 in salary and commissions his last year in the post, Katzman said. Sifuentes wasnt disappointed with the amount of the jury award, even though it was far less than he had sought. The money did not matter to Joseph, Katzman said. He told me Day One, and he told me during the trial, he does not care about the money. He wants to be vindicated. SA Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox Bill Millers allegation that Sifuentes was fired for gambling on the job was a pretextual reason for terminating him a week after he lodged his complaint against Chagoya. They fired him without notice, claiming that he was gambling on job because he wrote down point spreads on a Saturday when he went into work early, Katzman said. They had him on camera writing point spreads down on a piece of paper. They called him in the middle of the investigation, fired him on the spot, Katzman added. Didnt even ask him his story. Didnt ask any witnesses. Sifuentes sued Bill Miller in October 2019, alleging that he had been discriminated against in retaliation for opposing sexual harassment, in violation of the Texas Labor Code. Bill Miller denied the allegations. On the morning of July 19, the day the trial was scheduled to begin, Bill Miller filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Sifuentes has invested in a couple of restaurants but is currently unemployed despite applying for various management positions, Katzman said. The only reference Sifuentes can provided on those applications is Bill Millers human resources department, the lawyer added. pdanner@express-news.net Mayor Ron Nirenbergs new Municipal Utilities Committee isnt a power grab. It just looks a lot like one. The reason you might think its City Councils attempt to elbow its way into the management of our two city-owned utilities is right there in the mayors rollout. In a July 23 memo to City Council, Nirenberg said the committee, made up of five council members, shall oversee the implementation of programs and policies at San Antonio Water System and (CPS Energy), including the recommendations from the Emergency Preparedness Committee. The dictionary definition of oversee is to direct (work or workers); supervise; manage. If thats what Nirenberg meant, he was asserting an unprecedented degree of council control over CPS and SAWS. The timing of the new committee, chaired by District 9 Councilman John Courage, reinforces that impression. Both SAWS and CPS failed hundreds of thousands of their customers during Februarys winter storm, piling misery upon misery. Neither adequately prepared ratepayers for what could happen to their lifeblood power and water once the snow started falling and the temperature plunged. And amid blackouts ordered by the Texas grid operator, CPS turned off the power to a number of SAWS pumping stations, resulting in low water pressure across the city. One of the many urgent questions asked the week of Feb. 14 was, How do you boil water without electricity? CPS Energy is hands-down the larger of the two utilities, with total assets of $12.6 billion compared with SAWS $8 billion. And its taken most of the heat for the storm debacle, fair or unfair. A Bexar Facts poll in early April showed a sharp decline in public approval of CPS, from 77 percent in April 2020 to 46 percent. Many of its customers, offered tiny rebates for their troubles in February and facing the likelihood of a big rate increase, are still seething. As all revolutionaries know, theres no better time for an overthrow than in periods of economic and political strife. CPS is experiencing both kinds of tumult at the moment. Its stuck with roughly $1 billion worth of storm-related bills, mostly for wildly expensive natural gas debts its fighting in court to either reduce or eliminate. And CEO Paula Gold-Williams is under ungodly pressure. Few would be surprised if she announces her retirement sometime in the months ahead. Yet, for all the roiling, City Council has the same institutional constraints its always had in its dealings with CPS and SAWS. You can count council members means of exerting pressure on the utilities on one hand. They approve or reject the utilities rate increases. They say yes or no to CPSs and SAWSs bond sales. They appoint SAWS trustees. And in the case of CPS, which is governed by a self-perpetuating board of trustees, they ratify the boards candidates to fill open seats. Also, the mayor holds seats on both utilities boards, serving as the link between council and CPS and SAWS. Thats it as far as councils overt power over the utilities. And thats by design; the idea is to minimize political meddling in San Antonios power and water suppliers, and to keep them in the hands of professionals who usually, but not always know what theyre doing. The utilities committee wont change any of that. It was never intended that wed be involved in the management of the utilities, said Courage, the three-term North Side councilman heading up the committee. We dont have any legal authority to manage the operations of either utility. Worth pointing out: Zada True-Courage, his wife, is a financial analyst at CPS, according to LinkedIn. You may remember Courage for his past run-ins with SAWS. Several years ago, as SAWS reworked its impact fees for developers, Courage dumped on the proposed charges, calling them too low. And when he noticed the utility was carrying hundreds of millions in cash on its books after a series of rate increases he succeeded in bumping up SAWS contribution to the citys general fund from 2.5 percent of its gross revenue to 4 percent. And he considers CPS and SAWS executives anything but forthcoming. I got the feeling that the utilities were coming to council to tell us what we wanted to hear or what they thought we wanted to hear, he said. In other words, his frustration dates to 2017, when he first took office, not just February. Courage said he first went to Nirenberg and City Manager Erik Walsh a year and a half ago with the idea of setting up a council committee to keep a close watch on SAWS and CPS. Fallout from the storm as well as the mayor-appointed Emergency Preparedness Committees laundry list of recommendations for improving the utilities performance during the next crisis may have been Nirenbergs catalyst for creating the committee. But I think we were moving in that direction anyway, Courage said. In an emailed statement, Nirenberg said he formed the Municipal Utilities Committee largely to elevate and consolidate the examination of utilities issues, which in the past have been in various committees. The panel, he added, will serve as the vehicle for City Council to stay updated about the programs of our municipally owned utilities, including the recommendations from the Energy Preparedness Committee. That sounds innocuous enough. And, again, the committee isnt an attempt to butt into CPS and SAWS operations. But its not an empty suit, either. In fact, the committee is one of City Councils most assertive moves to date to crack open the utilities to public scrutiny. And its soft power, as Courage calls it, to influence the policies of CPS and SAWS could be enormous. The committee could exercise that power by focusing attention on proposed rate increases and other hot-button issues. Those could include Gold-Williams and SAWS chief executive Robert Puentes compensation, the pace at which CPS shifts to cleaner power generation and an examination of SAWS expensive Vista Ridge water supply project. Courages committee could zero in on any one of those issues. Or all of them. Or none at all, though that seems unlikely. Environmental and taxpayer watchdog groups launched separate petition drives last year to overhaul the governance of CPS and SAWS and both coalitions fell short. Before and since, theyve complained loudly about both utilities either ignoring or slow-walking their requests for information. The utilities committee, which is expected to meet for the first time Aug. 24, could be a gift many of them hadnt expected. Business leaders, meanwhile, are scrutinizing developments at City Hall. And theyre wary. Affordable water and electricity have been one of San Antonios ace cards in luring out-of-town corporations. The mainstream business view is that protecting CPS and SAWS from political interference is the best way to keep rates low. You kind of have to wait and see, said Cristina Aldrete, CEO of the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. Youre always going to be a little cautious, but you have to give (the committee) a little time everybodys trying to figure this out. But this much is clear today: City Council isnt the guard dog it should be for the taxpayers who own CPS and SAW, but its becoming less of a lapdog. greg.jefferson@express-news.net Caffeine by day, booze by night. Thats the ethos at the newly rechristened Rosella Coffee and Wine Bar. The popular Jones Avenue coffee shop near the San Antonio Museum of Art has recently transformed into a two-concept business in one building. Mornings and afternoons deliver the same cheery cafe experience longtime customers have come to know since the Rosella brand, launched in 2014 and with three locations in San Antonio. But now, the java stops flowing at 3 p.m. at its flagship., and after a brief closure to reset, Rosella reopens in the late afternoon as a wine bar with charcuterie boards, flatbread pizzas, salads, desserts and more to nibble on. WASHINGTON President Joe Biden on Thursday sought to revive the nations stalled push to vaccinate Americans against the surging delta variant of the coronavirus, announcing new requirements for federal workers to be vaccinated and urging local and state governments to offer $100 to anyone willing to get a shot voluntarily. His announcement included only federal civilian employees, but hours later the Pentagon said members of the military would also be subject to the same rules: Get vaccinated or face regular testing, social distancing, mask wearing and limits on official travel. Although those steps fall short of a mandate, Biden also ordered the Defense Department to move rapidly toward one for all members of the military, a step that would affect almost 1.5 million troops, many of whom have resisted taking a shot that is highly effective against a disease that has claimed the lives of more than 600,000 Americans. The announcement marked the first time he has suggested that a mandate could come for active-duty members of the military before any of the three federally authorized vaccines receives full approval from the Food and Drug Administration. In a speech from the East Room of the White House, Biden effectively conceded that the worst-in-a-century viral scourge he once thought was under control had come roaring back, threatening public health and the economic recovery that is central to the promise of his presidency. But after months of trying to persuade and cajole, the president on Thursday cast the crisis as one that pits the vaccinated against the unvaccinated, and said those refusing to get a coronavirus shot should expect inconveniences as long as they decline a vaccine that protects them and others from illness and death. This is a pandemic of the unvaccinated, Biden said, calling it an American tragedy and talking directly to the 90 million Americans who are eligible for a vaccine but have not gotten one. People are dying and will die who dont have to die. If youre out there unvaccinated, you dont have to die. Read the news. Biden said that federal workers who remained unvaccinated would have to submit to the extra inconveniences essentially creating a two-tier system for the governments more than 4 million employees and hundreds of thousands of private contractors who work at federal facilities around the world. The presidents move stopped short of a vaccine mandate for federal workers. But the president said he hoped that by imposing new requirements on daily work life, more unvaccinated federal employees will choose to get a shot. Biden said he was ordering agencies to find ways to ensure that all federal contractors even those working for private businesses out of their own offices could be required to be vaccinated as a condition of their work with the federal government. That could extend the presidents plan to millions more workers, including those in places where vaccination rates are stubbornly low. If you want to do business with the federal government, get your workers vaccinated, the president said bluntly. Biden urged companies and local governments to mimic his new vaccine requirements for federal employees, which he noted had the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The group said Thursday that the presidents new rules were prudent steps to protect public health. But the administrations move quickly sparked consternation from some of the federal governments largest unions representing teachers, police officers and postal workers, who called for negotiations on the subject. Forcing people to undertake a medical procedure is not the American way and is a clear civil rights violation no matter how proponents may seek to justify it, Larry Cosme, president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, said in a statement. The president also announced that small and medium-size businesses would be reimbursed for providing paid leave so employees and their families could get vaccinated. He called on school districts to host a pop-up vaccination clinic to get children vaccinated before the start of school. And he urged private businesses, sport leagues and other institutions to get their employees vaccinated. Appealing directly to Americans who are unvaccinated, unbothered and unconvinced, Biden asked them to recall the depths of the lockdowns during 2020 and to really remember just how dark that winter was. With incentives and mandates, we can make a huge difference and save a lot of lives, he said. Coronavirus vaccines are available to Americans ages 12 and older. But as of Thursday, just 57.7% of those eligible were fully vaccinated, according to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The figure is much higher among the oldest Americans; nearly 80% of Americans 65 or older are fully vaccinated. During his campaign against former President Donald Trump, Biden promised that he could vanquish the virus despite the polarized politics of the country he inherited. Just weeks ago, Biden hosted a Fourth of July party at the White House to declare independence from the virus. Now, he must reckon with rising caseloads and hospitalizations that are threatening a return to work and school in the fall. Behind the scenes, Bidens top public health officials have been deliberating for weeks, including in daily calls, about the best way to push more people to get vaccinated without prompting legal challenges or an anti-vaccine backlash. A July 27 internal assessment for the senior leadership of the Department of Health and Human Services delivered the grim news about the trajectory of the pandemic: deaths up 45% from the previous week, hospitalizations up 46% and cases surging. Since the lowest value observed on June 19, 2021, cases have increased 440%, the assessment concluded. Aides said the president hoped his solution could become a model for state and local governments and businesses around the country. But his announcement Thursday lagged the efforts of many of those very institutions, which moved more quickly than the Biden administration to grapple with the issue. Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York and Gov. Gavin Newsom of California both announced Monday that they would require hundreds of thousands of government workers to get inoculations or face weekly testing. Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York soon followed suit. Numerous businesses including Netflix, Saks Fifth Avenue, The Washington Post, Ascension Health, Lyft, Google and Morgan Stanley all announced get-tough policies that require their workers to get shots as a condition of employment. Unvaccinated workers at MGM casinos will be tested regularly, at their own cost, and if they test positive they will be required to quarantine. In a joint statement this week, dozens of medical groups, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, called for all health care and long-term care workers to be vaccinated. The Department of Veterans Affairs became the first federal agency to require many of its employees to get a shot. The CDC revised its earlier stance and recommended that vaccinated people wear masks indoors in areas where rates of transmission are high. This is a very fluid situation, said Dr. Richard E. Besser, CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and a former acting director of the CDC. Theres a lot of uncertainty and change. Few in Bidens administration doubted that the president could force federal employees to take the vaccine as a condition of employment. But a heavy-handed mandate was more likely to backfire, most argued. The solution Biden announced Thursday is aimed at sidestepping accusations that the president is using the power of his office to force shots in peoples arms. Instead, officials hope the new workplace rules will make employees want to become vaccinated. When it comes to the military, Biden signaled that he could take a tougher stance. As commander in chief, the president has the authority to order the troops to take an experimental vaccine a move that would have a deep reach into areas of the country with low rates of vaccination. The bulk of federal workers live in the Washington region, including the Maryland and Virginia suburbs, where rates of vaccination are already high. I think it would have a much bigger impact in parts of the country that have low vaccination rates and also get into populations that have been reluctant and hopefully show them that getting a vaccine is not problematic, said Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, a bioethicist at the University of Pennsylvania who advised Biden during his transition. Many members of the military have been reluctant to take coronavirus vaccines. Besser said he was surprised the administration has not required them to do so sooner. Military leaders cannot require the shots because they are currently authorized on an emergency basis. Biden could order them, but has been reluctant to exercise that authority. But Besser said Bidens move makes sense, adding, Its highly contagious, people in the military are in very close quarters with each other, and in terms of force readiness you wouldnt want to see COVID ripping through unvaccinated soldiers. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader and a polio survivor, encouraged people to get the vaccine. With the virus on the rise in conservative swaths of the country, McConnell is among a handful of Republican leaders who are now explicitly calling for vaccination. Honestly, it never occurred to me wed have difficulty getting people to take the vaccine, he said. Dr. Patrick Godbey, the president of the College of American Pathologists, which is advocating for greater use of COVID-19 testing, said even before Biden spoke that the events of this week had changed the discussion. His own medical institution, in Brunswick, Georgia, has not yet required workers to get vaccinated, he said. People are now looking at it; they are evaluating it in their own institutions, and thats an important step forward, he said, adding, Its a real line in the sand when the federal government comes out and does it. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, wrote a letter raising concerns about the growing number of migrants crossing the countrys southern border, and calling for the White House and Department of Homeland Security to appoint a new border czar. The letter, which Graham tweeted Friday morning, suggested former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson or someone with similar credentials as an ideal candidate for the position. Cuellar and Graham lauded Johnson for his bipartisan reputation for pragmatic approaches to complex border security and immigration challenges, and they asked the letters recipients to consider creating a special executive position within the DHS. A spokesperson for Cuellar said the letter was a plea to fill the vacancy left by Roberta Jacobson in April. Jacobson stepped down from the position amid the Biden administrations struggle to address an increase in undocumented migrants from Central America. That role has been assumed by Vice President Kamala Harris, who drew criticism for her now infamous do not come comment made during a trip to Guatemala in June. Cuellar and Grahams letter is the latest criticism of the Biden administrations border security response. The two cited the spread of the delta variant at the countrys southern border as the reason for their request. In Texas Rio Grande Valley, where CBP [Customs and Border Protection] had over 20,000 enforcement encounters last week, Border Patrol agents are testing positive for COVID-19 at alarming rates, the letter said. Johnson served during former President Barack Obamas second term. Graham and Cuellar praised him for coordinating a thoughtful U.S. response to a surge in migration in 2014 and prioritizing certain eligible cases for immediate removal, referring to Johnsons effort to expand the detention of migrant families coming from Central America that year. Johnson was met with criticism from immigrant rights activists for the move, which Cuellar believes makes him more certain that Johnson is best suited for the role. Thats exactly the point. I think this administration is listening only to the immigration activists, the border-town Democrat told the Texas Tribune. I want somebody like Secretary Jeh Johnson, which in my opinion was a very compassionate person. But he followed the law. I mean, he did what needed to be done. The White House and Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment. The letter comes after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this week ordered state troopers to begin stopping vehicles suspected of transporting migrants with COVID-19. The order has been criticized by advocates who say it will create chaos for shelters that help migrants, some of which are at capacity. They also see it as an invitation for border officials to racially profile people in border communities. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland lambasted Abbott for the order and threatened legal action Thursday, saying Texas cannot lawfully enforce the executive order against any federal official or private parties working with the United States. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday issued an executive order barring local governments from limiting the capacity of restaurants and other businesses or requiring facial coverings, even if they are located in a hospital region with high levels of COVID-19 patients. Since March, Abbott has prevented counties from imposing any operating limits on businesses, unless COVID patients made up 15 percent of hospital capacity for seven straight days in the respective countys hospital region. In those areas, county judges could reduce business capacity to as little as 50 percent and call on residents to wear masks, though local officials could not penalize anyone through fines or jail time for failing to wear a mask. Abbotts new order, which takes effect immediately, strips local officials of even that authority. It prohibits COVID-related business operating limits and mask mandates even in areas that exceed the 15 percent threshold. On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston pediatrician warns parents to take COVID 'very seriously' with children's hospitals full Galvestons hospital region on Thursday became the first in Texas to surpass that threshold during the latest wave of infections, which have surged this month due to the spread of the more transmissible delta variant. The Galveston region reported that patients infected by the virus comprised 15.1 percent of its capacity, according to state data. It was the first time the area had reached that mark since February. The Belton/Killeen hospital region, meanwhile, was within striking distance Thursday, at 14.1 percent. In the Houston and San Antonio hospital regions, COVID patients totaled 9.3 percent of hospital capacity. In a statement, Abbott said his executive order emphasizes that the path forward relies on personal responsibility rather than government mandates. Texans have mastered the safe practices that help to prevent and avoid the spread of COVID-19, Abbott said, echoing past statements declaring victory over the virus. They have the individual right and responsibility to decide for themselves and their children whether they will wear masks, open their businesses, and engage in leisure activities. Vaccines, which remain in abundant supply, are the most effective defense against the virus, and they will always remain voluntary never forced in the State of Texas. The announcement comes as Abbott prepares for a GOP primary fight with two conservative challenges. He was sharply criticized by some on the right for mild restrictions imposed during a surge of COVID-19 cases last summer. On HoustonChronicle.com: Texas records largest one-day count since February in COVID cases, hospitalizations Though the Houston region remains well under the 15 percent mark, the area recorded an increase in hospitalizations for the 14th straight day on Thursday. Hospitalizations have spiked by 236 percent over the last two weeks, and County Judge Lina Hidalgo has raised the countys COVID threat level to orange. The Democrat has sharply criticized Abbotts past moves to prevent local officials from imposing new COVID-related restrictions. Abbott issued an order this spring, for example, that strips local school districts of the authority to require masks when students return for in-person instruction in the fall. State Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, accused Abbott of tying the hands of health experts who are trying to keep Texans healthy as cases and hospitalizations increase. This is particularly concerning for children, for whom vaccines arent available, and their families, said Howard, a former critical care nurse. With the fall semester just around the corner, students, families and educators need our schools to use every tool available to keep everyone safe. Gov. Abbott has made that impossible. jasper.scherer@chron.com 21 Pro Video A 16-year-old boy was killed Thursday evening after he was shot in the chest at a Northeast Side apartment complex, San Antonio police said. Officers responded to the Regatta apartment complex located in the 12700 block of Scarsdale around 6 p.m. for reports of a shooting in progress. Three authors of a controversial new book on the Alamo got a chance this week to do something theyd been denied earlier this month: talk about the role of slavery in the Texas Revolution. Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert hosted a forum with authors of Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of An American Myth after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick canceled an event at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin on July 1 at the last minute. Calvert opened the 90-minute discussion with remarks about the countys decision to commit $25 million to a new Alamo museum, with the hope it would turn a new page, where we are all read about in the struggle for freedom in Texas. Its what this community must do, Calvert told an audience of more than 100 people in the Double Height Courtroom of the Bexar County Courthouse. On ExpressNews.com: Alamos ties to slavery stir debate The June release of the book comes as the city, Texas General Land Office and nonprofit Alamo Trust develop plans for a $250 million museum and visitor center. The trust has raised $75 million, including $50 million from the state, in addition to the $138 million the city and state have spent or committed to improving the Alamo grounds and Alamo Plaza. Financial pledges for the museum from the Republican-led Legislature and heavily Democratic Bexar County Commissioners Court signal a potential train wreck ahead on how and whether to include perspectives on slavery. The book has re-energized a decades-old debate about the ambitions of the framers of the Texas republic to establish slavery and whether it also was a motive for the nearly 200 men, mostly Anglos, who died in the 1836 Battle of the Alamo. Alamo traditionalists have panned the book as far-fetched and revisionist. Former Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, the books most outspoken critic, was the only person to challenge the authors Thursday night. He said actions taken by Mexican centralists in 1835 to revoke the 1824 constitution, replace governors and disband state legislatures set off revolutions in five other states. Patterson acknowledged that slavery was important to the Texians, but he said it was not a cause for rebellion. Those of you who have the opinion that this was all about slavery are simply misinformed, said Patterson, who recently announced the creation of a website, 1836truth.com, that seeks to debunk the book. Bob Owen /San Antonio Express-News Chris Tomlinson, co-author of the book and a columnist with the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News, said slavery was not the only cause of the war for independence from Mexico, but it was indisputably the basic underlying cause. During the Alamo siege, delegates about 100 miles to the east signed a declaration of independence that didnt mention slavery. Still, they then wrote and approved a constitution after the battle that institutionalized it. All weve done is weve shifted the perspective so that its not the 100 percent focused on the Anglo so-called heroes and (expanded) that picture to a wider, more panoramic perspective, Tomlinson said. The Alamo projects vision and guiding principles, drafted by a citizens committee in 2014, call for inclusion of under-told African American, Native American, Tejano and Mexican perspectives. Authors of the book said they used recent works by scholars and put them in a readable form to help the public understand those underrepresented stories. Bryan Burrough took the lead writing the first third of the book, through 1836; Tomlinson, the second, from 1836 to the 1960s; and Jason Stanford, the final third, from the 1980s to 2021. I think a lot of this is still surprising to a lot of people, Burrough said. Its not a textbook but an attempt to present an argument, Tomlinson said. Patterson called it an opinion. Mario Salas, an author, history professor and civil rights leader who co-hosted the forum, said it is a well-documented account. Tomlinson, who covered nine wars as a journalist, noted the nuances of any battlefield. The young man with the rifle may not know the real reason for a war, he said. Salas allowed that some soldiers and volunteers in the Texas Revolution might have been confused or brainwashed by the rhetoric of the conflict. But the authors, echoing what many people of color have said for decades, said the Alamo, long known as the Cradle of Texas Liberty and a symbol of westward U.S. expansion, carries a legacy of white supremacy. Although the site has updated its tours and literature to include stories of Tejano defenders, such as Jose Toribio Losoya and Gregorio Esparza, the prevailing figures are white: David Crockett, William Barret Travis and Jim Bowie. Robin Jerstad /Robin Jerstad Stanford said he was astounded at the number of Hispanic Texans who had been traumatized by Alamo school field trips. They felt associated, either internally or through remarks by students or teachers, with the Mexican military bad guys who killed Crockett. It remains a problem because the Alamo is not a welcoming place for Hispanic people, he said. On ExpressNews.com: Alamo exhibit hall design rapped as plain The whole book couldve been quotes like this, where they went on the field trip, and they walked in as Texans, and they came out as Mexicans, Stanford said. Calvert announced that the authors have been invited to speak in Harris County, and Tomlinson said theyre waiting to hear from the University of Texas about a forum in Austin that Lt. Gov. Patrick initiated. Deborah Omowale Jarmon, CEO and director of the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum, said scholars have tried for 30 years to update the story of Texas. But new information hasnt been widely accessible. So kudos for doing your homework and creating a book that will at least create some dialogue, so we can talk about what really happened at the Alamo, Jarmon said. shuddleston@express-news.net Kin Man Hui /Staff photographer Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland announced Thursday that masks will now be required indoors at all facilities owned, leased or controlled by the Department of Defense. Regardless of vaccination status, all visitors, service members, employees and others will be expected to follow the mask mandate. Those who are not fully vaccinated also need to practice social distancing, Lackland said in a letter posted on its official Twitter account. A 24-year-old San Antonio man could be sentenced to life in prison over allegations that he had sex with children, including one below the age of six. A Bexar County grand jury indicted Jonathan Garrett on charges of super-aggravated sexual assault and sexual performance of a child under the age of six. Garrett also is charged with sexually assaulting a child below the age of 14. Both alleged assaults occurred on Feb. 7. Garrett also is accused of promoting child pornography, among other charges. He allegedly used the social media application WhatsApp to distribute images depicting a child having sex. If convicted of super-aggravated sexual assault, Garrett faces a minimum sentence of 25 years to life in prison with no possibility of parole. He also could be fined up to $10,000. Indicted on similar charges was Joe Anthony Salinas. He is accused of continuous sexual abuse of a child. A Bexar County grand jury indictment alleges that from Nov. 7, 2020, through Feb. 27 of this year he committed two or more acts of sexual abuse against a child younger than 14. Salinas also is charged with possession of child pornography. He faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted of the continuous sexual abuse count. In other indictments made public this week: Daniel Lara was charged with manslaughter in the death of Ray Ybarra on April 30. If convicted, Lara faces up to 20 years in prison. Kody James Mengden was charged with arson in an April 17 fire at a classroom building at Pierce Elementary School in the Southside Independent School District. No one was in the building at the time, but one of the classrooms was deemed a total loss. Five people were charged with operating an illegal gambling establishment in the 7300 block of Somerset Road on the Southwest Side. Police said dozens of electronic slot machines were found in the gaming hall, known as Somerset Center, during a raid in August 2019. Charged with gambling-organized crime were Annabel Gonzalez, Norma Iris Gonzalez, Amanda Gonzalez, Adrian Gabriel Sanchez and Adaljisa Ramos Gonzalez. At the time of the raid, Annabel Gonzalez was a civilian police dispatcher for the San Antonio Police Department, where she had worked for 16 years. Police began investigating after receiving a complaint from a woman who said her mother was gambling away all her money at Somerset Center, according to court records. ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863 San Antonio Police Department A former San Antonio Police officer with a checkered past was arrested Thursday after it was discovered that he possessed over 500 images of child pornography on his cellphone, according to an arrest affidavit. Matthew Martin, 43, an 8-year veteran of the force, is also facing charges related to placing a tracking devices on his ex-girlfriends car. Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images You may not be able to find your favorite Topo Chico product in stores nationwide. A representative said the company is experiencing a shortage of raw materials making it difficult for it to keep up with customer demand. Days into his tenure as Texas governor, Greg Abbott set a commendable and ambitious goal for the states child welfare system, so often mired in tragedy. Maybe the best way to start would be with the simplest and most profound idea, he wrote in an email to aides in January 2014. No more child deaths. This email was as aspirational as it was unrealistic, but it spoke to a fundamental and timeless truth: One childs death is one too many, and leaders and policymakers should do all they can to ensure children are safe and healthy, especially during a crisis. This email from seven years ago is profoundly discordant with Abbotts callousness in this latest pandemic moment: The delta variant is ripping through Texas, filling hospital beds, just as children are returning to school unmasked. And in the case of children younger than 12, unvaccinated. And Abbott has responded to this tenuous moment, not by doing all he can to prevent children from becoming sick or dying from COVID-19, not with the noble goal of no more child deaths, but in using his own emergency order to keep local entities from mandating masks during a public health emergency. As Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in a statement late Thursday: The governor has shown a callous disregard for life and safety in defiance of clear medical guidance and is risking the safety of our children and the recovery of our economy. Now it is true COVID-19 has not affected children in remotely the same way as adults. For 2020/2021, 340 child deaths (17 and younger) from COVID-19 have been reported in the United States. That is a low number unless you placed all 340 children in a single room. But lets also remember that for the parents of each of these children, it is neither a low number nor a bland statistic, but a singular tragedy beyond words and comprehension. That again, as Abbott made clear about the child welfare system, one childs death is one too many; and we should speak about child fatalities as individual tragedies and not aggregate statistics. Lets also remember schools were safe last year thanks to universal masking, at a time when the delta variant had not yet taken hold. Why jettison masks in schools now? At times, when it appears to be politically convenient, Abbott is very concerned about the spread of COVID. For example, he was so concerned that he recently issued an order allowing state troopers to stop vehicles suspected of carrying immigrants with COVID. He is willing to violate civil rights, and encourage racial profiling, in the name of COVID prevention, but he just cant allow school districts to mandate masks. While I have focused on masks and schools, this is all part of a larger trend in failing to govern. When Winter Storm Uri hit, a time when millions of Texans were freezing and without power, Abbott went on national TV and falsely blamed the outages on the Green New Deal. He then failed to truly reform the Texas grid despite hundreds of deaths during the freeze. Inspired by the Big Lie of widespread voter fraud, Abbott has called a special session to address the nonexistent crisis of election integrity; and now Democrats, fighting the obvious intent of voter suppression, have broken quorum and fled to Washington, D.C. We can debate the wisdom of that decision the COVID outbreak, the Miller Lite, the unclear endgame for Democrats but the lack of quorum also reflects a failure from Abbott to commit to bipartisan governance. There was an opportunity to work with lawmakers on funding virtual learning and boosting public health. The same disconnect could be said at the city and county levels as Abbott routinely spars with mayors and county judges in major metro areas. Again, heres Nirenbergs statement from late Thursday: A week ago, we requested assistance to help the seriously overwhelmed hospitals and medical system, and we havent heard a response. Abbotts most ardent supporters would likely say he has been a paragon for liberty in response to intrusive federal and local governments. After all, he is not stopping anyone from masking up or following CDC guidelines. But by not allowing mandates, he is also governing to his base at the expense of everyone else. Just imagine if he mandated masks in elementary schools with the simple and profound idea of no child deaths. In another context, it was once a stated goal. In todays political environment, its unfathomable. jbrodesky@express-news.net WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Justice is threatening to sue Texas over an executive order Gov. Greg Abbott issued this week prohibiting the transport of migrants in Texas, which Attorney General Merrick Garland called both dangerous and unlawful. If Abbott doesnt rescind the order, Garland wrote in a letter to the governor on Thursday, the United States intends to pursue all appropriate legal remedies to ensure that Texas does not interfere with the functions of the federal government. Its at least the second lawsuit threat the state has drawn from the federal government as Abbott has issued a series of executive orders on the border in recent months. The Republican governor has sought to position himself at the center of his partys battle against the Biden administrations immigration policies. BACKGROUND: Gov. Abbott hits the gas on his rogue immigration crackdown The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also threatened to sue over an order Abbott issued in June that prohibited state-licensed childcare facilities from housing migrant children, a step that could leave the federal government scrambling to find shelter for thousands of unaccompanied kids. Citing a rise in COVID-19 cases, Abbott issued the new order on Wednesday banning anyone other than law enforcement from transporting migrants who have been detained by Border Patrol for crossing the southern border illegally. His order also directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to stop any vehicle that officers suspect of carrying migrants and reroute it to its point of origin or a port of entry. The order sparked immediate outrage from advocates, including the American Civil Liberties Union, which said the order will lead to racial profiling. It also sparked a swift response from the federal government. Garland wrote that the order directly interferes with the implementation of federal immigration law because federal law requires individuals to appear before immigration courts throughout the country. Many migrants are transported by Greyhound buses, not federal law enforcement, and Garland wrote that the state also doesnt have authority to regulate the operations of private companies working on behalf of the federal government. And while Abbott said he issued the order as a measure to slow the spread of COVID, Garland argued it will have the opposite effect. The order, Garland wrote, will exacerbate and prolong overcrowding in facilities and shelters and obstruct the federal governments arrangements with state, local, and nongovernmental partners to ensure that released individuals are transported for appropriate COVID-19 testing to address public health concerns. In response, Abbott blamed Biden for allowing migrants from over 150 counties, many of whom are testing positive for COVID-19 into Texas and charged that the federal government is being irresponsible with COVID testing and containment measures. The Biden administration is jeopardizing the health and safety of Texans on a daily basis, Abbott said. And its not just Texans; these irresponsible policies and actions by the Biden administration are endangering the lives of many Americans as well as the unlawful immigrants themselves. ben.wermund@chron.com Sterling, VA (20165) Today A mix of clouds and sun early followed by cloudy skies this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High near 80F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low around 60F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Sterling, VA (20165) Today Clouds and some sun this morning with more clouds for this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High near 80F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 59F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Janice Mirikitani, a beloved San Francisco poet laureate who together with her husband ran the city's Glide Memorial Church, which caters to the poor and homeless, has died. She was 80. Mirikitani died suddenly Thursday, the church confirmed in a message to supporters who were scheduled to attend a virtual justice event later in the day, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Mirikitani was married to the Rev. Cecil Williams, who transformed Glide Memorial Church, in the heart of the citys largely poor Tenderloin district, from a traditional Methodist church to a decidedly liberal one that advocated for gay rights and welcomed members from all walks of life. Jan Mirikitani was one of our Citys true lights. She was a visionary, a revolutionary artist, and the very embodiment of San Franciscos compassionate spirit," Mayor London Breed said. She served our most vulnerable residents for decades and provided a place of refuge and love for all. Mirikitani joined Glide Memorial Church in 1964, a year after Williams arrived in San Francisco to lead the church. He turned services into celebrations and started a wide range of community programs. Along the way, he never shied from political and social issues, ranging from gay rights to compassion for the homeless. With nearly 10,000 members, Glide became the largest Methodist church in Northern California and one of the largest in the nation. Janice was a force of nature, Glide President and CEO Karen Hanrahan said. She was fearless and transformational in the honesty with which she loved us all and held us all accountable. Janices legacy and her unique, powerful voice is all around us. It will continue to inspire Glides work as we transform hearts and minds, and the landscape of poverty and homelessness, in San Francisco. Mirikitani led the Glide Foundation and was executive director of the Janice Mirikitani-Glide Family Youth and Child Care Center. We lost a legend today, the First Lady of the Tenderloin, a poet, someone who loved people, all people, and had endless compassion, grace, and vision, Supervisor Matt Haney, whose district includes the Tenderloin, said in a tweet. Mirikitani, a third-generation Japanese American, was named San Franciscos poet laureate in 2000, succeeding Beat legend Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who became the citys first poet laureate in 1998. She was the daughter of Japanese American chicken farmers from Petaluma. She was 1-year-old when her family was swept up in President Franklin D. Roosevelts controversial decision to intern Japanese Americans. Mirikitani and her parents were sent off to a camp in Arkansas. That experience informed a lot of her poetry. For me, the role of poet is as a voice to connect with the community," said Mirikitani, who published four books of poetry. "Whats great about San Francisco is its diversity. Its the mecca for diversity, and thats what turns me on about being the laureate, she told the newspaper after her naming. RENO, Nev. (AP) Two tribes that joined a legal battle over plans to build a mine at the largest known U.S. deposit of lithium urged a judge Thursday to temporarily ban digging for an archaeological survey that they say would desecrate sacred tribal lands in Nevada near the Oregon line. The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony and Atsa Koodakuh Wyh Nuwu/People of Red Mountain are intervening in a lawsuit that four conservation groups have filed against Lithium Nevada Corp. The tribes say their ancestors were massacred in the late 1800s at the proposed Thacker Pass site that would mine lithium, a key component in electric vehicle batteries. Demand for the mineral is expected to triple over the next five years. The tribes say the Bureau of Land Managements approval of the project in December during the final weeks of the Trump administration violates the National Historic Preservation Act because they havent been consulted about potential efforts to mitigate damage to their sacred lands. Building a mine where our ancestors were massacred where our ancestors bones, blood and flesh form a part of the soil would be like building a lithium mine over Pearl Harbor, Arlington National Cemetery or the Gettysburg Battlefield, according to an affidavit that lawyers for the tribes filed Thursday in federal court in Reno with a request to temporarily block the digging. The Paiutes call Thacker Pass Pee hee muhuh, which means rotten moon. Tribal leaders with the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony describe in oral histories how Paiute hunters returned home to find the elders, women, and children murdered, unburied and rotting with their intestines spread across the sagebrush in this pass shaped like a crescent moon. The tribes request comes after U.S. District Judge Miranda Du rejected a motion last week from conservationists who sought to block the digging based on claims that it would destroy critical habitat for the sage grouse, an imperiled ground-dwelling bird. She said during a July 21 hearing on the conservationists request that the tribes had a better chance of persuading her to temporarily halt activity at the mine site. The argument about irreparable harm is more persuasive the violation of the National Historic Preservation Act itself, she said. Du has ordered the company and the land agency, which is overseen by the Interior Department, to respond to the tribes' motion by Aug. 12 and has scheduled a hearing later that month. Lithium Nevada had intended to begin digging trenches this week to gather samples for the survey across about a quarter of an acre. But government lawyers told the judge last week that some necessary permits were still pending. They agreed to notify Du if they wanted to start digging before Aug. 23 so she could consider an emergency order. She said she doesnt intend to rule on the merits of the overall case before January. The Bureau of Land Management says it has been consulting with the three federally recognized tribes at Thacker Pass the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone tribes and Winnemucca Indian Colony about plans on how to treat historic properties. The agency said it didnt object to the two other tribes intervening, but Lithium Nevada said it did, partly because it argued Atsa Koodakuh Wyh Nuwu/People of Red Mountain isnt a tribe defined under the National Historic Preservation Act. The company said a review has included substantial consultation with local tribes that never raised similar concerns, while it spent $10 million on the permitting process for the mine. Tribal lawyers said in Thursdays filing that the government also should be consulting with at least nine other tribes in Nevada, California and Oregon with ties to Thacker Pass. Michon Eben, the Reno-Sparks Indian Colonys tribal historic preservation officer, said she told federal officials last month that just because regional tribes have been isolated and forced onto reservations relatively far away from Thacker Pass does not mean these regional tribes do not possess cultural connections to the pass. Darranda Hinkey, a Paiute-Shoshone member who serves as secretary of the People of Red Mountain, said the Fort McDermitt tribe might not exist if not for the caves and rock outcrops at Thacker Pass where their ancestors hid from American soldiers who were rounding them up at the point of a gun to force them onto reservations. PHILADELPHIA (AP) A new dashboard of real-time data on Pennsylvania's prison and parole populations shows the state has made strides to reduce racial inequity, but Black and Latino residents are still greatly overrepresented in prisons and on parole. The dashboard built by the group Recidiviz, a tech nonprofit that partners with governmental agencies to use data to reduce incarceration with a focus on racial inequities, was made public Friday and includes information on prison and parole populations as well as a tab to specifically look at racial disparities in the system. Pennsylvania officials hope the dashboard can be used to track the outcomes of current criminal justice practices and shape future policies. Transparency creates a common language for all of us to talk about the criminal justice system, whats working and whats not, and to chart a path forward," said Clementine Jacoby, the executive director of Recidiviz. Its the second public dashboard the group has built in partnership with a state North Dakota was the first and they hope more states will agree to partner in the future. Jacoby said the dashboard tab that looks at racial disparities is important because it shows leadership at the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections is making equity a priority. With 20 years of monthly data points in the dashboard, the trends in racial disparities are easy to identify. The department has worked to reduce the overall prison population from a high of more than 50,000 around 2014, to a little more than 37,000 as of this month which is just a few hundred more people than were incarcerated 20 years ago. The department also reduced the prison population by 14% during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and while many other states that reduced their populations during the pandemic have seen that population increase again in the last few months, Pennsylvania has not. Pennsylvania Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel said about 70% of the more than 13,000 prisoners released under various efforts since he took over have been people of color. The dashboard shows the percentage of inmates who are Black has decreased from 55 % in 2001 to about 47% today. Still, in a state where the overall population is 12% Black, it shows Black residents are about six times overrepresented in prison. Latinos are more than two times overrepresented in the state's prisons. And the same is true in parole. Wetzel has been a supporter of data and research-driven decisions since he took over in 2011. The past several years, we had this beautiful period where most of the criminal justice talk was data driven and really as close to apolitical as possible in this country... but we've been devolving, Wetzel said. There's been a slowdown in policy creation and discussion during COVID, but if we use the information, the data, we make better decisions. He pointed to data's importance in dispelling a popular narrative that reducing incarceration increases crime. We've been tracking the outcomes from day one. Weve made significant movement toward decarceration. And (overall) crime is lower, we have fewer prisons and we've had the lowest increases in corrections spending in recent history," he said. His ultimate hope is being transparent about the data, making it available to researchers, nonprofits and legislators will help produce better policies and help track outcomes in real time. Robert Rooks, the CEO of the REFORM Alliance, an advocacy group working to change the probation and parole systems so they are not a pipeline back into prison, has the same hope. But he also wants to make sure it's clear these are people not just numbers. Where I really get excited regarding the dashboard, is these numbers really represent people. The data tells a story, but the numbers represent fathers, sons, mothers, daughters... all these people who deserve the right to succeed. It becomes a powerful tool to change systems, when that becomes clear to people," Rooks said. The dashboard shows the number of people on parole in Pennsylvania has exploded, nearly tripling in the last 20 years from less than 11,000 in 2001 to more than 32,000 as of this month. Rooks noted the state has the fourth largest parole and probation population in the country. Rooks said working toward reform in Pennsylvania has a special place in the organization's heart because of its founding, which was inspired by Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill's two to four-year sentence on a probation revocation involving video of him popping wheelies on a dirt bike on a New York City street. The group of activists and advocates seeking to change the probation and parole system came together after realizing there were thousands of people in Mill's position, who did not have his notoriety or resources. Its a step in the right direction. A step is good, but its also just a step, Rooks said of the movement the department has made toward addressing racial disparities. This is another important piece to advocating and telling this story. We are just going to continue to add piece after piece until we get to real change happening." The Northern Irish government has opened a 2.7 million support scheme for farmers impacted by extreme flooding and landslides in 2017. Farmers in the Glenelly area of County Tyrone will receive support of over 100,000 per business for losses incurred and to help restore land for agriculture use. The extreme flooding caused devastating landslides in the Glenelly Valley during the summer of 2017. For years, those impacted had highlighted the extent of their financial losses and the challenges faced in restoring their land back to productivity. Farming businesses affected had also raised the negative impact this unique severe weather event had on them both emotionally and mentally. The NI Department of Agriculture (DAERA) Farming Minister Edwin Poots opened the 2.7m support scheme for farmers this week. It is believed more than 200 farms could be eligible for the one-off financial payment. Farmers who applied for a Force Majeure when their businesses were impacted by flooding on 22 and 23 August 2017 can now apply. The fund is a time limited scheme which will close on 12 August 2021, Mr Poots explained. It is capped at 106,323 per farm business and is available for farmers who applied for a Force Majeure in respect of the flooding incident. The extreme flooding event meant that the farming and wider rural communities in the North West experienced significant hardship," Mr Poots said. "Farm businesses lost income due to the impact on their land and the cost of removing debris and silt, as well as reseeding to restore it back to productive use. "I am delighted to say that this North West 2017 Flooding Income Support Scheme, worth almost 2.7 million, is now open to applications. I would urge all eligible businesses to make sure their application is submitted as soon as possible, Minister Poots added. Eligible farm businesses will receive a letter inviting them to apply for the support package, with instructions on how to access the application form and receive help to complete it. They must complete the application form available on DAERA Online Services from 28 July 2021. The Ulster Farmers' Union said it was 'pleased' that farmers would 'finally get the financial support they need.' The union had lobbied continuously to get support secured for those who completed majeure forms. President Victor Chestnutt said: We witnessed first-hand the ongoing devastation to their farm businesses because of the severe weather event almost four years ago. "While the emotional distress of the past number of years cannot be undone, we hope that the funding provides relief after experiencing such financial loss for so long and that the farming families affected can now move forward. "We now ask that the funding gets rolled out as soon as possible so they can benefit. Invasive species such as European rabbit have cost the UK economy over 5bn over the past four decades, with the majority of costs due to farmland damage. The grey squirrel, European rabbit and Japanese knotweed are among invasive species that have cost the economy billions over the past 40-50 years. The startling figure makes the cost one of the highest totals in Europe, according to scientists at the Queens University Belfast. The new study, published in NeoBiota, is the largest and most up-to-date combination of economic costs of biological invasions in the UK. Invasive species, those introduced and spreading outside of their native range as a result of human activities, are a 'growing threat' to environments worldwide. Environmental impacts of invasive species, one of the main causes of biodiversity loss, are well-studied. However, few studies have summarised their economic impacts. First author by Dr Ross Cuthbert said the majority of costs were caused by direct damages, such as reductions in agricultural productivity and infrastructure repair costs. "Very little was spent on the actual management of invasive species, and especially prevention of future invasions," Dr Cuthbert added. Worryingly, we also found that invasion costs are increasing rapidly over time and are likely to continue rising in future as more invasive species arrive in the UK. "These costs are also severely underestimated, as very few of the known invasive species in the UK have reported economic costs (< 10%), indicating a lack of research effort and reporting of their detrimental impacts. To conduct their study, the researchers examined how costs in the UK were distributed across different invasive species, environments and cost types, and how they have changed through time. They found that most of the cost was due to invasive animals and plants, such as the European rabbit, Japanese knotweed and waterweeds, and predominantly through agricultural or property impacts. Invasive rabbits cause severe damage to agricultural areas by overgrazing, which affects both the growth and yield of key crops, especially considering grasslands and cereals. Their burrowing can also impact the quality of pastures. Another invasive species is Japanese knotweed, which causes structural damage to property that is expensive to remediate and reduces house values substantially, the study said. And invasive waterweeds can clog waterways, blocking access by watercraft, worsening flood risk and impeding recreational activities such as angling. The researchers hope the study will raise awareness of the economic burden invasive species have on the economy for policy makers. They said the study should promote greater management spending to prevent their damage on different sectors of the economy and ecosystems. Dr Cuthbert added: Investing in better biosecurity to prevent invasive species from arriving in the first place could reduce future economic impacts and be cheaper than future damages or long-term control. 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. After Baahubalis release, Prabhas has become a phenomenon and all his films have become highly anticipated. His next Radhe Shyam is being talked about a lot and today he drops a new poster of his film and also a new release date. Prabhas took to his social media and shared a new poster where we see him in a sharp tailored suit and looking suave and super-sexy. A cryptic layout in the background shows various brick buildings forming like an oracle but one cannot get their eyes off PRabhas sexy avatar. The actor captioned the picture and said, Can't wait for you all to watch my romantic saga, #RadheShyam, which has a brand new release date - 14th January, 2022 worldwide! Now we are already looking forward to 2022 as we are sure its going to kickstart on a big note! View this post on Instagram A post shared by Prabhas (@actorprabhas) The Internet is flooded with news about businessman Raj Kundra who got arrested for production and distribution of pornographic films on an app. Kundra is currently in custody of the Mumbai Police and his bail plea has been rejected by the Bombay High Court. Attached to his name, a lot has also been said about actor and his wife Shilpa Shetty and her sister Shamita Shetty. While Shilpa has maintained silence on the matter, she did ask audiences to watch her new film, Hungama 2 for the hard work of the entire cast and crew. Today, Shamita Shetty took to social media to share a post about keeping her head held high with a selfie. She wrote, Sometimes the strength within you is not a big fiery flame for all to see.. it is just a tiny spark that whispers ever so softy.. You got this .. keep going. You cant control how other people receive your energy . Anything you say or do gets filtered through the lens of whatever personal issues they are going through at that moment .. which is not about you . Just keep doing your thing with as much integrity and love as possible. TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE, July 30, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - DigiMax Global Inc. (the "Company" or "DigiMax") (CSE:DIGI)(OTC:DBKSF), a company that provides artificial intelligence ("AI") and cryptocurrency technology solutions, is pleased to announce that it has signed a marketing collaboration deal with The Wing Corp. ("Wing") based in Seoul Korea.CryptoHawk is an Artificial Intelligence-driven, price-trend prediction tool that can be profitably used by any investor interested in trading Bitcoin or Ethereum. The tool is different as it uses AI and machine learning to capture profit from the volatility of cryptocurrencies rather than incur the risk of buy-and-hold investments. As previously announced by the Company, in its first full month of operation in June 2021, CryptoHawk signals achieved a long-short return on BTC of more than 25% compared to a buy-and-hold return for the same period of a loss of 10%. In both up and down markets, CryptoHawk has the potential to deliver subscribers much higher returns when trading.Wing is a market-leading influencer in blockchain and cryptocurrency in Korea, which they reference as the core of 'the 4th industrial revolution'. Wing is a company established to help traders and exchanges seek out the highest value cryptocurrencies for investment and future development. Wing applies rigorous verification by experts to foster the development of the cryptocurrency market and sound investment culture.Having been associated with Wing since DigiMax was founded in 2018, DigiMax recognizes Wing's strength because it uses non-traditional methods for direct communication with its followers that is not easily traceable through conventional means. They are however very effective at communicating with both crypto traders and exchanges throughout the country.The founder of Wing, Minho Kang, is a leading blockchain influencer in Korea who has already introduced numerous crypto companies (including Dent, Salt, Enigma, Skraps, Hero, Shivom, Karma, Poet, Trade.io, Hacken, Real, Bitjob ,Sapien, Zper, Investfeed Dexe, Hyve and Eqifi) to Korea, and his success has earned him a reputation as a global marketing expert. He also led a successful blockchain conference as the co-founder of The Signature, leading more than 50,000 investment members.Wing will collaborate with DigiMax to develop a broad range of CryptoHawk users in Korea and will assist DigiMax to develop integration of the CryptoHawk artificial intelligence system into crypto exchanges in the country. Wing will share referral fees on a sliding scale from 1,000 subscribers up to more than 100,000 subscribers developed in Korea. Wing will also earn options in DigiMax for successfully creating direct partnerships between DigiMax and Korean crypto exchanges."As Korea fully embraces the 4th Industrial Revolution, we are thrilled to partner with DigiMax in reaching out to our community with the power of AI," says Minho Kang, the founder of The Wing Corp. "Korea is extremely techno-savvy with cryptocurrency. I firmly believe that CryptoHawk.ai takes all of us to a new level of monetization through insight that can be used by anyone interested in trading crypto.""We are excited to be able to join forces with such a knowledge leader in the industry in Korea," said DigiMax CEO, Chris Carl. "Since Korea operates in an autonomous manner apart from most of Asia, having such a respected and prominent influencer in a country that has one of the highest per-capita rates of crypto followers in the world, is a great addition to the growing DigiMax team."About DigiMaxDigiMax is an Artificial Intelligence technology company committed to unlocking the potential of disruptive technologies by providing advanced financial, predictive, and cryptocurrency solutions across various verticals. DigiMax is an official IBM Watson partner, and the Company's engineering team has extensive experience in Machine Learning, Neural Language Processing, AI, Big Data and Cryptocurrency technology.To learn more, visit our website: https://digimaxglobal.com/Contact:Martti KangasInvestor Communications647-521-9261mkangas@digimax-global.comChris CarlPresident & CEO416-312-9698ccarl@digimax-global.comCautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking StatementsThis press release contains "forward-looking statements or information". Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: anticipate, intend, plan, goal, seek, believe, project, estimate, expect, strategy, future, likely, may, should, will and similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking statements in this press release include, among others, statements about the Company and Kirobo Inc.'s future plans, expectations and objectives.Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. The Company may not actually achieve its plans, projections, or expectations. The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company, including expectations and assumptions concerning the future plans of Kirobo Inc. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: the adequacy of our cash flow and earnings, the benefits and uses of our software, the pricing and availability of our software, the availability of future financing and/or credit, and other conditions which may affect our ability to expand the platforms and software described herein, the level of demand and financial performance of the cryptocurrency industry, developments and changes in laws and regulations, including increased regulation of the cryptocurrency industry through legislative action and revised rules and standards applied by the Canadian Securities Administrators, Ontario Securities Commission, and/or other similar regulatory bodies in other jurisdictions, disruptions to our technology network including computer systems, software and cloud data, or other disruptions of our operating systems, structures or equipment, the impact of Covid-19 or other viruses and diseases on the Company's ability to operate, consumer sentiment towards the Company's products and services, failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations, government regulations, competition, loss of key employees and consultants, and general economic, market or business conditions, the impact of technology changes on the products and industry, the ability for Kirobo Inc. to complete its business objectives, as well as those risk factors discussed or referred to in disclosure documents filed by the Company with the securities regulatory authorities in certain provinces of Canada and available at www.sedar.com. Given these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.Source: DigiMax Global IncCopyright 2021 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. SHANGHAI, China, July 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Junshi Biosciences (HKEX: 1877; SSE: 688180), a leading innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapies, announced today that the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China has accepted its supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for toripalimab in combination with platinum-containing chemotherapy as the first-line treatment for patients with locally advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). It is the fifth NDA submitted for toripalimab in China. The supplemental NDA is based on the JUPITER-06 study (Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT03829969), which is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III clinical study led by Professor Ruihua Xu from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center. A total of 514 patients were enrolled. The co-primary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) as assessed by the Blinded Independent Review Committee (BICR) and overall survival (OS). Secondary endpoints included the PFS assessed by investigator, objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), duration of response (DOR), and safety. Based on the results of the interim analysis, the Independent Data Monitoring Committee (IDMC) determined that the co-primary endpoints of PFS and OS have crossed the prespecified efficacy boundaries and that toripalimab combined with standard chemotherapy as the first-line treatment significantly prolonged the PFS and OS of patients with advanced or metastatic ESCC, compared with placebo combined with standard chemotherapy. Data from the JUPITER-06 study will soon be presented at the 2021 ESMO Annual Meeting. "As an innovation-driven biopharma company who follows the 'In China, For Global' strategy, Junshi Biosciences focuses on tumor types that are 1) highly prevalent in China; 2) responsive to immunotherapy; and 3) where there is urgent unmet need for better and safer treatments. China is one of the countries with the highest incidence and mortality of esophageal cancer in the world, and there is a clear and substantial unmet clinical need." Dr. Patricia Keegan, Chief Medical Officer of Junshi Biosciences, said, "The results of JUPITER-06 study showed that compared with chemotherapy, toripalimab in combination with chemotherapy significantly improved both progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for patients with advanced or metastatic ESCC, regardless of their PD-L1 expression status. We will continue to work closely with the NMPA to make this exciting new treatment option available for patients with advanced or metastatic ESCC as soon as possible." About Esophageal Cancer Esophageal cancer is a primary malignant tumor of the esophageal mucosa epithelium, which is one of the most common cancers in the world. According to data released by GLOBOCAN 2020, esophageal cancer was the seventh most common malignant tumor in the world and the sixth leading cause of cancer death in 2020. Approximately 320,000 new esophageal cancer cases and approximately 300,000 deaths due to esophageal cancer occurred in China, with the incidence and death rates ranking fifth and fourth among all malignant tumors, respectively. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma are the two main histological subtypes of esophageal cancer. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is the main subtype in China, accounting for 90% of all esophageal cancer. For patients with advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, the current standard first-line treatment is platinum-based chemotherapy, but the 5-year overall survival rate is less than 20%. About Toripalimab Toripalimab is the first domestic anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody obtaining marketing approval in China. So far, more than thirty company sponsored clinical studies covering more than fifteen indications have been conducted globally, including in China and the United States. On 17 December 2018, toripalimab obtained a conditional approval from the National Medical Products Administration (the "NMPA") for the second-line treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma. In December 2020, toripalimab injection was successfully included in the updated National Reimbursement Drug List. In February 2021, the sNDA for toripalimab for the treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma after failure of at least two lines of prior systemic therapy has been granted a conditional approval by the NMPA. In the same month, the sNDA for toripalimab combined with cisplatin and gemcitabine as the first-line treatment for patients with locally recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma was accepted for review by the NMPA. In March 2021, toripalimab received Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the first-line treatment of advanced mucosal melanoma by the NMPA. In April 2021, the sNDA for toripalimab for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who failed platinum-containing chemotherapy or progressed within 12 months of neoadjuvant or adjuvant platinum-containing chemotherapy has been granted a conditional approval by the NMPA. Toripalimab has also been included in the Guidelines of the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO) for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Melanoma, the Guidelines of CSCO for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Head and Neck Tumors, the Guidelines of CSCO for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Urothelial Carcinoma and other indications. In March 2021, Junshi Biosciences started a rolling submission of a Biologics License Application for toripalimab for the second-line treatment of recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma to the US Food and Drug Administration ("FDA"). Currently, toripalimab has been granted 1 Breakthrough Therapy, 1 Fast Track, and 3 Orphan Drug Designations by the FDA for the treatment of mucosal melanoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and soft tissue sarcoma. About Junshi Biosciences Founded in December 2012, Junshi Biosciences is an innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative therapeutics. The company has established a diversified R & D pipeline comprising 28 innovative drug candidates and 2 biosimilars, with five therapeutic focus areas covering cancer, autoimmune, metabolic, neurological, and infectious diseases. Junshi Biosciences was the first Chinese pharmaceutical company that obtained marketing approval for anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody in China. Its first-in-human anti-BTLA antibody for solid tumors was the first in the world to be approved for clinical trials by the FDA and NMPA and its anti-PCSK9 monoclonal antibody was the first in China to be approved for clinical trials by the NMPA. In early 2020, Junshi Biosciences joined forces with the Institute of Microbiology Chinese Academy of Science and Eli Lilly to co-develop JS016. Contact Information IR Team: Junshi Biosciences info@junshipharma.com + 86 021-2250 0300 Solebury Trout Bob Ai bai@soleburytrout.com + 1 646-389-6658 PR Team: Junshi Biosciences Zhi Li zhi_li@junshipharma.com + 86 021-6105 8800 PMGR SECURITIES 2025 PLC Interim Report for the period from incorporation on 21 October 2020 to 30 June 2021 PMGR Securities 2025 PLC (the "Company") announces its interim results for the period ended 30 June 2021. The Company's principal objective is to provide Zero Dividend Preference Shares with a predetermined final capital entitlement. It is recommended that these accounts are read in conjunction with those of Premier Miton Global Renewables Trust PLC (the "Parent Company"), also issued today. Directors' Responsibility Statement The Directors are responsible for preparing the Interim Report, in accordance with applicable law and regulations. The Directors confirm that, to the best of their knowledge: The condensed set of Financial Statements within the Interim Report has been prepared in accordance with IAS 34, "Interim Financial Reporting", as adopted by the United Kingdom; and The Interim Management Report includes a fair review of the information required by 4.2.7R (indication of important events during the first six months of the year) and 4.2.8R (disclosure of related party transactions and changes therein) of the FCA's Disclosure and Transparency Rules. For and on behalf of the Board. Gillian Nott OBE Chairman 29 July 2021 Income Statement For the period from incorporation on 21 October 2020 to 30 June 2021 (Unaudited) Period from incorporation on 21 October 2020 to 31 December 2020 '000 Finance costs* (409) Loss before taxation (409) Taxation - Loss for the period (409) All items derive from continuing operations; the Company does not have any other recognised gains or losses. *These costs relate to the provision for compound growth entitlement of the Zero Dividend Preference Shares. Balance Sheet As at 30 June 2021 (Unaudited) As at 30 June 2021 000 Current assets Amount due from Parent Company 14,676 Total assets 14,676 Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year Zero Dividend Preference Shares (14,626) Net Assets 50 Equity Attributable to Ordinary Shareholders Share Capital 50 Capital reserve 409 Accumulated loss (409) Total Equity Attributable to Ordinary Shareholders 50 Cashflow statement For the period from incorporation on 21 October 2020 to 30 June 2021 (Unaudited) Period from incorporation on 21 October 2020 to 30 June 2021 000 Loss before taxation (409) Adjustments for: Increase in trade and other receivables 409 Increase in trade and other payables _ Net cash inflow from operating activities - Increase in cash and cash equivalents - Cash and cash equivalents at the start of the period - Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period - Statement of Changes in Equity (Unaudited) For the period from incorporation on 21 October 2020 to 30 June 2021 Ordinary Share Capital Capital Contribution Accumulated Loss Total 000 000 000 000 Balance at start of period - - - - Issue of Ordinary Shares 50 - - 50 Loss for the period - - (409) (409) Contribution by Parent Company - 409 - 409 Balance at 30 June 2021 50 409 (409) 50 Notes to the Financial Statements For the period from incorporation on 21 October 2020 to 30 June 2021 1. General Information PMGR Securities 2025 PLC (the "Company") was incorporated in England and Wales on 21 October 2020 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Parent Company which is an investment trust registered in England and Wales. The Company commenced operation on 2 November 2020 as part of the reconstruction of the Parent Company when it issued 14,217,339 New Zero Dividend Preference Shares. The financial statements are prepared from incorporation on 21 October 2020 to 30 June 2021. 2. Accounting Policies 2.1 Basis of preparation The Interim Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with International Accounting Standard ("IAS") 34 Interim Financial Reporting and in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice ("SORP") for investment trusts issued by the Association of Investment Companies ("AIC") in November 2014 (and updated in April 2021), where the SORP is not inconsistent with IFRS. The financial information contained in this Interim Report does not constitute statutory accounts as defined in Section 434 of the Companies Act 2006 and have not been audited. The functional currency of the Company is Sterling as this is the currency of the primary economic environment in which the Company operates. Accordingly, the Financial Statements are presented in Sterling rounded to the nearest thousand pounds. 2.2 Presentation of Statement In order to better reflect the activities of the Company as an investment trust company, and in accordance with guidance issued by the AIC, supplementary information which analyses the Income Statement between items of a revenue and capital nature has been presented alongside the Income Statement. 2.3 Use of estimates The preparation of Financial Statements requires the Company to make estimates and assumptions that affect the items reported in the Balance Sheet and Statement of Comprehensive Income and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the Financial Statements. Although these estimates are based on the Board's best knowledge of current facts, circumstances and, to some extent, future events and actions, the Company's actual results may ultimately differ from those estimates, possibly by a significant amount. 2.4 Segmental reporting The chief operating decision maker has been identified as the Board of the Company. The Board reviews the Company's internal management accounts in order to analyse performance. The Directors are of the opinion that the Company is engaged in one segment of business, being the issue of Zero Dividend Preference shares to fund the operation of the Parent Company. As such, no additional segmental reporting disclosure has been prepared. 3. Administrative Expenses The Company's administrative expenses are met by its Parent Company. 4. Amounts due from Parent Company (Unaudited) As at 30 June 2021 000 Funds raised through ZDP share issue 14,217 Amount due in respect of issued share capital 50 Additions under undertaking agreement 409 Total due 14,676 Funds raised through the ZDP 2025 share issue after the deduction of issue costs totaled 14.2m. These funds have been transferred to the Parent Company under an Undertaking Agreement pursuant to which the Parent Company agrees to contribute to the Company such amount as will result in the Company having sufficient assets to satisfy the then current or, as the case may be, the final capital entitlement of the ZDP shares (scheduled repayment date of 28 November 2025, however the facility is repayable on demand). The Directors believe the carrying amount due from the Parent Company approximates its fair value. 5. Creditors (Unaudited) 31 December 2019 000 14,217,339 Zero Dividend Preference Shares of 0.01 14,626 The accrued capital entitlement of each Zero Dividend Preference Share was 102.87p as at 30 June 2021. 6. Zero Dividend Preference Shares 30 June 2021 Number of Shares Balance at start of period ? Share issued during the period 14,217,339 Balance at end of period 14,217,339 The Company issued 14,217,339 Zero Dividend Preference Shares ("ZDP shares") at 100 pence per share on 2 December 2020. The ZDP shares have an entitlement to receive a fixed cash amount on 28 November 2025, being the maturity date, of 127.61 pence per share, but do not receive any dividends or income distributions. The ZDP shares do not carry the right to vote at general meetings of the Company, although they carry the right to vote as a class on certain proposals which would be likely to materially affect their position. The ZDP shares also carry the right to vote, as a class, on certain matters that relate to the activities of the Group. The fair value of the ZDP shares at 30 June 2021, based on the quoted bid price at that date, was 14,999,293. The fair value of the ZDP shares is classified as level 2 under the hierarchy of fair value measurements. 7. Share capital The Company has one class of share which carries no right to fixed income. The authorised and issued share capital of the Company is 50,000 ordinary share issued at 1. 8. Related Parties The Directors are all directors of the Parent Company and received no remuneration for their services to the Company during the period. The amount due from the Parent Company was 14,676,000. The information contained within this announcement is deemed to constitute inside information pursuant to the EU (Withdrawal) Act and amended pursuant to Market Abuse (Amended) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. Upon the publication of this announcement, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain. For immediate release 30 July 2021 Anglo African Agriculture plc ("AAA" or the "Company") Board Changes The Company announces that the Company's non-executive Chairman and director of the board, David Lenigas, has decided to step down from both positions with immediate effect in order to facilitate the process whereby the Company embarks on its new path as a port and marine services business. In the interim Andrew Monk will take over as Chairman of the Company. Over the next couple of months new directors with specific port, marine and Africa experience will be appointed to bolster the board. Andrew Monk commenting, "I would like to thank David for being our Chairman over the last few years when the Company was looking for a significant deal. The last few years have not been easy as the Comarco RTO has taken significantly longer than anyone could have expected due to circumstances out of our control and Covid-19 has also caused numerous delays to complete the deal - probably 16 months. The good news is that the RTO is now close to the finish line and so it was time to make Board changes to reflect what the Company will look like in the future I have retaken the role of Non-executive Chairman in order to ensure a smooth transition. I believe the RTO of Comarco Group will create significant value to the Shareholders of AAA both short term and long term and I also believe because the port is of such significant strategic importance, that there will be considerable interest from outside parties to work with us and before the Covid Pandemic started we had already seen this. There are also numerous avenues to grow the business to a much larger group of ports and marine services across Africa. How the future pans out will almost certainly mean that the Board may change in the future and as my objective is purely to restore and grow shareholder value, I am expecting that my role could change in a relatively short period after the RTO completes and travel restrictions are eased as the pandemic comes under control. AAA is now entering a very exciting time and I look forward to the future with enthusiasm." For further information, please visit www.aaaplc.com or contact the following: Regulatory News: The financial report of TotalEnergies SE (Paris:TTE) (LSE:TTE) (NYSE:TTE) for the first half 2021 was filed with the French Financial Markets Authority (Autorite des marches financiers) on July 30, 2021. It can be consulted and downloaded from the website totalenergies.com, under the heading Investors Results and Investor presentations Results. About TotalEnergies TotalEnergies is a broad energy company that produces and markets energies on a global scale: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables and electricity. Our 105,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, clean, reliable and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in more than 130 countries, TotalEnergies puts sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations to contribute to the well-being of people. Cautionary Note This press release, from which no legal consequences may be drawn, is for information purposes only. The entities in which TotalEnergies SE directly or indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. TotalEnergies SE has no liability for their acts or omissions. The terms "Company" or "TotalEnergies company" refer collectively to the company TotalEnergies SE and the companies it controls directly or indirectly. Such terms are used solely for the sake of convenience for purposes of the present communication. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" may also be used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. This document may contain forward-looking information and statements that are based on a number of economic data and assumptions made in a given economic, competitive and regulatory environment. They may prove to be inaccurate in the future and are subject to a number of risk factors. Neither TotalEnergies SE nor any of its subsidiaries assumes any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information or statement, objectives or trends contained in this document whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210729006293/en/ Contacts: TotalEnergies Contacts Media Relations: +33 1 47 44 46 99 l presse@totalenergies.com l @TotalEnergiesPR Investor Relations: +44 (0)207 719 7962 l ir@totalenergies.com HEINEKEN obtains controlling interest following UBL's annual general meeting UBL becomes a top HEINEKEN operating company, Kingfisher a top 5 global brand Amsterdam, 30 July 2021 - Heineken N.V. (HEINEKEN) announces that, following United Breweries Limited's (UBL) annual general meeting on 29 July 2021, it has obtained control of UBL in India. This follows HEINEKEN's recent acquisition of additional ordinary shares in UBL on 23 June 2021, taking its shareholding in UBL from 46.5% to 61.5%. Dolf van den Brink, Chairman of the Executive Board / CEO, commented: "UBL has a proud history dating back more than a century as an influential shaper of the beer industry in India. It built its position as the undisputed market leader in India with a strong network of breweries across the country and a fantastic portfolio led by its iconic Kingfisher brand family, complemented more recently by a strong HEINEKEN international brand portfolio. We are honoured to build on this legacy and look forward to working with our colleagues at UBL to continue to win in the market, delight consumers and customers and unlock future growth." India offers an exciting long-term growth opportunity as per capita beer consumption is low at 2 litres per annum. Its growing population of nearly 1.4 billion people includes a strong emerging middle class, enabling further premiumisation. UBL will be a top HEINEKEN operating company and Kingfisher a top 5 global brand. HEINEKEN expects the consolidation of UBL will have a small accretive effect on EPS (beia) and a dilutive effect on operating profit margin (beia). -END- Press enquiries Sarah Backhouse / Michael Fuchs E-mail: pressoffice@heineken.com Tel: +31-20-5239-355 Investor and analyst enquiries Federico Castillo Martinez / Janine Ackermann / Robin Achten E-mail: investors@heineken.com Tel: +31-20-5239-590 About HEINEKEN: HEINEKEN is the world's most international brewer. It is the leading developer and marketer of premium beer and cider brands. Led by the Heineken brand, the Group has a portfolio of more than 300 international, regional, local and specialty beers and ciders. HEINEKEN is committed to innovation, long-term brand investment, disciplined sales execution and focused cost management. Through "Brewing a Better World", sustainability is embedded in the business. HEINEKEN has a well-balanced geographic footprint with leadership positions in both developed and developing markets. It employs more than 80,000 employees and operates breweries, malteries, cider plants and other production facilities in more than 70 countries. Heineken N.V. and Heineken Holding N.V. shares trade on the Euronext in Amsterdam. Prices for the ordinary shares may be accessed on Bloomberg under the symbols HEIA NA and HEIO NA and on Reuters under HEIN.AS and HEIO.AS. HEINEKEN has two sponsored level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) programmes: Heineken N.V. (OTCQX: HEINY) and Heineken Holding N.V. (OTCQX: HKHHY). Most recent information is available on HEINEKEN's website, and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Attachment Sales were up 54% to 1,187 million euros and EBITDA almost doubled reaching 330 million euros. The company further improved its outlook for 2021 with sales growth guidance between 35% and 40%. Fluidra, a global leader in pool and wellness equipment, closed the first half of the year with magnificent results driven by a very strong Residential Pool season in the Northern Hemisphere and the continued step change in demand. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005166/en/ (Photo: Fluidra) The company ended the first six months of the year with 1,187 million euros in sales, up 54% compared to the same period in 2020. Net Profit reached 174 million euros, tripling the profits recorded in the first half of 2020. EBITDA was up 95% to 330 million euros and Cash Net Profit, a key proxy for Fluidra that excludes non-cash items and non-recurring expenses, was up 157% to 216 million euros. Despite strong and accretive M&A activity, Fluidra experienced only a moderate increase in Net Debt and managed to lower the leverage ratio by one turn, from 2.6x in the first half of 2020 to 1.6x in the same period this year. Eloi Planes, the company's Executive Chairman, said: "After another record quarter, our superb results in the first half and bright prospects for the future put us in an excellent position for the second half of the year and beyond. With our leading platform, we are ready to sustain our growth, margin and cash expansion." Excellent growth in all regions In terms of geographical areas, sales performed very well, led by North America, which registered an 84% increase in the first half of 2021 compared with the same period in 2020. Meanwhile, Southern Europe's evolution was superb, up by 42%, with the Rest of Europe up by 46%. The Rest of the World also saw a rise of 30%, helped by the positive performance of Residential Pool activity in Australia. In terms of business units, Residential Pool experienced growth in sales of 63% in the first half, aided by the increasing trend of outdoor living and the exodus from cities to suburbs. Commercial Pool evolved very well in the second quarter increasing to a 15% year to date growth in sales led by Aftermarket, alongside a new projects pipeline which is beginning to accelerate. Pool Water Treatment business was up 30% and Fluid Handling by 44%, helped by a positive performance in North America and the increased contribution of refurbishments and new builds. Improved guidance for 2021 Fluidra improved its guidance, with expected sales growth between 35% and 40% and EBITDA margin between 25.0% and 25.5%. The company is also forecasting Cash EPS growth of between 80% and 90%. As Eloi Planes put it: "Our team's excellent work, the magnificent half-year results and the strong business fundamentals demonstrate our readiness to successfully pursue the medium-term targets shared during the last Capital Markets Day." View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005166/en/ Contacts: Sarah Estebanez, sestebanez@tinkle.es, +34 636 62 80 41 Xana Pena, xpena@tinkle.es, +34 674 73 47 82 Laura Gil, lgil@tinkle.es, +34 673 631 814 LONDON, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Modulaire Group, Europe and Asia Pacific's leading business services company specialising in modular services and infrastructure, is pleased to announce that it has completed the acquisition of Tecnifor S.p.A and the business and operations of Locabox S.r.l. and F.A.E. S.p.A. from the shareholders. Headquartered in San Gemini, near Rome, Tecnifor and Locabox are together one of the leading providers of modular building leasing solutions in Italy. The company operates a fleet of over 12,000 modular units primarily for clients within construction and public administration. FAE also operates a facility in San Gemini that manufactures units for the rental fleet or sales market. Tecnifor, Locabox and FAE have approximately 140 employees and annual revenue of c.35m. A targeted acquisition strategy is one of Modulaire Group's four strategic objectives, alongside a focus on optimising sales, an efficient cost base and granular management of branch level performance, and effective capital investment. Mark Higson, Modulaire Group's Chief Executive Officer, commented: "High quality acquisitions are a core component of our strategy, alongside our focus on organic growth and operational performance. This acquisition strengthens Modulaire Group's presence in Italy, building on our existing position. I am delighted to welcome Tecnifor, Locabox and FAE into the Group and look forward to working with their highly experienced and expert management team." About Modulaire Group Modulaire Group is a leader in European modular services and infrastructure. We create smart spaces for people to live, work and learn. Our business is designed to help customers find the right space solution, no matter what their requirements. Modulaire Group has operations in 25 countries with approximately 271,000 modular space and portable storage units and 3,400 remote accommodations rooms. The company operates as Algeco in Europe and Scandinavia, Elliott, Advante, Carter and ProComm in the United Kingdom, BUKO Huisvesting, BUKO Bouw & Winkels and BUKO Bouwsystemen in The Netherlands, Tecnifor and Locabox in Italy, Ausco in Australia, Portacom in New Zealand, and Algeco Chengdong in China. For further information Investor relations: Phil Vellacott investorrelations@modulairegroup.com 07841 563541 Media enquiries: Tulchan Communications modulairegroup@tulchangroup.com 0207 353 4200 WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - PG&E Corp. (PCG) said Friday that it already has resolved civil claims with Shasta County and continues to reach settlements with individual victims and their families impacted by the Zogg Fire in an effort to make it right. However, the company does not agree with the District Attorney's conclusion that criminal charges are warranted given the facts of this case. The company's response came after the Shasta County District Attorney's statement that it will file criminal charges against PG&E related to the 2020 Zogg Fire. 'The loss of life and devastation in the communities impacted by the 2020 Zogg Fire is heartbreaking, and we recognize that nothing can heal the hearts of those who have lost so much,' PG&E said. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. The Taipei Exchange, TPEx, launched Pioneer Stock Board (PSB) on July 20, 2021, which welcomed its first company on July 26. Pioneer Stock Board marks the evolution of the stock market into an innovation-friendly ecosystem. It aims to facilitate entry to capital markets for more innovative enterprises. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005008/en/ Taipei Exchange launches Pioneer Stock Board to support innovative enterprises (Photo: Business Wire) At the PSB Launch Ceremony, Premier Su Tseng-chang delivered the opening speech, emphasizing the government's support. Su said, "Taiwan's capital market breaks new ground today, by establishing this board. PSB will support innovative enterprises, a key driver of economic transformation, by providing companies with quick access to capital needed for continued growth." Dr. Tien-mu Huang, Chairperson of Financial Supervisory Commission, remarked, "Innovation underpins sustainable development of the capital market. PSB will play an important role, not only by promoting innovative enterprises but also by spurring momentum in innovation across the economy." Minister of National Development Council, Mr. Kung, Ming-hsin, commented, "PSB provides innovative enterprises a new way to access capital, beyond government funding or subsidies. It enables more investors to engage at an early stage with innovative enterprises." Chairman of TPEx, Mr. Philip Chen, said, "Based on our 27-year experience developing TPEx's multi-tier market, which includes the Main board, the Emerging Stock Board (ESB) and GISA, we set up PSB and view it as a pivotal milestone. PSB aims to meet the funding needs of enterprises in strategic and innovative industries. With the addition of PSB, our market structure is even more holistic, supporting sustainable development of enterprises. PSB will serve as a strong foundation for growth in the capital market and our economy." According to TPEx, PSB targets six core strategic and innovative industries. These include digital and information technology, cybersecurity, bio-technology, green and renewable energy, national defense, and industries supporting critical supply chains. With the support of early-stage, pre-profit businesses, PSB sets no requirements for date of incorporation, amount of paid-in capital, market capitalization or profitability. PSB adopts a simplified public issuing and documentation review to shorten the application process. "Liquidity is one of the most important factors for private enterprises when they consider going public. Therefore, PSB adopts a continuous trading mechanism, equivalent to the Main Board. Recommending securities firms act as liquidity providers, helping to ensure liquidity and fair price discovery for the PSB shares," added Chen. As of July 15 2021, 787 companies were listed on TPEx Main Board and 268 companies were registered on ESB, with total market capitalization of approximately USD 230 billion. Various sectors are represented, including high-technology, semi-conductor, bio-tech, smart manufacturing, consumer, and creative industries etc. About the Taipei Exchange Established in 1994, TPEx is a member of the World Federation of Exchanges. It has grown with a vision of sustainability to meet the diverse needs of issuers and investors, and has long been dedicated to fostering emerging and high-tech industries by providing viable channels for raising capital. For more information, visit: https://www.tpex.org.tw/web/index.php?l=en-us View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005008/en/ Contacts: Karen Chen: yichun@tpex.org.tw Iris Yang: irisyang@tpex.org.tw Valuence International Europe S.A.S. (Paris, France, Yusuke Sorimachi, representative), a member of the Valuence Group, has announced that luxury brand item buying business Nanboya has completed its office relocation, and has newly opened its second office in France, Nanboya Faubourg Saint-Honore, on July 14, 2021. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005165/en/ Nanboya Faubourg Saint-Honore (Graphic: Business Wire) Nanboya Proposes Sustainability Through Reuse In January 2021, Valuence International Europe opened Nanboya Opera Store, the first office in France for luxury brand item buying business Nanboya. Since then, it has worked to accelerate buying operations for luxury brand and other goods. The recent boom in interest, primarily in Europe, toward sustainability and the circular economy has led to growing needs for reuse. Nanboya proposes a savvy, eco-friendly lifestyle by linking unused items to their next owners. This made-in-Japan reuse culture has earned high praise from the people of France. Now, with the aim of bringing this reuse culture to more consumers and expanding the business in Europe and the Middle East, Nanboya has opened its Nanboya Faubourg Saint-Honore location, its second office in France and located along the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore thoroughfare. This street is well-populated with head offices of French maisons, offering great affinity with customers. This office is also co-located with an office serving as a hub for business in Europe and the Middle East. This location will not only conduct our luxury brand goods buying business, but, as a business hub for the Valuence Group in Europe, be a source of Company-driven sustainability activities and a receiver of information about local activity, serving to expand Valuence's business further. Buying Office Overview Nanboya Faubourg Saint-Honore opens on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore thoroughfare, a prosperous location since the 17th century and home to many French maison head offices even today. In the new office's salon-like cleanliness and brightness, knowledgeable concierges offer warm welcomes to their guests and fully respect their privacy. In France, a core driver of the world's luxury goods market, Valuence will also use advertisements and social media to reach out to customers with high levels of interest in sustainability. Office name: Nanboya Faubourg Saint-Honore Grand opening: Wednesday, July 14, 2021 Business hours: 10:00 to 18:00 (local time) Address: 3 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore 75008 Paris, France Eligible Items: Watches, bags, jewelry, apparel, accessories Language support: French, English Official Site: https://fr.nanboya.global/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nanboya.France/ (@Nanboya.FR) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nanboya.fr/ (@nanboya.fr) View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005165/en/ Contacts: Aiko Kishi, Brand Communications Office, Valuence Holdings Inc. Mail: media@valuence.inc MOSCOW, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund) announces initial safety results of the world's first study of a combination between the AstraZeneca vaccine (developed jointly with the University of Oxford) and the first component of the Sputnik V vaccine (Sputnik Light vaccine based on human adenovirus serotype 26) in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The heterogeneous boosting approach ("vaccine cocktail" using human adenovirus serotype 26 as the first component and human adenovirus serotype 5 as the second component) was at the core of Sputnik V, the world's first registered vaccine against coronavirus. With this approach proving successful in creating a longer and more durable immunity against the coronavirus, RDIF took the lead in initiating partnerships with other vaccine producers to conduct joint studies of a combination of the first component of Sputnik V with foreign vaccines. The first partnership of this kind was concluded in December 2020 in the presence of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin. RDIF, The Gamaleya Center, AstraZeneca and R-Pharm signed a Memorandum of Intent aimed at cooperation in vaccine development. Studies on safety and immunogenicity of the combination of the AstraZeneca vaccine and the first component of the Sputnik V vaccine in Azerbaijan began in February 2021. To date 50 volunteers have been vaccinated and new participants are invited to join the trial. Interim analysis of the data demonstrates a high safety profile for the combined use of the vaccines with no serious adverse events or cases of coronavirus after vaccination. In August 2021, RDIF and partners will publish initial data on the immunogenicity of the combined use of the AstraZeneca vaccine and the first component of the Sputnik V vaccine in Azerbaijan. Clinical trials of a combination of vaccines are being carried out in several countries as part of a global program. Volunteers are being vaccinated in UAE, and regulatory approval to conduct trials has been granted in Russia and Belarus. Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said: "As new strains of coronavirus emerge, partnerships between vaccine manufacturers and combining different vaccines are key to successfully fighting the pandemic. Based on the high efficacy of the heterogeneous boosting ("vaccine cocktail") approach, RDIF was the first in the world to initiate partnerships with other coronavirus vaccine manufacturers. The first partnership of this kind was a joint clinical trial with AstraZeneca. We look forward to its success in Azerbaijan and other countries, which will allow a more effective implementation of vaccination programs and protect people around the world. We consider it important to conduct joint research on combining the first component of Sputnik V with vaccines from other manufacturers for a more effective fight against emerging new strains of coronavirus." Irina Panarina, General Manager, AstraZeneca Russia and Eurasia, said: "A heterogeneous prime-boosting involving administering components of different vaccines to a patient is one of the most promising vaccination regimens to study. It is becoming especially relevant now, when the issue of preventing the spread of new strains of coronavirus infection is acute, and the need for revaccination of the population is also coming to a head. That is why the results of the study can be of great importance for those countries where both the vaccine by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford and the Sputnik V vaccine are registered." Vasily Ignatiev, CEO of R-Pharm Group, commented: "The initial results obtained at times when the delta strain is spreading are very important for assessing the safety and early efficacy of the vaccine combination. We will continue researching and analyzing the data with the prospect of a publication in an international journal." Key advantages of Sputnik Light: Sputnik Light is the first component (recombinant human adenovirus serotype number 26 (rAd26)) of Sputnik V - the world's first registered vaccine against coronavirus. An efficacy level of almost 80% is higher than that of many two-dose vaccines. Sputnik Light has proven effective against all new strains of coronavirus, as demonstrated by the Gamaleya Center during laboratory tests. Sputnik Light is compatible with standard vaccine storage and logistics requirements. The Sputnik Light vaccine is based on a well-studied human adenoviral vector platform that has proven to be safe and effective, with no long-term side effects, as confirmed in over 250 clinical trials conducted globally over the past two decades (while the history of use of human adenoviruses in vaccine development started in 1953). About the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine The vaccine was developed by the University of Oxford in conjunction with Vaccitech. It uses a replication-defective chimpanzee viral vector based on an attenuated version of the common cold virus (adenovirus) that causes infection in chimpanzees, and contains genetic material from the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) spike protein. After vaccination, the surface spike protein is synthesized, which leads to the formation of an immune response to SARS-CoV-2 with possible subsequent infection with this virus. Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is Russia's sovereign wealth fund established in 2011 to make equity co-investments, primarily in Russia, alongside reputable international financial and strategic investors. RDIF acts as a catalyst for direct investment in the Russian economy. RDIF's management company is based in Moscow. Currently, RDIF has experience of the successful joint implementation of more than 80 projects with foreign partners totaling RUB 2.1tn and covering 95% of the regions of the Russian Federation. RDIF portfolio companies employ more than 1 mn people and generate revenues which equate to more than 6% of Russia's GDP. RDIF has established joint strategic partnerships with leading international co-investors from more than 18 countries that total more than $40 bn. Further information can be found at rdif.ru For additional information contact: Alexey Urazov Andrew Leach / Maria Shiryaevskaya Russian Direct Investment Fund Hudson Sandler Director for External Communications Mobile: +7 915 312 76 65 Tel: +44 (0) 20 7796 4133 E-mail: Alexey.Urazov@rdif.ru Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1140939/Russian_Direct_Investment_Fund_Logo.jpg TOKYO, July 30, 2021 - (JCN Newswire) - As announced on May 10, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) reached an agreement under which Mitsubishi Power, Ltd. will be integrated into MHI. An absorption-type split agreement to integrate the two companies' business operations has now been concluded, whereby the business operations and employees of Mitsubishi Power will be taken over by MHI effective October 1, 2021.1. Summary of absorption-type split agreementUnder the newly concluded agreement, the business operations and employees of Mitsubishi Power involved in the design, manufacture, sale, installation and engineering of thermal power generation systems will be transferred to MHI and integrated. The move will further accelerate the "Energy Transition" solutions that serve as one of MHI Group's growth engines. In addition, the two companies' management resources will be unified to enable greater efficiency, and a dynamic business structure will be formed to respond more flexibly to changes in the global markets.2. Integration of Mitsubishi Power's major domestic basesAmong Mitsubishi Power's current plants and bases within Japan, those located in areas where MHI also has manufacturing bases - namely, Mitsubishi Power's Takasago Works (Takasago City, Hyogo) and Nagasaki Works (Nagasaki City, Nagasaki) - will be integrated, respectively, into MHI's Takasago Machinery Works and Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works. Mitsubishi Power's Hitachi Works (Hitachi City, Ibaraki) and Kure Works (Kure City, Hiroshima) will become MHI's Hitachi Works and Kure Works.3. "Mitsubishi Power" brand name will continue in overseas marketsEven after integration with MHI, the "Mitsubishi Power" brand name, widely recognized around the globe, will continue to be used for overseas markets. Mitsubishi Power, Ltd. will continue to exist as a corporation within Japan, functioning as the presiding company and contract agent for the core Asian and Middle Eastern markets, etc.4. Names of Mitsubishi Power's group companiesAs a result of the business integration, Mitsubishi Power's group companies in Japan will in some cases undergo a corporate name change, as indicated in the attached list. The names of its overseas group companies will remain unchanged.About MHI GroupMitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group is one of the world's leading industrial groups, spanning energy, logistics & infrastructure, industrial machinery, aerospace and defense. MHI Group combines cutting-edge technology with deep experience to deliver innovative, integrated solutions that help to realize a carbon neutral world, improve the quality of life and ensure a safer world. For more information, please visit www.mhi.com or follow our insights and stories on www.spectra.mhi.com.Source: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Copyright 2021 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. MONTREAL, QC / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2021 / Alphinat Inc. (TSXV:NPA) announces a profit of $105,250 for the quarter ended May 31, 2021 During the quarter under review, Alphinat has focused its efforts on nurturing and expanding its distribution channels and on diversifying its offering. In order to accelerate future growth, Alphinat has focused on four main areas of solution development with our SmartGuide technology: SmartGuide Portal Edition for Dynamics 365[1], has optimized the way that clients can now create and deploy online services on top of Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM solutions including Grants & Contributions solutions for several federal departments and agencies. This offering is available in SaaS mode as well as on-premises; SmartGuide Greenhouse Gas Registry is a green fintech solution allowing governments and industry to work together in reducing the harmful effects of greenhouse gases; SmartGuide Municipal Cloud aims at offering unparalleled productivity to municipalities. Municipalities will be able to choose from a catalogue of pre-built applications. SmartGuide further accelerates the speed at which they can deploy citizen-centric services. These services include service requests, applications for permits and licenses as well as numerous other citizen-facing digital services and internal applications; SmartGuide CIVIC Portal for Amanda2 is a derivative of the Municipal Cloud solution front ending a partner solution for an improved user experience for both the client cities and their citizens be deployed either on-premises on in a secure-cloud offering. During the quarter under review, the Company sold additional "SmartGuide SaaS" licenses to the government of Canada through a partner. Alphinat was also commissioned at the end of Q3 to rapidly deliver a SaaS based class action settlement portal for a provincial justice department that went into production in July 2021. The Company was also in final stages of delivery of an enterprise portal solution for a city in the province of Ontario. For the 3-month period ended May 31, 2021 the Company recorded total revenue of $495,796 compared to $449,514 for the same period in 2020 due mainly to an increase in professional services related to, a federal department Grants and Contributions platform, a provincial greenhouse gas registry solution, a municipal portal for a city in Ontario and while support revenues saw a increase due to additional license sales from the prior periods. For the quarter ended May 31, 2021, net income was $105,251 or $0.0017 per share. The net income for the period ended May 31, 2020 amounted to $110,960 or $0.002 per outstanding common share. Alphinat's financial statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis for the quarter ended May 31, 2021 can be found on SEDAR, at www.sedar.com. About Alphinat At Alphinat, we are driven by the passion to make application development easy for everyone. It always struck us as odd that the people with the vision of how a finished application should look and behave would only be involved at the start of the process. After all, what better way to ensure a favourable outcome than to provide those closest to an application's end-users with a vested interest in its success throughout its development? That's why we bring you new ways to empower the right people at the right time in the application development process. At the same time, we're constantly working to reduce the need to code in order to make application development and maintenance simpler and less error prone. So, whether you choose to develop your applications with the help of our low-code platform SmartGuide, kickstart your project using one of our pre-built apps or contact us or one of our partners to do the work for you, we're here to help you deploy better applications in record time. Visit https://www.alphinat.com for more information. We look forward to hearing from you. Forward-looking statements Certain statements in this document, including those which express management's expectations or estimations with regards to the Company's future performance, constitute "forward-looking statements" as understood by applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are, of necessity, based on a certain number of estimates and hypotheses; while management considers these to be accurate at the time they are expressed, they are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and risks on the commercial, economic and competitive levels. We advise readers that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other known and unknown factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. A number of factors could cause significant differences between actual results and those described in forward-looking statements. These include, but are not limited to, the Company's capacity to increase acceptance of its products on the market, and to penetrate new markets; the potential existence of defects or undetected problems in the Company's products; the Company's ability to manage its growth; the Company's ability to compete with others; potential commitments; maintaining the Company's intellectual property rights and defending against litigation putting those rights in question; the Company's reliance on the knowledge of its key personnel; and the Company's access to sufficient capital to finance its future needs. This is a partial and non-exhaustive list of factors that could bear on any of our forward-looking statements. Investors are advised to not rely unduly on the forward-looking statements. This advisory applies to all forward-looking statements, whether expressed orally or in writing, attributed to Alphinat or to any individual expressing them in the name of the Company. The Company is under no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new information, future events, or other circumstances. Risks and uncertainties that bear on the Company are described in greater detail in the Company's Annual Report. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. For further information please contact: Mr. Curtis Page Chief Executive Officer Alphinat Inc. (514) 398-9799 ext 225 - 30 - 1 Dynamics 365 is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation 2 Amanda is a registered trademark of Granicus SOURCE: Alphinat Inc. Alphinat Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657640/UPDATE-AND-REPLACE-Alphinat-Announces-a-Profit-of-105250-for-the-Quarter-Ended-May-31-2021 Paian IT Solutions and Corent Technology create a transactable presence for cloud optimization services on Microsoft's Azure Marketplace. Microsoft Azure customers across the DACH region (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) can now subscribe to "PASOS," giving them continuous optimization and modernization of their cloud assets. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005105/en/ (Graphic: Business Wire) Paian IT Solutions is a leading provider of state-of-the-art cloud services to the DACH region. Paian's vision is to reach the entire Azure customer base across the region, offering PASOS Paian's Azure Spend and Optimization services. PASOS ensures cost optimization on an ongoing basis and provides actionable insights to drive continuous modernization on the cloud. PASOS is based on Corent Technology's ComPaaS Continuous Cloud Optimization and Management Platform. Microsoft has created a marketplace opportunity for partners to reach Azure customers at scale. Azure Marketplace is where customers can search for cloud services and add these to their existing cloud subscription. To take advantage of this opportunity software vendor partners need to create a presence on Azure Marketplace. This is where Corent's Marketizer comes in, automating and therefore accelerating the publishing process and onboarding on the Marketplace. Ronny Wittig, Managing Director at Paian, explained: "We wanted to reach Azure customers quickly and at scale, and publishing our services on Azure Marketplace was key to that. Corent's Marketizer solution not only helped us get this done really quickly, but it is also central to how we manage customers as they sign up to our PASOS service." Feyzi Fatehi, Corent Technology CEO, said: "We are so excited to be working with the team at Paian. Their vision for success at scale across the markets they serve represents huge potential for Corent Technology. Their adoption of our products and services is a blueprint for other Microsoft partners. We congratulate them on their Azure Marketplace listing and we look forward to their continued successes." About Corent Technology Corent Technology, Inc. is a leading innovator in the cloud migration, modernization, and SaaS-enablement technology space. Corent's SurPaaS Platform is used by key enterprises, system integrators and cloud providers to enable rapid discovery, analysis, planning, optimization, and migration to the cloud; and optionally, automated transformation of software applications to efficient, scalable SaaS. Corent is managed by a team of industry veterans from Microsoft, IBM, HPE, EMC, Oracle, and VMware, among others. For more information about Corent, please visit www.corenttech.com and to contact Corent please drop a note to info@corenttech.com. About Paian IT Solutions GmbH Paian IT Solutions GmbH is a professional partner for companies and institutions in the field of consulting and IT solutions. It was founded in February 2010. Based in its locations in Switzerland and Germany and always keeping in mind possibilities, opportunities and current trends, Paian's experienced experts provide advice to medium-sized companies, public sector institutions as well as reputable enterprises in the German-speaking areas. For more information about Paian IT Solutions, please visit www.paian-itsolutions.com/en.html, and to contact Paian please email info@paian-itsolutions.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005105/en/ Contacts: Dan Chmielewski Madison Alexander PR, Inc. 714-832-8716 949-231-2965 dchm@madisonalexanderpr.com CHICAGO, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Propylene Oxide Market by Application (Polyether Polyols, Propylene Glycols),Production Process (Chlorohydrin, Styrene Monomer, Cumene Based), End-Use Industry (Automotive, Building & Construction), and Geography - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Propylene Oxide Market is projected to grow from USD 22.5 billion in 2021 to USD 29.5 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 5.6% from 2021 to 2026. Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=55659975 Browse in-depth TOC on "Propylene Oxide Market" 112 - Tables 50 - Figures 197 - Pages View Detailed Table of Content Here: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/propylene-oxide-market-55659975.html The propylene oxide market is majorly driven by the rising demand for polyurethanes in various end-use industries, such as automotive, building & construction, textile & furnishing, chemical & pharmaceutical, packaging, and electronics. The increasing usage of polyurethane is in thermal insulators, sealants, and flooring materials is also expected to propel market growth in the near future. The automotive industry accounted for the largest share in the propylene oxide market. Based on end-use industries, the automotive industry accounted for the largest share in the propylene oxide market. In 2020, nearly 77.0 million units of vehicles were produced across the globe. This resulted in high demand for polyurethane foams, ultimately creating an increased demand for propylene oxide across the globe. Building & construction, chemical & pharmaceutical, are other leading application to the adoption of propylene oxide market. The polyether polyols application led the global propylene oxide market during the forecast period. Based on application the polyether polyols accounted for the largest market share in the propylene oxide market. This large share is attributed to the fact that polyether polyols are basic raw materials used in the production of polyurethane foam. Globally, polyurethane foam has witnessed increased adoption from multiple end-use industries due to its versatility and utility. This dependency is expected to continue into the forecast period, and hence, the polyether polyols application is projected to account for the largest market share by 2026. Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=55659975 Asia Pacific accounted for the largest share in the propylene oxide market. Asia Pacific region accounted for the largest market share of the propylene oxide market in 2020. The market's growth in the region can be attributed to the consumption of propylene oxide in polyurethane foam applications. The region is a global leader in manufacturing, including automotive, chemicals & pharmaceuticals, building materials, textiles, and electronics. All these industries consume polyurethane foam in one manner or another. As a result, there is always a high demand for intermediates of polyurethane foam, for instance, polyether polyols. Moreover, China has also added to its propylene oxide production capacity to cater to the local demand. This is expected to further boost the market in the Asia Pacific region. Dow Inc. (US), LyondellBasell Industries Holdings (The Netherlands), Royal Dutch Shell (The Netherlands), Indorama Ventures (US), BASF SE (Germany), Repsol (Spain), Sumitomo Chemical Co., (Japan), INEOS Oxide (Switzerland), and SKC (South Korea), S-OIL CORPORATION (South Korea), Befar Group (China), Tokyo Chemical Industry Co. (Japan), Wanhua Chemical Group Co., (China), Wudi XINYUE Chemical Co., (China), Manali Petrochemicals (India), and Jishen Chemical Industry Co., (China), Oltchim (Romania), PCC Rokita (Poland), PJSC Nizhnekamskneftekhim (Russia), and Tianjin Dagu Chemical Co., (China) are some of the players operating in the propylene oxide market. Get 10% Free Customization on this Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=55659975 Browse Adjacent Market: Bulk Chemicals and Inorganics Market Research Reports & Consulting Related Reports: 1,4 Butanediol Market by Technology (Reppe process, Davy process, Butadiene process, Propylene oxide process and others), and by Application https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/1-4-butanediol-market-685.html Propylene Glycol Market by Source (Petroleum-based, Bio-based), Grade (Industrial, Pharmaceutical), End-use Industry (Transportation, Building & Construction, Food & Beverage, Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics & Personal Care), Region https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/propylene-glycol-market-264488864.html About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/propylene-oxide-market.asp Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/propylene-oxide.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg Company Announcement No. 8 2021 The Board of Directors hereby convenes an extraordinary general meeting to be held on Thursday, 26 August 2021 at4.00 pm (CEST)at the offices of the company, Vigerslev Alle 77, DK-2500 Valby. In order to minimise the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus, the Board of Directors urges all shareholders who may wish to attend the extraordinary general meeting physically to present a valid Corona passport and not to be accompanied by advisers or other persons. The Board of Directors also requests anyone registering for the general meeting to respect FLSmidth's general health policies, which reflect the health authorities' recommendations. Hence, no person showing symptoms of virus or having been in close contact with anyone showing symptoms of virus will be allowed access to FLSmidth's premises. Shareholders who do not attend the general meeting physically may follow the extraordinary generel meeting via webcast and vote by proxy or postal vote. Agenda and the complete proposals: Proposal to authorise the Board of Directors to increase the share capital and to amend article 4a of the articles of association The Board of Directors proposes that the general meeting, in addition to the existing authorisation to issue shares without pre-emption rights for the existing shareholders provided for in article 4a paragraph 2 of the company's articles of association, authorise the Board of Directors to increase the company's share capital of up to DKK 105,000,000 nominal value against payment in cash without pre-emptive rights to the campany's existing shareholders (i.e. in total the Board of Directors would be authorised to issue new shares without pre-emption rights for the existing shareholders for a total nominal value of up to DKK DKK 205,000,000. The additional authorisation shall only apply until 31 December 2022. The purpose of increasing the authorisation is to raise equity to finance, together with certain debt facilities, the company's contemplated acquisition of Thyssenkrupp AG's mining business, which is described in further detail in company announcement no. 7, 2021. As a consequence of the proposal, it is proposed to amend article 4a of the articles of association by inserting a new authorisation as a new paragraph 3. The new article 4a will be worded as follows: "The Board of Directors is authorised to increase the share capital by issuing new shares in one or more tranches at a total nominal value of up to DKK 100,000,000 with pre-emption rights for the company's existing shareholders. The new shares shall be paid in cash. The authorisation shall apply for the period until and including 24 March 2026. Further, the Board of Directors is authorised to increase the share capital by issuing new shares in one or more tranches at a total nominal value of up to DKK 100,000,000 without pre-emption rights for the company's existing shareholders, provided that the increase takes place at market value. The new shares may be paid in cash or by contribution of assets other than cash. The authorisation shall apply for the period until and including 24 March 2026. In addition to the authorisations set out in paragraph 1 and 2, the Board of Directors is also authorised to increase the share capital by issuing new shares in one or more tranches at a total nominal value of up to DKK 105,000,000 without pre-emption rights for the company's existing shareholders, provided that the increase takes place at market value.The new shares shall be paid in cash.The authorisation shall apply for the period until and including 31 December 2022. Hence, the authorisation set out in paragraph 3 may, together with the authorisation set out in paragraph 2, until 31 December 2022 be exercised to issue new shares for a total nominal value of DKK 205,000,000. In case of a share capital increase pursuant to paragraphs 1-3, the new shares shall be issued in the name of the holder and be paid in full.The shares shall be negotiable and shall in all other respects bear the same rights as the existing shares, for example in terms of redeemability and restrictions on negotiability. The new shares shall entitle the holder to dividend from the time decided by the Board of Directors, however, not later than as from the financial year following the increase. The Board of Directors shall decide the terms and conditions for increases of the share capital that are implemented in accordance with the authorisations in paragraphs 1-3." The proposed amendments to the articles of association are specified in Appendix 1 and are also available at the company's website, www.flsmidth.com. Authorisation to the chair of the meeting The Board of Directors proposes that the chair of the meeting be authorised (with power of delegation) to register the resolutions adopted at the extraordinary general meeting with the Business Authority and to make such amendments and additions as may be required by the Authority in order to obtain registration or approval. ------------ Adoption requirements The proposal set forth in item 1 of the agenda must be adopted by at least two thirds of both the votes cast and of the share capital represented at the general meeting. The proposal set forth in item 2 of the agenda can be adopted by a simple majority of votes. Size of the share capital and the shareholders' voting rights The company's current share capital amounts to DKK 1,025,000,000, nominal value, divided into shares of DKK 20 each. Each share of DKK 20 carries 20 votes. The record date is Thursday, 19 August 2021. Shareholders holding shares in the company on the record date are entitled to attend and vote at the general meeting. The number of shares held by a shareholder is calculated at the record date based on the shareholder's shares recorded in the register of shareholders as well as on any proof of ownership received by the company to be recorded in the register of shareholders. Attendance is also subject to the shareholder having obtained an admission card in due time, as described below. Admission cards Shareholders who wish to attend the general meeting must request an admission card. The request must be received by the company not later than Friday, 20 August 2021 at 11:59 pm. FLSmidth & Co. A/S issues admission cards by email. In order to receive an admission card, the shareholder's email address must be registered at FLSmidth's InvestorPortal at www.flsmidth.com/gf. Having registered for the general meeting, the shareholder will receive an electronic admission card to be used at the general meeting (for instance on smart phone or tablet). A printed version of the admission card can also be used. If the shareholder does not bring an admission card to the general meeting, access may be granted to the general meeting on presentation of due proof of identity. Proxy Proxies may be issued electronically either via FLSmidth's InvestorPortal at www.flsmidth.com/gfor in writing by using the proxy/postal vote form that can be downloaded at www.flsmidth.com/gf. The form, duly filled in and signed, must be received by VP Securities A/S, Weidekampsgade 14, 2300 Copenhagen S, Denmark, or a scanned version hereof must be forwarded to vpinvestor@vp.dk, not later than Friday, 20 August 2021 at 11:59 pm (CEST). Postal voting Postal votes may be submitted electronically either via FLSmidth's InvestorPortal at www.flsmidth.com/gfor in writing by using the proxy/postal vote form that can be downloaded at www.flsmidth.com/gf. The form, duly filled in and signed, must be received by VP Securities A/S, Weidekampsgade 14, 2300 Copenhagen S, Denmark, or a scanned version hereof must be forwarded to vpinvestor@vp.dk, not later than Wednesday, 25 August 2021 at 12:00 noon (CEST). Postal votes cannot be revoked. Further information Up until and including the day of the extraordinary general meeting, the company's website, www.flsmidth.com/gf, will contain additional information about the general meeting, information about the total number of shares and voting rights on the date of the notice convening the meeting, the notice convening the meeting with the agenda and the complete proposals, including appendices, the proxy/postal vote form for the general meeting. As from Friday, 30 July 2021, this information will also be available for inspection by the shareholders at the company's head office at Vigerslev Alle 77, 2500 Valby, Denmark. Questions from shareholders Until and including the date before the extraordinary generel meeting, the shareholders may submit written questions about the agenda or documents etc. to be used at the general meeting to FLSmidth & Co. A/S, Vigerslev Alle 77, 2500 Valby, Denmark, or by email to corpir@flsmidth.com . Webcast The entire general meeting will be webcast live on the company's website, www.flsmidth.com/gf, and the webcast will subsequently be available on the website. Webcast will only show the podium. Further information about the collection and processing of personal data in connection with the general meeting is available in the company's personal data policy, which can be downloaded at the company's website. Valby, 30 July 2021 FLSmidth & Co. A/S The board of directors Attachment STOCKHOLM, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Securitas, the world's leading intelligent protective services partner, has agreed to acquire Tepe Guvenlik A.S., a leading electronic security company in Turkey. Through this acquisition, Securitas becomes number two in the monitoring market in Turkey, and the acquisition is in line with the Group's strategy of doubling its security solutions and electronic security sales by 2023. The purchase price is approximately MEUR 10 (MSEK 100) on a debt-free basis. In 2020, Tepe Guvenlik's annual sales were approximately MEUR 8.5 (MSEK 85), of which more than 70 percent were on a recurring monthly revenue basis. The company has 250 employees and operations mainly in Ankara and Istanbul, including an operation center and a nationwide technical service network. Tepe Guvenlik specializes in electronic security solutions, alarm systems and alarm monitoring for corporate clients, SME's and residentials. The company has more than 50 000 connections, representing a significant addition to Securitas' existing connection base in Turkey today. Peter Karlstromer, Divisional President Security Services Europe: "This is a unique acquisition opportunity in the Turkish alarm monitoring market and will consolidate Securitas position in this space. We are pleased to welcome Tepe's experienced team to Securitas and look forward to further developing our presence in and bringing innovations and solutions to our clients. This is a strategic milestone for our business in Turkey, significantly strengthening our security solutions and electronic security footprint in the country." The acquisition-related costs are expected to be approximately MSEK 13, to be recognized in the period 2021 to 2023.?The acquisition is expected to be accretive to EPS as of?2023. The acquisition is subject to approval from competition authorities and is expected to be finalized during the third quarter of 2021. Further information: Investors: Micaela Sjokvist, Head of Investor Relations; +46 76 116 7443, micaela.sjokvist@securitas.com Media: Helena Andreas, SVP Communications & People, +46 10? 470 30 20; press@securitas.com Securitas is the world's leading intelligent protective services partner. Our guarding, electronic security, fire and safety, and risk management solutions enable more than 150,000 clients to see a different world. We are present in 48 markets and our innovative, data-driven approach makes us a trusted partner to many of the world's best-known companies. Our 355,000 employees live our values of integrity, vigilance and helpfulness, and our purpose is to help make your world a safer place. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/securitas/r/securitas-acquires-leading-electronic-security-company-in-turkey,c3390766 The following files are available for download: JZ Capital Partners Ltd - Issue of Loan Notes & Shares, Redemption of Loan Stock JZ CAPITAL PARTNERS LIMITED (the "Company" or "JZCP") (a closed-end collective investment scheme incorporated with limited liability under the laws of Guernsey with registered number 48761) LEI: 549300TZCK08Q16HHU44 ISSUE OF LOAN NOTES, REDEMPTION OF THE COMPANY'S CONVERTIBLE UNSECURED SUBORDINATED LOAN STOCK DUE 2021, AND SHARE ISSUANCE 30 July 2021 Unless otherwise defined herein, capitalised terms used in this announcement have the meanings given to them in the circular of the Company dated 28 May 2021 (the "Circular"). Issue of Loan Notes and Redemption of CULS Further to the announcement made by the Company on 25 June 2021, the Company is pleased to confirm that, pursuant to the Loan Note Proposal, Loan Notes in the amount of US$31.5 million will later today be issued to the JZAI Founders (or their respective affiliates). Further details of the Loan Note Proposal are set out in the Circular and in the announcements made by the Company on 17 May 2021 and 25 June 2021. In addition, the Company is pleased to announce that the Company has today redeemed all of its 6.00 per cent. convertible unsecured subordinated loan stock ("CULS") on their maturity date. The Company has used its existing cash at hand to redeem the CULS, which immediately prior to redemption had an issued aggregate nominal value of 38.8 million. Share Issuance The Company also announces that, prior to the redemption of the CULS, a holder of the CULS requested a conversion of 1,835 CULS and accordingly that the Company issue 3,039 ordinary shares of no par value in the capital of the Company (the "New Shares") to the relevant CULS holder. Application has therefore been made for the New Shares to be admitted to trading on the Specialist Fund Market of the London Stock Exchange plc with admission expected to take place on or around 2 August 2021 ("Admission"). On Admission, the New Shares will rank pari passu in all respects with all existing ordinary shares of no par value in the capital of the Company. Voting Rights and Capital In accordance with the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules, the Company notifies the market of the following: The total number of ordinary shares in the capital of the Company in issue at the close of business on 30 July 2021 (being the last trading day of July) and following the above-mentioned share issuance is 77,477,214 with each ordinary share carrying the right to one vote. The total number of the zero dividend redeemable preference shares in issue at the close of business on 30 July 2021 (being the last trading day of July) is 11,907,720. The zero dividend preference shares do not carry voting rights at a general meeting of the Company except in certain limited circumstances as prescribed by the Company's Articles of Incorporation. The Company no longer has any CULS in issue following their redemption as described above. The Company does not hold any shares in treasury. Therefore, the total number of voting rights in the Company is 77,477,214. This figure may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the Company under the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules. For further information: Ed Berry FTI Consulting +44 (0)7703 330 199 David Zalaznick Jordan/Zalaznick Advisers, Inc. +1 (212) 485 9410 Sam Walden Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Guernsey) Limited +44 (0) 1481 745385 Important Notice This announcement also includes statements that are, or may be deemed to be, "forward-looking statements". These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms "believes", "estimates", "anticipates", "expects", "intends", "may", "will" or "should" or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements relate to matters that are not historical facts. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. The Company's actual investment performance, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, policies and the development of its strategies may differ materially from the impression created by the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement. In addition, even if the investment performance, result of operations, financial condition, liquidity and policies of the Company and development of its strategies, are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement, those results or developments may not be indicative of results or developments in subsequent periods. These forward-looking statements speak only as at the date of this announcement. Subject to their legal and regulatory obligations, each of the Company, JZAI and their respective affiliates expressly disclaims any obligations to update, review or revise any forward-looking statement contained herein whether to reflect any change in expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any statement is based or as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES WHITE ROCK, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2021 / TDG Gold Corp (TSXV:TDG) (the "Company" or "TDG") is pleased to announce that the non-brokered private placement announced on July 8, 2021, is fully subscribed for gross proceeds of $4,000,000 by the issue of a total of 6,444,444 common shares. The TSX Venture Exchange has given conditional acceptance to close the private placement and will close on or around August 13, 2021. Finder's fees will be payable on the Offering subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance. The Company intends to use the proceeds of the private placement to fund ongoing exploration programs at the Company's British Columbia projects and for general working capital purposes. About TDG Gold Corp. TDG is a major holder of mineral claims and mining leases in the historical Toodoggone Production Corridor of north-central British Columbia, Canada, with over 23,000 hectares of brownfield and greenfield exploration opportunities under direct ownership or earn-in agreement. TDG's flagship projects are the former producing, high-grade gold-silver Shasta, Baker and Mets mines which are all road accessible, produced intermittently between 1981-2012, and have over 65,000 metres of historical drilling. In 2021, TDG proposes to advance the projects through compilation of historical data, new geological mapping, geochemical and geophysical surveys, and drill testing of the known mineralization occurrences and their extensions. On June 29, 2021, TDG announced that it had entered into a non-binding letter of intent to acquire the Nueva Esperanza silver-gold advanced exploration and development project located in the Maricunga Belt of northern Chile. TDG currently has 64,423,459 common shares issued and outstanding. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Fletcher Morgan Chief Executive Officer For further information contact: TDG Gold Corp., Telephone: +1.604.536.2711 Email: info@tdggold.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. This news release may contain certain "forward looking statements". Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this news release and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. SOURCE: TDG Gold Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657730/TDG-Gold-Corp-Private-Placement-Fully-Subscribed THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AUSTRALIA OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH ITS DISTRIBUTION MAY BE UNLAWFUL BH MACRO LIMITED (a closed-ended investment company incorporated in Guernsey with registration number 46235) LEI: 549300ZOFF0Z2CM87C29 30 July 2021 Tender Price Further to the tender offer launched by the Company on 2 June 2021 (the "Tender Offer") and the Company's announcement of Final Net Asset Values for each class of its shares as at close of business on 30 June 2021, the Company today announces that the final repurchase price per share (the "Tender Price") for the shares to be acquired by the Company pursuant to Tender Offer are as follows: Class of shares Tender Price US dollar shares $34.4646 Sterling shares 33.0389 The Tender Price has been calculated as 97.8 per cent. of the relevant Net Asset Value per share as at close of business on 30 June 2021, as further described in the circular to shareholders published in connection with the Tender Offer dated 2 June 2021. The shares to be acquired by the Company pursuant to the Tender Offer are expected to be repurchased effective 3 August 2021, and the Tender Offer consideration will be despatched to tendering shareholders by 6 August 2021 or as soon as practicable thereafter. Enquiries Richard Horlick Chairman William Simmonds J.P. Morgan Cazenove 020 7742 4000 Edward Berry / Tom Blackwell FTI Consulting 07703 330 199 / 07747 113 919 Important notices J.P. Morgan Securities plc, which conducts its UK investment banking activities as J.P. Morgan Cazenove ("J.P. Morgan Cazenove"), which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom, is acting exclusively for the Company and no-one else in connection with the Tender Offer and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to customers of J.P. Morgan Cazenove or for providing advice in relation to the Tender Offer or any other matter referred to herein. This announcement does not constitute an offer or solicitation to acquire or sell any securities in the Company. Any acceptance or other response to the Tender Offer should be made on the basis of the information contained in the Circular. The Tender Offer will not be extended into any jurisdiction where to do so may be unlawful or which may otherwise subject the Company or any other person to any unduly onerous obligation. This announcement is not for distribution in or into the United States, Canada, Australia or Japan or any other jurisdiction in which its distribution may be unlawful. This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States or elsewhere. The securities of the Company have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and may not be offered or sold in the United States unless registered under the Securities Act or pursuant to an exemption from such registration. The Company has not been and will not be registered under the US Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and investors are not entitled to the benefits of that Act. There has not been and there will be no public offering of the Company's securities in the United States. Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Fredericton, New Brunswick--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2021) - TRU Precious Metals Corp. (TSXV: TRU) (OTCQB: TRUIF) (FSE: 706) ("TRU" or the "Company") is pleased to provide a comprehensive update on its exploration program across its properties in the Central Newfoundland Gold Belt. The Company also announces the results of its annual and special shareholder meeting held on July 29, 2021 (the "Meeting"). Golden Rose Project The Company is continuing its systematic program of soil sampling, till sampling, geological mapping and prospecting as the Golden Rose Project becomes its exploration focus for the remainder of the summer field season. Almost 2,000 field samples have been submitted for geochemical analysis, with results pending over the next 6-8 weeks. Meanwhile, the Company is also preparing to carry out an airborne geophysical survey over recently-acquired portions of the Golden Rose Project, with such survey expected to begin in early August. GoldSpot Discoveries Corp., a technical services provider to the Company, has made its preliminary target presentation to the Company, and is also completing geological modeling of the South Woods Lake Gold Zone ("SWL Gold Zone"), where historical drilling over a 550 metre (m) long section of a felsic intrusive previously confirmed the presence of significant gold mineralization. This geological modeling will aid the Company in selecting drill targets at the SWL Gold Zone. The Company is also applying for permitting and securing a drilling contractor with a view to carrying out its previously-disclosed 5,000 m drill program at the Golden Rose Project, expected to commence in October 2021. The drill program will focus on infilling and expanding the gold mineralized felsic intrusive at the SWL Gold Zone, and will also target the claims optioned by TRU on July 13, 2021, on which the Company found visible gold grains and a nearby gossan. Twilite Gold Project On July 7, 2021, the Company announced the completion of its phase 1, 2,577 m drilling program at its Twilite Gold Project, focusing on a previously-identified target now called the Fort Knox Gold Zone. Core cutting and sample submission, which were being carried out on an ongoing basis, have been completed this week. Results are expected on a rolling basis over the next approximately 6 weeks and will be publicly disclosed in batches as previously reported. Early-Stage Properties On May 25, 2021, the Company announced a phase 1 exploration program at its Gander West property, located approximately 16 kilometres from New Found Gold Corp.'s Queensway Project. All rock and soil geochemical results from the limited-scale, orientation-level field program have now been received, with results still outstanding from nine till samples submitted for gold grain analysis. The best result from rock sampling was 395 parts per billion (ppb) gold (Au) from a grab sample. The best results from 118 soil samples were 52 ppb and 31 ppb Au. Results are being plotted for interpretation and to determine where additional infill sampling or other field follow-up may be warranted. On June 17, 2021, the Company announced that it had completed a property-wide targeted soil survey at its Rolling Pond property bordering the Queensway Project, which was designed to provide the Company with another layer of geochemical data in prospective areas after compilation of historic geophysics, diamond drilling and prospecting. To date, the Company has received results for approximately one-quarter of its soil samples, with the best results being 61 and 34 ppb Au, and has also received all rock grab sample results with none being significant. Once all outstanding results have been received over the next several weeks, the Company will determine whether and where ground follow-up may be warranted. In early July 2021, the Company completed an orientation-level soil sampling and prospecting program at its Stony Lake property, located 5 to 10 kilometres south of the Twilite Gold Project. In total, 171 soil samples and 39 rock grab samples were collected, with results expected over the next approximately 6 weeks. Meeting Results The Company is also reporting voting results from the Meeting. Shareholders approved all routine items of business, including electing each of the directors nominated by management, namely Joel Freudman, Damian Lopez, Barry Greene, David Hladky and Colin Sutherland. In terms of special items of business, shareholders approved the Company's stock option plan and the continuance of the Company from Alberta into Ontario, but not the proposed restricted share unit plan. National Instrument 43-101 Disclaimers The rock grab, soil, and float samples presented are selective by nature, and values reported may not represent the true grade or style of mineralization across the mineral properties in question. These potential grades are conceptual in nature; there has been insufficient exploration by the Company at any TRU property to define a mineral resource; and it is uncertain whether further exploration will result in these targets being delineated as a mineral resource. Barry Greene, P.Geo. is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, and has reviewed and approved the contents and technical disclosures in this press release. Mr. Greene is a director and officer of the Company and owns securities of the Company. About TRU Precious Metals Corp. TRU has assembled a portfolio of gold exploration properties in the highly prospective Central Newfoundland Gold Belt. The Company has an option with a subsidiary of TSX-listed Altius Minerals Corporation to purchase 100% of the Golden Rose Project, located along the deposit-bearing Cape Ray - Valentine Lake Shear Zone. TRU also owns 100% of the Twilite Gold Project, located along the same Shear Zone, and 3 early-stage properties including 2 near New Found Gold Corp.'s high-grade Queensway Project. TRU's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "TRU", on the OTCQB Venture Market under the symbol "TRUIF", and on the Frankfurt exchange under the symbol "706". TRU is a portfolio company of Resurgent Capital Corp. ("Resurgent"), a merchant bank providing venture capital markets advisory services and proprietary financing. Resurgent works with promising public and pre-public micro-capitalization companies listing on Canadian stock exchanges. For more information on Resurgent and its portfolio companies, please visit Resurgent's LinkedIn profile at https://ca.linkedin.com/company/resurgent-capital-corp. For further information about TRU, please contact: Joel Freudman Co-Founder, President & CEO TRU Precious Metals Corp. Phone: 1-855-760-2TRU (2878) Email: ir@trupreciousmetals.com Website: www.trupreciousmetals.com To connect with TRU via social media, below are links: Twitter https://twitter.com/corp_tru LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/tru-precious-metals-corp YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHghHMDQaYgS1rDHiZIeLUg/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TRU-Precious-Metals-Corp-100919195193616 Acknowledgement TRU would like to thank the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador for financial support of the Twilite Gold Project through the Junior Exploration Assistance Program. TRU has been approved for funding for a portion of its 2021 exploration activities at the Twilite Gold Project. Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including those relating to the methods and timing for exploring the Company's mineral properties, the prospectivity and mineralization of such properties, and permitting processes. These statements are based on numerous assumptions regarding the execution and success of exploration plans that are believed by management to be reasonable in the circumstances, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including without limitation: mineralization hosted on adjacent and/or nearby properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization hosted on the Company's properties; the exploration potential of the Company's properties and the nature and style of mineralization at same; risks inherent in mineral exploration activities; volatility in financial markets, economic conditions, and precious metals prices; challenges in attracting and retaining qualified personnel; and those other risks described in the Company's continuous disclosure documents. Actual results may differ materially from results contemplated by the forward-looking statements herein. Investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements herein except as required by applicable securities laws. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91675 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2021 / Lucky Minerals Inc.(TSXV:LKY)(OTC PINK:LKMNF)(FSE:LKY) ('Lucky' or the 'Company') is pleased to announce it has received sample assay results from its ongoing work at the Wayka epithermal gold discovery at its 100% owned Fortuna Property ('Fortuna') in southern Ecuador. Systematic sampling has returned an average of 17.63 g/t over 3.0 meters with one sample returning 26.50 g/t gold. (See below for further detail). Wayka lies along an elevated ridge that trends northeast with elevations ranging from approximately 3,600 meters to 3,700 meters above sea level. Recent mapping and sampling of two separate rhyolite altered outcrops has encountered continuous gold values. Wayka -Systematic sampling across 7.0 meters identifies another potential feeder with 3.0 meters averaging 17.63 g/t gold A rhyolite outcrop (Trench T-6) 700 meters north of the previously announced 4.0 meter trench (Trench T-1) which averaged 3.03 g/t gold (see News Release dated July 12, 2021), was sampled across 7.0 meters and returned an average of 8.08 g/t gold. With the last 3 samples (262957, 262959 & 262960) returning an average of 17.63 g/t gold across 3.0 meters and sample 262959 returning 26.50 g/t gold. See table below. To view larger image of table below please click here. Trench T-6 Rhyolite Outcrop Sampling Samples 262957, 262959 and 262960 lie within a breccia 'feeder' zone. These samples are characterized by elongated stacked gray narrow (0.25 cm - 0.50 cm) quartz lenses partially broken up (brecciated), in a goethite-limonite silica matrix. See photo below. To view larger image of photo below please click here. Sample 262957 - 13.80 g/t Gold (Trench T-6) - Elongated stacked gray narrow (0.25 cm - 0.50 cm) quartz lenses partially broken up in a goethite-limonite silica matrix Wayka - View looking south into Trench T-1, TrenchT-5 and Trench T-6. Trench T-5 sampling across 10.0 meters averages 0.38 g/t gold To view larger image of photo above please click here. The rhyolite outcrop to the north was sampled across 10.0 meters (1.0 m x 1.0 m panels) and returned an average of 0.38 g/t gold. See table below. To view larger image of table below please click here. Outcrop Sampling - Trench T-5 Wayka Gold Geochem and Alteration Map -- High Grade Sample Locations To view larger image of Geochem map above please click here Francois Perron President and CEO states 'Geological work at Wayka continues thanks to the sustained efforts of the team. Our confirmation that the large advanced argillic zone previously defined has potentially economic grades of gold is very significant and exciting. These new trenches confirm the presence of mineralization more than 700 meters from our previous trench that averaged 4 meters at 3.03 g/t gold (see News Release - July 12, 2021). Our understanding of the mineralization is still in the early stages and will continue to improve over the coming weeks as more work is completed from surface which will be followed by drilling in the coming months.' Fortuna - Next Steps Wayka Exploration teams are focused on geological mapping and the gathering of rock samples from outcrop to increase our understanding of the current zones and expand the known footprint of the mineralized system. This work will be followed by a detailed mag survey and compilation of all geologic data which will subsequently lead to scout drilling. El Garo - Soil Sampling Continues Field work continues at El Garo which is located less than 8 kilometers north of Wayka. El Garo is a large epithermal system with outcrops of dacite and vuggy silica. Due to a lack of outcrop, the soil sampling program initiated last year is now presently in the process of being completed. Results from this program will be combined with trenching followed by a detailed mag survey leading to a drilling program at El Garo. Macuche - Geological Field Work Continues Field work continues at Macuche mainly comprised of geological mapping and sampling. Also, old pit type excavations are being cleared of brush to expose the bedrock. QA/QC Protocols All exploration work is completed following QA/QC protocols and include the insertion of a coarse blank, a standard and duplicate sample on every batch of 25 samples. Samples are being submitted approximately every two weeks to ALS Chemex Labs in Quito for preparation work, and the analytical work is completed at their lab facility in Lima, Peru. ALS Chemex is an ISO certified and accredited laboratory. Results will be released as they are received. About Lucky Lucky is an exploration and development company targeting large-scale mineral systems in proven districts with the potential to host world class deposits. Lucky owns a 100% interest in the Fortuna Property. The Company's Fortuna Project is comprised of twelve contiguous, 550 km2 (55,000 Hectares, or 136,000 Acres) exploration concessions. Fortuna is located in a highly prospective, yet underexplored, gold belt in southern Ecuador. Covid-19 Safety Protocols Lucky Minerals has strict rules in place for all workers arriving to and from field sites. All personnel are tested upon arriving and leaving and are tested every two weeks. All personnel are housed in separate and private accommodations and are isolated from the community. Qualified Person Victor Jaramillo, M.Sc.A., P.Geo., Lucky's Exploration Manager and a qualified person in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, is responsible for supervising the exploration program at the Fortuna Project for Lucky Minerals and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD 'Francois Perron' Chief Executive Officer Further information on Lucky can be found on the Company's website at www.luckyminerals.com and at www.sedar.com, or by contacting Francois Perron, President and CEO, by email at investors@luckyminerals.com or by telephone at (866) 924 6484. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Statement Regarding Adjacent Properties and Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the future operations of the Company and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as 'will', 'may', 'should', 'anticipate', 'expects' and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the future plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: uncertainties related exploration and development; the ability to raise sufficient capital to fund exploration and development; changes in economic conditions or financial markets; increases in input costs; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological or operational difficulties or inability to obtain permits encountered in connection with exploration activities; and labor relations matters. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect the Company's forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations also include risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by Canadian securities law. SOURCE: Lucky Minerals Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657709/Lucky-Minerals-Samples-808-gt-Gold-Across-70-Meters-Including-1763-gt-Gold-Across-30-Meters-at-Wayka HOUSTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2021 / Houston real estate agent Violet Gonzalez spearheads summer shoe drive for the global nonprofit, Soles4Souls. Violet Sells Realty is hosting the donation drive for Soles4Souls for the month of August. New or gently worn pairs of shoes can be dropped off at her office located at 6060 Richmond Ave., Suite 100, Houston, TX. Please call 713-570-6906 in advance. 'I am thrilled to be supporting such a great organization. So many of us will be cleaning out our closets this summer, so why not drop off the brand new shoes you never wore or the gently worn shoes that the kids have grown out of. These shoes help so many people in need,' said Gonzalez. Soles4Souls is a nonprofit global social enterprise committed to fighting poverty through the collection and distribution of shoes and clothing. Soles4Souls aim is to eradicate extreme poverty by 2050. For more information about getting involved with Soles4Souls or to become an official drop-off location, visit https://soles4souls.org/get-involved/ . Violet is a native Houstonian and an international agent with over 25 years of experience in marketing and business management. For those looking to make Houston their home, Violet Sells Realty just added two new listings. For more information about the rare find in the heart of St. George Place, visit https://www.har.com/homedetail/5302-val-verde-st-houston-tx-77056/3196019?cid=VIOLETG or to check out the beautiful all-brick home in the Galleria area, visit https://www.har.com/homedetail/3022-w-park-at-fairdale-houston-tx-77057/3678805?cid=VIOLETG About Violet Sells Realty Violet Sells Realty works with both buyers and sellers to guide clients and provide them with the most honest and detailed information, while also helping them make the best choice for their home and/or commercial property. It makes buying, selling, and leasing a hassle-free experience from start to closing. Violet serves zip codes 77000-77599. For more information, please call 713-570-6906, or visit violetsellsrealty.com. About Soles4Souls Soles4Souls disrupts the cycle of poverty by creating sustainable jobs and providing relief through the distribution of shoes and clothing around the world. Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, the organization repurposes product to supply its micro-enterprise, disaster relief and direct assistance programs. Since 2006, we have distributed more than 53 million pairs of shoes in 127 countries and generated over $250 million in economic impact. A non-profit social enterprise, Soles4Souls earns more than 70% of its income and commits 100% of donations to programs. Visit soles4souls.org for more information. SOURCE: Violet Sells Realty View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657246/Texas-Realtor-Violet-Gonzalez-of-Violet-Sells-Realty-Kicks-off-Summer-Shoe-Drive WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - While reporting financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2022 on Friday, VF Corp. (VFC) raised its adjusted earnings and revenue guidance for the full-year 2022. For fiscal 2022, the company now projects adjusted earnings to be approximately $3.20, including an approximate $0.25 contribution from the Supreme brand. The company also now expects full-year revenues to be approximately $12.0 billion, reflecting growth of approximately 30 percent, including an approximate $600 million contribution from the Supreme brand. Previously, the company expected adjusted earnings to be approximately $3.05 on revenues of approximately $11.8 billion. On average, analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect the company to report earnings of $3.08 per share on revenues of $11.86 billion for the year. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. 'Though the first quarter is a relatively small portion of our total year, this strong start reinforces my confidence in our ability to accelerate growth through fiscal 2022 and beyond,' said Steve Rendle, Chairman, President and CEO. Further, VF's Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.49 per share, payable on September 20, 2021, to shareholders of record on September 10, 2021. Subject to approval by its Board of Directors, VF intends to continue to pay its regularly scheduled dividend. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2021) - GoldHaven Resources Corp. (CSE: GOH) (OTCQB: GHVNF) (FSE: 4QS) ("GoldHaven" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an earn-in agreement under which GoldHaven may earn a 100% interest in the 8,175 hectare Pat's Pond and 13,145.5 hectare O'Neill projects located in Central Newfoundland Gold Belt (CNGB), central Newfoundland (Figure 1). The Pat's Pond and O'Neill projects are prospective for epithermal gold and volcanogenic massive sulphide mineralization and are road accessible. Daniel Schieber, GoldHaven's CEO, comments: "Newfoundland has become one of the best places to explore in Canada. NFG.V, LAB.V and NFLD.CN are great examples of this. These acquisitions supplement our core strategy to expand our ownership of highly prospective projects next to major discoveries. GOH is now very well positioned to unlock value from our 213 Km2 Newfoundland portfolio." Figure 1. The location of the Pat's Pond and O'Neill properties and selected precious metal bearing prospects and properties in the Central Newfoundland Gold Belt. Note, the mines, deposits and prospects in the Central Newfoundland Gold Belt provide geologic context for the Pat's Pond and O'Neil properties, but this is not necessarily indicative that the Property hosts similar grades or tonnages of mineralization. To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7246/91650_f926c16b74f00939_002full.jpg Pat's Pond and O'Neill Projects Pat's Pond The Pat's Pond land position consists of 327 claims covering 8,175 Hectares and is considered prospective for volcanogenic massive sulphides (VMS) and epithermal gold deposits. Precious and base metal mineralization at Pat's Pond occurs in three historical mineral occurrences including Pat's Pond #1, Pat's Pond #2 and the Horn-Mesher. Mineralization was first identified in the vicinity of Pat's Pond in 1934 where sulphide (sphalerite and galena) and sulfosalt (boulangerite) boulders returned high silver-lead-zinc grades. In July 2008, North Range Exploration identified mineralization in outcrop that returned 119.9 g/ silver 6.20% lead, 4.0% zinc1. In 2010 Puddle Pond Resources Inc. drilled 5 holes at Horn-Mesher. Three of the five holes (584.1 meters) intersected pyritic, silica-chlorite-carbonate altered metavolcanic rocks associated with elevated gold, silver, lead and zinc1. A 2-meter sample (102.40 meters depth) in hole HM-04-10 returned 2.1 g/t gold1. The Pat's Pond #2 occurrence contains a float sample that returned 18.66 g/t gold, 36.7 oz/ton silver, 7.5% lead and 1.1% zinc2. A diamond drill hole at Pat's Pond #2 1.4 meters of 0.31 g/t gold, 3.2 oz/t silver, 0.78% lead and 1.1% zinc2. O'Neill The O'Neill claim package consists of 525 claims covering 13,145 Hectares and is considered prospective for VMS and epithermal gold deposits. The land position is underlain by sedimentary and volcanic rocks assigned to the Jonathan's Pond and Indian Bay Big Pond formations which occur near the contact between the Dunnage and Gander Zones in Central Newfoundland. Path Forward GoldHaven controls 251 Km2 across 7 assets in the highly prospective Maricunga Gold Belt. The company completed Phase 1 and is preparing its Phase 2 drill campaigns. These targets have been designated as high priority based on extensive and pervasive alteration, favourable geology, highly anomalous rock geochemistry results, and their relative proximity to existing major deposits. GoldHaven now controls 206 Km2 in the highly prospective Central Newfoundland Gold Belt and is preparing the two projects for exploration. Deal Summary For the option to earn 100% of the Pats Pond and O'Neill claims, GoldHaven shall issue 7,100,000 common shares on or before 5 business days after the effective date. For Pat's Pond, GoldHaven shall issue 1,200,000 shares on the first anniversary of the effective date and 800,000 on the second anniversary of the effective date. The vendors retain a 2% NSR royalty (with the right to re-purchase one-half of the NSR at any time by payment to the beneficial owner of $1,000,000). Qualified Person Daniel MacNeil, P.Geo, a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has read and approved all technical and scientific information contained in this news release. About GoldHaven Resources Corp. GoldHaven Resources Corp. is a Canadian junior exploration Company active in the highly gold and silver endowed Maricunga Gold Belt of northern Chile. The Maricunga Belt measures 150 Km north-south and 30 Km east-west and is host numerous mines and advanced exploration projects including Salares Norte (Gold Fields), Esperanza (Kingsgate Consolidated), La Coipa (Kinross), Cerro Maricunga (Fenix Gold), Lobo Marte (Kinross), Volcan (Volcan), Refugio (Kinross/Bema), Caspiche (Goldcorp/Barrick), Cerro Casale (Goldcorp/Barrick). The Company has agreements in place to acquire seven high priority exploration targets as identified by geological studies. To date, GoldHaven has identified "High Priority" targets on four of the seven exploration properties and, will commence a drilling program during the first quarter of 2021. The four priority targets include Coya, located approximately 16 Km northeast of the Kinross La Coipa mine; the second is Rio Loa, a project located 25 Km south of Gold Field's Salares Norte deposit (5.2 million ounces of Gold equivalent5; the third and fourth projects are Alicia and Roma which are approximately 35 Km. south of the Salares Norte deposit. These exploration targets have been designated High Priority due to extensive, pervasive alteration, favourable geology, highly anomalous rock geochemical results, and their relative proximity to existing deposits. We Seek Safe Harbor. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Daniel Schieber For further information, please contact: Daniel Schieber, CEO & Director www.goldhavenresources.com Office Direct: (604) 638-5938 REFERENCES 1 Department of Natural Resources Newfoundland and Labrador Mineral Occurrence Database System Report https://gis.geosurv.gov.nl.ca/mods/ModsCard.asp?NMINOString=012A%2F06%2FPb+001. 2 Department of Natural Resources Newfoundland and Labrador Mineral Occurrence Database System Report https://gis.geosurv.gov.nl.ca/mods/ModsCard.asp?NMINOString=012A%2F06%2FAg+001. 3 Department of Natural Resources Newfoundland and Labrador Mineral Occurrence Database System Report https://gis.geosurv.gov.nl.ca/mods/ModsCard.asp?NMINOString=002E%2F01%2FPb+001. 4McCracken, Tt., Ghouralal, S., Zurowski, G., Holloway, A., Bowell, R., Freudigmann, S., Russell, S., Anstey-Moore, C., Lebreton, R., Hammerdown Gold Project, Newfoundland and Labrador Preliminary Economic Assessment, Prepared by WEP for Maritime Resources Corp. Issue Date: April 15, 2020, Effective Date: February 29, 2020. 4 https://newfoundgold.ca/news/new-found-intercepts-150-3-g-t-au-over-11-5m-at-lotto/. 5 Jamasmie, C., 2019. Gold Field's Salares Norte project in Chile granted environmental permit. December 18, 2019, 9:29am. Exploration Intelligence Latin America Gold Silver. https://www.mining.com/gold-fields-salares-norte-project-in-chile-granted-environmental-permit/. Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE- Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation, including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, the intended use of the proceeds received from the Offering, the possible acquisition of the Projects, the Company's expectation that it will be successful in enacting its business plans, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believes", "will", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "may", "should", "potential", "scheduled", or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions, which, by their nature, refer to future events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that investor interest will be sufficient to close the Offering, and the receipt of any necessary regulatory or corporate approvals in connection with the Offering and the Assignment, that there will be investor interest in future financings, market fundamentals will result in sustained precious metals demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future exploration and development of the Company's projects in a timely manner, the availability of financing on suitable terms for the exploration and development of the Company's projects and the Company's ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, operating and technical difficulties in connection with mineral exploration and development activities, actual results of exploration activities, the estimation or realization of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the inability of the Company to obtain the necessary financing required to conduct its business and affairs, as currently contemplated, the inability to close the Offering, the inability of the Company to enter into definitive agreements in respect of the Letters of Intent which are the subject of the Assignment, the timing and amount of estimated future production, the costs of production, capital expenditures, the costs and timing of the development of new deposits, requirements for additional capital, future prices of precious metals, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, lack of investor interest in future financings, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, title disputes, the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents, approvals or authorizations, including by the Exchange, the timing and possible outcome of any pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, and risks related to joint venture operations, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's latest interim Management's Discussion and Analysis and filed with certain securities commissions in Canada. All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this news release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91650 Sydney, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2021) - Austral Gold Limited (ASX: AGD) (TSXV: AGLD) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has filed its Q2 2021 Quarterly Activity Report. The complete Report is available under the Company's profile at www.asx.com.au, www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.australgold.com. Chief Executive Officer, Stabro Kasaneva commented, "We have seen consistent monthly improvements at the Guanaco-Amancaya mine complex and expect production to gradually increase to achieve our annual guidance of 45,000-50,000 gold equivalent ounces. Our focus in 2021 is to extend the mine life at this operation. During the second quarter, we discovered two new veins at Amancaya as previously disclosed on 19 May 2021 and have extended the Central Vein at depth. We also continue to target high sulfidation gold and silver Tier 1 deposits in the Paleocene Belt in Chile consistent with our exploration strategy disclosed in our FY 2020 annual report. We currently have four exploration HS projects in the belt; Sierra Inesperada, Cerro Buenos Aires, and now an option agreement on Morros Blancos (adjacent to Amancaya) and Cerro Blanco. Additionally, we are drill testing Sierra Inesperada and plan to start drilling at Cerro Buenos Aires in September 2021." Key quarterly highlights are as follows: Q2 2021 production gradually improving after completion of outsourcing to new UG mine contractor at Amancaya. A total of 8,351 gold equivalent ounces ("GEOs") (7,966 gold ounces and 26,332 silver ounces) were produced during the quarter, a 78% increase from Q1 2021. Cost of production ("C1") per GEO reduction to US$1,115 in Q2 2021, a 29% decrease from US$1,574 in Q1 2021 while all-in-sustaining cost ("AISC") was US$1,647 in Q2 2021, a 38% decrease from US$2,659 in Q1 2021. The quarterly average GEO selling price was US$1,830/oz. As previously announced in the Company's March 2021 quarterly activity report, the Company expects production to increase during the second half of the year and meet its 45,000-50,000 GEOs guidance provided for 2021. Consequently, we forecast average annual 2021 C1 and AISC per GEO to decrease to a range of US$850-US$950 and US$1,050- US$1,150 per GEO, respectively. Operating cash flow before changes in working capital was positive at US$3.3 million during Q2 2021 following the sale of 6,856 GEOs for proceeds of US$12.5 million. Cash at the end of the quarter was US$1.8 million and combined with the fair value of unsold ~2,000 gold ounces in inventory totaled US$5.4 million. Continued focusing on exploration and organic growth at its flagship Guanaco/Amancaya mine complex and discovered two new veins. Highlights from reported assays reported in our 19 May 2021 media release include: DAM-024 2.41 meters @ 10.19 g/t gold and 55.2 g/t silver DAM-026 1.17 meters @ 24.98 g/t gold and 77.3 g/t silver DAM-019 4.27 meters @ 7.81 g/t gold and 33.0 g/t silver DAM-016 1.8 meters @ 3.1 g/t gold and 1.5 g/t silver The work commitment program at Sierra Blanca project in Santa Cruz, Argentina, continued in accordance with the Option Agreement executed with New Dimension Resources on 13 October 2020. All resolutions were passed at the Company's 27 April 2021 Annual General Meeting. Executed an Option agreement with Pampa Metals where Austral may acquire up to an 80% interest in the Cerro Blanco and Morros Blancos properties (Chile) held by Pampa Metals. Further details are provided in the Company's 28 July 2021 announcement. At the end of Q2 2021, Austral participated in a cash call by Rawhide Acquisition Holding LLC ("Rawhide") and invested US$1 million. Austral's equity interest in Rawhide is now 23.25%. Ensign Gold ("Ensign") executed an option agreement with Barrick Gold for US$0.8 million (CDN$1.0 million) paid on signing, US$4.8 million (C$6 million) in exploration work commitments over a two-year period and a final cash payment of US$16 million (C$20 million) if Ensign exercises the option to acquire Barrick's 2,869 acre of mostly private ground. Barrick retained royalties over the properties under the agreement and was granted 3 million warrants at C$0.25 per share. The transaction would allow Ensign to fully consolidate the Mercur project. During July 2021, Ensign raised gross proceeds of US$7.4 million (C$9.16 million) through the issuance of equity. As a result of the financing, Austral's ownership in Ensign was diluted from 19.9% to 12.3%. The shares in the financing were issued at C$0.50/share, a 100% increase from the Austral investment of C$0.25/share. About Austral Gold Austral Gold Limited is a growing gold and silver mining, development and exploration company building a portfolio of quality assets in Chile, the USA and Argentina. Austral owns a 100% interest in the Guanaco/Amancaya mine in Chile and the Casposo Mine (currently on care and maintenance) in Argentina, a non-controlling interest in the Rawhide Mine in Nevada, USA and a non-controlling interest in Ensign Gold which holds the Mercur project in Utah, USA. In addition, Austral owns an attractive portfolio of exploration projects in the Paleocene Belt in Chile (including those acquired in the recent acquisition of Revelo Resources Corp), a non-controlling interest in Pampa Metals and a 100% interest in the Pinguino project in Santa Cruz, Argentina. Austral Gold Limited is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV: AGLD) and the Australian Securities Exchange. (ASX: AGD). For more information, please consult Austral's website at www.australgold.com . Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Release approved by the Chief Executive Officer of Austral Gold, Stabro Kasaneva. For additional information please contact: Jose Bordogna Chief Financial Officer Austral Gold Limited jose.bordogna@australgold.com +54 (11) 4323 7558 David Hwang Company Secretary Austral Gold Limited info@australgold.com +61 (2) 9698 5414 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91662 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2021) - Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd. (TSXV: PEX) (OTCQB: PEXZF) ("Pacific Ridge" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its common shares are now trading on the OTC Venture Market ("OTCQB") under the ticker symbol "PEXZF". B. Riley Securities acted as the Company's OTCQB sponsor. B. Riley Securities, Inc. is a full-service investment bank and subsidiary of B. Riley Financial, Inc., based in Los Angeles with offices across the United States, providing corporate finance, research, sales and trading services. The OTCQB offers early stage and developing international companies the benefits of being publicly traded in the U.S. without the complexity and cost of a U.S. exchange listing. As a verified market with efficient access to U.S. investors, the OTCQB helps companies build shareholder value with a goal of enhancing liquidity and achieving a fair valuation. Kliyul copper-gold project update The start of the fully funded 2,500 metre diamond drill program at the Kliyul copper-gold project ("Kliyul" or "Project") was delayed due to a wildfire that temporarily closed the main access road to the project area. The fire is now under control and the road is again open. However, Pacific Ridge will remain responsive to local conditions as required. Camp construction is nearly complete and the drill rig should arrive in the next several days. The Company expects that the drill program will commence shortly and will update investors when drilling starts. Kliyul is located in Northwestern British Columbia ("B.C."), approximately 50 km southeast of Centerra Gold Inc's Kemess mine and 5 km from the Omineca mining road and power line, in one of the most geochemically anomalous areas for copper and gold in the Quesnel Terrane. Historic drilling at Kliyul encountered significant copper-gold porphyry-related mineralization. For example, drill hole KJ-15-34 intercepted 245 metres of 0.75% CuEQ1 (see Pacific Ridge news release dated December 2, 2020) which is an indication of Kliyul's potential. Pacific Ridge utilized its newly constructed Kliyul database, which includes all the geological, geochemical, geophysical and drill data, to prioritize drill targets within the large and highly prospective Kliyul project area. The Company also drew upon the knowledge and expertise of Technical Advisory Committee members Jim Logan, M.Sc., an expert on the geology of B.C. porphyry copper deposits, and Dan Core (Fathom Geophysics), Ph.D., who is at the forefront of computer modelling and interpretation of geophysical data. About Pacific Ridge Our goal is to become one of the leading copper-gold exploration companies in British Columbia. Pacific Ridge's flagship project is the Kliyul copper-gold project, located in the Quesnel Trough, approximately 50 km southeast of Centerra Gold's Kemess mine. In addition to Kliyul, the Company's project portfolio includes the RDP copper-gold project and the Redton copper-gold project, both located in British Columbia. Pacific Ridge will continue to search for projects that offer discovery opportunity in our regions of expertise. On behalf of the Board of Directors, "Blaine Monaghan" Blaine Monaghan President & CEO Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd. Corporate Contact: Blaine Monaghan President & CEO Tel: (604) 687-4951 www.pacificridgeexploration.com https://www.linkedin.com/company/pacific-ridge-exploration-ltd-pex- https://twitter.com/PacRidge_PEX Investor Contact: G2 Consultants Corp. Telephone: +1 778-678-9050 Email: ir@pacificridgeexploration.com 1 Copper equivalent (CuEQ) is equal to ((Cu (per cent) multiplied by $2.25 multiplied by 22.0642) plus (Au (g/t) multiplied by $1,650 multiplied by 0.032151)) divided by ($2.25 multiplied by 22.0642). Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The technical information contained within this News Release has been reviewed and approved by Gerald G. Carlson, Ph.D., P.Eng., Executive Chairman of Pacific Ridge and Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 policy. Forward-Looking Information: This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address exploration drilling and other activities and events or developments that Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd. ("Pacific Ridge") expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the arrival of the drill rig and the anticipated start of drilling. Although Pacific Ridge believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include market prices, exploration successes, and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. These statements are based on a number of assumptions including, among other things, assumptions regarding general business and economic conditions, that one of the options will be exercised, the ability of Pacific Ridge and other parties to satisfy stock exchange and other regulatory requirements in a timely manner, the availability of financing for Pacific Ridge's proposed programs on reasonable terms, and the ability of third party service providers to deliver services in a timely manner. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Pacific Ridge does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91672 The following amendment has been made to the 'AGM Results, Director Appointments & Options Award' announcement released on 10 June 2021 at 07.00 under RNS No 4044B. Shareholding for David Neuhauser has been amended to 11,467,510 and percentage shareholding to 6.47%. All other details remain unchanged. The full amended text is shown below. TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2021 / AEX Gold Inc. ("AEX" or the "Corporation" - TSXV:AEX), announces that at its AGM, held on 9 June 2021, all resolutions were unanimously passed. As a result, the Corporation is pleased to announce that Line Fredriksen and David Neuhauser were appointed as Non-Executive Directors of the Corporation with immediate effect. AGM Results The following proxy votes for the AGM were received from shareholders: Resolution Description Votes For % Votes Cast Votes Withheld 1 Re-elect G Stewart 49,724,855 100.00 999 2 Re-elect E Olafsson 51,724,855 100.00 999 3 Re-elect G Fowlie 49,724,855 100.00 999 4 Re-elect J Crouse 51,724,855 100.00 999 5 Re-elect S Thorkelsson 49,724,855 100.00 999 6 Elect L Frederiksen 51,724,855 100.00 999 7 Elect D Neuhauser 49,724,855 100.00 999 8 Appoint Auditor 51,802,754 100.00 0 9 Stock option plan 49,710,355 96.10 0 10 Amend By-laws 51,254,977 99.09 0 Non-Executive Director Appointments The Corporation is pleased to welcome Line Frederiksen and David Neuhauser as Non-Executive Directors of the Corporation with immediate effect following shareholder approval at the AGM. Line Fredriksen has substantial experience in Greenlandic infrastructure and is currently CFO at Tele Greenland A/S, the leading provider of telecom solutions in Greenland, as well as being responsible for cybersecurity governance. Prior to being promoted to CFO, Ms. Fredriksen was the Head of Finance at Tele Greenland A/S and has previously had roles at Air Greenland. David Neuhauser has extensive capital markets and M&A experience and is the founder and managing director of event-driven hedge fund Livermore Partners in Chicago, a 6.47% shareholder in the Corporation. He has invested in and advised global public companies for the past 21 years and has a strong track record of enhancing intrinsic value. Mr. Neuhauser currently sits on the board of Shareholders Gold Council, a Canadian corporation promoting best practices in the gold mining industry, AIM-quoted Jadestone Energy Plc, and Kolibri Global Energy Inc. Stock Option Award The Corporation also announces that it has granted incentive stock options ("Options") under the Corporation's Stock Option Plan to Jaco Crouse to acquire an aggregate of 900,000 common shares at $0.59 per share, with an expiry date of December 31, 2027. Eldur Olafsson, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of AEX Gold, commented: "On behalf of the board, I would like to extend a warm welcome to Line and David. They are highly experienced and skilled individuals, and we are fortunate to have them as part of our team as we continue to progress our material asset base in southern Greenland." Enquiries: AEX Gold Inc. Eldur Olafsson, Director and CEO +354 665 2003 eo@aexgold.com Eddie Wyvill, Investor Relations +447713126727 ew@aexgold.com Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited (Nominated Adviser and Broker) +44 (0) 20 7710 7600 Callum Stewart Simon Mensley Ashton Clanfield Camarco (Financial PR) +44 (0) 20 3757 4980 Gordon Poole Nick Hennis Emily Hall AIM Rule Disclosures In relation to the appointment to the board, there is no further information required to be disclosed pursuant to paragraph (g) of Schedule 2 of the AIM Rules for Companies save what is disclosed below. Line Frederiksen Line Frederiksen, aged 41, has held the following directorships and/or partnerships in the past five years: Current Directorships/Partnerships Previous Directorships/Partnerships Tele Greenland A/S INI A/S Ejendomsselskabet Suliffik A/S Ms. Frederiksen holds no common shares in the Corporation. David Neuhauser David Loven Neuhauser, aged 51, has held the following directorships and/or partnerships in the past five years: Current Directorships/Partnerships Previous Directorships/Partnerships Livermore Partners LLC None Jadestone Energy Plc Jadestone Energy Inc Kolibri Global Energy Inc. Mr. Neuhauser does not own any common shares of the Corporation directly but, as managing director of Livermore Partners LLC, exercises control or direction over the 11,467,510 common shares beneficially owned by Livermore Partners LLC. DEALING NOTIFICATION FORM FOR USE BY PERSONS DISCHARGING MANAGERIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND THEIR CLOSELY ASSOCIATED PERSONS 1. Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities/person closely associated a) Name: Jaco Crouse 2. Reason for the notification a) Position/status: Chief Financial Officer and Director b) Initial notification/Amendment Initial notification 3. Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor a) Name AEX Gold Inc b) LEI: 213800Q21S5JQ6WKCE70 4. Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been conducted a) Description of the financial instrument, type of instrument: Identification code: Common shares of no par value in AEX Gold Inc. ISIN: CA00108V1022 b) Nature of the transaction: Grant of options c) Price(s) and volume(s): Price(s) Volume(s) Nil 900,000 d) Aggregated information: n/a e) Date of the transaction(s): 9 June 2021 f) Place of the transaction XOFF Further Information: About AEX AEX's principal business objectives are the identification, acquisition, exploration and development of gold properties in Greenland. The Corporation's principal asset is a 100% interest in the Nalunaq Project, an advanced exploration stage property with an exploitation license including the previously operating Nalunaq gold mine. The Corporation has a portfolio of gold assets covering 3,870 km2, the largest portfolio of gold assets in Southern Greenland covering the two known gold belts in the region. AEX is incorporated under the Canada Business Corporations Act and wholly owns Nalunaq A/S, incorporated under the Greenland Public Companies Act. www.aexgold.com Forward-Looking Information This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, which reflects the Corporation's current expectations regarding future events and the future growth of the Corporation's business. In this press release there is forward-looking information based on a number of assumptions and subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Corporation's control, that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to the factors discussed under "Risk Factors" in the Final Prospectus available under the Corporation's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Any forward-looking information included in this press release is based only on information currently available to the Corporation and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Corporation assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect new circumstances or events. No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this press release. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Inside Information This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the UK version of Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 on Market Abuse ("UK MAR"), as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, and Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 on Market Abuse ("EU MAR"). SOURCE: AEX Gold Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657755/Annual-General-and-Special-Meeting-AGM-Results-Non-Executive-Director-Appointments-and-Stock-Option-Award Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2021) - Goldshore Resources Inc. (TSXV: GSHR) (OTCQB: GSHRF) ("Goldshore" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that it has commenced drilling at the Moss Lake Gold Project, as part of a planned 100,000m drilling program for 2021 and 2022. Brett Richards, President and Chief Executive Officer of Goldshore commented: "This is another milestone achieved in the Goldshore story, as many things had to be coordinated and organized on the ground to allow for drilling to commence on such an expedited timeline. Several work streams have culminated in moving towards this milestone, including: working with Orix Geoscience on collating and organizing all of the historical data into establish a risk-coded database to define drilling priorities; establishing the technical and support team, including health, safety and technical training; relogging of selected historic drill holes and the creation of a rock library defining lithologies and mineralization and alteration suites; building the infrastructure on the ground to successfully execute on such a large campaign; designing and implementing a comprehensive core orientation, core logging, core photography and bulk density sampling program; completing the Geotech Ltd. Heliborne VTEM Geophysical Survey as announced on July 14, 2021; and mobilizing the first drill rig to commence drilling. The campaign will expand to three rigs in August when the additional rigs are mobilized to site. This was no small feat by the team, particularly during the on-going pandemic restriction(s) and lockdown, and recent Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources imposed operating shutdown due to the forest fires and fire hazard risk in Northwestern Ontario and Manitoba." Pete Flindell, VP Exploration, said, "A lot of work has gone into establishing the foundation and framework for a comprehensive drilling program that we hope will deliver maximum quality results in support next year's PEA/PFS. We are all excited to be drilling and soon to be delivering results to the market." Correction to Filing Statement The Company further advises of a correction to its filing statement dated May 26, 2021 (the "Filing Statement"). The Company wishes to clarify that an aggregate of 7,700,000 stock options were issued in connection with its reverse takeover transaction, rather than 9,700,000 as disclosed in the Filing Statement. All such options are exercisable at $0.65 until June 4, 2026. About Goldshore Goldshore is an emerging junior gold development company, and owns the Moss Lake Gold Project located in Ontario. Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. is currently a strategic shareholder of Goldshore with an approximate 30% equity position in the Company. Well-financed and supported by an industry-leading management group, board of directors and advisory board, Goldshore is positioned to advance the Moss Lake Gold Project through the next stages of exploration. About the Moss Lake Gold Project The Moss Lake Gold Project is located approximately 100 km west of the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario. It is accessed via Highway 11 which passes within 1 km of the property boundary to the north. The Moss Lake Gold Project covers 14,292 hectares and consists of 282 unpatented and patented mining claims. Moss Lake hosts a number of gold and base metal rich deposits including the Moss Lake Deposit, the East Coldstream Deposit (Table 1), the historically producing North Coldstream Mine (Table 2), and the Hamlin Zone, all of which occur over a mineralized trend exceeding 20 km in length. A historical preliminary economic assessment was completed on Moss Lake in 2013 and published by Moss Lake Gold1. A historical mineral resource estimate was completed on the East Coldstream Deposit in 2011 by Foundation Resources Inc2,3. In addition to these zones, the Moss Lake Gold Project also hosts a number of under-explored mineral occurrences which are reported to exist both at surface and in historically drilled holes. The Moss Lake Deposit is a shear-hosted disseminated-style gold deposit which outcrops at surface. It has been drilled over a 2.5 km length and to depths of 300 m with 376 holes completed between 1983 and 2017. The last drilling program conducted in 2016 and 2017 by Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. ("Wesdome"), which consisted of widely spaced holes along the strike extension of the deposit was successful in expanding the mineralized footprint and hydrothermal system 1.6 km to the northeast. Additionally, the deposit remains largely open to depth. In 2017, Wesdome completed an induced polarization survey which traced the potential extensions of pyrite mineralization associated with the Moss Lake Deposit over a total strike length of 8 km and spanning the entire extent of the survey grids. Historic drill hole highlights from the Moss Lake Deposit include 11.3 g/t Au over 70.4m in ML-08-01, 2.55 g/t Au over 71.3 m in 89-172, and 1.19 g/t Au over 163.1 m in 87-101. The East Coldstream Deposit is a shear-hosted disseminated-style gold deposit which locally outcrops at surface. It has been drilled over a 1.3 km length and to depths of 200 m with 138 holes completed between 1988 and 2017. The deposit remains largely open at depth and may have the potential for expansion along strike. Historic drill hole highlights from the East Coldstream Deposit include 4.86 g/t Au over 27.3 m in C-10-15. The historically producing North Coldstream Mine is reported to have produced significant amounts of copper, gold and silver4 from mineralization with potential iron-oxide-copper-gold deposit style affinity. The exploration potential immediately surrounding the historic mining area is not currently well understood and historic data compilation is required. The Hamlin Zone is a significant occurrence of copper and gold mineralization, and also of potential iron-oxide-copper-gold deposit style affinity. Between 2008 and 2011, Glencore tested Hamlin with 24 drill holes which successfully outlined a broad and intermittently mineralized zone over a strike length of 900 m. Historic drill hole highlights from the Hamlin Zone include 0.9 g/t Au and 0.35% Cu over 150.7 m in HAM-11-75. The Moss Lake, East Coldstream and North Coldstream deposits sit on a mineral trend marked by a regionally significant deformation zone locally referred to as the Wawiag Fault Zone in the area of the Moss Lake Deposit. This deformation zone occurs over a length of approximately 20 km on the Moss Lake Gold Project and there is an area spanning approximately 7 km between the Moss Lake and East Coldstream deposits that is significantly underexplored. Table 1: Historical Mineral Resources1,2,3 INDICATED INFERRED Deposit Tonnes Au g/t Au oz Tonnes Au g/t Au oz Moss Lake Deposit1 (2013 resource estimate) Open Pit Potential 39,795,000 1.1 1,377,300 48,904,000 1.0 1,616,300 Underground Potential - - - 1,461,100 2.9 135,400 Moss Lake Total 39,795,000 1.1 1,377,300 50,364,000 1.1 1,751,600 East Coldstream Deposit2 (2011 resource estimate) East Coldstream Total 3,516,700 0.85 96,400 30,533,000 0.78 763,276 Combined Total 43,311,700 1.08 1,473,700 80,897,000 0.98 2,514,876 Notes: (1) Source: Poirier, S., Patrick, G.A., Richard, P.L., and Palich, J., 2013. Technical Report and Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Moss Lake Project, 43-101 technical report prepared for Moss Lake Gold Mines Ltd. Moss Lake Deposit resource estimate is based on 0.5 g/t Au cut-off grade for open pit and 2.0 g/t Au cut-off grade for underground resources. (2) Source: McCracken, T., 2011. Technical Report and Resource Estimate on the Osmani Gold Deposit, Coldstream Property, Northwestern Ontario, 43-101 technical report prepared for Foundation Resources Inc. and Alto Ventures Ltd. East Coldstream Deposit resource estimate is based on a 0.4 g/t Au cut-off grade. (3) The reader is cautioned that the above referenced "historical mineral resource" estimates are considered historical in nature and as such is based on prior data and reports prepared by previous property owners. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimates as current resources and Goldshore is not treating the historical estimates as current resources. Significant data compilation, re-drilling, re-sampling and data verification may be required by a qualified person before the historical estimate on the Moss Lake Gold Project can be classified as a current resource. There can be no assurance that any of the historical mineral resources, in whole or in part, will ever become economically viable. In addition, mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. Even if classified as a current resource, there is no certainty as to whether further exploration will result in any inferred mineral resources being upgraded to an indicated or measured mineral resource category. Table 2: Reported Historical Production from the North Coldstream Deposit4 Deposit Tonnes Cu % Au g/t Ag Cu lbs Au oz Ag oz Historical Production 2,700,0000 1.89 0.56 5.59 102,000,000 44,000 440,000 Note:: (4) Source: Schlanka, R., 1969. Copper, Nickel, Lead and Zinc Deposits of Ontario, Mineral Resources Circular No. 12, Ontario Geological Survey, pp. 314-316. Peter Flindell, MAusIMM, MAIG , Vice President, Exploration of the Company, a qualified person under NI 43-101 has approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. For More Information - Please Contact: Brett A. Richards President, Chief Executive Officer and Director Goldshore Resources Inc. P. +1 604 288 4416 M. +1 905 449 1500 E. brichards@goldshoreresources.com W. www.goldshoreresources.com Facebook: GoldShoreRes |Twitter: GoldShoreRes | LinkedIn: goldshoreres Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or developments to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "could" or "should" occur. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, among others, statements relating to expectations regarding the exploration and development of the Moss Lake Gold Project, including planned drilling activities, and other statements that are not historical facts. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, among others: the Company may require additional financing from time to time in order to continue its operations which may not be available when needed or on acceptable terms and conditions acceptable; compliance with extensive government regulation; domestic and foreign laws and regulations could adversely affect the Company's business and results of operations; the stock markets have experienced volatility that often has been unrelated to the performance of companies and these fluctuations may adversely affect the price of the Company's securities, regardless of its operating performance; and the impact of COVID-19. The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE U.S. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91651 TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2021 / AEX Gold Inc. (AIM:AEXG)(TSXV:AEX), announces that on July 27, 2021 it was informed that Livermore Partners LLC, a company in which David Neuhauser, Non-Executive Director of AEX, is Managing Director, acquired a total of 104,800 common shares of no par value in the Company for an average price of $0.54. This brings Livermore Partners LLC's total holding to 11,700,610 shares, 6.607% of the capital in the Company. DEALING NOTIFICATION FORM FOR USE BY PERSONS DISCHARGING MANAGERIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND THEIR CLOSELY ASSOCIATED PERSONS 1. Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities/person closely associated a) Name: Livermore Partners LLC, David Neuhauser 2. Reason for the notification a) Position/status: Non-Executive Director b) Initial notification/Amendment Initial notification 3. Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor a) Name AEX Gold Inc b) LEI: 213800Q21S5JQ6WKCE70 4. Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been conducted a) Description of the financial instrument, type of instrument: Identification code: Common shares of no par value in AEX Gold Inc. ISIN: CA00108V1022 b) Nature of the transaction: Purchase of common shares of no par value in AEX Gold Inc c) Price(s) and volume(s): Price(s) Volume(s) $0.54 104,800 d) Aggregated information: Aggregated volume: Price: 104,800 $0.54 e) Date of the transaction(s): July 27th, 2021 f) Place of the transaction XTSX Enquiries: AEX Gold Inc. Eddie Wyvill, Investors Relations +44 7713 126727 ew@aexgold.com Eldur Olafsson, Director and CEO +354 665 2003 eo@aexgold.com Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited (Nominated Adviser and Broker) +44 (0) 20 7710 7600 Callum Stewart Simon Mensley Ashton Clanfield Camarco (Financial PR) +44 (0) 20 3757 4980 Gordon Poole Nick Hennis Further Information: About AEX AEX's principal business objectives are the identification, acquisition, exploration and development of gold properties in Greenland. The Company's principal asset is a 100% interest in the Nalunaq Project, an advanced exploration stage property with an exploitation license including the previously operating Nalunaq gold mine. The Company has a portfolio of gold assets covering 3870 km2, the largest portfolio of gold assets in Southern Greenland covering the two known gold belts in the region. AEX is incorporated under the Canada Business Corporations Act and wholly owns Nalunaq A/S, incorporated under the Greenland Public Companies Act. Inside Information The information contained within this announcement is considered to be inside information prior to its release, as defined in Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation No. 596/2014, and is disclosed in accordance with the Company's obligations under Article 17 of those Regulations. Upon the publication of this announcement, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain. SOURCE: AEX Gold Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657756/Notification-of-Transactions-of-DirectorsPersons-Discharging-Managerial-Responsibilities-PDMRs VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2021 / Emgold Mining Corporation (TSXV:EMR)(OTCQB:EGMCF)(FRA:EMLM)(BSE:EMLM) ('Emgold' or the 'Company is pleased to announce that after successfully completing the application process, the Company was approved for quotation on the OTCQB, operated by the OTC Markets Groups. The Company's common shares will begin trading on the OTCQB today, July 30, 2021, at the opening of the market, under its current U.S. stock symbol 'EGMCF' and will remain listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the ticker symbol 'EMR'. David Watkinson, President and CEO, commented, 'Up-listing to the OTCQB will enhance our visibility and make the Company accessible to a much broader range of U.S. investors. Trading on the OTCQB is expected to increase liquidity by providing current and potential investors with a transparent and easily accessible trading platform where they can find Real-Time quotes and market information.' Shareholders of existing Emgold shares, previously traded on the OTC Pink Open Market, will now trade on the OTCQB without any further action required. The OTCQB Venture is the premier marketplace for companies that are committed to providing a high-quality trading and information experience for their US investors. Qualifying for approval to trade on the OTCQB requires a Company to be current on disclosure obligations, to pass a minimum bid price test, and to provide an annual company verification and management certification process. The OTCQB quality standards creates a solid baseline of transparency, as well as the technology to improve the information and trading experience for investors. About Emgold Emgold is a gold and base metal exploration company focused on Nevada and Quebec. The Company's strategy is to look for quality acquisitions, add value to these assets through exploration, and monetize them through sale, joint ventures, option, royalty, and other transactions to create value for our shareholders (acquisition and divestiture (A&D) business model). In Nevada, Emgold's Golden Arrow Property, the core asset of the Company, is an advanced stage gold and silver property with a well-defined measured and indicated resource. New York Canyon is a base metal property subject to an Earn-in with Option to Joint Venture Agreement with Kennecott Exploration, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto Plc (RIO). The Mindora Property is a gold, silver, and base metal property located 12 miles from New York Canyon. Buckskin Rawhide East is a gold and silver property leased to Rawhide Mining LLC, operators of the adjacent Rawhide Mine. In Quebec, the Casa South Property, is an early-stage gold property adjacent to Hecla Mining Corporation's (HL) operating Casa Berardi Mine. The East-West Property is a gold property adjacent to and on strike with Wesdome Gold Mine Ltd.'s (WDO) Kiena Complex and O3 Mining Corporation's (OIII) Malarctic Property (Marban Project). Emgold also has a 1% NSR in the Troilus North Property, part of the Troilus Mine Property being explored by Troilus Gold Corporation (TLG). Note that the location of Emgold's properties adjacent to producing or past producing mines does not guarantee exploration success at Emgold's properties or that mineral resources or reserves will be delineated. For more information on the Company, investors should review the Company's website at www.emgold.com or view the Company's filings available at www.sedar.com. On behalf of the Board of Directors David G. Watkinson, P.Eng. President & CEO For further information, please contact: David G. Watkinson, P.Eng. Tel: 530-271-0679 Ext 101 Email: info@emgold.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements made and information contained herein may constitute 'forward looking information' and 'forward looking statements' within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. These statements and information are based on facts currently available to the Company and there is no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward-looking statements and information may be identified by such terms as 'anticipates', 'believes', 'targets', 'estimates', 'plans', 'expects', 'may', 'will', 'could' or 'would'. Forward-looking statements and information contained herein are based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, the estimation of mineral resources and reserves, the realization of resource and reserve estimates, metal prices, taxation, the estimation, timing and amount of future exploration and development, capital and operating costs, the availability of financing, the receipt of regulatory approvals, environmental risks, title disputes and other matters. While the Company considers its assumptions to be reasonable as of the date hereof, forward-looking statements and information are not guarantees of future performance and readers should not place undue importance on such statements as actual events and results may differ materially from those described herein. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or information except as may be required by applicable securities laws. The Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials, including any technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties. SOURCE: Emgold Mining Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657734/Emgold-Receives-Approval-To-Trade-on-the-OTCQB-Market Mumbai, India and Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2021) - QYOU Media Inc. (TSXV: QYOU) (OTCQB: QYOUF), announced today an extension to its previously announced investment from Brand Capital International (BCI), the strategic investment arm of Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd ("BCCL" or "The Times Group"), India's largest media conglomerate. As previously announced, an affiliate of Brand Capital International has agreed to an initial investment of US$2 million in common shares of QYOU Media at a price of C$0.32 per share, subject to the approval of the Reserve Bank of India. The completion of the investment was subject to, among other things, regulatory approval by July 26, 2021. BCCL has been working with the regulators to secure the approval. They continue to wait for the formal approval, and as such the parties have agreed to extend the deadline from July 26, 2021 to August 26, 2021. Additionally, as previously announced, as part of the initial investment, Brand Capital International will also be granted the additional right (the "Additional Purchase Right"), exercisable between January 1, 2022 and March 31, 2022, to purchase a further US$2 million of common shares. The price per share of the Additional Purchase Right will be equal to the greater of (i) the Applicable Discounted Price (as defined below) based on the volume weighted-average price of the common shares of QYOU Media on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") for a period of twenty consecutive trading days ending on the day prior to the date of the notice of exercise of such purchase right; and (ii) $0.42. The "Applicable Discounted Price" shall mean a discount of (i) 25% if the applicable closing price of common shares of QYOU Media is C$0.50 or less; (ii) 20% if the applicable closing price of common shares of QYOU Media is between C$0.51 and C$2.00; and (iii) 15% if the applicable closing price of common shares of QYOU Media is C$2.01 or above. All other deal terms announced by QYOU Media on March 12, 2021, as updated on June 10, 2021 and July 13, 2021, remain the same. The proposed investment remains subject to the approval of the Exchange. Curt Marvis, CEO and Co-Founder of QYOU Media commented, "We are all eager to obtain final regulatory approval and we anticipate that this will be coming very soon. In the meantime, we continue to discuss initial strategic means through which we can work with The Times Group and Brand Capital to accelerate our growth in India the moment that approval is received." The securities being offered to Brand Capital International have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any U.S. state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an available exemption from the registration requirement of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of, such securities being offered pursuant to the offering in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About QYOU Media QYOU Media operates in India and the United States producing and distributing content created by social media stars and digital content creators. In India, we curate, produce and distribute premium content including television networks and VOD for cable and satellite television, OTT and mobile platforms. Our India based influencer marketing division, Chtrbox, is India's leading influencer marketing platform connecting brands and social media influencers. In the United States, we create and manage influencer marketing campaigns for major film studios, game publishers and brands. Founded and created by industry veterans from Lionsgate, MTV, Disney and Sony, QYOU Media's millennial and Gen Z-focused content reaches more than 712 million consumers around the world. Experience our work at www.qyoumedia.com and www.theq.tv. About Brand Capital International Brand Capital International (BCI), headquartered in San Francisco, California is the strategic investment arm of The Times Group, the largest media conglomerate in India. Brand Capital International channels its deep domain expertise and insights in the Indian media landscape to steer early-stage and high-growth companies from across the globe into the Indian market - propelling its companies to thrive in one of the world's fastest growing markets. To learn more about Brand Capital International, its investment thesis and its portfolio companies, visit www.brandcapitalus.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Words such as "expects", "anticipates" and "intends" or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained herein may include, but are not limited to, information concerning the completion of the investment, the approval of the Exchange of the investment, the approval of the Reserve Bank of India of the investment, the expected use of proceeds from the investment, and statements relating to the business and future activities of QYOU Media. These forward-looking statements are based on QYOU Media's current projections and expectations about future events and other factors management believes are appropriate. Although QYOU Media believes that the assumptions underlying these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they may prove to be incorrect, and readers cannot be assured that the offering and the closing thereof will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of numerous factors, including certain risk factors, many of which are beyond QYOU Media's control. Additional risks and uncertainties regarding QYOU Media are described in its publicly-available disclosure documents, filed by QYOU Media on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) except as updated herein. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release represent QYOU Media's expectations as of the date of this news release, or as of the date they are otherwise stated to be made, and subsequent events may cause these expectations to change. QYOU Media undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Contact: For further information, please contact shareholder@qyoutv.com or Curt Marvis at 647-693-7380. Join our shareholder chat group on Telegram: http://t.me/QYOUMedia NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91677 Ananda Developments Plc - Result of AGM 30 July 2021 ANANDA DEVELOPMENTS PLC ("Ananda" or the "Company") Result of Annual General Meeting Ananda Developments plc is pleased to announce that all the Resolutions were duly passed at the Annual General Meeting of the Company held today. -Ends- The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement. ANANDA DEVELOPMENTS PLC Chief Executive Officer Melissa Sturgess Investor Relations Jeremy Sturgess-Smith +44 (0)7717 573 235 ir@anandadevelopments.com PETERHOUSE CAPITAL LIMITED Corporate Finance Mark Anwyl Corporate Broking Lucy Williams Duncan Vasey +44 (0)20 7469 0930 Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information. Upon the publication of this announcement via a Regulatory Information Service, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain. New DRI and EAF installations at ArcelorMittal Dofasco in Hamilton, Ontario will reduce carbon emissions by approximately 60% 30 July 2021, 16:00 CET ArcelorMittal (the 'Company') has today announced with the Government of Canada its intention for a CAD$1.765 billion investment in decarbonization technologies at ArcelorMittal Dofasco's plant in Hamilton. The intended investments will reduce annual CO 2? emissions at ArcelorMittal's Hamilton, Ontario operations by approximately 3 million tonnes, which represents approximately 60% of emissions, within the next seven years. This means the Hamilton plant will transition away from the blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace steelmaking production route to the Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) - Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) production route, which carries a significantly lower carbon footprint. ArcelorMittal will introduce new manufacturing processes that contribute to a considerable reduction of CO2?emissions and deliver other positive environmental impacts including the elimination of emissions and flaring from coke making and ironmaking operations. The investment is contingent on support from the governments of Canada and Ontario. Today the Government of Canada announced it will invest CAD$400 million in the project. The Company is in discussions with the Government of Ontario regarding its support. The announcement was made at an event in ArcelorMittal Dofasco's plant in Hamilton, which was attended by ArcelorMittal CEO Aditya Mittal, ArcelorMittal Dofasco President and CEO Ron Bedard, Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Francois-Philippe Champagne and Minister of Labour Filomena Tassi. At the heart of the plan is a 2 million tonne capacity DRI facility and an EAF facility capable of producing 2.4 million tonnes of high-quality steel through its existing secondary metallurgy and secondary casting facilities. Modification of the existing EAF facility and continuous casters will also be undertaken to align productivity, quality and energy capabilities between all assets in the new footprint. The new DRI and EAF will be in production before the end of 2028. This project contributes to the sustainability of well-paying skilled positions in advanced manufacturing and is also expected to support as many as 2,500 jobs during the engineering and construction phases. It will also support ArcelorMittal Dofasco's customers decarbonization ambitions while further enhancing ArcelorMittal Dofasco's capability to support the most demanding product segments including automotive exposed, advanced high strength steels, and consumer packing. This new production route for ArcelorMittal Dofasco will provide a technically advanced manufacturing environment for operations, maintenance, and technology staff to work in, with improved health and safety. New positions, training, and development will be provided for employees moving from existing business units to new assets, with approximately 160,000 training hours required to transition our workforce to the new footprint. Expressing Canada's support for the plan, Deputy and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland said: "Our government has been steadfast in defending and championing our steel workers. Today's announcement, through the Net Zero Accelerator, is about investing in the low-carbon transformation of Canadian industry, taking serious action in the global fight against climate change, and supporting good middle-class jobs in Hamilton. We will continue to be there to support growth and a strong economic future for our steel workers and the broader Hamilton community." Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, said: "We are supporting our steel workers and companies like ArcelorMittal Dofasco as they seize today's opportunities in the low-carbon economy and they do their part in the fight against climate change. This investment will ensure that Canada's largest producer of flat-rolled steel adopts innovative technologies, continues to provide economic opportunities for Canadian workers, and contributes meaningfully toward our climate targets. This investment will create good jobs in communities like Hamilton and clean Canadian-made products for the world for decades to come." Filomena Tassi, Minister of Labour, added: "This $400 million investment by our government in reducing greenhouse gas emissions at ArcelorMittal Dofasco will transform Hamilton. It will position ArcelorMittal Dofasco to become a world leader in the development of advanced steels and make a significant contribution to achieving Canada's carbon pollution reduction targets. We are proud to work with organizations like ArcelorMittal Dofasco that are committed to building a stronger, more competitive economy by innovating to fight climate change and creating 2,500 new jobs." Speaking at the?announcement in Hamilton, Aditya Mittal, CEO ArcelorMittal, said: "The plans we have announced today represent a historic moment for ArcelorMittal in Canada and North America, marking the beginning of a new era of steelmaking in Hamilton, that will result in a 60% drop in CO 2 emissions within the next seven years. We are very pleased to be in partnership with the Government of Canada - as partners, we all recognize that it is vital to accelerate our carbon emissions reduction and strengthen our climate action. Indeed progress in the next decade is vital if the world is to reach net zero by 2050. "This project is part of ArcelorMittal's new global 25% CO 2 2030 emissions reduction target which was announced yesterday in our second climate action report. DRI-EAF technology, such as that being introduced in Dofasco, is at the heart of our new target although we do also continue to develop our smart carbon technology route. Transitioning from the blast furnace route to the DRI-route, offers an immediate significant reduction in emissions in the first phase through natural gas and then in a second phase, which we call innovative DRI, harnessing green hydrogen or other Smart Carbon technologies. "This is the first significant decarbonization project we have announced outside Europe and again reflects ArcelorMittal's determination to lead the decarbonization of the steel industry. Across the company our people are highly motivated to demonstrate that steel can reach net zero and will be the core material for a carbon-neutral world. This project in Dofasco is a very significant and important milestone in this journey." Highlighting the transformative impact of the announcement, ArcelorMittal Dofasco President and CEO Ron Bedard said: "The Government of Canada's investment accelerates the realization of low carbon steelmaking in Canada. This significant total investment in Hamilton will transform our organization and deliver exceptional benefits to all our stakeholders including our customers, our employees and the community. "The new steelmaking footprint will improve our capability to support the most demanding product segments with advanced high strength steels, including those used for the emerging electric vehicles in the automotive sector. The new steelmaking stream also sustains well-paying skilled positions in advanced manufacturing in Ontario, with the opportunity for our highly skilled employees to work in the most technically advanced Steelmaking assets in North America. The company's bayfront property has been re-imagined and we are well on the way to a significant and broad reduction in environmental impacts, contributing to the health and sustainability of our community, the environment and the economy." ArcelorMittal has an ambition to be net zero by 2050. Yesterday the Company published its second group Climate Action Reportin which it set a new 2030 global carbon emissions intensity reduction target of 25%. It has also increased its European 2030 carbon emissions intensity target to 35%, from 30%. ArcelorMittal estimates the cost of achieving its global 2030 carbon reduction target is c. US$10 billion and believes government funding support of approximately 50% is required to enable the Company to remain competitive regionally and globally through the transition period given the capital investment required and higher operating costs of low-carbon steelmaking technologies. The Company has developed two technology pathways, Smart Carbon and Innovative DRI, both of which it believes will have an important role to play in helping the Company achieve net zero by 2050. ENDS About ArcelorMittal ArcelorMittal is the world's leading steel and mining company, with a presence in 60 countries and primary steelmaking facilities in 17 countries. In 2020, ArcelorMittal had revenues of $53.3 billion and crude steel production of 71.5 million metric tonnes, while iron ore production reached 58.0 million metric tonnes. Our goal is to help build a better world with smarter steels. Steels made using innovative processes which use less energy, emit significantly less carbon and reduce costs. Steels that are cleaner, stronger and reusable. Steels for electric vehicles and renewable energy infrastructure that will support societies as they transform through this century. With steel at our core, our inventive people and an entrepreneurial culture at heart, we will support the world in making that change. This is what we believe it takes to be the steel company of the future. ArcelorMittal is listed on the stock exchanges of New York (MT), Amsterdam (MT), Paris (MT), Luxembourg (MT) and on the Spanish stock exchanges of Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid and Valencia (MTS). For more information about ArcelorMittal please visit:http://corporate.arcelormittal.com/ ANVS401's Interim Clinical Data Demonstrate Statistically Significant Improvements in Cognitive Function in AD Patients and Motor Function in PD Patients Biomarkers Demonstrate Reduction in Neurotoxic Proteins, Improvement in Axonal Health and Reduction in Inflammation Levels Next Clinical Data Readout Expected in the Third Quarter Berwyn, Pennsylvania--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2021) - Annovis Bio, Inc. (NYSE American: ANVS), a clinical-stage drug platform company addressing Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and other neurodegenerative diseases, today said it is pleased by the positive interim results released on July 28 from Phase II clinical trials of its lead compound, ANVS401 (Posiphen). Over the course of the first 25 days of treatment, the initial patient cohorts demonstrated statistically significant positive results in both their cognitive and motor skills. The biomarkers presented and analyzed to date also corroborate the efficacy of ANVS401. Maria L. Maccecchini, Ph.D., Founder, CEO and President of Annovis Bio, said, "We were pleased to see improvements in cognition and motor skills in only 25 days and are hopeful we will see cumulative and long-lasting positive outcomes from the use of ANVS401 through the remainder of the trials." Additional results include: AD Patients: In the ongoing study of ADAS-Cog, the ANVS401-treated group showed improvement in all four ADAS-Cog tests performed compared to the placebo group. Specifically, patients treated with ANVS401 showed a 4.7 point or 30% improvement while the placebo group showed a 1.1 point improvement in ADAS-Cog11. Additionally, the WAIS coding test, which measures speed in movement and thinking, found that treated AD patients had a 6.6 point improvement in coding after ANVS401 treatment. In AD patients there were positive trends in MMSE and total CDR score, but the data was not statistically significant. PD Patients: In the ongoing study of MDS-UPDRS test, the ANVS401-treated group showed improvement in all four parts of UPDRS test compared to the placebo group. Specifically, PD patients treated with ANVS401 improved 6.2 points (14%) while the placebo group declined 4.2 points. Additionally, the WAIS coding test, which measures speed in movement and thinking, showed that PD patients had a 6.1-point improvement in coding after ANVS401 treatment. The trial also measured the levels of six neurotoxic aggregating proteins, levels of neurofilament light to show axonal health and of three inflammatory markers that are prevalent in the brains of AD and PD patients. All of the neurotoxic proteins were reduced in AD patients - some reductions were statistically significant, and some were not. Neurofilament light was reduced in both AD and PD patients compared to placebo, although the results were not statistically significant. All of the inflammatory markers showed statistically significant reductions after 25 days of treatment in 14 PD patients. In addition, we determined there was a statistically significant increase in the ratio of A42/A40 among AD patients, suggesting that they improved. The company expects its next clinical data readout in the third quarter and plans to release the outcome of its review of all the biomarkers of the toxic cascade in the coming months. About Annovis Bio Inc. Headquartered in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, Annovis Bio, Inc. (Annovis) is a clinical-stage, drug platform company addressing neurodegeneration, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's in Down Syndrome (AD-DS). We believe that we are the only company developing a drug for AD, PD and AD-DS that inhibits more than one neurotoxic protein and, thereby, improves the information highway of the nerve cell, known as axonal transport. When this information flow is impaired, the nerve cell gets sick and dies. We have two ongoing Phase 2 studies: one in AD patients and one in both AD and PD patients. In the AD/PD study our drug improves memory loss and dementia associated with AD, as well as body and brain function in PD. For more information on Annovis, please visit the company's website: www.annovisbio.com. Forward-Looking Statements Statements in this press release contain "forward-looking statements" that are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release may be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "expect," "believe," "will," "may," "should," "estimate," "project," "outlook," "forecast" or other similar words, and include, without limitation, statements regarding the timing, effectiveness, and anticipated results of ANVS401 clinical trials. Forward-looking statements are based on Annovis Bio, Inc.'s current expectations and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Further, certain forward-looking statements are based on assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. These and other risks and uncertainties are described more fully in the section titled "Risk Factors" in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made as of this date, and Annovis Bio, Inc. undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law. Contacts Investor Relations: Dave Gentry, CEO RedChip Companies Inc. 407-491-4498 Dave@redchip.com Media: Devin Broda/Kate Gorgi Sard Verbinnen & Co Annovis-SVC@sardverb.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91701 WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A report released by MNI Indicators on Friday unexpectedly showed a notable acceleration in the pace of growth in Chicago-area business activity in the month of July. MNI Indicators said its Chicago business barometer jumped to 73.4 in July from 66.1 in June, with a reading above 50 indicating growth. Economists had expected the business barometer to come in unchanged. The unexpected increase by the business barometer came as the production index surged up by 8.8 points to a two-month high, as demand remained high and some firms benefited from supply chain issues. The report said the new orders index also shot up by 5.4 points during the month, while the employment index increased by 3.4 points. The supplier deliveries index was unchanged at its highest level since March of 1974, with firms noting that delivery delays and a lack of workforce availability remained a problem. MNI indicators said the prices paid index edged down by 0.3 points but remained at a historically high level amid higher prices for materials and freight. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. In 2021 H1, NEO Finance, AB increased the volume of issued loans and achieved the best-ever result for the half of the year. The amount of issued loans has reached EUR 12.83 M, 43% increase compared to the first half of the last year. Revenue grew to EUR 1,583 K, and exceeded the revenue of the first half of last year (EUR 1,163 K) by 36%. The company's EBITDA in 2021 H1 was EUR 312.317 profit, while in 2020 H1 it was EUR 72.406 loss. Accordingly, the loss of EUR 145.688 in the 2020 H1 was replaced by the profit before tax of EUR 189.095 in 2021 H1. 2021 H1 2020 H1 ?, % ----------------------------------------------------------------- Granted loans, EUR 12830862 8945671 43% ----------------------------------------------------------------- Income, EUR 1583262 1163406 36% ----------------------------------------------------------------- Cost of Sales, EUR -716488 -821588 -13% ----------------------------------------------------------------- Gross profit (loss), EUR 866774 341818 154% ----------------------------------------------------------------- General and administrative expenses, EUR -671860 -490978 37% ----------------------------------------------------------------- EBITDA, EUR 312316,5 -72406 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Pre-tax profit, EUR 189095 -145688 ----------------------------------------------------------------- EBITDA Margin, % 20% -6% ----------------------------------------------------------------- Return on Equity (ROE), % 11% -15% ----------------------------------------------------------------- Number of payment initiation service (PIS) transactions has almost tripled due to the increasing number of customers in Lithuania and growth abroad. In 2021 H1, the company initiated 7.3 M transactions, compared to 2.46 M transactions during H1 2020. Total income from payment activities, thanks to the growth of PIS transactions, more than doubled - from EUR 152.7 K in 2020 H1 to EUR 408.8 K in the first half of 2021. Interim financial statements and interim report of NEO Finance, AB (legal entity code 303225546, address: A. Vivulskio g. 7, Vilnius, Lithuania) for six months period ended 30 June 2021, as well as Confirmation of responsible persons, are ready for acquaintance in the attachment. Please join live ZOOM broadcast on August 3rd, 11 a.m. Vilnius time, for presentation of the financial results by Aleksejus Loskutovas, CEO. Please note that the presentation will be held in Lithuanian. Register to event. Head of Administration Aleksejus Loskutovas Email: aleksejus@neofinance.com Attachment: https://cns.omxgroup.com/cds/DisclosureAttachmentServlet?messageAttachmentId=1008557 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2021) - SoLVBL Solutions Inc. (CSE: SOLV) ("SoLVBL" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed a second private placement (the "Private Placement") of units of the Company (the "Units"), pursuant to which the Company issued 13,333,333 Units at a price of $0.075 per Unit (the "Offering Price") for aggregate gross proceeds of $1,000,000. The Private Placement was led by Research Capital Corporation as sole agent and sole bookrunner (the "Agent"). Together with the closing of the Private Placement and the closing of the upsized private placement on July 23, 2021 for gross proceeds of $3,000,000, the Company has raised aggregate gross proceeds of $4,000,000. Each Unit is comprised of one common share of the Company (a "Common Share") and one Common Share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant is exercisable to acquire one Common Share (a "Warrant Share") at a price of $0.12 per Warrant Share for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance. "On behalf of SoLVBL, we are excited to be closing on a second private placement indicating strong investor demand and support for SoLVBL's product solution targeting the cybersecurity market. Q by SoLVBL combats digital fraud with proprietary data authentication for enhanced data security and privacy. The total gross proceeds of $4 million from the first and second private placement will accelerate the implementation of Q by SoLVBL," stated Ray Pomroy, CEO of SoLVBL. The Company intends to use the net proceeds raised under the Private Placement for working capital and general corporate purposes. The securities issued pursuant to the Private Placement are subject to a four-month and one day hold period under applicable securities laws in Canada. In connection with the Private Placement, the Agent received an aggregate cash fee of $61,280 and an aggregate of 817,067 non-transferable compensation options (the "Compensation Options"). Each Compensation Option entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Unit at an exercise price equal to the Offering Price for a period of 24 months following the closing of the Private Placement. The securities described herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any securities in any jurisdiction. Alan Rootenberg, a current director of the Company, subscribed for 800,000 Units such that he now holds a total of 1,800,000 Common Shares which represent 1.18% of the total number of issued and outstanding Common Shares after giving effect to the Private Placement. Related Party Participation in the Private Placement An insider of the Company subscribed for 800,000 Units pursuant to the Private Placement. Participation of insiders of the Company in the Private Placement is deemed to be a "related party transaction" as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101-Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). Neither the Company, nor to the knowledge of the Company after reasonable inquiry, a related party, has knowledge of any material information concerning the Company or its securities that has not been generally disclosed. The Private Placement is exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 (pursuant to subsections 5.5(c) and 5.7(1)(b)) as the distribution of securities was for cash consideration and neither the fair market value of the Units distributed to, nor the consideration received from, interested parties exceeded $2,500,000. The Company did not file a material change report more than 21 days before the expected closing of the Private Placement because the details of the insider participation were not settled until closer to the closing of the Private Placement and the Company wished to close as soon as practicable for business reasons. SoLVBL Solutions Inc. SoLVBL is an innovative cybersecurity company. The Company's mission is to empower, better, faster decisions by developing a universal standard for establishing digital record authenticity. The lead product Q by SoLVBL, is a proprietary software of the Company, designed to be easy to use and adopt, economically priced and provide digital record authentication at lightning fast speed. Q by SoLVBL allows organizations to establish trust in their data. The Company is currently pursuing the following verticals: chain of custody for digital evidence; including, NG-911, data used in the financial sector, medical applications and critical IoT infrastructures. For Further Information, Contact: SoLVBL Solutions Inc. Raymond Pomroy, CEO 100 King Street West, Suite 5700 Toronto, ON, M5X 1C7 E: Ray.Pomroy@SoLVBL.com T: 905.510.7982 Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Information The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. 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. CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: the ability of the Company to successfully achieve its business objectives, including, the implementation and success of Q by SoLVBLTM, and expectations for other economic, business and/or competitive, factors. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Except as required by law, SoLVBL assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein in the United States. The securities described herein have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities law and may not be offered or sold in the "United States", as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration requirements is available. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91722 Press Release Outside trading hours - Regulated information* Brussels, 30 July 2021 (6.15 p.m. CEST) KBC remains strongly capitalised under 2021 EU-wide EBA stress test KBC notes the announcements made today by the European Banking Authorityon the KBC data is available at www.kbc.com . The impact of the stress test on KBC's fully loaded Common Equity Tier-1 (CET1) ratio of 17.58% at year-end 2020 caused this ratio to increase by 1.92 percentage points to 19.50% at year-end 2023 under the base scenario. Under the adverse scenario, KBC's fully loaded CET1 ratio would fall by 3.51 percentage points to 14.07%1. KBC's leverage ratio, which stood at 6.42% at year-end 2020, would increase to 7.09% under the base scenario and decrease to just 5.53% under the adverse scenario. Commenting on today's announcements, Johan Thijs, KBC Group CEO had this to say: 'The results of this regular, theoretical exercise conducted by the EBA give us additional insights into the capital requirements that KBC must be able to meet under various possible economic scenarios. Our consistent results reassure our stakeholders that our company is and would remain well capitalised should an adverse scenario occur on top of the unprecedented economic upheaval caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The results also reflect our strong fundamentals in the form of: a healthy customer-oriented bank-insurance model, a solid liquidity position supported by a very solid and loyal customer deposit base in our core markets, and a comfortable level of solvency. This enables us to actively support the communities and economic environment in which we operate on a continuous basis during these challenging times.' KBC was subject to the 2021 EU-wide stress test conducted by the European Banking Authority (EBA) in cooperation with the National Bank of Belgium (NBB), the European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB). KBC notes the announcements made today by the EBA on the EU-wide stress test and fully acknowledges the outcomes of this exercise. The 2021 test does not contain a pass-fail threshold, but is designed instead to be used as an important source of information for the purpose of the supervisory review process (SREP). The results will assist competent authorities in assessing KBC's ability to meet applicable prudential requirements under stressed scenarios. The adverse stress test scenario was set by the ECB/ESRB and covers a three-year time horizon (2021-2023). The stress test was carried out applying a static balance sheet assumption as at December 2020 and therefore, does not take into account future business strategies and management actions. It is not a forecast of KBC's profits. An extensive set of Q&As , plus details of the methodology and the baseline and adverse scenarios, are available on the EBA's website. This information is provided only for comparison purposes with other banks and should not in any way be directly compared to KBC's other published information. For more information, please contact: Kurt De Baenst, General Manager Investor Relations, KBC Group Tel. +32 2 429 35 73, E-mail: kurt.debaenst@kbc.be Viviane Huybrecht, General Manager Corporate Communication/Spokesperson, KBC Group Tel.: +32 2 429 85 45 - E-mail: pressofficekbc@kbc.be * This news item contains information that is subject to the transparency regulations for listed companies. KBC Group NV Havenlaan 2 - 1080 Brussels Viviane Huybrecht General Manager CorporateCommunication /Spokesperson Tel. +32 2 429 85 45 Press Office Tel. +32 2 429 65 01 Stef Leunens Tel. +32 2 429 29 15 Ilse De Muyer Tel. +32 2 429 32 88 Pieter Kusse Tel. +32 2 429 85 44 Sofie Spiessens E-mail: pressofficekbc@kbc.be (mailto:pressofficekbc@kbc.be) KBC press releases are available at www.kbc.com (http://www.kbc.com/) or can be obtained by sending an e-mail to pressofficekbc@kbc.be (mailto:pressofficekbc@kbc.be) Follow us on www.twitter.com/kbc_group (http://www.twitter.com/kbc_group) Stay up-to-date on all innovative solutions (https://www.kbc.com/en/newsroom/innovation/innovatie-2021.html?zone=topnav) 1 The CET1 ratio on a transitional basis would shift from 18.11% at year-end 2020 to 19.64% under the base scenario and to 14.29% under the adverse scenario at year-end of 2023. Attachment AM Best has assigned a Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and a Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "a" (Excellent) to International General Insurance Company (Europe) SE (IGI Europe) (Malta). The outlook assigned to these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of International General Insurance Co. Ltd. (IGI Bermuda). The ultimate parent is International General Insurance Holdings Limited (IGIC). The ratings of IGI Europe consider its strategic importance to IGIC, along with the explicit support it receives from its immediate parent company, which includes a guarantee and quota share reinsurance. As a member of IGIC's lead rating unit, IGI Europe's ratings receive full rating enhancement and reflect IGIC's balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. IGI Europe is a recently acquired insurer domiciled in Malta, which provides the group with access to insurance business in the European Economic Area. IGI Europe will focus on European specialty risks, and will expand the group's product offering over time. The company benefits from external reinsurance protection that is arranged on a group-wide basis, along with an intra-group proportional reinsurance agreement, whereby 75% of the risk retained after the external reinsurance programme is ceded to IGI Bermuda. An explicit guarantee is in place between IGI Europe and IGI Bermuda, whereby IGI Bermuda guarantees all of the company's liabilities in respect to its insurance obligations. The guarantee is pledged to the Malta Financial Services Authority, has no expiry date or termination clause, and is governed by the laws of Malta. This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best's Credit Ratings, Best's Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best's Ratings Assessments. AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com. Copyright 2021 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005500/en/ Contacts: Emily Thompson Financial Analyst +44 20 7397 0291 emily.thompson@ambest.com Tim Prince Director, Analytics +44 20 7397 0320 timothy.prince@ambest.com Christopher Sharkey Manager, Public Relations +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159 christopher.sharkey@ambest.com Jim Peavy Director, Communications +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5644 james.peavy@ambest.com Led by Optum Ventures and Oxford Sciences Innovation, new funding will propel Rey's launch of a tech-enabled, on-demand mental health clinic in response to growing demand for high-quality care in an increasingly resource constrained market AUSTIN, Texas, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Rey, a new mental health and wellness company integrating immersive tools and digital interventions with teletherapy, today announced $10 million in new funding, increasing their Series A to a total of $26 million with the round led by Optum Ventures and Oxford Sciences Innovation. The new funding will help Rey expand its consumer reach and provide more people with access to care through personalized services and leading-edge technology. Rey will also absorb OxfordVR and bring to market clinically validated virtual reality (VR) and digital treatments for Phobias, Psychosis, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Social Avoidance. "Mental and behavioral health care is rapidly becoming destigmatized, which is great. But that means there is a growing need and reliance on providers to provide this care, which may drive up costs," said Mike Desjadon, chief commercial officer of Rey. "Through our innovative digital care approach, we can flip the script and provide more personalized care at an affordable price to treat a variety of mental health needs." Launched in April 2021, Rey is working to improve mental health and wellness by combining cognitive behavioral therapy, talk therapy, medication, and clinically validated tech tools, such as VR, to care for people in new ways. OxfordVR, was founded in 2017 by Dr. Daniel Freeman, Professor of Clinical Psychology at Oxford University. Dr. Freeman pioneered the use of VR in severe mental illness for more than two decades and is the senior scientific advisor to Rey for development of new automated therapeutics. Potential future treatments include Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Substance Use Disorder. "With a big focus on the expansion of online mental health services, the challenge now is for companies to meet the demand," said Deepak Gopalakrishna, founder and chief executive officer of Rey. "We're integrating validated and innovative therapeutic tools with well-trained providers to ensure people have access to the high-quality care they need while keeping costs low and preventing provider burnout." To learn more, visit www.getrey.com. About Rey Rey is a membership-based, on-demand mental health company on a mission to revolutionize mental health and wellness by improving access to personalized services through technology. Rey combines proven therapeutic interventions, like cognitive behavioral therapy, with clinically validated tools, like virtual reality, to care for a wide range of member needs in new and novel ways. Powered by OxfordVR, a spin-out of Oxford University and a leader in leveraging technology to deliver proven treatment tools in immersive environments, Rey is arming care teams with the tools they need to bring world-class treatments directly to members' homes. To learn more visit www.getrey.com. About Optum Ventures Optum Ventures is the independent venture fund of Optum, a leading information and technology-enabled health services business dedicated to helping make the health system work better for everyone. Optum Ventures invests in digital health companies that use data and insights to help improve consumers' access to health care services and how care is delivered and paid for, and that make the health care system more reliable and easier to navigate. For more information, visit www.optumventures.com. Oxford Sciences Innovation Oxford Sciences Innovation is a science business builder. We build world-changing businesses, bringing Oxford science to the world faster. Since 2015, we have worked with over 200 of Oxford's leading academics to build a portfolio of more than 100 companies, worth over $2 billion, all based on Oxford science, created +1,500 new jobs and added +55,000 square-feet of laboratory and startup space; building on Oxford's renowned research legacy to create a leading science ecosystem. A place where scientific breakthroughs become world-changing businesses. Our portfolio of companies spans four sectors, Life Sciences, Deep Tech, Health Tech and Software & AI, tackling challenges like the diagnosis and treatment of devastating rare diseases and cancer, sustainability, nuclear fusion, quantum computing and cyber-security. For more information, visit www.oxfordsciencesinnovation.com. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1580840/Rey_Deepak_Mike_Headshot.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1580860/Rey_Logo.jpg Media Contact: Meredith Good-Cohn meredith@oxfordvr.org (443) 797-2996 THE HAGUE, Netherlands, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BNG Bank was subject to the 2021 EU-wide stress test conducted by the European Banking Authority (EBA), in cooperation with the Dutch Central Bank (DNB), the European Central Bank (ECB), and the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB). BNG Bank notes the announcements made today by the EBA on the EU-wide stress test and acknowledges the outcomes of this exercise. The stress test leads for BNG Bank under the baseline scenario to a CET1 ratio of 33.7% at year-end 2020. Projections in the adverse scenario result in a CET1 ratio of 23,5% at year-end 2023. With these results the minimum capital requirements are amply respected. In contrast to previous years, the stress test methodology entailed also for BNG Bank stress results related to net trading income. In the opinion of BNG Bank this is unjustified because the bank does not have a trading book. Without this additional impact, the CET1 ratio for the base and adverse scenarios would be 34.8% (+1.1%) and 26.2% (+2.7%), respectively. The 2021 EU-wide stress test does not contain a pass fail threshold and instead is designed to be used as an important source of information for the purposes of the Supervisory Review and Evaluation Process (SREP). The results will assist competent authorities in assessing BNG Bank's ability to meet applicable prudential requirements under stressed scenarios. The adverse stress test scenario was set by the ECB/ESRB and covers a three-year time horizon (2021-2023). The stress test has been carried out applying a static balance sheet assumption as at December 2020, and therefore does not take into account future business strategies and management actions. It is not a forecast of BNG Bank's profits. Based on the results of the exercise and under the supervisor's control, BNG Bank will consider possible management actions for further mitigating the impact under the adverse scenario; assess the impact of the results on BNG Bank's forward looking capital plans and its capacity to meet applicable prudential requirements; and determine whether any additional measures or changes to the BNG Bank's capital plan are needed. The full stress test results can be found on the website of the European Banking Authority (www.eba.europa.eu). This is an unofficial translation of the Dutch press release. This translation is provided for convenience only. In the event of any ambiguity, the Dutch text will prevail. BNG Bank - Driven by social impact BNG Bank focuses exclusively on the public domain in the Netherlands. Our clients include municipalities, housing associations, and healthcare and educational institutions. We aim to be a natural partner for our clients by helping them address the social challenges they face. In terms of size of the balance sheet, BNG Bank is the fourth-largest bank in the Netherlands. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2021 / LINK GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES INC. (CSE: LNK; FRA: LGT; OTC: LGLOF) ('LINK' or the 'Company'), an innovative power and infrastructure solutions provider for Bitcoin mining, and data hosting operations, is pleased to announce the signing of a letter of intent ('LOI') to acquire Clean Carbon Equity ('CCE'). Clean Carbon Equity is a private company that provides certified and verified carbon credits to the marketplace. CCE began with a focus on the transportation industry and has expanded into providing carbon credits to many other industries. The applicability to crypto mining is obvious, and the potential for expansion into other industries is endless. This transaction is valued at approximately CAD $1.4 million, payable in shares of the Company at a deemed value of CAD $0.80 per share, and subject to an escrow period between 15-19 months. The final terms and conditions of the transaction are subject to definitive documentation. Stephen Jenkins, Chief Executive Officer of Link, comments, 'The acquisition of Clean Carbon Equity is a perfect complement to our business, showing Link's commitment to carbon neutrality. CCE is not only a Carbon offset/credit company but also a technology company specializing in plug-and-play systems, making the process effortless for clients. As well as sharing an environmental likemindedness, one of the biggest caveats is that CCE is an operating, successful business, instantly contributing to Link's top and bottom line. As a fellow member of the Crypto Climate Accord, CCE is leading the way in bringing the crypto mining industry closer to its goal of carbon neutrality by 2030.' Jenkins goes on to say, 'Chad Clovis, the CEO and founder of CCE, is a practical yet visionary individual. Having spent a good part of his career as an entrepreneur in the trucking industry, Chad has a high level of experience providing solutions for those in multiple industries requiring or desiring to offset emissions. It is clearly evident that there are synergetic connections between Link and CCE. We share a common goal - to reduce emissions wherever possible and offset where necessary.' About Clean Carbon Equities Clean Carbon Equity Inc (CCE) is one of Canada's leading traders of Verified Emission Reduction Credits in the voluntary carbon offset market. CCE sources Verified Emission Reduction credits from our global supplier base, selling them to customers in order to offset the CO2 emissions being created by the customer's operations and manages the retirement of the offsets appropriately. CCE provides customers with value by providing customized transaction options, tailored insights, and scalable access into the Verified Emissions Reduction markets. Through these trading activities, CCE supports clean energy projects around the world, assists customers with reducing their Greenhouse Gas footprint and provides a resource to assist in reducing emissions to support Canada's plan of Net Zero emissions by 2050. About Link Global Technologies Inc. Link is engaged in providing infrastructure and operating expertise for digital mining and data hosting operations. Link's objectives include locating and securing, for lease and option to purchase, properties with access to low-cost, reliable power, and deploying this low-cost power to conduct digital mining and supply clean energy and infrastructure for other data-hosting services. To learn more about Link's activities, visit us at https://linkglobal.io/ On behalf of Link Global Technologies Inc. Stephen Jenkins Chief Executive Officer & Director For more information, visit http://linkglobal.io/ or contact: Steve Jenkins stephen@linkglobal.io +1-877-770-6545 For investor information, please contact: Omar Diaz Investor Relations Manager omar@linkglobal.io 604-551-2950 The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION. This news release contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as 'plans', 'expects', 'is expected', 'forecast', 'budget', 'scheduled', 'estimates', 'forecasts', 'intends', 'anticipates', or 'believes', or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or statements that certain actions, events or results 'may', 'would', 'could', 'should' or 'might' occur. Forward-looking statements made in this news release include, but are not limited, to: statements with respect to the Facility and the terms and potential benefits thereof;and other business plans of the Company. All such forward-looking statements are based on factors or assumptions that were applied in drawing a conclusion or making a forecast or projection, including assumptions based on historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments. Since forward-looking statements relate to future events and conditions, by their very nature they require making assumptions and involve inherent risks and uncertainties. The Company cautions that although it is believed that the assumptions are reasonable in the circumstances, these risks and uncertainties give rise to the possibility that actual results may differ materially from the expectations set out in the forward-looking statements. In the case of the Company, these risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors include, without limitation:; those set out in the Company's most recent MD&A, fluctuations in the price of electricity, fluctuations in the price of digital currencies/Bitcoin, the future potential halving of Bitcoin, increases in the network difficulty rate and price of digital currencies/Bitcoin, negative changes in the level of digital currency/Bitcoin rewards per block, the securing of economic rates for the purchase of power, the opportunities for acquiring digital currency mining hardware, unanticipated changes in laws, regulations or other industry standards affecting the business of the Company, reliance on key management personnel, the Company's ability to implement its business plan, litigation risk, stock price volatility, the effects of general economic and other factors beyond the control of the Company, and other matters that may occur in the future. Given these risks, undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date hereof. Other than as specifically required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent or otherwise. SOURCE: Link Global Technologies Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657801/Link-Global-Technologies-Signs-A-Letter-of-Intent-to-Acquire-Clean-Carbon-Equity Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2021) - Maritime Resources Corp. (TSXV: MAE) ("Maritime" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the voting results of its Annual General Meeting (the "Meeting") held on July 29, 2021. Maritime shareholders voted by in excess of 99.2% for the election of Messrs. John Hayes, Garett Macdonald, Mark Ashcroft, Nick Nikolakakis and Tom Yip as the directors of Company. The shareholders also approved the Stock Option Plan by a vote of 99.5% and unanimously approved of the appointment of Davidson & Company LLP, Chartered Accountants to serve as the Auditors of the Company for the coming year. Shareholders holding an aggregate of 48.42% of the shares outstanding voted in person or by proxy at the Meeting. John Hayes, Chairman of the Board of Directors comments: "On behalf of the Board and Management team, I would like to extend a warm welcome to Tom and Nick. Mr. Yip most recently served as Executive Vice President and CFO of Pretium Resources and has served as CFO of several miners and explorers, including Silver Standard Resources, International Tower Hill Mines and Echo Bay Mines. Mr. Nikolakakis most recently served as CFO at Battle North Gold Corp. and has held prominent senior management positions in the mining sector and brings a wealth of experience in financing mining projects. Tom and Nick add invaluable insight and experience to our Board as we progress the Hammerdown gold project towards project financing, construction and ultimately production. We are honored to have them as part of the Maritime team. The Company wishes to thank Mr. Peter Mercer for his dedication and contributions to the Company and for his extensive service to Maritime Resources," continued Mr. Hayes. Stock Option Grant The Company also announces that it has granted incentive stock options to certain two newly elected directors to purchase up to an aggregate of 2,000,000 common shares in the capital of the Company until July 30, 2026, at an exercise price of $0.18 per share. The incentive stock options were granted in accordance with the Company's Stock Option Plan. About Maritime Resources Corp. Maritime holds a 100% interest directly and subject to option agreements entitling it to earn 100% ownership in the Green Bay Property. This includes the former Hammerdown gold mine and the Orion gold project plus the Whisker Valley exploration project, all located in the Baie Verte Mining District near the town of King's Point, Newfoundland and Labrador. The Hammerdown Gold Project is characterized by near-vertical, narrow mesothermal quartz veins containing gold associated with pyrite. Hammerdown was last operated by Richmont Mines between 2000 and 2004. The Company also owns the gold circuit at the Nugget Pond metallurgical facility in Newfoundland and Labrador, the Lac Pelletier gold project in Rouyn Noranda, Quebec and several other exploration properties and royalty interests in key mining camps across Canada. On Behalf of the Board: Garett Macdonald, MBA, P.Eng. President and CEO For further information, please contact: Tania Barreto (Shaw), CPIR Head of Investor Relations 1900-110 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M5C 1T4 info@maritimegold.com www.maritimeresourcescorp.com Twitter Facebook LinkedIn YouTube Caution Regarding Forward Looking Statements: Certain of the statements made and information contained herein is "forward-looking information" within the meaning of National Instrument 51-102 - Continuous Disclosure Obligations. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects", "intends", "indicates" "plans" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning the potential to increase mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates, the Company's decision to restart the Project, the Company's plans regarding depth extension of the deposit at Hammerdown, the Company's plans regarding completing additional infill and grade control testing within the PEA mine plan, the Company's plans regarding drilling targets previously identified, the anticipated timing of receiving permits for construction and development of Hammerdown and, and the Company's decision to acquire new mineral property interests and assets, amongst other things, which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. All forward-looking statements and forward-looking information are based on reasonable assumptions that have been made by the Company in good faith as at the date of such information. Such assumptions include, without limitation, the price of and anticipated costs of recovery of, base metal concentrates, gold and silver, the presence of and continuity of such minerals at modeled grades and values, the capacities of various machinery and equipment, the use of ore sorting technology will produce positive results, the availability of personnel, machinery and equipment at estimated prices, mineral recovery rates, and others. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking information, including, without limitation, the ability of the Company to continue to be able to access the capital markets for the funding necessary to acquire, maintain and advance exploration properties or business opportunities; global financial conditions, including market reaction to the coronavirus outbreak; competition within the industry to acquire properties of merit or new business opportunities, and competition from other companies possessing greater technical and financial resources; difficulties in advancing towards a development decision at Hammerdown and executing exploration programs at its Newfoundland and Labrador properties on the Company's proposed schedules and within its cost estimates, whether due to weather conditions, availability or interruption of power supply, mechanical equipment performance problems, natural disasters or pandemics in the areas where it operates; increasingly stringent environmental regulations and other permitting restrictions or maintaining title or other factors related to exploring of its properties, such as the availability of essential supplies and services; factors beyond the capacity of the Company to anticipate and control, such as the marketability of mineral products produced from the Company's properties; uncertainty as to whether the acquisition of assets and new mineral property interests including the Nugget Pond gold circuit will be completed in the manner currently contemplated by the parties; uncertainty as to whether mineral resources will ever be converted into mineral reserves once economic considerations are applied; uncertainty as to whether inferred mineral resources will be converted to the measured and indicated categories through further drilling, or into mineral reserves, once economic considerations are applied; government regulations relating to health, safety and the environment, and the scale and scope of royalties and taxes on production; and the availability of experienced contractors and professional staff to perform work in a competitive environment and the resulting adverse impact on costs and performance and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in each MD&A of financial condition and results of operations. In addition, forward-looking information is based on various assumptions including, without limitation, assumptions associated with exploration results and costs and the availability of materials and skilled labour. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Maritime undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Neither TSX Venture Exchange ("TSX-V") nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91732 Trading in Common Shares of Enablence Expected to be Reinstated Late Next Week Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be Held by End of October 2021 Ottawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2021) - Enablence Technologies Inc. (TSXV: ENA) ("Enablence" or the "Company"), a supplier of optical components and subsystems, is pleased to announce that, on July 29, 2021, the Ontario Securities Commission (the "OSC") issued an order revoking the cease trade order issued on June 9, 2020 in relation to the securities of the Company (the "Cease Trade Order"). The Cease Trade Order was revoked after the filing by Enablence of the documents described below under the heading "Filing of the Required Documents". Copies of these documents are available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under Enablence's issuer profile. With the revocation of the Cease Trade Order, trading in the common shares of the Company through the facilities of the TSX Venture Exchange is expected to be reinstated late next week. The Company has also provided a written undertaking to the OSC and TSX Venture Exchange to hold an annual meeting within three months after the date of the revocation of the Cease Trade Order. Background to the CTO As previously disclosed, the Company experienced business disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, which hindered compliance with certain filing obligations pursuant to National Instrument 51-102 - Continuous Disclosure Obligations ("NI 51-102"). The Company had planned to avail itself of the exemptions enacted in accordance with temporary blanket relief announced in March 2020 by the Canadian Securities Administrators in response to widespread business disruptions caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but failed to file the required news release in respect of such exemption prior to the June 1, 2020 deadline as prescribed by to NI 51-102. On June 9, 2020, the OSC issued the Cease Trade Order due to the Company's failure to file, in accordance with applicable securities laws, its unaudited interim financial statements for the three and nine month periods ending March 31, 2020, related management discussion and analysis, and certification of the interim filings for the period ended March 31, 2020 by the June 1, 2020 deadline as prescribed by NI 51-102. Filing of the Required Documents Subsequent to the issuance of the Cease Trade Order, the Company discovered an error that required the restating of its previously-issued audited annual financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2019 (the "Original 2019 Annual Financials") to reflect additional accruals for commissions related to the Company's continued issuance of promissory notes, an issuance of common stock and advisory fees. The Original 2019 Annual Financials had not accrued related commissions or fees for fundraising and strategic mandates, which are payable in common shares of the Company (excluding any related tax amounts which are payable in cash). On September 25, 2020, the Company filed, together with the applicable fees, unaudited interim financials for three and nine month periods ending March 31, 2020, related management discussion and analysis, and certification of the interim filings for the period ended March 31, 2020. On October 1, 2020, the Company filed, together with the applicable fees and certifications the amended and restated financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2019. On May 12, 2021, the Company filed: (i) its audited annual financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2020 and related management's discussion and analysis and certifications; (ii) its unaudited interim financial statements for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and related management's discussion and analysis and certifications; and (iii) its unaudited interim financial statements for the three and six months ended December 31, 2020 and related management's discussion and analysis and certifications. On May 28, 2021, the Company filed its unaudited interim financial statements for the three and nine months ended March 31, 2021 and related management's discussion and analysis and certifications. On June 23, 2021, the Company filed statements of executive compensation for the years 2019 and 2020 (together, the "Executive Compensation Statements"), which were noted by the staff of the OSC as being outstanding. On June 24, 2021, to correct deficiencies noted by the staff of the OSC, the Company refiled its interim management's discussion and analysis and certifications for: (i) the financial year ended June 30, 2020; (ii) the three months ended September 30, 2020; (iii) the three and six months ended December 31, 2020; and (iv) the three and nine months ended March 31, 2021 (collectively, with the Executive Compensation Statements, the "Corrective Disclosure"). The Corrective Disclosure was requested by staff of the OSC in connection with its review of the Company's application to revoke the Cease Trade Order, which included (i) filing the Form 51-102F6V Statement of Executive Compensation Venture Issuers, and (ii) amending the Company's management's discussion and analysis for the year ended June 30, 2020, the three months ended September 30, 2020, the three and six months ended December 31, 2020 and the three and nine months ended March 31, 2021, to meet all of the requirements set out in Form 51-102F1. The amendments to management's discussion and analysis included such details that provide: (i) additional disclosure on the impacts of COVID-19 on the Company's business and operations; (ii) additional detail on changes in revenue for the applicable period; (iii) additional detail on individual expense and income categories for the reporting periods; (iv) additional information on the outlook for the Company's business; (v) disclosure relating to the Cease Trade Order and its expected impact on the Company's business; (vi) additional information on the Company's liquidity position, its use of short-term loans to finance operations and the capital resources needed to effect its business plan; (vii) disclosure that shares to be issued to related parties remain subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange; and (viii) additional disclosure to risks and uncertainties to reflect, among other things, those associated with the Cease Trade Order. About Enablence Technologies Inc. Enablence is a publicly traded company that designs, manufactures and sells optical components and subsystems to a global customer base. It utilizes its patented technologies, including planar lightwave circuit intellectual property, in the production of an array of photonic components and broadband subsystems that deliver a key portion of the infrastructure for current and next-generation telecommunication systems. The Company's components are key elements in large optical network infrastructure builds which enable global networking and large-scale computing for businesses and individuals, including data centers and 5G telecommunications networks. For more information, visit www.enablence.com. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding the Company based on current expectations and assumptions of management, which involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties associated with our business and the economic environment in which the business operates. All such statements are forward-looking statements under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements require us to make assumptions and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. We caution our readers of this news release not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements as a number of factors could cause actual results or conditions to differ materially from current expectations. Please refer to the risks set forth in the Company's continuous disclosure documents that can be found on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under Enablence's issuer profile. Enablence does not intend, and disclaims any obligation, except as required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For further information contact: Ashok Balakrishnan, co-CEO and CTO Enablence Technologies Inc. Ashok.balakrishnan@enablence.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91760. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES THUNDER BAY, ON / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2021 / GREAT ATLANTIC RESOURCES CORP. (TSXV:GR) (the "Company" or "Great Atlantic"), is pleased to announce the closing of its previously announced non-brokered private placement offering (the "Private Placement") for aggregate gross proceeds of $1,450,000 in units of the Company (the "Units") at a price of $0.50 per Unit. Mr. Eric Sprott, through 2176423 Ontario Ltd., a corporation which is beneficially owned by him, subscribed for the entirety of the Private Placement. Each Unit shall be comprised of one common share of the Company (a "Common Share") and one common share purchase warrant of the Company (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant shall entitle the holder thereof to purchase one Common (a "Warrant Share") at an exercise price equal to $0.75 at any time up to 36 months from closing of the Private Placement. The Company intends to use the gross proceeds from the sale of Units for drilling and exploration on the Golden Promise Gold Properties, located in the central Newfoundland gold belt and general working capital. The Common Shares and the Warrant Shares to be issued under the Offering have a hold period of four months and one day from closing of the Offering, November 28, 2021. Eric Sprott, through 2176423 Ontario Ltd., a corporation that is beneficially owned by him, acquired 2,900,000 units under the offering for approximate consideration of $1,450,000. Subsequent to the closing of the offering, Mr. Sprott beneficially owns or controls 4,900,000 common shares of the Company and 4,900,000 warrants, representing approximately 19.9% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the company on a non-diluted basis and approximately 33.2% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the company on a partially diluted basis assuming exercise of all the warrants owned and controlled, including warrants acquired hereunder and forming part of the units. Prior to the offering, Mr. Sprott beneficially owned or controlled 2,000,000 common shares and 2,000,000 warrants of the Company. The units were acquired by Mr. Sprott for investment purposes. Mr. Sprott has a long-term view of the investment and may acquire additional securities of Great Atlantic Resources, including on the open market or through private acquisitions, or sell securities of the company, including on the open market or through private dispositions in the future, depending on market conditions, reformulation of plans and/or other factors that Mr. Sprott considers relevant from time to time. A copy of Mr. Sprott's early warning report will appear on Great Atlantic's profile on SEDAR and may also be obtained by calling Mr. Sprott's office at 416-945-3294 (200 Bay St., Suite 2600, Royal Bank Plaza, South Tower, Toronto, Ont., M5J 2J1). In connection with the Private Placement, the Company paid a finder's fee in cash and finder's warrants in accordance with the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. On Behalf of the board of directors "Christopher R Anderson" Mr. Christopher R. Anderson "Always be positive, strive for solutions, and never give up" President CEO Director 604-488-3900 - Dir Investor Relations: Please call 604-488-3900 About Great Atlantic Resources Corp.: Great Atlantic Resources Corp. is a Canadian exploration company focused on the discovery and development of mineral assets in the resource-rich and sovereign risk-free realm of Atlantic Canada, one of the number one mining regions of the world. Great Atlantic is currently surging forward building the company utilizing a Project Generation model, with a special focus on the most critical elements on the planet that are prominent in Atlantic Canada, Antimony, Tungsten and Gold. Forward-looking statements: This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address future exploration drilling, exploration activities and events or developments that the Company expects, are forward looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Great Atlantic Resource Corp. 888 Dunsmuir Street - Suite 888, Vancouver, B.C., V6C 3K4 SOURCE: Great Atlantic Resources Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/657842/Great-Atlantic-Announces-Closing-of-145-Million-Private-Placement-by-Mr-Eric-Sprott Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2021) - Wealth Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: WML) (OTCQB: WMLLF) (SSE: WMLCL) (FSE: EJZN) (the "Company" or "Wealth"), reports, pursuant to its news releases dated June 21, 2021, May 25, 2021, June 11, 2021 and July 15, 2021 (the "Placement"), that it has closed a fourth and final tranche of the Placement. On July 30, 2021 the Company issued an additional 3,100,000 units for gross proceeds of $930,000. Each unit consists of one common share of the Company (a "Share") at $0.30 and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each whole Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one additional share of the Company for a period of two years from the date of issuance at a price of $0.45 per share. The aggregate total shares issued pursuant to the financing in all tranches was 10,120,000 units for gross proceeds of $3,036,000. Finder's fees associated with a portion of the final tranche close were paid to PI Financial Corp. representing $21,000 cash and 70,000 finder's warrants. The finder's warrants have the same terms as the subscribers however they are non-transferable. All securities issued in the Placement are subject to a four-month hold period, during which time the securities may not be traded. The net proceeds from the Offering are intended for general corporate purposes. This press release does not constitute an offer of sale of any of the foregoing securities in the United States. None of the foregoing securities have been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or any applicable state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) or persons in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of the foregoing securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About Wealth Minerals Ltd. Wealth is a mineral resource company with interests in Canada, Mexico and Chile. The Company's main focus is the acquisition and development of lithium projects in South America. To date, the Company has positioned itself to work alongside existing producers in the prolific Atacama salar, where the Company has a substantial licenses package. Lithium market dynamics and a rapidly increasing metal price are the result of profound structural issues with the industry meeting anticipated future demand. Wealth is positioning itself to be a major beneficiary of this future mismatch of supply and demand. The Company also maintains and continues to evaluate a portfolio of precious and base metal exploration-stage projects. For further details on the Company readers are referred to the Company's website (www.wealthminerals.com) and its Canadian regulatory filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. On Behalf of the Board of Directors of WEALTH MINERALS LTD. "Hendrik van Alphen" Hendrik van Alphen Chief Executive Officer For further information, please contact: Marla Ritchie Phone: 604-331-0096 Ext. 3886 or 604-638-3886 E-mail: info@wealthminerals.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation, including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, anticipated exploration program results from exploration activities, the Company's expectation that it will be able to enter into agreements to acquire interests in additional mineral properties, the discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/reserves, the closing and amount of the Placement, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "postulate" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, operating and technical difficulties in connection with mineral exploration and development activities, actual results of exploration activities, the estimation or realization of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the timing and amount of estimated future production, the costs of production, capital expenditures, the costs and timing of the development of new deposits, requirements for additional capital, future prices of lithium, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, lack of investor interest in the Placement, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, title disputes, the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents, approvals or authorizations, including acceptance by the TSX-V, required for the Placement, the timing and possible outcome of any pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, and risks related to joint venture operations, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's latest interim Management Discussion and Analysis and filed with certain securities commissions in Canada. All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials, including the technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this news release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law. NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91772. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2021) - SoLVBL Solutions Inc. (CSE: SOLV) ("SoLVBL" or the "Company") announces that the resolution, "The Arrangement: Spin-out 1312541 B.C. Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company" (the "Spin-out"), as more particularly described on pages 43 to 47 in the Management Information Circular of the Company (the "Circular") for the Annual and Special Meeting of the shareholders to be held on August 9, 2021 (the "Meeting"), will not be put to the shareholders for approval. The resolution will be withdrawn at the Meeting because the Circular for the Meeting does not adequately set forth all of the details related to the Spin-out in sufficient detail for a shareholder to make an informed decision on the subject matter of the resolution. Further information regarding the Spin-out will be provided at a later time. This clarification to the Circular has been made at the request of Ontario Securities Commission ("OSC") staff in connection with an OSC review of the continuous disclosure record of the Company. SoLVBL Solutions Inc. SoLVBL is an innovative cybersecurity company. The Company's mission is to empower, better, faster decisions by developing a universal standard for establishing digital record authenticity. The lead product Q by SoLVBL, is a proprietary software of the Company, designed to be easy to use and adopt, economically priced and provide digital record authentication at lightning fast speed. Q by SoLVBL allows organizations to establish trust in their data. The Company is currently pursuing the following verticals: chain of custody for digital evidence; including, NG-911, data used in the financial sector, medical applications and critical IoT infrastructures. For Further Information, Contact: SoLVBL Solutions Inc. Raymond Pomroy, CEO 100 King Street West, Suite 5700 Toronto, ON, M5X 1C7 E: Ray.Pomroy@SoLVBL.com T: 905.510.7982 Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Information The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. 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. CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: the ability of the Company to successfully achieve its business objectives, including, the implementation and success of Q by SoLVBLTM, and expectations for other economic, business and/or competitive, factors. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Except as required by law, SoLVBL assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein in the United States. The securities described herein have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities law and may not be offered or sold in the "United States", as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration requirements is available. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91777 EDMONTON, Alberta and HOUSTON, July 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This month marks the 90th anniversary of the arrival of the fugitive known as 'The Mad Trapper of Rat River' to the Canadian North and the revelation of an important new clue to identifying the mysterious fugitive. Following the unprovoked shooting of RCMP Constable A.W. King in December 1931, the unknown criminal who identified himself by the pseudonym Albert Johnson led an RCMP posse on seven-week manhunt across the desolate Arctic landscape. During the pursuit, the Mad Trapper shot and killed Constable E. Millen. With the help of indigenous guides the Mad Trapper was located and killed during a gun battle on the Eagle River on February 17, 1932. Despite the RCMP releasing photos of the Mad Trapper and receiving hundreds of tips from around the world his identity was never established In 2007, Myth Merchant Filmsof Alberta Canada secured permission for a team of forensic experts to exhume the body of the Mad Trapper in order to conduct a thorough examination of the remains and retrieve DNA samples to finally determine his true identity. The team of world class experts included Dr. David Sweet, Dr. Owen Beattie, Dr. Lynne Bell, Dr. Sam Andrews and John Evans of the Canadian Police Research Centre. Examination of the Mad Trapper's remains revealed several important insights: He was approximately 30-40 years of age. He suffered from scoliosis. The shot that killed him entered the lower back. He had undergone sophisticated and expensive dental work for the period. Results of oxygen isotope tests conducted suggested he spent his youth in the American Midwest. The retrieval of the Trapper's DNA has enabled genetic comparisons to possible relatives. There have been comparisons made with more than two-dozen families, with strong circumstantial evidence the fugitive was a family member, and yet, to date no close relatives have been identified. Last year, Othramjoined the hunt to identify the Mad Trapper. Starting from exhumed remains, the Othram team leveraged Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to develop a comprehensive genealogical profile for the Mad Trapper. Recent biogeographical analysis has determined his background is Swedish. "We now know the Trapper is linked to multiple descendants of Gustaf Magnusson (1776 - 1853) and Britta Svensdotter (1781 - 1846)," says Othram CEO David Mittelman. "Our analysis suggests that the Mad Trapper is their descendant, or he is the descendant of one of their close relatives. Furthermore, many of his genetic matches trace their ancestry to the towns of Hanger, Kavsjo, and Kulltorp in Sweden." Othram's team of scientists have established themselves as pioneering leaders in forensic genomics. They are experts at recovery, enrichment, and analysis of human DNA from trace quantities of degraded or contaminated materials. Most recently, Mittelman and his team worked with the Alberta RCMP Missing Persons Unit to solve a notorious 44-year-old case of an unidentified homicide victim known previously as Septic Tank Sam. Read more about recent cases Othram was involved in. Othram Cases "The Mad Trapper is an iconic Canadian story and with advances in genetics, molecular biology, and bioinformatics Othram is closer than ever to identifying him", says filmmaker Michael Jorgensen who produced the Discovery Canada special 'Hunt for the Mad Trapper' that centered on the 2007 forensic investigation. "I think what's captivated Canadians' imagination is the mystery surrounding the Mad Trapper's origin story, and now for the first time the public has a chance to be involved in solving a nearly century old case." If you share a similar ancestry to the Mad Trapper or think you might be related to him, you can contribute your DNA data to help us identify him or find his family. If you have tested with a consumer DNA testing company such as AncestryDNA, 23andMe, MyHeritage, or FamilyTree DNA, you can upload your data and opt-in to a database that allows law enforcement search. If you have not taken a DNA test, we can help you get tested through the DNASolves Connect program. Finally, if you have explored your own family line through genealogy and think you might have clues that would help us with this puzzle, we encourage you to reach out. Ways To Get Involved 1. Share your DNA data from an existing consumer testing company by registering at DNASolves.com. 2. If you have not tested your DNA but want to participate, you can do so at DNASolves Connect 3. If you have information that you think might help us build out family trees, contact Othram at solve@othram.com For Press and Descendent Inquires Please Contact MYTH MERCHANT FILMS Info@MythMerchantFilms.com ph 780-974-9889 OTHRAM solve@othram.com ph 832-906-4247 VIDEO FOR MEDIA BROADCAST:Mad Trapper_clip Fly By Jing, a Los Angeles, CA-based Asian food brand, received a growth investment from Prelude Growth Partners. The amount of the deal was not disclosed. The company intends to use the funds to expand the team and its retail functions. Founded in 2018 by CEO Jing Gao, Fly By Jing is an Asian food brand which aims to bring more diversity to natural foods with high quality artisanal Chinese sauces and condiments. It is popular for its Sichuan Chili Crisp, which became a best-selling hot sauce on Amazon six months after launch. This Fall, Fly By Jing will see a massive retail rollout in natural grocery chains, launching in brick-and-mortar locations of Whole Foods, Target, Sprouts, Foxtrot and more, as well as online grocery platforms Thrive Market and FreshDirect. FinSMEs 30/07/2021 Tampa, FL (33646) Today Thunderstorms. High 83F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. Low around 75F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Unlimited website access 24/7 Unlimited e-Edition access 24/7 The best local, regional and national news in sports, politics, business and more! With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. Motorists are driving too fast and too recklessly Motorists are driving while drunk Motorists are not stopping for stop signs All of the above Vote View Results LOXLEY, Ala. (WALA) -- More COVID restrictions leading to outrage in Baldwin County. Thursday's School Board meeting interrupted by parents protesting a new mask mandate. Those parents are fed up, but Superintendent Eddie Tyler is not budging -- sticking by his decision. The decision comes exactly one week after, Superintendent Tyler said masks would not be required this upcoming school year. Tyler says the decision was based on the number of rising COVID cases and Alabama's low vaccination rate and guidance from health experts. "This stuff is affecting younger and younger people right now. And young people are getting severely sick from this Delta variance, which is three to four more times than the COVID... it's happening so quickly," explained Tyler. Tyler updated Baldwin's mask guidelines in an email to parents. Some of those parents showing up last minute to a specially called School Board meeting Thursday evening. "We don't think the science of the mask proves anything - to us... nobody has proved it yet to us," said Anthony Crawford. With protesting signs -- Crawford and Savana Lee says their three children will not be masking up. "And now our kids all have breathing issues from masking up all year long last year. So I personally believe that it is child abuse. I think it is terrible they are trying to mask our children -- and I will never mask my kids again," said Lee. "My kids were all signed up to start school -- but I'll be withdrawing them if they are going to be forcing them to wear masks. I will never go along with that again." While Thursday's meeting was open for anyone to attend -- it was closed for public comment. Still school board members got an earful as parents began shouting their outrage over the mask mandate. Tyler eventually calling for Baldwin County deputies to remove them from the meeting. Superintendent Tyler says they've also received positive feedback for the mask mandate. Again, he's standing by his decision and says when it comes to COVID -- things are subject to change. "I understand the concerns of parents -- I really do. But my concern is 31,000 students and 4,000 plus employees that come to school every day," said Tyler. "You know things happen... and I'm having to mask up again. I don't like it. I really, really don't. But out of respect for our employees and our students I'm going to do that. and I expect them to do that." Thursday's meeting was to approve last minute hires. The public will have the opportunity to comment at the next regular meeting on August 19th in Bay Minette. Meanwhile, Tyler says they will revisit the mask guidelines the week after they come back from Labor Day. MOBILE, Ala. --The Mobile Police Department Special Victims Unit made an arrest in an extensive sexual assault investigation. On Friday, July 30, 2021, Gregory Renee Adams, 63, was located and charged with three counts of rape first degree, two counts of rape second degree, three counts of sodomy first degree and two counts of sexual abuse. "It's always with somebody being brave enough to take the first step. And again we are thankful for our victims who did come forward so we can hold him accountable so that more people will not be victimized," said Lawrence Battiste, City of Mobile Public Safety Director. Adams was identified as the suspect after a multi-jurisdictional investigation was conducted involving several victims coming forward. According to Battiste at least four victims have come forward. "The charges that were brought against him today are charges that happened within the city limits of the City of Mobile -- so we were able to bring those charges because we had jurisdiction," said Battiste. The preliminary investigation suggests Adams contacted some of his victims through churches in Citronelle, Alabama, and Waynesboro, Mississippi. Investigators believe there are possibly more victims. "So we would hope and pray that if there are victims out there that by seeing this story it would give them the strength to come forward so we can continue to build our case," said Battiste. "We still have a long way to go because we still have to successfully prosecute this case to ultimately get to where we really want to go. And that is hold him accountable and make sure that he atones for his behavior." The Mobile Police Departments urges other victims, witnesses, and anyone with information to further this investigation to contact the Mobile Police Department (251-208-7211), or Mobile County Sheriffs Office (251-574-8633). (CNN) -- Greenland is experiencing its most significant melting event of the year as temperatures in the Arctic surge. The amount of ice that melted on Tuesday alone would be enough to cover the entire state of Florida in two inches of water. It's the third instance of extreme melting on the continent in the past decade, during which time the melting has stretched farther inland than the entire satellite era, which began in the 1970s. Greenland lost more than 8.5 billion tons of surface mass on Tuesday, and 18.4 billion tons since Sunday, according to the Denmark Meteorological Institute. While this week's total ice loss is not as extreme as a similar event in 2019 a record melt year the area of the ice sheet that's melting is larger. "It's a significant melt," Ted Scambos, a senior research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado, told CNN. "July 27th saw most of the eastern half of Greenland from the northern tip all the way to the southern tip mostly melted, which is unusual." As human-caused climate change warms the planet, ice loss has increased rapidly. According to a recent study published in the journal Cryosphere, Earth has lost a staggering 28 trillion tonnes of ice since the mid-1990s, a large portion of which was from the Arctic, including the Greenland ice sheet. "In the past decade, we've already seen that surface melting in Greenland has become both more severe and more erratic," said Thomas Slater, a glaciologist at the University of Leeds and a co-author on that report. "As the atmosphere continues to warm over Greenland, events such as yesterday's extreme melting will become more frequent." Although the current ice meltdown in Greenland isn't record-setting, the magnitude at which these events occur is a clear signal of how climate change is creating more melt periods. "Overall, we're seeing that Greenland melts more often," said Scambos, who also authors the National Snow and Ice Data Center's Greenland updates. "In previous decades or centuries, it's extremely rare to get above freezing temperatures at the summit of Greenland." In 2019, Greenland shed roughly 532 billion tons of ice into the sea. During that year, an unexpectedly hot spring and a July heat wave caused almost the entire ice sheet's surface to begin melting. Global sea level rose permanently by 1.5 millimeters as a result. As Greenland's surface continues to thaw, Slater said coastal cities around the world are vulnerable to storm-surge flooding, especially when extreme weather coincides with high tides. Melting from Greenland is expected to raise global sea level between 2 and 10 centimeters by the end of the century, he added. Massive ice sheets can melt rapidly when the air temperature is warm. But warmer ocean water is also eroding the ice sheet around the edges. As humans release heat-trapping greenhouse gas, the warming atmosphere thaws the fresh white ice which reflects the sun's energy back into space on the surface. That exposes the darker ice below which absorbs solar energy and causes more melting. Additionally, warmer coastal water melts the ice sheet around the edges, breaking off massive icebergs that contribute to sea level rise. Scientists say the trends at which climate change is accelerating are quite clear, and that unless emissions are curbed, such extreme events will continue to occur more frequently. "While such events are concerning, the science is clear," Slater said. "Meaningful climate targets and action can still limit how much the global sea level will rise this century, reducing the damage done by severe flooding to people and infrastructure around the world." The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -- Two weeks ago, life was great for Jessica DuPreez. She was on vacation in San Diego with her fiance Michael Freedy, (better known as Big Mike at the M Resort where he worked), and their five kids ages 17, 10, 7, 6 and 17 months. We welcome your letters and columns! Use the button below to send us your thoughts. Remember: Letters must include your real name, town of residence and daytime phone number, which we use for verification. We do not accept anonymous letters or letters written under a pseudonym. Letters should be no more than about 400 words. Those of no more than 200 to 300 words are more likely to be published. Submit FILE - This July 2021 file photo shows a sign on the door of a hair salon informing patrons that masks are required to be in the business in Kansas City, Mo. St. Louis County's top elected official insisted Wednesday, July 28, 2021 that a mask mandate remained in place even though the county commission voted to overturn it. Across the state, meanwhile, Kansas City issued its own order in an effort to stem a rise in COVID-19 cases that is straining hospitals, leading to an immediate threat of a lawsuit.(Jill Toyoshiba/The Kansas City Star via AP, File) FILE In this April 8, 2021 file photo, the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is seen at a pop up vaccination site in the Staten Island borough of New York. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is allowing the problem-plagued factory of contract manufacturer Emergent BioSolutions to resume production of COVID-19 vaccine bulk substance to resume, the company said Thursday, July 29. The Baltimore factory was shut down by the FDA in mid-April due to contamination problems that forced the company to trash the equivalent of tens of millions of doses of vaccine it was making under contract for Johnson & Johnson. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File) Keep the conversation about local news & events going by joining us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Recent updates from The News-Post and also from News-Post staff members are compiled below. In this photo provided by Roscosmos Space Agency Press Service, the Nauka module is seen prior to docking with the International Space Station on Thursday, July 29, 2021. Russia's long-delayed lab module successfully docked with the International Space Station on Thursday, eight days after it was launched from the Russian space launch facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The 20-metric-ton (22-ton) Nauka module, also called the Multipurpose Laboratory Module, docked with the orbiting outpost after a long journey and a series of manoeuvres. (Roscosmos Space Agency Press Service photo via AP) Its time for senators to listen to their constituents and engage in good faith efforts to get the Equality Act over the finish lin Have any questions? Please give us a call at 907-352-2250 Galveston, TX (77553) Today Thunderstorms this morning, then variable clouds during the afternoon with still a chance of showers. High 88F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Rain showers in the evening with thunderstorms developing overnight. Low 79F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Weevils with straight antennae are categorized as primitive weevils, and those whose antennae feature an elbow-like bend are known as true weevils; Rhamphophorus is a primitive weevil with an 11-segment antenna, and Poinar placed it in the Nemonychidae family, whose members are known as pine flower weevils. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Corvallis Gazette-Times. The story of the familys ancient history is told by species in Mesozoic amber deposits, although no extinct or extant species with such elongated rostrums are known, he said. The larvae and adults of many nemonychids eat pollen from developing male cones of pines and other conifers. The newly identified weevil genus and species belongs to the sub-family Cimberidinae, consisting of particularly long-nosed weevils whose physical characteristics are developed like highly specialized tools. Of the 70 known species of Cimberidinae, many are sexually dimorphic males and females look quite different from one another. Thus the female of Rhamphophorus probably had a much shorter rostrum. The new weevil, which likely lived on the ground rather than in trees, is 5.5 millimeters long, almost half of which is head and rostrum. The amber in which it is preserved came from the Noije Bum 2001 Summit Site mine first excavated in Myanmars Hukawng Valley in 2001. Sipe said he didn't yet know how soon the mask rule would take effect in Albany, but it could be as soon as Monday. No end date has been given. A West Albany High School alumnus, Sipe was a 30-year GAPS employee who retired as the district's human resources administrator in 2020. He also served as principal at Oak Grove, Tangent and Liberty elementary schools, taught social studies, coached baseball and worked in maintenance. He is now on contract until Sept. 1. Board members voted 4-1 Monday to hire Saxton, also a former GAPS administrator, as the interim superintendent for the district. Saxton's hire was effective immediately, although he told the board he would be out of state this week and much of August. Saxton said he would communicate with someone about day-to-day district work in his absence, and tapped Sipe for the purpose. Saxton's salary for the 190-day contract is $150,000. Sipe agreed to a per diem rate for 25 days equivalent to the Step Zero salary of a GAPS assistant superintendent. He will receive about $14,175. Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021. Gettysburg, PA (17325) Today Sunshine and a few clouds. High near 80F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A few clouds. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable. Gillette, WY (82718) Today Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph.. Tonight Cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 60F. W winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Gillette, WY (82718) Today Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 87F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph.. Tonight Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 59F. W winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Gillette, WY (82718) Today Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph.. Tonight Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 60F. W winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Pune, India, July 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fortune Business Insights predicts the global 3D mammography systems market to grow at a robust speed in the coming years on account of rising prevalence of breast cancer worldwide. Key insights into the 3D mammography systems market is provided in a report, titled,3D Mammography Systems Market Size, Share and Global Trend by End User (Hospitals, Specialty Clinics, Diagnostic Centers, Others) and Geography Forecast till 2026. The World Cancer Research Fund International states that breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer on a global basis. In 2018, more than 2 million new cases of breast cancer were registered. This proved that the rising prevalence of breast cancer is a major factor increasing demand for breast imaging, thus boosting the global 3D mammography systems market during the forecast period. Request a Sample Copy of the Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/3d-mammography-systems-market-100837 North America to Lead Market with Advent of Advanced Breast Imaging Systems Fortune Business Insights foresees the global 3D mammography systems market to be dominated by North America. This is owing to the rising incidence of breast cancer in and around the region. This, accompanied by the rise in adoption of advanced diagnostic technologies and easy access to breast imaging is boosting the global 3D mammography market. On the other hand, the market for 3D mammography in Asia Pacific is anticipated to register faster growth rate on account of improving healthcare infrastructure and facilities, and rise in disposable income of people in the developing nations such as China and India. In addition to this, the rise in awareness about breast cancer and the importance of early breast imaging is also helping the market in the region grow at faster rate in the near future. Quick Buy - 3D Mammography Systems Market Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/checkout-page/100837 The Report Lists the Main Companies in the 3D Mammography Systems Market: Carestream Health Inc. Metaltronica S.p.A. General Electric Company Siemens Healthineers Planmed Oy Villa Sistemi Medicali S.p.A. BMI Biomedical International s.r.l. Hologic, Inc. Canon Inc. Fujifilm Holdings Corporation and others. Introduction of 3D Mammography in Developing Regions to Support Market Growth As mentioned earlier, the main reason boosting 3D mammography systems market is the rising prevalence of breast cancer. Quite surprisingly, breast cancer occurs not just in women but also in men, although the number of cases registered by male patients is meagre. The American Cancer Society estimated about 500 men to die from breast cancer and 2,670 new cases of invasive breast cancer to be diagnosed by the end of 2019. Other factors promoting the growth of 3D mammography systems in the market are technological advancements in the field of breast cancer screening, better medical diagnostic procedures, and government support. Governments of various nations are providing favorable reimbursement policies and that is likely to bode well for the growth of the market in the long run. This, accompanied by the rise in disposable income has encouraged people to opt for advanced detection techniques and treatment procedures. Get your Customized Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/customization/3d-mammography-systems-market-100837 On the flipside, the market may face obstacles in terms of high purchase and maintenance cost of the equipment. This, coupled with lack of awareness about breast cancer and its necessary measure in under developed regions may hamper the growth of the market globally. Again, side effects of using 3D mammography such as radiation exposure, along with patient facing anxiety and risks associated with breast cancer screening and diagnosis may also challenge the growth of the market during the forecast period. Some of the leading players in the global 3D mammography systems market are investing huge sums in the research and development for coming up with ways and means to prevent the patient from being negatively affected by the radiation of 3D mammography machines. Some of the companies operating in the global 3D mammography systems market are Carestream Health Inc., Metaltronica S.p.A., General Electric Company, Siemens Healthineers, Planmed Oy, Villa Sistemi Medicali S.p.A., BMI Biomedical International s.r.l., Hologic, Inc., Canon Inc., Fujifilm Holdings Corporation, and others. Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/3d-mammography-systems-market-100837 About Us: Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. We tailor innovative solutions for our clients, assisting them to address challenges distinct to their businesses. Our goal is to empower our clients with holistic market intelligence, giving a granular overview of the market they are operating in. Our reports contain a unique mix of tangible insights and qualitative analysis to help companies achieve sustainable growth. Our team of experienced analysts and consultants use industry-leading research tools and techniques to compile comprehensive market studies, interspersed with relevant data. At Fortune Business Insights we aim at highlighting the most lucrative growth opportunities for our clients. We, therefore, offer recommendations, making it easier for them to navigate through technological and market-related changes. Our consulting services are designed to help organizations identify hidden opportunities and understand prevailing competitive challenges. Contact Us: Fortune Business Insights Pvt. Ltd. 308, Supreme Headquarters, Survey No. 36, Baner, Pune-Bangalore Highway, Pune - 411045, Maharashtra, India. CHENNAI, India, July 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS: Revenue for the quarter was INR 6451 Million, a growth of 23% over the same quarter last year . EBITDA for the quarter was INR 1454 Million, an increase of 26% over the same quarter last year. Profit before tax for the quarter was INR 440 Million, an increase of 65% over the same quarter last year. Profit after tax for the quarter was INR 329 Million, an increase of 91% over the same quarter last year. CAPEX during the quarter was INR 917 Million. Cash balance at the end of the quarter was INR 3515 Million. MANAGEMENT COMMENTARY Mr. Raju Vegesna, Chairman, said, Lessons learned from dealing with the first wave of the pandemic have stood us in good stead as we continue to provide mission-critical ICT services in a challenging environment. India has quickly bounced back from the second with Enterprises slowly returning to at-office business. Mid-sized business, which bore the brunt of the pandemic, are becoming more active in the market for automation solutions. Sify is proud to have played a small role in helping Indian Enterprises to sustain their operations and become more resilient. This year, critical requirements like the National data policy and continued remote access will push security to the top of the priority list for Enterprises. This is also expected to accelerate the interest in data center space on a pan-India basis. Mr. Kamal Nath, CEO, said, With industries and people steadily returning to work, digitalization decisions are being accelerated. The trends of the previous quarters continue to be relevant, resulting in sustained interest in our Cloud@core portfolio of services. Work from anywhere, migration to hosted DC and hybrid cloud platform, strengthening of disaster recovery plans to enable business continuity, application modernization all these market trends are reflected in our current customer engagements. Data Center colocation business is one of the fastest growing segments in India. It is led by Hyperscale Cloud Providers, followed by Enterprises and supporting telecommunications players. We expect this to drive our future growth, alongside Cloud, Network and Digital services business. Mr. M P Vijay Kumar, CFO, said, The operating performance has been stable. We continue to invest in expansion of our data centers, network connectivity and digital services. We will stay focused on our cost efficiency and liquidity management, given that the economic recovery is still regaining lost ground due to the pandemic. Cash balance at the end of the quarter was INR 3515 Million. FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS Unaudited Consolidated Income Statement as per IFRS (In INR millions) Quarter ended Quarter ended Quarter ended Year ended Description June June March March 2021 2020 2021 2021 (Audited) Revenue 6,451 5,259 6,860 24,320 Cost of Revenues (3,906 ) (3,103 ) (4,016 ) (14,703 ) Selling, General and Administrative Expenses (1,091 ) (1,003 ) (1,391 ) (4,532 ) EBITDA 1,454 1,153 1,453 5,085 Depreciation and Amortisation expense (802 ) (658 ) (801 ) (2,836 ) Net Finance Expenses (227 ) (236 ) (195 ) (790 ) Other Income (including exchange gain) 17 15 63 156 Other Expenses (including exchange loss) (2 ) (8 ) - (15 ) Profit before tax 440 266 520 1,600 Current Tax (118 ) (101 ) (250 ) (672 ) Deferred Tax 7 7 581 604 Profit for the period 329 172 851 1,532 Profit attributable to: Reconciliation with Non-GAAP measure Profit for the period 329 172 851 1,532 Add: Depreciation and Amortisation expense 802 658 801 2,836 Net Finance Expenses 227 236 195 790 Other Expenses (including exchange loss) 2 8 - 15 Current Tax 118 101 250 672 Less: Deferred Tax (7 ) (7 ) (581 ) (604 ) Other Income (including exchange gain) (17 ) (15 ) (63 ) (156 ) EBITDA 1,454 1,153 1,453 5,085 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f285746f-3ec6-4a4e-8808-39e0f1ab2974 BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS Revenue from Data Center centric IT Services grew 45% against the same quarter last year. Segment-wise, revenue from Data Center Services grew 38%, Cloud and Managed Services grew 24%, Applications Integration Services grew 153% and Technology Integration Services grew 20%. Revenue from Network centric Services grew by 3% over the same quarter last year. Segment-wise, revenue from Data Connectivity Services grew 7% while revenue from the Voice business fell by 14%. GROWTH DRIVERS The pandemic has accelerated the primary growth drivers in the market for cloud adoption, led by digital initiatives and transformation. This trend is triggering movement of workloads from on-premise Data Centers to Hyperscale Public Cloud and hosted Private Cloud in varied degrees, based on the digital objectives of Enterprises. This results in transformation of the traditional network architecture and transformation at the edge which connects the end user. The need for digital services like analytics, data lakes, IoT, etc are shifting the focus toward adoption of Hybrid and Public Cloud vs Private Cloud. Collectively, these trends are generating opportunities for full scale Cloud, DC and Network service providers with digital services skills. KEY WINS A summary of the major categories of customers who are signing up with Sify include: Customers choosing Sify for migration of their on-premise data center to multi-cloud platforms like Cloudinfinit, AWS, Azure and Oracle. They also often entrust Sify with management and security. Customers choosing Sify as their DC Hosting partner as they embrace hybrid cloud strategy. Customers choosing Sify as their multi-service Digital Transformation partner. Customers choosing Sify as their Network Transformation and Management partner as they migrate to Cloud-ready networks. A consolidated summary of the key highlights during the quarter is noted below: Data Center centric IT Services highlights include: A subsidiary of one of the oldest Indian MNCs contracted to migrate their on-premise DC to AWS Cloud, while another subsidiary contracted to migrate their SAP Workload to AWS Cloud. A couple of startups, among them a gaming company and an OTT platform provider, signed up to migrate to a global CDN platform. A nodal agency implementing payment related activities for the Central bank migrated to Sify Data Center. A major paint manufacturer and a digital transformation startup focused on the financial sector contracted to move from their on-premise DC to Sify DC. One of the countrys largest Private banks and a prominent Public sector finance institution contracted Sify to commission Private Cloud at their Data Center. A State data center contracted to augment their Data Center and deploy non-IT services. A Public sector bank migrated to Sify DC as part of their consolidation and expansion exercise. Sifys Cloud-based backend supply chain integration platform signed a prominent player in retail and another in healthcare, an online education platform, a financial services company and multiple non-banking financial companies. Multi-year contracts for building and augmenting Security Operations Center came from two Public Services Insurance majors. A Regional bank signed up to implement Digital certification for the universal ID and a private bank signed up for managed services. Sify was accredited as an Independent Software Vendor for WhatsApp for Business. Network centric services highlights include: Sify added 53 new Network Services customers in the quarter. One of the largest Private banks in the country contracted to connect their network to Near line Disaster Recovery. A Private scheduled bank signed up for network consolidation and a large cooperative bank signed up to connect a few hundred locations. A global retail major and a generic pharmaceutical multinational contracted with Sify for managed and secure SD-WAN services. A Fortune Global 500 consulting major signed up for Cloud based collaboration services. One of the countrys oldest MNCs contracted Sify to commission their Network Operation Center. A social media major and a global OTT platform signed up for network nodes and connectivity expansion. Sify invested in upgradation of the core backbone to 100G to support the next phase of growth and also in fresh capacity in key cities. About Sify Technologies A Fortune India 500 company, Sify Technologies is Indias most comprehensive ICT service & solution provider. With Cloud at the core of our solutions portfolio, Sify is focussed on the changing ICT requirements of the emerging Digital economy and the resultant demands from large, mid and small-sized businesses. Sifys infrastructure comprising state-of-the-art Data Centers, the largest MPLS network, partnership with global technology majors and deep expertise in business transformation solutions modelled on the cloud, make it the first choice of start-ups, SMEs and even large Enterprises on the verge of a revamp. More than 10000 businesses across multiple verticals have taken advantage of our unassailable trinity of Data Centers, Networks and Security services and conduct their business seamlessly from more than 1600 cities in India. Internationally, Sify has presence across North America, the United Kingdom and Singapore. Sify, www.sify.com, Sify Technologies and www.sifytechnologies.com are registered trademarks of Sify Technologies Limited. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The forward-looking statements contained herein are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Sify undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements. For a discussion of the risks associated with Sifys business, please see the discussion under the caption Risk Factors in the companys Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended March 31, 2021, which has been filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and is available by accessing the database maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov , and Sifys other reports filed with the SEC. For further information, please contact: Dublin, July 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Cell And Gene Therapy Manufacturing Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Therapy Type, by Scale (R&D, Commercial), by Mode, by Workflow (Vector Production, Cell Banking), by Region, and Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global cell and gene therapy manufacturing market size is expected to reach USD 57.4 billion by 2028. The market is estimated to expand at a CAGR of 20.3% from 2021 to 2028. An exponential rise in clinical pipeline coupled with a rising number of regulatory approvals for advanced therapies has majorly driven the market. Considering promising growth opportunities in contract development of cellular and gene-modified therapies, market participants are making focused efforts to boost their market presence. Also, bio manufacturers are signing strategic alliances with contract manufacturers to accelerate the R&D of their candidate programs. Rising demand for CMOs/CDMOs services has led to the entry of several new players as well as expansion of product development capabilities, thereby positively impacting market revenue. Several novel methods are being introduced to advance cell and gene therapy manufacturing. For instance, the manufacturers are exploring the potential of single-use technology in production workflows. This technique is gaining increasing attention in this arena to speed the development process while reducing the overall cost and production timeline. Such technological advancements in space are anticipated to bolster market growth in the coming years. Cell And Gene Therapy Manufacturing Market Report Highlights The cell therapy manufacturing segment dominated the market in 2020 in terms of revenue A high number of ongoing clinical trials of cell therapies to address the robust need for effective treatment against COVID-19 infection has resulted in segment growth A high number of candidate molecules in the pre-commercial scale stage has contributed to the largest revenue share of the segment in 2020 On the other hand, the recent success of CAR-T therapies supplements the growth of the commercial-scale manufacturing segment The contract manufacturing segment is expected to witness lucrative growth during the forecast period as a substantial number of bio manufacturers are turning to CMOs for efficient and rapid product development Ongoing pandemic has accelerated the global investments in the R&D of viral vector-based vaccines, creating lucrative opportunities in the vector production segment North America dominated the market in terms of revenue in 2020 owing to the strong research as well as a commercial base for cell and gene therapy products in the U.S. U.S. is leading the CAR-T and gene therapy space with the highest number of approved products, thus positively influencing market growth in the region Asia Pacific is anticipated to grow at the fastest rate throughout the forecast period Constantly evolving viral vector production and CDMO landscapes through plant expansions and new sites are spurring the market in this region The key players are engaged in collaboration with biopharma developers to support their product development process Companies Mentioned Thermofisher Scientific Merck Kgaa. Lonza Catalent Inc. Takara Bio Inc. F.Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd Wuxi Advanced Therapies Samsung Biologics Boehringer Ingelheim International Gmbh Novartis Ag Hitachi Chemical Co Ltd. Cellular Therapeutics. Miltenyi Biotech. Bluebird Bio Inc. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/hscky5 Dublin, July 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Liquid Applied Membranes Market Research Report by Type, by End-use Industry, by Region - Global Forecast to 2026 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Global Liquid Applied Membranes Market size was estimated at USD 13.58 Billion in 2020 and expected to reach USD 14.62 Billion in 2021, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) 7.93% to reach USD 21.48 Billion by 2026. Market Statistics: The report provides market sizing and forecast across five major currencies - USD, EUR GBP, JPY, and AUD. It helps organization leaders make better decisions when currency exchange data is readily available. In this report, the years 2018 and 2019 are considered historical years, 2020 as the base year, 2021 as the estimated year, and years from 2022 to 2026 are considered the forecast period. Market Segmentation & Coverage: This research report categorizes the Liquid Applied Membranes to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets: Based on Type, the Liquid Applied Membranes Market was examined across Bituminous Membranes, Cementitious Membranes, and Elastomeric Membranes. Based on Application, the Liquid Applied Membranes Market was examined across Building Structures, Roadways, Roofing, and Walls. Based on End-use Industry, the Liquid Applied Membranes Market was examined across Commercial Construction, Public Infrastructure, and Residential Construction. Based on Geography, the Liquid Applied Membranes Market was examined across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas was further studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific was further studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa was further studied across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom. Competitive Strategic Window: The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies to help the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. It describes the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth during a forecast period. FPNV Positioning Matrix: The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Liquid Applied Membranes Market based on Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape. Market Share Analysis: The Market Share Analysis offers the analysis of vendors considering their contribution to the overall market. It provides the idea of its revenue generation into the overall market compared to other vendors in the space. It provides insights into how vendors are performing in terms of revenue generation and customer base compared to others. Knowing market share offers an idea of the size and competitiveness of the vendors for the base year. It reveals the market characteristics in terms of accumulation, fragmentation, dominance, and amalgamation traits. Company Usability Profiles: The report profoundly explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Liquid Applied Membranes Market, including BASF SE, Chembond Chemicals Limited, CICO Technologies Limited, Copernit S.p.A., Dow Chemical Company, Elmich Pte Ltd, Fosroc International Limited, GAF Materials Corporation, GCP Applied Technologies, Henkel Polybit LLC, Hexis S.A., ISOMAT S.A., Johns Manville, Kemper System Inc., Mapei S.p.A., Pidilite Industries Limited, Sika AG, Siplast, Inc., SOPREMA S.A.S., and Tremco Incorporated. The report provides insights on the following pointers: 1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players 2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyze penetration across mature segments of the markets 3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments 4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, certification, regulatory approvals, patent landscape, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players 5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and breakthrough product developments The report answers questions such as: 1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Liquid Applied Membranes Market? 2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Liquid Applied Membranes Market during the forecast period? 3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Liquid Applied Membranes Market? 4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Liquid Applied Membranes Market? 5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Liquid Applied Membranes Market? 6. What is the market share of the leading vendors in the Global Liquid Applied Membranes Market? 7. What modes and strategic moves are considered suitable for entering the Global Liquid Applied Membranes Market? Key Topics Covered: 1. Preface 2. Research Methodology 3. Executive Summary 4. Market Overview 4.1. Introduction 4.2. Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 5. Market Insights 5.1. Market Dynamics 5.1.1. Drivers 5.1.1.1. Increasing spending on infrastructure development 5.1.1.2. Growing usage of waterproofing membranes 5.1.2. Restraints 5.1.2.1. Availability of substitutes 5.1.2.2. Lack of awareness 5.1.3. Opportunities 5.1.3.1. Growing commercial projects in emerging economies 5.1.3.2. Growing demand for green roofs and energy efficient buildings 5.1.4. Challenges 5.1.4.1. Fluctuations in raw material prices 5.2. Porters Five Forces Analysis 5.2.1. Threat of New Entrants 5.2.2. Threat of Substitutes 5.2.3. Bargaining Power of Customers 5.2.4. Bargaining Power of Suppliers 5.2.5. Industry Rivalry 6. Liquid Applied Membranes Market, by Type 6.1. Introduction 6.2. Bituminous Membranes 6.3. Cementitious Membranes 6.4. Elastomeric Membranes 7. Liquid Applied Membranes Market, by Application 7.1. Introduction 7.2. Building Structures 7.3. Roadways 7.4. Roofing 7.5. Walls 8. Liquid Applied Membranes Market, by End-use Industry 8.1. Introduction 8.2. Commercial Construction 8.3. Public Infrastructure 8.4. Residential Construction 9. Americas Liquid Applied Membranes Market 9.1. Introduction 9.2. Argentina 9.3. Brazil 9.4. Canada 9.5. Mexico 9.6. United States 10. Asia-Pacific Liquid Applied Membranes Market 10.1. Introduction 10.2. Australia 10.3. China 10.4. India 10.5. Indonesia 10.6. Japan 10.7. Malaysia 10.8. Philippines 10.9. Singapore 10.10. South Korea 10.11. Thailand 11. Europe, Middle East & Africa Liquid Applied Membranes Market 11.1. Introduction 11.2. France 11.3. Germany 11.4. Italy 11.5. Netherlands 11.6. Qatar 11.7. Russia 11.8. Saudi Arabia 11.9. South Africa 11.10. Spain 11.11. United Arab Emirates 11.12. United Kingdom 12. Competitive Landscape 12.1. FPNV Positioning Matrix 12.1.1. Quadrants 12.1.2. Business Strategy 12.1.3. Product Satisfaction 12.2. Market Ranking Analysis 12.3. Market Share Analysis, By Key Player 12.4. Competitive Scenario 12.4.1. Merger & Acquisition 12.4.2. Agreement, Collaboration, & Partnership 12.4.3. New Product Launch & Enhancement 12.4.4. Investment & Funding 12.4.5. Award, Recognition, & Expansion 13. Company Usability Profiles 13.1. BASF SE 13.2. Chembond Chemicals Limited 13.3. CICO Technologies Limited 13.4. Copernit S.p.A. 13.5. Dow Chemical Company 13.6. Elmich Pte Ltd 13.7. Fosroc International Limited 13.8. GAF Materials Corporation 13.9. GCP Applied Technologies 13.10. Henkel Polybit LLC 13.11. Hexis S.A. 13.12. ISOMAT S.A. 13.13. Johns Manville 13.14. Kemper System Inc. 13.15. Mapei S.p.A. 13.16. Pidilite Industries Limited 13.17. Sika AG 13.18. Siplast, Inc. 13.19. SOPREMA S.A.S. 13.20. Tremco Incorporated 14. Appendix For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/qym8za Vancouver, BC, July 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Yesterday, the fundraising efforts of iconic B.C.-based restaurant chain White Spot, its Premium QSR brand Triple Os and BC Ferries raised $212,574 for the Canadian Red Cross B.C. wildfire relief fund through the donation of $2 from every burger sold. The total dollars raised includes matched donations from the Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia. Communities across the province showed their overwhelming support at the 96 White Spot and Triple O's locations and onboard the 11 BC Ferries offering White Spot. From individuals buying their favourite burger, to corporate offices hosting White Spot burger lunches for their entire team, guests came in droves and the show of support from B.C. has been heartwarming for all. White Spot and Triple Os guests, franchisees and employees have a long-standing generous tradition of giving, says Warren Erhart, President, White Spot Restaurants. When theres a need, our teams and partners are always ready to help at a moments notice and our guests will always support in any way they can. Our thoughts and hearts go out to those who have been affected by the recent fires, and we are grateful to be able to contribute to the relief efforts. "As well as being grateful to our guests for their kind generosity, we are also so incredibly thankful for all the firefighters, first responders and people on the frontlines that are working tirelessly to protect our communities, says Cathy Tostenson, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, White Spot Limited. We have such sincere gratitude for the immensely important work that they do and we are in awe of the heroism shown by the local and international firefighters who have come to B.C. to combat these horrible fires." Donations will be used by the Canadian Red Cross for immediate and ongoing B.C. wildfire relief efforts, long-term recovery, resiliency, and preparedness for future events in British Columbia and impacted regions, including consequential events related to the fires. For more information on the Canadian Red Cross Wildfire efforts, visit www.redcross.ca. Follow @whitespot_restaurants and @tripleosrestaurant on Instagram and the social media hashtags #BCWildfire #BCfires. ABOUT WHITE SPOT HOSPITALITY | Headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, White Spot is Canadas longest-running restaurant chain. Founded in 1928, when Nat Bailey launched Canadas first drive-in restaurant at Granville and 67th, the 93-year-young chain sees more than 17 million guests annually at 128 White Spot and Triple Os (their premium quick-service restaurants) throughout B.C., Alberta, Asia and Ontario. Baileys original vision was to build a restaurant that served the highest quality, unique tasting food and White Spot remains committed to continuing this tradition in each and every meal. White Spot Hospitality is proud to be recognized with the platinum status designation as one of Canadas Best Managed Companies, one of Canadas top 150 iconic brands as awarded by Interbrand Canada, awarded a gold medal for excellence in franchising by the Canadian Franchise Association and as one of B.C.s Most Loved Brands as recognized by Ipsos. | whitespot.ca tripleos.ca - 30 - PHOTOS For a selection of high-resolution photos, click on the images above or below or download via Dropbox. Attachments English French TORONTO, July 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The first Sunwing Airlines flights to the sun since January took off today from Toronto Pearson International Airport and Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. The inaugural flights mark Sunwings partial return to service amid Canadas soaring vaccination rates, easing border measures and increasing demand for travel. Weekly service will initially be offered from Toronto and Montreal, with additional routes expected to follow. After a long seven months, were thrilled to be returning to the skies and bringing our customers back to the tropics, commented Mark Williams, President of Sunwing Airlines. Our team has been working hard to prepare for our partial return to service and were looking forward to making even more vacation dreams come true over the coming months with flights to some of our most popular destinations. Initial service is being offered from Toronto to Cancun, Punta Cana and Montego Bay, and from Montreal to Cancun and Punta Cana. Sunwing will be operating additional gateways and destinations for the fall and winter season, with departures from numerous other Canadian cities beginning in October 2021. With vaccination rates continuing to climb nationwide, were seeing more pent-up demand for travel as Canadians plan their much-anticipated getaways, said Andrew Dawson, President of Tour Operations at Sunwing. Following more than a year of uncertainty and stress, customers are seeking out the kind of seamless vacation experiences that we provide more than ever before, and were already seeing unprecedented bookings for the most popular resorts. Were looking forward to offering customers frictionless travel every step of the way. The resumption of flights follows on the heels of a recent survey commissioned by Sunwing, which uncovered that more than half of Canadians (58%) are interested in returning to travel within the next 12 months, with over two-thirds (68%) expressing a desire to plan an all inclusive vacation. With demand for travel quickly outpacing availability, customers interested in headed south over the next few months should book now to reserve their spot at their preferred resort. Sun-seekers who book their return to paradise by August 9, 2021 can take advantage of exclusive last minute deals including complimentary Price Drop Cash Back of up to $800 per couple, reduced deposits of just $100 per person and the flexibility to change or cancel their plans with ease. Plus, customers can travel with peace of mind knowing that the highest Canadian standards are in place throughout their entire vacation experience with the Safe with Sunwing commitment. About Sunwing The largest integrated travel company in North America, Sunwing has more flights to the south than any other leisure carrier with convenient direct service from airports across Canada to popular sun destinations across the U.S.A., Caribbean, Mexico and Central America. This scale enables Sunwing to offer customers exclusive deals at top-rated resorts in the most popular vacation destinations as well as cruise packages and seasonal domestic flight service. Sunwing customers benefit from the assistance of the companys own knowledgeable destination representatives, who greet them upon arrival and support them throughout their vacation journey. The company supports the communities where it operates through the Sunwing Foundation, a charitable initiative focused on the support and development of youth and humanitarian aid. For more information: Melanie Anne Filipp Director, Corporate Communications & Media Relations Sunwing Travel Group 1-800-387-5602 | media@sunwing.ca https://www.facebook.com/SunwingVacations https://twitter.com/SunwingVacay https://www.instagram.com/sunwingvacations https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzjZ-lcuaqBQH7Sq0u3ru7A Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/75f3b52f-591f-4f81-a878-219209213bcc https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1d18338f-9664-43d3-b4e0-a1f03adbe56f https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2af04498-ab72-49d1-8e01-7d6548b82ef9 Investors with losses are encouraged to contact the firm before August 9, 2021; click here to submit trade information LOS ANGELES, July 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Portnoy Law Firm advises investors that a class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of RLX Technology, Inc. (NYSE: RLX) investors that acquired shares in connection with its January 2021 initial public stock offering. Investors have until August 9, 2021 to seek an active role in this litigation. Investors are encouraged to contact attorney Lesley F. Portnoy , to determine eligibility to participate in this action, by phone 310-692-8883 or email , or click here to join the case. RLX and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose, in its IPO Registration Statement and Prospectus, material information violating federal securities laws. The alleged misleading and false statements and omissions include, but are not limited to, that: (i) RLX knew, or had information making it foreseeable to know, that China was moving forward in its establishment of a national standard for e-cigarettes, likely to affect RLX performance; (ii) RLXs financials were not as strong as projected in the offering materials, nor were they indicative of future results; and (iii) RLXs statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times, as a result of the foregoing. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than August 9, 2021. Please visit our website to review more information and submit your transaction information. The Portnoy Law Firm represents investors in pursuing claims arising from corporate wrongdoing. The Firms founding partner has recovered over $5.5 billion for aggrieved investors. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Lesley F. Portnoy, Esq. Admitted CA and NY Bar lesley@portnoylaw.com 310-692-8883 www.portnoylaw.com Attorney Advertising Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email circulation@skagitpublishing.com for help creating one. Governor Northam Awards Funding to 15 Projects Addressing Food Insecurity in Underserved Communities Grants will support initiatives aimed at expanding food retailers, increasing access to fresh produce RICHMONDGovernor Ralph Northam today announced that 15 projects across the Commonwealth will receive a total of over $620,000 in the inaugural round of Virginia Food Access Investment Fund (VFAIF) grants. The Governor made the announcement at an event with Richmond Food Justice Alliance, which will receive funding to support a new mobile food market with Shalom Farms. First launched in 2020, the VFAIF provides grants between $5,000 and $50,000 to support business development, construction, rehabilitation, equipment upgrades, or expansion of grocery stores, small food retailers, or innovative food retail projects that increase food access in underserved communities. VFAIF follows the Equitable Food-Oriented Development model of using food and agriculture to create economic opportunities and healthy neighborhoods in historically marginalized communities. Hunger and food insecurity are a reality for too many Virginia families, and the pandemic has only underscored the urgency of this crisis, said Governor Northam. At its core, the Virginia Food Access Investment Fund is about addressing the root causes of low food access and increasing equity and justice in our local food systems. I am pleased to see the innovation and dedication of businesses and organizations who are helping to advance our shared goals of building strong, resilient food supply chains in historically marginalized communities and making fresh, nutritious food available to Virginians in every corner of our Commonwealth. In 2020, Governor Northam signed House Bill 1509, sponsored by Delegate Delores McQuinn, and Senate Bill 1073, sponsored by Senator Jennifer McClellan, creating the Virginia Food Access Investment Program and Fund. The VFAIF program supports the Virginia Roadmap to End Hunger, a unified set of goals and strategies to prioritize food security during the current public health emergency and beyond. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 850,000 Virginians were food insecure, including 250,000 children. Rates increased by approximately 20 percent during the ongoing public health crisis, with an additional 150,000 Virginians experiencing food insecurity. I have spent many years advocating for equity in providing healthy and affordable food options to all citizens of the Commonwealth, said Delegate Delores McQuinn. This investment program is a great start to address the ongoing challenge of food insecurities that have been so prevalent in this period of social and economic deficit. I am grateful to the Governor for his leadership and commitment to addressing food inequities across Virginia. In addition to supporting equitable food access in food deserts, the program works to increase the availability of fresh, healthy foods. VFAIF projects include a food retail component that accepts federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and offers the Virginia Fresh Match nutrition incentives program. Virginia Fresh Match doubles the value of SNAP benefits for fruits and vegetables at participating farmers markets, increasing access to healthy foods and supporting local farmers. Studies have proven time and again that people in areas without access to fresh food are disproportionately affected by negative health consequences, including obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure, said Senator Jennifer McClellan. Not only does the Virginia Food Access Investment Fund help alleviate this disparity, it pushes investment into historically underserved communities that have often struggled to access capital. Addressing food insecurity has been and continues to be a priority for the Northam Administration, said Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring. The Virginia Food Access Investment Fund achieves three important goals of providing access to healthy and nutritious fruits and vegetables while also investing in local economies and supporting Virginia agriculture. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services provides technical assistance and works with applicants in developing projects. The VFAIF application can be accessed through the VDACS website. The following projects are receiving funding in the inaugural round of Virginia Food Access Investment Fund grants: Beans and Rice, Pulaski County $50,000 This project will support a fresh food mobile market that will operate four days per week with stops determined in partnership with area churches, community members, and local governments, including the Pulaski County Department of Social Services, to ensure maximum benefit to food insecure residents. Browntown Farms, Brunswick County $50,000 Funding for Browntown Farms will support a multi-purpose facility with cold storage, aggregation of local produce, and barn to door online ordering and delivery service. Dona Fer Grocery Store, Rockingham County $22,046 This project will fund a new cooler and repair an existing cooler at a small grocery store serving the Latinx community in Harrisonburg to meet the customer requests for more fresh foods, including milk, meat, and produce. FRESHFARM, Fairfax County $50,000 FRESHFARM will establish new fresh food mobile markets in food insecure areas of Northern Virginia in partnership with the Virginia Farmers Market Association. These markets will generate revenue for family-owned farms in Virginia and expand a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program for SNAP users. Henrys Marketplace, Scott County $25,000 Funding for Henrys Marketplace will support expanded retail space, coolers, and local produce sales, as well as a new outdoor market and community event space featuring local artists and musicians. Honaker Wholesale, Russell County $25,000 Honaker Wholesale is a small grocery and general goods store in rural Russell County, where additional grocery options are at least a 25-minute drive away. Funding will support the purchase of a new walk-in cooler enabling volume purchases and the storage of fresh products, lowering costs, and increasing the availability and variety of fresh food to customers. Jon Henry General Store, Shenandoah County $25,000 Located in New Market, Jon Henry General Store is one of the only food retailers offering a produce box CSA-style program for SNAP/EBT customers that provides access to fruits and vegetables while also leveraging the Virginia Fresh Match program. Funding will support expanded cooler capacity and enable an expansion of this program. Norfolk Food Ecosystem, City of Norfolk $50,000 Funding will support a new fresh food market in the underserved St. Pauls community of Norfolk to increase access to fresh food, serve as a Fresh Food Pharmacy, offer health education, and provide information about how to access SNAP and Virginia Fresh Match. Northside Food Access Coalition, City of Richmond $50,000 Northside Food Access Coalition is a community-led organization that aims to increase fresh food access along the Brookland Park corridor in Richmond. This project will convert an existing community-owned building into a cold storage facility and a new hybrid farmers market CSA program serving the more than 35,000 area residents, 56 percent of whom experience low food access. Project GROWS, City of Staunton $49,642 Project GROWS will operate a mobile market to increase fresh food access in a number of underserved communities in Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County. Market locations will include elderly and fixed-income communities, low income housing complexes, and afterschool programs. Richmond Food Justice Alliance and Shalom Farms, City of Richmond $49,000 This project is a collaboration between the non-profit organizations Richmond Food Justice Alliance and Shalom Farms, and will support a community-led process to inform the establishment of pop-up markets in the Mosby Court, Fairfield, and Creighton Court neighborhoods in Richmond. Skills development and entrepreneurship opportunities will be available for neighborhood residents, centered around community wealth-building and increased access to fresh food. River Street Market Education, City of Petersburg $50,000 River Street Market Education is the non-profit arm of Petersburgs River Street Market. This project seeks to establish youth-led mobile markets and to create more local purchasing opportunities at existing Petersburg farmers market. VFAIF will support this project by providing needed cold storage infrastructure for food aggregation and retail distribution. Surry Marketplace, Surry County $50,000 This project will support the establishment of a new grocery store in Surry County, which currently lacks a market, and will feature an online ordering platform and delivery service, workforce development, and increased access to fresh food. Tommy Ts Marketplace, Brunswick County $25,000 Tommy Ts Marketplace will address an identified food desert in Lawrenceville by transforming a vacant convenience store into a multi-purpose retail facility with an emphasis on providing healthy, fresh food options. Funding will support infrastructure, hiring local community members, and a mobile market component. Youth Earn and Learn, City of Norfolk $50,000 Youth Earn and Learn is a non-profit that takes a multi-pronged approach to increasing food security, including through youth-led mobile markets and entrepreneurship training, local sourcing of fresh produce, and business literacy. This project expands a proven youth and community development model which focuses on job training and skills development to benefit historically marginalized youth and underemployed residents in the Norfolk area. # # # Pierre Gasly is still not ruling out a return to Red Bull for 2022. That is despite the fact that the energy drink company's top Austrian F1 official, Dr Helmut Marko, indicated this week that there would be no surprises once the Red Bull and Alpha Tauri lineups for next year are announced. "My future is in the hands of Red Bull," Frenchman Gasly admitted in Hungary. "They will decide whether I am promoted or whether I should stay as team leader at Alpha Tauri. It depends, among other things, on how well Sergio (Perez) drives." Indeed, experienced Mexican Perez was drafted onto the Red Bull lineup for 2022 after first Gasly and then Alex Albon failed to shine alongside Max Verstappen. Perez, 31, does not seem worried about losing his seat. "I think overall I would have liked a better picture in terms of points, victories and podium places," he admitted. "The results were not outstanding. "But I have been able to grow with the team very well, I got to know them and the car and our pace was better than it looked sometimes." As for 2022, Perez thinks he is in "a very good position" to keep his seat. "So there is nothing to worry about. I think I'll know how things are going by Spa. There is no reason to look for a different cockpit now," he insisted. "Both Red Bull and I are satisfied, so we see a happy future," he told Sky Italia in Hungary. Gasly continued: "Sergio has a one-year contract, if I remember correctly. "So we'll see what happens there and then we'll see how it is for me. I'm pretty confident that we can sort out some questions during the summer break. "I think they want a team leader at Alpha Tauri to move the team forward. The collaboration is going really well and they are really doing everything they can to advance the team," he added. "As a driver, you naturally want to be in the best possible car and fighting for the best possible position, and that's exactly what we're talking about right now." (GMM) The 'Tifosi' is heading back to Monza in September. Multiple authoritative Italian sources, including La Gazzetta dello Sport and Autosprint, say government authorities have given the green light for a 50 percent capacity crowd, after the spectator-free 'ghost race' of 2020. "It won't be a Monza as packed as in 2019, but it won't be the desert of 12 months ago either," said Autosprint correspondent Matteo Novembrini. However, there is a catch. Autosprint, referring to Italy's so-called 'Certificazione Verde', reported: "Only people with the European green pass will get access." There will be exceptions for those who are in possession of a negative covid-test that is less than 2 days old, or have evidence of a past covid infection. "The pass will allow Monza to welcome the public during the three days of the event," confirmed Italian health minister Roberto Speranza. "There will be vaccinated people, people cured of covid-19, and people with a negative test result. Fans will be Italian or from any country authorised by the ministry of internal affairs," he added. (GMM) Two other Formula 1 engines are "miles ahead" of Ferrari in 2021. That is the admission of Alfa Romeo boss Frederic Vasseur, even though he confirmed that the Swiss-based team will continue to be powered by the Maranello-built engine in 2022. "We are happy with the engine we use and have a good relationship with Ferrari," he told Italy's Autosprint. "They have been supplying us with power units for many years and are working hard to improve them. Hopefully in 2022 we will make significant progress." Indeed, Ferrari's engine performance slumped badly last year, but is clearly much improved in 2021. Vasseur explained: "The Ferrari engine is on par with Renault, but Mercedes and Honda are miles ahead of us. "Ferrari is working hard to improve it and we are working hard to improve the car. This season, we managed to make a big step forward." The Frenchman said Alfa Romeo's overall improvement in 2021 was "2.5 percent", even though he is not happy to only have 2 points on the board. "This is partly due to the fact that the faster teams are less likely to retire from races," said Vasseur. "But as I said, we have made progress - especially with the chassis. We always knew that we were facing a difficult season, so we have already focused on preparing for 2022. "We made a conscious decision to stop developing the current car in order to direct all of our efforts towards 2022." Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher, however, is advising his nephew Mick to think carefully about potentially switching from Haas to Alfa Romeo for 2022. "They've had a major investor in the background for years now, and there is far too little to show for that," he told Sport Bild. "I do like the team, but I would start questioning Fred Vasseur. His successes in Formula 2 and Formula 3 stand for themselves, but honestly, when I think about how long the team has been around, I think Mick can do better." (GMM) Submit An Obituary Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death. Go to form The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. The Conversation is wholly responsible for the content. GOLDBERG: New Mask Requirement Would Be A Bridge Too Far Some errors printed in final version Sweetwater Countys leaders are celebrating a recruitment document the Sweetwater Economic Development Coalition produced to get a leg up on other counties being considered for proposed nuclear facility Rocky Mountain Power and TerraPower plan to build in Wyoming. The document, titled Powering the Heartbeat of America, is 52 pages and provides an overview of Sweetwater County, highlighting education and workforce, recreation, quality of life and healthcare, as well as providing demographic information for the county and describing available properties that could house the natrium nuclear plant. The document also contains multiple letters expressing support for the natrium project being located in Sweetwater County, including letters from business and community leaders throughout the county. The document was given to representatives from Rocky Mountain Power and TerraPower before they came to Sweetwater County for a site visit. Kayla McDonald, the economic development specialist for the Sweetwater Economic Development Coalition (SEDC), said Sweetwater County was the first to submit this kind of document to the companies making the decision about the natrium project. Since then, shes heard that Kemmerer and Glenrock are working on something similar. I think we should be proud of what we have and be glad that people are listening to us and following our lead, Commission Chairman Randy Wendling said during the July 20 county commission meeting, where McDonald and Land Use Director Eric Bingham presented the document to the commissioners and the public. Although it was already submitted, the document contains multiple errors throughout the packet. Most of the errors in the document are typographical or grammatical in nature, such as ocmmunity instead of community and are instead of our. Other errors come from details not being changed or being repeated. On pages 8 and 9, which describe healthcare in Sweetwater County, links encouraging readers to learn more about healthcare refer to finding more information on recreation, which was a previous section in the packet. Wendling pointed out during the commission meeting that the document was created in a short amount of time, but he said it was amazing how everything came together. McDonald explained that the packet was created in less than a week, including a holiday weekend, with about two dozen different people working on it. She said errors are bound to happen, but it was a good learning experience that showed how the SEDC and local groups can come together and work as a team. Leaders from TerraPower and Rocky Mountain Power, including the companies CEOs, visited Sweetwater County June 30 and hosted a meeting with local leaders and organizations. McDonald said the companies explained the technology they want to implement in Wyoming and why its the first of its kind, and they made it clear that they want to move quickly. After the meeting, the SEDC came up with the idea of putting together a proposal packet to highlight why Sweetwater County is a good choice for the project, according to McDonald. They discussed the idea with Sharon Fain, the vice president of Rocky Mountain Power for Wyoming. Fain encouraged them to put something together to give to TerraPower and Rocky Mountain Power before the site visits throughout Wyoming, which occurred the week of July 12. McDonald said the SEDC met July 1 to discuss the packet and divide responsibilities, then they worked over the holiday weekend, when many people involved in the process were away on vacation, and had the packet done by July 8. The document was submitted to TerraPower and Rocky Mountain Power on July 9, before the companies did their site visit in Rock Springs on July 13. McDonald noted that the SEDC has received positive feedback on the packet from TerraPower and Rocky Mountain Power representatives. Bingham, McDonald, and all five commissioners expressed their approval of the document during the commission meeting. McDonald said she is proud of the packet, and that everyone did a very good job showing Sweetwater County and that were ready and willing to embrace a historic possibility here in Wyoming. Wendling repeated multiple times that he believes the document is a good, quality product, and he is proud of it. Commissioners Jeffrey Smith and Roy Lloyd both commented that we put our best foot forward. McDonald also hopes that the packet is something that can continue to be used to promote Sweetwater County for future projects. There are some things that we are definitely going to improve, she said, noting that the packet will be revised and eventually more in-depth information will be added. Commissioner Schoenfeld also expressed her hope that the document can be used to help bring in potential industries and grow current industries. She said that even if Sweetwater County isnt chosen for the natrium project, we have this proposal now for anybody else that we are going to potentially try to bring into our community. Anyone who wants to see a copy of the packet can check the SEDC website at sweetwateredc.org or reach out to the SEDC. ROCK SPRINGS (Wyoming News Exchange) Jason Lee Fletcher has been sentenced to eight to 14 years in prison in the shooting death of his wife Lena Fletcher on June 29, 2020, at their home in Clearview Acres. He appeared before Judge Richard Lavery for the July 19 argued sentencing hearing. In Wyoming, involuntary manslaughter is a felony punishable by imprisonment for up to 20 years. The prosecution argued for the maximum penalty, and the defense recommended a suspended five- to seven-year sentence with supervised probation including the possibility of a program including substance abuse treatment at the Casper Reentry Center. In announcing the sentence, Judge Lavery said that probation was not warranted and a period of incarceration was appropriate. Fletcher, 46, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter during a jury trial in Sweetwater County Third District Court in April. He claimed that his wife accidentally shot herself, but prosecuting attorneys said the evidence told a different story that Lena Fletcher could not have done it. The jury agreed. During final sentencing arguments, Sweetwater County Attorney Dan Erramouspe said he knew that Lena Fletcher was loved. He said that while people talked about what she wanted, I can tell you Lena wanted to be alive. She had defensive wounds in her hand, and that means you want to live, he said. With smoke from wildfires across the west being carried into Wyoming, residents are urged to be aware of health problems the air can bring and take precautions. As of July 28, the National Interagency Fire Center reported 81 active large fires were burning across 12 states. Wind can carry smoke from wildfires across multiple states, affecting air quality conditions. On July 26, Airnow.gov showed air quality to be moderate and unhealthy for sensitive groups throughout most of Wyoming. Crystal Hamblin, Director of Cardiopulmonary Services at Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County, said wildfire smoke is full of pollutants and wreaks havoc on the lungs. She encourages people to stay inside as much as possible when the air is hazy. If people start noticing symptoms like wheezing, being short of breath or increased coughing, they should contact their primary health care providers, Hamblin said. While smoke inhalation can irritate anyones lungs, some groups of people should be extra cautious. For those with heart and lung conditions, including Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and asthma, breathing in smoky air increases their chances of exacerbating their condition, Hamblin explained. She recommends that people with these conditions talk to their primary health care provider about any extra precautions they need to take and to make sure they have what they need, such as rescue inhalers and medications. If possible, having extra medication on hand could help limit the need to go out in the bad air, Hamblin said. Small children should also be kept indoors. Hamblin said childrens lungs are still developing until theyre eight or nine years old, making it crucial to keep their air as clean as possible as breathing in unhealthy air could change the way their lungs develop. Hamblin noted that this applies to not only hazy air and things like secondhand smoke, but even to smoke from campfires. While the best precaution against hazy air is staying indoors, Hamblin said that some studies have found indoor air quality often isnt healthy. She said that air filters, especially in appliances like swamp coolers, should be changed regularly. Another precaution Hamblin encourages is for people to wear a mask while outdoors. She said she understands for some people, wearing a mask can make it feel like its hard to breathe, but masks help filter out small particles in the air from the smoke so those particles arent being breathed into the lungs. Hamblin said Sweetwater Memorial has seen increased cases of respiratory issues this year. Many people have come in short of breath or with exacerbated respiratory conditions, she said. The hospital has also seen more cases of babies with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) than is usual for this early in the year. Hamblin noted that they cant always pinpoint the cause of respiratory issues and cant say for certain that the smoke is to blame, but she knows the smoke is one potential factor and the fact is that the hospital is getting hit hard. Hamblin hopes that people who havent yet received the COVID-19 vaccine will be vaccinated soon, because if the hospital can deal with less COVID cases, theyll be able to focus more on other issues. Hamblin admits she is worried about the summer since, with heightened fire conditions and new fires starting all the time, the air quality could potentially keep getting worse. She also said any time the wind changes directions, it brings in a whole new set of allergens and pollutants that can cause new problems. She is concerned about peoples health because of the continuing poor air quality. Although there arent many options for responding to haze in the air apart from staying indoors, wearing a mask and praying for rain the hospital does have multiple options for helping those having trouble breathing because of the smoke. Hamblin is confident in Sweetwater Memorials ability to handle increased cases of respiratory issues. She said the cardiopulmonary department has plenty of ventilators, as well as new equipment the hospital was able to purchase with funds received to help with COVID-19, which Hamblin views as a godsend. Hamblin said the new equipment the hospital received to help with COVID can also be used for people having trouble breathing because of smoke in the air. Some of the new equipment uses heated high-flow oxygen therapy. Hamblin said this technology uses humidity and high oxygen flow to break down mucus in the lungs and make it easier for the body to absorb, rather than cough it out. This treatment can help prevent complications like pneumonia. Using resources like this early on can help prevent the need for more extreme measures like intubation. U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, who died late Monday from injuries sustained in a bicycle accident, is shown here announcing in May, 2019 that he won't run for a fifth term. Former U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi died late Monday after being seriously injured in a bicycle accident in Gillette on Friday. A post on Enzi's Facebook page said the former Wyoming legislator died Monday at the UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Colorado, where he was flown for treatment after the accident. "Former Wyoming U.S. Senator Mike Enzi passed away peacefully (Monday) surrounded by his family," the post said. "His family expressed their deep appreciation for all of the prayers, support and concern that has been shown." Enzi was injured around 8:30 p.m. Friday while riding his bike near his Gillette home, the Gillette News Record reported. Gillette attorney and family friend John Daly was quoted by the News Record as saying Enzi had broken his neck and some ribs in the accident. The Facebook posting said Enzi never regained consciousness after being taken to the Colorado hospital. Enzi served four terms in the U.S. Senate, winning his first term in office in 1996. He retired in 2020 and former U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis was elected to replace him. Before going to Washington, D.C., Enzi served as both a representative and senator in Wyoming's Legislature, where he held office from 1987 to 1997. He was born in Washington state and grew up in Thermopolis. After attending school at George Washington University, where he earned his degree in accounting, he earned a master's degree in marketing from the University of Denver in Colorado. He moved to Gillette in 1969 and expanded his father's shoe sales business, NZ Shoes. Officials across Wyoming mourned Enzi's passing on Tuesday, remembering him as a tireless worker on behalf of Wyoming's interests in both Congress and the Wyoming Legislature. "Mike spent his life working to make Wyoming a better place while creating opportunities for our people," Lummis said. "He always put Wyoming first and worked harder than anyone to serve his constituents." Lummis, who served with Enzi for nine years while she was a U.S. representative, joined U.S. Sen. John Barrasso in praising Enzi as a soft-spoken legislator who could get things done in a bipartisan manner. "Mike was a problem solver through and through," said Barrasso, who served in the Senate with Enzi for 13 years. "More than 100 Enzi bills were signed into law by four U.S. presidents. Many passed with overwhelming bipartisan support." U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, who served in Congress for four years with Enzi, remembered him as a mentor and teacher with a dry sense of humor - and a dedicated champion of causes he cared about "Mike was a straight-shooter, an honest broker, and a soft-spoken but powerful advocate for the causes he cared deeply about," she said. "Whether it was pushing for fiscal discipline as head of the Senate Budget Committee or fighting for the needs of Wyoming's energy industry, Mike was always guided by principle and conviction." Gov. Mark Gordon, who ordered American and Wyoming flags around the state to be flown at half-staff in honor of Enzi, echoed the sentiments of Wyoming's congressional delegation. "Mike was a friend and a dedicated public servant who cared deeply about Wyoming and its people," he said. "His leadership in the Senate was tireless and productive. He was a strong advocate for the state's interests and was always committed to finding consensus where possible. He understood what is important for America." Secretary of State Ed Buchanan referred to Enzi as a quiet but effective leader. "I met Senator Enzi while a volunteer in the (1996) campaign," Buchanan said. "He was the epitome of grace in a business often filled with vitriol and hyperbole. He was understated, but effective. He listened more and talked less. In essence, he was a statesman that represented Wyoming well for 24 years in the U.S. Senate." Other officials around Wyoming also expressed their sorrow Tuesday, including state legislators such as Sens. Tara Nethercott and Anthony Bouchard, both R-Cheyenne, and Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, and Rep. Charles Gray, R-Casper. As Lake Powell dropped to its lowest-ever level Friday a decline that has forced dam tenders to unexpectedly release 125,000 acre-feet of water from Flaming Gorge Reservoir Wyoming stood behind five projects that could divert tens of thousands more acre-feet from waterways in the troubled Colorado River Basin. Powells surface elevation dipped to 3,555.09, lower by 12 hundredths of an inch than the previous post-completion nadir of April 8, 2005. The new benchmark is probably worth noting, Wayne Pullan, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamations Region 7 director, said in a press call Wednesday. The fact that weve reached this new record underscores the difficult situation that were in, he said. Fridays mark amounts to a 150-foot drop in the storied Utah-Arizona reservoir over 24 years, a decline thats spurred action to preserve irrigation flows, millions of dollars in hydropower revenue and myriad necessities for 40 million people in the West. As the BOR began its emergency release of 125,000 acre-feet from Flaming Gorge Reservoir on July 15, a coalition of downstream water users called for a moratorium on new dams and pipelines. New diversions are going to increase the depth of this crisis and the impacts on the 40 million users, said Steve Erickson, a board member with the Great Basin Water Network. The [moratorium] idea is: Lets all take a deep breath and start talking to one another [about] what this amounts to. In an era of drought, aridification and climate change, new water projects will be closely scrutinized, Pullan said. Any complete analysis of new projects, would need to really take into account what the impact will be on operations in the larger picture. Meantime Gov. Mark Gordon announced he will appoint a drought working group to ensure local perspectives on issues that impact our water users and the State are heard when planning for a crisis that may last for years. Wyoming will not be deterred from its water development goals that would store, divert or otherwise use another 115,000 acre-feet in the upper reaches of the 246,000-square-mile Colorado River system, top officials told WyoFile. A pure, strict moratorium flies in the face of rights held by all seven [Colorado River Compact] states, said Pat Tyrrell, Wyomings member on the Upper Colorado River Commission. I would have a hard time recommending that Wyoming get itself in that position. The Bureau of Reclamation has a limited say in what Wyoming can do with its water and development, state Senior Assistant Attorney General Chris Brown said. They certainly dont get to say no, he said. They certainly dont have that authority in Wyoming to decide how Wyoming wants to develop its water. The immediate goal of both the BOR and Wyoming is to maintain a sufficient level at Lake Powell to generate power valued at about $120 million a year and also meet obligations to downstream users. Doing so, Gordon said, will help ensure that Wyomings residents get their shares of water under Colorado River Basin laws and compacts. Those agreements were forged under the now-questionable assumption that there would be at least 15 million acre-feet annually to divide among upper and lower basin states Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico upstream and Arizona, California and Nevada below. However, there isnt 7.5 million acre-feet available to the upper states, said Mark Squillace, a professor of natural resources law at the University of Colorado Law School. The problem is that the river provides only between 12 and 13 million acre-feet of water today, he told WyoFile. The reservoirs on the Colorado River system have far more storage capacity than they can use, so building additional storage capacity does not seem to make much sense. He reserved judgment on the merit of individual water-storage projects but said damming a river and creating a reservoir doesnt give the state any greater claim to that water. At the end of the day, this is problematic for the whole Colorado system, he said, there just isnt capacity any more. Members of the Great Basin Water Network last week said instead of damming rivers, it wants to damn the status quo that too easily supports water diversions. The group is particularly focused on Utahs Lake Powell Pipeline, which would divert 84,000 acre-feet annually to the St. George area. But its call for a basin-wide development moratorium is necessary before everybody dives in to grab what they can, board member Erickson said. You cant get enough water out of the river to do all those things, Erickson said of current proposals that envision everything from expanding cities to irrigating more land. We would want to evaluate each project on its own merits, he said. A moratorium would help prevent investments in what may turn out to be stranded assets. The group wants the public to pay keen attention to the federal infrastructure bill and other post-pandemic aid packages where, as the network groups executive director Kyle Roerink said, there are a lot of opportunities for skullduggery. Lake Powells drop of 150 vertical feet since 1997 represents a loss of 16 million acre-feet, enough to support 64 million suburban households, BOR regional director Pullan said last week. Although the reservoir is about 423 feet deep at the dam today, its martini-glass-shaped profile means Powell now holds only about 32% of its capacity. The latest declines came a lot quicker than we imagined, Pullan said, forcing the agency to release flows from Flaming Gorge under the authority of a Drought Response Operations Agreement forged with upper division states. Flaming Gorge will contribute 125,000 acre-feet through October while dam tenders will release 56,000 acre-feet combined from Colorados Blue Mesa and New Mexicos Navajo reservoirs this year. The total of 181,000 acre-feet should raise the water level in Lake Powell by about 3 feet, Pullan said. Powells elevation Sunday, the latest available, stood at 3,554.72 feet, not quite 20 feet above the critical hydropower minimum elevation (and 35-foot buffer) of 3,525. But the Bureaus most recent forecast is dire. Our 24-month [forecast] shows that you will fall below that 3,525 elevation in the spring, Pullan said. Its uncertain how that will affect Wyoming and the other upper division states obligation not to diminish the delivery of an average of 7.5 million acre-feet to Lee Ferry, the measuring point just below Lake Powells Glen Canyon Dam. Drought contingency planning part of what Gov. Gordon wants his task force to be involved with might first seek voluntary reductions before irrigators or others start to see diversions cut off. Demand management could forestall mandatory curtailment, which would be done according to priority of water rights, the oldest rights being superior and the last to be diminished. New storage projects in the 1,450-mile long basin are going to live and die on their own merits, Pullan said, and whether they make sense. Depending on how those are operated, they may degrade our ability to fill those [Powell and Mead] reservoirs or they may enhance our ability to fill those reservoirs, he said. The BOR might be part of the environmental review process for water storage projects in the basin, he said, including Wyomings five planned projects. The agency would absolutely look at each in light of todays dwindling water supply. In this, we bring all of the expertise and knowledge we have, he said of any review. It would be informed by our last survey, or forecast. The BORs releases to prop up Powells water level will be undertaken within environmental safeguard parameters, Pullan said. Gordon also is committed to maintaining environmental commitments, he said in announcing the Wyoming task force. Construction plans in Wyoming call for a new dam that could release an additional 9,400 acre-feet annually from New Fork Lake. The Big Sandy Dam is scheduled to be raised to hold back another 12,900 acre-feet for irrigation. The state is reconstructing the Middle Piney Dam to impound 3,370 acre-feet there. All three are in Sublette County. At Fontenelle Reservoir, located mostly in Lincoln County, Wyoming is negotiating with the bureau for access to 80,000 acre-feet thats historically not been used. Above the Little Snake River in Carbon County, irrigators want to build a 280-foot-high concrete dam to impound 10,000 acre-feet on the West Fork of Battle Creek. All told, the Wyoming projects in the Green and Little Snake river basins, subsets of the Colorado River Basin, would cost about $123 million. Much of the water proposed to be held back would be used for irrigation, with some exceptions. Fontenelle water could be used to meet Wyomings compact obligations, officials have said. But there would need to be some huge level of demand before that water would be needed, Tyrrell said. At the West Fork of Battle Creek, the project calls for a minimum 2,000 acre-foot pool and 1,500 acre-feet earmarked as a bypass flows for river health. Between 67 and 100 irrigators would benefit from another 6,500 acre-feet held annually behind the proposed $80 million project, according to plans. Colorado River compacts say Wyoming has water to develop. If the state were to use its entire share allocated under the river laws 14% of 7.5 million acre-feet annually that would amount to 1.05 million acre-feet. Wyomings average annual usage, however, is only about 548,000 acre-feet, Tyrrell said. Obligations to lower-division states are based on a 10-year average and the upper states are surpassing their 75-million-acre-feet commitment. Our current 10-year running average is about 88 million acre-feet, state attorney Brown said. We feel [curtailment is] at least not coming in the near future, Brown said. Unless, he added, Powell eats through its 35-foot hydropower buffer, falls below elevation 3,490 and we have trouble actually releasing water. Wyomings average annual usage of 548,000 acre-feet is less than the amount of water the state has authorized through permits for beneficial use, he said. We dont use near as much as has been adjudicated. Another twist favors Wyoming. Most of our irrigation rights are pre-compact, Brown said, meaning they would not be subject to curtailment under Colorado River laws and agreements. Most municipal and industrial rights are post compact, he said. Different impoundments might be operated differently from one another during years when water is short, Tyrrell said. Middle Piney, for example, will hold pre-compact water rights not subject to restrictions. The enlargement of Big Sandy, however, would create a new right, junior to others. Thatll come under a more recent priority date, and it wont be allowed to fill if we are, for example, under any kind of curtailment, Tyrrell said. At other impoundments, stored water could be used to meet downstream obligations if such was the intent of its builders. It depends on beneficial uses for which that storage is granted, Tyrrell said. It would have to say something like compact compliance on there. Neither Brown nor Tyrrell sees a conflict between storing and diverting more water in Wyomings part of the Colorado River Basin and downstream struggles. Much of this water finds its way ultimately down to Lake Powell and to Lee Ferry [the critical measuring point between the upper and lower states] through return flows, through late-season flows and the benefits associated with that, Brown said. Return flows are excess irrigation water that goes back into the river, sometimes directly and other times through wetlands and springs. Water just doesnt automatically get lost to the system, he said, and storing it high in the basin, rather than in the desert, might save some of it from evaporating. The idea that these [uses] have a net detrimental impact on the system as a whole, I think, is probably a conclusion too easily jumped to, Brown said. Having additional diversions being somehow contrary to the dropping elevations Lake Powell and Lake Mead is not a one-for-one thing, by any stretch of the imagination, he said, and perhaps not a detriment at all but a benefit. The two emphasized a couple of points. Generally, at least historically, the lower basin has overused its apportionment, Brown said. And so its difficult to make a blanket statement that applies with some equity all the way across the basin. Wyoming will honor applications for new diversions, Tyrrell said. If somebody comes into the state engineers office tomorrow [seeking] a permit to irrigate 200 acres outside of Pinedale, he said, theyre going to get their permits. WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy. Terry Leonard of Green River, Wyoming passed away suddenly at his home in Green River on July 26, 2021 at the age of 59. He was born February 15, 1962 in Greybull, WY to Brooks and Janet Leonard. He attended schools in many areas until his parents settled in Green River, WY where he attended high school and achieved his GED in 1981. Terry married Kathrin Gardea in 1979 and welcomed daughter Jessica in 1980. Terry and Kathrin would later divorce. He worked at Tuckers Garage from 1979 until he became a Shotfire at Allied Chemical. After being laid off from Allied Chemical, Terry joined the United States Army in 1984. He was eventually stationed in Fort Ord, CA where he was a Field Radio Operator. After 4 years of service, Terry left the military and moved back home to Green River, WY to be closer to family. Terry began working at Church & Dwight where he met his current wife Luana and stepdaughter Charity in 1988. They were together for 25 years before joining in marriage in 2013. Terry loved spending time with his family and being dragged to their many activities. He enjoyed the outdoors which included hunting, camping at the Flaming Gorge and side by side riding. Terry was a avid dog lover. He always had treats for all the dogs in the family, especially his furbabies, Tiffy who passed in 2002 and Bennie who passed in 2021. Terry was someone that everyone could count on. If you ever needed anything, he was right there. If you've ever seen Terry around, he had a Bud in one hand and a smoke in the other. Terry is survived by his wife, Luana Kunz; daughters Jessica (Dan) Noel of St. Clairsville, OH and Charity (Rob) Clark; grandchildren Jaden Noel, Alesha Noel, Aubrie Clark and Brennyn Clark. He is also survived by his parents, sister Shari (Bob) Sheets, brothers Gary (Kayleen) Leonard and Larry (Lora) Leonard and numerous nieces and nephews. Terry was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents Rev. Thomas and Lillian Adam and paternal grandparents Ralph and Dorothy Leonard. Funeral Services will be held at 1:00 pm, Sunday, August 1, 2021 at Fox Funeral Home, 2800 Commercial Way, Rock Springs, Wyoming. A viewing will be held one hour prior to services. Condolences may be left at http://www.foxfh.com. The pandemic never ended. It is not over in Japan, where the Olympic Games are being hosted in Tokyo, as an outbreak of COVID-19 infections is occurring. It is not over in the United States, where the seven-day average of new COVID-19 infections has quadrupled between July 1 and July 24. The pandemic is certainly not over in Wyoming, where the highly-contagious Delta variation of the COVID-19 coronavirus is the most prevalent strain. Wyoming wont ever shut down as it did last year -- the process was hijacked by politicians and their supporters who believe in the concept of freedom so much, they tout freedom from responsibility as a desirable goal. Sure, elected officials can not make the call, but who seriously thinks a politician would support an unpopular decision that would jeopardize their re-election chances? Call me jaded, but I dont see it happening. There is something people can do to protect themselves and their families. Get vaccinated. According to the Wyoming Department of Health, as of July 19, 12,423 residents have been vaccinated. This accounts for 29.37% of the countys population. In whats being dubbed as a pandemic of the unvaccinated, 70% of the countys population is at risk of contracting COVID-19. Combine that with the biggest event of the summer in the Sweetwater County Fair starting this weekend and massive crowds wanting a good time, we may be looking at a super spreader event that passes COVID-19 well beyond the gatherings at the Sweetwater County Events Complex. Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County and Sweetwater County Public Health have made it easy to receive any vaccine. The hospital has hosted drive-though vaccination clinics during the past two Wednesdays and scheduling a vaccination appointment is as easy as calling 307-922-5390. There are very few reasons not to get vaccinated and using politics as a pillar of reasoning will only end badly. The vaccines are safe and residents should be much more willing to be vaccinated than they have so far. There is only one real way out of this pandemic and it isnt through the political process. Get vaccinated. While the Actors' Mission is performing "The Rocky Horror Show" this week to raise funds for the group's new building, Kenneth Starling has other big goals for the show - and what it could mean for the future of the Actors' Mission and the arts in Sweetwater County. Starling is not only directing the production, but also starring as Frank N' Furter, one of the main characters. The bright red high heels they wear are familiar territory for them. "It's in my heart and soul," Starling said of the musical. This production is the fifth time (in the fourth state) for Starling to be involved in "The Rocky Horror Show," and not their first time playing the memorable character. Starling is from South Carolina, lived in Salt Lake City, and moved to Rock Springs with their partner Devin Manfull less than a year ago. Manfull is also involved, playing Brad Major in the show. Starling joined the Actors' Mission board in February when discussions were underway for both fundraiser ideas and a way to "come back with a bang" and bring people back to the theater now that there are less restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Starling suggested "The Rocky Horror Show" and the board loved the idea. However, some board members at the Broadway Theater in Rock Springs, where the Actors' Mission currently performs, were hesitant at first. This was mainly due to the fact that in the 90s, during a screening of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (the film based on the musical) at a local theater, someone threw a beer bottle through the movie screen. However, Starling presented their plans for the show, including how audience participation would work, and the Broadway Theater board was convinced. "The Rocky Horror Show" has been a change of pace for the Actors' Mission. For one thing, it's the first musical the organization has produced since "The Great American Trailer Park Musical" in 2013. It's also one of the only shows the Actors' Mission has charged for. Usually admission is free, but this show was specifically organized as a fundraiser. All proceeds will benefit the Actors' Mission Building Fund, which supports the ongoing efforts to renovate the organization's new building on South Main Street. According to Starling, this production is also unique simply because "'Rocky Horror' is unlike any other theatrical experience." Starling describes the show as a "cultural phenomenon" that crosses multiple generations. The play was originally performed in 1973 and the "Rocky Horror Picture Show" film was released in 1975. Starling pointed out that most people are familiar with the film and if nothing else people have probably heard the song "The Time Warp." In addition to directing and playing a lead role, Starling took on the challenges of designing the set, costumes and choreography. They said the work has been challenging, but they love how the production and the cast and crew have "created such a beautiful environment of love and acceptance." "What's really made my heart happy is how diverse our cast is," Starling said, noting that, out of five productions, this is the most diverse they have been involved with. "We've got people of color, we've got gay, straight, bi, I'm nonbinary, we've got people over the age of 60," they said. They hope the audience that comes will also be full of diversity and people who need to see diversity represented. Starling said everyone should come, but they specifically expressed their desire for the audience to include "little queer kids who don't have an outlet in this town; people of color; people of different body types that don't understand that it's okay to be sexy, and that you are sexy just the way you are, and that it's okay to embrace that; different body types; different ages." The main message Starling hopes people will take away from the show is "love yourself." They described a moment in the show where Frank looks out at people and says "Don't dream it, be it," which they believe encapsulates the show. "And you are sexy!" Starling added with a laugh. Starling hopes the Actors' Mission will continue to do productions like "The Rocky Horror Show" in the future. For one thing, they hope a summer musical fundraiser will become a tradition. But they also hope to keep doing shows that "help people broaden their horizons," to continue bringing in and presenting more diversity, and to work towards creating "a bustling arts community." "I think art is teaching and healing," Starling said, adding that, if not, they hope to just make people laugh. "The Rocky Horror Show" will be performed at the Broadway Theater in Rock Springs on July 30 and 31. The theater will open at 6 p.m. with a pre-show raffle to win prizes, as well as alcohol for sale in the lobby. Audience participation kits with props and instructions will also be available. The performance will begin at 7 p.m. Hannah Romero Kenneth Starling looks over notes while in costume during a dress rehearsal for "The Rocky Horror Show." Kenneth is both directing the musical and playing Frank N' Furter. Tickets can be purchased at the Rock Springs URA office or the Rock Springs Chamber of Commerce, as well as at the door the night of the show. Meghan Casey has been a ventriloquist since the age of six, and this week she shared her performance with local children during a Sweetwater County Library System event. The Sweetwater County Library System hosted Megan for two performances Tuesday at the Broadway Theater in Rock Springs. The show featured five different puppet characters and told the story of a safari adventure. The performances were free and open to the public, and many kids and parents came out to laugh and learn together. Meghans dad, Ed, said he decided before his daughter was born that he wanted to learn ventriloquism so he could share puppets with her. He would use puppets to read books to her when she was young. One night when Meghan was five, she put her arm around her dads neck while he was reading and felt the vibrations in his throat as he did the voices for the characters. As soon as she discovered the magic of ventriloquism, she wanted to learn how to do it herself. At the age of six, Meghan had completed the Maher Course of Advanced Ventriloquism and performed in front of hundreds of the countrys best ventriloquists, including Jeff Dunham, at the Vent Haven International Ventriloquist Convention in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. In the past 20 years of performing, Meghan founded Rocky Mountain Puppets and has been traveling across the west to share her ventriloquism. Julia Kershisnik-Sweedler has always known she would one day return to Sweetwater County. The Rock Springs native is the new Director of Acute Care at Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County, overseeing the hospital's Medical-Surgical Unit, the Intensive Care Unit and Outpatient Services. A registered nurse, she comes to MHSC with 23 years of extensive managerial experience, a broad skill set, and a comprehensive knowledge base in nursing. During her career, she has worked as program chief nursing officer, regional director of nursing, IT clinical business analyst, director of nursing, emergency department, trauma ICU, and patient care on a Cardiac Telemetry Unit. "Julia is an asset to our hospital and community," said Ann Clevenger, MHSC Chief Nursing Officer. "Her extensive experience, desire to learn, willingness to share her expertise, and collaborative nature make her a perfect fit. We are fortunate she chose to come back to Wyoming, and we look forward to working together." Kershisnik-Sweedler describes nursing as a "give back" profession. That's what drew her in. While majoring in English, with her sights set on being a writer, she continued to debate what direction she should take in life. "My mom went to nursing school," she said. "When I told her I wanted to go into nursing, she said 'I want you to do your best. Apply at the best schools.' So, I did. "I was accepted at Loyola. It was amazing." She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Loyola University in Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. She has worked for facilities in Illinois, Tennessee and Massachusetts. "It's very rewarding to see the people you treat get better," Kershisnik-Sweedler said. "Nursing is also is an ongoing learning process. "I've always contributed to communities that weren't home," she said. "It's great to contribute to my hometown community. I'm very grateful and blessed. Everyone has been so supportive and welcoming," she said. "And, it's great to spend time with family, particularly my mother. "I always knew I was going to come home," she said. Support local journalism We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story. GREENWICH The Hayden family, owners of COBS Bread in Riverside and Stamford, are diving all-in to support Swim Across America Fairfield County and are helping to raise dough for crucial cancer research. Longtime supporters of Swim Across America, the Hyden family said in a statement that giving back to the community is just part of doing business and that supporting local cancer research is vital. This year, their sixth year of supporting Swim Across America Fairfield County, the Hyden family and both of their COBS Bread stores are stepping up to help. Our family has lived in the Riverside, Old Greenwich and Stamford area for 17 years, after moving from Australia, Rob Hyden, owner of COBS Bread Riverside and Stamford stores, said in a statement. Our three sons were all heavily involved with the Greenwich aquatics community through water polo and swimming. We know a number of friends in the community who have sadly been impacted by cancer, in many forms. They work to support the fundraising by Swim Across America Fairfield County, which funds cutting-edge cures developed by the Stamford-based Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy, Hyden said in a statement. Feeding the athletes and volunteers on the day of the swim with great, natural and satisfying foods, helps make everyone happy, plus raises more funds for research, he said in a statement. Customers can donate directly to Swim Across America Fairfield County in the COBS Bread stores as they pick up their baked goods. The store will also donate $1 of every sale of gourmet hamburger and hot dog buns through Aug. 8 to the group, and will hold two barbecues from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday at their store at 5 Riverside Lane, Riverside, and on Sunday at their store at 1057 High Ridge Road, Stamford, with the proceeds going to Swim Across America Fairfield County. On the day of the open water fundraising swim on Aug. 8, COBS will be on-site selling their famous bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches on a bun with all funds donated to Swim Across America Fairfield County. Swim Across America Fairfield County is in its 15th year of making waves to fight cancer. It is one of 21 open water swims from Boston Harbor to under the Golden Gate Bridge offered by the national nonprofit Swim Across America. Each swim supports a local beneficiary the Fairfield County swim has generated $4.3 million to support 11 scientists working on new cancer gene therapy treatments at Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy. Over the years, Swim Across America has raised more than $100 million in the fight against cancer. To learn more about Swim Across America Fairfield County or to register to swim, volunteer or donate, visit swimacrossamerica.org/fc or email nancycarr@swimacrossamerica.org. GREENWICH The town Planning and Zoning Commission is expected to delve into the traffic implications and other land-use concerns of a new preschool operation that is proposed for the campus of the former Carmel Academy on Lake Avenue at its meeting next week. Chabad Lubavitch of Greenwich is seeking permission to relocate its preschool facilities to the site at 270 Lake Ave. Carmel Academy, an independent school that offered education rooted in the Jewish faith, closed its doors on the Lake Avenue campus at the end of the school year in spring 2020, and a number of its students have since moved to the Leffell School in Westchester County, N.Y. According to the application submitted to the planning commission, the initial number of students attending the Chabad Lubavitchs preschool program would be 60 youngsters, and it is to be called Gan of Greenwich Preschool. Chabad has closed its preschool operations in central Greenwich. The application summary states, There is a need for this preschool to use this campus in response to the growing demand for early childhood services in Greenwich, which is due to the popular appeal of this preschool. The increase in applications to the preschool is also due to the large influx in recent months of young families moving from the city. The school anticipates a staff of 14 people, using 12 cars. The school start times would be staggered so youngsters would arrive at different times. Children between the ages of 18 months and 4 years old would be enrolled, according to the application. The school authorities say a substantial reduction in students on campus as well as a significant reduction in car and bus traffic would follow as a result of the closing of the Carmel Academy, as compared to the operations of the Gan of Greenwich Preschool. Chabad Lubavitch of Greenwich is cultural, religious and educational organization that runs preschool programs for youngsters and adult learning classes as well as Jewish religious services. It plans to sell its two buildings on Mason Street and Lincoln Avenue and purchase part of the campus on Lake Avenue. It has already used the property in a limited way. In April 2000, the then-zoning enforcement officer approved the use of the campus as a summer camp program for Camp Gan Israel, which has continued annually since until it was suspended due to the pandemic. In April, Rabbi Rabbi Yossi Deren of Chabad Greenwich said the relocation was a positive step for the organization and the larger community. Chabad is a community organization; were here to serve the families and individuals of the beautiful community of Greenwich, Deren said. To have this kind of facility allows us to provide better services, and thats what its all about. Its Mason Street site has been listed for sale at $3.6 million, and an adjacent property on Lincoln Avenue is listed for $2.5 million, and the proceeds will go toward the acquisition of the Lake Avenue property, according to the organization. The Lake Avenue site also houses the Japanese School of Greenwich, which has about 147 students enrolled. The campus was once the home of Rosemary Hall, an all-girls private school that operated from the early 1900s until 1971, when it merged with a boys school to become Choate-Rosemary Hall in Wallingford. The Planning and Zoning Commission will meet at 5 p.m. Tuesday on a Zoom call. For information on watching the meeting, visit www.greenwichct.gov/428/Planning-Zoning. rmarchant@greenwichtime.com NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) Burundis government now says it will accept COVID-19 vaccines, becoming one of the last countries in the world to embrace them. But the health ministry says it will not take responsibility for any side effects they might cause. Health Minister Thaddee Ndikumana on Wednesday said the vaccines will arrive with the support of the World Bank. It was not immediately clear how many doses the East African country will receive or when. The vaccine will be given to those who need it, the health minister said. The government will store the doses but will not take responsibility for any side effects, he added. Burundis announcement came the same day that neighboring Tanzania launched its vaccination campaign, retreating from former President John Magufulis denial of the pandemic. He died in March and the presidency went to his deputy Samia Suluhu Hassan, who has since reversed course on COVID-19 in one of Africa's most populous countries. Burundis late President Pierre Nkurunziza, who died last year, also was criticized for taking the pandemic lightly. The administration of his successor, President Evariste Ndayishimiye, earlier this year said the country of more than 11 million people didnt yet need COVID-19 vaccines. Burundi continues to carry out mass screenings for the virus, and the health minister noted the more infectious variants now spreading. If we do not change our behavior, we risk finding ourselves in the coming months at the starting point situation, he said. Burundi has had more than 6,700 confirmed infections, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Burundis decision leaves Eritrea, one of the worlds most closed-off nations, as the only African country that hasnt accepted the vaccines. Eritrea's government has reported more than 6,500 confirmed cases. The director of the Africa CDC, John Nkengasong, told reporters on Thursday he was not sure why Eritrea is not taking vaccines but we continue to engage them....We leave no country behind. In another dispiriting setback for the nations efforts to stamp out the coronavirus, scientists who studied a big COVID-19 outbreak in Massachusetts concluded that vaccinated people who got so-called breakthrough infections carried about the same amount of the coronavirus as those who did not get the shots. Health officials on Friday released details of that research, which was key in this week's decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to recommend that vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the delta variant is fueling infection surges. The authors said the findings suggest that the CDC's mask guidance should be expanded to include the entire country, even outside of hot spots. The findings have the potential to upend past thinking about how the disease is spread. Previously, vaccinated people who got infected were thought to have low levels of virus and to be unlikely to pass it to others. But the new data shows that is not the case with the delta variant. The outbreak in Provincetown a seaside tourist spot on Cape Cod in the county with Massachusetts highest vaccination rate has so far included more than 900 cases. About three-quarters of them were people who were fully vaccinated. Travis Dagenais, who was among the many vaccinated people infected, said throwing caution to the wind and partying in crowds for long nights over the July Fourth holiday was a mistake in hindsight. The dominant public messaging has been that the vaccine means a return to normal, the 35-year-old Boston resident said Thursday. Unfortunately, Ive now learned its a few steps toward normal, not the zero-to-sixty that we seem to have undertaken. Dagenais credits being vaccinated with easing the worst of the flu-like symptoms in a couple of days. He has recovered. Like many states, Massachusetts lifted all COVID-19 restrictions in late May, ahead of the traditional Memorial Day start of the summer season. Provincetown this week reinstated an indoor mask requirement for everyone. Leaked internal documents on breakthrough infections and the delta variant suggest the CDC may be considering other changes in advice on how the nation fights the coronavirus, such as recommending masks for everyone and requiring vaccines for doctors and other health workers. The delta variant, first detected in India, causes infections that are more contagious than the common cold, flu, smallpox and the Ebola virus, and it is as infectious as chickenpox, according to the documents, which mentioned the Provincetown cases. The documents were obtained by The Washington Post. As they note, COVID-19 vaccines are still highly effective against the delta variant at preventing serious illness and death. The Provincetown outbreak and the documents highlight the enormous challenge the CDC faces in encouraging vaccination while acknowledging that breakthrough cases can occur and can be contagious but are uncommon. The documents appear to be talking points for CDC staff to use with the public. One point advised: Acknowledge the war has changed, an apparent reference to deepening concern that many millions of vaccinated people could be a source of wide-ranging spread. An agency spokeswoman declined to comment on the documents. The White House on Friday defended its approach to rising virus cases and shifting public health guidelines, repeatedly deferred to the CDC while stressing the need for vaccinations. The most important takeaway is actually pretty simple. We need more people to get vaccinated, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said. Pressed about the changing guidance, Jean-Pierre repeatedly said, We dont make those types of decisions from here. People with breakthrough infections make up an increasing portion of hospitalizations and in-hospital deaths among COVID-19 patients, coinciding with the spread of the delta variant, according to the leaked documents. Although experts generally agreed with the CDCs revised indoor masking stance, some said the report on the Provincetown outbreak does not prove that vaccinated people are a significant source of new infections. Theres scientific plausibility for the (CDC) recommendation. But its not derived from this study, said Jennifer Nuzzo, a Johns Hopkins University public health researcher. The CDC report is based on about 470 COVID-19 cases linked to the Provincetown festivities, which included densely packed indoor and outdoor holiday events at bars, restaurants, guest houses and rental homes. Researchers ran tests on a portion of them and found roughly the same level of virus in those who were fully vaccinated and those who were not. Three-quarters of the infections were in fully vaccinated individuals. Among those fully vaccinated, about 80% experienced symptoms with the most common being cough, headache, sore throat, muscle aches and fever. Dagenais said he started to feel ill the evening he returned home and initially chalked it up to long nights of partying in packed Provincetown nightclubs. But as the days wore on and the fever, chills, muscle aches and fatigue set in, he knew it was something more. In the report, the measure researchers used to assess how much virus an infected person is carrying does not indicate whether they are actually transmitting the virus to other people, said Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan. CDC officials say more data is coming. They are tracking breakthrough cases as part of much larger studies that involve following tens of thousands of vaccinated and unvaccinated people across the country over time. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. NECOCLI, Colombia (AP) A small city on Colombia's Caribbean shore is being crowded with migrants from Haiti, Africa and Cuba making what they hope will be a journey toward the United States. Local official estimate more than 10,000 migrants have massed recently in Necocli, a city of some 20,000 people better known for its beaches, coconuts and burbling mud volcanos. It has become a bottleneck on the global migrant trail that winds through South and Central America, and on to Mexico and then the U.S. southern border. Necocli residents say they have never seen so many migrants and city authorities have declared a public calamity because of water shortages caused by the additional demand from the migrants. Colombian ombudsman Carlos Camargo on Thursday visited the city's docks where boats depart to verify the humanitarian situation of the thousands of migrants. I make a call to my counterparts in other countries to carry out joint actions to confront this problem, he told The Associated Press. For many migrants, the journey runs from the Ecuadorian border through Colombia to Necocli, where ferries carry people across the Gulf of Uraba to the even smaller border town of Capurgana and then into a dangerous, roadless expanse of Panama known as the Darien Gap. But the ferries can carry only about 750 people a day half of the 1,500 a day that have been arriving of late. The ferries also sometimes shut down on weekends or due to bad weather. So the migrants wait, some renting rooms in cheap tourist accommodations, others sleeping on the beach. When day comes, they line up sometimes with children in arms in hopes of buying the $50 ferry ticket. I am here in search of a better life, a better job, said Rijkaard Samedy, a 27-year-old Haitian who, along with his spouse and son, spent five years among the burgeoning Haitian population in Chile. He said they decided to head north because they felt discriminated against in the South American nation. Colombia's government Defense of the People agency says at least 33,000 migrants so far this year have passed into Panama, most of them originally from Haiti, Cuba, Senegal and Ghana. Others from Somalia, Guinea, Congo and Burkina Faso have passed through as well. That's a sharp rebound from last year, when pandemic restrictions reduced mobility for locals and migrants alike. Many head first to South America, where some countries sheltered Haitians after a 2010 earthquake devastated that country. Some, like Samedy, eventually look north especially after the pandemic squeezed regional economies. The trek is dangerous and Colombian authorities have identified human trafficking networks operating in the region. Migrants are both aided and preyed upon as they make their way from the Darien through Central America and then Mexico. Rapes and robberies are often reported. Monsignor Hugo Torres said a family with seven children arrived in Necocli this week. Some migrants are pregnant. They have no idea what danger awaits them in the Darien, he said. The number of Haitians reaching Mexico, the last stop before the U.S. border, appears to have increased significantly this year. Those requesting asylum in Mexico one measure of their presence mounted to 9,327 through June, compared to annual totals of less than 6,000 the past two years. Large numbers of Haitians wait in lines each day in the southern Mexican city of Tapachula near the Guatemalan border as they try to regularize their status before continuing north. Their numbers have swelled in northern Mexico as well, especially in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez. While many entered Colombia illegally, officials have made little effort to deport them. Immigration officials have said it would be too costly to fly so many home. With a bag on his shoulder and sweating under the hot sun, 58-year-old Cuban Esteban Martinez waits to get on a small boat in Necocli to take him on the next step toward Panama and ultimately the United States. Martinez began his journey in February 2019 when he left Cuba in search of the American dream. He crossed Guyana and Suriname, where he worked in a gold mine for longer than he had planned because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A couple of months ago he resumed his journey, arriving in Colombia from Ecuador. The focus of all of us is to climb that hill and get to Panama and then up to the United States," said Martinez, who is traveling with his wife and 11 other Cubans. "I think its time; there is no other way. Dominika Arseniuk, director in Colombia for the Norwegian Council for Refugees, said it's urgent that authorities in Colombia and Panama to work together on dealing with the crisis. Samedy, the Haitian said he hopes U.S. President Joe Biden will set policies that help migrants, saying he sees no way of returning to Haiti, which is embroiled in political, economic and health crises. What is happening in my country is very complicated. The president wasn't safe, he said, alluding to the recent assassination of Jovenel Moise. ___ Suarez reported from Bucaramanga, Colombia. WASHINGTON (AP) The first flight evacuating Afghans who worked alongside Americans in Afghanistan brought more than 200 people, including scores of children and babies in arms, to new lives in the United States on Friday, and President Joe Biden said he was proud to welcome them home. The launch of the evacuation flights, bringing out former interpreters and others who fear retaliation from Afghanistans Taliban for having worked with American troops and civilians, highlights American uncertainty about how Afghanistans government and military will fare after the last U.S. combat forces leave that country in the coming weeks. Family members are accompanying the interpreters, translators and others on the flights out. The first evacuation flight, an airliner, carried 221 Afghans under the special visa program, including 57 children and 15 infants, according to an internal U.S. government document obtained by The Associated Press. It touched down in Dulles, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C., after midnight, according to the FlightAware tracking service. Friday's flight was an important milestone as we continue to fulfill our promise to the thousands of Afghan nationals who served shoulder-to-shoulder with American troops and diplomats over the last 20 years in Afghanistan, Biden said. He said he wanted to honor the military veterans, diplomats and others in the U.S. who have advocated for the Afghans. Most of all, Biden said in a statement, I want to thank these brave Afghans for standing with the United States, and today, I am proud to say to them: Welcome home.'" Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin lauded the Afghans for their work alongside Americans and said their arrival demonstrates the U.S. governments commitment to them. Friday's flight was all about keeping promises, said Will Fischer, an Iraq war veteran and an advocate on veteran's issues. But a refugee agency said the Biden administration appeared to be still scrambling to work out the resettlement of thousands more of the Afghans, and it urged Biden to bring them quickly to the U.S. or a U.S. territory, such as Guam. To date, there is simply no clear plan as to how the vast majority of our allies will be brought to safety, Krish OMara Vignarajah, president of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service resettlement agency, said of the Afghan interpreters. We cannot in good conscience put them at risk in third countries with unreliable human rights records, or where the Taliban may be able to reach them, the resettlement official said. The Biden administration calls the effort Operation Allies Refuge. The operation has broad backing from Republican and Democratic lawmakers and from veterans groups. Supporters cite repeated instances of Taliban forces targeting Afghans who worked with Americans or with the Afghan government. Congress on Thursday overwhelmingly approved legislation that would allow an additional 8,000 visas and $500 million in funding for the Afghan visa program. The United States has been talking with Qatar and Kuwait about temporarily hosting thousands of other Afghan interpreters who are much further behind in their visa application process than Friday's arrivals. But U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations, said Friday that no deal had been closed with those two countries. Concerns about housing Afghans who have not completed their security screenings and uncertainty on the American side about finding funding for the massive relocation effort have remained obstacles, the U.S. officials said. Biden announced earlier this year the U.S. would withdraw all its troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, honoring a withdrawal agreement struck by former President Donald Trump. He later said the U.S. military operation would end on Aug. 31, calling it overdue. Some administration officials have expressed surprise at the extent and speed of Taliban gains of territory in the countryside since then. Biden said that although U.S. troops are leaving Afghanistan, the U.S. will keep supporting Afghanistan through security assistance to Afghan forces and humanitarian and development aid to the Afghan people. The newly arrived Afghan people will join 70,000 others who have resettled in the United States since 2008 under the special visa program. Subsequent flights are due to bring more of the roughly 700 applicants who are furthest along in the process of getting visas, having already won approval and cleared security screening. The first arrivals were screened for the coronavirus and received vaccines if they wanted them, said Tracey Jacobson, the U.S. diplomat running the effort. They were expected to stay at at a hotel on a base in Fort Lee, Virginia, for about seven days, completing medical exams and other final steps, Jacobson said. Resettlement organizations will help them as they travel to communities around the United States, with some bound for family members already here, she said. ___ Lolita C. Baldor contributed. Knickmeyer reported from Oklahoma City. WASHINGTON (AP) The Justice Department, in a reversal, says the Treasury Department must provide the House Ways and Means Committee former President Donald Trumps tax returns, apparently ending a long legal showdown over the records. In a memo dated Friday, Justices Office of Legal Counsel said the committee chairman has invoked sufficient reasons for requesting the former Presidents tax information and that under federal law, Treasury must furnish the information to the Committee. The 39-page memo is signed by Dawn Johnsen, installed by the Biden administration as the acting head of the legal counsel office. During the Trump administration, then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he wouldnt turn over the tax returns because he concluded they were being sought by Democrats who control the House of Representatives for partisan reasons. The committee sued for the records under a federal law that says the Internal Revenue Service shall furnish the returns of any taxpayer to a handful of top lawmakers. The committee said it needed Trumps taxes for an investigation into whether he complied with tax law. Trump's Justice Department defended Mnuchin's refusal and Trump himself also intervened to try to prevent the materials from being turned over to Congress. Under a court order from January, Trump would have 72 hours to object after the Biden administration formally changes the government's position in the lawsuit. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. already has obtained copies of Trumps personal and business tax records as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. Trump tried to prevent his accountants from handing over the documents, taking the issue to the Supreme Court. The justices rejected Trumps argument that he had broad immunity as president. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the tax returns remain of interest to lawmakers. Access to former President Trumps tax returns is a matter of national security. The American people deserve to know the facts of his troubling conflicts of interest and undermining of our security and democracy as president," Pelosi said in a statement. The issue has its roots in the 2016 presidential campaign, when Trump claimed that he could not release his taxes due to an IRS audit. WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump urged senior Justice Department officials to declare the results of the 2020 election corrupt in a December phone call, according to handwritten notes from one of the participants in the conversation. Just say the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen, Trump said at one point to then-Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, according to notes taken by Richard Donoghue, who was then Rosens deputy and who was also on the call. The notes of the Dec. 27 call, released Friday by the House Oversight Committee, underscore the lengths to which Trump went to try to overturn the results of the election and to elicit the support of senior government officials in that effort. Emails released last month show Trump and his allies in the last weeks of his presidency pressured the Justice Department to investigate unsubstantiated claims of widespread election fraud, forwarding them conspiracy theories and even a draft legal brief they hoped would be filed with the Supreme Court. The pressure is all the more notable because just weeks earlier, Trump's own attorney general William Barr, revealed that the Justice Department had found no evidence of widespread fraud that could have overturned the results. Unsubstantiated claims of fraud have been repeatedly rejected by judge after judge, including by Trump appointees, and by election officials across the country. These handwritten notes show that President Trump directly instructed our nations top law enforcement agency to take steps to overturn a free and fair election in the final days of his presidency, committee chairman Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat, said in a statement. She said the committee had begun scheduling interviews with witnesses as part of its investigation into Trump's effort to overturn the results. The Justice Department earlier this week authorized six witnesses, including Rosen and Donoghue, to appear before the panel and provide unrestricted testimony, citing the public interest in the extraordinary events of those final weeks. The Dec. 27 call took place just days after Barr had resigned, leaving Rosen in charge of the department during a turbulent final weeks of the administration that also included the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol in which pro-Trump loyalists stormed the building as Congress was gathered to certify the election results. During the call, according to the notes, Trump complained that people were angry and blaming the Justice Department for inaction" and said that We have an obligation to tell people that this was an illegal, corrupt election. He claimed the department had failed to respond to legitimate complaints and reports of election-related crime. The Justice Department officials told Trump that the department had been investigating, including through hundreds of interviews, but that the allegations were not supported by evidence. They said that much of the information the president was getting was false, according to Donoghue's notes. At one point in the conversation, the notes show, Rosen told Trump that the Justice Department cant + wont snap its fingers + change the outcome of the election, doesnt work that way. Trump responded by saying: Dont expect you to do that, just say that the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen, according to the notes. Trump mused during the call about replacing Justice Department leadership with Jeffrey Clark, the then-assistant attorney general of the Environment and Natural Resources Division who also served as the acting head of the Civil Division. Donoghue replied that such a move would not change the department's position. After The New York Times reported that Trump had been contemplating a plan to replace Rosen with Clark, the inspector general announced that it would investigate whether any former or current department officials engaged in an improper attempt to overturn the results of the presidential election. _____ Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP The latest IDC report brings more clarity into the global smartphone shipments for the April-June period. Samsung led the way with 59 million shipments ahead of Xiaomi with 53.1 million and Apple with 44.2 million. Xiaomi posted an impressive 86.6% yearly growth as it and other Chinese rivals aim to fill the void left by Huawei. The combined shipments volume outpaced last years Q2 performance by 13.2% affirming the rebound in smartphone sales compared to last year. Oppo with its 32.8 million shipments and vivo with 31.6 million round out the top-five largest companies while the rest of the market contributed 92.4 million units. Company Q2 2021 Shipments (in million) Q2 2021 Market share Q2 2020 Shipments (in million) Q2 2020 Market share Yearly change Samsung 59.0 18.8% 54.0 19.5% +9.3% Xiaomi 53.1 16.9% 28.5 10.3% +86.6% Apple 44.2 14.1% 37.6 13.6% +17.8% Oppo 32.8 10.5% 24.0 8.7% +37.0% vivo 31.6 10.1% 23.7 8.6% +33.7% Others 92.4 29.5% 109.0 39.4% -15.2% Total 313.2 100% 276.6 100% +13.2% The report notes that China was the only region that saw negative growth over the last three months due to factors like no new flagship launches and the continued demand for Huawei phones. The smartphone market was more fortunate than the PC, automotive and display industries in terms of supply chain limits despite the ongoing pandemic and semiconductor shortages. Looking forward IDC predicts an even larger increase in shipments for the Chinese brands which could eventually cut into Samsung and Apples dominance. Source OnePlus has gone through a strategic shift in the last year or so. With the launch of the Nord lineup, it has been able to aggressively expand to new markets within Europe and India, all while raising brand awareness in the US known to be a very difficult market for Chinese OEMs to break through. OnePlus just announced that its aggressive expansion is showing in its numbers. The companys growth resulted in a 257% increase in number of shipments globally (including China, India, EU, and US) in the first half of the year. This compared to the same time frame last year. The OnePlus Nord lineup is attributed to the increase in shipments. OnePlus claims it has sold more than 1 million Nord N devices since January and the US saw an impressive increase of 428% YoY in H1 21. It appears that OnePlus has nestled itself into the premium segment in the US since the midrange Nord lineup isnt sold States side. Meanwhile in Europe, OnePlus shipments grew by 301% YoY. In India, Counterpoint Research data reveals that in Q2 21 the company took 48% market share of the premium smartphone market segment. Finally, in China, where OnePlus only sells the 9 series, shipments grew by 124% YoY in H1 of this year. All of this is indeed wonderful news for OnePlus. The company is growing very quickly, even in the very-difficult US market. We are concerned whether OnePlus is growing too quickly and it could stretch itself too thin. Then again, now that the company has more tightly integrated with Oppo, the company should be able to manage the growth. Were interested to see if OnePlus will be able to keep this momentum. Via Xiaomi Mi 12 said to have LPDDR5X RAM to go with its Snapdragon 898 chipset It was only yesterday that JEDEC unveiled LPDDR5X, a refinement of version 5 that pushes the maximum data rate from 6,400 Mbps to 8,533 Mbps thats double what LPDDR4X can do. And today come the first rumors that Xiaomi will be among the early adopters of the new tech with shiny new LPDDR5X RAM chips appearing alongside the Snapdragon 898 in the Xiaomi Mi 12. The 898 should introduce support for the X version of RAM as older Qualcomm chipsets (the 888 and 865) only support the vanilla LPDDR5. The chipset will also be the first in the family to be based on the new ARMv9 architecture using the brand new Cortex-X2, A710 and A510 CPU cores. The rumor mill has attached many more superlative features to the upcoming Mi 12 series from 200 MP cameras to 200W charging (on the Mi 12 Ultra, allegedly). How much of that proves to be true remains to be seen, we should find out in late December if Xiaomi keeps to the same launch schedule as with the Mi 11 series. Source (in Chinese) | Via Samsung Galaxy A03s launch imminent as support page goes live on official website The support page for the Galaxy A03s we've been hearing about for a few months has gone live on Samsung's official Indian website, suggesting an imminent launch. The page doesn't divulge anything about the Galaxy A03s, but previous leaks revealed the smartphone will pack a 6.5" LCD having a notch for the 5MP selfie camera, and the back cover will sport a triple camera setup consisting of one 13MP and two 2MP units. Leaked renders also revealed the Galaxy A03s will feature a USB-C port, 3.5mm headphone jack, and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. Samsung Galaxy A03s leaked render The Galaxy A03s was spotted on Geekbench earlier this month with Helio G35 SoC, 4GB RAM, and Android 11, and its FCC listing confirmed the smartphone will ship with a 5,000 mAh battery. Source Rumors of the Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 are starting to coalesce there will be three models, plus a potential fourth slate, though that might turn out to be a Redmi tablet, so lets put it aside for now. Two models, lets call them the Mi Pad 5 and Mi Pad 5 Pro, will be powered by the Snapdragon 870 chipset. Both will support 67W fast charging for their 8,750 mAh batteries. The Pro model will have 5G connectivity and will feature a 48 MP camera on the rear. The vanilla model should be a Wi-Fi only tablet with a 12 MP camera. All three tablets are said to use the same 10.9 IPS LCD with 120 Hz refresh rate and 240 Hz touch sampling rate. The expected resolution is 2,560 x 1,600 px. The display should also support a stylus with 4,096 levels of pressure, which will have a place to live in the keyboard cover that we saw in 3D renders earlier this month. Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 (leaked image) Keyboard case with stylus (3D render) The third model, lets call it the Mi Pad 5 Lite, will use the older Snapdragon 860 chipset and will also be a Wi-Fi only slate. The rumors claim that it will support 33W fast charging and that is supported by data from the 3C. Interestingly, all three tablets will run MIUI 12.5 out of the box, missing out on MIUI 13, which is expected in August. The tablets themselves are also expected in August. The fourth model we mentioned, the potential Redmi tablet, will be powered by a Snapdragon 768G (or maybe a Dimensity 1200) chipset. It might support 22.5W charging, if this FCC document is for the tablet in question. Not much else is known about this model. Source 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (in Chinese) | 5 Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday provided some insight on how things were shaping up with the Navy on Guam during a press conference on Friday, touching on the construction of Camp Blaz, pandemic partnerships, and the possibility of Afghan refugees relocating to the island. Gilday stressed the importance of the island in the strategic mission of the United States in the Indo-Pacific region, given the continuing power competition with China and Russia. You see all of the services of the United States military that have a footprint on this island. I think thats indicative of how we all view and strategic importance, he said. He acknowledged that part of that mission was in balancing the need to be respectful to the people and the environment, pointing to efforts to replant indigenous trees that were cut down in the construction of Marine Corps base Camp Blaz, and the consideration for ancient burial sites in the construction process. The base was vital as a launching point to provide flexibility in the region, Gilday said, adding that any effort to move forward needed to benefit both the people of Guam and the U.S. Department of Defense. The construction of the base has been contentious for some residents concerned with environmental and cultural impact. Gilday said he had also spoken with Lt. Gov. Joshua Tenorio about working closely to continue to return excess land which was of importance to GovGuam. The continued collaboration of the local government had been a boon for the Navy, he said, particularly in the accommodation of the carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt at the start of the pandemic last year. The outbreak aboard the ship had been informative for the Navy, Gilday added. We took great care to develop detailed standard operating procedures that we uniformly implemented, he said. It was too soon to provide a comment on whether all U.S. military personnel should be vaccinated, he said, a matter which the Biden administration has been advocating. As for the Afghan refugees who are set to be evacuated from the Middle East, his understanding was that Guam was not going to be an option for their temporary relocation. I havent heard any serious talk about Guam as an option. Its going to be executed. There are many bases that were looked at, he said. The Department of Defense had decided to make the U.S. Army garrison Fort Lee in Virginia available for the refugees, he said. All eligible residents of the Federated States of Micronesia must be vaccinated for COVID-19, according to the nations government. The FSMs National Emergency Task Force will create a protocol to enforce the new mandate, but government workers who arent vaccinated during the next month will be sent home without pay. As of July 25, 49.6% of eligible adults in the FSM had been fully vaccinated, with a goal of getting at least 70% of adults fully vaccinated. The FSM Congress this week passed a resolution, amending the presidents Jan. 31, 2020, public health emergency declaration. The revised emergency declaration mandates universal vaccinations and also eases the quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated travelers, among other changes. All FSM citizens residing in the FSM are required to undergo COVID-19 vaccination, subject to the protocol of the National Emergency Task Force, the resolution states. Any employee of the national government and its offices or agencies who fails to comply with this requirement within 30 days, absent reasonable justification, shall be placed on leave without pay. Eased quarantine The resolution eases the nations original travel quarantine, which required those wishing to enter the FSM to pre-quarantine for 14 days at a hotel and test negative for COVID-19 twice before leaving for the FSM. Any travelers to the FSM shall be fully vaccinated, quarantined and tested negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours prior to entry into the FSM or have medical documentation confirming recovery of prior infection and deemed non-infectious in accordance with established protocols and guideline of the National Task Force, the resolution states. Just today I was watching the Honorable Josh Tenorio, lieutenant governor of the U.S. territory of Guam, describe how Guam has already reached an 80% vaccination rate, President David Panuelo said in a statement. Guam on Thursday hit its goal of fully vaccinating at least 80% of the islands adult population. The FSM still has so much work to do to conquer the pandemic, and so I applaud the honorable Wesley W. Simina, Speaker of the 22nd FSM Congress, the honorable Ferny S. Perman, chair of the Congressional Committee on Health & Social Affairs, and all honorable senators for their leadership on this issue, and for taking actions today for our nations prosperity tomorrow. This Paradise in Our Backyards can, and must, and will, overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and emerge stronger. The Coast Guards three newest fast-response cutters were commissioned Thursday during a ceremony presided over by Adm. Karl Schultz, the Coast Guards commandant. The Coast Guard Cutters Myrtle Hazard, Oliver Henry and Frederick Hatch were commissioned during a rare triple-commissioning ceremony at their new homeport at Coast Guard Forces Micronesia Sector Guam, a news release stated. The triple commissioning of Coast Guard Cutters Myrtle Hazard, Oliver Henry and Frederick Hatch signals our dedication to regional partners and the growing maritime demand in the region, said Capt. Nick Simmons, commander of Coast Guard Forces Micronesia Sector Guam. It was an honor to celebrate this historic event with the crews, families and sponsors for each cutters namesake. The cutters will support the people of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and international partners throughout Oceania, the release stated. The Coast Guard has agreements with Pacific Island Forum countries that allow defense and law enforcement officers to go aboard Coast Guard vessels to observe, board and search vessels suspected of violating laws or regulations within exclusive economic zones, according to the release. These initiatives cultivate relationships and they solve practical problems, said Schultz. In this way the Coast Guards distinct contributions to maritime government are built on people-to-people relationships. Cutters equipped Named after Coast Guard enlisted heroes, the fast-response cutters are equipped with advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems and boast a greater range and endurance, the release stated. At 154-feet long, they reach speeds of over 28 knots and cover a distance of 2,500 nautical miles over a five-day patrol. The cutters are armed with a stabilized 25-mm machine gun mount and four crew-served .50-caliber machine guns. Coast Guard suspends active search for two mariners The Coast Guard suspended an active search Tuesday for two mariners after looking for over 1 The people of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Micronesia can rest assured that these multi-mission platforms stand ready to support our partners throughout the region, said Simmons. Coast Guard searching for missing mariners The Coast Guard was searching for two mariners after their 14-foot black Kodiak skiff was re Each fast-response cutter has a standard 24-person crew, which will bring over 70 new Coast Guard members to Guam, along with their family members, the release stated. Prior to their arrival, the Coast Guard presence on Guam was about 250 active duty personnel and 40 reservists. Tarsen Marar entered a guilty plea to a charge of driving while impaired and injuring three people in 2019. Marar appeared before Presiding Judge Alberto C. Lamorena III at the Superior Court of Guam to plead guilty to three counts of driving while impaired with injuries as third-degree felonies and driving while impaired as a misdemeanor. Lamorena told Marar he could serve up to five years for each count. Marar, who is originally from the Federated States of Micronesia, could also be subjected to deportation and not allowed to returned to the United States following his sentencing. In December of 2019 Marar crashed into a vehicle while driving on Route 8 in Maite. He was driving on the eastbound lane when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a vehicle on the opposite lane, court documents state. All three occupants of the vehicle, including a minor, were transported to Guam Memorial Hospital. At the time of the accident, Marar was observed to have the odor of alcohol emitting from his breath and person, bloodshot watery eyes and slurred speech. When asked if he had anything to drink, he responded, We drank about a twelve pack. An open can of Budweiser beer was also seen on the floor of his car, according to court documents. Along with the charges in his plea, he was originally charged with an opened container of alcohol as a misdemeanor and reckless driving with injuries as a misdemeanor before the plea, according to PDN files. Marar will be sentenced on Oct. 27. Haiti - FLASH : The Biden administration has decided to turn back all migrants intercepted off the American coast The United States could soon be faced with a double migration crisis due to the situation in Haiti and Cuba. In response, the Biden administration warned migrants not to attempt to come to the United States illegally by boat. Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary for Homeland Security has confirmed "[...] any migrants intercepted by the US Coast Guard off US shores will not be allowed to enter the country [...] they will be turned back or, if they express fear of returning to their home countries, repatriated to a third country," adding "The time is never right to attempt migration by sea [...] To those who risk their lives doing so, this risk is not worth taking. Allow me to be clear: If you take to the sea, you will not come to the United States." This decision by the Biden administration is reminiscent of a shameful chapter in American history. However, this policy is not new, previous administrations, both Republican and Democratic, have used this approach to prevent migrants from reaching American shores. But although this has always been done under the pretext of protecting migrants, many Haitians have been returned to their countries of origin in dangerous conditions. Under the Bush and Clinton administrations, they were sent and detained indefinitely in a camp at Guantanamo Bay (Cuba) in what a federal judge called a "prison camp". TB/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Politic : The referendum and the elections maintained until now The new Prime Minister Ariel Henry intends to continue the major projects of President Jovenel Moise, in particular the referendum and the elections. Knowing how important the referendum on a new Constitution was to the late President Jovenel Moise, for whom the balance of power and the inclusion of the diaspora in political life were the two most important points, the Prime Minister, Henry, met on Thursday the members of the Independent Advisory Committee for the elaboration of the new Constitution which had to hand over the text of the new Constitution to him before the assassination of the Head of State. It was for the Head of Government to inquire about the status of this project which will be on the agenda of the national dialogue initiated with different sectors. The referendum and the presidential, legislative and municipal elections scheduled for September 26 have been maintained so far. At the same time, in a correspondence from the Office for the Protection of the Citizen (OPC) addressed to Prime Minister Henry, Renan Hedouville, the Quebec Ombudsman, wrote "[...] I would like to draw your attention to the need to continue, without delay, a series of important files that can promote the establishment of the rule of law, the consolidation of democracy in the country with obviously the participation of all the girls and all the sons of Haiti both inside than outside. This is the question of the adoption of the new Constitution, the process of which has already been initiated and the achievement of free, honest, transparent, credible and inclusive elections with a view to the renewal of political staff who can pave the way to the effective functioning of democratic and republican institutions, a sine qua non condition for stability and progress." For Mathias Pierre, the Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister, in charge of electoral issues and relations with political parties "The General Elections and the Constitutional Referendum are not an option but an obligation to get Haiti out of the impasse, even after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise. The Government has no choice but to summon the people to elect their leaders before 2022." SL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... The DG of BMPAD threatened with death Fils Aime Ignace Saint Fleur, Director General of the Office for the Monetization of Development Aid Programs (BMPAD) affirms that since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, he has been the subject of death threats and had to change his habits, modify his movements and spend his nights in different places. He points to individuals linked to the sale of fuel in the country without naming them. PM Promises justice for President Moise Wednesday July 28, 3 weeks after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, the Prime Minister promised to continue to prosecute those responsible, affirming We will ensure the continuation of the investigation into the assassination of the President of the Republic. All the sponsors, perpetrators of this murder must be brought to justice. Its a matter of State [...] Everyone involved in this crime will be hunted down everywhere and brought to justice." Canada : Haitian Embassy closed The Embassy of the Republic of Haiti in Canada is informing the Haitian community and the general public that its premises will be closed on Friday July 30 from 1 p.m. and Monday August 2. Activities will resume on Tuesday August 3, 2021. Still no agreement between the opposition and civil society 3 weeks after the assassination of President Moise, political opposition civil society organizations have still not reached a political agreement. The groups are multiplying the proposals for exiting crises. The only point they agree on is that they do not want the current government. PM Henry meets with the religious sector The Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, had an important meeting with members of the religious sector, within the framework of the national dialogue aimed at the integration of the vital forces of the Nation, in the search for a political agreement. The restoration of democratic order and political stability conducive to the holding of free, fair and transparent elections were on the agenda. St-Yves site : Aid to displaced persons Yves Sassenrath, Representative in Haiti of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Canadian Ambassador to Haiti Stuart Savage visited the St-Yves site where more than 1,500 people are housed in a precarious situation, including 31 pregnant women. and breastfeeding displaced by armed gang violence. UNFPA Haiti is seeking to mobilize USD 4.5 million for immediate support. UNFPA and the Canadian Embassy in Haiti will leave no one behind. HL/ HaitiLibre Published on 2021/07/29 | Source Kim Eun-hee-I (49), the writer of "Kingdom: Ashin of the North" confessed that she could not think of any other actor other than Jun Ji-hyun. Advertisement Kim Eun-hee-I, who presented the special episode of "Kingdom: Ashin of the North" through Netflix, made the remarks through a video interview with SpoTV News on the 29th. Writer Kim Eun-hee-I said about Jun Ji-hyun, "She has so many cool and colorful images", adding, "I liked her eyes in the movies "The Assassination" and "Berlin". If such an actress played the role of Ashin, I thought she would be able to show deep sadness". Kim Eun-hee-I, the author, said, "It is not just a role that retains sadness, but it is also serious. I also wrote it with Jun Ji-hyun in mind from the beginning because I thought she would be able to perform action well". "I worry about 90% of the castings", Kim said, shaking her head and thought, "I thought of hanging on to Jun Ji-hyun's pants at least. I couldn't think of anyone else. I almost fell on my knees and fortunately, she said she'd do it". Writer Kim Eun-hee-I also praised Jun Ji-hyun's 'perfect' performance. "It's not easy to express without lines. Even the action, whether shooting with a bow, running, or climbing on the roof, she makes it look so cool", she said. "Especially, I was surprised when she was running in the field. How could she run like that?" Writer Kim Eun-hee-I added, "I was so grateful that she showed me such a perfect performance without any lines in the running scene". "Kingdom: Ashin of the North" which was released on the 23rd, is a special episode of Netflix's original series "Kingdom", which attracted 190 countries around the world due to the K-Zombie wind. Finding the beginning of a great tragedy in which the dead are revived, it tells the story of Ashin (Jun Ji-hyun), a woman who kept the secret and the origin of the tragedy. It depicts the identity of Ashin and her story at the end of "Kingdom - Season 2" with a grim screen and story. Kim Eun-hee-I wrote the screenplay of the entire series, including "Kingdom: Ashin of the North". Smoke ours from a residence in Havre Thursday morning as firefighters work to finish extinguishing the blaze. Havre Fire Department has given a report this morning on a trailer house on the 1500 block of Washington Avenue burning down in a fire Thursday morning. No one from the fire department was available Thursday to provide information to Havre Daily News Two dogs and a parrot were lost in the blaze, but no humans were injured. Havre Daily News/Colin Thompson Havre firefighter Matt Cline performs CPR on a puppy found in a house fire Thursday. That puppy, another dog and a parrot did not survive the fire. The fire department got the call for the fire at 8:42 a.m. that morning and arrived to find the house was already a loss, Assistant Fire Chief Nathan Courtnage said. He said 11 personnel along with two fire engines and an ambulance were dispatched to the scene and the fire was under control within an hour, but the animals could not be saved. He said the cause of the fire is still under investigation but contents of the house were lost and he's contacting the family to see if they have insurance and to calculate the losses. He could not provide the name of the victims. No one was available at The Salvation Army this morning to tell Havre Daily News if it is assisting the victims of the blaze. Havre Daily was not able by printing deadline this morning to confirm if any people were setting up help for the family. North Central Senior Citizens Center Aug. 2-6 Menu Monday Swedish meatballs, rice, Harvard beets, pudding Tuesday Roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, cauliflower, rolls, peach kuchen Wednesday Unstuffed chicken cordon bleu, potato wedges, veggies, dessert Thursday Tator tot casserole, garlic cheddar biscuits, salad, cookies Friday Soup, salad bar, chefs choice, dessert, The Senior Centers doors are open to the public, and crowds have been growing. We are all very excited to be open and seeing our senior friends again. Marci wants everyone to remember to make an appointment if you need help from her. Also, everyone must be wearing a mask to go back and meet with her. We are still providing limited services by phone with individuals bringing their paperwork down to the center only if they have an appointment. Help is also being given over the phone whenever possible. For those still a little worried about eating out, our grab-and-go bags are still available. Remember to call for the to-go bags before 10 a.m. that morning. Reopening: With the increase of COVID-19 cases in Hill County, we did delay our reopening of the center until now. The reopening plan was taken to the commissioners and they agreed it was time to open our doors. When we opened, many things had to change. The center will be open to the public Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Upon entering the building, you will have to wear a mask and your temperature will be taken at the door. The number of occupants in the building will be limited. We will seat only four guests to a table. When they came in they kept mask on until they began eating. Meals were served at their table. Our new hours for the Senior Center will now be Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Transportation: The Senior Center will provide Senior Transportation Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday is medical transportation only and you must give 24-hour notice. Shopping trips are still on, call ahead for Walmart the first Thursday of the month, 1:30-3:30 p.m. There will be no more grocery delivery. Bingo: We will be playing bingo at the Senior Center Tuesdays from 1 to 3 p.m. Everyone welcome. Come try it and see what you think. Important phone numbers Montana Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673 Tumbleweed Runaway and Family Crisis Program: 259-2558 (local) 1-888-816-4702 (toll free). Friendship Line by Institute on Aging The Friendship Line is both a crisis intervention hotline and a warm-line for non-emergency emotional support calls. It is a 24-hour toll-free line and the only accredited crisis line in the country for people aged 60 years and older, and adults living with disabilities. Toll-Free Line: 800-971-0016. For those seniors getting frustrated with staying home and needing someone to talk to you can call 1-877-688-3377 for Montanas Warm Line. Medicare open enrollment has come to an end. However, if you are having problems with prescriptions you can call Marci and see if she can help you. For those on Medicaid and Big Sky she can still make changes. For an appointment Call Marci at 265-5464. Improving care through telehealth: Technology can be especially valuable for people in remote areas or places with few medical professionals. Using portable devices, health care providers can test and treat patients without them coming into the office. This practice is called telehealth. A doctor in a rural area can consult on a patients scan with a specialist in another state if need be. Someone with diabetes can monitor their blood sugar in real-time and have the data sent to their health care provider. Wearable sensors can alert a caregiver if a person with dementia leaves the house. These are all examples of how telehealth is changing medical care. Researchers are developing new ways to analyze blood samples for patients at home. Through advances like this, telehealth is helping medical professionals deliver effective, long-distance care. Hill County commissioners Diane McLean, left, and Mark Peterson, second from left, conduct the Hill County Commission business meeting Thursday in the commission office in the Hill County Courthouse. They voted 2-0 during the meeting to remove Bob Sivertsen from the Great Northern Fair Board and accepted the resignation of board Chair Josh Heitzenroder. Commissioner Jake Strissel was excused from the meeting. The Hill County Commission voted 2-0 to remove Bob Sivertsen from the Hill County Fair Board and accepted the resignation of Fair Board Chair Josh Heitzenroder at their weekly business meeting Thursday. Neither Sivertsen nor Heitzenroder attended the meeting. Commissioner Jake Strissel was excused from the meeting. Sivertsen has been accused by multiple fairgrounds employees, including fairgrounds secretary Anita Stevenson, of inappropriate, threatening and dangerous behavior including shooting pigeons and gophers on the fairgrounds, spreading motor oil for mosquito repellent, unhooking and later cutting the wires to the air conditioner in a pickup truck used on the fairgrounds, and holding two employees in a stall in a barn on the fairgrounds against their will. Hill County Commissioner Mark Peterson, who declined to comment on the situation when the allegations were being made, said it's regrettable that the commission has to do this and questioned the veracity of the accusations made by employees. "This situation has been much-talked-about," Peterson said. "Whether all of that information is 100 percent correct, it's out there." He said he actually witnessed one incident described by employees, so he knows that one is accurate but refused to say which incident it was. Hill County Commissioner Diane McLean said the commission had asked the fair board to speak with Sivertsen about his behavior, and sent a commissioner to talk to him, but it eventually became clear that his behavior was not going to change, and this removal is the last option they have. "There doesn't seem to be any change in his actions, so that's why we've come to this point," McLean said. Peterson also praised Sivertsen for his work at the fairgrounds saying he worked long hours and did a lot of good there as an unusually active board member. "He attempted to do what he thought was right, and he did a lot of good things while he was there, but there were things that we just couldn't overlook," he said. Before the final vote Peterson said he wanted to thank Sivertsen for all the good he did for the fairgrounds. The amount of work Sivertsen claims to have done at the fairgrounds, as well as the quality of said work has been challenged by Stevenson who, when detailing the barn stall incident, said based on her observations, Sivertsen doesn't donate nearly as much time to the grounds as he claims and the quality of the work done in that time left much to be desired. She said he would do things like turn sprinklers on in already-wet areas, allowing water to pool on the grounds, spend a lot of time just driving around, and micromanage employees he had no authority over, undermining Great Northern Fairgrounds Manager Frank English, who also questioned aspects of Sivertsen's contributions. Peterson said Sivertsen's removal is part of a larger effort to remedy tension between fairground management and the fair board. "We need to start getting this under control and this is where we start," he said. Peterson and McLean both lamented that the situation had come to this point. "This is never something that we enjoy doing," McLean said. Peterson also lamented the resignation of Fair Board Chair Josh Heitzenroder. "It's a great loss," he said. "He was a good one." Heitzenroder has been widely criticized on social media for not doing enough to address Sivertsen's behavior. Stevenson said he, and other members of the board, would brush off complaints they made regarding Sivertsen's behavior and Heitzenroder would frequently make excuses for that behavior, preferring to blame English for whatever was going wrong at the grounds. Heitzenroder had not responded to a request for comment regarding his departure by print deadline this morning. At the meeting, the commissioners also approved the county to participate in Montana State Fund's Work Safe Champions program in an effort to implement a safer work culture. McLean said the program is an eight-module course with on-site classes county employees can attend and take back to their departments. McLean said employees who take these courses can do it on work time and she's hoping at least one person from each department will take them. She said the county has been encouraged to use the program because its workman's compensation rate is pretty high. She said she hopes these courses can save the county a lot of money, and given that the program cost the them nothing but time, it seems like a reasonable thing to do. "It will not only save premiums if we can save someone heartache from accidents that don't have to happen that would be awesome, too," she said. Peterson said he's seen the courses himself and hopes to make this a more regular thing for employees to engage in. He said the County Road Department has already volunteered two attendees for the courses and is very much on board with using the program. The commission also approved a resolution authorizing the submission of an application to the Montana Coal Endowment Program to prepare a planning grant for necessary repairs to Cottonwood Bridge. Peterson said the bridge was built in the late 1930s, and is one of only three places in the county where people can cross the Milk River. He said this application will kick off the three-year process of replacement of the bridge. Bob Sivertsen "We're hoping that this will allow us to apply for $750,000 of funding," he said. He said the remainder of the project, which will likely cost $3-4 million, would be picked up by the state if the application is accepted. In the meantime, McLean said, load limit signs have been put up at the bridge to ensure traveler safety. During a press call Thursday morning, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., said a bipartisan deal has been reached on a "historic bill that will upgrade Montana's aging infrastructure, create good paying jobs, and help us maintain our competitive edge over China." Tester said the bill includes funds for Montana's roads, bridges, internet, water, and more. He called the legislation a once-in-a-century investment in the nation's infrastructure. Tester said the legislation would create jobs and be an investment in Montana's roads and bridges, water systems, airports and internet, to maintain a competitive advantage over China. He said the legislation would do so with raising taxes on "hardworking Montana families." Tester was one of five Democrats working with five Republicans to negotiate the bill, with other members of both parties joining the negotiations at times. "It is no secret that putting this bill together has been tough. There have been many ups and downs. Like in most good negotiations, nobody left feeling like they got everything they wanted. When our five-person group ran into challenges, we didn't give up. We stayed negotiating. And we found a way to work through it," Tester said. Tester said the Senate began debating the bill Wednesday and was hopeful it would be passed soon. The vote Wednesday was 67-32, with 17 Republicans joining all Democrats and two independents in voting to bring it to the floor for debate and amendments and 32 Republicans voting against. Montana Sen. Steve Daines was one of the Republicans voting against it. A spokesperson for Daines said Thursday that when the Senate voted Wednesday, final bill text or details on how it's going to be paid for were not available or public. "Sen. Daines is fighting for Montana priorities to be included in this bill, as he successfully did in securing funding for St. Mary (Diversion and Conveyance Works rehabilitation) in committee. It is also essential that any final bill be fully paid for and not increase the deficit by one cent," his spokesperson said. "The senator thinks it's important to ensure there will be an opportunity to offer amendments to the package to make it stronger for Montana, including adding additional forest management reforms to prevent deadly wildfires and protect Montana families and communities from fire." Tester said there the bill about has language about taking advantage of the tax gap, saying some people should be paying taxes but aren't. "Most everybody, in a bipartisan way, have said it could be as much as a trillion dollars. Some felt a trillion might even be short. Republicans (on the committee) got some pushback on hiring some additional IRS agents to do the investigations to make sure that folks like Jeff Bezos are paying taxes," Tester said. Tester said some of the funding can come from unused COVID-19 unemployment relief, noting Montana and other states have discontinued unemployment programs because of the impact on workforces. He said there was also money available from the sale of Spectrum and from last year's COVID-19 relief CARES Act. "Now the CARES package was passed March, April last year, so we're 15, 16 months into this thing. Some of those dollars we thought we can take without causing problems. And also we had the rescue plan that we passed last February, I believe that is still there. We did not touch that. So it's those kinds of things. And plus there's a longer list too," Tester said. He talked Thursday about the heat and how dry the summer has been. He said he has experienced this along with his wife on their farm and has heard from farmers all over the state. "I understand vividly how hard folks have been hit by this drought. I've been monitoring the situation closely and pushing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make sure Montana's farmers and ranchers have access to the technical assistance and release they need to make to keep themselves whole stay in business," he said. He added that many programs are available to producers suffering from the drought. He urged people to stay tuned to their local FSA agency and to his website. Tester said he would continue pushing the USDA to ensure relief comes in a timely fashion. Tester also said he'd continue to monitor the wildfire situation closely to ensure firefighters have the access to resources they need. Tester said he is frustrated the U.S. won't open its northern border and talked about Canada's recent decision to open its border to vaccinated Americans for non-essential travel beginning Aug. 9. He said it has been frustrating that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is refusing to do the same on the American side of the border, mentioning the impact this has had on Montana's economy, especially businesses on the Hi-Line. Tester said many of these businesses depend on trade and tourism before discussing the personal impact of this decision as well. "There are countless friends and families who have now gone for more than a year without seeing one another in person. I have urged the administration to quit dragging its feet when it comes to reopening the northern border and to work together with their Canadian counterparts to coordinate on reopening the border together to avoid this sort of confusion and would ease travel restrictions as quickly and as safely as possible," Tester said. Tester said the northern border needs to be re-opened for small businesses in places like Kalispell, Havre and Shelby, but it has to be done safely, especially with the COVID-19 Delta variant in mind. He shared a personal story about barley being available in Canada he wanted to plant on his farm west of Big Sandy, saying he couldn't get it. He said he could have hired a commercial truck driver, since commercial traffic hasn't stopped, but it wouldn't have made financial sense. "But make no mistake about it. Whether you're talking about Jon Tester or you're talking about the hardware store in Shelby, Montana, that border opening can make a big difference for business," Tester said. Tester said conversations about reopening the northern border for nonessential travel Aug. 21 have been somewhat one-sided. He said calls and letters about the matter have gotten no response at this time. Part of the issue, Tester said, is he has been focusing on the infrastructure bill. He will now be putting a "full court press" on the administration, demanding answers on re-opening the border. Tester said this week's news regarding COVID-19 has been discouraging, adding cases and hospitalizations are up across Montana and nationally. "It is crystal-clear that this pandemic is not behind us. This serves as a stark reminder that everyone should do their part, get vaccinated as quickly as possible. These vaccines are tested, they're safe, they're effective, and effective even against the Delta variant, and they're available free of charge," Tester said. Steve Daines "We can't afford to risk the progress that we've made reopening this country or getting our economy back on track, so my recommendation would be to go to Vaccines.gov to find a shot near you," he added. Controversy and conspiracy continue to shadow COVID-19 policies of many organizations. Despite decisions being thoughtfully considered and evidence-driven, the divide witnessed in our community and nation continues to widen. Most recently, hotly debated topics were discussed at our local school board; Our Children; Their future; and Their childhoods. The stresses COVID-19 placed on our children were highlighted, but the decisions of the parents and the adults of our community were somehow left out of the equation. This is where another solution is possible . Lets take our children out of the equation. We have at our fingertips access to one of the most effective vaccines that has ever been created. And it has been approved for adults. We as adults, as parents and grandparents, can greatly diminish or end this pandemic. Yet, we continue to see vaccination rates in the 40-50% range. Despite good evidence, showing safety and incredible efficacy, we are seeing very disappointing refusal rates. Considering the next school year, what will place stress on our children? Masks? Quarantines? Social distancing? Limited capacity at sporting events? These safety measures are meant to help limit the spread in a community where widespread transmission has been established. What is the best intervention to help tame and stop widespread transmission? Vaccination. The proof is undeniable in the history of infectious disease (smallpox, polio, measles, influenza, the list goes on and on). The consensus seems that this is over and done. I can assure you that people are still being affected and families are still suffering unbearable loss. We may be going through a lull now, but if not dealt with, we may see a resurgence. Consider recent COVID-19 statistics. Greater than 97% of hospitalizations in Montana are unvaccinated people. Nationwide, greater than 99% of all deaths are among unvaccinated people. This has become a preventable disease with preventable deaths. It makes no sense that the calls to end this pandemic grow louder each day, yet we continue to reject the vaccines that can finish this pandemic off. It is my humble opinion that this responsibility falls upon the adult population. We have the ability to protect our children. We have the ability to take the risk (instead of our children). We have the scientific advancements to end masks and social distancing. And most importantly, We have the responsibility to fight this for our family and friends. Although our hospitalization rate has decreased and the health system is not in threat of being overrun, I can assure you that the pain and suffering to our brethren is still there. The stress on our health care team is still there. Help us end this pandemic. Help us get back to normal. Help us end the suffering. There is no question that COVID-19 has uprooted our lives over the past 18 months. Right now, we have an opportunity to safely return to a normal school year. We have any opportunity to safely return to life as usual. The personal benefits of vaccination are safe and proven and we owe it to our children to do everything at our disposal to provide them a safe and secure return to school, and a non-pandemic childhood. The ask is simple. Get vaccinated. Thank You. Kevin Harada Chief of staff Northern Montana Health Care It is that time of year when parents are shopping for school supplies and kids clothing. While you are focusing on back-to-school needs, make sure to schedule wellness checkups for your kids. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends annual checkups for children from age two to 18, according to a statement from ARH. As children head back to school, it is important to make sure they are healthy, said Meagan Cobb, DO, ARH Family Medicine. Its also a great time to prevent or catch actual health problems. During annual wellness exams, a healthcare provider can check your childs growth and development (height/weight) and make sure is on track for his or her age; discuss proper nutrition and exercise,; determine if vaccinations are up-to-date; screen vision and hearing and take urine and blood samples to make sure your child does not have a urinary tract infection and that the liver, kidneys and other organs are functioning properly. Healthcare providers will discuss with parents and their children the importance of healthy eating and sleeping habits and other behaviors that will help them maintain a healthy lifestyle. Studies have shown that children who eat a nutritious breakfast have a higher concentration in school and more energy, added Dr. Cobb. Getting enough sleep is also important. The National Sleep Foundation published a study by 18 sleep scientists and researchers in Sleep Health that shows the number of hours needed by ages. These numbers reflect total sleep hours in a 24-hour period, so if your child still naps, take that into account when you add up his or her typical sleep hours. Age three to five needs 10 to 13 hours of sleep Age six to 13 needs nine to 11 hours of sleep Age 14 to 17 needs eight to 10 hours of sleep Schedule an annual wellness checkup for your kids to insure they are healthy and ready to participate in school activities. For an ARH healthcare provider near you, go to, www.arh.org. Regulatory board rejects proposal to reopen Thos. Shepherd funeral home Thos. Shepherd & Son Funeral Directors, which has been shut down by state regulators since last November, is struggling in its effort to reopen. The North Carolina Board of Funeral Service last week declined to approve a consent order that had been negotiated by the boards general counsel and the 118-year-old funeral home, which has had its license suspended after an inspection in June of 2020 found numerous alleged violations. In a show-cause order the state board issued last October, an inspector documented the late filing of a death certificate, found inadequate upkeep of the crematory and detailed five consumer complaints from families who had used services at the funeral home. The Board of Funeral Service, which regulates the business of funeral homes and crematoriums, preneed contracts and other matters, took up a number of proposed consent orders on July 21, including one that would have allowed Shepherd to reopen under certain conditions, Stephen Davis, executive director of the funeral service board, said last week. The board deliberated and carefully reviewed all the elements of the proposed settlement but did not approve it, Davis said. The board will move to schedule a hearing on the suspension, though probably not in August because our docket is pretty full. It most likely would be September, possibly October, but were anxious to bring some kind of resolution to all this. They are still under a summary suspension of their at-need and preneed (services) and crematory. Davis said consent orders are not a public record until theyre approved by both parties and adopted by the funeral service board. He said he did not know the reasons the board declined to OK the settlement because he does not attend that part of the meetings. The board met in closed session to deliberate once they had a chance to hear from the Shepherds and their attorneys on the proposed consent order, he said. During closed session its limited simply to board members. I dont really know what their specific concerns were but they obviously did not find the proposed consent order acceptable. Its killing us physically, financially and emotionally Melody Shepherd, who has run the funeral business and crematory alongside her husband, Thomas R. Tom Shepherd, for more than 20 years, is not a licensed funeral director herself. The proposed consent order, she said, barred her from representing the funeral home in any capacity. The funeral home said in a response it submitted last November to the regulatory boards show cause order that because of serious health issues Tom Shepherd was not currently competent to address violations spelled out in the order. We had a hearing on Wednesday the 21st and they declined for us to open, Melody Shepherd said. I guess we have to appeal it again, I dont know. Tom is declining so much in health, this has bothered him so much. I dont know the next thing to do or what the next option is. I dont know. Theres a lot of people in funeral service that have done a whole lot worse than weve done and they turn their heads to that, she said. If they like you they like you and if they dont they dont. They wont even talk to me, she added. They dont like me because Im outspoken and I call them on things. Its a personal vendetta. Its me against them but its killing Tom and its killing us physically, financially and emotionally. Davis said the professional staff and board have no personal bias against the Hendersonville funeral business, nor any funeral home they regulate. That just is not true, he said of Shepherds accusation of a vendetta. The board considers consent orders on a regular basis whenever disciplinary matters come to its attention and require its deliberation. The board is exercising its statutory authority to oversee and regulate in this case a funeral home that has a number of complaints and allegations against it. Theyre being deliberate and certainly being fair because the Shepherds and their attorneys have had ample opportunity to present their case. The board never acts on personalities, he added. In fact when cases come before the board in the form of a disciplinary report in a regular board meeting, the board doesnt know, other than just a number, an individual or a funeral home. Theyre identified by a case number. Of course, in this case they did know because were beyond the board just getting a report from the disciplinary committee. Theyre now deliberating. But theres no vendetta of any kind. County Commissioner Michael Edney, a friend of the Shepherd family, reported to his fellow commissioners last week that things had improved at Shepherd Memorial Park, which had been the subject of complaints from families in May about cemetery upkeep and access. They now have four fulltime employees, Edney said. Theyre going through some reorganizational type things to make sure everything is as good as it can be and improve where they need to make improvements and theyre trying to be open and transparent in working with folks to let everybody know that things are over the hump and heading in the right direction. Everythings looking good. Edney did not comment on the status of the funeral homes license. Attorney Jon Yarbrough, who represented the Shepherds at last weeks Board of Funeral Service hearing, said Tuesday he would have to speak with his clients before he could talk about the next steps in their case. Lifting mask mandate, Cooper presses vaccination campaign Gov. Roy Cooper announced Thursday that, although statewide mask mandates will still expire today according to recent guidance, his administration is launching vaccination verification requirements for Cabinet agencies and a general campaign to encourage other government entities and private businesses toward similar vaccination requirements. This virus is now much more contagious and spreading fast, and it will find you if you're not vaccinated," Cooper stated to lead off his latest COVID-19 media briefing. Later, asked if he would go as far as calling the unvaccinated "irresponsible," he replied, Yes, I would. Announced hastily after suddenly changing currents on masks and vaccination among federal health authorities and the Biden administration, many North Carolinians wondered if Thursdays press conference would mark a quick return of recently eliminated mask mandates. That reversal did not come, as Cooper and Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said, People know what to do, when it comes to masks. What Cooper did bring is an aggressive push for vaccination campaigns and an aggressive tone for those who have not taken the vaccine. Of the unvaccinated, the governor and secretary announced new strongly worded guidance, stopping short of a mandate, that says the unvaccinated should mask in all indoor public settings, practice social distancing of at least six feet, should not gather with other unvaccinated people, and that they should not travel at all. The stepped-up push for vaccination most notably includes new vaccination verification requirements for all Cabinet agency employees. Effective Sept. 1, the new executive order will require said employees to verify their vaccination status. Further, the unvaccinated employees will be required to get tested for COVID-19 at least once a week while also being required to wear a mask at all times on the job. "If they refuse to do that, there will be some consequences, Cooper said. The Cooper administration sent a letter Thursday to all employees of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services saying that all facility employees, volunteer, students, trainees, contracted, and temporary employees must be fully vaccinated by September 30, 2021. Those employees that have been infected by, and recovered from the coronavirus, were not addressed in Thursdays press conference. North Carolinians, in general, with such natural immunity, have thus far not factored into changing guidance on masks and vaccination. In May, the N.C. House passed legislation that would ban a government agency from mandating a vaccine as a condition of employment or licensing. House Bill 572 is currently awaiting action in the Senate Rules Committee. Cooper said while his authority extends only to Cabinet agencies under his direct authority, he hopes other state agencies and departments will follow his lead. It's unclear how many will, in fact, follow the governors lead in requiring vaccination verification, testing, and masking. Leadership differences in how agencies approach pandemic policies are bound to factor into those decisions, especially among the Council of State. Each elected council member oversees staff who are not subject to Cooper's direct authority. When it comes to unvaccinated residents, Cooper had a much more aggressive tone. After he and Cohen reviewed slides showing recent spikes in cases across much of the state, the governor expressed solidarity with those vaccinated citizens frustrated with the unvaccinated, and encouraged them to channel that anger toward pressuring their friends and family to get vaccinated. "Many vaccinated people are frustrated and mad; you've been doing your part, Cooper said. Channel that frustration toward pushing your unvaccinated family and friends to get the shot." He also encouraged private businesses to channel their resources into coordinated vaccination requirements, such as verification, masking of the unvaccinated, or employee vaccine mandates, asserting, being a good corporate citizen means getting your people vaccinated." Cohen echoed the message. There is only one way out of this pandemic and that is vaccination," she said. "Our trends are accelerating at an alarmingly fast rate and the highest rates of viral spread are happening in areas with low vaccination rates and among those who are not fully vaccinated. If you are already vaccinated, I call on you to urge your unvaccinated family and friends to get their shot now. It is not an understatement to say that you will save lives by doing so. Pandemic puts kids months behind in reading, math, study says A new report is shedding light on the academic, social, and mental-health damage caused by school closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A McKinsey & Co. report released Tuesday examined test scores for 1.6 million elementary school students across 40 states in spring 2021 and contrasted the results with scores for students before the pandemic. The results: On average, pandemic-era children are four months behind in reading and five months behind in math. Students who are minorities or those who come from low-income householders suffered the most. Kids in majority-black schools were six months behind in reading and math, on average, while kids at schools with an average income below $25,000 a year were seven months behind in math and six months in reading. Moreover, McKinsey found that high-school students were more likely to drop out of school and that high-school seniors particularly from low-income families were less likely to go on to attend college. The learning losses have an economic impact, as well. Our analysis suggests that, unless steps are taken to address unfinished learning, todays students may earn $49,000 to $61,000 less over their lifetime owing to the impact of the pandemic on their schooling, the authors wrote. The impact on the U.S. economy could amount to $128 billion to $188 billion every year as this cohort enters the workforce. Lower earnings, lower levels of education attainment, less innovation all of these lead to decreased economic productivity, the authors added. By 2040 the majority of this cohort of K-12 students will be in the workforce. We anticipate a potential annual GDP loss of $128 billion to $188 billion from pandemic-related unfinished learning. Academic declines werent the only bad news. The report showed that 35% of parents are very or extremely concerned with their childs mental health and social wellbeing. Parents also reported increases in behaviors such as social withdrawal, self-isolation, lethargy, and irrational fears among their teens. In North Carolina, a majority of public school students failed to pass end-of-course tests in fall 2020, an indication of learning losses due to remote-only instruction. Stories from parents across the state show that it could be years before students recover academically, particularly for students with special needs, and the impacts extend to mental health, as well. In March, Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper and Republican lawmakers reached a deal on reopening public schools for in-person instruction. The compromise plan returned most decision-making autonomy to local school boards. A month later, lawmakers and Cooper found agreement again on two bills designed to address pandemic-caused learning losses. The first, House Bill 82, requires all public school districts to offer a minimum of six weeks of in-person summer school this year. The second, Senate Bill 387, makes key updates to the 2013 Read to Achieve law, built around ensuring students are reading proficiently by third grade. The bill switches literacy instruction from a look-and-say method to the phonetic method. Bar issues disciplinary order to city attorney unrelated to city role The North Carolina State Bar issued an order of discipline against City Attorney Angela Beeker for actions relating to the closing her private practice in 2010, the city announced in a news release Friday morning. The order was issued as a result of Beekers self-reporting the escheatment of trust account funds that were not timely disbursed when she closed her real estate practice in 2010. The order imposes an inactive three-year suspension of her law license conditioned on compliance with certain conditions. Absence of prior discipline, absence of dishonest or selfish motive, remorse regarding the matter, full disclosure to the Disciplinary Hearing Commission and a cooperative attitude toward the proceedings were all factors considered in the case, the city said. Beeker disbursed or refunded all escheated funds from her personal funds. Ms. Beeker has been an asset to the City and has been instrumental in the Citys accomplishments since her appointment in September 2020, City Manager John Connet said in the news release. She made City Council aware of this matter before the complaint was filed or the matter was heard by the Hearing Panel. Based on circumstances and the conditions of the order, City Council has determined that this will not impact her ability to continue serving as City Attorney. Important to City Council was Ms. Beekers self-reporting, acceptance of responsibility for this matter, and the other mitigating factors outlined in the order. I sincerely apologize to everyone affected by this matter and deeply regret any negative reflection that this may have on other members of the legal profession, Beeker said in a statement. I am truly grateful to the City Council for its support, and I look forward to moving past this and continuing to serve this City of Hendersonville. When asked why Ms. Beeker reported herself to the state bar after such a long period of time, she replied, It was the right thing to do, I felt it was the right thing to do. Free access for current print subscribers As a home delivery subscriber, you get free unlimited digital access to premium content on HenryHerald.com, including local news, local sports, obituaries, legal notices, local features, and the e-edition. All you need is your print subscription account number and your last name. Don't know your subscription number? Email access@henryherald.com with your delivery address. Activate your account now. Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email customercare@heraldandnews.com for help creating one. Billy James Daniel, 85, of Wolfe City, passed away on July 23, 2021 at Oak Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Commerce, with his family by his side. Billy was born in Wolfe City, Texas on July 13, 1936, the son of Samuel Daniel and Eliza Phillips Daniel. He began his career in the gr Copyright 2021 at Sun Newspapers/ APG Media of East Central Minnesota. Digital dissemination of this content without prior written consent is a violation of federal law and may be subject to legal action. A popular to-go art bag is coming back over the weekend at ArtSpace/Lima. The bags will have Lego pieces and paint inside to create 2d and 3d art projects. Thank you! You've reported this item as a violation of our terms of use. This content was contributed by a user of the site. If you believe this content may be in violation of the terms of use, you may report it. Undrafted Winthrop guard Chandler Vaudrin is joining the Cavaliers for Summer League play and will sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the team, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). Vaudrin who grew up in Uniontown, Ohio filled up the stat sheet with 12.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and 6.9 APG in 25 games (31.6 MPG) as a senior at Winthrop in 2020/21. He spent his last two college seasons at Winthrop after playing for the Division II Walsh Cavaliers from 2016-18. Vaudrin was the Big South Player of the Year in 2020/21. While Vaudrin seems unlikely to make the Cavs regular season roster next season, its possible the team envisions him playing for its G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge. His Exhibit 10 contract would make him eligible to earn a bonus of up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Charge. The Jazz have agreed to sign undrafted rookie MaCio Teague to an Exhibit 10 contract, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). After beginning his college career at UNC Asheville, Teague transferred to Baylor for his junior year and played a key role on the 2021 national champions as a senior. The 64 guard was the Bears second-leading scorer with 15.9 PPG on .478/.395/.831 shooting in 30 games (31.7 MPG). He also chipped in 4.0 RPG and 1.7 APG. An Exhibit 10 deal should give Teague the opportunity to attend training camp with the Jazz. While he may be a long shot for a regular season roster spot, the 24-year-old could be converted to a two-way contract or might become an affiliate player for Utahs G League club, the Salt Lake City Stars. Reopening 30 July 2021 The Jaffa, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Tel Aviv will re-open its doors on 1 August 2021, welcoming guests back to its historic luxury property overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The award-winning hotel which opened in 2018 by Aby Rosen, owner and founder of RFR Holding, looks forward to once again hosting guests and locals alike. A landmark 19th century neo-Roman, former French hospital and monastery, The Jaffa was completely restored for over a decade by renowned British designer John Pawson in collaboration with local conservationist and architect Ramy Gill. Pawson brings his signature minimalist style to The Jaffa, juxtaposing the building's grand history and seamlessly blending old with new. A unique opportunity to develop a luxury hotel and residences in one of the world's most ancient port cities, RFR Holding and the team of restoration experts came together to create one of the most amazing properties in the longest continuously inhabited city in the world. A city with over 4000 years of history, Old Jaffa is going through a tremendous luxury renaissance with its developments in the port and flea market. The old city's small alleyways house tiny art galleries in ancient stone structures, bohemian bars, local fashion boutiques and design ateliers, antique markets, and multi-layered architecture. Now Open 30 July 2021 Hyatt Place Ekaterinburg, the second Hyatt branded property in Ekaterinburg is officially open, expanding the Hyatt Place brand's footprint globally in markets that matter most to guests and World of Hyatt members. The new hotel features the Hyatt Place brand's intuitive design, casual atmosphere and practical amenities, such as free Wi-Fi and 24-hour food offerings. The hotel has been developed by LLC Hotel Development Company. Because Hyatt's efforts are grounded in listening and fueled by care, Hyatt Place hotels combine style, innovation and 24/7 conveniences to create an easy to navigate experience for today's multi-tasking traveler. Conveniently located in the city center, Hyatt Place Ekaterinburg welcomes business and leisure travelers alike. The city of Ekaterinburg is one of the major gateways between Europe and Asia and an important stop along the famous Trans-Siberian Railway. Being in the fourth largest city in Russia, Hyatt Place Ekaterinburg's opening marks a significant milestone in Hyatt's growth strategy. Hyatt Place Ekaterinburg offers: Appointment 30 July 2021 Willard InterContinental Washington, D.C. proudly announces the appointment of Julia H. Rapley as director of catering and conference services for the 335-room iconic hotel located at 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. Rapley will spearhead the catering sales and conference services for the luxury hotel's catering department. Julia brings more than 30 years of hospitality experience in sales, catering, and conference services for luxury and lifestyle hotels across the country. Rapley has secured and executed an impressive number of high-profile events throughout her career. Rapley joins Willard InterContinental Washington, D.C. after serving as a director of catering and events for a luxury hotel in Washington, D.C., and a vice president of sales and event planning at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. Julia's hospitality career began in 1990 at Century Plaza Hotel and Tower in Los Angeles, CA, where she started as a convention services manager. Julia then moved to Hawaii, where she became a catering and conference services director, and later - to Pasadena, CA, and Washington, D.C. Rapley then joined the Winter Olympics team in Salt Lake City, UT, followed by settling back in Washington, D.C. Julia earned a bachelor's degree at Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. Native to Washington, D.C., Julia enjoys nature, long walks in her neighborhood, and visiting the National Zoo. Press Release 30 July 2021 Sandpiper Hospitality a Virginia-based hotel management company whose vast expertise is in the extended-stay segment is continuing its strong growth trajectory with the addition of the Suburban Extended Stay Hotels brand to its roster. Advertisements Sandpiper Hospitality is now managing the Suburban Extended Stay Hotel Camp Lejeune, NC hotel in Jacksonville, under the Choice Hotels chain. Sandpiper Hospitality is thrilled to add the Suburban brand to our quickly expanding portfolio, said President & CEO Jim Darter. Additionally, we look forward to continuing to expand our partnership with Choice Hotels with the addition of new hotels and markets in the immediate future. Approved by Marriott International, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Choice Hotels and Extended Stay America to manage their select-service and extended stay brands, Sandpiper Hospitality now has a portfolio of 47 open and managed hotels in 13 different states. Sandpiper Hospitality also manages 27 WoodSpring Suites properties across the country as a part of the Choice Hotels franchise system. We have a long-standing, successful relationship with Sandpiper and are thrilled be working with them on this additional brand, said Anna Scozzafava, Vice President of Extended Stay Brands, Strategy & Operations for Choice Hotels. Sandpiper is a top partner who has delivered excellent results in the flourishing extended stay segment. Sandpiper Hospitality continues to demonstrate its unique ability to combine a flexible approach to 3rd-party management with extra-ordinary financial results for its investors and clients. Located in Jacksonville, the apartment-style Suburban Extended Stay Hotel provides easy access to Camp Lejeune and the Salvation Armys Camp Walter Johnson Retreat and Conference Center. Each of the 117 rooms features cozy beds, flat-screen TVs, desks and a fully equipped kitchen. Amenities at the economy extended stay hotel include free WiFi, a business center, meeting space, guest laundry, a large fitness center and an outdoor pool. For more information, please visit www.choicehotels.com/north-carolina/jacksonville/suburban-hotels/nc616. Sandpiper Hospitality has aggressive plans for further expansion in the extended stay hotel segment, as well as into additional market tiers, including additional new properties in Colorado, Florida, Texas and Nevada. For more information, please visit www.sandpiperhospitality.com. Press Release 30 July 2021 ALL Accor Live Limitless reveals the latest challenge in its #LimitlessChallenges campaign. The winner was able to challenge Paris Saint-Germain player Ander Herrera to a race through Pullman Paris Montparnasse hotel. The main partner and sponsor of the Paris Saint-Germain jersey invited the winner to a simply extraordinary meeting, behind the scenes at the future flagship of the Pullman brand. Advertisements ALL - Accor Live Limitless, Accors loyalty programme and booking platform, launched a campaign at the start of the year offering its members the opportunity to challenge Paris Saint- Germain players based on their own passions. Through the #LimitlessChallenges operation, ALL - Accor Live Limitless enables its members to enjoy exceptional experiences in the hotels within its brand portfolio. Today, a champion driver had the chance to challenge the midfielder Ander Herrera to a one-of-a-kind kart rate while taking us behind the scenes at the future Pullman Pars Montparnasse hotel! It is within this hotel, which is opening soon, that ALL - Accor Live Limitless organised this latest episode in a surreal setting. Smoke, flags, crazy karts, everything you need to recreate the unique atmosphere of a kart race. All while battling it out, the winner and the player got an exclusive look at the hotel: a room on the 29th floor was turned into the paddock for the event, the hotels spectacular Grand Ballroom became a veritable kart racing circuit and the finish line was on the rooftop, a bar 115 metres up with exceptional 180 views that will soon be the hippest in Paris. An immersive sporting event in the capitals next place to be. The Pullman Paris Montparnasse is opening soon. Its contemporary and high-end design, its new service offerings, its dining concepts that are unique in Europe and its strategic location at the centre of Paris, make this hotel the new standard for the Pullman brand. Inspiring, connected and urban, this new hotel promises a limitless experience. An unforgettable moment for these two speed lovers and a unique opportunity to discover Pullmans new crown jewel before it opens. Another experience that demonstrates what ALL - Accor Live Limitless offers its members in the Groups various hotels on a daily basis, and that epitomises a new vision of hospitality that goes beyond mere accommodation. This event was held in compliance with sanitary measures. The participants were first tested for Covid-19. About ALL - Accor Live Limitless ALL - Accor Live Limitless is a daily lifestyle companion. ALL harnesses and enhances the brands, services and partnerships offered by Accors ecosystem. ALL delivers meaningful experiences and rewards to its most engaged customers while enabling them to work, live, and play, far beyond their stay, at home and around the world. Thanks to this rich value proposition, Accor is bringing its Augmented Hospitality strategy to life with new digital platforms, iconic partnerships (credit cards, mobility, airlines, entertainment with AEG, IMG, Paris Saint-Germain) and a global roll-out plan for all its guests and 68 million loyalty members. The average natural gas bill in Houston could triple next year unless state regulators step in to ease the financial burden, after natural gas prices spiked during the February freeze. CenterPoint Energy and a dozen other utilities statewide filed applications Friday that, if approved, would allow the state to issue bonds for the utilities to spread over the 30 years the $3.6 billion cost of natural gas during the winter storm. If CenterPoints application is approved, the average natural gas bill in the Houston area of about $30 a month would increase by $2 to $5 starting next year. If the request is rejected, CenterPoint said it would have to levy a monthly fee of as high as $40, pushing the average gas bill to almost $80 during summer and to more than $100 in winter. We share the frustration that our customers have over the natural gas price spikes, said Jason Ryan, CenterPoints senior vice president of regulatory services and government affairs. We know this is not a good outcome for them. Weve been advocating to get to the best bad outcome that we could get to, and then working to make sure this never happens again. More than 1.8 million CenterPoint customers in the Houston area are on the hook for the $1.14 billion natural gas bill incurred by the utility when it was forced to buy natural gas when production plummeted during the winter storm. Natural gas wells and pipelines, which until this year were not required to be weatherized, froze and lost pressure during the storm, causing production to fall by almost half just as Texans were cranking up thermostats to stay warm. As a result, natural gas prices in the Houston area rose as high as $400 per Dekatherm, compared with average market prices of around $3 per Dekatherm. Dekatherm is a unit of energy used primarily to measure natural gas. On HoustonChronicle.com: Regulators knew of freeze risk to Texas' natural gas system. It still crippled power generation. To ease the financial burden on customers, CenterPoint and other utilities lobbied the Texas Legislature to pass House Bill 1520, which allows natural gas utilities to seek Railroad Commission approval for financing to recover the increased cost of natural gas during the winter storm. CenterPoint used such financing to recoup repair costs after Hurricane Ike in 2008. If Texas natural gas regulators approve CenterPoints application, the Texas Public Financing Authority will issue customer rate relief bonds on the utilitys behalf to spread the natural gas cost over a period of 10 years. After the bond matures in 10 years, the natural gas rate increase to pay down the bond would go away. If the Railroad Commission doesnt approve CenterPoints application, the utility said it would rely on a purchased gas adjustment fee to recoup the costs of natural gas, which would increase customer bills by $15 to $40 a month. We already have the ability to recover these (natural gas) costs through a rate mechanism thats been in place for a number of years, but we just dont think its the right way to recover these costs from the customers we have the privilege to serve, Ryan said. The existing rate mechanism would be unaffordable for a number of our communities. So instead of recovering these costs over 12 months, we would recover these costs over potentially a decade or longer. CenterPoint, which distributes electricity and natural gas to Houston-area customers, buys most of its natural gas through long-term contracts. If demand spikes, it buys natural gas on the spot market, as it did during the storm. The utility passes along the cost of the natural gas without any markup. The company makes money from its natural gas business through distribution fees regulated by the state to pay for infrastructure, such as natural gas meters and compression stations. On HoustonChronicle.com: UT report: Failure of natural gas system 'exacerbated' winter storm blackouts The utility has some natural gas storage facilities to address supply shortfalls, and said it pulled as much natural gas from its storage as it could before buying gas on the spot market. Ultimately, no CenterPoint customer residential or business customer lost natural gas service during the storm, Ryan said. The Railroad Commission began accepting applications Friday from utilities interested in using the securitization financing. If applications are approved, the Texas Public Financing Authority will likely start issuing bonds in the first half of next year. Thats when customers will see larger natural gas bills. CenterPoint said it actively pursued claims against its natural gas suppliers to reduce its natural gas bill as much as possible. In addition to lobbying for the special financing, the company was the only natural gas utility to advocate for natural gas producers to weatherize wells and supply chains. The utility also lobbied Congress to increase funding for the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, a bill payment assistance program. Centerpoint customers who have difficulty paying their natural gas bill can request a payment plan or extension by calling 713-659-2111 or 800-752-8036 or by visiting CenterPointEnergy.com/PaymentAssistance. paul.takahashi@chron.com twitter.com/paultakahashi Chemical-maker Huntsman Corp. on Friday said profit and revenues rose in the second quarter as the industry rebounds from the coronavirus pandemic. The Woodlands company said it earned a $156 million profit in the second quarter, swinging from a loss of $62 million during the same period a year earlier. Revenue increased to $2.02 billion, a 38 percent increase from $1.25 billion in the second quarter of 2020. Chemical company LyondellBasell on Friday reported a second-quarter profit as the economy continues to bounce back from the ongoing pandemic. The earnings news follows a deadly chemical leak at the LyondellBasell La Porte plant Tuesday that killed two and injured 30. Investigators said they believe a cap burst on a pressurized line of acetic acid. That acid burns skin and is toxic when breathed in. It was also mixed with other chemicals that can cause fluid to build up in the lungs. During the Friday earnings call, CEO Bob Patel addressed the incident. "I would like to acknowledge the sadness we're feeling throughout the LyondellBasell family after a tragic incident this week at our La Porte facility, which resulted in the death of two contractors and injuries to several additional contractors and employees," Patel said. "Every day we work diligently to ensure that our colleagues, friends and, most importantly, the families of our employees and contractors, never have to receive the calls that went out last Tuesday evening notifying them of the loss or injury of a loved one. Patel said a company investigation is underway. "It will be some time before we reach a conclusive determination regarding the cause of the incident," Patel said. "Our sincere condolences go out to the families of the two men lost in the incident and we pray for a fast and full recovery for all of the injured." The company, with headquarters in Houston and Rotterdam, said it made $2.06 billion in the second quarter, compared with a $314 million profit during the same period in 2020. Revenue more than doubled to $11.56 billion in the period from $5.55 billion in the second quarter of 2020. EARNINGS: Valero reports $162 million profit in second quarter Strong demand for LyondellBasells olefins and polyolefins segments helped boost the bottom line, LyondellBasell CEO Bob Patel said in the release. Olefins are used in materials for plastics, detergents and adhesives, and polyolefins are used in the production of plastic bottles. Persistent consumer and industrial demand coming out of the pandemic, a volatile 2020 hurricane season and February's winter storm have led to seven consecutive months of price increases for North American polyethylene, used for plastic bags and films, totaling more than $900 per ton, Chief Financial Officer Michael McMurray said during the earnings call. Polyolefin results increased by about $400 million during the second quarter as robust demand and tight markets drove higher prices and margins for polyethylene and polypropylene, according to McMurray. LyondellBasell's total gasoline and distillate demand in June was within 5 percent of pre-pandemic levels. But profit margins for refined products is lagging due to decreased demand for jet fuel, associated with business and international travel. "Jet fuel demand remains stubbornly below pre pandemic levels," McMurray said during the call. Houston's nightlife is about to get two major upgrades. Houston-based SEKAI Hospitality has announced plans for two new sprawling clubs that will elevate Houston into a "day and nightlife nirvana," according to a release. EXCLUSIVE: Inside Louis Vuitton's Houston Galleria men's store, the first in Texas The company's first concept, WYLD CHLD, will be a boutique nightclub located at 922 Washington Avenue. International designer Marc Dizon, who has worked on projects such as the famous Hakkasan Las Vegas, will design the project. Boasting 7,500 square feet, WYLD CHLD will offer a main floor and stage, patio and rooftop terrace that promises a luxury experience in an intimate setting. It is set to open in the early fall of 2021. The company also plans to open a "mega" club in Houston's East End around the same time. SEKAI DAY AND NIGHT will take over a 26,000 square foot warehouse at 1505 Saint Emanuel Street. Main features include a 36-foot main bar, 27 VIP tables and stadium-style seating; a 1,000-square-foot resort pool with 16 cabanas; 17 VIP couches and ten day beds. Egypt-based firm Studio Five will head the design, which will offer a "festival-like feeling of sights and sounds." Houston has gained international awareness for its food, cultural offerings and parks, and we want to create that same excitement and destination appeal for its daylife and nightlife offerings, said SEKAI Hospitality Co-Managing Partner Sal Wise. The company will host a job fair for both ventures, with positions ranging from runners and servers to managers and VIP hosts. The fair will run 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. August 16-18 at 212 Waugh Drive. Applications are also available online. rebecca.hennes@chron.com Metro Video A man fatally shot his wife and wounded her two children late Thursday at a home in the Katy area, authorities said. Harris County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested the man, identified as Lawrence Reed, after a brief standoff. He is expected to be charged with murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Authorities said Reed shot the three about 8:50 p.m. at or near the house in the 2700 block of Roaring Oaks Lane in the Morton Ranch community. He had barricaded himself inside the house when deputies with the Harris County Sheriff's Office arrived, said Senior Deputy Thomas Gilliland, a spokesman for the office. A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after President Joe Bidens administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 Vermont: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? Vermont is one of several states that enacted its own moratorium last year halting eviction proceedings. The law, passed in May 2020, paused all evictions in Vermont until 30 days after the state of emergency was lifted. It was declared by Gov. Phil Scott in March 2020 to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. The state of emergency was allowed to expire on June 15, after the state reached its goal of vaccinating 80% of its eligible population. The Vermont eviction moratorium expired on July 15. Vermont has seen little impact from the federal eviction moratorium, said Kathleen Berk, the executive director of the Vermont State Housing Authority. The federal moratorium only applied to nonpayment of rent situations and the tenant had to request coverage under the federal moratorium. For Vermont that means tenants have started receiving court summons and eviction documents, Berk said. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? On April 5, 2021, The Vermont Emergency Rental Assistance Program began administering $110 million for the Vermont State Housing Authority. It is accepting applications from tenants and landlords. Tenants can pay back rent to April 1, 2020, and utility bills that include electric, gas, fuel oil, wood and pellets. To qualify, a household must have an income at or below 80% of the median income for the area where they live. Landlords can be paid directly for both back and, in some cases, future rent. As of July 28, 2,635 households, or just over 48% of the households that applied, had received a total of almost $11.9 million in assistance. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? As the moratoriums ends, there is going to be a backlog of eviction cases in the court system. In Vermont, eviction cases are handled like any other civil case, Berk said. Meaning that the tenants are served with a summons and complaint, the tenants then have 21 days to respond to the paperwork. The soonest cases were served was July 19, so the 21-day period has not passed. For any case that requested a rent escrow hearing, those are being scheduled at the end of August and beginning of September. Pre-COVID, an eviction in Vermont would take three to four months from the time it was filed with the court, Berk said. This is not a fast process here." The courts were already understaffed, but Vermont State Rep. Tom Stevens, a Democrat who is chair of the House Committee on General, Housing and Military Affairs, said he hoped the rental assistance programs will ease the strain on the courts and the evictions. Considering that upward of 75% of eviction cases pre-COVID-19 were about back rent, one would hope that the landlords and tenants would be able to work out a solution so they could both access this program, which is very, very generous, Stevens said. WHAT IS THE AFFORDABILITY IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? The pandemic made Vermonts already tight housing market even tighter, with owners in some places converting their apartments into short-term rentals. According to the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition, in 2018 the state had a 3.4% rental vacancy rate the fifth-lowest in the country. Almost half of Vermont renters are cost burdened, meaning they pay more than 30% of their income for housing. The average Vermonter needs to earn $23.68 an hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment, but the average Vermont renter earns $13.83 an hour. We are not approaching a housing crisis, we have a housing crisis, said Stevens. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? Its hard to say how much homelessness will increase in Vermont. One indication of the scope of the problem is census data from early July showing residents of 626 Vermont households said they felt it was very likely they could be facing eviction within the next two months while 1,029 felt it was somewhat likely they could be facing eviction. At a certain point one has to wonder: Is Gov. Greg Abbott, who nominally works for the 29 million people of Texas, serious about putting an end to the coronavirus pandemic? We all know that the Lone Star State has experienced some setbacks in dealing with this horrid plague, namely the emergence of the highly transmissible delta variant as the state grapples with lagging vaccination rates. On Wednesday, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis, more than 10,000 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported to the Department of State Health Services the largest single-day jump since mid-February. And across Texas, 5,662 people were hospitalized. And here comes Abbott, a Republican, bravely into the breach, responding by...imposing further limits on the capacity of local officials to take action in response to this tragedy. On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston pediatrician warns parents to take COVID 'very seriously' with children's hospitals full The governor on Thursday issued an executive order barring local governments from imposing mask mandates or the like, even in areas where COVID patients account for 15 percent of hospital capacity over the course of seven straight days. The order also reiterates that cities and counties cant mandate vaccines, and it bars any public entity or recipient of taxpayer money from asking about a consumers vaccination status. The new Executive Order emphasizes that the path forward relies on personal responsibility rather than government mandates, Abbott said in a written statement. Texans have mastered the safe practices that help to prevent and avoid the spread of COVID-19. If thats the case, why are hospitalizations on the rise? Its not the case, of course. A majority of Texans exemplify personal responsibility. I suspect we nonetheless all know one or two people who are, shall we say, a little more cavalier in their dealings with a highly transmissible virus that has claimed the lives of more than 53,000 Texans. And, thanks to those folks, it will be impossible to rely on personal responsibility alone to achieve herd immunity and move beyond this crisis without unnecessary illness and loss of life especially since children under age 12 arent eligible to be vaccinated. This is beyond inaction this is the governor tying the hands of health experts who are trying to keep Texans healthy as cases and hospitalizations increase, said state Rep. Donna Howard, a Democrat from Austin and a nurse by profession. Abbotts defenders might point out that the new order changes little, since the governor had already tied the hands of local officials in a number of ways. But by the same token it certainly doesnt accomplish anything, other than illustrating that Abbotts decision-making is still driven by GOP primary politics, or the hope of future Fox News hits, even as the delta variant has demonstrably changed the landscape. The governors leadership has been lackadaisical at best throughout the course of the pandemic, and that adjective is probably far too charitable. Whatever the explanation for Abbotts latest move, its not one that will pass muster with the Texans who have already lost loved ones to this virus or with those who will now have to sit by helplessly, as more people needlessly suffer and die. erica.grieder@chron.com This Leon Hale column was originally published in the Houston Post on July 30, 1962. *** Anytime I am near San Marcos in the hottest part of a summer day I like to stop off at the Aquarena on Spring Lake, because it is shady there, and cool, and a person can see many interesting sights. Then there are pleasant diversions, such as the chickens that do a little dance for a dime, and there are fish that you can feed by placing a nickel in a fish food dispenser, and sometimes the machine goes on the blink and dispenses fish food even when you don't put in the nickel, and at such times the fish get fed more than they care to eat. Also the Aquarena people have installed a booth where for 15 cents a citizen can test how he might make out in an Old West gunfight. The way this works, they have this large, mean-looking dummy, man-sized and dressed all in black as mean gunfighters should be, and he is rigged up electronically so that he talks and draws his sidearm and fires at you. So a customer pays his 15 cents and squares off against this dummy, and when the dummy yells draw the customer reaches down and yanks a pistol out of a scabbard that is mounted there on the firing line and blasts away at the dummy. This pistol shoots a small cork pellet, and the object is to hit the dummy before he can get his own pistol out of his scabbard and squeeze off a shot. Just like for real, and three draws for 15 cents. If you happen to hit the dummy in the chest before he gets off his own shot, his eyes light up and he moans and groans something awful, as if he has actually caught a slug in a vital spot. If you miss, he gives you the horse laugh, and calls you a dude and a polecat and several other uncomplimentary terms, and tries to needle you into spending another 15 cents. Well, the dummy was doing a very good business when I came to his booth, with plenty of shooters standing there ready to pay their money and take their chance. They were mostly youngsters, but I noticed a short fellow of maybe 50 in Bermuda shorts and a two-toned cap like tourists are apt to wear, and he kept hanging around the dummy's establishment, and hanging around, and watching the action. A couple of times the attendant who takes the money invited him to shoot, but he grinned a little and refused, as if it was all a silly business and nothing that a grown man should have any part of. But I noticed he still hung around, and it was plain his trigger finger was just about to itch off. Because I expect there is not a man in long pants, or Bermuda shorts either, who really wouldn't like to know how he might have stacked up in a draw-down back in the days of Wyatt Earp when people were shooting each other in the streets. Well, the customers thinned out, and I strolled on over to where the fish were waiting to be fed, but all the time keeping one eye on the short fellow. And sure enough when everybody was gone he looked back over his shoulder to see if anybody was watching, and then he stepped up and paid his money and blasted away at the dummy and seemed to enjoy it all very much. Now the truth is that the dummy is pretty slouchy on the draw. He is not fast at all, and it is easy to beat him out of the leather. The trouble is that most customers get nervous and shoot too fast and neglect to aim. If you will just take your time, and keep a steady hand, you can beat that dummy. I know this because after the short fellow got through I went back and tried it. I blasted that dummy right in the bread basket two out of three times. Nobody is going to call me a dude and a polecat and get away with it. Police have arrested a man accused of fatally beating and stabbing another in June and then setting fire to the body in east Houston, according to authorities. Jose Ivan Mendoza-Hernandez was charged this week with murder in the death of 49-year-old Jesus Salgado, whom a witness found burning alive June 7 along a grassy field in the 1900 block of Dorsett, near Cargill Street. Family members soon reported him as missing, not knowing that he had been attacked and later died. Angela Bonilla said her uncle was diabetic and her family often checked on him. He was scheduled to visit his children in Washington state. I called every single hospital, Bonilla said. What she did not know was that her uncle had been hospitalized under another alias. Authorities identified him as Salgado, but she knew him as Leon Arteaga Roman which is also how the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences identified him. We didnt get to say goodbye, she said. An autopsy found stab wounds, as well as burns to 80 percent of the mans body, according to court records. Investigators said they believe Mendoza-Hernandez stabbed and beat Salgado before setting him ablaze. A witness extinguished the fire and Salgado died about a week later, police said. Investigators found surveillance footage from the night Salgado was found. A truck drove up to the secluded street in the Port of Houston neighborhood around midnight. A bright flare could be seen about 25 minutes later. The family saw a photo of Salgado circulating in news reports and helped a Houston police detective tie him to their missing person case lodged with the Harris County Sheriffs Office. The investigators on the case went to Salgados trailer in the 14000 block of FM 529 and found possible traces of blood. Neighbors then told investigators what happened the night Salgado was attacked. A witness said Salgado was drinking with two men one of whom had two different colored eyes. Another witness said one of the eyes was glass. That man was believed to be Mendoza-Hernandez, records show. A fight erupted at the trailer, with Salgado at one point slapping Mendoza-Hernandez in the face. One of the men tried to diffuse the fight but Salgado fell to the ground, according to court documents. The two men left with Salgado, who was partially unconscious, in a truck similar to what was seen in the surveillance footage. The vehicle drove away with the headlights turned off, authorities said. Court records state that Mendoza-Hernandez worked with another man to bring Salgado to the secluded street. Should he make bail, he was ordered not to have contact with the other man. Documents related to a warrant for his arrest were not publicly available. Police said they believe that man drove the truck and helped Mendoza-Hernandez drag Salgado to the grass. From there, he doused him with gasoline and set him on fire, according to court records. This is the worst way to die being burnt all over, Bonilla said. Police on Tuesday arrested Mendoza-Hernandez and a magistrate ordered that he be jailed on a $250,000 bond. He pleaded guilty in 2015 to a misdemeanor assault of a family member charge. nicole.hensley@chron.com Houston police say they have identified the alleged gunman in the road-rage shooting death of a Houston teenager after an Astros game earlier this month. The department says it is searching for Gerald Wayne Williams, 34, who is charged with murder in the death of 17-year-old David Castro. Police previously have said the killer followed the Castro familys car on Interstate 10 for miles after encountering them inching through traffic outside Minute Maid Park on July 6. Williams allegedly fired at the back of the car, striking Castro, who later died at a hospital. Williams was convicted in 2008 of aggravated robbery and aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, according to charging documents in the murder case. The documents say Williams and Castros father got into an argument outside the stadium after Williams cut off their truck as they were leaving downtown, the father told police. He then followed them, and the father said he drove fast to try to get away. When he tried to make a U-turn at the East Freeway near Wayside Drive, the father said he heard two gunshots and the back windshield of his car shatter. He turned to see his son was hit by one of the bullets. Police recovered two .40 caliber shells near the scene, and another witness said she saw a man pull his arm out of his white Buick and fire two rounds into the truck. The car also was caught on surveillance videos in the area following the Castros truck. Police were able to identify Williams after finding on an online ad for the car, which Williams purchased on May 30. The seller pointed investigators to Williams account, and undercover officers then set up a meeting with Williams about rims he was advertising to confirm his identity. They also received a CrimeStoppers tip that Poppa, Williams nickname, had just purchased the Buick and was the shooter in the road rage incident. Officers canvassed Williams neighborhood in July and interviewed him, and the suspect denied that he had bought the Buick or driven it in the last few months. One day later, firefighters responded to a car fire involving the Buick on an adjacent street, according to the charging documents. Williams phone records also corroborate a trip from downtown to Wayside, where the shooting occurred, the documents say. Those with information about Williams whereabouts are asked to call HPDs homicide division at 713-308-3600, or leave an anonymous tip with CrimeStoppers at @CrimeStopHOU or 713-222-TIPS. The latter option could result in an award up to $10,000. Hours before the deadly chemical spill at a LyondellBasell plant near La Porte, the company discovered a leak and brought in contractors to fix it temporarily rather than have it repaired by a group that initially evaluated it and specializes in such work, an injured worker alleged in a lawsuit Thursday. Some 100,000 pounds of a liquid acetic acid mixture were released Tuesday night into the facility, killing two contractors and injuring at least another 30 people. Records show the plant had been cited for Clean Air Act violations for the last three years. An investigation into the cause of the leak, which investigators say was accompanied by toxic vapors, continued Thursday. The worker who filed the suit, Pasadena resident Bryant Hinojosa, described hurting his back and knees and choking on fumes after the spill occurred. He believed that he would die, the suit said. He remained hospitalized Thursday. On HoustonChronicle.com: Details emerge as investigators seek cause of deadly La Porte chemical leak In a separate suit, Mike Lopez described being severely injured mentally and physically. He and Hinojosa each said he had to flee for his life. Both alleged the company showed gross negligence for reasons such as failing to train employees, provide a safe workplace and maintain the unit. Defendants had knowledge of these dangerous conditions, but failed to make safe the conditions that proximately caused the explosion, release, or leak, Lopezs suit said. Moreover, despite knowledge of the dangerous and deadly conditions, Defendants failed to provide Plaintiff with any warnings about the explosion, release, or leak. Both men sued LyondellBasell Acetyls and affiliated companies in Harris County district court. LyondellBasell is a Dutch company with dual headquarters in Houston and Rotterdam. Each injured worker is seeking at least $1 million in relief. Once again we see how the lives of workers are put at risk by the management at the area chemical plants, said Hinojosas attorney, Benny Agosto Jr., in a written statement. The acid release was definitely preventable. Instead, we are filing suit because workers safety was ignored. Company spokesperson Chevalier Gray declined to comment on the allegations, writing in an email, LyondellBasell is aware of the lawsuit. Since this is now pending litigation, we are not able to comment further. Dustin Day, 36, and Shawn Kuhleman, 32, died at the facility that night, according to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. Their cause and manner of deaths were still pending. Their wives were notified of their passing. Thirty other people were hospitalized as a result of the leak, which occurred around 7:35 p.m., according to the company. Harris County Pollution Control investigators believe a cap burst off a pressurized line while the area was partially shut down for maintenance. Acetic acid is a food preservative. A diluted form of it is vinegar. In other forms, it can burn skin and be toxic when inhaled. The mixture that leaked also contained methyl iodide, which is linked to fluid build-up in the lungs. Environmental violations The facility had a history of federal law violations, according to online Environmental Protection Agency records. Regulators at the unit found high priority violations of the Clean Air Act, which regulates air emissions, every quarter for the past three years. Authorities also identified violations in late 2020 of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which regulates how hazardous waste is created, moved and disposed of. Gray did not offer a comment about the past violations Thursday but said the company was working on getting information for a response. The facility estimated in an early report to the state that it potentially released some 25,000 pounds of contaminants into the air during the Tuesday incident, including 17,392 pounds of methyl iodide. By comparison, the site reported releasing 1,200 pounds of that chemical in all of last year, Toxics Release Inventory Data shows. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in 2018 fined the facility up to $8,176, after it allegedly released ethylene from an emergency dry drum vent on two occasions, according to state records. That event could have been avoided by better design or better operational and maintenance practices, the commission found. The acetyls unit is one of two companies located at the La Porte complex, according to the companys website. The other is Equistar Chemicals, which was cited for Clean Air Act violations in six of the past 12 quarters and fined more than $250,000 in the past five years. The company bills itself on its website as one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world, and notes that in 2020 it was named to Fortune magazines list of the Worlds Most Admired Companies for the third consecutive year. Nicole Hensley contributed to this report hannah.dellinger@chron.com Memorial Hermann officials are finalizing details on its mandatory vaccine policy for employees. During a radio interview Wednesday, Dr. David L. Callender, president and CEO, said the system will soon announce the timeline for its employees to become fully vaccinated. The new measure comes as a fourth wave of the virus spreads across the state, due in large part to the ultra-transmissible delta variant. On Friday, the Department of State Health Services reported 13,871 new confirmed COVID cases, the largest single-day count since last winters surge and more than 12 times the number of cases confirmed on July 1. We think its very important for health care workers across the country to be vaccinated as vaccination is really the only way to stop this pandemic, Callender said on the Houston Public Media radio show. Were working on (the policy), and will be making an announcement early next week. As of Friday morning, no details were made available on a vaccination deadline for employees or what type of discipline they may face if they do not comply with the new policy. COVID Help Desk: What you need to know about the delta variant More than 400 COVID-19 positive patients have been admitted to Memorial Hermann hospitals in the past month because of the highly contagious delta variant, said Dr. Luis Ostrosky, chief of infectious diseases at UTHealth and infectious disease specialist with UT Physicians and Memorial Hermann. On July 4, there were fewer than 100 patients. In the course of one month, our caseload has quadrupled in the Memorial Hermann health care system, Ostrosky said. Last week, Judge Lina Hidalgo raised Harris Countys COVID threat level to orange, signaling a significant threat of severe illness, hospitalizations and death from the virus. The county judges office remains extremely concerned about the trajectory of COVID numbers in every category from positive cases to hospitalizations, said Rafael Lamaitre, spokesperson. Memorial Hermann follows Baylor College of Medicine, which this week became the second Houston-area health care facility to require vaccines for employees, nearly two months after Houston Methodist reached its vaccination deadline. On HoustonChronicle.com: How Houston businesses, customers are responding to CDC's reversal in mask guidelines Baylor employees have until Sept. 15 to become fully vaccinated or they may be subjected to discipline, said Dr. James McDeavitt, senior vice president and dean of clinical affairs at the medical school. McDeavitt expects most of the systems employees will comply, and he believes firings connected to the policy will be rare. Callender encourages unvaccinated residents who are eligible to take the shots. Delta is coming after you if you havent been vaccinated, Callender said. julie.garcia@chron.com Twitter.com/reporterjulie In one of the 15 white row houses on Holman Street in the Third Ward, five 20-somethings with Houston Community Fridges stand among a collection of furniture parts and packaging on a muggy Wednesday afternoon, trying to decipher vague instructions for build-it-yourself desks and bookshelves. One organizer, a 28-year-old who goes only by Flores, moves around the brightly painted rooms helping volunteers find the right parts for their project, making sure everything is in order. Im a Virgo, she says, when asked about the ease with which she builds. And I worked in a kitchen for eight years. The Houston Community Fridges team is busy preparing for Saturdays grand opening of Project Row Houses 52nd round, the theme of which is Gulf Coast Anthropocene. When theyre finished, their row house will feature a library of Black literature ranging from childrens books to radical texts, a community resource board, a workspace with WiFi and, of course, a fully stocked refrigerator, alongside a pantry with non-perishable goods and personal hygiene products. It will also be a host site for educational workshops run by other activist groups across the city. Houston Community Fridges is technically accurate as a name the location at Project Row Houses will be the 10th community fridge to open in the city in less than a year but as organizers hope to show with their installation, the goal is to provide more than just free food. We do want to, of course, meet peoples basic needs of making sure that theyre fed, but we also want to make sure that you can sit in a beanbag chair and relax, and read a bookor you can do homework as youre passing by, said Nina Mayers, 21, founder of Houston Community Fridges. I want this to be a community space, and a very interactive one. The group was born of a larger mutual aid movement that saw grassroots collectives pop up across the country to assist the communities hit hardest by COVID-19. Many of these, like Houston Community Fridges, are being led by queer and trans people of color, who faced higher rates of food and housing insecurity even before the pandemic. The idea is to provide direct help to people most in need, without the red tape and bureaucratic processes that can come with government programs or non-profits; with a community fridge, if youre hungry, you just walk up and grab what you need. Everybody needs to eat, everybody needs water, everybody needs healthcare products, but when you only do it for people who have documentation, income or transportation, youre really serving a very small portion of the city, Flores said. The organization, operated out of Mayers and Flores Third Ward apartment, runs entirely on volunteer work and donations of food, equipment, time and money. They partner with a range of groups across the city to place their refrigerators in visible locations the Exchange to Change clothing store in Third Ward, for example, or DHope Services in Alief. Natalia Lopez, 22, has been volunteering with Houston Community Fridges since its inception in August 2020. She saw Mayers tweet last summer in search of a vehicle to move a fridge, so she offered her boyfriends truck and has been involved with the organization ever since. I joined because the branding statement was that its run by the community, for the community and its just a bunch of us coming out on our off days and when we have free time to stock a fridge or move something. Its for the people, and thats what really drew me in, Lopez said. Mayers and Flores say they were surprised but thrilled to be invited to participate in this round of installations alongside artists examining climate change, humanitys relationship to the Earth and the manifestations of anti-Blackness in both. For co-curator Dr. Willie Wright, assistant professor of Geography at the University of Florida-Gainesville, including Houston Community Fridges was a no-brainer. I was inspired by what they were doing in the middle of the pandemic and the middle of the ice storm, they envisioned a collective way of being in Houston. Houston is a city thats run by capital and can tend to be a very individualist city, so the way that they stood up to provide bare necessities for people when local, state and federal representatives were notI found that ethically and morally inspiring, Wright said. It made perfect sense to invite them, one, because the fridges are art, but also because theres a politic behind that art and I thought that was really important to highlight and to hopefully expand upon, Wright said. The refrigerator at Project Row Houses will be designed by the artist Pupil, and will feature a portrait of Fannie Lou Hamer, a leading food justice activist during the Civil Rights Era, alongside paintings of food items. Audio recordings of Hamers speeches will also be played at the installation. Her entire thing was you can give people free food, but give them the tools and materials they need to grow and produce it themselves, Pupil said. Thats what makes someone a person of agency, and able to sustain their own lives and those of the people around them and their communities. The refrigerator will remain on site even after the larger installation ends in December. The rapid growth of Houston Community Fridges has been encouraging, if somewhat unexpected, for Mayers and Flores, who are students at the University of Texas-San Antonio and Houston Community College, respectively. They hope that eventually, the community fridges will develop into a kind of self-sustaining cooperative for anyone who needs it. Everybody needs access to free food, and once people acknowledge that and feel like they can really, truly contribute, then youre in this constant cycle of putting things in and taking things out, and it has its own natural cycle of being stocked and restocked as needed, Mayers said. Project Row Houses opens its new round of installations at 3 p.m. Saturday with artist talks and a community market. Starting Aug. 4, the community fridge will be accessible during Project Row Houses regular hours from Noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Trae tha Truth is a longtime household name in Houston, but the rapper and city ambassador is also determined to leave a legacy that embodies activism and community leadership. Once he caught wind of a viral Facebook post of a Houston teenager selling water in the scorching summer heat just to get money for school clothes, he knew he had to step in to help. The teen, Jayden Buckely, had been selling bottled water near Fondren and West Airport in front of a gas station every morning for the last three weeks, according to the post by user Kayla Sharea, all to help his mother, a single mother of four. Trae tha Truth put out a call to his Instagram followers to send him Buckley's contact information so he could bless him. "Too hot for him to be out here," he wrote. MORE GOOD DEEDS: Trae tha Truth opens a unique ice cream shop in Katy And his fans did not disappoint. Trae tha Truth found Buckley and surprised him with a back-to-school shopping spree, splurging him and his family with a plethora of clothes and shoes. But the rapper isn't new to giving back to the community. His organization, Relief Gang, has helped Houstonians in need during critical times, including after the severe winter storm that froze pipes and caused them to burst into homes all over the city. And he wasn't the only one with a charitable heart. In the original post, Sharea described Buckley as a "really sweet kid" and emphasized Buckley was going about it the right way. She solicited the community to step up and help him. "Let's make sure he has everything he needs to be successful this school year." The community made sure Buckley had more than enough. Cars showed up to support him in any way they could, donating money, clothes, buying water, and those who couldn't make it quickly asked for his cashapp information. "He had five cars there waiting to donate to him and /or buy water," wrote Facebook user Amy Fernandez. "Hes a great young man and seems overwhelmed and thankful for the outpouring of support!!!" The post garnered more than 14,000 shares and even inspired people from outside Houston to get in on the action. "I'm In Arkansas but I'm willing to help," wrote Nesha Indo on the post. "Please let me know a legitimate place to send donation. GOD BLESS Y'ALL." His mother, Jamaica Buckley, was surprised by everyone's willingness to help their family. She told ABC13 that they had fallen on difficult times since they moved to Houston from Atlanta in April. She has been working to get a job, but has not had any luck, Buckley said. Overwhelmed by the outpouring of community support, she expressed her gratitude on Instagram. "I'm crying, shaking, thankful!" Buckley wrote. "God knows I was not prepared. Thanks Houston." Few in Texas speak more persuasively about reforming our states flagrantly partisan method of picking judges than Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht. Like his fellow Republican predecessor Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson and Democratic Texas Chief Justice John Hill in the 1980s, Hecht has repeatedly pushed for change, urging the Texas Legislature to wring the politics, partisanship and moneyed influence out of a judiciary thats supposed to be fair and impartial. Make no mistake, he told lawmakers in 2019, A judicial selection system that continues to sow the political wind will reap the whirlwind. Lawmakers havent heeded his warning any more than they did Jeffersons or Hills. Texas still elects its judges and is one of only four states in the nation that elects Supreme Court judges. So, perhaps Hecht got desperate. Perhaps he got bored of unfruitful talking. Perhaps, like Hill, he decided to take extreme measures to persuade Texans. While Hill had abruptly resigned mid-term in 1988 to dedicate himself to the noble cause of judicial reform, it seems Hecht took a different approach: demonstrating our systems vulnerability to corruption by acting it out himself. At least, thats the only reason we can surmise that the esteemed chief justice would put himself in a dubious situation that, if is not outright corruption, certainly quacks like it. Chronicle investigative reporter Eric Dexheimer reported this week about an age and discrimination lawsuit that Houston oil giant Apache Corp. had been fighting for years. It lost in trial court when a jury awarded the plaintiff, paralegal Cathryn Davis, and her attorneys $900,000. And it lost again in appeals court. The companys last hope was the Texas Supreme Court led by Hecht. But in October, it declined to review the case. That should have been the end of it and for almost any other appellant, it would have been. The high court rejects appeals on such denials 98 percent of the time, Dexheimer reported, citing state bar research. But this time, the appeal came during election season, while two of the nine Republican justices who had a say in the Apache case were campaigning to keep their seats. So, Apache, a company that appears to have only made one judicial donation in its history $2,500, a decade ago suddenly dropped $250,000 in political support to justices seeking re-election. Over the next several days, the newly formed political action committee that Apache had donated to, the Judicial Fairness PAC, spent $750,000 on TV and radio ads supporting incumbent Supreme Court justices, Dexheimer reported. In all, the PAC funded heavily by Texans for Lawsuit Reform, whose mission is reining in large jury awards, spent $4.5 million on the four candidates. In November, every incumbent justice won. Two weeks later, Apache filed its motion for rehearing. Hechts court changed its mind and decided to review Apaches case after all. Then, last month, the justices sided with Apache, overturning the lower appellate courts ruling and the trial jurys findings, tossing the jurys $900,000 award. The plaintiffs attorney Scott Newar plans to ask the court to withdraw its opinion in part because of Apaches contribution while justices were considering the appeal, and tens of thousands more from Apaches law firm Vinson & Elkins, creates the appearance that justice is for sale in Texas and undermines the Texas Supreme Courts appearance of independence, impartiality and neutrality. Thats exactly the kind of perception Hecht has spent years trying to remedy. He declined comment for the Chronicle story and didnt respond to a message from the editorial board. While scholars have observed general patterns of bias in favor of judges own parties and contributors, cause-and-effect is nearly impossible to prove. We also acknowledge that, in our reading, the discrimination case involving Apache isnt clear-cut. Both the appellate court and Supreme Court made compelling arguments for reaching different conclusions. But while the lower court chose to err on the side of trusting the Texas jurors who took time out of their lives to hear full trial testimony, the Supreme Court seemed to give the oil company the benefit of the doubt. What is clear is that Hecht and Justice Jeff Boyd had a conflict of interest. They should have either recused themselves, as did other justices with past ties to the case or to Apache. Or they should have stuck with their initial decision in declining the case, which we assume was somewhat impartial and based on sound legal judgment. Such cases arent rare and theyre becoming even less so in the brave new world of campaign finance. Back in the 1980s, Texas made national news when 60 Minutes highlighted Supreme Court justices so corrupt and shameless that when they were rebuked by the Judicial Conduct Commission based on testimony from their own law clerks, they sued the law clerks for libel using what else? money they solicited from thousands of lawyers, including those with cases pending before their court. Back then, the main problem on the Democrat-dominated court was the moneyed influence of trial lawyers. Today, with Republicans in charge, troubling influences also include corporate interests and increasingly, outside groups such as the PAC that Apache contributed to. While legislative reforms in 1995 limited campaign contributions to judicial candidates, those provisions are virtually powerless against PACs, which get around spending limits by advertising on a candidates behalf rather than giving them money directly. But the long-recited arguments from contributors that theyre seeking only fairness, not favor, in contributing to judges campaigns are a hard sell, especially in Hechts case. Dexheimer reported that attorneys donated $75,000 to the chief justice even after he won in November with Apaches firm giving $15,000 after the election while its case was still pending. Problem is, Hecht cannot run for reelection because of the age limit for justices, which is 75. Why give to a lame duck jurist? So he can have some extra spending money for his poorly funded office? Former state Sen. Robert Duncan, a Republican from Lubbock who advocated for judicial reforms, said it best: Im not going to say justices are bought and paid for. But the optics give plenty of people reason to think they are. In an institution that cannot exist without trust, optics are important. Texas desperately needs the judicial reforms that chief justices and many other elected judges have been urging for decades. We favor a system of selection that is both merit-based and bipartisan, and retention elections may be a practical way to preserve some public power and accountability. Texas needs other reforms as well, such as the hard limits that most states have on contributions that would trigger a judges recusal from a case. Most immediately, we need our chief justice to walk the walk when he calls for a fair, independent judiciary free of undo influence. Sure, todays justices have to survive in the flawed system as it is, not as they wish it to be. But honorable judges, even in Texas, should have an ethical line they wont cross just because they can. Lets find something fun to talk about. Really, we need a little break. The top topics for civic discussion right now are the pandemic, climate change and collapsing infrastructure. Its summer, but baseball games keep getting postponed when somebody tests positive for the coronavirus. Broadway is all but closed. Theres nothing much on TV except the Olympics, and the Olympics are kind of depressing. So lets complain about robocalls! Among the nonlethal problems currently facing the nation, robocalling looms large just for raw irritation. Really large. According to the call-blocking company YouMail, Americans got about 4.4 billion robocalls in June seriously. This is up from a mere 4 billion in May. The government has been trying to rein in robocalling, one way or another, since the 1990s. But with little success. Any chance you remember the birth of the National Do Not Call Registry in 2003? Ten million people signed up in the first few days. We felt like such an in-crowd. Unfortunately, the Federal Trade Commission found enforcement impossible, and being a Do Not Caller seemed like it made no practical difference whatsoever. Still, maybe we could all get together in a couple of years for our 20th reunion. Plus Congress had passed the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which limited the use of automatic dialing systems, prerecorded messages and all the things youve come to hate in an unsolicited phone call. But this spring in a decision one critic claimed reads like a brief from a telemarketers trade association the Supreme Court decided the act didnt really hold up. The decision was, unsurprisingly, pretty complicated. But the bottom line was that nobody needs your permission to put your phone number on an automatic dialer. They used grammatical gymnastics to create an opening for Americans to be bombarded with unwanted calls on their cellphones, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., complained in a phone interview. Markey, whos one of Congress anti-robocall crusaders, expects to come up with a bipartisan bill to undo what the court has done. Even in an era when Republicans and Democrats cant agree on whether to hold a hearing about the assault on the nations Capitol, theyre pretty much in accord on robocall reform. There are no red robocalls or blue robocalls, Markey intoned. Only obnoxious robocalls. The industrys ability to work around barriers would be inspiring if it werent about calling everyone. Ive been on the Do Not Call list for ages, and while Ive been typing this paragraph I got two phone calls. One was from Dave, who wanted me to show my support for our veterans by giving him a commitment for a modest check combined with the sharing of my personal information. The other was a recorded message urging me to press 1 if Id ever gotten sick from taking Xanax. (You know that you should never press 1, right, people? Never pressing any number during a telephone pitch is a generational law similar to the one your parents or grandparents had about not inviting door-to-door salesmen to come into the house.) The robocalls are just part of a vast web of workers trying to sell you stuff over the phone. There are, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 117,000 Americans who do that kind of work for a living, at an average wage of just under $15 an hour. And a darned efficient operation it is. It included an estimated 45.9 billion robocalls in 2020. Thats about 1,455 a second. In the time it takes you to blink, 1,455 people are going to be robo-ed. Some calls, of course, arent about selling you anything. The virtuous side of robo-communicating is stuff you really want to hear. (Schools canceled due to snow!) But most telemarketing calls are more along the line of another of todays callers to my house Michael at Allstate, who wanted me to know that our rates have been dropping recently. No idea what the details on those rates were. It was pretty clear if I had inquired, Michael would have asked me to press 1 for further information. But I did take a few minutes to draw my caller out a bit. Michael said he was from Pakistan. Its a good job. Its a very easy job. Its a high-pay job, he insisted, although further probing on exactly how much he was being paid elicited, I dont know. So the beat goes on, folks. But theres hope for the future. Markeys working on his bill. And as of June 30, the major phone companies were supposed to start using a technology called Stir/Shaken to make it harder to trick you into believing a call from Pakistan is actually coming from, say, a neighbor with the same area code. We will stop right here to note that Stir stands for secure telephone identity revisited and Shaken is signature-based handling of asserted information using tokens. How can anything with a name like that fail to succeed? Collins is a columnist for the New York Times. For weeks, the Stripes gas station on Veterans Boulevard in Del Rio has doubled as a release valve for the countrys straining immigration pipeline. Migrants awaiting court hearings are dropped off by border patrol, often by the dozens each day, and quickly swept onto buses out of town. On Wednesday, Gov. Greg Abbott effectively shut it down, ordering state troopers to begin pulling over anyone transporting migrants who may be at risk of spreading COVID-19. Officials in Del Rio said it has left hundreds of people stranded with nowhere to go, and that the number will likely grow. If theyre not able to be transported out of here, to catch a bus to go on to wherever their destination is, then they end up being stuck in our communities, and that creates a problem for us, said Val Verde County Commissioner Beau Nettleton, a Republican who has generally welcomed the governors border interventions. In his order, Abbott blamed the Biden administration for failing to turn away more people at the border and said the action would prevent busloads of migrants from moving about the state, an unknown number of whom are infected with COVID-l9. IN-DEPTH: Gov. Abbott hits the gas on his rogue immigration crackdown Officials in some border counties have complained recently about the sheer number of migrants being released into shelters, citing resurging COVID infections of the highly contagious delta variant. Last week, the city of Laredo sued the Biden administration over the influx. But immigration advocates warned this week that Abbotts order would lead to discriminatory enforcement and hamstring local groups that work with the federal government to help migrants reach relatives and other temporary homes while they await immigration proceedings. On Friday, the Justice Department asked a federal judge to block the order, arguing that the governor was obstructing their arrangements with nongovernmental partners and interfering with the administration of federal immigration law. Abbott responded minutes after the lawsuit was filed: Until President Biden and his administration do their jobs to enforce the laws of our nation and protect Americans, the State of Texas will continue to step up to protect our communities and uphold the rule of law. Hes scapegoating this community Felicia Rangel-Samponaro, co-director of the Sidewalk School, a nonprofit that helps asylum seekers cross the border and transports them to shelters and bus stations, said she is concerned about finding enough drivers for her organization under the new policy. This has already scared off some of the people in our groups, other humanitarian workers, she said. Which I dont blame them for. DANGEROUS AND UNLAWFUL: AG Merrick Garland threatens to sue over Gov. Abbotts latest border order Some advocates said Abbotts order which calls for stopping any vehicle upon reasonable suspicion that it is carrying migrants also appears to violate the constitutional rights of Latinos by leading authorities to racially profile drivers and passengers. The language is shockingly broad, said Andre Segura, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas. This is probably, on its face, one of the most blatantly unconstitutional attempts by a state to enforce immigration law. In a letter Thursday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland accused Abbott of overstepping his authority, saying state officials dont have the power to regulate private parties performing tasks on behalf of the United States. Federal officials rely on private contractors and nonprofits to transfer migrants between its facilities and to bus stations after they have been released by CBP. Abbott has attacked the new Democratic administration for months over its handling of an influx of migrants into Texas, many of them children. In June, he moved to begin stripping the state licenses from facilities that house migrant children, a step that many predicted would leave the administration scrambling to find alternatives. The governor, who is preparing for a heated Republican primary, has also prohibited local officials from implementing mask mandates or vaccine requirements. Segura said he sees a contradiction between Abbotts approach to COVID in Texas and his concerns about migrants carrying the virus across the border. Hes scapegoating this community, Segura said. You cant have it both ways, where you dont treat COVID as serious for Texas in general, but then attempt to interfere with the lawful right to seek asylum here. To be repeated again today The Sidewalk School, which operates in Reynosa and McAllen, tests migrants for COVID at least twice before helping them cross the border, Rangel-Samponaro said. Those who test positive are sent to quarantine at the organizations COVID shelter or to other shelters that accept coronavirus patients. Nettleton said bus operators and volunteer groups in Del Rio have mostly stopped providing services to migrants, given the order. With shelters in the area at capacity, federal authorities have been releasing as many as a few hundred migrants into the city each day, he said. One of the volunteer groups, the Val Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition, said in a Facebook post Friday that the situation was worsening. Transportation options to their final destinations have been reduced to almost nothing leaving several hundred families stranded, it said. To be repeated again today. Officials at the coalition and another aid group did not respond to requests for comment. A spokeswoman for the governors office did not respond to emailed questions. Nettleton said the county has been working with Abbotts staff and the Department of Public Safety on possible solutions. At some point, somebodys got to do something because these local, small border communities cannot sustain the cost and the effect of this, he said. Benjamin Wermund contributed reporting from Washington, D.C. jeremy.blackman@chron.com jasper.scherer@chron.com As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. 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Weather Alert ...AIR QUALITY ALERT REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH 3 PM CDT TUESDAY... * WHAT...The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued an Air Quality Alert for fine particle pollution. The Air Quality Index (AQI) is expected to reach the Orange or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups category. * WHERE...Central and south central Minnesota. * WHEN...Through 3 PM CDT Tuesday. * IMPACTS...Sensitive groups, such as people with lung disease (including asthma), heart disease, and children and older adults, may experience health effects. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Smoke from Canadian wildfires lingers over most of Minnesota. There has been some improvement Sunday afternoon to the air quality. However, on Sunday evening more smoke is expected to move into Minnesota. This reinforcing batch of heavy smoke along with smoke recirculating from the past several days will create high levels of fine particle pollution. Fine particle levels will begin to improve Monday as southerly winds start moving the smoke out of the state. Fine particle levels are expected to reach the Orange AQI category, a level considered unhealthy for sensitive individuals, across far central and southern Minnesota. This area includes The Twin Cities Metro, St. Cloud, Alexandria, and Albert Lea. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Sensitive groups, such as people with lung disease (including asthma), heart disease, and children and older adults, should limit prolonged or heavy exertion. For information on current air quality conditions in your area and to sign up for daily air quality forecasts and alert notifications by email, text message, phone, or the Minnesota Air mobile app, visit https://www.pca.state.mn.us/air/current-air- quality. You can find additional information about health and air quality at https://www.pca.state.mn.us/air/why-you-should-care- air-quality-and-health. While New Iberia Senior High Schools football field will be used for football sta Great Barrington Appoints New Treasurer/Collector GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. Alicia Dulin has been named as Great Barrington's new treasurer/collector. Before joining Great Barrington's Town Hall staff, Dulin served as town treasurer/collector in Sheffield for three years. From 2013-2018, she was assistant to Sheffield's town administrator, and she previously worked as an administrative assistant intern at the Pittsfield Police Department. "I'm thrilled to welcome Alicia to our team here at Town Hall", said Town Manager Mark Pruhenski. "She brings a great deal of municipal experience with her and I'm confident that she'll do an excellent job leading her department in the coming years." Dulin earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Westfield State College, and she is a graduate of Lee High School. She holds the designation of Associate Massachusetts Certified Public Purchasing Official. She is also completing additional credentials related to her work, including Certified Massachusetts Municipal Treasurer and Certified Massachusetts Municipal Collector. Clark Art, Images Present Norwegian Film Series WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. Throughout August, the Clark Art Institute and Images Cinema present four Norwegian films in conjunction with the exhibition "Nikolai Astrup: Visions of Norway." This virtual film series is free, and each film can be viewed online for a week. "Astrup: Catching the Flame" (August 410) The series kicks off with "Catching the Flame" (Astrup: Flammen Over Jlster) (2019), directed by Pal ie. The film tells the life story of Nikolai Astrup, one of Norway's greatest and most original painters. Growing up in a strict religious community, Astrup broke with his father, a Lutheran priest, at a young age and escaped to the continent to immerse himself in the world of art. Returning to his native Jlster, he frequently clashed with the small-minded locals, but he also found inspiration in the love of his wife Engel and the natural beauty of the valleys of western Norway. Danish actor Thure Lindhardt stars as an artist who stands today as one of Norway's greats. (Run time: 1 hour, 19 minutes) "Hope" (August 1117) Written and directed by Maria Sdahlwho based the film on her own experiences"Hope" (Hap) (2019) is a moving, believable drama about adults for adults. It tells the story of Anja and Tomas, longtime romantic partners who have a large, blended family of children and stepchildren. Just as a Christmas weekend is about to start, Anja receives a terminal medical diagnosis. Without sentimentality, the film explores how the couple is forced to recalibrate their relationship in ways that only a profound crisis can inspire, as their love story moves into unchartered territory. Stars Stellan Skarsgard and Andrea Brin Hovig. (Run time: 2 hours, 10 minutes) "What Will People Say" (August 1824) Sixteen-year-old Nisha lives a double life. When out with her friends, she's a regular Norwegian teenager. At home with her family, she is the perfect Pakistani daughter. But when her father catches her alone with her boyfriend, Nisha's two worlds brutally collide. Winner of Audience Awards at AFI Fest and the Les Arcs European Film Festival, What Will People Say (Hva vil folk si) (2017) is a tense and moving drama about women's rights, immigrant identity and familial duties based on director Iram Haq's own experiences as a young Pakistani woman in Norway. Maria Mozhdah stars. (Run time: 1 hour, 46 minutes) "The Men's Room" (August 25 31) In the award-winning documentary, directed by Petter Sommer and Jo Vemund Svendsen, twenty-five middle-aged rockers get together every Tuesday night at an Oslo bar to sing in a choir and drink beer. It's all good rowdy fun, until their beloved conductor, Ivar, is diagnosed with cancer and given just three months left to live. He refuses to die, however, before their biggest gig ever: opening for Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne in front of 10,000 people. Featuring some unconventional and unexpected song choices, The Men's Room (For vi er gutta) (2018) is a moving, yet lighthearted film about music, mortality, and male bonding. (Run time: 1 hour, 14 minutes) Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email circulation2@journalnet.com for help creating one. An independent inquiry into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia published on 29 July found that the Maltese state bears responsibility for creating a culture of impunity as it failed to take action in protecting the journalist. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) welcomes the findings and now calls for accountability and concrete reforms to protect all media professionals. People gather for a protest called for by the family of killed journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and civic movements on December 3, 2019. Credits: ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP According to the public inquiry conducted by three judges, the Maltese state created a culture of impunity, but also failed to recognise the real and immediate risks to Daphne Caruana Galizias life and failed to take reasonable steps to avoid them. Daphne Caruana Galizia, a well-known investigative journalist, was murdered on 16 October 2017 by a car bomb in the town of Bidnija, near her family home. She had been investigating financial corruption, often involving some important political figures of Malta. She had also investigated the Panama Papers scandal. Prior to the murder, Daphne Caruana Galizia had faced verbal and legal retaliation, continuous harassment and occasional physical threats. She reported it but nothing was done to protect her. Today, the perpetrators of these attacks remain unpunished. Three men were arrested for her murder in December 2017, and one of them pleaded guilty in February 2021. The other two suspects are still awaiting trial. Yorgen Fenech, a Maltese businessman, has also been charged with complicity, but denies the accusation and is also awaiting trial. Fenech, who is close to certain figures in the Maltese government, is suspected of having bribed some in the case. According to the independent inquiry, the Maltese government, through its inaction and lack of concrete measures, has created a culture of impunity and has failed in its obligation to protect journalists. In its campaign against impunity in 2018, the IFJ and EFJ had already denounced the lack of independence and media concentration in Malta. IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: We welcome the findings of the independent inquiry and hope they will prompt the Maltese state to finally take concrete steps to end impunity for crimes against media workers. Ending the culture of impunity for crimes against journalists and ensuring their safety is a precondition for good journalism and democracy. Dont miss out the last two days of Sony Philippines Grand Mid-Year Deals! Sonys full-frame mirrorless cameras, digital compact cameras, and lenses are up to Php25,000 OFF with up to 12 mos. 0% interest installment scheme. Hear what Sony Alpha Professionals Kitty Bunag and Kyrke Jaleco have to say on why you should invest on Sonys coveted lightweight and compact set up, the Alpha 7C. Sonys Alpha 7C with SEL2860 kit lens delivers ease, portability, and exceptional raw images. This is such an ideal compact combo for shooting small spaces with full-frame quality, Photographer, Interior Stylist, and Sony Alpha Professional Kitty Bunag said. Sonys autofocus system has always been its strong point but pair it with a compact lens that can focus quickly, quietly, and smoothly, youve got a powerful set up in your pocket for on-the-go photo and video shoots, she added. The Alpha 7C is not only for professionals but also for newbies who want to jumpstart their career in content creation. Take it from Kyrke Jaleco, Director and Sony Alpha Professional. I would recommend having Sonys Alpha 7C and its 28-60mm kit lens for newbies. You will definitely get your moneys worth with this portable yet powerful set up it delivers professional photo and video quality that you can carry with ease anywhere. Invest in a good gear that you can rely on so you can focus on honing your creativity. he said. Complete your content creation set up with the GP-VPT2BT Bluetooth Shooting Grip currently at 35% off until July 31. Check out the rest of Sonys Mid-Year Deals in Sony Authorized Camera Dealers nationwide. Click here to locate stores near you. Check out other Sony Digital Imaging products on sale, view the full promo catalog at www.sony.com.ph/microsite/midyearpromo2021 Small government contractors won big in 2020. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, federal agencies awarded a record-breaking $145.7 billion in contracts to small businesses in the past fiscal year. That was an increase of $13 billion from FY2019. "Despite the fact that it's been an extremely challenging year for small businesses, the SBA is proud to announce that our nation's entrepreneurs used their trademark ingenuity, grit, and determination to do a record" contract total, SBA administrator Isabel Guzman said Wednesday in a statement on the agency's Small Business Federal Procurement Scorecard, which assesses the U.S. government's spending on contracts. The SBA said that between prime contracting and subcontracting, the federal government added almost a million jobs to the U.S. economy during the fiscal year. Agencies spent $82.8 billion on small-business subcontracts. Guzman said federal agencies could still do better in contracting with small businesses: "We're committed to increasing these opportunities and lowering barriers to give our small businesses a chance to grow their revenue through contracting." A June report from the Bipartisan Policy Center, Goldman Sachs, and political action committee Center Forward found that the number of small businesses getting first-time contracts with the federal government went down by 79 percent between 2005 and 2019. From 2010 to 2019, the number of small businesses overall that were awarded contracts with the federal government declined by 38 percent, the study found. The producer of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Peter Safran, has said he would never react to fan pressure to remove Amber Heard from the franchise. Heards role as Aquamans love interest Hera was at the centre of speculation last year following the launch of a petition to have her dropped from the forthcoming movie. The petition, which received more than a million signatures, was set up by fans of Heards ex-husband Johnny Depp, and accused the actor of a systematic crusade to ruin Depp in Hollywood. Heard has long accused Depp of domestic violence, something Depp has denied. After suing The Sun publisher News Group Newspapers and its executive editor Dan Wootton for referring to him as a wife beater in a column, Depp lost the case. A British judge declared that the claim was substantially true. On the Deadline Hero Nation podcast, Safran was asked whether the campaign had any influence on the production and their casting decisions. I dont think were ever going to react to, honestly, pure fan pressure, said Safran. You gotta do whats best for the movie. We felt that if its James Wan, and Jason Momoa, it should be Amber Heard. Thats really what it was. He added: One is not unaware of what is going on in the Twitter-verse, but that doesnt mean you have to react to it or take it as gospel or accede to their wishes. You have to do whats right for the film, and thats really where we landed on it. In an interview last year, Heard addressed the protests against her by Depp fans. Paid rumours and paid campaigns on social media dont dictate [casting decisions] because they have no basis in reality, she said. Only the fans actually made Aquaman and Aquaman 2 happen. Im excited to get started next year. Margot Robbie has revealed shed love to see a relationship between Batman supervillain Poison Ivy and Harley play out on-screen. During a conversation with ComicBook.coms Brandon Davis, the 31-year-old actor shared that she likes how fans are as enthusiastic about Poison Ivy and Harleys relationship as she is. I mean, I really am quite invested in Harleys romantic life, said Robbie. So a box that I did like to check in this one is seeing her try and date new guys because its something that Ive always enjoyed seeing when its popped up in the comics and something I would like to explore like you said, Poison Ivy, that is a relationship Id love to see play out on screen. This isnt the first time The Suicide Squad actor has candidly spoken out about bringing Ivy into the fold. Earlier this year, while speaking to Den of Geek, the Golden Globe Awards nominee revealed that shes very keen to see a Harley-Poison Ivy relationship on screen. Trust me, I chew their ear off about it all the time, she said. They must be sick of hearing it, but Im like, Poison Ivy, Poison Ivy. Come on, lets do it. Im very keen to see a Harley-Poison Ivy relationship on screen. Itd be so fun. So Ill keep pestering them. Dont worry. The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actor also told Pride Source in 2018 that if you read the comics you know that Poison Ivy and Harley have an intimate relationship. In some comics they convey it as a friendship; in other comics, you can see that theyre actually sexually involved as a couple, she said. Ive been trying to I would love to have Poison Ivy thrown into the universe, because the Harley and Poison Ivy relationship is one of my favourite aspects of the comics, so Im looking to explore that on screen. Robbie made her DC debut in David Ayers original 2016 Suicide Squad. Last year, her character joined fellow women of Gotham in a fight against the evil mob boss Black Mask in the movie Birds of Prey. The Suicide Squad is in UK cinemas now. Quentino Tarantino has revealed that Christoph Waltz was banned from rehearsals during production of Inglourious Basterds to help shock his co-stars. In the historically revisionist Second World War film, Waltz played Hans Landa, a villainous Nazi officer. He won an Academy Award for the role. Appearing on Brian Koppelmans The Moment podcast earlier this week, Tarantino discussed working with Waltz on the film. I got together with Christoph before we got to the big script reading with the cast, he said. I told him: Im not doing this to be perverse game-playing everybody is so curious about who is playing Hans Landa. I dont want you to be bad at the script reading, but I want you to hold a lot back. I do not want them to think that they are getting a glimpse of who you are really going to be. On a scale of one to 10, be a six. Be good enough, just good enough. I do not want you to be in a competition with anybody, and if you are in competition then lose. I dont want them to know what you have or for them to have a handle on Landa. The writer-director explained that the only scene he wanted Waltz to rehearse was the opening scene, in which Landa unearths a family of Jewish people hiding at the home of a French farmer. With the exception of the French farmer, I dont want you rehearsing with the other actors before filming, Tarantino told Waltz. I dont want Diane Kruger or Brad Pitt to know your gun-slinging abilities until the cameras are rolling. Inglourious Basterds can be watched now on Netflix and Virgin TV Go in the UK. Britney Spears doctors have commented on her fathers continued role as her conservator. Earlier this week (Tuesday 27 July), Mathew S Rosengart, who was appointed as Spears new lawyer on 14 July, filed a petition in Los Angeles probate court asking for her father to be removed as her conservator. Now, new legal documents reveal that Spears doctors are in favour of removing her father from the controversial conservatorship. As reported in Variety, the document was filed on 28 July in Los Angeles Superior Court by attorney Laurieann Wright, who represents Spears temporary conservator Jodi Montgomery. The filing reveal that Montgomery wants Spears father removed from the conservatorship. In the papers, Montgomery is said to have concluded that Jamie Spears should not continue to act as ... Conservator of the Estate, because his doing so is not in the best interest of Spears. The filing then further notes that Montgomery claims Spears medical team agrees that it is not in the best interest of the Conservatee for Mr Spears to remain Conservator. Britney Spears asiste a la 29a Anual de GLAAD Media Awards en el Beverly Hilton el 12 de abril de 2018 en Beverly Hills, California (VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images) Last week, Mr Rosengart declared he was working aggressively to remove her father Jamie from her conservatorship after judge Brenda Penny gave the pop star permission to choose a new attorney to represent her for the first time since 2008. The decision came after her court-appointed lawyer Samuel Ingham stepped down. Mr Rosengarts firm has previously represented celebrities including Ben Affleck and Steven Spielberg. First, I once again want to thank Britney Spears for her courage and for her strength, Mr Rosengart said shortly after he was appointed as her lawyer. I want to thank Judge Penny for her courtesy welcoming my firm and I into this case. And I also want to thank Britney Spears fans and supporters. The outreach and support for my firm, myself, and most importantly, Britney, has truly been overwhelming. He continued: Finally and the last thing Im going to say about this matter my firm and I are moving aggressively and expeditiously to file a petition to remove Jamie Spears unless he resigns first. With Love Island now past its halfway mark, viewers have already seen their fair share of contestants bid farewell to the villa. Following the drama in Casa Amor this week, six contestants were ejected from the series having failed to charm their way into a recoupling. The six unfortunate souls were Medhy, Lillie, Salma, Jack, Kaila, and Harry (though Lillie was able to drop a pretty huge bombshell before departing). Before this, Aaron and Lucinda became the latest fully fledged contestants to leave the series on Sunday (25 July), after losing a public vote. Despite being removed from the villa, the couple insisted they wished to remain together after the shows conclusion. Newcomer Georgia left the series just days earlier (Thursday, 22 July), just one day after entering. She initially had eyes for Hugo, but when a shock recoupling was announced, the PE teacher opted to save his friend Chloe over Georgia, who hed admitted to feeling no spark with. Georgia was the eighth contestant to be booted from the villa, following on from Danny and AJ, who left on Wednesdays (21 July) show. After being named among the six contestants to receive the fewest number of public votes, the pair were chosen to leave by their fellow islanders who were tasked with making the decision. In the opening week of the series last month, Shannon became the first islander to be dumped from the series after late entry Chloe Burrows entered the villa and went on a date with all five male contestants, including Hugo, Jake, Brad, Toby and Aaron. A dramatic re-coupling saw Chloe choose Aaron, leaving his former partner Shannon without anyone to couple up with and therefore booted from the villa. Shannon was the earliest contestant to ever be sent home from the show, leaving after only 48 hours in the villa. Contestants are typically dumped from the island around day five or six. Second to leave the show was Chuggs Wallis, just two days after he arrived in the villa as a late addition. His exit came after bombshell Rachel Finni had to choose whether she wanted to recouple with Chuggs or Brad. She then chose Brad, leaving Chuggs single and dumped from the island. Last Mondays episode (12 July) saw Rachel then become the third islander to be dumped from the ITV series after newcomer Teddy Soares chose to couple up with Faye, leaving Rachel without a partner. Brad and Lucinda go their separate ways (ITV) Brad McClelland then left the villa after he and Lucinda Strafford were voted the least compatible couple by the public. The pair could either exit together or have one of them stay. Brad eventually decided to leave to allow Lucinda to remain on the show as he had been in since day one. Next to go was original islander Sharon, who left after new girl AJ picked Hugo during a recoupling. AJ was subsequently dumped a few days later, along with Danny. Love Island continues tonight at 9pm on ITV2 A Delhi man, who had raped and then later married his victim, has now allegedly confessed to strangling her to death after luring her to a hill station and throwing her body off a cliff. Rajesh Roy was arrested in July last year for raping a Delhi-based woman. He served a prison term till October when he was released on bail. He signed an affidavit that mandated that he marry the survivor a pact that in many instances is reached between families of the victim and the perpetrator in the country in the name of protecting womens reputation and honour. After his release from prison, Roy married the woman in December. However, on 15 June, the womans parents registered a missing persons complaint in Delhis Dwarka police station. A search led the police to her body that Roy had allegedly dumped along the Nainital-Haldwani highway. Police said that Roy convinced the woman now his wife to come along to Udham Singh Nagar, a district in Uttarakhand, on the pretext of checking in on his mother who lived there. When the two reached Nainital on 12 June, he switched off her phone. About 13 kilometres from Nainital, they had sex at a secluded place, police said. Vijay Mehta, the officer-in-charge at Nainital in Uttarakhand, was quoted by the Hindustan Times as saying that he took her to a cave. After having sex, he strangled his wife. He then threw her body down a cliff. Mr Mehta said the woman was missing since 11 June. About a month and a half later, the accused took the police to the spot where he had thrown the body and allegedly confessed to the horrific crime. Reports said the womans body was found in a highly decomposed state. Her brother was quoted by the Times of India as saying: We told her not to go but she accompanied him to Uttarakhand. She is dead now and he should be hanged. We thought if the two married, the honour of both the families will be safeguarded, TOI quoted the man, who was not named in the report, as saying. Roy allegedly told the police that the woman and his mother had harassed him and that is why he decided to kill her. Further investigations are ongoing, police said. A lagoon in Argentina has turned bright pink due to pollution, a development that has alarmed environmentalists. Activists said that pollution in the lagoon in Argentinas southern Patagonia region is caused by sodium sulfite an antibacterial product used in fish factories. The chemical is typically used to preserve prawns for export. Residents have also said that the pollution in the Chubut river, which feeds the Corfo lagoon and other water sources in the region, has led to a foul smell. Pablo Lada, an environmental activist was quoted by AFP saying: Those who should be in control are the ones who authorise the poisoning of people. He also blamed government authorities for being lax about the residents concerns of pollution and foul smell. The Corfo lagoon turned pink last week and remained the abnormal colour on Sunday, Mr Lada said. Other activists have said that the chemical sodium sulfite, that has caused the discolouration of the lagoon, should, as per law, have been treated before being dumped in the water. The chemical comes from an industrial park in Trelew. Residents of Rawson, near Trelew where the industrial park is located, have been complaining of pollution and in recent weeks protested by blocking the roads used by trucks that carry the processed fish waste through their streets to treatment plants on the citys outskirts. Mr Lada said: We get dozens of trucks daily, the residents are getting tired of it. Due to protests in Rawson, reports said that provincial authorities granted permission for factories to dump their waste in the Corfo lagoon. Juan Micheloud, environmental control chief for Chubut province, however, told AFP last week that the colour does not cause damage and will disappear in a few days. He said that an agreement was made with a company (transporting effluent from the fisheries) to dump liquids into the Laguna de Corfo, according to BA Times. But Sebastian de la Vallina, planning secretary for the city of Trelew, said: It is not possible to minimise something so serious. Chubut province in Argentina has a population of about 600,000 and fish processing factories hire a lot of locals in the area. BA Times reported that the lake is 10 to 15 hectares in area, and is situated in the Industrial Park of Trelew, which was founded by Welsh settlers over 150 years ago. Meanwhile, locals have also complained of the proliferation of insects due to pollution. It was a chance recommendation from a friend that sent Thea Cumming to Puerto Escondido in Mexico. While travelling through the US visiting bourbon distilleries, she was told to visit the small Oaxacan town. Here, she was introduced to mezcal sparking up a conversation with the next door neighbour who happened to be making his own coffee iteration of the spirit. Mezcal is very similar to tequila. Both are made from the agave plant, although the process in which they are distilled differs. Tequila is traditionally distilled in copper pots, whereas mezcal undergoes its ageing process in wooden tinas (vats). The key difference, however, is that while tequila has found great international success and is one of Mexicos biggest exports, mezcal has remained largely under the radar overseas, despite being hugely popular domestically. This chance encounter in a town she may never have visited with a man she probably never would have met set Cumming on a journey to introduce Britons to mezcal. An agave field (top); a copper still (bottom) (Dangerous Don) On returning to the UK, Cumming worked in a bakery to save up the cash to head back to Mexico and hopefully start getting stuck into the business of mezcal distilling. It was a mixture of being fairly relentless, and luck, she says. I literally googled mezcal tours of Oaxaca and was fortunate enough to come across a site called Mezcal Educational Tours, which was set up by a Canadian called Alvin Starkman, who had been living in Oaxaca for many years. It was a recommendation from Starkman that set Cumming up with producer Don Celso Martinez, and Dangerous Don began to come into fruition. The name, surprisingly, doesnt come from Martinez, but rather Cummings father. The nickname stemmed from a drunken night out with friends and stuck, so it only seemed fitting that it became the moniker for Cummings alcoholic business endeavour. My dad likes a drink and we have been brought up in a drinking family, so I suppose his interest in good spirits was an early influence on me, she says: I didnt want any of the story or the brand to be a lie no serpents, pirates or mystical characters. Lorena prepares coffee beans, left, and Celso with a harvested agave, right (Dangerous Don) When I ask about hurdles that she will have inevitably faced trying to get the business off the ground, Cumming says: I think the UK drinks industry is one of the hardest to break into. She talks about her overwhelmingly positive experience in Mexico, where the producers and craftsmen and women were completely supportive, despite her position as a foreigner and her gender. Problems, however, arose in the UK. I had a friend help me with some PR for the launch of the first batch and there was one piece which was titled Worlds first coffee mezcal, she says. Thea, Celso and Lorena in Mexico (Dangerous Don) There is a Facebook group which is for agave here in the UK. Someone posted the article and made some fairly damning comments saying that I didnt know what I was talking about as obviously it was not the first coffee mezcal. Of course you cant control what is written I was never claiming to be the worlds first but it was certainly something new that had not been sold in the UK before. I messaged them openly in the group and said that I would love to chat to them about it. They then apologised, once they realised I wasnt full of s**t, and soon changed their view. I ask if this is to do with her gender, something she expresses scepticism over, although she does add that really it shouldnt matter who owns the brand as long as they are trying to do what is right for the industry and doing their best to support the producers and craftsmen/women who have worked for generations to produce a wonderful product. We work to represent the producers and the product they make. We see the evolution of the brand as a partnership with the people we work with and throughout the supply chain As tequila has become increasingly globalised, there have inevitably been people capitalising on the products success, producing their own tequila brands with little respect for the historical importance of the spirit or the communities that make it. Recent high-profile celebrity launches, such as Kendall Jenner with 818 Tequila, have further elevated this conversation. So how is Cumming, and Dangerous Don, any different? We work to represent the producers and the product they make, says Cumming. We see the evolution of the brand as a partnership with the people we work with and throughout the supply chain. While Cumming may be the driving force behind Dangerous Don, her intention is never to insert herself into the narrative of mezcal production. Rather, the company aims to celebrate those who produce the spirit in Mexico, and increase appreciation and understanding of it within the UK. Perception and knowledge of mezcal has changed hugely in the five years since Cumming started working on Dangerous Don. Most bars will now have a small selection of mezcals, whereas a few years ago you would only find a bottle of Quiquiriqui in some of the more interesting bars, and usually always in major cities, says Cumming. She explains that mezcal is like wine, with its innumerable variations, methods, growers and producers. She encourages those new to the spirit to try it neat first, and experiment with different types to find the one that you like much as you would with a wine. This allows you to understand the nuances within the spirit, and the ways in which it can develop in both flavour palette and texture. Three Dangerous Don mezcals (Dangerous Don) By the end of 2020, ecommerce platform Drizly had seen a 600 per cent increase in mezcal sales year on year. The newly opened Tacos el Pastor in Soho (the companys third outpost in London) has a specially curated mezcal menu. Events such as London Mezcal Week brainchild of Melanie Symonds, founder of Quiquiriqui mezcal and close mentor of Cumming are helping to raise the knowledge and understanding of the spirit in the UK. There has arguably never been a better time to get into the spirit, thanks, in part, to the hard work of entrepreneurs such as Cumming and Symonds. Over the past five years since I started, Ive witnessed a change in availability, but mostly a change in knowledge and understanding, she says. We are obviously light years apart in our understanding and consumption here (in the UK) but we have some wonderful people leading the way and trying to educate on the process and the spirit itself. Dont drink the big industrial brands just because they are cheap, because this is adding to the sustainability issues surrounding mezcal. Try to support the smaller brands and projects who are doing great things. Space flights and satellite launches can now be conducted from the UK with the passing of new regulations. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced the new laws today, which will provide a framework to regulate the space industry and will unlock "a potential 4 billion of market opportunities over the next decade", according to the Department for Transport (DfT). The first launch is expected to take place next year, and it would be the first time a spacecraft or satellite has taken off from a European country according to the DfT. Many European companies currently launch from a site in French Guiana, South America. Proposed locations for UK spaceports are Newquay in Cornwall, Snowdonia in North Wales, and the Western Isles, Glasgow, Machrihanish, Sutherland and Shetland, all in Scotland. It is hoped the UK space industry will launch satellites to improve satnav systems, and boost the monitoring of weather patterns and climate change. Space tourism trips and hypersonic flights - which are faster than the speed of sound - will eventually launch from the UK, the DfT claimed. Mr Shapps said: "We stand on the cusp of the new commercial space age, and this is the blast-off moment for the UK's thriving space industry, demonstrating Government's commitment to put Britain at the global forefront of this sector. "These regulations will help create new jobs and bring economic benefits to communities and organisations right across the UK, helping us to level up as we inspire the next generation of space scientists and engineers." Howard Nye, president of the Royal Aeronautical Society, said it was a "landmark day for the UK's space sector". The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has been formally appointed as regulator of the UK space industry following 18 months of preparation. The body announced it is ready to receive applications for launch licences. Colin Macleod, head of UK space regulation at the CAA, said it has built an "experienced team working across policy, engineering and licensing". He added: "We will act in a safe, secure and sustainable manner to protect the people and property involved, other airspace users and enable a growing and active space industry." Safety incidents involving space flights in or over the UK will be investigated by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, which already examines aviation accidents. Crispin Orr, chief inspector of spaceflight accidents, said: "Our inspectors will conduct spaceflight investigations with the same rigour, expertise and professionalism that we are renowned for in aviation." The news comes soon after Jeff Bezos, the head of Blue Origin, and Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic both sent themselves to high altitudes as demonstrations of the prowess of their respective companies. Mr Branson and Virgin Galactics space plane Unity reached a maximum height of about 280,000 feet, or 55 miles, before gliding back down to Earth on 11 July. Mr Bezos, meanwhile, achieved an altitude of 66 miles, and is planning more launches. Blue Origin intends to send people further into space and onto other objects such as the Moon in the future - but for now is only planning for lower-altitude tourist flights, likely with an expensive price tag. Additional reporting by Press Association Olana Tansley-Hancock, from Ashford in Kent, has been suffering from misophonia since she was eight years old. The noise of her family eating was so unbearable, she would often eat her meals in her bedroom alone. I can only describe it as a feeling of wanting to punch people in the face when I heard the noise of them eating and anyone who knows me will say that doesnt sound like me, she said. The issue became harder to deal with when she moved away for university. I found it spread to my housemates and to other noises and it all came to a head on a train journey when I had changed carriages seven times as the noise of people eating or rustling papers was unbearable. Police officers were called to shared accommodation in West Sussex this week, after reports that a fight had broken out over loud chewing. The news was shared on Twitter by police inspector Darren Taylor: Team attended a somewhat tense situation yesterday in [Burgess Hill] as two tenants in shared accommodation were reported to be fighting each other...due to one of them eating their food too loudly?. Although these might sound like over-reactions, a study carried out by Currys PC World earlier this year, which surveyed 3,001 people across the UK, found loud chewing was the most hated sound by 49 per cent of respondents. Almost 55 per cent of women said it was their least favourite sound, while it was the most irksome to 43 per cent of men. So why is the sound of chewing so irritating, and why does it affect some people more than others? Why is the sound of chewing so irritating? The NHS classes misophonia as a hearing sensitivity and says you may have it if some sounds make you angry. Note this is different to if some sounds make you anxious, which might be phonophobia. The sound of chewing is one of many that people will find slightly irritating or uncomfortable. The sounds made by fingernails scraping on a chalkboard, repetitive sniffing, or water dripping are a few other examples. For most, it is a minor inconvenience, which despite causing some annoyance, is not problematic enough to disrupt their day-to-day lives. However, in others, these sounds can trigger a strong emotional or physical response in a condition known as misophonia. Individuals with misophonia, experience intense emotional and behavioural reactions to certain sounds related to eating, sniffing, breathing, slurping, burping and some other repetitive man-made noises, known as the trigger sounds, Dr. Hashir Aazh, a specialist in misophonia rehabilitation tells The Independent. Why does the sound of chewing affect some people more than others? One recent study, published by researchers at Newcastle University compared brain scans of people who have misophonia with those who dont. The results showed that in people with misophonia, there is a super sensitised connection between the auditory cortex and the motor control areas related to the face, mouth and throat. Dr Sukhbinder Kumar, a research fellow at the university that led the study, said the findings showed that this connection activates something called the mirror system. The mirror system helps us process movements made by other individuals by activating our own brain in a similar way, Kumar explained. He said: We think that in people with misophonia involuntary overactivation of the mirror system leads to some kind of sense that sounds made by other people are intruding into their bodies, outside of their control. Interestingly, some people with misophonia can lessen their symptoms by mimicking the action generating the trigger sound, which might indicate restoring a sense of control. Using this knowledge may help us develop new therapies for people with the condition, he added. How does misophonia affect peoples lives? In his upcoming book Misophonia and Hyperacusis: Neuro-Psycho-Audiological Perspectives, one of Dr Aazhs patients shared their experience of struggling to deal with the emotions that come with misophonia. There were times that I could not control my anger and told [my family] or shouted at them that they should eat more quietly and that the noises that they were making were disgusting. I remember that I often stormed out of the room to eat my dinner on my own. As one would expect, my behaviours and words often offended my parents and started further arguments and unhappiness within our family, they said. Is there a cure? While there is no cure, some specialists across the UK offer therapy to help people deal with the effects of misophonia. A specialised version of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help the individual to minimise the stress caused by their initial reaction to the trigger sounds and stop from escalating to a level that damages their quality of life, Dr Aazih said. Tansley-Hancock found some relief by making small lifestyle changes. I meditate and have reduced my caffeine and alcohol intake and I am always prepared so take earplugs on a journey so I can watch a film and ask for headphones at the cinema so block out the sound of people rustling and eating. These steps have helped me manage and understand my condition better, she said. Brazilian health authorities on Thursday began the mass immunization of Rio de Janeiro's Mare neighborhood in a novel bid to control COVID-19 in a poor community while studying vaccine effectiveness and the prevalence of worrisome variants. The bayside Mare complex is comprised of more than a dozen so-called favelas and home to some 130,000 people, and the study is Brazil's first to target a low-income area. The Brazilian researchers leading the effort arent aware of another elsewhere in the world that has specifically focused on slums. Rio is currently providing first vaccine doses to 34-year-olds. As such, the Brazilian governments Fiocruz Institute aims to inoculate more than 30,000 Mare residents aged 18 to 33, and bring vaccine coverage of the adult population to near 100%, according to Dr. Fernando Bozza, the studys coordinator. First doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be administered over the course of three days at 30 locations across Mare. This is important for Mare and for Brazil as a whole. Here in Rio de Janeiro, more than 1.5 million people live in favelas. Research is usually done in hospitals and health units, Dr. Valcler Rangel, Fiocruzs adviser for institutional relations, told reporters. Before one station opened its doors in the early morning, already 100 people were lined up outside. Those who choose to can also participate in Fiocruzs study, for which the institute intends to recruit 2,000 families. After her shot, Jennifer Cardoso Nunes, 27, signed a consent form and answered survey questions about her medical history, recent experience with anxiety, whether she works from home and the number of people with whom she lives. She shares her home with her grandmother and five aunts and uncles, all of whom will receive blood tests at the studys 3-month and 6-month marks. I think its important we participate in this research precisely so they can monitor this pandemic, said Cardoso. Any positive COVID-19 tests in Mare over coming months will be genomically sequenced, which at present is scarcely done in Brazil. That will allow for observation of worrisome variants, like the highly contagious delta strain that has begun circulating in Rio and other Brazilian cities after ravaging majority unvaccinated populations in other nations. Evaluating the vaccine's effectiveness against new variants like delta is one of the studys focuses, said Bozza. The intensification of vaccination is necessary to control the spread of the new variant, he added. Less than half of Brazilians have received a first shot and less than one-fifth are fully vaccinated, according to Health Ministry data. Brenda Ferreira da Silva, a law student who received her first shot, criticized Brazils vaccine sommeliers -- a moniker for those who refuse AstraZeneca or Sinovac that comprise the vast majority of available vaccines and instead seek out Pfizer or Jannsen shots. If we keep trying to get X or Y vaccine, it delays the collective vaccination and herd immunity from having everyone vaccinated. So I think its very sad, and people need to stop with that, said da Silva, 20. Based on Rios vaccination schedule, she wouldnt have received her first shot until Aug. 16. Fiocruz has already carried out a mass vaccination program with AstraZeneca on the Paqueta island in Rios Guanabara Bay, as well as in Botucatu, a city in Sao Paulo state. Sao Paulos state-run Butantan Institute conducted a mass vaccination study in another city of its interior, Serrana, using the Sinovac vaccine. A fierce cold snap is bearing down on homeless people in Brazil and authorities, activists and religious leaders are doing what they can to limit suffering on the streets. Temperatures in some areas of southern Brazil has dropped below freezing, and dozens of cities received snow and freezing rain. That's especially worrisome this year after the pandemic exacerbated homelessness by punishing Brazil's job market and the federal government diminished welfare outlay that was a lifeline in 2020. Brazil's most populous state, Sao Paulo on Thursday donated 7,500 blankets and 1,000 sleeping bags to organizations that help the homeless.Authorities also transformed one of the state capital's subway stations into a shelter with capacity for 400 people, where they are receiving soup. The nation's biggest metropolis on Friday recorded its lowest temperature in five years, 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4.4 Celsius), according to the national meteorological institute. It was the second-lowest temperature in over two decades. Maria Madalena Dutra, 36, was among those who shivered through the night on Sao Paulo's streets as she slept atop blankets beneath a makeshift tarp. Dutra, whose day labor as a maid dried up during the pandemic, said she found no vacancy at a shelter. Last night, the cold was so bad that we lit a lighter in our hands to warm up, but it didn't do anything. Yesterday was painful, she said downtown on Thursday. The temperature isn't the only problem. Things get worse when it's cold, windy and raining at the same time. The Rev. Julio Lancellotti, a prominent Catholic priest, posted a photo to social media on Wednesday of a dozen people laid out on mats on the floor of his parish. They moved to a shelter set up by City Hall on Thursday. Low temperatures are expected to endure through the weekend, and start rising gradually thereafter, according to the meteorological institute. Areas of higher altitude in Brazils southern region could see temperatures plunge as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 degrees Celsius) . Wind chill makes the frigid air even more intolerable. State governments have stocked gymnasiums with donated bedding. Parana state started distributing tens of thousands of blankets and set up temporary shelters. The government of the southernmost Rio Grande do Sul state was holding a blanket drive on Friday. Christian Braga founder of the nonprofit Group of Social Attitude that provides food and blankets to the homeless in Sao Paulo, estimates there are twice as many people in the streets this year as a result of the pandemic. He began collecting blankets from friends in 2016, when four people died of cold. It seems paradoxical, people dying of cold in a tropical city of a tropical nation like Brazil, he said. It shows how we have failed as a society in bringing together efforts to solve the problems." ___ Alvares reported from Brasilia. The US economy returned to its pre-pandemic level on Thursday, a year after it suffered its worst quarterly contraction on record. But the lift was lower than some economists had predicted, suggesting that weaning the economy off fiscal support while Delta variant Covid-19 infections build comes with risks. The fresh data from the S Commerce Department showed gross domestic product (GDP) had grown by 1.6 per cent in the second quarter of the year, slightly higher than in the first three months of the 2021. On an annualised basis, the worlds largest economy grew 6.5 per cent in the three months June. Many economists had expected higher growth, of around 8.5 per cent. A fall in inventories, the goods and parts stored by retailers and manufacturers, was one of the chief reasons why GDP growth was weaker than hoped. It underlined the severe strain on supply chains after the pandemic disrupted shipping and the rest of the logistics industry. There have also been surges in demand as consumers return to spending after the lifting of restrictions. View more Still, it has been a sharp turn around. Last week, the National Bureau of Economic Research, which determines whether or not the US economy has suffered a recession, said the downturn, which started in February 2020 through to April the same year, was the shortest recession ever recorded. The fresh GDP figures also come after the US Federal Reserve signaled on Wednesday that it was considering easing its support, known as quantitative easing, by trimming the number of bonds it buys in coming months. The Fed has been especially cautious in its communications about easing debt buying after the 2013 so-called taper tantrum when it said it would ease its monetary support triggering a market sell-off by investors. Even with economic output falling short of expectations, economists told The Independent they are optimistic about the outlook in the US. Im not troubled by the headline figures, says Ian Shepherdson, founder and chief US economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics. The main thing is that consumption is charging along. Business investment is coming along. Everything else is meh, but those are the two main things. Economists and investors watch consumer spending and business investment closely because collectively they account for around 80 per cent of economic activity. Consumers spending capabilities had also received a significant boost in March and April, via stimulus checks. Theres every reason to be quite optimistic about the second half of this year, says Mr Shepherdson. Consumption was double digit in the second quarter, 11.8 per cent. Thats not sustainable but thats fine. People have got a huge amount of savings that theyve accrued. Financial markets are also, so far, proving relatively calm about the prospect of the Feds imminent tapering of debt purchases. It was just another very slow, very cautious, baby step towards the exit door, says James Athey, investment director at Aberdeen Standard Investments. Still, the approach showed the central bank is nervous of any shock to markets: It was a prewarning, ahead of a warning, ahead of tapering, he says. Yet while investors have stayed relatively sanguine about the prospect of tapering, economists are worried about the impact of the Delta variant on the US recovery. There are significant proportions of the population in some Southern states, which are now seeing a rapid rise in infections. The country is averaging around 60,000 confirmed new cases a day, a sharp increasing on a rate of about 12,000 per day last month. Cases there will go up. Its very hard to know how far this will go, says Mr Shepherdson. There are some states where well under 40 per cent of the population are vaccinated, he added. However, it is hard to tell if there would be political appetite to reintroduce any restrictions to try and stem a tide of cases. Many economists do not expect severe reactions. More likely, provided hospitalisation rates do not threaten to overwhelm healthcare services, is that consumers will be a little more cautious, with mild economic impact. I dont think its going to elicit the same level of response from state governors in waves past, says Mr Athey. And while economic output has beaten back Covid-19, the same isnt true of the labour market. Unemployment is still well below levels seen before the pandemic took hold in the US and around the world. There are around seven million fewer jobs than before the economy shrank, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Reaching pre-pandemic GDP levels still means theres lost growth: the expansion that would have taken place without lockdowns and deaths. And the picture could darken a little in the coming weeks, however, even if the economy is back on track after the pandemic pushed it into contraction. Weve got to recover the ground that was lost, says Mr Shepherdson. That will start, hopefully at the beginning of next year. Covid-19 may accelerate the onset of Alzheimers disease in patients who suffer neurological symptoms such as brain fog or loss of smell and taste, early research suggests. And coronavirus patients are more susceptible to long-term memory and thinking problems, a separate study has found. In the first case, scientists found higher levels of markers of Alzheimers disease, which causes dementia, in the blood of people who had suffered neurological complications after being infected with the virus. These new data point to disturbing trends, showing Covid-19 infections leading to lasting cognitive impairment and even Alzheimers symptoms, said Heather M Snyder, Alzheimers Association vice-president for medical and scientific relations. With more than 190 million cases and nearly 4 million deaths worldwide, Covid-19 has devastated the entire world. It is imperative that we continue to study what this virus is doing to our bodies and brains. As part of the research, scientists in the US took blood from 310 people in New York admitted to hospital with Covid-19. Markers in the blood linked with Alzheimers were strongly associated with the presence of neurological symptoms during Covid-19 infection. Thomas Wisniewski, a professor of neurology, pathology and psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine, who led the research, said: These findings suggest that patients who had Covid-19 may have an acceleration of Alzheimers-related symptoms and pathology. But he said more studies were needed to establish how the biomarkers affect cognition in the long term in people who have had Covid-19. Its not known whether people suffering from Covids neurological symptoms who show signs of Alzheimers are already predisposed to the condition. However, Alzheimers diagnoses also appear to be more common in patients in their 60s and 70s who have had severe Covid, said Gabriel de Erausquin, a professor of neurology at UT Health San Antonio. Its downright scary, he told NPR. Doctors have previously found that scans taken before and after a person develops Covid suggest it can cause changes that overlap with those seen in Alzheimers, and genetic studies show some of the genes that increase a persons risk of getting severe Covid-19 also raise the risk of developing Alzheimers, NPR reported. The new findings, which have yet to be published, were presented at the 2021 Alzheimers Association international conference in Colorado, US. Separate research has found a link between Covid-19 and long-term memory and thinking problems. Researchers at the University of Texas looked at more than 200 adults from Argentina with Covid-19 and compared them with 64 healthy individuals. They found that memory problems were linked to loss of smell, but not to the severity of Covid-19 infection. When participants were studied up to six months after Covid infection, more than half showed persistent problems with forgetfulness, and roughly one in four had additional problems with cognition, including with language. Another study from Greece, also presented at the conference, found that recovered Covid-19 patients who experienced a decline in memory were more likely to have poor physical health. Susan Kohlhaas, director of research at Alzheimers Research UK, said: Relatively little is known about the long-term effects of Covid-19, including subsequent risk of memory and thinking problems, or the long-term risk of diseases like Alzheimers. These new findings underline not only that Covid-19 is a serious illness, but that we need to monitor potential long-term effects. The evidence for persistent problems with memory and thinking after a Covid-19 infection isnt yet clear, and like all findings presented at conferences, we must wait to see them published in full and scrutinised by other experts to draw firmer conclusions. These results make clear that more long-term follow-up and studies of people experiencing Covid-19 are required. A year ago, a professor at the University of Michigan warned that inflammation caused by Covid can have long-lasting effects on memory, increasing the risk of memory loss and cognitive decline. Workers at a major London hospital have complained about bullying, harassment, racism and sexism during an inspection by the care regulator. A review of the imaging departments at the Royal London Hospital and Whipps Cross Hospital revealed concerns over the culture of the service and conflict between staff. Both hospitals are run by Barts Health NHS Trust, one of the largest hospital groups in the country. On its website the trust said it runs one of the largest imaging departments in the country providing routine x-rays, scans and specialist diagnostics across five sites in London. In its report the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said: The service faced significant challenges relating to the culture of the division. There were factions and separate interests within the workforce and nearly all staff suggested that this conflict created a difficult and hostile working environment. We were informed of numerous allegations of bullying, harassment, racism, and sexism that had been escalated to requiring intervention from human resources. Staff stated that human resources was not providing adequate resolution to these issues for either frontline staff or the divisional management, and disruption related to individual staff issues remained a source of conflict. The watchdog carried out the inspection after concerns were raised about the safety of the service. Inspectors found equipment repair records were poorly maintained with multiple reports of repairs not being carried out. Staff said it often needed multiple reports to get equipment fixed. At Whipps Cross Hospital the regulator found old equipment that did not always work, meaning delays for patients and in some cases new equipment had been bought but could not be used as it had not been linked to existing computer systems. Nicola Wise, the CQCs head of hospital inspection, said: At the Royal London Hospital, we found rooms containing hazardous clinical equipment that were not securely locked. This meant that anyone could enter the room and risk exposure to radiation or powerful magnets, which would be extremely dangerous. We also found a mobile x-ray machine which had been left unsupervised in a publicly accessible corridor. It was connected to mains power with the key left in place, so it could be operated by a patient, visitor or an unauthorised member of staff, putting them at risk of exposure to ionising radiation. She added the conflict between some members of staff was creating a hostile working environment adding: This is an indication of wider cultural issues which leaders need to address as a matter of priority. The CQC said workers did not want to raise concerns as they were worried about being treated badly. It said the leadership of the service was not stable with interim staff or people only recently recruited. Managers could not always calculate the number of staff needed for each shift and were not able to accurately monitor their hours. In some cases, the lack of clarity regarding staff availability had resulted in a poor experience for patients. The regular said the senior management at the trust were not fully aware of the challenges in the department and staff felt the leadership team was not visible. Barts Health Trust is rated overall as requires improvement by the CQC, including on safety. Dame Alwen Williams, chief executive of Barts Health NHS Trust, said: We will be ensuring staff have the resources to sustain improvements we need to make and there is appropriate oversight and processes in place for escalating wellbeing issues. We have a responsibility to listen to what our hard working team are saying, and respond appropriately and sensitively. It is also concerning to hear that some staff have had experience of bullying, harassment and sexism. This is unacceptable and we are committed to eliminating discrimination, ensuring equality of opportunity and promoting good relations between all people. We are continuing to investigate every complaint made. Our imaging service is an important service for our local residents and we are accelerating our efforts to make lasting change happen more quickly. A group of mostly Black pastors has joined other civil rights organizations in Kansas City who are seeking a federal investigation into officer misconduct in the city's police department. Getting to the Heart of the Matter has asked the Department of Justice to investigate the department because it has not been responsive to calls for more accountability, particularly in shootings or violent interactions with minority residents, Pastor Darron Edwards said. Something needs to happen to change the trajectory of our city in terms of protecting and serving people in all its Zip codes, Edwards said Thursday. On Monday, the Urban Council, an umbrella group of civil rights organizations, announced it had sent a letter to U.S Attorney Merrick Garland asking for an investigation into disturbing patterns of violent policing toward Black men. The civil rights groups also criticized the Board of Police Commissioners, which includes the mayor and four members appointed by the governor. They say the board has protected the police department and the current organization makes Kansas City one of largest metropolitan cities in the U.S. without local police control. Edwards said his group hand-delivered its letter to Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, who represents the Kansas City area, about two weeks ago. The group has also asked the Missouri State Auditor and the Kansas City auditor to investigate aspects of the department. The U.S Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the two calls for investigations. Scott Holste, a spokesman for the Missouri Auditors office, said the request from Getting to the Heart of the Matter is under review. Kansas City police spokesman Sgt. Jacob Becchina said the department has had an agreement with the Justice Department, the FBI and the Jackson County Prosecutor's office since 2015 to ensure the department reports incidents that could be considered civil rights violations or excessive force. We take very seriously the quality of relationships and respect between the community as well as members of the (police department)," said Becchina, who said the department has procedures to report discrimination or racial complaints and fully investigates those complaints. The civil rights groups have long criticized the department and called for the resignation or firing of Police Chief Rick Smith, with the complaints increasing after racial injustice protests that began in the summer of 2020. Unlike those groups, Getting to the Heart of the Matter had worked with the department to improve police-community relationships and was publicly lauded by Smith and others for those efforts. That relationship changed on June 1, when the group released a video of a fatal police shooting of a Black man at a convenience store. Edwards and others said video of Malcolm Johnson, 31, being shot as he struggled with several officers contradicted the police department's version that he was shot after he shot an officer. They contend Johnson was executed by police while several officers had him pinned on the floor. The Missouri State Highway Patrol has turned its investigation into Johnson's shooting over to the Jackson County Prosecutor's office. Edwards said the department stopped working with his group since it held news conferences to question the Johnson case. He said he used to hear from Chief Smith or someone from the department nearly every day but has not received any communication or been asked to speak to any groups since June 1. Becchina said in his statement that the department continues to work with Edwards and dozens of others in the faith based community on a weekly basis. Edwards said the problems with the police department go beyond the Malcolm Johnson case. The investigations are necessary because I see no leadership from the chief of police, Edwards said. There is no accountability, no responsiveness to the needs or voices of the community. Senior district judge Paul Goldspring has described a former estate agent who accosted Professor Chris Whitty as yobbish, adding that he humiliated Englands chief medical officer by putting him in a loose headlock when his request for a photo was declined. Lewis Hughes, 24, of Romford, Essex, put his future at risk with 10 seconds of madness when he accosted Prof Whitty in St Jamess Park in central London last month, Westminster Magistrates Court heard. Footage of the incident, lasting around 20 seconds, was widely shared on social media. Hughes, who was sacked following the incident on June 27, admitted a charge of assault by beating at the court on Friday and was handed a suspended sentence. Senior district judge Paul Goldspring told the defendant: He [Prof Whitty] goes about his very difficult job without the expectation of yobs like you accosting him, assaulting him. And to compound it all, he was further humiliated by that video being posted. Hughes was given an eight-week prison sentence, suspended for two years and was ordered to pay a total of 307 in fines and compensation. The judge said Hughess actions undermined the efforts of key workers throughout the coronavirus pandemic and went on to say that The act itself is not the most serious but there are very few cases that are more serious in my view. He also said he believed Prof Whitty would donate the 100 compensation awarded to him to charity, saying it would be the mark of the man, adding to Hughes, Let it be a lesson to you, yobbish behaviour and drinking alcohol has consequences. Luke Staton, prosecuting, told the court Prof Whitty had not intended to report the footage until it had been released online. Prof Whitty had recognised that the defendants were not aggressive but he doubted their intentions in asking for a photograph, the court heard. Laurie-Anne Power, defending, said Hughes had been in London for a dance festival prior to the incident. She said: Ten seconds of madness has cost this young, ambitious man his future. Ms Power said Hughes is remorseful for his actions and has paid a heavy price through losing his job as an estate agent. She added he is a man of exemplary good character who has brought humiliation on himself and his family. The court heard he approached Prof Whitty merely to get a photograph with him, and not because of his views on the pandemic. However, Ms Power said Hughes recognised that Prof Whitty had not given his consent to touch him. A second man, Jonathan Chew, 24, from Chelmsford, Essex, pleaded not guilty to the same charge of assault by beating. He was granted bail and asked to appear at the same court on November 23 for a trial. The court heard Prof Whitty is expected to give evidence at the trial. The professor, who has a leading role in devising lockdown restrictions and regularly appears alongside Boris Johnson at coronavirus press briefings, has been involved in a number of encounters with members of the public during the pandemic. He has previously been confronted on a street in Oxford by a man accusing him of lying to the public about the virus, while in February a man accosted him near parliament. The Biden administration has resumed fast-track deportation flights of illegal immigrants, but many cant travel because they tested positive for the coronavirus, Department of Homeland Security officials say. On Friday, two deportation flights were scheduled to leave Texas for Central America with 147 immigrants onboard. But according to The Washington Post , only 73 ended up on the plane. DHS officials told the Post this was because many of the migrants had either tested positive for the virus or had been exposed to an infected person. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) , which runs the flights, typically screens immigrants for Covid before allowing them on a plane with other people. If they test positive, theyre required to go into quarantine until they test negative. That policy is getting in the way of the expedited deportation flights, which DHS had announced it was resuming on Friday. The expedited removal process is a lawful means to securely manage our border, and it is a step toward our broader aim to realise safe and orderly immigration processing, the department said in a statement . By placing into expedited removal families who cannot be expelled under Title 42, we are making clear that those who do not qualify to remain in the United States will be promptly removed. Illegal immigration at the United States southern border has skyrocketed in recent months. According to Customs and Border Protection, apprehensions of families at the border have risen from about 7,300 in January to 55,800 in June. A court filing by ICE shows that over 2,300 migrants have tested positive for the virus since the beginning of the pandemic. A guest at a Marriott resort in Mexico wrote a critical one-star review of her hotel on TripAdvisor after witnessing another tourist being dragged into the ocean by a crocodile. A teenager from California was attacked and dragged underwater by the huge animal while vacationing at the resort, ending up in hospital after fighting it off. Kiana Hummel, 18, managed to keep the crocodile away long enough for others to intervene and help her out of the reptiles grip during her visit to Puerto Vallarta on Mexico's west coast. A guest named Natalie wrote a review of the hotel, saying: The room was clean, although had a bit of a mouldy smell. The food and staff were absolutely excellent, although I wish there were more dinner options available on site. Based on those items alone I wouldve highly recommended this hotel. However and this is a HUGE however, the only deterring factor for my not recommending to others is the fact that my group of friends RESCUED a young girl from a 12 ft+ CROCODILE, she wrote. Had my group not been sitting on the patio near the beach that poor girl wouldve DIED, she added. They pulled this girl and her friend from the crocodiles mouth, and Natalies friends were spearheading the trauma to stop the bleeding with a tourniquet and demanding an ambulance. I understand you dont want to scare guests, but the following day there shouldve been big YELLOW signs to warn of the attack... my group is TRAUMATISED by this experience. That crocodile is a monster and will be back on your beaches until he gets what he wants, do something about it before you kill one of your guests, Natalie added. Resort staff member Fred Ruiz responded to the review on TripAdvisor, writing: While we are pleased to learn that our food and services were excellent, we apologize for the unpleasant experience you had during your stay with us. We are greatly concerned about this situation, and we review our plans and procedures often and work closely with the appropriate authorities on an ongoing basis. The attack took place when Ms Hummel was about to take a nighttime swim with a friend. The crocodile emerged from the water and grabbed Ms Hummel by her right leg and dragged her into the water. Ms Hummel told KGO that she punched the croc multiple times before it finally let go of her. But the animal then grabbed her by her right leg a second time. I just remember saying, please dont leave me, she told KGO. And I didnt think I was getting out that second time. That was just really bad, she added. A number of witnesses took action and were able to help the teenager get free, pulling her out of the water. It was most definitely one of the craziest, scariest things Ive ever experienced, said Sarah Laney, a witness of the attack and a friend of Natalies, told the Bay Area TV station. Loading.... Honestly, I will never forget it when the crocodiles head came above water. I just went into shock, she added. Ms Hummel had severe tissue and muscle damage done to her legs and is still unable to walk. After the attack, she called her mother Ariana Martinez and waited almost 45 minutes for an ambulance to pick her up. Im on the phone with her, shes yelling, get me an ambulance, get me an ambulance to the hospital, Ms Martinez told KGO. It took them forever. The mother told the outlet that she flew to Mexico to be with her daughter. After returning to California, Ms Hummel has been hospitalised at Marin General, where shes expected to undergo a second surgery. Ms Hummel, Ms Martinez, and Ms Laney all said the resort could have done more to make guests aware of the dangers in the area. However, Mariott spokesperson Kerstin Sachl told KGO that warning flags and signs are in place. The safety and security of our guests and associates are our top priority, and we can confirm that appropriate signage, as well as night patrolling and red flags, were and are properly in place, Ms Sachl said. Our staff is trained in how to respond to safety matters appropriately. We encourage all guests to be vigilant for their safety, she added. Until that moment, never in my wildest dreams would I have thought a crocodile was on that beach. Ever, Ms Laney said. It could have ended so much differently, Ms Martinez added. That call could have been a totally different call. Authorities in Canada have apologised after they threw the burnt remains of a woman in a dumpster, apparently confusing it with a mannequin. The heads of the police and fire departments in Sherbrooke, Quebec made the admission on Thursday in a press conference, local reports said. Danny McConnell, the Sherbrooke police chief, said during the briefing that fire responders were alerted to a small fire close to a local factory. When they arrived, witnesses declared that someone had lit a silicone mannequin on fire, Mr McConnell said, according to CBC. Following a discussion, first responders reportedly made the decision to dispose of what they believed to be the mannequin in a dumpster at the Sherbrooke police service, which they said was inaccessible to the public. However later the same day, a man is said to have reported his partner missing and police tracked the womans mobile phone to a vehicle near the fire. Officers then made the connection between the missing persons report and the earlier discovery and went back to the dumpster to retrieve the remains. We are obviously sorry about this situation and rest assured the family is being advised about every key detail of this investigation, Mr McConnell said, according to reports. He added: Our hearts are with the family, her partner and the kids in this very tragic situation. Police reportedly said they are treating the unmanned womans death as suspicious but it is yet unclear how she died. The coroners office and Quebecs police watchdog, the Bureau of Investigators (BEI), is investigating the case, CTV reported. We will shine a light on these events over the next few weeks, Stephane Simoneau, the head of Sherbrookes fire department, said according to CBC. Dr Robert Nicholson, an anatomical pathologist at the Granby Hospital in the Eastern Townships, explained to CBC how the incident could have occurred. So, a 150-pound person would be about 60 pounds, he told the outlet. If somebody is a burn victim and most of the water is gone, then there is nothing but the results of the burn. He said that by this point the body doesnt look like a normal person and it doesnt feel like a normal person. Mr McConnell and Mr Simoneau did not take questions from reporters and expressed they were concerned for the psychological welfare of the first responders. Im quite stunned by this news and I can say that my entire team, the entire department, as well as those who were there that day, are in shock, Mr Simoneau said. He added: People were overcome by certain emotions, so we have to manage that situation in order to stabilise our teams, psychologically, and thats what weve been doing. A sailor suspected of starting a ship fire that burned for four days and caused $2.5 billion worth of damage, is facing criminal charges. The US navy announced the charges of aggravated arson and willful hazarding of a vessel in a statement on Thursday, saying authorities have collected enough evidence to schedule a hearing in the case, reports the Washington Post. Amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard was ablaze for days while pier-side at Naval Base San Diego last summer. It was eventually scrapped, needing $2.5 billion in repairs. The accused sailor, a seaman apprentice, was a member of the Bonhomme Richard crew. He has not been publicly identified, said navy spokesman Commander Sean Robertson. Vice Admiral Steve Koehler, the commander of US 3rd Fleet, will consider whether to proceed with a court-martial, Mr Robertson added. Separately, the navy has two other investigations ongoing to examine the circumstances of the fire. One is regarding the safety particulars of the case, while the other will scrutinise aspects of the command when the fire occurred. Sailors who battled the fire described a nightmarish blaze in which metal twisted, flames burst from openings in the ship, and black smoke poured out, reports the Washington Post. Im not going to lie I was scared, Petty Officer 2nd Class Hayley Craig, a sailor aboard the ship, told reporters in September. I think everybody was. You couldnt really see nothing. It was incredibly hot. I didnt know your body could take that much heat. A few dozen people were treated for smoke inhalation, but no sailors of firefighters suffered serious injuries. New federal guidelines prompted by a surge in coronavirus cases have left school leaders across the country embroiled in debates over whether to require masks in schools, muddling a long-sought return to normalcy for millions of children. The wrangling over masks, considered by pediatricians and epidemiologists to be one of the most effective ways to stop school spread, has turned deeply personal and political, fueling vitriol at school board meetings that have left board members fearing for their safety. Several Republican-led states have barred school districts from requiring masks, threatening to fine school leaders or cut state funding if they attempt it. Caught in the fray are school leaders, who are forced to again navigate constantly shifting pandemic conditions, conflicting guidance on how to manage them and political fights all while trying to craft policies that will keep students safe and buildings open. Because despite the deep divide over masks, there is a virtual consensus that it is critical to get children back to face-to-face learning. Politics play into it, Dan Nerelli, superintendent of the Chichester School District outside Philadelphia, said of the national climate. In his district, masks were optional during the summer and no decision has been made yet on the fall. People dont want to say it, but its a hot topic, and as superintendents we get caught in the middle of it. Nearly everyone agrees that children should be back in classrooms, a goal that is now being threatened by the delta variant and the mask debate. Parents in both camps those who support mask mandates and those who oppose them are pulling their children from brick-and-mortar schools in districts where they disagree with masking policies. A rash of cases among students and staffers in the Ash Fork School District in Arizona, which opened its doors last week for the new school year, forced the school system to close buildings Wednesday. In a video, Superintendent Seth Staples pleaded with parents for patience. He noted, too, that while masks were recommended, the state barred him from requiring them. A spike in coronavirus cases and a critical shortage of hospital beds pushed Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, to declare a state of emergency and to call the legislature back in to session to reconsider the states ban on mask mandates. On Tuesday, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidance urging everyone in school buildings to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status, a response to growing concerns over the highly contagious delta variant. That was a shift from guidance issued just three weeks prior, when the agency said only unvaccinated people in school buildings needed masks. Several school districts, including in New Orleans and Georgias Gwinnett County, took heed and will require universal masking in schools for the coming school year. GOP leaders balked. This is just another example of the Biden-Harris administrations inability to effectively confront the Covid-19 pandemic, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, a Republican, said in a statement. Mr Ducey, who banned schools from implementing mask mandates and then helped make it state law, said that requiring masks even for the vaccinated would lead people to wrongly believe that vaccine is not effective. The fights over mask mandates and other pandemic adjustments have taken a scary turn in some school districts. Paul Imhoff, who is president of a nationwide association for school superintendents and heads the Upper Arlington school district in Ohio, said some of his colleagues have told him that they have stationed armed security guards outside their homes, worried that rancor will turn into violence. Mr Ducey is one of several GOP governors who have backed efforts to ban or discourage school leaders from implementing mask mandates, saying they want to leave decisions about masking up to parents. Their actions have drawn criticism from those who say they are ignoring public health guidance in order to play to their base of supporters. Some opponents of mask mandates rely on fringe science to back their claims that masks are ineffective. Others say that they are concerned masks will leave children traumatized and impede their learning and that the disease poses little threat to children - though they can still spread it to adults. And many argue that the public health guidelines infringe on their personal liberty. John Kuhn, superintendent of the small, rural Mineral Wells Independent School District in Texas, said he understands why some parents oppose mask mandates. There are those who oppose any pandemic restrictions and worry they will again lead to a full-scale shutdown, even though public health officials have said the opposite - that mask-wearing could prevent shutdowns. Will Covid-19 spread more readily if government doesnt require masks? Yes. Is it dangerous? Yes. I dont think school people are ignorant of these realities or deny them, Mr Kuhn said. There are no easy answers here. Basically, a schools masking policy has to reflect its communitys masking expectations. In states where mask mandates have been banned, it means local school leaders have to choose between breaking the law or ignoring CDC guidelines. Texas has threatened school leaders with fines if they attempt to implement mask requirements, and in Arizona and South Carolina, schools can lose state funding if they defy the bans. In Austin, where Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, issued an executive order banning mask mandates, school leaders are preparing to accommodate children whose parents will not send them to school alongside unmasked students and staffers. The Austin Independent School District recently expanded its virtual offerings, even though the state is not paying for it. We know that masks work, and kids were great at wearing masks, said Jason Stanford, spokesman for the school district. We would absolutely be mandating masks if we were allowed to. In Florida, where cases of the delta variant are rising sharply, a showdown appears to be looming between Gov Ron DeSantis, a Republican, a staunch opponent of mask mandates, and at least one school district that this week reversed its fall mask-optional policy, opting to require masks for all. There is no way in good conscience that I could bring anybody back into the school environment, on the bus, the cafeteria, and not have a mask mandate, said Rosalind Osgood, chair of the Broward County School Board. Opponents of the mask mandate had gathered at the school board meeting Tuesday, burning masks. The board was forced to adjourn early because they refused to wear masks inside the building, CBS4 in Miami reported. On Wednesday, opponents arrived armed with what they said was evidence that masks do not work. One mother lifted her young daughter to the microphone to address the members. I dont want to wear it, because I cant breath, she said. In Iowa City, parents asked the school district to educate masked and unmasked students separately, since the state barred it from passing a mask mandate. The parents, rightly so, are trying to find clever ways to work around the laws and still keep their kids safe, said Shawn Eyestone, president of the school board. But the problem is, logistically, its almost impossible. The debate has also illuminated a stark racial divide in the pandemic. Anti-mask protesters in many places are mostly White. In large urban districts and majority-black districts, the mask mandates have been largely uncontroversial. Its a contrast that has been reflected in polls. In May, more than three-quarters of black, Hispanic and Asian parents said they needed mask requirements to feel safe sending their children back in to classrooms, compared with 53 per cent of white parents, according to research done by the Rand Corp. New York, Chicago and Los Angeles never lifted their universal masking requirements. And when Clayton County, outside Atlanta, decided to expand its mask mandate, school leaders heard little fuss. Many of our families are front-line workers. [Our community] was hit very hard, Superintendent Morcease Beasley said. That has contributed to us here in Clayton County hearing little pushback, because those families have experienced the impact of this pandemic firsthand. The Washington Post A whistleblower at Facebook who warned that the platform was being exploited by opportunistic political elements to seize power across the globe claims that the social media giant removed her website from the internet to keep her quiet. Sophie Zhang, who worked as a low-level data scientist at Facebook, left the company in 2020 after she said she had discovered that fake accounts were being utilised by political actors to farm likes and warp public sentiment, which directly impacted elections. Before leaving the company, Ms Zhang says she declined a $64,000 severance pay that was contingent upon her signing a non-disparagement agreement with the company. The data scientist said she declined the pay to reserve her right to speak out against the company. Upon her resignation, she sent an 8,000 word exit memo to the company that detailed the warnings and concerns she had brought forward to company leaders during her time working at Facebook. She hoped the memo would pressure the leaders to act on the issues she was highlighting. Technology Review reported on Ms Zhangs departure, noting that she was hesitant to release her memo too early, as she was planning to leave the company shortly before the 2020 election. I was terrified of somehow becoming the James Comey of 2020, she said, referring to the former FBI directors decision to announce that Hillary Clintons private email server was being investigated days before the election. Ms Clinton has blamed Mr Comey for her loss to Donald Trump in 2016. Ms Zhang went on to publish two articles in The Guardian detailing the issues she had with the company. Her articles claimed that Facebook is easily exploitable by those hoping to interfere in election, and accused the company of sitting on its hands unless the actions directly hurt its bottom line. Facebook has denied all of Ms Zhangs claims. For the countless press interviews shes done since leaving Facebook, we have fundamentally disagreed with Ms Zhangs characterization of our priorities and efforts to root out abuse on our platform, Facebook spokesman Joe Osborne said. We aggressively go after abuse around the world and have specialized teams focused on this work. As a result, weve already taken down more than 150 networks of coordinated inauthentic behavior Combatting coordinated inauthentic behavior is our priority. During her time with the company, Ms Zhang worked with a team whose job was to root out fake engagement activities, which ultimately led her to discover how the platform was being used to interfere in elections. In one instance, she discovered that the Facebook page belonging to the Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez had created hundreds of fake pages filled with fictional names and profile pictures that were used to flood the presidents posts with likes, comments and shares. As a result of the fake engagement, the presidents posts were being boosted higher in users newsfeeds, a helpful tool for a politician running for re-election. Ms Zhang said she brought the issue to her team and her supervisors, and though she noted that the others acknowledged the situation was bad, no one had any ideas about fixing the problem. Everyone agreed that it was terrible, she said. No one could agree who should be responsible, or even what should be done. Eventually Ms Zhang began taking it upon herself to scrub fake engagements during her free time, but she claims Facebook higher-ups eventually put an end to that, telling her to stick to her assigned work or to leave the company. After she decided to leave, Facebook removed her 8,000 word memo to the company. Anticipating this, Ms Zhang posted the memo on her personal website. An HR person from Facebook allegedly called her to ask her to remove the post from her website, but she said she would only do so if they agreed to put the memo back up internally at Facebook. The next day, Ms Zhang claims she received a notification from her hosting server that it had removed her website due to a complaint from Facebook. Days later, it took down her domain as well. ] Ms Zhang said she was thankful for the follow up reporting in the media, but fears that the problems she left behind at Facebook are still continuing today. Facebook rejected that claim, saying that the fake engagement team that Ms Zhang worked with has continued its work to this day. However, Ms Zhang pointed to a network of fake pages in Azerbaijan as evidence that the problem is still present. Irreconcilable differences just got harder to reconcile. Legal tech platform Hello Divorce raised $2m in seed funding to make it easier for couples to untie the knot for as little as $99. Whether choosing the so-called "do-it-yourself" uncoupling or spending an average of $2,000 for legal help from its divorce advisers, the companys mission is to "disrupt the broken divorce process" and enable a more positive chapter. That new chapter goes beyond the end of one relationship to the forming of new relationships with wellness providers, property advisers and financial services, perhaps from some of its key investors like Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures. In a Twitter thread following the announcement, Hello Divorce CEO Erin Levin responded to a lawyer pointing out the possibility of matchmaking between the newly divorced suddenly in need of a deeper connection. "The same person who is getting divorced, evicted and/or facing bankruptcy has a million other (life) things to think + plan for, Ms Levin said in the tweet. Collab w/ key players in wellness/ financial/ ins will elevate our profession & provide true holistic help to consumers when they need it most. Ms Levine, a family law attorney who founded the online platform in 2018, said in the funding announcement that couples that start the process have a "divorce success rate" of 95 per cent. Or to put it another way, only 5 per cent save their marriage after signing up. Even with seemingly declining divorce rates, when something like 50 per cent of couples on average end up separated, the divorce industrial complex is big business, with about two million divorcees and a value of $50 billion annually industry-wide, the company estimates. With so much upside coming out of that downside, the California-based company attracted the seed round funding led by tech investor CEAS, along with Lightbank, and Gaingeles, and individual investors Jack Newton, founder of Clio, WRGs Lisa Stone, and Equity ESQ led by Ed Diab. The company plans to expand across the United States from its existing markets in California, Colorado, Texas and Utah to New York and Florida, where itll launch a bilingual format, she told TechCrunch. The immigration and non-English speaking markets have been an early target of legal tech investment, with the immigration platform Boundless raising $7.8m in 2019 to similarly connect lawyers with people navigating a convoluted legal process to get green cards. As the Lollapalooza continues this week, photos of huge, unmasked crowds are spurring fears that the music festival could become a Covid-19 superspreader event. The concerts kicked off in Chicagos Grant Park on Thursday, and are scheduled to continue until Sunday. About 100,000 people are expected to attend each day. According to the events website, concertgoers are required to either show proof of vaccination, or, if theyre not vaccinated, present a negative Covid test from the past 72 hours. If its the latter, attendees are also required to wear masks. In photos of the event, however, very few masks could be seen. That new band called Delta Variant is supposed to be pretty sick, one Twitter user commented , sharing a photo of a thousands-strong audience. Remember the last Sturgis? another wrote, referring to the 2020 motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, which researchers believe was a superspreader event . Yep! This is going to get ugly. Chicago officials say the situation is under control. Mayor Lori Lightfoot has said there are no plans to cancel the festival, and Dr Allison Arwady, head of the citys public health department, says the current precautions are enough to keep it safe. The folks who put on Lollapalooza are taking this extremely seriously, Dr Arwady told CBS Chicago . Making sure that all of their backstage workers are vaccinated, and ensuring that the ticket takers are tested, and [they] have really gone, I think, above and beyond and particularly where you compare this to a lot of other festivals around the country. On Twitter, however, many remain unconvinced. I live 40 miles away in the suburbs & thats still too close for me! one user wrote regarding the festival. How many traveled & will return home to spread this dangerous variant? Leadership failed with this decision. This is why we will NEVER be out of this pandemic, another wrote. On the first day of the festival, Lollapalooza said that the vast majority of attendees had shown proof of vaccination. Great job, Lollapalooza fans! the venue tweeted on Thursday. More than 90% of you showed us your proof of vaccination today! Meanwhile, an official Lollapalooza sign in Grant Park welcomed concertgoers with an unsettling message. An inherent risk of exposure to Covid-19 exists in any public space where people are present, the sign said. By attending Lollapalooza, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, on Thursday signed an executive order prohibiting cities and other government entities in the state from enacting vaccine requirements or mask mandates to protect against the coronavirus, even as the viruss more contagious delta variant drives another surge in Covid-19 cases in Texas. Mr Abbotts order applies to any government entities receiving state funds, including counties, cities, school districts, public health authorities and government officials. He also declared that there be no Covid-19-related operating limits for any business or other establishment in the state in order to ensure the ability of Texans to preserve livelihoods while protecting lives. The order, Mr Abbott said in a statement, was to provide clarity and uniformity in the states response to the coronavirus pandemic. The governor claimed that Texans had mastered the safe practices that help prevent and avoid the spread of Covid-19. The new Executive Order emphasizes that the path forward relies on personal responsibility rather than government mandates, Mr Abbott stated. Texans... have the individual right and responsibility to decide for themselves and their children whether they will wear masks, open their businesses, and engage in leisure activities. The governor added that vaccines remain the most effective defense against the virus but would never be forced in the state. Mr Abbotts executive order made official his repeated statements that he would not enforce mask or vaccine mandates in Texas, even as Covid-19 cases in the state have returned to levels not seen since early spring. Covid-related hospitalisations in Texas have risen nearly 40 per cent in the past week. Many officials have voiced concern that covid cases are rising again just before the academic year is set to begin in many school districts across Texas, while children under 12 remain ineligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week changed its guidance to recommend all children over 2 years old wear a mask when they return to school, regardless of vaccination status. The Texas State Teachers Association on Tuesday called on Mr Abbott to withdraw his prohibition on mask mandates and leave the decision up to individual school districts. If Governot Abbott really cares about the health and safety of Texas students, educators and their communities, he will give local school officials and health experts the option of requiring masks in their schools, Ovidia Molina, president of the teachers union, said in a statement. Several Democrats blasted MR Abbotts executive order Thursday, accusing the governor of caring more about his political career than his constituents. Mr Abbott is running for reelection next year for a third term and two of his Republican primary challengers have criticised him as being overly reliant on the federal government in his response to the pandemic. If he wasnt running for office hed be more responsible. Instead, people are going to get sick, or worse, Texas state Representative Diego Bernal, a Democrat, tweeted. Texas state Representative Gene Wu, a Democrat, called Mr Abbotts ban beyond reckless. Governor Abbott has decided Texans will die to maintain his political ambitions, Mr Wu tweeted. Mr Abbotts executive order came the same day President Joe Biden announced that all federal employees must be vaccinated against the coronavirus. Federal employees who chose not to get the vaccine will be required to wear a mask and practice social distancing at work, as well as be tested regularly for the coronavirus. This is not about red states and blue states. Its literally about life and death. Its about life and death, Mr Biden said Thursday, once again urging those who have not yet gotten the vaccine to do so right away. On Wednesday, Mr Abbott issued another executive order allowing state troopers to stop and reroute vehicles transporting migrants - warning that those migrants pose a risk of carrying Covid-19 into Texas communities. US Attorney General Merrick Garland immediately declared that order dangerous and unlawful and urged Mr Abbott to rescind the directive. The Washington Post President Joe Biden explained the severity of the Delta variant to Fox News reporter Peter Doocy at the White House during a press conference, after the reporter asked about face masks being potentially reintroduced nationwide. The president was answering questions from reporters in the East Room and faced a question a from the Fox News White House correspondent about the tightening of rules around wearing face masks, seeming to imply that the commander-in-chief was backtracking on a promise. In May, you made it sound like the vaccine was the ticket to losing the mask forever, Mr Doocy said to Mr Biden. The CDC said in May that fully vaccinated people could stop wearing masks indoors altogether. This advice has since been revised in light of the threat from the Delta variant. They now suggest wearing a mask while indoors while in an area of substantial or high transmission. According to CDC data, there are 1,680 counties marked to have a high risk of transmission and 551 counties marked as substantial risk. The substantial risk has increased by 17 per cent and in total, the two categories makes up 69 per cent of the US. That was true at the time.I thought people would understand that getting vaccinated made a gigantic difference, Mr Biden said. What happened was a new variant came along, they didnt get vaccinated, it was spread more rapidly, and more people were getting sick. Thats the difference, he said before walking out of the room on 29 July. Although the vaccine is not a guarantee against contracting Covid-19, being fully vaccinated greatly reduces the severity of the infection and chance of dying or hospitalisation. Preliminary data from the CDC showed that 99.5 per cent of deaths were among unvaccinated individuals. Our biggest concern is that we are going to continue to see preventable cases, hospitalisations and, sadly, deaths among the unvaccinated, Dr Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC, said on 16 July. Mr Biden has been pushing for more people to get vaccinated against the virus. Earlier at the press conference, he announced that he was offering $100 to anyone to getting vaccinated. Mr Biden also outlined plans to make federal workers getting vaccinated mandatory to maintain their employment. Additionally, he acknowledged the political issue that getting vaccinated had become and thanked Republican leaders for advocating getting jabbed, such as Kay Ivey, governor of Alabama and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. This is not about red states and blue states, Mr Biden said to reporters. Its literally about life and death. Around 40 lawmakers barged into the Senate chamber to protest new coronavirus mask restrictions implemented to stem the spread of the Delta variant in Congress. Reports said that the large group of maskless House Republican lawmakers walked onto the Senate floor on Thursday in protest at the regulations. The protest comes after Congresss chief physician urged lawmakers to resume wearing masks. The directive from the office of the attending physician did not require renewed mask-wearing on the Senate side. The new regulations have prompted uproar from members of the GOP, who argue that the rules are inconsistent, partisan and infringe on their individual liberties. Among those who demonstrated in the Senate chamber were controversial lawmakers Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert. Both have vehemently decried mask mandates throughout the pandemic. Ms Boebert is said to have thrown a face mask back at a congressional staffer after being asked to wear one and Ms Greene previously shredded a fine for refusing to wear a face covering. New York Magazine reported that Texas Representative Ronny Jackson said that the protests aim was to show what it was like on the floor of the Senate versus the floor of the House. Senators have the freedom to speak without their mask on and be in there and its not near as restrictive as it is on the House side. It makes no sense, the representative told The Hill. A number of Republican lawmakers have condemned the reimposed mask mandate, with House minority leader Kevin McCarthy saying Democrats want to live in a perpetual pandemic state "Make no mistake the threat of bringing masks back is not a decision based on science, but a decision conjured up by liberal government officials who want to continue to live in a perpetual pandemic state, he said on Twitter. Hitting back at the Republican leader House speaker Nancy Pelosi called his attitude moronic. To say that wearing a mask is not based on science, I think is not wise, she said. The body of the 100-member Senate is much smaller than the 435-member House and members come to Washington from places all over the country. Including Covid hotspots. This week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said fully vaccinated adults should continue to wear masks when inside public places where there are high numbers of coronavirus infections. The contention comes in the same week that the head of the US Capitol Police announced that aides and visitors on the House side of the Capitol will face arrest if they go maskless. Hunter Biden has hit out at critics of his artwork ahead of an exhibition in New York, and defended using his name to further his work. The son of President Joe Biden will see half a dozen pieces of his work go on display at New York Citys George Berges Gallery, according to reports. He also said of his critics: f*** em. Ben Davis, a US art critic who has already written about why Mr Biden should not be selling his work, told Politico this week that the 51-year-olds work was a lot of bluff and bluster and was not worthy of the $500,000 tag. There's no science to such things. But it is absolutely, 100 per cent certain that what is being sold is the Biden name and story, said Mr Davis. These are prices for an already successful artist. In an interview with the art podcast Nota Bene, Mr Biden was asked about his critics accusing him of using his name to his advantage. The interview was released on Thursday. He told the podcast: If I were going to hatch a plan, it certainly wouldnt be to make paintings ... I could just stay in my studio and paint for myself and I ultimately do do that but its kind of exciting to know that theres an audience, and for that audience to be able to have its own interpretation of what that painting means to them. Mr Biden also appeared to admit that his name allowed him to make money from the artwork, and told Nota Bene: Its been the unfair advantage of my whole life. Its a hell of a lot easier to get noticed, not only by the cop who pulls you over for speeding but also by the school or whatever the endeavour may be. The younger Biden, who has brought attention to his personal struggles with substance abuse and has been a target of attacks from his fathers opponents, referred to that fact and quipped: I think I am the most famous artist in the MAGA world. According to the George Berges Gallery, Mr Bidens creations feature abstract works on canvas, yupo paper, wood, and metal, and incorporates oil, acrylic, ink, and the written word to create unique experiences that have become his signature. The White House has reportedly reached an agreement with the gallery to make the buyer of his artwork anonymous to the public, Mr Biden and his son, according to Politico. It follows concerns that the buyer was purchasing for influence. Joe Biden was caught-off guard on Friday and had to be told there was something on his chin by an aide. The US president, who was in a meeting with governors and officials, received a card with a hand written note saying: Sir, there is something on your chin. The incident, which happened as his vice president Kamala Harris was addressing officials on the issue of wildfires, was caught on camera and immediately went viral on social media. Mr Biden appeared to eventually remove whatever was on his chin, and was seen rubbing his face to remove the speck, and also licking his lips. Some Twitter users suggested the substance was mustard, but it remains unclear. Ms Harris continued talking throughout the saga, seemingly unaware that the president had been pictured with the hand written note by an aide. On Twitter, the mishap was ridiculed by his critics, who refereed to his old-age a frequent taunt of his predecessor, Donald Trump, who frequently made gaffs of his own while in office. A clip of Mr Bidens incident also found its way onto the Twitter page of the Republican National Committees data team, RNC Research, where it was mocked. After a staffer gives Joe Biden a note saying, theres something on your chin, Biden wipes his chin, tweeted the account, [He] Then appears to put whatever was on his chin in his mouth? Others were more sympathetic and said of Mr Bidens aide: Wish all people would be this kind. It follows Mr Biden excused himself of a Freudian slip this week, after he confused Mr Trump and former president Barack Obama in a speech on the US economy. It was also widely ridiculed by Republicans. Fox TV host Laura Ingraham locked horns with lawyer Alan Dershowitz over the prospect of mandated vaccinations. Mr Dershowitz, was arguing the case for compulsory vaccination and made a comparison between Covid-19 and smallpox on The Ingraham Angle. He said: As far as mandating vaccination, I think the Supreme Court would uphold gradual mandating of vaccination. First, conditioning going to school on getting vaccinated, conditioning getting on airplanes, conditioning getting in crowded buildings. The former Harvard Law School professor continued, telling Ms Ingraham that George Washington had mandated vaccination against smallpox for his troops during the Revolutionary War. Ms Ingraham, who has taken a consistent anti-vax stance throughout the pandemic, tried to cut him off, shaking her head and saying firmly: I disagree with this analysis. Covid-19 is not smallpox. The exchange heated up as she said: This is not a fully-approved vaccine either. Neither was the smallpox vaccine in 1905, retorted Mr Dershowitz, referencing the United States Supreme Court case Jacobson v. Massachusetts about smallpox vaccines, in which the Court upheld the authority of states to enforce compulsory vaccination laws. He went on: I think Covid is worse than smallpox in many ways, it may not kill as many people but we dont know what the longterm impact is. Its killed 300 million people worldwide said Ms Ingraham, presumably meaning smallpox. Mr Dershowitz then said: I have the right to get on an airplane and know that everybody on that airplane is vaccinated or tested. You may have the right not to get vaccinated but you have no right to spread the disease to me. Even if you wont kill me, I dont want long-term effects. Visibly riled, Ms Ingraham started laughing. Professor, have you not been listening? she asked. I may not have gone to Harvard Law School, but I did hear the president today talk about how if youre vaccinated you still can spread the virus. The data out of Israel, the data out of the UK, theyre freaking out about this. Itll be spread much less seriously, replied Mr Dershowitz. You cant deprive people of their constitutional rights on the basis of a vaccine that still allows the spread of the virus ok, said Ms Ingraham, before wrapping up the segment, saying: We gotta go I get ya. Its not smallpox. Professor, thank you. Former President Donald Trump pressured his incoming acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen to say that the 2020 election was corrupt as he tried to aid Republican members of Congress in their attempt to overturn President Joe Bidens electoral victory, notes from a call in December last year show. The call on 27 December 2020 was between Mr Trump, Mr Rosen, and acting deputy attorney general Richard Donoghue. The Justice Department, now under the leadership of Attorney General Merrick Garland, provided Mr Donoghues handwritten notes of the call to the House Oversight Committee. Mr Rosen and Mr Donoghue ascended to the top spots at the DOJ after the resignation of Attorney General Bill Barr on 23 December 2020. At the time of the call, Mr Trump had just over three weeks left in the White House. Mr Trump told Mr Rosen and Mr Donoghue to say that the election had been illegal and corrupt, despite a lack of evidence for this claim and that election security experts had said that the election had been conducted in a safe, free, and fair manner. The Department of Justice had not been able to find widespread voter fraud following Mr Trumps consistent false claims that fraud was the reason he lost. Mr Donoghues notes state that Mr Trump said: Just say that the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen. The contemporaneous notes are the latest evidence that Mr Trump worked hard to overturn the election, pressuring various officials in an attempt to stay in office despite the voters verdict. The efforts of Mr Trump to overturn the results are now part of an investigation by the select committee looking into the events of 6 January, the day a pro-Trump mob violently laid siege to the US Capitol in Washington, DC in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying Mr Bidens election victory. Mr Trumps false voter fraud claims are also under investigation by the House Oversight Committee, to which the handwritten notes were provided by the DOJ. These handwritten notes show that President Trump directly instructed our nations top law enforcement agency to take steps to overturn a free and fair election in the final days of his presidency, House Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney said in a statement. During the call, Mr Trump pressured Mr Donoghue and Mr Rosen on claims of voter fraud that their department had already proven were not true. Mr Donoghue told Mr Trump that the Department of Justice didnt have the authority to overturn the election. Mr Trump replied he wasnt expecting the department to take that step. He then urged them just say that the election was corrupt and to leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen, according to Mr Donoghues notes. While Mr Trump didnt specify who the R Congressmen were, during another part of the call, the then-president called Ohio Representative Jim Jordan a fighter. He also lauded Pennsylvania Rep Scott Perry, who was pushing the false claim that the election was stolen, and Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, for getting to bottom of things. While Mr Jordan voted to overturn the election results in certain states, his spokesman Russell Dye said, Congressman Jordan did not, has not, and would not pressure anyone at the Justice Department about the 2020 election, The New York Times reported. He continues to agree with President Trump that it is perfectly appropriate to raise concerns about election integrity. Mr Perry has continually said that Mr Trump won the election, but has not been connected to the Trump White Houses attempts to change the outcome. Mr Johnson has recognized Mr Biden as president. Mr Trump said during the call that corrupted elections had taken place in Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Arizona to which Mr Donoghue said that much of the info youre getting is false. He added that the DOJ had done dozens of investigations, hundreds of interviews and not found any evidence of Mr Trumps claims. The notes say that the DOJ officials told Mr Trump that we look at allegations but they dont pan out. Mr Trump had claimed that the ballot error rate in Michigan was 68 per cent. The DOJ instead found that the actual rate was 0.0063 per cent, and also didnt find any evidence for a variety of other claims and conspiracy theories. Ok fine but what about the others? Mr Trump said, according to the notes, and he asked Mr Donoghue to go to Fulton County, Georgia, which includes Atlanta, to verify ballot signatures. Mr Trump said that those who were saying that the election isnt corrupt are corrupt, and that the DOJ needed to take action. Not much time left. Mr Donoghue said that the DOJ would quickly be able to verify that there werent more ballots cast in Pennsylvania than there were voters. Should be able to check on that quickly, but understand that the DOJ cant and wont snap its fingers and change the outcome of the election, doesnt work that way, he noted. Mr Trump was also told that the DOJ couldnt support a lawsuit challenging the election results. We are not in a position based on the evidence, the officials said. We can only act on the actual evidence developed. Mr Trump criticised the officials, saying that thousands of people called their US attorneys office to complain about the election and that nobody trusts the FBI, adding people are angry blaming DOJ for inaction, the notes say. You guys may not be following the internet the way I do, the then-president said. People tell me Jeff Clark is great, I should put him in, he added about the acting chief of the departments civil division. Mr Clark had also urged the DOJ officials to take action. People want me to replace DOJ leadership, Mr Trump said. You should have the leadership you want, Mr Donoghue responded but added that it wont change the depts position. Mr Rosen and Mr Donoghue were unaware that Mr Perry had introduced Mr Clark to the then-president. One week later, they battled Mr Clark to keep their jobs in the Oval Office, The New York Times reported. Mr Trump also said during the call that the DOJ needed to figure out what to do with Hunter Biden, son of Joe Biden. People will criticize the DOJ if hes not investigated for real, Mr Trump said. MyPillow CEO and arch election conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell has pulled the advertisements for his pillows from their longtime home at Fox News, according to recent reports. Mr Lindell's pillow commercials became well known for their frequent play on Fox News. The CEO essentially built his brand through his prevalence on Fox News and his outspoken conservative politics, and has long been one of the network's largest advertisers. The Wall Street Journal reported that Mr Lindell was pulling the ads in a report on Friday. According to the report, Mr Lindell pulled the ads because Fox News would not air a commercial promoting a symposium he is holding that will promote election fraud claims. Mr Lindell claims he spent nearly $50m on ads at the network last year, and has already spent $19m this year. Fox News issued a statement lamenting Mr Lindell's departure, noting that he built his business on the back of the network. It's unfortunate Mr Lindell has chosen to pause his commercial time on Fox News given the level of success he's experienced in building his brand through advertising on the number on cable news network, the network said in a statement. If Fox News did decline Mr Lindell's ad, it may have been to protect itself, as Mr Lindell has frequently repeated claims about companies like Dominion Voting System, which prompted the company to sue the CEO for $1.3bn in damages. Fox News has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit from Dominion, arguing it did not demonstrate a substantial basis in law for its claim. Mr Lindell has caused a stir in past interviews because of his claims. During an appearance on Newsmax, anchor Bob Sellers cut the CEO off after he started repeating election fraud conspiracy theories that included claims about Dominion Voting Systems. Mr Sellers walked off set because Mr Lindell refused to stop promoting the theories. One America News allowed Mr Lindell to purchase airtime on its network to show his manic three hour documentary Absolute Proof in which he repeated his numerous conspiracy theories at length. Prior to airing the documentary, OAN aired a disclaimer disavowing itself of any of Mr Lindell's claims to protect itself from legal blowback. Mr Lindell's feverish crusade to prove that the election was stolen has hurt his business. Earlier this year, he revealed that huge retailers like Bed Bath & Beyond and Kohl's have stopped selling his products as a result of his behaviour. We lost 40 per cent of our business in January and February, Mr Lindell said. I can't get that back. I can only try. A new report has raised questions about whether former President Donald Trump really donated his salary toward the end of his time in office, as he repeatedly did earlier in his term. Mr Trump pledged to make the donations during his campaign, in an effort to demonstrate his supposed vast wealth and that he couldnt be bought off as a politician. Like clockwork, Mr Trump made a spectacle of donating his salary, including cutting a check emblazoned with his bold-lettered signature. In February 2018, then-Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao accepted the check in the White House briefing room. In March of the same year, Mr Trump boasted of the donations, calling it a lot of money. But as The Washington Post reported on Friday, its unclear whether the money kept flowing at the end of the Trump administration. Trumps White House never said where or even if he donated the last $220,000 of his salary, covering the final six months of 2020 and the first 20 days of 2021, reported the Posts David Fahrenthold, who has scrupulously tracked Mr Trumps personal and corporate finances. Mr Trumps last donation, according to the report, was made to the National Parks Service on 23 July 2020. Its unclear whether Mr Trump opened his wallet after that. More than a dozen federal agencies were mum on whether they received a final gift. Spokespeople for Mr Trump promised to get back to the Post on the matter, but then failed to follow up. Mr Trump is not one to let a good deed go unnoticed, so it would seem unlikely that he would quietly donate to a federal agency. And, as the Post, reported, Mr Trump is still receiving a government pension which the former president has not pledged to donate. Days of political turmoil in Tunisia over a crippled economy and surging coronavirus infections have left the country's allies in the Middle East, Europe and the United States watching to see if its fragile democracy will survive. European countries most notably nearby Italy worry about a flood of migrants should Tunisia slide further into chaos. Autocratic leaders from Egypt to Saudi Arabia hope this week's power grab by Tunisian President Kais Saied spells doom for the regions Islamists. But they also fear a reignited Arab Spring, like the uprising that was kindled by Tunisia a decade ago. And around the world, pro-democracy campaigners wonder if a country they held up as a beacon is drifting back toward dictatorship. The ball is now in the peoples court, Egyptian activist el-Ghazaly Harb said in a Facebook post. They are able to correct the path without abandoning the peaceful democratic model that we all hope they can see to the end, he said. The answer will always be Tunisia. Tunisia, with only 12 million of Africas 1.3 billion people, holds outsized symbolism as a nation that designed a democracy from scratch and earned a Nobel Peace Prize after its largely bloodless revolution. Without warning on Sunday, Saied froze the nations parliament and took over executive powers, saying he had to save the country, which is suffering from an outbreak of the virus and a failing economy. Since then, he has moved against corrupt lawmakers and tycoons and strengthened military oversight of the pandemic. He and his aides held a flurry of meetings with foreign allies, promising that his power grab is temporary. But his next steps are unclear. The main victim of his decision the Islamist party Ennahdha promises to resist, peacefully. Tunisian analysts dont expect an army-driven takeover like that seen in Egypt, or a return to the autocratic past, thanks in part to a population thats no longer afraid to speak out. But the situation is volatile, and new protests are expected Saturday, when supporters and opponents of the president could face off. Pro-government voices in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates celebrate what they interpret as a victory over political Islam, which they see as a threat to their rule. Egypt is watching carefully. It was the first to follow Tunisia in an outburst of mass protests against autocratic rule in 2011. In the aftermath, the highly organized Muslim Brotherhood rose to power, but was ousted in 2013 amid a military-backed popular uprising led by Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. El-Sissi has embarked on economic reforms and brought some political stability to the Arab worlds most populous country, but his tenure has been marred by the jailing of tens of thousands of people. Leading Brotherhood figures now face death sentences or life in prison. The group has been outlawed and branded a terrorist group in Egypt and the UAE, which itself has detained dozens of Emirati Islamist figures. Some activists worry Tunisia could head down a similar path, despite Saieds credentials as an independent technocrat. Coups are not only started by the military; they can be started by a civilian and completed by officers, said Shady Lewis Boutros, an Egyptian novelist and writer who lives in the U.K., in a Facebook post. Abdelrahman al-Rashed, who runs a Saudi-owned media group and is close to the royal court, said Saied is saving the country from returning to the chaos sparked by the Arab Spring. In a column for the Arabic Ashraq al-Awsat newspaper, he wrote that political turmoil in Tunisia marks the death of the Muslim Brotherhoods authority." Ennahdha itself has distanced itself from more militant Islamists, and its leader, Rachid Ghannouchi, told The Associated Press this week that its critics are using it as a scapegoat for Tunisias problems. He noted that his party has played a major role in parliament in the decade since the revolution, which opened the way for his return from 22 years of exile in London, and won the most seats in the last legislative elections. Some question whether the Gulf states had a role in Tunisias current tensions. But Tunisian political scientist Mohamed-Dhia Hammami downplayed that speculation, arguing that Tunisians are more focused on day-to-day concerns than the discourse around the Muslim Brotherhood. Meanwhile, Tunisias strategic importance to the European Union cannot be overstated. From 2014-20, the bloc invested 1.6 billion euros ($1.9 billion) in Tunisia to build democracy and provide social and economic aid. It has given 330 million euros ($392 million) to help the country recover from the impact of coronavirus restrictions. Another 600 million euros ($712 million) in EU macro-financial assistance was agreed to in May. Most significantly, Tunisia is a key partner in limiting the flow of migrants from Africa to the EU. The 27 member states are hopelessly divided over how to manage the arrivals of those seeking a better life in Europe, so the bloc has resorted to outsourcing the challenge to other countries. However, Tunisians now make up one of the largest groups of people seeking asylum in Europe. And the Tunisia corridor is a growing concern for the EU's border and coast guard agency Frontex. From 2019 to 2020, the number of people reaching Italy from Tunisia grew by almost 400%, to more than 13,000 people, according to some nongovernmental organizations. That includes a period when COVID-19 restrictions significantly reduced migrant movements. Saied had a frank discussion on irregular migration" in Brussels last month with top EU officials, and they agreed to work more closely against smugglers and on border management. The latest turmoil adds to concern in Europe that things might get worse. On Tuesday, the EUs top diplomat called for Tunisia's constitutional order to be restored, without directly apportioning any blame. The U.S. government also is watching closely. In addition to supporting its democracy, the U.S. has helped fund Tunisia's efforts to tamp down violent Islamic extremism. Just hours after Saied's announcement, he spoke with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who urged him to adhere to the principles of democracy and human rights" and "maintain open dialogue with all political actors and the Tunisian people. Tunisians themselves want jobs and opportunity, which have remained elusive since their revolution, and many support the president -- at least for now. While there is a risk of new mass unrest, Hammami said there are strong political actors in Tunisia who can play the role of counterbalance, including labor unions. And unlike in Egypt, Tunisia's military has little control over the economy. Omar Oudherni, a retired Tunisian army brigadier and security expert, said the Tunisian people will not be silent on any tyrant. "Doing what is good will receive support, and if (Saied) wants dictatorship, the people will sweep him up, as they swept others," he added. ___ Aya Batrawy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Lorne Cook reported from Brussels. Elaine Ganley contributed to this report from Paris. A general has revealed that the US military failed miserably in a war game, leading to a major fighting strategy change. The United States readiness for armed conflict was put to the test in an exercise last October, which ended up uncovering serious weaknesses in its warfighting strategy, reports Business Insider. Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General John Hyten said on Monday: Without overstating the issue, it failed miserably." During the simulated war, described as a fictional confrontation with China that involved a fight over Taiwan, the imaginary enemy upended the blue teams (ie the United States) strategy of information dominance. An aggressive red team [taking the role of hostiles] that had been studying the United States for the last 20 years just ran rings around us," said Mr Hyten. He added: "they knew exactly what were going to do before we did it, and they took advantage of it. Imagine what our actual competitors have been doing for the last 20 years, with probably even more focus, with larger numbers, Mr Hyten said. So we had to take a step back and look broadly and say: OK, what did we miss? Mr Hyten said that the US forces attempted to establish information dominance, just like it was in the first Gulf War, just like it has been for the last 20 years, just like everybody in the world, including China and Russia, have watched us do for the last 30 years. The attempt failed immediately, because of the US militarys reliance on digital data and communications, which can be disrupted if US satellites are targeted. The simulated engagement also showed that aggregating American forces might leave them more vulnerable against great power enemies. In todays world, with hypersonic missiles, with significant long-range fires coming at us from all domains, if youre aggregated and everybody knows where you are, youre vulnerable, Mr Hyten said. The Pentagon has since been looking at how to update its warfighting approach to an "expanded maneuver" strategy. Its purpose is to develop the capability to attack in a way that makes it impossible for an adversary to defend itself, and connect command and control links to give commanders a clearer picture of the battlefield. Mr Hyten said the changes were essential as the US militarys warfighting edge over rival powers like China is shrinking fast. Human remains found in the Pyrenees have been confirmed as those of missing British hiker Esther Dingley. The 37-year-old was last seen on 22 November as she walked alone in the mountains near the Spanish and French border. Charity LBT Global, which has been representing Ms Dingleys family, said a bone found last week matched her DNA. In a joint statement, Ms Dingleys boyfriend, Daniel Colegate, and mother, Ria Bryant, said they were distraught and that the news was devastating beyond words. We are distraught to report that we have received DNA confirmation that one of the bones found last week belongs to Esther, they said. We have all known for many months that the chance we would get to hug our beloved Esther again, to feel her warm hand in ours, to see her beautiful smile and to watch the room light up again whenever she arrived was tiny, but with this confirmation that small hope has now faded. It is devastating beyond words. At this stage, with just a single bone found and no sign of equipment or clothing in the immediate area (which has been closely searched again over several days), the details of what happened and where still remain unknown. The search and rescue teams intend to continue their search on foot and with drones, particularly trying to find some sign of Esther's equipment to understand how this tragedy occurred. Ms Dingley was an experienced trekker (Family handout/LBT Global/PA) LBT Global, which supports people with family members missing overseas, stressed the investigation was still in its infancy and that it may be some time before any further updates are released. Matthew Searle, chief executive of the charity, said in a statement: This is the tragic end we have all feared. This is devastating news for Esthers loved ones never before have I seen such incredible determination as that shown by Daniel in his relentless physical search of the mountains. The couple, who met at Oxford University, had been travelling around Europe in a campervan since 2014, when they decided to leave behind their lives in Durham after Mr Colegate nearly died from an infection. Ms Dingley, who was an experienced hiker, was last heard from on Sunday 22 November when she sent Mr Colegate a picture of her on top of Pic de Sauvegarde on the France-Spain border. The British hiker, pictured here shortly before her disappearance, was due to return from her solo trek on 25 November (Esther Dingley/Facebook/Reuters) She was travelling in the couples campervan and Mr Colegate was house sitting in the Gascony area of France on a farm while the couple spent a month apart. Mr Colegate said their last conversation was about how excited we were to see each other as this was her last trip before driving back. He added that Ms Dingley had walked from Benasque in Spain on Saturday and had planned to spend Sunday night at Refuge de Venasque in France. She had been due to return from her solo trek on 25 November. Mr Colegate spent the months after his partners disappearance searching for her across hundreds of miles in the mountains surrounding her last known location and route. He previously said he did not believe it was likely she had had an accident since the weather conditions were excellent at the time of her disappearance, the terrain she was on was not difficult and she had a habit of following paths. It does not mean she hasnt had an accident; I just consider it unlikely, he said at the time. Both French and Spanish rescue authorities carried out searches for the missing hiker involving foot patrols, dogs and helicopters in the weeks following her disappearance, before snow forced them to stop over winter. The search resumed in June once the snow had melted and last week bones were discovered by a mountain runner near the Port de la Glere mountain pass. A British citizen has died on board a ship operated by a London-based Israeli company after it had come under attack on Thursday night off the coast of Oman. Zodiac Maritime, the shipping company operating the ship, said in a statement that the incident has resulted in the deaths of two crew members, a British and a Romanian, but didnt provide any further details. The company is owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer is based in Monaco, but its London-based office oversees the ship. It described the attack on Friday as piracy and said the ship has a Japanese owner. Details of the incident are still being established, and an investigation into the incident is currently underway, Zodiac Maritime said in a statement. The identity of the British victim is yet to be revealed. Zodiac Maritime didnt immediately respond to requests for comment by The Independent. The vessel, called M/T Mercer Street, was travelling from Dar es Salaam via Tanzania to Fujairah in the UAE with no cargo on board when the incident occurred, the shipping company said in its statement. We continue to work closely with the UKMOT (United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations) and other relevant authorities, the statement added. Earlier today, there was confusion around the ship ownership after the MTO group, which is part of the UK defence ministry, had initially confirmed the ship was owned by the Israeli company. But it is now understood the ship is owned by a Japanese company, not Zodiac Maritime. We are aware of reports of an attack on a merchant vessel off the coast of Oman. UK military headquarters in the region are currently conducting investigations, a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said in a statement sent to The Independent. The attack comes amid heightened tensions between that country and Iran as negotiations remain stalled over Tehrans nuclear deal with world powers. Since former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in 2018, there have been a series of ship attacks in the region suspected to have been carried out by Tehran. Isreal and Iran, in particular, have been locked in alleged tit-for-tat attacks on each others ships in the Indian Ocean and other locations. On 13 April, an Israeli- owned ship was attacked near the UAE, which Israel later blamed on Iran. In less than three weeks, Irans largest navy ship sank after catching fire in the Gulf waters. A commercial ship, previously under Israeli ownership, was attacked on 3 July in the northern Indian Ocean. A brief initial statement from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said an investigation is underway into the incident, which it described as happening late on Thursday night just north-east of the Omani island of Masirah. The location is 185 miles southeast of Omans capital, Muscat. The statement did not elaborate, other than to say that it suspected the attack did not involve piracy. The Associated Press was first to report the incident. It noted that earlier on Thursday, the British military group had said it was investigating another unexplained incident in the same area. The AP also said the US 5th Fleet patrolling the area didnt respond to a request for comment by its reporters. Israeli officials are yet to comment on the attack. Satellite tracking data from MarineTraffic.com showed the vessel had been near where British officials said the attack occurred. Additional reporting by AP A Briton is one of two people killed in a piracy attack on an oil tanker near the coast of Oman, the vessels owners have announced. The Briton was onboard the M/T Mercer Street, when it came under attack on Thursday night. The ships owners Zodiac Maritime, a London-based Israeli company, said a Briton and a Romanian national had died in the attack. A statement read: With profound sadness, we understand the incident onboard the M/T Mercer Street on 29 July, 2021, has resulted in the deaths of two crew members onboard: a Romanian national and a UK national. We are not aware of harm to any other personnel. They added that an investigation into the incident is currently underway. The two deaths mark the first fatalities following years of assaults targeting shipping in the region. Zodiac Maritime is owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer but its London-based office oversees the ship. The M/T Mercer Street is a Japanese-owned vessel, the company said, with shipping publication Lloyds List stating that the owner is Taihei Kaiun Co., which belongs to the Tokyo-based shipping company Nippon Yusen Group. In an earlier statement on Friday, Zodiac Maritime said: We can confirm that there has been a suspected piracy incident onboard the product tanker M/T Mercer Street. The statement added: At the time of the incident the vessel was in the northern Indian Ocean, travelling from Dar es Salaam [in Tanzania] to Fujairah [in the UAE] with no cargo onboard. The identity of the British victim is yet to be revealed. Zodiac Maritime didnt immediately respond to requests for comment by The Independent. We continue to work closely with the UKMOT (United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations) and other relevant authorities, the statement added. In a statement sent to The Independent, a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: We are aware of reports of an attack on a merchant vessel off the coast of Oman. UK military headquarters in the region are currently conducting investigations. A brief initial statement from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said an investigation is underway into the incident. It described it as happening late on Thursday night, north-east of the Omani island of Masirah, 185 miles southeast of Omans capital, Muscat. The statement categorised the incident as a non-piracy attack. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation, told The Associated Press that the attack appeared to have been carried out by a one-way drone and other drones took part. The official said it wasnt immediately known who launched the attack and declined to elaborate. The officials remark came after an earlier report from private maritime intelligence firm Dryad Global referred to a drone sighting involving the vessel prior to the attack. Iran and Yemens Tehran-backed Houthi rebels have employed suicide drones in the past, unmanned aircraft loaded with explosives that detonate on impact with a target. Omani officials did not respond to requests for comment. The sultanate sits on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula and is along vital shipping routes for cargo and energy moving through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf. Israeli officials have not yet acknowledged the attack. However, other Israel-linked ships have been targeted in recent months amid a shadow war between the two nations, with Israeli officials blaming the Islamic Republic for the assaults. Israel, meanwhile, has been suspected in a series of major attacks targeting Irans nuclear programme. Iran also saw its largest warship, the Kharg, recently catch fire and sink under mysterious circumstances in the nearby Gulf of Oman. Thursdays attack comes amid heightened tensions over Irans tattered nuclear deal, as negotiations over restoring the accord stalled in Vienna. The attack came the night after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking from Kuwait, warned Iran that talks in Vienna over the nuclear deal cannot go on indefinitely. This is the second time this month a ship tied to Ofer apparently has been targeted. The Liberian-flagged container ship CSAV Tyndall, suffered an unexplained explosion on board while in the northern Indian Ocean at the beginning of July. Additional reporting by AP Ellen Whites hat-trick was not enough as Great Britain were beaten 4-3 after extra-time by Australia to end their Olympic dream in the quarter-finals of the womens football at Tokyo 2020. Sam Kerr dramatically sent the tie into extra-time with a late leveller and further goals from Mary Fowler and the Chelsea star put the Matildas ahead following a missed penalty from Caroline Weir. Team GB started well but faded as Alanna Kennedy snatched the lead 10 minutes before the break. But a superb second-half reaction saw White equalise with a looping header, and a second her fifth of the tournament followed nine minutes later to flip the game completely. But Australia refused to give up, with Kerr exposing poor defending by expertly adjusting her body to deliver a crisp finish in the 89th minute to deny Hege Riises side. Nikita Parris was fouled by Ellie Carpenter five minutes into extra-time, with a controversial penalty awarded, but Weirs kick was saved well by Teagan Micah. And Australia used the shift in momentum to snatch the lead within two minutes as Fowlers shot deflected off Fran Kirby, spinning viciously up into the air and past Ellie Roebuck, nestling into the top right corner. Ellen White of Team Great Britain looks dejected (Getty) Kerr had a second, her fifth of the tournament, shortly after the restart in extra-time with a pinpoint header, but Great Britain refused to give in, with White smashing home her hat-trick with five minutes remaining, but it was not to be. Sam Kerr celebrates her extra-time goal (Getty) Australia will now face Sweden, who beat Japan 3-1, in the semi-finals in Yokohama on Monday. In the repeat of the 2019 World Cup final, the USA needed penalties to get past the Netherlands and set up a last-four meeting with Canada. Goals from Kristie Mewiss and Lynn Williams, either side of a double from Arsenals Vivianne Miedema, left the sides locked at 2-2 in normal time, and after the extra 30 minutes produced no further score, it was the Americans who progressed 4-2 in the penalty shoot-out. In the earlier kick-off, Canada went through with a dramatic 4-3 penalty shootout victory over Brazil, after a goalless draw. Rest & trace: the travel correspondent of The Independent is normally to be found practising his own patent method of Covid control from a socially distanced hammock on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion, nursing a Rhum Charrette. But he took an hour out of his ceaseless monitoring of the Beta variant to answer your questions on travel in the time of coronavirus. French connections Q: When do you think France will be off the amber plus status so we dont have to quarantine in the UK? Milly W A: It is difficult to see any coherent explanation for France to continue to be punished beyond the next round of traffic light changes on 4 or 5 August. Doing the media rounds on Friday morning, the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, was keen to pin the blame for this lamentable decision on the prime minister and the health secretary. In addition, the Joint Biosecurity Centre whose data was behind the decision has been ticked off by the Office for National Statistics for failing to provide the numbers. I daresay a new data set will allow France to be returned to the ordinary amber list next week. Meanwhile, you can launder your French status by going to the Indian Ocean island of Reunion the apparent source of the ban, yet on the amber list. Q: Is driving through France via Belgium (from Germany) still considered as being in France? SSD A: Yes. It wasnt last year (for people who drove through without interaction) but it definitely is this year. You will be contaminated by Frances amber plus rating even if you drive straight through the Eurotunnel with the windows up. The only exception is Eurostar nonstop from Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Brussels. Q: My partner (double vaccinated) has just returned from France and is currently quarantined. Is this likely to change soon? And if they change the amber plus status of France, can she stop quarantine as well? The Smithy A: No, sadly once you have started you must continue. I am investigating whether, if a side trip is made (eg to Ireland), the French quarantine can be neutralised. Still waiting to hear from government. Q: Im hoping to come over to London from Paris the week of August 23rd. What are the chances of France being on the Amber list and do you think testing will still be necessary ? I am fully vaccinated but only with one jab since I had Covid back in April. Elizabeth N A: You really need to get a second jab in order to avail of the exemption for amber list travellers to avoid quarantine. France will certainly be on the amber list in late August, but I do not expect it to be on the amber plus list. Q: Do what do you attribute this nonsensical singling out of France amongst all other EU countries? It seems spiteful and small-minded to us. If anyone feels offended by our views, they come from a couple who have not seen their children and grandchildren in nearly two years. James A: This all came about on 16 July, in a meeting organised involving the prime minister or health secretary, and the government has been trying to justify its draconian move ever since but reverse-engineering this is proving difficult. We are now led to believe that Beta variant coronavirus cases in Reunion are the deciding factor, though that island remains sitting happily on the ordinary amber list. Traffic light changes Q: Will Turkey be moved to amber next update? Narin A: Sorry, not helpful to speculate at this stage. But I think the prospects of Turkey moving direct from red to amber, rather than via the halfway house provided by amber plus, are very low. There is even talk of a new red minus category, where unvaccinated traveller must quarantine in hotels while those who have been jabbed can self-isolate at home. Q: We are due to travel to Crete on 21 September and Im worried in case it goes to red before we go and we cant travel. I thought we were covered due to my travel insurance, but they say not as we booked in February when Greece was red as were all countries. Is this correct? I thought I was doing a good thing by booking early and supporting tourism. If so anyone who booked whilst we were in lockdown wouldnt be covered? What a con. Cas England A: If Crete goes red, which I think is extremely unlikely, there will be plenty of remedies. In particular if you have booked a proper package holiday, then it simply wont be going, and you will get a full refund. If you have made arrangements independently, then your airline will offer flexibility and your accommodation provider will probably do the same. Travel insurance is rarely relevant in these kinds of cases. Anyway for what its worth, I think everything will look pretty calm by late September across the Mediterranean. Q: Ive had both Covid-19 jabs and I am flying to Tenerife on 3 September for a three-week holiday. Do you think Tenerife will be moved to green or stay amber? How much are the PCR tests in Tenerife when I am due to fly back to the UK? Mark Carlisle A: I cant predict as far ahead as September but I am pretty confident it will be amber/green. But I am not sure why you would want a PCR test to fly back to the UK? Lateral flow tests are much cheaper and easier. You can get them at Tenerife South airport, also at hotels and pharmacies. Q: Travelling to Corfu on 11 August. Whats your thoughts on it being added to amber plus next week and if so, do you think the Greek islands will be split up and categorised differently as they were last year? Jasmine 22 A: There is no reason that I can see why the Greek islands would not be treated differently from the mainland, but it now turns out that for France that is certainly not the case the Foreign Secretary said on Thursday morning that France was on the amber plus list specifically because of problems on the Indian Ocean of Reunion, 6,000 miles away. If that is enough to taint an entire country, heaven help us all. Q: What are the chances of India moving to the amber list. Also, can skilled visa workers travel to UK from a red-list country like India? Rajesh Ray A: Many people would like to see India moved from the red list, which requires hotel quarantine for all arrivals. The best I think you can hope for is that India is moved to either amber plus (mandatory self isolation at home for all) or a new category, red minus, whereby only unvaccinated arrivals must go into hotel quarantine. The immigration rules are normally very tough but skilled workers and people who are here for education normally will get an easier ride. Q: I wonder when you think Qatar/UAE will be moved from the Red list? I am aware of the point of view from the UK government regarding it being a transit hub, however do you think this will change for vaccinated UK citizens? Charlotte T A: I have asked the government to at least give people in Qatar and the UAE some indication of when a change may be possible. Clearly as they are both global hubs, the original reason for putting them on the red list will prevail for years to come. So far the government has chosen not to respond. Testing times Q: When will the government scrap the stupid PCR test before and after travel for fully jabbed Britons? David Applin A: There is no PCR test needed before travel to the UK. A lateral flow test will do. After arrival you must take one or two PCR tests. The latter requirement may end soon. Q: The age of 12 seems to cause a problem when travelling to Greece. I have seen guidance saying under-12s are exempt from testing, but that it applies to over-12s. So where does that leave 12-year-olds? Steve Mcr A: Over 12 is what the Greek government says in one part of its briefing, but later adds: Only children under the age of 12 will not be required to undergo a PCR test. I would err on the side of caution. Q: We are travelling to Menorca this Tuesday: two adults, both double vaccinated; three children aged 9-14. We have booked PCRs and antigens (for older kids only) for the journey outwardas the information is mixed. Are rapid antigen tests accepted for easyJet flights to Spain? Given the unpredictability of travel, and the unexpected amber plus status for France, what do you think the likelihood is of the Balearics going the same way? Never has going on holiday been more stressful. Trying to work out if were bonkers or just desperate! Ana B A: On testing, the rules for Spain look pretty clear: rapid antigen tests (lateral flow) within 48 hours of arrival are the standard for non-vaccinated people aged 12 or over. I am not sure why anybody would do anything different? I never recommend a PCR test when it is not specified due to the extra cost and time involved. I cant speculate on some or all of Spain going amber plus: well I could do, but a week out from the decision I dont think it would be helpful. Q: I keep hearing stories of people testing positive abroad before they fly home and being stuck in quarantine hotels, so we are cancelling our trip to Spain next month for that reason. Im guessing it is very unlikely the government will drop the fit to fly test this summer but do you think it will still be in place next year? Or is there a chance the government may make it a permanent test for arrivals into the UK? Josie 1970 A: Sorry to hear you have cancelled your trip. While I am hearing occasional stories of testing positive on fit to fly, these are almost invariably fresh cases rather than lagging indicators of previous infections. You can maximise the chance that you will not be a victim of a false positive by going for a lateral flow rather than PCR test before departure. I dont expect the requirement to be dropped in the near future. The government spent most of 2020 insisting testing was pointless, and is spending much of 2021 insisting it is essential. Q: Currently we have to show a negative Covid test to travel to Portugal. My son tested positive for Covid three weeks ago and guidance states that you should not have another test for 90 days post a positive test. My son is still testing positive. What options is there for anyone who has tested positive, has isolated, has no further symptoms and fails the test due to previous positive test result? Gareth D A: I suggest that you talk to the Portuguese consulate in London and ask what they suggest. Certainly many EU countries give credit for having recovered from Covid. The big problem may be coming back to the UK, with a lateral flow test-to-fly required. Q: We are travelling to Greece at the end of August to and from Manchester. Tried to book the Tui testing package but because we are Scottish residents we need to book the day two test via Scottish site. However I need to put airport I am flying into and the drop down list is all Scottish airports. Should I be booking my day two test on the UK site or do I need to lie about the airport to be able to book a test for Scottish government? Its so confusing. Michaela M A: In terms of the list of airports not showing Manchester: I am afraid that is an issue you will need to take up with the Scottish government. The procedure you must follow on return from abroad to the UK depends where you are going when you arrive which for the vast majority of people will be home. As yours is in Scotland, you must follow the rules that prevail for that country, not England, even though you are touching down there. (The only exception would be if you were, for example, spending another 10 days in England perhaps to see family, for work or another stretch of holiday in which case English rules would apply.) Unlike for England, where the Department for Transport (DfT) invites travellers to shop around for that PCR test, the Scottish government has only one supplier: home test PCR kits provided by NHS Test & Trace. Book and pay 88 for a Covid-19 test, it says. You should take this test within two days of arriving in Scotland and must book your testing kit using the CTM Booking Portal. In response to a freedom of information request earlier this summer, the Scottish government said it was not using other providers due to concerns about the speed and reliability of the flow of data from private companies. There have been widely expressed concerns about the reliability of commercial providers of tests. While it would almost certainly be cheaper and easier to get a PCR test on arrival at Manchester, the law says you must wait until you get home and take the prescribed test. Q: Are tests from green list nations here to stay? Callum A: Not forever, but since the governments in London, Edinburgh and Cardiff really dont want people travelling abroad in numbers this summer, they provide a good and easy way to dampen demand for travel, unfortunately. Q: What do you suggest for fit-to-fly return test? Is it best to organise one locally rather than go for the take along with you variety? Were aiming for the Algarve in September and wonder if getting a lateral flow test there would be easy and safer option. Mark Robbo Mordor A: Getting a lateral flow test in Portugal is really easy. Pharmacies do suitable tests, and some send medical teams to hotels so you can take your test while you relax by the pool. If thats not enough, the testing centre at Faro airport is a final possibility. Jab journeys Q: Do you know if people who have already travelled to the UK before Monday will be released from quarantine on 2nd August at 4am? Providing they have the relevant proof from EU or US? I will travel on Saturday from Germany to the UK to visit family and already have my day two test booked and am fully vaccinated. Stuart Berlin A: In your position I would certainly delay my journey. Once you begin quarantine you have to complete it. There is a Stena Line ferry from Hook of Holland which gets in to Harwich at 8am on Monday. Thats the one I would be on. Q: Myself and partner are flying out to Spain for two weeks next Friday 6 August. We are both double jabbed. Are we included in the new announcement this week for all EU and US to come here without quarantine? Or does this just stand for residents of those countries coming here as tourists and not us as UK residents? Rio Montana A: All that has happened is that the government is belatedly offering credit to foreign visitors who happen to have been vaccinated overseas. The quarantine exemption for people with NHS jabs has been in place since 19 July. Q: My husband and I are planning to go to Italy with a stopover in Amsterdam. My passport and biometric card are in my maiden name, but all of my NHS documentation is in my married name. The passport control people, as well as any public venues in Italy, will need to see my evidence of vaccination, but the surnames will be different. Do you expect this will be a problem? Is it sufficient to travel with these documents plus a copy of our marriage certificate (that has both of my names on it)? After many emails, calls, etc, I have not been able to find out through any other source. Also, do you foresee problems for British residents to travel through Amsterdam as a flight stop-over? Suz Dow A: In terms of the discrepancy over names, I have repeatedly asked the government about this without success. I certainly recommend taking your original marriage certificate. I cannot see any particular problems over using Amsterdam as a hub, but these difficult days I always recommend direct flights over connections. Q: I am due to travel to Santorini and then on to Naxos on 16 August for two weeks. I am aware that Greece accept proof of recovery from Covid-19 as a means to enter without quarantine. However I am unsure as to what I would need to provide as proof. Would the email with my positive test result be sufficient? Also I will be double vaccinated by this point, only 14 days wont have passed when I travel to Greece. Kay W A: Easiest solution: get your second jab moved earlier, to 1 August if you possibly can. Q: I am trying to travel from the UK to Portugal to visit my elderly parents who live in the Algarve area and are residents there, and who I have now not seen for 18 months. I have been double vaccinated with AstraZeneca but one of my vaccines was the Serum institute of Indian batch. Could you please advise if Portugal is excepting this batch number as the AZ vaccine, without having to quarantine on arrival in Portugal. Elaine A: There is no problem with your vaccine. I hope you are happily reunited with your parents. Passport checks Q: There was a recent news media article saying that UK immigration staff were being told not to ask for test results of returning travellers - have you heard any updates on this? Norris 9 A: Reports have been circulating that UK border force staff were told not to check the Covid credentials of arriving passengers. I do not know whether or not this is genuine. Regardless of the answer, you must of course comply with all aspects of Covid and other rules. Q: Im due to travel to Tenerife with my family including my three-year-old grandson for his first time on a aeroplane. What documents do I require to take him with us, as his surname is different from mine? Craig A A: Anybody travelling with a child whose name is different from theirs, even if it is because the mother has chosen to retain her maiden name, should take a letter explaining the situation. While it would be rare for there to be any problem, either going into Spain or coming back to the UK, a letter will help if an official does get inquisitive. Q: Thinking of a Northern Ireland / Ireland road trip starting and ending in Belfast with flights from mainland UK. Do I have to complete passenger locator forms when crossing the road borders between NI and Ireland? Nick59 A: No. Travelling around the island of Ireland is refreshingly border-free. Italian connections Q: Do you think Italy will accept UK travellers from Saturday without quarantine? If so, will they still require a negative antigenic or molecular test if you are already vaccinated? I thought they would have announced what was happening by now but cant see anything about it. I postponed a Venice trip to the end of August but still hopeful of getting away next week (If not Italy, maybe Spain). Alastair W A: You posted your question just 31 hours before the mandatory quarantine for British visitors to Italy was due to expire. There was still no clarity on whether it will be extended. But I am sorry to see that five days quarantine has been extended, and is now required until 30 August for travellers from the UK. American adventures Q: Following the olive branch thrown by the UK government this week, do you have any reason to believe the US authorities will reciprocate any time soon? Were hoping to get to a family wedding in New England towards the end of October. Frog Scottle A: There was an awful lot of nonsense talked by ministers about how this decision to allow fully jabbed Americans to come to the UK without quarantine would put pressure on the White House. I imagine the sense of presumption was greeted with derision in Washington DC. Having said that, I think a family wedding in News New England towards the end of October looks a very plausible Car corner Q: We are UK-EU dual nationals and split our time between the UK and Greece. We arrived (by car) in Greece in autumn 2019 intending to return to the UK the following May. Then Covid happened. We have stayed put here, as cross-border overland travel (with our dog) was impractical thanks to closures and testing requirements, and quite frankly we didnt wish to risk travel until wed been vaccinated which we now have been. The problem is that our MOT has expired as has our UK road tax. It is impossible to have an MOT done outside the UK that is recognised in the UK. Without an MOT our insurance for our (very much roadworthy) 2017 Skoda Yeti is invalidated. DVLA completely understand our predicament and also say theres nothing they can do. Saga suggested we have the car inspected under the Greek equivalent of the MOT regime to demonstrate its roadworthiness, which we have done, and that in the event of our needing to make a claim they may honour it. This does not give us great confidence. Re-registering the car in Greece would require establishing permanent residency here, which for practical reasons we do not wish to do. We have also explored having the car shipped to Amsterdam while we (and our dog) fly, drive it aboard a DFDS ferry to Newcastle, then head straight to an MOT appointment in North Shields upon disembarkation. This carries with it the risk that the Yeti doesnt arrive in Amsterdam in time for the ferry, as well as substantial costs. Is there any sort of temporary insurance cover a specialist insurer might provide for a UK-registered vehicle already abroad? Needless to say, we are avoiding using the car until we can determine what, if any, options we have. Fademi Athens A: Sorry to hear about your predicament. This is way beyond my competence (I am not a car owner). Personally I would try to sell it there. Because you imported it before Brexit there are no customs issues I can see. France is likely to shed its special amber plus status and return to the the UK governments amber list when the traffic light system for international travel is updated later this week, an expert has said. Falling Covid-19 case numbers and a lower infection rate should make it possible to remove France from the amber plus category, where it was placed last month, according to data analyst Tim White. Were the predicted move to happen, fully vaccinated British adults who have had their second dose at least 14 days prior and those aged under 18 will no longer have to quarantine when returning from France, instead completing a pre-departure lateral flow test, plus the gold standard day two PCR test upon entry to the UK. The government has also scrapped plans for an amber watchlist category of countries. Ministers had been considering the new category for countries at risk of being moved from the amber to the red list under the traffic light system. However, government sources confirmed last night that there would be no amber watchlist, following backlash from some Tory MPs, ministers and the travel industry. Follow the latest travel news below: China has warned Britain against provocation in the wake of Britains HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier strike group approaching the South China Sea through the Strait of Malacca on Sunday. We seriously warn this group: They are obliged to remain restrained and obey the rules. Please follow the current international shipping lanes and stay at least 12 nautical miles away from the Chinese islands and reefs, wrote state mouthpiece Global Times. Chinas defence ministry spokesperson, Wu Qian, said the country respected freedom of navigation but the action should never try to destabilise regional peace, including the latest military collaboration between the UK and Japan. In its editorial, Global Times also emphasised that the very idea of a British presence in the South China Sea is dangerous. It added: If London tries to establish a military presence in the region with geopolitical significance, it will only disrupt the status quo in the region. And if there is any real action against China, it is looking for a defeat. Issuing similar advice to Australia and Japan, the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party regime said: For the international community, first of all, there is a shipping lane in the South China Sea. And then there are territorial disputes between different regional countries. As for disputes, China and other countries in the region are working to reach a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea to peacefully resolve or effectively manage those differences. It added: Countries outside the region should only use the lane, instead of initiatively [sic] engaging in disputes. China has been closely monitoring the route of the carrier strike group which is currently on its way to Japan via the South China Sea. Beijing has also accused the UK of still living in its colonial days. On his YouTube channel, the Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin resorted to more colourful language in his threats as he wrote: To say it precisely, if the UK wants to play the role to coerce China in the South China Sea, then it is being a b***h. If it has any substantial move, it is asking for a beating. Ben Wallace, Britains defence secretary, has made it clear that they want to conduct what is called the Freedom of Navigation exercise through the South China Sea. The Royal Navy has also been carrying out exercises with Singapores and Indias navy. Flouting a 2016 international court ruling, China has been claiming that much of the South China Sea belongs to its territory and has been building runways and reefs in an attempt to take control of the waters. Both the US and the UK have recently challenged these claims by China and have been purposely sailing through it. The UKs Ministry of Defence maintains that it is taking the most direct route freely through international waters to take part in exercises with allies. Mr Wallace had said in April that we are not going to go to the other side of the world to be provocative. We will be confident, but not confrontational. The Global Times, meanwhile, wrote that: Under international law, warships, including those of the US and its allies, have been able to pass through the South China Sea unimpeded. But if those ships want to exert geopolitical pressure and build a wall to contain China along those shipping lines, those warships will face a confrontation from China. And the intensity of the confrontation is bound to increase constantly. Drew Thompson, a former US defence department official, was quoted by the Guardian as saying China doesnt present a military threat to the UK. But this [strike group] is a model of collective security and of interoperability to deal with any kind of threat. China happens to be a significant one but the implications are bigger than that. Since 1963, The Independent has helped create a great community! Since our founding in September of 1963, The Independent has been dedicated to giving Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, and Sunol readers the news they need to be in-the-know about what's going on in the Tri-Valley region. 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No worries for refund as the money remains in investor's account." www.indiainfoline.com is part of the IIFL Group, a leading financial services player and a diversified NBFC. The site provides comprehensive and real time information on Indian corporates, sectors, financial markets and economy. On the site we feature industry and political leaders, entrepreneurs, and trend setters. The research, personal finance and market tutorial sections are widely followed by students, academia, corporates and investors among others. remaining of Thank you for Reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. PTI In the past 24 hours on Thursday, India reported 44,230 new COVID-19 cases, the most in three weeks. In fact, the number of daily infections was above the 40,000 mark all throughout the week, and is it showing an upward trend. Among the states, Kerala which reported more than 22,000 new infections for the third day this week remains the biggest concern. Read more Another Rape In Goa Even As Outrage Continues Against CM's Comment Rape Goa has been left shocked after a third rape case was reported from the state this week. On Thursday, Goa Police arrested two people for allegedly raping a 25-year-old woman from the northeast for three days after confining her in a flat. The incident came to light on Thursday, after the woman escaped from the flat and called the police control room. Read more Assam Issues Travel Advisory For Mizoram. Here Is What It Says Screengrab In an unprecedented move following the clashes at the inter-state border earlier this week, the Assam government issued a travel advisory for state residents asking them to avoid travelling to Mizoram. "Given the critical prevailing situation, the people of Assam are advised not to travel to Mizoram as any threat to the personal safety of people of Assam cannot be accepted," said the advisory issued by MS Manivannan, Commissioner and secretary, Home and political department. Read more Fourth Wave Of COVID-19 Hits Middle East, WHO Sounds Alarm Over Delta Variant Reuters Only when the world was recuperating from the deadly COVID-19 outbreak, the delta variant of the virus has now wreaked havoc across the world. The variant has triggered a fourth wave of the pandemic in the Middle East, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday, adding that the surge in Covid-19 infections and deaths is primarily being reported among people who are yet to be vaccinated. Read more Photojournalist Danish Siddiqui Was Executed By Taliban After Verifying His Identity: Report Instagran I Danish Siddique Days after Pulitzer Prize-winning Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui was killed in Afghanistan, a heart-wrenching report about his execution has been doing the rounds on social media across the world. The report published in a US-based magazine on Thursday says that Siddique was not simply killed in a crossfire in Afghanistan, nor was he simply collateral damage, but was "brutally murdered" by the Taliban after verifying his identity. Read more Afghanistan's most popular comedian, Nazar Mohammad, better known as Khasha Zwan, was taken out of his home on Thursday night last week, and killed by unknown gunmen in the war-torn country's Kandahar province. According to Tolo News, the family of the comedian, who previously served in Kandahar Police, has blamed the Taliban for the attack. Meanwhile, Taliban have denied the responsibility of the murder. While it is unclear when Khasha was killed, distressing footage that surfaced on Twitter Tuesday shows the comedian being kidnapped by gunmen who repeatedly slap him. This video shows the moment, Kandahari comedian, Khasha was arrested by the Taliban, Slapping him inside the car and then killed him. pic.twitter.com/E642Y52uto Tajuden Soroush (@TajudenSoroush) July 27, 2021 Video on social media show Khasha tied to a tree before his execution, and then on the ground with his throat slit. This incident comes amid the Taliban's ongoing offensive against security forces and civilians. Khasha Zwan Over the past few weeks, Afghanistan has witnessed a surge in violence as the Taliban has intensified its offensive with the complete pullback of foreign forces just a few weeks away. The Taliban now control about half of the 419 district centres in Afghanistan, and while they have yet to capture any of the country's 34 provincial capitals, said General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As the Taliban seize more territory, the Afghan security forces are consolidating their positions to protect key population centres, including Kabul, he said. Hundreds of thousands of people in China were in coronavirus lockdown as the country battled its worst outbreak in months, while the United States intensified vaccination efforts in the face of a Delta variant-fuelled surge. The World Health Organization has warned that the highly transmissible strain, first detected in India, could unleash more Covid-19 outbreaks in a high-risk area from Morocco to Pakistan where vaccination rates are low. Representational Image/Reuters Cluster linked to airport workers In China, a cluster of infections in Nanjing city linked to airport workers who cleaned a plane from Russia earlier this month had reached the capital Beijing and five provinces by Friday. Hundreds of thousands of people have been locked down in Jiangsu province, of which Nanjing is the capital, while 41,000 came under stay-at-home orders in Beijing's Changping district. At least 206 infections across China have been linked to the cluster, and the outbreak is geographically the largest in several months. Reuters It challenges Beijing's aggressive containment efforts which have relied on mass testing, lockdowns and swift contact tracing. The Delta variant is more transmissible than the pathogens that cause SARS, Ebola and smallpox, and as easily spread as chickenpox, according to an internal US Centers for Disease Control presentation reported by The Washington Post and The New York Times. Surge around the world It has driven recent surges around the world, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. The Philippines next week will send more than 13 million people in the national capital region back into lockdown because of a Delta-linked increase, the government said Friday. The variant has also been linked to around half of new cases in Tokyo. NBC Newa Japan on Friday extended a virus state of emergency in the capital a week into the Olympics, with the city reported a record number of new cases the day before. Meanwhile, Australia said Friday it would reopen borders and end lockdowns when vaccination rates reach 80 percent. The United States ramped up efforts to get people vaccinated in the face of a Delta variant-fuelled surge. With infections and hospitalisations rising, President Joe Biden asked every US federal worker to either declare they are fully vaccinated or wear masks and be tested. "People are dying -- and will die" "People are dying -- and will die -- who don't have to die," Biden said Thursday. "If in fact you are unvaccinated, you present a problem -- to yourself, to your family, and to those with whom you work." The president also said he would ask the Pentagon to consider making the coronavirus vaccine mandatory for active duty military personnel, and asked state and local governments to offer $100 to holdouts who get the shot. Later, the Pentagon said all its military and civilian personnel would require masks, regular testing and travel restrictions if they are unvaccinated. AP The CDC has already asked people in virus hotspots -- including the vaccinated -- to wear masks indoors again. The moves stop short of a politically sensitive vaccination mandate for federal workers, but mark a dramatic return to restrictions after a rapid vaccination phase. The surge across America -- which has the highest known Covid-19 deaths in the world -- has left early vaccine adopters angry at those who have so far opted against the shot. "It's almost like they don't care about the rest of the world," Alethea Reed, a 58-year-old healthcare administrator in Washington, told AFP. "They're being selfish and self-centred." Russian has fined Google 3 million roubles (which is just $41,017) for violating personal data legislation. This is also Googles first fine for this offence, highlighted by Moscows Tagansky District Court. AP Also Read: Russia's Doomsday Planes Designed To Keep Putin Safe In A Nuclear War Reported first by Reuters, Google has confirmed the fine but hasnt really made any comments pertaining to the same. This penalty comes after an ongoing battle between Russia and (American) Big Tech, with the capital regularly fining social media giants for not removing banned content and asking foreign tech companies to open their offices on Russian soil. Google isnt however the first company to be fined for this. The Russian government has already fined Twitter and Facebook for violating Russian regulations. Google has been previously fined for not deleting banned content, while also pissing off the Russian government for blocking YouTube content for accounts owned by Pro-Kremlin individuals. The Russian government has also been trying to force large tech companies to move their data of Russian users in the country and its state communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor has not been very successful with it. According to the law, online services that dont store their data in the country must be banned from the nation. In fact, the government has repeatedly threatened Facebook and Twitter to be banned completely, but have not taken the step fearing public outrage. Also Read: Russian Law Demands Smartphones, Laptops To Have Pre-Installed Russian Apps However, theyve managed to ban the professional networking app LinkedIn and for not storing its user data in Russia. This too was at a time when the platform wasnt as popular. Reuters Also Read: Russia Has Plans For A Space-Based Hypersonic Nuclear Bomber Pressure on social media platforms skyrocketed this year after Russian authorities were pissed at them for using the platforms as a medium to bring tens of thousands of people to protest the release of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The series of protests surely posed a massive challenge to the Kremlin. Officials add that these platforms didnt remove calls for protests encouraging children to join protests. Putin has also asked police to keep a tight scrutiny on social media to track pages/profiles that are asking kids to join illegal and unsanctioned street actions. The MacArthur Foundation announced a grant of $400,000 to the New York-based American India Foundation for a two-year grant to support COVID-affected urban street vendors revive their trade and livelihood. The Indian American-led foundation is one of several receiving around $80 million in MacArthur grants centered on advancing racial and ethnic justice. Above: Indian women buy colorful bangles from a street vendor in Ranchi, Jharkhand, July 20. (ANI photo) Woodbridge, VA (22192) Today Some early morning breaks in the overcast, otherwise cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 79F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 63F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Woodbridge, VA (22192) Today A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 79F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mainly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 63F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Real-time social media posts from local businesses and organizations across Northern Virginia, powered by Friends2Follow. To add your business to the stream, email cfields@insidenova.com or click on the green button below. Its the day over which hop fans like myself swoon. By the time this newspaper hits the streets, well be about a week away from National IPA Day on August 5. The maker of the rifle used in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting has offered some of the victims families nearly $33 million to settle their lawsuit over how the company marketed the firearm to the public. Lawyers for now-bankrupt Remington filed the offers late Tuesday in Waterbury Superior Court in Connecticut. The nine families suing the company, who are being offered nearly $3.7 million apiece, are considering the proposals, their lawyers said. A Hartford lawyer representing Remington, James Rotondo, declined to comment Wednesday. The settlement offers were filed a day after a judge denied Remingtons request to dismiss the lawsuit. A Bushmaster AR-15-style rifle made by Remington was used to kill 20 first graders and six educators at the Newtown, Connecticut, school on Dec. 14, 2012. The 20-year-old gunman, Adam Lanza, killed his mother at their Newtown home before the massacre, then killed himself with a handgun as police arrived at the school. Relatives of nine victims killed in the shooting say in their lawsuit that Remington should have never sold such a dangerous weapon to the public and allege it targeted younger, at-risk males in marketing and product placement in violent video games. They say their focus is on preventing future mass shootings. One of the plaintiffs, Nicole Hockley, whose 6-year-old son Dylan died in the shooting, said Wednesday that the families need to talk with their lawyers about the settlement offers and declined further comment. Joshua Koskoff, an attorney for the families, said the settlements were offered by two of Remingtons insurers. Ironshore and James River deserve credit for now realizing that promoting the use of AR-15s as weapons of war to civilians is indefensible. Insuring this kind of conduct is an unprofitable and untenable business model, Koskoff said in a statement. Remingtons lawyers have denied the lawsuits allegations. In their request to dismiss the lawsuit, they argued there were no facts presented to establish that Remingtons marketing had anything to do with the shooting. Remington, based in Madison, North Carolina, filed for bankruptcy last year for the second time in two years. Its assets were later sold off to several companies. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) has issued a report analyzing New York domestic insurers management of the financial risks from climate change based on their 2020 responses to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Climate Risk Disclosure Survey and their Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) reports. The report was prepared in response to feedback from insurers that they would benefit from having more information about how their peers manage climate risks. In addition to providing insurers and the public with a snapshot of what New York domestic insurers disclosed about their management of climate risks as of 2020, the report highlights examples of good practices implemented by insurers. The report follows the issuance of DFS proposed Guidance for New York Domestic Insurers on Managing the Financial Risks from Climate Change in March 2021 and a report titled, An Analysis of New York Domestic Insurers Exposure to Transition Risks and Opportunities from Climate Change in June 2021. Climate change poses major challenges to insurers on both sides of the balance sheet while also creating business opportunities for those who adapt, said DFS Superintendent Linda Lacewell in a DFS press release. This report provides insurers with valuable insights into what their peers are doing to manage climate-related financial risks, take advantage of climate-related opportunities, and support communities climate resilience. While some large and international insurance groups are leading the way, it is clear that many other U.S.-based insurers have much work to do. The report analyzes 121 NAIC Climate Risk Disclosure Survey responses and eight 2020 TCFD reports submitted in 2020 by a total of 93 companies and groups, representing insurers with annual countrywide premiums ranging from $100 million to nearly $100 billion. Survey questions cover how insurers incorporate climate risks into their governance, risk-management and investment plans, as well as steps taken by insurers to engage key constituencies and policyholders on the topic of climate change. Insurers responses showed that New York insurers had a wide range of sophistication in their understanding, assessment and management of climate risks. Insurers as a whole were best at managing their internal greenhouse gas emissions compared to the other areas of climate risk management. DFS intends to continue reviewing insurers NAIC Climate Risk Disclosure Survey responses and other disclosure materials to understand their overall status in identifying, assessing and managing climate risks, identify good practices that can be shared with the industry and support risk-based supervision by identifying insurers that appear to lag compared to their peer group. Insurers ratings will be used only for DFSs supervisory purposes and will not be publicly disclosed. In addition to the proposed guidance and the two reports issued by DFS to date, DFS has taken several actions to bolster its commitment to addressing financial risks from climate change. DFS became the first U.S. financial regulator to join the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS), an international coalition of nearly fifty bank supervisors dedicated to mobilizing the financial industry to address climate change. In addition, DFS joined the Sustainable Insurance Forum (SIF), an international network of insurance supervisors seeking to find collaborative ways to help the global insurance industry meet the challenges posed by climate change. DFS also became a supporting institution of the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI) to publicly demonstrate its support for sustainable insurance aims. Source: The New York State Department of Financial Services Topics Carriers Climate Change Oklahomas highest court recently found that an insurers uninsured motorist exclusion violates state law. The Oklahoma Supreme Court came to that conclusion in answering a certified question from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit about the UM exclusion in a private automobile policy from Progressive Insurance Co. According to the Oklahoma Supreme Courts written opinion delivered June 29, the 10th Circuit Court asked: Does Progressives UM Exclusion which operates to deny uninsured motorist coverage to insureds who recover at least the statutorily mandated minimum in the form of liability coverage contravene Oklahomas Uninsured Motorist Statute, codified at 36 O.S. 3636? The Oklahoma Supreme Court answered yes. The question arose in Lane v. Progressive Northern Insurance Co., a case involving two passengers who were severely injured in a single-car rollover accident in 2017. The insurance policy on the vehicle had been issued by Progressive Northern to the parents of the driver, who was a minor at the time of the accident and is not a party to the lawsuit. The courts opinion described the underlying case: Premiums were paid for both liability and uninsured-motorist coverage. The drivers policy provided liability coverage of $100,000 per person, with a $300,000 limit per accident (labeled under the policy as Part I Liability to Others). Additionally, the policy provided uninsured-motorist coverage of $100,000 per person, with a $300,000 limit per accident (designated in the policy as Part III Uninsured Motorist Coverage). Both Lane and Stone recovered the $100,000-per-person liability limit but their injuries were substantial, and their damages exceeded $100,000. In light of their extensive injuries, Lane and Stone sought additional uninsured-motorist coverage from Progressive. Relying on an exclusion in the policy referred to herein as the UM Exclusion Progressive denied their claims. In Oklahoma, auto insurers are required to offer uninsured motorist coverage along with standard liability coverage, though policyholders may decline the UM coverage. Where a policyholder has chosen to purchase uninsured-motorist coverage and the insurer has included it in the insurance contract in accord with section 3636 as here our public policy requires protection up to the contracted-for limits, the Oklahoma Supreme Courts opinion states. The sweeping UM exclusion in Progressives policy allows the company to avoid providing the coverage required by the statute, the court said. Progressives UM Exclusion states that uninsured-motorist coverage will not apply to bodily injury sustained by an insured person where liability coverage for bodily injury in an amount equal to or greater than the minimum limits of liability required by the motor vehicle financial responsibility law of Oklahoma is available for said bodily injury under Part ILiability to Others.' This provision violates public policy by depriving the policyholder of the UM coverage they paid for, effectively erasing its policyholders choice to purchase that coverage in the first place, the opinion states. Relying on its UM exclusion, Progressive denied Lane and Stone uninsured motorist coverage because both had recovered $100,000 under the policys liability coverage which is greater than the Oklahoma statutory minimum of $25,000, the court said. Lane and Stone sued Progressive in federal district court for breach of contract and bad faith. They asserted that the UM exclusion upon which the insurer relied in denying coverage is void as a matter of public policy under state law. The federal district court saw things differently, however, and ruled in Progressives favor, finding that the UM exclusion is permitted under state law. Lane and Stone appealed to the 10th Circuit Court, which, in turn certified the question of legitimacy of the exclusion to the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Justice Gurich, writing for the majority, pointed out that the applicable statute plainly differentiates between liability and uninsured-motorist coverage. It also does not intend for the coverages to be combined. Unless the insured specifically declines UM coverage, the insurer must provide both the uninsured-motorist coverage and the liability coverage, Gurich wrote. The circumstances of the case are undisputed that Lane and Stone are covered under the insureds policy, their damages exceed the policys $100,000-per-person liability limit. The vehicle involved in the accident meets the definition of an uninsured motor vehicle under the terms of both the insurance policy and section 3636, and the UM coverage was selected and paid for, the opinion states. Therefore, the court reasoned, the policyholder would be correct in assuming the coverage would be available in the event of an automobile accident resulting in serious injuries to their insureds in excess of the policys liability limits. Liability coverage is not the same as UM coverage and is not a substitute for it, the court wrote. As such, we hold that Progressives UM Exclusion contravenes Oklahomas strong public policy in favor of broadly available uninsured-motorist coverage, the majority opinion states. The ruling was not unanimous. Three justices Kane, Rowe and Winchester dissented. Topics Oklahoma A North Texas doctor will pay $376,368 in restitution after pleading guilty to mail fraud conspiracy in federal court, the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers Compensation reported. Clinton Battle M.D. of Arlington pleaded guilty on July 22, 2021, to defrauding the federal workers compensation program and Texas workers compensation insurance carriers. Battle admitted to submitting fraudulent bills for physical therapy, office exams, and functional capacity evaluations for a period of five years starting in 2012. During that time Battle mischaracterized services so he could bill at a higher rate. In several cases, Battle also billed for services that he claimed took longer than they actually did, were never conducted, or were conducted by unlicensed staff. As a result of his guilty plea, Battle will be excluded from federal healthcare and workers compensation programs, which will eliminate his ability to be paid for services he provides or prescribes. In 2017, the DWC decided Battle would no longer be allowed to treat patients in the states workers compensation system. Earlier in July, a federal jury found Battle guilty of drug crimes including distribution of a controlled substance. On Oct. 28, 2021, he will be sentenced on all counts related to the conviction and the plea agreement. Battle faces up to 15 years in prison. The DWC Fraud Unit, the Drug Enforcement Administrations Dallas Field Division, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Postal Service, and the IRS conducted these investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Weybrecht and Jay Weimer were the prosecuting attorneys. Source: TDI-DWC Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Texas Workers' Compensation Fraud Drugs Sharon Schechter escaped the South Florida condominium tower collapse with just the nightclothes she was wearing, so she cried shortly after when the Global Empowerment Mission gave her an electric toothbrush, a phone charger and a $500 gift card to buy essentials. Now GEM, other charities and businesses announced Wednesday that they will be paying the first and last months rent and security deposit at new apartments for Schechter and about 30 other individuals and families displaced by the June 24 tragedy in Surfside that killed 98. GEM and its partners believe they will soon have the funds to pay the Champlain South survivors rents for a year _ that could run up to $50,000 each in South Floridas inflated real estate market. I literally walked out with nothing, said Schechter, a Medicare insurance specialist who lived on the 11th floor. She spoke after a news conference announcing the program at GEMs headquarters, which more than two dozen survivors attended. They gave me basic supplies you dont even think about You wake up the next day and you dont even have clothes. GEM, a Florida-based charity that responds to disasters around the world, has raised $372,000 with its partners and distributed donated goods. It had already secured free temporary housing for the survivors and eventually gave each family $4,000 to help with expenses. Founder and president Michael Capponi said an upcoming event should raise enough money to cover a years rent. He said the groups goal is to help fill the gap between the short-term charitable and government help that arrives immediately after a disaster and long-term solutions such as insurance and legal settlements that can take a year or more to develop. This community is the world to me and we decided this is how we are going to give back, said Capponi, a former real estate developer and Miami Beach nightclub promoter. Rabbi Zalman Lipskar of the Shul of Bal Harbour, which has partnered with GEM, told the survivors that he learned long ago from a Holocaust survivor that they shouldnt try to comprehend a reason why they lived. He said that would mean there was a reason their friends and neighbors perished. What we do know is that we are here, we are alive, Lipskar said. Many of the buildings residents attended his synagogue. For some survivors, the news conference was the first time they had seen each other since immediately following the collapse. They hugged and wept with each other. Zulia Taub, an 82-year-old retired real estate agent, said she bought her fifth floor condo 22 years ago when I could afford it. Now, on a fixed income, getting housing assistance is essential so she can remain in the area with her friends and still do volunteer work at performing arts theaters. At my age, it is very difficult to get a new place, Taub said. I dont need a beautiful apartment like my home, but I want to stay close to my community. Schechter, after years running a food distribution program at schools and helping with hurricane relief, found it very uncomfortable to be on the receiving end of charity. But she said she appreciates it. It is my turn, but when the time comes I hope to give back again, she said. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Two lawsuits accusing an investigator in the state public defenders office of sexual harassment have been settled. The Law Offices of the Public Defender agreed to pay $345,000 to resolve the lawsuits filed in 2019, the Albuquerque Journal reported. Neither the office nor the investigator admitted liability as part of the settlements. The agency has locations around the state. The investigator used to work in the Las Cruces office. Laura Schauer Ives, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said that her clients are hopeful the culture in the public defenders office will change and others will be spared from similar treatment, including retaliation for reporting harassment. They were struggling with a very serious problem with repeat sexual harassment that went unaddressed, she told the Journal. Under the settlement, the public defenders office agreed to follow up on sexual harassment complaints and agreed to certain procedures for interviewing employees in future investigations. We area always looking to learn lessons so we can ensure professional and supportive working conditions in our offices, chief public defender Bennett Baur said. The investigator who was accused said the public defenders office decided to settle the cases, and he denied the allegations in the lawsuits, according to a statement from his attorney. In November, the public defenders office settled another lawsuit that included claims of sexual harassment and unfair pay. The office paid out $750,000 to resolve it. Related: New Mexico Public Defender Agency Settles Gender Pay-Gap Suit Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Claims Mexico Three schoolteachers in Washington state who sued chemical company Monsanto over exposure to materials in fluorescent lights have been awarded $185 million. The law firm that represented the teachers, Friedman Rubin, said a jury returned the verdict in King County Superior Court. The teachers, who worked at the Sky Valley Education Center in Monroe, Washington, said they suffered brain damage from exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, in the fluorescent lighting at the school. This is a big step in holding Monsanto accountable, the teachers attorney, Rick Friedman, said in a statement. Bayer, which bought Monsanto in 2018, said the company disagreed with the verdict and may appeal. The undisputed evidence in this case does not support the conclusions that plaintiffs were exposed to unsafe levels of PCBs at the Sky Valley Education Center (SVEC) or that any exposure could have possibly caused their claimed injuries, Bayer spokesperson Susan Skiles Luke said in a statement. The company said the light ballasts that were the focus of the lawsuit were obsolete. These are historic claims that relate to products Monsanto has not produced in more than 40 years, Luke said. This was the first of 22 trials involving teachers, parents and students who spent time at the Sky Valley Education Center. A 2019 Associated Press investigation found that millions of fluorescent light ballasts containing PCBs probably remain in schools and day care centers across the U.S. four decades after the chemicals were banned over concerns that they could cause cancer and other illnesses. Many older buildings also have caulk, ceiling tiles, floor adhesives and paint made with PCBs, which sometimes have been found at levels far higher than allowed by law. PCBs are mixtures of compounds manufactured by Monsanto Co. and widely used as coolants and lubricants in electrical equipment until they were banned in 1979. Monsanto also has faced a deluge of litigation over its weed killer Roundup. Last year, Bayer said it would pay more than $10 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits claiming Roundup causes cancer. The company said the settlement involves about 125,000 filed and unfiled claims. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Washington 150 sheepdog owners and their dogs from all over the country will descend on Co Kerry next week for the Irish National Sheepdog trials which will take place in Killarney. The event is being hosted on a 52-acre site on the grounds of the Europe Hotel and the Resort Haven in Fossa from Thursday, August 5 to Saturday, August 7. It is the very first time the Trials will be held in Co Kerry. Speaking this week, the chairman of the local committee Tom OSullivan said everyone is really looking forward to the event. He added: "Watching a handler control the dog herding sheep in a controlled manner is the essence of a partnership, formed at home at an early age when one goes about training a sheepdog to help with everyday work on the farm. "The art of working a sheepdog is magical. We are so proud to bring this event to the large sheep-farming community in Kerry." Looking forward With last year's event cancelled there is huge interest this year. The event will select the 15-person team to represent Ireland at the 2021 International Sheepdog Trials. The International Sheep Dog Trials, which are the pinnacle in the sheepdog trialling calendar, are to be held from Friday, September 10 to Sunday 12 at Tancastell Fields, Rhydyfelin in Aberystwyth in Wales. During the three days the top 60 handlers, made up of teams of 15 handlers and their dogs from each of the nations, England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, will be competing against each other to determine an overall 'International Supreme Champion'. Next week's event will have a maximum capacity of 500 and gates will open each day from 8am to 8pm. Admission costs 10 per adult with Under 16s and members of the International Sheepdog Society admitted free of charge. The sheep for the event will be from the farms of Jim Dennehy, Gap of Dunloe Road, and Con Healy, Millstreet, Cork. Burma Myanmar COVID-19 Victims Rely of Neighbors for Help A volunteer at a house flying both yellow and white clothes. Suffocated by COVID-19 and military rule, residents in Yangon are hanging yellow or white clothes and flags outside their homes to show they are infected and need help. Yellow signifies that the occupants need medical supplies and white asks for food. The method originated in Malaysia where people fly white objects outside their homes as a plea for help amid the COVID-19 lockdown. As the pandemic worsens across Yangon, charities initiated the From the people to the people campaign this month. The military regime imposed a nationwide lockdown on July 17 until at least next week. A reported 5,362 people have died of COVID-19 nationwide between July 1 and July 29, according to the junta-controlled Ministry of Health and Sports. Infected people, especially when whole families are isolated at home, also ask for help on social media and the posts are shared so neighbors can help. Ma Sein Sein of Hline Township was in despair after all the five members of her family, including her parents and two children, were sick with COVID-19. Her parents oxygen levels were dropping. She hanged a piece of yellow cloth outside her apartment on July 26, hoping someone would help. She also asked for help on Facebook. A man later delivered an oxygen cylinder. My parents are fine for now as someone has given a 10-liter oxygen cylinder. We have also received food. It is good for now, she said. Charity workers, who are helping COVID-19 patients believe many residents need medicines and food after whole families were infected. When people ask for help, in most cases the whole family is sick or infected. I was asked to help a hostel where all the occupants were sick with COVID-19. They cant go out, said a charity worker. While some households can pay for food and medicines, others depend on donations, said a young volunteer who helps patients from his savings and donations from others. He said more residents are now flying yellow and white. People are enduring appalling hardships amid the crises resulting from the military coup in February and COVID-19, said a young activist from Yangon. Foreign companies have left Myanmar because of the military and people have lost their jobs. They are already cash-strapped and cant afford to buy medicines when struck by COVID-19, he said. While Myanmar lacks a solid social security system with a long-existing gap between rich and poor, the coup has hammered social resources, said a public administration specialist. The whole social system has collapsed. There is now a shortage of cash. Only when this problem is solved will businesses be able to operate, he said. Myanmar has been facing a cash crisis since the regime imposed restrictions on withdrawals after its coup, perhaps fearing a depreciation of the kyat. Businesses are suffering as a result. Food handouts are only a short-term solution. Without a proper healthcare system, people will continue to die if they are to treat at home, he added. Strategic and strong leadership plus close cooperation with the international community is needed to overcome the crisis, he said. On the ground, the junta-controlled Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement is barely doing anything to ease the suffering of people, many of whom now endure COVID-19, fighting and floods. The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management of the National Unity Government (NUG), a shadow government formed by elected lawmakers from the 2020 general election to rival the military regime, said it is providing humanitarian assistance. But it does not disclose details for the safety of those implementing the work on the ground. The peoples government is working for the people as we help each other. We have to join hands to overcome suffering, said the NUG humanitarian affairs and disaster management minister, Dr. Win Myat Aye. It appears no assistance program covering the whole country can be expected soon, forcing people to help each other. And yellow and white objects will continue to fly outside the homes of those in need. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Junta Weaponizing Aid Myanmar Junta Sells Off $90m Since Coup Myanmar Military-allied Karen Armed Group Commander Dies of COVID-19 Burma Myanmar Military-allied Karen Armed Group Commander Dies of COVID-19 Lieutenant Colonel Kyaw Myint. A senior Karen State Border Guard Force (BGF) commander responsible for security at a controversial China-backed new city project near the Myanmar-Thai border has died of COVID-19. The Karen State BGF is an armed force backed by the Myanmar military. Lieutenant Colonel Kyaw Myint, the commander of BGF station 3 in Shwe Kokko, the site of the new city project, died Thursday at his home in Thingannyinaung in Myawaddy, Karen State, BGF spokesman Major Saw Tin Win told The Irrawaddy. He was 60 and suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes. COVID-19 cases have been reported among BGF members, but the majority of people have recovered, said Maj Saw Tin Win. For now, none of the members are in serious condition. They got sick but recovered after taking medicine. Only Lt-Col Kyaw Myint has died of COVID-19 in the BGF, said the spokesman. On July 21, the commander-in-chief of the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) Major General Saw Mo Shay died of COVID-19 at a Yangon military hospital. The DKBA is a signatory to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement and has good relations with the military regime. Despite surging coronavirus infections in Myanmar, the Shwe Kokko new city project is proceeding and the developer has been recruiting staff. COVID-19 cases have been reported among junta officials, Myanmar military personnel and their families. You may also like these stories: Half of Myanmars Population Could Have COVID-19 in Two Weeks, UN Told Dozens of Myanmar Resistance Fighters Seized in Sagaing Region Myanmar Junta Placing False Hopes in Chinas Vaccine Diplomacy The Biden administration is still trying to restore internet access cut off by the Cuban government, intended to keep protestors from communicating with one another in the one-party authoritarian nation, where freedom of expression is restricted, and an economic crisis has hit hard. The crackdown came after thousands of Cubans took to the islands streets last July 11, calling for democratic reform. The Biden administration is exploring a range of options, on restoring internet access between the U.S. and Cuba, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during a recent press briefing with reporters, without offering many specifics. We are quite focused on and interested in restoring internet access to the people of Cuba, Psaki said. Most of the Cuban American population is concentrated in Florida, with 66% living in areas such as Miami-Dade County and Hillsborough County, according to Pew Research. There are nearly 2 million Cuban Americans in the U.S., with 1.5 million in Florida alone, according to Pew Research. List of mass arrests documented In the current protests, the Cuban government has arrested more than 700 people, according to a public Google spreadsheet keeping track of those arrested to assist families off the island who have lost communication with their relatives and friends on the island. The spreadsheet details several convictions. One, documented in a Facebook post, details the case of Alexander Rodriguez Cardenas, who was arrested on July 13, following the July 11 demonstrations, and 3 days later was convicted to one year in prison. The Biden administration has put in place sanctions targeting the head of the Cuban military, the Cuban Minister of Defense, as well as the governments special forces unit called the Boinas Negras, also known as the Black Berets, that the government deployed to crack down on protestors. As we hold the Cuban regime accountable, our support for the Cuban people is unwavering and we are making sure Cuban Americans are a vital partner in our efforts to provide relief to suffering people on the Island. Biden added that the White House is working with various organizations to provide internet access to the Cuban people that circumvents the regimes censorship efforts, as well as reviewing policy to determine how we can maximize support to the Cuban people. Portions of this report, authored by By Ariana Figueroa, first appeared on the website of the Florida Phoenix, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to coverage of state government and politics from Tallahassee. The Federal Government has announced the expansion of Australias fast charging network for battery electric vehicles (EVs) by providing funding for new chargers across metropolitan and regional Australia to drive uptake of electrtic vehicles (EVs) and support consumer choice. Under the funding deal five companies will receive a share in almost $25 million from the Government under round one of the Australian Renewable Energy Agencys (ARENA) Future Fuels Fund, delivering a total of $79.9 million of investment into Australias fast charging network. The Government said on Friday that the funding will accelerate the roll out of fast charging stations across all capital cities and key regional centres, including Geelong, Newcastle, Wollongong and the Gold Coast - with each regional location receiving a minimum of eight new stations. The successful applicants will deliver public fast charging networks: Evie Networks : $8.85 million (across eight regions) Ampol Australia Petroleum Pty Ltd : $7.05 million (across four regions); Engie : $6.85 million (across four regions); Chargefox Pty Ltd : $1.4 million (across two regions) and Electric Highways Tasmania Pty Ltd : $0.4 million (across one region). The five successful applicants will deliver a total of 403 new stations, all powered by renewable energy and capable of charging at least two vehicles concurrently at 50 kilowatts or above. The Government says this represents a sevenfold increase in the number of public fast charging stations across these regions. The Government initially announced funding of up to $16.5 million under round one, but this has been increased to $24.55 million due to the strong field of applicants. Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said the Government was funding the infrastructure needed to help motorists embrace the increasing range of technologies available. The Government is focused on ensuring Australians can drive their preferred choice of vehicle be that petrol, diesel, hydrogen or electric-powered, Minister Taylor said. Projects funded under the Future Fuels Fund will significantly expand Australias fast charging network, providing broader coverage, reducing range anxiety and minimising blackspots. As industry works to make electric vehicle technology more affordable, it is important we have the infrastructure in place that empowers consumers to switch to new fuel technologies with confidence. The $71.9 million Future Fuels Fund, announced in the 2020-21 Budget, is a key plank in the Governments Future Fuels Strategy. The Strategy will drive the creation of an environment that enables consumer choice, stimulates industry development and reduces emissions in the road transport sector. Over $1.4 billion has already been committed by the Morrison Government to help increase the uptake of low and zero emissions vehicle technologies, including through the Future Fuels Fund. More information on the outcomes of round one of the Future Fuels Fund are available at https://arena.gov.au/funding/future-fuels-fund/ In its latest DDoS Attack Report, security vendor Radware says blocked DDoS attack volumes during the second quarter of 2021 were up more than 40% year-on-year. Other findings in the report include an average of 5,000 malicious events (up 30%), and an observation that the Asia Pacific region came off relatively lightly: during the first half of 2021, a company in the Americas or Europe and the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) had to repel, on average, twice the average attack volume experienced a company in Asia-Pacific. The Americas and EMEA accounted for about 80% of the blocked attack volume during that six-month period. "While large ransomware attacks are capturing headlines, companies need to pay attention to other cyber threats," said Radware director of threat intelligence Pascal Geenens. "From an increase in DDoS extortion campaigns and DDoS hit-and-run assaults, to a hactivist group targeting financial organisations in the Middle East, the second quarter saw a concerning amount of cyber activity compared to the activity levels we saw during the same quarter last year. "The results of this report should serve as a strong reminder to enterprises that no company is immune from being a target." Radware also looked at the attention different industries were receiving from attackers. Hardest hit was the technology sector, averaging almost 3,000 attacks per company, followed by healthcare (2,000) and finance (1,350). Retail, communications and telecommunications companies averaged between 600 and 1,000 attacks, followed by the gaming industry (400 attacks per company) and government and utility organisations (280). The highest volume attacks were directed to the retail sector, followed by gaming, telecommunications and technology. Some companies in the finance and technology sector faced 'hit-and-run' DDoS attacks involving repeated short bursts with very high volume. One 45-minute attack involved multiple consistent 80Gbps bursts lasting two to three minutes on a four minute cycle. Ransom denial-of-service (RDoS) attacks, which threaten an attack unless the victim pays a ransom have been a persistent component of the DDoS threat landscape since August 2020, according to Radware. But the second quarter of 2021 saw a renewed extortion campaign by an actor posing as Fancy Lazarus. Unsolicited vulnerability scans are another issue. During the second quarter of 2021, companies blocked an average of almost 2,000 scan events of this kind. According to Radware, 40% of them were performed by potentially malicious scanners looking to actively exploit known vulnerabilities and attack an organisation. "Organisations are being challenged by well organised threat actors," said Geenens. "The window between the disclosing and weaponising of new vulnerabilities is getting very slim. In some cases, we observed less than 24 hours between a manufacturer publishing a patch and malicious activity trying to exploit the vulnerability." Radware's full Q2 DDoS Attack Report is available here (registration required). Fintech startup 1receipt issues and manages customers digital receipts in a smartphone app. And unlike other digital receipts, shoppers are not required to share their personal information. The future is paperless. Today, brands are starting to shun paper receipts as a way of adapting into a more digital environment and to operate more sustainably. Businesses are now shifting to e-receipts as an alternative. However, e-receipts require stores to collect a customers email address and personal information, which may be an inconvenience as some customers do not like disclosing sensitive information for privacy reasons. Retailers can also use this to spam a shoppers email address with marketing content. This is where Melbourne-based fintech startup 1receipt comes into the picture. 1receipt substitutes paper receipts, and it issues, stores, retrieves, and manages digital receipts in a smartphone app. Shoppers can easily retrieve their e-receipts by scanning an exclusive barcode on their phone at checkout point. Unlike other digital receipts, shoppers are not required to share any personal information to retailers. According to 1receipt, it solves and addresses multiple issues such as: It saves millions of dollars (for example: it annually costs $350M of paper receipts only for ten major retailers in Australia). The papers are wasted and just goes to the trash bin. Over 8.5 million trees cut every year only for producing paper receipts. As such, 1receipt can help mitigate cutting and usher a more sustainable option. 1receipt also adds that it can stop the dumping of at least 3.3 million kg/year paper wastage in Australia. It's hard for the retailer to convert regular shoppers to loyal members at the point of sale. There is a risk of sharing data on email and SMS receipts. US researchers have confirmed that touching paper receipts can cause cancer. 1receipt has started implementing in IGA stores in Melbourne and are working with point of sale (POS) providers in Australia to integrate the app into their POS. Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by subscribing or making a contribution. Subscribe or contribute FILE - In this Saturday, Jan. 15, 2011 file photo, Simone Gbagbo, wife of Laurent Gbagbo, smiles during a pro-Gbagbo rally at the Palace of Culture in the Treichville neighborhood of Abidjan, Ivory Coast. In a written ruling issued confidentially on July 19, 2021 and made public this week, the International Criminal Court has withdrawn its arrest warrant for the wife of former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo following her husband's acquittal on charges of involvement in deadly violence that erupted following his country's disputed 2010 presidential election. If we want kids back in school and the economy to prosper, more of the US needs to get vaccinated, expert says Despite it being an incredibly natural human behavior, moms often face backlash for feeding their babies in public places. Click for more. Donate Now As a public service during this pandemic, the Jewish News is providing free, unlimited access to all articles. Jewish News is a nonprofit publication that is owned by the community and relies on community support. Contact Analeise S. Mayor at 732-7076 or amayor@jhnewsandguide.com. This story is supported by a grant through Wyoming EPSCoR and the National Science Foundation President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with governors to discuss ongoing efforts to strengthen wildfire prevention, preparedness and response efforts, and hear firsthand about the ongoing impacts of the 2021 wildfire season in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House Campus in Washington, Friday, July 30, 2021. Joplin, MO (64801) Today Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 82F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear. Low 61F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. CARTHAGE, MO - Donald Lee Miller, 71, passed away Thursday, July 29, 2021. Services will be at 9 a.m. Thursday at Carthage Church of the Nazarene. Burial will be in Missouri Veterans Cemetery, Springfield. Myanmar has endured six months of turmoil since the military deposed Aung San Suu Kyis government and ended the countrys decade-old experiment with democracy. The junta has consolidated its position after a lethal crackdown on street protests, which have continued in a limited form despite the violence. AFP takes a look at the current state of play inside Myanmar: Whats happened since the coup? The military has killed almost 1,000 people in a running crackdown on dissent, a local monitoring group says, with thousands more arrested. Tens of thousands of civil servants and other workers have either been sacked for joining protests or are still on strike in support of a nationwide civil disobedience campaign. A coronavirus outbreak has overwhelmed the healthcare system, with many hospitals empty due to a work boycott by pro-democracy medical staff. The country has fallen into chaos and is close to complete collapse, Manny Maung of Human Rights Watch told AFP. Are people still protesting? Yes, but in nothing like the numbers seen in February and March, when hundreds of thousands took to the streets around the country. Young demonstrators in the commercial capital Yangon hold regular morning flash mobs, jogging through the streets to chant slogans and sometimes set off flares. But even these are getting more and more dangerous police informers are always on the lookout, and protesters have been snatched by plainclothes officers. Is anyone fighting back? Several of Myanmars powerful ethnic rebel groups opposed the coup and have since clashed with the military. Fighters from the Karen National Union which has offered shelter to fleeing dissidents attacked and razed a military base in May. Another group near the Chinese border has also fought sporadic battles against the armed forces. The junta hit back at both with air strikes. Civilian guerilla groups have also taken on the military in urban neighbourhoods, often with rudimentary or homemade weapons and almost no training. What has the international community done? The United States, European Union and United Kingdom have ramped up sanctions on the junta and business linked to the military. But the generals are used to international isolation after weathering sanctions during a previous military regime. UN experts have accused the junta of committing crimes against humanity but has so far only imposed a non-binding resolution to prevent the flow of arms into Myanmar. What has happened to Aung San Suu Kyi? Suu Kyi, 76, has barely been seen since the generals ousted her government and placed her under house arrest in the capital Naypyidaw. They later brought an eclectic mix of charges against her, including illegally importing walkie-talkies and flouting coronavirus restrictions. She could face over a decade in jail if convicted on all counts. What does the future hold? Backed by allies Russia and China, and outgunning pro-democracy protesters and rebel groups, the junta looks to have consolidated its position despite continuing resistance to military rule. It has claimed plans to stage new elections at an unspecified point in the future. Notwithstanding the heavy schedule of work devoted to completing the draft report, the Commission informed the Attorney General on 27 July that it needed more time (about eight weeks) to complete all 16 volumes of the report and other important documents, Dr Lamin Sise told journalists in Banjul, Gambias capital city, on Wednesday. The chairman of the countrys Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) announced a new date for the submission of its final report: 30 September 2021. Between January 2019 and May 2021, the TRRC has received 2,600 statements and heard testimonies from 393 witnesses covering sixteen themes. Along with an activity report of the Commissions outreach engagements and a portrait album of the public hearings, the final report will comprise of sixteen volumes, each containing an overview, key findings, and recommendations on the various themes investigated by the Commission on human rights violations under the regime of Yahya Jammeh (1994-2017). Emergency reparations Meanwhile, the TRRC has released some information about its action on victims reparations. Since it created a reparations fund, the TRRC has received US$1 million from the Government. This was part of monies recovered from sales of exiled Jammehs assets, although no further details were disclosed. The government promised to pay another US$1 million but that did not materialise. Part of this reparations fund has already been spent on emergency payments while public hearings were still ongoing. The urgent interim reparations were needed for some people who were really sick and needed urgent medical attention, recalled Adelaide Sosseh, the deputy chair of the TRRC who presides over the reparations committee. That group of beneficiaries included torture victims, survivors of witch-hunting, those hit by Jammehs passing convoys and those affected by Jammehs hoax Aids treatment, among others. The budget for those interim reparations was US$391,006 of which the Commission has spent up to US$254,154. According to figures shared by the Commission with the Center for Victims of Human Rights Violations an NGO that brings together victims of Jammehs regime US$215,053 were spent on patients sent to Turkey for treatment. A shortfall of 3,3 million dollars The interim reparations payments have left US$723,362 in the Commissions account which is now being paid to 1,000 victims who qualified under the Commissions policy. However, the TRRC full reparations assessment would require a pay-out of little over US$4 million, Sise and Sosseh said in a press conference on July 16. This leaves a revenue shortfall of US$3.3 million, including US$625,610 to be paid to families of West African migrants killed in Gambia in 2005. According to the Commissions reparations policy, payments are measured based on the estimated gravity of the rights violations suffered by the victims. According to the Commissions list provided by Sosseh, 198 victims whose violations were deemed not very grave will be paid US$ 977 and below. Those victims will receive the money in one payment. The victims or families of unlawful killing, enforced disappearance, torture, physical assault, unlawful detention, sexual and gender-based violence and inhumane and degrading treatment will receive payments of US$ 977 and above. These beneficiaries, numbering 758, would be paid on a pro rata basis and in instalments. For instance, families of those who were unlawfully killed should receive up to US$11,730. The TRRC may spend the 1 million dollars it has received. But beyond this, the government would have to take over. Plans for a reparations act Justice Minister Dawda Jallow told Justice Info he is already working on an act of parliament that will establish an independent agency to take over the Commissions action and complete the reparations work. It is unclear how this agency will function but Jallow said the bill will be before lawmakers in the last quarter of this year. I think the people need to have confidence in the process. If it is government-managed, we might probably run into complaints of bias or things of that kind, explained Jallow. Gambia is currently preparing for its 2022 budget. Various state institutions are already holding their budget bilateral talks with the countrys Finance Ministry. I have given instructions that the government needs to put aside substantial money towards reparations for Jammehs victims, said Jallow. I am not too sure if the government can absorb everything that they [the TRRC] have recommended. We may seek help but we have to accept first that it is our responsibility: the alleged violators were state operatives. Rising expectations vs shoestring budget Some tensions can already be felt though. About two weeks ago, Yusupha Mbaye who was shot during the April 2000 student demonstration and was permanently handicapped as a result returned $400 paid to him by the Commission as first instalment. According to the Commissions reparations policy, the category under which Mbaye falls should be paid US$2,000. When returning the money, the wheelchair-bound Mbaye sent a letter to the TRRC with a list of demands, including having a permanent nurse, continuous provision of urine bags, continuous provision of catheter bags, continuous access to physiotherapy services, provision of a permanent and monthly monetary allowance subjected to adjustment in line with prevailing economic circumstances. Mbaye has already received treatment in Turkey at the expense of the TRRC. In fact, Commissioner Sosseh revealed on a WhatsApp group that USD64,336 were spent on Mbayes trip to Turkey. However, Mbaye said he is still in pain and unable to urinate normally. For rights activist Madi Jobarteh, the Mbaye case requires special attention. Even if you give a one-time payment of 1 million dalasi [about 20,000 US dollars] to Yusupha, it will not mean much in the long term, he said. For me, people like Yusupha, who cannot do anything for themselves, should be provided a set of services just to enable them to live with dignity. So far, the Victims Center which is generally seen as a legitimate representative of the victims and has been consulted by the two successive Ministers of Justice under current president Adama Barrow has not taken any definitive position on the case of Mbaye. The NGO board chair Sheriff Kijera gives a rather positive assessment of the reparations process up to now. I am not getting calls from victims complaining about the amount that they are being paid, he told Justice Info. We have not heard any major problems being reported other than complaints from people that they have not received their reparations yet. But the whole program is still in its early stages and the NGO continues to monitor it. Doubt about the Governments commitment In December this year, Gambians head to polls to elect a new president. The deputy leader of the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), former president Jammehs party, Ousman Jatta, told local media that they have nearly reached an agreement with Barrows National Peoples Party. As a result, critics already doubt that both post-TRRC reparations and prosecutions will be taken seriously. Justice Minister Jallow assures the governments strong commitment to implementing the recommendations of the Commission. But Jobarteh is more pessimistic. I have little hope that the Government will meet its obligations to survivors. Since the launch of the transitional justice program by the President himself in 2017, it is unfortunate that he has not shown the necessary political will and commitment, said the rights activist. What this means is that civil society and the international community should become more vigilant to put pressure on the Government to fulfil its obligations. Seif al-Islam, the son of slain dictator Moamer Kadhafi, wants to restore the lost unity of Libya after a decade of chaos and does not exclude standing for the presidency. He spoke in a rare interview, given to the New York Times at an opulent two-storey villa inside a gated compound at Zintan in the west of the North African country. For years, mystery had surrounded the precise whereabouts of a man wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The 49-year-old, who before 2011 had been seen as his fathers presumed successor, said politicians in the decade since have brought Libyans nothing but misery. It is time for a return to the past. The country its on its knees Theres no money, no security. Theres no life here, Seif al-Islam said in his first appearance in years. After four decades in power, Moamer Kadhafi and his relatives were the target of a popular uprising in 2011. Three of the dictators seven sons were killed, but the fate of Seif al-Islam, whose name means sword of Islam was unknown. He was captured by a Libyan militia in November 2011, days after his father was killed. Four years later, a Tripoli court sentenced him in absentia to death for crimes committed during the revolt. The ICC has repeatedly asked for him to be handed over for trial. Political comeback Until the interview, Seif al-Islam had not been seen or heard from since June 2014, when he appeared via video link from Zintan during his trial by the Tripoli court. Seif al-Islam said in the interview that he was a free man organising a political return, and that his former captors are now my friends. He told the paper the militiamen eventually realised he could be a powerful ally. In recent years Libya has been split between two rival administrations backed by foreign forces and countless militias. In October, after Turkey-backed forces of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) routed those of eastern military strongman Khalifa Haftar, the two camps agreed a ceasefire in Geneva. The security situation has been slowly improving since. A provisional government was agreed in March, and general elections are expected to take place on December 24. Any possible return by Seif al-Islam to Libyan politics would face hurdles, including his conviction by the Tripoli court and the ICC warrant for his arrest. But the Britain-educated son of Moamer Kadhafi seems undeterred, according to the New York Times. Seif al-Islam said he was confident that these legal issues could be negotiated away if a majority of the Libyan people choose him as their leader. The paper quoted him as saying: Ive been away from the Libyan people for 10 years. You need to come back slowly, slowly. Like a striptease. You need to play with their minds a little. Asked if it felt strange to seek shelter in Libyan homes when he was on the run in 2011, he was as enigmatic as some of the opinions expressed in his late fathers Green Book. Were like fish, and the Libyan people are like a sea for us, Seif al-Islam replied. Without them, we die. Thats where we get support. We hide here. We fight here. We get support from there. The Libyan people are our ocean. hme/srm/hkb THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY Bosnian Serbs on Friday rejected a ban on genocide denial imposed by the outgoing UN high representative and passed a law under which those who call their entity genocidal risk lengthy jail terms. A week before the end of his mandate, Austrian diplomat and UN High Representative Valentin Inzko on July 23 used his powers to impose the genocide-denial ban, angering Bosnian Serbs leaders. The UN official in Bosnia holds certain executive powers in the Balkan country that was the scene of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, the worst atrocity on European soil since World War II. The massacre happened in July 1995, a few months before the end of the war that left about 100,000 dead, when Serb forces rounded up and killed more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys after they captured the town. The Srebrenica massacre was deemed genocide by several verdicts of international courts, but Serb leaders usually deny it amounted to genocide, instead calling it a great crime. In the past, some Bosnian Muslim leaders have described the Bosnian Serb entity as a genocidal construction. On Friday, the parliament of the Serb entity, Republika Srpska (RS), passed a law on non-implementation of the high representatives decision and another providing for penalties of up to 15 years in prison for violating the reputation of the Republika Srpska. We will never again allow anyone to call us genocidal and to humiliate us, President of the RS Parliament Nedeljko Cubrilovic told the media after the vote. The political leader of the Bosnian Serbs, Milorad Dodik, reiterated his stance that there was no genocide in Srebrenica. Last week, Inzko added several amendments to the Bosnian Criminal Code, including providing penalties of between six months and five years in prison for those who publicly approve, deny, grossly minimise or attempt to justify the crime of genocide, crime against humanity and war crime. Inzko, who was been high commissioner in Bosnia for 12 years, will hand over the seat on Sunday to Christian Schmidt. The UN Peace Implementation Council appointed the former German agriculture minister as Inzkos replacement, but the decision has been challenged by Russia and China, which believe it should have been approved by the UN Security Council. Amazons second-quarter sales and current period forecasts were lower than analysts expectations, indicating that as people resume their old shopping habits, the rapid growth of the largest online retailer during the pandemic is weakening. The stock price fell more than 6% in the extended transaction. As shoppers moved most of their spending from stores to websites, the Seattle-based company rebounded in the pandemic. Amazon has invested billions of dollars in pandemic safety measures to maintain operations while minimizing the spread of Covid-19 in its facilities and employ hundreds of thousands of workers to meet pent-up demand. The new CEO, Andy Jassy, ??who took over from founder Jeff Bezos on July 5th, must prove to investors that he has Can continue the companys rapid sales growth and growing profits. Investors ignored the better-than-expected profits and strong performance of the companys advertising business and Amazon Web Services cloud division in the quarter. GlobalX analyst Pedro Palandrani (Pedro Palandrani) said that instead, they are focused on slowing down the development momentum of their core e-commerce business. Palandrani said: The important thing that investors are paying attention to is that the guidance for the next quarter is much lower than expected, adding that this is in line with the positive earnings reports released by Microsoft and other large technology companies earlier this week In comparison, Amazons performance is outstanding. Even before Amazons weak forecast, investors were worried that the company might lose momentum because people would return to pre-pandemic spending habits, such as traveling and dining out, which might reduce online shopping. The Seattle-based company said in a statement on Thursday that revenues for the period ending September will reach between $106 billion and $112 billion. Operating profit will be between 2.5 billion and 6 billion US dollars. According to data compiled by Bloomberg, analysts expect an average profit of US$8.11 billion and sales of US$118.7 billion. Sales in the second quarter rose 27% to 113.1 billion U.S. dollars, lower than the expected 115 billion U.S. dollars. For the period ended June 30, earnings per share were $15.12, while the average estimate was $12.28. The stock price fell to a low of US$3,347 in after-hours trading and closed at US$3,599.92. As of the close, the stock has risen about 11% this year. Bezos is still executive chairman, and the exact nature of his new role is a work in progress. Bezos has said that he wants to focus on new initiatives, which shows that Jassy will be responsible for overseeing Amazons daily business. Jassy was previously responsible for operating its profitable cloud computing unit Amazon Web Services. AWS revenue grew 37% in the quarter to reach $14.8 billion. The companys other revenue category, mainly advertising sales, increased by 87% to $7.92 billion. Both departments exceeded analyst expectations. Amazons revenue during the pandemic comes from the addition of more Prime members, who pay monthly or annual fees in exchange for shipping discounts and other benefits. According to data from consumer intelligence research partners, as of the end of June, Amazon had 153 million Prime members in the United States, a year-on-year increase of 25%. Prime members shop more frequently on Amazon, spending twice as much on the site as non-Prime members. Although competitors including Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy have invested heavily in e-commerce, Amazon remains the unparalleled e-commerce leader in the United States, its largest market. According to data from EMarketer Inc., American shoppers will spend $367 billion on Amazon this year, an increase of 15.3% over 2020. Amazons share of all online spending in the United States is 40.4%, more than the total of the next nine competitors. State and local governments may soon begin to provide people with payments of $100 to obtain vaccines under the direct order of President Joe Biden to increase the countrys vaccination rates. Biden called on state and local governments to allocate funds from his US$1.9 trillion US rescue plan and provide a payment of US$100 to people who have not yet been vaccinated. 2 Biden told state and local governments to provide people with a $100 reward for vaccination Credit: Associated Press The U.S. Treasury Department said on Thursday that the Ben Franklins will provide additional incentives to increase vaccination rates, protect communities and save lives. The Treasury Department stands ready to provide technical assistance to state and local governments so that they can use funds effectively, the departments statement read. This will be used to support increased vaccination in their communities, and the Ministry of Finance will work with the Ministry of Health and Human Services throughout the process. Biden has been criticized for ignoring the issue of mandatory vaccination by the military and announced the news when discussing the coronavirus at the White House on Thursday. I know that paying people to get vaccinated might sound unfair to people who have already been vaccinated, he began. But the deal is this: If incentives can help us defeat this virus, I believe we should use them. If we can get more people vaccinated, we will all benefit. Biden signed a $1.9 trillion rescue plan in March, including $350 billion in funding to help state and local governments recover from the coronavirus. His statement also followed the guidelines of the Ministry of Finance, allowing local governments to obtain funding for such vaccine incentive programs. Some states also provide vaccine incentives through lotteries, free food and other commodities. A few days ago, New York City began offering a $100 voucher program-as the Delta variant quickly became the countrys most prominent Covid-19 case. Biden also announced that all federal employees and subcontractors must be vaccinated in accordance with similar guidelines established by New York City and California. The authorization will require such personnel to produce a vaccination certificate or perform regular on-site PCR tests to be negative. The US Secretary of State expressed concern about the political crisis in Tunisia. Earlier, Tunisian President Kais Saied suspended the parliament and disbanded the government. The countrys major political parties called this a coup. Anthony Brinken said on Thursday that he was worried that Tunisia might deviate from its democratic path and urged action, including the restoration of parliament, after talking with Said on Monday. The top US envoy stated that Said gave a lengthy explanation of why he took unprecedented steps, adding that the President of Tunisia had promised him that he would be committed to democracy. The intention he expressed to me is to return Tunisia to the path of democracy and act in a constitutional manner, Brinken told Al Jazeera during his visit to Kuwait. But of course, we have to look at the actions taken by the president, the actions taken by Tunisia, he said. Brinken expressed the hope that Tunisia would return to the democratic road. Therefore, we strongly hope and expect that Tunisia will return to the path of democracy, act in accordance with the Constitution, unfreeze the parliament, establish a government to work for the people and respond to their needs. The State Department previously only stated that Brinken encouraged Said to adhere to the principles of democracy and human rights, but did not explicitly call for the return of Parliament. Said is a political newcomer who intervened after a massive protest against the governments handling of the coronavirus pandemic after winning an overwhelming presidential election victory in 2019. He also fired senior officials and heads of national television channels, and announced what he called anti-corruption actions. Many Tunisians who are struggling to make ends meet and are tired of the mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic welcome the seizure of power. Young democracies are often cited as the only success story of the Arab Spring. However, 10 years later, many people say that their living standards have hardly improved, and are angry at the political deadlock of prolonged infighting among the elites. Freedom of the media Brinken also stated that the Tunisian government needs to uphold the rights of journalists after the national television director was removed on Wednesday and the decision to attack Al Jazeeras branch in the capital, Tunisia. My comment is that we absolutely support press freedom and the ability of journalists to work, Brinken told Al Jazeera. We expect the Tunisian government to uphold and respect the rights of journalists. This is one of our expectations of them, he added. The day before his remarks, President Said replaced the head of the national television station Mohamed al-Dahach, after the reporter syndicate and officials of the Human Rights League were banned from the television station. The person in charge of the Dahahe channel said that he was acting in accordance with the instructions of the military, which was denied by a military spokesperson on the radio. In the end, both guests were allowed to enter. Bassam Trifi, vice-chairman of the Tunisian League for Human Rights, was one of the guests banned from the channel. He told Al Jazeera that they will handle this special situation with care. Yesterday we issued a statement that we will not accept any violation of our freedom, the freedom we gained in 2011, Triffi said. Regardless of the explanation for what happened on national television, civil society knows any attempt to affect our freedom, the freedom the Tunisian people have gained through struggle. We are carefully watching the progress of all this, he added. Ravi Prasad, head of global outreach at the International Press Institute, said that since the recent political turmoil, Tunisians have had very limited access to information. After the revolution, we have witnessed that in Tunisia there is a lot of freedom for the media, Prasad told Al Jazeera. But now, due to the changes that are taking place, this hard-won freedom for the media is in jeopardy. At this moment, we really need Tunisian independent media. We need the support of the international community and pressure the government to stop harassing the media and allow media organizations like Al Jazeera to operate and to deliver news to the people, he added . President Said stated that the parliament will be suspended for 30 days, but he told reporters that the 30-day period can be extended if necessary, until the situation stabilizes. Said accused 460 businessmen of embezzlement when announcing the fight against corruption. In comments published on Wednesday night, the president named and criticized those who plunder public funds. He said he will assume executive power with the assistance of the new prime minister. This is the biggest challenge to the 2014 Constitution, which divides power among the President, Prime Minister and Parliament. He also suspended the parliamentarians immunity, insisting that his actions were constitutional. His actions were criticized by major political parties including the Islamic Baath Party. Merrick Garland stated that if Texas continues to impose ground restrictions on immigrants, it will lead to legal action. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland warned the governor of Texas on Thursday Greg Abbott Immediately revoke a new executive order designed to curb the entry of undocumented immigrants who may pose a risk of spreading COVID-19 into the state. This order violates federal law in many ways, and Texas cannot legally execute an executive order against any federal official or private group that cooperates with the United States, Garland told Abbott in a letter. He added that if Texas continues to impose ground restrictions on immigration, the Department of Justice will seek all appropriate legal remedies. The executive order stated that the new policy is necessary because President Joe Biden refuses to implement the law passed by the US Congress, which is designed to protect Texans from the effects of COVID-19 [File: Lucas Jackson/Reuters] Garlands letter was issued the day after Abbott signed the order, which stipulates that no one except federal, state or local law enforcement officials shall provide land transportation services to a group of immigrants detained by the Federal Immigration Service. Officials in transit. It also instructed the states Department of Public Safety to stop any vehicles if there is a reasonable suspicion of violations and authorize the department to reroute such vehicles back to their place of origin or port of entry. The executive order stated that the new policy is necessary because President Joe Biden refuses to implement the law passed by the US Congress, which is designed to protect Texans from the effects of COVID-19. Garland said the order will endanger the health and safety of non-citizens detained by the federal government and will also interfere with the implementation of federal immigration laws. In July, Texas began arresting immigrants on charges of illegally trespassing the U.S.-Mexico border as part of what Abbott said was needed to slow the number of people crossing the border. The arrest kicked off the plan that Abbott first announced in June, when he also said that the state of Texas Will continue to build Former President Donald Trumps border wall and called on other governors to deploy law enforcement officers and members of the National Guard to the southern border. The immigrants were deported from the United States and sent back to Mexico. They walked across the North Paso International Border Bridge in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. [Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters] The detainee was held in an empty place State prison In Dilly, Texas. Officials said that the converted facility will be able to accommodate more than 950 people. Val Verde County Attorney David Martinez said that most of the arrested were single adult men. He said he was told a week ago that the number of immigrants arrested could increase to 100 or 200 per day. He said that such a large number of people will not only overwhelm my office, but will soon overwhelm our entire system. Most of the land along the southern Texas border is private, but Martinez said his understanding is that state police will not arrest family units. In early July, US officials reported that they met 55,805 family members with children in June, a 25% increase from the previous month. The figure is still well below the May 2019 high of 88,587. Chiplun, Maharashtra, India Since July 22, strong monsoon rains in Maharashtra in western India have caused floods, and at least 209 people have been confirmed dead. Ratnagiri and Raigad, two coastal areas in the Kankan region of the state, were the hardest hit. 130 people died from floods and landslides. Chiplun of Ratnagiri and Mahad of Raigad were the first to bear the brunt of the disaster, forcing Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to visit these two towns on Sunday. We stand with you to make sure you stand up again, CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray assured, while comforting the traders and shopkeepers of Chiplun Market. pic.twitter.com/rr6Mnn08Aq Chief Marketing Officer Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) July 25, 2021 The floods are reminiscent of a similar disaster that hit the region in 2005 and killed more than 1,000 people, including nearly 500 deaths in Mumbai, the financial capital of India. But the residents of Chiplun, who live with about 150,000 people, said that this years tragedy was even more serious. Destruction near Chiplun Peth-Maap Swami Temple area [Abdulkadir Mukadam/Al Jazeera] The floods in 2021 are 10 times the floods in 2005, Vrunda Gandhi, 58, from the Chiprumpas Map area, told Al Jazeera. Chiplun is located at the foot of the Sayadri Mountains in the Kankan region, and the town is surrounded by the Wassisi and Shiv rivers on both sides. The Arabian Sea is only 25 kilometers (15 miles) away from the hotel, which makes it easy for the area to also flow into the rivers tributaries. In addition, about 90 kilometers (56 miles) of excess water from Koyna Dam, one of the largest in Maharashtra, reached the reservoir near Chiplun and mixed with the Vashishthi River. Therefore, if there is too much rain during the monsoon, the town will suffocate from all directions. Pravin Pawar, a senior government official in Chiplun, told Al Jazeera that the area received 450 mm (17.7 inches) of rainfall in a single day on July 22. In contrast, the capital New Delhi has the highest single-day rainfall. The past 15 years is 144 mm (5.7 inches) in 2016. How did the flood begin On the night of July 21, in the downpour, the Chilun people fell asleep. At around 3 am the next day, WhatsApp messages began to alert people to the rising water levels in coastal towns. One of the flooded houses in Chilun Town [Abdulkadir Mukadam/Al Jazeera] Vaibhav Chavan, 42, said that he started issuing warnings to the local municipal office around 1:30 in the morning. He claimed that no measures were taken to alert the sleeping residents. By 5 in the morning, water started to seep into peoples houses. Until then some people started to wake up to find 5-6 feet [1.5-1.8 metres] The water outside their home, he told Al Jazeera. The situation has become chaotic By the morning, it was almost 13-15 feet [4-4.6 metres] People are trapped in their homes due to flooding. In this case, Indias National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is usually assigned to rescue people from flooded areas. However, residents said that after more than 24 hours of flooding, NDRF did not reach Chilun, and the local police were unable to carry out any rescue operations due to lack of tools. We have been waiting for any help from the government, but this has not happened. The local boy helped my family get to a safe place, said Gandhi, whose house is on the first floor. Pawar told Al Jazeera that the current was so strong that rescue operations could not be carried out because the vessel was turning due to the current. For a whole day, the situation was not clear because the rising water level did not allow anyone to enter the town. Destruction of the Muradpur area of ??Chiplun [Abdulkadir Mukadam/Al Jazeera] According to the report, at least eight COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized in a private hospital in Chiplun died because of a power outage and turned off the oxygen generator, and there was no diesel available to turn on the generator. Allegedly, medical staff at the hospital fled the scene because they were afraid of being attacked by relatives of the dead patient. As water continued to flood the town, residents spent the night in fear, and some local volunteers were helping the community. Raju Vikhare, 53, said that saving the lives of him and his family has become his only priority. We thought we were going to die. When I took my family to the neighbors two-story house, the water had reached my neck. When I started to go back, I realized that I could not climb to the top of the house because I could easily It slipped from the roof and fell directly into the flood, he told Al Jazeera. Residents said that the NDRF team finally arrived at around 8 am on July 23, nearly 26 hours before the flood. As Chiplun was at the feet of Sahyadri, the water flowed downhill. So when the NDRF team arrived, the flood had already dropped. But the devastating flood left a pile of uncleaned mud a week after the disaster, destroyed dozens of houses and businesses, and made nearly 1,000 people homeless in Chilun. The electronic store owned by the Takale family was destroyed [Zeeshan K/Al Jazeera] Sahil Takale, who owns an electronics store in the town, estimated his loss to be $235,000. I lost six warehouses and a large showroom full of electronic products. We tried to walk in the flood, trying to save some [sections] Our shop, but its not possible at all, he said. Takale said that his companys insurance can save a certain percentage of losses. We are fine, but there are many small businessmen in the city who do not buy insurance. Only God knows how they will get out of this tragedy. The entire Red Wheel Bazaar was as if there were no roads, and the entire surface was stained brown with soil. Man-made disaster Residents said that the flooding in Chiplun was exacerbated by the release of millions of gallons of water from the Koina Dam. We know that the dam needs to be discharged, but at least let us realize that we shouldnt surprise us like this in the middle of the night, local politician Faisal Kaskar told Al Jazeera. But experts find it hard to believe that only water released from the dam can cause this level of damage. Pankaji Darvi, founder and environmentalist of the Kangkang Alert NGO, said that unparalleled deforestation and lack of urban planning measures are the main reasons for man-made disasters. A lot of earthwork and tree felling were carried out for the new Mumbai-Goa National Highway and Pune-Bijapur National Highway. Deforestation caused water bodies to change course and seep into the city, Darvi told Al Jazeera. Dalwi said that Chiplun used to be a wetland area, but in the past 10-15 years, residential communities have been built on these lands. Chiplun did not follow any urban policy guidelines and ignored the environmental impact of these wetland constructions, he said. Pawar agrees with these statements. We must accept it. It is caused by climate change. Boulder, Monte. Twice a year, Brian Tichenor travels 1,200 miles one way from his home in Kansas to an abandoned uranium mine in Montana, where he sits in an elevator 85 feet below the surface in radioactive radon to relieve him Painful chronic eye disease. I found it like I think many people do, said 67-year-old Tichenor. This is the point of despair of traditional treatment. Although radon is generally considered a harmful gas removed from the basement, people in pain travel to Montana and spend money to breathe, drink, and bathe its radioactive particles. Travelers see radon exposure as low-dose radiation therapy for a range of health problems. However, the Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization attribute the gas to The second leading cause of lung cancerAlthough cancer doctors use radiation as a front-line treatment to destroy dangerous cells, its role in treating other diseases at low doses in the United States is controversial.The pandemic has revitalized this debate Clinical Trials Test whether low-dose radiation can help treat COVID-19 patients around the world. But radon is different Radiation used by U.S. doctors, Radiation experts warned. Radon is just a radioactive chemical element, because it is a gas, so it can be inhaled, so it is particularly dangerous.Sitting in a room full of radon gas and performing targeted radiotherapy in a medical institution are as different as chalk and cheese, saying Brian Maples, Professor of Radiation Oncology, University of Rochester. In clinical treatment, we know exactly what the dose is, and we know exactly where it goes, he said. Marples said that most of the arguments for the therapeutic use of radon rely on historical reports, which is different from evidence-based research on clinical radiation. Nevertheless, some radiation experts disagree about what level of radon should be considered dangerous and whether it will have a positive effect on health. Another problem: Radon disposal in mines is largely unregulated. The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services does not have the authority to license or license these mines, but the departments spokesperson Jon Ebelt said that exposure to adverse health risks is well known. The EPA also has no authority to impose restrictions on radon gas. Despite this, every year travelers head to western Montana, where there are four radon-flooded inactive mines, less than 11 miles from the basin and rural Boulder communities. Day tickets range from US$7 to US$15. When the radioactive elements in the bedrock of the mountain decay, the gas forms naturally. Outside the Merry Widow Health Mine, a billboard-like banner reads The Fountain of Youth. Feel young again! In the tunnel, water seeps from the rock wall. Those who want a full soak can slide into a claw-foot bathtub filled with radon-contaminated water. People immerse their feet and hands in the water, or simply sit down and do a puzzle.On a bench Forbes article Clinical trials have shown that low-dose radiation may be a treatment for COVID-19. For 69-year-old boss Chang Kim, his business is a mission, especially for those suffering from chronic diseases such as arthritis or diabetes. Those who swear by radon therapy say that at low doses, a little stress on the body triggers the immune system to re-adapt and reduce inflammation. People who come to the mine are not stupid, Jin said. Peoples lives are better because of them. 14 years ago, when he and his wife Veronica Kim lived in Seattle, he learned about these mines, and Veronicas hands and feet were crumpled by connective tissue disease. Traditional medicine does not work. Since then, after being in the mine twice a year, Veronica smiled as she showed her hands. They are no longer deformed, she said, adding that she has been able to reduce the use of meloxicam, which is a drug that reduces pain and swelling. Tichenor said that going to a mine containing radon for more than six years was one of the few things to calm his scleritis, a disease that caused pain, which he described as an ice axe stabbing his eye. As for its potential dangers, he said radon treatment is like any medicine: too much can cause harm. He and other radon users pointed out that in European countries such as Germany, the treatment there may be controversial, but The doctor can still prescribe radon Treatment for various conditions Insurance may even cover. In the United States, the US Environmental Protection Agency insists that even if everyone encounters radon in their lives, there is no risk of any degree of radon exposure. The agency pointed out that radon causes approximately 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year.It recommends that homeowners with radon levels of 4 picocuries or higher should Add radon reduction systemIn contrast, the owner of the Free Enterprise Radon Health Mine, Montanas oldest radon treatment mine, stated that their mines average about 1,700. Monique Mandali said the federal guidelines are a bunch of nonsense. Mandali lives in Helena, about 40 minutes away from the mine. She tried to take three courses of Free Enterprise during the year-25 hours of exposure lasted for 10 days because of arthritis in her back. People say,OK, you know, but you might get lung cancer. I replied,Im 74 years old. Who cares now?' she said. Compared with other western medicines, I would rather take the risk of using radon to treat arthritis. Anton Brooks, Formerly a scientist of the US Department of Energy, once studied Low-dose radiation, Is one of those people who think the federal governments stance on radon-free levels is too excessive.He pointed research shows Low-dose radiation may open up pathways in the body that may have a protective effect. Although what is considered a low dose depends on who is talking. If you want to enter the radon mine twice a year, I would say, well, thats not too much, he said. If you want to live there, I would say that is too much. In the early 1900s, before antibiotics became popular, Low-dose radiation It has been used to treat pneumonia and is reported to relieve respiratory symptoms. Since then, fear has largely untapped the therapeutic potential of low-dose radiation, the doctor said. Muhammad Khan, Associate Professor of Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. But during the pandemic, healthcare providers have been re-examining clinical radiology as they struggled to find treatments while hospital patients were dying. So far Khans trial Patients who received targeted low-dose radiation to their lungs left oxygen and were discharged from the hospital earlier than patients who did not receive treatment. Khan said more research is needed, but it may eventually expand the effect of clinical radiation on other diseases. Some people think that all radiation is the same thing. All radiation is like the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but it is obviously not the case, Khan said. If you give radiation to experts and the right peoplewe use it wisely, and we use it carefullyyou can balance risks and benefits. The sign of Free Enterprise Radon Health Mine is a miner jumping in the air on crutches. About 70 years ago, a woman said that her bursitis disappeared after many visits to the mine. Thousands of people followed suit. We believe in it, said Leah Lewis, who owns the mine jointly with her husband Ryan Lewis and relies on it to help treat her Crohns disease. The couple lived on the site and grew up in Boulder, entering the tunnel just like their 5-year-old daughter is now. Her husbands great-grandfather owns the mine, and the company has been in the family ever since. No one came back and said they had lung cancer here, Ryan Lewis said. If they did, they would shut us down so quickly. Except for the billboard outside Helena, the family did not really advertise the company. Customers tend to find them. Ryan Lewis said that, like many companies, Free Enterprise was hit last year because people cancelled plans due to the pandemic. He said that before that, the business broke even, adding that radon may be difficult to sell. But he said that as long as it does not spend money, the family of cattle farmers plans to continue operations. Land is an investment, and we want to keep it at home, he said. And there are a lot of people using it, there are some responsibilities there. The welfare of thousands of displaced people in the Rakhine State of western Myanmar is becoming more and more worrying. They were locked down after discovering COVID-19 in the camp and were unable to get enough food. The Sin Bawkaing Internally Displaced Persons Camp (IDP) with nearly 4,000 people is the latest camp in the country to accelerate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since a woman was diagnosed with the virus on July 14, the camp has been locked down, and more cases have since appeared. Its really shocking. I dont know how to survive, Win Nu, the 33-year-old mother of three children, told Al Jazeera by phone at the camp. She shared a small room with four family members. The virus can easily spread throughout the camp. Six months after the military seized power from the democratically elected government of Myanmar in a coup that triggered a political and economic crisis, the country is now facing a new deadly wave of COVID-19. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health reported 4,980 new cases and 365 deaths, but said it had only conducted 13,763 tests nationwide, indicating that the epidemic was much larger than officially reported. Funeral services and local media have published even higher numbers. It is reported that there are 1,000 cremations per day in Yangon, the countrys largest city, but Al Jazeera cannot independently confirm these numbers. A group of displaced people cook in their camp in Buthidaung Township.More than 800 people were forced to flee the camp due to armed conflict between the Arakan Army and the Myanmar military [Supplied] Once a person is infected, it is more likely to spread to others, said Tazaung Sayadaw, a monk who has been forced to collect donations to support internally displaced people since the armed conflict between the Arakan Army (AA) and the Myanmar Army. Leaving their village started in 2018. AA was established in 2009 and is one of Myanmars many ethnic armed groups. It hopes that the people of Rakhine State will achieve self-determination and have been fighting the Myanmar army for most of the past two years. Before the coup, the National League for Democracy (NLD) government called on the military, the armed forces, to smash the AA, implement the worlds longest Internet shutdown, and designate the AA as a terrorist organization. It also excluded the AA from its landmark peace conference and prevented the provision of humanitarian assistance to people affected by the conflict. The state is already Bloody inter-ethnic violence In 2012, more than 130,000 Rohingya, mainly Muslims, were forced into camps in the state and deprived of their citizenship and rights to education, freedom of movement, and health care in accordance with government policies. In 2017, the military launched Cruel suppression This forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to cross the border and flee to Bangladesh-now the object of international charges of genocide by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands. Local civil society groups estimate that there are still about 180,000 people displaced in the state, including some Rohingya. Conflict, coup, COVID-19 Since the coup on February 1, almost no food aid or humanitarian aid has reached the camps, and most internally displaced persons have few other ways to earn income. Many people are trying to support themselves and their families. Masks and hand sanitizers are also in short supply. Due to the military coup in Myanmar, humanitarian aid from countries or international organizations has been postponed because the military has restricted access to internally displaced persons camps by international organizations, said Aung Hla*, a social worker from Kyaukphyu township, who has been working since 2018. Support the displaced, told Al Jazeera. As a result, it has become more difficult to raise awareness of the COVID-19 virus and essential items [such as mask, soap and sanitiser] Used for camp prevention. There are more than 100 camps throughout Rakhine State, and people often live in bamboo or tarpaulin sheds, or sleep in open-air halls. The conditions are crowded and it is difficult to maintain social distancing. The Sin Bawkaing IDP camp is one of the largest camps in Miao U Township, Rakhine State. It was built in March 2019 by displaced people from 20 villages in the area. The blockade of the camp has had a serious impact on daily life. Although organizations like the World Food Program [World Food Programme] And the International Committee of the Red Cross [International Committee of the Red Cross] To provide us with humanitarian relief is not enough for us right now, camp manager Nyi Pu told Al Jazeera over the phone at the camp. The people in the camp are at food risk. They cannot find fish and other ingredients, including peppers and spices. And fish sauce and other necessities. This is why people are struggling now. Nyi Pu also stated that there is less support for COVID-19 prevention compared to the first and second waves in February and August 2020. Two days after the first confirmed case, a group of medical staff from Miaowu Hospital came to Xinbaokang to test people for COVID-19 [Supplied] Except for some masks provided by local donors, there is currently no support related to COVID-19 prevention, he said. On July 20, the Arakan United Alliance (ULA), a political branch of the AA, issued a two-week stay at home order from July 20 to August 4 to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Rakhine State. The statement added: If someone does not comply with the statement, action will be taken in accordance with the COVID-19 procedure. The AA, which declared a ceasefire since the November 2020 elections, has become the states de facto political authority since its enlistment in March. Deleted the terrorist name of the organization And released the imprisoned members. Even in the period before the coup, internally displaced persons are more susceptible to COVID-19, Tun Tun*, a local humanitarian worker in Buthidaung township, told Al Jazeera. Since the coup, the situation has gotten worse. If the military imposes stricter regulations on NGOs and international NGOs, people may suffer from hunger and COVID-19 infection. Tun Tun said that the global spread of the coronavirus has diverted attention from refugee camps in Rakhine State. Local and international organizations have been paying more attention to COVID-19 response measures, while people in IDP camps are starving, he said. Currently, only the World Food Programme and the International Committee of the Red Cross are allowed to provide support to the camp. The Red Cross told Al Jazeera that its access to camps in Rakhine State depends on travel permits and has not been allowed to enter Sin Bawkaing since 2019. Nonetheless, it said it has adjusted its business to work with camp leaders and local authorities to ensure that people still have access to monthly supplies, including rations, medical supplies, and shelter materials such as bamboo and tarpaulins. To this day, the ICRC continues to provide regular and reliable assistance to people in the camp, said Jurg Montani, acting head of the Myanmar delegation. He emphasized that the Red Cross has been approved to operate in most of the more than 50 camps for internally displaced persons in central Rakhine State, including 24 camps in Miaowu Township. After the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed there, the Sin Bawkaing camp was sprayed with disinfectant [Supplied] Before fighting broke out between AA and Tatmadaw, Win Nu worked as a daily wage worker on a vegetable farm. One night in March 2019, after several artillery fires near her village, Win Nu fled by boat with her son and two daughters and has not returned since. In Sin Bawkaing, she earns a living by foraging bamboo shoots in the nearest village. But with the blockade, they were no longer allowed to leave the camp, and Winnu and the hundreds of other families who lived there depended entirely on donations. We are in the worst state now, she said. We only eat rice, no other dishes. Under the lockdown, we cant do anything now. We are now working hard to survive. *For security reasons, Aung Hla and Tun Tun have used aliases. The rain gauge in Maxime Toubarts vineyard has overflowed-this is bad news for his Champagne vintage. He said that in the past two months, the rainfall in his corner of France has reached 300 mm, which is 10 times what he usually expects at this time of the year. The vines need sunlight now, they need to be dry, he said, holding up a moldy grape. Excessive rain can cause mold to grow. This fungus grows on the leaves and grapes. This fungus affects the number of grapes. Not like before Tobart said that climate change is disrupting the established order of the vineyards in the Champagne region, and he now harvests in August instead of October. We know that to become a winemaker, you have to work with nature. We know that there are risks, and some vintages are okay, and some vintages are not so good, he told Reuters. This year will be very difficult and will remain in my memory, because in the memory of our winemakers, we have never seen such a serious case of mildew. In Le Breuil, France, images taken by drones show from above the champagne vineyards that were damaged by mold during heavy rains. (Wu Yiming/Reuters) He said that the frost in the spring meant that 30% of the harvest was lost, and mold caused another 30% of the loss. In a few weeks, we have lost more than half of our harvest, said Tobart, vice chairman of CIVC, a lobby group for the champagne industry. We cant put the vines in the tunnel Franck Jobert, also a grower, said that careful planning helped him reduce losses, but there was only so much he could do. We do our best; this is also part of luck, we cant put the vines in the tunnel, he said. On Friday, in the Franck Jobert champagne vineyard in Le Breuil, France, grapes partially damaged by mold can be seen. (Wu Yiming/Reuters) Meteo France stated that June to July in Champagne was the second wettest period since records began in the 1960s. In mid-July, heavy rain hit Western Europe, Caused deadly floods in Germany and Belgium And it arouses peoples worries about damage to a series of agricultural products. Toubart said this week that the stock of early vintages means that there should be no impact on the champagne supply on the market. Japan has extended its state of emergency to three prefectures near Tokyo and western Osaka, as COVID-19 cases have surged in the capital and across the country, casting a shadow over the Summer Olympics. At a press conference on Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga called on citizens to watch the Olympics at home, announcing the extension of coronavirus restrictions in several areas, as the delta virus caused the number of infections to hit a record high. The emergency measures that Tokyo has taken will be extended to the end of August, after the end of the Olympic Games and before the Paralympic Games starting on August 24. The number of reported cases in Tokyo hit a record high for three consecutive days, including 3,865 on Thursday and 3,300 on Friday. The number of cases has doubled since last week, although officials said the surge has nothing to do with the Olympics. A government team approved plans to place Saitama, Kanagawa and Chiba, and Osaka in a state of emergency starting Monday. The other five regions, including Hokkaido, Kyoto, Hyogo and Fukuoka, will be subject to less stringent emergency restrictions. Officials warned that the daily number of infections in Tokyo could reach 4,500 in two weeks. Officials said that 2,995 people were hospitalized, about half of the current 6,000-bed capacity, and some hospitals are already full. In addition, more than 10,000 people are isolated at home or in designated hotels, and nearly 5,600 people are waiting at home. The health center decides where they will receive treatment. Tokyo has also set up a facility for those who need oxygen while waiting for hospital beds. At a meeting of government experts on Friday, Japans Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Norihisa Tamura stated that despite being in a state of emergency within two weeks, the surge in Tokyos epidemic is a worrying development different from anything we have seen before. . Nationwide, Japan reported 10,687 confirmed cases on Thursday, exceeding 10,000 for the first time. Since the pandemic began, it has recorded 15,166 deaths, including 2,288 in Tokyo. Data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan shows that Japans number of cases and deaths has been lower than many other countries, but its 7-day rolling average is growing, and now there are 28 people per 100,000 people in the country and 88 people per 100,000 people in Tokyo. . According to data from Johns Hopkins University, this compares to 18.5 in the United States, 48 ??in the United Kingdom, and 2.8 in India. The focus of the emergency measures is banning alcohol in restaurants and karaoke bars and shortening business hours, but because they only require people to stay at home and work, they are not effective. Many people ignore these measures because they are tired of restrictive lives and are not very cooperative even when the more contagious Delta strain is spreading. We need to come up with effective measures, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said at a regular press conference on Friday, but did not elaborate. Koike pointed out that the most recent cases are mainly adults in their 30s. Koike reminded them to follow basic anti-virus measures, including wearing masks and avoiding parties, and urged them to share the sense of crisis. As of Thursday, 27% of the Japanese population has been fully vaccinated. The proportion of elderly fully vaccinated is 71.5%. Three media outlets questioned the decision of the senior judge of the British Columbia Supreme Court, which denied public details of the alleged alternative measures that led to the dismissal of allegations of sexual assault against the Mayor of Port Moody, B.C. CBC, CTV and Global filed an application to the British Columbia Court of Appeals on Thursday, seeking to overturn Chief Justice Christopher Hinksons decision to refuse to bid on the specific details of the measures Robert Vagramov must complete , So that the official agrees to bring criminal proceedings against him. He stopped. In a 30-page document submitted to the Supreme Court of the province, media lawyer Daniel Burnett argued that Hinkson did not consider the principle of open court, which is the core of the Canadian judicial system. The principle requires that anyone seeking a ban on publication must demonstrate that it is necessary to prevent harm. Wagramov was charged in 2019 with a crime of sexual assault in connection with what his lawyer later described as an embarrassing date. Need some transparency The charge was put on hold a few months later through a procedure designed to allow criminals with no history of violence or sexual crimes to be held accountable for their actions while avoiding criminal records and civil liability. Wagramov left the press conference after being accused of sexual assault at the Port Moody City Hall on March 28, 2019. (Darryl Dyke/Canada Press) When the allegations were shelved, officials only told the court that the mayor had successfully completed an alternative measure plan. Specific details were not disclosed. CBC, CTV and Global filed an application to the Supreme Court of British Columbia, requesting Hinkson to approve the Royal and British Columbia Department of Corrections to issue documents confirming Wagramovs eligibility for alternative measures, details of the measures he was required to complete, and Confirm the following facts: He completed them. The Chief Justice stated in the April ruling that the documents sought by the media have never been introduced in public courts, and therefore the principle of public courts does not apply. In the appeal, Burnett argued that although the records themselves may not be submitted to the judge, they are intertwined with the administration of justice. According to the standards set by the code, the courts criminal charges were shelved. Court officials, prosecutors, enter the court according to the standards, the appeal application wrote. If you want to understand and consider the fairness of the alternative measures system, you need to maintain a certain degree of transparency about the measures that have been completed. The public and the accused should not be expected to simply believe that these measures are appropriate, fair or applicable. Chilling effect This case reveals a plan to eliminate minor cases in court, save taxpayers money, and ensure that Canadians who commit a single serious mistake do not have to bear the burden of a life-changing criminal record. When rejecting the medias request for disclosure, Hinkson went back to the 1994 parliamentary discussion, which saw that the Quebec Groups judicial commentators stated that private administrative channels were necessary to ensure that suspects who agreed to cooperate could be sure that they would not You will not find yourself publicly humiliated afterwards. Defense lawyer Ian Donaldson (Ian Donaldson) spoke to reporters on Wednesday after the official suspended the charges against his client, Wagramov. (Justin McElroy/Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) Hinkson concluded that the release of details of Vagramovs alternative measures may lead the accused to manipulate the system. He also stated that the disclosure may have a chilling effect on defendants who agree to take alternative measures, which they believe will keep their names away from the headlines. One error, one error In the appeal, CBC, CTV and Global claimed that Hinkson reached these conclusions based on pure speculation without personally reviewing the documents. This is a mistake again and again, Bernett wrote. The media claimed that they did not seek a detailed psychological report, and Wagramov himself publicly stated that he would send an apology letter to the woman who accused him. It is also possible that a better understanding of the plan will increase the number of people who wish to participate in the plan, Bernett wrote. Recognizing that each case has different circumstances, there is no legitimate reason to keep confidential the alternative measures taken to avoid prosecution and the measures Mr. Wagramov took to obtain the suspension. Wagramov was elected mayor in October 2018 when he was 28 years old. He took time off after being sworn in, but when he returned to work in September 2019, before the allegations were put on hold, a crack was created in the city council. Wagramov later said that he deeply regretted the tensions his criminal case had brought to the city council and the community. The mayors lawyer did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday. The oxygen bar is one of the first things Julie Baker sees when she walks into her spa. Since the beginning of the pandemic, its chairs have been empty, the lights have gone out, and customers have been blocked by homemade signs of closure. It looks a little sad, but this is how it must be kept, said Baker, who runs the Gold Tan & Sunset Spa on the border between Mississauga and Oakville in Ontario. Bill Campbell of the Ontario Ministry of Health said in an email that oxygen bars like Baker are the only companies that need to be closed in the current Ontario reopening plan. Ontario allows all other types of businesses to open-from public steam baths and saunas to buffets. Some still have restrictions such as mandatory shielding and capacity restrictions. Campbell said that the oxygen bar is a high risk of spreading COVID-19, which cannot be alleviated by taking additional precautions or measures. Under normal circumstances, oxygen bar customers will sit down, put a disposable tube in their nose, and breathe oxygen to relax the body and mind and benefit muscles and hangover recovery and other health benefits. This has been controversial.Canadian Association of Respiratory Therapists Once a statement is made Saying that it cannot morally or morally support oxygen therapy for people who dont need it, calling for strict regulations. Baker has a question, and she cannot get answers from the local health department or the provincial government. She said that customers can even wear a mask while using her oxygen bar. They just said it was high risk, but they didnt give us a reason, she said. None of them really add up, and none of them are really fairThey dont really understand. In Ontario, oxygen bars are mainly operated as part of other businesses, such as spas. There is even one in a nightclub in London, Ontario. These places are allowed to open, but the oxygen bar is not open. (Kimihiro Hoshino/AFP via Getty Images) She explained that she can now perform facial treatments, and sometimes the masks of customers are completely removed. But they are not allowed to sit alone and breathe in oxygen. CBC contacted all 34 health departments in Ontario to see if there are any other closures or restrictions other than the provinces only insistence on reopening. Almost everyone replied; except for the oxygen bar, there was no closure anywhere. No one seems to know how many oxygen bars there are in Ontario or how many people they employ. Most health units do not know that there are any oxygen bars in their area; Toronto Public Health says it does not track oxygen bars, the Ministry of Health does not have any information, and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce cannot obtain data. A Google search revealed several oxygen bars in Ontario that are part of other businesses such as spas and tanning salons. There is even one in a nightclub in London, Ontario. According to Ontarios reopening rules, other parts of the business are allowed to operate, but the oxygen bar cannot be operated. High risk spread Given that COVID-19 is a respiratory virus, the continued closure is meaningful to Rebecca Shalansky, a fourth-year resident of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at the University of Toronto. For respiratory viruses, if you put something directly into the respiratory system, it will be a high-risk transmission situation. Since few people have studied how much COVID can spread from oxygen bars, Shalansky believes that the province may have made a mistake in caution. Before allowing the oxygen bar to open again, she hopes to see very few COVID cases and very high vaccination rates. CBC contacted the health departments of all provinces and territories and received all responses except New Brunswick. Only Manitoba mentions that it also does not allow the use of oxygen bars, which are in the same order as hookahs or other types of water pipes. All three regions reported no oxygen bars. The oxygen bar ban surprised Rick McVika. He didnt know that Ontario was temporarily shutting down the oxygen bar. McVicar runs an oxygen bar company in British Columbia and is a board member of the North American Recreational Oxygen Association (ROANA). Rick McVicar didnt know that Ontario was closing oxygen bars. He ran an oxygen bar company in British Columbia, and business began to recover. When I found out that Ontario just said,No, we dont do this, I was confused. (Submitted by Rick McVicar) During the pandemic, business dried up, but he has been busy developing COVID-19 safety guidelines for the oxygen bar, including cleaning, disinfecting, disinfecting equipment and setting up plexiglass barriers. if [Ontario] Knowing something I dont know, I would love to hear their opinions and find out what it isbecause we need to implement it in our security plan. It hurts us Spencer Smith has put his oxygen bar equipment in the warehouse, and it is currently collecting dust. This is usually part of his business, the Immerse Health Center in Kingston, Ontario, which provides floatation therapy and cold water therapy. Customers could combine floating with a visit to the oxygen bar. But this is not allowed now. It hurts us, I wont lie, he said. I think this is a very good safety net that the government has in many cases. In this case, it is better to proceed with caution than to seek a better tomorrow. Watch | How Canadians are coping with the latest reopening phase: As COVID-19 restrictions are lifted across Canada, life is starting to become more normal. 5:26 Smith thinks it is ironic that COVID-19 patients are given oxygen in the hospital, but he does not allow people to use his oxygen bar. He knew that these were two very different situations, and that he was not a medical staff, but still so. He didnt know when he could be allowed to turn on the oxygen bar again. CBC asked the Ministry of Health about the timetable, but has not yet responded. Like everything in 2020-2021, it gets hurt in the strangest way, Smith said. Prince Harry and the angry Meghan will actively respond to Thomas Markle Dad Thomas vowed to force his separated daughter and son-in-law to let him see his grandchildren. This may be the last nail in the coffin of their relationship, some people have claimed. After Harry announced that his memoirs would be published next year, royal commentator Jonathan Sacerdoti warned that the differences between the Sussex family and the royal family are getting bigger and bigger, his vow At the time of release. Former Hollywood lighting director Thomas Markle has yet to meet his two grandchildren because his relationship with the former royal daughter is unstable-since she married Harry, the Duke of Sussex in 2018, he has Never saw her again. 77-year-old Markle told Fox News from his home in Rosarito, Mexico: I will apply to the California courts for the right to see my grandchildren in the near future. However, relations expert Tina Wilson told Sun Online: If Mr. Markle formally submits his official documents to the California court, the Sussex couple may actively respond to the legal paperwork. After the International Space Station (ISS) was hit by the newly arrived Russian research module, the flight controller regained control of it. NASA officials said that Thursdays accident caused the jet thruster of the multi-purpose Nauka module to inadvertently ignite about three hours after locking onto the orbital outpost, causing it to temporarily lose control. According to NASA, it happened while mission controllers in Moscow were performing some post-docking reconfiguration procedures. The jet of this module restarted inexplicably, causing the entire International Space Station to deviate from its normal flight position about 400 kilometers (250 miles) above the earth. NASA officials said that in response, the flight director of the mission declared a spacecraft emergency. But according to NASA, the seven crew members on board two Russian astronauts, three NASA astronauts, one Japanese astronaut and one European Space Agency astronaut from France never Face any immediate danger. Tug of war NASA space station project manager Joel Montalbano (Joel Montalbano) told reporters that the automatic ground sensor first detected an accidental drift in the direction of the space station, and 15 minutes later, the loss of attitude control lasted more than 45 minutes. NASA officials said the ground flight team managed to restore the direction of the International Space Station by activating the thrusters on another module of the orbital platform. In a broadcast report on the incident, the Russian RIA News Agency quoted NASA experts at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, describing the struggle to regain control of the space station as a tug-of-war between the two modules. The location of the station is the key to obtaining power from solar panels and communications. Montalbano said that at the height of the incident, the International Space Station deviated from orbit at a rate of about half a degree per second. The Nauka engine was eventually shut down, the space station stabilized, and its direction returned to where it started. Montalbano said that during the interruption, communication with the crew was interrupted twice for a few minutes, but the people on board really did not feel any movement. NASAs commercial crew manager Steve Stitch said that if the situation had become so dangerous that it needed to evacuate people, the astronauts could have escaped in the SpaceX manned cabin, which is still parked at the outpost, and used it as a Lifeboat procedure. Montalbano said that after the incident, the space station showed no signs of immediate damage. He said that the flight correction exercise consumed more propellant reserves than expected, but I wont worry about it. Series failure NASA officials said that the cause of the failure of the thruster on the Nauka module delivered by the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos has not been determined. However, according to TASS News Agency, Roscosmos attributed the problem after the docking on Thursday to the fact that Naukas engine had to work with residual fuel in the spacecraft. After launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan last week, a series of failures occurred in the 22-ton Nauka module named after the Russian word science, which raised concerns about whether the docking procedure would proceed smoothly. Previously, its launch was repeatedly postponed due to technical problems. It was originally planned to rise in 2007. The Nauka module is intended to be used as a research laboratory, storage unit and airlock, and will upgrade Russias capabilities on the International Space Station. This is the first new compartment in the Russian part of the space station since 2010. On Monday, the Pirs spacewalk compartment, one of Russias older units, detached from the space station to make room for the new laboratory. Nauka will require many operations, including as many as 11 spacewalks starting in early September, to prepare for operation. This failure prompted NASA to at least plan to launch Boeings new CST-100 Starliner capsule before August 3 for a highly anticipated unmanned test flight to the space station. The Starliner was originally scheduled to launch on an Atlas V rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday. The U.S. Department of Justice, conversely, said that the Treasury Department must provide the House of Representatives with methods and means to commission the tax returns of former U.S. President Donald Trump, apparently ending a long-term legal showdown on records. In a memo on Friday, the Office of Legal Counsel of the Justice Department stated that the chairman of the committee has cited good reasons for requesting tax information about the former president and that under federal law, the Treasury Department must provide this information to the committee. The 39-page memorandum was signed by Dawn Johnsen, who was appointed by the Biden administration as the acting head of the Office of Legal Counsel. During the Trump administration, Steven Mnuchin, then the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, stated that he would not hand over tax returns because he concluded that: Seek by Democrats Someone who controls the House of Representatives for partisan reasons. Committees Prosecution Request Record According to a federal law, the IRS shall provide any taxpayers tax return to a few top legislators. The committee said it needed Trumps tax to investigate whether he complied with the tax law. Trumps Department of Justice defended Mnuchins refusal, and Trump himself intervened in an attempt to prevent these materials from being handed over to the U.S. Congress. According to a court order in January, Trump will have 72 hours to raise an objection after the Biden administration officially changed its position in the lawsuit. As part of an ongoing criminal investigation, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. has obtained copies of Trumps personal and business tax records. Trump tried to prevent his accountant from surrendering the documents, Submit the question to the U.S. Supreme CourtThe judges rejected Trumps argument that he has broad immunity as president. The Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said that lawmakers are still interested in tax returns. Pelosi said in a statement: Getting the tax returns of former President Trump is related to national security. The American people should be aware of his disturbing conflicts of interest as President and the fact that undermines our security and democracy. This problem originated in the 2016 presidential campaign, when Trump claimed that he could not release his taxes due to an audit by the Internal Revenue Service. After dozens of villages and some hotels were evacuated, thousands of firefighters fought the fire for the third day in a row. The death toll from wildfires in Turkey has risen to four. According to local officials, about 70 wildfires occurred in 17 provinces along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts of the country this week, affected by strong winds and extreme heat. The Turkish government announced that as of Friday morning, 57 of these fires had been controlled or completely extinguished. But Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said that fires in Osmaniyah, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Adana, Mersin and Kutahya provinces are still raging. He added that fires are still burning in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya and the Aegean resort of Mugla province. Pakdemirli said: We hope to control some fires starting this morning. Although we are cautious to say that they are improving, we still cannot say that they are under control. Villages and some hotels were evacuated in areas with more tourists. TV footage showed people watching the fire approaching their homes and fleeing the fields. Thousands of buildings were scorched by the fire [Kaan Soyturk/Reuters] Pakdemirli said that three planes, nine drones, 38 helicopters, 680 fire trucks and 4,000 people are involved in the ongoing fire fighting. Russia has sent three huge planes, and neighboring Greece is also fighting wildfires, saying that it is ready to help. Turkish officials have promised to bring to justice anyone found responsible for causing the fire. A rain of ashes In Manavgat, a city on the Mediterranean coast 75 kilometers (45 miles) east of Antalya, ground firefighters and helicopters were extinguishing the fire, killing three people. Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum stated that 27 communities were evacuated due to the fire in the area. A hospital was also evacuated. Local resident Gulen Dede Tekin arrived at a hotel in Manavgat with his family on Thursday morning and described the unfolding scene to AFP. At night, when they cut off the hotels electricity and ventilation equipment, we realized the seriousness of the matter, he said. This morning, we woke up in a grey rain. After the three major fires of Zhou Dynasty began to spread near Manavgat, some areas of Adana and Mersin were also evacuated. Meanwhile, one person was found dead in the Mulla Marmaris area, 290 kilometers (180 miles) west of Manavgat on Thursday. Airplanes, drones, helicopters, vehicles and thousands of people are involved in the ongoing fire fighting [Kenan Gurbuz/Reuters] Pakdemirli said that the fire in Marmaris is still going on, but there is no danger in the residential area. Buildings in the area, including a hotel, have been evacuated. Two separate fires broke out near the Aegean summer hotspot in Bodrum, Mugla province, and Didim, in Aydin province. Local authorities stated that wildfires have also broken out in other parts of the region. In the past 24 hours, more than 40 wildfires in Greece have been burned by strong winds and high temperatures. On Tuesday, a fire swept through a pine forest north of the capital Athens, destroying more than a dozen houses before the fire was brought under control. The Greek authorities warned the public on Friday against unnecessary actions and stated that the risk of wildfires is high during the dangerous heat wave that is expected to peak next week. This week, fires in the mountains of northern Lebanon also destroyed large pine forests, killing at least one firefighter, and some residents were forced to flee. (News15) - As of Friday, July 30, 2021, according to the Louisiana Department of Health, Louisiana has 541,679 COVID-19 cases across the state with 10,999 deaths resulting from COVID-19. Cases- 541,679 Deaths- 10,999 Hospitalized-1,740 Ventilators-167 Acadia- 7,398 cases, 200 deaths Evangeline-3,976 cases, 100 deaths Iberia- 8,535 cases, 166 deaths Jeff Davis-3,453 cases, 99 deaths Lafayette-27,666 cases, 309 deaths St. Landry- 10,098 cases, 269 deaths St. Martin- 6,279 cases, 122 deaths St. Mary- 6,178 cases, 147 deaths Vermilion-6,618 cases, 129 deaths 5,313 new cases reported in the state with 31 new deaths resulting from COVID-19. In a media briefing on Friday, Gov. John Bel Edwards urged residents to get vaccinated and wear masks. He said since March 10th, Louisiana has seen its highest number of deaths with Friday July 30, 2021 number being 31 deaths. 83% of people that have tested positive are said to have the Delta variant. 11.7% of all emergency department visits in Louisiana are related to patients presenting with COVID- like symptoms, an all time high for Louisiana. For Vaccine information officials ask that you call 211. REVIEW OF COVID-19 SYMPTOMS People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear two to 14 days after exposure to the virus. Anyone can have mild to severe symptoms. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19: Fever or chills Cough Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing Fatigue Muscle or body aches Headache New loss of taste or smell Sore throat Congestion or runny nose Nausea or vomiting Diarrhea This list does not include all possible symptoms and the CDC continues to update this list as it learns more about COVID-19. Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes may be to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness. In November of 2020, Governor John Bel Edwards and Louisiana Economic Development (LED) Secretary Don Pierson welcomed the award of $2.4 million in federal funds to spur business recovery throughout Louisiana. In 2021, LED issued a request for proposals to identify and select qualified, experienced regional and stand-alone Economic Development Organizations, Chambers of Commerce and other traditional technical assistance provider organizations to provide services to Louisiana businesses and communities impacted by COVID-19. Among the applicants was the Vermilion Economic Development Alliance (VEDA) whose mission is to develop Vermilion by facilitating business growth, retention and expansion, and serve as the contact for industry interested in relocating to Vermilion Parish, Louisiana. VEDA recently was accepted into the partnership with LED and has been awarded a contract to assist in their efforts. Vermilion has long been known for its strength and resilience. But even strong communities like ours were seriously impacted by the pandemic and its aftereffects. This partnership will allow us to continue matching local businesses with opportunities that can sustain their operations, says Executive Director Anne Falgout, Several of our local entrepreneurs have been models for ingenuity and sustainability. We hope to leverage those best practices and bring innovative ideas to the business community so that Vermilion, and the state, can leave the pandemic era even better than we arrived. VEDA plans to use the allotted funds to provide training in the form of online and in-person classes, one-on-one counseling with interested businesses, and outreach to ensure that available resources are known and utilized. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to place unprecedented challenges in our path, but with the collaboration of state, regional and local leaders, we have been able to maintain our stride and prepare for potential new challenges, said LED Secretary Don Pierson. The people and leadership of Vermilion Parish have shown time and again that they are willing to combine best practices with a uniquely-Louisiana sense of fortitude to face hurdles and move ahead. I am proud to have VEDA serve as an administrator for these federal dollars, as I can attest to their deep investment in the Vermilion business community, helping to sustain business operations through significant tests. I have no doubt they will rise to this challenge once more. To learn more about how VEDA can assist your business, visit www.developvermilion.org/results or contact the office to schedule an appointment (info@developvermilion.org, (337) 740-0433). Following new masking guidance issued by the CDC to curb the spread of COVID-19, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas says that he will reinstate an indoor mask mandate for all persons aged five and older, regardless of vaccination status. Sought-after screenwriter Kim Eun Hee expressed her thoughts about the possibility of releasing "Signal 2." The top rating mystery drama starred Lee Je Hoon, Kim Hye Soo, and Jo Jin Woong and debuted in 2016. Interestingly, K-drama "Signal" became a massive hit that even countries like China, Thailand, and Japan made a remake of the tvN series. Screenwriter Kim Eun Hee Wants to Work with 'Signal 2' Before Retiring In her recent interview with Spotify News, the renowned screenwriter was asked about her plans to work on another sequel other than "Kingdom." Kim Eun Hee replied and expressed her desire to work for the second season of "Signal." She mentioned that the K-drama gave her huge "success" and wanted to show it in any way before retiring. "No matter what I do, I am greedy to show it in any way before I retire. But it's the same with the 'Kingdom' spin-off, and it's not made by the author alone. I want to work hard and create conditions somehow," she explained, adding that she has a lot of "motivation" to create the sequel. "Signal" is just among Kim Eun Hee's greatest creations as the veteran writer is also known for writing mystery thriller "Ghost," the "Kingdom" series, and the highly anticipated K-drama "Cliffhanger" featuring the star-studded cast --Jun Ji Hyun, Ju Ji Hoon, Sung Dong Il and "It's Okay Not to Be Okay" star Oh Jung Se. A Quick Recap on K-Drama 'Signal' The spine-chilling K-drama follows the story of Lee Je Hoon's character Park Hae Yeong, who is a rookie police officer. Prior to becoming a police officer, he witnessed a young girl being kidnapped in front of his elementary school in broad daylight. At a young age, he tried to tell the authorities what happened, but no one paid attention to him, which made the young Park Hae Yeong doubt the police. Fifteen years later, he became a criminal profiler and helped solve cold cases with their lead detective Cha Soo Hyun, played by Kim Hye Soo. However, he mysteriously finds a walkie-talkie that allows him to contact Detective Lee Jae Han, portrayed by Jo Jin Woong. Interestingly, the said detective lives in the past. In K-drama "Signal," both Park Hae Yeong and Lee Jae Han attempt to prevent and solve the crimes by communicating to the device despite living in a different time. 'Signal' Based on Real-Life Cases Screenwriter Kim Eun Hee definitely did a great job portraying the characters in "Signal" however; one outlet mentioned that it was based on real-life cases in South Korea that have happened in the past. Remember the child kidnapping that was mentioned in episode one? It was based on the 1997 case dubbed as the "Park Chorong Bitnari Kidnapping-Murder Case." It received the public's attention after the investigators found out that the kidnapper was a woman who was at the time eight months pregnant. This left the whole of South Korea mourning for the child's tragic death. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 6 K-Dramas That Are Based on True Stories KDramastars owns this article. Written by Geca Wills The start of Chicago's famed music festival, Lollapalooza, has stirred fears of a rise in Covid-19 cases as thousands gather for four days of performances. The festival, which kicked off Thursday, is expected to bring hundreds of thousands of people to Grant Park in downtown Chicago. But with nationwide concern over insufficient vaccination rates and the increase of the Delta variant, the event that drew headliners like Miley Cyrus, Tyler, the Creator, Post Malone and Foo Fighters carries new protocols and fears of potential spread this year. "Folks, #Lollapalooza starts today. We want you to have fun, but please keep all rules and requirements in mind and continue to #ProtectChicago," Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted. The Chicago Department of Public Health added nine more states and one territory -- Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Kansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Wyoming and the Virgin Islands -- to the city's travel advisory ahead of the festival. The total now stands at 14 states and one territory on the advisory, which recommends that unvaccinated people coming from those states obtain a negative Covid-19 test 72 hours prior to arrival in the city, or quarantine for 10 days upon arrival. "I expect that we will pass the 200 (case per day) mark and move into moderate risk probably within the next few days," CDPH Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said Tuesday. "Overall, we do remain at lower risk but we are moving in the wrong direction," she said. Event organizers advertised that proof of full vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test results within 72 hours of attending will be required to enter the festival. "I can't promise there won't be any Covid cases associated with Lolla. When you're having this many folks who are coming through, almost certainly there will be some cases," Arwady said. "I'm certainly hopeful we won't see a significant problem." In a Twitter post, the event said that more than 90% of attendees showed proof of vaccination and 8% brought a negative Covid-19 test. "For the 600 of you who showed up without paperwork, we hope to see you tomorrow!" the post said. Despite rising Covid-19 cases, the city's top doctor said she still supports the festival moving forward. "I would not feel comfortable moving forward with Lollapalooza without Covid protocols in place. I don't think I would feel comfortable if this were an indoor event either. And I frankly don't think I would feel comfortable if we were sitting in Louisiana right now where Covid cases are looking like they're looking," Arwady said. The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. By Maegan Vazquez, CNN (CNN) -- President Joe Biden on Thursday announced a number of new steps his administration will take to try to get more Americans vaccinated and slow the spread of coronavirus, including requiring that all federal employees must attest to being vaccinated against Covid-19 or face strict protocols. The new measures come amid a rise in Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths in the US. The vast majority of those individuals with severe cases of Covid-19 are unvaccinated. "This is an American tragedy. People are dying -- and will die -- who don't have to die. If you're out there unvaccinated, you don't have to die," Biden said during remarks at the White House. "Read the news. You'll see stories of unvaccinated patients in hospitals, as they're lying in bed dying from Covid-19, they're asking, 'Doc, can I get the vaccine?' The doctors have to say, 'Sorry, it's too late.'" In his sternest approach yet to pushing Americans to get vaccinated, the President bluntly argued that if you are unvaccinated, "You present a problem to yourself, to your family and to those with whom you work." Biden said every federal government employee and on-site contractor will be asked to attest to their vaccination status. Employees who have not been vaccinated "will be required to wear a mask on the job no matter their geographic location, physically distance from all other employees and visitors, comply with a weekly or twice weekly screening testing requirement, and be subject to restrictions on official travel," the White House said ahead of Biden's speech. The federal employee vaccination requirement is not a mandate, officials have insisted, and most federal employees who do not get vaccinated will not lose their jobs as a result, CNN previously reported. But the decision nonetheless marks a pivot away from encouraging Americans to get vaccinated in their own time and stepping toward placing the onus on unvaccinated individuals. Other efforts the administration debuted Thursday to incentivize vaccinations included expanding paid leave for employees who take time off to get themselves and their family members vaccinated. Biden said employers would be reimbursed. He also called on states, territories, and local governments to do more to incentivize vaccination, including offering $100 to Americans getting vaccinated, paid for with American Rescue Plan funding. "I know that paying people to get vaccinated might sound unfair to folks who got vaccinated already. But here's the deal: if incentives help us beat this virus, I believe we should use them. We all benefit," Biden said. The President also announced that he is ordering the Department of Defense "to look into how and when they will add Covid-19 to the list of vaccinations our Armed Forces must get." "Our men and women in uniform, who protect this country from grave threats, should be protected as much as possible from getting Covid-19," he said. "I think this is particularly important because our troops serve in places throughout the world, many where vaccination rates are low and disease is prevalent," Biden added. Finally, the President called on school districts nationwide to host at least one pop-up vaccination clinic over the coming weeks in an effort to get more kids 12 and older vaccinated. Responding to reporter questions after his remarks, the President said he didn't know yet whether the federal government had the power to require vaccines. "It's still a question whether the federal government can mandate the whole country" require vaccines, he said, adding that he expects the vaccines will be fully approved by the US Food and Drug Administration by the fall. On Monday, the Justice Department determined that federal law doesn't prohibit public agencies and private businesses from requiring Covid-19 vaccines -- even if the vaccines have only emergency use authorization so far. Biden's aides had previously said they do not believe he has the power to require all Americans to get shots. But his oversight of the federal workforce, they believed, can be a powerful model to other employers considering their options on requiring vaccines. But several groups representing federal workers across the government are already raising concerns about the requirement for their personnel, including groups representing federal law enforcement officers, IRS managers and members of the US Border Patrol, among others. Other groups, like the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, have come out in support. The goal of the requirement, Biden aides have said, is to render being unvaccinated so burdensome that those who haven't received shots will have little choice other than to get them. It's an approach being tested by leaders in Europe, including French President Emmanuel Macron, who required either proof of vaccination or a negative test at public venues. And some states, including New York, have also said government employees must either prove they've been vaccinated or be tested weekly. The White House had previously indicated it would support private companies' decisions to mandate Covid-19 vaccinations, but Biden took it a step further on Thursday, saying that he'd like to see companies, states and schools move in the direction of requiring Covid-19 vaccination. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said Wednesday on CNN that health passes for the fully vaccinated, such as those used in parts of Europe, "may very well be a path forward." But the President appeared to put that responsibility on businesses -- not the federal government -- on Thursday. "My guess is that if we don't start to make more progress, a lot of businesses and a lot of enterprises are going to require proof (of vaccination) or you're not going to be able to participate," Biden said. The prevalence of the highly contagious Delta variant in the US and low vaccine uptake have led to the federal government to take a number of steps to further mitigate the spread of Covid-19. Earlier this week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended everyone -- including vaccinated individuals -- wear masks indoors in areas of substantial or high Covid-19 transmission. The agency also recommended masks for all K-12 children in schools, even those who have been vaccinated. The Department of Veterans Affairs also recently announced it would require frontline health care workers to be vaccinated over the course of the next two months. During his remarks on Thursday, Biden acknowledged frustrations over the nation's slow bounce back and the renewal of restrictions. "We have the right plan. We're coming back. We just have to stay ahead of this virus," Biden said. "I know this is hard to hear. I know it's frustrating. I know it's exhausting to think that we're still in this fight. And I know that we hoped this would be a simple, straightforward line without problems or new challenges. But that isn't real life. (We're) coming out of the worst public health crisis in 100 years. The worst economic crisis since the Great Depression." The latest data from the CDC indicates that 49.4% of the total US population is fully vaccinated. And despite a previous downward slope in the pace of vaccinations, 389,963 people are now initiating vaccination each day, according to the current seven day average. This is the highest it's been in more than three weeks, but it's still lower than the pace set by millions who were receiving shots every day earlier this year. MEDFORD, Ore. After a thunderstorm peppered Siskiyou and Jackson counties with lightning strikes over Thursday evening, firefighters are still working to locate and respond to fire starts as they appear. The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest said Friday that it responded to several smoke reports, finding four confirmed lightning fires on Thursday. Two more fires were spotted on Friday morning, with crews headed out to find them. According to officials, there were about 35 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes in the RRSNF during the storm. All of the fires are located in the Siskiyou Mountains Ranger District in the Applegate area. We are doing our best to extinguish these fires, said James Courtwright, Siskiyou Mountain District Ranger. The largest fire so far is the Maple Dell Fire. The fire's main body is estimated at five acres, but there are four spot fires that bring the total to roughly 10 acres. The three other known fires from Thursday were all caught at a quarter acre or less. Three engines, a Type 2 initial attack crew, one water tender, and a Type 1 helicopter are assigned to the Maple Dell fire, and resources remain on the scene of the other fires. Additional resources have also been ordered with more lightning predicted in the forecast. All lines held overnight on the four existing fires. Crews are actively engaged in securing the four spots on the Maple Dell. We feel confident that all fires will be secured by mid-day Friday, said Deputy Fire Staff-Operations Mike McCann. RRSNF said that it will continue to patrol for more fires from Thursday's storm, both on the ground and in the air. The Oregon Department of Forestry said that it is monitoring eight fires sparked Thursday night. The largest is the Palmer Fire in the Applegate Valley, estimated at an acre and mostly lined. "The majority are in the Applegate area, and were extinguished last night at very small sizes. This morning, we already have firefighters out in their protection areas," ODF said. In Siskiyou County, officials in the Klamath National Forest reported four small fires, all with resources on the scene. A reconaissance flight is planned for Friday to take stock of any fires that escaped notice. A Red Flag Warning for isolated to scattered thunderstorms continues for Friday afternoon and evening, and Extreme fire danger remains in effect throughout southern Oregon. "Low humidity, excessive heat and stronger than normal winds could quickly cause a fire to spread if left unattended," RRSNF said. SALEM, Ore. Governor Kate Brown on Thursday declared a state of emergency for almost two dozen Oregon counties as the state prepares for another onset of triple-digit temperatures. Brown's office said that the declaration was made at the request of the Oregon Health Authority. The state of emergency allows Oregon agencies to assist local and Tribal jurisdictions take measures to provide for the health and safety of their residents. It is currently set to expire at the end of August 5 unless terminated sooner. "As Oregon faces another high heat event, it's important that we make available all needed resources to assist every level of government helping Oregonians stay safe and healthy," said Governor Brown. "We know that these excessively high temperatures are placing a significant burden on local and Tribal jurisdictions, and that they can also impact critical infrastructure, including utilities and transportation." The heatwave at the end of June contributed to the deaths of 116 people in Oregon many of them elderly, isolated, and living in the Portland area without air conditioning. Brown's office said that she has directed the state Office of Emergency Management to activate the state's Emergency Coordination Center, and asked other state agencies to provide any assistance requested by OEM. As part of the declaration, the Oregon Health Authority will activate the State Emergency Registry of Volunteers in Oregon (SERV-OR) the state's roster of licensed physicians, nurses, EMTs, and other health professionals "as necessary to respond to the heat event." The emergency declaration applies to all of the following counties: Benton, Columbia, Clackamas, Curry, Douglas, Gilliam, Grant, Hood River, Jackson, Josephine, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Morrow, Multnomah, Polk, Sherman, Umatilla, Wasco, Washington, Wheeler, and Yamhill. MEDFORD, Ore. Jackson County Public Health sent out another call for the public to seek vaccinations against COVID-19 as the area sees a sharp uptick in both cases and hospitalizations. The county on Friday saw the highest number of new cases reported on a single day since the pandemic began. Today, Jackson County set a new record for the number of new cases in one day. The number of COVID-19 positive patients being hospitalized and in the ICU are also at record numbers in the region, said Dr. Jim Shames, Health Officer for Jackson County. Until more people make the decision to get vaccinated and take action, we will continue to see this virus impact our community and push our hospital systems past its capacity." Public health officials reported 188 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, in addition to three more deaths associated with the virus. All three were men in their 80s with underlying health conditions. Hospitalizations have increased dramatically between Jackson and Josephine counties over the past several weeks. Officials noted that there were 68 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Friday morning, 18 of those in intensive care. RELATED: Oregon officials predict almost 1,200 new COVID-19 cases per day by mid-August Jackson County Public Health also reported two new workplace outbreaks and two outbreaks associated with senior living facilities. Outbreaks at Food 4 Less and Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center had each been linked to seven cases as of Friday, with investigations ongoing. An outbreak at Lakeland Senior Living was linked to seven cases and one COVID-19 related death. A larger outbreak at Farmington Square in Medford had produced 35 identified cases and three COVID-related deaths. Public health officials underlined that the best way to stop the spread of the Delta variant is to get vaccinated against COVID-19, which can help prevent severe illness, hospitalization, and death. The vaccines are still considered effective against Delta. We know that seatbelts save lives, but even with seatbelts, you still have to take other actions to remain safe. You do this by following the driving laws and using other tools to protect yourself, other drivers, and pedestrians. It is the same thing with the COVID-19 vaccine, getting vaccinated saves lives, but we all must continue to use the other safety measures to keep ourselves and others safe from COVID-19, said Tanya Phillips, Health Promotion Manager for Jackson County Public Health. Jackson County Public Health is still offering free COVID-19 vaccines at 140 S Holly Street. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are available, and appointments are not required. These are available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Earlier this week, Jackson County Public Health joined the CDC and Oregon Health Authority in recommending that eveyone wear masks in indoor public spaces regardless of vaccination status. MEDFORD, Ore. A Medford woman accused back in 2017 of seriously injuring an infant girl pleaded guilty and received her sentence in court on Thursday. Alicia Gunn was 25 when the crime occurred. According to police statements at the time, Gunn had been watching a friend's 8-month-old baby girl on August 11 when police said that she shook the child. The baby, Autumn Cadwallader, was hospitalized with severe brain trauma. Gunn, who was initially arrested and charged with Assault in the First Degree, argued that she had accidentally dropped Autumn while caring for her. Investigators concluded that Autumn's injuries were too severe for that to be the case, leading them to suspect that Gunn had shaken the baby and not dropped her by accident. For more than three years the case dragged on, with jury trial dates repeatedly scheduled, canceled, and rescheduled. The trial finally took place this month, but ended in a hung jury. Shortly after the trial wrapped, the charge against Gunn was dropped from Assault I to Assault II. On Thursday, Gunn pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of Assault in the Second Degree. She was sentenced to 80 months (just over 6.5 years) in prison, followed by 10 months of post-prison supervision. She was also ordered to pay restitution of roughly $250,000. Angellic Cadwallader, Autumn's mother, spoke in court on Thursday. She said that Autumn has permanent brain damage causing cortical blindness, delayed development of about two years, and the constant need for medication. Regardless, Angellic said that her daughter is a miracle. After Autumn was hospitalized, Angellic said she was told that her daughter would never walk or see. Today Autumn can walk, she can speak, and she has some use of her vision. Despite her developmental delays, Angellic said that her daughter is beating the odds. PORTLAND, Ore. Employees of Oregon state agencies will be required to wear face coverings indoors regardless of vaccination status, Governor Kate Brown announced on Friday. Brown's office said that the new mask guidance is for Executive Branch state agencies, following recently updated recommendations from the CDC and science on the spread of the Delta variant. The guidance requires that all state employees in any indoor state agency space wear face coverings. The requirement also applies to visitors and customers entering the offices of any such agency. "The science and data are clear: the Delta variant is spreading in our communities and is more contagious," said Governor Brown. "This mask requirement will protect Oregonians, many of whom have been on the frontlines of the pandemic and who continue to provide essential services to Oregonians. We also must protect everyoneboth agency employees and community members who visit state agencies for information, services, and resources. This new guidance accomplishes both." Governor Brown announced on Thursday that she has directed the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Department of Education to create a rule that would require masks indoors for K-12 schools statewide for the 2021-22 school year. Currently the Oregon Health Authority is recommending the universal use of masks indoors while in a public space, regardless of vaccination status. This follows the updated CDC guidance, which advised the same measure for areas with high or substantial COVID-19 spread. EUGENE, Ore. The University of Oregon will be following masking recommendations recently released by the Oregon Health Authority. In a statement on Thursday, university officials said face coverings will be required indoors on campus regardless of vaccination status, effective Friday. They said their decision comes amid surging COVID-19 cases and the highly contagious Delta variant spreading in the state. Employees and students alike are required to follow the new rules, which apply to break rooms, hallways and more. Masks are not required when alone in rooms or cubicles. Visitors must wear face coverings, as well. For the full summer COVID-19 regulations at the university, CLICK HERE. YES: The competition is the same. LESS: It's not the same without fans. NO: It was silly to stage them. Vote View Results The response states that Mathewson had been told he was not allowed to speak to the victim, but expressed an intent to contact the victim anyway and accused the victims caretaker of obstructing an investigation. A letter sent by the victims attorney, dated May 27, asked that Mathewson be legally prohibited from speaking to her. Special digital subscription offer! Three months for $1 Why wait? Get local news while its happening. Keep up to date with a digital subscription to the Kenosha News. Heres a fantastic limited spe Mathewson denied any wrongdoing with regard to the witness, and stated in an email Friday that he filed a complaint against Kraus with the state Office of Lawyer Regulation. Kraus had also lied about me attempting to interview an adult witness in a case, he said. I am not allowed to interview a witness that is represented by an attorney without permission from that attorney. Kraus lied and said the witness was represented. The victim was not represented by an attorney. Personal cell phone used At issue in Mathewsons suit also is that he witnessed Kraus taking a photograph of him with a cellphone while the two were in court. Mathewson filed a public records request for that photograph, and in the lawsuit said he received a letter from Graveley that denied the release, because this was not done relating to or for use in official business. Ketchikan, AK (99901) Today Periods of rain. High 61F. Winds ESE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall may reach one inch.. Tonight Rain. Low 59F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch. Ketchikan, AK (99901) Today Periods of rain. High 61F. Winds ESE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall possibly over one inch.. Tonight Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 59F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall may reach one inch. As an integrative/functional medicine physician, Ive been criticized, like many of my colleagues in the field, for being anti-science. In the past five years, many of us within the field have perceived increased and biased scrutiny by the ACCME, the organization tasked with accrediting continuing medical education providers. But in the wake of COVID-19, where pharmaceutical interventions were being used in patient care based purely on hypothetical mechanisms of action, the question should be asked: Where is the line between an early adopter and unscientific? In 1962, social scientist Everett Rogers published the classic text Diffusion of Innovations describing how new ideas which are initially seen as uncertain or even risky spread. In his framework, he defined five groups by their enthusiasm to embrace novel concepts: Innovators are venturesome, not afraid to fail, and often creators of new concepts. Early adopters are opinion leaders, often in leadership roles, who embrace change opportunities. Early majority are deliberate in their decisions, just ahead of average when accepting new ideas. Late majority tend to be skeptical of change to the status quo, and will wait for standard guidelines to guide their practice. Laggards are bound by tradition and very conservative. These categories have been applied to all aspects of modern culture, including the health care industry. Pharmaceutical companies, device manufacturers, and technology suppliers utilize diffusion theory to sell their products, with the promise of better outcomes, lower costs, and greater revenue. However, the actual translation of research to the bedside typically has a long lag time, and innovations are disseminated broadly at a slow pace. Weve certainly progressed from the infamous 264-year period between the discovery that vitamin C-rich produce prevented scurvy and the widespread use of citrus on British ships. But the oft-quoted lag time of 17 years between publication and adoption of research findings at the bedside is confounding, and unacceptable in this age when high-quality information is accessible to health professionals with a few keystrokes, and reputable sites like UptoDate (for biomedicine) and Natural Medicines (for natural products) are doing the work of compiling the relevant info from the more than 3 million scientific articles published per year. In some areas of medicine, early adoption is applauded. Consider telemedicine: Pre-pandemic the vast majority of clinicians, systems, and insurance companies were slow to incorporate telehealth. However, with the pressure of the pandemic, the pivot happened at a very accelerated pace, increasing from 0.3 percent of clinician visits in 2019 to 23.6 percent in 2020. Noteworthy in this was high patient and provider satisfaction, possible decreases in health care delivery cost, and increased access for patients in remote locations. I know in my own integrative consult practice, patients rave about the convenience- and we are all thrilled that Illinois is moving to extend telemedicine coverage. Id like to propose a shift in how integrative medicine is perceived by those trained in Western biomedicine. A reframing that the majority of health professionals in the relatively newer fields of integrative and functional medicine, especially those operating within the context of academic health centers, are not quacks or unscientific. Rather, consider that these clinicians are innovators and early adopters who are choosing to use new concepts to help patients, rather than wait out the gap between availability and incorporation into published guidelines by medical societies. Examples of alternative medical approaches that have become mainstream abound. Biofeedback was considered an esoteric practice when it came onto the medical scene in the 1960s. Now its offered in physical therapy clinics, medical centers, and hospitals, and rated as efficacious or probably efficacious for a wide range of conditions. Acupuncture, which came to public awareness in the U.S. in the 1970s (and still called by some a pseudoscience by some skeptics), is recommended in guidelines from government health institutions, national health system recommendations, and medical specialty groups. And natural products such as omega-3 fatty acids and L-methylfolate are now available as FDA-approved prescriptions for specific conditions, while others are included in guidelines, such as peppermint in the 2021 American College of Gastroenterology guidelines for IBS. Each year sees increasing numbers of research studies published in traditional, integrative, and basic science journals, and the NIH-NCCIH (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health) 2021-5 strategic plan aims to increase the integrative research workforce and its impact on individuals, communities, and populations. To be sure, we need to invest in expanding the evidence base for integrative strategies, particularly those with a higher potential risk to the patient. Its also imperative that health professionals be transparent in sharing the risks, benefits, and state of evidence for all therapies with patients. And medical trainees should be taught not just what treatments one might find in integrative medicine, but how to assess the data and make referrals to qualified clinicians. As the nascent fields of integrative and functional medicine gain popularity among patients and practitioners, we need to remain true to the principles of evidence-informed care and the Hippocratic Oath. Just as physicians and patients need to partner in care, Id like to close by suggesting that our more strictly biomedical colleagues consider a shift in their perspective of the integrative field from that of charlatans to early adopters, and collaborate in helping patients reach their goals. And who knows? Maybe you can learn something from your early adopter colleagues that can help your patients. Melinda Ring is an integrative medicine physician. Image credit: Shutterstock.com This week sees myself in the office only for a few hours. I decided to drive across the city yesterday to meet with supportive friends for lunch. All three of us are fully vaccinated. Along the way in the suburbs, there were still people parked at strategic barriers erected to prevent free movement into the suburbs. Some of the residents still stood guard. There was less traffic on the highway and very much less traffic in the suburbs. Our lunch, the sharing of a simple meal, was punctuated with intense discussions about the ethics of what has happened to our country, and about the wisdom of the courts. Although we are close friends and understand each other, there were differing opinions. We are also generally a positive group, which is why we are friends. Somehow there was not the same energy of positivity amongst us this time. Later in the afternoon, after we had eaten and spoken, I drove to the nearby La Lucia Mall to see if I could get some grocery shopping done. The shops where I stay had been closed all of last week and I thought the upmarket area might have better stock. The parking area was empty, and there were no queues to get into Woolworths. Everyone, shoppers and workers, was subdued. I spoke to a lady shopping. We were in the meat and poultry aisle. Isnt it just crazy? I said to start the conversation. She paused. I was still in my scrubs. She looked at me. Hectic. I am Muslim, and there is no chicken. The meat is not Halaal. Get some frozen fish? I am not sure if there is any? Have you just come from work? Yes, I closed the office. It is so quiet. There are other reasons, like I am overstressed and have withdrawn to have time to myself, but I chose not to tell her that. OK, be safe, I echoed the greeting and moved on. I got most of what I wanted except garlic to ward off evil spirits and chicken. On the way out, I stopped to talk to the manager. I asked about stock and staff, and he was positive. He stood in front of the empty in-house coffee shop. Happy to have enough groceries for me and others that I could share with, I pushed my trolley out into the dusk of Durban winter. Doctor, doctor, I heard a voice calling out. No one should know me around here as I havent lived in the area for five years. I turned. A young man was running toward me. He was small and wearing a workers overalls with reflective safety strips. I stopped pushing my trolley and faced him. I just want to thank you for what you do for people. I am so happy you studied so hard to do what you do. God bless you. I had tears in my eyes. I really did not know him. Yet, I felt an instant connection. He rolled up his left sleeve and pointed to a scar on the funny bone of his elbow. I have had a debridement, he said and pointed to his elbow. I have met doctors like you. Lucky Ndlovu had no idea I was an orthopaedic surgeon. Thirty years ago, I would have treated young men like him for injuries with debridement, a French term for removing damaged tissue. I debride aggressively now and then hand over big skin defects for my plastic surgeon to close. Our country needs a debridement, I thought to myself. Lucky was truly grateful. I was moved. I took his number. We chatted a bit. When things are better, I will go back to the La Lucia Mall and have a meal with him and talk. He inspired me more than he knows. He alone, with his open gratitude, has given me hope to carry on. Basil Stathoulis is an orthopaedic surgeon, Netcare Kingsway Hospital, Durban, South Africa. He can be reached at basilBLOGinc and on Instagram @basilartinc. Image credit: Shutterstock.com 1 Shares Share In 2014 I learned about the worsening maternal mortality statistics in the U.S. and the racial disparities in maternal health, which socioeconomic or medical risk factors could not explain away. I decided a community-based solution was necessary because, as an African American obstetrician, I had no expectation that my fellow obstetricians would soon recognize how racism permeated our specialty and impacted the lives of birthing people, especially Black women. The Black Coalition for Safe Motherhood promotes the ACTT Curriculum for Black health care consumers to advocate for their rights to safe, respectful medical services. ACTT stands for self-affirming and potentially lifesaving steps to take in the office, clinic, hospital, and especially on labor and delivery: Ask questions until you understand the answers. Claim your space physical and mental. Trust your body Tell your story If Black birthing people were cared for by Black midwives and other birth workers like doulas, who listen to and support them, research shows they would have better outcomes and less traumatic experiences of care. And there would be little need to ACTT. But culturally congruent care is hard to find because of the lack of Black midwives. And many women mistakenly believe that obstetrical care is safer than midwifery care. Recently I learned how obstetricians virtually eliminated the centuries-old practice of traditional midwifery in North America and medicalized birth. The result has manifested over the last several decades in the rising c-section rates and, to an unknown extent, worsening maternal health statistics in the U.S., especially for Black and Indigenous birthing people. Most obstetricians are not aware of the history of the specialty, and they do not see the obvious effects on the business of birthing. Even if they were aware, hospitals are too invested in the status quo to adopt the midwifery model of care. The fact that racism outside of obstetrics plays a large part in the Black maternal health crisis does not diminish the impact of obstetric dominance and medicalization of birth. The benefits of midwifery are not well known in this country because obstetricians attend 90 percent of births. In European nations, most births are supported by midwives with much lower rates of poor outcomes and at half the cost of U.S. maternity care. Even though it is well known in the public health sector that midwives save lives, we do not see hospitals rushing to reduce obstetrics profitable high intervention business. Public health experts, Black, brown, and indigenous reproductive justice scholars, activists and birth workers all can see that the emperor has no clothes on, but doctors and hospitals still see themselves as fully dressed. This is not surprising. After all, the statue of the father of gynecology J. Marian Sims was only recently removed from its Central Park location because his craft was developed on the bodies of enslaved women. Now the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Medical Association acknowledge their racist origins, policies, research, education, and mistreatment of non-white patients, and have developed strategic plans to increase equity, diversity, and inclusion, and eliminate racism in medicine. But thats not the same as recognizing that obstetricians put traditional midwives (especially Black midwives) out of business by slandering them and virtually outlawing them in the early 1900s. By denigrating midwifery care, pathologizing the natural process of birth, and instilling fear of complications and pain, doctors persuaded women to give birth at the hospital under their care. By touting the benefits of anesthesia, forceps delivery, episiotomy and promoting in-hospital birth, doctors and hospitals were able to capitalize on the new specialty. Interventions of increasing risk and complexity, and their routine use without proof of benefits for the 80 percent of birthing people who are low risk have caused harm not just because of their invasive nature, but because the birthing person is subjected to various forms of persuasion and coercion (without informed consent) to do what doctors believe is best for them and their babies. Many of the practices employed on labor and delivery interfere with the natural process of birth. When patients ask to avoid those interventions (which often make life easier for the staff or more money for the hospital), they are told they are not allowed to do what they want for their labor and birth. In a 2019 survey of women who gave birth in U.S. hospitals, 28 percent reported mistreatment. Black people report discrimination in about one-third of their medical encounters. Hospitals and doctors are comfortable placing blame on patients for poor outcomes and avoid transparency about those outcomes. It may take decades for obstetricians to embrace the midwifery model of care, collaborate with midwives, support out-of-hospital birthing options and listen mindfully to all the people they serve. That is why it is up to the consumers of maternity services and birth justice advocates, like Black Mamas Matter Alliance, to light the way forward. In the meantime, while pushing for improvement, there is the option to ACTT. Leslie Farrington is an obstetrician-gynecologist. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Faced with a pandemic that has killed more Americans than all those who perished during World War II, America is a nation divided, split by both politics and the health crisis at hand. We've become two countries, one vaccinated and largely safe, the other unvaccinated and still at great risk. Over the last month, the US vaccination effort has largely stalled, now just short of President Joe Biden's July 4 goal of at least 1 shot for 70% of American adults. During the same period, coronavirus infections have surged. Since reaching a nadir of a little over an average of 11,000 new cases a day last month, the number of daily infections has now risen to an average of just under 62,000. This week, in what many consider a dramatic reversal of its May 2021 easing of indoor mask requirements, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a recommendation that vaccinated individuals wear masks indoors in areas of high SARS-CoV-2 transmission. An internal CDC slide presentation obtained by the Washington Post suggests that the change in mask guidance was motivated by unpublished data showing that the Delta variant is remarkably contagious, about as transmissible as chicken pox, and also that vaccinated people with breakthrough infections may be as contagious as unvaccinated cases. The CDC is scheduled to release data on Friday that will support its mask reversal. In addition, the Biden administration announced on Thursday a new requirement for federal workers to be vaccinated or regularly comply with testing and mitigation measures. This is an important step in upping the US's vaccine rate, but until those Americans who do not fall into this required category choose to vaccinate themselves, the CDC's new mask guidance will be a critical step in keeping the public as healthy as possible. The explosive resurgence of the virus is a consequence of the rise of the very transmissible Delta variant. Recently, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky announced that the SARS-CoV2 Delta variant is now found in 83% of cases sequenced in the United States. "It is one of the most infectious respiratory viruses we know of, and that I have seen in my 20-year career," she said. While every state in the country now reports rising caseloads, the surge has been fueled by the South. For example, in the last two weeks one state that has witnessed a more rapid growth in new coronavirus cases is Louisiana, which has seen a 223% increase in average daily infections. Not surprisingly, Louisiana also has the fourth lowest rate of Covid-19 vaccinations in the country, with only 37% of its population fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, places with high vaccination rates, like Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire, have demonstrated some of the lowest rates of Covid-19 infection in the country. A KFF vaccine monitor poll found that vaccine acceptance varies by our political party, by where we live, how old we are, and how much education we've received. In June, 88% of respondents who identified themselves as Democrat said they had been vaccinated or would get vaccinated as soon as possible, compared to only 54% of those identifying as Republican. The poll found that 76% of city dwellers fell into this category, compared with 57% of rural residents. Eighty six percent of people over the age of 65 reported that they had been vaccinated or would be as soon as possible, compared with only 58% for people aged 18 to 29. Prior vaccination or vaccination ASAP was reported by 80% of college graduates but only 63% of those without a college education. Although breakthrough infections in vaccinated people can happen, the vast majority of Covid-19 infections occur in unvaccinated people, and nearly all current cases of severe illness are found in the unvaccinated. In a statement on July 16, Walensky reported that 97% of current COVID hospitalizations are of unvaccinated people, and Dr. Anthony Fauci stated earlier in the month that more than 99% of Covid-19-related deaths in June were of unvaccinated individuals. Last month, there were 130 Covid-19 deaths in Maryland, every death occurring in an unvaccinated person. In Texas, according to preliminary data from the Department of State Health Services, 99.5% of all Covid deaths since February have afflicted the unvaccinated. While daily cases in the United States are up 146% over the last 2 weeks and hospitalizations have increased 73%, deaths have increased by a more modest 11%. But deaths are a lagging indicator, typically following a rise in new cases by 2 to 3 weeks -- and they are likely soon to rise. The CDC released a national ensemble forecast of Covid deaths projected over the next month. The model predicts a significant increase in Covid-19 mortality, with 1,800 to 6,900 new deaths projected for the week ending August 21, 2021. To suppress the surge of the Delta variant, the US must convince a large block of the remaining tens of millions reluctant and recalcitrant unvaccinated adults to get a shot. Statements last week from some Republican governors including Kay Ivey of Alabama urging constituents to get vaccinated are a late, but welcome change. Other prospective events such as the anticipated full FDA approval of the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines may also persuade some of the undecided, but the most recent KFF poll found that 20% of the US population says they will either definitely not get vaccinated or will do so only if mandated. As we work to increase vaccination, the United States should reinstate universal indoor masking. We should do this not to protect the vaccinated, for whom the risk remains low, but instead to protect the vulnerable, including the immunocompromised for whom vaccines are less effective as well as the children who cannot yet be vaccinated and the adults who still choose not to be vaccinated. Since the US does not have vaccine passports there is no way to distinguish the vaccinated from the unvaccinated and, as a result, the entire country must mask up once again. At the signing of The Declaration of Independence in 1776, Benjamin Franklin said, "We must all hang together, or most assuredly, we shall all hang separately."The past 18 months have shown us the perils of disunity. More than any other time in the last century, we must now hang together. The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. SILVER LAKE, Ore. Fire officials say that they did not expect the Bootleg Fire to become active again so quickly after the rains earlier this week, finding that the revived heat and winds quickly counteracted those benefits. As of Thursday morning, the Bootleg Fire was estimated at 413,545 acres and 53 percent containment. Fire Behavior Specialist Chris Moore commented on how unusual it is to see fire flare ups so quickly after a wetting rain. As we move out of normal climatological range, previous experience is less relevant, said Moore. The rain that we got will not put the fire out. Spotting will become more of an issue as fuels dry out again. Incident Commander Norm McDonald reinforced this caution stating that fire crews need a recalibration of where we are." "There isnt a normal anymore. We need to be prepared for anything, McDonald said. As the day's heat dried out the fire area on Wednesday and winds picked up, crews saw fire activity increase. Officials said that the northwest corner of the fire remains the most active, with dozers and hand crews working together to close the line around the perimeter. Helicopter support cooled the fire down as crews worked around Round Butte. Now crews are hoping to hold onto the progress they've made. To the northeast, crews found two more ember-cast spot fires west of Winter Rim on Wednesday. The fires were found about a half mile outside of the fire perimeter, but they were relatively small in size. Helicopters hit them with water as air tankers made retardant drops, but firefighters will still need to secure them. While the fire is less active to the east than to the north, officials said that the area continues to pose a challenge. "That edge of the fire is a 'dirty edge,' that is, there isnt a continuous edge to the fire in this area as the fire leaves pockets of unburned vegetation," officials said. "This ragged edge is more difficult for crews to secure." The fire has been much more quiet to the south and west, but crews noted flare-ups and smoke plumes coming from the interior of the fire on Wednesday. Officials noted that "this is a good thing," and can help decrease the chances that embers will be floated out of the fire in the future. Firefighters are preparing for increasing challenges in the days ahead, as temperatures and winds are both expected to rise. EUGENE, Ore. A man is accused of driving drunk and crashing into a parked police vehicle on Thursday. It happened at about 2:30 a.m. at West 7th Avenue and Madison Street. The Eugene Police vehicle was parked there as officers helped with a crash that had happened at the intersection earlier. When a sergeant noticed a Plymouth Sundance that didnt appear to be stopping, he warned other officers in the area, who were reportedly less than 10 feet away when the vehicle skidded and rear-ended the patrol car. At the time of the crash, no one was in the police vehicle, which had its headlights on and an amber bar light on. Police identified the driver as Michael Baranko, 28. He was taken to the Lane County Jail on charges of driving under the influence of intoxicants and reckless driving. He was cited for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle and failure to carry his drivers license. The suspects vehicle was towed from the intersection and impounded. COOS BAY, Ore. A fatal overdose led to a large drug bust on the Coast this week. On Sunday, Coos County Sheriffs deputies and medical personnel responded to a report of an overdose, and the patient was taken to Bay Area Hospital where they later died. At the scene of the overdose, deputies learned the drugs that caused the overdose were bought at 93548 Dover Lane in Coos Bay, according to a press release from the South Coast Interagency Narcotics Team (SCINT). SCINT then joined deputies and other agencies in serving a search warrant at the home Wednesday morning. James Patterson, 65, was in control of the home, according to SCINT, and deputies also found Crystal Gardner, 33, Alyssa Bettis, 31, and Gregory Kister, 29, at the location. The search yielded substantial amounts of methamphetamine, heroin and some LSD, authorities say. Patterson and Gardner face charges related to the sale, manufacture and possession of illicit substances and were taken to the Coos County Jail. Kister was arrested on outstanding warrants, and Bettis was referred to the District Attorneys Office for charges related to the possession of a controlled substance. Oregon State Police, Coquille Tribal Police and Coos County Parole and Probation also assisted with the execution of the search warrant. EUGENE, Ore. A fire in a homeless camp shut down a section of Beltline Highway for about 30 minutes Friday morning. The fire started about 5 a.m. near railroad tracks south of Roosevelt Boulevard under Beltline Highway. Battalion Chief Mike Caven of Eugene-Springfield Fire said that according to witnesses, it appeared that the man who lived in the camp set the fire and then ran away. His camp was destroyed, but nothing else burned and there were no injuries, Caven said. Beltline Highway was shut down between Roosevelt Boulevard and West 11th Avenue so firefighters could fight the fire safely. Cars were trying to get around the fire trucks on Beltline, making it hazardous for the firefighters, so they shut it down, Caven said. The fire was contained to the tent and camping materials under the bridge, which were destroyed. A propane tank exploded as firefighters arrived. Firefighters learned the mans name and turned it over to the Eugene Police Department, Caven said. Police said no one has been arrested in connection with the fire. EUGENE, Ore. The University of Oregon will be following masking recommendations recently released by the Oregon Health Authority. In a statement on Thursday, university officials said face coverings will be required indoors on campus regardless of vaccination status, effective Friday. They said their decision comes amid surging COVID-19 cases and the highly contagious Delta variant spreading in the state. Employees and students alike are required to follow the new rules, which apply to break rooms, hallways and more. Masks are not required when alone in rooms or cubicles. Visitors must wear face coverings, as well. For the full summer COVID-19 regulations at the University of Oregon, CLICK HERE. Meanwhile, OSU spokesman Steve Clark said they are holding back on a mask mandate, but masks are strongly encouraged in public indoor spaces. Clark added while Lane County cases are substantial, Benton County's case rate is lower, and they will continue to factor in current case rates in their decision making in accordance with CDC and OHA guidance. By Ruth Anderah Fifty people have been remanded to Kirinya prison for one month for defying the lockdown directive. The suspects appeared before Jinja Chief Magistrate Catherine Agwelo who read for them the charges including carrying passengers on motorcycles, opening shops and moving beyond the curfew time. The suspects denied the charges and the Magistrate remanded them to Kirinya prison until August 31 when they will come back for mention of their cases. By Juliet Nalwooga Police at Jinja Road are investigating circumstances under which a Canadian National allegedly shot himself dead in Bugolobi, Kampala on thirsty. According to Luke Owoyesigyire, the Kampala metropolitan deputy police spokesperson, the deceased one Alzahir Wissanji was reportedly found in a pool of blood minutes after gunshots were heard fired from his bathroom. According to the security guard, who was first at the crime scene, he knocked the door open only to find the deceased dead. Owoyesigyire says a bullet cartridge has been recovered from the scene. He adds that his body has been taken to the city mortuary at Mulago for a postmortem as investigations continue to ascertain circumstances that led to the shooting. President Museveni has said that churches should remain closed for more 60 days. While addressing the nation after 42 days of lockdown. President Museveni allowed Boda Bodas to carry one person and their curfew moved to 6: 00 pm. Boda bodas are allowed to move upto 6pm and can carry one person. They should strictly maintain SOPs. Wearing a mask is a must, he said. He adds that taxis will be allowed to carry only 50% passengers while private cars can carry three passengers across districs. Museveni in his address today revealed that curfew time will be maintained so as to stop the public from socialising. He adds that schools will remain closed until vaccination of eligible people aged 12-18 years has been successfully. This comes after the 42-day lockdown that has seen a decrease in the number of cases in the country. By Damali Mukhaye The Minister of Education, Ms Janet Museveni, will today release the 2020 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examination results. This will be done at State House, Nakasero at 10am. The Public Relation Officer of Uganda National Examination Board (Uneb), Ms Jenipher Kalule, yesterday said they had successfully briefed Ms Museveni about the performance of Senior Four students on Wednesday. Ms Kalule said, just like the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) results which were released two weeks ago, UCE results will also be released scientifically with a few officials attending physically. A total of 333,889 candidates registered for 2020 UCE examinations from 3,935 centres in 2019. According to Uneb, 49.8 percent of the candidates were male and 50.1 percent female. A total of 148,135 were under Universal Secondary Education (USE) while 185,754 candidates were non-USE candidates. Ms Kalule warned parents and heads of schools against gathering crowds at schools and homes in the guise of celebrating good grades. Weather Alert The Washington Department of Ecology has announced an Air Quality Alert through noon Thursday, Aug. 5, for all of Washington east of the Cascade crest because of degraded air quality. The alert may be extended past Thursday for areas close to active wildfires. Wildfire smoke may produce health impacts due to Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) pollution. Air quality may reach levels that range from unhealthy for sensitive groups to very unhealthy. Burning restrictions are in effect. Health Impacts and Recommended Actions: When air quality is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, sensitive persons may experience health effects and should limit prolonged or heavy exertion and limit time spent outdoors. When air quality reaches Very Unhealthy levels, everyone should stay indoors, do only light activities, and keep windows closed if it is not too hot. If you must be outdoors, wear an N-95 respirator mask (people with chronic diseases should check with their doctor before wearing a mask). Outdoor Burning Restrictions: Washington Governor Jay Inslee issued an emergency order July 6, 2021, prohibiting most unpermitted outdoor burning through September 30, 2021. Visit www.ecology.wa.gov/burnbans for details on local restrictions. ...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TUESDAY TO 11 PM PDT WEDNESDAY... * WHAT...Dangerously hot conditions with afternoon temperatures in the upper 90s to 105 degrees possible. * WHERE...Portions of Central, East central, North central, Northeast and Southeast Washington and North and North central Idaho. * WHEN...From 11 AM Tuesday to 11 PM PDT Wednesday. * IMPACTS...Extreme heat combined with unusually warm overnight temperatures will significantly increase the potential for heat related illnesses. Conditions will be difficult for residents without air conditioners. Those working or participating in outdoor activities will also be vulnerable. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Wildfire smoke in the region could reduce afternoon temperatures reducing the risk of extreme heat. The amount of wildfire activity and subsequent smoke in the region will play a role in how hot the temperatures are Tuesday and Wednesday. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Monitor the latest forecasts and warnings for updates on this situation. Be prepared to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air- conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. This is especially true during warm or hot weather when car interiors can reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes. && Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading. To subscribe, click here. Already a subscriber? Click here. A new audio guide, Explore Graignamanagh, is designed to help visitors discover all the highlights of the town and its hinterland, while introducing us to some of the many tales that make Graignamanagh such a special place. The audio guide, which received funding through the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, can be found on kilkenny.ie, visitkilkenny.ie as well as on AbartaHeritage.ie where it can be downloaded for free. It is also available on all major podcast platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, GooglePodcasts, Acast and SoundCloud. This means anyone can easily and instantly access the stories of Graignamanagh for free anywhere in the world, without having to download apps. Making the tour available on peoples own smartphones is also putting safety first post Covid, and removing the need for shared handsets or environmentally unfriendly single-use disposable audio players. Commenting at the launch of the guide, Chairperson of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr Fidelis Doherty stated the local heritage society here in Graiguenamanagh deserve great thanks for all their time and input in making the guide as informative and interesting as it is. We hope that the guide will add to the visitors experience here when they come to the town and will encourage them to stay a little longer in the area and to really get out and explore the rural surroundings here. The tour begins at Duiske Abbey with the audio guide providing information on some of the remarkable characters who once called Graignamanagh home. They include the high and mighty, like the members of the powerful Butler family; the revolutionaries, like 1798 Rebellion leader Captain Thomas Cheevers; and the ordinary townspeople, like the OLearys, who were blamed for the Great Chicago Fire. You will also have the chance to visit the castle of Tinnahinch, cross the mighty River Barrow, and squeeze through what might just be the narrowest alley in the world! Besides its weighty history and fantastic stories, Graignamanagh is an excellent place to enjoy the outdoors. You can rent boats and sail along the River Barrow, hike up Mount Brandon or take a nice stroll in Silaire Wood. In August, the town hosts the annual regatta, which sees spectators at the banks of River Barrow to watch local and visiting competitors battle it out in diving competitions, swimming and boat races. This isnt the only major festival the town hosts; in September, crowds gather for the Town of Books Festival, which transforms Graignamanagh into an open-air book shop for one weekend. The Explore Graiguenamanagh Audio Guide was produced by Abarta Heritage, on behalf of Kilkenny County Council. The story was written by Neil Jackman and Tara Clarke and recorded at Bluebird Studios with Sound Engineer, Declan Lonergan, and produced by Roisin Burke. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions that was enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to oust tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households. Heres the situation in Minnesota: WHATS THE STATUS OF THE EVICTION MORATORIUM IN MINNESOTA? Finding a way to gradually end the state's eviction moratorium that Democratic Gov. Tim Walz imposed in the early days of the pandemic was one of the priorities for the Legislature's special session in June. Negotiators announced a bipartisan agreement that they said offered strong protections and clear timelines for people who owe back rent to secure assistance, which is paid directly to landlords. Under the new rules, landlords are required through Oct. 12 to send notices to tenants who are behind on their rent 15 days prior to eviction for nonpayment. Landlords on June 30 got the right to start evicting tenants who were behind on rent and who qualified for rental assistance but refused to apply for it. Since July 14, landlords have been allowed to evict tenants who materially violate other terms of their lease agreements, but not just for failing to pay rent. Tenants who haven't paid their rent and aren't eligible for COVID-19 rental assistance can be evicted starting Sept. 12. As of Oct. 12, all eviction protections will be lifted except for eligible renters with pending aid applications. Tenants who have claimed but not yet received the state aid are protected from eviction until next June 1. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP MINNESOTANS FACING EVICTION? Minnesota is making $672 million in federal aid available through RentHelpMN.org to tenants in need, although landlords and tenant advocates say the program's rules are too cumbersome and that the pace of payments has been too slow. To qualify, an applicant's household income may not exceed 80% of the median income of an applicant's home county. Applicants can ask for aid retroactive to March 13, 2020, and up to three months of future rent, for a total of 15 months' worth. According to the statewide program's dashboard, about 34,500 applications seeking a total of nearly $198 million had been submitted by July 22, and the program had paid out nearly $25 million. Those figures did not include applications that were processed directly by four large counties in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and nine tribal governments. HOW ARE MINNESOTA COURTS HANDLING EVICTIONS? The governor's moratorium put most eviction lawsuits on hold, though courts recently started accepting filings allowed by the new rules. The Minnesota Multi Housing Association, which represents landlords who own about half of the state's rental units, sued to try to force an end to the moratorium but dropped the case after Walz signed off on the new rules. WHAT IS THE AFFORDABILITY IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? Minneapolis, St. Paul and some other Minnesota cities traditionally have tight rental housing markets, although vacancy rates have risen during the pandemic. As of June, the overall median monthly rent in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area had risen by 2.3% over the last year, to $1,495, according to a report released July 15 by Realtor.com. Median rents for a two-bedroom apartment rose by 8.2%, to $1,812. Efforts are underway to put rent control measures on the November ballot in Minneapolis and St. Paul. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? Its hard to say how much homelessness might increase once evictions ramp up. State Rep. Michael Howard, a Democrat from Richfield who was one of the lead negotiators in crafting the new rules, said they would provide some of the strongest protections for renters anywhere in the country. One indication of the scope of renter concern, however, is recent census data showing that 7,397 state residents were concerned they could be evicted within two months. Air Quality Alert Areas Affected: Dodge; Fillmore; Houston; Mower; Olmsted; Wabasha; Winona NWS LaCrosse (Southwestern Wisconsin, Southeastern Minnesota, and Northeast Iowa) ...AIR QUALITY ALERT NOW IN EFFECT THROUGH 3 PM CDT TUESDAY... ...LONG DURATION AND UNPRECEDENTED SIGNIFICANT AIR QUALITY EVENT UNFOLDING ACROSS MINNESOTA... * WHAT...The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued an Air Quality Alert for fine particle pollution. The Air Quality Index (AQI) is expected to reach the Red or Unhealthy category. This will be a long duration and unprecedented significant air quality event for Minnesota. * WHERE...Southeast Minnesota. * WHEN...Through 3 PM CDT Tuesday. * IMPACTS...Some members of the general public may experience health effects. Sensitive groups, such as people with lung disease (including asthma), heart disease, and children and older adults, may experience health effects. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Smoke from Canadian wildfires lingers over most of Minnesota. There will be some slight improvement in air quality throughout Friday and Friday night. However, on Saturday northerly winds behind a cold front will bring more smoke from wildfires located north of the Canadian border in Ontario and Manitoba into Minnesota. This reinforcing batch of heavy smoke is expected to arrive starting Saturday morning. Smoke will continue pouring into the state throughout Saturday and into Sunday. High pressure will build over the area for Sunday and remain over the area for Monday into Tuesday morning. Smoke will recirculate under the high pressure, leading to prolonged period of heavy smoke. Fine particle levels will begin to improve Tuesday as southerly winds start moving the smoke out of the state. Fine particle levels are expected to reach the Red AQI category, a level considered unhealthy for everyone, across southeast Minnesota. This area includes Rochester and Winona. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Sensitive groups, such as people with lung disease (including asthma), heart disease, and children and older adults, should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion. The general public should limit prolonged or heavy exertion. For information on current air quality conditions in your area and to sign up for daily air quality forecasts and alert notifications by email, text message, phone, or the Minnesota Air mobile app, visit https://www.pca.state.mn.us/air/current-air-quality. You can find additional information about health and air quality at https://www.pca.state.mn.us/air/why-you-should-care-air-quality-and- health. Air Quality Alert Areas Affected: Anoka; Benton; Blue Earth; Brown; Carver; Chippewa; Chisago; Dakota; Douglas; Faribault; Freeborn; Goodhue; Hennepin; Isanti; Kanabec; Kandiyohi; Lac Qui Parle; Le Sueur; Martin; McLeod; Meeker; Mille Lacs; Morrison; Nicollet; Pope; Ramsey; Redwood; Renville; Rice; Scott; Sherburne; Sibley; Stearns; Steele; Stevens; Swift; Todd; Waseca; Washington; Watonwan; Wright; Yellow Medicine NWS Minneapolis (Southern Minnesota) ...AIR QUALITY ALERT NOW IN EFFECT THROUGH 3 PM CDT TUESDAY... ...LONG DURATION AND UNPRECEDENTED SIGNIFICANT AIR QUALITY EVENT UNFOLDING ACROSS MINNESOTA... * WHAT...The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued an Air Quality Alert for fine particle pollution. The Air Quality Index (AQI) is expected to reach the Purple or Very Unhealthy category. This will be a long duration and unprecedented significant air quality event for Minnesota. * WHERE...Central and south central Minnesota. * WHEN...Through 3 PM CDT Tuesday. * IMPACTS...The risk of health effects is increased for everyone. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Smoke from Canadian wildfires lingers over most of Minnesota. There will be some slight improvement in air quality throughout Friday and Friday night. However, on Saturday northerly winds behind a cold front will bring more smoke from wildfires located north of the Canadian border in Ontario and Manitoba into Minnesota. This reinforcing batch of heavy smoke is expected to arrive starting Saturday morning. Smoke will continue pouring into the state throughout Saturday and into Sunday. High pressure will build over the area for Sunday and remain over the area for Monday into Tuesday morning. Smoke will recirculate under the high pressure, leading to prolonged period of heavy smoke. Fine particle levels will begin to improve Tuesday as southerly winds start moving the smoke out of the state. Fine particle levels are expected to reach the Purple AQI category, a level considered very unhealthy for everyone, across north central and south central Minnesota. This area includes St Cloud, the Twin Cities, and the tribal nation of Mille Lacs. Fine particle levels are expected to reach the Red AQI category, a level considered unhealthy for everyone, across northern and central Minnesota. This area includes Alexandria, Mankato, Albert Lea, and the tribal nations of Upper Sioux and Prairie Island. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Sensitive groups, such as people with lung disease (including asthma), heart disease, and children and older adults, should avoid all physical activities outdoors. The general public should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion. For information on current air quality conditions in your area and to sign up for daily air quality forecasts and alert notifications by email, text message, phone, or the Minnesota Air mobile app, visit https://www.pca.state.mn.us/air/current-air- quality. You can find additional information about health and air quality at https://www.pca.state.mn.us/air/why-you-should-care- air-quality-and-health. Areas Affected: Adair; Adams; Allamakee; Appanoose; Audubon; Benton; Black Hawk; Boone; Bremer; Buchanan; Butler; Calhoun; Carroll; Cass; Cedar; Cerro Gordo; Chickasaw; Clarke; Clayton; Clinton; Dallas; Davis; Decatur; Delaware; Des Moines; Dubuque; Fayette; Floyd; Franklin; Fremont; Greene; Grundy; Guthrie; Hamilton; Hancock; Hardin; Henry; Howard; Humboldt; Iowa; Jackson; Jasper; Jefferson; Johnson; Jones; Keokuk; Lee; Linn; Louisa; Lucas; Madison; Mahaska; Marion; Marshall; Mills; Mitchell; Monroe; Montgomery; Muscatine; Page; Polk; Pottawattamie; Poweshiek; Ringgold; Scott; Shelby; Story; Tama; Taylor; Union; Van Buren; Wapello; Warren; Washington; Wayne; Webster; Winnebago; Winneshiek; Worth; Wright NWS DesMoines (Central Iowa) Northerly winds behind a cold front are bringing smoke from wildfires out west and in Canada into Iowa. Heavy smoke is expected to arrive early this afternoon in northwest Iowa. The smoke is expected to travel south and east across the state, reaching I-80 by around midnight tonight and extending to southern Iowa by 5 AM Friday. Smoke is expected to remain across much of the state through much of Friday. During this time, fine particle levels are expected to be in the Orange AQI category, a level that is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups. Fine particle levels will begin to improve around noon on Friday. By mid-afternoon Friday, air quality should improve below alert levels statewide. Sensitive groups include the elderly, those with respiratory or heart disease and children. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources recommends that individuals in these sensitive groups limit prolonged outdoor exertion until air quality conditions improve. Keep track of current air quality conditions at fire.airnow.gov ROCHESTER, Minn. Charges have been dropped against a man accused of attacking a nurse. Federico Sanchez Jr., 23 of Windom, was arrested on August 23, 2019, after an incident in the 200 block of Woodlake Drive SE. Rochester police said Sanchez hit a nurse in the head with a chair and threw a computer on the ground, breaking it. He was charged with fourth-degree assault, third-degree damage to property, and disorderly conduct. The Olmsted County Attorneys Office says those charges against Sanchez have now been dismissed in the interests of justice. The office says it was decided more investigation was needed before any prosecution could proceed. IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) A state audit report says Gov. Kim Reynolds fired the leader of Iowas state-run nursing home for veterans in May after learning he had been overpaid by $90,000 over a nearly two-year period. The report says Iowa Veterans Home Commandant Timon Oujiri told governors office representatives in May that he was long aware of the payroll errors that improperly boosted his salary by $950 per week, but that he kept receiving the excess pay. The governor fired Oujiri, who had been commandant since 2017, the next day and her office reported the financial irregularities to the state auditor. Her spokesman says state officials are working to recover any overpayments that Oujiri received during his tenure. CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa Cyberstalking is sending a Howard County man to federal prison. Michael Shawn McGuire of Cresco was sentenced Friday to 10 years behind bars, followed by three years of supervised release. McGuire must also pay a $15,000 fine and $17,527.42 in restitution. McGuire pleaded guilty to four federal counts of stalking in Cedar Rapids federal court. Investigators say McGuire used Facebook and the mail to harass and intimidate another person. He was accused of sending sexually explicit mailings with semi-nude photos of the victim to the victims friends, family members, and associates. Federal authorities say McGuire also used various Facebook profiles to send similar semi-nude photos to some of the victims contacts through Facebook. Court documents say various fake dating profiles associated with the victim were created. In addition, numerous yard signs were posted at the victims home in Minnesota. The signs were sexually explicit and contained the victims name, telephone number, address, and email address. The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Iowa says the cyberstalking happened between August 25, 2018, and May 25, 2019. This case was investigated by the Minnesota Kandiyohi County Sheriffs Office, the Willmar Police Department, the Litchfield Police Department, the Renville County Sheriffs Office, the Pipestone County Sheriffs Office, the Cresco Police Department, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) An aide says Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has no plans to offer $100 incentives to Iowans to get the coronavirus vaccine after President Joe Biden pleaded with states and local governments to offer incentives using federal funds to stop the rapid spread of a virus variant. While many states and some Iowa counties have offered incentives for citizens to get a COVID-19 vaccination, Iowas governor continues to call for citizens to get vaccinated but repeats that ultimately its their choice. Iowa had 49.5% of the population fully immunized as of Thursday, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. MASON CITY, Iowa - The results are in for a survey to help shape the future of transit in the River City. Back in May, the public was invited to share what they like about the current bus system and what could be improved upon through an online survey. Some of the results include an express route connecting downtown with the western retail core along Highway 122 and MercyOne, as well as a route connecting John Adams Middle School and Mason City High to NIACC. Transit manager Dylan Schulte says one common suggestion is providing weekend service. "Some of the recommendations are as minor as moving one block to the east or some are major like adding a route or a complete relocation of an existing route. There's a lot on the table, there's a lot to digest." He adds that nothing is set to change as of yet. "Adding any bus or any service hours, it comes at a cost. We need to keep that in mind, weigh the pros and cons on the amount of money we have, and don't put ourselves too thin." Schulte plans to visit with city council, and also conduct some public listening posts, before changes go forward. Minor changes, like slightly shifting a route by one block, may take effect within a few months, while major recommendations like adding a route or another bus may take longer. One thing that will not change is the current fare system, which will remain 50 cents per one way trip. Ridership has not completely recovered from the pandemic. Schulte says ridership is about 70% of their normal capacity, but anticipates it returning to normal levels in the next few months. LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) Authorities say three men who were found dead at the entrance of a quarry in western Wisconsin were forced to kneel on the ground and shot multiple times over a $600 debt. La Crosse County Sheriff Jeff Wolf said Thursday that 44-year-old Khamthaneth Rattanasack and 33-year-old Nya Thao have each been charged with three counts of first-degree intentional homicide. Wolf said two workers discovered the bodies of Peng Lor, Nemo Yang and Trevor Maloney shortly before 5 a.m. on July 23 outside the Romskog Quarry by two workers. The quarry is about 14 miles northeast of La Crosse, which is along the Minnesota border. (CNN) -- The COVID-19 vaccine has become so polarizing that some people in Missouri are getting inoculated in secret for fear of backlash from their friends and family who oppose vaccination, a doctor told CNN Wednesday. Hospital morgues fill as death count climbs in Missouri Missouri has the nations fourth-worst COVID-19 diagnosis rate over the past week, with one in every 360 people diagnosed with COVID-19 "They've had some experience that's sort of changed their mind from the viewpoint of those in their family, those in their friendship circles or their work circles. And they came to their own decision that they wanted to get a vaccine," said Dr. Priscilla Frase, a hospitalist and chief medical information officer at Ozarks Healthcare in West Plains, Missouri. "They did their own research on it, and they talked to people and made the decisions themselves," Frase told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "But even though they were able to make that decision themselves, they didn't want to have to deal with the peer pressure or the outbursts from other people about them ... 'giving in to everything.'" In a hospital produced video, Frase said one pharmacist at her hospital told her "they've had several people come in to get vaccinated who have tried to sort of disguise their appearance and even went so far as to say, 'please, please, please don't let anybody know that I got this vaccine.'" Frase told CNN if a patient asks for privacy to get vaccinated, the hospital tries to accommodate the request -- whether at the drive-thru window or at their cars. "Anything we can do to get people in a place that they're comfortable receiving the vaccine," Frase said. "It's not a large number, but every single person that we can reach who wants to get vaccinated and we can provide that for them, that's a win. And we take every win that we can get." Missouri has 41% of its population fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state is one of 49 in the US experiencing at least a 10% surge in new Covid-19 cases over last week, data from Johns Hopkins University shows. Unvaccinated patients are getting sicker quicker Frase said her hospital had 33 patients admitted with COVID-19 as of Wednesday and she's expecting that number to rise. "The patients that are coming in are generally younger than what we saw before. It's more people requiring a lot more oxygen, a lot quicker," Frase said. Missouri healthcare CEO trying to reach the unvaccinated says people are dying unnecessarily Steve Edwards, the president and CEO of a health care system in Missouri, is troubled that health experts cannot seem to inspire more people to get vaccinated in his area, which is being hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. "The majority of people we've admitted have not been vaccinated," she added. "The biggest thing that I think has been shocking for us is, back in the fall, in the winter, it took us four months to get to our peak admitted patients, which is around 22. It's taken us 30 days to exceed that and be up to 33 today." Frase said. And it's not just Frase's hospital that is dealing with an influx of patients in Missouri. The CoxHealth health system said it's expanding morgue capacity in due to an increase in COVID-19 related deaths. "We've actually brought in a portable piece of technology that allows bodies to be cooled and placed outside the morgue. We have had to expand that because the mortality has gone up so much lately," CoxHealth President and CEO Steve Edwards said during a news briefing in Springfield-Greene County Tuesday. The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. Yes No I am not vaccinated As far as I know, all my close friends are vaccinated Vote View Results ROME, JUL 30 - Italy's COVID-19 Rt transmission number has risen to 1.57 and the nation's incidence of cases for every 100,000 inhabitants has gone up to 58, according to a draft of the weekly coronavirus monitoring report of the health ministry and the Higher Health Institute (ISS). The figures were 1.26 and 41 respectively in last week's report. A Rt number above 1 indicates the epidemic is in a phase of expansion. The report said only one Italian region, Molise, was considered low risk for COVID-19 while the rest were moderate risk. It said the proportion of Italy's hospital places taken up by COVID patients had increased to 3% from 2% seven days ago. But it added that no region was above the critical threshold for COVID occupancy of intensive care units or of hospital places in general. The report, which will be presented later on Friday, said it was necessary to accelerate with COVID-19 vaccinations to boost the level of coverage to prevent contagion fuelled by new variants flaring up further. (ANSA). ROME, JUL 30 - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised the environmental credentials of Italy's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) but stressed that now comes the hard part of implementing it in an interview with ANSA on Friday. "Italy's NRRP has an authentic green soul," von der Leyen said, "37% of the Next Generation EU Italia (funding) will support the Green transition. "But now the investments and reforms envisaged in the plan must become reality". Italy is getting the biggest single chunk of the EU's 750-billion-euro Next Generation EU recovery fund. Italy will spend around 248 billion to make the country greener and more modern as it recovers from its biggest peacetime recession as part of the NRRP. Around 191.5 billion euros of that money is coming from grants and low-interest loans allocated through the Recovery and Resilience Facility. Reforms to cut red tape and speed up a snail-paced justice system will go hand in hand with the plan. Von der Leyen described the Next Generation EU programme as "an authentic Green Marshall Plan" that will "give life to new markets and open the doors to gigantic economic opportunities for Europe and Italy. "Over 500 billion euros will be devoted to Green and digital projects throughout the EU," she added. (ANSA). Scarlett Johansson, a.k.a Black Widow, decided to file a case against Disney Plus after releasing the popular film titled "Black Widow." Based on the lawsuit she released against the streaming platform, the Marvel-owner breached its contract with the Hollywood star after releasing the movie on Disney+ during her theatrical debut. "As Ms. Johansson, Disney, Marvel, and most everyone else in Hollywood knows, a 'theatrical release' is a release that is exclusive to movie theatres," stated in the lawsuit. "Disney was well aware of this promise, but nonetheless directed Marvel to violate its pledge and instead release the Picture on the Disney+ streaming service the very same day it was released in movie theatres," added the filing. According to Tech Crunch's latest report, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic affected various industries, especially the film industry, since the way first-run shows are consumed and delivered was changed. 'Black Widow' Theatrical Grosses Decreased American Press reported that the Marvel film was delayed for more than one year. Although this is the case, "Black Widow" was still able to generate more than $80 million in North America and $78 million from international theaters three weeks after it debuted. READ MORE: 'The Forever Purge' Screening in California Turned Into Real-Life 'Horror Film' After Shooting Leaves 1 Died, 1 Injured This is still a massive revenue since the arrival of the movie happened during the global coronavirus pandemic. However, the theatrical revenues drastically declined since Disney also released the movie on its platform. The National Association of Theater Owners said that the multiple releases of the film on various platforms only lead to lost profits and higher piracy instances. Illegal movie copies have been the major issue of different movie houses for the past years. Although they are implementing new strategies, piracy still affects their revenues whenever new shows, series, and movies are released in the market. Will Disney Plus Offer 'Black Widow' For Free? According to Decider's report, Disney confirmed that "Black Widow" will be free to stream this coming October 6. If you are not yet a subscriber, then you need to open an account that costs $7.99 every month. On the other hand, you can also watch the popular Marvel film right now. However, it will cost you a total of $29.99. On the other hand, you still need to have a Disney Plus subscription before you can purchase the film now. This means that you need to pay a total of $38 if you want to access the movie as a new user. Although it might be a little expensive, you still need to avoid watching "Black Widow" on pirated websites. This way, you can help maintain the film industry so that production houses can still release exciting movies. READ NEXT: HBO's 'The Shop: Uninterrupted' Returns on July 30 With Brand New Episode The Justice Department through Attorney General Merrick Garland, urged Texas Governor Gregg Abbott to lift his new migrant order, calling it both "dangerous and unlawful." Associated Press noted that the mandate Abbott signed on Wednesday, would allow state troopers to stop vehicles carrying migrants on the basis that they might worsen the spread of the COVID-19 in the U.S. READ NEXT: Mexico's New Vigilante Group Blames Supporters for Setting Fire to Offices, Businesses CBS News reported that Garland sent a letter addressed to Abbott, arguing that the mandate would interfere with the federal immigration enforcement. "Among other harms, the order would exacerbate and prolong overcrowding in facilities and shelters and obstruct the federal government's arrangements with state, local, and non-governmental partners," Garland said in the letter. Garland also noted that the federal government could file a lawsuit against Texas if the new migrant order would not be lifted. Associated Press reported that the letter sent by Garland was the most "forceful" opposition of the Biden administration against the actions Greg Abbott has taken along the U.S. Mexico border. Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott's New Migrant Order Draws Criticisms From Groups Before the Justice Department, several organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) labeled Abbott's measure as "outrageous," The Dallas Morning News reported. "Governor Greg Abbot's latest efforts to make Texas an anti-immigrant police state are yet another unconstitutional assault on civil rights targeting border communities," ACLU Texas Attorney Kate Huddleston emphasized in a statement. Huddleston also noted that the measure sustains a "long, racist history" of blaming the spread of the virus on immigrants. The Dallas Morning News also highlighted that the new mandate also affects the activities of the legal and religious nonprofits that assist migrants with shelter, while they wait to reunite with their families away from the Texas border. "It's wrong to criminalize generosity towards those in need," Hope border Institute's Hannah Holllandbyrd said. Meanwhile, Democratic State Representative Rafael Anchia also slammed the Texas governor for his new migrant order. Anchia noted that Abbott's new mandate was a "flagrant attempt" to solve the governor's ineffective leadership. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's New Migrant Order The criticisms from the Justice Department happened as Abbott issued a new migrant order over his concerns about the spread of the coronavirus. "We must do more to protect Texans from this virus [COVID-19] and reduce the burden to our communities," Abbott noted. In the order, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) was permitted to stop vehicles that are not from the federal, state, or local law enforcement officials, who are providing ground transportation to groups of migrants. Furthermore, the DPS shall reroute the said vehicle back to its point of origin or entry, when confirmed. It can be recalled that it was not the first time Abbott sounded his concerns on migrants and the virus spread. In March, the Texas governor had similar worries without providing evidence that migrants cause the surge of COVID cases. READ NEXT: California Governor Gavin Newsom Expands Healthcare to Undocumented Migrants Aged 50 and Up This article is owned by Latin Post Written By: Joshua Summers WATCH: US Attorney General Merrick Garland threatens to sue Gov. Greg Abbott- From KHOU 11 Vice President Kamala Harris has revealed her strategy to address the root causes of illegal crossing amid the border crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. The Root Causes strategy aims to establish a fair, orderly, and humane immigration system while acting to improve security, human rights, and economic condition in the region, according to a White House press release. The strategy has also noted that the ongoing pandemic and weather conditions have worsened the root causes of migration, such as corruption, violence, trafficking, and poverty. The plan has five major cores. However, it does not specify a detailed timeline or policy actions to be taken. READ NEXT: Kamala Harris' Favorability Is Sinking Amid Surging Border Crisis and Allegations of Running a 'Toxic' Workplace Addressing Illegal Crossings at The Border The strategy includes fighting corruption, promoting respect for human rights, and addressing economic insecurity and inequality, according to a CNBC report. Harris' plan also includes preventing violence and other crimes done by criminal organizations. The plan also stated that they will be fighting sexual, gender-based, and domestic violence. Harris said that they will build on what works and they will steer away from what does not. She added that executing the plan will not be easy and instantaneous. The White House also released a Collaborative Migration Management Strategy. This was ordered by U.S. President Joe Biden ordered in February to highlight how U.S. will address migration flows. The plan also highlighted Harris' accomplishment on the matter. It included providing urgent relief to help address factors of migration and providing over 10 million COVID vaccines to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Border Crisis U.S. authorities had recorded large numbers of arrivals at the Mexican border in June. The trend seemed to be continuing in July, with high temperatures often deterring people from coming, according to an ABC News report. Approximately 509 migrants from Central and South America had turned themselves in Hidalgo, Texas after another group of 336 migrants were found nearby. The Department of Homeland Security said that it would continue fast-tracking deportations for some families that do not express fear of being returned home. Federal border officials said that some areas are now so overwhelmed that they are unable to process the migrants, according to a New York Post report. Officials are instead simply releasing them with a notice to report to the nearest Immigrations and Customs Enforcement office and request an asylum hearing. Around 90 percent of the more than 50,000 migrants released between March and July have failed to report to ICE, with a huge number of migrants never winning their asylum cases. Since March, border facilities have been overcrowded with more than 14,000 minors still in federal custody. The White House has continued to implement international travel restrictions due to the ongoing pandemic. However, those who cross the border illegally are allowed to bypass all COVID restrictions and was being released into the country. Migrants are being released into the country, often without being tested. Migrants who tested positive are being released and even housed in South Texas hotels by charity groups in some cases. This was, however, done without the knowledge of local authorities. READ MORE: Kamala Harris' Chief of Staff Shut Out Some Longtime Allies of the Vice President: Report This article is owned by Latin Post Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Vice President Kamala Harris discourages would-be migrants in Guatemala - from CBS News A rights group has called on the government of Mexico to stop the use of surveillance spyware until transparent regulations are in place concerning human rights. Amnesty International, a United Kingdom-based rights group, has performed an in-depth analysis of numerous mobile devices from human rights defenders and journalists worldwide. Dubbed as "Project Pegasus," this investigation uncovered widespread, persistent, and ongoing unlawful surveillance and human rights abuses perpetrated using Pegasus spyware of Israeli-tech firm NSO Group. Edith Olivares Ferreto, executive director of Amnesty International Mexico, said they hope the revelation of the magnitude of illegitimate surveillance and impunity that operates in the NSO Group and its clients will lead to a revision of the accounts and regulation of an opaque sector, Aljazeera reported. READ NEXT: Google AI Tech to Be Used in Virtual Border Wall of Trump Admin: Report Project Pegasus of Amnesty International The Pegasus Project is a collaboration by more than 80 journalists from 17 media organizations in 10 countries. Amnesty International provided technical assistance in conducting cutting-edge forensic tests on mobile phones to identify traces of the spyware. Mexico was found to be one of the countries widely affected by surveillance spyware, with Journalists becoming a popular target. Of the more than 50,000 phone numbers, 15,000 were in Mexico. Journalist Marcela Turati found that she was one of the 25 journalists in Mexico who had been reportedly targeted by spyware technology, DW reported. Turati discovered it hours before an international network of researchers released information regarding the project. Turati said as a journalist, she always had a feeling that she's under surveillance in Mexico. She added that it took a while for her to absorb that she was targeted by Pegasus spyware. Aside from journalists, politicians, human rights activists, judges, and doctors were also allegedly targeted for spying between 2016 and 2017. At least 50 people linked to the leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador were on the list, including his wife, children, drivers, and even his cardiologist. Meanwhile, two previous administrations had spent $61 million to buy Pegasus spyware, said Public Safety Secretary Rosa Icela Rodriguez, as reported by PBS News. According to Rodriguez, records showed that 31 contracts had been signed during the administrations of former presidents Felipe Calderon and Enrique Pena Nieto. Front companies were used to sign contracts with the NSO Group in Mexico. Kickbacks and avoiding taxes could happen by using front companies. In addition, there were excess payments for the bills for programs like Pegasus spyware, which could have been directed back to government officials, according to Santiago Nieto, who is the head of Mexico's Financial Intelligence Unit. NSO's Pegasus spyware can infiltrate a mobile device through a text message that the user would click, and it can monitor messages, phone calls, chats, contacts, and emails. NSO Group Israeli officials have probed the offices of the NSO Group in response to the Project Pegasus investigation after several government top-rank officials have been included in the list. French President Emmanuel Macron's phone number was also included in the leaked database. NSO said in several statements that the fact a phone number appeared on the leaked database was in no way an indication that it was selected for surveillance for Pegasus, The Guardian reported. The company noted that the numbers collected were not linked to the NSO Group. The Israeli defense department has appointed a review commission to examine whether policy changes are needed on exports of cyber-surveillance technologies. READ MORE: 4 of Haiti President Jovenel Moise's 'Presumed Assassins' Killed, 2 Arrested by Police This article is owned by Latin Post Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Pegasus: Surveilling journalists from inside their phones | The Listening Post (Feature) - From Al Jazeera English President Joe Biden directed the Department of Defense to look into "how and when" to add the COVID vaccination to the list of required vaccinations for military members. ABC News reported that Biden's reaching out to the Department of Defense was included in a fact sheet released to the reporters on Thursday, July 29. "Our men and women in uniform who protect this country from grave threats should be protected as much as possible from getting COVID-19," the president said. Joe Biden further noted that COVID vaccination is important as "troops serve in places throughout the world," including locations where vaccinations are low, and coronavirus is rampant. In a statement also on Thursday, Pentagon press secretary Jamal Brown said Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin would begin consulting their medical professionals and the Joint Chiefs of Staff to determine when and what recommendations to make to the president. Brown added that all military personnel would have to attest to their vaccine status in accordance with the president's guidance, and those unvaccinated would be subject to regular testing, mandatory mask use, and other restrictions. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby earlier said that making the COVID vaccine mandatory for military personnel would start once the Food and Drug Administration moves the shot from emergency authorization to full approval, The Hill reported. READ NEXT: Pres. Joe Biden Considers Requiring COVID Vaccines Among Federal Employees Joe Biden Requires Federal Employees to Get Vaccinated or Undergo Testing The inclusion of COVID vaccines as a requirement to military members came as Joe Biden announced on Thursday that federal employees and onsite contractors would be required to verify they have been vaccinated or face regular testing, mandatory masking, and other restrictions. NBC News reported the said individuals would also be subjected to restrictions on official travel. "I know people talk about freedom. But I learned, growing up at school and from my parents, with freedom comes responsibility," Joe Biden noted. Apart from announcing the new guidelines, the president also called on states, territories, and local governments to incentivize vaccination by offering $100 to those who would get vaccinated. Joe Biden noted that small and medium-sized businesses that offer paid leave to get their families vaccinated should be reimbursed. Despite his call for vaccine incentives, the president acknowledged the move would be "unfair" for those who were inoculated already. However, he underscored that if it would help beat the virus, it should be implemented. Joe Biden also encouraged school districts to establish pop-up vaccine clinics to help reach younger people ahead of the new school year. "We all benefit if we can get more people vaccinated," the president said. Joe Biden on Vaccine Hesitant people Joe Biden also pleaded with unvaccinated Americans to get vaccinated as the Delta variant continues to wreak havoc in the U.S. The president also highlighted that unvaccinated individuals affect other people. "Your decision to be unvaccinated people impacts someone else. Unvaccinated people spread the virus. They get sick and fill up our hospitals," the president said, adding that there will be no hospital beds available for those individuals who suffer from other diseases such as heart attack. "If in fact, you are unvaccinated, you present a problem," Biden noted. ABC 7 reported that about 60 percent of American adults were known to be fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, the president's goal of 70 percent of American adults to be partially inoculated with COVID vaccines has yet to be reached, with the latest figure at 69.3 percent. READ MORE: Justice Department Urges Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to Walk Back on His New Migrant Order This article is owned by Latin Post Written by: Joshua Summers WATCH: Joe Biden Announces New Covid Vaccine Incentives, Mandates For Federal Workers - From NBC News Six men found murdered and dismembered at a rural area in Mexico were believed to be victims of an attack launched by a rival Mexican drug cartel. The victims' bodies showed severe torture marks, but forensic personnel of the Michoacan State Attorney General's Office said they were killed by asphyxiation, The Rio Times reported. Authorities said the mutilated bodies were found in a town called El Zapote at the municipality of Villa Jimenez in Michoacan state at around 2 p.m. The six bodies were already brought to the Forensic Medical Service to be identified and eventually claimed by their relatives. The Michoacan State Attorney General's Office said the investigation revolves around the possibility that the brutal attack resulted from revenge between Mexican drug cartels, which is usually happening in Michoacan. According to the Michoacan Public Security Secretariat, Mexican drug cartels, namely the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, the Knights Templar, and the New Michoacan Family, operate in Villa Jimenez and nearby municipalities. There were reports of a serious wave of regular violence between Mexican drug cartels looking to establish their dominance around the state, with regions of Tierra Caliente, Costa, and Bajo being the hot spots. Mexican drug cartels are fighting for the production and trafficking of drugs like marijuana, "poppy," and methamphetamine in the regions of Costa, Tierra Caliente, and Bajio, The Daily Star reported. The brutal attacks by gunmen had occurred just months before Alfredo Ramirez Bedolla takes office on October 1 as governor of the state after winning the elections on June 6. READ NEXT: Mexico: Disappearances on 'Highway of Death' Continue to Rise Revenge Attacks by Mexican Drug Cartels Like Jalisco Cartel Jalisco cartel has been known for bloody killing and dismembering bodies, with some of their actions being recorded on video. In March, a known presumed head of the Nueva Plaza Cartel was found with his body wrapped in plastic on a park bench in downtown Tlaquepaque, which is in Mexico's state of Jalisco. He was identified as Carlos Enrique Sanchez with a moniker "El Cholo," USA Today reported. His body was stuck with two knives with pinned signs reading that he was "the traitor, El Cholo." El Cholo was considered to be the right-hand man of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, commonly known by his alias "El Mencho," before he left the group. El Mencho is a suspected leader of the Jalisco cartel and was known to be one of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's most-wanted drug lords. El Cholo separated from the Jalisco cartel in 2017 after reportedly ordering the killing of Marcos Hernandez, who is a cartel financial operator that told El Mencho about robberies that El Cholo was allegedly responsible for. El Cholo formed his own gang, the "Nueva Plaza Cartel," who was supported by the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the Jalisco cartel's biggest enemies. El Cholo's Nueva Plaza Cartel and the Jalisco cartel fought over the years to control Mexico's western states. Marisol Ochoa, a Tamaulipas security expert at Mexico's Iberoamericana University, earlier said that the violent rampage of Mexican drug cartels could have been to dispel any sense of security among the population. Ochoa noted that sowing fear among the general population is also an instrument for criminal groups, InSight Crime reported. The U.S. has partnered closely with its southern neighbor in its fight against Mexican drug cartels by providing Mexico billions of funding to modernize its security forces. The funding was also given to reform its judicial system and make other investments, according to a Council on Foreign Relations report. Mexico has been a leading source of fentanyl along with China. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, which was 50 times stronger than heroin. READ MORE: Clashing Mexican Drug Cartels Leave 2 Police and 7 Others Dead in Mexico This article is owned by Latin Post Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Mexican Cartels Are Arming Themselves With Powerful US Sniper Rifles - From Vice News A jaguar had clawed a Florida man after the visitor had jumped a zoo barrier and stuck his hand inside the jaguar exhibit. It happened at the Jacksonville Zoo. The man was not identified. However, Jacksonville Fire-Rescue said that he was in his 20s and had acquired non-life-threatening injuries and is seen to survive, according to a People report. Four feet of empty space was provided between the visitors and the jaguar enclosure. However, the man managed to jump over, according to the zoo's spokeswoman, Kelly Rouillard. She added that the man had started taunting the jaguar and reached his hand through the fence. The 12-year-old jaguar named Harry clawed the man and injured him. The spokeswoman said that the jaguar was acting as part of his normal behavior for a wild animal. Rouillard added that it did not expect anything to happen to him, according to an Associated Press News report. Officials also confirmed that Harry was involved in a fight that left another jaguar dead earlier this year. Deputy zoo director Dan Maloney said that the man was not using his head. Maloney added that the man had stuck his hand in through the mesh that separates the jaguars from the outside, according to a New York Post report. One zoogoer had seen employees cleaning up a trail of blood after the man was carried out, according to one report. It was lucky that the jaguar did not hold on to the man as it would have been a different story, according to Maloney. Officials had reminded zoo visitors that it is advised they do not engage with animals or try to jump over fences that were installed for their safety. Meanwhile, Jacksonville Zoo did not immediately respond to the request to comment on the matter. READ NEXT: Gov. Ron DeSantis Wants Florida to Boycott Ben & Jerry's Over Its Stance on Israel-Palestine Conflict Zoo Attacks Tragedy can ensue when humans get too close to wild animals at the zoo, such as the case in some zoos around the world. In San Francisco Zoo, a 350-pound Siberian tiger named Tatiana managed to escape its cage in 2007. The tiger had killed one out of the three men it mauled, according to an ABC News report. A 17-year-old from San Jose, California was killed, while the other two had to undergo surgery to treat their wounds. Authorities were unsure how the tiger managed to escape. However, it was clear that the feline traveled over a 20-foot wall and a 15-foot moat. At first, authorities worried that four of the zoo's five tigers had escaped. However, they learned later on that Tatiana was the only one loose. Employees and visitors were told to take shelter when zoo officials learned of the attacks. Tatiana was sitting beside one of the surviving victims near the zoo's cafe. When Tatiana moved towards the officers, they opened fire and killed the tiger. In 2009, a Polar Bear in Berlin Zoo bit a woman's back after the visitor had jumped a fence and entered a polar bear enclosure during feeding time. She was pulled to safety and treated for severe injuries. READ MORE: Republican Lawmaker Warren Davidson Introduces Bill Banning Private Businesses From Using COVID Vaccine Passports This article is owned by Latin Post Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Man who stuck his hand in jaguars exhibit at Jax Zoo hospitalized - from News4JAX Mexico, under the administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, is set to release thousands of elderly, tortured, and unsentenced inmates from federal prisons. The Mexican president said Thursday, July 29, that he would issue a decree that could release thousands of elderly inmates or those who have spent 10 years or more in prison and have not been convicted of any serious crimes. KVOA reported that more than 12,000 inmates from federal prisons could be eligible for release. According to the Associated Press, around 7,200 suspects are in prison on federal charges but with no verdict. READ NEXT: Mexico's New Vigilante Group Blames Supporters for Setting Fire to Offices, Businesses Mexico President to Sign a Decree that Would Release Inmates From Federal Prison The announcement of the inmates' release came as Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador wanted to address the slow, outdated, and abuse-ridden legal system in Mexico. The Mexican president said the order would also apply to federal prisoners who have been tortured. He noted that these individuals would be released by September 15, DW reported. "No one deserves to be tortured.. We cannot continue with these medieval practices, completely contrary to the most basic human rights," Lopez Obrador said. Apart from the tortured inmates, the decree would also free federal prisoners aged 75 and older who have not committed serious crimes, along with non-violent inmates over 65 with chronic illnesses. Federal prisoners who have not yet been sentenced for non-serious offenses and have been behind bars for more than 10 years will also be released. The government estimated that there are about 300 inmates who are over 65 years old in federal prisons. "It is important to take into account that there are many detainees, inmates, who do not have a sentence, and that is not only federal jurisdiction, it is also common jurisdiction," Lopez Obrador noted. Many of the provisions mentioned in the president's plan already exist in the present legal guidelines of Mexico but have not been applied. The order is expected to be signed by Lopez Obrador next week. Tortured Inmates in Mexico Federal Prisons In the decree, tortured prisoners would be released no matter what crime they were accused of or how long they had been held. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador earlier promised to get rid of the torture of prisoners following harsh criticism from the United Nations and human rights groups. Rights groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International noted that beatings, psychological and sexual abuse, and other methods have reportedly been used on prisoners. This approached has allegedly been used by the government in its drug war. Rights groups further noted that the torture in Mexican prisons was also being done to acquire confession from suspected criminals. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador prefers a policy known as "hugs, not gunshots" as part of his softer criminal justice and drug policy compared to his predecessors. The Mexican president earlier floated the idea of giving amnesty for drug traffickers. READ MORE: Builder of El Chapo and Sinaloa Cartel Narco Tunnels Gets 10 Years in Prison This article is owned by Latin Post Written By: Joshua Summers WATCH: Inside Mexico's Biggest Prison - El Reclusorio Oriente - From Ioan Grillo Front-page featured End of eviction moratorium looms Associated Press Housing activists erect a sign in Swampscott, Mass, last October urging an end to evictions. A federal freeze on most evictions is set to expire Saturday. EAU CLAIRE Housing advocates fear the expiration this weekend of a federal moratorium on most evictions could result in a surge in homelessness in the Chippewa Valley even though significant aid is available to help folks who have fallen behind on their rent. The eviction moratorium, put in place last year by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and extended multiple times, is scheduled to expire Saturday. It is credited with keeping millions of tenants in their homes as they struggled with lost jobs, lower wages and health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Were expecting to see more families living in their cars or in other less desirable options after the eviction moratorium ends, said Michelle Pride, a volunteer with the Chippewa Valley Street Ministry, which provides food, clothing and companionship to homeless individuals in the area. We also think well see more families or people affected whove never faced homelessness before. A lifeline is available, however, for many people who could face eviction. Gov. Tony Evers announced $322 million in funding in February through the Wisconsin Emergency Rental Assistance Program to help people stay in their homes as part of federal coronavirus relief. So far, community action agencies have distributed nearly $46 million of that money to 12,482 Wisconsin households. With the vast majority of that money still available, those agencies are ramping up efforts to get the word out to people who might be eligible for the assistance. Renters who earn up to 80% of their countys median income can apply for aid through local social organizations. The money can be used to cover up to 15 months of rent for individuals who certify they have been financially affected by the pandemic. Officials at Western Dairyland Economic Opportunity Council said they have been providing rental assistance from the emergency program since February but believe a need still exists for the aid. They have been using direct mail, social media and word of mouth to get the word out but still are receiving inquiries every day from people seeking help who are worried about being evicted. Its concerning with the moratorium coming to an end that there will still be folks out there that either havent gotten word about the emergency rental assistance or dont qualify and could end up in a homeless situation, said Kristin Walukas, WERA program manager for Whitehall-based Western Dairyland. As of Thursday, Western Dairyland had provided 643 households with $2.4 million in rental assistance across its service area of Eau Claire, Buffalo, Clark, Jackson and Trempealeau counties. We are expecting kind of an uptick in requests for assistance because of the end of the eviction moratorium, Walukas said. So far, weve been able to help the majority of those who apply, so Im optimistic well be able to work with folks. West CAP, which serves nine counties in northwestern Wisconsin including Dunn, Chippewa and Barron, has provided 783 households with about $3.1 million in rental assistance through the program, according to Jill Woodington, the Glenwood City-based agencys administrative manager and energy assistance coordinator. Many of those people have lost jobs, struggled to keep up with rising expenses, lost access to day care or been unable to return to work because a compromised immune system puts them at greater risk of contracting COVID-19, Woodington said. Both Walukas and Woodington said their agencies have been working with landlords to make sure theyre aware the aid has the ability to help them avoid evictions. Thats our goal to not have them on the street, Woodington said. Walukas said most landlords are familiar with the emergency aid program, and many of them have referred tenants to Western Dairyland. For the most part, landlords in this area are fantastic and have been patient and working with tenants, she said, noting that most landlords treat evictions as a last resort. Nobody wants to throw a family out on the street. Still, Walukas acknowledged, many landlords have had their income negatively affected by the pandemic as well. Recent estimates by Surgo Ventures, reported by The New York Times, indicate that 8.6% of renting households in Eau Claire County, 8% in Dunn County and 8.8% in Chippewa County owe back rent. The average amount owed by those households is $2,514 in Eau Claire County, $2,487 in Chippewa County and $3,107 in Dunn County. A potential short-term increase in evictions could have lasting effects on tenants by harming their rental history, said Pride, the street ministry volunteer. That could make it more difficult for those individuals to rent apartments in the future, possibly exacerbating a homelessness problem that has alarmed many Eau Claire residents with its increased visibility this summer. The increase in homeless people spotted in parks and other public spaces downtown is mostly about the loss of day services at the former Positive Avenues drop-in center and the unavailability of the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library, which is undergoing renovation and temporarily moved to a site out of downtown, said Kevin Burch, director of housing services for Catholic Charities, which operates the Sojourner House homeless shelter on South Barstow Street. The absence of those two common daytime hangouts leaves many homeless people with few choices about where to spend their days other than public spaces. There is a huge need for a facility with 24-7 wraparound services, Pride said. Until that happens, were going to continue to have a problem with people having nowhere to go. While some homeless advocates suggested there also has been a major increase in homelessness, Burch said thats not necessarily the case, as the 53-bed Sojourner House has been operating at only about 60% capacity recently. Some clients would rather be outside in the summer than in the close quarters of the shelter, he added. The citys largest homeless shelter is seeking approval for an expansion that would add more space to allow for social distancing but not add sleeping capacity. Catholic Charities officials hope to break ground this fall and open the expansion next year. Regarding a potential spike in homelessness after the eviction moratorium ends, Burch said its difficult to predict. We will know when we get there, he said. Were hoping we have advertised the rental funds that are out there enough that it wont be this big influx, but we just dont know. Weve never experienced anything like this before. Before Ken Smollen began his campaign to tackle food poverty, he was a Garda for over 30 years. In April of 2012 he retired from Portlaoise Garda Station and shortly afterwards began his mission. I have learned a hell of a lot more about lifestyles than I ever did in 30 years as a guard, he said. It was in 2016 when Ken began his journey. I used to go to repossession court to support families being evicted. It was there that I encountered a family handing over the keys of their house and being forced to live in their car. A few weeks later they told me they were travelling to Dublin as there was nowhere in the Midlands where they could receive food, he explained. On his first night in Dublin, he witnessed over 195 people queuing just for something to eat that night. He returned the following week and was told there were 255. Outside of the GPO I found more than 450 people queuing. This included young people holding babies, old people on Zimmer frames, he said. Three of the people I spoke to happened to be from Offaly, travelling just to get something to eat. It was here that Ken and a handful of volunteers decided to look for these local families travelling for food, and see what could be done for them, as there were little supports in the Midlands for people in this situation. Many people are embarrassed about needing help and are too ashamed to call local charities such as St. Vincent de Paul, because most of the volunteers in these charities are local, confided Ken. To combat this, the KS Food Appeal promises utter confidentiality. The volunteers helping to package the food dont know where I go with it. They dont want to know, and I will never say, and its been like this since day one. The group began helping just a handful of people, and now are currently helping 976 families in Offaly and surrounding counties. I think it is wonderful that these people arent living in shameful poverty. Children are my main focus, no matter what the problem is, no matter what blame could be pushed on parents, this is about children; children are innocent, said the Offaly councillor. Back in 2013 there was research done on food poverty by two trade unions. They broke it down by county, but overall, there were 600,000 people experiencing food poverty every day on the island of Ireland. The figures showed that in Offaly, there were 8900 experiencing food poverty daily, with 8,800 in Laois, and 9,300 in Westmeath. In total, there were in excess of 100,000 people in Offaly and surrounding counties experiencing food poverty every day. Yet Ken believes that these figures are wrong. The figure of 600,00 is wrong. With the help of NUIG, we have determined that it is now more than 750,000 people, with half of that being children. Different reports come from different people, but the figures are crazy and three times the believed amount, he said. This is where my focus is. Every day, from half past 4, I have my cup of coffee and begin work. On average, I deliver food to 20 families a day. Some days its 15, some days Its 30. They could be anywhere, but because people in Tullamore know me, I do a lot of work there particularly. I have over 350 families here that I help. If you had asked me six years ago how many people in Tullamore live in poverty, I would have said 10-15. Yet there are 350 families with a once monthly visit to make life easier for them, he said. The Offaly man believes that food poverty was ultimately worsened by the bank bailouts. Many families lost their jobs, while there were tax increases and charges on levies. So many people arent earning a fraction of what they did then, he explained. A lot of families are paying huge rents because of the housing crisis or are struggling with a mortgage. Women in particular will often go 1-3 days a week without eating in order to feed their children. Our team would not work without the assistance from dedicated people and decent and generous businesses, there are clubs and schools helping us with this too. They will help pack and collect non-perishable foods for me to deliver, he says. Of the food bags provided, there are approximately 30 items that go into each bag. The service is provided 7 days a week, 365 days a year, Christmas Day included. The voluntary group has founded branches called Family Rescue Teams in Ballyroan, Moate, Athlone, Portarlington/Mountmellick and Banagher. The KS Food Appeal the best way for the public to help is to establish a Family Rescue Team in their area. A team could be you and your neighbours, you and your family or your friends. You meet once a month and gather food, and I will travel to you to pick it up, Ken explained. For example, this morning I collected a full van load of food from Cloghan. A load of people got together and once a month food is left into Cloghan Hall. This is exactly how people can help us. The journey for the Ken Smollen Food Appeal has been slow, but it is widening. The problem is that we are not even scratching the surface of this crisis. There are so many families that wont even contact anyone, even if they are told its confidential. People's pride and feelings of embarrassment and shame can prevent them from asking for help. Recently I have had children contacting me asking me to help their family. With the campaign running close to five years now, Ken believes that the group still has much work to do. I believe that this will expand, because it has to. If it does not expand, families experiencing food poverty will have no one getting to them. Their children will grow up and raise their children in similar circumstances. We have to prevent this and look after the children. I just didnt realise how bad things were, you never hear about it in the media. It is a hidden Ireland that really exists, hidden because people are afraid to talk about it. When people won't talk about it, the government will not solve it. If people do not discuss their experiences, then to the government, such issues do not exist. If it does not exist, it does not need solving, which suits the government perfectly. In the 21st century, it's crazy, and it must be solved once and for all. If I can help people, I will. It does not matter if they are from Tullamore, or even Offaly. My phone number is open to everybody. The one thing I ask is that you preferably leave me a text message with your information. If you are calling me, please leave a voice message. I travel a lot making it hard to take details over the phone, but I promise we will get back to you, he concludes. You can contact Ken at (085) 143 2898 or on his Facebook page. All five of the management team in Laois County Council are male and now that one is departing, a female county councillor has suggested that he is replaced by a woman. Director of Services for housing Joe Delaney (below) from Tipperary only joined the Laois local authority weeks before the pandemic began, and has handed in his notice to leave for Limerick County Council this September. His colleagues included three male Directors of Services and the CEO John Mulholland. Fine Gael Cllr Aisling Moran wants his replacement to be a woman. "Look at having a woman, you are all boys and no girls. Put in an woman and change the dynamics," she suggests. Cllr Willie Aird noted that the last female Director of Services in Laois County Council was Annmarie Delaney who left in 2017 to become the CEO of Offaly County Council. Cllr James Kelly from Mountrath suggested that there be a geographical not gender preference. "I suggest that instead of asking for a female, we ask that they come from the Tipperary or Limerick area because they would come through our area first in Laois," he said. Cllr John King thanked Joe Delaney, comparing him to Joe Duffy. "I always judge on how quickly people come back to councillors and in a tough time, Joe would almost always come back in the same day. Housing in Laois is in a better place as a result of his work. When you've only been here for 12 or 14 months, we could do with two or three years of Joe. The country has Joe Duffy but we can be very proud of you Joe Delaney, I thank you for your work in Borris-in-Ossory," he said. "He brought an awful lot of houses to the county, a proactive individual, I wish him well," said Stradbally Cllr Paschal McEvoy. The CEO John Mulholland thanked Mr Delaney for his work. "He was an extraordinarily valuable and hard working knowledgeable professional. He arrived at the beginning of the pandemic when he was scarcely able to get around the county, but he managed it remotely, we'll expect him back as a tourist instead. I wish him well," he said. Mr Delaney reflected on the housing situation in Laois. "There is a lot of work still to be done but there are great teams in housing and planning. I've enjoyed my period in Laois," he said. People in Laois and the rest of the country have been urged to be vigilant near water after a shocking nine people have drowned at waterways on the island of Ireland in seven days. This has prompted Water Safety Ireland to make a national stay safe appeal to the public throughout the Bank Holiday weekend and the month of August. People are advised to swim only at Lifeguarded waterways or in areas that are traditionally known to be safe and have ringbuoys available for rescues. Water Safety Irelands Better Safe, Than Sorry appeal 1. As you social distance, avoid swimming in unfamiliar areas that are potentially unsafe. Swim at Designated Bathing Areas where lifeguards are on duty full list available at www.watersafety.ie/lifeguards/ 2. If there is no Designated Bathing Area near you, then visit https://watersafety.ie/open-water-swimming/ for comprehensive advice. Swim at known traditional bathing areas where there are ringbuoys erected that you can use for rescues. Ask for local knowledge to determine local hazards and safest areas to swim. Pay attention to any safety signage identifying hazards. 3. Swim within your depth and stay within your depth. Make sure that the edges are shallow shelving so that you can safely and easily enter and exit the water. 4. To escape a rip current, swim parallel to the shore and then swim back ashore. See www.watersafety.ie/rip-currents/ 5. Inflatable toys pose a real threat to life and should not be used at open water locations as the slightest breeze can take children away from shore, out of their depth. Parents and guardians need to be particularly careful to ensure that children are supervised at all times in, near or on water. 6. Never swim in quarries or reservoirs. 7. Alcohol is a factor in one third of drownings never mix alcohol with water activities. 8. Always wear a correctly fitting lifejacket when boating and have a means of communication in a waterproof pouch. 9. Beware of stranding by incoming tides. Carry a charged phone at all times and in an emergency, call 112 and ask for the Coast Guard. 10. If you see somebody in trouble in the water: SHOUT REACH THROW a. SHOUT to calm, encourage and orientate them; b. REACH with anything that prevents you from entering the water (clothing/stick); c. THROW a ringbuoy or any floating object to them. Know The Lifeguard Flags No Lifeguard flag means that there is no Lifeguard on duty. A red flag means that a Lifeguard is on duty but has deemed conditions to be too unsafe to swim. The red and yellow flags mean a Lifeguard is on duty and the Lifeguard is patrolling between those flags. Visit www.watersafety.ie for more information. Just over 270 million was spent staffing prisons in Portlaoise and other parts of Ireland in 2020 with with the cost per inmate rising by nearly 7% to more than 80,000 due to 'extraordinary' factors, according to the Irish Prison Service annual report. The report says the annual budget last year was 408.09 m of which salaries, wages and allowances accounted for 270.60 million or 66.3% of the gross budget. There was capital budget of 47.52 m and a budget for goods/services of 89.97 m. These budget figures include an increased allocation of 15.66 under the Government Stimulus package. The report says that the capital budget was used to pay for projects such as Limerick Prison as well as new ICT equipment and vehicle purchases. MORE DETAILS BELOW LINK While the average number in custody peaked at 4,108 in February 2020, it declined by 10.3% (-424) during the pandemic. The Irish Prison Service says it operated within the voted funds in 2020 but the cost per prisoner rose. The average annual cost of an available, staffed prison space during the calendar year 2020 was 80,445, a 6.7% increase on the 2019 cost of 75,349. This figure includes all elements of net expenditure incurred within the year (such as salaries, utilities/maintenance, ICT, prison services, etc.) excluding capital expenditure on buildings and vehicle purchases. The report claims that the increase on the 2019 figures is due to a number of "extraordinary, once off factors" leading to additional significant costs during 2020. The says these costs, totalling 16.7 m, have had a once off impact on the calculations, and were in respect of an additional pay period for prison officers due to the timing of payroll payment 2020 runs, COVID pandemic related costs and once off approved Stimulus costs. If these extraordinary, once off expenditure items were to be removed from the calculations above, the cost per available, staffed prison space for 2020 would reduce from 80,445, as above, to 76,632, an increase of 1,283 on the 2019 figure, said the report. The 2020 report says energy spend was 5.8 million in 2020 representing a 6% increase on 2019 spend. The report adds expenditure of approximately 7 million was incurred in 2020 as a result of the pandemic such as: Staff costs, medical PPE, virus detection measures, deep cleaning & infection control, industrial cleaning, bedding, laundry and catering contingencies, ICT for improved prisoner services and remote working for staff. At the end of 2020, there were, 3,455.38 (fulltime equivalent) staff in the Irish Prison Service. The IPS says more details are available on www.irishprisons.ie. Major capital funding of 6.45 million is set to be spent on health infrastructure in Laois with a large chunk of the cash fund a new respiratory unit in Portlaoise hospital, according Laois Offaly TD Sean Fleming. The Minister of State at the Department of Finance said the capital expenditure is contained in the National Health Capital Plan for 2021. He said he has been speaking with the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly on these matters over recent months with the result that funding has been given the green light. Minister Fleming said the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise is getting 4.66million for a new Respiratory Assessment Unit, additional clinical and administration accommodation, AMHU anti-ligature works, 200,000, and the provision of nine isolation units, 500,000 as well as the reconfiguration of the maternity ward, 100,000. The respiratory unit and isolation beds had previously been announced by the HSE with a view to equipping the hospital so that Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 respiratory patients could be seen separately. The new Respiratory Assessment Unit (RAU) will see the construction of a two-storey 800 m2 modular building to provide respiratory assessment unit for Emergency Department to segregate patients. It was outlined in the HSE's Pandemic Plan. The Fianna Fail TD said St Vincents Hospital, Mountmellick is getting 950,000 for new build to increase bed capacity. The redevelopment of the residential care facility has been ongoing in recent years to meet HIQA standards. The three GP Mountrath Health Centre is getting a 340,000 boost in the form of an extension and additional accommodation. Meanwhile, funding has also been announced for the further development of the St Fintans Hospital, Portlaoise. Minister Fleming said it is getting 300,000 for new primary care centre and refurbishment works for the Child and Adolescent Unit (CAMHS). Work has been ongoing at the facility as part of an masterplan to repurpose the former long-stay psychiatric hospital. An extensive primary care centre is included in this masterplan. Meanwhile, on the same campus, the Maryborough Residential Centre is getting 200,000 for the provision of single ensuite accommodation. The centre was the sight of nine deaths from Covid-19 over the Easter weekend of 2020. Minister Fleming added that, in addition to the above capital developments, work is underway at the hospital in Portlaoise and at the hospital in Abbeyleix. There have been question marks over the HSE's and Government's commitment in particular to Portlaoise hospital but the junior Minister said the spending shows that the coalition backs the upgrade of health facilities for the people of Laois. "This funding demonstrates our absolute commitment to improving the health services in Co Laois for all people in the county and surrounding areas who use these facilities. I will continue to fight for and use my position in Government to ensure improved health services in Portlaoise and Co Laois," he said. Minister Fleming's Green Part colleague Senator Pippa Hackett also welcome the money and funding for the Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore. Minister Pippa Hackett welcomes the upcoming publication by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly of the National Health Capital Plan for 2021. Its encouraging to see that in 2021, 6.25 will be spent on capital improvements in Laois and 4.4 will be spent in Offaly on a number of significant projects, which will see improvements in health care facilities across the constituency, she said. The funding for projects in Tullamore also relates to improvements outlined in the pandemic plan. Laois County Council has signed the contracts for retrofitting of 62 local authority-owned houses in the county. The council says the retrofitting of homes in Mountain View, Portlaoise, Quigley Park Rathdowney and Radharc Alainn, Arles will result in warmer, more comfortable homes and benefit householders health through improved air quality. After the works, it is claimed that the Building Energy Ratings (BER) of homes will typically have gone from an E- or D- rating to a B2. They will be expected to be substantially cheaper to heat than similar homes heated by oil or gas. A council statement says the works, which are part of the Midlands Retrofit Programme have been awarded to Retrofit Design Ltd who will be working in conjunction with BCD Energy Consultants and Laois County Council. Construction works are due to begin in Q3 2021 and works will typically involve insulation, upgrades of windows and doors and installation of heat pumps (renewable energy heating systems), as committed to under the Programme for Government. It is claimed that this will help Irelands efforts to combat climate change. John Mulholland, Chief Executive Laois County Council backed the scheme for being good for the environment and give people more comfortable homes in the process. This retrofitting programme will allow Laois County Council to further progress the business of taking action at local level to reduce carbon emissions and to improve the domestic comfort of many people that reside in publicly owned building stock around the County, he said. The council says retrofitting of homes means actions to improve the buildings insulation or heating systems to improve its energy efficiency. Under the programme, selected council-owned houses in the Midlands region will be retrofitted to a BER of B2 (or to a cost-optimal level). It says works will typically involve insulation of attics, walls and roofs; upgrading of windows and doors; replacement of heating systems with heat pumps; and the installation of LED lighting. It should result in the BER of a house improving from a D- or E- to a B2. The benefits include: Easier to heat all rooms. Improved comfort from insulation. No ash from solid fuel boilers. Indoor air quality improved. Outdoor air quality is improved. More convenient heating. No longer the need to regularly feed a solid fuel heat sources. Less carbon dioxide. Helps combat climate change. The Midlands Retrofit Programme is part of the Governments Just Transition for the Midlands. Under Budget 2020, 20 million was allocated from the Carbon Tax to the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government to target the retrofitting of approximately 750 homes in the Midlands. Eight counties are included in the Midlands Retrofit Programme. The contract signing at for the Social Housing Retrofitting scheme was attended at Laois County Council by: John Mulholland (Chief Executive, Laois Coounty Council), Cllr Conor Bergin (Cathaoirleach Laois Co Co) and Chris Scanlon (Retrofit Design Ltd). Pat Treacy ( Laois Co Co), Joe Delaney ( Laois Co Co) and Trevor Hennessy (Acting Senior Engineer, Laois Co Co), Thomas Campion ( B.C.D. Energy) and Denis O'Connor (Retrofit Design Ltd). For info : www.housing.gov.ie/housing/building-standards/energy-performance-buildings/midlands-retrofit-programme-local-authority Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider subscribing to our ePaper and/or free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Senior Kinahan cartel lieutenant Declan Brady has been jailed for seven years and three months for laundering crime cash while his wife and former mistress have received fully suspended sentences at the Special Criminal Court. The trio appeared in court this morning, with Declan Brady in the dock as he is already serving a sentence for firearms offences. His wife Deirdre Brady hugged family members after receiving a three-year suspended sentence for her role in laundering 770,499. Erika Lucacs (37) also received a fully suspended three-year sentence for laundering 196,864. Mr Justice Tony Hunt said it would be disproportionate to jail the women as, he said, they did not participate in the underlying criminality that was the source of the cash. Were it not for their association with Declan Brady they would not have found themselves before the court, he said, and they had previously unblemished records. Mr Justice Hunt gave Declan Brady, known as Mr Nobody, of The Park, Wolstan Abbey, Celbridge, Co Kildare a sentence of eight years and three months with the final year suspended. On April 23 last, Mr Brady pleaded guilty to concealing cash to the value of 268,940 in the attic of The Dairy, Rathasker Road, Naas, Co Kildare, on January 24, 2017. On April 13, Brady's wife Deirdre Brady and Lukacs pleaded guilty to two money laundering offences. Mrs Brady and Lukacs were originally charged with a total of 52 money laundering offences. Mrs Brady, of The Bailey, Castlefarm, Naas, Co Kildare pleaded guilty to concealing or disguising the true nature or source of money credited to a Permanent TSB Account on various dates between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014, within the State, knowing or believing or being reckless as to whether the property, in the names of Declan Brady and Deirdre Brady, was the proceeds of criminal conduct. Lukacs, with an address at Lakelands, Naas, Co Kildare, admitted to concealing or disguising the true nature or source of money credited to an Allied Irish Bank account on various dates between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012, within the State, knowing or believing or being reckless as to whether the property, in the name of Erika Lukacs, was the proceeds of criminal conduct. At a later hearing Brady pleaded guilty to 17 more money laundering offences and Lukacs pleaded guilty to five more money laundering offences. The presiding judge in the trial of four men accused of abducting and torturing Kevin Lunney has asked a defence lawyer if he is suggesting that gardai engaged in "hanky panky" by planting the businessman's DNA in a van. Lawyers for three of the accused said gardai seized the Renault Kangoo and kept it in a forensic examination facility in Santry in Dublin that could be accessed by multiple gardai, yet no record was kept of who came and went. They said Dr Edward Connolly of Forensic Science Ireland found an area of red and brown suspected blood staining in the van two days after experienced forensic examiners carried out a full examination and found nothing. Swabs taken from the area identified by the scientist were tested and revealed DNA matching Mr Lunney's. Giollaiosa O'Lideadha SC, for the accused man Alan O'Brien, said the defence is concerned that there is a "reasonable basis to conclude that the stain was not there on October 29 and it clearly was there on the 31st." He said it "arises as a reasonable possibility" that someone with DNA matching Mr Lunney's got into the Santry facility and put his DNA in the van. Presiding judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt asked if Mr O'Lideadha was suggesting the blood was "planted". Counsel replied that he doesn't have to prove it was deliberate. Mr Justice Hunt said the defence lawyers were suggesting "hanky panky" by gardai. The defence are challenging the admissibility of the DNA evidence and the three-judge, non-jury court is expected to rule on that challenge next Tuesday when the trial resumes. Lawyers also argued that they have been deprived of an opportunity to carry out their own forensic examination of the van because it was destroyed in a fire after it was moved from Santry to a storage yard in Cavan in February 2020. The trial has heard the fire was caused by defective walkie-talkie battery chargers which had been left operating overnight in an adjoining office. Mr O'Lideadha said gardai had failed in their responsibility to preserve evidence by leaving the van in a place where batteries were charging overnight. "Everyone knows you shouldn't do that," he said. Sean Guerin SC for the prosecution said the defence had offered no basis for saying the destruction of the van had disadvantaged them. He said any test carried out by experts for the defence would not have undermined the first test which revealed DNA matching Mr Lunney's. A 40-year-old man named as YZ, Alan OBrien (40), of Shelmalier Road, East Wall, Dublin 3, Darren Redmond (27), from Caledon Road, East Wall, Dublin 3 and Luke OReilly (68), with an address at Mullahoran Lower, Kilcogy, Co Cavan have all pleaded not guilty to false imprisonment and intentionally causing serious harm to Mr Lunney at Drumbrade, Ballinagh, Co Cavan on September 17, 2019. Mr Lunney has told the court that he was bundled into the boot of a car near his home and driven to a container where he was threatened and told to resign as a director of Quinn Industrial Holdings. His abductors cut him with a Stanley knife, stripped him to his boxer shorts, doused him in bleach, broke his leg with two blows of a wooden bat, beat him on the ground, cut his face and scored the letters QIH into his chest. They left him bloodied, beaten and shivering on a country road at Drumcoghill in Co Cavan where he was discovered by a man driving a tractor. Michael O'Higgins SC, for YZ, said it is "odd" that no record is kept of who comes and goes from the Santry facility. He said that when experienced members of the Garda Technical Bureau examined the van on October 29 they didn't notice the "brown, reddish" stain which Dr Connolly found two days later. He pointed out that Dr Connolly said the stain was visible without the assistance of chemical agents and he would expect it to be found by a technical examiner. He said a member of the National Surveillance Unit (NSU) gave evidence that he accessed the van on October 23 to recover a surveillance device that had been placed in the van two days earlier. The NSU detective's visit, counsel said, was not recorded and was only disclosed to the defence this week after they raised concerns about the preservation of the van. He said the complaints made by the defence are not "fanciful or absurd" and that the manner in which the van was preserved was "far from ideal". Regarding the fire, counsel said he doesn't have the building blocks to make the case that it was started maliciously. He added: "It doesnt have to be an act of malice. If it was stored in an unsafe building, that is unsatisfactory." He said it is unfair that the defence is unable to carry out their own forensic tests on the van. Mr O'Lideadha said the fundamental issue for the court to consider is whether the destruction of the van causes any unfairness to the accused. He said it is reasonably possible the stains were not there on the 29th because forensic examiners did not see them despite Dr Connolly's evidence, which Mr O'Lideadha summarised as: "if it had been there it would have been seen." He said the defence does not accept any of Dr Connolly's evidence but he can't contradict the scientist because the van has been destroyed. He said he does not accept the prosecution's theory that one of Mr Lunney's attackers transferred the blood to the Kangoo on their clothes or hands. He added: "Therefore we wanted an expert examination to test all aspects of the matter, including whether that substance or DNA got into that vehicle after October 23 [when it was seized by gardai]." He described it as a "matter of the greatest significance" and said it is not for the defence to prove that evidence has been planted but it is the right of an accused person to have a fair trial. Mr Guerin said there was no suggestion of misconduct by gardai regarding the fire. He said the suggestion that nobody should leave vehicles in an area where batteries are charging overnight is "entirely divorced from the reality of modern life." There was no obvious defect with the battery chargers and no failure on the part of the people operating the facility, he said. He added: "Nobody in the modern world would accept that a building is unsafe because there are batteries charging overnight." Any further DNA profiles produced from the van, counsel said, would not diminish the probative value of Mr Lunney's DNA being there and no further examinations could have shown when the DNA material was deposited. Nothing said by the defence, he said, had shown how they were disadvantaged by the loss of the van. Counsel could not say why the Santry facility does not keep a log of who comes and goes. Mr Justice Hunt said: "It seems rather odd." Mr Guerin replied: "It is described as a secure facility and there is no reason to believe it was interfered with in any way." Mr Justice Hunt is presiding with Judge Gerard Griffin and Judge David McHugh. A man who assisted in imprisoning and assaulting a teenager during a four day reign of terror in County Cavan house has been jailed for two-and-a-half years. The man (23) assaulted the victim with a wrench and a dumbbell during the incident, while his twin sister (23) carved the numbers 666 into the victim's forehead. The main male accused (27) subjected the victim to the ordeal after forming the irrational view that the victim had ratted on him, based on the fact that the victim was not served a charge sheet upon his release from custody after being found in possession of drugs. The Central Criminal Court heard that during the ordeal, the instigator stabbed the victim with a number of knives and cut a crescent shape onto the victim's face, which the court heard in certain circles bears the inference of a rat scar. The instigator also at one point inserted a dildo or other sex toy into the victim's back passage. The ordeal came to an end after material recorded during the events and uploaded to social media came to the attention of the victim's friends and family and they were able to use a tracking device on his phone to locate them. They went to this address and enabled the victim to escape. The victim was aged 19 at the time of the offences. None of the parties in the case can be named for legal reasons. The instigator pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault, assault causing serious harm, false imprisonment, making threats to kill, assault causing harm and robbery, all at a location in Co Cavan between October 17 and October 20, 2019. This man has a total of 26 previous convictions in this jurisdiction and in Northern Ireland, including convictions for theft, possession of drugs for sale or supply, possession of knives and other articles and public order offences. Mr Justice Michael White today sentenced him to 11 years imprisonment, but suspended the final two years of the sentence on strict conditions including that he follow all directions of the Probation Service for two years post release. The male twin pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and two counts of assault causing harm, while the female twin pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and assault causing harm, all offences occurring at the same location in Co Cavan during the same period. The male twin has 11 previous convictions, including convictions for assault, theft, criminal damage and public order offences. The female twin has no previous convictions. The female twin was sentenced last May to four years imprisonment with the final three years and three months suspended. Passing sentence today, Justice White said the offences committed by the male twin constituted a breach of trust as he had been friends with the victim for over a year prior to the incident. Justice White said the offences were aggravated by their serious nature, the impact of the offending on the victim and the man's previous conviction for assault. He said the man's culpability is much less than that of the main male accused, but more serious than his twin sister. He said there was no evidence he was under the influence of the main male accused to the extent that his sister was. Justice White sentenced the man to five years imprisonment, but suspended the final two-and-a-half years of the sentence on strict conditions including that he undergo therapeutic intervention. At a previous sentencing hearing, a local detective sergeant told Patrick Gageby SC, prosecuting, that the victim came to know the main male accused in October 2019 in the context of them having mutual friends. The detective sergeant said that on October 17, 2019, the victim and this man went to Dublin where they purchased cannabis and Zopiclone tablets. Their conduct on the bus back to Co Cavan caused the driver to stop the bus and contact gardai who arrested both men. Gardai searched the two men in a garda station and found the drugs in the possession of the victim. Both men were released without charge and they retired to the accused's address. The detective sergeant said the accused formed the irrational view that the victim had ratted on him, basing this erroneous view on the fact that the victim had not been served a charge sheet upon his release from custody. From that point on until the victim's escape on October 20, the victim was subject to a constant refrain that he had been a rat in some way along with constant threats and actual violence towards him. The court heard that the victim was not free to leave the house and was effectively kept in the house at the beck and command of those inside it. There was also an amount of drug taking going on independently of the assaults. The main male accused stabbed the victim with a number of knives. He also cut a crescent shape onto the victim's face, which the court heard in certain circles bears the inference of a rat scar. The victim sustained cuts on his face, arms and body, as well as being hit with implements and subjected to threats that he and his family would be killed by the main male accused. His phone and wallet were also taken during the incident. The main male accused was joined by two acquaintances, the two co-accused in this case. The male twin hit the victim with a wrench and a dumbbell, while the female twin hit him with a HDMI cable and carved the numbers 666 into his forehead. At one stage during the incident, the main male accused told the victim to bend over a bed or his throat would be sliced. He then put shaving foam around the victim's back passage and inserted a dildo or other sex toy into the victim's back passage. The court heard that the co-accused were both present during this offence. This was apparently filmed by the main male accused and while there is no evidence that this was uploaded or circulated, quite an amount of other material recorded during the incident was uploaded. The victim was given speed to keep him awake over the course of the weekend. On two occasions he was forced to leave the address, on the first occasion to go begging for money and on the second to shoplift. Material uploaded to Snapchat came to the attention of the victim's friends and family and they were able to use a tracking device on his phone to locate them. They attended at this address and enabled the victim to escape. Gardai had also launched an investigation on foot of the material and arrested the main male accused at his parents home. During interview with gardai, the main male accused for the most part made no comment to the allegations that were put to him. In his victim impact statement, which was read before the court by the detective sergeant, the victim said he used to think of the main male accused as a good mate, but not after what happened. The victim said they used to have a laugh together, but now he cannot laugh at all. He said he is trying to recover from the incident and the accused has scarred him for life. Justice White said the ordeal had been a betrayal by friends for the victim, whom he said was remarkably understanding in his impact statement. Additional evidence The detective sergeant agreed with Michael O'Higgins SC, defending the main male accused, that his client developed the irrational belief the victim had implicated him to gardai and that appears on his part to have been in all probability influenced by drug taking. The main male accused told the court that he was sorry and addressed the victim, saying, I took that video in an attempt to embarrass you, but I only ended up embarrassing myself. He said his reaction to seeing a video recorded during the ordeal was disgust and shame. Mr OHiggins said his client had been bullied in his early teens and now recognised what he did as the actions of a bully. He said that if his client's drug abuse was removed, there was a significant possibility that his rehabilitation can be achieved. Counsel said that in sentencing the man there should be some correlation with the penalty given to his co-accused. A local garda agreed with Dominic McGinn SC, defending the male twin, that it was clear the horrific violence for the most extent was perpetrated by the main male accused. He agreed that on the basis of the videos, the main male accused was clearly an aggressive and dangerous individual. He agreed with counsel that his client and the victim had been friends prior to the incident and that they would drink and abuse drugs together. He agreed the male twin had invited the victim to live in his family home, but that they were both later told to leave the house. The garda agreed with counsel that his client essentially homeless at the time of the incident. He agreed the male twin has not come to the attention of gardai since the incident. Mr McGinn said his client was not an inherently bad man and was a man who for a period of his life was badly affected by intoxicants. He submitted that his client was now in work and is no longer abusing alcohol or taking illicit drugs. Counsel said his client made significant admissions when interviewed by gardai. He said that at the time of the incident his client was in a crisis of his own having tried to take his own life a week earlier. Mr McGinn said his client accepts he needs to be punished for what he did. The court heard that the female twin claimed that the main male accused was very violent and aggressive and had threatened her off camera to carve the numbers into the victims forehead. She said the man had threatened her family and had threatened to throw acid in her childs face. Counsel for the female twin said she was deeply ashamed and disgusted with herself for her actions. She had a difficult relationship with her mother. She had a history of drug addiction and mental health and a significant history of sexual abuse. She had a child when she was 16 years old. It was suggested that she was induced into taking significant drugs that day which she had never taken before and she then did everything she was told to do. Passing sentence yesterday , Justice White said the main male accused was the instigator of the false imprisonment. Justice White said the nature of the offending was an aggravating factor as the victim was subjected to a reign of terror over several days. He said the other aggravating factors were the impact of the violence on the victim and some of the activity being recorded and uploaded online. He said this was an order of criminality out of character to the main male accused's previous offending. He noted the accused has had behavioural difficulties since childhood which are aggravated by chronic drug use. LOOKING out over the cityscape from the new mayor Daniel Butlers third floor office, its easy to see why one would be proud of Limerick. Its an incredible city, and its amazing to be sitting up here as mayor: the variety in the skyscape. You can see St Johns Church, we have the very obvious river and the Curragower Falls, and they change depending on what day you see them. They change significantly. If the river changes, everything else around it seems to change with it. It represents what Limerick is at the moment. A city of change. Its moving, its always transitional, but full of life, he said. The man holding the coveted office this year was responsible for bringing the Limerick and Proud moniker into wider use, something which proudly features on the front of this newspaper, with the Twitter hashtag spreading to millions of people across the world in response to unwarranted negative coverage of the city. I decided why feed negative with negative, and lets instead show what we are proud of in Limerick, and the true side of Limerick, recalls Cllr Butler, with the first Tweets going out on social media in January 2015 following Donal MacIntyres TV3 documentary on local crime rates which continue to fall. It was, of course, brought to the forefront again earlier this year, following a less than favourable article in Forbes magazine. Another phrase, going up in the world is perhaps overused, but it seems apt in the drug education workers case. Its amazing to be sitting up here as mayor, he says, looking down on the streets below, I still picture myself as a young fella walking through town. I remember going to the Doc's, clubbing when I was 18 and 19, delighted I got in. Meeting my friends outside Todds as it was at the time. I cannot believe where Ive come from to where I am now. Its pretty mind-blowing, said Mayor Butler. The Fine Gael councillor has enjoyed a busy start to his time in office and thats likely to continue. He said: I think September and October are starting to fill up very quickly which is good news. If I am busy this year, it means Limerick is in a good place and were emerging from Covid-19. When I came into office here, someone said to me, the mayor starts tired and finishes exhausted. A father-of-two, Mayor Butler is synonymous with Raheen. Its there he lives with wife Tania and children Jacob, 5 and Layla, who is 11. While his father, Richard Butler represented Dooradoyle on the old Limerick County Council between 1999 and his untimely passing in 2013. The current mayor was co-opted into his seat. He has many relatives right across the county, stretching right up to the Kerry border, and his mother, Bernadette, grew up in Glin, then Ardagh. My mothers mother died giving birth to her sister at quite a young age, so one of her sisters then took on the mother role and my grandfather struggled after it. So all the family had to step up and continue to farm. My mum used to get up every morning and milk the cows before coming home to work in the home. They had it hard, and had to work hard. But Im very proud of my mum. She is an incredible woman, always on the go. A rock, and Im lucky to have her, said the first citizen. The new mayors election took place against the shadow of the ongoing pandemic this years annual general meeting taking place in the socially distanced surrounds of the Limerick Institute of Technology instead of County Hall in Dooradoyle. During the pandemic, Mayor Butler believes a sense of divisiveness between people has grown, particularly on social media. You can see this internationally, nationally and to a degree locally at times. You either agree with us or youre against us, theres no vary. With Covid-19, that was exacerbated, as there was a lot of blame going around, a lot of finger pointing. For the sake of a healthy society, we have to show compassion, we have to show forgiveness and we have to show empathy, he explained. Much of this discourse has taken place over Twitter and other internet social networks, and the first citizen hopes to run a small campaign to show the impact web abuse can have, adding its important to see what is happening from both the victim and the perpetrators side. Referring to those who do spread abuse on the web, the mayor says: Ill look at it empathetically. I think it just says where they are at. They are obviously struggling, and they dont know how to verbalise it. Covid-19 conditions have deemed it too early for the new mayor to make any major plans for his year in office. But he says he will not stray too far from his period as mayor of the metropolitan district in 2018, where he honoured ordinary people doing extraordinary things, using the analogy of the GAA volunteers erecting and then removing flags before and after games a vital if uncelebrated role. He hopes to honour Limericks Olympians when they return from Tokyo, perhaps enjoy a hurling date with destiny in Croke Park later in August. In some ways, the hurlers represent what is going on in the city. Limerick started doing things differently as a hurling team, and theyve produced the team of a generation. The confidence, the youthfulness and drive thats in the team, represents a lot of what Limerick is now, and besides success, its why people are getting behind them we see some of ourselves in them, adds Mayor Butler. When the hurlers finally broke a 45-year hex and won Liam MacCarthy in 2018, the City West councillor stood alone in Croke Park and looked to the heavens. For he dearly wanted his father Richard a minor county champion with Mungret to be able to witness the moment with him. I was there against Offaly, and remember the pain and anguish of getting off our seats, sitting on the steps ready to go onto the pitch and then for it all to fall apart. I know the pain, and to see when we won it, all the emotion just came out. An ambitious politician, Cllr Butler has ruled out seeking a Dail nomination at this time, saying its a case of family first. However, asked on the new Directly Elected Mayors role, an election for which could take place next year, he was more circumspect. Its something I get asked on average twice a week. I take it very much as a compliment if people consider me a suitable candidate. Its the one I wouldnt rule out, but its a massive role, he said. For now though, his sole focus is on his year in charge and he has asked the people of Limerick to not be afraid to come up and say hello if they see him at events. Youll see a lot of me around. I will do my best to listen. We won't always agree, but Ill always respect your view. But dont be shy make contact with me, Limerick's first citizen concluded. For more, see www.limerickleader.ie AER Lingus staff based out of Shannon Airport held a 90-minute meeting with An Taoiseach Micheal Martin yesterday. Arranged by local TD Cathal Crowe, the meeting took place in the hope Mr Martin could intervene to stave off the closure of the airlines local base with the potential loss of more than 100 jobs. The contents of the meeting remain confidential, but Mr Crowe said: The Aer Lingus employees and the airline overall has given more than six decades of loyal service to Shannon and I think that there should be some really high level dialogue before they walk off the pitch. Although Ryanair has recommenced a schedule from Shannon Airport, Aer Lingus have yet to resume a service, but Mr Crowe says he expects the flag-carrier to resume its Heathrow service in the coming weeks. Management have more or less told us they plan to run some services out of Shannon. Theyve told us this at the Oireachtas committee. Yet the commitment lacks detail. Heathrow was always their most profitable route, and I feel we can say with full certainty that it will be back, he said. But without a staff base in Shannon, there could be problems with the service level, he argued. The problem is, if we lose a cabin crew base, we lose a lot more with it. With a base, an aircraft parks up there at night and staff go home. What that means in real terms is you get an early morning and late evening return to Heathrow. When you lose a base, it means cabin-crew are being bussed in from other parts of the country. You dont get the early morning and late evening flight and that can mean from a tourism point of view, its off-putting, but also from a business point of view. A lot is lost with it, said the Fianna Fail spokesperson on aviation. Staff are being offered redundancy or redeployment, with both options unattractive, Mr Crowe argued, pointing out many cabin crew would have set up home in the Mid-West and have kids in local schools. We are definitely in stoppage time on this, but its hard to know if we will get any last late reprieve on this, but its certainly what everyone is trying, he said. Four Aer Lingus workers representatives joined An Taoiseach and two of his special advisors. No other politicians took part in the call. Its expected a follow up to the meeting will take place next week. THE Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) has confirmed an animal welfare inspector moved out of the city has not been replaced. At present, the charity has confirmed that for operational and financial reasons, there is no cover for this role throughout Limerick. This comes despite councillors more than six months ago raising concerns about the lack of this and an increasing number of incidents cruelty to animals being reported. It was revealed earlier this year that an animal safety officer was moved from her position due to credible threats to her personal safety. The ISPCA said its inspector encountered very difficult and sometimes dangerous working conditions on a regular basis. These inspectors have the powers to enter land and seize animals where they believe cruelty to them is taking place. The ISPCA provided an inspector for Limerick between 2015 and 2020. The ISPCA would hope to expand the operational area of its Inspectorate in the future but there are no plans to do so at present due to financial constraints, a spokesperson for the group added. In January, in a motion passed unanimously at this months metropolitan meeting, local councillors pledged to lobby both the ISPCA and the Department of Agriculture to bring the role back. Cllr Dan McSweeney, Fine Gael, described the removal of the role as shocking, adding: It is no secret that Limerick has serious issues with animal cruelty over the years and at present it is now left to the gardai to enforce the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 and if someone raises an animal welfare issue with the ISPCA they are directed to engage with local gardai. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday informed that the state government is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation following a spurt in cases in Kerala. Bommai, who arrived at the Delhi airport earlier today, said he has asked the officials to be on alert. "There has been a spurt of COVID cases in Kerala and we have three border districts. We have talked to Deputy Commissioners to be on alert and make stringent measures. They have been asked to prepare medical facilities," he told ANI. "I will have a detailed meeting on this matter once I go back," the Chief Minister said. In his first visit to Delhi after taking oath as Karnataka Chief Minister, Basavaraj Bommai will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Friday. He will also be meeting Union Ministers during his visit to the national capital. The Kerala government on Thursday announced a complete lockdown amid the spike of COVID-19 cases from July 31 to August 1. Amid the rising cases in Kerala, the Centre government sent a team of six members headed by Dr SK Singh, Director, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). The Centre's team to collaborate with the State Health Authorities in instituting effective public health measures for COVID-19 management. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. India is head and shoulders above the US and China - the two biggest economies in the world - when it comes to digital transactions, claimed IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw . In a tweet on Friday, Vaishnaw posted that India recorded 25.4 billion digital transactions in 2020. This is 1.6 times compared to 15.7 billion digital transactions in China and over 21 times the 1.2 billion transactions seen in the US. Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma shared Vaishnaw's tweet with a short and quirky caption As per the Reserve Bank of India Digital Payments Index (RBI-DPI), digital transactions have been growing leaps and bounds. As per the central bank, the index stood at 270.59 in March 2021 as against 207.84 for March 2020 and 153.47 in March 2019. It takes March 2018 as its base period, marking the score for the index at 100. The RBI-DPI measures spread of digital parameters in the nation on 5 broad parameters - Payment Enablers; Payment Infrastructure Demand-side factors; Payment Infrastructure Supply-side factors; Payment Performance; and Consumer Centricity. Each of these parameters have sub-parameters, which consist of various measurable indicators. Central government has been trying to spur digital transactions even more. In May this year, NITI Aayog and Mastercard released a report titled 'Connected Commerce: Creating a Roadmap for a Digitally Inclusive Bharat'. The report identified challenges in accelerating digital financial inclusion in India and provided recommendations for making digital services accessible to the entire population of the country. The report recommended strengthening the payment infrastructure to promote a level playing field for NBFCs and banks. It also called for digitising registration and compliance processes and diversifying credit sources to enable growth opportunities for MSMEs. Building information sharing systems, including a fraud repository, and ensuring that online digital commerce platforms carry warnings to alert consumers to the risk of frauds was one of the suggestions. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics The Biden administration s first evacuation flight for Afghans who aided American and other coalition forces has arrived in the U.S., as the administration steps up efforts to relocate interpreters, other military assistants and their families ahead of a final troop withdrawal. The plane, carrying more than 200 people, landed at Fort Lee in Virginia, where passengers were to undergo health screenings and further processing of their Special Immigrant Visas. This flight represents the fulfillment of the U.S. commitment and honors these Afghans brave service in helping support our mission in Afghanistan, in turn helping to keep our country safe," said Russ Travers, the senior deputy national security adviser. The urgency of evacuating the workers and their families rose after President Joe Biden announced in April that he intended to withdraw all U.S. combat forces from Afghanistan before Sept. 11. Advocates for Afghans who assisted the U.S. military say they fear theyll be targeted and killed by a vengeful Taliban, who have begun to retake parts of the country. A spokesman for the militant group has said the former U.S. military assistants will be safe and shouldnt flee their country. The Special Immigrant Visa program allows Afghans who have worked for U.S. and NATO forces to claim refugee status to come to the U.S. About 750 former American military assistants -- a group that also includes people who provided intelligence -- who are far along in the visa vetting process will travel to the U.S. soon. With their family members, theyll total about 2,500 people, Travers said. In all, advocates estimate that 70,000 former coalition allies and their families are waiting for evacuations under the program. Those whose applications arent as far along will be moved to a third country so they can be safe while their visa processing continues, said Tracey Jacobson, director of the State Departments Afghanistan Coordination Task Force. Bloomberg News previously reported that the administration asked three Central Asian nations -- Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan -- to temporarily house the Afghans as U.S. troops aim to complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of August, almost two decades after they first arrived to oust the Taliban government. Those arriving in the U.S. have already undergone extensive screening, including security background checks, and were tested for Covid-19 before boarding their flight. They were offered coronavirus vaccines in Kabul and will again be offered the shots at Fort Lee, Jacobson said. Once theyre processed at Fort Lee, the Afghan nationals will be relocated to places in the U.S. where they have family or other connections. If they dont have domestic ties, they will be sent to locations in the U.S. where the International Organization for Migration has the capacity to resettle them. Biden has come under intense bipartisan pressure in Congress to ensure the Afghans who aided the U.S. during the war, as well as their families, wont be targeted by the Taliban, which is capitalizing on the withdrawal by seizing more territory. Already, 70,000 Afghans have settled in the U.S. since 2008 as part of the visa program. Jacobson said the administration is also considering options for other Afghans who may not be safe after the U.S. withdrawal, including leaders of womens rights, civil rights and civil society groups, as well as journalists. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul can already make referrals for those who face what Travers called imminent and compelling protection concerns" to apply for visas. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. The Kerala government on Friday announced a financial package of over 5,000 crore to revive the state economy that is reeling due to the COVID- 19 pandemic. Finance Minister K N Balagopal announced a financial package of 5,650 crore in the state Assembly, to assist small-scale traders and farmers of the state. "This package is to provide assistance to small-scale traders and farmers of the state who have been adversely affected by the pandemic," Balagopal told the media here. He said the state government has decided to provide subsidised loans. "We will be giving very subsidised loans. The state government will bear the four per cent of the interest of loans for six months for the loans up to two lakhs," Balagopal said. He said the state government has also decided to help small-scale businesses by forgoing the rent from the shops and buildings owned by the state government for the period from July to December 31 this year. Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises have been given a building tax exemption from July to December 31. This is the third financial package announced by the Left government to tackle the economic crisis due to the pandemic Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. India has confirmed that it is not on the list of beneficiaries announced by the United Kingdom of 10 million vaccines to Commonwealth and several Asian countries. "We've just seen the announcement by UK government about donation of 10 million vaccines to the commonwealth and Asian countries. That announcement doesn't cover India as far as I'm aware. But we're ascertaining more details. We'll certainly share updates as soon we have it," said the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi in a press briefing on Thursday. The UK on Wednesday announced that it would begin donating doses of vaccine soon and the doses would be given to Jamaica, Kenya and other Asian countries. Talking about India and the European Union (EU) free trade agreements (FTAs), Bagchi said: "India-EU FTA discussions are progressing as per our expectations. India is waiting for formal nominations from European Union's chief negotiator. Formal negotiations are expected to resume after summer break in Europe." Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, who visited London last week talked about the need for early removal of restrictions imposed on travel from India and the mutual recognition of COVID vaccination certificates during his discussions. Bagchi said at the regular media briefing on Thursday that the Foreign Secretary visited the UK on July 23-24 to conduct a review of the comprehensive strategic partnership launched at the India-UK Virtual Summit between the two Prime Ministers on May 4. The spokesperson said that the Foreign Secretary held detailed meetings with his counterparts and also met a cross-section of opinion builders including think tanks and parliamentarians. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! BERLIN : All travellers arriving in Germany will be required from this weekend to demonstrate immunity from COVID-19 either from a vaccine or previous infection, or present a negative test result, government sources reported. The plan reflects growing concern among Germany's regional and national leaders that rising caseloads in tourist destinations could help fuel a fourth wave when Germans come home from holiday. Germany now requires a negative test or proof of immunity only from those arriving from so-called "risk areas", "high-incidence areas" and "virus-variant areas", which in Europe now include Britain, Spain and the Netherlands. Rules are now also applied differently at airports and road crossings, and regional leaders are keen to make them more consistent. Germany saw 3,142 new infections on Thursday, according to its main disease fighting agency, the Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases. Average daily new cases in Britain stand at almost 30,000. After an initial slow start, Germany has swiftly implemented widespread vaccination, with 61.3% of the population receiving at least one shot, dramatically reducing the disease's severity and lethality. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. The bright white region of this image, captured by Europe's Mars Express spacecraft in December 2012, shows the icy cap that covers Mars south pole, composed of frozen water and frozen carbon dioxide. (Image credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin/Bill Dunford) Bright reflections that radar detected beneath the south pole of Mars may not be underground lakes as previously thought but deposits of clay instead, a new study finds. For decades, scientists have suspected that water lurks below the polar ice caps of Mars, just as it does here on Earth. In 2018, researchers using the MARSIS radar sounder instrument on the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft detected evidence for a lake hidden beneath the Red Planet's south polar ice cap, and in 2020, they found signs of a number of super-salty lakes there . If these lakes were remnants of water that was once on the surface, these reservoirs may have once harbored life and may still, the scientists noted. However, in order to form and maintain liquid water at this spot on Mars, an implausible amount of heat and salt may be needed, given what is currently known about the Red Planet, according to the lead author of the new study, Isaac Smith, a planetary scientist at York University in Toronto, and his colleagues. Related: The search for life on Mars (a photo timeline) York and his team say that clay minerals known to exist in the south polar region of Mars can explain these radar reflections without invoking lakes of water. "Among the Mars community, there has been skepticism about the lake interpretation, but no one had offered a really plausible alternative," Smith told Space.com. "So it's exciting to be able to demonstrate that something else can explain the radar observations and to demonstrate that the material is present where it would need to be. I love solving puzzles, and Mars has an infinite number of puzzles." The scientists focused on minerals known as smectites, a kind of clay whose chemical composition is closer to volcanic rock than to other types of clay. Smectites form when eroded volcanic rocks undergo mild chemical changes after interacting with water. These clays can hold large amounts of water, they noted. Smectites are extremely abundant on Mars, concentrated mostly in its southern highlands. "On Earth, they're commonly found near volcanoes in Alaska or Central America, but can be found on every continent," Smith said. In the lab, the researchers cooled smectites to minus 45 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 43 degrees Celsius), the kind of cold one might find on Mars. They found that water-laden smectites could generate the kind of bright radar reflections detected by MARSIS (short for "Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding"), even when mixed with other materials. When Smith and his colleagues analyzed previous visible and near-infrared data collected from Mars' south pole, they also found evidence of smectites there. They suggested that smectites formed at Mars' south pole during warm spells, when the area was covered by water . These water-loaded clays were later buried under water ice. The colored dots represent sites where bright radar reflections have been spotted by ESAs Mars Express orbiter at Mars south polar cap. Such reflections were previously interpreted as subsurface liquid water, but their prevalence and proximity to the frigid surface suggest they may be something else. (Image credit: ESA/NASA/JPL-Caltech) "Looking backwards in time, to when Mars was much wetter , this supports evidence that liquid water was present over a larger area than we anticipated," Smith said. "Because these clays are at and beneath the south polar cap, it must have been warm enough there long ago to support liquids." All in all, the researchers suggested that smectites are a more viable explanation for the bright radar reflections seen there instead of super-salty lakes. "Science is a process, and scientists are always working towards the truth," Smith said. "Showing that another material besides liquid water can make the radar observations doesn't mean that it was wrong to publish the first results in 2018. That gave a lot of people ideas for new experiments, modeling and observations. Those ideas will translate to other investigations of Mars and already are for my team." In the future, "I would like to repeat the measurements at even colder temperatures and with a more diverse set of clays," Smith said. "There are other types of clays found on Mars that I suspect can also make these reflections, and it would be good to follow up with them." The scientists detailed their findings Thursday (July 29) in the journal Geophysical Review Letters. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook. Click here to read the full article. Focus Features will begin production on Spoiler Alert, a film adaptation of Michael Ausiellos 2017 best-selling memoir titled, Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies. Ben Aldridge of Fleabag joins the previously-announced Jim Parsons in the movie. Kiska Higgs, president of productions and acquisitions announced the release Thursday. The Big Sick helmer Michael Showalter will direct the film. Spoiler Alert revolves around a tragicomic love story between Aldridge and Parsons characters. Ausiello, played by Parsons, is plunged into an emotional maelstrom during the 11 months after his partner, photographer Kit, played by Aldridge, is diagnosed with cancer and dies. The memoir weaves in the roller-coaster ride that was the couples 14-year romance. The moment I finished Ausiellos incredible book, I knew Focus needed to make this film, said Higgs. We fell head over heels in love with Michael and Kit, and their classic New York romance, and we cant wait to see what Jim and Ben breathe into the roles. With Showalters vision of the storys heart and humor, we hope not only do justice to Michael and Kit but also inspire the audience to love them as much as we do. Along with Showalter, Jim Parsons, Jordana Mollick, Todd Spiewak, and Allison Mo Massey will produce. Showalter and Mollick will be under their Semi-Formal Productions banner, while Parsons, Spiewak and Allison Mo Massey will be under their Thats Wonderful Productions banner. Ausiello will serve as executive producer. Aldridge is represented by UTA, Anonymous Content, Hamilton Hodell, and Peikoff Mahan. Semi-Formal is represented by UTA, Artists First and Goodman Genow. Thats Wonderful Productions is represented at CAA, Principal and Gang Tyre Ramer & Brown. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Adam Driver and Lady Gaga shine as Mr. and Mrs. Gucci in the trailer for House of Gucci, hitting theaters on Nov. 24. The film, directed by Ridley Scott, details the assassination of Maurizio Gucci (Driver) and the downfall of the Gucci family fashion dynasty. Gaga plays socialite Patrizia Reggiani, Maurizios ex-wife who was tried and convicted of orchestrating his murder after he left her for a younger woman. She served 18 years in prison, where she gained the nickname Black Widow, before being released in 2016. I dont consider myself to be a particularly ethical person, says Gaga as Patrizia, But I am fair. Blondies Heart of Glass provides the soundtrack for the trailer. Gucci fashion shows, the couples wedding and wild nights at the disco are also part of the drama leading up to the murder. House of Gucci is written by Roberto Bentivegna, based on Sara Gay Fordens novel The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed. The star-studded cast also includes Al Pacino, Jared Leto and Jeremy Irons. MGM, Bron Creative and Scott Free Productions produce. You picked a real firecracker, Leto, who plays Paulo Gucci, tells Driver about Patrizia. Filmed in Europe, House of Gucci marks Gagas first film since A Star Is Born, which earned her Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. In April, Patrizia Gucci the great-grandchild of Guccio Gucci told the Associated Press she is worried the film goes beyond the headline-grabbing true-crime story and pries into the private lives of the Guccio Gucci heirs. She continued, We are truly disappointed. I speak on behalf of the family. They are stealing the identity of a family to make a profit, to increase the income of the Hollywood system. Our family has an identity, privacy. We can talk about everything. But there is a borderline that cannot be crossed. Watch the trailer below. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The U.S. Border Patrol Laredo Sector announced that 13 lost individuals were rendered aid in Webb County over a three-day span. USBP stated that from July 23-26, Hebbronville Station agents found several migrants. This included four in the brush near Oilton and eight around Hebbronville. Laredo agents also located an individual in distress on July 26 on a ranch northeast of Laredo, the USBP stated. Customs and Border Protection Air asset found the individual and landed to give them first aid. Most the individuals were described as in good health although suffering from dehydration, while one other was sent to a hospital for treatment. They originated from Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala, USBP stated. Due to the quick actions of agents, along with CBP Air and Marine Operations, and the cooperation of the Jim Hogg County Sheriffs Office, no fatalities occurred, the USBP said in a statement. Laredo Sector cannot stress enough the dangers and risks that (migrants) place themselves in when commencing their illegal journey into the United States. They subject themselves to human smugglers who guide them through remote areas during the high temperatures of the summer and will abandon them at the first sign of danger. Laredo Sector agents will continue to render aid to those exploited and abandoned by human smugglers. USBP reminds citizens to report any suspicious activity including human and/or drug smuggling with the USBP Laredo Sector app or by contacting 1-800-343-1994. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) An attack on an oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire killed two crew members off Oman in the Arabian Sea, authorities said Friday, marking the first fatalities after years of assaults targeting shipping in the region. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the Thursday night raid on the Liberian-flagged tanker Mercer Street. However, a U.S. official said it appears a so-called suicide drone was used in the attack, raising the possibility that a government or a militia group was behind it. Without providing evidence, Israeli officials alleged that Iran carried out the attack. The U.S. Navy rushed to the scene following the attack and was escorting the tanker to a safe harbor, a London-based ship management company said Friday. The assault represented the worst-known maritime violence so far in regional attacks on shipping since 2019. The U.S., Israel and others have blamed the attacks on Iran amid the unraveling of Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers. Iran now appears poised to take an even tougher approach with the West as the country prepares to inaugurate a hard-line protege of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as president next week. The attack on Thursday night targeted the tanker just northeast of the Omani island of Masirah, over 300 kilometers (185 miles) southeast of Omans capital, Muscat. London-based Zodiac Maritime, part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofers Zodiac Group, said the attack killed two crew members, one from the United Kingdom and the other from Romania. It did not name them, nor did it describe what happened in the assault. It said it believed no other crew members on board were harmed. The U.K. government later confirmed that a British national has died following an incident on a tanker off the coast of Oman. The statement from Zodiac Maritime said that at the time of the incident the vessel was in the northern Indian Ocean, traveling from Dar es Salaam to Fujairah with no cargo onboard, naming ports in Tanzania and the United Arab Emirates. Satellite tracking data from MarineTraffic.com showed the vessel had been near where British officials said the attack occurred. However, the last signal the ship sent came early Friday morning. Zodiac Maritime described the Mercer Street's owners as Japanese, without naming them. Shipping authority Lloyd's List identified the vessel's ultimate owner as Taihei Kaiun Co., which belongs to the Tokyo-based Nippon Yusen Group. Late Friday, Zodiac Maritime said the tanker was sailing under the control of her crew to a safe location with a U.S. naval escort. The company did not elaborate. The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, which patrols the Mideast, did not respond to a request for comment. British militarys United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said an investigation was underway into the attack and that coalition forces were taking part. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation, told The Associated Press that the attack appeared to have been carried out by a one-way drone and that other drones took part. The official said it wasn't immediately known who launched the attack and declined to elaborate. Israeli officials, who similarly spoke on condition of anonymity as they weren't authorized to talkj to the media, blamed Tehran for the attack, adding that Israel's campaign against (Iran) will continue. Israel considers Iran to be its biggest threat, citing Tehrans hostile rhetoric, support for anti-Israeli militant groups and growing influence in the region. The remarks came after an earlier report from private maritime intelligence firm Dryad Global referred to a drone sighting involving the vessel prior to the attack. Iran and Yemen's Tehran-backed Houthi rebels have in the past employed suicide drones unmanned aircraft loaded with explosives that detonate on impact with a target. In a separate development, the Saudi-led military coalition battling the rebel Houthis in Yemen claimed later Friday that it had thwarted an attempted enemy drone attack on a Saudi merchant ship, Saudi Arabia's state TV reported, without offering further details. The coalition blamed the Iran-backed Houthis for threatening maritime security in the southern Red Sea near the crucial Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The strait is used for oil shipments from the Persian Gulf to Europe, as well as goods from Asia to Europe. British maritime security firm Ambrey said the attack on Mercer Street had killed one of its team members, along with a member of the tanker's crew. The intelligence firm said it was working with authorities and offering support to the victim's family at this incredibly sad time. U.S. State Department deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter extended U.S. condolences and said that Washington was deeply concerned by the reports and closely monitoring the situation." At the United Nations, associate spokesperson Eri Kaneko said this latest incident shows the increased need" to protect seafarers. Omani officials did not respond to requests for comment. The sultanate sits on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula and is along vital shipping routes for cargo and energy moving through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf. Israel did not publicly acknowledge the attack. Other Israel-linked ships have been targeted in recent months as well amid a shadow war between the two nations, with Israeli officials blaming the Islamic Republic for the assaults. Israel meanwhile has been suspected in a series of major attacks targeting Iran's nuclear program. Also, Iran saw its largest warship recently sink under mysterious circumstances in the nearby Gulf of Oman. Thursday's attack comes amid heightened tensions over Irans tattered nuclear deal and as negotiations over restoring the accord have stalled in Vienna. The series of ship attacks suspected to have been carried out by Iran began a year after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in 2018. Iranian media quoted foreign press reports on Thursday's attack but did not offer anything more. The attack came the night after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking from Kuwait, warned Iran that talks in Vienna over the nuclear deal cannot go on indefinitely. This is the second time this month a ship tied to Ofer apparently has been targeted. In early July, the Liberian-flagged container ship CSAV Tyndall, once tied to Zodiac Maritime, suffered an unexplained explosion on board while in the northern Indian Ocean, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration. ___ Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP. ___ Associated Press writers Robert Burns and Matthew Lee in Washington; Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations; Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report. MEXICO CITY (AP) U.S. President Joe Biden will meet with Cuban-American leaders Friday to discuss the recent social protests in Cuba, the possibility of new sanctions on its government and options for providing internet access to the islands population. The afternoon White House meeting, previewed for The Associated Press by an administration official, will take place almost three weeks after unusual July 11 protests in which thousands of Cubans took to the streets in Havana and other cities to protest the shortage of products, power outages and government policies. They were the first such protests since the 1990s. Among the people who will meet with Biden is Yotuel Romero, one of the authors of the song Patria y vida! which has become a kind of anthem for the protests, said the official, who spoke on condition on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the plans in public. Also present will be L. Felice Gorordo, CEO of the company eMerge Americas; Ana Sofia Pelaez, founder of the Miami Freedom Project, and Miami's former mayor, Manny Diaz, among others. The White House did not provide more details, only saying that new sanctions will be discussed as well as ways to establish internet access for the Cuban people. Internet access is a sensitive issue in Cuba. In the days before the recent protests, there were calls for antigovernment demonstrations on social media. Cuba's government said anti-Castro groups in the United States have used social media, particularly Twitter, to campaign against it and blamed Twitter for doing nothing to stop it. Internet service was cut off at one point during the July 11 protest, though Cuban authorities have not explicitly acknowledged that they did so. Some U.S. leaders, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, have said the White House should do something to maintain internet service in Cuba, including using balloons as Wi-Fi access points for the population. Jose Miguel Vivanco, Human Rights Watch's director for the Americas, said protecting internet access in Cuba must be one of the top priorities of the Biden administration. The growing access to the internet on the island has been a true revolution that has allowed the population to communicate, organize protests and report abuses almost immediately - something that would have been impossible a few years ago, he said to the AP. Regarding the sanctions, Vivanco said their value is mostly symbolic, because it is not realistic to think that they alone will change the situation on the island. He said one way to stop human rights violations in Cuba is a multilateral and coordinated condemnation, along with moving toward a policy that puts an end to the current embargo. In addition to the internet, the Biden administration is considering proposals put forward by U.S. advocates of trade with Cuba that would restore ways for Cuban-Americans to send money to relatives on the island. Biden and others have rejected the outright restoration of remittances because of a percentage fee of the transaction paid to the government. But under one proposal being considered, the transfer agents would waive that fee until the end of the year, according to proponents. The proposal would have to be cleared by the Cuban government, however, and it is not at all clear it would agree. Last week, the U.S. government announced sanctions against the Minister of the Cuban Armed Forces, Alvaro Lopez Miera, and the Special Brigade of the Ministry of the Interior -- known as the black berets for having participated in the arrest of protesters. International organizations have harshly criticized the Cuban government, which has said that while people affected by the country's crisis participated in the protests there were also criminals who took advantage of the situation to create disturbances. At times, the protests turned into vandalism with looting, robbery and confrontations with the police. Government sympathizers also took to the streets to defend the authorities and the revolution. So far it is unclear how many people were detained in total, although the judicial authorities have said there have been 19 trials involving 59 people. 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 A Longford man, who has pleaded guilty to his involvement in an attempted gangland assassination in Dublin for which he is due to be sentenced in September, was in court last week to face drugs possession charges. Wayne Ryan (41) 27 Lanna Aoibhinn, St Michael's Road, Longford appeared at a sitting of Longford District Court last week charged with possession of methadone at the aforementioned address on August 15 2019. Garda Brian Carroll said he, together with two other gardai, carried out a search at 27 Lanna Aoibhinn at around 2pm. He said shortly after entering the property he came across a quantity of drugs, believed to be methadone in the kitchen area of the house. Garda Carroll said when quizzed about who owned the drugs, Mr Ryan allegedly claimed the item was his. He added after it had been sent away for analysis, the value of drugs found returned a monetary value of 12. Garda Carroll added there was no evidence the drugs had been prescribed by a doctor. In defence, John Quinn, asked is anyone else was present in the property at the time of the search. Garda Carroll said Mr Ryan's partner at the time was but that she was not charged in relation to the incident. Mr Ryan took possession of it at the scene, said Garda Carroll. He said it was his. Mr Ryan, who was brought into court in handcuffs wearing blue shorts and a grey and white top, was asked by Judge Hughes why he was currently in prison. I'm in custody on remand for attempted murder and possession of a firearm, replied Mr Ryan. The accused himself revealed he had pleaded guilty to the alleged offence which resulted in Wayne Whelan being shot 11 times in west Dublin nearly two years ago. Mr Ryan pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Whelan (42) at Griffeen Glen Park, Lucan, Co Dublin on September 4, 2019 before a sitting of the Central Criminal Court back in May. Three other co-accused have also pleaded guilty to conspiring to murder Whelan, who was later killed in a separate shooting incident. The four were originally charged with the attempted murder of Whelan and due to stand trial together on June 21 this year, but the date was vacated following their pleas. Whelan, who survived the attack, was shot a number of times in his body, head and arms while he was sitting in his car in an estate in Lucan. However, he was subsequently shot dead in a vehicle two months later before it was set on fire with his remains inside at Mount Andrew Rise in Lucan on November 18th, 2019. He was identified using DNA analysis. This charge (drugs possession) is a mickey mouse charge compared to what I am facing, he said. Garda Carroll said Mr Ryan, at the time, had been living with his now ex partner when gardai raided the property. Mr Quinn asked Garda Carroll ifhe had a note in his garda notebook to back up the claims he was making. Garda Carroll said he made the admission to both himself and two accompanying gardai, prompting Mr Ryan to shout back: That's lies.I didn't take responsibility. Mr Ryan continued to plead his own innocence by saying there were a number of other individuals who were also using the house as a place in which to stay. There was a heroin addict living in the house and he was on methadone, added Mr Ryan. Why would I take responsibility if it had nothing to do with me? Asked about the lilt in his accent, Mr Ryan revealed he was from Limerick originally and was no stranger to the judicial system. He also told Judge Seamus Hughes he had been arrested at the same address in Longford in September 2019 in connection to a separate murder investigation in Limerick. Judge Hughes said it was rare an individual with such an interesting past had come before the courts. You seem to be a colourful character to me, he said. In summation, Judge Hughes said he found the evidence provided by Garda Carroll to be more credible than Mr Ryan, adding it was likely submissions made by other gardai at the scene would be almost identical to that of the chief prosecution witness. Despite that, Judge Hughes said the incident before the courts was not a hanging offence. He consequently fined Mr Ryan250 to be payable forthwith. In the event the fine was not paid, he sentenced Mr Ryan to five days in lieu of the said monetary penalty. The presiding judge in the trial of four men accused of abducting and torturing Kevin Lunney has asked a defence lawyer if he is suggesting that gardai engaged in "hanky panky" by planting the businessman's DNA in a van. Lawyers for three of the accused said gardai seized the Renault Kangoo and kept it in a forensic examination facility in Santry in Dublin that could be accessed by multiple gardai, yet no record was kept of who came and went. They said Dr Edward Connolly of Forensic Science Ireland found an area of red and brown suspected blood staining in the van two days after experienced forensic examiners carried out a full examination and found nothing. Swabs taken from the area identified by the scientist were tested and revealed DNA matching Mr Lunney's. Giollaiosa O'Lideadha SC, for the accused man Alan O'Brien, said the defence is concerned that there is a "reasonable basis to conclude that the stain was not there on October 29 and it clearly was there on the 31st." He said it "arises as a reasonable possibility" that someone with DNA matching Mr Lunney's got into the Santry facility and put his DNA in the van. Presiding judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt asked if Mr O'Lideadha was suggesting the blood was "planted". Counsel replied that he doesn't have to prove it was deliberate. Mr Justice Hunt said the defence lawyers were suggesting "hanky panky" by gardai. The defence are challenging the admissibility of the DNA evidence and the three-judge, non-jury court is expected to rule on that challenge next Tuesday when the trial resumes. Lawyers also argued that they have been deprived of an opportunity to carry out their own forensic examination of the van because it was destroyed in a fire after it was moved from Santry to a storage yard in Cavan in February 2020. The trial has heard the fire was caused by defective walkie-talkie battery chargers which had been left operating overnight in an adjoining office. Mr O'Lideadha said gardai had failed in their responsibility to preserve evidence by leaving the van in a place where batteries were charging overnight. "Everyone knows you shouldn't do that," he said. Sean Guerin SC for the prosecution said the defence had offered no basis for saying the destruction of the van had disadvantaged them. He said any test carried out by experts for the defence would not have undermined the first test which revealed DNA matching Mr Lunney's. A 40-year-old man named as YZ, Alan OBrien (40), of Shelmalier Road, East Wall, Dublin 3, Darren Redmond (27), from Caledon Road, East Wall, Dublin 3 and Luke OReilly (68), with an address at Mullahoran Lower, Kilcogy, Co Cavan have all pleaded not (NOT) guilty to false imprisonment and intentionally causing serious harm to Mr Lunney at Drumbrade, Ballinagh, Co Cavan on September 17, 2019. Mr Lunney has told the court that he was bundled into the boot of a car near his home and driven to a container where he was threatened and told to resign as a director of Quinn Industrial Holdings. His abductors cut him with a Stanley knife, stripped him to his boxer shorts, doused him in bleach, broke his leg with two blows of a wooden bat, beat him on the ground, cut his face and scored the letters QIH into his chest. They left him bloodied, beaten and shivering on a country road at Drumcoghill in Co Cavan where he was discovered by a man driving a tractor. Michael O'Higgins SC, for YZ, said it is "odd" that no record is kept of who comes and goes from the Santry facility. He said that when experienced members of the Garda Technical Bureau examined the van on October 29 they didn't notice the "brown, reddish" stain which Dr Connolly found two days later. He pointed out that Dr Connolly said the stain was visible without the assistance of chemical agents and he would expect it to be found by a technical examiner. He said a member of the National Surveillance Unit (NSU) gave evidence that he accessed the van on October 23 to recover a surveillance device that had been placed in the van two days earlier. The NSU detective's visit, counsel said, was not recorded and was only disclosed to the defence this week after they raised concerns about the preservation of the van. He said the complaints made by the defence are not "fanciful or absurd" and that the manner in which the van was preserved was "far from ideal". Regarding the fire, counsel said he doesn't have the building blocks to make the case that it was started maliciously. He added: "It doesnt have to be an act of malice. If it was stored in an unsafe building, that is unsatisfactory." He said it is unfair that the defence is unable to carry out their own forensic tests on the van. Mr O'Lideadha said the fundamental issue for the court to consider is whether the destruction of the van causes any unfairness to the accused. He said it is reasonably possible the stains were not there on the 29th because forensic examiners did not see them despite Dr Connolly's evidence, which Mr O'Lideadha summarised as: "if it had been there it would have been seen." He said the defence does not accept any of Dr Connolly's evidence but he can't contradict the scientist because the van has been destroyed. He said he does not accept the prosecution's theory that one of Mr Lunney's attackers transferred the blood to the Kangoo on their clothes or hands. He added: "Therefore we wanted an expert examination to test all aspects of the matter, including whether that substance or DNA got into that vehicle after October 23 [when it was seized by gardai]." He described it as a "matter of the greatest significance" and said it is not for the defence to prove that evidence has been planted but it is the right of an accused person to have a fair trial. Mr Guerin said there was no suggestion of misconduct by gardai regarding the fire. He said the suggestion that nobody should leave vehicles in an area where batteries are charging overnight is "entirely divorced from the reality of modern life." There was no obvious defect with the battery chargers and no failure on the part of the people operating the facility, he said. He added: "Nobody in the modern world would accept that a building is unsafe because there are batteries charging overnight." Any further DNA profiles produced from the van, counsel said, would not diminish the probative value of Mr Lunney's DNA being there and no further examinations could have shown when the DNA material was deposited. Nothing said by the defence, he said, had shown how they were disadvantaged by the loss of the van. Counsel could not say why the Santry facility does not keep a log of who comes and goes. Mr Justice Hunt said: "It seems rather odd." Mr Guerin replied: "It is described as a secure facility and there is no reason to believe it was interfered with in any way." Mr Justice Hunt is presiding with Judge Gerard Griffin and Judge David McHugh. A shocking nine people have drowned at waterways on the island of Ireland in seven days. This has prompted Water Safety Ireland to make a national stay safe appeal to the public throughout the Bank Holiday weekend and the month of August. People are advised to swim only at Lifeguarded waterways or in areas that are traditionally known to be safe and have ringbuoys available for rescues. Water Safety Irelands Better Safe, Than Sorry appeal 1. As you social distance, avoid swimming in unfamiliar areas that are potentially unsafe. Swim at Designated Bathing Areas where lifeguards are on duty full list available at www.watersafety.ie/lifeguards/ 2. If there is no Designated Bathing Area near you, then visit https://watersafety.ie/open-water-swimming/ for comprehensive advice. Swim at known traditional bathing areas where there are ringbuoys erected that you can use for rescues. Ask for local knowledge to determine local hazards and safest areas to swim. Pay attention to any safety signage identifying hazards. 3. Swim within your depth and stay within your depth. Make sure that the edges are shallow shelving so that you can safely and easily enter and exit the water. 4. To escape a rip current, swim parallel to the shore and then swim back ashore. See www.watersafety.ie/rip-currents/ 5. Inflatable toys pose a real threat to life and should not be used at open water locations as the slightest breeze can take children away from shore, out of their depth. Parents and guardians need to be particularly careful to ensure that children are supervised at all times in, near or on water. 6. Never swim in quarries or reservoirs. 7. Alcohol is a factor in one third of drownings never mix alcohol with water activities. 8. Always wear a correctly fitting lifejacket when boating and have a means of communication in a waterproof pouch. 9. Beware of stranding by incoming tides. Carry a charged phone at all times and in an emergency, call 112 and ask for the Coast Guard. 10. If you see somebody in trouble in the water: SHOUT REACH THROW a. SHOUT to calm, encourage and orientate them; b. REACH with anything that prevents you from entering the water (clothing/stick); c. THROW a ringbuoy or any floating object to them. Know The Lifeguard Flags No Lifeguard flag means that there is no Lifeguard on duty. A red flag means that a Lifeguard is on duty but has deemed conditions to be too unsafe to swim. The red and yellow flags mean a Lifeguard is on duty and the Lifeguard is patrolling between those flags. Visit www.watersafety.ie for more information. Ulster Bank has released details of changes for personal and business customers as part of its phased withdrawal from Ireland. Back in February, the company announced a phased withdrawal from the market in February. This latest announcement includes details of a number of changes to new business products over the coming months. A spokesperson said: Our customers existing products and services are not impacted by todays announcement. Personal Customers "For personal customers, Ulster Bank is commencing the process of phasing out the new products and services we offer customers, said the spokesperson. We will continue to accept new applications from new and existing personal banking customers until close of business October 29, with the main exception of mortgages, which will remain available for existing customers only after that date. Some other exceptions* apply, most notably relating to overdrafts for existing customers, and applications which are in progress prior to October 30. Ulster Bank is writing to our existing customers to give them 60 days notice of this change. Details on this change will also be available on our website and through our normal support channels. For customers who have an application underway, we will continue to support them throughout the process of their application. Business Customers The spokesperson said: For business customers, availability of all of our products and services for existing customers, including new-to-Bank customers who are in the process of being onboarded, is unchanged. Ulster Bank will no longer offer our products to non-Ulster Bank customers from July 30. The exception to this is Lombard Asset Finance, which remains open for new and existing customers. If business customers have already applied for a product, or started the onboarding process as a new customer, we will continue to process that for customers. Mortgage Customers In addition and separately, as part of its regular management of compliance with the Central Bank of Irelands macro prudential lending rules, Ulster Bank will close to mortgage customers seeking exceptions to these rules, from August 4. Ulster Bank Chief Executive Jane Howard said: Today is another significant milestone and an expected step in the progress of our phased withdrawal. Our colleagues will continue to serve our customers throughout this phase and beyond, including those customers who need more support due to the nature of the product eg self-build mortgage customers who draw down in stages according to their build. A comprehensive customer Q&A is available at www.ulsterbank.ie Additional support Anyone who needs additional support, is in financial difficulty, or is in a vulnerable situation is invited to call the Ulster Bank team on 1850 211 461. Lines are open 24 hours a day including Bank Holidays. Call costs may vary and calls from mobiles may not be free. Exceptions to the changes: Mortgages: Ulster Bank will continue to accept applications from all existing customers for new mortgage lending after close of business on October 29. Should a mortgage be fully approved and offer letter issued, it will transfer to a new provider in the future. The mortgage team can be contacted at 1890 252 270 from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday 9am-5pm (except bank holidays). Overdrafts: The bank will accept existing current account customers applications for new overdrafts or increased overdraft limits, in limited circumstances to provide customers access to short term emergency funds. Credit Card limit: Ulster Bank will continue to accept applications for limit increases on Credit Cards in limited circumstances, to provide customers access to short term emergency funds. Home and Car Insurance: Existing customers policies will remain in force up until renewal date. On renewal, the bank will write to customers as normal with a renewal quotation. Financial Planning Advice: Ulster Bank will continue to provide ongoing financial planning advice to our existing customers through Irish Life. This includes supporting existing customers as their financial circumstances change and supporting existing Ulster Bank Ireland DAC customers with new financial planning advice covering the full range of needs (Mortgage Protection, Life protection, Investment and Pension). A Dublin father-of-three who hid over 870,000 in cash at a rural property in Co Cavan has been jailed for four years. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Jonathon OConnor (38) could not reveal to gardai who owned the money because his life would be in danger. OConnor, of Elm Road, Donnycarney, Dublin, pleaded guilty to a single charge of money laundering at an address in Dromore, Bailieboro, Co Cavan, on July 28, 2020. He has no previous convictions. Longford's Derek Burnett fails to book men's Trap shoot final Derek Burnett's Olympic dream has come to an end after the Longford man came up short in his attempts to clinch a place in the men's trap shooting final. Detective Garda Mark Buckley told Fiona McGowan BL, prosecuting, that on the morning of July 28, gardai carried out of surveillance operation at the address in Cavan. The court heard that gardai entered the property and made themselves know to OConnor. The accused man immediately informed gardai that there was 80,000 in cash in his car, which he had driven to the property that morning, along with his children. Gardai proceeded to search a number of sheds and outhouses on the property, and ultimately discovered 21 separate cash exhibits, amounting to 870,620, plus an additional 14,890. Satisfied that the money was procured through criminal activity, gardai arrested the defendant and travelled to Navan Garda Station. OConnor was interviewed and admitted to transporting the money and holding it at the address in Bailieboro. When probed by gardai, he said he could not reveal who owed the money, as his life would be in danger, the court heard. OConnor told gardai that he had had a disagreement with an individual a few months ago and as a result he was forced to hold the money. Asked by Judge Martin Nolan where the money might have come from, Det Gda Buckley answered, the drug trade. Dean Kelly SC, defending, outlined OConnors mitigation, noting that he made full admissions to gardai and was co-operative throughout the investigation. Mr Kelly asked the court to be as lenient as possible in sentencing, saying that OConnor would be a grievous and substantial loss to his family. Judge Nolan, handing down sentencing, accepted OConnors excellent mitigation a long work history, clean record, relationship with his children but said that a custodial sentence was deserved. Money laundering is a serious offence, Judge Nolan said. He noted that OConnor knew what he was getting into, and for reasons unknown to the court, felt some obligation to the third party connected to the money. Judge Nolan sentenced OConnor to four years imprisonment. Health & Wellness By Chris Boyle Published: July 30 2021 With new cases on the rise, "student days" aim to vaccinate before school year. Nassau County Executive Laura Curran announced that upcoming student vaccination days with Northwell Health at the Kennedy Park pod in Hempstead. Nassau County continues to lead New York across all demographic groups including young people and this initiative aims to build on that progress by getting more residents 12 and older vaccinated before the upcoming school year. To continue to defeat this pandemic, we need as many people as possible to roll up their sleeves especially young people. As County Executive, one of my main priorities has been keeping our economy and our schools open. We have made great progress fighting this virus, but the vaccine is our pathway to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe and keep our County fully open. That is why we are encouraging our young people to get vaccinated with special upcoming student vaccination days in partnership with Northwell Health, said Nassau County Executive Laura Curran Northwell has administered about 550,000 doses to date. We have vaccinated people throughout Long Island, New York City and Westchester, said Michael Dowling, Northwell Health president and CEO. We will be at Kennedy Memorial Park in Hempstead all of next week. Please bring your unvaccinated, eligible children down. School might be far from the minds of parents, teachers and kids but we are only about six weeks away from the start of the school year, so right now is when we need to be vaccinating kids to get them ready for the 2021-22 year. Lets stop any chance of a COVID-19 spread in schools this September. As Mayor of the Incorporated Village of Hempstead, I have continually encouraged our residents to get vaccinated. As we look forward to the beginning of the school year it is equally important to make sure that our children and teachers are safe as well. I hope that our community will take advantage of this opportunity to get our young people vaccinated and remain safe and healthy. We are looking to a new school year with new possibilities and we do not want COVID to stop our progress, said Village of Hempstead Mayor Waylyn Hobbs Jr. Nassau County has one of the highest rates of vaccination across demographic groups. The County continues to over-perform State and National vaccination rates among Adults, Youth, Seniors (65+), as well as among Black and Latino residents. 81% of adults are vaccinated and 96% of seniors are vaccinated. Nassau County in partnership with Northwell Health will host "Student Days," to vaccinate eligible students against COVID-19 before the new school year. The event will be utilizing Pfizer and residents 12+ will be eligible. Nassau County and Northwell Health will be hosting the 5-day event from July 27 to July 31. 7/30-Friday 11-8 7/31-Saturday 9-4 Appointments can be made online here. Walk ins will be accepted. Kennedy Park is located at 335 Greenwich St, Hempstead, NY 11550 Carnival PLC - British-American cruise operator - Says its Holland America Line has taken delivery of a new ship, the Rotterdam. Notes that the vessel is the third in the Pinnacle Class series, with capacity for 2,668 guests. However, it adds that upon delivery Rotterdam will remain in non-guest operations until it transatlantic crossing on October 20. The ship plans to cross from Amsterdam in the Netherlands to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where it will begin its maiden season. The ship features the latest amenities and innovations, "that drive one of the highest guest repeat rates in the industry", the company adds. "In light of Covid-19, Holland America Line is currently enhancing health and safety protocols and how they may impact future cruises. Our actual offerings may vary from what is displayed or described in marketing materials," Carnival notes. Last week, the cruise operator announced the addition of two new ships to its fleet by 2023. Both ships are part of its Excel class and will bring the company's total fleet to 27 ships. Current stock price: 1,443.40 pence, down 4.5% on Friday Year-to-date change: up 5.6% By Scarlett Butler; scarlettbutler@alliancenews.com Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies, issued on Friday and not separately reported by Alliance News: Argo Group Ltd - London-based alternative investment manager - For the first half of 2021, swings to pretax loss of USD201,000 from profit of USD194,000, due to higher bad debt provision and one-off management fees. This is on revenue up 21% at USD1.7 million from USD1.4 million, driven by the achievement of USD283,000 in performance fees. As at June 30, net assets dip to USD22.6 million from USD22.8 million at the end of December. Assets under management drops 2.8% to USD126.7 million from USD130.4 million. Looking ahead, will seek to increase its assets under management to lift profit. Airea PLC - West Yorkshire-based floor coverings manufacturer - For the six months ended June 30, swings to pretax profit of GBP464,000 from loss of GBP54,000, as operating profit rises fourfold to GBP574,000 from GBP137,000 despite pressure on product margins. Revenue grows 4.7% year-on-year to GBP7.4 million from GBP7.1 million, on recovering home sales. Declares no interim dividend, in line with year prior, and expects continued recovery in UK sales, also European sales but at a slower pace. AIQ Ltd - Cayman Islands-based firm focused on acquiring and developing e-commerce sector businesses - For the six months ended April 30, pretax loss widens to GBP915,425 from GBP612,993 a year before, driven by rising administrative costs and foreign exchange losses. In addition, revenue drops 52% year-on-year to GBP12,079 from GBP25,409. Looking ahead, despite a gradual rise in revenue run rate, expects revenue for the year to be lower than the prior year's GBP154,649. Fulcrum Utility Services Ltd - energy and multi-utility services provider - For the year ended March 31, swings to pretax loss of GBP11.5 million from profit of GBP1.3 million, driven by one-off costs of GBP6.4 million, including an asset impairment of GBP4.9 million incurred in response to a proposed tender offer from Harwood Capital LLP. Revenue grows 2.2% year-on-year to GBP47.1 million from GBP46.1 million, despite effect of Covid-19. Tungsten Corp PLC - London-based electronic invoices and purchase orders - For the year ended April 30, pretax loss widens to GBP34.6 million from GBP26.0 million the year before, driven by impairment charges as the group looks to sublease its office space and find a smaller office space. New sales billings grow 7% to GBP3.6 million from GBP3.3 million, however revenue drops 1.9% year-on-year to GBP36.1 million from GBP36.8 million. Eco Atlantic Oil & Gas Ltd - oil and gas exploration company focused on Guyana and Namibia - For the year ended March 31, net loss narrows to USD3.7 million from USD20.1 million the year before, due to a sharp fall in operating costs. For Orinduik Block offshore Guyana, all seismic data processing has been completed and multiple light sweet oil drilling prospects are being reviewed. Target selection is expected to take place in the third quarter of 2021. Sure Ventures PLC - investor in early stage software companies - Swings to loss before tax of GBP35,000 for year ended March 31 from a GBP445,000 profit the year before. Net income drops by more than a half to GBP322,000 from GBP765,000 the prior year. Does not propose a dividend for year, as with 2020. Anglo African Oil & Gas PLC - AIM-listed cash shell - Posts pretax loss GBP319,000 for first half ended April 30, widens from GBP210,000 year before. Interim turnover falls marginally to GBP788,000 from GBP793,000 the previous year. In separate news, announces resignation of Non-executive Chair David Lenigas with immediate effect. Andrew Monk is appointed chair in the interim. PHSC PLC - Aylesford, Kent-based company that provides health & safety consulting - On Thursday posts sales revenue for year ended March 31 of GBP3.3 million, down 25% from GBP4.4 million the previous year. The level of revenue achieved "exceeded managementas initial expectations at the start of lockdown", company notes. Pretax profit widens to GBP190,000 from GBP5,000 the year before. Final dividend of 0.5 pence proposed, making total of 1.0p for year to match last year. Law Debenture Corp PLC - London-based investment trust - Posts pretax profit for the half-year ended June 30 of GBP112.2 million, narrows from GBP142.8 million year before. NAV total return for the six months grows 17%. Interim total income up 27% year-on-year to GBP35.2 million. Declares interim dividend of 6.875p per share, up 5.8% annually. Outlines intention to increase 2021 dividend compared to total 2020 payout of 27.5p pence per share. By Will Paige; willpaige@alliancenews.com and Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Top LSU administrators seemed reluctant to implement a vaccine mandate at a faculty Q & A meeting Thursday, while numerous employees voiced their outrage and concern at the possibility they would return to classes in the fall with students who were not vaccinated against COVID. President Tate began the meeting by presenting both sides of the vaccination argument, saying LSU needed to respect each individuals' choice. "Chances are if you had the vaccine you're probably one of the vocal ones calling for others to take it and have the vaccine be mandated," Tate said. "You decided to mitigate your risk by assuming the risk of an acquired immunity and approach that has been approved on emergency basis." "Others in our community are applying their own risk mitigation strategy, and they're willing to accept the risk of exposure and wait on FDA for approval before they accept vaccination," Tate went on to explain. "The point is, people have their own risk mitigation strategies, and we have to respect that while preparing to lower our collective risk." Vice President of Legal Affairs and General Counsel Winston DeCuir spoke next, echoing similar key points. He focused heavily on giving faculty and students the freedom to choose their own medical treatment and how that merged with their constitutional rights. "This COVID pandemic has caused every state school in this country to evaluate an age old question: When is government interference with a liberty interest justified?" DeCuir said, explaining that LSU has been reviewing the due process clause of the 14th Amendment since last March when the pandemic began. "The freedom to choose your own medical treatment is one of those fundamental rights in each decision we've made in this pandemic." Louisiana universities' requests to mandate vaccinations were approved within hours It took the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) fewer than 12 hours to approve multiple req Based on the nature of the intrusion and the severity of the potential outcome, DeCuir says LSU is not ready to mandate a vaccine because it could infringe on constitutional liberty interests. The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), however, approved vaccine mandates at four private universities and said it does not distinguish between private and public institutions. Faculty members brought up Indiana University as an example, saying that a judge upheld their vaccine mandate. Over 600 schools across the country have required at least one dose of the COVID vaccine. Tate said the university will continue to "make the vaccine freely available for those who want it." Once the vaccine is taken off of emergency use authorization and fully approved by the FDA, LDH can add it to the schedule of seven other mandatory vaccines in Louisiana. Until then, LSU will implement advisory restrictions but will likely not mandate the vaccine. A final decision has not yet been announced but Tate said it would come by next week. Representatives from LSU's Health and Medical Advisory Committee spoke at the meeting, outlining their recommendations for the fall. Masks and face coverings should be universally required indoors, including in all classrooms, as well as on campus transportation. All on-campus residents should be required to get entry tested for COVID-19 prior to arriving on campus. Testing will also be required in residence halls when wastewater shows a high detection of the virus. Physical distancing is strongly encouraged where masks are not currently required. This includes continuation of signage at entries and exits of classroom and buildings to discourage congregating in these spaces. Because LSU is not able to mandate vaccinations due to state law, we must continue to strongly encourage all students to get vaccinated prior to arriving on campus. Those who have been vaccinated should self-report through the vaccination survey. Appropriate quarantine and isolation protocols should be in place. All classes should be recorded and available for students who may miss class due to COVID-19 related issues. This is to discourage ill individuals from coming to class. All classrooms should have additional HEPA filtration installed prior to commencement of the semester (in process). Continue to utilize the Daily Symptom Checker as a way of flagging potentially symptomatic individuals and providing testing direction. These recommendations have not been approved by administration but are being taken into consideration, Tate said. Many faculty members submitted questions in advance. Some voiced their concerns in the Zoom chat box. Concerns about returning to the classroom with unvaccinated individuals who could be spreading the virus were most prominent, but questions about sick leave and remote work were also raised. No special provisions will be made for faculty or staff who have to quarantine or take off work to care for sick family members: They will have to use their normally allotted sick or annual leave. Remote work is a possibility, but not guaranteed. LSU, as a state institution, is following the model set by other government agencies, one administrator on the call said. Tate concluded the meeting by thanking the faculty and staff for voicing their concerns, saying he and his administration would be reading the comments carefully and taking them into consideration. Support Local Journalism The Malibu community needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please help keep us in print by making a contribution. Jim Christianson of Minnesota Computers for Schools loads a donated computer into a truck during a 2020 Tech Drive event at the Mankato Affinity Plus Credit Union. A similar event to help ensure kids across the state have access to reliable computers is slated Tuesday. 92, of Mankato, died July 30, 2021. Memorial service will be 11:00a.m., August 21, 2021 at Northview-North Mankato Mortuary with visitation one hour prior to the service. Burial will be at Beauford Oak Hill Cemetery. www.mankatomortuary.com. Atlanta, GA (30303) Today Mostly cloudy this morning with showers developing this afternoon. High 79F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Jul. 6Friction from a blown tire sparked a tractor trailer fire along Interstate 285 early Tuesday morning, according to Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services. Authorities say the blow out just after 4 a.m. generated enough heat to ignite the truck's wheel before the driver could pull off I-285 North at the Chattahoochee River to stop the truck. No injuries have been reported. "The driver ... Submit A Press Release $25.00 / for 2 days Ensure your press release runs prominently on our website and in our E-mail Newsletter. Gauranteed placement on these platforms is $25. Note: All submissions will go through our editorial approval process before being posted. Henrietta "June" Crabtree, age 94, formerly of Conneaut Lake, PA passed away on July 30, 2021 at Rolling Fields Eldercare. She was born on April 2, 1927 in Courtney, PA to the late John and Henrietta (Young) O'Dell. She married Harry Crabtree on May 8, 1949. He preceded her in death on Decem RTI International is an independent organization dedicated to the innovative realization of multidisciplinary research that improves the human condition. With a global workforce of over 3800 people, RTI offers innovative research and development and a full range of multidisciplinary services. Universities in North Carolina established RTI in 1958 as the first scientific organization and the centerpiece of Research Triangle Park. RTI has more than 20 years of experience in providing technical assistance to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Government and stakeholders in many sectors including Health, Education, Energy, and Research Capacity Building, with a Country Office in Kinshasa and a sub-Office in Goma. Job Title: Covid-19 Surveillance and Response Lead Job Description RTI International is seeking a technical lead for two major activities; Project 1: Quick Wins Towards a DRC National Public Health Institute: Knowledge, Management, Centralized Repository, and Strengthened Coordination for COVID-19 Response; and Project 2: Strengthening Epidemiologic Systems for COVID-19 Preparedness and Response in DRC. These two activities are part of a project funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to improve surveillance of epidemic-prone diseases and to support preparedness and response in DRC. This is a full-time position based in Kinshasa to provide expertise at national level and in the implementation of activities in the provinces of Kinshasa, Haut Katanga and N. Kivu. It will require occasional travel around the country to visit high priority areas identified by the CDC. The position will be on a one-year fixed-term contract. This position reports to the Technical Director of the project. Responsibilities Coordinate a team of 6: (computer scientists (3), data analyst / epidemiologists / surveillance specialists (3) ... to achieve the objectives of projects 1 and 2. Project 1: In collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene and Prevention (MSP) and the CDC and RTI team, the technical leader will lead activities to strengthen epidemiology and surveillance capacities at the national level through a unit of data consistent with the needs of a future National Institute of Public Health (INSP) Lead project efforts to support sharing of epidemiological surveillance data with stakeholders through newsletters, dashboards, and other forms of data and information presentation to support decision making. Support the timely sharing of epidemiological surveillance data in all relevant sectors through the regular (at least weekly) preparation of epi bulletins and/or dashboards and other forms of visualization at national and provincial levels, based on the experience of the data cell used in North Kivu during the Ebola outbreak in Ituri and previous COVID-19 projects (for example, COVID-19 tracker DHIS2). Perform on-demand data analysis that results in evidence-based recommendations to supplement routine reporting, to inform decision-making and policy changes, and to improve epidemic response strategies. Coordinate with the focal points of the Ministry of Health or JHPIEGO for the archiving of databases, documents, products (bulletins, reports, all relevant documents), in the central data repository, adhering to standards and standardized conventions. Project 2: Strengthening Epidemiologic Systems for COVID-19 Preparedness and Response in DRC. OBJECTIVE 1: Establish a national COVID-19 data cell as part of the response structure. Support the timely sharing of relevant epidemiological surveillance data from all surveillance sources at national, provincial, and local levels, and between government and non-government stakeholders, with the aim of rapidly disseminating knowledge to form the evidence base for successful interventions, based on the experience of previous projects (e.g., COVID-19 DHIS2 tracker). Provide technical support to data managers and epi/surveillance managers in 3 provinces. Strengthen and/or develop guidelines/ standard operating procedures for quality assurance of data received from all surveillance sources and obtain official MOH approval/ acceptance for guidelines/procedures developed. Provide supplies to support distance communication and use of ECHO platform to support virtual facilitation of trainings. Facilitate discussion with the CDC Ebola response team and other colleagues to ensure lessons learned from Ebola and other outbreak responses are incorporated. Develop and monitor data quality, data usage and other performance indicators to measure project performance, monitor data quality and data usage using existing performance indicators and/or develop new ones as needed. Provide technical assistance in the development of unique case identification numbers. Strengthen and/or develop a standard routine dashboard and weekly (or more frequent) report for epidemiological data to include standardized cob analyzes and visualizations (e.g., epi curves, maps, statistics descriptions, indicators, and other relevant information) that are approved by the MoH for subnational/ national monitoring and reporting. Create a repository for these data and reports, establish guidelines for governance and by the MSP. OBJECTIVE 2: Strengthen epidemiology and surveillance capacity in Kinshasa and in at least 2 provinces (N. Kivu and Haut Katanga) Build health worker capacity within the national response to collect, prepare and analyze data for planning and decision making. Modify or develop training materials and provide training on data management, analysis, and quality. Other activities : Provide capacity building support for the DRC MSP, the epidemiological surveillance directorate, national border hygiene program (PNHF), DPS and health establishments to develop, strengthen and use an electronic surveillance platform and Integrated Disease Response (eSIMR) with DHIS2 to collect, report, manage and analyze epidemiological surveillance data in accordance with the national health information system framework and the national health security action plan. Interact with senior ministry of health officials on system requirements, gain systems support and buy-in and advocate for project objectives. Conduct primary and secondary research on existing health data standards and help develop the data standards and protocols needed to integrate data from disparate systems. Organize and facilitate trainings and workshops for MSP colleagues on the analysis of epidemiological data and on the use of the electronic platform for data management and analysis. Support the MSP in developing standard operating procedures for the governance of the eIDSR platform to ensure data accuracy and security, as well as legal and regulatory compliance with national standards. Design and develop robust data visualization solutions. Coordinate with and obtain support from headquarters technical advisers. Qualifications: Master's degree in medicine, public health, health informatics, data science, or other related field. Experience in the management, analysis, presentation, and use of health data for decision making is required. Minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience Preference of more than 5 years of experience in related fields (epidemiology or surveillance of infectious diseases, public health, strengthening of surveillance systems, global health security). Prior experience in project management. Proven expertise in building public health capacity and building collaborative relationships with stakeholders at multiple levels. Experience with the Covid-19 response or other infectious diseases in DRC preferred. Collaboration experience with the Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene and Prevention (MSP) of the DRC. Experience in organization and facilitation of workshops and training is preferred. Experience with the use of DHIS 2 is preferred. Strong organizational, interpersonal and communication skills. Must be able to communicate effectively, both written and orally. The ability to communicate in one or more local Congolese languages is preferred. Applications from Congolese nationals or permanent residents are required. Applicant documents: Interested candidates are requested to submit a cover letter and an updated CV in English. By clicking on the following link: https://m.rfer.us/RTIlb2AXM You will be redirected to the official RTI website to apply online. Deadline: August 15, 2021 --------------------- FRANCE --------------------- RTI International est une Organisation independante devouee a la realisation innovante dune recherche multidisciplinaire qui ameliore la condition humaine. Avec un effectif global de plus de 3800 personnes, RTI offre une recherche innovante et de developpement et une gamme complete de services multidisciplinaires. Les Universites en Caroline du Nord ont cree RTI en 1958 comme la premiere organisation scientifique et piece maitresse du Research Triangle Park. RTI a plus de 20 ans d'experience dans lassistance technique au gouvernement de la republique Democratique du Congo et aux parties prenantes dans de nombreux secteurs : education, la recherche, Energie solaire, projet de developpement et dans la sante. RTI a un bureau pays base a Kinshasa et un bureau provincial a Goma. Titre du poste : Responsable de la surveillance et de la riposte COVID-19 Description du poste : RTI International recherche un responsable pour deux activites majeurs intitulees Projet 1: Des progres rapides vers un institut national de sante publique en RDC : connaissances, gestion, referentiel centralise et coordination renforcee pour la reponse au COVID-19 et Projet 2: Renforcement des systemes epidemiologiques pour la preparation et la reponse au COVID-19 en RDC. Ces deux activites font partie dun projet finance par les Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) visant a ameliorer la surveillance des maladies a potentiel epidemique et de soutenir la preparation et la riposte en RDC. Il s'agit d'un poste a temps plein base a Kinshasa avec la possibilite dapporter son expertise dans la mise uvre des activites dans le Haut Katanga et N. Kivu. Il necessitera des deplacements de temps en temps dans le pays pour se rendre dans les zones hautement prioritaires identifiees par les CDC. Le poste sera sous contrat a duree determinee d'un an. Ce poste releve du Directeur Technique du projet. Responsabilites : Coordonner une equipe de 6 : (informaticiens (3), analyste de donnees/epidemiologistes/specialistes en surveillance (3)... pour atteindre les objectifs des projets 1 et 2 Projet 1 : En collaboration avec le Ministere de la Sante Publique, Hygiene et Prevention (MSP) et lequipe CDC et RTI, le coordinateur va diriger les activites pour renforcer les capacites d'epidemiologie et de surveillance au niveau national grace a une cellule de donnees coherente avec les besoins d'un futur Institute National de Sante Publique (INSP) Diriger les efforts du projet pour appuyer le partage des donnees de surveillance epidemiologiques avec les parties prenantes a travers les bulletins, les tableaux de bord, et dautres formes de presentation de donnees et informations pour appuyer la prise de decision. Soutenir le partage en temps opportun des donnees de surveillance epidemiologiques dans tous les secteurs concernes grace a la preparation reguliere (au moins hebdomadaire) de bulletins epi et/ou de tableaux de bord et d'autres formes de visualisation aux niveaux national et provincial, sur la base de l'experience de la cellule de donnees utilisee au Nord-Kivu lors de la flambee d'Ebola en Ituri et projets COVID-19 precedents (par exemple, tracker COVID-19 DHIS2). Effectuez une analyse de donnees a la demande qui aboutit a des recommandations fondees sur des preuves pour completer les rapports de routine afin d'eclairer la prise de decision et les changements de politique afin d'ameliorer les strategies de reponse aux epidemies. Coordonner avec les points focaux du ministere de la Sante ou de JHPIEGO pour l'archivage des bases de donnees, des documents, des produits (bulletins, rapports, tous les documents pertinents), dans le referentiel central des donnees, en adherant aux normes et conventions standardisees Projet 2 : Renforcement des systemes epidemiologiques pour la preparation et la reponse au COVID-19 en RDC : OBJECTIF 1 : Etablir une cellule nationale de donnees COVID-19 dans le cadre de la structure de reponse. Soutenir le partage en temps opportun des donnees de surveillance epidemiologique pertinentes provenant de toutes les sources de surveillance aux niveaux national, provincial et local, et entre les parties prenantes gouvernementales et non gouvernementales, dans le but de diffuser rapidement les connaissances pour constituer la base de donnees probantes pour des interventions reussies, et sur la base de l'experience des precedents projets (par exemple, tracker COVID-19 DHIS2) . Fournir un soutien technique aux gestionnaires de donnees et aux responsables de l'epi/surveillance dans 3 provinces Renforcer et/ou developper des directives/procedures doperation standard pour l'assurance de la qualite des donnees recues de toutes les sources de surveillance et obtenir l'approbation/l'acceptation officielle du ministere de la Sante pour les directives/procedures developpees. Fournir des fournitures a l'appui de la communication a distance et de l'utilisation de la plate-forme ECHO pour soutenir la facilitation virtuelle des formations Faciliter la discussion avec l'equipe d'intervention du CDC Ebola et d'autres collegues pour s'assurer que les enseignements tires d'Ebola et d'autres ripostes a l'epidemie sont integres Developper et surveiller la qualite des donnees, l'utilisation des donnees et d'autres indicateurs de performance pour mesurer la performance du projet, surveiller la qualite des donnees et l'utilisation des donnees en utilisant les indicateurs de performance existants et/ou en developper de nouveaux au besoin. Fournir une assistance technique dans le developpement de numeros d'identification de cas uniques Renforcer et/ou developper un tableau de bord de routine standard et un rapport hebdomadaire (ou plus frequent) pour les donnees epidemiologiques afin d'inclure des analyses et des visualisations epi standardisees (par exemple, des courbes epi, des cartes, des statistiques descriptives, des indicateurs et d'autres informations pertinentes) qui sont approuves par le ministere de la Sante pour surveillance et notification infranationales/nationales Creer un referentiel pour ces donnees et des rapports, etablir des lignes directrices en matiere de gouvernance et par le MSP OBJECTIF 2 : Renforcer les capacites d'epidemiologie et de surveillance a Kinshasa et au moins dans 2 provinces (N. Kivu et Haut Katanga) Renforcer les capacites des agents de sante au sein de la reponse nationale a collecter, preparer et analyser les donnees pour la planification et la prise de decision. Modifier ou developper des supports de formation et fournir des formations sur la gestion, l'analyse et la qualite des donnees. Dautres activites : Fournir un appui au renforcement des capacites du MSP de la RDC, de la direction de la surveillance epidemiologique, programme national de lhygiene aux frontieres(PNHF) des DPS et des etablissements de sante pour developper, renforcer et utiliser une plateforme electronique de surveillance et de reponse integree aux maladies (eSIMR) avec le DHIS2 pour collecter, rapporter, gerer et analyser les donnees de surveillance epidemiologique conformement au cadre du systeme national d'information sanitaire et au plan d'action national pour la securite sanitaire. Assurer l'interface avec les hauts fonctionnaires du ministere de la sante sur les exigences du systeme, obtenir le soutien et l'adhesion aux systemes et defendre les objectifs du projet. Mener des recherches primaires et secondaires sur les normes de donnees sanitaires existantes et contribuer a l'elaboration des normes et protocoles de donnees necessaires pour integrer les donnees provenant de systemes disparates. Organiser et animer les formations et ateliers pour les agents du MSP sur lanalyse de donnees epidemiologiques, sur lutilisation de la plateforme electronique de gestion et analyse de donnees. Aider le MSP a elaborer des procedures operationnelles standard pour la gouvernance de la plateforme eSIMR afin de garantir l'exactitude et la securite des donnees, ainsi que la conformite juridique et reglementaire avec les normes nationales. Conception et developpement de solutions robustes de visualisation des donnees. Assurer la coordination avec les conseillers techniques du siege et obtenir leur soutien. Qualifications : Maitrise en medecine, en sante publique, informatique de sante, science des donnees et analyse, ou dans un autre domaine connexe. Experience liee a la gestion, analyse, presentation, et utilisation de donnees sanitaires pour la prise de decision est requise Minimum de 7 ans d'experience professionnelle pertinente Preference pour une experience de plus de 5 ans dans des domaines connexes (epidemiologie ou surveillance des maladies infectieuses, sante publique, renforcement des systemes de surveillance, securite sanitaire mondiale). Une experience prealable en gestion de projets Une expertise averee dans le renforcement des capacites en matiere de sante publique et dans l'etablissement de relations de collaboration avec les parties prenantes a plusieurs niveaux. Experience avec la riposte Covid-19 ou dautre maladies infectieuses en RDC prefere. Experience de collaboration avec le Ministere de la Sante Publique, Hygiene et Prevention (MSP) de la RDC Experience dans lorganisation et animation des ateliers et formations est preferable Experience avec lutilisation de DHIS 2 est preferable Solides competences organisationnelles, interpersonnelles et de communication. Doit etre capable de communiquer efficacement, oralement et par ecrit. La capacite a communiquer dans une ou plusieurs langues locales congolaises est preferable. Les candidatures de ressortissants congolais ou de residents permanents sont requises. Dossiers de candidature : Les candidats interesses sont pries de soumettre une lettre de motivation et un CV actualise en anglais. En cliquant sur le lien suivant : https://m.rfer.us/RTIlb2AXM Vous serez redirigee vers le site officiel de RTI pour postuler en ligne. Date limite : 15 aout 2021 Free Covid-19 vaccination drive in private hospitals has been launched by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. The drive is supported by the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds of various private companies. The then opposition DMK had urged the Centre in December 2020 to allow private CSR funds in the Covid-19 vaccination drive. After coming to power this year, the Stalin government had appealed to corporates in Tamil Nadu to support the initiative to increase the vaccination of the state's total population. About 2,15,17,446 individuals have taken their Covid vaccine doses through government and private hospitals in Tamil Nadu. Adayar Ananda Bhavan MD, K.T. Srinivasa Raja, also handed over a cheque of Rs 7 lakh towards the initiative. State Health Minister Ma Subramanian, MLAs N.Ezhilan, and Dha. Velu, Health Secretary, J. Radhakrishnan, Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner, Gagan Singh Bedi, and others were present during the function. In Tamil Nadu, a total of 2,15,17,446 individuals have taken vaccine doses through government and private hospitals. Source: IANS During the event on Wednesday, CII's Tamil Nadu Chapter Chairman, S. Chandrakumar handed over a cheque of Rs 2.20 crore from CSR funds for the free vaccination drive in private hospitals initiated by the Chief Minister.Adayar Ananda Bhavan MD, K.T. Srinivasa Raja, also handed over a cheque of Rs 7 lakh towards the initiative.State Health Minister Ma Subramanian, MLAs N.Ezhilan, and Dha. Velu, Health Secretary, J. Radhakrishnan, Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner, Gagan Singh Bedi, and others were present during the function.In Tamil Nadu, a total of 2,15,17,446 individuals have taken vaccine doses through government and private hospitals.Source: IANS Stalin had also held detailed meetings with the representatives of these corporates, as well as industrial and trade bodies like the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) for getting the CSR support to the government initiative. Kartik Aaryan has been on a roll as we have been only learning about announcements of his upcoming movies in the recent past. Now, his name has been associated with the Hindi remake of Allu Arjun starrer Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo. On Thursday, screenwriter Hussain Dalal revealed Kartik will be playing the lead role in the remake. In a conversation with The Times of India, Dalal said, An actors own qualities and personality traits always lend themselves to the screenplay. For instance, Kartik Aaryan as an actor and as a person is different from Allu sir. That has to be factored in while writing the screenplay. He added, Allu Arjun has a certain swag and Kartik has his own kind of screen presence and style that we have to play with. An adaptation works best when you are clear about who you are adapting the story for, what you plan to say with it, and how. It might be titled Shehzada and might be directed by Rohit Dhawan. Kartik Aaryan also has Ram Madhvanis Dhamaka, Anees Bazmees Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, and Hansal Mehtas Captain India in his kitty. Talking about Captain India, Kartik said, Captain India is inspiring and thrilling in equal measure and it gives me great pride and honour to be a part of such a historic chapter of our country. I have immense respect for Hansal Sirs body of work and this was the perfect opportunity to collaborate with him. Kartik has been enjoying all the limelight and the support that he got from the people when he was dropped from two major movies. It would clearly be an understatement to say that the last month has really been a very tough one for disgraced Indian businessman Raj Kundra and his wife Shilpa Shetty. Instagram Everywhere across the country and even outside of it, the news of Kundra's alleged hand in the recently-discovered pornography scandal has spread like wildfire. It is unremarkably the most talked-about news in town and well, doesn't seem to be dying down any soon. Especially, with new crazy twists and turns that are unravelling almost on a daily basis. Now, in a sensational accusation labelled by BJP leader Ram Kadam, Kundra has now been accused of masterminding and orchestrating a Rs 3,000 crore gambling fraud as well as of physically harassing a model and actress, reports state. BCCL The BJP leader, while addressing a press conference, said: On April 14, 2021, a famous model-cum-actress complained of physical harassment against Raj Kundra at the Juhu Police station. But the application wasnt moved ahead and there was pressure on the model. The government has to answer who were these people who put pressure on the actress and why no action was taken against Raj Kundra, said Kadam. The lawmaker then went on to elaborate on the gambling charges, stating that the Mumbai-based Viaan Industries Limited had started an online game by the name of Game of Dot. The online game then resorted to committing fraud and collecting crores from various distributors across the county before cutting off all communications suddenly. Kundra used his wife Shilpa Shetty to forward this game and attract distributors. When these people realized that a fraud has been committed, they were beaten up and cases were put against them, said Kadam. He also added how the company, despite claiming to run a legitimate business, ended up violating all rules and regulations in its aim of cheating the public. If no action is taken against the culprits, we will approach the Mumbai police commissioner and home minister. We also want to understand how has this government tolerated the injustice and fraud committed on the people of Maharashtra, said Kadam. Phew! It really feels like Kundra is now entangled in his own web and things are just getting worse and worse for him and for Shilpa as well. Gov. Tate Reeves in his Neshoba County Fair speech on Thursday proposed an immediate $1,300 across-the-board pay raise for teachers followed by $1,000 raises for the following two years all of which would require legislative approval. The total $3,300 teacher pay raise over three years, coupled with a $1,000 raise lawmakers passed this year, would cost the state about $51 million and fulfill a campaign promise Reeves made for a $4,300 teacher pay raise while running for governor in 2019. He caught some criticism from teacher advocates last year when he didnt include any teacher raise in his state budget recommendation. I believe merit must be rewarded, Reeves said Thursday, after praising teachers for soldiering through the COVID-19 pandemic. While some teachers in some other states kept kids chained to laptops or cell phones and pretended it was school, Mississippi insisted on in-person instruction. Other states said, We cant, but Mississippi teachers said, We can. Reeves said hes fiscally conservative and spending tax money on new things is not my nature, but education attainment is my priority. I think its wrong for us not to demonstrate that we appreciate Mississippi teachers, Reeves said during the annual political speakings that resumed this year after being canceled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Reeves chided local media for saying Mississippi has the lowest teacher pay in the nation. When adjusted for cost of living, Reeves said, Mississippis teacher pay is only the 37th lowest, and with the raise hes proposing it would move to 21st. A recent analysis from the Southern Regional Education Board found Mississippi teachers beginning salary and take-home pay for early and mid-career teachers are take home pay is extremely low compared to other Southern states, and teachers here make about 15% less than their similarly-educated peers in other jobs in the state. It will help us attract the top-tier teachers that our kids deserve, Reeves said. Of the governors proposed pay raise, Mississippi Association of Educators President Erica Jones said, Were pleased that Gov. Reeves intends to deliver on the pay raise plan he campaigned on in 2019. We look forward to working with the governor and other state leaders to see that promise through. Facing a teacher shortage crisis and an average teacher salary that lags behind our neighboring states by between four and seven thousand dollars, we cannot afford to continue down the current path of piecemeal pay raise legislation. Mississippis hardworking educators deserve better. Many education groups have been at odds with Reeves because of his failure to advocate in last years budget proposal for a teacher pay raise and for his refusal to impose a mask mandate in schools this year to combat COVID-19. Reeves has held firm in his opposition to a mask mandate despite rising COVID-19 cases, including among children. Reeves criticized the Centers for Disease Controls new mask recommendations. Tuesdays change in the CDCs mask guidance is foolish and harmful and it reeks of political panic to appear that they are in control, Reeves said. It has nothing to do with rational science In Mississippi, we believe in freedom. Reeves praised former President Donald Trump for helping deliver vaccines through Operation Warp Speed, but did not make any plea for more Mississippians to get vaccinated as other governors have recently amid a new surge of COVID-19 cases. He said 1.2 million Mississippians have chosen to get vaccinated. Others have chosen a different path. I will always defend those peoples right to decide what is best for them and their families. Besides teacher pay, focus at the annual political event also centered in on critical race theory, which has been vehemently opposed by many conservatives nationwide in recent months. Both Reeves and House Speaker Philip Gunn in their Thursday Neshoba stump speeches vowed to fight next year against critical race theory being taught in Mississippi schools. Reeves called it the latest, dumbest idea coming from the East and West coasts. Some of these Ivy League liberals are the dumbest smart people in the world, Reeves said. In what world is it OK to teach children that they are born racist? In what world is it OK to tell children they will be judged by the color of their skin and not the content of their character In Mississippi, our kids should be learning STEM education, not Dem education. In some parts of the country schools have come under attack because of their efforts to ensure students have a true understanding of American history, including the multiple instances of racism and oppression, and for discussing with students how racism has shaped public policy and events from past to present. During a recent interview on conservative leaning SuperTalk radio, Mississippi Superintendent of Education Carey Wright said basic history and social studies are being taught in Mississippi schools. I have not heard anything about that in K-12, she said when asked about critical race theory. Thats not risen its head. I have not had letters. Ive not had emails about that. We got our standards, our social studies standards which are based on the history of the United States, and thats already been out there; it has been out for public comment. It is black and white in terms of facts. I have not had anybody express concern about that being taught. Still, Reeves said he plans to push lawmakers again next year to approve his Patriotic Education Fund, which failed to pass this year. He had proposed $3 million to financially reward schools that combat revisionist history. He said Thursday that his plan would promote teaching of the incredible accomplishments of the American Way. Gunn, who focused much of his speech on the dangers of socialism, also vowed to prohibit teaching of critical race theory, which he called an attempt to reintroduce racism back into our schools and un-do all the progress we have made. Ladies and gentlemen, we cant take the chance on critical race theory, Gunn said. Socialists seek to turn Americans against each other and against this country by introducing critical race theory in our schools We cannot allow our schools to teach that one race is better than another. Those days are behind us. Of critical race theory, Jones of MAE said, No matter color, background, or zip code, we want our kids to have an education that imparts honesty about who we are. We will always support the rights of educators to teach history, social studies, and civics in a way that deepens students understanding of the world around them and broadens their perspective. She said school funding is a bigger impact on the quality of education in the state. We hear from educators from across Mississippi all the time. And when they call our office, its not to take issue with the states history curriculum; its to tell us they lack basic resources and feel unheard and unsupported, Jones said. Were far more concerned with educators teaching in schools that, as a result of inadequate funding, lack textbooks and paper or pencils and chalk, and deal with toilets that dont function or window units that are broken when school starts in August. In summer 2020, The New York Times coordinated a nationwide project to document the lives of Americans out of work because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involved collaborating with 11 other local newsrooms around the U.S. The Messenger-Inquirer was the only newspaper from Kentucky in the collaboration. The resulting collection of stories was published Oct. 23, 2020, in the New York Times print edition and at nytimes.com/outofwork. The following list is the Messenger-Inquirer's local unemployment coverage from that time period; read more by clicking the "New York Times Project" header. Click on "Out Of Work In America" to go to the full Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs S.Aleinik meets the Ambassador of Turkey On July 30, 2021, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Sergei Aleinik met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Turkey to the Republic of Belarus Mustafa Ozcan. During the conversation, the parties discussed the assistance of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus in eliminating forest fires in Turkey, exchanged views on the prospects for development of trade and economic relations and on other topical issues of the bilateral agenda. print version AG Nessel Supports Challenge to Unlawful Trump-Era Borrower Defense Rule That Repealed Protections for Student Borrowers AG Nessel Supports Challenge to Unlawful Trump-Era Borrower Defense Rule That Repealed Protections for Student Borrowers Attorney General Media contact: Lynsey Mukomel 517-599-2746 Public inquiries: 517-335-7622 July 29, 2021 LANSING - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined a multistate amicus brief today advocating for the rights of federal student loan borrowers. The brief, which was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, supports the New York Legal Assistance Group's (NYLAG) lawsuit challenging action taken by the Trump administration's Department of Education (DOE) that unlawfully repealed and replaced federal "borrower defense" regulations. "Borrower defense" is the process by which students can seek relief from their federal student loans when they have been defrauded by their school. The Trump administration scrapped previous borrower defense regulations that protected students from deceitful practices with new regulations that favor predatory for-profit schools and all but shut the door on students seeking debt relief. In its lawsuit, NYLAG, a legal aid organization that is represented by the Project on Predatory Student Lending and Public Citizen Litigation Group, argues that the Trump administration's 2019 Borrower Defense Rule is arbitrary and capricious and must be stricken. "It is absolutely critical that student borrowers are protected against unfair practices," Nessel said. "Stripping away these protections makes it nearly impossible for students to get the relief they're owed in instances where predatory for-profit institutions exploit their interest in higher education. My colleagues and I are fighting to ensure missteps taken under the previous administration are overturned." The federal Higher Education Act requires the U.S. Education Secretary to issue "borrower defense" regulations that provide a pathway for students to discharge federal student loan debt if they were victimized by a school. In 2016, the Obama administration's Department of Education created strong protections for student-borrowers who were defrauded by predatory for-profit colleges by establishing a fair and transparent borrower defense process for student loan debt relief. Following the change in presidential administrations, in 2019, DOE rescinded those regulations and replaced them with new rules designed to prevent defrauded students from obtaining loan relief and shield predatory schools from being held accountable for their misconduct. Today's amicus brief supports NYLAG's arguments that the Trump administration's 2019 borrower defense rule is arbitrary and capricious and therefore should be eliminated. It further supports NYLAG's allegations that, in rescinding and replacing the 2016 borrower defense rule, DOE relied on inaccurate, unsupported, and inconsistent assumptions, among other arguments. Joining Attorney General Nessel in filing this brief are the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. "The world lost a giant today, and I lost a personal hero. Senator Levin's decades-long dedication to representing the people of Michigan set a bar few elected officials will ever meet. His no-nonsense, brutally honest approach to politics is what gained him respect across the aisle. I greatly admired his unwavering commitment to doing what was right - even if it wasn't easy - and his passionate approach to understanding every single issue he voted on. We all could learn a great deal from his service. My thoughts are with his loved ones. There will never be another Carl Levin." AG Nessel Joins Coalition Urging Congress to Permanently Extend Expanded Child Tax Credit AG Nessel Joins Coalition Urging Congress to Permanently Extend Expanded Child Tax Credit Attorney General Media contact: Lynsey Mukomel 517-599-2746 Public inquiries: 517-335-7622 July 30, 2021 LANSING - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined 23 other attorneys general in urging Congress to permanently extend the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC), which provides a proven and systemic solution that would lift millions of children out of poverty. In the letter, the attorneys general call on members of Congress to permanently extend the expanded CTC in the upcoming reconciliation package. The coalition highlights how the CTC provides a solution to address the wide range of harms and costs of childhood poverty on children, families, and state governments. The coalition is calling on Congress to offer a federal solution through a permanent, expanded, and fully refundable CTC. "Permanently extending the Child Tax Credit would benefit millions of families and would significantly reduce child poverty rates in Michigan and across the country," Nessel said. "We are calling on Congress to make this permanent extension a priority in the upcoming reconciliation package." A report by Columbia University's Center on Poverty and Social Policy estimated that the benefits from the American Rescue Plan-largely from the expanded CTC-would reduce child poverty rates in Michigan by 43.9%." One in seven children in the country live in poverty. Low-income children face higher rates of food and housing insecurity, worse health outcomes, and decreased chances of academic and career success. Childhood poverty also has negative effects on state costs and budgets, including additional health care and special education spending, higher child protective and criminal justice costs, and lower tax payments and foregone revenue. A permanent, expanded, fully refundable CTC would lift about half of poor children out of poverty and bring myriad benefits to millions of children and their families, from better infant health to improved chances of finishing high school, enrolling in post-secondary programs, and earning higher incomes in adulthood. States would benefit from these effects as well as from increased consumer spending in state and local economies and decreased government spending on costs such as health care and special education. The letter also urges Congress to provide sufficient funding to raise public awareness about the CTC and make the sign-up process easier to navigate. This additional funding would help ensure that the CTC reaches the most vulnerable families and communities. Joining Attorney General Nessel in sending this letter are the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 29, 2021 Press@Michigan.gov Governor Whitmer Releases Statement on Passing of Former U.S. Senator Carl Levin LANSING, Mich. - Governor Gretchen Whitmer today issued the following statement on the passing of former United States Senator Carl Levin. "Senator Carl Levin was a champion for Michigan. His 36 year tenure in the United States Senate, the longest in state history, was marked by a tireless commitment to our auto industry, Great Lakes, and men and women in uniform. Carl paved the way for a safer planet, helped pass several nuclear weapons and missile treaties, and spoke out courageously against entering the war in Iraq. He made Michigan a safer and better place for our families, securing funds to create the Detroit Riverwalk and writing the bill that established Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park. Carl would often wear his glasses on the tip of his nose, but he saw the best in us. He saw what we were capable of when we came to the table as Michiganders, as Americans, to get things done. Carl devoted his life to public service, and it us up to us to follow his example. My thoughts are with his family, many of whom are lifelong public servants, including his brother, former Congressman Sander Levin and his nephew, Congressman Andy Levin. Carl, we miss you." ### Lt. Governor Gilchrist on Passing of Former U.S. Senator Carl Levin Lt. Governor Gilchrist on Passing of Former U.S. Senator Carl Levin FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 29, 2021 Contact: Press@michigan.gov Lt. Governor Gilchrist on Passing of Former U.S. Senator Carl Levin LANSING, Mich. - Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist today issued the following statement on the passing of former United States Senator Carl Levin. "Senator Levin was a giant whose power and dedication was felt throughout our state. Michiganders trusted Senator Levin to get the job done, which is why they continued to send him back to Washington, D.C as our state's longest-serving senator. And throughout all of those years, Senator Levin never backed down from putting Michigan families first. There's not a single Michigander who hasn't benefited from the policies and programs that Senator Levin helped to usher through Congress. His presence will be greatly missed by the untold lives that he touched, especially the young leaders like me who he continually encouraged and supported. My heart is with his family and all of the Michiganders across the state who are mourning this tremendous loss. Senator Levin set the path for all of us to continue his great work." ### With the city of Bad Axe and its Walmart Superstore location engaged in a dispute over the taxable value of the property, the city is reaching out to the county for help. In a letter to Jodi Essenmacher, the executive assistant to the Huron County Board of Commissioners, the city of Bad Axe requested that the county contribute a prorated amount to the city based on lost tax revenue for the attorney and appraisers fees in fighting this. Bad Axe City Manager Rob Stiverson said that if the city does not choose to fight Walmart in the tax tribunal, the county could stand to lose $7,070 per year in tax revenues. My understanding is that our appraiser is using a methodology that deals with stores open for business, while Walmart is arguing the dark store concept, which suggests that even functioning businesses should be treated as shuttered stores, Stiverson wrote in his letter. With the city of Bad Axes appraiser using a figure of $45 per square foot to figure out its appraised value, Walmarts appraiser is using a figure closer to $35 per square foot, which would amount to a 25% reduction in taxable value. The original petition Walmart filed to the state tax tribunal in 2019 requested that the Bad Axe locations property value be reduced from $4.3 million to approximately $3.5 million, and that the city to pay back refunds. Aside from the city of Bad Axe, the lost tax revenue would hurt Bad Axe Public Schools, the Bad Axe District Library, the Huron Intermediate School District, and the Huron County Road Commission, among other groups. A similar case involving a Walmart going to a tax tribunal is happening in the city of Escanaba, the Delta County seat in the Upper Peninsula. While the initial verdict by the tax tribunal sided with Walmart, the Court of Appeals said it disagreed with the verdict and urged the tribunal to revisit it. The tribunal again sided with Walmart and the case is going to the Court of Appeals again. Stiverson expects this same pattern to happen if Bad Axe and Walmart were to go to a tribunal, and said cases like this are happening all over the country. Our appraiser gave us info from Wisconsin of a court case as precedent, Stiverson said. This is the Walmart corporation nationwide trying to reduce its property taxes. Ultimately Stiverson said this would come down to whether a court feels that a building holding a thriving business should be assessed the same as a vacant building. The city already incurred $44,549 in expenses, which have gone to appraiser Integra Realty Services and the legal firm Simen, Figura & Parker. The latest hearing on this case was completed on June 11. Stiverson does not know when a final decision on this matter would be reached. Two small Tuscola County communities will soon get upgraded internet service. Frankenmuth-based company Air Advantage secured two of 20 grant awards from the state of Michigan. The grants, which totaled more than $15 million, are to build better broadband in unserved and underserved areas throughout the state. Air Advantage will use that funding to build fiber to the home within the community of Deford and the village of Akron, and also fiber optic. In Deford, grant funding will help fund the upgrade of the fixed wireless equipment on our tower located there, said Scott Zimmer, who is president of the company. The internet company already has fiber optic service going into the tower that is on the Tuscola County Road Commission garage in Deford. That equipment will be updated as part of the upgraded service to reach more of an area. Although the grant awards were announced last week, Zimmer has known for several weeks his company secured grants. We knew about it before it was announced so we have already started pulling permits, ordering equipment and started doing what we need to do to get this done for both areas, he said. Armed with that advanced knowledge work was started early, which means one of the projects will be done sooner. In Deford, the wireless side will be done quicker because most of the equipment for that is already there," Zimmer said. "It is a matter of changing our equipment. We have the ability to do that quicker than fiber. Digging in the ground for fiber takes longer than going up a tower and changing out a few radios. Deford is expected to have wireless service up and running in the next four to six weeks. Work in Akron will take a little longer. We are pulling permits for Akron, have equipment ordered, and have construction crews scheduled," Zimmer said. "That project will take longer because there are more driveways and roads to go under so it is a little trickier. In Deford, we can just basically get going. This is huge. Who would have thought Deford, Michigan would get fiber? There are large communities throughout the U.S. that dont have that! Zimmer approached the Deford Township Board of Trustees in December seeking support for his plan to upgrade internet service. And, they supported him. Those two projects will help bring greater broadband service to those rural communities that are severely underserved. We are adding more and more subscribers to our fiber network as people look to cut the cable and move away from the ever increasing costs they see from the traditional cable and telecom providers, Zimmer said. Fiber service is expensive, especially in areas with low population density areas like Deford and Akron. Grants like these from the state help make deployment of fiber to sparsely populated areas more economical, Zimmer noted. We are very happy we will be able to help our customers in these areas. The plan is to have all of the fiber projects completed by the end of the year. By completed, I mean the backbone built to start serving customers," Zimmer said. "As we build, we will be hooking up customers." According to Zimmer, the pandemic was a wakeup call on just how important internet service is. Air Advantage has been in business for 19 years. Dice Road crosses a rural section of Michigan between Saginaw and Midland, and with three reportedly haunted sites, it could be the most cursed road in the state. It is one of the most well-documented paranormal cases in the nations history. So, its no wonder that Midland residents are taking such an interest in the paranormal happenings on the road and in the original home. The mystery spans over four decades. And, it began with a man named Harold Pomeraning in 1974. Pomeraning owned the home on Dice Road in Merrill when the hauntings began. After being terrorized by loud pounding noises inside and outside the home and unexplained fires, he contacted the Saginaw County Sheriffs Office. Deputies couldnt figure out what was going on. They checked for footprints, searching for any evidence of people prowling around, and they looked for damage on the exterior of the house. They never could find any physical evidence to explain away the strange occurrences, according to retired Captain of the Saginaw County Sheriffs Department, Fred Clark. I would say to a doubter, not to doubt. There are a lot of things that happen in this world that are unexplainable. And, I would also say that many of these things, were not to know, Clark said. Retired Sergeant of the Saginaw Sheriffs Department, Charles Frisby, recounts his time at the home. "This Dice Road corridor is kind of strange," Frisby said. "We have the cemetery on one end and the Pomeraning home up the road. I heard the noise, I saw stuff out there. I dont know how to explain it, But, Ill tell you one thing. I saw it. With a scary story to be told, filmmaker Steven Prozak Shippy jumped on the opportunity to make a movie about Dice Road as the seventh installment in his Haunted Saginaw series. "To me, when you spend all of those resources and can't prove anything either way, you did prove that it was paranormal activity," Shippy told Mlive. "There is no paranormal case in the world with even a tenth of this police activity." When Shippy heard about the story, he began doing some research and then he stumbled upon a binder full of police reports about the home. He talked to former officers who worked on the investigation, neighbors and anyone he could find who might know something about the home. He's also visited the home. The things seen on a nightly basis are hard to believe. But people of all ages and backgrounds recall stories detailing the times they visited Dice Road. In a Facebook post in a Midland County community group, Jessica Gambino asked members to detail their experiences. She was inspired to do so after watching Shippys documentary. The post took off. With more than 450 comments, it appears that many have reported encountering something paranormal out on Dice Road. One commenter said, I had a friend who lived on Dice Road in the '70s and saw all the action with police and the investigation with the haunted house! It was real! Another Midland County resident, Shannon Schulz, said, I went with my now husband (fiance at the time) on Halloween with some friends at midnight. We got there at 11:50 p.m. Nothing. Then, right at midnight, all these orbs or ghosts appeared. Each one was above a grave in the cemetery. Just bouncing up and down. We just about pooped our pants and left. When we were driving there it was clear, but leaving it was foggy and creepy. It was something like a movie. Many residents agree that they, Wouldnt go there at night for any reason. Someone else even said that they went into the woods and got a lady on camera. This apparition of a woman has been seen several times coming out of the Dice Road Cemetery at odd hours of the night and she could be the source of the strange occurrences. Filmmaker Shippy posits that the Pomeraning home may have been cursed after Harold Pomeraning had a dispute with a neighbor believed to be a witch. Other Midland residents are not so quick to believe the mystery. I live 1.5 miles from there. One of my patients that just passed is buried there along with his wife and family. I spoke to his kids and brother. None of them have experienced anything. I drive by there all the time, even during the night, and nothing has ever happened. I'm not afraid of any of that stuff, Nicole Zins said. So, who occupies the home today? The owners now, Dave and Louann Larsen, have been there for more than 40 years. Never believing their home to be haunted, the Larsens described some strange happenings, like an antique radio making noise when it wasnt plugged in, and objects being mysteriously moved. Louann has a high school friend that was divorced and dating a part time policeman with the Saginaw County Sheriff('s Office), Dave said. And, he and I went fishing one day. On the way home I said, Hey, maybe next weekend we could have you guys over to our house for a barbecue. And he said, No. And I said, What do you mean no? And he said, Im not going to your house. Thats all Im saying. I will not go to your house. Come to find out, he had been here, through the sheriff department. That threw up a red flag showing that something had gone on here. In addition, Larsen's two daughters have an eerie story. Growing up they only knew a little about the home, but as they got older, they learned much more. My parents went out to dinner and we were here alone, sitting in the main living room. Julie Larsen said. We saw a flash outside and my dog started barking and got up on the bay window. And, then we looked and some guy put his face up to the window. It was like a white face. It was literally like a glow, Bridgette La Joice, Larsen's other daughter, said. You couldnt see much of anything except a round, white head peeking in the window. We ran into the other room and Bridgette called our neighbor, Julie said. It was snowing and there were no footprints or anything. There was nothing. Bridgette La Joice wants answers. I would like some clarity to it, she said. Its always in the back of my mind now. And, my kids are here quite often and now theyre questioning things. Interested in learning more? You can watch Steven Shippys documentary, A Haunting on Dice Road: The Hell House, on Amazon Prime. TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) The U.S. military is warning about what analysts have described as a major expansion of Chinas nuclear missile silo fields at a time of heightened tension between Beijing and Washington. Researchers at the Federation of American Scientists estimate that China has approximately 250 underground missile silos under construction after they used satellite imagery to identify a new field being built in western China. U.S. Strategic Command tweeted a link Wednesday to a story in The New York Times on the federation's findings, which were published this week. The public has discovered what we have been saying all along about the growing threat the world faces and the veil of secrecy that surrounds it, said Strategic Command, which oversees America's nuclear arsenal. The field in the Xinjiang region is the second one reported this summer. In June, researchers at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in California identified another field under construction in neighboring Gansu province. China has not commented on the reports. Asked about the latest one, the Foreign Ministry said Friday that it was not aware of the situation. The reports come at a time when relations between the U.S. and China have plunged to their worst level in decades. The two nations remain sharply at odds over a range of issues, including trade, technology, cybersecurity, human rights and Chinas increasingly assertive foreign policy under President Xi Jinping. The expansion of Chinas nuclear force would likely factor into any U.S. calculations for potential military confrontations over flashpoints such as Taiwan or the South China Sea. The outspoken editor of the state-owned Global Times newspaper said this week that U.S. institutions and the media are hyping the reports about the missile fields to pressure China, but that the nation shouldn't be cowed. Look at what American politicians are saying about China and look at the provocative actions of their warplanes and warships near China, Hu Xijin said. "China must fully step up construction of its military force and nuclear deterrence as the cornerstone of its national security. Both sites are around 800 square kilometers (300 square miles). Ground-based silos can house intercontinental ballistic missiles. Spreading the silos across such a wide area makes targeting the field much more complicated. Analysts say some of the silos may serve as decoys as well. The Chinese missile silo program constitutes the most extensive silo construction since the U.S. and Soviet missile silo construction during the Cold War, researchers Matt Korda and Hans Kristensen wrote in the Federation of American Scientists report. Kuo Yu-jen, a defense studies expert at the Institute for National Policy Research in Taiwan, said its very difficult to get an accurate count of the underground silos of any country, but that the recently released satellite imagery looks very, very similar to missile silos. He characterized the findings as a warning by the U.S. to others that China, in developing its nuclear weapon capabilities, is violating an international consensus geared toward nuclear disarmament. Its also to let Russia know. China, if it increases its number of missiles, it threatens not only the U.S., but also Russia and Europe," said Kuo, the director at the Institute for National Policy Research in Taiwan. The U.S. and Russia, who have the world's largest nuclear arsenals, held inconclusive talks this week in Geneva in a bid to avoid a new nuclear arms race. Chinas nuclear arsenal is estimated by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute at 350 warheads, while the United States or Russia each has about 6,000. The Pentagon says China will at least double the size of its arsenal in 10 years. The recent research follows a finding by Kristensen in February of construction of 11 underground silos at a vast missile training range near Jilantai in north-central China. ___ Gambrell contributed to this report from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. A third-party electric supplier has reached a $400,000 settlement with Connecticut officials resolving claims that the companys marketing tactics violated state consumer protection laws. Arizona-based Town Square Energy had been accused of enrolling customers in service plans without their consent and deploying agents who wrongly represented themselves to be utility employees. State Attorney General William Tong announced the settlement with Arizona-based Town Square Energy on Friday. Town Square also was alleged to have solicited the companys services door-to-door at public housing locations in violation of no trespassing signs, and refusing to provide information in Spanish when requested. Between January 2019 and October 2020, Town Square charged consumers approximately $2 million more than the standard service rate, which is what Eversource Energy and The United Illuminating Co. charge for purchasing electricity on behalf of their customers. Town Square averaged approximately 29,000 customers per month during that time period, but state officials are uncertain how many people were subjected to the alleged illegal tactics. Because of that uncertainty, Town Squares settlement payment will go to Operation Fuel, which works with communities, businesses and government in providing year-round energy assistance. The settlement requires Town Square to cease all in-person marketing, including, but not limited to, door-to-door and tabletop sales for a period of 15 months. Tong said his office is watching this market closely and will aggressively enforce our consumer protection laws against any third-party supplier seeking to deceive Connecticut ratepayers. This settlement is an important reminder that third-party suppliers are almost always a bad deal for the consumer, he said. If you get an offer that sounds too good to be true, do not commit without reading the fine print and making absolutely certain it is indeed better than the standard service rates offered by Eversource and United Illuminating. No one can afford to overpay for energy right now. The settlement announcement was made jointly with Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull and the states Office of Consumer Counsel. Seagull said this is another important reminder to consumers that they should always do their research and never enter into a contract they dont feel comfortable with. Officials with Town Square were not immediately available for comment Friday regarding the settlement. luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com WASHINGTON (AP) Senators and the White House were locked in intense negotiations Monday to salvage a bipartisan infrastructure deal, with pressure mounting on all sides to wrap up talks and show progress on President Joe Bidens top priority. Despite weeks of closed-door discussions, senators from the bipartisan group blew past a Monday deadline set for agreement on the nearly $1 trillion package. Instead they hit serious roadblocks over was how much would be spent on public transit and water infrastructure and whether the new spending on roads, bridges, broadband and other projects would be required to meet federal wage requirements for workers. They're also at odds over drawing on COVID-19 funds to help pay for it. Republican negotiator Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, who took the lead in key talks with a top White House aide, insisted the bipartisan group was making progress. This is heading in the right direction," Portman told reporters at the Capitol. "Its a big, complicated bill. Biden struck a similarly upbeat tone, telling reporters at the White House he remained optimistic about reaching a compromise. This is a crucial week after more than a monthlong slog of negotiations since Biden and the bipartisan group first celebrated the contours of the nearly $1 trillion bipartisan agreement in June, and senators were warned they could be kept in session this weekend to finish the work. The White House wants a bipartisan agreement for this first phase, before Democrats go it alone to tackle broader priorities in a bigger $3.5 trillion budget plan that's on deck. A recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC found 8 in 10 Americans favor some increased infrastructure spending, and the current package could be a political win for all sides as lawmakers try to show voters that Washington can work. Securing the bipartisan bill is also important for some centrist Democrats before engaging in the broader undertaking. But as talks drag on, anxious Democrats, who have slim control of the House and Senate, face a timeline to act on what would be some of the most substantial legislation in years. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wants progress on both packages before the August recess, and he told senators to brace for a Saturday or Sunday session. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden himself worked the phones all weekend, and the administration was encouraged by the progress. But Psaki acknowledged time is not endless. Adding to the mix, Donald Trump issued a statement Monday disparaging Senate Republicans for even dealing with the Democrats on infrastructure, though it's unclear what influence he has. The former president had failed at an infrastructure deal when he was in office. Its time for everyone to get to yes, Schumer said as he opened the Senate. Schumer said Trump is rooting for our entire political system to fail while Democrats are rooting for a deal. The bipartisan package includes about $600 billion in new spending on public works projects, with broad support from Republicans and Democrats for many of the proposed ideas. Yet there was little to show Monday after a grinding weekend of talks, putting the deal at risk of stalling out. The Democrats and the White House had sent what they called a global offer to Republicans on remaining issues late Sunday, according to a Democratic aide close to the talks and granted anonymity to discuss them. But Republicans rebuffed the ideas, saying the new proposal attempted to reopen issues that had already been resolved, according to a GOP aide also granted anonymity to discuss the private talks. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said its time for Biden to become more involved. I think its imperative that the president indicates strongly that he wants a bipartisan package, she said. A top Biden aide, Steve Ricchetti, was tapped for the direct talks as Portman fielded information to the other senators in the group, several senators said. Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana said, There were too many cooks in the kitchen. While much of the disagreement has been over the size of spending on each category, labor issues have also emerged as a flashpoint. Democrats are insisting on a prevailing-wage requirement, not just for existing public works programs but also for building new roads, bridges, broadband and other infrastructure, according to another Republican granted anonymity to discuss the private talks. At the same time, transit funding has been a stubborn source of disagreement for the past several days. Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, the top Republican on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, which oversees public transit, raised questions about the size of the transit funding increase. He cited, in part, previous COVID-19 federal relief money that had already been allocated to public transit. Democrats and public transit advocates don't want spending to go any lower than what's typically been a federal formula of about 80% for highways and 20% for transit. They see expanded public transit systems as key to easing traffic congestion and combating climate change. Psaki has previously said transit funding "is obviously extremely important to the president the Amtrak President, as we may call him. The senators also appeared to still be debating money for public water works and removal of lead pipes after Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, raised questions about the amount. Also unresolved is how to pay for the bipartisan package after Democrats rejected a plan to bring in funds by hiking the gas tax drivers pay at the pump and Republicans dashed a plan to boost the IRS to go after tax scofflaws. Funding could come from repurposing COVID relief aid, reversing a Trump-era pharmaceutical rebate and other streams. It's possible the final deal could run into political trouble if it doesn't pass muster as fully paid for when the Congressional Budget Office assesses the details. The final package would need the support of 60 senators in the evenly split 50-50 Senate to advance past a filibuster meaning at least 10 Republicans along with every Democratic member. A test vote last week failed along party lines as Republicans sought more time to negotiate. Meanwhile, Democrats are readying the broader $3.5 trillion package, which would go beyond public works to include child care centers, family tax breaks and other priorities. It is being considered under budget rules that allow passage with 51 senators in the split Senate, with Vice President Kamala Harris able to break a tie. That package would be paid for by increasing the corporate tax rate and the tax rate on Americans earning more than $400,000 a year. ___ Associated Press writers Hope Yen and Josh Boak contributed to this report. MIDDLETOWN As federal and state health officials are advising most of Connecticut to wear masks indoors again, a group of people stood on the side of South Main Street Friday afternoon calling for children to have the option to not wear them in schools. More than a dozen members of the Unmask Our Kids CT group gathered, waving signs and banners to spread their message about lifting the mask mandates for children in schools. We need to educate as many people as we can, said organizer Justin Pizzonia, a Middletown resident. According to the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, students should wear masks in schools. Gov. Ned Lamont said he has not yet made a decision on whether masks will be required in schools when students return in the fall. However, the CDC has also released new guidance this week, recommending everyone including those who are vaccinated to wear masks indoors where the COVID spread is substantial or high. With the exception of Middlesex and Litchfield counties, all of Connecticut is now considered to have substantial COVID spread. The state Department of Public Health on Friday recommended everyone living, working or traveling to New London, New Haven, Fairfield, Hartford, Windham and Tolland counties should wear a mask indoors. However, the state has stopped short of issuing an indoor mask mandate. According to members of Unmask Our Kids CT, having the option to not wear masks is the way it should be in schools. Masks should be optional not mandated, said Alima Bryant, who has organized rallies in Branford. Its not necessarily being against masks in general its just about having the option. Bryant, who has four children ranging from age 3 to 17, said she is considering pulling her kids from school if the mask mandate is not lifted. Roger Maldonado, a Branford resident, said he home-schooled his 5-year-old for most of last year. He said he plans to do the same this year if masks are mandatory. Theres no way in hell were sending our child to school, Maldonado said. NEW ORLEANS (AP) New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell reinstituted a citywide indoor masking mandate Friday and said all city employees and contract workers will be required to get COVID-19 vaccinations as Louisiana deals with skyrocketing numbers of new infections and hospitalizations. In Baton Rouge, Gov. John Bel Edwards stopped short of a mask mandate for the rest of the state, but he held out the possibility that one would be ordered Monday after he and state officials pore over the latest data. But, to a very large extent, whether it is a mandate or a recommendation, the people of Louisiana ought to be doing this, Edwards said at an afternoon news conference with state health officer Dr. Joseph Kanter. Looming over the decision will be new findings from a big COVID-19 outbreak in Massachusetts. Scientists who studied the outbreak concluded vaccinated people who got so-called breakthrough infections carried about the same amount of the coronavirus as those who didn't get the shots. Officials still stress that vaccines help protect against infections and, when infections occur, against serious illness requiring hospitalization. Cantrells mask mandate, a follow-up to a masking advisory issued more than a week ago, applies to those vaccinated and unvaccinated. She said the vaccination order covers 4,000 city employees and that contractors who want to work for the city also will have to be vaccinated. State figures indicate close to 42% of Louisiana's population had gotten a first vaccination dose as of Thursday. In New Orleans, the rate was around 57%. Edwards and Kanter both said there was some good news on the vaccination front. The rate of people getting their first vaccine dose has hit more than 10,000 a day, up from around 2,000 a day a month ago. But both painted an otherwise grim picture. Kanter said 45 hospitals in the state have asked for help with staffing as the number of hospitalizations in Louisiana continued to soar by over 100 a day. At 1,740 hospitalizations in the latest figures, the number was on pace to set a record early next week. Hospitalizations last topped at 2,069 in January during the state's third surge. Infections are growing fastest among younger people, with the steepest climb among those between 18 and 29. Edwards said he's been asked by health officials around the state to impose a mandate. Warner Thomas, CEO of Ochsner Health system, told reporters Friday afternoon that he was one of them. We see this accelerating, not getting better, Warner said, Edwards' news conference, livestreamed from the state homeland security office in Baton Rouge, followed a New Orleans online news conference with three doctors from Ochsner, the largest health care system in Louisiana. One of them was a pregnancy care physician who gave birth to a healthy baby after being vaccinated late in her pregnancy. Each cited medical data and personal experience as they sought to persuade more people to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Ochsner officials called the news conference in what they said was an effort to combat pervasive social media misinformation about the vaccines particularly myths that the shots can reduce fertility or affect pregnancy outcomes. People need to hear it loud that the COVID vaccine does not increase your risk for infertility, it does not increase your risk of miscarriage or any bad pregnancy outcomes, said Dr. Jane Martin, who specializes in high-risk pregnancy care. She said she received vaccine shots in the 34th and 37th weeks of her recent pregnancy and gave birth to a healthy baby. It was an easy decision for me, said Martin. She said she's seeing an increasing number of pregnant women sick with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit. The state reported more than 5,000 new cases Friday and 120 new hospitalizations. Joining Martin at the Ochsner news conference were Dr. Katherine Baumgarten, Ochsner's Medical Director of Infection Control and Prevention, who said her three teenagers are vaccinated; and Dr. Erin Biro, a neurosurgeon who said that she and her husband decided to enroll their three children, all under age 6, in a pediatric trial for the Pfizer vaccine. The physicians cited a new report from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, findings from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and an article in the New England Journal of Medicine. Edwards press office reported Friday that two governors office staffers have tested positive for COVID-19 and were isolating at home, in accordance with state and federal health guidelines. The announcement said the governor's office has a high rate of fully vaccinated staff," including the two who tested positive. It gave no details on their condition, but said such breakthrough cases of vaccinated people getting sick typically do not result in serious illness. Edwards' administration released orders late Thursday requiring Louisianas executive branch employees and visitors to state office buildings to wear masks, regardless of whether they are vaccinated. ___ Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic. CHICAGO (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions that was enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to oust tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households. Heres the situation in Illinois: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? The state's own moratorium on evictions will expire at the end of August, more than 17 months after Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued it. Eviction filings can resume at the start of the month, but enforcement can't resume until September. Pritzker extended the order several times during the pandemic. After landlords of small properties complained that it was hurting them financially, the Democrat modified his order in November to require tenants to vouch that they met certain conditions. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? The state expects to provide $1.1 billion in relief to renters and landlords, plus $400 million that will be available in some cities. Pritzker's office estimated that the money could help more than 120,000 people. Individuals can apply for up to $25,000 that would be paid directly to landlords. A separate $280 million program focuses on utility costs. According to the Illinois Housing Development Authority, the agency has received nearly 95,000 applications for rent assistance seeking a total of more than $900 million. As of Wednesday, it had paid roughly $180 million to 20,480 households, prioritizing people who were unemployed or had very low incomes. A state law created this year also seals the records of any evictions between March 2020 and March 2022, aiming to prevent pandemic-related financial woes from deepening a renter's ability to get future housing. Teri Ross, executive director of Illinois Legal Aid Online, also encouraged people who are behind in their rent payments to contact community groups that have received money from federal relief packages to offer aid or legal services. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? It varied in recent months based on the renter's location. Ross said counties in the Chicago area have not allowed landlords to file lawsuits seeking to boot tenants for being late on their rent. Elsewhere, counties that did accept eviction filings largely didn't act on them. Eviction orders entered before the pandemic began and those based on health and safety concerns were allowed to proceed. In September, all Illinois courts can resume eviction proceedings and enforcement. The Illinois Housing Development Authority is providing training on rent relief and other assistance to judges around the state. The agency's director, Kristin Faust, said the goal is to encourage landlords and tenants to enter mediation rather than move toward eviction. Housing advocates said some counties already have embraced that approach and hope it will help some renters stay in their homes while giving their landlords financial relief. But they still expect a flood of people to be evicted from rental homes this fall. HOW AFFORDABLE IS HOUSING IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? As of May, the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the Chicago area was 2.7% higher than the year before, at $1,900, according to a June 16 report from Realtor.com. That was higher than the national median cost of $1,770. The median cost of studio and one-bedroom units in the Chicago area dropped during the past year but still topped the nationwide median cost. The median rent of a Chicago one-bedroom was $1,650, compared to the national figure of $1,466. A Chicago-area studio apartment, meanwhile, cost $1,345 per month, compared to $1,294 nationally. Those prices are far out of reach for many renters in the city and surrounding suburbs, said Karla Chrobak, a supervising attorney with CARPLS Legal Aid, an organization that provides free legal help in Cook County. Chrobak said clients seeking the groups help already struggled to find affordable housing before the pandemic, making the prospect of being evicted now terrifying. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? Ross said community organizations around the state are in fear of seeing mass evictions. I hope that we see communities working together, landlords and tenants, she said. Keeping communities stable is largely dependent on keeping people housed consistently not precariously. One indication of the scope of the problem is recent census data showing that 109,211 Illinois residents were concerned they could be evicted within the next two months. Faust, director of the state agency managing rent relief, hopes shared efforts to keep tenants in their homes will help Illinois avoid mass evictions. Were going through a shared trauma here and were going to deal with it together and were going to address it together, she said. MISSION, Kansas (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions that was enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to oust tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households. Heres the situation in Kansas: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? In May, top Republican lawmakers rescinded Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's order that imposed the states pandemic ban on evictions and foreclosures. That left only the CDC moratorium, which offered slightly different protections. The state moratorium had been in effect since August. Kelly also issued an eviction moratorium in March 2020 but let it expire two months later. When the state's latest moratorium was lifted, Kelly spokeswoman Reeves Oyster said GOP leaders had decided to kick people out of their homes. Republicans have argued that the moratorium was preventing landlords from getting paid. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? Kansas has received two rounds of federal rental aid $200 million in one and $20 million in the other. As of Thursday, the Kansas Housing Resources Corp. had distributed nearly $21.7 million from the largest pot to 4,054 of the 9,555 households that applied (Wichita is the only community the state's housing finance agency doesn't serve). The money can go toward 15 months of rent, utilities and internet expenses. The state also distributed $17 million in rental aid from the smaller pot, said Emily Sharp, a spokeswoman for the agency. One challenge is that both tenants and landlords must apply to access some of the money, but certain landlords are saying, No, I just want you out," said Casey Johnson, an attorney for Kansas Legal Services, a nonprofit law firm. Some tenants also have refused to fill out the paperwork, making it impossible for landlords to collect any money, said Steve Vogel, the head of the Shawnee County Landlords Association. Johnson speculated that tenants might be resistant because they remain protected from eviction by the soon-to-expire CDC moratorium. The state is anticipating an additional $150 million later this year. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? In Johnson County, the state's most populous, eviction proceedings are still conducted remotely. Many counties are now handling such cases totally or partially in-person. It's impossible to tell whether more Kansans were kicked out of their homes during the pandemic because the state lumps its eviction data into a broader category that also includes landlord disputes, debt collection and employment discrimination, said Lisa Taylor, a spokeswoman for the state's Office of Judicial Administration. Johnson, of Kansas Legal Services, said landlords are increasingly finding reasons beyond nonpayment to evict tenants, such as not cleaning well enough or having an unauthorized pet. He said some landlords are not renewing leases when they expire. HOW AFFORDABLE IS HOUSING IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? Kansas has among the nation's most affordable housing markets, said Kirk Mcclure, a retired professor of urban planning for the University of Kansas and a contract worker for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. He said only the Deep South is cheaper. From 2015 to 2019, rent for a two-bedroom apartment increased by 7.9%, which was far below the national average of 15.4%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The vacancy rate was 7.8% before the pandemic, which was above the 6% national average. As of May, the median monthly rent in the Kansas City metropolitan area was 4.6% higher than a year before, at $1,109, according to a report released June 16 by Realtor.com. The median rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the area was $1,319. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? Kansas advocates for the homeless are bracing for a spike in people entering shelters or moving in with relatives. One indication is recent census survey data showing that 18,107 people thought they might be evicted within the next two months. A spike in homelessness could happen quickly. Kansas has one of the shortest timeframes in the country for evicting tenants who fall behind on rent. Johnson said landlords must merely send them a notice that gives renters three days to pay in full. After that, landlords can get a court order that gives the county sheriff 14 days to remove them. Vogel, of the Shawnee County Landlords Association, said landlords are not eager about any of this. But he added: It is just like having a job but not getting paid. You just cant sustain that because they still have all their costs. The Salvation Army in Wichita has already seen an increase in calls from people asking for shelter, said Jami Scott, the organizations director of homeless services. Unfortunately, the money that has been flooded into the community to help people pay their bills, a lot of that money is drying up, and it is going to be really difficult for us to be able to get people into housing," she said. NEW YORK (AP) Walmart is requiring that all workers at its headquarters as well as its managers who travel within the U.S. be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 4. The retailer based in Bentonville, Arkansas, is also reversing its mask policy for its employees working in stores, clubs, distribution facilities and warehouses. Going forward, they will be required to wear masks in areas with high infection rates, even if they have been vaccinated. The moves are part of a series of sweeping measures the nation's largest retailer and private employer announced Friday to help curb the spread of the virus and drive more of its workers to get the shot in the arm. The vaccine mandate excludes frontline workers, who the company says have a lower vaccination rate than management. But it's hoping that managerial employees, who represent just a fraction of its 1.5 million workers, will serve as inspiration. Were hoping that will influence even more of our frontline associates to become vaccinated," Walmart spokesman Scott Pope said. Pope declined to break out the vaccination rate for frontline workers and the rest of Walmart's employees. Walmart is also encouraging customers to wear masks in stores located in areas with surging cases and will be adding back signs at the entrances. It will also bring back so-called health ambassadors who will be stationed at the entrances and hand out masks. The company is also doubling to $150 the incentive it is offering to workers in stores, clubs, as well as other facilities like distribution centers, to get the vaccine. Those who already received the $75 incentive will receive another $75 in their paycheck dated Aug 19. The steps come three days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed course on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the delta variant of the coronavirus is fueling infection surges. Walmart's move to require vaccinations of its workers at its headquarters follows Google's steps announced earlier in the week that it's postponing a return to the office for most workers until mid-October and rolling out a policy that will eventually require everyone to be vaccinated once its sprawling campuses are fully reopened. Google's announcement was shortly followed by Facebook, which also said it will make vaccines mandatory for U.S. employees who work in offices. Exceptions will be made for medical and other reasons. Various government agencies already have announced demands for all their employees to be vaccinated, but the corporate world so far has been taking a more cautious approach, even though most lawyers believe the mandates are legal. Delta and United Airlines are requiring new employees to show proof of vaccination. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are requiring their workers to disclose their vaccination status, but are not requiring staffers to be vaccinated. However, given Walmart's outsized influence on the economy, more companies could make similar announcements. In fact, following Walmart's announcement, the Walt Disney Co. said Friday it's requiring all salaried and non-union hourly employees in the U.S. working at any of its sites to be fully vaccinated. It said workers who aren't already vaccinated and are working on site will have 60 days from Friday to complete their protocols. Those who are still working from home will need to provide verification of vaccination before their return. Disney also said that all new hires will be required to be fully vaccinated before starting employment. Vaccines are the best tool we all have to help control this global pandemic and protect our employees," Disney said in a statement. Disney has about 200,000 employees but it is unclear how many of them are affected. The company based in Burbank, California, did not respond to questions Grocery chain Kroger announced Friday that it will be encouraging all customers, workers and suppliers, including those who received the shot, to wear masks at its stores. But the company said it will not be issuing a vaccine mandate for its employees. Ken Perkins, president of the retail research firm Retail Metrics, said that Walmart's move could serve as a green light" to other companies to require vaccines, given its massive following and its location. It's based in the middle of the country," Perkins said. They speak to the lower-, middle-income shoppers and workers." Walmarts dramatically shifting policy reflects the growing worry about the rising infection rates. We continue to watch with deep concern the developments of the pandemic and the spread of variants, especially the delta variant," wrote Donna Morris, Walmart's chief people officer, in the memo circulated to employees that was shared by the company. We know vaccinations are our solution to drive change. We are urging you to get vaccinated and want to see many more of you vaccinated. In a separate memo sent to employees who work at the company headquarters, Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Walmart Inc., wrote, The virus is not over, and the delta variant has led to an increase in infection rates across much of the U.S." The retailer has seen a positive response" to the first financial incentive and is anticipating the sweetened perk will drive a similar response from workers, Pope said. He stopped short of saying that office workers who declined to be vaccinated would be terminated but said that Walmart is working through the process. He noted that the exceptions would be those who can't get vaccinated for medical or religious reasons. When asked why frontline workers won't be required to get the vaccine, Pope said that its approach with its large number of workers in frontline facilities has been to inform them, encourage them, make it easy and to reward then financially for choosing to receive the vaccine." Walmart said it is also implementing a new process for verification of vaccine status for U.S. workers. It says it will share those details in the future. A few days after the CDC eased mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people back in May, Walmart, along with a slew of other retailers, said it wouldn't require vaccinated shoppers to wear a mask in U.S. stores, unless state or local laws said otherwise. Walmart also said that vaccinated workers could go maskless. At that time, Walmart said that customers wouldn't be asked but rather held to an honor system regarding their vaccination status. Walmart workers who didn't wear masks also had to confirm they were vaccinated by filling out a daily questionnaire, though it was not requiring proof. ____ AP Technology Writer Michael Liedtke in San Francisco contributed to this report. _____ Follow Anne DInnocenzio: http://twitter.com/ADInnocenzio New London Police / Contributed NEW LONDON A city resident was arrested this week in connection with a shooting of a woman last weekend, according to police. Shortly after 8 a.m. on July 24, officers responded to the area of Mitchell Court and Montauk Avenue after a 911 call about a gunshot wound victim. Police said officers found a woman shot, who was first taken to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital and later transferred to Yale New Haven Hospital for further treatment. The end of tenant protections Saturday won't raise the same concerns in New Jersey as the rest of the country President Joe Biden on Thursday said he has ordered the military to start taking steps toward making the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for uniformed service members. In comments at the White House, Biden stopped short of imposing a vaccine mandate right away. But he said he has asked the Defense Department to look into how, and when, the military will add vaccines to protect against COVID-19 to the list of other vaccinations service members must receive. Biden said making the vaccines mandatory is important because troops often serve in places where vaccination rates are low and COVID is prevalent. Read Next: Cavalry Not Horsing Around with Mismanufactured Patches. Can you Spot the Error? "Men and women in uniform, who protect this country against grave threats, should be protected as much as possible from getting COVID-19," he said. COVID vaccines are now available on an emergency use basis. Until the Food and Drug Administration issues full approval for the vaccines, the military has said it will not make them mandatory for service members. When asked whether Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is open to mandating troop vaccinations before the vaccine is fully approved by the FDA, Biden said, "I know he's open to it. "The question is, when is the right time to get the most bang for the buck," Biden continued. "A lot of this is timing. I think it's going to happen, but ... it's still a temporary approval." Biden said he would not pressure health agencies to come to any conclusions on approving the vaccine, but said he thinks they will reach their conclusions in early fall. Vaccination rates are slowing in the military, as they are in other spots around the country. In mid-July, Austin said that 70% of active-duty troops had received at least one shot of a vaccine, and 62% were fully vaccinated. The Pentagon's COVID website said that more than 1 million service members are fully vaccinated, and another 233,000 are partially vaccinated. That equates to at least 60% of the total military force of roughly 2.1 million -- including active, Guard and reserve troops -- who are at least partially vaccinated, though not all Guard and reserve troops who have been vaccinated may be recorded in those numbers. Biden's directive, along with other initiatives he unveiled that are intended to encourage and make it easier for civilians to get vaccinated, come as vaccination rates are slowing and concerns are spreading about a more transmissible coronavirus mutation called the Delta variant. After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this week recommended that even fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors in areas of the country where the virus is rapidly spreading, the military followed suit. The highly trafficked Pentagon also reimposed its own mask mandates, even though its location in Arlington, Virginia, is seeing only moderate COVID spread overall. In his remarks at the White House, Biden decried the way COVID vaccines have become politicized by some, and praised Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Republican Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey for encouraging citizens of their states to get the shots. "This is not about red states and blue states, it's literally about life and death," Biden said. "I know people talk about freedom. I learned growing up ... with freedom comes responsibility. The decision to be unvaccinated impacts someone else. Unvaccinated people spread the virus. ... So please, exercise responsible judgment. Get vaccinated. "It's an American blessing that we have vaccines for each and every American," he continued. "It's such a shame to squander that blessing." Correction: This story has been updated to correct a reference to the militarys policy on vaccines before FDA approval. The U.S. Coast Guard renamed its Guam outpost the Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam during a rare, triple commissioning of fast-response cutters there Thursday. The service's commandant, Adm. Karl Schultz, announced the rebranding of Sector Guam during the commissioning of the cutters Frederick Hatch, Myrtle Hazard and Oliver Henry. "This change signifies a different operational construct than how we've operated beforehand. Today, these [cutters] are so capable that we bring expeditionary capability to the region that we haven't had before," he said during the livestreamed event. Schultz in October 2019 said that placing the three cutters in Guam is a response to "coercive and antagonistic behavior from China." During the ceremony, the admiral echoed former national security adviser Robert O'Brien, who said in October that the Guam-based cutters are expected to help police China's illegal fishing in the region through fisheries patrols, enhanced surveillance and enforcement efforts with U.S. partners in the Western Pacific whose own capacities are limited. "Coastal nations worldwide seek to strengthen their coastal forces and to whom do they look? They look to our Coast Guard as a key strategic partner," Schultz said during Thursday's ceremony. "Many small nations lack the capacity to protect their vast waters, to protect and thwart those threats from sea and to protect their rich maritime and natural resources." Rear Adm. Matthew Sibley, commander of Coast Guard District 14, explained the roles the cutters are expected to fill. "Coast Guard Sector Guam has already started routinely deploying these fast-response cutters over 1,400 nautical miles from Guam to counter foreign intelligence collection, combat illegal unregulated and unreported fishing, execute search-and-rescue cases and deliver vital support to remote island nations," he said during the ceremony. Sibley said the cutters' homeport, Guam, is more than a strategically important island for the U.S. It also presents a unique area of operations for the Coast Guard to conduct exercises and utilize new assets. The fast-response cutters are designed for missions beyond the traditional search-and-rescue work for which the Coast Guard is best known. Armed with four, .50-caliber machine guns and a remote-controlled, 25-mm cannon, the $65 million vessels may also be used for drug interdiction, defense operations, maritime law enforcement and environmental protection. They can reach speeds up to 28 knots and remain at sea for five days, giving them a range of more than 2,500 nautical miles, according to the Coast Guard. In December, the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard issued Advantage at Sea, a tri-service naval strategy responding to China's "revisionist approach that aims at the heart of the United States' maritime power." Beijing's strategy hinges on the use of a multipronged deployment of ships from its navy, coast guard and maritime militia "to subvert other nations' sovereignty and enforce unlawful claims," the report said. The report suggested that a more robust Coast Guard presence in the Western Pacific could provide joint force commanders greater flexibility in responding to China's "gray zone" confrontations that remain below the threshold of armed conflict. The family of Spc. Vanessa Guillen, the soldier killed at Fort Hood last year, wants the Army to court-martial the platoon sergeant who was found to have sexually harassed her prior to her death. The request came as part of their call for the service to hold Army leaders more accountable for their actions and advocate for a measure to make sexual harassment a standalone crime in the military. Guillen's death led to multiple investigations into the Army base in Texas and as a result roughly 21 leaders were targeted for punishment. However, much of that discipline has gone through the nonjudicial channels, which has shielded many of the final outcomes from the public due to privacy policies. A court-martial would generate publicly available documents showing whether a leader was punished and to what extent. "One of the most important parts of this case is the need for change and accountability and justice for Vanessa," Natalie Khawam, an attorney for Guillen's family, said this month after she and the family met with Gen. John Murray, who led an administrative investigation into Guillen's chain of command. Khawam and other legal experts agree the Uniform Code of Military Justice already allows the military to prosecute sexual harassment through a court-martial, but commanders rarely choose judicial punishment in those cases. In Guillen's case, the Army determined through an administrative investigation, known as a 15-6, that she was sexually harassed on two instances by a noncommissioned officer serving as her platoon sergeant within the 3rd Cavalry Regiment. For now, the sergeant, who has not been named by the Army, faces nonjudicial punishment, the results of which can remain hidden because it's considered a personnel matter that is not available through public records. That disconnect between founded allegations of sexual harassment and prosecution of them under the UCMJ, the federal law enacted by Congress that defines the military justice system and criminal offenses, shows why a separate crime is needed, said Meghan Tokash, a member of the Pentagon's Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault and Harassment. "We know the military is not doing a good job of charging sexual harassment under the current construct," said Tokash, a former Army special victim prosecutor who couldn't recall any cases from her time in service that had sexual harassment as the lone charge against a defendant. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin established the commission in February and tasked it with reviewing the military's handling of these types of incidents. After a 90-day review, the commission recommended making sexual harassment a standalone crime among more than 80 other recommendations in its report released July 2. Congress has the power to add crimes, known as articles, to the UCMJ and last did so in 2016, when it added Article 132 to prosecute retaliation. "I think having a standalone article shows the importance of the crime of sexual harassment. What we know as prosecutors and what the [commission] was able to hear for the past three months, is that sexual harassment is typically the precursor to more serious crimes, including sexual assault and touching offenses," Tokash said. "Much of sexual harassment can be stopped through preventative measures, so the introduction of a standalone article is a good thing for not only victims of sexual harassment but for military justice." Political pressure A Rand Corp. report released this month estimated about 1 in 4 women and 1 in 16 men serving in the military experience sexual harassment. Those statistics have remained relatively unchanged for the past decade despite the Defense Department creating several measures and programs to combat sexual harassment and sexual assault among service members. Combined with the findings of recent investigations, it has led to more members of Congress supporting drastic change. In the Guillen case, Tokash said she saw enough evidence in publicly available reports to use UCMJ Article 93, which already exists and references cruelty and/or maltreatment of subordinates. Other existing articles that could be used to charge sexual harassment include Articles 92, 133 and 134, Tokash said. Respectively, those articles address the failure to obey an order or regulation, conduct unbecoming of an officer and the general article, which encompasses behavior not mentioned in other articles that impacts good order and discipline. Article 93 is most applicable to Guillen because the noncommissioned officer accused of harassing Guillen was her platoon sergeant and her supervisor, Tokash said. Guillen went missing from Fort Hood on April 22, 2020, and her body was found buried about 20 miles from the base after a more than two-month search. It is believed she was killed by fellow soldier, Spc. Aaron Robinson, who died by suicide after her body was found. During the search for Guillen, her family said she faced sexual harassment on base, but the soldier was too afraid to report it. In response, the Army conducted two investigations into the Texas base, one internal and another by an independent committee. The internal investigation found Guillen's platoon sergeant was a known toxic leader and he harassed Guillen on two instances. The sergeant was notified of an intent to relieve him from leadership, which triggered an evaluation, according to a military official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Fort Hood officials declined to comment on whether a court-martial was ever under consideration for him, citing a policy not to speculate on military judicial actions. Under an intent to relieve, the accused has an opportunity to dispute and respond to the allegations, which he has, said Robert Capovilla, a Georgia-based defense attorney representing the sergeant. "While we are heartbroken for Spc. Guillen's family and join in their quest for justice for her, we must also set the record straight regarding improper and inaccurate comments made by Army leadership, the release of an incomplete executive summary that omitted important details, and slanted media coverage. Justice demands this clarification as the future of a dedicated combat veteran with more than 14 years of service to our country is in jeopardy," Capovilla, a former Army judge advocate, wrote in a letter addressed to all "reviewing authorities" that he provided to Stars and Stripes. Capovilla also said, in general terms, based on his active-duty service and as a defense attorney who represents service members, the addition of the sexual harassment charge to the UCMJ could reduce the ambiguity of existing means to charge harassment as a crime. However, he said he fears the issue has become mired in politics. "My concern is we're going to forget about the rights of the accused in this process, and I think that's a fundamental aspect of who we are as a country. That doesn't mean that victims shouldn't have a voice," Capovilla said. "I'm afraid that innocent men and women are going to be put behind bars because of a political pressure being put on commanders." Discretion and transparency For that reason, Capovilla said he supports another push in Congress to move court-martial proceedings for sex crimes from commanders and into the hands of special prosecutors. Austin came out in favor of this proposal following its recommendation by the independent review commission. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., has pushed for this reform since 2013, but after Guillen's death and the subsequent investigations, there now could be enough support in both chambers of Congress to get the measure passed. Guillen's family has worked with Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., on similar measures in the House, which are named in honor of the soldier. While the Gillibrand and Speier bills would put prosecution decisions for all felony crimes in the hands of an independent prosecutor, Austin has only called for independent decisions outside the military chain of command for sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse and retaliation. Last week, the Senate Armed Services Committee passed its draft of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, which annually sets priorities and spending for the Defense Department. It included Gillibrand's bill in full. Rachel VanLandingham, a former Air Force judge advocate turned professor at Southwestern Law School in California, said she would like to see additional transparency added to the system as reforms are made because it is a commander's discretion that has clouded the ability to understand decision-making and accountability. Even a short, publicly released memorandum could help provide understanding and guide future decisions, VanLandingham said. Victims, including the Guillen family, are often left with no explanation why their perpetrators are dealt with in a nonjudiciary system instead of through the court-martial process. Those making prosecutorial decisions need discretion to avoid the damage that a one-size-fits-all approach to discipline can have, but it can also lead to intentional and unintentional abuse, she said. "We're all human and there's implied bias," VanLandingham said. "The lower you go down in the spectrum of disciplinary measure from court-martial all the way down to letter of reprimand, the greater that disparity, because there's less transparency." After the Army announced disciplinary action for about 21 leaders at Fort Hood following the release of two investigations into the base, actions taken against those leaders included removal from leadership positions, general officer memorandums of reprimand and letters of reprimand. Army leaders did not disclose why each disciplinary action was chosen for each person. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, who represents the district where the Guillen family lives, said based on her conversations with Army leaders, the number of people disciplined is actually 13. Each of the disciplinary actions taken allows for the soldier to contest the action and includes a review period. Some could result in a discharge from service, but that has not happened yet at Fort Hood, Khawam said. "They have less responsibility, they are not in command anymore, but they're still getting paid for a commanding position," she said. "It's unfair to watch perpetrators and wrongdoers continue to sit and exist in the Army system because all you are doing is moving them from one base to another. That's not fixing the problem." Repeat offenders In some instances, a general officer memorandum of reprimand, known as a GOMOR, is only included in a service member's local file, which means when the person moves to their next duty station, the letter does not travel with them. "If you sexually harassed someone, a fellow service member, there is no way that something like that should be expunged from your file just because you [moved]," Tokash said. "If I'm a commander and you're coming to my unit, I don't want to be flying blind that I have someone who sexually harassed someone in their previous unit. You're a liability to me and, as a commander, I have a right to know that." Part of the independent commission's report called for the military's Catch a Serial Offender, which identifies repeat offenders of sexual assault, also include those who faced sexual harassment allegations. When service members report a sexual assault, they can choose unrestricted or restricted reporting. The first initiates a criminal investigation while the latter does not. The Catch program allows those victims who choose restricted reporting to see if their perpetrator's name appears in the system. The idea is that if a match appears, it could sway a victim to changing their reporting status and initiate an investigation. "Serial sexual harassers can also be your serial sexual assaulters," Lynn Rosenthal, chairwoman of the commission, said July 20 during a hearing about the report with the House Armed Services Committee's subpanel on military personnel. Khawam and Guillen's sister Mayra Guillen attended the hearing. Khawam said they all hope to continue to work together to get these reforms passed to balance the criminal justice system of the military. "We want to change a system that has loopholes and flaws to be a better system," she said. Hershel Woodrow "Woody" Williams of Quiet Dell, West Virginia, became a Marine legend on Iwo Jima with a 70-pound M2 flamethrower strapped to his back. But he says he still has promises to keep at age 97 even after a lifetime of postwar service to veterans and Gold Star families. Trying to live up to the responsibility that comes with the Medal of Honor, Williams spent 33 years after the war with what was then known as the Veterans Administration, first as a counselor and then overseeing 16 VA offices across West Virginia to advise veterans and widows on their benefits. But that was not enough in Williams' mind to fulfill the duty he saw goes along with wearing the nation's highest award for valor. He saw a void in the recognition of Gold Star families' sacrifices, whether their loved ones fell in combat or succumbed to what became known as the "invisible wounds" of war. So he set out to plug the gap. Through his Woody Williams Foundation, he began to raise money and rally community support to put up Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments to those for whom wars never end after the fateful knock on the door, despite cease-fires or withdrawal timelines. Read Next: 'You Can Forgive Yourself:' Molly Helps Vets with PTSD, New Study Says Currently, there are 86 monuments standing, with plans for 74 more. That might include one at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Virginia, near Marine Corp Base Quantico, if he can get the service to go along. Williams said he's been bugging the Marine Corps about that but has yet to make headway. "I haven't given up yet," he said. Williams told Military.com that the inspiration that still drives him goes back to meeting Gen. A.A. Vandegrift, then the Marine commandant and another recipient of the Medal of Honor, after Williams received his award at the White House from President Harry S Truman on Oct. 5, 1945. The general spoke of the two Marine riflemen who were killed giving Williams covering fire on Iwo Jima and all the others who didn't get to come home after the war. "You wear the medal for them," Vandegrift told Williams. "The medal does not belong to you" but to the fallen and their families. He added gravely, "Don't ever do anything that would tarnish that medal." Retired U.S. Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer 4 Hershel "Woody" Williams delivers remarks during the Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary mobile base USS Hershel "Woody" Williams (ESB 4) commissioning ceremony, March 7, 2020. (Amy Phan/U.S. Marine Corps) Heartbreak Cutout In 2010, Williams began looking for new ways to support military families. On a speaking engagement in West Virginia, he noticed a man had stayed behind, sitting alone with his head bowed. "I had no idea why, Williams said. I asked if there was anything I could do to help. I got no response from him. A little later, he was still sitting with his head down. He was grieving. The only thing he said to me was 'Dads cry too.' I asked him if he could share with me what happened." The man told him that his wife had died of cancer. Their only child, a son who had enlisted in the Army, was killed in Afghanistan after the mother's death. "That's when it came to me that we need to do something" to recognize the families of lost service members, no matter how they died, Williams said. There had been recognition over the years of Gold Star "Moms," he explained, but little attention was given to the impact of a service member's death on the entire family. Williams came up with the idea for Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments to be installed around the country, with the goal of them becoming places for family members to meet and share their experiences with others who had been grieving alone. He had ideas for what the monument should look like and the message it was meant to convey, and turned to Kenton Blackwood, senior designer and project manager at The Thrasher Group, in 2011 to come up with a final proposal. The collaboration resulted in a design for four large slabs of polished black granite arranged in a graceful arc with an inscription on the front side: "A tribute to Gold Star Families and Relatives who sacrificed a Loved One for our Freedom." The other side of each slab would feature artwork representing the themes of Homeland, Family, Patriot and Sacrifice. But it was something missing from the final design of the monument that turned out to be its most striking feature. Instead of a three-dimensional figure of a saluting service member, there is a cutout leaving only a silhouette, symbolic of the missing service member who no longer can be touched or embraced. Williams acknowledged initial misgivings about the cutout: He worried visitors might interpret it as a hole in the memorial. But he came to see the power in the missing figure. "I take credit for the design except for that one thing there," he said. "It is the keystone of the monument, no question in my mind." The first monument was installed in 2013 at the Veterans Cemetery in Institute, West Virginia. Williams' foundation has since partnered with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, or TAPs, to install monuments nationwide. "Woody is a national treasure," said Bonnie Carroll, president and founder of TAPS, which provides support to military families grieving a loss. The communities where monuments are installed sometimes add their own inscriptions. Lynn Feehan, who was instrumental in bringing a monument last year to Pensacola, Florida, said a plaque was added, bearing an inscription that reads, "The open silhouette in the monument represents the void left by those who gave all." The cutout has special significance for former Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Audri Beugelsdijk, whose newlywed husband, Navy Seaman Jason Springer, was lost at sea. He was serving aboard the Spruance-class destroyer Kincaid off Mexico's Baja coast when he went missing. He had mustered in the early morning of March 5, 1997, but never reported to his workspace, she said. He was presumed overboard, but a 23-hour search failed to find him. There's a marker for him in a cemetery in Indianapolis, his hometown, but "he's not there," said Beugelsdjik, now the Survivor Care Team director for TAPS. "My husband never came home. I don't have a grave to go to." But she said she has found solace at the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument north of Dallas, where she lives. "It's a place, a peaceful place, to go -- an incredibly meaningful place to be," Beugelsdjik said. "The symbolism [of the cutout] is so powerful. You can't help but find yourself there." Others spoke to the monuments' symbolism in helping them cope with grief. Mark Zook was outside in Port St. Lucie, Florida, one evening in October 2004 when a white van pulled up, and the driver asked whether this was the Zook home. Then, the van pulled into the driveway, and two Marines and a Navy officer stepped out. Cpl. Ian Zook had deployed in August 2004 to Iraq with 1st Battalion, 7th Marines. He had been wounded previously, and his father's first thought was that -- just maybe -- he had been wounded again. Ian Zook had been riding in a Humvee that hit an anti-tank mine near the flashpoint town of Husaybah in western Anbar province near the Syrian border on Oct. 12, 2004. He succumbed to his injuries. The Zooks were asked to join with other Gold Star families to serve as advisers to a board bringing a monument to Port St. Lucie. Williams came to the groundbreaking in February 2016. "I met Woody for the first time, and we instantly became friends," Mark Zook said. "I was mesmerized by his sharpness, about what he wanted to do [through the foundation]." The Zooks said the cutout in the monument symbolizes their son and all the other sons and daughters lost in war. "They're gone but not forgotten," Mark Zook said. "There's probably not a day that goes by that we don't talk or say something about Ian. I've got a dogtag of his that I wear every day. It's always there. He's always there." Hershel Woodrow Williams, retired chief warrant officer Four and Medal of Honor recipient, salutes as he is introduced to the stage along with other members of the ship commissioning committee, March 7, 2020, in Norfolk, Virginia. (Fernando Moreno/U.S. Marine Corps) Two Tales of Going Above and Beyond The U.S. awarded 473 Medals of Honor during World War II -- 27 for Iwo Jima alone. By 2020, only two recipients from that war were still living -- Williams and former Army Tech. Sgt. Charles Coolidge, of Signal Mountain, Tennessee. Coolidge died in April at age 99. Williams, now the only WWII veteran among the 67 living recipients of the Medal of Honor, said the death of his friend of more than 70 years, through their meetings with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, "has a great impact on me, simply because I am the last survivor." Coolidge and Williams fought on opposite sides of the world across utterly different terrain in America's epic two-front struggle to defeat Japan and Germany. Coolidge previously had been awarded the Silver Star in the fight for Anzio during the Italian campaign. The actions in October 1944 that resulted in his MoH came in the rain and cold of a desperate four-day firefight to hold off a superior German force backed by tanks in the forests of eastern France near the town of Belmont-sur-Buttant. Years later, in a video for the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Coolidge recalled an exchange with a German officer on the fourth day of the battle. The German officer popped the lid on a tank and called out to him in what Coolidge recalled was perfect English: "Do you guys wanna give up?" Coolidge shouted back: "I'm sorry, Mac, you've gotta come get me." In Williams' case, he earned the MoH for a battle that began in February 1945 on a pork chop-shaped hunk of volcanic rock whose two airfields were vital to the planned U.S. invasion of Japan. He said units with the 3rd Marine Division were told on the ships that they were to be in reserve for what was expected to be a quick takeover of Iwo Jima. But there would be no reserves in the bloody, five-week fight for the island that the Japanese had honeycombed with 11 miles of tunnels, hidden artillery batteries and a diabolically ingenious network of camouflaged bunkers and pillboxes with interlocking fields of fire. On the third day of the battle, the Marine offensive against one of the airfields had broken down with heavy casualties against withering cross-fire coming from the Japanese defenders' heavily fortified pillboxes. Then-Cpl. Williams found himself in a bomb crater to escape the cross-fire with an officer trying to figure out a way forward. Could Williams do something about the pillboxes with the flamethrowers and demolitions from his headquarters unit? Williams doesn't remember saying it, but others with him said he responded: "I'll try." He crawled forward with the flamethrower, backed by four Marines with small arms. At one point, he climbed atop one of the pillboxes and stuck the nozzle of his flamethrower down an air vent to fire off a burst to wipe out the enemy. Williams also recalled firing a burst from the flamethrower to eliminate four or five Japanese soldiers who came charging at him from around a corner of one of the pillboxes, but much of what happened during the four-hour struggle to neutralize at least five -- possibly seven -- of the pillboxes remains a blank to him. His medal citation states that "he fought desperately for four hours under terrific enemy small-arms fire and repeatedly returned to his own lines to prepare demolition charges and obtain serviced flamethrowers, struggling back, frequently to the rear of hostile emplacements, to wipe out one position after another." "His unyielding determination and extraordinary heroism in the face of ruthless enemy resistance were directly instrumental in neutralizing one of the most fanatically defended Japanese strongpoints encountered by his regiment and aided vitally in enabling his company to reach its objective," the citation adds. "It's one of those things that's bothered me ever since," Williams said of the gaps in his memory. "I've talked to psychologists, highly skilled people, asked them. They don't have an answer either. The only answer I've ever had that makes sense: If you don't have a reason, or you do not want to remember, your mind can shut that down and, if it does, it will never return." Loss of Brother to Breakdown Williams came to the VA by happenstance after the war when he was dealing with the loss of his brother to what has become known as the "invisible wounds" of combat. William Gerald Williams had been wounded twice while serving with the 3rd Army of Gen. George S. Patton in the Battle of the Bulge. He later barely escaped when the train he was riding on was strafed by a German fighter. His brother experienced what Williams called "a complete breakdown mentally. He was put in an Army mental hospital. They had him on medication and kept him quiet. He was in there 'til after the war. They kept him confined, diagnosed with 'psychological neurosis.'" "When the war was over, he still wasn't in any condition to be sent home," Williams said. "They finally found some medication that kept him very quiet, very subdued." His brother went home to West Virginia in late 1945, but "he didn't live very long after that," Williams said. "He didn't commit suicide. I think he just gave up." Williams himself got home in November 1945. "Things were starting to rebuild," he said, and he got a job in construction soon after returning. The job offer came "from a guy in my hometown. I'm positive in my own mind that he hired me because I had the Medal of Honor" and not because he had any skills in the trade, Williams said. "I knew farming and the Marine Corps. That's all I knew." Then, there was a phone call "from somebody in the VA. At that point of time, I didn't know we had a VA, Veterans Administration. I didn't even know they existed. So I got this call and they wanted to know if I wanted to come and work for the Veterans Administration. I questioned, 'Well, what's that and what would I be doing?'" "They said, 'You'd be trained as a veterans counselor and you'd be in an office and you'd be assisting veterans and their families with things that they are entitled to because of their service.' I said, 'No, I don't want that. I'm a farmboy, born and raised on a farm. I don't know anything but farming, and I don't want to be penned up in an office.' I hung up on 'em." A few weeks later, there was a second call from the VA that stressed the bottom line on salary. The guy on the other end of the line told him, "This pays pretty good money." "And I said how much, and he said it pays $2,980 a year," Williams remembered. "Well, I never heard tell of such money. I was making $36 a month in the Marine Corps. I told him I'll take it; I don't care what I'll be doing." New Marine Great-Grandson This past June 15, Williams participated in a Zoom event sponsored by the Veterans Breakfast Club discussion group in Pittsburgh with three other Iwo Jima veterans -- former Marine Sgt. Jack Watson, 97, of Pittsburgh; former Navy Radioman 1st Class Bob Young, 97, of Pittsburgh; and Marine Sgt. Larry Kirby, 97, of Beverly, Massachusetts. All said they had been told aboard the ships that the assault on Iwo Jima was expected to result in a quick takeover of the island. Each spoke to the numbing sense of fear they had to fight off as the predictions proved illusory and the casualties mounted. "I can tell you as one man we were as frightened as we could get," Watson said. "You couldn't dig deep enough into that sand." Kirby spoke of his admiration for Williams in going forward with the flamethrower despite the chaos and carnage around him. "Nobody respects or admires him more than his fellow Iwo Jima Marines because we were there to see what it was like, and that was a tough place," he said. A week after the Zoom event, Williams was in dress blues, the Medal of Honor draped round his neck, at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina, where aspiring Marines are drilled on their duty to live up to the never-quit legacy of those who fought on Iwo Jima and all the other battles in the gritty history of the Corps. As an honorary official for the graduation parade, Williams saluted sharply as the 350 recruits passed in review, but his eye was trained on one in particular. In a sense, Williams was there to pass the torch to a strapping 20-year-old recruit named Cedar Ross, his great-grandson, who was graduating from the demanding boot camp. Williams' pride in his great-grandson swelled at learning that the exemplary performance of Ross during training had earned him a meritorious promotion to private first class at graduation. Ross told CBS News that the drill instructors found out about halfway through training that his great-grandfather was Woody Williams. "The chief drill instructor told me, 'Ross, you're going to have big shoes to fill,'" the new Marine said. "I said, 'Yes, sir. Thankfully, I wear size 15.'" Williams said of his great-grandson, "The only advice I think I gave him was to do the very best that he could and then to do a little more." In his address to the new Marines, Lt. Col. Robert M. Groceman, commanding officer of the 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, told them to follow the example of those who went before them in the ranks, and to take pride -- at least for a day -- in what they had accomplished in passing the grueling training course. "But tomorrow is no longer about you," Groceman said. "Tomorrow is about those Marines who came before us, whose legacy you are now a part of. Tomorrow is about those Marines to your left and to your right who are depending on you." -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Related: Medal of Honor Recipient from Iwo Jima Battle Welcomes Great-Grandson into the Marines CAIRO The United Arab Emirates has sent six Yemeni detainees who were first held at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and then in the Gulf Arab federation, to their home nation of Yemen, the families of the men and a government official said Thursday. The transfer comes amid concerns that the former detainees could face significant dangers at home in Yemen, which is largely lawless after years of civil war. The men were held in detention for years in the UAE without charges, their families said. According to the Yemeni official, the six landed earlier this week in Yemen's eastern Hadramawt province. The detainees had undergone rehabilitation while in the UAE, the official said, adding that they would all be released and reunited with their families in the coming weeks. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the transfer with the media, said the men would continue to be monitored by Yemeni security. United Nations rights experts said last year that forcibly returning detainees to Yemen could be a violation of international law. The experts said the men could face torture or ill-treatment once back in Yemen. The six were among 19 detainees 18 Yemenis and one Russian who were scooped up in Afghanistan and Pakistan after the Sept. 11 attacks. The 19 had been in custody in the UAE from between 2015 and 2017, when the U.S. released them from Guantanamo. Following this week's release of the six, 13 from the original group remain held in the UAE. The mens continued confinement violated promises made by U.S. officials when they were sent to the UAE. In sporadic phone calls from undisclosed locations in the UAE, several whispered to their families that as bad as life in Guantanamo was, they wish they could return there, The Associated Press reported last year. The U.N. experts said the men had been subjected to continuous arbitrary detention at an undisclosed location, in the Emirates. Emirati authorities have not commented publicly on the handover and the UAEs Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to request for comment. A relative of one of the detainees shared photos of the emotional first meeting between one detainee and his son, now an adult, and of the two embracing. But he and others relatives remain concerned for their family members safety. His name and the full names of the Yemeni detainees are being withheld for fear that they might face retribution. The U.S.-based American Center for Law and Justice, welcomed the release of the six from Emirati custody but urged Yemens government to continue full care for them to help them integrate into society and practice their normal lives. Yemen, the Arab worlds poorest country has been wracked by a grinding civil war since 2014. Torture and arbitrary detention are widespread in networks of secret and formal prisons run by various factions controlling different parts of the country. The return of Yemenis comes after a Moroccan held for 19 years without charges at Guantanamo rejoined his family in this North African kingdom earlier this month. Abdullatif Nasser, now 56, is the first detainee at the Guantanamo Bay center to be transferred into the custody of his home country under the administration of President Joe Biden. Rights groups have called the detentions and the detention camp at Guantanamo, opened under President George W. Bush after the 2001 al-Qaida terrorist attacks, a historic wrong by the United States. There were allegations of torture in early questioning, and challenges to the lawfulness of military tribunals there. The Bush administration and supporters called the camp, on a U.S. naval base in Cuba, essential to safely managing international terror suspects. Almost 800 detainees have passed through Guantanamo. Of the 39 remaining, 10 are eligible to be transferred out, 17 are eligible to go through the review process for possible transfer, another 10 are involved in the military commission process used to prosecute detainees and two have been convicted, a senior administration official said. The 10 who are eligible for transfer are from Yemen, Pakistan, Tunisia, Algeria and the UAE. ___ Associated Press writer Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this story. The Defense Department is requiring all uniformed and civilian personnel to attest to whether they have received the vaccine against COVID-19, as part of the governments effort to kick-start vaccinations. Those who have not been vaccinated, or who are unwilling to say, will have to wear a mask and physically distance themselves from others, Pentagon spokesman Jamal Brown said in a news release issued Thursday evening. They also must be tested on a regular basis and have their travel restricted. The Pentagon issued this announcement hours after President Joe Biden announced a series of initiatives aimed at boosting COVID-19 vaccination rates. Among other programs, Biden said he had ordered the military to look at how, and when, to make the vaccine mandatory for service members. Read Next: Navy Charges Sailor with Setting Fire that Destroyed USS Bonhomme Richard The Department of Defense is moving quickly to meet President Bidens commitment to defeat COVID-19, and that includes being able to ensure every member of our civilian and military workforce is protected, Brown said in the release. Those who lie about their vaccination status could face punishment. In a July 9 message to its force, the Marine Corps said service members and civilian employees who misrepresent their status could face administrative action or punitive actions. The governments increased focus on encouraging vaccinations comes at a time when vaccination rates are stalling, and concerns are growing about a highly transmissible mutation of the coronavirus called the Delta variant. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on its online data tracker that the seven-day moving average for new COVID cases has hit 40,246 -- a nearly 47% increase over the previous weeks average. Earlier this week, following the CDCs guidance, the Pentagon began requiring all personnel and visitors -- even those who are fully vaccinated -- to wear masks while indoors at military facilities located in areas with substantial or high COVID transmission rates. Brown said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will consult with medical personnel and the Joint Chiefs of Staff to decide how and when to make recommendations to the White House on making the COVID vaccine mandatory. COVID-19 remains a significant and evolving threat to our nations security, Brown said. The rise of the Delta variant and the speed with which it transmits make these additional protective efforts all the more vital to protecting our force and the nation we defend. Vaccines remain the best and most effective way to prevent the spread of COVID, including the Delta variant. But a vaccine requirement could prove controversial and draw challenges. The law firm Tully Rinckey on Thursday issued a release that said Bidens plan to require civilian federal employees to be vaccinated or submit to regular testing and other requirements could be challenged on several fronts. Those include challenges under the Americans with Disabilities Act, on medical and religious accommodation grounds, and under collective bargaining agreements. -- Stephen Losey can be reached at stephen.losey@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StephenLosey. Related: Pentagon Eyes Possible Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccine as FDA Weighs Approval On a recent mentoring call with a veteran who left the Army two years ago, the conversation hit a troubling spot when he shared, I guess I didnt realize this would be what the civilian workplace would look like. Wed been focusing our conversation on some of the personality challenges he was encountering with peers and supervisors in this, his first post-military job. He didnt get along well with his boss, and some of his colleagues had voiced concerns about his work ethic and ability to collaborate. Its like he wants to do everything by himself to get all the credit, one colleague shared with his boss. When I reminded him about several of the differences between the typical civilian sector culture and the military, he sighed and repeated, I didnt know it would be this way. As you get ready to separate and plan for a career or life after the military, here are my top three insights into the civilian world that you should be ready for. Even though you were a civilian before you joined the military, and youve likely interacted with civilians during your time in uniform, the differences are worth noting. 1. The civilian sector values the experience. While the goal of almost any business or organization is to drive results (make things, sell things or solve problems), these companies put a value on how things get done, not just the result. How teams work, how employees feel about their employer and the processes by which objectives are met matter. When you consider that a brand -- company, product or service brand -- is about setting an expectation of an experience so customers, employees, investors, etc., will believe certain truths and feel certain ways, we must remember that brand drives a desire to purchase, refer or engage with the company, product or service. Companies invest billions of dollars and hours building and securing the experience of their company to attract the best workers and earn loyalty from their customers and stakeholders. This may feel like a different set of goals and priorities to someone from the military. Youve been focused on solving problems and getting results. If someones feelings were trampled on in the process, thats a risk everyone takes to complete the mission. In a civilian company, how people feel and whether they believe they are valued, appreciated, included and heard supports the company brand and is important. 2. Priorities and mission look different. Similarly, the mission or goals youll now be focused on look vastly different. Theres an honor in serving a mission as noble and selfless as protecting a nation. Now you may be asked to advance and grow paper sales in a new market region of the city or ensure passengers make it safely to their vacation destination. This can feel disheartening and disappointing if youre expecting to feel a connection to a mission similar to what you did in uniform. 3. Not everyone will value the same things as you. Your colleagues, boss and customers might not feel your sense of commitment to a cause, selfless duty and service before self. They might care more about a paycheck, staying out of trouble and vacation time. That doesnt make them wrong and you right; its just different. They might not all want to lead and empower others. They might choose to keep their heads down and avoid being noticed. Or they might put their needs and goals above yours and sabotage your efforts to protect themselves and their career. While my hope is that this is the exception rather than the norm, it may happen. And you likely didnt see a lot of this behavior in the military. The civilian sector is not selfish, self-centered and profit motivated above all else. But occasionally, you might encounter colleagues or supervisors who display this behavior. While it may surprise and annoy you that by showing your own values of service, loyalty, commitment and honor, you can stay true to yourself and perhaps become a role model for those around you. Want to Know More About Veteran Jobs? Be sure to get the latest news about post-military careers as well as critical info about veteran jobs and all the benefits of service. Subscribe to Military.com and receive customized updates delivered straight to your inbox. The biggest reason why most new food businesses fail has nothing to do with their food. Nancy Preston knows this because shes spent much of her life in kitchens -- she also did the research to prove it. It was as Preston, a military brat with an Army father and a Korean mother who spoke little English, came out of the Army and started delving into the financial aspects of starting a business that she realized was that she would just be trading the stressful struggles of the Army for a stressful struggle with a food business. As her career took her from an Army commission to entrepreneurship in New York City, Preston found a way not only to lift herself and her family, but also those around her. Thats where Milk Money Kitchens was born. Before she launched it, Preston and her husband spent a considerable amount of time gathering data about other food businesses and the food service sector in general. What they found was that when it came to the success or failure of the business, the quality of the food was practically irrelevant. The top five reasons people fail in the food business across the United States, but especially in New York City, are financial, Preston says. There's not enough capital. They spend too much money monthly. They don't know how to control their spending. Things like that ... It does not matter if your business sells hamburgers or staplers. If you don't know how to run the business part of your business, it will fail. Preston started Milk Money Kitchens in 2015 with the idea of opening a for-profit business with a social impact mission. Her company provides a facility and business services to food startups in New York City. It allows entrepreneurs to start their own food business at a fraction of the cost while interacting with people just like themselves. Preston is even on hand to answer questions. If youre a doughnut maker in New York City, to get your doughnuts to market, it would cost you about $500,000 for a lease to build out your small kitchen and probably a year to get started, she says. Milk Money Kitchens are going to cost you $45 to $60 an hour for your first couple of dozen to go to market. And you can do this while you're doing your other jobs. In 2020, Preston and Milk Money Kitchens won the Bob Evans Farms Heroes to CEOs grand-prize grant. The $30,000 grant money allowed her to save 14 food businesses and hire more employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. With it, they formed Food for Impact, using Milk Money Kitchens members to distribute meals to first responders and the New York City community. Food for Impact delivers meals to New York-Presbyterian Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Courtesy of Nancy Preston) Our success with Food for Impact was really what caught the attention of Heroes to CEOs, Preston says. It was a big opportunity for us, but it was really just us doing what we wanted to do, what, what we want to do for the community. Preston had competed for the Heroes to CEOs grant two other times before winning the grand prize. For her, it was validation for a lifetime spent in kitchens, on battlefields or learning to start businesses. It was huge. I will not lie, she says. I almost cried when they told us that we made it to the finals because I had never even gotten that email before It was a huge boost to us because running a business is a hard grind, COVID or not, a food business or not. It's hard. Even when it's going well, its hard. The money allowed Milk Money Kitchens to build up its partnerships with other struggling veteran businesses, to hire more employees and to keep providing healthy meals sourced from local struggling farms. I really commend Bob Evans Farms for keeping with the Heroes to CEOs prize, even when they could have postponed or canceled it until a more advantageous time for them, Preston says. They recognized that there was a need for this and moved forward. Thats what Milk Money Kitchens does on every level. From Army to Entrepreneur When Prestons father died while she was very young, her mother worked in any kitchen in El Paso, Texas, that would have her so the family could get by. Nancy Preston's father was a soldier, her mother was a Korean national. (Courtesy of Nancy Preston) Since she had been in kitchens from a young age, the food service industry was nothing new, but Preston always aims for the highest achievement. Like many veterans, the journey started with the Oath of Enlistment. Preston joined the Army after graduating from high school in 1994. She came to Fort Hood, Texas, as a private. Thats where an operations NCO changed the course of her life. He brought together all of the enlisted in our unit and said, Even if you don't want to go to college, you're going to need promotion points, so we're going to go to the education center, Preston recalls. She scored so high on college entrance tests that her NCO suggested she go to West Point Prep school. By June of 1998, she was a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy. By 2002, she was an engineering officer. She was set to make a career out of the Army. When she was enlisted, that goal was to be a sergeant major. Now that she had a commission, she wanted to become a general. That meant she needed a combat arms career, and engineering was the only path that could meet all of her goals. The Army and the rest of the world had changed dramatically since she began studying at West Point. She was soon married and facing multiple combat deployments. Soon, the Global War on Terrorism had kept her and her husband apart for more than two years. They decided the choice was between their Army lives and each other. They left the Army. Preston with her now-husband and co-founder while cadets at the U.S. Military Academy. (Courtesy of Nancy Preston) She already knew what she would do next. During one of her Iraq War deployments, she promised herself that if she made it home safely, she would do something that would make a huge difference. It has to be something I really, really want to do, she says. The best hours of the day, I'm going to spend at work. The best years of my life, I'm going to spend at work. And it's gotta mean something more. But she still had work to do. The years after her departure from the Army were spent in jobs that taught her about building and running a business. She became an engineering consultant to learn contracting. She took a job in communications to learn better interpersonal skills. She worked at a major bank to learn the ropes about running businesses. Not all of my skills translated from the Army to this world outside the Army, Preston says. I'm drinking from a fire hose, but it helped us build my skills and a tiny bit of capital so that we could move forward. -- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook. Want to Know More About Veteran Jobs? Be sure to get the latest news about post-military careers as well as critical info about veteran jobs and all the benefits of service. Subscribe to Military.com and receive customized updates delivered straight to your inbox. Following COVID hiatus, Aussie major funds UKMP program, Ambler access road; resumes drill program at Shorty Creek North of 60 Mining News July 30, 2021 Ambler Metals' 2021 program includes resource upgrade of metallurgical drilling at Arctic and the exploration of similar VMS targets near the proposed mine. When Australia-based South32 Ltd. decided to expand its portfolio into the Northern Hemisphere, Alaska was its first stop. Under a deal struck with Trilogy Metals Inc. in 2017, South32 agreed to invest more than US$175 million to earn a 50% joint venture interest in the massive Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects in Alaska's world-class Ambler Mining District. After investing more than US$30 million to fully understand the mineral potential at UKMP, the major base metals producer agreed to pay US$145 million to exercise its JV option late in 2019. Ambler Metals LLC, the resultant JV owned equally by South32 and Trilogy, is using these funds to unlock UKMP's world-class potential. Toward this goal, Ambler Metals had originally planned to invest US$22.8 million toward advancing exploration and predevelopment activities at UKMP during 2020. The partnership, however, determined that it would be best for its long-term plans and the health of the Northwest Alaska communities near UKMP to wait out the COVID pandemic. Similarly, South32 decided to forego 2020 exploration at Shorty Creek, another copper-enriched Alaskan project the Australian major is investing in. World-class UKMP program While a yearlong hiatus from field activities put some of Ambler Metals' plans to advance toward developing the first operation in one of the richest mineral districts on earth behind schedule, the partnership remains on track to begin the permitting process for a mine at the Arctic project later this year. To help to get the overall UKMP project back on schedule, South32 and Trilogy agreed to a larger US$27 million program for 2021. Trilogy Metals President and CEO Tony Giardini said this investment would fund one of "the biggest programs in the history of the Ambler Mining District and we have expectations that this program will eventually add to our mineral inventory within this emerging world-class mining district." Realizing the world-class potential that the Ambler District has to offer, however, will require a road to deliver the metal-rich concentrates produced there to market. That is why Ambler Metals is also investing US$6.5 million into feasibility and permitting activities for a 211-mile industrial access road to the district. Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, which would fund the construction and maintenance of the road, is also contributing US$6.5 million toward this summer's work. AIDEA will recoup its investments into the road by collecting tolls for its use. The advancement of the Ambler Road, along with the historically large 2021 filed program, will help to further de-risk the Arctic Mine project. A 2020 feasibility study details a financially robust operation at Arctic that would produce 1.9 billion pounds of copper, 2.3 billion lb of zinc, 388 million lb of lead, 386,000 ounces of gold, and 40.6 million oz of silver over an initial 12-year mine life. This operation is based on 43 million metric tons of reserves averaging 2.32% copper, 3.24% zinc, 0.57% lead, 0.49 g/t gold, and 36 g/t silver. While high-grade volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits such as this are typically mined from underground, the Arctic feasibility study details an open-pit mine feeding a 10,000-metric-ton-per day mill. The 2021 field program at Arctic includes 7,600 meters of drilling aimed at both extracting additional material for metallurgical work and upgrading mineral resources into the measured category, which could then potentially be upgraded to reserves. This includes geotechnical drilling around the mine site, resource conversion and metallurgical drilling in the Arctic deposit, and condemnation drilling at locations where Ambler plans to build the processing plant and tailings management facility. In addition to collecting the data to further de-risk Arctic, the 2021 field work includes exploration drilling around the Arctic deposit and across the wider 426,600-acre property. The drills are testing VMS targets and historical deposits similar to Arctic and carbonate-hosted copper targets similar to Bornite, the second most advanced UKMP project. Located about 16 miles (26 kilometers) southwest of Arctic, Bornite hosts 6.4 billion lb of copper and 77 million lb of cobalt in near-surface and underground deposits. At a cut-off grade of 0.5%, the open-pit portion of Bornite hosts 40.5 million metric tons of inferred resource averaging 1.02% (913 million pounds) copper; and 84.1 million metric tons of indicated resource averaging 0.95% (1.77 billion lb) copper. At the same cut-off grade, the Bornite open-pit also hosts 124.6 million metric tons of inferred resource averaging 0.017% (45 million lb) cobalt. The below-pit portion of Bornite, at a cut-off grade of 1.5%, hosts 57.8 million metric tons of inferred resource averaging 2.89% (3.68 billion lb) copper and 0.025% (32 million lb) cobalt. "While we will not be drilling at the Bornite project this year, we believe in the potential of this project and plan to resume drilling there soon," said Giardini. A return to Shorty Creek While South32 did not fund a drill program on Freegold Ventures Ltd.'s Shorty Creek property last year, the major and junior did carry out some targeting work that is expected to bolster the success of this year's US$2.5 million drill program at this porphyry copper project in Interior Alaska. Lying alongside the paved Elliot Highway about 75 miles northwest of Fairbanks, Shorty Creek is a relatively early staged exploration project with the potential to host large porphyry-style deposits enriched with copper, gold, silver, tungsten, and cobalt. Under a 2019 deal with Freegold, South32 has the option to earn a 70% interest in Shorty Creek for US$30 million, less any money the Australia-based major invests in exploring the copper-gold-silver-tungsten targets identified across the property. To keep the option in good standing, South32 agreed to fund up to US$10.3 million on exploration over a four-year span beginning in 2019. The Australia major invested the first US$2.3 million into a 2019 program at Shorty Creek, which included a five-hole drill program; induced polarization and magnetic surveys; and geochemical sampling. The best hole, SC 1901A, cut 99.1 meters averaging 0.29% copper, 0.014 g/t gold, and 1.61 g/t silver northeast of Hill 1835, the primary target of previous drilling at Shorty Creek. Freegold Ventures Ltd. Core from a 2018 hole that cut 442.4 meters averaging 0.22% copper, 0.13 g/t gold, 4.03 g/t silver, and 0.02% tungsten trioxide at the Shorty Creek project in Alaska. Freegold has drilled 12 holes at the Hill 1835 target since 2015. Highlights from this drilling include 91 meters of 0.55% copper, 0.14 g/t gold and 7.02 g/t silver; 93.5 meters of 0.38% copper, 0.07 g/t gold, and 8.96 g/t silver; 360 meters of 0.24% copper, 0.07 g/t gold, 4.04 g/t silver, and 0.03% tungsten trioxide; and 442.2 meters of 0.24% copper, 0.09 g/t gold, 4.74 g/t silver, and 0.02% tungsten trioxide. The 2019 program included three other holes at Hill 1835 and one hole at Hill 1710, a very large porphyry target about 2,000 meters northwest of Hill 1835. Due to difficult drilling conditions, however, only one of these holes reached targeted depth. While drills did not turn at Shorty Creek during 2020, several prospective target areas were identified that are being tested this year. Freegold is carrying out the South32-funded programs at Shorty Creek. After each year's drill program, the Australian major may exercise its option to acquire its 70% interest in the project by putting the balance of its $30 million earn-in amount into a JV company that will continue advancing Shorty Creek. UCG UniCredit and the Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Italy have agreed prerequisite terms and will begin exclusive discussions around the potential transfer of a defined perimeter of MPS to UniCredit Milan, July 29 2021 - UniCredit and the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) of the Republic of Italy, the majority shareholder of Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena S.p.A. (MPS), have approved the prerequisites for a potential transaction involving the commercial operations of MPS with a carefully defined perimeter and appropriate risk mitigation. Exclusive discussions will now begin to assess the feasibility of a transaction. The potential transaction would allow the Group to accelerate its organic growth plans and help deliver the ultimate goal of sustainable returns above the cost of equity over the cycle. MPS could contribute, subject to the definition of the final perimeter, approx. 3.9m clients, Euro 80bn customer loans, Euro 87bn customer deposits, and Euro 62bn assets under management and Euro 42bn assets under custody. It could strengthen the Groups competitive position and offering within Italy, in particular in the Central and Northern regions, where 77% of MPS branches are located. It could deliver market share growth of 17 percent in Tuscany, 4 percent in Lombardy and Emilia Romagna and 8 percent in Veneto. This would lead to a significant increase in future profitability for the Group, while the prerequisites of the transaction would allow UniCredit to preserve its capital position, improve its asset quality and its risk profile on a pro-forma basis. Any potential transaction would take place alongside the Groups existing focus on unlocking internal value, which remains a current and ongoing priority. The main prerequisites agreed with the MEF to assess the feasibility of the transaction from an economic and financial perspective include but are not limited to the following: capital neutrality of the transaction on the capital position of the Group on a pro forma basis; in 2023, a significant accretion of the Group earnings per share when including the after-tax synergies deriving from the transaction, provided that the Group earnings per share shall remain at least unaffected if synergies are not factored in; exclusion of all the extraordinary litigations not related to the ordinary banking activity and all relevant legal risks, actual or potential; exclusion of NPEs and adequate protection from other potential credit risks, which may be identified also during the due diligence process, through actions to be defined; agreement on the management of personnel, consistently with the perimeter of the going concern relating to the commercial activities, with the aim of ensuring a seamless, quick and effective integration into the Group. The transaction under analysis is subject to the positive outcome of the assessment of the prerequisites as agreed, as well as the legal, economic, tax, accounting and industrial due diligence, the discussions with the MEF and MPS aimed at defining the transaction structure, terms and perimeter, and the subsequent definition of the relevant binding agreements. Following todays announcement, UniCredit will agree with MPS the access to a virtual data room for the execution of the due diligence. UniCredit confirms that, despite the absence of any actual conflict of interest and in full independence of mind, given his previous assignment as Minister of Economy and Finance the Chairman, professor Pier Carlo Padoan, abstained from the relevant resolution of the Board of Directors. UniCredit will provide further updates on the potential transaction according to the applicable market disclosure requirements. Andrea Orcel, CEO of UniCredit Group, will host a company call tonight, 29 July 2021, at 8.00 pm CEST. See below connection details. Location | Phone Type | Phone Number Austria | Tollfree/Freephone | 0800 005 408 Austria, Vienna | Local | +43 (0)7 2038 0108 40 Germany | Tollfree/Freephone | 0800 589 4609 Germany, Frankfurt | Local | +49 (0)69 2222 13420 Germany, Munich | Local | +49 (0)89 20303 5709 Italy | Tollfree/Freephone | 800 977 396 Italy, Milan | Local | +39 02 3600 8019 Italy, Rome | Local | +39 06 8750 0723 United Kingdom | Tollfree/Freephone | 0800 358 6377 United Kingdom, Local | Local | +44 (0)330 336 9105 Enquiries: Media Relations: e-mail: MediaRelations@unicredit.eu Investor Relations: e-mail: InvestorRelations@unicredit.eu The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the license of Goa-based Madgaum Urban Cooperative Bank, with effect from 29 July 2021. This bank is latest to add to a long list of badly-run banks whose licenses have been cancelled by the RBI after their poor performance. The banking regulator said the decision was taken as the Bank does not have adequate capital and earning prospects, and it would be unable to pay its present depositors in full in its present financial position. The RBI has, vide order dated 27 July 2021 cancelled the license of The Madgaum Urban Cooperative Bank, Margao, Goa. Consequently, the Bank ceases to carry on banking business, with effect from the close of business on 29 July 2021, RBI says in a release. The office of Registrar of Cooperative Societies at Goa has been requested by RBI to issue an order for winding up the bank and appoint a liquidator. With the cancellation of license and commencement of liquidation proceedings, the process of paying the depositors as per the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) Act, 1961 will be set in motion, the RBI says. The Reserve Bank cancelled license of the Bank as the lender does not have adequate capital and earning prospects, the central bank says. As such, it does not comply with the provisions of section 11(1) and section 22 (3) (d) read with section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, the RBI said, adding, the continuance of the bank is prejudicial to the interests of its depositors. The bank with its present financial position would be unable to pay its present depositors in full and public interest would be adversely affected if the bank is allowed to carry on its banking business any further, the RBI says. Consequent to the cancellation of its license, The Madgaum Urban Cooperative Bank is prohibited from conducting the business of banking which includes acceptance of deposits and repayment of deposits as defined in Section 5(b) read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 with immediate effect, the central bank says. As per the data submitted by the bank, about 99% of the depositors will receive full amounts of their deposits from DICGC, the banking regulator added. The proposed transfer of Jubilant Pharma Ltd's active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) business to its parentJubilant Pharmova Ltd (JPHL) will not affect JPL's ratings, says Fitch Ratings. In a report, the ratings agency says, "We currently assess JPHL's credit profile to be weaker than that of its subsidiary - JPL - under our parent and subsidiary linkage rating criteria. This is because JPL and its subsidiaries account for the bulk of JPHL's consolidated operating cash flow. The reorganisation will add to cash flow at JPHL's standalone level, but its scale will continue to remain significantly lower than that of JPL." "This underpins our view that JPL will continue to have a stronger credit profile than the parent, despite JPL's slightly higher leverage. The linkages will remain strong after the reorganisation, in our view, as JPHL will continue to exercise control over JPL with its 100% stake," it added. Fitch says, the reorganisation is unlikely to change its assessment of linkages between JPL and JPHL and it will continue to rate JPL based on the parent's consolidated profile which will remain unaffected by the reorganisation. The ratings agency expects JPL's financial profile to remain comfortable, as the API busines's limited earnings contribution will minimise the impact. JPHL aims to complete the reorganisation over the next year, subject to receipt of certain regulatory and other approvals, including those from the lenders. The API business, currently held under JPL's wholly-owned subsidiary Jubilant Generics Ltd (JGL) in India, contributed less than 15% of JPHL's consolidated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) in the financial year ended March 2021 (FY20-21). JPHL intends to demerge the business from JGL and merge it with itself on a going-concern basis, along with the associated working capital debt. JPHL aims to enhance efficiency and widen the scope of offerings by bringing the API business closer to contract research and development activities and leveraging integration and common management. The API business will cease to be a part of the restricted group, as defined in the US dollar bond indenture, after the reorganisation. The bondholders will no longer have direct access to API business's cash-flow, but credit metrics at the JPL level will remain comfortable. JPL reported a net debt-to-EBITDA ratio of 1.6 times at FYE21 and EBITDA-to-cash interest of 5.4 times. "We expect a comfortable headroom under the incurrence covenants governing JPL's ability to obtain incremental debt under the bond indenture, underpinning its robust financial flexibility," Fitch added. We had mentioned in previous weeks closing report that Nifty, Sensex may head higher if global markets do not decline. The major indices continued to fall and closed with minor losses. The trend of the major indices in the week is given in the table: On Monday, the major indices closed with minor losses. On the NSE, there were 955 advances, 1,008 declines and 72 unchanged. Kotak Mahindra Bank reported a 32%year-on-year (y-o-y) jump in standalone Q1FY21-22 net profit at Rs1,641.92 crore against Rs1,244.45 crore in Q1FY21-21. The net interest income for Q1FY22 increased 6% y-o-y to Rs3,942 crore, from Rs3,724 crore in Q1FY21-21. ITC reported a 28.6% y-o-y growth in standalone profit at Rs3,013.5 crore in the quarter ended June 30, 2021, partly driven by a low base in the year-ago quarter. The profit was at Rs2,342.76 crore in the year-ago quarter. Reliance Industries reported consolidated profit of Rs13,806 crore, up 66.7% y-o-y, with normalised tax provision. The revenue of the oil-to-telecom conglomerate stood at Rs1.44 lakh crore. On Tuesday, the indices opened higher but suffered a minor correction. On the NSE, there were 855 advances, 1,155 declines and 3 unchanged. Kotak Mahindra Bank reported consolidated net profit of Rs 1,806 crore compared to Rs 1,853 crore in the previous years quarter. Net interest income rose by 6% to Rs 3,942 crore from Rs 3,724 crore in the year ago quarter. Axis Bank consolidated net profit doubled to Rs 2,357 crore from Rs 1,100 crore in the previous years quarter. Net interest income grew by 11% YoY to Rs 7,760.27 crore from Rs 6985.31 crore in the year ago period. Canara Bank reported net profit of Rs 1,235 crore compared to Rs 479 crore made in the year ago period. Net interest income went up by 0.8% on year-on-year basis to Rs 6,146.6 crore. Dr Reddy's Labs reported 36% fall in consolidated profit for the quarter ended 30 June 2021 at Rs 380 crore compared to Rs 595 crore earned in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Revenue from operations grew by 11% to Rs 4,945 crore. On Wednesday, the indices opened lower and continued to decline. On the NSE, there were 733 advances, 1,192 declines and 6 unchanged. Maruti Suzuki reported consolidated profit of Rs 440.8 crore during the April-June 2021 quarter compared to a net loss of Rs 249.4 crore loss in the corresponding period of the previous financial year. Revenue came in at Rs 17,776 crore compared to Rs 4,111 crore in the year ago period. Torrent Pharmaceuticals reported net profit of Rs 330 crore, rising slightly from Rs 321 crore in the same period of previous year. Revenue from operations grew to Rs 2,134 crore from Rs 2,056 crore in the year ago quarter. IDBI Bank reported net profit of Rs 598 crore compared to Rs 159 crore in the year ago quarter. Net interest income grew 41% to Rs 2,512 crore from Rs 1,780.75 crore in the previous year. SRF reported consolidated profit of Rs 395.3 crore compared to profit of Rs 177.1 crore in the same period last year. Revenue grew to Rs 2,699.4 crore from Rs 1,545 crore in the year ago quarter. On Thursday, the indices opened higher and made decent gains. On the NSE, there were 1,205 advances, 795 declines and 7 unchanged. Oracle Financial Services reported consolidated profit of 524 crore against Rs 480 crore in Q1FY21. Revenue came in at Rs 1,397 crore compared to Rs 1,337 crore YoY. Colgate Palmolive reported standalone profit of Rs 233.2 crore during the quarter ended 30 June 2021 (Q1FY22), up 18% from Rs 198.2 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous financial year (Q1FY21). Revenue grew by 12% to Rs 1,166 crore compared to Rs 1,041 crore in the previous year. Mahanagar Gas reported net profit of Rs 204 crore compared to Rs 45 crore in the previous year. Revenue more than doubled to Rs 615 crore from Rs 262 crore in the year ago quarter. Punjab & Sind Bank reported net profit of Rs 173.8 crore in Q1FY22 compared to a net loss of Rs 117 crore in Q1FY21. Net interest income grew 7.8% to Rs 579 crore against Rs 537.2 crore in the previous year. On Friday, the indices had opened higher but ended with a minor correction. On the NSE, there were 1,052 advances, 854 declines and 2 unchanged. Sun Pharmaceutical Industries reported consolidated profit of Rs 1,444.1 crore in Q1FY22 against a loss of Rs 1,655.6 crore in Q1FY21. Revenue grew 28% to Rs 9,719 crore compared to Rs 7,585 crore in the same period last year. Tech Mahindra reported consolidated profit of Rs 1,353 crore in June 2021 quarter compared to Rs 972 crore in Q1FY21. Revenue rose 12% to Rs 10,198 crore from Rs 9,106 crore in the previous year. Marico reported consolidated profit of Rs 356 crore, down from Rs 381 crore in the same period last year. Revenue jumped 31% to Rs 2,525 crore compared to Rs 1,925 crore, YoY. Indian Oil Corporation consolidated profit rose to Rs 6,110 crore from Rs 2,227 crore YoY. Revenue was rose to Rs 1.15 lakh crore from Rs 60,531 crore YoY. Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has imposed a fine of Rs10 lakh on Karvy Financial Services Ltd for delay in making public announcement to acquire shares of Regaliaa Realty Ltd. Karvy Financial made public announcement for open offer with a delay of 81 days, in violation of Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers (SAST) norms. SEBIs investigation revealed that Karvy had extended a loan amount of Rs7 crore to Regaliaa whose promoters had pledged 55.56% of the paid-up share capital in favour of Karvy, in addition to the securities for availing the loan. Karvy invoked the pledge as the firm defaulted on payment of instalments. This took Karvys shareholding in the company to 55.56%, thereby breaching the threshold of 25% as stipulated under SAST norms. In October 2016, the regulator had directed Karvy to make the public announcement to acquire shares of the target company within 45 days. Karvy however chose to challenge SEBIs order and filed an appeal before the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT). The tribunal dismissed Karvys plea in April 2018, thereby reaffirming SEBI decision. Accordingly, it was required to make the public announcement within 45 days from the date of the Tribunal's order but it announced only in August 2018, with a delay of 81 days. "... by not making the mandatory public announcement within the stipulated time period the noticee has violated the statutory requirements of law and accordingly, the noticee has to be penalised for the same," SEBI said. In its reply, Karvy stated that consequent to the offer, it had actually paid the offer price of Rs20.55 (being Rs11.50 plus interest of Rs9.05 at 10% from 2012 for a period of around eight years for the delay) to the public shareholders of the target company and contended that there is no justification for initiation of adjudication proceedings against it for imposition of monetary penalty for the alleged delay. In its submissions Karvy also contended that it has not made any gains or derived any unfair advantage because of alleged delay in making open offer and that the delay has also not caused any loss to the investors or group of investors. SEBI then pointed out that payment of interest is the compensation paid to the shareholders of the target companies due to their losing an exit opportunity at the right time as a result of the failure on the part of the acquirers to make the public announcement within the stipulated time period prescribed under the SEBI (SAST) Regulations and such interest payment by the acquirer cannot be considered as a penalty that has been paid by the acquirer. The directive by SEBI to the noticee to pay interest on a sum, which is due to the shareholders is not a penalty; it is the legitimate claim of the shareholders for the delay involved in making payment to them. Thus, note that the liability to pay interest is a part and parcel of the legal liability to pay compensation upon delay in making an open offer. SEBI also highlighted that losing an exit opportunity by the shareholders at the right time as a result of the failure on the part of the acquirers to make the public announcement within the stipulated time period prescribed under the SEBI (SAST) Regulations, is a loss to the investors. Prasanta Mahapatra, the adjudicating officer of SEBI, then maintained the view that by not making the mandatory public announcement within the stipulated time period the noticee has violated the statutory requirements of law and accordingly the noticee has to be penalized for the same. The contention of the noticee that they have compensated the investors by paying interest for the delayed public announcement of open offer cannot be a valid ground to escape liability. He however did consider it as a mitigating factor while arriving at the quantum of penalty on Karvy Financial Services. As if the pains caused by the coronavirus (COVID) pandemic were not enough for businesses, banks from across the country are either freezing or closing current accounts of customers. Banks are citing a circular issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in August 2020 titled 'Opening of Current Accounts by Banks - Need for Discipline'. More shockingly, many banks are freezing or closing current accounts stating that the customer has availed cash credit (CC) or overdraft (OD) facilities from some other bank and, hence, it needs to close the account. Banks are citing a circular issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in August 2020 titled 'Opening of Current Accounts by Banks - Need for Discipline'. More shockingly, many banks are freezing or closing current accounts stating that the customer has availed cash credit (CC) or overdraft (OD) facilities from some other bank and, hence, it needs to close the account. Many businesses and organisations have been raising the issue with the RBI since August last year; but, so far, there is no respite. For example, the All-India Transporters Welfare Association (AITWA) sent a letter to RBI on 15 December 2020 and followed it up with an email on 15 July 2021, highlighting the issues being faced by truckers from across the country. AITWA says road transport is a geographically spread business and has offices and personnel stationed in many locations for operations. All such branch offices have bank accounts to manage the day-to-day expenses of the branch such as advances to truck drivers for food, labour expenses, minor repairs and fuel. "But with the RBI circular to close current accounts if a business has a cash credit (CC) or overdraft (OD) facilities, this is leading to the abrupt closure of bank accounts across all public and private sector banks. Businesses are stranded as suddenly their incoming payments get delayed and there is no way to pay their branches," says Abhishek Gupta, joint secretary of AITWA. Mr Gupta from Prakash Parcel Services Ltd is also chairman of the banking & GST (goods and services tax) committee at the Bombay Goods Transport Association (BGTA). We also came across a communication sent by Yes Bank to one of its customers that asks the customer to either avail CC or OD facility from the bank or else it would impose restrictions. We also came across a communication sent by Yes Bank to one of its customers that asks the customer to either avail CC or OD facility from the bank or else it would impose restrictions. The communication from Yes Bank states, "...we have reviewed the status of all our customer relationships and during that exercise, we noticed that although you are not availing any credit facilities from YES Bank in the form of CC/OD or otherwise, you are availing credit facilities from other banks. Your account status with the bank, therefore, does not strictly fall under the stipulated criteria, as mentioned in the RBI guidelines..." Many people are venting their anger on social media. One Praveen Malik says, "I being a reputed current account holder, Axis Bank put a freeze on my account stating the norms of central government that a company can operate only one account, either current or limit account." Poor management & conduct of @AxisBank I being a reputed Current account holder bank put a freeze on my account stating the norms of central Govt that a company can operate only one account either current or limit account,for which I have shared all the docs @RBI @minmsme #UE Praveen Malik (@Praveenmalik86) July 29, 2021 There are many posts highlighting issues being faced by customers who have current accounts in banks. In August 2020, RBI issued a circular asking the banks to follow its revised instructions for current accounts. The circular states, "No bank shall open current accounts for customers who have availed credit facilities in the form of CC/ OD from the banking system and all transactions shall be routed through the CC/OD account." RBI had mentioned four important points in this circular for opening a current account for customers, who have not availed of any CC or OD facilities. For customers, who have an exposure of Rs50 crore and more, current accounts can only be opened or maintained by the escrow managing bank. "...there is no restriction on the opening of collection accounts by lending banks subject to the condition that funds will be remitted from these accounts to the said escrow account at the frequency agreed between the bank and the borrower. Further, the balances in such accounts shall not be used as a margin for availing any non-fund-based credit facilities. While there is no prohibition on the amount or number of credits in collection accounts, debits in these accounts shall be limited to the purpose of remitting the proceeds to the said escrow account. Non-lending banks shall not open any current account for such borrowers," RBI says. In the case of borrowers where exposure (sum of sanctioned fund-based and non-fund-based credit facilities) of the banking system is Rs5 crore or more but less than Rs50 crore, there is no restriction on the opening of current accounts by the lending banks. However, RBI says, non-lending banks may open only collection accounts for such customers. In case of borrowers where exposure of the banking system is less than Rs5 crore, RBI says, banks may open current accounts subject to obtaining an undertaking from such customers to the effect that customers will inform the bank/s when the credit facilities availed by them from the banking system becomes Rs5 crore or more. "The current account of such customers, as and when the exposure of the banking system becomes Rs5 crore or more and Rs50 crore or more, will be governed by provisions under para (v) (b) and (v) (a) respectively," the circular says. RBI says banks should monitor all current accounts and CC/ODs regularly, at least on a quarterly basis, specifically with respect to the exposure of the banking system to the borrower, to ensure compliance with these instructions. Further, banks are asked not to route withdrawal from term loans through current accounts. RBI says, "Since term loans are meant for specific purposes, the funds should be remitted directly to the supplier of goods and services. Expenses incurred by the borrower for day-to-day operations should be routed through CC/OD account if the borrower has a CC/OD account, else through a current account." From the plain reading of the RBI circular, it appears that the central bank wants to regulate and keep track of all CC and OD facilities availed by customers. It also wants banks to maintain records of bifurcation of the working capital facility into loan component and cash credit component. However, while doing so, RBI ended up with increasing pains for current account-holders and, for now, there seems to be no respite. We sent an email to RBI about the issue. However, till writing this article, we have not received any response from the banking regulator. We will update this article as and when we receive any reply from RBI. Weather Alert ...AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT... The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has issued an air quality alert for Broadwater, Deer Lodge, Flathead, Gallatin, Glacier, Granite, Jefferson, Lake, Lewis and Clark, Lincoln, Mineral, Missoula, Pondera, Powell, Ravalli, Sanders, Silver Bow, and Teton counties in effect until further notice. due to increasing particulate concentrations from local and regional fires This alert will be updated again at 9 AM MDT 8/4/21. An Air Quality Alert means that particulates have been trending upwards and that an exceedence of the 24 hour National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) has occurred or may occur in the near future. As of 9 AM MDT, Particulate levels in Libby and Thompson Falls are Unhealthy As of 9 AM MDT, Particulate levels in Bozeman, Cut Bank, Great Falls, Hamilton, Missoula, and Seeley Lake are Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups As of 9 AM MDT, Particulate levels in Billings, Birney, Broadus, Butte, Dillon, Frenchtown, Helena, Lewistown, Malta are Moderate When air quality is Unhealthy... State and local health officials recommend that people with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly, and children should avoid prolonged exertion; everyone else should limit prolonged exertion. When air quality is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups... State and local health officials recommend that people with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children should limit prolonged exertion. When air quality is Moderate... State and local health officials recommend that unusually sensitive people should consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion. For more information visit the Montana Department of Environmental Quality at http://todaysair.mt.gov Stephen Fries, is a professor and coordinator of the Hospitality Management Programs at Gateway Community College, in New Haven, CT. He has been a food and culinary travel columnist for the past 13 years and is co-founder of and host of Worth Tasting, a culinary walking tour of downtown New Haven, CT. email me at Stephen@stephenfries.com For more, go to stephenfries.com. July 30, 2021 Lost In Translations - The Dangers Of Being Misled By Them Translation errors can seriously affect the relations between hostile nation states. One prominent example is the 'Gerasimov Doctrine'. It was alleged to be a Russian strategy of hybrid war, the use of subversion to complement military force. The concept, it was claimed, had been introduced in a 2013 speech by the Russian Chief of the General Staff General Valery Gerasimovs. The claim was first made in a July 2014 blog post headlined The Gerasimov Doctrine and Russian Non-Linear War by Russia 'expert' Mark Galeotti. Galeotti had used a misleading translation of Gerasimov's speech provided by the U.S. government funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. He asserted that Russia had a strategy of 'hybrid wars', combining secret and open civil, economic and military operations against an enemy. Russia however did not have such a strategy. Gerasimov in his speech was in fact describing the U.S. way of waging 'hybrid wars' like, for example, the one against Syria. But once Galeotti had published his misleading idea, dozens of papers and opinion pieces were written about the dangerous 'Gerasimov Doctrine' - all to underline the nonsense claim of a 'Russian threat'. Various scholars and journalists had immediately pointed out that the assertion was wrong. There was no such Russian doctrine. It still took the author of the original false claim nearly four years to finally retracted his nonsense: Im Sorry for Creating the Gerasimov Doctrine I was the first to write about Russias infamous high-tech military strategy. One small problem: it doesn't exist. Today Moon of Alabama reader Bernd Neuner pointed to another mistranslation and the bad effects emerging from it (edited for readability): Bernd Neuner @Bernd__Neuner - 9:09 UTC Jul 30, 2021 On widespread #Sinophobia I recently attended a seminar on doing business in #China, hosted by the local Chamber of Commerce. During the presentation of a lady representing German Trade & Invest, I was surprised to learn the President Xi Jinping allegedly had given a speech announcing his intention to "...form powerful countermeasures and deterrent capabilities based on artificially cutting off supply to foreigners." Since the presenter mentioned the speech had been published in Quishi, the official publication of the #CCP, I started looking for the original of the speech. It did not take long, and my suspicions were confirmed. What Xi Jinping really had said was the following: "...forming a powerful countermeasure and deterrent capability against foreigners who would artificially cut off supply [to China]". I contacted the presenter and voiced my doubts regarding the quotes she used. She was very helpful and said she had received them from a colleague in Hamburg. I got in touch with him, and upon taking a closer look he confirmed the benign interpretation above. It seems the malicious version stems from the initial translation published by the US think tank CSET, latter corrected due to feedback from the audience: cset.georgetown.edu/wp-content/upl... (footnote 3, p.3) The damage is done - how many people in positions of influence are now convinced that China aims at disrupting the supply chains of "the free world"? A few hours after Bernd Neuner's tweets I stumbled over the same error made by a different person. I was reading a piece by Yves Smith of Naked Capitalism about the new trend towards industrial policies: Industrial Policy Coming Into Vogue After China Cleans US Clock by Using It Yves quotes from a paywalled Wall Street Journal piece about the return of industrial policy: China, though, never retreated [from industrial policy]. Even after it introduced market reforms in 1979 and accelerated them after 1992, the state continued to guide economic development through ownership of enterprises and control over credit, government purchases, tax preferences, land and foreign investment. Since 2006 the ruling Communist Party has put priority on catching up to the West technologically. Previously called Made in China 2025, this endeavor was renamed dual circulation last year. In a speech, President Xi Jinping said the goal was to eliminate Chinas dependence on other countries while increasing their dependence on China. It could then threaten to cut off foreign customers to deter aggression, he said . It seems that Greg Ip, the WSJ author, has fallen for the same mistranslation as the lecturer at Bernd Neuner's local Chamber of Commerce. This again demonstrates the danger of relying on translations without verifying them against the original text. For the record: Here is Xi's original April 2020 speech (archived copy) published in Quishi in November 2020. Here is the translation of that speech by the Center for Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown University as it was first published on November 10 2020. The relevant part of Xi's speech is about lessons from China's shutdown in the early months of the Covid pandemic. Xi's first point is that China must increase internal consumption to buffer against the expected losses in exports. The second point is about the security of supply chains even under extreme situations: Production chains () and supply chains cannot come uncoupled at critical times. This is an important characteristic that all large economies must possess. The current epidemic is a stress test under actual combat conditions. ... In order to safeguard China's industrial security and national security, we must focus on building production chains and supply chains that are independently controllable (), secure and reliable, and strive for important products and supply channels to all have at least one alternative source, forming the necessary industrial backup system. The entire country is now getting back to work and resuming production. We should not and cannot simply repeat past patterns. Rather, we must work hard to refashion them into new production chains, and increase the levels of S&T innovation and import substitution across the board. This is an important focus for deepening supply-side structural reform, and is key for high-quality development. First, we must build on our advantages, solidify and increase the leading international positions of strong industries, and forge some "assassin's mace"2 technologies. We must sustain and enhance our superiority across the entire production chain in sectors such as high-speed rail, electric power equipment, new energy, and communications equipment, and improve industrial quality; and we must tighten international production chains' dependence on China, forming powerful countermeasures and deterrent capabilities based on artificially cutting off supply to foreigners. Second, we must make up for our shortcomings. That is, in sectors and segments related to national security, we must build a domestic supply system that is independently controllable and secure and reliable, so that self-circulation () can be accomplished at critical moments, and ensure that the economy operates normally in extreme situations. That translation was corrected on November 16 2020. The highlighted part, which establishes China as aggressor, is now defensive: ...; and we must tighten international production chains' dependence on China, forming a powerful countermeasure and deterrent capability against foreigners who would artificially cut off supply [to China]3. Footnote 3 explains the change: Translator's note: The translation of the final portion of this sentence ("...forming a powerful countermeasure and deterrent capability against foreigners who would artificially cut off supply [to China]") is a correction issued on November 16, 2020. As astute readers pointed out, the Chinese text here () strongly implies that China's "countermeasure" and "deterrent" is aimed at foreign countries considering halting their exports to China of strategically significant goods. These countries will decide against such moves, Xi argues, because China's presumed countermeasures would in turn deprive these countries of vital Chinese imports. CSET's original translation of this line, published on November 10, 2020, read: "...forming powerful countermeasures and deterrent capabilities based on artificially cutting off supply to foreigners." This is misleading, as it implies that China would be the one to take the offensive in a trade war. The language in Xi's speech suggests a more defensive, deterrent posture on the part of China. Those who have read the CSET translation from November 10 but never read the corrected version from November 16 will have the misleading impression that China wants to use supply chains that originate in China in aggressive ways against other countries. That is however not the case. China wants a create a situation comparable to the concept of Mutual Assured Destruction as it exists in the field of strategic nuclear weapons. "If you cut my supply chains I will cut yours." It is a reasonable and strong deterrence strategy. The issue of errors in translations, innocent as well as intentionally misleading ones, may soon become an even bigger issue. The U.S. Congress is providing money to produce many more of them: The House bill introduced by Democratic Representatives Joaquin Castro and Bill Keating and Republicans Mike Gallagher and Brian Fitzpatrick would provide for the establishment of a federally funded Open Translation and Analysis Center (OTAC) focused on China. It would be based on the Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS), which provided translation and analysis of Soviet bloc and other foreign government media during the Cold War. The bill calls for funding of $80 million for fiscal 2022 and that same amount annually for each fiscal year through 2026 as well as "such sums as may be necessary for each fiscal year thereafter." ... Referring to the acronyms of the People's Republic of China and its ruling Communist Party and armed forces, the aide said OTAC would "systematically translate PRC/CCP/PLA speeches, documents, reports, strategies, news articles, commentaries, journal articles, procurement contracts into English and publish them freely online." ... Castro said that for the United States "to effectively both compete and cooperate with" countries like China and Russia it needed a better understanding of them. "A nuanced understanding of foreign countries is impossible without reading how they communicate in their own languages," he told Reuters. I fully agree with Castro's last sentence. But I for one, unlike Marc Galeotti, will not trust U.S. funded translations of foreign text. It will always be necessary to independently verify them. Posted by b on July 30, 2021 at 16:52 UTC | Permalink Comments Moultrie, GA (31768) Today Cloudy this morning. A few showers developing during the afternoon. High 81F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. The graphic on the left shows Georgia counties colored in accordance with the percentage of positive COVID tests in the previous two weeks. In Colquitt County, 24.1% of COVID tests in the last two weeks have been positive. The graphic on the right shows the new cases of COVID-19 reported in Colquitt County each day since the first one in March 2020. The yellow line is the seven-day moving average, which shows trends better than day-to-day spikes and valleys. Steady oil demand and tight supplies overcame concerns about the spread of the delta variant of the COVID-19 virus, sending prices to a fourth-straight monthly gain, Bloomberg reported. West Texas Intermediate on the New York Mercantile Exchange put together three consecutive days of gains, including a $1.23 rise on Thursday. Prices rose 33 cents to close at $73.95 a barrel Friday, up 2.6 percent from $71.91 at Mondays close. The posted price ended the week at $70.43, according to Plains All-American. Natural gas prices on the NYMEX also posted three days of gains but could not overcome steep losses of 13 cents Tuesday and 14 cents Friday. Prices closed at $3.914 per Mcf Friday, down from $4.102 at Mondays close. There are always pressures pulling oil in both directions, but the information available at present suggests they should trend upward in the coming months, Economist Ray Perryman told the Reporter-Telegram by email. As expected, the OPEC+ increase in production was easily absorbed and did not eliminate the excess demand situation. During a call to discuss second quarter earnings, Pierre Breber, vice president and chief financial officer at Chevron, told investors higher oil prices are not changing the oil giants operational plans. We continue to monitor where we are in terms of overall market signals as we continue to be disciplined and focused, disciplined in around shareholder returns. With oil prices well above break-even prices, he said the is resuming share buybacks and sharing part of its cash upside with investors. He told a questioner that the Permian Basin continues to be a critical asset in Chevrons portfolio and has helped the company demonstrate it can generate cash flow while continuing to grow because of the focus on fiscal discipline and operational efficiency. Currently, Chevron has five rigs at work in the Permian Basin and recently added a completion crew. Plans are to add another completion crew and one to two more rigs by the end of the year, Breber said. Jay Johnson, executive vice president, Upstream, told investors on the earnings call that the companys Permian Basin operations are expected to yield a production rate of more than 600,000 barrels of oil equivalent by the end of the year. For the year, he said the company expects free cash flow, excluding working capital, to exceed $3 billion, assuming an average Brent crude price of $65 per barrel. Bloomberg reported futures closed out a volatile July that saw prices whipsawing as the pandemic threatened to derail the economic recovery. Crude supplies are expected to remain tight through the end of the year, supporting the recent rally. Its going to mostly grind higher, John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital, told Bloomberg, adding that he sees West Texas Intermediate prices at $80 a barrel in the near-term. CLEVELAND (AP) One was a millionaire CEO of a large publicly traded utility looking for 11th-hour help to save two nuclear power plants that hung like millstones around the neck of his companys bottom line. The other was a former House speaker seeking to fully restore his political power after more than a decade on the sidelines. They shared similarities as well, both large men in size and personality, skilled at glad-handing and cajoling, and, when necessary, dealing with those who stood in their way. Today, they share tattered careers and future worries as prosecutors continue to investigate former FirstEnergy Corp. CEO Chuck Jones involvement in a $60 million bribery scheme secretly funded by the company to win a $1 billion legislative bailout for the plants and potentially hundreds of millions more in annual revenue guarantees for its three Ohio electric companies. Former House Speaker Larry Householder, who shepherded the bailout bill through the Legislature with FirstEnergy money, is now a political pariah facing a federal racketeering charge. Jones was fired in October along with two senior vice presidents. Householder lost his speakership and later his House seat. This is likely the largest bribery, money laundering scheme ever perpetrated against the people of the state of Ohio, then-U.S. Attorney David DeVillers said when the scheme was revealed last year. This was bribery, plain and simple. This was a quid pro quo. This was pay to play. Prosecutors have accused Householder of benefiting from the scheme, using nearly a half million dollars of secret FirstEnergy money on his 2018 House reelection campaign, toward his Florida home and on legal fees. Householder appears to have readily embraced a plan audacious in both size and scope that worked to near perfection until the FBI and federal prosecutors intervened. The courtship between the two men appears to have begun in earnest in 2017 when Householder, newly returned to his House seat, accompanied FirstEnergy executives on a company plane to President Donald Trumps inauguration in January. Householder was selected speaker in January 2019 thanks to supportive legislators elected the previous year using millions in hidden FirstEnergy dollars. The campaign help was funneled through dark money groups not required to disclose their donors. The nuclear bailout and revenue guarantee was approved by the Legislature that July and was immediately signed into law. Around $38 million in FirstEnergy money was spent to keep a referendum sought by opponents of the bill off the ballot. The Legislature has since repealed the nuclear plant portion of the legislation while FirstEnergy agreed to no longer collect the revenue guarantee in a settlement with Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. The scheme was disassembled further last week when Jones successor at FirstEnergy signed a statement of facts laying out in granular detail Jones and Householders roles as the company sought to avoid prosecution on a federal conspiracy charge. The statement of facts signed by FirstEnergy CEO and President Steven Strah was attached to an agreement that called for the company to pay $230 million in penalties and abide by a long list of provisions that, if adhered to, would make the criminal charge go away in three years. FirstEnergy officials, including Strah, have said the company has taken numerous reform measures in the last year, including a review of its political donations, political giving and use of dark money groups. The document narrates how Jones and unidentified Executive 2, one of two senior vice presidents also fired, interacted with Householder to get the deal done. Soon after the inauguration trip, FirstEnergy made four $250,000 payments to a dark money group Householder controlled. The company prior to Householder becoming speaker, tried through three pieces of legislation in 2017 to bail out the nuclear plants. The company in March 2018 announced its intention to close the two plants as soon as 2020 while the companys wholly owned subsidiary that operated them filed for bankruptcy the same month. The statement of facts shows how Jones and Executive 2 kept tabs on Householder. On the day after the 2018 general election, Jones texted Householder asking, How did your candidates do? Householder responded, I literally need 1 more vote for Speaker. Jones said he'd make it happen. On the day Householders colleagues selected him speaker, Householder texted Jones saying, thank you for everything, it was historical. On April 23, 2019, a day when opponents testified against the bailout bill at a House committee hearing, Executive 2 texted Jones to tell him the session was lengthy and went as expected. Tell (Householder) to put his big boy pants on. Ha. The bill that was eventually passed gave the nuclear plants $150 million a year for six years. The statement of facts showed FirstEnergy executives were lobbying for 10 years of subsidies along with the revenue guarantee. The Legislature approved the bailout bill the following month, Jones in a text to other FirstEnergy executives said: We made a bbiiiiiiig bet and it paid off. Actually 2 big bets. Congrats to you and the entire team! On Sept. 4, 2019, as bailout opponents began gearing up for a petition drive to get a referendum on the ballot, Executive 2 told Jones in a text that he would be taking steps to convince another Ohio public official to call the bailout bill a tax that couldnt be subject to a ballot referendum. We should check with (Householder) to make sure hes on board before we step in, Jones responded. "He seemed pretty confident in his referendum strategy and plans to pass it as a tax in a new bill if they get enough signatures. Federal authorities have said FirstEnergy spent around $38 million on a dirty-tricks campaign that included spurious ads claiming China and other foreign entities were taking over Ohios electric grid. The last substantive interactions between Householder and FirstEnergy executives that have been made public occurred in early 2020, when the company provided $2 million to his dark money group to finance a failed effort for passing at a constitutional amendment to change legislative term limits and potentially allow him to remain in power another 16 years. Jones and Householder have vehemently denied any wrongdoing. ___ This story has been corrected to show that Larry Householder was not a former legislator at the time he began talks with Chuck Jones. Householder had recently been elected to the House in 2016. ANKARA, Turkey (AP) The death toll in wildfires raging in southern Turkey rose to four as fire crews on Friday battled blazes that burned down homes and forced people to evacuate villages and beach resorts. Firefighters were still tackling wildfires in 14 locations in six provinces in Turkeys Mediterranean and southern Aegean region, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters. A total of 57 other wildfires that broke out amid strong winds and scorching heat have been brought under control since Wednesday, he said. The worst fires were in the Manavgat and Akseki regions in Antalya province, where strong winds pushed the fire toward settlements on Wednesday. An 82-year-old man and a married couple died, more than 50 people were hospitalized and dozens of homes were incinerated. More than 25 neighborhoods or villages were evacuated. Meanwhile, a 25-year-old volunteer died in another fire near the Turkish resort of Marmaris, 320 kilometers (200 miles) west of Antalya late Thursday, raising the death toll in the fires to four. The state-run Anadolu Agency said the man was taking drinking water to firefighters but got in a motorcycle crash and perished in the fire. The mountainside fire in Marmaris briefly threatened holiday homes and hotels on Thursday while guests at a luxury hotel in the Aegean beach resort of Guvercinlik, near the town of Bodrum, were evacuated in boats, reports said. Azerbaijan announced it would send 500 emergency workers, helicopters and other equipment to help Turkey, a close ally, battle the blazes. Erdogan said Azerbaijan would also provide an amphibious firefighting aircraft, in addition to firefighting planes sent from Russia and Ukraine. Neighboring Greece also offered help. In Greece, authorities on Friday ordered additional fire patrols and infrastructure inspections as the country grappled with a heat wave fed by hot air from Africa that is expected to last more than a week. Temperatures in Greece and nearby countries in southeast Europe are expected to climb to 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) Monday in many cities and towns and ease only later next week. Turkish authorities launched investigations into the fires on Thursday. The mayor for Marmaris said he couldn't rule out sabotage as a cause for the fire there. Erdogan said Friday that the Interior Ministry and intelligence services were engaged in an intense effort to shed light on the wildfires. Wildfires are common in Turkeys Mediterranean and Aegean regions during the arid summer months, though some previous forest fires have been blamed on arson or outlawed Kurdish militants. In other Turkish provinces, authorities declared a ban on people entering forests in a bid to prevent more fires. __ Aida Sultanova contributed from Baku, Azerbaijan. HONG KONG (AP) A pro-democracy protester was sentenced Friday to nine years in prison in the closely watched first prosecution under Hong Kongs national security law as the ruling Communist Party tightens control over the territory. Tong Ying-kit, 24, was convicted of inciting secession and terrorism for driving his motorcycle into a group of police officers at a July 1, 2020, rally. He carried a flag bearing the banned slogan, Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times. President Xi Jinping's government imposed the law on the former British colony last year following protests that erupted in mid-2019. Beijing has rolled back the territory's Western-style civil liberties and tried to crush a pro-democracy movement by jailing activists. The public's role in picking Hong Kong's legislators has been reduced. Critics accuse Beijing of violating the autonomy promised when Hong Kong returned to China in 1997 and wrecking its status as a global business center. Human rights activists say the security law is being abused to attack legitimate dissent. Tong's sentence was longer than the three years requested by the prosecution. He faced a possible maximum of life in prison. Tong's sentence is a hammer blow to free speech and shows the law is a tool to instill terror in government critics, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific regional director, Yamini Mishra, said in a statement. The law lacks any exemption for legitimate expression or protest, Mishra said. "The judgment at no point considered Tongs rights to freedom of expression and protest. The U.S. government, in a statement, criticized the unjust outcome of Tong's trial and said the security law was used as a political weapon to silence dissenting voices." It said China is undermining rights guaranteed by Hong Kong's mini-constitution, the Basic Law, and by the 1984 Chinese-British Joint Declaration on the territory's return. It called on Beijing to stop targeting individuals exercising their rights and freedoms. Chinese officials reject the criticism and say Beijing is restoring order and instituting security protections like those of other countries. More than 100 people have been arrested under the security law. Defense lawyers said Tongs penalty should be light because the court hadnt found the attack was deliberate, no one was injured and the secession-related offense qualified as minor under the law. Tong nodded but said nothing after Judge Esther Toh announced the sentence for a three-judge panel in the Hong Kong High Court. The former restaurant waiter wore a black shirt and tie with a blue blazer as he had throughout his trial. As Tong was led out of the courtroom, spectators yelled, We will wait for you! After the court adjourned, a spectator yelled to lead defense lawyer Clive Grossman, Mr. Grossman, appeal! Another lawyer, Lawrence Lau, said Tong expressed thanks to the Hong Kong public for their support. The judges convicted Tong on Tuesday, ruling his actions were aimed at intimidating the government and public. It said carrying the flag was an act of incitement to secession, rejecting defense arguments that Tong couldn't be proven to be inciting secession just by using the slogan. Tong was sentenced to eight years for incitement to secession and 6 1/2 years for terrorism, with some time to be served concurrently for a total of nine years, said Toh, the judge. Tong expressed remorse but that didn't count toward reducing his sentence because he failed to plead guilty, the judges said in a written ruling. They said he had good character and no criminal record but due to the serious offenses" those would not mitigate the penalty. The sentence reflects the abhorrence of society, the ruling said. Tongs trial was conducted without a jury under rules that allow an exception to Hong Kongs British-style common law system if state secrets need to be protected or foreign forces are involved. The judges were picked by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam. The protests began over an extradition law proposed by Lam's government and expanded to include other grievances and demands for more democracy. At their height, thousands of people held marches and rallies every weekend. The last pro-democracy Hong Kong newspaper, Apple Daily, shut down last month after journalists and executives were arrested. Its owner, Jimmy Lai, is serving a 20-month prison term and faces charges of colluding with foreigners to endanger national security. Also last year, Hong Kong's Legislative Council was rearranged to guarantee a majority to Beijing-allied figures. Rules for elected officials were tightened to require them to be deemed patriotic. Last November, the remaining 15 pro-democracy legislators resigned after four were expelled for urging foreign governments to impose sanctions on China and Hong Kong over Beijing's crackdown. The United States stopped treating Hong Kong as a separate territory for trade, citing its reduced autonomy. Washington imposed travel and financial sanctions on leaders of China's ceremonial legislature. Canada, Australia and other governments suspended extradition treaties with the territory due to the security law. In December, 10 pro-democracy activists and protesters who tried to flee to Taiwan by speedboat were sentenced by a mainland court in the southern city of Shenzhen to prison terms ranging from seven months to three years. HOUSTON (AP) Authorities on Thursday released the names of two workers who died in a chemical leak at a Houston-area plant that also injured dozens of others. Dustin Day, 36, and Shawn Kuhleman, 32, died after about 100,000 pounds (45,359 kilograms) of a mixture that primarily included acetic acid was released in the leak that started Tuesday evening at LyondellBasells La Porte complex. The cause of their deaths was still pending, according to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. Thirty other workers were taken to hospitals and two were still there on Thursday, LyondellBasell said in a statement. The company said the cause of the leak is under investigation and that it is cooperating with the authorities. The chemicals involved in the leak can severely burn skin and are toxic if inhaled, according to officials. The leak occurred inside a unit that produces acetic acid and had been shut down for planned maintenance. The acetic acid produced in the unit meets food grade requirements for shipping in the food industry and is also used in textiles, plastic bottles and other chemicals. Harris County Pollution Control spokesperson Dimetra Hamilton told the Houston Chronicle that a cap had burst on a pressurized line of acetic acid. In an initial report to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, LyondellBasell said preliminary information indicated that during preparation for a maintenance activity, valve isolation measures may have led to the release. When asked to provide more information on this possible cause, LyondellBasell referred all questions about the leak to a company statement from Wednesday that said the cause was still unknown. Various agencies are investigating the leak, including the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. The boards investigation team was conducting interviews Thursday afternoon and met with LyondellBasell officials earlier in the day. On Wednesday, at least 10 workers who were injured during the chemical leak filed a lawsuit against LyondellBasell seeking more than $1 million in damages. The La Porte Complex, located on about 550 acres (223 hectares) along the shore of the Houston Ship Channel, has more than 600 employees and contractors. Last week in La Porte, evacuation and shelter-in-place orders were temporarily issued after a chemical release at a Dow Chemical plant there. A tank truck trailer had over-pressurized, causing the chemical hydroxyethyl acrylate to escape through a safety valve. La Porte is located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of Houston. ___ Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70 Marilyn Nieves/Getty Image A Lubbock man was found guilty by a Midland County jury on Thursday of defrauding investors in an oil venture of more than $360,000. Joseph Foster, 64, stole money from victims in Texas, California and Germany after convincing them to invest in a drilling venture, according to a press release from the Midland County District Attorneys Office. Foster told his investors he would drill a well and they would profit on the returns, but he never actually acquired any drilling rights. Courtesy photo The board of trustees at The Village at Manor Park has named Stephen Nelson its president and CEO, effective Sept. 1. He succeeds Alan Hale, who will retire on Sept. 3, after more than 25 years of service to Manor Park. As president and CEO, Nelson will oversee The Village at Manor Park, which offers six levels of care across their 93-acre campus, serving almost 600 residents daily in independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing and memory care support. The Village at Manor Park, according to a news release, is committed to serving senior adults by providing them quality homes, health care services, programs and activities. Their vision is to be a vibrant retirement community in which all residents live life to the fullest. We'll keep you connected to all the updated local news and information about what's happening in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County! Click Here to Subscribe! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription, or activate your access, to continue reading. Instead of warning schools of possible lawsuits that could cost taxpayers if they dont follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 guidance, a state senator says the governor should be working to find solutions. School districts across the state have been deciding on a local level whether to require masks or to make them optional. That was based on previous guidance from the CDC that said vaccinated people can go without wearing a mask, even in schools. Then the CDC changed that guidance this week, recommending masks for everyone in school, regardless of vaccination status. Gov. J.B. Pritzker said districts could face lawsuits if they fail to follow the guidelines. School districts are potentially going to be held liable if they dont live up to the standard that is set by the CDC and by the state, Pritzker said Wednesday at an event in Chicago. And so school districts need to decide if theyre going to, at this moment, if theyre going to be subject to liability for not following those recommendations. State Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville, said thats not leadership. The governor should not be turning this into open season on hard-working Illinoisans who have been put in difficult circumstances. He should be finding solutions for them, Plummer said in an interview. A reasonable solution is liability protections. Plummer said the governors comments seem to be calling open season for trial lawyers that could cost taxpayers. Its something that you cant even calculate, Plummer said. The exposure is almost limitless and there are sharks circling looking to take advantage of this. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Plummer and others have been pushing for liability protections for the public and private sectors without success. Plummer said those acting in good faith in the public and private sectors should be protected from frivolous lawsuits that could stem from COVID-19 cases. NEW DELHI (AP) As coronavirus cases ravaged India this spring, Anil Sharma visited his 24-year-old son Saurav at a private hospital in northwest New Delhi every day for more than two months. In May, as India's new COVID-19 cases broke global records to reach 400,000 a day, Saurav was put on a ventilator. The sight of the tube running into Sauravs throat is seared in Sharmas mind. I had to stay strong when I was with him, but immediately after, I would break down as soon as I left the room, he said. Saurav is home now, still weak and recovering. But the family's joy is tempered by a mountain of debt that piled up while he was sick. Life has been tentatively returning to normal in India as new coronavirus cases have fallen. But millions are embroiled in a nightmare of huge piles of medical bills. Most Indians dont have health insurance and costs for COVID-19 treatment have them drowning in debt. Sharma exhausted his savings on paying for an ambulance, tests, medicines and an ICU bed. Then he took out bank loans. As the costs mounted, he borrowed from friends and relatives. Then, he turned to strangers, pleading online for help on Ketto, an Indian crowdfunding website. Overall, Sharma says he has paid over $50,000 in medical bills. The crowdfunding provided $28,000, but another $26,000 is borrowed money he needs to repay, a kind of debt he has never faced before. He was struggling for his life and we were struggling to provide him an opportunity to survive, he said, his voice thick with emotion. I was a proud father -- and now I have become a beggar. The pandemic has devastated India's economy, bringing financial calamity to millions at the mercy of its chronically underfunded and fragmented healthcare system. Experts say such costs are bound to hinder an economic recovery. What we have is a patchwork quilt of incomplete public insurance and a poor public health system. The pandemic has shown just how creaky and unsustainable these two things are, said Vivek Dehejia, an economist who has studied public policy in India. Even before the pandemic, healthcare access in India was a problem. Indians pay about 63% of their medical expenses out-of-pocket. That's typical of many poor countries with inadequate government services. Data on global personal medical costs from the pandemic are hard to come by, but in India and many other countries treatment for COVID is a huge added burden at a time when hundreds of millions of jobs have vanished. In India, many jobs returned as cities opened up after a severe lockdown in March 2020, but economists worry about the loss of some 12 million salaried positions. Sharma's job as a marketing professional was one of them. When he asked his son's friends to set up the campaign on Ketto to raise funds, Sharma hadnt seen a paycheck in 18 months. Between April and June this year, 40% of the 4,500 COVID-19 campaigns on the site were for hospitalization costs, the company said. The pandemic has driven 32 million Indians out of the middle class, defined as those earning $10 to $20 a day, according to a Pew Research Center study published in March. It estimated the crisis has increased the number of Indias poor -- those with incomes of $2 or less a day -- by 75 million. If youre looking at what pushes people into debt or poverty, the top two sources often are out-of-pocket health expenditure and catastrophic costs of treatment, said K Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India. In the northeastern city of Imphal, 2,400 kilometers (1,490 miles) away, Diana Khumanthem lost both her mother and sister to the virus in May. Treatment costs wiped out the family's savings, and when the private hospital where her sister died wouldnt release her body for last rites until a bill of about $5,000 was paid, she pawned the family's gold jewelry to moneylenders. When that wasnt enough, asked her friends, relatives and her sisters colleagues for help. She still owes some $1,000. A health insurance scheme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018 was intended to cover around 500 million of India's 1.3 billion people and was a major step toward easing medical costs. But it doesnt cover the primary care and outpatient costs that comprise most out-of-pocket expenses. So it hasnt effectively improved access to care and financial risk protection, said a working paper by researchers at Duke University. The program also has been hobbled by disparities in how various states implemented it, said Shawin Vitsupakorn, one of the papers authors. Another paper, by the Duke Global Health Institute and the Public Health Foundation of India, found costs of ICU hospitalization for COVID-19 are equivalent to nearly 16 months of work for a typical Indian day laborer or seven to 10 months for salaried or self-employed workers. Meager funding of healthcare, at just 1.6% of India's GDP, is less, proportionately, than what Laos or Ethiopia spends. At the outbreak's peak in May, hospitals everywhere were overrun, but public facilities lacked the resources to handle the floods of patients coming in. The result is a suffering public health system, where the provision of care is often poor, prompting many to flock to private hospitals, said Dehejia. A public hospital treated Khumanthems mother, but her sister Ranjita was admitted to a private one that cost $1,300 per day. Ranjita was the family's only earner after Khumanthem left her nursing job last year to return home during the first wave of the virus. She's now hunting for work while looking after her father and her sisters 3-year-old son. At her home in Imphal, Khumanthem grieved for her mother by remembering her favorite food chagem pomba, a type of gruel made with vegetables, rice and soybeans. Every few minutes, she looked toward the front gate. This is usually the time Ranjita would return home from work, she said. I still keep thinking she could walk through the gate any moment now. Back in New Delhi, Sharma sighed in relief as an ambulance brought his son home from the hospital last week. Saurav needs physiotherapy to build up his weakened muscles, a daily nurse and a long list of medications. It may be weeks before he will be able to stand on his own, and months before the ambitious lawyer who graduated among the top of his class will be able to go to court again. The costs will continue. Our first priority was to save him, Sharma said. Now we will need to figure out the rest. ___ Associated Press journalist Yirmiyan Arthur contributed from Imphal. Religion and politics are never polite subjects to discuss in mixed company. But imagine if what most people consider to be merely a social faux pas became the reason you were fired from your job, sued, or had all of your personal information spread publicly on the internet simply because someone at the table disagreed with whom you voted for. For most of American history, this response would be unfathomable. But it happens every day. Journalists and editors get fired for printing differing opinions even if they dont agree with that opinion themselves. Small business owners get sued or fined for following their conscience. Workers get fired for social media posts from their youth. Not even Abraham Lincoln is safe when the mob is on a warpath. The danger and destruction of cancel culture is far-reaching and, if we arent careful, it could become a defining characteristic of American culture for posterity. Its a popular issue with the talking heads on cable news, but the Center for Excellence in Polling wanted to see what a diverse population of the United States thought of canceling people for their beliefs. The results paint a different picture than the woke elites would have you believe. Seventy-seven percent of voters are concerned about cancel culture, with 50% saying theyre very concerned. Republicans and independents report being the most concerned. A majority of voters believe that Democrats engage in cancel culture more often, and 49% of Democrats said they wanted individuals to be held accountable for things they did within the last 10 years or for the rest of their lives even if it means dismissing pop culture icons like The Bachelors Chris Harrison. Despite this, fortunately only a single-digit percentage of all voters believe that releasing personal information, known as doxing, should be legal. The majority of Americans want protections from those who would strip them of the dignity of work and the ability to provide for their families simply for voicing a political opinion. An overwhelming majority of voters agree no one should fear job loss, or that their home address or personal information will be splashed all over the internet simply because they disagree with an idea popularized by the media. With poll numbers like these, the left may just be bullying themselves out of popularity, along with the corporations falling over themselves to prostrate themselves before the mob. No American should be afraid to talk to their own family about their deeply held beliefs. People are being bullied for expressing their opinions, even with friends and family. Its driving a wedge between Americans and keeps our children from learning how to engage in healthy debate. Every generation has its political issues and disagreements. But cancel culture cannot and should not define us. We owe it to ourselves and to our children to stop this trend before it becomes the norm. As the radical left continues to move the goal post of whats acceptable in public discourse, concerned Americans should continue to stand strong in the face of adversity and defend those who dare to take a stand and speak their mind. Stefani Buhajla is the communications director at the Foundation for Government Accountability. She wrote this for InsideSources.com. Fire erupts at warehouse of Brazils national film institute View Photo BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) A government warehouse storing movies, documents and antique projectors from Brazils film industry caught fire Thursday night in Sao Paulo. The fire department said 15 fire vehicles and 50 firefighters were at the site trying to prevent the flames from spreading to a larger area of the building. The warehouse is owned by the national film institute, Cinemateca, and houses South Americas largest collection of films, some made of cellulose nitrate, a highly flammable material. The films in the warehouse were copies for exhibition, not originals, and the extent of the loss wasnt immediately clear. Last year, a flood at the same warehouse damaged part of the collection. In 2016, Cinematecas headquarters in another area of the city also suffered a fire. Public prosecutors warned in a lawsuit filed last year that there was a danger of fire at the Cinemateca warehouse, charging that the federal government had neglected to maintain the building. The suit also said there had been delays in paying the institutes utility bills and wages. In April, Cinemateca employees wrote an open letter decrying the institutions abandonment and demanding it be reopened after being closed for eight months. Eduardo Morettin, professor of audiovisual history at the University of Sao Paulo, was watching the firefighters work outside the building. What we see here is part of the absolute disregard for everything that concerns the memory of our country, he said. Through his social network, Sao Paulo state Gov. Joao Doria, an adversary of President Jair Bolsonaro, called the fire a crime against the culture of the country. Brazils Special Secretariat of Culture said in an emailed statement that it deeply regrets the fire and asked the Federal Police to investigate. Without directly referring to criticism of support for Cinemateca, the agency said the federal government is committed to maintaining its history. The entire air conditioning system of the space underwent maintenance about a month ago as part of the federal governments effort to maintain the institutions collection. it said. Two other beloved Brazilian cultural institutions have suffered similar fates in recent years. The National Museum in Rio de Janeiro had most of its structure destroyed by fire in 2018 along with much of its more than 20 million items. It is scheduled to reopen next year. In 2015, the Museum of Portuguese Language, also in Sao Paulo, went up in flames. Its reopening is scheduled for Sunday. ___ Associated Press journalist Tatiana Polastri in Sao Paulo contributed to this report. By DEBORA ALVARES Associated Press Tunisias turmoil is being watched warily around the globe View Photo TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) Days of political turmoil in Tunisia over a crippled economy and surging coronavirus infections have unnerved allies in Europe and the United States, while garnering the support of key Mideast partners watching to see if Islamists and Tunisias fragile democracy will survive. European countries - most notably nearby Italy worry about a flood of migrants should Tunisia slide further into chaos. Autocratic leaders from Egypt to Saudi Arabia hope this weeks power grab by Tunisian President Kais Saied spells doom for the regions Islamists. But they also fear a reignited Arab Spring, like the region-wide uprisings kindled by Tunisia a decade ago. And around the world, pro-democracy campaigners wonder if a country they held up as a beacon is losing its promise of democratic rule, as other nations roiled by Arab Spring protests have. The ball is now in the peoples court, said Egyptian activist el-Ghazaly Harb in a Facebook post. They are able to correct the path without abandoning the peaceful democratic model that we all hope they can see to the end, he said. The answer will always be Tunisia. Tunisia, with only 12 million of Africas 1.3 billion people, holds outsized symbolism as a nation that designed a democracy from scratch and earned a Nobel Peace Prize after its largely bloodless revolution. Without warning on Sunday, Saied froze the nations parliament, fired top ministers and took over executive powers and supervision of public prosecution, saying he had to save the country, which is suffering from its worst outbreak of the virus to date and a failing economy. While many Tunisians welcomed his move, critics called it a coup. Media and human rights groups expressed alarm at the closure of the Al-Jazeera news bureau in Tunis. In recent days, Saied has moved against allegedly corrupt lawmakers and tycoons and strengthened military oversight of the nations response to the coronavirus. He and his aides held a flurry of meetings with foreign allies, promising that his power grab is temporary. But his next steps are unclear. The main victim of his decision - the Islamist party Ennahdha - promises to resist, peacefully. Tunisian analysts dont expect an army-driven takeover like that seen in Egypt, or a return to the autocratic past, thanks in part to a population thats no longer afraid to speak out. But the situation is volatile, and new protests may occur Saturday. Pro-government voices in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are celebrating the moves as a victory over political Islam, which they see as a threat to their governing systems notably in Gulf states where political parties are banned. Egypt is watching carefully; It was the first to follow Tunisia in an outburst of mass protests in 2011. In the aftermath, the highly organized Muslim Brotherhood rose to power, but was ousted in 2013 amid a military-backed popular uprising led by Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, who was supported by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. El-Sissi has embarked on economic reforms and brought some political stability to the Arab worlds most populous country, but his tenure has been marred by the jailing of tens of thousands of people. Leading Brotherhood figures now face death sentences or life in prison. The group has been outlawed and branded a terrorist group in Egypt and the UAE, which itself has detained dozens of Emirati Islamist figures. Some activists worry Tunisia could head down a similar path, despite Saieds credentials as an independent technocrat. Coups are not only started by the military; they can be started by a civilian and completed by officers, said Shady Lewis Boutros, an Egyptian novelist and writer who lives in the U.K., in a Facebook post. Abdelrahman al-Rashed, who runs a Saudi-owned media group and is close to the royal court, said Saied is saving the country from returning to the chaos sparked by the Arab Spring. In a column for the Arabic Ashraq al-Awsat newspaper, he wrote that political turmoil in Tunisia marks the death of the Muslim Brotherhoods authority. Ennahdha itself has distanced itself from more militant Islamists, and its leader, Rachid Ghannouchi, told The Associated Press this week that its critics are using it as a scapegoat for Tunisias problems. He noted that his party has played a major role in parliament in the decade since the revolution, which opened the way for his return from 22 years of exile in London, and won the most seats in the last legislative elections. Some question whether the Gulf states had a role in Tunisias current tensions. But others argue that Tunisians are more focused on day-to-day concerns than the discourse around the Muslim Brotherhood. Meanwhile, Tunisias strategic importance to the European Union cannot be overstated. From 2014-20, the bloc invested 1.6 billion euros ($1.9 billion) in Tunisia to build democracy and provide social and economic aid. It has given 330 million euros ($392 million) to help the country recover from the impact of coronavirus restrictions. Another 600 million euros ($712 million) in EU macro-financial assistance was agreed to in May. Most significantly, Tunisia is a key partner in limiting the flow of migrants from Africa to the EU. The 27 member states are hopelessly divided over how to manage the arrivals of those seeking a better life in Europe, so the bloc has resorted to outsourcing the challenge to other countries. However, Tunisians now make up one of the largest groups of people seeking asylum in Europe. And the Tunisia corridor is a growing concern for the EUs border and coast guard agency Frontex. From 2019 to 2020, the number of people reaching Italy from Tunisia grew by almost 400%, to more than 13,000 people, according to some nongovernmental organizations. That includes a period when COVID-19 restrictions significantly reduced migrant movements. Saied had a frank discussion on irregular migration in Brussels last month with top EU officials, and they agreed to work more closely against smugglers and on border management. The latest turmoil adds to concern in Europe that things might get worse. On Tuesday, the EUs top diplomat called for Tunisias constitutional order to be restored, without directly apportioning any blame. The U.S. government also is watching closely. In addition to supporting its democracy, the U.S. has helped fund Tunisias efforts to tamp down violent Islamic extremism. Just hours after Saieds announcement, he spoke with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who urged him to adhere to the principles of democracy and human rights and maintain open dialogue with all political actors and the Tunisian people. Tunisians themselves want jobs and opportunity, which have remained elusive since their revolution, and many support the president at least for now. While there is a risk of new mass unrest, Tunisian political scientist Mohamed-Dhia Hammami said there are strong political actors in Tunisia who can play the role of counterbalance, including labor unions. And unlike in Egypt, Tunisias military has little control over the economy. Omar Oudherni, a retired Tunisian army brigadier and security expert, said the Tunisian people will not be silent on any tyrant. Doing what is good will receive support, and if (Saied) wants dictatorship, the people will sweep him up, as they swept others, he added. ___ Aya Batrawy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Lorne Cook reported from Brussels. Elaine Ganley contributed to this report from Paris. By MEHDI EL-AREM, AYA BATRAWY and LORNE COOK Associated Press Arrest scene in Jamestown, 28 grams of meth seized View Photos Jamestown, CA A drivers erratic driving got a vehicle pulled over on Highway 108 in Jamestown by a Tuolumne Sheriffs Deputy, but it was the passenger that got arrested. The deputy also checked the vehicles registration and found it was suspended. He conducted a traffic stop finding 37-year-old Sabrina Rivette of Sonora behind the wheel and 49-year-old Jerome Zylstra of Columbia a passenger. A record check revealed Rivette had misdemeanor warrants for her arrest. Rivette consented to a search of the vehicle that turned up over 28 grams of methamphetamine separated into different quantities, cash, packaging material, drug paraphernalia, and brass knuckles. Through questioning it was determined all those items belonged to Zylstra. He was arrested for possession of drugs for sales and paraphernalia, and the brass knuckles, which are illegal to have in California. His bail was set at $30,000. Rivette was issued a citation for her warrants and released at the scene. BAGHDAD (AP) An attack on a funeral procession in northern Iraq has claimed a number of victims, Iraqs military said in a statement Friday. The military said the terrorist attack in the province of Salahaddin resulted in a number of victims but did not provide specific figures. An Iraqi security official said eight people had been killed, among them police and civilians, and that armed militants had opened fire on the crowd. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity said the attack had been perpetrated by the Islamic State group. The death toll could not be immediately confirmed. The military said it will provide details once an investigation is complete. Northern Iraq has been a hotspot for IS activity since their territorial defeat in 2017 by Iraqi security forces with assistance from the U.S.-led coalition. Iraqi forces routinely carry out anti-IS operations in the rugged mountainous northern region and the deserts of western Iraq where they are known to be holed up. IS attacks have abated in recent years but continue in these areas where security forces are often the target of ambushes, raids and IEDs. At times, IS has managed to launch attacks in the capital. At least 30 people were killed last week in a suicide bombing in the Baghdad suburb of Sadr City. The attack was claimed by IS. By MURTADA FARAJ Associated Press BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) A government warehouse storing movies, documents and antique projectors from Brazil's film industry caught fire Thursday night in Sao Paulo. The fire department said 15 fire vehicles and 50 firefighters were at the site trying to prevent the flames from spreading to a larger area of the building. The warehouse is owned by the national film institute, Cinemateca, and houses South Americas largest collection of films, some made of cellulose nitrate, a highly flammable material. The films in the warehouse were copies for exhibition, not originals, and the extent of the loss wasnt immediately clear. Last year, a flood at the same warehouse damaged part of the collection. In 2016, Cinematecas headquarters in another area of the city also suffered a fire. Public prosecutors warned in a lawsuit filed last year that there was a danger of fire at the Cinemateca warehouse, charging that the federal government had neglected to maintain the building. The suit also said there had been delays in paying the institute's utility bills and wages. In April, Cinemateca employees wrote an open letter decrying the institutions abandonment and demanding it be reopened after being closed for eight months. Eduardo Morettin, professor of audiovisual history at the University of Sao Paulo, was watching the firefighters work outside the building. What we see here is part of the absolute disregard for everything that concerns the memory of our country, he said. Through his social network, Sao Paulo state Gov. Joao Doria, an adversary of President Jair Bolsonaro, called the fire a crime against the culture of the country. Brazil's Special Secretariat of Culture said in an emailed statement that it deeply regrets" the fire and asked the Federal Police to investigate. Without directly referring to criticism of support for Cinemateca, the agency said the federal government is committed "to maintaining its history. The entire air conditioning system of the space underwent maintenance about a month ago as part of the federal governments effort to maintain the institutions collection. it said. Two other beloved Brazilian cultural institutions have suffered similar fates in recent years. The National Museum in Rio de Janeiro had most of its structure destroyed by fire in 2018 along with much of its more than 20 million items. It is scheduled to reopen next year. In 2015, the Museum of Portuguese Language, also in Sao Paulo, went up in flames. Its reopening is scheduled for Sunday. ___ Associated Press journalist Tatiana Polastri in Sao Paulo contributed to this report. MADRID (AP) Food delivery platform Deliveroo says it is considering shuttering its operations in Spain, ahead of a deadline to comply with a new law that requires it to hire workers who are freelancing for the company. Deliveroo's announcement Friday came as the mid-August deadline looms for delivery platforms to hire couriers who are currently freelancing for them. The change is required by legislation passed in May. Deliveroo currently uses around 2,500 delivery workers in Spain. The changes in Spain come as other countries in Europe and elsewhere are deciding on a labor model for the so-called gig economy, which is often blamed for precarious jobs and low salaries. Thats because, until now, gig and other contractor workers had to pay social security fees from their own pockets if they wanted to receive benefits, including unemployment subsidies and a public pension. Some freelancers have protested against the changes, saying they prefer flexible work and dont want to be hired as staff. App-based food delivery businesses say the new law threatens a 700-million-euro ($832 million) industry in Spain. Deliveroo said in a statement filed to the London Stock Exchange, where it is listed, that achieving and sustaining a top-tier market position in Spain would require a disproportionate level of investment with highly uncertain long-term potential returns." The delivery app added it wants to focus on more profitable operations in countries where it is a market leader. A consultation process with affected workers will begin in September, Deliveroo said. It expects that process to take around a month. Delivery workers' union Riders x Derechos said in a tweet: The message is clear, if they have to adhere to labor legislation they arent interested in continuing to operate here. July 22 Plainview police responded to the 900 block of Lexington Street on July 22 in reference to an aggravated assault. A 19-year-old man was arrested on July 22 at the 1000 block of W. 11th Street in reference to a burglary. Malachi Ramon Delacerda was arrested by the Plainview Police Department and charged with burglary of a habitation, which is a felony. A crash resulting in an injury was reported at the 1000 block of N. Interstate 27 west frontage road on July 22. July 23 A 43-year-old man was arrested at the 1100 block of Kokomo Street on July 23. He was charged with driving while intoxicated. Theft of a bicycle was reported at the 1300 block of Nassau Street on July 23. Another theft of a bicycle was reported at the 1600 block of Galveston Street. A sex offense against a child was reported on July 23. A crash resulting in vehicle damage was reported on July 23 at the 100 block of W. 5th Street. An assault was reported at the 1500 block of Gray Street on July 23. A crash was reported at the 3700 block of Olton Road on July 23. Vehicle damage was reported but there were no injuries. July 24 Trespassing was reported at the 100 block of Ash Street on July 23. A 55-year-old man was charged with criminal trespassing. A 27-year-old man was arrested at the 2800 block of Houston Street on July 24. He was charged with criminal trespassing. A crash resulting in vehicle damage was reported at the 300 block of W. 5th Street on July 24. No injuries were reported. A terroristic threat was made at the 2200 block of W. 19th Street on July 24. July 25 Police arrested a 27-year-old man on July 25 for an outstanding warrant for driving while intoxicated. The individual was arrested at the 300 block of Elm Street. A 25-year-old man was arrested at the 1500 block of Utica Street in reference to an assault. The individual was charged with assault causing bodily injury, violation of a protective order and with an active outstanding warrant. Police arrested 37-year-old Marissa Amador Flores on July 25 at the 1500 block of Utica. Flores was charged with aggravated assault with a weapon, which is a felony. The incident report notes two arrests but only one was indicated on the arrest sheet. Damaged property was reported at the 1600 block of N. Date Street on July 25. A person damaged a window at the Date Street Apartments. July 26 A burglary was reported at the 1100 block of E. 4th Street on July 26. Someone kicked in a door. Criminal trespass was reported at the 200 block of Henry on July 26. Forgery was reported at the 200 lock of W. 5th Street. A suspect attempted to pass a check that had been altered. An assault was reported at the 200 block of Milwee Street on July 26. A person assaulted another and interfered with an emergency call to the location. No arrests were indicated. Fraud was reported at the 100 block of W. 10th Street on July 26. A woman reported her identifying information was used in San Antonio. A crash was reported at the intersection of N. Columbia and W. 24th Street. Officers served a felony arrant during a traffic stop at the 500 block of W. 5th Street, though no arrests were indicated. Stolen property was reported at the 2700 block of Joliet Street on July 26. Police arrested 29-year-old Augustine Sebastin Chumacero, who was in possession of a stolen firearm. He was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and theft of a firearm, both of which are felonies. Officers reported to the intersection of W. 11th and Oakland Street on July 26 in reference to shots fired. No arrests were indicated. July 27 Burglary of a vehicle was reported at the 200 block of Beech Street on July 27. A burglary was reported at the 600 block of Nassau Street on July 27. According to the police report, a burglar entered through the back door of the residence and took several items. Animal cruelty was reported at the 1200 block of Joliet Street on July 27. The reporting party advised shed observed a dog at the location over the course of several months. She noted the dog was observed to be OK on July 26 and appeared to have tar poured over it a day later. Damage to a vehicle was reported at the 300 block of Aileen on July 27. A man stabbed three tires on a womans vehicle during an argument causing an estimated $360 worth of damage. Officers responded to the 2600 block of Dimmitt Road on July 27. A man reported to police that a handgun he held discharged accidentally on July 22 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Police arrested a 37-year-old man at the 3500 block of W. 25th Street on July 27. The individual was charged with five outstanding warrants. Police arrested 34-year-old Derek Jermain Ramirez on July 27 at the 1100 block of Thunderbird. Ramirez was charged with two outstanding warrants for possession of a controlled substance and for assault causing bodily injury. A 42-year-old Ruben Pena was arrested at the 1700 block of W. 8th Street on July 27. Pena was charged with an outstanding felony warrant out of Dallas County for indecency with a child. Police arrested 43-year-old Melody Garza and 50-year-old Henry Morales on July 27 at the 500 block of W. 5th Street during a traffic stop. Garza was charged with failure to identify a fugitive with intent to give false information, an active warrant for a parole violation and possession of a controlled substance, which is a felony. Morales was charged with possession of a controlled substance, which is a felony. July 28 Plainview police arrested 21-year-old Mark Anthony Sanchez on July 28 at the 600 block of W. 11th Street. A suspicious person was contacted and found to be in possession of multiple controlled substances. Sanchez was charged with possession of a controlled substance, penalty group 1 and possession of a controlled substance, penalty group 2, both of which are felonies. A burglary was reported at the 2400 block of W. 11th Street on July 28. MERIDEN While COVID-19 vaccines have become easily available locally, many residents friends and families around the world do not have the same opportunity. Thats what led Liliana Oyuela and her family to come from Colombia to Connecticut to get vaccinated. The family is friends with Maria Campos Harlow, executive director of United Way of Meriden and Wallingford. Harlow helped them arrange vaccine appointments and was a witness to their tears of joy as they received the shot. Oyuela, a lawyer, explained that in Colombia vaccines were only available for residents 70 years or older in May. Oyuela and her husband are 47. She said they thought they would have to wait a while before getting their COVID-19 shot. Thats why Oyuela, her husband, and her sister decided to come to the United States to get vaccinated. Oyuela has two children ages 11 and 13, who also traveled to the United States. The 13-year-old was also able to get vaccinated. The adults got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at a Stop & Shop in Stratford and the 13-year-old got a Pfizer shot in New York. He had the virus in January, so their doctor said he would be OK with just the one shot, Oyuela explained. He was very happy, she said about her son. Oyuela who admitted not being typically emotional said she and her sister shed tears of happiness as they got their shots, feeling blessed and fortunate for the opportunity. They made the vaccine moment memorable by taking video and pictures. Oyuela said the trip to the U.S. was expensive, but they made it a priority because they really cared about getting the vaccine. She said Colombia was not only behind in the vaccine rollout but at that point people could not choose which brand of the vaccine to get. In addition, the country is not allowing a second shot until five weeks after the first shot, Oyuela explained. She said some people are concerned as they dont know if the vaccine would work as it should after having people wait that long. She said that to get the shot without an appointment there are long lines and the process of making the appointment isnt easy either. It is an incredible contrast to see how things roll out here and how they roll out in our countries, Harlow said. She said that despite the rush when vaccines started to be offered, the process here was absolutely wonderful. She said at this point, whoever wanted to be vaccinated is now vaccinated because the shot is easily available. Harlow stressed its heartbreaking to see how the vaccine rollout moves so slow in other countries. Thats why she didnt think twice when her friends in Colombia reached out to see if she could help them arrange vaccine appointments in Connecticut. For me, it wasnt anything, I mean, you make an appointment, you go and you get the vaccine and it was no big deal, she said. But when they came, while they were getting the vaccine, they had tears in their eyes. Harlow said that was an enormous moment for her because it made her realize how fortunate we are and how difficult the situation is in other countries. She said her friends were incredibly grateful for the opportunity. She hopes people particularly those who are hesitant to get the vaccine realize how fortunate people in the United States are to have easy access to the shot. While the vaccine administration process has been slower in some countries, others are now up to speed. In the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, those age 12 and older are now eligible to get the vaccine. In Peru, the vaccine is available to adults only. ksantos@record-journal.com203-317-2364Twitter: @KarlaSantosNews Depositphotos.com A statement from FACUA-Consumidores en Accion reported that the Froneri ice cream factory in Spain, responsible for Nestle, Milka, Toblerone, Nuii, Oreo, Princesa, La Lechera and Smarties products, accidentally contaminated several batches with ethylene oxide . A gas used as an antifreeze that is totally flammable with carcinogenic effects. From the Swiss multinational brand, there are 46 varieties of ice cream that have been withdrawn from the market due to this event. There isalready a list with the affected lots , it was disseminated internally by the Carrefour, Dia and Coviran chains. But, they suspect that it is not complete because it is "part of Froneri product withdrawal alerts." WASHINGTON (AP) Lawmakers racing to seal a bipartisan infrastructure deal early this coming week are hitting a major roadblock over how much money should go to public transit, the groups lead Republican negotiator said Sunday. As discussions continued through the weekend, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman said both sides were about 90% of the way there on an agreement. We have one issue outstanding, and were not getting much response from the Democrats on it, he said. Its about mass transit. Our transit number is very generous. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has said he wants to pass a bipartisan package and an accompanying $3.5 trillion budget plan before the Senate leaves for its August recess. He held a procedural vote last week to begin debate on the broad framework, but all 50 Senate Republicans voted against it, saying they needed to see the full details of the plan. Democrats want to see more of the money in the roughly $1 trillion infrastructure agreement go toward boosting public transportation, which includes subways, light-rail lines and buses, in line with President Joe Bidens original infrastructure proposal. The bipartisan group originally appeared to be moving toward agreement on more money for transit. But Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, the top Republican on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, which oversees public transit, was still negotiating the details. He cited, in part, previous COVID-19 federal relief money that had already been allocated to public transit. Nobodys talking about cutting transit, Toomey said Sunday. The question is, how many tens of billions of dollars on top of the huge increase that they have already gotten is sufficient? And thats where there is a little disagreement. Typically, spending from the federal Highway Trust Fund has followed a formula of 80% for highways and 20% for transit. Democratic Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Tom Carper of Delaware say they will oppose the deal if it reduces that. The White House has declined to say whether Biden would push for the additional funding for transit. Transit funding is obviously extremely important to the president the Amtrak President, as we may call him, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday. But we believe that members can get this work done and can work through these issues quite quickly. The final package would need the support of 60 senators in the evenly split 50-50 Senate to advance past a filibuster meaning at least 10 Republicans along with every Democratic member. Last weeks test vote failed along party lines. A Democratic aide granted anonymity to discuss the private talks said beyond transit, there are other remaining issues still unresolved around how to pay for it. For instance, details on broadband funding, as well as whether to tap into leftover COVID relief funds previously passed by Congress, continue to be discussed, the aide said. Democrats are seeking a compromise to pay for the package after Republicans dashed a plan to boost the IRS to go after tax scofflaws, though Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, a Democratic negotiator in the group, said he remains optimistic about reaching a deal soon. Were down to the last couple of items, and I think youre going to see a bill Monday afternoon, Warner said Sunday. Three rounds totaling nearly $70 billion in federal COVID-19 emergency assistance, including $30.5 billion that Biden signed into law in March, pulled transit agencies from the brink of financial collapse as riders steered clear of crowded spaces on subway cars and buses. That federal aid is expected to cover operating deficits from declining passenger revenue and costly COVID-19 cleaning and safety protocols through at least 2022. But Democrats and public transit advocates see expanded public transit systems as key to easing traffic congestion, combating climate change and curbing car pollution. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, recently sent a letter with 30 Democrats on the panel warning that the Senate proposal was inadequate and that any deal should incorporate the House-passed $715 billion infrastructure bill, which includes more money for rail and transit. The historical share for public transit from the Highway Trust Fund is 20%, Paul Skoutelas, president of the American Public Transportation Association, said Sunday. It is the absolute minimum acceptable level to help sustain our nations public transportation systems. It is imperative that we make robust, forward looking investments to modernize and expand public transit that will assist in our economic recovery from the COVID pandemic and get Americans back to work. Portman appeared on ABCs This Week, Toomey was on CNNs State of the Union and Warner spoke on Fox News Sunday. Click here to read the full article. Saturday Night Live head writer and comedian Michael Che wiped his Instagram account of all posts Thursday night after receiving backlash for posting jokes about Olympic gymnast Simone Biles. Biles, a four-time gold medalist, was expected to be a frontrunner in the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, but she withdrew from the gymnastics team finals and all-around individual finals due to concerns about her mental well-being. Her decision has sparked an outpouring of support from athletes and Hollywood for being vocal about her mental health and prioritizing it. On Thursday, Che posted to his since-deleted Instagram story man, i wanna make fun of simone biles, followed by i got like 3 mins of simone biles jokes in my head. im going to the cellar tonight to say them into a microphone. as the dorky kids say, im choosing violence. Che then shared two jokes from Instagram users to his story and rated the jokes out of 10, seen below in screenshot captured by a Twitter account. Larry Nassar understands Simone Biles better than anyone. He too had to quit doing what he loved at the pinnacle of his career because of mounting pressure, wrote one follower. To which Che wrote, goddamn, thats rough. absolutely tasteless. 9/10. Another Instagram user wrote to Che, Who said black dont crack?, and Che responded with now thats a good joke. economical. referential. balanced. good job. 8/10. He later claimed on his Instagram story that his account was hacked. maaannnn, i got hacked today. cant believe they got me. yall kno i only do jokes about whites and cops. sall good now, i changed my password and everything..anyway, yall hear about dababy tho..? thats crazy..iight. see yall at church. imma get there early, he wrote, referencing the homophobic comments that rapper DaBaby made at the Rolling Loud music festival last week. Che is known for his controversial jokes on social media and as co-anchor of Weekend Update on SNL alongside Colin Jost. Hes used his Instagram account several times in the past to respond to critics, and the Biles jokes are the latest to spur backlash from fans and people in Hollywood. Michael Che is trash. https://t.co/q4XQmcX4AV Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) July 30, 2021 Yes @nbcsnl @nbc is on hiatus, but doesn't Michael Che have an @HBO deal too? It'd be a great time to act on all the big talk of listening to Black women, and drop that talent-free wastrel who constantly maligns us. We have receipts for years but this latest stunt is inexcusable. @PiaGlenn (@PiaGlenn) July 30, 2021 San Antonio is haunted as it is historic and full of folklore. Every week, we explore a different Texas ghost story or venture into the unknown. This week, we tackle el chupacabra. Have a story to share? Email me at camille.sauers@mysa.com. The year 2004 was big for low-rise denim, the song "Yeah!" by Usher and DreamWork's second foray into ogre cinema, Shrek 2. In southern Bexar County, it was also a big year for the proliferation of the legend of the chupacabra. At the time, I was an impressionable young child living in the area, and vividly remember seeing an image of what is now popularly considered to be "The Elmendorf Beast." My dad placed the crisply folded newspaper onto the kitchen table to display the section immortalizing an inky, grey-blue, hairless creature in print. "Looks like they caught the chupacabra" he told me, my eyes growing saucer-like at the prospect. Occasionally, I think back to that fuzzy memory and try to recollect what exactly the San Antonio Express-News was reporting on. Recently, after talking shop with a local cryptozoologist about alleged pterodactyl-like birds flapping around Texas, I was reminded of the incident yet again. Sifting through memories will present you with nothing but a sea of unknown, so I went back to rehash what exactly happened here in 2004, as reported by local news. Turns out, there were two main incidents involving frightful dog creatures that left citizens unsure. The Elmendorf Beast In July 2004, a farmer named Devin Mcanally living in the small town of Elmendorf, in southern Bexar County, encountered something strange. He looked outside to discover a startling creature lurking on his property in broad daylight, munching on a mulberry tree outside of his mobile home. Mcanally, rightfully thinking he was dealing with something that could cause some harm, shot the unknown animal. "The story of the Elmendorf beast immediately stirred the south Bexar County community, which wrestled with the animal's identity. Speculation ran rampant, with some claiming it was the chupacabra a fabled goat-blood-sucking beast said to have also terrorized the Mexican countryside," wrote the Express-News in an article connecting back to the incident on May 8, 2005. According to the same news article, the Bexar County frenzy struck such a chord that people even began selling T-shirts inspired by the local legend, appearing to add a significant star in the muddied constellation of chupacabra folklore. The piece also notes that a "UFO investigator" dug up the carcass to test the creatures DNA, later stating the results were "inconclusive." Pollock's creepy creature Several months after the Elmendorf incident, an animal strikingly similar to a chupacabra was killed in the East Texas town of Pollock. "It was so much like it, it's unreal. It's just such a creepy creature when you see it," says Stacy Womack in a 2004 Express-News article entitled: "Mystery animal in Elmendorf may have an East Texas cousin; Could creatures killed 250 miles apart be chupacabras?" The creature, pictured above, was killed underneath her mother's home. Previously a veterinary technician, Womack claims she had never encountered something so hairless with long fangs and claws. Frightening the family's dogs, the beast allegedly scurried underneath the house in broad daylight. Seemingly due to the potential threat, her brother killed it. "Everybody asked me why I didn't freeze it, but I wouldn't put something like that in my freezer," she said. Iconic. Conclusion The intrigue behind the slain "chupacabras" still carries on to this day. Evidently, seeing one of these things encourages a sort of torch and pitchfork mentality, like the villagers at the end of Frankenstein. It's the same tale: when something is unknown, people tend to want nothing to do with it. Some lash out, while others turn to the folklore, which in many ways is empathetic. For the majority however, it's my guess that the howling rumors were all in good fun. In May 2005, after the dust began to settle from these two incidents, the paper circled back to the topic with opinions from animal experts. The diagnosis? A couple of coyotes caught with a horrible case of sarcoptic mange. At least that's the verdict from a Lubbock professor, who at the time had 20 years of studying similar conditions under his belt. "We looked at it, and of course it's a mangey coyote,'' said Danny Pence, a professor of parasitology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock to Jorge Zarazua of the Express-News. "There's no doubt in our minds whatsoever.'' Pence first learned about the Elmendorf Beast from a colleague involved in a study centered on coyotes surrounding Webb County, which was printed in a 1983 issue of the Journal of Parasitology. Pence mentioned that the disease is a rare but gruesome one, and legend or no legend, inflicts a great deal of pain and torture on the animal suffering from it. He alleges it can also cause them to behave uncharacteristically like encroaching on private property in the middle of the day. I wonder if it's ever seduced any sarcoptic mange mutts to suck the blood of a goat? In popular culture, the chupacabra myth is a fun reference in Texas music. Often, you'll also see it in the names of food and drink menu items referring to something quintessentially Texan or Mexican, regions where this story is popular. In beast form, the chupacabra is the perfect boogeyman. It's a chaotic natural force when it comes trotting toward you reeking of sickness, danger, and instability. Who knows, maybe the real thing is still out there. In my opinion, the scientific assessment does nothing more than add a little more clarity to the tale, while engulfing the chupacabra in a somehow more sinister sense of tragedy, painting a picture of a persecuted creature turned deviant through suffering, which I guess is vaguely biblical. All I can say after revisiting these early memories is rest in peace to the Elmendorf Beast. Click here to read the full article. After eight seasons, Brooklyn Nine-Nine will bid farewell beginning Aug. 12. The 10-episode final run has already been fully shot and, according to producer and star Andy Samberg, There were a lot of tears, a lot of hugs. Everybody had a hard time saying goodbye. Series star Terry Crews admits he was one who got emotional and is still feeling that way. It was so sad, he admits. I mean, you spend more time with these guys than you do your own family. Its so much work but its so fun. We laugh all day. Related Content Walk of Fame Honoree Terry Crews on Living the Dream Crews Brooklyn Nine-Nine role of Lt. Terry Jeffords is also his longest-running acting gig (by a lot) to date. And even though the NBC cop comedy has been off the air since April 2020, it has not been far from the minds of its makers, nor its audience. Part of the reason the show has been delayed is the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused industry-wide production shutdowns and slowdowns. But the writers and producers also wanted to rework some storylines after protests against police brutality became front-page headlines. We had a lot of adjustments, a lot of somber talks, Crews says. But when I look at the scripts and look at what we did, people will not be disappointed. He adds that that has been one of the many joys of working on the show: Ive been blessed to work with such amazing showrunners and writers and people who know how to entertain, but also inform. Crews also has endless praise for the ensemble cast, who, he says, taught him to be a better actor. Im working with these amazing actors and picking their brains, asking techniques, always trying to improve and get better, he says. As with so many actors on the show, the writers began to incorporate some of Crews own personality traits into his character. From his bodybuilding regimen to the fact that he loves delicate yogurt cups and drives a minivan, both Terrys share a lot of DNA. Theyve even been able to incorporate the fact that Crews is an accomplished painter and artist into the show. With so many amazing moments to pull from, Crews is hard-pressed to pick a favorite. He loved dancing to Salt N Pepa with Andre Braugher in Season 7 (Youre talking about an Emmy-award winning, Juilliard-trained actor, one of the best in the business!), but he also loved the fourth season episode Skyfire Cycle, in which Terry and Jake (Samberg) bond over their favorite science-fiction writer. We were quoting lines from this made-up book ad infinitum to each other and I thought it was so funny because it shows how much of a nerd I really am, Crews recalls. I really am that fanboy nerd. Of course, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has thought it was saying good-bye before: Fox canceled the show after five seasons in 2018. But it was given a reprieve when NBC picked it up for Seasons 6 through 8. And Crews recognizes that goodbyes arent always final in television. Something I love about TV is it actually gets more popular over time, he says. So, in five years, well be even more popular than we are now. And that will be just in time for that really fabulous reunion! And for the record, hes completely serious about reuniting. Everybody wants to bring it back, he says. And Im ready. Im already pitching ideas. Hey, lets do a Brooklyn Nine-Nine movie; we could do one every year! Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. OCEANSIDE, Calif. (AP) The families of eight Marines and one sailor who died when their amphibious assault vehicle sank off the Southern California coast last summer plan to sue the manufacturer of the vehicle that resembles an armored seafaring tank, their lawyers announced Thursday, a day before the anniversary of the accident. BAE Systems knew for a decade or more about a design defect that makes it nearly impossible for troops to open the cargo hatches and escape the 26-ton amphibious vehicles when they sink, attorney Eric Dubin said at a news conference in Oceanside, the city bordering Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base, where most of the troops were based. They were kids, and they were put in a death trap," said Dubin, who was accompanied by relatives of five of the service members who died on July 30, 2020, and ranged from 18 to 22. Dubin added that the troops were trapped inside for 45 minutes before the vehicle, known as an AAV, sank. Four Marines tried to use their body weight to force the hatch open, the lawyers said, adding that if the doors went inward and locked instead of to the outside, they could have gotten out in under two minutes. He said the lawsuit would be filed within two days in U.S. District Court in San Diego. The families cried as he spoke; three of the mothers embraced. Among them was Aleta Bath of East Troy, Wisconsin, who lost her only child. She and her son would talk almost daily. Pfc. Evan A. Bath, 19, often forgot about the time difference between California and Wisconsin, calling her in the middle of the night. I still don't sleep because I'm waiting for a call that doesn't come," she said, crying. I just want to make things safer so this doesn't happen to anybody else." Military leaders agreed the tragedy could have been prevented. An investigation by the maritime branch found the accident off San Clemente Island was caused by inadequate training, shabby maintenance of the 35-year-old amphibious assault vehicles and poor judgment by commanders. About a dozen Marine officers have been forced out of their jobs or disciplined in another way. The Marine Corps also relieved a two-star general in June who had overseen the exercise. BAE Systems declined to comment on the expected lawsuit and directed questions to the Marine Corps. We offer our deepest sympathies to the families impacted by this tragedy and we mourn the loss of the nine service members," company spokesman Tim Paynter wrote in an email. Lawyers for the families said they also would have considered suing the military but were prevented by the Feres doctrine, a 1950 decision that says service members cannot sue the federal government for injuries sustained while serving. Instead, they are asking the military to support the lawsuit and pull its amphibious assault vehicles out of the water until the problem is resolved by the manufacturer. The Marine Corps did that for months while the accident was investigated, but recently troops have been back inside them in the water. The troops who died were inside a decades-old amphibious vehicle, but lawyers said the newer ones, including a line now in production, have the same issue, which is why they are suing. BAE Systems has a $366 million contract with the Marine Corps to produce 72 amphibious combat vehicles, which will replace the AAVs. The Marine Corps said in a statement that a comprehensive review of amphibious operations is being conducted by senior Marine Corps and Navy personnel" and that it is taking numerous actions to improve safety standards, including training troops to escape amphibious vehicles and ensuring the units using them are proficient in their skills. But it stopped short of saying it would stop using the AAVs. It said it continues to mourn the loss of troops and is making safety a priority. Christiana Sweetwood of Danville, Virginia, said she never wants another mother to experience what she has over the past year. When they took my son, they kind of took my life," she said through tears. There's a hole in my family I can't fix. And I don't want another mother standing at a door at 7 a.m. and two casualty officers telling her that her son is missing." The accident occurred a day before Lance Cpl. Chase D. Sweetwood's 19th birthday. He left behind seven siblings. His mother said she and the other families who lost loved ones plan to spend the anniversary of the accident together, sharing memories. She may put flowers in the ocean. On Saturday, Sweetwood plans to visit her son's grave at Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego and eat his favorite dish peach pie to honor him on what would have been his 20th birthday. The vehicles have been at the heart of the Marine Corps' amphibious operations, carrying troops from ship to shore for both combat and humanitarian operations since the early 1980s. It can traverse both land and sea. The investigation found the troops had not received appropriate instruction on how to escape a sinking amphibious vehicle and that the unit had not completed a required evaluation meant to address any issues, including their swimming qualifications. Marine officers in charge that day also failed to have safety boats nearby. USAA has hired a new leader as part of its continued efforts to foster diversity and equity within the company. The local banking and insurance giant hired Bryan Gingrich as vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) a new role for USAA, according to a news release. Gingrich brings more than 20 years of experience working in diversity and inclusion with companies like Wells Fargo and A.G. Edwards. Last year the company made a $50 million commitment to advance racial equity. USAA put $1 million of those funds toward fighting anti-Asian attacks in April. "We know that the military community includes diverse voices, and by recognizing and empowering the diversity of our USAA employees, we can better serve our members and contribute to the communities where we live and work," Gingrich says. In regards to the new VP role, MySA asked about the number of candidates considered and how many were people of color, but spokesperson for USAA said that it does not disclose that information. "However, we seek to interview a diverse slate of candidates to enable USAA to hire the best qualified talent for the role," USAA spokesperson Laura Propp wrote in an email. Gingrich will lead the DE&I team in creating a strategy that builds an environment where "every employee can be their best." He has a doctorate in cognitive psychology with a specialty in stereotyping, prejudice and bias from the University of Memphis. William Luther, Staff / San Antonio Express-News He will report to Harriet Dominique, USAAs chief diversity, equity, inclusion and corporate responsibility officer. USAA also announced recent promotions of two human resource leaders. Leslie Dowling, has been named senior vice president of HR strategy and shared services, and Wendy Salmon has been named senior vice president of total rewards. Photographer Catches Whale Breaching Next to a Fishing Boat PetaPixel (Furzy Mouse). Sponge fossils suggest animals already existed 890 million years ago New Scientist Trans-Alaska pipeline under threat from thawing permafrost High Country News How to redesign our cities to make them heatwave-proof FT Is this legal?: Why an obscure data service has been sued nearly 100 times for facilitating anti-competitive behavior Investigate Midwest Cosmic-ray threat to quantum computing greater than previously thought Physics World #COVID19 The war has changed: Internal CDC document urges new messaging, warns delta infections likely more severe WaPo. Too many emojis for my taste, but this is a useful wrap-up/critique well worth reading in full: Holy Motherthe worst CDC #DeltaVariant report ever: MORE CONTAGIOUS than Smallpox* DOUBLE transmission of Wuhan 1.0* MORE SEVERE than ever* Vaccinated can transmit* & breakthrough viral loads ~ unvaxxed. *Ever item I have warned beforehttps://t.co/dN6abWQp1W pic.twitter.com/Xf01KdQKes Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) July 30, 2021 Note that the smallpox comparison is perhaps not ideal because smallpox is not airborne. So the comparison isnt helpful in ones personal practice. Also, and unsurprisingly, CDC butchers masking. Again. 13) Also, the CDC is still also assuming basic cloth masks in this risk models the CDC needs to start promoting PREMIUM MASKS ASAP!!! @kprather88 @AbraarKaran @RanuDhillon and I have been pushing this for months to no avail! CDC rejected pushes for premium mask recommendations! https://t.co/UIuhHf9J1o Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) July 30, 2021 Finally, the sequence of events: (7/27) CDC issues new guidance; (7/29) CDC privately briefed members of Congress; (7/30, later today) CDC to release the science behind this document (although it got leaked to WaPo first). The science is, apparently, the reveal, not the guidance. So why Congress first? Biden rolls out aggressive plan to jump-start vaccination Politico. Federal workers, bribes, paid leave (yet nothing targeting Blacks, the Democrat-loyal yet least vaccinated identity vertical. Nor anything on delivery in the workplace). Biden: I know people talk about freedom, but I learned growing up with freedom comes responsibility. The decision to be unvaccinated impacts someone else. Showing once again that Biden and I know this is a low bar is a better politician than his party, which is focused on its own offended amour propre and firing the blame cannons at Bubba in the Red States. Biden on boosters: Pres. Biden: "As of now, my medical advisors say the answer is nono American needs a booster now." "But if the science tells us there's a need for boosters, then that's something we'll do. And we have purchased all the supply we need to be ready." https://t.co/59tsvc7M0Y pic.twitter.com/fNLIPAQEeE ABC News (@ABC) July 29, 2021 So weve bought the boosters? No further development or approvals needed? CDC Director Alarmed After Googling Covid Cases For First Time in Weeks The Onion * * * Ivermectin for preventing and treating COVID19 Cochrane Library. Selection criteria: We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing ivermectin to no treatment, standard of care, placebo, or another proven intervention for treatment of people with confirmed COVID19 diagnosis, irrespective of disease severity, treated in inpatient or outpatient settings, and for prevention of SARSCoV2 infection. Authors conclusions: Based on the current very low to lowcertainty evidence, we are uncertain about the efficacy and safety of ivermectin used to treat or prevent COVID19. The completed studies are small and few are considered high quality. Several studies are underway that may produce clearer answers in review updates. Overall, the reliable evidence available does not support the use ivermectin for treatment or prevention of COVID19 outside of welldesigned randomized trials. Why Is the FDA Attacking a Safe, Effective Drug? WSJ (here is an unpaywalled version). Subsequent qualifying letter to the Editor on retracted Elgazzar study. * * * Researchers Find Signs of COVID-19 Mutations in NYC Sewage, Pointing to Possible Dog and Rat Infections The City (preprint). Wastewater testing for the win. And so much for the supply chain, as rats board departing shipping containers. Surveillance Data Shows White-Tailed Deer Exposed to SARS-CoV-2 USDA. Serum samples show antibodies; we dont know if the deer are shedding virus. Aerosol hot spot study within healthcare environments (PDF) Victorian Health Building Authority. 4.2 Locations where aerosols are likely to coagulate. 4.2.1 Around return/exhaust grilles. 4.2.2 Sharp obstructions jutting out from flat surfaces 4.2.3 Around and in small gaps 4.2.4 Window and door frames 4.2.5 Ensuite walls and side of the toilet pan. * * * AstraZenecas having second thoughts about its COVID vaccine business as FDA filing drags on Fierce Pharma. AZs had its problems, but in explicltly promising not to make a profit, they are the white crow in Big Pharma. Vaccinated people are getting sick but some counterintuitive math puts it in context Boston Globe I began my journalism career in Nashville in 1990, with my current position with Nashville Post having evolved since October 2000 (when I was with the now-defunct The City Paper, a sister publication of the Post starting in 2008). Follow William Williams Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today (Natural News) When you Google search for anything health-related, youll find mostly lies and distortions that work against you. But the ironic part is that when the damage from certain medications or vaccinations is so bad, they have to admit it. The cover-ups lasted as long as possible, and now we see, right out in the open: Its just the tip of the iceberg of horrific health detriment the Covid vaccines are inflicting, so get ready. Go ahead and ask Google what the emergency warning signs are of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine. Within just 6 to 13 days (thats less than a week for many people), they become short of breath while suffering SEVERE headaches and abdominal pain. Oh, what could it be? What could be causing this intolerable pain that doesnt go away? Is this the bodys reaction to something horrible happening inside it? Is the human body trying to purge this newfound poison inside the blood by attacking its own cells? Lets ask Google more questions. Hey Google, what should we do if we cant breathe right, walk, or think right after we get the J&J Covid vaccine? Contact your physician to be assessed for treatment required for this type of blood clot. Ok, sure. Were talking about headaches like you never experienced before. Worse than migraines. Unbearable stomach pain. Shortness of breath. Panic. Off to the doctor you go! So doctor, we just got vaccinated, and we want to know how many blood clots we have due to the Covid jabs is it one blood clot, hundreds, millions, billions, or trillions? Will the diagnostic tests show them, because we heard not, that you must use a blood smear to see how many? These MDs are scared to death to run blood smears and show you, because they dont want to see it themselves. Then everybody would know. Google: Patients whove had the Janssen vaccine should seek immediate medical attention if they develop shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling, persistent abdominal pain, neurological symptoms including severe or persistent headache or blurred vision, or petechiae beyond the site of vaccination. By the way, petechiae are those little red, flat spots that show up on your skin, letting you know youre bleeding underneath (think clogged capillaries here). Alert: High risk for rare blood clots from J&J Covid jab? That cant be good Google goes on to explain: After receiving the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine, there is risk for a rare but serious adverse eventblood clots with low platelets (thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, or TTS). Heres where that explanation is a trick. A cover up. Notice how it does NOT say the risk is rare, but rather that the type of blood clot is rare, making the vaccine even more guilty, since this is happening a week or so after getting injected. The risk of getting these blood clots is not rare, in fact, its happening all over the world, but the CDC and American Mass Media are covering all that up. In fact, this is what the shots are intended to do clot human blood with trillions of protein molecules that stick together in your arteries, veins and capillaries. Thats a high risk for very rare and deadly blood clots, meaning you most likely wouldnt have got them if you never got the Covid vaccine. The vaccine manufacturer and scientists at J&J-owned Janssen Pharmaceuticals already knows all of this, as they saw it happen in the clinical trials, where people developed cerebral vein thrombosis with thrombocytopenia. Doctors are influenced not to draw attention to these blood clot cases as it might cause vaccine hesitancy, which means people will figure out that its the vaccines that are whats so deadly about the Covid pandemic, much more than the virus itself. The vaccines ARE the pandemic. Still, these doctors are being overwhelmed by the decimated, mysterious health collapse of their patients, and just cant seem to pinpoint (pun intended) the root cause, so they run all sorts of expensive diagnostic tests (that they profit from), and send you packing with some more deadly prescription drugs to temporarily relieve you of some of your pain and suffering (to no avail). Blood thinner wont save you from blood clots caused by COVID vaccines Blood thinner wont save you this time. Even Google will tell you that. Blood thinners are anticoagulants, but they wont save anyone from the rare types of blood clots caused by who knows how many of the 6.85 million U.S. sheeple doses of the J&J dirty jabs made in dirty labs. Do all the vaccines cause blood clots, but were just too soon to see the carnage widespread? The CDC is reviewing data involving all these blood clot cases that are so rare and coincidentally happen a week to ten days after the fake inoculations for China flu. People are dying from this, and its on record at the CDC. They know it. Serious thrombotic events are being shrugged off as platelet-activating antibodies and a type of protein for which using blood thinners will be harmful. That begs the question of whether every single person in America who is on blood thinner right nowand were talking 8 million peoplewill they be the first to die when the blood-clot wave hits? Should they have even been given the Covid shot to begin with? Talk about the dangerous and haphazard mixing of medications and treatments. Natural health advocates know better than to take toxic jabs from pharma goons, but if you know someone who already got pricked with the blood-clotting Covid inoculations, and theyre suffering from lethargy, pain, clouded thinking, thats called CoVax Syndrome, so tell them to report it to VAERS. Also, check out Pandemic.news for updates on these crimes against humanity and the upcoming Delta and Covid booster-vaccine Holocaust. Sources for this article include: Pandemic.news NaturalNews.com TruthWiki.org AMA-ASSN.org Emergency.CDC.gov (Natural News) The verdict is in: Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines are a bust, and so are masks, which takes us back to square one as far as the pandemic is concerned. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) latest declaration states that fully vaccinated people can still catch and spread the delta variant. For this reason, the CDC is urging all injected people to wear a mask whenever they are around other people. But wait: When were the masks ever effective? The answer is never, as the number of new cases of the Chinese Virus only continued to rise all last year the more people covered their faces with Fauci Flu veils. What this means, of course, is that everything the CDC and other government authorities told us all to do for the past year and a half was a fraud. And now the agency has the gall to try to tell us all to do it again a second time for some unknown reason. Antisocially distancing, staying at home, living in fear, modifying our DNA, and muzzling our faces all utterly failed to contain the Wuhan Flu. Meanwhile, the only things that actually work to protect immunity were decried as misinformation by the CDC. So where does that leave us? Back in a Chinese Virus hell, at least until the world says enough! to the merry-go-round of government tyranny, none of which has done a single thing to save lives. The medical establishments circus act of pushing masks, then not pushing masks, then pushing masks again, has made a total mockery of public health. Even worse, this same medical establishment claimed, then claimed otherwise, that getting jabbed with a Trump Vaccine would be a surefire way to bring about a disease-free new normal. The CDC is responsible for the deaths of untold millions of people The reality we now face is one where those who took the governments bait and rolled up their sleeves are now walking disease factories. This is why the CDC is urging the jabbed to cover their noses and mouths once again to protect everyone else from whatever it is these people are now spewing everywhere they go. Unfortunately, all the CDC really had to do to save lives back in early 2020 was inform the world about the health benefits of vitamin D, green tea, vitamin C, quercetin, and other immune-boosting nutrients that have been saving lives for millennia. Instead, the CDC chose to push Big Pharma poisons on us all, as well as superstitious face veils, both of which turned out to be a total bust. What becomes of those who believed the science remains to be seen. Right this moment, CDC head Rochelle Walensky is panicking all over the news about how the vaccinated need to cover their faces immediately, especially in areas of substantial and high transmission, in order to prevent the spread of the delta variant and protect others. Just a few months ago, she was saying the exact opposite, of course, just as Tony Fauci the flip-floppers was. Both of these goons have proven themselves to be ill-informed and unqualified to effectively do their jobs unless, of course, the job was to massively depopulate the planet. Walensky is chalking up her contradictory statements to new science, suggesting that her agency, which is actually a private corporation in disguise, simply stumbled upon this new information that evolved out of nowhere. Fauci is towing the same line, pretending as though the facts are changing as more is learned about the plandemic. The latest news about the CDCs fake science can be found at Propaganda.news. Sources for this article include: Yahoo.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Parents in New Jersey filed a lawsuit to block any Wuhan Coronavirus (COVID-19) mask mandates that might be imposed on public schools in the state next fall, saying that any such mandate would violate childrens first amendment rights. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Newark against Gov. Phil Murphy and the states Commissioners of Health and Education. It contends that a mask mandate would impede communication and learning in the classroom, and that it was imposed without due legal process. According to attorney Bruce Afram, who represents parents as part of the group Free NJ kids, such a mandate would never be legal to begin with, as the governors emergency resolution bypassed the normal rule-making process. We have procedures in which agencies can issue orders if they hold hearings, if they have testimony showing the scientific need, if the public can cross-examine the experts, and if the public can testify, Afram said. Only then can these rules be created. School mask mandates cause anxiety, impede learning There is currently no statewide mask mandate for New Jersey schools in the fall. Instead, Gov. Murphy has left the decision up to individual districts. That said, the Democratic governor has also left open the possibility that such a mandate could be reinstated, depending on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines and the state of the pandemic when schools open. In the suit, Afram argues that such a mask mandate will violate a right to free speech and a basic sense of personal privacy. (Related: New Jersey state senators argue mask mandate for children is NOT supported by science.) For children to be masked all day and to have their teachers masked all day prevents basic communication developing between children, and between children and teachers and staff, he said. It prevents children from developing communication skills. Kelly Ford, one of the parents who launched the anti-mask campaign at Free NJ Kids, also said that being forced to wear masks in classrooms impedes learning and stokes anxiety. We have situations where children have nosebleeds and they do not take off the mask for fear of getting in trouble, said Ford. We have a story of one parent whose daughter threw up in the mask, and did not remove it because she was afraid of getting in trouble. Ford also explains that her own son, who is on the autism spectrum, also has trouble communicating if he cannot see the other persons face. Another parent, Ryan Cody, questioned why school and schoolchildren, who are at the lowest risk of COVID-19 infection, are being singled out when other public venues are not. Its just completely absurd that you can go to a bar, a restaurant, a sporting event, a concert, and youll be completely fine without a mask, said Cody, whose son will be entering first grade in the fall. But these little ones who were always at the lowest risk for serious COVID infection start still have to wear a mask. Mask mandates being challenged in court across the US The New Jersey lawsuit is just one of the many suits being filed across the country in an effort to stop local and state governments from putting up mask mandates. But some of these suits, such as the ones in Connecticut and Tennessee, have proven to be unsuccessful. Last May, a Hartford, CT, judge ruled in favor of Gov. Ned Lamont in a suit that challenged the constitutionality of mask mandate for schoolchildren. In his ruling, Superior Court Judge Thomas Moukawsher cited the states General Assembly vote earlier in May to expand the governors emergency powers. According to Moukawsher, this meant that Lamonts actions have been ratified as correct by both the co-equal branches of government. Meanwhile, in Tennessee, Judge Michael Binkley dismissed a lawsuit challenging public school mask mandates on narrow grounds. The Williamson County judge said that he remained unconvinced that the countys board of education had the authority to enact or enforce such rules. Specifically, he stated that Gov. Bill Lees delegation of authority to impose mask mandates expired on Feb, 27. Despite these setbacks, parents across the country, such as those in New Jersey, are continuing to question school mask mandates. Follow Resist.news for more on how school mask mandates are being challenged across America. Sources include: Video.FOXNews.com Whyy.org CTMirror.org TennesseeLookout.com (Natural News) Millions of students across the United States are waking up to the reality that getting a college education now requires them to submit to a new medical treatment that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers experimental. (Article republished from LeoHohmann.com) Some are halfway or more into their degree programs, with tens of thousands of dollars in student-loan debt amassed, only to now find out they cannot finish their degrees unless they submit to an all-new vaccine using mRNA gene therapy that has already caused thousands of serious adverse reactions in young people. Some classes can be taken online but not those requiring lab work or hands-on training, meaning if you dont get the required injection, you dont graduate. Evidence of an emerging two-tiered society is difficult to overlook a society in which young people face immeasurable pressure to inject something into their bodies that they fear is much more dangerous than the disease it claims, without much scientific data, to prevent. The COVID recovery rate in people aged 17 to 22 is known to be 99.9 percent but the long-term health impact of the shots will be anybodys guess. The average age of people dying of COVID in America is 77. For someone that age, the long term risks of an experimental vaccine may not be that big of a deal. But what if youre 18 or 20 years old and have another 60 or 70 years of life ahead of you? Dr. Peter McCullough, the most highly cited U.S. medical doctor in COVID-19 treatments, said in a July 19 interview with Brannon Howse that the CDC has documented 2,000 cases of myocarditis, which involves inflammation of the heart, in vaccinated people under age 30. McCullough, a cardiologist, internist and epidemiologist on the medical staff at Baylor University in Texas, said he has personally been very busy in recent weeks treating young people with vaccine-related injuries, most of them permanent injuries involving cases in which the COVID spike protein collected in the heart, the blood vessels, the brain, the ovaries and other organs. Myocarditis, a condition involving inflammation of the heart, is just one of the problems hes treating. They need heart-failure medication, three to six months of no physical activity. Can you imagine having 20 million college kids put under the menace of being given vaccination and then an array of unlucky kids who develop myocarditis and its going to screw up their college or high school education in the next few years? McCullough told Howse. Its really extraordinary. And I ve been on national TV multiple times, and listen, nobody under 30 ought to consider this vaccine under any circumstances. Myocarditis is one of the reasons. Dr. Peter McCullough, MD. Hes also seeing cases of Bells Palsy, partial paralysis or blindness and ringing in the ears. Most of these conditions are not showing up until six to eight months after people were given the injections, he said. A majority of the more than 400 U.S. college campuses mandating the shot are offering religious exemptions, but getting such an exemption is not always easy. In fact, some schools are making it incredibly difficult to opt out on the basis of ones religious convictions. The intransigence of some university administrators on this issue may be nowhere better exemplified than at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM), a private university in Monroe, Louisiana, where three students have been denied religious exemptions and are now threatening to sue the school. One of the many public-interest law firms being inundated with requests for legal help from students across the country is the Orlando, Florida-based Liberty Counsel. The law firm sent a demand letter dated July 20 to officials at VCOM on behalf of the three medical students who were denied religious exemptions. They also claim to have been threatened and harassed by school officials, all because they refuse to take a COVID injection that they believe violates their faith. VCOM has campuses not only in Louisiana but also in Auburn, Alabama; Spartanburg, South Carolina; and Blacksburg, Virginia. It bills itself as Americas most affordable private medical school and is focused on preparing students to be globally minded, community-focused physicians willing to practice in underserved rural locations, according to its website. But when the three students applied for religious exemptions to the vaccine mandate, the schools administrators balked. The students, identified only as R., S., and K. were notified that the administration was requiring them to receive a COVID-19 vaccine as a pre-condition of enrollment and participation in on-campus classes and activities, according to Liberty Counsel. Students at the college are also required to wear masks until they provide proof of vaccination. Louisiana law requires all colleges to grant an exemption from a vaccine upon receipt of a basic written dissent from the student. The students exceeded the states legal requirement by completing the schools forms, submitting their own personal letters, and statements from their ministers confirming that having the injection violates their sincerely held beliefs. One student also opposes the shots because all three COVID-vaccine providers, Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, used aborted fetal cell lines in the testing phase. J&J also uses aborted fetal cell lines in its deployment or distribution. This student believes life begins at conception and the intentional destruction of a human life is sinful, reported Liberty Counsel in a press release. Her sincerely held religious beliefs prevents her from participating directly or indirectly in abortion or the destruction of human life. According to Liberty Counsel, the school not only denied the students exemption requests but created a snitch program targeting students who refuse to get vaccinated. The students have received threatening emails and have been told they could be suspended or expelled if they continue their studies without taking the shot. Other harassments have included singling them out in front of other students for embarrassing confrontations, the letter to VCOM states. Liberty Counsel will not permit VCOM to continue its harassing conduct against our clients, nor to affix an embarrassing Scarlet Letter to them by policy, words or deeds, the letter concludes. Prompt approval of the students exemption requests is necessary to prevent further action by Liberty Counsel. Read more at: LeoHohmann.com and CampusInsanity.com. (Natural News) Sydney, Australias largest city, has just extended its Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown by another four weeks. This makes what was originally intended to be a snap lockdown one of the countrys longest since the pandemic began. The lockdown extension was announced for the city of five million people on Wednesday, July 28. Authorities said the initial lockdown did not prevent the escalation of the post-vaccine COVID-19 outbreak in the city. (Related: Australian man escapes forced quarantine in hotel using rope made from bedsheets.) New South Wales, the state that Sydney belongs to, reported 172 new COVID-19 cases on Monday and 177 new cases on Tuesday. This is the biggest increase in cases during the current post-vaccine outbreak. The state also reported the death of a woman in her 90s, the 11th death of the current outbreak. I am as upset and frustrated as all of you that we were not able to get the case numbers we would have liked at this point in time but that is the reality, said New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian during a televised news conference announcing the extension of the lockdown. Berejiklian blamed the rise in cases due to people not strictly following lockdown rules. She said the New South Wales Police Force will be used to boost enforcement of social distancing and other lockdown rules. The premier has also urged people to report suspected rulebreaking. We cannot put up with people continuing to do the wrong thing because it is setting us all back, she said. Australian military called in to enforce lockdown Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has ordered the Australian Defence Force (ADF), the countrys military, to aid Sydney in enforcing its lockdown. Berejiklians government previously declined an offer for military assistance in its earlier efforts to enforce COVID-19 lockdown protocols. But the police had to step in, arguing that an escalation of efforts over the coming days is needed. For this effort, more manpower is required. New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller made the formal request to Morrison and his federal government for 300 ADF personnel. With an increase in enforcement activity over the coming week, I have now made a formal request to the Prime Minister for ADF personnel to assist with that operation, he said. The assistance of the ADF has been essential over the past 18 months particularly during last years border operation, the ongoing hotel quarantine operation and the assistance provided with logistics support in the Police Operations Center. In preparation for the stricter enforcement of lockdown rules, the New South Wales government granted the police force additional powers. These include the ability to shut down businesses, construction sites and public premises that are too risky and might spread COVID-19. Fuller said thousands of additional police officers will also be present in the streets of Sydney to keep people in their homes. We all want to come out of lockdown, said Fuller. These new powers, the additional police into these areas, its about getting us out of lockdown sooner. So you can expect to see more police on the ground, you can expect to see more enforcement. Stricter lockdown rules in place for certain Sydney neighborhoods According to Sydneys new lockdown rules, the penalty for not wearing a mask has been increased from A$200 ($149) to A$500 ($370). Starting Friday, July 30, residents of eight neighborhoods in Sydneys western and southwestern areas have to wear a mask anywhere outside their own homes. Berejiklian said residents of these neighborhoods are also prohibited from venturing further than five kilometers (3.1 miles) away from their homes for exercise, outdoor recreation and singles bubble visits. Shopping is also restricted to this five-kilometer radius unless the essential products are not readily accessible in that area. Essential workers who have to work in these eight neighborhoods but live in other parts of Sydney are also bound by these enhanced restrictions. Learn more about the lockdown situation in Australia by reading the latest articles at Pandemic.news. Sources include: MSN.com SMH.com.au 9News.com.au TheAustralian.com.au Timeout.com (Natural News) The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced on July 26 that its health care workers are required to get the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine. President Joe Biden confirmed the VAs announcement, which applied to its 115,000 medical staff members. The VA warned that any worker refusing the COVID-19 vaccine could face termination. In a July 26 press release, the VA said its mandatory vaccination order applied to all Title 38 health care personnel who work or visit Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities nationwide and those who provide direct care to people being served by VA. These included physicians, dentists, podiatrists, optometrists, registered nurses, physician assistants and chiropractors. VA is taking this necessary step to keep the veterans it serves safe, the press release said. Employees will be given two months to get the vaccine. VA health workers can get the COVID-19 vaccine at no personal expense at any VHA medical facility. The press release also mentioned that employees will receive four hours of paid administrative leave once they show proof of vaccination. VA Secretary Denis McDonough said in the press release: Were mandating vaccines for Title 38 employees because its the best way to keep veterans safe, especially as the delta variant spreads across the country. Whenever a veteran or VA employee sets foot in a VA facility, they deserve to know that we have done everything in our power to protect them from COVID-19. With this mandate, we can once again make and keep that fundamental promise. McDonough later told the New York Times that the mandatory vaccination order would apply to employees who have the most contact with patients. I am doing this because its the best way to keep our veterans safe, full stop, he said. Biden confirmed the VAs announcement on July 26 before his meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi on that day. He said in a brief statement to reporters: Yes, [VA] is going to, in fact, require that all [doctors] working in facilities be vaccinated. (Related: Biden mulls requiring all military forces to receive coronavirus vaccine.) The VAs mandate is a clear example of medical tyranny The VAs July 26 announcement made it the first federal agency to issue a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination order. Under the VHA, it operated about 1,000 outpatient sites and many more VA medical centers that served more than 9 million enrolled veterans. The agency noted in its press release that it had already lost four unvaccinated employees to COVID-19. At least three of them died as a result of catching the B16172 delta variant. It added that a COVID-19 outbreak occurred among unvaccinated employees and trainees at the VA Law Enforcement Training Center in Arkansas, the third such outbreak during the pandemic. VAs mandatory vaccination order echoed that of Texas-based hospital network Houston Methodist. More than 100 medical staff sued the hospital network after it mandated COVID-19 vaccinations, an article by the Free Thought Project said. The lawsuit accused Houston Methodist of forcing staff members to become human guinea pigs as a condition of continued employment. According to the lawsuit, Houston Methodist CEO Marc Boom informed the hospital networks 26,000 staff members that they must get the COVID-19 vaccine before June 7. Anyone who failed to get inoculated by the deadline would be fired. Boom completely dismissed the facts in the lawsuit and defended his decision to mandate vaccines. It is legal for health care institutions to mandate vaccines, as we have done with the flu vaccine since 2009, he said. (Related: Houston Methodist Hospital fires more than 150 employees who refused to get vaccinated.) Nevertheless, the COVID-19 vaccine mandates put in place by the VA and Houston Methodist counted as human rights violations. Compulsory vaccination went against the concept of informed consent as outlined in the Nuremberg Code. The code said: The voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential. This means that the person involved should have legal capacity to give consent without the intervention of any element of force, fraud, deceit, duress, constraint or coercion. In both the instances at the VA and Houston Methodist, the threat of termination for employees made it impossible to turn down the vaccines as their jobs were on the line. Furthermore, the COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. remained experimental and were only granted emergency use authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration. According to Childrens Health Defense, EUA vaccines are not fully licensed and must be voluntary. It continued that entities or organizations that require the COVID-19 vaccine are in violation of federal law and will likely face lawsuits if they dont allow exemptions or alternatives. MedicalTyranny.com has more stories about mandatory COVID-19 vaccination. Sources include: DailyMail.co.uk VA.gov CBSNews.com TheFreeThoughtProject.com FHI360.org [PDF] ChildrensHealthDefense.org (Natural News) In the United States, health officials, governors, and even the president have tried everything from begging more Americans to get a COVID-19 vaccine to rewarding them with cash and prizes, and still tens of millions are refusing to do so. Are they anti-vaxxers? No, most arent. The fact is, the vast majority of those folks are kind, honest, hard-working people who have taken a look at their overall situation personal health, personal risks, and available information and have decided that they dont really need to get the jab. Others have blamed a lack of candor and honesty on the part of the federal governments health experts and agencies. Still, those people are being hounded relentlessly, and now the powers that be are employing a new tactic: Fear. There is a new dangerous variant called Delta that appears to be spreading just as fast if not faster than the original COVID strain, and while the death rates arent near what they were the first time around, were being told that the hospitalization rates are far higher and growing. But is that true? Not if were to believe whats going on in Great Britain, which, again, if true will only compound the trust issue between citizens and the officials appointed or elected to serve them, both in the UK and in the U.S. Great Game India reports: According to leaked NHS data more than half of those hospitalized with Covid-19 in the UK only tested positive after admission to the hospital. Over half of those hospitalized with Covid-19 in the UK only tested positive after admission suggesting that vast numbers are being classed as hospitalised by Covid when they were admitted with other ailments, with the virus picked up by routine testing, according to The Telegraph, citing leaked government figures. In other words, stats being published by the National Health Service in the UK are daily overstating COVID-19 hospitalizations so they can push the narrative that Delta is worse and more lockdowns, mask mandates, vaccines, and control are needed. The leaked data, covering all NHS trusts in England show that, as of last Thursday, just 44 per cent of patients classed as being hospitalised with COVID had tested positive by the time they were admitted, The Telegraph adds. The majority of cases were not detected until patients underwent standard COVID tests, carried out on everyone admitted to hospital for any reason. Mind you, just a few days ago, the British government declared that enough of Her Majestys subjects were vaccinated that the government could lift all restrictions. Now, suddenly, COVID is spiking and the threat of new restrictions looms. All because numbers are being fudged, apparently. Overall, 56 per cent of Covid hospitalisations fell into this category, the data, seen by The Telegraph, show, the paper continued. Crucially, this group does not distinguish between those admitted because of severe illness, later found to be caused by the virus, and those in hospital for different reasons who might otherwise never have known that they had picked it up. Its no wonder there is growing distrust among Westerners about the real effects of this virus; we cant even get our governments to admit that it was manufactured as a bioweapon by China because Western nations are in too deep with Beijing and its cheap manufacturing capacity. Citing the data, Great Game India reported that of 780 hospitalizations in recent days, 44 percent of patients tested positive within 14 days of being admitted; 43 percent tested positive within two days of being admitted, while 13 percent tested positive in the days and weeks that followed including those likely to have caught the virus in the hospital. So, in addition to fudging the infection rates, it also appears pretty obvious that getting the jab means little to nothing in terms of being protected from the virus. Why, again, are we being forced to take it? Sources include: GreatGameIndia.com BBC.com Vaccines.news (Natural News) President Joe Biden on Tuesday, July 27, told reporters that his administration may mandate federal workers to get coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines amidst a surge in cases caused by the highly infectious delta variant. Thats under consideration right now, Biden said. But if youre not vaccinated, youre not nearly as smart as I thought you were. The presidents remarks came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended full vaccination and wearing of masks indoors in areas with high transmission cases. According to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, new data shows that delta variant behaves uniquely differently from its predecessors and could make vaccinated people infectious. The delta variant accounts for 80 percent of new infections in the U.S. The White House reinstated its policy requiring all its employees to wear masks regardless of their vaccination status, an official confirmed. This move followed a surge in the District of Columbias case rate of 52 cases per 100,000 citizens, meeting the requirements for the substantial spread of the disease. The White House Correspondents Association is also requiring all its reporters to wear masks while at the building. The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it will require its health care professionals to be vaccinated as the infections more than doubled in the past month in its medical facilities. VA Secretary Denis McDonough said that mandating vaccines is the best way to keep veterans safe, especially as the delta variant spread across the country. At a White House briefing, Press Secretary Jen Psaki suggested that other federal agencies could follow the mandate by the VA, saying that vaccination is about public health and protecting patients. We are going to continue to look at ways to protect our workforce and to save more lives, said Psaki. (Related: Study: Pfizer vaccine less effective against COVID-19 Delta variant.) New mask guidelines for vaccinated individuals The CDC urged vaccinated Americans to wear their masks again, a sharp turnabout from its position in May that vaccinated people dont need to wear masks in indoor spaces. In a report by the New York Times, the CDC recommended that those who have been vaccinated should resume wearing masks because the pandemic mutated into something very different since May. Confirmed cases are surging in different parts of the country with low vaccination rates, with more reports of breakthrough infections of the highly contagious delta variant in fully immunized individuals. While vaccines are effective against the worst of the infection and conditions are not as bad as they were last winter, the new guidance does amount to an acknowledgment of the lagging vaccination efforts. According to federal data, fewer than 50 percent of the country remained unvaccinated. This is not a decision we at CDC have made lightly. This weighs heavily on me, Walensky said. The regulations announced Tuesday mean that people who have been completely inoculated will need to wear masks again. Health officials are recommending masking regardless of community transmission. Illinois Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said that despite the effectiveness of the current vaccines, the virus is still spreading rapidly among the unvaccinated. The risk is greater for everyone if we do not stop the ongoing spread of the virus and the delta variant. In a news briefing, Walensky also said that there are occasions when vaccinated people infected with the delta variant can be contagious to others. This new science is worrisome and unfortunately warrants an update to our recommendation. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top pandemic adviser for the Biden administration, said that the CDC is correct in its recommendations, saying that theyre dealing with new information that the science is providing. Read more news and updates regarding COVID-19 at Pandemic.news. Sources include: USAToday.com NYTimes.com (Natural News) Fake president Joe Biden has decided that it is perfectly legal for the government and private businesses to force employees against their will to get injected with experimental gene modification chemicals for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19). Bidens Justice Department concluded in a new opinion that there is no federal law barring either the public or private sector from requiring people to get jabbed with the drugs, which currently hold emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The decision came about after the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the state of California, and New York City all decided to require that some of their workers either get vaccinated for Chinese Germs or agree to weekly testing for the rest of their lives. Veterans Affairs, ironically enough, was the first federal agency to mandate the lethal injections, negating the brave efforts of actual veterans who fought overseas in years past and some of them paid the ultimate price with their lives to stop this type of medical fascism from ever encroaching on our borders. The Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a letter stating that because access to Fauci Flu shots is now widespread, numerous educational institutions, employers, and other entities across the United States have chosen to mandate Chinese Virus shots as a condition of staying employed. For instance, the letter reads, certain schools will require vaccination in order for students to attend class in person, and certain employers will require vaccination as a condition of employment. Wuhan Flu shots shouldnt even have EUA in the first place, but Bidens Justice Department couldnt care less It is important to note that since other remedies for the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Virus already exist, there was never any legal precedent in the first place for the FDA to grant EUA to Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) for their respective injections. If the Justice Department was really devoted to pursuing justice, it would be shouting this fact from the rooftops and calling on the FDA to immediately revoke all EUAs for the Fauci Flu shot. Instead, the agency under China Joe says there is nothing to prohibit public or private entities from imposing vaccine requirements, even when the only vaccines available are those authorized under EUAs. By giving this green light, the expectation is that other federal agencies will soon follow suit, along with at least some segments of the private sector. Institutions of higher learning all seem to be falling right in line as well, requiring their students to undergo experimental gene therapy in order to get an education this fall. Public sector entities need to move as quickly as possible, shouted New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who eagerly announced his own citywide mandate that all public sector workers will need to either get jabbed or submit to weekly testing with fraudulent PCR tests. This DOJ decision is important, de Blasio added. I think that will be helpful. We have got to put pressure on this situation. Up until this point, the federal government has limited its involvement with the plandemic to targeting travel and public transportation, both of which are still restricted to masked people only. De Blasio would seem to want that involvement to now extend to compulsory Fauci Flu injections. We need to rise up and say enough is enough, wrote one frustrated commenter at The Epoch Times. What is it going to take to get Americans riled up enough to demand this communistic taking away of freedoms day-by-day to stop? It is shocking what we are tolerating. The latest news about Beijing Bidens Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) tyranny can be found at ChemicalViolence.com. Sources for this article include: TheEpochTimes.com PGurus.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Thousands of farmers and ranchers across Sacramento and San Joaquin, California are reeling from a mega-drought that is growing more severe by the day. In the coming weeks, thousands of farmers could be cut off from Californias water supply, as state water regulators begin to RATION crucial watershed resources. In fact, the State Water Resources Control Board ordered an emergency curtailment that would effectively cut off thousands of farmers from the river watersheds. The board was sued for their discriminatory curtailment orders during the last drought, but they are rushing ahead this time around. California water controllers to shutter thousands of farmers and ranchers The State Water Resources Control Board is scheduled for an emergency meeting on August 3rd. The boards vote will determine whether farmers and ranchers have the water they need to see their crops and their livestock through. The boards executive director, Eileen Sobeck, said there is not enough water to meet all of the legitimate demands and believes the governments rationing efforts are necessary. She said, We dont take this action lightly; we know that its going to impose hardships on folks. Of course, these hardships will trickle down to cattle sell-offs, food shortages and rising grocery prices. According to the board members, the farmers will still be allowed just enough water for their basic human needs an allotment that will be determined by government officials. This year, the State Water Project and federal Central Valley Project have already limited how much water families can use. The latest order will stop farmers from receiving water from the river sheds. Were trying to protect drinking water supplies; were trying to protect endangered fish in the system, said Sobeck. Environmental experts warn that the winter-run of Chinook salmon could be decimated if the water is not rationed and allocated by the state. Once the order is given, farmers and ranchers will be forced to watch their cattle suffer and the crops wither, because the survival of the local fish population takes precedence. The State Water Board had already prepared farmers across the region to accept their fate after they issued formal notices of water unavailability in mid-June. We have really tried to walk that line of not wanting to invoke new measures that are going to have a significant effect unless its absolutely necessary, Sobeck lamented. The Secretary of State for the Department of Food and Agriculture, Karen Ross, has already confirmed that the cutoff will be worth it. She said the cutoff would hurt food production, but the water rationing is absolutely necessary to preserve the best interests of the state. (Related: California moves to regulate private agricultural wells, constrict water usage and control food production.) California now using water allocation as a weapon of discrimination and control The state is now using curtailment orders to discriminate against certain groups of farmers, depriving them of basic resources. With this power, the state can use water supplies as a weapon and can allocate water in a discriminate manner, as political agendas dictate water allocation. During the last drought, this small group of board members got together and issued curtailment orders on certain groups of farmers. The board was able to stifle their operations, depriving them of due process to protest the government overreach. The boards action was determined to be illegal and a Sacramento Superior Court Judge even issued a temporary restraining order to prevent the State Water Resources Control Board from blocking water supplies to four irrigation companies West Side Irrigation District, Central Delta Water Agency, South Delta Water Agency and Woods Irrigation Co. This time around, the Board is set to repeat their offenses and move in a more deliberate, cold and calculated manner, cutting off water sources from thousands of farmers and ranchers. Sources include: News.Yahoo.com Sacbee.com WaterWars.News (Natural News) In a shocking revelation first reported by Dan Dicks of Press for Truth (Canada), an FDA document admits that the CDC and FDA conspired to fabricate a covid-19 testing protocol using human cells combined with common cold virus fragments because they had no physical samples of the SARS-CoV-2 covid virus available. Without physical reference material to use for calibration and confirmation, the test has zero scientific basis in physical reality. And all the PCR analysis based on this protocol is utterly fraudulent, flagging people as positive for covid when they merely possess tiny quantities of RNA fragments from other coronavirus strains circulating in their blood. The FDA document, available from the FDA.gov website, is entitled, CDC 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel . The document astonishingly admits: (emphasis ours) Since no quantified virus isolates of the 2019-nCoV were available for CDC use at the time the test was developed and this study conducted, assays designed for detection of the 2019-nCoV RNA were tested with characterized stocks of in vitro transcribed full length RNA (N gene; GenBank accession: MN908947.2) of known titer (RNA copies/L) spiked into a diluent consisting of a suspension of human A549 cells and viral transport medium (VTM) to mimic clinical specimen. In other words, they had no covid virus from which to develop and calibrate the test, so they mixed up a cocktail of human cells and RNA fragments from a common cold virus, then called it covid. The GenBank sequence referred to in this paragraph is simply a digital library definition thats labeled covid but has no supporting reference materials in physical reality either. Thats because no doctor or researcher has isolated covid from any infected, symptomatic patient. As a result, no laboratory instruments can be calibrated against actual covid, and the tests simply rely on digital libraries pushed out by the CDC and WHO, using covid as the label. The PCR tests are then instructed to look for these genetic sequences obtained from the fabricated digital libraries, meaning the entire scheme is junk science circular logic with no basis in physical reality. Why are there seemingly no certified reference materials for covid available to laboratories for instrument calibration? I am the founder and owner of an analytical laboratory that routinely conducts quantitative analysis of food contaminants, producing high-precision analysis results for pesticides, herbicides and heavy metals. In every case where we conduct lab analysis, we calibrate the instruments against known physical samples called external standards or certified reference materials. (CRM) Any lab can purchase CRMs for mercury, arsenic, glyphosate and even salmonella. For example, this link at Biosisto lists CRMs for various salmonella strains. Labs can purchase those reference materials and use them to calibrate their instruments, making sure their analysis is traced back to physical, real-world samples of a purified material. These CRMs, in turn, must be NIST-traceable in order to confirm their origin and authenticity. All CRMs are therefore labeled with lot numbers and expiration dates. While labs can purchase reference materials for microbes, heavy metals, pesticides, etc. all physical materials I have searched far and wide and have not been able to locate any certified reference materials for SARS-CoV-2 or even a weakened, non-viable version of it. As far as I can tell, there appear to be no physical specimens of isolated covid viruses available for instrument calibrations and testing protocol quality control. To be clear, Im not saying that viruses dont exist, and its quite clear that the Wuhan Institute of Virology colluded with Fauci, Daszak, the NIH, Baric and others to develop a weaponized spike protein. But the spike protein is not a virus by itself. Its simply a toxic nanoparticle that can be synthesized in quantity and then either dumped on cities or added to vaccines and injected into people via immunization protocols. I ask the big question about all this in my science lab whistleblower video here, which presents more details about all this that will have your head spinning. In essence, if covid-19 is a real virus that can be isolated, why are there apparently no physical reference materials to calibrate laboratory instruments for covid detection? And why were no such materials used in the development of the FDA-approved, CDC-endorsed PCR testing protocols? CDC pulls its own fraudulent covid PCR testing protocol, implying it cannot differentiate between covid and influenza What adds to the mystery in all this is the fact that the CDC just issued a laboratory alert, announcing their intention to withdraw the faulty PCR testing protocol by the end of this year. As part of their announcement, they implied that the current PCR test the same one the FDA mentioned above, which was developed without any physical covid samples for calibration cannot tell the difference between influenza and covid. From the CDC document: In preparation for this change, CDC recommends clinical laboratories and testing sites that have been using the CDC 2019-nCoV RT-PCR assay select and begin their transition to another FDA-authorized COVID-19 test. CDC encourages laboratories to consider adoption of a multiplexed method that can facilitate detection and differentiation of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses. Why might it be important to differentiate covid from influenza? Because, as it seems, influenza cases nearly disappeared in 2020 as influenza was re-labeled covid due to the faulty testing. Percentage influenza positivity decreased by 64% (p = 0.001) and estimated daily number of influenza cases decreased by 76% (p = 0.002) in epidemiologic weeks 59 of 2020 compared with the preceding years, reported the CDC in 2020. In essence, the medical establishment simply took all the people who would normally be diagnosed with colds and the flu, and shifted them into the covid category in order to push a covid mass hysteria narrative that would drive people into vaccines. The vaccines, then, were formulated with spike protein toxic nanoparticles to cause the delta panic wave, which is largely occurring among vaccinated individuals. From here, the plandemic scam proceeds like clockwork: People get sick from the vaccines, so more vaccine boosters are demanded, which perpetuates the illness. Rinse and repeat. It never ends until the perpetrators are arrested and people wise up to the scam. The CDC has just published a science document that confirms the entire scam. Click here to view the PDF on our servers. Its entitled, Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Infections, Including COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infections, Associated with Large Public Gatherings Barnstable County, Massachusetts, July 2021 and it shockingly admits that 74% of infections occurred in fully vaccinated (double dose) people: During July 2021, 469 cases of COVID-19 associated with multiple summer events and large public gatherings in a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, were identified among Massachusetts residents; vaccination coverage among eligible Massachusetts residents was 69%. Approximately three quarters (346; 74%) of cases occurred in fully vaccinated persons (those who had completed a 2-dose course of mRNA vaccine [Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna] or had received a single dose of Janssen [Johnson & Johnson] vac- cine ?14 days before exposure). See, the vaccine is the pandemic. The vaccine is spreading the spike protein, and the fake PCR tests provide the fuel to keep the mass hysteria going. I cover more details of all this in todays bombshell podcast via Brighteon.com: Brighteon.com/dfb235d4-f0d6-4d7d-af06-d1f4e391c4f5 Also see this video from Dan Dicks, who covers the fake PCR tests as well: Brighteon.com/a8ef9e25-cdd3-453e-b4dc-97d2faada2b2 Find a new Situation Update podcast each weekday at: https://www.brighteon.com/channels/hrreport (Natural News) The leaked audio of a phone call between a Moderna representative and a woman who developed Guillain-Barre syndrome after receiving the companys experimental drug has confirmed something many of us already knew: We are witnessing the biggest clinical trial in vaccine history. During the course of conversation, the Moderna representative admitted that all coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine recipients are pretty much part of a drug trial. The audio was released in June by reporter Stew Peters. Whether the mainstream media admit it or not, COVID-19 vaccines are experimental. No less than the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said so. Natural Health 365 reported that in a Guidance for Industry dated May 25, 2021, the FDA and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) specifically referred to COVID-19 vaccines as investigational. Investigational vs. experimental drugs, according to FDA Those who wonder how different investigational is from experimental, the FDA explained in their web page that An investigational drug can also be called an experimental drug. It also said: Before you can be given an investigational drug either through a clinical trial or through expanded access, your healthcare provider must give you additional information about the potential risks and potential benefits of the drug. Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are not liable for any loss or damages caused by these experimental drugs as stated in the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act). The secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is authorized to issue a PREP Act declaration. The declaration provides immunity from liability (except for willful misconduct) for claims of loss caused, arising out of, relating to or resulting from administration or use of countermeasures to diseases, threats and conditions; for claims determined by the secretary to constitute a present or credible risk of a future public health emergency; and for claims to entities and individuals involved in the development, manufacture, testing, distribution, administration and use of such countermeasures. This means that if a person gets ill, injured or killed from a COVID-19 vaccine, the pharmaceutical companies will not be held liable. (Related: Oxford-AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine experiment is tied to eugenics-linked institutions.) Pharmaceutical companies to expand size of trial for younger children The Rockdale Newton Citizen recently reported that Moderna will expand the size of its vaccine trial in younger children but will not seek emergency use authorization for the age group until later in 2021 or early 2022. We are actively discussing a proposal with the FDA. The objective is to enroll a larger safety database which increases the likelihood of detecting rarer events, Ray Johnson, a spokesperson for Moderna, said in a statement. The original size of the trial included almost 7,000 children ages 6 months to 12 years. However, the company did not say how many additional cases the trial will now include. Jordan also said that Moderna would likely seek authorization for the vaccine in winter 2021 or early 2022. Pfizer will expand its vaccine trials for younger children, as well. A Pfizer representative said it has no updates regarding its previous timelines or details about its pediatric trial. However, the company noted that it began testing its vaccine in children ages five to 11 on June 8, and on children younger than 5 beginning June 21. The trial now included up to 4,500 participants in the United States, Finland, Poland and Spain. Pfizer also said it expects initial results of the second phase of the trials in September for children ages 5 to 11, and the younger ones shortly thereafter. President Joe Biden said that children under 12 could be eligible to receive their COVID-19 vaccine soon. Parents have been eager to vaccinate their younger children as schools prepare to open face-to-face learning in the fall. The Pfizer vaccine is currently available for children as young as 12, but no vaccine is available for younger children yet. Read more updates regarding COVID-19 news and vaccination updates on Pandemic.news. Sources include: NaturalHealth365.com FDA.gov PHE.gov RockdaleNewtonCitizen.com (Natural News) Have the employees of Americas top law enforcement agency become the biggest criminals of them all? (Article by Elizabeth Stauffer republished from WesternJournal.com) This is not a rhetorical question. It is now obvious that the FBI, along with most other government agencies, became weaponized during the Obama administration. Although the corruption had begun even earlier, the bureaus unequal application of the law became crystal clear when former FBI Director James Comey exonerated then-presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in July 2016. At the same time, top agency officials were ramping up their manufactured case against then-candidate Donald Trump based upon a dossier we now know they were aware was phony opposition research. Thats why BuzzFeed News report that FBI informants played what looks to be an outsize role in the plot to kidnap Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last September may disturb us but doesnt necessarily surprise us. In a deep, deep dive, the left-leaning media outlet detailed the events leading up to this crime, and many of the key figures involved have turned out to be FBI informants. Its no wonder the suspects are pointing blame at them. One of the informants, an Iraq War veteran, appeared to be calling the shots. Prior to the kidnapping, he reportedly asked his accomplices, Everybody down with whats going on? According to BuzzFeed, for six months, the Iraq War vet had been wearing a wire, gathering hundreds of hours of recordings. He wasnt the only one. A biker who had traveled from Wisconsin to join the group was another informant. The man whod advised them on where to put the explosives and offered to get them as much as the task would require was an undercover FBI agent. So was a man in one of the other cars who said little and went by the name Mark. When one thinks of an FBI informant, one envisions a passive individual who plays enough of a role to remain credible but takes little or no part in the actual commission of the crime. We still dont have all the facts, but Buzzfeed paints a damning picture: Working in secret, [the informants] did more than just passively observe and report on the actions of the suspects. Instead, they had a hand in nearly every aspect of the alleged plot, starting with its inception. The extent of their involvement raises questions as to whether there would have even been a conspiracy without them. In October, the media portrayed the FBI as heroes. Reports said they had thwarted the plan to kidnap Whitmer and disrupted the plot to overthrow the government. According to The Detroit News, Federal agents said [on Oct. 8] they thwarted a plot to violently overthrow the government as well as kidnap and harm Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer a conspiracy that included visits to her home in northern Michigan and training with firearms and explosive devices. The alleged plot mainly involved six conspirators unhappy in part about Whitmers coronavirus restrictions, calling her a tyrant. They wanted to create a self-sufficient society free from what they called unconstitutional state governments and discussed plans to storm the Capitol and take hostages, according to FBI documents filed in court. But weve seen this rodeo before. The FBIs complicity in the Trump-Russia collusion hoax was incredibly bold and incredibly shocking. That the premier law enforcement agency in the United States would try to frame a candidate and then the newly elected president for a crime they knew he did not commit and allow the farce to continue until there was nowhere left for it to go was something most of us would never have thought possible. The fact that no one was ever held accountable for this massive deception is mind-blowing. We also witnessed FBI officials set up Gen. Michael Flynn to achieve the lefts political goals. They turned this innocent mans life into a living hell for four years. No one was ever held accountable for that crime either. We havent heard the evidence yet in the Whitmer case, but the information provided in the BuzzFeed article appears very suspicious indeed. It would surprise no one to hear that the FBI was up to its old tricks again. Trump didnt realize when he replaced James Comey with the current FBI director, Christopher Wray, it made no difference. Although Wray did not preside over the FBIs bogus counterintelligence investigation of the Trump campaign, he is very much a creature of the deep state. He spent four years trying to cover up the criminal behavior of former and current FBI officials. The FBI has lost the trust of at least half of all Americans. It will be impossible to recover that trust without a thorough overhaul of the entire organization. Read more at: WesternJournal.com and FalseFlag.news (Natural News) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is on a mission to eliminate all consumer access to the herb mitragyna speciosa, also known as kratom and your help is needed to stop it. Back in 2016, the FDA tried, and was almost successful, at getting kratom banned here in the United States. The agency has long argued that kratom is a dangerous drug with no benefits that belongs on the Drug Enforcement Agencys (DEA) Schedule I list of prohibited substances. Thanks to the diligent efforts of freedom fighters, the FDA was stopped in its tracks. Now, however, the agency is trying once again to eradicate the natural painkiller from existence this time globally. In a notice published in the Federal Register, the FDA is asking for feedback concerning its latest push to have the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO) add kratom and its constituents to the international schedule, which would prohibit kratom from being consumed anywhere in the world. Until Aug. 9, 2021, the FDA is accepting public comments on the matter, which means your help is needed to let the agency know that it has no right trying to prohibit nature from being accessible to the people. Please submit your comments below, even if you already entered via Federal Registry, says the American Kratom Association (AKA), which remains at the forefront of the fight to keep kratom accessible and available to all. The AKA is working hard to prompt as many kratom consumer comments as possible. You can add your comment to the Federal Register at this link. Tell the FDA to leave natural herbs alone! Since kratom functions as a safe and effective natural alternative to prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceutical painkillers, it has been in the FDAs crosshairs for many years. Much like how the government hates cannabis for being a natural alternative to a slew of high-profit pharmaceuticals, kratom threatens the multi-billion-dollar painkiller industry and thus it has to go, according to the government and Big Pharma. Kratom is abused for its ability to produce opioid-like effects, the FDA still falsely claims, denying all of the latest science showing that kratom is a safe and effective way to manage pain. Kratom is available in several different forms to include dried / crushed leaves, powder, capsules, tablets, liquids, and gum / resin. Kratom is an increasingly popular drug of abuse and readily available on the recreational drug market in the United States. What the FDA is not telling people is that kratom is a cousin to the coffee plant. It produces a similar uplifting boost while quelling pain all naturally, of course. So, if the FDA wants kratom to be banned, then it also needs to ban coffee for being in the same herbal family. Another reason the FDA wants to ban kratom is because its constituents have been shown to powerfully fight the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19), rendering it as a possible natural remedy. The WHO is scheduled to meet in October to discuss drug dependence, which will include determining which new substances it wants to schedule, aka prohibit, for peoples safety. The FDA is hoping that the WHO will schedule kratom at this time. The FDAs request for public comments on a matter of such importance involving the international scheduling of kratom is an extraordinary abuse of their authority, said Mac Haddow, a senior fellow of public policy at the AKA, to Marijuana Moment. Please take the time to submit your comment of support for kratom to the FDA before Aug. 9 deadline. You can also learn more about safe and effective natural alternatives to pharmaceuticals at NaturalNews.com. Sources for this article include: AmericanKratom.org MarijuanaMoment.net NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) The soybeanisation of the Paraguayan economy has had a devastating impact on the countrys ecology, rural populations and democratic process, but it has been lucrative for foreign corporations and the domestic oligarchy. (Article by Owen Schalk republished from Alborada.net) In 2003, the agrichemical behemoth Syngenta published a controversial advertisement in Argentinian newspapers. It showed a map of South America with a large portion of the Southern Cone Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil highlighted in green and labelled the United Republic of Soybeans. The ad was criticised as an expression of neocolonial avarice directed at one of the regions most profitable exports. Echoes of the 20th centurys banana republics, maldeveloped export economies governed by brutal puppets of US corporations, were obvious: either Syngenta did not notice the historical correlation or, more likely, deliberately stoked the legacies of foreign meddling in the region. The implications of the ad were obvious: for multinational agribusiness, the people of Latin America do not matter, nor do fair labour practices or the sanctity of democratically-elected governments. These companies only see profit, and they are more than willing to reorganise the region at will to enrich themselves. Agribusiness concerns such as Syngenta, Monsanto, and Bayer have insinuated themselves with governments throughout the region, which have then facilitated the dispossession of rural campesinos expelling them from their homes, deforesting their lands, murdering them if they become too rebellious so that the land can be purchased by their corporate friends. In the words of Joel E. Correia, soy is a central node in networks of social, political-economic, scientific and ecological relations literally rooted in, reshaping and reterritorializing many states in South America.. Some scholars refer to this violent neocolonial process as the sojizacion, or soybeanisation, of the Southern Cone. Soybean production is central to the political and economic functioning of the Paraguayan state. In fact, sojizacion recently played a decisive role in the countrys national politics. As noted above, an integral part of soybeanisation is the eviction of rural farmers so that their land can be purchased by multinational agribusiness corporations. In 2012, an eviction of this kind led to a massacre, a national scandal and a legal coup against the leftwing president Fernando Lugo. On 15 June 2012, 300 police officers descended on the town of Curuguaty to evict 70 landless farmers from their property. This land had been belonged to the state before military dictator Alfredo Stroessner, who ruled for a 35-year period known as the stronato (1954-1989), transferred ownership to a friend. The confrontation, whose exact details remain muddled, led to the deaths of 11 campesinos and six policemen. Rightwing forces in Congress used the killings as a pretext to impeach President Lugo, who, as a former bishop, a student of liberation theology and the first progressive head of state in the countrys history, was seen as dangerously sympathetic to the plight of the farmers. The fall of Lugo, who was a thorn in the side of agribusiness, was immediately followed by a scramble to appease these powerful forces. The next president, Federico Franco of the centrist Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA), quickly implemented neoliberal reforms that allowed multinationals to produce 19 genetically-modified crops in Paraguay, whereas only one (a Monsanto soybean) had been approved prior to the Curuguaty massacre. Lugos impeachment was the second successful counterattack against the anti-neoliberal Pink Tide governments that had come to power across Latin America in the 2000s. The first was the military coup of 2009 that deposed Honduran president Manuel Zelaya, but, significantly, Paraguays legal coup model would be reproduced in Brazil to remove President Dilma Rousseff in 2016 and pave the way for Jair Bolsonaros accession to the presidency two years later. From a regional perspective, it would not be hyperbolic to say that the temporary collapse of leftist governance across Latin America was in part presaged by the political economy of Paraguayan soy. Soybean production has not always been central to political and economic life in Paraguay. Rather, the sojizacion has been gradually tightening its hold over the country since the time of Stroessner. Scholars generally agree that there have been two principal waves of soybeanisation in Paraguay, the first driven by the pre-neoliberal Agrarian Statues of the stronato and the second by the introduction of genetically-modified soy variants into the country. Correia, however, introduces a third stage. He posits that the violent rejection of post-neoliberal politics espoused by former President Fernando Lugo marked the beginning of a third wave of sojizacion defined by state-led violence and new neoliberalizations of nature, i.e. new methods for privatising, exploiting and profiting from the processes of soybean growth and cultivation in Paraguay. The First Wave: Authoritarian Land Reform The Paraguayan economy is extremely dependent on agricultural exports. According to the International Trade Administration, it is the worlds largest exporter of organic sugar, the second-largest exporter of stevia and the nine-largest exporter of beef. As of 2021, it is also the fourth-largest exporter of soybeans. Overall, the soy industry accounts for approximately 35 per cent of the countrys export revenues. Paraguay also has one of the most unequal land distributions of any country in the world. Government figures show that 2.6 per cent of landowners possess 85 per cent of arable land, the foundation of the export-oriented agricultural economy. This exclusive sect of landowners includes the traditional oligarchy, Stroessner cronies and their descendants and multinational agribusiness. In total, only 6.3 per cent of land holdings are used to produce agricultural products for domestic consumption the rest is exported for the massively disproportionate benefit of the landowners. Multinationals were not always such an overrepresented group. In order to attract their investment, the land first needed to be developed by campesinos and then put on the global market through the passing of privatisation laws. Stroessners first Agrarian Statute of 1963 played an important role in this process: it granted land titles to individuals within Paraguay who wanted to establish farmsteads in the countrys underdeveloped interior. The amendment of 1967 was also crucial because it gave foreigners the ability to purchase land within 150 miles of the border. This led Argentinian and Brazilian elites to buy up large chunks of the fertile Paraguayan borderlands for use in agricultural production. Brazilians who emigrated to Paraguay (known as brasiguayos) became an especially powerful class during the stronato, in part due to their innovations in soybean cultivation. They introduced efficient mechanised processes to Paraguayan soy farming that would redefine the industry in the coming decades but their labour practices were also portentous. The brasiguayos were not keen to employ local Paraguayans. Instead of training these rural farmers, they usually kicked them off the land and brought in Portuguese-speaking Brazilians who were more familiar with the new technologies. The dispossessed Paraguayans had a choice: either seek agricultural opportunities in the interior or head to the urban slums and find new employment for poverty wages. Stroessners Agrarian Statutes inaugurated the sojizacion in two important ways: they encouraged campesinos to colonise arable land in the underdeveloped interior (many of whom have been evicted in the ensuing decades) and they led to extensive land privatisation by foreign soybean concerns which did not have the interests of rural Paraguayans at heart. The Second Wave: GMOs and the Green Desert of Soy On 3 February 1989, Alfredo Stroessner was ousted in a coup led by his former ally and confidant, General Andres Rodriguez. Rodriguez, however, was no reformer: he was a well-entrenched member of the military elite and an oligarch in his own right. He oversaw a transition to democracy, but in effect Paraguay is still a one-party state in which the Colorado Party retains an iron grip on the institutions of power (with the exception of the anomalous period of 2008-2013). During the democratic period, the soybeanisation of the economy has intensified in accordance with the neoliberal model. Campesino agriculture has suffered unabating attacks from domestic and foreign agribusiness since the early years of the Stroessner dictatorship, but this process reached a new level of severity during the 1990s, or the second wave of the sojizacion. Colonialism relies on the destruction of vibrant local economies and their replacement by technocratic and effectively dictatorial regimes of profit maximisation which have no connection to the land they are exploiting. In the case of modern agribusiness, this dynamic can be easily found in the monocrop soybean model that has been forced upon the Paraguayan people. For example, the Council on Hemispheric Affairs has found that: Every year, about 9,000 rural families are evicted due to soy production on large spreads of land, and the numbers of (100,000 and growing) landless families in Paraguay have been forced to migrate to urban slums by violence or chicanery by soy farmers who force these families to sell their land at a minuscule cost. [Furthermore] Evan Abramson, who did a piece on Paraguay for the NACLA, found that 85% of the soy produced in the country is genetically modified and should be considered to be unsuitable for human consumption. Correia notes that GM soy cultivation was the biggest driver of environmental change [in Paraguay] between the late 1990s and 2010, and that the interior has been devastated to the degree that some refer to the once flourishing inner Atlantic Forest region as a green desert of soy production. Deforestation has destroyed millions of hectares of woodland, particularly in the border region with Brazil, to make room for soybean fields, while the pesticides sprayed onto these crops have led to respiratory diseases among local populations. Campesinos, writes Correia, are being replaced by plants GM soybeans to be precise. Plants, not people, are now widely viewed as a pillar of national economic growth. This is where the first wave of soybeanisation led. Investment by foreign companies in the borderland regions has annihilated previously plenteous forest and the development of interior farmland by the campesinos laid the groundwork for the confiscation of this land by a state that is more eager to serve foreign agribusiness than its own rural farmers. There was, however, a brief glimmer of hope with the election of the bishop of the poor, Fernando Lugo, in 2008. Instead of agrarian reform, however, his truncated presidency inaugurated the third wave of the sojizacion, in which the deregulation of the soy industry has reached new heights and state violence is used to defend this model with a blatancy comparable to the state of siege days of Alfredo Stroessner. The Third Wave: New Neoliberalisations of Nature Lugos agrarian populism and his position as a political outsider struck a chord with the imperilled campesino population. However, the inexorable stronato state prevented his every attempt at reform. His struggle to impose a five-per-cent tax on soy exports was suppressed, and when he signed an executive order to limit the use of pesticides, powerful farming corporations organised protests until he backed down. The swift politicisation of the Curuguaty massacre by the rightwing establishment, coupled with numerous discrepancies in the official investigation and the murder of a key peasant witness shortly before testifying, have led many progressives to believe that the incident may have been manufactured in order to remove the would-be reformist from the presidency. Whether or not this is true, there is no arguing that the judiciary blamed the peasants for the incident and has persecuted them at the expense of an open inquiry into the actions of the police. There is also no denying that the coup was integral to returning the Colorado Party to power under President Horacio Cartes, who continued his predecessor Francos program of accelerated agricultural neoliberalisation. The violence at Curuguaty and the almost instantaneous coup against Lugo brought Paraguay into the third wave of the sojizacion. This is a period defined by an increase in visible state violence against landless farmers in combination with an even more severe subjugation of traditional agriculture to the harmful efficiencies of GMOs. Since the passing of Francos Decree 9699/2012, the amount of genetically-modified soy grown in Paraguay has increased to 95 per cent of all soybean production. In the years since the return of the Colorado Party, former president Cartes and current president Mario Abdo Benitez have rejected calls to raise taxes on soy exports, and although Lugo remains a national political figure, the debate seems dead in the water. The economic base of the stronato is holding as firm as ever. In fact, President Benitez is himself a big fan of Stroessners accomplishments. Not only that his father literally served as Stroessners personal secretary for 25 years. Recent mobilisations against the Colorado regime indicate that the Paraguayan public has grown largely dissatisfied with the status quo. This may lead to the election of another Lugo-esque figure in the future, or perhaps even Lugo himself, but one thing is clear: unless a nationwide anti-neoliberal movement emerges as happened in Chile, the soybeanisation of the Paraguayan economy which has been so devastating to the countrys ecology and rural populations will never be reformed, let alone dismantled. Read more at: Alborada.net and Globalism.news (Natural News) Kuwait announced that only citizens vaccinated against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) will be allowed to travel abroad beginning Aug. 1. The Kuwaiti governments July 27 announcement effectively banned unvaccinated people from leaving the country. It followed the loosening of some coronavirus restrictions in the Gulf nation and the resumption of activities except for gatherings. The July 27 announcement from the Kuwaiti Center for Government Communication (CGC) noted exceptions to the new rule. It said that children below the age of 16 and pregnant women who have a proof of pregnancy certificate from Kuwaiti authorities are exempted. Furthermore, the CGC announcement added that those with a certificate from the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health saying that they cannot be vaccinated are exempted likewise. The CGC announcement also noted that Kuwaitis traveling abroad must hold health insurance during their overseas trip. The health insurance should also cover COVID-19 treatments, it added. Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also released an announcement on the same day. It stated that all arrivals in Kuwait must have a negative COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and show no symptoms before boarding their flights. The DCGA added that upon arrival, incoming travelers must undergo home quarantine for seven days unless they show a negative result following another PCR test inside Kuwait. Kuwait also announced the direct flights to Morocco and the Maldives will resume on Aug. 1. The Gulf country reported its highest number of daily COVID-19 cases on July 6 with 1,993 new infections. However, case numbers went on a downhill trend in recent weeks. The Kuwaiti government lifted a number of COVID-19 restrictions on July 26. CGC Head Tareq Al-Mezrem said some activities will be resumed, but only vaccinated Kuwaitis will be allowed to take part. He added that special activities for children will be opened once more beginning Sept. 1 but only with vaccinated children permitted. Unvaccinated Kuwaitis will have their movement restricted Al-Mezrem added that people who are not inoculated against COVID-19 can only visit a limited number of establishments starting Aug. 1. These establishments included government buildings, medical facilities, pharmacies, consumer cooperative societies and food and beverage outlets. Under the new rule announced July 27, unvaccinated Kuwaitis will be prohibited from flying out of the country. In order to travel, Kuwaitis should be inoculated with one of the COVID-19 vaccine candidates approved by the government. According to the COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker, Kuwait approved four vaccines the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna and the adenoviral vector vaccines from Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca. Kuwaitis wishing to travel should also have their vaccination status verified using the Immune Mobile App. According to an article by law firm Berry Appleman & Leiden, the app will display a red color with the words not vaccinated for unvaccinated individuals. Those vaccinated with at least one dose for less than 14 days will have the word vaccinated in red color. Lastly, individuals who received at least one vaccine dose for 14 days or more will have the word vaccinated and a green color in their mobile app. Vaccinated Kuwaitis need to show the Immune Mobile App with the word vaccinated and the color green before they can travel. However, it will take up to three days before the vaccination status on the app is updated. (Related: Saudi Arabia to fine people $133,000 for HIDING health details upon entry.) Incidentally, the Kuwaiti governments decision to limit the movement of unvaccinated citizens was similar to that of Israel. Activist Ilana Rachel Daniel of the Israeli Rappeh Health Party warned of a medical apartheid targeting unvaccinated Israelis in a March 2021 video. She said: When you dont take the vaccine, your life is basically over. Daniel said unvaccinated people in Israel are prohibited from entering shopping malls and theaters. Israelis above 16 years old who did not get inoculated were not allowed to take their examinations. Furthermore, Daniel said that local governments receive medical dossiers on residents to check if they were vaccinated or not. In a later report, Daniel mentioned the Israeli governments green pass which served to distinguish vaccinated and unvaccinated Israelis. She cited one example of the passs use restaurants are permitted to let green pass holders eat indoors, while those without the pass can only eat outdoors. Establishments violating the rule would face fines, she added. Theyre making this green passport where half the population cannot get into theaters, malls or all sorts of things unless you have taken the vaccination, Daniel said. (Related: Medical apartheid: Israel imposes green passport program barring unvaccinated from participation in society.) MedicalTyranny.com has more stories about restrictions imposed on those who did not receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Sources include: Reuters.com GulfNews.com TheNationalNews.com 1 TheNationalNews.com 2 COVID19.TrackVaccines.org BAL.com RumorMillNews.com LifeSiteNews.com (Natural News) Leaked figures from the U.K.s National Health Service (NHS) suggest that over half of those hospitalized for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country only tested positive for the disease after admission. The data, which was reported on by The Telegraph, shows that just 44 percent of patients classified as hospitalized with COVID-19 had tested positive at the time of admission. This suggests that a large number of patients are being classified as hospitalized with the disease when they were actually admitted for other ailments, with the coronavirus only picked up by routine testing. NHS COVID-19 hospitalization data deemed misleading The breakdown of daily COVID-19 hospital diagnoses seen by the paper shows that of more than 780 hospitalizations dated July 22, 43 percent were only diagnosed with COVID-19 two days after admission. A further 13 percent were made in the days and weeks that followed. This includes those likely to have caught the coronavirus in the hospital. Despite this, the NHS data does not distinguish between these patients who tested positive for the disease while already in hospital and those who were admitted for COVID-19. This has caused some experts to raise alarms and call for changes to how the NHS classifies COVID-19 hospitalizations. This data is incredibly important, and it should be published on an ongoing basis, said Carl Heneghan, director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine at the University of Oxford, talking to The Telegraph. When people hear about hospitalizations with Covid, they will assume that Covid is the likely cause, but this data shows something quite different this is about Covid being detected after tests were looking for it. This needs to be fixed as a matter of urgency, Heneghan added, noting that the published NHS data could lead the British public towards false conclusions. One NHS data expert, who remained unnamed, told The Telegraph that the published statistics distorted the true picture of the pandemic Britain. They stated that it created an impression that all these people are going into hospital with Covid, and that simply is not the case. Meanwhile, Conservative Member of Parliament Graham Brady, who chairs the Conservative Private Members Committee criticized both the misleading nature of the NHSs data as well the lack of more detailed breakdowns of it. Nearly 18 months into the Covid crisis, it is absurd that data breaking down hospital admissions still isnt publicly available on a regular basis, Brady said. Counting all patients who test positive as Covid hospitalizations is inevitably misleading and gives a false picture of the continuing health impact of the virus. Data comes as UK coronavirus cases decline, but hospitalizations rise The NHS reports numbers come even as COVID-19 case numbers have begun to fall in the United Kingdom. Cases in the U.K. dropped for the sixth day in a row as of Monday, July 26, with only 24,950 cases reported. This represents a 46 percent decrease in a week, bolstering hopes that the third wave of the virus in the country has peaked. Meanwhile, the daily number of reported deaths from COVID-19 also continues to remain low, with only 14 reported on Monday. This is down from 19 reported during the previous Monday, July 19. But despite these encouraging numbers, hospitalizations rose by 44 percent over two weeks, with a total of 752 people being admitted to hospital on Sunday, July 19. This is up 21 percent from the previous week and represents the highest number of daily COVID-19 hospitalization since February 25. As of Friday, July 23, 5,238 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 across the U.K., with 715 on ventilators. In response, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that the U.K. is not out of the woods yet despite the sustained fall in cases. Johnson stated that the rapid fall in infections is encouraging but that Britons must stay on their guard and that the pandemic is not over. (Related: Brainwashed Brits dont feel safe without masks some are BEGGING the government to make them mandatory FOREVER.) Follow Pandemic.news for more on how COVID-19 is being addressed in the U.K. and other countries around the world. Sources include: SHFTPlan.com Telegraph.co.uk TheSun.co.uk 1 TheSun.co.uk 2 (Natural News) There is a virus that is sweeping through the halls of academia and it cannot be stopped with a mask or a vaccine. It is known as woke ideology, and it is completely erasing the idea of biological sex, even from medical schools that are teaching the next generation of youth how to treat human anatomy. While not every professor is necessarily on board with this new LGBTQ doctrine, many of them are fearful of losing their jobs if they teach otherwise. All it takes is one upset student lobbing an accusation of transphobia and things could get ugly fast. Katie Herzog, writing for Common Sense with Bari Weiss, explained how a professor teaching endocrinology at a top medical school in the University of California system recently stopped mid-lecture to apologize for something he said at the beginning of class that could have led to such an outcome. I dont want you to think that I am in any way trying to imply anything, and if you can summon some generosity to forgive me, I would really appreciate it, the professor, a physician, groveled. Again, Im very sorry for that. It was certainly not my intention to offend anyone. The worst thing that I can do as a human being is be offensive. What was this professors crime, you might be asking? He used the term pregnant women, which is no longer acceptable to the Cult of LGBTQ. Instead, he should have, according to the transgender mob, called them birthing persons. I said when a woman is pregnant, which implies that only women can get pregnant and I most sincerely apologize to all of you, the professor went on to gush. LGBTQ perverts are recreating the world in their own corrupt image The student who recorded the incident says she had never heard a professor apologize like that, especially for saying something that is a biological fact. Only women can give birth to children, period. The problem, though, is that medical schools everywhere are adopting new inclusive policies that prohibit biology from being taught. To teach the facts is now considered to be transphobic, and a punishable offense. According to the Cult of LGBTQ, concepts like male and female are completely made up, having originated from bigots who deny that biology is a social construct. Biological sex, sexual orientation, and gender are all constructs, an instructor lecturing on transgender health in one of Laurens other classes proclaimed one day. These are all constructs that we have created. Even though human beings are only born as either male or female, the new transgender dogmas insist that this is all fake and made up. The only thing that is real is whatever a person chooses to believe is real. If someone believes biological fact, however, then that is wrong, according to the transgender lobby. Only what the Cult of LGBTQ believes is acceptable, which makes for quite the double standard. The same thing is happening with the English language, by the way, which is being completely deconstructed by the LGBTQ mob to include fictitious gender identities and other fairy tale nonsense that holds no basis in reality. While its unclear if this trend will remain limited to some medical schools, what is perfectly clear is that activism, specifically around issues of sex, gender, and race, is impacting scientific research and progress, warns Herzog. I cannot adequately communicate the anger I feel when I see this garbage, wrote one commenter in response to her piece on the subject. More related news about the degradation of society by LGBTQ perverts can be found at Evil.news. Sources for this article include: BariWeiss.substack.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Tsunamis can cause the depth of a body of water to suddenly change in elevation, like when an earthquake occurs beneath the ocean floor, causing the sea floor to abruptly sink or rise. As the tsunami approaches, the water is drawn away from the beach, fooling onlookers that its safe, like a huge sandbar, and this feeds the destruction and decimation caused by the massive wave thats coming. The majority of deaths associated with tsunamis are related to drowning, and that brings us to the upcoming mass medical tsunami engineered using vaccines. Its fear-based medical genocide, and the people walking right into it (getting Covid vaccines) have no clue whats coming. As the pandemic tide subsides, all of the sheeple have walked way out in wonder by getting vaccinated with technology that causes trillions of microscopic blood clots. These vaccine victims have no clue theres a tidal wave of health decimation on its way, and its too late to run or escape to high ground. Now that the deadly Covid vaccines are being made mandatory by pharma-puppet Democrat governors and the healthcare industry in the most populated Blue State mega-cities, get ready for the longest lines at hospitals that youve ever seen, when half the workers are dying themselves or dead, and half the US population is suffering from complete vascular system breakdowns, strokes, heart attacks and more. These vaccine victims walked right into the tsunami and theyre all standing around dumbfounded by the side effects of the emergency medical experiment that is their nemesis. Chinese Communist Party in Washington DC runs the CDC guidelines and all Covid narrative Now that the Democrat Governors of California, New York, Michigan, Virginia 100 percent kowtow to the Chinese Communist Party in Washington DC, the healthcare workers must be next to pay the toll, as they are trapped now in a medical tyranny under the roof of their employers (the vaccine industrial complex of the USA & CCP pharma regimes). The Biden door-to-door SS Police strike force isnt working out too well for them, so next up are all the healthcare workers stuck in big blue cities who need their job and now face mandatory vaccination. The majority of medical workers in this country, including physicians and nurses who push for Covid vaccination, DO NOT get vaccines, but they never talk about it. Now its out. Theyre seeing the carnage of the deadly Covid jabs and they want no part of it. The Plandemic gain of function genetically mutated virus was created in China, released in China, and is controlled by China. The Democrat governors of America are controlled by China. The medical tsunami comes from China and the wave of destruction is so enormous and widespread that its about to wipe out 50 percent of all Americans the Covid vaccinated sheeple. The CCP wanted 70 percent, which would wipe out 230 million Americans, but everything is at a dead stand still at 50 percent, so they want the healthcare workers next, just look whats happening in California now. Thats the setup for the knockdown of the medical complex in America, to be rebuilt by China with robots, nanotechnology, and SkyNet (complete internet blackout for civilians, except for fake news broadcasts about the Covid War, like Orwells prophesy of 1984, or the future in the movie series Terminator). Advice to unvaccinated healthcare workers find a job where they dont require the blood-clotting Covid jabs and find it now If youve ever heard the saying get out before you drown apply it here. The Covid ship is sinking, and the vaccine-induced health tsunami is creating a tidal wave that nobody in its wake will survive. If you were told right now that you could avoid having trillions of sticky protein particles in your blood forever, would you do more research to find out how? If you love the medical field and work in it now, wouldnt you WANT to see the science behind mRNA and protein-payload injections, and wouldnt you WANT to hear the doctors and scientists who are blowing the whistle about blood clots caused by the Covid jabs? Your job is science-based. You should investigate this thoroughly. Natural health advocates know better than to take toxic jabs from pharma goons, but if you know someone who already got pricked with the blood-clotting Covid inoculations, and theyre suffering from lethargy, pain, clouded thinking, thats called CoVax Syndrome, so tell them to report it to VAERS. Also, check out Pandemic.news for updates on these crimes against humanity and the upcoming Delta and Covid booster-vaccine Holocaust. Sources for this article include: Pandemic.news NaturalNews.com TruthWiki.org LifeSiteNews.com Hannity.com GlobalResearch.ca (Natural News) A scientist and professor in California was terminated after he discovered that a dinosaur fossil was less than a million years old. California State University, Northridge (CSUN) fired scientist Mark Armitage due to his claim that the fossil could not be millions of years old due to the presence of soft, flexible tissue. Armitages discovery challenged the conventional theory of evolution and cost him his job at the same time. According to a report by The Christian Post, Armitage was evaluating a Triceratops horn fossil when he discovered soft tissue inside it. He obtained the fossil during a 2012 digging trip to the Hell Creek Formation in Montana. Armitage expressed fascination as there was no soft tissue found in earlier Triceratops fossils up to that point. Given this find, he estimated that the fossil was just 4,000 years old and not from millions of years ago. Armitages findings were later published in July 2013 in Acta Histochemica. He did not mention the fossils possible age, but he shared his thoughts with his students. One of Armitages students shared the conversation with a faculty head in the universitys biology department. This faculty head entered Armitages office once day and shouted at him: We are not going to tolerate your religion in this department. A report by Inside Higher Ed said Armitage complained verbally to two CSUN administrators about the religious discrimination he received. However, the officials never investigated the matter and instead told Armitage to forget about it. Two weeks after his study was published, Armitage was intentionally left out of a secret meeting among professors. A colleague informed Armitage that he was the subject of a witch hunt and suggested that he resign. CSUN subsequently fired Armitage following the secret meeting. The university defended its decision by citing budgetary adjustments and a declining need for Armitages services, adding that Armitage was a temporary employee working on a part-time basis. CSUN fired Armitage for going against the dominant view Armitage, who had three decades of experience in his field, supported creationism. He wrote a book titled Jesus Is Like My Scanning Electron Microscope: A Scientist Looks at His Relationship With the Creator in 2008. Armitage said CSUN was aware of his book when it hired him. Armitage sued CSUN in 2014, accusing the university of religious discrimination and wrongful termination. He claimed that scientists in the university did not want to be associated with a published creationist like him. Armitages findings which led to his ouster appeared to contradict the evolutionary theory CSUN has stood by for decades. Brad Dacus, founder and president of the conservative legal group Pacific Justice Institute, represented Armitage in the 2014 suit. He said in a statement: Terminating an employee because of their religious beliefs is completely inappropriate and illegal. But doing so in an attempt to silence scientific speech at a public university is more alarming. Dacus continued that what happened to Armitage should be a wake-up call and warning to the entire world of academia. On the other hand, CSUN said in an emailed statement that it is firmly committed to upholding academic freedom, free speech and a respect for all religious beliefs. The university later settled with Armitage for $399,500 to avoid a protracted legal battle. CSUN indicated in the same emailed statement that the settlement was voluntary and not an indication of any wrongdoing. A university spokesperson added that a large portion of the settlement amount would cover Armitages legal fees. Alan J. Reinach, another counsel for Armitage and the executive director of religious freedom group Church State Council, described the settlement as significant for two reasons. First, the sum awarded to Armitage was about 15 times his clients annual salary as a part-time CSUN employee. Second, the settlement was notably the first he knew of where a creationist scientist has prevailed in a religious discrimination claim against a public university. Reinach warned that going forward, [universities] should be really, really careful and stick to the science. He added: Biology and other science departments should stick to the science and respect peoples religious differences. Armitage later said in a YouTube video about the settlement that he was vindicated by the courts. He added that his research stands head and shoulders above all the other work thats been found so far on soft tissue and dinosaur bones. According to Armitage, his work was a lit powder keg thus, CSUN had to fire him. Well-meaning Christians who find themselves as an enemy of the state over their beliefs need to stand up and fight, Armitage said in the video. Biased.news has more stories about the discrimination faced by creationist scientists such as Mark Armitage. Sources include: HelenasTales.Weebly.com ScienceDirect.com InsideHigherEd.com PacificJustice.org (Natural News) Jobless Americans sued their respective states after the latter ended their participation in the federal governments unemployment benefits program. Judges in Maryland and Indiana sided with the plaintiffs who were affected by the premature end of the extra aid. The judges ruled that payouts for the $300 weekly benefit must resume until the suits are resolved. Maryland and Indiana were part of a group of 26 states that prematurely ended federal unemployment programs that saw unemployed people get an extra $300 weekly on top of regular state benefits. Based on an estimate from the National Employment Law Project, the rulings by the Maryland and Indiana judges meant that roughly 500,000 unemployed workers should expect continued receipt of benefits. According to a WBBM report, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb announced in May 2021 that the state will end federal unemployment benefits the next month instead of waiting for it to expire in September. The Republican governor sided with businesses in Indiana that claimed the extra benefits were to blame for unfilled jobs. He cited the many help wanted signs posted all over the state for ending the federal aid. However, two nonprofit groups sued Holcomb in June 2021. The plaintiffs alleged that he had violated the clear mandates of Indianas unemployment statute: To secure all rights and benefits available for unemployed individuals. A month later, Marion Superior Court Judge John Hanley sided with the plaintiffs and ordered that the state resume paying out federal benefits. Hanley argued in his decision that a preponderance of evidence suggested that the early termination of federal unemployment benefits violates state law. 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 damage, he wrote. Indianas subsequent attempts to keep the benefits paused ended in vain, and it resumed the payout of federal unemployment benefits. Indiana Department of Workforce Development Chief Unemployment Insurance and Workforce Solutions Officer Regina Ashley said: There will be no gap in payments for eligible claimants. (Related: Naked tyranny: Indiana judge rules that the state is not allowed to halt federal benefits of $300/week, regardless of the worker shortage.) Maryland also resumed federal unemployment benefits The state of Maryland was also forced to resume payout of federal benefits following a court order, the Baltimore Sun reported. Unemployed residents filed a lawsuit challenging Gov. Larry Hogans decision to prematurely end federal benefits. Baltimore City Circuit Judge Lawrence Fletcher-Hill issued an injunction on July 13 ordering the state to continue paying federal unemployment benefits, at least until the lawsuit was resolved. Fletcher-Hill wrote in his July 13 decision that cutting off benefits early would inflict significant personal hardship on those affected by job layoffs in the state. He noted that the plaintiffs have been strained economically and emotionally by the pandemic. Furthermore, Fletcher-Hill noted that the plight of those who have had to struggle with irregular or no employment struck him the most as someone who has enjoyed the privilege of continuous, secure employment. The judge ultimately said: The impact of the pandemic has been cruelly uneven. Hogans spokesman Michael Ricci said the GOP governor will not challenge Fletcher-Hills decision. While we firmly believe the law is on our side, actual adjudication of the case would extend beyond the end of the federal programs, foregoing the possibility of pursuing the matter further, he said. In spite of the governors compliance with the court order, Ricci said that officials in Hogans administration fundamentally disagree with [the] decision. According to Ricci, the officials argue that keeping unemployment benefits in place hurts small businesses, jeopardizes economic recovery and causes significant job loss. (Related: States ending pandemic unemployment benefits see increase in jobs as more people decide to work.) Congress created the federal unemployment benefits in March 2020, and extended them twice with the latest extension set to expire in September 2021. The extra $300 per week in benefits came on top of state benefits amounting to about $330 per week. All in all, unemployed Americans received a total of about $630 every week amounting to about $32,000 annually. GOP lawmakers blamed the extra unemployment aid from the federal government for the lack of job growth. The U.S. Chambers of Commerce shared the lawmakers sentiments through a June 8 statement that called for the end of the $300 unemployment benefit. It also called on state governors to use COVID-19 relief funds for rapid job training programs. Pandemic.news has more stories about unemployment benefits for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Sources include: FoxBusiness.com Audacy.com BaltimoreSun.com USChamber.com "There is no more sagacious animal than the Icelandic horse. He is stopped by neither snow, nor storm, nor impassable roads, nor rocks, glaciers, or anything. He is courageous, sober, and surefooted". ~ Jules Verne. The horses of Iceland truly are incredible creatures. WarhorseUSA is excited to team up with Guadalupe Laiz and Herdis Reynisdottir to discuss these majestic horses. The horses of Iceland are unique in many ways and continue to grow in popularity around the world. This hardy breed was brought to Iceland by the Vikings when they settled in the rugged, tough island in the North-Atlantic over 1000 years ago. After arriving in Iceland, Mother Nature basically took over the breeding program. With short summers and limited hay, the horses seldom got fed during the winter and had to survive mainly on what they could dig up from the snow. Not only the harsh winters took their tolls. The Icelandic horse has often been called "mans most indispensable servant". Life in a vast country with glaciers, volcanoes, harsh weather, and unforgiving waters, certainly was easier with the help of these versatile horses. The horses of Iceland carried heavy loads of goods and hay, pulled rocks and earth, and still were mainly used as means of transportation. Until only about 100 years ago there were very few roads in Iceland and traveling on horseback was the best option available. Even horse carts were out of question as the uneven rugged landscape is unforgiving to wheels of any kind. To get between places, whether it was to church or to herd the sheep down from the mountains, nothing compared to a powerful, smooth ride, smart and courageous with an amazing stamina and will to never give up. In modern age, the horses of Iceland might seem small and pony-like with their cuddly appearance and sweet disposition. However, they also carry the fierce strength of survivors and all the wisdom that comes with it. One thing is sure, the horses are Icelands best ambassadors. Visit @horsesoficeland for more information. Article by Herdis Reynisdottir for WarhorseUSA. Photography by @guadalupelaiz. Iceland may be the final bare remnant of an almost Texas-size continent - known as Icelandia - that become submerged beneath the North Atlantic Ocean around 10 million years ago, as per a new theory suggested by an international team of geologists and geophysicists. The Theory The theory goes against well-established ideas concerning the formation of Iceland and the North Atlantic, but the scientists say the theory provides an explanation on both the geological characteristics of the ocean floor and why Earth's crust underneath Iceland is very much thicker than normal. External experts that are linked to the research told Live Science they are having doubt that Icelandia exists on the basis of the evidence gathered so far. However, if geological studies confirm the theory, there is a possibility a radical fresh idea of a sunken continent will have implications for the possession of any fuels discovered beneath the seafloor, which according to international law belong to a country that is able to show their continental crust stretches that far. Also Read: Global Warming Melts 290 Square Miles of Iceland Glacier in 20 Years Hidden Continent Foulger said in a statement: "When we considered the possibility that this thick crust is continental, our data suddenly all made sense. This led us immediately to realize that the continental region was much bigger than Iceland itself - there is a hidden continent right there under the sea." Foulger said there was a time the North Atlantic region was totally a dry land that forms the supercontinent of Pangaea from around 335 million to 175 million years ago. For a long time, geologists have believed that the basin of the North Atlantic Ocean developed as Pangaea started breaking up 200 million years ago and that Iceland was formed approximately 60 million years ago over a volcanic plume close to the middle of the ocean. Foulger, a former professor of geophysics at Durham University in the United Kingdom, told Live Science: "Some of it in the west and east has now sunk below the surface of the water, but it's still standing higher than it should. ... If the sea level dropped 600 meters [2,000 feet], then we would see a lot more land above the surface of the ocean." Tectonic Plate But Foulger and her team came up with a different theory: that oceans started forming roughly north and south not west and east - of Iceland as Pangaea split up. Rather, the geologists wrote, the region to the west and east stayed associated with what are presently Scandinavia and Greenland. Foulger said people have this very oversimplified notion that a tectonic plate is somewhat like a dinner plate: It just breaks in two and moves from each other. But this plate is more like a pizza, or a piece of artwork formed from various materials - some ceramic here and some fabric there, so that dissimilar parts have different strengths. Related Article: 'Icelandia': Scientists Believe They Have Identified a Sunken Continent Hidden Under Iceland For more news, updates about Icelandia and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News! Despite the growing climate crisis, it might be safe to say that this new finding gives quite a relief, although it does not ultimately mean we are spared. Scientists just found that there may be a discrepancy on climate change equation in terms of the amount of carbon emission in Earth's atmosphere that was previously known to have been reappearing through volcanic eruptions. New research suggests that the Earth is swallowing around a third of carbon wrapped into Earth's interior for good. Here's what you need to know about the updated findings: The Earth's interior has been storing carbon for over millions of years In order to monitor the knock-on effects of carbon and habitability on the Earth's surface, scientists from around the world have been studying carbon stores where most of our planet's carbon is located and their evolution. In a recent study led by materials scientist Stefan Farsang, from the University of Cambridge in the UK, findings suggest that the only way the Earth's interior stores carbon is when it "gets pulled deep into Earth via plate subduction." "We currently have a relatively good understanding of the surface reservoirs of carbon and the fluxes between them, but know much less about Earth's interior carbon stores, which cycle carbon over millions of years," said Farsang. Using the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility particle accelerator, the researchers simulated the chemical reactions that occurs in the tectonic plate rock, which contains the carbon-storing remains of organisms and seashells into the ground in the process of plate subduction, or the collision and warping of tectonic plates. Their simulation will provide them with a model of the Earth's interior along with its intense pressure and super-high temperatures of subduction zones. The team found that the CO2 from the atmosphere was indeed locked permanently in solid mineral forms, and can even turn into a diamond. Also read: Ancient 'Eye of Sauron' Has Been Discovered as an Undersea Volcano in Australia These minerals can help solve climate crisis After further testing, researchers confirm that minerals found in carbonate rocks are stable enough to lock carbon into the solid Earth. Instead of being drawn into fluids supplying volcanoes, these rocks become less calcium-rich and more magnesium-rich, where majority of the carbonate sank deeper into the mantle can apparently turn into diamond. Scientists are currently looking into ways how this finding can be 'accelerated artificially' in the future. "These results will also help us understand better ways to lock carbon into the solid Earth, out of the atmosphere. If we can accelerate this process faster than nature handles it, it could prove a route to help solve the climate crisis," said mineral physicist Simon Redfern, from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. Carbons emitted in the atmosphere are typically stored in soils and oceans, but is apparently "far from enough to save our rapidly warming planet from a climate crisis", especially that reducing emissions is a global effort. Scientists believe that carbon cycle happening in atmosphere, oceans and Earth's interior should be understood better to be made useful in plotting a future course. Also read: Ancient Ship and Gold-Filled Burial Ground Uncovered in Egypt's Underwater City Following reports of tremors and smoke emissions from the public, the USGS has increased the volcanic warning level. Mount Pagan, which is located on Pagan Island in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, is the focus of the reports. The Northern Mariana Islands (NMI) USGS office monitors the volcano, located just north of Saipan and Guam. "At around 4:30 UTC on July 29, ground-based reports from local people suggest that there were felt tremors and light emission from Mount Pagan (2:30pm local time July 28). Therefore, the Aviation Color Code/Volcano Alert Status for Mount Pagan has been modified to YELLOW/ADVISORY due to this departure from background activity, according to the USGS NMI office. Activity Alert Aviation Codes and Volcanic Activity Alert Levels are issued by the USGS NMI. Green, yellow, orange, or red is the many types of aviation codes. When ground-based equipment fails to prove that a volcano is operating at a normal background level of activity, it is simply designated as "unassigned." Yellow indicates that a volcano displays symptoms of increased unrest above known background levels, whereas green indicates usual activity associated with a non-eruptive condition. The color of a volcano changes from red to orange when it experiences increasing or rising instability with an increased risk of eruption. Finally, the code becomes red when an eruption is imminent, with substantial volcanic ash emissions predicted in the atmosphere or when an eruption is underway. Major volcanic ash emissions are expected in the atmosphere. The activity of Volcanoes Normal, advise, watch, and warning are the four degrees of alert. If data is inadequate, it is simply classified as "unassigned," as with aviation codes. It is deemed normal when the volcano is operating at normal background levels in a non-eruptive condition. An advisory is issued if the volcano shows symptoms of increased disturbance above the background level. A watch is issued when a volcano shows signs of increased or rising disturbance, whereas a warning is issued when a dangerous eruption is imminent. Related Article: USGS Raises Yellow Warning on 6 Active Volcanoes in US for 'Elevated Unrest' Mount Pagan Mount Pagan is one of the numerous volcanoes monitored by the NMI office; nevertheless, extreme weather and a lack of maintenance have rendered scientists there almost blind to what's going on below the surface "Ground-based geophysical monitoring data from stations on Anatahan and Sarigan islands have been inaccessible since storm damage in August 2017," according to the latest NMI update for July. Due to current logistical constraints in the CNMI, visits to these sites to perform repairs are not possible. As a result, it's unclear when these stations will be operational again." Mount Pagan, unlike other volcanic locations such as Hawaii's Kilauea and Mauna Loa, is not monitored using ground-based geophysical instruments. "We will continue to analyze satellite images, distal geophysical data, on-island, and mariner reports as available," the USGS NMI wrote in an update, "but we cannot give prior warning of activity. Because the volcano is not monitored with ground-based instruments." Being one of the island's two volcanoes, Mount Pagan is located on the island's northern end and is one of the most historically active volcanoes in the Northern Mariana Islands. The volcano's most recent major eruption occurred in 1981, followed by three and a half decades of sporadic activity. Before 2016, strong steam plumes and degassing from a shallow magma source characterized recent activity. UN Trust Territory After World War II, the volcano became part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands World War II, when it was occupied by the US. Pagan was finally given Commonwealth status in the United States. The United States Navy maintained a minor facility on Pagan after WWII. Several public facilities were constructed in the 1950s, including a church, a storehouse, a hospital, and a schoolhouse. The population had decreased by the 1970s, with many people working and residing on the adjacent bigger island of Saipan. Then, Mount Pagan erupted on May 15, 1981, resulting in lava flows engulfing much of the island's agricultural area and a portion of the airfield runway. The island's residents were evacuated to Saipan during the eruption. The eruption lasted until 1985, followed by smaller eruptions in 1987, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1996, 2006, 2009, 2010, and 2012. Also Read: Satellite Images May Help Scientists Predict Underwater Volcano Eruption, New Study Suggests For similar news, don't forget to follow Nature World News! According to a research to determine the deadly cost of carbon emissions, the lifestyles of approximately three ordinary Americans will produce enough planet-warming emissions to kill one person, and the emissions from a single coal-fired power plant would likely result in more than 900 deaths. The new study expands on the "social cost of carbon," a monetary value assigned to the harm caused by each ton of carbon dioxide emissions, by attributing a mortality toll from the emissions causing the climate catastrophe. According to the study, adding 4 million metric tons over last year's level, produced by the average US coal plant, will cost 904 lives globally by the end of the century. On a larger scale, reducing global warming emissions by 2050 would save an estimated 74 million lives this century throughout the world. Related Article: Earth's Vital Signs are Worsening and Many are Not Paying Attention Death Rates According to Daniel Bressler of Columbia University's Earth Institute, who wrote the paper, the figures for expected deaths from emissions release aren't definitive. They may be "a vast underestimate" because they only account for heat-related mortality rather than deaths from flooding, storms, crop failures, and other climate-related impacts. People are dying directly as a result of air pollution produced by the burning of fossil fuels, according to a major Harvard University research released in February, which found that more than 8 million people die each year from the health impacts of toxic air throughout the world. "If you adopt climate policies that are more aggressive than the business as usual scenario, you can save a substantial number of lives," Bressler added. "I was taken aback by the huge number of deaths. There is significant ambiguity about this; the number may be much lower or much higher." Emission Difference The study, which was published in Nature Communications, highlights the huge differences in emissions caused by people's consumption in various nations worldwide. For example, according to the study, it takes just 3.5 Americans to produce enough emissions in a lifetime to kill one person. In contrast, it takes 25 Brazilians or 146 Nigerians to do the same. Following its invention in the 1990s by economist William Nordhaus, who went on to win a Nobel Prize, the social, or financial, cost of carbon has become a frequently used statistic. The calculation considers the harm produced by a ton of emissions and the ability to adjust to changing climates. Cost of Carbon The 2020 social cost of carbon, according to Nordhaus' DICE model, is $37 per metric ton, but Bressler's inclusion of the death cost raises the number to $258 per ton. This adjustment in the model would suggest that the most cost-effective strategy would be to drastically decrease emissions to achieve full decarbonization by 2050, a scenario that has also been endorsed by climate scientists as a means of avoiding the worst effects of global warming. "Nordhaus came up with a wonderful model, but he didn't take into account the most current literature on the effects of climate change on mortality; there's been an explosion of study on that issue in recent years," Bressler said. According to Gernot Wagner, a climate economist at New York University who was not involved in the study, the social cost of carbon is a "crucial policy instrument" and "extremely abstract." "That is why it is so essential to try to communicate our climate effect into more understandable terms," he said, adding that a recent study on the death cost indicates the "results are undoubtedly dramatic." Recent Heat Waves Over the last month, a succession of heat waves has swept the world, including the catastrophic heat and wildfires in the US Pacific Northwest, where temperature records were smashed. As a result, hundreds of people died from heat stroke and other associated illnesses. According to scientists, heatwaves are becoming considerably more common and intense due to the climate catastrophe caused by carbon emissions. While Bressler's research focused on individual emissions, he believes that the focus should instead be on policies affecting companies and governments that influence carbon pollution on a societal scale. He stated, "In my opinion, individuals should not take their per-person mortality emissions too personally." "Our emissions are mostly a result of the technology and culture of the environment in which we live." Also Read: Climate Tipping Points Inevitably Leads to Dire Environmental Consequences For more environmental news, don't forget to follow Nature World News! Take this story as a cautionary tale about what not to do in any scenario. A guy in China was admitted to the hospital after using a live eel to relieve his constipation by inserting it up to his anus and into his rectum. According to Global Times, the anonymous guy from Xinghua, China, implanted the 20-centimeter (7.87-inch) eel in his anus as per a supposed "traditional cure." But, on the other hand, the eel had different ideas after reaching the man's rectum-after biting his colon and entering the abdomen, the eel proceeded for his colon and bit it, according to the Chinese news site. Related Article: Bizarre Nature: Animals that Eat Weird Not Uncommon Surprisingly, this isn't the first time eels have been used in this unusual method, implying that the alleged cure is well-known [but never advised by doctors]. According to Men's Health, in 2017, one guy attempted the "traditional cure" on the advice of his pals. In one case, the 49-year-old man was taken to the hospital, where the eel was removed by emergency surgery. When they questioned how the eel got into his system, he initially claimed it "swam up by itself" before admitting he had put it there himself. "There is zero scientific proof to back up that an eel would do anything for your digestive system other than creating utter chaos," Men's Health stated. A similar occurrence was reported by Fox News in 2020. The eels "[tore] through [the man's] intestines, creating a severe illness" in that case. "We opened him up and discovered a significant volume of fecal water mixed with blood," said Dr. Sun Haijian, deputy director of general surgery at the hospital where he was treated. He said, "There was considerable swelling, and we discovered two very thick swamp eels in the bottom of his stomach cavity." In addition, the individual needed repairs to a 2-centimeter hole in his colon and one in his intestines as a result of the occurrence. Related Article: Future Foods Made From Kelp, Maggots, and Mycoprotein May Fight Malnutrition Stomach Ache Remedy The most recent occurrence, at Xinghua, looks to be quite similar to previous ones. The man allegedly had a stomach ache for a day but was "too embarrassed to go to the doctor." He went to the hospital eventually and had the slimy sea monster removed. It was also just in time: according to Global Times, the surgeon "said he might have lost his life since the bacteria in the big intestine may induce hemolysis when it reaches his abdominal cavity." At the time of its extraction, the eel was said to be still alive. Related Article: What's a Platypus?: The Weirdest Animal Type Finally Answered! Better Scientific Treatments Constipation is a frequent ailment for which several effective treatments do not need the use of live animals. Instead, consume more fruits and veggies, drink warm water, and invest in a Squatty Potty, to name a few. Also Read: Beware! 7 Cute Animals that Can Actually Kill a Person For more Odd and Weird News, don't forget to follow Nature World News! National Weather Service said not less than 4 tornadoes took place in southeastern Wisconsin early Thursday as a line of intense storms swept across the state. EF1 Tornado Extensive disruption close to Concord in Jefferson County was prompted by an EF1 tornado, which occurred about 1:15 a.m. Thursday, said a weather service storm damage survey team. Wind speeds of EF1 tornado are 86 to 110 mph. The deputy chief of the Ixonia Fire Department, Josh Nettesheim, who answered the emergency calls in Concord, revealed homes near Highway E and West River Drive were damaged. Nettesheim said the roof of one home was partially blown off and another moved off its foundation and a wall holding up the second floor was lost. Not less than eight people were displaced, but there were no report of any injury, Nettesheim said it is "miraculous." He said "the warning notifications did their job. That helped out a lot. It's pretty miraculous nobody got hurt." EF-0 Tornado A second tornado took place in Waukesha County about 1:30 a.m. Thursday, storm survey teams confirmed. The tornado took place close to Highway D and Townline Road, southeast of Wales and southwest of Waukesha, the weather service said. The rate of that tornado was EF-0, which generally has wind speeds of about 65 to 85 mph. Around 1:05 a.m another EF-0 tornado occured. Thursday near Watertown. The National Weather Service reported that there were some damages along Hilltop Road north of Highway A. The Weather Service made a confirmation that a fourth tornado touched down south of Dousman close to a cemetery on Highway Z late Thursday. This was an EF1 tornado that moved 2.19 miles with up to 100 mph winds. In Wisconsin, most tornadoes are either EF1 or EF0. The storms led to extensive damage as they traveled through southern Wisconsin early Thursday. A meteorologist at the weather service office in Sullivan, Mark Gehring said: "It packed a good punch" Effects of the Tornado The governor, Tony Evers announced a state of emergency Thursday, letting communities seek backup from the state if the need arises. But no communities had called for assistance as of 12:30 p.m., as per Andrew Beckett, a spokesman for Wisconsin Emergency Management. There were no urgent reports of injuries in the state late Wednesday and early Thursday that was linked to the storms that propelled across Wisconsin. The National Weather Service got reports of so many homes and buildings damaged along County Road E close to Concord in Jefferson County around 1:15 a.m., just north of I-94. Fallen power lines and debris were also reported to be blocking County Road F nearby. In concurrence, the storm also pulled down some large trees, took the roof off a storage shed, and made a flag pole fall, as per a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel photographer at the site of the incident Thursday morning. Related Article: 17,000 Affected by Power Outage as Tornado-Generating Storm Passed Over Texas For more news, updates about tornadoes and similar topics don't forget to forget to follow Nature World News! Weather Alert ...AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PDT THURSDAY... The Washington State Department of Ecology has issued an Air Quality Alert...in effect until noon PDT Thursday. A Smoke Air Quality Alert has been issued. Wildfires burning in the region combined with forecasted conditions will cause air quality to reach unhealthy levels. Pollutants in smoke can cause burning eyes...runny nose...aggravate heart and lung diseases...and aggravate other serious health problems. Limit outdoor activities and keep children indoors if it is smoky. Please follow medical advice if you have a heart or lung condition. Information about air quality is on the Washington Department of Ecology Web site at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/air.html or call 360-407- 6000. ...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 11 PM PDT WEDNESDAY... * WHAT...Temperatures 100 to 105 degrees expected. * WHERE...In Washington, Simcoe Highlands, Lower Columbia Basin of Washington, Foothills of the Blue Mountains of Washington, Kittitas Valley, Yakima Valley and Eastern Columbia River Gorge of Washington. In Oregon, Foothills of the Northern Blue Mountains of Oregon, Lower Columbia Basin of Oregon, Eastern Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Foothills of the Southern Blue Mountains of Oregon. * WHEN...From 11 AM this morning to 11 PM PDT Wednesday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses to occur. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. && HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) The first donation came in early May, for $50, and with a message: GOD BLESS THE USA!! In just over a month, the crowdfunding page dedicated to bringing an Arizona-style review of the 2020 presidential election to Pennsylvania had collected $15,339 from 332 donors. Today, the effort has morphed into a full-fledged campaign to Audit the Vote PA. The website offers a six-week course on the Constitution and encourages supporters to become a walking billboard for a forensic audit by purchasing various hats and T-shirts. Still prominent is the donate button. But unlike the initial crowdfunding page, it's hard to tell how much money the group is bringing in or how the money is being spent. Multiple requests for information sent to an email listed on the site received no replies. Efforts to expand Arizonas controversial, Republican-led review of the 2020 election to other states are growing, fueled by former President Donald Trumps false claims of victory and funded by a network of groups operating with little oversight. Election officials and experts have raised the alarm about these private fundraising efforts and what they see as a broader push by candidates to raise money off conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. It has become profitable both politically and financially for people to lie about the election and denigrate American democracy, said Matt Masterson, a top election security official during the Trump administration. The sad part is that they are doing this by lying to voters and folks who have concerns about our democracy, and they are taking their money in pursuit of their lies. While some fundraising details have come to light, little is known about how much has been raised and from whom. That's the case in Arizona, where a review of Maricopa County's election ordered by Republicans who control the state Senate has drawn widespread criticism, including from fellow Republicans. On Wednesday, the firm behind the review Cyber Ninjas said it had received $5.6 million from five groups connected to prominent supporters of Trumps efforts to cast doubt on the 2020 election results. That's in addition to the $150,000 in state taxpayer money set aside by Republicans in the Legislature. A group aligned with the pro-Trump One America News Network contributed $605,000, and a group set up by Patrick Byrne, the former CEO of Overstock.com, gave $3.2 million, according to Cyber Ninjas. Both are set up as nonprofit organizations with limited financial reporting requirements and do not have to disclose all their donors. Byrne said he does not plan to disclose donor information, saying they were mostly small-dollar contributors. He did say he has personally donated about $2 million to the effort. It is suboptimal versus having publicly funded, serious forensic audits, but preferable to not having serious forensic audits at all, Byrne said. Arizona's ballots have been counted, audited and certified. Trump lost the state. Still, his allies in the GOP-led state Senate secured access to voting equipment, software, ballots and other voting materials to conduct what they describe as a forensic audit" of Maricopa County. Election experts say their methods are flawed and have compromised the security of the county's voting machines. Theres no credibility to this process, and the funding aspect is just one measure of that, said Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat who has objected to the review. In Pennsylvania, its not clear where the money will come from to pay for a similar forensic investigation envisioned by its backers, led by Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano. He has left key questions unanswered, such as who will do the work, how it will be funded and where such a vast amount of documents and equipment would be stored. Mastriano, in a radio interview in mid-July, said he had recommended three options to Senate Republican leadership, but gave little detail other than saying the review would be funded through a blend of taxpayer and private money. He has not responded to AP requests seeking more information. Earlier this month, Mastriano sent letters to three counties including Philadelphia requesting access to various documents and equipment, with the threat of subpoenas for holdouts. Officials with all three counties have so far shown no interest in participating. The fundraising appeals are not just limited to the GOP reviews. In Pennsylvania and Arizona, GOP officials and candidates have been asking for donations while promoting the reviews. Trumps political action committee recently sent an email to supporters under the headline new evidence with unsubstantiated claims of problems with the 2020 election in Georgia, which Trump lost. Meanwhile, Trumps political action committee has not helped finance the Arizona ballot review or to advocate for similar reviews in other states, leaving those efforts to other groups. In Michigan, a Republican-led state legislative panel conducted its own review of the 2020 election and issued a report that said it found no evidence of significant fraud. The lawmakers also encouraged the state attorney general to consider investigating those who have been pushing misleading and false information to raise money or publicity for their own ends. Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, has done just that. Although the report did not specify who should be investigated, it referenced lawyer Matthew DePerno, who unsuccessfully sued a northern Michigan county over its 2020 election results, and former state Sen. Patrick Colbeck. Dominion Voting Systems, one of the nations largest manufacturers of voting equipment, has threatened legal action, accusing Colbeck of knowingly sowing discord in our democracy and soliciting exorbitant amounts of money over $1 million to his business. DePernos website also seeks donations and says $389,000 has been collected. A group connected to DePerno contributed $280,000 to the Arizona review, according to Cyber Ninjas. Colbeck has called the legislative report shoddy and has called for the panels GOP senators to be censured. DePerno has accused the committee of an election cover-up. Neither returned messages left by AP seeking comment. Its unclear who the attorney generals office might be investigating, and an office spokesperson declined to answer questions. In Pennsylvania, a spokesperson for Attorney General Josh Shapiro, also a Democrat, would not say whether the office was investigating, but encouraged anyone who may have been a victim of any scheme including fraudulent attempts to profit off of election conspiracies and the big lie to file a complaint. Lynsey Barron, a former federal prosecutor now in private practice in Atlanta, said any investigation into potentially fraudulent activity will face challenges, given that the First Amendment provides wide latitude for fundraising. Its going to have to be clear that this information is false and that they knew it was false and that they were spreading this false information to make money, Barron said. Election experts said the public instead should focus on researching and understanding the bipartisan, post-election audits that were conducted by election officials after the November election using verified, fact-based methods. You are not giving them a real audit at the end of the day, Susannah Goodman, an election security expert with Common Cause, said of the GOP reviews in Arizona and elsewhere. Its like going to a snake oil medicine doctor and paying him a lot of money and he gives you a bottle of green goop saying this will cure your cancer. ___ Cassidy reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writers Nicholas Riccardi in Denver; Jill Colvin in Washington; Anthony Izaguirre in Lindenhurst, N.Y.; and David Eggert in Lansing, Mich., contributed to this report. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after President Joe Biden's administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 Tennessee: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? Like many states, Tennessee never enacted a moratorium last year that would have halted eviction proceedings. Instead, the state has been under the CDC moratorium. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? Earlier this year, the Tennessee Housing Development Agency announced it received $384 million in federal funding to be used for rental assistance. The statewide program is estimated to help 25,000 to 30,000 families cover up to 12 months of rent or utility payments as long as the financial difficulties were sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program applies to 91 out of Tennessees 95 counties, with the states largest metro areas excluded because they have their own federally funded rent relief programs. Attorneys representing tenants, however, note that some relief has been difficult to obtain due to qualification requirements or landlords refusing to participate in the rent relief process. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? Eviction cases where a judge determined the tenant was not protected by the CDC declaration have been allowed to proceed in Tennessee. According to Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and The Cumberlands, many landlords who pursued evictions during the moratorium did so to assert nonrenewal of a lease. The organization expects a wave of cases once the moratorium is lifted. WHAT IS THE AFFORDABILITY IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? Over the past year, Tennessees most populated cities saw some of the highest rent increases in the country. Memphis rents jumped by more than 23% compared to last year, according to a new report from Realtor.com that analyzed the top 50 largest metros areas. That means Memphis median rent hovers around $1,150 a month but the median rent for a two-bedroom place is now $1,210. Only Riverside, California, saw a bigger spike in rents. Meanwhile, in Nashville, rent went up around 7.3% over the past year, with the median rent now $1,416. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? Homelessness is difficult to estimate, but housing experts warn that evictions and eviction lawsuits are expected to jump once the CDC moratorium lifts. One indication of the scope of the problem is census data showing that nearly 84,500 adults in Tennessee fear being evicted over the next two months. One of the signature programs of the New Canaan Community Foundation, (NCCF), is the Young Philanthropists Fund, (YPF), program. Each year, approximately thirty high school students come together to learn about philanthropy, the nonprofit organization sector, and how they can have an impact on local community issues. Despite challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic, the students, who were recently involved in the program were still able to have virtual meetings, and learn about various organizations in the area that are in need. The students expressed great interest in helping to fund human service, and youth oriented organizations, many of whom have been greatly impacted by the pandemic from the new virus. The students were able to learn firsthand about how local non-profits shifted their work once the pandemic hit, The Foundations Community Engagement Officer, Nicole Kolenberg, said. They admired the ways in that the organizations were able to still provide their programing and direct services, especially amid the COVID-19 crisis, Kolenberg said. Combining investment earnings from the fund along with donations that the students raised through their online fundraiser, this years grant budget was over $14,000. The Young Philanthropists 2020-2021 Grant Investments are: - ABC House of New Canaan: $3,500 to support the organizations mission to provide their students a range of opportunities, including many that may not be available in their own community, - Building One Community: $3,500 to support the organizations mission to advance the successful integration of immigrants and their families, - Exchange Club Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse in Southern Connecticut: $3,500 to support the organizations mission with the goal of providing education and support services to families in Fairfield County to stop the cycle of child abuse, and - Kids in Crisis: $3,500 to support the organizations mission to provide emergency shelter, crisis counseling, and community education programs for children of all ages and families facing crisis. The New Canaan Community Foundation is proud of the work put in by these students, but even more proud of the lessons learned through the decision-making process that led to these grants. Each of these Young Philanthropists leaves with a greater understanding of the world around them. These are life skills they will carry forward wherever they go, the organizartion said. As the class of 2021 heads into their next phase of life, the New Canaan Community Foundation hopes that every graduating student takes what they have learned and builds upon it. We know that each graduating student leaves with an eye capable of observing the world around them and the capacity to take action. Young Philanthropists can and will make a difference. Congratulations to each of them, the organization said. The Foundation was founded in 1977, and serves as the towns local partner for advice, leadership, and the facilitation of charitable giving. The Foundations vision strives for a town that comes together to address both individual and local challenges, and enriching the lives of all community members. The Foundation has invested more than $16 million in nonprofit organizations, working together with individuals, and businesses to achieve their philanthropic goals through donor advised funds, and other partnerships, to date. Visit the Foundations website at www.newcanaancf.org to learn more about the foundation, and the aforementioned information. President Joe Biden talks with Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, and Rep. Susan Wild-D-Pa., after arriving at Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown on Wednesday. Biden was in the area to visit the Lehigh Valley operations facility for Mack Trucks and advocate for government investments and clean energy as ways to strengthen U.S. manufacturing. Beverly "Beebe" Guinaugh, 85, of St. Louis, Missouri, formerly a longtime resident of New Castle, passed away on Saturday, July 24, 2021, at the Bethesda Meadow Nursing Home, Ellisville, Missouri. Mrs. Guinaugh was born on Jan. 18, 1936, in New Castle, a daughter of the late Ferdinand and Do Norwich charity links with NHS to help veterans Norwich charity links with NHS to help veterans The Matthew Project has formed a new partnership with the NHS to support armed forces veterans who are experiencing mental health problems. The Veterans Integrated Service launched on July 26 and is a partnership between Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), Walking with the Wounded and Outside the Wire . The Matthew Project launched Outside the Wire in 2013 to provide specialist one-to-one support to veterans, current serving personnel, and family members affected by substance misuse and PTSD across Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex. The new service will provide mental health support, specific stabilisation programmes, substance misuse support and welfare services across Norfolk and Suffolk for armed forces veterans. Andy Sexton, CEO of The Matthew Project said: This partnership brings together the best possible support for veterans with PTSD and substance misuse issues. Specialist mental health provision, specialist substance misuse support, along with social support will enable a holistic response to the very real needs of ex-serving personnel. Aside from the expertise, the other key ingredient is that this support will be provided by veterans for veterans. We are really excited to be part of this forward-thinking partnership and grateful to Clive Lewis MP and Lord Dannatt for their support to enable it to happen. General The Lord Dannatt GCB CBE MC DL, President of Veterans Norfolk, said: "NSFT is to be congratulated for having responded so promptly to concerns raised about the level of support for Veterans in Norfolk and Suffolk. Within less than a year they have worked collaboratively with the MOD, NHS and Third Sector to develop the new Veterans Integrated Service. NSFT provides mental health and learning disability care for people across Norfolk and Suffolk.Walking With The Wounded is a military charity for ex-military in the UK, and supports a pathway for disadvantaged veterans to re-integrate back into society and sustain their independence. Pictured above is Dave Fincham, who has made a journey to recovery with the help of Outside the Wire. Image: The Matthew Project Eldred Willey, 30/07/2021 By Express News Service NEW DELHI: National carrier Air India (AIL), which is soon to be privatised, has raised Rs 738 crore from the sale of its real estate assets since 2015, and earned rental income of about Rs 100 crore annually from its properties, Minister of State for Civil Aviation VK Singh told the Lok Sabha on Thursday. Singh, in a written reply, said that Air India has sold 115 units of real estate assets from 2015 till July 12, 2021. AIL has identified 111 parcels of properties for monetisation out of which 106 parcels of properties are in India and rest five are overseas properties... The 111 parcels of properties consist of 211 units which are under monetisation, the minister said. Air India has been monetising its immovable assets to offset its massive debt of around Rs 60,000 crore. Last month, a public notice was issued inviting e-auction bids for sale of Air India properties located across India. The property included residential as well as commercial units is prime cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. The divestment-bound airline was looking to raise Rs 200 to 300 crore by selling these real estate assets. Earlier this month, Singh had informed that financial bids for Air India are likely to be received from qualified interested bidders (QIBs) by September 15 this year. Without disclosing details of the QIBs, Singh had reiterated that the government has received multiple expressions of interest for Air Indias privatisation. By PTI NEW DELHI: A bill to amend the general insurance law to allow the government to pare its stake in state-owned insurers was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Friday, but Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman insisted that it will not lead to privatisation. Introducing the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021, Sitharaman said its passage will help generate required resources from the Indian markets so that public sector general insurers can design innovative products. Several opposition members had opposed the introduction of the bill, saying it will bring in foreign investors and entail total privatisation of PSU general insurance companies. Sitharaman said, The apprehensions mentioned by the members are not well-founded at all. "What we are trying to do in this is not to privatise. We are bringing some enabling provisions so that the Government can bring in public, Indian citizens, and common people's participation in the general insurance companies," she said. As per the statement of objects and reasons of The General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021, it seeks to remove the requirement that the central government holds not less than 51 per cent of the equity capital in a specified insurer. With a view to provide for greater private participation in the public sector insurance companies, to enhance insurance penetration and social protection, to better secure the interests of policyholders and contribute to faster growth of the economy, it has become necessary to amend certain provisions of the Act, as per the bill, which was introduced amid the din. The Finance Minister said public-private participation in the general insurance industry will help get more resources. "Our market can give the money from the retail participants who are Indian citizens. Through that, we can have greater money, bring in better technology infusion and also enable faster growth of such general insurance companies. We need money to run them," she said in the Lok Sabha. The minister said general insurance companies in the private sector have greater penetration, they raise more money from the market and therefore give a better premium for insuring the public and also have innovative packages. "Whereas public general insurance companies are not able to perform because they are always short of resources," Sitharaman said. Sitharaman in the Budget 2021-22 had announced a big-ticket privatisation agenda, including privatisation of two public sector banks and one general insurance company. "We propose to take up the privatisation of two Public Sector Banks and one General Insurance company in the year 2021-22. This would require legislative amendments ," she had said at the time. As of date, there are four general insurance companies in the public sector - National Insurance Company Limited, New India Assurance Company Limited, Oriental Insurance Company Limited and the United India Insurance Company Limited. Now, one of these will be privatised for which the government is yet to finalise the name. By PTI NEW DELHI: Microsoft is in the advanced stages of discussions to pick up a stake in OYO that would value the hospitality firm at about USD 9 billion (around Rs 67,000 crore), according to sources. While the deal size is not known, sources close to the development said it will not be a significant stake. The transaction is likely to be completed before the proposed initial public offering (IPO) planned by OYO, for which no definitive timeline has been given. OYO and Microsoft did not respond to queries seeking comments on the matter. Earlier this month, OYO had raised a term loan B (TLB) funding of USD 660 million (nearly Rs 4,920 crore) from global institutional investors. The capital will be used for paring debt and other business investments. The offer was oversubscribed by 1.7 times and the company received commitments of close to USD 1 billion from leading institutional investors, OYO had said in a statement. TLB refers to a tranche of senior secured syndicated credit facility from global institutional investors. OYO is backed by marquee investors like SoftBank Vision Fund, Sequoia Capital, Lightspeed Ventures and Hero Enterprise, among others. Earlier this year, OYO Founder and Group CEO Ritesh Agarwal had said the company "is on a steady path of resurgence in 2021" and is seeing signs of recovery across India, Europe, and Southeast Asia. OYO's survival through the COVID crisis and resurgence shows that it is a company with strong fundamentals and high value potential, he had stated. Jonathan Ananda By Express News Service CHENNAI: Indias electricity distribution sector is in tatters. Its total debt is estimated to have breached the Rs 5 lakh-crore mark in FY20 and is expected to cross Rs 6 lakh crore in the current financial year, while high aggregate technical & commercial losses (AT&C) basically unpaid bills and power theft-have only served to pile on to the misery. Industry executives and analysts have long opined that sweeping structural reforms were needed to revitalise the sector. The Union governments proposed Electricity (Amendment) Bill, listed for the current monsoon session of Parliament, tries to do the same. The reforms laid down in the Bill include changes in tariff-setting and subsidy delivery systems. Many of these are structural changes - such as changes proposed in the regulatory structure. But the one to have maximum impact on end-consumers is the introduction of the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system for power subsidies. Under the proposed system, consumers will have to pay the unsubsidised bill to discoms and state governments are required to pay subsidies directly to the consumer. At present, states provide a wide range of subsidies to consumers, almost all of which fall in the agricultural and below poverty line (BPL) segments. End-consumer tariffs are decided by state commissions after accounting for subsidies offered by the respective state, which means that the beneficiary of a free power scheme has to pay nil out of his own pocket. Debilitating burden The present system may be advantageous to consumers, but has been rather destructive for discoms. Because while the Electricity Act 2003 stipulates that state governments have to pay subsidies to discoms in advance, delayed payments are among the biggest financial burdens for the sector. The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) in a recent report noted that in every year from FY16 to FY19, at least seven subsidising states and UTs had not paid discoms all transfers for subsidies by the end of the financial year. The current regulations provide for measures to prevent such delays, but are often ignored in practice. For instance, the report notes that not only are state governments supposed to pay discoms in advance, in case of delays, discoms are to levy the tariff rates from the initial tariff schedule that does not consider the subsidy amount. Another problem for discoms is the lack of proper subsidy targeting in the current system, leading to generally inflated subsidy costs. A lack of effective targeting, coupled with no upper-limit for subsidized consumption, could be disastrous for discom finances, the IISD-CEEW report added. The move to a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system is aimed at addressing both these problems-inflated subsidy costs due to poor targeting and the financial impact of subsidy payment delays by state governments. Implementation challenges The myriad socio-economic complexities of Indias subsidy system would make rolling out the DBT system a very difficult task. The lack of proper information on subsidy beneficiaries, which works to inflate subsidy payouts, will also make it difficult to route subsidies to the truly eligible. The Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) recommends certain pre-requisites such as validating authorised and unauthorised IP connections; awareness programmes for farmers on the benefits of metering; and state subsidy for installing meters. According to IISD-CEEW, at an aggregate level, agriculture consumers were allotted 75% of the total subsidy value, but such connections are unmetered in most states. The proposed shift to DBT has also raised fears among consumers that their power costs will soar if the state governments fail to deposit subsidies on time. This led Union power minister R K Singh to clarify after the draft was released last year that the electricity supply will not be discontinued even if the state is unable to pay on time. But some states and discoms have problems with the policy. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister had written to the Union power minister last year asking that its scheme for free power to farmers be kept out of the DBT scheme. In a conference organised by Care Ratings, discom executives from BSES Rajdhani and Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam had also noted that though the intent is right, there will be operational challenges. Speaking to this publication, a state discom official said, identifying and validating beneficiaries will be tough and will take time, and that there was no guarantee that DBT payments will be used to pay power bills, which would lead to a whole different problem. By Express News Service BENGALURU: Fed up after 10 years of rejection from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), a noted Doordarshan anchor has decided to stage a protest against the corporation on Saturday. Girija Veerappa told The New Indian Express that she will be staging a protest against the corporation for rejecting her application for the last 10 years. "I am the only one staging the protest on Saturday, but I am not the only one who is facing this situation. There are over 20 anchors from AIR and 30 each from Doordarshan and Kannada and Culture Department whose applications are being rejected by the corporation and the selection committee. They have not replaced the anchors for the Independence Day or any other anchoring programme since the last 10-12 years," she said. The BBMP officials said the reason for not changing the anchors is because they are used to the functioning of the BBMP. "Introducing any new person could lead to some problems, which we do not want. So the anchor was never changed." Girija pointed out that every programme should give chance to new faces and the anchors who are applying for the event have years of experience and are professionals in their field. So each one should be given equal opportunity to showcase their talent and capabilities. Citing the example of Hampi Utsav, she said the government ensures there is change every year in the anchors and the artists, so why not in BBMP and Kannada and Culture Department programmes like Independence Day which are held at Maneskshaw Parade ground. By Express News Service BENGALURU: With the National Education Policy 2020 completing one year of drafting, Dr K Kasturirangan, who headed the draft committee, and heads of educational institutions lauded the policy and the transformation it is expected to bring in the education ecosystem. The policy is well timed and over the year, it has been well received by all stakeholders in the education ecosystem. Now, the main focus should be to fast-track its implementation. We hope to have the implementing guidelines soon. The future of education hinges on the policy. Once the guidelines are formulated, all stakeholders should align to work towards faster implementation of the policy, said Sumit Kumar, vice-president-NETAP, TeamLease Skill University. Speaking to TNIE, Dr Kasturirangan pointed out that the NEP was crafted to provide an integrative yet flexible approach to education, keeping the interconnections of various phases of education. It is an end-to-end educational roadmap for the country with a broad view of encompassing holistic development and kindling the true potential of the individuals. The Union education minister understands the nature of the policy and also the urgency to implement it. Very soon, the education system in India will be reformed to its best, he said. Lauding the benefits of the policy, Abhay Chebbi, Pro-Chancellor, Alliance University, said that the fact that colleges offer engineering courses in five regional languages further enhances the bandwidth of talent to suit Indian conditions. The education sector can leverage the opportunities created over the last 16 months to buttress hybrid learning, digitization, and the rapid deployment of new-age technologies such as AI, Machine Learning and Augmented Reality to enhance the learners perceptions. Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modis address on the occasion, Dr Niranjan Hiranandani, Provost, HSNC University, welcomed the initiatives announced to meet the Sustainable Development Agenda and transform India into a future-ready, knowledge superpower. The launch of the academic bank of credit, multiple entry and exit options for higher education students, first-year engineering programmes in regional language, National Education Technology Forum (NETF), NISHTHA 2.0, and most importantly internationalization of higher education with credit transfers and twinning programmes will take India to another level. These initiatives will allow both domestic and global students to pursue their careers at convenient timelines and prepare them for Industry 4.0 in their best capacity, he said. MD Nizamuddin By Express News Service HYDERABAD: The Maldives has become a top quarantine country of transit for Indian expats, especially those who failed to get two doses of the vaccine, now that the island nation has eased its restrictions for travellers from India. Many of them are rushing back to Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia and UAE, to get their visas renewed and safeguard their jobs. Both white-collar and blue-collar workers, who have waited for far too long in Hyderabad, are now trying to leave for Gulf countries either by hook or crook. My brother, a software engineer in Dubai had to leave with his family via Kochi Airport after days of anxiety. After encountering several ordeals at different points in their journey, they are now quarantining at a remote island in the Maldives, said Advocate Ishaq Azhar, a resident of Upparpally in Rajendranagar. Many of those who are returning to the Gulf are leaving their families behind, owing to the huge expenditure involved, as each individual would have to spend between Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh for the journey. Under normal circumstances, the travel cost is about Rs 25,000. With Qatar also easing restrictions for Indians, some travellers are choosing it for quarantine. But due to technical issues pertaining to visa and immigration rules, travel is learnt to be tricky and risky. Another quarantine destination is Armenia, which is now in conflict with Azerbaijan and has no restrictions for travellers from India. But given the changing scenario, it may be listed as unsafe anytime by Saudi Arabia. By Express News Service KOCHI: Hari Menon, an acclaimed Malayali travel photographer who has been exploring every nook and corner of the country in search of interesting frames, started his tryst with NFT quite recently too. There are spaces on Twitter where collectors want you to come and talk about your work, and they buy them according to how well you can put a story across, he says. In June, when Hari began looking into the NFT sale of his photographs he realised that most entries were landscapes - the familiar, safe images like an aurora in Iceland, so I decided to do the opposite of that, quips Hari. However, recently, there has been a change in trend, he says. A photographer from the Dominican Republic sold a series of 50 pictures on migration as NFT last week. One of Haris first entries was a series on the Indian festival Holi, titled Colour corrected. It is the presentation I gave impetus to. Rather than portraying it as a celebration, I personified the colours, relating them to emotions and happiness. There was a photograph that extensively discussed the colour pink, he says. His new collection, one that explores the life of almost 60 indigenous tribes across 21 states in India, also has many takers. I call them Invisibles - Lesser-known tribes of India because the outside world has no knowledge of what goes on in their communities. It is this kind of effort and unique signature that is valued by collectors on NFT platforms, he says, seconding Vimal and Arijits idea of how it is the artists brand that actually pulls in the investment. It can even be in many forms, says Hari, who usually follows a purist method of uploading photographs. Texas-based Malayali artist Melvin Thambi recreated one of my photographs and made a short video of his drawing process, and we got Malayali musician Lakshmi (@lami) to do a background score for it. She is also one of the first Malayali artists to put out audio works on NFT platforms. The short video did really well and struck a deal, he says. Though most collectors are from the Western and Middle Eastern parts of the world, Malayalis, Iranians, Koreans and Bengalis are the most popular contributors in the realm, he claims. Indian collectors are still doing most of their business around galleries, but with time, they would join in too, he says. Hari has joined hands with other NFT enthusiasts from his background to form Focus Collective, which is helping more photographers explore the space. For every sale made, 60 per cent of the revenue goes to the artist and the rest is split between the functioning of the group and in investing in more pieces. In terms of visibility and brand placement, venturing into NFT is one of the best things you can do as a content creator now, he says. By ANI MUMBAI: Bollywood actor Kriti Sanon is extremely happy to see people giving a positive response to her recently released film 'Mimi'. "I honestly have no words to express what I am feeling right now. 'Mimi' literally was a piece of my heart and the way everyone has accepted it and showered it with love is just really really overwhelming," Kriti said. Directed by Laxman Utekar, 'Mimi' is a remake of Samroudhhi Porey's National Award-winning Marathi film 'Mala Aai Vhhaychy!' (2011). In the movie, Kriti essays the role of a young surrogate mother. For her role, she even had to put on 15 kilos. Sharing her experience working on the project, Kriti added: "Right from the time I heard the script, I believed that this one is going to be special and I'm glad that I could do justice to the role." "I had put in a lot of work for it and I am really glad that people are seeing that, as an actor this kind of appreciation is what drives me to push my limits and give it my all to a role. I am so happy to say that this delivery has been successful," she further said. In upcoming months, Kriti will be seen in several films, including 'Bhediya', 'Bachchan Pandey' and Hum Do Humaare Do'. By Express News Service KOCHI: After 18 years, Sooraj (32), finally got rid of the nib of a pen that he accidentally swallowed while studying when he was in Class IX. The nib was found stuck in his lungs only recently after he had spent years on asthma-related treatment. The incident took place back in 2003, when Sooraj, a resident of Aluva, accidentally swallowed the nib, while he was trying to whistle with a pen. On the same day, he was rushed to a private hospital in Kochi where an X-ray was taken. However, the X-ray showed nothing unusual, and could not help locate the presence of any foreign object inside his lungs. Later, the family assumed that the nib might have been egested from the stomach and worried no more. A few days later, the boy started to experience lung-related ailments, including chronic cough and shortness of breath. Thinking that it was due to asthma, he sought treatment at various hospitals. For the past 18 years, he has been under treatment for asthma. Last December, Sooraj was infected with Covid-19 and his symptoms worsened. Due to persistent cough and breathing issues, he consulted Dr Aziz K S, a pulmonologist with Apollo hospitals, Kochi. A CT scan of the chest revealed the presence of the foreign body in the lower lobe of his right lung. For further treatment, he was referred to Amrita Hospitals. The pen's nib was removed by doctors at Amrita without conducting surgery, The nib was found trapped in the lower part of the right lung, and was extracted by a team of doctors led by Dr Tinku Joseph, Chief of Interventional Pulmonology along with Dr Thushara Madathil, Cardiac Anaesthesiologist. The nib was removed through a relatively complex rigid bronchoscopic procedure. As it has been trapped in the lungs for the past 18 years, tissue build-up had occurred over it. The first and most arduous task was to remove the accumulated tissue. This was followed by rigid bronchoscopy. After being admitted under observation for a day, Sooraj returned home from the hospital on Thursday, breathing much more freely. "I had been suffering for the last 18 years due to severe shortness of breath and cough. I am relieved that finally, I don't have to suffer any more difficulties related to this," said Sooraj. "The removal of the trapped part was made possible through rigid bronchoscopy instead of major surgery. If it had remained in the lung for any longer, then it would have led to complications, where removal of a part of the lung through surgery would have been the only option," said Dr Tinku. He added that symptoms such as shortness of breath and chronic cough may not always be due to asthma, but can occur also when minuscule objects get trapped inside the lungs. By PTI GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said the people of the state should not visit Mizoram till all arms possessed by civilians are seized by the neighbouring government. The Assam government had on Thursday issued a first-of-its-kind travel advisory asking its people not to travel to Mizoram and advised those from the state working or staying there to "exercise utmost caution". The Assam government is monitoring the situation but roads leading to Mizoram are still open, he said. "We have requested the people not to visit Mizoram till the situation normalises. Let us study the situation first. We can visit Mizoram when there is peace," he told reporters on the sidelines of an official programme at Chirang. "When there are AK-47 and sniper rifles with civilians, how can you allow people to visit there? The Mizoram government should seize these arms from their civilians. People are apprehensive about this," Sarma said in an obvious reference to the the bloody clash at the inter-state border on Monday, which claimed the lives of seven persons and left more than 50 people injured. ALSO READ| North East MPs Forum appeals to Assam, Mizoram to ensure peace along interstate border The chief minister defended the Assam government's Thursday order which mandated the police to check all vehicles entering the state from Mizoram to stop transportation of narcotics drugs. "The drugs coming from international markets enter through Mizoram and then go to the rest of India via Assam. The Mizo people may not be involved in it but lots of drugs are coming through Mizoram. To stop that, we will be checking the vehicles," he added. Sarma said that a CID team of the state police has reached New Delhi to investigate the alleged role of Rajya Sabha MP K Vanlalvena in the gun battle along the inter-state border in Cachar district. About the alleged encroachment of Assam land by people of Mizoram, the chief minister said "The Assamese people will be happy that this time not a single inch of land was grabbed. We cannot allow that. If necessary, we will sacrifice our lives but won't allow our land to be captured." At least six Assam Police personnel and one civilian were killed while defending the "constitutional boundary" of the state with Mizoram in the July 26 clash. The situation currently in and around the area of the clash continues to be tense but calm as a large number of CRPF troops have started patrolling NH-306 which runs between the two states. Officials in Assam's Barak valley said organized blockades on roads leading to Mizoram were lifted and no group is now out on the streets trying to stop trucks or other vehicles. After the fierce gun battle on Monday various groups in the Barak Valley had announced a blockade of Mizoram, which drew sharp protests from the neighbouring state. Assam districts Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi share a 164.6 km long border with Mizoram's three districts - Aizawl, Kolasib and Mamit. The long-standing dispute between the two states has its origin in a 1875 notification which had differentiated Lushai Hills from the plains of Cachar and another of 1933 that demarcates a boundary between Lushai Hills and Manipur. Mizoram insists the inter-state boundary should be demarcated on the basis of the 1875 notification, a corollary to the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) Act, 1873. Its leaders have, however, been arguing against the demarcation notified of 1933, claiming that the Mizo society was not consulted, while Assam wants that notification to be enforced. By Express News Service MUMBAI: The Bombay High court on Friday granted nine days temporary bail to Bhima Koregaon accused Advocate Surendra Gadling from August 13 to 21 to attend his mother's death anniversary. A division bench headed by SS Shinde and NJ Jamadar pronounced this order. Gadling was arrested three years ago for his alleged links with maoists. He was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Gadling had approached the High Court in appeal under section 21 (4) of the NIA act challenging the Supreme Court order of refusing him emergency bail after his mother demise due to Covid last year. Advocate Indira Jaisingh appearing for Gadling submitted that since family members were hospitalized with Covid 19 or under home isolations in August 2020, his mother funeral rites -- cooling of ashes, rituals and condolence meeting remained pending. However, the family had decided to perform these pending rituals on her deaths anniversary on August 15, 2021. She demanded bail for her client on humanitarian grounds and requested to correct the error. However, NIA called this demand a gross abuse of the process of law and courts precious time. Earlier, the NIA court had rejected the Gadling demand of bail to perform the rituals saying the time has already passed so he would not be required to perform the rituals or funeral rites. By PTI BANGAON: A BSF personnel has been arrested for allegedly raping a Bangladeshi woman, nabbed while illegally crossing over into India, on the pretext of interrogating her inside a camp of the paramilitary force in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, police said on Friday. Acting on a complaint lodged by the survivor at Gaighata police station, the accused BSF sub-inspector was arrested on Thursday, a senior police officer said. "The incident took place on the night of July 27. After it came to light, the BSF itself handed over the jawan to the local police and placed him under suspension," a senior officer of the paramilitary force said. The survivor and another woman, both hailing from Bangladesh's Gopalganj, were arrested while illegally crossing over into India. As per the survivor's police complaint, the two women were arrested by personnel of the 158th battalion of the BSF while they were illegally entering India through the Jhaudanga border. "She has alleged that the BSF personnel took both of them to the Kharer Math camp of the paramilitary force for questioning. When nobody was around, the accused trooper raped the woman on the pretext of interrogating her," the police officer said, quoting the FIR. The BSF personnel has been booked under Section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code, and produced before the Bangaon Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, which remanded him to two days in police custody, he said. The woman's confidential statement has been recorded by the magistrate under Section 164 of the CrPC, and medical tests were conducted on her, the officer added. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Friday declared results of Class XII board examinations, after having allowed the schools to evaluate students under a special formula necessitated by the pandemic. As per results, 99.37% students passed the examination this year, which is much higher than the 89% last year and 83.40% in 2019. A total of 99.13% of boys and 99.67% of girls passed. No merit list or list of toppers was prepared. The CBSE said: As a special case, the board will neither declare subject-wise merit list of students and not issue merit certificates to students. Among the 16 regions of the board, Trivandrum with 99.89%, had the highest pass percentage. Patna with 98.91% had the lowest. This year, the students were scored on the basis of a 30:30: 40 formula, in which 30% weightage was given to result in Class X, 30% from Class XI and 40% from Class XII, which included internals assessments, unit tests and term examinations that schools had conducted internally. The board said that the results of 60,443 students, who registered under private and correspondence category, will be declared after their exams are held on August 15 and 16. As per data shared by the CBSE, 13,04,561 candidates appeared for the exam this year and 12,96,318 passed. Number of students who scored more than 95% is the highest in the last three years. More than 70,000 students scored 95 and above, as compared to 38,686 in 2020 and 17,693 in 2019. Of the total candidates who passed the exam this year, more than 1.5 lakh students scored more than 90%, similar to 2020. But in 2019, this number was lower, at about 94,000 students. The Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya and Kendriya Vidyalayas saw the best performances, as has been the trend over the last several years, with pass percentage of 99.94% and 100%, respectively. Only 6,149 to take compartment exam Only 6,149 students were placed under compartment as against 87,650 students last year. The compartment examination will be conducted between August 16 to September 15. The exact dates will be announced in some time, said CBSE Examinations Controller Sanyam Bhardwaj. By PTI NEW DELHI: The Department of Science and Technology (DST), supported project by the Foundation For Innovations In Health, Kolkata has developed an algorithm that measures COVID Severity Score (CSS) which is suitable for use by frontline health workers and other health personnel, Science and Technology minister Jitendra Singh said on Friday. The software generates a CSS based on personal information, symptoms, vital parameters and laboratory test reports. The software dynamically monitors the clinical status of the patient so that informed and timely decision can be taken regarding clinical management plan of COVID affected patients like the requirement of ICU admission, ventilator support, discharge. "Science for Equity Empowerment & Development (SEED) Division of Department of Science and Technology (DST), under a project supported for sustainable public health and primary care by the Foundation For Innovations In Health, Kolkata has developed an algorithm that measures Covid Severity Score (CSS)," Singh said in a written response to a question in Lok Sabha. The software application is suitable for use by frontline health workers and other health personnel. The algorithm has been expanded, to measure different parameters of a COVID-19 positive patient (symptoms, vital parameters, test reports and comorbidities) and it scores each patient against a pre-set dynamic algorithm and allocates a Covid Severity Score (CSS), he said. In this initiative, the organisation has collaborated with IIT, Guwahati, University of Edinburgh and World Health Organisation (WHO) (South East Asia Regional Office). "This technology has been made available at primary care e-Health clinics in resource poor settings through the project supported by the SEED division," he said. Certified frontline health workers received additional training from healthcare sector skill council as Covid Warrior. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the training centre at IIT Guwahati for training of 'Customised Crash Course Programme for COVID Warriors, Singh said. By PTI NEW DELHI: Easing of lockdown combined with pandemic fatigue, lack of community adherence to Covid-appropriate behavior, and circulation of more transmissible variants of SARS-CoV-2 can be attributed to the surge in new cases in some states and union territories, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday. In a written reply, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said, according to the WHO, there is some evidence to indicate higher transmissibility for cases infected with variants of SARS-CoV-2 like Delta and Delta plus. "The ministry of health after expert deliberations has concluded that the existing clinical management protocol for managing COVID-19 cases suffices for treatment of cases infected with variants of COVID-19 and doesn't warrant any change," Pawar said. "Easing of lockdown combined with pandemic fatigue, lack of community adherence to COVID appropriate behavior and evolution and circulation of more transmissible variants of SARS-CoV-2 viruses can be attributed for the surge in Coronavirus cases in some states and UTs," the minister said. Pawar was responding to a question on whether new strains like Delta plus and Lambda are more infectious and the reasons for the recent surge in coronavirus cases in some states and UTs including Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Manipur. Elaborating on the steps taken by the government for urgent control and containment measures of the disease, Pawar said, although health is a state subject, the Union government has provided the required technical support and also provided logistic and financial support to the states to further strengthen the existing health infrastructure to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. A three-tier arrangement of dedicated COVID-19 health facilities [(i) COVID Care Center (CCC); (ii) Dedicated Covid Health Centre (DCHC) and (iii) Dedicated COVID Hospital (DCH)] has been implemented in the country to reduce the risk of cross infection to non-COVID patients as well as to maintain continuity of non-COVID essential health services in the country, Pawar said. The central government has roped in tertiary care hospitals under other ministries to supplement the hospital facilities. "Further, many large temporary treatment facilities were established by the DRDO to manage the surge in COVID-19 cases in the country," the minister said. The isolation bed capacity and ICU bed capacity was also enhanced continuously, Pawar said. The daily liquid medical oxygen (LMO) supply was increased by enhancement of LMO production in steel as well as other plants. Further, restrictions were also imposed on industrial use of oxygen, the minister said. Online digital solutions like Oxygen Demand Aggregation system (ODAS) and Oxygen Digital Tracking System (ODTS) have been developed to ascertain the demand for medical oxygen from all medical facilities and to track their transportation, Pawar said. To avoid wastage of medical oxygen, guidelines on rational use of the life-saving gas were issued on September 25, 2020, and further revised and disseminated to states on April 25, 2021, the reply stated. To generate oxygen at the health facility level, PSA plants are being established in each district hospital to reduce the burden on the medical oxygen supply grid across the country. To fast-track the availability of medical oxygen in rural and peri-urban areas, more than 39,000 oxygen concentrators have been allocated to various states, Pawar said. A Covid Drugs Management Cell (CDMC) has been set up in the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) to oversee the management of smooth supply of drugs used in COVID-19 management, the minister said. Action is initiated at the national level to augment production of critical drugs including import besides support in terms of equitable distribution of the critical supplies, Pawar said. All the states and UTs and state drugs controllers have been requested to verify stock of drugs and check other malpractices and take effective steps to curb hoarding and black marketing of Remdesivir, a key medicine in COVID-19 treatment. Under the National Covid Vaccination Programme, the Union government is procuring vaccines and providing them free of cost to states and UTs. As on July 25, a total of about 44.91 crore doses have been supplied to the states and UTs from all sources. The Union government has provided financial support to the states and UTs for ramping up health infrastructure and all aspects of management of COVID-19. Providing details of the efficacy of the vaccine available in the country in fighting the existing and new strains of coronavirus, the minister said, the ICMR-NIV has conducted in-vitro laboratory assays to determine the neutralisation potential of variant strains of SARS-CoV-2 in comparison to the standard strain with D614G mutation. Similar studies have also been done by other laboratories across the world. As far as data of in-vitro laboratory neutralisation assays is concerned, in case of Alpha variant, the baseline titers of neutralising antibodies are high in both Covishield and Covaxin. In case of the Delta variant, the baseline titres of neutralising antibodies are very high in Covishield and significantly high in Covaxin. These are sufficient to neutralise the delta variant strain, the reply stated. By PTI MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate has issued fresh summons to former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh and his son to appear before it on Monday here in connection with a money laundering case probe, official sources said on Friday. The 72-year-old NCP politician and his son, Hrishikesh, have been asked to depose before the investigating officer of the case on August 2, according to provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said. Deshmukh has skipped at least three summonses of the federal probe agency in the past for questioning in the case. His son and wife too were summoned and they also did not appear. The summons were issued in connection with the criminal case registered under the PMLA related to an alleged Rs 100 crore bribery-cum-extortion racket in the Maharashtra police establishment that led to Deshmukh's resignation in April. The agency had last month raided Deshmukh's premises in Mumbai and Nagpur apart from that of his aides and some others. It subsequently arrested two of his aides in this case, personal secretary Sanjeev Palande (51) and personal assistant Kundan Shinde (45). The Enforcement Directorate's case against Deshmukh and others was made out after the CBI booked him in a corruption case related to allegations of at least Rs 100 crore bribery made by former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh. By PTI NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Friday amid continued opposition protest over Pegasus and other issues. When the House reassembled at noon, amid the din two bills -- The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Bill, 2021 and the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill -- was introduced. Rajendra Agrawal, who was chairing the proceedings, then asked protesting members to go back to their respective seats as a discussion on COVID-19 situation is scheduled under Rule 193. As sloganeering continued, Agrawal adjourned the House proceedings for the day. The Lok Sabha will now meet on August 2 after the routine weekend break. Earlier in the day the House was adjourned till noon after protests. During the Question Hour, Opposition members raised slogans and displayed placards as they protested on Pegasus spyware controversy and other issues. Some Opposition members were heard raising slogans like 'we want justice'. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have been rocked by Opposition protests since the Monsoon session commenced on July 19. By PTI PALGHAR: A woman official of a private bank at Virar in Maharashtra's Palghar district was stabbed to death, while her female colleague was injured in an attack by two persons, including a debt-ridden former manager of the same branch, police said on Friday. The incident occurred at ICICI Bank's Virar east branch around 8.30 pm on Thursday. The two victims were the only persons working in the bank at that time, they said. Anil Dubey, one of the two accused arrested in the case, is a former manager of the same branch of the bank where the incident took place, senior inspector Suresh Varade of Virar police station said. "The accused duo entered the bank and threatened its assistant manager Yogita Vartak and cashier Shraddha Devrukhkar - at knife point when they were doing some official work," he said. The accused asked them to hand over cash and jewellery and tried to flee with the booty, when the two women raised an alarm and tried to stop the robbers. However, the accused stabbed Vartak and Devrukhkar, he added. Dubey was later caught by the people, who chased him. However, his accomplice escaped from the spot, Varade said. People found Vartak lying motionless in a pool of blood inside the bank, while her colleague was badly injured. They were rushed to a hospital, where the former was declared brought dead, police said. "Dubey is a former manager of the same branch of the bank where the drama unfolded. He had taken a loan of Rs 1 crore and in order to repay the amount, he conspired to loot this bank. He currently works with another private bank in Naigaon in the district," Varade said. Devrukhar was admitted to a private hospital, where she was undergoing treatment, while Vartak's body was sent for post-mortem, police said. A case has been registered against the accused under IPC sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 397 (robbery, or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) at Virar police station. Police have launched a search for Dubey's accomplice. Prasanta Mazumdar By Express News Service GUWAHATI: With supplies choked due to an economic blockade imposed by the locals in Assams Cachar and Hailakandi districts since July 27, Mizoram has begun transporting essential items from Tripura. Several trucks, carrying the first consignment of essential commodities, entered the state on Friday from Tripura. The blockade was imposed on two roads, which lead to Mizoram via Cachar and Hailakandi, as a mark of protest against the July 26 violence on the interstate border that left six Assam Police personnel dead and scores others, including an IPS officer, injured. Mizorams Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister K Lalrinliana said the state was also facilitating the transportation of essential items from Manipur. Mizoram border with Assam is 164.6 km, 95 km with Manipur, and 66 km with Tripura. Lalrinliana said the Food Corporation of India (FCI) would transport rice to Mizoram from Tripura. The Mizoram government has signed an agreement with the FCI in this regard, he said. ALSO READ | Assam border standoff: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma defends travel advisory on Mizoram According to the minister, Mizoram has sufficient rice stocks. He said the state government was in talks with Manipur government for the transportation of fuel and LPG cylinders. The state government is taking all steps to make sure there is no crisis of essential commodities, Lalrinliana said. Chief Minister Zoramthanga was optimistic the Centre would help resolve the border problem. I still hope for an amicable solution to the #AssamMizoramBorderTension from the Central Government, he tweeted on Friday. In another tweet, he wrote: Northeast will always be #One. The District Magistrate of Mizorams Kolasib issued a public notice on Friday stating that there would be no restriction on the movement of non-residents of Mizoram traveling through Kolasib. Mizo residents are also advised to cause no disturbance and harm to non-locals within Kolasib district in connection with the interstate boundary issue on Mizoram-Assam border, the notice reads. Given the border skirmishes and resultant tension, the Assam government had issued a travel advisory on Thursday, asking the people of the state not to travel to Mizoram. Harpreet Bajwa By Express News Service CHANDIGARH: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) led an eight-party initiative on Friday, demanding Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to constitute a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomars assertion in Parliament that the government did not have any record of farmer deaths during the ongoing agitations. A representation was submitted to the Speaker by MPs representing SAD, BSP, NCP, CPI, CPI-M, RLP, J&K National Conference and Shiv Sena. Former minister and MP from Bathinda, Harsimrat Kaur Badal requested representatives of all Opposition parties, including Congress, to join the delegation of MPs meeting the President on Saturday to demand his intervention. Harsimrat said the MPs pointed out that the agriculture minister had committed a serious lapse by stating the government did not have any record of farmer deaths. This amounts to whitewashing the sacrifice of the annadaata who have been agitating against the three black agricultural laws. She claimed there was proof of 537 farmers dying. The MPs said the minister should apologise to the farming community and the Speaker should form a JPC to gather details of the number of lives lost and suggest ways of rehabilitating their families. The MPs also brought it to the Speakers notice that the minister had gone on record saying no study had been conducted to understand the apprehensions of the farmers regarding the farm laws. This is self admission that steps were not taken to take feedback from farmers, Harsimrat said. The MPs also told the Speaker that the government was refusing to either acknowledge or resolve the grievances of farmers. In fact, attempts are made to defame the farmers and their democratic right to protest by name calling. The MPs said the JPC could also go into this aspect and suggest ways to ensure the voice of the farmers is heard in Parliament. By PTI NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will next week hear a plea by senior journalists N Ram and Sashi Kumar seeking an independent probe by a sitting or a retired judge into the Pegasus snooping matter. A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana on Friday took note of senior advocate Kapil Sibal's submissions that the petition, which has been numbered after filing with the apex court registry, needed an urgent hearing in view of its wide ramifications. The issue affects the freedom of citizens, the lawyer, appearing for Ram and Kumar said, and added that opposition leaders, journalists and even court staff have been put under surveillance. "It is creating waves in India and world over," Sibal said while pressing for an urgent hearing on the plea. "We will list it sometime in next week," the chief justice said. The bench agreed to Sibal's submission that the plea be listed next week except on Tuesday and Wednesday when he will be busy in other matter. According to the plea, the alleged snooping represented an attempt by agencies and organisations to muzzle the exercise of free speech and expression of dissent in India. It seeks an investigation into the hacking of phones using the Pegasus spyware, An international media consortium has reported that over 300 verified Indian mobile phone numbers were on a list of potential targets for surveillance using Israeli firm NSO's Pegasus spyware. The petition also seeks a direction to the Centre to disclose if the government or any of its agencies obtained licence for Pegasus spyware and used it, either directly or indirectly, to conduct surveillance in any manner. ALSO READ | 500 people, groups write to CJI seeking Supreme Court intervention in Pegasus spyware case The petitioners claimed that investigations involving several leading publications around the world have revealed that several Indians, including journalists, lawyers, ministers, opposition politicians and activists, have been identified as potential targets for surveillance using Pegasus software. Forensic analysis by the Security Lab of Amnesty International of several mobile phones, belonging to people targeted for surveillance, has confirmed Pegasus-induced security breaches, the petition claimed. "The targeted surveillance using military-grade spyware is an unacceptable violation of the right to privacy which has been held to be a fundamental right under Articles 14 (equality before the law), 19 (freedom of speech and expression) and 21 (protection of life and personal liberty) by the Supreme Court," it added. The hacking of phones belonging to journalists, doctors, lawyers, activists, ministers and opposition politicians "seriously compromises" the effective exercise of the fundamental right to free speech and expression, the petition said. Such an act has an obvious chilling effect on expression by threatening invasion into the most core and private aspects of a person's life, it added. According to the petition, hacking of phones using the Pegasus spyware constituted a criminal offence punishable under Sections 66 (computer related offences), 66B (punishment for dishonestly receiving stolen computer resource or communication device), 66E (punishment for violation of privacy) and 66F (punishment for cyberterrorism) of the IT Act, punishable with imprisonment and/or fine. "The attack prima facie constitutes an act of cyber-terrorism that has several grave political and security ramifications, especially considering that the devices of government ministers, senior political figures and constitutional functionaries which may contain sensitive information have been targeted," it added. By PTI JAIPUR: In a clear indication that some members of the Rajasthan Cabinet may be dropped, Congress general secretary Ajay Maken on Friday said a few ministers have expressed willingness to quit the government to work for the organisation. The remark by Maken, who is the Rajasthan in-charge at the All India Congress Committee (AICC), follows his one-on-one meetings here with party MLAs and other leaders in the Congress-ruled state ahead of a likely Cabinet reshuffle. Maken said everyone told him that they will accept whatever the party high command decides for them. A Cabinet expansion and appointments to district Congress posts is expected soon, following demands by supporters of former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot for a bigger share of power in the state led by Ashok Gehlot. "There are people who are eager to leave government positions and work for the organisation. We are proud of such people," Maken said, his remarks indicating that some ministers in the Gehlot Cabinet may now make way for fresh faces. "The Congress will form the government again in 2023 with our members, who are ready to leave everything and work together with the organisation," he told reporters. The leader said the ministers cited his own example when he quit a ministerial post in 2013 to work for the organisation. After the one-on-one meetings on Wednesday and Thursday with 115 MLAs - from the ruling party and those supporting it - Maken held discussions Friday with the state executive at the Congress headquarters here. He is now expected to submit his report to the party's central leadership in New Delhi. "We mainly discussed how we can bring back a Congress government in 2023. In the state executive meeting also, we discussed that there should be better coordination between the government and the organisation so that together we can bring the Congress back to power," he said. Maken appreciated the performance of the Gehlot government. "I was told by every MLA how amazing development work has been carried out in their constituency -- be it education, health, roads, hospitals. All MLAs are satisfied and all are moving ahead on the path of development," he said. Apart from the MLAs, Maken spoke separately with Gehlot, Pilot, state unit president Govind Singh Dotasra and Speaker CP Joshi. Asked about the possible role for Pilot, who was sacked as deputy CM and the state unit president after he rebelled last year against Gehlot, he said, "Everyone has faith in the high command. Everyone has said that whatever role the high command decides will be acceptable to all." On Thursday night, Gehlot also held an informal meeting of party MLAs at his home. "Forget, forgive and unite. There is no dearth of development work in the state. The work will continue like this...have faith. All of you will win and the Congress will form the government in 2023," he was quoted later as telling them. Including Gehlot, there are 21 members now in the Rajasthan ministry and up to nine more can be accommodated. Similarly, there are vacancies in party units at the district level. The Congress high command had brought about a truce in the Rajasthan unit after rebel MLAs led by Pilot appeared to bring the Gehlot government on the brink of collapse last year. A three-member AICC committee was formed to look into the grievances of Pilot supporters. But they claim that this has not happened even months later. By PTI NEW DELHI: An action plan aimed at strengthening result-oriented cooperation among the BRICS countries to combat terrorism, radicalisation and terror financing will be adopted at a meeting of the national security advisors of the grouping next month. The Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday that the action plan was finalised at a meeting of the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Working Group (CTWG) that took place virtually on July 28 and 29. "The BRICS Counter-Terrorism Action Plan is one of the key deliverables during India's chairship of BRICS and will be adopted at the meeting of BRICS National Security Advisors scheduled next month," the MEA said. BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) brings together five of the largest developing countries of the world, representing 41 per cent of the global population, 24 per cent of the global GDP and 16 per cent of the global trade. India has been strongly pitching for deeper cooperation among the BRICS member countries in dealing with terrorism, extremism and radicalisation. At the CTWG meeting, the BRICS countries exchanged views on the assessment of the threat from terrorism at the national, regional and global levels and resolved to further enhance counter-terrorism cooperation in line with the action plan, the MEA said in a statement. It said the countries also condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. The 6th meeting of the CTWG was held under the chairship of India. "The main outcome of the working group meeting was the finalisation of the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Action Plan containing specific measures to implement the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Strategy adopted by BRICS Leaders in 2020," the MEA said. "The action plan is aimed at further strengthening result-oriented cooperation between BRICS countries in areas such as preventing and combating terrorism, radicalisation, financing of terrorism, misuse of internet by terrorists, curbing travel of terrorists, border control, protection of soft targets and information sharing," it said. Mahaveer Singhvi, joint secretary for counter-terrorism in the MEA, chaired the CTWG meeting while senior counter-terrorism officials from all BRICS countries participated in it. V Suryanarayan By Lee Kuan Yew (19232015), the architect of modern Singapore, transformed the island republic From Third World to First (the title of his memoirs), an achievement unparalleled in modern Asian history. What is less known is the fact that this seminal figure was responsible for the transformation of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). China today has become not only the foremost Asian power, it is rapidly catching up with the US. Early in his political career, Lee realised that Singapore (a Chinese island in a Malay sea) could not afford to become a Third China. The leaders of Indonesia and Malaysia were concerned about Chinese cultural exclusiveness and their stranglehold on the economy. The nationalism had strong streaks of xenophobia, not only against the colonial powers but also against the economically powerful Chinese community. Addressing the Nanyang University in October 1959, Lee underlined: If Nanyang becomes a symbol of Chinese excellence and the supremacy of Chinese scholarship and learning then verily we will aggravate the position of overseas Chinese. It was this firm belief that made Singapore dissuade the boat people (mainly ethnic Chinese) from coming to its shores. Adding to the complexity, the revolutionary leadership and militant following of the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) came from the Chinese community. The MCP, which waged an armed struggle for power from 1948 to 1960, received powerful ideological and, to some extent, armed support from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The Malay leaders, therefore, were highly suspicious of Chinas expansionist designs. This ethnic reality prompted Lee to declare that Singapore would be the last among ASEAN nations to establish diplomatic relations with Beijing, which it did only in 1990. According to Lee, two major obstacles had to be overcome before normalcy was established in bilateral relations. After the Revolution in 1911, when Dr Sun Yat Sen became the President of Kuomintang China, he proclaimed a new Constitution under which citizenship went with ethnicity and not the place of residence. Thus a Chinese living in Malaya or Singapore became a citizen of China; his loyalty was to China and not to Malaya or Singapore. This policy made Southeast Asian nationalists view ethnic Chinese as Beiings fifth column. It was only after many years of persuasive diplomacy that Chinas leaders revised their thinking. They advocated that the Chinese communities should become citizens of the countries in which they lived and began the universal practice of passports and visas. The second impediment was the powerful ideological support that the CCP extended to fraternal communist parties. The Voice of Malayan Revolution, The Voice of Thai Revolution and The Voice of Burma Revolutionall underground radiosbegan to function from Southern China. The PRC, at that time, made a distinction between government-to-government and party-to-party relations. Lee, a staunch anti-communist in domestic politics, was referred to as a running dog of American and British imperialism. Lee was able to convince the Chinese leaders that support to local communist parties was an obstacle if China wanted to expand economic and political relations. In a major initiative, China stopped the support to communist parties. Gradually China became a status quo power. During the Third Indo-China War, China worked together with the US and ASEAN to isolate Vietnam. The PRC has changed to such an extent that it is today the main supporter of many reactionary regimesthe military leadership in Pakistan, the Rajapaksas in Sri Lanka and the military junta in Myanmar. It is worth narrating an incident that took place during the first goodwill visit of a Singapore delegation in 1967, which is given in S R Nathans book, An Unexpected Journey: Path to Presidency. The bilateral relations were still tentative. The centrepiece of the visit was the meeting of Lee and the Chinese Prime Minister Hua Guofeng. Hua presented Lee with a book, saying: This is the correct account of the war between China and India. I hope you will find it useful. Lee took the book, looked at the front cover, looked at the back, and said: Prime Minister, this is your version of the war. There is another version, the Indian version. And in any case I am from Southeast Asia. It is nothing to do with us. He handed the book back. Nathan has written, For me, this was a very important moment, a clear confirmation that Lee Kuan Yew, ethnically Chinese, was his own man, in no way subordinate to China or the Chinese Communists. Another low point in China-Singapore relations deserves mention. Singapore has no space to train its armed forces and, therefore, uses Taiwanese territory. However, Singapore has made it clear that it does not follow two China policies. In November 2016, China seized nine armoured vehicles that Singapore had shipped through Hong Kong on their return after training in Taiwan. The Chinese government launched a vituperative attack over conducting military exchanges with Taiwan. Singapore spends nearly 20% of its budget on defence, which illustrates how vulnerable it is. It took many months for relations to become normal. With Deng Xiaoping on the ascendant, Lees role increased manifold. To quote Lee: He was the most important leader I had met. He was a five-footer but a giant among men. Both were Hakkas and this common linkage further cemented the friendship. Deng visited Singapore in 1978. He was very impressed with Singapores rapid economic growth and orderliness; he wanted to replicate the Singapore model in China. Lee, in turn, told him that China would benefit a lot if the capital and entrepreneurial skill of the Overseas Chinese was mobilised for economic betterment of China. To quote Lee: I told Deng over dinner in 1978 that we, Singapore Chinese, were the descendants of illiterate, landless peasants from Guangdong and Fujian in South China, whereas the scholars, Mandarins, and literati had stayed and left their progeny in China. There was nothing that Singapore had done which China could not do and do better. Lee visited China 33 times. Dr Goh Keng Swee, the man behind the Singapore miracle, went to China and advised it on the development of export promotion zones. It is estimated that the Overseas Chinese had contributed nearly 70% of the foreign direct investment in China. Lee held the view that competition between China and the US is inevitable, but conflict is not. But with growing strains between China and the US, how will Singapore adjust to new realities? Unlike Deng, who subordinated foreign policy for the sake of economic development, Xi Jinping is more assertive and decisive. Washington and Beijing have started pressurising Singapore to change its foreign policy in their favour. And with China determined to solve the Malacca Straits dilemma by exploring alternative trade routes, Singapores locational advantage is bound to decrease. Equally relevant, the Make in China 2025 policy might adversely affect the island republic. Over 16% of Singapores exports to China are manufactured goods and if China becomes self-reliant, Singapores exports are expected to decline. It is very difficult to hazard how the winds of change would affect Singapore in the coming years. But if the past holds any lessons, one should not underestimate the resilience of Singapores leadership to face new challenges. V Suryanarayan, Founding Director and Senior Professor (Retd), Centre for South and Southeast Asian Studies, University of Madras (suryageeth@gmail.com) By Express News Service KOCHI: An accused in the Kerala actor abduction case in which Malayalam actor Dileep is facing trial was arrested on Friday. Police arrested Vishnu, the 10th accused in the case, a day after the Additional Special Sessions Court directed the Ernakulam Rural SP to produce him before the court. Though Vishnu had turned an approver in the case in February, he failed to turn up before the court for interrogation. Following this, the court issued a non-bailable warrant against him. "The court issued a summons to Vishnu to appear before the court on Tuesday. However, he was absconding. Following this, the court issued an order to arrest him," said a police officer. It was Vishnu who allegedly helped Pulsar Suni, the main accused, by arranging a mobile phone and SIM card when he was imprisoned at Kakkanad jail. Using the same phone, Pulsar Suni contacted the associates of Dileep, according to the police. The case involves a popular Malayalam actress who was allegedly sexually assaulted after being held captive for nearly two hours in a car while she was on her way to Kochi from Thrissur in February 2017. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Opposition front on Friday boycotted the assembly proceedings for the day demanding resignation of General education minister V Sivankutty in connection with the assembly ruckus case. The front decided to boycott the proceedings during the question hour itself after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan remained firm on his decision that the minister would not step down. When the House convened at 9 am, the Opposition front disrupted the proceedings by raising slogans seeking the removal of Sivankutty. Though Speaker MB Rajesh appealed the opposition to remain calm, his efforts went in vain. However the proceedings started amidst slogan rising from the opposition benches. Forest Minister AK Saseendran started giving answers to the written questions from Congress legislators PT Thomas and Roji M John on the Muttil tree-felling case. The opposition legislators disrupted and Thomas said he won't ask the question until the chair allow Opposition leader V D Satheeshan to speak. Other UDF legislators too seconded him. Following this Speaker allowed VD Satheeshan to speak. The Opposition Leader wanted to know why the government was protecting the minister, even after he is accused in a criminal case. Satheeshan pointed out the Chief Minister's action amounts to disrespect to the Supreme Court verdict, as the verdict of the apex court is considered to be the 'law of the land'. To which chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan once again made it categorically clear that minister V Sivankutty will not be replaced. He accused the UDF of going for a police complaint rather than not letting the incident getting resolved under the purview of the assembly rules and proceeding. The police case in the assembly ruckus was unprecedented, he pointed out. Responding to Chief Minister, Satheeshan said Chief minister was wrong and there were police cases registered before also, in the erstwhile assembly in the state and in other states like Punjab. Later, the Speaker decided to proceed with the question hour amid protest slogans from the opposition side. At 9.30 am, the Opposition leader requested the Speaker to allow him to speak and announced that the Opposition has decided to boycott the session for the day. Meanwhile, minister Sivankutty was absent in the assembly on Friday too. By Express News Service KOCHI: A 24-year-old man shot dead a woman house surgeon before killing himself in broad daylight here. The incident took place at Nellikuzhi, near Kothamangalam, about 35 km from Kochi on Friday. According to police, the killer was identified as Rakhil, 24. Manasa P V, 24, the victim, was a fourth-year student pursuing dentistry at the Indira Gandhi College, Kothamangalam. Both hail from Kannur district. The incident took place near the Indira Gandhi Institute of Dental Sciences, Kothamangalam, at around 3:30 pm. "A personal grudge between the two seems to be the reason for the murder. We are gathering more details," said a police officer with the Kothamangalam police station. Police said the incident happened near the place where she was residing as a paying guest. He entered the house to shoot the woman, police said. The girl's parents had earlier lodged a complaint with the police at Kannur against Rakhil for troubling and stalking their daughter. By Express News Service CHENNAI: Five decades ago, the late DMK president M Karunanidhi during his second tenure as Chief Minister, launched the Beggars Rehabilitation Scheme on his 48th birthday and vowed to eliminate beggary in Tamil Nadu in five to seven years time, while also ordering the construction of six homes at important towns to rehabilitate leprosy-affected beggars in the first phase. However, over a period, the scheme lost its momentum and now the number of beggars in the State have increased. With Chief Minister MK Stalin now reviewing the functioning of all departments on a day to day basis ahead of the budget session and initiating more impetus to developmental schemes as well as social reform initiatives, several activists express hope that Stalin would pay special attention to the rehabilitation of beggars, a cause close to his fathers heart. Karunanidhi first spoke about the issues of beggars in his film Parasakthi in 1952, wherein he stressed on their empowerment. When he became the CM, he put his words into action. Forget this is my birthday. It is the day of beggars rehabilitation, said Karunanidhi on his 48th birthday on June 3, 1971. On that day, he also literally begged for funds for the scheme from shop keepers near his residence, and thus collected Rs 3,000. Seeking alms is not an insult to the person who is begging. But, it is indeed an insult to the country and the society, which made him a beggar, he had said. The former chief minister had insisted on all those who visited him on his birthday to donate Rs 10 to the beggars rehabilitation scheme. During that birthday celebration function in 1971, then HR and CE Minister M Kannappan handed over a cheque for Rs 1.24 lakh on behalf of temples and charitable endowments to the scheme. Actor MG Ramachandran, who was with the DMK then, also donated Rs 10,000. At a function held at the Centenary building of University of Madras on June 3, 1971, the Beggars Rehabilitation Fundraising Scheme was launched by Karunanidhi in the presence of the then Governor KK Shah. Karunanidhi also sold the first lottery ticket for raising funds for the scheme to the Governor. The then Harijan Welfare Minister Sathiyavani Muthu said there were around 60,000 beggars in Tamil Nadu and of them, 8,000 were leprosy-afflicted persons. P Naveen Kumar, founder-president of Atchayam Trust and National Youth Awardee in 2018 for rehabilitation of beggars, shared his views and key steps to be taken by the government to rehabilitate beggars. First of all, the government has to define who is a beggar in the prevailing social conditions. Secondly, the government has to create a separate department for eliminating beggary as it is the need of the hour since the number of beggars are growing everyday. Thirdly, the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Begging Act should be enforced vigorously with some amendments to it, he said. Explaining his points, Kumar said as per the law, the beggars arrested are being produced before the district magistrate and then sent to a rehabilitation home. This cumbersome procedure indirectly threatens the persons involved in beggary. Instead, district level committees comprising experts from various fields should be constituted to deal with the issue. The beggars taken into custody from various places should be produced before this committee and it would decide what kind of remedy should be given to the individual depending on their situation like whether they need counselling or a job or admission to a rehabilitation home, he added. In our experience, we have come across 18 kinds of beggars those who beg due to extreme poverty, those who have been left uncared for by their children, mentally disturbed, alcoholics who have no money to drink, elderly who are unable to work, etc. The government should establish rehabilitation homes in every district and these homes should be shelters and not prison-like facilities. It should provide a comfortable life to the beggars and help them return to normal life by offering employment opportunities. The government should also ensure that children look after their parents, Naveen concluded. By AFP BEIJING: Hundreds of thousands of people in China were in coronavirus lockdown Friday as the country battled its worst outbreak in months, while the United States intensified vaccination efforts in the face of a Delta variant-fuelled surge. The World Health Organization has warned that the highly transmissible strain, first detected in India, could unleash more Covid-19 outbreaks in a high-risk area from Morocco to Pakistan where vaccination rates are low. In China, a cluster of infections in Nanjing city linked to airport workers who cleaned a plane from Russia earlier this month had reached the capital Beijing and five provinces by Friday. Hundreds of thousands of people have been locked down in Jiangsu province, of which Nanjing is the capital, while 41,000 came under stay-at-home orders in Beijing's Changping district. At least 206 infections across China have been linked to the cluster, and the outbreak is geographically the largest in several months. It challenges Beijing's aggressive containment efforts which have relied on mass testing, lockdowns and swift contact tracing. The Delta variant is more transmissible than the pathogens that cause SARS, Ebola and smallpox, and as easily spread as chickenpox, according to an internal US Centers for Disease Control presentation reported by The Washington Post and The New York Times. It has driven recent surges around the world, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. The Philippines next week will send more than 13 million people in the national capital region back into lockdown because of a Delta-linked increase, the government said Friday. The variant has also been linked to around half of new cases in Tokyo. Japan on Friday extended a virus state of emergency in the capital a week into the Olympics, with the city reported a record number of new cases the day before. Meanwhile, Australia said Friday it would reopen borders and end lockdowns when vaccination rates reach 80 percent. 'You don't have to die' The United States ramped up efforts to get people vaccinated in the face of a Delta variant-fuelled surge. With infections and hospitalisations rising, President Joe Biden asked every US federal worker to either declare they are fully vaccinated or wear masks and be tested. "People are dying -- and will die -- who don't have to die," Biden said Thursday. "If in fact you are unvaccinated, you present a problem -- to yourself, to your family, and to those with whom you work." The president also said he would ask the Pentagon to consider making the coronavirus vaccine mandatory for active duty military personnel, and asked state and local governments to offer $100 to holdouts who get the shot. Later, the Pentagon said all its military and civilian personnel would require masks, regular testing and travel restrictions if they are unvaccinated. The CDC has already asked people in virus hotspots -- including the vaccinated -- to wear masks indoors again. The moves stop short of a politically sensitive vaccination mandate for federal workers, but mark a dramatic return to restrictions after a rapid vaccination phase. The surge across America -- which has the highest known Covid-19 death toll in the world -- has left early vaccine adopters angry at those who have so far opted against the shot. "It's almost like they don't care about the rest of the world," Alethea Reed, a 58-year-old healthcare administrator in Washington, told AFP. "They're being selfish and self-centred." By Associated Press DUBAI: An oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire reportedly came under attack off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea, authorities said Friday, an assault that killed two crew members. The attack Thursday night targeted Liberian-flagged oil tanker Mercer Street just northeast of the Omani island of Masirah. The location is over 300 kilometers (185 miles) southeast of Omans capital, Muscat. Israeli officials did not immediately acknowledge the attack, but it comes amid heightened tensions between it and Iran as negotiations remain stalled over Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers. Other Israel-linked ships have been targeted in recent months as well amid a shadow war between the two nations, with Israeli officials blaming the Islamic Republic for the assaults. Israel meanwhile has been suspected in a series of major attacks targeting Iran's nuclear program. London-based Zodiac Maritime, part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer's Zodiac Group, issued a statement saying the ship was the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Mercer Street and was Japanese owned. The British Defense Ministry earlier misidentified the ship's owners. Zodiac Maritime described the attack as piracy, without elaborating. It later said the attack killed two crew members, one from the United Kingdom and another from Romania. It said the company was not aware of harm to any other personnel. At the time of the incident the vessel was in the northern Indian Ocean, traveling from Dar es Salaam to Fujairah with no cargo onboard, the statement from Zodiac Maritime said, naming ports in Tanzania and the United Arab Emirates respectively. Satellite tracking data from MarineTraffic.com showed the vessel had been near where British officials said the attack occurred. However, the last signal the ship sent came early Friday morning. An brief initial statement from the British militarys United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said an investigation was underway into the incident, which it described as happening late Thursday night. The statement did not elaborate, other to say that it suspected the attack did not involve piracy. Earlier on Thursday, the British military group had said it was investigating another unexplained incident in the same area, but it did not elaborate. Oman did not acknowledge an attack and officials there did not respond to requests for comment. The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, which patrols the Mideast, did not respond to a request for comment. The incident comes amid heightened tensions over Iran's tattered nuclear deal and as negotiations over restoring the accord have stalled in Vienna. Since then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in 2018, there have been a series of ship attacks in the region suspected to have been carried out by Tehran. Iranian media quoted foreign reports on the attack, but did not elaborate. The attack came the night after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking from Kuwait, warned Iran that talks in Vienna over the nuclear deal "cannot go on indefinitely. This is the second time this month a ship tied to Ofer apparently has been targeted. In early July, the Liberian-flagged container ship CSAV Tyndall, once tied to Zodiac Maritime, suffered an unexplained explosion on board while in the northern Indian Ocean, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration. By PTI RIYADH: Saudi Arabia will reopen its borders to tourists on Sunday for the first time in 18 months after imposing restrictions at the start of the pandemic to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The historically closed-off kingdom introduced electronic visas for tourists in late 2019, just before the pandemic struck. Saudi Arabia is looking to rebrand itself as a unique tourist destination for nature lovers and curious travelers as a way to boost non-oil revenue and create more jobs. Citizens of 49 mostly European countries, as well as the U.S.and China among others, will be allowed to enter the kingdom under the new rules without quarantine if they provide a negative PCR test before travel and have vaccine certificates proving two doses of the Oxford/Astra Zeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, or a single dose of the vaccine produced by Johnson & Johnson. Travellers vaccinated with the Chinese Sinopharm or Sinovac vaccine must have received a third dose of one of the other vaccines. Earlier this week, the kingdom warned that any citizen who travels to red-listed countries, such as the neighboring emirate of Dubai where the delta variant is present, could face a three-year travel ban. By AFP PRAGUE: The Czech government on Friday gave the go-ahead to a financial aid and asylum programme for local personnel employed by the Czech army in Afghanistan during its deployment there. "In order to protect people's security, we cannot give more details and this issue will be classified as secret," Defence Minister Lubomir Metnar said on Twitter. The programme will include the families of former employees. Czech media have said the programme will cover around 30 Afghans -- mostly interpreters -- and their families. The Czech army was part of the foreign military operation in Afghanistan from 2002 until withdrawal last month. Fourteen Czech soldiers died there. Several countries, primarily the United States, are considering relocation help for Afghan interpreters who worked for them. Many of the former employees fear retaliation by the Taliban, who are seeking to regain control of the government in Kabul after the departure of US troops before the end of August. Around 20,000 Afghans who worked as interpreters for the United States during its war in the country have applied for evacuation under the State Department program of Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs). Some estimates suggest the total number of prospective evacuees could be as high as 100,000 when family members are counted. By PTI UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council extended the arms embargo against the Central African Republic for a year on Thursday despite an appeal from China to lift it, saying the government hasn't met UN benchmarks including ensuring the protection and control of all weapons. The council adopted the resolution, which also extends targeted sanctions on individuals and companies, by a vote of 14-0 with China abstaining. US deputy ambassador Richard Mills welcomed the renewal of the arms embargo, travel bans and asset freezes, calling the measures critical to promoting peace and security in the Central African Republic. He stressed that there is no military solution to the crisis in the country, known as CAR. The mineral-rich Central African Republic has faced deadly inter-religious and inter-communal fighting since 2013 when mainly Muslim Selaka rebels ousted then president Francois Bozize, prompting reprisals from mostly Christian militias. A peace deal between the government and 14 rebel groups was signed in February 2019. But after the constitutional court rejected Bozize's candidacy to run for president in December, rebels linked to him tried to prevent the elections and then attempted to seize power from President Faustin Archange Touadera who won a second term. France's UN Ambassador Nicolas De Riviere, whose country sponsored the resolution, told reporters after the vote it is particularly important in the deteriorating context of the Central African Republic, with a very worrying amount of violence and violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. The spread of arms is clearly part of the problem and their control remains a major issue for the security of the country, he said. But China's deputy UN ambassador Dai Bing strongly disagreed, saying that since December's successful elections, the security situation in the country continues to improve. When the council imposed the arms embargo on CAR in December 2013, he said, the intention was to help restore order. But in reality, the arms embargo has become an obstacle that hampers the CAR government's efforts to strengthen its security capabilities," Dai said. The resolution notes that CAR authorities, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, and the Economic Community of Central African States also supported lifting the arms embargo. It also noted that the Security Council committee monitoring sanctions against CAR has approved all exemptions from the arms embargo requested by CAR authorities -- a point stressed by France's De Riviere who said these exemptions are important to equip and train their army. The ultimate goal is indeed to lift the embargo for the Central African forces: that is why the Council has set up benchmarks to accompany the CAR's progress, he said. Russia's deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyansky urged CAR to meet the benchmarks so the council could consider lifting the arms embargo next year. China's Dai reiterated that the council should fully lift the sanctions against the CAR at an early date in light of changes in the situation. The resolution extends the arms embargo to July 31, 2022 and reiterates the council's readiness to review the arms embargo. It also extends the mandate o the panel of experts monitoring implementation of all sanctions until Aug.31, 2022. Last month, the panel accused Russian military instructors and the CAR forces they are supporting of excessive use of force, indiscriminate killings, the occupation of schools and looting on a large scale -- allegations Moscow strongly rejected. In a 40-page report obtained by The Associated Press, the panel said it collected testimonies from a large number of local officials, government military and internal security forces, and community-level sources in multiple locations in the country who reported the active participation of Russian instructors in combat operations on the ground. The panel said many of the officials and other sources reported that Russian instructors often led rather than followed CAR troops as they advanced on different towns and villages in a counter-offensive against rebels linked to Bozize. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov categorically denied the allegations as yet another lie, saying Russian military advisers couldn't take part and didn't take part in any killings or lootings. By Associated Press TAIPEI (Taiwan): The US military is warning about what analysts have described as a major expansion of Chinas nuclear missile silo fields at a time of heightened tension between Beijing and Washington. Researchers at the Federation of American Scientists estimate that China has approximately 250 underground missile silos under construction after they used satellite imagery to identify a new field being built in western China. US Strategic Command tweeted a link Wednesday to a story in The New York Times on the federation's findings, which were published this week. This is the second time in two months the public has discovered what we have been saying all along about the growing threat the world faces and the veil of secrecy that surrounds it.https://t.co/OTFkP14H5o US Strategic Command (@US_Stratcom) July 27, 2021 The public has discovered what we have been saying all along about the growing threat the world faces and the veil of secrecy that surrounds it, said Strategic Command, which oversees America's nuclear arsenal. The field in the Xinjiang region is the second one reported this summer. In June, researchers at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in California identified another field under construction in neighboring Gansu province. China has not commented on the reports. Asked about the latest one, the Foreign Ministry said Friday that it was not aware of the situation. The reports come at a time when relations between the US and China have plunged to their worst level in decades. The two nations remain sharply at odds over a range of issues, including trade, technology, cybersecurity, human rights and Chinas increasingly assertive foreign policy under President Xi Jinping. The expansion of Chinas nuclear force would likely factor into any US calculations for potential military confrontations over flashpoints such as Taiwan or the South China Sea. The outspoken editor of the state-owned Global Times newspaper said this week that US institutions and the media are hyping the reports about the missile fields to pressure China, but that the nation shouldn't be cowed. Look at what American politicians are saying about China and look at the provocative actions of their warplanes and warships near China, Hu Xijin said. "China must fully step up construction of its military force and nuclear deterrence as the cornerstone of its national security. Both sites are around 800 square kilometers (300 square miles). Ground-based silos can house intercontinental ballistic missiles. Spreading the silos across such a wide area makes targeting the field much more complicated. Analysts say some of the silos may serve as decoys as well. The Chinese missile silo program constitutes the most extensive silo construction since the US and Soviet missile silo construction during the Cold War, researchers Matt Korda and Hans Kristensen wrote in the Federation of American Scientists report. Kuo Yu-jen, a defense studies expert at the Institute for National Policy Research in Taiwan, said its very difficult to get an accurate count of the underground silos of any country, but that the recently released satellite imagery looks very, very similar to missile silos. He characterized the findings as a warning by the US to others that China, in developing its nuclear weapon capabilities, is violating an international consensus geared toward nuclear disarmament. Its also to let Russia know. China, if it increases its number of missiles, it threatens not only the US , but also Russia and Europe," said Kuo, the director at the Institute for National Policy Research in Taiwan. The US and Russia, who have the world's largest nuclear arsenals, held inconclusive talks this week in Geneva in a bid to avoid a new nuclear arms race. Chinas nuclear arsenal is estimated by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute at 350 warheads, while the United States or Russia each has about 6,000. The Pentagon says China will at least double the size of its arsenal in 10 years. The recent research follows a finding by Kristensen in February of construction of 11 underground silos at a vast missile training range near Jilantai in north-central China. ALSO WATCH | Help support your local hometown newspaper/website. Independent local news reporting matters. Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription, for as little as $3, so we can continue to provide independent local reporting on our communities. MIDDLETOWN A man charged in connection with two shootings this spring will return to court next month as prosecutors and his defense attorney continue the discovery process. Antwan Rufus, 33, appeared Tuesday in state Superior Court at Middletown as his lawyer and states attorneys agreed to continue the case to Sept. 14 to allow for more time to gather facts in the case. Rufus, a Middletown resident who is being held on $1.2 million bond, is charged in connection with his alleged part in two shootings that took place within days of each other. The first incident, which took place on April 28, occurred in the area of Maplewood Terrace. Police said nobody was injured. In that case, Rufus was charged with suspicion of first-degree criminal attempt to commit assault, criminal possession of a firearm, unlawful discharge of a firearm, first-degree reckless endangerment, and commission of an A, B, or C felony with a firearm. Authorities said Rufus was rearrested on May 18 while in the custody of the state Department of Correction for pending charges in connection with a May 1 shooting where a man on Williams Street was wounded multiple times in the leg. For the May 1 incident, Rufus was originally arrested May 5 on a warrant charging him with criminal attempt at first-degree assault, second-degree assault, unlawful discharge of a firearm, criminal possession of a firearm, first-degree reckless endangerment and commission of a Class A, B, C felony with a firearm. Rufus has several pending cases at Superior Court in Middletown, including marijuana possession, possession of drugs in a school zone, sale of hallucinogenics, and various traffic violations, according to judicial records. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Rufus was convicted of first-degree assault/discharge of a firearm, criminal possession of a revolver, and violation of probation stemming from a September 2017 arrest, records show. He pleaded guilty to the felony discharge of a firearm and criminal possession of a revolver offenses, and not guilty to violation of probation, according to court records. Rufus was sentenced Nov. 20, 2018, to 12 years in jail, suspended after two years, and five years of probation for the firearms conviction, as well as two years in jail for criminal possession of a revolver. COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after President Joe Biden's administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? The South Carolina Supreme Court suspended most evictions and foreclosures in March 2020, but that moratorium expired in May of last year. Since then, tenants trying to stay in their homes have had to rely upon the CDC moratorium. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? Last year, the state's housing authority ran a $25 million rental and mortgage assistance program with federal CARES Act money. As of July 23, it had disbursed $6.8 million to 1,277 households out of about 7,000 applications. The agency says federal requirements have slowed the program down. This year, South Carolina received $272 million in federal emergency rental assistance for 39 counties. The money can be used for up to 12 months of rent and utility payments dating back to March 2020; some applicants may also qualify for up to three months of future rent aid. Renters with demonstrated risk of homelessness or housing instability and household incomes of up to 80% of their county's median income qualify. As of July 23, the state had distributed $1.4 million to 270 of the 9,200 eligible tenants who applied, with another 1,500 applications in review. The remaining 7,400 applications are missing documentation, said SC Housing spokesman Chris Winston, but the state has recently relaxed paperwork requirements and aims to take a second look at those applicants. Seven of the state's largest county governments also received a total of $74 million in federal emergency rental assistance to distribute in their own programs. In Richland County, which received $12.5 million, 4,243 people had applied as of Tuesday. Administrators have approved 1,699 applications and distributed $9.6 million in funding so far. 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? In Charleston County, one of the state's most populous, housing attorneys aren't expecting an extraordinary wave of evictions leading to homelessness as the moratorium expires, said Nicole Paluzzi of Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services. That's because many smaller landlords have already ejected tenants with month-to-month leases who could no longer afford to pay. Still, Paluzzi said she does expect people to be removed from their homes as corporate landlords that may have had more flexibility during the moratorium begin filing eviction cases. One indication of the scope of the problem is census data showing 125,243 state residents concerned that they could be evicted over the next two months. Amanda Knox is claiming the new Matt Damon film "Stillwater" is profiting off her life and her struggle for a wrongful murder conviction. Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were convicted and later acquitted in an Italian court for the 2007 killing of Knox's roommate, Meredith Kercher, in Perugia, Italy, where Knox was a student. "Stillwater" director Tom McCarthy has said Knox's case inspired the storyline. Of the movie, Knox tweeted Thursday: "Does my name belong to me? My face? What about my life? My story? Why does my name refer to events I had no hand in? I return to these questions because others continue to profit off my name, face & story without my consent. Most recently, the film #STILLWATER" Knox said that she "would love nothing more than for people to refer to the events in Perugia as 'The murder of Meredith Kercher by Rudy Guede,' which would place me as the peripheral figure I should have been, the innocent roommate." Knox also invited McCarthy and Damon to join her on her podcast "Labyrinths," to discuss the events in the film. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. "By fictionalizing away my innocence, my total lack of involvement, by erasing the role of the authorities in my wrongful conviction, McCarthy reinforces an image of me as a guilty and untrustworthy person," Knox said of a twist ending in the movie. "I have not been allowed to return to the relative anonymity I had before Perugia," Knox said. "My only option is to sit idly by while others continue to distort my character, or fight to restore my good reputation that was wrongfully destroyed." Knox, whose case was a media sensation in Italy, spent 4 years in an Italian prison before being fully exonerated. The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. Carl Levin, a former US senator from Michigan who advanced Democratic priorities throughout his 36-year tenure in Congress, has died, the Levin Center at Wayne State University Law School said late Thursday in a statement. "Whether he was chairing a hearing on critical national security issues or working on behalf of his home state, he believed that collaboration and compromise served our common purpose better than partisanship and political brinkmanship. He was a clarion voice for a military strong enough to defend our nation and uphold American values. He was a tireless advocate for the positive role that government can play in the lives of the American people and a relentless watchdog ensuring that government programs meet their commitments," the statement from the Levin family and Levin Center says in part. The former senator died Thursday at age 87. First elected to Congress 1978, Levin was the longest-serving US senator in Michigan's history. A Swarthmore College graduate who earned his law degree at Harvard, Levin prioritized civil rights advocacy early in his career through work at the Michigan Civil Rights Commission. He leveraged his work as a public defender in Detroit -- where he grew up -- and on the Detroit City Council to launch a national political career that saw him become a champion of the Democratic Party. In Washington, he was known as a hardworking and pragmatic legislator who often worked across the aisle even in an increasingly partisan climate. President Joe Biden mourned Levin in a statement Friday, calling the late senator "one of the most honorable and decent people I have ever known." "With his head tilted down, his eyes peering over his glasses -- Carl always looked people straight into their own eyes, listened with an open mind, and responded the way he saw it with respect," Biden said, adding that Levin "showed how democracy -- and our institutions -- can deliver and work for the people." Beyond his nine years as chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Levin's decades in the Senate were defined by his advocacy for tax reform and promotion of US manufacturing jobs, particularly the auto industry. "Holding government accountable and ensuring that legislatively authorized programs are run effectively and efficiently were major guideposts during my service on the Detroit City Council, during my first campaign, and throughout my Senate career," Levin wrote in his 2021 memoir, "Getting to the Heart of the Matter." "As a former local official, I understood the importance of responding to people in need, listening to even the smallest voice, and working hard on behalf of the people with honesty, integrity, and civility." An understated public servant, Levin had won most of his elections by a wide margin even as he confronted thorny political issues at home and abroad -- including voting against then-President Ronald Reagan's tax cuts and, later, the Iraq War. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. He announced his retirement in 2013, calling it an "extremely difficult" decision because of his "love for representing the people of Michigan in the U.S. Senate and fighting for the things that I believe are important to them." Still, Levin continued to engage in politics even after exiting Congress and joining a private law firm, Honigman Attorneys and Counselors -- including a full-throated endorsement of then-candidate Biden in March 2020. "All the Democratic candidates would be superior to four more years of endless Trump lies and divisiveness and incivility. All would end Trump's relentless injection of venom against those who disagree with him and his endless elevation of his personal interest and ego above the interests of the nation," Levin said in a statement at the time. "I have concluded that Vice President Joe Biden has the best chance of defeating Donald Trump -- and the best chance of winning Michigan's electoral votes." Levin is the brother of former longtime Michigan Democratic Rep. Sander Levin, who served 18 terms in Congress, and the uncle of Democratic Rep. Andy Levin, who succeeded his father upon his retirement. Levin is survived by his wife, Barbara, and his three daughters, Erica, Laura and Kate, whom he credited in his memoir as vital to his long political career. "Throughout my career, Barbara (and at times our daughters) has been my thought partner on many issues and projects on which I've embarked, her keen intellect helping me think through the decisions and actions that I've taken," Levin wrote. "I have been very fortunate to have both a challenging and meaningful work life and a rich family life. This was due in great part to the support and understanding of Barbara and our daughters." This story has been updated Friday with a statement from President Joe Biden. The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. HAMPTON Clayton Commissioner Felicia Franklin is hosting a Pedestrian Safety Town Hall on Aug. 5. The event will be held at the South Clayton Recreation Center, 1837 McDonough Road starting at 6 p.m. Representatives from the Atlanta Regional Commission, Georgia Tech, Pedestrian Safety Project and the Clayton County Transportation & Development will be on hand to discuss pedestrian safety with Franklin and the community. I need our help as we continue to push for funding for continuous sidewalks, crosswalks and lighting, Franklin said. For those who cannot attend in person, the town hall can be viewed on Zoom at https://tinyurl.com/claytond3townhall. Pikeville, KY (41501) Today Cloudy with a few showers. High 78F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. Reporter Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk). "I started dating a girl, and one day, she was tired of listening to me complain about my job. She asked me: 'If you could do any job, what would it be?' I told her that I wanted to become a police officer, and she replied, 'Well, get your fat butt up, start exercising and start taking tests.'" Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death. Submit Opinion: Jim Dey Jim Dey | After being replaced on leadership team, Ammons gets a committee all her own A significant hurdle in developing therapeutics and care models for Alzheimer's disease that work for people of all ethnic and racial backgrounds is the recruitment and retention of traditionally underrepresented groups in clinical trials. At the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2021, in Denver and virtually, researchers shared new evidence-based insights into why people from communities of color do and do not choose to participate in clinical trials. Also at AAIC 2021, the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, launched a new online tool, Outreach Pro, to help researchers and clinicians increase awareness and participation in clinical trials on Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, especially among traditionally underrepresented communities. There is a well-recognized need for diversity in clinical trial populations to ensure diagnostics and treatments are safe and effective for everyone. It's imperative that the Alzheimer's community is aware of the impact of historical racism, and also the current racial discrimination in health care that presents obstacles for inclusive participation in Alzheimer's trials. And, just as important, it is critical that we evaluate strategies that have been shown to be effective when recruiting historically underrepresented individuals and communities in these vital Alzheimer's research studies." Carl V. Hill, MPH, Ph.D., Alzheimer's Association chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer Other key findings reported first at AAIC 2021 include: - Individuals are most willing to volunteer for a clinical trial if they are invited to participate (85%), want to contribute to the goal of research (83%) or have a family member with the disease (74%). - African American, Latino and American Indian respondents are significantly more likely to volunteer if asked by a person of the same race, and are more concerned than Whites about disruption of work and family responsibilities and availability of transportation and childcare. - Commonly used Alzheimer's clinical trial exclusion criteria have the potential to disproportionately affect African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos, which may play a role in their reduced enrollment in research. The Alzheimer's Association is leading two major clinical trials with a strong focus on diverse participation. The New IDEAS study is recruiting 2,000 Latinos and 2,000 African Americans to investigate the impact of a brain amyloid PET scan on clinical care outcomes, including diagnosis and treatment. The U.S. Study to Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk (U.S. POINTER) study is a two-year clinical trial studying the effects of multi-component lifestyle interventions on risk of cognitive decline in a diverse population in the U.S. NIA launches Alzheimer's research recruiting materials for under-represented communities NIA has launched a new online tool to help increase awareness and participation in clinical trials on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Called Outreach Pro (V1.0), the tool allows researchers, clinicians, clinical trial administrators and staff to create and customize outreach materials such as websites, handouts, videos and social media posts with an emphasis on reaching traditionally underrepresented communities. Using NIA's Outreach Pro, researchers and clinicians can make outreach materials from templates designed to: 1. Educate people about Alzheimer's and dementia. 2. Increase overall awareness of Alzheimer's clinical trials. 3. Provide information about a specific Alzheimer's or dementia clinical study open to recruitment. Each template can then be tailored using a central library of messages, headlines, photos and text that have been extensively tested with individuals, including those representing diverse and underserved populations. The development of Outreach Pro is an integral part of NIA's efforts to implement the National Strategy for Recruitment and Participation in Alzheimer's and Related Dementias Clinical Research. Released in 2018, the national strategy was developed with facilitation by the Alzheimer's Association, with the goal of engaging broad segments of the public in Alzheimer's and dementia research, with a particular focus on underrepresented communities. "It is critical that clinical trials have appropriate representation to ensure that we have a complete understanding of how well different therapies or approaches to dementia care work in different populations," said Holly Massett, Ph.D., Senior Advisor on Clinical Research Recruitment and Engagement at NIA, who oversees the implementation of the national strategy. "Outreach Pro was designed to provide well-tested and culturally appropriate outreach materials that resonate with diverse populations and encourage them to participate in clinical trials." Outreach Pro's current library of content includes materials designed specifically for African American and Hispanic/Latino populations and is available in English and Spanish. Plans are underway to add materials developed for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in multiple languages by Fall 2021, and materials for American Indian and Alaska Native communities to be developed and added in 2022. People more likely to participate clinical trials if invited by someone of the same race Dorothy Farrar Edwards, Ph.D., Faculty Director of the University of Wisconsin Collaborative Center for Health Equity and investigator and Outreach, Recruitment and Engagement Core Leader for the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, and colleagues created the Voices Heard Survey to identify factors associated with willingness to participate in biomedical research. The survey was administered to a diverse sample of 406 Wisconsin residents, including White (n=100), African American (n=105), Latino (n=100) and American Indian (n=101) adults. The 96-item survey assessed trust in medical research and identified factors positively or negatively affecting willingness to participate in biomedical studies and clinical trials. Factors most highly associated with willingness to volunteer for a study in the full group were (1) Invited to Participate (85%), (2) Research Goal (83%), and (3) Family Member with Disease (74%). Significant differences were observed between the White and minority groups. Notably, African American, Latino and American Indian respondents are significantly more likely to volunteer for a research study if asked by a person of the same race, and they are more concerned than Whites about disruption of work and family responsibilities, availability of transportation, and childcare. "We identified opportunities for tailored messaging designed to increase awareness of the value of Alzheimer's research participation," Farrar Edwards said. "As we get better at recruiting diverse populations, it will increase the urgency to get the conduct of trials right." Are common exclusion criteria in Alzheimer's clinical trials keeping out underrepresented groups? In a first of its kind, systematic look at commonly used exclusion criteria in active NIA-funded Alzheimer's disease and related dementia clinical trials, NIA researchers suggest many criteria have the potential to inadvertently exclude African American and Hispanic/Latino participants. This new research reported at AAIC 2021 suggests a closer, collaborative look at the criteria may improve enrollment. Eligibility criteria are integral components of clinical trials, helping to ensure participant safety and reducing factors that may confound results. Alexandra Mitchell, Clinical Research Coordinator at NIA, Holly Massett, Ph.D., NIA Senior Advisor on Clinical Research Recruitment and Engagement, and colleagues conducted a content analysis of 235 active NIA-funded Alzheimer's and dementia clinical trials to identify the most widely used criteria and their potential to disproportionately exclude African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos from the research. They identified 2,761 exclusion criteria and grouped them into 56 categories. On average, each trial had 11.75 exclusion criteria, with drug trials having the highest (18.14 per trial). Not surprisingly, "dementia/cognitive impairment" was the most common category (identified in 49% of trials). However, the next three most common categories included medical, neurological and psychiatric-related criteria that were classified as "broadly defined" such that they could introduce an unintentional level of subjectivity by investigators when determining participant eligibility. Additionally, the researchers found that 142 trials (60%) had at least one exclusion category that could disproportionately affect African American or Hispanic/Latino populations. "This analysis is helping us ask an important question: Can we strengthen our criteria for clinical trials to maximize the number of eligible people from diverse and under-represented communities?" Mitchell said. "We hope the Alzheimer's community will take a closer look and can mimic the success in the oncology field where a concerted effort resulted in reworded, more equitable exclusion criteria." John Letson had seen too many apocalyptic movies to feel comfortable getting a covid-19 vaccine initially. "I was completely against it," the 40-year-old movie buff said, referencing "I Am Legend" and "Children of Men," in which humanity is in jeopardy, as examples of what could go wrong. "I think an untested thing during a pandemic has later effects that we don't know yet." After discussing with a doctor the various myths that have arisen about the vaccines, his opposition softened. On the way to get pizza in late June, he happened upon a mobile vaccination clinic behind a bus stop on Colfax Avenue in this Denver suburb and got his first dose. "I was here. They were here," he explained, as a nurse gave him a shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The mobile clinic in the East Colfax neighborhood is part of a new push by Denver-area public health officials to find the neighborhoods where vaccinations lag behind state or county averages. Using detailed maps that show vaccines given by ZIP code or census tract, the health departments highlight underperforming areas being masked by a county's overall vaccination rate. They then partner with community organizations with intimate knowledge of those neighborhoods to determine strategies to address the specific barriers keeping residents from being inoculated. As the Biden administration seeks to boost the nation's vaccine rate by going "neighborhood by neighborhood," in the president's words, the approach taken on Colfax Avenue could become a model for the rest of the country. According to the National Association of County and City Health Officials, such efforts depend on the accuracy of the data and the willingness of jurisdictions to work together, which can be difficult for some regions to accomplish. The Denver-area effort has managed to use granular data across seven counties to help raise the vaccination rate by an estimated 4 percentage points in one troubled Colfax area in about a month. "We have to do the dirty work to be with the community and listen to what their actual concerns are," Nicole Steffens, a program manager with the nonprofit Colorado Health Institute, said in a presentation on the mapping tool. "We can take all the data that we want based on large, mass groups of people on surveys with vaccine hesitancy or why people aren't getting vaccinations, but that might not actually apply to that very specific location." The public health agencies cooperating in the Denver region represent 3 million Coloradans, about 60% of the state's population. They overlay data from the state vaccine database with the covid caseload, poverty rates and racial demographics to highlight areas of concern. "We weren't very surprised to see the areas that lit up," said Meghan Prentiss, with the Tri-County Health Department, which serves Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties east and south of Denver. "They all kind of followed those common trends of other health indicators." East Colfax topped the department's priority list. The neighborhood, which spans the border between Denver and Aurora, is one of the more impoverished in the metro area, with large numbers of immigrants and minorities, many of whom speak neither English nor Spanish. Two-thirds of the city of Denver's eligible residents were fully vaccinated by the end of June, compared with just above 30% in the East Colfax neighborhood. In the 80010 and 80011 ZIP codes, which include the Colfax corridor, fewer than half of those ages 30 to 39 were vaccinated, compared with more than 75% in more affluent Washington Park or City Park. Part of the problem, people in the community told health officials, was transportation. Initially, the state had set up mass vaccination clinics in the center of Denver. But many East Colfax residents have no car, relying primarily on public transit. It's about a 50-minute ride one way on the Route 15 bus to the Ball Arena vaccine site. For many, that was too far to venture. "It looks great on TV to have these mass clinics where people drive through," said Judy Shlay, an associate director who runs the immunization program for Denver Public Health, which operates the mobile vaccine clinic. "But we have to be more agile and flexible for people who are maybe more hesitant to go downtown, or because they have to take three buses to get there." Moreover, people in the East Colfax area often work hourly jobs as independent contractors or gig workers and get no time off to get vaccinated. And if they fall ill after getting vaccinated, they might miss another day's pay. So public health officials worked with transit authorities to identify where high-ridership bus lines intersected in the corridor, settling on a location by a Walmart, a Sprouts grocery store and the Little Caesars restaurant where Letson had gone to buy pizza. On two days in late June, the mobile clinic vaccinated a total of 150 people, most receiving their first shots. Among them was Marley Sosa, 18, whose sister is a nurse who worked at the clinic. "She made me feel safe about it," he said. "People are just hesitant because it's a new vaccine." Ira Milhouse, 40, who is homeless, said he got vaccinated so he could receive a $50 grocery gift card provided as an incentive. Stephanie Aguilar, 18, came after clinic staffers walked through the shopping plaza where the van was parked, informing everyone they could get vaccinated that day. Others inquired about the incentives but walked away unvaccinated. Janice Robinson, 53, had come to the bus stop, part of her daily routine of "taking a ride" with no particular destination. "I don't want the vaccine," she said. "I don't think I need it. I don't really go anywhere." Desiree Mister, 45, had just finished a shift at Sprouts. She was tired of wearing a mask and wanted to get vaccinated. But she wasn't sure if she could sell her plasma if she got vaccinated. She decided she'd come back the following week after a plasma draw. (The Food and Drug Administration says people who have received covid vaccines can continue to donate blood or sell plasma without a waiting period, although rules at plasma collection sites can vary.) Early data, Shlay said, showed that vaccine access was highly correlated with income, and those able to connect digitally had an easier time tracking down shots. It proved much more difficult for East Colfax residents with language barriers. That meant the vaccine had to come to East Colfax, which has few police or fire stations, libraries or rec centers that could host vaccine clinics. "We couldn't anchor something in there," Shlay said. "So we had to use small organizations that maybe aren't reaching everybody." One of those was the Village Exchange Center, a nonprofit just a block off Colfax Avenue. The center offers benefits to immigrants, including a food bank that serves 4,000 people a day. Workers there inserted flyers about the vaccines into the bags of food they distributed and held information sessions. "We have several pastors that have just said, 'This is evil, and we're not going to do it,'" said Amanda Blaurock, the center's executive director. "And we respect that. We don't go around decisions that community members have made. We just say, 'We're hosting it, and if you want it, we're trying to make it as accessible as possible.'" One census tract in the area has a recorded population of 4,389, and as of mid-June, slightly more than 1,300, or about 30%, were fully vaccinated. Health officials would need to get roughly 1,700 more vaccinated to reach their 70% goal. A month later, the rate had climbed to 34%, and health officials expect more dramatic gains in the coming weeks after people receive their second doses. The initial success has buoyed interest in more transit-based vaccine clinics. Shontel Lewis, who represents the East Colfax area on the Regional Transportation District mass transit agency's board of directors and spearheaded its involvement, said future clinics might be held at park-and-ride locations and other bus stops in underserved areas. "The approach is often cookie-cutter. We tend to go with the same strategies, and then, when no one comes, we just throw our hands up," Lewis said. If the goal is to get everybody vaccinated, she said, the interventions need to be tailored to specific communities. "Our approach might be different," she said, "but our goal is the same." Eli Lilly and Company and their industry partners, including sample management specialists Ziath, are speeding the discovery of new medicines through the fully automated Lilly Life Sciences Studio (L2S2) lab in San Diego, USA. Ziath Cube Reader in action in Lilly Life Sciences Studio (L2S2) lab. Image Credit: Ziath Ltd L2S2 was set up as part of the Lilly Discovery Automation Research and Technologies Group. The lab has brought together a team of talented automation engineers and scientists in the design, implementation, and operation of a variety of innovative automation projects which are introduced in an informative video. Lilly Life Sciences Studio Accelerates Drug Discovery Process Play Video Credit: Ziath Ltd Devon Thompson Senior Research Fellow at Lilly said Our Life Science Studio is exciting because it allows us to reduce cycle times, go faster on projects and ultimately bring the right drug to the right patient in a timely fashion. Using a Magnamotion track, individual islands of automation covering compound synthesis, purification, analysis and biological testing have been brought together in one large laboratory space under the control of one bespoke automation scheduling software. Ziaths Cube 2D-barcoded tube rack readers are utilized in this process to identify and monitor the position of individual samples travelling throughout the storage and processing modules of L2S2. This advanced sample management technology is most important in the Input-Output module, where samples are received and retrieved from the L2S2 system. The input-output module allows the operator to have one touchpoint to put samples on and take samples off the system. This is very important because we really want to do positive sample tracking of every sample thats moving on the system at any time. Rick Robbins, L2S2 Automation Group Leader By using 2D-barcoded tubes and vials, the Ziath Cube readers across L2S2 can keep track of the many hundreds of samples being processed at any one time by reporting their individual ID numbers to the Master Scheduler from each workstation or touchpoint. In addition, Lilly research fellow James Beck said A key component of this lab is the ability to track the data from the very beginning of the order, all the way through to the end. This is important, because according to James Beck We generate annually roughly 15-20% of the entire Lilly compound collection that goes to biological screening. This novel deployment of Ziath readers as part of a large-scale automated Drug Discovery laboratory is both exciting and yields huge productivity gains, pointing the way forward for many other drug discovery companies to go in future said Landon Diaz, General Manager of Ziath America. A new study reports that the single-dose Johnson and Johnson Ad26.COV2.S vaccine against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) shows enhanced efficacy when administered to individuals with pre-existing antibodies against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pathogen. This finding becomes more important when it is supplemented by the observation that the vaccine is able to elicit a T cell response that protects against the beta (B.1.351/501Y.V2) variant of concern (VOC) of the virus, which has been reported to be resistant to neutralization by antibodies to earlier variants used in these vaccines or introduced by natural infection. Image Credit: Medrxiv Background The COVID-19 pandemic has cost over four million deaths so far, among the almost 200 million documented cases. In response, vaccine development proceeded to culminate in the emergency use approval of the Pfizer vaccine, followed soon after by the Moderna vaccine. Both these are messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines, encoding the spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2. They required two doses each, for a complete priming-booster regimen that would ensure adequate immunity. However, recent reports indicate that in individuals who have already been infected by the virus, a single dose boosts both binding and neutralizing antibody responses, which can protect against multiple variants. In addition to the antibody response, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) is enhanced in this subset of vaccine recipients, along with cross-reactive T-cell responses. A third vaccine that received approval was the Johnson and Johnson Ad26.COV2.S. Based on an adenovirus vector that would insert the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein into the host, to induce an immune response, this requires only a single dose. It is also a more affordable vaccine. Thus, the scientists say, It represents an attractive option for the scale-up of COVID-19 vaccination in resource-limited countries. The Ad26.COV2.S vaccine induces slowly increasing titers of neutralizing antibodies, which also show an increase in breadth of recognition of viral antigens. Alongside, the vaccine elicits Fc effector functions and T cell responses that are key to persistent neutralizing capacity, and which also preserve their activity against VOCs. The effect of prior infection on the immune response to this vaccine has not been reported so far, which stimulated the present study. The scientists also examined how the infecting variant affected the immune response to the vaccine variant introduced later. In South Africa, the first wave of infections was caused mainly by the SARS-CoV-2 D614G variant, while the second, in February 2021, was caused by the beta VOC. Thus, this study allowed the scientists to compare the effect of the period between infection and vaccination on the humoral and cell-mediated immune response, in terms of both magnitude and breadth. Secondly, they explored the immune response when the primary infection was caused by a heterogeneous spike-bearing variant relative to the vaccine spike antigen. What did the study find? The researchers included 20 naive or uninfected healthcare workers with 20 who acquired the infection during the first wave and another 20 who were infected in the second wave. In the first wave, non-beta variants were dominant, but the beta lineage in the second. The study is published in the pre-print server medRxiv*. Antibody responses The study findings show that when vaccination with Ad26.COV2.S vaccine after natural infection has occurred, the infection primes the immune system. The resulting immune response shows three-fold higher spike binding antibody titers, but a 12-13-fold higher titer of neutralizing antibodies and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity activity (ADCC). Moreover, the immune response in the previously infected vaccinated groups holds good against the D614G, Beta, and Delta variants of SARS-CoV-2. Conversely, vaccination alone resulted in significantly lower titers against the beta and delta VOCs, with 85% and ~80% of samples failing to show neutralizing activity against the two, respectively. Even though the interval between natural infection and vaccination was much longer with first-wave cases, at seven months, vs two months for the second wave, the final antibody titer was similar with both. ADCC was also similar, and both resulted in similar binding of cross-reactive antigens. Cross-reactivity The only significant difference that was seen between the cases that occurred during the first and second waves was that cross-neutralizing activity showed variation. With first wave infections, the neutralizing activity against the beta and delta VOCs was present but at lower titers, compared to the D614G variant. With the second wave (beta VOC) infections, plasma samples showed comparable neutralizing titers against the D614G variant, but six-fold reduced titers against the delta variant. The breadth of neutralizing antibodies after vaccination is therefore a function of the spike antigen of the infecting strain. ADCC cross-reactivity Fc effector responses against the D614G variant were comparable following natural infection or vaccination only. Vaccination of the previously infected groups showed enhanced responses, with ADCC being preserved for both beta and delta VOCs at similar levels as against D614G. In the vaccination-only group, a slight reduction of ADCC against the VOCs was observed. T cell responses SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells are important in reducing the severity of COVID-19, even when antibody titers are low. The T cell responses to vaccination differed from the antibody profile. Prior to vaccination, less than one in seven individuals had CD8 T cells, during the first wave, vs one in three in the second wave. Notably, T cell responses of high magnitude were observed after vaccination of naive as well as previously infected subjects, with the second wave infections being associated with higher responses. Conversely, CD4 T cell responses were present in 85% and 100%, respectively, before vaccination. The increase in CD4 T cell frequencies was significant only in those with lower initial responses, that is, in the naive group. CD8 T cells responders made up only ~40%, 45%, and 60% of naive, first wave, and second-wave vaccine recipients, respectively. Many emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 have been reported to show resistance to neutralization by antibodies induced by the earlier variants, especially the beta lineage (B.1.351). However, this study demonstrated the preservation of robust T cell immunity against this variant as well. These results demonstrate that cross-reactive CD4 and CD8 T cell responses are generated after vaccination, regardless of prior infection. What are the implications? Ad26.COV2.S vaccination following prior infection, even >6 months previously, may result in substantially enhanced protection against COVID-19. In areas with a high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, this may indicate the preferability of this vaccine, with its single-dose regimen, vs the two or more doses required with the other vaccines. Secondly, they observed the dominance of the variant that causes the primary infection, in terms of the breadth of neutralizing antibodies induced after vaccination. Prior to vaccination, infection with the beta variant led to the neutralization of both this and the D614G variant, but not the currently dominant delta variant. Despite the use of the same vaccine, when infection was caused by the D614G lineage, both beta and delta strains were neutralized relatively less effectively. This finding has important implications for the design of second-generation vaccines based on variants of concern, say the researchers. Despite this, the presence of ADCC cross-reactivity following vaccination, independent of prior infection, indicates that these antibodies bind to non-neutralizing epitopes but effectively inhibit viral replication. Further research will show if, like natural infection, vaccination will lead to B cell maturation and increased specificity and avidity of binding, with durable responses. *Important Notice medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. James "Jim" C. Thompson, 86, passed away Saturday, July 31, 2021 at Clark Memorial Health. He worked at the Army Ammunition Plant and Jewish Hospital as an orderly/transport. Jim was a member of Eastside Christian Church. He was a native of Shepherdsville, KY. He is survived by his sons, Hen (Newser) As the crowd at a public meeting of the St. Louis County Council began taunting the local health director, he turned to council members for help. He got none. "When I asked you to intervene ... you lectured menot them," Dr. Faisal Khan later wrote to the council's chairwoman. In fact, KSDK reports, Khan said that as he was beginning his presentation Tuesday about COVID-19 and his support for a mask mandate, one council member "said he wanted to emphasize for the assembled crowd that I was not from this country," Khan's letter said. Khan, who had been invited to update the council, said Wednesday night he had not received a response from the council chairwoman, Democrat Rita Days, per the Washington Post. The council voted in the meeting to overturn the mask mandate just imposed by the county executive. story continues below Days said she was surprised by Khan's account and said she didn't hear any taunts, per KSDK. "There is no place for racial intolerance," Days wrote in an email. "Emotions were running high and things were said and done that were unnecessary." There was more abuse when he left the meeting, Khan said. He was pushed and bumped in the crowd outside, he said, and called racial slurs, including a "brown b-----d." Some mocked his accent. Khan said he became a US citizen in 2013 after working in the field all over the world, including China, Australia, Zimbabwe, and other states. He said he wasn't subjected to this sort of treatment anywhere and blamed "the deliberate politicization of a public health emergency." Khan called the experience "the saddest, most bizarre and disgusting thing that I've ever witnessed in my 30 years in public health," per the Post. (A crowd hostile to masks brought an end to a school board meeting.) (Newser) Sen. Mitch McConnell, who would have benefited from a vaccine for another disease decades ago, is urging his constituents to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. The Senate minority leader has recorded a 60-second radio commercial that began airing Thursday on 100 stations in Kentucky, CNN reports. When he was a boy, McConnell says in the spots, he "faced a different disease. I contracted polio," adding that "back then, it took decades for us to develop a vaccine." That's not the case this time, he says, pointing out that three effective vaccines were produced in less than a year. "Every American should take advantage of this miracle and get vaccinated. It's the only way we're going to defeat COVID." McConnell is paying for the ads with unspent campaign money, per the Courier-Journal. story continues below On Wednesday, McConnell said on Fox Business Network that "clearly, we have got a job to do." The senator said he didn't realize there would be such resistance to the shots, per the Hill. "Honestly, it never occurred to me we would have difficulty getting people to take the vaccine," McConnell told host Larry Kudlow. In Kentucky, 45% of the population has been fully vaccinated for COVID-19; the national rate is 50%. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Rep. Thomas Massie said they will not be vaccinated, claiming to have immunity after contracting COVID-19 last year. That conflicts with CDC guidance, which says the delta variant makes a second infection more likely that it was with the original strain. People in that situation should still be vaccinated, the agency says. (Read more Mitch McConnell stories.) (Newser) With few dissents, Congress on Thursday approved spending $2.1 billion to cover Capitol security costs and the evacuation and resettlement of Afghans who helped US forces during the 20-year war. The Capitol spending will repay costs incurred because of the Jan. 6 riot, as well as provide for security upgrades to the complex. Capitol Police have struggled with funding, staffing, and other crises since the attack, the New York Times reports, in addition to low morale. "The last six months have pushed those who protect the US Capitol to the limits," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said. "We must support them now, as they so courageously supported us," he added. The White House supported the emergency funding to help the refugees, per the Wall Street Journal, issuing a statement Thursday saying it's committed to "fulfilling our commitment to Afghan nationals who worked for or on behalf of the US government." story continues below The spending bill includes: $520 million to repay the National Guard for its deployment to the Capitol after the January attack. $100 million for Capitol Police, to increase intelligence capability, improve civil disturbance training, add security details for members of Congress, and provide trauma support to officers, per the Washington Post. $300 million for security improvements such as hardening windows and doors and installing more cameras at the Capitol. $42 million to cover congressional expenses related to the pandemic, such as protective equipment, cleaning costs, overtime, and telecommuting equipment. $1.1 billion to help resettle Afghan refugees and their families, including emergency transportation and housing. The measure adds 8,000 special visas to the 26,500 already approved. The House and Senate versions of the bill are not identical. The Senate measure doesn't have money to repay security costs to the District of Columbia, for example. A Democratic aide said that because the money is needed so urgently, the House won't hold up the Senate bill but will draft new legislation to cover the remaining expenses. (Read more Capitol riot stories.) (Newser) The Biden administration announced Thursday it will allow a nationwide ban on evictions to expire Saturday, arguing that its hands are tied after the Supreme Court signaled the moratorium would only be extended until the end of the month. The White House said President Biden would have liked to extend the federal eviction moratorium due to spread of the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus, the AP reports. Instead, Biden called on "Congress to extend the eviction moratorium to protect such vulnerable renters and their families without delay." Aides to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Sherrod Brown, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, said the two are working on legislation to extend the moratorium. Democrats will try to pass a bill as soon as possible and are urging Republicans not to block it. story continues below The moratorium was put in place last September by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By the end of March, 6.4 million American households were behind on their rent, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. As of July 5, roughly 3.6 million people in the US said they faced eviction in the next two months, according to the Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said in June this would be the last time the moratorium would be extended when she set the deadline for July 31. It was initially put in place to prevent further spread of COVID-19 by people put out on the streets and into shelters. Housing advocates and some lawmakers have called for the moratorium to be extended due to the increase in coronavirus cases and the fact that so little rental assistance has been distributed. (Read more eviction stories.) (Newser) A leaked Centers for Disease Control and Prevention document obtained by the Washington Post is quite a bombshell. The internal slide presentation focuses on the need for new messaging around COVID-19 now that the delta variant is surging in the US, and suggests that the variant is so contagious it's almost like an entirely new virus itself. Just how contagious? As much as chicken pox, the document states, spreading more easily than Ebola or the common cold. Perhaps most distressingly, it cites new research suggesting vaccinated people appear to spread delta just as easily as the unvaccinated. Details and related news: The research: The recently obtained and still unpublished research alarmed the agency enough that it has already revised its mask guidance. It comes from a number of outbreak studies and outside investigations, and finds that whether a person infected with delta is vaccinated or unvaccinated, their viral loads are similar. The data is expected to be published in full Friday. story continues below Not far enough? The CDC's updated mask recommendations, however, don't go as far as the new data suggests: Its finding is that, "given higher transmissibility and current vaccine coverage, universal masking is essential to reduce transmission of the delta variant." The CDC's updated mask recommendations, however, don't go as far as the new data suggests: Its finding is that, "given higher transmissibility and current vaccine coverage, universal masking is essential to reduce transmission of the delta variant." Singapore: Studies from other countries have found similarly disturbing information. In Singapore, for example, 75% of new infections are among the partially or fully vaccinated. Studies from other countries have found similarly disturbing information. In Singapore, for example, 75% of new infections are among the partially or fully vaccinated. Alarming US outbreak: A key piece of the new data, which sources say led the CDC to update its mask recommendations, stems from an outbreak in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Shortly after visitors descended on the beach town for July 4, a "handful" of COVID cases started cropping up. As of Thursday, the number of cases linked to the outbreak had hit 88274% of them vaccinated, most of them showing symptoms, and seven of them hospitalized, reports ABC News in a larger look at the cluster. A source tells the Post genetic analysis revealed that vaccinated people were spreading the virus to other vaccinated people. A key piece of the new data, which sources say led the CDC to update its mask recommendations, stems from an outbreak in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Shortly after visitors descended on the beach town for July 4, a "handful" of COVID cases started cropping up. As of Thursday, the number of cases linked to the outbreak had hit 88274% of them vaccinated, most of them showing symptoms, and seven of them hospitalized, reports ABC News in a larger look at the cluster. A source tells the Post genetic analysis revealed that vaccinated people were spreading the virus to other vaccinated people. "The war has changed": That's the CDC's acknowledgment in the presentation; it notes that it will be difficult to get this message across effectively because the public is in danger of losing faith in COVID vaccines after hearing the new data about breakthrough cases. That's the CDC's acknowledgment in the presentation; it notes that it will be difficult to get this message across effectively because the public is in danger of losing faith in COVID vaccines after hearing the new data about breakthrough cases. Just how contagious is delta? PolitiFact put together a helpful compilation of information on delta, such as the shocking fact that when you look at viral load, the 15 minutes of close contact with an infected person that was said to put one at risk for the alpha variant of COVID is now the equivalent of just one second of exposure to someone infected with delta. In Australia, for example, a person was reportedly infected after a "fleeting" exposure of passing by an infected person. PolitiFact put together a helpful compilation of information on delta, such as the shocking fact that when you look at viral load, the 15 minutes of close contact with an infected person that was said to put one at risk for the alpha variant of COVID is now the equivalent of just one second of exposure to someone infected with delta. In Australia, for example, a person was reportedly infected after a "fleeting" exposure of passing by an infected person. Oh, and then there's this: In a Twitter thread, a doctor quoted in the Post story says that delta may be more than doubly contagious compared to the original virusand that it appears to shed for longer, 18 days compared to 13, meaning quarantine lengths may need to be reconsidered. Oh, and also that the new data seems to support the idea that it's also more serious than the original. In a Twitter thread, a doctor quoted in the Post story says that delta may be more than doubly contagious compared to the original virusand that it appears to shed for longer, 18 days compared to 13, meaning quarantine lengths may need to be reconsidered. Oh, and also that the new data seems to support the idea that it's also more serious than the original. Silver lining: Vaccines do still appear to be fending off serious illness and death, experts say, and the vaccinated are still less likely to catch even the delta variant. (Read more COVID-19 stories.) (Newser) Tulsa woman Desiree Castaneda was arrested Thursday, two weeks after she became a grandmother at the age of 33. Police say she was charged with child neglect and enabling child sex abuse after her 12-year-old daughter gave birth, People reports. Juan Miranda-Jara, a 24-year-old who admitted being the father, was arrested while the girl was in labor on July 14. "They walked in [to the hospital] just like any other couple would excited to deliver their newborn child," Tulsa Police Officer Danny Bean told FOX23. When police arrived at the hospital, they say Miranda-Jara acted unsure as to why they were there. story continues below He told investigators he had been in a "relationship" with the girl since October. He was charged with first-degree rape of a minor. Police say their investigation revealed that the girl's family members knew Miranda-Jara had been having sex with her and even threw a baby shower for them, KTUL reports. Oklahoma's age of consent is 16. The girl's father is in prison serving a 12-year sentence in an unrelated rape case. (Read more Oklahoma stories.) (Newser) An explosion and fire last summer aboard a US Navy ship docked outside of San Diego left dozens of sailors and civilians injured. Now, the Navy has charged one of its own. In a statement cited by CBS News and the AP, a spokesman for the 3rd Fleet says the unnamed sailor, a seaman's apprentice who was a member of the USS Bonhomme Richard's crew at the time of the July 12, 2020, incident, has been charged "in response to evidence found during the criminal investigation." The specific charges: aggravated arson and the willful hazarding of a vessel, per Cmdr. Sean Robertson. Although Navy officials don't believe the sailor meant to destroy the 840-foot-long amphibious assault ship, which had about 160 sailors and officers on board, strong winds from San Diego Bay made the fire worse. story continues below The ship burned for four dayshundreds of military and civilian firefighters were required to put out the fire, with the help of helicoptersand had too much damage to it to be saved. Estimates to replace it are said to be up to $4 billion. Upward of 60 sailors and civilians sustained minor injuries, smoke inhalation, and heat exhaustion. Court-martial charges against the sailor are being considered, the Navy statement notes. Another investigation is expected to call for disciplinary action against individuals responsible for conditions on the ship that exacerbated the spread of the fire, which the AP calls the Navy's "worst warship blaze outside of combat in recent memory." (Read more Navy stories.) (Newser) First lady Jill Biden underwent a medical procedure Thursday to flush out debris from a puncture wound on her left foot, her spokesperson said. Michael LaRosa said Jill Biden's foot was punctured while she walking on a beach in Hawaii last weekend, but it was unclear what object caused the puncture. After the procedure at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, LaRosa said, The wound is now clean, free of infection and it is anticipated that it will heal nicely. story continues below President Biden joined his wife at Walter Reed for the procedure, the AP reports. The Bidens returned to the White House Thursday night. The incident occurred last weekend before Jill Biden's two official events in Hawaii, where she went after attending the start of the Olympics in Tokyo, LaRosa said. During her time in Hawaii, she visited a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Waipahu and later joined military families for a barbecue at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. (Read more Jill Biden stories.) (Newser) Former Sen. Carl Levin, a powerful voice on military issues in Washington and a staunch supporter of the auto industry back home in Michigan during his record tenure in the US Senate, has died, the AP reports. He was 87. The Harvard-educated civil rights attorney and former taxi driver, who for decades carried his faded 1953 auto union membership card in his wallet, died Thursday, his family and the Levin Center at Wayne State Universitys law school announced in an evening statement. We are all devastated by his loss. But we are filled with gratitude for all of the support that Carl received throughout his extraordinary life and career, enabling him to touch so many people and accomplish so much good, the statement said. First elected to the Senate in 1978, Levin represented Michigan longer than any other senator, targeting tax shelters, supporting manufacturing jobs and pushing for military funding. story continues below His tenure was a testament to voters approval of the slightly rumpled, down-to-earth Detroit native whom Time magazine ranked among the nations 10 best senators in 2006. A Washington insider and former prosecutor known for his professorial bearing, Levin took a civil but straightforward approach that allowed him to work effectively with Republicans and fellow Democrats. He was especially astute on defense matters thanks to his years as the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee. And he didnt fear speaking his mind. He was in the minorityeven among his Democratic Senate colleagueswhen he voted against sending US troops to Iraq in 2002. After his retirement, the Levin Center at Wayne Law was established to promote fact-based, bipartisan oversight by Congress and state legislatures and to encourage civil dialogue on public policy issues. He chaired the center and co-taught law courses. He also was a partner and distinguished counsel at the Honigman law firm in Detroit. (Read much more on his life.) (Newser) A woman from Louisiana who was honeymooning in Hawaii has been fined $500 after a social media video showed her touching an endangered Hawaiian monk seal, US authorities said, per the AP. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration launched an investigation last month and found the woman violated the Endangered Species Act, says agency spokesperson Dominic Andrews. A video posted on TikTok and other social media showed a woman touching the seal at a Kauai beach in June, following her wedding in Maui. The video showed her running away after the seal snapped at her, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Thursday, noting the couple later received death threats. story continues below The couple previously apologized and told the Star-Advertiser that they love Hawaii and didn't mean to offend anyone. There are an estimated 1,100 Hawaiian monk seals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and 300 in the main Hawaiian Islands. Under state and federal laws, it's a felony to touch or harass a Hawaiian monk seal. Penalties can include up to five years in prison and a $50,000 fine. Authorities warn people must remain at least 50 feet away from the animals or 150 feet away from pups with their mothers. NOAA also fined another traveler $500 for touching a resting Hawaiian monk seal. It's unclear when that encounter occurred, but an Instagram account shows the visitor visited Oahu in May, the Star-Advertiser reported. (Read more Hawaii stories.) (Newser) A pro-democracy protester was sentenced Friday to nine years in prison in the closely watched first case under Hong Kongs national security law as Beijing tightens control over the territory. Tong Ying-kit was convicted Tuesday of inciting secession and terrorism for driving his motorcycle into a group of police officers during a July 1, 2020, rallyhours after the law was introduced. He carried a flag bearing the banned slogan, Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times, the AP reports. Under the security law, he was denied bail and a jury trial. The judges said the 24-year-old restaurant worker's previous good character and the fact that he was his family's main breadwinner were not mitigating factors, the Hong Kong Free Press. story continues below Tong's trial focused mainly on whether the "Liberate Hong Kong" slogan, widely used before the law was introduced, was a call for secession from China. Defense lawyer Clive Grossman said Tong had tried to avoid the officer but was distracted when one threw a shield at him, the New York Times reports. "A person who sets out to commit the act of terrorism by driving into people does not put his foot on the brake," he said. The conviction "is a significant and ominous moment for human rights in Hong Kong" and "underlines the sobering fact that expressing certain political opinions in the city is now officially a crime," Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific Regional Director Yamini Mishra in a statement after he was found guilty earlier this week, per the BBC. (Read more Hong Kong stories.) (Newser) The Biden administration promised to help thousands of translators in Afghanistan flee their homeland ahead of the US troop withdrawal there next month. That promise is now coming to fruition, as the first 200 or so Afghans, mostly interpreters and their families, were evacuated and transported to Dulles International Airport, outside of DC, early Friday, NBC News reports. Per internal paperwork seen by the AP, there were 221 Afghans on the flight, including nearly 75 babies and kids, Al Jazeera reports. Officials say after their arrival, the Afghanswho came over to the States on a special immigrant visa specifically for those who'd assisted American troopswere to be taken a few hours away to Virginia's Fort Lee military base, where they'll remain for about a week while receiving medical checkups. An NSC adviser said all had undergone deep background checks. story continues below The Biden administration says the evacuees were tested for COVID before coming to the US, as well as offered the coronavirus vaccine before leaving Kabul, per the Los Angeles Times. The administration has plans to evacuate about 2,500 Afghans in total to the US directly, with another 4,000 brought to other nations or to US military bases abroad. Still, about 20,000 Afghans have applied for the special visas, and the ones left behind in Afghanistan could now be in great peril, with "Taliban forces gaining ground by the day," per NBC. In a statement, President Biden called the arrival of the current group an "important milestone" and "just the first of many" he expects to bring over to the US. "I want to thank these brave Afghans for standing with the United States, and today, I am proud to say to them: Welcome home." (Read more Afghanistan stories.) (Newser) Routine is definitely not a word with which to describe Russia's Thursday docking of a module at the International Space Station, its first in more than a decade. The long-delayed Nauka laboratory module, the largest space lab ever launched by Russia, reached ISS after several "hiccups in orbit" on its eight-day trip, according to the European Space Agency. A few hours later, it unexpectedly fired its rockets, forcing the space station out of position for 47 minutes, reports the Guardian and AP. NASA said the station was moved "45 degrees out of attitude," the equivalent of one-eighth of a complete circle. That's a big problem as the station's positioning is key for communications and for powering solar panels, hence why a "spacecraft emergency" was declared. The AP notes communications with ground control "blipped out twice for a few minutes." story continues below Astronauts had to fire thrusters on the Russian section of the station to fix the problem, which caused NASA to postpone an uncrewed test flight of Boeing's new CST-100 Starliner crew capsule to the space station, set for Friday. Russia's Roscosmos space agency blamed Nauka's engines working with residual fuel in the craft. "We haven't noticed any damage," space station program manager Joel Montalbano said, per the AP. He said the crew didn't feel any real movement and were never in any immediate danger. The 22-ton, 42-foot-long Nauka module, also known as the Multipurpose Laboratory Module, will be integrated with the station over several months to provide more space for research and laboratory equipment. It traveled to ISS with the European Robotic Arm, which will be the first robot arm to work on Russia's ISS segment. (Read more International Space Station stories.) (Newser) In Australia's biggest city, the fight against a COVID outbreak that spread from an unmasked airport limo driver is not going well. The five-week Sydney lockdown was recently extended for another month and with case numbers remaining stubbornly high, the military is being called in to enforce restrictions, CNN reports. Officials say around 300 soldiers will spend the weekend training before beginning unarmed patrols in the city Monday, reports the BBC. New South Wales police commissioner Mick Fuller said the soldiers, who will be under police command, will visit homes to ensure people who have tested positive are isolating. They will also enforce rules including a requirement that people travel no more than 6 miles from home for exercise. story continues below Restrictions are harsher in the city's low-income, ethnically diverse western suburbs, and local leaders say residents feel targeted. "They can't afford to pay the mortgage, the rent, the food, or work," says local mayor Steve Christou. "Now to throw out the army to enforce lockdown on the streets is going to be a huge issue to these people." Prime Minister Scott Morrison unveiled a four-step plan to reopen Australia Friday, but there was no firm timeline, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. The four phases are suppression, transition, consolidation, and the final phase. The country is now in the suppression phase. It will move to transition, with lockdowns still possible but vaccinated people exempt from some restrictions, when 70% of adults are fully vaccinated, Morrison said. The rate is currently just 17%. (Read more coronavirus stories.) In this March 4, 2018, file photo, MacKenzie Scott arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar party in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File) In this March 4, 2018, file photo, MacKenzie Scott arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar party in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File) (Newser) The so-so reviews are in for the new film Stillwater, and now Amanda Knox has panned the whole project. The film is fiction and doesn't set out to portray what happened to Knox, an American who was convicted, then acquitted, of the murder of her roommate in Italy. In between, she spent four years in prison. But Tom McCarthy, the director, said Knox's story was an inspiration, CNBC reports. It's hard to miss that when Matt Damon goes to France to rescue his daughter, who's wrongfully imprisoned in France for murdering her ex-girlfriend. Knox had nothing to do with the project; it's not her story. In an essay posted on Medium, Knox criticizes McCarthy and the media for suggesting it is. The plot changes only make the film more harmful to her, she says, leaving the audience with "just the tabloid conspiracy guiltier version of me." story continues below "Theres no similarity in our two stories beyond an American student in jail," McCarthy told Cleveland.com. He wondered what it would be like to be in Knox's shoes, per Vanity Fair, but she points out he neglected to "ask me how it felt to be in my shoes." In her essay, she raises questions about someone essentially telling her story without her permission and profiting from it, per People. "Does my name belong to me? My face?" she wrote, adding, "Why does my name refer to events I had no hand in?" The film's resolution is nothing like real life. "By fictionalizing away my innocence, my total lack of involvement, by erasing the role of the authorities in my wrongful conviction, McCarthy reinforces an image of me as a guilty and untrustworthy person," Knox writes. (Read more Amanda Knox stories.) (Newser) The Taliban's killing of a Kandahar police officer, better known as a goofy comic who posted his bits on social media, has drawn condemnation across Afghanistan. Nazar Mohammad Khasha, also known as Khasha Zwan, was dragged from his home and shot to death last week, the Washington Post reports. The Taliban admitted the execution after videos were posted this week showing two men slapping him just before he was killed, per the AP. The slaying raised fears about life will be like under the Taliban, as they seize control of territory as the US forces leave. "Taliban forces apparently executed Khasha Zwan because he poked fun at Taliban leaders," a Human Rights Watch official said, adding that the slaying shows the Taliban won't tolerate "even the tamest criticism or objection." An Afghan official called it an attack on "justice, knowledge and art." story continues below Human Rights Watch said the Taliban is going after critics and opponents despite saying they were reining in their fighters. Large numbers of people tied to police or government are being detained in Kandahar, the group said. "The Taliban leadership usually denies the abuses, but it's their fighters carrying out these attacks and their responsibility to stop the killings," Human Rights Watch said. The Taliban, after first denying involvement in Khasha's death, has said he was guilty of acts of violence against civilians. A spokesman now says the Taliban are investigating the case because Khasha was killed instead of brought back for trial in an Islamic court, the usual procedure. A US diplomat condemned the slaying on Twitter, saying Khasha brought "joy & laughter to his community even in dark times." (The first Afghan refugees land in the US.) Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by subscribing or contributing today. A red squirrel with several ticks on its head. Red squirrels and snowshoe hares are hosts to the squirrel tick, which is native to Alaska. The Guardian newspaper reported on July 21 that now-former Alaska Assistant Attorney General Matthias Cicotte "posted a series of racist, antisemitic and homophobic messages on social media under the pseudonym @JReubenClark. The statue of William Seward was placed in the plaza in front of the Alaska Capitol in Juneau in 2017. Seward was the Secretary of State in 1867 who negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia. Let us know what you're seeing and hearing around the community. Submit here Sen. Lisa Murkowski speaks about the deal reached with the White House for an infrastructure package. She was part of a core group of GOP senators who helped to negotiate the $579 billion plan. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com The Municipality of the Southern Region, in cooperation with the Municipal Council, the Monitoring and Inspection Department, and the Cleaning Services Follow-up Department, carried out more than 2,000 campaigns to remove violations in the first half of the year from January to June 2021. During the inspection campaigns, about 348 building violations, 256 road occupancy violations, 864 advertisements and posters that distorted the urban appearance of residential areas and neighbourhoods, 22 street vendors, 90 dilapidated properties, 81 shared housing, 46 scrap cars, four abandoned vehicles and boats, and 241 dead animals were removed. In all residential and commercial complexes, these violations were monitored and their conditions corrected. The municipality stressed the need to initiate the necessary licence before commencing the implementation of any work related to housing or shops, in order to avoid taking the necessary measures regarding them with removal. It stressed that it will not tolerate the application of laws and requirements applicable to violators in order to preserve the prestige of the law and to preserve the general appearance and urban character of the areas and residential neighbourhoods. Article (2) of Law No. (2) of 1996 concerning the occupancy of public roads, states that it is not permissible, without a license from the Ministry of Housing, Municipalities and Environment, to occupy the public road in a horizontal or vertical direction, and in particular with the following: Occupation resulting from excavation, construction, demolition and paving works, laying pipes and wires above or below the surface of the earth, or making openings. In the sidewalks and the like, leaving movables outside the shops, factories, warehouses, or homes except for the shortest period necessary to carry out loading or unloading and provided that traffic is not obstructed, and placing shelves, carriers of goods, umbrellas and the like, and placing goods. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain Bahrains keenness and interest in developing its relations with all countries, especially in the tourism field was stressed by Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) Zayed bin Rashid Al-Zayani. He also highlighted the governments continuous efforts to encourage tourism partnerships, support effective cooperation to boost tourism in the kingdom and avail of the expertise and resources of brotherly and friendly countries. Al-Zayani made the statements while meeting here today the Greek Tourism Minister, Harry Theocharis. During the meeting, the two sides reviewed the Bahraini-Greek relations, as well as ways to bolster bilateral cooperation across all fields, particularly in the relevant tourism and investment fields. They also underlined the importance of bilateral visits and meetings in enhancing cooperation and taking advantage of the expertise and resource of Greece in the tourism field. The two ministers also discussed topics of mutual interest. The Industry Minister reviewed Bahrains potentials as a country with a strategic location for tourism and investment, in light of its appropriate environment and facilities provided by the government to investors, which has made it a gateway to business in the region and a favourite destination for tourists from many countries. Thank you for trusting us for your local news coverage. You have reached the maximum number of free articles per month. Subscribe today for unlimited access to News-Press NOW. It's a fast and easy way to support local journalism. Now is the time to get in on the fun with Cartoon Drawing with Emma on Friday, July 30, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Emma Keating, who is an artist, the instructor of the Wilton Librarys class, and a Class of 2017 Wilton Library graduate takes children through an imaginative drawing class for the last time this summer. Children, who are in the third grade through the fifth grade will learn how to draw characters, creatures and animals to their hearts content. A few supplies are needed such as paper, pencils and crayons, watercolors or colored pencils. Registration is required in order to receive the Zoom link to the class, which will be sent out shortly before the program. Call the Wilton Library Childrens Library at 203-762-6336, or email the Head of the librarys Childrens Library, Andrea Szabo, at aszabo@wiltonlibrary.org with questions. Visit www.wiltonlibrary.org to register. Fun crafty things There are a few crafty programs continuing through August, and children can still be in on the virtual fun. Virtual Crafternoon takes place on Mondays, Aug. 2, and Monday, Aug. 9, from 4 to 4:45 p.m. Children, who are ages four-years-old, and up are invited to create something based on the summer reading theme of Tails and Tales. Craft kits will be available to registrants at the librarys drive thru window/circulation desk. Zoom links will be emailed the day of the program. Registration for each child is required separately for the two remaining sessions. Email aszabo@wiltonlibrary.org with any questions. Older kids, who are ages eight-years-old to twelve-years-old can take part in Recycled Crafts for Kids, Thursdays, Aug. 5, Aug. 12, and Aug. 26, and on Saturday, Aug. 14, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Rising eleventh grade Girl Scout Fiona Conway is presenting the program. Conway is pursuing her Gold Award. Children will be making recycled crafts out of materials that they will find around the house. Conway will email parents before the classes each week to update the children, and their parents about what materials are needed for that particular session. Any other materials may include pipe cleaners, glue, markers or paint. Children can use their imaginations to make the projects their own. Registration is required. Zoom links will be sent the day of the program. Conway can be emailed at fionaconwaygs@gmail.com with any questions. Visit www.wiltonlibrary.org to register for any of the craft programs mentioned above. Story times for August Story times continue in August with in person, and virtual sessions available amid the coronavirus pandemic. Courtyard Story Time takes place on Tuesdays, Aug. 3, and 10, from 10:30 until 11 a.m. in the librarys reference courtyard. Three, and four years old and their caregivers will enjoy stories, songs, puppets and rhymes. Masks must be warn at all times by adults and children. Blankets should be brought to reserve space in the courtyard. Space is limited to maintain social distancing. Registration is required for the two sessions. Toddlers, who are between the ages of two-years-old, and three-years-old can enjoy a story time that is titled: Terrific Tales for Twos and Threes Online on Wednesdays, Aug. 4, and Aug. 11, from 10:30 until 11:30 a.m. Children, and their caregivers will enjoy stories, singing songs, learning rhymes, and doing movement activities while building literacy skills. Registration is required for each date separately so that Zoom links for the story times may be sent to registrants. On Tuesday, Aug. 12, from 10:15 to 10:45 a.m., children, who are ages three-years-old, and up with their caregivers will receive a treat in a story time that is titled Story Time @ the Fire Station. The in person story time is at the Wilton Fire Station, which is located at 236 Danbury Road on the campus of Wilton Town Hall. Masks must be worn by all people who attend the in-person sessions amid the pandemic from the virus. Blankets are used to reserve spots. Visit www.wiltonlibrary.org to register for all of the sessions. Short stories end The final session of New Yorker Shorts: Four Weeks of Short Stories From The New Yorker, takes place on Wednesday, Aug. 4, from noon until 1:30 p.m. The session is held by professional book discussion leader Susan Boyar using Zoom. The story title will be announced the week before the session. The New Yorker is available in the Reading Room for in library use, or it can be downloaded to computers using OverDrive or to mobile devices through the Libby by OverDrive app. A link to the story at The New Yorker's website will also be provided. Registration is required in order to receive the Zoom link from kzeibak@wiltonlibrary.org. To register, visit www.wiltonlibrary.org. Virtual critters are coming The Wonderful Wednesdays program highlights Christines Critters on Aug. 4, from 3 to 4 p.m. Locally based, General Class Falconer, Wildlife Rehabilitator, Hiking, and Nature Reptile Keeper, and Federally Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator for migratory birds, Christine Peyreigne, is having a Zoom program for children, who are ages four-years-old, and up. Peyreigne will show, and talk about some of her wonderful birds that she has rescued, and fostered, such as her hawks, owls and others. Registration is required so that the Zoom link for the program can be sent to all registrants. Call the librarys Children's Library at (203) 762-6336 with any questions. To register, visit www.wiltonlibrary.org. Wizards gather Children, who are in the fourth grade through the sixth grade, and who love potions, caring for magical creatures and more will love the librarys Wizard Camp this month. The in person camp will be in two sessions Monday through Thursday, from Aug. 16, through Aug. 19, from 10:30 a.m. until noon, or 3 to 4:30 p.m. Children will be sorted into houses, take classes in the program that is titled: Potions and the Care of Magical Creatures, and see live animals, make crafts, and more. There will be something for the children to take home every day. The program is a fundraiser for the librarys Children's Library. The fee is $70 per child. Space is limited for social distancing amid the pandemic. Masks must be worn at all times. Register for the program at www.wiltonlibrary.org. See the registration link on the website for details. Visit www.wiltonlibrary.org for information about the program, and to register for any of the librarys virtual programming, for information about the librarys Digital Library, or any of the librarys databases. For Wilton residents, who need a library card to access the Digital Library, call 203-762-6334. If anyone has questions about accessing or using the Digital Library, email reference@wiltonlibrary.org. With the highly transmissible delta variant driving up COVID-19 cases nationwide, local leaders and medical professionals are bracing for what might come next in the more-than-yearlong pandemic. The delta variant is as easily transmissible as chicken pox and has been driving an increase in nationwide cases of infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Were learning a lot about the delta variant day-by-day, and were understanding more about the differences between it and other variants in terms of it being more contagious and its ability to be passed from person to person, said Dr. Paul Nee, an infectious disease specialist with Nuvance Health. Nee said delta is the predominant COVID-19 strain, and theres no doubt that it is whats driving the increase in cases. Nee said there were times in June when Danbury Hospital had no COVID patients but over the past week, its been averaging between four and six. The disease is spreading, he said. We are seeing an uptick and we are all very concerned at this point with some of the data that were seeing nationwide. Were concerned that if these trends continue, we might start to see it in the Northeast over the next few weeks to a month. Brookfield and Southbury have the worst COVID rates in the Danbury area, putting them in the states yellow alert zone. Southbury has averaged 6.2 new cases per 100,000 people over a two-week period, while Brookfield has averaged 5.6 cases. All other towns in the area have averaged less than five new cases per 100,000 people over two weeks. Were watching the number of cases here in Danbury, said Mayor Joe Cavo, whose city has the lowest rate of fully vaccinated residents in the region at roughly 57 percent. They havent been the cause for alarm yet. Local case rates Danbury had six reported COVID cases between July 20 to July 26, compared to 16 cases the week of July 12 and three the week of July 6, according to city data that tracks cases based on the day the tests were taken. Cavo said the citys health department is monitoring the delta variant and he plans to watch for guidance from the state. Based on that, well make our best decisions, he said. New Fairfield has seen a climb in COVID numbers from fewer than five new cases in June to at least 12 reported since the start of July, First Selectwoman Pat Del Monaco said. Theres been a lot in the news about the delta variant and, unfortunately, Connecticut and the town of New Fairfield are not any different than the rest of the country, she said. Vaccination rates Percentage of fully vaccinated residents in the Danbury area, according to the latest state data: Bethel - 57.44 Bridgewater - 70.34 Brookfield - 64.7 Danbury - 57.18 Kent - 75.59 New Fairfield - 57.96 New Milford - 63.75 Newtown - 64.95 Redding - 61.28 Ridgefield - 67.98 Roxbury - 71 Sherman - 58.15 Washington - 71.47 See More Collapse Del Monaco said shes not only concerned about the upward trend in cases, but New Fairfields vaccination rate, and is urging unvaccinated residents to at least consider getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Were not seeing many vaccinations in town week to week. We are below the state average for vaccination and have one of the lowest rates in our region, she said, noting the majority of new COVID cases have involved unvaccinated individuals. About 58 percent of New Fairfield residents had been fully vaccinated as of Wednesday roughly 1 percent more than the week before, according to state data. The vaccine is so important because the more the virus spreads, the more opportunity it has to mutate and there is the possibility that we may end up with a variant that is resistant to the vaccine, Del Monaco said. With a rise in Bethels COVID positivity rate from 0.3 percent to 0.9 percent over the past four weeks, First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker said hes keeping a close eye on the numbers. Unlike its neighbor New Fairfield, the town of Sherman has not seen a notable rise in COVID cases lately. Although we had one this week, I believe we have had only three cases over the last two months, Sherman First Selectman Don Lowe said Wednesday. At least 58 percent of Sherman residents are fully vaccinated and around 61 percent have received at least one vaccine dose. Vaccines key Since theyre most at risk of severe COVID-related illness, Nee said its imperative for unvaccinated individuals to follow the advice of the CDC and remain masked indoors and when theyre out around other people. In the past few months at Danbury Hospital and largely across the Nuvance Health system those who have come in with COVID have largely been unvaccinated people, he said. There have been a few vaccinated individuals who have contracted the virus, Nee said, but theyre not coming to the hospital. Those with breakthrough infection have largely been outpatient and have had very subtle, very minor symptoms. They do well and recover very quickly, he said. Nee said vaccination has shown to work at preventing severe illness and those who have not gotten inoculated should try to get vaccinated if theres no reason for them medically not to do so. Getting back to a pre-pandemic state will require teamwork, Nee said. Everyone needs to do their best to try to prevent the spread of COVID so that we dont have to open COVID wards again and can try to get back to some level of normalcy, he said. Nee said it may feel to some people like the pandemic is finally over, but its not and following COVID safety measures is still important. People should continue to mask when appropriate, wash their hands, appropriately social distance and get vaccinated, he said. If we can do that, we can keep it at bay. Julia Perkins contributed to this report. DANBURY The founder of Connecticut Institute for Communities is stepping down as the head of the nonprofit that provides health and education programs for western Connecticut. Katherine McKeon Curran will become president and chief executive officer of the institute beginning Aug. 1, replacing former U.S. Rep. James Maloney, who founded the organization known as CIFC 18 years ago. I am honored to assume the role of president and CEO at CIFC, where I look forward to continuing to lead our efforts in providing the highest quality services to the thousands of patients, clients, individuals, and families that we serve throughout Connecticut, Curran said in a statement. As the institutes chief operating officer and general counsel, Curran led the organizations response to the coronavirus pandemic. She supported employees as they administered more than 23,000 COVID-19 tests and 12,000 vaccines to the community. Maloney will be a part-time consultant for CIFC. I am enthusiastic about continuing to engage with CIFC to make notable progress for our communities, Maloney said in a statement. And I especially look forward to working with Katie Curran in her new role. She is a very talented and dedicated leader, who will do a great job as CIFCs president and CEO. CIFC is based in Danbury and serves low- and- moderate-income families in Connecticut through a combination of health and education programs, as well as housing and economic development projects. CIFC Board of Directors search process for a new leader was lengthy and extensive, the organization said. Francis J. Muska, chairman of the board, said hes delighted with the choice of Curran. We knew her credentials, and her prior work at CIFC over nearly a decade, he said in a statement. Her great achievements confronting the COVID-19 public health emergency this last year speak also to her determination, work ethic, and integrity during a crisis. We know that she will continue to flourish in her future endeavors for the community as CIFC president and CEO. Curran joined CIFC in the fall of 2011 as the institutes first staff attorney and compliance officer. She built CIFCs compliance department, becoming an expert in regulatory compliance and operations in CIFCs service fields, CIFC said. She oversaw the Health Centers move to 120 Main St. in downtown Danbury. During the coronavirus pandemic, her duties included working at the vaccine registration center and coordinating with city, state and local partners over various pandemic issues. She oversaw collaboration with the federal government to acquire and distribute vaccines, and then expand CIFCs vaccine delivery capacity. Of the organizations vaccine supply, 65 percent went to underserved and minority populations, identified by the state. Curran holds a Bachelor of Arts in government studies from Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., graduating cum laude in 2003. She graduated cum laude with a law degree from Quinnipiac University School of Law, where she was editor-in-chief of the Quinnipiac Health Law Journal from 2008-09. She was certified in health care compliance by the Health Care Compliance Association, and last year completed the Harvard Kennedy Schools Executive Education Program for Non-Profit Financial Stewardship. WASHINGTON (AP) For President Joe Biden and the senators laboring over a nearly $1 trillion infrastructure package, theres just one question left: Can enough Republicans get to yes? Seventeen GOP senators joined all Democrats in voting this week to start the debate, launching what will be a dayslong process to consider the bill. The 67-32 vote was a surprisingly strong bipartisan showing, a rarity these days in the narrowly split Congress. But whether the number of Republican senators willing to pass a key part of Biden's agenda grows or shrinks in the days ahead will determine if the president's signature issue can make it across the finish line. Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, the lead Republican negotiator, predicts support will only swell ahead of final votes. Thats pretty darn good for a start, Portman said after Wednesdays outcome. We can build on that as members begin to realize the impact of these projects on their states and the people they represent. For Republican senators weighing their options, there are plenty of reasons to stick with no. The bipartisan Biden plan is big, with $550 billion in new spending beyond the typical highway and public works accounts. Its being financed from funding sources that may not pass muster with deficit hawks, including repurposing untapped COVID-19 relief aid and relying on projected future economic growth. Besides, GOP opponents of Biden's plan argue, passing this first part of the White House's infrastructure agenda almost certainly helps pave the way for Democrats to pass a much bigger $3.5 trillion package on child care, health care and other far-reaching proposals that Republicans staunchly oppose. They call that plan a reckless spending spree," but can do little to stop it under special budget rules that won't require the 60-vote threshold that will be needed to advance the bipartisan package over a filibuster in the evenly split 50-50 Senate. Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., who voted against launching debate this week, seems inclined to oppose the bipartisan package, even as he acknowledged the potential popularity of new roads, bridges, broadband internet and other infrastructure spending. That's always the challenge, Lankford said Thursday. People always say, We want more. But when you say, How do we pay for it?, theyll often say, Yeah, we need to make sure its paid for as well. Yet some Republicans say its time to say yes. After voting against Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief aid bill earlier this year and preparing to vote against the next big infrastructure package on deck, some Republicans worry about ending the first year of his presidency almost empty handed. It feels like youre against everything, said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., who was among the 17 voting to start work on the bill. And I think thats how it looks. Infrastructure is a topic that has typically generated bipartisan support, and senators are hearing from mayors and other local officials about the need for federal investments in the big-ticket public works items that cities, counties and states cannot typically afford on their own. Included in a 57-page summary distributed to the Republican senators about the bipartisan plan were polling results, including a recent survey from The Associated Press-NORC showing 8 in 10 Americans support some infrastructure spending. While Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has been open about his plan to be 100% focused on stopping Bidens agenda, he also knows other GOP senators wouldnt mind having something to show voters back home. The political calculation among the Republicans played out in a closed-door lunch meeting this week, when one side argued that a yes vote would only help Biden and Democrats push their big spending plans forward. Their arguments against the bill echoed a statement from Donald Trump, the former president, who called Republicans derisive nicknames for working with Democrats. Trump encouraged Republicans to wait and try to pass their own bill if they regain the Senate majority in next fall's midterm elections. Cramer said he stood up in the lunch meeting and told his colleagues that if they kept at it, neither Democrats nor Republicans would ever end up supporting the other side, and nothing would ever get done. There can be winners and winners, he said. Not every transaction in this place requires there to be a loser for there to be a winner. One Republican strategist who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private thinking said more senators are expected to get to yes. The strategist said GOP senators are weighing the idea that a yes vote could be seen as a political win, showing they worked to support the bipartisan infrastructure plan. They could then shift attention to Democrats, who face their own internal divisions as they try to carry Biden's proposals to final passage. McConnell signaled the GOP's political strategy at work as he joined those voting to start the debate but quickly blasted Democrats for their big spending plans. "Our country would benefit a whole lot from some targeted investment," McConnell said Thursday. "The kind of focused compromise that our colleagues have been hashing out could not contrast more sharply with the multitrillion-dollar reckless taxing and spending spree that Democrats hope to ram through on a party-line vote later this year. Biden has been an integral partner in the debate, drawing senators close with one-on-one meetings at the White House, while giving the lawmakers space to negotiate with one another and work out the contours of the bipartisan bill. The process has been long, tedious and full of starts and stops that made a deal seem out of reach. It has been more than a month since Biden and the senators first struck an accord to get this far, with this weeks floor votes in the Senate. And there are still days to go. I think its an important statement for Republicans to come together with us, but we are clear that we are going to make these investments in our economy, because those are investments in the American people," said Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., the assistant speaker. "And we hope the Republicans will join us, but that will be our outcome, whether they decide to be on the side of the American people or not. PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) A former Roman Catholic priest who was assigned to at least four Rhode Island parishes through the early 1990s faces three counts of first-degree sexual assault, according to court records. The records show that a statewide grand jury in May indicted Edward Kelley, 79, alleging he committed the assaults in 1983 in North Smithfield, The Providence Journal reported Friday. A dozen Republican governors and more than 200 GOP members of Congress are wading into a court fight over a Mississippi law to restrict abortion, the outcome of which could have implications for similar measures across the country. On Thursday, attorneys for South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, leader of the gubernatorial effort, submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Mississippi, which wants to enforce its 2018 law that would ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Mississippi's Republican attorney general filed papers last week asking the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Mississippi's sole abortion clinic is challenging the legality of the 2018 law, arguing that it unconstitutionally restricts access to abortion. The nations high court will likely hear that case in the fall, with a decision probably in 2022. Arguing the issue of abortion is best left to the states, rather than federal-level entities, the attorneys for the dozen Republican governors wrote that citizens have the ability to vote out state lawmakers with whom they disagree over abortion policies. The Court should take this opportunity to correct the mistakes in its abortion jurisprudence and recognize that the text and original understanding of the Fourteenth Amendment have nothing to do with abortion, McMasters attorneys wrote. Rather than creating a federal constitutional right, the Court should leave regulating abortion to the States, where the people may act through the democratic process. McMasters attorneys also argued that the high courts landmark abortion decisions have upended the careful balance that the Constitution strikes between the Federal Government and the States. The arguments are similar to the ones made by Mississippi's attorney general. Also Thursday, an amicus brief from 184 U.S. House members and 44 U.S. senators, all Republicans, also argued in favor of delegating governance over abortion-related issues to the states, calling it "long overdue for this Court to return lawmaking to legislators." About a dozen other states have passed similar or more restrictive abortion bans, which could take effect if the U.S. Supreme Court were to overturn Roe v. Wade. Earlier this year, McMaster signed the South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act, which requires doctors to perform ultrasounds to check for a heartbeat in the fetus, something typically detected about six weeks after conception. If its found, the abortion can be performed only if the pregnancy was caused by rape or incest, or the mothers life was in danger. Planned Parenthood attorneys sued immediately, and the entire law has been blocked from taking effect during the lawsuit, which is on hold pending the Mississippi case. In 2019, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation that would outlaw almost all abortions, with no exceptions for cases of rape and incest. A federal judge has blocked that measure from taking effect. There is nothing wrong with giving this issue back to the people, McMasters attorneys wrote, adding that allowing states to handle the issue individually should lower the proverbial temperature in these debates, lessening the consternation over abortion in judicial confirmations and presidential campaigns. Alexis McGill Johnson, president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said in a statement that the Republicans want to ban abortion outright, something she called deeply out of the step with the American public 80 percent of whom support access to safe, legal abortion. Also signing onto McMasters brief are the governors of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma and Texas. ___ Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP. ___ Associated Press writers Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Mississippi, and Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed to this report. ATLANTA (AP) Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp sought to shift blame to President Joe Biden for Georgia's poor vaccination rate Thursday as COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations continued to sprint upward. The Republican, speaking to reporters, blamed the Democratic president for not doing enough to push the Food and Drug Administration to upgrade its emergency authorization for the vaccines to a permanent authorization. Kemp said urging people to use masks again is a mixed message that could discourage vaccination. The governor reiterated his call for people to get vaccinated against the disease, saying he would only seek other solutions if Georgia hospitals began to get overwhelmed. Georgia ranks in the bottom 10 states for vaccination rates. We know that the vaccines work," Kemp said. "I want to encourage people to get vaccinated if youre comfortable doing that. Democratic State Sen. Michelle Au, an anesthesiologist with a master's degree in public health, said Kemp's approach to increasing vaccination rates is unimaginative and passive. She said the state needs to do more to make it easy for people to access vaccines and should push more testing among the unvaccinated. We aren't trying hard enough, Au said. We like to blame the unvaccinated. Georgia recorded more than 4,800 positive tests for COVID-19 on Thursday, the worst number since Feb. 5. The state peaked on Jan. 8, with nearly 13,000 recorded cases. The daily case count has more than doubled in a week, as the more infectious delta variant rushes through the state. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients rose above 1,800 statewide. The Georgia Department of Public Health says that fewer than 5,000, or about 0.1%, of the 4.1 million Georgians who have been fully vaccinated had tested positive for COVID-19 through Tuesday. Of those, 118 were hospitalized and 24 died. Richmond County schools on Thursday joined a list of at least 20 districts keeping or reimposing the mandate, which now extends to a third of Georgias 1.7 million public school students. Dougherty County and Albany returned to requiring people to wear masks inside public buildings, but WALB-TV reported the city would not require people to wear masks at businesses and other privately owned locations. Atlanta on Wednesday made masks mandatory in all indoor public spaces, including private buildings. The southwest Georgia town of Doerun, meanwhile, closed its city hall lobby until Aug. 9, citing employee exposure to COVID-19. Infection rates have been highest in southeast Georgia. Charlton County Administrator Hampton Raulerson told The Brunswick News that he believed vaccine rates would climb, but that community interest has been low. Its not lack of availability, he said. Theres a lot of distrust when it comes to the vaccine. A lot of people thought (COVID-19) was going away. Kemp said he hears many people hesitating because the vaccines are still only approved for emergency use. "Id love to see the Biden administration put an operation warp speed on moving away from the emergency use authorization, the governor said. The Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday changed earlier guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in areas with substantial or high transmission. CDC figures show 138 of 159 Georgia counties in those zones. The CDC also recommended that everyone in schools wear masks indoors. Kemp said that shift was eroding trust. When you tell them they can get vaccinated and then take their mask off and then you turn around weeks later and reverse that, whos gonna trust anybody, any politician, Republican, Democrat, or otherwise? Kemp said. The governor also said he thought it was counterproductive to ask businesses or local police officers to enforce mask mandates. The city of Atlanta cant keep up with violent crime right now," Kemp said. "I know these officers damn well dont have time to be writing tickets for not being masked up. I mean, that is ridiculous, in my opinion." Kemp gave no indication, however, that he would try to quash mask rules being issued by cities or school systems, saying, I trust the local school systems with local control. The governor allowed a public health state of emergency to expire at the end of June. He had used those emergency powers to try to control local masking orders. ___ Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffamy. PHOENIX (AP) Groups connected to prominent supporters of former President Donald Trump's movement to cast doubt on the 2020 election results have raised $5.7 million for Arizona Republicans' election audit. Doug Logan, CEO of Cyber Ninjas, the little-known firm hired to lead the audit, ended months of silence about who was paying for it and how much it cost Wednesday night. The money from pro-Trump groups dwarfs the $150,000 contributed by the Arizona Senate, which commissioned the audit and hired Cyber Ninjas. Among those leading the fundraising groups are Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security advisor; Sydney Powell, his attorney who filed a number of baseless lawsuits challenging election results; Patrick Byrne, a former chief executive of Overstock.com; and correspondents from the pro-Trump One America News Network. The confirmation that the audit is being overwhelmingly funded by groups promoting false narratives about the election will raise further questions about the validity of the final report. The audit has already been widely discredited by election experts who say Cyber Ninjas and other contractors are biased and using unusual procedures that wont produce reliable results. When the sources of the money, and the activity thats being paid for, and the people being paid are all putting forth falsehoods ... it's incredibly troubling and problematic, said Tammy Patrick, a senior adviser at the Democracy Fund and a former Maricopa County elections official. Republican Senate President Karen Fann says the audit is only meant to see whether improvements are needed to state election laws. But the audit has long been associated with the stop the steal movement, and Trump has predicted it will uncover evidence to support his discredited theories of fraud. Before he was hired to lead the audit, Logan promoted Trumps false narrative that the election was stolen from him, and pro-Trump media has aggressively promoted the effort. By far the largest funder is The America Project, led by Byrne, which Logan said has so far contributed $3.25 million. America's Future, which lists Flynn as its chairman, contributed just over $976,000. Voices and Votes, led by OANN correspondents Christina Bobb and Chanel Rion, contributed $605,000; and Powell's Defending the Republic gave $550,000. Election Integrity Funds for the American Republic, which Logan said is led by attorney Matthew DePerno, contributed $280,000. DePerno unsuccessfully sued Antrim County, Michigan, over the election. Logan said several of the groups have also provided operational support and advice pivotal in executing the audit. Still unclear is where those groups got their money. They are organized as nonprofits and do not have to disclose their donors. Logan has fought to keep the funders secret, though he acknowledged at the beginning of the audit that his $150,000 contract with the Senate wouldn't cover the cost of the work the Senate hired him to do. He released the figures on the deadline for him to voluntarily comply with a request for information, including donor information, from the U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee. Several public records lawsuits also seek information from the Senate and Cyber Ninjas. A news release from Cyber Ninjas said the audit received $5,711,514.43 in outside donations, but the itemized list of amounts contributed by each of the five groups adds up to $50,000 less. A spokesman for Cyber Ninjas, Rod Thomson, did not respond to an email seeking clarification on the discrepancy. Thomson declined to say how much of the $5.7 million has been profit for Cyber Ninjas and other contractors, whether they expect to get more money and whether there are plans for what to do if the contributions far exceed the costs of the audit. The auditors on Thursday began returning the 2.1 million ballots and election equipment to Maricopa County, three months after they were delivered to the state fairgrounds for a review that was originally expected to take 60 days. The Senate got access to the materials after top senators issued a subpoena late last year, as Trump and his allies tried to convince members of Congress not to certify Joe Biden's win on Jan. 6. Maricopa County turned them over after a judge ruled the subpoena was valid. Fann and Judiciary Committee Chairman Warren Petersen this week issued new subpoenas demanding more information as well as materials they say the Senate withheld from the original demand. Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jack Sellers, a Republican, said the board members are discussing their options with their lawyers and expect to say more within the next week. VANCOUVER, BC, July 29, 2021 /CNW/ - Canfor Corporation ("The Company" or "Canfor") (TSX: CFP) today reported its second quarter 2021 results: Overview Record quarterly reported operating income of $1.04 billion driven by unprecedented high lumber prices and a strong operating performance across all regions; record-high quarterly sales of $2.5 billion driven by unprecedented high lumber prices and a strong operating performance across all regions; record-high quarterly sales of Record shareholder net income of $727 million , or $5.81 per share , or per share Net cash of $916 million at June 30, 2021 ; US$150 million repayment of term debt in the current quarter at ; repayment of term debt in the current quarter Cumulative cash deposits of $645 million on countervailing and anti-dumping duties at June 30, 2021 Financial Results The following table summarizes selected financial information for the Company for the comparative periods: Q2 Q1 YTD Q2 YTD (millions of Canadian dollars, except per share amounts) 2021 2021 2021 2020 2020 Sales $ 2,495.2 $ 1,941.8 $ 4,437.0 $ 1,115.3 $ 2,286.0 Reported operating income before amortization $ 1,134.6 $ 696.7 $ 1,831.3 $ 189.5 $ 195.1 Reported operating income $ 1,041.3 $ 602.6 $ 1,643.9 $ 96.9 $ 8.1 Adjusted operating income before amortization1 $ 1,134.6 $ 694.5 $ 1,829.1 $ 131.5 $ 190.4 Adjusted operating income1 $ 1,041.3 $ 600.4 $ 1,641.7 $ 38.9 $ 3.4 Net income (loss)2 $ 726.9 $ 427.8 $ 1,154.7 $ 60.7 $ (9.3) Net income (loss) per share, basic and diluted2 $ 5.81 $ 3.42 $ 9.22 $ 0.48 $ (0.07) Adjusted net income2, 3 $ 721.2 $ 434.2 $ 1,155.4 $ 68.9 $ 12.2 Adjusted net income per share, basic and diluted2, 3 $ 5.76 $ 3.47 $ 9.23 $ 0.55 $ 0.10 1 Adjusted for inventory write-downs and recoveries ($2.2 million recovery in Q1 2021 and YTD 2021, $72.4 million net recovery in Q2 2020, $20.1 million net recovery in YTD 2020), and restructuring costs ($14.4 million in Q2 2020, $15.4 million in YTD 2020). Effective Q1 2021, results were no longer adjusted for countervailing and anti-dumping duties. Prior periods above have been restated to reflect this change ($19.2 million expense in Q2 2020, $63.6 million expense in YTD 2020). 2 Attributable to equity shareholders of the Company. 3 Adjusted for after-tax impact of certain one-time items, including restructuring costs, foreign exchange (gain) loss on term-debt, and (gain) loss on derivative financial instruments. Effective Q1 2021, net income (loss) and net income (loss) per share were no longer adjusted for the after-tax impact of duty deposits, net of duties recoverable, and foreign exchange on duty deposits recoverable. Prior periods above have been restated to reflect this change (unfavourable per share impact of $0.12 in Q2 2020). Reflecting record-high lumber segment earnings and improved pulp and paper segment results, the Company reported operating income of $1,041.3 million for the second quarter of 2021, $438.7 million higher than the operating income of $602.6 million reported for the first quarter of 2021. For the lumber segment, earnings increased $393.8 million quarter-over-quarter, to an all-time high of $1,000.5 million. Commenting on the Company's second quarter results, Canfor's President and Chief Executive Officer, Don Kayne, said, "Our lumber business generated exceptional financial results in the second quarter, with our solid operational performance enabling us to capitalize on strong global lumber fundamentals resulting in record-high operating earnings. Our pulp business successfully leveraged favourable pulp market conditions and improved productivity to record strong financial results for the quarter." Global lumber market conditions remained very strong in the second quarter of 2021, as tight supply coupled with significant demand drove global benchmark lumber prices to new unprecedented highs. This record pricing, combined with moderately higher shipment volumes, substantially outweighed the impact of modestly higher log costs in Western Canada. Continued strong North American market fundamentals reflected sustained high levels of new home construction activity, despite a slight pull-back in the shift to suburban areas, as coronavirus ("COVID-19") restrictions were gradually lifted. Demand in the North American repair and remodeling sector also showed continued strength early in the current quarter, but weakened over the balance of the period. For the second quarter of 2021, US housing starts averaged 1,568,000 units on a seasonally adjusted basis, down 2% from the previous quarter. Although well above the five-year rolling average of 1,308,000 units, current quarter US housing starts were down 9% from the near fifteen-year high established in March. In Canada, new home construction remained strong despite a similar decline from the March peak; housing starts averaged 281,000 units on a seasonally adjusted basis for the second quarter of 2021, down 8% from the previous quarter, but still well above historical levels. Offshore lumber demand and prices in Asia were also strong in the current period, with material price gains recorded in many regions, supported by lean inventories in the supply chain, coupled with steady consumption in the industrial and construction sectors. Western Europe and Scandinavian lumber demand experienced further growth in the current quarter largely in response to continued strength in the repair and remodeling sector in that region. The North American Random Lengths Western Spruce/Pine/Fir ("SPF") 2x4 #2&Btr price posted significant gains early in the second quarter of 2021, reaching a new record high of US$1,630 per Mfbm in early May before declining sharply through the balance of the quarter to end the period at US$875 per Mfbm. Despite this volatility, the Western SPF 2x4 #2&Btr price averaged US$1,342 per Mfbm for the quarter overall, up US$370 per Mfbm, or 38%, from the previous quarter. The substantial increase in the Company's Western SPF lumber unit sales realizations primarily reflected this record-high North American benchmark pricing, as well as significantly improved offshore unit sales realizations, particularly in Japan. The Southern Yellow Pine ("SYP") East 2x4 #2 price followed similar trends to Western SPF, climbing to a record of US$1,400 per Mfbm mid-May and ending the quarter at US$755 per Mfbm. As a result, the North American Random Lengths SYP East 2x4 #2 price averaged US$1,163 per Mfbm, broadly in line with the previous quarter. However, pronounced price increases for wider-width dimension products, some of which reflected seasonal factors, contributed to a significant increase in the Company's SYP lumber unit sales realizations. The Company's European lumber unit sales realizations also experienced a notable uptick compared to the previous quarter, largely driven by ongoing increases in European market demand and the record North American US-dollar benchmark pricing environment, offset somewhat by the traditional quarterly lag in European contract pricing and the timing of orders (versus shipments) to North America. Total lumber shipments, at 1.54 billion board feet, were 6% higher than the previous quarter largely due to moderately higher North American shipment volumes in the current quarter, while European shipments were comparable quarter-over-quarter. In North America, increased shipments, for the most part, reflected strong demand combined with the gradual release of inventory early in the quarter as trucking availability in the US South and transportation networks in Western Canada, slowly returned to more normal service levels in April and May. Total lumber production, at 1.51 billion board feet, was 2% higher than the prior quarter principally reflecting modestly higher SYP production following capital-related downtime at the Company's Camden and Estill mills in the previous quarter. Western SPF and European lumber production were broadly in line with the first quarter of 2021. Lumber unit manufacturing and product costs were broadly in line with the prior quarter, as the per-unit impact of gains in productivity and the benefit of stable log costs in the US South and Europe offset modestly higher log costs in Western Canada. Looking ahead, with the sharp correction in benchmark lumber prices across North America in recent weeks, market fundamentals in that region are forecast to be more challenging through the third quarter of 2021, as a result of reduced consumer spending in the repair and remodeling sector and some moderation in new home construction activity. Solid offshore lumber market demand and pricing in Asia, most notably Japan, is expected to persist into the latter half of 2021, supported by increased building activity and lean inventory levels in the region. European lumber markets are projected to remain strong through the third quarter of 2021 with steady consumption in the residential and construction sector. As a result of the traditional lag in European contract pricing, third quarter pricing is anticipated to exceed current quarter levels. Results in the pulp and paper segment largely reflected materially higher Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft ("NBSK") pulp unit sales realizations, and to a lesser extent, an 8% increase in shipments following transportation disruptions experienced in the first quarter of 2021. These factors more than offset the impact of the stronger Canadian dollar and market-related fibre cost increases in the current quarter. Following the sharp improvement in market fundamentals earlier in the year, global pulp market conditions were more stable in the second quarter. Demand was solid through the first part of the current quarter but a moderation in purchasing activity from China saw some downward pressure on prices in that region, particularly in June. The upward trend in NBSK US-dollar pulp list prices to China from the first quarter continued in April, with prices reaching a near-record high of US$995 per tonne in April, before declining in May and June, to end the quarter at US$910 per tonne. As a result, the current quarter US-dollar NBSK pulp list price to China averaged US$962 per tonne, up US$79 per tonne, or 9%, compared to the previous quarter. Prices to North America (before discounts) saw sharp increases in the current quarter, largely in response to the uplift in China prices earlier in the year, up US$296 per tonne, or 23%, from the previous quarter, to US$1,598 per tonne. In the pulp and paper segment, global softwood kraft pulp markets are projected to soften somewhat through the third quarter of 2021, driven by the current tepid Chinese demand and above-average global pulp inventory levels combined with the traditionally slower summer months. Weakness experienced in the high yield Bleached Chemi-Thermo Mechanical Pulp ("BCTMP") markets, especially in Asia, late in the second quarter is anticipated to continue early into the third quarter of 2021, before a projected stabilization in prices through the balance of the period. Results in the third quarter of 2021 will reflect the impact of scheduled maintenance outages at Canfor Pulp Product Inc.'s ("CPPI") Prince George and Taylor BCTMP ("Taylor") pulp mills, as well as incremental downtime at the Northwood NBSK ("Northwood") pulp mill and Taylor reflecting both weather-related rail disruptions and pulp mill inventories nearing capacity, as well as, in the case of Northwood, digester-related operational upsets in July. Combined, the currently anticipated third quarter downtime is projected to reduce NBSK pulp production by approximately 30,000 tonnes and BCTMP production by an estimated 12,000 tonnes. Extreme wildfire conditions in Western Canada stemming from a heat wave across the region in early July, have significantly impacted the supply chain, with the Company experiencing limited and intermittent rail service to and from its Western Canadian sawmills and pulp mills. As a result of these transportation challenges and with mill inventory levels nearing capacity, the Company recently announced short-term production curtailments at its British Columbia ("BC") sawmills beginning July 26, 2021, reducing production by approximately 115 million board feet in the third quarter of 2021. While the Company continues to closely monitor the situation, shipments of lumber and pulp and paper are also expected to be negatively impacted in the third quarter of 2021 as a result of the rail disruptions. Commenting on the Company's outlook for the third quarter, Canfor's President and Chief Executive Officer, Don Kayne, said, "With the summer heat and wildfire conditions rapidly upon us, our top priority remains to ensure the health and safety of our employees. We continue to actively monitor the ongoing weather-related challenges, particularly with regards to transportation constraints, and remain prepared to take further action as required to ensure minimal disruption to our employees, customers and operations." Additional Information and Conference Call A conference call to discuss the second quarter's financial and operating results will be held on Friday, July 30, 2021 at 8:00 AM Pacific time. To participate in the call, in North America please dial Toll-Free 888-390-0546. For instant replay access until August 13, 2021, please dial 888-390-0541 and enter participant pass code 447785#. The conference call will be webcast live and will be available at www.canfor.com. This news release, the attached financial statements and a presentation used during the conference call can be accessed via the Company's website at http://www.canfor.com/investor-relations/webcasts. Non-IFRS Measures and Forward-Looking Statements Operating Income before Amortization, Adjusted Operating Income (Loss) and Adjusted Net Income (Loss) and Adjusted Net Income (Loss) per Share are not generally accepted earnings measures and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss) or cash flows as determined in accordance with IFRS. Refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis for a reconciliation of Operating Income before Amortization and Adjusted Operating Income (Loss) to Operating Income (Loss) and Adjusted Net Income (Loss) to Net Income (Loss) reported in accordance with IFRS. Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Words such as "expects", "anticipates", "projects", "intends", "plans", "will", "believes", "seeks", "estimates", "should", "may", "could", and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and actual events or results may differ materially. There are many factors that could cause such actual events or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements to differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by such statements. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and Canfor assumes no obligation to update such information to reflect later events or developments, except as required by law. Canfor is a leading integrated forest products company based in Vancouver, BC with interests in BC, Alberta, North and South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana, as well as in Sweden with its majority acquisition of the Vida Group. Canfor produces primarily softwood lumber and also owns a 54.8% interest in Canfor Pulp Products Inc., which is one of the largest global producers of market Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft Pulp and a leading producer of high performance kraft paper. Canfor shares are traded on The Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol CFP. For more information visit canfor.com. SOURCE Canfor Corporation For further information: Media Contact: Michelle Ward, Senior Director, Communications & Government Relations, (604) 661-5225, [email protected]; Investor Contact: Pat Elliott, Senior Vice President, Corporate Finance & Sustainability, (604) 661-5441, [email protected] Related Links www.canfor.com OTTAWA, ON, July 29, 2021 /CNW/ - Advancing gender equality is a key priority for the Government of Canada. The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified systemic and longstanding inequalities, with women and girls disproportionately impacted by the crisis. Women have faced job losses and reduced work hours, shouldered the majority of the additional unpaid care responsibilities at home, and continue to be on the front lines of the pandemic. As Canada moves towards an inclusive recovery, meaningful progress to advance gender equality is needed now more than ever to ensure no one is left behind. To further support critical recovery efforts led by the women's and equality-seeking movement, today the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development, announced 237 projects to receive funding under the $100 million Feminist Response and Recovery Fund call for proposals. This investment will support projects that address systemic issues that vulnerable and underrepresented women face and help ensure an inclusive recovery from the social and economic impacts of the pandemic. Projects will also encourage women and girls in leadership and decision-making roles, improve their economic security and prosperity and work to end gender-based violence to help build a Canada that is fair, equal and equitable for everyone. The funding announced today builds on investments made to date to further gender-equality and ensure a strong and vibrant women's movement. Since 2015, the Government of Canada has increased funding to women's and equity seeking groups more than five-fold, with over 6 million Canadians a year benefitting from the work of organizations supported. The Government will continue to take strong action to ensure that women and girls are safe, thriving and present at decision making tables now, and in the future. Quote "The $100 million dollars Feminist Response and Recovery Fund will support good jobs within feminist organisations from coast to coast to coast. These caring professionals will support women's economic security and improve health and safety. Representation matters. That's why we are supporting 237 organisations, including with $35 million of dollars allocated directly to increase the representation of more diverse-women, including Indigenous women, Black women and women of colour, and women who are members of LGBTQ2 communities in leadership positions. We are grateful to our partners across the country. Thank you for your advocacy and your hard work. With this investment, our government is ensuring your essential contribution to a feminist recovery from the pandemic." The Honourable Maryam Monsef, P.C., M.P., Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development Quick Facts Since 2015, funding to support women's and equity-seeking organizations has increased five-fold. More than 645 organizations across Canada have received over $320 million in funding to improve women's economic security and prosperity, address gender-based violence, advance women in leadership and support those who need it most. have received over in funding to improve women's economic security and prosperity, address gender-based violence, advance women in leadership and support those who need it most. In June 2020 , Canada was recognized by CARE as having the most gender-inclusive response to COVID-19 among 30 countries. , was recognized by CARE as having the most gender-inclusive response to COVID-19 among 30 countries. The Government of Canada has provided $100 million in emergency COVID-19 funding to organizations serving women and children experiencing gender-based violence and made existing funding programs more flexible. To date, this assistance has been provided to over 1000 organizations across the country, supporting nearly 800,000 people. has provided in emergency COVID-19 funding to organizations serving women and children experiencing gender-based violence and made existing funding programs more flexible. To date, this assistance has been provided to over 1000 organizations across the country, supporting nearly 800,000 people. Budget 2021 committed to help build a recovery that gives all women in Canada the ability to fully participate in the workforce and addresses longstanding issues. Key measures include: $30 billion over the next five years in a Canada -wide early learning and child care plan and providing permanent ongoing funding. This plan will aim to reduce fees for parents with children in regulated child care by 50 per cent on average, by the end of 2022, with a goal of reaching $10 per day on average by 2026 everywhere outside of Quebec . over the next five years in a -wide early learning and child care plan and providing permanent ongoing funding. This plan will aim to reduce fees for parents with children in regulated child care by 50 per cent on average, by the end of 2022, with a goal of reaching per day on average by 2026 everywhere outside of . Strengthening the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy with up to $146.9 million to over four years to provide greater access to financing, mentorship, and training for women entrepreneurs. This funding will also support the Women Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Fund and the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub. to over four years to provide greater access to financing, mentorship, and training for women entrepreneurs. This funding will also support the Women Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Fund and the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub. To ensure that anyone facing gender-based violence has reliable and timely access to protection and services, no matter where they live, $601.3 million over five years to advance towards a new National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. This includes increased funding for initiatives to end human trafficking. over five years to advance towards a new National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. This includes increased funding for initiatives to end human trafficking. On June 30, 2021 , the Government announced the creation of 4,500 new affordable housing units across the country with an additional investment of $1.5 billion through the Rapid Housing Initiative. These units will support people in uncertain housing situations, experiencing or at risk of homelessness, or living in temporary shelters due to the pandemic, including women. , the Government announced the creation of 4,500 new affordable housing units across the country with an additional investment of through the Rapid Housing Initiative. These units will support people in uncertain housing situations, experiencing or at risk of homelessness, or living in temporary shelters due to the pandemic, including women. Since November 2015 , WAGE has provided total funding of over $13 million in support of 110 projects through the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Commemoration Fund. Associated Links Follow Women and Gender Equality Canada: Backgrounder Feminist Response and Recovery Fund The Women's Program funds projects that address systemic barriers to women's equality in three priority areas: ending violence against women and girls; improving the economic security and prosperity of women and girls; and encouraging women and girls in leadership roles. While the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified systemic and longstanding inequalities, with women and girls disproportionately affected by the crisis, the Government of Canada has taken strong action to prevent the pandemic from rolling back progress or reversing the hard-won gains of women in Canada. In June 2020, Canada was recognized by CARE as having the most gender-responsive plan to address COVID-19. Recognizing the need for a feminist, intersectional response to COVID-19, in February 2021 Women and Gender Equality Canada launched the Feminist Response and Recovery Fund, a call for proposals totaling $100 million that will fund projects tackling systemic barriers for marginalized or underrepresented women, including Indigenous women, Black women, women of colour, women who are members of LGBTQ2 communities, and women living with disabilities or in rural or remote communities. These following 237 funded projects through the call for proposals will make tangible impacts on the lives of women across Canada and help build a more equitable future for all Canadians. Project Funding Details National Abuse Hurts Newmarket, Ontario Advocacy Normalizing Sex Work through Education and Resources Society Sherwood Park, Alberta Allnce des femmes de la francophonie canadienne Ottawa, Ontario Aura Freedom International Toronto, Ontario Canadian Center for Women's Empowerment (CCFWE) Ottawa, Ontario Canadian Centre for Women in Science, Engineering, Trades and Technology Calgary, Alberta Canadian Coalition of Women in Engineering, Science, Trades and Technology Inc. / Coalition canadienne des femmes ingenieures, scientifiques, technologies et de metiers Inc. Renfrew, Ontario Canadian Institute of Forestry/Institut forestier du Canada Mattawa, Ontario Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA) Ottawa, Ontario Canadian Women & Sport / Femmes et sport au Canada Toronto, Ontario Canadian Women in Communications and Technology/Association canadienne des femmes en communications et technologies Ottawa, Ontario Canadian Women's Chamber of Commerce / Chambre de Commerce des Femmes Canadiennes Toronto, Ontario Capacity Canada Waterloo, Ontario Centre of Excellence for Women's Health Society Vancouver, British Columbia Clan Mothers Turtle Lodge Inc Winnipeg, Manitoba Climate Caucus Council Nelson, British Columbia Dis/Abled Women's Network Montreal, Quebec Electricity Human Resources Canada Ottawa, Ontario Elevate Aviation Ltd. Edmonton, Alberta Forum for Women Entrepreneurs in British Columbia Vancouver, British Columbia G(irls)20 Toronto, Ontario GBV Resource Collective Inc. Stony Plain, Alberta Global Compact Network Canada Toronto, Ontario Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) of Canada Inc. Ottawa, Ontario Informed Opinions Nepean, Ontario Intellectual Property Institute of Canada Institut de la propriete intellectuelle du Canada Ottawa, Ontario Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak Women of the Metis Nation Ottawa, Ontario Migrant Workers Centre BC Society Vancouver, British Columbia Moms In Film Canada Coquitlam, British Columbia Mountain Rose Women's Shelter Association Rocky Mountain House, Alberta National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association Ottawa, Ontario National Association of Friendship Centres Ottawa, Ontario National Association of Women and the Law/Association Nationale de la Femme et le Droit Ottawa, Ontario National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) Mississauga, Ontario Onashowewin Justice Circle Winnipeg, Manitoba Oxfam Canada Ottawa, Ontario Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada Ottawa, Ontario Pink Attitude Evolution Brampton, Ontario Reelworld Foundation Toronto, Ontario Righting Relations Canada Edmonton, Alberta Sex Information and Education Council of Canada/Conseil du Canada d'information et education sexuelle Toronto, Ontario Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology Vancouver, British Columbia Students for Consent Culture Canada Winnipeg, Manitoba TechGirls Canada Toronto, Ontario The Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies Ottawa, Ontario The National Screen Institute - Canada/L'Institut national des arts de l'ecran Canada Winnipeg, Manitoba Theatre Direct Canada Toronto, Ontario Trucking Human Resources Canada Ottawa, Ontario University of Guelph Guelph, Ontario Up With Women Toronto, Ontario Women in Leadership Foundation Kelowna, British Columbia Women's Economic Council Burnaby, British Columbia Women's Enterprise Organizations of Canada Winnipeg, Manitoba Women's Legal Education and Action Fund Inc./Fond's d'action et d'education juridiques pour les femmes inc. Toronto, Ontario Workforce Warriors Inc. Rusagonis, New Brunswick York University Toronto, Ontario Pacific Amata Transition House Society Quesnel, British Columbia Archway Society for Domestic Peace Vernon, British Columbia Aunt Leah's Independent Lifeskills Society New Westminster, British Columbia Black Women Business Network Surrey, British Columbia British Columbia Assembly of First Nations Prince George, British Columbia Capital Investment Network Victoria, British Columbia Central Okanagan Emergency Shelter Society Kelowna, British Columbia Coalition of Child Care Advocates of B.C. Burnaby, British Columbia Downtown Eastside Women's Centre Association Vancouver, British Columbia E.C.E.B.C. (Early Childhood Educators of British Columbia) Vancouver, British Columbia Ending Violence Association of British Columbia Vancouver, British Columbia Justice Education Society of BC Vancouver, British Columbia Kamloops and District Elizabeth Fry Society Kamloops, British Columbia Kilala Lelum - Urban Indigenous Health and Healing Cooperative Vancouver, British Columbia MakeWay Foundation Vancouver, British Columbia Mid Island Metis Nation Nanaimo, British Columbia Minerva Foundation for BC Women Vancouver, British Columbia Pacific Immigrant Resources Society Vancouver, British Columbia Reseau-Femmes Colombie-Britannique Vancouver, British Columbia Single Mothers' Alliance of BC Society Vancouver, British Columbia Small Scale Food Processor Association Nanaimo, British Columbia Solid State Community Society Surrey, British Columbia Supporting Women's Alternatives Network (SWAN Vancouver) Society Vancouver, British Columbia Terrace Women's Resource Centre Society Terrace, British Columbia Vancouver Aboriginal Community Policing Centre Society Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society Vancouver, British Columbia Victoria Native Friendship Centre Victoria, British Columbia VIDEA - a BC-based International Development Association Victoria, British Columbia W.A.V.A.W./R.C.C: Women Against Violence Against Women/Rape Crisis Centre Vancouver, British Columbia West Coast LEAF Association Vancouver, British Columbia Women Transforming Cities International Society Vancouver, British Columbia Young Women's Christian Association, located in Vancouver BC Vancouver, British Columbia Prairies Aboriginal Friendship Centres of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Action for Healthy Communities Society of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta Alberta Council of Women's Shelters Edmonton, Alberta Anish Corporation Headingley, Manitoba Association for the Alberta Network of Immigrant Women Calgary, Alberta Barren Lands First Nation Brochet, Manitoba Black Canadian Women in Action Edmonton, Alberta Blood Tribe Depart. of Health Inc. Standoff, Alberta Calgary Immigrant Women's Association Calgary, Alberta Calgary Vietnamese Women's Association Calgary, Alberta Candace House, Inc. Winnipeg, Manitoba Cold Lake First Nations Cold Lake, Alberta Emma Maternity House Society Calgary, Alberta Environmental Careers Organization of Canada Calgary, Alberta Ethnocultural Council of Manitoba-Stronger Together Inc. Winnipeg, Manitoba Grande Prairie Women's Residence Association Grande Prairie, Alberta Healthy Muslim Families Inc. Winnipeg, Manitoba Infinity Women Secretariat Inc. Winnipeg, Manitoba Institute of International Women's Rights Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba Lifetime Productions Ltd. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre Inc. Winnipeg, Manitoba New North SANC Services Inc. Air Ronge, Saskatchewan Northwest Metis Council Inc. Dauphin, Manitoba PolicyWise for Children & Families Edmonton, Alberta Prince Albert Metis Women's Association Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Pro-Choice Society of Lethbridge & Southern Alberta Fort Macleod, Alberta River East Transcona School Division Winnipeg, Manitoba Sanare Centre (formally known as Southeastern Alberta Sexual Assault Response Committee) Medicine Hat, Alberta Saskatoon Indian and Metis Friendship Centre Saskatoon, Saskatchewan The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta The Elizabeth Fry Society of Northern Alberta Edmonton, Alberta The North End Women's Centre Inc. Winnipeg, Manitoba Wahpeton Dakota Development ltd. Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Woman Healing for Change MB Inc. Winnipeg, Manitoba Women's Centre of Calgary Calgary, Alberta Young Women's Christian Organization Regina Regina , Saskatchewan York Factory First Nation York Landing, Manitoba Ontario Achev Mississauga, Ontario Active Care Response Team (ACRT) Windsor, Ontario Afghan Women's Organization Refugee and Immigrant Services North York, Ontario Alternatives for Women in Prince Edward County Picton, Ontario Armagh Mississauga, Ontario Association for Native Development in the Performing and Visual Arts Toronto, Ontario Bangladeshi-Canadian Community Services Toronto, Ontario Better Child Care Ontario Inc. Toronto, Ontario Canadian Arab Women Association Kitchener, Ontario Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Ottawa , Ontario caterToronto Toronto, Ontario Centr'Elles : Centre des femmes francophones du Nord-Ouest de l'Ontario Thunder Bay, Ontario Centre francophone du Grand Toronto Toronto, Ontario Centre ontarien de prevention des agressions Etobicoke, Ontario Community Innovative Alliances Incorporated Toronto, Ontario Compass Early Learning and Care Peterborough, Ontario Conseil de la cooperation d'Ontario Ottawa , Ontario Elizabeth Fry Society of Northwestern Ontario Thunder Bay, Ontario FCJ Refugee Centre Toronto, Ontario Future Black Female St Catharines, Ontario Healthy Youth Network Waterdown, Ontario Hiatus House Windsor, Ontario Immigrant Women Services Ottawa Ottawa, Ontario Interval House of Hamilton-Wentworth Hamilton, Ontario Kingston Employment & Youth Services Inc. Kingston, Ontario Leadership feminin Prescott-Russell, St-Bernardin, Ontario Minwaashin Lodge Ottawa, Ontario Mouvement Ontarien des femmes immigrantes francophones (MOFIF) Toronto, Ontario NAN Corporate Services Thunder Bay, Ontario Northwestern Ontario Women's Centre Thunder Bay, Ontario Oasis Centre des femmes Inc. Toronto, Ontario Ontario Society of Professional Engineers Toronto, Ontario PARO Centre for Women's Enterprise Thunder Bay, Ontario Power to Girls Foundation Mississauga, Ontario Ryerson University Toronto, Ontario Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region Kitchener, Ontario Sexual Assault/Rape Crisis Centre of Peel Brampton, Ontario Shelter Movers Toronto, Ontario Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority Sioux Lookout, Ontario South Asian Women's and Immigrants' Services Scarborough, Ontario St. Mary of Egypt Refuge Madoc, Ontario The Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women / La Federation Canadienne de Femmes de Carrieres Commerciales et Professionelles (BPW Canada) Val Caron, Ontario The Elizabeth Fry Society of Northeastern Ontario La Societe Elizabeth Fry du Nord-est de l'Ontario Sudbury, Ontario The Elizabeth Fry Society Toronto Branch Toronto, Ontario Times Change Women's Employment Service Inc. Toronto, Ontario Trent University Peterborough, Ontario University of Toronto Toronto, Ontario Woman Abuse Council of Toronto Toronto, Ontario Women's Hostel Inc. Toronto, Ontario Women's Place of South Niagara Inc. Niagara Falls, Ontario Women's Rural Resource Centre of Strathroy and Area Strathroy, Ontario York Region Women's Foundation Thornhill, Ontario Young Women's Christian Association of St. Thomas St. Thomas, Ontario Quebec Action travail des femmes du Quebec inc. Montreal, Quebec Association chretienne des jeunes femmes de Montreal Montreal, Quebec Centre d'Innovation des Premiers Peuples (CIPP) Gatineau, Quebec Federation des agricultrices du Quebec Longueuil, Queb Info-Femmes Inc. Montreal, Quebec Le code des filles Quebec City, Quebec Meres avec pouvoir (MAP) Montreal Ville de Montreal, Quebec Puakuteu Comite de femmes de Mashteuiatsh Mashteuiatsh, Quebec Relais-femmes Montreal, Quebec Reseau femmes et politique municipale de la Capitale-Nationale Quebec City, Quebec Reseau quebecois d'action pour la sante des femmes (RQASF) Montreal, Quebec Table de concertation du mouvement des femmes de la Mauricie Trois-Rivieres, Quebec Un toit pour elles Montreal, Quebec Reseau des Femmes d'affaires du Quebec Longueuil, Quebec Atlantic Acadia First Nation Yarmouth, Nova Scotia Access to Justice and Law Reform Institute of Nova Scotia Ltd. Halifax, Nova Scotia Carrefour pour femmes inc. / Crossroads for Women Inc. Moncton, New Brunswick Collective Interchange Co-operative Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador Elizabeth Fry Society of Halifax Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Federation des femmes acadiennes de la Nouvelle-Ecosse Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Fresh Start Services for Women Inc. Saint John, New Brunswick Indigenous Women's Association of the Maliseet and Mi'kmaq Territories Inc. Fredericton, New Brunswick Mount Saint Vincent University Halifax, Nova Scotia New Brunswick South Central Transition House and Second Stage Coalition, Inc. Lower Woodstock, New Brunswick Newfoundland Aboriginal Women's Network Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland & Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs (NLOWE) formerly known as Women's Enterprise Bureau Inc. St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador NorPen Status of Women Council Inc. Port Saunders, Newfoundland and Labrador Nova Scotia Native Women's Association Millbrook, Nova Scotia Pier Labs Halifax, Nova Scotia PRUDE Inc. (Pride of Race, Unity, and Dignity through Education) Saint John, New Brunswick Restigouche CBDC Inc. Campbellton, New Brunswick Sexual Violence New Brunswick Inc. Fredericton, New Brunswick St. John's Women's Centre St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador The New Brunswick Association of CBDCs/L'Association des CLDE du Nouveau-Brunswick Inc. Bathurst, New Brunswick Wabanaki Two Spirit Alliance Halifax, Nova Scotia Women in Resource Development INC. St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Women's Network PEI Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island Young Women's Christian Association of Halifax Halifax, Nova Scotia North Liard Aboriginal Women's Society (LAWS) Watson Lake, Yukon Queer Yukon Society Whitehorse, Yukon Status of Women Council of the NWT Yellowknife, Northwest Territories Whitehorse Aboriginal Women's Circle Whitehorse, Yukon Yellowknife Women's Society Yellowknife, Northwest Territories Yukon Aboriginal Women's Council Whitehorse, Yukon SOURCE Women and Gender Equality Canada For further information: Marie-Pier Baril, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development, 613-295-8123; Media Relations, Women and Gender Equality Canada, 1-855-969-9922 Related Links http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/ -"All Hands on Deck," the Third Episode of a Five-Part Docuseries Will Stream Live Tonight, July 29, 2021, at 8 p.m. ET at www.ncl.com/embark - MIAMI, July 29, 2021 /CNW/ -- Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), the innovator in global cruise travel, premieres "All Hands on Deck," the third episode of "EMBARK The Series," tonight at 8 p.m. ET at www.ncl.com/embark and Facebook. Tonight's episode, the third of a five-part series, provides an exclusive look at how onboard and shoreside team members are working together to prepare for a defining moment in the brand's 54-year history. Viewers will have a front-row seat to witness how NCL prepares for its great cruise comeback with contactless technologies designed to enhance the guest experience and support elevated health and safety protocols as well as highlight new product offerings and experiences. The episode will also provide a much-anticipated sneak peek into the Company's new cruise terminal at PortMiami the cruise capital of the world. During the episode, executives Frank Del Rio, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, and Harry Sommer, brand president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line, visit Norwegian Gem to discuss the upcoming renovations to the ship. Norwegian Gem will be the first vessel to sail from the new NCL terminal in Port Miami, when she returns to service on Aug. 15, 2021. The first two episodes of "EMBARK The Series," streaming on-demand at www.ncl.com/embark, showcase the brand's efforts towards its safe return to cruise focusing on health and safety enhancements, upgrades to dining and Great Stirrup Cay the Company's private island in the Bahamas, and a look into the brand's shipboard crew's passion to putting guests first. The Company recently announced its return to cruising on July 25, 2021 as Norwegian Jade made its debut as the first of the 17-ship fleet to welcome guests after 500 days and made NCL history as the first vessel to homeport in Athens (Piraeus). Norwegian will restart its cruises from the U.S. on Aug. 7, when Norwegian Encore makes her first appearance in Seattle for her inaugural season of Alaska cruises. Travelers seeking the latest details about NCL's redeployment should click here. For more information about the Company's award-winning 17-ship fleet and worldwide itineraries, or to book a cruise, please contact a travel professional, call 888-NCL-CRUISE (625-2784), or visit www.ncl.com. SOURCE Norwegian Cruise Line For further information: [email protected], Norwegian Cruise Line, http://www.ncl.com Related Links http://www.ncl.com Since board exams could not be held this year due to aggressive second wave of COVID-19, the board has adopted an alternative assessment scheme to finalise the result. Hence, CBSE 12th result 2021 drew mixed responses from students. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announced the class 12 board results 2021 today. The CBSE 12th board exam results were declared at 2 pm which students can download through official website cbseresults.nic.in. . CBSE hosted the class 12 result on multiple platforms so that students can check their results conveniently. The step was taken in consideration with the difficulty CBSE had face while handling such big volume of students on a single digital platform. The Board has also released CBSE Roll Number Finder 2021 to help students find their roll number to download the Class 12th result 2021. Since board exams could not be held this year due to aggressive second wave of COVID-19, the board has adopted an alternative assessment scheme to finalise the result. Hence, CBSE 12th result 2021 drew mixed responses from students. Results werent what we were expecting. I was expecting over 80% score but I am disappointed. I wanted to get into a government college but it seems difficult now, says Abhishek Chaudhary, a student in Delhi. Meanwhile, Khushi, a humanities student in Ludhiana said, Im extremely happy, I wasnt expecting to score over 90%. Vanshikha Gupta, a Commerce student, said that he is very happy and did not expect to get 98.4%. Keeping the pandemic and safety of students in mind, the Govt made a good decision, he added. With the national controlled Covid situation in mind, over 50 academicians, including professors from IIT-Bombay, IIT-Delhi and Delhi University, doctors, lawyers and parents from Maharashtra, Delhi and Karnataka, have written an open letter to CMs of their respective states, presenting a case to reopen schools. The petitioners have said there may never be a zero-case scenario as Covid-19 is here to stay. They also highlighted learning loss, mental distress, reduced social skills and losing confidence of children. Bhaskaran Raman, professor at IIT-Bombay, said, One whole academic year has been a washout for most students and if this continues, it will be a major disservice to the coming generations. We are already witnessing extreme dropout rates in several states. As a country, this break from schools would push us back by decades. Amid such concerns, CBSE has to also conduct compartment examinations whose dates would be announced soon. Though the Board has not confirmed the date and time of 10th result but it is also expected soon. According to Jesal Doshi, Deputy CEO of B Medical Systems, it is tough to alter peoples minds about vaccine efficacy while kept in an ice box or a local refrigerator. A few weeks ago, B Medical Systems, a global player in the vaccine cold chain industry, announced a partnership with Dr. Reddys Laboratories for the pan India rollout of Sputnik V vaccines. B Medical Systems will be offering their vaccine freezers, which can store vaccines at temperatures as low as -25C. To address the immediate needs, these units were delivered by air freight from Luxembourg. According to Jesal Doshi, Deputy CEO of B Medical Systems, it is tough to alter peoples minds about vaccine efficacy while kept in an ice box or a local refrigerator. Mr. Doshi claims that various vaccinations require different temperatures and that if they are not provided the appropriate temperatures, they would lose their efficacy. Mr. Doshi claims that Pfizer is a very effective vaccine with a logistic cost of less than a rupee, and that the Indian governments failure to get the vaccine into the nation is a source of significant concern. Here are a few excerpts from the discussion with Mr. Doshi: You have recently tied up with Dr Reddys lab for pan-India rollout of Sputnik V. Tell us more about that? Tell us about the work B Medical has done to help with the rollout of Covid 19 vaccines? Jesal Doshi: For more than 40 years, B Medical Systems has been the worlds oldest and biggest firm dedicated only to the cold chain of vaccinations providing safe transportation for vaccines, pharmaceuticals and blood. We are a company based in Luxembourg, Europe, and we have been operating there until early this year, when we were invited to start manufacturing in India by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We built up our own manufacturing plant in India after receiving that invitation in a record-span of four months. This is the first time weve manufactured outside of Luxembourg, and Im quite proud of the fact that we chose India to do so. Coming to the pact with Dr. Reddys, nearly every vaccination is temperature sensitive and may lose its potency if not kept at the proper temperature. Sputnik requires a temperature of -18 degrees Celsius for storage, whereas other vaccinations require a temperature of 2-8 degrees Celsius. Pfizer, on the other hand, requires storage at -60C or lower, making it difficult to retain these vaccines at a proper temperature under such harsh circumstances, which is where we come in. We ensure that any vaccine, at any temperature under any condition is maintained correctly and hence assuring that the recipient receives the rightly stored and transported vaccine. There are many areas where the terrain may be hostile, electric supply may be erratic How do you manage in such areas? Jesal Doshi: There are two different challenges, one being the terrain and the other one being very peculiar to the nation, i.e., Thanda Hai To Chalta Hai wherein people use iceboxes and cold-drink refrigerators for storing vaccines that require a temperature of 2-8 degree Celsius, rendering them totally useless. Second, our firm employs equipment that operates on a wide range of power sources. For example, we have equipment that can run entirely on solar energy, a DC battery, kerosene, or regular power. Using any of these power sources, they can all sustain temperatures ranging from -18 to 25 degrees. We operate and maintain the whole cold chain supply in extremely remote locations such as Afghanistan and Congo. We already have immunisation programmes in India but here we are talking about vaccinating the entire adult population is this country do you think we have the cold chain support to do that? Jesal Doshi: India has administered more or less about 40 crore people and believe it or not, it was the easy part of the journey because now we will face issues reaching people in the most difficult locations. If you look at the figures, you will notice that majority of the population in the rural areas havent received vaccines yet. We are providing solutions to the central as well as the state government and working with Dr. Reddys for the Sputnik. We are ensuring that vaccines reach the remotest areas so that every individual is vaccinated. For the benefit of your views help us understand the importance of a reliable cold chain system in these times? Jesal Doshi: I think even if you have the best vaccine in the world, it will not work without an appropriate cold chain. Vaccines can decompose if not dealt with the right temperature. Most nations immunise all of their children, but after decades of mass immunisation, we have yet to reach a 100% vaccination rate, with the main issue being a lack of effective cold chain. In India, there is an absence of an appropriate cold chain to take charge of the Sputnik vaccine. This is also the reason why Pfizer has not been introduced in the country. Till now, we have introduced Pfizer in more than 25 countries around the world including Africa. Is India ready or will be prepared to bring Pfizer into the country considering the high efficacy of the vaccine? Jesal Doshi: It is a misconception that storing and transporting Pfizer needs huge investment. When you look at the challenges around the vaccine shortages, it is very affordable to bring vaccines like Pfizer into the country, transportation of which costs not more than a rupee. How can India improve its current cold chain system? Jesal Doshi: In such cases, increasing vaccination availability might be a viable option. You must adhere to a regimen and ensure that there are no negative repercussions. Pfizer, for example, is widely disseminated around the world because to its effectiveness and lack of reported adverse effects. The vaccination is still not available in the country, which is a source of great disappointment for me. Take us through the challenges you faced during this drive bad the lessons learnt from it. Jesal Doshi: It is a matter of great pride for India to be regarded as the worlds vaccine capital, but the issue today is to maintain and supervise the safe storage and transportation of vaccines. Real-time monitoring is provided, allowing you to follow the availability of vaccinations throughout the world and ensure that each one is properly maintained. You can help save lives by maintaining a proper cold chain. Mr. Doshis advise on the necessity for improvements in health infrastructure and vaccine availability during this epidemic, in which many people are dying, is extremely important. The Chinese government on Thursday slammed the US secretary of state Antony Blinken for meeting Tibetan leader Dalai Lamas representative in New Delhi. China said it a violation of the US commitment to acknowledge Tibet being a part of China. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met a representative of the Dalai Lama in New Delhi on Wednesday. Mr. Blinken had met with the Director of the Bureau of the Dalai Lama in Delhi, Ngodup Dongchung and also met with a group of civil society representatives, which included Geshe Dorji Damdul, Director of Tibet House in New Delhi. Asked by Chinese media to comment on the meeting, the Foreign Ministry in Beijing on Thursday slams out at the U.S., saying Tibetan affairs are purely Chinas internal affairs that allow no foreign interference. China firmly opposes any form of contact between foreign officials and the Dalai Lama, spokesperson Zhao Lijian said. Any form of contact between the U.S. side and the Dalai clique is a violation of the U.S. commitment to acknowledging Tibet being part of China, to not supporting Tibetan Independence, and to not supporting attempts to separate China. The U.S side should honour its commitment, stop meddling in Chinas internal affairs under the pretext of Tibetan affairs, and offer no support to the Tibetan independence forces to engage in anti-China separatist activities. China will take all necessary measures to defend its own interests. Meanwhile, Blinken after meeting civil society leaders, including the Tibetan monk, said I was pleased to meet civil society leaders today. The US and India share a commitment to democratic values; this is part of the bedrock of our relationship and reflective of Indias pluralistic society and history of harmony. Civil society helps advance these values, Blinken had tweeted. Ministry of External Affairs asserted that Pakistan has no locus standi on Indian territories and it should vacate all areas under its illegal occupation. The ministry of external affairs on Thursday slammed Pakistan for holding assembly elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK), saying its nothing but an attempt by a neighboring country to camouflage its illegal occupation, and that it has lodged a strong protest with that country over the issue. At a media briefing on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi asserted that Pakistan has no locus standi on Indian territories and it should vacate all areas under its illegal occupation. Asked about the polls, Mr. Bagchi said India has lodged a strong protest with the Pakistani authorities on this cosmetic exercise, which has been protested and rejected by the local people. Such an exercise can neither hide the illegal occupation by Pakistan nor the grave human rights violations, exploitation and denial of freedom to people in these occupied territories, he said. Indias strong response comes days after Pakistan conducted elections to the legislative assembly in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Amid allegations of poll rigging by the opposition, Imran khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-i-insaf (PTI) party has won 25 of 45 seats in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir legislative assembly elections marred by deadly violence. Thousands of demonstrators hit the street to protest against the Pakistan army after reports of election manipulation. India has totally rejected the exercise in the occupied territory and said the election process was rejected by the local people as well, said Arindam Bagchi. After announcing an expansion to Stamford in June, Sallys Apizza has confirmed plans to bring its renowned pies to Hartford County. Sallys is currently in development for a site in Wethersfield, with others potentially following, said marketing director Krystina Nataloni in an email Thursday. I can confirm that we are in active development in Wethersfield, and in discussions with several leading developers in the greater Hartford area, Nataloni wrote. Subsequent to our Stamford opening, we will be sharing more information about future locations at the end of the summer. Nataloni didnt provide an address in Wethersfield, but Peter Gillespie, the towns director of planning and economic development, confirmed a permit had been filed for the project at 1178 Silas Deane Highway, the site of The Borden, a luxury apartment building. The Borden opened in town in September 2020. Over the last year, there have been many films, documentaries, and television series centering around people who have completely left the community of Orthodox Judaism in which they had been raised. These presentations have garnered a great deal of attention and praise. As an Orthodox rabbi, I decided to watch some of them in order to see what the fuss is about and to learn about some peoples experiences with the faith I love so much and care so much about. I approached the shows with curiosity, yes, a bit of trepidation and an open mind, because I feel it is necessary as a religious leader to introspect and to admit areas that need improvement. My reaction is mixed: I feel happy, sad, and disappointed. I accept that people have found a sense of joy and contentment in their lives which they did not have while growing up in a community of faith. I am sad that they decided that leaving was the best answer. And I feel disappointed that the beauty, holiness and meaning offered by a life of faith was hardly depicted. To me the protagonists of the shows are troubled by three issues: coercion, freedom and individuality. They felt forced, coerced and pressured by family and community to act according to prescribed rules at all times. They perceived an inability to choose for themselves, to question, and to explore other ways of thinking. Third, they felt that they could not express their individuality, that their personhood was being quashed. Now, this format does not allow me to address each issue in a thorough manner, so I will offer some broad impressions. Yes, there is an element of coercion in religious life. The Talmud in Shabbat 88a records a fascinating teaching that God held Mount Sinai over the heads of the Jewish people and said if they did not accept the Torah, He would bury them right then and there! An opposing teaching on the same page says that the angels praised Israel for choosing the Torah and Gods commandments without knowing exactly what they were committing themselves to. Further, the Talmudic sages, noting that the Torah describes the commandments as being engraved Harut, in Hebrew on the stone tablets, comment that this word sounds very similar to Herut, meaning freedom. The Law is rooted in Freedom! The upshot of these teachings is that within our religious framework we are given the opportunity to decide for ourselves and to find personal meaning. We are encouraged to derive personal expression within the structure of our religious traditions and heritage. To me being an Orthodox Jew means striving: to act with humility, honesty, and integrity; to treat people with kindness, compassion, and empathy; to achieve holiness as a servant of God; to experience the joys and meaning of Jewish living; to find acceptance during challenging times; to be thankful; to infuse life with humor; to emphasize the mutuality of ethics and ritual, and the priority of decency; to find the spark of the Divine in every human being; and to sanctify the name of God in the world. I dont always reach this level, but I am proud to try every day. Rabbi Fred Hyman, Westville Synagogue WASHINGTON (AP) A member of the House Republican leadership is spreading a false accusation that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is out to get people arrested if they refuse to wear a mask inside the premises. Pelosi does not direct law enforcement in the House, and Capitol Police officials, who do, aren't threatening to arrest mask resistors. Instead, staff members and visitors who won't wear masks will be told to leave. Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, the No. 3 House Republican, retweeted the false allegation to her 227,000 Twitter followers, called Pelosi authoritarian and said she should be locked up. That gave wider visibility to the accusation leveled by Rep. Kat Cammack of Florida, who only has 13,000 followers. CAMMACK tweet: "In todays edition of Pelosis abuse of power, Capitol Police have been directed to arrest staff and visitors to comply with her mask mandate for vaccinated individuals. For Members, they advise not arresting but reporting Members to SAA (House sergeant at arms) for their failure to comply. THE FACTS: It's not Pelosi's mask mandate and it is wrong to state that Capitol Police have been directed to arrest staff and visitors who won't put on a mask. The Capitol Police force is overseen by a board made up of three nonpartisan officials: the House sergeant at arms, the Senate sergeant at arms and the Capitol architect. The decision to require masks in most situations inside the House came from another nonpartisan official, the House attending physician, Dr. Brian P. Monahan. In response to the tweet, the Capitol Police said in a statement that there is no reason it should ever come to someone being arrested. Anyone who does not follow the rules will be asked to wear a mask or leave the premises. The force's guidance posted in the tweet said members of Congress and staff members accompanying them should not be arrested for failing to comply, but reported to the sergeant at arms. Other staff members, along with visitors, should be asked to leave. Only if they refuse to leave would they be subject to arrest, the guidance said, and that would be for unlawful entry. The mask rule was reinstated this week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended masks be worn in indoor public spaces in parts of the country with substantial coronavirus infections, driven by the delta variant. The recommendations apply both to vaccinated and unvaccinated people. Monahan, the House physician, also did not threaten arrests. He noted that Congress is a collection of people who travel frequently from various risk areas, that the delta variant can be transmitted from vaccinated people and that it has been found among those in the Capitol. The Senate, much less crowded than the House, has not instituted a mask mandate. Capitol police officers must wear them. ___ EDITOR'S NOTE A look at the veracity of claims by political figures. ___ Find AP Fact Checks at http://apnews.com/APFactCheck Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck BOISE, Idaho (AP) The Boise Police Department says officers removed flags emblazoned with the emblem of the neo-fascist Proud Boys organization after someone hung them from several overpasses on a busy Idaho interstate. Police spokesperson Haley Williams told the Idaho Statesman that officers removed the flags on Saturday morning. It wasn't immediately clear who hung up the flags on Interstate 84 overpasses in Boise, but Williams said anyone with information should contact the police department. The states secret weapon in the fight to convince reluctant folks to get vaccinated has been deployed. The Department of Public Health, working with Quinnipiac University and local health departments, has begun a new strategy to reach the people who have yet to be swayed by arguments about herd immunity or the need to protect themselves or offers of free tacos down at Long Wharf, or tickets to Mystic Aquarium or Beardsley Zoo. If youre still on the fence, you may hear directly from one of 110 Connecticut college students such as Tyler Jenkins of Wesleyan University, Nour Al Zouabi and Taylor Munroe of the University of Connecticut, Shiv Patel of UConn Stamford, Kripa Patel of Quinnipiac University or Coral Ortiz of Yale University. All of the students above grew up in or live New Haven. But its happening statewide, with college students who grew up in each targeted community talking directly to people on the streets of New Haven, Bridgeport, Danbury, Hartford, Waterbury, New Britain, Bristol, New London, Groton and Willimantic, among others, said John Morgan, spokesman for Quinnipiac in Hamden, which is coordinating the effort through its Public Health College Corps summer program. After training last week, the effort now is in its first full week of field work, Morgan said. The goal is to reach vaccine-hesitant residents especially those between the ages of 18 and 24 as part of a broader strategy to get more people vaccinated as the COVID-19 delta variant continues to spread, organizers and participants said. New Haven Health Director Maritza Bond, who spoke to a group of students before they fanned out from the parking lot of James Hillhouse High Schools Bowen Field, said the program brings peer-to-peer education efforts to bear to dispel myths. She said the students might be able to reach people because theyre college students, not authority figures. Reaching 18- to 24-year-olds was an area of concern for us, Bond said. Jenkins, who grew up in New Havens Dwight neighborhood and graduated from Wilbur Cross High School, said Thursday that he thinks it might make a difference for people who might be mal-affected by health care to have someone like him someone who may share more with them culturally talk to them about getting vaccinated rather than someone who might be seen as an outsider. He doesnt expect to change anyones mind on the spot, but thinks the important thing is to plant a seed and let them think about it. Shiv Patel, who grew up in Fair Haven, said peoples willingness to listen so far has depended on location. When we go downtown, people are a little more open, he said. But Thursday afternoon, walking along Dixwell Avenue on the seam between Dixwell and Newhallville, things were a little tougher. One man they spoke to, who goes by the street name Kosh B Koolin, made it clear that he had no desire to get vaccinated. Im kind of a conspiracy theorist, he told Al Zouabi, Patel and Jenkins as they spoke on the sidewalk. There just wasnt enough research. ... Im only going to question things. Asked what the chances were that he might get vaccinated, he answered, negative zero. How do you get a vaccine for COVID when you dont have a vaccine for AIDS? he asked. Still, he didnt begrudge the people who are getting the vaccine. Different strokes for different folks, he said. I dont want to judge anybody thats taking it. Al Zouabi, who has lived in New Haven for five years after coming to the United States as a Syrian refugee, wasnt phased by the exchange. Its important no matter what to respect peoples beliefs and decisions, she said. Even if they show no interest in getting vaccinated, Im open to answer any questions people might have. ... Sometimes, people just need more time. Ortiz, who grew up in Beaver Hills and Hamden and went to Hillhouse High, said she was motivated to get involved in the Public Health College Corps because there is just a huge (vaccination) disparity in the Latino and Black community. Kripa Patel, who grew up in Guilford, said theyre all still learning and its been kind of like, you try something and you learn from it. In addition to the colleges mentioned above, participants all home grown are from Fairfield University, Housatonic Community College, Western Connecticut State University, Southern Connecticut State University, Liberty University, University of Bridgeport, Tunxis Community College, Northern Connecticut Community College, Naugatuck Valley Community College, Temple University and Capital Community College, Morgan said. They also come from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, Eastern Connecticut State University, UConn Hartford, Connecticut College, Northern Vermont University Johnson, Trinity College, University of Hartford, University of St. Joseph, Gateway Community College, Dickinson College, Albertus Magnus College, Mount Holyoke College, Mitchell College, Salve Regina University and Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, he said. mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com OMAHA, Neb. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions that was enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to oust tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households. Heres the situation in Nebraska: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts temporarily banned evictions for 2 1/2 months near the start of the pandemic, but it expired in May 2020. Unlike in some states, Nebraska cities don't have their own eviction moratoriums. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? Nebraska has earmarked $200 million from the coronavirus aid package Congress passed in December to help tenants with back rent, utility bills and other expenses. The program offers up to $20,000 in assistance to renters or homeowners who need help paying up to 15 months of their bills. But the aid is only available to people who make 80% or less of their countys median income and can show they are unable to pay rent because of a financial hardship caused by the pandemic or are at risk of becoming homeless. The Nebraska Investment Finance Authority said that so far, nearly $24.6 million has been distributed to 6,292 households in Nebraska by the state and local programs in Lincoln and Omaha. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? Eviction cases have generally been put on hold or dismissed by Nebraska judges after tenants raised the CDC moratorium as a defense. Scott Mertz, an attorney with Legal Aid of Nebraska, said the number of eviction lawsuits fell by more than 40% last year after the moratoriums were put in place. About 5,300 eviction cases were filed in Nebraska courts last year, which was down from roughly 9,300 in 2019. So far this year, about 2,800 eviction cases have been filed in the state, which is similar to the number last year at this time. That is expected to increase after the moratorium ends. WHAT IS THE AFFORDABILITY IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? The rental market in Nebraska remained tight last year as the state continued to have a shortage of affordable housing. The state finance authority said the vacancy rate for apartments statewide was 3.7% last year, which was significantly lower than the 7% national average. The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Nebraska increased by nearly 20% from 2015 through 2020, reaching $770.60 last year. In the Omaha metropolitan area, rent for a two-bedroom apartment averaged $974.20 last year. In the Lincoln area, that figure was $802.80. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? Nebraska's homeless ranks could swell once the eviction moratorium ends because evictions and homelessness are closely linked and there is a lack of low-income housing in the state, Mertz said. Although the number of evictions in Nebraska is expected to jump after the moratorium ends, it's not clear how many landlords are waiting to act once it expires. Its going to be overwhelming. Its just a question of how overwhelming, Mertz said. Recent census data shows there were 21,641 adults in the state who feared they could be evicted within two months. LANSING, Mich. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions that was enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to oust tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households. WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? Michigan suspended evictions from mid-March until mid-July of 2020, but that order was allowed to expire. To help renters catch up and landlords recover missed payments, the state last summer used federal virus aid to create a $50 million Eviction Diversion Program that helped 16,000 households, according to the Michigan State Housing Authority. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? In March 2021, Michigan replaced the states Eviction Diversion Program with the federally funded $282 million COVID Emergency Rental Assistance program, which the state housing authority expects will help 140,000 individuals. Of the 21,500 applications that have been processed thus far, 16,000 households were approved to receive a total of about $108 million in aid, including $18 million allocated to Detroit. Households or landlords with incomes that are below 80% of their local median amount qualify for the aid. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? The State Court Administrative Office anticipates a large surge in landlord/tenant case filings and having to update procedures to accommodate the backlog. A key priority of the courts has been to connect tenants facing eviction with legal representation and resources to catch them up on their rent, said John Nevin, a spokesman for the state Supreme Court. In March, Michigan courts, through an administrative order, began suspending proceedings in eviction cases for up to 45 days if the tenant applied for emergency rental assistance. From March through May of last year, there were about 1,500 eviction cases filed, which was a far cry from the roughly 43,000 filed during those same three months in 2019, according to court data. As for evictions that were carried out, there were 7,230 between April 2020 and this March, compared to 40,905 from April 2019 through March 2020. HOW AFFORDABLE ARE THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? Rent increased in many cities around the country in the past year, including the Detroit metropolitan area, which saw a 8.2% hike in the average amount paid for all rental properties, according to a June report from Realtor.com. The rent on a two-bedroom apartment rose by 7.3%, to $1,325, and one-bedroom apartments rose by 9.6%, to $1,025. In a 2019 report, the state housing authority said that from 2005 to 2017, more than half of Michigan's tenants were spending more than 30% of their income on rent. Although the number of so-called overburdened renters was slowly declining when the report was published, the continuance of that decline was dependent on the state's economy thriving and it's unclear how the pandemic might have altered it. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? Evictions and homelessness are closely linked, but it's still unknown how many tenants might find themselves homeless once end of the CDC's moratorium ends. Recent census data paints a worrying picture, though, showing that 80,789 Michigan residents, including 60,940 in the Detroit metropolitan area, said they felt they were likely to get evicted within two months. ___ Anna Nichols 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. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 Utah: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? Utah's eviction moratorium has long since expired, leaving only the CDC moratorium, though hundreds of people have still been evicted over the past year for reasons other than an inability to pay. The U.S. Census estimates that nearly 2,200 people in Utah are at high risk of eviction and foreclosure as the CDC moratorium ends, and almost 9,600 are at some risk of losing housing. A tight housing market in Utah only got tighter during the pandemic, and rent prices kept growing too. The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment is now $1,350, a 4% increase compared with the previous year, according to a July report from the rental site Zumper. In order to afford a modest, two-bedroom apartment in Utah, full-time workers need to earn $20.21 per hour, according to a recent report from the Utah Housing Coalition. The minimum wage in Utah is $7.25 an hour, and the median renter wage is $15.66. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? Utah still has about $150 million in federal funding to help tenants with outstanding rent, utility payments and other expenses, though. The state had paid out $41 million in rental assistance by the end of July, according to the state Department of Workforce Services. The money can go toward rent and other expenses, like utilities and past-due rent. Renters who make 80% of the areas median income and have financial hardship or instability because of COVID qualify. There is some assistance available not related to COVID. Landlords can also apply on behalf of their tenants. People who need help paying rent can apply for emergency assistance at rentrelief.utah.gov. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? The state has already seen a bump in homelessness in 2021, and the end of the moratorium is expected to touch off another increase, Francisca Blanc, advocacy and outreach coordinator with the Utah Housing Coalition, has said. Meanwhile, a provision of Utah law that allows landlords to collect triple the daily rent if a tenant overstays the three-day window they have to vacate a property has other advocates worried about a surge in bankruptcy filings and debt collections. Somewhere on the list of factors holding back Bridgeport in the public imagination and, lets be honest, its a long list is the much-derided view from I-95. To anyone speeding between suburbs who might catch a quick glimpse of a city as they pass through, those views can mean a lot. In Stamford, drivers see giants of finance as the glass-encased former UBS and RBS buildings face off. Norwalks view is of a mall, which makes sense in the regions retail hub. For decades, the only takeaway for tens of thousands of people a day passing through Bridgeport was neglect. A row of old factories on Railroad Avenue presented a scene of abandonment, giving the impression the entire city was one big falling-down factory building. It was never fair. And theres been plenty else wrong with Bridgeport to encourage outsiders to steer clear. But that sorry impression mattered, and today, thanks to a series of ongoing developments, its just about gone. There is new life in Bridgeports buildings, and the embodiment is the complex bordered by Howard and Hancock avenues now known as the Cherry Street Lofts, whose construction recently entered a new phase. The citys new look is about more than one block. Other old factories on the same stretch have been razed or refurbished. The coal plant is out, the amphitheater is in and Steel Point continues to take shape. That doesnt mean the citys glory days are upon us. But its an accomplishment worth celebrating. The days when Railroad Avenue was full of life lie far in the past, but even still, Cherry Street Lofts developers Gary Flocco and Geof Ravenstine said they have constantly run into people with memories of the area when it thrived. We meet people with relatives who worked at the building, going from the 1920s all the way to the present, Flocco said in a recent phone interview. One person said his grandmother ran a rooming house in the neighborhood, and all the men worked there. After the block fell into disrepair as manufacturing fled the state, a few proposals were floated to convert it to modern use, but the most likely option was the wrecking ball or continuing to stagnate. Flocco and his team started nearly a decade ago as the structure was close to being demolished, and they have worked for years to turn it into a thriving neighborhood. That means not just hundreds of apartments which have already attracted high demand but retail and public space in years to come. That in turn means millions of dollars in cumulative spending power that simply didnt exist before. Everything the area long represented is being turned on its head, to the benefit of the city. A ceremony attended by the governor recently marked the beginning of Phase III of the project, following an earlier conversion into workforce housing of the tallest structure on the block and the opening of a charter school on the premises. The next phase takes on the oldest building, the one most prominent for all those cars passing by on I-95. State officials have in the past called Cherry Street among the most complicated deals theyve handled, as funding has arrived from a wide variety of public and private sources. Ravenstine said that by working methodically through the difficulties, the team has been able to make the pieces work. Weve both been in this business a long time, he said. We have an understanding of what pots of money are available and what the conditions are to make that work. Among those difficulties is the constant challenge at former industrial sites, environmental contamination. Coal ash, asbestos and PCBs are common at these kinds of properties, and all must be dealt with before the sites can be reused. Long-abandoned utilities need to be reconnected, and walls built a century earlier reinforced. Theres a lot of work involved. By now, Connecticut has gotten better at recognizing the hassles in redeveloping brownfield sites and moving the process along. That doesnt mean its easy, though. Neither is changing the perception of an entire city. Hugh Bailey is editorial page editor of the Connecticut Post and New Haven Register. He can be reached at hbailey@hearstmediact.com. NEW HAVEN Two proposals aimed at increasing the amount of affordable housing in the city are a step closer to reality. An inclusionary zoning proposal that would require that affordable housing be embedded in all new market-rate housing proposals and substantial rehabs in the citys core and offer incentives to help make it happen will come before the Board of Alders this fall with a positive recommendation from the City Plan Commission. The same holds true for a proposal to allow accessary dwelling units, sometimes called in-law apartments, which currently exist throughout the city but are not allowed by New Haven zoning regulation. City Plan Commission members gave unanimous positive recommendations to both after a public hearing this week, despite acknowledging some flaws. The commission previously had held a public hearing on the accessory dwelling units proposal. Both proposals were submitted by City Plan Department staff after being suggested by the citys Affordable Housing Task Force. I want to acknowledge that this is just a small part in addressing affordable housing, City Plan Director Aicha Woods told the commission during deliberations. This is only one tool. There are many other areas ... that we need to look at to truly address this holistically. She told the commission that inclusionary zoning provides incentives to include affordable housing in market-rate projects, including tax incentives and concessions related to density and required parking. These are deeply affordable units, she said of the affordable housing that would be created as a result. Commission members, including Chairwoman Leslie Radcliffe, Vice Chairman Ed Mattison, Ernest Pagan and Board of Alders representative Adam Marchand, D-25, expressed their concerns following a public hearing in which residents and officials spoke both for and against the proposal. While there are tremendous benefits to living in the heart of New Haven, you cant do it if you cant afford it, said Marchand, who pushed for a favorable report to the alders but reserved the right to call for changes later in the process. Many of the witnesses really spoke to the fact that a municipality has only very limited capacity to alter what happens within it, said Mattison, adding, I dont see how we get to serious change without participation from a vast coalition of interests within the city. Pagan raised questions about how the inclusionary zoning proposal, which would involved both a text change and a map change within the citys zoning ordinance, would be enforced. Radcliffe said that those who are against inclusionary zoning arent affected by the need for affordable housing. She wondered aloud, however, whether the downtown area is the best place for a family of four and said she would rather see a family raise their children somewhere a little farther out where there is more grass and trees. From the point of view of a homeowner, the citys proposal seems to be cookie-cutter, one size fits all, Radcliffe said. ... To me, it seems like theres a better way to do it. Mattison said not all developers are looking simply to make the most money they can. All of the developers who I know who care truly about trying to do what they can about housing for the poor are dedicated to that proposition, Mattison said. ... Of course, youve got to break even, but theyre not dedicated to maximizing every dime that they can. He said, however, that while I certainly support this effort ... We have to be open to what happens when we pass it and be prepared to tweak and adjust the new policy, if necessary. We have to help people find ways to be able to have a decent life, without selling out to the bad guys. This is the story of so many of us over the years, Mattison said. But we havent found yet a vision of how were going to do it that is really going to move the needle, he said. If it sounds like a good plan, lets approve it and then figure out how to make it work, said Radcliffe. I feel exactly the same way, said Mattison. You only move forward when you move forward. Theres nothing Ive heard tonight to suggest that were going to be worse off when we do this, and we might be better off. So lets do it. Testimony during the public hearing before the vote was both in favor of proposal and against. Zoning attorney Ben Trachten, who described himself as a liberal who favors affordable housing, nevertheless was against the plan as written. New Haven already provides an amazing number of affordable housing units compared to other communities within 30 miles, he said in an email. The real problem is poverty, but no one wants to talk about that, Trachten said. Rebecca Corbett, a member of the citys Affordable Housing Commission, said that as a single mother and longtime city resident who briefly was homeless after being evicted years ago, I know how important affordable housing is to our city. Were tired of working poor people subsidizing the wealthy, Corbette said. Bradley Street resident Kevin McCarthy said, This is a good proposal to deal with the citys affordable housing shortage ... but I feel it will do ... nothing for moderate-income households. He said there are more than 15,000 income-eligible households in Greater New Haven and this will provide about 50 affordable housing units a year, he said. Steve Fontana, the citys assistant economic development administrator, said, I think we all realize that New Haven continues to face an affordable housing crunch and that our efforts have failed to adequately address this. New Haven arguably has done more than any other Connecticut community, yet its clearly not doing enough, he said. Anika Singh Lamar, another member of the Affordable Housing Commission, said that new market-rate housing, not just new affordable housing, is good to help keep rents low. If you care about affordable housing, there are other things we can do, she said, mentioning encouraging more affordable housing in the suburbs and eliminating parking requirements, as Hartford has done, as two of them. Karen DuBois-Walton, president and CEO of Elm City Communities - The Housing Authority of New Haven and until this week a Democratic candidate for mayor called the proposal wildly insufficient and urged the commission to send this proposal back to the drawing board and think in more visionary ways. DuBois-Walton said in written testimony that more than 50 percent of New Haven residents are rent burdened, more than one-fourth live in poverty and more than one-third of all New Haven families pay more than half of their income for rent. This inclusionary zoning doesnt address the increasing segregation in our city, she said, suggesting that the inclusionary zoning proposal overlays on a segregated zoning system. For these reasons, I urge rejection of the current proposal, DuBois-Walton said. mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com NEW HAVEN As a nationwide eviction moratorium ends Saturday, Mayor Justin Elicker and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz offered options Friday for those at risk of losing their places of residence. Speaking at a press conference outside City Hall, Bysiewicz said 89,000 families will not be able to pay rent at the end of July in Connecticut, so housing is a huge issue. She and Elicker noted the state Unite CT program, which offers up to $15,000 in rental assistance and $1,500 for electric payments for households affected by the coronavirus pandemic. There was $450 million set aside for the program, Bysiewicz said, with roughly $50 million spent so far to help 5,600 families. We want landlords to know that there is money for back rent if theyve had families living in their housing whove been affected by the pandemic. We also want to get the message out to tenants who are concerned that they may not be able to pay their rent to know what their rights are, said Bysiewicz. The governor and I are committed to making sure we take care of our families, and make sure they have the housing that they need. Bysiewicz suggested that those concerned about paying rent reach out to service agencies such as Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven or NeighborWorks New Horizons. The Urban League of Southern Connecticut also can offer assistance, according to Robin Ladouceur. home ownership center coordinator with NHS New Haven. Elicker and Arlevia Samuel, acting director of the Livable City Initiative, also noted the New Havens Coronavirus Assistance and Security Tenant Landlord Emergency Program, known as CASTLE, which offers up to $3,000 for back rent, with the condition that landlords waive other coronavirus-related unpaid rent and not proceed to eviction. Tenants also have a right to counsel in eviction proceedings, Elicker noted. Even though the moratorium is ending, theres still a lot of supports for tenants and landlords, the mayor said. John Lugo, community organizing director of Unidad Latina en Accion, and Ladouceur, among others, urged residents in need to apply for assistance. Lugo said many tenants are struggling to pay rent. Were proud and humbled by this work, and we are welcoming tenants and landlords especially the disabled, the elderly, and those who lack access to technology into our small campus on Sherman Avenue in order to discuss the issue of eviction and apply for rental assistance funds, said Ladoucer. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com NEW HAVEN It was only a few years ago, in 2015, that Mazen Alsaloumi and Rawan Oudeh and their children Ayman, 21, Ghena, 19, Jena, 13, and Eleen, 21/2, came to this country via Jordan as refugees from war-torn Syria. They never could have known then that by 2021, at what hopefully is the tail end of a worldwide pandemic, they would be realizing a lifelong dream by opening their own Syrian restaurant, Westville Emesa, in a new city in their new country. For the most part, with one exception, Mazen always worked for other people, said Oudeh, 41, who lives with her family in West Haven. She said she was very happy to be opening Westville Emesa. It feels like God has rewarded me for everything I lost back in Syria and the beautiful thing is, my whole family is working here. For Alsaloumi, 49, This is my dream, to have something in America, he said. Especially in New Haven, because there are a lot of people here from different countries who appreciate good food from other cultures. But dont think it was easy. Getting here had plenty of twists and turns including at least one business-shattering bombing. Oudeh, who speaks some English, spoke a little about the odyssey earlier this week, using her two oldest kids to help translate at times, as she sat in a booth during Westville Emesas first full week open at 883 Whalley Ave. The restaurant is in what used to be Westville Pizza & Mediterranean Cuisine (and still serves pizza, sandwiches and salads in addition to Syrian food). As bombings, kidnappings and other trappings of war ramped up, Mazen Alsaloumis former restaurant in Homs, the city of 775,000 that used to be their home, was destroyed by a bomb, said Ayman Alsaloumi. The family, with help from relatives, began moving around Homs in efforts to stay safe in the midst of civil war. We always looked for a safer place, Oudeh explained. But ultimately, as things got worse, they realized that caught between rebels and protesters and the Syrian army, they could not be safe in Homs, Syrias third-largest city after Aleppo and Damascus, the capital. First Mazen Alsaloumi, who by then was working to support his family as a cook in Saudi Arabia, tried to move the whole family to Saudi Arabia. But Saudi Arabia, like most Middle Eastern countries, had closed its borders to Syrian refugees. So Oudeh and the rest of the family moved to Jordan, the only nearby country that would take them. They ended up living there for three years. But life in Jordan was hard, Oudeh said. We were only working for today. In Jordan, it also was cost-prohibitive for the kids to go to college, she said. So Oudeh and her husband picked up their family and, at the invitation of the International Organization for Migration, which aids refugees, came to New Haven, after initially thinking they were headed for Indiana. Once here, they immediately got involved working with organizations such CitySeeds Sanctuary Kitchen to put some of their strengths their newly-arrived energy and ethnicity to work. The family got to New Haven with $400 and a few bags and has worked from there. We came with our bags, and that was it, Oudeh said, mostly in Syrian, as her son, Ayman, who is a student at Southern Connecticut State University, and daughter, Ghena Alsaloumi, a student at University of Connecticut, took turns translating. Jena Alsaloumi is a student at Carrigan Intermediate School in West Haven. Life here, as beautiful as it is, thats how hard it was before they arrived, Oudeh said. So far, opening Westville Emesa appears to be a good move. Mazen Alsaloumi said later that he was surprised by how busy it had been so far. The people that came to the restaurant during its first week open said that its really nice, everything is good, he said, speaking some English but interviewed with Ghenas help. It gets really busy sometimes. American people try different food from different countries. ... Thanks to all the people who came and tried our food. People really loved the falafel, the shawarma, the baba ghanoush, he said. Westville Emesa actually serves two types of baba ghanoush, the classic Middle Eastern eggplant dish the creamy one with yogurt that most Americans know as baba ghanoush; and moutabel, the most eggplanty one with plenty of onion, tomato, walnuts and garlic. It also serves a full array of small Syrian appetizers and salads that make for a colorful display arranged on a table, Syrian meat and cheese pies and a variety of grilled meats and kabobs plus an array of Syrian desserts. For those who want to ease into Syrian food, Westville Emesa also offers burgers, salads, wings, fajitas, spaghetti and other Italian pasta dishes, cheesesteaks and chicken cheesesteaks, chicken subs and, yes, pizza, calzones and stromboli. While Sanctuary Kitchen, which exists to put the spotlight on newly-arrived immigrant cooks and help them get businesses going, was not directly involved in Alsaloumis opening Westville Emesa, CitySeed Executive Director Cortney Ahern Renton said she was thrilled to see it happen. We are so excited about Westville Emesa and thrilled for Rawan and Mazen, Ahern Renton said. Rawan and Mazen have been part of the Sanctuary Kitchen family since the programs inception, and have participated in every aspect of what Sanctuary Kitchen does throughout the years. They were not only Sanctuary Kitchens very first Supper Club chefs, but they were also part of CitySeeds pilot Food Business Accelerator program, she said. We are thrilled more people in New Haven will be able to taste their delicious food through their new restaurant. Mazen and Rawan exemplify the goals of Sanctuary Kitchen intercultural connection and economic opportunity through food, Ahern Renton said. Rawan and Mazen are two of many Sanctuary Kitchen chefs who have gone on to launch their food businesses, including restaurants, caterers, and other Food Business Accelerator program participants. We know that their story will be an inspiration to the network of hundreds of refugee, immigrant and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) chefs and food entrepreneurs that CitySeed works with through both Sanctuary Kitchen and our CitySeed Incubates food entrepreneurship program, she said. mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) Officials say a member of a New England crime family has reached a deal with prosecutors to avoid jail time for allegedly lying about his role as an illegal silent partner in a medical cannabis business. Raymond Jenkins pleaded no contest to a felony count of perjury on Thursday and was sentenced to two years of probation, WPRI-TV reported. LANSING, Mich. (AP) The University of Michigan and Michigan State University will require all students, faculty and staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the start of the fall semester. Both university presidents said Friday that action is being taken due to the spread of the more infectious delta variant. Michigan State is taking things a step further and requiring masks to be worn indoors starting in August for the first few weeks of school, university President Samuel Stanley Jr. said during a media conference Friday. Stanley said the university hoped to not have to create a vaccine mandate, but the possibility of high transmission of the delta variant warranted the policy, A letter from University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel said 81% of students and 65% of employees at the Ann Arbor campus had reported receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. The university previously announced a vaccine requirement, but only for students living on the Ann Arbor campus. Vaccine mandates are gaining momentum in Michigan. Earlier this week, more large hospital systems announced that they would require all employees and affiliated physicians to get vaccinated. Other colleges and universities have made vaccinations policies in anticipation of the fall. Albion College will require students, faculty and staff to be vaccinated to return, and Oakland University will require students living on campus to be vaccinated before move-in. The state on Friday reported 2,250 additional coronavirus cases over three days. The seven-day average, 573, was up from 219 two weeks ago. Michigan's case rate, however, was lower than in all but three states as of Thursday. Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state's chief medical executive, tweeted that she was very concerned about trends in Michigan including rising cases, testing positivity rates and the spreading delta variant. Vaccines, she said, significantly decrease your chance of getting COVID and if you do, it's likely less severe and you get to live. ___ Anna Nichols 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. MADISON, Wis. (AP) The highest ranking Republican in the Wisconsin Assembly said Friday that he was expanding a probe into the 2020 presidential election, saying it will take more investigators and time than originally planned. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos signed contracts in June with two retired police detectives and a former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice to handle the investigation. But those two investigators quit earlier this month, Vos confirmed for the first time Friday, leading him to take a different tack. Vos has designated retired Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman as a special counsel and empowered him to hire as many investigators as he wants, with the goal of completing the probe this fall. If he thinks he needs one person, great," Vos told The Associated Press. "If he thinks he needs half a dozen, great. Gableman did not immediately reply to a message seeking comment. The move comes amid growing calls from former President Donald Trump and other Wisconsin Republicans for a broader audit. Vos announced the move just three days after he said a fellow Republican lawmaker who was calling for a forensic audit was misinformed about the work already underway. Vos said plans to change the investigation he ordered had been underway for a while, after Gableman came to him and said a more robust effort was needed with investigators who could work on it full-time. Though he didn't set a budget, Vos said it would be reasonable to spend several hundred thousand dollars on it. The original contracts called for spending about $72,000 through September on the investigation. Vos had wanted to hire three former police detectives, but only signed contracts with two. Vos said both of them quit because they were hired to work part-time, but they said it required a full-time effort. Wisconsin Democratic Party executive director Nellie Sires called it a sham investigation. The fact will remain that the 2020 election was free, fair and conclusive, she said in a statement. "Its time for the Speaker to end the charade and start telling the truth. Vos said he hoped to complete the work in the fall, around the same time that the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau completes its review that was ordered by the Republican Legislature. Vos has called their review a multi-faceted forensic audit even as he's faced pressure from Trump and the Republican chair of the Assembly elections committee to do a review more similar to the widely discredited one done in Arizona. Vos said there is no one definition of forensic audit but he is hopeful the results of the probe he ordered, and the one done by the nonpartisan Audit Bureau, will be sufficient. If you have two independent investigations where they are going to go the way the evidence leads them, that should be something we should all get around," Vos said. President Joe Biden won Wisconsin by just over 20,000 votes. There is no evidence of widespread fraud and courts rejected numerous lawsuits filed by Trump and his allies attempting to overturn the outcome. Democrats have derided calls for more investigations as feeding into conspiracy theories and lies that Trump actually won the state. Trump last month called out Vos and two other Republican legislative leaders, saying they were working hard to cover up election corruption. Vos and the other Wisconsin Republicans said Trump was misinformed. There are almost no documented cases of election fraud in Wisconsin. Two people have been charged with election fraud out of more than 3 million votes cast in the state, and prosecutors are still reviewing a handful of other cases that were among 27 forwarded to them by elections officials. Similarly, very few potential voter fraud cases have been identified in Arizona. Ameena Ahmed poses for a photo near her home in Brooklyn. After her work as a substitute teacher in New York City dried up, Ameena Ahmed got a welcome $4,200 boost last summer in federal pandemic-related unemployment benefits.Then New York state started taking it back. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez) President Joe Biden speaks to members of the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Thursday for a short trip to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., where he will join first lady Jill Biden who will undergo a procedure to remove an object from her left foot. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Ahead of its congresses scheduled for Saturday, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned its members not to participate in any activ... Ahead of its congresses scheduled for Saturday, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned its members not to participate in any activity that will cast the party in a bad light. In a notice addressed to members on Friday, John Akpanudoedehe, national secretary of the APC caretaker committee, said the party will invoke the necessary disciplinary measures on those who hold parallel congresses. Akpanudoedehe also reminded party members of the national executive committee (NEC) resolution which directed members not to take the party to court unless it has exhausted the internal mechanism for conflict resolution, as enshrined in the partys constitution. All activities that may be carried out by persons to put the party and its officers in bad light before, during and after the congresses should be jettisoned, he said. All activities or processes leading up to the congresses and thereafter which do not have the approval of the CECPC are exercises in futility. This is to say that: any purported parallel congress, parallel party organ and or parallel party office, is to say the least a nullity. These divisive activities will not be tolerated. For the avoidance of doubt, the party shall deploy the full weight of the law as stipulated in section 21 (D) of our partys Constitution on anyone who perpetrates such unlawful Act (s) and also on their sponsors. All persons who are affected by Article 31 of our constitution should apply for waivers as stipulated under sub. Section 3 of the said article 31, this is also clearly spelt out in the Special provisions of our guidelines. Party members like Festus Keyamo, minister of state for labour and employment, had called for the suspension of the congresses following the Supreme Court verdict on the Ondo gubernatorial poll. Keyamo had asked the party to sack Buni and anyone holding any executive position on the committee and immediately suspend the planned congresses. He said this is to avoid legal battles since the competence of Buni to hold the position as chairman has been questioned by the Supreme Court. Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has advised the federal government to urgently address what he says is a looming food cris... Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has advised the federal government to urgently address what he says is a looming food crisis in the country before it gets worse. Abubakar in a statement titled, Let Us Address this Looming Food Crisis before It becomes a calamity, said he based his advice on the warning recently issued by the Food and Agricultural Organization, FAO in the country. He advised the government not to ignore the warning given by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations of a looming acute food crisis in Northern Nigeria. He noted, That dire warning should be seen and heard as a whistleblowing moment that ought to draw the focus of the federal government, being that Northern Nigeria is the food basket of the nation, and any famine there will have a national impact on the rest of the country and cross border impacts in the West African sub-region. The former Vice President lamented that the laissez-faire approach taken by the Federal Government to this most important issue is regrettable, emphasising that food security is a vital part of national security, and where this issue is not resolved, the resultant crisis may unsettle the nation and her immediate neighbours. According to him, now is the time to proffer solutions, so that our countrymen and women do not starve in a land with so much prospective abundance. He stressed that the major cause of the present and looming dearth of food is insecurity, saying that farmers and other agricultural value chain workers cannot go to their farms due to the crisis of insecurity. Atiku said what ought to happen is that the federal and state governments should establish a Food Security Military Taskforce to work in farming clusters, to provide security for the nations farmers, adding that Nigeria must give confidence to their agriculture workers so that the sector can get on with the job of feeding the nation. He added that the Federal and State governments ought to place a temporary moratorium on all loans to the agricultural sector in the affected states, by declaring a Force Majeure in the sector, saying that the country cannot expect small, medium and large scale farmers to service debts when they are not even able to access their farms and other businesses in the agricultural value chain. He advised that the federal government intervenes by providing free seedlings and fertilisers to end-users so that the policy that worked to reduce hunger levels in Nigeria when Dr. Akinwumi Adesina introduced the e-wallet policy, saying that it is time to reintroduce and ramp up that scheme. If we cannot feed ourselves as a nation, we do not survive. This is the textbook definition of an emergency, he explained. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar expressed hope that Nigeria can remove politics from this vital area of its national life and address this crisis before it becomes a calamity. The police in Imo have arrested the alleged Eastern Security Network (ESN) native doctor Benneth Okoli with an Improvised Explosive Device (... The police in Imo have arrested the alleged Eastern Security Network (ESN) native doctor Benneth Okoli with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). This was confirmed by the Commissioner of Police, Mr Abutu Yaro on Thursday. The statement from the CPs office said: After a diligent forensic and technical intelligence gathering, the suspect, Benneth Okoli, 49, was arrested in his shrine at Akuma in Oru East LGA of Imo. On searching the shrine, one locally made IED, charms, and weed suspected to be cannabis were recovered. The suspect on interrogation made useful statements and is currently assisting the police to arrest the rest of his gang, presently on the run. The arrest is coming a few days after bandits had an encounter with the police in the area. Sequel to the attack on the Omuma Police Station in Oru East by bandits suspected to be the remnants of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and ESN terror groups, the CP dispatched the commands tactical teams led by ACP Benjamin Osuji. The team was directed to carry out a discreet investigation and arrest the bandits involved in the attack of the police station. The CP commended the gallantry displayed by the officers and men of the command, urging them to sustain the tempo. The CP also thanked the people of Imo for their support and solicited for an all society approach to sustaining the already improved security architecture in the state. Storytime is the word of the day at Orleans Parish Public Libraries. Young children and families have several opportunities to take part. Tune in every Saturday at 10:30 a.m. for a live Virtual Storytime on Zoom to read, sing, talk, write and play together in a format designed for children from 2 to 5 years old and their caregivers. Register at nolalibrary.org/events. Combine movement and literacy by visiting the New Orleans Public Librarys new Story Trail installations. Story Trails allow families to experience storytime outdoors at their own pace. Weather permitting, Story Trails are set up outside of Alvar Library, Algiers Regional Library, Central City Library, the Childrens Resource Center Library, East New Orleans Regional Library and Norman Mayer Library. To ensure that a Story Trail will be out for your visit, please call the library location ahead of time. Take a photo of your family enjoying a Story Trail and send it to impact@nolalibrary.org or tag @nolalibrary on social media to share your experience. 'WHAT IF?': The New Orleans Public Librarys What If? speculative fiction short-story book club will meet at 11:30 a.m. Aug. 7 via Zoom. Speculative fiction is a term covering a wide range of fiction, from sci-fi and fantasy to ghost stories and fairy tales. Any fiction that deals with nonreality generally falls under this category. Augusts titles are The Reset by Jaymee Goh and The Era by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. The stories will be available either in the library catalog or in free online literary magazines. Contact Meliki at maddison@nolalibrary.org for more information about the club or for PDF copies of the stories. Participants may also suggest stories for upcoming sessions. This program is sponsored by the Friends of New Orleans Public Library. Visit nolalibrary.org/events to register. SCHOOL READY: Get back-to-school ready with a New Orleans Public Library card, which unlocks a wide variety of resources, products, and services to help with homework and learning, many of which are online and accessible from outside the library. From connecting students with live, online tutoring through Homework Louisiana, to test prep and study guides from LearningExpress, free and interactive information from Britannica Library, to instant access to thousands of e-books, audiobooks and more, the library has everything you need to succeed. Visit homework.nolalibrary.org for details. BOOK BUNDLES: Readers of all ages can request a custom-made package based on their interests through the librarys Book Bundle Service. Simply call any library location to request a bundle, provide a topic or author that interests you, and a staff member will create a bundle of two to five titles just for you and put them on hold for you to pick up in person or through the librarys Contactless Materials Pick-Up service. Visit nolalibrary.org/services for more information. Dr. Gabriel Morley is director of the New Orleans Public Library. Matt DeHarts story is either stranger than fiction or mostly just that: fiction. As an internet hacktivist, DeHart emerged a little more than a decade ago, claiming to be a member of the online group Anonymous and perhaps a conduit to WikiLeaks. He says he operated a server on the dark web and that he had files about U.S. government activities. DeHart had enlisted in the Air National Guard and trained to work on a drone program, but was honorably discharged. DeHart tried to defect to Russia and Venezuela at their embassies in Washington, D.C. He later fled to Canada to seek asylum, and says he was drugged and tortured while detained by the FBI. But there were other accusations about his online activity. He was accused of meeting two teenaged boys in a World of Warcraft online community and soliciting child pornography. DeHart said the charges were bogus and designed to allow the government to search his computer. DeHarts story was the subject of several deep dives into an amazing string of revelations and accusations, all obscured by the dark corners of the web, the security state, sealed documents and more. There also are some odd happenstances in the story, adding to a sense of paranoia. The latest attempt to get at the truth of the matter is Sonia Kennebecks film Enemies of the State, which runs at The Prytania Theatres at Canal Place. Theres a whiplash effect to wading into the cascades of details in the story. DeHarts father is a chaplain. But its soon revealed that both of DeHarts parents formerly worked for the U.S. military as linguists monitoring international communications. With the decline of the Cold War and reduction of some sectors of military operations, they retired (before the robust return of the security state following 9/11). The DeHarts believed their son and went to great lengths to fight for his innocence. The entire family applied for asylum in Canada, alleging that the U.S. had tortured their son. Its hard to verify many parts of the story. Matt DeHart says unencrypted files were placed on his server by another person. He says the government files were on hard drives that he took to Mexico and mailed to others, whom he hasnt identified. The only person who claims to be familiar with their contents is his mother. The U.S. government neither confirms nor denies various aspects of the case and its sprawling reach is daunting. Prosecutors in Tennessee had a different view. They saw a Matt DeHart who told two teenagers that he was the son of a mob boss who lived in New Jersey. DeHart actually went to Tennessee and met one of the teens. The child pornography charges helped the government detain DeHart after one crossing of the Canadian border. Not everything is as it first appears in the film. The movie follows the format of a documentary, but many scenes are recreated with actors. Thats not unheard of, and some use real recordings of conversations. But there is a wealth of created scenes and images, including stark images of Matt DeHart in detention that match what he alleges. But if hes an unreliable narrator or greatly mischaracterized the situation, these are rather loaded fabrications of the filmmaker. Is her recreation more about getting to the truth or giving the film a dark thrill? Its also possible for multiple bad things to be true. DeHart could be a child pornographer and a hacker and the government could abuse its powers and be hiding war crimes, all of which deserve attention. Kennebeck turns to independent figures journalists, security and legal experts to try to establish a set of verifiable facts. No matter what the truth is about Matt DeHart, just the difficulty of getting to it is a chilling aspect of a film that feels designed to tease viewers with the possibilities. "Enemies of the State" opens Friday, July 30, at Prytania Theatres at Canal Place. Commentary: It's on the mayor, not citizens, to protect New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell reinstituted New Orleans' mask mandate Friday and announced new rules requiring all city employees and contractors to be vaccinated, as a delta variant-fueled surge of the coronavirus continues to pummel Louisiana. The mask mandate puts teeth back into last week's advisory that residents wear masks, and marks a return to a policy that New Orleans had in place for almost a year during the pandemics first, second and third waves. It comes as Gov. John Bel Edwards said he was weighing restoration of the statewide mask mandate. New Orleans will be among the first cities in the United States to require its employees and contractors to be vaccinated, along with New York City, California and federal agencies. Cantrell pointed to the alarming speed at which the coronavirus has resurfaced in Louisiana and New Orleans, straining hospital resources and emergency responders. The mayor also announced she will bring on a contractor to help New Orleans ambulance services with the crush of patients theyre seeing, though details on that deal were not provided. "Thanks to the delta variant, the COVID pandemic is once again raging out of control," Cantrell said. Cantrell did not announce any restrictions on capacity at private businesses, including bars or restaurants. But she said all options remain on the table as city officials discern the trajectory of infections, hospitalizations and deaths and consider their next steps. The coronavirus' delta variant has led to a dramatic surge in infections cases and hospitalizations across Louisiana. The state reported 21,543 new confirmed cases this week, the highest total during the 17 months of the pandemic. Hospitalizations have grown at an alarming rate, with 1,740 coronavirus-positive patients now hospitalized in Louisiana. Hard-hit by the first wave of the pandemic in spring 2020, New Orleans fared better than the rest of the state for its second and third waves, which came amid stricter public health rules than elsewhere in Louisiana. Yet despite leading the state in vaccinations with 51.6% of its residents fully inoculated New Orleans has seen its infection cases surge and hospitals packed since the current wave started in early July. +2 These New Orleans restaurants are now requiring proof of vaccination to fight COVID, stay open Following the lead of some local performers and high-profile music venues, the first New Orleans restaurants have joined the roster of busines New Orleans is now seeing an average of about 270 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus each day. That's more than double the weekly average throughout the spring. This week New Orleans logged 6 deaths from the coronavirus. In the four preceding weeks, there were just two. If we dont all mask, if we dont all get vaccinated, this will continue to kill us, said Dr. Emily Nichols, medical director of New Orleans Emergency Medical Services. This is an ongoing fight we cannot win if its just a few of us. The mask mandate comes two months after New Orleans lifted its requirement that residents and visitors wear face coverings in public, which it first implemented in June 2020. The new policy will apply to anyone vaccinated or not who is indoors with a group that includes people outside their household. A separate policy requires masks at large outdoor gatherings. Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up City officials stressed that continuing to increase the vaccination rate is the only way fully to control the pandemic. But because vaccinations can take more than a month to be fully effective and with new research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing that even vaccinated people can spread the virus New Orleans Health Director Dr. Jennifer Avegno urged residents to mask up and take the precautions they learned earlier in the pandemic. After being hard hit by the first wave of the coronavirus in March 2020, New Orleans managed to keep new infections at a relatively low level through the surges last summer and winter, something experts have credited in part to policies that were stricter than the rest of the state. +4 Louisiana COVID numbers: 21,543 cases confirmed over past week, largest increase of pandemic With the delta variant of the coronavirus surging through Louisiana, the state recorded its highest number of new confirmed cases on record th Weve been here before, and we know what works. Nothing has changed in terms of the mitigation measures that work, Avegno said. While Cantrell's previous mask mandate appeared to encourage widespread use of face coverings, city agencies never issued a ticket to anyone for violating the policy. Mask use around New Orleans has dropped significantly since Cantrell backed off on those rules in May, when infection cases were among their lowest of the entire pandemic. Beyond the mask requirement, Cantrell announced that all municipal workers and contractors must be vaccinated. Officials did not provide many details on how the requirements would work, though Cantrell and other administration officials said they had notified the Civil Service Commission, which oversees the terms of employment for most city workers, as well as the Sewerage and Water Board, the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority and contracting firms about the rules. Cantrell said about 71% of the 4,000 municipal employees are vaccinated. Asked whether she was worried workers might quit rather be vaccinated, Cantrell said, Im worried about losing city employees due to death due to this virus. Its bigger than one person. Cantrell's news conference followed a COVID-19 update from Gov. Edwards. He didn't restore any coronavirus restrictions but said he was "seriously considering" another mask mandate per requests from hospital leaders. Statewide, a total of 21,543 people tested positive for the coronavirus for the first time over the past seven days, amounting to almost 580 more confirmed cases than during the worst week of the third wave in January. That includes 4,230 new confirmed cases reported Friday. The fourth wave of the pandemic has also led to a sharp increase in hospitalizations. For the third time in four days, the state reported a triple-digit increase in the number of patients hospitalized with coronavirus in Louisiana hospitals. Hospitals in New Orleans and Baton Rouge this week also reported an increase in children sick with COVID-19. One pediatric COVID patient at Children's Hospital in New Orleans recently died. Our children are dying, Cantrell said. With the delta variant of the coronavirus surging through Louisiana, the state recorded its highest number of new confirmed cases on record this week. A total of 21,543 people tested positive for the coronavirus for the first time over the past seven days, amounting to almost 580 more confirmed cases than during the worst week of the third wave in January. That includes 4,230 new confirmed cases reported on Friday. Gov. John Bel Edwards is hosting a 3 p.m. press conference. Click here to follow it live. The fourth wave of the pandemic has also led to a sharp increase in hospitalizations. For the third time in four days, the state reported a triple-digit increase in the number of patients hospitalized with coronavirus in Louisiana hospitals. The total number of infected patients now stood at 1,740 on Thursday - the most recent data available. That's just 329 patients short of the record set in mid-January. Many of state's 40,000 employees told to work mostly from home because of COVID surge A good many of the state governments nearly 40,000 employees will return to working at home, at least three days a week, if possible, in hope The state also reported 27 additional deaths confirmed to be due to the coronavirus on Friday. A total of 84 people have died over the past week due to the virus, 3.5 as many deaths per week as were recorded a month ago. According to the Department of Health, about 90% of new cases reported between July 15 and July 21 were people who were not fully vaccinated. People who had not completed a vaccine series accounted for 85% of deaths in that time period and 89% of all people currently in the hospital. Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up These are another few key statewide statistics as of Monday: Total confirmed cases: 450,397 Total "probable" cases: 91,282 Total confirmed deaths: 9,926 Hospitalized: 1,740 On ventilators: 167 Note: The Advocate and The Times-Picayune staff calculates daily case count and confirmed death increases based on the difference between today's total and yesterday's total of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths. The Louisiana Department of Health releases a daily case count on its dashboard that includes probable cases as indicated by a positive antigen test. That case count can be different than the one listed here. Can't see chart below? Click here. Can't see chart below? Click here. Louisiana began reopening for Phase 1 on May 15-16 then moved to Phase 2 on June 5. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards extended Louisiana's Phase 2 restrictions twice in August before moving the state to Phase 3 on Sept. 11. The governor then moved the state back to a modified Phase 2 near the end of November before putting Louisiana back in a modified Phase 3 on March 2, 2021. This is a developing story. More details and analysis to come. A judge temporarily blocked the promotion of 10 New Orleans police officers to the rank of sergeant on Friday, giving a union time to argue that the process gives preference to the politically connected. Civil District Judge Jennifer Medley signed the order halting the promotions for at least 10 days just minutes before Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson hosted a ceremony honoring the officers. The Police Association of New Orleans wants Medley to bar City Hall from using the same process that produced the promotions list, but Medley wont rule on that request until hearing oral arguments, which weren't immediately scheduled. NOPD appointments of commanders at superintendent's discretion shot down by state appeals court In a win for police unions, a Louisiana appeals court has struck down the New Orleans Police Departments controversial practice of letting it PANO attorney Eric Hessler said he thinks Medleys order, as long as it is in effect, renders the promotions invalid. Its not anything against the people picked for promotions; were not advocating for or against any candidate, Hessler said. We just feel strongly that the process used violates the state Constitution, and we need a process that is fair to everyone. The Police Department would not comment on the case, though it issued a news release Friday afternoon congratulating the officers on their promotions. Neither Cantrells staff nor the independent commission governing the Civil Service Department, which administers the municipal workforce, immediately responded to requests for comment. Since August, police officers seeking to advance in rank have had half their promotional scores calculated by a three-member committee of Police Department brass, taking into account factors such as the officers' performance evaluations and disciplinary history. A test administered by the Civil Service Department determines the other half of the scores, with the maximum possible points being 200. Previously, promotions were based strictly on test scores. PANO says that is consistent with the merit-based, apolitical promotions mandated by the Louisiana Constitution. PANO members this week filed a seven-page lawsuit attacking the new approach, arguing that performance evaluations are strictly subjective in nature and can be manipulated in either direction depending upon the whims of the evaluator. So are disciplinary histories, which supervisors can make flattering for certain preferred officers or detrimental for those who arent favored, the union's suit contends. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up The changed process stemmed from a policy issued by Cantrells top aide, chief administrative officer Gilbert Montano. That policy has never been approved by the independent board that governs the Civil Service Department, the suit said. The policys effects were dramatic, said the suits lead plaintiffs: Andrew Wiedman, Paul Johnson and Beth Raniff. Under the previous promotional process, Wiedman tied for first, Johnson 16th and Raniff 18th out of more than 60 officers aspiring to become sergeants. The scoring under the new process dropped Wiedman to 24th, Johnson to 34th and Raniff to 36th. The criteria implemented and considered by the promotional committee are all subjective, vague and subject to impermissible political manipulation, their suit argued. Simply put, such a system provides a simple, convenient and effective [method] of grooming a politically favored employee for promotion, Friday's promotion ceremony at Southern University at New Orleans honored Shannon Jones-Brewer, Shumeca Garrison, James Doaty Jr., Travis Tobias Johnson, Aaron Harrelson, Eric Illarmo, Thaddeus Williams, Robyn Scott, Sarah Cherny and Kevin Boswell. Harrelson was tied for first under the old promotional system, with Jones-Brewer, Williams and Illarmo all finishing within the Top 10. New Orleans firefighters 'unconstitutionally denied promotions' should get them now, court says Fifteen New Orleans firefighters who were passed over for promotion despite high scores on an exam two years ago should be elevated to captain Police and firefighters have been fighting with City Hall over promotions ever since then-Mayor Mitch Landrieus administration overhauled Civil Service rules in 2014. Dubbed the Great Place To Work Initiative, Landrieu said he wanted to give managers more flexibility in hiring and promotions. But passed-over police officers and firefighters have since successfully fought to overturn a number of promotions, by broadly arguing that they have been political rather than objective and merit-based. Stay up to date on local news Get Breaking News Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. Williamsport, Pa. -- A new male community corrections center is opening on Edwin Street in Williamsport, with a well-supported leader at its helm. Transitional Living Centers' facility will have the capacity to work with 24 men transitioning from state correctional institutions back into the community with the help of a Facility Director, Case Manager, and Resident Advisors. The facility is projected to open October 1. "We are very thrilled to announce the hiring of our Facility Director, Cleveland Way," TLC said in a Facebook post. "Cleveland Way, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has a wife of 20 years, five children of their own, and three they adopted." Reaction to the announcement on Facebook was overwhelmingly positive, with one message of support after another. Way began his service to Williamsport residents in 2000 with PA Treatment & Healing counseling service, concluding his fourteen-year service as Regional Director. He holds a bachelor's degree in Textile Technology from Philadelphia University. He also received two master's degrees from Liberty University: Master of Arts in Religion and Master of Divinity with a concentration in Pastoral Counseling. He looks to pursue a Doctorate soon. Pull Quote "I love Mr. Cleveland. Hes gonna do big things with helping these men." -Nya Nya "I know of no one more deserving. Congratulations Cleveland!!" -Deb Endweiss Shivetts "This makes perfect sense for our Community!" -Frank Tripoli Upon graduating from Liberty University, Way planted Greater Life Bible Church in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He served as the Senior Pastor for five years before serving as Shephard of Cogan House Community Church in Trout Run, Pennsylvania, where he continues to do. In 2016 he began working as the Social Service Director of the American Rescue Workers, responding to the community's needs, distributing over 100,000 lbs. of food to families in need while providing counseling and preventative services. In 2018 he took on a role as Shelter Director of the American Rescue Workers in Williamsport, where he developed the "Fresh Start" program. This program taught individuals who find themselves homeless to be self-sufficient through job skills, work ethic, and support. They build confidence in themselves by getting a job, saving money, and finally obtaining housing while being surrounded by resources that will help them maintain self-sufficiency. An important task for Way in the first year will be to learn the policy and procedures of the Department of Corrections and work to develop and enhance the lives of all who enter the Transitional Living Center, "Bethesda House." "With the opening of a mens center TLC can provide them with 24 hour supervision, routine/structure, case management, referrals for treatment, assistance with employment, housing, and budgeting," said TLC Executive Director Nicole Miller. "TLC has operated a womens center since 1987 with success (82% success rate) and we are excited to be able to extend our work with males." Working with Miller, the board, and community members to bridge the gap in transitional housing and employment for re-entrants from incarceration and life, Way said the goal is to develop productive citizens who, in return, be compelled to help others follow in their footsteps of change. Harrisburg, Pa. The PA Turnpike Commission (PTC) delivered its final $450 million payment to PennDOT for transit systems around the state on Wednesday, as mandated by Act 44 of 2007. The final payment brings the total transferred over the last 15 years to $7.9 billion. The payments have driven significant annual toll increases and deep cuts to the Turnpikes capital plan to rebuild and expand its aging system. Today we are making our last annual payment of $450 million to PennDOT, said PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton. This marks our final major payment to PennDOT, but it also marks our next, unburdened, step into our financial future. Our $7.9 billion of payments over 15 years have supported highways, bridges, public transit services, and associated facilities that benefit Pennsylvanians in every county," Compton continued. "The commission and our customers have done our fair share to support ground transportation statewide, but we now look forward to returning focus to our own system and investing in its future. Compton was joined by PennDOT Deputy Secretary for Multimodal Transportation Jennie Granger, PA Turnpike Chief Engineer Bradley Heigel, and at a news conference Wednesday to announce the final $450 million payment. Under Act 89 of 2013, the PTCs payment drops from $450 million annually to $50 million at the end of this current fiscal year; at that time, $450 million for transit will come from the states General Fund. Lawmakers will have to address this shift in the next state budget, explained Deputy Secretary Granger. These investments have helped communities across the state, but as per Act 89, the funding source will shift from the PTC to the use of vehicle sales tax revenues, specifically the Commonwealth's Motor Vehicle Sales and Use Tax, Granger said. We have more projects and services that need to become reality, and we will continue working with our partners on sustainable, long-term revenue options, Granger continued. Before the enactment of Act 44 of 2007, the PTC raised tolls only six times in 64 years. Toll dollars met only the needs of the toll system as originally intended. After the enactment of Act 44, the Turnpike was forced to raise tolls from 2009 onward and take on stifling debt. With about 200 million vehicles on our roadway each year, our greatest obligation is to ensure safe travel for our customers and keep this roadway in good working order, Chief Engineer Heigel explained. While we regularly outpace national standards in safety, quality, and mobility, this became extremely challenging under the financial obligation mandated by Act 44 which caused us to defer adding new capacity including more lanes and new interchanges. In essence, we could only focus on what we call protection projects, which are those that maintain the roadway and shelve, for the most part, our performance projects which are those that improve upon our system," Heigel said. "These limited methods dont last as long as true longterm reconstruction. Heigel highlighted several critical projects that were deferred because of the Act 44 payments. Now, the PTC can start to get back on track with its investments to completely rebuild and widen sections of its roadway some of which are turning 81 years old this fall starting with a two-mile segment in Chester County. Other major projects gradually being added back into PTC plans include various tunnel improvements, the Delaware River Bridge, Hawks Falls Bridge and Beaver River Bridge replacements as well as several new interchange projects. Due mainly to Act 44 payments, the commission today has $14 billion in total debt, which matches the Commonwealths General Obligation debt. We have managed the debt placed upon us by making smart borrowing decisions, reining in spending to the most critical of projects and controlling our operating budget, explained Chief Financial Officer Dreher. While we are moving on from this obligation, like anyone who must borrow to cover a big expense like a home or education, we must continue paying the debt service for 30 years," Dreher said. "Admittedly, thats a long road, and unfortunately, our customers will not feel direct toll relief. But our annual toll increase will be less and less as we progress through our debt. Earlier this month, the commission announced a 2022 toll increase of 5% slightly lower than the 6% increases that approved every year since 2016. Due to the commissions massive debt, incurred mainly to fund the Act 44 payments, tolls will increase for the foreseeable future, but those annual increases, which are based on current traffic and revenue projections, will be reduced to 3% by 2028. By returning control of our finances, the commission can invest in our system which means rebuilding and bettering our roadway as well as adding new access points and supporting the economic development that often follows, concluded Compton. We will continue to participate in efforts such as the Mobility Partnerships and the Transportation Revenue Options Commission to assist the Legislature, Stakeholders and PennDOT in their efforts to find a sustainable funding source for the Commonwealths ground-transportation systems. Rome, GA (30161) Today Generally cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 85F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Rome, GA (30161) Today Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 85F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Rome, GA (30161) Today Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 85F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Streets blocked off for hazmat scene in Strasburg after explosion at Valley Milk Products Internal medicine physician Anne Hollingsworth is practicing now at Northwest Medical Group Primary Care at 3012 Franklin St. in Michigan City. The Michigan State University graduate is board-certified in internal medicine. She specializes in both general and preventive medicine. "She offers treatment for a range of conditions including diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, obesity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and more," Northwest Health said in a news release. "She is particularly interested in womens health issues and wellness education." Subba Rao Nagubadi is practicing now at Northwest Medical Group - Urology at 400 Legacy Plaza West in LaPorte and at 104 E. Culver Road, Suite 102, in Knox. The board-certified urologist studied at Andhra University in India and completed a residency in urology at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. He also finished a fellowship in general surgery at both the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh in Scotland and the Royal College of Surgeons in London. The new East Chicago Rail Terminal is now transloading, cleaning and storing railcars in north Lake County's industrial belt. East Chicago Rail Terminal LLC and East Chicago Transload LLC opened their new Chicagoland facility at 3600 Michigan Ave. in East Chicago. "Now open, East Chicago Rail Terminal LLC has partnered with East Chicago Transload LLC to bring both common carrier railroad switching services and high-quality transload offerings at one location," General Manager Alex Engelke said in a news release. The new facility transloads railcars to semitrucks and semi-trailer truckloads to trains. It also offers railcar cleaning and repair services, as well as railcar storage. It can transload up to 60 railcars at a time, transporting cargoes like plastics, lumber, sugar, flour, aggregates and bulk HAZMAT liquids. It also can store more than 200 HAZMAT railcars in a fenced and lighted facility monitored by security guards around the clock. It offers tank cleaning, hazardous materials testing, railcar scrapping, re-certification and wastewater treatment services. The groundbreaking science fiction author Ursula K. Le Guin, who novelist Michael Chabon called "the greatest American writer of her generation," is being honored with a postage stamp. Le Guin, known for her pioneering and genre-bending scifi, fantasy and speculative fiction works, was honored with the 33rd Forever stamp in the U.S. Postal Service's Literary Arts series. Ursula once said she wanted to see science fiction step over the old walls of convention and hit right into the next wall and start to break it down, too, said Joseph Corbett, U.S. Postal Service chief financial officer and executive vice president. She felt the ideas represented in her fiction could help people become more aware of other ways to do things, other ways to be and to help people wake up. The stamp features a portrait of Le Guin that's based on a photograph of her from 2006. Designed by Donato Gionacola, it includes Le Guin's name at the bottom and a background that references her book "The Left Hand of Darkness." He would take the product-slinging style previously done at state fairs and Woolworth stores to television starting in the late 1950s, offering viewers a chance to skip stores and buy straight from the source with a simple phone call. As his influence grew, he crafted an enthusiastic, guy-next-door presence that suffused the 1970s with commercials for such gadgets as the the Popeil Pocket Fisherman, a self-contained fishing apparatus, and Mr. Microphone, a then-groundbreaking wireless mic that was amplified through the nearest AM radio. "But wait there's more," he'd say in the ads. Though Ronco Teleproducts went bankrupt in 1984, Popeil started from the bottom again and built himself and his company back up. By the 1990s, as the infomercial gained footing and cable television's influence spread, he was doing full-length shows that evangelized about such devices as pasta makers, food dehydrators and "GLH" (Great-Looking Hair), which was commonly called "hair in a can." He appealed to consumers in part because he was a classic American showman, equal parts P.T. Barnum and Thomas Edison an inventor and innovator, yes, but a popularizer as well, a man who saw consumers' needs and then found accessible ways to entice them into making purchases. Individuals deemed low risk are to be given a minimal bond or perhaps not required to post any bond to get out of jail, reducing the overcrowded conditions prevailing in many Indiana county jails and helping accused criminals access various assistance programs. Harper said his client, who has served time in prison and suffers from various mental/physical health problems, was working as a substance abuse counselor until just recently. He was unsure if that ended as a result of this criminal case or before. The girl in this case, who is younger than 14, told police Kniola provided her with alcohol and the stimulant prescription drug Adderall during a family gathering May 22 at a Hebron home, charges state. Kniola is then accused of starting to rub the girl's leg and then progressing on to sexual acts, which the girl said shocked her, charges state. Kniola took about five partially nude photographs of the girl and texted them to Kniola's boyfriend, who later reported it to police, charges say. A younger child relative described Kniola as "acting really strange" and heard Kniola tell the alleged victim that "my boyfriend is going to love you," police said. EAST CHICAGO Ivy Tech Community College's Lake County campus is adding a little excitement to enrollment with an upcoming back to school car show. On Aug. 7, people can stop by the East Chicago campus at 410 E. Columbus Dr. to check out some great rides, tour the student automotive shop and sign up for classes. The Car Show and Express Enrollment event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to a news release from the college. The automotive shop on campus will be open for tours, so prospective students can get a glimpse of what its like in the hands-on automotive program Ivy Tech offers. There will be a chance to learn about other programs, such as culinary, welding, general education courses and more, the release said. Ivy Tech staff will be around to enroll people on the spot for fall classes. Ivy Tech recently implemented a new tuition model, called Ivy+, which offers free textbooks, frozen tuition and free classes after the first 12 credits, the release said. First, second and third place trophies will be awarded to cars entered in the show. There will also be a food trust and live music for attendees to enjoy. SCHERERVILLE Portillo's has put a pause on opening a drive-thru location in Schererville while it considers other locations for the restaurant. During a Monday Schererville Board of Zoning Appeals meeting, a letter dated July 23 was read into the record requesting the withdrawal of a petition for a variance of use the restaurant would have needed. The petition at hand was a request for a variance to allow a drive-thru lane for Portillo's on lot 2 of the Oak District development at 341 Indianapolis Blvd., which is within the town's U.S. 41 commercial corridor overlay district. The Board, in a unanimous 5-0 vote, approved withdrawing the petition. Tom Collins, owner and president of Luke Family of Brands, developer of Oak District, told The Times Thursday the restaurant is pausing its plans to move into the development while scoping out other locations. The decision, Collins said, is "not uncommon right now," as national retailers looking for new locations are doing "extra due diligence." SCHERERVILLE Humaira Mohiuddin, mother of a 7-year-old son with autism, came to give her heartfelt thanks to legislators. Mohiuddin, of Dyer, was one of three speakers at a legislative "thank you" event sponsored by the Arc of Indiana and New Star in response to a bill passed that increased the hourly pay of direct support professionals. Mohiuddin said she doesn't know how she would have been able to go to her job without the assistance of her direct support professionals, especially during the pandemic. Both Rebekah Eastridge and Mia Collier have been instrumental with assisting her in her son's learning, particularly during COVID and when her son had to switch to e-learning, Mohiuddin said. "The DSPs are not glorified babysitters," Mohiuddin said. Mohiuddin said both Eastridge, who has left her position, and Collier have been special individuals who have "had her back" when she leaves her son to go to work. "Thank you so much," Mohiuddin said to legislators. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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: COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Four jobless South Carolinians have sued Gov. Henry McMaster over his decision to exit the federal unemployment programs providing extra money to jobless residents earlier this summer. The residents said in a lawsuit filed in state court Wednesday that they are still struggling to make ends meet and have been unable to find work despite extensive job searches. The unemployed workers are asking a judge to order state officials to rejoin the coronavirus pandemic assistance programs that provide additional federal funds to the jobless. The suit alleges McMaster exceeded his authority when he ordered the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce to exit the programs June 30, about two months before the extra benefits were set to end. The workforce agency estimated jobless South Carolinians would lose out on about $585.3 million in additional federal benefits. So, Indianas Senator Mike Braun thinks that proposed mask mandates are heavy handed. If the administration in office at the time of the start of the Covid pandemic had been more heavy handed about masks at the pandemics start , the death toll of over 600,000 could have been reduced. The inconvenience of wearing a mask is significantly less than the inconvenience that accompanies grief at loss of a friend or relative or the hospitalization that comes from contracting the disease. The Covid strain that now threatens all of us (especially those still unvaccinated) is more dangerous than the original version and thus calls for a more stringent defense. Mask mandates are no more severe than the threat of a ticket for not wearing an automobile seat belt. It is a shame that here in the USA, both vaccinations and wearing masks have become politicized and each pictured as diminishing our personal freedom. I guess that the idea that with every freedom comes responsibility has sadly gone out of fashion. WASHINGTON President Bidens success at propelling an infrastructure deal past its first major hurdle this week was a vindication of his faith in bipartisanship and a repudiation of the slash-and-burn politics of his immediate predecessor, President Donald J. Trump, who tried and failed to block it. Having campaigned as the anti-Trump an insider who regarded compromise as a virtue, rather than a missed opportunity to crush a rival Mr. Biden has held up the promise of a broad infrastructure accord not just as a policy priority but as a test of the fundamental rationale for his presidency. His success or failure at keeping the bill on track will go a long way to determining his legacy, and it could be the presidents best chance to deliver on his bet that he can unite lawmakers across the political aisle to solve big problems, even at a time of intense polarization. President Biden ran on the message that we need to bring people together to meet the challenges facing our country and deliver results for working families, Mike Donilon, a senior adviser to the president, wrote in a memo the White House released on Thursday, as senior officials crowed about the significance of the accord. And the American people embraced that message. While a lot of pundits have doubted bipartisanship was even possible, the American people have been very clear it is what they want. Jeffrey Smith, a 12-year veteran patrolman, was one of hundreds of Metropolitan Police Department officers deployed on Jan. 6 to defend the Capitol from a violent mob. He was hit in the head with a metal pole during the melee and afterward, his wife said, he seemed to slip into a deep depression. He was ordered back to work eight days later, but he never made it. In his car on the George Washington Parkway on the way to his shift, he shot himself with his service weapon, becoming the second officer to take his own life in the wake of the riot. On Friday, his widow, Erin Smith, will petition the Police and Firefighters Retirement and Relief Board to designate her husbands suicide as a death in the line of duty, a designation that comes with vastly greater financial benefits and, she says, more dignity. But the odds are decidedly against her. Unlike in the military, which commonly awards benefits to families of soldiers who take their own lives, police suicides are not considered line-of-duty deaths in fact, the law generally forbids that designation. The families of officers who kill themselves say the rules represent an outdated approach that recognizes the physical dangers of policing but not the mental ones. President Biden said on Thursday night that he supported a plan championed by congressional Democrats to use a legislative process intended for budget-related measures to bypass Republican opposition and legalize millions of undocumented immigrants. Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, has been quietly exploring whether it would be possible to attach a broad revision of immigration laws to a $3.5 trillion budget plan that Democrats intend to pass unilaterally through a fast-track process known as budget reconciliation. Mr. Biden said on Thursday night that White House staff were putting out a message right now that we should include in the reconciliation bill the immigration proposal. That means throwing the White Houses weight behind using the budget maneuver to provide a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants, should bipartisan talks on providing a pathway to citizenship fall apart. From Day 1 we are all about readiness, Rear Adm. Bruce L. Gillingham, the surgeon general of the Navy, said in an interview on Thursday. My advice is that when it is licensed, we should mandate it. I have been forceful. I am not going to get ahead of chain of command, but I do think there is tremendous value in doing what can be done to prevent transmission aboard ships and in other installations, Dr. Gillingham said. As of this week, nearly 70 percent of active-duty troops have had at least one shot. Nearly 74 percent appear to be fully vaccinated, according to the latest data from the Pentagon, but officials say the number drops precipitously when members of the National Guard and Reserves are included. Just 39 percent of the civilian employees of the Defense Department have been fully vaccinated. National Guard members can be ordered to take vaccines by state leaders; this week, California Guard members were told that they must get vaccinated by early August or face regular testing, as part of Gov. Gavin Newsoms broader mandate for state workers. The California Military Department, which includes the California Army and Air National Guard and the California State Guard, will fully comply with and implement the governors directive on regular Covid-19 testing for those not vaccinated and vaccination verification of those who are, said Lt. Col. Jonathan M. Shiroma, a spokesman for the Guard, which was crucial to the states vaccine effort this spring. Fort Rucker in Alabama recently became the first military base in the United States to require that unmasked uniformed service members provide proof of vaccination. Many troops who are reluctant to get vaccinated say they worry that the shots are unsafe or were developed too quickly, concerns that reflect broader trends in the nation. Enlisted personnel are more likely to say no than officers. Military spouses appear to share that hesitation, according to polling. Some troops specifically cite the anthrax vaccine, which was believed to cause adverse effects in members of the military in the late 1990s, as evidence that the military should not be on the front lines of a new vaccine. The Navy charged a sailor on Thursday with deliberately starting a fire last year that destroyed the Bonhomme Richard, one of the worst blazes to engulf an American warship outside of combat. Evidence collected during the investigation is sufficient to direct a preliminary hearing in accordance with due process under the military justice system, Cmdr. Sean Robertson, a Navy spokesman, said in a statement. Commander Robertson said the sailor was a member of the ships crew at the time of the fire, which began on July 12, 2020. The Navy declined to provide any other details about the sailor except for his or her rank seaman apprentice and said the sailor would face charges of willfully hazarding a vessel and aggravated arson. The commander of the Navys Third Fleet, Vice Adm. Steve Koehler, will decide whether to refer charges to a court-martial after the results of the hearing. Irans top leader injected new doubts Wednesday into the stalled effort to save the countrys 2015 nuclear pact with major powers, accusing the United States of duplicity and chastising the outgoing Iranian president as naive. The remarks by the leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, come as President Hassan Rouhani an architect of the original nuclear accord prepares to step down next week after eight years. The fate of Irans negotiations with the United States to revive the accord, which have been suspended for more than a month, now falls to Mr. Rouhanis successor, Ebrahim Raisi, an arch-conservative disciple of Mr. Khamenei. The tone and timing of Mr. Khameneis remarks, which he delivered in person to Mr. Rouhani and his cabinet in a meeting reported by Iranian state media, amounted to a public rebuke of the departing president. They also sent a message that the negotiations are likely to face further challenges under Mr. Raisi. For several months in 1916, the sisters Nadia and Lili Boulanger stayed together at the Villa Medici in Rome. A residency at the villa was typically awarded to the winner of the Prix de Rome, a major competition for French composers; Lili had won in 1913, but an earlier visit to Italy had been interrupted by the outbreak of World War I. When the sisters arrived, the villa was mostly empty because of the war, and they quickly got to work. Each was trying to finish an opera, and they found solace and inspiration in each others creativity. It was a perhaps unprecedented moment in classical musics patriarchal history: two women, side by side, composing operas. They really did lean on one another, the musicologist Kimberly Francis, who has written a forthcoming journal article about the sisterly collaborators, said in a recent interview. It was this unique partnership. The Chosen and the Beautiful deserves to be read as closely as the book that inspired it. Vos prose is beautifully supple, and the novel shines when she reads Gatsby against the grain: The first page transforms one of Fitzgeralds metaphors about women in summer into a captivating intimacy between Jordan and Daisy, and the whole of Chapter 4 is a stunning play on Fitzgeralds use of the word careless. The novel falters, though, when integrating fantasy more generally: Its such a tight reversal of its originals core dynamics that there isnt room for the fantastic elements to do more than gild the storys lily. They only echo, diminished and indistinct, the tensions Vos already playing with to good effect, obstructing each other where they should blend, like a cocktail made with fine spirits but mixed in awkward proportions. Despite that, the book remains a sumptuous, decadent read. SWORD STONE TABLE: Old Legends, New Voices (Vintage, 465 pp., paper, $17) is also a book of retellings and transformations. Splendidly edited by Swapna Krishna and Jenn Northington, the anthology builds a kaleidoscope of Arthurian mythography organized into temporal sections Once for stories set in the mythic past, Present for more recently historical and contemporary stories, and Future for, well, futuristic science fiction. The pieces are dazzlingly different while overlapping and interweaving like chain mail. BEGIN AGAIN: James Baldwins America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own, by Eddie S. Glaude Jr. (Crown, 288 pp., $17.) Glaude, an African American studies professor at Princeton, didnt believe white America would ever elect such a person as Trump president. I was wrong, and given my lifelong reading of Baldwin, it was an egregious mistake. In his latest book, the author of Democracy in Black searches Baldwins work for answers to how an insidious view of race continues to frustrate any effort to achieve our country. VESPER FLIGHTS, by Helen Macdonald. (Grove, 320 pp., $17.) Infused with autobiography, this essay collection by the British author of H Is for Hawk celebrates her countrys wild bounty, Joshua Hammer wrote in his review, while exploring its fragility and its relationship to national identity. ANTKIND, by Charlie Kaufman. (Random House, 720 pp., $18.) This riotously funny debut novel by the Academy Award-winning screenwriter takes us inside an absurdly neurotic film critics hallucinogenic mind. Our reviewer, Matthew Specktor, called it an exceptionally strange book and an exceptionally good one. ZO, by Xander Miller. (Vintage, 352 pp., $17.) The beating heart of this debut novel about love thats desperate to cross socioeconomic class is its contemporary Haitian setting, our reviewer, Kawai Strong Washburn, observed, and the stark demands of a life lived amid capricious, grinding poverty. Washburn praised Millers language (passionate and economical) and his themes: tenderness and heroism, the depths of loneliness and peaks of romance, the courage of an entire nation. In Verse To the Editor: As a poet, a part of second-wave feminism and a former poetry reviewer, I greatly appreciate the breadth and depth of Elisa Gabberts thoughtful quarterly poetry columns, most recently The Moral Verse (July 11). She dives deeply and lets us know what she finds, making us realize once again how urgent poetry can and must be and how it rises to the occasion, no matter what that might be. Rosemary Daniell Savannah, Ga. To the Editor: Elisa Gabberts most recent column, on politics and poetry, is quite misleading. The collocation of them is not unusual. Aside from a huge amount of distinguished Latin American political poetry, political poetry is probably the dominant mode now in the United States. Claudia Rankine is probably our most visible poet. And I do not understand why June Jordan would have claimed in 1979 that Whitman could not have gotten published then. Allen Ginsbergs poetry was widely disseminated and admired by that time, and it is in the Whitman mode, but much more scandalous. Moreover, major poets of the late 1960s and the 70s wrote overtly political poetry: Adrienne Rich, Denise Levertov, Robert Duncan and Robert Lowell to name a few. Roberto Calasso, the Italian publisher, translator and writer whose wide-ranging works explored the evolution and mysteries of human consciousness, from the earliest myths and rituals to modern civilization, died on Wednesday in Milan. He was 80. His publishing house, Adelphi, announced the death. No cause was given. Mr. Calasso was a rare figure in the literary world an erudite writer and polymath and a savvy publisher who was able to reach a substantial readership for books he released through Adelphi Edizioni, the prestigious Italian publishing house where he worked for some 60 years. As a writer, he produced more than a dozen works over nearly five decades. His writing defied easy categorization, ranging from his first and only novel, The Impure Fool, to his reflections on ancient human consciousness, his study of the 18th-century Venetian artist Giambattista Tiepolo, a book about Franz Kafka, books about Vedic philosophy and Indian mythology, and another about the French clergyman and diplomat Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord. His work drew international acclaim, and was translated into 28 languages and published in 29 countries. Rip through A more plausible explanation appears to be that Delta spreads very quickly at first and, for some unknown set of reasons, peters out long before a society has reached herd immunity. As Andy Slavitt, a former Covid adviser to President Biden, told me, It seems to rip through really fast and infect the people its going to infect. The most counterintuitive idea here is that an outbreak can fade even though many people remain vulnerable to Covid. Thats not guaranteed to happen everywhere, and there probably will be more variants after Delta. Remember: Covid behaves in mysterious ways. But Americans should not assume that Delta is destined to cause months of rising caseloads. Nor should they assume that a sudden decline, if one starts this summer, fits a tidy narrative that attributes the turnaround to rising vaccination and mask wearing. These surges have little to do with what humans do, Osterholm argues. Only recently, with vaccines, have we begun to have a real impact. No need for nihilism I dont want anyone to think that Osterholm is making a nihilist argument. Human responses do make a difference: Masks and social distancing can slow the spread of the virus, and vaccination can end a pandemic. The most important step has been the vaccination of many older people. As a result, total British deaths have risen only modestly this summer, while deaths and hospitalizations remain rarer in heavily vaccinated parts of the U.S. than in less vaccinated ones. But Osterholms plea for humility does have policy implications. It argues for prioritizing vaccination over every other strategy. It also reminds us to avoid believing that we can always know which behaviors create risks. That lesson has particular relevance to schools. Many of the Covid rules that school districts are enacting seem overly confident about what matters, Osterholm told me. Ventilation seems helpful, and masking children may be. Yet reopening schools unavoidably involves risk. The alternative months more of lost learning and social isolation almost certainly involves more risk and greater costs to children. Fortunately, school employees and teenagers can be vaccinated, and severe childhood Covid remains extremely rare. How did you think about building out a career beyond music? We werent into branding or any of that at first. We were just into making good music and trying to be the dopest [expletive] in the world. My branding and my business came when I was able to go to No Limit Records with Master P, and be under his guidance and his tutelage and his wisdom. He taught me how to be a better businessman, how to be more than just a rapper, but to be about my business. Its called show business. I had mastered show. But Master P showed me how to master the business. Who were your mentors besides Master P? Dr. Dre. Definitely Puffy. Russell Simmons. Guys like that, that were in my field but were able to jump outside of it and become bigger. Im not really somebody that likes taking information from people. Im more about: We trading game, chopping it up, bettering each other, giving information on how my business is going, how your business is working, how I see it from the outside looking in. I got a lot of relationships. Quincy Jones and Charlie Wilson are like uncles to me, where they shape and mold the lifestyle of Snoop Dogg, not just the business. What you learn about being a better person from somebody is more important than what you learn business-wise or career-wise. How did you make sure you had honest brokers around you as you were getting involved in new ventures? Sometimes you have to have the wrong people around you to know what the wrong people around you look like and what they act like. My experience came from having the wrong people in my business, to where they didnt benefit me or didnt teach me anything. A lot of people say dont mix family and business, but you recently hired your wife as your business manager. I was inspired by something I saw on Twitter this week (I know, strange): The podcast host and author Linda Holmes wrote that, after a pandemic stretch of ordering in and PB&Js, she wanted to reset her relationship with her kitchen. She issued herself a cooking challenge, choosing eight New York Times Cooking recipes and making them over the course of one week. (Among the recipes: this arugula salad with peaches and goat cheese; these chile-oil noodles; and our ginger-lime chicken.) This made me realize that I, too, need a reboot. My situation is different, in that I have been cooking through this whole entire very long pandemic. But I used to actually love to cook and bake: Disappearing into the kitchen was just about my favorite thing to do. At the moment, I am a little meh on the whole thing. That life on social media can be lonely and shallow is not a revelation, but in Sweat, a behind-the-screens glimpse into the life of a Polish fitness influencer, the director Magnus von Horn pushes past moralistic presumptions to get at the heady emotional rush of the digital realm. Right from the first scene, a bootcamp-style workout session at a mall, the camera plunges us deep into the weird intimacies of internet celebrity, staying close to Sylwia (Magdalena Kolesnik) as her trainees swarm around her with almost religious fervor. Like the hundreds of savvy self-marketers who have built empires on Instagram, Sylwia seemingly subsumes every aspect of her life her meals, her shopping, her choice of taking the stairs instead of the elevator into her brand. Is she conning her fans or herself? Sweat poses this not as a judgment but as a genuine existential question. A particularly candid post muddies things even further as fans eager to overshare accost Sylwia in public spaces, while a stalker parks himself outside her apartment. These developments take some dark turns, but Sweat is more a character study than a drama, following Sylwia closely as she goes through her daily routines. The camera remains trained on Kolesniks face, which masterfully conveys the currents of emotion that ripple under a stoic, camera-ready surface. Nayattu Stream it on Netflix. It includes about $39 billion in new spending on transit, on top of almost $50 billion left over from a law known as the FAST Act that was signed in late 2015 by President Barack Obama, Mr. Schumer said. The M.T.A.s share of the distribution nearly $11 billion would be a combined total from those two funding sources, Mr. Schumer said. New York will also be a focal point of much of Amtraks plan to modernize the Northeast Corridor, which connects Washington to Boston. The bill includes $58 billion for rail projects, most of which would go to Amtrak. Amtrak owns the corridor as well as Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan and the crumbling, 110-year-old tunnels under the Hudson that are the only way for trains to travel between New York City and New Jersey. The $30 billion Gateway plan includes the rehabilitation of the old two-track tunnel and construction of another one, as well as extensive improvements on both sides of the Hudson. The bill includes $24 billion of federal-state partnership grants, which could include Gateway. Mr. Schumer said there was enough money in the bill to get Gateway, the extension of Second Avenue subway in Manhattan and some other projects going in a very robust way. Stephen Sigmund, a spokesman for the bistate Gateway Development Commission, said, This infrastructure package is good for the Gateway Program and good for the nation. Multiple billions in new federal money available for the kinds of projects in the Gateway Program is both very positive and expands the whole pie for infrastructure. The projects the bill would fund would create thousands of construction jobs and help to fuel the economic recovery of the region and the nation, transportation industry officials said. To the Editor: Re Biden Rekindles Vaccination Push With New Orders (front page, July 30): With Covid-19 undergoing a surprisingly virulent resurgence in the form of the Delta variant, President Biden addressed the country on Thursday, taking aim at the skeptical and the misinformed. He presented his case with customary compassion and with a very good grasp and explanation of the transmission of a virus that continues to confound experts and laypeople alike. Recognizing the serious divide nurtured by disinformation in the country, the president bolstered his science advisers latest recommendations for universal vaccination and masking in certain situations in a convincing but nonjudgmental manner. This virus is a formidable foe that has baffled the countrys leading scientists from the very outset. President Biden, through a combination of blunt honesty and inspiration, has demonstrated leadership in combating the pandemic, which now presents new challenges. Along with the scientific community and the vast majority of Americans, he has been faced with the additional adversaries of disinformation and skepticism that selfishly and unnecessarily are forcing the country in the wrong direction. Of all the legislation proposed by this or any other Congress, there is none, in my judgment, more unwarrantable and unjustifiable than that proposed by this bill, declared Representative Charles A. Eldredge of Wisconsin of the second Enforcement Act, which also came to be known as the Ku Klux Klan Act. It is absolutely atrocious, he continued. It is hideous and revolting. The Civil Rights Act of 1875, which banned discrimination in many public accommodations, was similarly partisan passed against unanimous Democratic opposition and the Federal Elections Bill of 1890, a last-ditch effort to protect what was left of Black voting rights in the South, fell to a Democratic filibuster in the Senate. It is true that the landmark civil rights bills of the 1960s were bipartisan (although to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, supporters had to neutralize a Southern filibuster in the Senate). But the two parties were not yet, at this point in their histories, defined by a single ideology. There were strongly liberal Republicans and archconservative Democrats, each a significant faction within their respective parties. But that era of ideologically diverse parties and bipartisan lawmaking was an aberration the product of factors unique to the period, among them the near-total exclusion of Black Americans from elections in the South, which kept segregationists in the Democratic Party and forestalled any alignment along ideological lines. We are living in an age of high partisanship and deep polarization, where one party has an interest in a broad electorate and an open conception of voting rights, and the other does not. If Congress is going to pass a voting rights bill of any kind, it is going to be on a partisan basis, much the way it was from the end of the Civil War until well into the 20th century. Democrats will either accept this and do what needs to be done or watch their fortunes suffer in the face of voter suppression, disenfranchisement and election subversion. This isnt idle speculation. In Georgia, where Republican lawmakers revamped their state election laws under postdefeat pressure from Donald Trump, who wanted election officials to throw out Democratic ballots and proclaim him the winner, state lawmakers can now fire and co-opt local election management. Critics said this would permit the Republican-controlled state legislature to potentially challenge ballots in predominantly Democratic areas, and at this moment, it appears that Republicans are hoping to bring elections in Fulton County a major Democratic stronghold under state control. State House Speaker David Ralston, reports The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, proposed an investigation to look for irregularities and fraud. And Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said Fultons elections supervisor should be fired. So dont approach this as raising a fuss or filing a complaint on behalf of the Black women who were displaced. Instead, remind yourself that its part of your job as a high-level administrator to make the school district better and stronger which means making sure that experienced and qualified people are rewarded for their work. This is your fight, too. First order of business: You need to get the facts. You say that these Black women were displaced. Its not clear whether you mean they were fired, demoted or reassigned to less attractive senior positions. But in any case, you should try to find out why. It sounds like you suspect that discrimination, unintentional or otherwise, was a factor in the way management treated these women. Though you will probably never know for sure, you should get as much information as you can. After youve done that, set up a virtual coffee with the most senior person you can reach to call attention to the tension you see between what the district is saying about racism and what its doing. Your script for starting that conversation is, So, Ive noticed that we care about racial justice and equity but we fired all the Black women. (OK, not literally that, but you should confront them with the facts youve uncovered, head-on.) This will most likely be followed by a silence so long and awkward that it makes you wonder if your colleague hit mute by mistake. But just let it sink in. Dr. Ruggs said, Sometimes these organizations are not even comparing their words to actions and seeing misalignment. Although youre likely to hear, We cant discuss the details of personnel matters, you should feel free to diplomatically ask for an explanation. But Dr. Ruggs suggests that you be forward-looking. Dont just speak up about things that have already gone awry, also push to change hiring practices so that any discrimination thats built into the system is minimized. Ask: When were going into hiring decisions, how can we use practices that we know help to reduce discrimination? What are the systems that were going to use to reduce the chance of even getting to a point where we see these inconsistencies between our proclaimed values and our actions? These are a few concrete changes that you can propose: When it comes to interviewing, ask all candidates the same questions in the same order. (That way youre not giving some people more opportunities to shine, Dr. Ruggs said.) INTERNATIONAL A picture caption with an article on Thursday about efforts to revive nuclear talks between the United States and Iran misattributed a remark to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. While Mr. Khamenei characterized the approach to the nuclear deal by Irans outgoing president, Hassan Rouhani, as naive, he did not call Mr. Rouhani naive. NATIONAL A picture caption with an article on Wednesday about deported members of the United States military misstated the name of a mural. It is the Playas de Tijuana Mural Project, not the Leave No One Behind mural. SPORTS An article on Thursday about the Detroit Pistons misstated the length of Tom Goress ownership of the N.B.A. team. He has been the owner since 2011, not 2015. Errors are corrected during the press run whenever possible, so some errors noted here may not have appeared in all editions. When Gloria Vanderbilt was 91, she and her son Anderson Cooper wrote a book together called The Rainbow Comes and Goes. It was an epistolary memoir, conducted by email, in which Mr. Cooper asked his mother all the questions he hoped never to be left with after her death: her true feelings about her storied, often tragic life, with its unimaginable losses her own fathers death when she was a baby; his brother Carters suicide at 23; his father Wyatt Coopers death at 50 (when Anderson was 10 and Carter 12) and unlikely high points (as when Ms. Vanderbilt made a fortune in the 1970s by putting her name on a pair of jeans, and in so doing changed the fashion business forever, only to lose it to a scheming lawyer in cahoots with her own psychiatrist). Ms. Vanderbilt, famously candid (she once wrote an erotic novel, and sent the galleys to Mr. Cooper), was more than game. As for the big question, her own mortality, and how did she want to face it, Ms. Vanderbilt answered with characteristic humor, quoting Woody Allen, who once said that rather than live on in the hearts of his countrymen, given the choice, hed prefer to live on in his apartment. (She then gave her son more practical instructions: cremation please, and in her yellow Fortuny dress. And do ask Judy Collins to sing Amazing Grace.) Ms. Vanderbilt died in 2019. She was 95. But as it happens, she did live on in her apartment, a layered, sumptuous jewel box of a place that looks like something out of The Arabian Nights, draped with swoops of orange silk, lacquered pink walls, mirrored halls, Russian icons and chandeliers from which Christmas ornaments hang year round. Decorating is autobiography, she often said, and 30 Beekman Place, her home for nearly a quarter century, tells a vibrant story. Her apartment is being listed by Ileen Schoenfeld and Aracely Moran of Brown Harris Stevens for $1.125 million; the monthly maintenance is $4,311. It has two bedrooms, a dining room, a kitchen with a breakfast room and two and a half bathrooms. Her ground floor studio technically a two-bedroom apartment may also be for sale, with a price yet to be determined. (Its a relatively low price for a Classic Five but the apartment is on a low floor, has a high maintenance and is in a neighborhood that is slightly off the beaten track. Also, unrenovated since 1997, when Ms. Vanderbilt moved in, it needs a total rehab.) The G.A.O. also said that NASA had fairly evaluated the three proposals, and although it agreed that NASA had improperly waived one requirement for SpaceX, that mistake was not serious enough to merit redoing the competition. Despite this finding, the decision also concludes that the protesters could not establish any reasonable possibility of competitive prejudice arising from this limited discrepancy in the evaluation, the G.A.O. said in a statement. The award to SpaceX is just for the first moon landing, scheduled for 2024, although few expect it will occur that soon. Importantly, the G.A.O.s decision will allow NASA and SpaceX to establish a timeline for the first crewed landing on the moon in more than 50 years, NASA said in a statement. NASA officials have said they would have another moon lander competition open to Blue Origin, Dynetics and any other company. In his letter, Mr. Bezos said NASA should choose now to ensure competition. Competition will prevent any single source from having insurmountable leverage over NASA, he wrote. After the decision, Blue Origin said in a statement: We stand firm in our belief that there were fundamental issues with NASAs decision, but the G.A.O. wasnt able to address them due to their limited jurisdiction. Well continue to advocate for two immediate providers as we believe it is the right solution. In an effort to prod NASA into reopening the competition, the chairwoman of the Commerce Committee, Senator Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington, where Blue Origin is headquartered, added a bipartisan provision requiring the agency to pick a second contractor into a sprawling research and technology bill that overwhelmingly passed the Senate in June. Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, chafed at the measure, claiming that it amounted to a bailout for Mr. Bezos company. But powerful senators on the Commerce Committee backed it, arguing that NASA had always intended to give out two awards. Among the first words that Denise Fennell and Rick Pasqualone ever said to each other were, I do. That was in 2006, when Ms. Fennell and Mr. Pasqualone were married at a casino in Temecula, Calif., that is, in a production of Tony n Tinas Wedding, the Off Broadway hit where she played the part of Tina and he Tony. When I married Ricky that day, I just couldnt stop staring at him, he looked so handsome, said Ms. Fennell, her words emanating not from a shallow rehearsal script but the deep recesses of her heart. I couldnt wait to meet him later at the bar and really get to know him. She did just that moments after the curtain closed on a rather zany reception where audience members are treated as wedding guests. But he told me he was married, and that he had two children, Ms. Fennel said with a sigh, and then we didnt see each other again for a good number of years. In the meantime, they had their memories. Just before we were to be married at the casino that day, I made a pretend grab for the blackjack chips and security arrested me, Mr. Pasqualone said, laughing. I was escorted to my own wedding in handcuffs. Two weeks before Melissa Leigh Hochman of Brooklyn met Dr. Alexander William Peters of Manhattan in January 2017, their train had already come in on the tracks of the new Second Avenue subway, that is. We often joke that the new Q train made our relationship possible, as it cut our commute down from 75 minutes to 32 minutes, said Ms. Hochman, 32, a vice president for digital strategy at Saatchi & Saatchi in Manhattan, who graduated from Boston University. Dr. Peters, 34, a chief resident in general surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, agreed. I work 80 hours a week, said Dr. Peters, who graduated from Princeton and received a medical degree from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. I just wouldnt have the time to do all of that commuting while keeping to my work schedule and maintaining a relationship. Six months after boarding their first Q train, Ms. Hochman and Dr. Peters embarked on what would become a two-year, long-distance relationship between New York and Boston, Switzerland, India and Pakistan, the places Dr. Peters needed to go to while pursuing a masters degree in public health and a research fellowship in global surgery at Harvard during a hiatus in his surgical residency. Representatives for Amazon and the other companies involved say they have done everything they can, delaying construction twice, adding security and cameras at the site and putting up $100,000 in award money for anyone who can provide information about the nooses. Those are unusual steps, particularly for Amazon, which often avoids getting caught up in local affairs. The companies also say their power is somewhat limited, because there are dozens of subcontractors that have a hand in the project and are not under their direct control. Adding to the turmoil is disagreement about even some of the most basic facts of the case, like how many nooses have been found. The N.A.A.C.P., which has held multiple news conferences in Windsor, says there were up to eight nooses. The police say two were actual nooses, while the six others were ropes with the kind of loop often used in construction projects. I dont recall anything like this ever happening before, Mr. Trinks said about his town. I dont know what the message is that the perpetrators are trying to send, he said, but its an offensive and disgusting statement. The site of the future Windsor Amazon fulfillment center part of a huge building spree by the company sits four miles from the center of town, near Interstate 91. It is surrounded by rolling farm fields with few buildings across the landscape, and is expected to serve the greater New York and Connecticut area. As with many of its new warehouses, Amazon will not take ownership until the project is complete, which is expected next spring. Until then, the site is owned by Scannell Properties, a developer based in Indiana. Scannell has hired RC Andersen, a New Jersey company, to handle the construction, including hiring around three dozen subcontractors. The steel frame of the building, which will end up standing five stories tall with 3.8 million square feet of space for Amazon goods, was rising by December. The problems began a few months later. In late April, a local television reporter, acting on a tip, asked the towns police chief whether his department would look into a noose found on the second floor of the rising building. The local chapter of the N.A.A.C.P. was sent a similar tip as well as a photograph of the noose hanging. VAXJO, Sweden Stockholm and its suburbs are filled with construction cranes these days, reflecting a growing population combined with a housing shortage. But few of its developments are as extensive as Hagastaden, just to the north of central Stockholm where it meets the neighboring municipality of Solna. Here, it looks as if an entirely new city is being built. The 237-acre, or 96-hectare, development is a collection of housing, offices, institutions and public space projects conceived as a model of livability and sustainability, part of the Stockholm Vision 2030 plan. One section in particular is notable: two city blocks where a concrete foundation has been laid above a tangle of tunnels that funnel rail and road traffic to the north. It is an impressive feat of engineering, but the real significance is what is now rising from it, one of the largest apartment complexes built from timber in the world. Making things even more complex is the fact that the rules frequently change. In Spain, nighttime curfews banning people from being outside between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. were reintroduced in some spots last week, including Barcelona. If youve come here to party then it could be disappointing, but if you are here for the food, beaches and cultural activities then the restrictions dont really affect you, said Mallory Hill, 37, a banker from Seattle, who is traveling around the Catalonian region for the next two weeks with family. Whats scary is how quickly the cases are going up here and the trend of vaccinated people getting sick. But theres also a lot of misinformation and conflicting advice so its hard to decide whether we should stay or go all the way back home, she said. It looks pretty bad everywhere. Even some official advice can be contradictory. On July 26, the U.S. State Department issued a series of do not travel advisories for Spain, Portugal, Cyprus and Britain because of a rising number of coronavirus cases in those countries, raising the warning level to a 4, the highest. But just days after that warning, the British government announced that fully vaccinated Americans could visit without having to quarantine. Visiting Britain can also be challenging, because it uses a complex traffic light system that determines restrictions based on which country you are traveling from. The list also changes every three weeks, or earlier, depending on the status of the coronavirus in each destination. So while Americans coming straight from the United States dont have to quarantine, if they first visit France, they would be required to quarantine for 10 days and take multiple tests because of concerns over the prevalence of the Beta variant in that country. Going from Britain to the countries of the European Union isnt any easier. A growing number of countries in the bloc have imposed additional measures for travelers from Britain, including PCR tests and quarantine, because of the high rate of the Delta variant in Britain. All visitors traveling from Britain to Italy must present a negative Covid-19 test before departure, quarantine for five days upon arrival, and present another negative test at the end of their isolation period. Now she is armed with hard-earned knowledge from the past 14 months and vaccinated, as a sticker on her hospital badge boasts. But the virus continues to move into uncharted territory. We are scared of seeing what we saw, and this time affecting the younger population, she said. This is the hardest thing Ive ever done in my entire career. Jackson, Floridas largest public hospital, had 232 Covid-19 patients on Friday, still half the 485 it had on July 27, 2020, its pandemic peak. But a sharp rise in recent hospitalizations prompted administrators to limit visitors and warn that more stringent measures could soon be necessary. About 61 percent of Miami-Dade County residents are fully vaccinated, higher than the state average of 49 percent. Miami-Dade holds one of the highest vaccination rates among the nations large, socially vulnerable counties, those characterized by high poverty rates, crowded housing and poor access to transportation. But even high vaccine coverage may hide large gaps in immunity among younger or working people, for example, who are vaccinated at lower rates that can trigger outbreaks, said Jennifer B. Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Universitys Bloomberg School of Public Health. Carlos Migoya, Jacksons chief executive, said the vaccination rate among the hospitals employees 60 percent as of Thursday was too low, a problem plaguing many hospitals, which have started to mandate the shots. At Jackson, 91 percent of third-year resident physicians have been vaccinated but only 37 percent of patient care technicians. Jackson has also admitted some vaccinated people, but almost all have been transplant patients with compromised immune systems. During last weeks visit by a reporter and photographer from The New York Times, none were in the I.C.U. That decision does not mean the F.D.A. has broadly authorized Johnson & Johnson to distribute doses made by Emergent on an emergency basis. The F.D.A. signed off on previous batches of vaccine made at the Baltimore factory but with a warning that it could not guarantee the company had followed good manufacturing practices. The agency has cleared the equivalent of up to 75 million doses, but tens of millions remain in limbo. In a conference call with investors on Thursday, Emergent executives announced a $41.5 million hit from being forced to discard doses the F.D.A. had deemed unusable, and said the company had spent another $12.4 million to address manufacturing issues in Baltimore. The newly disclosed inquiries from federal and state agencies underscore a dramatic reversal of fortune for a company that has spent much of the last two decades effectively cornering the market for biodefense, becoming the governments go-to contractor for products to protect against bioterrorism and infectious disease outbreaks. For most of the last decade, the government has spent nearly half of the annual budget of the nations emergency medical reserve, the Strategic National Stockpile, on Emergents anthrax vaccine alone, crowding out investments in products such as masks that were in short supply during the pandemic, a New York Times investigation found. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, the government turned to Emergent to produce vaccines and treatments. Thanks to a lucrative deal struck in May 2020, Emergent earned record profits and awarded executives record bonuses. Out of public view, however, concern about the companys ability to deliver was mounting, as The Times has reported. A series of audits by customers, federal officials and the companys own evaluators found repeated shortcomings in efforts to disinfect and prevent contamination, and a top federal official warned that the company would have to be monitored closely. After it was discovered in late March that a batch of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had been cross-contaminated with material from the AstraZeneca vaccine, federal inspectors descended on the factory, and members of Congress launched an investigation into both the companys Covid-19 manufacturing work and its contracts with the stockpile. WASHINGTON The first group of Afghans promised refuge by the Biden administration for helping the United States during the 20-year war in Afghanistan landed on American soil early Friday, starting a new life chapter after years of waiting. A chartered airliner carrying 221 Afghan interpreters, drivers and others who worked with the U.S. military, as well as their family members, arrived at Dulles International Airport outside Washington after traveling more than 30 hours from Kabul, the Afghan capital, officials said. From Dulles, they were bused to Fort Lee, Va., south of Richmond, where they will stay at a hotel on the base for about a week to complete their processing before being resettled in the United States permanently, officials said. The late-night arrival marked the vanguard of an initial group of about 2,500 Afghans being evacuated under threat of Taliban reprisals in an effort the White House calls Operation Allies Refuge. Groups of Afghans will arrive by plane roughly every three days and be transported to Fort Lee, said one American official briefed on the arrangements. Covid Updates: Florida Gives Parents Final Say on Masks for Children Deaths from the virus are surging in Africa as the global number of new cases rises. Broadway audiences will need proof of vaccination and masks to attend shows. Follow our latest coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Floridas governor gives parents final say on masks for children in school. Students heading home from school in Miami Beach in November. Credit... Scott McIntyre for The New York Times Defiant in the face of new federal mask recommendations, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida on Friday signed an executive order directing state officials to ensure that parents have the power to decide for themselves whether their children wear masks in school this fall. Mr. DeSantis, a Republican who has made freedom from Covid-19 restrictions a signature part of his administration, announced that he would sign an order protecting the rights of parents amid an intensifying national movement to control the pandemic, as a highly contagious Delta variant of the virus rips through the unvaccinated population. In Florida, there will be no lockdowns, Mr. DeSantis said to cheers at a restaurant in Cape Coral, Fla. There will be no school closures. There will be no restrictions and no mandates. The announcement came after Broward County, the second largest school district in Florida, voted this week to require masks in schools. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had also recommended that all students, teachers and employees wear masks, regardless of their vaccination status. Mr. DeSantis called for a stop to school mask mandates and said that the decision should be in the hands of parents, not school or health officials. His order directed state agencies to ensure that school safety protocols do not interfere with parents rights to make health care decisions about their children and empowered the state commissioner of education to withhold state funding from school districts that do not comply. The issue of masking in schools is particularly potent in Florida, which is experiencing one of the fastest Covid-19 outbreaks in the country and where hospitals are once again filling up with coronavirus patients. In Jacksonville, hospitals have more Covid patients than ever before, despite the availability of vaccines. Less than half of the Florida population is fully vaccinated, and children under 12 are not yet eligible for the vaccine. Florida Coronavirus Map and Case Count See the latest charts and maps of coronavirus cases, deaths, hospitalizations and vaccinations in Florida. Many schools in Florida will be starting within weeks, which Mr. DeSantis said added to the urgency of the situation. Citing research that found that transmission of the virus in schools was low last year, Mr. DeSantis reiterated that the decision about masks should be in the hands of the parents. He said his order would not impede children being masked if their parents so choose, without acknowledging that universal masking not just of those who opt to wear masks plays a role in interrupting transmission. We really do need to make sure that the parents rights are protected, he said. Advertisement Continue reading the main story The U.S. will cover cost of testing unvaccinated federal workers. A medical technician administering a coronavirus test to a woman in Palmetto, Fla., last week. Credit... Octavio Jones for The New York Times The U.S. government will cover the costs of regular coronavirus testing for unvaccinated federal workers, one component of the Biden administrations new vaccination requirements. President Biden announced new rules Thursday that amount to a two-tier system for the countrys four million federal employees. Those who do not get vaccinated against coronavirus will have to social distance, wear face coverings and face limits on official travel. Those who do get vaccinated will not fall under such requirements. Unvaccinated workers will also need to be regularly tested for the virus. Each federal agency will come up with a plan for testing its unvaccinated work force, Karine Jean-Pierre, the deputy White House press secretary. The costs and procedures for testing will depend on how many unvaccinated individuals there are at each agency. The agencies are going to be implementing this program themselves so theyll be in charge of how that moves forward, she said. The federal decision to cover coronavirus testing for unvaccinated workers could set a benchmark for state governments and companies now grappling with the same issue. New York and California rolled out similar testing requirements for unvaccinated state workers this week, but neither has specified who will pay for the service. Some companies and universities have already announced that unvaccinated workers themselves will have to pay for their own tests. Many states and cities still have free coronavirus testing sites that they started earlier in the pandemic. But many Americans also get tested at doctor offices and pharmacies, which will typically bill patients and their insurance for the service. Federal law requires insurers to fully cover coronavirus tests ordered by health care providers, meaning the doctor cannot apply a deductible or co-payment to the service. Routine workplace testing, however, is exempt from that requirement and it is legal to charge patients for that service. Some patients have faced surprise medical bills for coronavirus tests, which can range from a few dollars to over $1,000. A number of employers, particularly large ones, may just offer on-site testing to unvaccinated workers, said Sabrina Corlette, a research professor at Georgetown Universitys Center on Health Insurance Reforms. But they dont have to. They can require employees to pick up the tab. Daniel E. Slotnik contributed reporting. Scientific journal explains why coronavirus data from China went missing. Researchers at Wuhan University sequenced short stretches of the coronavirus from early cases. Some of those genetic sequences then went missing. Credit... Roman Pilipey/EPA, via Shutterstock A batch of early coronavirus data from China that went missing for a year prompting questions about whether it had been purposely deleted has emerged from hiding. Last month an American virologist discovered that more than 200 genetic sequences from Covid-19 patient samples isolated in Wuhan, China, early in the pandemic had been removed from an online database. The virologist, Jesse Bloom, managed to track down 13 of the sequences on Google Cloud. In an online report, he wrote that it seems likely that the sequences were deleted to obscure their existence. But now another explanation has emerged, stemming from an editorial oversight by a German scientific journal called Small. And the sequences have been uploaded into a different database, overseen by the Chinese government. The story began in early 2020, when researchers at Wuhan University sequenced a short stretch of genetic material from virus samples at a Wuhan hospital. They posted their findings online in March 2020 and uploaded the sequences to an online database maintained by the National Institutes of Health. Their results were published in June 2020 in Small. But a year later, Dr. Bloom, who was researching the origin of Covid-19, could not find the sequences in the database, and the N.I.H. said the authors of the study had asked that the data be withdrawn. On July 5, the sequences were uploaded to a different database maintained by the China National Center for Bioinformation. On July 21, the disappearance of the sequences was brought up during a news conference in Beijing. According to a translation of the news conference by a journalist at Xinhua, Chinas state-run news agency, the vice minister of Chinas National Health Commission, Dr. Zeng Yixin, said that the trouble arose when editors at Small deleted a paragraph in which the scientists described the sequences in the Sequence Read Archive. Therefore, the researchers thought it was no longer necessary to store the data in the N.C.B.I. database, Dr. Zeng said, referring to the Sequence Read Archive. An editor at Small confirmed that account. The data availability statement was mistakenly deleted, the editor, Plamena Dogandzhiyski, wrote in an email. We will issue a correction very shortly, which will clarify the error and include a link to the depository where the data is now hosted. The journal posted a formal correction to that effect on Thursday. Patients are streaming into a Covid I.C.U. in Florida. Carmele Ameda, a registered nurse, checking in on coronavirus patients at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami last week. Credit... Scott McIntyre for The New York Times MIAMI The resurgence of the coronavirus has burdened hospitals anew across the country, with a rush of patients fueled by the viruss virulent Delta variant catching doctors off guard. Florida has reported the highest daily average hospitalizations in the nation, 36 for every 100,000 people over the past two weeks, according to data compiled by The New York Times. In Jacksonville, hospitals have more Covid patients than ever before, despite the availability of vaccines. Health workers like Alix Zacharski, a nurse manager at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, say they feel disbelief that they must endure another surge. She remains tired from the previous one. And she cannot get her head around having to treat patients the same age as her adult children who are gasping for breath because of a preventable infection. Last year, Ms. Zacharski feared the unknown. Now she is armed with hard-earned knowledge from the past 14 months and vaccinated, as a sticker on her hospital badge boasts. But the virus continues to move into uncharted territory. We are scared of seeing what we saw, and this time affecting the younger population, she said. This is the hardest thing Ive ever done in my entire career. Jackson, Floridas largest public hospital, had 232 Covid-19 patients on Friday, still half the 485 it had on July 27, 2020, its pandemic peak. But a sharp rise in recent hospitalizations prompted administrators to limit visitors and warn that more stringent measures could soon be necessary. Jackson has also admitted some vaccinated people, but almost all have been transplant patients with compromised immune systems. Carlos Migoya, Jacksons chief executive, said the vaccination rate among the hospitals employees 60 percent as of Thursday was too low, a problem plaguing many hospitals, which have started to mandate the shots. About 61 percent of Miami-Dade County residents are fully vaccinated, higher than the state average of 49 percent. Miami-Dade holds one of the highest vaccination rates among the nations large, socially vulnerable counties, those characterized by high poverty rates, crowded housing and poor access to transportation. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Some New Yorkers say $100 offer inspired them to get vaccinated. Marcos Bejarano of The Bronx Rising Initiative gave Visa cash gift cards to people who were vaccinated at the Pharos Academy Charter School in the Bronx on Friday. Credit... James Estrin/The New York Times Robert Byng was determined to receive his first shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine at the Bushwick branch of the Brooklyn Public Library on Friday, and said that he had pushed back an interview to be there. The reason? He needed the $100 that now comes with receiving your first dose at a city-run site. Mr. Byng, 59, is living in a mens shelter that he said has had plenty of positive cases. That coupled with the fact that hell receive $100 for getting his shot motivated him to get vaccinated. The $100 does kind of boost your want to get vaccinated, he said. Times are hard. That, plus I want to be safe. Im not ready to die yet. The city has tried all kinds of tactics to try to lure in residents to get vaccinated, from gift certificates, free tickets to soccer games and stays in some of the citys glitziest hotels. Now, its simply giving out cash in a bid to entice members of groups whose vaccination rates have stayed stubbornly low. The Biden administration has urged other local and state governments to draw on Covid relief funds to offer similar bonuses. On the first day the $100 incentives were being offered, foot traffic at vaccination sites in Brooklyn and the Bronx was relatively calm, as the new program was announced just earlier this week. But at least one group with low vaccination rates seemed to show up in large numbers those who are 18 to 24 years old. Several students said they were there because their schools had made getting vaccinated a requirement to return in the fall. Ive been meaning to get it, but just didnt have the motivation to go until now, said Sara Rose Monahan, 23, a student at Iona College. The school requires its students to be vaccinated to return, she said, but she said the cash reward absolutely pushed her to sign up sooner than she had planned. Ryan, 20, a student at St. Johns University who did not give his last name, said although vaccinations were mandatory to return in the fall, he signed up to get his first dose in the Bronx in order to get the $100 and two tickets to a New York City Football Club game. Two free tickets, Im going to take them, he said, laughing. The incentives also urged him to ask his mother to sign up earlier than the fall. I probably would have waited until the last minute, he said. The cash incentive also helped convince some who had been hesitant to get the vaccine earlier. Quiana Tineo, 18, a high school senior in the Bronx, said the incentive was what pushed her to swallow her uncertainty and sign up. I was thinking about it, but I was worried about the side effects, Ms. Tineo said, adding that she was not fond of needles either. And for some who were already planning on getting the shot, the $100 came as an added bonus. Roger Wood, 60, of Brooklyn, said the $100 incentive was announced just after his pharmacist convinced him to get vaccinated. Until he talked to his pharmacist, he said, I didnt trust it. I wanted to wait. Mr. Byng, in Bushwick, said that he heard about the incentive through the news and that he was a little disappointed he wouldnt receive the money immediately. They said I had to go back on the site, then register, then a card would be sent in the mail to my address, he said. I do think everybody needs to do it eventually, because it looks like Covid isnt going anywhere anytime soon. Precious Fondren and Law enforcement authorities seek documents from a troubled vaccine maker. Robert Kramer, the chief executive of Emergent, spoke via videoconference in May during a House panel hearing. Credit... Stefani Reynolds for The New York Times The Maryland manufacturer that ruined 75 million doses of Johnson & Johnsons Covid-19 vaccine has received records requests from a host of federal and state law enforcement agencies, regulatory documents filed Friday show. The company, Emergent BioSolutions, disclosed that it had received preliminary inquiries and subpoenas to produce documents from the Justice Department, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the attorneys general of Maryland and New York and committees in both houses of Congress. The disclosure reflects the growing spotlight on the politically connected company, which received a $628 million federal contract to be the primary domestic manufacturer of the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines. Production at a company facility in Baltimore was halted for more than three months after a batch of Johnson & Johnsons vaccine was found to be contaminated and a subsequent inspection by regulators uncovered serious quality-control problems. Emergent is already facing a House committee investigation and multiple shareholder lawsuits related to its manufacturing problems. In its disclosure on Friday, the company provided no further detail on the previously unknown requests, but said it was producing and has produced documents as required in response and will continue to cooperate with these government inquiries. Officials with the state and federal agencies either declined to comment or did not respond. A person with knowledge of the matter said that some of the investigative interest stemmed from suspicion of insider trading of Emergent stock, the subject of one of the lawsuits. A Senate aide confirmed that the committee overseeing health issues was also looking into Emergents manufacturing troubles, adding to the previously known scrutiny from Capitol Hill. An Emergent spokesman, Matt Hartwig, said he could not provide detail on the records requests beyond what was in the filing. All of the inquiries and litigation matters relate to the same subject matter our capabilities to manufacture Covid-19 vaccine bulk drug substance, he said. The disclosure comes a day after Emergent announced that the Food and Drug Administration had given the go-ahead to resume manufacturing at the Baltimore site, which had been shuttered since April as the company worked to address deficiencies cited by inspectors. In a conference call with investors on Thursday, Emergent executives announced a $41.5 million hit from being forced to discard doses the F.D.A. deemed unusable, and said the company had spent another $12.4 million to address manufacturing issues in Baltimore. The newly disclosed inquiries from federal and state agencies underscore a dramatic reversal of fortune for a company that had spent much of the last two decades effectively cornering the market for biodefense, becoming the governments go-to contractor for products to protect against bioterrorism and infectious disease outbreaks. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, the government turned to Emergent to produce vaccines and treatments. Thanks to a lucrative deal struck in May 2020, Emergent earned record profits and awarded executives record bonuses. A third of white-tailed deer tested in a survey were exposed to the coronavirus. Deer roaming through Mastic Beach, N.Y., last year. New York is one of four states where white-tailed deer were found to have coronavirus antibodies. Credit... Johnny Milano for The New York Times A third of the white-tailed deer tested in four states during a federal study had been exposed to the coronavirus, in yet another indication of the unpredictable nature of the disease. The percentage was highest in Michigan, where 60 percent of the animals tested positive. The presence of the virus in wild deer is not just a curiosity for scientists. The virus has shown it can jump from one species to another, and in the worse case, it could become established in a common animal species, creating a reservoir from which the virus could spill back into humans. Its not just a warning about deer, said Tony Goldberg, a veterinarian at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who has been surveying North American bats for evidence of infections with the coronavirus. The deer could have encountered the virus through contact or proximity to other animals or humans. Exposure is not the same as infection; the blood tests detected antibodies, which could indicate that the deer fought off infection. The U.S. Department of Agricultures Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service conducted the survey because deer have been shown to be susceptible to infection and are often in contact with people. Researchers tested blood samples from deer in Illinois, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania in 2020 and 2021. The findings have not yet been published in a scientific journal. Researchers have experimentally infected ferrets, primates and other animals with the coronavirus in the laboratory, and dogs, domestic cats, gorillas and other animals in zoos. Farmed mink caught the virus naturally from humans. The virus mutated and spread back to humans in a few cases. Farmed mink are now being vaccinated with an experimental vaccine, as are zoo animals. North American bat species, Dr. Goldberg said, showed no evidence of infection so far. They are significantly different from the Asian bat species that are suspected to be the original hosts of the virus. Dr. Goldberg said it was difficult to know what close contact with people meant for deer. The animals are often in yards and gardens, but, he joked, not often invited to dinner parties. People could conceivably sneeze on a leaf or into the air with deer nearby, he said, scenarios that seemed plausible but not likely. He added that if one deer became infected, however, it might well infect or expose other deer to the virus. Sewage also can contain the coronavirus. The survey clearly set off an alarm worth paying attention to. Please add this finding as reason no. 2,784 to get vaccinated, Dr. Goldberg said. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Broadway audiences will need proof of vaccination and masks. A vaccine mandate is already in place for Bruce Springsteens concert show, which began performances in June. Credit... Sarah Blesener for The New York Times Broadways theater owners and operators, citing the ongoing dangers of the coronavirus pandemic, said Friday that they have decided to require that theatergoers be vaccinated against Covid-19 and wear masks in order to attend a performance. The policy, announced just days before the first Broadway play in more than 16 months is to start performances, allows children ineligible for vaccination to attend shows if tested for the virus. But some performing arts venues in New York say they will go even further: The Metropolitan Opera, which hopes to reopen in late September, and Carnegie Hall, which is planning to reopen in October, are not only planning to require vaccinations, but also to bar children under 12 who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated. The new vaccination requirements for visitors to New Yorks most prominent performing arts venues come as the highly contagious Delta variant has caused virus cases to rise, leading the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to recommend that vaccinated Americans in virus hot spots resume wearing masks indoors. Several major businesses, local governments and the federal government have recently decided to require their employees to get vaccinated or submit to frequent testing. The Broadway rules, which will be in place at least through October and apply to all 41 Broadway theaters, require that audiences wear masks, except when eating or drinking. The Broadway vaccination mandate will apply not only to audiences, but also to performers, backstage crew and theater staff. There will be limited exceptions: people with a medical condition or closely held religious belief that prevents vaccination, as well as children under 12, can attend with proof of a recent negative coronavirus test. A vaccine mandate is already in place for Bruce Springsteens concert show, which began performances in June, and for Pass Over, the new play that plans to start performances on Aug. 4. The new rules will affect all of the shows that follow: Twenty-seven, including many of the blockbuster musicals, plan to get underway in September and October, starting with Hadestown and Waitress on Sept. 2. Both Broadway and the Met are planning to open at full capacity, meaning no social distancing, and the Met says that masks will be optional. Broadway theaters range in size from 600 to 1,900 seats, while the Met can seat 3,800. In Missouri, some people are trying to get vaccinated in secret, a doctor says. County health care workers going door to door to promote Covid-19 vaccines in Springfield, Mo., this month. Credit... Jill Toyoshiba/The Kansas City Star, via Associated Press The Covid-19 vaccination effort has become so polarized in Missouri that some people are responding to the states Delta-driven surge by trying to get shots in secret, a doctor there said. In a video circulated by her employer, Dr. Priscilla A. Frase, a hospitalist and the chief medical information officer at Ozarks Healthcare in West Plains, Mo., said this month that several people had pleaded for anonymity when they came in to be vaccinated, and that some appeared to have made an effort to disguise themselves. I work closely with our pharmacists who are leading our vaccine efforts through our organization, she said, and one of them told me the other day that they had several people come in to get vaccinated who have tried to sort of disguise their appearance and even went so far as to say, Please, please, please, dont let anyone know that I got this vaccine. It was not clear how many people had tried to alter their appearance to avoid recognition, or how they had done so. Dr. Frase, who wore a mask in the video, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Some people, she said in the video, are very concerned about how their people that they love, within their family and within their friendship circles and their work circles, are going to react if they found out that they got the vaccine. Nobody should have to feel that kind of pressure to get something that they want, she added. We should all be able to be free to do what we want to do, and that includes people who dont want to get the vaccine as well as people who do want to get the vaccine. But weve got to stop ridiculing people that do or dont want to get the vaccine. Missouri Coronavirus Map and Case Count See the latest charts and maps of coronavirus cases, deaths, hospitalizations and vaccinations in Missouri. Missouris vaccination rate is lagging. According to a New York Times database, 41 percent of Missouri residents have been fully vaccinated, compared with more than 49 percent nationwide. In Howell County, Mo., where Ozarks Healthcare and Dr. Frase are based, only 20 percent of residents are fully vaccinated. On Thursday, Missouri reached a seven-day average of nearly 2,500 new coronavirus cases an increase of 39 percent over the previous two weeks. Hospitalizations were up 38 percent over the same period. Vaccinated people may spread the virus, though rarely, the C.D.C. says. Shopping at a store in St. Louis, Mo., on Tuesday. Credit... Whitney Curtis for The New York Times In yet another unexpected and unwelcome twist in the nations pandemic, fully immunized people with so-called breakthrough infections of the Delta variant may spread the virus to others just as easily as unvaccinated people, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report published on Friday. The vaccines remain powerfully effective against severe illness and death, and infections in vaccinated people are thought to be comparatively rare. But the revelation follows a series of other findings this week about the Delta variant, all of which have upended scientists understanding of the coronavirus. An internal agency document, which was obtained on Thursday night by The New York Times, raised even more harrowing questions than the report released on Friday, which focused mainly on a huge cluster of infections in Provincetown, Mass. Taken together, the data gathered by the C.D.C. throw into question the countrys plans to return to offices and schools this fall, and revives difficult questions about masking, testing and other precautions that Americans had hoped were behind them. Most immediately, the research informed the agencys decision this week to advise even vaccinated Americans to resume wearing masks in indoor public areas in communities where the virus is surging. Even the vaccinated carry high virus levels if they become infected, the agency concluded, making it likely they can transmit the virus as often as the unvaccinated. If so, they may be contributing to increases in new infections although probably to a far lesser degree than the unvaccinated. We spent so much time and energy and treasure trying to figure out this damn virus last year, and how it works and all the things it does, said Dr. Robert Wachter, chairman of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Learning just how different the Delta variant is from the original virus is just jarring, he added. The brain doesnt like to keep being jerked around like this. Studies of outbreaks have shown that Delta is much more contagious than the original virus or the seasonal flu and as contagious as chickenpox, according to the internal document circulated within the C.D.C. Breakthrough infections among vaccinated people were always anticipated, but until the Delta variant arrived, vaccinated Americans were not expected to be sources of new infections. The vaccines remain the one reliable shield against the virus, in whatever form it takes. The Delta Variant An internal document from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that the Delta variant is much more contagious than other known versions of the virus. Fatality rate (log scale) 100% Bird flu Ebola 50 Smallpox More deadly MERS 20 SARS 10 5 1918 flu pandemic 2 Spreads faster 1 Delta variant More transmissible than Ebola or smallpox, and as contagious as chickenpox. Original version of coronavirus Measles 0.1 Seasonal flu Polio Chickenpox 2009 flu Common cold 0 1 5 10 15 Average number of people infected by each sick person Fatality rate (log scale) 100% Bird flu Ebola 50 Smallpox MERS More deadly 20 SARS 10 5 1918 flu pandemic 2 Spreads faster 1 Delta variant More transmissible than Ebola or smallpox, and as contagious as chickenpox. Original version of corona- virus Measles 0.1 Seasonal flu Polio 2009 flu Common cold Chickenpox 0 1 5 10 15 Average number of people infected by each sick person Fatality rate (log scale) 100% Bird flu 50 Ebola More deadly Smallpox MERS 20 SARS Spreads faster 10 5 1918 flu pandemic 2 Delta variant As infectious as chickenpox. 1 Original version of coronavirus Measles 0.1 Seasonal flu Polio Common cold Chickenpox 0 1 5 10 15 Avg. number of people infected by each sick person Advertisement Continue reading the main story WASHINGTON In a hunt for funds to help pay for the Senates bipartisan infrastructure package, lawmakers have turned to the cryptocurrency industry as a potential source of tax revenue and are proposing tougher scrutiny of digital transactions. A provision of the package would require cryptocurrency brokers and investors to provide more disclosure about their transactions to the Internal Revenue Service. The aim is to bring more transparency to an opaque sector, which critics argue is a haven for money laundering and tax evasion. But the provision also underscores the realization in Washington that the $2 trillion industry is here to stay and offers a new opportunity to generate federal tax revenue. By strengthening tax enforcement on such digital assets, the federal government could raise $28 billion over a decade, according to an estimate by the Joint Committee on Taxation, which analyzed the plan. While that would be just a small fraction of the $550 billion that lawmakers have proposed in new federal spending on infrastructure, it is among the few fresh sources of revenue included in the plan. The potential for more federal scrutiny of crypto transactions is rattling nerves in the nascent financial technology industry, which has so far escaped the kind of rigorous oversight applied to traditional financial services. That may soon change. Late Thursday night, the Pentagon announced that all military and civilian employees would be asked to prove they were vaccinated or submit to mandatory masks, physically distancing and regular testing, as well as travel restrictions, just as President Biden demanded of the rest of federal civilian employees. The new requirements take the armed forces one step closer to a mandate. Compulsory shots are standard operating procedure for the military, which, starting in boot camp, requires troops to get vaccinated for at least a dozen diseases. For now, though, the military is trying to navigate how to get more troops to take the shot without simply issuing an order. Of the 1,336,000 active-duty members of the military, about 64 percent are fully vaccinated, above the 60 percent of Americans over 18 who are fully vaccinated. But for the military, that rate is unacceptably low, because it is difficult to deploy troops who have not been vaccinated to countries with stringent local restrictions, and because a surge of the virus among troops can cripple readiness. Military leaders cannot require the shots because the coronavirus vaccines are not fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and are authorized only on an emergency basis. Mr. Biden could order mandatory vaccination for troops, but has been reluctant to exercise that authority, and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III has previously said he would not be comfortable with a mandate until the vaccines are fully approved. Though coronavirus vaccines have become a political flash point in the civilian population, several military leaders said they did not expect much resistance if an order was issued because troops were accustomed to getting mandatory shots. But, they added, while following orders is central to military culture, so too is the soldiers axiom never volunteer for anything. WASHINGTON President Donald J. Trump pressed top Justice Department officials late last year to declare that the election was corrupt even though they had found no instances of widespread fraud, so he and his allies in Congress could use the assertion to try to overturn the results, according to new documents provided to lawmakers. The demands were an extraordinary instance of a president interfering with an agency that is typically more independent from the White House to advance his personal agenda. They are also the latest example of Mr. Trumps wide-ranging campaign during his final weeks in office to delegitimize the election results. The exchange unfolded during a phone call on Dec. 27 in which Mr. Trump pressed the acting attorney general at the time, Jeffrey A. Rosen, and his deputy, Richard P. Donoghue, on voter fraud claims that the Justice Department had found no evidence for. Mr. Donoghue warned that the department had no power to change the outcome of the election. Mr. Trump replied that he did not expect that, according to notes Mr. Donoghue took memorializing the conversation. Just say that the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and to congressional allies, Mr. Donoghue wrote in summarizing Mr. Trumps response. The saga over Mr. Trumps tax returns began more than six years ago, when the reality TV star who made his name in real estate became the first major presidential candidate in decades to refuse to voluntarily release his tax returns. Mr. Trump has long cited federal audits as justification, but his determination to keep them secret has fueled speculation about the health of his finances, whether he inflated his net worth and about possible financial entanglements that could have affected his decision-making as president. Last year, The New York Times obtained and analyzed decades worth of tax information for Mr. Trump and his companies that showed he went years without paying federal income taxes and reported hundreds of millions of dollars in business losses. But the information sought by the House would most likely provide a more comprehensive window into his complex financial dealings. Mr. Trump was already forced to turn over similar documents to the Manhattan district attorneys office after the Supreme Court ruled last year that the powers of the presidency did not shelter him from turning them over. That investigation is ongoing, but it resulted in charges that the Trump Organization had helped its executives avoid taxes with fringe benefits hidden from authorities. The case involving Congress has been more complicated. Mr. Neal originally requested the presidents tax information in 2019 under a little-used section of the federal tax code that allows Congresss tax-writing committees to obtain any information they want for legislative purposes before later seeking the same information via subpoena. Mr. Trumps Treasury secretary at the time, Steven Mnuchin, rejected Mr. Neals attempts to gain the records after soliciting an opinion from the Justice Departments Office of Legal Counsel, which provides legal advice for the executive branch. It ruled at the time that Democrats lacked a legitimate legislative purpose, were politically motivated and ought not get the information. Mr. Trump also sued in his personal capacity to block their release. The House filed its own lawsuit to enforce its subpoena, and that dispute remained unsettled when President Biden took office. Mr. Neal updated his request last month, asking for tax records from 2015 to 2020. He said that they could reveal hidden business entanglements raising tax law and other issues, including conflicts of interest, or foreign financial influences on former President Trump that could inform relevant congressional legislation. The decision on Friday by the Justice Department has the potential to short-circuit that legal fight. Writing for the Office of Legal Counsel, Dawn Johnsen, an acting assistant attorney general appointed by Mr. Biden, said her predecessors under Mr. Trump had overstepped their bounds by attempting to second-guess the Houses stated reasons for requesting the tax information. Ruth Pearl, the mother of Daniel Pearl, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal who was brutally murdered by Muslim extremists in Pakistan in 2002, thrusting her and her husband, Judea, into the global spotlight, died on July 20 at her home in Los Angeles. She was 85. Judea Pearl confirmed her death but did not specify the cause. Mrs. Pearl, who was born in Iraq, was a retired software developer living in Los Angeles when Daniel, 38, The Journals South Asia bureau chief, was kidnapped while reporting in Karachi. Despite pleas from his parents and desperate efforts to win his release by the U.S. government, his kidnappers beheaded him on Feb. 1, 2002, recording a video of his last words My fathers Jewish, my mothers Jewish, Im Jewish. Daniels murder came just months after the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan by the United States and its allies. His murderers singled him out because he was American and Jewish, a fact that many observers said underlined the particularly virulent threat posed by Islamic radicals. At first, the Pearls tried to avoid the news media, releasing statements and speaking to a small number of reporters. At the time of his death, Mr. Moise, 53, had been in the throes of a political crisis. Protesters accused him of overstaying his term, of controlling local gangs and of ruling by decree as the nations institutions were being hollowed out. Mr. Moise was also locked in battle with some of the nations wealthy oligarchs, including the family that controlled the nations electrical grid. While many people described the president as an autocratic leader, Mrs. Moise said her fellow citizens should remember him as a man who stood up to the rich and powerful. And now she wants to know if one of them had him killed. Only the oligarchs and the system could kill him, she said. Dressed in black, with her arm now limp and perhaps useless forever, she said wrapped in a sling and bandages, Mrs. Moise offered an interview in South Florida on the agreement that The New York Times not reveal her whereabouts. Flanked by her children, security guards, Haitian diplomats and other advisers, she barely spoke above a whisper. She and her husband had been asleep when the sounds of gunfire jolted them to their feet, she recalled. Mrs. Moise said she ran to wake her two children, both in their early 20s, and urged them to hide in a bathroom, the only room without windows. They huddled there with their dog. HONG KONG A Hong Kong court sentenced a protester to nine years in prison on Friday for terrorism and inciting secession, the first demonstration of the teeth of a sweeping new national security law aimed at those who might speak out against Beijing. The protester, Tong Ying-kit, had faced up to life in prison after being convicted this week. The case against Mr. Tong, who crashed a motorcycle into police officers while flying a protest flag, was the first brought under the security law, which was imposed last year on Hong Kong by Chinas central government. The collision with the police complicates any analysis of how the courts used the national security law to punish peaceful dissent. But legal experts said the sentence sent a clear message that antigovernment speech now carries a greater risk. It may appear lenient, as life imprisonment was a possibility. But in my view, it is not: The objective of the N.S.L. is not merely to punish but also to prevent and deter others, said Surya Deva, an associate professor of law at City University of Hong Kong, using an abbreviation for the national security law. So swift and serious penalties should be expected. OTTAWA At 15, Kisha Supernant knew exactly what she wanted to do with the rest of her life: become an archaeologist and study ancient civilizations. She achieved her teenage goal. But her latest work has put her at the center of discussions in modern-day Canada not about the distant past but about the more recent history of the countrys Indigenous populations. Since the end of May, several Indigenous communities have announced that the use of ground-penetrating radar has identified well over 1,000 human remains, mostly of children, at former sites of the residential schools where thousands of children were forcibly sent by the government to assimilate. Many of those children never returned home. The discoveries have shocked Canadians and opened a new conversation with Indigenous people about the history of the schools, the last of which closed in 1996. And Professor Supernant who specializes in the use of technology to map and analyze settlements is the archaeologist who first worked with Indigenous communities to find the remains. The remains of Esther Dingley, a British woman who went missing while hiking alone in the Pyrenees mountains eight months ago, have been found, according to an international support group for missing person cases. The organization, LBT Global, announced the discovery in a statement on Friday, adding that Ms. Dingleys identity was confirmed through DNA testing after a single bone had been found close to her last known location. An investigation remains ongoing, the group said, although it did not specify which authorities were involved. The organization said that there was still no sign of equipment or clothing in the immediate area where the bone was found, and that search and rescue teams would continue to scour the area by land and air. PGHM Luchon, the French mountain authority in the region, could not immediately be reached for comment. ATHENS As Greece faces criticism for its quick return of migrants across the Aegean Sea to Turkey, it is cracking down on the activities of some aid groups working with refugees, accusing them of facilitating trafficking rackets and spying. The Greek authorities have also stepped up accusations against Turkey for failing to stop boats smuggling migrants from leaving its shores, violating a deal struck between Turkey and the European Union at the peak of the refugee crisis in 2016. Last week, police on the Greek island of Lesbos said they had drafted a criminal case against 10 foreigners, including four members of foreign nongovernmental aid organizations, who face charges of facilitating the illegal entry of migrants and espionage. The announcement came 10 months after police on Lesbos drew up a similar case against 33 employees of aid groups that also included charges of running a criminal organization and violating laws covering state secrets. MADRID Nearly 15 years after the death of the former Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet, victims of his brutal regime are still trying to hold him and his associates accountable. And now the victims appear to be one step closer to justice even if the courtroom is on the other side of the world. This month, the Supreme Court of Chile was notified by the National Court of Spain that an investigation had been reopened in Madrid into whether a bank, Banco de Chile, helped General Pinochet and his associates launder millions of dollars overseas, according to court documents sent to the lawyers in the dispute. The plaintiffs are led by the President Allende Foundation and represent more than 20,000 victims of the Pinochet dictatorship. The focus of the legal effort has been on funds believed to have been expropriated by General Pinochet and his associates and transferred to personal offshore accounts, in what the plaintiffs say were also acts of tax evasion and money laundering. Spain was chosen for the legal case because it has pioneered efforts over the past three decades to hold autocrats worldwide accountable for their crimes in jurisdictions other than their own countries. The Los Angeles Unified School District announced on Thursday that it would require all students and employees returning for in-person instruction to participate in weekly coronavirus testing. The decision is a shift in policy for the school district, which is the second largest in the United States. The largest, in New York City, recently announced that all teachers and schools staff must be vaccinated before classes resume on Sept. 13 or be subjected to weekly testing. Previously, the Los Angeles school district only required testing for students and staff members who were unvaccinated. Officials said that the new requirement was in accordance with the most recent guidance from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. It comes as the average number of cases in Los Angeles County has grown 119 percent from two weeks ago, according to a New York Times database. The spread of the more contagious Delta variant has left many parents worried about what will happen when students return to class in the fall. We believe Los Angeles Unified has the highest Covid safety standards of any public school district in the nation, the interim superintendent, Megan K. Reilly, wrote in an email to the parents. He was a 28-year-old student and member of a communist group in Iran serving a 10-year prison sentence in 1988 when, according to his family, he was called before a committee and executed without a trial or defense. Family members said they did not get the body, a will or the location of a burial site. They received a duffle bag with a wristwatch, a shirt and a certificate that did not specify execution as the cause of death. The student, Bijan Bazargan, was among an estimated 5,000 prisoners belonging to armed opposition and leftist groups in Iran, who Amnesty International and other rights groups say were executed in the summer of 1988. Image Bijan Bazargan was among an estimated 5,000 prisoners who Amnesty International and other rights groups say were executed in 1988. Now, a Swedish court will prosecute a former Iranian judiciary official for war crimes and murder in connection with Mr. Bazargans death. The case carries some notably public and damaging implications for Irans president-elect, Ebrahim Raisi, who helped decide which prisoners lived or died during those mass executions. Cryptocurrency, as an asset to donate to charity, is as complicated as the asset itself and the reasons for owning it. Bitcoin, Ether and other cryptocurrencies have many of the qualities of publicly traded securities: For the recipient, the value is easy to know, and for the donor, any gains that would have been subject to tax are erased when the asset goes to charity. But cryptocurrencies have been a lot more volatile than almost any single stock. That increases the risk for the recipient, and it may make it more difficult for the donor to commit to a fixed amount. (Cryptocurrencies that are worth $5 million today may be worth $3 million or $7 million just next week.) It is also true that a donation in cryptocurrency can be more convenient for an international aid organization. It simplifies the task of sending the money to a particular country, and the underlying blockchain technology can enable the organization to track exactly how the cryptocurrency is being used. Penn had contracted with NYDIG, a platform that manages digital currency transactions, only at the start of this year, Mr. Zeller said. Shortly after, it received $25,000 in Ether from a young alumna who wanted the gift to go to the general scholarship fund. Lo and behold, we had just put this in place, Mr. Zeller said. The $5 million Bitcoin gift in May was more complex. The donor wanted it to be large enough to attract attention that would help the university get similar donations. At the same time, the donor wanted the money to fund research and programs at the Stevens Center for Innovation in Finance at the Wharton School. Colangelo & Partners toasts Botter S.p.A., Italy's largest private wine producer in terms of revenue, as the company launches its first-ever integrated communications program in the US. The agency will be responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive communications strategy targeted to key media, trade members, consumer stakeholders and industry influencers. It will focus on engaging new and current consumers through strategic media relations, events, partnerships, and social media, with particular focus on the brands Gran Passione and Brilla! Prosecco. The United States market is a key part of our export strategy, and were excited to amplify our presence here through our partnership with Colangelo & Partners, said Botter head of marketing communications Annalisa Botter. Falls & Co. picks up American Greetings digital business unit, AGInteractive. Falls & Co. will leverage its expertise in media relations, advertising, social media, and influencer marketing to enhance brand awareness of the companys SmashUps as a refreshed brand and product line. SmashUps are ecards that users can personalize by choosing options in a series of drop-down menus. The companys lineup of SmashUps includes celebrity collaborations with Dolly Parton, Donny Osmond, Kevin Nealon, Shaquille O'Neal and William Shatner. "When Falls presented their proposal to our team, we were really impressed and excited. Not only did we know their team had the skills to back up their strategy for SmashUps, but their vision was aligned with ours from the very beginning, said American Greetings executive director, direct to consumer business Rob Matousek. Fox Communications checks in at Raffles Hotels & Resorts, part of the Accor Group. The agencys work for Raffles will focus on such press engagement strategies as daily press office support, news amplification and event management to enhance brand awareness and understanding. Fox Communications will also support the global launch activity of upcoming properties including Raffles Udaipur, India and Raffles The Palm in Dubai later this year, as well as Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences and Raffles London at the OWO, both slated to debut in 2022. To have a dynamic and well-connected PR partner is an essential part of our global communications strategy, and we are confident that this partnership will further position Raffles as the top luxury choice amongst consumers looking for purpose-led, authentic and personalized experiences, said Raffles Hotels & Resorts vice president Jeannette Ho. Amy Klobuchar A reincarnated Howard Beale of Network fame would say, People are mad as hell about the amount of misinformation circulating on social media about COVID-19 vaccines and they are not going to take it anymore. They demand that social media companies be held accountable for their actions. A Morning Consult poll released July 29 bears that out. It found that 63 percent of US adults support a federal bill to hold social media companies responsible for pushing fake news about the vaccines and the COVID-19 pandemic. Democratic Senators Amy Klobachar (D-MN) and Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) introduced such a measure on July 22 called the Health Misinformation Act. It would strip the Section 230 liability shield of the Communications Decency Act, from digital platforms that promote misinformation tied to an existing public health emergency, as declared by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The coronavirus pandemic has shown us how lethal misinformation can be and it is our responsibility to take action, said Klobachar in introducing the bill. Though the Klobachar/Lujan bill, which lacks a single Republican sponsor, has zero chance of becoming law, it serves as a warning shot to social media companies. They better get their acts together on misinformation. The Morning Consult poll found that only 25 percent believe social media do a good/excellent job on curbing anti-vaccine content. More than six-in-ten (62 percent) Americans give the companies a fair/poor rating. The COVID-19 pandemic has been good news for the Robinhood stock trading platform that has just gone public. The stock opened at $38 on July 29 and closed down 8.4 percent at $34.82. Shareholders may be in for a heck of a ride. Robinhoods Securities and Exchange filing, which includes 75 pages of risk factors, says the company has enjoyed substantial growth in its customer base since the onset of the pandemic. Corporate shutdowns, travel restrictions, stay-at-home orders and quarantines were music to Robinhood's ears. During this period, market volatility, stay-at-home orders and increased interest in investing and personal finance helped foster an environment that encouraged an unprecedented number of first-time retail investors to become Robinhood customers and begin trading on the Robinhood platform, it says in the S-1 document. Robinhood is uncertain whether these trends and behavioral shifts will continue as reopening measures continue, and we may not be able to maintain the customer base we gained, or the rate of growth in our customer base that we experienced, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The company will also miss those federal stimulus checks sent to its customers. Robinhood also frets about the threat posed by negative publicity, since it views its brand and reputation as two of its most important assets. Our reputation, brand and ability to build trust with existing and new customers may be adversely affected by complaints and negative publicity about us, our platform and customers that utilize our platform or our competitors platforms, even if factually incorrect or based on isolated incidents, according to the S-1. Robinhood should invest in a couple of savvy financial and crisis firms. The Kansas City Health Dept. is looking for a firm to run a grassroots COVID-19 vaccination educational campaign aimed at its Hispanic community. Liz Lopez Liz Lopez has been named VP-public affairs at Constellation Brands, the $8.4B alcohol and cannabis company via its nearly 40 percent stake in Canadas Canopy Growth. She will be responsible for the Victor, NY-based companys federal, state and global interests as well as dealing with issues related to US policies regarding cannabis matters. Lopez joins Constellation from the YMCA, where she served as in-house counsel and senior director for economic development. Earlier, she was managing director at Nexus Consulting and executive VP-public policy at the Opportunity Finance Network. Matt Stanton, senior VP-PA, said Constellation will benefit from Lopezs proven track record of advancing business objectives with the House and Senate leadership, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, national community organizations, and many other key Washington stakeholders. Constellation markets Corona, Modelo, Pacifico (beers), Robert Mondavi, Kim Crawford, Meiomi (wines) and SVEDKA Vodka, Casa Noble Tequila and High West Whiskey. FINN Partners lands Galataport Istanbul, a new social, cultural and leisure neighborhood anchoring the waterfront in Istanbuls Karakoy district. Led by FINN Partners Virginia Sheridan, managing partner for Travel + Lifestyle, North America and travel division senior partner Haldun Dinccetin, the agency will deliver a comprehensive communications strategy for consumer and trade audiences, including media relations, trade show representation, strategic partnerships and thought leadership. According to Galataport Istanbul, FINN Partners was selected based on its experience in the cruise industry, art and culture and lifestyle public relations, as well as its established knowledge of Turkey and Istanbul. Forward Media is working Tailwind Airs new nonstop seaplane service from New York to Boston. Tailwind says that its service will cut travel times between the two cities from 40 to 60 percent. The flights, which are to start operations on Aug. 3, will take off from Manhattans New York Skyport on East 23 Street, landing in Boston Harbor approximately 75 minutes later. Since each plane will carry only eight passengers, travelers can arrive at check-in as little as 10 minutes before departure. One-way fares start at $395. Tailwind says that in addition to reducing aggravation for travelers, the new service will open up half-day business trips. AutoCom Associates earns US PR duties for Drive TLV, a connector of investors and Israeli high-tech companies. Based in Tel Aviv, Drive works with startups, assists them with strategic business-plan guidance and helps them form partnerships with investors and industry-leading mobility companies, including automakers and insurance firms. It plans to make its programs available to startups in the US and Europe in the near future. "The smart-mobility technologies that Drive is helping to develop will be of particular interest to the growing number of media outlets covering electric and hybrid-electric vehicles, autonomous driving technology and the smart-mobility sector in general," said AutoCom president Larry Weis. A charity cycle in memory of late jockey Pat Smullen to raise funds for Cancer Trials Ireland is taking place on September 25. Participants are visiting seven racecourses including Naas and the Curragh and two Stud Farms in seven hours. The event starts at Laytown beach and finishes at the Curragh racecourse. Along the way, visits will be made to Bellewstown, Navan, Fairyhouse, Moyglare Stud, Naas, Punchestown and Gilltown Stud. This event is in memory of Pat Smullen, 9 times Irish Champion Jockey. A true legend in Irish racing. The cycle is the brainchild of Gavin Lynch, who lost his mother Olive to pancreatic cancer. Gavin said: "She enjoyed nothing more than a day at the races and backed Pat a winner in many a race." The Coast to Curragh charity cycle stages on September 25 7.30am Laytown Races / Laytown Beach (155km approx. from here to the finish) 8.30am Bellewstown Racecourse 10am Navan Racecourse (110km to the finish) 11.30am Fairyhouse Racecourse (80km to the finish) 12.45pm Moyglare Stud (55km to the finish) 2pm Naas Racecourse (30km to the finish) 2.15pm Punchestown Racecourse (25km to the finish). What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 716-372-3121 or email nfinnerty@oleantimesherald.com. What is the CoolEdge Air Cooler? CoolEdge AC United Kingdom - The working of CoolEdge Portable AC is exceptionally compelling. It is better than any conventional work area AC according to numerous perspectives. It takes warm air from the room and chills it prior to conveying it again in the room. To cool the warm air, it uses cold water that ought to be added to it reliably. Buy CoolEdge In this March 20, 2019 file photo, Jason Carter speaks to attorney Nathan Olson during his first-degree murder trial in Council Bluffs. Carter was acquitted of the charge and has since turned his attention to attempting to overturn a civil verdict that found him liable for his mother's death and suing investigators that worked the case. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has retracted a decision to end a key defense pact with the United States, allowing large-scale combat exercises between U.S. and Philippine forces that at times have alarmed China to proceed BOWMAN [mdash] Gary Hamilton 76, of Bowman Georgia, husband of the late Donna Greer - Hamilton, formally of Ottumwa, Iowa, passed away on July 24, 2021 at his home. Mr. Hamilton was born in Trenton, MO, on July 16, 1945, son of George and Darlene Clutter - Hamilton. He was a veteran having s Do you appreciate the work we do as the only independent media outlet dedicated to serving OU students, faculty, staff and alumni on campus and around the world for more than 100 years? Then consider helping fund our endeavors. Around the world, communities are grappling with what journalism is worth and how to fund the civic good that robust news organizations can generate. We believe The OU Daily and Crimson Quarterly magazine provide real value to this community both now by covering OU, and tomorrow by helping launch the careers of media professionals. If youre able, please SUPPORT US TODAY FOR AS LITTLE AS $1. You can make a one-time donation or a recurring pledge. WARSAW, Poland (AP) Polish Communist-era judge Stefan Michnik, whose extradition Poland had sought over the death sentences he handed down in the early 1950s, has died in Sweden at 91. The news came from an obit that his half-brother, Adam Michnik, the editor-in-chief of Poland's liberal Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper, placed Friday. Sweden twice refused to extradite Michnik since the turn of the century, saying the statute of limitations had expired on the death and prison term sentences that Michnik's panels of the military court had given Polish freedom and anti-communist fighters after World War II. Poland protested the refusals, arguing that in 1952-53 when they were given, the death sentences qualified as crimes against humanity. Poland also argued that the nation's wartime heroes of anti-Nazi resistance and fighters against the imposed, oppressive communist regime were sentenced on trumped-up charges and false evidence. Michnik quit the military court for other jobs in 1953 and left Poland in 1969, following an anti-Semitic purge. He settled in Sweden and became a citizen there. He died on Tuesday, the obit said. His half-brother on his mother's side, Adam Michnik, was a prominent anti-communist dissident in Poland who was sent to prison under the regime. He also served as a key adviser to the pro-democracy Solidarity movement in the 1980s. Co-founded by Adam Michnik, the Gazeta Wyborcza daily has been a strong critic of the right-wing governments that wanted to bring Stefan Michnik to Poland and put him on trial. In the obit, Adam Michnik said his brother had suffered a lot on my account, but not because of any fault of mine. Montana Russell of Gladwin, who is studying psychology, was among six Mid Michigan College Phi Theta Kappa members who recently received recognition for their academic excellence at an event hosted by the Michigan Community College Association. Students from 25 Michigan community colleges were recognized for their academic achievements, community service involvement, and leadership. In 1967, 18-year-old Marvin M. Benchley of Midland made the decision to forgo the remainder of his high school education and enlist in the Army to serve in the Vietnam War. Fifty-four years later, this summer, he was able to receive his high school diploma as part of the Midland High School class of 2021. Benchley, the son of Marvin H. and Dorothy Benchley, attended Midland High from 1965-67 until he was in 10th grade. While he never returned to earn his general educational development (GED) or diploma, the Michigan Legislatures Act 181 of 2001 made his dream of graduating still possible. This act allows a military veteran to receive their high school diploma if they meet the following criteria: they served in World War II, Korean conflict or the Vietnam era; were enrolled in high school at the time; did not graduate from high school; and served under honorable conditions. Marvins daughters, Tina Benchley and Melody Laplow, worked with him to fill out the required paperwork and submitted it on his behalf. Months passed before they received word that Marvin would be included among the graduating class of 2021. Tina Benchley explained that her father is not a fan of big crowds, so the family arranged a private celebration on July 4 to mark the occasion. Marvins children, grandchildren and brothers were present. They served cookies and cake, bestowed a card signed by relatives, and hosted a video chat with those who could not attend the party in-person. The biggest surprise for Marvin was when he received his Midland High diploma and tassel. It was a blessing to have everyone there. It meant a lot, Tina stated. His graduation will show the grandkids to (keep going) forward on to graduation (and) never give up because most jobs require a diploma, Tina said. Today, Marvin is retired from serving as a janitor at Bullock Creek Elementary School and enjoys riding his motorcycle and being around his family. BALTIMORE (AP) A 33-year-old Maryland woman with temporary custody of her young niece and nephew has been charged with child abuse that resulted in their deaths after officers found their severely malnourished bodies stuffed in the trunk of her car, according to charging documents. A Friday police statement said the two dead children are siblings and Nicole Johnson, 33, was their aunt. They identified the youngsters as Joshlyn Johnson, 7, and Larry ONeil, 5. A statement of probable cause said the severely decomposed body of the girl was found to weigh just 18 pounds. The boy was only 21 pounds at the time of his autopsy. Doctors reported it "would have taken several months of malnourishment to attain these weights," according to the charging documents. Baltimore County Police Chief Melissa Hyatt issued a statement calling the crime atrocious. Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr.'s statement calls it a horrific and a heartbreaking loss of life. Johnson faces numerous charges, including neglect and first degree child abuse that resulted in the deaths of children under the age of 13. No attorney was listed in court documents to comment on her behalf. Specifics of the case outlined in a statement of probable cause are chilling. Law enforcers stopped Johnson's speeding car just after 11 p.m. Wednesday on a major thoroughfare in the town of Essex, police said. They allege that the 2008 Ford Focus had fake temporary tags and was found to be unregistered and uninsured. When an officer told Johnson that she had to report to court within five days for the various infractions, she reportedly told them she wouldn't be around and they would see her making her big debut on the news. When she was told her car would be towed and she could remove any personal belongings, she then removed a tote bag and something wrapped in a trash bag from the trunk. The officer reported smelling a powerful stench. When the officer saw maggots in the trash bag and discovered the decomposing body of a young child, Johnson allegedly attempted to run away. She was swiftly caught and detectives say they found the other child's body in a tote bag. According to the charging documents, she initially told officers she had no idea the bodies of her niece and nephew were in the trunk. She thought the stench was from a rat in the engine, officers wrote. She later told investigators that she was staying at a motel when she hit the girl. The child hit her head, and Johnson put the body in a suitcase and carried it around in the car for many months, the charging documents state. Some two months ago, according to the charging documents, the other child was tired, went to lie down in the car and never woke up. Police allege Johnson then put his body in a tote bag and stuffed him in the trunk next to the body of his dead sister. Investigators say the children's biological mother, Dachelle Johnson, told detectives that she left her youngsters in her sister's care because she was unable to care for them. The transfer of the children occurred at some point after the mother moved from Ohio to Maryland in July 2019. We will continue to provide every resource to support our Departments ongoing investigation into this devastating case, Olszewski said. Baltimore County is a collection of suburban communities that ring the city of Baltimore. Trinity Lutheran Church is honoring Patti Bowen for her 32 years of service in the music ministry as principal organist. Bowen is retiring and will be recognized in this weekends services on July 31 and August 1. Before coming to Trinity, Bowen was the organist at First Baptist Church, and at Westminster Presbyterian in Bay City before that. She has performed in recitals at Memorial Presbyterian Church as well as in other events in the Tri-City area. PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) U.S. President Joe Biden says he is touched by Kosovo's awarding of a medal to his late son Beau, who was in the Balkan country 20 years ago to help establish the rule of law there as it became independent from Yugoslavia. In a pre-recorded speech published Friday on Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani's Facebook page, Biden said: The nation of Kosovo is in the hearts of the entire Biden family. The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Andrew Mullin. Thursday, July 29: 11:58 p.m. Deputies were dispatched to a Jerome Township location regarding a vehicle crash. Deputies arrived on scene to find the vehicle unoccupied and, upon further investigation, contacted the 23-year-old female driver. The female was cited for leaving the scene of a crash, failing to ID, and violation of basic speed law. A UD-10 form was completed. 8:53 p.m. Officers responded to a methamphetamine-related overdose on South Saginaw Road. 7:26 p.m. Officers responded to a weapons violation on Eastman Avenue. 3:30 p.m. A 36-year-old male was arrested for violation of bond. The violation occurred when he had contact with his 31-year-old girlfriend. The male also had several fugitive warrants for his arrest out of Midland County. The male was transported to the Midland County Jail without incident. A report has been forwarded to the Prosecuting Attorneys Office for review. 10:45 a.m. Officers responded to a vehicle crash at Waldo Avenue and Salzburg Road. 9:23 a.m. Officers responded to a traffic license violation in the area of Isabella Street and Sandow Road. 9:04 a.m. A 57-year-old male had questions regarding assistance with his alcohol addiction. Deputies provided him with phone numbers for local treatment facilities. 7:27 a.m. Officers responded to a case of larceny on Ivy Lane. 2:28 a.m. Deputies responded to a Hope Township location regarding a property damage accident. Upon arrival, deputies contacted a 74-year-old Hope Township male who had crashed his vehicle into a ditch. The male was complaining of back pain and was transported to the Mid-Michigan Medical Center by EMS to receive treatment. A UD-10 form was completed. 1:36 p.m. Deputies responded to a Midland Township location for a verbal dispute between a 17-year-old Midland Township male and his 16-year-old Midland female friend. No assault occurred and the parties were separated and left the area to their own homes. 1:17 Officers responded to a case of domestic violence on East Ellsworth. SPRINGFIELD An Illinois Supreme Court opinion Thursday cleared the way for a trial for Alan Beamans case against the Town of Normal and three former police detectives, accusing them of maliciously prosecuting Beaman for the 1993 murder of an Illinois State University student. Beaman, of Rockford, was convicted of murder in 1995 for the death of his ex-girlfriend Jennifer Lockmiller of Decatur. He served 13 years of his 50-year prison sentence before the Illinois Supreme Court reversed the conviction and exonerated him in 2008. The state issued Beaman a certificate of innocence in 2013 and former Gov. Pat Quinn pardoned him in 2015. Beaman is seeking monetary damages against the town and former Normal police detectives Tim Freesmeyer, Dave Warner and Frank Zayas, who led the police investigation into Lockmillers death. David Shapiro, with the MacArthur Justice Center and one of Beamans lawyers, said that in addition to the malicious prosecution claim, Beaman and his lawyers claim the officers engaged in a conspiracy and that it was intentional conduct causing emotional distress. The civil case, which was filed in 2014, now goes to the McLean County Circuit Court. This is a case about a great wrong that was done to a citizen of our state and it ought to be heard and decided by a jury of citizens of Illinois, Shapiro told The Pantagraph. They ought to hear this story and ultimately be able to decide what is appropriate and whether and how to try to compensate the years that Alan has lost are not possible to compensate but to make some effort to provide recompense for the extraordinary injustice that he suffered. The Town of Normal and three former police officers are represented by Thomas DiCianni of Ancel Glink law firm in Chicago. The courts decision is extremely disappointing. As the Seventh Circuit observed, the investigative activity involved in this case is standard in every investigation. This decision threatens to expose police to lawsuits second guessing the difficult judgments they have to make in every major investigation. We are evaluating a motion asking the court to reconsider this very concerning decision, DiCianni said in a statement. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The Supreme Courts 5-2 ruling was a reversal of a defense motion for summary judgment, which likely would have ended the case before trial. Illinois Supreme Court Justice P. Scott Neville Jr. delivered the opinion while Chief Justice Anne Burke and Justices David Overstreet and Robert Carter concurred. Justices Michael Burke and Rita Garman dissented, and Justice Mary Jane Theis took no part in the judgment. The opinion explained back-and-forth rulings between the Supreme Court and the 4th District Appellate Court about whether Beaman could prove the police officers maliciously prosecuted him and if he could prove the lack of probable cause for his arrest and prosecution. The appellate court granted the police officers summary judgment on a basis that it is the states attorneys offices job to prosecute individuals. But the Supreme Court said investigators also are responsible for allowing prosecutors to charge someone and continue a case. Prosecutors are greatly dependent on the detectives assigned to a particular case and must be able to rely on their fidelity to the objective principles that ought to guide the handling of an investigation, the Supreme Court wrote. It is inescapable that the independent judgment of a prosecutor will be colored by the nature of the investigation performed by the police. The other large issue was Beamans attempt to show the lack of probable cause for his arrest and prosecution. We find that Beaman has presented sufficient evidence to create a genuine issue of material fact as to whether there was an absence of probable cause to arrest and prosecute him for the murder, Neville wrote in the opinion. That determination must and can only be resolved by a trier of fact, and the lower courts erred in finding otherwise. Justice Michael Burke, who disagreed with the courts ruling, wrote: To satisfy the absence-of-probable-cause element in his action against defendants, Beaman must show that defendants played a significant role in the commencement or continuance of the criminal prosecution despite knowledge of a state of facts that reasonably indicated probable cause was lacking. Justice Michael Burke wrote that the Normal police officers ceased playing a significant role when they brought the results of their investigation to the prosecutors, who took over after the meeting. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. NORMAL Heartland Community College will require masks on campus. The college on Thursday announced that it will "require all individuals to wear face coverings while indoors at college facilities." The policy starts Monday. Earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the delta variant of the coronavirus is fueling surges in new cases. It also was announced Thursday that masks will be required at city of Bloomington and state facilities. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Adam Sells was sleeping on a set of steps in Downtown Peoria near the Salvation Army shelter for people experiencing homelessness when he felt a great bout of pain. Someone had hurled a rock at Sells, injuring his hand. He still bears a grisly wound. He worries it has or will become infected, yet he is thankful because, had the rock hit him in the head, he fears the outcome could have been much worse. William Rogers, 57, has lived in Peoria his entire life, but for the last two months he has been homeless for the first time. Sells and Rogers say people hurl insults and throw rocks, bottles and shoes at them for no other reason than that they are homeless. "I'm just trying to eat, I'm hungry," an emotional Rogers said. "It's so damn stressful." "People got something against homeless people," Sells said. "Like, are you kidding me? They hate me that much?" Peoria's City Council members discussed panhandlers at their July 13 meeting, focusing on how the city might be able to limit where people can panhandle, particularly street intersections and medians. Yet, the issue is far more complex than just removing panhandlers from the street. City attorney Chrissie Peterson told the council that a 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling deems panhandling a protected form of speech under the First Amendment and cannot be treated differently from any other form of speech. That means that if panhandling gets regulated, so too would any charity work that solicits from the streets, including those who annually seek donations as part of the St. Jude Runs. "We would have to be consistent in enforcement, and it cannot be targeted toward one group, specifically panhandlers," Peterson said. In 2018, the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to multiple cities in Illinois, Peoria included, that had panhandling ordinances that under the new Supreme Court standard were unconstitutional. In response, Peoria repealed its ordinance, said Ed Yonka of the ACLU of Illinois. "The right to free speech applies to the right to ask for help, and you can't criminalize asking for assistance when you are in need," Yonka said. "In the same way that we don't stop people from being able to raise funds for their charity or other things, we would not dream of that. So we can't do it when it's for an individual." First District City Council member Denise Jackson said she has never seen so many people panhandling as she has recently. Third District Councilman Tim Riggenbach called that "an accident waiting to happen." Peterson pointed out that public safety is a separate issue from panhandling as the court sees it. At-large Councilman Zach Oyler said he thinks no one, including charities asking for donations, should be allowed to solicit from the street or medians, saying they can "find more reasonable places to do this." Second District Councilman Chuck Grayeb would like to see the discussion simplified to no one being allowed to be in the streets where vehicles are for any reason. Jennifer Zammuto, president of the Heart of Illinois United Way, which addresses issues surrounding homelessness, said the panhandling debate is complex and that solutions need to be people oriented. "We need to really think about, 'Why is this person here in the first place and how can we get them connected with the right resources?'" Zammuto said. "... Giving them a ticket probably isn't going to do anything other than move them farther down the road." She also cited the need for more mental-health resources. Sells wonders why, if no one is getting hurt, he cannot just be free to ask for help where he wants. "Sometimes it's like, really ... as long as it's not aggressive panhandling, I'm in the right spot at the right time, like come on, just let the guy make 20-30 bucks and go on his way, man," Sells said. Rogers echoed a similar sentiment. "I am just trying to make a living, I ain't trying to hurt nobody," Rogers said. "It makes me feel guilty on getting money from people that go to work. It's not right." Sells describes himself as chronically homeless. Every "two to three years" he finds himself back out on the streets, panhandling for money to make ends meet. He says he struggles with mental illness and alcohol. Sells is sober now and trying to piece his life back together. He says he lost his welding job and also had his driver's license taken away, making it difficult for him to hold down work. Sells and his ex-girlfriend then lost their home in South Peoria. He says he owes about $1,500 in fines to get his driver's license back and pay other tickets. "I mean, I've really been trying, I really have; it's just hard for me," Sells said. "It's not like it comes easy to me, like everybody else. I struggle." Rogers' living situation went sour two months ago when he said when he was bit by a dog at his previous residence. Rogers is blind in one eye and has other disabilities that prevent him from working, he says. He's been on Supplemental Security Income since 1991. Now he finds himself living on the street and says he will work or do whatever it takes to get back into housing. "I'm just trying to get enough to get my hair cut and get a place, but it's hard to do," Rogers said. Zammuto said it's important to try to put yourself in others' shoes before passing judgment on people in need. "I think first and foremost we should be compassionate and understand that nobody I can imagine would say to themselves, 'Gosh, I wish I could stand on the corner and ask people for funding,'" Zammuto said. There are a lot of misconceptions about people who panhandle for money. "People you talk to who panhandle, or at least most of the people who I have encountered, it's not fun for them, either," said Nicole Livesy, a housing navigator for United Way. "It's not a 'Well, I would much rather do this than work.' That mentality is not in place." Rogers said he panhandles because he feels like he had no other options. "I don't like doing it, I really don't," Rogers said. "I need my own place, I can't find my own place every month." Resources for those experiencing homelessness in Peoria are plentiful and have been effective in reducing the number of homeless people in recent years. Zammuto said the number of homeless people in Peoria has been reduced by 49% since 2009. The number was 397 in 2009 and has been reduced to 201 people, according to the Continuum of Care 2021 count. Yet, challenges still persist. For Sells, shelters can be a challenge in their own right. Mental illness is a common symptom in the shelters, which can make it a tough environment to exist in. For that reason, Sells said he prefers to be homeless and on his own rather than in a shelter. "I usually just stay to myself; the shelters kind of don't work for me because of the people there," Sells said. "I always just seem to have problems and oh, my God ... it's hard. A lot of people can be bullheaded and arrogant and mean. It can be a real rough crew. "I get to run my own show. I am my own boss when I'm out there holding a sign," Sells said. United Way staff members know there are people like Sells who need assistance but are resistant to reaching out for help. Reaching them requires a specialized response. "Dignity is a huge part of this," Zammuto said. "We try through our work to ensure that people have dignity through the process, and that's a huge part of this. So many of us think that's other people, and you never know when you and your family could be in need for one thing or another." "One of the beautiful things working with these agencies is that you actually do develop a relationship with those case managers, and I imagine that dovetails with that response," United Way's executive director of the Heart of Illinois Homeless Continuum of Care Kate Green said. "If you have worked with somebody who worked really hard to get you housed and you found yourself back in that position, there isn't going to be any judgment on our side of the equation." United Way's 211 program offers people the chance to get connected with services that can help those in need. For those who feel uncomfortable about giving panhandlers money or wanting to help in a different way, 211 cards can be given to those in need that can direct them to resources that can help them get out of their situation. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 SPRINGFIELD All employees and customers at Illinois Secretary of State driver-services facilities statewide, as well as everyone working in and visiting public areas of the Capitol Complex in Springfield, will be required to wear masks beginning Monday. Secretary of State Jesse White is reinstituting the requirement indefinitely, regardless of vaccination status, because of recent increases in COVID-19 cases in Sangamon County and statewide, SOS spokesman Henry Haupt said. The increases have largely been attributed to the COVID-19 delta variant, which is more transmissible than the original virus and is spreading quickly among unvaccinated people and also infecting some who are fully vaccinated. Mask-wearing requirements in indoor areas controlled by the SOS were eased in May when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said anyone who was fully vaccinated could forgo a mask and social distancing in most instances. White said in a news release that it is "imperative" for SOS facilities to remain open to serve the public and reduce "heavy customer volume caused by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year." Reinstating the mask mandate for customers "will help achieve this goal," he said. The mask mandate also will go into effect Monday in all non-public sections of Secretary of State offices, Haupt said. White said he has extended expiration dates for driver's licenses and ID cards until Jan. 1, 2022. Expired documents will remain valid until that date. SOS customers also can use online services at cyberdriveillinois.com. Judge delays Illinois awarding marijuana retail licenses until he rules on lawsuit, but lottery will go on today On the verge of a lottery to award new cannabis business licenses in Illinois, a judge has ordered that no new cannabis retail licenses may be awarded in Illinois until he rules on a challenge to the states licensing process. White said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has extended the federal REAL ID deadline to May 3, 2023. No new COVID-19 cases have been detected in connection with the July 22 closure of the SOS driver services facility at 316 N. Klein St. in Springfield, SOS spokesman Dave Druker said. White's office decided to close the Klein & Mason facility until Aug. 4 after an office worker there tested positive for COVID-19. The facility was temporarily closed "out of an abundance of caution," Druker said. For the same reason, the SOS driver services facility in Deerfield, a Lake County suburb of Chicago, was closed Wednesday after six employees tested positive, Haupt said. The facility will be closed until Aug. 10, and all employees who work at the facility will be quarantined for 14 days. The facility will be cleaned and sanitized based on CDC guidelines, SOS officials said. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The divers leaned back from the edge of the boat and splashed into water, bobbing up for a moment before dropping down to a world just a few miles off the northern Michigan coast and worlds away from the one above the surface. Today in Lake Michigan, quagga mussels, Eastern European invaders generally smaller than a stamp, reign over an upended underwater ecosystem. The mussels arrived in the Great Lakes more than three decades ago, eating, excreting and spreading zealously ever since, attaching themselves to everything from water intakes to shipwrecks, and all the while filtering life out of the food chain and a $7 billion fishing industry. But solutions in open water, at least on a small scale, are starting to seem possible to soften the bivalves brunt. Experiments are playing out in Lake Michigan with hopes of restoring fish spawning habitat. Manually removing mussels, with another invasive species offering an assist, has kept rocks clear. Other treatments from copper compounds to genetic biocontrol are in the mix as a collaborative dedicated to mussel control plans for the future. The Lake Michigan survey on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys 180-foot Lake Guardian research vessel, generally conducted every five years, just wrapped up. The bottom-dwelling census is essential to understanding what mussels have done to the lake in the last 30 years, and what they may do next. Large-scale eradication is still a daunting idea with how many invasive mussels blanket Lake Michigan. By comparison, during peak migration, 30 million birds might fly over Illinois in a night. About 3 trillion trees cover the entire earth. The human body? Somewhere in the tens of trillions of cells. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists estimate about 300 trillion mussels in the lake from the 2015 count and the mollusks are growing at deeper sites, and growing larger. More than a decade ago, between regular dives off the Wisconsin shore, Harvey Bootsma, a professor at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, told the Tribune the lake was changing faster than we can study it. There are now more than 185 nonnative species in the Great Lakes region; some sneaked in through ships and manmade connections, while others, such as coho and king salmon, were introduced by people. Some acclimated with negligible or even beneficial consequences. The invasive mussels are among the most notorious of the unexpected visitors. On top of the ecological damage caused to native mussels, fish and even shorebirds, theyve cost billions from clogging water intakes and power infrastructure, to damaging boats and docks. Zebra mussels came first; the Caspian Sea travelers discharged in the 1980s, likely via ship-stabilizing ballast water. Quagga mussels, filter feeders armed with a more impressive propagation arsenal, arrived soon after. Unlike zebra mussels, which generally attach to hard surfaces and stick to shallower water, quaggas tolerate colder temperatures, softer sediment and outcompete zebras with less food available, meaning they now dominate Lake Michigan and most of the Great Lakes. Only Lake Superior has been largely spared due to the lakes chillier conditions and lack of calcium, which mussels need to strengthen their shells. Years later, Bootsma is still studying how the mussels have transformed Lake Michigan, suiting up and diving down to an underwater laboratory. What weve learned in the Great Lakes is that prevention is a lot cheaper than trying to implement cures, Bootsma said. So its really important for us now to understand how we can prevent such dramatic changes happening in the future. As zebra and quagga mussels engulfed Lake Michigan, their colonies transforming rocks into shelled clumps and the lake bed into serrated carpet, they gobbled up phytoplankton at the base of the food web. In the last 30 years, the bottom-dwelling czars have changed the look and chemistry of the lake: the waters clearer, algae heartier, plankton scarcer. The nutrients in the mussels control. But, despite the improbability, if not impossibility, of large-scale mussel removal in Lake Michigan, Bootsma said its valid to ask: Could we do it at scales large enough that there could be some positive impacts? Today, its still a challenge to get people to understand the widespread implications of the mussels, Bootsma said, because most people dont see whats under the surface. If you went to Yellowstone National Park and discovered the bison were gone, you might be upset, he said. The changes that have happened in the Great Lakes are more dramatic than that. Underwater landscape On recent sunny days near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, a boy in a red jersey cast a fishing line from an old wooden dock; a woman on the beach, legs crossed, read a newspaper under a blue-green striped umbrella; from the top of a bluff, Lake Michigans surface flickered like the last moments of a firework. All along the shore you could spot the broken halves of bleached mussel shells. A few miles out on the lake, framed by the towering dunes, U.S. Geological Survey scientists dove down to get a good look at Good Harbor Reef, a mix of cobblestones and sandy stretches. Theyd usually be diving to collect samples, said research fisheries biologist Peter Esselman, but as part of a project with the National Park Service, they were collecting 360-degree video footage to help people understand the underwater landscape and its challenges. At Sleeping Bear, that includes invasive species. On one dive, Glen Black, a biological science technician, scooped up mussels and crunched them in his hand for the video. Along the lake bottom was another invasive species, Black said, the round goby an invasive fish also from Eastern seas, now plentiful in Lake Michigan. You just see the bottom moving everywhere, he said. Esselman came up from a dive and stretched his hands beyond half a foot: The algaes about this high. As the mussels occupied the reef, so did nuisance cladophora algae, which appears to be linked to botulism outbreaks that left piles of birds including endangered Great Lakes piping plovers dead in the sand. The mussels also choked historically important spawning grounds, just a few miles from Leland Harbor and Fishtown, where you can line up for fresh lake trout and whitefish. The reef has subhabitats of sorts, some more optimal for fish spawning and mussel attachment than others, said Ben Turschak, a fisheries research biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The department is working with the park service and geological survey to map and identify fish spawning habitat. Thatll help prioritize any kind of restoration or protection that we would do in the future, Turschak said. The places where native fish spawn arent infinite, said Brenda Moraska Lafrancois, aquatic ecologist with the National Park Service. So we dont need an infinite amount of invasive mussel removal effort either. I think were actually getting to a point where you can envision a future where the most important parts of Good Harbor Reef are restored to some semblance of natural habitat, she said. Round gobys role The story of mussel removal in Lake Michigan is also the story of the reef, where researchers have tested hypotheses related to algae, mussels and bottom-dwellers for more than a decade. In 2016, they scraped off nearly 1 million mussels from an area the size of a studio apartment. Scientists thought the mussels, whose millions of young float in the water and then settle down to colonize, might re-blanket the rocks after a year or two. Five years later, some mussels occupy crevices, but the rocks are still largely mussel free. Scientists think the round goby helped. They like small mussels because their shells are easier to crush and theyre easier to digest, Bootsma said. So we think whats happening is that those rocks that we scraped just cant get recolonized because anytime some small mussels settle on them and try to start growing, the gobies pick them off right away. Scientists are studying how the goby might give back to the food web; the fish are credited with reviving the Lake Erie water snake population. But they devour other small invertebrates and native fish eggs. Bootsmas team set up a cage this summer with mussel-free rocks that are inaccessible to the gobies to see whether the mussels can recolonize. If the round gobies had gotten to the Great Lakes first, we might have avoided a lot of problems with invasive mussels, Lafrancois said. But invasive mussels are also probably part of why round gobies had such an easy time establishing here. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The mussels also fed a perfect storm for algae, Bootsma said. Nuisance cladophora algae was prevalent before controls aimed at reducing phosphorus from sewage pollution, farm runoff and detergents in the 1970s were put into place. The decaying shaglike mats announce their presence via a stench of rotting eggs. Capable of filtering the entirety of Lake Michigan in less than two weeks, the mussels allowed more sunlight to reach the lake bottom where the algae grows Lake Michigan is now sometimes clearer than Lake Superior and their excreted nutrients offered an extra boost to algae growth. In the removal patch, phosphorus content is lower in the algae on previously cleared rocks, in line with scientists hypotheses. But algae has returned to the rocks another piece of the puzzle that keeps sending them underwater. Ripple effects In 2014, the EPA approved open water use of the molluscicide Zequanox, a treatment made up of dead cells from a soil bacteria that specifically targets mussels by destroying their digestive systems. A year later, the Invasive Mussel Collaborative formed. People thought, well, maybe there is something we can do about this, said Erika Jensen, executive director of the Great Lakes Commission. And we dont just need to throw up our hands and accept that theyre here. As the collective, including the Great Lakes Commission, Geological Survey, NOAA and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, among others, began to think about potential sites for mussel control projects, Good Harbor Reef, already a testing ground, was a natural fit. But there were questions about how and where Zequanox could be used, and what would happen to a post-mussel ecosystem if they suddenly disappeared. If we were to be able to control them or suppress their populations to a significant degree, what ripple effects does that have for the rest of the ecosystem? Jensen said. And we still dont have all the answers to that. A frame and tarp system was designed to pump Zequanox to cordoned-off areas of Good Harbor Reef over a few days in August 2019. Bad weather caused delays a challenge of working in open water but mussel density was soon reduced by 95%. Since, populations have crept back up more than the manual removal site; scientists think the treatment missed some mussels underneath rocks. But theyre still not as abundant as surrounding areas. This summer, Bootsma hopes to try another control method at Good Harbor involving tarps cheaper and less logistically demanding, but one that may take a lot longer to work. The mussels would essentially be starved and smothered. Aside from removal efforts, the findings from Good Harbor can help contribute to the development of mathematical models to play out future scenarios. You can say to the model, OK, now lets see what happens to Lake Michigan if we reduce the number of mussels to 50% of what they are now, or if we warm the lake up by 3 degrees as a result of climate change, Bootsma said. And thats really useful for managers because we want to know, for example, is there going to be more or less plankton in the future to support the food web and important fish in the lake? Growing larger Lowell Friedman looked out on calm water and a smoky sky at Leland Harbor. He and his wife, a Michigan native, came to buy fresh fish on vacation. And, as kayakers, theyre familiar with invasive mussels. In the last 10 years weve now seen it move from just boaters to everything that enters the water has to be checked for mussels, Friedman said. The checks arent much of an inconvenience, and theyre necessary, he said, listing off the damage mussels have caused. And, Friedman said, It keeps the ecosystem out of balance. A group within the mussel collaborative is developing a list of high-priority locations where control may be beneficial, looking at factors including: fish spawning and nursery habitat, cladophora algae and native mussel distribution, water intake infrastructure, and threatened and endangered fish species. Theyre not good for fisheries, thats for sure, said Bob Lambe, executive secretary of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. Some Great Lakes fish have struggled through overfishing, pollution, the arrival of alewives and the devastation wrought by the invasive blood-sucking sea lamprey. Species like lake trout and salmon are somewhat stable in Lake Michigan, Lambe said, but mostly through aggressive restocking rather than natural reproduction. In the latest survey of Lake Michigan prey fish, food for salmon and trout, their collective weight is comparable to surveys since the mid-2000s. But its still a fraction compared with earlier decades. The mussels are faring better. In 2015, 300 trillion mussels were counted in Lake Michigan, a drop from 480 trillion a decade ago, said Ashley Elgin, a research scientist with NOAAs Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. But theyre growing larger and heavier, increasing from about 40 million tons to 50 million tons, collectively weighing more than 300,000 hefty blue whales. The overall mussel population may be stabilizing, but in deeper offshore reaches, which comprise more than half of the lake, populations have grown slowly and steadily. Monitorings important so that we have our finger on the pulse with whats happening with the population, Elgin said. Mussels are one of the major drivers and major stressors in the lake, so to understand where their populations are at helps us understand how the rest of the food web is responding. Monitoring food-web changes During the Lake Michigan survey on the Lake Guardian, scientists send down devices called Ponar grabs, which scoop up the lake bottom for sampling. Throughout Ponarpalooza the affectionate term given to the survey theres excitement, and trepidation, in seeing food-web changes firsthand. The bottom-dwellers are good indicators of ecosystem health and change, said EPA environmental scientist Beth Hinchey Malloy. Everybody gathers around on the back deck when theyre bringing up those Ponars from the deep sites, because the big question is, are we going to find diporeia or not? Malloy said. And when you find them, a big cheer erupts on that back deck. Before mussels, diporeia, a shrimplike fish food, were the predominant bottom-dwellers, and an energy-rich food source. The Snickers bars of the deep, Elgin said. But they keep disappearing. Scientists on the Lake Guardian also used video technology, a newer tool to assess mussel coverage. A map from SUNY Buffalo State scientists is expected soon. Theres a lot of anticipation to see what these population curves are going to look like with this new data from 2021, Malloy said. How climate change may affect mussel populations as even the depths of Lake Michigan are warming is another question. Warming water may help mussel growth, Elgin said, but may also hamper food availability. For now, with populations in the hundreds of trillions, the mussels are a driving force. The quagga and zebra mussels, theyre true ecosystem engineers, Elgin said. Advocates and officials are still fighting for more stringent ballast water regulations to prevent the next invader from occupying waterways. Scientists, meanwhile, fixate on the ones already here, building on each small victory. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Photo: (Photo : Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Another lawsuit has been filed against Johnson & Johnson over its talc baby powder product linked to ovarian cancer. This time, an advocate for Black women and mothers has sued the pharmaceutical company for its deceptive marketing tactics. Ben Crump and Paul Napoli, the lawyers for the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), said in a statement that Johnson & Johnson specifically targeted Black women to buy their baby powder despite company executives knowing the ovarian cancer risks. Their team cited that the company spent for promotions from 2008 to 2010 with overweight and minority women as targets. "This lawsuit is about the lives of our grandmothers, our mothers, our wives, sisters and daughters - all of whom were cynically targeted by Johnson and Johnson," Crump said. Read Also: Families Sue Peloton for Injuries and Burns of Two Children In many Black households, Johnson & Johnson's talc baby powder has been a staple and a grooming need for decades. However, documents and studies dating back to 1968 suggest that the popular product has been contaminated with asbestos, which has carcinogenic effects. Families of Victims Speak Out During Crump and Napoli's press conference, family members of ovarian cancer victims said that they want justice for their loved ones. Lydia Huston said that she lost her mother to the disease in 2014. She said that her mother always followed a routine with her hygiene that included the baby powder. NCNW director Janice Mathis also said that generations of Black women had used Johnson & Johnson products because they were convinced of its marketing's words and images. Mathis said that their mothers taught them to use the baby powder to stay fresh, and they passed on this habit to their daughters. However, Johnson & Johnson has issued a statement denying that it targeted the Black community intending to deceive. The company also said that while they empathize with cancer patients, their products "do not contain asbestos," as proven by independent tests. The spokesperson said that they run marketing "multicultural and inclusive" campaigns to promote products that are safe to use. 21,800 Lawsuits Still in Court It comes as the Supreme Court rejected the company's appeal to undo the awarding of $2.1 billion for 21,800 lawsuits filed against the company for talc powder. The Supreme Court said it would not hear the appeal to review the penalty sanctioned by the Missouri Supreme Court in 2020. Most of the lawsuits were filed by women with ovarian cancer or their families, who Ken Starr represented. In his briefing, Starr told the Supreme Court justices that Johnson & Johnson refused to switch to alternatives when it found out that the talc powder had carcinogenic elements in 1973. Neal Katyal, the lawyer for Johnson & Johnson, said that Starr and his team and the other attorneys suing his client have deliberately been finding women with ovarian cancer to put on the stand. Johnson & Johnson has reiterated that their baby powder is safe and that the matter they had to settle in court relates to the legal process, not the safety of their products. Related Article: Johnson & Johnson Sunscreen Recall: Products Voluntarily Taken Off Shelves After Traces of Carcinogen found on Neutrogena, Aveeno Photo: (Photo : Emma McIntyre/Getty Images) Celebrity mom Kristen Bell isn't so thrilled about her daughter's name right now, but Delta doesn't mind it and even gets excited when she reads her name on the television. Delta, who is six years old, is Bell's second child with her husband, Dax Shepard. The pair, who married in 2013, has an older daughter, Lincoln, who is eight years old. In her weekly podcast, We Are Supported By..., co-host Monica Podman asked Bell how she feels about her daughter's name frequently coming up in the headlines because of the coronavirus. Delta is the term for the highly contagious variant to have emerged from the pandemic, triggering more infections across the globe. The "Frozen" star admitted that it had been a "big, big bummer" for her as much as it was bad for the beer brand Corona. She said she was hoping Delta won't be as strong as the first variant, but then her daughter has a different reaction. Read Also: Shakira Doesn't Let Her Sons Listen to Her Music For This Reason The mother said that Delta was always impressed to see and hear her name since it's also a popular airline company in the U.S. So, it's exciting for her daughter that more people are talking about Delta because of COVID-19. The child doesn't seem to acknowledge the negative connotation. Why They Picked Delta In 2015, Shepard told E! News that they settled for the name Delta as a joke. The actor shared that a friend of theirs suggested some masculine options like Navy Seal, Green Beret, and Delta Force because their first daughter has a strong, masculine name as well. The couple loves how "Delta Bell Shepard" sounded, so they agreed on it. Delta was born via C-section after Bell went into labor for 33 hours. When Bell gave birth to Lincoln two years before, she endured 15 hours of labor. Shepard said that the doctors decided on the C-section for Delta at the last minute. He was inside the room when they did the procedure. Before coming in, his mother warned him that he might not appreciate seeing the baby's birth this way. He still took a peek and joked that he saw his wife's liver and intestines as well. The father praised his wife, who was "disassembled" at the operating table, for being a super healer because she didn't have any vices and took good care of her body. 'This is a Good Thing' Meanwhile, Bell said it's probably good for Delta to have such a controversial name because it could "humble" her down slightly. The mother acknowledged that her daughter has the privilege and, as children of Hollywood celebrities, some things are easy for her kids. "She gets away with everything because of that," Bell shared. "So maybe she does need this to follow her around forever." The "Good Place" actress also opened up about COVID-19 to her daughters and said they have to help other people who are not as lucky as them when the pandemic struck. But like everyone dealing with the changes at home, Bell said that they struggled with online learning. They also had to make sure that their family's mental health was in check. The actress and her husband go to therapy to fine-tune their marriage, which was helpful during the pandemic. Related Article: Nico Ali Walsh, Muhammad Ali's Grandson, Prepares to Carry Family Legacy Photo: (Photo : ADEK BERRY/AFP via Getty Images) A Florida woman was charged with the first-degree murder of her former ward, who died in 2019 at the age of 35. Forensic experts testified that Benjamin Dowling's death had been linked to the shaken baby syndrome he experienced under Terry McKirchy, the babysitter who cared for him when he was 5-months-old. In 1984, McKirchy was hired to look after Dowling. The baby's mother took him to a doctor when she noticed that he had breathing difficulties and his body was limp. The doctor told the family that the baby had severed blood vessels in his brain due to being shaken with such a force. The baby suffered permanent brain damage, and disabilities and his family sued the babysitter for aggravated child abuse and attempted murder in 1985. Because she did not contest the lawsuit, McKirchy got off easy and spent just 60 days in jail. She was under three-year probation with the authorities. Dowling had a short but challenging life as a person with disabilities. When he passed away in 2019, his family sued for murder. The Broward County grand jury indicted McKirchy after determining that the shaken baby syndrome case was a homicide. McKirchy, who currently lives in Texas, is now in jail and awaiting her murder trial in Florida. 'My Conscience is Clear' In 1985, McKirchy told the court that she did not do anything to the baby and that her conscience is clear. However, she accepted the plea deal when the Dowlings filed the first lawsuit because she wanted to put this behind her and move on with her life. McKirchy was pregnant when she had to face court. Read Also: FDA Issues Storage, Disposal Reminders for Fentanyl Patches To Prevent Accidental Death in Kids The Dowlings hired the babysitter because they both worked and they were disappointed when McKirchy's plea deal was light. The family was expecting that the babysitter would be in prison for 12 to 17 years. Ryal Gaudiosi, the public defender in the 1985 case, said that McKirchy's time in prison and her probation were fair. The lawyer died in 2009. David Weinstein, a Florida lawyer who is not part of the case, analyzed with NBC News that there were many unanswered questions about the plea deal. He said that McKirchy might not have gotten a heavier conviction because there wasn't enough medical evidence or witnesses. Shaken Baby Syndrome Facts Rae and Joe Dowling said that their son didn't experience baby milestones like crawling, walking, talking, or learning how to feed himself. As a child, Benjamin did not get to eat ice cream or hamburgers, and he couldn't articulate if he had an itch or was in pain. He also didn't respond to what was going around him because of his mental disabilities. According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, about 600 to 1,400 shaken baby syndrome cases happen every year. Severely shaking a baby who won't stop crying can lead to serious injuries because their neck muscles are still weak to properly support their head. Thus, the force of a shake can lead to lifelong trauma. Symptoms may vary with each child, but they may include seizures and convulsions, decreased appetite, vomiting, changes in the baby's consciousness, drowsiness, irritability, changes in the position of the head, breathing problems, and slow and shallow respiration. The act of shaking a baby violently may result in cardiac arrest, coma, or death. Related Article: Alabama Mom With Health Issues Prosecuted for Taking Prescription Medication While Pregnant Photo: (Photo : FRED DUFOUR/AFP via Getty Images) The odds of a newborn surviving birth in the 21st week of gestation are slim, but parents, Rick and Beth Hutchinson, never stopped hoping that their miracle baby would have a fighting chance. On June 5, 2021, the Hutchinsons celebrated Richard Scott William Hutchinson's first birthday following a six-month stay at the hospital. Last year, Beth, who was on the fifth month of her pregnancy, went to the hospital for what she thought might be a urinary tract infection but she was shocked to learn that she was having labor contractions, according to her doctor. She told People that she and her husband were not yet prepared for the labor as she was still midway through the pregnancy, let alone what happened next because she gave birth to the "world's most premature infant." Beth was due to give birth in October 2020, but her son arrived 131 days ahead of the date weighing just 11.9 ounces. At that time, doctors weren't optimistic about the baby's chances and even told the parents that Richard might not make it out of the hospital. Very Sick Baby Dr. Stacy Kern, the miracle baby's neonatologist, said that Richard was a very sick baby. The air sacs in his lungs weren't fully developed, and he needed to be on IV fluids so that oxygen could flow into his brain. He had many tubes attached to his tiny body, which was roughly the size of one palm. Read Also: Mom Claims Being Humiliated by Flight Attendant for Baby's Dirty Diaper Experts at the Department of Health and Human Services said that babies born before 22 weeks are usually not resuscitated if their health fails because even the facilities at the intensive care unit won't be able to help an immature body. Kern and her team prepared the Hutchinsons for the worst, knowing that they likely have just a short moment with Richard. For days, Richard's oxygen levels declined until his mother was ready to let him go. But when Beth touched her son, the doctors saw his oxygen level rising. "I guess he just needed his mom," Kern said. On Day 65 at the hospital, Richard's breathing tube was removed for the first time. Slowly but surely, he made progress as his parents visited him every day. Days before Christmas, Richard was finally released at the hospital at six months old. 'Doing Amazing' Doctors are still not clear on Richard's health limitations for the long term. For now, he has a feeding tube to stay nourished, and his parents have to monitor his oxygen levels through an oximeter machine regularly. Beth said that the goal is to take Richard off all these gadgets and monitors eventually, but he's been doing amazing and showing good signs of health for now. Though Richard's case is rare, another baby was born nearly 22 weeks into her gestation in Texas in 2014. Lyla Stensrud was only about 15 ounces during her birth and was also thought to have zero chances of survival. The miracle baby has thrived as a healthy girl with advanced cognitive, motor, and language abilities as a toddler. She has no impairments in her hearing or vision and does not have cerebral palsy. CNN reported in 2017 that Lyla was in preschool. Related Article: Paid Leave For Miscarriage: Lawmakers Introduce New Legislation for Workers Photo: (Photo : Hector Vivas/Getty Images) A new study has revealed that parents who like to smoke or vape marijuana expose their kids to secondhand smoke, making them more vulnerable to viral respiratory infections. Experts from the Wake Forest School of Medicine in North Carolina learned that children whose parents regularly smoke marijuana or cannabis become more symptomatic of the common cold or flu. They tend to inhale more irritants in their lungs than parents who like tobacco cigarettes or never smoke. Their findings were published in Pediatric Research. Researcher Adam Johnson and his team conducted the study because the effects of secondhand marijuana smoke exposure have not been thoroughly studied. Meanwhile, countless studies on secondhand tobacco smoke have shown that it can trigger respiratory illnesses like asthma among children. 1,500 Parents Surveyed Johnson's team conducted their study in Colorado from 2015 to 2017 among 1,500 parents whose children under the age of 12 have been patients of a local pediatric emergency department. The team chose Colorado since it was one of the first states to legalize marijuana as a recreational substance in 2014. Read Also: Overdosing on Marijuana Edibles on the Rise Among Children Of the 1,500 respondents, about half of the parents said they smoke both marijuana or tobacco cigarettes, and 10 percent said that they solely indulge in marijuana for recreation. The parents were asked about their children's illnesses for a certain period. The survey revealed that an average of 1.3 respiratory infections affected the kids whose parents smoked or vaped marijuana. On the other hand, kids whose parents didn't smoke any substance or only take tobacco cigarettes had an average of just one viral illness a year. The experts also looked into kids whose asthma issues could be exacerbated by marijuana and found that the incidence is quite low. While this research was not an actual trial and the survey was based on the parents' memories, not actual medical records, the experts said their assumptions about marijuana smoke could be plausible. "These findings could be used to help target and shape public health messaging aimed at parents and caregivers," the experts said, adding that it can help raise awareness on the "negative impacts that secondhand marijuana smoke exposure can have on children's health." Side Effects of Secondhand Marijuana Smoke Studies have shown that a child inhaling secondhand marijuana smoke is not likely to get high. However, a few situations may put the child at risk if the adult is physically close to the child while smoking in a room where there is poor ventilation. The risk of exposure in kids also increases if the adult smokes cannabis with a high concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). A child who inhales marijuana smoke may experience coughing, headache, dry mouth, itchy or red eyes, rapid heartbeat, lightheadedness, tiredness, nausea, increased appetite, euphoria, paranoia, and anxiety. In some cases, marijuana may impair motor skills or memory. As a matter of caution, the experts said that parents need to remember that marijuana cigarettes have substances found in tobacco cigarettes. Thus, they cannot discount that the risk and harm of secondhand smoke from both substances are similar. Related Article: Peanut Allergies Treatment Program Brings Hope for Kids Izwe Savings and Loans Plc has launched a series of activities to commemorate its 10th Anniversary. The three-month long celebration is themed Celebrating 10 years of Positively Impacting Lives and features activities such as regional customer appreciation dinners, financial literacy programmes, health workshops and 10 social impact projects as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility. At a maiden customer dinner with key customers held at the African Regent Hotel, the Chief Executive Officer, Raymond Kwakye Bismarck stated that, the vision of Izwe Savings and Loans is to unlock potential by fueling developmental aspirations among small businesses and individuals, aimed at real community and economic development as we grow businesses and enrich lives, through innovative financial solutions and secured investments. He thanked customers and staff of the company for their loyalty over the years, which has contributed to the success and growth of Izwe Savings and Loans. Izwe started with a focus on products & services for employees in the government sector and is currently one of the top payroll lenders in Ghana. In 2019, the business started providing innovative financial services to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana, as they recognised the significant contribution SMEs make to the GDP of the country. The company plans to introduce more innovative products and services to contribute to industry efforts and accelerate the development of SMEs in Ghana. As part of Izwes 10th anniversary celebrations, further customer appreciation dinners, financial literacy and health awareness programmes will be held for customers and other people in the community across the regions of Ghana where it operates. Additionally, the company will be undertaking projects aimed to provide 10 deprived communities support to rehabilitate or refurbish a chosen facility that serves the social needs of the community. After a decade of successfully doing business in Ghana and positively impacting lives, Izwe wants to continue to positively impact 10 deprived communities across Ghana with this project, remarked the CEO. Our Impact Izwe Savings and Loans Plc is a subsidiary of the Izwe Africa Group, which is headquartered in Mauritius and has operations and offices in 4 other African countries. After 10 years of doing business in Ghana, Izwe now has 13 retail outlets in 8 regions of Ghana and proudly employs over 200 staff. The company has been able to provide educational support to 124,956 people; enhanced the home and family lives of 73,146; helped 21,665 businesses to grow in three, years and helped 16,520 people save for their future. With backing from the Izwe Africa Group, whose successful track record remains undoubted across Africa, Izwe Ghana is indeed one of the most promising, trusted, and respected financial institutions in Ghana. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has collected GH25.89 billion in tax revenue as against GH26.1 billion targeted for the period, resulting in a GH212 million shortfall. The GRA said it collected GH18.45 billion in domestic tax revenue and GH7.44 billion from international trade or customs. Dr Charles Addae, Deputy Commissioner in charge of Research, Strategy, Policy and Programmes at GRA, announced this at a media briefing in Accra on Wednesday when giving an update on the country's tax mobilization efforts and measures undertaken to shore up the country's taxes. He said the tax revenue collected in the first half of the year showed a nominal growth of 25.6 per cent. Dr Addae explained that if the tax collections from other tax revenue sources such as energy debt recovery, sanitation levy, Valued Added Tax and airport charges, the GRA had collected GH27.17 billion as against a target of GH27.25 billion, representing a GH28 million shortfall. Assessing the average performance of the Authority, Dr Addae said it showed that the Authority was hovering around 47.6 per cent, which was above 46 per cent recorded over the past five years. On the contribution of the various regions to the country's tax revenue, Dr Addae said the Greater Accra Region contributed 60.28 per cent, Western 5.02 per cent and Ashanti 4.2 per cent. The rest of the other 13 regions' contributions to the nation's tax revenue was very minimal, he added. Dr Addae observed that with the linkage of the GRA's database to the National Identification Authority's database, it discovered that 33,500 professionals, including medical doctors, engineers, lawyers and IT experts who had Ghana-Card but did not have tax identification numbers(TIN). He explained that those elite professionals were earning high incomes and had, therefore, invited them for interrogation to ascertain whether or not, they were paying taxes on their earnings. "We are chasing them because now we have their house and mobile phone numbers but that doesnt mean that they don't pay taxes until we have finished the interrogation," Dr Addae explained. Dr Addae indicated that the Authority was working collaboratively with German International Corporation ( GIZ) and the Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development Ministry to digitise and capture houses and properties being used for commercial businesses and residential purposes to charge the appropriate tax rent on them. He advocated the need to intensify tax education drive and enforcement mechanisms to shore up the tax revenue. The GRA, this year, set a target of GH60 billion in tax revenue and based on the first-half performance, Dr Addae believed that it would meet the target. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Dean of the School of Performing Arts of the University of Ghana, Professor Kofi Agyekum, has called on the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta to present a mid-year budget that addresses the plight of Ghanaians. The Finance Minister will present the 2021 mid-year review to Parliament in accordance with Section 28 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921) today. A statement issued by the Ministry said the presentation would provide the economic and fiscal performance of the economy for the first half of 2021 as well as provide an update on the implementation of key programmes including strategies by the government to create employment for Ghanaians. The review is also expected to focus on revenue, expenditure, and financing performance for the first half of 2021 and provide an overview of the implementation of the 2021 Budget, the statement added. Commenting on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', Professor Kofi Agyekum, popularly called Opanyin Agyekum reminded the government about the challenges of Ghanaians stressing these are very difficult times. He appealed to the government, through the Ministry of Finance, to review taxes in order to ease the financial pressures on the citizenry. Speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi, Opanyin Agyekum said; ''If we can't remove some taxes, we should reduce them.'' Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) will from August 11 this year introduce a mandatory COVID-19 test for all non-Ghanaians applying for work permit, renewal of work permit and extension of visitors permit. This test will run concurrent with the normal medical examination required for immigration permits at the GIS clinic. A statement signed by the Head of Public Affairs of the GIS, Supt Michael Amoako-Atta, explained that the emergence of an apparent third wave of COVID-19 infections across the world had made it imperative that the GIS as a frontline security agency controlling the borders and regulating the activities of foreigners in the country put in measures to support the national effort to curtail the spread of the virus in the country. No test, no service The statement also indicated that the test would be conducted at a facility on the premises of the GIS headquarters to run jointly by the GIS medical team and a service provider, V-Check Health Solutions, for GH150. It explained that the new directive was geared towards the national effort in ensuring that the spread of the virus was controlled to ensure public health safety and stressed that all the GHS COVID-19 protocols would apply to all positive cases. Supt Amoako-Atta urged members of the expatriate community and companies employing non-Ghanaians to take note of the new measure. He said the new arrangement also formed part of the GISs vision of delivering excellence in security and migration management to ensure an enhanced congenial public health safety. What the GIS is doing is to complement the efforts by the task force to curb the spread of the infection. While we acknowledge that there is a test regime in place for all arriving travellers at the Kotoka International Airport, we are using this as a backup to help pick up any positive case that may have slipped through. The objective is to ensure that no-one poses as a threat, and in going about their activities, there is no conduit to spread the infection unknowingly. That forms part of our vision to ensure that we deliver an enhanced congenial public health safety, Mr Amoako-Atta emphasised. Frontline service The GIS has played a key role in the fight against COVID-19 since Ghana recorded its first case in March 2020. Apart from protecting the borders of the country to prevent illegal entry since they were closed by a presidential directive in 2020, officials of the GIS had been key in the contact-tracing exercise. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Commercial Division of the Accra High Court has refused an application by the Founder of the defunct Capital Bank, William Ato Essien, which sought to halt the trial pending a review of the courts ruling which dismissed the accused persons submission of no case. In a ruling today, Thursday, July 29, 2021, the court, presided over by Justice Eric Kyei-Baffuor, a Justice of the Court of Appeal, sitting as a High Court Judge, held that the application for stay of proceedings did not demonstrate exceptional circumstance for the court to halt the trial. Essien, together with Fitzgerald Odonkor, the Managing Director of the bank, and Tettey Nettey, the Managing Director of MC Management Services, a company said to be owned by Essien, have been accused of stealing depositors funds leading to the collapse of the bank. They have all denied the accusation of conniving and stealing GH620 million liquidity support given to the defunct Capital Bank by the Bank of Ghana (BoG). Submission of no case After the prosecution brought its case to a close, lawyers for the accused persons in June this year, filed a submission of no case in line with Section 173 of the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act, 1960 (Act 30). However, the court on July 18, this year, ruled that the prosecution was able to establish a prima against the the accused person and, therefore, ordered them to open their defence. On July 22, 2020, Counsel for Essien, Mr Baffour Gyawu Ashia Bonsu, notified the court about the stay of proceedings pending his application for review at the Appellate court. Motion Mr Bonsu, who moved the motion in court today argued that exceptional circumstances exist in his clients application because there was a viable chance of the success of his clients appeal at the Appellate court. The grounds of appeal raises very serious and fundamental issues to be determined by the appellate court, Counsel said. Opposed In her response, a Chief State Attorney, Ms Marina Appiah Opare who opposed the application urged the court to dismiss the it. She argued her position on three grounds. She argued that that the appeal had no chance of success and that the applicant had not demonstrated any exceptional circumstance to warrant the grant of stay of proceedings. Lastly, Ms Opare said the application for stay of proceedings, when granted will delay the trial as it would affect the other accused person in the case. It will cause an undue delay and inconvenience to the other accused persons who are not likely to derive any substantial benefits from Ato Essiens application for stay, she said. By Court Justice Kyei-Baffuor in his ruling said, Reading the application together with the affidavit, and examining the whole processes, the court can only state that the chance of success on the applicant at the appellate court is very bleak. I find no justification or compelling reason to grant this application. Same is declined, he held. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A cross-section of Ghanaians in the United Kingdom by the name of Patriotic Ghanaians Citizens in the UK took to the streets of London in a show of support for President Nana Addo and his administration. Carrying placards and banners, some of which read Lets Fix it Together, Let us our own Attitude, Thank You For Free SHS, NABCO is a Game Changer, among others. The demonstrators eulogised the president and his administration and urged him to do more as, in the opinion, development of a country is a process that takes time. They also praised the president for the successes chalked with regards to his industrialization policy, the Ghana cares Obatampa programme, among others during the Covid 19 pandemic, and at a time that the worlds economy is reeling under pressure from the pandemic. Presenting a petition to the Ghana High Commissioner, the group leader, Amanda Baffour-Awuah disclosed that Ghanaians in the diaspora genuinely appreciate the progress at which chalked under President Nana Addo. She believes with the needed support and constructive criticism, Policies such as the Free SHS, Planting for Food and Jobs, 1 Village 1 Dam, 1 District 1 Factory, among others, would go a long way to facilitate the development of Ghana. Ms Baffour-Awuah also disclosed that things that happen in Ghana have a direct effect on those in the diaspora. To which she said, remittances we used to send back home have now been diverted into other investments, the high utility tariffs among others all affected their financial status here. The current administration, they believe, have done so well to reduce the burden on Ghanaians in the UK and the entire Diaspora. Mrs Freda Bediako-Puni, Head of Commonwealth and Diaspora Affairs who received the petition on behalf of the High Commissioner, thanked the demonstrators and assured them of sending the petition through the High Commissioner to the President. He also admonished them to live their best of lives and stay out of trouble. The President is presently in the UK attending the Global Education Summit and will be addressing the Africa Investment Risk and Compliance Summit. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Chief Internal Auditor of the Zongo and Inner-City Development Secretariat and the Zongo Development Fund, Mr Isaac Adjin Bonney, has been elected to the Governing Council of the Institute of Internal Auditors (Ghana). Six other officers were also elected to the Governing Council at the end of the 2021 Council Elections held virtually on Thursday July 22, 2021. They will serve a two-year term, and are expected to be sworn into office very soon. The Head of Internal Audit Directorate of the Ghana Institute of Journalism, Ms Harriet Akua Karikari, was elected President, while the Audit Manager of Ghana Grid Company Limited, Mr Joseph Dakora Zumasigee, was elected Vice-President. The other Council Members are; Mr Ebenezer Kwadwo Omari-Mireku, Director of Audit, Volta River Authority; Mr Emmanuel Nii Noi Dowuona, Head of Audit, Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission (PURC); Ms Joanna-Grace Erskine-Atadja, Ag. Director of Audit, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, and Mr Martin Dornor Abayateye, Head, Internal Audit, National Insurance Commission. The Immediate Past President and Partner, Brio Chartered Accountants, Mr Daniel Kofi Quampah, is an ex-officio Member of the Council. A statement by the Chair of the Electoral Committee, Mr L. B. L. Donkoh, said, Each of the seven newly elected officers will be assigned to serve as Chair of a Standing Committee of the Institute at the maiden meeting of the new Council. It is our hope that all Members of the Institute would support the new Council to take the Institute and the Internal Audit profession to new heights." The Electoral Committee thanked all Members for their support that ensured the successful conduct of the first ever virtual Council elections in the annals of the Institute. Mr Bonneys rich experience Mr Bonney is a Chief Internal Auditor and Certified Forensic Investigation Professional with the Zongo and Inner-City Development Secretariat and also doubles as the Head of the Internal Audit Department at the Zongo Development Fund (ZoDF). Currently a Ph.D. Student in Business Administration at Nobel International Business School (NiBS Legon) affiliated to GIMPA. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration (Accounting Option) from Valley View University and a master's degree in Finance and Accounting from the British Institute of Management and Technology, Cote d'Ivoire. Previously, he worked with the Ministry of Health (20112019) and rose from a Senior Internal Auditor to Chief Internal Auditor. His stay at the Ministry saw him being seconded to establish the Internal Audit Units in Nursing Training College, Midwifery & Health Assistants Training School all at Pantang from 2012 to 2014 and the National Cardiothoracic Centre, Korle Bu from 2014 to 2019. Mr. Bonney lectured at the Graduate School of Management, British Institute of Management & Technology and LInstitut Universitaire dAbidjan all in Abidjan Cote dIvoire from 2009 to 2012. He is the Chairman of the Tema General Hospital Audit Committee and member of the Audit Committee of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly. While at the former Ministry of Inner City and Zongo Development, Mr. Bonney contributed significantly to the implementation of effective audit procedures of the new Ministry. In his current position, Mr.Bonney continues to prove his mettle by contributing to the remarkable achievements of the ZoDF. Internationally, he was appointed a member and subsequently a co-chair of the Finance and Audit Committee of course (IDEA). As from 1st July 2021 he will be the sole Chairman of the Committee. Source: Emmanuel Akorli/Parliamentary Correspondent/Peace FM Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The building blocks for the Akufo-Addo administrations vision to transform the Ghanaian economy and prepare her for the Fourth Industrial Revolution are taking shape and will soon make all aspects of life better, Vice President Bawumia has stated. These building blocks, anchored on technology, are designed to improve public administration and the delivery of public services, formalize the economy, improve revenue mobilization, deepen and broaden financial inclusiveness in the growth processes, and curb bribery and corruption. Speaking at the first Graduation and fourth Matriculation ceremony of the Madina Institute of Technology (MIST) on Thursday, July 29, 2021, Vice President Bawumia said Ghanas rapid adoption of digital technologies since 2017 has been driven broadly by two considerations: the imperatives of change in the global economy, and the need to tackle our development challenges. We have since 2017 worked hard to leverage technology for development. We have developed what I call Digital Transformation Enablers. These include the famous Ghana Card, the Digital Address System, the Mobile Money Interoperability, the Universal QR Code and the Ghana.Gov platform. It is these enablers that are enabling several applications and making digital transformation as drivers of growth possible. Citing the bottlenecks associated with accessing public services, Dr Bawumia indicated that the ongoing infusion of technology would soon put paid to the many human interfaces that lend themselves to corruption. Public institutions and bureaucracies have for far too long stuck to cumbersome structures, systems and procedures. We have sluggish centralized bureaucracies, rigid rules based, hierarchical chains of command and highly interpersonal in its delivery of public services. No matter how educated you are, how much trigonometry and algebra you have learnt, they will want you to accept that getting passport or applying for business license is so complex you need middlemen and goro boys. These lead to the emergence of incentives conducive to bribery and corruption. In fact, of the many reforms to strengthen and improve the efficiency of public administration and eliminate the incentives for corruption, I strongly believe that digitization can accomplish in short order what many years of public sector reforms have failed to achieve. Ghana is on an irreversible march for change. We consider digitization in all areas of public administration as an important goal to be accomplished, he declared. Dr Bawumia emphasized that the linchpin for the success of the transformation agenda is human capital development, which is also receiving top priority from Government. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is focused on the vision of developing human capital for the transformation of the country. Our young people especially, are central to this agenda, and it is this vision that informed the implementation of the Free Senior High School programme since 2017. The interest of the youth in science, technology and innovation therefore, must be encouraged and nurtured. These are the building blocks for the new Ghana; a data-driven, knowledge-based digital economy. Vice President Bawumia commended authorities of the M.I.S.T. for staying true to their vision of science and technology education, saying the ongoing efforts to secure accreditation to roll out programmes in Computer Science, Information Technology, Data Science and Innovation and Technology Management are most welcome. This is a step in the right direction as we aim to develop additional capacity in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data and Connectivity. It is not by accident that Google and Twitter are all finding their way to Ghana. He added. M.I.S.T. Established as a non-profit organization in 2013 by the Madina Foundation for Science and Technology (MFST), M.I.S.T. was granted institutional accreditation by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission in June, 2016 and has institutional and programme (Engineering) affiliation with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi and the University for Development Studies (UDS), Tamale. The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, performed the tape cutting ceremony to officially start the Institute in September, 2017 as a University College, and was Guest of Honour at the first Graduation, of 64 students. Source: Presidency.gov.gh Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The surest way to break the duopoly of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and build inclusive governance is for minority parties to come together and forge a common goal. The continuous reliance on the two main political parties for support during elections is fuelling the long-standing duopoly and that could destroy Ghana's multi-party democracy. PNCs 29th anniversary This was the resolution of some minority parties who participated in a symposium to mark the 29th anniversary celebration of the People's National Convention (PNC) in Accra last Tuesday. The parties include the PNC, the Convention People's Party (CPP), the Progressive People's Party (PPP) and the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP). The PNC, which follows in the Nkrumah-Egala-Limann tradition, was formed by former President Dr Hillla Limann in 1992 the same year that Ghana returned to democratic rule, marking the beginning of the Fourth Republic. The party's 29th anniversary is on the theme: Consolidating multi-party democracy, sustaining minority parties. Call for unity Opening the discussion, the General Secretary of the PNC, Ms Janet Asana Nabla, expressed worry about the continuous dominance of the NPP and the NDC, a situation, she said created the impression as though Ghana practiced a two-party system. She argued that minority parties such as the PNC played instrumental roles in strengthening the countrys democracy and called for deeper collaboration among the minority parties to break the cycle of the two main political parties. She also underscored the need for the minority parties to be self-reliant by exploring innovative ways to raise funds to support their activities. The position of the PNC as a formidable political party cannot be under estimated despite the many challenges the party faces like most minority parties. The countrys political space is gradually becoming polarised and seems to becoming a two-party state which is detrimental to our accepted multi-party democracy, she said. The General Secretary of the CPP, Nana Yaa Akyimpim Jantuah corroborated the position of Ms Nabla, stressing that minority parties, in spite of not having representation in Parliament, contributed immensely to safeguarding the countrys democracy. She said the time has come for all political parties who believe in the Nkrumahist ideology to unite and build a formidable force to wrest power from the ruling NPP. Threat The National Chairperson of the CPP, Nana Akosua Frimpomaa Sarpong-Kumankumah said the continuous dominance of the two major political parties threatened the survival of small political parties and the general stability of the multi-party system. Nonetheless, the General Secretary of the GCPP, Mr Citizen Ato Dadzie blamed the inability of smaller parties to unite on the lack of commitment on the part of the leadership of the various parties to build a united front. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Little, a gym instructor at East Legon, a Community in Ghana, met his untimely death on Friday, July 23, 2021 after he was gunned down by unknown assailants. It was reported that Little died by the guns of contract killers for sleeping with a married woman who he trains. According to reports, the contract killers shot Little on site at his home and bolted. It was later rumored that the gym instructor was notoriously known to be sleeping with multiple sugar mummies including famous sex therapist and celebrity Akumaa Mama Zimbi. The rumor included that a supposed eyewitness who lives close to the deceased testified that Akumaa has been visiting Little for the past 7 years and there is some sort of sexual relationship with the young man. The famous sex therapist and a radio presenter had not uttered a word about the rumor until recently when she shared a video. Akumaa Mama Zimbi indirectly reacted to the death of the gym instructor called Little and her alleged relationship with him. She posted a video which talked about not laughing at another persons troubles. Social media users have said she used the video to indirectly react to the allegations levelled against her. When you see men fall Dont laugh, LEARN LEARN. Because you are on your way up and the things that temped people to fall you and I are not free from that temptation nor from the weakness that would cause us to stumble and fall. When you laugh at somebody elses fall white or black, rich or poor, your enemy or your friend you are laughing and opening a way for your own demise when you do that. Because to laugh and not learn to make mockery. Watch the video below. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Akumaa Mama Zimbi (@akumaamamazimbi) Source: instagram/ghanacelebrities.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Twitter is whats happening and what people are talking about right now. In case you missed it, here is a curation of some big moments that took place on #TwitterGhana this week. No Pressure Album: Shatta Wale shows love to Sarkodie; rallies Support for Rapper's Upcoming Album Dance Hall Artiste shattawalegh has thrown his support behind sarkodie as he prepares to release his new album, "No Pressure." In a tweet, he called on all Ghanaians to support the rapper when the project is finally released. Tokyo 2020: Ghanaian Boxer Samuel Takyi qualifies for quarterfinals after beating Ecuadorian opponent. 3SportsGh in a tweet has praised the 20-year-old Samuel Takyi who has qualified for the quarter finals of the Men's Featherweight event after beating Ecuadors Caicedo Pachito via unanimous decision. You can find the original tweet here Eazzy to drop her new single this Friday The Wengeze hitmaker, Mildred Ashong acknowledged in showbiz as Eazzyfirstlady was also on the trending list this week. She disclosed in a tweet about releasing her new song #OnlyOne this Friday. This generated buzz on Twitter. Read more from the thread here Black Sherif Second Sermon garners 2 Million Views in a week blacksherif_ latest track second sermon has hit 2 million views in a week. blacksherif_ has been most sought-after Ghanaian musician due to his ability to blend high-life and drill music. In his tweet he introduced the track to his Twitter followers and its receiving massive comments. The song highlights the struggles the majority of the youth face. Follow the conversation here Mr Drew receives customized Arsenal Jersey from Thomas Partey In a tweet saying see who got me a jersey @Thomaspartey22 God bless you mrdrewofficial couldnt hide his joy after receiving a customized Arsenal jersey from the midfielder. The two met at the Ghana party in the Park event in London last weekend. BBNaija begins, lydiaforson tweets about new housemates BBNaija has been trending all week. Actress lydiaforson in a tweet shared the housemates for the sixth edition of the show dubbed Shine ya Eye. Read more about the comments on the show here You can also get all the live updates on the show from here No Pressure Album: Set to drop by Sarkodie Sarkodie is one of Africas greatest rappers and one of the biggest music stars in Ghana since bursting on the scene in 2009 with his debut album, Makye. The music icon is set to release his latest album titled No pressure as announced in a tweet. This has been buzzing on Twitter as fans anticipate its release on July 30th. Read more here Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Former Joy FM presenter turned pastor, Victor Kpakpo Addo, popularly known as Azigiza Jnr, is entreating actress Moesha Boduong to part ways with her old friends if she intends to really stay on the new path she has chosen. According to him, the temptation to slip back into her former life will be greater if she continued to hold on to her old friends who might have had a negative influence on her. Proffering words of encouragement to Moesha, whose disclosure of being born again has drawn mixed reactions among her followers and friends, Azigiza Jnr, who was Best West African DJ in 1991 and 1993, told Graphic Showbiz on Monday, July 19, that the latters repentance would have no impact if she kept her old circle of friends. I dont really know much about Moesha except from current happenings but I will advise her to change her friends. I have been through whatever she is going through but you see, your growth and the outcome of the worth of life should override people who dont share in your new interests. You cant be with people who you know will continue to lead you astray when they are in your lives. Today, they will say lets go here, tomorrow, lets go there and get you distracted and before you know it, you are back at what you stopped, he stated. Just like how Moesha is being trolled for her decision, Azigiza Jnr, who is presently the lead pastor of Citizen Fellowship Church on the Spintex Road, disclosed that the story was not different from his in 1998. Can you believe that some of my friends even thought I was mad or going crazy? Yes, it may sound funny but that was what I was labelled, a mad person because I wanted to live right. See, its better we tell the truth to people that knowing God comes with challenges. The storms of your life dont calm down because you have repented. If it were so, there wouldnt have been a storm for the disciples to call on Jesus to intervene in the book of Matthew. The question is, was Jesus not with them? Why then should they still experience a storm? he asked. According to Hiplife artistes Lord Kenya and Yaw Siki who share similar stories, it was very important for the Away Bus actress to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to herself by always being in the news. They pointed out such actions will be detrimental to her spiritual growth since there would be differing views on her decision. For you not to be broken by what people are saying, you need to separate yourself from such people because so many things have changed around you that they may not understand, including your goals and your targets, Yaw Siki said. Read also: Dont blame producers, blame pioneer actors Moesha Boduong Yaw Siki, who gave his life to Christ after what he said was a miraculous escape from the grips of death, said he had come to understand that God had ways of saving people from destruction. Yaw Siki God used my accident to save me because even doctors who took care of me couldnt explain how I survived, it was beyond medical knowledge. That was when I realised that there is a higher power and I prayed to experience it. Now, I dont know what Moesha has been through but if she is truly convinced that what she is going through is real and divine, then she should hold on and not give up, he told Graphic Showbiz. Source: graphic showbiz Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Supreme Court of Canada is seen in Ottawa, Thursday, June 17, 2021. The Supreme Court of Canada says a copyright collective cannot force York University to pay specific tariffs for the use of published works in the classroom. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang Thank you for reading the Philadelphia Tribune. You have exhausted your free article views for this month. Please press the "subscribe" button below and see our introductory price of $0.25 per week for 13 weeks. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you next month. Sebastien Berthe repeats Arco Iris at Montserrat, 8c+ multipitch freed by Edu Marin 30.07.2021 by by Planetmountain At Montserrat in Spain Belgian climber Seb Berthe has made the first repeat of Arco Iris, the 200m 8c+ multi-pitch freed by Edu Marin in 2020. Over the years Belgiums Sebastien Berthe has sought out some of the most famous multi-pitches in the world and by now hes certainly one of the experienced when it comes to long, hard routes on big rock faces. The Nose, Silbergeier, Des Kaisers neue Kleider, End of Silence, Bellavista, Fly the list is long and impressive but now the 28-year-old from Brussels has repeated a line he considers his most difficult to date, Arco Iris at Montserrat in Spain. The route in question was an old aid climb established in 1978 by Armand Ballart and German Folch and freed in the autumn of 2020 by Edu Marin. Berthe set out to repeat the 200m line during a visit in March this year, but decided to first get a feel for the conglomerate on the outskirts of Barcelona by climbing Tarrago (240m, 8b+) in a single day. The "bigger sister" proved a different kettle of fish, also because the Also because the route, "sustained and incredible" line had been rebolted by Marin "with huge runouts, so the free climb does not bother the aid, which is really important there in Montserrat. I took the longest whipper in my life, about 25m, trying hard on the 8c+" The route proved to tough "physically, technically and mentally" and so he left Spain empty-handed. Berthe returned to Montserrat a few days ago to settle the score. A second day was spent reacquainting himself with the moves, while on day 3 he almost sent the crux pitch, only to break a vital hold at the only rest, making that section even more difficult. Climbing with Baptiste Verdin, on day 4 he fell off the crux pitch once again, rested at the belay for two hours before trying "a muerte": "I really was at the limit. During the last 10 meters I fought hard at every move, probably one of the biggest fight of my life!" After 9 hours they topped out, Berthe having led all the route clean to claim the first repeat. According to the Belgian the grades of the pitches are half a grade lower than those suggested by Marin, except for the crux which felt "well and truly 8c+." Do Not Miss the Grand Prix KO Series Main Events July 30, 2021 Matthew Pitt The $2.2 million guaranteed partypoker Grand Prix KO Series is rapidly nearing its conclusion, which means time is running out for you to progress to Day 2 of the Main Event and its Mini equivalent. An unlucky 13 flights have taken place in the $109 buy-in Grand Prix #07 Main Event and 16, at the time of writing, are waiting for you to enter. Some 2,328 partypoker players have bought in so far, meaning $232,800 of the $500,000 guaranteed prize pool has been accumulated. Only 343 of those starters have punched their Day 2 tickets; they return to action at 8:05 p.m. BST on August 2. Austrias Edvin Makic is the man to catch right now, having amassed a 2,505,530 stack. Makic helped himself to six bounties on his way to becoming the chip leader, those scalps weighing in at $231.25, which means he is freerolling towards a big main prize pool prize. partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Returns With a Bang in Cyprus Grand Prix KO Series Main Event Top 10 Chip Counts (July 30) Place Player Country Bounties Chips 1 Edvin Makic Austria $231.25 2,505,530 2 Liam Hughes United Kingdom $265.62 2,498,281 3 Jimmy Mattias Larsen Sweden $331.25 1,934,431 4 Augusto Jorge Luis Hagen Argentina $246.87 1,907,553 5 Gustavo Pinto Brazil $218.75 1,822,368 6 Richard Pearson United Kingdom $122.50 1,757,033 7 Sander Totuli Brazil $125.00 1,703,313 8 Robin Davis United Kingdom $209.37 1,697,522 9 Florian Ribouchon Malta $243.74 1,662,353 10 Otavio Monteiro Brazil $300.00 1,622,046 Remaining Grand Prix KO Series Main Event Flights Date Time (BST) Fri 30 Jul 5:05 p.m. Fri 30 Jul 8:05 p.m. Fri 30 Jul 11:05 p.m. Sat 31 Jul 2:05 p.m. Sat 31 Jul 5:05 p.m. Sat 31 Jul 8:05 p.m. Sat 31 Jul 11:05 p.m. Sun 1 Aug 1:05 a.m. Sun 1 Aug 2:05 p.m. Sun 1 Aug 5:05 p.m. Sun 1 Aug 8:05 p.m. Sun 1 Aug 11:05 p.m. Mon 2 Aug 1:05 a.m. Mon 2 Aug 2:05 p.m. Mon 2 Aug 5:05 p.m. (Turbo) Mon 2 Aug 6:30 p.m. (Hyper) partypoker Extends Magic Cards Promo; Doubles Top Prize to $2K Brazilians Dominating the Mini Main Event There is also a Grand Prix KO Series Mini Main Event but its name is the only thing mini about it. The event costs $11 to enter yet boasts of a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool. Some 6,600 players have bought in over 25 completed flights, meaning $66,000 of that prize pool is already secured. Some 946 of those starters are through to Day 2 on August 2, and it is Brazilian who are shining brightly. Six of the current top ten, with 18 flights remaining, hail from Brazil including the players occupying first and second place. Adalto Junior and Rodrigo Sollero lead the way with their 2,967,000 and 2,451,057 stacks, and with bounties of $29.37 and $38.12 already in their partypoker accounts. Grand Prix KO Series Mini Main Event Top 10 Chip Counts (July 30) Place Player Country Bounties Chips 1 Adalto Junior Brazil $29.37 2,967,000 2 Rodrigo Sollero Brazil $38.12 2,451,057 3 Helge Warkow Germany $22.19 2,428,767 4 Mathias Schulze Germany $69.67 2,362,519 5 Gustavo Oliveira Dias Brazil $23.74 2,290,244 6 Paulo Vitor Pereira Brazil $55.00 2,210,358 7 Diego Tamashiro Brazil $27.49 2,097,524 8 Afonso Tieppo Brazil $24.06 2,079,700 9 Aaron Kielesinski Canada $36.25 2,077,237 10 Welson Ward Canada $2.50 2,051,528 Remaining Grand Prix KO Series Mini Main Event Flights Date Time (BST) Fri 30 Jul 2:05 p.m. Fri 30 Jul 5:05 p.m. Fri 30 Jul 8:05 p.m. Fri 30 Jul 11:05 p.m. Sat 31 Jul 1:05 a.m. Sat 31 Jul 2:05 p.m. Sat 31 Jul 5:05 p.m. Sat 31 Jul 8:05 p.m. Sat 31 Jul 11:05 p.m. Sun 1 Aug 1:05 a.m. Sun 1 Aug 2:05 p.m. Sun 1 Aug 5:05 p.m. Sun 1 Aug 8:05 p.m. Sun 1 Aug 11:05 p.m. Mon 2 Aug 1:05 a.m. Mon 2 Aug 2:05 p.m. Mon 2 Aug 5:05 p.m. Mon 2 Aug 6:30 p.m. Grab up to $30 Worth of Tickets and a $600 Welcome Bonus You, obviously, need a partypoker account to get involved in either of the tournaments mentioned above. Dont worry if you do not have one because you can download partypoker via PokerNews. Doing so entitles you to a superb welcome package of free play tickets, and a bonus of up to $600. Making a deposit of $10 unlocks the first tier of tickets, worth $10. Increase your initial deposit to $20 and $30 worth of tickets are all yours; all tickets hit your new partypoker account over the course of a week.. Deposit $10 to receive $10 in tickets over the course of a week: Day 1: 2x $1 SPINS tickets + 1x $3.30 MTT ticket Day 2: 4x $0.25 SPINS tickets Day 4: 1x $3.30 MTT ticket Day 6: 4x $0.25 SPINS tickets Deposit $20 and receive $30 worth of tickets over the course of a week: Day 1: 1x $5 SPINS ticket + 1x $3.30 MTT ticket Day 2: 2x $1 SPINS ticket + 1x $5.50 MTT ticket Day 4: 1x $5.50 MTT ticket Day 6: 2x $3 SPINS tickets + 1x$3.30 MTT ticket Players will also be eligible for a 100% deposit bonus up to $600. To release the full Deposit Bonus amount the player must accumulate 4x the Deposit Bonus amount in loyalty points. Each time the player accumulates 10% of the Total Loyalty Points required, they will receive a 10% increment of the Deposit Bonus. Senior IT Operation Specialist (Oracle) WYMAGANIA In Application Maintenance, we are part of the run the bank organization. We make sure that the applications and IT services work today and continue to work in the future. We are now looking for a Senior IT Operation Specialist (Oracle), Gdansk to join the Application Maintenance Group Functions team in Poland. 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 You will play a valuable role in supporting the enterprise risk management solutions. With BizDevOps mindset you will be working closely with business and development in the Nordics, Poland and India. What you will be doing: You will be practicing BizDevOps, collaborating closely with business, development and other stakeholders. You will automate operations and drive continual service improvement, based on application performance. You will be monitoring processes, analyzing data flows and running scripts to ensure service availability. You will handle IT operations in line with ITIL best practices, including incident and problem management. You will be responsible for all aspects of IT service delivery provided by application support team. The role is based in Gdansk. 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. We expect the ideal candidate to have: IT service management experience following incident and problem management in ITIL framework Experience working within 2nd line technical support and BizDevOps setup using Agile methods Understanding data management technologies and business intelligence tools and processes Strong communication and interpersonal skills, fluent in English, verbally and in writing International exposure, working in multicultural environment with multiple vendors Your experience and background: Experience in Oracle is crucial for the successful candidate with an emphasis on Oracle SQL coding DataStage and ETL understanding would much appreciated along with batch scripting and PowerShell Previous experience with Actimize software (RCM, AIS) would be an additional, but very valued asset On a personal level, you are an easily approachable person who wants to work efficiently and likes interacting with different stakeholders. You carry a positive attitude! If this sounds like you, get in touch! OFERUJEMY Next steps Submit your application no later than 19/08/2021. 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: http://www.nordea.com/Images/33-355365/nordea-com-careers-job-pl-en.pdf We reserve the right to reply only to selected applications. DODATKOWE INFORMACJE https://www.praca.pl/senior-it-operation-specialist-oracle_5194962.html The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control recommended students K-12 to wear masks inside schools and on the school bus. This is not a requirement, but a recommendation. The organizations also strongly recommend eligible students and teachers to be vaccinated before school starts. We know based on the science and the data from numerous studies with literally hundreds and millions of people vaccinated worldwide that these are very safe and very affective vaccines. We know that they are the best way for us to bring this pandemic to end once and for all, said DHEC Public Health Director Dr. Brannon Traxler. Currently, face masks are not required in Aiken County Public Schools in accordance with a state proviso that prohibits school districts from mandating the wearing of masks. I recommend that staff members wear masks when they have to be within 6 feet of others. I encourage parents to have your children do the same, said King Laurence, superintendent of the Aiken County Public School District. Laurence also encourages students and teachers to be vaccinated before the school year starts. Laurence sent out a message to parents this week about the new CDC recommendation and how Aiken County schools will be proceeding. Laurence said volunteers and other visitors will be limited. There are also specialized air filters in all classrooms and additional disinfecting supplies in each classroom. When is comes to visitors, we are following the same policy that we followed last year, especially with the rise and trend in our community we dont feel like this is a good time to relax those requirements on additional people in the schools," Laurence said. DHEC officials also were concerned about the state's rise in COVID-19 cases before school has started. Traxler said regardless of whether school has started, cases need to be trending downward. Depending on conditions in the schools, Laurence has the authority to be more restrictive with the rules for each school in the county. One of the thresholds for moving individual schools to hybrid or virtual learning models during the school year will be if more than 25% of the instructional staff is quarantined or in isolation. We are seeing that delta is spread more easily among all people. We are seeing more cases in younger individuals, which is partially due to the fact that under 12 arent even eligible for the vaccination, and then the teenagers and young adults have a lower rates of vaccination, Traxler said. Aiken County schools will start classes on Aug. 16 with five-day in-person classes. While elementary school students will be able to stay in single-class cohorts and mix with other students, middle and high school students will switch classes as usual. "While it has become necessary to slow our progress toward the traditional operation of our schools, I believe that together we can ensure that we safely meet the needs of our students and families," Laurence said. For more information on Aiken County's back to school plans, visit the district's website at acpsd.net. Aiken County residents can show their appreciation for local businesses and farmers by visiting a farmers market this week. Farmers across the state of South Carolina are participating in National Farmers Market Week from Aug. 1-7. By shopping at a farmers market, you are supporting your neighbors and what better time than during the abundant summer months for South Carolina produce, said Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers in a news release from the S.C. Department of Agriculture. The COVID-19 pandemic showed us that farmers markets are essential businesses, and Im grateful for the work they do to connect people to farmers and fresh food. Standing on a former cotton exchange site, the Aiken County Farmers Market is the oldest of its kind in continuous service in South Carolina, tracing its roots back five decades. The iconic red-roofed structure at 115 Williamsburg St. is open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. "Farmers markets are an ideal venue for smaller farms to sell food directly to the public, lowering the barrier for people to buy fresh local products," according to the release. Local markets offer a unique face-to-face experience where consumers can meet the individuals responsible for their food. "American farmers only receive about 14.3 cents of every dollar Americans spend on food, with the rest going to off-farm costs like distribution, marketing and retail," according to the release. "Selling at farmers markets cuts out some of those other costs, allowing farmers to earn more money from what they grow." Farmers markets also continue to improve food access for underserved communities, helping more people obtain fresh fruits and vegetables. In 2017, $24.4 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits were redeemed at farmers markets across the nation, a 35% increase from five years earlier. National Farmers Market week runs from Aug. 1-7. In addition to the states three State Farmers Markets, residents can find a nearby market through the online list of Community-Based Farmers Markets. The South Carolina Association of Farmers Markets also maintains an online directory of farmers markets. Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier? Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. Breaking News Columbia Breaking News Greenville Breaking News Myrtle Beach Breaking News Aiken Breaking News Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. Success! Please click the 'Allow' button in the 'Show Notifcations' alert in your browser if one is available. Thank you for signing up! Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page. DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES An attack on an oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire killed two crew members off Oman in the Arabian Sea, authorities said Friday, marking the first fatalities after years of assaults targeting shipping in the region. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the Thursday night raid on the Liberian-flagged tanker Mercer Street. However, a U.S. official said it appears a so-called suicide drone was used in the attack, raising the possibility that a government or a militia group was behind it. Without providing any evidence, an Israeli security official said that Israel believes Iran was behind the attack on the ship, citing similar attacks in the past. The U.S. Navy rushed to the scene following the attack and was escorting the tanker to a safe harbor, a London-based ship management company said Friday. The assault represented the worst-known maritime violence so far in regional attacks on shipping since 2019. The U.S., Israel and others have blamed the attacks on Iran amid the unraveling of Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers. Iran now appears poised to take an even tougher approach with the West as the country prepares to inaugurate a hard-line protege of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as president next week. The attack on Thursday night targeted the tanker just northeast of the Omani island of Masirah, over 185 miles southeast of Oman's capital, Muscat. London-based Zodiac Maritime, part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer's Zodiac Group, said the attack killed two crew members, one from the United Kingdom and the other from Romania. It did not name them, nor did it describe what happened in the assault. It said it believed no other crew members on board were harmed. "At the time of the incident the vessel was in the northern Indian Ocean, traveling from Dar es Salaam to Fujairah with no cargo onboard," the statement from Zodiac Maritime said, naming ports in Tanzania and the United Arab Emirates respectively. Satellite tracking data from MarineTraffic.com showed the vessel had been near where British officials said the attack occurred. However, the last signal the ship sent came early Friday morning. Zodiac Maritime described the Mercer Street's owners as Japanese, without naming them. Shipping authority Lloyd's List identified the vessel's ultimate owner as Taihei Kaiun Co., which belongs to the Tokyo-based Nippon Yusen Group. Late Friday, Zodiac Maritime said the tanker was sailing under the control of her crew "to a safe location with a U.S. naval escort." The company did not elaborate. The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, which patrols the Mideast, did not respond to a request for comment. British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said an investigation was underway into the attack and that coalition forces were taking part. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation, told The Associated Press that the attack appeared to have been carried out by a "one-way" drone and that other drones took part. The official said it wasn't immediately known who launched the attack and declined to elaborate. The Israeli official, who similarly spoke on condition of anonymity as they weren't authorized to brief the media, blamed Iran for the attack and confirmed other public details of the incident. Israel considers Iran to be its biggest threat, citing Tehran's hostile rhetoric, support for anti-Israeli militant groups and growing influence in the region. The remarks came after an earlier report from private maritime intelligence firm Dryad Global referred to a drone sighting involving the vessel prior to the attack. Iran and Yemen's Tehran-backed Houthi rebels have in the past employed suicide drones unmanned aircraft loaded with explosives that detonate on impact with a target. In a separate development, the Saudi-led military coalition battling the rebel Houthis in Yemen claimed later Friday that it had thwarted an attempted "enemy drone" attack on a Saudi merchant ship, Saudi Arabia's state TV reported, without offering further details. The coalition blamed the Iran-backed Houthis for threatening maritime security in the southern Red Sea near the crucial Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The strait is used for oil shipments from the Persian Gulf to Europe, as well as goods from Asia to Europe. British maritime security firm Ambrey said the attack on Mercer Street had killed one of its team members, along with a member of the tanker's crew. The intelligence firm said it was working with authorities and offering support to the victim's family "at this incredibly sad time." Omani officials did not respond to requests for comment. The sultanate sits on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula and is along vital shipping routes for cargo and energy moving through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf. Israel did not publicly acknowledge the attack. Other Israel-linked ships have been targeted in recent months as well amid a shadow war between the two nations, with Israeli officials blaming the Islamic Republic for the assaults. Israel meanwhile has been suspected in a series of major attacks targeting Iran's nuclear program. Also, Iran saw its largest warship recently sink under mysterious circumstances in the nearby Gulf of Oman. Thursday's attack comes amid heightened tensions over Iran's tattered nuclear deal and as negotiations over restoring the accord have stalled in Vienna. The series of ship attacks suspected to have been carried out by Iran began a year after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in 2018. Iranian media quoted foreign press reports on Thursday's attack but did not offer anything more. The attack came the night after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking from Kuwait, warned Iran that talks in Vienna over the nuclear deal "cannot go on indefinitely." This is the second time this month a ship tied to Ofer apparently has been targeted. In early July, the Liberian-flagged container ship CSAV Tyndall, once tied to Zodiac Maritime, suffered an unexplained explosion on board while in the northern Indian Ocean, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration. ___ Associated Press writers Robert Burns in Washington, Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report. New rules for Charleston's carriage tour businesses are heading to City Council but the group that proposed the idea isn't pleased. The Tourism Commission voted this week to approve a pared-down ordinance that includes new requirements related to employee training and other changes. The proposal won approval Wednesday, but the earlier version stirred up more debate, and commission members voted down a significant portion of the recommendations they reviewed in June. Commission members then decided to reconvene this month and requested a "clean draft." The Department of Livability and Tourism has been working on the proposal for since last August when the animal rights group Charleston Carriage Horse Advocates submitted new regulations that they wanted to see the city adopt. They included guidelines for where small children can sit on horse- and mule-drawn wagons and random drug tests for carriage drivers. City staffers reviewed that proposal and drafted its own ordinance that they felt was "legal and practical to enforce," said department director Dan Riccio. The revised version that Riccio's office brought to the commission this week stated that carriage tour operators must: put high-reflectivity markers on the front, back and sides of the carriage implement a "structured annual training program" subject to the city's approval designate at least one employee per shift trained in first aid for horses to act as a "first responder" in the event of an accident. Also, the Department of Livability and Tourism would be given the authority to stop carriage tours in the event of an emergency, such as severe weather. Sign up for our business newsletter. Our twice-weekly newsletter features all the business stories shaping Charleston and South Carolina. Get ahead with us - it's free. Email Sign Up! Riccio proposed that idea previously, after he suspended carriage activity in 2019 during a severe thunderstorm warning. Charleston C.A.R.E.S., a coalition of three carriage companies, appealed that call, saying it had "always been to the discretion of the individual carriage companies to decide when and if tours" should he halted and that it should stay that way. In a statement after this week's vote, the Carriage Horse Advocates criticized the commission members for scrapping many of its suggestions, saying that they "voted to turn their backs on real common sense safety reforms" and instead sided with the businesses. Tyler Jones, a spokesman for Charleston C.A.R.E.S., told the commission Wednesday that the shortened version that was up for a vote was a "significant improvement" from the original version, though the group also felt a new ordinance is "unnecessary." Brian Turner of the Preservation Society said Wednesday that his group was "encouraged by some of the changes" but was disappointed that "many of the common-sense measures" in the original draft were removed. As an example, he said that safety rules for children and requiring tour companies to create emergency management plans could help the city "reduce its legal exposure," Turner said. The commission voted to send the proposed ordinance to City Council without much public discussion. "I believe we achieved our goal of just having something cohesive that has chance to be reviewed and discussed and also something that may be a starting point," chair Michael Saboe said. He acknowledged that everyone might not be satisfied with the final version. The public will have more opportunities to weigh in when issues goes before City Council. Amid the increasing national focus on equity and inclusion in the workplace, South Carolina's largest pro-business advocacy group has added its first chief diversity officer. The S.C. Chamber of Commerce has named Cynthia Bennett, a 20-year veteran of the Columbia-based organization, to the new role. The first phase will be to assist employers interested in diversifying their workforces. "You must be diverse and inclusive, and the equity piece will come," said Bennett, who formerly was vice president of workforce development and education. In that role, she advocated for the passage of the S.C. Hate Crimes Bill and supported other causes. Bennett attributed the growing interest in diversity and inclusion within corporate America to the heightened concerns about injustice, which intensified after George Floyd's death in May 2020. Workforce diversity "is the cost of injustice," she said. S.C. Chamber CEO Bob Morgan, who joined the organization two months ago, said diversity is now an essential value for companies as they compete and seek to succeed. And as the population grows more diverse, hiring staffers to reflect society is a smart strategy that brings "better results," he said. It's "good for business, and the market is driving it, but it is also the right thing to do," Morgan added. The COVID-19 pandemic led to some cutbacks at the chamber, but the group is now expanding again. Bennett's promotion and new role is part of that. Charleston-based Blackbaud Inc. said it sees the benefits of a diversity strategy. Last year, the global software company that works with philanthropic and nonprofit groups hired Michael Moore, who previously headed up the International African American Museum, as its first executive to oversee its "D&I" efforts. "Focusing on diversity and inclusion is simply the right thing to do, particularly for Blackbaud, a company committed to making the world a better place,: Moore said. "When our workforce reflects the diversity of our customers and their communities, it enhances the way we connect to our customers and each other." Sign up for our business newsletter. Our twice-weekly newsletter features all the business stories shaping Charleston and South Carolina. Get ahead with us - it's free. Email Sign Up! Maggie Driscoll, the Daniel Island company's chief people officer, noted that females now make up about half of Blackbaud's staff. "We have continually seen our diversity and inclusion practices pay off in our ability to hire the best, brightest and most engaged talent," Driscoll said. But while Blackbaud and other larger companies can address the call for workforce diversification, others, notably smaller employers, can find it more of a challenge, said S.C. Small Business Chamber of Commerce CEO Frank Knapp. "In our day and age of labor shortages, most small business owners are more concerned with getting employees," Knapp said. While diversity is important, he added, "small businesses compete with larger companies with more money to offer, so they can't be intentionally diverse." Knapp, who favors legislation that would allow for "a moderate increase" in legal immigration of working-age adults, said he thinks part of the labor shortage relates to so-called dreamers, the more than 1 million young, undocumented people brought to the U.S. as children and now awaiting legal status that would allow them to stay in the country and work. "The country is at a 40-year low in new business startups. We need dreamers to work in our small businesses and to start their own," Knapp said. Driscoll of Blackbaud said that regardless of budget, companies can do simple things, such as evaluating their hiring practices to ensure job descriptions are unbiased and designing corporate events that reflect the different interests of their employees. "The most important thing is challenging the status quo and re-evaluating the way things have always been done in order to open up opportunities to more people who bring unique perspectives and values to the company," she said. COLUMBIA Though the jury would quickly come back with a verdict, one juror did not initially want to convict Nathaniel Rowland in the 2019 killing of University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson, a pair of jurors told The Post and Courier. But after talking through some of the evidence in the weeklong trial, the jury was unanimous the next time they voted and found Rowland guilty of murder, the jurors said July 29. Judge Clifton Newman then sentenced Rowland to life in prison without parole, putting an end to a case that shocked the nation because Josephson disappeared while waiting for an Uber ride in Columbia's Five Points. The jurors said their deliberations on July 27 took little time, a little more than hour, because of the overwhelming amount of evidence by the prosecution and little push back by defense attorneys. Rowland, a 27-year-old from Clarendon County. had no explanation for where he was that night and no one else came forward to speak on his behalf, said juror Cecelia Burke, a 61-year-old healthcare professional. Burke said she was convinced by Josephson's blood found in Rowland's car after his arrest and on items in the trash of his former girlfriend Maria Howard's home. Also helping were Howard's testimony about Rowland cleaning the car and the knife believed to be the murder weapon as well as Rowland having Josephson's debit card and phone, she said. "Once Id seen it all, it wasn't a hard decision at all to make," Burke said. "The evidence was there; the facts were there. There was no disputing anything." Among the few debates raised in the jury room was whether Rowland had committed kidnapping under the legal parameters the jurors were provided, said juror Jose Ocampo, a 31-year-old law student at University of South Carolina. Jurors decided Rowland had acted intentionally when he hopped a curb on Harden Street in a black Chevrolet Impala and pulled up beside Josephson, Ocampo said. In surveillance video shown to the jury, Josephson tried to get into a different car she thought was her Uber and she was within Rowland's line of sight before making his move, Ocampo said. Jurors decided it was reasonable to think Josephson would have at some point discovered Rowland was not her ride-service driver and asked to get out, he said. Authorities said the child locks were activated on the Impala, trapping Josephson inside. Rowland's kidnapping conviction in tandem with the murder conviction led to his sentence including no parole. Ocampo said he was convinced of Rowland's guilt in part by seeing surveillance video of the Impala in Five Points, where light illuminated the front windows and appeared to show only one person driving the car in a reclined position. He said he was initially open to the possibility a second person had been in the car with Rowland the night Josephson, 21, disappeared. "In cumulation with all the other evidence and that video, I didn't think that was a reasonable theory anymore," Ocampo said. The jury's forewoman declined to comment when reached by The Post and Courier on July 29. Another juror declined to comment but said she stood by the verdict. The panel included four Black women, three Hispanic men, three White women, one White man and one Black man, according to a Richland County court roster of the jurors. Josephson was White, and Rowland is Black. Race was never raised during the trial as a factor in the crime. COLUMBIA S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson joined 24 other states in support of Mississippis 15-week abortion ban, which goes before the U.S. Supreme Court in October. Wilson, in a statement, said he is asking the increasingly conservative court to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision protecting women's constitutional right to abortion before a fetus can survive outside the womb. Wilson signed an amicus brief in support of the law a day after Gov. Henry McMaster announced support for a similar measure signed by 11 other Republican governors. The Framers of the Constitution did not in their wildest dreams imagine a constitutional right to abortion, which was illegal everywhere when the Constitution was written, Wilson said. Theres nothing in the Constitution that justifies abortions and, in fact, we believe abortion violates the constitutional rights to life and equal protection. The Supreme Courts ruling on Mississippis ban could impact the more stringent law recently passed by South Carolina lawmakers, which would ban most abortions after an ultrasound detects a fetal heartbeat, as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. The law provides exceptions for cases of rape or incest, as well as when the mothers life is in jeopardy or the fetus can't survive outside the womb. The South Carolina ban was blocked by a federal judge soon after McMaster signed it into law. That ruling is being appealed to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. But if the high court sides with Mississippi, it could create an opening for South Carolinas law to eventually take effect. If Mississippis ban is found unconstitutional, South Carolina would be unlikely to succeed in its own case. Other states that signed the brief include: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming. The leader of Columbias premiere professional theater company has resigned. Trustus Theatre, the Vista institution that has been going since 1985, announced July 30 that Chad Henderson stepped down as executive director. Henderson worked at Trustus for 15 years, board president Sumner Bender told Free Times. In an interview with Free Times, Henderson said that his decision to depart came simply because its the right time for him to move on to other things, though he wasn't prepared to offer details. I spent my entire adult career there, he said. Basically started working for (founders) Jim and Kay (Thigpen) right out of college. A lot of good things have happened. Ive programmed two of the highest grossing seasons. I've gotten us through this pandemic, and came back with a show that was sold out, Henderson added, referring to the recent run of Lady Day at Emersons Bar and Grill. For me, that's a pretty darn good legacy. ... The place has got good legs underneath it. So I think it'll be exciting to see how they envision the next leadership there, the next phase of creativity. Henderson became artistic director, leading the companys creative endeavors, in 2015, and stepped into the overarching leadership position of producing artistic director in February 2020 before having his title upgraded. Henderson informed Trustus that he was leaving about three weeks ago, Bender said. The departure continues a period of relative discontinuity for Trustus. Larry Hembree left as executive director in 2015. He was succeeded in short order by Leila Ibrahim, who resigned less than a year into her tenure in 2016. The company did without a replacement for its executive director role until Henderson was promoted last year. Bender, who has been associated with Trustus for 18 years, emphasized that even before stepping up to lead the theater, Henderson was a vital constant. When I say it is going to be a cultural shift, it will be, because Chad has been so instrumental in programming and just artistic license before he was even artistic director, because he was doing marketing, she offered. We used to have something that we call the Chad show, and it was a show that was progressive and blended different types of music and dance with a standard play concept. So he really brought us to an innovative forefront when it came to doing theater. As the Trustus board of directors begins its search for a new leader, it turns to a familiar face to navigate the interim. Former artistic director Dewey Scott-Wiley will return to that post on a temporary, part-time basis to maintain the theaters mission producing live and enriching stage theatre in Columbia, per a message sent out to the theaters email list. Colleen Bozard, president and owner of ccbozard, a consulting firm that specializes in working with nonprofits, is also being tapped to assist. The email noted that she will work closely with the staff while assisting the board with the search for a new executive director. The transition in leadership comes with Trustus having not yet announced programming for its upcoming season. Bender explained that this is due to the company waiting on whether it would receive a Shuttered Venues Operating Grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration. It was ultimately awarded the grant, which it announced on July 9. The amount given is 25% of gross profit lost during the first year of COVID-19, which for Trustus amounted to $160,000. It was game changing, Bender said. I literally cried and kind of fell down when we finally (found out) because we've been on hold for it for a long time. And if it hadn't come through, we'd be having a whole different discussion right now. She emphasized that Trustus had contingencies in place for continuing operation if the grant fell through. But with the money in place, the company is ready to move forward with the kind of season it wanted, while simultaneously seeking Hendersons replacement. We immediately talked to Dewey about her coming back so that we could go ahead and find some design teams and figure out what shows we might do, at least through the end of the year, Bender said, adding that they will soon announce a couple of shows that will open around October, and that a Trustus revival of some shows theyve done in the past will also be on the coming docket. While the board conducts its search, Scott-Wiley will figure out the rest of the schedule moving into the spring, building from the potential show selections that Henderson already had in place. Bender wants the executive director search to be completed as quickly as possible, but she said finding the right person is the most important thing. The theater isnt attached to hiring a replacement that can lead both the artistic and business ends of the operation as Henderson did. Bender explained that they could also bring in a business-leaning executive director, and subsequently hire an artistic director on a part-time or full-time basis. You're not just dealing with a business, you're dealing with a family, sort of the whole art community is like that, she said. So it's hard to say who that perfect person is gonna be. We're gonna announce a job search, we're going to post it across arts mediums, but also business forums. We want to spend a couple of weeks pulling in some resumes, maybe reaching out to people that we've heard (about). When asked what hed like to see in his successor, Henderson indicated that bringing in someone not already in Trustus circle of influence could be exciting, but he underscored the importance of finding someone who understands its role in the community. The place has a lot of history that's wrapped up in the vision that Jim and Kay had, he said. I just hope that they find someone who can honor that vision. GEORGETOWN A veteran-owned small business is set to invest $19 million and create 43 jobs in the Georgetown Airport over the next five years. The jobs include mechanics, piloting and loading. Sherpa Air's addition to the county airport will double the airport's fuel sales, double the airport's overall annual economic impact and provide an apprenticeship program for Horry-Georgetown Technical College students, Georgetown County said in a news release. Sherpa Air's parent company, Sherpa 6, is an engineering company that works to enhance soldiers performance on the battlefield. Earlier this year, Sherpa 6 added its aviation division, Sherpa Air, to be a support contractor for commercial and government entities. This announcement comes in tandem with airport's plan to create a development area at the airport to create an aviation-centered business hub and increase airport use. This project will be centered at a previously unused part of the airport's old runway, and will include the construction of two new private 30,000 square foot hangars and the acquisition of new aircrafts to support business. Vinnie Pugliese, chief growth and strategy officer for Sherpa 6, said some customers the engineering company could work with out of Georgetown Airport include the U.S. Department of Defense, Army, Air Force, Homeland Security, and Customs and Border Protection. Sign up for our Myrtle Beach weekly update newsletter. Sign up for weekly roundups of our top stories, news and culture from the Myrtle Beach area. This newsletter is hand-curated by a member of our Myrtle Beach news staff. Email Sign Up! Pugliese also said Sherpa 6 planes could transport a mixture of cargo and people. Georgetown County got help in recruiting Sherpa 6 from the S.C. Department of Commerce, which provided $250,000 for infrastructure, and the S.C. Aeronautics Commission, which provided an initial design and bidding grant. The county is also working with the Waccamaw Regional Council of Governments to apply for federal grants for additional infrastructure. Airport manager Jim Taylor said Sherpa Air will be at the airport soon with temporary facilities, but the construction of the permanent new infrastructure will take about five months. Charleston County government will reinstate a mask rule in public government buildings and areas beginning Aug. 2 due to the rise in COVID-19 cases and the threat of the Delta variant. In a July 30 news release, the county said it has followed guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state health department since the start of the pandemic. Earlier this month, the CDC recommended everyone wear face coverings in indoor public spaces regardless of vaccination status. County Council Chairman Teddie Pryor has encouraged all residents to get the COVID-19 vaccine. "Not only are you protecting yourself from dying or getting sick, but you are also protecting your family members and other compromised individuals," Pryor said. Some corporations are also beginning to reverse mask policies following new guidance from the CDC. Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, will begin requiring all workers, included vaccinated ones, in areas with high infection rates to wear masks. The company said it is also encouraging customers to wear masks in those stores with high infection rates and will add signs at entrances, according to a memo sent to workers on July 30. The Associated Press reported the company is also doubling the incentive for workers in stores, clubs, transportation, distribution centers and fulfillment centers to get the vaccine for $150. Workers who already received a $75 incentive will receive another $75 in their paycheck dated Aug. 19. Walmart Inc. said it will share details in the future about the implementation of a new process to verify the vaccine status of workers in the United States. To find a nearby vaccine location in South Carolina, go to vaxlocator.dhec.sc.gov. Statewide numbers New cases reported: 1,392 confirmed, 811 probable. Total cases in S.C.: 505,676 confirmed, 111,472 probable. Percent positive: 12.5 percent. New deaths reported: 2 confirmed, 0 probable. Sign up for our new health newsletter The best of health, hospital and science coverage in South Carolina, delivered to your inbox weekly. Email Sign Up! Total deaths in S.C.: 8,731 confirmed, 1,173 probable. Percent of ICU beds filled: 70 percent. S.C. residents vaccinated DHEC's vaccine dashboard shows that 51 percent of the state's residents have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 44.5 percent have completed vaccination. Hardest-hit areas In the total number of newly confirmed cases, Horry County (145), Lexington County (121) and Richland County (109) saw the highest totals. What about tri-county? Charleston County had 92 new cases on July 30, while Berkeley County had 53 and Dorchester County had 57. Deaths DHEC did not report the ages of the two people who died in the July 30 data. Hospitalizations Of the 453 COVID-19 patients hospitalized as of July 30, 133 were in the ICU and 49 were using ventilators. What do experts say? The Delta variant grew from less than 1 percent of cases in May to more than 80 percent in July, according to DHEC. This variant spreads about twice as easily as past strains of the virus, and its victims are mostly unvaccinated people. Getting vaccinated helps prevent severe illness, hospitalization and death. Call 866-365-8110 or go to scdhec.gov/vaxfacts for more information or help finding a vaccine provider. The Department of Defense said this week people at South Carolina's military bases are now required to wear masks as the federal government begins to issue new guidance over growing worries about the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus. "Effective immediately, in accordance with CDC guidelines and DoD direction service members, federal employees, onsite contractor employees, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a mask in an indoor setting in installations and other facilities owned, leased or otherwise controlled by DoD in the Pentagon Reservation," the Department of Defense said in a statement on July 28. Unvaccinated individuals must wear a mask while on Department of Defense property and must practice social distancing. Those who have received the vaccine may chose not to wear a mask outside and do not need to obey social distancing guidelines. Military bases in the state, such as Joint Base Charleston, Shaw Air Force Base, Fort Jackson, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island and Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, alerted service members on social media this week. There is no mask mandate in South Carolina, meaning service members can remove a face covering once leaving federal property. Regardless, many airmen, sailors, soldiers and Marines didn't take the new guidance well and reacted angrily on social media. For example, on Parris Island's Facebook page, one Marine complained about the measure and asked why masks are necessary because of the prevalence of the vaccine. Sign up for our SC Military Digest newsletter Get exclusive military reporting, updates from Palmetto State bases, headlines from around the globe and more delivered to your inbox each Tuesday. Email Sign up! Chief Warrant Officer Bobby Yarbrough, a spokesman for Parris Island, responded to the young Marine's comment, pointing out that the vaccine was voluntary and many are still unvaccinated. "We actually have the lowest vaccination rate of all the services," Yarbrough wrote in response. "Due to growing cases across the nation, we have to implement measures to protect both the vaccinated and unvaccinated. Face masks are a simple, practical measure that we can easily enforce across the Marine Corps to mitigate the risks associated with COVID-19." While vaccination rates among the ranks are not widely publicized, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said earlier this month about 70 percent of the active-duty service members across all branches have received at least one dose. During the pandemic, the total number of COVID deaths in the military was 26 as of July 21, according to the Department of Defense. But the federal government is slowly working to make the vaccine mandatory for the service branches as transmission among heathy individuals still remains a concern. Most recently, the Department of Veterans Affairs on July 26 ordered that the majority of its front-line health care workers get vaccinated. The military under President Joe Biden is looking at the possibility of requiring troops to receive the vaccine, but it cannot legally do so until the Food and Drug Administration issues its final approval for the drugs. Presently, the COVID vaccines are approved under an emergency-use authorization. Charleston County is considering how to spend $80 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding, and an initial list of priorities approved July 29 by County Council does not specifically mention affordable housing. Councilmen Kylon Middleton and Rob Wehrman have been pressing for the county to dedicate millions of dollars to creating affordable housing, potentially by funding a housing trust. Both voted against the county's $271.6 million budget June 22 because it lacked such spending. The American Rescue Plan Act is sending billions in COVID-19 relief funds to South Carolina's state and local governments $80 million for Charleston County, on top of the recently approved budget and governments are now planning how to spend it. At the July 29 meeting, Council Chairman Teddie Pryor said the county shouldn't create any new programs or initiatives that would require local funding once the federal dollars are spent. This is only for two years of funding, so when we do these things, we dont want to start a program the county will have to fund when two years are up," he said. This is just a one-time grant, and when money runs out it is not the countys responsibility to keep these things going." While the funds are meant to be committed within two years, the county has up to six years to complete projects using ARPA funds, Deputy Administrator Christine DuRant said. For now, the county has started the process of setting its priorities by laying out four broad categories, which County Council approved Thursday night. They are: "Making Charleston County Whole" completing backlogged public-works projects, catching up on deferred maintenance and purchases and potentially giving "premium pay" to critical staff. "Accessibility and Connectivity" broadband and digital equity, cybersecurity, equal access to county services in rural areas, an expansion of public safety and bicycle and pedestrian pathways. "Economic Stability for All" housing security, small business stabilization, building grassroots capacity to serve the community, and behavioral health support. "Resilience and Infrastructure" addressing flooding and drainage issues, improving access to sewer, septic and water. Any of those categories, such as addressing flooding or completing public works projects, could easily consume $80 million. Some, such as expanding public safety, could create ongoing expenses for the county. "We're not ready to identify projects or prioritize these," said Kendra Stewart, director of the Joseph P. Riley Jr. Center for Livable Communities at the College of Charleston. The center is helping the county develop a plan. She said laying out the four broad priority areas and submitting them to the Treasury Department is a first step. "Where are we about finalizing our understanding of what is allowed?" Wehrman asked. The county has been seeking federal guidance about the rules, and specifically, whether money can be used to support or establish a housing trust, as Wehrman and Middleton have advocated. Stewart said the county is waiting for answers. The hard negotiations lay ahead as the county moves into discussing specific programs and spending needs. Councilman Henry Darby said he wants to make sure some funding is used to help veterans. Wehrman said the county might need to use some of the money to expand vaccination efforts, if the resurgence of COVID cases continues. Forecasters with the National Weather Service are warning of excessive heat in the Charleston area over the weekend through Aug. 1. The agency's Charleston-area office issued an excessive heat warning for July 30, saying high heat and humidity would increase the danger of heat-related illness. Temperatures were expected to reach 95 degrees on July 30, with heat index values as high as 117 degrees in the coastal counties of southeast South Carolina and southeast Georgia, the weather service said. The heat index, also known as the apparent temperature, is what the temperature feels like to the human body when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature, according to the weather service. High humidity makes it more difficult for perspiration to evaporate from the body, disrupting the body's ability to regulate temperature. July 31 is expected to bring a high of 94 and heat index of 109 degrees, according to the weather service. The high temperature on Aug. 1 is expected to be around 93 degrees. Peter Mohlin, a meteorologist with the weather service's Charleston area office, said that temperatures and humidity over the weekend likely won't be high enough to trigger excessive heat warnings, but cautioned that conditions will still pose a risk. The agency could issue heat advisories for both days, Mohlin said. Everyone in the Lowcountry should be aware of the temperature, stay in air-conditioned areas and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Extreme heat and humidity increases the potential for heat-related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities, the weather service said. Residents also were urged to stay out of the sun and check on relatives and neighbors. It's never safe to leave children, people with disabilities or pets inside an unattended vehicle, the Weather Service said. Temperatures inside a vehicle can climb to fatal levels in as little as 10 minutes. So far in 2021, 10 children have died from overheating after being left in cars, according to the organization KidsandCars.org, which tracks such deaths. In 2020, there were 26 such deaths. Since 1990, 1,000 children have died in hot cars, according to the organization. The animal-rights group PETA also said the day's temperatures "will put dogs at high risk of enduring heat prostration and dying." PETA encouraged pet owners to touch the pavement before walks to ensure that it wont burn dogs foot pads; be alert to a long, curled-up tongue and heavy panting, which is how dogs cool themselves since they cannot sweat; and walk only in the shade or on dirt or grass; and never leave animals outdoors in extreme heat or inside vehicles. South Carolina's prisons are in the midst of a policy change officials hope will lead to fewer people reoffending and improved public safety. The S.C. Department of Corrections is expanding its reentry program from six months to two years, and all prisoners have been reclassified using a system officials say will give the Palmetto State's incarcerated population extra incentives for good behavior, seeking out job training and education. "I think itll be transformational," Corrections Director Bryan Stirling said. "I would say we're setting them up for success." Stirling's work around reentry began in 2013, shortly after he took over the state prison system. That October, he observed a prisoner release. "I was quickly appalled at what I saw," he said. "We had folks leaving who had no skills, no identification, no clothes. They left in prison (uniforms). I came back and told my folks we needed to do better. Fast forward and weve seen that. Weve got the lowest recidivism rate in the whole country." Despite the progress, Stirling and his team say more needs to be done. They hope to build on their current reentry program, which runs out of three prisons Manning, Kershaw and Lieber correctional institutions by expanding the effort throughout the prison system. A significant part of that project lies in reclassifying South Carolina's incarcerated population. Under the old system, prisoners were divided into three levels. Which level a prisoner ended up in was based on the sentence, with one being prisoners serving the least time and three being those serving the most. How much time they had to serve determined what category they were put into, Stirling said. The system led to stagnation within South Carolina's prisons, he said. Prisoners were given few incentives to improve themselves with the skills they need to avoid reoffending after their release. It also led to violent offenders mixing with less-violent or nonviolent offenders because the classification system was overly broad, Stirling said. To change that, the director and his staff developed a new system they debuted in February 2020. Reclassification of existing inmates was paused during the coronavirus pandemic while all new inmates were sorted under the new system. Inmates are now classified under one of three categories: minimum custody, medium custody and close custody, according to documents provided by the S.C. Department of Corrections. For their first year in custody, inmates receive points for their age, education level, criminal history, escape history, history of assaults on other inmates or staff, and whether they're gang-affiliated, according to the department. After inmates serve a year, the new classification system begins placing more weight on each person's behavior while incarcerated rather than on their background, according to the department. Their disciplinary histories and participation in work or education programs are considered in addition to the prior categories. The department's projections show many inmates will be moving from close to medium custody, freeing up space and resources to move inmates who must be kept in close custody into a single-cell housing plan and increasing safety for inmates and prison staff. "Were doing this safely," Stirling said. "I want South Carolinians to know that although someone may move a level, there's physically no structural difference from a level three to a level two facility. If youre at a level two, theres an incentive to behave because if you dont, you could get moved to a level three." As prisoners move down levels, they're afforded more freedoms, including the chance to work in an outside job if they're in a minimum custody facility, the director said. "You could be out working in society, then you return (to custody) at the end of your shift," Stirling said. "It's not just about working. We want them to start a career, pay victim restitution, pay child support, pay for room and board, save for the future, save their first month's rent; it'll allow them to safely and stably reenter society." To further that goal, the director said he and his staff are constantly coordinating with employers around the state who are willing to give current inmates and the formerly incarcerated a chance. Stirling said he tailors education and training opportunities offered by his department to the economic needs of the Palmetto State. If employers tell him they need skilled laborers, forklift operators, welders, plumbers, electricians or other tradesmen, the director said he makes sure to partner with technical colleges that offer certificates in those areas. For Stirling, having all inmates better themselves while incarcerated is of the utmost importance. "Eighty-five percent of people get out in under five years, 95 in under 10 years," he said. "We have a choice as a state. Do you want someone who has a place to stay, has a career and a future, or do you want someone who doesn't have a place to live, doesn't know where their next meal is coming from and doesn't have mental health help? You want the first person." Work on prisoner reentry isn't limited to the state prison system. Earlier this year, the S.C. Commission for Minority Affairs released the state's first comprehensive reentry resource guide. The 128-page document compiles information on critical steps for anyone coming back into society after incarceration, such as how to get identification, access health care, employment help, housing and other steps that have been proven to keep people from reoffending after release. Delores Dacosta, the commission's executive director, said she and her staff work hand in hand with state agencies, including the Department of Corrections, to ensure current and former inmates have access to the guide. "This is well overdue," Dacosta said. "We wanted to make sure these people had one place to look, whether it was for housing, transportation, medical services or something else. We have to look at the formerly incarcerated as people, not criminals. It's time to open up your minds and your hearts, and allow them a true opportunity to become valuable, taxpaying citizens of South Carolina." For more information on the commission's guide, visit cma.sc.gov/second-chance. For more information on the Corrections Department's reclassification program, visit doc.sc.gov/family/classification.html. The 13th Street Bridge, that connects Georgia to South Carolina, will be under inspection starting Aug. 2. United Consulting, with the Georgia Department of Transportation, will be conducting soil surveys and bridge foundation investigations from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for six business days. An inside left lane closure from Reynolds Street in Augusta going to the Savannah River is planned for parts of work. Drivers will move to the outside lane to travel into South Carolina. The construction is weather dependent. The Georgia Department of Transportation is still seeking feedback on a replacement of the existing bridge with improved pedestrian and bicycle connectivity between the two states. Citizens can review and submit comments on the project by visiting their feedback website. Friday, Aug. 13, is the last day to submit comments for the public record. Recently, 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson determined there wasnt enough cause to criminally charge two deputies for Jamal Sutherlands death at the Charleston County jail. An investigation found that while clear negligence by the officers was a factor in Sutherlands death, there was no finding of criminal intent. The state Legislature needs to pass an excessive force law to seek justice in cases such as Sutherlands. The state has a law that addresses the civil legal implications of negligence by government employees, but it is inadequate in providing proper damages. I am referring to the South Carolina Tort Claims Act. This law is the exclusive (state) remedy for any tort committed by an employee of a governmental entity unless the employees conduct was outside the scope of his official duties or constitutes actual fraud, actual malice, intent to harm or a crime involving moral turpitude. Unless one of these conditions is proven, the government employee as well as the employer will have limited immunity from liability. Where the law fails is that the plaintiff is barred from recovering punitive damages, which are awarded to punish the defendant. In may cases where government negligence is involved, punitive damages are the bulk of the award. They are meant to deter others from engaging in similar conduct that formed the basis of the lawsuit. Prohibiting punitive damages means the law provides no incentives for other government employees to refrain from engaging in similar acts. The only way around this is to file a federal lawsuit for deprivation of rights under U.S. Code 42, Section 1983, which allows an individual the right to sue state government employees and others acting under color of state law for civil rights violations. This is a more involved process and deters many from seeking justice after being wronged by a government employees negligence. The state Legislature must revise the S.C. Tort Claims Act to remove this bar to recovery. J. BROOKS DAVIS Attorney Coleman Boulevard Mount Pleasant Expand airport now Charleston International Airport is bursting at the seams. The 2016 expansion has already been outgrown. The concourses are crowded and have inadequate seating. The need for a major, future-looking redevelopment is approaching quickly. The Charleston County Aviation Authority has announced plans to add a Concourse C in a few years. The metro population, now at 817,000, is expected to surpass 1 million by 2040. The tsunami of tourists grows larger. The Concourse C plan is not adequate to meet future needs. Instead, the Aviation Authority should consider building an expandable Terminal 2 with room for at least two concourses that could share the current baggage claim area. Charleston is a world-class destination and will soon be a major metropolitan area. Our airport should be of a size and scope to reflect that. GREGORY WEST Sandshell Drive Charleston Facts and fictions Sign up for our opinion newsletter Get a weekly recap of South Carolina opinion and analysis from The Post and Courier in your inbox on Monday evenings. Email Sign Up! Misinformation or disinformation. Both mean incorrect information, but the latter includes an intent to misinform. Regardless of the motives of the informant, whenever the misinformation causes harm, the question is culpability. In the case of COVID-19 vaccinations, the scientific and medical facts are well established, therefore intent to misinform is not worth arguing, but culpable negligence is. Those who, through culpable negligence, cause public harm should not hold FCC broadcast licenses, and social media platforms should not get a pass just because they did not author the misinformation; they just disseminated it. The First Amendment was not written to give a free pass to malcontents to cause harm to society by intent or culpable negligence and reap profits from their sensationalism. RALPH WOOD Coburg Road Charleston Respect liberties Kudos to the Sunday editorial regarding the difference between honorable, peaceful protests and the nihilistic destructive behavior by those who would tear our democracy down. I recall that at an anti-war protest near the United Nations in the 1960s, a large group of us were cordoned off by the New York Police Department, which was called out in force to deal with any potential out-of-control or illegal behavior. When a fellow protester began to bait an officer who was part of the phalanx surrounding us, I turned to him and said, Shut up. The officer is only doing his job (professionally, I might add). The First Amendment enumerates sacred liberties bestowed on us by our founders. It does not, however, give license for unrestrained, boorish and illegal behavior. STEVEN MORRIS Oconee Loop Mount Pleasant Give council credit I was pleased to see the Charleston County social services building, across from the former Naval Hospital, will be named for County Council Chairman Teddie Pryor. He doesnt deserve all the credit, though; the other council members names should be listed as well. That way Charleston County taxpayers will always know who was behind the $30 million-plus that was lost on the hospital project through the councils mismanagement. I am usually against naming bridges, buildings, overpasses and libraries for elected officials. Not this time. TIM CARSWELL Kentwood Circle Charleston Goose Creek, SC (29445) Today Thunderstorms likely. High 82F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Localized flooding is possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Localized flooding is possible. A POST-NATIVE PERSPECTIVE I dont know about you, but nothing can get me to watch the 2021 Olympics. Not Simone Biles, not transgender athletes, not the 100-meter track Read more Joe Bidens descent into dementia continues apace. Earlier today he was on a public Zoom conference when an aide stepped into the picture to hand him a note: What followed was frankly disgusting, and I prefer not to write about it. You can get the details here. This is the video: After a staffer gives Joe Biden a note saying, theres something on your chin, Biden wipes his chin. Then appears to put whatever was on his chin in his mouth? pic.twitter.com/VvN17i4IWY RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 30, 2021 The absurd pretense on the part of the Democratic Party and its press that Joe Biden is fit to discharge the duties of his office is endangering our country. Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington, D.C., says she will ask the city council to spend $11 million to hire 20 police officers in the next few months and 150 police officers in fiscal year 2022. With homicides and shootings up in D.C., and with George Floyd fever finally starting to break, one can understand Bowsers decision. But even if Bowser gets the increase, and she may not, it will only offset the $10 million cut to the police budget imposed last year after Floyds death in faraway Minneapolis. Its also unclear whether D.C. would be able to hire 180 competent police officers in todays climate. Given the demonization of the police by the politically ascendant left and the hazards of policing an increasingly lawless city, becoming an officer in D.C. doesnt seem like an attractive proposition unless one is desperate for a job or desperate to exercise authority. I wish Mayor Bowser and the city good luck. They will need it. In a related development, the D.C. police has arrested a suspect in the killing of 6-year-old Nyiah Courtney. This shooting, in which five others were wounded, produced the community outrage that likely pushed Bowser finally to call for re-funding the police. The suspect, 22-year-old Marktwan Hargraves, should probably have been in prison. At the time he is alleged to have killed the little girl, Hargraves was free awaiting trial in Maryland on charges that included motor vehicle theft and illegal possession of a handgun. He was arrested on these charges back in 2020. Trial was scheduled for this October. Hargraves lawyer in that case said he was shocked by the murder charge. He described Hargraves as a good, respectful client who doesnt have much of a criminal record. I suppose this depends on the meaning of much. Had Hargraves been convicted of motor vehicle theft and illegal possession of a handgun, he could still be characterized as non-violent in addition to respectful. Which tends to show how meaningless the non-violent appellation is when it comes to assessing the danger posed by convicted felons. Further evidence comes from the police investigation into the murder of young Nyiah Courtney. It took place on a notorious block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Southeast D.C. According to an assistant U.S. attorney in D.C., this block and the surrounding area have been essentially taken over by the MLK crew, which is distributing narcotics on a daily basis. Courtneys father is believed to have been targeted by and/or involved with that crew. The bipartisan jailbreak crowd, in which former president Donald Trump enrolled, considers drug felons to be non-violent offenders. Law abiding residents of Southeast D.C. would probably disagree. In fact, even as Bowser and other city officials were discussing the need for more police officers, yet another person was killed in Southeast, about a mile from where Nyiah Courtney was gunned down. Violence is an inherent byproduct of felonious drug dealing. Any criminal justice policy inconsistent with this reality threatens public safety and puts innocent lives at risk, no matter how many police officers a city hires. Bettina Love is a leading proponent of the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT). Stanley Kurtz calls her 2019 book We Want to Do More Than Survive arguably the single most comprehensive and up-to-date guide to the ideology of the CRT movement in education. I call it incendiary, and if you read Kurtzs summary of the book, you will probably agree. So might Love. Love is a co-founder of the Abolitionist Teaching Network (ATN). Her group produced a booklet that asks teachers to disrupt Whiteness and other forms of oppression. Recently, the Biden administration promoted this booklet. After being called out for doing so, the administration disavowed ATN and claimed that its touting of ATNs program was an error. An error, it certainly was. Little could be more erroneous than backing a group that equates Whiteness with oppression and wants teachers to promote anti-White sentiment. But did the Biden Education Department commit this error unintentionally? Almost certainly not. As Kurtz says: Bettina Love is all the rage among progressive educators (i.e., the entire education establishment), including leading members of Bidens Education Department. . . . Since the Biden administration was caught promoting ATNs attack on Whiteness, a series of reports from Fox News have suggested that, despite disavowals, that was no mistake. Top Education Department officials have ties to Bettina Love. The Biden Education Department clearly loves CRT, and that is the important point. The departments supposed retreat from CRT in its priority criteria for grants in history and civics is smoke and mirrors. So is its disavowal of Bettina Love. The links in these paragraphs document the ties between Team Biden and Love. For example, a top Biden Education Department appointee, Cindy Marten, hosted a diversity training session during which, in introducing Love, she praised the race agitator effusively. At the time, Marten headed the San Diego school system, which paid Love $11,000 for speaking at the event. In addition, acting Assistant Secretary Donna Harris-Aikens, who heads the office that published the ATN booklet, was a senior official with the National Education Association when it hosted Love at an event in June 2020. As for the claim that the Biden Education Departments embrace of Love and her racist outfit somehow was a slip-up, former Secretary of Education Betsy De Vos says that, given the way the Department operates, that embrace could only have occurred with the sign-off of top administrators. De Vos adds: We saw earlier this year, the grant process the department put out that basically was trying to bribe schools into using the 1619 Project in their materials. So this is just another reflection of the true nature of the Biden Department of Education. The Biden administration isnt truly backing away from Love, her organizations booklet, or CRT. It is simply trying to hide the ball while congressional Democrats work to pass one of their civics bills. And, as Kurtz warns, if congressional Democrats manage to pass one of [them], it will be easy for the Biden administration to route that money to advocates who will not only push the work of the Abolitionist Teaching Network, but many other versions of protest civics and CRT. ADVERTISEMENT Naira gained against the U.S. dollar at the parallel market segment on Thursday, after setting an all-time devaluation record in the previous session of the market. Data posted on abokiFX.com, a website that collates parallel rates in Lagos showed that the local unit closed at N520.00 per $1, this represents a N5.00 or 1.00 per cent appreciation from the N525.00 it traded in the previous session on Wednesday. This happened 48-hour after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) ban on the sales of forex to Bureau De Change operators took effect. The CBN on Tuesday ended the sales of forex to Bureau De Change operators saying the unofficial market has become a conduit for illicit forex flows and graft. The bank has also commenced the refund of the N35 million minimum capital deposits to applicants of Bureau De Change licenses. The bank advised the BDC promoters to write to the banks Director of Financial Policy and Regulations Department, requesting for their refund. However, the local unit fell slightly against the U.S dollar at the official market on Thursday, data published on the FMDQ Security Exchange where forex is officially traded showed. According to the data posted, the naira closed at N411.67 per $1, this implies a N0.07 or 0.02 per cent depreciation from the N411.60 rate it traded in the previous session. The currency experienced an intraday high of N387.67 and a low of N413.00, before settling at N411.67 on Thursday. This occurred as forex turnover plummeted by 83.51 per cent, with $58.07 million posted at the end of the market session as against the $352.07 million recorded in the previous session on Wednesday. The spread between the official market and the black market segment rates is pegged at N108.33, leaving a margin of 21.00 per cent as of the close of business Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT The turnover of BUA Cement PLC from the inception of the year to June touched N124.3 billion, with the height of growth approaching one quarter over what posted in the corresponding period of last year, the half year financials of Nigerias fourth most capitalised company showed on Friday. The firm rode on a sweeping boom in building and construction that stoked cement demand as Nigeria reopened to economic activities following coronavirus lockdowns to report substantial growth across key performance metrics, with profit margin an indicator of how much of profit comes from revenue standing at 34.9 per cent. In November, the cost of a 50kg bag of cement rocketed by one-third to N3,600, a Nigerian property developer told Reuters in May, and a finding by PREMIUM TIMES this month confirmed a recent hike of N300 in the factory price of each bag of the binder leaving BUAs factory. The company looks to up output by as much as 3 million metric tonnes come year-end, the entire bulk coming from a new plant in Guyuk in the north-east. For the half-year period, pre-tax profit climbed 26.9 per cent higher to N49.7 billion, just as profit after tax was stronger by one-fourth at N43.4 billion. Shares in the cement-maker were trading up 1.04 per cent at N67.30 per unit in Lagos at 12:50 WAT. Yet, there was a slight concern raised on the asset side of the financials, coming from a depletion by almost half in total current assets. Here, cash and short term deposits tumbled from N123.821 billion to N57.326 billion, mounting pressure on the companys capacity to meet its urgent financial obligations when they fall due. ADVERTISEMENT The Kaduna State Government says it will appeal the judgment of the state high court that discharged and acquitted the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, of all charges brought against him by the state government on Wednesday. PREMIUM TIMES reported how Justice Gideon Kurada of the Kaduna State High Court upheld the no-case submission by Mr El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenat. The court said the charges were retroactive as the state government arraigned them for an alleged act that was not a crime at the time they were allegedly committed. The court held that the charges were filed against Mr El-Zakzaky and his wife in 2018, in pursuant to a Penal law enacted by the state government in 2017, over an alleged offence committed in 2015. But the lead prosecution counsel, Dari Bayero, told Daily Trust Thursday night that there was no doubt that the government would appeal the case. Mr Bayero said: We are going to appeal, there is no doubt about it. In fact, we have obtained the court judgment because we are not in agreement with My Lords reasoning and conclusion. It is not in consonance with the facts on ground. The Judgement According to one of the defence counsels, Sadau Garba, the court found that the eight-count charge filed in 2018 against Mr El-Zakzaky was pursuant to the penal law enacted by the state government in 2017, while the defendants were alleged to have committed the crime in 2015. Also, the lead counsel to the defendants, Marshal Abubakar, who represented the counsel to the case, Femi Falana SAN, told reporters that the trial of Mr El-Zakzaky and his wife Zeenat has come to end as the court found them not guilty of the alleged crime filed against them by the Kaduna State government. The court ruled that the charge was incompetent as the court agreed that El-Zakzaky and his wife had committed no offence, Mr Abubakar said. The court also ruled that the events of December 12 and 15 December 2015 were not an offence and cannot be attributed to the defendants. The court, thereby, discharged and acquitted the defendants as there should have been no charge in the first place. No party asked for a fine, he said. The Kaduna State Director of Public Prosecution, Dari Bayero, had declined to speak to reporters after the court judgment. The couple has been standing trial in the court for the past four years on an eight-count charge of culpable homicide, disruption of public peace and unlawful assembly among others. The government accused them of being responsible for the death of a soldier when soldiers massacred over 300 protesting Shiites in December 2015. Three persons named along with a popular Nigerian police officer, Abba Kyari, as co-accused in a $1.1 million transnational cyber-fraud, have been arrested, new court documents obtained by PREMIUM TIMES have revealed. They are: Yusuf Adeyinka Anifowoshe (aka AJ or Alvin Johnson), Rukayat Motunraya Fashola (aka Morayo) and Bolatito Tawakalitu Agbabiaka (aka Bolamide). Court documents showed that Mr Anifowoshe and Ms Fashola were arrested at their separate homes in New York, on July 22. Another set of documents also showed that Ms Agbabiaka was arrested in New Jersey, and subsequently granted bail in the sum of $150,000. The three are part of the six persons, including Mr Kyari, who will be facing three charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to engage in money laundering, and aggravated identity theft, at a U.S. District Court of Central District Court of California. The court had, in its order unveiling the indictment on July 26, issued a warrant for the arrest of the Nigerian-based Mr Kyari, who has, in a Facebook post, denied any wrongdoing regarding the matter. PREMIUM TIMES reports how the U.S. government described Mr Kyari as a high risk defendant in giving reasons for asking for an arrest warrant against him. The two other co-accused, whose status cannot be immediately ascertained by PREMIUM TIMES are: Abdulrahman Juma (aka Abdul and Rahman), and Kelly Chibuzo Vincent, who is believed to be based in Nigeria. Ramon Abbas, a former Nigerian Instagram celebrity, better known as Hushpuppi, who is believed to have spearheaded the scheme along with Juma, Chibuzo and others, has been in custody since his arrest in June 2020. Hushpuppi, who was arrested in Dubai, the United Arab Emirate (UAE), and repatriated to the U.S. to face trial, recently pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering involving the proceeds of the fraud and other schemes that have been uncovered against him by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The offence attracts maximum imprisonment of 20 years with full restitution and other punishments, his plea agreement he entered into with the U.S. government stated. Arrests On how Mr Anifowoshe and Ms Fashola were arrested, FBI special agent, Andrew Innocenti, recalled in an affidavit that the U.S. District Court of Central Carlifornia had issued warrants for their arrest on April 29, 2021. He said the addresses of the duo were obtained based on surveillance before law enforcement agents visited their homes to execute the arrest warrant. What appeared to be simultaneous operations were then carried out at their homes to effect the arrest warrants. According to Mr Innocenti, law enforcement agents visited Mr Anifowoshes house at 2885 West 15th Street, #6C, Brooklyn, New York on July 22. On July 22, 2021, law enforcement agents went to 2885 West 15th Street, #6C, Brooklyn, New York. Upon execution of a search warrant at that address, a male came to the door, Mr Innocenti said. Mr Anifowoshe was promptly recognised based on law enforcement agents comparison to his known photo. The special agent said further, Law enforcement agents identified themselves to ANIFOWOSHE and asked for his name. ANIFOWOSHE confirmed that he was ANIFOWOSHE. ADVERTISEMENT Law enforcement agents obtained ANIFOWOSHEs passport. The name and photograph of ANIFOWOSHE on the passport matched the ANIFOWOSHE for whose arrest warrant was issued on April 29, 2021 in the Central District of California based on law enforcement databases. The appearance of the individual who identified himself as ANIFOWOSHE matches the appearance known to law enforcement for ANIFOWOSHE wanted in the Central District of California. He said following the confirmation of his identity, there is probable cause to believe that the defendant ANIFOWOSHE is the defendant ANIFOWOSHE who is wanted in the Central District of California. Law enforcement encountered Ms Fasholas family members Mr Innocentis account indicates that he partook in the arrest of Ms Fashola at her home at 48 Irving Street, Valley Stream, New York, where she was residing with family members. On July 22, 2021, I went to 48 Irving Street, Valley Stream, New York. FASHOLAs family members answered the door, the FBI special agent said. The agents were admitted into the house after family members confirmed that she was in. They were then led upstairs where Ms Fashola was at the time. This was immediately followed by an identity confirmation procedure similar to the one carried out at Mr Anifowoshes residence was carried out. I recognised the female upstairs as FASHOLA, based on my comparison of the female to a known photo of FASHOLA. Law enforcement agents identified themselves to FASHOLA. FASHOLA identified herself as FASHOLA, Mr Innocenti said. The suspect, according to him, also confirmed her identity during a custodial interview. In a custodial interview, I asked FASHOLA for name and her date of birth and FASHOLA provided her name and date of birth, which matched the date of birth for the FASHOLA whose arrest warrant was issued on April 29, 2021, in the Central District of California, he stated. The special agent added, Based on law enforcement records, I know this to be FASHOLAs date of birth. He also said her appearance matches the appearance known to law enforcement for the FASHOLA wanted in the Central District of California. Based on the foregoing, I submit that there is probable cause to believe that the defendant FASHOLA is the defendant FASHOLA who is wanted in the Central District of California, he added. Granted bail, to be taken to Carlifornia Details of how the third defendant, Ms Agbabiaka, was arrested in New Jersey were not contained in the documents seen by PREMIUM TIMES. But court records confirmed that she was granted bail by a magistrate judge, Jessica Allen, of U.S. District Court of New Jersey in Newark on July 22, 2021. The bail bond was set at $150,000. Mr Anifowoshe and Ms Fashola were similarly granted bail by Peggy Kuo, a magistrate judge of the Eastern District Court of New York in Brooklyn also on July 2021. While the bail bond for Mr Anifowoshe was set at $300,000, that of Ms Fashola was set at $150,000. The government has however applied to the courts for an order for the defendants to be removed to the Central District of California so that they may be dealt with according to law. Case against Kyari, others Mr Innocenti detailed how a Qatari businessperson was swindled of $1.1 million in a court document. He said Hushpuppi, known for displaying his opulent lifestyle on Instagram, brought Mr Kyari into the scheme to arrange the arrest of a rival ringleader, Chibuzo. PREMIUM TIMES previous report contains Mr Innocentis account of how Hushpuppi and Mr Kyari met in Dubai in September 2019. Mr Innocenti said Mr Chibuzo, displeased with his cut of the proceeds of the crimes he was getting from Hushpuppi, had discouraged the victim businessperson from further making payments to other ringleaders, in his bid to hijack the scheme. The FBI agent revealed that in line with Hushpuppis instruction, Mr Kyari, a Nigerian deputy commissioner of police, arrested and jailed Mr Chibuzo for about month. Mr Kyari sent Mr Chibuzos photograph in custody to Hushpuppi, the federal agent said, adding that he also facilitated payments from ABBAS to the Nigeria Police Force personnel, who arrested CHIBUZO. This, according to Mr Innocenti, was to ensure CHIBUZOs continued arrest, thereby preventing CHIBUZO from notifying the Victim Businessperson of ABBAS and JUMAs fraudulent scheme and preventing CHIBUZO from hijacking the scheme for his own benefit. Mr Kyari was said to have told ABBAS that he would not allow Mr Chibuzos girlfriend to pay money to get Mr Chibuzo out of custody as he would have done for a normal arrest. The decorated Nigerian cop was said to have later provided a Zenith Bank account into which Hushpuppi paid some money for effecting Mr Chibuzos arrest. After Mr Chibuzos arrest, the special agent said, JUMA and ABBAS convinced the Victim Businessperson to make the payments of $299,983.58 described above. KYARIs knowing involvement in the scheme allowed ABBAS and JUMA to continue defrauding the Victim Businessperson undetected and receive money obtained from the Victim Businessperson after it was laundered, the document added. Mr Kyari has, however, denied any wrongdoing concerning the case. He said he only responded to a distress call from Hushpuppi, who claimed Mr Chibuzo wanted to kill his family members. He said Mr Chibuzo was arrested by his team and later released. According to him, it was found out that Mr Chibuzo had no such murderous plan as alleged by Hushpuppi, but that the duo only had disagreement concerning money. He said no one demanded money from Hushpuppi in handling the case. The Nigerian police authorities on Thursday said it had commenced a review into the allegations against one of its prominent law enforcement officers. ADVERTISEMENT The Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Masari, says he has no joy governing the state due to its plague of insecurity. Mr Madari, who spoke on Friday in an interview with DW Hausa, said the security situation of his state has been giving him sleepless nights.. In this difficult time and uncertainty, all the issue of governance has been dominated by security matters from sunset to dawn. I receive security reports at any moment through many channels daily, Mr Masari stated. The governor described the insecurity level of Katsina as alarming, stressing, no sensible leader who has the feeling of his people at heart will be happy in such situation. Governing in this difficult time I see no joy that people are saying we are enjoying. In this kind of situation we are having sleepless nights. You only have a few hours to sleep with your phone beneath your ears and whoever calls you at midnight wont do that to greet you but to tell you a problem that is happening. People misunderstood us (governors) as people enjoying themselves. Some people are just assuming things and we must not assume what we think is right because if someone is not in the system, he cannot understand the situation. The irony of this life is that a governor is being escorted with screaming siren so is the criminal being taken to prison, the dead person in an ambulance and firefighters all use sirens. So what is the joy about the sirens? Mr Masari queried. The paramount thing about governance is that once you are at the helm of affairs, always prepare to leave. You must not allow yourself to be carried away by the arrogance of power, the governor said. A hotelier and businessman has told an Ikeja Special Offence Court, Lagos, how a former regional manager in Access Bank Plc, Sydney Nmeka, allegedly forged cheques, falsified documents, and stole N50 million from an account belonging to his company Babatunde Emmanuel, the owner of Aerol Hotels Limited, accused the banker of authorising the illegal transfer of money from account No: 088952246 belonging to his hotel to other persons in such a manner that the transfer seemed to be from him. Mr Nmeka, the then Regional Manager at the Festac Branch, alongside Access Bank, is currently standing trial on a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy to commit felony, stealing, forgery, using false documents and false accounting. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), alleged that the defendants committed the offence sometime in 2014 in Lagos. A prosecution witness, Mr Emmanuel, narrated how Mr Nmeka used his position to forge his signature to divert funds from his companys loan account into other fraudulently non-existing/unregistered companies, with the bank, without his consent. Mr Emmanuel told the court that he met Mr Nmeka sometime in February 2014 when the defendant, who was Access Banks regional manager for Festac Town at the time, approached him with a bank loan offer. Led in evidence by EFCC prosecutor, Ayanfeoluwa Ogunsina, on Wednesday, Mr Emmanuel said, Sometime in 2014, Nmeka approached me with an offer of helping me secure a loan with Access bank, and I asked how because I had no account with the bank, at that time. Nmeka said I shouldnt worry that he would open an account for me and secure a loan of N50m. So he later opened the account, Aerols Hotel Ltd, and Access bank credited the account with the sum of N50 m sometime in May (two months after). But later, I realised that I wouldnt be needing up to N50m so I put a call across to Nmeka to return part of the money. But he advised that the money would be going to my loan account and that I can sign the cheque for him to be crediting my loan account. But surprisingly, the loan kept going up, even without my effort of repaying. So the company, Aerol Hotel Ltd, engaged the services of an auditor to audit its account with Access bank and the auditor discovered illegal and fraudulent transactions of debits in the account. Mr Emmanuel said the auditor found out that his signature was forged and used to withdraw very large sums from the account in favour of individuals and companies. Aerol Hotel Ltd account was debited and the funds were diverted to companies such as: Saviour Fair Montessori School (N500, 000), Dan Logistics Nigeria Ltd (N7m), J. O Universal Nigeria Concept Ltd (N5m), Helem Global Logistics Ltd (N5m), Sizu International Ltd (N15m) and Sydgold Investment Ltd (N10m). These companies were used to divert the funds paid to the loan account by me, geared towards paying down on the facility/loan account. Again, the sum of N15m paid for the reduction of the loan was fraudulently and criminally diverted to Sizu International company Limited rather than the purpose of loan liquidation. Sir, further inquiry into the companies used to criminally steal funds from the loan account were found not to be registered in CAC but they maintained accounts with Access Bank. I do not know these companies neither have I ever dealt with them personally or otherwise, the 49-year-old businessman said. During cross-examination, the witness was asked by the defence counsel, the reason he issued different post-dated cheques. He responded that he trusted what the defendant told him and never thought a bank manager would steal and defraud him or his company. He is the bank manager and I trusted him. That is why when he told me that I could issue those cheques, I did, Mr Emmanuel said. ADVERTISEMENT When also asked if the cheques he complained about was used to take money out of the company accounts and who signed it, the witness replied, I signed some, and didnt sign some. The witness further said that he never knew what was going on in the account until forensic analysis was carried out on the instruction of his lawyer. I dont do electronic transfers yet, some of this was known after forensic analysis was done on the account that a huge amount of money had gone out without my consent. My Lord, still this period didnt receive any SMS alert on my phone on all this transaction. So, what we decided was to quickly report to the EFCC and also write to the M.D of Access bank to complain of the fraudulent transaction. The matter was further adjourned till October 25 for a continuation of trial. The newly appointed Director of Defence Information, Benjamin Sawyerr, a major general, on Friday, assumed office with a call to the media to support the military to achieve its mandate of defending the country. Mr Sawyerr took over from Wap Maigida, an air commodore, who had been acting following the appointment of the former Director, Onyema Nwachukwu, a major general, as director, army public relations in June. Mr Sawyerr was the Commandant of the Nigerian Army Armoury School Bauchi, before his new appointment. In his address, he said the new assignment was a clarion call for him to contribute his quota towards the realisation of the leadership focus of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). He said the leadership focus of the CDS was, to foster a professional armed forces capable of effectively meeting its constitutional imperatives. The spokesperson said the leadership focus was being pursued vigourously in a professional manner, saying it would require the support of the media at all times. Mr Sawyerr said his responsibilities were to project the Nigerian armed forces, galvanise the support of the media and the citizens for all military engagements. He stated that the military, in synergy with other security agencies, had continued to work round the clock to surmount the nations numerous security challenges. These ugly developments, which have continued to affect the peaceful co-existence of the citizens of our dear country, would in no distant time be a thing of the past. I must, therefore, be quick to say that the media which is commonly referred to as the fourth estate of the realm is a vital component in the entire process. Let me, therefore, solicit the support of media operators in all spectrums to consider jettisoning sensational headlines that give undue publicity to perpetrators of acts of criminality that tend to undermine our national security, he said. Mr Sawyerr commended the defence correspondents for exhibiting a high sense of professionalism in the reportage of the fight against domestic and foreign adversaries over the years. According to him, it is ethical and patriotic to be objective, fair and balanced in media coverage and reportage. I want to also encourage you to maintain these journalistic virtues as you redouble your efforts in supporting the AFN to ensure that the needed peace is restored in all the troubled parts of our dear nation. Let me assure you of an open door policy and honest communication parameters that are proactive and responsive. It is important that we remain patriotic and responsive by providing credible, timely and actionable information to aid the armed forces and other security agencies in performing their constitutional roles, he said. Earlier, Mr Maigida, assured the new director of the unalloyed commitment and support of the entire staff of the directorate towards the attainment of set objectives. Mr Maigida said the media had been a veritable partner in galvanising goodwill and support for the military in the quest of maintaining national security, peaceful and harmonious coexistence among Nigerians. ADVERTISEMENT He urged the defence correspondents to continue to support the new director to succeed in his assignment. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Lagos State says it has ordered investigation into the authenticity of a recent viral social media video of a cow straying on the Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos. The FRSC Sector Commander, Olusegun Ogungbemide, said in a statement on Friday that the command had watched the trending video and condemned the incident totally. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday. I confirmed that the command had carefully watched the viral video and condemned the incident. The command has, therefore, directed full investigation into the authenticity of the viral video and the source of the cow to forestall future occurrence, the sector commander said. He, however, tasked livestock owners to ensure their animals were kept away from causing distractions to motorists plying the roads within the state. He also advised road users to be more vigilant and careful of avoidable and unexpected distractions on the expressway. The road safety boss added that motorists should promptly report road traffic crashes and other incidents by dialing FRSC Toll free number 122. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Oladayo Amao, has approved the immediate establishment of a Directorate of Veterans Affairs, to stimulate better welfare packages for NAF veterans and their families. The Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, Edward Gabkwet, announced this in a statement on Friday in Abuja. Mr Gabkwet said that the new directorate, domiciled in the administration branch, would also be responsible for interfacing with similar structures in sister services to harness necessary benefits for NAF retirees, under existing Federal Government programmes for veterans. According to him, CAS disclosed this while declaring open a two-day conference for NAF Administrative and Medical personnel, at NAF Headquarters, Abuja. The director added that the conference attracted seasoned and erudite resource persons, with vast knowledge in human resource management, as well as experts in the field of medicine. Mr Amao noted that NAF considered the state of physical and mental well-being of its personnel which, he described as an important factor in sustaining morale and a force multiplier in ensuring operational effectiveness. He also pointed out that the conference was one in a series of conferences aimed at refocusing NAFs operational capabilities and bolstering the morale of personnel. The CAS emphasised that the strength of any armed service was not determined by its arsenal, but by the professionalism of its workforce, largely bolstered through robust human resource management. In the past two months, NAF had launched the telemedicine portal to ensure access to prompt medical attention, whilst promoting confidence in NAF medical services for enhanced morale and personnel productivity. He stated further that the outcome of such innovations would stimulate NAF human resource management efforts to be at par with global organisational standards and best practices. ALSO READ: NAF arrests four suspected railway track vandals in Enugu Mr Amao challenged participants to critically assess areas where NAF was lacking as regards personnel welfare and administration and come up with workable measures to mitigate their effects on the services operational capabilities. As a highly technical service that deals with sophisticated aircraft, equipment and military hardware, maintaining a highly skilled, efficient, healthy and motivated workforce should be the hallmark of our daily activities. To this end, we will continue to epitomise best human resource management practices to promote our operational effectiveness, he said. Mr Amao expressed the profound gratitude of NAF to President Muhammadu Buhari, for his unwavering and continued support to the service. The CAS also assured of NAFs commitment to the successful execution of its constitutional roles for a peaceful and united Nigeria. Earlier, the Air Secretary, Mahmud Madi stated that the timing of the conference was apt, considering the strategic importance of human resource in achieving organisational goals and objectives. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT The police have arrested five men for allegedly sodomising a 17-year old boy in Katsina State. The police spokesperson in the state, Gambo Isa, while parading the suspects at the command headquarters on Friday afternoon, said they serially raped the boy in different locations in the Katsina metropolis. One of the accused threatened to slaughter the boy if he dared say anything to anybody on the act, Mr Isa said. In another development, the police also arrested the wife of a suspected gun runner and bandit in the state, Nura Murnai. Mr Isa said his wife, Aisha, was arrested while boarding an Okada after returning from Kaduna where she allegedly collected money from her husbands business partner. The police spokesperson said after N2,400,000 was found in her bag, she confessed to be the one running errand for her husband. PREMIUM TIMES reports that Mr Murnai is one of the most wanted bandits and gun runners in the state. ADVERTISEMENT The Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) on Friday, donated multimillion Naira state-of-art equipment and a fully equipped emergency ambulance to the Paediatric Unit of the Gwarimpa General Hospital, Abuja as part of its Health Systems Support Initiative. ASR Africa also announced that it was adopting the Neonatal Unit of the hospital under this initiative as well as providing N500,000 towards a fund being setup to assist indigent patients in accessing quality healthcare at the hospital. These will be in addition to undertaking other refurbishments of the unit. While presenting the ambulance and Health Systems Support Grant to the management of the hospital in Abuja, the Managing Director of ASR Africa, Ubon Udoh, stated that this project was very dear to the founder of ASR Africa, Abdul Samad Rabiu who is also Chairman of BUA Group. According to Mr Udoh, The initiative to support the Paediatric Unit of the Hospital is a practical example of the commitment to social development by BUA Group as an organisation, and Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu as an individual. It is a practical show of his commitment to continue to provide sustainable solutions to development problems across the continent especially those that impact women and children. We are donating medical equipment to the neonatal unit worth over N60 million. We have taken a tour of the facilities and we are replacing all the equipment in the neonatal unit. We are also replacing some of the other equipment required in the broader paediatric unit. We also know that the hospital serves a huge population and there are a lot of indigent patients that come here. So, part of the discussion we are having is to open a small fund where indigent patients can be catered for. We will work with the hospitals social welfare team to provide ASR Africa with those who can be screened, whilst developing criteria for selecting beneficiaries. In his remarks, the Chief Medical Director of Gwarimpa General Hospital, Isyaku Musa, thanked Mr Samad Rabiu, for the gesture which according to him is worthy of emulation and assured that the equipment will be taken care of and put to good use. He also said the equipment will improve the quality of healthcare delivery in the hospital. ABOUT ASR AFRICA The brainchild of African Industrialist, Philanthropist and Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) was established in 2021 to provide sustainable, impact-based homegrown solutions to developmental issues affecting health, Education and Social Development within Africa. ADVERTISEMENT The Director-General (DG), National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Shuaibu Ibrahim, on Thursday, in Uyo, commiserated with the families of five corps members who died on Abuja-Abaji highway on Wednesday. The Corps members, who were indigenes of Akwa Ibom and graduated from the University of Uyo, lost their lives in the road crash on their way to the NYSC orientation camp in Katsina State. Mr Ibrahim, a brigadier general, also directed that the NYSC flag be flown at half mast for three days, in honour of the departed corps members. The DG said the news of the fatal road accident was a devastating blow to the entire NYSC family, and prayed God to grant the families of the deceased the fortitude to bear the loss. Yesterday was a black Wednesday in NYSC. We woke up with the sad news that five of our corps members lost their lives along Abuja-Abaji-Kwali expressway. I had to rush down to the hospital to really confirm if it was true, and at last, it was true. We are completely devastated and diminished, because as parents we know what it takes to train a child to this level. It is like an investment and it is an investment, but who are we to question God? There is nothing anyone can do than to pray God Almighty to give you the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss, Ibrahim told parents and relatives of the deceased at the 2 Brigade Headquarters, Nigeria Army, Uyo. The DG described the late corps members as patriotic Nigerians who were on their way to Kastina state to do their best for the country. He,however, cautioned against Corps members embarking on night travels, to ensure safety. Responding on behalf of the families, Isaiah Ekanem of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, uncle to one of the deceased, Victor Akpan, thanked the NYSC management for the prompt visit. Mr Ekanem, a reverend, appealed to the Federal Government and the NYSC to assist the families of the deceased Corps members to cushion the trauma they were passing through. With total submission to the will of God, may I say that what I am seeing here will go along way to console us. God will also give us the fortitude to bear the loss. I am praying that the federal government and the NYSC will devise a better means to mobilise corps members to avoid future occurrence. If I am given the opportunity, I will suggest that the NYSC limits mobilisation of corps members within their geopolitical zones to avoid long distance travels,. Mr Ekanem said. The DG had earlier paid a condolence visit to Governor Udom Emmanuel and the University of Uyo. ADVERTISEMENT The police in Imo have arrested the alleged Eastern Security Network (ESN) native doctor with Improvised Explosive Device (IED). This was contained in a statement by the Commissioner of Police, Abutu Yaro and signed by the commands Spokesman, Mike Abattam in Owerri. After a diligent forensic and technical intelligence gathering, the suspect, Benneth Okoli, 49, was arrested in his shrine at Akuma in Oru East LGA of Imo. On searching the shrine, one locally made IED, charms and weed suspected to be cannabis were recovered. The suspect on interrogation, made useful statements and is currently assisting the police to arrest the rest of his gang, presently on the run. The arrest is coming a few days after bandits had an encounter with the police in the area. Sequel to the attack on the Omuma Police Station in Oru East by bandits suspected to be the remnants of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and ESN terror groups, the CP dispatched the commands tactical teams led by ACP Benjamin Osuji. The team was directed to carry out discreet investigation and arrest the bandits involved in the attack of the police station. He said that the CP commended the gallantry displayed by the officers and men of the command, urging them to sustain the tempo. He also thanked the people of Imo for their support and solicited for an all society approach to sustaining the already improved security architecture in the state. Police formations and some public buildings had come under intense attacks of recent in Imo by men suspected to be operatives of the Eastern Security Network(ESN), although the leadership of ESN continues to deny any complicity in the attacks. The ESN is the militant wing of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra(IPOB), whose separatist leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was recently re-arrested and brought back to the country to face allegations of treason, among others, levelled against him by the Nigerian government. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT Johannesburg On July 28 internationally acclaimed Nigerian author and renowned feminist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie presented the second University of Cape Town (UCT) Vice-Chancellors Open Lecture titled The Idolatry of Theory: A Defense of Storytelling. But the universitys Students Representative Council (SRC) held a parallel lecture to boycott Ngozi Adichie, whom they accused of transphobia, with guest speaker Dr Anastacia Tomson who spoke on the dangers of sectional feminism in the context of trans women. They boycotted Ngozi Adichies lecture because of an interview with BBC in 2017, where she said trans women are trans women in response to a question about whether she considers trans women as real women. She apologised after getting a backlash. She was criticised by members of the LGBTQIA+ community for the comment, saying she is transphobic and her feminism is lacking intersectionality. The SRC said, in a statement, that: As an institution which actively promotes intersectional feminism through its curriculum, it is important for us to recognise that Ngozi Adichie enhanced the divide in the feminist community with her anti-trans remarks, instead of using her platform and influence to highlight how trans women also have a right to simply be recognised as who they are without having to defend their womanhood. The argument that transwomen are different from cis women assumes that trans women did not experience any form of discrimination prior to transitioning, the SRC tweeted. (Editors note: A cisgender person is a person whose gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth. For example, someone who identifies as a woman and was identified as female at birth is a cisgender woman. It is often abbreviated to cis.) In their parallel lecture which they called a safe space, the SRC clarified that the boycott was not about cancel culture but a call for institutions like UCT to support people like Ngozi Adichie who have anti-trans views and sideline affected people. The request that the VC Mamokgethi Phakeng change her as the speaker in solidarity with transgender students and staff at the institution fell on deaf ears. According to News24, UCT viewed the lecture as an opportunity for debate and different perspectives on the same issue. Phakeng has also been criticised on social media for having the rainbow flag as part of her Twitter bio, yet she entertains people with anti-trans views. Lorde @TshepiMamashela The rainbow flag in the Twitter name and CNA as a guest speaker will never make sense. Call Me J4M4L @CallMeJ4m4l UCT said lets give the known TERF and transphobe with her entry-level feminism a platform. That Pride Flag is clearly just for varbs. Nkgono Neria @neriahlakotsa Read the room. Respect Trans people. Stop being arrogant. Noone needs to hear Chimamanda. ADVERTISEMENT Super TV boss, Micheal Usifo Ataga, has been buried in a private ceremony on Friday at the Ebony Vaults in Ikoyi, Lagos. His family and friends paid tributes to him at a service of songs held in his honour on Thursday evening. At his funeral service held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Victoria Island, the officiating priest, Julius Olaitan, in his message, described Mr Usifo as an achiever. The priest called the police to find those responsible for his untimely demise. He was a man with enemies; his manner of death is a testimony to that. It is a duty for those in authority to do the right thing by finding those who brutally murdered him, he said. Who can imagine what Usifo went through in the hands of those who tortured him? We should be mindful of what we say on social media. Please spare the family of the good name. Our common humanity demands that from us. Justice is having Usifo alive since he has the right to live. His children cannot call him daddy and get a response. Death is a terrifying mystery. Weve not lost him, but weve gained a soul in heaven. Usifo is now in a place where he can be with the reward of his earthly sojourn. Isi Ataga, the deceaseds eldest brother, in his vote of thanks, thanked the church for standing with the family through the difficult moment. Alleged murder Mr Ataga, who went missing for a couple of days, was found murdered in a Short let apartment on 19, Adewale Oshin street, Lekki, Lagos, on June 15. A prime suspect, Chidinmma Ojukwu, an undergraduate has been arrested for the murder of the deceased. Ms Ojukwu while being paraded by the Lagos police also confessed to fatally stabbing Mr Ojukwu. The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, had disclosed that more suspects had been arrested in connection with the killing of Mr Ataga. Meanwhile, the bereaved family is yet to speak about the outcome of the ongoing investigation into his death. ADVERTISEMENT The Kano State High Court has sentenced a man, Paul Owne, to 91 years in prison after convicting him of masterminding the kidnapping of children in Kano for sale in Onitsha, Anambra State The judge, Zuwaira Yusuf, also fined Mr Owne N100,000 for conspiring with six other persons for the kidnap of the children who were mostly under five years and teenagers. The court found Mr Owne guilty of all the 38 charges filed against him by Kano State Government. Delivering the judgment on Friday, the judge, Mrs Yusuf, found Mr Owne guilty of counts 2, 8, 9, 2, 27 and 34, and sentenced him to seven years for each count without an option of fine, in addition to a fine of N100,000. Also, the court found him guilty of counts 3, 5, 10, 11, 22, 28 and 38 and also sentenced him to seven years for each. Mrs Yusuf said all the sentences shall run consecutively The convict was arraigned before the court alongside five other defendants who pleaded not guilty to all the charges against them. Their own trial is therefore continuing. PREMIUM TIMES had reported in 2019 how the police said nine children were kidnapped in Kano in separate incidents, renamed and sold off in Onitsha, Anambra State. After their rescue, the police commissioner in Kano, Ahmed Illiyasu, returned the children to their parents after parading the suspects. ALSO READ: Court remands teenager for allegedly robbing man with cutlass Mr Illiyasu said the police busted the syndicate behind the kidnaping and sale of children and arrested eight suspects. He said the group specialised in kidnapping, concealment and confinement of kidnapped persons, buying and selling of minors and trafficking in persons. He added that the police carried out the operation in Onitsha following a five-year public outcry in Kano over missing children. ADVERTISEMENT As Nigerias ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC), is set to hold its party congresses nationwide, the federal government has warned against mass assemblies for political activities. The warning, which was addressed to all political parties, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its state counterparts, was contained in a statement issued on Friday night by the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19. The statement, which was signed by the committees chairman, Boss Mustapha, urged the concerned parties to always ensure strict compliance to all COVID-19 protocols while conducting political events in the country. The development may not be unconnected with the recent confirmation of more cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19 in some states, and the continued rising number of infections and hospitalisation across the country. Mr Mustapha, who doubles as the secretary to the government of the federation, noted that political mass gatherings serve as super-spreaders events for the propagation of COVID-19 infection in communities. He said political events must be carefully controlled to ensure maximum public safety in terms of risk of transmitting the infection among the vulnerable population. The statement reads in part: The PSC wishes to reiterate the significance of the publicized INEC policy on the conduct of political events and the Code of Conduct for Voters and Political Parties within the context of COVID-19. The PSC therefore cautions all political parties to institute public health and social measures in all locations where political events will occur. Increasing COVID-19 cases Nigeria has continued to record high daily cases of the coronavirus infection. These cases include the deadly Delta variant which was first reported in Nigeria on July 8, 2021, in a traveller. Tagged SARS-CoV-2, and also known as lineage B.1.617.2., the Delta variant has been described by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the most transmissible variant. The international health body said the variant is responsible for the spike in about 132 countries across the world where it has been reported. As of Thursday, Nigeria has recorded 178,821 COVID-19 cases and the fatality in the country stands at 2,141. Existing COVID-19 protocols Mr Mustapha reiterated that the mandatory use of face masks is one of the measures put in place to prevent the spread of the virus. Persons without face masks should not be allowed access to the venues Hand hygiene facilities including soap and water/ hand sanitisers should be made available for people before gaining access to the venues. Enclosed venues should be adequately ventilated and must not exceed 50 per cent of venue capacity (minimum of 2 metres should be observed among people at the gathering). If essential, multiple locations or time-slotting should be used with appropriate numbers of people to enable adequate physical distancing in each gathering per time. ADVERTISEMENT Nigeria, in particular, and the other countries in the zone, must move away from their assumptions about the shrinking Lake and focus on the type of specific recommendations made in both the Commission Report, as well as our own Buhari Plan about addressing conflict generating mechanisms, pointing out pathways to the development of resilient livelihoods for the people, so that they do not become dependent on Boko Harm. Following a Special Report that General Saleh Bala and I had written for the United States Institute for Peace (USIP) entitled Civilian-led Governance and Security in the Lake Chad Basin, we held a follow up round table meeting with the Lake Chad Basin Commission led by its Executive Secretary, Ambassador Mamman Nuhu, to consider recent developments in the sub-region concerning the subject matter. The meeting was hosted by the USIP Country Director, Ambassador Abdu Zango and Dr Chris Kwaja. Since 2009, the devastating conflict in north-eastern Nigeria has resulted in the deaths of approximately 35,000 people as a direct consequence of the insurgency. However, indirect deaths, including from disease and hunger, resulting from the conflicts physical and economic destructions, already far outnumber those from direct causes. A recent report released this June by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) says the conflict in the north-east could lead to the loss of 1.1 million lives in Nigeria alone by 2030. The Boko Haram insurgency cuts across the borders of Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad, creating a regional conflict in the Lake Chad Basin that has confounded these neighbours, with the complications of collaborating across governments and other players on the continent, as well as foreign powers, France and the United States, who are very much on the scene. Through the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), the four countries have been resolving the modalities of working together in improving security and addressing competitive resource issues related to the Lake Chad, which has shrunk significantly over the past three decades. The Commission has, under its dynamic Executive Secretary, developed a comprehensive study, with the support of the African Union, titled, Regional Strategy for the Stabilisation, Recovery and Resilience of the Boko Haram affected Areas of the Lake Chad Basin. This establishes a common approach and an inclusive framework for all stakeholders to support a timely, coordinated and effective transition from stabilisation to early recovery, and a resumption of the stalled development processes in the zone. The strategy was put together in anticipation of the expected success of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF) to quickly defeat the insurgents. The problem, however, is that the insurgency has endured for the past twelve years and appears in no hurry to be completely defeated. What is even more disturbing is the franchise model that has been implemented by the Islamic State since it ran into problems in Iraq and Syria. In his article in the current edition of Newsweek, Bulama Bukarti has called the new developments gig terrorism, characterised by the franchising of dissident groups in Africa in the Sahelian countries As President Buhari has stated repeatedly, Boko Haram has been degraded and no longer holds significant territory, which means it has lost the Caliphate it thought it had established. Nonetheless, it has remained a menace and has developed new tactics based on mobile attacks on both hard and soft targets and, therefore, continues to be a terror threat to communities in the four countries. Over the past few years, the Boko Haram insurgency has been weakened by the emergence of two factions and infighting, Boko Haram with the Ansaru and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) factions. Over the past year, however, the ISWAP faction has gained strength and there has been a dramatic turn, in the past couple of months, following a successful attack on the headquarters of Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram, in Sambisa forest, leading to his death. Since then, ISWAP has been making concerted efforts to bring in the Boko Haram leadership and fighters, and consolidate their joint forces under its command, a move, if successful, would considerably strengthen the insurgency. This is a disturbing development. It is important to note that the ISWAP faction, unlike Shekaus, does not attack and kill members of the community who are not with them. For some time now, they have been imposing taxes on communities they have control over and offering them protection in return. Reports indicate that this live and let live approach is attracting farmers, herders and fisherfolk, who appreciate the protection provided, which has not been coming from the authorities of the four States in the zone. This is a dangerous development for our countries, because it means they may be winning the hearts and minds of ordinary people. What is even more disturbing is the franchise model that has been implemented by the Islamic State since it ran into problems in Iraq and Syria. In his article in the current edition of Newsweek, Bulama Bukarti has called the new developments gig terrorism, characterised by the franchising of dissident groups in Africa in the Sahelian countries, including Nigeria and Cameroon, as well as Somalia, Mozambique, DR Congo and Somalia, as long as they have similar ideologies, even if their modes of operations differ. the Boko Haram insurgency has been seeking contact points and collaboration with growing criminal banditry in North-West Nigeria, especially in the states of Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger. They have been working hard to develop their franchise and convert bandits into ideologically focused terrorists. This poses a major challenge of broadening the conflict It is in this context that over the past few years, the Boko Haram insurgency has been seeking contact points and collaboration with growing criminal banditry in North-West Nigeria, especially in the states of Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger. They have been working hard to develop their franchise and convert bandits into ideologically focused terrorists. This poses a major challenge of broadening the conflict and overwhelming Nigerias security forces. The same phenomenon is happening in the Sahel zone, around the three-frontier area across the borders of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali. If the insurgents in both the North-East and North-West of Nigeria link up operationally with the ones in Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, we would enter the worst-case scenario, which we must do all in our powers to prevent. It is also important to note that in April, the Chadian President, Idriss Deby was killed, apparently while fighting off invading rebels. The 68-year old warrior President had been in power since 1990 and developed the Chadian armed forces into one of the most powerful in the region. His troops, in their interventions, have been an ally and a stabilising force in the battle against terrorism in Niger, Cameroon, Mali and to some extent, in Nigeria. Following his death, his 37-year old son, Mahamat Idriss Deby took over power in disobedience of the constitutional order of secession. So far, his son has assured neighbours that he will continue with his fathers legacy of combatting terrorism. The reality, however, is that he is himself under massive pressure from the rebels that killed his father and is likely to prioritise his own regime protection, rather than help neighbours. My overwhelming sense is that for too long, we have been focused on the geography of Lake Chad and its shrinking waters, rather than the governance challenges that generated the crisis in the area in the first place deepening poverty, increasing inequality, marginalisation, social exclusion, dominant gender norms and human rights violations. These issues should, therefore, drive the search for policy solutions. The implication of this is that Nigeria, in particular, and the other countries in the zone, must move away from their assumptions about the shrinking Lake and focus on the type of specific recommendations made in both the Commission Report, as well as our own Buhari Plan about addressing conflict generating mechanisms, pointing out pathways to the development of resilient livelihoods for the people, so that they do not become dependent on Boko Harm. A professor of Political Science and development consultant/expert, Jibrin Ibrahim is a Senior Fellow of the Centre for Democracy and Development, and Chair of the Editorial Board of PREMIUM TIMES. In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation. May the salutations of Allah, His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet, his family, his companions and his true and sincere followers until the Last Day. To proceed: Fellow Nigerians! The blasphemous statement credited to Afenifere, a Yoruba sociocultural group, published by Sahara Reporters online newspaper, comparing the plight of a political thug, Sunday Igboho to that suffered by the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is a great insult to Islam and Muslims all over the world. And it behoves every sincere Muslim to publicly condemn this blatant disrespect of our religion and demand an unreserved apology from the Sahara Reporters and the Afenifere group. The ignorance exhibited by Afenifere about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) shows how lowly the so-called Yoruba nation agitators think of Muslims generally! Comparing the noble Prophet of Islam to a nuisance like Sunday Igboho is a great disservice to humanity and insult to the sensibilities of Muslims all over the world. It should be retracted immediately, with an apology, as state above. Afenifere, had in a statement on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, said: We recall that Moses had to be taken away from the prying eyes of Pharaoh and his agents in Egypt. Prophet Muhammed (S.A.W) too had to leave his hometown, Mecca for Medina in order to escape persecution. Thus, there is nothing wrong in Igboho seeking a respite first to preserve his life and perhaps to re-strategise. The statement is unconscionable, provocative and disgusting, and the comment must be retracted with immediate effect. The statement by Afenifere stands unreservedly condemned. Their comparison is wrong, insulting and disgusting. Afenifere and Shara Reporters must tender an unreserved apology to the Muslim Ummah for this act of irresponsible desecration. Nothing is more important and sacrosanct to the Muslim Ummah than preserving, defending and upholding the pious name of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Dear brothers and sisters! Every Muslim is required to know, honour and study the life of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Allah Almighty has commanded us to know more about his life experiences and how he became a Muslim. There are over 50 verses in the Quran that tell us to take him as our role model. The Quran reminds us that: Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad Peace be upon him) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much. [Quran, [33:21] We also believe that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was the last Prophet that Allah sent into humankind. He brought the divine message of the Quran. Judaism, Christianity and Islam belong to the Abrahamic traditions. Originally, these three religions brought the same message of the Love of Allah and Love of Neighbour. In the spirit of inter-religious dialogue, we all need to know who was the last Prophet of Islam. Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was born in Makkah in the year 570. He was an orphan at a young age. His father died before his birth and his mother died shortly thereafter. He was raised by his uncle who was from the respected tribe of Quraish. He was raised unlettered, unable to read or write, and remained so till his death. The Quraish were a powerful merchant people who controlled Makkah and its Kaabah. According to pre-Islamic and Islamic traditions, they descended from Ismail (Ishmael), the first son of Ibrahim (Abraham AS). Before his mission as a Prophet, they belonged to the pre-islamic period called Jahiliyyah. Jahiliyyah is an Islamic concept of ignorance of divine guidance or the state of ignorance of the guidance from Allah or Days of Ignorance, referring to the barbaric condition in which Arabs found themselves. As Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) grew up, he became known to be truthful, honest, trustworthy, generous, and sincere. He was so dependable that they called him the Trustworthy. He was very religious, and had long disagreed with the idolatry practices of his society. By the age of 25, he married a wealthy widow, Khadijah, and began managing Khadijahs caravans. It was not until around the year 610, or when we has at the age of 40, that his Prophethood came into being. Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) had the habit of retiring for personal meditation and spiritual cultivation to a cave near Makkah. Historians recorded that he would pack enough provisions for a days retreat, after which he would return home for more. His place of retreat was Hirah, a cave in a mountain called the Mountain of Light, and his chosen month was Ramadan, the month of heat. It was there one night toward the end of this quiet month that the first revelation came to him. The Quran narrates his experience in this manner: ADVERTISEMENT He heard a voice say: Read! He said: I cannot read. The voice again said: Read! He said: I cannot read. A third time the voice, more terrible, commanded: Read! He said: What can I read? The voice said: Read: In the name of your Lord Who created. Created man from a clot. Read: And it is your Lord the Most Bountiful. Who teaches by the pen, teaches man that which he knew not. For the first two to three years of his mission, he preached to his family and his intimate friends, while the people of Makkah as a whole regarded him as one who had become a little mad. The first of all his converts was his wife, Khadijah; the second, his first cousin Ali; the third, his servant Zaid, a former slave. His friend Abu Bakr also was among those early converts. As soon as he began to recite the Quran and preach the truth, which Allah had revealed to him, he and his small group of followers suffered persecution from unbelievers. Their group begun to question the status quo in Makkah. They questioned the barbaric practices of their tribe. They were persecuted fiercely, that in the year 622 Allah gave them the command to leave Makkah and proceed to Madinah. This emigration from Makkah to the city of Madinah, some 260 miles to the north, marked the beginning of the Hijrah or the Muslim calendar. The Prophets entry into Madinah brought guidance for a new phase of the divine message. Islam, gaining fresh followers, began to assert its strength and soon started to spread out over the four corners of the Arabian Peninsula. After several years in Madinah, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his followers were able to return to Makkah, where they forgave their enemies. Before he died, at the age of sixty-three, the greater part of the Arabian Peninsula had become Muslim, and within a century of his death, Islam had spread to half of the world and as far East as China. Respected brothers and sisters! Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was a perfect example of an honest, just, merciful, compassionate, truthful, and brave human being. In all his actions and dealings with his fellow human beings, he was ever mindful and fearful of Allah. He became one of the most influential and respected religious leaders in history. Doctor Jonathan Brown, a respected scholar, once said: It is always interesting to try to understand how he was able to inspire Muslims in so many ways without ever having claimed to be divine in any sense. The Prophets humanness has enabled his admirers and followers to believe and behave in practical, down-to-earth ways, while serving Allah in ways indicated by Muhammad in his teachings and general behaviour. Dear servants of Allah! I hope and pray that our youth today will see Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) as their role model. He is far different from any of the leaders and followers of the terrorist groups like the Islamic State of Iran and Syria, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, Ansaru and the rest. Muslims and non Muslims must study Islam and the life of the Prophet with sincerity and with all their heart. Dear brothers and sisters! The first pillar of Islam is our testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. The first half of this testimony is our declaration of monotheism. The second half is our declaration that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is Allahs Messenger. We can only fully realise the meaning of the second half of the testimony in our hearts by cultivating the following: 1. Belief in everything the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) has told us: We must believe, first and foremost, that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah sent to all humanity to convey to them what Allah revealed to him of the Quran and Sunnah. This is the religion of Islam, and Allah will accept from his servants no other religion. 2. Obedience to his commands with full acceptance and submission: We must adhere to his Sunnah and emulate his most excellent example and eschew everything to the contrary. 3. Love for the Prophet (Peace be upon him): We must love our Prophet more than we love anyone else, even our own parents and children. In this way, we will show him the respect and deference that he deserves and we will be inspired to do what we must to support and defend him. Respected servants of Allah, it is incumbent upon every one of us as Muslims to fully realise in our lives the meaning of our testimony: Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. We must truly inculcate this faith in our hearts. The hypocrites had said to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him): We bear witness that indeed you are the Messenger of Allah. In turn, Allah Almighty made a rejoinder to them and said: Allah knows that you (Prophet Muhammad) are indeed His Messenger, and Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are liars. [Quran, 63: 1] My beloved people, there are a number of things that we can do to put our love for the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) into action and carry out our duty to him. We must confront the vicious attacks being waged against him and ransom him with our lives, our loved ones, and our wealth to the extent of our varying abilities. We must all carry out our responsibilities on whatever level we are able. * Things We Can Do As Individuals 1. We can contemplate the evidence which decisively demonstrates that Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah. The first source for this evidence is none other than the noble Quran. 2. We can learn the evidence from the Quran, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the Muslims (Ijma) that it is obligatory to obey the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and emulate his most excellent example. 3. We can acquaint ourselves with how Allah has protected the Prophets Sunnah. We should learn about the considerable efforts that were made by the scholars throughout the centuries to separate the genuine Sunnah from what was false and how they compiled the authentic Sunnah according to the most stringent conditions. No other civilisation of the past had ever developed a more arduous and learned set of principles for authenticating historical evidence. 4. We can cultivate in our hearts our love for the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) by recalling his noble attributes. We can read about his good character and his noble deeds. We can learn how he embodied all the good qualities that can possibly be attained by a single human being. 5. We can bring to mind the great favour that he bestowed on all of us and how indebted we are to him. He is the one who conveyed to us the true religion. He carried out this duty in a most excellent manner. He fulfilled his trust to Allah perfectly and delivered to us his Lords Message. 6. We can give him due credit for all the good that we attain by Allahs grace in this world and the Hereafter, since he is the one who showed us towards how to attain it and who brought us guidance. Allah has blessed him on our account with the greatest blessings ever bestowed upon a Prophet. 7. We can bring to mind how compassionate and merciful the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was to his followers and how concerned he was for our guidance and welfare. Allah the Most High says: The Prophet is closer to the believers than they are to their own selves. [Quran, 33: 6] 8. We can become acquainted with the verses of the Quran and with the Hadith that discuss his lofty status with his Lord and the love that Allah has for him and the esteem in which Allah holds him. 9. We can carry out Allahs command to love the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). We should love him more than we love ourselves. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: None of you truly believes until I become dearer to him than his own self, his children, his parents, and all of mankind. 10. We can carry out Allahs command to show respect for the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and for his Sunnah. Allah the Almighty says: O you who believe, do not raise your voices above the Prophets voice and do not speak to him loudly as you might speak to one another, lest your deeds become vain while you perceive it not. [Quran, 49: 2] 11. We can fulfill Allahs command to come to the defense of our beloved Prophet, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and protect him from those who wish to harm or defame him. Allah the Almighty says: To believe in Allah and His Messenger that you may assist and honour him. [Quran, 48: 9] 12. We can cultivate in our hearts a sincere and constant resolve to defend the Prophet and promote his good name. 13. We can bear in mind the great blessings and rewards that in the Hereafter await those who genuinely put into practice their love for the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). They will be his close companions in Paradise, for the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) has promised that: You will be with whom you love. 14. We can make it a habit to offer salutations of peace upon our Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) whenever we remember to do so, especially after the call to prayer and on Fridays. This will increase our blessings from Allah In Shaa Allah. 15. We can read the biography of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) from authentic sources and benefit from the many lessons that it contains. We can then try to apply those lessons to our lives today. 16. We can learn the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) by studying its authentic sources. We must study the Hadiths and strive to understand them correctly. We need to derive from these Hadiths the rulings and the lessons that they contain. 17. We can follow the Sunnah in its entirety, giving priority to what we are obligated to do. 18. We can strive to emulate the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) even in matters where we are under no obligation to do so. It is better even if we do something the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) did only once in our lives just so we can follow his example to the last detail. 19. We can be vigilant to avoid ever belittling any aspect of his Sunnah. 20. We can make sure that we feel joy every time we see people putting some aspect of his Sunnah into practice. 21. We can feel sorrow whenever we find that some aspect of his Sunnah is being neglected. 22. We can feel enmity towards anyone who defames the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) or disapproves of his Sunnah. 23. We can show love for the members of our beloved Prophets family (Ahlul Bait) and for his wives and descendants. We can seek nearness to Allah by loving them for the sake of their nearness to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and for the sake of their commitment to Islam. If we find any of his descendants disobedient to Allah, we should be eager to guide them, since their guidance is something most dear to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Umar Ibn al-Khattab said to the Prophets uncle: O Abbas! The day that you accepted Islam was more beloved to me than the day when Al-Khattab accepted Islam. This is only because I know that your acceptance of Islam was dearer to Allahs Messenger (Peace be upon him) than that of Al-Khattab. 24. We can act upon the direction of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) with respect to his family when he thrice said: I remind you of the rights of Allah with respect to my family (Ahlul Bait). 25. We must show love and respect for the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and recognise their honour and distinction with Allah and their superiority in knowledge and good works to those who come after them. 26. We can show love and respect for the scholars on account of their status and their knowledge of the Prophets legacy. The scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets. They deserve to be loved and honoured. This is a right that our Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) has over us. * Things We Can Do As Families and As A Society 1. We must raise our children to love the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). 2. We must raise our children to emulate his excellent example. 3. We must make available in our homes books about the Prophets life. 4. We must make available in our homes recorded lectures about his life for our families to listen to. 5. We can show our children cartoons that have a clear, pure and wholesome Islamic content. 6. We must set aside some family time every week for an Islamic study circle. 7. As husbands and wives, we can follow the example of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in how we deal with our families. 8. We must encourage our children to memorise and put into practice the words that the prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) used to remember Allah on all occasions. 9. We must encourage our children to spend a portion of their daily allowances on charitable deeds that the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) used to encourage, like providing for an orphan, feeding a poor person, or helping the needy. This is an excellent practical application of the Sunnah. 10. We can make our children accustomed to using some of the Prophets good sayings in their everyday speech like: A believer is clever and sage. A believer does not get stung from the same hole twice. Make things easy, not difficult. 11. We can hold competitions at home where the children can be tested on their knowledge of the Prophets life. 12. We can teach our children about the life of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) by holding little programmes at home like: A day at the Prophets house. * Things We Can Do In the Field of Education 1. We must cultivate love for the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in the hearts of our students by teaching them about the rights he has over us as his followers. 2. We must increase the amount of lectures given covering different aspects of his life and personality. 3. We must encourage the educational authorities to add to the Islamic Studies syllabus a subject entitled The Life of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). 4. We must make efforts to finance the appointment of professors of the Prophets biography in prominent universities. 5. We must encourage serious research into the life of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and encourage scholars to publish works about different aspects of the Sunnah. 6. We must hold exhibitions at schools and universities to inform people about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) while focusing on the geographical spread of Islam. 7. We must devote prominent sections of our libraries to books about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). 8. We can develop valuable encyclopedic reference works about the Prophets life. 9. We can host annual competitions where students can receive scholarships and prizes for writing the best original research papers about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his life. 10. We can hold youth camps that cultivate love for the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and teach the practical application of the Sunnah. 11. We can host training seminars for our future leaders that focus on how to emulate the example of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). * Things We Can Do in the Field of Islamic Work 1. We can explain the hallmarks of the message that the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) called towards, emphasising that he came with the original, pure religion and that his concern was to guide all humanity to the sincere, pure, clean, monotheistic worship of their Lord. 2. We must step up our efforts in calling people of all nations and of all walks of life to the guidance of Islam. 3. We must convey to the people the illustrious and noble character that the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) had even before he began to receive the revelation from Allah. 4. We must explain to the people the good qualities of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and the unique features of Islam in a manner that will hold their attention and capture their interests. 5. We must explain how the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) behaved toward his family, his neighbours, and his followers. 6. We must focus on how admirably and magnanimously he conducted himself with the Jews, Christians, pagans, and hypocrites who showed him enmity and hostility. 7. We must explain how nobly he carried out his most mundane, daily affairs. 8. We must set aside part of the Friday sermons for discussing certain aspects of the Prophets life and occasionally devote an entire sermon to this topic. 9. After the daily prayers, we can offer a few comments on how the verses we recited in our prayers relate to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his life. 10. We can hold study sessions for the memorisation of the Sunnah just like we do for the memorisation of the Quran. 11. We must correct the misconceptions that the general public has about the Sunnah and emphasise the importance of following the Sunnah in our lives. 12. We must call the peoples attention to the Islamic rulings issued by scholars regarding those who defame the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and emphasise that we have to disassociate ourselves from such people. 13. We must work hard to return the people to their religion by presenting to them the message of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in the simplest terms. 14. We can use the media to warn people against going overboard in their reverence for the beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and explain to them the verses of the Quran that prohibit excess and extravagance. Allah the Most High says: Do not go to excesses in your religion. We can also mention relevant Hadith like: Do not venerate me in the same way that the Christians venerated the son of Mary (Jesus). We must emphasise that true love for the Prophet (Peace be upon him) is expressed by following him truthfully, faithfully and sincerely. 15. We must encourage the people to read about the life of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) from its authentic sources. We must clarify those sources and make them available. 16. We must refute and dispel the misconceptions and false claims that are circulating about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his life. * Things We Can Do In the Cultural Sphere and in the Media 1. We must use cultural and media events as opportunities to teach people about the illustrious character of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). 2. We must refrain from publishing or broadcasting anything that is contrary to his Sunnah. 3. We must oppose the media and refute the misconceptions and false claims that they are propagating about our beloved Prophet (Peace be upon him) and our religion. 4. We can host press conferences and cultural events with moderate non-Muslim thinkers where we can openly discuss the life of Prophet Muhammad (Peace e upon him) and his message. 5. We can publish and disseminate what objective non-Muslim thinkers have said about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). 6. We can hold conventions and conferences to discuss the life and methodology of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and to demonstrate how that methodology is suitable for all places and times. 7. We can air televised competitions where contestants can earn prizes by demonstrating their knowledge of the Prophets life. 8. We must write and publish articles, stories, and pamphlets about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). 9. We must petition the editorial boards of newspapers and magazines to provide a regular feature that highlights verses of the Quran and Hadith of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and explains why Muslims love the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and emulate his example. 10. We can petition the executive bodies of television networks to air programs about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his life, highlighting his good qualities and the exemplary way that he conducted himself with his wives, his children, his followers, and his enemies. 11. We can encourage production studios to prepare professional quality video programs about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his life. 12. We can encourage our local television stations and satellite channels to produce and air pure cartoon programs for children highlighting the good qualities of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and stories from his life. * What We Can Do Through Our Islamic Groups and Charities 1. We can establish committees and departments within our groups devoted to supporting our Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). 2. We can reserve space for our groups at local and international expositions and conventions and distribute literature and other media products about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his message. 3. We can establish permanent distribution centers for distributing books, pamphlets, and audio recordings about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). 4. We can establish a special award with preset standards to be presented to the person who best served the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his biography. The presentation of this award could be accompanied by a major ceremony to which many renowned personages would be invited. 5. We can print books about the Prophets life in various locals and foreign languages to be distributed to public libraries, universities, and centers for Oriental studies around the globe. 6. We can publish a periodical journal that specialises in the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), his life, Islamic teachings, and the Muslims, emphasising the good qualities of the religion that Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) came with. 7. We can establish charitable funds to finance our program of supporting the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and to pay for the writing and translation of books and articles. * What We Can Do On the Internet 1. We can establish groups and platforms devoted to propagating Islam and showing, among other things, how Islam teaches love and reverence for all of the Prophets (Peace be upon them all). 2. We can establish websites and online newsgroups devoted to the life of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). On a smaller scale, we can create dedicated web pages for existing websites that have a broader focus. 3. We can participate in live chats online with non-Muslims and invite them to study the personality of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and the religion that he came with. 4. We can include at the bottom of our e-mails some appropriate Hadith and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). 5. We can prepare an occasional online newsletter that discusses the life of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his message to be sent out on special occasions and whenever circumstances warrant it. 6. We can post on major search engines notices about relevant books and lectures. * Things We Can Do With Our Wealth and Through Our Governments 1. We can give financial support to Islamic activities that focus on the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). 2. We can print billboards and bumper stickers that quote the words of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). 3. We can help to establish Islamic television and radio stations, as well as periodicals that are devoted to spreading the message of Islam in many languages around the world and especially in English. 4. We can pay for airtime on television and radio stations in various countries to get our message across. 5. We can establish centers devoted to research into the study of the Prophets biography and the publication of that research in many languages. 6. We can establish museums and libraries devoted to the Prophets life and his legacy. 7. We can fund the establishment of high quality professional websites on the Internet devoted to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his life. 8. We can pay for the production of high quality books, audio recordings, and television programs in various major languages, especially English. 9. We can help to finance Islamic competitions about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and provide substantial prizes to encourage participation. Dear brothers and sisters! It is our collective and individual duty to do what we can to support and protect the honour of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Im offering this list of suggestions so that no one will have any excuse to remain idle. Let us begin by working together to circulate these suggestions to as many people as we can. We should invite our families and friends to get involved. We should not feel shy to pick up the phone or to send out an SMS in support of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Defending the honour of our Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is an obligation upon every Muslim. It is only when you begin to understand the position he (Peace be upon him) holds in our life, then will you understand the outrage around the Muslim world. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: None of you will have faith till he loves me more than his father, his children and all mankind. [Bukhari and Muslim] And Islam teaches us not to insult other peoples religion and this is a value we expect all people to uphold. Oh you Afenifere group, show some respect for peoples religion. Know that, insulting or attacking peoples religion will only bring harm to society. And do not insult those they invoke other than Allah, lest they insult Allah in enmity without knowledge. [Quran, 6.108] How is it that you can use freedom of speech to insult one of the worlds biggest religions and think it is okay to offend almost two billion people around the world? Know that we will not remain silent and you are igniting a flame that will only end when you are forced to apologise for this unacceptable action. Oh Muslims around the world, it is an obligation on you to do everything in your ability to defend the honour of our Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Dont remain silent! This is the time to talk, to show the world our love for our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Let it be known, it is unacceptable to insult a persons religion under the pretext of freedom of speech, Whether it be Islam, Judaism, Christianity or any religion in the world. Lets work together to make the world a more respectful and peaceful place to live, and this starts by teaching this ignorant Afenifere group a lesson! All Thanks be to Allah! I was informed just now by a reliable source that the Sahara Reporters online newspaper has taken down the insulting news item and apologised to the Muslim Ummah. Now its over to Afenifere to do the same! Many thanks to all those conscious, zealous and patriotic Muslims who stood in defense of the honour of our noble Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in the face of unnecessary comparison of his struggle with that of an ethnic bigot, nuisance, thug and rabble-rouser. In the end, all we seek is respect for our faith and leader. We do not seek to cause any trouble with anyone. All praises and thanks are due to Allah alone, Lord of the worlds. May the peace, blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our noble Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his family, his Companions and his true and sincere followers. Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumuah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okenes Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com or +2348038289761. This Jumuah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today, Friday, Dhul-Hijjah 20, 1442 AH (July 30, 2021). ADVERTISEMENT I imagine a conversation between the electoral chief and President Gulleh going like this: Your Excellency, how many votes do you want? What do you propose? My Lord, 100 per cent would reflect the love of the people because no patriot will vote against you. No, that will be too much, we have to allocate some votes to the opposition so we do not appear to be greedy. Dont forget this is a democracy. Nigeria has a long history of Western education. Its first medical doctor, William Broughton Davis, graduated in 1858. It had its first television station on October 31, 1959, before some Western countries like Albania and New Zealand. Yet, in July, 2021, its National Assembly voted overwhelmingly that the country must not transmit election results electronically. Dont be deceived that this is the state of Nigerian development. You can be sure that a country that began public television transmission 62 years ago, can, at least, transmit election results from polling booths to collation centres. The truth is that like in most African countries, democracy is reduced to the motion of voting, and he who is announced the highest vote scorer, regardless of whether actual votes were casted or counted, wins the election and is given access to the public treasury. As such, governance in many African countries, including Nigeria, is very difficult because the art of rigging elections and theft, is not an easy one. However, I must admit that in comparison to many African countries, the Nigerian political elite are still learners. Yes, many of them industrially manufacture or conjure votes through bribery and violence, but they have not graduated to the point of simply awarding almost all the votes to themselves. Djibouti, in comparison to Nigeria, is tiny. Its geographical size of 23,200 square kilometres is like a tiny spec in Nigerias 923,768 square kilometres landmass. Its population of 973,560 is miniscule in comparison to the over 200 million Nigerians populating the earth. Yet, Djibouti has mastered the craft of the ruling party getting a near perfect score in elections. By the April 9 elections, incumbent President Ismail Omar Guelleh had been head of state for twenty two years and, ordinarily, his service record, including the fact that 79 per cent of the populace is below the poverty line, should have counted. Also, the fact that the tiny territory has been virtually suffocated by the presence of military bases belonging to seven countries Saudi Arabia, France, United States, China, Spain, Italy and Japan should have counted against Guelleh. But the election did not reflect these realities, as he scored or was awarded 97.30 per cent of the votes. I imagine a conversation between the electoral chief and President Gulleh going like this: Your Excellency, how many votes do you want? What do you propose? My Lord, 100 per cent would reflect the love of the people because no patriot will vote against you. No, that will be too much, we have to allocate some votes to the opposition so we do not appear to be greedy. Dont forget this is a democracy. Besides, 100 per cent gives the impression that I am perfect, but I am not, only the Almighty is perfect. Your Excellency Sir, you are very humane and God-fearing. We will give you 97.30 per cent and the balance to Farah. That is alright. Approved. Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno was not as greedy for votes as Kagame. After three decades of being in the saddle, he accepted only 79.32 per cent of the votes at the April 11 presidential election. That was to be his sixth term in office. But he did not manage to be sworn in, as he was killed. Dont ask me who did it, but his son Mahamat, who was not on the ballot, took over power, and was welcomed by all democracy-loving countries Cote dIvoire is another example. Its president and French puppet, Alassane Quattara, had burnt out his constitutional two terms in office. But at 78, he upturned the countrys constitution to run for an illegal third term on October 31, 2020. He ensured meaningful opposition was barred and that his chief rival, former President Laurent Gbagbo was not allowed to return to the country. He was awarded 94.27 per cent of the votes. In his envisaged fourth term, I have no doubt that his score will be nearer 100 per cent. As a peace-loving democrat propped up by bayonets of the French military, Quattara assured Ivoirians: I would like to reaffirm my availability, today like yesterday, for a sincere and constructive dialogue with the opposition, while respecting the constitutional order. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has been president of Uganda since 1986. He dislikes opposition. Then, last year, a 38-year old musician, Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine, rose to challenge him for the January 14 elections, and all hell was let loose. Scores were killed. Museveni, who won almost 59 per cent of the votes to Bobi Wines 35 per cent, explained his low vote percentage when he said the poll was the, most cheating-free election in Ugandan history. I doubt if Rwandan President Paul Kagame, a protege of Museveni, will be as sloppy as his former boss. In leadership since 1994, he officially became president in 2000. He brooks no opposition. In the presidential election of August 4, 2017, which was his third seven-year term, he was given 98.79 per cent of the votes. Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno was not as greedy for votes as Kagame. After three decades of being in the saddle, he accepted only 79.32 per cent of the votes at the April 11 presidential election. That was to be his sixth term in office. But he did not manage to be sworn in, as he was killed. Dont ask me who did it, but his son Mahamat, who was not on the ballot, took over power, and was welcomed by all democracy-loving countries, from Nigeria to France. we also hold the world record for the most astonishing election results, since God created the world. In the 1927 general elections, former Liberian President, Charles King scored 243,000 votes to defeat his opponent, Thomas Faulkner who scored 9,000 votes. The total number of registered voters in the country? Wait for it; less than 15,000! Faure Gnassingbe of Togo has been president since 2005, after taking over from his father, Gnassingbe Eyadema, who ruled for 38 years. Like Deby, he is modest about the percentage of votes that is awarded him. For instance, in the February 2020 election, which was preceded by violent mass protests against his rule, he received only 72 per cent of the votes. Egypt has led Africa in democratic vote allocations. For instance, former President Hosni Mubarak won 94 per cent of the votes in 1999. Not to be outdone, in 2014 the government of incumbent President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced that it had been elected with 97 per cent of the votes, and in 2018, that it had been re-elected by the same margin. The electoral commission announced that the elections were held in accordance with the highest international standards of integrity and transparency. Then, United States President Donald Trump expressed the sincere congratulations of the American people to Sisi for his democratic victory at the polls. That is how it should be; our elections, as typified by the ones in Nigeria, are certified as free, fair, transparent and credible. It is never really explained in whose estimation or by what stands the elections are free, or in whose estimation they are fair, to whom they are transparent, and which authority certifies them as credible? As the Western democracy African states claim to be practicing are synonymous with elections, I can proudly proclaim Africa as the most democratic continent in the universe. No wonder, we also hold the world record for the most astonishing election results, since God created the world. In the 1927 general elections, former Liberian President, Charles King scored 243,000 votes to defeat his opponent, Thomas Faulkner who scored 9,000 votes. The total number of registered voters in the country? Wait for it; less than 15,000! Owei Lakemfa, a former secretary general of African workers, is a human rights activist, journalist and author. In her book, Hume, Passion, and Action, Elizabeth Radcliffe contends that Hume is right to suggest that passion and reason are not mutually exclusive. They both are necessary to ignite peoples motivation. As it turns out, however, passion not tanks, is how wars are won and lost. Reason is, and ought only to be, a slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey them. David Hume Nestled between the peaks of the Hindu Kush mountains and located about an hour north of Kabul, is the Bagram Air Base. It was an impregnable fortress and home to Americas largest military base in Afghanistan. At the peak of the U.S. military campaign against Taliban insurgents, the place looked like a little America tucked in the belly of the rugged terrain of the Afghan desert. The Base was a beehive, complete with American fast-food franchises like Popeye and Burger King. For twenty solid years since 2001, Bagram Air Base was the place were U.S. servicemen and their Afghan counterparts trained and plotted to take on the most daring mission against the Talibans levelling mountains and destroying caves. One fateful morning early this month, however, Afghan soldiers woke up to find out that their old friends had left in the dead of the night, without even saying goodbye. According to a CNN report, among the equipment left behind were more than 700 vehicles, including, Humvees, pickup trucks and 4 x 4s, some still littered with half-eaten American snacks like Oreos and partially consumed soda bottles. The last U.S. troops left the base on Friday, July 2, with President Biden promising a complete withdrawal of all U.S. troops in Afghanistan by the end of August. He plans to leave only a small contingent of soldiers to guard the American embassy in Kabul. The most powerful country on earth, after deploying the most sophisticated military force the world has ever known and spending close to a trillion dollars, parked up and left hurriedly. At last came the sad realisation that the war in Afghanistan is simply not winnable. What happened? Well, Russians were the first to learn this the hard way, after fighting the Talibans in a ten-year war that dragged between December, 1979 and February, 1989. The U.S. fired the first shot of Operation Enduring Freedom on October 7, 2001, and with a coalition of over 40 countries in tow, unleashed unparalleled firepower that sent the one-eyed Mullah Omar, the Taliban ruler of Afghanistan and Commander of the Faithful, with his lieutenants, parking. It was a move meant to oust the Talibans, whom they said were harbouring Osama bin Laden and other key al-Qaeda elements that masterminded the 9/11 terror attacks on American soil. The war, however, dragged on year after year, such that even after President Barack Obama announced the end of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan after 13 years, on December 28, 2014, Taliban insurgents continued to mount a strong resistance, albeit in a guerrilla fashion. As with every war, things tend to get messy. There were blackmails and intrigues in high places. Pakistan, a country that was supposed to work alongside the U.S. in the war, turned it into a cash cow and showed no interest in helping the U.S. bring the war to an end. It was later discovered that Osama Bin Laden, the most wanted Al Qaeda operative, was hiding in plain sight and lived close to the Pakistani Military Academy in Abbottabad. The relationship between the two countries subsequently deteriorated so badly that Americans were conducting raids on Pakistani soil with the nations government blindsided. As the war dragged on, Americans in the homeland started getting tired and inpatient, as dead bodies of young men were brought home wrapped in caskets from overseas. Congress also began to question the governments war strategies and how long it sought to keep troops on a foreign soil. Between 2010 and 2012, the cost of the war in Afghanistan grew to almost $100 billion a year. That was at the time when more than 100,000 American soldiers were stationed there. As the number of troops were drawn down, the cost got a little lower but never less than $40 billion a year. It turns out that passion, anchored in a deep belief, can survive even a nuclear attack. Even though prosecuting a warped and toxic ideology, the Talibans are convinced, beyond doubt, that they are on the correct path ordained by their creator and so are very determined to resist any power that could derail them in that mission. According to a report made available to Congress by a senior Pentagon official, when you add the total spending from October 2001 till September 2019, including payout to Pakistan to support the war effort, the total amount was $822 billion. This is much lower than what was reported in a study looking at war spending, commissioned by Brown University in 2019, where the number was $978 billion, although this had included the budget for 2020 fiscal year. To put things in perspective, the National Assembly approved the Nigerian governments 2021 budget of N13.6 trillion ($35.66 billion). That means that the U.S., at some point, was spending an equivalent of three times the Nigerian budget, every year, fighting a war in a country with a population whose size was just a little bigger than South-West Nigeria. In terms of the human toll, since the war against the Taliban began in 2001, U.S. forces have suffered more than 2,300 deaths, with about 20,660 soldiers injured in action. Of course, the Afghan casualty has been much worse. I did not wake up this morning feeling like Plato, Socrates, Archimedes or determined to wax philosophical. But I am forced into deep introspection about how a rag-tag and poorly-funded army was able to defeat two of the worlds biggest super powers. It turns out that passion, anchored in a deep belief, can survive even a nuclear attack. Even though prosecuting a warped and toxic ideology, the Talibans are convinced, beyond doubt, that they are on the correct path ordained by their creator and so are very determined to resist any power that could derail them in that mission. They were chased out of power, carpet bombed, killed and utterly dismembered. Their leadership was decapitated, and yet, they persisted, waited it out and prevailed in the end. Again. You could say that there is still a secular Afghan government in place at the time of this writing, but the mere fact that we got to a point where the U.S. is now negotiating with the Talibans, is in and of itself a huge victory for the group. In war, your enemy is only willing to negotiate when victory is not within sight. Have you ever wondered why citizen-driven (not military coup) revolutions, akin to the Arab Springs, often fail to materialise in Africa, even when the continent plays host to the largest contingent of political criminals than elsewhere? A Nigerians will look at how #EndSARS protesters got shot and decide that it makes more sense to sit back and watch others take the lead. Have you ever wondered why citizen-driven (not military coup) revolutions, akin to the Arab Springs, often fail to materialise in Africa, even when the continent plays host to the largest contingent of political criminals than elsewhere? A Nigerians will look at how #EndSARS protesters got shot and decide that it makes more sense to sit back and watch others take the lead. Somehow, he has come to believe that Nigerias salvation lies with everyone else but himself. Of course, he knows that such revolution is necessary, but what is lacking is the passion to follow it through. Katharina Paxman, a professor of Philosophy at the University of Western Ontario, believes that all actions, reasonable or unreasonable, are dictated by passion. Her belief draws heavily from the work of David Hume, a Scottish philosopher of the eighteenth century. In one of her presentations titled, Reason and the Passionate Mind, she argued that, Reason cant tell us what to prefer, it is only once we have a propensity or aversion towards something that we can use reason to direct our action, and this requires passions. Many centuries ago, there wouldnt have been anything sane or logical about conjecturing about a three-ton man-made bird with a huge payload floating 30,000 feet above sea level, yet on December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright flew their first powered flight in the beach town of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Today man has not only conquered the skies and the cosmos, but has ventured into the outer space, pushing the frontiers of science close to the realm only reserved for gods. That is the power of passion. Between reason and passion, it is difficult to make a case of the superiority of one over another. Reason is overly cautious, weighs the pros and cons of an intended action, which is truly required of a rational mind. However, it often subjects the mind to analysis paralysis. Passion, on the other hand, runs on steroid, pushing one to overcomes the inertia of inaction, but on the other hand, could operate well beyond the boundaries of rational thought. Passion when unattended to, is like a flame that could burns to its own destruction. That was almost the case with the Talibans. In her book, Hume, Passion, and Action, Elizabeth Radcliffe contends that Hume is right to suggest that passion and reason are not mutually exclusive. They both are necessary to ignite peoples motivation. As it turns out, however, passion not tanks, is how wars are won and lost Osmund Agbo, a public affairs analyst is the coordinator of African Center for Transparency and Convener of Save Nigeria Project. Email: Eagleosmund@yahoo.com ADVERTISEMENT Ikeja Electric says some of the challenges facing the power distribution company include an outstanding N70.97 billion debt owed to the company by its customers. Ugo Obi-Chukwu, the companys chief marketing officer, said the bulk of the debt was owed by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). He said efforts were ongoing to ensure the repayment of the debt. Mr Obi-Chukwu made the disclosure during a visit of the Senate Committee on Privatisation and Commercialization to the company on Thursday in Lagos. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the committee was led on the oversight visit by its Chairman, Theodore Orji, a former Governor of Abia. According to Mr Obi-Chukwu, Ikeja Electric had estimated a Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) that would strengthen its distribution network, improve revenue collection, reduce technical losses and efficient service delivery going forward. He said other challenges facing the company included energy theft, difficulty in accessing foreign exchange to procure equipment, volatility of the naira and disruptions from the transmission network. Metering customers The company also said it had installed prepaid meters for about 400,000 customers out of 1.1 million since 2013. Mr Obi-Chukwu noted that the number of metered customers under Ikeja Electric was the highest among all the 11 DisCos. He said the company was intensifying efforts to further bridge the metering gap. He said the DisCo had been making investments to upgrade its network in order to guarantee reliable and stable power supply to its customers. Mr Obi-Chukwu said the company in the past few years came up with innovative ideas that would ensure customer satisfaction for its commercial and residential customers. He said the development led to the bi-lateral power optimisation being utilised by some areas in Lagos State such as Magado, Ogudu Government Reservation Area ( G.R. A), Ikeja G.R.A, Gbagada Phase Two, among others. He said the Service-Based Tariff used by the company in these locations was adopted by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) in the new national tariff model. Earlier in her address of welcome, Folake Soetan, chief executive officer, Ikeja Electric, thanked the lawmakers for the visit to the company. Mrs Soetan attributed the companys achievements to collaboration with NERC, the Bureau of Public Enterprises and other stakeholders. She said the company would continue to invest in modern technology and equipment to ensure quality power supply to its customers. In his remarks, Mr Orji said the visit of the committee was in line with its statutory responsibility to oversight privatised entities for better performances. Mr Orji noted that the debt owed the DisCo was huge and an impediment to its vision of providing quality supply of electricity to its customers. ADVERTISEMENT He assured the management of the company that the legislative arm of government would look into the issue since majority of the debt was owed by MDAs. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT A 53-year-old landlord, Remilekun Omosehin, who forcefully evicted his tenant without a court warrant, on Friday appeared in a Yaba Chief Magistrates Court, Lagos. The police charged Mr Omosehin with forceful eviction, theft, damage to property and disorderly conduct. He pleaded not guilty to the charge. The Prosecution Counsel, Rita Momah, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on July 16 at 6.30 a.m. at No. 73, Ayedun St., Bariga. Ms Momah said the defendant forcefully evicted the complainant, Christian Emekakwe, and damaged his household items. She also said that $5,000 was stolen from the complainants apartment. Ms Momah said that the offence contravened the provisions of sections 168, 287, 339 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. Chief Magistrate Adeola Adedayo admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N300,000 with two sureties in like sum. The magistrate adjourned the case until August 17 for mention. (NAN) The leader of a faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Fouad Oki, has said any attempt to endorse consensus arrangement for the congress in the state is an exercise in futility. Mr Oki, the Chairman of the APC Democrats, made the remarks in a statement on Friday, in Lagos. According to him, the attention of his faction has been drawn to news making round on consensus arrangements by the Tunde Balogun-led State Caretaker Committees for Saturdays APC nationwide Ward Congress in Lagos State. He said his faction would not participate in the proposed illegal stakeholders meeting to force party members to accept a pre-determined shenanigan toward the ward congress. APC Democrats are well prepared for the congress, as you know, we have been on this battle for emancipation of our party in Lagos state since the last three years. We urge our party members in the state to come out and participate fully. We appeal to all members of the party to eschew bitterness and ensure peaceful conduct of the congress, that there is no going back on the congress. We are determined to go ahead with the congress, he said. At the end of its council meeting on Wednesday, the Governors Advisory Council, the highest decision-making body of the APC in Lagos, announced that the party would adopt the consensus candidate arrangement for the election of its ward executives. The APC ward congress is scheduled for July 31. But Mr Oki described the GAC as an illegal body not known to the constitution of the party. He said, hence, such body could not decide, direct or make any pronouncement on the mode of conduct of ward congress or any policy or constitutional issue regarding the APC. Mr Oki said the only recognised organ of the party saddled with a function to deliberate and take decision such as an option on the type or mode to be adopted for congress was the state caucus. According to him, party organs and composition of party organs is clearly enshrined in the partys Constitution in line with Articles 11: A sub section (1 xiii) and 12.9 of the APC Constitution 2014 (Amended). A Tea Party constituted by an individual and foisted on members of the party is immoral, illegal, null, void and of no consequence whatsoever. It is trite that legal process is abused when a few individuals take advantage and interpret the party constitution for a different purpose other than for what it has been intended or designed for. That is why a rush decision was taken by a foreign component unknown to the constitution, Oki, former APC Vice Chairman, said. Indeed, it is laughable that Alhaji Tunde Balogun is pressuring the Nomination Form collection and submission team from Abuja to handle over to him, all the forms sent to Lagos in order to deny others from accessing the forms. However, unknown to him, the National Secretariat of the Party has been gracious to accept from our members, the payment tellers (proof of payment) and has appropriately given forms to all our members who have purchased forms at the Bank. ADVERTISEMENT Any attempt to endorse consensus arrangement for the congress vide the directive of the so-called GAC is an exercise in futility as the National Secretariat of the Party has replied to my letter on the issues of consensus, he said. He added that the development was in breach of the mandate issued by the National Caretaker Committee of the party. He urged Mr Balogun and the GAC to check with the National Secretariat its decision on elective Congress option in line with Article 20 of the APC Constitution and its declaration on the rejection of consensus arrangement in Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti and several other states where there are factions. Mr Oki said that it was pertinent to let members know that the ward congress slated for July 31 would definitely hold in Lagos State in strict compliance with the Congress Guideline. According to him, the guideline will be strictly enforced in the state to ensure fair participation by all members who can vote and be voted for. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT APC stakeholders at Ojo LGA during the stakeholders meeting over the partys ward congress on Thursday in Lagos. The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State says the party has agreed on a consensus arrangement for its ward executives. The partys Publicity Secretary, Seye Oladejo, made the disclosure in a statement on Friday in Lagos. The partys position came amidst opposition by some members against the consensus arrangement for the congress. On Friday, the leader of a faction of the party in the state, Fouad Oki, said any attempt to endorse consensus arrangement for the congress is an exercise in futility. Ahead of the congress, the Governors Advisory Council, the highest decision-making body of the APC in Lagos, on Wednesday announced that the party would adopt the consensus candidate arrangement for the election of its ward executives. Mr Oladejo said in the statement that the consensus arrangement was agreed at the stakeholders meetings held in all the 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs). According to him, the party members in each of the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs agreed on a consensus arrangement to produce ward executives in order to engender unity. The meeting was sequel to the directive of the National Caretaker Committee to bring all party leaders and members together to rubs minds on the forthcoming congresses towards achieving cohesion and acceptable consensus. The various meetings agreed on the desirability of a consensus arrangement that will consider all interests and unite the party as we count down to the next national elections, Oladejo said. The spokesman said that stakeholders admonished all members to participate actively in the congresses and uphold party discipline at all times. Mr Oladejo said the event at various council areas gave the newly elected local government chairmen, vice-chairmen, and councilors the opportunity to express their commitment and appreciation to the party for the mandate to serve the people. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that APC has scheduled its nationwide ward congresses for Saturday. (NAN) PLATTSBURGH [mdash] Dr. Stephen Guy Hausrath's spirit set sail August 1st a heavenly voyage with the comfort of a gentle rain and a steady breeze off of Lake Champlain. His death followed a year- long journey with cancer. This last year made him understand why dealing with cancer is often ca LONDON, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AgDevCo is pleased to announce its latest investment in Mozambique's agribusiness sector. The UK-based social impact investor has closed a USD 3 million debt investment in Quinta da Bela Vista Limitada (QBV), an irrigated banana estate located in the Boane area in Mozambique. QBV was established in 2016 as a joint venture between Silverstreet Capital's Silverlands I Fund and Crookes Brothers Limited (JSE: CKS) and currently comprises 128ha of irrigated bananas. QBV's strategy is to expand the operation to 260ha over the next two years. Crookes Brothers has a proven track record in the banana sector in South Africa providing QBV with expertise and a marketing channel into South Africa. SilverStreet is one of Africa's largest dedicated investors in the agricultural sector with investments in eight countries on the continent. AgDevCo's investment will support QBV's expansion by providing long term capital. QBV currently employs over 240 people, with further growth in jobs expected as a result of the expansion. The banana industry is a key source of employment, improving the livelihoods of local communities. The export of bananas offers Mozambique the opportunity to increase foreign exchange revenue. "AgDevCo's funding of QBV will enable the company to expand and create employment opportunities in an optimal banana growing area in southern Mozambique. They have been an ideal funding partner for QBV, structuring the loan to suit the needs of the company," said Simon Morgan, Director of QBV. "We are delighted to back QBV and partner with Crookes and Silverstreet in developing the banana industry in the Boane area, helping to build sustainable impact and bring in export revenue," said Charlotte Dubois, Investment Director at AgDevCo. ABOUT AGDEVCO AgDevCo is a specialist investor in African agriculture. We invest to grow sustainable and impactful agribusiness. Our vision is a thriving commercial agriculture sector which benefits both people and planet. We contribute to this by investing in and supporting agribusinesses to grow, create jobs, produce and process food and link farmers to markets. We reinvest our capital to reach higher impact which ensures efficiency and change at scale. We support our partners to work towards climate sustainability, and where possible, regenerative solutions. AgDevCo's current portfolio has $149m of committed funds into 46 companies. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/737847/AgDevCo_Logo.jpg Related Links None SOURCE AgDevCo OPPO Renovators 2021 encourages young creators to unleash their creativity and imagine the possibilities of technology through art. As the program's brand initiator, William Liu, Vice President and President of Global Marketing at OPPO, said, "OPPO has always believed in the power of the younger generation and wants the world to witness the brilliance of creative young artists. The next world changing visionary could come from the youth of today, and we want to do all we can to spearhead their creative thinking." Ethan Xue, President - Middle East And Africa, OPPO, said: "Art is a pillar of our foundation, and it is instilled within everything the OPPO brand does, from designing smartpohones to creating new innovative technology. OPPO Renovators is another commitment from the brand to empower and support the art industry and a young generation that is rich with talent, waiting for an opportunity to shine. We are confident that the MEA region has amazing talent that can compete in this great initiative on a global level. We implore all young artists and talents to participate in the competition and have the once in a lifetime opportunity to exhibit their creations at Expo Dubai 2020. The theme 'Connecting Minds' is at the forefront of the world's most anticipated event and something OPPO strives to do everday through innovation, creativity and research." As a source of energy on earth and an essential part to most life, light has always been used to symbolize expressions of positivity, such as love and hope. With the warmth and illumination of light, OPPO hopes to create a sense of calm and optimism, encouraging young creators to break through the boundaries of art and ignite their creativity. Under the theme of Light, OPPO Renovators 2021 includes two professional contest categories ART TECH and ART TOY as well as a Portrait Capture category targeted at creative enthusiasts. In the ART TECH category, young artists can freely explore the fusion of technology and art; in the ART TOY category, artists are invited to imagine their own take on OPPO's mascot, Ollie, in the form of a collectible designer toy. Awards and global stages for the bright artists of tomorrow OPPO Renovators 2021 will leverage OPPO's global resources to help the growth and development of the program's talented artists. In addition to a number of generous prizes and awards, the artworks selected from OPPO Renovators 2021 will have the opportunity to be displayed at global exhibitions such as London Design Festival and Dubai World Expo, as well as continuous exposure through global online exhibitions. Furthermore, young designers participating in OPPO Renovators 2021 will have the chance to become contracted OPPO designers, through which there may be commercial opportunities to further realize their creative ideas. As another highlight of the competition, OPPO Renovators 2021 is not only being hosted in collaboration with world's top art and design institutions, but also with the support of the renowned artists and designers who make up its judging panel. The big names include legendary international designer Kashiwa Sato, one of the founders of video art Gary Hill, audiovisual artist Ryoichi Kurokawa, and branding consultant Tommy Li. For more information and to take part in OPPO Renovators 2021, please visit the official OPPO Renovators 2021 website: https://campus.oppo.com/en/. All artworks must be submitted before GMT 24:00 August 29, 2021 to be eligible. The final results will be announced before GMT 24:00 September 18, 2021. About OPPO OPPO is a leading global technology brand since 2004, dedicated to providing products that seamlessly combines art and innovative technology. OPPO is on a mission to building a multiple-access smart device ecosystem for the era of intelligent connectivity. The smartphone devices have simply been a gateway for OPPO to deliver a diverse portfolio of smart and frontier technologies in hardware, software and system. In 2019, OPPO launched a $7 Billion US Dollar three-year investment plan in R&D to develop core technologies furthering design through technology. OPPO is firmly pursuing the creation of the best technology products and technological artistry for global users. Based on the brand elements of leading, young and beautiful, OPPO dedicates to the mission of letting the extraordinary users enjoy the beauty of technology. For the last 10 years, OPPO has focused on manufacturing smartphones with camera capabilities that are second to none. OPPO launched the first mobile phone, the Smile Phone, in 2008, which marked the launch of the brand's epic journey in exploring and pioneering extraordinary technology. Over the years, OPPO has built a tradition of being number one, which became a reality through inventing the world's first rotating camera smartphone way back in 2013, launching the world's then thinnest smartphone in 2014, being the first to introduce 5X Zoom 'Periscope' camera technology and developing the first 5G commercial smartphone in Europe. Today, OPPO was ranked as the number four smartphone brand globally. OPPO brings the aesthetics of technology of global consumers through the ColorOS system Experience, and Internet service like OPPO Cloud and OPPO+. OPPO's business covers 40 countries with over six research institutes and five R&D centers across the world, from San Francisco to Shenzhen. OPPO also opened an International Design Centre headquartered in London, driving cutting edge technology that will shape the future not only for smartphones but for intelligent connectivity. About OPPO MEA OPPO started its journey in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region in 2015 after setting up its regional office in Egypt. Following the immense success of the brand's sales centre in Cairo in the first year, OPPO accelerated its expansion plan across the MEA region and inaugurated its country operations in the UAE in 2019. Now OPPO is physically present in more than 13 markets across the region, including Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and the Levant. To empower its presence in the region in line with its product localisation strategy, OPPO further invested in MENA and set up its very own factory in Algeria in 2017, thus, becoming the first Chinese brand to build a manufacturing premises in North Africa. Based on insights of local consumers in each country, OPPO has evolved the progress of product localisation, taking into consideration several perspectives towards each market, including product localisation, to further meet the core needs of users; marketing localisation, to better communicate with local young customers; and talent localisation, to understand local consumers further and provide an optimum customer service. Within the last year, OPPO has started to adjust its product line in the Middle East region specifically. This has included the launch of its flagship OPPO Find X Series and the introduction of the OPPO Reno Series. OPPO will continue to evolve its local product line to offer more premium series to consumers in the region. A forward-thinking international technology company, OPPO strives to be a sustainable company that contributes to a better world and have enacted positive change in every way possible through activating local community initiatives and humanitarian, charity campaigns. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1583091/OPPO_Renovators_2021.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1583093/OPPO_Logo.jpg SOURCE OPPO NEW YORK, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- American Jewish Committee (AJC) welcomes the opening today of the Azerbaijan Trade Representative Office in Tel Aviv, the first Azerbaijani diplomatic representation in Israel. Azerbaijan Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov led an Azerbaijani delegation to Israel for the official opening of the office, and meetings with Israeli trade and tourism officials. Azerbaijan and Israel established diplomatic relations in 1992. "Azerbaijan, a predominantly Shiite Muslim country, is a strategic partner for Israel and the U.S.," said AJC CEO David Harris, who has visited Baku many times and received the "Dostlug" Order of Friendship, one of the country's highest honors, in 2012. "The Azerbaijan trade mission in Israel will further strengthen the extensive cooperation between the two countries, and, hopefully, lead to the opening of Azerbaijan's embassy in Israel, to complement Israel's embassy in Baku." AJC, the leading global Jewish advocacy organization, maintains close contact with Azerbaijan through its offices across the U.S., Europe, and other locations. AJC delegations have visited Baku annually, and met with senior Azerbaijani officials on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly every fall. "AJC may well have been the pioneers in creating ties to Azerbaijan," Prime Minister Netanyahu told the 2019 AJC Global Forum. He praised "AJC for the work that you did, making a lot of connections that we needed when we didn't have the kind of open channels that we have today." SOURCE American Jewish Committee Related Links http://www.ajc.org BETHESDA, Md., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AdvisorShares, a leading sponsor of actively managed exchange-traded funds (ETFs), today announced that Julio Lugo has joined the firm as head of fund operations and member of the senior leadership team. Lugo, who has more than 25 years of financial services experience, will lead the company's fund operations which includes product management, trading, fund services, legal, compliance and oversight. He assumes this role as managing director Dan Ahrens focuses more exclusively on chief investment officer and portfolio manager responsibilities. Lugo joins AdvisorShares from ETP Consulting LLP, where he worked with American depositary receipt (ADR) and ETF issuers and assisting private companies & investors with special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs). Prior to founding ETP Consulting, Lugo was principal at BNY Mellon where he headed the ADR index product development and sales and marketing areas. He was instrumental in creating innovative ADR-only ETFs as well as leading a team which won BNY Mellon's global award for currency hedged exchange-traded products (ETPs). At BNY Mellon, he also managed the capital markets team advising and educating the various buy-side and sell-side firms other financial intermediaries that invested, traded and serviced ADRs. "We are elated to have Julio aboard as he brings a wealth of experience and a deep expertise to this important position," said Noah Hamman, chief executive officer of AdvisorShares. "His addition strengthens and elasticizes our senior management as we continue to build on our long-term strategic goals and provide continuing innovation to the actively managed ETF space." About AdvisorShares AdvisorShares is a leading provider of actively managed ETFs. For financial professionals and investors requesting more information, call 1-877-843-3831 or visit www.advisorshares.com. Follow @AdvisorShares on Twitter and Facebook for more insights. Before investing you should carefully consider the Funds' investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. This and other information are in the prospectus, a copy of which may be obtained by visiting the Funds' website at www.AdvisorShares.com. Please read the prospectus and summary prospectus carefully before you invest. Foreside Fund Services, LLC, distributor. SOURCE AdvisorShares LAVAL, QC, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. ("Couche-Tard" or the "Corporation") (TSX: ATD.A) (TSX: ATD.B) announced today that a binding agreement has been entered into in connection with the acquisition of Cape D'Or Holdings Limited, Barrington Terminals Limited and other related holding entities, which operate an independent convenience store and fuel network in Atlantic Canada under the Esso, Wilsons Gas Stops and Go! Store brands ("Wilsons"). The Wilsons network comprises high quality locations operating in all four Atlantic Canada provinces and includes 79 corporate-owned and operated convenience retail and fuel locations, 147 dealer locations (of which two are corporately owned), and a marine fuel terminal in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Couche-Tard intends to acquire the Wilsons network with some assets to be purchased by a third-party acquisition partner to be determined following a review of the proposed transaction by the Canadian Competition Bureau. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of the 2022 calendar year and is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, including under the Competition Act. The transaction will be financed using the Corporation's available cash and / or existing credit facilities. "The transaction is a great fit for Couche-Tard and will allow us to continue to build on our geographic expansion strategy through the addition of complementary sites while bringing added value to our team members and customers in Atlantic Canada. We are committed to purchasing strong sites with capabilities both inside the stores and on the forecourts to further our organic growth platforms and showcase Couche-Tard's industry leading commitment to innovation and customer service, and we clearly see that potential in the Go! Stores and Wilsons' assets and its dedicated employees," said Brian Hannasch, President and Chief Executive Officer of Alimentation Couche-Tard. About Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. Couche-Tard is a global leader in convenience and fuel retail, operating in 26 countries and territories, with more than 14,200 stores, of which approximately 10,800 offer road transportation fuel. With its well-known Couche-Tard and Circle K banners, it is the largest independent convenience store operator in terms of the number of company-operated stores in the United States and it is a leader in the convenience store industry and road transportation fuel retail in Canada, Scandinavia, the Baltics, as well as in Ireland. It also has an important presence in Poland and Hong Kong. Approximately 124,000 people are employed throughout its network. For more information on Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. or to consult its annual Consolidated Financial Statements and Management Discussion and Analysis, please visit: https://corpo.couche-tard.com. Forward-Looking Statements The statements set forth in this press release, which describes Couche-Tard's objectives, projections, estimates, expectations or forecasts, may constitute forward looking statements within the meaning of securities legislation. Positive or negative verbs such as "believe", "can", "shall", "intend", "expect", "estimate", "assume" and other related expressions are used to identify such statements. Couche-Tard would like to point out that, by their very nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties such that its results, or the measures it adopts, could differ materially from those indicated in or underlying these statements, or could have an impact on the degree of realization of a particular projection. Major factors that may lead to a material difference between Couche Tard's actual results and the projections or expectations set forth in the forward-looking statements include the effects of the integration of acquired businesses and the ability to achieve projected synergies, uncertainty related to the duration and severity of the current COVID-19 pandemic, fluctuations in margins on motor fuel sales, competition in the convenience store and retail motor fuel industries, exchange rate variations, and such other risks as described in detail from time to time in the reports filed by Couche-Tard with securities regulatory authorities in Canada. Unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, Couche-Tard disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking information in this release is based on information available as of the date of the release. SOURCE Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. Related Links http://corpo.couche-tard.com HOUSTON, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The national law firm of Bailey Cowan Heckaman PLLC and The Wilbers Law Firm of St. Louis, Missouri have filed a wrongful death lawsuit (Case No. 2:21-cv-4136) on behalf of the bereaved mother and two children of a St. Louis, Missouri man killed in a boat explosion. BCH filed the lawsuit against Brunswick Corporation, Sea Ray Boats, and Brunswick Boat Group in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri. The allegations and claims are defective design, failure to warn, and negligence. Per the complaint, the decedent joined his friends at the Lake of the Ozarks for a day of leisure boating on a 33-foot Sea Ray boat. A fun day on the lake took a tragic turn after the boat was refueled and about to depart from the dock. When a dockhand was in the process of untying the Sea Ray, it exploded in a fiery blaze. The explosion was so massive that its smoke could be seen from miles away. The explosion ejected the decedent's friends from the boat; the boat driver was forced to jump into the water to flee the burning vessel; sadly, the decedent was unable to escape the boat and burned to death in the explosion. According to the suit, this is not the first time a Sea Ray boat has exploded seemingly without any warning. For instance, a similar 33-foot Sea Ray boat exploded in 2009 in Tampa Bay, Florida, injuring 15 people. Then, in 2018, a 32-foot Sea Ray boat burst into flames, injuring a Fort Lauderdale, Florida man who was working on the vessel at the time. The suit alleges that these are only two of many incidents around the world. The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages in excess of $75,000 for the decedent's wrongful death. Plaintiffs and their attorneys demand a jury trial. Based in Houston, Texas, Bailey Cowan Heckaman PLLC is a nationally recognized, civil trial practice law firm that is highly regarded for its skill in handling complex litigation. To learn more about the firm, kindly go to bchlaw.com. SOURCE Bailey Cowan Heckaman PLLC Related Links https://www.bchlaw.com/ "We are honored to be recognized again by our people as one of the best places to work in New York State. Last year brought new challenges, but also new opportunities," said Al Crawford, Chairman/CEO and Co-Founder of BHG. "The extraordinary economic and health circumstances gave us the chance to rethink how we approach the workplace and culture at BHG. We implemented a home-office stipend, offered virtual counseling services, and gave each employee the option to continue working from home if they choose to. By making work more adaptive for our people and putting our team first, BHG was able to navigate an uncertain time and ultimately grow and nurture our business." The Best Workplaces in New York ranking is determined by analyzing responses of nearly 78,000 anonymous surveys from employees who work across New York State, including the tri-state and metro areas. In the survey, 98% of BHG employees said BHG is a Great Place to Work, compared to 59% of employees at the average U.S.-based company. Great Place to Work, a global people analytics and consulting firm, evaluated more than 60 elements of team members' experience on the job, including their trust in leadership, respect with which people are treated, fairness of workplace decisions, and team camaraderie. The Best Workplaces in New York list is highly competitive. Companies on this year's list stand out for excelling in one of the nation's most competitive marketplaces. This past year, BHG focused on creating the best employee experience through implementing a work-from-home stipend, creating virtual counseling and team building opportunities. "Earning a spot on the Best Workplaces in New York list is an especially significant award this year, as the pace and shape of work has changed dramatically," said Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work. "Leaders at these companies have showed exceptional care for their people. And this support resonates with all employee groups. It doesn't matter what pronoun they use, their experience level or their pay grade, all people have a great experience." The innovative and entrepreneurial spirit that BHG was founded on in 2001 continues to burn bright today, with leaders encouraging employees to voice opinions and share ideas that can help move the company forward. BHG's leadership understands that their team is their greatest asset, and are committed to investing in, developing, and empowering staff who will take BHG into the future. So far in 2021, BHG was also ranked as a Best Workplace in Financial Services. About Bankers Healthcare Group BHG is transforming the financial industry, leveraging the power of data, analytics, and cutting-edge technology to become not only one of the best sources for high-performing loans, but the creator of one of the largest community bank loan and product networks in the country. Since 2001, BHG has originated more than $8 billion in loan solutions to top-quality borrowers, which community and midsize banks can access via a state-of-the-art loan delivery platform. Building on nearly two decades of innovation, BHG and its family of brands now offer a full suite of financial solutions that span business, consumer, and SBA 7(a) loans, credit cards, collection services, risk management services, and point-of-sale financing with a focus in patient lending. With record growth year after year, BHG continues to be recognized regionally and nationally: earning a spot on the Inc. 5000 for 14 years running and receiving accolades from Great Place to Work and Fortune magazine, among others. BHG is partially owned by Pinnacle Bank (PNFP) and has headquarters in Davie, FL, and Syracuse, NY. To learn more about BHG's financial solutions, visit www.bankershealthcaregroup.com, and for more information about the BHG Bank Network, click here. Follow BHG on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Media contact: Tyler Allen [email protected] 225-205-8107 SOURCE Bankers Healthcare Group Related Links www.bankershealthcaregroup.com MOUNT VERNON, N.Y., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bona Fide Masks Corp. (www.bonafidemasks.com), part of the Ball Chain Manufacturing Co., Inc. (Ball Chain) family of companies out of Mt. Vernon, New York, is pleased to announce that it has received the special designation of an authorized U.S. distributor for internationally recognized mask producer Guangzhou Harley Commodity Co., Ltd. (Harley). Bona Fide Masks Corp. According to company President Bill Taubner, "It is an honor to receive this select designation from Harley, which strengthens our longstanding business relationship. U.S. consumers have trusted our company to supply authentic face masks during the pandemic. We will continue to purchase directly from established manufacturers like Harley and Powecom to promote the highest level of supply chain integrity. Our company handles all warehousing and distribution for Harley and Powecom masks at our New York facility, so customers can purchase our masks with confidence. We remain steadfast in our pursuit of excellence and our commitment to our customers, particularly in these challenging times." During the height of the pandemic, at the request of a local community leader, the owners of Ball Chain formed Bona Fide Masks to help address the shortage of PPE. Bona Fide Masks has grown to be one of the country's most trusted suppliers of genuine masks and related products. We are proud to offer a variety of Harley masks for both adults and children including NIOSH approved Harley N95 Respirator Face Mask - Model L- 188, NIOSH approved Harley N95 Model L-288, and Harley's Children's Protective Mask HLOO1. More about Ball Chain Manufacturing. Co., Inc.: Family owned and operated since 1938, Ball Chain is the only major U.S. manufacturer of metal ball chain and attachments. The company's ball chain is featured in window roller shades, light fixtures, plumbing devices, keychains and jewelry items. Headquartered in Mount Vernon, New York, with global distribution, Ball Chain designs and fabricates innovative products while providing exemplary customer service. After entering the interior design market with ShimmerScreen decorative metal curtains, the company further diversified its offerings with the launch of LogoTags, a promotional products division. Ball Chain is proud of its commitment to the American workforce and the environment. The company has earned industry recognition for its responsible business practices, including "green business" certification from the Green Business Bureau (GBB) and certification from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Media Contact: 914.664.7500 Bill Taubner, President [email protected] Cristina Chianese, Director of Marketing [email protected] Related Images bona-fide-masks.jpg Bona Fide Masks SOURCE Bona Fide Masks Corp. WASHINGTON, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With food banks operating on or near every military installation in the United States and a growing need for food among military families Craig Newmark Philanthropies announced an additional $100,000 investment in MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger to fund the national organization's efforts to remove barriers to food and nutrition for military families. "Craig Newmark Philanthropies consistently works to honor our national commitment to the active-duty military families who have served all of us," said Abby J. Leibman, MAZON President and CEO. "This grant augments the national momentum to address food insecurity among military families. We are grateful for the foundation's support for MAZON's values-driven mission for a future where no one in America should experience hunger, especially our nation's military families who don't know where their next meal is coming from." The grant will help sustain MAZON's long-standing work to foster greater food access among military families such as deepening the understanding of military hunger among policymakers, facilitating increased interagency cooperation, and advancing policies that remove systemic barriers to safety net programs such as SNAP (formerly food stamps). "We owe a lot to veterans and active-duty servicemembers who defend our freedom every day," said Craig Newmark. "I strongly believe that we all must do more so that none of our country's defenders should worry about feeding their families. That's why I am proud to deepen my partnership with MAZON, which has been leading the field in identifying and advancing long-term solutions to end military hunger." The latest grant from Craig Newmark Philanthropies comes as MAZON is working with allies in Congress and the Biden-Harris Administration to advance durable solutions for food insecurity among military families. Building off of the alarming findings from its April report, "Hungry in the Military: Food Insecurity Among Military Families in the U.S.", MAZON is pushing for Congress to adopt one of the report's key recommendations as the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened America's hunger crisis establishing a Military Family Basic Needs Allowance in the FY22 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). About MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger: Inspired by Jewish values and ideals, MAZON is a national advocacy organization working to end hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds in the United States and Israel. For more information on MAZON, please visit mazon.org. MEDIA CONTACT: Adam Peck [email protected]; 202.702.3302 SOURCE MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger Related Links http://www.mazon.org HOUSTON, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation (NYSE: COG) ("Cabot" or the "Company") today reported financial and operating results for the second quarter of 2021. Second Quarter 2021 Highlights Net income of $30.5 million (or $0.08 per share); adjusted net income (non-GAAP) of $105.5 million (or $0.26 per share) (or per share); adjusted net income (non-GAAP) of (or per share) EBITDAX (non-GAAP) of $245.1 million Net cash provided by operating activities of $178.9 million ; discretionary cash flow (non-GAAP) of $215.4 million ; free cash flow (non-GAAP) of $64.1 million ; discretionary cash flow (non-GAAP) of ; free cash flow (non-GAAP) of Return on capital employed (ROCE) (non-GAAP) for the trailing 12 months of 13.0 percent Net debt to trailing 12 months EBITDAX ratio (non-GAAP) of 0.9x; net debt to adjusted capitalization ratio (non-GAAP) of 27.9 percent Announced transformational merger with Cimarex Energy Co. ("Cimarex"), creating a premier, diversified, free cash flow-focused energy company See the supplemental tables at the end of this press release for a reconciliation of non-GAAP measures, including adjusted net income, discretionary cash flow, EBITDAX, free cash flow, net debt to adjusted capitalization ratio, and ROCE. Second Quarter 2021 Financial Results Second quarter 2021 daily production was 2,205 million cubic feet equivalent (Mmcfe) per day (100 percent natural gas). Production for the second quarter of 2021 was one percent below the production guidance range due to longer than anticipated maintenance downtime at a third-party compressor station and modest operational delays during the quarter that pushed the timing of certain wells brought on production to later in the second quarter and into the first part of the third quarter of 2021. During the second quarter of 2021, the Company drilled 28.0 net wells, completed 24.1 net wells, and placed 22.1 net wells on production. Second quarter 2021 net income was $30.5 million, or $0.08 per share, compared to $30.4 million, or $0.08 per share, in the prior-year period. Second quarter 2021 adjusted net income (non-GAAP) was $105.5 million, or $0.26 per share, compared to $18.0 million, or $0.05 per share, in the prior-year period. Second quarter 2021 EBITDAX (non-GAAP) was $245.1 million, compared to $136.9 million in the prior-year period. Second quarter 2021 net cash provided by operating activities was $178.9 million, compared to $136.4 million in the prior-year period. Second quarter 2021 discretionary cash flow (non-GAAP) was $215.4 million, compared to $119.2 million in the prior-year period. Second quarter 2021 free cash flow (non-GAAP) was $64.1 million, compared to ($63.3) million in the prior-year period. Second quarter 2021 natural gas price realizations, including the impact of derivatives, were $2.05 per thousand cubic feet (Mcf), an increase of 35 percent compared to the prior-year period. Excluding the impact of derivatives, second quarter 2021 natural gas price realizations represented a $0.78 discount to NYMEX settlement prices compared to a $0.30 discount in the prior-year period. The increase in corporate differentials in the second quarter of 2021 was primarily due to the impact of higher NYMEX prices relative to the Company's fixed-price sales agreements and, to a lesser extent, wider in-basin differentials resulting from transitory pipeline maintenance projects and outages across the Appalachian Basin during the quarter. Second quarter 2021 operating expenses (including interest expense) decreased to $1.41 per thousand cubic feet equivalent (Mcfe), a two percent improvement compared to the prior-year period. Excluding $6.2 million of merger-related costs during the second quarter of 2021, operating expenses per Mcfe improved by four percent compared to the prior-year period. Cabot incurred a total of $166.0 million of capital expenditures in the second quarter of 2021, including $161.2 million of drilling and facilities capital, $1.8 million of leasehold acquisition capital, and $3.0 million of other capital. Capital expenditures for the second quarter were in line with the Company's prior guidance for higher activity levels during the quarter, in which Cabot drilled five more wells and completed 121 more stages than forecasted as a result of continued efficiency gains in its operations. See the supplemental table at the end of this press release reconciling the capital expenditures during the second quarter of 2021. Year-to-Date 2021 Financial Results Daily equivalent production for the six-month period ended June 30, 2021 was 2,245 Mmcfe per day (100 percent natural gas). During the six-month period ended June 30, 2021, the Company drilled 53.1 net wells, completed 37.1 net wells, and placed 43.1 net wells on production. Natural gas price realizations, including the impact of derivatives, were $2.18 per Mcf for the six-month period ended June 30, 2021, an increase of 35 percent compared to the prior-year period. For the six-month period ended June 30, 2021, operating expenses (including interest expense) decreased to $1.43 per Mcfe, a one percent improvement compared to the prior-year period. For the six-month period ended June 30, 2021, net income was $156.8 million, or $0.39 per share, compared to $84.3 million, or $0.21 per share, in the prior-year period. Adjusted net income (non-GAAP) for the six-month period ended June 30, 2021 was $255.4 million, or $0.64 per share, compared to $72.0 million, or $0.18 per share, in the prior-year period. EBITDAX (non-GAAP) for the six-month period ended June 30, 2021 was $545.5 million, compared to $325.8 million in the prior-year period. For the six-month period ended June 30, 2021, net cash provided by operating activities was $469.5 million, compared to $341.3 million in the prior-year period. Discretionary cash flow (non-GAAP) for the six-month period ended June 30, 2021 was $476.7 million, compared to $317.7 million in the prior-year period. Free cash flow (non-GAAP) for the six-month period ended June 30, 2021 was $201.7 million, compared to ($13.5) million in the prior-year period. Cabot incurred a total of $290.1 million of capital expenditures during the six-month period ended June 30, 2021, including $284.2 million of drilling and facilities capital, $2.4 million of leasehold acquisition capital, and $3.4 million of other capital. Financial Position and Liquidity As of June 30, 2021, Cabot had total debt of $1.0 billion and cash on hand of $158.1 million. The Company's net debt to adjusted capitalization ratio (non-GAAP) and net debt to trailing 12 months EBITDAX ratio (non-GAAP) were 27.9 percent and 0.9x, respectively, compared to 31.0 percent and 1.4x as of December 31, 2020. Cabot plans to repay its $100.0 million tranche of 3.24% senior notes that mature in September 2021. Standalone Third Quarter and Full-Year 2021 Guidance Cabot today reaffirmed its standalone guidance for 2021. The Company's standalone operating plan for the year is expected to deliver an average net production rate of 2,350 Mmcfe per day from a capital program of $530 to $540 million. Cabot has also provided its standalone third quarter 2021 production guidance range of 2,275 to 2,325 Mmcfe per day. For further information on Cabot's natural gas pricing exposure by index and cost guidance, please see the current investor presentation in the Investor Relations section of the Company's website. Conference Call Webcast A conference call is scheduled for Friday, July 30, 2021, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss second quarter 2021 financial and operating results. To access the live audio webcast, please visit the Investor Relations section of the Company's website. A replay of the call will also be available on the Company's website. Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation, headquartered in Houston, Texas, is a leading independent natural gas producer with its entire resource base located in the continental United States. For additional information, visit the Company's website at www.cabotog.com. No Offer or Solicitation This press release is not intended to and shall not constitute an offer to buy or sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities, or a solicitation of any vote or approval, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities shall be made, except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Additional Information about the Merger and Where to Find It In connection with the proposed transaction, the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) a registration statement on Form S-4 on June 29, 2021, that includes a preliminary joint proxy statement with Cimarex and that also constitutes a preliminary prospectus of the Company. If and when the registration statement becomes effective and the joint proxy statement/prospectus is in definitive form, such joint proxy statement/prospectus will be sent to the stockholders of the Company and of Cimarex. Each of Cabot and Cimarex also intends to file other relevant documents with the SEC regarding the proposed transaction, including the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus. The information in the preliminary joint proxy statement/prospectus is not complete and may be changed. This press release is not a substitute for the preliminary joint proxy statement/prospectus or registration statement or any other document that Cabot or Cimarex may file with the SEC. The definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus (if and when available) will be mailed to stockholders of the Company and of Cimarex. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT, THE PRELIMINARY JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS, THE DEFINITIVE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS IF AND WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS THAT MAY BE FILED WITH THE SEC, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THOSE DOCUMENTS, CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN OR WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT CABOT, CIMAREX AND THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. Investors and security holders are able to obtain free copies of the registration statement and preliminary joint proxy statement/prospectus and all other documents containing important information about Cabot, Cimarex and the proposed transaction, once such documents are filed with the SEC, including the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus if and when it becomes available, through the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Cabot may be obtained free of charge on Cabot's website at www.cabotog.com/investor-relations or by contacting Matt Kerin by email at [email protected] or by phone at 281-589-4642. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Cimarex may be obtained free of charge on Cimarex's website at www.cimarex.com/investor-relations. Participants in the Solicitation Cabot, Cimarex and certain of their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the proposed transaction. Information about the directors and executive officers of Cabot, including a description of their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, is set forth in Cabot's proxy statement for its 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on March 12, 2021, and Cabot's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, which was filed with the SEC on February 26, 2021. Information about the directors and executive officers of Cimarex, including a description of their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, is set forth in Cimarex's proxy statement for its 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on March 26, 2021, and Cimarex's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, which was filed with the SEC on February 23, 2021. Investors may obtain additional information regarding the interests of those persons and other persons who may be deemed participants in the proposed transaction by reading the preliminary joint proxy statement/prospectus, including any amendments thereto, as well as the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus if and when it becomes available and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC regarding the proposed transaction when such materials become available. Investors should read the preliminary joint proxy statement/prospectus, and the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus if and when it becomes available, carefully before making any voting or investment decisions. You may obtain free copies of these documents from Cabot or Cimarex using the sources indicated above. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes forwardlooking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The statements regarding future financial and operating performance, activity levels and results, returns to shareholders, strategic pursuits and goals, market prices, future hedging and risk management activities, future repayments of our senior notes, the anticipated benefits of the proposed merger transaction involving us and Cimarex, the anticipated impact of the proposed merger transaction on the combined business and future financial and operating results, and other statements that are not historical facts contained in this report are forward-looking statements. The words "expect", "project", "estimate", "believe", "anticipate", "intend", "budget", "plan", "forecast", "outlook", "predict", "may", "should", "could", and similar expressions are also intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact thereof on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations, the availability of cash on hand and other sources of liquidity to fund capital expenditures, the repayment of debt maturities and the payment of dividends, actions by, or disputes among or between, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other producer countries, market factors, market prices (including geographic basis differentials) of natural gas and crude oil, results of future drilling and marketing activity, future production and costs, the ability to obtain the requisite Cabot and Cimarex stockholder approvals, the risk that an event, change or other circumstances could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement, the risk that a condition to closing of the merger may not be satisfied on a timely basis or at all, the length of time necessary to close the proposed merger transaction, the risk that the businesses will not be integrated successfully, the risk that the cost savings and any other synergies from the transaction may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected, the risk of litigation related to the proposed merger transaction, legislative and regulatory initiatives, electronic, cyber or physical security breaches and other factors detailed herein and in our SEC filings. In addition, the declaration and payment of any future dividends, whether regular quarterly base dividends or annual supplemental dividends, will depend on the Company's financial results, cash requirements, future prospects and other factors deemed relevant by the Board of Directors. See "Risk Factors" in Item 1A of the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K for additional information about these and other risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual outcomes may vary materially from those indicated. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to correct or update any forward-looking statement, whether as the result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. OPERATING DATA Quarter Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 2020 2021 2020 PRODUCTION VOLUMES Natural gas (Bcf) 200.6 202.9 406.4 417.8 Equivalent production (Bcfe) 200.6 202.9 406.4 417.8 Daily equivalent production (Mmcfe/day) 2,205 2,229 2,245 2,296 AVERAGE SALES PRICE Natural gas, including hedges ($/Mcf) $ 2.05 $ 1.52 $ 2.18 $ 1.62 Natural gas, excluding hedges ($/Mcf) $ 2.05 $ 1.42 $ 2.18 $ 1.58 AVERAGE UNIT COSTS ($/Mcfe)(1) Direct operations $ 0.08 $ 0.09 $ 0.08 $ 0.08 Transportation and gathering 0.67 0.67 0.66 0.67 Taxes other than income 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.02 Exploration 0.01 0.02 0.01 0.02 Depreciation, depletion and amortization 0.46 0.47 0.46 0.47 General and administrative (excluding stock-based compensation and merger-related costs) 0.06 0.07 0.07 0.08 Stock-based compensation 0.02 0.04 0.04 0.06 Merger-related costs 0.03 0.02 Interest expense 0.06 0.07 0.06 0.07 $ 1.41 $ 1.44 $ 1.43 $ 1.45 WELLS DRILLED (2) Gross 28 19 56 41 Net 28.0 14.2 53.1 36.2 WELLS COMPLETED (2) Gross 27 36 41 49 Net 24.1 31.2 37.1 44.2 _______________________________________________________________________________ (1) Total unit cost may differ from the sum of the individual costs due to rounding. (2) Wells drilled represents wells drilled to total depth during the period. Wells completed includes wells completed during the period, regardless of when they were drilled. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS (Unaudited) Quarter Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, (In thousands, except per share amounts) 2021 2020 2021 2020 OPERATING REVENUES Natural gas $ 411,718 $ 288,286 $ 884,577 $ 658,626 (Loss) gain on derivative instruments (87,121) 43,974 (100,358) 60,036 Other 70 88 129 143 324,667 332,348 784,348 718,805 OPERATING EXPENSES Direct operations 16,154 17,423 33,030 34,667 Transportation and gathering 133,488 135,249 270,190 278,581 Taxes other than income 4,183 3,352 8,988 7,090 Exploration 2,368 4,579 4,995 6,769 Depreciation, depletion and amortization 91,549 94,622 185,697 194,757 General and administrative (excluding stock-based compensation and merger-related costs)(1) 12,516 14,885 30,021 32,011 Stock-based compensation(2) 4,345 8,281 15,996 24,584 Merger-related costs 6,176 6,176 270,779 278,391 555,093 578,459 Loss on equity method investments (59) Gain (loss) on sale of assets 20 (241) 91 (170) INCOME FROM OPERATIONS 53,908 53,716 229,346 140,117 Interest expense, net 12,558 14,543 24,935 28,754 Other expense 46 48 92 114 Income before income taxes 41,304 39,125 204,319 111,249 Income tax expense 10,840 8,751 47,501 26,965 NET INCOME $ 30,464 $ 30,374 $ 156,818 $ 84,284 Earnings per share - Basic $ 0.08 $ 0.08 $ 0.39 $ 0.21 Weighted-average common shares outstanding 399,586 398,576 399,355 398,460 _______________________________________________________________________________ (1) Includes severance expense of $2.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 related to early retirements under the Company's 2021 Early Retirement Program. (2) Includes the impact of performance share awards and restricted stock. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET (Unaudited) (In thousands) June 30, 2021 December 31, 2020 ASSETS Current assets $ 396,066 $ 415,715 Properties and equipment, net (Successful efforts method) 4,150,791 4,044,606 Other assets 63,710 63,211 $ 4,610,567 $ 4,523,532 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current liabilities $ 278,684 $ 202,226 Current portion of long-term debt 100,000 188,000 Long-term debt, net (excluding current maturities) 946,316 945,924 Deferred income taxes 788,811 774,195 Other liabilities 196,861 197,480 Stockholders' equity 2,299,895 2,215,707 $ 4,610,567 $ 4,523,532 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited) Quarter Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, (In thousands) 2021 2020 2021 2020 CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES Net income $ 30,464 $ 30,374 $ 156,818 $ 84,284 Depreciation, depletion and amortization 91,549 94,622 185,697 194,757 Deferred income tax expense 2,324 8,045 14,695 52,089 (Gain) loss on sale of assets (20) 241 (91) 170 Exploratory dry hole cost 2,068 2,011 Loss (gain) on derivative instruments 87,121 (43,974) 100,358 (60,036) Net cash (paid) received in settlement of derivative instruments (347) 19,423 3,050 19,423 Stock-based compensation and other 3,625 7,641 14,702 23,463 Income charges not requiring cash 709 751 1,424 1,560 Changes in assets and liabilities (36,483) 17,245 (7,184) 23,612 Net cash provided by operating activities 178,942 136,436 469,469 341,333 CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES Capital expenditures (151,322) (182,481) (274,939) (331,183) Proceeds from sale of assets 20 227 112 275 Investment in equity method investments (35) Proceeds from sale of equity method investments (9,424) Net cash used in investing activities (151,302) (182,254) (274,827) (340,367) CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES Net borrowings (repayments) of debt (88,000) Dividends paid (43,963) (39,858) (83,850) (79,675) Tax withholdings on vesting of stock awards (19) (5,569) (6,332) Net cash used in financing activities (43,963) (39,877) (177,419) (86,007) Net (decrease) increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ (16,323) $ (85,695) $ 17,223 $ (85,041) Explanation and Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures We report our financial results in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP). However, we believe certain non-GAAP performance measures may provide financial statement users with additional meaningful comparisons between current results and results of prior periods. In addition, we believe these measures are used by analysts and others in the valuation, rating and investment recommendations of companies within the oil and natural gas exploration and production industry. See the reconciliations throughout this release of GAAP financial measures to non-GAAP financial measures for the periods indicated. We have also included herein certain forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures. Due to the forward-looking nature of these non-GAAP financial measures, we cannot reliably predict certain of the necessary components of the most directly comparable forward-looking GAAP measures, such as future impairments and future changes in capital. Accordingly, we are unable to present a quantitative reconciliation of such forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable forward-looking GAAP financial measures. Reconciling items in future periods could be significant. Reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Earnings Per Share Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Earnings per Share are presented based on our management's belief that these non-GAAP measures enable a user of the financial information to understand the impact of identified adjustments on reported results. Adjusted Net Income is defined as net income plus gain and loss on sale of assets, gain and loss on derivative instruments, stock-based compensation expense, severance expense, merger-related costs and tax effect on selected items. Adjusted Earnings per Share is defined as Adjusted Net Income divided by weighted-average common shares outstanding. Additionally, our management believes these measures provide beneficial comparisons to similarly adjusted measurements of prior periods, and uses these measures for that purpose. Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Earnings per Share are not measures of financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as alternatives to net income and earnings per share, as defined by GAAP. Quarter Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, (In thousands, except per share amounts) 2021 2020 2021 2020 As reported - net income $ 30,464 $ 30,374 $ 156,818 $ 84,284 Reversal of selected items: (Gain) loss on sale of assets (20) 241 (91) 170 Loss (gain) on derivative instruments(1) 86,774 (24,551) 103,408 (40,613) Stock-based compensation expense 4,345 8,281 15,996 24,584 Severance expense 2,376 Merger-related costs 6,176 6,176 Tax effect on selected items (22,288) 3,656 (29,297) 3,617 Adjusted net income $ 105,451 $ 18,001 $ 255,386 $ 72,042 As reported - earnings per share $ 0.08 $ 0.08 $ 0.39 $ 0.21 Per share impact of selected items 0.18 (0.03) 0.25 (0.03) Adjusted earnings per share $ 0.26 $ 0.05 $ 0.64 $ 0.18 Weighted-average common shares outstanding 399,586 398,576 399,355 398,460 _______________________________________________________________________________ (1) This amount represents the non-cash mark-to-market changes of commodity derivative instruments recorded in (Loss) gain on derivative instruments in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations. Return on Capital Employed Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) is defined as Adjusted Net Income (defined above) plus after-tax net interest expense divided by average capital employed, which is defined as total debt plus stockholders' equity. ROCE is presented based on our management's belief that this non-GAAP measure is useful information to investors when evaluating our profitability and the efficiency with which management has employed capital over time. Our management uses ROCE for that purpose. ROCE is not a measure of financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered an alternative to net income, as defined by GAAP. Twelve Months Ended June 30, (In thousands) 2021 2020 Interest expense, net $ 50,306 $ 56,958 Tax benefit (11,503) (12,996) After-tax interest expense, net (A) 38,803 43,962 As reported - net income 273,063 321,582 Adjustments to as reported - net income, net of tax 124,312 (9,128) Adjusted net income (B) 397,375 312,454 Adjusted net income before interest expense, net (A + B) $ 436,178 $ 356,416 Total debt - beginning of 12-month period $ 1,220,495 $ 1,219,555 Stockholders' equity - beginning of 12-month period 2,165,979 2,344,804 Capital employed - beginning of 12-month period 3,386,474 3,564,359 Total debt - end of 12-month period 1,046,316 1,220,495 Stockholders' equity - end of 12-month period 2,299,895 2,165,979 Capital employed - end of 12-month period 3,346,211 3,386,474 Average capital employed (C) $ 3,366,343 $ 3,475,417 Return on average capital employed (ROCE) (A + B) / C 13.0 % 10.3 % Discretionary Cash Flow and Free Cash Flow Calculation and Reconciliation Discretionary Cash Flow is defined as net cash provided by operating activities excluding changes in assets and liabilities. Discretionary Cash Flow is widely accepted and is used by our management as a financial indicator of an oil and gas company's ability to generate cash which is used to internally fund exploration and development activities, return capital to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases, and service debt. Discretionary Cash Flow is presented based on our management's belief that this non-GAAP measure is useful information to investors when comparing our cash flows with the cash flows of other companies that use the full cost method of accounting for oil and gas producing activities or have different financing and capital structures or tax rates. Discretionary Cash Flow is not a measure of financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to cash flows from operating activities or net income, as defined by GAAP, or as a measure of liquidity. Free Cash Flow is defined as Discretionary Cash Flow (defined above) less capital expenditures and investment in equity method investments. Free Cash Flow is an indicator of a company's ability to generate cash flow after spending the money required to maintain or expand its asset base, and is used by our management for that purpose. Free Cash Flow is presented based on our management's belief that this non-GAAP measure is useful information to investors when comparing our cash flows with the cash flows of other companies. Free Cash Flow is not a measure of financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to cash flows from operating activities or net income, as defined by GAAP, or as a measure of liquidity. Quarter Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, (In thousands) 2021 2020 2021 2020 Net cash provided by operating activities $ 178,942 $ 136,436 $ 469,469 $ 341,333 Changes in assets and liabilities 36,483 (17,245) 7,184 (23,612) Discretionary cash flow 215,425 119,191 476,653 317,721 Capital expenditures (151,322) (182,481) (274,939) (331,183) Investment in equity method investments (35) Free cash flow $ 64,103 $ (63,290) $ 201,714 $ (13,497) EBITDAX Calculation and Reconciliation EBITDAX is defined as net income plus interest expense, other expense, income tax expense and benefit, depreciation, depletion and amortization (including impairments), exploration expense, gain and loss on sale of assets, non-cash gain and loss on derivative instruments, earnings and loss on equity method investments, stock-based compensation expense and merger-related costs. EBITDAX is presented based on our management's belief that this non-GAAP measure is useful information to investors when evaluating our ability to internally fund exploration and development activities and to service or incur debt without regard to financial or capital structure. Our management uses EBITDAX for that purpose. EBITDAX is not a measure of financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to cash flows from operating activities or net income, as defined by GAAP, or as a measure of liquidity. Quarter Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, (In thousands) 2021 2020 2021 2020 Net income $ 30,464 $ 30,374 $ 156,818 $ 84,284 Plus (less): Interest expense, net 12,558 14,543 24,935 28,754 Other expense 46 48 92 114 Income tax expense 10,840 8,751 47,501 26,965 Depreciation, depletion and amortization 91,549 94,622 185,697 194,757 Exploration 2,368 4,579 4,995 6,769 (Gain) loss on sale of assets (20) 241 (91) 170 Non-cash loss (gain) on derivative instruments 86,774 (24,551) 103,408 (40,613) Loss on equity method investments 59 Stock-based compensation 4,345 8,281 15,996 24,584 Merger-related costs 6,176 6,176 EBITDAX $ 245,100 $ 136,888 $ 545,527 $ 325,843 Net Debt Reconciliation The total debt to total capitalization ratio is calculated by dividing total debt by the sum of total debt and total stockholders' equity. This ratio is a measurement which is presented in our annual and interim filings and our management believes this ratio is useful to investors in determining our leverage. Net Debt is calculated by subtracting cash and cash equivalents from total debt. The Net Debt to Adjusted Capitalization ratio is calculated by dividing Net Debt by the sum of Net Debt and total stockholders' equity. Net Debt and the Net Debt to Adjusted Capitalization ratio are non-GAAP measures which our management believes are also useful to investors since we have the ability to and may decide to use a portion of our cash and cash equivalents to retire debt. Our management uses these measures for that purpose. Additionally, as we may incur additional expenditures without increasing debt, our management believes it is appropriate to apply cash and cash equivalents to debt in calculating the Net Debt to Adjusted Capitalization ratio. (In thousands) June 30, 2021 December 31, 2020 Current portion of long-term debt $ 100,000 $ 188,000 Long-term debt, net 946,316 945,924 Total debt $ 1,046,316 $ 1,133,924 Stockholders' equity 2,299,895 2,215,707 Total capitalization $ 3,346,211 $ 3,349,631 Total debt $ 1,046,316 $ 1,133,924 Less: Cash and cash equivalents (158,147) (140,113) Net debt $ 888,169 $ 993,811 Net debt $ 888,169 $ 993,811 Stockholders' equity 2,299,895 2,215,707 Total adjusted capitalization $ 3,188,064 $ 3,209,518 Total debt to total capitalization ratio 31.3 % 33.9 % Less: Impact of cash and cash equivalents 3.4 % 2.9 % Net debt to adjusted capitalization ratio 27.9 % 31.0 % Capital Expenditures Quarter Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, (In thousands) 2021 2020 2021 2020 Cash paid for capital expenditures $ 151,322 $ 182,481 $ 274,939 $ 331,183 Change in accrued capital costs 14,714 (5,149) 15,122 6,397 Exploratory dry hole cost (2,068) (2,011) Capital expenditures $ 166,036 $ 175,264 $ 290,061 $ 335,569 SOURCE Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation Related Links http://www.cabotog.com CHICAGO, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (Cboe: CBOE) today reported financial results for the second quarter of 2021. "In the second quarter we achieved strong year-over-year revenue growth driven by robust trading in our proprietary index products and demand for our data and access solutions products. With the closing of our acquisition of Chi-X Asia Pacific on July 1, we further solidified our strategic vision of building one of the world's largest global derivatives and securities networks. With the addition of Chi-X to the Cboe network, we are eager to leverage our strong ecosystem of proprietary index products and data and access solutions to reach an expanding global network of customers," said Edward T. Tilly, Cboe Global Markets Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "As we look to the second half of 2021, we have a number of attractive growth initiatives underway. We remain on target for our September launch of Cboe Europe Derivatives, further expanding our global derivatives network. Lastly, we remain confident in the outlook for organic revenue growth and are raising our organic growth target for recurring non-transaction revenue. This is an incredibly exciting time at Cboe as years of planning and consistent execution have enabled our strong progress toward our strategic vision. We look forward to delivering enhanced value to our customers and our shareholders, as we continue to expand our global network and broaden access to Cboe's products and services." "We are pleased to report another quarter of solid financial results and ongoing momentum in executing against our strategic priorities. Our strong cash flow generation allowed us to return nearly $79 million to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends in the second quarter while continuing to invest in the long-term growth of our business," said Brian N. Schell, Cboe Global Markets Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. "We begin the second half of the year in a strong financial position. We are increasing our full-year recurring non-transaction organic revenue2 growth target to 12 to 13 percent from 10 to 11 percent to incorporate stronger organic growth. Recurring non-transaction revenue, which includes acquisitions, is now expected to increase by 15 to 16 percent, up from previous guidance of 11 to 12 percent, due to stronger organic growth and the addition of Chi-X. Our full-year expense guidance remains unchanged for 2021. While we will absorb the full impact of the Chi-X acquisition to our expense base in the second half of the year, we expect lower expenses than originally anticipated primarily due to timing changes and delays in filling open roles. Overall, we remain focused on continuing to balance our long-standing disciplined capital allocation priorities to sustainably grow our business while maintaining a strong balance sheet and preserving financial flexibility to further enhance shareholder value." *All comparisons are second quarter 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. (1)A full reconciliation of our non-GAAP results to our GAAP results is included in the attached tables. See "Non-GAAP Information" in the accompanying financial tables. (2) Specific quantifications of the amounts that would be required to reconcile the company's organic growth guidance, adjusted operating expenses guidance and the effective tax rate on adjusted earnings guidance are not available. The company believes that there is uncertainty and unpredictability with respect to certain of its GAAP measures, primarily related to acquisition-related revenues and expenses that would be required to reconcile to GAAP revenues less costs of revenues, GAAP operating expenses and GAAP effective tax rate, which preclude the company from providing accurate guidance on certain forward-looking GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliations. The company believes that providing estimates of the amounts that would be required to reconcile the range of the company's organic growth, adjusted operating expenses and the effective tax rate on adjusted earnings would imply a degree of precision that would be confusing or misleading to investors for the reasons identified above. Consolidated Second Quarter Results -Table 1 Table 1 below presents summary selected unaudited condensed consolidated financial information for the company as reported and on an adjusted basis for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020. Table 1 Consolidated Second Quarter Results 2Q21 2Q20 ($ in millions except per share) 2Q21 2Q20 Change Adjusted1 Adjusted1 Change Total Revenues Less Cost of Revenues $ 350.6 $ 296.9 18 % $ 350.6 $ 296.9 18 % Total Operating Expenses $ 160.6 $ 135.2 19 % $ 128.3 $ 95.8 34 % Operating Income $ 190.0 $ 161.7 18 % $ 222.3 $ 201.1 11 % Operating Margin % 54.2 % 54.5 % (0.3) pp 63.4 % 67.7 % (4.3) pp Net Income Allocated to Common Stockholders $ 105.2 $ 113.3 (7) % $ 147.4 $ 143.3 3 % Diluted EPS $ 0.98 $ 1.03 (5) % $ 1.38 $ 1.31 5 % EBITDA1 $ 231.8 $ 201.6 15 % $ 233.6 $ 211.0 11 % EBITDA Margin % 1 66.1 % 67.9 % (1.8) pp 66.6 % 71.1 % (4.5) pp Total revenues less cost of revenues (referred to as "net revenue") of $350.6 million increased 18 percent, compared to $296.9 million in the prior-year period, primarily reflecting increases in net transaction and clearing fees and access and capacity fees 1 . Inorganic net revenue 1 in the second quarter of 2021 was $22.2 million . increased 18 percent, compared to in the prior-year period, primarily reflecting increases in net transaction and clearing fees and access and capacity fees . Inorganic net revenue in the second quarter of 2021 was . Total operating expenses were $160.6 million versus $135.2 million in the second quarter of 2020. Adjusted operating expenses of $128.3 million increased 34 percent compared with $95.8 million in the second quarter of 2020, primarily due to acquisitions closed in 2020, resulting in higher compensation and benefits and technology support services. Additionally, professional fees and outside services increased compared to the second quarter of 2020 as a result of increases in legal fees, regulatory costs, and contract services. versus in the second quarter of 2020. Adjusted operating expenses of increased 34 percent compared with in the second quarter of 2020, primarily due to acquisitions closed in 2020, resulting in higher compensation and benefits and technology support services. Additionally, professional fees and outside services increased compared to the second quarter of 2020 as a result of increases in legal fees, regulatory costs, and contract services. The effective tax rate for the second quarter of 2021 was 41.1 percent compared with 27.5 percent in the second quarter of 2020. The higher effective tax rate in 2021 is primarily due to the remeasurement of UK deferred tax liabilities following the UK tax rate increase from 19 percent to 25 percent enacted during the second quarter and effective April 1, 2023 . The effective tax rate on adjusted earnings 1 was 30.1 percent compared with 26.7 percent in last year's second quarter. The higher effective tax rate on adjusted earnings in the second quarter of 2021 was primarily due to increases in uncertain tax positions. . The effective tax rate on adjusted earnings was 30.1 percent compared with 26.7 percent in last year's second quarter. The higher effective tax rate on adjusted earnings in the second quarter of 2021 was primarily due to increases in uncertain tax positions. Diluted EPS for the second quarter of 2021 decreased 5 percent to $0.98 . Adjusted diluted EPS1 of $1.38 increased 5 percent compared to 2020's second quarter results. Business Segment Information: Table 2 Total Revenues Less Cost of Revenues by Business Segment (in millions) 2Q21 2Q20 Change Options $ 178.6 $ 150.6 19 % North American Equities 89.2 90.6 (2) % Futures 27.4 20.9 31 % Europe 41.6 21.1 97 % Global FX 13.8 13.7 1 % Total $ 350.6 $ 296.9 18 % (1) A full reconciliation of our non-GAAP results to our GAAP results is included in the attached tables. See "Non-GAAP Information" in the accompanying financial tables. Discussion of Results by Business Segment: Options: Options net revenue of $178.6 million was up $28.0 million , or 19 percent, from the second quarter of 2020, primarily due to an increase in net transaction and clearing fees 1 , as a result of higher trading volumes in both index and multi-listed options, as well as increases in access and capacity fees and market data fees. was up , or 19 percent, from the second quarter of 2020, primarily due to an increase in net transaction and clearing fees , as a result of higher trading volumes in both index and multi-listed options, as well as increases in access and capacity fees and market data fees. Net transaction and clearing fees increased $20.3 million , or 18 percent, reflecting a 12 percent increase in total options average daily volume ("ADV") and a 5 percent increase in total options revenue per contract ("RPC") compared to the second quarter 2020. The increase in total options RPC was due to a mix shift, with index options representing a higher percentage of total options volume. The RPC for multi-listed options increased 31 percent, primarily due to pricing changes and a shift in customer concentration. The RPC for index options decreased 5 percent, primarily reflecting the reversal of fee realignments implemented in 2020 in response to the temporary closure of the trading floor. , or 18 percent, reflecting a 12 percent increase in total options average daily volume ("ADV") and a 5 percent increase in total options revenue per contract ("RPC") compared to the second quarter 2020. The increase in total options RPC was due to a mix shift, with index options representing a higher percentage of total options volume. The RPC for multi-listed options increased 31 percent, primarily due to pricing changes and a shift in customer concentration. The RPC for index options decreased 5 percent, primarily reflecting the reversal of fee realignments implemented in 2020 in response to the temporary closure of the trading floor. Cboe's Options business had total market share of 30.4 percent for the second quarter of 2021 compared to 35.2 percent in the second quarter of 2020, primarily reflecting a decrease in Cboe's multi-listed options market share for the quarter of 26.8 percent compared to 31.4 percent in the second quarter of 2020. While market share declined, revenue per contract increased 31 percent year-over-year, reflecting a mix shift in order flow by order and customer type. North American (N.A.) Equities: N.A. Equities net revenue of $89.2 million was down $1.4 million , or 2 percent, primarily due to decreases in transaction and clearing fees and market data fees, offset somewhat by growth in access and capacity fees. The 2020 acquisitions of BIDS Trading and MATCHNow contributed $10.0 million in net revenue for the quarter. was down , or 2 percent, primarily due to decreases in transaction and clearing fees and market data fees, offset somewhat by growth in access and capacity fees. The 2020 acquisitions of BIDS Trading and MATCHNow contributed in net revenue for the quarter. The decrease in net transaction and clearing fees primarily reflects a 15 percent decline in U.S. equities industry ADV compared to the second quarter of 2020. Cboe U.S. Equities exchanges had market share of 14.3 percent for the second quarter of 2021 compared to 16.1 percent in the second quarter of 2020. The decrease was primarily due to higher off-exchange trading volume in the second quarter of 2021, averaging 43.3 percent of total market volume compared to 41.8 percent in the second quarter of 2020. Futures: Futures net revenue of $27.4 million increased $6.5 million , or 31 percent, primarily due to an increase in net transaction and clearing fees 1 . increased , or 31 percent, primarily due to an increase in net transaction and clearing fees . Net transaction and clearing fees increased $6.4 million , or 41 percent, reflecting a 49 percent increase in ADV, offset somewhat by a 5 percent decline in RPC. The RPC decline was primarily due to the addition of Mini-VIX futures, which are one-tenth the size of the standard VIX futures and have a lower fee per contract. The RPC variance also reflects higher volume from corporate bond index futures and associated market maker incentives. Europe: Europe net revenue of $41.6 million increased by 97 percent, primarily reflecting the addition of EuroCCP in July 2020 , which contributed $11.7 million in net revenue, and the impact of favorable currency exchange rates. Average daily notional value ("ADNV") for the overall market was up 5 percent during the quarter and ADNV traded on Cboe European Equities was 7.3 billion, up 16 percent from last year's second quarter, while net capture increased 7 percent, reflecting a shift in the mix of volume by order book type. net revenue of increased by 97 percent, primarily reflecting the addition of EuroCCP in , which contributed in net revenue, and the impact of favorable currency exchange rates. Average daily notional value ("ADNV") for the overall market was up 5 percent during the quarter and ADNV traded on Cboe European Equities was 7.3 billion, up 16 percent from last year's second quarter, while net capture increased 7 percent, reflecting a shift in the mix of volume by order book type. For the second quarter of 2021, Cboe European Equities had 17.4 percent market share, up from 15.8 percent in the second quarter of 2020, primarily as a result of the positive impact of a liquidity incentive program initiated in May 2020 , as well as successfully re-introducing Swiss securities on Cboe UK order books in February 2021 . Global FX: Global FX net revenue of $13.8 million increased 1 percent, primarily as a result of higher net transaction and clearing fees. ADNV traded on the Cboe FX platform was $32.5 billion for the quarter, up 2 percent from last year's second quarter and net capture per one million dollars traded was $2.71 for the quarter, down 2 percent compared to $2.77 in the second quarter of 2020. increased 1 percent, primarily as a result of higher net transaction and clearing fees. ADNV traded on the Cboe FX platform was for the quarter, up 2 percent from last year's second quarter and net capture per traded was for the quarter, down 2 percent compared to in the second quarter of 2020. Cboe FX had market share of 16.2 percent for the quarter compared to 16.4 percent in last year's second quarter. (1)A full reconciliation of our non-GAAP results to our GAAP results is included in the attached tables. See "Non-GAAP Information" in the accompanying financial tables. 2021 Fiscal Year Financial Guidance The company updated or reaffirmed its guidance for the 2021 fiscal year as noted below. This guidance incorporates the company's acquisition of Chi-X, which closed on July 1, 2021. Recurring non-transaction revenue, defined as access and capacity fees plus proprietary market data, is now expected to increase by 15 to 16 percent, from a base of $342 million in 2020, up from previous guidance of 11 to 12 percent, with organic growth targeted in a range of 12 to 13 percent versus previous guidance of 10 to 11 percent. The increase reflects the addition of Chi-X, as well as stronger growth in organic recurring non-transaction revenue. in 2020, up from previous guidance of 11 to 12 percent, with organic growth targeted in a range of 12 to 13 percent versus previous guidance of 10 to 11 percent. The increase reflects the addition of Chi-X, as well as stronger growth in organic recurring non-transaction revenue. Revenue from acquisitions held less than a year is now expected to contribute net revenue growth in a range of 5 to 7 percentage points in 2021, up from 4 to 6 percentage points, reflecting the addition of Chi-X on July 1 . . Reaffirmed that adjusted operating expenses are expected to be in the range of $531 to $539 million . The reaffirmation of adjusted expenses reflects the netting of incremental expenses related to the inclusion of Chi-X for the second half of 2021 and a reduction in guidance for expenses. The guidance excludes the expected amortization of acquired intangible assets of $126 million, the company plans to reflect the exclusion of this amount in its non-GAAP reconciliation. 2 to . The reaffirmation of adjusted expenses reflects the netting of incremental expenses related to the inclusion of Chi-X for the second half of 2021 and a reduction in guidance for expenses. The guidance excludes the expected amortization of acquired intangible assets of million, the company plans to reflect the exclusion of this amount in its non-GAAP reconciliation. Depreciation and amortization expense, which is included in adjusted operating expenses above, is now expected to be in the range of $34 to $38 million , down from the previous range of $38 to $42 million , excluding the expected amortization of acquired intangible assets. to , down from the previous range of to , excluding the expected amortization of acquired intangible assets. Reaffirmed that the effective tax rate 3 on adjusted earnings for the full year is expected to be in the range of 27.5 to 29.5 percent. The company now expects the adjusted effective tax rate for the full year to be at the higher end of the guidance range, due to the second quarter rate slightly exceeding the range. Significant changes in trading volume, expenses, federal, state and local tax laws or rates and other items could materially impact this expectation. on adjusted earnings for the full year is expected to be in the range of 27.5 to 29.5 percent. The company now expects the adjusted effective tax rate for the full year to be at the higher end of the guidance range, due to the second quarter rate slightly exceeding the range. Significant changes in trading volume, expenses, federal, state and local tax laws or rates and other items could materially impact this expectation. Capital expenditures are now expected to be in the range of $55 to $60 million , down versus the prior range of $60 to $65 million , primarily reflecting changes in the timing of certain projects. Capital Management At June 30, 2021, the company had adjusted cash3 of $442.6 million. Total debt as of June 30, 2021 was $1,298.5 million. The increase in adjusted cash and debt at June 30 compared to December 31, 2020, includes borrowings used to fund the Chi-X acquisition, which closed on July 1, 2021. The company paid cash dividends of $45.0 million, or $0.42 per share, during the second quarter of 2021 and utilized $33.7 million to repurchase 0.3 million shares of its common stock under its share repurchase program at an average price of $101.57 per share. As of June 30, 2021, the company had approximately $318.9 million of availability remaining under its existing share repurchase authorizations. Earnings Conference Call Executives of Cboe Global Markets will host a conference call to review its second-quarter financial results today, July 30, 2021, at 8:30 a.m. ET/7:30 a.m. CT. The conference call and any accompanying slides will be publicly available via live webcast from the Investor Relations section of the company's website at www.cboe.com under Events & Presentations. Participants may also listen via telephone by dialing (877) 2554313 from the United States, (866) 4504696 from Canada or (412) 3175466 for international callers. Telephone participants should place calls 10 minutes prior to the start of the call. The webcast will be archived on the company's website for replay. A telephone replay of the earnings call also will be available from approximately 11:00 a.m. CT, July 30, 2021, through 11:00 p.m. CT, August 6, 2021, by calling (877) 3447529 from the U.S., (855) 6699658 from Canada or (412) 3170088 for international callers, using replay code 10157218. (1) Amount does not yet include any estimate for Chi-X acquisition. (2) Specific quantifications of the amounts that would be required to reconcile the company's organic growth guidance, adjusted operating expenses guidance and the effective tax rate on adjusted earnings guidance are not available. The company believes that there is uncertainty and unpredictability with respect to certain of its GAAP measures, primarily related to acquisition-related revenues and expenses that would be required to reconcile to GAAP revenues less costs of revenues, GAAP operating expenses and GAAP effective tax rate, which preclude the company from providing accurate guidance on certain forward-looking GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliations. The company believes that providing estimates of the amounts that would be required to reconcile the range of the company's organic growth, adjusted operating expenses and the effective tax rate on adjusted earnings would imply a degree of precision that would be confusing or misleading to investors for the reasons identified above. (3) A full reconciliation of our non-GAAP results to our GAAP results is included in the attached tables. See "Non-GAAP Information" in the accompanying financial tables. About Cboe Global Markets Cboe Global Markets (Cboe: CBOE), a leading provider of market infrastructure and tradable products, delivers cutting-edge trading, clearing and investment solutions to market participants around the world. The company is committed to operating a trusted, inclusive global marketplace, providing leading products, technology and data solutions that enable participants to define a sustainable financial future. Cboe provides trading solutions and products in multiple asset classes, including equities, derivatives and FX, across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more, visit www.cboe.com. Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. You can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as "may," "might," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential" or "continue," and the negative of these terms and other comparable terminology. All statements that reflect our expectations, assumptions or projections about the future other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements, which are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us, may include projections of our future financial performance based on our growth strategies and anticipated trends in our business. These statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and projections about future events. There are important factors that could cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. We operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all risks and uncertainties, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Some factors that could cause actual results to differ include: the impact of the novel coronavirus ("COVID-19") pandemic, including changes to trading behavior broadly in the market; the loss of our right to exclusively list and trade certain index options and futures products; economic, political and market conditions; compliance with legal and regulatory obligations; price competition and consolidation in our industry; decreases in trading and clearing volumes, market data fees or a shift in the mix of products traded on our exchanges; legislative or regulatory changes; our ability to protect our systems and communication networks from security risks, cybersecurity risks, insider threats and unauthorized disclosure of confidential information; increasing competition by foreign and domestic entities; our dependence on and exposure to risk from third parties; fluctuations to currency exchange rates; our index providers' ability to maintain the quality and integrity of their indexes and to perform under our agreements; our ability to operate our business without violating the intellectual property rights of others and the costs associated with protecting our intellectual property rights; our ability to attract and retain skilled management and other personnel; our ability to minimize the risks, including our credit and default risks, associated with operating a European clearinghouse; our ability to accommodate trading and clearing volume and transaction traffic, including significant increases, without failure or degradation of performance of our systems; misconduct by those who use our markets or our products or for whom we clear transactions; challenges to our use of open source software code; our ability to meet our compliance obligations, including managing potential conflicts between our regulatory responsibilities and our for-profit status; our ability to maintain BIDS Trading as an independently managed and operated trading venue, separate from and not integrated with our registered national securities exchanges; damage to our reputation; the ability of our compliance and risk management methods to effectively monitor and manage our risks; our ability to manage our growth and strategic acquisitions or alliances effectively; restrictions imposed by our debt obligations and our ability to make payments on or refinance our debt obligations; our ability to maintain an investment grade credit rating; impairment of our goodwill, long-lived assets, investments or intangible assets; and the accuracy of our estimates and expectations. More detailed information about factors that may affect our actual results to differ may be found in our filings with the SEC, including in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and other filings made from time to time with the SEC. We do not undertake, and we expressly disclaim, any duty to update any forward-looking statement whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The condensed consolidated statements of income and balance sheets are unaudited and subject to reclassification. CBOE-F Trademarks: Cboe, Cboe Global Markets, Cboe Volatility Index, Bats, BIDS Trading, BZX, BYX, EDGX, EDGA, EuroCCP, MATCHNow, and VIX are registered trademarks of Cboe Global Markets, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. Key Performance Statistics by Business Segment 2Q 2021 1Q 2021 4Q 2020 3Q 2020 2Q 2020 Options Total industry ADV (in thousands) 36,442 41,974 32,197 29,535 28,243 Total company Options ADV (in thousands) 11,092 12,681 10,299 9,569 9,944 Multi-listed options 9,254 10,779 8,705 8,136 8,354 Index options 1,838 1,902 1,595 1,433 1,590 Total Options market share 30.4 % 30.2 % 32.0 % 32.4 % 35.2 % Multi-listed options 26.8 % 26.9 % 28.5 % 29.0 % 31.4 % Index options 98.7 % 99.0 % 99.3 % 98.9 % 99.4 % Total Options RPC: $ 0.192 $ 0.177 $ 0.182 $ 0.173 $ 0.182 Multi-listed options $ 0.067 $ 0.067 $ 0.068 $ 0.056 $ 0.051 Index options $ 0.823 $ 0.803 $ 0.809 $ 0.842 $ 0.870 North American Equities U.S. Equities - Exchange: Total industry ADV (shares in billions) 10.5 14.7 10.5 9.9 12.4 Market share % 14.3 % 15.0 % 15.1 % 15.1 % 16.1 % Net capture (per 100 touched shares) $ 0.020 $ 0.015 $ 0.015 $ 0.017 $ 0.025 U.S. Equities - Off-Exchange: ADV (touched shares, in millions) 75.8 99.5 N/A N/A N/A Net capture (per 100 touched shares) $ 0.123 $ 0.121 N/A N/A N/A Canadian Equities: ADV (matched shares, in millions) 47.4 71.4 45.2 40.0 N/A Total market share % 3.5 % 3.1 % 3.3 % 3.3 % N/A Market share % - TSX listed volume 5.0 % 4.6 % 4.7 % 4.7 % N/A Net capture (per 10,000 shares, in Canadian Dollars) $ 7.782 $ 7.184 $ 8.300 $ 8.200 N/A Futures ADV (in thousands) 214 256 159 172 144 RPC $ 1.648 $ 1.639 $ 1.575 $ 1.527 $ 1.743 Europe Equities: Total industry ADNV (Euros - in billions) 42.0 44.8 37.5 31.5 40.1 Market share % 17.4 % 16.8 % 17.5 % 17.7 % 15.8 % Net capture (bps) 0.267 0.284 0.259 0.245 0.248 EuroCCP: Trades cleared (in thousands) 294,801.9 298,223.5 290,181.9 255,293.1 N/A Fee per trade cleared 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.011 N/A Net settlement volume (shares in thousands) 2,367.3 2,423.2 2,132.7 1,952.3 N/A Net fee per settlement 0.893 0.865 0.803 0.785 N/A Global FX Market share % 16.2 % 16.5 % 16.7 % 15.9 % 16.4 % ADNV ($ in billions) $ 32.5 $ 37.1 $ 33.7 $ 30.2 $ 31.8 Net capture (per one million dollars traded) $ 2.71 $ 2.65 $ 2.64 $ 2.70 $ 2.77 ADV = average daily volume; ADNV = average daily notional value. RPC, average revenue per contract, for options and futures represents total net transaction fees recognized for the period divided by total contracts traded during the period. U.S. Equities - Exchange, "net capture per 100 touched shares" refers to transaction fees less liquidity payments and routing and clearing costs divided by the product of one-hundredth ADV of touched shares on BZX, BYX, EDGX and EDGA and the number of trading days. U.S. Equities Off-Exchange data reflects Cboe's acquisition of BIDS Trading, effective December 31, 2020. For U.S. Equities Off-Exchange, "net capture per 100 touched shares" refers to transaction fees less order and execution management system (OMS/EMS) fees and clearing costs divided by the product of one-hundredth ADV of touched shares on BIDS Trading and the number of trading days for the period. Canadian Equities data reflects the acquisition of MATCHNow effective August 4, 2020. Canadian Equities, "net capture per 10,000 shares" refers to transaction fees divided by the product of one-ten thousandth ADV of shares for MATCHNow and the number of trading days. Total market share represents MATCHNow volume divided by the total volume of the Canadian Equities market. TSX listed volume market share represents MATCHNow volume divided by the total volume in TSX listed equities. European Equities, "net capture per matched notional value" refers to transaction fees less liquidity payments in British pounds divided by the product of ADNV in British pounds of shares matched on Cboe Europe Equities and the number of trading days. EuroCCP data reflects the acquisition of EuroCCP effective July 1, 2020. "Trades cleared" refers to the total number of non-interoperable trades cleared, "Fee per trade cleared" refers to clearing fees divided by number of non-interoperable trades cleared, "Net settlement volume" refers to the total number of settlements executed after netting, and "Net fee per settlement" refers to settlement fees less direct costs incurred to settle divided by the number of settlements executed after netting. Global FX, "net capture per one million dollars traded" refers to transaction fees less liquidity payments, if any, divided by the Spot and SEF products of one-thousandth of ADNV traded on the Cboe FX Markets and the number of trading days, divided by two, which represents the buyer and seller that are both charged on the transaction. Market Share represents Cboe FX volume divided by the total volume of publicly reporting spot FX venues (Cboe FX, EBS, Refinitiv, and Euronext FX). Average transaction fees per contract can be affected by various factors, including exchange fee rates, volume-based discounts and transaction mix by contract type and product type. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. and Subsidiaries Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited) Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, (in millions, except per share amounts) 2021 2020 2021 2020 Revenue: Transaction and clearing fees $ 618.2 $ 618.3 $ 1,381.4 $ 1,279.8 Access and capacity fees 67.1 55.7 133.5 113.4 Market data fees 62.8 58.7 126.6 114.9 Regulatory fees 36.9 128.7 138.4 265.5 Other revenue 15.8 7.3 31.7 16.6 Total Revenues 800.8 868.7 1,811.6 1,790.2 Cost of Revenues: Liquidity payments 377.9 415.6 879.7 808.0 Routing and clearing 19.9 17.7 47.0 33.7 Section 31 fees 28.8 119.0 120.7 246.4 Royalty fees 20.3 19.4 40.6 46.8 Other 3.3 0.1 7.5 0.1 Total Cost of Revenues 450.2 571.8 1,095.5 1,135.0 Revenues Less Cost of Revenues 350.6 296.9 716.1 655.2 Operating Expenses: Compensation and benefits 67.7 54.9 140.0 108.2 Depreciation and amortization 40.6 38.0 82.6 78.5 Technology support services 16.2 12.5 33.4 24.4 Professional fees and outside services 22.4 12.3 38.0 27.2 Travel and promotional expenses 1.9 0.9 3.5 3.0 Facilities costs 5.4 4.1 10.7 8.2 Acquisition-related costs 1.8 9.4 5.2 10.2 Other expenses 4.6 3.1 8.1 7.4 Total Operating Expenses 160.6 135.2 321.5 267.1 Operating Income 190.0 161.7 394.6 388.1 Non-operating Income (Expenses): Interest expense, net (12.3) (7.3) (24.6) (14.6) Other income, net 1.5 2.2 2.1 0.6 Total Non-operating Income (Expenses) (10.8) (5.1) (22.5) (14.0) Income Before Income Tax Provision 179.2 156.6 372.1 374.1 Income tax provision 73.7 43.0 129.4 103.1 Net Income 105.5 113.6 242.7 271.0 Net income allocated to participating securities (0.3) (0.3) (0.7) (0.7) Net Income Allocated to Common Stockholders $ 105.2 $ 113.3 $ 242.0 $ 270.3 Net Income Per Share Allocated to Common Stockholders: Basic earnings per share $ 0.99 $ 1.04 $ 2.26 $ 2.46 Diluted earnings per share 0.98 1.03 2.26 2.45 Weighted average shares used in computing income per share: Basic 106.8 109.5 107.1 109.9 Diluted 106.9 109.6 107.3 110.1 Cboe Global Markets, Inc. and Subsidiaries Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) June 30, 2021 and 2020 June 30, December 31, (in millions) 2021 2020 Assets Current Assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 450.9 $ 245.4 Financial investments 118.7 92.4 Accounts receivable, net 333.1 337.3 Margin deposits and clearing funds 1,188.2 812.1 Income taxes receivable 39.7 53.1 Other current assets 50.2 26.5 Total Current Assets 2,180.8 1,566.8 Investments 41.1 42.7 Land 2.3 Property and equipment, net 95.6 82.6 Property held for sale 13.0 Operating lease right of use assets 113.7 111.0 Goodwill 2,899.5 2,895.1 Intangible assets, net 1,670.4 1,729.0 Other assets, net 93.1 76.3 Total Assets $ 7,096.5 $ 6,516.5 Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity Current Liabilities: Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 260.0 $ 250.0 Section 31 fees payable 120.9 152.9 Deferred revenue 17.2 10.2 Margin deposits and clearing funds 1,188.2 812.1 Income taxes payable 4.8 4.2 Current portion of long-term debt 68.7 Current portion of contingent consideration liabilities 12.9 15.2 Total Current Liabilities 1,604.0 1,313.3 Long-term debt 1,298.5 1,135.2 Unrecognized tax benefits 187.5 164.7 Deferred income taxes 384.1 377.6 Non-current operating lease liabilities 134.0 132.1 Contingent consideration liabilities 13.7 17.5 Other non-current liabilities 32.2 27.2 Total Liabilities 3,654.0 3,167.6 Stockholders' Equity: Preferred stock Common stock 1.3 1.2 Treasury stock at cost (1,337.5) (1,250.4) Additional paid-in capital 2,730.7 2,713.3 Retained earnings 1,962.2 1,809.8 Accumulated other comprehensive income, net 85.8 75.0 Total Stockholders' Equity 3,442.5 3,348.9 Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity $ 7,096.5 $ 6,516.5 Non-GAAP Information In addition to disclosing results determined in accordance with GAAP, Cboe Global Markets has disclosed certain non-GAAP measures of operating performance. These measures are not in accordance with, or a substitute for, GAAP, and may be different from or inconsistent with non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. The non-GAAP measures provided in this press release include net transaction and clearing fees, adjusted operating expenses, adjusted operating income, organic net revenue, inorganic net revenue, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net income allocated to common stockholders and adjusted diluted earnings per share, effective tax rate on adjusted earnings, adjusted cash, EBITDA, EBITDA margin, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin. Management believes that the non-GAAP financial measures presented in this press release, including adjusted operating income, organic net revenue and adjusted operating expenses, provide additional and comparative information to assess trends in our core operations and a means to evaluate period-to-period comparisons. Non-GAAP financial measures disclosed by management are provided as additional information to investors in order to provide them with an alternative method for assessing our financial condition and operating results. Organic net revenue, inorganic net revenue, organic non-transaction revenue and organic net revenue guidance: These are non-GAAP financial measures that exclude or have otherwise been adjusted for the impact of our acquisitions for the period or guidance, as applicable. Management believes the organic net revenue growth and guidance measures provide users with supplemental information regarding the company's ongoing and future potential revenue performances and trends by presenting revenue growth and guidance excluding the impact of the acquisitions. Revenues from acquisitions that have been owned for at least one year are considered organic and are no longer excluded from organic net revenue from either period for comparative purposes. Amortization expense of acquired intangible assets: We amortize intangible assets acquired in connection with various acquisitions. Amortization of intangible assets is inconsistent in amount and frequency and is significantly affected by the timing and size of our acquisitions. As such, if intangible asset amortization is included in performance measures, it is more difficult to assess the day-to-day operating performance of the businesses, the relative operating performance of the businesses between periods and the earnings power of the company. Therefore, we believe performance measures excluding intangible asset amortization expense provide investors with an additional basis for comparison across accounting periods. Acquisition-related expenses: From time to time, we have pursued acquisitions, which have resulted in expenses which would not otherwise have been incurred in the normal course of the company's business operations. These expenses include integration costs, as well as legal, due diligence and other third-party transaction costs. The frequency and the amount of such expenses vary significantly based on the size, timing and complexity of the transaction. Accordingly, we exclude these costs for purposes of calculating non-GAAP measures which provide an additional analysis of Cboe's ongoing operating performance or comparisons in Cboe's performance between periods. The tables below show the reconciliation of each financial measure from GAAP to non-GAAP. The non-GAAP financial measures exclude the impact of those items detailed below and are referred to as adjusted financial measures. Organic Net Revenue Reconciliation Table 3 Three Months Ended Six Months Ended (in millions) June 30, June 30, Reconciliation of Revenue Less Cost of Revenue to Organic Net Revenue 2021 2020 2021 2020 Revenues less cost of revenues (net revenue) $ 350.6 $ 296.9 $ 716.1 $ 655.2 Less acquisitions: Acquisition revenue less cost of revenues (inorganic net revenue) $ (22.2) $ $ (49.0) $ Organic net revenue $ 328.4 $ 296.9 $ 667.1 $ 655.2 Reconciliation of GAAP and non-GAAP Information Three Months Ended Six Months Ended Table 4 June 30, June 30, (in millions, except per share amounts) 2021 2020 2021 2020 Reconciliation of Net Income Allocated to Common Stockholders to Non-GAAP (As shown on Table 1) Net income allocated to common stockholders $ 105.2 $ 113.3 $ 242.0 $ 270.3 Non-GAAP adjustments Acquisition-related expenses (1) 1.8 9.4 5.2 10.2 Amortization of acquired intangible assets (2) 30.5 30.0 63.4 62.5 Total Non-GAAP adjustments 32.3 39.4 68.6 72.7 Income tax expense related to the items above (7.7) (9.3) (15.9) (16.9) Deferred tax re-measurements 17.7 17.7 Net income allocated to participating securities - effect on reconciling items (0.1) (0.1) (0.2) (0.5) Adjusted net income allocated to common stockholders $ 147.4 $ 143.3 $ 312.2 $ 325.6 Reconciliation of Diluted EPS to Non-GAAP Diluted earnings per common share $ 0.98 $ 1.03 $ 2.26 $ 2.45 Per share impact of non-GAAP adjustments noted above 0.40 0.28 0.65 0.51 Adjusted diluted earnings per common share $ 1.38 $ 1.31 $ 2.91 $ 2.96 Reconciliation of Operating Margin to Non-GAAP Revenue less cost of revenue $ 350.6 $ 296.9 $ 716.1 $ 655.2 Non-GAAP adjustments noted above Adjusted revenue less cost of revenue $ 350.6 $ 296.9 $ 716.1 $ 655.2 Operating expenses (3) $ 160.6 $ 135.2 $ 321.5 $ 267.1 Non-GAAP adjustments noted above 32.3 39.4 68.6 72.7 Adjusted operating expenses $ 128.3 $ 95.8 $ 252.9 $ 194.4 Operating income $ 190.0 $ 161.7 $ 394.6 $ 388.1 Non-GAAP adjustments noted above 32.3 39.4 68.6 72.7 Adjusted operating income $ 222.3 $ 201.1 $ 463.2 $ 460.8 Adjusted operating margin (4) 63.4 % 67.7 % 64.7 % 70.3 % Reconciliation of Income Tax Rate to Non-GAAP Income before income taxes 179.2 156.6 372.1 374.1 Non-GAAP adjustments noted above 32.3 39.4 68.6 72.7 Adjusted income before income taxes $ 211.5 $ 196.0 $ 440.7 $ 446.8 Income tax expense 73.7 43.0 129.4 103.1 Non-GAAP adjustments noted above (10.0) 9.3 (1.8) 16.9 Adjusted income tax expense $ 63.7 $ 52.3 $ 127.6 $ 120.0 Adjusted income tax rate 30.1 % 26.7 % 29.0 % 26.9 % (1) This amount includes professional fees and outside services, severance, facilities expenses, impairment charges and other costs related to the company's acquisitions. (2) This amount represents the amortization of acquired intangible assets related to the company's acquisitions. (3) The company sponsors deferred compensation plans held in a trust. The expenses or income related to the deferred compensation plans are included in "Compensation and benefits" ($1.1 million and $2.2 million in expense for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and $1.4 million and $0.1 million in the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively), and are directly offset by deferred compensation income, expenses and dividends included within "Other income, net" ($1.1 million and $2.2 million in income, expense and dividends in the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and $1.4 and $0.1 million in the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively), on the consolidated statements of income. The deferred compensation plans' expenses are not excluded from "adjusted operating expenses" and do not have an impact on "Income before income taxes." (4) Adjusted operating margin represents adjusted operating income divided by adjusted revenue less cost of revenue. EBITDA Reconciliations EBITDA (earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization) and Adjusted EBITDA are widely used non-GAAP financial measures of operating performance. EBITDA margin represents EBITDA divided by revenues less cost of revenues (net revenue). It is presented as supplemental information that the company believes is useful to investors to evaluate its results because it excludes certain items that are not directly related to the company's core operating performance. EBITDA is calculated by adding back to net income interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA is calculated by adding back to EBITDA acquisition-related expenses. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as substitutes either for net income, as an indicator of the company's operating performance, or for cash flow, as a measure of the company's liquidity. In addition, because EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA may not be calculated identically by all companies, the presentation here may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. Adjusted EBITDA margin represents Adjusted EBITDA divided by net revenue. Table 5 Three Months Ended Six Months Ended (in millions) June 30, June 30, Reconciliation of Net Income Allocated to Common Stockholders to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA (Per Table 1) 2021 2020 2021 2020 Net income allocated to common stockholders $ 105.2 $ 113.3 $ 242.0 $ 270.3 Interest expense, net 12.3 7.3 24.6 14.6 Income tax provision 73.7 43.0 129.4 103.1 Depreciation and amortization 40.6 38.0 82.6 78.5 EBITDA $ 231.8 $ 201.6 $ 478.6 $ 466.5 EBITDA Margin 66.1 % 67.9 % 66.8 % 71.2 % Non-GAAP adjustments not included in above line items Acquisition-related expenses 1.8 9.4 5.2 10.2 Adjusted EBITDA $ 233.6 $ 211.0 $ 483.8 $ 476.7 Adjusted EBITDA Margin 66.6 % 71.1 % 67.6 % 72.4 % Table 6 (in millions) June 30, December 31, Reconciliation of Cash and cash equivalents to Adjusted Cash 2021 2020 Cash and cash equivalents $ 450.9 $ 245.4 Financial investments 118.7 92.4 Less deferred compensation plan assets (25.6) (24.5) Less cash collected for Section 31 Fees (101.4) (103.0) Adjusted Cash $ 442.6 $ 210.3 Table 7 (in millions) Reconciliation of Net Transaction and Clearing Fees Three Months Ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 Consolidated Options Segment N.A. Equities Segment Futures Segment Europe Segment Global FX Segment Three Months Ended Three Months Ended Three Months Ended Three Months Ended Three Months Ended Three Months Ended June 30, June 30, June 30, June 30, June 30, June 30, 2021 2020 2021 2020 2021 2020 2021 2020 2021 2020 2021 2020 Transaction and clearing fees $ 618.2 $ 618.3 $ 283.2 $ 250.8 $ 268.0 $ 325.1 $ 22.2 $ 15.8 $ 33.3 $ 15.2 $ 11.5 $ 11.4 Liquidity payments (377.9) (415.6) (144.1) (132.0) (228.4) (279.4) (5.4) (4.2) Routing and clearing (19.9) (17.7) (5.0) (5.0) (10.0) (12.7) (4.9) Net transaction and clearing fees $ 220.4 $ 185.0 $ 134.1 $ 113.8 $ 29.6 $ 33.0 $ 22.2 $ 15.8 $ 23.0 $ 11.0 $ 11.5 $ 11.4 SOURCE Cboe Global Markets, Inc. Related Links http://www.cboe.com LAME DEER, Mont., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Covenant Tribal Solar Initiative, a Native-led nonprofit organization that empowers American Indian tribes to replace extractive energy systems with clean, regenerative energy has received a $775,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for its work supporting Native American tribes as they pursue energy sovereignty and a return to self-determination. "The MacArthur Foundation is making significant investments to combat climate change, placing a new emphasis on its impacts on BIPOC communities," said Cheri Smith, founder of Covenant Tribal Solar Initiative. "We are honored that the Foundation has recognized the importance and urgency of our mission to empower Native American tribes to develop and deploy renewable energy to restore their self-reliance. Like the MacArthur Foundation, we are committed to supporting the reinvention of systems that foster just, equitable, and resilient Native communities. Replacing extractive energy systems with clean, regenerative energy is a transformational solution to a dire problem," Smith said. "As we emerge from this moment of crisis, we have an opportunity to improve the critical systems that people and places need to thrive. Our systems and structures must be rebuilt," said MacArthur Foundation President John Palfrey. "We are committed to ensuring that our response to the pandemic is focused on supporting the reimagining of systems that create a more just, equitable, and resilient world." Disproportionately high electric rates and discriminatory utility practices exacerbate the deep poverty and many hardships commonly experienced on American Indian reservations. Globally, solar energy has the potential for significant positive effects on economic, social, and ecological systems. In American Indian communities where a smaller electric bill means more money for food, medicine, and other essentials solar makes an exponentially greater impact, and aligns with Native belief systems. "For eons, my people were self-reliant. The earth provided for all of our needs. The devastating effects of colonization, westward expansion, manifest destiny, and the deliberate extermination of the buffalo by colonists stripped us of our ability to provide for ourselves, causing us to be reliant on outsiders for survival," said Otto Braided Hair, Northern Cheyenne Tribal Member and co-founder and executive director of Covenant Tribal Solar Initiative. "This funding supports critical efforts to ensure that the regenerative results of solar energy deployment will ignite a systems-level change in the economic and social conditions in our Native communities, leading to a restoration of our self-reliance, and of hope. Coming out of a pandemic, this is more important than ever," said Braided Hair. Leveraging U.S. Department of Energy funding, philanthropy, and impact investment, Covenant Tribal Solar Initiative's scope of work in the next 12 months includes the development of residential-, commercial- and utility-scale projects totaling more than three megawatts on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, and more on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. As more funding is secured, Covenant Tribal Solar Initiative's work will expand to additional tribes. Covenant Tribal Solar Initiative Covenant Tribal Solar Initiative , a fiscally sponsored project of Earth Island Institute, 501(c)3, is a first-of-its-kind effort. Led by Native change agents, this team of solar industry experts hailing from Tesla, SolarCity, SunRun and the U.S. Department of Energy aims to diminish poverty, mitigate climate change, and create thriving American Indian communities with the clean and regenerative power of solar. Read the full release HERE . Covenant Tribal Solar Initiative Media Contact: Kathleen Van Gorden [email protected] MacArthur Media Contact: Kristen Mac [email protected] SOURCE Covenant Tribal Solar Initiative DALLAS, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Elisha J. Kobre has joined the firm's Dallas office as a partner in the Government Enforcement and Investigations and Litigation practice groups. Mr. Kobre joins the firm after serving for more than a decade as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, focusing his practice on securities and commodities fraud, complex fraud, and cybercrime. "We are pleased to welcome Elisha to our Dallas office," said Dallas Office Managing Partner Richard A. Sayles. "He is a highly accomplished former federal prosecutor with an impressive track record and broad experience in white collar, regulatory enforcement and complex litigation matters from one of the most active U.S. Attorney's offices in the country, which will greatly benefit our clients." "I am excited to join Bradley and the firm's team of talented attorneys in Dallas," added Mr. Kobre. "I look forward to bringing my experience as a white-collar prosecutor with the Southern District of New York to build upon Bradley's substantial government enforcement investigation and litigation practices." With the addition of Mr. Kobre, Bradley's Dallas office has tripled in size since it opened in January of 2019, reinforcing the firm's strengths in its litigation, finance, corporate, government enforcement, fintech and emerging business practice areas. In addition, the firm has grown to more than 50 lawyers located across its offices in Dallas and Houston and has more than 70 lawyers licensed in the state, allowing Bradley to handle a wide variety of legal matters for its clients in Texas and beyond. Mr. Kobre's practice involves representing corporations, executives, high net worth individuals, and financial institutions in criminal investigations and trials, regulatory enforcement proceedings, and complex civil litigation. He conducts internal investigations, transactional diligence, and advises on compliance matters, and has a particular experience with securities and commodities fraud, FCPA enforcement, healthcare fraud, and criminal and civil asset forfeiture. Mr. Kobre served for over 11 years in the Department of Justice as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he led the investigation and prosecution of a wide range of white-collar offenses, including insider trading, accounting fraud, corporate embezzlement, investment advisor fraud, market manipulation, violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, healthcare fraud, money laundering, and obstruction. He also coordinated parallel civil proceedings with the SEC, CFTC, FINRA, FTC, bankruptcy trustees, and court-appointed receivers, and has litigated criminal forfeiture proceedings. Mr. Kobre received his J.D. from Yale Law School, his Ph.D. in Mathematics from New York University, and his B.A. in Mathematics from Queens College of the City University of New York. Mr. Kobre is not yet licensed in Texas but is admitted to practice in New York, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia. About Bradley Bradley combines skilled legal counsel with exceptional client service and unwavering integrity to assist a diverse range of corporate and individual clients in achieving their business goals. With offices in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and the District of Columbia, the firm's nearly 550 lawyers represent regional, national and international clients in various industries, including banking and financial services, construction, energy, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, real estate, and technology, among many others. ### Contact: Mike Androvett 214.559.4630 [email protected] Social Media: @bradleylegal, #legalnews, #lawyers SOURCE Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP Related Links http://www.bradley.com/ NEW YORK, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of financial markets for 11,000 U.S. and global securities, today announced 1st Capital Bancorp (OTCQX: FISB), a community bank headquartered in Monterey County in California, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market. 1st Capital Bancorp upgraded to OTCQX from the Pink market. 1st Capital Bancorp begins trading today on OTCQX under the symbol "FISB." U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com. Graduating to the OTCQX Market marks an important milestone for community banks in the U.S. public markets. The OTCQX Market enables banks to maximize the value of being a public company by providing transparent trading and easy access to company information for shareholders. To qualify for OTCQX, community banks must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance, and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws. "We are pleased to be joining the OTCQX Market and look forward to the benefits this transition provides. The change from Pink market will provide our shareholders with increased visibility, transparency, and liquidity, and is consistent with our principal focus of creating long-term value for our shareholders," stated 1st Capital Bancorp CEO Sam Jimenez. Raymond James & Associates, Inc. acted as the company's OTCQX sponsor. About 1st Capital Bancorp 1st Capital Bank is a locally owned and managed community bank headquartered in Monterey County. The company provides professional banking, including credit and cash management services to businesses, professionals and residents throughout California's Central Coast. About OTC Markets Group Inc. OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates the OTCQX Best Market, the OTCQB Venture Market and the Pink Open Market for 11,000 U.S. and global securities. Through OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN, we connect a diverse network of broker-dealers that provide liquidity and execution services. We enable investors to easily trade through the broker of their choice and empower companies to improve the quality of information available for investors. To learn more about how we create better informed and more efficient markets, visit www.otcmarkets.com. OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN are SEC regulated ATSs, operated by OTC Link LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Subscribe to the OTC Markets RSS Feed Media Contact: OTC Markets Group Inc., +1 (212) 896-4428, [email protected] SOURCE OTC Markets Group Inc. Related Links http://www.otcmarkets.com SAN MATEO, Calif., July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- PowerVision, A global leader in UAV technologies, is preparing to release their newest product this August. The PowerVision S1 is the latest release in PowerVision's product line, combining a wireless charging bank, AI tracking technology, the world's smallest stabilizer, and other user-friendly components into one smart phone gadget. Since the initial reveal in late May, the S1 has secured over 700 backers on Indiegogo and surpassed its initial fundraising goal by over 500%. PowerVision The PowerVision S1's extensive features land it an industry-leading slot in smartphone accessory technology. It serves as a 3-axis stabilizer, a selfie stick, a photo and video editor, magnetic system, wireless pass-through charging power bank, and a tripod all in one pocket-sized product. Designed for capturing high-quality photos and videos, the S1 seamlessly compatible with social media, live-streaming, and video conferencing apps. Its complimentary free app also allows you to connect and setup your device, shoot, edit, and share content, and even access stickers, filters, and subtitles. From technology and gadget reviewers to vloggers and social media influencers, the S1 allows anyone to create cinematic quality smooth video content on-the-go, hands free. With its AI tracking technology, the PowerFollow feature can lock-onto and follow a subject. Individual faces, bodies, and even objects can remain in-frame at all times. In selfie mode, users can enable gesture control to signal when to start, stop, pause & capture. "We're thrilled to see the amount of praise and recognition the S1 has received. We're proud to continue creating groundbreaking technology that anyone in the world can navigate easily. With the market release of the S1 just around the corner, we can't wait to see all of the quality content that users create with our newest product," said Wally Zheng, CEO and founder of PowerVision. YouTube Channel Unbox Therapy recently released their full review of the PowerVision S1 and all of its accessories, amassing over 1.1 million views in just three weeks. Lewis Hilsenteger, founder of Unbox Therapy, noted the amount of "flagship features" in his video. "When it comes to versatility," said Hilsenteger, "PowerVision has really imagined [users] moving throughout a whole ecosystem with all of its accessories." Additional features include: Universal magnetic connection system compatible with all smartphones Car and wall mount accessories Ability to capture portrait, landscape, and panorama shots Three product color options: black, blue, and green The PowerVision S1 will be available for purchase via Amazon and PowerVision in August. The product will retail at $226 USD. For more information about PowerVision, the PowerVision S1, and the company's complete line of products, visit powervision.me. About PowerVision: The PowerVision Group, founded in 2009, headquartered in Beijing, is a company with a clear mission to innovate the future. PowerVision pushes the boundaries of possibilities, with the aim to change the world through innovative artificial intelligence. At the heart of the company is a corporate culture that prides itself on continuous learning, innovation, and technological excellence. Since its establishment in 2009, PowerVision has continued to push the frontiers of cutting-edge research, development, and design. In addition to improving core company technology, PowerVision has revolutionized industry research and development. Presently, PowerVision is the only company in the world producing aerial, water-surface, and underwater robotic devices, as well as the only robotic company to achieve mass production of underwater AI robotic devices. PowerVision has acquired nearly 1000 independent intellectual property rights in the form of patents, trademarks, and copyrights, including nearly 400 core technology invention patents. For more information, visit: http://www.powervision.me, or call toll free: (855) 562-6699. All products/services and trademarks mentioned in this release are the properties of their respective companies. PR Contacts: Sherry Liu / [email protected] Joe Bonilla / [email protected] / 877.817.7890 ext. 707 Related Images powervision-s1.jpeg PowerVision S1 SOURCE PowerVision COLLEGE PARK, Md., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Structural inequalities in the United States are posing "a serious threat to progress" in the push to get people vaccinated against COVID-19, according to research from the Center for Health Information and Decision Systems (CHIDS) at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, published Thursday, July 29, 2021, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . Systemic racial inequities structural racism, medical mistrust, and individual vaccine hesitancy have long contributed to disparities in vaccination rates among vulnerable populations and offer important context for how racial minorities have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, the researchers write. Investigating the question of which social determinants of health are associated with racial disparities in COVID-19 vaccination among White and Black populations, the researchers identified educational, economic and political factors as being among the key obstacles. The researchers, Maryland Smith professors Ritu Agarwal , Guodong (Gordon) Gao and Jui Ramaprasad , Smith senior research scientist Michelle Dugas , along with Smith PhD students Gujie Li and Junjie Luo, combined data from state, federal and other sources. They analyzed vaccination data from April 19 a time when vaccines were made available to all U.S. adults and when nearly half of the U.S. adult population had reported receiving at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine across 756 U.S. counties and roughly 170.6 million people. The collected data represent about half of the U.S. adult population. The researchers also compared factors associated with disparities in COVID-19 vaccination to those associated with influenza vaccination disparities, finding that "differences include an amplified role for socioeconomic privilege factors and political ideology, reflective of the unique societal context in which the pandemic has unfolded." Among the findings: Areas with higher overall median incomes displayed lower disparities in vaccination rates. It's a finding, the researchers write, that may speak to additional vaccines being more accessible to higher-income counties during vaccine rollout. Disparity in high school graduation rates also served as a critical factor in vaccine disparity within counties. Across the political spectrum, meanwhile, the Republican vote share displayed a significant negative association with vaccination disparities, the researchers write. Their further analysis shows that the seemingly reduced disparity is due to a lower White vaccination rate, rather than a higher Black vaccination rate. "Failure to address these structural barriers poses the dual risks of additional lives lost and a significant slowdown in progress toward ending the COVID-19 pandemic or combatting similar future outbreaks," the researchers write. States do not report vaccination rates by race consistently, making it difficult to design policy interventions and outreach strategies that can effectively address inequities in vaccination rates. Experts available: Contact Ritu Agarwal at [email protected] ; Guodong (Gordon) Gao at [email protected] and Jui Ramaprasad at [email protected]. Go to Smith Brain Trust for related content at https://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/research and follow on Twitter @SmithBrainTrust . About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and part-time MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, specialty masters, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia. Contact: Greg Muraski at [email protected] or Karen Johnson at [email protected] . SOURCE University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business DUBLIN, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "European Medium & Heavy Truck Market - 2021-2026 - Market Dynamics, Competitive Landscape, OEM Strategies & Plans, Trends & Growth Opportunities and Market Outlook - Daimler, Volvo, Traton - MAN & Scania, DAF, Iveco" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Global Trucking industry had been impacted significantly by the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 (with the clear exception of China), with declining volumes as well as profitability across OEMs with recovery seen in the later part of the year, led, primarily by the unprecedented surge in e-commerce volumes. The registration of heavy trucks in the EU plummeted in 2020 with a 27% year-on-year decline owing to pandemic & the imposition of spate of lockdowns across most EU nations. Europe has been the core pivot and traditional flag-bearer for technological evolution of the global trucking industry given the critical role it plays in the European economy with over 75% of the freight within the continent moving by road and this trend is likely to be sustained over long term. The continent is also a trucking powerhouse and is home to three of the world's trucking behemoths, namely, Daimler, Volvo and the VW group which have traditionally dominated the global truck market with their size and scale of operations along with technological prowess. The first half of the year 2021 has witnessed a steady improvement in freight prices as well as volumes across the EU, driving an uptick in freight market, which drove a surge in order intake across industry OEMs while operators moved swiftly to renew as well as expand their existing fleets. The industry also continues to make steady progress towards development of sustainable technologies geared towards de-carbonization of transportation. The efforts have primarily been led by battery-electric & fuel cell technologies with the tipping point for electric trucks likely to come in form of the commencement of serial assembly of electric trucks across trucking giants, Daimler & Volvo, apart from most other OEMs; over near term. Further, mass market production & introduction of hydrogen powered trucks across Europe by 2030, too, is taking shape under the H2Accelerate initiative by the industry geared towards sustainability. The rapid move towards de-carbonization of transportation & transition towards sustainability; along with Connectivity & Autonomous technologies; is collectively likely to drive significant replacement demand over medium term across most traditional markets. Also, it has already led to a spike in M&A activity, JVs & partnerships amongst leading industry players with the same likely to see a further uptick going forward. Further, the sustained rise in global crude oil prices is likely to give a further stimulus to transition towards alternate drivetrains across operators. The Global Demand for medium & heavy trucks is projected to register a steady recovery & growth over near to medium term with most key global economies likely to witness an uptick in demand following the pursuit of fiscal intervention measures by nations & governments across most regions going forward coupled with strong global economic recovery projections by the IMF for 2021 & 2022, led by the U.S. However, managing supply side delays & disruptions, especially for semi-conductor chips, owing to the pandemic and its uncertain trajectory going forward, will be crucial to sustaining recovery over near term which is likely to continue well into 2022. The heavy-truck registrations in the EU are projected to be back to the pre-pandemic levels during the second half of 2021 with even a high single digit growth in heavy truck registrations, over the 2019 levels, projected for 2021, based on the prevailing order book positions across OEMs. Company Coverage: DAF N.V. Daimler AG Iveco S.p.A. MAN SE Scania AB Volvo AB Key Topics Covered: Part 1: Market Size, Segmentation & Competitive Landscape European Medium & Heavy Truck Market (EU+EFTA) Competitive Landscape - European Market for Medium & Heavy Trucks - Market Share for OEMs Part 2: Analysis on Key Industry OEMs Top 6 Industry OEMs - Profiles & Product Portfolio Snapshot Financial Performance Analysis - Top 6 Industry OEMs OEM Strategies & Plans - Comprehensive Analysis of Strategies & Plans for Top 6 Industry OEMs - Daimler, Volvo, MAN, Scania, Iveco & DAF SWOT Analysis - On Top 6 Industry OEMs Part 3: Market & Technology Trends, Emerging Demand Scenario and Strategic Market Outlook through 2026 Key Trends Key Issues, Challenges & Risk Factors European Medium & Heavy Truck Market - Force Field Analysis - Analysis of Driving & Restraining Forces and their Overall Dynamic Strategic Market Outlook through 2026 For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/e0coqc About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com TowerBrook and Further Global Receive Regulatory Approval for Acquisition of ProSight and Appoint Jonathan Ritz as CEO. Tweet this The acquisition brings together ProSight's underwriting innovation with TowerBrook and Further Global's demonstrated success investing in the insurance and financial services industries. About ProSight Global, Inc. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey, ProSight is an innovative property and casualty insurance company, providing a wide range of property and liability solutions to customers across the United States. The diverse offerings include products and services that help businesses protect their assets, manage risks, and provide financial security. ProSight is rated "A-" (Excellent) by A.M. Best. To learn more about ProSight visit www.prosightspecialty.com. About TowerBrook TowerBrook Capital Partners L.P. is an investment management firm that has raised in excess of $17.4 billion to date and has a history of creating value for investors. The firm is co-headquartered in New York and London and focuses on making investments in companies headquartered in North America and Europe. TowerBrook's private equity strategy primarily pursues control-oriented investments in large and mid-market companies, principally on a proprietary basis and often in situations characterised by complexity. TowerBrook's structured opportunities strategy allows access to a broad array of opportunities, principally via structured asset and structured equity investments, enabling investment companies to access funding and expertise to support growth without ceding control. TowerBrook is a certified B Corporation. B Corporation certification is administered by the non-profit B Lab organisation and is awarded to companies that demonstrate leadership in their commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards and responsible business practices. For more information, please visit www.towerbrook.com. About Further Global Capital Management Further Global Capital Management is an employee-owned private equity firm that makes investments in businesses within the financial services industry. Further Global seeks to be a true partner with the management teams with whom it invests with an objective to be the "Capital Partner of Choice" to the industry. Further Global seeks out situations in which its extensive network, operational expertise and capital can drive significant value. Further Global has offices in New York and Toronto with broad support from its network of senior advisors and operating partners. For more information, please visit www.furtherglobal.com. Media Contacts TowerBrook: Brunswick Group Blake Sonnenshein / Alex Yankus 917.818.5204 [email protected] ProSight: Ric Victores 818.230.8216 [email protected] FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release may contain certain "forward-looking statements" (including "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of ProSight and certain plans and objectives of the Board of Directors of the company. All statements other than statements of historical or current facts included in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements often use words such as "anticipate", "target", "expect", estimate", "intend", "plan", "goal", "believe", "will", "may", "should", "would", "could" or other words or terms of similar meaning. Such statements are based upon the company's current beliefs and expectations and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Although the company believes the expectations contained in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove correct. Such risks and uncertainties include: risks and uncertainties related to the proposed transaction including, but not limited to: the expected timing and likelihood of completion of the pending merger transaction or the reinsurance transaction; potential legal proceedings that may be instituted against ProSight following announcement of the transaction; the state of the credit markets generally and the availability of financing; the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement; the risk that the parties may not be able to satisfy the conditions to the pending transaction in a timely manner or at all; risks related to disruption of management time from ongoing business operations due to the proposed transaction; the risk that any announcements relating to the pending transaction could have adverse effects on the market price of the ProSight's common stock; and the risk that the proposed transaction and its announcement could have an adverse effect on the ability of the company to retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with its customers, agents or business counterparties, and on its operating results and businesses generally. The company undertakes no obligation to correct or update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional information on factors that may affect the business and financial results of the company can be found in the filings of the company made from time to time with the SEC. Unless indicated otherwise, the terms "ProSight," and "company" each refer collectively to ProSight and its subsidiaries. SOURCE ProSight Global, Inc. Related Links https://www.prosightspecialty.com DUBLIN, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Pressure Transducer Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2021-2031" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This new study presents detailed information on key market dynamics, including drivers, trends, and challenges for the global pressure transducer market as well as its structure. The publisher's study offers valuable information on the global pressure transducer market in order to illustrate how the market is expected to expand during the forecast period i.e. 2021-2031. Key indicators of market growth, which include value chain analysis and compound annual growth rate (CAGR), are elucidated in the publisher's study in a comprehensive manner. This data can help readers interpret the quantitative growth aspects of the global pressure transducer market. An extensive analysis of business strategies adopted by leading market players is also featured in the publisher's study on the global pressure transducer market. This can help readers understand key factors responsible for growth of the global pressure transducer market. In this study, readers can also find specific data on avenues for qualitative and quantitative growth of the global pressure transducer market. This data would guide market players in making apt decisions in the near future. Key Questions Answered in the Report What would be the Y-o-Y growth trends of the global pressure transducer market between 2021 and 2031? What is the influence of changing trends in the communication protocol segment on the global pressure transducer market? Would North America continue to be the most dominant regional market for providers of pressure transducer over the next few years? continue to be the most dominant regional market for providers of pressure transducer over the next few years? Which factors would hinder the global pressure transducer market during the forecast period? Which are the leading companies operating in the global pressure transducer market? Key Topics Covered: 1. Global Pressure Transducer Market - Executive Summary 2. Market Overview 2.1. Market Introduction 2.2. Market Definition 2.3. Market Taxonomy 3. Market Dynamics 3.1. Macro-economic Factors 3.2. Drivers 3.2.1. Economic Drivers 3.2.2. Supply Side Drivers 3.2.3. Demand Side Drivers 3.3. Market Restraints 3.4. Market Trends 3.5. Trend Analysis - Impact on Time Line (2021-2031) 3.6. Key Regulations By Regions 4. Associated Industry and Key Indicator Assessment 4.1. Parent Industry Overview 4.2. Supply Chain Analysis 4.3. Technology Roadmap Analysis 4.4. Porter Five Forces Analysis 5. Global Pressure Transducer Market Pricing Analysis 5.1. Price Point Assessment by Frequency Range 5.3. Price Forecast till 2031 5.4. Factors Influencing Pricing 6. Global Pressure Transducer Market Analysis and Forecast 6.1. Market Size Analysis (2017-2019) and Forecast (2021-2031) 6.1.1. Market Value (US$ Mn) and Volume (MillionUnits) and Y-o-Y Growth 6.2. Global Pressure Transducer Market Scenario Forecast (Optimistic, Likely and Conservative Market Conditions) 6.2.1. Forecast Factors and Relevance of Impact 6.2.2. Regional Pressure Transducer Market Business Performance Summary 7. Global Pressure Transducer Market Analysis By Technology 7.1. Introduction 7.1.1. Y-o-Y Growth Comparison By Technology 7.2. Pressure Transducer Market Size (US$ Mn) and Volume (MillionUnits) Analysis & Forecast, By Technology, 2017 - 2031 7.2.1. Piezoelectric 7.2.2. Capacitive 7.2.3. Piezoresistive 7.2.4. Thin Film 7.2.5. MEMS 7.2.6. IEPE / ICP 7.2.7. Others (Fiber Optic, etc.) 7.3. Market Attractiveness Analysis By Technology 8. Global Pressure Transducer Market Analysis By Measurement Type 8.1. Introduction 8.1.1. Y-o-Y Growth Comparison By Measurement Type 8.2. Pressure Transducer Market Size (US$ Mn) and Volume (MillionUnits) Analysis & Forecast, By Measurement Type, 2017 - 2031 8.2.1. Absolute Pressure Measurement 8.2.2. Gauge Pressure Measurement 8.2.3. Differential Pressure Measurement 8.2.4. Multivariable Pressure Measurement 8.3. Market Attractiveness Analysis By Measurement Type 9. Global Pressure Transducer Market Analysis By Communication Protocol 9.1. Introduction 9.1.1. Y-o-Y Growth Comparison By Communication Protocol 9.2. Pressure Transducer Market Size (US$ Mn) and Volume (MillionUnits) Analysis & Forecast, By Communication Protocol, 2017 - 2031 9.2.1. Modbus 9.2.2. Canbus 9.2.3. Profibus 9.2.4. HART 9.2.5. FFB 9.2.6. Others (RS-232, RS485) 9.3. Market Attractiveness Analysis By Communication Protocol 10. Global Pressure Transducer Market Analysis By End-use Industry 10.1. Introduction 10.2. Pressure Transducer Market Size (US$ Mn) and Volume (MillionUnits) Analysis & Forecast, By End-use Industry, 2017 - 2031 10.3. Market Attractiveness Analysis By End-use Industry 11. Global Pressure Transducer Market Analysis and Forecast, By Region 11.1. Introduction 11.1.1. Basis Point Share (BPS) Analysis By Region 11.2. Pressure Transducer Market Size (US$ Mn) and Volume (MillionUnits) Analysis & Forecast, By Region, 2017 - 2031 11.2.1. North America 11.2.2. Europe 11.2.3. Asia Pacific 11.2.4. Middle East & Africa 11.2.5. South America 11.3. Market Attractiveness Analysis By Region 12. North America Pressure Transducer Market Analysis and Forecast 13. Europe Pressure Transducer Market Analysis and Forecast 14. Asia Pacific Pressure Transducer Market Analysis and Forecast 15. Asia Pacific Pressure Transducer Market Analysis and Forecast 16. Middle East & Africa (MEA) Pressure Transducer Market Analysis and Forecast 17. South America Pressure Transducer Market Analysis and Forecast 18. Competition Assessment 18.1. Global Pressure Transducer Market Competition - a Dashboard View 18.2. Global Pressure Transducer Market Technology Analysis 18.3. Global Pressure Transducer Market Company Share Analysis, by Value and Volume (2020) 18.4. Key Participants Market Presence (Intensity Mapping) by Region 19. Competition Deep-dive (Manufacturers/Suppliers) 19.1. ABB Ltd. 19.1.1. Overview 19.1.2. Product Portfolio 19.1.3. Sales Footprint 19.1.4. Channel Footprint 19.1.4.1. Distributors List 19.1.5. Strategy Overview 19.1.5.1. Marketing Strategy 19.1.5.2. Culture Strategy 19.1.5.3. Channel Strategy 19.1.6. SWOT Analysis 19.1.7. Financial Analysis 19.1.8. Revenue Share 19.1.8.1. By Region 19.1.9. Key Clients 19.1.10. Analyst Comments 19.2. Emerson Electric Co. 19.2.1. Overview 19.2.2. Product Portfolio 19.2.3. Sales Footprint 19.2.4. Channel Footprint 19.2.4.1. Distributors List 19.2.5. Strategy Overview 19.2.5.1. Marketing Strategy 19.2.5.2. Culture Strategy 19.2.5.3. Channel Strategy 19.2.6. SWOT Analysis 19.2.7. Financial Analysis 19.2.8. Revenue Share 19.2.8.1. By Region 19.2.9. Key Clients 19.2.10. Analyst Comments 19.3. Honeywell International Inc. 19.3.1. Overview 19.3.2. Product Portfolio 19.3.3. Sales Footprint 19.3.4. Channel Footprint 19.3.4.1. Distributors List 19.3.5. Strategy Overview 19.3.5.1. Marketing Strategy 19.3.5.2. Culture Strategy 19.3.5.3. Channel Strategy 19.3.6. SWOT Analysis 19.3.7. Financial Analysis 19.3.8. Revenue Share 19.3.8.1. By Region 19.3.9. Key Clients 19.3.10. Analyst Comments 19.4. Kistler Instrument Corp. 19.4.1. Overview 19.4.2. Product Portfolio 19.4.3. Sales Footprint 19.4.4. Channel Footprint 19.4.4.1. Distributors List 19.4.5. Strategy Overview 19.4.5.1. Marketing Strategy 19.4.5.2. Culture Strategy 19.4.5.3. Channel Strategy 19.4.6. SWOT Analysis 19.4.7. Financial Analysis 19.4.8. Revenue Share 19.4.8.1. By Region 19.4.9. Key Clients 19.4.10. Analyst Comments 19.5. Omicron Sensing Pvt Ltd. 19.5.1. Overview 19.5.2. Product Portfolio 19.5.3. Sales Footprint 19.5.4. Channel Footprint 19.5.4.1. Distributors List 19.5.5. Strategy Overview 19.5.5.1. Marketing Strategy 19.5.5.2. Culture Strategy 19.5.5.3. Channel Strategy 19.5.6. SWOT Analysis 19.5.7. Financial Analysis 19.5.8. Revenue Share 19.5.8.1. By Region 19.5.9. Key Clients 19.5.10. Analyst Comments 19.6. PCB Piezotronics Inc. 19.6.1. Overview 19.6.2. Product Portfolio 19.6.3. Sales Footprint 19.6.4. Channel Footprint 19.6.4.1. Distributors List 19.6.5. Strategy Overview 19.6.5.1. Marketing Strategy 19.6.5.2. Culture Strategy 19.6.5.3. Channel Strategy 19.6.6. SWOT Analysis 19.6.7. Financial Analysis 19.6.8. Revenue Share 19.6.8.1. By Region 19.6.9. Key Clients 19.6.10. Analyst Comments 19.7. Schneider Electric SE 19.7.1. Overview 19.7.2. Product Portfolio 19.7.3. Sales Footprint 19.7.4. Channel Footprint 19.7.4.1. Distributors List 19.7.5. Strategy Overview 19.7.5.1. Marketing Strategy 19.7.5.2. Culture Strategy 19.7.5.3. Channel Strategy 19.7.6. SWOT Analysis 19.7.7. Financial Analysis 19.7.8. Revenue Share 19.7.8.1. By Region 19.7.9. Key Clients 19.7.10. Analyst Comments 19.8. Siemens AG 19.8.1. Overview 19.8.2. Product Portfolio 19.8.3. Sales Footprint 19.8.4. Channel Footprint 19.8.4.1. Distributors List 19.8.5. Strategy Overview 19.8.5.1. Marketing Strategy 19.8.5.2. Culture Strategy 19.8.5.3. Channel Strategy 19.8.6. SWOT Analysis 19.8.7. Financial Analysis 19.8.8. Revenue Share 19.8.8.1. By Region 19.8.9. Key Clients 19.8.10. Analyst Comments 19.9. Wika Group 19.9.1. Overview 19.9.2. Product Portfolio 19.9.3. Sales Footprint 19.9.4. Channel Footprint 19.9.4.1. Distributors List 19.9.5. Strategy Overview 19.9.5.1. Marketing Strategy 19.9.5.2. Culture Strategy 19.9.5.3. Channel Strategy 19.9.6. SWOT Analysis 19.9.7. Financial Analysis 19.9.8. Revenue Share 19.9.8.1. By Region 19.9.9. Key Clients 19.9.10. Analyst Comments 19.10. Yokogawa Electric Corporation 19.10.1. Overview 19.10.2. Product Portfolio 19.10.3. Sales Footprint 19.10.4. Channel Footprint 19.10.4.1. Distributors List 19.10.5. Strategy Overview 19.10.5.1. Marketing Strategy 19.10.5.2. Culture Strategy 19.10.5.3. Channel Strategy 19.10.6. SWOT Analysis 19.10.7. Financial Analysis 19.10.8. Revenue Share 19.10.8.1. By Region 19.10.9. Key Clients 19.10.10. Analyst Comments 19.11. Amphenol Corporation 19.11.1. Overview 19.11.2. Product Portfolio 19.11.3. Sales Footprint 19.11.4. Channel Footprint 19.11.4.1. Distributors List 19.11.5. Strategy Overview 19.11.5.1. Marketing Strategy 19.11.5.2. Culture Strategy 19.11.5.3. Channel Strategy 19.11.6. SWOT Analysis 19.11.7. Financial Analysis 19.11.8. Revenue Share 19.11.8.1. By Region 19.11.9. Key Clients 19.11.10. Analyst Comments 19.12. TE Connectivity 19.12.1. Overview 19.12.2. Product Portfolio 19.12.3. Sales Footprint 19.12.4. Channel Footprint 19.12.4.1. Distributors List 19.12.5. Strategy Overview 19.12.5.1. Marketing Strategy 19.12.5.2. Culture Strategy 19.12.5.3. Channel Strategy 19.12.6. SWOT Analysis 19.12.7. Financial Analysis 19.12.8. Revenue Share 19.12.8.1. By Region 19.12.9. Key Clients 19.12.10. Analyst Comments 19.13. IFM electronic GmbH 19.13.1. Overview 19.13.2. Product Portfolio 19.13.3. Sales Footprint 19.13.4. Channel Footprint 19.13.4.1. Distributors List 19.13.5. Strategy Overview 19.13.5.1. Marketing Strategy 19.13.5.2. Culture Strategy 19.13.5.3. Channel Strategy 19.13.6. SWOT Analysis 19.13.7. Financial Analysis 19.13.8. Revenue Share 19.13.8.1. By Region 19.13.9. Key Clients 19.13.10. Analyst Comments 19.14. Endress+Hauser 19.14.1. Overview 19.14.2. Product Portfolio 19.14.3. Sales Footprint 19.14.4. Channel Footprint 19.14.4.1. Distributors List 19.14.5. Strategy Overview 19.14.5.1. Marketing Strategy 19.14.5.2. Culture Strategy 19.14.5.3. Channel Strategy 19.14.6. SWOT Analysis 19.14.7. Financial Analysis 19.14.8. Revenue Share 19.14.8.1. By Region 19.14.9. Key Clients 19.14.10. Analyst Comments 19.15. Setra Systems, Inc. 19.15.1. Overview 19.15.2. Product Portfolio 19.15.3. Sales Footprint 19.15.4. Channel Footprint 19.15.4.1. Distributors List 19.15.5. Strategy Overview 19.15.5.1. Marketing Strategy 19.15.5.2. Culture Strategy 19.15.5.3. Channel Strategy 19.15.6. SWOT Analysis 19.15.7. Financial Analysis 19.15.8. Revenue Share 19.15.8.1. By Region 19.15.9. Key Clients 19.15.10. Analyst Comments 19.16. Others (On additional request) 20. Recommendation - Critical Success Factors 21. Research Methodology 22. Assumptions & Acronyms Used For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/riso9r Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com NEW YORK, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- American Jewish Committee (AJC), the leading global Jewish advocacy organization, congratulates Deborah Lipstadt on her appointment today to be the U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. "The Biden Administration has chosen wisely in appointing Deborah Lipstadt to fill this ambassadorial post, so vital to U.S. leadership in fighting antisemitism," said AJC CEO David Harris. "Professor Lipstadt is one of this country's, indeed the world's, foremost experts on modern antisemitism, its constant morphing and multiple sources, and the current challenges to confronting it. AJC has been honored to work closely with her for years, and we eagerly look forward to partnering to advance the envoy office's mission." The Office to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, created by Congress in 2004, has kept the U.S. at the forefront of international efforts to raise consciousness about the rising menace of antisemitism, and press governments and multilateral institutions to take action to safeguard vulnerable Jewish communities. "As an organization with more than 115 years of experience in grappling with antisemitism globally, we have worked closely with the Special Envoy's office since its inception," said Harris. AJC had encouraged the Administration to fill the position, vacant since Elan Carr left soon after Biden's inauguration, as swiftly as possible. Lipstadt, the Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish and Holocaust Studies at Emory University, received the AJC Jewish Leadership Award in 2016 for being a "champion of the Jewish people and the rights and dignity of all people, guardian of historical truth and memory," noting that "your great dedication and ceaseless efforts inspire us all." Her highly acclaimed book, "Antisemitism Here and Now," published in 2019, is widely considered an essential primer on the age-old hatred of Jews. AJC CEO David Harris quietly led the global, multi-year effort to generate support for Lipstadt's trial defense, while several AJC staff members offered their counsel and guidance, after a libel suit filed by Holocaust denier David Irving, who challenged her description of him in her book, "Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory." The legal ordeal in London lasted five years, and the court ruled resoundingly in favor of Lipstadt in April 2000. She tells the story in her book, "History on Trial: My Day in Court with David Irving." Later, in 2016, a Hollywood feature film, starring Rachel Weisz as Deborah Lipstadt was released to widespread acclaim. SOURCE American Jewish Committee Related Links http://www.ajc.org DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Medify Air is excited to offer discounts and financing for schools and businesses looking to buy air HEPA air purifiers in bulk ahead of the coming academic year. A third pandemic stimulus bill called the American Rescue Plan (ARP) was signed into law in March 2021, providing public school districts across the country $122 billion in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (or ESSER III) funds. An additional $2.75 billion was allotted for non-public schools as Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools (or EANS) funds. As educators begin to shift back to full-time, in-person instruction this fall, they will be able to assess the extent of their students' learning loss and determine which interventions are best. Until then, creating a safe environment for learning is paramount. Medify Air purifiers are equipped with HEPA H13 filters, which remove 99.9% of airborne particles down to 0.1 microns in size - that is smaller than the size of a COVID virus particle. Medify offers discounts and financing for schools and businesses looking to buy in bulk. ESSER III and EANS funds are intended to help schools reopen quickly and safely and address significant learning loss by U.S. students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools can use ESSER III and EANS funds to remediate learning loss in several ways, including: Purchasing health and safety equipment to help prevent the spread of diseases, such as high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) purifiers, sanitation stations, and universal cleaners. Furniture and equipment to keep teachers, students, and staff safe and/or distanced during in-person instruction, such as individual desks and mobile chairs, tabletop screens, and personal protective equipment (PPE). The hiring of additional personnel to keep school spaces safe and clean, such as nurses and custodians. Purchasing outdoor furniture and equipment to account for an increase in outdoor activities and dining, such as picnic tables, benches, and portable sinks. Hiring additional educators and support staff. Investing in educational technology and remote learning tools, including hardware, software, and connectivity to support student learning. These are just a few ways schools can use ESSER III and EANS funds. Interested in using your funding to purchase Medify's HEPA H13 purifiers in bulk and saving money in the process? Speak to our team of clean air experts to determine a plan that makes the most of your school's budget. FAQs What is the American Rescue Plan? https://oese.ed.gov/files/2021/03/FINAL_ARP-ESSER-FACT-SHEET.pdf How are funds allocated under ARP ESSER? https://oese.ed.gov/files/2021/03/FINAL_ARP-ESSER-Methodology-and-Table.pdf What are authorized use cases for my school's funding? Specifically, ARP ESSER funds may be used to develop strategies and implement public health protocols including, to the greatest extent practicable, policies in line with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on reopening and operating schools to effectively maintain the health and safety of students, educators, and other staff, as well as: Coordinating preparedness/response efforts with state, local, tribal, and territorial public health departments to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19. Training and professional development on sanitizing and minimizing the spread of infectious diseases. Purchasing supplies to sanitize and clean the LEA's facilities. Repairing and improving school facilities to reduce risk of virus transmission and exposure to environmental health hazards. Improving indoor air quality. Addressing the needs of children from low-income families, children with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and foster care youth. Developing and implementing procedures and systems to improve the preparedness and response efforts of LEAs. Planning for or implementing activities during long-term closures, including providing meals to eligible students and providing technology for online learning. Purchasing educational technology, providing mental health support services, providing summer activities and programs, and more. Can I use ARP ESSER funds for air purifiers? Yes, you may use up to 80% of your funding to improve your school's air quality. Medify Air offers a wide variety of purifiers, including units with UV light disinfection, child lock, HEPA H13 filters, and large coverage area units (up to 2,500 square feet) on wheels for easy transport. Contact: Rebecca Pasch VP of Sales and US Expansion Medify Air [email protected] 908-448-6999 SOURCE Medify HONOLULU, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- American Savings Bank, F.S.B. (American), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. (NYSE: HE), today reported net income for the second quarter of 2021 of $30.3 million, compared to $29.6 million in the first, or linked quarter of 2021 and $14.0 million in the second quarter of 2020. "We're pleased with our financial results in the second quarter, which reflect the strengthening local economy, solid execution and our continuing efforts to work closely with our customers. Our results benefited from another reduction of reserves for credit losses, driven by the improving economy and credit quality," said Ann Teranishi, president and chief executive officer of American. "We remain focused on sound management of our core business as we transform our operating model to provide excellent customer experience in an increasingly digital world," said Teranishi. Financial Highlights Second quarter 2021 net interest income was $60.8 million compared to $57.1 million in the linked quarter and $56.7 million in the second quarter of 2020. The higher net interest income versus the linked and prior year quarters was primarily due to the recognition of fee income associated with the ASB CARES (Paycheck Protection Program) portfolio, lower amortization of investment premiums, growth in earning assets and a record low cost of funds at 0.07%. Net interest margin for the second quarter of 2021 was 2.98% compared to 2.95% in the linked quarter and 3.21% in the second quarter of 2020. The results for the second quarter of 2021 included a credit-driven reserve release resulting in a negative provision for credit losses of $12.2 million, reflecting improvement in the local economy, credit upgrades in the commercial loan portfolio, lower net charge offs, and lower reserve requirements for the consumer unsecured loan portfolio. This compares to a negative provision for credit losses of $8.4 million in the linked quarter and a provision for credit losses of $15.1 million in the second quarter of 2020. As of June 30, 2021, American's allowance for credit losses to outstanding loans was 1.51%. The net charge-off ratio for the second quarter of 2021 was 0.04%, compared to 0.18% in the linked quarter and 0.49% in the second quarter of 2020. Nonaccrual loans as a percent of total loans receivable held for investment were 1.03% in the second quarter of 2021, compared to 1.00% in the linked quarter and 0.86% in the prior year quarter. Noninterest income was $15.2 million in the second quarter of 2021, compared to $19.0 million in the linked quarter and $24.2 million in the second quarter of 2020. The decrease in noninterest income from the linked quarter was primarily due to lower mortgage banking income and lower income from bank-owned life insurance in the second quarter. The decrease in noninterest income from the prior year quarter was primarily due to higher gains on sales of securities, including a $7.1 million gain related to the sale of Visa Class B restricted shares, and higher mortgage banking income in the second quarter of 2020. Second quarter of 2021 noninterest expense was $48.2 million, compared to $47.5 million in the linked quarter and $48.4 million in the second quarter of 2020. The decrease in noninterest expense compared to the second quarter of 2020 was primarily due to lower COVID-19 related expenses, partially offset by higher compensation and benefit costs, including one-time settlement costs related to an executive transition. Total loans were $5.2 billion as of June 30, 2021, down 2.7% from December 31, 2020. The reduction in the loan portfolio included approximately $228 million in forgiven ASB CARES loans, in addition to declines in the home equity line of credit and consumer portfolios. The decrease in these portfolios was partially offset by growth in the commercial real estate portfolio. Total deposits were $7.9 billion as of June 30, 2021, an increase of 6.6% from December 31, 2020. For the second quarter of 2021, the average cost of funds was 0.07%, down one basis point versus the linked quarter and down eleven basis points versus the prior year quarter. For the second quarter of 2021 return on average equity was 16.8%, compared to 16.0% in the linked quarter and 8.0% in the second quarter of 2020. Return on average assets was 1.38% for the second quarter of 2021, compared to 1.40% in the linked quarter and 0.72% in the same quarter last year. In the second quarter of 2021, American paid dividends of $23.0 million to HEI. American had a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 8.0% at June 30, 2021. HEI EARNINGS RELEASE, HEI WEBCAST AND CONFERENCE CALL TO DISCUSS EARNINGS AND 2021 GUIDANCE Concurrent with American's regulatory filing 30 days after the end of the quarter, American announced its second quarter 2021 financial results today. Please note that these reported results relate only to American and are not necessarily indicative of HEI's consolidated financial results for the second quarter of 2021. HEI plans to announce its second quarter 2021 consolidated financial results on Monday, August 9, 2021 and will also conduct a webcast and conference call at 10:15 a.m. Hawaii time (4:15 p.m. Eastern time) that same day to discuss its consolidated earnings, including American's earnings, and 2021 guidance. Parties in the U.S. may listen to the conference call by dialing (844) 834-0652. International parties may listen to the conference call by dialing (412) 317-5198. Parties may also access presentation materials and/or listen to the conference call by visiting the conference call/webcast link on HEI's website at www.hei.com under the "Investor Relations" section, sub-heading "News and Events Events and Presentations." A replay will be available online and via phone. The online replay will be available on HEI's website about two hours after the event. An audio replay will also be available about two hours after the event through August 23, 2021. To access the audio replay, dial (877) 344-7529 (U.S.) or (412) 317-0088 (international) and enter passcode 10157240. HEI and Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc. (Hawaiian Electric) intend to continue to use HEI's website, www.hei.com , as a means of disclosing additional information. Such disclosures will be included on HEI's website in the Investor Relations section. Accordingly, investors should routinely monitor the Investor Relations section of HEI's website at www.hei.com in addition to following HEI's, Hawaiian Electric's and American's press releases, HEI's and Hawaiian Electric's Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings and HEI's public conference calls and webcasts. The information on HEI's website is not incorporated by reference in this document or in HEI's and Hawaiian Electric's SEC filings unless, and except to the extent, specifically incorporated by reference. Investors may also wish to refer to the Public Utilities Commission of the State of Hawaii (PUC) website at dms.puc.hawaii.gov/dms to review documents filed with and issued by the PUC. No information on the PUC website is incorporated by reference in this document or in HEI's and Hawaiian Electric's SEC filings. HEI supplies power to approximately 95% of Hawaii's population through its electric utility, Hawaiian Electric; provides a wide array of banking and other financial services to consumers and businesses through American, one of Hawaii's largest financial institutions; and helps advance Hawaii's clean energy and sustainability goals through investments by its non-regulated subsidiary, Pacific Current. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This release may contain "forward-looking statements," which include statements that are predictive in nature, depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, and usually include words such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "predicts," "estimates" or similar expressions. In addition, any statements concerning future financial performance, ongoing business strategies or prospects or possible future actions are also forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and projections about future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties and the accuracy of assumptions concerning HEI and its subsidiaries, the performance of the industries in which they do business and economic, political and market factors, among other things. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements in this release should be read in conjunction with the "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors" discussions (which are incorporated by reference herein) set forth in HEI's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and HEI's other periodic reports that discuss important factors that could cause HEI's results to differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of the report, presentation or filing in which they are made. Except to the extent required by the federal securities laws, HEI, Hawaiian Electric, American and their subsidiaries undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. American Savings Bank, F.S.B. STATEMENTS OF INCOME DATA (Unaudited) Three months ended Six months ended June 30 (in thousands) June 30, 2021 March 31, 2021 June 30, 2020 2021 2020 Interest and dividend income Interest and fees on loans $ 51,026 $ 49,947 $ 53,541 $ 100,973 $ 109,086 Interest and dividends on investment securities 11,040 8,673 6,288 19,713 15,718 Total interest and dividend income 62,066 58,620 59,829 120,686 124,804 Interest expense Interest on deposit liabilities 1,281 1,462 3,071 2,743 6,658 Interest on other borrowings 23 27 75 50 388 Total interest expense 1,304 1,489 3,146 2,793 7,046 Net interest income 60,762 57,131 56,683 117,893 117,758 Provision for credit losses (12,207) (8,435) 15,133 (20,642) 25,534 Net interest income after provision for credit losses 72,969 65,566 41,550 138,535 92,224 Noninterest income Fees from other financial services 5,464 5,073 3,102 10,537 7,673 Fee income on deposit liabilities 3,904 3,863 2,897 7,767 8,010 Fee income on other financial products 2,201 2,442 1,212 4,643 3,084 Bank-owned life insurance 1,624 2,561 1,673 4,185 2,467 Mortgage banking income 1,925 4,300 6,252 6,225 8,252 Gain on sale of investment securities, net 528 9,275 528 9,275 Other income, net 76 272 (251) 348 162 Total noninterest income 15,194 19,039 24,160 34,233 38,923 Noninterest expense Compensation and employee benefits 27,670 28,037 25,079 55,707 50,856 Occupancy 5,100 4,969 5,442 10,069 10,709 Data processing 4,533 4,351 3,849 8,884 7,686 Services 2,475 2,862 2,474 5,337 5,283 Equipment 2,394 2,222 2,290 4,616 4,629 Office supplies, printing and postage 978 1,044 1,049 2,022 2,390 Marketing 665 648 379 1,313 1,181 FDIC insurance 788 816 751 1,604 853 Other expense1 3,568 2,554 7,063 6,122 11,257 Total noninterest expense 48,171 47,503 48,376 95,674 94,844 Income before income taxes 39,992 37,102 17,334 77,094 36,303 Income taxes 9,708 7,546 3,320 17,254 6,528 Net income $ 30,284 $ 29,556 $ 14,014 $ 59,840 $ 29,775 Comprehensive income (loss) $ 47,283 $ (16,198) $ 13,734 $ 31,085 $ 49,342 OTHER BANK INFORMATION (annualized %, except as of period end) Return on average assets 1.38 1.40 0.72 1.39 0.79 Return on average equity 16.76 16.04 8.00 16.40 8.57 Return on average tangible common equity 18.92 18.06 9.07 18.48 9.72 Net interest margin 2.98 2.95 3.21 2.97 3.46 Efficiency ratio 63.42 62.36 59.84 62.89 60.53 Net charge-offs to average loans outstanding 0.04 0.18 0.49 0.11 0.46 As of period end Nonaccrual loans to loans receivable held for investment 1.03 1.00 0.86 Allowance for credit losses to loans outstanding 1.51 1.73 1.50 Tangible common equity to tangible assets 7.5 7.3 7.9 Tier-1 leverage ratio 8.0 8.3 8.4 Dividend paid to HEI (via ASB Hawaii, Inc.) ($ in millions) $ 23.0 $ 5.0 $ $ 28.0 $ 28.0 1 The three- and six-month periods ended June 30, 2021 include approximately $0.1 million and $0.4 million, respectively, of certain direct and incremental COVID-19 related costs. The three- and six-month periods ended June 30, 2020 include approximately $3.7 million and $3.8 million, respectively, of certain significant direct and incremental COVID-19 related costs. These costs for the first six months of 2020, which have been recorded in Other expense, include $2.3 million of compensation expense and $1.1 million of enhanced cleaning and sanitation costs. This information should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto in HEI filings with the SEC. Results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for future interim periods or the full year. American Savings Bank, F.S.B. BALANCE SHEETS DATA (Unaudited) (in thousands) June 30, 2021 December 31, 2020 Assets Cash and due from banks $ 115,567 $ 178,422 Interest-bearing deposits 105,800 114,304 Cash and cash equivalents 221,367 292,726 Investment securities Available-for-sale, at fair value 2,509,906 1,970,417 Held-to-maturity, at amortized cost 375,655 226,947 Stock in Federal Home Loan Bank, at cost 10,000 8,680 Loans held for investment 5,184,459 5,333,843 Allowance for credit losses (78,252) (101,201) Net loans 5,106,207 5,232,642 Loans held for sale, at lower of cost or fair value 50,877 28,275 Other 553,702 554,656 Goodwill 82,190 82,190 Total assets $ 8,909,904 $ 8,396,533 Liabilities and shareholder's equity Deposit liabilitiesnoninterest-bearing $ 2,868,770 $ 2,598,500 Deposit liabilitiesinterest-bearing 5,004,660 4,788,457 Other borrowings 129,665 89,670 Other 166,419 183,731 Total liabilities 8,169,514 7,660,358 Common stock 1 1 Additional paid-in capital 352,888 351,758 Retained earnings 401,310 369,470 Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes Net unrealized gains (losses) on securities $ (8,815) $ 19,986 Retirement benefit plans (4,994) (13,809) (5,040) 14,946 Total shareholder's equity 740,390 736,175 Total liabilities and shareholder's equity $ 8,909,904 $ 8,396,533 This information should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto in HEI filings with the SEC. Contact: Julie R. Smolinski Telephone: (808) 543-7300 Vice President, Investor Relations & Corporate Sustainability E-mail: [email protected] SOURCE American Savings Bank DALLAS, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Applied Blockchain, Inc. ("Applied Blockchain" or the "Company") (PINK: APLD) today announced it is entering the crypto hosting business, following the closing of a $32.5 million private placement on July 30, 2021. The private placement was led by Bitmain, a producer of products for blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) applications. The proceeds will fund the acquisition of land, construction of facilities, component procurement and other project costs related to the Company's hosting business in North America. Once constructed, the hosting facilities will house up to 500 megawatts of power and will enable the Company to generate a stable cash flow stream through long-term hosting agreements and lower the cost of power for the Company's own mining operations. Bitmain joins SparkPool and GMR as strategic partners for the Company, assisting in the operation and development of its mining and hosting businesses as well as the identification of other strategic business initiatives. In addition to the strategic and equity partnerships, the Company has secured long term hosting agreements with Bitmain and GMR. "The successful private placement secures the project's development to establish a large-scale data center in North America," says Irene Gao, Antminer BD Director, NCSA Region at Bitmain. "We are confident that our partnership with Applied Blockchain will provide professional mining services to move the industry forward." "The crackdown on mining operations in China created a unique opportunity for us to launch our own hosting operations with our current partners as well as add another blue-chip partner," said Applied Blockchain, Inc.'s CEO and Chairman, Wes Cummins. "This new venture complements our existing mining business, services a real and growing demand for hosting capacity and leverages domestic resources and talent to create an even more compelling economic profile for our shareholders." Mr. Cummins continued, "Over the last several months we have assembled an impressive team of specialists including engineers and contractors that have experience in procurement and building out hosting facilities who are not only experts in their respective fields but understand our vision and what we are focused on accomplishing. We are entering into a long term agreement with a utility and are strategically locating our hosting operations in the Upper Midwest where there is an abundance of energy production and ample real estate available at an attractive valuation for additional expansion. We expect our first 50 megawatts of capacity to be operational before year end with plans to ultimately scale to more than 500 megawatts, making Applied one of the largest hosting providers in the world." "This industry is young and evolving rapidly, and as such it is important that a company can position itself to react quickly to capture opportunities like this one," adds Mr. Cummins, "I'm proud of the team and the relationships we have built in such a short time to take advantage and execute on this new business." B. Riley Securities, Inc. served as placement agent for the private placement. Management will publish a pre-recorded message on Monday, August 2, 2021 at 9 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss the company's hosting operation, business plans and financing. To access the recording, please dial: Within the United States: 1-844-369-8770 International: 1-862-298-0840 The message will be available for replay until Monday, August 16, 2021 and can be accessed by dialing: Within the United States: 1-877-481-4010 International: 1-919-882-2331 Please reference replay passcode: 42381 The message will also be available online at: https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/2686/42381 Follow us on Twitter at @APLDBlockchain. Find the latest video update from CEO and Chairman Wes Cummins at https://ir.appliedblockchaininc.com/events-presentations/ About Applied Blockchain Applied Blockchain, Inc. (APLD) is a publicly traded company that has partnered with Bitmain, SparkPool, and GMR (General Mining Research) to develop a business in the crypto mining industry. APLD delivers high-performance crypto mining and infrastructure solutions to customers around the globe. APLD also engages in direct mining of Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptoassets. The company is backed by some of the largest family offices and institutional investors in the US. www.appliedblockchaininc.com Forward-Looking Statements This release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding, among other things, future operating and financial performance, product development, market position, business strategy and objectives. These statements use words, and variations of words, such as "continue," "build," "future," "increase," "drive," "believe," "look," "ahead," "confident," "deliver," "outlook," "expect," and "predict." Other examples of forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, (i) statements of Company plans and objectives, including our evolving business model, or estimates or predictions of actions by suppliers, (ii) statements of future economic performance, and (iii) statements of assumptions underlying other statements and statements about the Company or its business. You are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of future events and thus are inherently subject to uncertainty. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the Company's expectations and projections. These risks, uncertainties, and other factors include: decline in demand for our products and services; the volatility of the crypto asset industry; the inability to comply with developments and changes in regulation; cash flow and access to capital; and maintenance of third party relationships. Information in this release is as of the dates and time periods indicated herein, and the Company does not undertake to update any of the information contained in these materials, except as required by law. Investor Relations Contacts Brett Maas Managing Partner, Hayden IR [email protected] (646) 536-7331 Wes Cummins Chief Executive Officer, Applied Blockchain (214) 427-1704 SOURCE Applied Blockchain, Inc. Related Links http://www.appliedblockchaininc.com MCLEAN, Va., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Arlington Asset Investment Corp. (NYSE: AAIC) (the "Company") announced today that the Company will release results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021 after the market closes on Tuesday, August 3, 2021 and will hold a conference call for investors at 9:00 A.M. Eastern Time on Wednesday, August 4, 2021 to discuss the results. Investors wishing to listen to the earnings call at 9:00 A.M. Eastern Time on Wednesday, August 4, 2021, may do so via the Internet at: http://www.arlingtonasset.com/index.php?s=19 Replays of the earnings call will be available for 60 days via webcast at the Internet address provided above, beginning two hours after the call ends. About the Company The Company currently invests primarily in mortgage-related and other assets and has elected to be taxed as a REIT. The Company is headquartered in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. For more information, please visit www.arlingtonasset.com . SOURCE Arlington Asset Investment Corp. Related Links http://www.arlingtonasset.com ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. today announced the acquisition of Oakbrook, IL-based R.J. Riordan & Co. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. R.J. Riordan & Co. is a retail property/casualty broker offering a full range of insurance products and services to clients across the Chicago region. The team specializes in serving clients in the construction and transportation industries. They will be relocating to Gallagher's retail brokerage operations in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, under the direction of J. Ryan Isaacs, head of Gallagher's Midwest region retail property/casualty brokerage operations. "The R.J. Riordan team brings us additional expertise and growth opportunities, particularly in the construction industry," said J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr., Chairman, President and CEO. "We are very pleased to welcome them to Gallagher." Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG), a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm, is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. The company has operations in 56 countries and offers client service capabilities in more than 150 countries around the world through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants. Investors: Ray Iardella Media: Linda J. Collins VP - Investor Relations VP- Corporate Communications 630-285-3661/ [email protected] 630-285-4009/ [email protected] SOURCE Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Related Links http://www.ajg.com HONG KONG, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Babel Finance, a leading global cryptocurrency financial services provider, today announced the appointment of Edmond Lau as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The announcement comes amid the company's rapid global expansion, following the completion of its US$40 million Series A funding round in May this year. A long-term fintech advocate and established thought leader, Lau brings to the table extensive and diverse experience in the finance industry. His expertise ranges across venture capital investment, start-ups, strategy, and corporate management, with prior senior roles at public and private organizations, and in academia. Following his MBA at London Business School, Lau has held prominent roles at Citigroup (NYSE: C), Foxconn Mobile, and SF-Express, among other leading companies in the UK, Singapore, and the Greater China region. "Edmond joining will unquestionably further elevate Babel Finance's position as a leader in compliance and strengthen our relationships with regulatory bodies. We look forward to recruiting more talented professionals with rich experience in traditional finance, and to providing increasingly sophisticated crypto asset management services for our institutional clients worldwide," said Flex Yang, CEO of Babel Finance. "By bringing invaluable expertise in corporate finance, investment, and M&A, Edmond will drive yet more growth and create new opportunities for Babel Finance globally," said Del Wang, co-founder of Babel Finance. The appointment comes after Babel Finance secured its US$40 million Series A funding round in May of this year. The company is using the funds to attract high-quality talent as well as enhancing the firm's compliance capabilities. Lau will lead the introduction of increasingly sophisticated crypto asset management services, and open new offices in global financial hubs. The funding round was led by Zoo Capital, Sequoia Capital China, Dragonfly Capital, BAI Capital, and Tiger Global Management, with follow-on participation from prior investors. Amid this expansion, Lau will spearhead future fundraising efforts, oversee M&A activities and new partnerships, and provide strategic input for the company's business and regulatory compliance planning. As a long-term advocate of technological innovation in the financial services industry, Lau will also advance Babel Finance's mission of helping traditional institutions diversify their portfolio with crypto assets. "I'm delighted to be joining Babel Finance at this exciting time, as the company moves past its initial growth phase and focuses on scaling its business globally. In particular, I'm looking forward to working with regulators, investors, and partners to expand the crypto ecosystem. We'll be developing increasingly sophisticated services to better serve global institutions entering the crypto space," said Lau. As a recognized fintech proponent, Lau bolsters Babel Finance's increasingly prominent advocacy role in the crypto ecosystem. The company believes that blockchain technologies and cryptocurrencies foster a more inclusive financial system that is universally beneficial and promotes social equity. Lau's strong pedagogical experience and extensive industry network will aid Babel Finance's mission to advance mainstream adoption of crypto finance, to help people manage risks more effectively. About Babel Finance Babel Finance is the world's leading comprehensive crypto-financial services provider specialized in serving high-net-worth individual investors and institutional investors who are looking for high-quality professional financial services and customized solutions for crypto assets. As of now, Babel Finance's crypto total assets exceed US$500 million, ranking among the top worldwide. For more information, please contact Jeff Zhao, Public Relations Manager, [email protected] +86-158-1020-9317 SOURCE Babel Finance FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Baby Kingdom is a growing U.K.-based brand that has established a reputation as a creator of elite baby products. From shampoo to diaper cream to baby powder, all of Baby Kingdom's goods are made with the best ingredients possible. While all of the company's products can stand on their own, it's the brand's Body Cream that has attracted a unique level of attention due to its proven ability to soothe the irritating itch so often associated with eczema. Eczema is a prevalent struggle throughout the United States. According to the National Eczema Association, more than 10% (31.6 million people) in the U.S. will develop eczema in their lifetime. The NEA also points out that most cases tend to peak in early childhood a period of life that Baby Kingdom products have covered in spades. This ongoing struggle with eczema is regularly treated with prescribed steroidal creams that can come with nasty side effects of their own. To make matters worse, these solutions often aren't even permanent and merely address surface-level issues. For those trying to manage eczema, this leaves a glaring gap between strong medicinal solutions and doing nothing. It's a void that Baby Kingdom is ready to fill. The company's elite Body Cream is specially designed to treat the preciously tender skin of a newborn child. The vegan, hypoallergenic formula is made with 98% natural and organic ingredients. These are headlined by three key players: Aloe vera; Chamomile; Nettle leaf extract. All three of these ingredients have a shared ability to hydrate, nourish, and heal the skin. They have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that are perfect for soothing a patch of inflamed or irritated epidermis on baby and parent alike. Baby Kingdom is based out of the U.K. and has hitherto been unavailable in the United States. However, the brand has recently begun a concerted push into the North American market. There, it hopes to offer its robust line of effective products including its Body Cream to the tens of millions of children and parents who are looking for safe, quality solutions for themselves and their families. About Baby Kingdom: Baby Kingdom is a health and wellness brand that operates out of Warwick in the U.K. The company was founded in 2018 as an enterprise created by parents for their children. Since its inception, the brand has had a rapidly growing demand for its luxury baby products. The Baby Kingdom's product line is proudly vegan-friendly, recyclable, 97%-99% natural, hypoallergenic, and suitable for sensitive skin. Please direct inquiries to: Madeleine Griffin (954) 648-2535 [email protected] SOURCE Baby Kingdom FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- There are brands that care about quality and then there's Baby Kingdom. The energetic young UK brand has put the efficacy of its products at the top of its priority list ever since it launched in 2018. According to the brand's Global Sales Director Katie Roberts, Baby Kingdom may be known for the luxurious nature of its suite of baby products, "but efficacy is really at the heart of what we do." It's this commitment to genuine results that has allowed the Baby Kingdom brand to quickly become one of the U.K.'s premier manufacturers of baby products. As Roberts also explained, the luxury element of the brand simply comes from the fact that the Baby Kingdom team spares no expense. Each and every product that they make is created with the best ingredients available, a list that includes items like: Aloe vera; Nettle leaf extracts; Chamomile; Panthenol/Pro-vitamin B5; Shea butter; Argan oil. Each of these is proudly displayed on the company's website along with a breakdown of why it's included in the Baby Kingdom formulas. This fosters an added sense of transparency that only reinforces the company's reputation for creating first-class products. Baby Kingdom's product line includes many classic baby care items, such as baby shampoo, a 2 in 1 hair and body wash, nappy cream (diaper cream), and baby powder. The company's Body Cream is a particularly good example of the elite nature of Baby Kingdom's products. The cream is made with 98% natural and organic ingredients (with just a couple of synthetics such as preservatives to keep it working well over time.) On top of that, the cream is free of SLS, parabens, silicones, PEGs, synthetic colors the list goes on. To top it all off, the cream is an excellent option for sensitive newborn skin. The gentle yet effective nature of the Body Cream formula even makes it a great way to treat eczema for parents and children alike without resorting to a stronger prescription steroid cream. The high-quality nature of the brand's Body Cream is reflected throughout the Baby Kingdom product line. From quality, vegan ingredients to dermatologically-tested, hypoallergenic formulas, to its use as a natural treatment for eczema, Baby Kingdom is setting a new standard for newborn care. It's an appropriate accomplishment for a company that was passionately created by parents for their children. About Baby Kingdom: Baby Kingdom was founded in 2018 and operates out of Warwick in the U.K. The brand has already seen an explosive demand in its home country for its luxury baby products and has recently begun to expand into the U.S. marketplace. Baby Kingdom proudly stands by the fact that its award-winning products are hypoallergenic, vegan-friendly, recyclable, 97%-99% natural, and suitable for sensitive skin, including the treatment of eczema. Please direct inquiries to: Boone Guthke (954) 568-6635 [email protected] SOURCE Baby Kingdom RICHARDSON, Texas, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) will launch its 2022 Healthy Kids, Healthy Families (HKHF) grant cycle on August 2, and is seeking partnerships with nonprofit organizations engaged in health and wellness initiatives as well as social determinants of health. Last year, nearly $1.9 million in HKHF grants were awarded to community-based organizations statewide. While the key focus of the HKHF program has not changed, the ongoing effects of the pandemic as well as social justice initiatives in the United States, remain a top priority for BCBSTX's health equity initiatives. "It's critical that we support community-based organizations engaged in initiatives directly supporting children and families," said Sheena Payne, director BCBSTX Community Investments. "At the same time, we must also keep our focus on helping those who have been impacted by the health, economic and social implications of the COVID-19 pandemic. That's why we annually seek to partner with organizations that are doing the work of impacting health across Texas." Since the inception of the HKHF program in 2011, the investment strategy has been predicated on four key pillars - disease prevention and management, nutrition, physical activity and safe environments. The program has evolved to include emphasis on initiatives that create measurable results to address the current public health pandemic and social factors exacerbating health inequalities and social determinants of health such as lack of housing, food deserts, education and jobs and mental health. The BCBSTX grant cycle is a two-step process: Stage 1: Aug. 2, 2021 Aug. 16, 2021 . This is the initial step in the process to apply for funding. After review, if selected, the program will be notified and provided details to continue to Stage Two of the application process. To submit your Letter of Interest (LOI), click here. . This is the initial step in the process to apply for funding. After review, if selected, the program will be notified and provided details to continue to Stage Two of the application process. To submit your Letter of Interest (LOI), click here. Stage 2: Sept. 13, 2021 Sept. 24, 2021 . If your application passes stage 1, you will receive an invitation code to apply for stage 2. This is the application process. Once your application has been submitted, you will receive an initial email indicating that your application has been received. The application link will be deactivated at 5 p.m. (CST) on the last day of each stage. Applicants should give themselves enough time to complete the process to ensure access to the page. The following criteria is required for review of all HKHF grant proposals: The community lead organization must be a nonprofit, tax exempt, 501(c)(3) organization. a nonprofit, tax exempt, 501(c)(3) organization. The community lead organization must have the financial capacity and qualified staff to oversee and manage the project. For this request for proposal (RFP), "financial capacity" is defined as organizations operating a current annual budget of $2 million or more. The community lead organization must collaborate on proposed program with a health partner i.e., hospital, clinic, federally qualified health center. A decade ago, the HKHF program started as a three-year initiative designed to improve the health and wellness of at least one million children through community investments. The program was extended as BCBSTX's ongoing commitment to the health and well-being of children and families in Texas. The HKHF program has impacted the lives of millions of Texas children and families through the more than $15 million in grants awarded by BCBSTX to community organizations statewide. For more information on how to apply for a HKHF grant, contact Tiffany Howell at 1-972-766-5344, [email protected]. About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) the only statewide, customer-owned health insurer in Texas is the largest provider of health benefits in the state, working with nearly 80,000 physicians and healthcare practitioners, and 500 hospitals to serve more than 6 million members in all 254 counties. BCBSTX is a Division of Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) (which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Texas, Illinois, Montana, Oklahoma and New Mexico), the country's largest customer-owned health insurer, and fourth largest health insurer overall. Health Care Service Corporation is a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. BCBSTX.com | Twitter.com/BCBSTX | Facebook.com/BlueCrossBlueShieldOfTexas | YouTube.com/BCBSTX BCBSTX Social Responsibility Report SOURCE Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas McVinney, who also oversees all boat reviews for Boat Trader, said, "As Mr. Kelley explained his lifelong love for boats and boating and what spending time on the water has meant to him most recently, our crew captured the gorgeous Gulf views of the Florida Panhandle, and we all quickly clicked as boaters while getting to know the laid-back, Beach Cowboy-side of BK. His new music is personal and hearing his songs carry out over his stomping grounds, the lyrics rang even more authentic and heartfelt." Like millions of boaters, Kelley shopped for his boat on Boat Trader, using the Boat Trader app to filter thousands of listings from private owners, boat dealers and brokers, until he found the perfect one. The boat he dreamed of was a capable, turnkey sportfishing vessel which was realized in the form of a custom-built, 56-foot Sunny Briggs. In addition to sharing about his stomping grounds from the Choctawhatchee Bay to Panama City and Apalachicola, he also discusses the inspiration for his new music and "love letter to the beach life" (MusicRow), including the song "Highway On The Water" that highlights Boat Trader in the lyrics. "Growing up, my parents had a family boat and we'd hit the springs and the river, and whether we were tubing, kneeboarding, fishing, or just cruising around watching for alligators and manatees, boating has always been a 'highway on the water' to me," said Kelley. "Boating is an important part of so many people's lives. It doesn't matter what boat you're on, a jon boat or a big boat, just spending time with the people you love on the water is therapy." The "Brittney Marie" is a perfect example of a premium sportfisher design and the episode reveals what Kelley took as a sign that this boat was meant for him. His boat has a two-stateroom layout with two guest bunks and a large main salon that can accommodate even more guests. She has two heads onboard, a huge teak-adorned aft deck with a high-end fighting chair and two control stations one on the main helm and the other atop the tuna tower. Later in the episode, McVinney is also welcomed aboard by Shawn Joy who is a maritime project manager for one of the largest maritime archaeology programs in the world. His fieldwork in the Gulf of Mexico has made him one of the leading ancient archaeologists in the country. Joy has logged hundreds of hours of scientific diving and has documented sites with an extensive library of underwater photography. His photos have been featured in Smithsonian Magazine and Popular Archaeology. Watch the latest Stomping Grounds episode on Boat Trader's YouTube channel and subscribe for future content alerts. Fans can look forward to more exciting trips this summer to meet more boaters, their boats, and crew, including a Hollywood director, a banker turned backcountry fishing guide, and a renowned conservationist, to name a few. To view America's largest inventory of new and used boats, visit boattrader.com. Follow @BoatTrader on Instagram where Boat Trader has introduced new "Highway On The Water" GIFs to bring a bit of fun to stories sharing boating adventures this summer. About Boat Trader Since 1991, Boat Trader has delivered more boat buyers to dealers, brokers and private party sellers than any other advertising source. Long before the world relied on Google, Boat Trader magazine was the go-to place to sell a boat. In 2008, the magazine successfully shifted its business model from print to digital media, and today Boat Trader reaches more than nine million visitors per month. To experience the marine industry's leading marketplace, visit www.boattrader.com, and also download the Boat Trader app for the latest way to search for boats on a mobile device. SOURCE Boat Trader SHANGHAI, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With the evolving landscape of the global automotive industry, Cango Inc. (NYSE: CANG) ("Cango" or the "Company") is issuing a bi-monthly industry insight called "CANGO Auto View" to bring readers, drivers and passengers up to speed with what's on offer in the automobile market, what trends are emerging, and what holes need to be plugged. Below is an article from the Company's 4th edition for June 2021. China is an early mover in this "electrification campaign." According to CPCA, global sales of new energy passenger vehicles (including PHEV, pure EV and FCEV) reached 2.86 million in 2020, representing a year-on-year increase of 36%. China, as the largest new energy PV market worldwide, accounts for 41% of that number. Other parts of the world aren't far behind. In April 2019, the European Union issued Regulation 2019/631, setting the most stringent carbon emission standards in history. Norway, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, and Portugal plan to ban sales of gasoline vehicles by 2025, 2030, and 2040, respectively. Developing new energy vehicles is the only way out; in an unexpected move, Germany has legislated to increase domestic EV subsidies, with the subsidy for pure EVs priced below 40,000 euros to be increased from 4,000 to 6,000 euros. Carmakers are ramping up investment in electrification as well - Volkswagen increased its 2030 EV production target from 15 to 22 million. And so, China has become a pivotal battlefield for electric vehicles among global car companies. Volkswagen plans to invest 60 billion euros in hybrid power, electrification and digital fields between 2020 and 2024, 33 billion of which will be spent on electrification. Volkswagen has started to develop a new EV platform since 2015 with investment exceeding USD7 billion. The company released its MEB platform in 2018, and the sales of pure EVs based on the new platform were expected to reach 20 million by 2029. In addition to the Volkswagen ID. family, the MEB platform will also be applied to Audi (certain models), Skoda and SEAT. GM has also released BEV 3, a new generation electric platform. Going forward, most of GM's pure electric models will use this platform, including those from brands like Chevrolet and Cadillac, covering all kinds of vehicles such as small cars, pickups, large SUVs, and even commercial vehicles. Volkswagen may overtake Tesla as the dominant electric car maker with its BEV sales by 2022, according to a Deutsche Bank analyst. Herbert Diess, Chairman of the Volkswagen Group's board of directors, has said the company plans to reduce battery costs by constructing six European giga-factories, and electric vehicles have now become one of the company's "core businesses." On the other hand, Daimler-Benz, a traditional luxury car brand, is also speeding up the pace of electrification, launching two new electric platforms, building new energy plants worldwide, and developing the next-generation electric drive technology in-house. It is reported that Daimler-Benz has started its transformation around the 5C strategy. The original five business divisions of the Company have been merged into three major sections, with streamlined organizational structure and independent operations. In the future, the core focus will be on electric vehicles and autonomous driving. Daimler-Benz has laid out a new energy vehicle production network around the world, with 6 electric vehicle factories and a total of 9 battery plants planned. In the future, the company's production network will continue to expand, which is expected to produce more than 500,000 electric vehicles each year. Chinese automakers' first-mover advantages are gradually emerging. BYD has already built an extensive presence in the core parts and components manufacturing of electric vehicles, and has reportedly achieved a high degree of vertical integration of the industry chain in terms of new energy core components such as power batteries and electric drive systems. It has the second largest market share in the domestic power batteries market, and released a new generation of power batteries - "blade batteries" in March 2020; it also has the second largest domestic market share in IGBT, and is the only domestic auto company in China that boasts a complete IGBT industry chain, with its IGBT4.0 reaching a level on par with the international mainstream in terms of technology. In keeping with the "7+4" strategy, BYD launched a new BNA architecture to achieve efficient modular car manufacturing. The pure electric e-platform and the fourth-generation DM plug-in hybrid platform help the well-scheduled launch of BYD's new products. BYD's EIC system for its new energy vehicles includes highlights such as the "blade battery" and the "three-in-one" technology. Riding the wave of electrification, major automakers began making related announcements in 2021. In March, Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the BMW Group, said the MINI brand will be fully electrified by 2030 and the company will discontinue sales of fuel vehicles, adding that "pure electric vehicles will account for at least 50% of the BMW Group's total global sales by 2030." On March 31, Daimler AG stated that it is advancing its corporate structure adjustment and accelerating the transition into electrification; Audi announced days ago that it will no longer develop new internal combustion engines; Toyota China said it will introduce 10 pure electric models to the Chinese market by 2025, and bring along four full engine electrification technologies, including Double Engine, Double Engine E+, E-Engine, and Hydrogen Engine. About Cango Inc. Cango Inc. (NYSE: CANG) is a leading automotive transaction service platform in China connecting dealers, financial institutions, car buyers, and other industry participants. Founded in 2010 by a group of pioneers in China's automotive finance industry, the Company is headquartered in Shanghai and engages car buyers through a nationwide dealer network. The Company's services primarily consist of automotive financing facilitation, car trading transactions, and after-market services facilitation. By utilizing its competitive advantages in technology, data insights, and cloud-based infrastructure, Cango is able to connect its platform participants while bringing them a premium user experience. Cango's platform model puts it in a unique position to add value for its platform participants and business partners as the automotive and mobility markets in China continue to grow and evolve. For more information, please visit: www.cangoonline.com. Media Contact: Juliet Ye Cango Inc. Tel: +86 21 3183 5088 ext.5581 Email: [email protected] Twitter: https://twitter.com/Cango_Group SOURCE Cango Inc. Related Links http://www.cangoonline.com CHICAGO, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (Cboe: CBOE), a leading provider of global market infrastructure and tradable products, today announced that the company recently discovered instances where the spot Cboe Volatility Index (VIX Index) calculation differs from the calculation described in the VIX White Paper, which details the formula used for deriving values related to the VIX. The spot VIX Index is disseminated in 15 second intervals and is not a tradable product. In certain instances, an index level was not produced at the applicable interval, resulting in the dissemination of the prior index value. Cboe is investigating the degree of impact and the number of instances with respect to which the redissemination occurred. Based on the company's initial assessment, Cboe believes that, in the vast majority of cases, the current VIX Index calculation yielded the same result as provided in the VIX White Paper. The calculation methodology used for the spot VIX Index is also used to calculate other spot volatility indices and therefore may impact them in a similar manner. With respect to the VIX, these instances relate only to the spot VIX Index. Cboe believes the VIX tradable futures and options, as well as the NAV of products that track the daily closing prices of VIX futures, such as volatility ETPs, were not impacted. In addition, the calculation of the final settlement value for expiring VIX derivatives, which uses an independent process, was not impacted. Cboe intends to publish an addendum to the VIX White Paper by Monday outlining this difference in methodology in further detail for market participants. In accordance with its index governance process, Cboe will promptly open a consultation on the planned changes for public comment. About Cboe Global Markets, Inc. Cboe Global Markets (Cboe: CBOE), a leading provider of market infrastructure and tradable products, delivers cutting-edge trading, clearing and investment solutions to market participants around the world. The company is committed to operating a trusted, inclusive global marketplace, providing leading products, technology and data solutions that enable participants to define a sustainable financial future. Cboe provides trading solutions and products in multiple asset classes, including equities, derivatives and FX, across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more, visit www.cboe.com. CBOE-OE Cboe, Cboe Global Markets, Cboe Volatility Index, and VIX are registered trademarks of Cboe Exchange, Inc. Standard & Poor's, S&P, and S&P 500 are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services, LLC, and have been licensed for use by Cboe Exchange, Inc. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. Any products that have the S&P Index or Indexes as their underlying interest are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Standard & Poor's or Cboe and neither Standard & Poor's nor Cboe make any representations or recommendations concerning the advisability of investing in products that have S&P indexes as their underlying interests. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. You can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as "may," "might," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential" or "continue," and the negative of these terms and other comparable terminology. All statements that reflect our expectations, assumptions or projections about the future other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements, which are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us, may include projections of our future financial performance based on our growth strategies and anticipated trends in our business. These statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and projections about future events. There are important factors that could cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. We operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all risks and uncertainties, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Some factors that could cause actual results to differ include: the impact of the novel coronavirus ("COVID-19") pandemic, including changes to trading behavior broadly in the market; the loss of our right to exclusively list and trade certain index options and futures products; economic, political and market conditions; compliance with legal and regulatory obligations; price competition and consolidation in our industry; decreases in trading or clearing volumes, market data fees or a shift in the mix of products traded on our exchanges; legislative or regulatory changes; our ability to protect our systems and communication networks from security risks, cybersecurity risks, insider threats and unauthorized disclosure of confidential information; increasing competition by foreign and domestic entities; our dependence on and exposure to risk from third parties; fluctuations to currency exchange rates; our index providers' ability to maintain the quality and integrity of their indices and to perform under our agreements; our ability to operate our business without violating the intellectual property rights of others and the costs associated with protecting our intellectual property rights; our ability to attract and retain skilled management and other personnel; our ability to minimize the risks, including our credit and default risks, associated with operating a European clearinghouse; our ability to accommodate trading and clearing volume and transaction traffic, including significant increases, without failure or degradation of performance of our systems; misconduct by those who use our markets or our products or for whom we clear transactions; challenges to our use of open source software code; our ability to meet our compliance obligations, including managing potential conflicts between our regulatory responsibilities and our for-profit status; our ability to maintain BIDS Trading as an independently managed and operated trading venue, separate from and not integrated with our registered national securities exchanges; damage to our reputation; the ability of our compliance and risk management methods to effectively monitor and manage our risks; our ability to manage our growth and strategic acquisitions or alliances effectively; restrictions imposed by our debt obligations and our ability to make payments on or refinance our debt obligations; our ability to maintain an investment grade credit rating; impairment of our goodwill, long-lived assets, investments or intangible assets; and the accuracy of our estimates and expectations. More detailed information about factors that may affect our actual results to differ may be found in our filings with the SEC, including in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and other filings made from time to time with the SEC. We do not undertake, and we expressly disclaim, any duty to update any forward-looking statement whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. SOURCE Cboe Global Markets, Inc. Related Links http://www.cboe.com VANCOUVER, BC, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Chemistree Technology Inc. (CSE: CHM) (CSE: CHM.WT) (USOTCQB: CHMJF) (the "Company" or "Chemistree") is pleased to announce that through its indirect, wholly-owned California subsidiary, the Company has completed the sale of its 9.55 acre land package located in the City of Desert Hot Springs, Riverside County, California (the "DHS property"). Gross consideration for sale was US$1,957,000. The DHS property was acquired in 2019 as raw land, and over the course of the intervening two years the Company's development team advanced the land to a shovel-ready state. Advanced planning, permitting, and engineering work was completed together with the required anthropological and environmental studies. In conjunction with the sale, the Company has negotiated a back-in option agreement with the purchaser, such that as the purchaser advances the construction of the project, re-named "AMP Industrial Park", the Company has the unilateral option to acquire a new 16,460 square-foot cannabis production and processing building at a predetermined price. Chemistree president Karl Kottmeier commented, "The property was sold at a significant profit to the Company. We purchased the DHS property prior to a dramatic downturn in the cannabis market and found, despite the excellent development work by our California team led by our Chief Cannabis Officer Sheldon Aberman, that the project had become essentially un-financeable given the drastic increase in the cost of capex and opex capital. We persevered with the development plan, held the project in good standing throughout and have now turned a profit from this investment. This is an important capital infusion for the Company and will allow management and the Board of Directors to better plan for future investments." About Chemistree Technology Inc. Chemistree Technology Inc. is an investment company with holdings in the U.S. cannabis sector, real estate, and a consumer-targeted biotechnology venture. The Company's corporate strategy is to focus on opportunistic investments across a broad range of industries, and is seeking to invest in early stage, promising companies where it may be the lead investor and can additionally provide investees with advisory services, mentoring and access to the Company's management expertise. For more information, visit www.Chemistree.ca Advisory The Company wishes to inform shareholders that there are significant legal restrictions and regulations that govern the cannabis industry in both Canada and the United States. Cannabis-related Practices or Activities are Illegal Under U.S. Federal Laws The concepts of "medical cannabis" and "recreational cannabis" do not exist under U.S. federal law. The Federal Controlled Substances Act classifies "marihuana" as a Schedule I drug. Under U.S. federal law, a Schedule I drug or substance has a high potential for abuse, no accepted medical use in the United States, and a lack of safety for the use of the drug under medical supervision. As such, cannabis related practices or activities, including without limitation, the manufacture, importation, possession, use or distribution of cannabis are illegal under U.S. federal law. Strict compliance with state laws with respect to cannabis will neither absolve the Company of liability under U.S. federal law, nor will it provide a defence to any federal proceeding which may be brought against the Company. Enforcement of U.S. federal laws will be a significant risk to the business of the Company and any such proceedings brought against the Company may adversely affect the Company's operations and financial performance. Further information regarding the legal status of cannabis related activities and associated risk factors, including, but not limited to, risk of enforcement actions, risks that third-party service providers, such as banking or financial institutions cease providing services to the Company, and the risk that Company may not be able to distribute profits, if any, from U.S. operations up to the Company, are included in the Prospectus, the Company's annual information form and other documents incorporated by reference therein and in the Company's Form 2A listing statement filed with the CSE and available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. "Karl Kottmeier" President Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Information set forth in this news release includes forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "budget", "scheduled" and "intend", statements that an action or event "may", "might", "could", "should", or "will" be taken or occur, or other similar expressions. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the risks identified in the Company's reports and filings with the applicable Canadian securities regulators. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by applicable law. SOURCE Chemistree Technology Inc. Related Links http://chemistree.ca/ "As we looked ahead to Wellness Month this year, we wanted to do something really special for our team members to show them that we have been listening. We read every survey comment, and we have been working to add new benefits, such as our new four-week paid parental leave benefit, to support our team members' personal needs and family health," said Stephanie Chen, Chief Legal Counsel and Culture Officer at ChenMed. "As a family-run organization, we understand the importance of establishing a strong foundation of family time and love, especially at the beginning. We value our employees, who give so much to our organization each day, and we are honored to be able to offer this wonderful benefit to them and their families." Activities throughout Wellness Month include personal challenges, team activities, fitness and nutrition classes, guided meditations, as well as Lunch & Learn sessions, where employees can hear from experts about the weekly areas of focus: nutrition, physical health, financial health and mental health. And the investment in wellness has been recognized with ChenMed being named a 2021 Healthy Workplace by South Florida Business Journal. "As part of our continued focus on employee health and well-being, we are encouraging our team members to incorporate wellness into all areas of their lives by supporting them in being the best they can be personally and professionally," said Jessica Chen, M.D., Chief Clinical Officer at ChenMed. "We're inspiring our employees to achieve better lifestyle habits by taking steps towards better health daily and providing them with the tools, education and space they need to accomplish this." Wellness month is divided equally into four wellness focus areas: nutrition, physical health, mental health and financial health, with each week having activities, trainings and events that support education and action. Nutrition Week: Nutrition Week focuses on the benefits of fresh, whole foods and proper nutrition, as well as how to practice mindful eating. It also challenges employees to eat healthy, offering advice on choosing healthy snacks, cooking nutritious meals and selecting healthy menu items when eating outside the home. Physical Health Week: Physical Health Week encourages ChenMed employees to be active. The weekly events are designed to incorporate movement through walking, running, yoga, weightlifting and dancing activities, amongst others, and include health contests to challenge employees. Through ChenMed's medical insurance plan, employees have access to join one of more than 11,000 fitness centers for a low monthly price. The enrollment fee is being waived for employees who sign up this month for a fitness center membership. Mental Health Week: Mental Health week encourages employees to take stock in their emotional and psychological well-being by practicing things such as gratitude, meditation and appreciation for others. Activities include brief daily instructor-led yoga sessions, guided meditation and journaling. Financial Heath Week: Financial Health Week incorporates seminars on how to build savings, budgeting and financial planning. Topics of company-sponsored webinars include developing a healthy relationship with money, better budgeting, how to be more financially prepared for retirement and tips to improve credit scores. About ChenMed ChenMed, headquartered in Miami, is a privately owned medical, management and technology company that brings concierge-style medicine and better health outcomes to the neediest populations. Physician-led and privately owned, ChenMed is a provider of choice for some 20 Medicare Advantage health insurance plans. Operating more than 80 primary care medical practices for diverse populations of seniors, ChenMed results consistently include up to 75 percent drops in emergency room visits, plus 30 to 50 percent reductions for in-patient hospital admissions. In addition, this high-touch primary care is shown to reduce coronavirus deaths by 40 percent, according to a study published in American Journal of Preventive Cardiology. A Fortune 2020 "Change the World" company, ChenMed brands include Chen Senior Medical Center, Dedicated Senior Medical Center and JenCare Senior Medical Center. SOURCE ChenMed Related Links http://ChenMed.com "The funds from the Series B financing will be used to build a developer ecosystem and develop new products. The close partnership with Xiaomi allows KEYi Tech to develop robots by combining its advantages in robotic technologies and consumer robotics with Xiaomi's competence in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and channel supply chain," said Yang Jianbo, founder and CEO of KEYi Tech. "We look forward to delivering a superior Metaverse robotics experience to consumers through our cooperation with Xiaomi." Founded in 2014, KEYi Tech is a consumer robotics company that has integrated an industrial control algorithm, control and perception technologies as well as AI into the robotic design of ClicBot. Based on a modular robotic system, KEYi Tech has built a platform through which users across different age groups and geographies can create and share content in a common community. ClicBot's open and highly random gameplay delivers more fun as the player's experience grows. ClicBot was over 40 times oversubscribed on Kickstarter when it was launched on the platform in 2020, raising some US$900,000 from 1,678 backers from more than 80 countries and regions. In March 2021, ClicBot was named by Forbes as "Best Coding Robot" among its Top Ten Educational Robots of the Year. ClicBot, now with over 10,000 users worldwide, recently has been made available in China through an online and offline simultaneous direct sale model. As a next step, KEYi Tech plans to expand sales of ClicBot in the market by upgrading the robot and establishing relationships with more domestic retailers. "Unlike traditional consumer robots, ClicBot was designed and built based on the concept of creating a brand-new robot with various combinations of intelligent modules," added Mr. Yang. "By reconfiguring the modules, users can create over 10,000 robotics applications from several categories, among them, tools, cute pets and interactive games. ClicBot can be used as a toy as well as a platform through which the user can create content and learn from others." In addition, ClicBot is an educational robot that delivers a two-level programming experience comprising action coding that is enabled by basic concatenation and codeless programming which is achieved by dragging graphics. KEYi Tech has also created an intelligent ecological community for ClicBot based on various application scenarios. The community meets on a diversified platform where users from all over the world share, discuss and execute their ideas about robotics every day. The platform brings together content consumers, content creators and developers who facilitate the creation of innovative content and interactions between developers and players. Many members of the community say that it has been an unprecedented and thrilling experience. Users can view and directly download other players' creations in this community. Some take the next step and become content creators. ClicBot is easy to use and allows users to complete any combination of modules in under 3 minutes. In the ClicBot App playground, the robot is available in over 50 preset robotic configurations, enabling users to learn while playing. Users can also create advanced content based on their own ideas while interacting with and inspiring others in the community. ClicBot's interactions with the community have helped build a Metaverse ecosystem where a large number of players can also become creators and developers, ultimately creating a full ecosystem. Furthermore, with the expansion of the user base and the accelerated evolution of content, players can create their own competitive barriers through content and data, similar to other games in the genre. SOURCE KEYI Technology Inc NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) today announced it is celebrating National Avocado Day on July 31 with a digital-only promo code, AVO2021, that will be available to all guests in the U.S. and Canada. Chipotle is also offering a $0 delivery fee on the Chipotle app and Chipotle websites through August 1 in the U.S. and Canada. (PRNewsfoto/Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.) To redeem free guac on the most extra day of the year, guests in the U.S. and Canada can simply use code AVO2021 at digital checkout with an entree purchase via the Chipotle app or Chipotle websites on July 31. (PRNewsfoto/Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.) AVO2021 To redeem free guac on the most extra day of the year, guests in the U.S. and Canada can simply use code AVO2021 at digital checkout with an entree purchase via the Chipotle app or Chipotle websites on July 31. The free guac offer can be used to score a free topping or side of guac and is limited to one (1) free topping or side of guac per transaction. Guests can not use the promo code in-restaurant. To make things even more extra for fans, Chipotle is offering a $0 delivery fee on the Chipotle app and Chipotle websites through August 1 in the U.S. and Canada. For more information on Chipotle's National Avocado Day offers, guests in the U.S. can visit chipotle.com/avocadoday and guests in Canada can visit chipotle.ca/avocadoday. "National Avocado Day, our most popular 'Chipotday,' has long given our fans something extra to celebrate on July 31," said Chris Brandt, Chief Marketing Officer. "We're excited to continue the tradition this year by offering fresh, hand-mashed guac for free via our digital channels only with the promo code AVO2021." Extra Facts In restaurants across the U.S., Canada , and Europe this year, Chipotle is expected to use approximately 4.5 million cases of avocados, equivalent to more than 100 million pounds of fruit, for its famous guac. , and this year, Chipotle is expected to use approximately 4.5 million cases of avocados, equivalent to more than 100 million pounds of fruit, for its famous guac. Chipotle's guac features six simple ingredients: avocados, citrus juice, cilantro, red onion, jalapenos, and salt. Grammy-winning musician and farmer Jason Mraz is a longstanding avocado supplier for Chipotle restaurants. is a longstanding avocado supplier for Chipotle restaurants. Chipotle upcycles leftover avocado pits from select restaurants to create its avo dyed goods line, available on Chipotle Goods (chipotlegoods.com). An ink is created when the pits are simmered in water, creating a sustainable, plant-based dye varying in color that ultimately results in customized apparel and accessories for the brand. Free Guac terms - Valid 7/31/2021, for a regular size side or topping of guacamole with the purchase of a full price entree item. Valid only on orders placed and fulfilled from participating U.S. and Canada Chipotle locations during normal operating hours. Limit one free item per transaction; redemption is subject to availability. Available via Chipotle websites and mobile app only; not valid on orders via third party delivery platforms. May not be combined with other coupons, promotions, or special offers. Void if reproduced or altered and where prohibited. Additional restrictions may apply; void where prohibited. For full terms, fans can visit: chipotle.com/avocadoday and chipotle.ca/avocadoday. $0 Delivery Fee terms - Higher menu prices are charged for delivery; additional service fee applied at checkout as well. Available 7/28 - 8/1 only, within Chipotle's delivery areas from participating U.S. and Canada locations, during normal operating hours for such locations. Minimum order $10 in US and $12 CAD in Canada, maximum order $200, each excluding tax. Deliveries subject to availability. Offer is not valid on catering or Burritos by the Box orders. Redemptions of Chipotle Rewards and other promotional offers may be included in a qualifying delivery order but do not count towards satisfaction of minimum purchase requirements. Valid only at chipotle.com or chipotle.ca, or on the Chipotle app; not valid on orders placed via third-party delivery platforms. Chipotle reserves the right to modify or terminate this offer at any time without notice. Additional restrictions may apply; void where prohibited. ABOUT CHIPOTLE Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) is cultivating a better world by serving responsibly sourced, classically-cooked, real food with wholesome ingredients without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Chipotle had over 2,850 restaurants as of June 30, 2021, in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany and is the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its restaurants. Chipotle is ranked on the Fortune 500 and is recognized on the 2021 lists for Forbes' America's Best Employers and Fortune's Most Admired Companies. With nearly 102,000 employees passionate about providing a great guest experience, Chipotle is a longtime leader and innovator in the food industry. Chipotle is committed to making its food more accessible to everyone while continuing to be a brand with a demonstrated purpose as it leads the way in digital, technology and sustainable business practices. For more information or to place an order online, visit WWW.CHIPOTLE.COM. SOURCE Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. Related Links https://www.chipotle.com CLLCTIVGIVE is a 24 hour online, and live celebration of giving that will take place on August 6th, 2021. This event is part of CLLCTIVLY's mission to be a resource for the Greater Baltimore community and seeks to find, fund, and partner with Black social change organizations. Additionally, CLLCTIVGIVE is designed to ignite support for organizations that often go unnoticed and are under-resourced. "Black-led organizations have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, putting their survival at risk. To create thriving communities across Baltimore, we must invest in these organizations to provide them with the resources to build the infrastructure and provide the financial sustainability needed to support their work," said Jamye Wooten, founder of CLLCTIVLY. As a part of the 2021 CLLCTIVGIVE Events, CLLCTIVLY is excited to announce the inclusion of the Baltimore Black Business Quest, inviting participants to join a collective mission to seek out and show up at various Black-owned or led organizations and other significant and historic Black landmarks throughout the Greater Baltimore area. Baltimore has had a long, storied history of disinvestment within the African American Community, and the COVID-19 pandemic has further jeopardized the survival of Black-owned businesses and cultural destinations. The Baltimore Black Business Quest provides an exciting opportunity to pour into the community by amplifying the existence of Black spaces in our midst. During this event, teams of hunters will be supplied clues to visit these various organizations learn about their missions, and donate or purchase their services or goods. Photograph yourself at each place visited; a winner will be announced at the conclusion of the Scavenger Hunt. CLLCTIVGIVE is a free event participate; however, CLLCTIVLY encourages community business leaders to participate in this valuable event by sponsoring CLLCTIVGIVE. Contributions will not only show support for nonprofits that make Baltimore unique, but it will also help build positive buzz for your business and engage your employees in giving. Their campaign across various platforms will also provide exposure to you, our community business partner, who plays a vital role in CLLCTIVGIVE. They believe a CLLTIVGIVE partnership is a win-win. First, they will expose our business to new audiences and cement your brand as a stalwart in the community. Second, you will inspire donors to give generously to the nonprofits that make Baltimore a fantastic place to live. ABOUT CLLCTIVLY CLLCTIVLY IS A PLACE-BASED SOCIAL CHANGE ORGANIZATION CENTERING BLACK GENIUS, NARRATIVE POWER, SOCIAL NETWORKS, AND RESOURCE MOBILIZATION. Our mission is to end the fragmentation and duplication of programs, to learn from and about each other, and to be a resource for the Greater Baltimore community that seeks to find, fund and partner with Black social change organizations. SOURCE CLLCTIVLY BATON ROUGE, La., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Coastal Bridge LLC has filed a petition with the 19th Judicial Court of Baton Rouge, asking for the restoration of its contractor's license after the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors revoked the company's license on July 15th, 2021. In its petition, Coastal Bridge said it had made several attempts to comply with evidence requested by the board, including financial statements from a CPA attesting to the company's ability to continue performing contract work. "That should have ended the inquiry," Coastal Bridge said in its petition. "There is no evidence that Coastal Bridge has performed defective work or failed to complete a job for performance-related reasons." Coastal Bridge said that Kelly Sills has been indicted in the court of public opinion and this Louisiana board unlawfully acted as judge and jury in the revocation of the company's license. "In America, we embrace the notion of being presumed innocent until proven guilty, but sadly that has not been the reality in the pending allegations leveraged against Mr. Sills," the company said. "We know what the facts are and look forward to our day in court where truth and transparency will prevail over partiality and prejudice." The board's actions show it has "exceeded their authority, abused their discretion, and deprived Coastal Bridge of due process" by revoking the company's licenses and demanding financial evidence not required for the renewal or application of a contractor's license, Coastal Bridge said. Coastal Bridge was working on seven projects totaling $9 million in value when its license was revoked, creating uncertainty for the company's 23 employees. The company is asking for the reinstatement of its license so it can continue with "the work it has done for 70 years," according to the petition. ABOUT COASTAL BRIDGE A contractor providing decades of expertise in all areas of construction, Coastal Bridge Company, LLC has primarily served the southeastern Louisiana area since 1928. Coastal Bridge Company has always been a privately held company. It is managed and operated by the third generation of family members. ABOUT KELLY SILLS Kelly Sills is a Louisiana-based serial entrepreneur who is dedicated to philanthropy. A family man of faith, he contributes significant time and money to organizations in order to create a better future and a kinder world. SOURCE Coastal Bridge GLOUCESTER, Maine, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- John Lukegord recently disclosed a dramatic upswing in sales for his novel series, "The Haunted Trail," after announcing he had finished a screenplay based on the third part. Originally an ongoing series of popular horror skits, Lukegord expanded "The Haunted Trail" into three novels once beta-readers and initial reviewers indicated the series was a hit in the making. All three volumes are available for purchase via Amazon, and Lukegord is currently looking for representation to help him shop the screenplay to various film studios. Interested parties are encouraged to contact the author directly. John Lukegord John Lukegord Synopsis of "The Haunted Trail" Series On Halloween night of 1892, an ancient curse ripens in the Dublin Woods of Ireland. Cast by the undead mummy leader of an invading army of Egyptians who came to Ireland two thousand years earlier in search of one of a pair of magical four-leaf clovers, the curse contaminates the nearby Dublin Mental Institution. First to die is a young boy named Dylan McGilicutty, beheaded for the crime of vandalizing the scarecrow of a local farmer, Patrick O'Sullivan, who had been incarcerated in the local asylum after murdering a zoo keeper. The boy is killed on a guillotine made by another mental-institution inmate, Matthew Killington: one of a pair of murdering twins who also served time in the asylum. That same night, the Patrican brothers Henry, Wayne, and Mick sail along Dublin River on their fishing boat, ignoring a soft-spoken warning to turn back. The brothers are attacked by a man named Harry McFloyd, who protects the cursed Woods against intruders. The two older brothers are captured by Harry and his band of homicidal killers, who kill Henry in an electric chair built by another inmate, Miles O'Neill, before taking Wayne to be lynched by a killer named Douglas O'Connor. But the youngest brother Mick escapes and begins fleeing through the Woods. At the same time, a deranged conman named Herman McRandle, who always dresses as a clown, is captured after killing a man at a carnival. McRandle is brought to the Dublin Mental Institution where Warden Thomas Roberts has the clown beaten and locked up, but not before McRandle manages to steal a fork from the cafeteria. A practitioner of Voodoo, McRandle soon kills two asylum guards and escapes. Learning that another inmate, Walter McFrancis, witnessed one of the killings, the warden puts manacles on the frightened man and they go into the Woods in search of McRandle. These are just the opening events for a wild, ongoing series that slowly uncovers the mystical roots of two magical clovers, before eventually taking readers into the clovers' genesis: lightyears away with two warring alien races. "The Haunted Trail" is intended as an homage to slasher-gore horror-fantasy a rollercoaster-mashup of the best in horror fiction and films, while maintaining a gripping and shocking narrative that keeps rapid pace and speed evocative of an immersive video game. About John Lukegord A Massachusetts native, John Lukegord is the author of the "Haunted Trail" series of books, based on horror skits created and performed in a small neighborhood in the early 1990s. The skits were well-crafted and highly successful, drawing a large fan base at the time. Lukegord has since expanded each skit, publishing them in a planned trilogy of gory and suspenseful horror stories. Lukegord is also the author of "A Stalker's Journey," which is available for purchase on Amazon along with "The Haunted Trail." SOURCE John Lukegord CHICAGO, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The consumer watchdog group Citizens Utility Board (CUB) is hosting a summer event series to help Illinois residents save on their utility bills. The webinar series will offer events in English and Spanish focused on energy efficiency, bill savings and solar. The webinar series will culminate with a Sept. 2 Virtual Utility Bill Clinic. Event registrants will speak one-on-one with a CUB counselor to discuss their bills in a private and secure video call. You'll learn how to spot unnecessary charges, decode your bills, spot errors and avoid scams. CUB representatives will also tell you about energy efficiency programs and rebates that can save you money on your bills. CUB's events will be: 3 p.m. - 4 p.m., Monday, August 2, 2021 Opciones para elegir un plan telefonico (Spanish) Registration link: https://bit.ly/3BJLELb 4 p.m. - 5 p.m., Thursday, August 12, 2021 Home Energy Savings Registration link: https://bit.ly/3xaD0BP 3 p.m. 4 p.m., Monday, August 16, 2021 Ahorrar Energia (Spanish) Registration link: https://bit.ly/3i8rC5k 6 p.m. 7 p.m., Tuesday, August 17, 2021 Energy Legislation and Going Solar Registration link: https://bit.ly/3yaD1ay 12 p.m. 1 p.m., Wednesday, August 25, 2021 Save on your Telecom Bills Registration link: https://bit.ly/2Wd52Qs 6 p.m. 8 p.m., Thursday, September 2, 2021 Virtual Utility Bill Clinic (English and Spanish) Registration link: https://bit.ly/3xgAla9 "Our summer webinar series and Virtual Utility Bill Clinic are open to anyone interested in saving their hard-earned money and shaving unnecessary spending off their utility bills," CUB Executive Director David Kolata said. CUB is Illinois' leading nonprofit utility watchdog. Created by the Illinois Legislature, CUB opened its doors in 1984 to represent the interests of residential and small-business utility customers. Since then, it has saved consumers more than $20 billion by helping block rate hikes, secure refunds, and fight for clean, low-cost energy. For more information, call CUB's Consumer Hotline, 1-800-669-5556, or visit its award-winning website, www.CitizensUtilityBoard.org. SOURCE Citizens Utility Board Related Links http://www.citizensutilityboard.org MIAMI, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DDB Latina has been named Best Network of the Year for the second time in the last eight months according to the Crema Ranking, organized by Adlatina. The publication takes into account both creative results and effectiveness rankings at international and regional festivals including Cannes, Clio, One Show, D&AD, El Ojo, and Effie Latam. It is a milestone win for DDB Latina who has been able to achieve greatness even in such an atypical year as 2020. Africa DDB, DDB Colombia, and Fahrenheit DDB were in the top 30 of the best agencies in their region, while Paradais DDB Ecuador, DDB Spain, and Alma DDB ranked in the top 10 of their respective countries. Juan Carlos Ortiz, President & CEO of DDB Latina, assures: "Today, our business is clearer more than ever, and it is definitely connected to the conclusions left by the last edition of the Davos Economic Forum event: what CEOs are looking for is creativity. At DDB Latina, we know creativity is related to culture, people who believe in that culture and talent, the creation of creative cases and products that respond to culture and, obviously, to growth and outstanding reputation or business results. Who has enough tools to play in that field will be able to compete in this new world." The top three networks recognized by the Crema Ranking were DDB Latina in first place with 3,951 total points, David in second place with 3,890 and, BBDO in third place with 2,636. "These results reaffirm that even though there are moments of success and difficulties in life, at DDB Latina, we believe and love what we do. This context has been really important to show that we have the right team, with the necessary principles and tools to move forward, and we are expectant of what the future brings," Ortiz concluded. You can preview the full year book here: https://www.adlatina.com/crema/2020/ ABOUT DDB LATINA GROUP DDB Latina is the leading communications group in the Latin markets around the world. It was a pioneer in the industry for uniting the Latin American, US Multicultural, and Spanish markets with a unique vision inspired by culture, not geography. Through its companies DDB, Africa DDB, Alma DDB, Tribal Worldwide, TRACK, and TracyLocke, DDB Latina develops innovative business solutions for its clients, based on a deep understanding of culture and data. It believes in the merge of strategy, technology, and creativity to create innovative ideas that generate effective business results for the brands it works with,including some global and regional clients in a wide range of industries. It has been named Ibero-America's Most Creative Network at El Ojo de Iberoamerica, the Crema Ranking in 2017 and 2019, and most recently at El Ojo and Crema Ranking 2020. ABOUT DDB WORLDWIDE DDB Worldwide (www.ddb.com) is one of the world's largest and most influential advertising and marketing networks. DDB has been named 2021 Network of the Year by D&AD and ADC. It has also earned recognition by the Cannes International Festival of Creativity and the industry's leading advertising publications and awards shows. WARC has listed DDB as one of the Top 3 Global Networks for 12 of the last 15 years. The agency's clients include Molson Coors, Volkswagen, McDonald's, Unilever, Mars, Johnson & Johnson, and the U.S. Army, among others. Founded in 1949, DDB is part of the Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC) and consists of more than 200 offices in over 90 countries, with its flagship office in New York, NY. ABOUT OMNICOM Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE OMC) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom's branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations, and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries. CONTACT: Angela Henao Director of Communications & PR | DDB Latina Group Email: [email protected] Phone: +1 (305) 341 2563 SOURCE DDB Latina ATLANTA, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Tameeka Law Walker has been named Board Chair of the Atlanta-based Partnership Against Domestic Violence (PADV) effective July 1, 2021. Partnership Against Domestic Violence Dr. Tameeka Law Walker The Partnership Against Domestic Violence works to end the crime of intimate partner violence and empower its survivors. For more than 44 years, PADV, the largest nonprofit domestic violence organization in Georgia, has served metro-Atlanta by providing professional, compassionate, and empowering support to survivors of intimate partner violence and their children. PADV offers safety, shelter and advocacy, restoring power, self-sufficiency and control to survivors. Education on the dynamics of intimate partner violence and youth and young adult dating violence are also important components of meeting the organization's mission. Dr. Walker leads a team of executives from many of Atlanta's top corporations who serve on the PADV board. Driving PADV Forward "Tameeka Law Walker brings a deep passion for the issue of domestic violence, and a wide, influential reach in the community to her role as board chair," according to Nancy Friauf, President and CEO of PADV. "Her strong commitment to the PADV mission, emphasis on high quality in all we do, and ability to connect us to new supporters will drive the organization's effectiveness and growth." "The way I experience and navigate the world has been shaped by the fact that I myself am a child survivor of domestic violence," said Dr. Law Walker. "I want to give hope to survivors, while providing awareness of the importance of interpersonal relationships and community values in addressing this critical issue. "As an advocate for change, I want to focus on advancing the organization in understanding inclusivity, as well as equity," Dr. Law Walker added. "My goal is to highlight the community values embraced by these terms in the vision of the organizationbuilding upon the work we've done to create a DEI platform during the tenure of the former board chair, Dr. Constance Dierickx." About Tameeka Law Walker A Georgia native, Dr. Law Walker was born and raised in Gainesville, and earned a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, as well as a medical degree from Mercer University School of Medicine. Following her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, she served two years in the military at the Naval Hospital in Beaufort, South Carolina as a staff OB-GYN specialist. She completed her Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellowship and received a Master of Science in Clinical Research at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Dr. Law Walker than served an additional two years of active duty at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland before joining the Georgia Perinatal Consultants medical practice in 2013. Reaching the Partnership Against Domestic Violence The Partnership Against Domestic Violence can be reached at www.padv.org, or 404.870.9600 or follow PADV on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. PADV operates a Metro Atlanta Crisis line, at 404.873.1766. Georgia residents in need of assistance should call the 24-hour toll-free crisis line at 1.800.33-HAVEN (42836). Outside of Georgia, call the national domestic violence crisis line at 800.621.HOPE (4673). Contact: Nancy Friauf 404-871-9760 [email protected] SOURCE Partnership Against Domestic Violence The public is invited to participate in this historic event by sponsoring a Dream Flight (all donations tax-deductible) and by attending Dream Flight events to say thank you to our WWII heroes. For the latest OSF tour schedule, click here. According to Dream Flights Founder Darryl Fisher, the tour name, Operation September Freedom, represents the Sept. 2, 1945 signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, which effectively ended WWII. The logo is designed using elements significant to the signing aboard the USS Missouri. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. "Of the 16 million Americans who served in WWII, only an estimated 100,000 are still living - the youngest in their early 90s," said Fisher. "Operation September Freedom is our last opportunity to honor the Greatest Generation for preserving our freedom and our democracy." Dream Flights pilots primarily fly for major airlines and are active duty or retired military veterans themselves. During Operation September Freedom, they will fly Dream Flights' fleet of six Stearmans coast-to-coast, stopping wherever World War II veterans signed up for Operation September Freedom live. Mid-campaign, crews will rendezvous at the 50th National Stearman Fly-in in Galesburg, Ill., to honor WWII veterans before heading home, stopping in towns along the way to honor more heroes. The nonprofit never charges for a Dream Flight and is supported by the generosity of its primary sponsor SportClips, and national partners Veterans United Home Loans, American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living, Discovery Senior Living, OneDay, Argentum and VFW. American Airlines is the official airline of Dream Flights. Click here for Media Deliverables. SOURCE Dream Flights Related Links http://dreamflights.org CHICAGO, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a research report "Electronic Flight Bag Market by Component (Hardware and Software), End User (OEM, Aftermarket), Application, Platform (Commercial Aviation, Business and General Aviation and Military Aviation), and Region - Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) Market is estimated to grow from USD 2.4 billion in 2021 to USD 3.3 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 6.2% from 2021 to 2026. Some of the major factors driving this market include reduction in aircraft weight through EFB incorporation, increase in aircraft deliveries, real-time data sharing through EFBs, and the use of EFBs for helicopters and eVTOL vehicles. Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=187615160 The COVID-19 pandemic is ushering in many challenges to industrial manufacturers globally, particularly those that depend on workers whose jobs cannot be done remotely; for example, the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of the aerospace industries. The US is home to some key market players for OEMs related to automotive and aerospace industries, such as Boeing, Thales, Honeywell, etc. According to a survey of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) (US) in 2020, nearly 80% of manufacturers anticipate that the pandemic will have a financial impact on their enterprise. That is substantially higher than the 48% of cross-industry firms concerned about the same impact, based on a recent 2020 PwC survey. Some key industrial companies had shut down facilities and are considering layoffs to prevent the spread of the virus as well as for economic purposes in. The manufacturing sector, which employed some 13 million workers in the US, was poised to be hit hard, as decelerated economic activity has decreased demand for industrial products in the US and globally. The situation has started improving post 2020. Electronic flight bag market in North America is projected to hold the highest market share during the forecast period. The growth of the market in this region can be attributed to the presence of several EFB manufacturers such as Boeing (US), Collins Aerospace, (US) and Honeywell International, Inc (US), among others. These major market players continuously invest in R&D to develop EFB systems for aircraft applications with improved efficiency and reliability. Rise in orders for narrow-body aircraft to drive segment The demand for domestic air travel has been increasing over the years in countries such as the US, the UK, Australia, and India. With the increase in air travel, the demand for narrow-body aircraft is expected to grow across the world. The increased amount of aircraft deliveries and orders booked would act as a driver for the EFB market. Aftermarket installation for older fleets boosts the end user segment Aftermarket companies offer services related to the maintenance, upgrade, or replacement of EFBs. Increasing aircraft fleet sizes is one of the most significant factors contributing to the demand for aircraft retrofitting, thereby driving the growth of the aftermarket segment. Airlines buy aircraft EFBs as per their requirements and install them in aircraft. Installation during this stage is majorly done by the supplier of aircraft systems, an in-house airline installation crew, or by a third party. Browse in-depth TOC on "Electronic Flight Bag Market" 310 Tables 49 Figures 216 Pages Inquiry Before Buying: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=187615160 High functionality, advanced functions, and compatibility with PEDs drive software segment EFB software enables the independent performance of calculations required for the operation of the aircraft, the display of aeronautical charts without actual aircraft position, and the use of electronic checklists. It uses the Internet and aircraft operational communication links, displays weather information, or facilitates aircraft video camera surveillance displays. This type of software is typically used by business & general aviation aircraft or by commercial carriers with older fleets that lack advanced avionics or hardware. As a result of the above, Type B is projected to be the fastest-growing software segment at a CAGR of 7.3% during the forecast period. Weight reduction in commercial aircraft boost segment growth The Airbus A350 XWB, Boeing B787, and Boeing B777X are some examples of commercial aircraft. The increasing passenger travel across the world has raised the demand for these aircraft, especially for long-haul travel. According to Airbus and Boeing, this is expected to be the fastest-growing aircraft segment in commercial aviation by 2039. EFBs are widely used in commercial aircraft for flight planning, process checklists, weather reporting, and navigation. They have also reportedly reduced as much as 60 kg from the flight deck by elimination of paper manuals and charts in the flight decks of Iberia, a Spanish airline. This segment is projected to grow the least at a CAGR of 6.3% from 2021 to 2026. Growing procurement of fighter aircraft to fuel demand for electronic flight bags during the forecast period A fighter aircraft is designed primarily to secure control of airspace by destroying enemy aircraft in combat. They must be armed with specialized weapons capable of hitting and destroying enemy aircraft. The rising need to gain airborne dominance across the globe will drive the fighter aircraft segment during the forecast period. Players such as Collins Aerospace (US) manufacture EFBs for combat applications. The growing procurement of fighter aircraft by various countries is expected to fuel the demand for electronic flight bags during the forecast period. This segment is projected to grow at the highest rate of 4.7%. The North American market is projected to contribute the largest share from 2021 to 2026 Based on Region, North America is projected to hold the highest market share during the forecast period. The US is expected to lead the North American electronic flight bag market in 2021. The growth of the market in this region can be attributed to the presence of several EFB manufacturers such as Boeing (US), Collins Aerospace, (US), and Honeywell International, Inc (US), among others. These major market players continuously invest in R&D to develop EFB systems for aircraft applications with improved efficiency and reliability. Related Reports: Aircraft Interface Device Market by End-Use (Fixed Wing, Rotary Wing), Fit (Line Fit, Retrofit) Aircraft Type, Connectivity, and Region (North America, APAC, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America) - Forecast to 2025 Avionics Market by End User (OEM, Aftermarket), System (FMS, CNS, Health Monitoring, Electrical & Emergency and Software), Platform (Commercial, Military, Business Jets & General Aviation, Helicopters), and Region - Global Forecast to 2024 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: [email protected] Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/commercial-electronic-flight-bag-market.asp Visit Our Web Site: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/commercial-electronic-flight-bag.asp SOURCE MarketsandMarkets Exoticca builds its own package tours to over 50 destinations around the world through a team of destination experts who carefully design the itineraries and select each component of the package, always seeking to optimize both the traveler's experience and the price of the packages. The combination of manually-curated products with an intensive use of technology allows Exoticca to offer never-seen-before prices without compromising on the quality of the trips. Despite Covid, Exoticca has managed to continue growing its sales thanks to measures such as a free cancellation policy, super-discounted prices and an extended travel window. Exoticca's sales are currently 50% higher than before Covid (300% in the United States) and the company generates a positive EBITDA. The new financing will be used to accelerate growth as the travel market continues to recover. The company has launched an ambitious plan to invest in technology and product with the objective of further automating the booking process and enhancing the travelers' experience. Exoticca is also open to growing through acquisitions. "We are very happy to partner with 14W and Mangrove because of their experience in building global category leaders in the technology space," says Pere Valles, Exoticca's CEO. "Travel is back and we believe that this is the right time to invest in order to build a category leader in the multi-day package tour space." "We have all been dreaming of faraway adventures during the pandemic and we see a huge opportunity for Exoticca as those dreams are turned into reality," comments Mark Tluszcz, CEO at Mangrove Capital Partners. "Exoticca has an awesome team and is leading the digital transformation of the market for multi-day package tours to long-haul destinations." "We are thrilled to partner with the team at Exoticca as they expand their offering to a growing audience which demands a more seamless travel experience," said Alex Zubillaga, Founder of 14W. "We view Exoticca to be the next-generation platform for automated group travel, with a global reach." About Exoticca Exoticca (www.exoticca.com) is the next-generation tour operator leading the digital transformation of the market for multi-day package tours to long-haul destinations. Its platform allows the online purchase of complex packages with multiple components (e.g., flights, hotels, activities, etc.) to over 50 destinations worldwide. Based in Barcelona, Exoticca is currently present in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1583144/Exoticca_Pere_Valles.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1581480/Exoticca_Logo.jpg SOURCE Exoticca Related Links https://www.exoticca.com WASHINGTON, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Family Research Council filed an amicus brief yesterday with the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, in one of the most significant challenges to the Court's 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade. The Court's decision in Roe held that a woman had a constitutional right to abortion under the Fourteenth Amendment, striking down many state abortion restrictions and severely limiting the extent to which states could write their own abortion laws. In the brief, we argue: "In Casey, a plurality recognized that Roe and its trimester framework were unworkable and introduced a new 'controlling standard' that was intended to provide judges clarity in deciding abortion cases. But Casey only made things worse. Created 'out of whole cloth,' Casey's undue-burden standard provided no rule of law, instead forcing judges to evaluate abortion regulations on the basis of their own personal value judgments. And its viability rule relied on ever-changing medical technology, while preventing states from acting upon their important interests in protecting nascent life and beyond." The brief continues: "Instead of aiding judges in 'neutral and principled administration' of the law, the undue burden standard forces [judges] to rely on their own moral intuitions to decide cases. That practice perverts the judicial function and undermines the rule of law." Family Research Council president Tony Perkins commented on FRC's amicus brief: "Considering this national trend of legislative action against abortion, the pre-viability restrictions that Mississippi HB 1510 implements are increasingly, and in fact, reflective of the convictions of the nation. America is truly an outlier in extreme abortion laws since most countries around the world limit abortion. It's time that the Courts allow for the states to enact laws that are consistent with the scientific and medical advances in the half century since Roe v. Wade was decided. In 1973, the Court assumed it had settled the debate over abortion. Yet no court can change the truth that a society that does not respect life that is defenseless, does not respect life," concluded Perkins. Katherine Beck Johnson, FRC's Research Fellow for Legal and Policy Studies, and an attorney who assisted with the brief, added: "The Court's decisions in Roe and Casey have taken over 60 million lives and done irreparable harm to our country, not just through the lost lives of the aborted babies, but also to their mothers and families. The country is worse off because of the lives lost in abortion. I'm proud that our amicus brief boldly calls for an end to the viability standard that has no grounding in the Constitution. Roe and Casey must be overturned." To read FRC's amicus brief, please see: https://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF21G39.pdf To read FRC's state policy brief publication on what states can do to advance life in a post-Roe world, please see: https://www.frc.org/statepolicybrief/total-abortion-ban SOURCE Family Research Council Related Links http://www.frc.org LOS ANGELES, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- While the live music industry is slowly recovering from the global pandemic, the 'LetterOne RISING STARS Jazz Award' offers a glimpse of hope to aspiring musicians who recently saw most of their concerts and tours vanish into thin air. The prestigious award presents an opportunity to win two readymade tours: 7 shows at major jazz festivals in Europe for the European winner and 10 shows at major jazz festivals in the USA and Canada for the winner of the North American edition. Both tours will take place in summer 2022 and are accompanied by a full year of PR and marketing support courtesy of the Air Artist Agency. All jazz musicians can submit their material (3 sound samples & 1 video link) via the dedicated website www.l1risingstarsjazzaward.com and a jury will then select the next RISING STAR/s. The submission period begins on August 1, 2021 and ends midnight on October 30, 2021, with winners announced in mid-January 2022. Musicians based in Europe must apply for the European edition, while musicians based in the USA and Canada must apply for the North American edition. There are no age restrictions. The 'LetterOne RISING STARS Jazz Award' started out in Europe in 2017 and has - thanks to overwhelming positive response - since expanded into North America. Winners perform at European festivals including the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy, Nice Jazzfestival in France, the Jazzopen in Stuttgart, Germany, the Leopolis Jazzfestival in the Ukraine, the Kongsberg Jazzfestival in Norway, and Love Supreme in the United Kingdom. North American festivals include the Blue Note Jazz Festival in New York, DC Jazz Festival in Washington, San Francisco Jazz Festival, CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival, Ottawa Jazz Festival, Festival International de Jazz de Montreal, Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Iowa City - Summer Of The Arts, Monterey Jazz Festival and the Earshot Festival in Seattle. Last year's winners Itamar Borochov (Europe) and Immanuel Wilkins (North America) were announced during an online award ceremony broadcast by leading broadcasters WBGO in the USA and Jazz FM in the UK. The broadcast featured performances by Dee Dee Bridgewater, Christian McBride and Terri Lyne Carrington, and was hosted by Jamie Cullum. The jury of the LetterOne RISING STARS Jazz Award consists of jazz business specialists, journalists, producers, promoters and is chaired every year by a well known artist - starting with Jazz superstar Jamie Cullum in 2017, Dee Dee Bridgewater in 2018, George Benson in 2019 and Terri Lyne Carrington in 2020. 'LetterOne RISING STARS Jazz Award' has received global recognition and support from many Jazz heavyweights including Quincy Jones, Wayne Shorter, Gregory Porter, and organizations such as Jazz At Lincoln Center in New York and Berklee College of Music in Boston. The 'LetterOne RISING STARS Jazz Award' is an investment in the brightest jazz talents in Europe and North America and it hugely benefits from the sponsorship and dedicated backing of Mikhail Fridman, a philanthropist and the founder of the LetterOne Group. Most importantly in this case, Mikhail Fridman is a huge Jazz fan. He is a frequent visitor of Jazz festivals across the world and has personally founded the renowned Leopolis Jazz Fest in Lviv. Producing the 'LetterOne RISING STARS Jazz Award' is the award-winning AIR ARTIST AGENCY, whose director Burkhard Hopper has a long-standing experience in introducing new artists. For 9 years he was running the Rising Stars concert series which among others introduced artists such as Diana Krall, Brad Mehldau, Nicholas Payton, Kurt Elling, Jane Monheit and Esbjorn Svensson to audiences in Europe. SOURCE LetterOne 'RISING STARS' Jazz Award BEIJING, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- First High-School Education Group Co., Ltd. ("First High-School Education Group" or the "Company") (NYSE: FHS), today announced that all its existing tutorial schools for Gaokao repeaters have begun instruction. Among the seven provinces where the Company has newly opened schools, those in three provinces have begun instruction. The schools in the other four provinces have completed campus preparations, and instruction will begin in this August. This marks the latest development following the Company's strategic business plan across China under the favorable situation, where many provinces prohibit public schools from operating Gaokao repeaters business. The Company continues to leverage the advantages of private education mechanisms to grasp development opportunities deriving from the integration between vocational and academic education at the high school level. The Company's board of directors believes that the Company's smooth expansion of its business nationwide is attributed to the high-quality development across all its schools in compliance with laws and regulations, its strong organic growth, and the high recognition of its schools' excellence from a vast number of students and parents. The Company believes that by providing students with quality education opportunities at all its schools, they will have greater opportunities to successfully participate in the university entrance examination and realize their dreams of receiving quality higher education. Currently, the relevant education policies and regulations promulgated in China have not had any negative impact on the development of the Company's high school and Gaokao repeaters' tutorial schools. Regarding the "Regulations for the Implementation of Private Education Promotion Law" which will take effect on September 1, 2021, the First High-School Education Group has conducted in-depth studies and will continue to perform education responsibilities in full compliance with national regulations. About First High-School Education Group First High-School Education Group is the largest operator of private high schools in Western China and the third largest operator in China[1]. First High-School Education Group has a network of 19 schools, offering 14 high school programs, seven middle school programs and four tutorial school programs for Gaokao repeaters, as of December 31, 2020. All of schools of the Company are strategically located in Western China. The Company aspires to become a leader and innovator of private high school education in China. For more information, please visit https://ir.diyi.top/. Forward-Looking Statements Statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects, as well as any other statements regarding matters that are not historical facts, may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the expected trading commencement and closing dates. The words "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "target," "will," "would" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: the uncertainties related to market conditions and the completion of the public offering on the anticipated terms or at all, and other factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of the preliminary prospectus filed with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. [1] In terms of student enrollment as of December 31, 2019, according to an industry report commissioned by First High-School Education Group and prepared by China Insights Industry Consultancy Limited. For Investor and Media Inquiries Please Contact: In China: First High-School Education Group Lillian Liu Tel: +86-13062818313 E-mail: [email protected] The Blueshirt Group Ms. Susie Wang Phone: +86 138-1081-7475 Email: [email protected] In the United States: The Blueshirt Group Ms. Julia Qian Phone: +1 973-619-3227 Email: [email protected] SOURCE First High-School Education Group Co., Ltd Related Links https://ir.diyi.top/ AUSTIN, Texas, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Restart is pleased to announce the launch of our digital bank for the immigrant and ethnic market in the United States. The app's user interface is bilingual, in English and the user's native language. The app's user interface is bilingual, in English and the user's native language. The US banking market is one of the largest in the world. Yet, according to a 2019 report by the Federal Reserve, 22% of American adults (63 million) are either unbanked or underbanked. Minorities, including ethnic groups and immigrants, are often underserved by traditional banks and are considered to be at an economic disadvantage. Further, the US is home to 44 million foreign born people. Language and cultural barriers often limit their ability to fully participate in the formal economy. Restart is a digital bank that is focused on serving this market to ensure greater financial inclusion. The bank app will initially serve Russian-speaking customers. Additional languages including Ukrainian, Armenian, Belarusian, Kazakh and Polish will be added in Q4 2021. In 2022, the digital bank will offer Chinese and Vietnamese languages. Customer support is provided by native speakers. Restart's features are similar to those offered by traditional banks, including the issuance of a debit card, fund transfers, as well as free cash withdrawals at more than 30,000 ATMs in the US. Customers can establish and improve their credit scores, which is an important component of ensuring financial inclusion. Enhanced features such as Early Pay Direct provides early payment of wages. Dennis Larionov, Restart's CEO, said "We appreciate the complexity and challenges faced by minorities, particularly in overcoming language barriers and improving financial literacy. Restart is the first step in financial inclusion for new-to-country customers and a lifesaver for those who have been living in the United States for several years and find it difficult to be a part of the English-centric banking ecosystem. Now, it is as convenient as downloading the Restart app, opening an account in just a few minutes and ordering a debit card. And in 7 working days the card will be in your mailbox." The Restart app is available for download on Google Play and Apple's App Store. Restart's custodial banking partner is USALLIANCE Federal Credit Union, and customers' funds are insured by NCUA for up to $ 250,000. Restart Financial Inc. 2021 [email protected] tel:5127858907 www.restartbank.com SOURCE Restart Financial Inc. Related Links http://www.restartbank.com EXTON, Pa., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- First Resource Bank (OTCQX: FRSB) announced financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2021. Glenn B. Marshall, CEO, stated, "We continue to see a reopening of our trade area as the economy recovers from the shutdowns that we all experienced in the second quarter of 2020. We were honored to participate in both rounds of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) which saved thousands of jobs and families in our community. First Resource Bank operates in a great market with a strong local economy and we are thrilled to see our customer base thrive and grow along with us." Highlights for the second quarter of 2021 included: Net income of $1.1 million , exceeding the prior year second quarter by 56% , exceeding the prior year second quarter by 56% 7% loan growth during the second quarter, excluding PPP loan activity Total interest income grew 19% over the prior year second quarter Total interest expense declined 28% over the prior year second quarter Net interest margin improved 18 basis points during the quarter Named the Best Community Bank on the Main Line by readers of Main Line Today Earned the #1 ranking among medium-sized companies as a "Best Place to Work" by the Philadelphia Business Journal Completed a 5% stock dividend Marshall stated, "As our region embraced the vaccine, we saw a surge of loan opportunity in our market area. Our outstanding second quarter and six-month period loan growth came at a time when our PPP team was seeing positive results from their forgiveness efforts. During the second quarter we replaced our PPP loans that were forgiven with new organic loan growth. We are hopeful that both teams can continue to balance one another over the remainder of 2021." Net income for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 was $1,056,574, which compares to $905,664 for the previous quarter and $676,987 for the second quarter of the prior year. Total interest income increased 11% when comparing the second quarter of 2021 to the first quarter of 2021. This increase was driven by 7% organic growth in loans, excluding PPP loans, as well as higher fees recognized as interest income in association with PPP loan forgiveness during the second quarter of 2021 as compared to the prior quarter. The Bank recognized $384 thousand in PPP fees in the first quarter of 2021 and $614 thousand in the second quarter of 2021 which represents both the amortization of fees for individual loans based on the original maturity schedule and the balance of fees recognized when the loan is forgiven by the Small Business Administration. Total interest income rose 19% from $3,987,232 for the three months ended June 30, 2020 to $4,742,205 for the three months ended June 30, 2021. This increase was the result of 12% loan growth when comparing June 30, 2021 to a year prior, which increases to 26% loan growth when excluding PPP loans for both periods. Increased interest income from loan growth was offset by a 7 basis point decline in loan yields when comparing the second quarter of 2020 to the second quarter of 2021. Total interest expense decreased 3% when comparing the second quarter of 2021 to the first quarter of 2021. This decrease was driven by an 8 basis point decrease in the cost of interest-bearing deposits during the quarter. Interest expense on deposits continues to be actively managed to lower costs. Total interest expense decreased 28% from $937,509 for the three months ended June 30, 2020 to $678,419 for the three months ended June 30, 2021. The vast majority of this decreased expense was related to an overall 61 basis point decline in the cost of interest-bearing deposits, led by a 25 basis point decrease in the cost of money market accounts and a 78 basis point decrease in the cost of certificates of deposit, year over year. Overall interest expense was also mitigated by strong growth in noninterest-bearing deposits, which increased 46% when comparing June 30, 2021 to the year prior. Net interest income was $4,063,786 for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 as compared to $3,570,705 for the previous quarter, a 14% increase. The net interest margin increased 18 basis points from 3.59% for the quarter ended March 31, 2021 to 3.77% for the quarter ended June 30, 2021. The overall yield on interest earning assets increased 10 basis points during the second quarter led by a 3 basis point increase in loan yields to 4.77%, aided by a higher loan to asset ratio at June 30, 2021 as compared to March 31, 2021. The cost of interest-bearing deposits decreased 8 basis points during the first quarter to 0.69%, with the majority of that decrease attributed to lower cost money market accounts and certificates of deposit. Continued growth in noninterest-bearing deposits fueled a decline in the total cost of deposits from 0.57% at March 31, 2021 to 0.50% at June 30, 2021. Net interest income for the six months ended June 30, 2021 was $7,634,491, a 28% improvement over net interest income of $5,953,742 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. This growth was driven by a 15% increase in loan interest income and a 40% decrease in deposit interest expense. The provision for loan losses increased from $240,153 for the three months ended March 31, 2021 to $270,453 for the three months ended June 30, 2021. The provision for loan losses increased from $51,045 for the three months ended June 30, 2020, to $270,453 for the three months ended June 30, 2021. Marshall noted, "The provision for loan losses in the second quarter may look odd at first when you consider that credit quality is as strong as it's been since 2007 and total loans are almost level with the first quarter. When you get behind the numbers, the paid-off SBA guaranteed PPP loans required a very low reserve ratio as compared to organic loans that replaced them. The increased provision for loan losses in the second quarter is reflective of the strong organic loan growth in the quarter." The allowance for loan losses to total loans was 0.87% at June 30, 2021 as compared to 0.83% at March 31, 2021, 0.86% at December 31, 2020 and 0.76% at June 30, 2020. Excluding PPP loans, which are 100% guaranteed by the SBA, the allowance for loan losses to total loans was 0.93% at June 30, 2021, 0.95% at March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020 and 0.91% at June 30, 2020. Non-performing assets consisted of non-performing loans of $164 thousand at June 30, 2021, a 57% decline from the prior quarter. Non-performing assets to total assets were 0.04% at June 30, 2021, down from 0.09% in the prior quarter. Non-interest income for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 was $181,213, as compared to $177,761 for the previous quarter and $136,534 for the second quarter of the prior year. There was no swap referral fee income received in the first or second quarters of 2021, as compared to $27,100 in the second quarter of 2020. Non-interest income for the six months ended June 30, 2021 was $358,974 as compared to $420,540 for the same period in the prior year. Swap referral fee income of $175,100 was received in the first six months of 2020 as compared to none in the first six months of 2021. Non-interest expense increased $275 thousand, or 12%, in the three months ended June 30, 2021 as compared to the prior quarter. The increase was primarily due to an increase in salaries and benefits, advertising, data processing, and other costs, partially offset by a decrease in occupancy costs. Part of the increase in salaries and benefits expenses, data processing expenses and other costs are attributed to a significant technology enhancement project during the second quarter. Non-interest expense increased $358 thousand, or 16%, when comparing the second quarter of 2021 to the second quarter of 2020. This increase was primarily attributed to an increase in salaries and benefits costs, data processing and other costs. The technology enhancement project during the second quarter of 2021 included numerous one-time expenses in each of those categories. Deposits grew a net $12.3 million, or 3%, from $382.1 million at March 31, 2021 to $394.4 million at June 30, 2021. During the second quarter, noninterest-bearing deposits increased $18.0 million, or 17%, from $105.6 million at March 31, 2021 to $123.5 million at June 30, 2021. Interest-bearing checking balances decreased $1.6 million, or 5%, from $31.8 million at March 31, 2021 to $30.2 million at June 30, 2021. Money market deposits increased $4.6 million, or 3%, from $154.1 million at March 31, 2021 to $158.8 million at June 30, 2021. Certificates of deposit decreased $8.7 million, or 10%, from $90.6 million at March 31, 2021 to $81.9 million at June 30, 2021. Between June 30, 2021 and June 30, 2020, total deposits grew 22%, with tremendous checking and money market growth partially offset by a decline in certificates of deposit. President and Chief Financial Officer, Lauren C. Ranalli, stated, "We continue to focus internal resources on checking growth and those efforts continue to pay off. Growth in checking and money market deposits have allowed us to shed higher cost certificates of deposit as they mature, lowering our overall cost of funds and increasing our net interest margin. We continue to benefit from disruption in the market to gain checking relationships. Our success in this area is attributed to our award-winning customer service as evidenced by our 46% increase in noninterest-bearing checking balances year over year." The loan portfolio increased by $921 thousand during the second quarter from $379.8 million at March 31, 2021 to $380.8 million at June 30, 2021. Excluding PPP loan activity, the loan portfolio increased $23.1 million, or 7%, from $333.2 million at March 31, 2021 to $356.4 million at June 30, 2021, with strong growth in commercial real estate, construction loans and commercial business loans partially offset by a decline in consumer loans. Year-to-date loan growth in 2021 was $41.8 million or 12%. Excluding PPP loan activity, year-to-date loan growth was $51.8 million, or 17%. The loan portfolio grew $41.8 million, or 12% from $339.0 million at June 30, 2020 to $380.8 million at June 30, 2021. Excluding PPP loans, the loan portfolio grew $74.0 million, or 26% from June 30, 2020 to June 30, 2021. The following table illustrates the composition of the loan portfolio: June 30, 2021 Dec. 31, 2020 June 30, 2020 Commercial real estate $ 277,919,949 $ 227,224,196 $ 209,771,247 Commercial construction 30,724,320 24,925,050 24,698,846 Commercial business 56,477,796 66,555,149 87,958,509 Consumer 15,644,478 20,235,647 16,571,930 Total loans $ 380,766,543 $ 338,940,042 $ 339,000,532 Total stockholder's equity increased $1.1 million, or 3%, from $32.3 million at March 31, 2021 to $33.4 million at June 30, 2021, primarily due to net income generated, partially offset by a decline in the unrealized gain/loss position of the investment portfolio. During the quarter ended June 30, 2021, book value per share grew 35 cents, or 3%, to $11.42. Total assets increased $13.2 million, or 3% during the second quarter of 2021, with growth in cash and due from banks funded by deposit growth. PPP loan activity of $22.2 million in net payoffs (forgiveness payments less new originations) in the second quarter of 2021 were replaced with $23.1 million in organic loan growth. Selected Financial Data: Balance Sheets (unaudited) June 30, 2021 December 31, 2020 Cash and due from banks $ 41,245,286 $ 26,008,820 Time deposits at other banks 599,000 599,000 Investments 17,957,320 43,060,035 Loans 380,766,543 338,940,042 Allowance for loan losses (3,326,784) (2,907,023) Premises & equipment 8,259,701 8,380,269 Other assets 12,071,297 10,353,164 Total assets $ 457,572,363 $ 424,434,307 Noninterest-bearing deposits $ 123,545,865 $ 99,898,323 Interest-bearing checking 30,177,054 23,726,721 Money market 158,758,776 140,480,421 Time deposits 81,906,722 93,919,651 Total deposits 394,388,417 358,025,116 Short term borrowings - - Long term borrowings 21,158,000 24,206,000 Subordinated debt 5,946,896 7,940,649 Other liabilities 2,682,324 2,806,732 Total liabilities 424,175,637 392,978,497 Total stockholders' equity 33,396,726 31,455,810 Total Liabilities & Stockholders' Equity $ 457,572,363 $ 424,434,307 Performance Statistics (unaudited) Qtr Ended June 30, 2021 Qtr Ended Mar. 31, 2021 Qtr Ended Dec. 31, 2020 Qtr Ended Sept. 30, 2020 Qtr Ended June 30, 2020 Net interest margin 3.77% 3.59% 3.69% 3.53% 3.50% Nonperforming loans/ Total loans 0.04% 0.10% 0.11% 0.40% 0.41% Nonperforming assets/ Total assets 0.04% 0.09% 0.09% 0.35% 0.36% Allowance for loan losses/ Total loans 0.87%** 0.83%** 0.86%** 0.78%** 0.76%** Average loans/Average assets 86.4% 84.4% 81.4% 88.7% 87.4% Non-interest expenses*/ Average assets 2.36% 2.29% 2.20% 2.34% 2.50% Earnings per share basic and diluted*** $0.31 $0.31 $0.39 $0.28 $0.23 Book value per share*** $11.42 $11.07 $10.78 $10.41 $10.14 Total shares outstanding 2,923,777 2,782,251 2,779,607 2,776,551 2,773,686 * Annualized ** Excluding PPP loans, the allowance for loan losses/total loans was 0.93% at June 30, 2021, 0.95% at March 31, 2021, 0.95% at December 31, 2020, 0.93% at September 30, 2020 and 0.91% at June 30, 2020. *** Per share data restated to reflect the 5% stock dividend paid in May 2021. Income Statements (unaudited) Qtr. Ended June 30, 2021 Qtr. Ended Mar. 31, 2021 Qtr. Ended Dec. 31, 2020 Qtr. Ended Sept. 30, 2020 Qtr. Ended June 30, 2020 INTEREST INCOME Loans, including fees $4,641,636 $4,169,912 $4,439,471 $4,038,794 $3,879,732 Securities 94,794 96,260 93,928 101,768 104,900 Other 5,775 6,022 10,990 2,365 2,600 Total interest income 4,742,205 4,272,194 4,544,389 4,142,927 3,987,232 INTEREST EXPENSE Deposits 481,151 499,622 581,982 653,243 742,578 Borrowings 104,145 108,743 117,995 120,795 127,446 Subordinated debt 93,123 93,124 126,007 77,467 67,485 Total interest expense 678,419 701,489 825,984 851,505 937,509 Net interest income 4,063,786 3,570,705 3,718,405 3,291,422 3,049,723 Provision for loan losses 270,453 240,153 229,538 129,894 51,045 Net interest income after provision for loan losses 3,793,333 3,330,552 3,488,867 3,161,528 2,998,678 NON-INTEREST INCOME BOLI income 47,505 44,523 36,852 37,125 37,067 Referral fee income - - 69,000 - 27,100 Gain on sale of SBA loans - - - - - Other 133,708 133,238 118,539 99,738 72,367 Total non-interest income 181,213 177,761 224,391 136,863 136,534 NON-INTEREST EXPENSE Salaries & benefits 1,592,369 1,432,259 1,405,431 1,386,212 1,373,036 Occupancy & equipment 255,537 262,501 238,406 261,166 228,216 Professional fees 98,035 89,413 95,238 96,936 98,492 Advertising 87,788 61,683 80,279 72,390 64,011 Data processing 188,220 149,633 146,147 131,351 135,936 Other 432,851 383,951 349,074 336,144 396,808 Total non-interest expense 2,654,800 2,379,440 2,314,575 2,284,199 2,296,499 Income before income tax expense 1,319,746 1,128,873 1,398,683 1,014,192 838,713 Federal income tax expense 263,172 223,209 280,248 198,786 161,726 Net income $1,056,574 $905,664 $1,118,435 $ 815,406 $ 676,987 Income Statements (unaudited) Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 Six Months Ended June 30, 2020 INTEREST INCOME Loans $ 8,811,548 $ 7,693,967 Investments 191,054 222,905 Other 11,797 49,895 Total interest income 9,014,399 7,966,767 INTEREST EXPENSE Deposits 980,773 1,628,493 Borrowings 212,888 249,562 Subordinated debt 186,247 134,970 Total interest expense 1,379,908 2,013,025 Net interest income 7,634,491 5,953,742 Provision for loan losses 510,606 195,078 Net interest income after provision for loan losses 7,123,885 5,758,664 NON-INTEREST INCOME BOLI income 92,028 74,117 Referral fee income - 175,100 Gain on sale of SBA loans - - Other 266,946 171,323 Total non-interest income 358,974 420,540 NON-INTEREST EXPENSE Salaries & benefits 3,024,628 2,701,507 Occupancy & equipment 518,038 480,586 Professional fees 187,448 190,653 Advertising 149,471 130,289 Data processing 337,853 275,419 Other non-interest expense 816,802 768,449 Total non-interest expense 5,034,240 4,546,903 Pre-tax income 2,448,619 1,632,301 Tax expense 486,381 315,175 Net income $ 1,962,238 $ 1,317,126 About First Resource Bank First Resource Bank is a locally owned and operated Pennsylvania state-chartered bank with three full-service branches, serving the banking needs of businesses, professionals and individuals in the Delaware Valley. The Bank offers a full range of deposit and credit services with a high level of personalized service. First Resource Bank also offers a broad range of traditional financial services and products, competitively priced and delivered in a responsive manner to small businesses, professionals and residents in the local market. For additional information visit our website at www.firstresourcebank.com. Member FDIC. This press release contains statements that are not of historical facts and may pertain to future operating results or events or management's expectations regarding those results or events. These are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts. When used in this press release, the words "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", "believes", "seeks", "estimates", or words of similar meaning, or future or conditional verbs, such as "will", "would", "should", "could", or "may" are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are either beyond our control or not reasonably capable of predicting at this time. In addition, these forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions with respect to future business strategies and decisions that are subject to change. Actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in these forward-looking statements. Readers of this press release are accordingly cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. First Resource Bank disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any of the forward-looking statements herein, whether in response to new information, future events or otherwise. SOURCE First Resource Bank Related Links http://www.firstresourcebank.com NAPLES, Fla., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Naples native & Realtor has truly shown that age is purely a number by beating out women half her age for a coveted spot on a Times Square Billboard for Supermodels Unlimited Magazine. Florida Native Kristen Weardon Shows Age is Limitless by Winning Coveted Supermodel Status and a Billboard in Times Square Who says you can't have it all; Kristen has been a well-respected successful business woman, charity board member, international beauty queen, and has now added supermodel to her list of credentials. The 2019 Naples Power Woman was looking for a new challenge for 2021 and on a whim entered the Supermodel Magazine competition where she not only won the Editors' Choice, but she also won the 2021 Face of SU Cosmetics. Kristen Weardon has lived in Naples, FL for over 30 years and is one of the most plugged in Realtors when it comes to Naples history and the local property market. In the ten years since being crowned Mrs. US of A Globe she has been able to contribute to the Naples community and beyond though her passion for humanitarian work. When she isn't supporting her local community or closing a real estate deal, you'll find Kristen getting out 'n' about and dirty off-roading with her Jeep. SU Magazine is a leading publication in the Women's market that is dedicated to inspiring and empowering females. Now in its 19th year, SU has taken over the modelling industry as a vital recourse for both aspiring and established models and industry professionals. In the spirit of Philanthropy, SU works closely with numerous celebrities and causes to promote inclusion. @SupermodelsUnlimitedMagazine CONTACT INFORMATION: Kylie Tee Consulting Kylie Tee +61 410 667 916 [email protected] SOURCE Kristen Weardon VANCOUVER, BC, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Fosterville South Exploration Ltd. ("Fosterville South") or (the "Company") (TSXV: FSX) (OTC: FSXLF) (Germany: 4TU) is pleased to report on ongoing drilling activities at the high-grade Reedy Creek goldfield within the Providence Project in Victoria, Australia. The Reedy Creek goldfield occurs in the Melbourne Zone and has a history of gold production from epizonal quartz veins, despite no drilling within the central goldfield apart from two vertical drill holes completed in the mid 1890s. While there has been no modern exploration at Reedy Creek, historical gold production reported at Reedy Creek is 43,489 tons for 39,223 oz at 26.8 g/t Au. The Fosterville South drill program at Reedy Creek has been underway for the past 15 days and commenced after the team negotiated and then signed 7 separate access agreements, while garnering strong community support for this exploration effort. All of this planned drilling is on private properties, which facilitates a streamlined drill program process once agreements are in place, which have now been completed. The initial 25 drill-hole program will total approximately 2,250 metres and is initially focussed on two ridge targets with extensive geochemical anomalies established by Fosterville South fieldwork together with associated various historic workings. In preparation of drilling, a sampling program has also been completed, which returned multiple high grade assays from the laboratory this week, including 145 g/t Au, 112 g/t Au and 94 g/t Au (see Table 1.0 for details and observations regarding these various rock chip samples). Fosterville South CEO and Director, Bryan Slusarchuk, states, "The acceleration and ramping up of concurrent drilling on multiple Fosterville South projects has been predicated by a lot of fieldwork, access agreement negotiations, obtaining of permits, signing of drill contracts and building up logistical support. With these preparations in place due to the hard work of the team in Victoria, Fosterville South is well positioned to grow the current drill program at various targets into an increasingly larger drill program. This bodes well as we seek to unlock value within this premier 4,000 square km land package of tenement and tenement applications that have been assembled over a multi-year period. We have a very strong cash position, a multitude of outstanding targets, excellent shareholders, and a technical team with a track record of geological success. This combination puts us in a great position to execute our business plan." Table 1.0 Significant Rock Chip Sample Results from Reedy Creek Sample ID Easting Northing Elevation Au g/t Observations CR21987 335219 5873670 414 145.00 Laminated quartz veins (graphite) and stylolitic texture. Three (3) specks of visible gold observed CR21994 334920 5873808 384 112.00 Quartz float around pit, mullock pile. CR21956 335231 5873611 412 94.00 Massive quartz with strong disseminated and laminated weathered oxides. Collected off mullock pile. CR21959 335056 5873592 462 33.40 Fragments of quartz collected on edges of mullock pile. CR21995 334900 5873830 382 8.73 Assorted quartz collected off mullock pile in centre of creek. CR21989 334951 5873783 400 7.86 Assorted quartz collected off slope and around large stope CR21957 335067 5873573 466 2.58 Laminated quartz found around trench. CR21963 335026 5873595 452 2.56 Brecciated quartz, oxidized with some sericite and feox. Collected at opening of the pit. CR21975 335463 5873408 498 1.95 Massive quartz around pit. CR21915 335031 5873604 453 1.61 Laminated quartz found around small pit. CR21960 335042 5873599 457 1.57 Massive quartz found around small pit. CR21970 335211 5873452 482 1.27 Weathered and bleached sandstone with weak feox around small pit opening. Quality Assurance / Quality Control All assays were subject to quality control measures appropriate for reconnaissance rock chip sampling with duplicates, blanks and commercially available standards with the expected results from the samples submitted. All assays were conducted by Onsite Laboratory Services Ltd (ISO: 9001), located in Bendigo, Victoria, using fire assay techniques with a 50g charge and AAS finish. The quality control results are consistent. About Fosterville South Exploration Ltd. Fosterville South began with two, 100% owned, high-grade gold projects called the Lauriston and Golden Mountain Projects, and has since acquired a large area of granted and application tenements containing further epizonal (low-temperature) high-grade gold mineralisation called the Providence Project and a large group of recently consolidated license tenement applications called the Walhalla Belt Project, which contain a variety of epizonal and intrusion related style gold mineralisation, all in the state of Victoria, Australia. The Fosterville South land package, assembled over a multi-year period, notably includes a 600 sq. km property immediately to the south of and within the same geological framework that hosts Kirkland Lake Gold's Fosterville epizonal gold tenements. Additionally, Fosterville South has gold-focused projects called the Moormbool and Beechworth, which are also located in the state of Victoria, Australia. Moormbool project has epizonal style gold mineralisation and Beechworth has mesozonal and intrusion relation gold mineralisation. All of Fosterville South's properties, with the possible exception of Moormbool, have had historical gold production from hard rock sources despite limited modern exploration and drilling. Qualified Person The technical content of this news release has been reviewed, verified and approved by Rex Motton, AusIMM (CP), COO and Director of Fosterville South, a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101. Historical records were verified by reviewing annual and quarterly reports from government records by the Qualified Person. On behalf of the Company Rex Motton Chief Operating Officer and Director Forward-Looking Statements Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. Fosterville South cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by many material factors, many of which are beyond their respective control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to Fosterville South's limited operating history, its exploration and development activities on the Lauriston, Golden Mountain and Beechworth Properties and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Fosterville South does not undertake to publicly update or revise forward-looking information. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE Fosterville South Exploration Ltd. Related Links https://fostervillesouth.com/ "We're excited to welcome our guests back on board and want them to have a great experience with us," said Todd Traynor-Corey, managing director of guest products at Alaska Airlines. "We've put a lot of thought and planning into safely adding additional food and beverage service on our flights, while getting back to fresh and local menu items that our guests love." Enhancements to our food and beverage service include: Expanded hot meal options in First Class during breakfast, lunch and dinner service on mainline flights longer than 1,100 miles. New seasonal entrees include Guajillo Chile-Lime Salad with ancient grains, roasted broccoli and sweet potato with a roasted lemon crema, and Miso Marinated Cod with sesame garlic farro, sauteed yu choy, bell peppers and shitake mushrooms in a sesame-miso butter sauce. Guests can choose from three menu selections on all meal flights. Full tray service in First Class including Schoenwald porcelain and compostable linen and silverware has resumed on routes longer than 670 miles. We offer a full selection of alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages available in all cabins with multiple cart services on flights more than 1,100 miles. We feature craft beer by Fremont Brewing, and as a new summer beer option we're serving Kona Longboard Island Lager on board. Plus, we serve West Coast wines curated exclusively for us from Broken Earth Winery in Paso Robles, California , and Canoe Ridge Vineyard in Columbia Valley, Washington . , and Canoe Ridge Vineyard in Columbia . We make pre-ordering easy so our guests can rest assured they'll get their favorites. With our industry leading pre-order program, selecting First Class and main cabin meals from our mobile app can happen two weeks before a flight and up to one hour prior to departure. That includes pre-ordering our popular Fruit and Cheese Platter. On our shorter flights between 670-1,099 miles, we've added more snacks. We've brought back our popular Northwest Deli Picnic Pack which includes Deep River potato chips, Old Wisconsin Turkey Stick, Madi K's Whole Natural Almonds, Gilman White Cheddar Cheese Stick and Mandy's Dark Chocolate Cookie Thins. The picnic packs can be pre-ordered up to one hour before departure and can also be purchased on board with a credit card or stored form of payment. In First Class, guests are treated to a fully recyclable, box-shaped carton of water, sealed with a plant-based cap. Each Boxed Water carton is made from sustainably harvested trees and the multi-filtered water goes through a proprietary eight-step purification giving it a clean, crisp taste. Safety will always remain our top consideration on board. We're partnering closely with epidemiologists and our internal safety experts as we implement new food and beverage service on our flights. We'll continue to enforce the federal mandate requiring our guests to wear masks over their nose and mouth during travel. Guests can briefly lift their masks for eating and drinking. Our mantra: "After you sip or snack, please put your mask back." Get the latest on our food and beverage offerings in the Food and Beverage section of alaskaair.com . Alaska is the newest member of the oneworld global alliance. With oneworld and our additional airline partners, guests can fly to as many as 1,000 destinations around the world. Flyers can also earn and redeem miles with our highly-acclaimed Mileage Plan program to fly on more than 20 oneworld and airline partners. About Alaska Airlines Alaska Airlines and its regional partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States and to Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica. The airline emphasizes Next-Level Care for its guests, along with providing low fares, award-winning customer service and sustainability efforts. Alaska is a member of oneworld. With the global alliance and the airline's additional partners, guests can travel to more than 1,000 destinations on more than 20 airlines while earning and redeeming miles on flights to locations around the world. Learn more about our climate impact goals at blog.alaskaair.com. Read about Alaska Airlines at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK). SOURCE Alaska Airlines Related Links http://www.alaskaair.com GUIYANG, China, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. ("FTA" or the "Company") (NYSE: YMM), a leading digital freight platform, today announced that it will release its second quarter 2021 unaudited financial results on Tuesday, August 10, 2021, before the open of the U.S. markets. The Company's management will hold an earnings conference call at 8:00 A.M. U.S. Eastern Time on August 10, 2021 or 8:00 P.M. Beijing Time to discuss the financial results. Listeners may access the call by dialing the following numbers: United States (toll free): +1-888-317-6003 International: +1-412-317-6061 Mainland China (toll free): 400-120-6115 Hong Kong (toll free): 800-963-976 Hong Kong: +852-5808-1995 United Kingdom: 08082389063 Singapore: 800-120-5863 Access Code: 6279813 A replay of the conference call will be accessible by phone one hour after the conclusion of the live call at the following numbers, until August 17, 2021: United States: +1-877-344-7529 International: +1-412-317-0088 Replay Access Code: 10159255 A live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available on the Company's investor relations website at ir.fulltruckalliance.com. About Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. (NYSE: YMM) is a leading digital freight platform, connecting shippers with truckers to facilitate shipments across distance ranges, cargo weights and types. The Company provides a range of freight matching services including freight listing service, freight brokerage service and online transaction service. The Company also provides a range of value-added services that cater to the various needs of shippers and truckers, such as financial institutions, highway authorities, and gas stations operators. With a mission to make logistics better, the Company is shaping the future of logistics with technology and aspires to revolutionize logistics, improve efficiency across the value chain and reduce carbon footprint for our planet. For more information, please visit ir.fulltruckalliance.com. For investor and media inquiries, please contact: In China: Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. Mao Mao E-mail: [email protected] The Piacente Group, Inc. Emilie Wu Tel: +86-21-6039-8363 E-mail: [email protected] In the United States: The Piacente Group, Inc. Brandi Piacente Tel: +1-212-481-2050 E-mail: [email protected] SOURCE Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. NEW YORK, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SPIRIBAM , the house of Groupe Bernard Hayot's (GBH) spirits brands, has acquired the Joseph Cartron Company , a renowned producer of fruit liqueurs, and traditional eaux-de-vies. The acquisition will expand SPIRIBAM outside of premium rum and further into fine specialty spirits, adding a wide range of fruit liqueurs, brandies, and vermouths acclaimed by specialty merchants and creative bartenders around the world. "I couldn't be more excited for this new development for our young company," exclaimed Benjamin Jones, SPIRIBAM's Director of North America. "We have patiently waited for the correct opportunity to diversify outside of rum. The union with a French company that shares so many of the same time-honored traditions, valued passions, and being a recognized expert of their craft make the synergies with our rum distilleries too good to pass up. We are ready for this new challenge." The ties between SPIRIBAM and the Joseph Cartron Company run deep, so the idea for these two companies to merge has arisen naturally over time. Both brands share many traits and values: strong regional roots, high-quality products, and centuries-old expertise. The Joseph Cartron company will join a branch of activity that already includes Rhum Clement, Rhum J.M, Bounty, Chairman's Reserve, and Admiral Rodney rum brands produced by Saint Lucia Distillers. This union will create many synergies both locally in the French market, where Joseph Cartron has an excellent knowledge of the on-premise sector, and internationally, where the SPIRIBAM sales and marketing teams have a distribution network that covers more than 70 countries. President Judith Cartron retains the management of the Joseph Cartron company and will be entrusted with an enlarged scope of activities within the new organization and the same will be the case for the Joseph Cartron team. "I'm proud that the GBH group has chosen us to be part of its development," said Judith Cartron. "Together we will be able to accelerate the commercial development of our brands by relying on the solidity of our distribution network, which has been built over a long period of time in France. SPIRIBAM will be able to count on the excellent team culture that reigns within our company, as well as our attention to quality customer service. Our company sizes are certainly very different, but our values and our common family business culture, which is deeply rooted in our operating styles, are so close that our merger felt perfectly natural." Gregoire Gueden, Director of the spirits branch of GBH and CEO of SPIRIBAM, added that he's delighted with this "marriage of passion and purpose," which will allow SPIRIBAM to expand into new spirits categories. "The Joseph Cartron company is full of passionate men and women who carry the values and history of their magnificent brand, created in 1882. Our teams know each other very well and have worked together for more than 15 years. The skills and expertise we each possess will be a real added value in this new group." ABOUT SPIRIBAM SPIRIBAM's mission to bring the finest Caribbean rum to American shores dates back to 2005 when Rhum Clement was first introduced in the United States. The role of the company quickly evolved into an educational one focused on the advancement of Rhum Agricole from Martinique, such as Rhum JM, and attracting more attention to all styles of premium rum of different origins. After a decade of housing Rhum Agricole from the French West Indies, SPIRIBAM welcomed St. Lucia Distillers to its portfolio, beginning with the re-launch of Chairman's Reserve, followed by Bounty Rum and Admiral Rodney. Crafted from distinct blends of pot-still and column-still rums, each brand has tremendous character and personality, proudly carrying an undeniable identity in regard to their style and region. SPIRIBAM represents the ultimate cabinet of rum and is one of the primary forces behind today's rapidly developing ultra-premium rum category in the US. ABOUT JOSEPH CARTRON Joseph Cartron, a distiller and liqueuriste founded in 1882 in Nuits-Saint-Georges, has built an exceptional reputation on these values: the authenticity, the richness of Burgundy, and the passion and love passed from father to son for the terroir and its treasures. Joseph Cartron produces and distributes an extensive collection of 70 products combining tradition and innovation with its fruit liqueurs, brandies, and aperitifs, including the first Burgundy Vermouths and the Marc and Fines de Bourgogne. Distributed in France and 45 countries internationally, Joseph Cartron is one of the best ambassadors of the flavors of Burgundy, and one of the preferred liqueurists of fine spirit specialists, chefs, and bartenders around the world. ABOUT GBH With 11,000 employees worldwide, GBH operates with three diverse enterprises of business in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean, France, Africa, China, and New Caledonia: a "mass distribution" pole, an "automotive" pole, and an "industrial activities" pole, which brings together the production and export of spirits and the agro-food sectors. This spirits business group, which falls under the SPIRIBAM entity, concentrates the production and marketing of different rum and liqueurs brands produced in Martinique, Saint Lucia, Mauritius, and now Burgundy. They are sold in their local markets as well as France, Europe, Asia, the United States, and over 70 other countries. MEDIA INQUIRIES Cuvee & Co., Dana Bruneau [email protected] (907) 306-7094 SOURCE SPIRIBAM Request For a Free Sample Report Building Maintenance Services Market Analysis Analysis of the cost and volume drivers and supply market forecasts in various regions are offered in this Building Maintenance Services research report. This market intelligence report also analyzes the top supply markets, market opportunities, challenges and the critical cost drivers that can aid buyers and suppliers devise a cost-effective category management strategy. The report provides insights on the following information: Regional spend dynamism and factors impacting costs The total cost of ownership and cost-saving opportunities Supply chain margins and pricing models Competitiveness index for suppliers Market favorability index for suppliers Supplier and buyer KPIs Get detailed insights on the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and recovery analysis of Building Maintenance Services Market www.spendedge.com/report/building-maintenance-services-sourcing-and-procurement-intelligence-report Related Reports on Managed Services Include: Synthetic Resins - Forecast and Analysis : The synthetic resins will grow at a CAGR of 5.09% during 2021-2025. This report evaluates suppliers based on quality of the product, pricing, assessment of safety measures, and ability to cater to surges in demand. The synthetic resins will grow at a during 2021-2025. This report evaluates suppliers based on quality of the product, pricing, assessment of safety measures, and ability to cater to surges in demand. Plastic Bags and Pouches Sourcing and Procurement Report : The plastic bags and pouches, prices will increase by 3%-5% during the forecast period and suppliers will have a moderate bargaining power in this market. The plastic bags and pouches, prices will during the forecast period and suppliers will have a moderate bargaining power in this market. Dyes and Pigments- Sourcing and Procurement Intelligence Report: This report evaluates suppliers based on processing capacity, geographic presence, existence of documented production processes and quality control systems, and production capabilities and product portfolio. Detect blind spots in your revenue decisions by analyzing interconnected unknowns around the "Building Maintenance Services Market." Report Metrics Details Base year considered 2020 Forecast period 2020-2024 Forecast units USD Billion Geographies covered North America, South America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and APAC Leading Building Maintenance Services suppliers Sodexo SA, Compass Group Plc, ISS AS, ABM Industries Inc Top Pricing Models Fixed tariff pricing, Time and material pricing, and Guaranteed maximum price Download 5 Reports EVERY MONTH! Get instant access to download 5 reports every month and view 1200 full reports. With every purchase, we also offer complimentary research add ons and Covid-19 impact assessments. Purchase Report Download License This procurement report answers help buyers identify and shortlist the most suitable suppliers for their Building Maintenance Services Market requirements following questions: Am I engaging with the right suppliers? Which KPIs should I use to evaluate my incumbent suppliers? Which supplier selection criteria are relevant for? What are the workplace computing devices category essentials in terms of SLAs and RFx? Table of Content Executive Summary Market Insights Category Pricing Insights Cost-saving Opportunities Best Practices Category Ecosystem Category Management Strategy Category Management Enablers Suppliers Selection Suppliers under Coverage US Market Insights Category scope Appendix About SpendEdge: SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions. Contact SpendEdge Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340 https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us SOURCE SpendEdge CLEVELAND, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new Freedonia Group analysis projects global demand for specialty ceiling products to increase 6.0% annually through 2025, outpacing the ceiling market overall. The products with the best prospects are those that provide superior acoustics (clouds) or are more aesthetically pleasing (stretch ceilings). Robust growth for specialty ceiling products will be driven by increased penetration in all regional markets, as advances in both software design technology and fabrication processes make these products more accessible to a broader base of end users. Below, we highlight some of these key innovations and how they find use in the global ceiling market. Parametric Modeling Parametric modeling while not a new development is gaining traction among architects and ceiling manufacturers as software improves. This software allows for the production of "mass customized" ceilings for large nonresidential buildings such as libraries, educational facilities, airports, museums, and hotels. Last Cutting & Perforation Technology Laser cutting and perforation technology allow ceiling products particularly those made of metal to be customized into unique shapes, designs, and to improve both acoustics and light. While some manufacturers offer standard patterns, others offer unique ones that can change from one panel to the next. New manufacturing techniques are also increasing the size of ceiling products, such by allowing production of ultra-flat, lightweight honeycomb metal panels and large, custom-sized stretch ceilings. 3D Printing While limitations to widespread use of 3D printing as a manufacturing process remain, the technology offers great potential for the creation of unique ceiling products and even entire ceiling systems. Because 3D printing adds material rather than subtracts it, it has the potential to significantly reduce material usage and waste. In turn, less material can lead to weight reduction, as demonstrated by the concrete ceiling ETH Zurich printed for its DFAB House, which is less than half the weight of ceilings made of concrete slabs. Want to Learn More? Global Ceilings is now available from the Freedonia Group. This study analyzes global ceiling demand by product and market. Historical data are provided for 2010, 2015, and 2020, and forecasts are presented for 2025 and 2030 in US dollars. Demand for ceilings is segmented into the following product types: ceiling tiles, which are also known as ceiling panels (mineral fiber, including mineral wool and fiberglass; metal; wood, vinyl-faced gypsum, and other materials, including vinyl and polystyrene) suspension systems (aluminum, steel, and other materials, including vinyl) specialty ceilings (baffles, clouds, stretch ceilings, and other specialty ceiling products, including ceiling islands, ceiling planks, and open cell ceilings) The major ceiling markets analyzed are: residential buildings (single-family houses, multifamily structures, manufactured housing) nonresidential buildings (offices, retail and wholesale, and lodging buildings; institutional buildings; industrial buildings; transportation buildings; other commercial buildings such as civic centers and recreational facilities) About the Freedonia Group - The Freedonia Group, a division of MarketResearch.com, is the premier international industrial research company, providing our clients with product analyses, market forecasts, industry trends, and market share information. From one-person consulting firms to global conglomerates, our analysts provide companies with unbiased, reliable industry market research and analysis to help them make important business decisions. With over 100 studies published annually, we support over 90% of the industrial Fortune 500 companies. Find off-the-shelf studies at https://www.freedoniagroup.com/ or contact us for custom research: +1 440.842.2400. Press Contact: Corinne Gangloff +1 440.842.2400 [email protected] SOURCE The Freedonia Group Related Links https://www.freedoniagroup.com DUBLIN, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Print Advertising Global Market Report 2021: COVID-19 Impact and Recovery to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This report provides strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the global print market as it emerges from the COVID-19 shut down. The global print market is expected to decline from $32.49 billion in 2020 to $32.05 billion in 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of -1.4%. The print advertising market has recorded a decline owing to the closure of businesses globally due to COVID-19 restrictive measures including social distancing and movement of goods. The market is expected to reach $26.45 billion in 2025 at a CAGR of -4.7%. Reasons to Purchase Gain a truly global perspective with the most comprehensive report available on this market covering 12+ geographies. Understand how the market is being affected by the coronavirus and how it is likely to emerge and grow as the impact of the virus abates. Create regional and country strategies on the basis of local data and analysis. Identify growth segments for investment. Outperform competitors using forecast data and the drivers and trends shaping the market. Understand customers based on the latest market research findings. Benchmark performance against key competitors. Utilize the relationships between key data sets for superior strategizing. Suitable for supporting your internal and external presentations with reliable high quality data and analysis Where is the largest and fastest growing market for the print ? How does the market relate to the overall economy, demography and other similar markets? What forces will shape the market going forward? The Print Advertising market global report answers all these questions and many more. The report covers market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional and country breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends and strategies for this market. It traces the market's historic and forecast market growth by geography. It places the market within the context of the wider print market, and compares it with other markets. The market characteristics section of the report defines and explains the market. The market size section gives the market size ($b) covering both the historic growth of the market, the impact of the COVID-19 virus and forecasting its recovery. Market segmentations break down market into sub markets. The regional and country breakdowns section gives an analysis of the market in each geography and the size of the market by geography and compares their historic and forecast growth. It covers the impact and recovery trajectory of COVID-19 for all regions, key developed countries and major emerging markets. Competitive landscape gives a description of the competitive nature of the market, market shares, and a description of the leading companies. Key financial deals which have shaped the market in recent years are identified. The trends and strategies section analyses the shape of the market as it emerges from the crisis and suggests how companies can grow as the market recovers. The print market section of the report gives context. It compares the print market with other segments of the print market by size and growth, historic and forecast. Major players in the print advertising market are Ogilvy & Mather, MullenLowe, McCann Worldgroup, Publicis Groupe, Dentsu, Havas, Grey global, Droga 5, BBDO, and VMLY&R. The print advertising market consists of the sales of advertising services and related goods by entities (organizations, sole traders and partnerships) that plan, develop, create and manage advertisement and promotional activities in print media such as periodicals and print newspapers. Only goods and services traded between entities or sold to end consumers are included. The print advertising market covered in the report is segmented by type into newspaper advertising, magazine advertising, posters and banners, others; by industry into retail, electronics and telecommunications, insurance and finance, automotive, others. The regions covered in this report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa. The potential of print advertising to connect to multiple generations is also a key driving factor for the print advertising market. A study was conducted by Temple University and the US Postal Office of the Inspector in 2019 utilizing methods such as eye-tracking, core biometrics, and neuroimaging to test the effectiveness of print versus digital ads on both young and old groups of participants. The results showed that both the age groups processed physical ads faster than digital ads. This provides companies with the advantage of targeting wider generations giving the necessary exposure to their product, which aids in the growth of the print advertising market. Brands have exerted towards long-form of print ads, that is, full-page, full-worded communications. This is likely to be a major trend in the print advertising market. Brands, in general, will have a lot to communicate to their customers and positions to articulate, therefore, require communication that is not limited to 145 characters, a 15-second flash of information, or a single impactful visual. For instance, in July 2020, MasterCard published a two-page broadcast in The New York Times to express its support for the LGBTQIA+ community. Also, for its support for GLAAD's NEON Legacy Series, a photo and video collection was created by Black LGBTQIA+ creators. In 2020, P&G has published a long-form of a print ad for its product Secret Deodorant/Anti-Perspirant that focuses on asking people to take part in Secret's call for gender equality. In March 2020, Lambert & Co., a US-based public relations and integrated marketing firm, acquired Fairly Painless Advertising, Inc., a company providing marketing and advertising services, for an undisclosed amount. This acquisition is expected to move Lambert & Co. from a PR firm minoring in the ad and creative services to a fully-integrated agency majoring in the creative services and advertising field. Fairly Painless Advertising, Inc., is a US-based full-service advertising agency that provides research, planning, and creative services that cover print and digital design. The huge population that subscribes to newspapers and magazines drives the print advertising market. According to the American Press Institute survey, a majority of newspaper subscribers also pay for a print magazine, which is one of the popular publication types with good scope for ads. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations in November 2019, The Sun newspaper sold about 1.2 million copies in the UK. People of all ages read newspapers and magazines that are the mainstay of these print advertisements, however, the majority of the subscribers who pay for newspaper subscriptions are older adults and long-time readers. They find it easy to read newspapers as it provides them the leisure to read as per their time, and also that they use significantly fewer digital applications and spend less time on gadgets. This factor contributes to the growth of the print advertising market. The print advertising market is facing extensive competition from the newer digital advertising media such as internet and mobile advertising which is hampering the growth of the market. Companies are focusing on digital marketing means like social media for making the ads more interactive, touching, and delivering without location constraints and with faster reach. According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) report, the internet ad revenue in 2019 was $124.6 billion. Advertisers believe that digital video is more suitable for entertaining every generation of consumers and, thus, they are choosing the digital video format, which is eliciting further growth. Therefore, the increased proliferation of digital marketing is likely to limit the expansion of the print advertising market in the coming years. The countries covered in the market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA. Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary 2. Print Advertising Market Characteristics 3. Print Advertising Market Trends And Strategies 4. Impact Of COVID-19 On Print Advertising 5. Print Advertising Market Size And Growth 5.1. Global Print Advertising Historic Market, 2015-2020, $ Billion 5.1.1. Drivers Of The Market 5.1.2. Restraints On The Market 5.2. Global Print Advertising Forecast Market, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion 5.2.1. Drivers Of The Market 5.2.2. Restraints On the Market 6. Print Advertising Market Segmentation 7. Print Advertising Market Regional And Country Analysis 7.1. Global Print Advertising Market, Split By Region, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion 7.2. Global Print Advertising Market, Split By Country, Historic and Forecast, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F, $ Billion 8. Asia-Pacific Print Advertising Market 9. China Print Advertising Market 10. India Print Advertising Market 11. Japan Print Advertising Market 12. Australia Print Advertising Market 13. Indonesia Print Advertising Market 14. South Korea Print Advertising Market 15. Western Europe Print Advertising Market 16. UK Print Advertising Market 17. Germany Print Advertising Market 18. France Print Advertising Market 19. Eastern Europe Print Advertising Market 20. Russia Print Advertising Market 21. North America Print Advertising Market 22. USA Print Advertising Market 23. South America Print Advertising Market 24. Brazil Print Advertising Market 25. Middle East Print Advertising Market 26. Africa Print Advertising Market 27. Print Advertising Market Competitive Landscape And Company Profiles 27.1. Print Advertising Market Competitive Landscape 27.2. Print Advertising Market Company Profiles 27.2.1. Ogilvy & Mather 27.2.1.1. Overview 27.2.1.2. Products and Services 27.2.1.3. Strategy 27.2.1.4. Financial Performance 27.2.2. MullenLowe U.S 27.2.2.1. Overview 27.2.2.2. Products and Services 27.2.2.3. Strategy 27.2.2.4. Financial Performance 27.2.3. McCann Worldgroup 27.2.3.1. Overview 27.2.3.2. Products and Services 27.2.3.3. Strategy 27.2.3.4. Financial Performance 27.2.4. Publicis Groupe 27.2.4.1. Overview 27.2.4.2. Products and Services 27.2.4.3. Strategy 27.2.4.4. Financial Performance 27.2.5. Dentsu 27.2.5.1. Overview 27.2.5.2. Products and Services 27.2.5.3. Strategy 27.2.5.4. Financial Performance 29. Key Mergers And Acquisitions In The Print Advertising Market 29. Print Advertising Market Future Outlook and Potential Analysis 30. Appendix For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/4qzqfs? Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com STUTTGART, Germany, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Daimler shareholders will receive one additional Daimler Truck Holding AG share for every two shares held Daimler will retain a minority stake of 35% in Daimler Truck Holding AG, of which a stake of 5% will be transferred to the Daimler Pension Trust Daimler commits to Daimler Truck Holding AG's independence and sound capitalization Target of an investment-grade rating and a DAX listing for Daimler Truck Holding AG An extraordinary general meeting is planned for 1 October 2021 Initial listing of Daimler Truck Holding AG targeted for year's end The Board of Management and Supervisory Board of Daimler AG (ticker symbol DAI) have given the go-ahead for the company's historic realignment and the ongoing roadmap. After the planned spin-off of Daimler Truck by the end of this year the shareholders of Daimler AG will hold a 65% stake in the new Daimler Truck Holding AG, which will then be listed on the stock exchange as an independent company. Daimler shareholders are to receive one additional share in Daimler Truck Holding AG, the global market leader for commercial vehicles, for every two shares they hold in Daimler AG. Daimler will retain a minority interest of 35% in Daimler Truck Holding AG and intends to transfer 5% to Daimler Pension Trust e.V., a registered association according to German law. The Daimler shareholders will decide on this realignment of their company at an extraordinary general meeting on 1 October this year. In this context, a decision is also to be made on renaming Daimler AG as Mercedes-Benz Group AG as of 1 February 2022. This step is intended to emphasize the future focus of the company on the car and van business with the Mercedes-Benz brand as well as the sub-brands Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach and Mercedes-EQ. Bernd Pischetsrieder, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Daimler AG: "Today is a milestone in the nearly 140-year history of this unique company. Throughout Daimler's history, the courage to fundamentally reinvent the company has been the key to its success. With the spin-off, the two independent listed companies will be able to fully concentrate on their differing customer groups and therefore become more efficient and more successful." Ola Kallenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG: "Daimler's realignment makes one success story into two. With this courageous step into a new future, we are creating added value with two pure-play companies for our customers, employees, shareholders and partners. In the future, the car and van business will focus even more on the premium and luxury segment and will consistently utilize its growth and profitability opportunities. As the most valuable luxury car brand, Mercedes-Benz aims for leadership in electric drive and vehicle software." Daimler investors to hold shares in two strong and independent companies With the listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange the shareholders of Daimler AG and Daimler Truck Holding AG will have the opportunity to decide independently on their investments in the two companies. The intended share transfer to Daimler's Pension Trust will increase the free float of Daimler Trucks Holding AG accordingly, a key indicator for inclusion in the leading German stock index DAX. Daimler will continue to hold a minority stake and will not exercise a controlling influence over Daimler Truck Holding AG. This is ensured through the conclusion of a deconsolidation agreement. The realignment of Daimler AG in two pure-play companies both supported by a clear roadmap in terms of strategy, technology and performance targets will offer an investment opportunity for their respective shareholders. Michael Brecht, Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board and Chairman of the General Works Council of Daimler AG: "The future corporate structure will offer many professional development opportunities for our colleagues. Despite all the challenges, the transformation will also help us to focus on our future direction. We have to make our sites fit for the future. Of course, the Daimler Truck listing is a decisive and emotional event. Our colleagues trust that we are making the right decisions for them. That's why our new structure must also become a success story for the employees." Daimler Truck aims to take a pioneering role in electrification and digitization As an independent company, Daimler Truck Holding AG is the world market leader employing approximately 100,000 people at more than 35 main sites. Daimler Buses accounts for more than 17,000 of those employees. The truck business comprises the brands Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Western Star, FUSO and BharatBenz, and the bus brands are Mercedes-Benz, Setra, Thomas Built Buses and FUSO. Today's Daimler Trucks & Buses division generated revenue of 18.7 billion in the first half of fiscal year 2021. EBIT amounted to 1.9 billion. Martin Daum, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler Truck AG and designated Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler Truck Holding AG: "Our future independence offers us great opportunities and we will benefit consistently from them. To use an image from our industry: Up until now, we had to travel in a convoy. In the future, we will be able to plan our own route and choose the best route for us. This will enable us to make faster progress with our objective: We will lead the way to emission-free transport by accelerating the development of battery and fuel-cell vehicles. At the same time, we want to significantly increase our profitability. As an independent company, we will do everything we can to offer our customers the best products, our shareholders an attractive investment and our employees sustainable jobs." The vendor financial services business continues to be an essential factor for a successful business. As a vendor financial and mobility services company, Daimler Truck Financial Services will support the sales of trucks and buses in 16 markets, promote loyalty to the brands through long-term customer contact, and contribute to the company's financial success. Already today, every fourth commercial vehicle sold is financed or leased by Daimler Mobility AG. The clear focus on battery and fuel-cell vehicles as well as automated driving will be supported by Daimler Truck Financial Services with corresponding financial services. Sound capitalization and high liquidity Right from the start, Daimler Truck Holding AG will have a sound financial position with high levels of capital and liquidity. As of 1 January 2021, shareholders' equity on a pro-forma basis (IFRS) amounted to approximately 11.1 billion, equivalent to an equity ratio of 22%. Daimler AG will equip Daimler Truck Holding AG with a net liquidity of 5 billion until the end of the year, targeting a solid investment-grade rating. The Board of Management of Daimler Truck Holding AG should be identical to the current Board of Management of Daimler Truck AG. The current Board of Management of Daimler Truck AG is headed by Martin Daum as CEO. Karin Radstrom is responsible for the Europe and Latin America regions and the Mercedes-Benz Truck brand. John O'Leary, CEO of Daimler Trucks North America, heads the North America region and the Freightliner, Western Star and Thomas Built Buses brands. Hartmut Schick, CEO of Daimler Trucks Asia, is responsible for the Asia region and the FUSO and BharatBenz brands. Andreas Gorbach leads the Truck Technology Group. Stephan Unger is responsible for Financial Services. Jochen Gotz heads Finance and Controlling and Jurgen Hartwig the Human Resources department. Long-time Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser has been nominated to lead the Supervisory Board as chairman. He will step down from the Daimler AG Supervisory Board. Marie Wieck (former General Manager IBM Blockchain), Laura Ipsen (President and CEO Ellucian Company L.P.), Jacques Esculier (former CEO and Chairman of WABCO Holdings), Martin Richenhagen (former Chairman, President and CEO, of AGCO Corporation), Akihiro Eto (former President and Global Chief Operating Officer of Bridgestone Corporation), John Krafcik (former CEO of Waymo LLC) as well as Michael Brosnan (former CFO of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA) are to be appointed to the Supervisory Board representing the shareholders. Renata Jungo Brungger, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG responsible for Integrity and Legal, as well as Harald Wilhelm, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG responsible for Finance & Controlling, have also been nominated for the Supervisory Board. Mercedes-Benz: claim to leadership in electric mobility, software and profitability The remaining Daimler AG to be renamed as Mercedes-Benz Group AG with a global workforce of around 170,000 people will concentrate on the business with cars and vans. The company's global production network comprises 35 production sites on four continents, including the global battery production network, plus further research, development and design centres. Mercedes-Benz has the ambition to build the world's most desirable cars and to lead the way in electric mobility and vehicle software. This goes hand in hand with ambitious profitability targets. Today's Daimler division Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans, the core of the future Daimler Group, generated revenue of 55.0 billion and EBIT of 7.5 billion in the first half of fiscal year 2021. After the separation of Daimler Truck Financial Services, todays Daimler Mobility AG will be renamed Mercedes-Benz Mobility AG. This reflects the focus on customers of Mercedes-Benz cars and vans in some 40 markets worldwide, providing tailored financing, leasing and mobility solutions to strengthen customer satisfaction and loyalty. Daimler assumes that the shares of Daimler AG will continue to fulfil the criteria for the DAX30. At the same time, the shares of Daimler Truck Holding AG - after the listing in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange - are expected to be included in the DAX at the first possible date, probably in the first quarter of 2022. The DAX is likely to be enlarged to 40 members. See www.daimler.com/focus/ for additional information Further information on Daimler is available at: www.media.daimler.com and www.daimler.com Forward-looking statements: This document contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current views about future events. The words "anticipate," "assume," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "can," "could," "plan," "project," "should" and similar expressions are used to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to many risks and uncertainties, including an adverse development of global economic conditions, in particular a decline of demand in our most important markets; a deterioration of our refinancing possibilities on the credit and financial markets; events of force majeure including natural disasters, pandemics, acts of terrorism, political unrest, armed conflicts, industrial accidents and their effects on our sales, purchasing, production or financial services activities; changes in currency exchange rates, customs and foreign trade provisions; a shift in consumer preferences towards smaller, lower-margin vehicles; a possible lack of acceptance of our products or services which limits our ability to achieve prices and adequately utilize our production capacities; price increases for fuel or raw materials; disruption of production due to shortages of materials, labour strikes or supplier insolvencies; a decline in resale prices of used vehicles; the effective implementation of cost-reduction and efficiency-optimization measures; the business outlook for companies in which we hold a significant equity interest; the successful implementation of strategic cooperations and joint ventures; changes in laws, regulations and government policies, particularly those relating to vehicle emissions, fuel economy and safety; the resolution of pending governmental investigations or of investigations requested by governments and the outcome of pending or threatened future legal proceedings; and other risks and uncertainties, some of which are described under the heading "Risk and Opportunity Report" in the current Annual Report or in the current Interim Report. If any of these risks and uncertainties materializes or if the assumptions underlying any of our forward-looking statements prove to be incorrect, the actual results may be materially different from those we express or imply by such statements. We do not intend or assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements since they are based solely on the circumstances at the date of publication. Daimler at a Glance Daimler AG is one of the world's most successful automotive companies. With its Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans, Daimler Trucks & Buses and Daimler Mobility divisions, the Group is one of the leading global suppliers of premium and luxury cars and one of the world's largest manufacturers of commercial vehicles. Daimler Mobility offers financing, leasing, fleet management, investments and insurance brokerage, as well as innovative mobility services. The company founders, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, made history by inventing the automobile in 1886. As a pioneer of automotive engineering, Daimler sees shaping the future of mobility in a safe and sustainable way as both a motivation and obligation. The company's focus therefore remains on innovative and green technologies as well as on safe and superior vehicles that both captivate and inspire. Daimler continues to invest systematically in the development of efficient powertrains from high-tech combustion engines and hybrid vehicles to all-electric powertrains with battery or fuel cell with the goal of making locally emission-free driving possible in the long term. The company's efforts are also focused on the intelligent connectivity of its vehicles, autonomous driving and new mobility concepts as Daimler regards it as its aspiration and obligation to live up to its responsibility to society and the environment. Daimler sells its vehicles and services in nearly every country of the world and has production facilities in Europe, North and South America, Asia and Africa. In addition to Mercedes-Benz, the world's most valuable luxury automotive brand (source: Interbrand study, 20 Oct. 2020), and Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach, Mercedes-EQ and Mercedes me, its brand portfolio also includes commercial vehicle brands Mercedes-Benz Trucks Freightliner, Western Star, BharatBenz, FUSO, Setra and Thomas Built Buses as well as the brands of Daimler Mobility: Mercedes-Benz Bank, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, Daimler Truck Financial and Athlon. The company is listed on the Frankfurt and Stuttgart stock exchanges (ticker symbol DAI). In 2020, the Group had a workforce of around 288,500 and sold 2.8 million vehicles. Group revenues amounted to 154.3 billion and Group EBIT to 6.6 billion. SOURCE Daimler North America - Corporate Communications GO2 Foundation is recognizing Dr. Wakelee for her decades of dedication to lung cancer research covering multiple facets of the disease. Dr. Wakelee's research has focused on many specific lung cancer subtypes defined by specific mutations in EGFR, ALK, ROS1, RET, BRAF and others. She has led numerous clinical trials focused on lung cancer therapy, most notably treatments to improve cure for patients with lung cancer who have undergone surgery (adjuvant therapy). She has also collaborated with colleagues on work to better understand why lung cancer develops and better methods for detection of lung cancer. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., taking more lives annually than colon, breast and prostate cancer combined. Lung cancer is also the leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States, with the disease expected to claim the lives of more than 62,000 women in 2021 alone. Approximately, two-thirds of the patients who develop lung cancer who have never smoked are women. Despite this prevelance and higher number of annual deaths, lung cancer is the least funded of the major cancers affecting women. "Given women are disproportionately impacted by lung cancer, the advancements in lung cancer research by women like Dr. Wakelee are incredibly meaningful to the lung cancer community. With GO2's focus on advancing world-class, patient-centered lung cancer research in our mission to save, extend, and improve the lives of those at risk and diagnosed with lung cancer, we are pleased to honor Dr. Wakelee for her commitment to and leadership on a broad range of cutting-edge lung cancer research projects and clinical trials," said Bonnie J. Addario, co-founder and chair of GO2 Foundation. "Dr. Wakelee is nationally and internationally recognized for her accomplishments in lung cancer research and clinical trial leadership, but even more so as a visionary with unique insight into future directions for advancing our understanding and management of this cancer," said Dr. David Gandara, Director of Thoracic Oncology at U.C. Davis Health and past Lectureship Award recipient. "Her work, including her ASCO 2021 landmark presentation on post-operative immunotherapy will lead to more effective and hopefully curative therapy s to improve lung cancer survivorship, a goal we all share and work together to achieve." Dr. Wakelee is a graduate of Princeton University and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed her post-graduate training at Stanford University. She serves as Stanford Principal Investigator and on the Executive for the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG-ACRIN), and Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO). Her work in immunotherapy of thoracic malignancies includes participation in multiple phase III trials of PD-(L)1 checkpoint inhibitors in advanced stage NSCLC and more recently, involvement on steering committees for two phase III international trials exploring immune checkpoint inhibitors in the peri-operative period. She actively collaborates with many basic scientists at Stanford University seeking to better understand molecular and other biomarkers of immune response. Dr. Wakelee is active in multiple national and international lung cancer research organizations and is a long-time member, current Board Member and President-Elect of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). She has served the IASLC in many other capacities including as chair of the communications committee, co-chair of the thoracic committee, executive committee member and as a member of the Board of Regents. Dr. Wakelee's expertise and experience has led her to author or co-author over 200 medical articles on lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies. Past Bonnie J. Addario Lectureship Award recipients include: 2020 - Charles Swanton , M.D., Ph.D., FRCP, FMedSci, FRS senior group leader at the Francis Crick Institute - , M.D., Ph.D., FRCP, FMedSci, FRS senior group leader at the Francis Crick Institute 2019 Solange Peters , M.D., Head of Medical Oncology and Chair of Thoracic Oncology at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) in Lausanne, Switzerland , M.D., Head of Medical Oncology and Chair of Thoracic Oncology at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) in Lausanne, 2018 Vassiliki A. Papadimitrakopoulou, M.D., Chief of Thoracic Medical Oncology, Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Vassiliki A. Papadimitrakopoulou, M.D., Chief of Thoracic Medical Oncology, Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center 2017 Frances A. Shepherd , M.D., FRCPC, Senior Staff Physician, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre; Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine , M.D., FRCPC, Senior Staff Physician, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre; Professor of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine 2016 Giorgio Vittorio Scagliotti , M.D., Professor of Oncology, University of Torino ; Head of the Department of Oncology and Chief of the Division of Medical Oncology, San Luigi Hospital, Torino, Italy , M.D., Professor of Oncology, University of ; Head of the Department of Oncology and Chief of the Division of Medical Oncology, San Luigi Hospital, 2015 Fred R. Hirsch , M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine , M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, School of Medicine 2014 Roy S. Herbst , M.D., Ph.D., Ensign Professor of Medicine and Chief of Medical Oncology, Yale Cancer Center , M.D., Ph.D., Ensign Professor of Medicine and Chief of Medical Oncology, Yale Cancer Center 2013 Tony Mok , M.D., Professor in the Department of Clinical Oncology, Chinese University of Hong Kong,Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong , M.D., Professor in the Department of Clinical Oncology, Chinese University of Hong Kong,Prince of Wales Hospital in 2012 D. Ross Camidge , M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Thoracic Oncology Clinical Program and Associate Director for Clinical Research, Colorado University Cancer Center D. , M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Thoracic Oncology Clinical Program and Associate Director for Clinical Research, Cancer Center 2011 William Pao , M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Ingram Associate Professor of Cancer Research; Director, Personalized Cancer Medicine, Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center , M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Ingram Associate Professor of Cancer Research; Director, Personalized Cancer Medicine, Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center 2010 David R. Gandara , M.D., Associate Director, Clinical Research, UC Davis Cancer Center , M.D., Associate Director, Clinical Research, UC Davis Cancer Center 2009 Harvey Pass , M.D., B.A., Director of the Division of Thoracic Surgery and Chief of Thoracic Surgery, New York University Medical Center , M.D., B.A., Director of the Division of Thoracic Surgery and Chief of Thoracic Surgery, Medical Center 2008 Paul A. Bunn, Jr. M.D., Principal Investigator and Director, University of Colorado Cancer Center About GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer Founded by patients and survivors, GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer transforms survivorship as the world's leading organization dedicated to saving, extending, and improving the lives of those vulnerable, at risk, and diagnosed with lung cancer. We work to change the reality of living with lung cancer by ending stigma, increasing public and private research funding, and ensuring access to care. About the International Lung Cancer Congress For 22 years, Physicians' Education Resource (PER) International Lung Cancer Congress has brought together medical, surgical, and radiation oncologists to foster awareness of state-of-the-art treatments for patients with lung cancer. This year's two-day virtual webcast features cutting-edge lectures, panel discussions, multidisciplinary tumor boards, and interactive question-and-answer sessions from leading international and national experts. Faculty share their perspectives and personal experiences on the clinical challenges and ongoing controversies in lung cancer management. About Physicians' Education Resource, LLC (PER) Since 1995, PER has been dedicated to advancing cancer care through professional education and now advances patient care and treatment strategies on a wide variety of chronic illnesses and diseases. In 2016, PER initiated continuing medical education (CME) programming in the cardiovascular and endocrinology areas. While expanding into topics outside of oncology, PER stands as the leading provider of live, online, and print CME activities related to oncology and hematology. The high-quality, evidence-based activities feature leading distinguished experts who focus on the application of practice-changing advances. PER is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education and the California Board of Registered Nursing. PER is a brand of MJH Life Sciences, the largest privately held, independent, full-service medical media company in North America dedicated to delivering trusted health care news across multiple channels. Find PER on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. #gotoILCC About IASLC The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) is the only global network dedicated to the study and eradication of lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies. Since its founding in 1974, the association's membership has grown to more than 8,000 lung and thoracic cancer specialists from all disciplines and more than 100 countries. By hosting global conferences, funding cutting-edge research, and educating the health care community and the public about thoracic cancers, the IASLC works to alleviate the burden lung cancer places on patients, families, and communities. SOURCE GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer SAN MATEO, Calif., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GoGlobal, the world's fastest-growing, privately-owned global Employer of Record (EOR) services provider, announced today the launch of services in four European countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic and Switzerland. GoGlobal, already known as the premier provider of EOR services in Asia Pacific, is now operating in 12 countries across Europe. The company has existing operations in Denmark, France, Ireland, Netherlands and the United Kingdom and recently launched in Italy, Germany and Poland. The latter three countries represent some of the company's fastest growing markets. The four newest countries each have strategic purpose for GoGlobal and its clients: Austria's location in Central Europe , combined with one of the most highly educated populations on the continent, make it an ideal location to hire talent. location in , combined with one of the most highly educated populations on the continent, make it an ideal location to hire talent. The Czech Republic , home to 19 STEM-focused universities and more than 13,000 IT companies, is a technology hub that offers an incredible talent pool. , home to 19 STEM-focused universities and more than 13,000 IT companies, is a technology hub that offers an incredible talent pool. Belgium , home to the de facto headquarters of the European Union in Brussels , is often seen as the center of Europe . Along with a growing technology ecosystem, it is a hotbed for nonprofit organizations to hire talent. , home to the de facto headquarters of the European Union in , is often seen as the center of . Along with a growing technology ecosystem, it is a hotbed for nonprofit organizations to hire talent. Switzerland's world-class universities produce highly skilled labor across a variety of industries while the country's quality of life attracts workers from around the world. Switzerland's long history as a banking center has pushed it to the forefront of fintech. Nick Broughton, a GoGlobal Partner based in Switzerland, said: "GoGlobal has launched operations in twelve countries across Europe in less than a year, which is an incredible feat. We opened in Austria a month ahead of schedule just to accommodate an important client. We're grateful for our operations team and appreciate their dedication and client-first attitude. But it's not just the team in Europe; our entire global operations team is supporting our growth. It's truly a company-wide effort." Andrew Lindquist, a GoGlobal Partner based in San Francisco, said, "Europe is a key market for GoGlobal. The speed we're moving at is important, but just as critical is the work the operations team is doing to ensure the solutions are compliant and best in class. These additional four markets firmly place us as Europe's market leader. There's more exciting news to come as we continue to grow our footprint and team." GoGlobal is the world's fastest-growing, privately-owned global Employer of Record (EOR) service provider, with a globally distributed and remote workforce. GoGlobal's technology-enabled EOR solution allows businesses of all sizes and geographies to hire staff globally without the need to set up a local entity, opening new doors to rapid expansion and growth. GoGlobal clients can hire top talent anywhere in the world quickly, cost effectively and compliantly. Go Fast, Go Smart, GoGlobal. This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com. SOURCE GoGlobal "At the center of Goya Cares is a heart, and our heart reaches out to these victims so that they may have hope to live in a world where their life is valued and their freedom is a reality. We are blessed to be joined with organizations who value life and freedom and who have a history of loving and caring for these precious children," said Bob Unanue, President and CEO of Goya Foods. As part of Goya Cares' $2 million pledge to combat child trafficking, Goya announces the Goya Cares coalition partners including Catholic Charities of San Antonio, Hope Rising USA, American Cornerstone Institute, founded by Dr. Ben Carson, Eyes on Me, The Eric Chase Foundation, Freedom Humanitarian Project, founded by Eduardo Verastegui, producer of the film Sound of Freedom, International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, Operation Underground Railroad, founded by Tim Ballard, and Maestro Cares Foundation, founded by Marc Anthony and Henry Cardenas. Each of these organizations is dedicated to combating, rescuing, and/or rehabilitating victims of human and child trafficking. Goya Cares is a global initiative dedicated to eliminating child trafficking both domestically and internationally. The initiative not only supports the efforts of numerous organizations dedicated to the mission, but will also help with the release of the new movie, Sound of Freedom, that brings attention to the urgent matter of child trafficking through the true-life story and heroic actions of Tim Ballard, a former government agent. For more information, please visit: www.goya.com About Goya Foods Founded in 1936, Goya Foods, Inc. is America's largest Hispanic-owned food company, and has established itself as the leader in Latin American food and condiments. Goya manufactures, packages, and distributes over 2,500 high-quality food products from Spain, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central, and South America. Goya products have their roots in the culinary traditions of Hispanic communities around the world. The combination of authentic ingredients, robust seasonings, and convenient preparation makes Goya products ideal for every taste and every table. For more information on Goya Foods, please visit www.goya.com. Press Contact: Natalie J. Maniscalco 845.659.6506 [email protected] SOURCE Goya Foods, Inc. Related Links http://www.goya.com CHICAGO, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Second Quarter Highlights Delivered sales of $3.2 billion , up 13.1%, compared to the second quarter of 2020; up 15.0% on an organic, daily, constant currency basis Generated $269 million in operating cash flow and returned $203 million to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases Earned 2021 Great Place to Work Certification /PRNewswire/ -- Grainger (NYSE: GWW) today reported results for the second quarter 2021 with sales of $3.2 billion, up 13.1% and up 15.0% on an organic, daily, constant currency basis compared to the second quarter 2020. Both the High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment segments produced strong top-line growth. "Grainger is uniquely positioned to navigate one of the most challenging supply chain environments in recent history, with labor shortages, material shortages and transportation challenges. I am proud of how the Grainger team has remained committed to our operating principles, served customers well during this period and delivered strong top-line growth," said DG Macpherson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "As more of the U.S. became vaccinated, and mask mandates were relaxed earlier than expected, demand for pandemic products stalled, resulting in further inventory adjustments and a negative impact to gross profit margin. Excluding these adjustments, our underlying gross profit margin has improved as customer demand has returned to a more normal mix. We remain confident in our ability to achieve full year financial results within our guidance range." 2021 Second Quarter Financial Summary ($ in millions) Q2 2021 Q2 2020 Q2 Fav. (Unfav.) vs. Prior Reported Adjusted1 Reported Adjusted1 Reported Adjusted1 Net Sales $3,207 $3,207 $2,837 $2,837 13% 13% Gross Profit $1,124 $1,124 $1,016 $1,016 11% 11% Operating Earnings $334 $334 $205 $315 62% 6% Net Earnings Attributable to W.W. Grainger, Inc. $225 $225 $114 $204 98% 11% Diluted Earnings Per Share $4.27 $4.27 $2.10 $3.75 103% 14% Gross Margin 35.0% 35.0% 35.8% 35.8% (75) bps (75) bps Operating Margin 10.4% 10.4% 7.3% 11.1% 315 bps (70) bps Tax Rate 23.6% 23.6% 30.2% 25.8% 660 bps 220 bps 1) Results exclude restructuring and income tax items as shown in the supplemental information of this release. Reconciliations of the adjusted measures reflected in this table to the most directly comparable GAAP measures are provided in the supplemental information of this release. During the second quarter of 2020, the company recorded a $109 million pretax loss from the sale of the Fabory business which was the largest contributor to the decline in reported operating earnings. Revenue Daily sales for the quarter increased 13.1% as compared to the second quarter of 2020 with the same number of selling days. On an organic, constant currency basis, which excludes revenues from the divested Fabory and China businesses from the prior year results, daily sales increased 15.0% as compared to the second quarter of 2020. Foreign exchange contributed a 0.9% favorable impact during the second quarter of 2021 compared to the second quarter of 2020. In the High-Touch Solutions N.A. segment, sales were up 13.7% on a daily basis versus the prior year second quarter due primarily to a strong recovery in non-pandemic product growth. In the Endless Assortment segment, daily sales growth was up 23.0% versus the second quarter of 2020 from strong customer acquisition in both Zoro U.S. and MonotaRO. Gross Margin Gross margin for the second quarter of 2021 was 35.0%, a 75 basis point decline over the prior year quarter driven by pandemic-related inventory adjustments recorded in the High-Touch Solutions N.A. segment. Early in the pandemic, the Company purchased a wide range of products to meet customer needs, but as the pandemic evolved, demand for certain pandemic products weakened and market prices lowered. During the second quarter of 2021, mask demand declined abruptly when most local and federal mask mandates were lifted in mid-May of 2021, earlier than the previously expected re-openings. This change, along with vaccine availability and general economic recovery, resulted in the Company recording inventory adjustments totaling $63 million. It does not expect any further material pandemic-related inventory adjustments. Excluding these adjustments, gross margin for the total company would have been 37.0%, up 120 basis points compared to the second quarter of 2020. The Endless Assortment segment continued to show positive gross margin trends, expanding by 75 basis points versus the prior year second quarter and growing gross profit dollars 26% in the second quarter of 2021. Earnings Reported operating earnings for the second quarter of 2021 of $334 million were up 62% versus the second quarter of 2020, primarily due to losses taken in the second quarter of 2020 related to the divested Fabory business. On an adjusted basis, operating earnings for the quarter were $334 million, up 6% versus the second quarter of 2020. In the second quarter of 2021, reported operating margin of 10.4% increased 315 basis points, driven by the $109 million pretax loss recorded on the sale of Fabory in the second quarter of 2020. On an adjusted basis, operating margin decreased 70 basis points versus the second quarter of 2020 driven primarily by the decline in gross profit margin, as SG&A leverage remained nearly flat year over year. Reported earnings per share of $4.27 in the second quarter of 2021 increased 103% versus the second quarter of 2020. Adjusted earnings per share for the quarter of $4.27 increased 14% versus the second quarter of 2020. The increase in earnings per share was due primarily to higher operating earnings and lower average shares outstanding in the current period. Tax Rate The second quarter 2021 reported tax rate was 23.6% versus 30.2% in the second quarter of 2020; the adjusted tax rates were 23.6% and 25.8% for the second quarter of 2021 and 2020, respectively. The variance in the reported tax rates resulted from the prior year unfavorable impacts of the Fabory divestiture. Additionally, for both the reported and adjusted tax rates, the second quarter of 2021 included a larger benefit from stock-based compensation as compared to the prior year. Cash Flow Net cash provided by operating activities was $269 million and $232 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The increase in cash from operating activities is primarily the result of higher net earnings and favorable working capital, partially offset by the impacts from the divested Fabory business. The company also returned $203 million to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases during the quarter. Guidance The Company is maintaining guidance ranges provided in the previous quarter. Strong sales are expected to continue while gross profit margin, operating margin and EPS will likely face pressure from the incremental inventory adjustments and macroeconomic factors. Outside of revenue, Company results are expected to trend towards the low end of the guided ranges. Total Company 2021 Guidance Range Net Sales $12.7 - 13.0 billion Daily growth 8.5 - 11.0% Organic, daily growth 10.0 - 12.5% Gross Profit Margin 36.1 - 36.6% Operating Margin 11.8 - 12.4% Earnings per Share (EPS) $19.00 - 20.50 Tax Rate 25.0 - 26.0% Webcast Grainger will conduct a live conference call and webcast at 11:00 a.m. ET on July 30, 2021 to discuss the second quarter results. The webcast will be hosted by DG Macpherson, Chairman and CEO, and Deidra Merriwether, Senior Vice President and CFO, and can be accessed at invest.grainger.com. For those unable to participate in the live event, a webcast replay will be available for 90 days at invest.grainger.com . About Grainger W.W. Grainger, Inc., with 2020 sales of $11.8 billion, is North America's leading broad line supplier of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products, with operations primarily in North America (N.A.), Japan and the United Kingdom. Visit invest.grainger.com to view information about the company, including a supplement regarding 2021 second quarter results. Additional company information can be found on the Grainger Investor Relations website which includes our Fact Book and Corporate Responsibility report . Safe Harbor Statement All statements in this communication, other than those relating to historical facts, are "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by their use of terms such as "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "expect," "could," "forecast," "may," "intend," "plan," "predict," "project" "will" or "would" and similar terms and phrases, including references to assumptions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future strategic plans and future financial and operating results. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those presented or implied in the forward-looking statements include, without limitation: the unknown duration and health, economic, operational and financial impacts of the global outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 and its variants (COVID-19), as well as the impact of actions taken or contemplated by government authorities to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 (such as mask mandates or social distancing requirements) and to promote economic stability and recovery, on the Company's businesses, its employees, customers and suppliers, including disruption to Grainger's operations resulting from employee illnesses, the development, availability and usage of effective treatment or vaccines, changes in customers' product needs, raw material, inventory and labor shortages, continued strain on global supply chains and diminished transportation carrier performance, disruption caused by business responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, including working remote arrangements, which may create increased vulnerability to cybersecurity incidents, including breaches of information systems security, adaptions to the Company's controls and procedures required by working remote arrangements, including financial reporting processes, which could impact the design or operating effectiveness of such controls or procedures, and global or regional economic downturns or recessions, which could result in a decline in demand for the Company's products; higher product costs or other expenses; a major loss of customers; loss or disruption of sources of supply; changes in customer or product mix; increased competitive pricing pressures; failure to sustain contractual arrangements on a satisfactory basis with group purchasing organizations; failure to develop or implement new technology initiatives or business strategies; failure to adequately protect intellectual property or successfully defend against infringement claims; fluctuations or declines in the Company's gross profit percentage; the Company's responses to market pressures; the outcome of pending and future litigation or governmental or regulatory proceedings, including with respect to wage and hour, anti-bribery and corruption, environmental, advertising and marketing, consumer protection, pricing (including disaster or emergency declaration pricing statutes), product liability, compliance or safety, trade and export compliance, general commercial disputes, or privacy and cybersecurity matters; investigations, inquiries, audits and changes in laws and regulations; failure to comply with laws, regulations and standards; government contract matters; disruption of information technology or data security systems involving the Company or third parties on which the Company depends; general industry, economic, market or political conditions; general global economic conditions including tariffs and trade issues and policies; currency exchange rate fluctuations; market volatility, including price and trading volume volatility or price declines of the Company's common stock; commodity price volatility; facilities disruptions or shutdowns; higher fuel costs or disruptions in transportation services; other pandemic diseases or viral contagions; natural or human induced disasters, extreme weather and other catastrophes or conditions; failure to attract, retain, train, motivate, develop and transition key employees; loss of key members of management or key employees; changes in effective tax rates; changes in credit ratings or outlook; the Company's incurrence of indebtedness and other factors that can be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent periodic reports filed on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, which are available on our Investor Relations website. Forward-looking statements are given only as of the date of this communication and we disclaim any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS (Unaudited) (In millions of dollars, except for share and per share amounts) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 2020 2021 2020 Net sales $ 3,207 $ 2,837 $ 6,291 $ 5,838 Cost of goods sold 2,083 1,821 4,074 3,701 Gross profit 1,124 1,016 2,217 2,137 Selling, general and administrative expenses 790 811 1,525 1,773 Operating earnings 334 205 692 364 Other (income) expense: Interest expense, net 22 28 43 49 Other, net (7) (7) (13) (11) Total other expense, net 15 21 30 38 Earnings before income taxes 319 184 662 326 Income tax provision 76 55 164 12 Net earnings 243 129 498 314 Less: Net earnings attributable to noncontrolling interest 18 15 35 27 Net earnings attributable to W.W. Grainger, Inc. $ 225 $ 114 $ 463 $ 287 Earnings per share: Basic $ 4.30 $ 2.11 $ 8.80 $ 5.31 Diluted $ 4.27 $ 2.10 $ 8.76 $ 5.29 Weighted average number of shares outstanding: Basic 52.2 53.5 52.2 53.6 Diluted 52.5 53.7 52.5 53.8 Diluted Earnings Per Share Net earnings as reported $ 225 $ 114 $ 463 $ 287 Earnings allocated to participating securities (2) (1) (4) (3) Net earnings available to common shareholders $ 223 $ 113 $ 459 $ 284 Weighted average shares adjusted for dilutive securities 52.5 53.7 52.5 53.8 Diluted earnings per share $ 4.27 $ 2.10 $ 8.76 $ 5.29 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (In millions of dollars) (Unaudited) Assets June 30, 2021 December 31, 2020 Cash and cash equivalents $ 547 $ 585 Accounts receivable net 1,634 1,474 Inventories net 1,707 1,733 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 169 127 Total current assets 4,057 3,919 Property, buildings and equipment net 1,436 1,395 Goodwill 390 391 Intangibles net 232 228 Other assets 347 362 Total assets $ 6,462 $ 6,295 Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity Current maturities of long-term debt $ $ 8 Trade accounts payable(1) 954 779 Accrued compensation and benefits 285 307 Accrued expenses 321 305 Income taxes payable 29 42 Total current liabilities 1,589 1,441 Long-term debt less current maturities 2,375 2,389 Deferred income taxes and tax uncertainties 88 110 Other non-current liabilities 269 262 Shareholders' equity(2) 2,141 2,093 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 6,462 $ 6,295 (1) Trade accounts payable increased $175 million primarily driven by inventory purchases related to return-to-work items. (2) Common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2021 was 52,074,363 compared with 52,524,391 shares at December 31, 2020, primarily due to share repurchases. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited) (In millions of dollars) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 2020 2021 2020 Cash flows from operating activities: Net earnings $ 243 $ 129 $ 498 $ 314 Provision for credit losses 4 8 8 14 Deferred income taxes and tax uncertainties 3 7 (8) Depreciation and amortization 49 50 92 95 Impairment of goodwill, intangible and long-lived assets 177 Net losses (gains) from sale or redemption of assets and business divestitures 1 107 (4) 110 Stock-based compensation 17 17 25 26 Subtotal 74 189 113 422 Change in operating assets and liabilities: Accounts receivable (59) 104 (180) (113) Inventories (30) (163) 22 (144) Prepaid expenses and other assets (3) (11) (8) (37) Trade accounts payable 93 (76) 178 79 Accrued liabilities 54 4 (7) (32) Income taxes, net (105) 44 (50) (18) Other non-current liabilities 2 12 (3) 5 Subtotal (48) (86) (48) (260) Net cash provided by operating activities 269 232 563 476 Cash flows from investing activities: Additions to property, buildings, equipment and intangibles (74) (43) (147) (93) Proceeds from sale or redemption of assets and business divestitures 2 13 17 13 Other - net (2) Net cash used in investing activities (72) (30) (130) (82) Cash flows from financing activities: Net decrease in lines of credit (2) (38) Net (decrease) increase in long-term debt (8) (2) (8) 1,153 Proceeds from stock options exercised 22 9 30 28 Payments for employee taxes withheld from stock awards (26) (9) (28) (14) Purchases of treasury stock (108) (1) (283) (101) Cash dividends paid (95) (86) (176) (164) Other - net 2 2 Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities (213) (91) (463) 864 Exchange rate effect on cash and cash equivalents 1 (8) (15) Net change in cash and cash equivalents (15) 111 (38) 1,243 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 562 1,492 585 360 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 547 $ 1,603 $ 547 $ 1,603 SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION - CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (Unaudited) (In millions of dollars, except for per share amounts) The company supplemented the reporting of financial information determined under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) with certain non-GAAP financial measures, which the company refers to as "adjusted" measures, including sales on an organic daily basis and constant currency basis, adjusted gross profit, adjusted gross margin, adjusted operating earnings, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net earnings, adjusted tax rate and adjusted diluted earnings per share. The company believes that these non-GAAP measures provide meaningful information to assist shareholders in understanding financial results and assessing prospects for future performance. Management believes sales on an organic daily basis and constant currency basis, adjusted gross profit, adjusted gross margin, adjusted operating earnings, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net earnings, adjusted tax rate and adjusted diluted earnings per share are important indicators of operations because they exclude items that may not be indicative of our core operating results, and provide a better baseline for analyzing trends in our underlying businesses. Because non-GAAP financial measures are not standardized, it may not be possible to compare these financial measures with other companies' non-GAAP financial measures having the same or similar names. These adjusted financial measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for reported results. These non-GAAP financial measures reflect an additional way of viewing aspects of operations that, when viewed with GAAP results, provide a more complete understanding of the business. The company strongly encourages investors and shareholders to review company financial statements and publicly filed reports in their entirety and not to rely on any single financial measure. This press release also includes certain non-GAAP forward-looking information. The company believes that a quantitative reconciliation of such forward-looking information to the most comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP cannot be made available without unreasonable efforts. A reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures would require the company to predict the timing and likelihood of future restructurings, asset impairments, and other charges. Neither of these forward-looking measures, nor their probable significance, can be quantified with a reasonable degree of accuracy. Accordingly, a reconciliation of the most directly comparable forward-looking GAAP measures is not provided. The reconciliations provided below reconcile GAAP financial measures to the non-GAAP financial measures: sales on an organic daily basis and constant currency basis, adjusted gross profit, adjusted gross profit margin, adjusted operating earnings, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net earnings, adjusted tax rate and adjusted diluted earnings per share: Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 2020 2021 2020 Reported sales 13.1 % (1.9) % 7.8 % 2.6 % Day impact 0.8 (0.8) Daily sales 13.1 % (1.9) % 8.6 1.8 Business divestitures 2.8 2.7 Organic daily sales 15.9 % (1.9) % 11.3 % 1.8 % Foreign exchange (0.9) 0.1 (1.0) % 0.1 % Organic daily, constant currency 15.0 % (1.8) % 10.3 % 1.9 % Represents the results of the Fabory business (divested on June 30, 2020) and the Grainger China business (divested on August 21, 2020). In millions Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 Gross Margin 2020 Gross Margin 2021 Gross Margin 2020 Gross Margin Gross profit reported $ 1,124 35.0 % $ 1,016 35.8 % $ 2,217 35.2 % $ 2,137 36.6 % Gross profit adjusted $ 1,124 35.0 % $ 1,016 35.8 % $ 2,217 35.2 % $ 2,137 36.6 % SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION - CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (Unaudited) (In millions of dollars, except for per share amounts) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 2020 Bps Impact 2021 2020 Bps Impact Gross margin reported 35.0 % 35.8 % (75) 35.2 % 36.6 % (135) Pandemic-related inventory adjustments 2.0 1.9 Gross margin excluding pandemic-related inventory adjustments 37.0 % 35.8 % 120 37.1 % 36.6 % 50 In millions Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 Operating Margin 2020 Operating Margin 2021 Operating Margin 2020 Operating Margin Operating earnings reported $ 334 10.4 % $ 205 7.3 % $ 692 11.0 % $ 364 6.2 % Restructuring, net, impairment charges and business divestiture 110 3.8 294 5.1 Operating earnings adjusted $ 334 10.4 % $ 315 11.1 % $ 692 11.0 % $ 658 11.3 % In millions Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 2020 % 2021 2020 % Net earnings reported $ 225 $ 114 98 % $ 463 $ 287 62 % Restructuring, net, impairment charges and business divestiture 90 147 Net earnings adjusted $ 225 $ 204 11 % $ 463 $ 434 7 % Diluted earnings per share reported $ 4.27 $ 2.10 103 % $ 8.76 $ 5.29 66 % Pretax restructuring, net, impairment charges and business divestiture 2.03 5.42 Tax effect (0.38) (2.71) Total, net of tax 1.65 2.71 Diluted earnings per share adjusted $ 4.27 $ 3.75 14 % $ 8.76 $ 8.00 10 % The tax impact of adjustments is calculated based on the income tax rate in each applicable jurisdiction, subject to deductibility limitations and the company's ability to realize the associated tax benefits. The tax effect in the prior year quarter was primarily related to the divested Fabory business (divested June 30, 2020). SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION - CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (Unaudited) (In millions of dollars, except for per share amounts) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 2020 Bps impact 2021 2020 Bps impact Effective tax rate reported 23.6 % 30.2 % (660) 24.7 % 3.9 % 2,080 Tax benefit related to the Fabory business (4.4) 21.8 Tax impact of restructuring, net, impairment charges and business divestiture Effective tax rate adjusted 23.6 % 25.8 % (220) 24.7 % 25.7 % (100) SOURCE W.W. Grainger, Inc. Related Links http://www.grainger.com The National Catholic Reporter Publishing Co. has named NCR executive editor Heidi Schlumpf a vice president of the comp Tweet this "This promotion recognizes the extraordinary leadership Heidi has provided during the first year of her tenure as executive editor," said NCR CEO and publisher Bill Mitchell. "She has set just the right tone for our pursuit of the most important stories facing the church and its people, and she has connected the organization with readers in ways that have resulted in strong growth in our reputation as well as our traffic." The executive committee of NCR's board of directors approved Mitchell's proposal to promote Schlumpf earlier this month, with board chair Jim Purcell praising her "wonderful work." Mitchell, who also serves as NCR's president, said the new title matches the company-wide role Schlumpf plays in helping make sure that NCR lives up to its mission to "connect Catholics to church, faith and the common good with independent news, analysis and spiritual reflection." In addition to her staff leadership, he cited the award-winning Connections column she writes every other week for NCR's print edition (and which also appears online ) and her representation of NCR on such platforms as National Public Radio and The New York Times . Schlumpf joined NCR as its national correspondent in 2017 before succeeding interim executive editor Tom Roberts in that job last year. Before joining NCR, she served as managing editor of U.S. Catholic magazine and as a reporter at Chicago's archdiocesan newspaper and secular newspapers in California and Wisconsin. Her work has been published by CNN Opinion, Sojourners and Huffington Post. She taught journalism as an associate professor of communication at Aurora University in Illinois. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, she also earned a master's of theological studies from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary at Northwestern University, where she studied with feminist theologian Rosemary Radford Ruether. She is the author/editor of three books, including Elizabeth A. Johnson: Questing for God (Liturgical Press, 2016), the Notre Dame Book of Prayer (Ave Maria, 2010) and While We Wait: Spiritual & Practical Advice for Those Trying to Adopt (ACTA, 2009). Schlumpf is based in Chicago, where she lives with her husband, Edmund, and their two children, and where she is a member of St. Gertrude Parish. About National Catholic Reporter Publishing Co.: The National Catholic Reporter Publishing Company is a non-profit, independent, lay-led news organization that reports on the Catholic Church and wider moral issues facing the human family. It publishes the National Catholic Reporter bi-monthly in print and daily at NCRonline.org. It also publishes Global Sisters Report and EarthBeat online. These publications are committed to shaping a world that recognizes the sacredness and dignity of every human being, regardless of religious belief, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation. Throughout our history, NCR has been a voice for the voiceless, disadvantaged and marginalized. It has held authority, secular or religious, accountable. For more info: Contact Mitchell at [email protected] or 816-968-2259 SOURCE The National Catholic Reporter Publishing Related Links https://www.ncronline.org Holland America Line takes delivery of its newest ship, Rotterdam, making it the 11th ship in its fleet. Tweet this The ceremony was attended by the ship's master, Captain Werner Timmers, and Cyril Tatar, Holland America Group's vice president of newbuilding services. Giuseppe Bono, CEO, Fincantieri, and several other executives also attended. Video congratulations were extended by Jan Swartz, president of Holland America Group, and Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line. "Rotterdam looks stunning and will certainly live up to bearing such an iconic name as the new flagship of our fleet, carrying on a tradition of excellence that our guests have loved for nearly 150 years," said Antorcha. "Thank you to our partners at Fincantieri and our own team members who worked tirelessly to deliver the ship on schedule during what has been the most challenging of times, and also deliver a ship that looks beautiful, is immaculately finished and will be an incredible addition to our brand. We cannot wait to welcome guests on board later this fall." Upon delivery, Rotterdam will remain in non-guest operations until its transatlantic crossing Oct. 20, 2021, from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where it will then begin its maiden season in the Caribbean. Naming details have not been finalized and will be announced at a later date. About Rotterdam The third vessel in the Pinnacle Class series and the seventh ship to bear the name for Holland America Line, Rotterdam will carry 2,668 guests and feature highly successful amenities and innovations introduced with her sister ships. Throughout the ship, Rotterdam will showcase Holland America Line hallmarks that drive one of the highest guest repeat rates in the industry: exquisite cuisine guided by seven of the world's leading chefs; gracious, award-winning service; and superbly appointed staterooms and suites, including family and single accommodations. Rotterdam delivers the best live music at sea with an exclusive collection of world-class performances nightly at Rolling Stone Rock Room with classic rock hits; Lincoln Center Stage, offering chamber music; Billboard Onboard, where live musicians entertain the crowd with chart-topping hits; and the popular B.B. King's Blues Club, bringing the best of Memphis music to sea. With the 270-degree LED projection at World Stage, Rotterdam will immerse guests in panoramic visual and sound effects. In addition to the impressive Dining Room, guests will delight in specialty restaurants Rudi's Sel de Mer, a French seafood brasserie; Tamarind, exploring traditions of Southeast Asia, China and Japan; Nami Sushi with tasty sushi and Asian spirits; Pinnacle Grill, the ultimate steakhouse at sea; Canaletto with family-style Italian dining; and Club Orange exclusively for guests in the Club Orange program. Additional culinary venues include Grand Dutch Cafe featuring traditional Dutch coffee and treats and European beer; Dive-In, serving up gourmet burgers and fries poolside; New York Deli and Pizza, offering made-to-order sandwiches and pies; and Lido Market, with themed serving stations that revolutionize the buffet experience. The History of the Name Rotterdam Holland America Line's first ship was Rotterdam, which sailed its maiden voyage from the Netherlands to New York on Oct. 15, 1872, and led to the founding of the company on April 18, 1873. Rotterdam II was built in 1878 for British Ship Owners Co. and purchased by Holland America Line in 1886. Rotterdam III came along in 1897 and was with the company until 1906. The fourth Rotterdam joined the fleet in 1908 and also served as a troop carrier when World War I ended. Following the war it made regular cruises from New York to the Mediterranean. Rotterdam V, also known as "The Grande Dame," set sail in 1959 and began sailing transatlantic crossings with two classes of service. It later converted to a one-class ship in 1969. She sailed with Holland America Line for 38 years until 1997, including several Grand World Voyages, and currently is a hotel and museum in the city of Rotterdam. Rotterdam VI, the most recent to cruise for Holland America Line, was introduced in 1997 as the first ship in the R Class. Rotterdam VII is the 17th ship constructed for the brand by Italian shipyard Fincantieri. For more information about Holland America Line, consult a travel advisor, call 1-877-SAIL HAL (877-724-5425) or visit hollandamerica.com. Find Holland America Line on Twitter, Facebook and the Holland America Blog. Access all social media outlets via the home page at hollandamerica.com. About Holland America Line [a division of Carnival Corporation and plc (NYSE: CCL and CUK)] Holland America Line has been exploring the world since 1873 and was the first cruise line to offer adventures to Alaska and the Yukon more than 70 years ago. Its fleet of premium ships visits nearly 400 ports in 114 countries around the world, offering an ideal mid-sized ship experience. A third Pinnacle-class ship, Rotterdam, is under construction and will join the fleet in July 2021. The leader in premium cruising, Holland America Line's ships feature innovative initiatives and a diverse range of enriching experiences focused on destination exploration and personalized travel. The best live music at sea fills each evening at Music Walk, and dining venues feature exclusive selections from Holland America Line's esteemed Culinary Council of world-famous chefs. In light of COVID-19, Holland America Line is currently enhancing health and safety protocols and how they may impact future cruises. Our actual offerings may vary from what is displayed or described in marketing materials. Review our current Cruise Updates , Health & Safety Protocols and CDC Travel Advisories. SOURCE Holland America Line Related Links http://www.hollandamerica.com DUBLIN, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Flight Data Monitoring Systems Market Forecast to 2027 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Component (Hardware, Software, and Services), Solution Type (On Board and Ground), and End User (Fleet Operators, Drone Operators, and Investigation Agencies), Geography" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global flight data monitoring systems market was valued at US$ 4,122.26 million in 2019 and is projected to reach US$ 5,987.90 million by 2027; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.77% from 2019 to 2027. North America has one of the largest aerospace industries in the world with numerous commercial and defense aircraft manufactures and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) service providers. In the region, the aerospace sector has grown to an influential position due to the positive outlook toward adopting new technologies, favourable economic policies, skilled workforce, and high gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. Major aircraft manufacturers in the region are Airbus, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, GE Aviation, and Raytheon Technologies. Aircraft of these manufacturers are highly integrated with flight data monitoring systems. Commercial aviation has surged in the region due to increase in international and domestic air travel passengers, substantial growth in GDP, technological advancements, and rise in tourism; thus, it is propelling the demand for commercial aircraft. Major airlines in the region include Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines, which procure flight data monitoring systems by vendors to avoid any potential risks. The system has been broadly credited for mitigating accident and incident rates of airlines and aircraft operators, where it has been adopted. Southwest Airlines has procured a flight efficiency analytics solution by GE Aviation to support its fleet of ~700 Boeing 737 aircraft. GE Aviation added analytics for efficient service with huge operational efficiency. It offers Flight Operational Quality Assurance (eFOQA) analytics and crew recovery solutions to manage airline optimization challenges across the business. The solution allows enhancing the reliability and efficiency of its operations. Uber has collaborated with GE Aviation to offer the flight data monitoring program for its planned air taxis fleet. Uber plans to roll out the flight data monitoring service using electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft by 2023. Thus, by procuring GE's service, Uber would optimize its air safety in the coming years. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) partnered with airlines and FOQA providers in a project called Aviation Performance Measuring System (APMS). The major aim of the project was to design innovative concepts and software for flight data analysis to prevent any further risks. Thus, such a huge focus on offering flight data monitoring systems to detect higher-risk phases of flight and potential precursors of incidents and accidents is compelling the market growth in the region. Loss of control in-flight (LOC-I) is considered a substantial contributor to accidents. The accidents happen due to aircraft system malfunctions and environmental threats or pilot errors. To avoid any potential LOC-I accidents, it is highly recommended that pilots must receive proper training for malfunction recognition. Another major factor in reducing LOC-I accidents is collecting flight data to detect threats ahead of time and reduce accidents. IATA urges operators to generate standardized flight data monitoring safety measures and precursors related to potential LOC-I accidents. With standardized flight data monitoring, operators can monitor aircraft parameters and identify factors leading to LOC-I events. Thus, the advantages of flight data monitoring help operators, pilots, and manufacturers in the region to reduce the serious consequences of LOC-I. The flight data monitoring systems market in North America suffered huge economic loss in the first half of 2020 owing to the high number of COVID-19 positive cases, specifically in the US. The economic growth has lowered, which delayed the ongoing projects of commercial and defense upgradation. The US is one of the major exporters of aircraft but owing to disrupted supply chain and lowering economic conditions of importing countries, the export revenue is lowered. Enhancing trade relation to support international supply post lockdown helped market to regain its position. The limiting strength of workforce due to physical distancing model hampered the production activities in the US. The demand for aircraft is lowered, which created severe impact on the aircraft manufacturing companies. For instance, Boeing company expected lower demand from market than their previous prediction amid COVID-19 outbreak. The pandemic has lowered their expectation. In new report, Boeing predicted 11% drop in demand from its forecast a year ago. Such lowering demand and sale of aircraft have direct impact on the adoption of flight data monitoring systems and services, which hindered the market growth. Key Topics Covered: 1. Introduction 2. Key Takeaways 3. Research Methodology 4. Flight Data Monitoring Systems Market Landscape 4.1 Market Overview 4.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis 4.2.1 Bargaining Power of Buyers 4.2.2 Bargaining Power of Suppliers 4.2.3 Threat to New Entrants 4.2.4 Threat to Substitutes 4.2.5 Competitive Rivalry 4.3 Ecosystem Analysis 5. Flight Data Monitoring Systems Market - Key Market Dynamics 5.1 Market Drivers 5.1.1 Increasing Demand for Flight Safety Solutions 5.1.2 Rising Volume of Aircraft Deliveries 5.2 Market Restraints 5.2.1 High Cost of Flight Data Monitoring Systems and Availability of Substitute Solutions 5.3 Market Opportunities 5.3.1 Growing Demand for Helicopter Flight Data Monitoring (HFDM) Systems 5.4 Future Trends 5.4.1 Rise in Offering of Flight Data Monitoring Services 5.5 Impact Analysis of Drivers and Restraints 6. Flight Data Monitoring Systems - Global Market Analysis 6.1 Overview 6.2 Flight Data Monitoring Systems Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 6.3 Market Positioning - Global Market Players Ranking 7. Flight Data Monitoring Systems Market Analysis - By Component 7.1 Overview 7.2 Flight Data Monitoring Systems Market, By Component (2020 and 2027) 7.3 Hardware 7.3.1 Overview 7.3.2 Hardware: Flight Data Monitoring Systems Market -Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 7.4 Software 7.4.1 Overview 7.4.2 Software: Flight Data Monitoring Systems Market -Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 7.5 Services 7.5.1 Overview 7.5.2 Services: Flight Data Monitoring Systems Market -Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 8. Flight Data Monitoring Systems Market Analysis - By Solution Type 8.1 Overview 8.2 Flight Data Monitoring Systems Market, By Solution Type (2020 and 2027) 8.3 On board 8.3.1 Overview 8.3.2 On board: Flight Data Monitoring Systems Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 8.4 Ground 8.4.1 Overview 8.4.2 Ground: Flight Data Monitoring Systems Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 9. Flight Data Monitoring Systems Market Analysis - By End User 9.1 Overview 9.2 Flight Data Monitoring Systems Market, By End User (2020 and 2027) 9.3 Fleet Operators 9.3.1 Overview 9.3.2 Fleet Operators: Flight Data Monitoring Systems Market -Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 9.4 Drone Operators 9.4.1 Overview 9.4.2 Drone Operators: Flight Data Monitoring Systems Market -Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 9.5 Investigation Agencies 9.5.1 Overview 9.5.2 Investigation Agencies: Flight Data Monitoring Systems Market -Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 10. Flight Data Monitoring Systems Market - Geographic Analysis 11. Flight Data Monitoring Systems Market - COVID-19 Impact Analysis 11.1 Overview 11.1.1 North America: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 11.1.2 Europe: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 11.1.3 Asia-Pacific: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 11.1.4 Middle East & Africa: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 11.1.5 South and Central America: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic 12. Industry Landscape 12.1 Overview 12.2 Market Initiative 12.3 New Product Development 12.4 Partnership 13. Company Profiles 13.1 L3Harris Technologies, Inc. 13.1.1 Key Facts 13.1.2 Business Description 13.1.3 Products and Services 13.1.4 Financial Overview 13.1.5 SWOT Analysis 13.1.6 Key Developments 13.2 Appareo 13.2.1 Key Facts 13.2.2 Business Description 13.2.3 Products and Services 13.2.4 Financial Overview 13.2.5 SWOT Analysis 13.2.6 Key Developments 13.3 FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd 13.3.1 Key Facts 13.3.2 Business Description 13.3.3 Products and Services 13.3.4 Financial Overview 13.3.5 SWOT Analysis 13.3.6 Key Developments 13.4 Honeywell International Inc. 13.4.1 Key Facts 13.4.2 Business Description 13.4.3 Products and Services 13.4.4 Financial Overview 13.4.5 SWOT Analysis 13.4.6 Key Developments 13.5 Curtiss-Wright Corporation 13.5.1 Key Facts 13.5.2 Business Description 13.5.3 Products and Services 13.5.4 Financial Overview 13.5.5 SWOT Analysis 13.5.6 Key Developments 13.6 Guardian Mobility 13.6.1 Key Facts 13.6.2 Business Description 13.6.3 Products and Services 13.6.4 Financial Overview 13.6.5 SWOT Analysis 13.6.6 Key Developments 13.7 Safran Electronics & Defense 13.7.1 Key Facts 13.7.2 Business Description 13.7.3 Products and Services 13.7.4 Financial Overview 13.7.5 SWOT Analysis 13.7.6 Key Developments 13.8 Scaled Analytics Inc 13.8.1 Key Facts 13.8.2 Business Description 13.8.3 Products and Services 13.8.4 Financial Overview 13.8.5 SWOT Analysis 13.8.6 Key Developments 13.9 SKYTRAC SYSTEMS LTD 13.9.1 Key Facts 13.9.2 Business Description 13.9.3 Products and Services 13.9.4 Financial Overview 13.9.5 SWOT Analysis 13.9.6 Key Developments 13.10 Teledyne Controls LLC 13.10.1 Key Facts 13.10.2 Business Description 13.10.3 Products and Services 13.10.4 Financial Overview 13.10.5 SWOT Analysis 13.10.6 Key Developments 14. Appendix For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/kofldq Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com WASHINGTON, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A coalition of solar companies, cooperatives, and non-profits, the 25D Parity Coalition, today welcomed the introduction of The Residential Solar Opportunity Act of 2021, legislation that will provide parity for residential solar customers alongside commercial solar a win for American homeowners, job growth for solar installers, dealers and small businesses alike. "We applaud Representatives Sanchez (D-CA), Terri Sewell (D-AL) and Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) for the introduction of The Residential Solar Opportunity Act of 2021. The 25D credit is a federal residential solar energy investment tax credit (ITC) that allows the consumer to claim a percentage of the costs of a solar system for their home on their federal income taxes. The 25D credit is a highly successful program utilized by over 70 percent of the residential solar market. Achieving parity with commercial solar allows for residential and commercial solar to operate on equal schedules and to have long-term horizon for sustained growth in both the residential and commercial markets. In fact, over 56 percent of all U.S. solar jobs pre-pandemic were focused on installation, construction, and development for residential solar and is one of the fastest growing jobs in the country. Residential and commercial solar are also critical to meeting efficiency, net-zero and climate goals," said Robin Dutta, Senior Manager for Policy at SunPower and spokesperson for the 25D Parity Coalition. "We want to thank Representative Sanchez for her leadership on this important issue." "Homeowners play a critical role in supplying our electric grid with the renewable energy we need to eliminate carbon emissions from our economy and combat climate change," said Congresswoman Linda T. Sanchez. "As we prepare to make major investments in renewable energy, we must ensure that homeowners who want to reduce their carbon footprint have access to the same resources as corporations. This legislation would provide the same long-term value of the residential solar energy credit as the corporate solar investment tax credit under current law." The 25 D Parity Coalition includes: SunPower Corporation, Amicus Solar Cooperative, Aztec Solar, Blue Raven Solar, Clean Energy Credit Union, Dividend Finance, Energy Toolbase, Freedom Solar Power, GoodLeap, LLC, Hanwha Q-Cells America, Jinko Solar (U.S.) Inc., Local Solar for All, Mosaic, Neil Kelly Company, Renova Energy, Sigora Solar, Solar United Neighbors Action, Sungage Financial and Sunlight Financial. What 25D Parity Coalition Members Are Saying: "Ensuring homeowners and renters receive the same incentives as businesses to install solar and energy storage will expand access to the electricity bill savings and resiliency benefits for those who need it most, create more good paying jobs with benefits, and further enable the country to tackle climate change head-on," said Suzanne Leta, Head of Policy and Strategy at SunPower. "This is a critical step for residential solar and energy storage customers across the country and towards a more sustainable future." "It's vitally important that we see improved solar policies for everyday people and homeowners. Rooftop Solar, based in southern CA, and Amicus Solar Cooperative, applaud Representative Sanchez, as well as Representatives Sewell and Gomez, for introducing this important parity legislation which would put the residential credit on the same footing as the business ITC," said Seth Holland, Chief Executive Officer at Rooftop Solar. "Distributed solar is proven to lower electric bills, add resiliency to the grid, and minimize carbon emissions. This bill levels the playing field to ensure that homeowners can choose how and when they install solar, and we applaud Congresswoman Sanchez's commitment to both clean energy and equity." Scott Moskowitz, Director of Public Affairs, Q CELLS America. "Solar is a great investment for American families and a great investment for America," said Anya Schoolman, Executive Director of Solar United Neighbors. "Solar helps people save money by taking control of where their electricity comes from. This extension will allow more families to benefit from solar energy and it will create more good-paying jobs." "Dividend Finance strongly supports ITC parity between residential and commercial. Parity reduces confusion by providing consistency and clarity. Additionally, parity supports homeowner choice and American jobs." Said Eric White, CEO of Dividend Finance. The 25D Parity Coalition is a collection of U.S.-based solar companies who manufacture, finance, sell, and install residential solar and energy storage products across the country as well as national non-profit organizations focused on solar access and equity. The coalition companies' business models are based, in part, on the Section 25D Solar Investment Tax Credit and on their ability to provide electricity bill-savings benefits to residential customers through solar and energy storage. SOURCE The 25D Parity Coalition LOS ANGELES, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Transaction was negotiated for IWEB by their Business Development Partners Global Fintech Trading Limited Led by Craig Marshak an experienced Fintech Specialist investment banker who formerly ran a Nomura bank Venture Technology fund in London with considerable success in online gaming, Software and Cybersecurity investments. Tingo International Holdings, Inc., is the parent company of Tingo Mobile, PLC, a Nigerian limited company. Tingo is a device and a service technology company focused on creating digitally inclusive ecosystems in the AgriTech and FinTech sectors in Africa. TINGO has posted total revenue figure of $616 million dollars in 2020 and an EBITDA of $220 million dollars (figures based on NGN/USD exchange rate of 360), IWEB is confident that these figures will be exceeded going forwards with expansion and natural upwards progression of the TINGO business IWEB have agreed to pay $4.00 per share with an issuance of 928 million new shares valuing TINGO at $3.7 Billion USD Tingo is Nigeria's leading technology and Device as a Service platform aimed at accelerating digital commerce, especially in Agri-Tech & Fin-Tech verticals in Nigeria. Tingo helps farmers acquire mobile phones through a unique mobile phone leasing scheme, connecting them to mobile and data networks through its virtual mobile network and connecting farmers to markets, services, and resources via Nwassa, its digital AgriTech marketplace platform. Beginning in April 2021, Tingo also launched a beta version of Tingo Pay a B2C FinTech app aimed at providing financial services including mobile wallets, payment processing and access to specialist lenders and insurers to users inside and outside of the agriculture value chain. Tingo have over 9 million subscribers and has supplied almost 30 million mobile devices since 2014. About Tingo see www.tingogroup.com Tingo has four core business drivers: Mobile Phone Leasing : Tingo has distributed almost 30 million mobile handsets since 2014 and will continue to replace the devices of its installed customer base every three years. : Tingo has distributed almost 30 million mobile handsets since 2014 and will continue to replace the devices of its installed customer base every three years. Mobile Voice and Data Service : Through a Mobile Virtual Network, Tingo provides its customers with voice and data services. : Through a Mobile Virtual Network, Tingo provides its customers with voice and data services. Nwassa Platform : Tingo's proprietary AgriTech platform, Nwassa, supports Nigeria's agricultural value chain with market access. Tingo processes 500k daily transactions with a value of over $8 million, which provides its installed customer base with access to agricultural markets for their crop. Farmers and cooperatives are also supported with packaging, warehousing, and cargo logistics Tingo provides its customers with digital wallet services, which enable them to send and receive domestic payments, monitor cash flow in real time and securely hold money. Tingo provides access to other third-party services such as utility bill payment, virtual airtime top-up, insurance services, and alternative lending solutions. : Tingo's proprietary AgriTech platform, Nwassa, supports agricultural value chain with market access. Tingo processes 500k daily transactions with a value of over $8 million, which provides its installed customer base with access to agricultural markets for their crop. Farmers and cooperatives are also supported with packaging, warehousing, and cargo logistics Tingo provides its customers with digital wallet services, which enable them to send and receive domestic payments, monitor cash flow in real time and securely hold money. Tingo provides access to other third-party services such as utility bill payment, virtual airtime top-up, insurance services, and alternative lending solutions. Tingo Pay: Since the launch of Nwassa platform Tingo has been a dominant player in the B2B FinTech vertical. Tingo has entered the B2C FinTech vertical to extend our B2B play to mass market use cases beyond agriculture. Market Opportunity Africa is the second-largest continent by land mass and population. The continent is also the youngest by far, with a median age of 18 years for its 1.3 billion people. Tingo believes the building blocks for growth in Africa's agriculture industry are in place and that Tingo is well positioned in this space to participate in the upside. Compelling fundamentals Strong demographic potential: Sub-Saharan Africa's population is growing at 2.7% a year, which is more than twice as fast as South Asia (1.2%) and Latin America (0.9%). That means Africa is adding the population of France (or Thailand ) every two years. At the current growth rate, the continent's population will double by 2050. The median age across the continent is 18 years, thirteen years younger than the median age in South America the next youngest continent according to the World Bank. Africa's youthfulness represents a significant opportunity for material growth in demand for agricultural commodities. This younger generation is also being born into a "networked" world and is more comfortable using technology to achieve their goals. Improving business conditions: Africa's governments are paying more attention to improving business conditions for entrepreneurs and small businesses on the continent. Sub-Saharan Africa's World Bank Doing Business rank has improved by c.20 points from 45 in 2004 to 65 in 2020. Tingo believe this trend will continue and encourage establishment of more new ventures across all economic sectors including the agriculture industry. Investor appetite remains robust: Africa attracted $407 billion of Foreign Direct Investments between 2014 and 2018 (c. $80 billion per annum on average). Investments are increasingly focused on services and industrial sectors. Only 20% of investments are in extractive industries - a clear reversal from as recently as 2008 when 55% of FDI was aimed at resource extraction, Tingo believes FDI into Africa will help resolve significant infrastructure constraints and position the Agric value chain for value creation. Nigeria is the largest economy and the most populous country in Africa and is therefore central to the continent's growth story. Agriculture is central to African lives and livelihoods. 60% of sub-Saharan Africans are small holder farmers and Agriculture accounts for 23% of the region's GDP. In Nigeria, Agriculture employs 66% of the workforce and represents 26% of GDP. Nigeria's suboptimal agriculture productivity is driven by several factors including broken linkages with demand centres, inefficient capital allocation for purchase of inputs, and underdeveloped and fragmented access to services. Tingo aims to play a key role in resolving each of these issues. Access to technology: Tingo is a key access point to the digital economy for millions of rural farmers in Nigeria, by providing affordable access to mobile devices and the internet. Access to markets: Tingo users can connect with vendors and suppliers for affordable access to inputs and services. Tingo also connects farmers with buyers who purchase crops every year. Access to Financial Services: Through Tingo Pay, its proprietary mobile wallet application, users can execute several transactions. These include credits into the Tingo Pay wallet, and transfers from the Tingo Pay wallet for bill payments and P2P (peer to peer payments). Tingo will continuing to add services to this application to meet customer needs. Chris Cleverly, President of TINGO INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS - "TINGO is Africa's largest digital agricultural ecosystem and is a highly successful payment gateway. It is important that we embrace emerging technologies as they are necessary to solve the issues that burden the world such as food security and financial inclusion. We make no secret of our intention to uplist this group, or to use this platform to rapidly build our customer base in Nigeria and other African markets we will roll-out our unique offering. Global Food Security is a significant priority and our unique model will enable that priority and deliver Food Security in Africa, which powered with Coinfield will make us a very compelling proposition" Anthony Moore, CEO of IWEB - ''It has been noted in recent years the rapid adoption and deployment of Blockchain by the Telecoms Industry and the global announcements almost weekly of the acceptance of Crypto, we feel the marriage of TINGO with Coinfield leads us into perfect position for this natural evolution in Africa. Africa is a Continent that is showing great readiness and willingness to adapt and adopt to new technologies. With its young demographic, high smartphone penetration, lack of legacy infrastructure Africa has the greatest potential for blockchain and cryptocurrency of any region. Coinfield provides the know-how and has the history to deliver on this. TINGO with an already huge customer base will expand rapidly and will become the dominant digital payment platform in the world's fastest growing economy'' About iWEB IWEB, Inc., is a technology development and services company, provides coding services in various industries and markets primarily in Thailand. The company focuses on image, audio, web, and security coding technologies. Its technology enables governments and enterprises to imbed or imprint invisible digital identities to media and objects. The company's coding technology provides the means to infuse persistent digital information to computers and digital devices into various forms of media content; and permits smartphones, tablets, industrial scanners, and other computer interfaces to identify relevant data from media content. IWEB has entered a letter of intent to acquire regulated global crypto exchange "Coinfield" which was established 2018, which was announced as an IWBB Acquisition on 26th July 2021. IWEB, Inc. Headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand for additional information visit: www.iweb.company About Global Fintech Trading Limited A group specialising in Institutional Financial, FinTech and Crypto who are to develop acquisition and investment opportunities in these fields. This is on a Global basis with their international team See - http://www.globalfintechtrading.com Safe Harbor Statement: This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements and information, as defined within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and is subject to the Safe Harbor created by those sections. This material contains statements about expected future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and as such are by definition subject to risks and uncertainties. Authorized by Fung Hok Wai, President Contact the company: Fung Hok Wai, President, Email: [email protected] Anthony Moore, CEO, TEL 90-542-332-7666 Investor Relations and Press contact: Alex Lightman in Los Angeles Email: [email protected] Tingo Mobile Contact: Rory Bowen, Chief of Staff Tingo International Email: [email protected] SOURCE IWEB, Inc. TOKYO, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Apprehension over China's economic activity has grown as expansion has slowed during the pandemic. Analysts at JC Fulton Alliance were correct in estimating GDP growth in the region of 8% for the second quarter. While this GDP expansion rate is significantly lower than that of the first quarter, which saw a whopping 18.3% growth, it matches expectations when contextualized in an unsteady Covid-struck global economy. In fact, China's 8% growth, and probable full-year 8% expansion, proves favourable when compared to the GDP growth in major Western economies. The United States, one of China's main economic competitors, currently shows a GDP expansion rate of 6.4%. However, analysts at JC Fulton Alliance are suggesting that the arrival of issues such as unsustainable, weak consumption and the slowing down of exports could hinder China's economic growth. China's relationship with the United States is another uncertainty that analysts have noted. Perhaps most threatening is an influx of bad loans. At the end of June, outstanding loans in banks increased by 108.3billion yuan (or 9.1%) from the start of 2021 to 301trillion yuan. Analysts at JC Fulton Alliance, see a continuation of fiscal policies as the way forward in grappling with this conundrum and aiding in post-Covid development. Policymakers plan to generate profit with fiscal spending, focusing on rapidity in infrastructure investment, which government financing vehicles will propel. In the first half of the year, a mere 1.01trillion yuan was used by local governments to support infrastructure projects, meaning an annual decrease of 72.2% in funding. In addition, property loan growth declined to 10.3%. New policies are expected to be announced by the end of July after the Politburo's second quarter economic meeting. Press Contact: Masanobu Ota 81345800924 https://jcfultonalliance.com SOURCE JC Fulton Alliance BOSTON, MA, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund (NYSE: HTD) (the "Fund"), a closed-end fund managed by John Hancock Investment Management LLC and subadvised by both Manulife Investment Management (US) LLC, and Wells Capital Management Incorporated, announced today sources of its monthly distribution of $0.1380 per share paid to all shareholders of record as of July 12, 2021, pursuant to the Fund's managed distribution plan. This press release is issued as required by an exemptive order granted to the Fund by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Notification of Sources of Distribution This notice provides shareholders of the John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund (NYSE: HTD) with important information concerning the distribution declared on July 1, 2021, and payable on July 30, 2021. No action is required on your part. Distribution Period: July 2021 Distribution Amount Per Common Share: $0.1380 The following table sets forth the estimated sources of the current distribution, payable July 30, 2021, and the cumulative distributions paid this fiscal year to date from the following sources: net investment income; net realized short term capital gains; net realized long term capital gains; and return of capital or other capital source. All amounts are expressed on a per common share basis and as a percentage of the distribution amount. For the period 07/1/2021-07/31/2021 For the fiscal year-to-date period 11/1/2020-07/31/2021 1 Source Current Distribution ($) % Breakdown of the Current Distribution Total Cumulative Distributions ($) % Breakdown of the Total Cumulative Distributions Net Investment Income 0.0746 54% 1.0554 85% Net Realized Short- Term Capital Gains 0.0000 0% 0.0000 0% Net Realized Long- Term Capital Gains 0.0083 6% 0.1865 15% Return of Capital or Other Capital Source 0.0551 40% 0.0000 0% Total per common share 0.1380 100% 1.2419 100% Average annual total return (in relation to NAV) for the 5 years ended on June 30, 2021 6.11% Annualized current distribution rate expressed as a percentage of NAV as of June 30, 2021 6.75% Cumulative total return (in relation to NAV) for the fiscal year through June 30, 2021 19.02% Cumulative fiscal year-to-date distribution rate expressed as a percentage of NAV as of June 30, 2021 5.06% You should not draw any conclusions about the Fund's investment performance from the amount of this distribution or from the terms of the Fund's managed distribution plan. The Fund estimates that it has distributed more than its income and net realized capital gains; therefore, a portion of your distribution may be a return of capital. A return of capital may occur, for example, when some or all of the money that you invested in the Fund is paid back to you. A return of capital distribution does not necessarily reflect the Fund's investment performance and should not be confused with "yield" or "income." The amounts and sources of distributions reported in this Notice are only estimates and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during the remainder of its fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. The Fund will send you a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will tell you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes. The Fund has declared the July 2021 distribution pursuant to the Fund's managed distribution plan (the "Plan"). Under the Plan, the Fund makes fixed monthly distributions in the amount of $0.1380 per share, which will continue to be paid monthly until further notice. If you have questions or need additional information, please contact your financial professional or call the John Hancock Investment Management Closed-End Fund Information Line at 1-800-843-0090, Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time. Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined by the United States securities laws. You should exercise caution in interpreting and relying on forward-looking statements because they are subject to uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Fund's control and could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. An investor should consider a Fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. About John Hancock Financial and Manulife Financial John Hancock is a division of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading international financial services group that helps people achieve their dreams and aspirations by putting customers' needs first and providing the right advice and solutions. We operate primarily as John Hancock in the United States and as Manulife elsewhere. We provide financial advice, insurance, and wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups, and institutions. Assets under management and administration by Manulife and its subsidiaries were over CAD$1.3 trillion (US$1.0 trillion) as of March 31, 2021. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as MFC on the TSX, NYSE, and PSE, and under 945 on the SEHK. Manulife can be found at manulife.com. One of the largest life insurers in the United States, John Hancock supports approximately 10 million Americans with a broad range of financial products, including life insurance, annuities, investments, 401(k) plans, and education savings plans. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com. 1 The Fund's current fiscal year began on November 1, 2020, and will end on October 31, 2021. SOURCE John Hancock Investment Management NEW YORK, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Juno Medical, the modern doctor's office that's designed for the 99%, today announces $5.4 million in seed funding led by Vast Ventures. Existing investors Atento Capital, Company Ventures, humbition, RareBreed Ventures, and Lafayette Square will also participate in the round. This milestone coincides with the launch of Juno's first flagship location in Harlem, NY after several months of rapid growth providing care for thousands of New Yorkers during the COVID-19 pandemic. "We are thrilled to partner with the ambitious team at Juno to revolutionize healthcare in underserved communities by providing families easy access to high-quality care," said Aniq Rahman, Managing Partner of Vast Ventures. "Juno's tech-enabled omnichannel approach is the future of primary care and pediatrics. This next phase will be focused on rapid expansion beyond Harlem into other overlooked neighborhoods nationally." Juno Medical created a one-stop solution for great everyday care for the whole family that disrupts every facet of the patient experience by providing exceptional hospitality, modern technology, and transparent prices. It's designed as a new healthcare home that brings the best of pediatrics, adult primary care, women's health, and same-day care, and diagnostic services in one place. Unlike recent trends in concierge medicine and venture-backed primary care models that require upfront fees to access care, anyone with insurance can get exceptional care at Juno. Juno is taking a different approach to meet the needs of busy households by offering additional plans that start at $20 per month and complement it's core services with added conveniences, savings, and unique events and experiences. "As a parent, physician, and healthcare industry veteran, I've witnessed firsthand how broken our system is for people and families from all walks of life," said Akili Hinson, Founder & CEO of Juno. "We have a fundamental belief that everyone deserves great care that's both accessible and affordable regardless of zip code they're born in, the color of their skin, the size of their bank account, or who they love." As part of its mission to create a healthier world, Juno will use this funding to launch its Brooklyn location, expand its virtual care services and price transparency capabilities, and to hire new team members across the company. Juno Medical's Harlem and Brooklyn locations are just the beginning, the company has plans for national expansion in 2022 and will offer new virtual and wellness services in the coming months. For more information on Juno Medical, please visit: https://juno.care About Juno Medical Launched in April 2020, Juno Medical is a tech-enabled healthcare service provider designed for families. The company offers exceptional hospitality, modern technology, and transparent prices that won't break the bank and brings the best of pediatrics, adult primary care, women's health, and same-day care into one thoughtful and beautifully designed place. SOURCE Juno Medical Related Links https://juno.care COLOGNE, Germany, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- After nearly two years of international collaboration, the functional love songs that Kimiko Ishizaka wrote and first sang to save her love and relationship have been released featuring the vocals of Christina Jones (American Idol and Berklee Conservatory). The full album release follows four singles which have together already received over 10 million streams due to their popularity amongst influencers on TikTok and Instagram. You Were My Compass Kimiko Ishizaka wrote the love songs in the throes of despair, faced with the unexpected dissolution of her marriage. The songs were meant to serve the functional purpose of saving her relationship, which has now celebrated 20 years and the recent birth of their first child. The album, an international effort, was recorded mainly in The Dominican Republic, with contributions coming from studios in Germany and Los Angeles, reflecting the limitations and pragmatic necessities of making music during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kimiko and Christina were unable to meet in person, which makes this project so groundbreaking. Industry heavyweights Corey Allen (producer, arranger, keyboards) and Allan Leschhorn (recording engineer) enabled the high production quality of the recording. Robert Douglass (Open Goldberg Project) is the executive producer and artistic director. "An emotional roller coaster from start to finish, this gripping and hauntingly beautiful (and not to mention catchy!) album will have you in tears at some moments, and dancing with joy at others." Miranda Martin, Lifestyle Blogger Kimiko Ishizaka is a German/Japanese composer and pianist best known for her completion of Bach's unfinished final fugue, and for her performance in the Open Goldberg Variations. Christina Jones is a student at Berklee Conservatory and was among the top-40 finalists on American Idol. Corey Allen is a producer, arranger, and pianist who has written for The Tonight Show, The Manhattan Transfer, and has performed with Lou Rawls and Chuck Mangionne. Allan Leschhorn has won more Latin Grammy's than any other recording engineer. The primary recording sessions for "You Were My Compass" were held in his AllanGTR Studio in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Media contact: Nickie Robinson 212-380-3385 [email protected] SOURCE Kimiko Ishizaka KANSAS CITY, Mo., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kansas City Life Insurance Company recorded net income of $4.3 million or $0.44 per share in the second quarter of 2021, a decrease of $12.7 million or $1.31 per share relative to the second quarter of 2020. Net income totaled $3.6 million or $0.37 per share in the first six months of 2021, down from $17.1 million or $1.77 per share in the first six months of 2020. The largest factor in the decrease in net income in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods in the prior year was a decrease in net investment gains. The sale of an industrial real estate property generated a large investment gain in the second quarter of 2020. Also contributing to the decrease in both periods were a decline in insurance revenues and an increase in policyholder benefits. Partially offsetting these were decreases in amortization of deferred acquisition costs and operating expenses. The COVID-19 pandemic continued to have negative impacts in both the second quarters and first six months of 2021 and 2020. The primary impacts were a negative effect on mortality experience and increased financial market volatility. Kansas City Life Insurance Company (OTCQX: KCLI) was established in 1895 and is based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Company's primary business is providing financial protection through the sale of life insurance and annuities. The Company operates in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Please refer to our Quarterly Report for the period ended June 30, 2021 for additional information, which is available at www.kclife.com. Kansas City Life Insurance Company Condensed Consolidated Income Statement (amounts in thousands, except share data) Quarter Ended June 30 Six Months Ended June 30 2021 2020 2021 2020 Revenues $ 124,804 $ 146,772 $ 247,135 $ 269,807 Net income $ 4,286 $ 16,969 $ 3,618 $ 17,119 Net income per share, basic and diluted $ 0.44 $ 1.75 $ 0.37 $ 1.77 Dividends paid $ 0.27 $ 0.27 $ 0.54 $ 0.54 Average number of shares outstanding 9,683,414 9,683,414 9,683,414 9,683,414 SOURCE Kansas City Life Insurance Company WASHINGTON, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- KeifeRx, LLC, an emerging clinical-stage biotechnology company specializing in the discovery and development of new treatment options for neurodegenerative diseases, announced today that the company received an acceptance of its Investigational New Drug (IND) application from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to launch a Phase 3 trial named NILEAD for Nilotinib BE. The safety and efficacy of a Nilotinib BE will be investigated in individuals with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease with abnormal levels of brain amyloid and supporting clinical diagnosis of early Alzheimer's disease. "We are very pleased that KeifeRx's first IND has been accepted by the FDA," said Charbel Moussa, MBBS, PhD, Associate Professor at Georgetown University and Co-Founder and Director of KeifeRx's Scientific Advisory Board. "Our Phase 3 study provides us the opportunity to gain valuable insights about the potential effectiveness of Nilotinib BE in treating early Alzheimer's." "We are excited about this major milestone for KeifeRx, and the chance to demonstrate the capabilities of our tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) platform in neurodegeneration," said Chris Hoyt, CEO of KeifeRx. "We are looking forward to the successful execution of this program and the ability to help people affected by such a debilitating disease." Alzheimer's disease is a disorder that affects over 6 million people in the United States and more than 44 million people worldwide. About NILEAD: KeifeRx will launch a national, multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind study of Nilotinib BE in early Alzheimer's disease. A total of 1275 patients will be randomized into three groups (1:1:1) in which they will receive placebo or one of two doses of Nilotinib BE for 72 weeks. The primary objectives of the study are to investigate the safety and efficacy of Nilotinib BE on the progression of dementia in early Alzheimer's disease. A biomarker sub-study will investigate the effects of Nilotinib BE on amyloid brain burden as well as other makers of Alzheimer's pathology. About KeifeRx: KeifeRx is clinical-stage life sciences company that focuses on a family of drugs called tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) that trigger degradation of malfunctioning proteins, mitigating their pathological toxic effects. Georgetown University owns several issued patents and pending patent applications on the underlying technology that relates to the use of TKIs for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases with Charbel Moussa as an inventor. KeifeRx has an exclusive option to license to the intellectual property from Georgetown University. KeifeRx was founded in 2019 to redefine the treatment experience for patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases and movement disorders which include but are not limited to, Alzheimer's Disease, Lewy Body Dementia and Parkinson's Disease. KeifeRx is a DMV Angels backed company. For more information on KeifeRx, please visit https://www.keiferx.com, https://www.linkedin.com/company/keiferx, or contact: Pasha Jahangiri, 202-810-0580, [email protected] KeifeRx 1356 Beverly Road, Suite 300 McLean, Virginia 22101 SOURCE KeifeRx Related Links http://www.keiferx.com VANCOUVER, BC, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - KORE Mining Ltd. (TSXV: KORE) (OTCQX: KOREF) ("KORE" or the "Company") is pleased to announce its Board of Directors has formed a new Board Committee, the Environmental, Health, Safety and Sustainability Committee ("Committee") to oversee KORE's environmental, social and governance ("ESG") practices. ESG considerations have come to be recognized by investors, communities and regulators as fundamental to long-term success of any mining company, throughout all stages of their development. The scope of the Committee will include safety, health, sustainability, community and social considerations, environment and the governance of those issues. The newly formed Committee is chaired by CEO Scott Trebilcock, and other Committee members are Mr. Brendan Cahill and Mr. Don MacDonald, who both bring decades of experience in managing the wide array of ESG issues related to mine development. The formation of the Committee will elevate these significant topics to the regular Board agenda and focus attention on enhancing programs and transparency. Mr. Trebilcock stated: "The formation of the ESG Committee will help us focus on key stakeholder issues as we continue work to advance the Imperial and Long Valley gold projects in California. We are confident our work in this area will demonstrate to investors, local communities and other stakeholders that we take ESG matters seriously with a commitment to high standards." The Committee held its first meeting this past week and has mandated management to develop a values statement and a robust policy with respect to ESG. KORE's governance matters that are unrelated to safety, health, sustainability, community and the environment will continue to be managed by the Compensation and Governance Committee whose charter remains unchanged. KORE's Board, pursuant to the Company's stock option plan, has granted annual share-based incentives to certain directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company. The issuance of 2,075,000 options are part of KORE's regular annual incentives to attract and retain skilled directors, officers, staff and consultants. The grant represents approximately 1.85% of KORE's current issued and outstanding shares. The options are exercisable at C$0.62, with a third vesting in 6 months, another third in 12 months and the balance 18 months after the date of grant. Options to directors and officers have a 5-year term and to employees and consultants have a 3-year term. About KORE Mining KORE is 100% owner of the Imperial and Long Valley gold projects in California. Both projects have positive preliminary economic assessments. KORE is supported by strategic investor Eric Sprott who owns 26% of KORE's basic shares. KORE management and Board are aligned with shareholders, owning an additional 35% of the basic shares outstanding. KORE is actively advancing its Imperial Gold project and is aggressively exploring across its portfolio of assets. Further information on KORE can be found on the Company's website at www.koremining.com or by contacting us at [email protected] or by telephone at (888) 407-5450. On behalf of KORE Mining Ltd "Scott Trebilcock" Chief Executive Officer (888) 407-5450 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE Kore Mining Related Links http://www.koremining.com RESTON, Va., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: LDOS) today announced that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.36 per outstanding share of common stock of Leidos Holdings, Inc., a $0.02 increase compared to the prior quarterly dividend of $0.34 per share. The cash dividend is payable on September 30, 2021 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on September 15, 2021. About Leidos Leidos is a Fortune 500 information technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets. The company's 40,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $12.30 billion for the fiscal year ended January 1, 2021. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com. Media contact: Melissa Lee Duenas (571) 526-6850 [email protected] Investor Relations: Stuart Davis (571) 526-6124 [email protected] SOURCE Leidos Related Links http://www.leidos.com Leidos has significantly expanded its maritime portfolio over the last two years including acquiring Dynetics, 1901 Group and the naval architecture firm Gibbs & Cox. The acquisitions have added innovative capabilities to the company's arsenal in areas such as hypersonics, IT managed services, cloud migration, autonomy, and platform capability. Additionally, the company recently received authorization to assume full operational responsibility for the Navy's and Marine Corps' three on-shore IT networks as part of the Navy's $7.7 billion Next Generation Enterprise Network (NGEN) Service Management, Integration and Transport (SMIT) contract. The contract is critical to helping the Navy modernize its digital infrastructure. "As technology continues to evolve rapidly, and adversaries become more sophisticated, our customers must also adapt to maintain a competitive offensive and defensive edge," said Nevin Carr, Leidos' Navy Strategic Account Executive. "Leidos has supported the U.S. Navy's critical programs for over 90 years. We look forward to showcasing our innovative solutions and mission support to help the Navy keep the seas safe and free." With the U.S. Department of Defense turning to unmanned maritime autonomous platforms, the company plans to showcase Sea Hunter and Seahawk, cutting-edge autonomous vessels, and a variety of undersea solutions. Autonomous vessels are designed to operate with little human involvement, thus providing a forward-deployed and rapid-response asset for the global maritime surveillance network and other missions. Leidos experts will also highlight their newest technologies, including DevSecOps processes, Edge-to-Cloud, JADC2/Overmatch, and multi-domain ISR. For more information, visit the Leidos conference booth #738 or www.leidos.com. About Leidos Leidos is a Fortune 500 information technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, homeland security, civil, and health markets. The company's 40,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Va., Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $12.30 billion for the fiscal year ended January 1, 2021. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com. Statements in this announcement, other than historical data and information, constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause our actual results, performance, achievements, or industry results to be very different from the results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some of these factors include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended January 1, 2021, and other such filings that Leidos makes with the SEC from time to time. Due to such uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Melissa Duenas (571) 526-6850 [email protected] Thomas Doheny (571) 474-4735 [email protected] Jalen Drummond (571) 992-5046 [email protected] SOURCE Leidos Holdings, Inc. ADELAIDE, Australia, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lofty has undertaken a full rebrand including a new logo, brand identity and a new office location in Unley a step up from its humble beginnings in Hillcrest, in Adelaide's northeast. The rebranding initiative coincided with recent changes to the company's internal processes and has provided a platform to develop and streamline service offerings to become the custom builder that Adelaide residents trust to build their homes and developments. "This rebrand represents a significant step in the company's evolution. We are redefining who we are and challenging the way things are done in the building industry. Our aim is to set new benchmarks in speed and transparency through our integration of cutting-edge systems and processes," says Gary Patel, Managing Director. The new logo reflects Lofty's dedication to speed and style. The two new colours pay homage to the company's first logo while also steering away from typical industry colours. The aim was to create a contemporary and clean look that was instantly recognisable. Fast. Custom. Affordable. Three words that amply sum up the Lofty brand and its enduring reputation for South Australians. Lofty strives to solve those key frustrations that clients have with the building process. Faster construction times, full customisation of designs and layout, and all at an affordable price. The rebrand serves to further bring the look and feel of Lofty into alignment with the core values that have run in the company's veins for years. New office space caps off a remarkable brand shift Due to a significant period of growth, Lofty quickly outgrew its office in Hillcrest, requiring more space to accommodate a rapidly growing team and client base. Considerable renovations were carried out to breathe new life into the office space, located at 140 Greenhill Road, Unley, showing off the outstanding design and construction work the Lofty team is known for. The upgrades are evident as soon as anyone steps foot into the front reception and carry through to the board and meeting rooms and all client-facing spaces. "The modern space is a true reflection of the Lofty brand and identity and allows us to better serve our clients," said Patel. A real disruptor in a big market Lofty has made big moves to challenge what has become the norm in the building industry. The company is confidently sticking to its plan and winning over the hearts of many. Saying yes is the new norm being flexible and adaptable to meet the requirements of each prospective home builder. Lofty has gained substantial favour by adopting these attitudes in the way it chooses to work with its clients. Contact Lofty Building Group today on (08) 8266 0011 or book a consult online at loftybuildinggroup.com.au to start planning your next move. Related Images lofty-building-group-logo.jpg Lofty Building Group Logo SOURCE Lofty Building Group MONTREAL, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - (NYSE: CAE) (TSX: CAE) Representatives of the media, shareholders and financial analysts, are invited to attend CAE's 2021 annual Meeting of Shareholders virtually on Wednesday, August 11, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time (ET). Management will review the activities of fiscal year 2021 and present the financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2022 ended June 30, 2021. A conference all specific to CAE's FY2022 first quarter financial results conference call will be held at 1:30 pm ET. i. CAE's FY2021 virtual Annual Meeting of Shareholders Who: Marc Parent, President and Chief Executive Officer Sonya Branco, Executive Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer When: Wednesday, August 11, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. ET Where: The Annual Meeting of Shareholders will be held virtually via a live webcast available at: cae.com/investors/ or at https://web.lumiagm.com/435570391The webcast will be archived following the event. Media availability: Marc Parent, CAE's President and Chief Executive Officer will be available to answer questions from the media following the Annual Meeting of Shareholders, at 12:00 p.m. ET. Members of the media can dial in at +1 416 620 9188 or 800 926 4425. ii. FY2022 first quarter financial results CAE will also release its fiscal year 2022 first quarter financial results on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. A conference call will be held at 1:30 p.m. ET to provide analysts and institutional investors with a review of CAE's performance. Management will participate in this call intended for financial analysts and institutional investors. Please note that the media will have the opportunity to ask questions immediately following the analysts' question period. Who: Marc Parent, President and Chief Executive Officer Sonya Branco, Executive Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer Andrew Arnovitz, Senior Vice President Strategy and Investor Relations What: CAE's FY2022 Q1 financial results When: Wednesday, August 11, 2021 - 1:30 p.m. ET Webcast: The conference call will be audio Webcast live for the public and will also be archived for 90 days following the event at www.cae.com/investors/ Conference call: Country Phone Number NORTH AMERICA 877 586 3392 CANADA +1 416 981 9024 AUSTRALIA 1800507915 BELGIUM 080077657 FRANCE 0800919393 GERMANY 08001816101 NETHERLANDS 08000222280 SINGAPORE 8001012594 UNITED KINGDOM 08004960381 Instant replay (available three hours after the call ends for 48 hours): +1-800-558-5253 or +1-416-626-4100 - Access code: 21996289# About CAE CAE is a high technology company, at the leading edge of digital immersion, providing solutions to make the world a safer place. Backed by a record of more than 70 years of industry firsts, we continue to reimagine the customer experience and revolutionize training and operational support solutions in civil aviation, defence and security, and healthcare. We are the partner of choice to customers worldwide who operate in complex, high-stakes and largely regulated environments, where successful outcomes are critical. As testament to our customers' ongoing needs for our solutions, over 60 percent of CAE's revenue is recurring in nature. We have the broadest global presence in our industry, with more than 11,000 employees, 160 sites, and training locations in over 35 countries. www.cae.com Follow us on Twitter: CAE_Inc Facebook: www.facebook.com/cae.inc LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/cae SOURCE CAE INC. Related Links http://www.cae.com/ WINNIPEG, MB, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Medicure Inc. ("Medicure" or the "Company") (TSXV: MPH) (OTC: MCUJF), a company focused on the development and commercialization of pharmaceuticals and healthcare products for patients and prescribers in the United States market, announced today that it has granted stock options (the "Options") to certain officers of the Company to purchase a total of 90,000 common shares at a price of $1.10 per common share. The Options, which vest immediately, are exercisable for a period of five years and have been granted in accordance with the terms of the Company's current stock option plan. The grant of Options is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. About Medicure Inc. Medicure is a pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapies for the U.S. cardiovascular market. The present focus of the Company is the marketing and distribution of AGGRASTAT (tirofiban hydrochloride) injection and ZYPITAMAG (pitavastatin) tablets in the United States, where they are sold through the Company's U.S. subsidiary, Medicure Pharma Inc. Medicure also operates Marley Drug, Inc. ("Marley"), a pharmacy located in North Carolina that offers an Extended Supply mail order drug program serving 49 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. Marley is committed to improving the health status of its patients and the communities they serve while reducing overall health care costs for employers and other health care consumers. For more information visit www.marleydrug.com. To learn more about The Extended Supply Generic Drug Program call 800.286.6781 or email [email protected]. For more information on Medicure please visit www.medicure.com. For additional information about AGGRASTAT, refer to the full Prescribing Information. For additional information about ZYPITAMAG, refer to the full Prescribing Information. To be added to Medicure's e-mail list, please visit: http://medicure.mediaroom.com/alerts SOURCE Medicure Inc. Related Links www.medicure.com FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- loanDepot, Inc. (the "Company,"NYSE: "LDI," together with its subsidiaries, "loanDepot"), the nonbank lending innovator that is using its proprietary mello technology to transform the mortgage industry, today announced the appointment of Mike Linton, a consumer and product marketing expert, and Pamela Hughes Patenaude, a prominent housing policy expert and former deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, to its board of directors. "We are at a critical point in our growth trajectory as a new public company focused on expanding and enhancing our technology-powered products and services to continue providing seamless experiences for our customers throughout their home ownership journey," said loanDepot Founder, Chairman and CEO Anthony Hsieh. "Mike is well known for his unique ability to build strong customer relationships and brands, and Pam has extensive experience solving complex problems in the real estate and housing policy space. Together, they will be instrumental in helping our board and management to drive long term value for our stakeholders by delivering on our mission to delight customers and exceed their expectations." "It is an extraordinary opportunity to serve on the board of a company that clearly understands the importance of having a recognizable and trustworthy brand that resonates with its core customers," said Linton. "As remarkable as its first 11 years have been in building its esteemed reputation, loanDepot has incredible potential to reach and impact even more customers by building on its track record of introducing innovative products and services." "loanDepot has been a true disruptor in the mortgage industry and built an incredibly strong business by anticipating the housing market and setting the pace for others to follow," said Patenaude. "It is an honor to join the board, Anthony and his team as they embrace the opportunities in this constantly shifting mortgage market and continue to innovate at the forefront of this industry." Mike Linton Linton brings more than 35 years of experience in product marketing and customer experience management. He joined Ancestry, the global leader in family history and consumer genomics, as chief revenue officer in September 2019 to lead consumer and product marketing with a focus on accelerating growth and continuing to build a global brand that consumers love and trust. Prior to Ancestry, he served as the chief marketing officer of Farmers Insurance where his responsibilities included strategic planning, marketing, research, internal and external communications, customer experience and managing the company's digital and mobile efforts. Prior to that, Linton has held various positions at companies, including eBay, Procter & Gamble and Progressive Insurance. He also served as Best Buy's first chief marketing officer. Linton is currently on the board of directors of Medical Solutions and The Wine Group and advises several early-stage companies. He previously served on the boards of Peet's Coffee & Tea, Allen Edmonds and Capella Education. Among numerous recognitions, he was named one of the 30 most influential marketers three times by Ad Age and has been awarded four Effies and a Valiente in addition to being elected to the Retail Advertising Hall of Fame. In 2017, Linton was also named one of the 50 most innovative chief marketing officers in the world by Business Insider and client of the year by ThinkLA. Linton received his undergraduate degree from Bowling Green State University and his MBA from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. Pamela Hughes Patenaude Patenaude is an accomplished real estate, housing policy and disaster recovery expert with a three-decade track record of success as an executive in government, the nonprofit sector and private industry. Patenaude served as the deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and managed the day-to-day operations of the $52 billion cabinet level agency with a diverse portfolio of federal housing and community development programs and more than 7,000 employees located in 65 offices nationwide. She currently serves on the board of directors for Habitat for Humanity International and the Bipartisan Policy Center. Patenaude is a trustee and vice chairman of the Home Builders Institute, and a member of the FDIC Advisory Committee on Economic Inclusion. Patenaude is the principal of Granite Housing Strategies, LLC, where she serves as a strategic advisor for clients engaged in real estate development, affordable housing and disaster recovery management. Patenaude recently served as an independent director of CoreLogic, Inc., where she was a member of the audit and compensation committees. Patenaude previously served as the President of the J. Ronald Terwilliger Foundation for Housing America's Families, a national nonprofit, education, and research organization dedicated to illuminating America's affordable housing crisis. Patenaude was the first recipient of the CoreLogic EPIQ Impact Award and was honored as one of Housing Wire magazine's "2013 Woman of Influence." Patenaude earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Saint Anselm College and a Master of Science degree in community economic development from Southern New Hampshire University. About loanDepot loanDepot is a contemporary financial services company dedicated to delivering a best-in-class experience to its mortgage purchase and refinance customers. Launched in 2010, loanDepot offers a diversified network of retail and partner business channels, uniquely positioning it to serve a wide range of customers. Headquartered in Southern California, loanDepot has funded more than $350 billion in mortgage loans since its founding and currently ranks as the second largest retail nonbank lender and one of the leading retail mortgage lenders in the United States. Committed to serving the communities in which its team members live and work, loanDepot has donated millions of dollars to support a variety of local, regional and national philanthropic efforts, most recently giving more than $2.5 million to help with COVID-related efforts for first responders, healthcare workers, individuals and families nationwide. loanDepot is a founding sponsor of War Heroes on Water, which supports ongoing therapeutic healing services for combat-wounded veterans nationwide. Investor Relations Contact: Gerhard Erdelji SVP, Investor Relations (949) 822-4074 [email protected] Media Contact: Rebecca Anderson SVP, Strategic Communications & Public Relations (949) 822-4024 [email protected] LDI-IR SOURCE loanDepot, Inc. SOUTHFIELD, Mich., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mike Morse Law Firm, Michigan's largest personal injury firm, is thrilled to announce a $716,000 verdict against Allstate Insurance Company in one of the first car accident jury trials in Michigan since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mike Morse, attorney and founder of Mike Morse Law Firm, along with attorneys Chris Filiatraut, Eric Simpson, and Lewis Melfi, represented client Ralph Pefley in his fight for justice. Mr. Pefley was driving to work in rush hour traffic when he was rear ended, which pushed him into the car in front of him, and then shot him into the retaining wall in the center of oncoming traffic. The impact resulted in head, neck, back, and knee injuries, which required a full knee replacement and three level lumbar surgery. These devastating injuries also caused Mr. Pefley to experience chronic pain, which impaired his ability to drive a car and care for himself, and prevented him from returning to work and enjoying many of the activities he did prior to the accident. In trial, the defense attorney tried to show that some of Mr. Pefley's pain, particularly in the low back, was present before the crash, but the Mike Morse Law Firm trial team proved the injuries were in fact in different areas than the client's pre-existing injury. Morse, Filiatraut, Simpson, and Melfi focused on medical testimony and evidence to successfully argue this point and obtain a $716,000 verdict from the jury. Allstate will also be required to pay case evaluation sanctions and prevailing party costs. "Like most insurance companies, Allstate never offered our client what he was entitled to," said Morse. "So we took the case to trial, and we're very pleased with the jury's decision and the justice we were able to get for him." About Mike Morse Law Firm Since 1995, the Mike Morse Law Firm has been protecting the rights of Michigan auto accident and injury victims. They are Michigan's largest personal injury firm, specializing in auto, truck, pedestrian and motorcycle accidents as well as Social Security disability claims. Since opening their doors over 25 years ago, the firm has served over 25,000 clients and won over one billion dollars for them. Mike Morse Law Firm handles cases throughout the state of Michigan. SOURCE MIKE MORSE LAW FIRM Related Links http://www.855mikewins.com WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study reports weakened antibody responses to COVID-19 mRNA vaccines among most patients with multiple myeloma, a common form of bone-marrow cancer associated with an immunocompromised state. The research, scheduled for publication by the journal Leukemia, was carried out at the Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research (IMBCR) in West Hollywood, California under the direction of James Berenson, MD, its Medical and Scientific Director, in collaboration with Emory infectious diseases fellow Samuel Stampfer, MD. Patients with smoldering myeloma, not requiring treatment, all achieved a good response to COVID-19 vaccination, whereas less than half of patients with active myeloma requiring treatment did. Specifically, only 45 percent of active patients fully responded to the mRNA vaccines whereas less than a quarter showed a partial response and one-third did not respond to the vaccines above background antibody levels. Serum samples from 103 multiple myeloma patients were obtained prior to vaccination and 2-3 weeks after administration of the first and second vaccines and compared to a group of agematched healthy controls. Predictors of reduced antibody responses to the vaccines included: older age, impaired renal function, low lymphocyte counts, reduced uninvolved antibody levels, past first line of treatment, and those not in complete remission. Notably, nearly two-thirds of patients who received the Moderna vaccine responded whereas only approximately a quarter who received the Pfizer vaccine did. "Based on these data, myeloma patients may need to continue social distancing following COVID-19 vaccination, and postvaccine antibody tests may help guide decisions regarding supplementary vaccination or antibody prophylaxis for this vulnerable population," says Emory infectious diseases researcher Samuel Stampfer, who co-designed the clinical study under the guidance of senior author James Berenson. Dr. Berenson stated: "This study highlights the importance of recognizing the limitations of current vaccination approaches to COVID-19 for immune compromised patients and that new approaches will have to be developed to improve their protection from this dangerous infection. It also suggests that there may be clinically significant differences in the effectiveness of different COVID-19 vaccines for immune compromised patients. Until these advances occur, it means that myeloma patients will need to remain very careful even if they have been vaccinated through wearing their masks and avoiding contact with unvaccinated individuals." The "correlates of protection," or the threshold of antibodies or other immune cells needed for protection, have not been formally established for COVID-19 vaccination. As an interim estimate, the authors selected levels of antibody against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein of more than 250 International Units/milliliter (mL) as "good" because 94 percent of the controls achieved that level, along with a report that COVID-19 survivors with antibodies above 147 IU/ml did not develop any reinfections within six months. Below 250 IU/ml, but above background (50 IU/mL) was considered to be a partial response. One vaccinated myeloma patient did become infected after direct exposure to other COVID-19 infected individuals, after his anti-spike antibody levels declined from 608 to 126 IU/ml six weeks after his second vaccination. Senior author Dr. Berenson is the founder and Medical and Scientific Director of the Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research, West Hollywood, CA which funded the study and tested his clinic patients for COVID-19 antibody responses in the Institute's research laboratory. Dr. Stampfer is now in Rama Amara's lab at Emory Vaccine Center/Yerkes National Primate Research Center and is supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (T32AI074492). Contact: Jessica Yataco, [email protected] SOURCE Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research Related Links https://imbcr.org WESTBOROUGH, Mass., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- My-Take LLC, a greater Boston-based research & insights technology company, has been recognized as one of GreenBook's most innovative suppliers in market research in this year's annual GRIT "Top 50 Most Innovative Suppliers" list. Within a list that included several Fortune 500 companies, My-Take appeared as number 22 in the technology category. The GreenBook GRIT reports are the most read and cited strategic planning reports in the world of insights. These reports provide updates on industry trends and deep analysis. The "GRIT Top 50 Most Innovative Companies" list, included in the Business & Innovation edition of the GRIT report, provides a look at the top research-focused organizations in different categories. "We are excited to have been ranked amongst the GRIT Top 50 for the second consecutive year. Continual improvement is a core value for our company. Our team continues to deliver leading edge innovation in insight communities through our relentless focus on the customer." - Todd Hoskins, Co-founder So far in 2021, My-Take has had many enhancements and new features added to the platform. One notable new feature to highlight is the Experiences: Online UX Tool . Experiences is a digital UX testing activity that allows organizations to understand customer behavior and opinions on digital assets such as websites and programs. "For over 10 years, My-Take has helped brands and organizations understand their customers better through continuous feedback powered through our insight community platform and team of remarkable researchers. We are grateful to appear among the top organizations in the industry and be recognized for our platform innovation." - Rich Armstrong, Co-founder About My-Take: My-Take is a greater Boston-based consumer insight technology and analytics company that offers an advanced insight community platform and a team of professional researchers to deliver actionable insights for clients. For more information, visit: https://www.my-take.com/ SOURCE My-Take Related Links https://www.my-take.com/ MIAMI, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Miami-based startup, Mytaverse (formerly Gathr), in conjunction with Asian Sky Group (ASG) is pleased to announce its three-dimensional fully-immersive exhibition and conference for business aviation. To be held between September 14-16, 2021, the hybrid-reality conference known as Asian Sky Group Virtual Exhibition & Conference (ASGVEC) can be attended with a complimentary registration by anyone from anywhere in the world. Clients in Mytaverse having Work Space meeting Client Event Hall with participant avatars in attendance The exhibit hall and attendee booths, accessible throughout the conference, are familiar to OEMs, operators, owners, and vendors, with the show floor organized for easy access and browsing, and booths available for private conversations. "Mytaverse and ASG have jointly created a digital showroom with photo-realistic 3D virtual aircraft models accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The detail-rich and three-dimensional immersive event is a fine example of how the hybrid work space will evolve in a post-COVID world," said Jaime Lopez, CTO, and Co-founder, Mytaverse. Good news for the event's organizers is that just shy of 50 exhibitors, including NetJets and Sino Jet, have confirmed participation along with nearly 100 speakers set to present over the course of the three days. Moving seamlessly around the venue will be hundreds of attendees embodying Mytaverse avatars. With the opportunity to pop into any of the many vendor's booths, hands will always remain free as interesting brochures and other materials can be stored in a digital briefcase--one click and the document is yours. "Especially exciting is the participation of Dassault Aviation for whom we are creating their "Falcon World" virtual showroom complete with an 8X and 6X on static display available for showings. We kind of look at this opportunity as a perfect example of how companies like Dassault are creatively using technology to differentiate from their competition by interacting with customers in new ways," added Kennth Landau, CEO and Co-founder of Mytaverse. In a hurry to get to a meeting or hear one of the interesting talks, just use Mytaverse's unique offering of "teleporting" between meeting rooms, the showroom or vendor's booths. The Mytaverse team looks at the ASGVEC as the perfect kind of event where the commitment to evolving the concept of the metaverse and hybrid work can really be demonstrated. The Mytaverse strives to take any real-world problem and then to solve it with the limitless bounty of hybrid reality (Video here). Jeffrey C. Lowe, CEO, ASG & Asian Sky Media, noted, "We believe the Mytaverse Experience provides a secure and easy option for more people to attend conferences and trade shows and will enhance the opportunities for all industry participants even after COVID restrictions are lifted." Let's hope Mr. Lowe is right about that--see you at the ASGVEC. ABOUT MYTAVERSE Founded in 2020 and based in Miami FL, GathR Virtual Studios, Inc. created Mytaverse to meet demand for hybrid and augmented reality meetings and workspaces. As a fully immersive platform using Epic Games Unreal Engine, Mytaverse offers shared and dynamic experiences for business, job simulations, education and more. Thanks to a hardware-agnostic approach, Mytaverse enables users from anywhere to enter using only their browser on their PC or Mac. Coming soon will be the mobile version which will enable Mytaverse anywhere, anytime, all the time. ABOUT ASIAN SKY GROUP Asian Sky Group is a business aviation transaction and consultancy company based in Hong Kong. Its wholly owned subsidiary Asian Sky Media publishes industry leading reports on the business jet, helicopter, and charter fleets, aviation infrastructure, and training schools across the region. It has been recognized by AsBAA as the Best Media Company in Asia-Pacific four years in a row. Media Contact: Brian Kean +1-305-336-0548 [email protected] SOURCE GathR Virtual Studios Inc NACCO Natural Resources represents the collective strength of our businesses, with the new tagline Bringing Natural Resources to Life. The website provides information about each of our businesses as well as investor information for NACCO Industries. nacco.com North American Coal has provided generations of dependability by operating surface coal mines for power generation and activated carbon applications. nacoal.com North American Mining is a trusted mining partner for producers of aggregates, lithium and other minerals. namining.com Mitigation Resources of North America provides stream and wetland mitigation solutions that responsibly restore and enhance ecological resources. mitigate.pro Catapult Mineral Partners acquires and promotes the development of mineral interests. catapultmp.com "The introduction of NACCO Natural Resources and the new logos and websites for each of the businesses comes at an exciting time for the company, as we honor our strong legacy as a leading mining company and recognize our success in growing strong and competitive new businesses that leverage our core skills," said J.C. Butler, President and Chief Executive Officer of NACCO Industries. "This new approach unifies our identity and underscores our commitment to all of our businesses, while creating an umbrella under which we will focus on executing our two key strategies Protect the Core and Grow and Diversify." About NACCO Industries NACCO Industries brings natural resources to life by delivering aggregates, minerals, reliable fuels and environmental solutions through its robust portfolio of NACCO Natural Resources businesses. Learn more about our companies at nacco.com or get investor information at ir.nacco.com. **** SOURCE NACCO Industries Related Links https://nacco.com Allogenic cell therapy is among the most researched areas today and is on the verge of technology breakthrough. There are already assets in clinical trials globally. Neukio focuses on the development and commercialization of allogenic cell therapies from the iPSC-CAR-NK axis, through a combined approach of in-house innovation and external collaboration with world leading partners, for treating cancer patients worldwide. Dr. Richard Wang, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Neukio has extensive expertise and R&D management experience in the biopharmaceutical field in the US and China, and served as founding CEO of Fosun Kite, a joint venture between Fosun Pharma and Kite Pharma prior to establishing Neukio. He led Fosun Kite completed CMC tech transfer of Yescarta, construction of GMP production facilities, registration clinical trials and NDA filing in less than three years, and made Yescarta the first marketing approved CAR-T product in China by the NMPA. Dr. Wang commented, "launch of Neukio from the Life Science Park of Shanghai Free Trade Zone, embarks our mission to make 0 to 1 innovation, and shows our confidence in allogenic off-the-shelf cell therapies. We really appreciate the funding support from well-known venture investors in the field, leading by Lilly Asia Venture with participation of IDG Capital and Sherpa Investments, who recognized our core team capabilities and supported our innovative approaches, and whom we share the same vision and commitment to saving patient lives." The founding managing partner of Lilly Asia Venture, Dr. Yi SHI commented that the clinical efficacy of cell therapy is exciting, and the development of universal product is an important way for cell therapy to truly move towards a wide range of clinical applications. We are very optimistic about the future of NK cells and believe that under the leadership of Dr. Wang, Neukio will be able to make a breakthrough contribution to the field of cell therapy for the benefit of patients in China and around the world. IDG Capital investment director Mr. Haoyue HU emphasized that cell therapy will be an important weapon in human fight against cancers. With the deepening understanding of immuno-oncology, and advancement of gene editing technologies, different types of cell therapy will continue to expand the boundaries of cancer therapy. iPSC-CAR-NK is the latest development of cell therapy technology, which has potential for scale-up production as an allogeneic universal product, and has already shown preliminary evidence of clinical efficacy. We believe that under the leadership of Dr. Wang, Neukio will become a pioneer in this field, bringing more effective and accessible cell therapies to patients. Sherpa Healthcare Partner Mr. Daqing CAI praised that Dr. Wang is a leader in China's biopharmaceutical sector. Under his strong leadership, Fosun Kite has achieved leading cell therapy position in China through solid milestone deliveries. Now Dr. Wang has started from scratch, choosing to embark on a new journey from 0 to 1 in the iPSC-CAR-NK field that offers both great opportunities and uncertainties. We Sherpas are honored to work with other famous investors to help Neukio pave the ways, build bridges and climb new peaks. SOURCE Neukio Biotherapeutics JACKSONVILLE, Fla., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Novitas Solutions, Inc. (Novitas) has been awarded the Jurisdiction L (JL) contract by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The contract covers Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the Washington D.C. Metro Area (Arlington and Fairfax counties in Va., the city of Alexandria, Va., the District of Columbia, and Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland). Novitas has held the JL contract since 2012. "I am extremely pleased that CMS has awarded this contract to Novitas. Not only does this demonstrate our strong performance in serving the provider community and beneficiaries in JL states, but it allows us to continue to offer the exceptional service our customers have come to expect. We are excited to continue our strategic partnership with CMS and for what our future holds. At the end of the day, everything we do and how we do it is for our ultimate customer. We are proud to be able to continue our work in performing administrative services on behalf of the federal government," CEO Harvey Dikter said. After a competitive process, CMS awarded Novitas the contract with one-year base period with six one-year options. According to CMS, JL includes more than three million Medicare beneficiaries, more than 108,000 physicians and 506 hospitals that serve Medicare patients. As the Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC), Novitas will continue to perform administrative services processing and pay claims for both Parts A and B of the Medicare program. Novitas also holds the MAC JH contract which serves Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. About Novitas Solutions, Inc. (www.novitas-solutions.com) Novitas Solutions, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Diversified Service Options, Inc., doing business as GuideWell Source, a subsidiary of GuideWell Mutual Holding Corporation. Novitas provides administrative services processing for government-sponsored health care programs on behalf of the federal government and currently administers the MAC contracts for Jurisdiction L and Jurisdiction H, which span 11 states and Washington D.C. CONTACT: Laura Flood, [email protected] SOURCE Novitas Solutions, Inc. ATLANTA, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Last week, Peach State Health Plan partnered with the Morehouse School of Medicine to host the "Bridging the Gap on the COVID-19 Vaccine" panel to discuss Georgia's ongoing efforts to increase COVID-19 vaccinations across Georgia. The panel, which consisted of state officials, medical experts, and community leaders answered questions to address the many factors that contribute to vaccinate hesitancy and how to overcome them. During the discussion, moderated by Peach State Health Plan's Chief Medical Director, Dr. James Richardson, panelist answered specific questions focused on the importance of the vaccine's role in personal health, misconceptions about receiving the vaccine, and how increasing vaccine numbers is critical in the ongoing battle against COVID-19. These questions, provided from the moderator and guests from the audience, show the many issues facing ongoing vaccination efforts. "This panel discussion was an eye-opening look at many of the issues that are contributing to vaccine hesitancy," said Dr. James Richardson, Chief Medical Director for Peach State Health Plan. "We know that this can be a tough subject to tackle in the community, but it is vital to preserving the long-term health of Georgia's citizens. The panelists' comments and discussion will truly go a long way in our efforts." Georgia ranks among the bottom 10 states for citizens who have received their COVID-19 vaccination. In addition to low overall numbers, Georgia has developed a serious gap in vaccinations in certain racial and geographic populations. The "Bridging the Gap on the COVID-19 Vaccine" panel was created to provide an open dialogue to address the concerns of those who are still hesitant to receive their vaccine. Placing emphasis on the safety of not only the individual, but the community as a whole, is the priority of both Peach State Health Plan and Morehouse School of Medicine. Since the vaccines have been available, efforts have been made to raise community awareness, promote vaccination safety, and provide locations to administer vaccinations to the public. These ongoing efforts are vital to preventing future outbreaks and to sustain the long-term health of Georgia's citizens. "The Morehouse School of Medicine has been committed to working with the Family Health Centers of Georgia to provide vaccines to everyone we can," Dr. Michael Brooks, President and CEO, Family Health Centers of Georgia. "Our efforts to educate residents in the community have helped quell many of the concerns with the vaccine. Discussions panels like this are vital to spreading awareness amongst the community and exchanging ideas among leaders to help us in our ongoing effort." "Peach State Health Plan strongly believes that the health of the individual is integral to the overall health of the community," said Wade Rakes, CEO and Plan President of Peach State Health Plan. "Providing our Georgia communities with the right tools, education and assistance to prioritize their health is just as important now as it was this time last year. We are grateful to Morehouse School of Medicine for their continued efforts to ensure these valuable resources are easily accessible." To be successful, information must be delivered on the ground and through individual communities. Georgia's overall health begins with the individual and is often led by members of the community. Last week's panel discussion was a perfect opportunity for community leaders to speak to issues that they see on the ground. Click here to view the event. "I am always happy to be speak on behalf of the community and provide any insight that will help keep people happy and healthy," said Harry Douglas, former Atlanta Falcon Wide Receiver. "Overcoming vaccine hesitancy is so important to the health of those living in communities around Atlanta and the rest of Georgia. Panels like this allow many who might be hesitant to hear critical information from a familiar voice." The following is the full list of panelists who contributed their vital insight during the "Bridging the Gap on the COVID-19 Vaccine" discussion: Dr. Kathleen Toomey, GA Dept. of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Michael Brooks, Family Health Centers of GA President and CEO Major General John King, GA Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner Wade Rakes, Peach State Health Plan President and CEO Harry Douglas, former Atlanta Falcon Wide Receiver/Non-Profit Founder Dr. Lilly Immergluck, Morehouse School of Medicine Dr. Michelle Nichols, Morehouse School of Medicine Pastor Anthony Corbett, Lundy Chapel Overseer Eric Bell, New Life International Ministries Dr. Gail Fowler, CEO & Superintendent Cirrus Academy Marvin Laster, CEO Boys & Girls Club of Albany About Peach State Health Plan (PSHP) Peach State Health Plan is a Care Management Organization that serves the needs of Georgians through a range of health insurance solutions. Peach State Health Plan serves the Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids population in partnership with Georgia Families. The organization also focuses on under-insured and uninsured individuals through its federal insurance marketplace plan, Ambetter, and its Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plan. Peach State Health Plan is a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a leading multi-line healthcare enterprise. For more information visit www.pshp.com. About Morehouse School of Medicine Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), located in Atlanta, Ga., was founded in 1975 as the Medical Education Program at Morehouse College. In 1981, MSM became an independently chartered institution. MSM is among the nation's leading educators of primary care physicians and was recently recognized as the top institution among U.S. medical schools for social mission. Our faculty and alumni are noted in their fields for excellence in teaching, research and public policy. MSM is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, Council on Education for Public Health, Liaison Committee on Medical Education and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. SOURCE Peach State Health Plan Related Links http://www.pshp.com As the organization welcomes its newest Board members, it bids farewell to now-former Board Chair, William Strahan, Executive Vice President, Human Resources, Comcast. William Strahan diligently served on PhilaWorks' Board of Directors for eight years and is replaced as Board Chair by Daniel Fitzpatrick, President, Citizens Bank of PA/NJ/DE. PhilaWorks also extends its gratitude and bids farewell to Board members, Norma Romero-Mitchell, Peter Tubolino, and Thomas (Bud) Tyler, each having served eight-year terms. "On behalf of the entire staff at Philadelphia Works and stakeholders from across the city's workforce system, I welcome the new appointees to our Board of Directors and thank Mayor Kenney for their appointments," said H. Patrick Clancy, president and CEO of Philadelphia Works. "New leadership on our Board brings fresh perspectives and innovative solutions that will prove vital as we continue towards economic recovery." Philadelphia Works' Board of Directors is comprised of a mandated mix of leaders from the private, non-profit, labor, and government sectors. They are responsible for steering both the strategic and financial decisions that provide economic opportunities to Philadelphia residents and sustainable growth to regional employers. The new appointees to Philadelphia Works' Board of Directors are: Stephanie L. Kosta, Vice President, Freedom Region Comcast Stephanie L. Kosta is Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs and Community Impact for Comcast's Freedom Region. Joining Comcast in September of 2016, she leads a talented team who support key advocacy and compliance initiatives in New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, and Northern Delaware. Stephanie is also responsible for Comcast's regional community investment partnerships and programs, including Internet Essentials, Leaders & Achievers Scholarships, and Comcast Foundation grants. Read more about Stephanie L. Kosta Edward Krawczyk, Administrator, Int'l Association of Heat & Frost Insulators & Allied Workers JAC Ed Krawczyk is the Administrator at the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers JAC (LU14) Training Center and serves as the union's Recording Secretary. Ed began his career with Local 14 as an apprentice in 2000 and completed his apprenticeship training in 2004. He has worked as a journeyman and foreman on various industrial, pharmaceutical, and commercial construction projects in the Philadelphia area. Read more about Edward Krawczyk Kimmell Proctor, CEO, Beyond Literacy A Philadelphia resident, Kimmell is committed to strengthening citywide community access to effective educational opportunities. With a combined twenty years of experience in education, strategic partnerships, and nonprofit services, Kimmell seeks to narrow achievement gaps and empower all learners with the knowledge, tools, and resources essential for success. Read more about Kimmell Proctor Susan Schonfeld, Executive Director, Community Integrated Services As Executive Director of CIS for over 30 years, Susan has overseen the agency's remarkable growth from a university pilot program to the region's largest supported employment agency serving over 2,000 people annually in Southeastern Pennsylvania and Delaware. Susan has become a "go-to" source of information and expertise in employment services for people with disabilities. Read more about Susan Schonfeld Jasmine Sessoms, SVP of Corporate Affairs, Hilco Redevelopment Partners Jasmine Sessoms is a civic, philanthropic, and political leader in the City of Philadelphia. She is a lifelong Philadelphian with a true passion for The City. Jasmine currently serves as Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Hilco Redevelopment Partners; in this role Jasmine oversees community and government outreach efforts and serves as a key liaison to constituent groups throughout the City of Philadelphia. Read more about Jasmine Sessoms Sarah Steltz, Deputy Director and Chief of Staff, Department of Commerce, City of Philadelphia Sarah Steltz is the Deputy Commerce Director and Chief of Staff in the Department of Commerce for the City of Philadelphia. Prior to joining the City in February of 2021, Sarah served as University City District's (UCD) Vice President of Workforce Solutions and Executive Director of the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative (WPSI). Read more about Sarah Steltz About Philadelphia Works: Philadelphia Works, Inc., the city's workforce development board, is a non-profit, quasi-public organization serving employers and connecting career seekers to employment and training opportunities. We invest public resources in a variety of workforce solutions that drive economic growth, influence the public workforce policies, and optimize funding and resources to build a skilled and thriving workforce. For more information, please visit philaworks.org. Our Mission: To develop and manage smart workforce solutions that respond to business needs and increase economic opportunity for all Philadelphia residents. Our Vision: A thriving Philadelphia workforce, a stronger local economy. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philaworks Twitter: https://twitter.com/Philaworks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/philaworks Contact: Dawn Thomas [email protected] SOURCE Philadelphia Works Related Links https://www.philaworks.org/ Receive FREE Sample Report in Minutes! Key Highlights Offered in the Report: Information on how to identify strategic and tactical negotiation levels that will help achieve the best prices. Gain information on relevant pricing levels, detailed explanation of the pros and cons of prevalent pricing models. Methods to help engage with the right suppliers and discover KPI's to evaluate incumbent suppliers. Fetch actionable market insights on post COVID-19 impact on each product and service segments. Some of the Top Legal Services suppliers listed in this report: This Legal Services procurement intelligence report has enlisted the top suppliers and their cost structures, SLA terms, best selection criteria, and negotiation strategies. Linklaters LLP DLA Piper LLP Pinsent Masons LLP Herbert Smith Freehills LLP Fetch actionable market insights on post COVID-19 impact on each product and service segments: www.spendedge.com/report/legal-services-market-procurement-research-report Related Reports on Professional Services Include: Catering - Forecast and Analysis : This report offers key advisory and intelligence to help buyers identify and shortlist the most suitable suppliers for their catering requirements. Some of the leading catering suppliers are profiled extensively in this report. This report offers key advisory and intelligence to help buyers identify and shortlist the most suitable suppliers for their catering requirements. Some of the leading catering suppliers are profiled extensively in this report. Legal Services Sourcing and Procurement Report : The legal services will grow at a CAGR of 2.91% during 2021-2025 . This report evaluates suppliers based on compliance with inland and overseas, specialized knowledge, technical abilities, and proven track record. The legal services will grow at a . This report evaluates suppliers based on compliance with inland and overseas, specialized knowledge, technical abilities, and proven track record. Integrated Facility Management - Sourcing and Procurement Intelligence Report: The integrated facility management will grow at a CAGR of 8.58% during 2021-2025. Prices will increase by 2.25%-3.25% during the forecast period and suppliers will have a moderate bargaining power in this market.. To access the definite purchasing guide on the Legal Services that answers all your key questions on price trends and analysis: Am I paying/getting the right prices? Is my Legal Services TCO (total cost of ownership) favorable? How is the price forecast expected to change? What is driving the current and future price changes? Which pricing models offer the most rewarding opportunities? Table of Content Executive Summary Market Insights Category Pricing Insights Cost-saving Opportunities Best Practices Category Ecosystem Category Management Strategy Category Management Enablers Suppliers Selection Suppliers under Coverage US Market Insights Category scope Appendix About SpendEdge: SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions. Contacts: SpendEdge Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340 https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us SOURCE SpendEdge CTPS at QPS Taiwan was the primary testing facility for the toxicity study of the novel vaccine. The researchers accepted the first clinical cases in October 2020 and completed the studies in just a few months. The team met all scientific objectives, analyzed all endpoints, and reported all outcomes as scheduled. "We recognized the urgency of the global demand for a 'just-in-time' solution to join the fight against COVID-19 and made available the most expedient study schedule to our client for the kick-off," said Charlene Chen, Deputy General Manager and Head of CTPS at QPS Taiwan. The team of researchers at CTPS at QPS Taiwan listened to the needs of its partner, delivering prompt and flexible study execution, frequent and thorough reporting, and on-the-fly responses to inquiries and requests. Keeping in mind optimal toxicity study designs and addressing specific requirements and concerns of the regulatory review, the researchers generated weekly updates of the ongoing study. These updates kept the client and the regulatory review abreast of the latest study advancements and outcomes. Despite the rapid pace of research, the quality of these interim reports remained consistent with the team's usual high standard for study reporting. QPS Taiwan was able to provide further support to the vaccine development effort through the QPS Unitix division. QPS Unitix deployed a legion of study nurses across four medical centers to recruit over 50 percent of the eligible subjects required for the trial in just two months. "QPS has been an integral member of the local community in Taiwan for over 20 years, providing support to the pharma and biotech industries," Chen said, "and we are committed to responding to the needs of both the community and our clients." With the support of QPS Taiwan, Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp has delivered a new tool in the arsenal to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. ABOUT QPS HOLDINGS, LLC QPS is a global contract research organization (CRO) providing discovery, preclinical, and clinical drug development services since 1995. The company accelerates pharmaceutical breakthroughs across the globe by delivering custom-built research services. An award-winning leader focused on bioanalytics and clinical trials, QPS is known for proven quality standards, technical expertise, a flexible approach to research, client satisfaction, and turnkey laboratories and facilities. QPS has CLIA-certified and GLP-compliant laboratories ready to fast-track your novel coronavirus and COVID-19 RT-qPCR/QPCR, serological assays, and vaccine development programs. For more information, visit www.qps.com or email [email protected] . QPS CONTACT: Name: Gabrielle Pastore Phone: 1-302-635-4290 Email: [email protected] SOURCE QPS Related Links http://www.qps.com MONROE, N.J., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, REAL WORDS, a publishing and news service company at https://New-World-Unity.com, announced their new book "THE POWER OF UNITY," complementing their Facebook Group "Challenging Ideas To Change The World," which has attracted over 100% new awareness since its inception only 5 months ago. "Bleeding Edge" Thinker Creates World-Changing Formulation Due to the global crises not having gained sufficient traction to offer demonstrable solutions, our company continues to work arduously to keep our critical challenges in the forefront of the public. REAL WORDS Owner/President Jeff Kolber attributes the company's upcoming success to the positive feedback captured across social media platforms as we continue to propose new solutions. Because it has become apparent that our world is in a state of quicksand, REAL WORDS is using the following tactics to gain stronger momentum: Our budget has expanded to bring more robust resources to its mission of providing the public with the most up-to-date news and ideas to stimulate action to address our global dilemmas. By having mailed dozens of copies of our new book to world leaders and experts, the company envisions this will provide them with the ability to kickstart the global recovery that many of us are still wondering what the next steps will be. It is because our company believes "we shall not go gently into that night" as the planet collapses around us, that "THE POWER OF UNITY" will be the book that shows the G-7, Paris Peace Conference and the UN how not just to plan for what needs to be done but also to show the actions that need to be initiated to avoid climate failure and rebuild the lives of the people. And by doing so, we will be able to establish a sustainable and renewed future for all people and all nations. The book is available now at $14.95 with a promotional discount of 70% to the first 100 responders at https://New-World-Unity.com/Contact/ Media Contact Jeffrey Kolber, Owner/President REAL WORDS LLC (609) 495-7688 [email protected] TWITTER https://twitter.com/BrainiacWho FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/groups/894871354604716 SOURCE REAL WORDS LLC STAMFORD, Conn., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ReneSola Ltd ("ReneSola Power" or the "Company") (www.renesolapower.com) (NYSE: SOL), a leading fully integrated solar project developer, today announced the signing of a strategic partnership agreement with Emeren, a London, United Kingdom-based project developer specialized in the development of renewable energy power plants in Europe and other international markets, to co-develop ground-mounted solar projects in Italy, with a pipeline of several transactions scheduled for 2021. As part of the agreement, ReneSola Power and Emeren will develop projects in a broad range of sizes across the country, with a target of reaching 110 MW shovel-ready projects by 2022. The two companies expect the collaboration to further strengthen their presence in the Italian market. Mr. Josef Kastner, CEO of ReneSola Power European Region, commented, "We are excited to work together with Emeren. ReneSola Power is committed to accelerating solar development in Europe, and together with Emeren, we expect to bring a range of high-quality projects to the Italian market, enabling further growth in the region." Mr. Yumin Liu, ReneSola Power Chief Executive Officer, added, "The co-development agreement with Emeren aligns with our growth strategy, enabling us to expand our project development activities in Italy. We look forward to pursuing other opportunities to co-develop projects across Europe." Enrico Bocchi, Chief Operating Officer of Emeren, said, "We are very pleased to enter into a cooperation with such a renowned international player. Our experienced development team and our local presence in the key European solar markets are highly valued by our clients. This agreement with ReneSola Power represents another major step towards the expansion of Emeren's positive impact in the solar market." About ReneSola Power ReneSola Power (NYSE: SOL) is a leading global solar project developer and operator. The Company focuses on solar power project development, construction management and project financing services. With local professional teams in more than 10 countries around the world, the business is spread across a number of regions where the solar power project markets are growing rapidly, and can sustain that growth due to improved clarity around government policies. The Company's strategy is to pursue high-margin project development opportunities in these profitable and growing markets; specifically, in the U.S. and Europe, where the Company has a market-leading position in several geographies, including Poland, Hungary, Minnesota and New York. About Emeren Limited Emeren is a developer of utility-scale solar power and battery storage projects with a geographically diversified pipeline in various stages of development. Currently, the Company has over 1GW of projects under development (mid- to early- stage), all backed by institutional investors' capital. Emeren has leveraged on trusted partnerships with tier-1 international financial and industrial players in order to deploy top-notch financial solutions. For additional information about the Company, follow Emeren on LinkedIn or visit www.emeren.co.uk. SOURCE ReneSola Ltd. Related Links http://www.renesolapower.com PHILADELPHIA, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- READ THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY. YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS MAY BE AFFECTED WHETHER YOU ACT OR DO NOT ACT. If you purchased Super S Supertrac 303 Tractor Hydraulic Fluid, Super S 303 Tractor Hydraulic Fluid, Cam2 ProMax 303 Tractor Hydraulic Oil, and/or Cam2 303 Tractor Hydraulic Oil from Tractor Supply Company (including Del's Feed & Farm Supply), Orscheln Farm and Home, Rural King, and/or Atwood Stores between December 1, 2013, and the present, a Class Action Lawsuit and Settlement with the Four Retailer Defendants Could Affect Your Rights The purpose of this notice is to inform you that a $7,200,000.00 class-action settlement (the "Proposed Retailer Settlement") has been reached with the four Retailer Defendants in a lawsuit regarding the sale and use of Super S Supertrac 303 Tractor Hydraulic Fluid, Super S 303 Tractor Hydraulic Fluid, Cam2 ProMax 303 Tractor Hydraulic Oil, and/or Cam2 303 Tractor Hydraulic Oil ("303 THF Products"). The Proposed Retailer Settlement settles claims against Retailer Defendants Tractor Supply Company, Orscheln Farm and Home LLC, Rural King, and Atwood, together with each of their affiliates, divisions, subsidiaries, and assigns (collectively referred to as "Retailer Defendants") that were asserted in a Multi-District Litigation ("MDL") lawsuit. Plaintiffs believe that the primary claims in the MDL are against Smitty's Supply, Inc. and CAM2 International, LLC (collectively referred to as "Manufacturer Defendants"), and those claims are proceeding in the MDL and have not been settled. The Proposed Retailer Settlement may affect your rights. For comprehensive information about the lawsuit and settlement, including the longer notice of settlement and the Retailer Settlement Agreement and Release with the precise terms and conditions of the Retailer Settlement, please see www.303tractorhydraulicfluidsettlement.com or call 1-866-742-4955. You may also access the Court docket in this case through the Court's Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system at www.mow.uscourts.gov/ or by visiting the office of the Office of the Clerk of Court, United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, 400 E. 9th Street, Kansas City, Missouri, 64106, between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding Court holidays. The MDL lawsuit is titled In Re: Smitty's/CAM2 303 Tractor Hydraulic Fluid Marketing, Sales Practices, and Product Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2936, Case No. 4:20-MD-02936-SRB, pending before the Honorable Judge Stephen R. Bough in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Please do not telephone the Court or the Court Clerk's Office to inquire about the Proposed Settlement or the claim process. In the MDL lawsuit, Plaintiffs allege (1) that the Manufacturing Defendants' 303 THF Products did not meet the equipment manufacturers' specifications or provide the performance benefits listed on the product labels, (2) that the 303 THF Products were made with inappropriate ingredients, including used transformer oil, used turbine oil, and line flush, and (3) that use of the 303 THF Products in equipment causes damage to various parts of the equipment. Because of the used oil and line flush contained in the 303 THF Products, Plaintiffs allege that those 303 THF Products should not be used as tractor hydraulic fluid and that the fluid should be flushed from equipment systems if one can afford the cost of doing so. The Manufacturer Defendants have denied the allegations and claims of wrongdoing, and the claims against those Manufacturer Defendants are ongoing. The Retailer Defendants deny any allegations and claims of wrongdoing on their part. The Court has not decided who is right or made a final ruling on Plaintiffs' claims. Plaintiffs and the Retailer Defendants have agreed to the Proposed Settlement as to the Retailer Defendants' liability to avoid the risk and expense of further litigation. You may be a member of the Retailer Settlement Class if you purchased the above-listed 303 THF Products from December 1, 2013, to the present from Tractor Supply Company (including its Del's Feed and Farm Supply locations), Orscheln Farm and Home, Rural King or Atwood. If you are a member of the Retailer Settlement Class, you may need to submit a Class Membership Form to be eligible for benefits, and you also may be eligible to submit a Repair/Parts/Specific Equipment Damage Claim Form. Please see www.303tractorhydraulicfluidsettlement.com for a copy of the Class Membership Form and Repair/Parts/Specific Equipment Damage Claim Form or call 1-866-742-4955 to request a Class Membership Form and Claim Form be mailed to you. The deadline to file your claim is December 29, 2021. In order to maximize efficiency, proceeds from this Retailer Settlement will be held for distribution at such a point in time after monies, if any, have been received in settlement or judgment for the Litigation Class claims against the Manufacturer Defendants. Please be patient and check the website for updates. If you do not want to be legally bound by the Proposed Retailer Settlement, you must exclude yourself by December 29, 2021. If you do not exclude yourself, you will release any claims you may have against the Retailer Defendants, as more fully described in the Retailer Settlement Agreement. You may object to the Proposed Retailer Settlement by December 29, 2021. The Long Form Notice, available at www.303tractorhydraulicfluidsettlement.com or upon request, explains how to exclude yourself or object. The Court will decide whether to approve the Proposed Retailer Settlement at the Final Fairness Hearing on January 6, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. Class Counsel also will ask that the Court award up to $2,300,000.00 in attorneys' fees, $300,000.00 in expenses, and an incentive payment of $500 for each of the class representatives. The amounts awarded for attorneys' fees, expenses, and incentive awards come out of the Retailer Settlement Class Fund. This date for the hearing may change; see www.303tractorhydraulicfluidsettlement.com BY ORDER OF U.S. DISTRICT COURT A federal court authorized this notice. This is not a solicitation from a lawyer. SOURCE RG/2 Related Links https://www.rg2claims.com/services.html STOCKHOLM, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Securitas, the world's leading intelligent protective services partner, has agreed to acquire Tepe Guvenlik A.S., a leading electronic security company in Turkey. Through this acquisition, Securitas becomes number two in the monitoring market in Turkey, and the acquisition is in line with the Group's strategy of doubling its security solutions and electronic security sales by 2023. The purchase price is approximately MEUR 10 (MSEK 100) on a debt-free basis. In 2020, Tepe Guvenlik's annual sales were approximately MEUR 8.5 (MSEK 85), of which more than 70 percent were on a recurring monthly revenue basis. The company has 250 employees and operations mainly in Ankara and Istanbul, including an operation center and a nationwide technical service network. Tepe Guvenlik specializes in electronic security solutions, alarm systems and alarm monitoring for corporate clients, SME's and residentials. The company has more than 50 000 connections, representing a significant addition to Securitas' existing connection base in Turkey today. Peter Karlstromer, Divisional President Security Services Europe: "This is a unique acquisition opportunity in the Turkish alarm monitoring market and will consolidate Securitas position in this space. We are pleased to welcome Tepe's experienced team to Securitas and look forward to further developing our presence in and bringing innovations and solutions to our clients. This is a strategic milestone for our business in Turkey, significantly strengthening our security solutions and electronic security footprint in the country." The acquisition-related costs are expected to be approximately MSEK 13, to be recognized in the period 2021 to 2023. The acquisition is expected to be accretive to EPS as of 2023. The acquisition is subject to approval from competition authorities and is expected to be finalized during the third quarter of 2021. Further information: Investors: Micaela Sjokvist, Head of Investor Relations; +46 76 116 7443, [email protected] Media: Helena Andreas, SVP Communications & People, +46 10 470 30 20; [email protected] Securitas is the world's leading intelligent protective services partner. Our guarding, electronic security, fire and safety, and risk management solutions enable more than 150,000 clients to see a different world. We are present in 48 markets and our innovative, data-driven approach makes us a trusted partner to many of the world's best-known companies. Our 355,000 employees live our values of integrity, vigilance and helpfulness, and our purpose is to help make your world a safer place. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/securitas/r/securitas-acquires-leading-electronic-security-company-in-turkey,c3390766 The following files are available for download: SOURCE Securitas MIAMI, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Meals bring people together and Bombay Darbar embraces this to ensure success in their business but also feels a responsibility to have a positive social impact on their communities. 2020 will never be forgotten and the there are residual effects that filter down to families preparing for the school year. Touched by the stories of courage, resilience, and how communities supported each the Bombay Darbar Team will be donating money to the Lotus House for back to school supplies. Bombay Darbar Solomon Hwang, Anil Agrawal, Dariusz Werynski The other piece is bringing good food to their community to encourage families to create special moments. The restaurants draw from their Indian Heritage to bring meal options for everyone vegan, vegetarian, and the foodies. No one is left out at Bombay Darbar restaurants. The triumphalist claim has been overheard that Bombay Darbar can go toe to or tawa to tawa with Delhi and Mumbai! Ken Klein of QKapital Group had been searching for vegan restaurants when he found his longtime favorite Bombay Darbar "The plant-based cuisine is exceptional with well labeled vegan options on the menu. The samosas, and chana masala are not to be missed." Brining Indian Culture to Southern Florida is the mission. The chef's respect the various Indian food traditions. The menu is refined and adapted to bring the classic Indian cuisine with a modern culinary twist to the patrons. Recently, Bombay Darbar launched a very popular Bollywood Night and family Sunday Brunch at their Las Olas location situated in a prime bustling location. The Bollywood night has sparked enthusiasm to embrace the glamour of a night out in India. People loved venturing off on an exotic adventure with signature cocktails and dance the night away to retro and modern Indian beats. The Sunday Brunch 12-4pm is a smashing success people are raving about how Bombay Darbar is the jewel of Las Olas for families to celebrate, friends to gather, and best of all make lasting memories made each Sunday! Ft Lauderdale Location - 1521 E Las Olas Blvd Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 Coconut Grove Location - 2901 Florida Ave, Miami, FL 33133 Website www.bombaydarbar.com Media Contact: Michael Glovaski Glo Creative [email protected] 917-213-4473 SOURCE Bombay Darbar Related Links http://www.bombaydarbar.com CHICAGO, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE: TDS) and United States Cellular Corporation (NYSE: USM) will be webcasting their second quarter operating results conference call on August 6, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. central time. The companies will release their financial results on August 5, 2021 after market close. To listen to the webcast, please visit the events & presentations pages of investors.tdsinc.com or investors.uscellular.com . The presentations will be webcast both live and on-demand. It is recommended that you register at least 15 minutes before the beginning of the presentation to register, download and install any necessary multimedia streaming software. About TDS Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (TDS), a Fortune 1000 company, provides wireless; broadband, video and voice; and hosted and managed services to approximately 6 million connections nationwide through its businesses, UScellular, TDS Telecom, and OneNeck IT Solutions. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Chicago, TDS employed approximately 9,100 associates as of March 31, 2021. For more information about TDS and its subsidiaries, visit: TDS: www.tdsinc.com UScellular: www.uscellular.com TDS Telecom: www.tdstelecom.com OneNeck IT Solutions: www.oneneck.com SOURCE Telephone and Data Systems; United States Cellular Corporation Related Links http://www.teldta.com http://www.uscellular.com TORONTO, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tequity, an M&A advisory firm with an exclusive focus on global enterprise B2B Cloud, SaaS, and IT companies, acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Bubblebox Holdings, a Salesforce consulting partner, in their acquisition by VntCap Technologies, the parent company of Allant Group, a nationally recognized data-driven marketing firm. Tequity On his experience working with Tequity, Paul Gordon, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bubblebox says "Tequity are deal makers. They allowed us to continue to run our business while they did the heavy lifting in ensuring questions were answered throughout the process. We had the pleasure of working with Alex and Anish. Both are professional to the letter. They understand the importance of maintaining a good relationship throughout the process and work through any challenges that inevitably arise. We cannot thank them enough for their timely work and patience." Tracey Gordon, Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer added "Undertaking a merger or acquisition, whilst continuing to run a business (especially during a pandemic), should never be underestimated. Having the Tequity team manage the process allowed us to continue to focus on growing our business. Alex and Anish have a wealth of experience and are a pleasure to work with. I would highly recommend them. Paul and I are excited to grow the Bubblebox practice as part of Allant Group." Founded in 2008, Bubblebox is Salesforce consulting partner based out of Vancouver, British Columbia with an office in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with a strong brand presence in the Canadian ecosystem. The company provides services that empower marketers to efficiently and effectively leverage data from Salesforce's Marketing, Sales, Service and Experience Clouds. Bubblebox offers strategic consulting services in addition to their technical capabilities, helping customers realize the benefits of their investment in Salesforce. With the addition of Bubblebox, Allant is now positioned to deliver high-value, tailored solutions and services to customers. "We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Bubblebox to the VntCap Technologies family, which includes Allant Group. We look forward to quickly integrating Allant and Bubblebox services for the benefit of all our current and prospective customers," said Gaurav Issar, Allant's CEO and President. "Their strong reputation, deep Salesforce expertise and demonstrable client successes are a perfect fit with Allant's data, identity, marketing technology (MarTech) and analytical service offerings. With this acquisition, Allant can bring together strategic, technical and operational capabilities to provide immediate value to our client marketing efforts. I look forward to working closely with Paul and Tracey as senior members of the Allant executive team." "Tequity provided a great perspective that helped facilitate this process. They bring experience and knowledge in the enterprise SaaS market," added Gaurav. "Joining the Allant team allows us to continue to exceed customers' expectations as we have done for so many years and remain focused on customer success. This also allows us to further expand and grow our services in both the US and Canadian markets," said Paul Gordon. "There is a natural symbiotic benefit to the combined technical competence of Bubblebox and Allant." Tracey Gordon added "Customers are excited when our team brings ideas to life through technology. The synergies of our combined team will empower customers to exceed promises made to their businesses by personalizing the customer experience through leveraging data, technology and marketing strategy." Salesforce, Marketing Cloud, Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Experience Cloud and others are among the trademarks of salesforce.com, inc. About Bubblebox Bubblebox are Salesforce experts on top of ever-changing technology and firmly rooted in strategic, marketing (ExactTarget) know-how. The Bubblebox team works with leading global brands and small companies, leveraging data to drive engagement and revenues. Bubblebox brings a strategic, customer-service centric approach that addresses each client's unique needs. www.bubblebox.cloud About VntCap Technologies, LLC VntCap Technologies, LLC provides its subsidiary companies with a unique blend of viewpoints and experiences that deliver comprehensive guidance and oversight to its leadership teams. Unlike other investment firms that seek quicker financial returns from their investments, VntCap actively operates the companies within its investment portfolio for longer periods of time to achieve maximum valuation. Founded by a group of entrepreneurs from a cross-section of industries, the varied background of its members is what continues to create value in subsidiary companies such as Allant Group. www.vntcaptech.com About Allant Group Allant Group is a marketing services provider focused on supporting mid-market and emerging brands through a holistic set of offerings in support of marketers' customer engagement needs, including data integration and management, martech system integration, analytics and other application-layer integrations. Allant's expertise and market knowledge enables delivery through faster customer and 3rd party data integration, improved analytical insights, easy to understand data visualizations, and effective campaign management execution to enable targeted and personalized communication by marketers to acquire, retain and win back customers. Allant is a privately held company headquartered in the Chicago area. allantgroup.com About Tequity Tequity Advisors assists Enterprise B2B SaaS, Cloud, and IT companies with business growth and exit strategies. Our mission is simple: Achieve the best outcome for our clients. With decades of combined experience as executives, consultants, and owners of software and technology companies, we leverage our deep industry knowledge across tech ecosystems and our relationships with strategic, growth-focused buyers around the globe to drive successful M&A transactions. www.tequityadvisors.com Media Contact: Diane Horton, Managing Partner [email protected] +1 905.581.7424 SOURCE Tequity CHICAGO, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Interest in digital assets continues to soar, as more people than ever are beginning to explore decentralized finance. Against cash devaluation, Bitcoin is positioned as the vanguard of the crypto industry. Yet, Bitcoin represents only a fraction of rapidly evolving Decentralized Finance (DeFi) and Financial Technology (FinTech). While full of promise, these spaces are difficult to navigate. Dense with jargon and technical concepts, they can lead investors astray and discourage engagement. This itself leads to many missed opportunities. To wade through this jungle and leave a clear-cut path for investors to follow, The Tokenist is pleased to announce the launch of its Telegram channel. As a trustworthy source at the forefront of financial education, The Tokenist has made it its mission to track the shift from traditional finance to DeFi. The official Telegram channel will make this paradigm shift easier for everyone to follow. Perks to Joining The Tokenist Telegram Channel In the crypto space alone, there are dozens of news items daily. TheTokenist filters them out, using rigorous criteria to select breaking stories with the greatest impact on one's personal finance and the crypto space as a whole. While leveraging strategic partnerships , only those stories with data-driven insights will be shared. The Tokenist's global team will keep members up-to-date with multi-sourced news in the crypto / DeFi / Digital Asset / FinTech spaces, regardless of time zones. Without flooding you with notifications, as a member of TheTokenist Telegram channel, you will gain access to unbiased, incisive and filtered content, all for free. About The Tokenist The Tokenist is a 100% self-funded team of experts with relevant backgrounds in cryptocurrencies, private equity, and digital media consulting. The founding team understands both traditional finance and the disruptive potential of emerging technology. Yet, The Tokenist also prioritizes educational accessibility - making this space understandable for all. It will be more important than ever to separate the signal from the market noise in the upcoming years. No matter if you are a fan of Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, NFTs, or privacy coins, join the leading Telegram channel in the crypto space to receive a daily dose of valuable insights and emerging trends. The Tokenist will help you to better understand finance - and pave the road to financial freedom. Join the official Telegram channel here . Media contact: Tim Fries, [email protected] SOURCE Tokenist Media LLC Related Links https://tokenist.com/ DUBLIN, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Marine and Marine Management Software Market by Component (Software and Services), Location (Onboard and Onshore), Application (Crew Management, Port Management, and Reservation Management), Deployment Mode, End User, and Region - Global Forecast to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global marine and marine management software market size to grow from USD 1.7 billion in 2021 to USD 2.9 billion by 2026, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 11.2% during the forecast period. Various factors such as rising need to efficiently manage complex supply chain operations, increase sustainability across marine software industry, and increasing demand for centralized administrative of data to reduce overall shipment costs and enhance shipyard productivity are driving the adoption of the marine and marine management software and services market across the globe. COVID-19 is disrupting the world, businesses, and economies, thus impacting on the livelihood of people live, their interaction, and the way they manage their businesses. The ability to sustain has become the new normal for enterprises as they shift their focus from growth opportunities and concentrate on implementing drastic measures to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The competition among major marine software companies is expected to be furious as most upcoming projects are kept on hold due to the pandemic. Hence, several companies will fight to gain a single project. Businesses have already started their efforts to return back to normal and are facing multiple challenges on the customer as well as the operational side. In a short time, the COVID-19 outbreak has caused the shipping and maritime industry to face the nastiest circumstances as the workforce in these sectors has been shut down for the safety and prevention of the increase of the pandemic. This impediment has also been affected due to the standstill of all kinds of cargos via water or air during this isolation period as the transportation of such cargos in ships or through the air can be possibly carrying with it the virus from one port to another applicable for crew management and port management applications. All the trade chains, including the major import and export trade, is in the face with a breakdown. Moreover, a ban has also been imposed by various countries on the entry of containers and vessels that are being operated from other ports, especially those that are transported from China. Such obstructed operations have hampered with the logistics and operations of the maritime industry. The maritime, transport and shipping industry is coated with foremost challenges during these pandemic times. The cloud segment to have the larger market size during the forecast period By deployment mode, the marine and marine management software market has been segmented into on-premises and cloud. The market size of the cloud deployment mode is estimated to be larger during the forecast period. The cloud-based deployment helps businesses more efficiently process and report data findings, enhance collaboration, and enable decision-makers to get faster access to business intelligence leading to its higher adoption in the marine software across the globe. The SMEs segment to hold higher CAGR during the forecast period The marine and marine management software market has been segmented by organization size into large enterprises and SMEs. The market for SMEs is expected to register a higher CAGR during the forecast period as cloud-based software and services help them improve business performance and enhance productivity. Whereas the large enterprises segment is expected to hold a larger market share in the marine and marine management software market during the forecast period due to the affordability and the acceptance of new emerging technologies such as AI, Big data and blockchain. Among regions, APAC to hold higher CAGR during the forecast period APAC is expected to grow at a good pace during the forecast period. Opportunities for smaller marine vendors to introduce marine software for numerous shipping companies have also increased. All these factors are responsible for the expeditious growth of the marine and marine management software market in the region. Companies operating in APAC continue to focus on improving shipping operations to drive market competitiveness and revenue growth. China, India, and Singapore have displayed ample growth opportunities in the marine and marine management software market. Key Topics Covered: 1 Introduction 2 Research Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Premium Insights 4.1 Attractive Opportunities in the Marine and Marine Management Software Market 4.2 Market, Top Three Applications 4.3 Market, by Component and Top Three Applications 4.4 Market, by Region 5 Market Overview and Industry Trends 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Market Dynamics 5.2.1 Drivers 5.2.1.1 Rising Need to Efficiently Manage Complex Supply Chain Operations and Increase Sustainability Across the Marine Industry 5.2.1.2 Increasing Demand for Centralized Administration of Data to Reduce Overall Shipment Costs and Enhance Shipyard Productivity 5.2.2 Restraints 5.2.2.1 Interoperability Issues and Risk Associated with Cyber Threats 5.2.2.2 Stringent Environmental Regulations and Compliance Issues 5.2.3 Opportunities 5.2.3.1 Increasing Adoption of Cloud-Based Marine Management Solutions to Automate the Shipment Operations 5.2.3.2 Exponential Growth of Smartphone Users During Covid-19 to Lead the Increased Proliferation of Mobile-Based Marine Management Software 5.2.4 Challenges 5.2.4.1 Limited Workforce and Halt in the Production Units During the Pandemic to Adversely Affect the Marine Industry 5.2.4.2 Lack of Technical Expertise to Manage Complex Software 5.2.5 Cumulative Growth Analysis 5.3 Marine and Marine Management Software: Ecosystem 5.4 Case Study Analysis 5.5 Marine and Marine Management Software Market: Covid-19 Impact 5.6 Patent Analysis 5.6.1 Methodology 5.6.2 Document Type 5.6.3 Innovation and Patent Applications 5.6.3.1 Top Applicants 5.7 Supply Chain Analysis 5.8 Pricing Model Analysis 5.9 Porter's Five Forces Analysis 5.10 Scenario 6 Marine and Marine Management Software Market, by Component 6.1 Introduction 6.1.1 Components: Covid-19 Impact 6.2 Software 6.2.1 Tracking and Monitoring 6.2.1.1 with the Growing Need to Monitor Crew and Assets Related to Marines to Boost the Demand for Operations Monitoring Solutions in the Market 6.2.2 Supply Chain and Logistics 6.2.2.1 the Need to Optimize Logistics Operations to Reduce Administrative Workloads to Drive the Growth of Supply Chain and Logistics Solutions in the Market 6.2.3 System Testing 6.2.3.1 the Rising Need to Enable End-users to Effectively Handle and Track Errors in the Marine and Marine Management System to Drive the Adoption of System Testing Software Type 6.2.4 Navigation and Routing 6.2.4.1 the Need to Optimize Fuel Consumption and Forecast Weather Condition in Real Time to Boost the Demand for Navigation and Routing Solutions in the Market 6.2.5 Finance and Accounting 6.2.5.1 the Necessity to Handle Shipping Transactions and Payment Processing in Real Time to Drive the Demand for Finance and Accounting Software Type in the Market 6.2.6 Other Software Types 6.3 Services 6.3.1 Professional Services 6.3.1.1 Training and Consulting 6.3.1.1.1 Training and Consulting Services Enable Companies to Lower Risk, Reduce Complexity, and Increase Roi to Deliver Maximum Product Assurance 6.3.1.2 Support and Maintenance 6.3.1.2.1 Support and Maintenance Services Help Customers in Providing Enhancements to Solutions and Assistance for Solving Solution-Related Issues. 6.3.1.3 System Integration and Implementation 6.3.1.3.1 Companies' Need to Ensure Minimum Risks and Reduced Cost Optimization to Drive the Demand for System Integration and Implementation Services 6.3.2 Managed Services 6.3.2.1 with the Growing Concern of Companies to Lower Labor Costs and Eliminate the Cost of Hiring and Training New It Staff to Drive the Company to Outsource Managed Service Providers 7 Marine and Marine Management Market, by Organization Size 7.1 Introduction 7.1.1 Organization Size: Covid-19 Impact 7.2 Large Enterprises 7.2.1 the Increased Competition Among Large Enterprises to Track and Improve Shipping Experience to Drive the Demand for Marine and Marine Management Software 7.3 Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises 7.3.1 Concern to Deliver Omnichannel Customer Experiences and Enable Organizations to Handle Shipping Operations to Drive the Demand for Marine and Marine Management Software 8 Marine and Marine Management Software Market, by Deployment Mode 8.1 Introduction 8.1.1 Deployment Mode: Covid-19 Impact 8.2 On-Premises 8.2.1 Enhanced Control Over Data Accessibility Across the Network of On-Premises to Drive the Adoption of Marine and Marine Management Software 8.3 Cloud 8.3.1 Cost-Effectiveness, Easy Access, and Scalability to Boost the Adoption of Cloud Marine and Marine Management Software 9 Marine and Marine Management Software Market, by Location 9.1 Introduction 9.1.1 Location: Covid-19 Impact 9.2 Onboard 9.2.1 Growing Need to Track the Performance of Different Departments to Drive the Adoption of Marine and Marine Management Software in Onboard Location 9.3 Onshore 9.3.1 Need to Handle Vessel Operations and Crew Performance to Boost the Adoption of Onshore Marine and Marine Management Software 10 Marine and Marine Management Software Market, by Application 10.1 Introduction 10.1.1 Applications: Covid-19 Impact 10.2 Crew Management 10.2.1 Growing Concern of Marine Companies to Track Performance of the Crew to Drive the Adoption of Crew Management in the Market 10.3 Port Management 10.3.1 Growing Need to Monitor the Arrival and Departure of Ships, Boats, and Vessels to Boost the Demand for Port Management Applications in the Market 10.4 Harbor Management 10.4.1 the Rising Focus of Shipping Companies to Manage High Volume Arrivals and Departures to Drive the Demand for Harbor Management 10.5 Reservation Management 10.5.1 the Rising Focus of Shipping Companies to Streamline Transient Reservation Process to Drive the Demand for Reservation Management 10.6 Cruise and Yacht Management 10.6.1 the Increasing Need to Provide Enhanced Travelling Experience to the Passengers Via Cruise and Yacht to Drive the Demand for Cruise and Yacht Management 11 Marine and Marine Management Software Market, by End-user 11.1 Introduction 11.1.1 End-users: Covid-19 Impact 11.2 Commercial 11.2.1 the Ever-Increasing Need to Provide Seamless Experience to Passengers to Boost the Adoption of Marine and Marine Management Software Among Commercial End-users 11.3 Defense 11.3.1 the Ever-Increasing Cyberattack and Enhanced Performance to Boost the Adoption of Marine and Marine Management Software Amid Defense End-users 12 Marine and Marine Management Software Market, by Region 13 Competitive Landscape 14 Company Profiles 14.1 Introduction 14.2 Major Players 14.2.1 Oracle 14.2.2 Abb 14.2.3 Dockmaster 14.2.4 Marina Master 14.2.5 Marina Cloud 14.2.6 Lloyd's Register 14.2.7 Timezero 14.2.8 Scribble Software 14.2.9 Marinecfo 14.2.10 Chetu 14.2.11 Mespas 14.2.12 Raymarine 14.2.13 Ayden Marine 14.2.14 Oceanmanager 14.2.15 Innovez One 14.2.16 Rms 14.2.17 Nautical Software 14.2.18 Corvant 14.3 Startup/Sme Profiles 14.3.1 Dockwa 14.3.2 Swell Advantage 14.3.3 Marina Ahoy 14.3.4 Harba 14.3.5 Harbour Assist 14.3.6 Havenstar 14.3.7 Gestalt Systems 14.3.8 Seahub 14.3.9 Blueshell 15 Adjacent and Related Markets 16 Appendix For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/b4da0k Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com RAIPUR, India, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Stratview Research announces the launch of a new research report on TCF Market in Air Springs by Platform Type (Light Vehicle, M&HCV, Train, and Others), by Air Spring Type (Rolling Lobe, Convoluted, and Others), by Material Type (Nylon 66, PET, and Nylon 6), by Fabric Type (Single End Cord and Tire Cord Fabric), and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World), Size, Share, Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2021-2026. This strategic assessment report, from Stratview Research, provides a comprehensive analysis that reflects today's TCF market in air spring realities and future market possibilities for the forecast period of 2021 to 2026. After continuous interest in our air springs market report from the industry stakeholders, we have tried to further accentuate our research scope to the TCF market in air springs to provide the most crystal-clear picture of the market. The vital data/information provided in the report can play a crucial role for the market participants as well as investors in the identification of low-hanging fruits available in the market as well as formulate growth strategies. Tire Cord Fabric (TCF) Market in Air Springs: Highlights from the Report Air spring, the most important part of an air suspension system, consists of three major parts: air bellow, bead plate, and piston. The evolution of air springs began during the period of early 1900 when General Motors had built air suspension systems for trucks and airplanes. Since then, the market for air springs has witnessed an excellent journey in the wake of rapid changes in the industry and the growing adoption of air suspension systems in several vehicle types across regions. Now, many nations (both developed and developing ones) have mandated the use of air springs in commercial vehicles. After comprehending the benefits of air springs, the penetration of air suspension systems in the advanced economies has grown up tremendously with the developing nations following the suit. TCF (Tire Cord Fabric) is a reinforcement fabric used in the bellows of an air spring to provide strength and stability to the rubber compound. It is majorly used as an inner and outer reinforcement layer of the bellow rubber to provide mechanical strength and help rubber to regain its actual shape after contraction or expansion. Polymeric textile fabrics, such as Nylon/Polyamide 66, Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), and Nylon/Polyamide 6; are used for the reinforcement of the rubber compound to make air bellows. The incessant growth in the demand for TCFs in air springs was halted by the falling production of automobiles in 2019. In 2020, the market stakeholders were expecting to regain its growth trajectory; however, the pandemic hit the industry hard, causing unimaginable disruption across the supply chain. As a result of that, the TCF market in air springs logged a massive decline of -11.5% in 2020, creating a lag of 4 years in the market. The long-term outlook of the TCF market in air springs still looks favorable with an expected bounce back in the market from 2021 onwards. Strong market fundamentals such as recovery in automotive production and the rolling stock market, increasing penetration of air springs in the emerging economies, and excellent properties of TCF are likely to drive the market to recover at a promising CAGR of 6.5% to reach US$ 133 million in 2026. Click Here and Run Through the TOC of the Report: https://www.stratviewresearch.com/toc/1819/TCF-market-in-air-springs.html Based on the platform type, M&HCV is expected to remain the biggest demand generator for TCFs for air spring applications during the forecast period. High penetration of air springs in M&HCVs in Europe and North America in the wake of several stringent regulations, mandating the usage of air springs. Various benefits, such as lightweight, further trigger the use of air springs in the M&HCV segment. Based on the air spring type, rolling lobe is expected to remain the largest segment of the market during the forecast period, because of its high usage in M&HCVs, especially in Europe and North America. However, dominance of the air spring type widely differs for the Asia-Pacific region due to differences in road conditions. Based on the material type, Nylon 66 is expected to remain the most preferred material type in the market during the forecast period. It is the most desirable material for high-performance air springs, owing to its heat resistance up to 180C, good fatigue resistance, higher strength, and greater adhesion with rubber. Owing to their massive array of advantages, nylon 66 has gained a lead over competing materials in air spring applications. Enquire Here for a Free Sample of the Detailed Report: https://www.stratviewresearch.com/Request-Sample/1819/TCF-market-in-air-springs.html#form In terms of regions, Europe is expected to remain the largest market for TCFs in Air Springs during the forecast period. Germany, the UK, and Turkey are the growth engines of the European market with the presence of major air spring manufacturers, tier players, and raw material suppliers. Most of the air spring suppliers have their presence in the region to address the emergent needs of OEMs. Asia-Pacific is likely to regain its 2019-market level at the fastest rate, witnessing the highest growth during the same period. The fastest growth of Asia-Pacific is mainly attributable to the increasing penetration of air springs in the vehicles manufactured in countries like China and India. Also, several air spring manufacturers are planning to set up a manufacturing base in these countries to get the benefit of low-cost manufacturing. The market for TCF in air springs is moderately consolidated as the major companies hold a fair share of the market. There is a high synergy between TCF for tire applications and air spring applications, creating room for players manufacturing TCFs for tire applications. Also, major players have successfully leaped ahead in the market by performing expansion and providing a wide variety of product portfolios. The supply chain of this market comprises several nodes including raw material suppliers, TCF manufacturers, air spring manufacturers, and tier players. Key players in the TCF market in air springs are Grodno Azot OAO, Hyosung Advanced Materials, Indorama Corporation, Kordsa Technical Textile Co. Inc., Shenma Industry Co. Ltd., Wuxi Taiji Industry Co., Zhejiang Hailide New Material Co., Ltd. Development of durable TCF for critical applications, expansion in untapped and growing markets, and execution of mergers & acquisitions are the key strategies adopted by the major players to gain a competitive edge in the market. Report Features This report provides market intelligence in the most comprehensive way. The report structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights on the market dynamics and will enable strategic decision making for the existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market. The following are the key features of the report: Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis. Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porter's five forces analysis, SWOT analysis. Market trend and forecast analysis. Market segment trend and forecast. Competitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, product portfolio, product launches, etc. Attractive market segments and associated growth opportunities. Emerging trends. Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players. Key success factors. This report studies the global TCF market in air springs and has segmented the market in five ways, keeping in mind the interest of all the stakeholders across the value chain. Following are the five ways in which the market is segmented: TCF Market in Air Springs: Size, Share & Forecast, by Platform Type Light Vehicle: Trend and Forecast M&HCV: Trend and Forecast Train: Trend and Forecast Others: Trend and Forecast TCF Market in Air Springs: Size, Share & Forecast, by Air Spring Type Rolling Lobe: Trend and Forecast Convoluted: Trend and Forecast Others: Trend and Forecast TCF Market in Air Springs: Size, Share & Forecast, by Material Type Nylon 66: Trend and Forecast PET: Trend and Forecast Nylon 6: Trend and Forecast TCF Market in Air Springs: Size, Share & Forecast, by Fabric Type Single-End Cord: Trend and Forecast Tire Cord Fabric: Trend and Forecast TCF Market in Air Springs: Size, Share & Forecast, by Region North America (Country Analysis: The USA , Canada , and Mexico ) Europe (Country Analysis: Germany , the UK, Turkey , and Rest of Europe ) Asia-Pacific (Country Analysis: China , Japan , India , and Rest of Asia-Pacific ) Rest of the World (Country Analysis: Brazil , Argentina , and Others) Stratview Research has several high value market reports in the composites and advanced materials industry. Please refer to the following link to browse through our reports: https://www.stratviewresearch.com/market-reports/Advanced-Materials.html About Stratview Research Stratview Research is a global market intelligence firm providing wide range of services including syndicated market reports, custom research, and sourcing intelligence across industries, such as Advanced Materials, Aerospace & Defense, Automotive & Mass Transportation, Consumer Goods, Construction & Equipment, Electronics and Semiconductors, Energy & Utility, Healthcare & Life Sciences, and Oil & Gas. We have a strong team of industry veterans and analysts with an extensive experience in executing custom research projects for mid-sized to Fortune 500 companies, in the areas of Market Assessment, Opportunity Screening, Competitive Intelligence, Due Diligence, Target Screening, Market Entry Strategy, Go to Market Strategy, and Voice of Customer studies. Stratview Research is a trusted brand globally, providing high quality research and strategic insights that help companies worldwide in effective decision making. Stratview Research has launched 'Composights', an online portal which offers free thought leadership reports, whitepapers, market report synopsis and much more for Composites and allied industries, worth US$ 20,000 every year. Click here to sign up (No costs involved): https://www.stratviewresearch.com/composights/sign-in For enquiries, please contact: Stratview Research E-mail: [email protected] Direct: +1-313-307-4176 SOURCE Stratview Research LUBBOCK, Texas, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Many top breeders have entered a unique competition that defines the most outstanding ribeye steaks from Wagyu cattle bred and raised in the US. It combines advanced technology with the art of cattle raising to offer a new way to determine quality. Five categories of excellence will be used to analyze each contestant's ribeye entry: Wagyu Brisket cooked by one of our chefs. The Japanese Carcass Camera. The grading technology uses an app to turn a smartphone into a highly specialized carcass grading device. This digital technology reveals precisely how much marbling a piece of the famed beef derived from Japanese genetics may contain. Complete Fatty Acid Profile. This extended lab test defines the healthiest beef. It measures the number of monounsaturated fats to trans fats and the total composition of the fatty acids present. Marbling fineness calculations (relate to the distribution of fine flecks of buttery flavor) The Warner Bratzler Shear Force test for tenderness (the breed standard, averages the tenderness of plugs of beef taken from a single ribeye to evaluate the tenderness of every inch of the ribeye) A Professionally Trained Taste Panel. The professional Panel has a score sheet of taste identifiers they rank from 1 to 10. "Raising the bar beyond taste and using precise, objective scientific valuations are most important in proving the merits of a producer's carcass, which, in turn, determines value," said Desi Cicale, founder, and CEO of the Triple Crown Steak Challenge. "The new Japanese phone app will open the door for all breeders to photograph their carcasses and have them graded to gain insight into their beef. The data gleaned from one photograph is beneficial to breeders, producers, and consumers." meatimaging.com A unified grading system and a printout of the health benefits will provide consumers with verification of the various producer programs. The ultimate goal is to acknowledge the Champions of the Triple Crown Steak Challenge and educate consumers about Wagyu beef and its health benefits. The competition will also encourage consumers to buy Wagyu from the Steak Challenge entrants and connect them to local breeders in their area. A video of the testing will be available to view by anyone who signs up at triplecrownsteakchallenge.com. Signing up automatically enters visitors a chance to win Wagyu Ribeye Steak Gift Boxes, drawings for one lucky winner each week from September 5th until October 1, 2021 The Challenge invites consumers to visit their website triplecrownsteakchallenge.com and meatimaging.com to learn about the new technology and information available about Beef. Consumers may also subscribe free to Witt magazine, an online publication with the latest news about food and beef innovations, technology, and traditions. https://www.wittmagazine.com The scores compiled from all of the analysis will determine the Triple Crown winner and recipient of the grand prize announced on October 1, 2021, at a prepurchased ticketed multicourse Wagyu and wine fine dining event held at Joseph Decuis Wagyu Farm, Columbia, Indiana. Joseph Decuis Restaurant invites patrons to experience a Wagyu elevated sensory dining experience. For tickets, visit atasteofwagyuevents.com On a final note, The Triple Crown Steak Challenge benefits everyone by releasing all the collected data to the USDA in hopes of expanding the grading system to assist consumers in purchasing quality beef. For more information or questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with triplecrownsteakchallenge.com Press contact: Desi Cicale Meat Imaging USA Meatimaging.com 1935 County Highway Hackleburg, Alabama 35564 [email protected] USA (850) 619-1119 SOURCE Triple Crown Steak Challenge WASHINGTON, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Truvant, a leading global contract manufacturing and contract packaging provider, today announced that Rich Beck was elected to the company's Board of Directors. Mr. Beck is the owner of Biltmoore Consulting and has advised clients on operations, supply chain, logistics, and general management since 2016. Previously, he served as SVP at Pepsico where he led initiatives that doubled the company's productivity to over $1 billion per year, managing automation, technology systems and improving environmental, health and safety. Prior to this, he served as President/SVP of Gatorade, as well as SVP of PepsiCo Chicago and SVP of Operations for Frito-Lay. Before joining PepsiCo in 1993, Rich spent 12 years at General Electric. He is a GE MMP graduate and progressed through a variety of engineering and plant management positions at GE Aerospace. Rich holds an undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Vermont and an MBA from Rollins College. Mr. Beck is also a Board Member of Hain Celestial Group and Fleet Pride Corporation and is on the Advisory Board for American Securities, a New York-based private equity firm. About Truvant Founded in 1994, Truvant is a leading global contract manufacturing and contract packaging provider to many of the world's top food, consumer, household, and industrial brands. Truvant currently operates 15 facilities in five countries and employs over 5,800 individuals. Truvant is a portfolio company of The Halifax Group, a Washington, D.C.-based private equity firm. Contact: Steve Sena 513-312-0960 [email protected] SOURCE Truvant DUBLIN, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "The US Jewellery Market: Size, Trends & Forecasts with Impact Analysis of COVID-19, 2021-2025 Edition" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The US jewellery market has witnessed negative impact of COVID-19 due to lockdown and trade restrictions. However the market is projected to grow further during the forecast period (2021-2025). The market is expected to be driven by various growth enhancing factors such as rising per capita disposable income, growing number of digital buyers, soaring urban population, increasing female population etc. However, the market is not free from challenges that are hindering its growth. Some of the major challenges faced by the market are reduction in the number of independent jewelers, decline in weddings, etc. This report provides an in-depth analysis of the jewellery market in the US including detailed description of market sizing and growth. The report provides analysis of the US jewellery market by value and by metals and stones. The report also provides detailed analysis of the US gold, diamond, platinum and other gems and jewellery market. The report also assesses the key opportunities in the market and outlines the factors that are and will be driving the growth of the industry. Growth of the overall US jewellery market has also been forecasted for the period 2021-2025, taking into consideration the previous growth patterns, the growth drivers and the current and future trends. The jewellery market has been segmented on the basis of type, assortment, platform, branding, metals and gender. The two main types of jewellery are fine jewellery and costume jewellery. On the basis of assortment, the market has been divided into rings, neckwear, earrings etc. Jewellery market can also be segmented on the basis of branding into branded and unbranded jewellery. Various kinds of metals included in jewellery market are gold, silver, diamond, platinum, gems etc. On the basis of platform, the market has been divided into online and offline jewellery market. The US jewellery market is a highly fragmented one with various players operating at different levels of the jewellery supply chain. Pandora A/S, Signet Jewelers Ltd., LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE and Richemont SA are the players whose company profiling has been done in the report. In this section of the report business overview, financial overview and business strategies of the companies have been provided. Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary 2. Introduction 2.1 Jewellery: An Overview 2.2 Jewellery Segmentation: An Overview 3. The US Market Analysis 3.1 The US Jewellery Market: An Analysis 3.2 The US Jewellery Market: Metals and Stones Analysis 4. COVID-19 4.1 Impact of COVID-19 4.2 Regional Impact of COVID-19 4.3 Response of Industry 5. Market Dynamics 5.1 Growth Drivers 5.1.1 Rising Per Capita Disposable Income 5.1.2 Soaring Urban Population 5.1.3 Growing Number of Digital Buyers 5.1.4 Growing Number of Social Network Users 5.1.5 Rising Female Labor Force 5.1.6 Increasing Female Population 5.1.7 Escalating Retail E-commerce Sales 5.1.8 Increasing Number of Smartphone Users 5.2 Challenges 5.2.1 Decline in Weddings 5.2.2 Reduced Number of Independent Jewellers 5.2.3 Low Influx of Funds from Banks and Financial Institutions 5.3 Market Trends 5.3.1 Increasing Demand for Jewellery by Millennials 5.3.2 Growing Demand for Smart Jewellery 5.3.3 High Demand during Holidays and Special Occasions 6. Competitive Landscape 6.1 The US Jewellery Market Players by Revenue CAGR 6.2 The US Jewellery Market Players by Number of Stores 6.3 The US Diamond Jewellery Market Players by LFL Sales Growth 7. Company Profiles 7.1 Pandora A/S 7.2 Signet Jewelers Ltd. 7.3 LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE 7.4 Richemont SA For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/1amozx About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com TITUSVILLE, N.J., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved UPTRAVI (selexipag) injection for intravenous (IV) use for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH, WHO Group I) in adult patients with WHO functional class (FC) IIIII, who are temporarily unable to take oral therapy. UPTRAVI IV is a therapeutic option that will allow patients to avoid short-term treatment interruptions and stay on UPTRAVI therapy, as uninterrupted treatment is considered key for individuals with PAH. UPTRAVI tablets were first approved by the FDA in 2015 to delay disease progression and reduce the risk of hospitalization for PAH.1 "Given the progressive nature of this disease, maintaining treatment is important to help control PAH. However, there are times where patients may be unable to take oral medications. For patients on UPTRAVI, bridging short-term temporary interruptions of UPTRAVI tablets with UPTRAVI IV may maintain the treatment effect and avoid the need to change therapy or re-titrate UPTRAVI tablets after re-initiation," said Kelly Chin, M.D.*, UPTRAVI IV study senior author and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. The FDA approval of the New Drug Application (NDA) for UPTRAVI is based upon the findings from a prospective, multi-center, open-label single sequence cross-over Phase 3 study designed to assess the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of temporarily switching between UPTRAVI tablets and UPTRAVI IV. The results of the study were published earlier this year in Respiratory Research and examined switching from a stable dose of UPTRAVI tablets to a corresponding dose of UPTRAVI IV and back to UPTRAVI tablets.2 "Today marks an important day for patients who rely on UPTRAVI, as this new intravenous formulation meets a current unmet need for these patients. As part of our commitment to investing in research and understanding the science around the potential of UPTRAVI, we're inspired by this approval and are proud to be paving the way to advance treatment options and care for patients with PAH," said Neil Davie, PhD**, Global Therapeutic Area Head, Pulmonary Hypertension, Janssen. The UPTRAVI IV study enrolled 20 patients who received all UPTRAVI doses (either tablets or IV). The study found that the switch between UPTRAVI tablets and UPTRAVI IV was well tolerated with no unexpected safety findings. Adverse events (AEs) that resulted from UPTRAVI IV were similar to those associated with UPTRAVI tablets, with the exception of infusion site reactions reported in two patients (both of which were considered mild-to-moderate in intensity and neither led to study and/or treatment discontinuation). The prostacyclin-associated AEs included headache, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, pain in jaw, myalgia, pain in extremity, flushing, and arthralgia.2 *Kelly Chin, M.D., has received research support from Janssen and has served as a paid consultant to the company. She has not been compensated for any media work. **Neil Davie is an employee of Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd, a Janssen Pharmaceutical Company of Johnson & Johnson. About UPTRAVI (selexipag) Selexipag, a selective prostacyclin IP receptor agonist, is a compound discovered by Nippon Shinyaku and licensed to Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd outside Japan. It is licensed for the oral treatment of PAH in more than 60 countries. About the UPTRAVI IV Study The UPTRAVI IV study (NCT03187678) was a prospective, multi-center, open-label single-sequence crossover, Phase 3 study designed to assess the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of temporarily switching between oral UPTRAVI and UPTRAVI IV in 20 patients. The study examined switching from a stable dose of UPTRAVI tablets to a corresponding dose of UPTRAVI IV and back to UPTRAVI tablets. The treatment and observation phase was divided into three periods. In Period 1, patients received their stable oral dose of UPTRAVI twice daily (morning and evening of Day 1). In Period 2, patients received three infusions of corresponding UPTRAVI IV doses (morning and evening of Day 2, and morning of Day 3). In Period 3, patients resumed their stable oral UPTRAVI dose twice daily in the evening of Day 3 for 9 days, which was continued through the safety follow-up. Patients were hospitalized during Periods 1 and 2.2 INDICATION AND IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION What is UPTRAVI? UPTRAVI (selexipag) is a prescription medicine used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH, WHO Group 1), which is high blood pressure in the arteries of your lungs. UPTRAVI can help delay (slow down) the progression of your disease and lower your risk of being hospitalized for PAH. It is not known if UPTRAVI is safe and effective in children. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Do not take UPTRAVI if you take gemfibrozil because this medicine may affect how UPTRAVI works and cause side effects take gemfibrozil because this medicine may affect how UPTRAVI works and cause side effects Before you take UPTRAVI , tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you: Have liver problems Have narrowing of the pulmonary veins (veins in your lungs). This is called pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if UPTRAVI will harm your unborn baby Are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if UPTRAVI passes into your breast milk. You and your doctor should decide if you will take UPTRAVI or breastfeed. You should not do both Are taking any other prescription or over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, or herbal supplements What are the possible side effects of UPTRAVI? The most common side effects are: Headache Diarrhea Jaw pain Nausea Muscle pain Vomiting Pain, redness or swelling at the injection site with UPTRAVI for injection for injection Pain in arms or legs Temporary reddening of the skin (flushing) Joint pain Low red blood cell count Less appetite than usual Rash Talk to your doctor if you have a side effect that bothers you or does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of UPTRAVI. For more information, ask your doctor or pharmacist. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch . Keep UPTRAVI and all other medicines away from children. What other medicines might interact with UPTRAVI? UPTRAVI and other medicines may affect each other, causing side effects. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you are taking. Do not start any new medicine until you check with your doctor. How should I take UPTRAVI? UPTRAVI Tablets Take UPTRAVI exactly as your doctor tells you to take it. Usually, your doctor will have you take UPTRAVI twice a day. Taking UPTRAVI with food may help you tolerate UPTRAVI better exactly as your doctor tells you to take it. Usually, your doctor will have you take UPTRAVI twice a day. Taking UPTRAVI with food may help you tolerate UPTRAVI better Swallow UPTRAVI tablets whole. Do not split, crush, or chew tablets tablets whole. Do not split, crush, or chew tablets Tell your doctor if you have any form of liver disease. Your doctor may need to change your dose of UPTRAVI UPTRAVI is measured in micrograms (mcg). Tablets come in the following strengths: 200, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1400, and 1600 mcg UPTRAVI given by intravenous (IV) injection Your healthcare provider will give you UPTRAVI into your vein through an intravenous (IV) line into your vein through an intravenous (IV) line Your healthcare provider will decide how much UPTRAVI for injection you will receive each day based on your current dose of UPTRAVI tablets Please see full Prescribing Information and Patient Product Information . About Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) PAH is a specific form of pulmonary hypertension (PH) that causes the walls of the pulmonary arteries (blood vessels leading from the right side of the heart to the lungs) to become thick and stiff, narrowing the space for blood to flow, and causing an increased blood pressure to develop within the lungs. PAH is a serious, progressive disease with a variety of etiologies and has a major impact on patients' functioning as well as their physical, psychological and social wellbeing. There is currently no cure for PAH and it is often fatal.3-5 However, the last decade has seen significant advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of PAH, transforming the prognosis for PAH patients from symptomatic improvements in exercise tolerance 10 years ago, to delayed disease progression today.4,6 About the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson At Janssen, we're creating a future where disease is a thing of the past. We're the Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, working tirelessly to make that future a reality for patients everywhere by fighting sickness with science, improving access with ingenuity, and healing hopelessness with heart. We focus on areas of medicine where we can make the biggest difference: Cardiovascular & Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Diseases & Vaccines, Neuroscience, Oncology, and Pulmonary Hypertension. Learn more at www.janssen.com. Follow us at www.twitter.com/JanssenGlobal and www.twitter.com/JanssenUS. Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc. and Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd are Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. Cautions Concerning Forward-looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding UPTRAVI (selexipag) and product development of UPTRAVI IV. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of any of the other Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies and/or Johnson & Johnson. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: challenges and uncertainties inherent in product research and development, including the uncertainty of clinical success and of obtaining regulatory approvals; uncertainty of commercial success; manufacturing difficulties and delays; competition, including technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges to patents; product efficacy or safety concerns resulting in product recalls or regulatory action; changes in behavior and spending patterns of purchasers of health care products and services; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; and trends toward health care cost containment. A further list and descriptions of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnson's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2021, including in the sections captioned Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Item 1A. Risk Factors, and in the companys most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the companys subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. None of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies nor Johnson & Johnson undertakes to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments. 1. UPTRAVI (selexipag) full Prescribing Information. Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Ltd. 2. Klose H, Chin KM, et al. Respir Res 2021; 22, 34. 3. Galie N, Humbert M, et al. Eur Heart J 2016; 37:67-119. 4. Vachiery JL, Gaine S. Eur Respir Rev 2012; 21:313-20. 5. Hoeper MG, Gibbs SR. Eur Respir Rev 2014; 23:450-7. 6. Rosanio S, Pelliccia F et al. BioMed Research International 2014: 743868. Media contact: Natalia Salomao Mobile: +1 732-325-8306 [email protected] Investor contact: Jen McIntyre Office: +1 732-524-3922 [email protected] SOURCE Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies DAVIS, Calif., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The VIN Foundation is excited to announce the results of its fifth annual Solutions for the Profession Competition. This year's competition asked veterinary students to explore diversity challenges in the veterinary profession and the steps their school is taking to address these challenges. VIN Foundation The annual competition challenges veterinary students to seek innovative answers to issues facing the veterinary profession. Prior competitions have addressed topics such as practice consolidation, challenges of veterinary school, and the relevance of veterinary education to career goals. This year, over 160 entries were submitted from around the world. VIN Foundation Executive Director, Jordan benShea, stated "Diversity, equity, and inclusion are vitally important to the health of both the veterinary profession and society. The VIN Foundation is excited to share these winning essays with their insights into ways to broaden diversity and thus support a healthy veterinary profession." 2021 saw more entries than any other year of the competition. The VIN Foundation Solutions for the Profession Committee oversaw three rounds of judging with panels including experts in the topic area and leaders in the veterinary profession. The final judges, after much discussion, selected the winners: First place was awarded to Ashley Wang (University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine 2023) for the essay titled, Beyond Checking Off Boxes: Realizing Transformational Change in Diversity Work. Second place was awarded to Natalya Redmond (University of Bristol 2024) for the essay titled, Breaking the Cycle. Third place was awarded to Hannah Lee (University of Queensland 2021) for the essay titled, Putting the vet in diversity: A proposal for diversifying the veterinary profession. Learn more about the VIN Foundation resources at VINFoundation.org/Resources. The VIN Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing tools and resources to support veterinary students and veterinarians throughout their careers, was created by members of the Veterinary Information Network in 2005. Learn more about the VIN Foundation and its programs at http://VINFoundation.org. The VIN Foundation is made possible through generous gifts by individual donors and grants. All gifts made to the VIN Foundation are tax deductible. Jordan benShea VIN Foundation (888) 616-6506 [email protected] SOURCE VIN Foundation SAN FRANCISCO, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Volta Industries, Inc. ("Volta Charging") today announced that its management team will virtually attend the following investor conferences and events: Jefferies Virtual Industrial Conference August 3, 2021 Needham 10th Annual Robotics and Clean Tech August 6, 2021 Canaccord 41st Annual Growth Conference August 10, 2021 Raymond James Aspen Energy Summit August 11, 2021 JP Morgan Auto Conference August 11, 2021 As previously announced on February 8, 2021, Volta Charging, an industry leader in commerce-centric electric vehicle ("EV") charging networks, entered into a business combination agreement and plan of reorganization (the "Business Combination Agreement") with Tortoise Acquisition Corp. II (NYSE: SNPR), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company with a strategic focus on energy sustainability. Upon the closing of the proposed transaction, the combined entity will be named Volta Inc. and remain on the New York Stock Exchange under the new ticker symbol "VLTA". Completion of the proposed business combination is subject to, among other things, the approval of the shareholders of Tortoise Acquisition Corp. II and satisfaction of the other conditions stated in the Business Combination Agreement. Upon the consummation of the transaction, which is expected to occur in the third quarter of 2021, all existing Volta Charging shareholders and investors (including management) will continue to hold their equity ownership in the combined company. About Volta Charging Volta Charging is an industry leader in commerce-centric EV charging networks. Volta Charging's vision is to build EV charging networks that capitalize on and catalyze the shift from combustion-powered miles to electric miles by placing stations where consumers live, work, shop and play. By leveraging a data-driven understanding of driver behavior to deliver EV charging solutions that fit seamlessly into drivers' daily routines, Volta Charging's goal is to benefit consumers, brands and real-estate locations while helping to build the infrastructure of the future. As part of Volta Charging's unique EV charging offering, its stations allow it to enhance its site hosts' and strategic partners' core commercial interests, creating a new means for them to benefit from the transformative shift to electric mobility. To learn more, visit www.voltacharging.com . In February 2021, Volta Charging and Tortoise Acquisition Corp. II (NYSE: SNPR), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company with a strategic focus on energy sustainability and decarbonizing transportation, announced they entered into a business combination agreement. Upon the closing of the transaction, which remains subject to customary closing conditions, the combined entity will be named Volta Inc. and remain on the New York Stock Exchange under the new ticker symbol "VLTA". Investor Contact [email protected] SOURCE Volta Inc. Related Links http://www.voltacharging.com CSE: VYGR OTCQX: VYGVF Borse Frankfurt: UCD2 NEW YORK, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Voyager Digital Ltd. ("Voyager" or the "Company") (CSE: VYGR) (OTCQX: VYGVF) (FRA: UCD2), the fastest-growing, publicly-traded cryptocurrency platform in the United States, will be participating in Canaccord Genuity's 41st annual Global Growth Conference, which will take place virtually August 10-12, 2021. Voyager's CEO, Steve Ehrlich, will be participating in a fireside chat on August 12, 2021 at 12 pm ET, as well as one-on-one meetings throughout the conference. To register for Steve Ehrlich's fireside chat, please visit: Voyager Webcast Registration For information about other investor events that Voyager will be participating in, please visit: Voyager Investor Relations Events. About Voyager Digital Ltd. Voyager Digital Ltd. is a publicly traded holding company whose subsidiaries operate a crypto-asset platform that provides retail and institutional investors with a seamless solution to trade crypto assets. The Voyager platform provides customers with competitive price execution through its smart order router and a custody solution on a wide choice of popular crypto assets. Voyager was founded by established Wall Street and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who teamed to bring a better, more transparent, and cost-efficient alternative for trading crypto-assets to the marketplace. Please visit us at https://www.investvoyager.com for more information. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this press release. Voyager Digital Ltd. Contacts Michael Legg Chief Communications Officer (212) 547-8807 [email protected] Public Relations Team [email protected] SOURCE Voyager Digital (Canada) Ltd. WAUPACA, Wis., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A summer week of live music, art shows, workshops, street dancing, and great food starts in Waupaca, during the Arts on the Square Festival, Aug. 15-21. The event is hosted by the Waupaca Community Arts Board. ARTicipation Week The Waupaca Arts on the Square poster art, created by Leif Larson, is based on the 100-foot Union Street Mural he created in during October 2020 in Waupaca. The week-long Arts on the Square Festival is Aug. 15-21, and includes a Friday Night Street Dance, and multiple music venues and a Juried Fine Art Show on Saturday, Aug. 21. Workshops and other live events are happening throughout the week. Go to https://www.waupacaarts.org/arts-on-the-square-overview-2021 for more information. The Friday Night Street Dance is a highlight of Waupaca's week-long Arts on the Square Festival. Food and beer open at 6 p.m., Aug. 20, on the Waupaca Rec Center Grounds at Badger & State streets, with the band takes the stage 7-10 p.m. The Presidents are one of the most-requested party bands in Wisconsin. They play an eclectic mix of classic to contemporary party rock songs. The festival begins with five days of ARTicipation Week, beginning with a performance by Dr. Kickbutt's Orchestra of Death at in the historic gazebo at Waupaca City Square, 12-3 p.m., Aug. 15. Other weekday highlights include a free comedy show, a Scavenger Palooza treasure hunt, Kids' Art Camp, and storytelling performances by the Waupaca Story Project. Comedians Ben Warren and Tim Northern take the stage at 8 p.m., Aug. 17, at Weasels' Pizza, 108 E. Union St., Waupaca. The show is preceded by the Shake It Up Poetry Reading at Aquamos Coffee Collective, next door, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Scavenger Palooza clues & details can be found at Downtown Waupaca merchants, or on WCAB's website -- https://www.waupacaarts.org/arts-on-the-square-overview-2021. Team winners announced from Main Tent, Aug. 21. Friday Night Street Dance The festival heats up when The Presidents take the stage under the Main Tent for the Friday Night Street Dance. One of the most-requested Wisconsin party bands, The Presidents play a mix of classic and contemporary party rock. Food and beverages begin at 6 p.m., Aug. 20, on the grounds of the Waupaca Rec Center at Badger and State streets., Music is 7-10 p.m. Arts on the Square Festival The premier event, Arts on the Square, opens at 10 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 21, on the grounds of the Waupaca Rec Center, featuring multiple music venues, a juried art show, workshops, demonstrations, food court, and beer tent. The Main Tent Stage will host five music acts, including Ho Malone, Lizards, and The Foxfire Affair. Children's performer, Tom Pease, and the Aber Suzuki Center also will perform. The indoor Jazz Stage will feature nationally known jazz vocalists, Erin Boheme, 12-2 p.m.; and Steve March-Torme, 3-5 p.m. Vibhas Kendzia will appear on the Acoustic Stage and throughout the venue. The Juried Fine Art Show includes 32 artist booths, featuring a range of art forms from local and national artists. On-site workshops and demonstrations include woodworking, glass blowing, clay sculpture, accordion book making, soap carving, and more. Two pop-up art galleries are included -- the Phantom Art Gallery, 219 Jefferson St., and The Kids' Camp Art Gallery in the Art Annex, offering portrait drawing lessons. For more details, go to WCAB's website -- https://www.waupacaarts.org/arts-on-the-square-overview-2021. Media Contact: Lillian Bittman 203-417-0553 [email protected] SOURCE Waupaca Community Arts Board Once first generation capacity is in place, the project can rapidly expand, the company said Botswana-focused ( , , ) said negotiations over a 10MW power purchase agreement with Botswana Power Corporation and securing funding for the Lesedi project have significantly advanced. Bound by confidentiality agreements, Tlou said it is looking forward to bringing both of these key matters to a conclusion as soon as possible but the timing is outside its control. An initial 10MW gas-fired power project, it added, could generate annual revenue of approximately US$10mln. Once this first generation capacity is in place, the project can rapidly expand, with plans to expand gas generation and add solar generation too. In addition to gas-to-power development, Tlou is also planning to produce carbon-neutral hydrogen. During the quarter, the company said it entered into negotiations with a potential hydrogen project partner. "Tlou is well-positioned to produce hydrogen in a relatively short time frame. The company has large and proven resources to develop these products, including methane for carbon and hydrogen, readily available water for hydrogen and oxygen, and CBM / solar power to drive the process," it said. ( , ) CEO Francois Perron joined Stephen Gunnion from Proactive with news of the sample assay results from its ongoing work at the Wayka epithermal gold discovery at its Fortuna property in southern Ecuador. Perron telling Proactive that confirmation of potentially economic grades of gold at the discovery mark an inflection point for Lucky Minerals. July 30 : Prabhas's fans are eagerly waiting for the release of his film 'Radhe Shyam'. Owing to covid, the release of the film has been getting pushed but finally it has got a new release date today. The film will be released on 14th January, 2022 worldwide. Sharing the news with the fans, Prabhas wrote,"Can't wait for you all to watch my romantic saga, #Radhe Shyam, which has a brand new release date- 14th January,2022 worldwide!" The release date along with the new poster has left the fans super excited for the film. Prabhas is looking all dapper in this new poster. The film is releasing on 14 January 2022 and will be now clashing with Mahesh Babu's Sarkaru Vaari Paata and Rana Daggubati- Pawan Kalyan's untitled film. Film 'Radhe Shyam' is certainly the most awaited film. It is directed by Radhakrishna Kumar and is a love story set in the 1960-70's in Paris. It stars Prabhas and Pooja Hegde in lead roles. Prabhas will be seen in the role of a fortune teller while Pooja will be seen playing the role of a violin teacher in the film. The film has been simultaneously shot in Hindi and Telugu. It has been shot in Hyderabad, Italy and Georgia. It is being presented by Krishnam Raju under Gopi Krishna Movies in Telugu with Bhushan Kumar under T-Series in Hindi produced by UV Creations. July 30 : Deepika Padukone took to her Instagram handle today and shared a behind-the-scenes picture from the sets of Shakun Batras next. It seems the actress is preoccupied with the film again, where she shares screen space with Ananya Panday and Siddharth Chaturvedi. Taking to her Instagram profile, the actress appeared to be building up the momentum. The Padmaavat actress shared a picture, wherein she can be seen sitting at a table reading, dressed casually in an oversized hoodie and pants, with her hair tied up in a bun. Shakun Batra was also seen in the frame. Crediting filmmaker Karan Kapoor for the picture, Deepika asked her fans to be silent as she is at work. ShhWork in progress, she captioned her post. Fans were also excited to see the picture and hear something on the film front. Cant wait, wrote one, another wrote, Deepu title toh bta do movie ka. Kab tak shakun batras next bolege (Deepu, please tell us the title of the film. How long will you call it Shakun Batras next). Another fan wrote, Looks fantastic. Peek-a-boo with a hoodie and a bun- YOU WANNA KILL ME? wrote yet another. Sakun Batra of Kapoor & Sons fame is quite hush about his forthcoming film. Deepika reportedly plays the role of a fitness trainer in the film but nothing has been confirmed by the makers. Last year, the actors shot in Goa and then they were spotted travelling to and from Alibaug for the film's shoot. Talking about the film in an earlier interview, Deepika had said that her role was quite challenging and the project cannot be called a light film. The genre of the film is something we havent seen much in Indian cinema, its called domestic noir. I dont think thats a genre we are very familiar with, but at the same time the audience is completely ready for it..., she said in the interview. Deepika has a series of films lined up. While she is currently shooting for Pathan along with Shah Rukh Khan and John Abraham, she is awaiting the release of her film '83, co-starring with Ranveer Singh. The actress will reunite with her Piku co-star Amitabh Bachchan in the Hindi remake of The Intern. She will also be seen in Fighter co-starring Hrithik Roshan. The actor will also be seen with Prabhas in a project, shooting for which has already started. Tehran, July 30 : Iran's Foreign Ministry has urged neighbouring Azerbaijan and Armenia to overcome tensions and conflicts, and vowed to offer "any kind of assistance" to broker lasting peace between the two countries. In a statement published on the Ministry's website on Thursday, spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh expressed Iran's concern over continuing border clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia, reports Xinhua news agency. The Iranian official expressed regret over the deaths and injuries endured by both countries, and stressed the need for mutual restraint and the respect of internationally recognised borders. Iran's announcement came a day after both Azerbaijan and Armenia confirmed the two sides recently engaged in a new border clash, which caused casualties from both sides. While Armenia claimed that that three of its soldiers were killed, Azerbaijan said two of its soldiers had been wounded by shelling. Later, the two countries accepted a Russian ceasefire proposal in an effort to calm tensions. Wednesday's clash was one of the deadliest since the 44-day conflict in the the Nagorno-Karabakh region and surrounding areas last year, which ended after a ceasefire was reached under the mediation of Russia. New Delhi, July 30 : Satya Nadella-run Microsoft is in advanced talks to invest in Airbnb-backed Indian budget hotel chain OYO at a valuation of $9 billion, the media reported on Friday. According to a TechCrunch report citing sources, a deal may close soon but the "proposed size of the investment is unclear". Both Microsoft and OYO declined to comment on the reports. The Ritesh Agarwal-run hospitality chain has Airbnb, Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing and ride-hailing firm Grab as strategic investors. The news comes after OYO announced earlier this month that it has raised $660 million from global institutional investors as TLB (Term Loan B). A company statement had said that the offer was oversubscribed by 1.7 times and the company received commitments of close to $1 billion from leading institutional investors. "We are delighted by the response to OYO's maiden TLB capital raise that was oversubscribed by leading global institutional investors. We are thankful for the trust that they have placed in OYO's mission of creating value for owners and operators of hotels and homes across the globe," said Abhishek Gupta, Group Chief Financial Officer, OYO. The company said it will utilise these funds to retire its past debts, strengthen the balance sheet and other business purposes including investment in product technology, it said. OYO is the first Indian startup to be publicly rated by Moody's and Fitch, two of the leading international rating agencies. The Microsoft deal "may also involve OYO shifting to use its cloud services," the report mentioned. OYO has aggressively been expanding its operations to several markets including Southeast Asia, Europe and the US in recent years. New Delhi, July 30 : In view of the increasing numbers of Covid in Kerala, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that the rising cases in the state are worrying and appealed to people to follow all safety measures. "Rising cases of Coronavirus infections in Kerala are worrying. I appeal to our brothers and sisters in the state to follow all safety measures and guidelines. Please take care," he said in a tweet. The Congress Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad remarks came after Kerala witnessed a spike in the number of Covid cases in recent days. Over 20,000 new cases were recorded on Thursday for the third successive day, an official statement said. As many as 22,064 people tested positive on Thursday, against 22,056 on Wednesday and 22,129 on Tuesday. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Kabul, July 30 : Fighting in Afghanistan has further intensified as Taliban militants have started attacking to gain more ground in Herat province and tighten the noose around the provincial capital Herat city. The militants have launched an offensive against security checkpoints in the tourist destination of Pul-e-Malan area, Karakh and Gazara districts on Wednesday afternoon while the attacks have been repulsed, a provincial government official told Xinhua news agency on Thursday. "Taliban had military activities last night but their attempts have been beaten back and about 40 militants were killed in Gazara and Karakh districts. Unfortunately, four security personnel sustained injuries in Pul-e-Malan area," the official added. Farhad also confirmed that sporadic fighting is still going on in parts of the said areas. Taliban militants, who have captured the dry port Islam Qala and Torghundi in Herat province, have been fighting to overrun Herat city. The Islam Qala Customs department, which connects Afghanistan to Iran as the main trade crossing point, is yet to be recaptured by Afghanistan forces. The armed group has also ruled Torghundi dry port along the border with Turkmenistan since its fall to the Taliban last month. Taliban militants have overrun some 200 districts since the US-led forces started to pull out from Afghanistan in early May. It will be regarded as a big achievement for the Taliban if the group captures Herat city, local observers said. Defence Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammad said that government forces would soon launch counter-offensives to recapture all the districts from the Taliban outfit. More than 200 militants, according to security officials, have been killed elsewhere in Afghanistan over the past 24 hours. The claim was rejected by the Taliban as baseless. Addis Ababa, July 30 : The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, has embarked on a six-day visit to Ethiopia. "It was important to me that I carry out my first official mission as the UN's humanitarian chief to Ethiopia," a statement by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) issued on Thursday quoted Griffiths as saying. According to Griffiths, humanitarian needs in the East African country have increased this year as a result of the armed conflicts in Tigray and Benishangul-Gumuz, inter-communal violence in parts of Afar, Somali and Southern regions, and drought in Somali, Oromia and Afar regions. "These shocks came on top of existing challenges associated with floods, the desert locust infestation, chronic food insecurity and the Covid-19 pandemic. Millions of vulnerable people are now struggling and in need of help," he said. During the visit, Griffiths is expected to meet with high-level Ethiopian government officials and representatives of the humanitarian and donor communities, Xinhua news agency reported. According to the UNOCHA, an estimated 5.2 million people need humanitarian assistance in the Tigray region. The Ethiopian federal government, which announced a unilateral ceasefire in the country's conflict-affected northernmost Tigray regional state since late last month, blames the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) for hindering humanitarian efforts in the region. The Ethiopian government declared a unilateral ceasefire, which was said to facilitate humanitarian assistance, peaceful livelihood in the region as well as agriculture activities amid the approaching rainy season. The TPLF, however, rejected the unilateral ceasefire announced by the Ethiopian government. Sanaa, July 30 : Value of Yemen's local currency has continued to sharply decline against other foreign currencies across the country's provinces controlled by the internationally-recognised government. Banking sources told Xinhua news agency on Thursday that the exchange rate fell to 1,025 Yemeni riyals against one US dollar in the local markets of the country's southern provinces for the first time, exacerbating the country's already dire humanitarian situation caused by the years-long military conflict. They said that the devaluation of Yemen's riyal continued despite several financial measures taken by the central bank to curb the economic crisis that made many Yemenis unable to afford basic necessities, including food. The sources confirmed that the value of Yemen's riyal also recorded a similar sharp decline against all other foreign currencies. Last week, teams of Yemen's central bank carried out a wide inspection campaign against a number of financial institutions and also targeted speculators of the exchange rates in Aden. Meanwhile, local citizens in Aden and other major cities complained about the skyrocketing prices of basic commodities due to the sharp foreign currency shortages as the war-torn Arab country imports 90 per cent of its food supply. The UN World Food Program (WFP) in Yemen warned in December 2020 that the riyal had lost 250 per cent of its value since the start of the war in 2015, which has led to an increase in food prices by 140 per cent. In 2017, the Yemeni government floated the national currency, a move that economic observers and analysts said was not well-studied a year after the relocation of the central bank to Aden. The Yemeni economy is continuing to suffer after all exports were halted following a blockade on the country, which was part of a Saudi-led military intervention in March 2015. The blockade has also restricted imports largely. All investments, including oil and gas projects, whose revenues used to contribute more than 70 percent of the state budget, were shut down. July 30 : Shilpa Shetty Kundra has filed a defamation suit in Bombay High Court seeking to restrain media houses and social media platforms from publishing any incorrect, false, malicious and defamatory content against her on social media and websites in connection with the arrest of her husband Raj Kundra for allegedly making pornography films and publishing them on mobile apps. The Hungama 2 actress sought Rs 25 crore in damages in her defamation suit. She reportedly filed the suit against 29 media personnel and publications, accusing them of "false reporting and maligning her image" in the Raj Kundra pornography case. Reportedly, the hearing of the case is on July 30. As per a report in Bar and Bench, Shilpa Shetty submitted that these platforms are smearing her reputation with the aim of sensationalising news and increasing their readership and viewership." In her defamation suit, Shilpa Shetty has reportedly sought deletion of all defamatory content and unconditional apology, as well as Rs 25 crore in damages. #Breaking - Actor #ShilpaShetty approaches #BombayHighCourt against media organisations to restrain publication of defamatory content against her, seeks unconditional apology and Rs. 25 crore in damages.#RajKundra @TheShilpaShetty pic.twitter.com/1dNDuhUp3V Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) July 29, 2021 Meanwhile, in connection with the Raj Kundra case, the case registered against actor Gehana Vasisth and three producers of businessman Raj Kundras company has been handed over to the Property Cell of Mumbai Police Crime Branch, ANI reported. The case was registered at Malv Police Station. Gehana Vashisht alias Vandana Tiwari is currently released on bail. She was earlier arrested in February 2021 in the pornography case. She was granted bail after four months. Raj Kundra was arrested on July 19 by the Mumbai Police for alleged production of pornographic films and their dissemination through apps. Since then he was in police custody, and now in judicial custody. His associate Ryan Tharp was also arrested in connection with the case. The Crime Branch of Mumbai Police has earlier recorded the statement of Shilpa Shetty in connection with the pornography case. PTI has reported that the actress reportedly told police that she had no idea about the content of the HotShots app through which Raj Kundra allegedly distributed pornographic films. Gandhinagar, July 30 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will virtually join the celebrations between August 1 and 9 to mark the five years of the Rupani-Nitin Patel government in Gujarat. About a-year-and-a-half before the state Assembly elections, the government wants to reach out to the various sections of the society through the celebration. According to information available, both Modi and Shah will virtually participate on two separate days during the nine-day celebrations. Modi will be virtually present in the 'Annotsav celebration' (food festival) on August 3 during which he will interact with the beneficiaries of free ration under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana from five districts. He is also expected to virtually distribute food kits to the poor. The state government has planned to distribute a kit containing 5 kg foodgrain free of cost to around 4.25 lakh poor people from 17,000 fair price shops across the state. The state-level event for 'Annotsav' will be held at Dahod, where CM Rupani will be present. Vijay Rupani replaced the then Chief Minister Anandiben Patel and took over the reigns of the state on August 7, 2016, becoming the 16th Chief Minister of Gujarat. Nitin Patel was named as his deputy in the government then. During the nine-day celebration various people-oriented works will be intensified while expansion of flagship schemes of the government is also planned. CM Rupani's birthday also falls during the celebration on August 2. The celebratory programmes will be based on the theme of welfare of various segments of the society and governance like education, women's empowerment, farmers' welfare, tribals' welfare, employment and urban development. Union Home Minister Shah will virtually attend 'Vikas Diwas' event on August 7. The main event that day will be held at the Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar in the presence of Rupani, Pate and state BJP president C.R. Paatil. Inauguration or laying of the foundation stones for various projects worth Rs 3,906 crore like housing for the poor, new bridges in Ahmedabad and Banaskantha, water pipeline in Mehsana and power substations will be carried out by Shah. According to the information released, August 1 will be celebrated as the Gyanshakti Diwas', where the government will organise education-related programmes. On August 2, 'Samvedna Diwas' will be observed where the state will help citizens get necessary forms and documents related to various government schemes. August 4 will be celebrated as 'Nari Gaurav Diwas', where women-centric events are planned. August 5 will be Kisan Sanman Diwas' with various events organised for farmers. August 6 will be celebrated as 'Rozgar Diwas', and the state government will organise 50 job fairs and other events aimed at providing employment to Gujarat's youths. The government has selected 50,000 youths for various posts in the state-run boards and Corporations, who will be issued appointment letters. 'Vikas Diwas' will be celebrated on August 7, where projects worth Rs 5,855 crore will be launched or dedicated and August 8 will be celebrated as 'Shaheri Jan Sukhakari Diwas' (related to improving urban infrastructure and amenities). August 9 is being celebrated as 'Adivasi Diwas'. Marking this, programmes will be held in 53 tribal Tehsils of the state. Various tribal-centric projects will be launched on the day. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Addis Ababa, July 30 : An infiltration attempt by the al-Shabab terror group to Ethiopia from neighbouring Somalia has been foiled, authorities here said. In a statement issued on Thursday, Ethiopia's Somali region communication office said two suspected al-Shabab operatives were intercepted earlier this week, reports Xinhua news agency. "Two suspected al-Shabab operatives who tried to enter from neighboring Somalia to Ethiopia were intercepted in the Mustahil locality of Ethiopia Somali regional state," said the statement. "One suspect was killed in a shootout, while the other suspect was injured and subsequently apprehended," it added. Somalia has struggled with the lack of an effective Central government since 1991 when former President Mohammed Siad Barre was ousted from power by armed rebellion, leading to the Somalian Civil War. The weakness of the central government of Somalia has led to the proliferation of sea piracy, illegal fishing by foreign boats and attacks by terror groups, most notably al-Shabab. In January, Ethiopia announced the arrest of dozens of suspected extremists linked to al-Shabab. Ankara, July 30 : Turkish authorities have banned entrances to forest areas in the western provinces of Izmir and Balikesir amid the ongoing wildfires across the country. "Municipal teams are on high alert," Izmir Mayor Tunc Soyer announced on Twitter on Thursday, urging citizens to inform authorities of any suspicious activities. Balikesir governor's office said that security officials boosted controls on the high-risk areas, reports Xinhua news agency. Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli announced that 58 forest fires have erupted in 17 provinces of Turkey since Wednesday, and 38 of them have been taken under control. Pakdemirli also noted that a large-scale investigation was launched into the cause of the blazes. Earlier in the day, forest fires erupted in the southwestern Turkish resort towns of Marmaris and Bodrum, threatening tourism facilities and residential areas. According to officials, a massive forest fire that broke out in the southern province of Antalya on Wednesday has left at least three people killed. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New York, July 30 : Covid-19 is associated with persistent cognitive deficits, including the acceleration of Alzheimer's disease pathology and symptoms, according to researchers. Experts from the US Alzheimer's Association-led global SARS-CoV-2 consortium reported the findings at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2021, held virtually and in Denver, Colorado. They revealed that older adults frequently suffer persistent cognitive impairment, including persistent lack of smell, after recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Biological markers of brain injury, neuro-inflammation and Alzheimer's correlate strongly with the presence of neurological symptoms in Covid-19 patients. Individuals experiencing cognitive decline post-Covid-19 infection were also more likely to have low blood oxygen following brief physical exertion as well as poor overall physical condition, the findings showed. "These new data point to disturbing trends showing Covid-19 infections leading to lasting cognitive impairment and even Alzheimer's symptoms," said Heather M. Snyder, Alzheimer's Association vice president of medical and scientific relations. "With more than 190 million cases and nearly 4 million deaths worldwide, Covid-19 has devastated the entire world. It is imperative that we continue to study what this virus is doing to our bodies and brains," Snyder added. Researchers at the University of Texas studied a cohort of nearly 300 older adults from Argentina who had Covid-19. More than half showed persistent problems with forgetfulness, and roughly one in four had additional problems with cognition including language and executive dysfunction. These difficulties were associated with persistent problems in smell function, but not with the severity of the original Covid-19 disease. Further, New York University researchers found certain biological markers in blood, including total tau, neurofilament light, glial fibrillary acid protein, ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase L1, and species of amyloid beta and phosphorylated tau, which are indicators of injury in the brain, neuroinflammation and Alzheimer's disease. For their study, the team took plasma samples from 310 patients with Covid-19. Of the patients, 158 were positive for SARS-CoV-2 with neurological symptoms and 152 were positive for SARS-CoV-2 without neurologic symptoms. The most common neurological symptom was confusion due to toxic-metabolic encephalopathy. Another team from the University of Thessaly (UTH) examined 32 previously hospitalised mild to moderate Covid-19 patients two months after discharge from the hospital. Among them, 56.2 per cent presented with cognitive decline. Short-term memory impairments and multidomain impairment without short-term memory deficits were the predominant patterns of cognitive impairment. Worse cognitive test scores correlated with higher age, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio. Worse memory and thinking scores were independently associated with lower levels of oxygen saturation. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Ramallah, July 30 : Palestine has condemned the killing of two people, including a child, by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. "It condemns the endless Israeli crimes against the Palestinians in the West Bank without posing any danger to the soldiers," Xinhua news agency quoted the statement issued on Thursday as saying. The statement referred to the killing of a 41-year-old Palestinian near the village of Beita in northern West Bank on Tuesday, and the killing of an 11-year-old boy near the southern West Bank city of Hebron on Wednesday. The statement called on the UN Security Council to take necessary measures to compel Israel to comply with international law and international humanitarian law immediately, as well as to provide international protection for the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza. It also called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to "immediately launch its investigations into the violations and crimes of the (Israeli) occupation against the Palestinian people". On Monday, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye said in a statement that in recent days, the attacks of the Israeli soldiers and settlers on the Palestinians in the West Bank have increased. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text July 30 : Kartik Aaryan was been associated with the film Freddy for a long time now. Some time back it was reported that the actor was no longer doing the film. But now Freddy is once again in the news as it has been reported that Kartik is very much in the film and the romantic thriller is likely to go on floors in August. While the Love Aaj Kal actor will play the lead, Freddy will be reportedly helmed by Shashanka Ghosh of Veere Di Wedding fame. It will be backed by Ekta Kapoor with Jay Shewakramani. While the makers are working on pre-production aspects, it is reported that shoot will start in August in Mumbai. However, the female lead is still not been revealed. While Kartik will soon resume shooting of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, it appears that the actor will juggle between the two movies. Earlier, it was reported that Ajay Bahl will direct the film but now it seems that the makers have replaced him with Shashanka Ghosh. Ghosh who also in the news as it was rumoured that he was working on a sequel to Veere Di Wedding. Meanwhile, Kartik also has the official remake of Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo in the pipeline. The film is also being produced by Ekta Kapoor. Kartik has recently announced his forthcoming film Captain India with Hansal Mehta. It is also speculated that his him Dhamaka will release on an OTT platform in October this year. Earlier this year, soon after social media and media were flooded with news about Kartik exiting from Karan Johar's Dostana 2, it was also reported that Kartik left Goodbye Freddy, backed by Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies. According to reports, the actor voluntarily made an exit from Red Chillies project and has even returned the signing amount. The actor's creative differences related to the script was given as the reason for leaving the project. However, it is not known if the Goodbye Freddy and Freddy is the same project or two different ones. New Delhi, July 30 : Satya Nadella-run Microsoft is in advanced talks to invest in Airbnb-backed Indian budget hotel chain OYO at a valuation of $9 billion, as the hospitality chain is planning a potential initial public offering (IPO) soon, sources said on Friday. Reliable sources told IANS that a deal may close soon once the due regulatory processes are met. The size of the deal could not be ascertained. There was no official confirmation from either Microsoft or OYO as of now. The Ritesh Agarwal-run hospitality chain has Airbnb, Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing and ride-hailing firm Grab as strategic investors. Founder and CEO Agarwal said earlier this month that the company would consider a potential IPO soon. The news about the Microsoft-OYO deal surfaced after OYO announced earlier this month that it has raised $660 million from global institutional investors as TLB (Term Loan B). A company statement had said that the offer was oversubscribed by 1.7 times and the company received commitments of close to $1 billion from leading institutional investors. "We are delighted by the response to OYO's maiden TLB capital raise that was oversubscribed by leading global institutional investors. We are thankful for the trust that they have placed in OYO's mission of creating value for owners and operators of hotels and homes across the globe," said Abhishek Gupta, Group Chief Financial Officer, OYO. The company said it will utilise these funds to retire its past debts, strengthen the balance sheet and other business purposes including investment in product technology, it said. OYO is the first Indian startup to be publicly rated by Moody's and Fitch, two of the leading international rating agencies. The Microsoft deal "may also involve OYO shifting to use its cloud services," a TechCrunch report mentioned. OYO has aggressively been expanding its operations to several markets including Southeast Asia, Europe and the US in recent years. New Delhi, July 30 : China has begun arming its workers engaged in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) with AK-47 guns and has also started mulling sending its troops to Pakistan to protect its men and interests spread across the country. China has no trust on the capability of the Pakistan Armys Special Security Division (SSD) on which Beijing invested massive sums of money in training and in equipping the troops tasked to protect Chinese nationals and properties linked with the multi-billion dollar CPEC project. China has also stopped work at the Dasu Hydropower project in Upper Kohistan area of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Anguished over the death of nine Chinese workers in the July 14 blast, China has stopped a high-level joint cooperation committee meeting for the CPEC project, which was to be held on July 16. Worst, with its faith in Pakistan almost shattered, it sent its team to investigate the cause of the blast in the bus in which Chinese and Pakistani workers were travelling to the 4,300 MW Dasu Hydropower Project being developed by Wuhan-based construction company, Gezhouba Group Co. Although no terrorist outfit has claimed responsibility for the blast so far, in view of the fact that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been the stronghold of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) outfit, there is a suspicion that the terrorist outfit may be behind the blast. In earlier attacks on Chinese interests, the TTP had owned responsibility. It was behind the suicide attack on the luxury hotel in South-West Balochistan in April. The attack was carried out keeping Chinese Ambassador in Pakistan, Nong Rong in target. The Chinese Ambassador, however, miraculously escaped the suicide bombing, carried out by the TTP, the terrorist outfit that promptly owned up the responsibility of the incident in which five people were killed and 12 others were injured. Records suggest that in the last six years, especially after Chinese men landed in hordes in Pakistan in connection with CPEC projects, different extremist groups have made Chinese interests targets of their attacks inside the country. On May 6, 2016, the foundation of CPEC initiative was laid in Sukkur city in Sindh province with the beginning of the construction of a section of highway between Sukkur and Multan. Even before sounds of encouraging words of Pakistan and China's ruling elites on CPEC at the opening ceremony in Sukkur city could have dissipated, Chinese engineers in Karachi were attacked by Sindh separatists in May 2016. No Chinese nationals were killed in that attack. Then in September 2016, two Chinese engineers were killed and several others injured when they were attacked by Baloch rebels. In 2017, an outfit called 'Majeed Brigade' attacked a five-star hotel in Gwadar when Chinese delegation was busy planning for a port project. Eight people were killed in that attack. In the same year, a video on Twitter and other social media surfaced in which a purported member of the 'Majeed Brigade' is heard warning Chinese President Xi Jinping to "get out of Balochistan". A man wearing military fatigues and his face covered by a black cloth is heard saying, "President Jinping, you still have time to get out of Balochistan or you will witness retaliation from Baloch sons and daughters you will never forget". Four people were killed when Baloch Liberation Army carried out a strike on the Chinese Consulate in November 2018. In August 2018, a suicide attack was carried out on a bus carrying Chinese engineers in Dalbandin, a city that lies in Pakistan's Balochistan province. Three Chinese engineers had suffered grievous injuries in this attack. These incidents are a grim reminder of deep-seated hatred against China because of CPEC projects, which envisage building energy, highway and port infrastructure. In fact, the kind of protests and disruptions that these projects face, it doesn't show they have been well-received in Pakistan. On July 7, 2020, when the entire world was in the thick of the Covid-19 triggered problem, Pakistan occupied Kashmir's Muzaffarabad city was jolted by a massive anti-China and anti-Pakistan protests. Thousands of people took out a rally in protest against Pakistan and China for illegal construction of two mega-dams on Neelam and Jhelum rivers. The protesters asked under which law the river agreement of the disputed region is signed by Pakistan and China? They said Pakistan and China are violating UN Security Council resolutions by occupying rivers. Disparity in the wages of Pakistani workers in comparison to their fellow Chinese compatriots has also fuelled anti-China sentiments. In November 18, 2020, thousands of Pakistani labourers staged a protest against China in Pakistan's Karachi, complaining about unequal wages received by them as compared to Chinese workers involved in CPEC projects. And then this year on January 16, massive protests and violence erupted in Pakistan occupied Kashmir over the Chinese move to build a 33-km road from Yarkand in Xinjiang region to Pakistan occupied Kashmir to move its artillery and military personnel in the region. There is hardly any region in Pakistan where the presence of China-led projects is not generating ill feeling among the country's citizens. There is a strong feeling that the large-scale Chinese investments through various projects, including CPEC, running from Xinjiang region to Gwadar Port in Balochistan, cannot be without any clandestine or major objective of converting Pakistan into a Chinese colony. In Chinese activities, Pakistani nationals see the imprint of the British East India Company's activities, which came as a trading organization during the Mughal rule but later facilitated the capture of entire India by the British colonists. In Afghanistan, Pakistan's immediate neighbour, the Taliban-led violence and capturing of large swath of the country's areas have already sent across a message to the world that the Islamist group is not far away from capturing Kabul. It has also made its intention clear that it will run Afghanistan as per tenets of Shariat. Chinese leadership is shivering out of fear that this will encourage Uyghur separatists of the Xinjiang region, which borders Afghanistan, for anti-China activity. With reports after reports maintaining linkages among terrorist groups and their swearing by Islamic fundamentalism, China fears safety and security of its interests in the entire South Asian region. Amidst this, if China sends its army to protect its people and interests in Pakistan, it will be like stirring up a hornet nest as simmering anger among Pakistani nationals against Chinese will spill over across lanes, streets of the South Asian country. Developments in countries like Myanmar, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan have already stunned China. Rising anti-China protests and arsons in these countries have left the Chinese leaders in no doubt as to how fast Beijing has lost goodwill today. Its ambition to economically connect the world and consequently, influence its political affairs through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) appears to be in shambles. But the larger question is: Will Pakistan or South Asia prove to be a Waterloo for China and its ambitious BRI initiative? -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Baghdad, July 30 : Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said that his recent visit to Washington helped establish Iraq's "permanent relationship" with the US in various fields. Al-Kadhimi's comment on Thursday came after his visit to Washington, during which he held meetings with US President Joe Biden and other officials, according to a statement issued by his media office. The Prime Minister said his visit helped "establish the foundations of the permanent relationship and partnership with the US in various fields, the most important of which are security, economy, health, education, culture, energy, environment, investment and other aspects of constructive cooperation", reports Xinhua news agency. He underscored the agreement reached by the two countries, requiring the US to withdraw all combat forces from Iraq by the end of the year, the statement added. The relations between Baghdad and Washington have been strained since January 3, 2020, when a US drone struck a convoy near the Baghdad airport, killing Qasem Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy chief of Iraq's paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces. The Iraqi parliament passed a resolution on January 5, 2020, requiring the government to end the presence of foreign forces in the country. Washington, July 30 : The US House of Representatives has passed a package of seven appropriations bills to fund most federal agencies for the new fiscal year beginning on October 1 to avoid a potential government shutdown. The House on Thursday passed the package in a 219-208 vote along party lines that would provide around $617 billion to fund the Departments of Agriculture, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Interior, Labour, Transportation, Treasury, and other agencies, reports Xinhua news agency. "After the devastation of the pandemic and decades of disinvestment, the American economy caters increasingly to the wealthy and leaves the middle class, hard-working families, small businesses, and the vulnerable behind," House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro said in a statement on Thursday. "With these bills, we are reversing these trends and investing in the American people," DeLauro said. "The funding increases in the Labour, Health and Human Services, and Education bill will help create a society that provides people with the help they so desperately need." The vote came after the House on Wednesday night passed two bills that would provide about $67 billion for the State Department, foreign aid programs and the Legislative Branch, largely along party lines. However, the Senate is yet to take up any appropriations bills for the new fiscal year. Analysts have however, said that Congress is no closer to a bipartisan funding deal that would stave off a government shutdown in two months. "Nobody thinks we're going to do anything until after September 30," Tom Cole, the Republican Congressman from Oklahoma, said in an interview with Politico. He added that Congress will fall back on a continuing resolution to temporarily extend current funding to prevent a government shutdown on October 1. Hyderabad, July 30 : The Telangana government has directed all private hospitals in the state to install Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen generation plants. Director of public health and family welfare Dr G. Srinivas Rao directed the managements of the private hospitals to install PSA oxygen generation plans of adequate quantity corresponding to the bed capacity. Hospitals with up to 200 beds have to install plants with 500 liters per minute (LPM) capacity. For hospitals with 200 to 500, the plant's capacity should be 1,000 LPM and for hospitals with more than 500 beds the capacity prescribed is 2,000 LPM. The director in a communication to hospitals asked them to install the plants as per their bed capacity without fail. He also provided a list of authorised agencies for installation of the PSA oxygen generation plants. "Failure in installation of the plant may be viewed seriously and it leads to cancellation of recognition of the hospitals," he stated. Last month, the health, medical and family welfare department issued a Government Order in accordance with the advisory by the Central government. The Centre requested all the states to establish PSA oxygen generation plans in both public health facilities as well as in the private hospitals. It said an oxygen generation plan provides the respective hospital with an assured medical oxygen supply that is of critical need during a health emergency. New Delhi/Kabul, July 30 : The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that investigations have revealed that the daughter of the country's Ambassador to Pakistan had been abducted and then tortured physically and mentally in Islamabad. According to the Ministry, medical reports and relevant pieces of evidence have indicated that Silsila Alikhel was manhandled and then tortured on July 17. Ambassador Najib Alikhel had filed a petition over his daughter's abduction in the Pakistani capital. The Ministry further said that based on medical reports and other pieces of evidence a crime of this type can never be justified and the Pakistani government is obliged to provide diplomats and their family members security based on international conventions. It reiterated that the Pakistan government must expedite its investigations and bring the perpetrators to justice. Afghanistan is set to send a delegation to Pakistan to conduct a joint investigation on the case and share relevant information and evidence. The Ministry's claims come after Pakistan Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid had termed the incident a drama and said it was a huge conspiracy hatched against Islamabad. Srinagar, July 30 : Three people, including two CRPF troopers and a civilian were injured on Friday in a militant grenade attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district. Police said militants hurled a grenade at a CRPF party in the Khanpora locality of Baramulla town today. "The grenade exploded injuring 2 CRPF troopers and a civilian. All the injured have been shifted to hospital for treatment. "The area has been surrounded for searches", police said. New Delhi, July 30 : Aiming to cater to the fashion needs of "modern India", Fabindia announced the launch of its sub-brand FabNU. Underlined with the motto of 'CelebrateYou' and 'UnapologeticallyYou', this launch aims at offering clothes that embody not just the woman of today, but a woman of now. From a work from home comfort pick to a smart-casual office outfit to a cozy dinner with friends, it comprises button down strappy tops, bush shirts, tiered dresses, jumpsuits, co-ords, city shorts, reversible bomber jackets, jogger pants and much more, ranging from XS to XL. The brand is being launched with four collections during its first phase, catering their offerings to a younger audience -- Indie Dreams, Flashback, Conversation Starter and Folkadelic. Speaking about the collection, Group Head of Brand and Community; Dipali Patwa said: "FabNU is more than a brand. It is our young community's desire to find themselves within the framework of what they feel is authentic to them. Fabindia has always been an emotion. FabNU is an extension of that emotion. It's a desire to be unapologetically you! Real adventure in life is having the experiences that make you who you are. Marvel with wonder, Experience without hesitation, Travel with love, Live without fear, Find your FabNU, and Celebrate You!" Indie Dreams Engulfing the undying spirit of millennial aura within it's essence, this flow is a fine blend of affordable and wearable -- made in the simplest, most comfortable materials. It carries a mix of light breathable cotton and self textures as well as linens in hues of blue, whites and reds Flashback This flow is filled with old school treasures and elementary geometrics. Broken-whites and cracked indigo-mud-resist-technique; this collection is complemented with a hint of red accents. It also offers a canvas to the indigo craft in a new, more experimental light with natural brush strokes and repeat-less hand-block and hand-screen patterns achieved through Dabu. Conversation Starter A refreshing new take on vibrant juxtaposition, Conversation Starter is a blast of colours -- which is as relatable as it's different. This flow comes to life with saturated -- yarn-dye and interactive motifs against a neutral and solid base of pigments that include deep hues of reds, amber, lapis blue, pebble grey, etc in hand screen. Folkadelic With a kaleidoscopic play of tones and textures, Folkadelic is the best of both worlds. With free-flowing dresses that are perfect from sun up to sun down, non-restricting silhouettes and stunning coordinated sets -- this flow allows you to be comfortable best at all times. (Puja Gupta can be contacted at puja.g@ians.in) New Delhi, July 30 : A 'free' year, with no school, work, or to-do list -- this is the general idea of a gap year for the Indian sensibility. A fairly common practice abroad, is this what a gap really means? Does putting your academic journey on hold for an entire year benefit you? In international academic parlance, a gap year is a voluntary break students take -- usually while transitioning from one academic stage to the next -- to break the monotony of 14 years of continuous schooling. It is far from our presumed idea of a year-long vacation, it is time well spent travelling, building professional readiness, or community service, a time for students to re-calibrate their energies and goals. This concept was turned on its head with the events of 2020; a year that will go down as being one of the most disruptive yet globally unifying eras in recorded history. The pandemic has led many to call 2020 an unsought gap year, with over 320 million students being affected by the changes made within the national education machinery. But with schools and colleges going virtual and many countries closing their borders, there has been a foundational shift in how students and parents are treating the academic year. Without access to the in-person learning experience of an international degree, many foreign applicants have opted to defer their admission to the 2021-2022 school year or beyond. In fact, January 2021 has already seen over 10.9 lakh Indian students enrolled in universities abroad -- a number expected to rise this year with students who had deferred their 2020 admits or were awaiting a relaxation in pandemic restrictions around the world. As one of the aspiring students looking to pursue a degree abroad, consider this: if you are not using the time afforded by the pandemic to upskill yourself, you could be wasting precious opportunities. The linear academic journey is not the only one you will go on. As modern students progress from grade to grade, there is a greater emphasis placed on holistic development. You now need a slew of skills to match those of your contemporaries, including soft skills, technical competency, real-world experience via internships or projects, research chops, social involvement, entrepreneurship -- an understanding of what life entails outside the classroom. Gap years are encouraged in schools all around the globe. Sure, Barack Obama's daughter Malia did go to Harvard, but she took a much-needed gap year before attending it, visiting Bolivia and Peru and interning at a media company. In Singapore, young male students must enroll in mandatory military service at the age of 18. This active duty lasts for 2 years, a significant amount of time to build mental fortitude and learn key life skills without the protective umbrella of life at home. When these students join a classroom, they are invariably more independent and equipped to forge their own path than their peers who may not have had the same experience. These practices of breaking away from a monotonous structure are normalised elsewhere, so why not in India? We may still be stuck in the past. A pedagogical system that focuses heavily on rote learning does not provide ample exposure to real-world interactions and initiative-taking. Parents and students need to work together to instill a culture conducive to the gap year, particularly now when opportunities are ripe and there is potential for so much progress, even if it is digitally-based. Nothing has really stopped -- internships are now virtual, the online course industry is booming, and people are networking fiercely on social media platforms. What's more, the new National Education Policy 2020 allows students to opt for multiple entry and exit points during their degree, where they can save the credits they earn throughout the year. This allows for an easier, institutionally approved pathway for a break from their programme. Taking the time to cultivate multiple interests and having the initiative and maturity to propel one's learning experiences is vitally important to maximizing the college experience -- and a gap year fulfils this purpose. A student who takes a gap year needs to be very clear on their interests. Make plans for your year, even if some are tentative, to find avenues for personal progress and upskilling. Setting a routine and making smaller goals instead of one mammoth end-of-the-year dream is a more realistic way of getting more done with the time you have. Speak to a mentor and connect regularly with other professionals, either from industry or university, to ensure you are clear about the opportunities they could help with. Understand how platforms like LinkedIn work and network furiously! You may find gaps in your profile or learning through your interactions with others. One of our students with an average academic background took a gap year, wherein they joined an IT company, liaised with their work mentors and understood the latest developments and software in their sector. The accessibility to new information that this provided allowed them to write more mature essays and become more informed and confident -- they soon welcomed a 100 per cent scholarship from US university. Colleges in the West are certainly empathetic to gap year students, provided they demonstrate learning, motivation, focus, and determination. The pandemic is not an isolated event; it has changed life for people everywhere. But if students in different parts of the world are coming out stronger, so can we. In this endeavour to become globally mindful and gain clarity on what you can do next in life, academia, or your career, plan a year that fills the gap in your profile, not one that creates it. (Adarsh Khandelwal is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Collegify -- a college consulting firm for studies abroad) (Puja Gupta can be contacted at puja.g@ians.in) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Islamabad, July 30 : A policeman was killed and two civilians were injured on Friday in an explosion in Peshawar, capital of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a rescue organisation said. The police were shifting a shopkeeper using a police van to a nearby police station upon the latter's violation of Covid-19 guidelines when the vehicle was hit by the explosion, Sher Gul from the non-governmental rescue organization Edhi Foundation, told Xinhua news agency. The injured including a policeman were shifted to nearby hospital and the policeman is in critical condition, Gul said. Thiruvananthapuram, July 30 : On Friday morning anxious moments were witnessed after explosive materials was discovered near a railway track at Kallayi in Kozhikode and a preliminary probe by the local police have ruled out any wrongdoing. The Railway Protection Force was the first to arrive and found some explosive materials. Kallayi, located near the Kozhikode railway station, has a railway yard. The explosive material was found near an unused railway track which was three tracks away from the main track. The local police officials led by Kozhikode Commissioner A.V. George also arrived at the scene followed by the Dog Squad and also forensic experts. The Dog Squad led the probe team at a nearby residence located beside the railway track. "Our preliminary probe reveals that two days back there was a wedding in the house and for that they had purchased some crackers. "The sample that was found near the railway track matches the one we have found in the house. A case has been registered under the Explosive Act and the probe will go to find out if there was anything that was done wrongly," said George. London, July 30 : AstraZeneca's intranasal Covid vaccination reduced virus concentrations and curbed transmission in two different SARS-CoV-2 animal models, demonstrating the need for further investigation as a potential method of inoculating Covid-19 shots. The trial, led by researchers including from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the University of Oxford, UK, was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine. While previous studies in rhesus macaques revealed that intramuscular vaccination with AstraZeneca Covid shot provided protection against pneumonia, it did not reduce shedding of SARS-CoV-2 from the upper respiratory tract. In the new study, intranasal vaccination of rhesus macaques and hamsters resulted in reduced virus concentrations in nasal swabs and a reduction in viral loads in bronchoalveolar lavage and lower respiratory tract tissue. "The data presented supports the investigation of intranasal delivery of Covid-19 vaccines. With the roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines worldwide, it will be crucial to investigate whether the vaccines provide sterilising immunity, or whether vaccinated people are still susceptible to infection of the upper respiratory tract and onward transmission of the virus," Vincent J Munster, from the Laboratory of Virology at the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The data presented here demonstrates SARS-CoV-2-specific mucosal immunity is possible after intranasal vaccination, and results in a reduction in virus detection in nasal swabs in hamsters and macaques, he added. The team investigated whether intranasally administered ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AstraZeneca's intranasal Covid vaccine) reduces detection of virus in nasal swabs after challenging vaccinated macaques and hamsters with SARS-CoV-2 carrying a D614G mutation (the original Covid variant) in the spike protein. "Viral loads in swabs obtained from intranasally vaccinated hamsters were decreased compared to control hamsters, and no viral RNA or infectious virus was found in lung tissue after a direct challenge or after direct contact with infected hamsters," Munster said. The macaques "exhibited low titers of IgG and IgA antibodies in nasosorption samples coupled with low virus neutralising (VN) and sera IgG titers, suggesting that a robust humoral response in the nasal mucosa and in circulation is necessary to efficiently control nasal shedding," he added. Although protection of the lower respiratory tract was complete in intranasal-vaccinated animals, only partial control was seen in intramuscular-vaccinated animals, in contrast to the direct challenge experiment, the researchers said. The team also mentioned that the animal numbers were limited and although differences were observed and were very encouraging between intranasally vaccinated and control animals, these were not significant. The University of Oxford has started a phase 1 clinical trial including 54 healthy adults to investigate intranasal vaccination of human volunteers. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Panaji, July 30 : Not a single Covid patient died in Goa's apex health facility, the Goa Medical College, due to non-supply of oxygen, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane told the state legislative assembly on Friday. "At no point in time, the Oxygen supplies at GMC ran out of stock and thus, no death has been reported to have (been) caused due to non supply of Oxygen," Rane said in a written reply to a question from Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat. Rane's reply to the state assembly is incidentally in stark contrast to his comment to media persons on May 11, when he claimed that 26 persons died within 24 hours at the Goa Medical College due to oxygen shortage. Rane had said that between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. on May 11, a total of 26 persons had lost their lives because the hospital had not received adequate supply of oxygen. Rane, during the same media briefing, had also urged the Bombay High Court to probe the issue of mismanagement and oxygen shortage at the apex facility stating that while the hospital required 1,200 jumbo oxygen cylinders, only 400 were supplied to it. Nearly 90 persons died due to oxygen shortage at the Goa Medical College, when the second Covid wave was at its peak in the month of May this year. Mumbai, July 30 : Director Abhishek Dhudhaiya, whose next film "Bhuj: The Pride of India" is based on the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, is also the co-writer of the project. The film tells the story of how 300 women from a village worked hard to build the Bhuj runway, contributing majorly to India's win. Abhishek, who earlier directed many television shows, brings forth the story of IAF Squadron Leader Vijay Karnic (played by Ajay Devgn) and the women from the village of Madhapar. "My grandmother had also contributed in the making of this runway. So, I had this is mind that the first time when I make a film, it will he on this subject," says Abhishek, as he recalls how the conception of the story happened. He goes on to further elaborate with a hint of nostalgia in his voice. "In 2017 when I took a break from television, the first thing I did was meet Vijay Karnic. So, my nani's (maternal grandmother) friends who are still alive were part of that 300 women's group. So, I went and met them and understood the events which had taken place." The sentiment of patriotism is crucial for the film. So, when Abhishek took the project forward, he knew his heart had to be in the right place. "To begin with, I am an Indian and I am proud of that. For me, my country is first and even for my nani the country is before anything else. So, when I wrote the dialogue, I conveyed what I think and what I wanted others to act. That energy reflects in people around you," he says. "For instance when Vijay Karnic was reading the story, the only face in my mind was that of Ajay Devgn. When I finished my story and I asked him, who does he feel is best for this role, he also said, Ajay Devgn. So, when you want to bring that connect, you have to feel strongly." The next big step in the making of the film was casting of 300 women. Instead of taking the regular approach of hiring junior artists, Abhishek knew that this would be an important factor in establishing the strength of the film. "We had to cast 300 women. Now, if you hire junior artists, they are free to leave in two -three days for some other project but that breaks the flow. So, we cast 300 women and for the first 15 days taught them how to play the dhol. We got their costumes made because at that time dressing style was difference and clothes affect body language a lot. So, we customised costumes for these women and made them wear it, so that they get comfortable in it," he says. Currently, in the village of Madhapar, there are 60 people, who were part of the iconic movement. All aged between 70-80. The government of India has also paid tribute to them by making their statues at the entrance of the village. A landmark movement, the women when making the runway, decided to break their homes to get the bricks and stones for runaway once they ran out of the material. "When they needed bricks and stones to make the runway and material could not reach them, these people decided that they will break their houses to use that material. My nani had told me this but when these people also told me, I had tears in my eyes," recalls Abhishek. "For a woman, her house is her dream and there what happens is the men leave for work to other states and countries. So, mostly women, children and old people live there. So, for the women their, the houses and farming is everything. They sacrificed their homes for the country. This incident and the challenge of Vijay Karnic to make the runway for the county was the most important driving force for me." The director, whose film will release on Disney+Hotstar on August 13, feels that this kind of inspiration is rare. "This is a kind of inspiration that you don't find easily. The defence personals who are protect us are trained but these villagers were not trained people. Being prompt in such a situation didn't come naturally to them. They still did it and it's their biggest achievement," he signs off. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Seoul, July 30 : North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has instructed the country's military to complete preparations for coping with "any military provocation of enemies", a state media report said on Friday. According to the report by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim made the remarks while when chairing a workshop for military commanders and political cadres in here on July 24-27. "Commanders and political officers should focus all efforts on completing preparations for actively and offensively coping with any military provocation of enemies," Kim was quoted as saying. Kim called on all the commanders and political commissars of the Korean People's Army (KPA) to "make redoubled efforts than ever before" to seriously review their overall work, and find ways to overcome shortcomings and deviations and exchange good experiences, Xinhua news agency reported citing the KCNA report as saying. During the four-day workshop, he accused "hostile forces" of intensifying "frantic and persistent war drills for aggression," calling on the North Korean military troops to devote their lives to protecting the people and their properties. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Washington, July 30 : The US Department of Defense (DoD) has issued a mandate requiring members of the military to provide a proof of their vaccination status or be subject to strict safety protocols aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19, hours after President Joe Biden announced the requirements for all federal workers. "In accordance with the guidance the President issued today, all military and civilian DoD personnel will be asked to attest to their vaccination status," Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Jamal Brown said in a statement late Thursday. Personnel unable or unwilling to do that would be required to wear a mask, comply with a regular testing requirement and be subject to official travel restrictions, Brown said. Earlier in the day, Biden announced during a speech at the White House that every federal government employee and the onsite contractor should attest to their vaccination status, or they will be required to wear a mask on the job, comply with a regular screening testing requirement, and be subject to restrictions on official travel, reports Xinhua news agency. The President also directed the Pentagon to look into adding the Covid-19 shot to its list of required vaccinations for members of the military. In response to the presidential directive, Brown said in the statement that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will "begin consulting our medical professionals, as well as the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to determine how and when to make recommendations to the President with respect to adding the Covid-19 vaccines to the full list of requirements for military personnel". The new requirements came as the spread of the more transmissible Delta variant is causing a nationwide spike in virus cases, taking a particularly worrisome toll on the non-vaccinated. "Covid-19 remains a significant and evolving threat to our nation's security. The rise of the Delta variant and the speed with which it transmits make these additional protective efforts all the more vital to protecting our force and the nation we defend," read the Pentagon statement. On Wednesday, the Pentagon announced that everyone inside its facilities are required to wear a mask. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Kabul, July 30 : At least 100 Taliban militants were killed and about 90 others wounded during multiple offensives carried out by the Afghan security forces across the country in just 24 hours, officials confirmed on Friday. In Herat province, 52 Taliban militants were killed and 47 wounded when the security personnel backed by local Public Uprising Forces repulsed the militant group's attacks on the outskirts of provincial capital Herat city and the neighbouring districts of Guzara, Karukh and Seyawoshan, Xinhua news agency quoted local government sources as saying. The Afghan Air Force's A-29 warplanes also conducted multiple strikes in support of the ground forces, the sources. Besides, 13 Taliban militants were killed and 22 others in airstrikes carried out in Herat's Ghoryan district, Afghan Ministry of Defence said on Friday, adding that seven vehicles along with weapons and ammunition were destroyed in the raids. In Helmand, air raids pounded Taliban hideouts on the outskirts of provincial capital Lashkar Gah, the army's 215th Maiwand Corps said in a statement. Several Taliban militants were killed and wounded during the course of the airstrikes, the statement said. In Kandahar province, 36 militants died and 20 were wounded after warplanes targeted a Taliban' gathering in Zhari district, according to Ministry of Defence. Many Afghan provinces have been the scene of heavy battles in recent months as Taliban militants continued their fight against the government. Washington, July 30 : The US Navy has charged a sailor in connection with the 2020 fire that destroyed an amphibious warship in San Diego, a spokesperson said. "Charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice were brought forth against a Navy Sailor in response to evidence found during the criminal investigation into the fire started on the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) on July 12, 2020," Commander Sean Robertson, spokesman for the US 3rd Fleet, said in a statement issued late Thursday. He said the evidence collected during the investigation is "sufficient to direct a preliminary hearing" in accordance with due process under the military justice system, reports Xinhua news agency. The sailor, whom the Navy has not publicly identified, was a member of the Bonhomme Richard's crew at the time, Robertson added. Vice Administrator Steve Koehler, Commander of the 3rd Fleet, is considering court-martial charges, according to the Navy. The billion-dollar Navy warship burned four days and suffered extensive damage during the massive fire. More than 60 sailors and civilians who helped to extinguish fires aboard the ship were treated for minor injuries including heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation. The Navy also looked at how much it would cost to convert the remains of the warship into another type of vessel, such as a hospital ship, but such a conversion could cost more than $1 billion , which is higher than the price of building a brand-new similar ship. New Delhi, July 30: China is increasing the use of an unfamiliar method of extra-judicial imprisonment that authorizes police to prohibit access to lawyers and cut suspects off from the outside world. A new research paper by Human rights group Safeguard says that thousands are being impacted by Chinas growing authoritarian impulse. Yang Hengjun and Cheng Lei are two Australians jailed for purported national security offences in Beijing and have been detained under "residential surveillance at a designation location" programme, also known as RSDL, as reported by Australian Broadcasting News. The system was established in 2012 just days before Xi Jinping's rule as China's leader started. Human rights group Safeguard Defenders has published the most extensive account to date of state of affairs inside RSDL establishment, relying on the statements of many former detainees, including the founder of the group, Swedish activist Peter Dahlin. Their corroborated accounts provide a bird's eye view ranging from secret beatings and enforced medication to prolonged stretches of simulated boredom with guards observing every moment. Human rights lawyer Bao Longjun told the report authors that at night, two guards would watch her, even when she went to the toilet or brushed her teeth. One of them had a small book in his pocket which he would take out every 10 minutes and make notes. Her daily routine was completely regulated, except for the interrogations. While decreed under Chinese legislation, RSDL is separate from recognised legal process for a detainee. Rather, there is a six-month period when investigators can confine suspects incommunicado at "black prisons", questioning them, collecting evidence and fabricating a case without needing to charge them or acquire a court's permission. In many noteworthy cases in current years, family members were kept in the dark about where their relatives were being imprisoned. Other former detainees have recounted being handcuffed, having exercise time restricted or having their food rations cut off as punishment for violation of the RSDL rules, which mostly force prisoners to sit in silence when they are not being interrogated. In six-hour shifts, 24 hours a day, the guards would sit there and stare at Peter Dahlin, taking notes on little notepads. He was detained in early 2016 for 23 days before being expelled for running an illegal human rights NGO, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. The facility, some of which are hotels or police buildings, have differing conditions while others are specially designated prisons. She was confined to remain within a cramped, red coloured square during the day and tortured by young [guard] girls, activist lawyer Wang Yu was quoted as saying in the report. She was arrested in late 2015 during a large-scale clamp down on activist lawyers. If her leg or a foot were outside the square, by just a small part, they would warn or slap her, she said, as reported by Radio Free Asia4. While RSDL is regularly used in diplomatic and governmental cases, the Safeguard Defenders report presents figures from a freely accessible legal directory which establishes that police across China are progressively utilizing it, even for criminal cases that are not of sensitive nature. Close to 6,000 cases are officially recognized and have progressed to trial. The previous year required suspects to be detained in RSDL and that figure is well above the few hundred cases during Xi Jinping's first year in power as President. But the report authors approximate the accurate figure of suspects subjected to RSDL is expected between 10,000 to 15,000 per year. And a comparatively small but growing number of foreigners are being trapped within an insidious institution that, at best, will permit them one heavily supervised visit or phone call with diplomats per month. Yang Hengjun, who is an Australian citizen and one-time Chinese state security agent, was held in RSDL for the first six months of his ongoing two-and-a-half-year incarceration. Another was a former state TV news anchor Cheng Lei, who was picked up from her apartment in mid-2020. Both were detained in the same southern Beijing detention centre - used specifically for foreign nationals. A six-month deadline under Chinese law makes it compulsory prosecutors to "formally arrest" suspects in RSDL or release them, and in the cases of both Australians they were shifted to criminal detention where their imprisonment continued under slightly better conditions, according to previous messages from prison. Dr Yang has since been given a trial in a closed court for spying but supporters say interrogation records from his RSDL tenure were presented by prosecutors as evidence, in breach of China's own criminal procedure law. Cheng is still in jail under investigation for leaking state secrets, but she has been formally charged with espionage. Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, Two Canadians who were in March 2021 tried for national security offences , were also held in RSDL facilities located in different cities during the initial six months of their detention. They were seen as victims of hostage diplomacy by China over the arrest of a Chinese national in the Huawei spying case. The group has submitted its new findings relating to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment to a specialised United Nations Agency. (Pushkar Sinha is writer on foreign affairs. Views expressed are personal. The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Chennai, July 30 : The AIADMK cadres and leaders are pushing for a strong single leadership in the party after the BJP came out with a statement that the fight in Tamil Nadu is between the BJP and the DMK and that the AIADMK is an alliance partner. In the recent assembly elections, the BJP was able to wrest four assembly seats in an alliance with the AIADMK and the PMK. The saffron party now wants to take this forward and become a major political force in the state. While the AIADMK is presently being led by former Chief Ministers and senior leaders O. Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami, there is growing unrest among the party cadres against the style of functioning of Pannseerselvam and about his waning clout in his home turf of Theni district. In the 2021 assembly elections, the AIADMK could win only the Bodinaikar seat of Panneerselvam in the predominantly Thevar dominated Theni district. In Salem, the home turf of Palaniswami, the party could win all but one assembly seat thus leading to the growing clout of Palaniswami among the cadres and leaders. The AIADMK cadres were apprehensive about Panneerselvam not coming out strongly against expelled former party interim general secretary V.K. Sasikala as both are from the powerful Thevar community which has dominance in the southern belts of Tamil Nadu including Theni district. Sasikala has been trying to contact party cadres and lower level functionaries and this has been causing a lot of heartburn within the party. After the New Delhi visit of EPS and OPS and meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, OPS has come out against Sasikala. A large section of the party is of the opinion that Palaniswami with a clean slate should lead the AIADMK from the front and not a dual leadership. Palaniswami has immense clout in his home turf of Salem and among his Gounder community but the same cannot be said of Panneerselvam as the election results in his home district, Theni showed. New Delhi, July 30 : Chromebooks continued to outperform the rest of the PC product categories in the second quarter (Q2), posting 75 per cent annual growth and a shipment volume of 11.9 million units globally, a new report has said. HP maintained the pole position with shipments of 4.3 million units and growth of 116 per cent in the second quarter. Lenovo took second place with 2.6 million units shipped increasing shipments by 82 per cent from a year ago and Acer secured a top-three position with growth of 83 per cent, propelling it above 1.8 million units in shipments," according to latest data from market research firm Canalys released on Thursday. Dell and Samsung made up the remainder of the top five, with the former being the only leading vendor to suffer a shipment decline. "The success of Chromebooks is proving to be remarkably resilient. Their growth streak has extended well beyond the height of the pandemic as they have cemented a healthy position across all end-user segments in the industry," said Brian Lynch, Research Analyst at Canalys. With Chrome's hold over the education space relatively secure, Google is set to bet big on the commercial segment this year. "However, with Apple eyeing to expand its M1 success into the commercial space and Microsoft launching Windows 11 later this year, the PC OS race is set to be the most hotly contested it has been in a long time," Lynch added. In the tablet space, Apple maintained its leadership position in the rankings with 14.2 million iPads shipped for a relatively flat performance. Samsung was a big winner in terms of market share growth as it increased tablet shipments 13.8 per cent to post 8 million units shipped. Lenovo enjoyed the highest growth out of the top five at 78 per cent, shipping 4.7 million units. Amazon and Huawei made up the remainder of the leaders, according to Canalys. "The tablet market has truly put to rest all predictions of a slow demise," said Canalys Research Analyst Himani Mukka. "We have now seen a fifth consecutive quarter of year-on-year growth and the industry has many reasons to be optimistic for the future". In the total PC market (including desktops, notebooks and tablets), Lenovo reigned supreme once again, with remarkable growth of 23 per cent propelling it to 24.7 million units shipped. Apple remained in second place with modest growth of 5 per cent for total shipments of 20.6 million units. HP saw the lowest growth out of the top vendors, with shipments of 18.6 million units. Srinagar, July 30 : Four CRPF troopers, including a junior officer, and a civilian were injured on Friday in a militant grenade attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district. Police said militants attacked a CRPF party in the Khanpora locality of Baramulla town with a grenade today. "Four CRPF troopers including an assistant sub-inspector and three jawans were injured in this grenade explosion. "One civilian also received splinter injuries. All the injured have been shifted to hospital for treatment. "The area has been surrounded for searches", police said. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed New Delhi, July 30: Just about a week ago, Ghanas Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said that terror activities in West Africa could increase. Nkrumah even said that the terror outfits are recruiting in Ghana. "I am sad to say that our security situation in West Africa is getting precarious. Terrorism and piracy are our biggest threats in West Africa," he told Asaase radio according to Ghana Web. Experts said that the political vacuum in Afghanistan which has led to a rapid comeback of the Taliban will only bolster these terror groups in Africa. "There is a power vacuum in Afghanistan, created by the US. We are already seeing how the Taliban is making a comeback. This is a fertile time for terrorism to bloom once again and especially in Africa since it is economically weak," BK Singh, former joint commissioner of Delhi Police, told India Narrative. "In fact the Taliban may invite splinter groups to join them - a move that would help in creating a pan Islamic impression," Singh added. If immediate action is not taken, the new hub for terror outfits will only give them a platform to carry out activities across the world. Terror activities have increased all over Africa. In March, Palma in Mozambique was ripped by a massive terror attack, which forced French energy giant Total SE to pull out of the $24.1 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in the country. India's state owned ONGC Videsh which also has a stake in the project has adopted a wait and watch mode. A recent United Nations report noted that Africa has been hit the most by terror related activities in the first half of 2021. Along with the withdrawal of the US troops from Afghanistan, which has facilitated the comeback of the Taliban, the French military mission, present in West Africa has also started to pull out. BBC, last month in a report noted that "both the Islamic State group and its rivals in al-Qaeda have taken a strategic decision to make Africa their new priority." "If chaos, violent extremism and insecurity become the norm in Sahel nations like Mali then we are likely to see two things emerge: firstly, a new geographic base from which jihadists can plot attacks around the world and secondly, an increased flow of migrants and refugees making the perilous journey north to Europe to escape from their own countries," Frank Gardner, BBC's security correspondent wrote. "The African countries and the leaders are aware of the challenges that terrorism bring about. They are ready to do the needful and deal with the problem but they do not have the required resources to fight this alone. Countries across the globe must come together to support Africa in dealing with this challenge," Pradeep S Mehta, Secretary General, CUTS International told India Narrative. Increased terror activities in Africa have raised concerns for the locals as well as countries including China outside the continent. China, which has been caught in a storm over gross human rights violations in relation to the Uighur Muslims, has made huge investments in Africa. Recently, nine Chinese nationals were killed in a bus blast - a handiwork of terror outfits-- in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. (The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative Mumbai, July 30 : The National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL) has got a shot in the arm with the Bombay High Court converting its suit for recovery of Rs 937.89 crore against NK Proteins and others into a commercial suit which would ensure stringent procedural formalities for speedy disposal of the case against the defaulter. In its order, the court came down very heavily on NSEL largest defaulter NK Proteins Group for opposing the conversion of a regular suit into a commercial suit. The High Court observed that the present case fell under the definition of "Commercial Dispute" under the Commercial Courts Act, 2015, which requires urgent and quick resolution of the matter. The court's ruling, on the application made by NSEL in September 2015, set the way for priority hearing that the Commercial Courts Act demands. Notably, the Commercial Courts Act contains extensive rules of procedure and provides for mechanisms for fast-tracking the matter. It sets strict timelines and endeavours to make attempts at delaying the suit exceedingly difficult and expensive. In a statement, the NSEL said the order recorded opposition by defaulting entity as "bereft of substance" and "opposition for the sake of it". "The High Court order is a major boost to NSEL's fight against defaulters and strengthens its efforts in recovering the defaulted money," it added. NK Proteins Ltd is one of the largest defaulters in the Rs 5,600 crore NSEL payment default crisis with a liability of Rs of about Rs 935 crore. Last week, an order by the Punjab and Haryana High paved the way for a criminal investigation against NSEL defaulter LOIL Group and an arrest of its owners Balbir Uppal and Janak Raj Singh for the recovery of Rs 720.31 crore. "NSEL is getting booked all the defaulters one-by-one under the law, who were let go scot-free by the then Forward Markets Commission Chairman Ramesh Abhishek in 2013, in conspiracy with the then Additional Secretary in Department of Economic Affairs K.P. Krishnan and former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram," said the company. Pointing out that the NSEL payment default was an engineered crisis, the company said it was solvable, though it was not solved by then FMC Chairman Ramesh Abhishek who conspired with K.P. Krishnan and P.Chidambaram. "Even though the Economic Offences Wing, Mumbai, had submitted its report, Ramesh Abhishek deliberately did not take any action against the defaulters and brokers. He let every broker and defaulter escape scot-free," NSEL alleged. Despite being unjustly targeted, it stated, NSEL had been continuously striving to recover the default amount from the 22 defaulting entities, which has resulted in obtaining the decree of Rs 3,364.71 crore and crystallisation of liability by the High Court Committee to the tune of over Rs 930 crore. NSEL said the entire recovery process has been possible on account of its single-handed efforts and added that the Decrees were under execution at respective jurisdictions across India where it has achieved injunction or attachment in the Execution Proceedings as well. Lucknow, July 30 : The cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants like Lemongrass, Sataver, Ashwagandha, Khas and others is proving to be a boon for farmers in Bundelkhand region as these medicinal plants require less water and can stand the hot and humid weather conditions of the region. Alok Kumar, chief scientist of the CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), has emphasized on strengthening the cultivation, processing and marketing of medicinal and aromatic plants in the Bundelkhand region. He highlighted how medicinal plants can adapt to the climatic conditions of the region and bring financial gains to the farmers. "In just eight months, a farmer can yield 50 litres of lemongrass oils. Lemongrass cultivation needs no special arrangements to save the plants from extremely hot conditions nor does it need too much water," he said. A road map for the agrarian growth will soon be prepared for the region by the CSIR-CIMAP, he added. "Bundelkhand can be developed as an ecotourism spot as it has a good forest cover. Also, scientific goat farming in which scientific practices are used for better milk production can help double the income of goat farmers in the region," the scientist said. Experts from the Central Institute of Goat Farming Mathura and Central Institute for Research on Goats, Mathura also explained how goat farming can further help in increasing income of the people in Bundelkhand region. Singapore, July 30 : Singaporean rapper Yung Raja revealed his brand-new single "Spice Boy", paying an ode to superstar Rajinikanth. The 26-year-old bilingual rapper said: "Rajinikanth has been my idol all through my growing-up years. He's such a legend world over. "I wanted to give an ode of sorts to him and celebrate his supremacy in my music video and for as long as I'm creating, I'll look back to the moments he has given me as inspiration - his style mainly, and as inimitable as it is, I belong to the generation of fans that have his swagger permanently etched in our minds." The three-minute cinematic video is fused together by madcap action, curly wigs, inflated sumo costumes, and disorienting close-ups. All of this is captured by Vadbibes director Jas Tan with a carefree sense of the surreal and produced by Flightsch and RIIDEM. Comical antics are set in formidable locations looking straight out of Christopher Nolan films, but Yung Raja takes centre stage by invoking the brash spirit of Rajinikanth's characters. Yung started his career in 2018 with his single "Poori Gang" and went on to become Southeast Asia's rising hip-hop artist with "Mustafa", "Mad Blessings", "The Dance Song". His recent track "Mami" recently got featured on the American late-night talk show "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon". His latest single "Spice Boy" tries to break free from homogenous expectations of popular culture. Continuing his crusade of making room for multi-dimensional cultural identities Yung Raja said: "Since I was a child, I've always been proud of my culture, my roots, my mother tongue, everything that makes me 'me'. Learning to embrace that from a very young age is one of the reasons behind the bilingualism in my art. "This is who I am, a bilingual boy born and raised in Singapore to traditional parents who migrated from South India. I remember first discovering hip-hop music when I was 10 years of age and how it made one of the first and strongest impressions on me creatively. That was the real beginning of my rooted identity and voice amalgamating with hip-hop culture. I believe my persona is all about staying authentic to the duality of my cultural make-up." The first-generation Singaporean-Indian was recently signed to US label Alamo Records, marking his entry into the US market. The young rapper is also signed to Def Jam Southeast Asia, which is under Universal Music Group. "Spice Boy" was released on Thursday night on all audio streaming platforms and the official music video will premiere on Yung Raja's Vevo channel. London, July 30 : While the fear of getting Covid infection from banknotes and coins has driven much more contactless payments during the pandemic, researchers say the risk is far too less. Experts at the European Central Bank, in collaboration with researchers at Ruhr-Universitat Bochum in Germany, wanted to clarify how long do coronaviruses remain infectious on banknotes and coins? Is it possible to become infected through contact with cash? The team treated various euro coins and banknotes with virus solutions of different concentrations and over several days observed how long infectious virus was still detectable. A stainless-steel surface served as a control in each case. While infectious virus was still present on the stainless-steel surface after seven days, on the 10-euro banknote, it took only three days to completely disappear. For the 10-cent, 1-euro, and 5-cent coins after six days, two days and one hour, respectively, no infectious virus was detectable. "The rapid decline on the 5-cent piece is because it's made of copper, on which viruses are known to be less stable," explained Daniel Todt, from the varsity's Department of Molecular and Medical Virology. The study was published in the journal iScience. The researchers also developed a new method to study how well the virus is transferred from a surface to the fingertip. They contaminated banknotes, coins and credit-card-like PVC plates with harmless coronaviruses and, under high-security conditions, also with SARS-CoV-2. These surfaces were then touched, while still wet or when already dried, by test subjects with their fingertips or, in the case of SARS-CoV-2, with artificial skin. Cell cultures were then inoculated with the viruses adhering to the fingertips. This allowed the researchers to determine the number of transmitted virus particles that were still infectious. "We saw that immediately after the liquid had dried, there was practically no transmission of infectious virus," Todt said. "Under realistic conditions, infection with SARS-CoV-2 from cash is very unlikely," he added. Smear infections via surfaces are almost non-existent. The current study was conducted with the Alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2 in addition to the wild-type variant. "We assume that other variants, such as the currently predominant Delta variant, also behave similarly," said Eike Steinmann, Professor at the varsity. New Delhi, July 30 : Pakistan carries too much unsavoury baggage and labels to be a Dialogue Partner in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Pakistan has long been considered as a terrorist sponsor. It is currently under watch from the international watchdog on terrorism financing, FATF. It hosts, according to Prime Minister Imran Khan, over 30,000 terrorists. It is home to the largest number of militants and terrorist entities proscribed by the UN, various international organisations and more than 100 countries. A country which has become a synonym for terrorism can only prove to be an embarrassment and disruption for a grouping like ASEAN which faces more urgent challenges of an aggressive China and unprecedented fluidity in global economy. What ASEAN members would do well to remember is that Pakistan has also been consistently labelled as the 'most dangerous place' in the world to be a journalist or a human rights activist. It has rarely been a free country for journalists or human rights activism. But it has become one of the worst under Prime Minister Khan. Journalists, bloggers and human rights have been brutally killed, assaulted and threatened in large numbers under his captaincy of the country. In fact, his government's agents have hunted down journalists and activists in other countries where they lived in asylum. PKhan has adopted a more aggressive campaign against the media than his predecessors. He has gone after media companies and owners who refuse to kowtow to his diktat. His government disrupted the functioning of several media houses by ordering unwarranted raids on their offices, stopping their printing presses and blocking their supply lines. The owner of a powerful media house, the Jang Group, was hauled up on an old charge related to property. Television companies that refused to tow the line of the Khan government or his patrons in Rawalpindi have been slapped with taxes, fines and allegations of misdemeanor at the drop of a hat. Even popular anchors like Hamid Mir have not been spared for speaking up against journalists getting assaulted inside their own homes. Several bloggers and human rights activists have disappeared in the past months, with accusing fingers pointing at the government and the military for running a brutal campaign to silence the people. Such a country deserves no place in a respectable organisation like ASEAN. Pakistan's treatment of its minorities and women, a large number of them Muslims, should also raise heckles among the ASEAN leadership. Pakistan has been punishing Ahmadis and Shias for long. Ahmadis, a minority sect among Muslims, are virtually slaves in Pakistan with no claim to normal citizenship rights like worship or voting. Shias for decades have been targeted by various extremist Sunni outfits, most of them flourishing under the patronage of the state. Hindus, Sikhs and Christians have rarely, if ever, fair and just treatment as citizens. Pakhtuns, Baloch and Sindhis, almost all of them Muslims, have been facing the state's brutality for raising their voice for just treatment. Pakistan's worsening human rights record and religious persecution have been highlighted by the US and European Union besides other countries. With such an abysmal record in safeguarding the interest and life of its own citizens, Pakistan has proved to be a failing state, a factor which alone should nix any move to make it a member of ASEAN. New Delhi, July 30 : Newly appointed Chief Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj Bommai on Friday afternoon met Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The Karnataka Chief Minister is on a two-day visit to the national capital to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior Union Ministers and BJP chief J.P Nadda. Bommai is likely to discuss Karnataka cabinet expansion with the BJP central leadership. After meeting with Bommai, Shah tweeted, "Met the Chief Minister of Karnataka B S Bommai Ji. My best wishes to him and his team in taking the state to newer heights." Party sources claimed that Shah and Bommai also discussed Karnataka cabinet expansion. After reaching Delhi in the morning, Bommai first met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Singh later tweeted, "Met with the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Basavaraj Bommai today. I conveyed my best wishes to him for a successful tenure ahead." "Met with the Hon'ble Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh Ji at New Delhi and talked over aspects of Development," Bommai also tweeted. Bommai, meanwhile, also met Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. "The new Chief Minister of Karnataka, B S Bommai ji paid a visit to my Parliament office today. Congratulated him with a sweet laddu and gave best wishes for a fruitful tenure. Later, took him to meet Speaker Om Birla ji," Joshi tweeted. Bommai and Shekhawat discussed various water projects related to the state. Sources said it is a courtesy visit to the national capital during which Bommai will discuss his cabinet expansion with the central leadership. "During his meeting with Prime Minister Modi, Bommai is also likely to discuss issues concerning the development and Covid situation in the state," sources said. This is the first visit of Bommai to Delhi after being sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka. He was elected leader of the BJP Legislative party after former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa resigned on July 26. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, July 30: Last month, on June 24, a new container terminal was inaugurated at the port of Berbera in the self-governing territory of Somaliland. Somaliland is a break-away region of Somalia and is not recognized by any other state. The port of Berbera is located along the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden and is being developed by DP World; a company backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Underscoring the strategic significance of the modern port in the region, the inaugural ceremony was attended by a high-level delegation from neighbouring Ethiopia, President of Somaliland and CEO and Group Chairman of DP World. The event also included a ground-breaking ceremony of Berbera Economic Zone. The completion of phase one of the port's modernisation is a symbol of the strategic convergence between the UAE, Ethiopia and Somaliland. The new container terminal has more than tripled the overall capacity of the port and can handle the largest container ships which are in operation today. DP World has committed to invest up to $ 442 million in the three-phase port modernisation programme and will also operate the facility for the next three decades. The opening of a modern port, backed by an important Gulf power, is significant not only for its anticipated economic benefits but also has major geopolitical implications. Evolving Regional Geopolitics In the last few years, Persian Gulf powers like UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been engaged in expanding their influence in the Horn of Africa and are busy opening commercial and military facilities in the Red Sea region. Major global powers like the United States (US), Japan, China and France have established military bases in Djibouti. Reportedly, India had also demonstrated interest in opening the base at Djibouti and Russia has recently announced that it will establish a military base in Sudan. Of these, China is the most active power and is boosting up its military presence in the region by regular deployments of PLA Navy warships. It is engaged in developing major infrastructure projects such as ports and railways in Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya. As a result of these activities, the littoral and continental space from Sudan in the north to Kenya in the south has become a focal point of strategic rivalries between regional as well as global powers. The port of Berbera and Somaliland's geopolitical location at the crossroads of West Asia, Horn of Africa and Indian Ocean is likely to assume increasing strategic importance as the Indo-Pacific rivalries sharpen. Historically, the strategic location of the port near the straits of the Bab-el-Mandeb, which is a key maritime choke point for international trade and global energy security, has attracted foreign powers. For example, during the Cold War, Soviet Russia had maintained a major base at Berbera. In the last few years, UAE has established a firm foothold at Berbera. Convergence of Interests Interests of UAE, Ethiopia and Somaliland converge at Berbera. UAE is the primary strategic partner for Somaliland and has provided security guarantees to the self-governing territory. Earlier, UAE's DP World was operating the port of Doraleh in Djibouti. However, as relations deteriorated between UAE and Djibouti, DP World was ousted from the project and a Chinese company was brought in. Meanwhile, as UAE and Djibouti are still locked in a legal battle over the port of Doraleh, China has consolidated its presence in Djibouti. For UAE, developing the port of Berbera and building strategic partnership with Somaliland serves two inter-related objectives: challenge the pre-eminence of the port facilities at Djibouti for the shipping enroute to the Suez Canal and expand its influence in the Horn of Africa. DP World aspires to develop Berbera as a trans-shipment hub for the region. Through its entrenched presence in Somaliland and in Southern Yemen, UAE is in an enviable geopolitical position: it can monitor the strategically important Gulf of Aden closely and shape the strategic affairs of the region. Ethiopia, world's largest land-locked state in terms of population, depends on Djibouti for 95 percent of its foreign trade. It seeks to diversify its access routes to the sea and has stakes in developing the port and other connecting infrastructure at Berbera. There are plans to develop the Berbera corridor and link up with a modern highway in southern Ethiopia. It will help to boost economic development of the eastern and southern Ethiopia. On its part, Somaliland recognizes that the modern port at Berbera along with political stability will strengthen its economic attractiveness. The increasing volume of shipping, maritime, air and land connectivity facilitated by UAE and Ethiopia, and consequently, growing strategic importance of Berbera would also open up possibilities for diplomatic contacts and eventual recognition. India's Interests Gulf of Aden is an integral part of India's maritime neighbourhood and sharpening rivalries between major powers underscore the need for increasing India's strategic presence in the region. India has recently opened its embassy in Djibouti and has been steadily expanding its engagement with the Horn of Africa. India manages its relations with Somalia through its mission in Kenya. Officially, there is no contact between India and Somaliland. Given the importance of Somaliland's geopolitical location, establishment of a trade mission or some sort of unofficial contacts would prove beneficial. Indian navy is regularly deploying its warships in the region for providing food and medical assistance as well as for anti-piracy patrols. A foothold in Somaliland would expand India's presence and prove useful in monitoring Chinese activities in the region. In the last few years, India has emerged as a close strategic partner for UAE and the friendship could perhaps be leveraged to open channels of communication with Somaliland. Compared with the unstable politics and prevailing insecurity in Somalia, democratic Somaliland is stable and secure. Therefore, India could recraft its policy towards the region to better reflect the recognition of Somaliland's political, economic and strategic significance. (Sankalp Gurjar is a Research Fellow with the Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi. Views are personal. The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed Gurugram, July 30 : Gurugram police have registered an FIR against Paras Hospital for levying illegal parking fees in an open area of the hospital premises. The case was filed following a complaint lodged by a city-based RTI activist in September last year regarding illegal parking fees being charged from the hospital visitors. The RTI activist said that he had filed the complaint at the CM Window on October 2020. Following recommendation from the CM Window, an FIR has been registered against the hospital. "The hospital was also availing property tax exemption in the name of free parking on Basement 2. Following a complaint at the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), officials found that the basement of the hospital is being used for commercial activities," the RTI activist said. The MCG has also imposed a penalty of Rs 16,27,582 on the hospital for violating MCG's property tax norms. No one from the hospital management was available for comments. Aizawl/Silchar : , July 30 (IANS) In wake of the tensions on the border with Assam, the Mizoram government has taken steps to ferry transport fuels and other essentials from neighbouring Tripura and Manipur, officials said on Friday. Kolasib Deputy Commissioner H. Lalthlangliana, in a notification, said that there are no restrictions on the movement of non-residents of Mizoram travelling through the district, which abuts Assam's Cachar. "Mizo residents are also advised to allow no disturbance and to cause no harm to non-locals within Kolasib district in connection with the inter-state boundary issue at Mizoram-Assam border," it said. Meanwhile, an Indian Oil Corporation official in Agartala said that steps are being taken to supply petrol and diesel to Mizoram by road. Mizoram Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister K. Lalrinliana said in Aizawl that the state government has begun transporting petrol, diesel and other essentials from Tripura and Manipur even though, at the moment, there is no shortage of these indispensable items in the mountainous state. "The state currently has sufficient rice stocks for around three months. Other essential items are also coming in," he told the media. The Mizoram government had already requested the Union Home Ministry to intervene into "the economic blockade" on National Highway 306 in Assam as this is the lifeline of the hilly state, linking it with the rest of the country. In a letter to Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Home Secretary Pi Lalbiaksangi requested that the Centre may intervene and instruct the Assam government to take necessary action for the immediate removal of the blockade to ensure resumption of the movement of goods and passengers along the highway and railways. The Assam government on Thursday night issued a travel advisory asking its residents not to travel to Mizoram and advised people from the state working or staying in Mizoram to "exercise utmost caution". The most violent clashes, seen so far, along the Assam-Mizoram border on Monday left six Assam Police personnel dead and around 100 civilians and security personnel of the two neighbouring states injured, including an Inspector General of Police in Assam and Cachar Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Chandrakant Nimbalkar. Pune, July 30 : A Pune woman IPS officer's alleged instructions to an aide to arrange "free" biryani and other mouth-watering dishes has landed her in soup. Taking strong note of a viral audio-clip on her culinary "order", Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil has ordered a probe into the matter, even as the incident created ripples in officialdom. Despite repeated attempts by IANS, the Pune police top brass and the Home Department officials were not available for comment. In the undated video-clip, the officer is ostensibly heard ordering chicken biryani, mutton biryani for her husband who loves it, besides prawn masala, and some fried fish, through her unidentified orderly. To a hesitant query by him on payment, she is heard asking in an incredulous tone: "Do we have to pay for these things in our jurisdiction? You manage it or ask the beat cop to handle it... Do you want me to speak with him?" When the subordinate mumbled that such things are not the norm and offered to foot the bill in cash, the officer seemed in no mood to listen and repeated her sumptuous dinner order, which the former obediently took down and promised to deliver. Stung by the reactions to the audio-clip, Walse-Patil has asked Pune Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta to submit a probe report and take action in the matter. The Pune Cyber Cell is likely to check out the authenticity of the audio clip and ascertain whether it has been tampered with. New Delhi, July 30 : Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Friday wrote a letter to IT Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw urging him to act against social media sites and channels who have been protraying women in bad light and demeaning their dignity. She said: "I request you to take urgent and strict actions to deal with such nuisance so as to protect the dignity of women of our society as any responsible government should." In the letter, she said that a few months back, a YouTube channel 'Liberal Doge' ran a live "auction" of women belonging to a particular community. People were bidding and rating women based on their physical appearance and wrote degrading comments. "More recently, pictures of several women have been uploaded without their knowledge or consent on the app called "Sulli Deals' that had posted pictures of several women from various professions, including journalists, sourced from their social media websites. "The women targeted on the app faced threats, embarrassment, and harassment after their pictures were put up. The purpose of the app was to degrade and humiliate women belonging to a particular community," she said. The women are horrified since the incident has left them scarred and troubled and some have since then deleted their social media accounts and many others said they were afraid of further harassment. The misuse of social and digital media to harass and attack the dignity of a woman is disheartening, she added. She alleged though Delhi and Noida Police have registered cases, no real progress has been made so far. The lack of stringent and efficient preventive laws and punishments for such cases only motivates the perpetrators. "It pains me to see that hardly any movement with regards to these cases has happened as of now despite the seriousness," She added As per reports dozens of Muslim women in India found they had been put up for sale online, on "Sulli Deals", an app and website that had taken publicly available pictures of women and created profiles, describing the women as "deals of the day". BBC said the app's landing page had a photo of an unknown woman. The app pretended to offer users the chance to buy a "Sulli" -- a derogatory slang term used by right-wing Hindu trolls for Muslim women. There was no real auction of any kind -- the purpose of the app was just to degrade and humiliate. New Delhi, Jul. July 30 : The world's largest consumer goods company Procter & Gamble (P&G) has announced the appointment of Shailesh Jejurikar as the Global COO, making him the first Indian to be so. This is in line with the change made by the FMCG major at the CEO-level with Jon Moeller taking over from David Taylor. Shailesh Jejurikar will be appointed as the COO of the company effective from October 1 this year. His appointment further ensures great news for P&G India as India has been a talent factory for P&G globally and one of the largest exporters of top talent to P&G globally. The company has approximately 350 Indian expats in roles across the company. As COO, Shailesh will have profit/loss responsibility for P&G's Enterprise Markets (Latin America, India, Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe). He will also lead Information Technology, Global Business Services, Sales, Market Operations, New Business, Purchasing, Manufacturing, and Distribution efforts for the Company. Currently, Shailesh is the Chief Executive Officer of Procter & Gamble's largest business sector, Fabric & Home Care, which includes many of P&G's most-iconic brands: Tide, Ariel, Downy, Gain, Febreze, Swiffer-and represents about one-third of total company sales and net earnings. In this role, Shailesh has led the team in delivering industry-leading results and value creation through innovation (R&D), a synchronized E2E supply chain, brand-building and sales. Shailesh's extensive P&G career has spanned multiple businesses (Health & Beauty Care, Home Care, Fabric Care and P&G Professional) in both developed and developing regions (North America, Europe, Asia and Africa). Nemam : , July 30 (IANS) The Andhra Pradesh police on Friday destroyed illegally distilled arrack worth Rs 50 lakh at Nemam village in East Godavari district. East Godavari district police and the Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) seized 20,480 litres of arrack in separate raids which was destroyed in the presence of Superintendent of Police (SP), M. Ravindranath Babu. SEB Joint Director A. Rama Devi and Assistant Commissioner M. Jayaraju were also present during the destruction of the banned arrack, popularly known as 'saara' in Telugu. "Coordinated efforts by the district police and SEB resulted in the seizing of this huge quantity of arrack," Babu said. The SP also appealed to the general public to tip-off the police if they get any information about illegal distillation or sale of arrack and narcotics by dialling 9490618510. The identities of the informers will not be disclosed, he added. Despite numerous efforts by the police and the SEB, illegal distillation of arrack continues unabated in the southern state. On Thursday, the police in Visakhapatnam had destroyed arrack at two places -- Appalapalem (4,500 litres) and Puttadigairampeta (1,000 litres). New Delhi, July 30 : Genome sequencing capacity has not been reduced in the country, and since its inception, the INSACOG has sequenced 58,240 SARS-CoV-2 genomes, the Parliament was informed. Out of these, 46,124 samples have been analysed, assigned pangolin lineage classification and submitted to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for public health correlation, the Lok Sabha was informed through a written reply. The capacity has enhanced by expanding INSACOG network from 10 laboratories to 28 laboratories, and efforts in terms of expansion of INSACOG by onboarding more laboratories have been undertaken. The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium, or the INSACOG, is the consortium of 28 genome sequencing laboratories of the Department of Biotechnology, the Department of Science and Technology, the Health and Family Welfare Ministry, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the Education Ministry, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and state governments. It was established as an inter-ministerial initiative with an overall objective to expand whole genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 virus across the nation, and aiding understanding of how the virus spreads and evolves. The specific objectives of INSACOG are to ascertain the current status of new variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the country; establish a sentinel surveillance for early detection of genomic variants with public health implication; determine the genomic variants in the unusual events/trends (super-spreader events, high mortality/morbidity trend areas etc.), a statement said. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been developed to accelerate the pace of genome sequencing in terms of the number of samples to be sequenced as well as the time for reporting and undertake sequencing of samples from hospitals and for sewerage surveillance as a public health tool to understand Covid-19 spread in a community. These initiatives provide significant scientific information to assist and guide the public health decisions for Covid-19 management in the country, it added. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, July 30 : The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Friday declared the class 12 results of 13,04,561 students across the country. Out of a total of 13,04,561 students, 12,96,318 have passed the exams. Of these 70,004 students are those who have secured more than 95 per cent marks. Congratulating all students who successfully passed their Class XII CBSE examinations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Congratulations to all my young friends who have successfully passed their Class XII CBSE exams. Best wishes for a bright, happy and healthy future." In the class 12 board results released by the CBSE on Friday, 1,50,152 students have secured 90 to 95 per cent marks. There are 70,004 students who have secured more than 95 per cent marks. Significantly, the number of students securing 95 per cent or more marks has almost doubled this year. At the same time, the number of students securing 90 to 95 per cent marks is almost the same as last year. A total of 99.37 per cent students have passed their class 12 exams this year. Among the passing percentage of students, 99.13 per cent are boys and 99.67 per cent girls. Giving information about the examination results, CBSE said the pass percentage of girls in class XII board results is 0.54 per cent more than that of boys. In the CBSE class 12 results, 11.51 per cent students have secured 90 to 95 per cent marks, whereas 5.37 percent students have secured 95 per cent or more marks. This time, the total number of registered students appearing for CBSE class 12 boards was 14,30,188. Of these, 13,69,745 students studied via regular (both government and private schools) mode and 60,443 as private students. The results of 13,04,561 candidates have been declared on Friday out of 13,69,745 regular students. The results of the remaining 65,184 candidates will be declared by August 5. The exam results of these students are under process. There may also be some delay in checking the results by students due to heavy traffic on the CBSE website. For avoiding this problem faced by students the board has suggested that students can download their results through Digilocker as well. Students can also download and get a print of their results. At the same time, apart from the official website of CBSE, students can also check their class 12 results through the UMANG app. Students can also check their class 12 results through an SMS. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, July 30 : The Supreme Court on Friday did not grant any protection from arrest to former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on his plea seeking protection from any "coercive action" in the money laundering case registered against him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). A bench headed by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar has scheduled the matter for hearing on August 3. "List this plea on August 3 along with connected cases, so that similar orders are passed in all cases with regard to no coercive action," said the bench. The ED had issued summons to Deshmukh, a Nationalist Congress Party leader, and his son Hrishikesh seeking their appearance. Deshmukh, who had skipped the previous summonses by the agency, had, in the plea to the top court, challenged these summonses and sought protection for both himself and his son. Deshmukh has been accused of extortion from a bunch of Mumbai orchestra bars and money laundering, and the matter is being probed by the ED. It has been alleged that Rs 4.7 crore was collected as "extortion" from the orchestra bars by now-dismissed Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze allegedly on Deshmukh's instructions. Later, this amount was transferred to Deshmukh's Nagpur-based educational trust by his son, Hrishikesh. According to the allegation, the transaction was routed via two hawala operators and was showed as a "donation". The 71-year-old NCP leader is the president of the trust and his two sons, Salil and Hrishikesh, are trustees. On May 11, a case was registered against the former minister and on June 25, the ED raided Deshmukh's residences in Nagpur, Mumbai, and three other places. In April, the CBI had conducted raids at four premises of Deshmukh after registering an FIR against him in connection with the case. Param Bir Singh, former Commissioner of Mumbai Police, in his letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, alleged that Deshmukh had indulged in "malpractices" and asked Waze to collect Rs 100 crore every month. Earlier this week, the top court had adjourned the matter for a hearing on Friday and asked Deshmukh's legal counsel to provide a copy of the plea to the ED and the Maharashtra government. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Srinagar, July 30 : August 5, 2021, will mark the second anniversary of the Government of Indias historic step to repeal the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and bifurcate it into two Union Territories -- the UT of J&K and the UT of Ladakh. This move was long due and has dramatically altered the ground situation by ushering in peace and development. Political elites had treated both Article 370 and 35 (A) of the Indian Constitution that gave the erstwhile state of J&K special status as a permanent feature of Kashmir's political landscape. This status was abused to bring in a system of political patronage and pushed the whole Jammu and Kashmir into misgovernance and corruption. On practically every count of development -- economic activity, education, infrastructure, healthcare, employment -- Kashmir lagged. The heady cocktail of separatism and militancy only worsened this situation as the local youth, disappointed with nepotism and corruption, became cannon fodder for militancy even as the kith and kin of separatists studied in foreign universities and landed cushy jobs. A once progressive society, proud of its intellectual legacy and pluralistic outlook, was reduced to a pale shadow of its former self. There was always recognition among the ordinary Kashmiris that the special status had benefited only the local elites to keep alive anti-India sentiments in the Valley. However, fearing violent reprisals, many dared not speak out against this and no government before dared to scrap it. But two years ago, India crossed the Rubicon. And a perceptible change on the ground is already evident with the dramatically reduced hold of the separatist leadership, which had made protests and 'hartals' its main activity, impacting the ordinary Kashmiris, especially those dependent on daily earnings. Another noticeable change is the significant decline in stone-pelting incidents and reduced activities of the militant groups. It has denied the terrorist commanders and their masterminds based in Pakistan the much-craved anti-India narrative and propaganda to brainwash the local youth. Immediately the Union government extended more than 100 progressive laws to the J&K UT, including the Right to Education, Right to Work, Juvenile Justice Act, Women Representation Act etc. All these changes have given hope to the Kashmiris about better prospects for their families and the region. Now under the direct management of New Delhi, the local administration has also stepped up, as evident during the outbreak of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. An empowered administration quickly moved to do contact tracing and quarantining potentially infected citizens, beefing up the local healthcare facilities, imposing restrictions on public movement and rigorously implementing the vaccination programme to protect the vulnerable segments. The J&K UT's pro-active measures ensured that the region didn't witness large-scale infections during the second wave of the pandemic. This proactiveness has been carried to other areas of the administration too. Infrastructure development has topped the administrative agenda to bring unprecedented all-year-round connectivity to the Valley. The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation has begun work to build five tunnels -- Pir-Ki-Gali, Vailoo, Daranga, Zojila and Z-Morah -- to be completed by 2024. Besides, work on the world's highest railway bridge over the Chenab river is in the final stages of construction. Once completed, it will extend the rest of India's train connectivity to north Kashmir. Starved of funds from the state government earlier, the local Panchayati Raj institutions are now getting proper attention. Since August 2019, the UT has successfully conducted elections for Panches and Sarpanches, Block Development Councils and District Development Councils. These institutions are also being provided the required funds to ensure speedy completion of local work and address the developmental needs of the people. Ambitious initiatives like 'Back to Village' have further strengthened the focus on Panchayati Raj institutions. Under this initiative, government officials visited all the 4,129 Panchayat halqas to get feedback on various government schemes in their areas. The government has also made it mandatory for carrying out at least two developmental works in every panchayat. These efforts have ensured community participation for the locals in managing their affairs. The government's efforts to promote development have not remained restricted to villages. Recognising Kashmiris' indomitable entrepreneurial spirit and penchant for digital technology, the government has inaugurated the 'Mission Youth' initiative, which trains local youth for jobs and businesses in emerging sectors like banking and financial services, fashion and designing, cybersecurity, web designing, robotics and Artificial Intelligence. In addition, the Entrepreneurial Development Institute has promised additional funding for youth willing to start their business units. Under the 'Mumkin' scheme, the government is providing small commercial vehicles to the youth with reasonable subsidies to earn a livelihood. Besides, the government is progressively bringing all the regions on the digital bandwagon by launching Digital Village Centres. Investors from the rest of the country are looking to invest in hospitality, service and other sectors of the J&K UT. The changes in the land ownership rules hold potentially new changes as it will enable bigger and diverse hotel chains to invest in resorts like Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonmarg. More hotels will ensure more accommodation choices for people, which will boost tourism. This is a big opportunity for local employment. Clearly, efforts are on to usher in a new dawn of development and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir. The politics of a small elite class has ended, and a more democratic way of life has been unveiled. And as expected, the locus of the region's politics has shifted from one based on grievance and corruption to one focused on development and solving people's problems. Naturally, this sudden change from violence and pessimism to normalcy and optimism has not gone down well with Pakistan and those who benefited from Kashmir's conflict. As a result, we have seen newer and more insidious attempts from Islamabad to disturb the normalcy in Kashmir and propagate lies about India. However, Pakistan doesn't realise that its propaganda has not received global traction because the world has seen through its hypocrisy and its role in fuelling violence. New Delhi, July 30 : India and China will hold the 12th round of Corps Commander-level talks at Moldo on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on Saturday to iron out an agreement for the next phase of disengagement in Eastern Ladakh. "The talks will begin at 10.30 am," said a military source. The latest round of talks will take place after a gap of three months. Indian military delegates will meet their counterparts to discuss disengagement of troops at the friction areas such as the Hot Springs, Gogra and the Depsang plains spread over 900 sq km land. While the build-up in Depsang was not considered as part of the current standoff that started in May last year since the escalations here took place in 2013, India has insisted during the recent military commander-level meetings to resolve all the issues along the LAC. "The initial attempt will be to resolve the issues in Gogra and Hot Springs. Finding a solution to Depsang might be tricky and take longer time," said an officer. In April, during the 11th round of Corps Commander-level talks, the focus was on disengagement at the friction points of Gogra, Hot Springs and Depsang. On February 20, the two sides had held the 10th round of military dialogue to de-escalate tension along Line of Actual Control. China has been enhancing military infrastructure across the LAC for some time now. Looking at it, India has changed its posture towards China, and unlike its previous defensive approach that placed a premium on fending on Chinese aggression, India is now catering military options to strike back and has reoriented its forces accordingly. India has reoriented around 50,000 troops whose main focus is on the disputed borders with China. The reorientation comes at a time when China is refurbishing its existing air-fields in the Tibetan Plateau that will allow twin-engine fighter aircraft to be stationed, sources said. In addition, China has also also brought troops from the Tibet military region to the Xinjiang region. The Chinese side is also rapidly building infrastructure in the Tibetan Plateau. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, July 30 : The government has received complaints from traders, retailers, and industry associations against marketplace e-commerce entities regarding deep discounting, predatory pricing, and misuse of market dominance, the Parliament was informed on Friday. Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Som Parkash, told the Rajya Sabha, in a written reply, that the complaints have been forwarded to relevant government agencies for necessary examination and investigation. He said that Consumer Protection (e-Commerce) Rules, 2020 were notified on July 23, 2020, and in order to further strengthen the regulatory framework for prevention of unfair trade practices in e-commerce, the government has sought suggestions on the proposed amendments by placing it on the website of the Department of Consumer Affairs. Comments from many stakeholders on draft e-commerce policy have been received relating to definition of e-commerce, role of marketplace entities, and liabilities of e-commerce companies, among other related issues, the minister said. Bhimavaram : , July 30 (IANS) Nearly 30 families living in an apartment complex at Bhimavaram in Andhra Pradesh's West Godavari district are compelled to vacate their flats as the building's foundations have developed cracks. "Built in 2004 and less than 20 years old, Sri Srinivasa Apartments first started seeing cracks in one of its columns about seven years ago," a resident told IANS. On Sunday, some drilling work on the third floor by some flat occupants on Sunday, led to vibrations and seemed like an earthquake, forcing all the occupants to flee. "As we are reading about some small earthquakes here and there, all of us ran out on Sunday evening thinking it was an earthquake. We later found that the building's last foundation column was broken," he said. Fearing an imminent collapse of the structure, the residents' friends and relatives advised them to vacate the building located in the Balusumudi area of the town. "Heeding their advice, many of the residents vacated the building. But some of us are not getting alternative accommodation due to caste discrimination," lamented the resident who did not want to be identified. Many superstitious landlords are also not willing to rent out their premises for evacuees coming from a "collapsing" apartment. Amid this, Bhimavaram Municipal Commissioner M. Shyamala served notice to the occupants on Wednesday, seeking they evacuate the apartment in a week's time without offering any help for alternative accommodation for the time being. In the notice, she demanded the occupants produce a structural stability certificate and immediately cease using the building for any purpose. Shyamala said she doesn't know who the builder was and claimed that some of the flat owners said he lives in Hyderabad. "It was constructed in 2014, only 17 years old. Now they are thinking only how to manage that structure and how to renovate that..," she said. Asked why authorities are not holding the builder responsible, the Commissioner said the Municipal Department is engaging a local private engineering college and the JNTU, Kakinada to assess the building. Regarding arranging alternative accommodation, Shyamala claimed that single bed room or single room accommodation which the municipality extends may not be accepted by the flat owners as they are "posh". "I will talk to the (owners) association. People are approaching me. I will talk to them. If they want any accommodation, I will approach them," she noted. Shyamala also said the municipality will wait for the technical reports on the building from the JNTU to proceed on action against the builder. Meanwhile, the evacuees are staring at a loss of up to Rs 50 lakh per flat as they are clueless as to what step to take next. The flat-owner said lack of unity among all the occupants or "outside influence" is also not letting a united front be formed to battle the injustice meted out to them. New Delhi, July 30 : At the end of her visit to the national capital, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Friday that everyone must work together to save democracy in the country, besides stating that she would be visiting Delhi every two months. Before leaving for Kolkata, Banerjee said, "The visit was successful. I believe that democracy must go on and everyone has to work together to save it. When democracy is in danger, the country is in danger. 'Save democracy to save the country' is our slogan," she said. Banerjee also talked about working for the farmers, labourers, unemployed youth and others. After a thumping victory for her party Trinamool Congress in the West Bengal Assembly polls held in March-April, Banerjee reached Delhi on Monday evening. During her first visit to the national capital after being sworn-in as West Bengal CM for the third time, Banerjee met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union minister Nitin Gadkari and opposition leaders such as interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, among others. Though an expected meeting with NCP chief Sharad Pawar did not take place, Banerjee said that "I have talked to Sharad Pawar." After her meeting with the Prime Minister on Tuesday, Banerjee had said, "It was a courtesy meeting. I told the Prime Minister about the need for more vaccines and medicines in West Bengal." On Thursday, she met Union Transport Minister Gadkari and discussed several road and infrastructure projects related to West Bengal. On the political front, she met Sonia Gandhi, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Kejriwal on Wednesday. She also met Congress leaders Kamal Nath, Anand Sharma and DMK leader Kanimozhi. Ever since her third straight election triumph in West Bengal, Banerjee has been strongly pitching for opposition unity against the BJP ahead of the general elections scheduled in 2024. "Everyone has to come together to defeat the BJP. Alone, we (Trinamool) are nothing, and everyone has to work together," she had said. On the opposition face against Modi in 2024, she had said, "All the opposition parties will sit together and decide who will lead the fight against Modi." -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New Delhi, July : A 61-year-old Delhi doctor, infected with Covid thrice and contracting both the Alpha and Delta variants after vaccination, presents the first such documented case of two reinfections and two breakthrough infections. Dr Veena Aggarwal, wife of late Dr K.K. Aggarwal, first tested positive on August 16, last year and was asymptomatic. She took her first dose of Covishield vaccine on February 1 this year, followed by the second dose on March 15. On April 12, she tested positive for the second time and had symptoms such as acute abdominal pain, fever, myalgia, and fatigue. Within 19 days, on May 3, she tested positive for the third time. The infection resulted in hypoxia, hospitalisation, and illness lasting seven weeks. Whole genome sequencing showed the second infection was caused by Alpha variant and third by Delta variant. "It is known that mutations always have the ability of skipping/escaping the antibodies vaccine. You don't know what you are going to be exposed to since this is a new virus," Aggarwal, who is also Trustee at the Heart Care Foundation of India, told IANS. "Anybody can get infected anytime whether you are vaccinated or not. But yes, if you are vaccinated, the chances of severe illness and death gets reduced. Me and (husband) Dr K.K. Aggarwal were an exception to the rule. I got saved because of my vaccines, but Dr K.K. didn't because he also had other comorbidities. "However, this should not be a deterrent for people to say that vaccines don't work. They do work and there is no doubt about that. My children were exposed to Covid, but got saved due to vaccination," she said. Dr K.K. Aggarwal, a cardiologist at the HCFI, passed away at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences after a long battle with the virus in May. Her case, published in the peer reviewed medical journal Frontiers in Medicine, showed that the doctor-patient had developed antibodies after her second infection and even had vaccine-induced antibodies. "There is no quantitative data, so far anywhere in the world, yet on which antibodies will prevent infections and what is the cutoff level for protection from the infections. There is so far no guidelines/literature on this," Aggarwal told IANS. The study identified a rare breakthrough infection, in 19 days and also confirmed it as a reinfection. Breakthrough infections happen when people get infected after vaccination because the virus broke through the protective barrier the vaccine provides. "There are certain criteria laid down by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for reinfection. They indicate that there has to be an infection on two different occasions, which are 45 to 90 days apart as per the CDC and 102 days, according to the ICMR. This can be detected only if a person has access to whole-genome sequencing. A study conducted by the ICMR indicates that the possibility of reinfections currently stands at 4.5 per cent," said lead researcher Dr Jayanthi S Shastri, Head at molecular diagnostic laboratory at Kasturba Hospital, Mumbai. Aggarwal said: "I would say this is the most horrific experience in my life. I want to tell everybody to take this seriously, wear masks, maintain hand hygiene and social distance and get vaccinated." Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New Delhi, July 30 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against Delhi-based Amrapali Biotech India Pvt Ltd and others including its directors in a bank fraud case and carried out searches at their premises. A CBI spokesperson said that the agency registered a case on a complaint from the Punjab National Bank, and erstwhile Oriental Bank of Commerce against the Amrapali Biotech India and others, including its Directors Sunil Kumar, Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary, Ram Vivek Singh, Seema Kumari, and Sunita Kumari, on the allegations of fraud. It was alleged that Amrapali Biotech and its directors cheated the bank and misappropriated the loan amount of Rs 47.97 crore, sanctioned and disbursed for setting up units for manufacturing of food products like jams, sauces, pickles, cornflakes etc in Bihar's Rajgir and Buxar with an ulterior motive to cheat the bank and embezzle public money for their personal gain. "An alleged loss to the tune of Rs 35.25 crore, apart from interest on loan amount, was caused to the bank which is due from date of NPA on July 1, 2016," he said. He said multiple CBI teams conducted searches at the premises of the accused which led to recovery of some incriminating documents. Srinagar, July 30 : Incessant rain on Friday breached a canal in J&K's Ganderbal district and the water discharge blocked traffic on the Srinagar-Leh highway. Gushing water from the canal in Baba Wayil area blocked the highway at Nuner village in Ganderbal, and Police and SDRF personnel have reached the spot. There was no report of any loss of life due to the sudden breach in the canal and the large volume of gushing water that hit the highway. A cloudburst on Wednesday occurred at the Amarnath Cave shrine, but there was no loss of life. This year's Yatra has been cancelled due to the pandemic. Seven people were killed and over 12 injured in another cloudburst at Hunzar village of Kishtwar district on Wednesday. The weather office has forecast overall improvement in weather in J&K from Saturday onwards. New Delhi, July 30 : Vedanta Ltd has moved the Supreme Court seeking its nod to continue operations, beyond July 31, of its copper plant in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi for production of medical oxygen. Senior advocate Harish Salve mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, seeking urgent hearing. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the Tamil Nadu government, opposed the petition stating that the state government had sufficient quantity of liquid oxygen. "We oppose this. We already have enough oxygen," he contended. The top court has scheduled the matter for further hearing next week. On April 27, the top court had allowed Vedanta to operate its oxygen production unit, on a standalone basis, at the Thoothukudi copper plant till July 31. The company had contended then it wanted to help the national cause amid the second wave, when the country was in dire need of oxygen for Covid patients. The Tamil Nadu government had sealed the plant run by Vedanta arm Sterlite on May 28, 2018, due to environmental concerns. During a protest against environmental pollution allegedly caused by the plant, thirteen people were killed when police opened fire. The top court had then passed the order saying that plant can function against the backdrop of national need for oxygen, and it would not create any equity in favour of Vedanta. It had said the nation must stand together in this hour of crisis. "There cannot be political bickering in this court. We have to support nation as a court. It is a national calamity," the bench had said. The top court had asked the Tamil Nadu government to form a committee comprising the Thoothukudi Collector, Superintendent of Police, District Environmental Engineer, Sub-Collector and two government officials with knowledge of the matter to overlook the functioning of the plant. A plea by Vedanta challenging the closure of the copper plant in May 2018 is pending adjudication separately. Meanwhile, Vedanta Ltd on Friday said its oxygen plant will start winding-off of operations. It said that the start of winding-off operations on Friday is done to allow enough time for the defrosting process before the date indicated by the Supreme Court. "Our application for extension of the facility for a period of 6 months, is listed to be heard by the Hon'ble Supreme Court on August 6, 2021," it said. As per the apex court's order on April 27, 2021, Vedanta has completed the three month duration granted by the court to operate the oxygen plant until July 31, 2021. The company said, till date it has supplied 2,132 tons of medical grade oxygen and has a stock of 134 ton liquid medical oxygen. Thiruvananthapuram, July 30 : Kerala on Friday saw over 20,000 Covid cases for the fourth day in succession, making it account for 50 per cent of the country's daily tally. In a statement issued here, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said 20,772 people turned positive after 1,52,639 samples were tested in the past 24 hours. The test positivity rate was 13.61 per cent, while the total number of active cases was 1,60,824. Incidentally all these basic indicators for the past few days have been showing that Kerala is leading in all the respects, and a special health team from Delhi has arrived in the state and will now split into two and travel around to find out how best things can be contained. Friday also saw 115 new deaths, taking the death toll to 16,701. Meanwhile with the state observing lockdown based on the TPR, there were 323 local bodies with a TPR of above 15 per cent, while in 355, it is between 10 to 15 per cent, in 294, between 5 to 10 per cent and in 62, it was below 5 per cent. New Delhi, July 30 : The Supreme Court on Friday gave the final opportunity to the Centre to file its response on a petition seeking directions to allow eligible women candidates into National Defence Academy (NDA), where only men can join now. A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Hrishikesh Roy observed notice was issued on the petition earlier this year, but the Centre has not filed a counter-affidavit so far. Senior advocate Chinmoy Pradip Sharma, representing petitioner Kush Kalra, submitted the next round of examination is scheduled on September 5. In a fresh application, Kalra pointed out that the UPSC on June 9 had issued notice declaring the date of examination for admission to the Army, Navy, Air Force wings of the NDA. "It is further submitted that willing female candidates shall suffer irreparably if the said notification issued by Respondent No 4 (UPSC) is not stayed as the examination is to be conducted on September 5, 2021, it said. After hearing arguments in the matter, the bench posted the matter to August 18 to consider the issue of grant of interim relief. The application said the examination notice is in complete violation of Article 14, 15, 16 and 19 of the Constitution. It pointed out that notice categorically states a condition for eligibility for the examination, that the candidate must be an unmarried male, which excludes eligible and willing female candidates. The top court was hearing a plea seeking directions for necessary steps to be taken to allow eligible female candidates to appear for the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination and train at the National Defence Academy. On March 10, a bench headed by then Chief Justice S.A. Bobde had issued notice to Centre on the plea. The plea contended that Articles 14, 15, 16 and 19 of the Constitution are being violated by denying the opportunity to eligible and willing female candidates to join the National Defence Academy and afford them a chance to enrol, train, and develop themselves into future leaders of the Indian Armed Forces. "The categorical exclusion of eligible female candidates from entering the National Defence Academy is not constitutionally justifiable and is simply done on the basis of their sex," said the plea, filed through advocate Mohit Paul. The plea contended the Centre allows unmarried male candidates having adequate 10+2 qualification to take the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination. "However, eligible and willing female candidates are not allowed to take the said examination on the sole ground of their sex and without any reasonable or justifiable explanations within the four corners of the Constitution," said the plea. New Delhi/Bengaluru, July 30 : With a possible third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic looming large, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Friday that the state government would start screening passengers arriving to the state in trains from Kerala. Prior to meeting Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi, Bommai told reporters that the state is gearing up to face the threat a possible third Covid wave. "With Covid cases rising in the neighbouring state, I have given necessary instructions to the deputy commissioners of the districts which share borders with Kerala. The DCs of Kodagu, Chamarajanagar, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada were already alerted that they must test passengers arriving from Kerala by bus or via air. Now we have decided to screen all passengers arriving from Kerala by train as well," he said. The Chief Minister added that not only the bordering districts which share boundaries with Kerala, but all the districts which share boundary with these districts, such as Chikkamagluru, Hassan, Shivamogga, Mysuru and Mandya, will be under surveillance to keep a check on the rise in Covid cases. "I have directed Chief Secretary P. Ravi Kumar to convene a meeting of all the deputy commissioners to form strategies to keep a check on Covid spread," Bommai said. The Chief Minister also indicated that he would have a brief idea about how his Cabinet formation will shape up only after meeting BJP national President J.P. Nadda. "First I will seek blessings from Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amith Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I am yet to fix an appointment with Nadda, but our meeting is likely to take place on Friday evening," he said. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New Delhi/Cincinnati, July 30 : Procter & Gamble (P&G) has announced the appointment of Shailesh Jejurikar as its Global COO, making him the first Indian to hold the post. This is in line with the change at the CEO level with Jon Moeller taking over from David Taylor. In addition, effective from October, 1, Jejurikar will be appointed as the COO of the company. This further ensures great news for P&G India as India has been a talent factory for P&G globally and one of the largest exporters of top talent to P&G globally. The company has approximately 350 Indian expats in roles across the company. As COO, Jejurikar will have profit and loss responsibility for P&G's Enterprise Markets (Latin America, India, Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe). He will also lead Information Technology, Global Business Services, Sales, Market Operations, New Business, Purchasing, Manufacturing, and Distribution efforts for the Company. Currently, he is the Chief Executive Officer of Procter & Gamble's largest business sector, Fabric & Home Care, which includes many of P&G's most-iconic brands: Tide, Ariel, Downy, Gain, Febreze, Swiffer - and represents about one-third of total company sales and net earnings. In this role, he has led the team in delivering industry-leading results and value creation through innovation (R&D), a synchronised E2E supply chain, brand-building, and sales. Jejurikar's extensive P&G career has spanned multiple businesses (Health & Beauty Care, Home Care, Fabric Care and P&G Professional) in both developed and developing regions (North America, Europe, Asia and Africa). P&G said he has consistently delivered strong business results in every market and on every business, enabled via his deep experience of growing brands locally, regionally, globally and across service industries, together with his passion for brand building. He has the unique ability of identifying growth possibilities. As executive sponsor for global sustainability, Jejurikar is actively driving P&G's "force for good and a force for growth" vision to ensure its sustainability goals are fully integrated into the day-to-day business to enable - and to inspire - positive impact on the environment and society while creating value for the company, consumers and shareholders. Moeller, Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer, will succeed Taylor as Procter & Gamble's President and Chief Executive Officer, effective November 1, 2021. Moeller has been appointed to the Company's Board of Directors. On November 1, Taylor will become Procter & Gamble's Executive Chairman. In this role, he will lead the Board of Directors, and provide advice and counsel to the CEO and P&G leadership on company decisions. Kabul/New Delhi, July 30 : Afghanistan's acting Minister of Information and Culture, Mohammad Qasim Wafayezada, has said that Pakistan still imagines a stateless Afghanistan and that the neighbouring country should not beat the drum for destruction. As per media reports, Wafayezada was reacting to a recent tweet by Pakistan Foreign Affairs Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who called for a ceasefire in Afghanistan. "Pakistan's Foreign Minister tweeted the other day, calling for a ceasefire in Afghanistan. The tweet comes after the international community returned attention and support for the people and government of Afghanistan, following a campaign of bloodshed, violence and killings," Wafayezada said in a post. The minister went on to say that Qureshi's short tweet revealed the hidden intention and obvious goals of the Pakistan government, as it still imagines a stateless Afghanistan and calls anyone stakeholders. "The war in Afghanistan is imposed by Pakistan and the Taliban agents backed by them, who have accepted slavery of the ISI, and this is a war of terrorism against the people of Afghanistan, not a war of few domestic political groups. "The ongoing war in Afghanistan is a targeted attack on democracy, freedom of expression, human rights of the people of Afghanistan and women's rights, development and freedom of the people," he said, as per media reports. He further said, "This is only in the interest of the people and the government, not of those seeking the destruction of Afghanistan by destroying public infrastructures. Qureshi must correct his understanding of international relations and the situation in Afghanistan, and as a neighbour, should not beat the 'drum for destruction of Afghanistan', nor insist on returning the Afghan people to a state of anarchy and chaos, as it will eventually affect Pakistan as well. The voice of peace and support that came from Waziristan must be taken seriously." The minister said that Pakistan's conspiracies and its evil intentions have now become obvious as they cannot be hidden from the people of Afghanistan. "Today, both pro and anti-government politicians are united in their stand against this bloodshed and violent efforts, and the entire people of Afghanistan, from every ethnic group, tribe, language and province, stands against the widespread terrorist attacks within the popular local uprisings," he said. "The people of Afghanistan, as a nation that has seen four decades of war and unrest, are now in dire need of peace and security more than anyone else. They need peace that does not sacrifice the main values and the political system and does not cower the people of Afghanistan to start from zero." New Delhi, July 30 : Poll strategist Prashant Kishor has met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi quietly for a few times now, to discuss the party's revival ahead of a spate of Assembly elections next year, including in Uttar Pradesh, sources said. Rahul Gandhi has informally discussed the plan with the Congress leaders and sought their view for Kishor's entry into the party, and to what extent he can be given responsibility for the party's poll strategy, say party leaders, who were part of these deliberations. Kishor, who has also met General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi and interim chief Sonia Gandhi in these deliberations, has given a plan to the Congress leadership and the talking points are being discussed amongst the senior leaders. Kishor who is likely to take political plunge soon in the Congress but debate on his position in the party is on. Sources said that Kishor may be appointed as General Secretary in charge of election management, but party seniors insist that giving sole responsibility of elections to one person is not a good idea as Kishor cannot be trusted in totality, but nobody is averse of his joining the party. Since Kishor met Rahul Gandhi on July 13 and submitted his plan, many rounds of meetings have taken place within the Congress setup, and some party leaders feel his skills may be used in the elections. The Congress is preparing for polls in UP, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and some northeastern states next year. Kishor has recently handled campaigns of the Trinamool Congress, the DMK and the YSRCP and has relations across party lines. Most recently, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has roped him for his advice in the run-up for elections. Kishor has been meeting Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar too, and their frequent meetings had fuelled speculations on the creation of a "third front" to combat the BJP. But Kishor has categorically rejected this possibility, and insisted that without Congress, it can't be possible to challenge the BJP. Bhopal, July 30 : The panchayat in the village of Hirankheda, Seoni Malwa block, in Madhya Pradesh's Hoshangabad district, has found itself at odds with the Janpad and Zila Panchayat offices after their revamped plan for the new Panchayat Bhawan in the village was ignored. With their current panchayat office being too small, the gram sabha in Hirankheda decided to improve on it and had passed a resolution on June 15 to build their new panchayat office in the image of Central Vista, the new Parliament complex under construction in New Delhi. However, officials in the Panchayat and Rural Development Department in the state have refused to approve the design, citing a constraint of time. With the intent of providing more work during the pandemic at the village level, the department had ordered the construction of panchayat offices where needed. The department had shared a standard architectural plan, which the panchayat said doesn't meet their needs. The panchayat officials even tried to reach out to the Principal Secretary of the department, Umakant Umarao, but haven't received a response. 101Reporters too made repeated attempts to reach him but he did not respond to the phone calls and messages sent to him. Hirankhedi is the biggest village in the area with a population of 3,800. Sarpanch Mahesh Parihar said, "To pass any resolution at the gram sabha, a minimum quorum of 10% is required. So the panchayat office should have the capacity to accommodate at least 380 people in the meeting hall," he said. The government-sanction design is too small to accommodate that many people. Moreover, given the pandemic, there should be enough space to maintain social distancing norms during the meetings, Parihar added. The young panchayat, whose members are mostly in their early to mid-30s, is raring to change the face of the village, said Panch Ashutosh Litoria (28). Part of this effort is a modern and eye-catching panchayat bhawan with facilities that can cater to all the needs of the residents. Apart from being used a few times a year to hold gram sabha meetings, which is the primary function, they would also like the new building to serve as a community space that can host official and social events. They had consulted with an architect, Eng Abhishek Rajput, who is from the neighbouring village of Ratwada and a friend of Litoria's. Eng Rajput said he was inspired by the Central Vista and wanted to design a building that will instil a feeling of pride among the villagers. "The official design has only one floor but I planned a mezzanine in order to increase the capacity of the building. So instead of 60 people, this building can accommodate 150. This is still not enough but we are limited by the area of the plot. I have also designed one room for the sarpanch, one for the sachiv (panchayat secretary), a computer room and two storerooms," he said. Though the Hirankhedi panchayat submitted this design to the Janpad Panchayat office four months ago and have since then been pursuing them to grant permission to go ahead, they haven't received any word of approval. On the contrary, in order to get the construction started, some Janpad Panchayat officials had arrived in Hirankheda in the first week of July to demarcate the land in accordance with the original design. But they were prevented from doing so by the panchayat. The incident has left the villagers incensed that the higher-ups simply chose to ignore the resolution passed by the gram sabha a few days earlier and impose their own plans. Durgesh Kumar Bhumarkar, CEO Janpad Panchayat, Seoni Malwa, said, "We have a design that is approved by the Zila Panchayat office and other higher authorities. However, the Sarpanch and Panchs submitted their drawings a few days ago which I have sent to the Zila Panchayat office." However, the CEO of the Hoshangabad Zila Panchayat, Manoj Sariyam, was unequivocal about the matter. He said that the people of Hirankhedi were indulging in 'netagiri' (political tactics). "If government funds are being used to construct the panchayat bhawan then it will be built according to the design given by the government and not of the gram sabha. Let them build their panchayat bhawan with their own money if they want to go by their own design," he said. But the village is determined to not allow the bureaucracy to force its design on the gram sabha. Activist and a resident of Hirankhedi, Rakesh Malviya defends it as the fundamental right given to the village panchayat. "The Gram Sabha is the basic unit of democracy. Any decision taken by the village panchayat is binding on all higher officials. In this case, the village panchayat has taken the decision unanimously. It is beyond comprehension as to why higher officials want to impose their plans on us. This is unconstitutional," he told 101Reporters. He resented the Zila Panchayat CEO's comment about 'government money'. "It is our money. We will move to the court if they do not follow the resolution passed by our gram sabha," Malviya added. The cost of the new panchayat bhawan has been estimated at Rs 22 lakh, two lakhs over the budget allocated by the department. Parihar said they will be able to meet this excess with the panchayat funds and, in any case, the officials of the panchayat department had unofficially told him that the department would be able to stretch the budget by this amount without much fuss. Eng Rajput too said that he had met with the Panchayat and Rural Development Minister, Mahendra Singh Sisodia, who admired the design and has assured to look into the matter. "The people of this village are quite aware of their rights," said Amit Sadh, who is a member of Janpad Panchayat Seoni Malwa, and has been campaigning on behalf of the panchayat to get the plan approved. It's worth noting that the panchayat received an award from the state government, a cash prize of Rs 6 lakhs, for electing all its 20 members unopposed. Many state governments incentivise panchayats that get elected unopposed because it is believed that this fosters unity and signals the ability of the gram sabha to work together to reach a consensus. (The author is a Bhopal-based freelance journalist and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters) Kohima/Aizawl, July 30 : While Assam and Mizoram saw their boundary dispute turn violent, the Nagaland government on Friday said that they would maintain a peaceful atmosphere along their over 500-km-long border with Assam. Deputy Chief Minister Y. Patton said that both Chief Ministers - Assam's Himanta Biswa Sarma and Nagaland's Neiphiu Rio - had recently agreed to withdraw their police forces from their outposts in the Tzurangkong border area and maintain a peaceful atmosphere. Patton, who also holds charge of the Home Department, however, told the media that Nagaland Police would not be withdrawn from Tzurangkong unless and until the Assam Police does so. He stated that in the past, it was agreed that both state police forces would withdraw from the border areas, but while Nagaland did so, Assam did not keep its commitment, and had, in fact, increased the number of their outposts. "We would not make the mistake again. One should not test the patience of the Government of Nagaland or the Naga people," said Patton, who called on the people not to take law into their own hands but to approach the state government and work together to solve the issue. Patton is also the leader of the BJP legislature party, whose 12 MLAs are part of the People's Democratic Alliance (PDA) government headed by Rio. Meanwhile, Nagaland's Director General of Police John Longkumer said that he has spoken with his counterpart in Assam on the issue of withdrawing forces along the disputed area. Commissioner, General Administration, Rovilatuo Mor said that the difficulty faced by the people from "economic blockade" and "harassment" is being taken up in the Chief Secretary level and the government machinery is working towards resolving the issues amicably. He also reiterated that physical confrontation should be avoided at any cost. Patton and other officials also held a meeting with elected leaders of various local bodies along the Assam border to discuss the situation. New Delhi, July 30 : The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators on Friday expressed strong reservation against empowering the office of the Delhi Lieutenant Governor as the boss of Delhi and giving him extraordinary powers through an amendment in the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) Act. The AAP MLAs also resented the refusal of power to the Delhi Assembly's committees to inquire into the governance and day to day issues. During the short duration discussion on the second day of the monsoon session of the Delhi Assembly, AAP MLA Akhilesh Pati Tripathi initiated the discussion on the subject. The AAP MLAs termed it, "unconstitutional and unwarranted interference in the jurisdiction of the Delhi Legislative Assembly and it's committees by the Union Government." Saurav Bharadwaj, MLA from Greater Kaiplash and senior spokesperson of the party said, "The Centre's deliberate attempts to snatch power of elected Delhi Government indicates the nervousness of the BJP. Through the LG's office BJP wants to rule in Delhi indirectly." Bharadwaj said the nine-member Delhi Assembly committee is examining several issues using it's constitutional power involving officials and elected members and the reports are being sent to the L-G office. "I would request members of opposition (BJP) to oppose the GNCTD Act to protect the rights of Delhi Assembly and the people of Delhi," Bharadwaj added. Another AAP MLA Raghav Chadha continued the discussion on this subject stating that if day-to-day matters of Delhi will not be discussed in the Delhi Assembly then it is against the federal system of the Constitution. During the discussion, Chadha read out several orders of the Supreme Courts in different times on Delhi's constitutional power. "Through GNCTD Act, BJP-led Centre has curtailed Delhi Assembly's power," he added. However, Vijender Gupta, senior BJP MLA, while speaking on the matter said that more a dozen committees of the Delhi assembly are allowed to function in concurrence with the Lok Sabha. "It is wrong interpretation that Delhi assembly's committees' powers have been curtailed. Changes have been made only on those subjects which are not under the purview of the Delhi government," Gupta added. New Delhi, July 30 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday carried out searches at four premises of RDSO Director, Telecom, Navneet Kumar Varma, posted at Lucknow, and his wife Gunja Verma, who face a case for allegedly possessing disproportionate assets, an official said. According to a CBI spokesman, Varma, an officer of IRSSE 2006 batch, after promotion to Senior Divisional Signal and Telecom Engineer, had served at Eastern Railway in West Bengal's Malda from 2015 to 2016, and was then Joint Director (S&T), Urban Transport and High Speed, RDSO, Lucknow, from 2017 to August 2018. It was alleged that Varma had acquired assets to the tune of Rs 76.45 lakh, which were disproportionate to his known sources of income, during the period from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2017. It was also alleged that during the said period, Varma had acquired immovable and movable assets, amounting to Rs 81.42 lakh in his name and in the name of his wife. "Searches are being conducted today (Friday) at four locations including at Lucknow, Jaunpur and Mau in Uttar Pradesh, in the office and residential premises of Varma which has led to recovery of several incriminating documents," the spokesman said. New Delhi, July 30 : Newly-appointed Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who assured the Centre's full support for the development of the state. After the meeting at his residence, the Prime Minister tweeted: "Met Chief Minister of Karnataka B S Bommai ji today. Conveyed best wishes as he begins a new journey for Karnataka's progress. Assured full support for the development of Karnataka." Bommai also met BJP chief J.P. Nadda. Sources said that he discussed the political situation after B.S. Yediyurappa's resignation as Chief Minister, and his cabinet expansion. Earlier in the day, Bommai met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Parliamentary Affair Minister Pralhad Joshi, Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. He also hosted a lunch for MPs from the state. After meeting with Bommai, Shah tweeted, "Met the Chief Minister of Karnataka B S Bommai Ji. My best wishes to him and his team in taking the state to newer heights." Party sources claimed that Shah and Bommai also discussed Karnataka cabinet expansion. After reaching Delhi in the morning, Bommai first met Rajnath Singh. After the meeting with Karnataka Chief Minister, Singh tweeted, "Met with the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Basavaraj Bommai today. I conveyed my best wishes to him for a successful tenure ahead." "Met with the Hon'ble Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh Ji at New Delhi and talked over aspects of Development," Bommai tweeted. Bommai and Shekhawat discussed various water projects related to the state. Joshi, in a tweet, said: "The new Chief Minister of Karnataka, B S Bommai ji paid a visit to my Parliament office today. Congratulated him with a sweet laddu and gave best wishes for a fruitful tenure. Later, took him to meet Speaker Om Birla ji." Sources said it is a courtesy visit to the national capital during which Bommai has also discussed his cabinet expansion with the central leadership. This is the first visit of Bommai to Delhi after being sworn in as Chief Minister. New Delhi/Islamabad, July 30 : The fourth wave of Covid-19 pandemic has shown no signs of slowing down in Pakistan, as the country's active caseload shot past the 60,000-mark on Friday morning. The National Command and Operation Centre's (NCOC) data showed that Pakistan lost another 86 people to the virus in the last 24 hours, pushing the nation's Covid death toll to 23,295, News Pakistan reported. NCOC's stats placed the country's positivity rate at 7.79 per cent. The NCOC critically reviewed the spread of the disease in Karachi and decided to take all possible measures to assist the provincial government in combating the rising trend of the disease. It was earlier reported that a decision on whether a two-week lockdown will be imposed in Karachi will be taken on Friday during the meeting of th provincial task force on coronavirus. The Sindh health department had recommended clamping a two-week complete lockdown to contain the spread of the pandemic in Karachi as the positivity rate has gone beyond an alarming 30 per cent in the megacity, the report said. Given the unsettling circumstances of Covid resurge in Karachi, the task force had received a strong proposal to impose a complete lockdown in the metropolis. Medical experts and the health department had suggested halting inter-city and intra-city commute for two weeks. Accordingly, the Sindh government on Friday announced that a lockdown will be imposed in the province from Saturday till August 8 to curb the Covid spread, which is spiralling out of control. The decision was taken in a meeting of the provincial task force at the CM House with Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah in the chair. Parliamentary leaders of political parties were also invited to the meeting. The meeting decided that government offices will be closed from next week while those who have not been vaccinated will not get their salaries after August 31. It was also decided that the police will be authorised to check the vaccination cards of anyone on the streets. The provincial government has also decided that all markets in the province will be closed. However, the export industry and pharmacies will be allowed to remain open. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New Delhi, July 30 : Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday invited private and foreign investors to participate in the growth of world's fastest-growing energy markets promising an attractive and rule based regulatory regime. Addressing an investors meeting called to promote India's next round of auctions of discovered small fields (DSF), Puri said that the government has an open mind on attracting investment in the energy sector and is ready to participate with the industry to see that all concerns are addressed and regulations made attractive to facilitate investments. In the DSF round III, the government is offering 32 oil and gas blocks with 75 discoveries to investors for bidding. These include 11 onshore blocks, 20 offshore and one deepwater area. These blocks, spread over about 13,000 square km, hold 75 oil and gas discoveries with a combined resource base of 230 million tonnes of oil and oil equivalent gas. These small and marginal fields were discovered by state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Oil India Ltd (OIL) but the government decided to invite private sector to develop it as it was not found to be viable by state owned companies due to small size and fiscal regime. Under DSF, the government is offering liberal terms to investors that includes freedom price and market the hydrocarbon discoveries. The government has opened round I and II of DDF round between 2016 and 2018 in which 54 blocks, taken away from the ONGC and the OIL, were awarded. Kohima, July 30 : The Gauhati High Court has asked the Nagaland government to modify its SOPs to allow teaching and non-teaching staff the option of compulsorily getting tested for Covid every 15 days, if choosing not to go for vaccination, in view of the reopening of schools and colleges in the state, a court official said on Friday. The Kohima bench of Justice Songkhupchung Serto and Justice S. Hukato Swu directed the Nagaland's Principal Secretary, Home, to modify the relevant paragraph in the two standard operating procedures, issued by the state, stating that for opening of schools and colleges, the teaching and non-teaching staff should be fully vaccinated or should have taken first dose of vaccine 15 days prior to such opening. Hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking to modify the SOPs to the extent that those who choose not to be vaccinated may be given the option of being compulsorily tested every 15 days, the division bench said: "Considering the submissions of the learned counsel on this and taking into account of the fact that no one can be compulsorily vaccinated, we are of the view that the option prayed for can be granted." It, thus, directed the state government to modify its SOPs. In another order following a separate PIL, the judges said that the salaries of government employees should not be stopped for the reason of not having been vaccinated. "We are of the considered view that prima facie the order (issued by Chief Secretary J. Alam) is not in consonance with the orders passed by this court in the PIL (suo moto) and right of the employees under the Constitution of India," the order said. Citing the decision taken by the High Powered Committee on Covid-19, the Chief Secretary, in his July 17 order, asked all employees in the Nagaland Secretariat and Directorates would be required to be vaccinated to attend office, or to produce Covid-19 negative test report by getting tested every 15 days through either RT-PCR or TrueNat or CBNAAT on self-payment basis, as per government approved rates. "The salaries of those who have not taken a single dose of vaccine against Covid-19 or who have failed to furnish Covid-19 negative test report would be stopped beyond July 31 and they would not attend office. The period of absence of such employees will be treated as leave without pay," the order had said. The matter would again come up before the court on August 18. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Chennai, July 30 : The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's Public Relief (CMPRF) received an amount of Rs 500 crore and an amount of Rs 305 crore was disbursed for Covid-19 relief operations till July 28, an official statement said on Friday. The statement from the Chief Minister's Office said that the officials apprised Chief Minister M.K. Stalin of the figures, during a meeting chaired by him to review the functioning of the Finance and Human Resources Departments at the TN Secretariat. The functions of treasuries and accounts, disbursing of pensions, audit of local bodies, and audits of cooperatives was discussed during the meeting. The functioning of the CMPRF, the amount received in it, and how the funds were disbursed were also discussed in the meeting. The implementation of the Integrated Finance and Human Resource Management system, functions of the sub treasuries and implementation of new insurance schemes for government employees were also discussed, according to the statement. The statement also said that the Chief Minister enquired about how the pensions are being disbursed and also directed officials to resolve grievances of the pensioners, the statement said. State Finance Minister P.T.R. Palanivel Thiagarajan and Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu were also present in the meeting along with senior officials of the departments concerned. New Delhi, July 30 : The Supreme Court on Friday took suo motu cognisance of the alleged mowing down of Dhanbad Additional District Judge Uttam Anand by an auto-rickshaw and sought a status report of investigation from the Jharkhand government through the Chief Secretary and the DGP within a week. A bench of Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and Justice Surya Kant said: "This gruesome incident has been widely reported in newspapers, and video clippings of the incident are also being circulated on social media platforms, suggesting that it was not a case of simplicitor road accident." SCBA President and senior advocate Vikas Singh on Thursday asked the top court to take suo moto cognisance of the alleged killing of Anand. The bench said it is cognizant of the fact that the Jharkhand High Court has taken note of the nature of the incident and initiated necessary action to ensure that the state government protects the law and order situation within and outside the court premises. "Having regard to the seriousness of the issue and its larger ramifications, we direct the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, State of Jharkhand to jointly submit a status report of inquiry vis-a-vis the sad demise of Judicial Officer, Shri Uttam Anand, with the Registry of this Court within a week's time," said the bench. The bench made it very clear that it is not interfering in the proceedings going on before the high court and added similar incidents are happening across the country. "Taking into consideration the duty and obligation of the state to create an environment and accord full protection to judicial officers as well as the legal fraternity so that they can perform their duties fearlessly, we deem it appropriate to take up this matter suo motu," the top court said, in its order. It emphasised there is an urgent need for wider consideration and consequential detailed explanation by all concerned. "We will consider the desirability of issuing notice to all other states and Union Territories on the next date of hearing," it added. The bench directed the Jharkhand Advocate General to appear before it on the next date of hearing. "Registry to serve a copy of this order to the Advocate General of the State of Jharkhand forthwith. A copy of this order may also be served on the learned Attorney General for his assistance in this matter," added the bench, fixing the matter for further hearing on August 6. ADJ Anand, said to be handling cases in connection with gangsters, was hit by an auto-rickshaw on his morning walk on Wednesday and succumbed to the injuries at the hospital. CCTV footage indicated that he was deliberately hit by the auto-rickshaw which was stolen on the previous night. His wife has reportedly lodged a murder case against unknown people. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Chennai, July 30 : Power generation major NTPC Ltd has decided to use Garuda Aerospace's drones, among other things, to detect encroachments in its hydro power project areas, check on landslides, and identify leakages from reservoir/dam and wet spots, a top official of the drone company said on Friday. The power major will also use the drones to identify illegal mining/unlawful intrusions, mine boundary encroachment and also for the detection of vegetation affecting solar power generation, among other things. "The NTPC wants the drones to fly over its Tapovan Vishnugad Hydro Power Project, Uttrakhand; coal mine at Barkagaon, Jharkhand; solar power plant at Madhya Pradesh and the ash dyke at Vindhyachal in Madhya Pradesh," Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Managing Director of city-based Garuda Aerospace, told IANS. Jayaprakash said that NTPC plans to use drone-enabled digital transformation services for digitisation, data collection, data analysis and report generation. The power generation company had engaged Gaurda Aerospace to deploy its drones to establish the proof of concept for the above purposes. Dhaka, July 30 : A Dhaka court on Friday sent former Awami league member Helena Jahangir to three days police custody after her arrest following a raid at her house by the elite Rapid Action Battalion overnight. Metropolitan Magistrate Rajesh Chowdhury passed the order as Jehangir was produced in court and 20 days remand sought in two cases filed against her at the Gulshan Police Station under the Digital Security Act and the Special Powers Act. Jahangir was arrested by the RAB at about 12.15 a.m. on Friday after a four hour long raid in her Gulshan residence, in which it seized imported liquor, casino game playing equipment, walkie-talkies, and knives. RAB's Legal and Mass Media Department Director Khondker Al Moyeen said that five cases would be filed against Jahangir under the Liquor and Narcotics Control Act, the Wildlife Protection Act, the Special Powers Act, the Digital Security Act and the Telecommunications Act. Besides, the RAB raided the office of Joyjatra IP Television, owned by her, at Mirpur of the capital and seized various equipment from there. Recently, the Awami League expelled Jahangir from the party's Women Affairs sub-committee due to her recent social media activities that had "violated the party constitution". Jahangir came under strong criticism following her announcement, through social media, after her announcement about appointment of office-bearers at upazila, and district level and abroad under the banner of an organisation called the "Bangladesh Awami Chakrijibi League". Jahangir, the founder and CEO of Joyjatra Television, became a member of Awami League's Women Affairs sub-committee on January 17 this year. In December 2020, she became member of the party's Comilla North District advisory committee. Hyderabad, July 30 : Vice President, M. Venkaiah Naidu on Friday urged the scientific fraternity to focus on expediting the development of Covid vaccine for children and for according priority to protection of children from the virus. Naidu emphasized that the vaccination drive against Covid-19 should become a pan-India 'Jan Andolan' and appealed to the people to immunise themselves by taking the required doses of the vaccine. Addressing scientists and staff of the Bharat Biotech International Ltd after a visit to its plant at Genome Valley in Hyderabad, he said that there is no room for vaccine hesitancy. He urged everyone to get vaccinated saying there is no other more powerful way to protect "ourselves and people around us". Commending the development of a nasal Covid vaccine as an important initiative, he said this can reduce vaccine hesitancy and improve the ease of administering. Asserting that advantages of vaccination far outweigh the perceived drawbacks, Naidu said that this message should be driven home loud and clear to every nook and corner of the country. "It is now clear that vaccination is preventing hospitalisation and severe disease when infected," he added. Cautioning people against becoming complacent by the temporary decline in Covid-19 cases, he said: "Let us be responsible citizens and not behave in a careless manner by violating Covid protocols". He appealed to the people to continue with masking, physical distancing and personal hygiene. The Vice President also urged the leaders of various political parties and their followers to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour. "It is the duty of each one of us to act responsibly. We cannot afford to invite the third wave," he warned. Observing that the constantly mutating virus poses unforeseen challenges and forces us to find solutions that will save lives and protect livelihoods, Naidu said that vaccine supplies must be stepped up rapidly and vaccines must be administered to all as quickly as possible. He, however, expressed confidence that the immunization drive would pick up pace in the months ahead and said the government intends to vaccinate all eligible adults by the year-end. Lauding the scientists at Bharat Biotech for developing an effective vaccine in a very short time frame, he said he appreciate the optimism and dynamism that Dr Krishna Ella and Dr Suchitra Ella have brought to this organisation. Naidu said that a few other Indian companies have also raced against time to produce Covid-19 vaccines, while some more are in the pipeline. Saying India has earned global appreciation as the "pharmacy of the world", he said that it supplying over 50 per cent of vaccines and is the largest producer of generic drugs. Indian pharma firms are also supplying over 80 percent of the anti-retroviral drugs globally to combat AIDS. He noted that India's domestic pharmaceutical market, estimated at $42 billion in 2021, is likely to reach the $120-130 billion by 2030. Expressing his happiness that Hyderabad has emerged as the hub for vaccines and bulk drugs, he said that he was pleased to note that it has also turned into a biotechnology hub with the Genome Valley driving growth in this sector. He said that it was heartening that one of the recently-sanctioned Central Drug Laboratories has been located in Hyderabad. The Vice President, who went around the facilities, complimented the company for contributing significantly towards immunisation programmes in India and abroad. Telangana Home Minister, Mohammed Mahmood Ali, BBIL Chairman & Managing Director Krishna Ella, Joint Managing Director, Suchitra Ella, Director, Dr V. Krishna Mohan and the heads of various divisions of Bharat Biotech attended the event. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Chennai, July 30 : Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK is chalking out a campaign across the state to highlight the efforts it undertook to get the 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Communities (OBC) for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate courses in medicine. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, in a meeting with party functionaries here on Friday, held that it was only because of the "relentless struggle" undertaken by the DMK that the Central government had cleared 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in admission to UG and PG medical courses. Stalin told party leaders that a campaign has to be undertaken in all districts to create awareness among the people on the measures taken by the DMK for OBC reservation in medical colleges under the all India quota. He asked party leaders to call a meeting of the district secretaries and other office- bearers at the district level in the near future to start a grassroots campaign in this regard. He said that it was the DMK that was continuously raising the demand in Parliament and to the Union Health Minister for 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in medical college admissions. He said that the people of the state should be made aware that it was on the basis of a case filed in the Madras High Court by the DMK that the court had delivered a historic verdict to provide reservation for OBCs under the all India quota. The Chief Minister told the party functionaries that this has to be highlighted during the campaigns that the party would take up in the near future. With the Central government's announcement, 1,500 OBC students will benefit for admission to MBBS course under the All India Quota and 2,500 would benefit for admission to PG courses. The Chief Minister told the leaders that 4,000 students will be benefitted to get admission in professional UG and PG medical courses and this is a great victory for the party and the oppressed people and that this has to be taken to the people of the state. New Delhi, July 31 : BJP leaders have claimed that the Union government's decision to provide reservation to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in medical education seats will help the party in the Assembly polls in five states scheduled next year, especially in Uttar Pradesh. On Thursday, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare decided to provide 27 per cent reservation to OBCs and 10 per cent reservation to EWS in the All India Quota (AIQ) scheme for medical courses. The BJP believes the decision will further help the party consolidate its presence over the 40 per cent OBC votebank in Uttar Pradesh. The saffron camp is also focusing on non-Yadav OBCs, who form around one-third of the state's population. A senior party leader from Uttar Pradesh said that the decision will help the party get support from both the OBC and EWS category in the poll-bound states. "OBCs have a decisive presence in Uttar Pradesh and the decision will help the party win their support along with other people-centric measures of the Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath-led governments. The BJP's commitment for 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikash' is visible in the decision," he said. He also claimed that OBCs have the largest vote share in Uttar Pradesh and they play a crucial role in deciding the electoral fortunes of any party. "Except Yadavs, who are believed to be the supporters of the Samajwadi Party, all the other OBC communities will come in support of the BJP," he claimed. The party believes that the decision taken on Thursday will benefit about 5,550 students every year. A BJP functionary said that the decision will help the party win the support of the OBC/EWS category, which also includes upper caste and other religions. "The decision will help us gain further ground among the OBCs and the EWS across the country and will also yield electoral gains in the upcoming Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur," he said. The national president of the BJP's OBC Morcha, K. Laxman, said, "After a long time, we now finally have the Modi government which is committed to provide due reservation to the backward and EWS categories." Patna, July 31 : A total of 16 girls, including some minors, were rescued from a red light area in Bihar's Sitamarhi district in a joint effort by the state police and a Delhi-based NGO on Friday. Sitamarhi's DSP, HQ, P.N. Sahu, who led the raid, said that six of the rescued girls are minors. The district police also arrested eight persons, including some touts and owners of the brothels where the victims were being kept. "A Delhi-based NGO contacted our SP and informed that five minor girls were trafficked recently to the red light area in Sitamarhi district for prostitution. Accordingly, on the direction of the SP, we have raided the place and rescued 16 girls including 6 minors," he said. A NGO member, who did not want to be identified, said: "The family members of the victims came in contact with our NGO. They said that some people came to their village, offered lucrative jobs with good payment, and took away five minor girls. After some days, the girls lost contact with their parents, who then they contacted us." Sahu said: "The victims, after the rescue operation, revealed their ordeal. They were tortured inside the brothel and forced to adopt prostitution. Those who refused to do so... the owner of the brothel kept them in a room without any food for three or four days. Some of them tried to flee from the brothel, and were kept inside the cellar without any food. The brothel employee also gave injections to minor girls probably for hormonal growth." "The victims are natives of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. Further investigation is on," he added. New Delhi, July 31 : An early estimate from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-D), has shown a decreasing trend in PM2.5 concentration over Delhi-NCR over the last four years. "Our data is showing that pollution levels have gone down. In 2020, it had anyways gone down because of the lockdown etc. But data from 2017 to 2018 and 2018 to 2019 has shown a decreasing trend," said Sagnik Dey, associate professor at the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, IIT-Delhi. A number of policy measures have been taken in the National Capital Region (NCR) to curb air pollution such as switching to cleaner BSVI fuel, installing CEMS monitoring across industries, cleaner zig zag technology in brick kilns, completion and use of Eastern and Western Peripheral Highways, which bypasses heavy traffic away from Delhi limits, and deployment of happy seeders, which address crop residue burning to an extent. "With all these measures, the data from the government monitoring has shown a decreasing trend in PM2.5 concentration over Delhi-NCR," said S.N. Tripathy, head of the Civil Engineering Department at IIT Kanpur. But Tripathy also put an immediate caveat: "The time series is very short, and yet, the data is showing some decreasing trend." Because of this, both Dey and Tripathi declined to hazard a guess to put a quantum on the levels of pollution, which may be in the range of 10-15 per cent or 15-20 per cent. Tripathy is part of the National Knowledge Network, which has been set up to provide scientific guidance to achieve National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) goals and has been pushing for adopting an airshed approach as a provincial management expanding to the states. The government on Saturday introduced a Bill in the Lok Sabha to constitute a commission for air quality management in Delhi-NCR and its surrounding regions based exactly on the airshed approach. "Domestic policies such as the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna, which has provided a successful solution in the form of 14 crore LPG connections in India, too has been making a huge difference. Household cooking contributes to one-fourth of the mortality burden due to air pollution in the region. Not just domestic cooking, the street vendors shifting to LPG too may have helped," said Tripathi. Lead is a carcinogen generated from solid fuels used in household cooking while nitrogen dioxide emissions (NOx) are mostly attributed to transport. New Delhi, July 31 : The Delhi Assembly on Friday passed a resolution seeking the withdrawal of the three controversial farm laws. The resolution, moved by ruling Aam Aadmi Party member Jarnail Singh on the second day of the Monsoon session, was passed by a majority. Condemning the implementation of the three farms laws which has forced thousands of farmers to protest at three borders of the national capital since last year, AAP members slammed the Centre for its "adamant behaviour" and for not agreeing to farmers' demands to withdraw these laws. "It has been around eight months that lakhs of farmers are sitting on protest against three farm laws at borders of Delhi. However, the Centre did not pay any heed to them. This shows that how the BJP-led Central government treats the farmers of the country," Jarnail Singh said. AAP member Sanjeev Jha said that the BJP kept on saying that the three farm laws are in favour of farmers, but when farmers raised queries, it failed to justify its decision. "AAP has stood in support of farmers and will continue its support... no matter what hard punishment AAP leaders and volunteers face for it," he asserted. The resolution also urged the Centre to talk to protesting farmers and resolve the long standing issue. With an eye of next Assembly polls in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, where it has decided to enter the fray, the AAP has been backing the farmers since beginning their protest November last year. Patna, July 31 : A district court in Rohtas in Bihar has sentenced a man to death for the rape and murder of a minor girl. After the Additional Sessions Judge pronounced the judgement, the family members of the victim said that they have finally got justice. In November 2020, Balram Singh, a resident of Dalmianagar in Rohtas district, had kidnapped the 10-year-old daughter of a neighbour, whom he later raped and killed inside his own house. "After the commission of crime, the accused strangulated the victim and dumped the body in a box inside the house. The family members of the girl had sought death penalty for Singh," said a member of the victim's family, requesting anonymity. The then DSP, Satyaveer Singh, had swiftly initiated action against Singh which had led to his arrest. On the basis of evidences and statements from the victim's family members and neighbours, he had prepared a strong charge-sheet against the accused that was produced in a fast-track court for speedy legal proceedings. The judgement has been pronounced within eight months of the incident. Patna, July 31 : Senior Janata Dal-United MP Rajiv Singh 'Lalan' Singh is expected to be made the new national President of the party, a source said. The JD-U National Executive Committee will meet at the party's Jantar Mantar office in New Delhi on Saturday and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who reached the capital on Thursday to attend it, is expected to take the decision during the meeting. Lalan Singh has been a close aide of Nitish Kumar for several years and played an important role in building the party. Credited for bringing LJP's sole Bihar MLA Raj Kumar Singh into the JD-U apart from Independent Sumit Kumar Singh, he is also said to be reportedly responsible for the split in the LJP, which has given a jolt to Chirag Paswan. During the recent cabinet expansion of the Narendra Modi government, the party had authorised current National President R.C.P. Singh to take decisions on its behalf. Singh, however, just ensured his own inclusion and sources said that this was against the wish of Nitish Kumar who wanted two cabinet berths, for him, and Lalan Singh. Nitish Kumar now wants to give a consolation prize to Lalan Singh by making him the national President. Nitish Kumar was the national President before the 2020 Assembly election but stepped down from the post after being sworn-in as Chief Minister and handed over the baton to R.C.P. Singh. Now, as Singh has become a Union Minister, he will hand over the post likely to Lalan Singh as per the party's one person one post policy. Colombo, July 31 : A blue sapphire weighing approximately 80 kilograms was discovered in a gem mine in Rakwana, Ratnapura in Sri Lanka on Friday, local media reported. The owner of the mine, Earl Gunasekara, was quoted by the local News First as saying that the gemstone will be put up for auction in China and it has been handed over to the National Gem and Jewellery Authority, the Xinhua news agency reported. This gemstone is worth approximately $50 million, the owner said after its valuation was done. The National Gem and Jewellery Authority have informed Gunasekara that 3,000 carats could be obtained after cutting the blue sapphire. Earlier this week, officials said the world's largest star sapphire cluster was discovered from the backyard of a gem merchant's house in the country when workmen were digging to construct a well. The cluster was valued at more than $100 million. Officials said that this cluster, being held under tight security by the owner, was also expected to be sold at an international auction which will be held in China in November. Chennai, July 31 : The Tamil Nadu government has decided to augment the state police's cyber wing's capability by providing them more modern gadgets and recruiting highly-trained professionals. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, in a virtual meeting with cyber professionals and police officials on Friday, said that with the cyber crimes have turning into a menace with fraudsters siphoning of money from gullible people and high incidence of sex cyber crimes. The state Home Department is already constructing an integrated cyber crime centre in Chennai at a cost of Rs 10.28 crore, and Stalin laid its foundation stone at the Tamil Nadu Police Academy at Oonamancherry on Thursday. At the foundation stone laying ceremony, he said that the state cyber crime division will get all the modern gadgets and tools to effectively monitor and check cyber crimes which are becoming a menace to the people of the state. A highly-placed police officer told IANS that the Chief Minister "has indicated that we must go with the best of technologies and that the state must prevent all sorts of cybercrimes including crimes in the sexual domain as well as fraudulent financial transactions. The government is trying to upgrade the cyber wing in the lines of developed countries like the US and the UK". The state government is also planning to rope in the services of experts as consultants for the cyber cell and it has been decided that money need not be a constraint. Guwahati/Aizawl, July 31 : The Assam Police has issued summons to Mizoram's Rajya Sabha member and six state officials, including a Deputy Commissioner and a Superintendent of Police, for their alleged role in Monday's border violence, which left six of its personnel dead and over 100 people from both states injured, officials said on Friday. Mizoram has also registered a case against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and six other officials, including an IG, DIG and Deputy Commissioner, in Vairengte police station on the border violence issue. Meanwhile, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga hoped for an amicable solution to the border disputes. Zoramthanga, who earlier appealed to maintain a calm and peace along the boundaries of the two states, tweeted: "I still hope for an amicable solution to the Assam-Mizoram border tension from the Central Government." He tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and the region's six other Chief Ministers -- Prem Singh Tamang (Sikkim), N. Biren Singh (Manipur), Pema Khandu (Arunachal Pradesh), Neiphiu Rio (Nagaland), Conrad K. Sangma (Meghalaya), and Biplab Kumar Deb (Tripura). Officials in Guwahati said that an eight-member police team, also comprising CID officials, went to Delhi on Thursday to serve the police summons to Mizoram's Rajya Sabha member K. Vanlalvena. But they could not find him at his residence and Mizoram Bhavan in Delhi and pasted the summons on the doors in both the places. The Assam Police also served similar summons to six Mizoram officials including Kolasib Deputy Commissioner H. Lalthlangliana and Superintendent of Police Vanlalfaka Ralte, asking them to appear before investigating officer, DSP, HQ, Kalyan Kumar Das, on August 2 in connection with the case registered at the Dholai Police Station in Cachar district. Assam Police's Special Director General G.P. Singh said that a case has been registered at the Dholai police station in the killing of six Assam Police personnel, under various provisions of Indian Penal Code, and the Arms Act besides Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. In another development, 15 MLAs of Assam's Barak Valley, cutting across all political parties, have decided to move court against the Superintendent of Police of Mizoram's Kolasib District for his "barbaric act that led to the death of six Assam police men and scores of people injured". The meeting of the MLAs was chaired by Assam's Urban Development Minister Ashol Singhal. In Guwahati, Sarma, responding to the letters of various Mizoram organisations accusing him of an "aggressive role" on the border issue, told the media that he would sacrifice his life, if necessary, to protect Assam's land and territory. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text New York, July 31 : President Joe Biden has nominated an Indian-American, Rashad Hussain, as the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, and if approved by the Senate he will be the first Muslim to head US diplomacy for advancing religious liberties. Making the announcement on Friday, the White House said that Biden is appointing a Pakistani American Khizr Khan to be a member of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USICRF), along with two others. The USICRF publishes the annual report of religious freedom around the world as it advocates for religious freedom around the world and designates violators of religious liberties. Hussain is the Director for Partnerships and Global Engagement at the National Security Council has worked as a Senior Counsel in the Justice Department's National Security Division. Like many Biden appointees, Hussain is an alumnus of President Barack Obama's administration in which he served as the US special envoy to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the US special envoy for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications. "Rashad also spearheaded efforts on countering antisemitism and protecting religious minorities in Muslim-majority countries," the White House said. Hussain, who has a law degree from Yale University and a master's in Arabic and Islamic Studies from Harvard University, has also worked with the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee. The position of Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom was set up by the Congress within the State Department with the mandate to "advance the right to freedom of religion abroad, to denounce the violation of that right, and to recommend appropriate responses by the US Government when this right is violated." Khan is a lawyer who is the founder of the Constitution Literacy and National Unity Project. His son, US Army Captain Humayun Khan, was killed in action in Iraq. As one of the speakers at the Democratic Party's National Convention that nominated Hillary Clinton as the party's nominee for president in 2016, Khan criticised the Republican Party candidate Donald Trump saying he "consistently smears the character of Muslims." Trump made a snide comment suggesting that because of that religion, the captain's mother did not speak at the convention and it evoked strong criticism for attacking "Gold Star" parents - as the parents of military personnel killed in action are reverentially called in the US. An Indian American, Anurima Bhargava, is a member of the USICRF as one of the three members appointed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Three others are appointed by the leader of the Senate. (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed @arulouis) Washington, July 31 : A new study of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows the Delta variant produced similar amounts of virus in vaccinated and unvaccinated people if they get infected. The study, published by the CDC on Friday, focused on 469 Covid-19 cases identified among Massachusetts residents who had travelled to Barnstable County, a summer vacation destination, during July 3 to 17, the Xinhua news agency reported. A total of 346 cases, about 74 per cent, occurred in fully vaccinated people, according to the study. Testing identified the Delta variant in 90 per cent of specimens from 133 patients. Cycle threshold values were similar among specimens from patients who were fully vaccinated and those who were not, according to the study. The study demonstrated that Delta infection resulted in similarly high SARS-CoV-2 viral loads in vaccinated and unvaccinated people, said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky. "High viral loads suggest an increased risk of transmission and raised concern that, unlike with other variants, vaccinated people infected with Delta can transmit the virus," she said. Walensky said that this finding is concerning and was a pivotal discovery leading to CDC's updated mask recommendation. The CDC updated its masking recommendation on Tuesday, urging vaccinated Americans to resume wearing masks in schools and in public indoor spaces in Covid-19 hot spots across the country. "The masking recommendation was updated to ensure the vaccinated public would not unknowingly transmit virus to others, including their unvaccinated or immunocompromised loved ones," she said. The CDC suggested jurisdictions to consider expanded prevention strategies, including universal masking in indoor public settings, particularly for large public gatherings that include travellers from many areas with differing levels of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Bittele Electronics Inc., a Toronto-based Turn-key PCB manufacturer specializing in prototype and low-to-mid volume printed circuit board (PCB) assembly, announced today it is now offering Free Passive Parts in its online ordering system at https://onlinequote.7pcb.com/. Any passive part on a Turnkey order's bill of materials (BOM) with a direct match to a part number in Bitteles inventory will be automatically provided to a customer, free of charge. "Not only do you benefit from a lower BOM cost, our free passive parts offer also helps to reduce the lead time of your order since the parts are already at our production facility, says Ben Yang, CEO of Bittele Electronics. Using Bittele's parts database when you create your BOM is the best way to ensure your order uses as many free parts as possible. However, even if your BOM doesn't contain part numbers from Bittele's parts library, you may still take advantage of the free passive parts offer using the View Alternates function of the online ordering system. "If a suitable substitution is found in Bittele's inventory, we will provide the part for free," added Mr. Yang. For inquiries about Full Turnkey PCB Services, please visit http://www.7pcb.com. About Bittele Electronics In business since 2003, Bittele has established itself as a reliable full turn-key PCB service solution for prototype quantities as well as small-volume to mid-volume production runs, and a one stop PCB manufacturing and assembly company. Our facility in Toronto, Canada incorporates our Head and Sales Office, Parts Procurement Team, and our State-of-the-Art PCB Assembly line. Carter Myers Automotive (CMA) has launched a multimedia ad campaign focusing on the benefits of buying a car from a local dealership instead of an online dealership, such as Carvana and Vroom. Created under the banner of a Real Relationship, the campaign touts the many advantages of purchasing from a local dealership versus an online only seller. CMA President and CEO Liza Borches explains: The biggest advantage is, we dont just love you and leave you. At CMA, were with you every step of the waybefore, during and after the car buying processfor as long as you own your car. Of course, CMA also promotes online buying. We absolutely encourage our customers to shop and buy online, says Borches. Thanks to CMAs Easy Purchase buying tool, 100% of the purchase can be done from home. Well even bring the vehicle right to your door for you to test drive. Of course, customers still have the option of visiting any of our five Richmond area dealerships. There are practical benefits as well. Online car dealerships like Carvana and Vroom only sell used vehicles. Its better to have options, right? says Matt Walsh, Vice President of operations and CMA. If you are only looking at used vehicles, you are missing half of what is available. The fact is a lot of our customers who intended to buy used find deals on new cars that are just as affordable. According to Walsh, one of the biggest advantages of buying from CMA is service. When your car needs service, well come pick it up, have our certified technicians do the work, and return it to your home, workplace or wherever, Walsh says. Carvana and Vroom cant even offer you serviceyou have to find that on your own. Borches says its important to get a feel for the car youre buying. But its just as important to be comfortable with the people youre buying from. Real relationships need real people. You wont get that from online-only sellers. CMA offers customers lifelong, personal relationships they know they can trust, she said. The multimedia campaign kicked off in the Richmond market and is currently running in Charlottesville. The campaign will eventually target all 15 CMA stores throughout Virginia via TV, radio, and social. An initial TV spot was produced for CMAs 5-store Richmond market in late May. The campaign was produced by Schaumburg, Illinois-based Pinnacle Advertising. Plans to expand the campaign to other CMA markets and dealerships across Virginia are now in the works. About CMA CMA is a privately-owned retail auto group based out of Charlottesville, VA. They have locations in Staunton, Charlottesville, Richmond, Woodstock, Ruckersville, and Williamsburg. CMA also has an Employee Stock Ownership Plan which allows employees to own part (over 26%) of the company. This empowers employees to do their very best to assist customers, thus our motto Owners Just Do More. Common App, the non-profit membership organization that serves over 1 million aspiring college students every year, will launch its 2021-2022 application on Sunday, August 1. The new application, which will enable students to apply to more than 900 colleges and universities across the globe, includes updated questions and tools designed to both expand access and facilitate a more equitable, inclusive college application process. Used by more than three million applicants, teachers, and counselors across the United States and around the world each year, the Common App platform streamlines the college application process for students. In addition to providing a single, online application and 24/7/365 support for all students applying to member colleges and universities, the Common App connects applicants to a mobile app, financial aid and scholarship information, virtual mentors, online portfolios, and a vast library of counselor resources available in English and Spanish. The new application will include several significant changes announced by Common App over the last year that take effect on August 1, including: The removal of the school discipline question The removal of the military discharge question Revisions to the citizenship, family, and geography questions Revisions to the sex/gender questions The removal of the religious preference question We want all students to feel supported by Common App regardless of where they are on their path to education attainment, said Jenny Rickard, President and CEO of Common App. This is about providing the tools and resources needed to meet more students where they are and help them navigate the path to and through college. Our hope is that the incremental changes weve made on the application this year will be a critical step in our collective effort to reduce barriers for students of color and those from low-income backgrounds. The 2021-2022 application will also include a new essay prompt: Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you? The new prompt is inspired by scientific research on gratitude and kindness, specifically the benefits of writing about the positive influence of other people in our lives. Students applying to college in 2021-2022 will also have access to more than 60 additional diverse colleges and universities through Common Apps online application. New Members of The Common Application for 2021-2022 Application Season Mid-Atlantic Clarion University of Pennsylvania (PA) East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania (PA) Gordon College (MA) Lincoln University (PA) Manor College (PA) Pennsylvania College of Art & Design (PA) Towson University (MD) Westfield State University (MA) Worcester State University (MA) Pratt Institute (NY) Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology (NY) Villa Maria College (NY) Mid-West Blackburn College (IL) Cleary University (MI) Concordia University- Ann Arbor (MI) Eastern Illinois University (IL) Governors State University (IL) Grace College (IN) Greenville University (IL) Illinois State University (IL) Indiana State University (IN) Indiana Tech (IN) Lincoln College (IL) Madonna University (MI) Mount Saint Joseph University (OH) Northeastern Illinois University (IL) Rockford University (IL) Saginaw Valley State University (MI) Southern Illinois University Carbondale (IL) Southern Illinois University- Edwardsville (IL) University of Illinois at Springfield (IL) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (IL) University of Northwestern, St. Paul (MN) Western Illinois University (IL) South Austin Peay State University (TN) Belmont Abbey College (NC) Charleston Southern University (SC) Chowan University (NC) Claflin University (SC) Evangel University (MO) James Madison University (VA) Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FL) Florida Memorial University (FL) Mississippi College (MS) Oral Roberts University (OK) Saint Augustines University (NC) St. Marys University (TX) South Carolina State University (SC) Texas A&M University-Commerce (TX) Texas Wesleyan University (TX) University of Alabama (AL) University of North Georgia (GA) Western Carolina University (NC) Wingate University (NC) West Colorado Mesa University (CO) Fort Lewis College (CO) Colorado School of Mines (CO) Oregon Institute of Technology (OR) Portland State University (OR) University of Saint Katherine (CA) Washington State University (International students) International Bangor University Lebanese American University Tecnologico de Monterrey University of the Commonwealth Caribbean About Common App Common App is a not-for-profit member organization committed to the pursuit of access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process. Each year, more than one million students, one-third of whom are first-generation, apply to college through the Common Apps online application. In January 2019, the Common App united with Reach Higher, the college access and success campaign started by former First Lady Michelle Obama during her time at the White House. By joining forces, Common App and Reach Higher accelerated progress toward our joint goal of supporting all students, especially low-income and first-generation students, in achieving their higher education dreams. Our access and equity work for students include a college advising texting campaign with AdmitHub and College Advising Corps, scholarships and community college initiatives, Dear Class of 2020 Fund, and more. Founded in 1975, Common App serves over 900 member colleges and universities worldwide. To learn more, visit commonapp.org, and follow @CommonApp and #CommonApp on social media. 10 Sea Foam Alley, Alys Beach, Fla 32461 We are thrilled Karen and Nikita were able to match the buyer and seller on this monumental sale for Alys Beach. Engel & Volkers Florida today announced the record-breaking sale of 10 Sea Foam Alley in Alys Beach, Florida. Engel & Volkers 30A Beaches represented both sides of the transaction; advisor Karen Holder held the listing and advisor Nikita Korkh brought the buyer. At $8,500,000, the sale marks the highest price per square foot for a single-family home not on the Gulf of Mexico in the area. Im beyond thrilled for my clients on the sale of this home, said Holder. I first represented them in 2011 when they originally purchased the lot to build the home and I recently worked with them to buy another lot where they will build their next home which is an exciting new journey for them. Its also personally fulfilling for Nikita to have brought the buyer in this transaction, as I've been mentoring him over the past year. At $2,291.11 per square foot, this notable transaction represents the highest price per square foot for a single-family residence not directly on the Gulf of Mexico. The listing was on the market for merely 27 days before a pending offer was submitted. According to Zillow, this home is valued 652-percent higher than the typical home in the same zip code. Home values in Alys Beach have gone up nearly 23-percent over the past twelve months and predictions indicate prices will continue to increase an additional 13-percent within the next year. "We are thrilled Karen and Nikita were able to match the buyer and seller on this monumental sale for Alys Beach, said Beau Blankenship, License Partner of Engel & Volkers 30A Beaches. Karen has played a pivotal role in the growth of our shop over the last year. She is a leading advisor in our market. Her loyalty from repeat clients shows how much they value and trust her knowledge of the market. The 3,710 square-foot home features four bedrooms and six bathrooms. The flowing floor plan begins with an extravagant courtyard pool area, transporting all who enter to a coastal oasis. With outdoor terraces on the second and third floors, as well as a rooftop terrace with full seating and firepit, this home offers endless views of the Gulf of Mexico and plenty of space to entertain friends and family. Other amenities include Venetian plaster, hardwood floors, Lutron lighting system, an elevator, three fireplaces and a summer kitchen. With the close of this sale, Nikita has conducted over $17 million in transactions so far in 2021, said Blankenship. He was an up and coming agent at the beginning of the year and has proven his value much faster than most. The market along 30A is aggressive and Nikita skillfully navigates and informs his clients ultimately leading to successful outcomes. It has been so fun watching him grow with our brand; his future is extremely bright here with Engel & Volkers. Alys Beach is a coastal conclave with a number of amenities ranging from immersive outdoor experiences to luxurious shopping and dining options. A small community perfect for vacation homes, Alys Beach captures the quintessential Florida lifestyle. ### Press contact: Linzee Werkmeister, Junior Vice President, Marketing & Franchise Support Email: Linzee.Werkmeister(at)evrealestate.com Tel: (239) 348-9000 About Engel & Volkers: Engel & Volkers is a global luxury real estate brand. Founded in Hamburg, Germany in 1977, Engel & Volkers draws on its rich European history to deliver a fresh approach to luxury real estate in the Americas with a focus on creating a personalized client experience at every stage of the home buying or selling process for todays savvy homeowner. Engel & Volkers currently operates approximately 240 shop locations with 5,000 real estate advisors in the Americas, contributing to the brands global network of over 14,000 real estate professionals in more than 30 countries, offering both private and institutional clients a professionally tailored range of luxury services, including real estate and yachting. Committed to exceptional service, Engel & Volkers supports its advisors with an array of premium quality business services; marketing programs and platforms; as well as access to its global network of real estate professionals, property listings and market data. Each brokerage is independently owned and operated. For more information, visit http://www.evrealestate.com. About Engel & Volkers Florida: Engel & Volkers Florida is the Master License Partner of the global luxury real estate brand Engel & Volkers in the state of Florida. Recognized for uniquely recruiting, training and equipping some of the top professionals in the real estate industry, Engel & Volkers Floridas exclusive franchise model positions its license partners at the top of the premium market to gain market share and support their bottom line. The company represents franchise locations in: 30A Beaches, Amelia Island, Belleair, Boca Raton, Bonita Springs-Estero, Cape Coral, Clermont, Delray Beach, Destin, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers Downtown, Gainesville, Hollywood Beach, Islamorada, Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, Jupiter, Madeira Beach, Marco Island, Melbourne Beachside, Melbourne Central, Melbourne Downtown, Miami Coconut Grove, Neptune Beach, Olde Naples, Orlando, Orlando Downtown, Orlando-Winter Park, Palm Beach, Palm Coast, Ponte Vedra Beach, Sarasota, South Tampa, St. Augustine, St. Pete, St. Pete Beach, Stuart, Tampa Water Street Venice Downtown, Wellington, and Windermere. Engel & Volkers Florida is continuing to strategically strengthen and expand its presence in premium real estate markets across the state of Florida. If you would like to know more about the Engel & Volkers brand or how to join its global networkwhich is known for demonstrating competence, exclusivity and passion, feel free to call our corporate office, located at 633 Tamiami Trl N, Suite 201, Naples, FL 34102 USA. Tel: +1 239-348-9000. For more information about Engel & Volkers Florida, please visit https://florida.evrealestate.com/ Analytics Insight Magazine selected Florida Polytechnic Universitys Data Science and Business Analytics Department to its global list of the 10 Most Prominent Analytics Institutes 2021. Our University is proud of our success in producing well-rounded graduates who are educated in the latest methods and ready to take on high-demand jobs in growing industries. Florida Polytechnic Universitys Data Science and Business Analytics Department has been named to an international list of the 10 Most Prominent Analytics Institutes 2021 by Analytics Insight Magazine. Florida Poly was listed alongside the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, and Cape Breton University in Nova Scotia, Canada. This is a big honor to be recognized alongside some of the best in the world, said Dr. Shahram Taj, chair of the department. This really is due to the great collective effort of the faculty in our department, the Universitys leadership, and the students who are great ambassadors for our programs. Analytics Insight Magazines recognition includes five pages dedicated to Florida Polys Data Science and Business Analytics Department. It describes how the University prioritizes practical, real-world experience for students and how the program is contributing to the overall growth of analytics and big data education. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment in mathematical science and analytics careers will grow by 27.9% from 2016 to 2026. This is much faster than most other occupations and is expected to result in more than 50,000 new jobs. The average annual wage for data scientists and mathematical science occupations is $103,930. We are delighted to see our industry-leading data science and business analytics program receive this international recognition, said Dr. Randy K. Avent, Florida Polys president. Our University is proud of our success in producing well-rounded graduates who are educated in the latest methods and ready to take on high-demand jobs in growing industries. Florida Poly students enrolled in data science and business analytics majors can currently choose from concentrations such as big data analytics, intelligent mobility, quantitative economics and econometrics, logistics and supply chain management, and the states first undergraduate health systems engineering concentration. It is very rewarding for me as a faculty member in the department to see how our students are able to take all the knowledge, skills, and training at Florida Poly and apply that in a variety of fields that are now seeing the big impact that data analytics has in multiple applications, said Dr. Rei Sanchez-Arias, the departments assistant chair. Inclusion on the global list is the latest of several notable rankings the University has received, including its debut in the U.S. News and World Reports list last year as one of the top 40 public engineering colleges without a doctorate degree. Valerie Wendt After being involved with BAP for so many years, I'm proud to be joining the Board of Directors as the Professional Partners Chair. Valerie Wendt, CPA Product Manager Gleim has officially announced their CPA Product Manager, Valerie Wendt, has been named to Beta Alpha Psis (BAP) board of directors as Professional Partners Chair as of the 2021 Beta Alpha Psi Annual Meeting, August 5 and 6. In selecting Wendt as the Professional Partners Chair, Beta Alpha Psi recognizes her professionalism, active support of BAP over the last 20 years, and ongoing commitment to student advancement in the accounting field. After being involved with BAP for so many years, I'm proud to be joining the Board of Directors as the Professional Partners Chair, says Wendt. My title and responsibilities may have changed, but my overall commitment to Beta Alpha Psi, their faculty and student members, and the accounting profession has not! As Professional Partners Chair, Wendt will be responsible for: Spearheading fundraising through the BAP Associates Program Coordinating with Professional Partners Installing new Beta Alpha Psi chapters Nominating prospective Associates to the Board Selecting professional award recipients At the 2021 BAP Annual Meeting, Wendt will speak about careers in accounting and examine some of the most promising career paths students should consider. On the agenda for her talk: The types of jobs now available within the accounting field The salary ranges students can expect from different career paths Which professional certifications improve candidacy for certain positions Interested attendees can catch her presentation on Friday, August 6, from 4:054:55 p.m. ET. Additionally, on Thursday, August 5, Gleim is participating in a student networking activity from 6:207:00 p.m. ET. More information can be found on BAPs website at http://www.bap.org/2021-annual-meeting. Gleim will also be available in the BAP Virtual Exhibit Hall throughout the event. About Beta Alpha Psi (BAP) Beta Alpha Psi is an international honor society for accounting, finance, and information systems students. Founded over 100 years ago, BAP encourages and recognizes scholastic and professional excellence through its 300+ chapters and more than 300,000 members worldwide. http://www.bap.org About Valerie Wendt Valerie Wendt is the CPA Product Manager for Gleim Publications based in Gainesville, Florida. She has served as the Past Chair for Beta Alpha Psis Professional Partners group and on its executive board and serves as the Secretary of the Association of CPA Review Providers. Wendt is a regular presenter and speaker at many national conferences for both accounting continuing education and CPA Exam preparation. About Gleim Exam Prep Gleim creates online self-study courses for accounting certification exams, including the CPA, CMA, CIA, and EA. For 45+ years, Gleims mission has been to maximize knowledge transfer while minimizing customers time, frustration, and cost. Get ready for certification at http://www.gleim.com. Gulf Coast Ketamine Center in Sarasota, Florida, is now Reichbach Center. While the Gulf Coast is our home, we have intentionally grown to help patients and guests from all over the country transform their lives. Our new name is simply a reflection of our great devotion to helping more people experience relief. - Reichbach Center President & Founder Dr. Reichbach The local pain relief practice formerly known as Gulf Coast Ketamine Center is now Reichbach Center. As a national center for the treatment of chronic pain and mental health disorders, the practices new name reflects their commitment to helping people from all backgrounds and zip codes, from soldiers and first responders to spouses, parents, caregivers and friends. Reichbach Center offers solutions to combat treatment-resistant depression, chronic pain and a range of anxiety and mood disorders. While Dr. Steven Reichbach and the centers staff will provide care and comfort under a new name, they will continue to offer the same level of expertise in the following specialized areas: Ketamine infusion for chronic pain, complex regional pain syndrome, fibromyalgia, trigeminal neuralgia, postherpetic neuralgia, Lyme disease, chronic headaches, migraines and more. Ketamine infusion for mental health, including major depression, PTSD, anxiety disorders and more. Medical cannabis assessments and psychotropics. Essential oils for stress and pain relief. As a board-certified anesthesiologist, Dr. Reichbach is a graduate of the State University of New York Upstate Medical University. He trained in internal medicine at Staten Island University Hospital and completed his anesthesiology residency at Stony Brook University while also receiving specialty training in pain management and pediatrics. He has worked with ketamine for more than 20 years. Patients and caregivers seeking treatment for pain disorders, severe depression or other mental health needs are encouraged to call (941) 242-7243 to learn about their options or be seen in Sarasota at 2415 University Parkway, Building 3, Suite 215. Jane Hennen, Ideal CU VP of Marketing. Jane is a valued part of our management team and will excel in this new position. She is very passionate about branding, advertising and marketing. She loves leveraging data and analytics to drive decisions and measure performance. - Ideal CU President/CEO Brian Sherrick Ideal Credit Union has announced the promotion of Jane Hennen to Vice President of Marketing. Hennen joined the Ideal team in 2010 as a Database Marketing Specialist, and was quickly promoted to Director of Marketing in September of 2012. Hennen holds a Bachelors degree in Marketing/Communications from the University Of Minnesota-Duluth and has now worked in the financial services industry for over 32 years. Prior to her promotion, she served as AVP of Marketing. In her new position, Hennen will be responsible for the development, implementation, and management of the credit unions marketing operations and strategic roadmap. A key objective of this role will be the continued growth of personalized digital engagement to deliver a higher level of convenience to members and prospects. As part of this objective, she will also oversee the Business Intelligence and Reporting area of the credit union. Hennen will collaborate with internal teams to enhance user experience and deliver measurable business results. Jane is a valued part of our management team and will excel in this new position, said Ideal CU President/CEO Brian Sherrick. She is very passionate about branding, advertising and marketing. She loves leveraging data and analytics to drive decisions and measure performance. In 2020, Hennen and her team won the Minnesota Credit Union Networks 2019 Best Video Award for their Business Member Spotlight series. MnCUNs Marketing Awards recognize Minnesota credit unions for outstanding efforts in the areas of branding, community impact and outreach, digital advertising, video, and complete marketing campaigns. Hennen is also a strong proponent of corporate social responsibility and ensuring that the credit unions success is shared with the communities it serves. Under her management, Ideal Credit Unions Marketing Department won MnCUNs Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Community Service Award in 2017 and the Woodbury Chamber of Commerce Nonprofit of the Year Award in 2016. Both awards recognized the credit unions efforts to improve the wellbeing of the communities they serve and its charitable giving to various causes year-round. Founded in 1926, Ideal Credit Union is a member owned financial institution that is dedicated to providing financial services driven by a sincere and personal interest in the needs of our employees, members and community. Ideal CU offers a complete range of services, including a full suite of digital banking products, savings, checking, loans, mortgage products, business services and more. Offices are located in Eagan, Hugo, Inver Grove Heights, North St. Paul, Stillwater and Woodbury. Visit idealcu.com for details and directions. Ideal has been voted Best Credit Union in the East Metro five years in a row by readers of the Stillwater Gazette, Best Credit Union in the Forest Lake Area by readers of the Forest Lake Times, and was named a 2021 Star Tribune Top Workplace. Federally insured by NCUA. Equal Housing Lender. NMLS# 401783. JobNimbus Named Best Roofing Software Company of 2021 by Digital.com Digital.com is a big resource for those looking to level up their business, so for them to recognize JobNimbus is a huge compliment. JobNimbus announced that it was named among the best roofing software companies of 2021 by Digital.com, a leading independent review website for small business online tools, products, and services. The top solutions were selected based on core features and reporting tools. This ranking shows just how far we have come as a software and as an organization, said Ben Hodson, Co-founder and CEO of JobNimbus. Digital.com is a big resource for those looking to level up their business, so for them to recognize JobNimbus is a huge compliment. This is the latest in a variety of recognition JobNimbus has received in recent months. To be selected, JobNimbus and other solutions were required to support comprehensive tools for scheduling and photo capture. Experts at Digital.com evaluated platforms that enable users to easily email estimates to clients, collect payments, and generate financial reports. The study also assessed reporting capabilities that can help measure company performance and track progress. Digital.coms research team conducted a 40-hour assessment of over 55 solutions. To access the complete list of best roofing software, please visit https://www.digital.com/best-roofing-software/. ### About JobNimbus: JobNimbus is a Lehi, Utah-based software company that serves contractors and business owners in the home services construction industry with its project management, CRM platform, and growth services. Since being founded in 2013, JobNimbus has expanded its offerings across 11 home service industries, specializing in roofing, solar install, and exterior renovations. For more information about JobNimbus, visit https://www.jobnimbus.com/. About Digital.com: Digital.com reviews and compares the best products, services, and software for running or growing a small business website or online shop. The platform collects twitter comments and uses sentiment analysis to score companies and their products. Digital.com was founded in 2015 and formerly known as Review Squirrel. To learn more, visit https://digital.com/. Anyone who donates to Mission E4 is helping protect innocent people who have been placed in a terrible situation Mission E4 is proud to announce the collection of more than $20,000 in donations in response to the Haiti crisis. Mission E4 is now looking to collect an additional $75,000 to continue to provide the people of Haiti with food, water, and fuel. Commodities that are growing scarce in the wake of the assassination of that Haitian President. The current state of Haiti remains tense. Various political leaders are vying for power and many gangs are still fighting one another in Port-au-Prince and the surrounding cities. Many locals are concerned about what will happen to them and their families. Owners of local businesses are afraid to open up and the local economy has been grounded to a halt. Mission E4 wants to step up to help the local community. The first batch of money from the Haiti crisis response was wired over the past weekend and went directly to food for school children and their families. Anyone who donates to Mission E4 is helping protect innocent people who have been placed in a terrible situation. Additional donations will go toward food distribution to school children, acquiring diesel and gas stock at the three Mission E4 campuses to power generators that are used to filter water, and hiring additional security to ensure food is distributed safely. Those looking to help the people of Haiti can do so by donating here. About Mission E4: Founded in 2005, Mission E4 is a childrens charitable organization focused on creating both holistic and sustainable programming for children in Haiti and Massachusetts. Mission E4 hopes to support childrens emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing by providing various programs to at-risk children as well as empowering children to be a positive change in their own communities. The Mission E4 team has over 20 years of community development experience and has established itself as a devoted organization within the non-profit sector. With CarFax integrations, a customer can input the plate or VIN of their car to get a tailored quote. Honda Santa Maria is working to make trading in an old vehicle simple with a quick and easy online process that anyone can start in just minutes. The dealership utilizes CarFax integration directly on its website to streamline the trade-in process even more. With CarFax integrations, a customer can input the plate or VIN of their car to get a tailored quote. If that information is not available, a customer can still input their vehicles information manually. After a quick condition rating process and some basic personal contact information, Honda Santa Maria will reach out with an estimate as to the vehicles worth. In addition to trade-in services, Honda Santa Maria can buy a customers vehicle even if the customer does not intend to buy a vehicle from the dealership. This presents a convenient way to avoid the tedious process of selling a car privately. Filling out the trade-in form online or even visiting the dealership in person for a trade-in appraisal comes with no obligation. Honda Santa Maria strives to inform customers of their options before they make a decision, and its online trade-in form is just one more way that the dealership assists its customers. To access the Honda Santa Maria online trade-in form, curious car owners can visit the dealerships website at https://www.hondaofsantamaria.com. While there, customers can also access service scheduling, parts ordering and the dealerships large assortment of new and pre-owned vehicles online. The dealership can also be reached by calling 805-922-4600 or by visiting in-person at 1735 S Bradley Road, Santa Maria, California. Drivers in the Rock County area of Wisconsin have a local dealership they can turn to when searching for a quality, low-mileage vehicle. Hesser Toyota is a Janesville-based dealership that provides new Toyota inventory, along with a vast selection of used vehicles to choose from. The pre-owned inventory at Hesser Toyota includes sedans, coupes, trucks, SUVs and crossovers, vans and hybrid and electric vehicles. The used inventory carried at Hesser Toyota is not limited to the Toyota brand, as the dealership also offers vehicles from Honda, Lexus, Kia, Ford, Chevrolet, Jeep, Nissan, Dodge and other popular makes. Drivers who are interested in viewing the inventory at Hesser Toyota can do so on its website or at the dealership itself. The Hesser Toyota website is equipped with tools that help narrow the search to match the preferences of the driver. Some of the search filters include year, make, model, fuel economy, interior color, exterior color, body style, fuel type, drivetrain, fuel economy, trim level, displacement, price and mileage. Drivers can also use the Hesser Toyota website to explore financing options, apply for pre-approval, value a trade-in, calculate loan payments, learn how to increase a credit score and schedule a test drive. The Hesser Toyota website URL is http://www.hessertoyota.com and the dealership itself is located at 1811 Humes Road in Janesville. Hours of operation for Hesser Toyota are from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and the dealership is closed on Sundays. The Hesser Toyota team can be reached by calling 608-754-7754. State Senator Josh Becker and StreetCode Academy Chief Executive Officer Olatunde Sobomehin at the 2021 Nonprofit of the Year for the 13th Senate District By offering courses, like game design using Roblox, StreetCode enables local youth to prepare for jobs in our regions tech ecosystem, said Senator Becker. State Senator Josh Becker honored the StreetCode Academy as the 2021 Nonprofit of the Year for the 13th Senate District. The senator praised the organization not only for its ambitious mission but also for redoubling its efforts during the pandemic to bridge a digital divide that threatened to become a chasm for vulnerable communities and people of color. Since 2014, StreetCode Academy has devoted itself to empowering communities of color with the mindset, skills and access to technology that can expand opportunity by enabling community members to become active participants and innovators in the tech powerhouse that fuels our states and our nations economy. It is telling that in the middle of the Silicon Valley, we have cities like East Palo Alto, which throughout its history has faced a digital divide, said Senator Becker, D-Peninsula and a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and innovator before joining Californias Legislature last fall, during an online presentation to StreetCode Academy. In any given year, tackling this issue would be challenging enough. Compound that with a once-in-a-century pandemic, and I can imagine it felt almost impossible. But rather than losing hope, amid the myriad of unprecedented challenges you all have had to tackle, you rose to the occasion. You ensured that education and economic opportunities were readily accessible to those truly in need of it. Accepting the accolades on behalf of his organization, StreetCode Academy Chief Executive Officer Olatunde Sobomehin said, In so many ways this past year threatened to widen the gap that exists within Silicon Valley the poverty in the shadow of wealth and no bridge between. Yet in the midst of an unprecedented crisis, so many people stepped up to provide computers, internet access, technology education, and a hope for a better future. It means the world to be honored by our state leadership in one of the most challenging years. It validates the work of an entire community to never stop pushing toward our best possibilities. Before the pandemic struck, StreetCode Academy had served more than 2,000 students of all ages in its in-person classes, in addition to providing networking support and loaner computers to community members. StreetCode responded to the COVID-19 crisis by expanding its remote learning programs and its public and private partnerships throughout the region, Senator Becker noted, reeling off a list of StreetCode successes that include: A growing service tally that now includes more than 5,500 people in the region and about 1,000 people nationally Providing 20,000 hours of free technology classes Partnering with the Ravenswood City School District to provide 2,500 students with free tech support that included training and access to technology Helping to secure laptops for hundreds of students to use free of charge By offering courses, like game design using Roblox, StreetCode enables local youth to prepare for jobs in our regions tech ecosystem, said Senator Becker, noting that the organization prides itself on serving students of all ages, including 11-year-olds who used their StreetCode-acquired know-how to create and publish apps and retirees who have launched new businesses. This is what happens when you add equity and innovation: You get organizations like StreetCode. The Nonprofit of the Year recognition is part of a program, now in its sixth year, conducted by the California Association of Nonprofits with legislators throughout the state. Further resources: Media Contact for Senator Becker: Leslie Guevarra, 415-298-3404, leslie.guevarra@sen.ca.gov Media Contact for StreetCode Academy: streetcode@thekeypr.com California Association of Nonprofits: https://calnonprofits.org/ Enactment of this bill into law will ensure that the United States remains a world leader when it comes to online privacy and security. Earlier this month Shamsh Hadi, CEO of ZorroSign, Inc. a technology company based in Phoenix, AZ submitted testimony to a Congressional panel examining digital identity and privacy issues. The thoughtful and intentional employment of blockchain to safeguard personal data is one way to achieve the dual goal of protecting consumers while at the same time preserving the economic and social benefits of data, said Hadi, who is also a founding member of the Association for Data and Cyber Governance (ADCG). On July 16, 2021 the House Committee on Financial Services Task Force on Artificial Intelligence held a hearing entitled I Am Who I Say I Am: Verifying Identity while Preserving Privacy in the Digital Age. The hearing examined how federal and state governments can best set interoperability requirements and standards for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies that can improve modern smartphones processing and sensor capabilities and enable the creation of a high quality and privacy-preserving secure digital identity (ID). The hearing also looked at the future of digital identity frameworks, examining how the emerging technologies (including AI, blockchain, and other distributed ledger technology) could contribute to building digital ID. Hadi, a blockchain expert, focused his testimony on the critical role blockchain can and should play in the efforts to better secure digital identity and also preserve individual privacy. Blockchain is important because it has unique qualities that set it apart from other transaction database management systems, noted Hadi in his testimony. Specifically, blockchain is being used today in private, permissions-based decentralized systems that are secure, trusted and automated with bank grade security. Ultimately, blockchain technology helps make digital transactions more secure, faster and less expensive. Hadi suggested that one important step the U.S. Congress could take this year is approving the Improving Digital Identity Act of 2021, bi-partisan legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last month by U.S. Reps. Bill Foster (D-IL), John Katko (R-NY), Jim Langevin (D-RI), and Barry Loudermilk (R-GA). The bill would establish a task force to bring together key federal agencies with state and local government representatives to develop secure methods for government agencies to validate identity attributes to protect the privacy and security of individuals, and support reliable, interoperable digital identity verification tools in the public and private sectors. The bill, H.R. 4258, would also direct the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to create a new framework of standards to guide government agencies when providing digital identity verification services placing an emphasis on privacy and security. In his testimony Hadi asserted that enactment of this bill into law will ensure that the United States remains a world leader when it comes to online privacy and security. Indeed, the future of our economy depends on the U.S. government tackling this issue and doing everything possible to ensure that the United States is on the cutting edge when it comes to digital identity verification services. Hadi applauded the chair of the Task Force on Artificial Intelligence, U.S. Bill Foster (D-IL) for authoring the bill and being a leader in Congress when it comes to digital identity and online privacy issues. Hadi also suggested to the Task Force that it consider ensuring that any legislation that sets national standards for consumer user privacy and data security require that any business or government entity that collects a consumers Personal Identifiable Information (PII) have in place systems, products and services that ensure the privacy and security of that consumers personal information and their data. Hadi concluded his testimony by stating that blockchain represents a viable solution for many of the challenges facing both our country and the global community when it comes to digital identity, privacy and combating identity theft. At the very least, blockchain needs to be one of several emerging technologies that can and should be employed to better verify digital identity and preserve privacy. To read Mr. Hadis entire testimony, please click here. About ZorroSign When the risk is personal and everything is on the line, Z-Sign or dont sign! Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, ZorroSign, Inc. uses blockchain for superior privacy and security. The companys technology platform integrates digital signatures, automated compliance, intelligent forms, document management, fraud prevention, user authentication and document verificationsafeguarding the privacy and security of digital documents and proving an immutable chain of custody for transactions. To learn more, visit zorrosign.com. Trademarks ZorroSign, ZorroFill, ZorroSign (patented) 4n6 Token, and JustZSign, are registered trademarks of ZorroSign, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All other trademarked names or terms used in this document are the property of their respective owners. In this second installment of our new series, we asked editors to tell us about a book of theirs, published during the pandemic, that they wish had gotten more love. Alvina Ling, v-p and editor-in-chief, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers When I first read an early draft of Agnes at the End of the World by Kelly McWilliams, I knew it was a special book. Im acquiring very selectively these days, and what helps a book stand out to me and makes me want to champion it is a unique concept, and the voice. The voice in this book felt so beautiful and distinct, and the mashup of pandemic and cult concept pulled me inIve never read anything quite like it. The fact that Agnes at the End of the World was published during the heart of the pandemic (June 2020), when it indeed felt like our world was ending, too, was both a blessing and a curse. While I imagine some people (like me) were consuming fiction and nonfiction narratives about pandemics, I suspect most people were looking for escapism. Kelly is an exceptional writer, and I hope more readers will discover this book, and her future ones, too. Emily Seife, senior editor, Scholastic Press During the pandemic, our lives moved online: activities varied from Zoom hangouts on the computer to social media scrolling on our phones, and back. So there was really no betterand no worsetime for Sheila M. Averbuchs debut novel, Friend Me, to release. Mean Girls meets Black Mirror in this middle grade thriller about a girl whose new online BFF might not be what she seems. I adore this suspenseful, fast-paced read because of Sheilas brilliant storytelling and empathetic look at bullying. But what makes it a stand-out pick for tweens, now more than ever, is how it takes a deep look at our faith in the technology that we rely on and use every day. Its just a touch futuristic, but entirely plausible, and will have young readers rethinking exactly whoand whatthey trust online. Stephanie Stein, senior editor, HarperCollins Childrens Books Ciara Smyths debut The Falling in Love Montage is the lesbian YA rom-com of my dreams, and publishing it last year is one of the things that helped me get through the chaos of the pandemic. Two trope-savvy teens embark on a summer of rom-com montage-worthy datestheres a checklist!and do it all with A+ banter and layers upon layers of heart. Its a rare book that can make me laugh and cry with equal abandon and make one just as fun as the other. Ciara is one of those writers, and shes a name I want everyone in the YA book world to know! If you liked Netflixs Derry Girls (but wish it were gayer), I cant recommend this snarky, lovable debut highly enough. Greg Hunter, editorial director, Lerner/Graphic Universe Lizard in a Zoot Suit is an original young adult graphic novel by Marco Finnegan, set during the Zoot Suit Riots of 1943. The book, a work of historical sci-fi, has elements of E.T. and retro creature features, with some touches that make it totally distinct. Marco draws on his family history and the larger history of Mexican Americans in Los Angelesincluding discrimination and the creation of a unique youth culturewhile telling the story of two sisters trying to save a giant reptile from a corrupt military scientist. It has stylish two-color artwork, explores a fascinating historical moment, and lives up to its title in terms of the fun and humor it has to offer. This book arrived in August 2020, after moving out of its original May 2020 pub month. Even in the later month, Im not sure Lizard reached everyone it should have, and I continue to hope that, over time, it will. Marco brought mix of inventiveness and social history to the book that readers will find really rewarding. Anne Schwartz, v-p and publisher, Anne Schwartz Books Madame Saqui: Revolutionary Rope Dancer by Lisa Robinson, illustrated by Rebecca Green, is a glorious picture book about an exceptional woman who lived during the French Revolution, performing feats on a highwire for an audience that often included Napoleon. It is nonfiction at its besta fascinating subject, dramatic setting, kid-friendly text, and exquisite illustrations. A perfect handsell for independent bookstores, as well as for classrooms, but it couldnt reach its audience, alas. Poor Lisa Robinson was doubly unlucky; her second nonfiction picture bookWere I Not a Girl: The Inspiring and True Story of Dr. James Barrywas also published during Covid. Karen Chaplin, executive editor, Quill Tree Books One of the books I edited that came out during the pandemic was Cameron Kelly Rosenblums poignant YA debut The Stepping Off Place. Published in July 2020, when the pandemic was still raging, Im sad to say this release was completely eclipsed by daily outbreak numbers and updates on the virus. But it is such a good book that I just want every teen to read! Beautiful, emotionally driven prose tells the story of two best friendsfriends who thought they knew absolutely everything about each other. But there are secrets between them, which come to the forefront in an unfortunately tragic way, shining a light on how friends deal with grief, mental illness, and the loss of someone they thought was a totally different person. Its one of those stories that stays with you for a long time after you read it, and the settingsummertime along the beaches of Maine paired with rural Connecticutadds so much atmosphere to the tale. And its one that I think should have launched Camerons career in a bigger way, as I think she has a very bright one ahead of her. With her second book slated for 2022, Im hoping for all good things for this promising YA author. Connie Hsu, editorial director, Roaring Brook Press A Little Space for Me by Jennifer Gray Olson is a book I could see booksellers embracing, a book that I feel would have benefited from shelf talkers, handselling, and people discovering it from browsing in a store. Its about a young girl who seeks to find a bit of space for herself (rendered cleverly as literal cosmic space) to escape from the noisy, smelly, crowded world of her home and school. Im exceptionally proud of this book because of its evolution and because of author Jennifer Gray Olsons commitment to hitting its message and themes thoughtfully, respectfully and lovingly. When Jen and I first started working on this book, the narrative was about a character who shuts herself away from the chaos of her world, and, when she gets lonely, emerges from her bedroom to rejoin the family. As we were working on the book, Jen, a mother of five, realized that theres nothing wrong with needing a little bit of space and that the impetus to rejoin the world shouldn't be lonelinessit should be when someone is mentally ready. The story changed direction from then on to focus on mindfulness and how having that space can be healing and necessary. I wish the book couldve found its way to readers during the lockdown, when everyone lost their other space. be it school, at work, or at the homes of friends and family, and I hope that people continue to discover this book and make space for it on their shelves. Kelly Delaney, editor, Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers Over the course of my years as an editor Ive honed my pitch to agents, but my one weird, specific ask has always been the same: send me a time-travel novel that is so smart and fun I dont get distracted by whether time travel is really possible. I finally found that book a few years ago, with Sarah Larivieres YA debut, Time Travel for Love and Profit. This story is about Nephele, who is ghosted by her only friend on the first day of freshman year. She responds the only way a math prodigy like herself could: by inventing a time travel app that will allow her to re-do the year, but this time shell be too cool to ditch. Of course, things dont go as plannedshe does invent time travel, but she gets stuck in a time loop, reliving freshman year over and over as everyone around her moves on. The read is thought-provoking and earnest and charming and fun; reviews compared it to A Wrinkle in Time and Dr. Who. For those who did find it during this wild year, I hope it provided a balm and an escape. Sarah and Nephele weathered a pandemic, an insurrection, and shipping delays caused by disruption to the international publishing supply chain with optimism and determination, and there is a lot more to look forward to from Sarah in the future, but I hope this YA wont get lost in its own time loop as the world moves on from the disaster that was 2020. Click here to see our previous Pandemic Missed Connections installment. This month, Brianna Bourne and Jennifer Lynn Barnes celebrate their YA novel, Rina Heisel launches a new adventure, and Madison Murphy flips for a great read. (Not Quite) The End of the World On July 17, Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston hosted a launch celebration via Zoom for the dystopian and romantic YA novel You & Me at the End of the World (Scholastic Press) by debut author Brianna Bourne along with Jennifer Lynn Barnes, author of The Inheritance Games (Little, Brown). Moderated by bookseller Cathy Berner, the virtual event discussed the writers creative processes, how they develop their characters, their love for the YA genre, and what readers can expect next. Journey Beyond the Burrow The Richardson Nature Center in Bloomington, Minn., held a book launch earlier this month for Journey Beyond the Burrow, a middle grade novel by Rina Heisel (HarperCollins). The event included a nature scavenger hunt, a book signing, and plenty of cake. It was a fitting setting for a woodland adventure story about a mouses journey to save his baby brother from a sinister evil. A Summer-saulting Read Getting into the Olympic spirit, Madison Murphy, bookseller and marketing manager at Watermark Books in Wichita, Kans., turns a cartwheel in front of the bookstore while holding a copy of Flying High: The Story of Gymnastic Champion Simone Biles by Michelle Meadows and illustrated by Ebony Glenn. Filled with more flips, this picture book catalogs Olympic star Simone Biles love for gymnastics from her adoption at an early age up until her record-breaking routine on the Olympic stage. The bricks-and-mortar book market has struggled as much in Spain as anywhere on the globe during the Covid-19 crisis, with sales only rebounding in 2021 after vaccines became widely available. Logista, Spains primary book distributor, played its part in the fight against the virus, storing and distributing masks and other PPE, as well as some vaccines. In addition, with the spike in online book orders, the company saw a significant increase in its overall distribution business in 2020 and the first part of 2021. Logista operates a huge warehouse facility in Cabonillas del Campo, approximately an hour outside of Madrid. With more than 710,000 sq. ft. of warehousing space, the facility handles some 55 million books per year and fulfills 1.8 million orders annually. We keep 300,000 titles in stock and make more than 850,000 deliveries to 8,000 book distribution pointsbookstores, kiosks and other points of saleannually, says Arturo Alvaro Benito, head of sales for the company. Logista offers direct-to-consumer fulfillment for publishing clients including Planeta, Wolters Kluwer, Kalandranka, Lantia, and Panamerica. It also provides distribution support for Baker & Taylor in Spain and throughout Europe, and operates businesses in France, Italy, Poland, and Portugal. With our network, we offer publishers capillarity, the ability to branch out, Benito says. Our focus is on traceability and transparency. Logistas largest retail client is Casa del Libro, the top bookstore chain in Spain, which was founded in 1923 and operates 47 bookstores throughout the country. As you would expect, we saw a huge spike in online orders for all our clients last year and into this year as a result of lockdowns and the pandemic, Benito says. It was a challenge for us, but we were able to meet it. The nearly 3,500 independent bookstores in Spain were forced to quickly adapt to the pandemic conditions. The vast majority of Spanish indies are small, with only approximately 40 having a turnover of 1.5 million or more, according to the newspaper El Pais. In August 2020, the Spanish government approved 4 million of support for indie bookstores. Though the industry is supported by a fixed book price law, which means online discounting is limited to a maximum of 5%, Amazon has become a significant bookseller and has been blamed, along with aftereffects of the 2008 financial crisis, for numerous bookstore closures in the past 10 years. At one point in 2020, with lockdowns in effect and bookstores closed, 70% of books were being purchased online, and of those, nearly half were bought at Amazon, according to the Federacion de Gremios de Editores de Espana, a publishing trade group. In the past year, two websites have launched to help the indies compete with Amazon. Last November, the Spanish Confederation of Booksellers Guilds and Associations (Cegal) launched Todostuslibros.com, which allows customers to buy books online and pick them up at any of 800 indie bookstores. And in June, Bookshop.org opened in Spain, using the same model it has employed in the U.S., offering direct fulfillment to customers while crediting a percentage of each sale to affiliate bookstores and returning a percentage of profits to the entire pool of participating stores. So far, sales through the site have generated nearly 20,000 for indie stores. As bricks-and-mortar stores, we are always fighting to survive, says Enrique Pascual Pons, head of the Madrid Booksellers Association and director of the venerable Marcial Pons bookstore, a highly regarded academic bookstore in Madrid known for its selection of international titles. The support we have gotten from the government is welcome, but neighborhood bookstores continue to close, particularly as rents around the cities increase. Among the support Pons would like to see implemented are tax breaks and rent concessions for bookstores. As an association, we make it our mission to let people know just how much a bookstore contributes to the fabric of a community, he notes. As bookstores, we provide a valuable service, one that is not easily replaced by someone selling exclusively online. If you're interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here. Submit Published on: 30 July 2021 Books Making a Psychopath Dr Mark Freestone, Reader in Mental Health, Centre for Psychiatry Find out what truly makes a psychopath, from the leading expert who helped to create Killing Eve's Villanelle. Dr Mark Freestone has worked on some of the most disturbing psychopath cases of recent times - this is his extraordinary journey with the people society would rather forget. With its page-turning true crime storytelling and searing first-hand experience that will leave you reeling, this book opens up a window onto the unseen world of those who operate in a void of human emotion ... and asks how we will stop them. Irish Political Prisoners 1960-2000 - Sean McConville, Professor of Law and Public Policy This is a comprehensive, detailed and humane account of the thousands who came into custody during the years of the Northern Ireland conflict and how they lived out the months, years and decades in Irish and English maximum security prisons. The book includes some of the most remarkable events in prison history anywhere mass breakouts, organised cell-fouling and prolonged nakedness, and hunger striking to the death. Britain's War: A New World, 1942-1947- Daniel Todman, Professor of Modern History and Head of the School of History The second volume of Daniel Todman's epic history of the Second World War opens with one of the greatest disasters in British military history - the fall of Singapore in February 1942. Unlike the aftermath of Dunkirk, there was no redeeming narrative available here - Britain had been defeated by a far smaller Japanese force in her grandly proclaimed, invincible Asian 'fortress'. Britain's War is a triumph of narrative, empathy and research, as gripping in its handling of individual witnesses to the war - those doomed to struggle with bombing, rationing, exhausting work and above all the absence of millions of family members - as of the gigantic military, social, technological and economic forces that swept the conflict along. It is the definitive account of a drama which reshaped our country. Professor Todmans novel also won the Templer Medal book prize earlier this year. It is awarded by the Society for Army Historical Research to the author of the book published during that year that has made the most significant contribution to the history of the British Army. What Ails France? - Brigitte Granville, Professor of International Economics and Economic Policy; Head of Department of Business Analytics and Applied Economics As evidenced by the yellow vests protest movement that began in France in 2018, the state of the French nation inspires gloom among many of its citizens. Brigitte Granville views this malaise as a peculiarly French symptom of the difficulties experienced by many advanced industrial democracies in the face of globalization, technology, and mass immigration. A refreshing, ideologically freewheeling discussion, What Ails France? provides a positive take on the innovations of our digital age, exploring their potential to bring about a more representative democracy and a fairer society. The Pope and the pill - David Geiringer, Associate Lecturer This book is about the sexual and religious lives of Catholic women in post-war England. It uses original oral history material to uncover the way Catholic women negotiated spiritual and sexual demands at a moment when the two increasingly seemed at odds with each other. It also examines the public pronouncements and secretive internal documents of the central Catholic Church, offering a ground-breaking new explanation of the Pope's decision to prohibit the Pill in 1968 The book will be essential reading not only for scholars of sexuality, religion, gender and oral history, but anyone interested in social and cultural change more broadly. TV We are Lady Parts Shot at Queen Mary, the comedy has already garnered significant attention in the UK and across the pond for its fresh look at the highs and lows of a punk feminist Muslim band in East London. Critics and fans have praised the shows humour as well as what it has done to challenge negative stereotypes of Muslim women. Its complexity, brilliant a performances, and sheer uniqueness make it a must-watch. Baptiste Conrad Khan, Film Studies student Queen Mary Film Studies student Conrad Khan features in the BBC drama Baptiste, which follows fictional French detective Julien Baptiste who specialises in missing persons cases. The second series recently returned to screens with the detective immersing himself in an intriguing new case in Hungary. Conrad plays Will Chambers, whose journey is centred on coping and dealing with a horrifying and life-altering incident. Premium content streaming platform HBO GO has acquired Mediacorp titles The Little Nyonya, Last Madame, and Titoudao for its regional audience for the first time. The three dramas, which share a common theme of women overcoming adversity during pre-independence Singapore, will be available to audiences in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. This will start with Last Madame and TiTouDao which will stream on HBO GO from 1 August, while The Little Nyonya will be available from 1 September. Set in the 1930s, Last Madame tells the story of Chi Ling, a banker, who returns from Hong Kong to settle an inheritance from her great-grandmother, Fung Lan, the last brothel owner in Singapore. She then uncovers the secrets and mysteries behind the inherited shophouse, and reconciles with her roots. The popular series took home the Best Asian Drama title at the Asia Contents Awards 2020, which recognises outstanding TV and OTT drama series throughout Asia. Titoudao chronicles the ups and downs of celebrated wayang star Oon Ah Chiam who had to climb her way up to stardom. In the midst of this, she finds herself in a love triangle with two eligible men. The 13-episode series bagged the Best Original Screenplay award at the Asian Academy Creative Awards, while also taking home the Production of the Year and Best Original Script accolades at the Life! Theatre Awards. The Little Nyonya (pictured) tells the story of how a Peranakan lady overcame different struggles living in a traditional family, along with a jealous cousin who was envious of her many suitors. The series clinched several awards including Best Drama Series at the Asian Television Awards 2009, and was later re-adapted for the Chinese market. Housing Eviction ban ends Help is available for struggling renters as the federal eviction moratorium ends Saturday Police and firefighters responded about 9:45 a.m. to the 900 block of Muhlenberg Street for a report of a fire with trapped occupants. Reading, PA - July 4: Reading, PA - July 4: People set off consumer aerial fireworks in the City of Reading on Saturday night July 4, 2020 in celebration of the Fourth of July. By John Kass Every Monday in the city of anarchy, on what Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot once called Accountability Mondays without irony, the media tallies the number of the weekend murdered dead and the wounded. And the Democrat politicians point fingers at each other. More than 70 people were shot this past weekend, with 12 dead. I wish I could be a Cheney fan. I really do. Rep. Liz Cheney has conducted herself honorably for the past nine months. Her courage in telling the truth about the election and the insurrection of Jan. 6 has been punished by the Republican conference, which booted her from leadership and replaced her with the lying, scheming Trumpist, Rep. Elise Stefanik. Former President Donald Trump is apparently working feverishly to unseat Cheney from Congress altogether, and his lickspittle lieutenants are joining the effort. The invertebrate minority leader, Kevin McCarthy -- who, let's recall, declared on Jan. 13 that "the president bears responsibility for Wednesday's attack on Congress by mob rioters" -- has long since scurried back under Trump's skirts, from whence he issues barbs against the few remaining Republicans who still have some principles. McCarthy sniped that Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, the other Republican appointed to the Jan. 6 committee over the objections of party leadership, are "Pelosi Republicans." The opening segments of the Jan. 6 committee were another fine moment for Cheney. She began by thanking the police officers who testified about their experiences defending the Capitol that day: "Thank you to each of the witnesses appearing before us today. ... You defended the Constitution and our Republic, and every American owes you our undying gratitude. Every American, I hope, will be able to hear your testimony today and will watch the videos. The videos show the unbelievable violence and the inexcusable and intolerable cruelty that you all faced, and people need to know the truth." She went on to outline the stakes: "If those responsible are not held accountable, and if Congress does not act responsibly, this will remain a cancer on our Constitutional Republic, undermining the peaceful transfer of power at the heart of our democratic system." Those are good words, and as I said above, I respect Cheney's willingness to pay a price. She understood that by taking on the "Big Lie" and the almost-as-consequential lie about what happened on Jan. 6, she was risking her leadership position, her seat and possibly her own security. Every word of truth that she (and Kinzinger) utters is like a balm of Gilead. And yet, the voice in the back of my head keeps saying, "Is it too late?" Both Cheney and Kinzinger, may they live to be 120, had many, many earlier opportunities to extinguish this forest fire before it became a raging inferno. Both supported Trump's reelection in 2020. Kinzinger said he was "upset" by President Joe Biden's victory. Cheney appeared on "Fox and Friends" in July 2020, and while she allowed that she disagreed with Trump on some issues, most notably withdrawal from Afghanistan, she emphasized how important it was that Trump be reelected: "Whether or not we have debates and discussions internally -- as I'm sure we continue, we will continue to do -- we are going to be absolutely united going forward on the big issues, and I'm not going any place." Both Cheney and Kinzinger voted against the first Trump impeachment. They stuck with their support for his reelection, despite the first debate with Biden, despite the catastrophic handling of COVID-19, despite Trump's green light to China's Uyghur camps, despite QAnon, and despite the avalanche of lies and cruelty that corrupted America's soul -- and prepared the ground for the violent insurrection they are now investigating. Is it welcome that they finally found a line they couldn't cross? A thousand times, yes. But how might this story have unfolded differently if they, and thousands of other Republicans, had found their uncrossable lines sooner? You can say, "The base is calling the shots, and the elected are just following what the voters demand." That's nonsense. The base doesn't get its ideas from nowhere. It gets them from Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham and the rest of the conservative media world. And it gets them from elected officials. To paraphrase what Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn told the Jan. 6 committee: When elected officials give permission, there is no limit to the violence that may ensue. Trump was the arsonist. But if every time he dropped a match on the dry tinder of American polarization, Republican elected officials and others had leaped to extinguish the small flames, we would not be here. And where is here? We have seen the end of 160 years of the peaceful transfer of power. We've seen the majestic United States Capitol turned into a scene from a dystopian fantasy; an armed mob attempting to subvert an election. They smashed and tortured and caused deaths. They erected a gallows and hunted for the speaker of the House and for the vice president. And Republicans, almost to a man and woman, are excusing, downplaying or whitewashing what happened. An entire political party has abandoned commitment to the rule of law. To speak up now, well, it's better than nothing. But it's a little like saying you'll take away a drunk's driver's license after he crashed into and killed an 8-year-old. What about all of those times when you saw him get behind the wheel after five drinks and did nothing? Trump attacked the basics of American democracy. The consequences were foreseeable. There were countless warnings. The great tragedy of this moment is not that Trump attempted what he did, but that so few Republicans tried to stop him when it would have made a difference. COPYRIGHT 2021 CREATORS.COM The timing was a coincidence. The contrast, unmistakable. Reporters had gathered in the East Room Thursday afternoon for an update on the next steps the administration is planning in the coronavirus fight, and President Biden was running late. Meanwhile, congressional Republicans were in open revolt. Just minutes before Biden was slated to start talking, Rep. Chip Roy of Texas (pictured) was objecting in the House. If we're going to arrest our staff, I make a motion to adjourn, he said. The clerk started calling the roll, but Roy didnt wait for his motion to fail, as it was destined to. Neither did more than 50 other House Republicans. They walked out of the chamber, marched across Statuary Hall, and found seats in the Senate where Mike Lee was condemning House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for reinstating a mask mandate on Capitol Hill. The Utah Republican wasnt expecting an audience. He wasnt even planning a floor speech. Earlier that morning in his office, though, the phone buzzed. It was a bulletin from U.S. Capitol Police, and one paragraph in particular caught his eye. If a visitor or staff member fails to wear a mask after a request is made to do so, the visitor or staff shall be denied entry to the House Office Buildings or House-side of the U.S. Capitol. Any person who fails to either comply or leave the premises after being asked to do so would be subject to an arrest for Unlawful Entry, the statement read. For whatever reason, no such bulletin was issued in the Senate. All the same, it was enough to make members of both chambers, who are constitutionally exempt from arrest in such cases themselves, furious. Is this decision based on science, or is it based on the whims of the speaker, Lee demanded to know. Either way, he said on the Senate floor, the arrest of peaceful staffers shows the total loss of political grace in the House. It was the latest in the larger debate over masks and mask mandates. It was also personal now, with young staffers caught in the middle and possibly subject to legal jeopardy. Where was all of this trending? Lee asked. Obviously, he worried, you don't want to get to the point where somebody is wearing an armband to prove whether they have been vaccinated, an allusion to the yellow Star of David that Jews were once required to wear by the Nazis. That is when the president arrived for his remarks at the White House. He did not mention the unfolding Republican revolt. Instead, Biden outlined aggressive plans to put down the new surge of the virus, an initiative his chief of staff later described as using a full set of carrots and sticks to push the public into getting their shots. He mandated that federal workers declare their vaccination status while unvaccinated members of that workforce be required to mask, test at least once a week, and socially distance. Biden also directed the Department of Defense led by Secretary Lloyd Austin, who sported both a facemask and a medical face shield earlier in the day to look into making the shot mandatory for the military. He called on state and local governments to incentivize vaccination by offering $100 to anyone finally willing to get two shots of the inoculation. After months and months of cases going down, were seeing a spike in COVID cases. They're going up, Biden explained as he outlined the new requirements. Why? Because of this new form, this new variant called the delta variant. More Americans need to get their shots, he said, and fast. In the meantime, and in certain circumstances prescribed by the Centers for Disease Control, both the vaccinated and unvaccinated should mask up. Why? Biden said, setting up another question. Because even if youve been fully vaccinated and protected from severe illness from COVID-19, you could have the delta variant in your system and spread it to someone who isnt vaccinated. The return of the mask was necessary, the president summed up, to stop the rapid spread of this virus as we work to get more people vaccinated. Biden was still talking when Sen. Ted Cruz pulled his iPhone from his pocket to read a lengthy quote on the Senate floor from Lord Acton, the one that ends with how power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Applying the maxim to current circumstance, the Texas Republican said Pelosi must be drunk on power. He asked, Who the hell is she to be fining members of the House? Nancy Pelosi is telling somebody who is an employee of the House, if you're vaccinated and you don't wear your mask, she will arrest you and throw you in jail. How dare she! Cruz continued. That is an abuse of power. And I will tell you, the America people are watching this political theater play out in Washington, and they understand what's coming next. What could be coming next was the subject of Sen. Marsha Blackburns speech. The CDCs mask guidance and the Capitol Police bulletin were signs of things to come. We know that what is happening today is not necessarily about masks, the Tennessee lawmaker warned. This is about continuing to perpetuate these lockdowns. A version of that question was put to the White House earlier in the day. During the daily briefing, Bidens principal deputy press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, seemed not to rule out the possibility of future lockdowns and school shutdowns if they were prescribed by the CDC. Later, she clarified her points on Twitter that we will not be going back into lockdowns. Why? Because we now have the tools to put this virus behind us. Plus, Jean-Pierre noted, Biden had said of lockdowns earlier in the week, We are not going back. But that isnt exactly what the president said Thursday afternoon. A reporter asked if the shutdowns could return, just as the masks had, given that the science is evolving, the virus is clearly evolving as well, and even Dr. Anthony Fauci has said the country is headed in the wrong direction. The president, flummoxed perhaps, answered, Well, look, you're take you're literally correct on everything you said, but it doesn't make come to the conclusion you're implying. Give him a magic wand, Biden continued, and he would make sure every American was vaccinated. Then, in fact, we would be out of the woods. The leader of the free world does not, however, possess such a wand. The closest thing the country has to magic is the medical miracle that is the vaccine. Even then, Biden continued, can something else happen a year from now? Can there be a different virus? Can there be something? It's possible. But I'm talking about COVID and the existing variants that have come forward so far. Biden started walking away after taking a few more questions. He had not called on Fox News, and that networks White House correspondent started shouting. Mr. President, you said, If you are fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask, Peter Doocy hollered. At this, Biden swung around. No, I didn't say that, he snapped. You did. I have the quote, the reporter shot back. I said if you're fully vaccinated in an area where you do not have, the president said, now fully committed to the back-and-forth. Well, let me clarify it. Back in May, Biden made it sound like the country had reached the beginning of the end of the pandemic. He said the new rule was get vaccinated or wear a mask until you do. He did not retreat from that statement Thursday, but said it was true at the time because I thought there were people who were going to understand that getting vaccinated made a gigantic difference. Things have changed. A new variant came along, they didn't get vaccinated, it was spread more rapidly, and more people were getting sick, Biden noted. That's the difference. Then he left. Conservatives are still suspicious new lockdowns are on the horizon. They dont seem too afraid of fines or even arrest, though. A small gaggle of twenty-something GOP aides gathered in a hallway of the Cannon House Office Building on Thursday to play beer pong and cornhole, something plenty of staffers have done in more normal summers. A scolding senior Democratic aide reported he even smelled a cigar. The young Republicans racked and re-racked their cups, unmasked and apparently unafraid of arrest. The most recent term of the Supreme Court left plenty of liberals lamenting how conservative that tribunal had become. And while the court conversely left plenty of conservatives happy, there has been some grumbling in right-leaning circles over whatever part of the glass appears to be empty. Those critics do not point to any constitutional apostasy, but complain because of the occasional praiseworthy judgment that did not carry more sweeping pronouncements of law. Lost in such criticism is a sense of historical perspective about a term that included no rulings on a major constitutional or statutory issue that rejected originalism or textualism. It held as violative of the free exercise clause New Yorks COVID restrictions on worship (Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo) and Philadelphias refusal to contract with Catholic Social Services to continue providing foster care (Fulton v. City of Philadelphia). It defended the freedom of association against Californias cynical argument that it had a legitimate reason to force nonprofits to disclose the names of their donors (Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta). The court vindicated property rights, striking down a California regulation that authorized union organizers to physically occupy growers property (Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid). It defended the separation of powers by agreeing with a challenge to limitations on a presidents power to remove the Federal Housing Finance Agency director (Collins v. Yellen). It rejected a reckless interpretation of the Voting Rights Act in a challenge to widely accepted restrictions on ballot harvesting and out-of-precinct voting (Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee). Indeed, as David Rivkin and Andrew Grossman pointed out, only textualist reasoning can achieve a majority on todays court. A decisive reason for this is the courts three most recent arrivals. Over the course of this last term, Justice Clarence Thomas agreed in merits cases with two of them, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, more than with any other colleague. My challenge to the naysayers who fail to recognize the dramatic level of progress on the high court is this: identify the last term you think the court did better. Surely it was not the previous term, when the court (over Justice Brett Kavanaughs dissent, it should be noted) rewrote the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include sexual orientation and transgender status; stymied the Trump administrations rollback of the Obama administrations Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program; and struck down an abortion regulation aimed at womens health. The DACA ruling continued a trend of politicizing administrative law from the prior term, when the court set aside the Trump administrations reinstatement of a citizenship question to the census. And the abortion ruling continued the courts extra-constitutional foray into judicially legislating the issue of abortion, starting notoriously with Roe v. Wade in 1973 and continuing in later rulings in 1976, 1979, 1983, 1986, 1990, 1992, 2000, and 2016. Was there a better term than the one begun in October 2020 during the last 50 years? Surely it was not 50 years ago, when the court muddled religion jurisprudence for generations with its decision in Lemon v. Kurtzman, particularly evident in attempts to apply the Lemon test in 1982, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1992, 2000, and 2005. Or 49 years ago, when the court in Furman v. Georgia effectively ended the death penalty by holding existing laws unconstitutional. Although the court lifted its virtual moratorium in Gregg v. Georgia (1976), decades of Eighth Amendment decisions followed based more on justices personal views of criminal punishment during given snapshots of time than on the law. Then, of course, there were also terms in which the court upheld the charging of fees by unions to government employees who did not wish to join (Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, 1977); set standards that undermined the separation of powers with excessive deference to unelected bureaucracies (Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, 1984, and Auer v. Robbins, 1997) and insufficiently accountable officers like the independent counsel (Morrison v. Olson, 1988); allowed the government to take private property from one private owner to give to another in exercising eminent domain (Kelo v. City of New London, 2005); overrode Congress legitimate process to handle challenges to the capture of enemy combatants on overseas battlefields (Boumediene v. Bush, 2008); struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (United States v. Windsor, 2013); and invented by judicial fiat a constitutional right to same-sex marriage (Obergefell v. Hodges, 2015). These examples only scratch the surface. But they prompt a question to those who declare conservative judicial defeat: When did the Supreme Court last have a better term than the one just concluded? Nicholas Hoult has joined the cast of the new film The Menu. ADVERTISEMENT The Hollywood Reporter said Thursday that Hoult, 31, will star in the upcoming dark comedy. Hoult joins previously announced stars Ralph Fiennes and Hong Chau. The Menu hails from Searchlight Pictures. Succession writer Will Tracey and Seth Reiss wrote the script, with Succession director Mark Mylod to direct the film. Deadline confirmed Hoult's casting. The Menu is a darkly comedic psychological thriller that explores the world of eccentric culinary culture. The film follows a young couple who visit an exclusive restaurant on a remote island where the chef has prepared a lavish menu. Adam McKay will produce the film, with DanTram Nguyen and Zahra Phillips to oversee the project for Searchlight. Hoult is known for playing Henry "Hank" McCoy, aka Beast, in the X-Men films and Peter III on the Hulu series The Great. The Great co-stars Elle Fanning as Catherine the Great and was renewed for a second season in July 2020. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! Hoult most recently starred in the film Those Who Wish Me Dead with Angelina Jolie Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt bring a theme park ride to the big screen in Jungle Cruise, Miley Cyrus, Foo Fighters and more perform at Lollapalooza 2021 and Lily James stars in an adaptation of novel The Pursuit of Love this weekend. ADVERTISEMENT In addition, Outer Banks returns for a second season, Mark Ronson explores music and technology in Watch the Sound and Demi Lovato hosts her own talk show. Here's a rundown on some of the films, television shows and more that are set to be released this weekend. Films 'Jungle Cruise' -- Disney+ 'Ride the Eagle' -- VOD Jake Johnson must complete a list of tasks left behind by his dead mother (Susan Sarandon) in order to inherent her cabin in Ride the Eagle, which is available to rent through video-on-demand services on Friday. D'Arcy Carden and J.K. Simmons also star in the film, from director Trent O'Donnell. Johnson also wrote the script with O'Donnell. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! 'The Last Mercenary' -- Netflix Jean-Claude Van Damme is a secret agent denounced by his government who returns to France in order to clear his son's name in The Last Mercenary, which premieres Friday on Netflix. Alban Ivanov and Samir Decazza also star in the action film, from director David Charhon. TV 'Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson' -- Apple TV+ DJ and producer Mark Ronson dives into the intersection between music and technology in this documentary series, which arrives Friday on Apple TV+. Ronson interviews fellow musicians on their creative process including Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters, Questlove of The Roots, Charli XCX, DJ Premier, Mike D and Ad-Rock of Beastie Boys, T-Pain and more. 'The Pursuit of Love' -- Amazon Prime Video 'Outer Banks' Season 2 -- Netflix Chase Stokes and Madelyn Cline are on the run as fugitives in the Bahamas in Season 2 of Outer Banks, which premieres Friday on Netflix. Stars Madison Bailey, Jonathan Daviss and Rudy Pankow are trying to claim the treasure back home in the Outer Banks and will eventually reunite with Stokes and Cline in the second season. 'The Demi Lovato Show' -- Roku Channel Demi Lovato will tackle social topics on their own talk show, which arrives Friday on The Roku Channel. Lovato will discuss activism, feminism, gender identity, sex, body positivity, mental health, UFOs and more on the series. Guests include Lucy Hale, Jameela Jamil, Olivia Munn and more. Music 'Lollapalooza 2021' -- Hulu Hulu presents an exclusive livestream of the Lollapalooza music festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m. EDT to 12 a.m. EDT. Miley Cyrus, Foo Fighters, Post Malone, Tyler, the Creator, DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, Journey and more are set to perform. More Information The rate of people who are fully vaccinated is being reported by the state as a percentage of the population* that is 12 and older. That rate is lower when the entire state population* is factored in. Michigan: Population 9,986,857 Reported fully vaccinated rate 54 percent** Actual rate 46 percent Antrim County: Population 23,324 Reported fully vaccinated rate 56 percent Actual rate 50 percent Benzie County: Population 17,766 Reported fully vaccinated rate 62 percent Actual rate 55 percent Grand Traverse County: Population 93,088 Reported fully vaccinated rate 66 percent Actual rate 57 percent Kalkaska County: Population 18,038 Reported fully vaccinated rate 47 percent Actual rate 40 percent Leelanau County: Population Reported fully vaccinated rate 73 percent Actual rate 66 percent * 2019 U.S. Census estimates are used. ** All percentage points rounded to nearest whole number Athens, GA (30605) Today Cloudy. Some light rain will fall throughout the day. High 78F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Showers early, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. Weather Alert ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING... The Flash Flood Watch continues for * A portion of eastern North Carolina, including the following areas, Beaufort, Coastal Onslow, Duplin, East Carteret, Greene, Hatteras Island, Inland Onslow, Jones, Lenoir, Mainland Dare, Mainland Hyde, Martin, Northern Craven, Northern Outer Banks, Ocracoke Island, Pamlico, Pitt, Southern Craven, Tyrrell, Washington and West Carteret. * Through Thursday evening. * A stalled front will remain near or over Eastern North Carolina for the majority of the upcoming week. At the same time a series of disturbances will move along this front and will bring periods of heavy rain to the area. Rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches are expected inland, with 6 to 10 inches along the coast. Isolated higher totals are possible. The heaviest rain is expected along the coast. The soil in our area is already saturated in many locations, with some areas receiving 3 to 5 inches of rain over the past two days. * Heavy rain over the area has the potential to produce flash flooding and flooding of low lying areas and inundation resulting in impacted travel. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... You should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to take action should Flash Flood Warnings be issued. Motorists should not attempt to drive around barricades or drive cars through flooded areas. && Michelle Redman, VTrans project manager for District 6, assesses the damage at River Road, in Putney, Vt., on Friday, July 30, 2021, after the rain washed away a massive section of the road on Thursday. In this Nov. 8, 2019 file photo, Ben Cohen, left, and Jerry Greenfield, co-founders of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, attend a protest in Washington. The Vermont-based Ben & Jerry's has always been known for promoting social causes as much as its flavors of ice cream, but few have attracted as much attention as its decision to stop selling its ice cream in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and contested east Jerusalem. A strong rainstorm on Thursday evening leaves first responders to deal with the aftermath of flooding and other issues across Windham County throughout the night and into Friday. WYOMING COUNTY Virginia Bazzie passed away on Saturday July 31, 2021. Visitation will be Tuesday August 3, 2021 from 6-8pm at the Evans-Calfee Funeral Service in Pineville. Graveside service will be on Noon on Wednesday in the Lilly-Crews Family cemetery in Nimitz. More information can be fo Beckley, WV (25801) Today Mixed clouds and sun with scattered thunderstorms. High 73F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 58F. Winds light and variable. The following meetings are scheduled for the Northwest CT Chamber of Commerce. To learn more or to register, go to nwctchamberofcommerce.org. Aug. 3: Small Business Council Meeting, 8 a.m. The Small Business Council has been established for the small business owner/manager - the decision makers - to discuss challenges, share solutions and work as a back-office consortium. Many small business owners have issues that they stumble upon throughout their workday that they may not have experience with - but another small business owner does. The Chambers Small Business Council is a resource for the owners and managers so they can keep their businesses running smoothly. To be added to the Small Business Council, email Lauren@nwctchamberofcommerce.org. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) A federal appeals court has dealt a setback to a Utah death row inmate who saw his conviction overturned in connection with a string of violence at a remote cabin. Even if Von Lester Taylor did not fire the fatal shots in a 1990 triple shooting and kidnapping case, he cannot be considered innocent because Utah law makes accomplices as guilty as perpetrators, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday. The finding overturns a previous ruling by a federal judge in Salt Lake City who found reason to believe Taylors partner committed the murders. U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell ruled Taylors trial lawyer failed him and ordered his conviction overturned. Taylors attorney, Brian Pomerantz, said the ruling means more hearings in federal court. What happened today was a loss for Mr. Taylor, the families of the victims, and the State of Utah, because it means that the state will continue to litigate this case for years to come in hopes of executing a man who did not kill anyone, he said in a statement. Utah state attorneys, though, applauded the decision, saying Taylor participated up to his neck in the slayings. Todays ruling puts Taylor back on the road to justice. Sadly, it does not end the case and permit Taylors immediate execution, Assistant Solicitor General Andrew Peterson said in a statement. Beths and Kayes family have waited more than thirty years for justice. They should not have to wait any longer. Taylor doesn't deny that he and Edward Deli and broke into a cabin in Oakley around Christmastime three decades ago. But his lawyers presented new ballistics evidence they say shows that Deli fired the gun that killed Kaye Tiede and her mother, Beth Potts. The pair also shot husband Rolf Tiede, but he survived being shot in the head and doused with gasoline. The men then kidnapped the Tiedes' two daughters, ages 20 and 17, but were captured by police soon after. Taylor pleaded guilty to capital charges, and a jury sentenced him to death. Deli went to trial, where he denied shooting anyone and got life in prison. ___ This story corrects the spelling of one victim's first name. It is Kaye, not Kay. DALLAS (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions that was enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to oust tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households. Heres the situation in Texas: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? The Texas Supreme Court suspended proceedings in most eviction cases in the state in March 2020, but they were allowed to resume about two months later. After the CDC moratorium was issued, the court issued an order that directed judges hearing eviction cases to make sure the moratorium was followed. But at the end of March, the court dropped that language. Some cities, including Dallas and Austin, have provided additional protections to renters. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? Federal funds have flowed into Texas to help qualified tenants pay their rent. And attorneys from groups around the state have mobilized to represent renters in court. When the pandemic began, several of the state's big cities created their own rent relief programs, reallocating money and using reserves, said Christina Rosales, deputy director at Texas Housers, a nonprofit focused on housing issues. Since then, about $3.5 billion in U.S. Treasury Department funds have been distributed to the state and to dozens of cities and counties to help renters, she said. The state's Texas Rent Relief Program is distributing more than $1 billion. As of Wednesday, it had paid out or was in the process of paying out over $630 million to more than 102,000 households. Texas is one of the states doing the best at distributing its funds quickly, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. However, some cities and counties have made very slow progress with their payouts, it said. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? Since the state Supreme Court dropped the language from its order at the end of March addressing the CDC moratorium, it has varied from court to court whether it is followed, advocates for renters say. It has now become a patchwork of enforcement in the state of Texas, said Nelson Mock, an attorney with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid. And some courts are enforcing federal law, some courts are not enforcing federal law. HOW AFFORDABLE IS HOUSING IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? There's a shortage of affordable and available rentals throughout Texas for extremely low-income households, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. And rents have increased in Texas' large cities, according to the latest figures from Realtor.com. The site says the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Austin was $1,366 in June, which was 11.2% higher than the previous June. In Dallas, that figure stood at $1,278, which was up 13.1%. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CAUSE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? Eviction cases are expected to increase once the CDC moratorium ends, and advocates for renters say homelessness could rise as well. I think theres no question that homelessness will increase without other protections, Mock said. I think in every major city in the state of Texas, housing is at a premium, and affordable housing is very, very limited. In January, an annual count of the homeless population in the Houston area found that about 15% of people surveyed said they were without a fixed address because of the pandemic. As of July 5, census data showed that 242,134 Texas residents believed they were very likely to be evicted within two months, while another 157,906 thought that was somewhat likely to happen. ___ This story has been corrected to show that the National Low Income Housing Coalition said some cities and counties, not some local groups, have made slow progress with their payouts. TORRINGTON As parents prepare to send their children back to school, the Torrington Area Health District is reminding them to get their children vaccinated. Although COVID-19 vaccines are not available to children under the age of 12, many vaccines used to prevent childhood diseases such as measles and chickenpox should be part of back-to-school plans, said TAHD Outreach Coordinator Stacy Domnich-Kovalevsky. August is National Immunization Month, and we are encouraging everyone to be sure their child or children get their vaccines before they go back into the classroom, she said. If parents have questions, immunize.org has the most current, up-to-date information and follows all CDC guidelines. Its also very easy to follow and it breaks down every vaccination, what its for and when its recommended. Diane Impastato, an outreach worker with Domnich-Kovalevsky at the health district, is concerned about families getting their vaccines in time for the start of school. Due to COVID-19, not a lot of people wanted to go to the doctors office, or their appointments were canceled and they just didnt reschedule, she said. If a childs shots are not up to date, they cant go back to school, and the superintendents will say, Sorry, you need to do this, dont wait til the last minute. Last year, and the year before, they were denying students who werent vaccinated. From what I hear, a lot of children in Torrington are behind, she said. Pediatricians and community health centers such as Community Health and Wellness of Greater Torrington can provide vaccines for children now. A lot of doctors are doing them, and a lot of families go to a health center, Impastato said. If you dont have insurance, the state cannot deny a child a vaccination. So its not something to worry about, as far as having insurance. The state uses a system to keep track of a childs immunization record, a practice that has been used for many years to be sure families are safe from childhood diseases, Impastato said. Every child thats born can be entered into that system, and 97 percent of parents opt into it, so it can track their vaccines during their years in school. Right now were seeing a drop; people who update the system at the health department are seeing a lot of kids that are behind, she said. Impastato has children of her own, and believes vaccinations are important for a childs health. Hepatitis b, HPV, and the meningitis vaccines are important, she said. I had my kids get the meningitis one when they were young. Its rare, but when a child gets meningitis, its a bad thing. Some parents may be against vaccinating their children at all, but the health department still encourages people and tries to change their minds with literature and education. I hear a lot of parents say they think these diseases (polio, chickenpox and measles) have been eradicated, and they dont have to get them, Impastato said. We proved that wrong with measles a few years ago. In 2019, more than 700 cases of measles were reported in the U.S., according to the CDC, even though measles was considered eradicated in 2000. Its also important for children who are compromised and cant get the vaccines, so the herd immunity of all the children who can, it protects them, she said. Parents who want more information on vaccinations, including those for COVID-19, can find it at cdc.gov, immunize.org and the Connecticut state portal, ct.gov. CDC.gov has a wealth of information and its very well organized. It has a parent section, a whole vaccine section, and its all broken down by age. Theres a schedule kids are supposed to follow, said Domnich-Kovalevsky. TORRINGTON Friendships that start in grade school can last a lifetime, and thats the case for two women who met as children at Torringford School. While one remained in Torrington, the other moved to Missouri. Friends and family members of Richelle Roman Lovato, who has had ALS for seven years, are gathering Saturday night for a fundraiser to help purchase her a new handicap-access van. Heading the event is Virginia Cianciolo, a childhood friend and Missouri resident who heard about Lovatos need, and stepped in to help. Lovatos parents, Joanne and Richard Roman, are in their 70s, and are their daughters primary caregivers, along with her sister, Kimberly, and her daughter, Jordyn, 16. The family gets some assistance from a CNA and nurses who come to her home daily. But the gaps in care are up to her parents, and its getting harder every day, they said. Having a vehicle to easily move Lovato into and transport her to doctor appointments and other activities will make a big difference, her mother said. They are overwhelmed by Cianciolos generosity and friendship for their daughter. Virginias a very modest person, and shes a wonderful girl, Joanne Roman said. She found out about Richelle on Facebook. Shes considered legally blind and wore thick glasses and got picked on a lot. She said Richelle was one of the few kids who was always nice to her, that didnt pick on her. She never forgot that. So she started this whole thing, Roman said. We were very humbled by it surprised, even, that she insisted on doing the dinner. The whole community has really jumped in to help. The fundraiser for Lovato is set for Saturday at the Eagles Club, 222 Main St., Torrington, from 4-7 p.m. A spaghetti dinner will be provided for eat-in or takeout, along with a silent auction, a 50/50 raffle and prizes of gift cards, handmade quilts, artwork and jewelry. Tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for children under age 10, and will be available at the door. We went to Torringford School together, and we met up at the Torrington High School class reunion in 2011, Cianciolo said. When I heard that she was sick, I wanted to do something. When I was growing up I was bullied ruthlessly, and Richelle didnt do that, she said. She didnt stop it, but she made my life easier by not contributing to the teasing. I only went to 3 birthday parties my whole school time, and Richelle was one of them. I never forgot that. I decided to hold a fundraiser for a wheelchair van, thats how it started, she said, adding that the Romans were first considering expanding their home for Richelle and Jordyn to move in with them, but decided to wait. She offered funds for that plan first, and switched gears earlier this year for a van fundraiser instead. Cianciolo said she received a financial settlement for injuries she sustained in an accident in 2019, and wants to use it to help people. I am in constant pain, Cianciolo said. I cant do a lot. But I want to use some of the settlement to help people, and Richelle is one of those people. She doesnt like to be the center of attention, when she heard about the dinner, but I said, Think of your parents, youre doing it for them. She knows its needed. Cianciolos brother Donald is a member of the Eagles Club, and is doing the cooking; another family member is doing the raffles, and all seven of her children including two foster children will be there to help out. Lovatos ALS diagnosis was a shock to the entire family, mainly because Lovato was a high school athlete and then an active mom, who enjoyed playing softball and volleyball with her friends. She was a caregiver herself for what now is the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, working out of a group home in Torrington. This just hit her like a bolt of lighting, Roman said. But shes beaten the odds a lot of people who are diagnosed get two to five years at the most, and it will be seven years for her in November. But I would say mostly, her strength comes from wanting to be there for her daughter Jordyn, whos in high school right now. The family noticed Lovato trip and fall too easily, her mother said. One day, she was mowing the lawn, and broke down. She stopped in the middle of the yard, my husband went up to her and said, Whats wrong? and she said, Dad, I cant keep up with the lawnmower, Roman said. Her physical symptoms continued to worsen, until Lovato could no longer play volleyball because she couldnt jump, her mother said. She also broke her ankle after slipping on the ice in her driveway. The ALS doctor at the Hospital for Special Care in New Britain told us the ALS probably made her lose her step, Roman said. ALS, according to als.org, is defined as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. The care Lovato requires is challenging, but the family is committed to doing it as long as they can. Were all shes got, her mother said. Its a weight on all of us, but were doing great, because we have so much support. A few years ago a friend of Richelles set up a meal train, in which friends take on a schedule of meals three times a week. Its been a godsend, Roman said. Theres dinner for me, my husband, Richelle and Jordyn, and its one less thing to worry about. Were in our 70s, and were tired. We have overnight nursing care for her now, but we are still there every day, helping to take care of her. Friends have put up posters around town in anticipation of the Saturday fundraiser, and the monetary and gift donations have amazed Roman. Artwork, gift baskets and other items also have been donated, and the dinners gift table will be loaded for bidding and prizes. Thats just on our end here in Torrington, Roman said. Then theres Virginias family, and all her friends; everyone out there is helping us. For information on the fundraiser, go to the group Facebook page at www.facebook.com/groups/3003547433261169/, or call Donald Bruce at 860-689-6462 or Jess Farr at 860-806-9827. TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) Days of political turmoil in Tunisia over a crippled economy and surging coronavirus infections have unnerved allies in Europe and the United States, while garnering the support of key Mideast partners watching to see if Islamists and Tunisia's fragile democracy will survive. European countries - most notably nearby Italy worry about a flood of migrants should Tunisia slide further into chaos. Autocratic leaders from Egypt to Saudi Arabia hope this weeks power grab by Tunisian President Kais Saied spells doom for the regions Islamists. But they also fear a reignited Arab Spring, like the region-wide uprisings kindled by Tunisia a decade ago. And around the world, pro-democracy campaigners wonder if a country they held up as a beacon is losing its promise of democratic rule, as other nations roiled by Arab Spring protests have. The ball is now in the peoples court, said Egyptian activist el-Ghazaly Harb in a Facebook post. They are able to correct the path without abandoning the peaceful democratic model that we all hope they can see to the end, he said. The answer will always be Tunisia. Tunisia, with only 12 million of Africas 1.3 billion people, holds outsized symbolism as a nation that designed a democracy from scratch and earned a Nobel Peace Prize after its largely bloodless revolution. Without warning on Sunday, Saied froze the nations parliament, fired top ministers and took over executive powers and supervision of public prosecution, saying he had to save the country, which is suffering from its worst outbreak of the virus to date and a failing economy. While many Tunisians welcomed his move, critics called it a coup. Media and human rights groups expressed alarm at the closure of the Al-Jazeera news bureau in Tunis. In recent days, Saied has moved against allegedly corrupt lawmakers and tycoons and strengthened military oversight of the nations response to the coronavirus. He and his aides held a flurry of meetings with foreign allies, promising that his power grab is temporary. But his next steps are unclear. The main victim of his decision - the Islamist party Ennahdha - promises to resist, peacefully. Tunisian analysts dont expect an army-driven takeover like that seen in Egypt, or a return to the autocratic past, thanks in part to a population thats no longer afraid to speak out. But the situation is volatile, and new protests may occur Saturday. Pro-government voices in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are celebrating the moves as a victory over political Islam, which they see as a threat to their governing systems - notably in Gulf states where political parties are banned. Egypt is watching carefully; It was the first to follow Tunisia in an outburst of mass protests in 2011. In the aftermath, the highly organized Muslim Brotherhood rose to power, but was ousted in 2013 amid a military-backed popular uprising led by Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, who was supported by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. El-Sissi has embarked on economic reforms and brought some political stability to the Arab worlds most populous country, but his tenure has been marred by the jailing of tens of thousands of people. Leading Brotherhood figures now face death sentences or life in prison. The group has been outlawed and branded a terrorist group in Egypt and the UAE, which itself has detained dozens of Emirati Islamist figures. Some activists worry Tunisia could head down a similar path, despite Saieds credentials as an independent technocrat. Coups are not only started by the military; they can be started by a civilian and completed by officers, said Shady Lewis Boutros, an Egyptian novelist and writer who lives in the U.K., in a Facebook post. Abdelrahman al-Rashed, who runs a Saudi-owned media group and is close to the royal court, said Saied is saving the country from returning to the chaos sparked by the Arab Spring. In a column for the Arabic Ashraq al-Awsat newspaper, he wrote that political turmoil in Tunisia marks the death of the Muslim Brotherhoods authority." Ennahdha itself has distanced itself from more militant Islamists, and its leader, Rachid Ghannouchi, told The Associated Press this week that its critics are using it as a scapegoat for Tunisias problems. He noted that his party has played a major role in parliament in the decade since the revolution, which opened the way for his return from 22 years of exile in London, and won the most seats in the last legislative elections. Some question whether the Gulf states had a role in Tunisias current tensions. But others argue that Tunisians are more focused on day-to-day concerns than the discourse around the Muslim Brotherhood. Meanwhile, Tunisias strategic importance to the European Union cannot be overstated. From 2014-20, the bloc invested 1.6 billion euros ($1.9 billion) in Tunisia to build democracy and provide social and economic aid. It has given 330 million euros ($392 million) to help the country recover from the impact of coronavirus restrictions. Another 600 million euros ($712 million) in EU macro-financial assistance was agreed to in May. Most significantly, Tunisia is a key partner in limiting the flow of migrants from Africa to the EU. The 27 member states are hopelessly divided over how to manage the arrivals of those seeking a better life in Europe, so the bloc has resorted to outsourcing the challenge to other countries. However, Tunisians now make up one of the largest groups of people seeking asylum in Europe. And the Tunisia corridor is a growing concern for the EU's border and coast guard agency Frontex. From 2019 to 2020, the number of people reaching Italy from Tunisia grew by almost 400%, to more than 13,000 people, according to some nongovernmental organizations. That includes a period when COVID-19 restrictions significantly reduced migrant movements. Saied had a frank discussion on irregular migration" in Brussels last month with top EU officials, and they agreed to work more closely against smugglers and on border management. The latest turmoil adds to concern in Europe that things might get worse. On Tuesday, the EUs top diplomat called for Tunisia's constitutional order to be restored, without directly apportioning any blame. The U.S. government also is watching closely. In addition to supporting its democracy, the U.S. has helped fund Tunisia's efforts to tamp down violent Islamic extremism. Just hours after Saied's announcement, he spoke with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who urged him to adhere to the principles of democracy and human rights" and "maintain open dialogue with all political actors and the Tunisian people. Tunisians themselves want jobs and opportunity, which have remained elusive since their revolution, and many support the president -- at least for now. While there is a risk of new mass unrest, Tunisian political scientist Mohamed-Dhia Hammami said there are strong political actors in Tunisia who can play the role of counterbalance, including labor unions. And unlike in Egypt, Tunisia's military has little control over the economy. Omar Oudherni, a retired Tunisian army brigadier and security expert, said the Tunisian people will not be silent on any tyrant. "Doing what is good will receive support, and if (Saied) wants dictatorship, the people will sweep him up, as they swept others," he added. ___ Aya Batrawy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Lorne Cook reported from Brussels. Elaine Ganley contributed to this report from Paris. Do you ever want to take a day trip without having to worry about traffic? Or do you want to be a tourist in your own state? Metro-North, with more than 15 stops within the state, can bring you to the doorstep of many local attractions. From historical museums to an aquarium, here are 10 places within walking distance of Connecticuts Metro North stops, from south to north. POTTSVILLE In a split vote, the Schuylkill County commissioners decided Wednesday to hire the same consultant to handle distribution of the American Rescue Plan money that managed the CARES Act cash. The 2-1 vote means Susquehanna Accounting & Consulting Solutions Inc., Harrisburg, again will advise the county on distributing the money, which County Administrator Gary R. Bender said will total $27,415,708. I think its good were doing this, said commissioners Chairman Barron L. Hetherington, who joined with fellow Republican Commissioner George F. Halcovage Jr. to select Susquehanna. They did a great job in CARES. Hetherington also said the state Department of Community and Economic Development agreed with how the county ran its CARES Act program. Every step of the way, DCED commended us, he said. Hetherington also said the county must receive guidance in spending the money, since if would be liable to pay back to the federal government if another entity received cash and then went bankrupt without repaying the amount loaned to it. Commissioner Gary J. Hess, the lone Democrat on the board, opposed the selection of Susquehanna. Hess did not explain his vote at the meeting. In the past, however, he has expressed unhappiness with how the county spent the CARES Act money, saying it gave too little to businesses and nonprofits and spent too much itself. Bender said the county cannot go without a consultant, and that it considered at least one other firm before deciding to go with Susquehanna again. I think its fiscally irresponsible not to have some guidance, he said. The last thing we want is to spend money and then have to pay it back. Bender also said that Mark Morgan, consulting director for Susquehanna, is an important reason why the county chose the company again. Mark is from the area, he said. We felt Mark brought more to the table for us. The county will submit monthly reports, which will be made public, on how the American Rescue Plan money is being spent, Bender said. No decision has been made yet by the commissioners on how the money will be spent, Bender said. However, he did say all three are interested in putting more money into the COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Relief Program. He also said he has submitted his ideas, which he declined to reveal, to the commissioners on how some of the money should be spent. Im looking at what county needs are, Bender said. In a heartwarming incident, a Samaritan from Lahore, Pakistan has tracked down an Indian man working in London and returned his wallet that he had discovered on the busy streets of the UK. However, the story of reaching the Indian man has now won the internet. Ghazi Taimoor, hailing from Lahore, is a Head of Professional Education at LUMS in London. He took to Twitter to make an announcement about a "lost wallet having a credit card of HSBC bank". Name on the bank card suggests the wallet belongs to a Rahul R******. Time to HUNT RAHUL DOWN," wrote Taimoor on his Twitter handle and promised to keep the netizens informed about the latest updates. Guys! Just found this wallet on Shoreditch High street. Name on the bank card suggests the wallet belongs to a Rahul R******. Time to HUNT RAHUL DOWN. Will update yall pic.twitter.com/Z7u2aUpZHK Ghazi Taimoor (@ghazi_taimoor) July 29, 2021 He started the journey of tracking Rahul from social media accounts including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, but soon he realised there is no such account on social media that matches his first and last name as mentioned on the credit card. No Rahul R****** on Facebook or Instagram. Very private individual with no social media. Common Rahul, could do better than that, he wrote jokingly. No Rahul R****** on Facebook or Instagram. Very private individual with no social media. Common Rahul, could do better than that. Ghazi Taimoor (@ghazi_taimoor) July 29, 2021 As he failed to track Rahul on social media platforms, he started searching him on LinkedIn. Luckily, he got three accounts that matched the details with the credit card. He then went with the one whose profile details stated that the man was working in the UK. However, his idea didn't work as the account was private. So, he could not contact him on LinkedIn. Using the company name mentioned on the LinkedIn account, he tried to find out Rahul with the help of Google Maps. Again, he failed as the map failed to locate the office address mentioned on the Linkedin account. Tried LinkedIn now! Of the 3 Rahul R****** - one works in London. Cant seem to send a message theyve locked their profile. Creepily sent them a follow request that they may never accept? Kya na Rahul Ghazi Taimoor (@ghazi_taimoor) July 29, 2021 "Strange company - doesnt have their address on google nor on their website. Would have called customer services, no number there either! :/ Im going on the Companies House website," Taimoor tweeted. However, this time, he stumbled on something useful. Found the address on their Annual accounts filed on Companies House. Im one step closer to Rahul. Head office in Shoreditch. Strange company - doesnt have their address on google nor on their website. Would have called customer services, no number there either! :/ Im going on the Companies House website. Ghazi Taimoor (@ghazi_taimoor) July 29, 2021 In his Twitter posts now, Taimoor was using Bollywood references, the most popular Rahul: Shah Rukh Khan. "Found the address on their Annual accounts filed on Companies House. Im one step closer to Rahul. Head office in Shoreditch." Anjali-style running to his head office now, the man posted. Thought as Im walking towards Rahul: Does he know the universe has conspired us to meet? Will he accept this gesture of friendship? Found the address on their Annual accounts filed on Companies House. Im one step closer to Rahul. Head office in Shoreditch. pic.twitter.com/CloWqQIuHa Ghazi Taimoor (@ghazi_taimoor) July 29, 2021 Taimoor, like narrating a script of a Bollywood story, again wrote, "Im outside the Head office now! Almost there guys. Rahul main aa gayaaaaa. Buzzed on the main door. Babu ji let me in." Im outside the Head office now! Almost there guys. Rahul main aa gayaaaaa. Buzzed on the main door. Babu ji let me in. pic.twitter.com/9GVomNLqUA Ghazi Taimoor (@ghazi_taimoor) July 29, 2021 Now, all the efforts of the Lahore man paid off. We found Rahul. Finance Manager. Hes in shock. Tears in his eyes," Taimoor tweeted, sharing an image of the brown wallets owner. Guys! We found Rahul. Finance Manager. Hes in shock. Tears in his eyes. We got you Rahul! pic.twitter.com/VQ7qvUMGMB Ghazi Taimoor (@ghazi_taimoor) July 29, 2021 The story of finding a Rahul in the UK has grabbed the attention of netizens. Twitterati applauded the samaritan effort to find the owner of the credit card. "Thank you for sharing this with us. Loved it!" wrote one Twitter user. "Guys like you are in short supply! Hard to come by. You've done fabulously in quest for Rahul," another complimented Taimoor. You have left the story in suspense with an open question - has Rahul blocked his card or not ? I think I have to wait for the second part of this series for this answer where you could tell us the story from Rahul's point of view Anshul Gupta (@iAnshulG) July 30, 2021 (Image Credit: @ghazi_taimoor) Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment. As per a written reply by V Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs, India received help from 52 countries during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The countries came forward with offers of solidarity and assistance towards specific medicines and equipment that were not immediately available in India during the COVID second wave. The Centre said that material from 52 countries have been received to date. This statement was made in the Rajya Sabha on July 29, Thursday. V Muraleedharan says India received help from 52 countries during the COVID second wave V Muraleedharan said in his written reply that India has imported 31.5 lakh units of Sputnik Component 1 and 4.5 lakh units of Sputnik Component 2 vaccine to date. He said, "During the unprecedented crisis of the second wave of COVID pandemic, the International community came forward with offers of solidarity and assistance for specific medicines and equipment that weren't immediately available in country till such time our own domestic production improved". The Minister of State further added, "Foreign materials from 52 countries have been received till date including from government to government, private to government, private to private, Indian community associations and companies. As per reports, the Sputnik vaccine being manufactured in India is to be made available to the public by September-October. Donations for medical assistance received from countries; vaccines to be received in India from foreign countries Muraleedharan said that donations from other countries to India were cleared through the Inter-Ministerial Committee. This committee includes representatives of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Niti Aayog, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). Some of the countries that helped India during the pandemic are Germany, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Russia, France, Thailand, Ireland, Romania, Bahrain, the UK and the United States, amongst others. While there is expected arrivals of vaccine doses from other countries, India has administered over 45 crore COVID 19 vaccine doses, in lieu of the government's goal of vaccinating the entire adult population in the country by the end of the year. (IMAGE: PTI / UNSPLASH) On Thursday, NASA took to Instagram to share the sun's surface ejecting a coronal mass ejection (CME) that has left netizens spellbound. NASA called the sun's boiling surface an 'awesome star' as the waves of solar plasma waves can be seen erupting. The video also shows a CME in ultraviolet light by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) in 2013. Shared about 14 hours ago, the video logged more than three million views, which can surely be increased as the stunning visuals would mesmerize the space enthusiasts. Take a look at the video, The space enthusiasts have become mesmerized after watching the video and gave several reactions in the comments section. A user asked, "Is this true footage?" NASA replied, "Yes! Our Solar Dynamics Observatory captured it with a light filter. The spacecraft orbits the Sun and monitors its activity so we can better understand it." While another user commented, that's one helluva powerful star." Other users gave different reactions to the video by posting fire and heart emojis in the comment section. NASA's Juno captured Jupiter and its icy moon 'Ganymede', watch the video On July 17, 2021, the NASA Juno spacecraft has captured Jupiter's ice-encrusted moon Ganymede. NASA's Juno spacecraft flew closer to Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede than any other spacecraft in more than two decades. The Juno spacecraft flew as close as 645 miles (1,038 kilometres) to the surface of Ganymede. NASA Solar System has shared the animated series of images captured during the flyby of Jupiter on Instagram. The animated series has been put together by the mission team using JunoCam imager. The video showed the lighter and darker regions of the moon, which is believed to be the result of ice sublimating into the surrounding vacuum. The visuals also show the crater Tros, one of the largest and brightest crater scars on the moon. The 3:30-minute-long animation began with Juno approaching Ganymede, passing within 645 miles of the surface at a relative velocity of 41,600 mph (67,000 kph). Scott Bolton, principal investigator for Juno in the statement stated that "animation is a way for people to imagine the solar system. Bolton said, "The animation showed just how beautiful deep space exploration can be". NASA's animation team also simulated lightning that would be visible if you were actually viewing one of Jupiter's thunderstorms in person. Take a look at the video, (IMAGE: NASA/INSTAGRAM) Vaccination rates in France have started to rise again since the government enacted legislation requiring residents to obtain a pass in order to participate in certain social events, but social workers are concerned that the policy may further isolate migrants and other poor people. Doctors Without Borders put up tents in northeast Paris on Thursday, July 29, to vaccinate migrants, homeless people, and anyone without access to state or private health insurance, in an effort to bridge a possible split. Throughout the summer, the vaccine will be available in tents. Similar measures are being carried out by other assistance organizations in other nations. "People think that these people wouldn't need a vaccine passport," Cristiana Castro, who oversees Doctors Without Borders' COVID operations in France, told The Associated Press. But she also stated, "they often need to access public places for housing, administrative processes, and they worry that one day the passport would be required to access those, and it creates a lot of anxiety," Cristiana Castro, who heads Doctors Without Borders' COVID activities in France, told The Associated Press that vaccination rates in France have begun to rise again. When the tents opened on Thursday, a line of roughly 30 persons had already formed, most of them were refugees from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Sub-Saharan African countries. Many of them have lately arrived in France. "This is important," Bangladeshi migrant Afjal Miah said after receiving his first dose of vaccine. "Health pass" necessary for travel in public places The vaccination rate at the Doctors Without Borders tent site has increased from approximately 25 to 120 individuals per day since President Emmanuel Macron announced on July 12 that a "health pass" will be required in restaurants, trains, and many other places throughout France. People must be completely vaccinated or have documentation of a negative test or recent recovery from the illness to receive the health pass. The health pass is already required for movies, museums, and any place with more than 50 people, according to Macron's declaration. From August, the new legislation will make it mandatory for air travel, interstate trains, and visits to cafes and restaurants. Vaccinations would also be required for health care employees and caregivers. The Senate wanted the bill to be more civil liberties-friendly. According to parliamentary sources, the agreement means that the system will only be continued after a second vote on November 15th. The pandemic has disproportionately affected migrants and the underprivileged around the world, and France is no different. According to the national statistics bureau, more than twice as many people born overseas perished in 2020 as those born in France, a figure ascribed to the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on less well-off populations. 'Irresponsibility and Egoism' Macron sneered at the protesters' use of freedom slogans. According to Macron, the family could be infected by someone who has not been vaccinated, or the person could end up in the hospital. He refers to this as irresponsibility and egoism, not freedom. The French government hopes to reduce the impact of the fourth coronavirus pandemic by increasing vaccination rates. The rogue Taliban has resorted to rampant killing and violence to usurp the democratically elected government in Afghanistan as the US and NATO forces withdraw from the war-torn country after two decades. The Ashraf Ghani-led government is increasingly finding it difficult to hold its ground in the country, while the global community calls out the Taliban for its violence. All this comes amid the ongoing Afghan-Taliban 'peace talks' in Qatar's Doha. Turkey to block Afghan refugees; Erdogan fast-tracks Trump-esque 'Wall' However, it comes as a surprise that Turkey has now accelerated the construction of a wall at its border with Iran to stop the influx of Afghan refugees who are fleeing the war-torn country fearing for their lives. According to international media reports, Turkey is building a wall along its nearly 300-km long border with Iran to restrict the increasing number of illegal migrants from Afghanistan. The wall-building project was reportedly being pursued by the Turkish Government since 2017, however, it has now accelerated the construction due to the increased refugee influx. Over the recent weeks, thousands of Afghan migrants have been increasingly using Turkeys eastern border province of Van to reach Europe, and authorities are now focused on constructing the wall along this city to stop the migration. Reportedly, the numbers of Afghan refugees entering Turkey are estimated at between 500 to 2000 daily which is relatively lower than the mass migration that Turkey has seen in the past including those from Syria. At present, Turkey hosts about 3.5 million Syrian refugees and a hundred thousand Afghans who fled during the previous conflicts. However, it has been the same Erdogan led Turkey which was intervening in India's internal affairs after the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the Abrogation of Article 370. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had voiced out his concerns against the CAA calling it discriminatory, while India only offered to grant citizenship to persecuted minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who have come to India before December 2014. Turkey had also slammed Myanmar for the Rohingya crisis, while its state-run media continues to peddle narratives against India on the issue of Rohingya migrants in the country. Locking out refugees from Afghanistan smacks of hypocrisy and double standards on the part of President and strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan who has fashioned himself as somewhat of a leader of the Islamic world, being vocal against countries where incidents of Islamophobia have been reported. He's a known ally of Pakistan and has attempted to meddle in Indian affairs routinely, over J&K as well as the CAA. However, when it comes to walking the talk, Erdogan appears to have faltered so far as the Afghans are concerned. The Philippines on Friday extended travel restrictions for those coming from India and nine other countries till August 15 to check the spread of Delta COVID-19 variant amid a surge in the number of coronavirus cases in the country. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to extend the travel restrictions currently imposed to 10 countries starting August 1 until August 15, 2021, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a Facebook post. The countries include India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, he said. The Philippines imposed the travel ban on India initially on April 29 which was extended. On July 14, the government extended the travel ban, which covers India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, UAE, and Oman till July 31. According to a report in Manila Times, the extended travel ban came after President Duterte expressed concern over the contagious Delta variant, first detected in India. The country has, so far, reported 216 cases of the Delta variant, but health experts say there could be more undetected cases because of the slow pace of the country's genome sequencing capacity. Duterte on Wednesday advised those who don't want to be vaccinated to stay at home. "I am telling you, don't leave your homes. If you go out, I will tell the police to escort you back to your house because you are a walking spreader," Duterte was quoted as saying in the report. The President said the country could not afford to go "back to square one," in case the Delta COVID-19 variant continues to rise. Coronavirus cases in the Philippines hit a two-month high on Friday with 8,562 new coronavirus infections, pushing the national tally to 1,580,824, the Philippines Star reported. The death toll from the deadly virus has reached 27,722. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Prime Minister Imran Khan has stated that the Pakistan government is not a spokesperson for the Taliban and that Islamabad cannot be held responsible for the insurgent group's conduct in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of troops from the US and its allies. Imran Khan also stated in his remarks to Afghan media representatives, which were broadcast on Thursday, that Pakistan will have good relations with whoever the Afghans elect. The Dawn newspaper cited, Khan as saying, "What the Taliban are doing or aren't doing has nothing to do with us. We are not responsible, neither are we spokespersons for the Taliban." Khan's words were a continuation of Pakistan's repeated warnings that it would not take the blame if the Afghan peace effort suffered any setbacks. In a deal with the Taliban, the US and its NATO allies agreed to remove all troops in exchange for the militants' promise that they would not allow extremist groups to operate in regions under their control. American forces will be out of the nation by August 31, according to US President Joe Biden. "All we want is peace in Afghanistan" From 1996 to 2001, the Taliban ruled Afghanistan by force, until the US invasion overthrew their government. After the Taliban refused to hand over al-Qaeda's leader Osama bin Laden, who was responsible for the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in America, the US invaded Afghanistan in October 2001. Imran Khan distanced Islamabad once again from the events in Kabul, saying: "All we want is peace in Afghanistan." He stated that the Afghans had a choice between pursuing a military solution backed by the United States or pursuing a political resolution with an inclusive administration. "(The latter) is the only solution," he said. "There are three million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, almost all of them are Pashtuns and most will have sympathies with the Taliban. How is Pakistan supposed to check who is going over there to fight when we have about 30,000 people crossing into Afghanistan every day. How is Pakistan going to check that?" Khan asked. Khan claimed that it was impossible for Pakistan to go through refugee camps to determine who was pro-Taliban and who was not and that the two nations had no physical border until recently. "The Durand Line was imaginary," he remarked, referring to Afghanistan's and Pakistan's 2,640-kilometer border. Pakistan has completed 90 percent of the border wall, according to him. "We are trying our best, but it is not possible to hold Pakistan responsible when you have over three million refugees here," he stated. He said that it was not in Pakistan's interest to have a civil war break out in Afghanistan. "What interest could Pakistan have in backing someone to take over Afghanistan?" he asked. In the 1990s, Pakistan adopted a policy of "strategic depth" because it was wary of Indian influence in Afghanistan. As a result, he said, Pakistan will have good relations with whomever the Afghans choose. "We have no favorites now." Khan said that authorities had tracked the victim's exact route after she was kidnapped and tortured in Islamabad. Taxi drivers, he said, were tracked down and questioned by the authorities. "Unfortunately, what the ambassador's daughter is saying and what the cameras show do not add up. She says she was put in a taxi, taken away, and beaten up. But there is a picture of that taxi and she is sitting there and she is fine," he stated. According to him, all of the information would be handed over to the Afghan probe team. As Imran Khan pointed out, Pakistan played no role in the failure of 150,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan. "It's exactly like what the Americans did in Vietnam. When they failed in Vietnam, they blamed insurgents from Cambodia or Laos." He said that Pakistan was told at one point that the Taliban's main sanctuaries were in North Waziristan. "They kept pushing us to take action. Finally, after four or five years, we took action [but] one million people were internally displaced [...] what difference did it make?" A position of strength, he said, would have been better for the Americans in dealing with the Taliban. "When there were 150,000 NATO troops, that was the time to talk to [the Taliban]. How can they expect the Taliban to compromise when an exit date has been given and a few thousand troops are left?" What the United States would gain by operating from Pakistan, Imran Khan asked, after failing to achieve its goal in Afghanistan for the past 20 years. Israel's President Isaac Herzog was the first person to receive a third COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, as the country started rolling out the booster shots to its older residents. His wife was also vaccinated at Ramat Gan's Sheba medical centre. On Thursday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced that the country would offer the booster to people over 60 who have already been vaccinated. It will also be offered to the general public. The move makes Israel, which launched one of the world's most successful vaccination drives earlier this year, the first country to offer a third dose of a Western vaccine to its citizens on a wide scale. The decision comes at a time of rising infections and suggestions that the vaccine's efficacy dwindles over time. Neither the US nor the EU have approved coronavirus booster shots. It's not yet proven if a third dose helps and, if so, who needs one and when. The World Health Organization said earlier this month that there is not enough evidence to show that a third dose is needed. The agency's officials have appealed for wealthier countries to share vaccines with poorer nations that have yet to immunise their people, instead of using them as boosters. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) The first group of evacuees from Afghanistan arrived in the US on July 30, Friday under the Operation Allies Refuge. The group consisted of 200 refugees who helped the US soldiers and diplomats in Afghanistan. The flight from Afghanistan landed at the Washington Dulles International Airport, ANI cited the US government. The first group of US- affiliated Afghans were evacuated from Afghanistan amidst the Taliban reprisal in the war-torn country. Meanwhile, thousands of interpreters wait for an airlift to begin a new life in the United States while the army-withdrawal deadline approaches in Afghanistan. As many as 70,000 immigrants have become permanent residents of the United States since 2008, the US State Department said on Thursday. State government secretary Antony Blinken took to Twitter to welcome the refugees under Operation Allies Refuge."To the first group of Afghan special immigrant applicants arriving in the United States as part of Operation Allies Refuge: welcome to your new home. We are committed to helping those who bravely worked with us to build a better future for Afghanistan," he wrote on Twitter. As per reports, The US consular staff in Kabul has issued over 5000 special immigrant visas (SIVs) and interviewed 1000 more to quicken the process of evacuation, the state department spokesman added. POTUS announces the arrival of Afghan evacuees .@POTUS announces the arrival of the first flight of Afghans (and their families) who served with the US in #Afghanistan. I know all Americans will join the President in his thanks to these brave Afghans for standing with us and in saying: Welcome home.https://t.co/lIgCpmyBxf Samantha Power (@PowerUSAID) July 30, 2021 President of the United States (POTUS) has welcomed the immigrants to their "new home." US administrator Samantha Power took Twitter to announce that the current arrivals are "just the first of many" as the US State Department "works quickly to relocate SIV-eligible Afghans out of harms wayto the United States." Moreover, the statement also mentioned that the movement of those who have not yet received their visas shall not be hindered since they will be sent to U.S. facilities abroad, or to third countries"so that they can wait in safety while they finish their visa applications." The first batch of Afghans have been allowed in the United States after they have completed extensive background checks and security screening by the Intelligence Community and the Departments of State and Homeland Security, the statement from POTUS notified. "They will complete the final steps of their visa applications and required medical checks at Fort Lee, in Virginia, before travelling onward to begin their new lives in the United States," it mentioned. Lastly, the US President also thanked the diplomats and public servants across the government and around the world who have worked "tirelessly as part of Operation Allies Refuge," the statement concluded. (With ANI Inputs) (Input: @POTUS/Twitter) The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is notorious for playing a double-sided game while maintaining its unjust diplomacy. On a recent development, 6000 terrorists from TTP have reportedly been operating from the Afghan side of the border. A report by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) warned about the growing tension. UN's report on the growing TTP strength Taliban has played denial mode when asked about any presence of foreign terrorists in Afghanistan. They have always intended to seize control of Pakistani territories along the Afghan border in a bid to make them independent. The TTP which holds its base in the eastern district of the Nangarhar Province, near the border of Pakistan has maintained ties with the Taliban despite growing distrust. According to a report prepared by the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, it says that the TTP along with possessing 'distinctive anti-Pakistan objectives', has continued to support Taliban militants inside Afghanistan against Afghan forces. The report said, "The return of splinter groups to the TTP fold has increased its strength, of which current Member State estimates range between 2,500 and 6,000 armed fighters, with one Member State assessing that the upper range is more accurate. The report added that the Taliban had been inconsistent with regards to its approach towards foreign terrorists. "The Talibans effort to suppress such outfits has been more pronounced in cases of foreign terrorist fighters with suspected leanings Islamic State and TTP. Attempted enforcement has reportedly led to clashes (some fatal) between the Taliban and TTP over operational restrictions placed on the latter." the report added. It concluded by asserting, "Although the majority are affiliated foremost with the Taliban, many also support [Al-Qaeda]. Others are allied with ISIL or have ISIL sympathies". Who are the Tehreek-i-Taliban in Pakistan The TTP or simply the Pakistan Taliban is considered a far-right Islamist Pashtun-based terrorist group. Most Taliban groups in Pakistan blend under the umbrella organization of the TTP. The TTP aims to overthrow the government of Pakistan by waging a terrorist campaign against the Pakistani armed forces. After years of factionalism and infighting, the TPP underwent a reorganization and reunification under the leadership of Noor Wali Mehsud. This aforementioned step had made the TTP more deadly and has led to increased attacks. The TTP and certain splinter groups including Shehryar Mehsud group, Jamaat-ul- Ahrar (JuA), and Hizb-ul-Ahrar reunified between December 2019 to August 2020 while Al Qaeda was reportedly involved in the modernization of these groups. Image Credits - AP Ecuador this week revoked the citizenship of Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, who is currently in a British prison. Ecuador's justice system formally notified the Australian of the nullity of his naturalization in a letter that came in response to a claim filed by the South American country's Foreign Ministry. A naturalization is considered damaging when it is granted based on the concealment of relevant facts, false documents or fraud. Ecuador's Deputy Minister of Human Mobility, Carlos Alberto Velastegui, told the AP documents linked to Assange's application featured "a series of irregularities". But Carlos Poveda, Assange's lawyer, said the decision was made without due process, and Assange was not allowed to appear in the case. "We even requested that he appear by virtual call at the final hearing. However he was not given this opportunity," Poveda said. "I find odd and strange that after the hearing, this court took 12 minutes to resolve a matter of great importance, not only nationally but internationally," he continued. Assange received Ecuadorian citizenship in January 2018 as part of a failed attempt by the government of then-President Lenin Moreno to turn him into a diplomat to get him out of its embassy in London. On Monday, the Pichincha Court for Contentious Administrative Matters revoked this decision. Assange, 50, has been in London' high-security Belmarsh Prison since he was arrested in April 2019 for skipping bail seven years earlier during a separate legal battle. Assange spent seven years holed up inside Ecuador's London embassy, where he fled in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden to face allegations of rape and sexual assault. Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigations in November 2019 because so much time had elapsed. US prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks' publication of thousands of leaked military and diplomatic documents. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison. US prosecutors say Assange unlawfully helped US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published. Lawyers for Assange argue that he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment freedom of speech protections for publishing documents that exposed US military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan. Earlier this month, Britain's High Court granted the US government permission to appeal a decision that the WikiLeaks founder cannot be sent to the United States to face espionage charges. In January, a lower court judge had refused an American request to send Assange to the US. IMAGE: AP (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Pedro Castillo, a leftist political novice who has promised to be a champion of his country's poor, on Wednesday became Peru's new president. The rural teacher who has never held political office before was sworn in less than two weeks after he was declared the winner of the June 6 runoff election. He is Peru's first president of peasant origin. He succeeds Francisco Sagasti, whom Congress appointed in November to lead the South American nation after weeks of political turmoil. Castillo, who up until days ago lived with his family in an adobe home deep in the Andes, will face a deeply divided Congress, that will make it extremely challenging for him to fulfill his ill-defined campaign promises to aid the poor. His political savviness will be immediately tested, and his ability to reach agreements could even determine if Congress allows him to finish his term. Castillo defeated his opponent, right-wing career politician Keiko Fujimori, by just 44,000 votes. He stunned voters and observers by rising from a pool of 18 candidates and advancing to the runoff, in first place no less. Castillo's initial proposal to nationalize the nation's mining industry set off alarm bells among business leaders. While that stance has softened, he remains committed to rewriting the constitution that was approved under the regime of Fujimori's father. Peru is the second-largest copper exporter in the world and mining, which accounts for a large part of the country's income. Its economy has been crushed by the coronavirus pandemic, increasing the poverty level and eliminating the gains of a decade. The pandemic has pushed Peru's medical and cemetery infrastructure beyond capacity. It has also deepened people's mistrust of government as it mismanaged the COVID-19 response and a secret vaccination drive for the well-connected erupted into a national scandal. Castillo has promised COVID-19 vaccines for all Peruvians. Castillo until recently was a rural schoolteacher in the country's third-poorest district. The son of illiterate peasants, he led a teachers' strike in 2017. Several delegations from other countries traveled to witness Peru's presidential transition, including Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, Argentine President Alberto Fernandez and former Bolivian leader Evo Morales. IMAGE: AP (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) A small city on Colombia's Caribbean shore has become a bottleneck for migrants from Cuba, Haiti and Africa making what they hope will be a journey toward the United States. Local officials say more than 10,000 migrants have recently arrived in Necocli, a town of some 20,000 people. For many, their journey runs from the Ecuadorian border through Colombia to Necocli, where ferries carry people across the Gulf of Uraba to the even smaller town of Capurgana on the border with Panama. But the boat crossings can only carry about 750 people a day far fewer than have been arriving of late. The ferries also sometimes shut down on weekends or due to bad weather. And so they wait, some renting rooms in cheap tourist accommodations, others sleeping on the beach, then lining up sometimes with children in arms in hopes of buying the $50 ferry ticket. So far, at least 33,000 migrants have passed into Panama only this year, most of them originally from Haiti, Cuba, Senegal and Ghana, according to the Colombian government's Ombudsman department. Others from Somalia, Guinea, the Congo and Burkina Faso have passed through as well. That's a sharp rebound from last year when pandemic restrictions reduced mobility for locals and migrants alike. Many head first to South America, where it is easier to get a visa and sometimes try to find work there. The trek is dangerous. Migrants are both aided and preyed upon by criminal gangs on their way from the Darien through Central America and then Mexico. The number of Haitians reaching Mexico, the last stop before the US border, appears to have increased significantly this year. The number requesting asylum in Mexico one measure of their presence was 9,327 through June, compared to annual totals of less than 6,000 the past two years. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Relatives of a Black Mississippi man who died in police custody are blaming his death on alleged excessive force by deputies. Damien Cameron died Monday after police tried to place him under arrest and removed him from a home in Rankin County, news outlets reported. He was laying right there in that mud puddle, Cameron's grandmother Betty Cameron told WLBT-TV as she pointed to the dirt driveway in front of her home in the village of Braxton. Deputies responded to the home after getting a call about a burglary and vandalism, according to a news release from the Rankin County Sheriffs Office. When they arrived, Damien Cameron was identified as the suspect. As a deputy approached him, Cameron began to resist arrest, according to the release. Betty Cameron, 73, and her husband, James, said a deputy chased their grandson into the house and struggled with him in a bedroom. The deputies eventually got him in custody and into a patrol vehicle, they said. Damien Cameron's mother, Monica Lee, told WAPT-TV that she heard her son yelling, I can't breathe! I can't breathe! I'm tired, as officers brought him out of the house. She said officers denied her request to give him some water. Lee said she went outside to tell her son that she loved him and would see him the next day at the jail. But when she got there, she said her son "was laid on the ground, unresponsive. Betty and James Cameron said their grandson complained of not being able to breathe when a deputy placed his knee on the back of his neck. They said he fell twice before being placed in the patrol car. Betty Cameron said he was also shocked twice with a stun gun. Damien Cameron was brought to two hospitals, and died at the second, his mother said. I dont understand why it led to that point. It shouldnt have happened. Now, my son is gone and hes never coming home again, Lee said. James Cameron said he also heard one of the deputies crying and saying, "Oh Lord, why this have to happen to me? Why me? The Mississippi Department of Public Safety is not commenting on the ongoing investigation. Capt. Johnny Poulos said all investigative findings will be turned over to the district attorney for review. Lee said she is working with the NAACP to get more answers about her sons death. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Amid rising tensions in Afghanistan due to the Taliban's oppression and the country's constant allegations against Pakistan for supporting terrorists, National Security Advisors (NSA) from the United States held a meeting with his Pakistan counterpart. In an interesting turn of events, US NSA Jake Sullivan on Friday tweeted informing the two discussed 'the urgent need for a reduction in violence in Afghanistan' however Pakistan NSA Moeed W. Yusuf only wrote that discussions held over 'bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest'. It is important to note that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan recently said that the Taliban is not some military outfit, but 'normal civilians'. US NSA Jake Sullivan, in his tweet also wrote that both the officials talked about the need for 'negotiated political settlement to the conflict (in Afghanistan'. I met with Pakistans NSA today to consult on regional connectivity and security, and other areas of mutual cooperation. We discussed the urgent need for a reduction in violence in Afghanistan and a negotiated political settlement to the conflict. Jake Sullivan (@JakeSullivan46) July 30, 2021 Meanwhile, Pakistan NSA wrote that apart from bilateral discussions, both leaders 'took stock of progress made since our Geneva meeting'. Had a positive follow-up meeting with NSA @JakeSullivan46 today in Washington. Took stock of progress made since our Geneva meeting & discussed bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest. Agreed to sustain the momentum in Pak-US bilateral cooperation. Moeed W. Yusuf (@YusufMoeed) July 30, 2021 Pakistan's National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf reached the USA on Monday, July 26 for an official visit. Afghan diaspora holds protests across the world against Pakistan Last week, the Afghan diaspora held protests across the globe to enhance their voice against Pakistan's support to Taliban terrorists. The demonstration was staged in significant locations including Washington, Brussels, Denmark, Germany, and UK. The protestors not only raised their voice against Pakistan's support to the Taliban but also against the alleged capture of Gilgit-Baltistan with Beijing's assistance and abduction of Silsila Alikhil, daughter of Afghan envoy Najibullah Alikhil on July 16. The demonstration was held in front of the Pakistan Embassy in Denmark, and outside Pakistan High Commission in London also. Imran Khan backs Taliban In a shocking statement, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was reported saying that the Taliban is not some military outfit, but 'normal civilians'. In an interview, Khan questioned how Pakistan was supposed to hunt down the Taliban as it hosts three million Afghan refugees, the majority of whom are Pashtuns, the same ethnic group as the Taliban fighters. Imran Khan's statement comes amid a raging war between the Taliban and Afghanistan government forces. Khan has also denied claims regarding alleged Taliban safe havens on Pakistan's soil and has repeatedly shifted his argument towards the three million refugees in the country. Recognising the valour of Sikh American Gurpreet Singh who died in a combat mission in Afghanistan over a decade ago, the Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday held a service in his honour more than six months after he was memorialised at Americas most hallowed ground with the placement of a memorial headstone. The service was held at the memorial marker of Corporal Gurpreet, the first and only Sikh service member from the Afghanistan campaign to be memorialised at Arlington National Cemetery. The ceremony that was done today was for my brother late Cpl Gurpreet Singh. He was killed in action 10 years ago in Afghanistan. We didn't do a proper burial, we had his cremation. We actually wanted to have a place at Arlington (National Cemetery), his sister Manpreet Singh told PTI after the ceremony. After he joined the armed forces, Gurpreet was assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California. He made the ultimate sacrifice on June 22, 2011 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan while conducting Combat Operations. He was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat "V" for valour, posthumously for heroic service in Sangrin District. He was 21 when he died. In November 2020, he was memorialised at the Arlington National Cemetery with the placement of a memorial headstone. His memorial marker is one of two, symbolising Sikh warriors in the American wars. The other one is of Uday Singh, who died in the war in Iraq. Manpreet said that Gurpreet joined the Marine Corps right after high school as he always wanted to be in the Marine Corps. It took us a while. It has been a really emotional journey, even though it's been 10 years. Today we were able to get him a gravestone and a place where everybody can come, Manpreet said. Describing Gurpreet as part of the wonderful historical military legacy that Sikhs carry, LTC Kamal Kalsi, who was behind organising the event and was the first Sikh to be granted a religious accommodation in nearly a generation, said that Sikhs have a strong connection with the military. Today, we honoured the life and service of Cpl Gurpreet Singh, he told PTI. Its really the Sikh memorial at the Arlington National Cemetery. We were very honoured to be able to do this. This was long time coming. He gave the ultimate sacrifice in 2011. This process, because of the COVID-19, took year and a half to get his memorial marker set up, he added. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Joe Biden set to meet in Washington over the Nord Stream 2 project, Ukrainian ruling party leader Davyd Arakhamia prophesied that the meeting would be a heated one. The statement from Arakhamia came after Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel affirmed that the 'compromised deal' between her and the US President Joe Biden is 'good for Ukraine.' Reacting to the two countries (US and Germany) recent move, Arakhamia said, "I expect, taking into account the degree [of tension in relations], that at least the closed-door meeting of Zelenskyy and Biden will be heated. Today, the US largely underestimates or maybe pretends to underestimate, the blow it has delivered by such an action [the deal on Nord Stream 2]." "Using diplomatic language [they] say that 'we are deeply disturbed' and so on, but in the non-diplomatic [language] people call it what it is... Everybody understands that ... flirting [of the US] with Russia is, actually, an informal anti-China coalition," the Servant of the People party leader said, as quoted by the Ukraina24 broadcaster on Thursday. He noted that the country has received multiple letters from the US Congressmen who are eagerly prepared for the meeting despite the summer break. "Every country has its ex-pat community in the US - Polish, Baltic ones, they have contacts. We aspire to strengthen each connection into the united position in Congress now. Because when the Congress starts to work in September, you will see, that it will be strongly opposed to this decision of Biden," said Arakhamia. What is Nord Stream 2 project and why are Poland and Ukraine in distress? Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is a project that would carry Russian gas directly to Germany and Western Europe via the Baltic Sea instead of through Poland and Ukraine. Recently Biden and Germany have given their nod to complete the project ignoring Ukraine and Poland. On the other hand, Poland and Ukraine expressed their displeasure over the decision to allow the pipelines completion as they believe Russia could use Nord Stream 2 pipeline as a political weapon. It is worth noting that the 1,230-kilometer natural gas line project has posed a major foreign policy dilemma for the Biden and Trump administration. Both Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump have long feared it would give Russia excess power over European gas supplies. However, the natural gas line is almost completed and is expected to commence by August this year. It is also to be noted that Trump had damaged the relationship between Germany and the US. And now, the Biden administration has determined to again rebuild its ties. (With inputs from ANI) (Image Credit: AP) Vastly different versions of China's recent economic reports provide clues to the government's policies and political pressures that have shaped the uncertain recovery from the COVID-19 crisis this year. The coverage of China's second-quarter growth figures should have been straightforward enough. Most of the foreign press and news agencies got it right with their reporting that gross domestic product rose 7.9 percent from a year earlier, based on the official National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data released on July 15. But the NBS and China's state media complicated the story by downplaying the second-quarter figures, defying the convention of reporting results for the most recent period first. Instead, the NBS headlined its press release with results for the first half, leading its report with the larger year- on-year GDP increase of 12.7 percent. The rate for the second quarter was mentioned briefly a couple of lines below. The official Xinhua news agency followed the same pattern in its report, playing up the first-half growth rate and covering the second-quarter results in as few words as possible in the third paragraph. A subsequent Xinhua story on the GDP numbers featured the first-half figures and omitted the quarterly result entirely. Ordinarily, such details merit little if any attention, but the contrast with the foreign reporting was striking. Stories by Reuters, CNN and the Associated Press all led with the second-quarter results, ignoring the first-half comparison completely. The South China Morning Post split the difference in its report from Hong Kong with an online headline that covered both the Q2 and H1 outcomes, but putting the quarterly figures first. The most obvious reason for highlighting the first-half growth is that the 12.7-percent growth rate for the period was higher than that for the quarter, making it less of a drop from the first-quarter pace of 18.3 percent. The second- quarter growth rate was 7.9 percent, revealing a steep decline from the first-quarter performance. The government has been fighting perceptions that growth has "slowed significantly," as Reuters said, from the record rebound of the first quarter, which was magnified by comparison with the year-earlier plunge during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. The NBS has long been criticized for "smoothing" its data to avoid any implication of instability. That task has been made tougher by the wild swings of economic contraction and expansion since the first quarter of last year. "The domestic economic recovery is uneven," NBS spokesperson Liu Aihua said frankly at a press briefing, according to Reuters. "We must also see that the global epidemic continues to evolve, and there are many external instabilities and uncertain factors," Liu said. But state media went overboard with their reporting of the GDP figures by conducting a smoothing operation of their own. Previous NBS reports from past years have also prioritized first-half growth figures over second-quarter results in its press releases. But this year, state media took the practice to extremes. Buried reports On its English-language website, Xinhua glossed over the long-awaited story of the new GDP numbers, choosing instead to top its main page with a report on the Hong Kong Book Fair. Reports on the NBS announcement were relegated to the business subheading of the Xinhua website, but on the news agency's main page, the economic story was nowhere to be seen. Derek Scissors, an Asia economist and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, said the press treatment of the quarterly results is a sign of the government's sensitivity to abrupt changes and stability in the economy. "China typically emphasizes H1 over Q2 and, in general, the fuller set of results. It fits the use of on-year rather than on-quarter changes," said Scissors. "In this particular case, Q2 looks like a crash from Q1. It gives a false impression of serious instability," he said. "It's likely that the propaganda arm decided that explaining that the instability is exaggerated may not work and they should just censor the ugly-looking number," Scissors said. In recent months, NBS reports have also added calculations over a two-year period, tracking back to pre-COVID levels of 2019 with average annualized growth rates. "They're much lower but they're also typically stable," Scissors said. The smoothing effect of the two-year accounting caught the attention of the Associated Press. "In an apparent effort to reassure the public and financial markets, the government took the unusual step ... of reporting (that) average growth in the second quarter and the same period of 2020 was 5.5 percent, up from 5.0 percent for the first quarters of the two years," the AP said. The government efforts to bend the economic numbers around its stability concerns are expected to escalate as the year progresses and growth indicators continue to fade. "Headwinds to growth are likely to intensify during the second half of the year," said Julian Evans-Pritchard, senior China economist at Capital Economics in a note cited by Reuters. "China's COVID-19 export boom appears to have peaked and will unwind over the coming quarters as vaccine rollouts and reopening help to normalize global consumption patterns," he said. The government may also be motivated to smooth out the growth numbers for a second significant reason -- to counter calls for greater stimulus spending that would keep the first-quarter growth boom from dying down. Premier Li Keqiang has made clear that he is dead set against a big surge in stimulus after a series of smaller steps including a cut in the reserve requirement ratio for most banks. Debt weariness In an uncertain economic and political environment, the government is likely to remain wary about ballooning debt. Some forecasts for the year appear to be increasingly divergent from the direction of second-half growth rates, producing stimulus pressures. "Based on the current situation, if policymakers do not act, the GDP figure in Q4 could fall out of the reasonable range as data from (the) last Q4 was shining," said Xing Zhaopeng, senior China strategist at Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) in Shanghai, quoted by Reuters. In April, the International Monetary Fund raised its forecast for China's GDP growth this year by 0.3 percentage points to 8.4 percent. In late June, the World Bank also added 0.6 percentage points to its forecast, projecting growth of 8.5 percent. Despite the bullish outlooks of the multilateral lenders, China's government has stood pat with Li's lower forecast of "above 6 percent" growth, made in March. The government's less ambitious goal may have been designed to be exceeded more easily, giving it greater bragging rights for its policies in the Communist Party's centennial year. Another explanation is that the government knew that the economic damage from the COVID crisis ran deeper than its recovery claims made it out to be. Whatever the reasons, the higher forecasts of the IMF and World Bank may now become hurdles for the government's claims of success, if COVID cases continue to crop up and overshadow consumer demand. One measure of the pressures on the government is the heavy-handed news coverage and manipulation of the GDP data, even though the second-quarter growth rate was expected to drop back from the first-quarter surge. "It's not even a bad performance or genuinely unstable. It just looks unstable, and that's almost as scary," Scissors said. Many workers who have lost their jobs or are in quarantine say they have no income for food. Cambodian migrant workers stand in the backs of military trucks as they travel to their home provinces after crossing the Thai-Cambodia border in Poipet, northeastern Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province, in a file photo. Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand on Thursday blasted Prime Minister Hun Sens government for ordering provinces near the Thai border to close down border crossings as a preventive measure against a third wave of the coronavirus that has hit the Southeast Asian nation hard. Officials sealed off the crossings in eight provinces on July 29 and will keep them closed until Aug. 12 amid the third outbreak of the COVID19 virus caused by the highly contagious Delta variant that is also sweeping through neighboring Thailand. Only those transporting goods and medical patients are allowed to cross the border. Many migrant workers infected with the respiratory virus said they want to return to Cambodia because they cannot afford medical treatment in Thailand, but now find themselves locked out of their own country as it deals with a surge in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and related deaths. And with having lost their jobs or been ordered into quarantine by Thai officials, they said they now have no income to pay for their daily living expenses. The government has sealed the borders of the eight provinces, said Chhin Chhun, a 36-year-old Cambodian migrant laborer who works in construction in Thailand. This measure is just like killing migrant workers. They let people die in Thailand because they dont accept [migrant workers] as patients. Chhin Chhun said that three dozen of his colleagues had wanted to return home because they could not afford daily living expenses after Thai authorities quarantined them inside a room for more than a month but did not provide them with food. We were living in a foreign country, so who else could we rely on [except for the Cambodian government]? We couldnt buy food without money, he said, blaming Cambodian officials for border closures preventing other workers from returning home. Another migrant worker, Long Sophoann, told RFA that about 100 laborers in a supermarket in Bangkok have been out of work for nearly two months without any help from local Thai authorities. Some of the workers who are infected with the COVID-19 virus have been confined to their quarters and are treating themselves, he said. This is not acceptable [because] we cant go home, Long Sophoann said. I would like to send a message to Prime Minister Hun Sen: Please help the workers so that we can return home safely. About two million Cambodians out of the countrys population of nearly 17 million work in Thailand, according to the Cambodian NGO Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL). Thailand is the main destination country for Cambodian migrant workers who take relatively low-wage jobs in labor-intensive sectors including agriculture, construction, fishing, livestock, and manufacturing, and in some service sectors. The Cambodian Embassy in Thailand previously said that it cannot help migrant workers infected with the virus and that it is the responsibility of their employers to provide them with adequate food and accommodations, according to an earlier RFA report. As of Friday, Cambodia recorded 76,585 total confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 668 new ones, and total deaths of 1,375, including 25 new fatalities, according to figures from the Ministry of Health. The situation is worse in Thailand, a nation of nearly 70 million people, where many Cambodians go to perform manual labor for higher wages than they would earn at home. On Friday, the country recorded a total 578,375 COVID-19 cases, including 17,345 new ones, and 4,679 deaths, including 117 new related fatalities. The Cambodian government also has stepped up coronavirus-related restrictions at home, preventing gatherings of more than 10 people and imposing a nighttime curfew from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Dy The Hoya, a program officer at CENTRAL, said the Cambodian governments measure is not good for migrant workers in Thailand who are suffering because they cannot return home during the health crisis. I urge [the government] to listen to those who are affected and to make policies that reflect the issues, he said. Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Tong Ying-kit's sentence sends a warning message that people should be careful what words they utter or display in public. Lawyer Lawrence Lau speaks to reporters after his client Tong Ying-kit was sentenced to nine years in prison for terrorism and inciting secession, July 30, 2021. A court in Hong Kong on Friday handed down a nine-year jail term to motorcyclist Tong Ying-kit for "terrorism" and inciting "secession" after he flew a banned slogan from his bike during a street protest. Tong's sentencing came after a 15-day trial before a panel of three hand-picked national security judges and no jury during which much of the case revolved around whether the slogan he flew -- Free Hong Kong, revolution now!" -- was definitely an incitement to secession. He is the first person to be sentenced under a draconian national security law that was imposed on Hong Kong by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from July 1, 2020. The judges said Tong's offense was "serious" and therefore deserving of a jail term of between five and 10 years, but said his call for "secession" hadn't come with a plan attached, and that he had committed the offense alone. They said that while the police officers who brought him and his motorbike down weren't seriously injured, Tong's actions were pre-planned, and his bike was a "lethal weapon." Judges Esther Toh, Anthea Pang. and Wilson Chan found that Tong, 24, had aimed at "intimidating the public in order to pursue a political agenda." Tong was jailed for six-and-a-half years for the "incitement to secession" charge, and eight years for the terrorism charge, with two-and-a-half years served consecutively. His defense lawyers said they would appeal both the guilty verdict and the sentence. Tong told his supporters outside the court, in a message relayed by his attorney: ""Thank you for your concern and support. The time will pass quickly." The national security law carries a maximum jail term of life imprisonment for "terrorism" and up to 10 years' imprisonment for "secession." A student supporter who gave only the surname Chan said there was a stark contrast between the sentencing of white-shirted mobsters who were jailed for seven years for beating train passengers and bystanders in Yuen Long MTR on July 21, 2019, and Tong's sentence. "The white-shirt brigade got seven years for beating up all those people, claiming to defend their homeland," Chan said. "Now Tong Ying-kit has gotten nine years." Arrests under the new law Police have made at least 138 arrests under the law since it took effect, including 47 former opposition lawmakers and pro-democracy politicians who took part in a democratic primary in July 2020, who are awaiting trial for "subversion" for their involvement in the candidate selection poll. Chung Kim-wah, deputy chief executive of the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (PORI), said Tong's sentence was harsh, so as to serve as a deterrent to anyone trying to keep the 2019 protest movement alive. "If you remember, a taxi driver broke someone's foot with his vehicle and the attorney general not only didn't prosecute, but dropped the case entirely," Chung said. "A police officer also rode into demonstrators with a motorbike." "The whole thing was quite unfair, and I think this case has done quite serious damage to Hong Kong's judicial system," he said. Former Causeway Books executive Lam Wing-kei, who fled Hong Kong after being detained by Chinese police over banned political books sold in Hong Kong, said the sentence made him sad. "All he did was ride towards them on a motorbike," Lam said. "The biggest charge was around the Free Hong Kong slogan, which means that there is no more freedom of speech in Hong Kong now." "You can get nine years just for the simplest slogan." National anthem booed Meanwhile, police said they made an arrest after people allegedly booed the national anthem during an Olympic broadcast at a shopping mall in Kwun Tong. The incident was reported as fans gathered to watch fencer Edgar Cheung take a gold medal for Hong Kong in the men's foil final, defeating Italian champion Daniele Garozzo. The alleged boos, which are now illegal in Hong Kong, came during the medal ceremony. "When they played the national anthem, [somebody] raised the Hong Kong and U.K. flag, and incited others present to cheers and even shouted out some slogans," senior superintendent Chung Lai Yi told reporters. "We will investigate suspected crimes against the national anthem." "We will also collect evidence to see whether or not any breach of the national security law or other laws occurred," he said. The arrest came as Hong Kong swimmer Siobhan Haughey, 23, took a silver medal in the 100 meters freestyle final at the Tokyo Olympics on Friday. Her win came just two days after she took Hong Kong's first-ever swimming medal - silver in the 200 meters freestyle. She is the only Hongkonger to win two Olympic medals. Before Haughey and Cheung's victories, Hong Kong athletes had won a total of three Olympic medals, gold, silver, and bronze. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has declared that America will invoke the treaty if Philippine ships or aircraft come under attack in the South China Sea an indirect warning aimed at Beijing. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (left) bumps fists with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during his visit to the Malacanang Palace in Manila, July 29, 2021. The 70-year-old defense alliance between Manila and Washington is back on track after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he would fully restore a key bilateral military pact following his meeting with Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin in Manila, officials announced Friday. The U.S. defense secretary visited the Philippine capital as he wrapped up a weeklong tour of three Southeast Asian countries located in the heart of the contested South China Sea, a geopolitical issue that headlined the agenda during his stops in Singapore, Hanoi, and Manila. On Friday, Austins Philippine counterpart, Delfin Lorenzana, who challenged recent incursions by Chinese ships into Philippine-claimed territory in strategic waterway, announced the decision about the 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement. Last night, after the meeting between Secretary Austin and the president ... the president decided to recall or retract the termination letter for the VFA, Lorenzana told reporters during a joint press conference with Austin. So the VFA is in full force again. There is no termination letter pending and we are back on track, he said, adding that Dutertes letter informing Washington of his plan will be retracted as if nothing happened. Lorenzanas announcement reverses Dutertes February 2020 pronouncement to scrap the 22-year-old pact after Washington had denied a U.S. visa to Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, his former national police chief and main enforcer of his administrations bloody war on drugs. Duterte would later rescind that decision after Washington, under then-President Donald Trump, reinstated dela Rosas visa, but the VFA needed to be renewed every six months. At the time of the last renewal in February, Duterte told the U.S. to pay for the right of American troops to stay in the Philippines. At their joint news conference, Lorenzana and Austin both emphasized that the military pact was back for good meaning military drills and exercises in Philippine territory involving U.S. troops would proceed unhampered. Dutertes office, meanwhile, said that the president and Austin had an open and frank discussion on Thursday focused on enhancing the two countries military cooperation in the South China Sea. According to Dutertes office, both men agreed that the alliance can be further strengthened through enhanced communication and greater cooperation, particularly in the areas of pandemic response, combating transnational crimes, including the war on illegal drugs, maritime domain awareness, the rule of law, and trade and investments. On Friday, Lorenzana and Austin discussed the way ahead for the Philippine-U.S. alliance. This visit is another manifestation of the shared commitment to the alliance between our defense establishments and the inherent risks and challenges of the times, Lorenzana said. Responding to a question on Friday about Dutertes decision, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said he was aware, but did not specifically comment about it. China always maintains that state-to-state exchanges and cooperation should not only benefit the countries concerned but also regional and global peace and stability, he said. Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana (right) and U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin wave to journalists before meeting at Camp Aguinaldo in Metro Manila, July 30, 2021. [European Pressphoto Association/ Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines pool] Austin said he was pleased to visit the Philippines to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to the alliance in person. He also thanked Duterte for restoring the Visiting Forces Agreement. Our countries face a range of challenges from the climate crisis to the pandemic. And as we do, a strong, resilient, U.S.-Philippines alliance will remain vital to the security, stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific, Austin said in a statement released by the Pentagon. A fully restored VFA will help us achieve that goal. Austin also said he had a productive discussion on Friday with Lorenzana on maritime and counterterrorism cooperation along with efforts to modernize the Philippine military. We also talked about how we can work toward a free and open Indo-Pacific rooted in a rules-based international order, a region in which countries work together to realize their highest aspirations and to safeguard the rights of all other citizens, he said. During a speech in Singapore on Tuesday, Austin repeated the U.S. view that Chinas claim to almost all the South China Sea has no basis in international law and treads on the sovereignty of states in the region, according to a transcript from the Pentagon. Unfortunately, Beijings unwillingness to resolve disputes peacefully and respect the rule of law isnt just occurring on the water, Austin said. Later, while in Hanoi, he assured Vietnam that he was not seeking to force that nation to choose between China and the U.S., saying allies and partners should have the freedom and space to chart their own futures. American Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin walks past an honor guard during a visit to the Philippine Department of National Defense in Manila, July 30, 2021. [European Pressphoto Association/ Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines pool] President Duterte, whose six-year term ends in less than a year, has spent much of his time in office building up Manilas relationship with Beijing while backing off on bilateral ties with Washington. In late August, the U.S. and the Philippines will mark the 70th anniversary of the Mutual Defense Treaty, under which the two allies are bound to come to each others military aid if one of them comes under attack from another power. Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared that America would invoke that treaty if Philippine ships or aircraft came under attack in the South China Sea an indirect warning aimed at Beijing, which has vast territorial claims in the maritime region. Despite his efforts, analysts have said Duterte and the defense establishment have been under pressure from the public and the political opposition over Chinas continued expansion in the South China Sea. Earlier this year, government patrols reported spotting 240 Chinese ships in Philippine waters. Geopolitics analyst Chester Cabalza, founder of the Manila-based International Development and Security Cooperation, noted that the burden of proof that Dutertes announcement has repaired ties with Washington has yet to be seen. He said Duterte, in his final State of the Nation speech to Congress on Monday, showed he has not closed the door on diplomatic efforts with Beijing. The president had previously said he was indebted to Chinese leader Xi Jinping for Beijings help during the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. has to work harder as China enjoys preferential treatment in the Philippines, Cabalza told BenarNews. Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. The bloc has been widely criticized for signing a trade deal with China and not sanctioning Beijing over human rights abuses. The European Union is reconsidering its relationship with China amid growing concerns over human rights and online security, according to the bloc's foreign policy chief. "The European Union will always be closer to Washington than to Beijing, we will always be closer to a country that has the same political system as ours, a market economy, a multi-party democracy with concurrence in elections, than a single-party country," Josep Borrell, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs, told journalists in Spain. "Which is not to say that we have to systematically align ourselves with Washington's positions on Beijing ... we need to find our own position," he said. "At the turn of the summer I will present a report to the European Council together with the Commission analyzing our relationship with China, to see if it is necessary to review the current strategy." But he said he wouldn't be recommending a Trump-style "economic disconnect" with China. "Regardless of whether we have very different views on the Hong Kong or the Uyghur cases, [that] is something that is beyond our intentions and contrary to our interests," he said in comments reported by the Catalan newspaper El Periodico. French commentator Wang Longmeng said the Chinese government would likely continue to use economic incentives to woo the E.U., which has been criticized by rights groups over its limp response to human rights violations in Xinjiang and Hong Kong. But he said the E.U. would be increasingly locked in to defending its core values alongside its allies. "[The relationship with] China touches on the core values and interests of the United States and Europe, with regard to human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, and the theft of intellectual property," Wang said. "The European Union and the United States have basically developed a preference for containing China, and the E.U. won't be able to change its position as a competitor with China," he said. Call for tougher sanctions German commentator Cheng Shi-kuang called on the E.U. to take tougher sanctions against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)s human rights violations and its infiltration into Europe. "One is a totalitarian regime, and the other democratic," Cheng said. "The EUs current position is just to keep a distance from the CCP and not to sing from the same hymn sheet." "But that is not enough. If the EU maintains such a non-vigilant attitude towards China, then the CCP will succeed," he said. "If you really want to decouple, you must fight back, and you will have to resort to substantive sanctions." "These people have already invaded; they have come to you ... and yet the leaders in France and Germany just talk," he said. "This doesn't deal with the issue of Beijing extending its reach overseas and infiltrating other countries." The mass arrests of Hong Kong opposition politicians and activists under China's draconian national security law sparked calls on the European Parliament in January to reject a controversial investment pact recently agreed, but yet to be signed, between the EU and Beijing. China and the European Union wrapped up negotiations on the Comprehensive Agreement on Investments (CAI) at the end of 2020, amid criticism that the the deal would give Beijing a free pass on human rights and labor standards. Ransomware attacks Borell's comments came after the Biden administration and Western allies formally blamed China on for a massive hack of Microsoft Exchange email server software, saying that criminal hackers associated with the Chinese government have carried out ransomware and other illicit cyber operations. The threats listed by U.S. officials on July included a ransomware attack from government-affiliated hackers that targeted victims with demands for millions of dollars. They said criminal contract hackers associated with China's Ministry of State Security had also engaged in cyber extortion schemes and theft on their own account. The U.S. Justice Department also announced charges against four Chinese nationals who prosecutors said were working with state security police in a hacking campaign that targeted dozens of computer systems, including companies, universities and government entities, the Associated Press reported. The defendants are accused of targeting trade secrets and confidential business information, including scientific technologies and infectious-disease research. The EU said malicious cyber activities with significant effects that targeted government institutions, political organizations and key industries in the blocs 27 member states could be linked to Chinese hacking groups. Borrell had said at the time that the hacking was "conducted from the territory of China for the purpose of intellectual property theft and espionage." A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, Liu Pengyu, said the allegations were "groundless." "The U.S. has repeatedly made groundless attacks and malicious smear against China on cybersecurity," Liu said, saying China was "a severe victim of the U.S. cyber theft, eavesdropping and surveillance." Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Public schools and teachers are expected to step up to fill the gap in several major cities including Beijing. Students are shown after attending private after-school education in the Haidan district of Beijing, July 29, 2021. The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on Friday signaled it would press ahead with a crackdown on private tuition schools and other practices requiring financial input from parents in a bid to encourage couples to have more children. In an economic work meeting on Friday, the Politburo of the CCP Central Committee called on governments across China to implement the "three-child" family planning policy, and "improve supporting policies relating to childbirth, parenting, and education," state news agency Xinhua reported. The communique came after the CCP Central Committee General Office and the State Council set out a slew of measures aimed at slashing homework and out-of-hours educational activities. "No new subject-based off-campus training institutions are being approved for students in compulsory education, while existing subject-based training institutions will be registered as non-profit institutions," the "opinion" said. "Subject-based tutoring institutions are not allowed to be listed for financing, and capitalization operations are strictly prohibited," it said, ordering local authorities to set up supervisory bodies to monitor the behavior of tutoring schools, known as buxiban. "Training institutions must not organize subject-based tutoring on national statutory holidays, rest days, or winter and summer vacations," the directive said. Instead, schools are to strengthen after-school services, and funding for such operations must be plowed back into meeting costs, it said. It also called for a ban on media, billboard, or online advertisements for tutoring. The plan will initially be rolled out in nine regions, including Beijing, as a pilot scheme, the directive said. The move comes amid growing concern in China over a phenomenon dubbed the "chicken baby" syndrome, referring to parents dosing their children up with chicken-based food supplements to boost stamina for all of the extra hours of study they expect of them. More than 75 percent of students in primary and secondary education attended after-school tutoring in 2016, the most recent industry figures showed, and the need to hothouse children privately to get them into the best schools was criticized by CCP leader Xi Jinping in March as a barrier to boosting birth rates. Reform, rectification On June 15, the Ministry of Education set up a new department to monitor off-campus education and training provision, to implement "reforms to the off-campus education and training sector." And the State Administration for Market Regulation announced on June 1 it would be "rectifying" tutoring services run by internet giants Tencent and Alibaba, fining the companies around U.S.$5.73 million for regulatory violations. The moves come after a March 6 speech by CCP general secretary Xi Jinping, who hit out at "chaos" in the tutoring industry, calling it "a stubborn disease that is hard to manage." "On the one hand, there is the desire for children to have a happy childhood, and enjoy physical and mental health," Xi told education sector delegates to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). "On the other, there is the fear that children won't be starting at the same point in the competition for good grades," he said, according to a March 18 commentary in the official People's Daily newspaper, also carried by state news agency Xinhua. "The rectification and regulation of the private tutoring market must be strengthened so as to reduce the burden on students ... and to avoid undermining fairness in the public education sector," it said. Independent economist Si Ling said the CCP wants to reduce the overall cost of parenting, to encourage families to have more kids. "Only the Chinese government has the political will to bring in such a comprehensive package of measures," Si told RFA. But he said the crackdown on tutoring may not be enough. "[It would also need] welfare measures that allow parents to reduce costs, including free medical care," he said. Costs passed on to parents Current affairs commentator Fang Yuan said it is still unclear whether public schools will be expected to offer out-of-hours tuition to students in future. If so, it is likely schools will seek to pass at least some of those costs on to parents eventually, he said. "Far from reducing the economic burden on families, this could increase them if there is a monopoly," Fang said. "And the quality of education could suffer from the lack of competition." The crackdown on tutoring will go hand-in-hand with changes to private education, with a directive ordering private schools run by prestigious public schools for profit to nationalize within two years. China's fertility rate stood at around 1.3 children per woman in 2020, compared with the 2.1 children per woman needed for the population to replace itself. But raising children in China is a costly business, with parents stretched to find money for even one child's education. While state-run schools don't charge tuition until the 10th year of compulsory education, they increasingly demand nominal payments of various kinds, as well as payments for food and extracurricular activities. There are signs that the people who do most of the mental, physical, and emotional work of child-bearing and raising may not readily step up to solve the government's population problems, however. In a poll posted to the official Xinhua news agency account on the Weibo social media platform after the announcement, 29,000 out of 31,000 respondents said they wouldn't consider having more children. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Food prices have climbed sharply as families struggle to survive amid a surge in COVID-19 infections that is killing hundreds every day. Shoppers line up in Yangon to buy Ye Zaw's 5-kyat eggs and other nonprofit groceries in an undated photo. Groups of social activists in Myanmar have launched a campaign to sell eggs at greatly reduced prices to sick and needy residents as the military-ruled country reels under a spreading COVID pandemic and sharply rising food prices, Myanmar sources say. Food and clothing costs have skyrocketed in Myanmar as families struggle to survive amid a third wave of COVID-19 infections that is now killing hundreds every day, sources in the country say, with the price of eggs alone climbing three times since the Feb. 1 military coup that ousted the countrys democratically elected civilian government. And with Myanmars ruling military now failing to meet basic needs, a new movement has appeared in Myanmars towns and cities to sell eggs normally costing 200 kyat (U.S. $0.061) to 300 (U.S. $0.18) for only 5 kyat each. Eggs are a staple food for the common people, said Ye Zaw, owner of the Flannel Box clothing store in Myanmars largest city Yangon, who launched the campaign that is now spreading to other towns and cities in the country, including Mandalay. When I went to the market, I was saddened to see people buying only two eggs because they cost 250 kyat each. This is the time to share what you have with others, he said. We need to help those who are less fortunate. Its not easy to buy eggs anymore, as all prices are rising, said Lin Thura, a resident of Lashio in northern Myanmars Shan state who now also sells eggs at a quota of 10 per household at the new reduced price. When they started selling eggs for five kyat in Yangon, I thought I would like to do something like that here in Lashio, too, he said. Residents waiting in line to buy the eggs at their new price say they hope the staple food will help to keep them healthy and are careful to observe distancing and other COVID-prevention protocols, sources said. Five-kyat notes are seen in a receipt box in the Flannel Box store in Yangon in an undated photo. Photo: Ye Zaw 'Prices completely unaffordable' Speaking to RFA, a housewife in Yangon described what it is like to shop for food as prices continue to quickly climb under military rule. I used to pay 300 kyat for [a small quantity] of garlic, but now I have to pay 700 kyat, she said. I have to buy it whenever its available, and I have no choice but to pay that amount. The cost of drugs is even worse, and face masks that used to cost 1000 kyat each now cost 2500 kyat. Items that are often out of stock are more expensive now, and even regular groceries that used to cost around 100 kyat now cost twice as much, she said. The prices are completely unaffordable. Myanmars ruling junta is fully responsible for the sharp climb in the prices of everyday commodities, said political analyst Aung Thu Nyein. Goods are being transported and distributed [inefficiently] in different places, and this has become a problem. Thats why prices are climbing out of control, he said, adding, Another problem is that people are panicking because of the spread of COVID-19. Flooding in areas of the country has also compounded the problem, he said. Floods have affected border trade as well, and if the flooding continues the situation will only get worse. The junta must do something to manage the situation, he said. In an economic update published Monday, the World Bank said Myanmars economy is expected to contract by about 18 percent in the current fiscal year (Oct. 2020-Sept. 2021), threatening to wipe out the progress the country had made over the past decade of increasingly civilian rule. Reported by Soe San Aung. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Richard Finney. Holding perpetrators of genocide in China, Myanmar, and elsewhere accountable for atrocities is a worldwide goal but there are many obstacles to seeking justice through courts, panelists told a Washington hearing this week. The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, together with the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), hosted a hearing Wednesday on how to hold perpetrators of mass atrocities accountable and ensure justice for victims. Nury Turkel, USCIRFs vice chair, said the Uyghurs of China and the Rohingya in Myanmar Muslim groups whose treatment has been described as genocide, present particular challenges following Myanmars Feb. 1 military coup and with Chinas international status and clout. In the wake of Burma's military coup, which brought many of the perpetrators of the violence against the Rohingya community into power, accountability is urgently needed. In other contexts, the pathways to justice for genocide victims are less clear. This is the case for Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in China who are victims of genocide and crimes against humanity, he told the panel. In the case of Myanmar and the 2017 violent mass expulsion of 740,000 Rohingya to Bangladesh, the international legal system is a key tool that the United States can utilize to hold the government accountable, Turkel said. But that approach will be harder to apply to Beijings mass incarceration of Uyghurs in camps and other widespread abuses in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, because China is a veto-wielding member of the United Nations Security Council, he said. The International Criminal Court [ICC] will not initiate an investigation into the crimes committed against the Uyghurs because China is not a party to the court, and China would veto any attempt by the Security Council to refer the situation to the ICC or create an ad hoc tribunal. The ICJ [International Court of Justice] is also not an option, as China has submitted a reservation to the Genocide Conventions jurisdiction, said Turkel. U.S. State Department in January determined that the Chinese governments actions against Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) constituted genocide and crimes against humanity. Turkel said that it was important to document genocide even if legal options were not accessible, and pointed to last months Uyghur Tribunal in London While the tribunal's efforts are not state sanctioned, it is work that is providing a voice for survivors and creating a collection of evidence that might someday contribute to a criminal process, he said. Other efforts to document the ongoing genocide, such as the work of journalists who are reporting on the horrors in China, are also important for strengthening the legal argument for and international accountability mechanism to hold those Chinese officials to account, Turkel said. Arsalan Suleman, the State Departments former acting special envoy to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, said Myanmar also has ways to avoid accountability in The Hague, the Dutch city where the ICC and ICJ are located. Myanmar is not a state party to the statute of the International Criminal Court. So absent a referral to the ICC by the United Nations Security Council, there's no basis for ICC jurisdiction over crimes committed entirely within the territory of Myanmar, Suleman said. The international bodies that are tasked with preventing genocide are often ineffective, according to Stephen Rapp, the State Departments former ambassador to the Office of Global Criminal Justice. We must recognize that an international court is sometimes necessary and given that the U.N. Security Council is often blocked by Russian or Chinese vetoes and the worst crimes are being committed outside the territories of ICC member states, a new group must be developed, said Rapp. The answer is a coalition of nations like our own to consider pooling their jurisdiction and personnel as well as their power of influence into an agreement-based court as permitted. International law in situations where there is no other path, independent justice, in order to investigate prosecute and try the perpetrators of the worst crimes known to humankind, he said. Carmen Cheung, the executive director of the California-based Center for Justice and Accountability, credited civil society groups for documenting atrocities in places where immediate access may be difficult for professional investigators and international organizations like ours. This necessary work is often conducted at serious personal risk during Internet shutdowns and communication blackouts. We've seen this over the past several months with activists in Burma documenting the extrajudicial killings of protesters, Cheung said. Much of what we know about the Rohingya genocide is due to civil society organizations, Cheung said. It has been Burmese civil society that has led the collection of evidence that ultimately fed into the UN's international fact finding mission. And that is feeding into the IIMM [Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar] today, she said. The IIMM was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2018 to keep track of atrocities against Rohingya. Authorities in Aksu round up people under 50 years old who were forbidden to pray on the Muslim holy days. Chinese armed police patrol the area around a mosque before Friday prayers in Urumqi, capital of northwestern China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, in a file photo. Police in Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region took in for questioning more than 170 Uyghurs who attended prayer services without permission from authorities during the Muslim Eid al-Adha holy days, a senior police officer said. Authorities in Aykol township of Aksu city (in Chinese, Akesu) city allowed only Uyghurs over the age of 50 to participate in worship services during the holiday on July 20-23, the officer from the districts police station told RFA last week. Many of the 12 million Muslims in the XUAR celebrated Eid al-Adha, also known as Qurban Heyt (in Chinese, Gurban), with prayers, dancing and the slaughtering of goats or sheep as a religious sacrifice. Authorities in a number of city and county centers throughout the XUAR had staged controlled displays of religious worship to counter accusations of widespread rights abuses in the region by opening a few long-shuttered mosques to the public during the Eid holy days to present a semblance of normalcy. The senior police officer in Aykol told RFA that more than 170 Uyghurs accused of violating regulations regarding Eid prayers are currently being held in custody, though he said he could not comment on their whereabouts or whether they were being detained in re-education camps or detention centers. I believe there are more than 170 people, he said. We told older people they could pray and young people they could not those under 50, he said. Township residents said that authorities had taken many neighbors in for interrogations, but could not provide an estimate. Authorities also conducted street patrols, raids of shops, and home searches as measures to control Uyghurs actions during the Muslim holy days, said the police officer. Chinese authorities are believed to have held up to 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Turkic-speaking minorities in the XUAR in a network of detention camps since 2017. Beijing says the camps are vocational training centers aimed at combating religious extremism in the region, though inmates are held against their will and subjected to political indoctrination and serious human rights abuses. Neighborhood spies Following this years Eid prayers in Aksu, police checked the identification cards and searched the homes of those who attended prayer services to verify that they were over 50 years old, said an Aykol resident who declined to be named for safety reasons. Those whose IDs contained birth date discrepancies as well as Uyghurs that the police suspected of lying about their age were hauled in to the police station for questioning, the person said. Local police did not go to the mosque themselves to investigate those attending prayer services, and instead used neighborhood spies who serve as the heads of units comprising 10 households each to learn whether some people had prayed secretly at home, other residents said. Authorities placed black hoods on the heads of those who were reported on suspicion of having prayed illegally during Eid and took them away, they said. Other township police officers contacted by RFA, including those from the Gulbagh Police Station in Kuchar (Kuche) county, Aksu prefecture, declined to answer questions about the situation. A previous investigation by RFA found that since 2017 only individuals 60 years of age or older had been allowed to pray in Atush (Atushi), in the XUARs Kizilsu Kirghiz (Kezileisu Keerkezi) Autonomous Prefecture, and that authorities had detained violators in a camp. We say that people who are very old can pray, older men people who are older than 60. They dont even allow young people to go into the mosques, a security officer from Suntagh village in Atush city previously told RFA. If people break the law we turn them over to the village brigade, she said. The village brigade takes them for re-education. Then we notify the family over the telephone. Religious restrictions for Eid al-Adha were somewhat eased in city and county centers this year, though they continued to be strictly upheld in villages and in countryside as they have in previous years, said a source familiar with the situation, but who requested anonymity to be able to speak freely without retaliation. The regulations were aimed at preventing unrest and preserving stability by ensuring that Uyghurs did not create any incidents during the religious period, though the XUAR has not had any such protests or unrest since the beginning of the mass internment campaign. In most townships throughout the region, at least one person from each Uyghur family remains in some form of detention, giving their relatives little reason to celebrate religious holidays, the person said. According to an arrangement by Chinas central government, various prefectures and townships in the XUAR introduced their own regulations for Eid al-Adha based on local conditions, the source said. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFAs Uyghur Service. Translated by the Uyghur Service. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. The US cannot be silent as Xi Jinping tortures and seeks to eradicate an entire population, says Rep. Chris Smith. Uyghur women hold placards and flags to express their concern about the ratification of an extradition treaty between China and Turkey during a demonstration near China's consulate in Istanbul, March 8, 2021. Lawmakers from the U.S. House of Representatives formed a Uyghur Caucus on Thursday to highlight the Chinese Communist Partys abuse of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The caucus led by Reps. Tom Suozzi and Chris Smith also will support legislation aimed at addressing the human rights abuses, including the detention of about 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in a vast network of internment camps, torture of inmates, sexual assaults, forced sterilization of women, and the use of forced Uyghur labor, and efforts to eradicate Uyghur culture and religion. Put simply, were talking about the largest coordinated human rights abuse campaign of the 21st century being perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party, Suozzi said in a statement. Not only as Members of Congress, but as human beings we have a responsibility to uphold the values of fundamental human dignity and religious freedom abroad. Smith, a veteran lawmaker who for decades has criticized Beijing over its human rights record, said the U.S. must speak out on egregious abuses being perpetrated against the Uyghurs and others in northwestern China, which have been well-documented by rights organizations, international media, and the United Nations. The United States cannot be silent as [Chinese President] Xi Jinping tortures and seeks to eradicate an entire population, he said in the statement. In solidarity with the oppressed, the Uyghur Caucus will call attention to the Communist Chinese governments atrocious human rights violations in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and work to end one of the worlds worst human rights tragedies. In January, the U.S. State Department determined that the Chinese governments actions against Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities in the XUAR constituted genocide and crimes against humanity. There was no immediate response from the Chinese government to the announcement about the Uygur Caucus. Rushan Abbas, executive director of the Washington-based Campaign for Uyghurs, hailed the creation of the caucus. Day after day, we are faced with new horrors coming out of East Turkistan, she said in a statement on Thursday, using the name for the XUAR that Uyghurs prefer. These atrocities, this genocide, require a response that is proportional to its depravity. With this caucus, we now have a way to organize our allies in the United States and turn activism into concrete policy actions that address this unspeakable crime, Abbas said. Together, we will see this genocide ended, and those responsible brought to justice. The Germany-based World Uyghur Congress (WUC) also welcomed the development. This is such a welcomed initiative, and it comes at an opportune time when Uyghurs most need strong allies to restore their freedoms, and end the Uyghur genocide, said WUC president Dolkun Isa in a statement. The Uyghur Caucus joins other such caucuses groups where U.S. lawmakers meet to pursue common legislative objectives focusing on ethnic minorities or people living in territories that are repressed or targeted by China. A bipartisan Congressional Taiwan Caucus set up in April 2002 has 139 members and is focused on enhancing and strengthening U.S.-Taiwan relations and ensuring that Taiwan remains democratic. Its counterpart in the Senate was established in September 2003 and has 24 members. Smith created a Congressional Hong Kong Caucus in September 2014 to monitor Chinas actions in the territory where at the time pro-democracy activists held massive street demonstrations clamoring for free elections. Two former Congressmen formed a Congressional Tibet Caucus in 2009 to draw attention to the Chinese governments policies there and to mobilize support for the Dalai Lama, Tibetans exiled spiritual leader. Neither of those groups appear to be active, but the bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, formerly known as the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, now takes up rights issues concerning Uyghurs in the XUAR, Hong Kong, and Tibet. The 17-member bipartisan, bicameral Congressional-Executive Commission on China (ECCC), an independent agency of the U.S. government, also monitors human rights and rule of law developments in China. The dozens of internment camps that sprung up in the former Yugoslavia are one of the most brutal and well-chronicled aspects of the Balkan wars of the 1990s. Their discovery, early in the fighting, provided some of the most poignant and incriminating evidence that combatants were waging ethnic cleansing in newly won territories. Now, a group of surviving detainees from one of the most infamous concentration camps in a Serb-controlled region of Bosnia-Herzegovina has filed suit in Belgrade to challenge televised statements downplaying its wartime horrors and mocking one of its most iconic inmates. Plaintiffs include Fikret Alic, the Bosniak man who became a lasting symbol of Balkan atrocities after his skeletal frame was shown behind barbed wire at the Trnopolje internment camp near Prijedor, in what is now northwest Bosnia. Alic, another survivor named Satko Mujagic, and the Association of Detainees from Kozarac are asking a Belgrade court to order Serbia's parliament-appointed media regulator to reconsider complaints over the televised statements. The comments in question were made on February 22 by the host of the Good Morning, Serbia program, Milomir Maric, and Predrag Antonijevic, who directed Serbia's controversial Oscar candidate from 2020 about a World War II concentration camp, Dara of Jasenovac. Maric suggested the images from Trnopolje fueled European "propaganda" early in the 1992-95 Bosnian War portraying Serbs as "the Nazis of the new age." He described Trnopolje as "an open camp" whose mostly Croat and Bosniak occupants "could leave...whenever they wanted." He added: "It was a camp to keep someone from killing them." Notorious Killing Field The Trnopolje camp was one of three near Prijedor set up after Bosnian Serb fighters gained control of the area early in the war. It was one of dozens of camps used to forcibly house or transfer Croats and Bosniaks in what is now Bosnia, including its Serb-majority entity, the Republika Srpska. Prijedor was the theater of ethnic cleansing by Bosnian Serbs of an intensity overshadowed only by the Srebrenica genocide near the end of the war. A victims' association there says around 31,000 were detained at the Trnopolje, Omarska, and Keraterm camps near Prijedor over the course of the three-year conflict. The same group says 3,173 civilians were killed there; a Sarajevo-based group puts the number of dead or missing in that area at closer to 4,900, the overwhelming majority of them Bosniaks. UN war crimes trials established that Serb forces killed, raped, beat, and starved detainees. Serb administrators removed Trnopolje's barbed wire after its discovery by Western journalists and the international Red Cross in mid-1992, but guards patrolled the perimeter with automatic weapons and survivors testified that they feared they'd be killed if they left the camp. Serb jailers misleadingly described it as an "open camp," according to accounts cited by the United Nations. The image of Alic, by British reporter Ed Vulliamy, appeared on the cover of Time magazine and helped alert the world to ethnic cleansing and other violence that would kill nearly 100,000 people in ex-Yugoslavia's deadliest war. Vulliamy, who became the first journalist since the Nuremberg trials to testify in a war-crimes trial when he appeared before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), would later describe Alic as "probably the most familiar figure in the world" during that long, brutal summer. Antonijevic, on Serbian TV, described Alic dismissively as "the one with tuberculosis, the one who was thin, right?" "And they fed him afterwards -- they took the skinny one away, [and] they showed him in a circus in Europe, that's their propaganda," Maric said. Say Anything? Serbia's Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) ruled in May against official complaints by Alic and the other plaintiffs in the current appeal as well as by the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia, an NGO. The REM said there was insufficient support for the plaintiffs' argument that Maric and Antonijevic violated basic human rights, insulted the dignity of victims, or misled the Serbian public through false information that could further divide ethnic communities in Serbia and the former Yugoslavia. It acknowledged that the references to Alic were affronts to him personally but said the broadcast never denied the existence of the Prijedor camps or crimes committed there subject to war crimes verdicts in The Hague. In the end, the authority announced, the REM's leadership council proposed a warning and a 30-day ban or suspension of proceedings, but "since none of the proposals received the required majority of votes, the vote led to the suspension of the procedure." The survivors' lawsuit seeks to annul the REM's decision and force the watchdog to render a binding decision on whether the TV Happy program violated the law or not. "If they were open camps, I don't know why there are mass graves from those camps and so many killed inmates," Alic said. Alic, who was caught in his house, detained, and imprisoned soon after the outbreak of war in 1992, survived the Keraterm and Trnopolje camps and has remained an outspoken advocate of justice for the victims of Serb forces. "I'm not a circus performer," Alic told RFE/RL's Balkan Service, "I'm an ordinary man and, like you and I and all citizens, when we are cut, it hurts the same way." He said justice should include an end to "spitting on ordinary people." Still Deep Divides Questions of war guilt are still deeply fraught throughout much of the former Yugoslavia, whose disintegration after the fall of communism sparked multiple wars that killed at least 130,000 people and displaced millions. Maric, a longtime journalist who hosts several programs for the commercial TV Happy network, said that his only sin was to have said it was impossible to compare the Prijedor camps with the World War II extermination camp at Jasenovac, which was run by a Nazi quisling regime in Croatia known as the Ustase. "I neither denied the crimes in Prijedor nor insulted the victims in any way, and I said about Fikret Alic what I read in the Western European press," Maric told RFE/RL. He acknowledged that he may not have chosen his words "carefully" and noted it was a live broadcast. Antonijevic's film, Dara of Jasenovac, was a controversial choice within Serbia for nomination in the best foreign film category for the 2021 Oscars. A seemingly indirect effort at diluting ethnically based atrocities committed a half-century after World War II, it was variously described by Western critics as agenda-based. Many observers noted its sharp contrast to a Bosnian entry that was shortlisted for the same prize, Quo Vadis, Aida?, which followed the 1995 genocide against Bosniaks by Bosnian Serb forces in Srebrenica through the eyes of a UN translator. Written by Andy Heil in Prague based on reporting by RFE/RL Balkan Service correspondent Ljudmila Cvetkovic in Belgrade Lawmakers in Republika Srpska, the Serb-controlled region of Bosnia-Herzegovina, have approved two new laws to block a decision last week by the outgoing UN high representative for Bosnia to ban genocide denial. A total of 70 deputies of the 73 present in the National Assembly of the Republika Srpska on July 30 approved the laws a week after UN High Representative for Bosnia Valentin Inzko amended Bosnia's constitution to prohibit the denial of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes and introduce prison sentences of up to five years for genocide deniers and for any glorification of war criminals. Inzko, who has the authority to impose decisions or dismiss officials, had explained the move saying that there is no reconciliation without the recognition of crimes and without responsibility. "Both laws were adopted by the votes of all parties that are located in Republika Srpska. With these decisions, the implementation of Inzko's decision will not be possible," said Nedeljko Cubrilovic, the president of the assembly. He called Inzko's decision "wrong" and said it complicated the situation in the country. "With this decision, he pushed Bosnia-Herzegovina into its biggest crisis since the war," Cubrilovic said at a press conference after the session. Under the 1995 Dayton agreement that ended Bosnias 1992-95 war, two entities -- a Muslim-Croat federation and the predominantly Serbian Republika Srpska -- are held together by the joint central institutions. Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of Bosnias joint presidency, has claimed that the 1995 Srebrenica genocide in which some 8,000 Muslim men and boys were slaughtered by Bosnian Serb forces did not take place even though the massacre has been deemed genocide by various verdicts of both the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Inzko's decision came only a week before the end of his term. After 12 years in office, Inzko is handing over to Christian Schmidt, a German, on August 1. The United States and the European Union voiced deep concern about the future of Georgia's democracy on July 29, a day after the collapse of a political agreement that has put the Caucasus nation on a path to deeper crisis. The leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Irakli Kobakhidze, annulled an EU-brokered deal with opposition parties on July 28 after only three months, blaming the opposition for the agreements failure. Georgia was plunged into political paralysis after Georgian Dream won the parliamentary elections in October, in a vote the opposition said was unfair and fraudulent. A group of opposition parties then boycotted parliament and staged protests demanding new elections. The European Union, backed by the United States, has played a mediating role in trying to resolve a series of crises in the small country with ambitions of strengthening ties with the West. European Council President Charles Michel brokered a compromise agreement between opposition groups and Georgian Dream on April 19 that paved the way for several opposition parties to enter parliament. Kobakhidze said that, while smaller opposition parties signed the agreement, the larger radical opposition blocs including the main opposition United National Movement refused to join the deal even though they entered parliament. He said the parties accounting for more than half of opposition lawmakers had still not joined the deal. "The United States is deeply disturbed and exasperated by the unilateral decision of the Georgian Dream party to withdraw from the April 19th Agreement, a document established through six months of difficult but collaborative negotiations, and one that gives an urgently-needed way forward for the Georgian people and their democracy," the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi said in a sternly worded statement. "Washington is growing increasingly alarmed about repeated setbacks to Georgia's democratic future," it said. The embassy said that all signatories should be held accountable to their commitments under the agreement, even as it recognized that only six of nine elected parties signed the agreement. "While we continue to press for all parties to sign and fully implement the agreement, Georgian Dream's unilateral withdrawal is another deviation from the letter and spirit of the negotiations Georgian Dream participated in and the agreement they signed," the embassy said. "This decision by the ruling party only creates more political instability for the country and raises questions about Georgian Dream's commitment to achieving Georgias democratic goals, goals that Georgian Dream itself set for the country," it added. In Brussels, Michel issued a statement on July 29 describing the agreement as the best path forward to build a stronger democracy and rule of law in Georgia. He said he had "taken note" of Georgian Dream's decision, while he had "equally taken note" of the United National Movement's failure to sign onto the April 19 agreement. Michel said he had started consultations with a number of political actors in Georgia as well as President Salome Zourabichvili. Under the EU-brokered deal, early parliamentary elections are to be called in 2022 if Georgian Dream gets less than 43 percent in upcoming local elections in October. It also sets the rules for power-sharing in parliament, outlines reforms to the judicial system, and suggests reforms to the Central Election Commission. In announcing the annulment of the deal, Kobakhidze said its main points had already been implemented, including the end of the opposition boycott and the release from jail of United National Movement leader Nika Melia. In response to Kobakhidzes announcement, several opposition lawmakers suggested they would leave parliament and boycott the October local elections. Melia announced on July 29 that he was leaving parliament and would focus on his campaign to run for mayor of the capital, Tbilisi, in the elections. He said other members of the United National Movement would remain in parliament and urged the opposition not to boycott the vote. With reporting by RFE/RL's Georgian Service and Civil.ge ZARECHNY, Kazakhstan -- Kazakh opposition activist Aset Abishev, who was jailed for supporting the activities of the banned Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK) movement, has been released from a penal colony after serving more than 2 1/2 years in prison. Abishev said after leaving the correctional colony in the town of Zarechny in the southern Almaty region on July 30 that he was in a hurry to attend the burial of outspoken opposition figure and noted theater director Bolat Atabaev, who died a day earlier. Abishev was released more than two weeks after the Qapshaghai City Court for the Almaty region unexpectedly supported, without explanation, his early release application after rejecting several previous requests. Abishev was sentenced to four years in prison in November 2018 after a court in Almaty found him guilty of participating in the activities of a banned organization and financially supporting a criminal group. Abishev has rejected the verdict, calling the case against him politically motivated and denying that the DVK movement or its founder -- fugitive former banker and a vocal critic of Kazakhstan's government, Mukhtar Ablyazov -- were extremist. Kazakhstan banned the DVK in March 2018 after deeming it an extremist organization. Kazakh human rights organizations had recognized Abishev as a political prisoner and had demanded his release. In June 2020, Abishev's name was included in a letter from a group of U.S. senators, in which they urged authorities in Kazakhstan and other Central Asian nations to release "unjustly detained prisoners at high risk of COVID-19." Members of far-right organizations attempted to disrupt an LGBT rights protest in Kyiv, Ukraine. Police used tear gas and clashed with the anti-LGBT protesters, blocking them from entering the July 30 event, which took place near the office of the Ukrainian president. Human rights activists are demanding the investigation of attacks against LGBT people and the adoption of a proposed law to combat discrimination. Moldovan President Maia Sandu has nominated former Finance Minister Natalia Gavrilita to try to become the country's new prime minister. The next step will be Gavrilita's approval by parliament, where Sandu's pro-Western PAS party enjoys a majority after winning snap elections earlier this month on a platform of carrying out reforms and tackling corruption. Sandu, who advocates closer ties with the European Union and the United States, defeated her Moscow-backed predecessor Igor Dodon in a presidential election in November and called the snap parliamentary elections to consolidate her power. Gavrilita, 43, was finance minister when Sandu was prime minister in 2019, in a short-lived government that fell in a no-confidence vote within months. Before that, she worked with the British-based consultancy Oxford Policy Management and at the nonprofit Global Innovation Fund. "I have full confidence that the designated prime minister will put together an integrated and professional team," Sandu wrote on Facebook on July 30. Wedged between Ukraine and EU member Romania -- with which it shares a common language -- Moldova is one of Europe's poorest states and has long been divided over whether to pursue closer ties with Brussels or maintain its Soviet-era relations with Moscow. "People expect a change for the better and for that we need firm actions and competent decisions that will have the interest of our citizens at heart," Sandu wrote. With reporting by Reuters and unimedia.md The head of the Russian Investigative Committee has ordered a probe into complaints that a production by the prominent Moscow theater Sovremennik (Contemporary) was insulting to World War II veterans. The committee said in a statement on July 29 that the move was made after "complaints by representatives of society and media reports." "Society's negative reaction has been a result of not only the use by the theater's actors of swear words in one of their performances, but also a number of people think that veterans [of World War II] were insulted," the statement said, adding that one of the main duties of the Investigative Committee is to protect the rights of war veterans. The statement did not mention the specific performance in question, but many in Russia believe it concerns the theater's performance of the play, The First Bread. Last week, media reports said that the Kremlin-backed Officers of Russia nongovernmental organization had sent "numerous" complaints to the Prosecutor-General's Office, the theater's leadership, and the Moscow Mayor's Office, saying the play was "offensive" because it had an "excessive use of swear words" and "blatant propaganda of same-sex love." The group, which brings together army veterans, also says that a monologue by a character played by the popular actress Liya Akhedzhakova contains phrases that insult war veterans. The Ukrainian-born Akhedzhakova is an outspoken Kremlin critic who has openly condemned Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea in 2014. Two days after the reports about the complaints were published on July 21, the theater said it changed the monologue of the character played by Akhedzhakova in the play, eliminating the swear words from it. In 2013, Russia approved a controversial law banning any content that presents distorted ideas about the equal social value of traditional and nontraditional sexual relations." Rights groups see the legislation as the de facto outlawing of LGBT activism. The Kremlin has recently used the pretext of "insulting" war veterans as a tool to suppress dissent. In February, jailed opposition politician Aleksei Navalny was ordered to pay a hefty fine for "defaming" a World War II veteran who appeared in a video in 2020 advocating the removal of presidential term limits. The First Bread performance was based on a play by Rinat Tashimov and staged by Polish director Benjamin Kotz. The Sovremennik theater was founded in the late 1950s by a group of young Soviet actors during the Khrushchev Thaw. Dozens of actors who were extremely popular in the former Soviet Union started their careers at the Sovremennik. A court in the Russian city of Vladimir has rejected jailed opposition politician Aleksei Navalny's lawsuit against a decision that bans his lawyers from bringing mobile phones and laptop computers into the penitentiary during visits. Judge Maksim Ignatovich of the Vladimir October district court ruled on July 30 that "Navalny's administrative lawsuit must be left without satisfaction" for the plaintiff. No explanation for the decision was provided. Navalny, one of Russian President Vladimir Putins most vocal critics, was arrested in January upon his return from Germany, where he had spent five months recovering from a nerve-agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin -- accusations that Russian officials reject. Navalny was arrested in January upon his arrival from Germany where he was treated after being poisoned in Siberia with what was defined by European labs as a Novichok nerve agent in August last year. He has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of ordering the poisoning, which the Kremlin has denied. A Moscow court in February converted a 3 1/2 year suspended sentence on a charge that Navalny and his supporters call politically motivated to real jail time, saying he broke the terms of the original sentence by leaving Russia for Germany for the life-saving treatment he received. The court reduced the time Navalny must spend in prison to just over 2 1/2 years because of time already served in detention. With reporting by Interfax and TASS The chief editor of The Project investigative news outlet has left Russia with no plans to return and is trying to evacuate his staff after the group was declared an "undesirable" organization by the Prosecutor-General's Office in Moscow. The U.S.-registered media outlet has published a series of well-researched, unflattering, and sometimes embarrassing investigations into Russia's ruling elite. Roman Badanin told Reuters in an interview in New York that was published on July 29 that he had no plans to return to Russia in the foreseeable future. He said that's because he may face criminal prosecution and imprisonment there for up to six years under Russia's controversial 2015 law on "undesirable organizations." The "undesirable" organization law, adopted in May 2015 and since updated, was part of a series of regulations pushed by the Kremlin which squeezed many nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations that received funding from foreign sources -- mainly from Europe and the United States. Badanin said he and his family are in New York temporarily and he does not know where exactly he will settle. He was on holiday abroad with his wife and children when The Project was labelled "undesirable" and the outlet's offices were searched on July 15. He said he decided on the spot not to return to Russia. The mid-July raids were seen as part of a wider crackdown ahead of parliamentary elections in September on media that authorities view as hostile and foreign-backed. According to Badanin, he and his colleagues were also exposed due to a criminal investigation into alleged slander by The Project as well as a push by authorities to label some journalists, including Badanin and his colleagues, as "foreign agents." Russias controversial "foreign agent" legislation was adopted in 2012 and has been modified repeatedly. It requires nongovernmental organizations that receive foreign assistance and that the government deems to be engaged in political activity to be registered, to identify themselves as "foreign agents," and to submit to audits. Last month, police in Moscow carried out searches at the homes of Badanin and other colleagues from The Project hours after it published a report questioning how Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev and his relatives acquired their wealth. The journalists' lawyers said later that the searches were linked to a lawsuit filed by businessman Ilya Traber, who accuses The Project of slander. "We are trying to evacuate staff -- if the staff members agree, of course -- to nearby countries," Badanin said. He added that his deputy, Mikhail Rubin, is also in New York and has no plans to return to Moscow. Badanin said The Project would continue to function in some form, although details of how that would work in practice remain unclear. "The main difference is that a large part of the team will be out of Russia in order to avoid the possibility of any legal and extra-legal action against them," Badanin said. With reporting by Reuters Former U.S. marine Paul Whelan, convicted last year in Russia on espionage charges he denies, has been placed in solitary confinement in a remote prison for an unknown violation of the penitentiary's regulations.. Whelan's lawyer Vladimir Zherebenkov said late on July 29 that the correctional colony's authorities told him by phone that Whelan is in what Russia's penitentiary system calls a "punitive isolation cell" where he was placed for a violation of internal rules. Whelan's other lawyer, Olga Karlova, said that his brother David confirmed to her that Whelan was in solitary confinement. David Whelan told the Interfax news agency that it was the second time since early July that his brother had been placed in a punitive isolation cell. According to David Whelan, his brother had just served 15 days in solitary confinement for unknown reasons just before his current stint in isolation began. Whelan was arrested in Moscow in December 2018 on espionage charges and sentenced to 16 years in prison in May 2020 following a trial that was condemned by the United States as a "mockery of justice." The 51-year-old is serving his sentence at Correctional Colony No. 17 in the region of Mordovia -- an area about 350 kilometers east of Moscow historically known as the location of Russia's toughest prisons, including Soviet-era labor camps for political prisoners. He has rejected the espionage charges and has accused his prison guards of mistreatment. The United States has criticized Russian authorities for their "shameful treatment" of Whelan. Whelan holds U.S., Canadian, British, and Irish passports. He was head of global security at a U.S. auto-parts supplier when he was arrested. He and his relatives insist he visited Russia to attend a wedding. Whelan is one of several American citizens to face trial in Russia in recent years on charges that their families, supporters, and in some cases the U.S. government, have said are trumped up. Another former U.S. Marine, Trevor Reed, is serving a nine-year prison term in Mordovia as well. He was sentenced in July last year on charge of assaulting two Russian police officers. The U.S. government and Reed deny the allegations and questioned the fairness of his judicial proceedings. With reporting by TASS and Interfax Russia's media regulator Roskomnadzor has requested YouTube block the Navalny Live channel of jailed opposition politician Aleksei Navalny. Navalny associate Lyubov Sobol said on her Twitter account on July 30 that the channel, along with her personal YouTube channel, had been added to Roskomnadzors registry of banned materials. Sobol stated that Roskomnadzor's request that was filed with YouTube in recent days is illegal because a June 9 court decision to ban organizations linked to Navalny as extremist groups had not come into force because the court's decision is being appealed. According to Sobol, Roskomnadzor can only ask YouTube to block some specific programs on the channels, but not the whole channels because the ban isn't final. Roskomnadzor has been blocking Navalnys website -- navalny.com -- since July 26. A Moscow City Court last month ruled in favor of a prosecutor's motion to declare groups related to Navalny as extremist. The move has prevented those associated with Navalny and his network of regional offices across Russia from seeking public office. It also carries possible lengthy prison terms for activists who have worked with the organizations, a move seen by critics as a thinly veiled attempt to scare off potential opposition candidates. Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's most vocal domestic critic, is serving a 2 1/2 year jail sentence for parole violations he says were trumped up. His jailing has strained Russia's relations with the West, which has demanded that he be freed and criticized the extremism ruling. MOSCOW -- On July 14, a court ordered Violetta Grudina, a former local representative for opposition leader Aleksei Navalny in Murmansk who is seeking a seat on the City Council, hospitalized and treated for COVID-19 -- despite the fact that she had no symptoms, a negative test, and a doctor who testified that she did not need treatment. On July 26, Grudina announced a hunger strike in protest. She says hospital officials prevented her from sending forms to her staff to submit to election officials in the northwestern city. The hospital's chief doctor, Arkady Amozov, won the "primary" from the ruling United Russia party for the City Council seat that Grudina is seeking, although he is officially running as an independent. Amozov "is illegally detaining me, hindering my candidacy, depriving me of my personal liberty and my right to seek election, and is isolating me in a COVID-19 hospital under his authority," Grudina told Current Time, the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. On July 19, a military court in Khabarovsk, some 9,500 kilometers east of Murmansk in the Russian Far East, sent Irkutsk blogger and former Navalny staffer Dmitry Nadein for compulsory psychological treatment in connection with his trial on what he contends is a baseless charge of "justifying terrorism." Nadein's family said he had been secretly transferred in mid-June from Irkutsk to Khabarovsk, more than 2,200 km away, and officials have refused to explain why he is being tried in a different region. In April, Nadein was being held in pretrial custody when the court ordered him to undergo psychiatric evaluation. According to his defense team, he was not allowed to communicate with his lawyers during this time, and he was diagnosed as a dangerous "schizophrenic." In a higher-profile case, a court in Yakutsk on July 26 ordered colorful shaman Aleksandr Gabyshev, who has been calling for the ouster of President Vladimir Putin since 2019, to undergo "intensive" compulsory psychiatric treatment after convicting him of resisting a police officer and advocating extremism. Grudina, Nadein, and Gabyshev are the latest among hundreds of activists who have been ordered to undergo compulsory psychiatric or other medical treatment in what the now-defunct Agora legal-defense NGO called in a 2016 report "a return to the practice of punitive psychiatry in Russia." The government listed Agora, one of Russia's leading human rights NGOs, as a "foreign agent" organization shortly after the report, and it was forced to disband later the same year. Soviet Practice During the Cold War, the Soviet Union was widely condemned for using psychiatry to punish dissent. The Agora report, the most recent independent investigation of the topic, notes that many of those arrested during a national wave of protests following the disputed 2011 legislative elections and Putin's decision to seek a third presidential term in March 2012 were ordered to undergo such treatment. Many of them were diagnosed as "schizophrenics" and administered psychotropic drugs without being informed or giving consent. The number of cases in which a defendant was ordered to undergo compulsory psychiatric evaluation rose from about 189,000 in 2011 -- a figure that had been fairly stable since at least 2004 -- to 216,744 in 2014, according to official statistics cited in the Agora report. Two of the defendants in the 2012 Pussy Riot case -- Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich -- were ordered to undergo evaluation and were diagnosed with "disorders" ranging from "an active life position and a desire for self-realization" to "a categorical insistence on their own opinion," according to court documents. "The psychological evaluation conducted while I was in custody at the order of prosecutors found that the main traits of my personality are humanism and a desire for freedom and justice," Tolokonnikova said during her closing remarks to the court. Ukrainian pilot Nadia Savchenko and the late prisoners' rights advocate Sergei Mokhnatkin are among other high-profile defendants who were ordered to undergo such evaluations. Agora warned that the ability of prosecutors to request such evaluations without any justification, the documented willingness of the courts to almost uniformly grant those requests, and the near-total lack of oversight or monitoring of defendants undergoing such treatment have created a system that is ripe for politically motivated abuse. Retired postal worker and pro-democracy activist Pyotr Trofimov, who has been granted political asylum in Finland, was arrested in 2018 on charges of failing to return equipment to a previous employer when he worked as a welder. He denies the allegations and says they were trumped up in retaliation for his protest activity. He spent nearly a month undergoing a compulsory psychiatric evaluation. "I was in a room for two people," he said. "We were locked in at night. There was a sink and a toilet. There was also a shower, but we were only allowed to use it once a week." "Under the law, a court can order you to undergo an evaluation for 30 days," he added. "But if the doctors don't reach any conclusion by that time, the court can add another 30 days. And then another." Mikhail Kosenko, a defendant in the so-called Bolotnaya protest case, spent 18 months in a psychiatric facility with a diagnosis of "paranoid schizophrenia." "He was lost after being released from the hospital," his sister, Ksenya, told RFE/RL's Russian Service in 2015. "It took him about eight months to get back to normal." Anna Bitova specializes in studying cognitive and neurological impairment in children. She told Current Time that people sentenced to compulsory psychological treatment are completely under the control of the facility to which they are assigned. "You are not allowed to get up when you want, to eat when you want, to go anywhere, to wear what you want, or to do what you want," she said. "You are in de facto compulsory isolation." In October 2014, political performance artist Pyotr Pavlensky cut off part of his ear while sitting naked on the roof of Moscow's Serbsky State Center for Social and Forensic Psychiatry to protest the return of punitive psychiatric treatment in Russia. "Armed with psychiatric diagnoses, bureaucrats in white coats cut off from society those parts that hinder him from installing a monolithic dictatorship," Pavlensky declared at the time. Following the protest, a court ordered him to undergo a psychiatric evaluation at the Serbsky center. Doctors deemed him fit to stand trial. Written by RFE/RL senior correspondent Robert Coalson based on reporting from Moscow by Current Time correspondent Olga Beshlei. The United States says it has laid off nearly 200 local employees from its diplomatic missions in Russia ahead of an August 1 deadline set by the Kremlin to do so -- a move made by Moscow in response to U.S. sanctions and the expulsion of Russian diplomats from the United States. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on July 30 that the layoffs are regrettable and will severely impact the operations of U.S. diplomatic missions in Russia. "Starting in August, the Russian government is prohibiting the United States from retaining, hiring, or contracting Russian or third-country staff, except our guard force, Blinken said. We are deeply saddened that this action will force us to let go of 182 local employees and dozens of contractors at our diplomatic facilities in Moscow, Vladivostok, and Yekaterinburg. The layoffs will potentially impact the safety of U.S. personnel "as well as our ability to engage in diplomacy with the Russian government," he added. Blinken said the United States regrets the ban but "will follow through on our commitments while continuing to pursue a predictable and stable relationship with Russia." The Russian Foreign Ministry was silent on the matter. The Russian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment from RFE/RL. Russia earlier this year announced a ban on almost all non-American staff at the embassy in Moscow as well as the U.S. consulates in Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok. That move came after Washington expelled Russian diplomats from the United States and tit-for-tat closures of diplomatic facilities in both countries amid deteriorating relations. Russia announced its ban after U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order on April 15 outlining the expulsions of 10 Russian diplomats and sanctions against dozens of Russian individuals and entities. Biden signed the order in response to Russian efforts to interfere in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, the jailing of Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, and other actions against the United States and its interests. In addition, the U.S. Treasury placed limits on the Russian sovereign debt market. Russia responded by declaring 10 employees at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow as personae non gratae. They had to leave the country by May 21. The U.S. Embassy suspended routine consular services, and since May has been processing immigrant visas only in cases of life-or-death emergencies. In his July 30 statement Blinken, thanked the dismissed local employees in Russia, saying the United States was "immensely grateful for the tireless dedication and commitment" they showed and their work to improve U.S.-Russia relations. "Their dedication, expertise and friendship have been a mainstay of Mission Russia for decades," Blinken said. With reporting by AP Editor's Note: This is an ongoing series which runs each Thursday morning titled the Richland Chronicles, by author Paul Lintern. It is set in the 1860s and tells the story of Richland County through the eyes of young people. The books are available from Lintern for $25 a set, tax and shipping included. Each book is about 120 pages written for intermediate readers (4th grade) with local illustrations. Volume I is Amelia Changes Her Tune. Volume II is Isaac and Wolf Paw Find Their Home. Volume III is Autumn Keeps Her Secret. Volume IV is Mr. Gamble Starts a School. Volume V is Jacob Blows his Horn. Volume VI is Cassie Fights the War. Two Pleasant Surprises Isaac Pleasants was a barber in Manseld, and pleasant also was his demeanor. Like most successful barbers, being a good conversationalist was almost as important as being good with a razor and shears. He had come to Manseld before the war and set up shop on Fourth Street at Foster, right next to the railroad tracks, near the freight station. He and his wife, Sarah, lived upstairs from his shop, as was the custom of many small business owners in the city. They had a boy and a girl about the ages of Cassie and Jacob, but they were not twins. Josiah was a year older than Tabitha. Being one of the few black families in town, the Pleasants were closely scrutinized by some, but decidedly welcomed by others. They had found themselves at home in the Congregational Church, and by the end of the war, Isaac has gained a reputation as a skilled barber and a reliable businessman. The Zimmermans loaded the carriage and headed to the other side of town and while the trip was only about eight blocks, Autumn had collected enough food to carry that Levi said, rather than walking, Maggie could use a little outing much less stressful than the night before. A pleasant day for a pleasant visit with the Pleasants, Levi said to no one in particular, and everyone groaned just because he expected them to. It was not the rst time he had said that. In fact, the Zimmermans had shared many meals with them. Emilene had never known a black person until she moved in with the Zimmermans. She knew that the war was about setting Negroes free from slavery in the South, but did not know exactly what that meant. Even as a 10-year-old, she was not sure where the Southern states were and what it meant to be a slave. She had asked Mrs. Zimmerman if the Pleasants had ever been slaves, and the reply was, not really, but Isaacs parents were for the rst half of their lives. Emilene tried not to stare when she was around the Pleasants, but she found their dark skin and black hair very interesting in contrast to hers. The Pleasants all spoke in precise English, as though they were careful to say things correctly. She thought about how dierent that was from what she remembered of her parents, who spoke English in a way most Germans spoke it, with letters and vowels that came out dierently than the way other people around town spoke. In a crowded room, she could always single out her parents by their broken way of speaking. She could single out the Pleasants, too, but for the opposite way they spoke English. Greetings to our west side friends, Isaac was saying as the carriage arrived. My goodness, you have arrived in style. I would have thought you to provide your Maggie a day of rest after the paces you required of her last night. This is a pleasure ride for her today, Levi said. She knows you have sugar for her. That we do, Isaac said. Tabitha, please retrieve a worthy delight for this brave horse. Yes, Father, Tabitha said; after waving to the family she disappeared back into the house. As the Zimmermans were dismounting the carriage, the Day family appeared on Foster Street, walking toward them, baskets in hand. Our favorite newspaper editor is approaching, Levi said, waving to Matthias and his family. What a Pleasant Day this is for the Zimmermans. Everyone groaned again, as they knew Levi expected it, again. Emilene thought it a little odd that no one was going into the house, but rather was gathering outside. She didnt know that Mr. Pleasant had quietly kept anyone from entering. Once the Days had arrived Matthias and his wife, Esther, and their sons, Matthias and Charles Mr. Pleasant motioned for everyone to come stand near the door. I informed you that we have a couple of pleasant surprises for you, he said. Let me introduce them. Quietly, two children appeared, each about Emilenes age; two girls, both dark skinned, although one was noticeably darker than the other. They both were painfully shy about standing before this collection of people. My friends, Sarah and I are pleased to introduce to you, our two new daughters Lily and Ivy owers of joy for our family, gifts from our Creator. Emilene looked as the Zimmermans mouths fell open, and felt a moment of silence, before a burst of laughter and joy came from all of the adults. My goodness, what a, well, Pleasant, surprise, Mr. Day shouted. That is remarkable, Autumn replied. How special for you all. Cassie looked much more enthused than Jacob, who was mumbling, Three sisters, poor Josiah. The girls looked scared. Indeed, Lilly and Ivy seemed to back away from the commotion, but soon Tabitha was grabbing them and bringing them to Cassie to meet, and then to Jacob and to Emilene. Emilene noticed they seemed very proper and tried to be polite in their introductions, but their English was much less understandable than Tabithas and they spoke very quietly. I wonder if that is how I looked when I rst came to the Zimmermans. I wonder if I still look that way. Sarah explained that the girls were orphans of the war, that their parents had died from bad conditions on one of the plantations in Mississippi, because of the owner having no money and bad crops. He became furious, wicked, angry, and beat the slaves mercilessly. The Union soldiers found them. We are just amazed that these girls escaped without marks from beatings or whippings, she said. But they are scarred, nevertheless, Isaac whispered, meant to be heard only by the adults. A lot of scars dont show, Emilene thought. ASHLAND -- Hundreds of backpacks filled with school supplies will be given to children at Wireless Zone stores in Ashland and Mansfield on Sunday, Aug. 1. Wireless Zone, a Verizon franchisor, does the "School Rocks Backpack Giveaway" annually in participating stores across the country. Families who visit the Ashland and Mansfield stores between the hours of 1 and 4 p.m. will be given one free backpack per child filled with pencils, paper, a pencil box, folders and glue as supplies last. Approximately 100 backpacks will be given out per store, said Jamee Gifford, a representative for Wireless Zone. Wireless Zone of Ashland is located at 1443 Claremont Ave. The stores in Mansfield participating include locations at 1048 Ashland Road, 625 Lexington Ave. and 1206 Park Ave. West. Weve been doing it for eight years, Gifford said. If were going to be in a community, we feel like we need to work to make it better. Families in the United States with school-aged children spent an average of $789.49 on school supplies in 2020, according to the National Retail Federation. Overall, people spent $33.9 billion last year in school supplies alone in the U.S., according to the federation. We know how much it costs to send a kid to school and how many kids are going to school without backpacks and supplies, Gifford said regarding why Wireless Zone started the giveaway, and we felt we could make a difference there. Since the Wireless Zone giveaway launched in 2013, over 1.2 million total backpacks have been donated, Gifford said. Dave Staszewski, executive vice president of Wireless Zone, emphasized in a press release the importance of the giveaway given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and families. The 2020/2021 school year was certainly a challenging one for families, Staszewski said. At Wireless Zone, giving back to the local communities is in our DNA, but its taken on new meaning this past year. While Mansfield and Ashland have seen these giveaways before, there will be some changes this year because of the pandemic. Children are not required to be present for caregivers to receive a backpack this year, given space limitations because of the COVID-19 virus, Gifford said. Were just hoping people will be honest, Gifford said. Wed love for the kids to come, though." The event will be entirely outside, which was the case last year as well to adhere to physical distancing but not in years prior, Gifford said. In previous years, the giveaway had been coupled with other activities, such as face painting, and free snacks and drinks. Including activities and food will be left up to the discretion of store managers this year, Gifford said. The Wireless Zone team will adhere to local and CDC guidelines to provide a safe environment for event attendees and store employees, Gifford said. Masks will not be required as of now, she said, as the local stores follow its parent company, Verizons, direction. A full list of participating stores across the country can be found at wirelesszone.com/backpack-giveaway. MANSFIELD -- The Ohio State University at Mansfield will offer the "RN to BSN" program, beginning Autumn 2021. Offered through The Ohio State Universitys top-ranked College of Nursing, this program provides an opportunity for licensed RNs with an associate degree or diploma from an accredited institution to earn a bachelor of science in nursing. We are thrilled to offer this program to support the needs of the local workforce, said Norman Jones, dean and director of Ohio State-Mansfield. We love knowing that we are advancing career opportunities for nurses and supporting the workforce development needs of healthcare providers in the region. The BSN allows for nurses to practice at hospitals, clinics, businesses, at-home care, schools, government and physicians offices. Conveniently offered just one night a week, this in-person RN to BSN option will allow students the ability to complete their bachelors degree close to home from Ohio States College of Nursing, which offers programs that consistently rank among the top in the nation. The RN to BSN at Ohio State Mansfield offers quality coursework and the integration of evidence-based practice throughout the curriculum. Designed with full-time or part-time plans of study, the program offers students the ability to complete the program in as little as four semesters. Along with low student-to-instructor ratios, the program is both flexible and affordable by using open and university-provided resources in all nursing courses, which allows textbooks to be free. The program also is designed with consideration for the personal wellness of nursing students, including those who are already working in the field. The program requires a cumulative 2.0 grade point average and a minimum of 30 credit hours, of which 24 are core nursing curriculum. The remaining six or more credit hours are general education courses, which need will be determined based on transcript evaluations. Students interested in Ohio State Mansfields RN to BSN program should apply at mansfield.osu.edu/rnbsn. Use the application that is currently open. Deadline to apply for autumn semester is Aug. 2 with classes starting Aug. 24. The application deadline for spring semester is Oct. 30 with classes scheduled to begin on Jan. 10. For those applying for the autumn 2021 semester, the $60 application fee is waived. Questions can be directed to Mansfield-askabuckeye@osu.edu. MANSFIELD -- Masks arent going away completely for Ohios K-12 students. While there is no longer a mask mandate in the classroom, students will still be required to wear masks on school buses this fall. The requirement is not a local one -- school bus passengers nationwide are required to mask up under a mandate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is not an exception for those vaccinated against COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a federal mask requirement for transit systems that took effect Feb. 1. It remains in effect. School buses are included in the order because they are considered a form of public transit. Lexington superintendent Jeremy Secrist questioned the logic behind the mandate at a school board meeting last week. Im not sure common sense plays into it at all, he told the board. The bussing mandate isnt the only COVID prevention rule schools will be required to follow in the fall. Multiple representatives from Richland Public Health (RPH) confirmed that any student not vaccinated against COVID-19 will be required to quarantine after a confirmed positive exposure. This is a state mandate -- isolation and quarantine fall under the public health authority granted by the Ohio Revised Code. "According to ORC 3709.21(2) and following the Ohio Department of Health public health management of direct contacts of COVID-19 cases as outlined in the Infectious Disease Control Manual, it is a public health mandate that direct contacts that are unvaccinated must quarantine," explained Sherry Smith, RPH's Public Health Nursing Supervisor. "This includes direct contacts in the K-12 school setting where certain prevention measures are not in place." Thus, if the health department becomes aware of a positive case within a school district, a representative will reach out to the district and ask for a list of that persons close contacts. Likewise, school districts will be required to notify the health department if they are made aware of any positive cases among students or staff. There are two groups of people who may be exempt from quarantine after exposure -- those who have recently recovered from COVID-19 and those who are fully vaccinated against it. Both RPH and ODH state that person who has recovered from a confirmed case of COVID-19 within three months does not need to quarantine or be retested as long as they remain asymptomatic. People who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will not be required to isolate or quarantine after a positive exposure as long as they remain asymptomatic. Both state and local health authorities are continuing to follow CDC guidance, which recommends a full 14 day quarantine but states that there are two options for ending quarantine early. Quarantining can end ten days after exposure if the person exposed has no symptoms. With this strategy, residual post-quarantine transmission risk is estimated to be about one percent with an upper limit of about ten percent, according to the CDC. Quarantine can end seven days after exposure if the person exposed has no symptoms and tests negative five days or later. With this strategy, the residual post-quarantine transmission risk is estimated to be about five percent with an upper limit of about twelve percent. No mask mandate likely Although both the CDC and American Association of Pediatrics now recommend mask-wearing in schools, it's unlikely that schools or the state will require them. Governor Mike DeWine recently stated that he does not have the ability to mandate masks -- hinting that public resistance may be a factor. As Governor DeWine mentioned Monday, he doesnt feel the state has an appetite for a mask mandate at this time and the best defense against the virus continues to be the vaccine, said Michelle Fong, a public information officer with the Ohio Department of Health. Fong also stated that ODH is currently reviewing new guidance from the CDC, which recommends that everyone mask up indoors in areas of high COVID-19 transmission. The CDC and ODH both recommend masking for unvaccinated students, teachers, and staff. The American Academy of Pediatrics takes it even further. It recommends universal masking in schools regardless of vaccination status. Nevertheless, most area superintendents have reaffirmed their intentions not to implement a mask requirement. Madison Supt. Rob Peterson said it "continues to be our intent to make masks optional for students." Superintendent Lisa Carmichael of Ontario said that masks will be optional, not required, once staff and students are in school. The topic of masks continues to be a point of discussion for Mansfield City Schools administrators. Our safety team will continue to monitor and discuss the recommendations from the local and state agencies, Supt. Stan Jefferson said. Well continue to work through this process and announce any changes as we get closer to the start of the school year. We don't know what can change in the next three weeks." Secrist confirmed at the July school board meeting that district will not be mandating that staff or students wear masks. We continue to move forward with the idea of coming back to school like its 2019, giving our students the opportunity to have as normal a school year as possible, he said. The big thing were going to push to our families is Please assist us in keeping this place healthy whether its cold, flu or COVID, he added. If your kid shows symptoms, leave them at home. Were going to make it very clear to parents. Were going to work with the absences. If your students doesnt feel well, please dont fill them up with Tylenol and send them to school. Could schools mandate eligible students receive the COVID-19 vaccine? The short answer is no -- as long as COVID-19 vaccines are under Emergency Use Authorization only, schools cannot require staff or students to receive it. The Ohio legislature recently passed House Bill 244, which prohibits public schools and colleges from requiring vaccines that do not have full FDA approval. The bill also prohibits schools from discriminating against students without fully-approved FDA vaccines or having different activities and precautions for vaccinated and unvaccinated students. Nevertheless, RPH has stated that HB 244 does not apply to the Public Health mandate for Reporting, nor Isolation and Quarantine measures outlined in the Ohio Department of Health Infectious Disease Control Manual. COLUMBUS Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced Friday the launch of a new grant program that will invest hundreds of millions of dollars in the future of water infrastructure across the state. The Ohio Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Grant Program, which is part of the governor's initiative to strategically invest in Ohio's future, is open to public and non-public entities that operate water systems across the state, with emphasis placed on addressing the needs of economically disadvantaged communities. It is wrong that there are places in this state where clean water is not readily available, where sewage systems are crumbling, and where much-needed improvements are long overdue, DeWine said. Working with our local leaders, we're going to invest in the Ohio communities that need significant infrastructure upgrades to ensure that they have access to clean, safe drinking water and reliable sewer infrastructure. The Ohio Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Grant Program will award approximately $250 million to provide safe, reliable drinking water in areas that lack infrastructure, bring sewage treatment capacity to unsewered areas, and develop regional infrastructure to serve multiple communities. The Ohio General Assembly funded the grant program in House Bill 168, sponsored by State Representatives Mark Fraizer (R-Newark) and Mike Loychik (R-Bazetta), with money that was appropriated through the American Rescue Plan Act. Governor DeWine signed the bill into law in June. Investments in critical infrastructure have long-term benefits for our communities, said Lydia Mihalik, Director of the Ohio Department of Development. It will make Ohio more competitive for business development projects, while also improving the quality of life for our residents. This program will make a difference in our communities and in the lives of Ohioans, said Ohio EPA Director Laurie A. Stevenson. Many Ohio communities need this assistance to help their water and wastewater infrastructure projects move forward. Water and wastewater construction projects are eligible for up to $5 million in grant funding, and infrastructure engineering design projects are eligible for up to $250,000. Examples of water infrastructure constructions projects include, but are not limited to: Sewer/wastewater treatment plant improvements/expansion New/replacement sanitary sewer lines Excess sanitary sewer infiltration/inflow correction Improvements to public drinking water treatment facilities Drinking water line improvements or extensions Repair, replacement, and construction of drinking water storage towers The Ohio Department of Development, with support from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, is administering the Ohio Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Grant Program. The application, program guidelines, and a list of FAQ about the grant process are available at InvestinginOhiosFuture.Ohio.gov. Applications will be accepted until all the funding is depleted. MIFFLIN TOWNSHIP The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating a commercial vehicle trailer fire on U.S. 30 at mile post 16 near Interstate 71 in Mifflin Township of Richland County. According to the Patrol, the fire occurred when a 2015 Kenworth semi, driven by Christopher C. Willig, 45, of Stow, Ohio, was driving west on US-30 near mile post 16 when flames were visible coming from the trailer he was hauling. The commercial trailer was a 2006 White WANC box trailer hauling approximately 33,000 pounds of tires. Willig pulled to the paved shoulder and disconnected the truck from the trailer. Willig was not injured. US-30 westbound was closed for approximately five hours. One lane of US-30 westbound was opened at 7:28 a.m. Both lanes of US-30 eastbound remained opened. Mifflin (Richland) Township Fire, Madison Township Fire, Monroe Township Fire, Mifflin (Ashland) Fire, Washington Township Fire, Franklin Township Fire, Jefferson Township Fire, Springfield Township Fire, Troy Township Fire, Hayesville Fire, Mansfield City Fire, Ashland City Fire, Richland County Highway Department, Richland County EMA, The Ohio Department of Transportation and Shelly Smith & Sons Towing assisted on scene. Rocky Mount, NC (27804) Today Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. High around 75F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Periods of rain. Low 67F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall around a half an inch. Rocky Mount, NC (27804) Today A mix of clouds and sun this morning followed by increasing clouds with showers developing this afternoon. High near 75F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Rain. Low 66F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall near a half an inch. The end of some tenant protections has raised concerns that tens of thousands of North Carolina residents will be unable to afford their monthly rent and could face eviction A Hong Kong protester has been sentenced to nine years in prison in the closely watched first case under Hong Kongs national security law as Beijing tightens control over the territory Roanoke Rapids, NC (27870) Today Cloudy. Some light rain will fall throughout the day. High 74F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. Low 63F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Roanoke Rapids, NC (27870) Today Cloudy. Some light rain will fall throughout the day. High 74F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. Low 63F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. News Town board less than thrilled Board less than receptive to conservation commission idea RUTLAND TOWN Most members of the Select Board were skeptical of a proposal to create a conservation commission after hearing more information about what it would entail. After some discussion at the July 20 Select Board meeting, the matter was to be taken under advisement, said Board Chair Mary Ashcroft, the only present member of the board who spoke in favor of it. Planning Commission Chair Barbara Noyes Pulling and Commissioner Mary Beth Poli spoke to the board about their research into conservation commissions. Theyd brought this idea to the board before and had been asked to research it further. Poli said they contacted Shrewsbury, Tinmouth, Middletown Springs, Mount Holly and Wallingford, all of which have conservation commissions. They also reached out to Bradford, Middlebury and Hinesburg, speaking to current members, founding members, people with 20 years of experience on such commissions, and relatively new ones. We found similarities between many of them, she said. Theres a big focus on parks and trails, and thats kind of how we got interested in the idea. Many environmental commissions work with town recreation departments, schools and other entities to write grants and organize educational programs and events. The consensus from the people we talked to was that benefits to their towns for having these include grant money to improve town land and getting more residents to visit town parks, Poli said. All throughout Vermont, including in these towns, any activities the conservation commission proposes need select board approval, said Poli. They cant make any decisions on their own, they bring an idea to the select board that gets approved. Pulling said there are a few statutory requirements for the commissions with regards to their size and reporting requirements but besides that, theyre quite flexible in terms of what they do and dont do. Select Board Member John Paul Faignant said the Planning Commission is already handling the kind of work a conservation commission would perform. Its been a challenge to find people to serve on the boards in town, he said. This is just going to be another board were going to be asking for service on when weve been handling parks and trails and recreation just fine in the town. Select Board Member Sharon Russell said she was concerned a commission would make work more difficult, citing past experiences with a recreation committee. Select Board Member Don Chioffi said the commission appears to be an idea generated in Montpelier that would only add to bureaucracy. Select Board Member Joe Denardo wasnt present for the discussion. Im in favor of this. I think a conservation commission would do a number of things. It would bring in fresh ideas. We cant find all of the grants that might be out there, we cant think of all of the ideas, said Ashcroft. She said a conservation commission might attract people who wouldnt otherwise consider helping with town government. These people might then in turn find they enjoy it and be more likely to run for Select Board or be appointed to another commission. Recreation Director Mike Rowe said he felt a conservation commission would be a good idea and echoed Ashcrofts statement that it could lead to more grants and fresh ideas. keith.whitcomb @rutlandherald.com FILE - In this June 29, 2017 file photo, Roberto Calasso attends a cultural event in Milan, Italy. Roberto Calasso, an Italian literary figure and the driving force behind an esteemed Milan-based publishing house, has died in that city. Italian news media, quoting the publisher, Adelphi, said Calasso, 80, died Thursday after a long illness. SACI News March - June 2021 We are more than half way through the year and what a year it has been! We have seen an unprecedented week in KZN and Gauteng, with looting and destroying of malls and shops. On top of that we are experiencing the third wave of the pandemic. We hope that all our members are well and safe, and that with the rollout of the vaccination programme they experience some relief. In this newsletter we have news from our KZN Section. We also learnt of the sad loss of Professor Fabrizio Marsicano in December 2020 and Professor Chris Buckley in May 2021. They were both well-known figures in the Chemistry fraternity. We offer our sincere condolences to their families, friends and colleagues. On behalf of SACI we wish all our members good health. Bice Martincigh Content SACI office address and times Advertising in the SACI newsletter SACI Ties and Scarves Pay your SACI membership fees with SnapScan Obituary: Professor Fabrizio Marsicano Obituary: Professor Chris Buckley Of interest: COVID-19 inequalities in higher education Down Memory Lane SACI Statement on Tertiary Training in Chemistry Diversity and Inclusion in the Chemical Sciences Sections and Divisions News Commonwealth Chemistry RSC News NSTF News AYCN IUPAC News FASC News CAIA Newsletter South African Journal of Chemistry African Journals of Chemistry Calls for papers and book chapters SACI and SACI-related conference events Other Conferences GC and GC-MS online training courses NMISA SACI office address and times The SACI office, run by Laila Smith is located on the 1st Floor of Gate House, room 124. The telephone number is 011 717 6705 and e-mail address is: saci.chem@wits.ac.za. The cell number is 061 282 3477. Office hours are from 8.30 am till 1.00 pm. She can be contacted at any time during her office hours. Advertising in the SACI newsletter The newsletter provides a means of getting messages to our membership. Currently the SACI membership stands at over 1000. This newsletter thus provides a means of advertising employment opportunities, conferences and workshops, and even for companies/Universities to promote themselves. We encourage members to use the Newsletter for advertising purposes. All SACI related conferences and events are advertised for free; if not a SACI related event there could be a small charge. For advertising costs contact Laila at the SACI office. SACI Ties, Scarfs and T-shirts Periodic table ties and ladies scarfs R130 each. Periodic table T Shirt Short sleeve R180, Long sleeve R200 Please contact head office to place orders. There is also a courier charge of R150 per order for delivery. Pay your SACI membership fees with SnapScan For those wishing to pay via credit card please let Mrs Laila Smith know so she can generate an online payment and email you a link. Obituary: Professor Fabrizio Marsicano Those of us who were fortunate to be lectured and supervised by Professor Fabri Marsicano will remember him for his jovial nature and his deep love for thermodynamics. He was meticulous in his work and instilled those traits in his students. The undergraduate Physical Chemistry experiments he introduced into the practical curriculum at the University of Natal are still being used. To this day, they are still relevant and unique. He will be sadly missed. Bice Martincigh (Fabris first PhD student) Obituary: Professor Chris Buckley The University community was saddened to learn of the passing of long-time staff member and international water and sanitation pioneer, Professor Chris Buckley, on 27 May 2021 after a hard and brave fight against cancer. Buckley was Director of the UKZN Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Research and Development Centre (the WASH R&D Centre), formally known as the Pollution Research Group (PRG). Chris was a true legend and pioneer who dedicated his life to providing water and sanitation services to the unserved, say his colleagues and friends, Mrs Susan Mercer and Dr Konstantina Velkushanova. Buckley was a well-known, iconic figure in the international water and sanitation field and touched the lives of many, both personally and professionally. He was one of those unique people that always managed to inspire everyone with his astonishing general knowledge and deep understanding of science and engineering, said Mercer. Buckleys dedication to his students and young researchers resulted in the production of more than 100 masters and PhD graduates, the majority of whom are now well-established professionals in the water and sanitation sector. Each of them carries a piece of Chriss passion, determination to solve problems, and his love for life and learning. His charismatic personality, radiant smile and mischievous sense of humour will forever be remembered, said Velkushanova. Buckleys career in the water and sanitation field began in the 1970s as a postgraduate student in Chemical Engineering at the then University of Natal. He joined the Pollution Research Group (PRG) in 1972 - a small group of three or four people that had been formed in 1971. He took over the leadership of the PRG in 1985 and was appointed as the full-time head in 1987. Under Buckleys guidance, the PRG delivered ground breaking research in the water and sanitation field and expanded its research scope beyond chemical engineering to become a trans-disciplinary contract research hub with local, national and international recognition of its work. Over the span of his research career, Buckley secured significant funding grants from organisations such as the Water Research Commission, eThekwini Municipality and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as many other public and private organisations. His commitment to producing high quality research outputs and his ability to adapt to the changing research landscape ensured that these funding relationships endured under his leadership. In order to reflect the growing range of research undertaken by the group, the PRG was rebranded and relaunched as the WASH R&D Centre in December 2020. Chris was always full of bright and innovative ideas at any time of the day or night, said Dr Catherine Sutherland, a colleague from Development Studies. He constantly developed research questions to address water and sanitation challenges, and then set about establishing a network of researchers (both young and established) who would go on a journey of discovery with him. He built these relationships so easily and quickly, not requiring formal systems to secure them, but rather using respect, trust and the spirit of Ubuntu as his means of connection. His colleagues and students would know that after a time of intense discussion about a particular problem, Chris would quietly stand up, straighten his beard, undo his board marker and miraculously summarise all that had been said in a perfect diagram on the whiteboard. Buckley travelled around the world in his quest to solve water and sanitation challenges and served on numerous committees, working groups and task teams. In all the places he visited, he made new friends and work contacts thanks to his social nature and open mindedness to embrace new cultures and experiences, said Dr Santiago Septien, a senior researcher at the WASH R&D Centre. Chris had the same friendly attitude towards everyone regardless of their age, background or social standing. His worldwide popularity was beyond measure, as he managed to connect people and create partnerships in either a formal or informal context. Buckleys contributions to the water and sanitation sector have been celebrated through a number of awards such as the Water Research Commission Legacy Award and being granted Honorary Membership by the Water Institute of Southern Africa. We express our heartfelt condolences to the family of Professor Buckley, said Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, Professor Albert Modi. Chris was an international legend within the water and sanitation field. He was a wonderful element of the University of Natal and then UKZN for close to half a century. He has left his legacy, which we shall maintain. We mourn the passing of a giant. Said Mercer: Chris will be truly missed by all - family, students, colleagues and friends, but he leaves a lasting legacy through the WASH R&D Centre. He is an institution and will forever be loved and remembered for his enormous lifetime contribution. Sally Frost With acknowledgement from UKZNDABA Online Of interest: COVID-19 inequalities in higher education Down Memory Lane To add to the history of SACI it was decided to get some of the older SACI members to relate about their experience of SACI in years gone by me. To do this a letter was sent out to the SACI membership form the then President, Prof Vincent Nyamori, in late 2017. The letter requested that those members with 40 + years of SACI membership write a few paragraphs on their remembrance of SACI in times past. For a variety of reasons, these anecdotal comments are only now being collated in mid-2020. These remembrances of times past provide a small window on the times that the members recollect. Below are listed (virtually unedited) the comments from these members. If there are any others who would still like to add to this article please do so. Send your information to me. Prof Neil Coville July 2020 The letter of invite Dear SACI Member You have been a SACI member for over 40 years. We are trying to record some early history of SACI. Could you write a paragraph for us (10 lines; or longer) on (i) an early memory relating to SACI and (ii) what you doing now. Thanks Prof Vincent Nyamori Response from Professor Siegfried Drewes Herewith my thoughts on the topic of 40 years with SACI. I completed my MSc degree in 1959 at NU in Pietermaritzburg. By this time I was very aware what SACI did and what they stood for. It was fairly logical that one would join the organisation and take part in the chemical activities which it offered. I am not sure what the general attitude of postgraduates of today is. Certainly, we were well-informed and if events of chemical interest were to take place in Durban we would often travel there. Some time after getting my higher degree I was offered a post in Grahamstown at the Leather Research Institute, which was closely affiliated to Rhodes University. I completed a Ph.D. degree in 1963 and by this time was well aware how important it was to attend SACI lectures held at Rhodes Chemistry Department. In fact I was a regular participant at the short courses which were held towards September at frequent intervals. These courses had the full support of SACI and they probably partially supported the costs of bringing out top chemists. The courses were always held in interesting venues and this was also an opportunity to make new friends with fellow chemists and to get to know the world experts in their field. As an example of venues I can still remember Sabie River Bungalows, Gordons Bay, Golden Gate, Hluhluwe, and other places in the Kruger park. Later on these get-togethers became more formalised and are now known as "the Frank Warren National Organic Chemistry Conferences". The first of these was held at UKZN in Pietermaritzburg in July 1983 and our overseas guest was the renowned organic chemist Barry Trost from the University of Wisconsin. SACI was always part and parcel of my academic life and that is why I "stuck" with them ! I formally retired in 1995 as HOD of Chemistry (UKZN PMB), but stayed on in the Department as Hon. Research Fellow, giving some lectures at Honours level but mostly doing research on the chemistry of "muthi" plants. This continued until Jan. 2014 when I finally "came home". SACI Statement on Tertiary Training in Chemistry Statement from SACI Council on tertiary training in chemistry as a result of disruptions to the 2020 academic year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the professional body representing the interests of all chemists in South Africa, we recognise the challenges that the current COVID-19 crisis presents to all our members in academia, research and industry. We also acknowledge the challenges the current situation presents to our tertiary institutions and specifically the challenges presented by moving to online teaching. We applaud the efforts of all our members who work at tertiary institutions who have adapted and innovated to ensure that we can continue as far as possible with our teaching and learning of chemistry even when on campus face-to-face contact is not possible. Our tertiary institutions play a critical role in not only training the next generation of chemists, but they are also tasked with the important responsibility of ensuring that many people from other professions and disciplines are trained in the fundamental principles of chemistry. We reaffirm our belief that this training is essential, as chemistry is one of the central sciences. Key to this training is the practical component and laboratory based skills development. While we accept that this critical component of our training is not possible under the current situation, we strongly urge that plans be put in place to preserve this component of training as part of the curriculum as far as possible. In some cases, virtual laboratory tools can facilitate learning, but we believe that in laboratory practical training particularly for senior level courses should be preserved. SACI strongly recommends that at least a critical minimum practical experience should form part of the plans to complete the 2020 academic year at our tertiary institutions. We believe that this is essential to preserve the validity and integrity of the academic training programmes in chemistry. Statement issued on behalf of the SACI Council, June 2020. Professor Peter Mallon President of SACI Diversity and Inclusion in the Chemical Sciences There is currently a renewed international debate with regards to inclusion and diversity within the chemical community that has been triggered by the recent opinion article published by Angewandte Chemie Organic synthesisWhere now? is thirty years old. A reflection on the current state of affairs by Prof. Tomas Hudlicky. This paper has subsequently been withdrawn, however, that whole incident has highlighted that there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure inclusion and diversity. SACI were approached by the RSC to see if we would support a clear statement of the stance of International Chemical Societies against all forms of discrimination and exclusion. On behalf of SACI, our President, Professor Peter Mallon, was happy to commit and endorse the statement. You can follow the link to read the statement. Sections and Divisions News Report from the KwaZulu-Natal Section On Wednesday, 19th May, the KZN Section celebrated George Carrs 80th birthday with an online event. George turned 80 on 6 May 2021. George has been a loyal member of SACI and served on the KZN Coordinating Committee for over 40 years! He was made a Fellow of SACI in 2019. George is well known for his passion of chromatography, so the event was opened by an interesting talk entitled: Advances in portable GCMS a sample of PerkinElmer applications developed on the TORION portable GCMS given by Nicholas Lancaster, Field Applications Specialist for PerkinElmer in South Africa, in which he not only showed some fascinating work that can be carried out on-site with this new instrument, but also outlined the historical advances in GC-MS. This was followed by a tribute to George given by Professor Tony Ford, which is reproduced below. George Carr is a genuine Geordie from Tynemouth in the county of Northumberland. That information will come as no surprise to any of you with any familiarity with regional British accents I know whereof I speak. George received his original education in England before emigrating to South Africa, then trained as a crystallographer, doing his Masters degree at the University of Natal with the late Mike Laing, for a 1970 thesis on The crystal and molecular structure of copper di(4-ethylpyridine) dichloride. I first met George in the early 1980s, when I was still at the University of the Witwatersrand. The departmental secretary came to me one day and said you have had a mysterious phone call from a Mr Carr from Century Oils in Durban. One of Georges projects on behalf of SACI at that time was running an annual instrument workshop. He would take over the old Holiday Inn on Playfair Road, or it may have been Sol Harris Crescent, for a week, and invite so-called specialists to present the basics of the various instrumental techniques to the technical people at the local industries. These workshops proved to be very popular so much so, in fact, that one year he took over the ice rink as well, as an exhibition area where the instrument manufacturers could display their products. The reason for Georges mysterious phone call to me was to invite me to present the infrared spectroscopy component, as I was still a vibrational spectroscopist at that time. My visit was sponsored by Perkin Elmer, as we were using a PE dispersive infrared spectrometer at that time (a 180 or 580?). I was invited back the following year George handled all the technical logistics and the late Daphne Pegel was the front-of-house person. These workshops were the highlight of the year for me. When I relocated to Durban in 1992 I joined the local committee of SACI and got to know George better. As an industrial representative, George has been in a minority on the committee over the years, along with John Cave, Vic Soffiantini, Bruce Rae and Stephen van Loggerenberg, to name a few. It is not a good idea to have solely academics on your committee, and George was often able to provide insights into the various projects that the committee considered from time to time, which had clearly escaped the attention of our academic colleagues. A fresh perspective can often be extremely valuable. So George has been a consistent, loyal member of this committee for very many years, and his contributions have been very highly valued. As he has now reached the landmark of 80 years of age, he can look back on a good fraction of his lifetime spent in the service of chemistry, for which we all owe him a debt of gratitude. Happy birthday, George. Tony Ford Commonwealth Chemistry 1. Commonwealth Chemistry recently hosted its first Annual General Meeting (AGM) virtually, which brought together 56 representatives from across the Commonwealth. Highlights of this included the appointment of the first President, Dr Vicki Gardiner, an introduction to the Federation and to all the member societies, a review of current and future plans and a lively Q&A session. 2. Immediately following the AGM chemists from across the Commonwealth came together for the . The inaugural event was held from was held from 1820 May 2021. More than 400 chemists from 38 Commonwealth countries joined this three-day virtual event. The opening session, a panel discussion on Chemistry and the Commonwealth explored the Congress theme of Partnership for the Goals. Six scientific sessions, with 24 plenary and 80 flash talks, focused on chemistrys contribution to the UN SDGs showcasing a wealth of scientific excellence from across the Commonwealth. The final session brought leading figures together to share their career experiences with the early career chemists in an interactive panel discussion. All sessions ran twice at different times with different panellists and speakers to ensure inclusivity and that all Commonwealth countries could join live. 3. Commonwealth Chemistry has also recently launched its own with information about the Federation and for its member societies and the wider Commonwealth chemistry community Building Networks to Address the Goals 30 September 1 October 2021 Following on from the success of last years virtual poster event, the Commonwealth Chemistry Executive Board has decided to make this an annual event for chemists across the Commonwealth. The 2nd Commonwealth Chemistry Posters will take place on 30 September 1 October 2021 and will showcase research across the Commonwealth addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This virtual event is free to attend and will take place over a 36-hour window spanning two days to accommodate the different time zones across the Commonwealth and allow participants the opportunity to interact with each other. Posters will be available to view throughout the event and there will be specific time slots when early career chemists will be able to discuss their posters with other participants. There are many benefits from attending, for both early career chemists and those who are more established, including the opportunity to engage with leading chemists, discuss their research, find potential collaborations, and grow their participation in the network. In addition, for early career chemists, there is the opportunity to present a poster with their current research work. Early career chemists who want to present a poster must submit an abstract. More information can be found on the . This event is open to all and is free to attend, so please promote this opportunity to your members and contacts. Commonwealth Chemistry and Chemistry World Dear Colleagues In June 2020 the Commonwealth Chemistry Executive Board accepted the offer from the Royal Society of Chemistry and introduced a scheme to allow free, unlimited access to the Chemistry World website throughout 2020. Today, we are delighted to announce that we are extending this scheme to 31 December 2021 for all members of commonwealth chemical societies. This provides another year of free, unlimited access to the Chemistry World website for all those who wish to participate. The access provided under the scheme would normally only be available to paying subscribers and members of the Royal Society of Chemistry. It includes: over 16,000 archived articles spanning more than a decade of coverage over 150 new articles, videos and podcasts published each month personalised emails to alert you when stories of interest are published We encourage everyone to take advantage of this scheme, so please pass this message onto your members: What is Chemistry World? Chemistry World is the flagship magazine of the Royal Society of Chemistry, available online at . It publishes a wide range of content covering the latest research, new and views from across the global chemical sciences community. There is an extensive archive of over 16,000 articles online and more than 150 new articles, podcasts, webinars and videos are published each month. How do I claim my free access? By being a member of your national chemical society, you can have access to Chemistry World online. Simply visit and follow the instructions on screen. With best wishes Dr Vicki Gardiner President Elect, Commonwealth Chemistry RSC News Royal Society of Chemistry Events Website Our website can be used to advertise events from across the world o not just those organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry, . So, if you need a simple website for your event, or want to reach a wider audience, then please submit your event to our website. Simply click on this link and follow the instructions: Free 2021 Affiliate Membership The RSC are offering free Affiliate membership to anyone who attends one of our online events. If youve ever considered joining but havent gotten around to it, or arent sure what you could get out of being a member, then maybe now is the time to sign up as an Affiliate for free and try it out. Affiliate membership doesnt need a degree transcript or CV, simply go to rsc.li/affiliate and use the discount code LS100 to join and then you can become a member of our Interest Group and keep up to date with all of our events and activities! Affiliate membership comes with: Free membership of one Interest Group Depending on where you are in the world, you will get automatic membership of an RSC Local Section (we have 35 Local Sections in the UK and Ireland and 23 international Local Sections) 10 free RSC journal article downloads a year and 35% off RSC books Online access to Chemistry World Access to careers resources and webinars and discounts for accredited training courses Support from the Chemists Community Fund Discounts on travel, insurance, lifestyle and publications NSTF News For the latest news see: AYCN NEW!! African Younger Chemists' Network (AYCN) It is an exciting time to be an early-career chemist on the African continent - we are establishing the African Younger Chemists' Network (AYCN)! The need for a unifying "Afro-centric" early-career chemistry network is essential to showcase the unique talents and ideas from this region. AYCNs vision is to promote and establish global standards for the empowerment of early-career chemists and to prepare them for a sustainable future with constructive engagements and collaborations with stakeholders from across the globe. It is the intention to establish the AYCN in collaboration with other major African and global chemistry societies. The criteria: This group will comprise African Early-Career Chemists (AECC) who are either under the age of 35 or who are within 5 years of their terminal degree. The purpose of this group is to: 1) encourage networking and create a community among AECCs, 2) create a space for collaboration between emerging researchers, 3) to share opportunities, including funding calls, conferences, job listings and writing workshops, 4) to promote leadership and development of AECCs. This form serves as an expression of interest. Please complete this form if you meet the criteria listed above, and are keen to join this group. You will then be invited to join us during this establishment phase of the AYCN where the group's activities will be discussed. To receive an invitation for this meeting, we need a completed form with your email address. Attached please find the Google form link introducing the AYCN (African Younger Chemists' Network) and requesting for volunteers to populate the various subcommittees. Form will be open until the end of the year. Contact email: Contact people: Ms Bianca Davids, Dr Sadhna Mathura IUPAC For the latest IUPAC news see: For a list of IUPAC sponsored events see: The representatives for South Africa on the International Younger Chemists Network for the period of 2021-2022 are: Dr Mabuatsela V. Maphoru, a lecturer from Tshwane UoT, and Ms Alida-Louise Henning, a senior scientist from Impala Platinum Ltd. Website: Twitter: Facebook: LinkedIn: Professional Development Skills: The International Younger Chemists Network (IYCN; https://www.iycnglobal.com/), affiliated organization of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is organizing a series of FREE live workshops devoted to support and empower early-career chemists with professional development skills to advance their careers. Stephen O Aderinto: soaderinto1@sheffield.ac.uk FASC News ABC Chem Conference 2022 This event will be held at the Palais des Congrs oMarrakech, Morocco in December 2022. FASC will be hosting the event. Please diarise the date. We are hoping to have an excellent turnout from member countries at this event. More information will be made available in the months ahead. CAIA Newsletter The latest issue of CAIA news is available. Go to: or e-mail: for pdf files of news and information. South African Journal of Chemistry The South Journal of Chemistry is now 103 years old and we are pleased to note that the impact factor of the Journal is now 1.2 (and has a CiteScore of 2.2). We encourage all SACI members to submit manuscripts to the Journal. Journal submission details can be found at . Details of the journal and the editors can be seen at . All manuscripts since 1918 are electronically available online at This Journal is published electronically. The webpage is: . The South African Journal of Chemistry, published by the South African Chemical Institute, has been publishing high quality papers, in all fields of Chemistry for over 100 years. The Journal went fully electronic in 2000 and is freely available through open access online ( ). It is a CAS-abstracted publication and is listed in Current Web Contents. It is also part of the Scielo group. It has retained its status as an accredited publication with the South African Department of Higher Education and Training. We encourage South African chemists to publish in the journal! African Journals of Chemistry African Corrosion Journal (online). Commenced in 2015 o a peer reviewed corrosion journal. This journal may be of interest to the practical chemists amongst the SACI membership. African Journal of Chemical Education Enquiries and manuscripts should be addressed to the Editor-in-Chief: email , PO Box 2305, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AJCE, 2016, 6(1) ISSN 2227-5835 The online version appears in the FASC website ( ) and in the AJOL website ( ) Papers on any aspect of Chemistry Education such as teaching organic, analytical, physical, inorganic, polymer, green, climate change/environmental chemistry, ICT in chemistry and chemistry curricula as well as assessment in chemistry are acceptable for publication. We also encourage issues on chemistry and indigenous knowledge/practice, chemical safety, natural products and related areas. Nanonews in South Africa SAASTA newsletter. . Prof Janice Limon, NPEP Nano News Editor South African Journal of Science Journal of the Chemical Society of Nigeria ; ; Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Ethiopia South African Journal of Chemical Engineering A fully open access journal in 2016, all authors can publish their papers on an open access basis in the South African Journal of Chemical Engineering at the reduced rate of $400 (USD). Journal of the Kenya Chemical Society (JKCS) This is a peer-reviewed multi-disciplinary chemistry journal published by the Kenya Chemical Society (KCS). JKCS publishes findings from all areas of chemistry including organic, inorganic, physical, analytical, materials chemistry and nanoscience, computational chemistry and environmental chemistry. JKCS also publishes reviews in all areas of chemistry. Published articles are available at . Manuscripts should be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief at for processing and peer-review. Chemistry Africa A Journal of the Tunisian Chemical Society Journal of the Mauritanian Chemical Society (JMCS) Publishes research articles and conference proceedings in English or French. This is published online at: ; M A Sanhoury, JMCS Coordination Editor Scientific African Published by the Next Einstein Forum in collaboration with Elsevier. Calls for papers and book chapters CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS FOR A BOOK ON GREEN CHEMISTRY IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA (IUPAC PROJECT 2021-005-1-041, https://iupac.org/project/2021-005-1-041) To anybody who may be interested This is an invitation to contribute a chapter to the book mentioned in the title. The book is meant to offer a panoramic overview of the current state of green chemistry in Sub-Saharan Africa. It aims at being comprehensive, providing information on current achievements, recognized challenges and envisaged near-future developments of green chemistry research and green chemistry education, as well as implementations in production activities. Chapters may focus on individual institutions, or on an entire country, or on specific projects, or on specific issues. Sample themes may the following: What has been built in terms of green chemistry research What has been built in terms of green chemistry education Research at the interfaces between green chemistry and other areas of chemistry (for instance, computational chemistry research focusing on the design of substances or materials relevant for green chemistry) Research at the interfaces between green chemistry and other disciplines Challenges experienced in building green chemistry research or green chemistry education Envisaged developments for green chemistry research or green chemistry education in the near future Shifts to cleaner production options by some industries, or other ways of implementing some of the green chemistry principles or criteria Interest or recognition by policy makers Interest or recognition by the public Other green chemistry-related themes that the authors consider relevant. Each chapter will aim at being wide-ranging and, therefore, will include as many aspects/themes as suitable for its scope. For instance, for chapters outlining the green chemistry status in a given institution, a section of the chapter could be devoted to a review of research outputs concerning green chemistry research or green chemistry education it that institution. If you are interested, please, send me an abstract ( ) before July 15, 2021. The abstract should not exceed one page (Times New Roman 12, single spacing, 2.5 cm margins on all sides). Under the title, the abstract should contain the names of all prospective authors, their institutions, and the e-mail of the corresponding author. The deadline for the submission of complete manuscripts will be 31-12-2021. For any other information that you would like to have, please contact me. Looking forward to many chapters Liliana Mammino (editor of this book, University of Venda, South Africa) Important note: Papers reporting the results of typical environmental chemistry studies (such as studies determining the presence of specific pollutants in a given environment) do not fall within the scope of this book. SACI and SACI related Conference events ChromSAAMS 2020 Conference Cancelled Following last years postponement of the ChromSAAMS conference to September 2021, much has once again changed locally and internationally regarding the COVID-19 situation. It is with much regret that the organizing committee has recently announced the cancellation of ChromSAAMS 2021. In light of the importance of the health and safety of delegates and industry partners, and given the current Covid-19 situation in South Africa, the organizing committee concluded that it would not be possible to host in the conference in the preferred face-to-face format in 2021. The organizers thank all delegates and sponsors for their interest in supporting the conference, and hope to be meet them all again for the next analytical conference in South Africa. Andre de Villiers Conference chair, on behalf of the organizing committee 26th IUPAC International Conference on Chemistry Education The Covid-19 pandemic has led to profound changes in the way we work and live. The current steep increase in cases as well as the uncertainty about international travel means that it is no longer feasible to host the 26th IUPAC International Conference on Chemistry Education in Cape Town in January 2021. The IUPAC Committee for Chemistry Education has agreed to a further postponement of the conference to July 2022. The conference will be known as ICCE 2022. Preliminary information about ICCE 2022 is given below. Dates: 18-22 July 2022 Venue: Lagoon Beach Hotel and Conference Venue Abstracts The call for abstracts will be re-opened on 4 October 2021. If you have already submitted an abstract, you will be invited to resubmit your abstract when the submission process re-opens. Registration Registration will re-open on 4 October 2021. Should you have already paid your registration fee, we are pleased to advise that we will honour the 2020 registration fees. All unpaid registrations will be carried over to the 2022 event and re-invoiced at the revised registration fee. You are free to cancel your registration and to re-register for ICCE 2022 at the new rates. Please click on the link below to submit your response. We would appreciate a response by 31 August 2020. Accommodation Delegates who have booked and paid their accommodation will be contacted by our booking office to arrange for the monies to be refunded. If you have booked directly with the hotel, (i.e. not through our secretariat), we ask you to please contact Lagoon Beach Hotel directly. We look forward to seeing you in Cape Town in July 2022 and ask you to circulate this notice to your colleagues who may not be members of SACI. Please address any questions to and consult the website, , for regular updates. Regards, The Local Organising Committee for ICCE 2022 For registration queries:+27 (0)21 910 1913 email: Event Organiser office: +27 (0)21 712 0571 email: i Other Conferences 8th International Conference on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Africa Conference Postponed 2nd Commonwealth Chemistry Posters. Building Networks to Address the Goals. 30 September 1 October 2021 Following on from the success of last years virtual poster event, the Commonwealth Chemistry Executive Board has decided to make this an annual event for chemists across the Commonwealth. The 2nd Commonwealth Chemistry Posters will take place on 30 September 1 October 2021 and will showcase research across the Commonwealth addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This virtual event is free to attend and will take place over a 36-hour window spanning two days to accommodate the different time zones across the Commonwealth and allow participants the opportunity to interact with each other. Posters will be available to view throughout the event and there will be specific time slots when early career chemists will be able to discuss their posters with other participants. There are many benefits from attending, for both early career chemists and those who are more established, including the opportunity to engage with leading chemists, discuss their research, find potential collaborations, and grow their participation in the network. In addition, for early career chemists, there is the opportunity to present a poster with their current research work. Early career chemists who want to present a poster must submit an abstract. More information can be found on the . This event is open to all and is free to attend, so please promote this opportunity to your members and contacts. 5th International Mass Spectrometry School p> Registration FREE of CHARGE is required to receive a ZOOM meeting invitation: CHPC Virtual Research Webinar Series 2021 Dear Colleagues, In the past years, the CHPC has been inviting the Principal Investigators (PIs) of research programme actively using CHPC to deliver research seminars as part of the user engagement strategy. The purpose of this was to allow PIs to share their research work using Lengau Cluster in South Africa with the CHPC and broader HPC user community. Due to COVID19 outburst and associated restrictions, hosting of onsite physical event are not possible. The CHPC now opted for hosting Research Webinar/Virtual Seminar Series and will reach more participants from global HPC research community than before. For this purpose, please attached find the schedule for the 2021 CHPC Webinar Series of invited speakers. We hope you can join us virtually in attending these talks. The Zoom links will be communicated prior to the event. We look forward to your participation. Kind regards, Daniel Dr Daniel Mojalefa Moeketsi Senior Research Scientist Centre for High Performance Computing (CHPC) Contacts: Tel.: +27 21 658 3961 E-mail: web: NICIS-CPHPC Test and Measurement 2021 Conference British Mass Spectrometry Societys 'Lipidomics SIG' The British Mass Spectrometry Societys 'Lipidomics SIG' will host a series of virtual on-line seminars in the first half of 2021. Registration FREE of CHARGE is required to receive a ZOOM meeting invitation: Announcement IUPAC CHEMRAWN XXII Conference CATSA2021 Virtual conference announcement The South African Raman Workshop 2020 ICBS 2021 Virtual Dear SACI Members, The 10th annual conference of the International Chemical Biology Society, ICBS 2021, will take place this November 11th-13th. ICBS 2021 will focus on Looking towards the next decade of chemical biology and will include programming that not only reflects on the accomplishments of the last decade, but also looks towards new technologies and discoveries that will shape the field in the decades ahead. The meeting will be enriched by a series of keynote speakers that will highlight their cutting-edge research and inspire our community. A special pre-conference day will include a trainee forum and highlight presentations by students and postdocs. Dr. Peter Schultz CEO of Scripps Research, will give the Opening keynote lecture "Playing with the molecules of life". Registration is free to ICBS members and $100 for non-members. We are looking forward to this exciting event, a decade in the making! The ICBS 2021 Organizing Committee ACHEMA 2022 World-class speakers, innovative solutions, interactive exchange of ideas ! ACHEMA PULSE will be running online during June in place of the in-person event in 2021 and continuing to connect the world . Modern, interactive and always up to date: With a unique range of topics, exciting focal topics and new event formats, the world's leading trade show for the process industries brings together experts, decision makers and trendsetters from all over the world. The two live days (15-16 June 2021) will stick out with loads of live content from exhibitors, researchers and C-level executives you wont want to miss out. The ACHEMA world forum and leading show happens every 3 years and the next in-person event has been pushed back to April 2022. GC and GC-MS online training courses - NMISA contentntentcontentcontentcontent Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. File photoThe neglected but historic Danvers Plains Train Station will survive at least another year after the July 27 vote by Danvers Preservation Commission that the 1868 structure was worthy of preservation. Images Sorry, there are no recent results for popular images. When youre looking for an entry-level job, understanding the minimum wage is crucial. It gives you a chance to compare opportunities more effectively. As well as better determine your compensation needs. If youre curious about the minimum wage in Maryland, heres what you need to know. What Is a Minimum Wage? A minimum wage is a dollar amount reflecting the lowest per-hour compensation rate a company can legally offer covered nonexempt employees. The majority of the workforce is considered covered nonexempt, though there are some exceptions. There can be several kinds of minimum wages. First, there is one set at the federal level. This is the lowest amount any company can pay workers anywhere in the United States. Currently, that is set at $7.25 per hour for non-tipped workers and $2.13 an hour for qualifying tipped employees. Second, there are state and city minimum wages. These can set a higher dollar amount for employers in their area. However, a lower amount is not enforceable, as the federal rate then applies by default. What Is the Minimum Wage in Maryland? As of January 1, 2021, the minimum wage in Maryland is $11.75 per hour for companies with at least 15 employees. Tipped employees defined as those who earn over $30 in tips per month must be paid at least $3.63 per hour. However, if their tips dont bring them up to the equivalent of $11.75 per hour, the employer is required to make up the difference. There is a different minimum wage for smaller businesses. For companies with fewer than 15 employees, the minimum wage is $11.60 per hour. Maryland is also going to have future minimum wage increases. A new minimum wage goes into effect on the first of each year until the minimum wage reaches $15.00 per hour in 2025 for companies with 15 or more workers. Its important to note that some municipalities in Maryland have higher minimum wages. For example, the minimum wage in Montgomery County reached $15.00 per hour ($4.00 per hour for tipped workers) on January 1, 2021. Is the Maryland Minimum Wage a Living Wage? A living wage isnt the same thing as a minimum wage. Generally, a living wage is considered to be the minimum amount a person needs to earn per hour while working full-time to support their household. Since household size plays a role, the living wage does vary depending on a households composition. In Maryland, the living wage for a single person without children is $17.25 per hour. For a household of two adults and two children, the living wage is $35.41 if just one person works and $23.40 per hour each if two adults are working. There is no household composition where the Maryland minimum wage qualifies as a living wage. Additionally, there are some situations where the minimum wage in Maryland doesnt reach the poverty wage. A poverty wage is the amount of money a person would need to earn per hour while working full-time to cross over the poverty level threshold based on their household size. For example, in a household of two adults and two children with just one adult working, the poverty wage is $12.60 per hour. That falls below the Maryland minimum wage currently. How do you feel about the minimum wage in Maryland? Do you think its enough, or would you like to see it go higher? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Read More: If you enjoy reading our blog posts and would like to try your hand at blogging, we have good news for you; you can do exactly that on Saving Advice. Just click here to get started. Check out these helpful tools to help you save more. For investing advice, visit The Motley Fool. NEW YORK (AP) The world's return to almost normalcy is slowing down Amazon's pandemic-induced sales surge. The online behemoth on Thursday posted better-than-expected second-quarter profits. But it delivered sales results that came in short of expectations and offered a disappointing outlook for the current quarter. Amazon said that revenue will be in the range of $106 billion to $112 billion for the third quarter. Analysts were looking for $119.3 billion. Shares in Seattle-based Amazon.com Inc. fell more than 7% in after-market trading following. Amazon is one of the few retailers that has prospered during the pandemic. As physical stores selling non-essential goods like clothing temporarily or permanently closed, people stuck at home turned to Amazon for everything from groceries tp cleaning supplies. Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky said the slowdown in sales growth is a result of the company lapping against last year's huge pandemic-induced COVID-19 shopping binges. The slowdown also reflects that people, particularly in Europe and the U.S., are more mobile and are doing other things besides shopping online, he added. When the pandemic hit and lockdowns began in March 2020, it took some time for Amazon to add more workers and expand its capacity to meet a surge in shopping. By May 2020, the company's revenue growth rate jumped in the 35% to 40% range from what had been a 20% to 21% range during the pre-pandemic days. It remained at that level through the first quarter of this year, when its revenue growth hit 41%. Excluding its annual Prime Day event, held in June this year, Amazon's year-over-year percentage growth rate has dropped into the mid-teens. Its revenue guidance for the current quarter now forecasts a range of 10% to 16% growth. Amazon executives say a more accurate way of assessing its growth rate is on a two-year compounded annual rate, which remains at a hefty 25% to 30%. Olsavsky told reporters that rising coronavirus infections linked to the delta variant are pushing the company to get more workers vaccinated. It's also working with local authorities on safety measures. He said that could mean requiring workers to wear masks in some areas, even if vaccinated. The bigger goal is to stamp this out and get people vaccinated and have a successful return to life," Olsavsky said. During the three-month period ended June 30, the company reported a profit of $7.78 billion, or $15.12 per share, compared with $5.24 billion, or $10.30 a share, during the year-ago period. Revenue jumped 27% to $113.08 billion. Analysts surveyed by FactSet on average expected $115.42 billion in quarterly revenue and per-share earnings of $12.28. Besides online shopping, Amazons other businesses expanded, too. Sales at its cloud-computing business, which helps power the online operations of Netflix, McDonalds and other companies, grew 37% in the quarter. And at its unit that includes its advertising business, where brands pay to get their products to show up first when shoppers search on the site, sales rose 87%. Amazon held its Prime Day from June 21 to June 22, the earliest it had ever held the sales event, because it didnt want any distractions from the Tokyo Olympics. Last year, Amazon postponed Prime Day to October because of the pandemic and used it to kick off holiday shopping early. The quarter that ended June 30 was the companys last with founder Jeff Bezos as CEO. He stepped down to become executive chairman in early July. Andrew Jassy, who headed its cloud-computing unit, Amazon Web Services, succeeded him. Amazon continues to add more businesses to its empire even as regulators around the world scrutinize the company's business practices. In May, Amazon announced it was buying MGM, the movie and TV studio behind James Bond, Legally Blonde and Shark Tank, with the goal of filling its video streaming service with more material to watch. ______ Follow Anne DInnocenzio: http://twitter.com/ADInnocenzio CRANE, Texas (AP) Rusted pipes litter the sandy fields of Ashley Williams Watts cattle ranch in windswept West Texas. The corroded skeletons are all that remain of hundreds of abandoned oil wells that were drilled long before her family owned the land. The wells, unable to produce any useful amounts of oil or gas, were plugged with cement decades ago and forgotten. But something eerie is going on beneath the land, where Watt once played among the mesquite trees, jackrabbits and javelina and first drove the dirt roads at 10 years old. One by one, the wells seem to be unplugging themselves. Theyre leaking dangerous chemicals that are seeping into groundwater beneath her ranch. Now 35, Watt believes the problems on her ranch, which sprawls across the oil-rich fields of the Permian Basin, are getting worse. In April, she found crude oil bubbling from an abandoned well. In June, an oil company worker called to alert her that another well was seeping pools of salty produced water, a byproduct of oil and gas extraction containing toxic chemicals. Im watching this well literally just spew brine water into my water table, and then I have to go home at night, and Im sweaty and tired and smelly, and I get in the shower, and I turn on the shower and I look at it, and I think, is this shower going to kill me? Watt said. ____ A GROWING THREAT The crisis unfolding on Watts 75,000-acre ranch offers a window on a growing problem for the oil industry and the communities and governments that are often left to clean up the mess. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 3.2 million abandoned oil and gas wells exist in the United States. About a third of them were plugged with cement, which is considered the proper way to prevent harmful chemical leaks. But most havent been plugged at all. Many of the wells are releasing methane, a greenhouse gas containing about 86 times the climate-warming power of carbon dioxide over two decades. Some are leaking chemicals such as benzene, a known carcinogen, into fields and groundwater. Regulators dont know where hundreds of thousands of abandoned wells are because many of them were drilled before modern record-keeping and plugging rules were established. They are a silent menace, threatening to explode or contaminate drinking water and leaking atmosphere-warming fumes each day that theyre unplugged. Without records of their whereabouts, its impossible to grasp the magnitude of the pollution or health problems they may be causing. The problem isnt confined to Texas. In recent years, abandoned wells have been found under brush deep in forests and beneath driveways in suburbia. On the Navajo Nation, a hiker stumbled across wells oozing brown and black fluid that smelled like motor oil. In Colorado, a basement exploded, killing a man and his brother-in-law who were repairing a water heater, after an abandoned flowline had leaked methane into the house. A Wyoming school shut down for more than a year after students and teachers complained of headaches for weeks. Air quality tests revealed high levels of benzene and carbon dioxide, most likely from a nearby abandoned oil well. A garage in Pennsylvania exploded a consequence, the state suspects, of abandoned gas wells. Experts believe the problem is getting worse. Even before the viral pandemic, producers were declaring bankruptcy and abandoning oil fields after spending more on fracking operations than they ultimately could afford. Then the coronavirus halted travel, obliterating demand for fuel and leaving less money to properly plug wells. President Joe Biden, who has built much of his domestic policy around a transition to cleaner energy sources, wants to spend billions to put unemployed wildcatters to work plugging the wells. But Congress is unlikely to allocate enough money to seriously confront the issue. If, all of a sudden, we could switch to all green renewable energy, thats great, but these wells dont disappear; theyre still going to be there, said Mary Kang, an assistant professor of civil engineering at McGill University in Montreal who was among the first scientists to call attention to the danger of abandoned wells. ____ TRACES OF BENZENE After the discoveries on Watts ranch, traces of benzene showed up in the well that supplies her cattle's drinking water. Chevron, which owned at least two of the oil wells that recently came unplugged, began trucking in drinking water while its crews tried to fix the leaks. But Watt worried that her animals might have consumed contaminated water. So she had her 600 head of cattle hauled off to another part of her ranch. At this point," she said, I cannot sell my cattle at market in good conscience, because I have no idea what is in them. Though Chevron officials maintained that the cattle could safely return, Watt disagreed. Shes haunted by a memory of crude oil bubbling up in a toilet bowl at her familys ranch when she was a teenager. Horrified, they turned off the well that supplied their water and switched to another well. They never found the source of the leak. Representatives for Chevron said the company is committed to re-plugging the two wells that recently sprang leaks. But Watt fears that dozens of other plugged and abandoned wells on her ranch might be deteriorating, and Chevron has no plans to check its other wells for problems. If Watt should inform Chevron of another leaking well, if we have to take responsibility, we will and well do the right thing by the landowner, said Catie Mathews, a company spokeswoman. Hailing from a long line of cattle ranchers, Watt never thought shed be fighting this fight. After high school, she graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and worked in intelligence for the Marines. Even after she obtained an MBA from Harvard, she returned to the ranch. She packs a gun, but only on her own land. Though shes passionate about protecting it, she doesnt want to be called an environmentalist thats a dirty word out here. But she has to save her ranch. The story of my family," Watt said, "is a story of land, if nothing else. ____ LAYERS OF CONFUSION Dispiriting as her situation is, Watt is luckier than some. She knows Chevron bears responsibility for two wells that recently sprang leaks on her property. But not every well has a clear responsible party. Some abandoned ones are so old and records so scarce that landowners or states are left to clean up the damage. Molly Rooke, who co-owns a family ranch near Corpus Christi, Texas, faced that predicament in 2019, when an orphaned well blew out on her property, spewing chemicals. The 15,000-acre ranch contained dozens of orphaned wells, with exposed pipes not much taller than her own frame. Some pipes stuck out of the ground. Others were hidden in brush. We have problems finding the well head, and thats above the ground, Rooke said. Then you have all these pipes underground, and theres no record of where those go. Her only records of these wells that were drilled in the 1920s were scattered old photos and papers. She tried to contact companies that used to pump oil from the wells. No luck. One well had already leaked into a nearby river. Rookes father tried for years to get the state to plug them. When he died, she took over the fight. Rooke and the consumer rights group Public Citizen sued the Texas Railroad Commission over its decision during the pandemic to suspend rules requiring operators to plug abandoned wells within a year. After her lawsuit sparked attention, the state sealed her wells. All the wells were so old, they were ticking time bombs, Rooke said. _____ SEARCHING FOR LOST WELLS The first successful commercial oil well in the U.S. was drilled in Pennsylvania in 1859. But few detailed records survived that early oil boom, which lasted several decades. Not until a century later would the industry develop modern plugging standards, which require filling abandoned wells with cement to prevent leaks. These days, some abandoned wells have metal casings intact. But others were stripped of metal during World War II, making them hard to find. Still others were constructed from wood that rotted away and left only a hole in the ground. Pennsylvania has located roughly 8,700 orphaned wells, mostly unplugged and in rural areas. Yet the problem is far larger. Based on historical photos and surveys, Pennsylvania estimates that between 100,000 and 560,000 additional unplugged wells remain scattered around the state. Were not plugging fast enough to keep up with the wells were discovering, said Seth Pelepko, an environmental program manager in the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Our list is not getting smaller. Its getting larger. Some states have taken to hiring well hunters who specialize in finding abandoned wells. They use metal detectors first in helicopter surveys, then on the ground to seek steel well casings. But metal detectors can't detect wells cased in wood. So they fly drones with laser imaging to seek depressions in the ground. On her Texas ranch, Watt uses some of the same techniques to seek problematic aging wells. She has driven her land, looking for signs of trouble. Sometimes, she finds a dark patch of earth using a drone. She calls one of the biggest the elephant graveyard, after a wasteland in the movie The Lion King. Rather than animal bones, her graveyard contains blackened mesquite trees. The sand there is dark and reeks of oil. But Watts worry is the water below. Without it, she and her longtime ranch foreman, Marty White, and his wife and their cattle cant live here. Water is the lifeblood of this place and all of West Texas. I told him, Ill take care of you, Watt said of White. Youre going to have to trust me, and I dont know what it looks like, but Ill take care of you. ____ LEAKING CHEMICALS AND MONEY In addition to polluting groundwater, the wells are accelerating global warming. Unplugged, abandoned wells in the U.S. leaked 5,000 times more methane than plugged wells did, according to a 2015 study cited by the EPA. Unplugged wells leak 280,000 metric tons of methane into the atmosphere each year, according to an estimate by EPA, though experts have estimated far higher totals. That amount of methane packs roughly the same climate-warming power as the carbon dioxide emitted by all the power plants in Massachusetts in a year, according to Daniel Raimi, a fellow at Resources for the Future, a research group. Many states require companies to plug wells that are out of production and to post bonds in case they go belly-up. But the amounts are typically far lower than whats required to plug the wells, leaving states or the federal government with hefty bills. At the end of June, Texas reported 7,268 orphaned wells, up 17% since 2019. An additional 146,859 were considered inactive: They were no longer producing oil, but the owners hadnt yet been required to plug them. Many inactive wells may actually be orphaned wells, said David Wieland, regional organizer with the Western Organization of Resource Councils, a network of grassroots groups focused on land stewardship. Some producers will let a well sit idle for a year or two, he said, and then produce just enough oil to avoid being required to plug it. That sort of hidden inventory is likely true in almost any state, Wieland said. Some states, like Texas, use fees collected from the oil and gas industry for cleanups. In 2018 alone, oil-producing states spent $45 million plugging orphaned wells and $7.9 million restoring surrounding land, according to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. ___ CLEANING UP THE MESS As the financial and environmental tolls of abandoned wells grow, policy makers are searching for solutions. In his initial infrastructure proposal, Biden suggested spending $16 billion to put people to work plugging old oil and gas wells and coal mines. Yet even that wouldnt be nearly enough to solve the problem. Raimi, of Resources for the Future, estimates that a federal program to plug 62,000 wells over a decade could create 15,000 to 33,000 year-long jobs. At a per-well cost of $76,000, it would take roughly $160 billion to plug all the wells and reclaim the surrounding land, whether it's companies or governments who pay the price. Wyoming and North Dakota channeled millions of dollars in federal coronavirus relief funds into employing workers to plug abandoned oil and gas wells over the past year. Watts family never owned the mineral rights to the land and thus never profited from these wells, many of which were drilled in the 1950s and were plugged in the four decades that followed. She isn't looking for a drawn-out legal battle with Chevron or any other oil company with wells on her land. She simply wants assurance that the water is safe for her cattle, and the people in her life, to drink. She wants the land to be restored. And she doesnt know if thats possible. I do not want to sue," Watt said. All I want is everything cleaned up. Knowing that benzene has seeped into some of her water, she has a nagging suspicion that the rare cancer that killed her mother might have been related to wells leaking toxic chemicals on her ranch. She will likely never know for sure. More than anything, she wants justice for the land, her cattle and the legacy her family bequeathed to her. This is where she spread the ashes of her parents. My greatest fear when I lay down every night, even before this well became unplugged, is what if I do something to screw up the history of this ranch, thats still being written? Watt asked. What if that history ends with me? ___ Bussewitz reported from New York. Irvine, who is based in Chicago, reported from Texas. ___ The reporters can be reached at @cbussewitz and @irvineap. Karen Ducey/Getty Images Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan is asking the city council to remove the $7.5 million in restrictions it placed on the Seattle Police Departments budget in hopes that the department will be able to solve its current hiring crisis. In addition to lifting the restriction, the ordinance Durkan sent to the council Thursday would reinstate the hiring bonuses $15,000 for transfers and $7,500 for new recruits the council nixed last year. Following a summer of tempestuous protests over the murder of George Floyd, the council slashed the departments budget by nearly 20%, cutting tens-of-millions from overtime, salaries and other items. Those cuts came amid an exodus of police officers. According to a recent report from the mayors office, the department has lost 286 sworn officers since June of last year. Durkan hopes the ordinance will allow the department to recruit enough officers to meet its 2021 hiring goals. "We dont need to rehash the budget debates of last year on defunding, cuts, and out of order layoffs," she said in a news release about the ordinance. "But Chief Diaz needs to act to address the current real hiring and staffing issues while we continue to advance alternatives that are critical to reimagining policing." Washington's endangered orca whales received new habitat protections from the federal government on Friday. The National Marine Fisheries Service finalized rules to expand the orca's critical habitat from the Canadian border all the way down to Point Sur in California, adding 15,910 square miles of foraging areas, river mouths and migratory pathways. Including the Salish Sea, the total protected area now encompasses more than 18,000 square miles according to the Center for Biological Diversity. "These critically endangered orcas are finally getting the federal habitat protections they desperately need," said Julie Teel Simmonds, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. "This long-overdue habitat rule will help save these extraordinary animals and their prey from pollution, noise, harassment and habitat degradation." While environmentalists praised the action, many also called for habitat protections for salmon to aid in the orca's recovery. A study published this year by the Governor's Salmon Recovery Office found that salmon were "teetering on the brink of extinction" with 10 species of salmon in the state not meeting recovery goals. And orcas aren't the only animal relying on these fish: scientists estimate 138 other species of wildlife depend on salmon as a main source of food. "While this action helps ensure the orcas ocean home will be protected, more action is urgently needed to restore wild salmon populations the orcas depend on," said Ben Enticknap, a senior scientist with Oceana, in a news release. "Orca and salmon recovery go hand-in-hand, with benefits to a healthy ocean ecosystem, salmon fisheries, and communities throughout the region." There are currently 75 southern resident orca whales in the three resident J, K and L pods. However, that number might soon be down one, as the Orca Behavior Institute reported that several vessels have seen a single orca in distress in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The whale was identified as K21, also known as Cappuccino, and the institute noted that he was in poor body condition with a fully collapsed dorsal fin. "He was many miles behind the rest of his pod," wrote the institute in an update Friday. "Based on the photos we've seen, we do not think it is a condition from which he can recover." Last week, researchers and whale watchers alike marked 100 days without the resident J-pod in the Salish Sea. With the Chinook salmon runs largely depleted, the whale pods had left their normal summer habitat for areas along the outer coast of British Columbia where the chances of finding prey are better. "This is a sure sign of dire, drastic changes in the Salish Sea and Fraser River ecosystems," said Dr. Michael Weiss, a biologist with the Center for Whale Research. However this week, members of the J and K pods made an appearance near the San Juan Islands according to the Orca Behavior Institute, ending their record-long absence in the Salish Sea. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions that was enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to oust tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households. Heres the situation in Indiana: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? Indiana is one of several states that enacted a moratorium on eviction proceedings last year, but it expired in August. Despite the state and federal moratoriums, more than 51,000 eviction filings have been made in Indiana during the pandemic, including nearly 16,000 in the Indianapolis metropolitan area, according to Indiana Legal Services. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? Housing officials said theyve been reaching out to landlords in an attempt to reduce the number of impending evictions and encouraging anyone who may be at risk of eviction to apply for rental assistance through their areas housing authority. Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett on Thursday also announced a new one-year tenant advocate program that will put a housing liaison in every small claims court in Marion County during the expected surge in evictions. Andrew Merkley, a housing specialist for the Indianapolis Office of Public Health and Safety, said more funding from the federal American Rescue Plan can still be budgeted toward rental assistance if state and local governments choose to do so. By September, 60%, or $222.6 million, of the $371 million Indiana received from the federal government to administer rental assistance programs needs to be spent or earmarked. All of the money must be spent or assigned to renters by the end of the year. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? Anticipating a spike in eviction petitions after the statewide moratorium ended last summer, the Indiana Supreme Court's Landlord Tenant Task Force encouraged landlords and tenants to talk to each other, explore options, discuss payment plans and put all agreements in writing. Procedures and practices have varied throughout the state, though many courts have launched mediation programs to provide an alternative to evictions. Brandon Beeler, housing law center director of Indiana Legal Services, said the organization is preparing for an influx of eviction court cases. The states largest provider of free civil legal assistance to low-income people has received more than 3,900 legal assistance requests for eviction-related issues since April 2020. HOW AFFORDABLE IS HOUSING IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? Indiana has a gap of 127,000 affordable units statewide, with only 37 available per 100 families that need them, said Andrew Bradley, the policy director for Prosperity Indiana. He added that although Indiana is a low cost-of-living state, small towns and rural communities have reported higher eviction rate surges than in larger municipal areas. People who (are low income), theyre spending a lot of their income on housing, Bradley said. So if they lost any income during COVID, that really quickly puts them under water. As of June, the median monthly rent in the Indianapolis metropolitan area had risen over the past year by 12.8 %, to $1,140, according to a report released July 15 by Realtor.com. Median rents for a one-bedroom apartment rose by 11.5%, while two-bedroom units jumped by 17%. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? A spike in evictions is expected once the CDC moratorium expires, which is what happened when the state's moratorium expired last year, said Amy Nelson, executive director of the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana. Although no statewide data exists, Indiana housing experts estimated that roughly 13% of tenants about 106,000 Indiana households are at risk of eviction. Recent census data showed that 28,000 state residents said they were concerned they could be evicted within two months. ___ 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. MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after President Joe Biden's administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 Alabama: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? Alabama is one of several states that enacted a moratorium last year halting eviction proceedings. However, the measure expired June 1, 2020, leaving only the CDC moratorium. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? Alabama has set aside more than $263 million from the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 to help tenants with outstanding rent, utility payments and other expenses. The Alabama Housing Finance Authority received $237 million to administer the statewide program for Emergency Rental Assistance Alabama. The money can go toward 15 months of rent and utilities. Renters who make no more than 80% of the area median income and have experienced economic hardship because of the pandemic qualify. As of July 15, $4.4 million in assistance had been provided to 597 households for rental and utility assistance, according to the Alabama Housing Finance Authority. That number excludes local jurisdictions that received separate grants in 2020 and 2021. Both renters and landlords can apply for the assistance. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? Alabama judges have been holding eviction proceedings, and it is up to renters to claim protection under the CDC moratorium. Judges are handling the cases differently, attorneys said. Some judges have ordered tenants out but stayed the eviction until the end of the CDC moratorium. In other cases, the judge has stayed the eviction trial until the moratorium lifts. HOW AFFORDABLE IS HOUSING IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? Alabama, like much of the nation, has seen a rise in apartment rents. As of June, the median monthly rent in the Birmingham-Hoover metropolitan area had risen 12.6% over the past year, to $1,070, according to a report released July 16 by Realtor.com. Median rents for a two-bedroom apartment had risen 12.3% over the past year, to $1,101. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? Its hard to say how much homelessness will increase in Alabama, but advocates expect an increase. One indication of the scope of the problem is census data showing 57,970 state residents concerned that they could be evicted over the next two months. We are very worried, said Carol Gundlach, a policy analyst with Alabama Arise, an advocacy group for low-income families. A surge in evictions combined with the tight housing market would almost certainly cause a rise in homelessness, she said. IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) Gov. Kim Reynolds fired the leader of Iowas state-run nursing home for veterans in May after learning he had been overpaid by $90,000 over a nearly two-year period, a state audit reported Thursday. Iowa Veterans Home Commandant Timon Oujiri told governor's office representatives in May that he was long aware of payroll errors that improperly boosted his salary by nearly $950 per week but that he kept receiving the excess pay, the report said. Oujiri, 63, said he noticed the overpayments shortly after they began in July 2019 but did nothing to resolve the issue, the report said. By the summer of 2020, he said he definitely noticed he was still being overpaid but was too embarrassed to report the problem by that point, it said. The governor fired Oujiri, who had been commandant since 2017, the next day and her office reported the financial irregularities to the state auditor. Reynolds spokesman, Pat Garrett, said Thursday that the governors office was working with the attorney generals office to recover any overpayments Oujiri received during his employment. The report issued by State Auditor Rob Sand said that Oujiri received $90,000 in excess salary payments and that the state incurred another $15,000 in improper retirement and insurance benefits payments for him from July 2019 through April. The report shed light on what had been a surprise and unexplained firing. Reynolds appeared with Oujiri at a news conference in December to praise the outstanding job he and his staff had done running the veterans home, which is Iowa's largest nursing home, during the coronavirus pandemic. In May, Garrett told reporters that Oujiri had been abruptly relieved of his duties as commandant, but he didn't say why. State officials refused to pay Oujiri $11,625 for unused vacation that he was owed when he was fired and credited that amount as a partial repayment. That leaves nearly $94,000 in improper disbursements, including $14,000 in retirement account contributions that the Iowa Veterans Home is trying to recover, the audit found. Department of Administrative Services employees identified the excess payments to Oujiri in April while reviewing payroll information for accuracy before switching to a new system. They found that the problems began in July 2019, when salaried department directors, elected officials, and board members were supposed to change the defaults on their timesheets from 56 hours to 40 hours per week. While DAS officials sent an email to state agencies instructing them of the change, Iowa Veterans Home payroll assistants reported that they didn't recall receiving it and the email wasnt sent to Oujiri, the report said. The state changed Oujiris default hours to 40, but Iowa Veterans Home staff responsible for entering his hours in the system overrode the change every pay period and added in 56, the report said. The result was that Oujiri got a 43% pay hike beginning in July 2019 that increased his annual salary to $172,681.60 far more than the maximum $128,890 salary that he knew was allowed for the job, the report said. His pay was $948.50 per week higher than his authorized salary over the next year, and that increased to $957.57 per week in July 2020. Oujiri was the only person affected by the payroll change at the Iowa Veterans Home, and the audit found that he was the only state official who received an unauthorized increase in pay. Oujiri has not responded to messages seeking comment since May and he declined to speak with auditors and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation agents looking into the matter, according to the report. Sand sent his report to county prosecutors in Des Moines and Marshalltown, where the veterans home is located. So far, Oujiri has not been charged. On Monday, the governor appointed former Marine Corps official Matthew Peterson as the new commandant of the home, which houses more than 500 veterans and spouses and has 900 employees. WASHINGTON (AP) First lady Jill Biden underwent a medical procedure Thursday to flush out debris from a puncture wound on her left foot, her spokesperson said. Michael LaRosa said Jill Biden's foot was punctured while she walking on a beach in Hawaii last weekend, but it was unclear what object caused the puncture. SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) New Mexico Education Secretary Ryan Stewart is the latest cabinet secretary to call it quits during the coronavirus pandemic. The education post will be filled by former Los Alamos Superintendent Kurt Steinhaus starting Aug. 20, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Thursday. Alongside the governor at a Thursday news conference, Steinhaus said hell emphasize overall student well-being, including mental health, as fall classes resume in August amid a surge in coronavirus infections. He wants New Mexico to surpass all other states when it comes to improvement in academic achievement across diverse subjects including music, and said the state will encourage school districts to spend roughly $1 billion in new federal coronavirus relief funds on education. It's a lofty goal for new Mexico, where the state's graduation rates and other education measures have improved so slowly over the past decades that it ranks last in the country. The short-range goal is to jump on the energy of the first day of school, Steinhaus said. The middle-range goal is about the federal money that has just been approved. There will also be a new top cop. Lujan Grisham named Deputy Chief of the Rio Rancho Police Department Jason Bowie as the next secretary of the Public Safety Department, which oversees the New Mexico State Police. Lujan Grisham has seen a wave of retirements among department heads, with some citing the pressures of the pandemic. She said that Education Secretary Stewart is stepping down for personal reasons, after serving in the position for two years. The simple fact for all of us is that family comes first, and I know he is looking forward to a change of pace that will allow him more time with his family at an important time for them, she said of Stewart's departure. The governor is still looking to fill top positions such as the Department of Workforce Solutions and the Department of Health. ___ Attanasio 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 under-covered issues. Follow Attanasio on Twitter. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Portland, Oregon, has banned homeless people from camping in forested parks to both protect them from potential wildfires and prevent them from accidentally starting blazes during a summer of drought and record-breaking heat. The City Council adopted the rule Wednesday for high-risk hazard zones, including in and around Portlands famous Forest Park and in heavily forested wetlands and natural areas around the city. The ban will apply during wildfire season or whenever a county burn ban is in effect. The 8-square-mile (21-square-kilometer) Forest Park in the heart of Portland is one of the largest urban forests in the U.S. There have been frequent reports of fires at unsanctioned campsites and at clusters of RVs around the city from illegal burning, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. The city stressed that the rule was to prevent fires from starting in the city but also to protect homeless people from blazes started near encampments by others. Nonprofit groups working with the city will visit the camps, provide information about fire risk and help residents relocate voluntarily before any aggressive sweeps take place, the newspaper said. I do not like sweeps, and I do not like that we have a shortage of housing that people can afford to live in, Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty said. But I cannot stand by and do nothing as people are at risk of dying by fire. Detailed maps of high-risk areas prepared by the city's fire marshal will help campers know where they can't live, said Kaia Sand, director of Street Roots, an advocacy group for people experiencing homelessness and weekly alternative newspaper. But she said the solution is half baked unless the city also provides safe places for displaced residents to go. The fact that our city removes people without good alternatives for them to live has always been a problem and continues to be a problem, she said. A historic drought and recent heat waves tied to climate change have made wildfires harder to fight in the American West. Scientists say climate change has made the region much warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. MOSCOW (AP) A Russian space official on Friday blamed a software problem on a newly docked science lab for briefly knocking the International Space Station out of position. The space station lost control of its orientation for 47 minutes on Thursday, when Russia's Nauka science lab accidentally fired its thrusters a few hours after docking, pushing the orbiting complex from its normal configuration. The stations position is key for getting power from solar panels and for communications with space support teams back on Earth. The space station's communications with ground controllers also blipped out twice for a few minutes on Thursday. Vladimir Solovyov, flight director of the space station's Russian segment, blamed the incident on a short-term software failure. In a statement released Friday by the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Solovyov said because of the failure, a direct command to turn on the lab's engines was mistakenly implemented. He added the incident was quickly countered by the propulsion system of another Russian component at the station and at the moment, the station is in its normal orientation and all its systems are operating normally. Roscosmos director Dmitry Rogozin later Friday suggested that human factor may have been at play. There was such euphoria (after Nauka successfully docked with the space station), people relaxed to some extent, Rogozin said in a radio interview. Perhaps one of the operators didn't take into account that the control system of the block will continue to adjust itself in space. And it determined a moment three hours after (the docking) and turned on the engines." NASA said Thursday that the incident moved the station 45 degrees out of attitude, about one-eighth of a complete circle, but the complex was never spinning, there was no immediate damage or danger to the crew. The incident caused NASA to postpone a repeat test flight for Boeings crew capsule that had been set for Friday afternoon from Florida. It will be Boeings second attempt to reach the 250-mile-high (400-kilometer-high) station before putting astronauts on board. Software problems botched the first test. Russias long-delayed 22-ton (20-metric-ton) lab called Nauka arrived earlier Thursday, eight days after it launched from the Russian launch facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The launch of Nauka, which will provide more room for scientific experiments and space for the crew, had been repeatedly delayed because of technical problems. It was initially scheduled to go up in 2007. In 2013, experts found contamination in its fuel system, resulting in a long and costly replacement. Other Nauka systems also underwent modernization or repairs. Stretching 43 feet (13 meters) long, Nauka became the first new compartment for the Russian segment of the outpost since 2010. On Monday, one of the older Russian units, the Pirs spacewalking compartment, undocked from the station to free up room for the new lab. Nauka will require many maneuvers, including up to 11 spacewalks beginning in early September, to prepare it for operation. According to Solovyov, on Friday the crew was busy equalizing the pressure in Nauka and planned to open the hatch to the lab later in the day. The space station is currently operated by NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur; Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov of Russias Roscosmos space corporation; Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet. In 1998, Russia launched the stations first compartment, Zarya, which was followed in 2000 by another big piece, Zvezda, and three smaller modules in the following years. The last of them, Rassvet, arrived at the station in 2010. ___ Seth Borenstein in Kensington, Maryland, and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow, contributed to this report. SEATTLE (AP) A campaign to alter Seattles city charter and force it to handle homelessness differently, known as Compassion Seattle, has officially qualified to appear on the November ballot. The King County Department of Elections confirmed Wednesday morning that the measure Charter Amendment 29 had 34,714 valid signatures. It needed 33,060 to qualify for a vote. The Seattle Times reports that after reviewing all of the signatures, the department sent a certifying letter Monday evening to the Seattle city clerk. The Seattle City Council is scheduled to vote Monday on a resolution to include the charter amendment on the citys November 2021 ballot, according to Seattle City Clerk Monica Martinez Simmons. Then, the clerks office would notify the King County elections office to authorize the measures placement. If that happens and voters pass it, Charter Amendment 29 would force the mayor to create 2,000 shelter or housing spaces within a year, budget 12% of the citys general fund for homelessness and human services, and when there is enough housing or shelter for people living outside in Seattle keep public spaces such as parks and sidewalks free of encampments. The amendment would be in the city charter until the end of 2027. This is a significant milestone, and we applaud King County Elections for its responsive and expeditious work to validate the high volume of signatures the campaign returned, Compassion Seattle said in a statement. At the beginning of July, the campaign trumpeted the more than 66,000 signatures turned in double what was needed to move forward. However more than 30,000 signatures were thrown out or challenged by elections staff. The vast majority of those challenges were because the person was not registered to vote in the city of Seattle, Watkins said. For a signature to be validated, the person has to be registered to vote within that jurisdiction at the time the petition is checked. Since Charter Amendment 29 was announced earlier this year, it has received mixed feedback. Candidates for the mayoral primary next month are almost evenly split on it. While some homeless nonprofit leaders and advocates have spoken out in favor of it, others have started a campaign called House Our Neighbors to encourage Seattle voters to say No. BENSALEM, Pa. (AP) At least five people were injured when severe weather struck an auto dealership, homes and other businesses in eastern Pennsylvania, authorities said. The National Weather Service confirmed two tornadoes touched down Thursday in Bucks County, including an EF-3 twister that hit in Bensalem and contained top winds of 140 mph. The tornado sent trees falling and debris flying, while thunderous downpours flooded streets and roadways. I have been doing this for 34 years, I havent seen that sort of devastation from a storm, said Bensalem Police Public Safety Director Fred Harran. One of those tornadoes damaged the auto dealership and a mobile home park, news outlets reported. Four people were injured at the dealership and a fifth was hurt at a nearby business, Harran told reporters in a nighttime news conference. All injuries were considered non-life-threatening, he said. A video posted on Twitter shows a building at the dealership collapsed, with emergency sirens ringing. Anthony Perez, an employee at the dealership, told The Courier Times of Bucks County that a weather alert sounded on his phone just before the tornado hit. At that point, we were looking for shelter, he said. Everything was in a flash. Harran said authorities would work through the night to help people secure housing or return to their homes, restore power outages and clear the roadways, which were littered with debris after the tornadoes blew through. We're going to have Friday morning rush hour in that area, which has a lot of traffic, Harran said. Severe weather was a concern around the region Thursday, with the NWS issuing warnings in New Jersey and Ohio as well. At least three tornados touched down Thursday in New Jersey, and survey teams are still checking other damage left behind as the storms crossed the Delaware River and moved across the state. CAIRO (AP) The United Arab Emirates has sent six Yemeni detainees who were first held at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and then in the Gulf Arab federation, to their home nation of Yemen, the families of the men and a government official said Thursday. The transfer comes amid concerns that the former detainees could face significant dangers at home in Yemen, which is largely lawless after years of civil war. The men were held in detention for years in the UAE without charges, their families said. According to the Yemeni official, the six landed earlier this week in Yemens eastern Hadramawt province. The detainees had undergone rehabilitation while in the UAE, the official said, adding that they would all be released and reunited with their families in the coming weeks. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the transfer with the media, said the men would continue to be monitored by Yemeni security. United Nations rights experts said last year that forcibly returning detainees to Yemen could be a violation of international law. The experts said the men could face torture or ill-treatment once back in Yemen. The six were among 19 detainees 18 Yemenis and one Russian who were scooped up in Afghanistan and Pakistan after the Sept. 11 attacks. The 19 were transferred to custody in the UAE during the period between 2015 and 2017, when the U.S. released them from Guantanamo. Following this weeks release of the six, 13 from the original group remain held in the UAE. The mens continued confinement violated promises made by U.S. officials when they were sent to the UAE. In sporadic phone calls from undisclosed locations in the UAE, several whispered to their families that as bad as life in Guantanamo was, they wish they could return there, The Associated Press reported last year. The U.N. experts said the men had been subjected to continuous arbitrary detention at an undisclosed location, in the Emirates. Emirati authorities have not commented publicly on the handover and the UAEs Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to request for comment. A relative of one of the detainees shared photos of the emotional first meeting between one detainee and his son, now an adult, and of the two embracing. But he and others relatives remain concerned for their family members safety. His name and the full names of the Yemeni detainees are being withheld for fear that they might face retribution. The U.S.-based American Center for Justice, which follows human rights abuses in Yemen, welcomed the release of the six from Emirati custody but urged Yemens government to continue full care for them to help them integrate into society and practice their normal lives. Yemen, the Arab worlds poorest country has been wracked by a grinding civil war since 2014. Torture and arbitrary detention are widespread in networks of secret and formal prisons run by various factions controlling different parts of the country. The return of Yemenis comes after a Moroccan held for 19 years without charges at Guantanamo rejoined his family in this North African kingdom earlier this month. Abdullatif Nasser, now 56, is the first detainee at the Guantanamo Bay center to be transferred into the custody of his home country under the administration of President Joe Biden. Rights groups have called the detentions and the detention camp at Guantanamo, opened under President George W. Bush after the 2001 al-Qaida terrorist attacks, a historic wrong by the United States. There were allegations of torture in early questioning, and challenges to the lawfulness of military tribunals there. The Bush administration and supporters called the camp, on a U.S. naval base in Cuba, essential to safely managing international terror suspects. Almost 800 detainees have passed through Guantanamo. Of the 39 remaining, 10 are eligible to be transferred out, 17 are eligible to go through the review process for possible transfer, another 10 are involved in the military commission process used to prosecute detainees and two have been convicted, a senior administration official said. The 10 who are eligible for transfer are from Yemen, Pakistan, Tunisia, Algeria and the UAE. ___ Associated Press writer Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this story. ___ This story was first published on July 29, 2021. It was updated on July 31, 2021 to correct the name of the organization that welcomed the release. Local Advocates criticize sentencing of black protester in Manchester while white 'accomplice' gets community service A week after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Antwan Stroud took part in a protest in Manchester. He live-streamed his actions on Facebook on the night of June 2, 2020, for over an hour. The video shows him repeatedly cursing at members of law enforcement. At one point, after another protestor, Kyle Toledo, pulls firecrackers out of his pocket, Stroud tells him to light one. Later that night, in the parking lot of a Petco, Stroud, Toledo and a group of other people spotted an unmarked police car. They surround it, spit on it, and hurl insults, prompting the officer to call for backup. I was just mad and stuff about George Floyd, cause that could have been me, Stroud told NHPR. I have so many Black friends, Im Black. That could have been any one of us killed. While he doesnt regret taking part in a protest, he said hes embarrassed about what he said and did that night, as police helicopters circled overhead and officers in riot gear attempted to clear streets. There were no reported injuries and no widespread property damage stemming from the unrest and over a dozen people were arrested. Stroud and Toledo were two of them. But the sentences they received were very different, for virtually the same charge. These cases are two of several that led some advocates to question if racial bias at the Hillsborough County Attorneys office led to steeper penalties for Black protestors than their white counterparts. Stroud, 19, was originally sentenced to 30 days in jail, while Toledo, 21, who is white, was let off with community service. In the days following the unrest, Manchester Police issued press releases detailing the charges against the 13 people arrested that night, including Stroud. The PD also included mugshots. Of the mugshots, there were four people who were Black and one person whose name suggested they were Hispanic, Donna Brown, an attorney now representing Stroud, said. Those people were all charged with [felony] riot. But most of the white people were all charged with just disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, she said. The Union Leader noticed the same trend, and published a piece about the alleged disparities. Toledo was an exception to the alleged sentencing disparities. He and Stroud were both charged with felony riot. The affidavits in their cases are nearly identical, and theyre described as accomplices in paperwork. After reading about the case, Brown asked to take over as Strouds attorney. She filed a lengthy motion with the court, requesting the 30-day jail sentence be vacated. She also constructed a chart for the judge outlining what everyone was charged and sentenced with that night. The Hillsborough County Attorneys office, though, rejects what Brown sees as evidence of racial disparity. Prosecutors declined to comment for this story, but told the court that there is no racial bias in Strouds treatment. There is no manifest injustice here. Each defendant has been sentenced according to their conduct and nothing more, prosecutors wrote in a motion. They claim Strouds actions that night were more severe, including statements they say were aimed at inciting violence against members of law enforcement. But advocates of criminal justice reform see what happened as proof that there is systemic bias, whether it is implicit or explicit. It just shows that New Hampshire has a long way to go in dismantling systemic racism that exists within the justice system, Joseph Lascaze, an organizer with the ACLU of New Hampshire, said. If it hadnt been for the mugshots, no one may have pieced together the alleged unequal treatment. Lascaze says thats why the ACLU is pushing for the legislature to pass a law that would require law enforcement to collect demographic data, including race and ethnicity. Ultimately, Superior Court Judge William Delker ruled in favor of Antwan Stroud, rescinded his original sentence of 30 days in jail, and chastised prosecutors for not disclosing the different plea agreements. How could any defendant have confidence in the fairness of the criminal justice system when he knows that he will go to jail while his similarly-situated co-defendant, who was standing right next to him during the entire criminal episode, will do no time behind bars simply because the prosecutor decided to treat one man more harshly than the other? the judge wrote. On Friday, Stroud will again appear before Judge Delker for a second sentencing hearing. Stroud plans on apologizing. Im going to tell him Im sorry for the way I acted that night, like sincerely, that Im sorry. That I just lashed out, Stroud said. In their pre-hearing sentencing requests, prosecutors are again asking the court to impose a 30-day jail sentence for Stroud. They say his actions that night warrant a stronger punishment. Stroud is asking for community service, the same sentence Kyle Toledo received. Thank you for reading! You have reached your 30-day limit of free access to SentinelSource.com, The Keene Sentinels website. If you would like to read two more articles for free at this time, please register for an account by clicking the sign up button below. We hope you find The Sentinels coverage of the Monadnock Region valuable. We rely on our subscribers to bring you strong local journalism and hope you will consider supporting our work by taking advantage of this special subscription offer here. Coronavirus cases in San Francisco are up among the vaccinated and unvaccinated, but those who have received their shots are still very unlikely to become hospitalized, according to new data from the citys department of public health. The data show that San Francisco is averaging 176 new cases per day, which is 10 times higher than the average in early June, before the state reopened and cases were at a low point. The average case rate per 100,000 for the vaccinated is 16.2, compared to 36.8 for the unvaccinated. The unvaccinated are still suffering the brunt of the surge case rates among the unvaccinated are more than double that of vaccinated individuals, and hospitalization rates among the unvaccinated are eight times higher. San Franciscos data includes people who have only gotten one shot of a two-vaccine dose in the unvaccinated group. San Francisco is one of the more highly vaccinated cities in the nation, with 77% of eligible residents fully vaccinated. That means that breakthrough infections are more likely, Dr. Grant Colfax, the San Francisco director of health, said. We would expect to see breakthroughs, he said. But the vaccines are still working. Even with the delta variant being so prevalent now, if youre vaccinated, youre very unlikely to be hospitalized for COVID-19. Out of 3,000 San Franciscans who have been hospitalized with COVID-19, only 16 were fully vaccinated, he said. There have been no deaths among the fully vaccinated. San Franciscos data aligns with new data from the national Centers for Disease Control that shows that breakthrough infections are not as rare as previously thought, Colfax said. Still, the uptick in cases will likely lead to an indoor mask mandate in the city, Colfax said, echoing San Francisco Mayor London Breeds comments on Wednesday. A mandate will be decided early next week. But while masks will slow the spread, Colfax reiterated that the only way out of the pandemic is through increased vaccinations. This is something that people need to do for their own health and also for the health of people around them, he said. He added that theres evidence that delta variant which he called COVID on steroids leads to more serious complications than previous strains, underscoring the importance of the vaccine. There have not been any major outbreaks among children who are not yet eligible to get vaccinated, officials said, and the health department still supports a return to in-person learning in the fall. But if the vaccination rate continues to stagnate, cases, hospitalizations and deaths will continue to rise, Colfax said. He estimated that this would result in 250 more deaths of San Franciscans 95% of which would have been preventable if more eligible people were vaccinated. This is a whole new ballgame with delta, he said. It means doubling down on getting vaccinated as quickly as possible. Danielle Echeverria is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: danielle.echeverria@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DanielleEchev Correction: An earlier version of this article gave an incorrect average coronavirus case rate for San Francisco. It is 176 cases per day. In light of troubling new data about the delta variants infectiousness and increasing frequency of breakthrough cases, San Francisco and surrounding Bay Area counties appear poised to reinstitute indoor mask mandates as soon as next week. Bay Area health officers are very vigorously exploring issuing an indoor mask mandate, San Franciscos director of health Dr. Grant Colfax said Friday. I expect we will likely see action on that as early as next week. Such a mandate would mark a return to universal indoor masking, which the Bay Area and most of California have not seen since before the June 15 state reopening, when mask requirements for vaccinated people were lifted. Colfaxs remarks came shortly after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released information showing that the delta variant is extremely contagious, can be spread even by fully vaccinated people (albeit less frequently than by unvaccinated people) and is causing more breakthrough infections than anticipated. A report released Friday analyzes a July outbreak in Barnstable County, Mass., where 74%, or 346, of the 469 new cases were breakthroughs, meaning they affected people who were fully vaccinated. The delta variant was found in 90% of the cases, based on testing of 133 specimens. Of the breakthrough cases in that outbreak, 79%, or 274 people, had symptoms, and five were hospitalized. Four of the five hospitalized patients were fully vaccinated. None of the hospitalized patients died. The report also found that the cycle threshold a marker of how much virus an infected person has in their nasal swab, and thus how contagious they are is similar in vaccinated and unvaccinated people. This means vaccinated people with COVID, or breakthrough cases, may be able to spread the virus as easily as unvaccinated people with COVID. This lends credence to CDC recommendations announced this week that all Americans, vaccinated or not, start wearing masks again in indoor public spaces. The new findings suggest that the end of the pandemic could be farther away than many had hoped. And they should push public health officials toward enacting universal masking, Bay Area infectious disease experts said. If its true that breakthrough infections are just as likely to transmit, then its more difficult to control this pandemic because youre not slowing down transmission as much as we previously assumed would be the case, said Nadia Roan of the Gladstone Institute of Virology. Reassuringly, the vaccines are continuing to hold up well against delta at preventing severe disease and death. Even though most of the breakthrough cases in the Massachusetts outbreak were symptomatic, the fact that only four were hospitalized and none died should give people some comfort that the vaccines prevent the worst outcomes, experts said. In this cohort, we also see high rates of symptomatic disease but still only four hospitalized and no deaths, which is encouraging that vaccines work, said Dr. Abraar Karan of Stanfords division of infectious diseases. But I think this pushes us more toward masking even in fully vaccinated people until we close the vaccination gaps that we have. Universal masking would help reduce potential spread from vaccinated people to unvaccinated people, of whom there are still in the millions across the state and nation. As of Friday, 53% of Californians are fully vaccinated. The Friday report echoes some findings from a separate set of new CDC data, first reported Thursday by the Washington Post, that indicates the delta variant spreads as fast as chicken pox and faster than smallpox, Ebola, the 1918 flu, MERS and SARS and the common cold. The new evidence is from an internal CDC document. The document says an estimated 32,000 fully vaccinated people are getting symptomatic breakthrough infections each week among the 162 million vaccinated Americans. The research highlights the importance of communicating to the public that breakthrough cases should no longer be described as rare or a small percentage of cases. The new data makes messaging about the importance of getting vaccinated more challenging, said Dr. Charles Chiu, director of the UCSF-Abbott Viral Diagnostics and Discovery Center. Unvaccinated people may think its not worth getting vaccinated if they can still pass it on after vaccination. But experts stress that getting vaccinated makes it much less likely that one will get COVID in the first place, so people should still get vaccinated to protect themselves. I dont envy the CDC right now. I think its a difficult message to get out there, and its going to be more difficult as we see a greater percentage of the vaccinated get infected, Chiu said. Dr. Bob Wachter, chair of UCSFs Department of Medicine, made a similar point on Twitter: A communications challenge, he said, will be explaining to people whose attitude is: Im not getting vaxxed cuz Im as likely to infect others as if Im not vaxxed. Its an incorrect view, he said, because the chances of getting an infection in the first place is far lower one-eighth for vaccinated people as compared to unvaccinated ones. The data reinforce what was already becoming clear anecdotally in the real world, including from recent clusters of new cases in the Bay Area: Breakthroughs are increasingly common with delta. Earlier this month, 28 of the 59 residents at a Santa Rosa homeless shelter who tested positive for COVID this month were fully vaccinated. Less than half of the shelters 153 residents were partially or fully vaccinated. And dozens of breakthrough infections among hospital workers in San Francisco are stirring concern about potential staff shortages. Chronicle staff writer Erin Allday contributed to this report. Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_Ho Shasta Countys top prosecutor has decided Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is criminally responsible for the 2020 Zogg Fire, which killed four people and destroyed more than 200 buildings outside Redding. District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett announced in a brief Facebook post Thursday that her office would pursue criminal charges against PG&E over the fire, which burned more than 56,000 acres in Shasta and Tehama counties last year. Bridgett said she had not yet resolved what the nature and grade of the charges would be. She said she would make a final decision before the Sept. 27 anniversary of the Zogg Fire. I hope this information brings awareness to the importance of fire prevention during the current drought and severe wildfire season, Bridgett said in the Facebook post. California fire investigators previously said the fire started when a pine tree hit a PG&E power line. The company has already agreed to pay more than $12 million to Shasta and Tehama counties because of the fire. PG&E spokeswoman Lynsey Paulo said in a statement that the death and destruction caused by the Zogg Fire was heartbreaking, and company leaders recognize that nothing can heal the hearts of those who have lost so much. In addition to resolving civil claims from local governments over the fire, PG&E has been reaching settlements with individual victims and their families in an effort to make it right, Paulo said. We do not, however, agree with the district attorneys conclusion that criminal charges are warranted given the facts of this case, she said. We remain committed to doing everything we can to keep our customers and communities safe. Its not the only recent disaster for which prosecutors have sought to hold PG&E criminally liable. In April, Sonoma Countys district attorney filed criminal charges against PG&E over the 2019 Kincade Fire, which destroyed 374 buildings and burned about 78,000 acres outside Geyserville. PG&E also pleaded guilty last year to 84 felony counts of involuntary manslaughter over the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history that virtually leveled the Butte County town of Paradise. According its own report to regulators, PG&E may also be responsible for the massive Dixie Fire thats burning in Butte and Plumas counties. The company is still on probation because of felony convictions arising from the 2010 San Bruno gas pipeline explosion that killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes. J.D. Morris is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris SACRAMENTO Californians upset with Gov. Gavin Newsoms pandemic rules which shuttered businesses, kept schoolkids at home and mandated masks helped fuel the September recall election that could spell the end of his political career. But among the allies rushing to Newsoms defense are doctors, nurses, dentists and other health care interests who credit those pandemic measures for protecting them as front-line workers and saving the lives of countless Californians. Their unions and trade associations have written checks totaling more than $4.8 million as of 10 a.m. Friday to keep the first-term Democrat in office, according to a KHN analysis of campaign finance filings with the California secretary of states office. Even before COVID-19, Newsom had been a steadfast health care advocate and ally, adopting policies that expanded health benefits and coverage to hundreds of thousands of Californians and lined the pockets of the industry in the process. Hes done so much so broadly within the health care sector in California to the benefit of patients and providers of all sorts, said Andrew Kelly, an assistant professor in the Department of Health Sciences at California State University-East Bay. That is good for the health care business, as well as our community improving access to care and outcomes. Californians will decide Sept. 14 whether to recall Newsom on a ballot that also asks them to pick his replacement from a list of 46 candidates. If more than 50% of voters choose yes to recall Newsom, the candidate who wins the most votes will replace him. A poll released Tuesday by the University of California-Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies found that 47% of likely voters said they favor recalling Newsom, compared with 50% who said they oppose recalling the governor. Newsoms supporters have given more than $40 million to fight the recall, compared with nearly $12 million by recall backers, which includes $5 million from Cox for his own campaign. The health care contributions to fight the recall make up a fraction of the total, but theyre far-reaching: Health care worker unions, dentists, physicians, pharmacists, insurance companies, at least one hospital and others have made big contributions to independent campaign committees created by Newsoms supporters that can accept unlimited donations. The health care group that has given the most $2.25 million is the union representing Californias nursing home workers and in-home caregivers, Service Employees International Union 2015. Other contributions included $150,000 from the Union of American Physicians and Dentists (whose members include doctors and dentists employed by the state and some counties) and $500,000 from the California Dental Association. These groups either declined telephone interviews or did not respond to requests for comment. In an emailed statement, SEIU 2015 did not address its sizable contributions but said it intended to mobilize our mostly black, brown and immigrant caregivers who have been on the front lines of this pandemic to make their voices heard as we go door-to-door, over the phone and online encouraging a vote against the recall. An emailed statement from the California Dental Association said its political action committee puts a great deal of consideration into supporting candidates who are interested in solving the challenges experienced by the dental profession and their patients. Republican candidates havent received any big donations defined by the California Fair Political Practices Commission as $1,000 or more from organized health care groups. Sal Rosselli, president of the National Union of Healthcare Workers, which represents nurses, drug rehab counselors, pharmacists and others, said his unions 15,000 members are grateful for Newsoms leadership in the pandemic citing his first-in-the-nation statewide stay-at-home order, his directive to hospitals last winter to test workers for the coronavirus, and other workplace orders that protected essential workers. These are all examples of real leadership, Rosselli said. In January, the union created a ballot committee to urge Californians not to sign the recall petition chipping in just over $100,000 of its own money and collecting $10,000 apiece from state Senate leader Toni Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, among others, to help pay for political ads praising Newsoms leadership during the pandemic. Nathan Click, a Newsom campaign spokesperson, did not address the money Newsom has received from the health care industry, but said Californians have a clear choice for governor. On one side, you have a governor who has expanded health care for Californians and fought to lower health care costs for families, Click said via email. On the other side are a bunch of Trump lackeys who want to repeal Obamacare and take away health care from those who need it most. When Newsom campaigned for governor in 2018, he called for a government-backed, single-payer health system at a time when the Trump administration and many Republican lawmakers were trying to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. He hasnt delivered on his single-payer pledge, citing insurmountable federal hurdles. But he has signed legislation and advocated for policies that insured more Californians or boosted their benefits, policies that also enrich insurers and providers by bringing them more patients. The recall has handed the unions an opportunity to pressure Newsom to act on his single-payer pledge, arguing that the pandemic has laid bare deadly disparities in health care. For example, Latinos in California not only were exposed to the coronavirus at much higher rates but also died at 1.5 times the rate of white Californians, according to researchers at Stanford University. We trust that Gavin Newsom is the person to lead on single-payer, said Rosselli, who has known Newsom since he got into politics nearly 20 years ago. To make California the first state in the nation as an example for the rest of the country on ending these inequities in health care. This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation. After a dismal pandemic year, cities and industries are optimistic about a rebound in international travelers visiting the U.S. Already, more people are traveling from abroad to U.S. cities like Miami and New York. But one city that has yet to see substantially more overseas travelers is San Francisco. The number of overseas visitors entering the U.S. through San Francisco was down 93% in June, according to preliminary data from the International Trade Administration. The agency tracks visitation through I-94s, which are forms completed by overseas visitors when entering the United States by air, land or sea. Nearly all of San Franciscos I-94s are collected at the San Francisco International Airport. An overseas visitor is defined as a nonresident traveling to the U.S. for at least one night (but less than a year) and for reasons other than employment. People traveling for business, tourism or other personal reasons are included. Pre-pandemic, San Francisco was one of the most popular U.S. destinations for overseas visitors. It had the fourth most international travelers in June 2019, behind New York, Los Angeles and Miami. The city now ranks 12th, with about 15,000 overseas visitors entering last month down 93% from 233,000 in June 2019. Visitation to Los Angeles is also low, with 88% fewer travelers from abroad. Meanwhile, international travel to Miami has shot up in recent months and is down only 24% from pre-pandemic levels. Overseas visitors to the city now make up 34% of the nations total 24 percentage points higher than what it was in 2019. San Franciscos overseas visitors, however, comprise just 2% of the U.S. total, down five percentage points from before the pandemic. The primary reason for San Franciscos steep decline is the citys mix of travelers, according to SFO spokesperson Doug Yakel. Most inbound international activity at SFO is from Asia, where COVID-19 cases have increased in recent months and have led to restrictions on travelers from certain Asian countries. Major airports on the east coast, however, do not rely as much on travel from Asia and instead cater to European visitors. European travelers are currently leading the recovery in U.S. inbound travel, remarked Yakel. While this is most noticeable at east coast airports, he has observed this at SFO as well. Back in May, we were averaging about 500 people coming in from Europe. This month, that number is about 1,700, so more than triple the number of people in May, he said. Despite this tripling, international arrivals remain low, and Yakel expects this to persist until COVID-19 cases fall internationally and travel restrictions are lifted. Inbound international travel that will probably be the last category to recover, he said. Nami Sumida is a San Francisco Chronicle data visualization developer. Email: nami.sumida@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @namisumida Teachers and other staff in San Jose schools will have to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or get tested twice a week, district officials announced this week, a decision directed at mitigating the delta variant and rising case rates just as classrooms are set to fully reopen. The South Bay district was among the first school systems in the country to mandate vaccines for employees, following New Yorks lead, even as other education officials across the Bay Area contemplate the idea. San Jose Unified, which serves more than 30,000 students, appears to be the first district in the Bay Area to require employees to be vaccinated, but probably not the last. I think its probably likely that others will follow, said Jennifer Maddox, spokeswoman for the district, given public health officials in the Bay Area have urged employers to require vaccinations and some cities, including San Francisco, have already required them for city workers. Patrick Bernhardt, president of the San Jose Teachers Association, was consulted about the idea, but the district handled the specifics. We definitely have a more collaborative relationship in San Jose, the union leader said, adding that ventilation in district schools had been updated prior to the pandemic. According to Maddox, 90% of the districts more than 3,000 employees have already reported they are vaccinated. I think for the vast majority of employees, its a nonissue, she said. San Jose Unified will not be offering a distance learning option in the fall, and all schools will be open for in-person instruction. Students will be required to wear masks indoors, and adult staff will also be required to wear masks when indoors with students. Masks will also be required outdoors unless students are eating, drinking or engaging in physical activity. In July, California announced that masks will be required indoors at schools. Though schools remained shuttered through much of the last year, San Jose schools did reopen classrooms in April, with about a third of students returning for in-person instruction, according to Maddox. She explained that for the kids who did return, masking was not an issue. It seems like the kids are good about it and dont seem to mind it, she said. And it really is the best protection. Students and teachers in the district return to school for the 2021-22 school year on Aug. 18. So far, officials in San Francisco Unified and other local districts have opted not to require vaccines, which would likely require the agreement of local labor unions. As of Friday, spokespeople for the San Francisco Unified School District said although it hadnt ruled out the possibility for a change later on, the district currently was not mandating vaccinations, or weekly testing for its staff and students. Nathalie Hrizi, a spokesperson for the United Educators of San Francisco, told The Chronicle in a statement that at the moment, vaccine mandates with disciplinary measures cannot be imposed as the vaccine does not have FDA approval, referring to full approval. The vaccine is currently approved under emergency use authorization. UESF supports the requirement that workers either be vaccinated or be offered regular testing as a measure to keep workers, students and communities safe. We reject the idea that workers would face losing their jobs or other disciplinary actions for being unvaccinated particularly in the midst of a continuing economic crisis, the statement read. San Francisco parent Josh Mukhopadhyay, whose 7-year-old will be a second-grader at Alvarado Elementary, said he is disappointed by the districts silence on the issue of a vaccine mandate. If the decision is that theyre not going to make a vaccine mandate, they need to say why theyre doing that, Mukhopadhyay said. With 2 weeks until school starts ... its just another example of district dysfunction. The decision was easier in New York City, where Mayor Bill de Blasio has control over the school district while in San Francisco, the school district is independent, with oversight by the seven-member school board, and not subject to city policies. So even though Mayor London Breed has required all city employees to get mandated, SFUSD hasnt yet. The district hasnt offered an explanation. We are reviewing the new OSHA guidance in consideration of next steps. We have been strongly urging staff and students who are eligible to get vaccinated for months, including to host vaccine clinics at schools over the summer, said San Francisco district spokesperson Laura Dudnick. Californias coronavirus test positivity rate climbed up to 6.2% this week, a level not seen since before individuals had access to vaccines in early February. San Franciscos coronavirus positivity rate was 3.5%, several times higher than it was in June 0.48%. So far, 76% of San Franciscos eligible population has been vaccinated, but with increasing concerns about the highly contagious delta variant, businesses and organizations are also starting to take new protective steps. Earlier this week, droves of bars and restaurants announced they would require proof of vaccination to enter. Bernhardt said the district, in talks with the unions, looked at the policies made by private sectors and government organizations before announcing its plan of a joint vaccination and testing requirement. Emma Talley and Annie Vainshtein are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: emma.talley@sfchronicle.com, annie.vainshtein@sfchronicle.com Some Bay Area counties could order everyone to mask up again indoors, as new federal data underscores the threat of the delta variant including that it appears to be more transmissible among vaccinated people than previously thought. Currently, eight of the nine Bay Area counties along with the state of California recommend, but do not mandate, that people mask up indoors, whether or not they are vaccinated. Only Solano County has not made this recommendation. But the situation is changing quickly. Los Angeles, Yolo and Sacramento counties have mandated indoor masks. Bay Area health officials are closely monitoring developments, and Dr. Grant Colfax, San Franciscos director of health, said on Friday that the city was in discussions with surrounding counties and very vigorously looking into a mask mandate with action expected as early as next week. Heres where each Bay Area county stands on masks: Alameda County While fully vaccinated residents are well protected from severe illness due to the virus, there is limited emerging evidence that vaccinated people can spread the virus to others, said Neetu Balram, a spokesperson with the Alameda County Public Health Department. Coupled with vaccinations, masks provide an additional layer of protection and limit the spread of COVID-19. Were taking all of this under consideration as we determine whether a mask mandate is needed. Contra Costa County We are carefully monitoring local transmission data and will notify the public promptly if there is a need to modify or update local health orders, said Karl Fischer, a spokesperson with Contra Costa County. Marin County We still have not yet changed any recommendations, said Laine Hendricks, a spokesperson with Marin County. But given increased case rates both locally and regionally, including breakthrough cases, we are closely monitoring our data and considering it as an option if the data warrants. Napa County No information was available for Napa County. San Francisco County Mayor London Breed said this week that the city is considering whether to require masks again until more people are vaccinated and cases decline again. Yes, we are looking at mask mandates for both vaccinated and unvaccinated, Breed said. San Mateo County San Mateo County is not considering a mandate for masks or social distancing at this time, said Preston Merchant, spokesman with San Mateo County Health. We continue to recommend masking for everyone indoors, regardless of vaccination status, and urge everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated. Santa Clara County No information was available for Santa Clara County. Solano County Solano County is the only Bay Area county that hasnt issued a recommendation that people wear masks. Jose Caballero, a senior health education specialist with Solano County health and social services, said mask rules wouldnt address the key factors causing cases to rise: private social gatherings and under-vaccinated populations. The public health department is focused on improving vaccine outreach and access for under-resourced neighborhoods and individuals, he said. Even so, the county encourages concerned community members to wear masks indoors if they are unsure of the vaccination status of those they are interacting with for prolonged periods or the unvaccinated. Sonoma County Dr. Sundari Mase, Sonoma Countys health officer, said at a news conference on Wednesday that she was strongly recommending everyone wear masks in indoor public settings. Because the delta variant is so transmissible, we will keep stressing the importance of masking, Mase said. Chronicle staff writers Trisha Thadani, Catherine Ho and Aidin Vaziri contributed to this report. Julie Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: julie.johnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @juliejohnson The aerial drone hovered low over the rooftop of a yellow clapboard home where Salinas police were looking for an intoxicated man allegedly brandishing a weapon. Gerardo Martinez emerged from a side door, cupped his eyes and squinted to his right. The 19-year-old wore a dark Marilyn Monroe t-shirt with the word LOVE printed across it. Moments later he reappeared with what turned out to be a BB gun. A police officers rifle round sent Martinez crashing back inside. According to the Monterey County District Attorneys Office account of the fatal July 16 shooting, officers had ordered Martinez to surrender in Spanish. Because he hailed from Oaxaca, Mexico, he spoke Zapotec, not Spanish, community activists say. The Zapotec mans death plunged his family into the middle of a scalding national debate about deadly police encounters. It also exposed just how marginalized the small, indigenous community is in Monterey County, say community organizers who are trying to help the family get answers. Its a continual fight of ensuring that institutions know how to work with our community, said Sarait Martinez, executive director of Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indigena Oaxaqueno and a Zapotec woman who is not related to the family. We definitely continue to be invisible. LiPo Ching/Special to The Chronicle The video from the Police Department drone covers the last 106 seconds of what authorities say was a 30-minute encounter. It shows Gerardo Martinez opening the side door of his house four times, including two with the BB gun in his hand. On the fourth time he emerges, he is shot. The District Attorneys Office says Salinas police Officer Mario Reyes was positioned behind the engine block of his patrol car 50 feet away when he fired three rounds from his rifle, at least one of which struck Martinez in the torso. The 19-year-old died at the scene. Martinezs parents are farmworkers who supported their three sons on minimum wage harvesting mushrooms. They were not home the Friday night when their middle son was killed. When they later went to the office of District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni to find out what happened, there was no Zapotec translator available, recalled Airam Coronado, program and leadership assistant with the MILPA Collective, who accompanied them. LiPo Ching/Special to The Chronicle They said, no, they said that they do not have an interpreter, only the person that speaks Spanish, Coronado said. Coronado said the family had brought a relative who spoke both Zapotec and Spanish, but that the relative wasnt allowed inside. Martinezs family is part of an unknown number of indigenous people who have come to California from Mexico and Central America. In 2010, the Indigenous Farmworker Study conducted with California Rural Legal Assistance estimated there were 165,000 indigenous farmworkers in California. Eighty percent of Salinas is Latino and over one third is foreign-born, according to U.S. Census data, yet it is unclear how many Zapotecs live in the community. Farmworkers make up one fifth of residents, according to the city. LiPo Ching/Special to The Chronicle That the population remains uncounted is not an accident, says Sarait Martinez, the local Zapotec activist. Without knowing how many Zapotec or Chinantec or Kiche speakers there are in an area, translation services are almost non-existent, pushing community members deeper into isolation, she said. Youre always Mexican, youre always Latino and youre always Hispanic, Sarait Martinez told The Chronicle. There has been this effort by even the government to erase our identity, erase our culture and our language. The police killing of Gerardo Martinez represents the starkest example of community isolation. Yet the life and death stakes were also evident during wildfires and the pandemic. Of the 44,484 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Monterey County as of July 29, 57% were recorded in Salinas, the county seat, local public health data shows. Latino and Hispanic residents also accounted for 57% of those infections, while agriculture workers made up for 8%. Latino and Hispanic residents were also far more likely to experience severe infections than any other race or ethnicity in the county, accounting for nearly 70% of hospitalizations and 56% of deaths. Sarait Martinez said public health information about COVID-19 never penetrated the Zapotec community, and that vaccine access has become another issue. When the River Fire devoured 48,000 acres east of Salinas last August, there was no information in Zapotec about N95 masks or other protections farmworkers could take, she added. Last year we had our people working in the fields with the smoke right there, she said. A week after the shooting, dozens of people gathered in a park close to the home where Martinez lived and died. They marched to the police station and held a vigil in the parking lot. Flowers encircled photos of other people shot by police. Paulina Chavez and Mario Martinez, Gerardos parents, brought a black framed photo of their son. They declined to speak to the media and were initially reluctant to attend, said Cesar Lara, program director of MILPA, a social justice group. He wondered whether this non-English, non-Spanish-speaking family knew how common fatal police shootings were. I think their natural reaction is fear and shame, Lara said. Salinas police have fatally shot at least nine men going back to 2013, according to a review of media reports. The District Attorneys Office is responsible for reviewing fatal uses of force to determine whether the officers broke any criminal laws. A webpage devoted to past decisions by the office was down on Friday. Police Department spokesperson Miguel Cabrera said officers are trained with the goal to bring every situation to a good conclusion. He declined to comment specifically on the Gerardo Martinez shooting, citing the countys investigation. The Salinas Police Department was allocated $53 million this year, or 43.5% of the citys budget. Its not a lack of resources that they have, its more a lack of truly understanding the immigrants and working families in our city, Lara said. Paulina Chavez and Mario Martinez, meanwhile, are in the process of returning their sons body home, a difficult and expensive journey that involves coordinating with the Oaxacan government. MILPA started a GoFundMe page that reached its $17,000 goal in 10 days. Its an endeavor Gerardo Martinezs parents never expected to undertake when they came to Salinas, say those who know them. We need to make sure that this never happens again, Sarait Martinez said. Deepa Fernandes is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: Depa.Fernandes@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @deepafern East Bay law enforcement officials vowed Friday to resume the search for Philip Kreycik, a Berkeley man who disappeared 20 days ago after he left for a run and never returned. The Pleasanton Police Department and Alameda County Sheriffs Office will send out search teams for Kreycik Saturday in a final push to find him, said Sergeant Ray Kelly with the Alameda County Sheriffs Office. Kelly said search teams will focus on the deep ravines, creek beds and water runoff areas in Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park Saturday morning. While authorities search for Kreycik lasted eight days following his disappearance, a community search team composed of over 100 volunteers have not stopped since they first formed. There has not been a day where somebody has not been searching for Philip, Kelly said. Kreycik went missing after he left his Berkeley home on July 10 for what was intended as a one-hour run mid-morning through the park. After days of searching using drones, thermal imaging cameras, helicopters and other tools yielded no sign of Kreycik, law enforcement officials said they would scale back the hunt. Lets bring some closure here, so that his family has the answers they deserve, Kelly said. Thats the part of the story were unable to complete. He went running and went missing and we dont know what happened. Omar Shaikh Rashad is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: omar.rashad@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @omarsrashad Listen on your favorite app It's another huge moment in the pandemic: the full return of in-person instruction at Bay Area public schools. But what will that look like? And are we ready amid the frightening surge of the delta variant of the coronavirus? Chronicle health reporter Jill Tucker tells host Demian Bulwa how school officials are preparing, including what they are requiring in terms of vaccinations, masks and social distancing. She talks about how students are transitioning back. And she discusses the prospect of potential lockdowns in the future. At the height of its fame, Bar Agricole drew crowds to its sleek concrete dining room for innovative cocktails with seasonal small plates. In 2019, it won a James Beard Award for its bar program after getting nominated eight years in a row. Then, at the start of the pandemic, it shut down along with owner Thad Voglers three other San Francisco restaurants. To many, the closures were surprising. But behind the scenes, money was so tight that some employees paychecks bounced and several vendors filed lawsuits to get paid. As recently as fall 2020, staffers filed complaints with the state alleging tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid wages. Others complained of a volatile work environment. Now, Vogler is attempting to resurrect Bar Agricole in a dramatically new way. Over the past year, hes convened a four-person think tank focused on reimagining what a restaurant could be without any hierarchy without an executive chef, a bar director or even a traditional owner. In some ways, the new Bar Agricole wont be a restaurant at all. To Vogler, radical transformation is essential. When he ran Bar Agricole along with charcuterie-focused Trou Normand, rum-forward Obispo and stylish Nommo, he said, he was constantly low on cash and getting burnt out. I was going from place to place, watching them get worse and feeling totally overwhelmed, he said. I was just feeling done. The pandemic gave Vogler a chance to start over, to focus on his love of single-origin spirits instead of restaurant operations. And to go back to just one business: Bar Agricole. Last year inspired other Bay Area restaurant owners to rethink their businesses, too, often with an eye toward equity. Fine dining spot Sons & Daughters raised salaries, expanded benefits and instituted profit sharing, while Arab bakery Reems is working toward becoming a cooperative. But some former employees are skeptical about Bar Agricoles comeback. Five ex-staffers at Voglers restaurants who spoke with The Chronicle echoed claims contained in complaints filed with the state and several lawsuits: Money was a constant source of tension, with workers not getting paid on time or dealing with bounced checks. An ex-server said the financial problems combined with a lack of communication eroded her trust in management so much so that shed never consider working for the restaurant group again. In a few cases, workers filed wage theft claims with the state. In a September 2020 complaint, former server Trevor Rogers said Bar Agricole owes him more than $30,000 because of bounced paychecks and late payments from 2018 to 2020. Two years earlier, former dishwasher Francisco Javier Mis Chan alleged that he was owed about $20,000 for unpaid overtime and for rest breaks, among other issues. There were also four wage-theft complaints filed against Trou Normand in 2015. The state didnt have details on how all of the cases were resolved except for Rogers complaint, which is scheduled for a 2023 court date. Meanwhile, lawsuits for nonpayment issues have piled up in recent years. Voglers restaurants have been hit with seven lawsuits from vendors, landlords and city agencies since 2018. That year, for example, San Francisco sued the group for not making more than $100,000 in mandatory health insurance payments for nearly 100 employees. Pawnee Leasing Corp. sued Nommo in 2020, alleging the restaurant defaulted on rent payments and owed more than $90,000. And a debt collector sued Bar Agricole on the behalf of seafood vendor Monterey Fish Market for failing to pay more than $16,000. In these three cases, judges ruled against Voglers restaurants. All vendors have since been paid, Vogler said, and he has signed personal guarantees with them. Based on this track record, Rogers questioned whether Vogler and Bar Agricole deserve a second chance. At a certain point, you stop just being the owner: Youre responsible to customers, vendors and employees, Rogers said. There seems to be a gross disregard for the well-being of the people who are depending on you. Vogler said he doesnt disagree with Rogers. I do not feel qualified or entitled to run restaurants and hope not to ever again. We are starting a different kind of company, he wrote by email. We have chosen to use the name Bar Agricole because it acknowledges what we are proud to have accomplished in the beverage world. Part of that decision is remaining accountable for the mistakes weve made as well. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle 2019 For his new enterprise, Vogler assembled a team of Nick Balla, best known as the former chef of Bar Tartine; Amy Reynolds, the director of operations for Traci Des Jardins restaurants; and J.D. Nasaw, a hospitality consultant. Vogler hopes his new vision fixes what he sees as two major issues in successfully operating restaurants: having a lot of employees who are paid poorly with little job security and, as a result, having a lot of employees who show up for their shifts but otherwise dont engage further. In his ideal scenario, everyone is paid well and motivated to make the company better. By getting rid of a restaurants typical hierarchical governance, where cooks, servers and dishwashers answer to the executive chef and general manager, Vogler said, there is no need for lower-paid employees doing all of the tasks no one else wants to do, like emptying the trash. He said he plans to give 20% of company shares to employees so they all have ownership. The plan is to hire about 20 people, and one agenda item in the coming months is to decide how to allocate shares and institute profit-sharing. Bar Agricole is also working toward B Corporation certification, which means it must meet high standards for environmental sustainability, social good and public transparency. B Corporation restaurants are extremely rare in the U.S.; there are a handful in the Bay Area, including Hog Island Oyster Co. and the salad chain Mixt. There is an additional principle guiding the new Bar Agricole, Vogler said: sociocracy. Its a relatively new model that was born in the Netherlands and introduced to Vogler by hospitality consultant Nasaw. In addition to eliminating hierarchy, it groups workers into teams that make decisions together based on consent. At a restaurant, sociocracy would ideally create an environment where everyone is constantly learning, working together and ruling as a collective body, according to Nasaw. There would be no job titles. Instead, people would take on roles, such as designing a menu, for limited periods of time, perhaps as brief as six months. Along with hierarchy, there is a lot of domination, a lot of exploitation, Nasaw said. Sociocracy pushes power from what would normally be the top to out to the periphery, so the person actually making cocktails has as much authority as possible over their job. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle 2019 Nasaw came to sociocracy after a career managing high-end restaurants like three-Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park in New York. Overall, he noticed a lack of leadership training in the industry and thought it could help make restaurants better places to work. He started teaching workshops around the country, bringing him to Bar Agricole in 2019. But over time, he realized spreading knowledge wasnt enough to enact real change. He decided he needed to create new systems, which meant eliminating top-down management altogether. Unlike a worker-owned co-op governed by consensus, a restaurant under sociocracy should be able to make decisions faster. Instead of needing everyone to agree to move forward, the model employs consent decision-making, where no one objecting means an action can move forward. Sociocracy proponents say it requires a mindset adjustment to think about accepting various outcomes versus pushing for specific outcomes. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. The new Bar Agricole is Nasaws first big test: How will sociocracy work in practice in hospitality? For one, Bar Agricole is no longer set up as a traditional restaurant operation. Voglers group landed instead on a business plan thats more like a specialty coffee company. Bar Agricole will primarily be a spirits company, but maintain a bar on the ground floor of a new luxury building at 1550 Mission St., assuming lease negotiations and funding go well. Its designed as a place to enjoy a drink and a small bite, with nowhere near the level of ambition for food and service as the original Bar Agricole. The goal is to launch in December with bottles under a new proprietary Bar Agricole label as well as spirits Vogler has purchased from around the world. While the new business plan may ease Bar Agricoles financial concerns, its unclear whether sociocracy will be able to prevent the sorts of inappropriate behavior that can run rampant in restaurants. Rogers and other ex-staffers of Voglers restaurants described a difficult work environment where a former manager routinely yelled, threw objects and used lewd language behavior they said was tolerated for too long. Vogler said his new team is actively learning how to create a healthier work culture. Under its new model, that manager wouldnt be a manager at all, Nasaw pointed out, creating a dynamic he hopes would empower other employees to object to poor conduct when they see it. There is another dynamic at play, however: Vogler is a nationally acclaimed bartender. On a practical level, can there truly be no hierarchy or deferential treatment when an industry star is the companys founder? Vogler appears to be trying and hoping. When he connected The Chronicle to Bar Agricoles first three hires, for instance, he told the employees that agreeing to an interview was not expected. Whatever appeals to you. The workers declined or didnt respond. For Rogers, Bar Agricoles plan to give employees an ownership stake sounds like an important and positive change. But he also wonders whether sociocratic governance can realistically keep problematic staffers in check. Thad was hands-off, and I think thats where a lot of the difficulties in the restaurant came from. The personalities that needed to be guided, there was nobody watching them, Rogers said. Whether or not he can assemble a staff that is up to the task is questionable. Vogler agrees itll be a challenge. But opening a traditional restaurant, financially unsustainable and limping along, is not an option either. Its difficult, and it may not work, because the fact is that this has to succeed as a company. We have to do a great deal of sales, Vogler said. Its not guaranteed at all. Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @janellebitker Dozens of fully vaccinated staff members at two San Francisco hospitals have developed COVID-19 over the past six weeks, almost all of them infected in the community not on the job as the delta-fueled fourth surge took off across the city. Thirty-five staff members at San Francisco General Hospital are out sick after testing positive for the coronavirus, said Dr. Luke Day, chief medical officer. Three-quarters of them are fully vaccinated. Though that number makes up a small portion of the staff of 7,000, its about as many staff infections as were reported during the peak of the winter surge. At UCSF, about 140 staff members out of 35,000 total employees have been infected since mid June, said Dr. Ralph Gonzalez, chief innovation officer for UCSF Health. About 80% of those who tested positive were fully vaccinated. None of the infected staff members have been so sick they needed to be hospitalized. Both hospitals say they have plans in place to cover those who are out sick or who arent able to work because of a COVID exposure. But administrators are concerned about potential staffing shortages as this surge builds. And with increasing evidence that the delta variant can more easily infect even those who are vaccinated, and can spread among that group, too, they are pleading with the public to wear masks again and resume some of the other social distancing precautions they largely abandoned six weeks ago when the state dropped most public health mandates. All the people who are working in health care know how hard this is. We were all feeling like we were finally going to take a breather from this pandemic, said Dr. Lisa Winston, medical director for infection control at San Francisco General. My hope is that if we can keep getting vaccine rates higher, and wear our masks when were in public places and maybe distance a little bit. The more we can all do, the better our chances at avoiding the things that are more painful. The cases among hospital staff are reflective of whats happening in the broader community, as people dropped their masks and started gathering again when the state reopened June 15, just as the highly infectious delta variant was silently starting to dominate. Cases have been doubling every two weeks or so across the Bay Area since then, and though rates of infection are much higher among people who are not vaccinated, post-vaccination breakthrough cases appear to be more common than health experts had anticipated. But its clear the vaccines are still preventing most infections, Gonzalez said. Were still seeing a strong vaccine protective effect, he said. Instead of 140 cases (among staff), it would be 600 or 700 if you use the unvaccinated rate of infection. And Day said the vaccines are working remarkably well at preventing serious illness. People can still get COVID with the vaccines, he said. But the cases are much milder, you dont get hospitalized and you dont die from it, and thats the goal of the vaccine. Hospitalizations for COVID have been climbing at San Francisco General and other Bay Area medical centers. As of Thursday, more than 600 people were hospitalized with COVID in the Bay Area, a nearly fourfold increase since June 15. Hospitalizations have increased fivefold in San Francisco, from just 16 six weeks ago to 83 patients on Thursday. At San Francisco General, 17 people were hospitalized with COVID as of Thursday afternoon far below the winter peak, when up to 70 people were hospitalized and 1 in 4 =patients there had COVID. But just six weeks ago only one person was hospitalized with COVID, Day said. Just over the last week and a half, weve seen our numbers increase by 100%, he said. Both San Francisco General and UCSF have dusted off their surge plans and reinstated policies to preserve hospital capacity. They have resumed coronavirus testing of every patient admitted to the hospital, regardless of vaccination status. Gonzalez at UCSF said the climbing infection rates among staff were an early signal that a fourth surge may be building in San Francisco. In late June, less than two weeks after the state reopened, the hospital saw an uptick in staff requesting coronavirus tests because they had symptoms of COVID. Now, he said, theyve had to add staff to the occupational safety team to keep up with demand for testing and case investigation in the hospital. Cases at both hospitals have been reported among all types of staff, including doctors and nurses. Almost everyone was infected in the community from going to bars or restaurants, shopping, traveling or gathering with friends. Like everyone else in this pandemic, hospital staff took advantage of the states reopening to remove their masks and reengage with friends and family. We encouraged staff to take some time off and take vacations to recharge, Day said. Were part of our communities, were not immune to this, and even with best practices and best intentions you can contract this virus. Dr. Marissa Raymond-Flesch, a pediatrician specializing in adolescent care at UCSF, fell ill with COVID in mid-July, shortly after taking a week off work and vacationing at home in San Francisco. Her husband and 2-year-old son were infected, too. Raymond-Flesch and her husband are both fully vaccinated, and Im so grateful I was vaccinated, she said. I think that being vaccinated likely kept me out of the hospital, because I had a surprisingly symptomatic infection. She was not hospitalized but experienced terrible muscle aches and fatigue, and she lost her sense of taste and smell. Her husband had a bad cough and some breathing problems. Her son had mild symptoms, which Im very, very grateful for. He had a bad cold and was very tired, and had some low-grade fevers. Now he mostly keeps asking, Mama, can we get fresh air? Raymond-Flesch said. She said that after more than a year of taking extreme care not to be infected for her own protection and to keep her family safe it was upsetting to test positive, and in turn to watch her husband and son get sick, too. Weve been so so cautious its hard for me to emphasize that enough. We are a family that has never really gone outdoors without masks, she said. We were just starting to get out in the world a little bit more. We had gone to the zoo. We started having small, small get-togethers with vaccinated friends. Hospital administrators and staff said in some ways its especially difficult for health care workers to be facing yet another surge, after being on the front lines and treating the sickest patients for so long. But they recognize this is a challenging time for everyone after getting a taste of what felt like post-pandemic freedom. We need to shift back to the things we know how to do. We know how to mask, we know how to socially distance. We know how to work on Zoom, Raymond-Flesch said. And thats hard, it is really hard to shift back to those places. And not to know how long were going to need to do that for. Im feeling it now, too. Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @erinallday With the Total SF Book Club, Chronicle Culture Critic Peter Hartlaub and City Columnist Heather Knight celebrate and explore San Francisco through the work of local authors. The club's second book is "The End of the Golden Gate," a collection of 25 essays by Bay Area authors past and present exploring their decision to stay in S.F. or leave the city. For this virtual event with the San Francisco Public Library, Total SF creators Peter and Heather are joined by two of the book's contributors, author Daniel Handler (who sometimes writes under the pseudonym Lemony Snicket) and historian and Chronicle "Portals of the Past" columnist Gary Kamiya. NASHUA, N.H. (AP) Christina Darling finally replaced her 2006 Chevrolet Equinox after it broke down several times while picking her children up from day care. But the 31-year-old mother of two was struggling to keep up with the car payments. Brianne Walker desperately wanted to take her three children and two siblings camping for the first time but wasn't sure how she could pay for it. After all, she was behind on her rent, and day care and grocery costs were adding up. Then, the two women from New Hampshire got a surprise in their bank accounts this month. They qualified for the expanded child tax credit, part of President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. Families on average are getting $423 this month; the Treasury Department estimates that 35.2 million families received payments in July. The additional money does help alleviate the pressure, said Walker, 29, who took custody of her two siblings last year after her mother overdosed. The $800 credit will help make up for losses she incurred after quitting a kitchen design job to care for the five youngsters, ages 3 to 19. Biden increased the amounts going to families and expanded it to include those whose income is so little they don't owe taxes. The benefits begin to phase out at incomes of $75,000 for individuals, $112,500 for heads of household and $150,000 for married couples. Families with incomes up to $200,000 for individuals and $400,000 for married couples can still receive the previous $2,000 credit. In the past, eligible families got a credit after filing their taxes either as a lump sum payment or a credit against taxes owed. But now six months of payments are being advanced monthly through the end of the year. A recipient receives the second half when they file their taxes. The credit is $3,600 annually for children under age 6 and $3,000 for children ages 6 to 17. Eligible families will receive $300 monthly for each child under 6 and $250 per older child. Advocates argue the monthly payments make more sense for low-income families. One of the problems with the big check in a year, if your car broke six months before, that is a long time to wait, said Michael Reinke, executive director of the Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter, which serves many families making less than $26,000 a year. When people have money over a consistent period of time, it's easier to make sure it's going to the expenses you really need, he said. Sometimes, if you get it all at once, it's hard to budget. Robin McKinney, co-founder and CEO of the CASH Campaign of Maryland, a Baltimore nonprofit organization that helps low-income residents file taxes, said the credit is providing people money in their pockets now, when they need it most. We know right now that peoples hours are down or theyre still struggling to get back to the same level of income that they had before, and this will create some stability for those families to know that over the next six months that theyre going to be getting this payment, McKinney said. If all the money goes out, the expectation is that could significantly reduce poverty with one study estimating it could cut child poverty by 45%. And it comes at a time when unemployment benefits are being phased out and the federal eviction moratorium is set to expire Saturday. The payments are also a test case of sorts. Biden ultimately would like to make them permanent and the impact they have could go a long way to shaping that debate later this year. It infuses money into the family home, said Suzanne Torregano, director of Family Services at Kingsley House in New Orleans, who estimated that 85%-90% of the parents the group serves are getting the monthly payments. Still, some advocates argue the money may never reach the neediest because their incomes are so low they aren't required to file a tax return, they don't have a fixed address or bank account, or don't have the internet savvy to apply. What we are finding is that homeless families while many of them are eligible for the tax credit, they have significant barriers to obtaining it, said Larry Seamans, president of FamilyAid Boston, which serves 900 families daily. We have some counter-intuitive struggles of families who may be unfamiliar with tax forms, tax laws and the fact that by filing a tax return, you can actually get money to support your family, Seamans said. Many families ... are not on the tax rolls. They now have to find sufficient documentation to prove that they are eligible. Families who do receive the credit are mostly spending it on rent, child care and groceries, as well as catching up on cellphone and other bills. For Darling, the $550 she gets will go to car payments, more fresh produce and a babysitter so she can attend Nashua Board of Education meetings. She is running for a seat on the board. Eventually, she hopes to put money aside to save for a home with a yard. Every step closer we get to a livable wage is beneficial. That is money that gets turned around and spent on the betterment of my kids and myself, said Darling, a housing resource coordinator who had been supplementing her $35,000-a-year salary with monthly visits to the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter's food pantry. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes McKinney, who is married with a 5-year-old son and qualifies for the tax credit, is getting $167 a month. She said its all going to help pay for child care, which costs $288 a week. Right now, its out-of-school time because its the summer, so people have to pay for camps and babysitting support so that the parents can go to work, said McKinney, of Columbia, Maryland. I know a lot of people who are like: This money is coming at just the right time, because this summer is more expensive for me for child care.' Many families in higher-income brackets who receive less money are socking it away for things like a family trip, school supplies or Christmas gifts. Carleigh Steele, who received several hundred dollars, said the money is giving her peace of mind a month after she moved into a house in Baltimore with the help of Habitat for Humanity. Its sitting in my bank account for all the home-buying things that I need, and for the rainy day fund for my house just to make sure that I can keep myself economically stable, said Steele, who has a 6-year-old daughter. Brianne Epps, a mother of four from Jackson, Mississippi, is using the money to pay bills but also to finance her dream of opening a soul food catering business. It will help me, for one, to promote my catering business to get that off the ground, she said. Molly Vigeant, of East Hartford, Connecticut, a 25-year-old single mother who works as a special needs paraprofessional in a high school, hopes to spend the money to repair or replace her car. But she's had trouble accessing a portal aimed at helping applicants and hasn't yet received anything. It doesnt hurt yet, she said of the delayed payment. But, its a 20-year-old car with over 200,000 miles on it and I make 20 grand a year. A new one is not going to fall from the sky, when your debt-to-income ratio is garbage and you know you cant finance a car. ___ Associated Press writers Brian Witte in Annapolis, Maryland; Rebecca Santana in New Orleans; Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Mississippi, and Pat Eaton-Robb in Columbia, Connecticut, contributed to this report. Regarding Driving in S.F. could come at a price (Front Page, July 29): The citys congestion pricing plan highlights for me the observations of UCLA professor Donald Shoup in his book, The High Cost of Free Parking. The plan blatantly shifts those costs to outsiders who, for the most part, cant complain. They can vote with their feet, however, unlike residents in the zones. So we have a money grab and pandering in one swoop. I have a suggestion that could reduce the odor emanating from this proposal. Maybe the city could earmark some of the funds for a cash-for-clunkers program targeting owners of older cars whose main purpose is to hold parking spaces, as anyone can see for themselves and Dr. Shoup will tell you. To many of us, it is unfathomable that anyone who lives in San Francisco needs to be told there is no such thing as a healthy car-dependent community. Its oxymoronic but self-evident, unfortunately. A cash payment could get the attention of those folks and the targeted nature of the program, paid for with congestion fees, will cut off complaints from the terminally budget minded. Randy Stortroen, San Francisco Unfair demands Regarding Back to office during virus surge? No thanks (July 28): I find it rich that the same people who are whining about returning to the office full-time because they dont want to spread the virus to their unvaccinated children (or because they have chosen to move further away) are also the ones whove been demanding that teachers go back full-time since before the vaccine was even available. Essential workers have been working the whole time. Maybe your employer will decide you arent essential and the problem will fix itself. Danielle Farinacci, San Francisco Vaccinating voters California could get some positive benefits for the $215 million the recall election is going to cost taxpayers. The members of the seditionist party are the least likely to be vaccinated, the most likely to vote in person, having been programmed to distrust voting by mail and the most enthusiastic about the recall. The state could use the election to increase the vaccination rate among that demographic that is the most resistant to protecting society from the spread of the virus. The state should require proof of vaccination for in person voting to protect poll workers in particular and society in general. Craig Griffin, Berkeley No more gotcha games In this time of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic uncertainty, our elected representatives should be working together to address the non-partisan dangers facing California. Instead, Republicans are offering a cheap shot at Gov. Gavin Newsom, trying to oust him with a phony recall election that will cost taxpayers plenty. Newsom is working to end the pandemic through an extensive and successful vaccination program, reopen schools and finding ways to stimulate our economy. We should all be working together, not playing political gotcha games. Mark Palmer, Vallejo Patient zero Regarding Masked again: It feels like were regressing (Front Page, July 29): It feels like were regressing because we are. The message to those who continue to refuse getting vaccinated should emphasize that each new infection has the potential to become the next mutation of the virus. Does anyone really want to be patient zero for the next, more lethal, variant? Helen Ogden, Pacific Grove (Monterey County) Big Lie playbook Regarding Enough of the lies (Letters, July 29): One of your letter writers asks how four out of every 10 people can believe the constant barrage of nonsensical Republican lies. Id suggest he learn about Germany in the 1930s, and where the term Big Lie originated. You can bet plenty of Republicans know how well it worked, which is why theyve adopted that win-power-at-all-costs playbook. Theres nothing new under the sun. As parents and caregivers across San Francisco prepare for their children to finally head back to school this August, they are undoubtedly feeling a mixture of emotions. Of course, they must be grateful that schools are reopening in person because of the immeasurable social and educational benefits their children will receive. They, like all of us, are also assuredly hopeful for a return to normalcy. But its also completely reasonable to feel concerned with the recent rise in COVID-19 cases. The headlines each day tell us about how the highly infectious COVID delta variant has driven an increase in cases and hospitalizations across the nation, in California and here in the Bay Area. While its normal to feel these conflicting emotions, its also important to look at the data, science and facts surrounding school openings as public health professionals have done from the beginning of this pandemic. The data continue to show that schools can be safe places for our children to learn, socialize and play when the appropriate safety measures are taken. These measures include vaccinations for those who are eligible, universal indoor masking, frequent hand-washing, making sure staff and kids stay home when sick, and proper ventilation. For children under 12 who are not yet eligible for the vaccine, the good news is that serious forms of COVID are extremely rare. We have plenty of local case studies to back this data up. In San Francisco, there were seven cases of COVID transmission in all schools with in-person learning among 48,000 students and teachers from September 2020 through June 2021, including the San Francisco Unified School District. All other cases reported at schools were related to community transmission outside of school. This includes the time period during the height of our winter surge. Moreover, there have been no verified outbreaks in San Francisco camps and learning hubs this summer. The best way to protect our school communities is not to keep kids home its to make sure that everyone in your household who is eligible gets vaccinated now. Despite recent news about breakthrough infections, vaccines are highly effective at preventing hospitalization and severe illness. The more adults and teens who are vaccinated, the more protection we offer to those who are not yet eligible for vaccines including young school age children. Anyone can go to sf.gov/get-vaccinated or call 628-652-2700 to book an appointment for a free vaccination. The good news for San Francisco is that we already have one of the highest vaccination rates in the nation, with 77% of our eligible population fully vaccinated, including teenagers in middle and high school. Were well on our way to giving our kids the community protection they need. But we can still do better. As we carefully track and respond to the much more infectious delta variant, we need to be mindful that research shows current vaccines are still highly effective, even against this strain. In fact, vaccinated people are 10 times less likely to be hospitalized than those who havent yet gotten their jabs. To date, there have been no COVID-19 related deaths in San Francisco among the vaccinated. There should be no delay in returning to school. On this we are in agreement with the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, the California Department of Public Health and county health officers all over the Bay Area. The evidence clearly shows that at this time, the benefits of in-person school academic learning, social-emotional growth, social and health services, and many more outweigh the risks of COVID-19, provided that schools have the proper, multi-layered safety measures in place. Given the proven health and educational benefits of in-person learning, our priority must be to continue to work together to ensure a smooth transition back to school for all grades, at full capacity, when the school year begins in a few weeks. As health professionals, we are confident that schools can and should fully reopen for all grades with safety measures in place. We urge school administrators, teachers, staff and families in San Francisco to work together to get vaccinated and to follow all the safety measures needed to stop COVIDs spread. We look forward to a joyous return to school. Naveena Bobba is deputy director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Theodore Ruel is chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Global Health at UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospitals. San Francisco could mandate switching gas appliances to electric after a building is sold or appliances age out, with requirements rolled out in a few years, to help the city meet its climate change goals. Officials are also eyeing financial incentives to cover high costs. The need is urgent and obvious as California burns and its water supplies dry up, officials and activists say. Natural gas in buildings produces 41% of San Franciscos greenhouse gas emissions, second only to transportation. Last week, supervisors set a new goal to get to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040: To meet that, almost all buildings will need to be all-electric that means no gas-powered stoves, water heaters or dryers. But switching to electric is costly a city report in April estimated it could cost up to $5.9 billion and controversial, prompting lawsuits from affected industries. Unswayed, Supervisors Gordon Mar and Rafael Mandelman brought together city departments and activists to brainstorm this week how to make it a reality. We are in a climate emergency that will only get worse and there is no path forward meeting our climate goals without electrifying our buildings, Mar said during the hearing in a board committee Monday. To meet the citys climate change goals, San Francisco could, by 2023, require property owners to create an electrification plan when selling a building, and by 2028, mandate all new appliances to be efficient and electric, Charles Sheehan with the Department of the Environment told supervisors. The multi-billion-dollar question remains who would pay. City researchers estimated earlier this year that it costs between $14,300 and nearly $34,800 per housing unit to retrofit gas appliances to electric. Currently, electricity also costs more per unit than gas, although that could reverse in the coming years, and electrical appliances are already more efficient. The city could mandate retrofitting, potentially requiring building owners who can afford to foot the bill to cover costs for those who cant (although the policy isnt yet developed with details to determine who that would be), offer financial incentives to encourage voluntarily going electric, fine property owners for energy usage and emissions, or a combination of all three. To cover costs, the city could issue bonds and take on debt. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission already offers some incentives to go electric, including a new program to train and give $1,000 to contractors installing electric water heaters. But its not enough to cover entire retrofits, with Mar calling limited investment very frustrating since he saw no path forward without incentives. Another challenge is increased stress on the electric grid. The utilities commission provides its own power, but relies on PG&E for distribution, and doesnt know whether the utility could handle a surge in demand, Deputy Manager Catherine Spaulding told supervisors. San Francisco is trying to buy the companys local power lines, with Mayor London Breed petitioning the California Public Utilities Commission this week to study the value of PG&Es local electric equipment so the city can name a price. Mar said the proposed costs of going electric should be weighed against the extraordinary cost of doing nothing, resulting in expensive disaster response and higher energy bills as temperatures grow more extreme. The city is also concerned about equity, making sure cost burdens dont fall on low-income building owners and gas industry workers can be retrained for new jobs, said Avni Jamdar, regional director at nonprofit Emerald Cities San Francisco Bay Area. Outreach will also be needed to communities where cooking over an open flame is the cultural norm, Supervisor Myrna Melgar said. Jamdar agreed: We are going to have to lose our gas stove, and all of us are attached to it. Mallory Moench is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mallorymoench On a Tuesday afternoon shortly after 3 p.m. the top of the yellow- and-red-liveried San Francisco Big Bus Tours vehicle is packed as it heads west on McAllister Street under a wind-whipped but clear July sky, passing the gleaming dome of City Hall. The few dozen people, about a third wearing masks, that fill the rows of seats are a cross-section of who is visiting San Francisco these days, as the coronavirus once again picks up speed. There are families from out of town, out of state and out of the country. Some are visiting colleges with teenagers while others are taking their first pleasure trips after a year filled with little of that term. Some drove to get here, some flew. A lot of them say the city isnt as dirty as theyd been told, having seen the highlights from Downtown to Chinatown to the Golden Gate Bridge during the more than two hour circuit. While San Francisco officials debate how and if to restore the citys Muni bus lines to previous levels, this other kind of bus line offers a glimpse into how a different thread of the citys pre-pandemic tapestry, tourism, is beginning to mend. The lighthearted atmosphere atop the bus was underpinned with a serious question for the citys economy, several billion dollars of which depends each year on whether the visitors keep coming and buying things like $55-a-pop bus tickets to see the sights. Especially after a year that was the worst for the citys tourism sector in recent memory. Suzanne and Randy Pauley were sitting in the second row from the front, having arrived from Georgia the day before with their pint-size puppy in its pink harness held up like a talisman against the wind. In town for a nephews wedding down on the Monterey coast, they said they decided to make the most of a West Coast swing after retiring recently. Suzanne said they werent too concerned about the risks of traveling during a pandemic. Nina Riggio / The Chronicle The plane from Atlanta was packed with about 400 people, Suzanne said as she snatched at strands of her long red hair dancing in the wind. Randy nodded in agreement, shortly before a strong gust lifted his ball cap clear of his head into the street below, not quite leaving his heart in San Francisco. He turned and shouted to a man in a military ball cap a few rows back, asking why he didnt catch the whizzing headgear before it disappeared overboard. I thought veterans were supposed to help each other! Pauley, who spent time in the military, said, sharing a wide grin and a laugh with the man. In recent weeks, most visitors hopping on the ubiquitous buses have been from either California or the Western U.S., according to Big Bus Senior Vice President Andrew Smith. The remainder are like the Pauleys, from other parts of the U.S., with only about 2% of visitors coming internationally, Smith said. Thats despite San Francisco International Airport restoring a number of international routes that were severed last year as demand for air travel lost thrust because of pandemic-related lockdowns. The airport is seeing a slower return of air passengers than many other flight hubs. Tourism revenue for San Francisco bottomed out last year, decreasing by $8 billion in 2020, an 80% drop from an all-time high of $10.3 billion in 2019 compared with 2018. Taylor Safford, president and CEO of the popular Pier 39 tourist destination, where the buses collect many of their passengers, echoed Smith and said more tourists were from closer to home. Just over half of current visitors there are from California, and 58% of those live in the nine-county Bay Area, whereas before about one in five were locals. Safford said that while foot traffic was still only about 60% of July 2019 levels at the pier, it was a marked improvement from last year when crowds dropped by more than 80% compared with the year before the pandemic. Back on the bus, David Flores surveyed Masonic Street from behind a Dodgers mask and dark shades. Flores said he was in town from Los Angeles and that he met his friend, Chris Thapa from Nepal but who now lives in New York City, in the city to see the sights. Thapa sat in the row across, wearing a red-and- blue-striped shirt, grinning and snapping photos of the shops and colorful characters in the Haight. Its very beautiful, he said of the city. Nina Riggio/The Chronicle Flores said he had driven up from L.A., but less because he was concerned about flying and more to have a car to get around town. He said hes still concerned about the pandemic, and as the bus swung a wide turn off Masonic onto Haight Street, he lamented the storefronts and businesses that are still boarded up, many of which shut down for good because of the economic bite of the pandemic. The city has changed, he said. Despite cases of the coronavirus on the rise in San Francisco and statewide driven by the highly contagious delta variant and California officials recommending masking again, some rhythms of life and travel have returned after the deep freeze brought on by the pandemic. High school sophomore Lin-Lin Benjamin sat chatting excitedly about her academic future and potential majors. She came to the tour bus after driving across the Western expanse from South Dakota on a trip to visit colleges. Her father, Elliott Benjamin, sat a few rows back, a black U.S. Marines hat perched on his head. He shielded his nose from the piercing wind that made it hard to catch a breath as the bus trundled across the Golden Gate Bridge. He said the decision to drive wasnt about wanting to avoid the enclosed space of an airplane. I want my daughter to see the States, he said, adding that theyre both vaccinated and that he hasnt had a vacation since well before the onset of the pandemic. Benjamin was disappointed he wouldnt be able to ride a cable car (which arent taking riders until the fall) but said he enjoyed Chinatown, another pin on the map for the Big Bus, and in particular his visit with Lin-Lin to the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory. Kevin Chan, second-generation owner of the Chinatown landmark, said he hoped more visitors would come to his Ross Alley establishment that reopened in July. Nina Riggio/The Chronicle Business has been increasing, Chan said. Still, its only about 60% on a good day of what it normally is during peak tourist season, and he said hes still hurting from a lack of international visitors. People are only locals, along with some coming in from others from Western states such as Texas, Utah and Nevada, Chan said. With the summer tourism season rapidly waning, Chan said he hoped the shop would make enough to continue past its 59th birthday in August. Were not just a shop, were an institution, he said. Back on the bus, it wasnt too hard to find the kind of overseas visitors that are the traditional lifeblood of the citys tourism industry. Anurag Mathur, a doctor visiting from Dubai, sat in the very front row atop the bus as it zipped down Park Presidio Boulevard in the citys Richmond District. He gripped a railing in front of him as the bus whipped around a turn, a smile in his eyes as he scanned his surroundings and talked about the physical beauty of the Bay Area. Here people are very relaxed, he said, referring to the general attitude but also the laxness around masking. Nina Riggio/The Chronicle Mathur said he had come from visiting a cousin in Seattle and wasnt too worried about the coronavirus because hes had a total of four doses of vaccines since October two shots of the Chinese-made Sinopharm and another two of the Pfizer vaccine more recently. Even doubly vaccinated, he said he is aware of the risks of being an asymptomatic carrier of the disease and remarked about how lax masking is in the U.S. compared with Dubai. In (the United Arab Emirates and) Dubai, if you dont wear a mask there are hefty fines, Mathur said as he pulled his mask up over his face. He said vaccination verification is also common in those territories. Still, he said there were some risks he wasnt willing to take. His original itinerary had included continuing his trip to Los Angeles, but hed struck it off, having heard cases there were on the rise. Later, passengers alighted on Lombard Street near Van Ness, while others stepped aboard to brave the elements above. It was before 5 p.m. and the street hummed with late-day traffic, the sounds of the seemingly unending construction on Van Ness echoing over the din. As the bus pulled away, only minutes later, another came along, one of the last of the day. From the street. a few heads could be seen poking over the railing of the second deck, but it appeared mostly empty, even for a Tuesday in July. Chase DiFeliciantonio is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: chase.difeliciantonio@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChaseDiFelice Janice Mirikitani, the co-founder of San Francisco's Glide's center for social justice and a former city poet laureate, died early Thursday morning, Glide confirmed. She was 80. Glide, a community organization and church that seeks to fight injustice and poverty, said she died "with family and friends by her side." A cause of death was not given. "Janice brought fierce courage and spirit to everything she did," Glide wrote on its website. "She spoke her truth and inspired others to accept and celebrate themselves, each other, and all our differences." Mirikitani was born in Stockton to Japanese immigrant farmers. She was a survivor of Japanese American incarceration during World War II as well as sexual assault and would go on to advocate for other victims of sexual violence through her work at Glide. In 2000, Mirikitani was named the second poet laureate of San Francisco. A year later, she'd be named Woman of the Year by the California State Assembly for the 17th Assembly District. Mirikitani would go on to write five books, including "Beyond the Possible," which was co-authored by her husband, Glide Rev. Cecil Williams, whom she married in 1982. "Please know that our Co-Founder Rev. Cecil Williams is being held with love and support in this sensitive and difficult time," Glide said. "He and their family remain in our hearts." David Paul Morris/Getty Images Countless people took to social media Thursday to express their grief and sadness. State Sen. Scott Wiener said he was "heartbroken" and called Mirikitani "one of the most exceptional human beings I've ever met, combining strength & love like no one else." Supervisor Matt Haney called Mirikitani "the First Lady of the Tenderloin, a poet, someone who loved people, all people, and had endless compassion, grace, and vision." "I grieve with the Glide community and the countless people whose lives she touched," he said. A memorial is being planned, Glide said, and updates and times will be shared with the public soon. A memorial fund has been established in Mirikitani's name to support Glide's women and children's programs. The Pleasanton Police Department said Friday the official search for a Bay Area man whose bewildering disappearance occurred nearly three weeks ago is resuming. Berkeley resident Philip Kreycik, 37, went missing on a run at Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park on July 10 and a large-scale rescue effort was underway for several days by dozens of agencies from across California. The search was called off two weeks ago, though volunteers have continued to patrol the area through the help of a Facebook group with more than 12,000 members. But today Pleasanton police said they are deploying search teams once more along with members from the Alameda County Sheriff's Department. "Tomorrow, members will return to where Philip intended to run and comb select areas in hopes of bringing him home," police said in a statement posted on Twitter. "We will provide an update after the search is complete." The police department said the on-the-ground search comes after reviewing the GPS coordinates of those places that have been covered and determining new areas to search. "Theyre searching higher in Tehan Canyon, just to explore a new area," said Sgt. Marty Billdt, a Public Information Officer with the police department. "They want to double check in the lower probability areas where he could have possibly gone." Facebook / Find Philip Kreycik Kreycik, a PG&E analyst and avid runner, parked his car near the Moller Ranch staging area around 11 a.m., after telling his wife he was going for an hour-long run. When he didn't return home as expected, his wife reported him missing at 2 p.m. Kreycik's car was found undisturbed, with his wallet and cell phone in it, police said. Family and friends had a brief glimmer of hope on the fourth day of the search when two residents adjacent to the park heard cries for help. A search of the canyon yielded nothing. Anyone with information about this case can call (925) 931-5107 or e-mail tip@cityofpleasantonca.gov. Managing Editor Katie Dowd and Local Editor Andrew Chamings contributed to this report. TAIPEI, China (AP) Taiwan's economic growth slowed to 7.5% over a year earlier in the latest quarter as anti-coronavirus controls depressed consumer spending and manufacturing. Growth in the three months ending in June decelerated from the previous quarter's 8.9%, government data showed Friday. Days after Simone Biles withdrew from Olympic competition to focus on her mental health, comedian Michael Che was ready to ridicule the most decorated gymnast on the planet at one of her lowest points. "Man, I wanna make fun of Simone Biles," Che wrote Thursday on his Instagram story. The "Saturday Night Live" performer proceeded to share vile jokes sent to him regarding not just Biles's mental health but also how she said she was sexually assaulted by Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics doctor accused of sexually abusing hundreds of girls and women. Nassar is in prison for up to 175 years for his crimes. "I got like 3 mins of Simone Biles jokes in my head," he wrote. "As the dorky kids say, I'm choosing violence." Che's Instagram story, which has since been deleted but captured in screenshots posted to social media, sparked immediate backlash from critics who wanted to "vomit" over the comedian's attempt to joke about Biles's sexual abuse and mental health. The comedian later claimed on Instagram that his account had been "hacked." "Can't believe they got me," Che wrote. "Y'all (know) I only do jokes about Whites and cops. (It's) all good now, I changed my password and everything." Che's manager did not immediately respond to a request for comment early Friday. Neither HBO Max, which airs his comedy series, nor NBC, the network that airs both the Olympics and "SNL," responded to requests for comment. The comedian's social media posts come after the 24-year-old Biles, considered the face of USA Olympics at the Tokyo Games, pulled out of the team and individual all-around finals to prioritize her mental health. She later acknowledged that she was suffering from the "twisties" - when a gymnast loses control of their body as they spin through the air. Her decision has been celebrated by many and led Biles to realize, she wrote on Twitter, that she was "more than my accomplishments and gymnastics which I never truly believed before." But she has also been met by criticism from conservatives and right-wing media who've claimed that Biles, who has the most medals of any gymnast in international competition, was a "shame to the country." Aaron Reitz, a deputy Texas attorney general, apologized Wednesday after calling Biles, a fellow Texan, "a national embarrassment." Before his apology, Reitz had been chastised by his boss, Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, for "a very inappropriate and insensitive tweet." On Instagram, Che, "SNL's" co-head writer, posted how he wanted to perform his new material on Biles in front of an audience. As the Instagram story progressed, he shared a disturbing line sent to him by a fan about Nassar understanding Biles "better than anyone." "That's rough," wrote Che, who gave the joke a nine out of 10. "Absolutely tasteless." Che then shared another joke sent to him that poked at Biles's mental health by using "Black don't crack." As The Washington Post's Jonathan Capehart has noted, "Black don't crack" is a favorite African American aphorism to explain why, generally speaking, Black people can look younger than they are. "Now that's a good joke," Che said, scoring the line an eight out of 10. "Economical. Referential. Balanced. Good job." Critics were quick to voice their displeasure toward Che and the decision to post and rate jokes at Biles's expense. "Michael Che is trash," tweeted director Matthew A. Cherry. Others, like journalist Jessica Luther, noted their disgust over Che sharing the Nassar quip. "Wow, that Nassar 'joke' that Michael Che gave a 9/10 on his Instagram story makes me want to ... vomit," she said. The Post reported this week that federal prison officials have allowed Nassar to avoid paying financial penalties that are part of his sentence - even as he spent more than $10,000 from his Federal Bureau of Prisons account while behind bars, according to a new court filing. Court records show how Bureau of Prisons officials have required Nassar to pay only about $100 a year, or about $300 since he entered the federal prison system in late 2017 after pleading guilty to receiving and possessing child pornography. Soraya Nadia McDonald, the culture critic for the Undefeated, said Che practiced in "hideous, violent misogynoir." She tweeted that Che's actions toward Biles made her "really, really sad" because the misogyny he showed to a Black woman was so "ubiquitous and loud." "How nice for Michael Che never to have been denied the sanctity of his own body because of his gender. How nice for him not to be judged and gaslit repeatedly because it is routine to treat an entire gender and their experiences with disregard and contempt," McDonald wrote. "How lovely for him." It's not the first time Che has come under fire. Multiple culture writers have documented how Che allegedly harassed them following their criticism of his work or "SNL." During a "Weekend Update" segment in February, Che noted that Israel, which at the time had reported vaccinating half of its population against coronavirus, had only vaccinated its "Jewish half." The line led Jewish organizations and Israeli leaders to accuse Che of leaning into "an antisemitic trope." Others came to the comedian's defense and even praised him for questioning Israel's vaccination program. When asked by fans on Instagram about the "twisties" and her decision to pull out of the events, Biles said Friday that "physical health is mental health." "For anyone saying I quit, I didn't quit. My mind and body are simply not in sync," she said. "I don't think you realize how dangerous this is on a hard/competition surface. Nor do I have to explain why I put health first." - - - The Washington Post's Devlin Barrett contributed to this report. Click here to read the full article. The Walt Disney Company is requiring that their salaried and non-union U.S. employees get vaccinated before returning to work. At The Walt Disney Company, the safety and well-being of our employees during the pandemic has been and continues to be a top priority, the company said in a statement. Toward that end, and based on the latest recommendations of scientists, health officials and our own medical professionals that the COVID-19 vaccine provides the best protection against severe infection, we are requiring that all salaried and non-union hourly employees in the U.S. working at any of our sites be fully vaccinated. Employees who arent already vaccinated and are working on-site will have 60 days from today to complete their protocols and any employees still working from home will need to provide verification of vaccination prior to their return, with certain limited exceptions. We have also begun conversations around this topic with the unions representing our employees under collective bargaining agreements. In addition, all new hires will be required to be fully vaccinated before beginning employment. Vaccines are the best tool we all have to help control this global pandemic and protect our employees. Disney is the latest major company to require vaccinations for employees as the Delta variant of COVID-19 continues to drive a major rise in cases throughout the country. Netflix announced earlier this week that those working in Zone A of productions actors and those who come in close proximity to them must be vaccinated as well. Companies like Google and Facebook have announced similar measures for their employees. Hollywoods major unions and studios previously announced that companies can impose vaccine mandates on any of those working in Zone A of productions under revised return-to-work rules. Questions around vaccine mandates come as data shows that the unvaccinated are most likely to be severely affected by the Delta variant. It is still possible for those who have been vaccinated to contract the virus, however, which is why some state and local governments are again asking for people to wear masks indoors and maintain social distancing. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Ive got a handful of unpopular opinions recently, I scandalized an entire room of people by telling them that, while I acknowledge his immense talent, I dont love Princes music but my most unpopular one, by a mile, is that I dont like In-N-Out Burger very much. Especially in Los Angeles, I can practically hear the record scratch every time I say it. Maybe its because Im not from the West Coast, so I didnt grow up with it. Maybe its because my first In-N-Out was in Dallas, in the middle of an exhausting cross-country drive. Maybe its because I try to avoid overprocessed, unhealthy fast food whenever I can. But despite my taste preferences, I cant resist a quirky roadside attraction, especially a historic one, like the In-N-Out Museum. What I learned there was that, despite its 350-plus quick service locations across the country today, In-N-Out isnt really fast food not, at least, the way I had been thinking about it. So more accurately, up until last week, I didnt like In-N-Out very much. This week, well, I just keep thinking about Double-Doubles. by Julie Tremaine The In-N-Out Museum in Baldwin Park, in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, is a recreation of the very first In-N-Out location, started by Harry and Esther Snyder in 1948. Its only open for a few hours in the middle of the day, and just a few days a week, but its a popular (and free) attraction. In the time I was there, which wasnt all that long like I said, its tiny two other groups came by to tour the inside kitchen space and take photos in the drive-through window. When I arrived, a friendly woman named Lydia greeted me, dressed in the same In-N-Out uniform employees still wear after more than 70 years. She gave me a mini-tour of the hamburger stand, which took about two minutes since the space can hold about four people max, and that would be cramped. Along one wall, theres about 3 feet of prep counter, 3 feet of griddle, and 3 feet of assembly area, where today there are toy burger patties, buns and toppings for kids to put together. Turn around but keep your feet planted and youll be right up against a normal-sized refrigerator, a reach-in cooler for soda and a sink that is definitely smaller than the one in your kitchen. (Seriously, I tried to take photos of the inside and all I could get was one tiny area at a time.) By the front window, where the server would normally hand you your food, theres a small night table that served as the first cash register. Now it holds a guest book. That days entries included a man who signed his name, then left a note saying he had worked at that location in the early 1960s. by Julie Tremaine Thats it. Thats everything. And from that grew an empire that has made the Snyder family worth more than $3 billion. The companys success, Lydia said in the kind of reverent tone I usually hear Disneyland employees use when theyre talking about Walt Disney, is because of what she described as an unusually high commitment to quality and transparency. None of the food In-N-Out serves is ever frozen, which is why the company will never have East Coast stores, since theyd be more than a days drive from their meat processing plant in Baldwin Park. She gestured to a cast iron thing mounted on the wall that I had overlooked: a french fry press. You raise the lever, place one potato inside, and press down. Fries come out the bottom. Then those cut fries were placed in water to keep them from turning brown, and dried using a washing machine behind the building that was modified to be a giant salad spinner that would take off all the excess water before the potatoes went into the fryer. by Julie Tremaine It was a little more arduous than the current procedure because of the old equipment, Lydia said, but the process is still fundamentally the same today. Up until that minute, I hadnt thought about where the food came from. I just assumed that fast food was fast food, and that In-N-Out was supplied by the same yucky factories where fast food conglomerates treat their food with a million chemicals that make their burgers look basically the same, even after 24 years sitting in a bag. I was totally wrong. The vegetables arrive in 50-pound bags to each store every day and get prepped in-house, day-of. Those heavy bags, Lydia said, were the reason In-N-Out didnt hire women until the 1970s, assuming women couldnt do that kind of heavy lifting. I smelled some BS on that one but left it alone. I was too transported by the soundtrack of Elvis and The Chiffons playing through the tiny radio on top of the fridge. by Julie Tremaine I took some photos in the drive-through window with a fake hamburger toy thats for sale next door at the In-N-Out Company Store, then walked around the outside of the building. That giant red and white sign stood tall over the little store, which was really nothing more than a driveway and a kitchen likely smaller than yours at home. The other thing Lydia pointed out: how many windows there are on the building. At least half of what would be walls in any other fast food restaurant were windows there. When you have nothing to hide, she said, you put it on display. Then, it was time for lunch. I stopped into the company store, then walked over to restaurant No. 1, as close to eating at the original location as you can get. As I stood at the counter to order, I watched the open kitchen behind the cashier. I never really noticed before that you can see everything happening in there in a way you dont really see in other fast food joints. by Julie Tremaine As I stood there, processing what I now knew about the quality of the food and the cleanliness I was seeing in the kitchen, I realized that maybe my problem was in how I was ordering. The two times I had eaten In-N-Out before, I had ordered a Double-Double animal style, because I assumed thats what the in-the-know people did, with a side of plain (and lets face it, underwhelming) fries. But both times, it was hard to concentrate on the burger because there was so much other stuff. All I could taste was the toppings, especially the extra helping of spread, which the internet says is a combination of ketchup, mayonnaise and sweet relish. This time, instead of ordering something I knew I didnt like and hoping Id like it more than last time, I opted to go with the classic: just a regular Double-Double, with two meat patties, two slices of American cheese, a slice of onion between them, and lettuce, tomato and spread, in a much more reasonable quantity, underneath. Because Id never tried them that way, I got the fries animal style, which for fries means cheese is melted on the freshly cut fries, then theyre topped with sauteed onions and spread. by Julie Tremaine Without all the distractions, I could really taste the burger in all its fresh, cheesy goodness. And it was so good. Im sure it had something to do with nostalgia and something to do with the novelty of ordering from store No. 1, but I was so much happier with my meal than I had been the other times, especially after I dug into the animal style fries. Those fries definitely benefit from the addition of cheese and sauteed onions, but next time, Ill hold the spread. It turns out its not that I dont like In-N-Out, its that I hadnt found my order yet. The Bay Area has experienced an uptick in hate crimes against Asian Americans this year, particularly with the elderly. The news stories have become sadly familiar, from an 84-year-old Thai immigrant who was fatally shoved by an attacker in January to an elderly woman who was assaulted in broad daylight and tried to fight him off with a board. From violent encounters like these to everyday verbal harassment on the street, Asian Americans have been feeling the strain and blame of the pandemic in myriad ways. San Francisco chef Eric Ehler had his own brief encounter with racism in an experience he wrote about on Instagram in late March. While biking near Duboce Park, Ehler says he was cut off by a driver who then followed him before threatening him with a police baton. Ehler said he typically lets most things roll off his back hes gotten a lot of flak as a skateboarder through the years but this incident shook him enough that he took to social media to highlight it. I was wanting people to be very, very alert and aware of what's going on in their surroundings and that, San Francisco is what it is, but we're still in a big city, Ehler said. ...So I want to continue to create awareness that we do need to watch out for each other and watch out for ourselves and have a little bit more heightened sense of awareness when we're out. Given the rise in violence against Asian Americans this year, it makes sense to have these conversations and be more aware. Hate incidents have increased from March 2020 to March 2021 by 65%, and physical assaults against Asian Americans went from 10.2% in 2020 to 16.7% in 2021, according to the organization Stop AAPI Hate, in an analysis of more than 6,600 hate incidents reported to the center. In California, hate-based crimes against people of color increased by 31% overall, the Guardian reported. It sucks, it makes me angry. I don't think anyone should ever have to see an x-ray of an old woman with a knife in her chest that's traumatizing for everybody, you know? Ehler said, referring to an early May stabbing of two Asian American senior women on Market Street. And just the idea that this is happening in a city that I love so much, it's starting to really weigh heavy on my soul. And I know that's happening with a lot of people too. A number of local food industry professionals are looking inward to start conversations around the rise of anti-Asian American hate. As more news stories documented both local and national incidents of hate crimes in the spring, the food community quickly rallied to raise money through bake sales, dinners and more to fund initiatives such as placing security cameras on the streets of Chinatown, safety kits for the elderly, and supporting local nonprofits. Now, some industry folks are wondering how to keep the momentum (and conversation) going. Hanson Li is a founder of Salt Partners Group, a development and investment company that works with some of the biggest restaurants in San Francisco, including Atelier Crenn, Humphry Slocombe and Last Rites. Beyond his restaurant work, Li has been involved with Asian-American professional groups, including Center for Asian American Media (CAAM). He has watched the acceleration of hate crimes toward the Asian American community, culminating in the tragedy of the Atlanta spa shootings in February, and Li was wondering how he can help. In terms of being that quiet minority, how do we speak up a little more and having that voice ... me being Asian American within the food industry, what is there that we can do to uplift the conversation? Li asked. Li was one of the many people who signed his name to a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal in March. The ad featured a letter from Dave Lu, co-founder of the app Pared, and has since bloomed to over 8,000 signatories, from business leaders at Google, Zoom, the Warriors and more. The ad has raised nearly $2 million for the Catalyst Fund for Justice, according to Li, with all pledging to support AAPI communities and end discrimination and violence. Debby Soo is the CEO of OpenTable and one of the signatories of the letter. According to Soo, OpenTable has been supporting the AAPI community both internally within the company through listening sessions, as well as externally with restaurants, partnering with the organization Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate in cities across the U.S. to raise money for local non-profits to help stop anti-Asian violence. As an Asian woman CEO, it's really critical that I use my platform and voice to speak up for my community and for all communities who are facing discrimination and injustice, Soo said. ... And aside from sharing anger and frustration and just how heartbreaking it is to see these incidents continue to persist, the purpose of the pledge was to mobilize and really take action. Courtesy OpenTable On a more immediate level, restaurants like Rooster & Rice have formed their own initiatives. The local Thai food chain dubbed its 10 locations a safe space for those in distress, instructing staff on how to help those in need, along with raising money in May for the organization Stop AAPI Hate. Like most of those interviewed for this story, Rooster & Rice co-owner Bryan Lew felt a connection to the victims of anti-Asian hate. It hit home personally for me, just because I'm Chinese-American, born and raised in San Francisco, Lew said. My mom and dad still walk the streets of San Francisco. They're in their eighties and it hit home right away with the attacks on those ladies in Chinatown and on Market Street. And I was just like, 'Man, that's my mom, or that's my grandmother.' Although some may not make the connection between food and activism, those that have formed their lives around the world of food see the dinner table as the facilitator for many things, not just physical nourishment. I think food and the dinner table is a place for conversation. I think maybe food in itself is not the solution, but I think that act of eating could be part of the process, by two words: communication and understanding, Li said. ... The act of eating encourages communication and then, based on the fact that Asian food is the most Asian thing a lot of Americans might be in touch with, maybe thats a way for us who serve Asian food to further that education and understanding. Lew agreed. Food is what brings people together. I think it's wild, too, when it's sometimes I don't want to generalize but it's just like, Hey, I'm going to strike out or I'm gonna be hateful against this person, but, you know, I just ate at Panda Express, I'm eating an orange chicken, or I'm eating food that's rooted in Asian culture, Lew said. I just think food ties everybody together ... I always have felt I'm going to learn a lot from the foods that I eat, from different cultures it's immersive. Although the momentum of this movement has waned after AAPI Month in May #stopaapihate has seen a decrease in search on Google as a highlighted topic, Li noted he and others are dedicated to keeping the activism going. The Bay Area group Asians Are Strong began in March as hate crimes in San Francisco seemed to be ramping up. Hudson Liao is the founder of the group, and he said that he began worrying for his mom when she would go out by herself. Asians Are Strong focuses on personal safety, self defense and bystander intervention, as well as empowering the Asian community. Their Instagram page, @asiansarestrong offers safety tips and highlights ways to diffuse attacks in public. Our ambitious goal is to stop all anti-Asian racism, and negative stereotypes against us, Liao said. And we know that's a long journey and we need to start somewhere. Personal safety is the foundation because to us, if you don't feel physically safe, you're not going to feel mentally safe. And if you're not going to feel mentally safe, you're not going to feel individually empowered. And if you don't feel empowered, you're not going to engage with the community. And if you don't engage with the community, we can't create a movement. And without a movement, we can't create change. Liao said he wanted to take the negative feelings he was having around the attacks on elderly Asians and create something positive. Asians Are Strong held its first rally at San Francisco City Hall in April, but have organized a second rally on July 31 to keep the activism around the Asian community going. There's a reason why we wanted to do another rally, because we felt that [the movement] was kind of waning a little bit, Liao said, citing protest fatigue. ... Our goal is that if we have a protest, a rally, or work with the community, we're adding tangible value in some way, where people that are involved will leave and [feel] like they did something for our community and we want them to be a part of it It's not easy, you know, to be like, Oh, we're going to take on racism.' Like, for one person to take on racism is pretty tough. But if they feel like there's an organization that aligns with them and can support them, people are more empowered because they don't feel alone. And that's our goal is to make sure people know that they're not alone. A sense of community (and conversation) has arisen with this push in local Asian American activism. Soo has been struck by the allyship that shes witnessed, calling it inspiring and impactful. Describing her own upbringing, she said that her parents raised her to put her head down and to work hard as an immigrant, while shes had a different mindset as an Asian American. I grew up here, this is it, this is my home. And so, no, I'm not just going to put my head down and work and not speak up when things aren't right, because I'm a stakeholder, right? Soo said. This is my home and I have a responsibility to make it better and make it a better home for my son. Courtesy Hanson Li Li also cited his children as a reason to keep moving forward with combating anti-Asian hate and seeing the movement go forward in younger generations. The rallies ... are impressions on the younger generations that is gonna stick, Li said. My kids know about diversity and equity initiatives in companies; they know about [and] they read and learn about BLM. They ask questions about Asian American history being taught at school. And again, this is not a three-day issue or three-month issue. I'm excited to see how my kids will take this and have that ingrained as part of their future. The coming-together within the AAPI community I've seen over the last six months has been incredible, Li later added. My top-of-the-list hope is that our community can recognize that in unity, we can do more while knowing that being united doesn't mean we have to compromise our distinctive identity or goals. For our friends, I hope they recognize that many of us me included are for the first time finding our voice in activism. From them, I hope they will lend a hand and be a guide. Lance Yamamoto / Special to SFGATE Ehler, too, has been encouraged by the conversation happening at large, but also within the chef community hes part of. I'm really, really happy and glad that people in my community are putting their foot forward to be a part of the conversation, Ehler said. Because largely in the past, we've stayed quiet or we just said that we didn't have time to talk about these things, but I'm happy that my generation of chefs coming up, that we'll be able to do our part within the community to educate our staff about these things and keep them more aware, because it's a trickle down effect: The more people that we talk to and the more people that are educated, that there are these threats out there or that you can talk to your family members, then we just continue to spread the word and those small things. "... And if we can change one person from going out and attacking [someone] or doing something horrendous in the street, that's a win in itself," Ehler continued. "We're not going to be able to just do it all at once, but one by one we'll be able to fix those bad apples. Hopefully. Push Forward! rally is happening at San Francisco City Hall, Saturday, July 31 from 2:30-4 p.m. For more information, head to asiansarestrong.org or instagram.com/asiansarestrong. For a minute there, San Francisco Giants fans were getting antsy. The Los Angeles Dodgers, right on the heels of the Giants in the NL West, pulled off a big trade for pitcher Max Scherzer. The New York Yankees nabbed Anthony Rizzo from the Chicago Cubs and Joey Gallo from the Texas Rangers. The Oakland A's grabbed Starling Marte from the Miami Marlins. But finally, right at the trade deadline, the Giants entered the fray and got themselves an All-Star. As first reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan: Kris Bryant! The Chicago Cubs slugger and former MVP is a major, major addition who'll contribute even more power to an already-powerful lineup. He has 18 homers and 51 RBIs this season, and was the most-rumored big name linked to the Giants this week. He's only 29, and a free agent this offseason, which makes his acquisition risky though San Francisco will now get a first crack at signing him to a longer-term deal. In exchange for Bryant, the Giants are reportedly sending back two prospects: Alexander Canario and Caleb Killian. Canario (an outfielder) is ranked as the organization's ninth-best prospect, while Killian (a pitcher) is ranked No. 30. That's not a whole lot for an All-Star and former MVP who's still in his 20s. swissmediavision/Getty Images It's no secret that Hawaii has been experiencing a rental car shortage, driving visitors to rent U-Hauls or pay sky-high prices for the few options available. Some vacationers have turned to peer-to-peer car sharing apps like Turo but now, these car rental businesses are becoming a problem. In Honolulu's Waialae-Kahala neighborhood, residents are complaining that vehicles being rented out on Turo are taking up parking on side streets, according to Hawaii News Now. Lela Joseph, who lives in the neighborhood, said that she thought it was strange when she noticed her neighbor parking seven or eight Jeeps on their street. COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) The difference in foster care payments between licensed caregivers and relatives stepping in to help is neither ideal nor even satisfactory, a federal judge said as he dismissed a lawsuit seeking to close that gap. Federal Judge Michael Barrett acknowledged that children cared for by relatives deserve more money but said advocates suing over the payment discrepancies didn't have a claim under federal law. At issue are relatives who arent licensed caregivers but are approved to care for children taken from their parents. The arrangement is often referred to as kinship care. Child advocates argue the state must follow a 2017 federal appeals court decision ordering equality in payments to kinship caregivers, and in November sued to force adherence to that ruling. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill into law late last year providing a partial fix. The plan authorizes a $10.20 per child per day payment for kinship caregivers for up to nine months. Advocates say that money falls far short of what licensed foster care parents receive, citing as an example the $1,500 to $9,667 monthly payments per foster child in Hamilton County. Earlier this year, the state asked Barrett to dismiss the 2020 lawsuit, arguing the new payment plan fixes the problem. Lawyers representing children in kinship care disagreed, saying the plan doesn't come close to bridging the financial gap. Barrett said Ohio isn't paying kinship caregivers less money because they're related to the children in their care, but because federal law requires those caregivers to be fully licensed by the state before a caregiver is eligible for foster care maintenance payments. Barrett said he didn't dismiss the lawsuit lightly. A foster childs need for food, clothing, shelter, daily supervision, school supplies, personal incidentals, and travel does not vary by the licensure status of the home in which the children lay their heads down at night, he said in Thursday's ruling, adding that nonlicensed foster parents do the same work as licensed parents for a fraction of the money. This difference in payment due to a difference in placement, in a licensed home or not, is neither ideal nor even satisfactory, Barrett said. The families that sued the state will appeal, their lawyer said Friday. We remain steadfast in our conviction that the law requires the same support to approved relative foster caregivers on behalf of the children as it provides to licensed foster caregivers, said attorney Richard Dawahare. HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) A state report released Friday lays out a plan for the Pennsylvania state park system that has seen considerable use by the public during the ongoing pandemic. Penn's Parks for All is designed to help guide state agencies in managing the 121 state parks, based in part on surveys of visitors and the public in 2017-18. Sitting next to a high-end London jeweler, a French woman wearing a black hat and red scarf examined a bag holding several million dollars' worth of diamonds placed before her. She then put the bag in her purse, surveillance footage from March 2016 shows. Alarmed, the gemologist explained she couldn't leave with the diamonds until the store confirmed payment. The French woman apologized, stalling with her hand in her purse as she blamed the misstep on her poor English. Moments later she retrieved what appeared to be the bag of precious gems. It was not until the next day when the gemologist realized she'd been duped, police said. The French woman had left the store with diamonds worth today's equivalent of $5.8 million in her purse - leaving the gemologist instead with a bag of seven worthless pebbles. After years of investigating the heist, police identified the thief as Lulu Lakatos, a now 60-year-old member of an international organized gang. She is from the Saint-Brieuc region of northwest France. Law enforcement apprehended Lakatos in France and extradited her to London on Dec. 3. On Wednesday, she was found guilty of conspiracy to steal and sentenced to 5 years in prison, according to a London Metropolitan Police news release. "This was an audacious theft, carried out in plain view of experienced and professional staff at a renowned jewellers," acting detective sergeant William Man of the Metropolitan Police's Flying Squad, which investigates organized crime, said in a statement. "The meticulous planning and execution of this theft reveals to me that those involved were highly skilled criminals." Although Lakatos "played a key role in this theft," Man said, she had help from other members. Metropolitan Police arrested two additional men involved in the scheme. Both were convicted of conspiracy to steal. The meticulously planned raid could have been plagiarized from a heist novel. For weeks leading up to the theft on March 10, 2016, gang members posing as associates of a wealthy Russian investor met several times with Boodles, a high-end London jeweler. The supposed deal culminated with Lakatos posing in a meeting as the investor's personal gemologist, who would be sent to London to vet the diamonds. Lakatos arrived in London one day before the heist, police said, and checked into a hotel. At about 8:15 p.m., Lakatos met up with two male gang members at a nearby cafe. They then drove to Boodles where they "scoped out" the store, police said. In a full-length trench coat, black hat and large red-and-purple scarf wrapped around her neck, Lakatos arrived at Boodles the following morning for the prearranged meeting. She introduced herself as Anna. She wasn't alone, police said. Surveillance footage showed four gang members standing outside the store - the two men Lakatos was with the night before and two women police have not yet identified. Lakatos informed the employees after arriving at her appointment that she did not speak English very well - a tactic she used to help pull off the theft, police said. A Boodles gemologist took Lakatos to a secure area, where she produced the seven diamonds for examination. Each diamond was individually placed in a locked bag that would remain at the store until it received full payment from the Russian investor. After reviewing the diamonds, Lakatos closed the bag and placed it in her purse. "The Boodles gemologist immediately challenged her, but Lakatos used the apparent language barrier to cause a delay, before appearing to produce the same locked bag containing the diamonds from her handbag," police said in a news release. Those few seconds were key for Lakatos, investigators learned. She used her supposed language barrier to stall and covertly swap the bag of diamonds with an identical one filled with seven pebbles of the exact weight as the gems. Still a bit wary, the gemologist searched Lakatos's bag but found nothing suspicious. Lakatos soon walked out of the store with the diamonds secured in her purse. Surveillance footage from down the street showed her walking alongside the two women who had been waiting outside Boodles with the two men trailing behind them. Lakatos can be seen handing the bag to one of the women before going her separate way. Lakatos then hopped in a taxi, which took her to a pub near Victoria Station, police said. She changed in the bathroom and made her way to a train, which took her out of the country. "She had been in and out of the country, having committed the theft, within 24 hours and within just three hours of committing the offense," police said. The following day, the gemologist at Boodles remained uneasy about her interaction with Anna. To be sure, she X-rayed the locked bag. Something wasn't right, she thought, according to police. She opened the bag and found the pebbles in place of the precious diamonds. The Metropolitan Police's Flying Squad soon got on the case, and for years pieced together hours of security footage, following the gang members' every move. Despite Lakatos's conviction, police are still investigating whether others were involved. "While she played a key role in this theft, it is clear she did not work alone and enquiries remain ongoing to identify all those involved," Man, the acting detective sergeant, said. COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) A sheriff's department in one Mississippi county has set up a secure place for people to meet for transactions made online through sites such as Facebook Marketplace. The site was dedicated to a local man who was shot and killed last year. The Lowndes County Sheriffs Office has created two new parking spaces in front of their headquarters for an Internet Purchase Exchange Location" that will be under constant video surveillance, The Commercial Dispatch reported. A sign reads In Memory of Micheal Jones. Jones drove to Bessemer, Alabama, on May 20, 2020, thinking he was going to pick up an iPhone 11 he agreed to buy through an app called Letgo. Bessemer police found Jones body in an abandoned house, where he had been shot. A juvenile was arrested in April of this year and charged with murder. Its not the same anymore in our home, Bethie Jones, Micheals wife of 19 years, told the Dispatch. She attended this week's ceremony unveiling the parking spots. It wont ever be the same. Patrol Capt. Dick Spann said online transactions are becoming more commonplace every day, and that community members need to be vigilant about their safety. This was an opportunity to use our own facility to provide (for the need). I hope more communities will consider doing something like this," he said. Deputy Rhonda Sanders said people making online transactions should always ask if they are willing to meet at the sheriff's department. "If they dont want to meet here, and they want to meet somewhere strange instead, dont do the deal, she said. Jones said she hopes the spots can prevent another family from going through the pain hers has endured. It means a lot to me, she said. I hope no one else has to go through what were going through because it hurts. Words cannot explain how much it hurts. MISSION SAN FRANCISCO DE ASIS, Honduras (AP) First came Hurricane Eta. Then, Hurricane Iota, unleashing rains of biblical proportions on the hillside community of La Reina. As Iota hammered La Reina for four days last fall, residents kept watch on the mountain above their 300 homes for signs that they should flee. Some left quickly when the downpour ceased. Then, La Reina was gone, buried in an epic mudslide, its families among nearly half a million Central Americans displaced by the hurricanes. Bathed in tears and shaking with cold, the frightened and disoriented residents of La Reina wandered the main road at the bottom of the valley looking for help. ___ This story is part of a series, After the Deluge, produced with support from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. ___ Thats when the Rev. Leopoldo Serrano arrived in his Franciscan robes like an answer to their prayers, ready to take charge -- and ready, it would turn out, to make a deal with the devil to save the people of La Reina. Serrano, a friar who ran a nearby drug rehabilitation center, understood they would have to act quickly if they were to keep families intact and the community from disintegrating. Something had to be done for the more than 1,000 people stranded in a valley marked by the poverty and drug violence that have driven so many Hondurans to the United States. Serrano turned schools into shelters, looked for borrowed houses and organized a census of victims. He made hundreds of phone calls looking for help. Bags of food, clothes and medicine trickled in from relatives and churches abroad, but the Honduran government did not even give us a tent, Serrano said. In any case, they would need more than tents. To rebuild their houses and replant their crops, the villagers needed land -- and Serrano knew that much of that land was in the hands of drug traffickers. So, the agent of God became a broker with agents of the underworld, many of whom were fighting each other for control of the land and lucrative drug routes from South America to Mexico and the United States. The pastor of souls turned into a project manager and construction foreman for the families of La Reina, building them a new town at Mission San Francisco de Asis. Twenty-five years ago, the powerful local cartel run by Arnulfo Valle bought the 70 acres adjacent to the mission where Father Serrano hopes to put those displaced from La Reina. When capos are arrested, the government confiscates whatever land is in their name and holds it in a byzantine bureaucracy. Heirs fight for control over hidden assets -- land that has been put in the name of front men and women, sometimes without their knowledge. The land itself is not worth that much, but the message of who is in control is everything, Serrano explains. Two weeks after the disaster, Serrano was publicly asking for land donations during Masses he broadcasts on Facebook. The way he tells it, Arnulfo Valles son, Jose Luis, contacted him and they arranged for a legal donation. My responsibility was only to legalize the situation. I hired a lawyer to identify the legal owner and we got them to donate it to the National Agrarian Institute, which in turn would give houses and lots to La Reinas people and common areas to the mission, Serrano said. But the story is a little more complicated than that. It all turned on an intermediary with Jose Luis Valle: a young friar, Oveniel Garcia. Garcia, who ran away from home at the age of 12 and became a drug addict, is a street-smart survivor. At 16, he got a job cleaning floors in a discotheque frequented by traffickers, where he met Jose Luis Valle. Bodyguards, women, weapons, drugs, he recalls. That same day I already knew who he was. The connection was immediate ... He paid the owner of the place so that I could dedicate myself only to him. They would spend many nights talking. The closer they became the more Garcia learned about the Valle family business. He resisted Valles request to work for him, but eventually found himself carrying a weapon. He was well aware that almost no one gets out of the drug business alive, and he was scared. He had heard Serranos call to drug traffickers to turn from evil to good, and he reached out. The only way they could believe that I really wanted to disassociate myself and was not going to betray them was through a conversion, he explains. Otherwise they would have killed me. Garcia left Valles orbit and entered Serranos rehab center for seven months. Over the next few years, he became Serranos right-hand man in the mission. He largely kept his distance from Valle until December 2020. It was then that Serrano told Garcia, We need land. Call your friend. Valle agreed to give them the land, but he didnt have the titles. He had to put pressure on those who occupied it, they were usurpers. He would go there with weapons. There were deaths, Garcia recounted, cryptically. The signing and official transfer of the land took place on the last day of the year. On May 7, the first measurements were taken to mark out plots for houses. And on May 28, the new inhabitants entered the farm to find narco squatters still occupying part of the land. To evict them, men from La Reina moved in, armed only with machetes. They moved the squatters cattle out to the main road and, bit by bit, took possession of the land where they planned to build their new houses as part of the mission. Each morning now, Serrano goes out to inspect the mission construction sites. A few men and women from La Reina have already begun to build three new homes and a group of apartments for widows with funds donated by churches. He checks on the type of stone they are using, takes measurements and coordinates the crews. The workers put up windows, lay bricks and make cement. Each family must send one person to work on the construction of their home. They do not receive wages and if they dont work, they must pay into a kitty about $6 a day (150 lempiras.) Serrano soldiers on -- raising money, advocating construction over migration, training the next generation of priests. He preaches good farming over evil drug trafficking. He shared a WhatsApp message from an army coroner who urged him to be cautious: Dont keep talking about these people, Father, they will hurt you. Serrano was defiant. They have weapons, he replied, if they wanted to kill me they would have done it already. And even his death would not stop the new town that was rising at Mission San Francisco de Asis, he insisted. The friars he is training can continue my work when I die. ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) After her work as a substitute teacher in New York City dried up, Ameena Ahmed got a welcome $4,200 boost last summer in federal pandemic-related unemployment benefits. Then New York state started taking it back. She was informed she was not entitled to the federal benefits for the summer of 2020 since city schools had previously told her there was a good chance of more work that fall. That left Ahmed, a 26-year-old Brooklyn resident who earned less than $200 per day subbing, suddenly on the hook for thousands of dollars. I had to forego on some bills, Ahmed recalled. I had to prioritize my food and my rent and the bills that were very important to get by. State labor officials would not provide data on how many of New Yorks more than 29,000 substitute teachers applied for unemployment benefits when the pandemic shut down in-person learning last year, or how many, like Ahmed, were subsequently told they had to give benefits back. Labor advocates estimate that thousands of substitutes and other education workers were told to return payments based on the number of substitute teachers statewide and the appeals they have handled. While Ahmed recently won back the money, not all have. They have asked the state to review similar rulings against substitute teachers. Ordinarily, substitute teachers don't get to apply for unemployment benefits simply because there is no work for them over the summer, when schools aren't in session. School districts nationwide routinely send notices to subs at the end of the academic year giving them a reasonable assurance there will be work available in the fall. Ahmed got such a notice in June of 2020 from New York City. But advocates argue that at that point in the pandemic, it was hard to predict whether the promised work would actually come through. It wasnt clear when and how schools would reopen. Gov. Andrew Cuomo was warning of potential 20% aid cuts and did not give classrooms a green light to reopen for in-person learning until August. In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio was saying the stress on city government was so great there might be sweeping layoffs. There was no way that they could have provided reasonable assurance because the economic conditions were very poor. And there were a huge amount of uncertainties, said Nicole Salk, senior staff attorney at Legal Services NYC. Ultimately, the start of the school year was delayed and a majority of kids did their instruction through remote learning. Ahmed's application for unemployment aid was initially granted, but New York later determined she had to pay back some benefits and began deducting about $130 a week from her unemployment starting at the end of November, she said. The determination did not affect her state unemployment benefits, which are not recoverable under New York law if the recipient is not at fault, Salk said. Ahmed appealed. An administrative law judge ruled against her, but another appeals board overruled that decision in June. The state recently gave back Ahmed the roughly $1,500 that was taken from her. Now working as a registered nurse, Ahmed said the money is helping her get back on her feet. States are obligated to seek recovery of federal employment benefits sent in error, but they can allow recipients to seek waivers for certain types of aid because of financial hardships. Different states have different unemployment insurance laws and different approaches to waivers, so the experiences of substitutes with unemployment benefits varies nationwide. In North Carolina, a substitute in Greensboro who began collecting federal pandemic benefits in March 2020 was informed this April she had to pay back about $23,000. The 68-year-old woman was told she was ineligible because the schools were not closed by the pandemic. Her attorney Seth Cohen notes that the schools went remote, resulting in no more requests for her to teach. State officials later reversed their decision after an appeal and local news stories, Cohen said. In Hawaii, officials last July determined that substitute teachers didnt have a reasonable assurance of more work in the fall, clearing the way for them to receive unemployment benefits in the summer. New York labor officials stressed that benefit eligibility is determined on a case-by-case basis. Each claim is unique and there are a number of reasons why a claimant might be required to repay benefits, according to a statement from the department. Separate but related arguments about the notices are being made in federal court on behalf of school bus drivers and attendants. A lawsuit filed in April involves six school bus drivers and attendants employed in the Rochester, New York, suburb of Greece who were told they owed back between $4,200 and $8,100 in federal unemployment benefits and penalties. Attorney Peter Dellinger, who is seeking to bring the case as a statewide class action, said one of the plaintiffs is an 81-year-old man who drives a bus to supplement Social Security for himself and his wife. Hes 81 years old and driving a bus. Dellinger said. These are not wealthy people. State labor officials did not comment on the pending litigation. As for substitute teachers, Salk said administrative law judges often rule against them. She believes the substitutes should get their benefits returned. They should not be charging them with overpayments, she said. They should not be saying to these folks, You have to pay back this money. FRANKFORT, Ky (AP) Schools should make sure to require indoor mask wearing for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said. Administrators should have layered strategies in place to prevent COVID-19 infection and transmission, he added Thursday. President Joe Biden is sounding the alarm about the need for more resources to fight a series of wildfires in western states, as climate change has worsened the spread and ferocity of the blazes. Our resources are already being stretched to keep up, Biden told a bipartisan group of governors at a virtual meeting Friday. We need more help. The president opened the meeting with a nod to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who sought the Democratic nomination for president against Biden by stressing the threats from climate change. The mix of intense heat, droughts and other events tied to rising average temperatures has turned the fires into a national challenge as the smoke is worsening air quality as far away as New York City. Jay, youre beginning to convince the American people there is a thing called climate crisis, the president said at the start of his remarks, before reeling through a series of troubling numbers. It was the second meeting between Biden and the governors, and the situation has only worsened since the first, putting a strain on aircraft, hoses and other supplies. Since our last meeting, the number of large uncontained wildfires has nearly doubled to 66 fires, Biden said. The number of firefighters on the job to battle them has tripled. Over 3.4 million acres have already burned. The Washington governor took the opportunity to discuss the shortage of supplies to stop the fires. But he said his biggest worry is that Biden's agenda to reduce carbon emissions and limit climate change won't clear Congress. Thats going to ultimately decide whether these forests survive in the next century, Inslee said. Other governors attending the virtual meeting included: Oregon's Kate Brown, Montana's Greg Gianforte, Wyoming's Mark Gordon, Idaho's Brad Little, California's Gavin Newsom and Minnesota's Tim Walz. Andrew Harnik/AP WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden on Friday announced his picks for four key religious freedom roles, including Khzir Khan, the Muslim-American father of a slain U.S. soldier who became an outspoken critic of former President Donald Trump throughout both of his campaigns. Khan was appointed to be a commissioner of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, a body that investigates and monitors religious freedom issues across the globe and makes recommendations to the administration on how to address abuses. He rose to national prominence during the 2016 campaign with his sharp critiques of Trumps policies and rhetoric towards Muslims, ultimately speaking out against the Republican at the 2016 Democratic National Convention and sharing the story of his son, a U.S. Army captain who died in Iraq in 2004. SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) Bosnian Serb lawmakers on Friday overwhelmingly rejected a ban on genocide denial introduced by the top international official in Bosnia, in an act of defiance likely to fuel tensions in the ethnically-divided Balkan nation. The assembly of Republika Srpska, the Serb-run entity in Bosnia, also passed legal changes introducing prison terms of up to 15 years for calling the Serb territory a genocidal creation or for disrespect of its symbols, independence and territory, Klix news site reported. The move reflects Serb opposition to the Bosnian law amendments imposed last week by Valentin Inzko, the outgoing High Representative in Bosnia. The amendments aimed to outlaw attempts at minimizing the scope of the 1995 massacre in Srebrenica, Europe's only post-war genocide. The official Bosnian Serb television channel said Friday's vote was unanimous and presented response and protection from Inzko's genocide denial ban. It was also seen as a show of unity behind nationalist Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, who advocates the separation of Bosnian Serbs from Bosnia. Both the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court for Former Yugoslavia declared the Bosnian Serb killings of more than 8,000 Bosniaks in Srebrenica during the Bosnian War as genocide. But Bosnian Serb officials and officials in neighboring Serbia have refused to accept the designation. As the top international body overseeing implementation of the peace agreement that ended Bosnias 1992-95 war, the Office of High Representative has the authority to impose decisions or dismiss officials who undermine the post-war ethnic balance and reconciliation efforts among the Bosniaks, who are mostly Muslim, Bosnian Serbs and Croats. Inzko also banned the glorification of war criminals. He was appalled that Bosnian Serbs widely honor their wartime political leader Radovan Karadzic and military commander Ratko Mladic as heroes, though both have been convicted of genocide and sentenced to life in prison by the Hague-based tribunal. Inzko's decision will not be possible, Bosnian Serb parliament speaker Nedeljko Sarovic said after Friday's vote. It was wrong, unnecessary and it complicated the situation in Bosnia. The genocide in Srebrenica happened after Bosnian Serbs took control over the eastern enclave in July 1995. They executed Bosniak men and boys and dumped their remains into mass graves which were later dug up and reburied to cover the crime. The victims remains are still being unearthed and identified. Inzko is leaving his post on Saturday following his resignation in May after 12 years in office. He will be succeeded by Christian Schmidt of Germany. AKRON, Ohio (AP) A jury in Akron on Friday convicted a longtime Cleveland City Council member on numerous federal charges that included stealing $127,000 in expenses from the city over nearly a nine-year period. The jury deliberated around four hours before returning its verdicts against Kenneth Johnson, 75, cleveland.com reported. Johnson stands convicted on 15 counts that include conspiracy to commit federal program theft, tampering with a witness, falsification of records, federal program theft and aiding in the preparation of false tax returns. His longtime assistant, Garnell Jamison, 63, was convicted of 11 counts. Johnson could receive 10 years in prison at sentencing in October. Johnson testified on Wednesday the expense reimbursement reports were accurate and that he had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars helping his constituents during his 40 years on the council. Johnson and Jamison were accused of having a Cleveland recreation employee falsely sign timesheets that led to Johnson being reimbursed $1,200 a month in expenses for nearly nine years. The employee pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiracy to commit theft. He also was accused of stealing $50,000 in federal money through payments made to his son and and two people for whom he served as a court-appointed guardian. WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden on Friday signed emergency legislation that would bolster security at the Capitol, repay outstanding debts from the violent Jan. 6 insurrection and increase the number of visas for allies who worked alongside Americans in the Afghanistan war. The Senate approved the $2.1 billion legislation early Thursday afternoon, 98-0, and the House passed it immediately afterward, 416-11. Senators struck a bipartisan agreement on the legislation this week, two months after the House had passed a bill that would have provided around twice as much for Capitol security. But House leaders said they would back the Senate version anyway, arguing the money is urgently needed for the Capitol Police and for the translators and others who worked closely with U.S. government troops and civilians in Afghanistan. The bill loosens some requirements for the visas, which lawmakers say are especially pressing as the U.S. military withdrawal enters its final weeks and Afghan allies face possible retaliation from the Taliban. The money for the Capitol including for police salaries, the National Guard and to better secure windows and doors around the building comes more than six months after the insurrection by former President Donald Trumps supporters. The broad support in both chambers is a rare note of agreement between the two parties in response to the attack, as many Republicans still loyal to Trump have avoided the subject. The former president's loyalists brutally beat police and hundreds of them broke into the building, interrupting the certification of Biden's election win. Democrats had said that if Congress didn't pass the bill, money would start running out for officers salaries by August and that the National Guard might have to cancel some training programs. We cant let that happen, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said before the vote. He said the agreement shouldnt have taken this long but that passing the legislation is living up to Congress responsibility to keep the Capitol safe and to make sure that the people who risk their lives for us and protect us get the help they need. The bills passage comes after four police officers who fought off the rioters in the Jan. 6 attack testified in an emotional House hearing on Tuesday and detailed the medieval battle in which they were beaten and verbally assaulted. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested Wednesday that the hearing had perhaps jarred the Senate to move in a bipartisan way to pass this legislation. The more generous bill narrowly passed the House in May, but no Republicans supported it and some liberal Democrats voted against it as well. On Thursday, only 11 Republicans and Democrats opposed it. In the Senate, Republicans rejected an earlier $3.7 billion proposal by Democrats before they negotiated the final version. Pelosi said on Wednesday that the legislation was months overdue. Its not what we sent, its certainly not what we need, but its a good step forward, she said. It doesnt mean that were finished, but it does mean that we cant wait another day until we strengthen the Capital Police force, strengthen the Capitol. The legislation would boost personal protection for lawmakers who have seen increasing death threats since the insurrection, install new security cameras around the complex and replace riot equipment the police lost in the fighting that day. It would fund new intelligence gathering and boost wellness and trauma support for the Capitol Police, as many troops are still suffering in the wake of the attack. And it would reimburse the National Guard $521 million for the thousands of troops that protected the Capitol for more than four months after the siege. Unlike previous proposals, the bill would not provide money for the FBI to prosecute cases related to the insurrection, for temporary fencing in case of another attack or to create a new quick reaction force within the police or military that could respond to events at the Capitol. Police were overrun on Jan. 6 as the National Guard took hours to arrive. The White House issued a statement of support for the legislation, saying the Biden administration backs the Capitol security improvements and remains committed to supporting the Afghan people, including by fulfilling our commitment to Afghan nationals who worked for or on behalf of the U.S. Government. For the allies in Afghanistan, the bill would allow 8,000 additional visas and provide $500 million for their emergency transportation, housing and other essential services. Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, the top Republican on the appropriations panel who negotiated the legislation with the Democrats, said it would be shameful not to help the Afghan allies and that they could be killed by the Taliban as the U.S. withdraws. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said senators intend to keep our nations promises to brave Afghans who have taken great risks to help America and our partners fight the terrorists. The House overwhelmingly passed separate legislation last week to provide the visas, 407-16. The Pentagon says the troop withdrawal is more than 95% complete and is to be finished by Aug. 31. The first flight evacuating Afghans who worked alongside Americans in Afghanistan brought more than 200 people, including scores of children and babies in arms, to new lives in the United States on Friday. ___ Associated Press writers Ellen Knickmeyer and Kevin Freking contributed to this report. NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) Cyprus will start the voluntary COVID-19 vaccination of children over age 12 next week using mRNA shots produced by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, authorities said Friday. Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantela said that Cyprus is following other European Union countries including France, Germany and Italy which began vaccinating children between 12 and 15. The consent of parents and guardians is a prerequisite for all children's vaccinations in Cyprus. Hadjipantela urged young people to get the shot, with officials saying the median age of those infected in the last 14 days is 28. The world's scientific community is in unison making it loud and clear that those who haven't been vaccinated yet are most at risk," Hadjipantela told reporters. Authorities in nearby Greece also opened vaccination appointments for minors aged 12 and older, seeking to dampen a surge in infections driven by the delta variant. Nearly 49% of Greeces population and 56.% of the adult population have so far been fully vaccinated. But some critics say that vaccinating children and younger populations in richer countries leads to inequity in developing nations, which have struggled to secure enough doses to inoculate even their most vulnerable populations. Hadjipantela also announced that the compulsory display of the SafePass" electronic or paper documentation proving either vaccination, having been infected in the last six months or indicating a negative PCR test in the previous 72 hours will be expanded. Apart from all indoor and outdoor restaurant, bar and club areas as well as shopping malls, supermarkets and other retail stores, SafePass must now be displayed at nursing homes and hospitals. The SafePass" measure has triggered a wave of disenchantment among those who say this is another assault on their right to assemble and go wherever they please. Thousands of people have protested against the move, while 26 people have been arrested following a July 18 attack against the headquarters of the Dias Media Group in the capital Nicosia where they smashed the lobby and set fire to cars. Some protesters who oppose vaccination against COVID-19 have targeted Dias over what they see as the group's overly critical stance of their views on vaccines. Meanwhile, foreigners traveling to Cyprus must undergo a PCR test a week into their stay. Only travelers who have been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 in the previous three months are exempt. Cyprus in the last month has seen COVID-19 infections spike to their highest levels since the start of the pandemic. More than 98,000 people have so far been infected with COVID-19, corresponding to more than 10% of the east Mediterranean island nations population. Deaths due to the coronavirus now stand at 415, while the countrys health system is coming increasingly under strain as more than 80 people are currently hospitalized in serious condition. ___ Derek Gatopoulos in Athens contributed. Follow APs pandemic coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak PRAGUE (AP) The Czech government on Friday approved a program of help for Afghans who worked with Czech troops during their deployment in NATO missions. Defense Minister Lubomir Metnar said the help meant for Afghan interpreters and their families includes their relocation, an offer of asylum and financial aid. Metnar said the goal of the program is to ensure safe and decent live conditions for them after NATO troops pull out of Afghanistan. The governments move came days after the Czech veterans, current service members, human rights organizations and others urged the government to help resettle the Afghans because of the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan. NATO troops are ending a deployment launched against al-Qaida and Taliban forces in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. President Milos Zeman asked the government on Thursday to approve the program without any delay because of fears that Afghans who worked with the Czech military could be killed by the Taliban. The Defense Ministry declined to provide further details about the program, which is classified in order to protect its recipients. Their number wasn't given. The last Czech service members pulled out from Afghanistan in June. Since 2002, a total of 11,500 Czech soldiers were deployed in Afghanistan. Fourteen Czechs were killed. MADISON, Wis. (AP) Investigators have used a DNA match to identify the remains of a missing Wisconsin woman, more than two weeks after confirming that another set of remains was the dismembered body of her husband, the sheriff said Friday. Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said authorities have now identified the remains of both Krista Halderson and Bart Halderson. Their 23-year-old son, Chandler Halderson, is charged in his fathers death, and is accused of mutilating and hiding his body. Barrett said the same charges will be pursued in his mother's death. Authorities have not released a motive for the slayings. Human remains were found by investigators in the northwestern Dane County in the town of Roxbury on July 14. The sheriff said additional human remains were found on the couple's property in Windsor, but they have not yet been identified. Body parts found July 8 near Cottage Grove on the property of the family of Chandler Halderson's girlfriend were identified as belonging to Bart Halderson, 50. According to a criminal complaint, he may have died between July 1 and July 8. Chandler Halderson claimed his parents left July 2 for their cabin in Langlade County with an unknown couple and reported them missing on July 7. He said he thought his parents were missing because they had not yet returned home by that date and that phone calls were going to voicemail. Prosecutors said Chandler Halderson was seen driving the familys vehicle on July 5 along some woods where police three days later would find Bart Haldersons gunshot torso, which was mutilated and dismembered. Barrett said investigators continue to search the Halderson property as part of their investigation, including a pond behind their residence. Scott Takushi/AP ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) State Rep. John Thompson agreed Friday to publicly apologize for calling a colleague a racist during a heated debate on the Minnesota House floor last month. The embattled St. Paul Democrat agreed to apologize to Republican Rep. Eric Lucero, of Dayton, on the floor the next time the House convenes. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that the deal was unanimously approved by a bipartisan House ethics panel. In return, an ethics complaint that Lucero filed against Thompson will be dismissed. SEATTLE (AP) A 35-year-old man was arrested inside the King County Courthouse after Seattle police say he hid in a restroom and attacked a woman who works at the courthouse. Police spokesperson Sgt. Randy Huserik said a sheriffs deputy walking by the restroom Thursday heard the womans screams and intervened, The Seattle Times reported. Huserik said the man was interviewed by Seattle police sexual assault detectives and was expected to be booked into the King County Jail. He said the woman didnt require medical treatment. In an email sent to employees in the King County Prosecuting Attorneys Office, Casey McNerthney, a spokesperson for prosecutor Dan Satterberg, characterized the incident as an attempted rape. The suspect was described as being homeless. It wasnt immediately known if he stays in an encampment in City Hall Park south of the courthouse and the site of a recent homicide and assaults. A man died from a heroin overdose in the park on July 1, according to the King County Medical Examiners Office. Ongoing safety concerns for staff and court visitors, including jurors, has prompted recent debate over whether the encampments residents should be moved out of the park. According to McNerthney and court records, the man arrested Thursday was released from jail on July 23 after serving nearly two years for indecent liberties with forcible compulsion and assault with sexual motivation among other charges. SEATTLE (AP) Endangered killer whales received new habitat protections from the U.S. government Friday. The National Marine Fisheries Service finalized rules to expand the Southern Resident orcas critical habitat from the Canadian border down to Point Sur, California, adding 15,910 square miles (41,207 square kilometers) of foraging areas, river mouths and migratory pathways. Seattlepi.com reports that the total protected area now encompasses more than 18,000 square miles (46,620 square kilometers). These critically endangered orcas are finally getting the federal habitat protections they desperately need, said Julie Teel Simmonds, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. Environmentalists praised the action. But they also called for habitat protections for salmon to aid in the orcas recovery. While this action helps ensure the orcas ocean home will be protected, more action is urgently needed to restore wild salmon populations the orcas depend on, Ben Enticknap, a senior scientist with Oceana, said in a statement. There are currently 75 southern resident orca whales in the three resident J, K and L pods. The whales have in recent years been at their lowest numbers since the 1970s, TRENTON, N.J. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after President Joe Bidens administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? New Jersey is one of several states that enacted a moratorium last year halting eviction proceedings. New Jersey's moratorium will remain in place until Jan. 1, 2022, at the latest because of a bill Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law. The moratorium doesn't affect when rent is due, and tenants still owe the rent. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? The state is providing $353 million in rental assistance to low- and moderate-income households experiencing a substantial reduction in income. The state has also gotten notice from the federal government that another $272 million under the American Rescue Plan will apply to rental assistance. The application period will remain open until all funding has been awarded, according to the Department of Community Affairs, and landlords can apply on behalf of tenants, with the tenants permission. The state also launched the Expanded Access to Counsel and Homelessness Diversion Anti-Eviction Pilot this summer to offer legal and safety-net services to low-income households facing eviction. The state has also been notified by the federal government that it will be awarded nearly 1,000 vouchers for emergency housing assistance to help homeless people. That's in addition to 12 months of federal rental assistance to about 1,500 households facing homelessness. Beyond that, the Democrat-led Legislature passed a budget appropriating $500 million in federal funds to help renters pay rent. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? Landlord-tenant trials are on hold, likely until September. The state Supreme Court said in July that landlord-tenant settlement conferences could resume. If no settlement is reached, trials could begin Sept. 1. Under the state Supreme Courts July 14 order last year, evictions could only occur in emergencies and couldn't be based on failing to pay rent. Trials could only be held in the event of the death of a tenant or if the court determines that an emergency exists, such as documented violence, criminal activity, or other health and safety concerns, according to the state courts. HOW AFFORDABLE IS HOUSING IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? The metro New York region is considered among the priciest in the country. As of June, the median monthly rent in the New York-Newark-Jersey City area fell by 2% over the last year to $2,450, according to a report released July 15 by Realtor.com. Median rents for a two-bedroom apartment rose 3.7% to $2,775 in the northern New Jersey area, and 3.2% to $1,800 in the Philadelphia-Camden area. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? Its hard to say how much homelessness will increase in New Jersey. The U.S. census estimates that out of about 232,000 renters in the state, about 78,000 are considered very likely to leave their homes because of evictions in the next two months. New Jersey conducted a point-in-time count of homeless people in January, but the data is not yet available, according to the state Community Affairs Department. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? Oregon is one of several states that enacted a moratorium last year halting eviction proceedings for residents who have experienced financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the measure expired in June. As experts warned about a mass wave of evictions in the state, lawmakers and the governor passed and implemented additional safety nets for struggling tenants. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? Oregon set aside $200 million in federal emergency assistance to help tenants and landlords with current and outstanding rent. Based on data from Oregon Housing and Community Services, about 15,000 households have completed applications for rent assistance. While Oregon has millions of dollars available to pay past-due rent, high demand created a backlog that officials said would not be cleared before the end of the state eviction moratorium. As a result, in June Oregon lawmakers passed a Safe Harbor amendment on Senate Bill 278 to pause evictions. Under the amendment, which received bipartisan support, tenants who are unable to pay July or August rent will not be evicted for 60 days if they provide proof to their landlord that they have applied for rental assistance. The bill was signed by Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, last month. In addition, commissioners in Multnomah County Oregons most populous county and home to Portland voted earlier this month to extend the Safe Harbor amendment through the end of September. Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury said the demand for rental assistance in the county that includes Portland is estimated to be twice as high as all other Oregon counties combined. Officials say an additional month will give service providers more time to process and distribute funds to struggling tenants. In addition, earlier this year Oregon lawmakers voted to extend the grace period for past-due rent during the moratorium, allowing tenants to have until Feb. 28, 2022, to pay back rent. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? As the state braces for evictions, courts are also hastily preparing for an influx of evictions. We are closely monitoring the situation, but there continue to be a lot of unknowns and variables that will affect court workload and processes, said Todd Sprague, a spokesperson for the Oregon Judicial Department. The Chief Justice Order directs courts to schedule eviction proceedings as soon as practicable, but allows them to schedule first appearances within 14 days and any trial within 30 days, both of which are double the normal time. In addition, retired judges are being assigned to courts that need short-term assistance. Some circuit courts are exploring mediation as well. WHAT IS THE AFFORDABILITY IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? The cost of renting an apartment in Oregon's most populous city, Portland, plummeted in 2020 amid the pandemic at its peak dropping more than 7%. However, this year the cost of renting has slowly started to increase again. The Oregonian reported that, from March to April this year, Portland apartment rents increased by 1.8% from, with median rents sitting at $1,153 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,344 for a two-bedroom apartment. However, at the time the cost of renting an apartment in Portland was still down 4% as compared with last April. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? Oregon had a housing crisis before the pandemic, and since then it has only been exacerbated. Its hard to say exactly how much homelessness will increase in Oregon. However, one indication of the scope of the problem is census data in July showing 38% of Oregon tenants who responded to a survey or more than 35,000 renters said that it was very likely or somewhat likely that they would be evicted from their home. ___ Sara Cline 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. ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after President Joe Biden's administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 Maryland: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION LIMITS IN THE STATE? Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has extended the state's limits on evictions through Aug. 15. The state's limits provide a legal defense for tenants if they can show a substantial loss of income from COVID-19. Qualifying situations include a substantial decrease in income due to job loss, reduction in compensated hours of work or the need to miss work to care for a school-age child. A judge decides in each case whether sufficient evidence has been provided. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? Maryland has been allocated more than $700 million from two rounds of federal funds for emergency rental assistance. Much of it has gone to the state while some has been sent directly to local governments. A large portion remains to help. State officials say about $49 million has been spent so far, and they are raising awareness about available money and how to get help through mailings, as well as television, radio and social media ads. They also have established a call center (877-546-5595). The word is getting out, but we need to keep getting it out," said Sen. Shelly Hettleman, a Baltimore County Democrat. United Way of Central Maryland has been working with local governments to expand its Strategic Targeted Eviction Prevention program. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? Maryland courts are fully operational, though they are still enforcing social distancing, which leads to smaller dockets. Judge John Morrissey, the chief judge of Maryland's district courts, told lawmakers at a recent hearing that the courts are operating at about 75% of their typical case load, compared to before the pandemic. District courts are hearing landlord-tenant cases, including failure to pay rent and breach-of-lease cases. Judges have been making determinations about how much rent is due in such cases but have been deferring entering judgments until the moratoriums expire. It's believed a majority of tenants have used the Maryland limits on evictions rather than the CDC's, Morrissey said. WHAT IS THE AFFORDABILITY IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? In Baltimore, Columbia and Towson, the overall median rent was $1,600 in May, up 6.7% over the past year. The median two-bedroom rent was $1,700, up 5.5%. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? Evictions are down by about half on average each month, compared to fiscal years before the pandemic, and it's unclear how much they will increase when the limitations on them expire. Morrissey told lawmakers he did not expect a tsunami of evictions to suddenly occur, due to the pandemic-related constraints on courts and the amount of available aid. Itll be a slower burn until we get back up to full-blown operations, and the number of evictions may increase over the baseline, but thats going to take a while still, Morrissey said. Tenant advocates point out that there are about 5,500 judgments for evictions that will be entered sometime in the next 30 to 45 days. It's certainly something that's important to all 5,500 of those households that those evictions not be entered, said Carisa Hatfield, an attorney with Homeless Persons Representation Project. Hatfield also noted that there have been 285,647 cases of failure to pay rent filed from July 2020 through May, and that about 4,600 evictions have happened since last July. SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 Mexico: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? New Mexico is one of several states that enacted a moratorium last year halting eviction proceedings. It covers evictions for 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 set an expiration date yet. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? The federal government has allocated up to $284 million in rental assistance to the state of New Mexico and independent efforts by two major counties to help tenants with outstanding rent, utility payments and other expenses. The money can go toward 15 months of rent and other expenses, including internet access. The federal government may sweep away unused money if authorities are slow to dispense the aid. So far, the state estimates it has distributed at least $17 million in rental and utility assistance, acknowledging concerns that many eligible tenants may not have applied. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? 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 from the same period immediately before the pandemic struck. WHAT IS THE AFFORDABILITY IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? Housing affordability is in line with the national average across much of New Mexico. Prior to the pandemic, New Mexico was just below the national average in its share of cost-burdened housing renters who devote at least 30% of income to housing costs. New Mexico's current vacancy rate is similar to the roughly 7% national average, though 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. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? Its hard to say how much homelessness will increase in New Mexico. One indication of the scope of the problem is census data showing 23,037 state residents concerned that they could be evicted over the next two months. NORFOLK, Va. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after President Joe Biden's administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 Virginia: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? Virginias moratorium has expired, leaving only the CDC ban. Housing advocates say one of Virginias most significant eviction protections ran out at the end of June. It was a requirement that landlords apply for rent relief money on their tenants behalf. Renters now have to seek it out themselves. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? Virginias Rent Relief Program helps tenants suffering financial hardship from the pandemic. Fairfax and Chesterfield Counties administer their own programs. As of July 14, more than $308 million had been paid out statewide to support more than 48,000 households, according to the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Virginia and its local governments will ultimately have access to about $1 billion in funds to help renters. The state has launched an awareness campaign, while legal aid attorneys and others are offering to help tenants navigate the application process. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? Eviction hearings and judgments have continued, but at a sharply lower rate: about 10% of pre-pandemic totals during 2021s first quarter, according to Virginia Commonwealth Universitys RVA Eviction Lab. Co-directors Kathryn Howell and Ben Teresa cite various reasons, from eviction moratoriums to landlords utilizing the relief fund. Judges have also postponed cases to allow more time to apply for relief, said Martin Wegbreit, director of litigation for the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society. But courts have continued to issue some judgments, oftentimes against tenants who already moved out and failed to show up to their hearing, Howell said. The state is also requiring courts to grant a 60-day continuance for an eviction proceeding when a tenant can demonstrate that their failure to pay was due to the effects of COVID-19. That protection expires at the end of September. HOW AFFORDABLE IS HOUSING IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? More than 20% of Virginias rental households have people with extremely low incomes and a majority of them spend half their money on housing costs and utilities, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Plus, Virginia has a shortage of nearly 150,000 rental properties for people with extremely low incomes. Concerns about affordable housing are most acute in northern Virginia, outside the nations capital, but housing advocates say Richmond and Hampton Roads have very tight rental markets as well. Theyve also seen a sharp rise in rents, according to Realtor.com. For instance, the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Richmond rose 19% year over year, to $1,166 in June. The region that includes Norfolk and Virginia Beach saw a 14.6% rise in median rent for a two-bedroom apartment, to $1,392. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? A recent U.S. Census survey of nearly 120,000 Virginians found that about 23,000 feared they were very likely to leave their home in the next two months due to eviction. Housing advocates worry that evictions will surge, and homelessness could eventually follow, if landlords fail to tell tenants about the relief money. Some will still utilize Virginias relief fund, said Holly Yates, a managing attorney with the Legal Aid Society of Eastern Virginia. But she said others wont want to jump through any more hoops, especially in a tight rental market where folks who are a little bit more financially stable are lined up at the door. But Patrick McCloud, CEO of the Virginia Apartment Management Association, said the eviction process is far more arduous than working with a tenant applying for relief. Plus, McCloud said, If I evict the resident, Im never going to see that money. A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after President Joe Bidens administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 Connecticut: WHAT'S THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? Connecticut was one of several states that enacted its own eviction moratorium in 2020. The states rule, which prevented landlords from filing most new eviction cases, with certain exceptions, expired on June 30. Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont, however, signed an executive order on the same day that requires landlords to apply to the state's UniteCT rental assistance program prior to issuing an eviction notice to tenants for nonpayment of rent. Among other things, Lamont's order also requires a stay in eviction proceedings of up to 30 days if either the landlord or the tenant applies to the UniteCT program for relief. WHAT'S BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? Using roughly $400 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds, the state developed the UniteCT Program to provide both rental and utility payment assistance to qualified households impacted by the pandemic. As of July 28, nearly $41 million has been disbursed to 5,486 tenants and 2,604 landlords. Additionally, more than $2.2 million has been disbursed for unpaid utility bills. U.S. Census data released July 22 estimates more than 70,000 renters have no confidence they will be able to pay next month's rent. So we are serving a lot of the people who need service, but not enough. Certainly not enough, said Erin Kemple, executive director of the Connecticut Fair Housing Center. According to survey data released July 5, it was very likely that an estimated 1,712 renters would leave their homes in the next two months due to eviction while 25,005 were somewhat likely. Kemple said those numbers don't provide an accurate picture of the situation because some respondents may not have known that Connecticut's eviction moratorium ended on June 30 and the federal one is set to expire on Saturday. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? Eviction hearings are still being held remotely because of pandemic restrictions, but are expected to eventually resume in-person as state court operations continue to open back up. Meanwhile, the state is using federal COVID-19 relief funds to provide low-income tenants with no-cost legal representation for eviction proceedings or administrative proceedings. As of Thursday, there were 1,843 cases pending. While a large number of eviction cases were filed right after Lamont's executive order was issued, Kemple said the numbers have dropped in the last week or so. She equates the decline to court clerks looking closely at eviction case files. If they don't see an application for the UniteCT relief funds filed as part of an eviction action, then the case cannot be filed. HOW AFFORDABLE IS HOUSING IN THE STATE'S RENTAL MARKETS? The rent burden in Connecticut the percentage of households that spend 30% or more of their income on rent is near or exceeds 50% in most counties, according to AffordCT, a housing database. In June, the overall median rent in the Hartford metro area was $1,545 a month, and the median two-bedroom cost $1,750 a month, according to data from Realtor.com. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? Kemple said she expects to see an increase in the number of people seeking access to homeless shelters once Lamont's executive order requiring landlords to apply to UniteCT expires on Sept. 30. That's also when an order expires that permits state officials to provide non-congregate housing, such as hotel rooms instead of shelters, for people experiencing homelessness in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Kemple said her group is now worried about families doubling up with relatives or friends. Recent studies have shown that the communities with highest eviction rates also have the lowest vaccination rates, she said. We expect to see a spike in infections as a result. Her group has asked the Lamont administration to make the application process for the rental assistance program easier and to allow renters to receive the funds directly, instead of going to the landlords since some landlords don't want to participate in UniteCT. Aaron Turner, a spokesman for the Connecticut Department of Housing, recently said the state is making every effort, through a wide variety of programs and initiatives to prevent a surge in homelessness. CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 West Virginia: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? West Virginia wasn't among the states that enacted a moratorium last year halting eviction proceedings and is generally following the federal moratorium. Gov. Jim Justice had pleaded with landlords not to act toward evicting tenants during the pandemic, but thousands of eviction cases were filed, anyway. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? Justice was among four governors, all Republicans, who chose not to set up statewide rent-relief programs last year after Congress passed its first coronavirus relief package. This year, West Virginia received $152 million for emergency rental assistance under the American Rescue Plan championed by President Joe Biden. Renters who meet income thresholds can apply for the program, administered by the West Virginia Housing Development Fund. An additional $38.5 million is earmarked to help low-income residents pay utility bills. Public housing authorities and local government consortiums throughout the state also have received millions of dollars this year from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to help offer rental assistance. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? Magistrate courts have continued to accept eviction filings, but most hearings have been delayed until the CDC moratorium expires, said West Virginia Supreme Court spokeswoman Jennifer Bundy. Once the freeze ends, the state court system can expect an influx of filings and hearings, she said. According to Legal Aid of West Virginia, the court eviction process moves fast. Typically a magistrate court hearing is held no more than 10 days after a landlord starts a case. There are two types of procedures. One, called a summary eviction, is used by landlords to take quick action, but generally they cannot ask for monetary damages or rent unless the tenant fails to answer the complaint or appear at trial. Under the other procedure, called an unlawful detainer, the landlord can ask for damages. Bundy said 10,625 summary eviction cases were filed from June 2020 to June 2021, while there were 920 unlawful detainer cases. HOW AFFORDABLE IS HOUSING IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? The market value for a two-bedroom apartment in West Virginia is among the lowest in the nation at $732, but many residents can't even afford that. About 16% of West Virginia residents live in poverty, while 34% of children had parents who did not work full time in 2019, according to the U.S. Census. The National Low Income Housing Coalition said there is a shortage of affordable rental homes available to low-income households. It says the annual household income needed to rent a two-bedroom home in the state is about $31,000. It sounds like affordable housing, but its not affordable when youre not making even $15 an hour, said Ellen Allen, executive director of the nonprofit assistance group Covenant House in Charleston. Theres so many people that are on the edge, that are just cobbling together enough part-time jobs to get their rent and utilities paid. The Washington, D.C., metropolitan market, which is among the most expensive in the country, includes parts of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle. The median monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment there had risen 7% over the past year to $2,369, according to a report released July 15 by Realtor.com. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? Allen said she is greatly concerned that homelessness will rise as court cases are heard. One indication of the scope of the problem is census data showing nearly 15,000 state residents worried that they could be evicted over the next two months, more than double the number from a similar survey in June. BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after President Joe Biden's administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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, 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 will be available from the federal coronavirus relief package passed earlier this year. Edwards announced in March that the state was divvying up $161 million of the December allocation through a program run by the Louisiana Housing Corporation covering rental assistance in 57 of Louisiana's parishes. The remaining money went 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. Through July 26, $17.1 million in rental and utility assistance had been paid through the program, with another $1.4 million approved for tenants, according to the Louisiana Housing Corporation. Nearly 24,000 tenants have started applications for the aid, but only about 3,100 have been approved. Meanwhile, frustrated tenants seeking aid from the parish-run programs have complained about the sluggish pace of help. I think it is a dereliction of government's 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 doesn't necessarily hold true in the New Orleans area, which struggled with affordable housing shortages even before the pandemic. As of June, the median monthly rent in the New Orleans and Metairie area had risen 8% over the last year to $1,395, according to a report released by Realtor.com. Median rents for a two-bedroom apartment rose more than 10% in the area to $1,600. 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 more than 62,000 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 that the end of the federal eviction moratorium, combined with Edwards decision to turn off federal pandemic unemployment assistance Saturday, 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. BOSTON (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after President Joe Bidens administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 Massachusetts: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? Massachusetts is one of several states that enacted a moratorium last year halting eviction proceedings due to the pandemic. The states pause on evictions expired on October 17, 2020, at which point the CDC moratorium became effective in Massachusetts. A bill signed into law by Republican Gov. Charlie Baker in June also aims to help prevent evictions in cases where tenants are unable to pay rent due to COVID-19-related financial hardship until April, 2022. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? When the state moratorium on evictions and foreclosures expired, Baker outlined a $171 million plan to increase rental assistance and help landlords negotiate with tenants. While much of that money has been spent, an additional nearly $440 million in federal money was set aside in December for rental assistance in Massachusetts and approximately $300 million more was received through the American Rescue Plan Act. Much of the federal aid remains. The new law signed by Baker also includes provisions aimed at helping tenants who are facing possible eviction understand their legal options. The law requires that landlords notifying tenants to leave a dwelling for nonpayment of rent also provide a form explaining the notice is not the same as an eviction and that tenants don't immediately have to leave the unit. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? The same law provides hardship protections to those facing eviction by maintaining the court practice of offering temporary continuances to tenants who have filed applications for rental assistance. The law also requires that the form landlords must give to tenants when they notify them to leave because of nonpayment of rent must also include information on rental assistance programs, trial court rules and relevant federal or state legal restrictions on residential evictions. HOW AFFORDABLE IS HOUSING IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? Massachusetts has long had one of the countrys tightest rental housing markets driven in part by a strong economy and a shortage of affordable housing although the pandemic put a dent in rising rents at a time when a vast numbers of college students stayed home to take classes remotely. As of June, the median monthly rent in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton area had fallen 2% over the last year to $2,450, according to a report released by Realtor.com. Median rent for a two-bedroom apartment was $2,700, down 3.6% from 2020. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? It isnt clear how much homelessness will increase in Massachusetts. One indication of the scope of the problem is census data showing 11,980 state residents are concerned that they could very likely be evicted over the next two months. Another 17,411 say they are somewhat likely to be evicted over the next two months. RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after President Joe Biden's 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 North Carolina: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? North Carolina is one of several states that enacted a moratorium last year halting eviction proceedings. The directive from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper expired on June 30 after he unsuccessfully sought approval for a one-month extension from the GOP-controlled Council of State. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? North Carolinas Housing Opportunities and Prevention of Evictions (HOPE) program offers rent and utility assistance to low-income renters in 88 of the smallest counties in the state. Twelve larger counties are managing their own programs. North Carolina has set aside roughly $1.3 billion to help tenants cover their housing and utility costs, with nearly $1 billion going to the HOPE program and $300 million to the 12 larger counties. The state estimates it has awarded a total of more than $305 million to 81,039 different households that qualify for the HOPE program. The 12 counties overseeing their own programs have expended approximately $64 million, according to state officials. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? Eviction hearings are expected to be increasingly handled in person as more of the state reopens. Tenants rights advocates and realtors groups anticipate an uptick in hearings once the CDC moratorium expires. North Carolinians can still be evicted now for reasons unrelated to nonpayment of rent, such as property destruction. 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. As of May, the median monthly rent in the Raleigh metropolitan area had risen nearly 14% over the last year to $1,380, according to a report released June 16 by Realtor.com. Median rents for a two-bedroom apartment rose by more than 18% over the last year to $1,555. 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. According to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey, about 1 in 13 North Carolina tenants have no confidence theyll be able to make next months rent. Survey data shows 30% of respondents believe it is at least somewhat likely that they will be evicted within two months. Legal Aid of North Carolina, a nonprofit law firm that helps low-income renters facing the threat of eviction, has 12 workers who now take more than 2,000 calls a day, a fourfold increase in typical call volume before the pandemic. About 70% of the calls they receive are coming from tenants seeking help on housing matters. The organization expects legal assistance needs to only increase as the eviction moratorium deadline approaches and more people get sent to court for eviction hearings. ___ Follow Anderson on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BryanRAnderson. ___ Anderson 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. ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after President Joe Bidens administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 said they face eviction in the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey. That includes about 170,000 people in New York alone. 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 York: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? New York state law protects tenants from evictions but only if they submit paperwork to the state stating they had a financial hit during the pandemic. That state law expires at the end of August. But tenants who apply for rental assistance will still have protection from eviction if their landlords take them to court, even if tenants dont hear back from the state before the law expires. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? This year, the state set up a $2 billion fund to provide up to 12 months of past-due rent and utility bills to eligible households who are at or below 80% of area median income. New Yorkers that spend 30% or more of their monthly income on rent can also receive up to three months of extra rental aid. Payments go directly to landlords, who must agree to waive late fees due on past-due rent and to not increase monthly rent or evict tenants in most scenarios. New York launched the fund through the state budget passed April 7 but it didnt release the rental relief application until June 1. Legal Aid Society staff attorney Ellen Davidson said lawmakers eased paperwork requirements that slowed rental relief last year. But New York was the last state to release new rental relief aid this year, according to U.S. Treasury data provided to The Associated Press. Dozens of landlords, tenants, and housing advocates have told AP the state's website has been plagued by glitches and poor customer service. Lawmakers have launched hearings into the program. The state told AP it expects to take four to six weeks to process completed applications; its received over 160,000 so far. New York processed $2.7 million in aid as of July 29, but lawmakers say that's far too little. Gov. Andrew Cuomo this week announced hes streamlining the application process and adding 350 state workers to help. But Community Housing Improvement Program Executive Director Jay Martin said it's unclear whether Cuomo actually changed the application process. Cuomo's administration hasn't provided AP with details about how many households have received payments or denials. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? New York landlords have been able to bring lawsuits over evictions since last summer. But Davidson said existing state protections are preventing a flood of evictions. As the moratorium expiration nears, Martin said the state should provide courts with a list of tenants awaiting rental relief, rather than force landlords to take tenants to court. HOW AFFORDABLE IS HOUSING IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? New York City is often viewed as one of the nations costliest and most competitive housing markets. As of June, the median monthly rent in the New York City metropolitan area was down 2% over the last year to $2,450, according to a report released June 16 by Realtor.com. Median rents for a two-bedroom apartment were at $2,775, up 3.7%. Meanwhile, rent for studios was down 14% to $2,095. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? Davidson said state protections should prevent a surge in homelessness. Senate housing committee chair Brian Kavanagh, a Democrat, said hes committed to keeping the moratorium in place "as long as needed to protect the public" given rental relief's glacial pace. But Martin said his group, representing 4,000 property owners, would fight that tooth and nail. He said extension would push more debt onto tenants and landlords seeking the maximum months of aid. The only way to actually help people is to actually get them the relief, Martin said. More than one in five New York households are behind on rent, according to left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions that was enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to oust tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 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, though it was lifted a few weeks later. According to state Supreme Court data, the number of eviction judgments statewide 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 in federal emergency rental assistance funding this year to help tenants with outstanding rent, utility payments and other expenses. Last year, the state provided $2.9 million in federal funding to rental assistance for more than 1,360 tenants and almost 500 landlords. The $352 million the state got this year can go toward up to 12 months of rent and other related expenses, including utilities. To qualify, applicants must have a household income of no more than 80% of their areas median income. So far in 2021, the state estimates it has distributed about $4.4 million to about 1,700 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 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 in 2019 for a two-bedroom apartment in North Dakota was $841. According to state data, renters occupied 30% of the state's housing units that year. A household would have had to earn more than $33,000 per year in 2019 to afford the average rent and utilities for a two-bedroom without paying more than 30% of its income on housing. The median household income that year, which was the most recent for which the information was available, was $63,837, according to the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency. 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. HONOLULU (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 Hawaii: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? Hawaii has its own moratorium imposed by an emergency declaration from Gov. David Ige. It's due to last through Aug. 6, giving local renters an extra week to get ready. Ige said he hopes measures to encourage landlord-tenant mediation, efforts to get people back to work and rent-relief programs will help the situation. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? Hawaiis counties are providing federal relief money to those needing help covering their rent and utility bills. In Honolulu, the city's rental and utility relief program has awarded $44.8 million to 5,540 households. It expects to have $180 million to distribute through September 2022. Hawaii this year enacted legislation encouraging landlords and tenants to mediate disputes as a means to prevent evictions. The new law also aims to stop an avalanche of cases overwhelming the courts when the moratorium expires. It requires landlords to notify a mediation center if they are terminating a rental agreement to prevent landlords from going directly to court. It also delays when a landlord may take possession of a unit if a tenant schedules mediation, potentially giving tenants time to work things out. The measure allocates funds to mediators who may negotiate rent reductions and payment plans and help landlords and tenants obtain rental assistance money. Aloha United Way has been training staff who answer its 211 helpline on the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants. They are ready to refer people to mediators and places where they can apply for rental assistance. Lisa Kimura, who oversees Aloha United Ways COVID-19 response programs, said mediation programs have successfully kept people housed in the past. She hopes that will be the case under the new law. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? The existing moratorium currently prohibits evictions because a tenant has fallen behind on their rent. Ray Kong, director of litigation at Lawyers for Equal Justice, said he has heard of landlords attempting to get around the moratorium by filing broad cases to evict people for damaging property or otherwise violating lease terms. If tenants dont show up in court to answer these cases, a default judgement may be issued against them. Kong said its vital that tenants show up in court so a judge can determine whether a case should go to mediation. HOW AFFORDABLE IS HOUSING IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? Hawaii is a notoriously expensive place to live. Theres a limited supply of housing given population growth has outpaced housing development for decades. Many of the states jobs are in hospitality businesses like hotels and restaurants that dont pay well, making it a challenge for many to afford housing even when there is no pandemic or economic crisis. So far in July, the median monthly rent for Oahu units advertised on Craiglist was $1,900, higher than $1,825 marked in March 2020 before rents fell during the pandemic, according to data compiled by Justin Tyndall, assistant professor of economics at the University of Hawaiis Economic Research Organization. The median rent dipped to $1,600 in December before rebounding. Ricky Cassiday, an independent real estate market analyst, said rental prices on other islands like Maui have gone up more given tourism has rebounded faster there than on Oahu. Thats because the robust pace of COVID-19 vaccinations in the U.S. has fueled a surge in tourists from the mainland, who dominate travel to those islands. Oahu, meanwhile, is normally also heavily visited by travelers from Japan, South Korea and Australia, where vaccinations have lagged. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? Nicky Winter, the executive director of Achieve Zero, which is contracted by the state to provide services to the homeless from Aiea to Kapolei and Mililani to Oahus North Shore, said she is concerned the expiration of the eviction moratorium will lead to a spike in homelessness. I dont know that anybody can fully prepare for the onslaught of those that will be in trouble come August when the moratorium ends, she said. During the pandemic, her agency received 15 to 20 calls a day from people seeking help paying rent compared with four to five calls a week before COVID-19. One caller was behind $24,000, or 10 months worth. Even if Achieve Zero is able to help an evicted family find new housing, she noted the tenants will still be responsible for back rent they owe and will have to figure out how to pay it off. Nonprofits like hers are doubly challenged by limited funding and the difficulties they are encountering hiring staff while demand for their services grows. I would really wish that everybody retain their sense of aloha and know that we have to work together. But well get through it, Winter said. A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after President Joe Bidens administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 Rhode Island: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? The only protection against eviction currently in place in Rhode Island is the federal governments moratorium. The state never imposed its own ban, though the legal proceedings were effectively halted while state courts were shuttered during the early months of the pandemic, said Brenda Clement, director of HousingWorks RI, an advocacy and research group based at Roger Williams University. This year, the Legislature didnt approve proposals to impose a state eviction moratorium before recessing for the summer. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? Democratic Gov. Daniel McKee launched RentReliefRI this spring using $200 million in federal money. Rhode Island Housing, the state agency overseeing the effort, said it has approved more than 1,200 applications and provided almost $8 million in assistance to date. About 6,000 others are in review or in the process of being certified. The program helps cover rent and utilities owed back to last April as well as up to three months of upcoming rent. Applicants can receive up to 18 months of assistance. The state also provided a combined $13.5 million to roughly 3,000 households through two other rent relief programs launched during the pandemic that have since wound down: Housing Help RI and Safe Harbor. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? Hearings are proceeding in person by appointment, but executing court orders for nonpayment of rent have been put on hold until the lifting of the federal moratorium, said Craig Berke, spokesperson for the state court system. Decisions in residential eviction cases in which there are safety concerns, such as property damage or change in ownership, however, are being enforced, he said. Through July 28, there were more than 1,600 eviction filings for nonpayment of rent, compared with more nearly 2,000 through the same period last year and nearly 4,000 in 2019, according to Berke. HOW AFFORDABLE IS HOUSING IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? As of June, the median monthly rent in the Providence metro area had risen 8.6% over the last year to $1,785, according to the most recent data from Realtor.com. Median rents for a two-bedroom apartment rose 14% to $2,028. The vacancy rate in Providence is about 5%, down from about 6.6% during the same period last year, according to Rhode Island Housing. Statewide, its 2.8%, down from about 4%. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? Lifting the eviction moratorium will be devastating to Rhode Island, which had the highest eviction rate in New England even before the pandemic, said Kristina Contreras Fox, a policy analyst at the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness. We have virtually no housing stock, she said. So when Rhode Islanders get evicted, they and their families have literally nowhere to go. Brenda Clement, of Housing Works RI, added theres already a waiting list for homeless shelters and more than 100 people have been temporarily placed in hotels across the state as a result. Another indication of the looming problem is July census data showing some 5,400 state residents concerned that they could be evicted over the next two months. OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 Washington: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? Washington is one of several states that enacted a moratorium last year halting eviction proceedings. Evictions with a 60-day notice are allowed in cases in which the landlord intends to sell or move into the property, or if an affidavit declares the tenant created health and safety problems. Gov. Jay Inslee has extended moratorium protections several times, including last month. The protections will now remain in force until Sept. 30 to give landlords and tenants sufficient time to access federal aid. Through the end of July, landlords are prohibited from evicting tenants for past-due rent during the pandemic until rental assistance and eviction resolution programs are in place in their county. Starting Aug. 1, tenants are expected to pay full rent unless they negotiate a lower amount with their landlord or actively seek rental assistance. Landlords must offer tenants a reasonable repayment plan before starting the eviction process and provide them a list of services and support available to them under the assistance programs. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? The Legislature approved spending $658 million in federal money to extend the states rental assistance program. That doesnt include hundreds of millions of dollars from previous federal relief programs that are being distributed to landlords. More than 33,000 households have received rent assistance through the end of June, and an estimated 80,000 households are expected to receive assistance through June 2023, according to the state Department of Commerce. Updated numbers this week show that Commerce has been billed $179 million by counties allocating aid, but the agency stressed that amount does not reflect the total amount paid to landlords. The governor also signed a right to counsel measure passed by the Legislature that ensures low-income tenants have legal representation when faced with eviction. Another new law that took effect this year focuses on tenant rights and the circumstances in which they can be evicted, and in some cases increasing the notice tenants must receive before vacating. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? In most judicial districts, eviction hearings in Washington continue to be held remotely. In any given year, the courts receive 17,000 to 20,000 eviction filings across the state, said Edmund Witter, an attorney with the King County Bar Associations Housing Justice Project. While the number has decreased during the pandemic, he expects the pace will resume once the moratorium lifts. Recent statewide data shows just 2,700 eviction filings in 2020, said Jim Bamberger, director of the Office of Civil Legal Aid, a judicial branch agency. WHAT IS THE AFFORDABILITY IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? Washington has had a tight rental market for several years, with vacancy rates at 5% or below, said James Young, director of the Washington Center for Real Estate Research, which looks at data for rental buildings that have at least 20 units. From spring 2015 to spring 2021, the statewide average rent for a two-bedroom apartment increased more than 37%, to $1,476, according to state data. One-bedroom apartments saw a 30% jump during that same period to a statewide average of $1,422. This spring, one-bedroom apartments in most counties outside the Puget Sound area had vacancy rates below 2%. 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 June 23 to July 5, about 31,000 households statewide are not paying rent and more than 174,000 have no confidence they could pay next months rent. The Census survey found that more than 53,000 respondents said it was very likely they would have to leave their homes because of eviction in the next two months. More than 61,000 said it was somewhat likely. It doesnt take a lot to create a surge of homelessness, Witter said. Berkeley, Mo. (AP) Civil rights advocates, religious leaders and others on Friday said they were outraged by St. Louis County Health Director Faisal Khan's claims that he was assaulted and bombarded with racial slurs after defending a new mask mandate. But a county councilman questioned whether Khan was telling the truth. Khan spoke at the St. Louis County Council meeting on Tuesday, when the council voted 5-2 to end a mask mandate imposed by Democratic County Executive Sam Page. St. Louis city and county simultaneously began requiring masks last week to combat the fast-spreading delta variant of COVID-19. The resurgent virus began its summer assault in under-vaccinated rural areas of Missouri, but has increasingly led to new cases and hospitalizations in St. Louis. The county meeting was long and boisterous, with several in the crowd opposing the mandate requiring masks in public indoor places. Page has said the mandate stands despite the council's vote. Republican Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed suit to try to stop the mandate. Khan, a U.S. citizen since 2013 and originally from Pakistan, wrote to a member of the County Council on Wednesday that he was surrounded by an angry mob as he left the meeting. He said he was shoulder-bumped, threatened and called a racial slur, and that his accent was mocked. He also acknowledged that he responded by giving protesters the middle finger. Speaking at a news conference outside the St. Louis County Health Department, Caroline Fan, president of the Missouri Asian American Youth Foundation, said the slurs aimed at Khan felt like being stabbed. We're in a pandemic, Fan said. He's trying to do his job. Dr. Ghazala Hayat, a physician and a representative of the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis, said the comments directed at Khan were heartbreaking. Hearing all those racist remarks and everything reflects poorly on our community, our state, Hayat said. Republican County Councilman Tim Fitch said the council was launching an investigation into what happened, but he questioned whether Kahn was telling the truth. We already know from available video because I have it in my hands - he was never assaulted, Fitch told The Associated Press by phone on Friday. He was never shoved. He was never shouldered. That was all in his letter. If he would be untruthful about that, which is easily provable and he still hasn't made a police report that he was assaulted what else is untruthful in what he is saying? It was Fitch whom Khan, in his letter to County Council Chairwoman Rita Heard Days, accused of helping to incite the angry crowd when he asked what Khan referred to as a dog whistle question: Can you tell us why you're called Dr. Khan? Are you a physician in the United States? Khan said he wasnt a practicing licensed physician in the U.S. Fitch said the question was meant to familiarize the crowd with Khans background. I was trying to establish what he told us were his credentials, he told the AP. Page, in a statement, called the alleged actions against Khan troubling and said his office was launching its own investigation. BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) A fight preceded the fatal shooting of a Watford City man in rural Dunn County last weekend, according to authorities. A 28-year-old man from Mesa, Arizona, is charged with shooting Brian Rowe multiple times as they rode with a woman in Rowe's pickup truck Sunday. BERLIN (AP) Germany will require people entering the country who havent been vaccinated or recently recovered from COVID-19 to show a negative test result starting Sunday. The change approved by the Cabinet on Friday applies to people 12 years old and above. It comes amid increasing concern about infections brought back from summer vacations pushing up Germanys relatively low case rate. School holidays in some German states will end in about a week. At present, unvaccinated people traveling by air are required to test negative before they get on a plane to Germany, regardless of where they are coming from. People crossing into Germany by other means of transport will now also have to prove their status. Authorities are expected to conduct spot checks at land borders rather than impose blanket controls. People arriving from countries listed in Germany's highest risk category as virus variant areas will also have to present a test if they are vaccinated or have recently recovered. That list currently includes Brazil and South Africa but no European countries. Germanys disease control center said this week that more than four-fifths of the infections in Germany are still domestic, but there has been an increase in infected people who were probably exposed to the virus abroad -- particularly in Spain and Turkey, two popular vacation destinations. Germany's infection rate remains much lower than several other European countries, but it has been creeping higher since hitting a low of 4.9 new weekly cases per 100,000 residents on July 6. On Friday, the figure stood at 16.5 new cases per 100,000 residents over the past week. That is worrying officials at a time when the more contagious delta variant has become dominant in Germany and elsewhere in Europe, while vaccinations have slowed. By Thursday, 51.5% of Germany's population was fully vaccinated and 61.5% had received at least one vaccine dose. Authorities are trying to come up with creative ways to whet more skeptical Germans' appetite for vaccination. On Friday, a vaccination center in the eastern town of Sonnenberg offered a free bratwurst to all comers which, according to regional public broadcaster MDR, was met with a bigger uptake than usual in the first few hours. Health Minister Jens Spahn noted that in general terms, travel is easier with a vaccination the vaccinated spare themselves testing and, in principle, don't have to go into quarantine. He added that the offer of vaccinations for everyone in the summer stands. We have enough vaccine. As well as tweaking the entry rules, the Cabinet decided Friday to simplify Germany's risk category system. It is cutting the number of categories from three to two eliminating the lowest tier, for which barely any practical restrictions applied anyway. ___ Follow AP stories on the pandemic at https://apnews.com/coronavirus-pandemic. NEW YORK (AP) Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. could be on the hook for millions of dollars in damages after failing to respond to a lawsuit that accused him of raping a woman in New York City in 2013. U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty issued a default judgment against Gooding on Thursday, saying it appeared the Oscar-winning Jerry Maguire star was willfully ignoring the lawsuit and that waiting for him any longer would be unfair to his accuser. Judge Crotty said that under the law, the 53-year-old Goodings failure to respond and defend himself in the lawsuit constituted an admission of liability. The judge gave Gooding a final deadline of Sept. 7 to participate in the case. After that, the judge said, hell decide on damages. The plaintiff in the lawsuit, identified in court papers as Jane Doe, alleged Gooding raped her without protection after meeting her at a Greenwich Village VIP lounge and luring her to his hotel room under false pretenses. She is seeking $6 million in damages. No lawyer was listed for Gooding in the federal court docket. A message seeking comment was left with his lawyer in his New York City criminal case. Attorney Mark Heller, who represent Gooding in the criminal case, said the events alleged in the lawsuit never took place and suggested the plaintiff was somebody looking for some glory to bask in the publicity and notoriety of Cuba Gooding Jr.s case. Citing case law, Crotty said in his order Thursday that he will invite both sides to argue over damages in court before deciding what Gooding owes. The accuser originally sued Gooding in August 2020. The case was dismissed and then quickly reopened in March over a technical issue. Gooding was served with court papers April 22 and failed to respond to an initial May 13 deadline, Crotty said in his order. In his criminal case, being tried in state court in New York, Gooding is accused of violating three different women at three different Manhattan night spots in 2018 and 2019. One of the women alleged Gooding pinched her buttocks. Another said he squeezed her breast. Gooding has pleaded not guilty. An Oct. 18 hearing is scheduled to set a trial date. ___ Follow Michael Sisak on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mikesisak. ATHENS, Greece (AP) A search and rescue operation is underway Friday near Greeces island of Lesbos along the maritime border with Turkey, after an inflatable dinghy carrying migrants apparently sank, authorities said. Ten people had been rescued and another three were believed to be missing, Greeces coast guard said. Two coast guard patrol boats, a vessel from the European border agency Frontex, one helicopter and two aircraft, as well as a vessel that had been sailing nearby, were involved in the search operation, the coast guard said. Turkeys coast guard had also been informed of the incident. According to the Greek coast guard, the dinghy appeared to have sunk inside Turkish territorial waters, with initially one survivor swimming into Greek territorial waters and being picked up by Greek authorities. Another nine people were then rescued from inside Turkish territorial waters, they said. Survivors told authorities there had been a total of 13 people on the dinghy when it sank. Their nationalities werent immediately available. Speaking in parliament, Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi said Turkey failed to rescue the passengers as it should have done inside Turkish territorial waters and the Greek coast guard, which puts the protection of human life above all, was forced to enter Turkish territorial waters, rescuing 10 people. Greece has for years been one of the most popular entry points into the European Union for people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The vast majority attempt to reach Greek islands near the Turkish coast, often in dangerously overcrowded inflatable dinghies and unseaworthy boats. Mitarachi stressed that Greece was protecting its borders and that entries by migrants heading from the Turkish coast to the Greek islands were 96% lower in the last 12 months compared with the previous 12-month period. Rights groups and migrants have repeatedly accused Greece of carrying out illegal summary deportations of people who arrive on the islands without giving them the chance to apply for asylum. Greek authorities vehemently deny they carry out pushbacks, but do say they robustly patrol the borders. The governments policy is clear. We do not want to be the gateway for smuggling networks into the European Union, Mitarachi said. We have denied hundreds of millions of euros from the smugglers of human pain, who operate to the east of our country. Our country has land and sea borders. ___ Follow APs global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) Haitian police said Friday that a fourth officer has been arrested in the killing of President Jovenel Moise. National Police spokesperson Marie-Michelle Verrier said a total of 27 people have been arrested and others are still being sought in connection with the July 7 attack at the president's home. Another nine officers were being held in isolation for questioning apparently among a total of 44 people held to determine what responsibility they may have had in the killing or to determine if they were negligent in their duties. Authorities also asked for help from the general public. Everyone the police is looking for, we are asking the population for help. ... Give your participation, help us find these people, said Verrier, who also mentioned there was a big reward for anyone who gives information that leads to the arrest of suspects, but did not specify the amount of the reward. On Monday, Haitian police arrested Jean Laguel Civil, who served as general security coordinator when Moise was killed in the middle of the night at his private residence. Eighteen of those formally arrested are former Colombian soldiers. Police are still looking for various suspects, including a former rebel leader and an ex-Haitian senator. On Monday, they identified another suspect: Superior Court Judge Windelle Coq Thelot. But it remains unclear who organized and financed the plot that included recruiting former Colombian special forces soldiers and at least two Florida-based companies. HONOLULU (AP) Officials in Hawaii have approved a plan to reduce the number of tourists on its most populous island. A management plan created by the Hawaii Tourism Authority aims to manage the number of tourist accommodations on Oahu, seek land use and zoning changes and review airport policies, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Friday. Hawaii Tourism Authority Planning Director Caroline Anderson said the plan will be implemented over the next three years. We believe that if residents are not happy, visitors will sense that and not have a good experience on the island, Anderson said. The agency's president and CEO, John De Fries, said he doesnt yet know what the tourism cap should be. "I think the priority piece for us in getting to that answer is getting a handle on the illegal accommodations, De Fries said. We see that as No. 1. Im encouraged by the fact that each of the counties is making this a bigger priority on each of their islands. The plan also calls for a regenerative tourism fee that supports environmental resources and allows the tourism agency more oversight of trails and other natural sites. Additionally, the plan seeks to manage visitors use of cars as transportation on the island. The move is a change for the Hawaii Tourism Authority, which was created in the 1990s to increase tourism and fill the Hawaii Convention Center. Then as the vacation rentals market grew, Hawaii had more than 10 million visitors in 2019 a record that caused some residents to complain about capacity issues. There was a sharp decline in tourism throughout most of the pandemic, but now visitors are flocking back. In June, more than 791,000 visitors arrived by air to Hawaii, according to preliminary visitor statistics jointly released Thursday by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism and the Hawaii Tourism Authority. Of those, 521,796 visitors arrived from the U.S. West, exceeding the June 2019 count of 452,958 visitors by more than 15%. Some 247,382 visitors came to Hawaii from the U.S. East in June, 3% more than the 240,223 visitors who came to Hawaii in June 2019. It feels like there is more tourism here than pre-COVID. Its been that way since a couple of weeks ago when everything started opening up, and that is with consideration that our Asian market has not even returned," said Choon James, a North Shore real estate broker who ran for Honolulu mayor in 2020. The island has not grown any bigger. The beaches have not grown any bigger, James said. Tourists are smart enough that they no longer enjoy Waikiki and congested areas. They are actually frequenting local beaches and sprawling into local areas. But some believe this surge in tourism is a bubble that could soon burst. There are two main reasons for this surge. One is pent-up demand and euphoria in believing things are getting better with COVID, said Keith Vieira, principal of KV & Associates, Hospitality Consulting. The other is there is really no place else to go. Once the rest of the world opens up, the current gains wont be sustainable. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Indiana's top health officials made pleas Friday for people to get vaccinated and continue wearing masks as an especially contagious coronavirus variant spreads throughout the state, but they said they had no plans to reinstate statewide health mandates. In recent weeks, the number of new COVID-19 cases in Indiana bounced back up to rates comparable to a year ago, the states health commissioner, Dr. Kristina Box, said during a news conference. Although the state had well below 2,000 new confirmed cases per week in June, it is now seeing 4,000 to 6,000 cases per week. The biggest threat is from the delta variant, which spreads more easily than previous versions of the coronavirus. Tests conducted this month on a sample of Indianas cases showed that as of Friday, more than 94% of them were the highly viral strain. Although Box emphasized that we have the most powerful tool available to prevent disease in the form of three highly effective vaccines, only about 44% of Indianas total population, including children younger than 12 who arent eligible, is fully vaccinated against the virus. That lags behind the national average of 49.4% and far behind the state with the highest vaccination rate, Vermont, where more than two-thirds of the population 67.4% is inoculated. Since the beginning of the month, the percentage of fully vaccinated individuals has risen somewhat in every age group, said the state health department's chief medical officer, Dr. Lindsay Weaver. The biggest increase has been among the 12- to 15-year-olds, who have gone from 17% fully vaccinated to 21%. The next highest increase has been among Hoosiers ages 16 to 19, who are now more than 34% vaccinated. With schools returning at full capacity, Box said Indiana still doesn't have enough students who are vaccinated. She said state health officials are strongly recommending that every district follow the CDCs recommendations for masking, vaccinations, contact tracing and quarantining. But specific action plans are local decisions now, Box said. Although health officials are giving strong guidance to schools and businesses, she said Indiana is very much a state that feels such control should be in the hands of the elected officials. We have given Hoosiers the tools that they need, the information, the education, the ability to get vaccinated. We have provided that over and over and over again, Box said. We do believe that it comes down to some personal responsibility for Hoosiers across the state to make those decisions for themselves and in their own communities. Indianapolis' school district said Thursday that it will require all students and staff to wear masks while indoors. Purdue University issued the same rules on Friday, joining most other Indiana colleges on mask guidance but leaving vaccination optional. Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb said again this week that he wont implement any new statewide restrictions, despite the COVID-19 resurgence. He cited the surge in infections as he issued an extension Thursday of the statewide public health emergency until Aug. 30. That extension didn't reimpose any statewide face mask requirements or crowd-size limits that expired in April. The decision came as the number of Indiana counties approaching high risk for community spread of COVID-19 nearly quadrupled in one week. The states new coronavirus hospitalizations for COVID-19 also rebounded this month to levels l ast seen in May. Indiana additionally topped 14,000 presumed or confirmed coronavirus-related deaths on Friday, though Box said the rate of such deaths remains at the lowest levels since the start of the pandemic. Weaver cautioned that could change, however, noting that 96% of the states recoded coronavirus-related deaths have occurred in unvaccinated individuals. Until we increase our vaccination rates, and unless we use every tool available to us to stop the spread of disease, this virus will continue to have the advantage," Box said. It will continue to mutate, and we will be constantly playing whack a mole for the foreseeable future. ___ 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. IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) Iowas open-records law is not a well-recognized public policy and thus does not give job protections to employees who fulfill public information requests, the state attorney generals office contends. State lawyers representing Gov. Kim Reynolds and her spokesman, Pat Garrett, make that assertion in asking a judge to dismiss a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by Polly Carver Kimm, the Iowa Department of Public Healths former longtime communications director. Carver Kimm argues that Reynolds and Garrett pressured her bosses to strip her duties after the coronavirus pandemic began last year and ultimately forced her to resign because of her willingness to release records and data sought by journalists and the public. She alleges that the public health department, at the behest of the governors office, sought to slow, stifle and otherwise divert the free flow of information" about Iowas pandemic response. Her lawsuit alleges that Garrett instructed her to hold one request even though the information was ready, and that she was chastised for giving the New Yorker magazine records that had already been released to others and for updating the departments website with COVID-19 data before a Reynolds news conference. The final straw, it claims, was her release of media-requested data showing abortions in Iowa had spiked by 25% in 2019. Carver Kimm contends that her ouster a year ago was a wrongful discharge in violation of public policy. She argues that she was simply complying with the 54-year-old Iowa Open Records Act, which states that the disclosure of public records is generally in the public interest even though such examination may cause inconvenience or embarrassment to public officials. The governor's chief of staff, Sara Craig, said in a statement Friday the lawsuit is without merit." In a brief filed this month, lawyers in the office of Attorney General Tom Miller argued that the law does not establish a clear public policy that was jeopardized by Carver-Kimms termination. Carver Kimm was an at-will employee who can sue for wrongful termination only if her firing would undermine a policy protecting her activities. The state's lawyers wrote that ensuring public access to records does not meet the requirements for her claim to succeed under Iowa Supreme Court precedent, saying the laws declaration of transparency is the sort of general, vague and amorphous concept that is neither clearly defined nor well-recognized. Allowing every state law to be considered public policy would let employment decisions be challenged on a plethora of bases buried throughout the code and eviscerate at-will employment within state government, the lawyers argued. Carver Kimms attorney hasnt responded to the states arguments and a judge has yet to rule on them. Miller spokesman Lynn Hicks said the brief presents a legal argument, not a policy statement. We are not saying the Iowa Open Records Act is not important public policy, he said. But leaders of the Iowa Capitol Press Association and the Iowa Freedom of Information Council said Friday that the arguments by the state's top lawyers were discouraging and would send the wrong message to public officials. Council director Randy Evans said they could embolden officials who want to limit public information and deter records custodians from releasing politically sensitive documents. Government officials from border to border are going to see this brief and if the state prevails, public information is not going to be nearly as public, Evans said. Evans, a retired editor for the Des Moines Register, said the case comes in a broader context in which state agencies compliance with the open-records law is the worst he has seen in 50 years. He said he has received numerous complaints that the governors office has failed to acknowledge or fulfill information requests. Evans and the press association, which represents the Capitol press corps, also on Friday objected to Garrett's decision to block liberal journalist Laura Belin from attending the governors news conference at a state building Wednesday. Garrett turned away Belin, who runs the Bleeding Heartland blog, even though she presented a press pass from a radio station where she regularly reports. Belin asked Garrett why she had been allowed to attend another recent news conference, and he responded that it just happened. You were able to get in. Im here now, he responded, according to audio of the interaction. Garrett promised to review the information she provided. TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A man who beat an Ottawa woman and then left her to die does not have to register as a sex offender, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled Friday. Korrey Raine White Rinke was sentenced i n December 2019 to life in prison with a chance of parole in 25 years for the death of Julianna Pappas, 46, of Overland Park, in 2016. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender. LOS ANGELES (AP) The FBI is investigating what one commercial airline pilot said might have been an airborne person with a jetpack, high in the busy skies near Los Angeles International Airport. The Los Angeles Times reported that the Boeing 747 pilot radioed to report a possible jetpack man in sight at around 6:12 p.m. Wednesday, according to a recording from the website LiveATC. NEWARK, N.J. (AP) A man who was on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list is going to prison for 31 and a half years for killing his fiancee and her dog because he did not want her to know that he had lost his job. A judge in New Jersey on Thursday sentenced Lamont Stephenson, 46, without the possibility of parole. LONDON (AP) A man who accosted Englands Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty in a London park pleaded guilty Friday to assault and was ordered to pay the scientist 100 pounds ($140). Lewis Hughes, 24, and another man filmed themselves harassing Whitty, who has become a nationally recognized figure through appearances at televised coronavirus briefings. One man is seen on video putting his arm around Whitty as they apparently drunkenly ask him for a photograph. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) A man wanted in Tennessee for attempted murder and other charges was arrested Thursday in Florida, the U.S. Marshals Service said. Jonathan Funches faces charges of criminal attempt first-degree murder, aggravated assault, domestic assault and drug charges in Shelby County, Tennessee, according to a news release from Marshal Tyreece Miller. Michael Sohn/AP BERLIN (AP) The center-right candidate to succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor in Germanys upcoming election apologized Friday for failing to credit a source in a 2009 book he wrote about immigration. German news agency dpa quoted Armin Laschet as saying the book will be reviewed to determine whether further mistakes were made. GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (AP) Surfers, kite boarders and water boarders would be exempt from a proposed Michigan policy that would bar people from swimming at state beaches when waves are more than 8 feet high. The Department of Natural Resources wants to reduce the risk of drowning in the Great Lakes. But some beachgoers said keeping everyone out of the water was too sweeping. They argued that rough conditions can be ideal for their sport and that they prepare for the risk. BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) A Minnesota electric company said its member utility cooperatives on Friday endorsed a deal to sell a financially troubled coal-fueled power plant in North Dakota to a Bismarck firm. Great River Energy said its 28 member cooperatives at a special meeting approved the sale of the Coal Creek Station and an associated transmission line that runs from the plants location in central North Dakota to Minnesota. RENO, Nev. (AP) The heaviest rain moved out of parts of eastern and south-central Nevada Thursday but most of the state remains under a flash flood watch into Friday night and more rain is expected through the weekend. The National Weather Service lifted a flood advisory in northeast Nevada along the Utah line and a flood warning in Lincoln County northeast of Las Vegas, where it reported brief, torrential rains late Thursday afternoon. GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) More than 100 people had to spend the night on a highway, including nearly 30 who took refuge in a tunnel, after rain over an area burned by a wildfire once again triggered mudslides in western Colorado, authorities said Friday. The people were caught with their vehicles on Interstate 70 in Glenwood Canyon on Thursday night. Those in the tunnel were stuck for about nine hours until crews could carve out a path through the mud to reach them at about 6:30 a.m. Friday, Garfield County Sheriff's Office spokesman Walt Stowe said. The tunnel serves as a 24-hour operations center for the Colorado Department of Transportation, so it is relatively well-lit and has telephones, Stowe said. No injuries were reported. The transportation department has accounted for 108 people, including 29 in the tunnel, who were stuck on the highway overnight. Between 65 and 70 people remained stranded at a rest stop Friday afternoon as crews worked to punch a safe passage through the debris. Mike Goolsby, a regional director for the transportation department, said the area was affected by about 10 slides, some 12 feet (4 meters) deep and up to 150 feet (46 meters) wide. I'm very grateful that no one was hurt. ... Weve tried our hardest not to have people in the canyon when these flash flood warnings hit, but it was the best case scenario for all of us based on the outcome this morning, he said. Glenwood Canyon has cliffs towering up to 2,000 feet (610 meters) above the Colorado River, making it prone to rockslides and mudslides. In recent weeks, rain over the area burned by a wildfire last summer has triggered frequent slides, resulting in closures of I-70, Colorado's main east-west highway. Those closures have mostly occurred before the storm moves in, to prevent people from being trapped. On Thursday, the canyon had temporarily closed earlier in the day as one storm cell approached but had reopened by the time a second storm cell moved in, which led to the vehicles and their passengers getting trapped. Transportation officials say the section of interstate is expected to be closed at least through the weekend because of the significant cleanup underway and because of heavy rain in the forecast. The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for the area. LAS VEGAS (AP) Money is available for tenants who could face eviction as early as this weekend as pandemic protections expire, and Nevada's governor and advocates called Thursday for affected renters to quickly contact programs set up to help. We will see landlords evicting tenants for non-payment of rent, and courts may be flooded, said Bailey Bortolin, director of the Nevada Coalition of Legal Service Providers. The Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada encourages property owners to work with renters through a coronavirus relief housing assistance program, commonly known as CHAP. If a tenant applies to the program, a court will delay an eviction to allow time try to reach a mediated agreement, Bortolin said. Evictions in Nevada follow a backward process, she said. Once a tenant is served with an eviction notice, they must respond to initiate a court case by filing an answer, and then the landlord files a complaint. Most tenants don't know they have to act in order to have an opportunity to speak with a judge and avoid an automatic lock-out, Bortolin said. I want to be clear, if you are a renter you must apply for this assistance, Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak said Wednesday as he provided a summary of available options. Filling out and submitting an application is the best thing you can do right now if you fear you may be evicted for nonpayment of rent. Cities, counties and states across the U.S. expect a wave of pandemic-related evictions when landlords are again allowed turn out tenants who are behind or havent paid rent. The governor let a state emergency eviction ban expire in May, and a nationwide eviction moratorium first put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last September is set to expire Saturday. The Guinn Center, a nonprofit bipartisan research organization, said nearly 89,000 Las Vegas-area households had received rental assistance since the program launched, and the U.S. Census reported in June that more than 50,000 renters in Nevada were likely to be evicted by August. Sisolak and Bortolin pointed to a law the Legislature crafted to prevent landlords from ousting tenants who are actively seeking rental assistance. AB 486 ensures both landlords and tenants will receive the benefit of $360 million in federally funded rental assistance to keep people in their homes and prevent unnecessary evictions, the governor said, referring to the law by its bill number. We have plenty of rental assistance money available, he said, and there are dedicated people through all levels of government working to process those payments as quickly as possible. The law allows landlords to apply for rental assistance, an option that was briefly available to them late last year. However, the tenant has to still be living in the property. Legal Aid Center attorney Aaron MacDonald told the Las Vegas Review-Journal this week that a renter who receives an eviction notice and doesn't file a response could be locked out. It doesnt matter how long CHAP takes, MacDonald told the Review-Journal. The case should be stayed until CHAPS approves or denies the application. Shannon Chambers, board president of the state-created nonprofit Home Means Nevada Inc., said applications for rental assistance can start at the organization website, offering no-cost mediation between landlord and tenant through The Renter Connect program. Tenants can then apply for CHAP housing assistance in their county. Eligible applicants must meet income requirements and show theyve been affected by COVID-19 through job loss or reduction in work hours. Kevin Schiller, assistant Clark County manager, told the Review-Journal that since June 2020 the program has paid about $165 million in utility and rental assistance to 90,000 households. Schiller said 800 to 1,000 applications a week were being processed and the program had about 8,000 applications pending. PORTLAND, Maine (AP) A Portland businessman and the co-founder of Austin Street Brewery have teamed up to create Maines first craft brewery dedicated to brewing nonalcoholic beer. KITna Brewing will open in Portlands West Bayside neighborhood and will be available through local shops, restaurants and bars, and via shipping later this year, the Portland Press Herald reported. JOSEPH, Ore. (AP) Quincy Ellenwood smiled as a pair of young Nez Perce men rode their horses across a hay field here Thursday. Their pace slow and steady quickened without warning. Soon the two men, one shirtless and the other wearing a beaded vest, raced across the grassy slope. "There they go, look at them. They get to do that now, said Ellenwood as he fanned himself with an eagle wing. Can you imagine how a whole camp was here and boys and young men and young ladies would ride their horses all around. It was like that all day, every day. As he spoke, other Nimiipuu people sang, danced and drummed in a longhouse, celebrating and blessing the 148-acre property the tribe purchased last December. The people are excited to come back home, said Casey Mitchell, a member of the tribes executive committee. When we sing our songs and we dance, we are letting our ancestors know we are back and that our love for this land will never die. Known as Amsaaxpa, or place of the boulders, the land is a traditional campsite and one of the last places occupied by Chief Joseph and his band before they left the Wallowa Valley and their northeastern Oregon homeland under threat of military force in the spring of 1877. The Army was forcing them to live in Idaho and within the boundaries of a reservation defined by the 1863 Treaty. At just 770,000 acres, it was a fraction of the territory they were promised in the Treaty of 1855 and smaller yet than the tribes 17 million acre traditional homeland. Tribal Chairman Samuel Penney said to this day Nez Perce people call it the Steal Treaty because few of the tribes bands signed on to the rushed agreement precipitated by pressure from settlers and the discovery of gold near Pierce. But in the governments eyes, the treaty was valid and Nez Perce from places like the Wallowas, the Salmon River, White Bird and the Palouse were forced to relocate. Later that summer, friction over the treaty and the forced exile led to war. A faction of the tribe engaged with the army in a series of battles that stretched nearly 1,200 miles across Idaho and Montana. Chief Joseph eventually surrendered in the Bear Paw Mountains. He and many of his people were never allowed to return to the Wallowa Valley. Despite the official exile, other Nez Perce people have been coming to the valley for more than a century to practice their religion, visit grave sites, hunt, fish, dig roots and pick berries. For decades they have participated in the Chief Joseph Days Rodeo that is being held this week. But the purchase gives them a place to stay, to be more than visitors in their own homeland. We are resilient people. We were forced out of here, but now look, weve come back, said Ellenwood, also a member of the tribes executive committee. We never really left but now its in black and white. Its ours. A few hours earlier, tribal leaders on horseback headed a procession of riders and walkers from Joseph High School west along Wallowa Avenue, following the tribes traditional Imnaha Route to the property. Some wore traditional dress while others stuck with modern outfits. Among the crowd were elders, toddlers and every age between. I think its realy cool seeing all of us come together and being able to walk on our homelands and take back our culture, said Gabby Lewis, 23, of Spokane. The short, 1-mile ride and walk was a symbolic nod to the heartbreaking trip Joseph and his people made as they left the scenic valley framed by towering peaks. There was a point where our elders turned back and thought they would never come back to this place and many never did, said Nakia Williamson, director of the tribes cultural resource program. As our people left on horses, we wanted to return on horseback. It was also a day for healing. Some of the differences and rifts brought on by those who signed onto the 1863 Treaty and those who didnt, those who practice traditional religion and those who follow Chrstianity have persisted. The nontreaty Nez Perce were sent to Oklahoma and later to the Colville Reservation in northeastern Washington. Our people are buried in different areas, but this is where they are from, said Jewie Davis, a Nez Perce man who lives at Nespelem on the Colville Reservation. Those of us descended from Nespelem and those from Lapwai and those from Pendleton there needs to come a time and a day when there is healing between all of us. Shannon Wheeler, vice chairman and a descendant of Chief Josephs sister, said the Place of the Boulders belongs to everyone. We are all the same people. We are no different, he said. We can point to the things that separated our people. That is behind us. We are all equal to the land. That is what this place is for. That is what this blessing is for. Its also a chance to strengthen relationships with the land that Williamson said are central to the Nez Perce. The land is more than just crops it can grow or animals it can support. The land and us is the same, he said. What you call resources is a part of our life, and so when we advocate for these resources we not only advocate for our life but all of humanity, all of you and for us to continue this life that has been carried on for thousands of years, thousands of generations. PORTLAND, Maine (AP) A New Hampshire man joined his wife in pleading guilty to federal charges for their role in a sex trafficking operation that coerced Chinese women into prostitution in New England. Shou Chao Li, of Concord, and his wife, Derong Miao, appeared in court Thursday after first being indicted on several charges in 2018, the Portland Press Herald reported. A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts: ___ CDC encourages use of new tests that detect both COVID-19 and the flu CLAIM: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revoked Emergency Use Authorization for coronavirus PCR tests because they were inaccurate, led to false positives and confused positive influenza cases with COVID-19. THE FACTS: The claim is false. The CDC is taking steps to phase out one coronavirus test that was developed early in the pandemic, not because of inaccurate results, but because newer tests can simultaneously test patients for influenza. The FDA has approved roughly 280 polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, coronavirus tests, which determine whether sequences from the virus's genome are present in a patients nasal swab. Early in the pandemic, in February 2020, the CDC introduced a coronavirus PCR test, known as the CDC 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel. On July 21, the CDC announced that after this year, it would no longer request an Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA for that one test, which means laboratories will stop using it. Kristen Nordlund, health communication specialist at the CDC, told The Associated Press the agency made the move because newer PCR testing options now exist. The CDC 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019 nCoV) Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel met an important unmet need when it was developed and deployed and has not demonstrated any performance issues, Nordlund said. She said the agency was encouraging labs to switch to tests that can detect influenza at the same time, since it will save both time and resources. But social media users misinterpreted and misrepresented the announcement. False claims circulated on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram that the CDCs move meant the agency and the FDA had admitted PCR tests do not work. Some posts online falsely said the test was unable to differentiate between coronavirus and influenza, leading to inflated COVID-19 counts and depressed flu counts. In fact, PCR tests are designed to detect very specific areas of the viral genome, so tests do not get confused between which virus is present, said Matthew Binnicker, director of the clinical virology lab at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. PCR tests, including the one developed by the CDC, are highly accurate and are able to differentiate between SARS-CoV-2 and influenza, Binnicker said. In other words, a COVID-19 test will not be positive if a person really has influenza, and vice versa. Binnicker said there are benefits to having one test that can detect both viruses, since the symptoms for both illnesses are often similar early on. Furthermore, neither the CDC nor the FDA has cast any doubt on the effectiveness of PCR technology. PCR tests are generally considered to be the gold standard for COVID-19 diagnosis, said James McKinney, a press officer for the FDA. Associated Press writers Terrence Fraser in New York and Jude Joffe-Block in Phoenix contributed this report. ___ COVID-19 variants can be tested through genome sequencing CLAIM: No test can identify COVID-19 variants. Tests can only determine if a person is positive or negative for the disease. THE FACTS: Social media users are taking advantage of growing concerns around the coronavirus delta variant to push out misinformation online, including false claims that health professionals are lying to patients about contracting the variant and that a test for it does not exist. In fact, it is possible to test for variants using genome sequencing. Its the patterns of mutations in the genome that determine the differences, said Dr. Phil Febbo, chief medical officer for Illumina, a San Diego-based company that develops genomic sequencing technologies. Viruses mutate or change as they spread, creating variants. Variants can make a virus more transmissible or lead to more severe disease. Repositories online allow medical officials to scan and see all the different sequences of the virus. Researchers sequence viruses to answer such questions as whether a given variant is more or less dangerous and whether it increases risk for people, said Dr. Angela Branche, co-director of the University of Rochester Vaccine Treatment Evaluation Unit. Its meant to help us understand how quickly the virus changes itself and the current protection you get after you are infected, Branche said. The delta variant was first detected in India and now makes up 83% of U.S. COVID-19 cases. We have seen cases skyrocket in the last few weeks. The vast majority of that is attributable to SARS-COV2 delta variant because we are sequencing a good chunk of all positive cases across the country, said Joseph Fauver, associate research scientist in epidemiology at Yale University's School of Public Health. Associated Press writer Beatrice Dupuy in New York contributed this report. ___ Schedule of planned COVID-19 variants is fake CLAIM: A table shows a list of planned COVID-19 variants and when they will be released to the public. THE FACTS: As the highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus contributes to infection surges across the United States and the world, social media users are falsely claiming the emergence of new variants is a planned ploy by universities, nonprofits and global elites. These are the PLANNED COVID-19 VARIANTS - just look at the dates when they will be released to the media, read several posts shared on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok. The posts included an image of a table in Spanish, which listed launch dates between 2021 and 2023 for 21 potential COVID-19 variants named after the Greek alphabet. Next to the table, the posts included logos of universities and organizations including Johns Hopkins University, the World Health Organization, the World Economic Forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The table doesnt represent the work of these organizations, nor any legitimate scientific organization. The World Economic Forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation both responded to Associated Press queries to confirm the document wasnt real. The table also falsely claims the delta variant of the coronavirus emerged in June 2021. It was first detected in India in October 2020. Finally, the posts ignore that variants occur in the population through random mutations and are not created by humans. It is very challenging to predict when another serious variant will emerge or how many will affect the population in the years ahead, according to Dr. Christopher Murray, a public health researcher and director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. So far, Murray said, researchers know about four serious variants circulating in the global population. Thats after about 2 billion cases of COVID-19 have been identified worldwide. Given that information, Murray said, his best guess is that a new serious variant will emerge once every 500 million infections. Still, he says, its impossible to know for certain. Thats a crazy wild guess but its what weve observed, Murray said. The goal of predicting the next evolutions is quite hard. Associated Press writer Ali Swenson in Seattle contributed this report. ___ Hydroxychloroquine cannot be made at home using citrus CLAIM: Hydroxychloroquine can be made at home by boiling citrus peels in water. THE FACTS: A video circulating on TikTok falsely suggests the drug hydroxychloroquine can be made at home by boiling grapefruit and lemon peels in water. Today were going to make our own hydroxychloroquine, says the woman in the video, who identifies herself as an intuitive healer. This is all you need. You need three organic lemons and three organic grapefruit. You want the rinds. Thats where all the healing properties are. But thats not how hydroxychloroquine is made. Hydroxychloroquine cannot be made by boiling grapefruit and lime rinds, or any other citrus rinds, said Dr. Joseph Fortunak, professor of chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences at Howard University. Hydroxychloroquine is made by chemical synthesis in the lab. It has never been reported as a natural product from any plant or animal. Fortunak said the process of boiling citrus rinds in water isolates a natural chemical compound called limonene, which has health benefits, but is assuredly not hydroxychloroquine. Former President Donald Trump repeatedly touted the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 infection, but health experts and health agencies within his administration said the drug is not safe or effective for treating the disease, The Associated Press has reported. The drug is routinely used to treat malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Terrence Fraser ___ Video exaggerates flowery welcome for Macron in French Polynesia CLAIM: A video shows French President Emmanuel Macron becoming a human wreath during his official welcome to French Polynesia, as leis are layered over him from his head to his knees. THE FACTS: The video was manipulated to add numerous garlands beyond those actually draped around Macron's neck as part of a traditional welcoming ceremony as he arrived in Tahiti's Faa'a International Airport on July 24 for meetings in French Polynesia. The altered video made it appear as though Macron was swamped by leis from his head to his knees. In the original footage, which was filmed by Agence France Presse, Macron can be seen with several leis draped over him but not to the extent shown in the altered video social media users shared online. The Associated Press took similar footage of Macron at the airport near Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia. Emmanuel Macron is greeted with a welcome ceremony as he begins his first official trip to French Polynesia, read one tweet that shared the manipulated screenshot of Macron. The former French colony is made up of five archipelagos with a total of 118 islands. Since 2004, it has had autonomous status, defined as an overseas country within the republic which is governed freely and democratically, by its representatives. But Macron is still its head of state, and the long-awaited visit is part of what his office calls his Tour de France aimed at reaffirming our proximity to overseas territories. Beatrice Dupuy ___ Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck ___ Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump pressed senior Justice Department officials in late 2020 to "just say the election was corrupt [and] leave the rest to me" and Republican lawmakers, according to stunning handwritten notes that illustrate how far the president was willing to go to prevent Joe Biden from becoming president. The notes taken by Justice Department official Richard Donoghue were released to Congress this week and made public on Friday - further evidence of the personal pressure campaign waged by Trump as he sought to stay in the White House. In one Dec. 27 conversation, according to the written account, acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen told Trump that the Justice Department "can't + won't snap its fingers + change the outcome of the election." The president replied that he understood that, but wanted the agency to "just say the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen," according to notes written by Donoghue, a participant in the discussion. The Washington Post first revealed the existence of the notes and the phone calls on Wednesday. The documents show the extent to which senior Justice Department officials "were on a knife's edge" in late 2020 as Trump sought to prevent Biden from becoming president, said David Laufman, a former senior Justice Department official. "These notes reveal that a sitting president, defeated in a free and fair election, personally and repeatedly pressured Justice Department leaders to help him foment a coup in a last-ditch attempt to cling to power," Laufman said. "And that should shock the conscience of every American, regardless of political persuasion." He credited Rosen and Donoghue with devising "a mechanism to allow Trump to vent and spew his desired schemes to enlist their help to overturn the election without undertaking any course of action that would have facilitated that scheme." The notes were made public by the House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform on the same day the Justice Department announced that it would support the release of Trump's personal and business tax returns to a different Democratic-controlled House committee - another legal setback for the former president, who could continue to fight the issue in court. Donoghue also took notes on a meeting he participated in with White House officials two days after the Dec. 27 phone call. In that meeting, Trump officials repeatedly pressed the Justice Department to pursue various unfounded theories of election manipulation. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., chairwoman of the oversight committee, said the notes "show that President Trump directly instructed our nation's top law enforcement agency to take steps to overturn a free and fair election in the final days of his presidency." A lawyer for Rosen declined to comment. A lawyer for Donoghue did not respond to a request for comment, nor did a Trump spokeswoman. The president and Rosen discussed Trump's claims of voter fraud at other times as well, according to people familiar with the discussions. In the calls, Rosen was generally noncommittal, hearing the president out while not promising to take any specific action in response, these people said. His attempts to change the subject were mostly unsuccessful. "Trump was absolutely obsessed about it," one person with knowledge of the calls said. Others close to Trump were also pressing the Justice Department to consider dubious claims of election vote tampering. Mark Meadows, then the White House chief of staff, at times forwarded public claims of potential voter fraud to Justice Department officials, which some officials found exasperating, according to previously released emails. Meadows's defenders have said he was just letting the department know about possible instances of illegality. Donoghue's notes show the degree to which the president was personally involved in such efforts, however, and the ways in which Justice Department officials walked a tightrope of listening to the president while not taking any concrete actions they considered unethical or partisan. The notes also say that Trump suggested to Rosen that he might be replaced at the helm of the Justice Department, and even dropped the name of his possible successor. "We have an obligation to tell people that this was an illegal, corrupt, election," Trump said, according to the notes. "People tell me Jeff Clark is great, I should put him in. People want me to replace DOJ leadership." Within a week, Trump was contemplating a plan to replace Rosen with Clark, already a senior official at Justice, who was more amenable to pursuing Trump's unfounded claims of voter fraud. That possibility nearly touched off a crisis at the highest levels of federal law enforcement, people familiar with the matter have previously said. The president was ultimately dissuaded from firing Rosen after a high-stakes meeting with those involved, those people said. Clark, whom Trump had appointed to lead the Environment and Natural Resources Division and who later led the Civil Division, has denied that he devised a plan to oust Rosen, or that he formed "recommendations for action based on factual inaccuracies gleaned from the Internet." Donoghue's notes show Trump repeatedly brought up unsubstantiated tales of voter fraud in various states, which the Justice Department officials told him were not true. "You guys may not be following the Internet the way I do," Trump responded, according to the notes. He also said people are angry and "blaming DOJ + for inaction." The president urged the nation's top law enforcement official to aggressively investigate Biden's son, Hunter Biden, according to the notes, which recount the president saying: "You figure out what to do w/ H. Biden - people will criticize the DOJ if he's not investigated for real." Justice Department officials have been conducting a long-running investigation into Hunter Biden's finances, but no charges have been filed. Trump and his lawyers could have sought to block the release of Donoghue's notes to Congress. There were days of discussion among Trump advisers about whether to do so, but the former president did not believe the notes showed anything problematic, even though some of his advisers feared the disclosures would be damaging. "If it gets more attention on the election, he welcomes it," one adviser said. At least some of the former Justice Department officials with knowledge of the phone conversations had privately hoped Trump would seek to block the sharing of the notes, to prevent those former officials from having to testify on Capitol Hill about the exchanges, said people familiar with their thinking. Those people spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal discussions. But Trump did not attempt to stop the release of the notes. And the Justice Department informed Rosen and others this week that their conversations with the president about the election were not protected by executive privilege. In a statement revealing the content of the notes on Friday, Maloney said her committee "has begun scheduling interviews with key witnesses to investigate the full extent of the former President's corruption, and I will exercise every tool at my disposal to ensure all witness testimony is secured without delay." Two leading obstetricians groups on Friday recommended COVID-19 shots for all pregnant women, citing concerns over rising cases and low vaccination rates. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine said vaccinations in tens of thousands of pregnant women over the past several months have shown the shots are safe and effective during pregnancy. COVID-19 during pregnancy increases risks for severe complications and can also increase chances for preterm birth. U.S. government data show only about 16% of pregnant women have received one or more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The two groups had previously said pregnant people shouldnt be excluded from vaccination but stopped short of endorsing the shots. The president of the OB-GYN group, Dr. Martin Tucker, said in a statement that doctors should enthusiastically recommend the shots to their patients. Dr. Emily Miller, obstetrics chief at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, said she hopes the new recommendation will help pregnant people feel more confident in their decision to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible. Miller is a member of the maternal-fetal medicine groups COVID-19 task force. Pregnant women werent included in studies that led to emergency authorization of the vaccines. Experts including the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have not discouraged vaccination during pregnancy and have said available safety information is reassuring. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. BELLEVUE, Neb. (AP) Offutt Air Force Base south of Omaha has announced it is reinstating a mask mandate, requiring all employees, contractors and visitors to wear a face mask indoors. The requirement applies to everyone, even those who have been vaccinated for COVID-19. The military base outside Bellevue said in a social media post that the new requirement came from the Defense Secretarys office and was triggered by rising coronavirus cases in Sarpy County. OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The Oklahoma Republican Party faced fierce criticism Friday for a Facebook post likening COVID-19 vaccine mandates to the persecution of Jewish people in Nazi Germany. The post on the partys official Facebook page urged people to call the lieutenant governor and ask him to call a special session to prohibit employers from requiring their employees to get vaccinated. It featured a picture of a yellow Star of David with the word unvaccinated on it and said: Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it." Roberta Clark, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Oklahoma City, called the post highly inappropriate and urged party officials to apologize. To compare the actions taken by Nazi Germany to a public health discussion is ill-informed and inappropriate," Clark said. An apology is really appropriate, and it shows leadership and sensitivity to the harmful impact this has made." John Bennett, the party's new chairman, didn't immediately respond to a phone message left at the party's headquarters. The party's vice chairman, Shane Jemison, said Friday he wasn't certain who created the post, but called it beyond abhorrent." Equating the possibility of private entities requiring their employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to the Holocaust is beyond abhorrent, disgraceful and a gross misrepresentation of the Republican Party and its values here in Oklahoma and nationally," he said in a written statement. Last month, Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, of Georgia, apologized for comments she made comparing the required wearing of safety masks in the House to the horrors of the Holocaust. It's not the first time the state party, or Bennett, has faced criticism for posts on Facebook. In 2015, then-Oklahoma Republican Party Chairman Randy Brogdon apologized for a post that likened food stamps to feeding wild animals. The following year, Bennett, then a state lawmaker, posted a news story on Facebook critical of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and added the comment, 2 words ... firing squad. At the time, Bennett defended the comments as sarcasm, and said he wouldnt wish death upon anyone or encourage violence toward any candidate. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Thursday issued an emergency declaration in 23 counties from Portland to southern Oregon and in central and eastern parts of the state because of heat. The declaration will free up more resources and activate the Office of Emergency Management to respond to the heatwave, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. As Oregon faces another high heat event, its important that we make available all needed resources to assist every level of government helping Oregonians stay safe and healthy, Brown said in a statement. People who need relief from the high temperatures around the Portland metro area can find information on transportation to cooling centers by calling 211 and waiting for the prompt to find hot weather-related resources. The 211 service will keep the prompt for the rest of summer after some confusion and delays during the last heat wave. Portland and Multnomah County also are sending alerts to people signed up for the PublicAlerts.org system about the dangerous spate of hot weather. Workers also are calling and texting listed phone numbers in the area. The alerts may tell people where to find nearby cooling centers. Temperatures reached 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36 Celsius) in Portland on Thursday and were expected to to be slightly higher on Friday. More than 110 people died from heat-related causes in the June heatwave with the majority living in Multnomah County, which includes Portland. Many were elderly and living alone without air conditioning. The temperature in Portland reached 116 F (46.6 C) at one point during three days of record-setting heat. Cooling centers and other centers including libraries are available for people in all three of Portlands counties. Extreme conditions like these are often because of a combination of unusual random, short-term and natural weather patterns heightened by long-term, human-caused climate change. Scientists have long warned that the weather will get wilder as the world warms. Climate change has made the West much warmer and drier in the past 30 years. Special calculations are needed to determine how much global warming is to blame, if at all, for a single extreme weather event. JERUSALEM (AP) Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli forces on Friday following the funeral of a Palestinian man killed by the Israeli army in the occupied West Bank the previous day. Footage from The Associated Press shows dozens of protesters in the town of Beit Ummar hurling rocks and stones at Israeli soldiers, and soldiers firing at protesters. The Israeli military said it fired in response to protesters who threw Molotov cocktails and rocks at Israeli troops. The Palestinian Red Crescent medical service said two people were wounded from live Israeli fire. On Thursday, 20-year-old Shaukat Awad was fatally shot by Israeli forces during clashes that erupted after the funeral of a 12-year-old Palestinian boy who was killed the day before. The Israeli military said it launched an investigation into the shooting of the boy, who was hit while traveling with his father in a car on Wednesday. Clashes also took place Friday near Beita a town in the northern West Bank where Palestinians hold regular protests against an unauthorized Israeli settlement outpost they say was built on their land. The Red Crescent said five people were wounded from Israeli fire near Beita; more than 20 others were hit by rubber bullets. The Israeli army said it fired toward protesters who hurled rocks and rolled burning tires at Israeli troops. Under a deal in June between the Israeli government and the settlers of the Eviatar outpost, the settlers left the area, but the settlement's buildings remain intact and under army guard. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 war. The Palestinians seek the area as the heartland of their future independent state. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal and obstacles to peace. WASHINGTON (AP) Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is vowing he won't let grass grow under our feet as the department begins to implement the new vaccine and testing directives. But Pentagon officials on Friday were scrambling to figure out how to enact and enforce the changes across the vast military population and determine which National Guard and Reserve troops would be affected by the orders. The Pentagon now has two separate missions involving President Joe Biden's announcement Thursday aimed at increasing COVID-19 vaccines in the federal workforce. The Defense Department must develop plans to make the vaccine mandatory for the military, and set up new requirements for federal workers who will have to either attest to a COVID-19 vaccination or face frequent testing and travel restrictions. Austin said the department will move expeditiously, but added that he cant predict how long it will take. He said he plans to consult with medical professionals as well as the military service leaders. Any plan to make the vaccine mandatory will require a waiver signed by Biden, because the Food and Drug Administration has not yet given the vaccine final, formal approval. According to federal law, the requirement to offer individuals a choice of accepting or rejecting use of an emergency use vaccine may only be waived by the president, only if the president determines in writing that complying with such requirement is not in the interests of national security. Mandating the vaccine prior to FDA approval will likely trigger opposition from vaccine opponents, and drag the military into political debates over what has become a highly divisive issue in America. Military commanders, however, have also struggled to separate vaccinated recruits from those not vaccinated during early portions of basic training across the services in order to prevent infections. So, for some, a mandate could make training and housing less complicated. Military service members are already required to get as many as 17 different vaccines, depending on where they are based around the world. Some of the vaccines are specific to certain regions. Military officials have said the pace of vaccines has been growing across the force, with some units seeing nearly 100 percent of their members get shots. According to the Pentagon, more than 1 million service members are fully vaccinated, and another 233,000 have gotten at least one shot. There are roughly 2 million active duty, Guard and Reserve troops. A vaccine mandate will also raise questions about whether the military services will discharge troops who refuse the vaccine. National Guard officials said initial guidance suggests that Guard troops who initially refuse the vaccine once its mandatory will receive counseling from medical personnel. If they still refuse they would be ordered to take it, and failure to follow that order could result in adminitrative or punitive action. On Friday, Guard officials said leaders were still nailing down legal recommendations on which citizen soldiers would be affected by the new requirements and who would not. Officials said it appears the bulk of the Guard would eventually have to get the vaccine, when it is mandated. Guard troops on federal active duty would be given the vaccine in their units wherever they are deployed, and others would get it when they report to their monthly drill weekend or annual training. The system, according to Guard officials, would resemble any other vaccine requirement. Guard members who are on state active duty would not be subject to the requirement initially because they are subject to state laws. But once they return to a monthly drill, the order would apply to them. Guard officials spoke about the new vaccine process on condition of anonymity because procedures are still being finalized. While the number of COVID-19 deaths across the military has remained small - largely attributed to the age and health of the force cases of the virus have been increasing. As of this week, there have been more than 208,600 cases of COVID-19 among members of the U.S. military. Of those, more than 1,800 have been hospitalized and 28 have died. Earlier this year, the number of cases and hospitalizations had been growing by relatively small, consistent amounts, and the number of deaths had stalled at 26 for more than two and a half months. In recent weeks the totals spiked. The number of cases increased by more than 3,000 in the last week alone, and those hospitalized grew by 36. Two Navy sailors also died in the last week. HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) Philadelphias elections board voted Friday to reject a Republican state senator's request for access to its voting machines for a forensic investigation into former President Donald Trump's 2020 reelection defeat. The Office of the City Commissioners' unanimous decision will be laid out in a letter telling state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, that Philadelphia will not participate in your proposed analysis. Omar Sabir, one of two Democrats on the three-person board, said shortly before the meeting that he thinks its time to move on. Its time, its resources, he said. The 2020 election has been proven by many standards that there was no fraud and the election went well." The vote occurred during a brief meeting at which the three election board members said little about Mastriano's July 7 request that gave them until the end of the month to reply. Mastriano has said he plans to subpoena the three counties through the state Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee, which he chairs, but it's unclear if he has enough support from his fellow Republican senators to follow through with that threat. He's said to expect a meeting of his committee shortly, but so far none has been scheduled. Senate Republican leaders Jake Corman of Centre County and Kim Ward of Westmoreland County have been conspicuously quiet about Mastrianos requests to the counties, despite several attempts to seek their comment. Corman is a member of Intergovernmental Operations. After Philadelphia made its decision Friday, the state Democratic Party issued a release claiming Corman is afraid to stand up to Mastriano. Lets tell it like it is: Corman is a weakling who would happily sell out Pennsylvania taxpayers to keep his fancy position in a do-nothing legislature, Pennsylvania Democratic Party spokesman Brendan Welch said. A draft of the Philadelphia board's three-page letter said Mastriano's review would be duplicative of other efforts that have turned up no problems with the vote count but could lead the state to decertify the machines. The Department of State recently told Fulton County its machines could not be used again after it agreed to a similar post-election review Mastriano had pressured the commissioners for. The draft letter also said it would cost the city more than $35 million to replace the equipment, plus related labor and other costs. There is no claim that Philadelphia County's election systems or processes were compromised nor is there any basis to jeopardize the constitutionally mandated secrecy of the votes cast by city of Philadelphia residents, to expose the taxpayers of the city to tens of millions of dollars in additional and unanticipated expenses, or to risk the very ability of Philadelphians to cast ballots in future elections, according to the draft letter. Mastriano, a leading proponent of Trump's efforts to overturn his narrow loss in the state to Joe Biden in November, did not respond to a phone message seeking comment. Since Trump lost last year, Mastriano has generally avoided speaking to reporters outside of conservative-friendly outlets. It was the second rejection in two days for Mastriano's effort to get access to voting equipment and records in three counties. The Republican-majority Tioga County commissioners wrote Mastriano on Thursday to say they would not cooperate, saying their participation had hinged on Mastriano helping arrange the purchase and installation of new machines for the Nov. 2 vote. York County, also with a GOP-majority county board, has raised questions about the legality and cost of Mastriano's request. A county spokesperson said Friday there were no new developments, suggesting the deadline will pass without that county agreeing to his review. ASHLAND, Mo. (AP) One man died and another suffered injuries in an early Friday morning assault in the central Missouri city of Ashland, police there said. Ashland police and Boone County Sheriffs deputies were called around 1:30 a.m. Friday to East Liberty Lane in Ashland for reports of a disturbance, Columbia station KMIZ reported. Arriving officers found two men injured at the scene, and paramedics rushed both to a local hospital. MINDEN, La. (AP) Police in Louisiana are looking for whoever fired dozens of bullets into a house and killed a 3-year-old boy. Investigators hoped to arrest someone Friday, Minden Police Lt. Chris Cheatham said Friday. Were waiting for some records that we've subpoenaed and gotten search warrants on, he said. The childs mother took the boy, identified by Minden Mayor Terry Gardner as Aldravion King Taylor, to a hospital where he was pronounced after the shooting late Wednesday, KSLA-TV reported. Cheatham said investigators are trying to verify reports that the shooting was related to a homicide earlier the same night in neighboring Bienville Parish. Sheriff's deputies there have arrested two men, both from Arcadia, where the earlier shooting occurred in a fast-food parking lot, KTBS-TV reported. More than 25 bullets were fired into the house in Minden, police told KSLA-TV. The sound of gunfire in Minden is becoming so common that people are not reporting it, the city's police union, the Minden Police Association, said Thursday on its Facebook page. It said the little boy's shooting changed that. JOHANNESBURG (AP) Rwandan troops have joined Mozambican forces to launch a major offensive against Islamic rebels in northern Mozambique as more troops arrive from South Africa and other neighboring countries to battle the insurgency. Less than two weeks after landing in Mozambique, the 1,000 soldiers from Rwanda fought alongside Mozambican troops to regain control of Awasse, a strategic town in northern Cabo Delgado province, according to the Mozambican government. We have attacked and re-occupied the enemy position at Awasse," President Filipe Nyusi said in a broadcast to the nation earlier this week. He said three other towns also were retaken from the rebels. The new offensive is seen as a drive to regain control of Mocimboa da Praia, the Indian Ocean port that the rebels have held for nearly a year. The joint forces have also been fighting the rebels in Palma and appear to be trying to secure the nearby Afungi peninsula where the French firm Total was forced to stop operations in its $20 billion liquified natural gas project, according to Cabo Ligado, a newsletter about the extremist violence. Rwanda's forces killed 14 extremists, that country's army spokesman announced Thursday. Mozambican media report that both sides have suffered casualties. The campaign against the rebels will be further supported by troops arriving from South Africa, leading the contingent being sent by the 16-nation Southern African Development Community to assist Mozambique. South Africa, the regional powerhouse, will send about 1,500 troops at a cost of nearly 1 billion rand ($68 million), President Cyril Ramaphosa informed parliament this week. A South African general is to lead the regional force. Zimbabwe announced Thursday that it will deploy 300 soldiers as trainers and advisers, and Botswana sent 300 troops to Mozambique earlier this week. Angola and Botswana have also announced they are sending forces. The countries of southern Africa are giving military support to Mozambique to try to prevent the extremist rebels from expanding their foothold in the region. Since its start in 2017, the insurgency has been blamed for more than 3,000 deaths, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project. The rebels, allied to the Islamic State group, have beheaded scores of people and imposed Shariah law in areas they have seized. More than 800,000 people have been displaced by the conflict and nearly 1 million people need food aid, according to the U.N. World Food Program. The U.S. has sent 12 special forces officers to help train Mozambiques military, and the European Union is to send a military training mission to build on a training program provided by Portugal, according to a recent report by Cabo Ligado, a project led by ACLED to research the conflict. BELFAST, Maine (AP) The hospital in a community that was the epicenter of a so-called coronavirus super spreader event is going to require all staff be vaccinated, becoming the first hospital in Maine to do so. All staff at Millinocket Regional Hospital will be required to be fully vaccinated with either Pfizer or Modern vaccines within six weeks of final approval by the Food and Drug Administration, officials said. Millinocket Regional Hospital is committed to providing a safe working environment for all employees and the safest environment possible for patients to receive care, said Dr. Robert Peterson, the hospitals chief executive officer. A wedding nearly a year ago in the Millinocket area was linked to outbreaks in at least two other locations in Maine, with more than 170 people contracting the virus and seven deaths since then. Several other Maine hospitals are in discussions about vaccine requirements after national organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Nursing Association, urged them to do so. More Maine hospitals are expected to follow Millinocket in announcing vaccine mandates for employees in the near future, Steven Michaud, president of the Maine Hospital Association, told the Portland Press Herald. Across Maine, 78.8% of hospital staff were vaccinated as of June 30, according to data from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The hospital decision came as the highly transmissible delta variant of COVID-19 is spreading across the state and the country. In other pandemic news: THE NUMBERS The state recorded another 111 infections but no deaths over the past 24 hours, the Maine Center for Disease Control said Friday. Infection are growing in Maine. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in the state has risen over the past two weeks from 26 new cases a day on July 14 to 68.57 new cases a day on Wednesday. All told, the number of infections stood at 70,261 and the number of deaths at 899 since he pandemic began, the Maine CDC said. MASKS-COUNTY New federal guidance that everyone wear face coverings indoors in areas of high or substantial transmission applied to only one county in Maine on Friday. Maine officials announced earlier in the week that the state will align with the new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases of the virus have risen in Maine and around the country. The CDC rates counties as low, moderate," substantial or high based on their level of community transmission. Every county in Maine was listed as moderate except Waldo County, which was listed substantial. The CDC updates the ratings regularly and they are likely to change. Earlier in the week, every county in the state was listed as moderate except for York and Piscataquis. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills and other Maine officials have encouraged residents to follow the new recommendations and get vaccinated if they have not. ___ Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic. SEATTLE (AP) New findings from an Oakland-based nonprofit that spent recent months analyzing Seattles 911 calls say up to half the calls Seattle police receive can be responded to without armed, sworn officers. The Seattle Times reports police, while generally supportive of the findings, say they have questions about how realistic that number is. The report, published this week, is a result of part of Mayor Jenny Durkans plan to reimagine policing in Seattle, which she launched last year. The National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform found at some point in the future, an alternative, non-sworn response could be appropriate for up to 49% of Seattle Police Department calls, or about 685,000 dispatch responses between 2017 and 2019. The institute also found about 80% of Seattle Police Department calls are noncriminal responses though it noted that some calls not coded as a criminal incident might still involve some criminal behavior. As for shorter-term changes, the report noted about 12% of calls, including person down and low-priority welfare checks, can and should be explored for alternative responses in the near future. Chris Fisher, Seattle Police Departments executive director of strategic initiatives, said his team has examined the institutes findings and totally appreciates and supports the approach it took particularly its recommendation of a four-tier response model where unarmed community members and officers work both together and separately on responses, depending on the call. While the department generally agrees with the tiered model, Fisher said, questions remain over how to ensure safety for community responders and victims in each call type. Generally the tiered model is a great approach and some of their general bucketing makes a lot of logical sense, he said. It just needs another layer of analysis to make sure its operational. There are also some legal and labor concerns with the institutes suggestions, Fisher said, including who can take possession of lost property, how to respond to a death without compromising a potential homicide scene, or how to enforce maritime rules. Still, some change can happen in the shorter term, Fisher said. Seattle City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, who chairs the public safety and human services committee, said in a statement sent to The Seattle Times on Wednesday that shes interested in the 12% of calls the report says could be addressed in the near future. We need to build a more robust alternate response (for those calls) now, she wrote, saying the city shouldnt wait until next year to start on a special response team announced last week that would focus on calls related to neither criminal nor medical emergencies. McLEAN, Va. (AP) One of Robert F. Kennedys children has won custody of a decorative planter that sat outside a Virginia estate called Hickory Hill where the branch of the famed American political family once lived. The Washington Post reported Friday that a federal judge ruled a 2010 pact by the property's new owner to give up the urn was binding. The federal court decision means that Kerry Kennedy, a lawyer and activist who is the seventh child of RFK and Ethel Kennedy, gets back the 4-foot-tall (1.2-meter-tall) planter that she recalls from her childhood. When she was selling the estate, the late senators widow had told her children to choose one item from the property and Kerry Kennedy picked the urn. Stemming from the 2009 sale of the estate, Kerry Kennedy last year sued the new owner in federal court for breach of contract. She and Hickory Hill owner Alan J. Dabbiere had an agreement that he would relinquish the urn after 10 years. Dabbiere had said he'd been under the mistaken belief that Jackie Kennedy brought the urn to the property in the 1950s and changed his mind about giving up ownership after learning that it had actually been there long before the Kennedys arrived. He then claimed it was fixture of the property. But the federal judge ruled in Kerry Kennedy's favor, bringing the dispute to a close. Kennedy, once married to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, now plans to bring the urn to the family's compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. Hickory Hill is a designated National Historic Landmark. It was built on about 5 acres (2 hectares) of land in 1870. JACKSON, Miss. (AP) A school board member in a Mississippi school district says he is planning to propose making COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for all employees. Natchez Adams School District board member Phillip West told The Natchez Democrat that the rise in delta variant cases throughout the state is a public health issue that is becoming a public health crisis and that its our duty and responsibility to make sure we protect our students and employees. School for the Natchez Adams School District begins on Monday. West said he will speak on the proposal during a board meeting on Tuesday. Other board members told the Democrat they had no comment or did not reply to messages asking their thoughts on the idea. Department of Education spokesperson Corie Jones told The Associated Press on Friday she had not heard of any similar proposals in other Mississippi districts. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidance this week calling all schools to require masks for students, teachers and visitors amid a surge of new coronavirus cases. Mississippi is among the least vaccinated states in the nation. Some districts, including Moss Point and Gulfport, have announced they will require masks. Others said they will only do so if ordered by the governor. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said Tuesday he does not plan to issue a mask mandate for schools, even as the coronavirus vaccination rate in Mississippi remains among the lowest in the nation. Mississippi Department of Health officials said they are recommending schools follow the CDC guidance, but they do not have the power to enforce that districts require masks. Meanwhile, Mississippi's healthcare system is already feeling increased stress from new COVID-19 cases, in particular the highly contagious delta variant. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Mississippi was up to 823 on Thursday, compared with 180 on July 7. On Friday, the Clarion Ledger reported that all 92 beds in the University of Mississippi Medical Centers intensive care unit, the states largest, are full. SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) A teen has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for the shooting death of a woman at a New Years Eve party in Sioux City. Anthony Bauer, 18, of Sioux City, was sentenced Friday morning after pleaded guilty in June to second-degree murder, station KTIV reported. In his plea, Bauer admitted that he and others fired several shots into a home where people were gathered for a New Years Eve party, killing 18-year-old Mia Kritis and wounding three others. PORTAGE, Mich. (AP) Authorities searched outside Michigan on Friday for the son of an 82-year-old doctor who was killed at his Kalamazoo-area home. Scott Sterffy, 56, was charged with murder, Portage police said. SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) Springfield-area health officials have withdrawn their request for a temporary site to handle an overflow of COVID-19 patients because they said it couldn't be put up quickly enough amid a case surge that has led to renewed calls for vaccinations and fights over mask mandates elsewhere in the state. The Springfield-Greene County Health Department requested the site on July 14. While waiting for approval, the city's two hospitals hired additional staff and reused existing space, the agency said in a news release. Because this additional capacity allows us to address our current surge, and knowing that an alternate care site was at least another week away from being operational, there is no longer an immediate need for an alternate care site," the release said. Republican Gov. Mike Parson said in a news release that the state also helped by sending in extra ambulance crews, which transported about 90 COVID-19 patients to hospitals outside the Springfield area. And he noted that the state set up a center to provide infusions of monoclonal antibodies, which generally are used for people who aren't hospitalized but might be at higher risk for complications. Kaitlyn McConnell, the system director for public relations at CoxHealth, said it initially was believed that the request for the overflow site would take around five days, the Springfield News-Leader reported. We appreciate the governments efforts to serve, but in this case, response lagged too far behind the need, she said. Missouri ranks fourth nationally in the most new cases per capita in the past 14 days. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in the state has risen over the past two weeks from 1,771.86 on July 14 to 2,450.43 on Wednesday, according to data from John Hopkins University. State workers are among the infected, with the Department of Corrections listing 52 employees as positive. There also are 45 active COVID-19 cases in the Harry S Truman State Office Building near the Capitol, said Chris Moreland, spokesman for Parsons Office of Administration. Robert Knodell, the acting director of the Department of Health and Senior Services, said in a letter to thousands of state employees that vaccines can help bring the pandemic to an end and criticized widespread misinformation, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Enough is enough, Knodell said. The rhetoric from these individuals the myths, conspiracy theories, the rumors with no valid context is a bunch of baloney." In the Springfield area, Republican and Democratic lawmakers are joining together to sponsor a vaccination clinic Saturday. Its been heartbreaking in our community when people lose their lives, said Republican Sen. Lincoln Hough, when right now, with the vaccine, its largely unnecessary. Erik Frederick, chief administrative officer of Mercy Springfield, tweeted that its 130 COVID-19 patients included six children, four younger than 10. 100% unvaccinated because they are not eligible," he wrote. But we are." The city's pubic school district announced that masks would be required for the fall for all students and staff. The district previously required students to start wearing them again for summer school. And at least three Kansas City area school districts North Kansas City, Center and Park Hill also announced that masks would be required indoors, The Kansas City Star reported. The mandates are effective this coming Monday, when a mask mandate begins in Kansas City. Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has threatened to sue over the Kansas City mandate. His office also is challenging mask mandates in St. Louis County and St. Louis city. A hearing had been scheduled for Friday, but St. Louis County successfully transferred Schmitts lawsuit to federal court, arguing that Schmitts legal challenges are constitutional questions of free speech and protections against unequal treatment, the Post-Dispatch reported. Schmitt described it as a a sad delay tactic" in a tweet. Also Friday, a federal appeals court rejected an appeal challenging the constitutionality of St. Louis Countys April 2020 stay-at-home order. The suit claimed the order imposed illegal restrictions on religious gatherings. Amid the legal fights, COVID-19 fatalities also are on the rise, with the victims including five people who have died in the past month alone at two Stoddard County nursing facilities, the Southeast Missourian reported. Stoddard County Public Health Center director Ben Godwin attributed a spike in cases to decreased social distancing and a low vaccination rate. Just 30.5% of the countys residents have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine, well below the state average of 47.9% and the national average of 57.2%, state and federal data shows. Were offering vaccinations on a weekly basis here," he said, but very, very few people are getting their vaccinations right now." ST. LOUIS (AP) A man who was released from prison last year after the Missouri Supreme Court vacated his life sentence for murder has reached a $6.6. million settlement with St. Louis County. St. Louis County officials began the process of issuing the money on Friday to Lawrence Callanan, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Callanan was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted in the 1996 murder of John Schuh in St. Louis County. A special master appointed by the Missouri Supreme Court to study the case, Judge Gael D. Wood, didnt determine that Callanan met the legal standard for proving his actual innocence but said the verdict was not worthy of confidence. In releasing him last June, the state Supreme Court said the prosecutor in the case, Dan Diemer, withheld evidence during the trial that would have been favorable to the defense. That ruling came after Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell wrote the court supporting Callanan. He told the court that the conviction rested on circumstantial evidence based on the testimony of one witness. That witness told Diemer she saw two cars leaving the scene of the killing but Diemer told her not to tell anybody about the second car and did not disclose the evidence to the defense, Bell wrote. Chief Justice George W. Draper III wrote for the court in last year's ruling that Callanan met the burden of proof to establish his claim that prosecutors concealed favorable, material evidence, in violation of a federal law that requires prosecutors to turn over all evidence that might exonerate a defendant to his or her attorneys. Callanan is the son of two generations of union officials, who were suspected of having organized crime ties. Callanan said prosecutors targeted him because of events that took place before I was born. BOSTON (AP) Massachusetts gambling regulators, in response to complaints, want to know why two of the state's casinos have not yet brought back poker. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission normally receives about five complaints a month, but lately has been receiving about 50 per month, many of them regarding poker, Bruce Band, deputy director of the commissions Investigations and Enforcement Bureau, said at a commission meeting Thursday, the Boston Herald reported. SPARKS, Nev. (AP) A 35-year-old man who was arrested in Stockton, California on an unrelated warrant has been charged with murder in the death of a woman this week in Sparks. Sparks police said Friday they identified Jeremy Ray Johnson of Stockton as the prime suspect a day after 25-year-old Ana Marie Acevedo was found dead on Tuesday near U.S. Interstate 80 east of the Nugget hotel-casino. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) A Texas man who has spent much of his life in prison has pleaded guilty to the 1995 killing of a woman who was attacked as she jogged near the Sacramento River in California. James Earl Watkins, 42, pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree murder and admitted allegations of robbery, kidnapping and lying in wait, the Shasta County district attorney's office said in a statement. A Nov. 1 trial has been scheduled in a lawsuit challenging the quality of health care in state-run prisons in Arizona. Two weeks ago, a judge threw out a 6-year-old legal settlement requiring Arizona to improve health care for thousands of prisoners. UNITED NATIONS (AP) The U.N. Security Council extended the arms embargo against the Central African Republic for a year on Thursday despite an appeal from China to lift it, saying the government hasnt met U.N. benchmarks including ensuring the protection and control of all weapons. The council adopted the resolution, which also extends targeted sanctions on individuals and companies, by a vote of 14-0 with China abstaining. U.S. deputy ambassador Richard Mills welcomed the renewal of the arms embargo, travel bans and asset freezes, calling the measures critical to promoting peace and security in the Central African Republic. He stressed that there is no military solution to the crisis in the country, known as CAR. The mineral-rich Central African Republic has faced deadly inter-religious and inter-communal fighting since 2013 when mainly Muslim Selaka rebels ousted then president Francois Bozize, prompting reprisals from mostly Christian militias. A peace deal between the government and 14 rebel groups was signed in February 2019. But after the constitutional court rejected Bozizes candidacy to run for president in December, rebels linked to him tried to prevent the elections and then attempted to seize power from President Faustin Archange Touadera who won a second term. Frances U.N. Ambassador Nicolas De Riviere, whose country sponsored the resolution, told reporters after the vote it is particularly important in the deteriorating context of the Central African Republic, with a very worrying amount of violence and violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. The spread of arms is clearly part of the problem and their control remains a major issue for the security of the country, he said. But Chinas deputy U.N. ambassador Dai Bing strongly disagreed, saying that since Decembers successful elections, the security situation in the country continues to improve. When the council imposed the arms embargo on CAR in December 2013, he said, the intention was to help restore order. But in reality, the arms embargo has become an obstacle that hampers the CAR governments efforts to strengthen its security capabilities," Dai said. The resolution notes that CAR authorities, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, and the Economic Community of Central African States also supported lifting the arms embargo. It also noted that the Security Council committee monitoring sanctions against CAR has approved all exemptions from the arms embargo requested by CAR authorities -- a point stressed by Frances De Riviere who said these exemptions are important to equip and train their army. The ultimate goal is indeed to lift the embargo for the Central African forces: that is why the Council has set up benchmarks to accompany the CARs progress, he said. Russias deputy U.N. ambassador Dmitry Polyansky urged CAR to meet the benchmarks so the council could consider lifting the arms embargo next year. Chinas Dai reiterated that the council should fully lift the sanctions against the CAR at an early date in light of changes in the situation. The resolution extends the arms embargo to July 31, 2022 and reiterates the councils readiness to review the arms embargo. It also extends the mandate o the panel of experts monitoring implementation of all sanctions until Aug. 31, 2022. Last month, the panel accused Russian military instructors and the CAR forces they are supporting of excessive use of force, indiscriminate killings, the occupation of schools and looting on a large scale -- allegations Moscow strongly rejected. In a 40-page report obtained by The Associated Press, the panel said it collected testimonies from a large number of local officials, government military and internal security forces, and community-level sources in multiple locations in the country who reported the active participation of Russian instructors in combat operations on the ground. The panel said many of the officials and other sources reported that Russian instructors often led rather than followed CAR troops as they advanced on different towns and villages in a counter-offensive against rebels linked to Bozize. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov categorically denied the allegations as yet another lie, saying Russian military advisers couldnt take part and didnt take part in any killings or lootings. KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) A U.N. office in western Afghanistan came under fire Friday and one of its guards was killed as the Taliban and Afghan forces waged fierce battles in the area, the United Nations said. The clashes were taking place in the district of Guzara in Herat province, about 10 kilometers (6 miles), from the Herat provincial capital. It wasnt immediately clear which side was responsible for the fire that hit the U.N. office. Fighting has intensified across Afghanistan as the last U.S. and NATO troops complete their pullout from the war-torn country. In the past months, the Taliban have overrun dozens of districts and seized several strategic border crossings. Deborah Lyons, the U.N. special representative for Afghanistan, called the attack deplorable and said the U.N. was in touch with both sides in the conflict to determine how the office came under fire and by whom. The perpetrators of this attack must be identified and brought to account, she said. The U.N. is urgently seeking to establish a full picture about the attack and for this purpose is in contact with the relevant parties. Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi released a statement saying the U.N. office was caught in the crossfire but that the office was safe, and they should not have any concern. The chairperson of Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission, Shaharzad Akbar, tweeted that attacks against U.N. could amount to war crimes. Reading the news and my heart is burning, she tweeted. Thinking about everyone who is living in fear at this moment in Afghanistan. Every family that cant even plan for tomorrow. All the terrorized children. What has war brought us but misery, suffering, uncertainty & dependency? In Washington, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and State Department deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter condemned the deadly attack on the U.N. in Herat. Attacks against civilian U.N. personnel and facilities are prohibited under international law," Sullivan said. We reiterate our call for an immediate reduction in violence in Afghanistan, and for all regional actors to encourage the parties to return to negotiations without delay." For the past year, a resurgent Taliban have held sway over roughly half of Afghanistan. But since the announcement this spring that U.S. and NATO troops would completely pull out of the country, the Taliban have swept through dozens of districts, seizing more land and even taking control of key border crossings with neighboring countries. In Herat, the insurgents have taken the Islam Qala key border crossing with Iran. NEW YORK (AP) Chinese companies hoping to sell their shares in the United States must start making more disclosures about their potential risks before U.S. regulators will allow them to list their stock. The Securities and Exchange Commission announced the move Friday after Beijing said it would step up its supervision of Chinese companies listed overseas, including reviews of their cybersecurity. SEC Chair Gary Gensler pointed in particular to Chinese businesses that use shell companies to get around Chinese rules blocking foreign ownership for their industries. Under these deals, the Chinese business forms a shell company in the Cayman Islands or somewhere else. The shell company then sells its stock to investors after listing in New York. The shell company has no ownership of the Chinese company. Instead, it has service contracts with it. These arrangements are called variable interest entities, or VIEs. I worry that average investors may not realize that they hold stock in a shell company rather than a China-based operating company, Gensler said. Gensler said he asked the SEC's staff to make sure such companies make several disclosures before an initial public offering of stock. Among them: They must make clear investors are buying shares of the shell company, not the China-based operating company, and that future actions by the Chinese government could significantly affect financial performance. Gensler also said that all Chinese companies trying for a U.S. IPO must disclose risks that approvals from Chinese authorities to list on a U.S. exchange could be rescinded, among other things. Several big-name Chinese companies have seen their stocks tumble recently as Beijing has stepped up regulation of their data protection and security. U.S.-listed shares of ride-hailing company Didi Global, for example, have been falling since they began trading at the end of June. They dropped nearly 20% in their fourth day of trading after the company was ordered to stop signing up new users and remove its app from online stores while it increases security for customer information. HONOLULU (AP) A white man chosen by Hawaii's governor to be an appeals court judge said he wanted to withdraw his name from the confirmation process Thursday after complaints that someone with a different racial background or gender should be selected instead. Critics have questioned Democratic Gov. David Ige's choice of Daniel Gluck, the executive director of the Hawaii Ethics Commission, noting it's been 30 years since a Native Hawaiian was appointed to the Intermediate Court of Appeals and 20 years since a Native Hawaiian was appointed to the state Supreme Court. The House Native Hawaiian Caucus sent a letter to Ige last week that said there are no native Hawaiian, Filipino, Pacific Islander, or African American judges at the Supreme Court or the ICA. Others have questioned Gluck's legal experience given he hasnt brought as many cases to trial as other potential nominees put forward by the state Judicial Selection Commission. After a five-hour long hearing Tuesday, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary voted Wednesday not to recommend the Senate consent to appointing Gluck. On Thursday, Gluck notified the Senate of his intent to withdraw his name from the confirmation process. But doing so would have created confusion over how the next appointment would be made, he said in a statement released by the governor's office. In light of that, the Senate went ahead and voted not to consent to his appointment, which will allow the governor to make another appointment from the five remaining nominees on a list submitted to him by the commission. Opponents of my appointment, particularly members of the Bar, were courageous in voicing their deeply rooted, legitimate grievances regarding the ways in which systemic racism and inequality permeate our lives, Gluck's statement said. Glucks supporters noted his keen legal mind, his dedication to social justice and his fairness. Despite the outcome, Dans professionalism and the way he conducted himself throughout this entire nomination process is commendable," Senate President Ronald Kouchi said. Ige has until Aug. 8 to make another selection. ___ This version corrects that the committee voted Wednesday, not Tuesday. WASHINGTON (AP) Wages and salaries rose at a healthy pace in the three months ended in June as employers competed to find enough workers to fill millions of available jobs. Pay increased 1% in the second quarter for workers in the private sector, the Labor Department said Friday. That's down slightly from 1.1% in the first three months of the year but still the second-highest reading in more than a decade. In the year ending in June, wages and salaries jumped 3.5% for workers in the private sector, the largest increase in more than 14 years. That increase was driven by sharp rise in pay for restaurant and hotel workers of more than 6%. Total compensation for all employees rose at a slower pace, increasing just 0.7% in the second quarter and 2.9% in the past year. That figure was held back by weaker wage growth in state and local governments, and an unexpected slowing in the growth of benefits, such as health care. Benefits provided by companies rose just 0.3% in the second quarter, down from 0.6% in the first. Fridays data comes from the Labor Departments Employment Cost Index, which measures pay changes for workers that keep their jobs. Unlike some other measures of Americans paychecks, it isnt directly affected by mass layoffs such as the pandemic job losses that occurred in the spring of 2020. Separately, the government also reported Friday that consumer spending remained strong in June, rising 1%, and overall incomes ticked up 0.1%. That figure includes incomes from other sources besides wages and salaries, such as government benefits and investment income. Both reports suggest steady hiring and rising pay should continue to fuel economic growth, though the ongoing spread of the delta variant poses a threat to the recovery. If consumers become more cautious and pull back on travel, eating out, and visiting entertainment venues, growth could slow. Businesses are being forced to offer higher compensation to attract workers, as customer demand has soared in the spring as the pandemic faded. Companies, particularly in the restaurant and retail industries, are offering sign-on bonuses, wages as high as $15 an hour, and benefits such as retirement plans and pet insurance. The unemployment rate is elevated at 5.9% and millions of Americans are out of work, yet there are also a record number of job openings. Economists say it will take time for the unemployed to match with the right jobs. Several trends are likely keeping some workers on the sidelines, adding to the pressure on companies to offer higher pay. Many people are worried about COVID-19 and are reluctant to work in jobs that require them to interact with the public. Others may be caring for children and unable to work until schools reopen. And an extra $300 a week in unemployment benefits is likely allowing some of those out of work to hold out for higher-paying jobs. About 22 states have ended that benefit and it will expire nationwide Sept. 6. Many residents posting in Hawaii travel social media groups, as well as tourism insiders I spoke with off the record, express the belief that post-pandemic visitors to Hawaii are a different type of tourist. Often, they say, these tourists seem fueled by a desire to get an up-close selfie with an endangered species, climb into an off-limits ocean pool or hike a closed mountain ridge trail. Theres no way to know to what degree technology drives this ill-considered behavior. But it is, many residents agree, a growing problem. More: This Hawaii hike is in one of the most endangered forest types on Earth and features 5,000-year-old lava flows. Centuries of Hawaiian navigators have used this long-standing landmass as a landmark while traversing the island. Read more. 67-year-old California man falls 25 feet off Wailua Falls in Kauai. The man was hiking with his family from the parking lot to the falls when he slipped and fell. Read more. Hawaii residents are renting out their cars during rental shortage. In Honolulu, officials are now cracking down. Residents are complaining that vehicles being rented out on Turo are taking up parking on side streets. Read more. Rare Hawaiian bird thought to be dead emerges once more on slopes of Maui volcano. Its a development researchers are calling "an amazing sign." Read more. Last weeks top story: What it means to travel responsibly in Hawaii. Could this type of travel also be fun? Read more. On Hawaii is curated by deputy managing editor and Hawaii editor Fiona Lee. You can contact her at Fiona.Lee@sfgate.com. You are now listening to the sounds of the New Generation. A podcast created for those who desire a new way of gaining information rather than reading a traditional newspaper. In our show we will discuss everything from sports, pop culture, politics, and local news. To stay up to date on our latest episodes every week be sure to follow us on your favorite podcast service. And dont worry, we keep it short. Unlimited website access 24/7 Unlimited e-Edition access 24/7 The best local, regional and national news in sports, politics, business and more! With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. Page Content Canada's Minister of Labor has announced that Canada's federal Pay Equity Act will take effect on Aug. 31. This is a big step toward eliminating systemic discrimination, reducing gender wage inequalities that have been exacerbated by the pandemic and promoting equal pay for work of equal value in the federal sector. The Pay Equity Act aims to achieve "pay equity" as opposed to "equal pay for equal work." Equal pay for equal work compares compensation paid to workers who are in the same or similar position, whereas pay equity compares the compensation provided to workers in different jobs. In particular, pay equity compares compensation provided to "predominantly female job classes" and "predominantly male job classes." The Pay Equity Act regulates "compensation," not just "base pay." Under the Pay Equity Act, compensation is defined broadly to include remuneration and benefits provided to employees for the work they perform, including: Salaries, commissions, vacation pay, severance pay and bonuses. Payments in kind. Employer contributions to pension funds or plans, long-term disability plans and all forms of health insurance plans. Any other advantage received directly or indirectly from the employer. Under the Pay Equity Act, federally regulated employers with 10 or more federally regulated employees will be required to: Establish a representative pay equity committee. Identify job classes and determine their gender predominance, if any. Evaluate each job class using a gender-neutral comparison system. Compare job classes, normally using the "equal average method" or the "equal line method." Draft and post a pay equity plan and provide employees with an opportunity to comment. Consider employee comments and implement the pay equity plan within three years. Increase compensation for the predominantly female job classes that are comparatively underpaid. Maintain pay equity and review the pay equity plan at least once every five years. Provide certain information to their pay equity committee and certain notices to their employees. File information (e.g. annual statements) with the pay equity commissioner. The above list is subject to a very detailed and prescriptive set of rules and requirements established under the Pay Equity Act, and a corresponding regulation that was recently finalized. Employers who fail to comply with the Pay Equity Act will face consequences. The Pay Equity Commissioner has authority to conduct a compliance audit under the act and may make orders requiring employers to comply. Administrative monetary penalties up to $50,000 (approximately USD 39,950) may be imposed. There will also be a process allowing employees, bargaining agents and employers to file a complaint with the pay equity commissioner, who may refer the matter to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. Employers should also be wary of the significant and costly harm noncompliance can have on their reputation and employee morale. [Want to learn more? Join us at the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo 2021, taking place Sept. 9-12 in Las Vegas and virtually.] In summary, the Pay Equity Act will present unique challenges to federally regulated employers, and compliance will require significant time and attention, particularly over the next three years as pay equity plans are developed and implemented. Federally regulated employers who have not already done so should immediately start to prepare for Canada's new pay equity regime with input from, among others, qualified legal advisors. Many thanks to Sandy Park for her assistance with this article. Content is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended and should not be construed as legal advice. This may qualify as "Attorney Advertising" requiring notice in some jurisdictions. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. For more information, please visit: www.bakermckenzie.com/en/disclaimers. Jordan Arthur Kirkness is an attorney with Baker McKenzie in Toronto. 2021 Baker McKenzie. All rights reserved. Reposted with permission of Lexology. Page Content Although Californians must continue to follow COVID-19 safety protocols, the Golden State has reopened its economy and hotels, airports and other businesses have experienced a surge in demand. This brings complications for some employers that must recall laid-off employees. A new California law, SB 93, that went into effect April 16 requires some employers in the hospitality industry to prioritize, through Dec. 31, 2024, recalling workers who were laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "A law like this can be easy to miss," said Holly Sutton, an attorney with Farella Braun in San Francisco. "There's been such a deluge of new information for employers to track. Many employers are just focused on what needs to be done to bring employees back to work and customers into facilities, and those requirements are changing weekly." The new law applies to certain hotels and membership-based accommodations, event centers, airport restaurants and shops, and other airport hospitality operations and service providers. The law also applies to enterprises that provide building servicessuch as janitorial, maintenance or securityto office, retail or other commercial buildings. Here's what covered employers need to know as they start hiringand rehiringworkers. SHRM Resource Hub Page Coronavirus and COVID-19 Requirements Create Challenges The new law requires covered employers, when reopening, to give each former employee five days to respond to a written job offer sent by mail to the employee's last known address, as well as by e-mail and text, if the employer has that information. Some attorneys believe it could slow reopening for covered businesses as they wait for employees who qualify for a particular vacancy to respond to the hiring offer. The hospitality industry is already struggling to find enough workers to return to their jobs. Many California restaurants, for example, are chronically short-staffed and are finding they need to increase pay to entice workers back. Workers may want to return, but without summer camps, steady day care and predictable in-person school routines, those with children face unprecedented uncertainty. And the surge in COVID-19 Delta variant cases can make returning to certain public-facing jobs that much more of a gamble, particularly for people who aren't vaccinated. If more than one former employee qualifies for a particular position, the company must send out conditional offers and rehire the employee with the greatest seniority based on chronological, not cumulative, service. So part-time workers hired earlier than full-time employees would have priority. Sutton said the law is "riddled" with impracticalities like this for both employers and employees. The law creates a presumption that anyone who was let go during the pandemic was let go because of the pandemic, noted Heather Sager, an attorney with Perkins Coie in San Francisco. "The unknowns and hypotheticals run from A to Z," she said. The law is enforced by the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, and the California Labor Commissioner's office recently posted a FAQ page. Notably, as new positions becomes available, the employer must notify and offer opportunities to "all qualified laid-off employees who worked at the same or a similar position, including laid-off employees who have previously declined an offer to be re-hired for a prior position," according to the FAQs. Employers should note that noncompliance could be very expensivewith potential damages for violations reaching $500 per employee per day. "There are some real teeth in this," Sutton said. "An uninformed employer who is not aware of this new law could have substantial liability." How Should Employers Respond? First, employers should determine if they are covered by the law. For instance, hotels and membership-based accommodations (which SB 93 refers to as "private clubs") are covered if they have 50 or more guest rooms. Next, covered employers should ensure their procedures for keeping track of employees and former employees are up-to-date. Employers need to keep the following records for three years from the date of layoff for each employee: Full legal name. Job classification. Date of hire. Last known address. Last known e-mail address. Last known phone number. A copy of the written notice of the layoff. All communications on offers of employment. Employers might be tempted to rehire strong performers first, but the law does not give them that flexibility, Sutton said. Covered employers should create recall templates and very specific processes to help achieve compliance. [Want to learn more about California employment law? Join us at the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo 2021, taking place Sept. 9-12 in Las Vegas and virtually.] "As far as recent legislation goes, this is one of the more difficult ones to comply with," said Nancy Inesta, an attorney with BakerHostetler in Los Angeles. "This particular legislation leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Some people won't accept a conditional offer because they have moved on to another employer or don't feel comfortable coming back into the COVID environment. Those people could technically remain on an employer's hiring list through the end of 2024." Additionally, certain requirements, such as basing recall on a hire date rather than other considerations, could conflict or be inconsistent with existing company policies or practices, Inesta noted. She said smart employers will reach out to union leaders to address the discrepancies and try to get agreement from the union on how to move ahead. Pre-pandemic, "any business in California that was recalling employees from a layoff had complete flexibility to pick and choose which employees to bring back, the order in which workers would be recalled, and even the flexibility to decide not to recall particular workers, based on their prior job performance," wrote Bruce Sarchet, an attorney with Littler in Sacramento, Calif., and Michael Lotito, an attorney with Littler in San Francisco, when SB 93 was first enacted. But the rules have changed for employers that are covered by the right-to-recall law, so they should "take stock of their current situations and evaluate their options for compliance," Sarchet and Lotito said. Susan Kostal is a freelance writer and editor in San Francisco. Page Content An employee's individual claim against her employer for a violation of the California Labor Code was time-barred, but she could still bring a representative action under the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), a California appeals court ruled. The court based its decision on a 2020 California Supreme Court ruling (Kim v. Reins International California Inc.), which held that an employee who settles and dismisses individual labor code claims does not lose standing to pursue a PAGA claim. The employer is a national health care staffing company that provides temporary staffing and health care services to its clients. The plaintiff was hired as an hourly, nonexempt employee in 2016. On Sept. 7, 2016, she signed a document entitled "Non-Solicitation, Non-Disclosure and Non-Competition Agreement." On Sept. 9, 2019, the plaintiff filed a lawsuit claiming that because the agreement contained a noncompetition clause, it was illegal under California law. The complaint consisted of a single claim for penalties under PAGA on behalf of all employees who had signed the noncompete agreement. PAGA allows aggrieved employees to sue over alleged labor code violations on behalf of themselves and other employees by stepping into the shoes of state regulators to recover civil penalties. [Want to learn more about California employment law? Join us at the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo 2021, taking place Sept. 9-12 in Las Vegas and virtually.] The trial court dismissed the plaintiff's lawsuit, concluding that the plaintiff could not bring an individual complaint against the employer because she signed the agreement more than three years before she filed suit, and the three-year statute of limitations for labor code violations therefore barred her claim. The trial court found that because she could not bring an individual claim, she was not entitled to bring a representative suit under PAGA. The plaintiff appealed. Nature of PAGA Claims The appeals court first noted that the state legislature enacted PAGA in 2003 after finding that labor law enforcement agencies were understaffed and it was in the public interest to allow aggrieved employees, standing in for the agencies, to recover civil penalties for labor code violations. A PAGA claim is legally and conceptually different from an employee's own suit for damages and statutory penalties, the court said. An employee suing under PAGA does so as the proxy or agent of the state's labor law enforcement agencies. In addition, the civil penalties a PAGA plaintiff may recover on the state's behalf are distinct from the statutory damages or penalties that may be available to employees suing for individual violations, the court said. Relief under PAGA is designed primarily to benefit the general public, not the party bringing the action. Only an "aggrieved employee" has standing under PAGA. An aggrieved employee is any employee against whom one or more of the alleged violations was committed, the court said. Under PAGA, an aggrieved employee may bring a civil action personally and on behalf of other current or former employees to recover civil penalties for labor code violations. In this case, the court said, the plaintiff clearly was, at least at one time, an aggrieved employee under PAGA. The issue posed by the appeal was whether the fact that the plaintiff's claim was now time-barred prevented her from pursuing a representative claim under PAGA. Based on the state high court's decision in Kim, the appeals court concluded that the plaintiff could go forward with her lawsuit. In Kim, the California Supreme Court held that an employee who settles and dismisses individual labor code claims does not lose standing to pursue a PAGA claim. The high court in Kim explained that the employee became aggrieved when one or more labor code violations were committed against him, and settlement did not nullify those violations. The Kim court also observed that PAGA standing is not inextricably linked to the plaintiff's own injury. Employees who were subject to at least one unlawful practice have standing to serve as PAGA representatives even if they did not personally experience each and every alleged violation. The appellate court went on to say that, under Kim, the plaintiff in this case was an aggrieved employee with the legal right to pursue her PAGA claim. She is employed by the employer and has personally suffered at least one labor code violation on which the PAGA claim is based. The fact that her individual claim may be time-barred does not nullify the alleged labor code violations nor strip her of her standing to pursue PAGA remedies, the court concluded. Johnson v. Maxim Healthcare Services Inc., Calif. Ct. App., No. D077599 (July 21, 2021). Professional Pointer: In addition to allowing lawsuits that might otherwise be barred, PAGA limits the types of claims employers can force into arbitration. Because a PAGA claim is seen as a dispute between an employer and the state, an employee's agreement to arbitrate individual claims does not also compel arbitration of PAGA claims. Joanne Deschenaux, J.D., is a freelance writer in Annapolis, Md. Actress Rakul Preet Singh has landed in Bhopal to start her shoot for "Dr G". The actress, who will be seen alongside Ayushmann Khurrana, is thrilled to shoot in the city for the first time. "I am so excited to be in Bhopal and start shoot of 'Dr G' . Have waited for so long due to the lockdown to start shooting the film . I'm very thrilled and look forward to start shooting with Anubhuti, Ayushman, Shefali ji and the entire cast and crew it's an amazing script and very close to my heart," Rakul says. This marks her maiden visit to the city of Bhopal. The actress is keen on exploring the city too in between the schedule. "This is my first time shooting in Bhopal. Had always heard it's a city of lakes and as soon as I landed and my drive to the hotel was so beautiful. It's such a green and pretty city. Can't wait to explore it. I also want to try the poha and jalebi here that I have heard of so much," she says. Text: IANS Images: Rakul on Instagram According to the Ministry, medical reports and relevant pieces of evidence have indicated that Silsila Alikhel was manhandled and then tortured on July 17. New Delhi/Kabul, July 30 (IANS) The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that investigations have revealed that the daughter of the country's Ambassador to Pakistan had been abducted and then tortured physically and mentally in Islamabad. Ambassador Najib Alikhel had filed a petition over his daughter's abduction in the Pakistani capital. The Ministry further said that based on medical reports and other pieces of evidence a crime of this type can never be justified and the Pakistani government is obliged to provide diplomats and their family members security based on international conventions. It reiterated that the Pakistan government must expedite its investigations and bring the perpetrators to justice. Afghanistan is set to send a delegation to Pakistan to conduct a joint investigation on the case and share relevant information and evidence. The Ministry's claims come after Pakistan Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid had termed the incident a drama and said it was a huge conspiracy hatched against Islamabad. --IANS san/ksk/ A woman is facing drug charges after a bust earlier this week in West Mahanoy Township. According to the Pennsylvania State Police at Frackville, on Tuesday, July 27th, 2021, around 12:30pm, members of the Pennsylvania State Police served a narcotics related search warrant at 96 Weston Place, near Shenandoah Heights. During the search, Troopers seized 269 bags of suspected fentanyl, $2,310 in cash, and various drug paraphernalia. As a result, Brenda Gloria Brennan, 36, was arrested and charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia. State Police say Brennan is currently awaiting arraignment. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! A big-spending federal-state emergency package was announced on July 13 to assist affected businesses and workers. Only a fortnight later, when Premier Gladys Berejiklian revealed Sydneys lockdown would be extended until at least August 28, the emergency payments were jacked up again. The NSW Government alone has now committed close to $5 billion in economic support measures since the current COVID-19 outbreak. Sydneys economy appeared to weather the early weeks of lockdown fairly well. But as new restrictions were imposed, especially those on non-essential retail and construction, the economic damage grew. Analysis of debit and credit card use by ANZ showed spending across Greater Sydney last week was almost 30 per cent lower than before the lockdown and at its worst level since the COVID-19 pandemic began last year. Separate tracking of household card use by the Commonwealth Bank told a similar story - general retail spending in NSW last week was more than 30 per cent lower than the corresponding period in 2019. Measures of consumer confidence have also fallen steadily in Sydney amid the uncertainly created stubbornly high daily COVID cases despite weeks of restrictions. Vaccines can get us out of this but it is not going to be fast and it is not going to be fun. Economist Chris Richardson Economist Chris Richardson from Deloitte Access Economics estimates an average of 25,000 jobs a week are being lost during Sydneys lockdown. Of those, about 5000 to 10,000 probably wont be immediately rehired and will end up on the unemployment queue. Unemployment in NSW will likely continue to rise for the bulk of the period between now and Christmas, says Richardson. Vaccines can get us out of this but it is not going to be fast and it is not going to be fun. State Treasurer Dominic Perrottet insists the emergency payments put in place to support Sydneys firms and workers through the crisis will ensure a strong recovery. The economy rebounded strongly following the first shockwave of COVID-19 in 2020, he told the Herald. This showed the measures put in place by both state and the Commonwealth government worked, but also that people remained confident about the future. Our aim during this current Delta outbreak is to continue to keep people safe from the virus and at the same time protect jobs and businesses so the economy can once again bounce back quickly on the other side. It seems those investing in shares and buying properties are confident Sydney will soon bounce back. NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet says Perrottet says we cant simply expect things to go back to the way they were in February 2020 before the pandemic. Credit:Kate Geraghty As the citys COVID crisis deepened this week the local share market set new records and property prices reached fresh highs. Sydneys media house price shot to a record $1.41 million in the June quarter according to the Domain House Price Report, released on Thursday. Domains figures show Sydneys median house price rose 24 per cent during the past year, or $272,887. Economist Andrew Charlton said investors seem to be assuming the flood of government support will prevent a sustained downturn. If anything I think businesses will look through this even more than last time because they have more certainty it is going to be temporary, he said. Charlton also believes many firms will be reluctant to lay off workers because of the skill shortages which became apparent earlier this year. Most forecasters are expecting the sharp economic contraction during the three months to September to be followed by a return to growth later this year. But AMP Capital chief economist, Shane Oliver, says the confidence of consumers, businesses and investors will be tested further as the lockdown drags on. The coronavirus pandemic has this unending ability to keep surprising us, he says. You just cant relax. Sydneys winter lockdown underscores some of the changes to economic behaviour likely to be a legacy of the pandemic including additional remote work, more flexible patterns of employment and increased use of digital technologies. These trends will in turn affect traditional job hubs like the central business district and help reshape urban development including transport systems. Sydney University transport economist Professor David Hensher, who researches remote work trends, says Sydneys lockdown will remind employees about remote work. For many people it worked out well and more importantly employers were very supportive of remote work, and they remain very supportive, he says. Perrottet also says we cant expect things to go back to the way they were in February 2020. COVID-19 has forced all of us to change many things and if there is a silver lining, it is the opportunity this will provide to increase productivity and focus on reform that will help the economy recover, he says. A recent report by economist Marcia Keegan of SGS Economics and Planning found Sydneys knowledge-based industries, well suited to remote work, weathered last years pandemic disruptions relatively well. That includes two of the citys biggest sectors - financial services and professional services - which together account for more than 25 per cent of the citys economic output. A new rhythm has emerged in those industries where working from home is fairly easy, says Keegan. But it was a different story for sectors unsuited to remote work including transport, retail, construction, manufacturing, arts and recreation and accommodation and food services. Activity in each one of those was badly disrupted last year. That uneven performance across industry sectors will likely be repeated during the current lockdown. We saw last year that industries such as accommodation, hospitality, travel, tourism and service industries were particularly hard hit and had only partially recovered, says Perrottet. Finding ways to continue to aid and boost their recovery will be important. Some regions of Sydney have also been hit much harder than others. The economic consequences of the lockdown are likely to be disproportionately severe in south-west Sydney where the lockdown has been most stringent due to the level of local COVID infections. Restrictions in that region of the city were tightened further on Thursday after NSW recorded its highest ever number of COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began. The government also announced 300 Defence Force personnel would be deployed to assist police enforce lockdown restrictions across the metropolitan area. ACOSS CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie warned that economic inequality in Greater Sydney was worsening. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Many suburbs subject to the strictest lockdowns have relatively low incomes compared to the rest of Sydney, and a high share of people reliant on social security payments. Fairfield council area a hotspot during this outbreak - had the lowest median household income among Sydneys local councils at the last census. Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) chief executive Cassandra Goldie says communities in south-west Sydney experiencing the harshest lockdowns need far more support. The impact of this pandemic doesnt affect all people equally and clearly those who are most at risk and who face the greatest barriers to support are typically from low-income backgrounds, she says. Eventually a dozen previously unknown creditors all claiming personal guarantees from Costas and owed millions emerged after Costas proposed a scheme of arrangement - which needed the support of a majority of creditors - in August 2020. The scheme was rejected by Kerr. The following month one of Costas creditors, PSHD Capital Pty Ltd, requested a change in trustees. No love lost: Damien Costas, publisher of Australian Penthouse, and his former Sydney publicist Max Markson. Credit: Nic Walker, Ellis Pander PSHD was formerly known as HMD Capital Pty Ltd, which according to ASIC records was owned by convicted drug smuggler Sean Dolman, who is currently in prison over Australias biggest-ever meth bust, with 1.2 tonnes of the drug found off WAs coast in 2017. Dolman is a former business partner of Costas. At the time of Dolmans arrest, Costas told PS he was shocked. Last November Kerr was replaced as trustee. The new trustee is the subject of Karams complaint to the financial security authority. Following the new trustees appointment Costas made another and this time successful creditors scheme proposal in May under section 73 of the Bankruptcy Act. That will see him pay out $315,000 in instalments over five years, guaranteed by his de facto partner, creditor Anessa Duncan. Duncan is listed as the director of NURV Pty Ltd, the publisher and owner of Penthouse Australia, which produced its latest quarterly print issue this week featuring a cavalcade of new contributors among its naked models, including a fully-clothed former NSW Liberal party member John Ruddick, who featured prominently at last Saturdays illegal anti-lockdown protests. I am absolutely livid about it, Markson told PS, adding he was owed more than $60,000 after promoting Costas tour of divisive right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos. Markson spent a further $60,000 on legal fees pursuing Costas. Costas told PS he was prepared for corporate regulator ASIC to resume its investigation into his fitness to be a company director but was undecided if he would pursue a directorship, though he intended to return to the helm of Penthouse, and has bold plans for expansion into the US market, along with opening his long-awaited Penthouse-themed bar in Darlinghurst. I even have an idea for a house cocktail. I call it The Markson! he teased PS. It looks like an espresso martini, but really, its just a glass of turps with a teaspoon of Milo does the job but leaves you feeling a little short-changed. Socialite outed as protester Nellie Tilley at the anti lockdown protest. Credit:Instagram We are far from all being in this pandemic together. Among the flame breathers, accused horse punchers, drum beaters and shouters spraying spittle and abuse at reporters trying to cover last Saturdays anti-lockdown demonstration was an unlikely assortment of characters. Society decorator and former social pages regular Nellie Tilley was outed after posting mask-free images from what she billed as the freedom rally on Instagram, but she has been raising eyebrows for weeks among her friends by spouting anti-lockdown messages. I dont get my news from mainstream media, I prefer alternative sources ... but my experience was of a very peaceful rally, people singing and smiling ... I was nowhere near the police horses and I saw none of that, Tilley told PS, claiming she was unaware of the marauding mob wreaking havoc. Therese Kerr, famous for being the mother of retired bikini model Miranda Kerr, congratulated the Sydney protesters on her Facebook feed while taking swipes at the mainstream media for ignoring the peaceful aspects of the rally. Ironically it was the same mainstream media outlets that propelled her daughter into a multi-million-dollar fortune that has benefited the extended Kerr clan for years. On Thursday the Herald revealed Alan Jones had been dumped as a columnist at the bargain rate of $1500 a column from The Daily Telegraph amid growing concerns over his criticism of NSWs COVID response, including labelling respected Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant a village idiot on his Sky News show. PS understands Jones is due to go into negotiations for his Sky contract next week, though this time without his former talent manager Nick Fordham by his side, and with lacklustre ratings to back him up. Fordham and Jones parted company earlier in the year. Jones told the Herald his pieces still resonated with readers, citing responses on his Facebook page, which his social media manager and protege Jake Thrupp runs on a rumoured six-figure salary. Thrupp had also managed to score the occasional column in the Telegraph, though that looks unlikely to continue. Maurizio Terzini at Bondi Icebergs. Credit:Louise Kennerley Meanwhile high-profile Bondi Icebergs fashionisto and restaurateur Maurizio Terzini, master of drop-crotch pantaloons for men, publicly admonished Dr Chant for advising people to maintain social distancing among friends and family. Alex Dimitriades. Credit:Damian Bennett Dr Chants potentially life-saving advice so infuriated one of Terzinis followers, actor/DJ and fellow Bondi hipster Alex Dimitriades, he chimed in to label her a gronk on social media. Charming. PS has also been alerted to a few well-heeled households that continue to have their cooks, maids, cleaners and assorted household staff turning up during lockdown, in contradiction to stay-at-home rules. Perhaps its time some of the overly pampered inhabitants learnt how to use a mop? Hopkins, Seven at odds over pay Channel Seven bosses were digging in their heels last Saturday after PS reported polarising motormouth Katie Hopkins could still receive her full $200,000 appearance fee despite being booted out of the country ahead of her Big Brother appearance. Katie Hopkins in London in 2019. Credit:Luke Dray/Getty Images She wont get a cent more [than what has already been paid covering her expenses], one senior executive assured PS, who declined to go on the record. She was in clear breach of her contract. As for Hopkins, who claims she has a dossier of emails and videos to reveal the truth, she remains contractually obliged to keep quiet on the subject, which begs the question: if her contract is null and void, and shes not getting any more money, why doesnt she just spill the beans? Many people cannot access the vaccine they prefer, while a perfectly effective jab is being tipped down the sink. Australia has inoculated the third-lowest proportion of its population of any OECD nation, with only 18 per cent of over-16s fully vaccinated. Eighteen months after Australias first case of coronavirus was reported in Victoria and seven months since the Pfizer jab became the first vaccine approved for the country, Australias national vaccination program continues to be confusing at best, and a shambles at worst. Weve got hundreds of doses that we know are about to expire soon, and we just cant find anybody to take it. The federal government at that stage had been telling people Well if you just wait, you can get the vaccine of your choice, so people were just waiting until they could get Pfizer. We were throwing out vials and vials of the vaccines. I was literally walking the halls to see if anybody wanted it, Clements says. It was late June and the Townsville-based doctor was visiting the outback town of Julia Creek to help the local GP and see how vaccinations were tracking. He found a fridge filled with unused vials. A lack of demand from patients meant the batches were about to expire. Four months after Australias COVID-19 vaccination program began, Michael Clements paced the halls of a medical clinic in north Queensland, trying to recruit patients willing to be inoculated with AstraZeneca. In January last year, nine days after China confirmed the sequence of COVID-19, University of Queensland professor Paul Young received an email that would galvanise his team. For months, scientists at the university had been working on an exciting new technology. Called a molecular clamp, it promised to make vaccine development faster and more agile. What went wrong is a mixture of bad luck, politics, poor procurement decisions and mixed messages about the safety of one of the rollouts key vaccines: AstraZeneca. According to Grattan Institute health program director Stephen Duckett, Australias vaccine strategy has been among the worst in the world. And there have been many missed targets. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who once insisted the vaccine rollout was not a race, now concedes the program is at least two months behind schedule. Meanwhile hundreds of millions of dollars have gone to consulting firms for advice that remains shrouded in secrecy, and to ad agencies for campaigns that have either run before vaccines were available or have been a flop. AstraZeneca ran into reputational issues with the very rare risk of a blood-clotting side-effect. The UQ vaccine did not make it past phase one trials, where it turned up some false positive HIV results, mainly because the vaccines signature clamp technology contained an HIV protein. According to Morrison at the time, the UQ candidate and AstraZeneca would put Australia at the top of the queue if our medical experts give the vaccines the green light. But both failed to pay off as planned. Stung by criticism over the early unavailability of personal protective equipment and even hand sanitiser due to our reliance on suddenly shaky international supply chains, the federal government was desperate to have its vaccine supplies manufactured on home soil. This untried technology would form half the initial backbone of Australias entire vaccine strategy. The other half involved AstraZeneca, based on a more traditional technology, much of which was to be produced in Melbourne by biotech firm CSL. Youngs team took up the challenge and produced a vaccine candidate. The Morrison government ordered up big, taking an initial 51 million doses. On January 21, 2020, an official from the global vaccine-development body, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, emailed the university to ask if their invention might be used to create a new COVID vaccine. This is another crucial step in our effort to develop, manufacture and distribute a vaccine in record-breaking time, Trump declared. Under the agreement now one of six secured by the US with various manufacturers the government would pay $1.95 billion for Pfizer to produce and deliver 100 million doses of a vaccine once it was approved by Americas drug regulator. Another 500 million doses would be delivered shortly afterward through the Trump administrations aptly titled procurement strategy, Operation Warp Speed. On a hot July afternoon in Washington, DC, four months before last years US presidential election, Donald Trump stood at the lectern in the James Brady briefing room of the White House and announced a new deal to secure the nations supply of coronavirus vaccines. We were devastated, Young says now of the governments decision to dump the UQ project last December. We argued at the time that there may be some value in going forward to phase two and three of our trials and then making a decision, but the window of opportunity to progress wasnt taken. Others have presented a different view. According to ABC Coronacast host Norman Swan, three unnamed sources told him that Pfizer had wanted to use Australia as a global example for its vaccine rollout, but in that July meeting a Department of Health representative had demanded access to the companys intellectual property and haggled over the cost. ABCs Norman Swan stands by his reporting that the government botched a Pfizer deal in July 2020, which was based on anonymous sources but denied by those in the meeting. Credit:Janie Barrett/Meredith OShea We were interested in talking to them about potentially purchasing that vaccine, but that was it, Schofield told a Senate hearing in June. No numbers or details were put on the table. When the company and officials from the Department of Health sat down, according to the governments Lisa Schofield, assistant secretary of Canberras vaccine taskforce, Pfizer presented a preliminary view of where they were up to and what they were thinking. Twelve days before Trumps historic announcement, Pfizer had met with the Morrison government. The US pharmaceutical giant, which had partnered with German firm BioNTech to deliver the Comirnaty vaccine, had written to the government two weeks earlier requesting a meeting. On the other side of the globe, in Australia, things were not moving so fast. Whatever the truth, the US, Canada, Japan and Britain all struck agreements with Pfizer in July and August 2020. It wasnt until November last year that Pfizer signed contracts to supply 10 million doses to Australia in 2021 enough to fully vaccinate only five million people. They were meant to be rolled out in the first three months of the year. The first doses of Pfizer arrived on February 15, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison receiving his first jab on February 21 alongside an aged care resident. That same month the company agreed to supply 10 million more doses in mid-2021. Then in April the order was doubled again, meaning in the final quarter of this year 20 million more Pfizer doses will arrive on Australian shores. Duckett believes the governments procurement decisions at a time when other countries were investing heavily in a broader range of vaccines paved the way for the slow response to the pandemic. Prime Minister Scott Morrison gets his Pfizer jab in February. Credit:Getty But other decisions taken early have also contributed to the slow rollout. The Commonwealth kept a tight rein on the process and initially limited the role of the states. Doses went to the wrong places. There was confusion around aged care centres, where contractors offered vaccines to residents but left the vast majority of staff unvaccinated. Since then, staff vaccinations has been made compulsory, but by this week only 28 per cent of staff had been fully vaccinated, while 48 per cent had had their first shot. Of 186,00 residents living in 2600 aged care homes that the Commonwealth is responsible for, 83 per cent are now fully vaccinated, and all have been offered a vaccination. But even that rollout came months late. Its been a trainwreck, says Duckett, a former federal health department secretary, a complete shemozzle. University of Sydney immunisation researcher Julie Leask is more sympathetic, believing Australia will eventually achieve high COVID-19 vaccine coverage, even if the rollout has been slow and problematic. Our expectations were sky-high and to some degree unrealistic because new vaccine rollouts are always complex, she says. It certainly has been mired in federal government failures. But its been a problem of supply we dont have enough Pfizer combined with the safety issue around the use of AstraZeneca vaccine. Limboland These factors have helped create a perfect storm for the latest wave of COVID-19. Australia is now in a period of limbo, with the highly contagious Delta variant resisting contact tracing and the lingering threat of further lockdowns until more people are inoculated. On Friday, Morrison announced more details of a four-stage plan. We will be in a supression phase - fast lockdowns - until we reach 70 per cent fully vaccinated, and 80 per cent vaccinated before we begin to treat COVID-19 as an illness to manage, rather than suppress. We are months away from those targets. Last week, as NSW declared a national emergency after community transmission continued to soar despite a month in lockdown, Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged other states to divert their allocations to help NSW drive down COVID cases. Faced with outbreaks of their own, Victoria and South Australia declined. Morrison supported their decision. Few were surprised by the reluctance of the states to share their doses with NSW. After all, the impact of the Commonwealths decision not to order enough Pfizer vaccines had already hit home in Victoria when the state had been forced to halt the number of people getting their first doses of the drug to ensure there was enough supply for people who needed their second jab. By that stage, Victoria had been plunged into its fourth lockdown in 15 months, but had only been getting a weekly allocation of 71,370 doses of Pfizer. It was a turning point in state-federal relations: the limited supply meant that when eligibility for vaccine was extended to 40 to 49-year-olds, many people were unable to make phone bookings for their first dose and those who walked up to mass vaccination hubs were turned away. It wasnt until June 14 the day the state announced a pause in first doses that a further 105,300 doses were allocated by the Commonwealth. As Victorian Deputy Premier James Merlino would later put it: The 800-pound gorilla in the room that we have failed to mention today is the fact that were in this position because our vaccination program has not delivered what we were told it was going to deliver. A clot in the system Two weeks ago Andrew McLeod and his wife Julie sat in a COVID mobile clinic in tropical north Queensland where they had just received their second jab of Pfizer. The couple, both aged in their mid-60s, had the option of taking AstraZeneca but chose not to partly because of what theyd read in the media about the rare risks involved, and partly because their own GP had advised them against it. My wife is a chronic asthmatic and so I spoke to my doctor to ask what we should do, he tells The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. Shes a great doctor 36 years old and a real gem and she basically told us: If I were you, Id hang out for the Pfizer. Theyre not alone. The latest figures from the Bureau of Statistics show that one-third of people aged 50 to 69, and a quarter of people aged 70 and over who have been eligible to get vaccinated since March were not getting jabbed because they are waiting for a different vaccine. Part of the problem has been the changing advice on AstraZeneca by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), which makes recommendations to the government on how the vaccines should be administered. On April 8, ATAGI lowered the preferred age for AstraZeneca shots and recommended Pfizer as the vaccine of choice for under-50s (the advice on AstraZeneca followed Britains lead; the UK later revised its guidelines so anyone over 40 was believed safe to get AstraZeneca). On June 17, the age threshold changed again, in part due to global nervousness, this time to under-60s. And by June 28, there was another shift, when Morrison made a surprise announcement and suggested that Australians under 40 should speak to their GP about getting the AstraZeneca jab, contradicting ATAGIs earlier advice. This led to Queenslands chief health officer rebuking Morrisons intervention, bluntly declaring: I do not want under-40s to get AstraZeneca. It is rare, but they are at increased risk of getting the rare clotting syndrome. Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young took on Scott Morrison and AstraZeneca. Credit:Getty The confusion has fuelled vaccine hesitancy, despite the overwhelming safety of the drug, which has been enthusiastically used around the globe. Indeed, this week, as NSWs outbreak continued to worsen, ATAGI revised its advice yet again, stating that anyone over the age of 18 in greater Sydney should consider getting the drug, while Morrison practically pleaded with Australians to increase their take-up. The Pfizer doses, of course, are increasing, but the AstraZeneca is there and that gets us to our goal a lot faster, he said. Australians willingness to close borders, lock down and follow the rules have led to low rates of COVID-19, but have arguably also resulted in vaccine complacency. Its very important to put into perspective here that our death rate is virtually unmatched by anybody other than New Zealand and a few other countries, Health Minister Greg Hunt told The Age. Sydney University last week published a study showing lockdowns predominantly led by the state governments have saved 48,000 lives. The Commonwealth denies it failed to build up a broad portfolio of vaccines, saying it has secured five agreements that together provide 195 million doses. On top of the Pfizer deal for 40 million doses and AstraZeneca, backing them up are the Moderna and Novavax vaccines (Novavax trials have shown it is very effective, but it is not yet approved for use anywhere in the world). Half a million Moderna doses will be available per week from October. It means the governments suite of vaccines will be more than enough to cover the whole adult population. And from August, almost 4000 pharmacists will join GPs in providing jabs, starting firstly with AstraZeneca. Nonetheless, Hunt is under intense pressure with some including former PM Kevin Rudd having called for him to resign and laying the blame directly at the feet of the Morrison government. Weve got a fully blown national emergency on our hands because Scott Morrison failed to secure enough vaccines to protect the Australian people, says Labors opposition spokesman Mark Butler. Worlds best practice is to have four to six vaccine deals Labor was calling on the Government to do this last year. Hunt defends the program and turns any discussion about past failures to focus on where we are now. He is particularly belligerent about Norman Swans accusations his health department turned away Pfizer in mid-2020, describing this as false. People say Why didnt you spend more on Pfizer? But there was no more available, says Hunt, with mass deaths across Europe and North America and producers in those countries focused on their own sick citizens. The US and Europe were prioritising themselves and I dont mean that critically, says Hunt. The company said to us, Our doses in Australia will help you but they will save lives as soon as they are put into arms in Europe and North America. Here come the consultants The lack of vaccines might be a defining feature of Australias vaccine strategy, but it is not the only concern. An Age and Herald analysis of government tender documents reveal that since last June, hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on COVID-related contracts, with big consulting firms and ad agencies making many millions from the rollout. Yet much of their work remains shrouded in secrecy. Accenture was awarded $7.3 million to develop a software solution to track and monitor vaccine doses, but the full extent of its data or the true costs involved has not been released, despite growing calls for a breakdown of vaccination rates across Australian suburbs and towns. We had hoped to have higher overall levels of vaccination but the rates were achieving on a weekly and daily basis are certainly the marks we had hoped to be hitting. Prime Minister Scott Morrison The Australian arm of McKinsey and Co was paid $2.2 million in March to give advice on how to manufacture mRNA vaccine the same technology used to create the Pfizer jab. However the Industry Department declined to make McKinseys work public, citing commercial sensitivity. Similarly, the Health Department declined a request to release $1.8 million worth of research the bureaucracy paid to Sydney company FiftyFive5 into public sentiment towards vaccinations. And more than $33 million was also spent on five advertising contracts in a year most of which was paid months before Australians were able to be vaccinated when the rollout formally began in March. Yet questions linger about the benefits of the ads. In the UK celebrities such as Elton John, actor Elizabeth Hurley and comedian Lenny Henry joined forces with the nations health service to encourage more people to get vaccinated, while in the US, ads featured former presidents Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton getting the jab. Australias public relations efforts including an ad featuring former deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth and an awareness campaign calling on people to arm yourself against COVID19 have been viewed as lacklustre in comparison. There has been some feeling within the government that, without enough supply, its not really worth advertising. Dr Nick Coatsworth from the governments COVID-19 ad campaign. And then theres the mixed messaging about vaccine safety, fuelled in part by ATAGI, but also by sensationalist media coverage and social media. Allen Cheng, the softly-spoken professor who recently stepped down from his role as Victorias deputy chief health officer, admits that the messaging has been difficult for the advisory group, which has very carefully tried to craft the wording that we use but this has often been lost in translation. The best example of that is when we talk about the threshold for 50: we were very careful to use the term We prefer people to get Pfizer and added that people should have autonomy and make up their own mind, explains Cheng, who sits in the advisory group alongside experts such as Associate Professor Nigel Crawford, the head of Immunisation at the Royal Childrens Hospital, and Infectious Diseases Physician Professor Michelle Giles. The problem is people might read three lines of a newspaper story or hear us on the news and it doesnt quite capture the nuance or tone. Loading We dont set targets ... While the road out of COVID continues to be slow, Cheng says the vaccination program is gradually scaling up and with increasing supply, hopefully a lot of the problems will start to go away. Scott Morrison is also optimistic. Asked if he stood by his new target to have every eligible Australian vaccinated by the end of the year, the PM replied: That absolutely remains our goal by the end of the year, and we have the supplies to achieve that. We had hoped to have higher overall levels of vaccination but the vaccination rates were achieving on a weekly and daily basis are certainly the marks we had hoped to be hitting by about this time of the year. The latest federal figures suggest almost 12 million doses have been administered, with 3.65 million Australians receiving their second jab. On July 1, just 8 per cent of Australians aged over 16 had received two doses of a vaccine; by Thursday this week, it had risen to 18 per cent. The government is also considering how to manufacture mRNA in Australia the cutting-edge technology used for Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, both of which need to be imported from overseas. However experts say this could take between one to three years and would require considerable funding. Back in Brisbane, Professor Paul Young is optimistic. Seven months after the Morrison Government abandoned the University of Queenslands vaccination trial, researchers are working on a 2.0 version of their clamp technology after data trials confirmed the first version, despite the false positive HIV results, was indeed safe and potentially effective. Loading While the new vaccine is a long way off, he hopes it will play a role in fighting COVID19 in years to come, when the disease is embedded in the community, much like influenza. But theres a broader opportunity for the country too, Young says, as the vaccine rollout has exposed a glaring gap in Australias domestic manufacturing capability. The great irony in Australia is we have an amazing wealth of expertise in infectious disease research, but science isnt translated as well or as rapidly as it could be, because we dont have the infrastructure within the country to do that, he says. On the back of this pandemic we could actually establish a new biomedical industry. Its a fantastic opportunity we just need investment. The Australian war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith was back in the news this week, and not just because of his defamation case in the Federal Court of Australia. The reason was a photograph released by the Department of Defence in 2011 showing Roberts-Smith in combat kit in Afghanistan, having just got out of a helicopter. This photograph widely published over the past decade showed Roberts-Smith with a blank white patch on his flak jacket. But The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age obtained the original photograph, which now reveals the patch worn by Roberts-Smith, in fact, bore a Crusaders cross. When it was taken in 2010, members of the ADF were not barred from wearing this cross, a symbol with a long history dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries, when European crusaders conquered much of what they thought of as the Holy Land, which had been under Muslim rule. The original photo (left) of Ben Roberts-Smith displaying a Crusaders cross on his uniform while on duty in Afghanistan. The evidence was later edited out (right) in the official photo released by Defence. Credit:ADF In the context of the war in Afghanistan, this cross may be interpreted most obviously as identifying Muslims as enemies to be killed. Prohibition of such imagery only happened in 2018 as part of General Angus Campbell banning death symbology and iconography. But officials in the Department of Defence clearly understood in 2011 that it would damage the reputation of the ADF for Roberts-Smith to be seen wearing the cross. Hence they airbrushed it, burnishing his image. It is the latest in a long line of images that have shaped international perceptions of events in Afghanistan. Often, but not always, they have been taken with political intent, frequently staged and sometimes doctored. Queenslands Deputy Premier Steven Miles has welcomed news the proposed quarantine site on Commonwealth land near the Brisbane Airport has been deemed a suitable option, adding that it needed to be built as quickly as possible. A feasibility study into the proposal has found the Damascus Barracks site at Pinkenba, about eight kilometres north-east of the citys CBD, is a suitable option for a new dedicated quarantine site, but any facility would not open until early next year. The site was floated by the federal government as its preferred location for a quarantine hub in late June after months of agitation by Queensland for a regional facility near Toowoomba. The 29.5-hectare Damascus Barracks site at Pinkenba, near the Brisbane Airport, has been found suitable for a dedicated COVID-19 quarantine facility. The state has continued its refusal to drop an alternative proposal near Toowoombas Wellcamp airport, on land owned by the prominent local business family of John Wagner, which has been repeatedly ruled out by the Commonwealth. Queensland health authorities have reported an average of more than one new local COVID-19 case a day since mid-June, with the source of three still unknown, under what Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has described as an escalating situation. A total of 66 cases have been linked across 13 separate or potential clusters in which an infectious person spent time in the community, Queensland Health data analysis shows. Indooroopilly State High School in Brisbanes inner-west has been listed as a close contact exposure site after a 17-year-old students COVID-19 infection, so far unlinked, was reported on Friday. Credit:Nine The source of three clusters or unlinked cases, including the latest infection in an Indooroopilly State High School student reported by authorities on Friday, is still under investigation. Another, the subject of a probe by infectious diseases expert Paul Griffin, was sparked by a returned traveller who transmitted the virus to an unvaccinated receptionist outside the Prince Charles Hospital COVID-19 ward. West Australian Premier Mark McGowan said he has no issue with the personal connections of the chair commissioner leading an inquiry into Perths casino and its witnesses. Perth Casino Royal Commission chair and former Supreme Court justice Neville Owen told the inquiry on Monday he had a personal association with billionaire Kerry Stokes, given the boss of one of his companies - Seven West Media chief executive and Crown Perth director Maryna Fewster - was a witness. Perth Royal Chair Commission chair commissioner Neville Owen. Credit:Nic Ellis/The West Australian Mr Owen went further on Friday when he confirmed part of his personal association with Mr Stokes also included a business interest. Some media outlets have made inquiries about the declaration I made on Monday of a personal association with the chairman of Seven West Media Limited, he said. No one knew how these men would cope with the alien experience of talking to a western courtroom via videolink from a small legal office half a world away in Kabul. To compound the challenge, the best-qualified Pashto interpreter the legal teams could track down was in Ottawa, Canada. This weeks hearings were thus conducted in three time zones simultaneously, with the Federal Courts starting time in Sydney of 10.15am necessitating a gruelling 4.45am start for the Afghans in Kabul and an 8.30pm start for the interpreter. The three Afghan witnesses, 38-year old Mohammed Hanifa Fatih, 40-year old Man Gul Rahmi, and Hanifas elderly father, Shazada, are men of the soil, born and bred in the village. Theyve spent most of their lives working the fields and orchards which line the creekbed that runs below their compounds. Theyve never learnt to read or write. As their evidence revealed this week, they measure time in seasons when corn is ready for harvest, or almond trees heavy with bounty rather than in years. Distance is measured by how long it takes to reach a neighbouring village on foot, or the height of a riverbank by handspans, or the length of a limb. Man Gul scoffed this week when shown a photo taken by the SAS of Ali Jans mangled body. Pictured with the corpse was a communications device which Roberts-Smith claimed he and the other soldier (identified only as Person 11) found near the woodcutters body. But Man Gul and Hanifa were both adamant: Ali Jan had never been seen using a radio and had never possessed one. Indeed, Man Gul said, Ali Jan hadnt known how to work out a watch let alone a wireless device. Hanifa, clad in a traditional open-necked olive tunic topped with long black vest, exclaimed to Nines barrister, Nicholas Owens, SC, by God, by God, he had nothing with him! By God, they have put that equipment with him. Much of the evidence given by the Afghan farmers this week supports key aspects of the account first put forward by Nines investigative journalists, Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters. The SAS was out that day to track down a rogue Afghan army soldier named Hekmatullah whod shot dead three Australian soldiers in cold blood at a coalition base a fortnight earlier. The farmers described how the raid on Darwan on September 11, 2012 began around dawn with several helicopters landing in clouds of dust near the village and soldiers moving through the compounds shortly afterwards. According to their accounts, Man Gul and Hanifa, who were neighbours at the far end of the village, were sitting outside a guesthouse which their families shared when Ali Jan had appeared with his donkeys, heading along the creekbed. Hanifa, who was Ali-Jans step-nephew, went to join him with the donkeys, hoping, he said, that he and Ali Jan would be disregarded by the soldiers as nomads. But two shots rang out forcing them back to the guesthouse. Several troops then allegedly descended on the trio including a big soldier described by Hanifa as having blue-ish eyes, and wearing a uniform which was partially damp and covered in river-sand. (The court has previously heard from Roberts-Smith that he swam the Helmand river at a point outside the village earlier that morning to kill an armed Taliban fighter spotted hiding in rocks). Man Gul and Hanifa said they and Ali Jan had their hands tied behind their back and were repeatedly beaten and punched by the soldiers, including the big soldier, while an interpreter interrogated them about Hekmatullahs whereabouts. Man Gul said he was bitten by a black dog accompanying the soldiers; Hanifa said the dog was wearing goggles. Hanifa alleges he then saw the big soldier kick Ali Jan down a steep slope into the creek bed, and two soldiers drag the wounded man across the creek into some trees, before hearing shots. He does not claim to have seen the moment Ali Jan was killed. Shahzada, whod been confined by other soldiers at a hut in the field below, says he too saw Ali Jan kicked into the creek-bed by the big soldier, though he conceded under cross-examination his eyesight was not good. Man Gul, by then separated from the others, said he heard shots from the air and from the ground but was unable from his position to see what happened to Ali Jan. After the soldiers helicoptered away, the men went looking for the woodcutter, spotting blood in the creekbed before finding Ali Jans body near a berry tree in the field. Roberts-Smith has given a radically different account of the day. He told the court last month thered been a comprehensive sweep of populated compounds further along the creek earlier in the raid, but that by the time he and four other members of his patrol arrived at the far compounds [where Man Gul, Shahzada and Hanifa say they lived] no one was there. He flatly denies any prisoners were taken in that section of the village at all, let alone subjecting them to the interrogation described by the farmers. He also insists hed sent the interpreter back to help with prisoners being held elsewhere in the village. The man shot in the field, he said, was the spotter he and Person 11 surprised as they climbed up the river bank as the mission was ending. However one small but critical issue raised in this weeks evidence is whether Roberts-Smith would have had to climb a substantial embankment to get into the field. The former soldier claims the bank was one-and-a-half to two metres high, enough to have partially hidden himself and the spotter from each other as he was pulling himself up. But the villagers have testified that while floodwaters made some small changes to the creek bank in the years after Ali Jans death, no embankment of the height described by Roberts-Smith existed at the time. For his part, the soldiers barrister, Bruce McClintock, SC, has accused the farmers of inventing the entire episode. Hes sought to portray them as Taliban sympathisers, and Darwan as a known hotbed of insurgent activity, under Taliban control, a claim the men deny. Hanifa and Man Gul disavowed any allegiance to the Taliban . The Taliban have done injustices to us and the foreigners have also done injustices to us, Man Gul told the court. However both he and Man Gul accepted they regarded those shot by foreign soldiers as martyrs and the soldiers as infidels. Man Gul acceded to McClintocks proposition that he hated the foreign troops. Australias biggest companies will set up schemes to vaccinate employees and their families with unallocated vaccines in a bid to boost the national rollout and help end sweeping lockdowns. Supplies of the AstraZeneca vaccine are the most readily available, with roughly 3 million doses of that vaccine sitting in clinics or warehouses across the country as CSL in Melbourne continues to produce about 1 million doses per week. Large Australian companies will soon help speed up the vaccine rollout by immunising their own staff and relatives of workers. Credit:Getty Images Companies are working out the details with COVID Taskforce head Lieutenant General John Frewen about using their own health teams to distribute AstraZeneca vaccines not being taken by state governments, doctors and pharmacies. Some of the corporate programs are set to start within weeks. Data revealed to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age shows NSW has ordered just 17 per cent of the AstraZeneca doses available to the state, the lowest rate of any state or territory. Of the 964,920 doses available to NSW to week 25, the state had ordered 164,020 doses. Victoria has ordered 77 per cent, or 664,480 doses, of the AstraZeneca allotted to the state. A poll this week by Utting Research showed that 57 per cent of respondents are dissatisfied with Morrisons handling of the quarantine system and 62 per cent with his handling of the vaccine rollout, even though state governments share responsibility for both. Five state and territory elections have been held during the pandemic. Five state and territory governments have been returned. A time of national emergency requires careful political handling. When governments are seen to be making credible efforts, they will be returned. Oppositions that are seen to be unhelpful or vindictive will be punished. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese during Question Time on May 26, 2021. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer Albanese appears to have judged the situation well. Public sentiment in recent weeks has moved decisively against the government in every published poll, and Labor has positioned itself to benefit from the growing disenchantment. Albaneses cautiousness frustrated many true believers anew this week when Labor dumped a five-year-old plan to curb tax concessions for negative gearing and capital gains. This policy pair had been designed to cool overheated housing price rises. Albanese Labor this week also agreed to accept the Coalitions third tranche of income tax cuts, already legislated and due to take effect in 2024. Labor partisans complained bitterly that the party had surrendered its principles. Whitlam would be rolling in his grave, said one. Loading Albanese is unapologetic about dumping the negative gearing and capital gains tax changes. He told me this week: When Labor won under Whitlam, Hawke and Rudd, none of them was arguing for new taxes. One of my Labor principles, says Albanese, is for Labor to win elections. The Labor leader likes to say that he is determined to take Morrisons roads to victory and turn them into cul de sacs. Morrison used Labors negative gearing and capital gains tax plan under Bill Shorten as the basis for a scare campaign at the 2019 election. It would collapse the housing market, it was anti-aspiration, it was class war. He did the same with Labors plan to curb franking credits for some self-funded retirees. Albanese Labor dumped that policy months ago. Scare campaigns are easy to prosecute, hard to defend against, and very, very effective. We are looking to the future, Albanese said this week, we dont want to re-litigate the past. One of the most potent of the traditional Coalition scare campaigns against Labor has been closed off by the Coalition itself. The time-honoured accusation that Labor cant manage the nations finances wont work coming from a government thats racked up a trillion-dollar debt. The opposition needs to do more than critique the government and close off obvious vulnerabilities. It needs to set out an alternative. Labor went to the 2019 election with 280 policies, no narrative and a leader who was distrusted by the electorate. Albanese needs to go into the 2022 election with a handful of core policies, not to spell out everything a Labor government would do but to convey the character of government it would form. He also needs a narrative and the trust of the electorate. The core of Labors offerings is visible already. Its first offering, paradoxically, perhaps, is what its just decided it wont be offering. By removing the planned increases in taxes for investors, Labor is signalling that it is not the enemy of aspiration. This is a meta-message, beyond any particular policy. Its an indicator of political character, of world view. Its designed to reassure anyone with a mindset of aspiration, including investors, small business owners, the self-employed, sole traders, immigrant communities looking to build better lives, anyone who wants to invest and prosper. No class war here, is the subtext. Albaneses tagline: No one held back, no one left behind. Second is the more conventional set of policy commitments. In a time dominated by a pandemic, the alternative government has to demonstrate it has a better plan for dealing with it. Especially now that the NSW outbreak is proving so intractable. Albanese has sketched out a four-part plan, necessary but insufficient. The first element is establishing dedicated quarantine facilities. Second is increasing vaccine supply. Third is stepping up public information campaigns. Fourth is urgently manufacturing mRNA vaccines in Australia, the type that can be quickly gene-edited to deal with future variants. Loading But this plan is vague and not demonstrably superior to the governments. Its also likely to be leapfrogged by Morrisons next national cabinet plan, due in coming days. As the election approaches, Albanese will need to make a series of major statements to the nation developing each of his four key points, amounting to a long-term strategy for Australia to live safely and freely in a covid-saturated world. Next are Labors priority themes beyond COVID. Again, Albanese has set out his central offerings; in a time of pandemic priority, most people will not have heard of them. First is his overarching economic theme of national reconstruction, redolent of postwar reconstruction. Albanese will talk of an economic recovery that works for everyone. It will encompass policies for secure work, higher wages, investment to make Australia a renewable energy superpower, and infrastructure. Loading The contrast will be with eight years of Coalition governments with stagnant wages and no big infrastructure projects to show for it. Universal childcare is to be a hallmark of Albaneses campaign. He presents it as an economic productivity measure, allowing more women to work, lifting output and incomes, as well as a social reform to create opportunity. The contrast will be with a Coalition government that has shown a studied indifference to the concerns of women. Fixing the aged care crisis will be another central theme, appealing to a different demographic. One of Albaneses most resonant policy pledges will be one of his least expensive a national anti-corruption commission. Perhaps Albaneses biggest problem is winning the trust of the electorate. Not because hes untrustworthy but because hes been largely invisible. Australia needs to get to know him a lot better in the scant time left before the next election, which Morrison needs to call by May at the latest. On the personal level, the Labor leaders greatest asset is his perceived authenticity. His personal story of growing up in public housing, raised by a single mum on an invalid pension, is part of it. His former leader and close ally Kevin Rudd has a suggestion for campaigning on it. In political leadership, authenticity is fundamental, and this is where Albo has it in spades over Scotty from Marketing, says Rudd. Look at their team affiliations. Albo has been with the Rabbitohs from the year dot, in good times and in bad. Whereas Morrison when was it again that he jumped on board the Cronulla Sharks? Morrison is a performative loyalist of the Sharks rugby league team since moving into the Shire, Sharks territory. But hed earlier declared himself more of a rugby fan and a follower of Easts. Is this a bit of stretch? It might seem obscure, but not to footy fans in NSW or Queensland, which happen to be the main electoral battlegrounds for the next election. Diehards will consider Morrison an opportunist blow-in. Nearly 40,000 Australians are stranded overseas but the country still doesnt have a formal date for its border to reopen and the only dedicated national quarantine facility isnt yet operating at full capacity. National cabinet has agreed to a staged reopening of the borders based on the proportion of adults vaccinated, although Prime Minister Scott Morrison has declined to put a timeline on when he thinks that will happen. In late March, the Home Affairs Department was working towards reopening the international border on November 1, 2021, a briefing to new minister Karen Andrews released to Labor under freedom of information laws shows. Department of Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo says he has to be ready to reopen the international borders when governments direct it. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen But Home Affairs head Mike Pezzullo said that advice was prepared before national cabinet decided to create a four-phase reopening plan based on conditions such as the proportion of people vaccinated rather than set dates. Vaccinated Australians will get special rules to avoid some lockdown restrictions once 70 per cent of the eligible adult population have had two vaccine doses, and international border rules will be loosened to allow more people to come home. Once the national vaccination total hits 80 per cent, broad lockdowns will not be used in major cities, caps on returning Australians will be abolished and all restrictions on vaccinated travellers leaving the country will be removed. Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks to the media following Fridays national cabinet meeting. Credit:Lukas Coch AAP Prime Minister Scott Morrison said national cabinet had agreed to the plans on Friday afternoon after considering scientific modelling from the Doherty Institute and economic advice from Treasury. So if you get vaccinated, there will be special rules that apply to you. Why? Because if youre vaccinated, you present less of a public health risk. You are less likely to get the virus. You are less likely to transmit it, Mr Morrison told reporters on Friday night. Very sadly, we are seeing more families coming in with a family member who is presenting not alive, but dead. That is a terrible situation, he said. Can I say to those families, the NSW government is perhaps not like the government that you have lived under overseas. We are here to support you and our health system is here to support you. A Health spokesman on Friday night said the deceased person in their 60s was found in their home after another family member arrived at a hospital with symptoms. An ambulance was subsequently sent to the home where other people were also sick and tested positive for COVID-19. It is the third COVID-related death to have occurred in a home in the past two weeks. There are 187 people with COVID-19 in hospital, of which 58 are in intensive care. Loading The outbreaks tolls on the states health system on Friday prompted the temporary suspension of all non-urgent surgery in public hospitals in Greater Sydney from Monday. All emergency and urgent elective surgery will be unaffected, NSW Health said in a statement. About 300 Australian Defence Force personnel are set to arrive in Sydney early next week after Commissioner Mick Fuller called for resources to assist with door-knocking more than 2000 premises where COVID-19 cases or close contacts are isolating. Commissioner Fuller said it was not mandatory for ADF personnel or police to be vaccinated but said all resources must adhere to strict hygiene practices and wear personal protective equipment. More than 10,000 NSW Police officers have been vaccinated. While the compliance operation is focused on south-west and western Sydney, Commissioner Fuller said people should expect to see police and army personnel in the Shire, on the northern beaches or in the eastern suburbs. Loading Labor member for Lakemba Jihad Dib has repeatedly called for more localised vaccination hubs in COVID-affected suburbs, suggesting army personnel could assist with pop-up hubs. The military can play a really helpful role here, but I am concerned that the war-footing language of boots on the ground, and going door to door implies the exact opposite, he said. A new mass vaccination hub will open at Qudos Bank Arena in Homebush on August 9, to be used to vaccinate Year 12 students over five days. It will then remain a vaccination hub for the general public, administering AstraZeneca. Ms Berejiklian said the suite of mass vaccination hubs across the state would soon be able to administer up to 350,000 doses a week, up from an earlier capacity of 60,000 doses a week. At a meeting of national cabinet on Friday, the Premier requested more vaccine doses for NSW as well as a fast-tracking of the states allocated doses. Since the national vaccine advisory group ATAGI recommended all unvaccinated adults strongly consider AstraZeneca vaccines in outbreak zones, more than 18,000 people aged under 40 in NSW have received their first dose. But health authorities are most concerned about low rates of vaccination in elderly Australians, warning that they will bear the brunt of COVID-19 unless rates are improved. About 77 per cent of people aged over 70 in NSW have had their first vaccine dose and about 40 per cent of this group are fully inoculated. The majority of the 13 deaths recorded in the current outbreak have been in those aged in their 80s and 90s. NSW Health data for the week ending July 26 shows contact tracers are taking longer to interview infectious people, with 67 per cent of cases interviewed within the first 24 hours of being notified, down from 95 per cent the week before. About 60 per cent of people entered isolation within one day of noticing symptoms. There are at least 550 staff tracing COVID-19 cases and close contacts, with an additional 400-plus staff assisting in a surge capacity, a NSW Health spokesperson said. Around 30 people as also assisting from agencies in Western Australia, the ACT and Tasmania. Contact tracing expert Marion Kainer said tracing in a Delta outbreak is unforgiving compared to previous strains because the time interval between exposure and when someone is infectious seems to be much shorter. The time for tracers to identify contacts, ensure that theyre safely tucked away before exposing anyone else is much tighter. The QR code check-ins are a critical component because they are a huge memory aid. It is also essential you support people financially to stay home and make sure they have sufficient support services, Ms Kainer said. There have been 2980 locally acquired cases reported since 16 June, when the first case in the Bondi cluster was reported. The union representing Victorian state school teachers and principals has taken the first step towards industrial action, including a possible statewide strike, over its stalled workplace agreement negotiations with the Andrews government. As tensions rise between exhausted teachers demanding a 7 per cent annual pay rise and a state government intent on tightening its public sector wage bill, the Australian Education Unions Victorian branch unanimously agreed on Friday to finalise plans for a ballot where teachers would vote on what action to take. The union says teachers are exhausted and working an average of 15 hours overtime a week. Credit:Simon Schluter In previous negotiations, actions have included bans on reading department communications, writing reports and attending meetings after hours. A strike would follow if the dispute was not resolved. The last strike occurred under the Baillieu government in 2012 when thousands of teachers filled Rod Laver Arena in protest. The Victorian government says it is still unable to offer contact-tracing support to NSW to help control its growing outbreak, despite recording just three new cases of coronavirus on Friday. All new locally acquired cases in Victoria were linked to known outbreaks and those infected were isolating for their entire infectious period. Health Minister Martin Foley said Victoria still needed to mop up its own outbreaks on Friday. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui But Health Minister Martin Foley said Victoria was still unable to respond to an open request from NSW to assist with contact tracing until Victoria mopped up its own outbreak. We are in constant conversation, not just with NSW but with other states, about what learnings and support we can provide, he said. But we have nothing to add at this stage." Hong Kong: A Hong Kong waiter has been sentenced to nine years in jail for terrorist activities and inciting secession in a watershed ruling with long-term implications for the citys judicial landscape. Tong Ying-kit, 24, is the first person to be tried and convicted under Hong Kongs sweeping national security law which has led to more than 100 arrests since it came into effect last year. Tong Ying-kit arriving at a court in a police van in Hong Kong in July. Credit:AP The ruling sets a precedent as to how similar cases will be dealt with by the citys traditionally independent courts in the future. On Friday, the judges sentenced Tong to 6.5 years for inciting secession and 8 years for terrorist activities. Of these, 2.5 years will run consecutively, resulting in a total term of 9 years. PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament Claudius Buncamper is questioning who the suggested property tax will apply to. This quarry comes at the heels of the presentation in Parliament by CFT which stated that Property Tax should be implemented in St. Maarten. I was somewhat surprised at the hard stances several MPs have already taken regarding the land tax or property tax issue. While the CFT stated clearly that the recommendation of the IMF to impose some sort of land or property tax is understandable, because of its consistency on the books, I strongly believe we need to put that in perspective and explain what is expected from such a tax. Buncamper suggests that it is necessary to understand whether it is the intention for the proposed property tax burden to be carried by the residence of St. Maarten who are already carrying all the tax burden on St. Maarten, or whether this time around, this tax burden will indeed be spread and the property or real estate tax will be used to tax those who are not contributing to the Governments Treasury. The current situation is such that there are no restrictions for non-residents to own or purchase property, but this group does enjoy the benefits that the Country provides. The consequences of this include the high cost of property which disadvantages the residents or locals, but that is a discussion for another time. Member of Parliament Buncamper would like the Government to explore the possibility of imposing a real estate tax on non-residents so that they too contribute to the treasury. While this may seem discriminatory, it is positive for the country and the residents and finally allows the country to tap into a revenue source currently not being enjoyed. Buncamper states that such differentiation is applied in other countries, so there should be no issue. We dont collect revenue from AIR BNB, and this for me is rather unclear, but we can create our own revenue source for this sector, as the properties cannot be hidden in an offshore account. This may just be the solution says MP Buncamper, to still collect a tax from foreign-owned properties being rented and generating rental income on St. Maarten, while thus far none of that income remains on the island or at least does not reaching the government's coffers and as such does not help to pay the bills of the country. The MP states that in other countries all timeshare owners (in the USA for sure) pay property tax, so the concept is familiar and should not be a deterrent for wealthy foreign investors who want to own a little piece of paradise. According to the USP Member of Parliament Claudius Buncamper, he clearly stated in July 7th meeting with the CFT, that he could not support land or property tax in its present form. We must bear in mind that having absolutely no property tax, land tax, or restrictions of any kind on foreign investors, causes the market price for the property to be driven by the buying power of the wealthy foreign investors. The result is, that locals are unable to afford land in St. Maarten; are unable able to qualify for a mortgage to buy property (yes for a car of course) and as such have a very difficult time building wealth; own an asset for which the value can actually increase or which can be used as collateral to invest in other assets, and this is what contributes to the growing disparity in wealth, concludes Buncamper. As a landowner, this law will not personally benefit me as it can drive the land prices down. My decision is based on the job Im presently fulfilling; being a parliamentarian and placing the country above myself. While many of us might dislike the authors/proposers of the tax proposals please remember that the money generated is for the country and not the authors of the law. I truly hope to see a land tax proposal in the tax reform proposal the Minister of Finance is coming with to parliament prior to the budget 2022 debate so we can ensure we are all looking and moving in the right direction. Monies raised from such taxation can easily remove the pensioner's payment of taxes and social premiums starting January 2022. Real GDP growth rate of 0.1% in Curacao and 3.4% in Sint Maarten Willemstad/Philipsburg - In 2020, the world economy was hit severely by the COVID-19 pandemic and measures implemented to contain the spread of the virus. As a result, real output dropped in both the advanced and emerging & developing economies. The monetary union of Curacao and Sint Maarten also was deeply affected by the pandemic. Even though both countries were relatively successful in containing the local spread of the coronavirus through stringent measures, this success came at high economic and social costs, stated Richard Doornbosch, president of the Centrale Bank van Curacao and Sint Maarten (CBCS) in the 2020 Annual Report. Particularly during the second quarter of 2020, economic activity in both Curacao and Sint Maarten came practically to a standstill as both countries implemented a border closure that lasted approximately three months and a total lockdown of approximately 6 weeks. Despite the later easing of these measures, economic activity, particularly in the tourism industry, remained substantially lower than before the crisis. Consequently, real GDP dropped by an unprecedented 19.3% in Curacao and 22.4% in Sint Maarten, explained Doornbosch. Curacao 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Domestic demand 0.2 -0.4 -1.2 -3.7 -11.3 Net foreign demand -1.1 -1.2 -1.2 0.3 -7.8 GDP -1.0 -1.7 -2.2 -3.4 -19.3 Sint Maarten 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Domestic demand 5.1 1.5 -0.2 0.8 -9.8 Net foreign demand -4.0 -9.3 -7.1 8.2 -12.6 GDP 0.5 -5.8 -6.6 8.2 -22.4 An analysis by sector shows that real value added dropped in all sectors of the economies of Curacao and Sint Maarten. According to Doornbosch, the decline was most pronounced in the manufacturing, restaurants & hotels, wholesale & retail trade, and transport, storage, & communication sectors. Real output dropped significantly in Curacaos manufacturing sector due to a decline in refining activities following the closure of the Isla refinery after the expiration of the lease contract with Venezuelan state-owned oil company, PDVSA, in December 2019. In addition, ship repair activities decreased. The contraction in the manufacturing sector in Sint Maarten reflected a decline in yacht repair and service activities in line with the lower number of yachts that visited the island. The contraction in the restaurants & hotels sector was caused primarily by the containment measures that were imposed amid the pandemic. Furthermore, the demand for international travel dropped and the cruise industry was completely shut down after the first quarter of 2020. Hence, the number of stay-over visitors, the number of cruise tourists, the number of stay-over nights, and the hotel occupancy rate dropped significantly. In the wholesale & retail trade sector, real value-added fell considerably on the back of the drop in domestic demand and the decline in tourism spending. The negative outcome in the transport, storage, & communication sector reflected a decline in both airport-related and harbor activities. Airport-related activities shrank as a result of a sharp decline in total passenger traffic and the number of commercial landings while the contraction at the harbor was consistent with the decline in the number of ships piloted into the port and fewer container movements. Economic recovery is projected to be moderate in 2021 with real GDP growth rates of 0.1% in Curacao and 3.4% in Sint Maarten. The marginal recovery in Curacao is explained by another six-week lockdown during March-May. It is expected that the recovery will gain speed in 2022 with growth rates of 6.2% in Curacao and 14.4% in Sint Maarten. The path of economic recovery, however, is uncertain as it depends on how the virus develops and the speed of the vaccine roll-out. Therefore, it is important that both countries continue to make progress in their vaccination programs to be better protected against the virus allowing for less restrictions and facilitating a faster economic recovery, Richard Doornbosch concluded. The complete text of the 2020 Annual Report can be viewed on the CBCS-website at www.centralbank.cw under the Publications section. Janie Slaven | CJ Sheriff Greg Speck is shown at the July 13 meeting of Pulaski County Fiscal Court addressing park security. The issue came up again this week, with Speck expressing concern over County Treasurer Joan Isaacs' comments about county police forces. TCCA presents Critical Communications World 2021 Critical Communications World (CCW) is TCCAs flagship event. The show will be held in Madrid, Spain from 3 - 5 November 2021. It will reinvigorate and reignite the industry as critical communications professionals gather to share ideas, discuss new developments and learn from the experts. CCW brings together users in both the private and public sectors, as well as the latest technology services, regulators, and much more. Through unparalleled authoritative content and networking, CCW 2021 will explore the potential of new critical communications technology, whilst preserving and improving the best of today. Medford, NJ (08055) Today Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 79F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Maputo (Mozambique), July 29, 2021 (SPS) - The Republic of Mozambique renewed its position of full support for the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination and independence. In a reply letter sent by the Mozambican President, Filipe Nyusi, to his Saharawi counterpart, Brahim Gali, who had sent him a letter of congratulations on the 46th anniversary of Mozambique's independence, Mr. Nyusi renewed his will to "Continue to strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation that unite the two sister countries and peoples." The President of Mozambique also reaffirmed his country's support for efforts to find a solution to the conflict in Western Sahara, which guarantees the exercise of the Sahrawi people of their legitimate right to freedom and independence, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations and the African Union . SPS 125/090/TRA Published: 30 July 2021 Transactions of old dwellings in housing companies were more active in the second quarter than one year earlier According to Statistics Finland's preliminary data, prices of old dwellings in housing companies rose in various parts of Finland in the second quarter of 2021 and in June compared with the corresponding period of last year. In the second quarter, 55 per cent more transactions of old dwellings in housing companies were made through real estate agents than one year ago. Development of prices of old dwellings in housing companies quarterly in big cities, index 2015=100 In the second quarter prices went up in Greater Helsinki by 6.5 per cent and in June by 6.0 per cent in a year. In the rest of Finland prices rose by 4.0 per cent in a year both in the second quarter and in June. Examined by region, prices rose in the second quarter most in Kymenlaakso, Paijat-Hame and Lapland compared to the previous year. Prices fell most in Satakunta, North Karelia and Kainuu. Development of prices of old dwellings in housing companies by regions, quarterly, index 2015=100 Prices of old dwellings in housing companies, 2nd quarter 2021 1) Area Price, EUR/m Index 2015=100 Quarterly change, % Yearly change, % Whole country 2,207 109.7 2.9 5.3 Greater Helsinki 4,107 121.0 2.6 6.5 Rest of the country (whole country- Greater Helsinki) 1,666 99.7 3.3 4.0 Helsinki 4,788 126.7 2.2 6.5 Espoo-Kauniainen 3,804 114.7 3.5 8.5 Vantaa 2,867 106.3 2.5 2.3 Satellite municipalities 2) 2,314 98.9 -0.3 2.3 Tampere 2,781 119.6 4.7 7.6 Turku 2,347 123.4 3.5 6.2 Lahti 1,665 96.2 5.9 9.8 Kuopio 1,881 91.8 2.3 -0.5 Jyvaskyla 1,784 94.2 2.6 3.6 Oulu 1,891 106.0 2.7 6.1 Prices of new dwellings in housing companies rose in the second quarter 1) Preliminary data2) Satellite municipalities = Hyvinkaa, Jarvenpaa, Kerava, Kirkkonummi, Nurmijarvi, Riihimaki, Sipoo, Tuusula and Vihti Compared to the corresponding period of the year before, prices of new dwellings in housing companies rose in the second quarter of 2021 by 9.4 per cent in Greater Helsinki and by 3.6 per cent in the rest of Finland. Compared to the previous year, prices of new dwellings increased most in Vantaa, Espoo and Helsinki. Development of prices of new dwellings in housing companies quarterly, index 2015=100 The statistics on the prices of old dwellings in housing companies are based on the Tax Administration's data on dwellings (data on ownership of dwellings in housing companies). The numbers published from data on dwellings should not be used to assess the activeness of transactions in the latest periods. When the monthly statistics on prices of old dwellings in housing companies are published for the first time, they cover approximately 60 per cent of all transactions made in the latest statistical reference month. The quarterly statistics include around 70 per cent of transactions in the latest period. Particularly in summer months, the number of transactions in the latest release of the monthly statistics may remain lower than usual and become revised in the coming months. The data become revised during the following months so that the final data for the year are published in the release concerning the first quarter of the following year. Further information about data revisions can be found in separate tables. The data on new dwellings in housing companies are based on information on the transaction prices reported by the largest building contractors and real estate agents. The numbers of old dwellings in housing companies sold through real estate agents are based on the data from the price monitoring service of the Central Federation of Finnish Real Estate Agencies. As a rule, these data do not become revised retrospectively. Data on prices of dwellings in housing companies in different areas and by house type are available at stat.fi/til/ashi/tau_en.html. The tables also contain data on the prices per square metre at the municipal and postal code levels and on the numbers of transactions. If only a few transactions are known in the area, a couple of deviating cases may significantly affect the average price for an area and the price index. Source: Prices of dwellings in housing companies, Statistics Finland Inquiries: Petri Kettunen 029 551 3558, Elina Peltoniemi 029 551 3088, asuminen.hinnat@stat.fi Head of Department in charge: Hannele Orjala Publication in pdf-format (456.5 kB) Updated 30.7.2021 Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Prices of dwellings in housing companies [e-publication]. ISSN=2323-8801. June 2021. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 3.8.2021]. Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/ashi/2021/06/ashi_2021_06_2021-07-30_tie_001_en.html Published: 30 July 2021 Preliminary data: Turnover of construction enterprises grew in June According to Statistics Finland's preliminary data, the working day adjusted turnover of construction enterprises grew by 6.8 per cent in June 2021 compared with June 2020. Annual change in working day adjusted turnover of construction, % (TOL 2008) Turnover decreased compared with the previous month According to the preliminary data, seasonally adjusted turnover in construction decreased by 0.4 percent in June 2021 from May. In May, seasonally adjusted turnover increased by 1.8 per cent and in April turnover increased by 1.4 per cent from one month ago. Change in seasonally adjusted turnover of construction from the previous month, % (TOL 2008) The calculation of indices of turnover of construction is based on the Tax Administrations data on self-assessed taxes, which are supplemented with Statistics Finlands sales inquiry. The monthly turnover of construction enterprises can have even large variations due to invoicing practices. The final invoice for major projects may be recorded in the sales of one month, even if the project had required the work of several months or years. The factors caused by the variation in the number of weekdays are taken into account in adjustment for working days. This means taking into consideration the lengths of months, different weekdays and holidays. In addition, seasonal variation is eliminated from seasonally adjusted series, on account of which it makes sense to compare observations of two successive months as well. The data for the latest month are preliminary and are released at a delay of around four weeks. The data may become significantly revised particularly in coming months. Source: Index of turnover of construction, Statistics Finland Inquiries: Lauri Pullinen 029 551 3043, Heli Suonio 029 551 2481, rakennus.suhdanne@stat.fi Head of Department in charge: Katri Kaaja Publication in pdf-format (229.2 kB) Updated 30.7.2021 Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Index of turnover of construction [e-publication]. ISSN=1798-5935. June 2021. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 3.8.2021]. Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/rlv/2021/06/rlv_2021_06_2021-07-30_tie_001_en.html Most Romanians are unaware that the Roma were enslaved in the past, British ambassador in Bucharest Andrew Noble said on Thursday, stressing that ignorance about the past of slavery is a major obstacle to lesson learning. The British Embassy in Romania marked on Thursday 165 years since the emancipation of the Roma in the Romanian Principalities and 50 years since the Orpington Declaration on Roma Rights adopted at the First World Romani Congress held in April 1971. We need to mark and commemorate this date because there is still much to be done. When you abolish slavery, equality is not created overnight. We know from America that the legacy of slavery has lingered on for decades, if not centuries. What we have not yet learned from other situations is that the legacy of slavery goes on in absence of important and sustainable steps to combat it. That's why the 165th anniversary and commemoration of the abolition of slavery in Romania matters. It is also true that most people in this country do not know that the Roma community has been enslaved, the British ambassador said, also noting that the Orpington Declaration was the first declaration on the rights of the Roma community. The diplomat also said that the Roma community was disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and cited a survey conducted by the British embassy on written media in 2020, which revealed a significant increase in attitudes of exclusion, discrimination, hate speech and intolerance against minorities in general, but particularly against the Roma community. Deputy Catalin Manea, the representative of the Roma minority in Parliament, highlighted the importance of measures to improve the community's living conditions and presented the main landmarks in the history of the Roma community, which was kept enslaved for more than four centuries. He stressed the importance of remedial measures for the Roma community, noting also that there is no recognition of the fact that the Roma have fought in the First and Second World Wars. Just like the Jewish community, the Roma minority should also have a dedicated museum. We should also have a theater of the Roma minority, and I don't think this requires too big a budget effort, he said. Sociologist Gelu Duminica, director of the "Together" Community Development Agency, said that the agency's role will be to make sure that the government and political parties do what they have pledged to with regard to the Roma community. This is what we, as a non-governmental organization, plan to do, push the state to do its job for all its citizens, taking their identity into account, Duminica said. The Competition Council will be able to investigate, with a court mandate, the information in the personal phones, tablets and laptops of representatives of companies as part of an investigation, said Bogdan Chiritoiu, the head of the institution, in an interview granted to AGERPRES. This will be possible starting the end of the year, after the national legislation takes over a European Directive that allows competition inspectors in all member states to analyze information stored in the cloud and in the personal devices of those investigated. Chiritoiu referred, in the interview, to the high price of energy in this period, which is caused mainly due to the price increase of carbon dioxide emissions certificates. This doesn't meant that the suppliers are doing something illegal. Similarly, the Competition Council has no indication that the price of fuel would be an incorrect one. In electrical energy, the prices do not differ much from one supplier to another, yet in gas - they do and it's surprising that there are not more consumers willing to change their contract, a solution in this sense being the simplification of the procedure, Chiritoiu believes. Furthermore, the Council received notices from Parliament that gas distributors are not respecting the law by which they have to install services for free to new consumers and is investigating this aspect. The Secretary of State with the Ministry of European Investments and Projects, Hegedus Csilla (UDMR - Democratic Union of Hungarians of Romania), on Friday announced that Oradea will have over 11 million euros available for its green transition, i.e. for electric buses, a smart transport system, charging stations for electric cars, but also housing for teachers, housing for doctors. "The National Resilience and Recovery Plan (PNRR) will bring great benefits to both cities, municipalities and villages, and if things go as we hope, after 2026 we will enjoy different living standards. I assume that you have already read about the Educated Romania programme, so I would say that this would be a Healthy Romania programme too, because we will have a lot of investments in health, as well," Hegedus Csilla told a press conference he held at the Bihor Prefecture, alongside sub-prefect Dan Palaghianu. Speaking about PNRR, the Secretary of State referred, first of all, to the Bihor County, for which Minister Cseke Attila "dreamed and put on paper" funds dedicated to local authorities for a green transition and digitalization, Agerpres informs. "Over 11 million euros will reach Oradea, money that can be used for the green transition, i.e. electric buses, electric minibuses, but also for a smart transport system, car charging stations, plus investments in housing for teachers, for doctors. Also, the municipalities [Salonta, Marghita and Beius - editor's note] will benefit from 3.4 million euros for social housing, for the young, but also for clean transport, and the towns will benefit from 2.5 million each. "These are amounts that each local administration will get, and not on a competitive basis, this is their money. But of course they will have to come up with projects," said Hegedus Csilla. The Secretary of State also mentioned that there are three EU countries that have managed to include cultural tourism in the PNRR, and Romania is one of them, in the sense that the creation of 12 cultural routes will be financed from European funds, and one of them will be in Oradea, namely - The Saint Ladislaus King's City Route. The classical Roman Empire's border along the Danube gained World Heritage Site status from UNESCO, the UN's cultural body, at a meeting in the Chinese city of Fuzhou on Friday, according to the DPA news agency. Maria Boehmer, head of the German UNESCO committee, said she was pleased by the award. "The Danube was not only a natural border for the Romans, but also a major link for goods, and especially ideas," she said The decision on the Danube Limes was delayed after Hungary withdrew from a joint application for heritage status made by Germany, Austria and Slovakia ahead of a decision expected on Monday. The UNESCO committee then appointed a working group to look into the matter, Agerpres informs. Over its full extent, the Limes run from Britain, through Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East to North Africa. The aim is for the entire 6,000 kilometres to receive World Heritage status. The latest award does not take in the entire Danube Limes, as it continues to the east through Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania, where applications for heritage status are pending. On Tuesday, UNESCO awarded the status to the Lower Germanic Limes running from the North Sea through the Netherlands and Germany. The British sections along Hadrian's Wall and the Antonine Wall received heritage status in 1987 and 2008 respectively, and the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes in 2005. On July 30, 2021, Acting Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy, Dr. Kathryn Huff, and Charge d'affaires David Muniz visited the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant. According to a press statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest, the visit was meant to "kick off bilateral engagements associated with the recent promulgation of the intergovernmental agreement between the United States and Romania," while also marking the 10th anniversary of the U.S.-Romania Strategic Partnership. The embassy calls the partnership "a friendship that not only ensures Romania's security in a geopolitically important region, but also one that strives to make Romania a stronger, more prosperous and energy-independent Ally of the United States and the rest of NATO., Agerpres informs. In light of the Biden Administration's strategic approach to tackling climate change through clean energy generation, reads the statement, this project is part of a broader context in which our Embassy is working with the Romanian government to support the country's clean energy transition. "Today, our common vision of a Romania that is energy independent, secure, and able to meet its energy needs domestically and cleanly is much closer to reality. Two years of shared work and engagement on behalf of both our nations have brought us to this point. I can think of no greater way to advance our bilateral Strategic Partnership than highlight the very real progress we have made in bringing this country's civil-nuclear future forward," Muniz is quoted as saying in the statement. While at the power plant, Huff discussed the financing for the multibillion project. The group, hosted by Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica CEO Cosmin Ghita toured the reactor units. "This historic intergovernmental agreement will enable critical nuclear power projects at the Cernavoda site as well as broader clean energy coordination activities which will support Romania's energy independence, localization of a clean energy supply chain, cutting edge research, and workforce development," Huff is quoted as saying. The embassy also says that The Extended Intergovernmental Agreement between Romania and the United States allows for cooperation in areas of importance to Romania and the civil nuclear field, especially the Project of Units 3 and 4 and the refurbishment of Unit 1. A memorandum of understanding was signed with the Export-Import Bank of the United States to express their interest in financially supporting the development of projects in the Romanian nuclear energy field. According to a press statement released by Nuclearelectrica, co-operation between Romania and the USA envisages the expansion of nuclear resources as a firm solution to achieve decarbonisation targets, with both countries being strongly active internationally in promoting nuclear technologies and nuclear innovation to respond efficiently to energy needs in the medium and long term, on time and while keeping decarbonisation costs at a sustainable level. "The Romanian energy system needs resilience and sustainability, and the expansion of nuclear resources in Romania amid an ongoing transition to a clean economy that satisfies such needs, leads to economic and social growth, the development of the supply chain, a necessary requirement, indirect creation of approximately 19,000 jobs at the industry level, training new generations of specialists simultaneously with the avoidance of 20 million tons of CO2 / year by operating 4 CANDU nuclear units," said Cosmin Ghita, General Manager of Nuclearelectrica. Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money. Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists. In southern Israel (Negev), Yaqoub Abu al Qiaan, a wealthy Bedouin businessman was charged with passing information to Iranian intelligence via his relationship with a Lebanese man known to pass on information about events in Lebanon and Israel via Hezbollah. Qiaan claimed he was innocent and that he thought the meetings with the Lebanese man, which did not take place, was to be held covertly because he was discussing the possibility of business opportunities in Arab countries as a result of improved relations between Arab states and Israel. Qiaan was arrested on June 10th and charged a month later with passing information about his relationships with Israelis. Qiaan insists the information was public and only mentioned to establish his good relations with Israeli politicians. This was something that would be needed to obtain business for an Israeli construction company owned by an Israeli citizen who was Bedouin. Qiaan lived in Negev, the desert area of southern Israel adjacent to Sinai. Negev is where most of Israels 210,000 Bedouin live. A few Israeli Bedouin have joined Islamic terror groups, but most prefer to join the Israeli military and many make a career of it, becoming officers or senior NCOs in the process. Most Israeli Bedouin do not consider themselves Palestinians, have largely stayed out of Palestinian political conflicts and do not get along with Islamic terrorist groups in Gaza or Sinai. There are 600,000 Bedouin in Sinai and most of the adult men are armed. About five percent of the Sinai Bedouin belong to the powerful Tarabin tribe, which has been openly at war with ISIL in Sinai. The Sinai Bedouin have long been the most active smugglers in the region and will generally work with anyone who can pay. ISIL made additional demands, like not smuggling alcohol or tobacco products and Hamas was seen as collaborating with ISIL at the expense of the Bedouin. Some Bedouin tribes were more supportive of Islamic terror groups, especially those tribes that are traditional rivals of the Tarabins. ISIL had some success in manipulating those rivalries but by 2016 most Bedouin tribes were fed up with ISIL and saw them as a bunch of suicidal losers. For Sinai Bedouin the main enemy remains the Egyptian government, but even that has been low-key antagonism because sone older Egyptians remember that Israel was more successful governing Sinai (from 1967-82) than Egypt; a subject Egyptians are reluctant to talk about. The Israelis always treated the Bedouin and Islamic outcasts like the Druze (from Syria) with more fairness than anyone else in the region. Although most Arabs in Arabia are Bedouin (or identify as such), outside of Arabia (especially in Egypt, Iraq and Syria) being seen as Bedouin was rarely a good thing. About .5 percent of Egyptians are Bedouin while in Israel 3.5 percent of the population is Bedouin and the Israeli Bedouin do much better than their Egyptian counterparts. Educational and job opportunities are much better in Israel, while Israeli Bedouin get along much better with the security forces than in Egypt. Israel also has more Bedouin in the army and police than does Egypt. The smuggling is illegal on both sides of the border. Bedouin dominate it, and realize that helping the security forces prevent Islamic terrorists from crossing the border means less military and police attention to the more traditional smuggling of goods and illegal migrants. There have been a few exceptions. In late 2020 Israel arrested an Israeli Bedouin plus nine of his family, and charged them all with spying for Hamas. Some of those arrested were also charged with planning a bombing within Israel. This began in 2019 when one of the Bedouins was recruited by Hamas to gather information on Israeli military activities in the south, mainly the Negev desert where the Bedouin family lived. One of the arrested Bedouin had entered Gaza several times and in one visit was given bomb building training. This incident and the recent arrest of Qiaan are rare compared to the number of non-Bedouin Israeli Moslems who have been accused of espionage, usually for Hezbollah because most of the Israeli Arabs (about 20 percent of the population), live in the north and are more hostile to the state of Israel even though they all benefit from it. That is another reason why most Arabs in the region dislike Israel, the Druze and Bedouins. The 2020 incident was a rare case of a Bedouin becoming radicalized against Israel and that failed largely because such activity is considered hostile towards Bedouin as well Israelis in general. Qiaan has yet to be tried before a court and may well prove his innocence. Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - July 27, 2021) - The Stock Day Podcast welcomed BioLargo, Inc. (OTCQB: BLGO) ("the Company"), a company that invents, develops, and commercializes innovative platform technologies to solve challenging environmental problems like PFAS contamination, advanced water and wastewater treatment, industrial odor and VOC control, air quality control, and infection control. President and CEO of BioLargo Dennis P. Calvert joined Stock Day host Everett Jolly for an interview. Jolly began the interview by asking Calvert about the Company's background and current projects. "BioLargo is a science and engineering company helping solve some of the biggest problems that face Earth and our lives, like clean air, clean water." said Calvert. "We're a full-service solution provider to industry," he continued. "Could you give us an update on BioLargo's PFAS solution and when we're going to see that come to the market?" asked Jolly. "[PFAS] has become the contaminant of the decade," explained Calvert as he elaborated on the widespread dangers of PFAS. "Some people say that it is a multi-billion-dollar problem per year, and it's getting so much attention," said Calvert. "There is even a bill before Congress called the 'PFAS Action Act'," he shared. "We've come up with a solution that we call the AEC, and that unit is now heading into the commercial phase," said Calvert, explaining that BioLargo is receiving contaminated water samples from potential customers for the Company to treat with its technology in initial in-house piloting. "The University of Tennessee has agreed to participate in all of this work, so they will be doing the third-party testing of all of these samples." Calvert explained that once the Company's PFAS solution has completed commercial trials, they will begin taking on client projects. "These projects will range from $250,000 to $30 million," said Calvert. "We present a value proposition to the industry that as far as we can tell is unmatched." The conversation then turned to the Company's additional projects. "In our shareholder's meeting just a few weeks ago, we talked about a very large magnesium project where we've taken a waste stream from a mining operation and have shown our client [that we can] convert that to well over a billion in revenue," said Calvert. "It's heading into serious negotiations and we're hoping to bring that to closure in the near future," he added. "We invented the technology that makes it work." Mr. Calvert then discussed the company's partnership with water industry veteran company Garratt-Callahan. "In the next few weeks, we will be delivering test units [to Garratt-Callahan] for the design we have created for solid separation, waste, and waste treatment," he said. "They believe they can sell something like 25 to 35 units in the first year," he added. "This is a great situation where our expertise is being [used in] an existing relationship with existing distribution filling a niche in the market where our special talents can be showcased, combined with their special talent of serving customers all over the country." "[BioLargo] is a dynamic technology and solution driven company that really has itself in a prime position to explode with revenues, drive shareholder value, and we have never been at such an exciting time in the history of the company," said Calvert. "What does success for BioLargo look like for 2022 and 2023?", asked Jolly. "Our engineering group just announced a couple of weeks ago that they have landed $1.2 million in new contracts," Calvert shared. "It really means we are going to grow." To hear Dennis Calvert's entire interview, follow the link to the podcast here: https://audioboom.com/posts/7912239-biolargo-discusses-pfas-commercialization-garratt-callahan-partnership-and-1-2-million-in-new. Investors Hangout is a proud sponsor of "Stock Day," and Stock Day Media encourages listeners to visit the company's message board at https://investorshangout.com/. About BioLargo, Inc. BioLargo, Inc. (OTCQB: BLGO) invents, develops, and commercializes innovative platform technologies to solve challenging environmental problems like PFAS contamination, advanced water and wastewater treatment, industrial odor and VOC control, air quality control, and infection control. With over 13 years of extensive R&D, BioLargo holds a wide array of issued patents, maintains a robust pipeline of products, and provides full-service environmental engineering. Our peer-reviewed scientific approach allows us to invent or acquire novel technologies and develop them to maturity through our operating subsidiaries. With a keen emphasis on collaborations with academic, municipal, and commercial organizations and associations, BioLargo has proven itself with over 80 awarded grants and numerous pilot projects. We monetize through direct sales, recurring service contracts, licensing agreements, strategic joint venture formation and/or the sale of the IP. See our website at www.BioLargo.com. Contact Information Dennis P. Calvert President and CEO, BioLargo, Inc. 888-400-2863 Safe Harbor Act This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include without limitation those about BioLargo's (the "Company") expectations regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; anticipated revenue; and plans for future operations. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include without limitation: the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company's business, results of operations, financial condition, and stock price; the effect of regional economic conditions on the Company's business, including effects on purchasing decisions by consumers and businesses; the ability of the Company to compete in markets that are highly competitive and subject to rapid technological change; the ability of the Company to manage frequent introductions and transitions of products and services, including delivering to the marketplace, and stimulating customer demand for, new products, services, and technological innovations on a timely basis; the dependency of the Company on the performance of distributors of the Company's products. More information on these risks and other potential factors that could affect the Company's business and financial results is included in the Company's filings with the SEC, including in the "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of the Company's most recently filed periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q and subsequent filings. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or information, which speak as of their respective dates. About The "Stock Day" Podcast Founded in 2013, Stock Day is the fastest growing media outlet for Nano-Cap and Micro-Cap companies. It educates investors while simultaneously working with penny stock and OTC companies, providing transparency and clarification of under-valued, under-sold Micro-Cap stocks of the market. Stock Day provides companies with customized solutions to their news distribution in both national and international media outlets. The Stock Day Podcast is the number one radio show of its kind in America. SOURCE: Stock Day Media (602) 821-1102 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/91307 SYRACUSE, N.Y., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- For the fourth consecutive year, Bankers Healthcare Group, a source of innovative financial solutions and creator of one of the largest community bank loan and product networks in the country, has been named one of the 2021 Best Workplaces in New York by Great Place to Work and Fortune magazine. BHG maintains a spot in the top 5, landing at no. 4 in the small/medium business category. Last year, BHG was ranked the no. 1 Best Workplace in New York. Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8833654-bhg-named-number-4-best-workplace-new-york/ "We are honored to be recognized again by our people as one of the best places to work in New York State. Last year brought new challenges, but also new opportunities," said Al Crawford, Chairman/CEO and Co-Founder of BHG. "The extraordinary economic and health circumstances gave us the chance to rethink how we approach the workplace and culture at BHG. We implemented a home-office stipend, offered virtual counseling services, and gave each employee the option to continue working from home if they choose to. By making work more adaptive for our people and putting our team first, BHG was able to navigate an uncertain time and ultimately grow and nurture our business." The Best Workplaces in New York ranking is determined by analyzing responses of nearly 78,000 anonymous surveys from employees who work across New York State, including the tri-state and metro areas. In the survey, 98% of BHG employees said BHG is a Great Place to Work, compared to 59% of employees at the average U.S.-based company. Great Place to Work, a global people analytics and consulting firm, evaluated more than 60 elements of team members' experience on the job, including their trust in leadership, respect with which people are treated, fairness of workplace decisions, and team camaraderie. The Best Workplaces in New York list is highly competitive. Companies on this year's list stand out for excelling in one of the nation's most competitive marketplaces. This past year, BHG focused on creating the best employee experience through implementing a work-from-home stipend, creating virtual counseling and team building opportunities. "Earning a spot on the Best Workplaces in New York list is an especially significant award this year, as the pace and shape of work has changed dramatically," said Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work. "Leaders at these companies have showed exceptional care for their people. And this support resonates with all employee groups. It doesn't matter what pronoun they use, their experience level or their pay grade, all people have a great experience." The innovative and entrepreneurial spirit that BHG was founded on in 2001 continues to burn bright today, with leaders encouraging employees to voice opinions and share ideas that can help move the company forward. BHG's leadership understands that their team is their greatest asset, and are committed to investing in, developing, and empowering staff who will take BHG into the future. So far in 2021, BHG was also ranked as a Best Workplace in Financial Services. About Bankers Healthcare Group BHG is transforming the financial industry, leveraging the power of data, analytics, and cutting-edge technology to become not only one of the best sources for high-performing loans, but the creator of one of the largest community bank loan and product networks in the country. Since 2001, BHG has originated more than $8 billion in loan solutions to top-quality borrowers, which community and midsize banks can access via a state-of-the-art loan delivery platform. Building on nearly two decades of innovation, BHG and its family of brands now offer a full suite of financial solutions that span business, consumer, and SBA 7(a) loans, credit cards, collection services, risk management services, and point-of-sale financing with a focus in patient lending. With record growth year after year, BHG continues to be recognized regionally and nationally: earning a spot on the Inc. 5000 for 14 years running and receiving accolades from Great Place to Work and Fortune magazine, among others. BHG is partially owned by Pinnacle Bank (PNFP) and has headquarters in Davie, FL, and Syracuse, NY. To learn more about BHG's financial solutions, visit www.bankershealthcaregroup.com, and for more information about the BHG Bank Network, click here. Follow BHG on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Media contact: Tyler Allen tallen@bhg-inc.com 225-205-8107 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bhg-maintains-top-5-rank-as-one-of-new-yorks-best-places-to-work-301344734.html SOURCE Bankers Healthcare Group Buy Photo A display remembering Dennis Angelo Ferraro, who was part of over 100 combat and rescue missions during his time as a helicopter crew chief. Ferraro was a victim in a helicopter crash that killed 37 soldiers Aug. 18, 1971 near Pegnitz, Germany. An exhibition about the tragedy The will remain at the Grafenwoehr Museum for Cultural and Military History through Aug. 10 before moving to Pegnitz. (Immanuel Johnson/Stars and Stripes) GRAFENWOEHR, Germany The 37 young U.S. soldiers who died nearly 50 years ago when the helicopter they were in exploded and crashed in a field near the West German town of Pegnitz, north of Nuremberg, are being remembered in an exhibit at the Museum for Cultural and Military History in Grafenwoehr. The exhibit, titled Forever in our thoughts, seeks to preserve the memory of the victims of the Aug. 18, 1971, crash, which Stars and Stripes reported at the time was the worst training accident involving American troops in West Germany since the end of World War II. Everyone on board the Chinook helicopter carrying them from Ludwigsburg to the Grafenwoehr Training Area for a live-fire exercise four crew from the 4th Aviation Company and 33 soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 56th Field Artillery Brigade died in the accident, Stars and Stripes reported following the accident. Most of the victims were between 19 and 26 years old, the German-run museum says on its website. On the 50th anniversary, this exhibit is bringing the tragedy back into the public consciousness. Buy Photo The Grafenwoehr Museum for Cultural and Military History displays an exhibit on a tragic helicopter crash in 1971 that killed 37 U.S. soldiers near Pegnitz, Germany. The exhibit will remain at Grafenwoehr through Aug. 10 before moving to Pegnitz. (Immanuel Johnson/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo The Grafenwoehr Museum for Cultural and Military History displays an exhibit on a tragic helicopter crash in 1971 that killed 37 U.S. soldiers near Pegnitz, Germany. The exhibit will remain at Grafenwoehr through Aug. 10 before moving to Pegnitz. (Immanuel Johnson/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo A letter from Peter Cherry, whose brother Pfc. Samuel Cherry was a victim in a helicopter crash that killed 37 U.S. soldiers Aug. 18, 1971 near Pegnitz, Germany. The letter is part of a display about the tragedy at the Museum for Cultural and Military History in Grafenwoehr. (Immanuel Johnson/Stars and Stripes) The exhibit, which opened July 22, features photos, newspaper articles and letters collected by Pegnitz archivist Andreas Bayerlein. They tell the stories of the lives lost and of grieving family members like Beth Hartman, who married Pfc. Roger Madison Hartman on Aug. 31, 1970, the day he turned 20 and she turned 18. A year later, instead of celebrating their first wedding anniversary and their birthdays, Beth buried her husband, news website Onetz.de wrote this week. The crash happened when a rotorblade came loose, smashed into the Chinook and caused an explosion, the museum said. The exhibit will run at the museum until Aug. 10, before moving to the Pegnitz community center in time for the 50th anniversary of the crash, Onetz reported. It will remain there from Aug. 16 to Oct. 17. A ceremony remembering the victims of the crash will be held in Pegnitz on Aug. 18. Spc. Michael Marsh, of the Guam National Guard, administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a member of the community at the Port Authority of Guam, June 2, 2021. (Mark Scott/Guam National Guard) Guam lifted many of its COVID-19 restrictions Friday after passing a key vaccination milestone in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Under an initiative dubbed Operation Liberate Guam, the U.S. island territory reached its goal of vaccinating 80% of its adult population, according to a statement Thursday from Gov. Lou Leon Guerreros office. By executive order, Guerreros office rescinded limitations on social gatherings, canceled social distancing guidelines and allowed local businesses to reopen at full capacity. The order applies to dine-in restaurants, bars, gyms and fitness centers, places of worship and nonorganized contact sports, Guams Joint Information Center said. The restrictions were lifted at 12:01 a.m. Friday. I would like to thank our hard-working men and women behind the scenes at our vaccination clinics and private medical clinics, our entire medical community and especially all those who have been fully vaccinated for contributing to this great success, acting Gov. Josh Tenorio said in the statement. Tenorio was standing in for Guerrero who was traveling off-island, a spokesman in her office said Friday. Tenorio urged the remainder of the islands eligible population to get vaccinated. Mask policies on Guam, however, remain in place, according to Guerreros statement and another from Joint Region Marianas. Fully vaccinated individuals are not required to wear masks indoors or outdoors while on base, according the joint regions policy. The Defense Department on Wednesday mandated the wearing of masks in high-risk areas to combat the highly transmissible delta variant of COVID-19, the coronavirus respiratory disease. The recently signed DoD policy does not require any change to our mask policies at this time, unless a command implements more restrictive guidance, a post on the Joint Region Marianas Facebook page said Thursday. JRM will continue to take prudent measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 and will vigorously assess our COVID-19 policies to ensure we are protecting our personnel and the local community while maintaining mission readiness. Joint Region Marianas, Andersen Air Force Base and the Guam National Guard did not respond to email requests seeking further information Friday. Approximately 96,000 adults on Guam have received either both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine, according to Guerreros office, which cited data from the Department of Public Health and Social Services. As of Friday, Guam had recorded 8,541 coronavirus cases and 143 deaths, according to the Joint Information Center. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin meets with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in Manila late Thursday, July 29, 2021. (Chad McNeeley/Defense Department) Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has withdrawn a longstanding threat to cancel a defense agreement that allows U.S. military forces to train in his country. The decision on the Visiting Forces Agreement, or VFA, was announced by Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana at a joint press conference Friday with his U.S. counterpart, Lloyd Austin, in Manila. The president decided to retract or rescind the VFA termination, Lorenzana told reporters during the conference, which was streamed online. We are back on track. The agreement, which governs bilateral training such as the annual Balikatan exercise, U.S. Navy port calls at Subic Bay and U.S. Air Force operations out of Clark Air Base, has been under a cloud since January 2020, when Duterte threatened to scrap it. Its reprieve is the latest swing for an alliance that has been on shaky ground since the strongman took office in 2016. Duterte began his presidency by insulting U.S. leaders and stating his intention to move closer to China and Russia. That hasnt gotten much traction with China, which has continued to occupy and enlarge artificial islands in the South China Sea that belongs to the Philippines, according to a 2016 international court ruling. Philippine diplomats in March protested after 220 Chinese fishing vessels were spotted by the Philippine coast guard near Julian Felipe Reef in the Spratly Islands. Also called Whitsun, the boomerang-shaped reef lies about 175 nautical miles west of the Philippine province of Palawan, and inside the Philippines exclusive economic zone. Lorenzana that month told the vessels to sail away and for the Chinese to leave our sovereign territories and abide by international law. At the press conference Friday, Austin thanked Duterte for the decision on visiting forces and offered condolences following two recent military plane crashes in the Philippines. Our countries face a range of challenges, from the climate crises to the pandemic and, as we do, a strong, resilient US-Philippine alliance will remain vital to the security, stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific, Austin said. A fully restored VFA will help us achieve that goal together. The U.S. and the Philippines canceled Balikatan last year but held a scaled-down version of it this year due to concerns about the coronavirus. On July 16 and 17, the United States delivered 3,240,850 doses of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine to the Philippines as part of its worldwide effort to help end the coronavirus, according to a July 19 statement from the U.S. Embassy in Manila. Pacific Partnership 21, the annual U.S-led multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster-relief preparedness mission in the Indo-Pacific, kicked off Wednesday with an exchange of medical experts at Manila Naval Hospital, the Indo-Pacific Command said the next day. The Military Sealift Command expeditionary fast transport ship USNS City of Bismarck arrived there July 14 and exercise participants conducted a 14-day quarantine as protection against importing the coronavirus, the command said. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko speaks during a meeting with officials in Minsk, Belarus, on July 23, 2021. (Nikolay Petrov, Belta/AP) KYIV, Ukraine Belarus' authoritarian president said Friday he's prepared to invite Russian troops into the country if such a move is necessary to ensure the security of both Belarus and Russia. But, President Alexander Lukashenko said, at the moment "there is absolutely no need" to do that. In remarks carried by the state-run Belta news agency, Lukashenko stressed that he had dealt with last year's anti-government protests without involving other countries' armed forces but added that he would not hesitate to bring in Russian troops if necessary. Belarus is able to quickly deploy 500,000 of its own personnel, but "if it is not enough, all Russian armed forces will be brought in," Lukashenko said, according to Belta. "If it is necessary, we won't hesitate." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Moscow hasn't received any official requests from Belarus to deploy troops, and the move "is possible only after an official request from the leadership of one country to the leadership of other." Russia and Belarus have close military and defense ties. Two Russian radar stations communicating with nuclear submarines in the Atlantic and Indian oceans and parts of the Pacific are based in Belarus. In September, the two ex-Soviet nations are scheduled to conduct large-scale joint military exercises. Until recently, Lukashenko's government had resisted Moscow's attempts to expand military presence in Belarus and rejected requests to open an airbase and station additional troops in the country. But amid the political crisis that unfolded in Belarus after Lukashenko's reelection to a sixth term in August 2020 was met with huge protests, Russia promised its neighbor military support and allocated a $1.5 billion loan for Belarus' ailing economy. Lukashenko faced months of protests that were triggered by his being announced the winner of an August 2020 presidential vote that the opposition and the West saw as rigged. He responded to demonstrations with a massive crackdown that saw more than 35,000 people arrested and thousands beaten by police. The United States and the European Union have imposed multiple sanctions targeting the Belarusian leadership and key sectors of its economy in the wake of the crisis. Belarusian political analyst Valery Karbalevich told The Associated Press that Lukashenko's statements on Friday were a clear attempt to scare the West. "For the first time, he threatened with the deployment of Russian troops to Belarus. However, the Kremlin is no hurry to support these initiatives," Karbalevich said. Lukashenko has accused the West of attempting to orchestrate a revolution in the country he has ruled with an iron fist for decades and of plotting a coup, including by pressuring Belarus with sanctions. His challenger in the election fled to Lithuania and Lithuanian officials say authorities in Belarus are now flooding Lithuania's border with migrants to put that EU nation under pressure. "They seem to seek out our sore spots. They hit primarily the export sectors of the Belarusian economy: petrochemistry, mechanical engineering, potash, and so on. But the main goal is to leave the people without pensions, salaries, benefits, education, medical care and cause discontent among Belarusians," Lukashenko said. The Belarusian president called for further action against the country's human rights groups, alleging that behind them are foreign masterminds, and said government pressure on independent media would continue. "Freedom of speech that we're protecting under the constitution today has turned into extremist activities," Lukashenko charged, urging state officials to closely control every journalist and blogger. "It's one thing to criticize the authorities. We have always took criticism adequately ... It's a different thing to call for a rebellion and massacre of those who don't support these so-called revolutionary, thuggish sentiments." Belarusian authorities in recent weeks have ramped up the pressure against non-governmental organizations and independent media, conducting more than 200 raids of offices and apartments of activists and journalists this month alone, according to the Viasna human rights center. The Belarusian Association of Journalists said raids and detentions targeting reporters continued Friday in Minsk and other cities. Earlier this week, the authorities declared the Polish-funded Belsat TV channel an extremist group. A total of 28 Belarusian journalists remain in custody either awaiting trial or serving their sentences. Journalist groups on Thursday demanded that authorities give urgent hospital care to a leading journalist who has been in pre-trial detention. Associated Press writer Daria Litvinova contributed to this report from Moscow. An airman shops at the RAF Mildenhall, England, commissary. The base is requiring masks to be worn indoors by all, including the fully vaccinated, following a Defense Department directive mandating them where there is "substantial or high community transmission" of the coronavirus. (Brooke Moeder/U.S. Air Force) STUTTGART, Germany Commanders at U.S. military bases around Europe will need to monitor area coronavirus rates to determine if masks must again become required for the fully vaccinated while indoors, in compliance with the Defense Departments new policy. The trigger for mandated mask wearing even among the vaccinated is a seven-day average of 50 cases per 100,000 people, U.S. military officials in Europe said this week. U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria, home to the largest number of soldiers in Europe, said rates published by Germanys Robert Koch Institute would serve as the guideline. We continue to monitor the infection rates and will provide guidance if we must reinstitute mask wear in our facilities for everyone on the installation, the garrison said in a Facebook post Friday. In recent months, fully vaccinated personnel have been able to work and shop mask-free on many bases, although buildings such as hospitals and small areas with heavy foot traffic still required them. Commanders have had wide discretion to order stricter rules where deemed necessary. Airmen wear masks while at work at RAF Mildenhall, England. The base is requiring masks to be worn indoors by all, including the fully vaccinated, following a Defense Department directive mandating them where there is "substantial or high community transmission" of the coronavirus. (Ryan Sanders/U.S. Air Force) But on Wednesday, the Defense Department announced that in areas of substantial or high community transmission, all personnel would be required to wear masks inside military facilities. The decision came as coronavirus rates increase in many parts of the U.S., most of which stem from the highly contagious delta variant. Bavaria, like most parts of Germany, remains well below the 50 cases per 100,000 people threshold, as cases have declined in recent months. Still, there are concerns about an uptick in some areas, including Kaiserslautern, another major troop hub. Earlier this week, German officials reimposed some coronavirus restrictions in Kaiserslautern city when it hit the 50 cases per 100,000 case average. But in recent days, that number has dropped below 30, and masks are not widely required indoors on area bases. Elsewhere in Europe, some commands are taking a more conservative approach. The 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom on Thursday directed all personnel to don masks indoors at all DoD facilities on base, regardless of vaccination status. The order came less than two weeks after England dropped nearly all public coronavirus restrictions. U.S. European Command on Friday said local commanders were authorized to make decisions on when to require masks. Masking requirements for DoD installations are being updated by installation commanders based on local conditions as outlined in the DoD guidance, Lt. Cmdr. Russ Wolfkiel, a EUCOM spokesman, said in a statement. Additionally, vaccines are readily available, and we would encourage anyone who has not yet been vaccinated to contact their health care provider to get the vaccination, Wolfkiel said. The Nauka module is seen prior to docking with the International Space Station on Thursday, July 29, 2021. (Oleg Novitsky, Roscosmos Space Agency Press Service/AP) MOSCOW A Russian space official on Friday blamed a software problem on a newly docked science lab that briefly knocked the International Space Station out of position. The space station lost control of its orientation for 47 minutes on Thursday, when Russias Nauka science lab accidentally fired its thrusters a few hours after docking, pushing the orbiting complex from its normal configuration. The stations position is key for getting power from solar panels and or communications. Communications with ground controllers also blipped out twice for a few minutes. Vladimir Solovyov, flight director of the space stations Russian segment, blamed the incident on a short-term software failure. In a statement released by the Russian space agency Roscosmos on Friday, Solovyov said that because of the failure, a direct command to turn on the labs engines was mistakenly implemented. He added that the incident was quickly countered by the propulsion system of another Russian component at the station and at the moment, the station is in its normal orientation and all its systems are operating normally. NASA said Thursday that the incident moved 45 degrees out of attitude, about one-eighth of a complete circle, but the complex was never spinning, there was no immediate damage or danger to the crew. The incident caused NASA to postpone a repeat test flight for Boeings crew capsule that had been set for Friday afternoon from Florida. It will be Boeings second attempt to reach the 250-mile-high (400-kilomter-high) station before putting astronauts on board. Software problems botched the first test. Russias long-delayed 22-ton (20-metric-ton) lab called Nauka arrived earlier Thursday, eight days after it launched from the Russian launch facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The launch of Nauka, which will provide more room for scientific experiments and space for the crew, had been repeatedly delayed because of technical problems. It was initially scheduled to go up in 2007. In 2013, experts found contamination in its fuel system, resulting in a long and costly replacement. Other Nauka systems also underwent modernization or repairs. Stretching 43 feet long, Nauka became the first new compartment for the Russian segment of the outpost since 2010. On Monday, one of the older Russian units, the Pirs spacewalking compartment, undocked from the station to free up room for the new lab. Nauka will require many maneuvers, including up to 11 spacewalks beginning in early September, to prepare it for operation. According to Solovyov, on Friday the crew was busy equalizing the pressure in Nauka and planned to open the hatch to the lab later in the day. The space station is currently operated by NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur; Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov of Russias Roscosmos space corporation; Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet. In 1998, Russia launched the stations first compartment, Zarya, which was followed in 2000 by another big piece, Zvezda, and three smaller modules in the following years. The last of them, Rassvet, arrived at the station in 2010. Seth Borenstein in Kensington, Md., and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow, contributed to this report. Buy Photo An Afghan interpreter for U.S. forces, who asked Stars and Stripes not use his real name or show his face due to threats against his life, received a Special Immigrant Visa to move to the U.S. with his family. (J.P. Lawrence / Stars and Stripes) KABUL, Afghanistan About 200 Afghan interpreters and their families arrived in Virginia on Friday, the first evacuations of thousands imperiled because of their work with the United States in Afghanistan as the Taliban gains control of more territory nationwide, U.S. officials said Friday. The first flight departed Kabul with Afghans on their first leg of travel to Fort Lee, Va., where they will finish the last rounds of processing over the next several days before being resettled across the country. Today is an important milestone as we continue to fulfill our promise to the thousands of Afghan nationals who served shoulder-to-shoulder with American troops and diplomats over the last 20 years in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden said in a statement. The Afghans are part of a broader group of about 2,500 who are furthest along in the special immigrant visa process and who will arrive in subsequent flights, said Russell E. Travers, a senior adviser at the National Security Council, in a call with Biden administration officials Thursday. The evacuees escaped the clutches of Taliban militants who have targeted interpreters, in some cases killing them as retribution for their work with U.S. troops on the front lines and as crucial guides for diplomats and aid workers. The urgency has mounted in recent months as the Taliban has wrested control of wide swaths of the country from the Afghan government, including its takeover of about half the countrys district centers, U.S. officials have said. These arrivals are just the first of many as we work quickly to relocate [Special Immigrant Visa]-eligible Afghans out of harms way-to the United States, to U.S. facilities abroad, or to third countries-so that they can wait in safety while they finish their visa applications, Biden said. But the initial flight is a small fraction of thousands of Afghans who have spent years in bureaucratic limbo waiting on their visas to be approved after the rigorous and, many say, at times confounding screening process. About 20,000 Afghans had applied for the special immigrant visa as of July 15, according to the White House. That number does not include family members; a U.S. government official said the total number of people in the applicant pipeline including family members could be as high as 100,000. That is more than the roughly 74,000 Afghans resettled in the program since it was implemented in 2009, according to the State Department. The Senate on Thursday cleared more than $1 billion to pay for the evacuations, including transportation and housing provided by the Defense and State departments. The bill would also lessen requirements for applicants and allow 8,000 more visas on top of the 26,500 currently allocated for the program. President Biden is expected to sign the bill. Underscoring the complexity of the effort, dubbed Operation Allies Refuge, is the fact that applicants live all over Afghanistan, many in Taliban-controlled or -contested territory. The Association of Wartime Allies, an interpreter advocacy group, estimates about half of applicants still waiting live outside Kabul. Many roads outside the capital are dotted with Taliban checkpoints. The Afghan air force, beleaguered and overtaxed in battles with the militants, does not seem capable of ferrying applicants, said Matt Zeller, a former Army officer and board chair of the group. The reality is some of these people are going to die. Why didnt the U.S. military evacuate them when we had the ability? asked Zeller, who said Biden administration officials ignored his warnings in January to prepare for mass evacuations. Tracey Jacobson, the State Departments Afghanistan Coordination Task Force director, told reporters on the call Thursday that the United States had no ability to bring applicants to the capital or house them while they wait for clearance to fly. Other applicants not as far along in the process will be moved to a third country for safe processing, Jacobson said. Advocates and interpreters have said the evacuation so far has been beset by confusion and tension. One former interpreter, who said he worked with a U.S. contractor for eight years in Kandahar, including time translating for U.S. troops training Afghan soldiers, said he was notified to pick up his passport but that he had received no further information. The former interpreter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution from the Taliban, watched news of the initial flights trickle out while waiting to see if he, his wife and six children would be among the next wave. Pray for me, he texted a reporter on WhatsApp. Very tired faced with too much problems to get out of here. The Washington Posts Anne Gearan and Seung Min Kim in Washington contributed to this report. The Navys newest berthing barge, Auxiliary Personnel Lighter (APL) 67. (VT Halter Marine) PASCAGOULA, Miss. (Tribune News Service) Halter Marine has been awarded $41 million contact to construct an Auxiliary Personnel Lighter-Small berthing and messing barge for the U.S. Navy, the fifth such ship in the class. The contract is for a firm, fixed-price option for the detail design and construction, with construction expected to begin next month. We appreciate the Navys continued confidence in Halter Marine by awarding us with this fifth APL berthing barge, said Halter president/CEO Bob Merchent. We have a strong history of designing and building multiple-vessel contracts for the Navy. We look forward to delivering the first three APLs over the course of this summer. In September 2018, Halter Marine received the initial contract to design and build two units, with options for four additional units. Construction on the fourth vessel is expected to be completed in the summer of 2021. Construction of all APL craft is firm, fixed-price. Should the Navy exercise all options with associated supplies and services, the total contract award would be in excess of $244 million. APLs are used by the Navy to house crewmembers when ships are in port for availabilities and Inter-Deployment Training Cycles. The barges are mobile and can be towed to new bases or shipyards to support changing fleet requirements and also offer potential use for humanitarian missions and other temporary assignments. The vessels are 82 meters long by 20.95 meters wide by 2.2 meters draft. Each vessel is equipped with offices, classrooms, washrooms, laundry facilities, medical treatment areas, a barber shop and fitness center. With mess seating for 224 enlisted personnel and 28 officers, each meal is served via five 20-minute shifts to allow food service for 1,130 personnel (three meals per day). The vessels are fitted with mixed gender berthing spaces for 74 officers and 537 enlisted personnel, for a total of 611. Designing and building five APLs here in Jackson County, Mississippi, is good for our local community and economy, said Kevin Amis, Executive Vice President of Operations. Halter Marine continues to hire skilled local craftsmen and women, and we are training 55 others through our apprentice program. This APL program benefits both the livelihood of the local craftsmen and women as well as our national security. 2021 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit gulflive.com. People from a coalition of housing justice groups hold signs protesting evictions during a news conference outside the Statehouse, Friday, July 30, 2021, in Boston. (Michael Dwyer/AP) WASHINGTON A nationwide eviction moratorium is set to expire Saturday after President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress worked furiously but ultimately failed to align on a long-shot strategy to prevent millions of Americans from being forced from their homes during a COVID-19 surge. More than 3.6 million Americans are at risk of eviction, some in a matter of days, as nearly $47 billion in federal housing aid to the states during the pandemic has been slow to make it into the hands of renters and landlords owed payments. Tensions mounted late Friday as it became clear there would be no resolution in sight. Hours before the ban was set to expire, Biden called on local governments to "take all possible steps" to immediately disburse the funds. Evictions could begin as soon as Monday. "There can be no excuse for any state or locality not accelerating funds to landlords and tenants that have been hurt during this pandemic," Biden said in a statement. "Every state and local government must get these funds out to ensure we prevent every eviction we can," he said. The stunning outcome, as the White House and Congress each expected the other to act, exposed a rare divide between the president and his allies on Capitol Hill, and one that could have lasting impact as the nation's renters face widespread evictions. Biden set off the scramble by announcing he would allow the eviction ban to expire, rather than challenge a recent Supreme Court ruling signaling this would be the last deadline. He called on Congress on Thursday to swiftly pass legislation to extend the date. Racing to respond, Democrats strained to rally the votes early Friday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi implored colleagues to pass legislation extending the deadline, calling it a "moral imperative," to protect renters and also the landlords who are owed compensation. Congress must "meet the needs of the American people: both the families unable to make rent and those to whom the rent is to be paid," she said in an overnight letter late Thursday. But after hours of behind-the-scenes wrangling throughout the day, Democratic lawmakers had questions and could not muster support to extend the ban even a few months. An attempt to simply approve an extension by consent, without a formal vote, was objected to by House Republicans. The Senate may try again Saturday. Lawmakers were livid at prospect of evictions in the middle of a surging pandemic. "Housing is a primary social indicator of health, in and of itself, even absent COVID," said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. "A mass eviction in the United States does represent a public health crisis unto itself." Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., the Financial Services Committee chair who wrote the emergency bill, said House leaders should have held the vote, even if it failed, to show Americans they were trying to solve the problem. "Is it emergency enough that you're going to stop families from being put on the street?" Waters testified at an hastily called hearing early Friday morning urging her colleagues to act. "What the hell is going to happen to these children?" But Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, the top Republican on another panel handling the issue, said the Democrats' bill was rushed. "This is not the way to legislate," she said. The ban was initially put in place to prevent further spread of COVID-19 by people put out on the streets and into shelters. Congress pushed nearly $47 billion to the states earlier in the COVID-19 crisis to shore up landlords and renters as workplaces shut down and many people were suddenly out of work. But lawmakers said state governments have been slow to distribute the money. On Friday, they said only some $3 billion has been spent. By the end of March, 6.4 million American households were behind on their rent, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. As of July 5, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. said they faced eviction in the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey. Some places are likely to see spikes in evictions starting Monday, while other jurisdictions will see an increase in court filings that will lead to evictions over several months. Biden said Thursday that the administration's hands are tied after the Supreme Court signaled the moratorium would only be extended until the end of the month. At the White House, deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration backs the congressional effort "to extend the eviction moratorium to protect these vulnerable renters and their families." The White House has been clear that Biden would have liked to extend the federal eviction moratorium because of the spread of the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus. But there are also concerns that challenging the court could lead to a ruling restricting the administration's ability to respond to future public health crises. The administration is trying to keep renters in place through other means. It released more than $1.5 billion in rental assistance in June, which helped nearly 300,000 households. Biden on Thursday asked the departments of Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture and Veterans Affairs to extend their eviction moratoriums on households living in federally insured, single-family homes. In a statement late Friday the agencies announced an extension of the foreclosure-related ban through the end of September. On a 5-4 vote last month, the Supreme Court allowed the broad eviction ban to continue through the end of July. One of those in the majority, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, made clear he would block any additional extensions unless there was "clear and specific congressional authorization." Aides to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, the chair of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, said the two were working on legislation to extend the moratorium and were asking Republicans not to block it. "The public health necessity of extended protections for renters is obvious," said Diane Yentel, executive director of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. "If federal court cases made a broad extension impossible, the Biden administration should implement all possible alternatives, including a more limited moratorium on federally backed properties." Landlords, who have opposed the moratorium and challenged it repeatedly in court, are against any extension. They, too, are arguing for speeding up the distribution of rental assistance. The National Apartment Association and several others this week filed a federal lawsuit asking for $26 billion in damages because of the impact of the moratorium. "Any extension of the eviction moratorium equates to an unfunded government mandate that forces housing providers to deliver a costly service without compensation and saddles renters with insurmountable debt," association president and CEO Bob Pinnegar said, adding that the current crisis highlights a need for more affordable housing. Casey reported from Boston. Associated Press writers Alexandra Jaffe, Mark Sherman and Kevin Freking in Washington contributed to this report. Buy Photo Activists held signs depicting Spc. Vanessa Guillen at a rally July 30, 2020, in Washington, D.C. Guillen's family said the soldier, who was killed in April 2020 at Fort Hood, Texas, told them that she was being sexually harassed but was too afraid to report it. (Nikki Wentling/Stars and Stripes) The family of Spc. Vanessa Guillen, the soldier killed at Fort Hood last year, wants the Army to court-martial the platoon sergeant who was found to have sexually harassed her prior to her death. The request came as part of their call for the service to hold Army leaders more accountable for their actions and advocate for a measure to make sexual harassment a standalone crime in the military. Guillens death led to multiple investigations into the Army base in Texas and as a result roughly 21 leaders were targeted for punishment. However, much of that discipline has gone through the nonjudicial channels, which has shielded many of the final outcomes from the public due to privacy policies. A court-martial would generate publicly available documents showing whether a leader was punished and to what extent. One of the most important parts of this case is the need for change and accountability and justice for Vanessa, Natalie Khawam, an attorney for Guillens family, said this month after she and the family met with Gen. John Murray, who led an administrative investigation into Guillens chain of command. Khawam and other legal experts agree the Uniform Code of Military Justice already allows the military to prosecute sexual harassment through a court-martial, but commanders rarely choose judicial punishment in those cases. In Guillens case, the Army determined through an administrative investigation, known as a 15-6, that she was sexually harassed on two instances by a noncommissioned officer serving as her platoon sergeant within the 3rd Cavalry Regiment. For now, the sergeant, who has not been named by the Army, faces nonjudicial punishment, the results of which can remain hidden because its considered a personnel matter that is not available through public records. That disconnect between founded allegations of sexual harassment and prosecution of them under the UCMJ, the federal law enacted by Congress that defines the military justice system and criminal offenses, shows why a separate crime is needed, said Meghan Tokash, a member of the Pentagons Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault and Harassment. We know the military is not doing a good job of charging sexual harassment under the current construct, said Tokash, a former Army special victim prosecutor who couldnt recall any cases from her time in service that had sexual harassment as the lone charge against a defendant. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin established the commission in February and tasked it with reviewing the militarys handling of these types of incidents. After a 90-day review, the commission recommended making sexual harassment a standalone crime among more than 80 other recommendations in its report released July 2. Congress has the power to add crimes, known as articles, to the UCMJ and last did so in 2016, when it added Article 132 to prosecute retaliation. I think having a standalone article shows the importance of the crime of sexual harassment. What we know as prosecutors and what the [commission] was able to hear for the past three months, is that sexual harassment is typically the precursor to more serious crimes, including sexual assault and touching offenses, Tokash said. Much of sexual harassment can be stopped through preventative measures, so the introduction of a standalone article is a good thing for not only victims of sexual harassment but for military justice. Political pressure A Rand Corp. report released this month estimated about 1 in 4 women and 1 in 16 men serving in the military experience sexual harassment. Those statistics have remained relatively unchanged for the past decade despite the Defense Department creating several measures and programs to combat sexual harassment and sexual assault among service members. Combined with the findings of recent investigations, it has led to more members of Congress supporting drastic change. In the Guillen case, Tokash said she saw enough evidence in publicly available reports to use UCMJ Article 93, which already exists and references cruelty and/or maltreatment of subordinates. Other existing articles that could be used to charge sexual harassment include Articles 92, 133 and 134, Tokash said. Respectively, those articles address the failure to obey an order or regulation, conduct unbecoming of an officer and the general article, which encompasses behavior not mentioned in other articles that impacts good order and discipline. Article 93 is most applicable to Guillen because the noncommissioned officer accused of harassing Guillen was her platoon sergeant and her supervisor, Tokash said. Guillen went missing from Fort Hood on April 22, 2020, and her body was found buried about 20 miles from the base after a more than two-month search. It is believed she was killed by fellow soldier, Spc. Aaron Robinson, who died by suicide after her body was found. During the search for Guillen, her family said she faced sexual harassment on base, but the soldier was too afraid to report it. In response, the Army conducted two investigations into the Texas base, one internal and another by an independent committee. The internal investigation found Guillens platoon sergeant was a known toxic leader and he harassed Guillen on two instances. The sergeant was notified of an intent to relieve him from leadership, which triggered an evaluation, according to a military official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Fort Hood officials declined to comment on whether a court-martial was ever under consideration for him, citing a policy not to speculate on military judicial actions. Under an intent to relieve, the accused has an opportunity to dispute and respond to the allegations, which he has, said Robert Capovilla, a Georgia-based defense attorney representing the sergeant. While we are heartbroken for Spc. Guillens family and join in their quest for justice for her, we must also set the record straight regarding improper and inaccurate comments made by Army leadership, the release of an incomplete executive summary that omitted important details, and slanted media coverage. Justice demands this clarification as the future of a dedicated combat veteran with more than 14 years of service to our country is in jeopardy, Capovilla, a former Army judge advocate, wrote in a letter addressed to all reviewing authorities that he provided to Stars and Stripes. Capovilla also said, in general terms, based on his active-duty service and as a defense attorney who represents service members, the addition of the sexual harassment charge to the UCMJ could reduce the ambiguity of existing means to charge harassment as a crime. However, he said he fears the issue has become mired in politics. My concern is we're going to forget about the rights of the accused in this process, and I think that's a fundamental aspect of who we are as a country. That doesn't mean that victims shouldn't have a voice, Capovilla said. I'm afraid that innocent men and women are going to be put behind bars because of a political pressure being put on commanders. Discretion and transparency For that reason, Capovilla said he supports another push in Congress to move court-martial proceedings for sex crimes from commanders and into the hands of special prosecutors. Austin came out in favor of this proposal following its recommendation by the independent review commission. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., has pushed for this reform since 2013, but after Guillens death and the subsequent investigations, there now could be enough support in both chambers of Congress to get the measure passed. Guillens family has worked with Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., on similar measures in the House, which are named in honor of the soldier. While the Gillibrand and Speier bills would put prosecution decisions for all felony crimes in the hands of an independent prosecutor, Austin has only called for independent decisions outside the military chain of command for sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse and retaliation. Last week, the Senate Armed Services Committee passed its draft of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, which annually sets priorities and spending for the Defense Department. It included Gillibrands bill in full. Rachel VanLandingham, a former Air Force judge advocate turned professor at Southwestern Law School in California, said she would like to see additional transparency added to the system as reforms are made because it is a commanders discretion that has clouded the ability to understand decision-making and accountability. Even a short, publicly released memorandum could help provide understanding and guide future decisions, VanLandingham said. Victims, including the Guillen family, are often left with no explanation why their perpetrators are dealt with in a nonjudiciary system instead of through the court-martial process. Those making prosecutorial decisions need discretion to avoid the damage that a one-size-fits-all approach to discipline can have, but it can also lead to intentional and unintentional abuse, she said. We're all human and there's implied bias, VanLandingham said. The lower you go down in the spectrum of disciplinary measure from court-martial all the way down to letter of reprimand, the greater that disparity, because there's less transparency. After the Army announced disciplinary action for about 21 leaders at Fort Hood following the release of two investigations into the base, actions taken against those leaders included removal from leadership positions, general officer memorandums of reprimand and letters of reprimand. Army leaders did not disclose why each disciplinary action was chosen for each person. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, who represents the district where the Guillen family lives, said based on her conversations with Army leaders, the number of people disciplined is actually 13. Each of the disciplinary actions taken allows for the soldier to contest the action and includes a review period. Some could result in a discharge from service, but that has not happened yet at Fort Hood, Khawam said. They have less responsibility, they are not in command anymore, but theyre still getting paid for a commanding position, she said. Its unfair to watch perpetrators and wrongdoers continue to sit and exist in the Army system because all you are doing is moving them from one base to another. Thats not fixing the problem. Repeat offenders In some instances, a general officer memorandum of reprimand, known as a GOMOR, is only included in a service members local file, which means when the person moves to their next duty station, the letter does not travel with them. If you sexually harassed someone, a fellow service member, there is no way that something like that should be expunged from your file just because you [moved], Tokash said. If Im a commander and youre coming to my unit, I dont want to be flying blind that I have someone who sexually harassed someone in their previous unit. Youre a liability to me and, as a commander, I have a right to know that. Part of the independent commissions report called for the militarys Catch a Serial Offender, which identifies repeat offenders of sexual assault, also include those who faced sexual harassment allegations. When service members report a sexual assault, they can choose unrestricted or restricted reporting. The first initiates a criminal investigation while the latter does not. The Catch program allows those victims who choose restricted reporting to see if their perpetrators name appears in the system. The idea is that if a match appears, it could sway a victim to changing their reporting status and initiate an investigation. Serial sexual harassers can also be your serial sexual assaulters, Lynn Rosenthal, chairwoman of the commission, said July 20 during a hearing about the report with the House Armed Services Committees subpanel on military personnel. Khawam and Guillens sister Mayra Guillen attended the hearing. Khawam said they all hope to continue to work together to get these reforms passed to balance the criminal justice system of the military. We want to change a system that has loopholes and flaws to be a better system, she said. Former President Donald Trump speaks on a variety of topics to supporters at a Turning Point Action gathering in Phoenix on July 24, 2021. (Ross D. Franklin/AP) WASHINGTON President Donald Trump urged senior Justice Department officials to declare the 2020 election results corrupt in a December phone call, according to handwritten notes from one of the participants in the conversation. Just say the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen, Trump said at one point to then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, according to notes taken by Richard Donoghue, who was then Rosens deputy and who was also on the call. The notes of the Dec. 27 call, released Friday by the House Oversight Committee, underscore the lengths to which Trump went to try to overturn the results of the election and to elicit the support of senior government officials in that effort. Emails released last month show Trump and his allies in the last weeks of his presidency pressured the Justice Department to investigate unsubstantiated claims of widespread election fraud, forwarding them conspiracy theories and even a draft legal brief they hoped would be filed with the Supreme Court. The pressure is all the more notable because just weeks earlier, Trumps own attorney general William Barr, revealed that the Justice Department had found no evidence of widespread fraud that could have overturned the results. Unsubstantiated claims of fraud have been repeatedly rejected by judge after judge, including by Trump appointees, and by election officials across the country. These handwritten notes show that President Trump directly instructed our nations top law enforcement agency to take steps to overturn a free and fair election in the final days of his presidency, committee chairman Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat, said in a statement. She said the committee had begun scheduling interviews with witnesses as part of its investigation into Trumps effort to overturn the results. The Justice Department earlier this week authorized six witnesses, including Rosen and Donoghue, to appear before the panel and provide unrestricted testimony, citing the public interest in the extraordinary events of those final weeks. The Dec. 27 call took place just days after Barr had resigned, leaving Rosen in charge of the department during a turbulent final weeks of the administration that also included the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol in which pro-Trump loyalists stormed the building as Congress was gathered to certify the election results. During the call, according to the notes, Trump complained that people were angry and blaming the Justice Department for inaction and said that We have an obligation to tell people that this was an illegal, corrupt election. He claimed the department had failed to respond to legitimate complaints and reports of election-related crime. The Justice Department officials told Trump that the department had been investigating, including through hundreds of interviews, but that the allegations were not supported by evidence. They said that much of the information the president was getting was false, according to Donoghues notes. At one point in the conversation, the notes show, Rosen told Trump that the Justice Department cant + wont snap its fingers + change the outcome of the election, doesnt work that way. Trump responded by saying: Dont expect you to do that, just say that the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen, according to the notes. Trump mused during the call about replacing Justice Department leadership with Jeffrey Clark, the then-assistant attorney general of the Environment and Natural Resources Division who also served as the acting head of the Civil Division. Donoghue replied that such a move would not change the departments position. After The New York Times reported that Trump had been contemplating a plan to replace Rosen with Clark, the inspector general announced that it would investigate whether any former or current department officials engaged in an improper attempt to overturn the results of the presidential election. Jay Vojno gets the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, Friday, July 30, 2021 in New York. Amid increasing concern over the spread of the delta variant, New York City announced Wednesday that anyone can receive $100 if they get the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at any city-run vaccination clinic. (Mark Lennihan/AP) Millions of people in the U.S. who haven't gotten the COVID-19 vaccine could soon have a new reason to roll up their sleeves: money in their pockets. President Joe Biden is calling on states and local governments to join those that are already handing out dollars for shots. New York, the nation's biggest city, started doling out $100 awards on Friday. The president, health officials and state leaders are betting that the financial incentive will spur hesitant people to get the shot just as the contagious and potentially more powerful delta variant sweeps through parts of the country particularly those with low vaccination rates and as the number of daily inoculations falls sharply from its April high. Jay Vojno, getting his shot Friday in New York, said he figured some kind of incentive was coming, so he was willing to hold off on getting vaccinated until it did. "I knew they were going to do it, so I just waited," he said. Bradley Sharp was among those getting a shot Friday in Times Square. The soon-to-be college student had been putting it off, but knew he would have to get vaccinated because the school he's going to attend requires it. "I thought I'd come here and get it today and get my hundred dollars because I'm going to get it anyway," Sharp said. Other states are beginning programs to hand out money too. New Mexico helped pioneer cash incentives in June and is starting another $100 handout for vaccinations on Monday. Ohio is offering $100 to state employees who get vaccinated. Minnesota's $100 incentive started Friday, although several people who showed up at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to get jabbed with the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine hadn't heard about the money. Vidiya Sami, an office worker from the Minneapolis suburb of Richfield, went to the airport because it was the only location offering the "one-and-done" vaccine. "That's why I chose it," Sami said. She said she delayed getting the shot because she was scared at first, "especially reading about ... the side effects from other people." "And then I kind of made myself more paranoid by joining Facebook groups, and reading everybody else's symptoms after they got the shots," she said. "I was basically just giving myself anxiety, but the more I researched about it, you know, the pros outweighed the cons." Incentives are not new: States have tried lottery-like giveaways, free beer, gift cards and more. Whether they result in getting more people vaccinated is not clear, said Harald Schmidt, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a research associate at the school's Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics. Turning to such measures suggests that governments are facing a level of desperation in trying to get shots into arms, he said. "It is right to be alarmed," Schmidt said. "It is right to be thinking how do we right this ship." He added that he understands the motivation for cash incentives but questioned why they're needed in the first place. "If we just get needles into arms we haven't really made any progress on the bigger picture, which is that whole communities are lacking trust in health care systems or the government," he said. The Biden administration is betting the incentives will work. In a statement this week, the White House cited a grocery store chain that offered $100 to its workers to get the COVID-19 shot and then saw vaccination rates climb. State and local governments can use federal American Rescue Plan relief funding to provide the $100, according to the statement. Associated Press writers Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis; David Martin in New York; Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, N.M.; and Andrew Welsh-Huggins in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report. Floyd Dee Helton was serving as Navy Seaman 2nd Class on the USS Oklahoma when he was killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. (Helton family) SOMERSET, Ky. (Tribune News Service) Its a homecoming nearly 80 years in the making. On December 7, 1941, Floyd Dee Helton of Somerset was serving as Navy Seaman 2nd Class on the USS Oklahoma when the battleship, moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, was among those attacked by Japanese aircraft ushering in the United States entry into World War II. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, causing it to capsize and resulting in the deaths of 429 crewmen SEA2 Helton included. He was just 18. Up until June 1944, Navy personnel worked to recover the remains of the deceased, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nuuanu Cemeteries. In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves Registration Service disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the two Hawaiian cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. At that time, the laboratory was only able to confirm the identities of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma. The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as non-recoverable, including Floyd Helton. Years later the Navy contacted Heltons surviving family members, according to niece Vicki Easley, with half-brother Carrol D. Helton and his son submitting DNA samples in hopes of identifying their loved one. Between June and November 2015, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis. To identify Heltons remains, scientists from DPAA performed dental and anthropological analysis while scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used Y chromosome DNA and autosomal DNA analysis. The military was finally able to identify the sailor on April 23, 2020, in the midst of a once-in-a-century pandemic that prevented officials from briefing the family in person. With that finally accomplished, plans are underway to transport SEA2 Helton from Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska to Sloans Valley, where on Saturday hell be buried with full military honors next to his father, Herbert D. Helton, and near both his grandfathers. Governor Andy Beshear will order flags lowered to half-staff in honor of Seaman 2nd Class Helton on the day of his interment. For almost 80 years, families of the sailors who died on the Oklahoma could mourn their sons and fathers, brothers and husbands only at a distance, Gov. Beshear stated. But thanks to the meticulous, persistent work of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Kentucky sailors are finally coming home. Pulaski Funeral Home has been working with the family and military personnel on Heltons services. We found out about a year ago, shortly after his remains were identified, funeral director Tyler Hibbard said. We feel honored that the family has entrusted us with that care. There will be two opportunities for the public to pay their respects. According to funeral director Tyler Hibbard, Heltons remains are scheduled to be met at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport at 5:20 p.m. Thursday. Escorted by first responders (including the Somerset-Pulaski Special Response Team, Kentucky State Police and local fire departments), military units (including the Naval Honor Guard) and Rolling Thunder, the procession will travel down I-75 to Ky. 461, then to East Ky. 80 where it will proceed westbound to US 27, then north to Pulaski Funeral Home. Those wishing to pay their respects locally are welcome to park along the route, particularly along Ky. 80 where a flag display is planned, so long as they keep clear of intersections. Hibbard expects the procession to arrive in Somerset around 8 p.m. depending on flight arrival and other travel factors. On Saturday, the procession also escorted and with flag displays planned will depart from Pulaski County Funeral Home at 11:30 a.m. It will first travel south on US 27, then out Ky. 80 (old Cumberland Parkway) to Ky. 914 and back onto US 27 south to Sloans Valley Cemetery. If folks want to come out and watch the procession, Hibbard said, it would be great to see them along the route showing their support. Probably the best place to see it would be from Beacon Hill south toward Burnside. Hibbard noted how long Heltons family has waited to be able to officially say goodbye. Come December, it will be 80 years since this man was lost and his familys not really had answers, he said. For us to be a part of that and to actually bring someone home, its very humbling to help give Mr. Heltons family peace of mind in knowing his final resting place. ___ (c)2021 the Commonwealth Journal (Somerset, Ky.) Visit the Commonwealth Journal (Somerset, Ky.) at somerset-kentucky.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Hospital Apprentice 1st Class John Mulick Jr. died during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Almost 80 years later, hes finally being buried back home in North Iowa. (Navy Personnel Command Public Affairs) (Tribune News Service) When Elma, Iowa, native John Mark Mulick Jr. enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1940, he had to get his father, John Mulick Sr., to sign up for him because he was only 20 years old at the time. Despite his age, Mulick, who family members described as down-to-earth and smart, badly wanted to serve in some capacity. He got that chance in 1941 when the Navy stationed him on the USS Oklahoma as a hospital apprentice, first class. However, his service on the vessel was brief, and for almost 80 years, that ship was his rude grave. Mulick was one of 429 crew members on the Oklahoma when it sank during the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. The ship was hit by several torpedoes and capsized on whats known as Battleship Row. More than 2,400 American service members and civilians were killed during the attack. But confirmation of all those souls who were lost didnt come right away. For some, like Mulick, it took decades. Years of his family hoping against hope even while knowing, somewhere in their minds, that he was gone. For about a decade, his sister Mary chose to believe that he was simply wandering around Honolulu in a prolonged daze. She just did not want to accept the fact that John had died, Jack Adams, a second cousin of Mulicks, said. And I dont blame her. Mary was very soft-hearted. Now, there no longer needs to be alternative theories about what mightve happened. On Saturday at Calvary Cemetery in Elma, Mulick will be reinterred after about 80 years away from his hometown. Closure My wife and myself will be there. And our families. And were just looking forward to the closure. Its going to be a nice thing, Adams said. Unfortunately Mary wont see her brother finally laid to rest. Adams said that she died several years back. As did Mulicks brother Bob, who also tried to find out as much as he could about John and served in the military as well. In fact, he enlisted in the Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor. They didnt know anything except that he was MIA and that fired Bob up enough that he enlisted, Adams said. Adams and his cousins, Maureen and Theresa Gaffey, actually had a hand in helping to confirm Mulicks identity, which started the process for his reinternment. A view of Battleship Row during or immediately after the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941. The capsized USS Oklahoma (is in the center, alongside USS Maryland. (U.S. Navy) According to Adams, he got hold of the Department of the Navy and asked them for a DNA kit. He then sent in a sample that he said was relevant in determining a match for Mulicks body. They did that by his teeth, he said. Per an informational packet from the Navy Personnel Command Public Affairs Office, scientists at labs in Hawaii and Nebraska identify sailors at Pearl Harbor by using reference samples from family members such as Adams. When an identification is eventually made, a Navy Casualty case worker coordinates with the family to discuss the identification and help with the final disposition of the remains. Adams said they reached out to him in 2020 and he was overwhelmed when he heard the news. I went out back, lit up a Camel, and I cried. That I could find some way of bringing this young man home because hell be a young man forever. Pulling it together In June of this year, U.S. Navy Fireman First Class Leo Keninger, a native of Ackley, was given a burial in his hometown cemetery after his remains at Pearl Harbor were also identified. Like Mulick, Keninger served on the Oklahoma. Around the time of the burial, a niece of Keninger, Martha Wallace, had nothing but gratitude for the Navy officials who helped plan the ceremony. It has been really amazing to work with all the different people and all the different professions to pull this all together, she said. For Mulicks funeral in Elma, Adams said that the Navy is leaving no stone unturned. The Navy has pretty well taken care of everything. They got the remains back to Riceville and the casket has been lying in state in Riceville since, Adams said. Since then, were just waiting for Saturday to come along. I think its going to be a very good tribute to this man. Adams has no idea exactly how many people will show up to see Mulick off. His focus is on the immediate family. On people like Bob, whom John motivated in life and in death. Thoughts too center on Mary and the all work she did. Mary tried her damnedest to get more out of the Department of the Navy. And there was nothing to report. They could find or locate the man, Adams said. Mulicks been found now. Hes no longer lost. He has a home again. (c)2021 Globe Gazette, Mason City, Iowa Visit Globe Gazette, Mason City, Iowa at www.globegazette.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC . Changes to the SunCommercial's back end processing means the e-edition is getting a facelift. The biggest change is the e-edition, by default, is now presented in Text view. The Ministry of Social Developments Bay of Plenty regional commissioner has hit back at criticism about housing and homelessness in Rotorua. Ministry of Social Development regional commissioner Mike Bryant describes a barrage of criticism reported in the media about issues related to housing and homelessness in the city. Criticism has ranged from concerns about children living in motels to social issues in areas with emergency accommodation providers. Yes, we have 400 whanau that are staying in motels, yes that is far from ideal but for many of them, thats better than the alternative. For many of them, theyre actually appreciative of that particular opportunity. We used to have lots of people staying, unfortunately, in parks and other places, and many people complained about that. Then we had people staying in a night shelter and ... lots of people complained about that. Now weve got people staying in motels and people are complaining about that. I can give you an absolute assurance as the number of social housing needs to increase well have people complaining about where those social houses are and the effect that has on them as well. We have people that complain about everything. Making the comments as part of a housing update to a Rotorua Lakes Council meeting on Thursday, Bryant says people shouldnt judge anything based on what is read in the media as they tended to be wrong or have errors in them. Unfortunately, it does create perceptions that people actually believe and its certainly done that in the housing space. I certainly wouldnt want to judge the council and the work that you do based on things that are in the paper because often that paints a picture of quite negative arguments and sort of, unsupportive approaches around many things. We are always open to suggestions and want to make a difference. We dont really enjoy working with negative people. He told the council there is a shortage of social housing, with 700 people in Rotorua on the social housing register, and government agencies were trying to increase supply. MSDs involvement in the housing space is really more of a supportive one. Weve been doing everything we can to engage with others so that the supply [of social housing] can be increased. He says he has attended numerous meetings with Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick and council chief executive Geoff Williams about frustration about the shortage of houses, as well as discussing employment. Bryant says work is a true circuit breaker. We need industries and employers that are prepared to give people a chance. You get rejection after rejection and after being turned down 50 times I guess its possible you stop applying and you start being interested in how you actually survive on a benefit. He says an inter-agency taskforce had resulted in 200 motel units for whanau with children and of those, 175 families had been homed. About seven or eight years ago ... the Government decided that every New Zealander should have the right to at least have somewhere safe, warm and dry to stay so they suggested that people should go and talk to Work and Income if they dont have anywhere to stay. We were dealing with benefits and employment at the time, were now dealing with the housing register. From my staffs perspective they do find it difficult when people turn up at 5 oclock on a Friday or late in the afternoon, they have nowhere to stay, they have lots of underlying social issues, they have health issues ... and things that actually need to be done. He says the Ministry of Social Development tries to provide those services alongside other government agencies and is be supporting the Ministry for Housing and Urban Development on a housing hub in Rotorua. My staff have been dealing with those clients for five or six years, often on their own, often with very little support and often with lots of criticism. There seems to be a lot of confusion, Im sure its to do with reporting, but countries all over the world are facing a housing crisis. Its not just a Rotorua or New Zealand issue, its actually a worldwide problem. MIke wants to create opportunities for people who are furthest from the labour market. For those groups of New Zealanders who are often referred to as lazy, or uninterested or unable to actually engage many of them have goals and aspirations about having a better life. Many of those people are young people and obviously theyre going to become a very valuable commodity so in some ways we should be thinking of the huge opportunity that group of people actually creates for us. He says the MSD spent $13m to boost employment numbers in the Bay of Plenty through training and upskilling, and the Government has just given a further $11m for the region. Id actually like to spend as much of that $11m as possible in Rotorua. We have 3476 people that have been on a benefit in Rotorua, on a working-age benefit, for more than a year. He wants to see those people employed and calls on employers to work with the Ministry to that end. Its those employers that take up the offer the quickest or the most gusto that are likely to get the highest percentage of that particular funding. Bryant says in the last financial year, the Ministry has helped 11,500 across the Bay of Plenty into employment. Of that, 2650 are from Rotorua. The Bay of Plenty target this financial year was 14,000. Bryant also hit out at claims homeless people had been transported into the city by the MSD. I can confirm at no stage have we ever had a bus thats picked anybody up from anywhere else. Most of the time theres been more people leaving Rotorua to go to other places. New Zealand is a democracy, people get to choose where they live, we dont tell people where they have to go, and if people have connections and other reasons to come to Rotorua, and they justify what those reasons are ... we do the best we can to support them. Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick says there has been a lot of misinformation that just starts to spread. She did not state what the misinformation was specifically. Rotorua district councillor Raj Kumar. Photo / Andrew Warner / Rotorua Daily Post. Councillor Raj Kumar says he's concerned about children living in motels as well as the issues expressed by those living near emergency accommodation. The people want to know when is this situation going to change. Bryant says the situation is going to be "a lot longer than anybody thinks He says he's lobbying other government agencies for going too slow and too low and wanted to help speed it up. He believed rapid progress on housing had been made in the past three to six months. Rotorua district councillor Mercia Yates. Photo / Andrew Warner / Rotorua Daily Post. Councillor Mercia Yates says there is a very small percentage causing distraction and bad behaviours across our city and wanted to focus on the positive. She asked Bryant to myth bust whether all people in emergency accommodation were unemployed and on benefits. Bryant says many were but some werent. A document provided by Bryant to councillors for the meeting showed the number of beneficiaries in Rotorua had risen slightly between 2020 and 2021 by 291 to 8451. Benefit expenditure in Rotorua in the year ending June 2021, including jobseeker support, sole parent support, the supported living payment and superannuation came to just under $449m. Do you already have a paid subscription to any of the SWNewsMedia newspapers? If so, you can Activate your Premium online account by clicking here. Activation will allow you to view unlimited online articles each month. To activate your Premium online account, the email address and phone number provided with your paid newspaper subscription needs to match the information you use in setting up your online user account. If you are having trouble or want to confirm what email address and phone number is listed on your subscription account, please call 952-345-6682 or email circulation@swpub.com and we'll be happy to assist. PARK HILL [mdash] JOHN BERRY PRESLEY entered this life on April 28th, 1937, in Welling, Oklahoma and passed to his heavenly home July 29th, 2021 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. John was a long-time employee at Wal-Mart, a dedicated father and husband. He was preceded in death by his mother Geneva Wr Our Most Popular Magazines + Digital We get it. You live by the Ski Valleys snow report even when youre hours away. You follow every Taos post on Instagram. Our small town occupies a BIG part of your heart. Keep in touch with all things Taos when you subscribe to FIVE of our national award-winning magazines, plus access to the website and e-edition for a full year at the special low rate of just $55. The Taos News delivered to your Taos County address every week for a full year! We offer our lowest mail rates to zip codes in the county. Click Here to See if you Qualify. Plan includes unlimited website access and e-edition print replica online. Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period. You may cancel at anytime. In brief: Tesla will pay 1,743 Model S sedan owners in the US $625 as part of a $1.5 million settlement over claims a software update temporarily reduced their vehicles' maximum battery voltage, leading to a class-action lawsuit against the EV giant. CNBC writes that the OTA update arrived in 2019 after a Model S caught fire in Hong Kong. Tesla said the update, pushed out over an "abundance of caution," would revise charge and thermal management settings on Model S and Model X vehicles. But one Model S owner, David Rasmussen, said that the update had reduced the vehicles' battery charging speed, maximum capacity, and range temporarily. The matter went to court in August 2019. Lawyers for the owners who sued said (via Reuters) that the "voltage limitation was temporary, with a 10% reduction lasting about three months, and a smaller 7% reduction lasting another seven months before the corrective update was released in March 2020." Tesla released another update that restored around 3% of the battery voltage, with a third update arriving in March 2020 that fully restored the batteries' voltage. According to court filings, 1,552 of the affected vehicles had their max battery voltage restored, while 57 vehicles received battery replacements. Other Tesla owners who experienced battery throttling should see their Model S's maximum voltage restored as they continue to drive the cars. The $1.5 million settlement includes $410,000 fees and costs for the plaintiffs' attorneys. Owners can expect just $625, which is "many times the prorated value of the temporarily reduced maximum voltage," according to the settlement documents. Engadget notes that affected owners in Norway can expect up to $16,000, the result of a lawsuit in the country over the same issue. As part of the settlement, Tesla must also "maintain diagnostic software for in-warranty vehicles to notify owners and lessees of vehicles that Tesla determines may need battery service or repair for certain battery issues." Why it matters: The previous record holder for the highest fine received for GDPR violations was Google who received a 50 million penalty. However, Amazon was recently fined an eye-watering 746 million, signaling that violating privacy rules in the EU is getting a lot more expensive as time goes by. Amazon seems to be doing relatively well under its new leadership, but the company's growth is slowing down and the shortcuts taken to achieve its gargantuan size are biting again. The retail giant has been fined a whopping 746 million ($885 million) after Luxembourg's National Data Protection Commission (CNPD) found the company had violated GDPR rules when processing personal data. The Wall Street Journal spotted the fine in a security filing, where the company disclosed that it was issued two weeks ago after the CNPD concluded an investigation into Amazon's advertising practices. Amazon noted in the filing the CNPD asked it to revise its advertising practices, but the company didn't reveal any details about the proposed changes. Either way, Amazon isn't happy about the fine, and believes "the decision relating to how we show customers relevant advertising relies on subjective and untested interpretations of European privacy law." The company plans to appeal the decision in court, and argues the proposed fine is "entirely out of proportion." GDPR rules allow for the penalty to be 20 million or 4 percent of a company's annual global revenue, whichever is higher. Back in June, the Wall Street Journal saw a CNPD draft where the fine was set at $425 million, but that amount more than doubled after other EU privacy regulators weighed in on the matter. Last year, the European Commission revealed the results of a separate investigation into how Amazon promotes its own products in the region. Specifically, the EU commissioners found that Amazon used third-party seller data from its marketplace to bolster its own products. Depending on the outcome of that investigation, Amazon could be fined up to $28 billion. GDPR enforcement seems to be taking a turn after privacy advocates have repeatedly criticized the European Commission for moving too slowly and applying small fines that do little to dissuade companies with deep pockets. For a company like Amazon, $885 million is still pocket change, but it's more than an order of magnitude higher than the $57 million Google had to pay for violating GDPR rules. Apple and other giant smartphone developers have to face various issues regarding user data privacy. Now, the giant iPhone maker confirmed that its consumers could use their Apple ID to see the sensitive data that the company is tracking and keeping from them. Also Read: Apple's Anti-Leaker Campaign Aims to Track Down Everyone Who Sells and Advertises Apple Product Prototype. This is a great initiative from the tech giant creator, especially since the collected data could lead to massive security threats. As of the moment, Apple is considered one of the giant tech manufacturers focusing on enhancing user data privacy protection. Recently, the giant iPhone maker released its so-called App Tracking Transparency feature. This new data security functionality forces new developers to disclose the personal information that their new apps will track from the interested consumers. This new functionality also leads to an issue against the giant social media platform, Facebook. The giant tech firm said that the new Apple ATT would certainly affect the company and its advertisers since it will allow users to opt out from its user data tracking activities. How To Use Apple ID Collected User Data Request? According to CNET's latest report, all you need to do is visit your Apple ID account page. Once you log in, you need to choose the "Data and Privacy" option. After that, you need to access the "Manage My Data and Privacy" section. Once you click that, you need to enter the apps and services that you would like to assess. Apple will start working on your request after you completed the process. On the other hand, you are still required to wait for around seven days before you can receive the collected user data breakdown from the giant iPhone maker. Sensitive User Data You Can Request Apple ID currently allows you to find out what personal data Apple is tracking from you. You can request a digital copy of the following sensitive user information that the iPhone creator might be keeping from you: Marketing communications, downloads, and other activity iCloud Drive files and documents iCloud Mail iCloud Photos Other data (such as known Wi-Fi networks and location data for Wallet, Maps, and so on) Apple Media Services information Apple ID account and device information Apple Online and Retail Stores activity Wallet Activity AppleCare support history, repair requests, and more Game Center activity iCloud Calendars and Reminders iCloud Contacts iCloud Notes Maps iCloud Bookmarks and reading list Although Apple looks like it is becoming more strict when it comes to user data tracking activities, Facebook and its advertisers were still able to increase their ad revenue by $28 billion, which is more than double its 20202 profit, as reported by Mac Rumors. For more news updates about Apple ID and other related security features of Apple, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. Related Article: Apple Warns Against AirTags Replacement Battery with Bitter Coating, As It Might Not Work Well with Tech This article is owned by TechTimes Written by: Griffin Davis 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Apple Campus in North Carolina has yet to have its design and construction, so it would temporarily lease office space in MetLife NC so that it may soon open its doors to new employees. Naturally, the design and conceptualization of a new office would be hard, and it would take some time before it gets finalized. Apple's next campus would be a massive compound for the company, as it can hire up to 3,000 employees for its fully functional facilities, R&D, and more. The budget allocated for its construction is $1 billion, which is a whopping number for Apple to spend on a facility. It would also fortify Apple's presence in the eastern region of the country. Apple Temporary Lease on MetLife North Carolina According to MacRumors, Apple would have a temporary lease on a building in North Carolina, with a company called "MetLife" which has three buildings on its compound. For now, the third building remains unused by the company and would have its doors open for tenants that wish to utilize the office space. It seems that Apple is already keen on opening its North Carolina campus, something which the company has been looking forward to, for its expansion. The 200,000 feet office space would give Apple adequate space to begin operations, but it was not revealed if this would be intended for all the 3,000 employees it aims to hire. Read Also: New Apple Campus May Rise In North Carolina Or Northern Virginia: 20, 000 Jobs At Stake However, that being said, Apple has not revealed any details with regards to its new campus, and what design would it have, despite having already bought the land in 2018. This was a part of its initial investment in the country, and its goal to bring more jobs for people to apply for, especially under Apple's care. Apple Campus North Carolina Expected Opening? There was no specific target date for the construction of the North Carolina plant, but it would come in the next two years or so, provided that it already has finalized its designs and chosen contractors. However, both have no news or information yet. That being said, its conceptualization alone will take some time, especially if Apple is to focus on design. Apple's report of a $430 billion investment in the country for the next five years includes the plan for its North Carolina campus, and it is something which the company wants to debut. For now, Apple would have to stick to its "Spaceship-designed" Cupertino campus, which is also the main office of the company. Is Apple's North Carolina Already Hiring? Currently, Apple's North Carolina gave no clues whether it is already hiring for vacancies on its next office, especially as it has already acquired a new space on MetLife. The new office space in North Carolina only suggests that Apple is already looking forward to the opening of its new campus, which is a massive one for the company. Related Article: Apple Campus: $1B Facility in North Carolina to Hire 3,000 Employees When it Opens This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Isaiah Richard 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Leaked photos of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 cases have surfaced online. These photos give Samsung Galaxy fans a lot of information about the cases, including its overall design, available colors and what materials they are made of. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3 Cases Leaked Photos Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 cases have been leaked by listings on South Korean retailer Coupang as well as website 91Mobiles. The leaked photos on the Coupang listings are described by a report by TechRadar as "advertisement-quality product photos" that feature the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 phones themselves. According to the report, cases for these two foldables will come in silicon, leather, and clear options. Available colors suggested by the leaked photos are lavender, mustard yellow, and navy blue. Two of the color options seem to have rings as well that will let the user attach the phone to something else. The lavender-colored case, in particular, has a circular ring, while the navy blue-colored case has a flatter, wider ring that the TechRadar report describes looking "a lot like a seatbelt." Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3: What We Know So Far Leaks for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 themselves have previously found their way to the internet. These leaks include product specs, features, and overall design of the two clamshell foldables. Leaked photos have shown that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 will have the S Pen stylus and no physical buttons on the device. Instead of physical buttons, it is said to have capacitive buttons and gesture control. It will also have an AMOLED display and a 120Hz screen. Related Article: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Production Starts | Foldable Clamshell Expected? The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 leaks, on the other hand, have claimed that the foldable will have a plastic body instead of the usual ultra thin glass. The internal display is said to be 7.55 inches while the cover display measures at 6.21 inches. Both the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 will also have "Lite" options, which are speculated to have black, green, and white color options. Samsung Unpacked Event Samsung enthusiasts are expecting both the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 to launch at the upcoming Samsung Unpacked hardware event happening on August 11. Details about the Samsung hardware event have also been previously leaked online. Other Samsung products that fans are anticipating to hear about during Samsung Unpacked include the Galaxy Watch 4, Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, and Galaxy Buds 2. Fans have also been eagerly awaiting for news about the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE. There have been speculations that it will be a part of the Samsung Unpacked event. Also Read: Samsung to Unveil New Products on August 11: New Leaked Promo Image Suggests Release Date This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Isabella James 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. (Photo : Screenshot From Pexels Official Website) COVID-19 Denier and Flat Earther Faces Trial for 3 Counts of Breaking Quarantine Act A COVId-19 denier and flat earther is now facing trial for 3 counts of breaking the Quarantine Act. A certain Metro Vancouver man who was accused of repetitively breaking COVID-19 quarantine rules has just appeared in the B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster for the very first day of his trial. COVID-19 Denier and Conspiracy Theorist According to Global News, the man is Mak Parhar and is an outspoken COVID-19 denier and conspiracy theorist. He was reportedly charged with three counts of breaking the official Quarantine Act. Parhar allegedly refused to self-isolate after he had returned from a particular Flat Earth conference in the United States last November 2020. During that time, he spent four whole days in jail. There have been many COVID-19 myths and conspiracies debunked like how standing next to a vaccinated person would destroy one's body. Parhar Notes 'Illegal, Unlawful Criminal Trial' Outside of the court, Parhar noted that he was facing a supposed "illegal, unlawful criminal trial" noting that he has not harmed anybody and that there is still no proof that they have harmed anybody. He also noted that there is no proof that he has been sick and that "they" only want to make an example out of him. Parhar commented about the situation noting that it is about "quarantining the healthy" referring to it as an absurd idea. He then questioned "what kind of a clown world" are we all living in, questioning why there is a need to quarantine people who are reportedly perfectly healthy and have never even "been sick for 17 years of something like that." City of Delta Revokes Parhar Hot Yoga Studio Business License Parhar then represented himself and told Global News that he actually felt that he had been "completely railroaded" by nonother than the judge who he mentioned had "regularly interrupted him." In March 2020, the City of Delta had even revoked Parhar's business license for his very own hot yoga studio. The revocation of the hot yoga studio was made after he had encouraged people to attend and even "falsely claimed" that the heat could even kill the coronavirus itself, as also reported by the CDC. He also reportedly faced criticism for both entering and filming inside health-care facilities during the height of the pandemic's first wave in order to get the "truth" about the whole COVID-19 pandemic. Read Also: New COVID-19 Mask Mandates Might Cause Confusion as Retailers Mull Rethinking Policies Parhar vs Government The B.C. Supreme Court also threw out a lawsuit that Parhar had filed against the B.C. government ruling that it was actually "embarrassing in the legal sense of that term" referring to it as frivolous and vexatious, noting it as an "abuse of process." Parhar admits that the actions that he made have already caused problems in both his personal as well as family relations. Parhar, however, insists that he is still standing up for rights and freedom. His trial is now scheduled for two days. Efforts are being increased to get more and more Americans to vaccinate themselves with the government even rolling out $100 to those that get vaccinated agains COVID-19. Related Article: Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine's Protection Weakens But Remains High After Six Months, Strengthens Call for Boosters This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Urian B. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. (Photo : Screenshot From Amazon Official Website) PowerColor Red Devil AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT Restock Spotted Being Sold for Over Twice Its SRP | Is NVIDIA Cheaper? PowerColor Red Devil AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT restock was just spotted online selling for twice its original SRP! Although the GPU is selling for $1,357, which is actually considered a decent deal these days with high powered GPUs demanding almost $2,000, the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT was still twice its original price. AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT Restock TechRadar confirms that when the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT initially launched on November 18, it was only selling for $649! Even doubling this amount would price the GPU at just $1,298! While this might sound like good news to GPU buyers still since they can buy a GPU that is below the $1,500 budget line, knowing the original SRP, there is clearly an extremely wide gap on how much the GPU costs now and how much its SRP is. The reason for comparison is due to just recently, a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti was just spotted selling for only $200 more than its original flagship price. This, of course, is a very rare occasion as most GPUs are priced extremely high as seen with the recent PowerColor Red Devil AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT restock which sold for over twice its original launch price. GPU Price and SRP Of course, despite the prices, gamers will still have to move fast should they want to avail a good deal on GPUs. Following restock tracker Twitter accounts is very important since they give notifications whenever new stock is available on different online retail stores. The thing is, however, not all of these GPUs are priced fairly. As of the moment, buying a GPU at SRP is possible but when it comes to GPUs, fans might have to wait a little while longer. A recent AMD Ryzen 9 5900X restock was spotted selling for its exact SRP which could be a good sign for CPUs as scalper prices might have meddled down at last. Read Also: Microsoft Store Xbox Series X Restock Spotted Online | Notification Too Late? NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti As of the moment, it's still hard to say whether the recent NVIDIA restock at just $200 markup was a special restock or will it be the new normal for other NVIDIA GPUs. If this is the case, then this will mean that the prices of NVIDIA GPUs might have finally normalized. However, if the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti that was spotted selling for just $200 past its SRP was an isolated case, then this means it's hard to tell whether NVIDIA really is more affordable compared to its AMD counterparts. As of the moment, it's safe to say that both AMD and NVIDIA GPUs are still being inflated in prices and it's still hard to expect prices to normalize soon. Aside from the global chip shortage, buyers still have to compete with scalpers and crypto miners which are adding to the difficulty of buying a GPU at fair prices. Related Article: GIGABYTE AORUS RTX 3090 Gaming Box Restock Spotted Selling for $2,449! Almost a Thousand Dollars More Than SRP This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Urian B. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The International Space Station (ISS) was briefly moved out of position after the Nauka space module's thrusters unexpectedly fired up. According to a tweet posted on the official Twitter account of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Nauka's thrusters unexpectedly began to fire at 12:45 p.m. ET, tilting the space station by 45 degrees from its usual position. The problem has since been fixed by NASA's Mission Control teams. No one from the ISS crew was ever in danger due to the tilt. ISS Moved 45 Degrees Out of Position: What Happened The ISS tilting incident happened three hours after the new Russian space module, Nauka, successfully docked with the space station on Thursday, July 29. According to a report by Space, cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov were preparing to open the hatch between the Nauka and the Zvezda module, where the Nauka docked. Nauka's thrusters then unexpectedly began to fire up and the ISS lost what is referred to as "attitude control." ICYMI: Earlier today, the Russian Nauka module inadvertently fired its thrusters while docked to the @Space_Station. Mission Control teams corrected the action and all systems are operating normally. The crew was never in any danger. Stay tuned for a media telecon later today: pic.twitter.com/bjuDmdiZu5 NASA (@NASA) July 29, 2021 The mishap was eventually corrected and according to NASA, the space station has regained attitude control. Crew members of the ISS have cleared their schedules and are focusing on the recovery efforts following the incident, according to the U.S. space agency. Nauka Space Module Docks Successfully Contact and capture, docking confirmed. At 9:29am ET, the @Roscosmos Nauka science module arrived at the Earth-facing side of the @Space_Station's Russian segment: pic.twitter.com/svwaYm5UGS NASA (@NASA) July 29, 2021 The ISS welcomed the Nauka space module after a successful flight that lasted eight days, according to a report by BBC. To make way for the arrival of the new Russian space module, a 20-year-old space module called Pirs was let go by the ISS. Once Pirs was undocked from the ISS, the old space mobile burned like a fireball in space. Nauka is now occupying the docking compartment Pirs vacated. The launch of the Nauka space module was delayed for more than 10 years. The space module is meant to boost the science capabilities of the Russian section of the ISS. Related Article: ISS Removes Russia Pirs and Allows It To Burn In Space-Giving Way To the New Nauka Space Module Boeing Starliner OFT-2 Launch Delayed Due to ISS Tilt The unexpected incident involving the thruster of the Nauka space module has affected the much-awaited launch of a Boeing spacecraft. The Boeing Starliner OFT-2 launch has been delayed following the Nauka space module thruster mishap at the ISS. The launch, which was originally scheduled to take place on July 30, has been moved to August 3. Officials from both NASA and Boeing made the announcement after a joint decision not to push through with the July 30 launch. "The move allows the International Space Station team time to continue working checkouts of the newly arrived Roscosmos' Nauka module and to ensure the station will be ready for Starliner's arrival," according to NASA, as quoted in a separate report by Space. The rescheduled launch of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft will happen at 1:20 p.m. EDT. Also Read: SpaceX's Crew Dragon to Make Way for Boeing's Key Starliner Test-How To Watch? This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Isabella James 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Tesla Megapack caught on fire in Australia's largest battery site, one of the world's biggest, during the testing of the Victorian Big Battery in Geelong, Victoria. CNBC confirmed that the fire at the colossal battery facility, which burned the battery system of the company of Elon Musk, occurred at 10:15 a.m. local time on Friday. Tesla Megapack Fire in Australia's Largest Battery Site The spokesperson of the Australian Energy Market Operator or AEMO revealed details about the fire incident on the recently registered battery, assuring that the electricity grid and supply area was spared from the flames. Thus, the power from the region is not affected. Also, no one was injured as the location has been swiftly evacuated. The local news outlet of ABC reported that both Neoen and Tesla are joining forces to manage the unfortunate situation. As per Financial Review, the vicinity already received a smoke warning due to the massive fire. As such, residents nearby the facility have already been notified to close their windows and doors, as well as shut down both cooling and heating systems. Moreover, the cause of the fire incident has yet to be figured out by the authorities. Australia's Largest: Victorian Big Battery Site The Victorian Big Battery site, which is powered by the Tesla Megapacks, is meant to be the backup in times of any outages. The Megapack in the large-scale energy project is the culmination of the partnership of a Paris-based renewable energy firm that goes by the name Neoen, Tesla, and an Australian-based energy company, AusNet Services. It is to note that the facility recently got its registration from the AEMO, which Neoen Australia boasted in high hopes on its Twitter account. The Paris-based giant went on to thank Tesla, along with other groups, for their involvement. It is also worth noting that the state of Victoria is aiming for its energy sources to become 50% renewable by 2030. Elon Musk Tweets The Tesla CEO has yet to respond to the incident. However, Musk tweeted "Prometheus Unbound," the god of fire," paired with a photo of a massive fire after the news broke that the Megapacks are burning. Read Also: Elon Musk: Nuclear Power Could Possibly Be 'Extremely Safe'-Here's How He Plans to Do it Tesla Megapack In hindsight, the EV giant started to enter the power business with its home consumer products, such as the Tesla Solar Roof, Powerwall, and tons of smart home offerings. Although the Tesla Megapack goes beyond the consumer line, it is among the numerous energy ventures of the company of Musk. On June 30, residents of Ventura County in California halted the supposed entry of a gas peaker plant in their location. Thus, folks of the said county got a 100MW Tesla Megapack instead. Related Article: Elon Musk: Tesla Powerwall Supply to Produce LESS Than Half the Demand Due to Chip Shortage This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Teejay Boris 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Apple leaks have been rampant across social media since the Cupertino giant could not supervise every potential source behind those. Recently, the tech titan said that it is now after an anonymous leaker from China who has shared the stolen images of an iPhone prototype over Twitter. The subject that quickly surfaced online has tackled some information about the hardware components of iPad, Mac, and iPhone. Since many Apple products are created in China, this kind of leak becomes more common before the products are revealed to the public. The popular Chinese microblogging site Weibo serves as one of the leak's hotspots. The tech companies have been dealing with the leaks lately, and Apple seemed to be disappointed about them. Apple Wants to Identify the Unknown Tipster According to a report by VICE, Apple wanted the leaker to tell who gave the information regarding the stolen prototypes. The Cupertino giant appeared to be hell-bent on chasing the potential person behind the leakage. Moreover, the company has already issued a cease and desist order to the tipster who has published the iPhone prototypes online. Regarding the anonymous Chinese leaker, Apple was seeking possible resellers who have already gotten the circulating Apple product. It was known that the stolen hardware was located in Longhua, Shenzhen. What the resellers will do is market the product to an avid collector who could fix some imperfections posed in the iPhone. In short, the tech firm wants to take down the growing "grey market" that the resellers have been exploiting. Based on the cease and desist letter, Apple has requested the unnamed tipster to refrain from advertising and marketing the stolen hardware. In addition, the iPhone maker also asked the person about the list of the sources who have brought the leaks to various social media platforms--be it an individual or a partner in another company. Read Also: Apple AirPods 3, iPhone 13 Have 'Good Chances' to Land on September, Source Says Apple Request Leaker to Comply in Two Weeks After Receiving the Letter From a report by News18, on Friday, July 30, Apple is not yet finished on its request to the tipster. The company also wanted an official document signing for such a purpose within 14 days. That will be effective by the time the leaker receives the letter from the tech firm. "Through investigation, Apple has obtained relevant evidence about your [leakster] unauthorized disclosure of Apple's unreleased and rumored products... Your intentional infringement is specifically manifested as publishing unpublished information about Apple's new products through social media platforms, including but not limited to the design and performance of these new products, " the letter read. Besides the unnamed Chinese tipster, Apple also said in another report that it would chase other leakers since the leaks have big impacts on the expectations of the customers. Apple's Anti-Leaker Campaign The latest anti-leak campaign would bar those who spread leaks from further publishing them on different platforms. The tech giant is now conducting ongoing investigations about this unauthorized sharing of rumored products. Recently, a source said that there's a good chance that the AirPods 3 and iPhone 13 will be launched in the next two months. As a reminder, the leaks should always be taken with a grain of salt. Related Article: Apple Leaker Jon Prosser Believes USB-C, Not Happening: "I'll Shave my Eyebrows and Head" This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joseph Henry 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The BazaLoader malware, which is also known as the BazarBackdoor, has been spotted by cybersecurity experts to be infiltrating systems of the victims who have downloaded the suspicious software. The ransomware attack has been operating inside fraudulent call centers. The cybercriminals made use of malicious links and files that have the virus. When the victim downloads them, the ransomware will be immediately installed in the system. BazaCall Attacks Hit Victims The usual call centers that we know can now be potential outlets of ransomware, according to the latest report by Hackers News. The notorious hackers behind the scheme rely on BazaCall, a method involving sending email messages to the victims through a subscription link. If someone is unaware of the malware, he/she could likely install the BazaLoader without any notice. Once the recipient follows the instructions and downloads the software, the infection will start to crawl into the victim's system. What is BazaLoader The BazaLoader is able to inflict damage to the computers by allowing the installation of suspicious programs. The malware thrives in a C++ environment and has the ability to steal important details from the user, such as email address, passwords, bank account, and more. The ransomware could be compared to the previous Conti ransomware, which depends on many threat actors that aid the spread of the malware. It was in April last year when it was first discovered. "Attacks emanating from the BazaCall threat could move quickly within a network, conduct extensive data exfiltration and credential theft, and distribute ransomware within 48 hours of the initial compromise," Microsoft wrote in its BazaCall security report on Thursday, July 29. The malware launch for BazalLoader is prominent among call centers. According to Hacker News, the known operations behind the attacks are non-native English speakers. Read Also: Babuk Locker Ransomware Targets Victims Around the World; Demands $210 as Ransom Beware of BazaLoader-Infected E-books and Subscriptions E-book fans may have to think twice about the websites that they are visiting when downloading the files. The case back in May that involved BravoMovies' subscriptions and fake e-books. The websites where you can access them might be a makeshift outlet for BazaLoader malware through an Excel spreadsheet. Microsoft said that the modus of the attackers begins with a call from a call center representative. Furthermore, the hackers will convince the victim to click the suspicious link on the website. They will also ask the user if he/she will push through the trial subscription or not. According to the researchers, the BazaCall campaigns target how important is the cross-domain optics, as well as how it could correlate a case that involves the threat actors. Microsoft was able to recognize the threat actor behind the SolarWinds attack, but not exactly the true identity of the criminals. They suspected that the hackers came from China. They were also carrying out operations in the United States. Related Article: Should the Release of Ransomware Decryptors be Revealed to the Public? Bitdefender Labs Team Has an Important Announcement This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joseph Henry 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Russia is currently in trouble after its new space module called Nauka accidentally shoved the International Space Station (ISS) out of its original position. Roscosmos claimed that the unexpected space accident was caused by their new space station's software glitch. Although the issue already affected the entire ISS, Roscosmos officials announced they haven't developed a fix to solve the system issue. But, they added that they will inform their U.S. partners once new updates are released. "Due to a short-term software failure, a direct command was mistakenly implemented to turn on the module's engines for withdrawal, which led to some modification of the orientation of the complex as a whole," explained the flight director of the space station's Russian segment, Vladimir Solovyov. As of the moment, the Russian space agency said that they will conduct essential investigations why the thrusters of Nauka suddenly fired, pushing the International Space Station. How Serious Is Russia Nauka's Software Glitch? According to News 5 WKRG's latest report, the recent Nauka incident is a serious one since it could affect the performance of ISS when it comes to space innovations and other missions. Also Read: SpaceX Super Heavy Rocket Have Plumbing on Its Raptor Engines, Elon Musk Explains Why Various space experts said that the original position of the space structure is essential since it allows ISS to gather enough power from the sun using its solar panels. On the other hand, since the International Space Station is already out of its place, its communication activities back to Earth might also be affected. However, Space Station Manager Joel Montalbano said that the accident did not cause any injuries for the astronomers. "We haven't noticed any damage. There was no immediate danger at any time to the crew," he added. Montalbano shared that the crew members of ISS did not feel any movement or shaking at all during the sudden incident with the Nauka space module. On the other hand, NASA confirmed that the ISS was moved around 45 degrees from its original attitude and almost one-eighth of a complete circle. Aside from this, the international space agency's spokesman, Bob Jacobs, announced that the space complex stops spinning after the new Russian space module shoved it. What Really Happened With ISS and Nauka? US News reported that the software glitch forced Russia's Nauka space module to fire its thrusters towards ISS. Solovyov explained that the system issue sent an incorrect direct command to turn the new lab's engines. However, the Roscosmos official added that the space incident was quickly countered by another Russian space component's propulsion system to prevent serious damages. For more news updates about the Nauka system glitch and other related space stories, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. Related Article: ISS Briefly Moved Out of Position After Nauka Space Module's Thrusters Fired Up, Boeing Starliner Launch Delayed This article is owned by TechTimes Written by: Griffin Davis 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A view of the Perseid Meteor Shower as seen from the White Desert, Egypt. The view is nearly as good from Top of the Pines, outside Ridgway, where a series of free dark sky events (including Perseids-watching) will be held Aug. 9-12. (Photo courtesy of Ahmed abd elkader mohamed/Wikipedia) Kim Kardashian West has been slapped with a cease-and-desist letter after trying to trademark SKKN. After it was revealed that the 40-year-old businesswoman is bidding farewell to KKW Beauty and overhauling her cosmetics brand, the 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' star has hit a blip along the way, as she tried to claim ownership of SKKN. TMZ reports that Beauty Concepts LLC has contacted Kim's lawyers to make them aware that they already have a website and social media pages for SKKN+, a skincare and salon company run by Cyndie Lunsford. The firm has claimed they had already sent off papers to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to trademark the name and logo and that they have spent a substantial amount on marketing. In December, the news outlet claimed Kim had landed the domain name SKKN.com and @SKKN social media handles. However, the SKIMS founder's lawyer, Michael G. Rhodes, has insisted they are well within their rights to use SKKN and they are hoping to "smooth things over" with Lunsford. He told the site: "We certainly appreciate and support small businesses, and our hat is off to Ms. Lunsford. But the question at hand is one of trademark law and we've not done anything deserving of legal action by her. "We are disappointed that she has chosen to run to the media knowing that we were scheduling a call for tomorrow, requested by her attorney. So while disagreeing with the letter, we're hopeful that we can smooth things over once both sides speak." It's not the first time Kim has been met with legal wrangles regarding the names of her brands. The trainee lawyer was forced to change the name Kimono to SKIMS after she was accused of cultural appropriation. She said at the time: "My intention wasn't ever to offend anybody. Foolishly and ignorantly, we never thought that it would be a problem." Kim received a letter from the mayor of Kyoto, Japan, Daisaku Kadokawa, about her mishap and she described him as "very thoughtful" and he "very kindly explained" why. She added: "He was very thoughtful and very kindly explaining to me the meaning of kimono and why that's so important to their culture. Reading that letter, I felt an understanding. "I definitely did not want to disrespect a culture. That's not what the brand is even about - it's about inclusivity, it's about comfort, it's not about making people uncomfortable." Hospital leaders in Acadiana are pleading with the community to get vaccinated, wear masks and limit gatherings as their facilities and employees reach a breaking point. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 is nearly 10 times higher now in the Ochsner Lafayette General system than it was a month ago, and the patient count continues to increase as the delta variant of the coronavirus spreads through the community. "It has just been a sharp rise," said Dr. Amanda Logue, chief medical officer of Ochsner Lafayette General. "And we don't see the ceiling yet, which is the scary part." Logue spoke to reporters in a joint media video call on Friday alongside Dr. Henry Kaufman, interim chief medical officer of Our Lady of Lourdes, and Dr. Tina Stefanski, medical director for the Acadiana region of the Louisiana Department of Health. Together, the three doctors painted an alarming picture of what's happening inside of Acadiana's hospitals. The overwhelming majority of their current COVID-19 patients are younger and sicker than those treated during any previous surge. Ochsner Lafayette General had just 10 COVID-19 patients in its system of hospitals one month ago. The number was at 85 on Tuesday and had spiked to 97 by Friday morning. +4 Youngsville officer, 34, dies of COVID: 'He was always one of the leaders' Youngsville Police Chief Rickey Boudreaux rushed back from a work conference in Baton Rouge Friday morning upon learning one of his go-to offi Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center saw a similar trajectory, with a total of 70 COVID-19 patients as of Friday morning. All but two of those patients were unvaccinated, Kaufman said, noting the two vaccinated COVID-19 patients had significant underlying conditions. "It's a younger population. It's a complete inversion, in fact, from our last big wave of the pandemic," Kaufman said. "Our ICU is completely full of 30-, 40-, and 50-year-olds on ventilators right now." Elective surgeries that require inpatient beds are being canceled at both hospital systems to make space for COVID-19 patients in non-traditional spaces of the hospitals. Even with extra beds, however, staffing remains the primary concern as patient counts continue to increase. Urgent care facilities are just as full as the emergency departments of hospitals, Logue said. There has also been an overwhelming demand for monoclonal antibody infusions among unvaccinated patients who are sick with the virus but not sick enough to require hospitalization. Ochsner Lafayette General has three sites set up to administer the infusions and is in the process of setting up two more in an attempt to keep COVID-19 patients from becoming sicker, Logue said. Until vaccination rates increase and COVID-19 cases decrease, the doctors are calling on local leaders to step up. Logue and Kaufman said the same safety precautions that were in place at this time last year should be embraced. Both said they support a mask mandate because data shows cases drop with mandates in place. Top stories in Acadiana in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up "People are continuing to have gatherings. That needs to stop as soon as possible," Logue said. "We have to act like we did last year, even though we hate it. We have to act like we did last year in order to shut it down because it will not stop, and we will not be able to sustain the volume if it continues to spread as fast as it is." At this time last year, leaders announced the start of the school year would be postponed due to high community spread of the virus. When asked if that should happen again this year, the doctors danced around the question. "I don't think that any of us are ready to talk about that," Stefanski said. "These are big decisions that need to be made by school systems, but I think again what the community needs to know is that we all have a part in helping these kids get back to in-person learning next year. And so just as we have a role to play in helping to protect our community's health care system, we also have a role to play in helping our kids get back to in-person learning. I think we know what to do and no one likes it but I think we need to again pull together." Louisiana's fourth surge in COVID-19 cases has prompted more people to get vaccinated in Acadiana. Demand for the vaccines at Lourdes clinics was greater than availability over the past two weeks. Kaufman said the hospital system is working to increase availability going forward to meet the community's demand. It's a promising trend, the doctors said, but individuals who recently began the process are not fully vaccinated for two to six weeks after their first dose. The rate still remains concerningly low in Acadiana with just over 31% of the population fully vaccinated. +7 Heres how Louisiana physicians are debunking myths about the COVID vaccine and pregnancy A group of Louisiana female physicians said Friday that misinformation is incorrectly linking coronavirus vaccines with infertility and bad pr Kaufman, Logue and Stefanski encouraged those who are hesitant to get vaccinated to ask more questions and for everyone to challenge those who spread misinformation. They've even had to debunk myths among their own employees in an effort to get more people vaccinated. Both Ochsner Lafayette General and Our Lady of Lourdes have declined to share local statistics about their employee vaccination rates. Instead, Logue and Kaufman pointed to statewide employee vaccination rates that are just above 60% for both systems. Neither system has mandated vaccines for employees, although Logue said the topic has been discussed and she expects to see more mandates by health care systems and providers in the future. Kaufman said a health care provider recently told him a Lourdes employee had suffered a significant side effect involving blood clots from the vaccine. Kaufman said he immediately went to work to determine if that happened and was able to debunk the rumor. He took it a step further and reached out to local experts in thromboembolic events to determine if they'd treated any patients experiencing adverse effects from the vaccine. "I couldn't find a single vascular surgeon, neurosurgeon or cardiothoracic surgeon in our community that has seen a significant thromboembolic adverse event from any vaccines," Kaufman said. "All of them, however, have seen significant thromboembolic events in otherwise healthy people with no risk factors other than having had a COVID infection. Thirty-year-olds with thrombosed aortas. Forty-year-old athletes with thrombosed legs. People with cardiomyopathies that we can't otherwise explain. A rash of atrial fibrillation, strokes, heart attacks. These are all very real, compelling, morbid diagnoses that we are seeing in our unvaccinated patients who have had COVID and not seeing in our vaccinated population." Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines at ldh.la.gov/covidvaccine. Sign up for a vaccination appointment through Ochsner Lafayette General at ochsnerlg.org/mycovidvaccine or Our Lady of Lourdes at lourdesrmc.com/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine. An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated how many COVID-19 patients were in Ochsner Lafayette Generals system of hospitals earlier in the week. The correct count was 85 patients as of Tuesday. By Friday, there were 97 coronavirus patients, and by Saturday morning, that number had reached 119. The Acadiana Advocate regrets this error. A plantation-era Louisiana mansion spanning 7,400 square feet with five bedrooms and 4 baths is up for auction again in Ascension Parish. The Bocage antebellum plantation home in Darrow was built in 1837 in an American Greek Revival style after a fire struck the original structure, dating back to 1801. The 1837 rebuild is believed to have been designed by architect James Dakin, also the designer of the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge. Bocage's original architecture was French Colonial and West Indies-raised cottage style. The plantation home, which sits on 8 acres of land along River Road near the Mississippi River, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. Auction information online did not list a minimum bid price. The market value of the property, according to the Ascension Parish Assessors Office, is $1.86 million and taxes would cost $20,247 each year. The plantation home was put up for sale in 2004 and 2007, respectively. Dr. Marion Rundell, who holds a medical degree from the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans and is a pathologist in Texas affiliated with HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake, acquired the property in January 2008, records show. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up The Louisiana native spent more than a decade restoring the property and it was previously open to the public as a bed-and-breakfast but also for public tours. It also has been used as a film set for movies, including appearing among the Louisiana plantations used in the filming of "12 Years a Slave," released in 2013. When I purchased Bocage in 2008 my goal was to open it for the public to enjoy. It is a unique property that maintains an important role in the history of the great plantation houses of the United States," Rundell told the National Register of Historic Places several years ago. At the time, Rundell furnished the property with paintings by artists such as Rembrandt Peale. Walk through the property in 3D here. Read more about the history here and here from the National Registry of Historic Places. See aerial video below Port Allen's Michai Jacob, 12, left, gets his Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine from Our Lady of the Lake medical assistant Epeka Wenzy, right, at the Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group Injection Clinic Perkins, at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Monday, July 26, 2021. Children 12 or older like Michai are eligible now for the vaccine. Jubans Creole Restaurant is set to reopen late this year or early 2022, after being closed since July 2020 because of the COVID pandemic. Making Raving Fans Hospitality Group, which recently reopened SoLou Patio Restaurant Bar, will take over as the operator of the restaurant. The group is made up of Chef Peter Sclafani; Michael Boudreaux, former Jubans owner; and Kiva Guidroz. We know Jubans has great bones, but we want to reimagine it to see what else it could be, Sclafani said. Its been around for 40 years and we want to take it for 40 more years. The restaurant will remain a Creole fine dining establishment, and popular dishes, such as the Hallelujah Crab and Fish Adrian will remain on the menu. But other changes may happen. The group is working with local marketing firm Xdesign Inc. to rework the brand. Jubans will remain in the name, but a subtitle might be added, Sclafani said. DNA Workshop, a local architecture firm, is also being brought in to look at all of the space the restaurant takes up. The sheer size of Jubans, which features multiple dining rooms, is one of the reasons the property hasnt reopened after more than a year, Sclafani said. With the pandemic, large gatherings were not allowed. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up +2 In former Rum House spot, Portobello's Grill partners are developing a brand new restaurant Chef Peter Sclafani and Kiva Guidroz have signed a lease for the former Rum House building on Perkins Road and plan to open a new restaurant i The plan is to bring back the banquets and parties that were frequently held at Jubans. We dont want to change it that much, he said. As a model for the new Jubans, Sclafani pointed to two restaurants he is part owner of: Phils Oyster Bar and Portobellos Grill. Like Jubans, both are longtime popular local eateries. With Phils, we didnt want to come in and turn it up on its head, he said. We wanted to pay tribute to the past and bring it into the future by slightly updating the menu and making it more modern. The same thing happened with Portobellos, which last year got a new menu made up old favorites along with Louisiana-inspired cuisine. Juban's was the final property in the Juban Restaurant Group to temporarily close, following the COVID-related shutdowns of Adrian's Restaurant, Christina's and Beausoleil. Beausoleil was acquired by Stephen Hightower's City Group Hospitality, as was Adrian's. Adrian's recently reopened as a City Pork restaurant. Royal Taste of Jamaica has moved into the Christina's spot downtown. Juban's received a $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration's Restaurant Revitalization Fund, aimed at helping eateries make up the money they lost during the pandemic. The restaurant also received a $342,200 Paycheck Protection Program loan. With the highly contagious delta variant ripping through Louisiana and overwhelming hospitals statewide, Gov. John Bel Edwards urged the public on Friday to return to mask-wearing indoors and said hes seriously considering reinstating a mask mandate for all residents, vaccinated or not. Still, Edwards stopped short of issuing a proclamation requiring face coverings inside businesses and schools in order to give state public health officials time to review newly released data from the federal government that suggests vaccinated people infected with the virus can transmit it just as easily as unvaccinated people. I understand that people dont want to wear a mask, but have you seen the people in the hospitals struggling to breathe? Have you watched the testimonies given just this week in Louisiana in our hospitals by doctors and nurses and patients themselves? Edwards said. That mask is not an onerous burden to prevent that, to prevent yourself from having it or to prevent spreading the disease to someone else that might end up in the hospital. Louisiana COVID numbers: 21,543 cases confirmed over past week, largest increase of pandemic With the delta variant of the coronavirus surging through Louisiana, the state recorded its highest number of new confirmed cases on record th Louisiana is in the thick of its worst surge in COVID-19 to-date, powered by the highly contagious delta variant and made worse by the states lackluster vaccination rates. Louisiana has the highest growth rate of cases per capita in the nation, and over the past seven days, the state identified 21,543 new infections, the highest batch of weekly cases recorded since the pandemic began 16 months ago, according to data from the Louisiana Department of Health. The fourth wave of the pandemic has led to a sharp increase in hospitalizations. For the third time in four days, the state reported a triple-digit increase in the number of patients hospitalized with coronavirus in Louisiana hospitals. The total number of infected patients stood at 1,740 on Thursday the most recent data available. Thats just 329 patients short of the record set in mid-January and six-times higher than the number patients hospitalized a month ago. The onslaught of patients is crushing hospitals already stretched thin under nursing shortages. The share of patients appearing in the emergency room with COVID-like symptoms is up to 11.7%, the highest its been the entire pandemic, and at least 45 facilities have asked the state for assistance with staffing needs, Edward said. Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana's largest standalone hospital, asked the state and federal government for nearly 200 additional staffers, including 126 registered nurses, according to hospital spokesperson Ryan Cross. Hospitals are literally bursting at the seams right now, said Dr. Joe Kanter, the states top public health official. And theres no sign that the surge is slowing down, Kanter said. The delta variant, a highly aggressive strain of COVID-19 which originated in India and now accounts for nearly all infections, is zeroing in on residents of all ages who havent been vaccinated. Over the last week, 90.4% of new COVID-19 cases, 89.3% of hospitalizations and 85% of deaths have been among those who are not fully vaccinated, Kanter said. Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up The average age of Louisiana's hospitalized COVID-19 patients is 54. A month ago it was 64, Kanter said. The variant is also "attacking" children unlike any other time in the pandemic, Kanter said. There have been seven new cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children reported to the state in the past two days, and four remain in the pediatric ICU, Kanter said. "I fear that we're going to see more of these in the coming weeks," Kanter said, noting that none of the children were vaccinated. "We're seeing more children sick with COVID with delta than we have at any other point in this pandemic." +2 LSU announces football players 97.4% vaccinated, coaches and support staff at 100% LSU put out a brief but impactful message on social media Friday regarding the football teams coronavirus vaccination rate. At a late Friday media briefing, officials with the states largest hospital system, Ochsner Health, emphasized that the pace of the virus spreading and people being hospitalized is getting worse, not better. CEO Warner Thomas said he asked the governor to consider reinstituting rules on masking. This is a situation now where we are seeing the escalation of COVID patients impact the care of others in our system, Thomas said, adding that Ochsner cannot accept the numbers of transfer patients from other hospitals that it generally receives. Were having to put off surgeries now at many of our facilities that might require an overnight stay, added Dr. Robert Hart, the hospitals chief medical officers. Kanter said hospitals are in crisis mode at the moment, and quickly approaching capacity limits that will require them to make difficult decisions about who will and wont get care. A number of hospitals are already canceling new, non-emergent inpatient procedures to free up bed space. If procedures like hip replacements, biopsies and colonoscopies are deferred too long, Kanter said, they can quickly become emergency situations. Clay Higgins introduces bill aimed at making vaccine mandates by employers illegal Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins announced Friday he has introduced a bill aimed at making it illegal to mandate employees undertake any med Edwards said that numerous hospital leaders reached out asking him to reinstate the mask mandate, but just hours before Fridays press conference began, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data suggesting that fully immunized people with so-called breakthrough infections of the delta variant may spread the virus to others just as easily as unvaccinated people. Edwards said he wants to give state public health officials time to review the information for themselves before rushing into a decision. When the facts change and you learn new things, as you do all the time in science, you have to change your approach, Edwards said. You cant keep doing the same thing and hoping for a new outcome. Staff writers Jeff Adelson and Andrea Gallo contributed to this report A good many of the state governments nearly 40,000 employees will return to working at home, at least three days a week, if possible, in hopes of lessening exposure to COVID during this fourth surge of infections, hospitalizations and deaths. After several days of negotiation and consideration, Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne issued guidance late Thursday to the cabinet secretaries and elected officials that run state government agencies. Dardenne memo of work conditions 072921 Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne on state agency working conditions during fourth surge of COVID. July 29, 2021 Dardenne noted that the daily positive case reports over the last week have been the highest since February. Louisiana has the highest per capita growth of COVID-19 cases in the nation. This has resulted in the White House designating Louisiana as a state of concern. As one of Louisianas largest employers, how state government handles the surge in COVID infections could influence what private companies do. Dardenne ordered that all state offices remain fully operational, adequately staffed, and open to the public. Agency heads were tasked with identifying those employees whose physical presence is required and those whose tasks could be handled remotely. Agency heads also needed to put in place procedures for monitoring attendance, performance, and productivity. Management personnel are to give special attention to identifying employees whose job duties cannot be remotely performed, Dardenne wrote. These employees are required to report for duty as directed. Supervisory personnel must ensure accountability for in-office and remote workers by implementing protocols for monitoring attendance, performance, and productivity. Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Baton Rouge hospitals see spike in COVID-sick children and doctors fear it could get worse As a fourth wave of COVID fueled by the contagious delta variant inundates Baton Rouge hospitals, pediatric facilities are seeing a rise in th All state employees who work for an agency overseen by the governor, which is most of them, are required to wear masks at work and to physically distant themselves from other employees regardless of vaccination status. Teleconferenced meetings are to become the norm again and limited elevator occupancy in public buildings has returned. All state employees will be required to be tested if they show symptoms or if they are exposed to someone who tests positive for COVID. Handshakes and hugs are to be avoided. State government employs about 38,130 people 16,817 of whom are in the Baton Rouge area, 4,378 in New Orleans and 2,691 in Lafayette making state government one of Louisianas single largest employers. Entergy, the largest corporation in the state employs 12,500. ExxonMobil, the largest manufacturer, employs 6,000 directly and through contractors in Baton Rouge. Hilton Riverside New Orleans, the citys largest private employer, employing about 5,000 workers. A group of Louisiana female physicians said Friday that misinformation is incorrectly linking coronavirus vaccines with infertility and bad pregnancy outcomes, adding that the myths have led to concerning repercussions for the state as more and more local pregnant women are being hospitalized with the coronavirus. "We are seeing healthy, young women who are getting very sick in the ICU," said Dr. Jane Martin, an Ochsner Health System maternal/fetal medicine fellow who specializes in high-risk pregnancy care. "We have a ton of women in the hospital who are pregnant with COVID," Martin added during a Friday media briefing from Ochsner to debunk falsehoods. "They are almost all unvaccinated. Its affecting the pregnant women, the fetus, her newborn at home. Martin weighed the same decision about whether to receive the coronavirus vaccine while pregnant several months ago. She received her first dose of the coronavirus vaccine when she was 34 weeks pregnant, her second dose when she was 37 weeks pregnant and delivered her healthy baby about a week later. The decision to get the vaccine was easy, she said, because she was treating severely ill pregnant women in the hospital who had the virus. Since her baby was born six months ago, the volume of information has continued to grow that encourages pregnant women and women of childbearing age to receive the vaccine. The New England Journal of Medicine published a new study last month specifically on mRNA vaccines including the Pfizer and Moderna coronavirus vaccines and pregnancy. The study found no increased rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes in those who had been vaccinated. The good news is we have great data that shows the COVID vaccine does not increase womens risk of infertility, birth defects, miscarriage or bad pregnancy outcomes," Martin said. Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Still, despite the research and evidence, misinformation about coronavirus vaccines and pregnancy continues to flourish on social media. Even within the hospital, not all health care workers are immune from the myths: Ochsner has recently seen increases in the numbers of employees getting vaccinated, but their vaccination rate is still at 63%. Dr. Katherine Baumgarten, Ochsner's medical director of infection control and prevention, said that the virus' effects have been "devastating to our community." Were trying to encourage people to talk to their physicians, to go back to their original sources, to dispel misinformation," she said. And Dr. Erin Biro, an Ochsner neurosurgeon, spoke of the importance of using both good data and her own personal stories in combating fear around the coronavirus vaccines. Biro has enrolled all three of her children ages 6, 3 and 14 months in clinical trials of the coronavirus vaccine. The vaccine is currently only approved for children 12 and up. She said she was hesitant to do so at first, especially given some data that shows rare side effects of heart inflammation known as myocarditis and pericarditis among children who have been vaccinated. But "if you actually look at the data, the risk of myocarditis and pericarditis after COVID is much, much greater," she said. And the delta variant of the coronavirus is leading to more severe cases of coronavirus among children, cementing Biro's decision to enroll her children in the studies. Pregnant women and women of childbearing age who continue to refuse the vaccine could face a difficult road ahead. Martin pointed to several studies that found pregnant women are at greater risk for severe coronavirus disease, needing to be admitted to intensive care units, being placed on ventilators and even death. Meanwhile, there's some evidence that pregnant women who have received the coronavirus vaccine pass along protective antibodies to their newborns. "Your OB-GYN doctors are begging you to go get the COVID vaccine," she said. Amid a worsening COVID-19 outbreak, Louisiana on Saturday will end its participation in the federal governments pandemic unemployment programs, cutting off jobless benefits for more than 150,000 residents and slashing payments in half for thousands more who remain out-of-work. Louisiana residents will no longer receive an extra $300 a week on top of the states maximum $247 benefit. The state will also pull out of federal programs that provided jobless aid to self-employed workers and gig workers and allowed people to get jobless benefits past the 26-week state cap. The benefits were made available by Congress until Labor Day, but Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, ordered Louisiana to stop accepting the federal payments effective July 31 in exchange for support from GOP lawmakers and business groups for a permanent $28 hike to the states weekly unemployment benefits, beginning in six months. The move spells the end to jobless aid for nearly 86,000 residents who make their living as self-employed contractors, musicians, tour guides or gig workers. Another 65,000 residents who have exceeded the states 26-week-long limit on unemployment benefits will also get the boot, according to data from the Louisiana Workforce Commission. +2 John Bel Edwards signs bill to increase state jobless benefits, but opts out of $300 federal bump Gov. John Bel Edwards signed legislation that will increase the states unemployment benefits by $28 a week starting next year in return for a For the 35,000 residents who will remain on unemployment rolls, weekly checks will be cut in half as Louisiana joins 25 Republican-led states that have rejected the $300 supplemental payments under pressure from business groups who argue the payments are discouraging employees from returning to work. Companies have been trying to fill millions of jobs as the country's vaccination program has started to bring parts of the economy back online. It's been especially difficult to find workers in lower-paid jobs in hospitality, but the same has been true in health care, public sanitation and other sectors. Our core mission has always been putting Louisianans to work, but that is more important now than ever, Workforce Commission Secretary Ava Cates said in a statement. What matters right now is helping people provide for themselves and their families and making sure Louisiana comes back stronger than ever. But with cases of COVID-19 rising at their fastest rate since the pandemic began, some workers, particularly within the states tourism industry, are questioning whether now is the right time to purge the unemployment rolls, especially as Edwards encourages residents to stay away from crowds to avoid spreading the virus. Mark Ballard: The last-minute dealmaking in the Legislature that increased unemployment checks Sen. Jay Luneau calls them the twins because of how often they testify side-by-side before his Senate Labor & Industrial Relations Commi This is going to have biblical repercussions, and the result will be more homelessness and poverty, on top of a pandemic, said David Lord, 66, who works as a tour guide in New Orleans French Quarter and has seen his bookings drop off since the pandemic heated back up. Its just bottoming out again, like it did last summer. The scoop on state politics in your inbox Get the Louisiana politics insider details once a week from us. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Adding to the COVID-19 surge, August is historically a slow month for tourism in Louisiana, with its punishing heat, focus on back-to-school prep and prevalence of hurricanes. Lord, who has a heart condition that puts him at higher risk of complications from the virus, receives benefits under the gig-worker program and will no longer qualify for payments. When Edwards announced his support for the compromise in June, he said he was trying to strike a reasonable balance between helping the jobless and assisting businesses having trouble finding workers. Still, Edwards said tourism jobs were his biggest concern, because until tourism is back, many of those jobs are not going to be fully back. Louisiana to end unemployment benefits for 'gig workers,' self-employed residents in August Louisiana will cut off jobless benefits for nearly 100,000 self-employed residents beginning in August, prematurely ending a federal program t Kelly Schulz, a spokesperson for New Orleans and Company, the citys marketing organization, said the tourism industry is back, though certainly not at 100 percent. She said theres no indication, at the moment, that the latest surge in COVID-19 will negatively impact recovery in the hospitality industry, adding that there havent been any major event cancellations to-date. The possibility of a statewide indoor mask mandate is unlikely to dissuade tourists from traveling to New Orleans, Shultz said, however, she said the industrys full recovery is tied to the states vaccination campaign. The tourism industry is not going to fully recover unless we get more and more people vaccinated, Schultz said, adding that there are about 25,000 great jobs available in hospitality at the moment. Ten business groups representing Louisianas contractors, retailers, gas stations, restaurants, homebuilders, convenience stores sent a letter to Edwards in May urging him to nix the federal benefits, blaming the payments for a worker shortage. We believe this additional benefit was an important short-term solution to help individuals who were adversely impacted at the start of the pandemic, the groups wrote. However, 13 months later, many employers are finding it near impossible to fully staff their business, which impacts the supply chain and timely delivery of goods and services. Jan Moller, executive director at the left-leaning Louisiana Budget Project, which advocates for low- to moderate- income families, said the idea that people are using the federal benefits "as excuse to sit at home to do nothing is false." He said that there isn't a worker shortage, there's a "good-paying jobs shortage." "Obviously, the timing is deeply unfortunate for these benefits to end," Moller said. "Clearly the Legislature didnt know this was coming, nobody knew this was coming, but thats little comfort to people whose jobs might be at risk or whose job prospects might be lessened because we could be entering another period of lower economic activity because of this surge." Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commission A lone farmer strides square-shouldered and resolute across a drought-stricken paddock into a towering red dust storm. It is a terrible and beautiful image that at the same time manages to hint at a brighter future, symbolised by the sunlight piercing a tiny gap in the lowering clouds. Drought story 2020 is this years winner of the National Photographic Portrait Prize. Credit: Joel B. Pratley The photograph of farmer David Kalisch on his property in Forbes, by Sydney photographer Joel B. Pratley, is the winner of this years National Photographic Portrait Prize. One of the judges, Australian photographer Bill Henson, compared the shot, entitled Drought Story 2020, to a painting by Belgian surrealist Rene Magritte. Is this the most confronting cover image in recording history? It depicts a lynched African American with composer Adrian Younges face: an image that cuts to the core of the treatment of people of colour in the US. Sonically the album traces the black experience via both spoken word and music. As Younge tells us on Double Consciousness, he views the world through the stained glass of history that questions whether I am even human. He delivers this spoken material in a chillingly level voice, with no attempt to amplify anger or tragedy. His lavishly melodic songs, meanwhile, largely unfold within a retro soul idiom, in which he plays all instruments other than sharing the vocals and maximising the almost psychedelic luxuriance with orchestral scores. Sometimes he further decorates the songs with slinky solos on Fender Rhodes, guitar or alto saxophone, but the essence of them lies in the grooves, the harmonised choruses and, of course, the lyrics, which are pithy extrapolations of the spoken-word material. As well as lamenting the past, Younge looks for a way forward, and perhaps this album is a step along that path. You can also seek out a related podcast, Invisible Blackness. JOHN SHAND POP JACKSON BROWNE DOWNHILL FROM EVERYWHERE (Inside) Jackson Browne still has causes, still has cause: he tells us in this albums opener that he is still looking for something, and it is said with enthusiasm and energy, not the enervation of a disgruntled septuagenarian. This even as he suggests that saying it at all comes as something of a surprise, given he is over my due date. And, within the bounds of music that naturally falls into the mellow saunter of his golden years, Downhill from Everywhere feels enthused and energised. Songs range across the personal and political, offering new love and the tide of pollution, thoughts on the immigrant experience in and just outside the USA, and the Catalan quest for independence and somehow they even touch on the worlds balancing act of ennui and wavering hope in 18 months of a COVID-19 world, despite the songs being written before the hellscape. What hasnt changed even allowing for the Mexican ballad influences in The Dreamer and the more pronounced Latin rhythm and instrumentation of A Song for Barcelona is his comfortable moves in the middle lane of American pop-rock, and his voice, which sounds pretty unmarked by 72 years or his recent bout of COVID-19. BERNARD ZUEL INDIE ROCK Polish Club NOW WERE COOKIN (Island) NSW Police took extraordinary measures on Saturday to thwart any repeat of last weekends anti-lockdown protests, setting up an exclusion zone around the CBD and checkpoints around the city to stop cars and question drivers en route to the city centre. Authorities have warned Sydney residents to expect more of the same on Sunday. Eight people were arrested and more than 250 penalty infringement notices were issued in the high visibility operation, which saw more than 1300 police deployed across the CBD and surrounding suburbs. Mounted police at Hyde Park anticipated another protest in the city. Credit:Nick Moir Most of the infringements were issued to people for travelling outside their local government area, contrary to the stay-at-home orders, police said. Police said essential workers, or anyone who required medical treatment, would be able to make their way to their destination. As large numbers of police, including mounted police, gathered in the city and surrounds, a large police operation closed lanes of major roads into the city to stop the flow of traffic and more than 70,000 vehicles were checked. Loading By early afternoon, it became clear the hordes of protesters would not materialise, and police turned their attention to ensuring people were complying with the public health orders in surrounding areas, including the eastern beaches. Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott said he was reassured that common sense had prevailed, and that police officers should be assured that their efforts today have made Greater Sydney a safer place tonight. Metropolitan Field Operations Commander, Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon, said the operations demonstrate to the community that NSW Police will not tolerate actions that present a risk to public safety and our ability to stop the spread of COVID-19. He said another high visibility operation is planned for Sydney tomorrow. Read more here For our free coronavirus pandemic coverage, learn more here. Stage 1: Amusement Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size This is hilarious! The Australian government is transporting little old me to a hotel! I wonder where were going? Id be happy with a $50 a night Airbnb in Penrith, yet here we are at a five-star joint in central Sydney very posh. Look at all these nice soldiers, pretending to be service industry workers. Of course you can take my bag, sir! And whats this? A room on the 33rd floor! Well just look at that view. Wynyard Park below, Darling Harbour off to the right, planes gracefully approaching the airport to the south and Botany Bay beyond. And the room: a study in restrained opulence! A mid-century modern, walnut-hued design scheme. A nice deep bathtub. A chocolate on the pillow! Can a continental breakfast be far behind? Stage 2: Bewilderment Isnt all this a bit much? I thought I tested negative? Five times in the last three weeks! Dont get me wrong, I love the view, the restrained opulence, the delicious food, but couldnt I quarantine at home? With my family? Do we really have to do the whole returning-Russian-opposition-leader charade? Stage 3: Outrage Im taking this to the Supreme Court! Nay the United Nations! How dare they infringe on my civil rights. My great-grandfathers third cousin trekked the Kokoda Track for those rights. Hed turn in his grave if he could see what was happening here. I wont stand for it! As if losing my freedom isnt enough, I have to replace my own sheets and towels. Is there no end to this humiliation? Illustration by Simon Letch. Credit: Advertisement Stage 4: Hyperactivity Right, quit your moaning and get busy. Im going to use this lack of distraction to achieve everything I didnt get done on the outside. Run 10,000 steps check. Do 100 push-ups check. Memorise pi to the one-hundredth place value check. Create a database of everything Ive eaten in the last year and its calorific value check. Clean these hotel windows like theyve never been cleaned before check. Stage 5: Ennui Is this a trick? Has someone messed with this clock so that each minute takes an hour to pass? Who knew that simply existing could take so much effort? Im not sure if I have the energy to sustain my basic bodily functions. How long has it been since I shaved? Brushed my teeth? Bathed? A day? A week? Who knows? Who cares? Stage 6: Abandonment So this is how it is, Australia? I leave your hallowed shores for a few years and you treat me like a leper? Like Im the creature from the Wuhan fish markets? You leave me to rot in this festering mid-century modern flea pit. After all the taxes I paid, and that time I donated to the Childrens Hospital Appeal, this hurts, Australia, like you could never know. Stage 7: Detachment Advertisement Look at those people walking around the city, living their lives of quiet desperation, feeling normal emotions, free to perform all the essential work that they please. I could scream and no one would hear me, much less care. Im madder than hell, and nobody cares (probably because my window wont open and Im on the 33rd floor). Look at me, dancing naked in front of this hotel window. Im like a fish frozen in a lake watching the skaters glide gracefully overhead. Stage 8: The real Stockholm Syndrome Not the one where you come to empathise with your captors, the only interaction I ever get is with a bored Irish nurse whose questions about my health and mental state cant disguise how shed rather be down at the pub or anywhere but here. The one where I wish I was in Stockholm or London or Los Angeles or any city where the authorities rolled out the vaccine much earlier than they have here. Stage 9: Self-loathing Youre not really going to eat that whole pack of Tim Tams, are you? Dont leave your wet towel on the bed, you lazy mongrel. Im not the maid! Look, its 7.15am and youre still laying in bed like a beached whale. You havent brushed your teeth in three days, you pig! Illustration by Simon Letch. Credit: Advertisement Stage 10: Fear Im never gonna make it out of here. What if they stop bringing me food? What if they forget Im here? What if I die in here? What if they read my Twitter posts and accuse me of subversive activity? Is that person pacing the halls there to make sure we dont escape? What if hes about to re-enact that scene from The Shining with the knife through the door? Stage 11: Despair I can feel the life force slipping away from me. With every minute spent in this room, Im one minute closer to death. If the boredom doesnt kill me, this crappy hotel food will: seriously, who eats chia porridge with passionfruit for breakfast? My friends were right when they asked, How will you handle two weeks in a hotel room? I wont. Stage 12: Determination I can do this! I have enormous willpower! Like Shackletons men, holding out in the Antarctic, thousands of kilometres from civilisation and warmth, I will make it through this hellish nightmare. Advertisement Stage 13: Existential crisis Loading What if this has all been a dream? Has two weeks really almost passed? Do those people on the street exist or are they just figments of my imagination? If I dont make my bed, does that make me a bad person? Is there morality in here? Could this mozzie buzzing round my head cause a hurricane in China? Will the Chinese retaliate? Stage 14: Inadequacy Look at all those cars and people on the street barely missing each other! Look at the tradies digging holes for people to fall into! Ill never make it on the outside! Im going to fake COVID and theyll have to keep me in here forever! To read more from Good Weekend magazine, visit our page at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Brisbane Times. The best of Good Weekend delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. Sign up here. A taskforce established to crack down down on fraud in the $22 billion National Disability Insurance Scheme will be extended indefinitely after it uncovered millions of dollars of alleged rorts in three years. NDIS Minister Linda Reynolds said the taskforce, which consists of members from the Australian Federal Police, National Disability Insurance Agency and Services Australia, would be extended to crack down on dodgy providers and protect the integrity of the scheme. NDIS Minister Linda Reynolds wants to crack down on dodgy providers. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Defrauding a scheme that provides life-changing support to people with disability is despicable, and I am personally committed to preventing it, Senator Reynolds said. The agency said three prosecutions were finalised last financial year with a proven fraud value of $1.95 million. Three new Emerald-class ferries have sailed into Sydney Harbour but will likely enter service several months late when they finally replace the iconic Freshwater-class vessels. The new ferries were meant to enter service in mid-2021, but must first pass stringent sea trials, which are expected to take several weeks, if not months. One of three new Emerald-class ferries arrive in Sydney Harbour. Credit:Wolter Peeters The ferries, which can carry 400 passengers, were built in China and delivered to Newcastle late last year before being transported to Port Macquarie where they underwent modifications. The vessels sailed through the Sydney Heads on Friday afternoon on their way to Blackwattle Bay Wharf. A young Queensland policewoman has resigned from the service after she was accused of drug possession, drug supply, hacking a police system, stealing and unlawful possession of a weapon. The 25-year-old constable will appear at a Brisbane court next month on 38 charges after a major sting involving the states anti-corruption watchdog. The 25-year-old female constable will appear in a Brisbane court next month. (File image) Credit:Glenn Hunt The officer was charged at the Brisbane Watchhouse on Friday after the investigation involving the Crime and Corruption Commission and the police services Ethical Standards Command. The offending was first identified by the police service and referred to the CCC. The joint inquiry was focused on allegations of drug use by the constable, before identifying further alleged offences. A second Victorian traffic controller connected to the Moonee Valley COVID-19 testing site has become positive with the virus as the government announced it would alter the spacing of Pfizer vaccination shots to speed the rollout. The news came as Queensland announced a snap lockdown in the states south-east, prompting Victoria to signal it was likely to close its border. The traffic controller tested positive to COVID-19 on Friday, having visited the Devon Plaza Woolworths on Wednesday morning while potentially infectious before being told to isolate. The supermarket is now a tier-1 exposure site. All other staff at the Moonee Valley Racecourse testing site in Melbournes north have returned initial negative tests, according to Health Minister Martin Foley, but will remain in 14-day quarantine. Washington: The Taliban carried out more than two dozen insider attacks and killed at least 81 Afghan troops during the wave of violence sweeping through Afghanistan in recent months. A new report by the US government released by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction on Thursday (Friday AEST) highlights the rapid deterioration of security throughout much of the country as American troops complete their military withdrawal. The US flag is lowered as American and Afghan soldiers attend a handover ceremony at Camp Anthonic in Helmand province. Credit:Afghan Ministry of Defence At least 37 Afghan troops have been wounded in attacks over the past three months but American military officials told the watchdogs investigators the numbers could be incomplete due to gaps in knowledge during the pullout. The data underscores the enormous challenges and immense pressure facing Afghan forces, who have been left to fight the militants with little US support. Dubai: An attack on an oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire killed two crew members off Oman in the Arabian Sea, authorities said, marking the first fatalities after years of assaults targeting shipping in the region. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the Thursday night raid on the Liberian-flagged tanker Mercer Street. However, a US official said it appeared a so-called suicide drone was used in the attack, raising the possibility that a government or a militia group was behind it. Without providing any evidence, an Israeli security official said that Israel believes Iran was behind the attack on the ship, citing similar attacks in the past. The Liberian-flagged oil tanker Mercer Street, pictured in 2016, was attacked on Thursday night. Credit:AP The US Navy rushed to the scene following the attack and was escorting the tanker to a safe harbour, a London-based ship management company said on Friday. The assault represented the worst-known maritime violence so far in regional attacks on shipping since 2019. The US, Israel and others have blamed the attacks on Iran amid the unravelling of Tehrans nuclear deal with world powers. Iran now appears poised to take an even tougher approach with the West as the country prepares to inaugurate a hard-line protege of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as president next week. A merchant displays masks for sale in Los Angeles on March 20. Retail analysts expect mask sales will get another jolt after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Tuesday, changed course on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where cases of the coronavirus are surging. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., center, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., left, and Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, speak with reporters upon arriving at the Capitol after a meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington, Thursday, June 24, 2021. A bipartisan group of lawmakers have negotiated a plan to pay for an estimated $1 trillion compromise plan. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Up for debate: Live legislation tracker Check out the latest developments on bills pending before state lawmakers in four key topics. Six kilograms of fentanyl seized in Indiana on April 12, 2019, during a traffic stop reportedly were being smuggled to Ohio from California. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, speaks during a hearing on preparedness for and response to the coronavirus outbreak on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 11, 2020. President Joe Biden speaks with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday, July 30, 2021, via teleconference during a meeting with governors to discuss ongoing efforts to strengthen wildfire prevention, preparedness and response efforts, and to hear firsthand about the ongoing impacts of the 2021 wildfire season. Biden is in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House Campus. Army veterans gather with currently serving soldiers in Point State Park as part of the Steel City Supports the Troops event to honor Veterans Day, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, in Pittsburgh. Staff Reporter Nyamekye Daniel has been a journalist for five years. She was the managing editor for the South Florida Media Network and a staff writer for The Miami Times. Daniel's work has also appeared in the Sun-Sentinel, Miami Herald and The New York Times. The Daddy of 'em all is off and running, as residents enjoyed a great week of western fun at Cheyenne Frontier Days. Fun events and exhibits enjoyed by attendees, July 24, included the BLM Wyoming and the Mantle Ranch Wild Horse and Burro Training Facility. The group presented about 20 wild horses and burros for adoption. The Mantles did daily training demonstrations for the public and gave them a chance to see what it takes to start a wild horse or burro. Fans of the military visited Fort D.A. Russell Days as F.E. Warren A.F.B. celebrated its history with fun, historic home tours, military reenactments, and a Minuteman III and Peacekeeper missile systems tour. The Carnival Midway meant great food for the families and great games for kids of all ages. Bareback riders Mike Fred, Briar Dittmer, Bodee Lammers, Chase Vossler, Logan Corbett, Nick Pelke, Tanner Phipps, Keenan Reed Hayes, and George R Gillespie IV led the competition off Saturday, July 24. Day one was topped off by Country Superstars Ned LeDoux and Garth Brooks playing to a packed house. The sun shined on Frontier Days Saturday, July 24, as spectators marveled at the Grand Parade in downtown Cheyenne featuring some of the top marching bands and horse-drawn vehicles in the country in front of the Wyoming Capitol. Thrillseekers took a peek Behind the Chutes and got a first-hand look at what goes on behind the scenes at a rodeo. They met animals, stepped into the chutes, and walked across the arena. The adrenaline seekers flocked to the rodeo to see the tough guys, the bull riders, pit themselves against bulls who want one thing, to throw the rider. One bull, the legendary "Mr. T," bucked off every bull riding champ in the 1980s. Saturday night concluded with County Music Star Thomas Rhett, the ACM Entertainer of the Year. His single, "What's Your Country Song," his 17th career No. One single and 11th consecutive No. One is the longest active streak in the format. On Sunday, July 25, visitors stepped into the time machine and visited an authentic Old Western Town. Attendees met Western merchants, craftspeople, artisans, and special guest characters, Lillie Langtry, Buffalo Bill Cody, Wild Bill Hickock, and Wyatt Earp. Visitors took a history lesson at CFD Old West Museum and learned about historic artifact exhibits that celebrate the Western legacy and thrilling history of Cheyenne Frontier Days. The exhibits get rotated in and out, so every day can mean a new surprise. Guests who wandered into CFD Old West Museum found great treasures at the Gift Store, which had a broad mixture of Western products, southwestern jewelry, apparel, Western home decor, children's items, and much more. Souvenir hunters left with Cheyenne Frontier Days shirts, caps, housewares, and many items that reflect the spirit of Cheyenne Frontier Days. The day ended on a high note, as Cody Johnson delivered passionate and rowdy country songs that energized the crowd. The new week started strong, Monday, July 26, as the PBR Last Cowboys Standing event had spectators flocking to the arena. The Top-40 stars of the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) attempted to conquer the sport's rankest bulls on the historic Wyoming Dirt. Military Appreciation Monday featured military transportation through the ages and a giant flag in the arena. There were static military displays featured through the park, and Military personal received a Free ticket to the Monday rodeo. On Tuesday, July 27, Fans got to see the women got into the act at the Women's Breakaway Roping Event at the arena. Women's breakaway roping compares to men's tie-down roping, except cowgirls don't have to dismount and tie the calf. In breakaway roping, the cowgirl has a flag tied close to the end of her rope and a nylon string tied from the rope to the saddle horn. When the rope grows tight after the calf is roped, the string breaks away from the saddle horn, and the flag goes flying, signaling the timer and stopping the clock. Great features enjoyed by the attendees include the Indian Village, featuring authentic Native American costumes, dancing, storytelling, flute players, and handicrafts. Performers entertained the crowd with authentic American Indian dancing, music playing, and storytelling. The Indian Village includes many Native American exhibit booths and food vendors. Those people who wanted a panoramic view of the fun found their way to the new Rooftop Deck at the Cheyenne Frontier Days building, which offered guests a patio atmosphere plus an unprecedented view of the legendary Cheyenne arena. The 3,600 square foot space spans the northeast corner of the building and seats 64 comfortably. The fun never stops as Wednesday, July 28, as the United States Air Force Thunderbirds performed aerial acrobatics for the crowd. The team combines training and experience with excellence and showcases the Air Force. The distinctly choreographed, drill-style ground ceremony showcases attention to detail and esprit de corps defining its enlisted members. Jets take to the sky and fly only a few feet from wingtip to wingtip, giving the crowd gets a glimpse of the skills and capabilities all fighter pilots must possess. Wednesday night came to a close with great performances by Marren Morris and Brett Young. Morris is a leading voice in country music armed with vocal stylings that reflect her country, folk, pop influences, sheer talent, honest lyrics, and strong presence. Morris' latest album, GIRL, released in March 2019, was named Album of the Year at the 53rd Annual Country Music Association Awards. There's more coming, so buckle up! The Laramie County Fair, Wyoming's Oldest and Largest Fair, returns from August 4-14 at the Archer Complex, 3801 Archer Parkway. The Fair kicks off at 8 a.m. Wednesday, August 4, with the 4-H Dog Show, followed by the 4-H & FFA Horse Show. The Awards Ceremony will be at 6 p.m., Saturday, August 7. Thursday, August 5, starts with the Open To The World Horse Show Extravaganza and Youth Breeding Swine Show at 9 a.m., followed by the 4-H/FFA Dairy Goat Show and 4-H/FFA Dairy Goat Show beginning at 10 a.m. in the Show Ring. The Cross Stitch Workshop starts at 1 p.m. with Fran Fooks, and at 2 p.m., the Scarecrow Contest and 4H Cat Show will be at the Exhibit Hall. The Fair Fun Poultry Contest starts at 5 p.m., in the Small Animal Building, and from 5-7 p.m. will be the Wet Needle Felted Flower Broach Workshop w/ Barbara Price at the Exhibit Hall. The Open Static Class Entries will be accepted from 12-8 p.m. at the Exhibit Hall. Youth Breeding Sheep Showmanship & Show starts at 2 p.m. Youth Breeding Meat Goat Show starts at 2 and 4 p.m. at the Show Ring. On Friday, August 6, between 8-10 a.m., all FFA Static Exhibits are due in place at the Event Center Pre-Function Area, and from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. will be the 4-H Static Interview Judging, including Foods and Nutrition and Fabric and Fashion. Open class static judging starts at 9 a.m. at the exhibit hall, and the Youth Breeding Beef Show begins at 10 a.m., followed by the Bucket Calf Contest & Youth Feeder Calf Contest and the Supreme Cow Contest. On Saturday, August 7, the 4-H Poultry Showmanship starts at 9 a.m., followed by the Youth Poultry Show and the 4-H Market Poultry in the small animal building. The Farmers' Market begins at 10 a.m., beside the Exhibit Hall. Sunday, August 8, is Youth Day. The fun gets started with the Guinea Pig Show & 4-H Pocket Pets Show at 10 a.m., at the Campbell/Ross Meeting Rooms and continues from 11 a.m. until 12 p.m. with the All Market Goat weigh-in and Ultrasound and the All Market Lamb weigh-in and Ultrasound evens at the Small Animal Building and the All Market Beef weigh-in & Ultrasound at the Beef Barn. On Monday, August 9, the new week starts off with the FFA Market Goat Showmanship & FFA Market Goat Show at 9 a.m., followed by the 4-H Market Goat Showmanship, Pee Wee Showmanship Contest, & 4-H Market Goat Show in the Show Ring. Starting at 10 a.m. will be the Kid's Krafts with Jenny, and from 1-3 p.m. will be the Fiber Handheld Square Fiber Pin Loom w/ Dorothy Pohorolew and Hand Bag/Tote Bag Contest at 2 p.m., at the Exhibit Hall. The Goat Born & Raised Youth Show starts at 4 p.m. at the Show Ring; at 7 p.m., and attendees can Milk A Goat in the Dairy Goat Area. Tuesday, May 10, is First Responders Day and starts with the FFA Market Sheep Showmanship & FFA Market Sheep Show at 9 a.m., followed by the 4-H Market Sheep Showmanship, Pee Wee Showmanship Contest, & 4-H Market Sheep Show. The Basket Weaving Workshop, w/ Marion Severson, starts at 12 p.m. at the Exhibit Hall. The PeeWee Sheep lead starts in the Show Ring at 4 p.m., and at 5 p.m. starts the Lamb Born & Raised Youth Show at the Show Ring. Wednesday, August 11, is Military Day, starting with the FFA Market Swine Showmanship & FFA Market Swine at 9 a.m., followed by the 4-H Market Swine Showmanship, and Pee Wee Showmanship Contest, and the 4-H Market Swine Show. The Embroidery Workshop w/ Fran Fooks & Kid's Krafts with Jenny is from 1-3 p.m. at the Exhibit Hall. The Basket Weaving Workshop w/ Marion Severson starts at 12 p.m., and at 4 p.m. starts the PeeWee Sheep lead, followed at 5 p.m., by the Lamb Born & Raised Youth Show. People who stick around until 7 p.m. will enjoy a free event, the Mutton Bustin' & Stick Horse Racing at Archer Arena. Thursday, August 12, the Pie check-in for Best of Laramie County runs from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., and the Pie Baking Contest will be at the Exhibit Hall. At 9 a.m., the FFA Market Beef Showmanship and FFA Market Beef Show will be in the Show Ring, followed by the 4-H Market Beef Showmanship, Pee Wee Showmanship Contest, and 4-H Market Beef Show. Starting at 1 p.m. will be the Wire Wrap Jewelry with Margaret Smit at the M/K Building, the Decorated Cupcake Contest at the Exhibit Hall, and the Pie & Ice Cream Social-Only Open to Beef Producers, Beef Showman, and their Families. The fun continues with the Youth Pie Eating Contest, starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Exhibit Hall, then at 6 p.m. is the "Shoot for Sight" Fundraising Event, and at 7 p.m., is the Best of Laramie County Pie Baking Contest at the Exhibit Hall. Friday, August 13, kicks off at 8 a.m. with FFA Large Animal Round Robin and the 4-H Large Animal Round Robin; Junior and Intermediate will show together as one class in the show ring. Diamond Sparkle Painting with Margaret Smith & Small Loom Demos with Dorothy Pohorelow starts at 10 a.m. in the exhibit hall, and at 2 p.m., the 4-H Small Animal Round Robin will be in the Show Ring. The Fair concludes on Saturday, August 14, but the fun continues throughout the day, starting with the 4-H Livestock Sale at 10 a.m. at the Event Center. All livestock will be released immediately following the conclusion of the 4-H Sale. The Fair reaches its climax at 5 p.m. with the Demolition Derby- Presented by Breeze Thru Car Wash at Archer Fairgrounds-Motorsports Park. Cheyenne, WY (82001) Today A widely scattered shower or thunderstorm is possible this morning. Then cloudy skies the remainder of the day. High 79F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 58F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph. With many children still ineligible to be vaccinated, masks are an effective way to help keep our kids safe in the classroom, the learning environment we know serves them best. Kate brown, Oregon Governor Gov. Kate Brown has declared a State of Emergency in Columbia and 22 other counties due to the latest heat wave. "I find a potential threat to life, safety, property, and significant damage to infrastructure exists due to excessive high temperatures..." Brown states in her declaration. The State of Emergency for Benton, Columbia, Clackamas, Curry, Douglas, Gilliam, Grant, Hood River, Jackson, Josephine, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Morrow, Multnomah, Sherman, Umatilla, Wasco, Washington, Wheeler, and Yamhill Counties is expected to continue through July 31. "These excessively high temperatures are placing a significant burden on local and tribal jurisdictions to provide for the health and safety of their residents," Brown said. Weather: Preparing for the next heat wave The Oregon Office of Emergency Management (OEM) has submitted an After-Action Review (AAR) o Brown made the declaration at the request of the Oregon Health Authority (OHA),to ensure additional resources are available to respond to forecasted excessive high temperatures. The emergency declaration was triggered by the need for state agencies to assist local and Tribal jurisdictions in providing for the health and safety of their residents. "As Oregon faces another high heat event, it's important that we make available all needed resources to assist every level of government helping Oregonians stay safe and healthy," Brown said. "We know that these excessively high temperatures are placing a significant burden on local and Tribal jurisdictions, and that they can also impact critical infrastructure, including utilities and transportation." Brown has directed the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to activate the state's Emergency Coordination Center, and state agencies to provide any assistance requested by OEM. As part of the declaration, the Oregon Health Authority will activate the State Emergency Registry of Volunteers in Oregon (SERV-OR)the state's roster of licensed physicians, nurses, EMTs, and other health professionalsas necessary to respond to the heat event. In addition, Oregonians are encouraged to call 211 for information on cooling centers; 211 will be staffed 24/7 to respond to inquiries and requests for assistance. Heat Advisory The National Weather Service has issued a Heat Advisory in effect until 11 a.m. Saturday for the region. WHAT High temperatures in the upper 90s Thursday, and around 100 Friday. Overnight lows expected be in the mid 60s, however around 70 for urban areas and the Columbia River Gorge Friday night. IMPACTS Extreme heat will significantly increase the potential for heat related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. I love having summers full of fireworks! If people want to launch fireworks, go for it. It doesn't bother me at all. Please make the noise stop! Vote View Results This is the temporary subscription pass for users returning from the Vision Data subscription process. Your subscription will be updated within 24 hours, after your information is verified. Please click the button below to get your pass. BAINBRIDGE - John Short, 87, of Bainbridge, passed away July 30, 2021, at Cooperstown Center, following a brief illness. John was born Aug.1, 1933, to James and Alta (Palmer) Short in Sidney. After graduating high school in Otego, John served in the U.S. Navy from 1951 to 1954. John married Melanie joined The Daily Times in the early 90s and has served as the Life section editor since 1993. A William Blount and UT alum, Melanie is generally the early arriver who turns on the lights in the newsroom. Follow Melanie Tucker 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 News New Dollar General location gets greenlight The Blount County Planning Commission has approved site plans for a second Dollar General store in Friendsville. The commission voted 9-0 to approve the site plan review. Blount County Building Commissioner Thomas Lloyd said the county originally received the project from developer JMB Investment Company LLC back in April. Earlier this week, the county granted the developer a building permit, giving it the greenlight to begin construction on the proposed site at 2879 W. Lamar Alexander Parkway. As far as the county is concerned, they have basically satisfied all of their requirements, Lloyd said. The project will not only include construction on the new store and parking lot, but will require some roadwork as well. The Tennessee Department of Transportation is requiring the developer to improve a turning lane on the westbound side of West Alexander Parkway. There is currently no projected timeline for when construction will begin or be completed. When asked about the project, Jason Brown, with JMB Investment Company and Schadd Brown Real Estate, refused to comment. The project comes amid increasing scrutiny on Dollar General and other major dollar store chains. Dollar stores have exploded in the United States over the past decade. A 2019 report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) found that since 2011, Dollar General and Dollar Tree which acquired rival dollar store Family Dollar in 2015 expanded by more than 10,000 locations, many of which are located in rural communities or low-income urban areas. Not only does this provide stiff competition for local small businesses, experts found that by building several locations in an area, dollar stores can stave off competition from other major retailers. The ILSR report found that dollar stores saturate the market in low-income areas with multiple outlets that can make it nearly impossible for new grocers and other businesses to take root and grow. This creates a new host of problems, the report found. Retail experts have pointed out that while dollar stores offer lower prices than major retailers on some items, they rarely offer nutritional food options such as fresh produce and meat. The ILSR report also found that dollar stores employ fewer people than the grocery stores they eliminate. Dollar General outlets have a nine-person staff on average, while small independent grocery stores employ an average of 14 people. This could be a cause for concern for Blount County. A quick Google search reveals at least 16 established Dollar General locations inside the county line. Three of those stores are within five miles of the site of the new location. In recent years, some communities have attempted to stop the growing dominance of dollar stores by protesting new locations and even passing legislation to prevent market oversaturation. In 2017, a Knoxville community rallied against a new Dollar General store being built less than two blocks from an established location. Brown, whose Schadd Brown Real Estate group was also behind plans for the disputed Knoxville location, said at the time: We feel like were a local company building for a Tennessee company, even though theyre a big company at this point. Whether or not the new Friendsville location will face the same kind of resistance remains to be seen. When asked about concerns that Dollar General is oversaturating Blount County, Planning Commissioner Linda Webb, who voted in favor of the new location, said she has not heard anything of that nature. Dollar Generals corporate headquarters responded to an inquiry about the proposed location: We strive to be a positive business partner and good community neighbor, and we believe the addition of each new store would provide numerous economic benefits, among which include the creation of new jobs, generation of additional tax revenue for the community and the affordable accessibility to household essentials. Ben Shapiro is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of The Ben Shapiro Show and editor-in-chief of DailyWire.com. He is syndicated through Creators. Click the image to the left and log in to get your exclusive reader perks. The Supreme Court of the United States in Washington on June 30, 2018. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) 12 GOP Governors Ask Supreme Court to Overturn Roe v. Wade Twelve Republican governors urged the Supreme Court on Thursday to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade landmark ruling, in a major case related to an abortion law in Mississippi. The Courts decisions in Roe and Casey are prime examples of invading an area that has not been committed to the Federal Government and remains reserved to the States, the amicus brief (pdf) stated, referring to Roe as well as the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision. It later adds, Rather than creating a federal constitutional right, the Court should leave regulating abortion to the States, where the people may act through the democratic process. This Court should hold as muchand in the process, help restore the constitutional (but currently disrupted) balance between the Federal Government and the States. Roe v. Wade prohibited states from banning abortions prior to when the fetus is deemed viablethat is, potentially able to live outside its mothers wombdeemed at the time usually around the second trimester of pregnancy at 24 weeks. In 1992, the Supreme Court via Planned Parenthood v. Casey reaffirmed the Roe ruling and prohibited laws that place an undue burden on a womans ability to obtain an abortion. The amicus brief was filed by Governors Henry McMaster (R-S.C.), Kay Ivey (R-Ala.), Doug Ducey (R-Ariz.), Asa Hutchinson (R-Ark.), Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), Brian Kemp (R-Ga.), Brad Little (R-Idaho), Kim Reynolds (R-Iowa), Mike Parson (R-Mo.), Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.), Kevin Stitt (R-Okla.), and Greg Abbott (R-Texas). The filing comes in support of an ongoing case over a law in Mississippi that bans abortion after 15 weeks of gestation. The law was signed in 2018, but was challenged less than an hour after its signing by the Jackson Womens Health Organization, the only abortion provider in the state, and was blocked from taking effect by a federal judge the following day. Two lower courts have ruled against the law. Mississippi asked the Supreme Court to take up the case, which it agreed to in May. The case, Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization 19-1392, is expected to be argued when the courts term starts in October. Other filings have been sent to the Supreme Court urging the overturning of Roe v. Wade. On Wednesday, 228 Republican lawmakers44 senators and 184 House representativesfiled an amicus brief asking the court to overturn Roe v. Wade. It came after three high-profile Republican senators filed a separate amicus brief to the court on Monday to similar effect. On July 22, Mississippis attorney general, Lynn Fitch, asked the court in a filing to overturn Roe v. Wade so the state can uphold its law. The filing came after an initial brief the state sent in June 2020, which argued that the Mississippis Gestational Age Act complied with existing legal precedent and suggested that Roe v. Wade should be overturned if the Supreme Court could come up with no other way to uphold Mississippis law. Fitch wrote in the July 22 filing, the conclusion that abortion is a constitutional right has no basis in text, structure, history, or tradition and said that Roe v. Wade is dangerously corrosive to our constitutional system. Abortion is fundamentally different from any right this Court has ever endorsed, Fitch wrote. No other right involves, as abortion does, the purposeful termination of a potential life. An opposing brief from the Jackson Womens Health Organization, Mississippis only abortion clinic, is due by Sept. 13. The clinic previously argued that 50 years of precedent and court rulings have established Roe v. Wades viability. Before viability, the States interests, whatever they may be, cannot override a pregnant persons interests in their liberty and autonomy over their own body, the clinic wrote in 2020. A ruling is due by the end of June 2022. The case is Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization 19-1392. Jack Phillips contributed to this report. People wait to receive a COVID-19 test at a pop-up testing location in Miami, Fla., on July 26, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) 35,000 Americans Getting Symptomatic COVID-19 per Week Despite Being Vaccinated: CDC Some 35,000 vaccinated Americans are getting infected with COVID-19 every week, according to a recent estimate from a top U.S. health agency. While the COVID-19 vaccines reduce the incidence of disease, hospitalization, and death, approximately 0.02 percent of Americans who are vaccinated against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus have still been contracting it on a weekly basis, according to the estimate. The estimate was part of an internal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) presentation obtained and published by The Washington Post. The CDC confirmed to The Epoch Times that the presentation was authentic. COVID-19 cases among vaccinated Americans are known as breakthrough cases. The CDC stopped publicly reporting the number of breakthrough cases on May 1, except for those that result in hospitalization or death. The last count the agency released was 10,262 through April 30. But that was an acknowledged undercount, because the case numbers came from voluntary reporting from states and territories. Some states didnt submit any numbers. The CDC has come under fire this week for recommending vaccinated persons wear masks, an abrupt shift from under three months ago, without being able to point to published data to support the change. The internal presentation, dated July 29, says breakthrough cases are expected to increase as a proportion of total cases as the number of vaccinated people grows. But it undercuts recent claims by public officials that as many as 99 percent of those who died with COVID-19 were unvaccinated. According to data from COVID-NET thats presented on one of the slides, 15 percent of the in-hospital deaths in May were among the fully vaccinated, a significant jump from 3.1 percent in April. Additionally, 9 percent of COVID-19 patients in May were fully vaccinated, nearly double the number from a month prior. COVID-NET conducts surveillance on laboratory-confirmed COVID-19-associated hospitalizations in nearly 100 counties in 14 states, constituting approximately 10 percent of the U.S. population. COVID-NETs public-facing platform does not show the percentage of hospitalizations broken down by unvaccinated/vaccinated. It does not show death statistics at all. The headquarters for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is seen in Atlanta, Ga., on March 6, 2020. (Ron Harris/AP Photo) A nurse walks a COVID-19 patient through breathing techniques inside Lake Regional Hospitals Intensive Care Unit in Osage Beach, Mo., on July 26, 2021. (Sarah Blake Morgan/AP Photo) The presentation also points to evidence that vaccines lower the viral load, or amount of virus, and duration of illness in the vaccinated who experienced breakthrough infections, and cites unpublished data as showing no evidence of waning immunity among the vaccinated. On the other hand, three published studiesone is not peer-reviewedsuggest vaccine effectiveness is not as high in people with compromised immune systems, such as organ recipients or patients on dialysis. Additional evidence points to lower efficacy estimates for vaccines built on messenger RNA technology in nursing home residents. The Delta variant of the CCP virus has made things worse. The variant is more transmissible than Ebola, the common cold, and smallpox, according to the presentation, and evidence from the United Kingdom, Singapore, and India indicate Delta infections, including infections among the vaccinated, feature higher viral loads and longer durations of shedding, or possible transmission. The CDCs citation from India was listed as rejected during peer review, though that condition was later altered by the website hosting the preprint. Unpublished data suggest that Delta cases among the vaccinated, or breakthrough cases, may be as transmissible as unvaccinated cases, McMorrow wrote. She cited breakthrough cases reported to national passive surveillance systems and an outbreak in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Citing three studiestwo have not been peer reviewedfrom other countries, the official then said the Delta variant may cause more severe disease than other strains. Given the indications of increased transmissibility, lower vaccine effectiveness, and the current number of people vaccinated in the United States, nonpharmaceutical interventions such as universal masking are needed to reduce transmission of the Delta variant, the presentation concludes. The CDC claimed, without evidence, that masking could prevent up to 60 percent of CCP virus cases. Officials were also told to consider vaccine mandates to protect vulnerable populations. The presentation was shared within the CDC and drawn on heavily by Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the agencys director, during discussions with members of Congress this week, according to the Post. President Joe Biden on Thursday announced federal workers would have to show proof of vaccination or face strict rules, including regular COVID-19 testing. The White House said the Delta variant drove the announcement. The CDC was unable to point to any published evidence for its mask guidance change this week. A spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email that the evidence was set to be published on Friday. Some experts said the CDCs leaked presentation included much information that was already known, but some that was not. Dr. Bob Wachter, chair of the University of California San Franciscos Department of Medicine, said the main piece of good news was that vaccines, despite dropping in efficacy against infection, appeared to remain highly effective against preventing severe infection. He also backed the CDCs recommendation for even the vaccinated to wear masks indoors. Data argues that universal masking is critical to block spread of Deltaa more infectious, and possibly more serious virusparticularly if its true that vaccinated folks can be part of the chain of spread, he wrote on Twitter. Others questioned whether the evidence presented by the CDC should lead to a change in behavior among the vaccinated. If fully vaccinated, not much has changed for me based on this new data, Dr. Farzad Mostashari, a former assistant commissioner in the New York City Department of Health, said on social media. I will follow all guidance & ordinances, but Im still not a likely vector of spread Im still less likely to get it, and if not immunosuppressed, almost assured of protection against serious illness. A man by the name of Leung Kin-Fai stabbed a policeman on duty in Causeway Bay and then stabbed himself in the chest in Hong Kong, on July 1, 2021. (Bai Ying/The Epoch Times) Reporters Travel Documents Seized After Filming Assault on Hong Kong Police The Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) issued a statement on July 27, protesting the Hong Kong police searching the home of a reporter who had provided information about an assault, and seizing her computers, phones, and travel passes. At around 10 p.m. on July 1, a man by the name of Leung Kin-Fai stabbed a policeman on duty in Causeway Bay. Leung then stabbed himself in the chest. A Large number of reporters covered the scene at the time, including one who live streamed her report. The police then contacted several reporters, one of whom had seen the reporter live streaming the event. The day after the incident, the reporter, accompanied by a lawyer arranged by the HKJA, went to the Hong Kong Police Headquarters to give a statement to the Commercial Crime Bureau officer in charge of investigating the case. The police promised that if they needed to contact the reporter in the future, they would do so through her lawyer and inform the HKJA. The police also said that the reporter had been summoned to assist the investigation. However, at 11 p.m. on July 26, officers from the National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police Force went to the reporters temporary residence, without notifying her lawyer or HKJA, and took her away so she could further cooperate with the investigation. Her residence was searched and her travel documents were held. According to the HKJA, after being taken away, the reporter called her lawyer, while in the presence of a National Security officer, and said she did not need a lawyer. Only a friend accompanied him during the deposition and when she was taken back to her original residence, where police further collected the evidence they needed. Having learned about the incident, the Journalist Association immediately complained to the police. After a lot of mediation, the lawyer representing the association arrived at Chai Wan Division Police Station at 1 a.m. on July 27, and accompanied the reporter as she made a statement. She did not leave the police station until 5:30 a.m. It is understood that the National Security Department exercised its power, under the Hong Kong National Security Law, to withhold the reporters travel documents. According to Hong Kong police, the National Security Department obtained a warrant, issued by a designated magistrate, to search two premises and retrieve computers and radiophones on the night of July 26. The case is still under investigation and no arrests have been made. The HKJA stressed that a reporter who filmed a suspected crime during a live streaming was merely doing her journalistic duty and should not be treated as a criminal when she had already assisted the police in their investigation. The association demanded that the police immediately explain whether the reporter was summoned to assist the investigation and, if so, why her house was searched and her travel documents confiscated. And, explain whether any person who acts as, or may act as, a witness in a future case is at risk of having her or her travel documents confiscated. The association also stressed that the incident is a threat to journalists throughout Hong Kong. It asked how journalists can continue to work in peace if recording an incident will expose them to suspicion? The HKJA said the the current actions of the National Security Department are affectingeven threateningto journalists all over Hong Kong. The HKJA urges the police to respond immediately to the incident, and calls on the industry to join forces to protect their rights. Ann Arbor Ranked Most Educated City in US by New Study A new study recently ranked Ann Arbor, Michigan, as the most educated city in the country. On July 19, personal finance company, WalletHub said it compared the 150 largest U.S. metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs, across 11 key metrics. WalletHub says their data ranges from the share of adults aged 25 and older with a bachelors degree or higher to the quality of the public-school system to the gender education gap. According to the data, the Ann Arbor metro area has the highest share of bachelors degree holders aged 25 and older at 55.9 percent, which is 3.8 times higher than in Visalia, California, the metro area with the lowest-ranked in the study at 14.6 percent. WalletHub states in their report, cities want to attract highly educated workers to fuel their economic growth and tax revenues. Higher levels of education tend to lead to higher salaries. Plus, the more that graduates earn, the more tax dollars they contribute over time, according to the Economic Policy Institute. In turn, educated people want to live somewhere where they will get a good return on their educational investment. People also tend to marry others of the same educational level, which means that cities that already have a large educated population may be more attractive to people with degrees. WalletHub also said that not all highly educated people will flock to the same field, some may prefer to have many people with similar education levels around them for socializing and career connections. Others may want to be a big fish in a little pond. Not every city will provide the same quality of life to those with higher education, either. The Epoch Times spoke to Sofia Franciscus, who grew up in Puerto Rico, studied for her undergraduate degree in Ann Arbor. The main campus of the University of Michigan is located in Ann Arbor. Franciscus currently has a masters degree and is fluent in four languages. During college, she felt that it was too cold in Michigan. She vowed never to live there again. She moved to Atlanta in 1999 and then worked overseas until 2013. In 2013, she got married and couldnt believe that she was back in the snow cave. However, she appreciates the winter and the many facilities provided by the city more and more, and she is amazed by it. Franciscus said, Ann Arbor is a wonderful city, offering amazing and well-maintained outdoor parks and recreational opportunities. However, what she dislikes about Ann Arbor is the rising taxes, she told The Epoch Times. Svetlana Rees is a woman of Russian descent. She moved to Ann Arbor from the UK because of her husbands job transfer, she told The Epoch Times. Rees said, we lived here since 2007 on and off moving back and forth between the UK and Ann Arbor. Its no different for us as we came from Cambridge, UK. We quickly adapted to the life here. Overall we are very pleased with the well-rounded curriculum in Ann Arbor schools that caters equally for children with academic, sports, or performing arts preferences, Rees said. Her daughter, Sophie, who just graduated high school told The Epoch Times, being amongst educated people makes me strive to do better, but also puts a lot of pressure to achieve. Mary Manthey teaches at a school in Ann Arbor. She told The Epoch Times that she was not surprised that Ann Arbor was ranked so high. She said: Our family has been living in Ann Arbor since 1992. The reason why my husband and I chose to settle here is that we think there are great schools, great outdoor activities, international communities, wonderful people, and delicious food. Overall, the people in Ann Arbor are very welcoming. The rest of the top 5 educated cities on the list include San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA; Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV; San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA; and Madison, WI. WalletHubs report predicts the most educated cities in the near future will be dependent on how well cities deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact it has had on schooling. According to a Horace Mann study, more than 97 percent of educators reported seeing learning loss among their students due to the pandemic. A group of illegal immigrants crosses the Rio Grande from Acuna, Mexico, to Del Rio, Texas, on July 25, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Arizona Town Facing Nightmare Illegal Immigrant Influx In the normally peaceful desert town of Gila Bend, nestled 100 miles north of Arizonas border with Mexico, illegal aliens have been arriving daily since the town declared a state of emergency in March. The illegal immigrants have all been on foot, and all appeared to be bound for parts unknown, carrying with them only their backpacks and the clothes they had on. What we are literally getting is a flood of migrants walking into town, said Gila Bend Mayor Chris Riggs, who requested that a state of emergency be declared when a busload of 30 migrants was dropped off without any warning by the U.S. Border Patrol. Riggs said the arrival of the bus came as a shocknot just to the citys 1,900 residentsbut to municipal resources already stretched thin by the economic impact of the CCP virus pandemic. We had no way of getting these people anywhere, Riggs told The Epoch Times. When Riggs and the Gila Bend City Council unanimously declared a state of emergency, the buses stopped coming, at least for the time being, Riggs said. But the illegal immigrants continue to arrive nonstop, mostly on foot. Each day, Riggs estimates that between 30 and 40 illegal aliens of various nationalities will walk into the city from the nearby southern town of Ajo. Many were most likely processed at a federal detention facility located further south in the town of Why, Arizona, and then released. Riggs said that a number of the immigrants appear to be families, while most are adults of military age. A lot of them are catching rides along Maricopa Road [in Gila Bend]. Were seeing a lot more drug activity now than we did in the past, he said. In recent months, property crimes have tripled, and one reported armed robbery involved two immigrants who claimed to have a gun, he said. When it comes to confronting illegal immigrants, law enforcement officials hands are tied by the federal government. Lacking its own police department, Gila Bend has a contract with the Maricopa County Sheriffs Department to provide law enforcement coverage. Theyve been told hands-off by court order, Riggs said. As a workaround, Gila Bend hired Paloma Security to confront illegal immigrants and deter crime, a situation that is proving frustrating to residents. Riggs said that among the groups, a number appear to be unaccompanied minors, which raises the specter of child trafficking. According to Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, its definitely taxpayer money and federal dollars fueling the latest surge in border crossings and the alien resettlement program. Theyre trying to just turn them over quickly and process them quickly, Vaughan said. Most of them that show up have a destination but no idea how to get there. The buck stops at the state and local government. They have to pick up the pieces. In February, the U.S. Border Patrol apprehended nearly 100,000 migrants at the U.S.Mexico Border, though illegal crossings continue to surge. Arizona state Rep. Mark Finchem, a Republican, said he can speak firsthand to the fact that unaccompanied minors are being transported across the United States at taxpayer expense. On my morning flight from Phoenix to Charlotte [N.C.] a week ago this past Sunday, there were three unaccompanied Hispanic minors, Finchem told The Epoch Times. Each had a white paper document hung around their neck, not the document one usually sees with American Airlines for unaccompanied minors. The document said, Passage Document, U.S. Department of . I could not make out the department since the document was folded. I had no idea where they were going. An email to American Airlines requesting comment was not returned. Riggs said that none of the immigrants that hes seen were wearing masks. There have also been reports of immigrants being dropped off in vehicles near Gila Bends senior center. In the aftermath of the towns declared state of emergency, Riggs has called upon state and federal officials to help the city handle its immigration crisis given its lack of resources. To date, only Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly, both Arizona Democrats, have stepped up to offer help to stem the influx, he said. Its a nightmare, Riggs said, adding that the local cost of illegal migration is mounting. With a $2 million annual budget, were pushing another $300,000 a year dealing with this. Were doing our best not to [raise taxes], Riggs said. Gila Bend officials are also weighing the cost of establishing a town police department to start enforcing trespass lawsif nothing else, he said. ICE arrests 105 aliens in a New Jersey operation targeting criminal aliens and public safety threats on Dec. 7, 2018. (ICE) Arizona Woman Indicted for Smuggling Aliens in Fatal Crash A Tucson woman has been indicted for allegedly smuggling two illegal aliens from Mexico while driving a car that crashed into a tow truck in southern Arizona, killing one of her illegal alien passengers. Michelle Sunshine Betters, 44, appeared telephonically in federal court on Tuesday on charges relating to the transportation of illegal aliens while placing a persons life in jeopardy and causing bodily injury resulting in death. Betters was previously indicted on three counts by a federal grand jury and was ordered detained pending trial on Sept. 8. These events highlight the incredibly dangerous nature of human smuggling attempts, said Acting U.S. Attorney Glenn B. McCormick in a written statement. Illegally transporting non-citizens is hazardous for all involvedthe transporter, the non-citizens, and the general public, McCormick said. The possibility of a tragedy is always present, and it sadly became a reality this time. On June 3, Detective Jose Flores of the Tohono Oodham Police Department responded to a two-vehicle crash on State Route 86 located outside of Tucson. The investigation found that Betters was driving a 1997 Buick sedan that sideswiped a tow-truck, then left the roadway and struck a tree. The car was carrying two passengers, both of whom were determined to be Mexican illegal immigrants. According to the criminal complaint, the tow-truck driver, Thomas Downey, told Flores that he was heading west on Route 86 and that he dozed off a little. When he woke up, he saw an eastbound vehicle merging into his lane. Downey stated the car side-swiped the rear of his tow truck and crashed into a tree as he swerved his truck in an attempt to avoid the collision and went off the road. The complaint stated an unidentified male passenger was observed in the back seat slumped over on his side unresponsive with severe head injuries. Betters reportedly had a large cut on her forehead and several small cuts on her upper body. She was taken to Banner University Medical Center in Tuscon and treated for her injuries. Another male passenger was observed lying face down on the ground next to the Buick while a motorist was rendering aid. The passenger, Carlos Morales Rodriguez, told Flores that he had paid an individual in Mexico $1,200 to be smuggled into the United States. Once he made it to his destination in Atlanta, Georgia, he would have to pay an additional $7,800. Morales stated he was in a house in Altar, Sonora [Mexico] with about 40 to 50 other people from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico who were all waiting to be smuggled into the United States, the criminal complaint states. Morales said that they were smuggling people in pairs to a ranch located in Mexico. A guide then picked them up and the group walked for about 10 hours per day. Morales and his traveling partner who died in the crash then walked to an abandoned church in Topawa. An individual told them their ride was there to pick them up and they entered a Buick sedan, the complaint said. It added that Morales believes that the driver of the vehicle [Betters] got afraid that Border Patrol was following them, which caused the driver to increase speed. Morales suffered a fractured sternum, cuts and bruises to his arms and was treated at the hospital. He was later transported to the HSI office in Tuscon for processing and interview. Unfortunately, this is yet another example of the dangers of human smuggling resulting in a tragic death, said special agent in charge, Scott Brown for HSI (Homeland Security Investigations) Phoenix. HSI is committed to investigating these human smuggling organizations that prey on the vulnerable and have no regard for the sanctity of life. We will stop at nothing to bring those involved to face justice. The Tohono Oodham Police Department and HSI are conducting the investigation in this case. The Tucson Office of the U.S. Attorneys Office, District of Arizona, is handling the prosecution. In 2020, the remains of 227 migrants were found, while at least 7,000 have died along the U.S.-Mexico border since 1998, according to Humane Borders. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson in the Senate Chamber of the state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark., on April 8, 2020. (Tommy Metthe/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP) Arkansas Governor Seeks to Lift Ban on School Mask Mandate Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has announced that he will be calling the state legislature into a special session to consider allowing school boards to require students and staff to wear masks in schools. Hutchinson in April signed into law legislation that prohibits state and local government entities, including public school districts, from requiring or mandating any kind of face covering. The Republican governor said Thursday, however, that he is planning to call a special sessionmost likely next weekfor the purpose of changing that law. This is not a debate about mask mandates for those that can make their own decisions and have the means to get vaccinated, Hutchinson said during a press conference at the state Capitol. This is a discussion about the school environment where schools can make decisions about the public health for their school environment and the children they have [the] responsibility to protect. The announcement came as Hutchinson reinstated Arkansass public health emergency that ended just two months ago, citing an increase in cases of CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus infections. He said he is particularly concerned that children under age 12 are ineligible to be vaccinated against the virus. Hutchinson noted that Arkansas Childrens Hospital currently has 24 patients admitted with the CCP virus. According to the latest report from the hospital in Little Rock, five of the 24 patients are in intensive care and two are on ventilators. None of the hospitalized patients have been fully vaccinated. Hutchinson also promised that restrictions on businesses will not be discussed in the special session. Businesses are wide open in Arkansas, he said. Were going to be doing business in Arkansas. We have to live with the threat of the virus, the increase in vaccinations, we have to continue to do business, provide for our families, and theres not going to be those kind[s] of restrictions here in the state, The move was welcomed by the Democratic minority of Arkansass state legislature. State Sens. Joyce Elliot, Linda Chesterfield, and Clarke Tucker, all Democrats, argued in a letter to Hutchinson and other Republican leaders that the ban on the mask mandate should be revised since the current public health situation has changed so much from what it was in April when CCP virus infections were on the decline. There was reason to assume it was safe to return to a sense of normality, so we did so, the letter reads. As with most things in the pandemic, however, nothing is certain, and since the legislature recessed in April, circumstances in our state have altered dramatically. The Republican majority, however, is likely to oppose the change. State Sen. Trent Garner, the Republican who wrote the legislation banning mask mandates, said hes disappointed the governor seeks to amend it so quickly after it became law, reported ABC-affiliate KATV. Its unfortunate that Governor Hutchinson is choosing big government mandates over the parents of Arkansas. What this law does is allow those parents to make a personal choice for themselves and their children in the best way to deal with COVID-19, Garner said, adding that he received thousands of phone calls and emails from parents who dont want mask mandates reimposed in schools. Im not anti-vaccination, but I think you just made a clear point, people are deciding not to get that [the vaccine] and theres a reason why, he said. They dont trust the institution. They dont trust the government that shut down their businesses. They dont trust the government that forced their kids to go to school with a mask. Australia Imposes 70, 80 Percent Vaccination Targets to Reopen, Lift Restrictions The Australian government has revealed COVID-19 vaccination targets for the country to ease its restrictions, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison announcing that 80 percent of the population must be vaccinated before the country starts further reopening its international borders. Meanwhile, 70 percent of Australians aged over 16 must be fully vaccinated before stay-at-home orders and related restrictions can have a chance to be lifted. The announcement late Friday comes after Morrison met with state and territory leaders at national cabinet. The prime minister said they have agreed on a national plan to chart the way back, with special rules to apply to those who get vaccinated compared to those who are not. In early July, the Australian government announced a four-phase plan, with each phase of the plan (pdf) to be activated once a certain percentage of the population aged over 16 is vaccinated against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes the disease COVID-19. At the time, no vaccination targets were specified. Currently, about 18 percent of the national population are fully vaccinated, and about 40 percent have had one dose of a CCP virus vaccine. Late Friday, Morrison revealed that any given state or territory will move from the current phase (Phase A) to Phase B if the 70 percent vaccination target is met at both a national and state levelwhat he called a two-key process. In Phase B, lockdowns may still be possible, but will be more unlikely, and authorities will more likely lean toward lesser restrictions that would not involve stay-at-home orders, he said. Morrison said that for Phase B, international border caps will remain and low-level international arrivals will be able to be undertaken, under controlled settings with safe and proportion quarantine to minimise the risk of COVID entering. He added, We will ease restrictions in Phase B on vaccinated residents. The details of that are still to be worked through. Morrison said the nation can move to Phase C when, across the board, an average of 80 percent and the state or territory has reached 80 percent of the total Australian population being fully vaccinated. In Phase C, city-wide lockdowns are expected to end, although some restrictions may remain to minimise the spread of the virus among vulnerable groups. That phase involves fewer restrictions on travel in and out of the country, Morrison said. We will abolish caps on returning vaccinated Australians, he announced. We will also increase the capped entry of student, economic, and humanitarian visa holders. We will lift all restrictions on out-bound travel for vaccinated Australians and well extend the travel bubble for unrestricted travel to new candidate countries. He added, There will be a gradual reopening of inward and outbound international travel with safe countries, those that have the same sort of vaccination levels that Australia has and proportionate quarantine and reduced requirements for fully vaccinated inbound travellers. Meanwhile, in the final phase (Phase D), Australia will have a full reopening of its international borders such that there would be no caps on inbound arrivals. The final phase, of course, involves opening international borders, quarantine for high-risk inbound travel only, minimising cases in the community without ongoing restrictions or any lockdowns, living with COVID, Morrison said, although he didnt specify a vaccination target for the final phase. No Clear Timeline The prime minister did not offer a timeline on reaching the thresholds, but said he believed the 70 percent target could be hit before the end of the year. He acknowledged that the targets are relatively high compared to the rest of the world, telling reporters, I note there are only two countries, significant countries, that have reached a 70 percent level of vaccination, double-dose of their eligible vaccinationthe United Kingdom and Israel. The plan has just been agreed to in principle, with further details in the coming weeks when it is finalised, Morrison said. The UK has got there. Israel has got there, Morrison said of the 70 percent target. Weve actually delivered and administered more vaccines than the state of Israel now in volume terms. He also says that the current plan is subject to the rules that indeed COVID-19 writes itself, alluding to potential changes in the future should a new variant or trend emerges. Sydney residents and those in surrounding areas are facing a strict stay-at-home order for the next four weeks after having endured a month of similar restrictions already. The state government of New South Wales cited low vaccination rates as a key factor in extending the lockdown. Police in the state have called in the military to help enforce the tough lockdown restrictions. Tables taped off in Australia Square in CBD of Sydney, Australia on July 13, 2021 (Jenny Evans/Getty Images) Australian Businesses Call For Smarter Approach to Lockdowns The Business Council of Australia (BCA) has urged state and federal governments to adopt a smarter and nationally consistent approach to lockdowns, warning that 100 days of restrictions at current levels would not only push the economy into a recession but also impact Aussies mental health and social cohesion. The call from the peak body of the nations largest employers comes on the heels of the latest snap lockdowns in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, and is made after the BCA commissioned modelling by Ernst & Young (EY) that indicates outbreaks could be handled in a targeted and predictable way. The EY analysis estimates that lockdowns in the three states cost Australia $2.8 billion (US$2.o7 billion) per week, with the restrictions in Greater Sydney accounting for two-thirds of the costs at $257 million (US$190 million) a day. It also suggests that partially reopening construction in the city would reduce the lockdowns economic impact in the city by $250 million (US$185 million), reducing the losses to $500 million (US$370 million) per week. Business Council Chief Executive Jennifer Westacott said Australia needs to move from snap lockdowns to smart lockdowns, which minimises the enormous economic and social costs incurred. Our economy is not bulletproof. Restrictions are also taking a toll on the mental health and wellbeing of Australians, she said in a statement on July 27. Smarter lockdowns can reduce both the financial and human costs. The changes proposed in the Be Smarter About Managing the Virus report also include consistent approaches and predictability around how restrictions are triggered, enforced and ultimately lifted to alleviate community and business confusion, uncertainty, and anxiety. The report also suggests that lockdowns should be localised to affected areas and that the governments should provide milestones around lockdown stages to remove the day-to-day guessing game around rules and decisions. It also argues for debates about which businesses can remain open and who can go to work, highlighting a difference exists between a shutdown that runs for five days compared to five weeks. Lockdowns have also taken a heavy toll on peoples mental health. Statistics from the national suicide prevention charity Parents Beyond Breakup (PBB) show that the organisation is experiencing a 30 percent rise in calls for help in June compared to the same time last year. PBB CEO Gillian Hunt said most callers express increased distress mainly linked to the impacts of lockdown and COVID-19 on their mental well-being, with approximately 40 percent of the increased calls coming from non-custodial parents in New South Wales. When the lockdown in Melbourne first began, we saw a similar trend with our call volumes increasing significantly with the majority of these from Victoria, she said in a statement (PDF) on July 5. BCA also proposes an expanded and swift financial support from governments for all the affected households and businesses, including more funding extended to the aviation and tourism sectors. The report came just one day before the NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the extension of Sydneys lockdown for at least another four weeks until Aug 28, with ever-tightening restrictions on peoples movements. The prolonged tough lockdown in Sydney has further overshadowed the nations recovery prospects, with ANZ bank forecasting a 1.3 percent economic contraction in the September quarter and Commonwealth Bank predicting a 2.7 percent shrinkage following the announcement; both are expecting the lockdown to extend beyond September. Both federal and state governments have also announced they will expand and increase the COVID-19 Business Support Payment to cover an additional 1,900 businesses employing around 300,000 workers, which comes at a cost to taxpayers of more than $1 billion per week. But while the BCA welcomed the upgraded financial supports as targeted, adequate, expanded and timely for both individuals and businesses, some economists are concerned over their long-term ramifications. Gigi Foster, an economics professor at the University of New South Wales, said the extended ramp-up of government handouts would only staunch self-inflicted wound of lockdowns. This is like constantly injecting snake venom and a partially effective antidote into oneself at the same time, she told the Epoch Times in an email on July 27 when asked if she supports the reinstate of Jobkeeper. The continued government support not only racks up yet more debt with nothing but a treading of water to show for it. But also further habituates people to sitting at home and receiving government handouts, rather than making a contribution to society and being rewarded for that contribution, she said. Criticising lockdowns as draconian measures implemented in the name of COVID, she said the population should push hard for more sensible and welfare-supporting policies. We should refocus our efforts on the protection, prophylaxis, and treatment of those most vulnerable to serious symptoms of this disease while letting everyone else get back to their normal lives. Australian Childcare Centre Fined Over Missing Children An Australian childcare centre has been fined $20,000 after an investigation found that four children under the age of four were found on the verge of a highway after getting out through a fence. The incident happened on Aug. 31 last year, when four young children, one boy and three girls, left the Sparrow Early Learning Centre in Mandurah by climbing through a large gap in a perimeter fence, unnoticed and unsupervised. The children were found by members of the public near the highway between 1 p.m. and 1.15 p.m. and returned unharmed to the early learning centre. The Sparrow Early Learning Centres perimeter fence was known to be regularly damaged through vandalism, according to a statement released by the Department of Communities on Friday. Being approved to operate a childcare service in Western Australia carries significant responsibilities and obligations to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children enrolled at the childcare service, said Catherine Stoddart, deputy director-general of governance, intelligence and reform at the Department of Communities. Perimeter barriers should be checked regularly, and repairs carried out so as to protect against any child being able to leave the safety of a centres grounds. The supervision policies and procedures must be robust and include frequent headcounts and premises checks, especially for those children with known abilities such as climbing fences or tall outdoor or indoor structures, to ensure all children are accounted for. Stoddart said staff should be trained in the services policies and procedures to ensure that they are embedded in their service practices, and operators must have systems in place and ensure they are followed. The Sparrow Early Learning Centre Mandurah was found to have contravened the Education and Care Service National Law (Western Australia) Act 2012. People stand in front of an electronic display showing the Hang Seng Index in the Central district of Hong Kong on July 26, 2021. (Isaac Lawrence/AFP via Getty Images) Beijings Crackdown on Education Institutions Causes Hong Kong, US Stocks to Plunge The Chinese regime recently imposed strict regulations on after-school education institutions, in a bid to stop paid tutoring services offered by teachers for core school subjects. The news caused panic among investors, leading Hong Kong and U.S. education stocks to plummet. After Chinese authorities imposed the new regulations, Hong Kong shares fell by 1,105 points on July 27, with education and technology shares being the hardest hit. Mike Sun, a U.S.-based senior investment adviser, told the Hong Kong Epoch Times that the sharp drop in Hong Kong stocks that day was a panic sell-off. He added that the two-day sell-off was mainly due to a policy shift by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which led investors, including Wall Street, to adjust their investment direction. Beijings Regulatory Crackdown on Education Shares On July 23, according to a document verified by Reuters, Beijing intends to force tutoring institutions to register as a non-profit and prohibit local governments from approving new tutoring institutions. On July 24, Chinas Ministry of Education officially released the document that outlined new rules on after-school tutoring institutions, titled Opinions on Further Reducing the Burden of Students Homework and Off-Campus Training at the Compulsory Education Stage. The rules bar primary and middle school teachers from carrying out for-profit tutoring on core school subjects. Beijing imposed other strict rules such as tutoring institutions are prohibited from raising capital through the stock market; listed companies are prohibited from investing in tutoring; foreign investors are prohibited from investing in tutoring businesses through mergers and acquisitions, and setting up franchises. Hundreds of Billions of Dollars Lost On July 23, the U.S. stock price of New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. (New Oriental) was slashed, down by 54 percent. Compared to its peak stock price on Feb. 26, New Orientals U.S. stock price fell by more than 85 percent, and its market value evaporated by $29.2 billion by July 23, according to Chinese media Sina. On the same day, three Chinese tutoring company giants listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)New Oriental, TAL Education Group, and Gaotu Techedu Inc.saw their market value evaporate by nearly $17 billion in an instant, driving China Concepts Stocks down, according to Chinese media STCN. Beijings heavy crackdown on education enterprises is the same as the previous crackdown on Didi and Alibaba, and also a seizure of wealth and resources from private firms, according to Liao Shiming, a China affairs commentator in Hong Kong. The CCP will not give up its control over education out of concern for the stability of the regime, Liao said. Investment Adviser: Wall Street Adjusts Investment Strategy for China Concepts Stocks Chinas new regulations ban tutoring companies from making profits, raising capital, or going public. The worst-case became a reality, wrote JPMorgan Chase & Co. analysts, in a note dated July 24, adding that its unclear what level of restructuring the companies should undergo with a new regime and, in our view, this makes these stocks virtually un-investable. On July 23, JPMorgan Chase lowered its price target for New Oriental, a China Concepts Stock, in the education sector from $19 to $3.50, according to Sina. CITIC Securities said the education training sector for kindergarten and junior high school will enter a prolonged rectification period, while Industrial Securities warned investors to avoid all education-related stocks, Chinese news portal Sohu reported. On July 16, Yi Huimann, chairman of China Securities Regulatory Commission, said that the development of Chinas capital markets has always had a red bloodline, Sina reported. Red bloodline refers to communist capital. This statement means the future of Chinas capital market players can only be the CCP, the red capital, senior investment adviser Mike Sun said, adding that Wall Street investment banks have been well aware and adjusted their strategies for China Concepts Stocks. Due to the uncertainty of the CCPs policies, Wall Street has chosen to withdraw its capital to avoid the risks. Under the Biden administration, U.S.-China relations have entered a phase of strategic ambiguity and now the Chinese and Hong Kong markets are bound to experience some sort of shock, Sun said. President Joe Biden delivers remarks during an event in the Rose Garden of the White House on July 26, 2021. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Biden Admin: National COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Not Under Consideration at This Time President Joe Biden and other top administration officials arent considering a national COVID-19 vaccine mandate at this time, the White House says. A national vaccine requirement is not under consideration at this time. Thats where we are with that, deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a press briefing at the White House on July 30. Biden was asked a question by a reporter about whether states and municipalities should adopt a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, to which he replied: I dont know that yet. That triggering speculation that the federal government may be concocting such a policy. Id like to see them continue to move in that direction, and thats why I point it out. I had asked the Justice Department to determine whether that istheyre able to do that legally, and they can, Biden said, without providing details. Local communities can do that. Local businesses can do that. Its still a question whether the federal government can mandate the whole country. I dont know that yet. How such a policy would be implemented isnt clear. Some major corporations have demanded that their employees get vaccinated against COVID-19 by a certain date or be terminated, or at the very least, forced to wear masks, undergo routine testing, and engage in social distancing. Some businesses, meanwhile, have said that customers who enter their buildings must provide proof of vaccination. Vaccine passport-style systems have been near-universally panned by Republican elected officials, civil liberties groups, and even the World Health Organization. Biden on July 29 said that the federal government will push its employees to get the vaccine, but the U.S. Postal Service union has opposed the mandate. In recent days, the Biden administration has been criticized by public health experts and even some mainstream news outlets for what theyve described as poor messaging around mask-wearing and vaccines. The presidents comments about a national vaccine mandate, Jean-Pierres comments about possibly going into a lockdown, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) delaying the release of a study it cited to recommend mask-wearing again all drew flack. On July 30, Jean-Pierre reiterated that Biden doesnt want to push for another lockdown. A day earlier, Biden said he wants schools to reopen. The way we see this is that we have the tools in our tool belt to fight this variant, Jean-Pierre said during a press conference. And we are not going to head towards a lockdown. The CDC issued guidance last week recommending that vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals wear masks in medium or high-transmission areasmore than half the counties across the United States. Throughout the pandemic, the CDC has stated that people should wear masks, but stated in May that unvaccinated individuals dont need them, before reversing course last week. U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the Intelligence Community workforce and its leadership while on a tour at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in McLean, Va., on July 27, 2021. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images) Biden Admin Wont Rule out Future Lockdowns or School Closures If CDC Recommends It The White House on Thursday signaled that it would be open to lockdowns and school closures if such policies were recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). When asked at the White House about whether lockdowns or closures are a possibility, deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre suggested that if CDC and other experts recommend that, they would follow their guidelines. Well, we listen to, like I said, we listen to the CDC and the expert[s] and their guidance you know, the CDC is a body that is very well respected, she said in response. And again, we follow their guidance. Jean-Pierre added: Well, because we listen to the scientists, we listened to the expert[s] This is a public health situation. This is not about politics at all. This is about saving lives. And this is what the president is all about. President Joe Biden on Thursday said that federal workers other than U.S. Postal Workers and contractors will have to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or wear masks, or they will have to engage in social distancing and routine COVID-19 tests. The new rules, according to the White House, are being imposed due to the Delta COVID-19 variant, which some public health officials have said is more contagious. Earlier in the week, the CDC issued guidance saying that mask-wearing should be mandated among unvaccinated and vaccinated people in high-transmission areas. The agency also said children, upon returning to school, should wear masks regardless of vaccination status. During Bidens announcement, the president did not make any mention of possible school closures or lockdownsnor did the CDC in its updated masking guidance. Later during Thursdays press conference, Jean-Pierre said the Biden administration wants to see all schools open in the fall. Well, were going to continue to work closely, as we have, with local governments, with the teachers, as weve done and continue to have those conversations, she said. I want to add, though, that nearly 90 percent of teachers are currently vaccinated. Thats a good sign. Now, we just have to make sure we also protect our kids in school, we protect the other administrators at school, people who are immunocompromised, and thats why the CDC put out that guidance making sure people are wearing masks in schools. About 60 percent of American adults have been fully vaccinated to date. Biden had set a July 4 goal to get at least one COVID-19 shot in 70 percent of adults. The latest figure is about 69 percent. The Epoch Times has contacted the CDC for comment on the possibility of lockdowns. Biden Reveals His True Goal: To Ban Most Guns Commentary If there was any doubt that President Biden wants to ban the vast majority of guns in the United States, he again clarified his position last week.The idea you need a weapon that can have the ability to fire 20, 30, 40, 50, 120 shots from that weapon whether its a whether its a 9-millimeter pistol or whether its a rifle is ridiculous, Biden said at a televised CNN town hall meeting. Im continuing to push to eliminate the sale of those things, but Im not likely to get that done in the near term. The presidents gun control proposals will make guns so expensive and difficult to obtain that only the extremely wealthy will be able to afford to own one legally. While the news media assures Americans that Biden just wants reasonable regulations, Biden made the scope of his true ambitions clear during the campaign. At a high-dollar private fundraiser in Seattle in 2019, he said: Why should we allow people to have military-style weapons, including pistols with 9-mm bullets and can hold 10 or more rounds? When Republicans pointed out that this goal was tantamount to banning most modern handguns, liberal PolitiFact quickly came to Bidens defense. The fact-checking site did so again last week. The most popular handguns would face no restrictions under Bidens policies, PolitiFact senior correspondent Jon Greenberg wrote. The basis of this conclusion, Greenberg wrote, is that the popular Sig Sauer P365 cannot accommodate more than 10 or 15 rounds. This is untrue. Although that is how the pistol comes from the manufacturer, this gun and virtually all semiautomatics can use bullet magazines that extend well below the pistol grip. The model Greenberg referenced can actually use magazines that hold 20, 30, or even 50 rounds. Presumably, PolitiFact believes that Bidens proposed ban would only apply to guns based on their standard magazine size. But Biden himself wasnt ambiguous. He talked about banning pistols based on their ability to fire or that can hold so many rounds. When he mentions military-style weapons including pistols, the president is talking about the gun themselves. He also wants to ban so-called assault rifles, regardless of how many rounds their standard magazines hold, and he lumps those guns together with pistols. More than 85 percent of handguns in the United States are semiautomatics and would be banned if Biden has his way. The nations top elected Democrats do not usually openly talk about banning handguns, but their proposals aim to accomplish just that. Biden has also proposed making gun manufacturers civilly liable for any misuse of firearms that they sell. That means people could sue manufacturers and sellers whenever a crime, accident, or suicide occurs with a gunand would effectively put them out of business. Normally, in such product liability litigation, a manufacturer must produce a defective product or violate the law in some way. But to run afoul of this proposed statute, gun makers need not do anything wrong at all. Imagine what would happen to the car industry if similar rules applied. The National Safety Council estimates that car accidents in 2018 caused 39,404 deaths and 4.5 million injuries in the United States. Most of these occur because a driver isnt paying attention or drives recklessly, perhaps under the influence of drugs or alcohol; because they neglected to maintain the vehicle; or because of some other combination of factors. Rarely is the car or truck itself at fault. It would be ludicrous to make automakers pay lost wages, medical costs, and pain and suffering because of a drivers negligence. Gun manufacturers likewise shouldnt have to pay for the misconduct of Americas citizens. Democrats unwillingness to fix the gun background check system also reflects their desire to make life difficult for gun owners. Errors in the system stop about 3.8 million law-abiding Americans from purchasing firearms. Mistakes arise because most checks look at phonetically similar names and similar birthdates and account for about 99 percent of the denials. When I recently worked in the Department of Justice, I saw data showing that the system overwhelmingly discriminates against black and Hispanic males. All the government must do is hold itself to the same standards for background checks that private companies have to meet. Or take Bidens zero tolerance policy towards what he calls rogue gun dealers. No policymaker wants dealers to secretly sell guns to criminals out of the back of their store. But that is not what Biden is going after. Even one mistake in paperwork, no matter how trivial and inconsequential, now means the loss of their license and the end of their business. When Biden talks about 5 percent of the gun dealers selling 90 percent of the guns found at crime scenes, he ignores that 5 percent sell more than 90 percent of the guns. He ignores that less than 0.1 percent of guns are used in a crime in any given year and that guns are used to stop crime about five times more frequently than they are used to commit it. Semiautomatic guns account for the vast majority of gun sales and provide critical self-defensive benefits for individuals. If manually loaded, single-shot guns are the alternative, law-abiding victims are going to be in trouble if they have to fire more than one round in self-defense against a criminal with an illegally obtained semiautomatic. Magazines, which are a box with a spring, are easy to make and virtually impossible to stop criminals from obtaining. Lets not put law-abiding citizens at such a disadvantage by giving them only one shot while criminals may have dozens. From RealClearWire. John R. Lott Jr. is the president of the Crime Prevention Research Center and the author of Dumbing Down the Courts: How Politics Keeps the Smartest Judges Off the Bench and Gun Control Myths. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. People walk through the Theater District in Manhattan, New York City, on May 6, 2021. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) Broadway to Require Patrons Show Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination Theaters on Broadway in New York City will require audience members to wear masks and present proof of COVID-19 vaccination. All workers, including performers and backstage crew, are also being required to get COVID-19 shots. Under the new policy, patrons must present proof that theyve gotten a vaccine authorized by the Food and Drug Administration or the World Health Organization. Patrons must have become fully vaccinated, or have gotten the final dose in their regimensome vaccines require two dosesat least 14 days before attending a show. The policy is in place through Oct. 31. Policies may be relaxed if the science dictates, the Broadway League said. The only exemptions are for children under 12 or for people with a medical condition or a religious belief that prevents vaccination. Those people must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours of the performance, or a negative antigen test within 6 hours of the performance. As vaccination has proven the most effective way to stay healthy and reduce transmission, Im pleased that the theatre owners have decided to implement these collective safeguards at all our Broadway houses. A uniform policy across all New York City Broadway theatres makes it simple for our audiences and should give even more confidence to our guests about how seriously Broadway is taking audience safety, Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League, said in a statement. Nick Scandalios of The Nederlander Organization, speaking for theatre owners, added that the entire theatre community is committed to the highest level of public health standards. There are 41 theaters on Broadway, according to the league. Broadway is known as one of the premier destinations to view live shows in the United States. Broadway shut down last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and has not reopened yet. Shows will start reopening on Sept. 14. A number of companies have begun announcing COVID-19 vaccine mandates, but far fewer are imposing vaccine requirements on customers. Danny Meyer, a restaurateur, made waves Thursday when he said all customers would need to be vaccinated to enter his restaurants. Proof of vaccination, or vaccine passports, have been partially banned in some Republican-led states. Civil liberties groups have expressed concern about the passports. The issues around passport design are separate from the question of where and when people can be required to furnish proof of vaccinations, but if a passport system makes it very easy to ask for and to provide proof of vaccination, its likely that such requests will become over-used as people get asked for credentials at every turn, Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst for the American Civil Liberties Union, wrote in a blog post in March. While there are legitimate circumstances in which people can be asked for proof of vaccination, we dont want to turn into a checkpoint society that outlasts the danger of COVID and that casually excludes people without credentials from facilities where vaccine mandates are not highly justified, he added. Cameroon soldiers stand guard at a lookout post as they take part in operations against the Islamic extremists group Boko Haram, their guard post is on Elbeid bridge, left rear, that separates northern Cameroon form Nigeria's Borno state near the village of Fotokol, Cameroon. (Edwin Kindzeka Moki/AP Photo) Cameroon Reels From Fresh Islamist Attacks That Killed 13 Soldiers The news came hard for the Aoudou Man family, always fearful of news about Islamist terrorist attacks in northern Cameroon. Thats because two sons from the family have been serving in the Cameroonian army, fighting militants of the Nigerian-based Islamist terror group, Boko Haram. Their fear was realized on July 24 with news that their son was a casualty of the first of two attacks by ISIS-related terrorists in the Fourth Joint Military Region in the Far North Region of the country, killing 13 soldiers and a civilian. Authorities use the catchall term Boko Haram, for the attackers, although they may have been elements of the newly refortified insurgency known as the Islamic State of West Africa (ISWAP). Zanguim Jean De Dieu Man, 25, was among eight soldiers who died following the first attack, at 4:00 a.m., July 24, at a military outpost in the Logone-and-Chari Division of Cameroons Far North Region that shares a porous border with northeastern Nigeria Boko Harams base. It is very painful, Douna Belmond Man, brother to the fallen soldier, told The Epoch Times on the phone. Looking at the corpse, it is hard to decipher the manner of his death. He was completely burnt. It is difficult to recognize his corpse. I cant describe the gravity of this pain in our family, said the 54-year-old, who just retired from Cameroons gendarmerie corps. The family is completely lost, Douna told The Epoch Times. We dont know whether his corpse is still in the battleground or if it has already been brought to Yaounde, Douna said. Zanguim had served in the Cameroon army for barely three years. The second attack struck the army barely 48 hours lateron Monday evening, July 26at the base of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF) near the same area, and left five soldiers and a civilian dead. Sixteen soldiers were wounded in the two incidents. New Boko Haram We are facing a new Boko Haram, Cameroons Minister of Defense, Joseph Beti Assomo, told the press shortly before an in-camera security meeting which he convened in the region Thursday. This security meeting is to scrupulously examine the new form of threat posed by Boko Haram, and to take appropriate measures to adjust our military strategy to this new form, he said. The Head of Communication Division of Cameroons Defense Ministry, Atongfack Guemo Cyrille Serge, said in a statement that several assailants [were] neutralized and their bodies carted away as the terrorists retreated, as is their custom in such circumstances. But he did not state the exact number of the militants killed in the clashes. Atongfack however stated the countrys readiness to prevent possible new assaults by the terrorist hydra Boko Haram which seems to have bounced in full force following the internal restructuring of its ideology and its conquest of the field. The Boko Haram insurgency started in northeastern Nigeria in 2009 and spread across the Lake Chad basin countries, including Cameroon, in 2013. Cameroon recorded the highest number of Boko Haram attacks against civilians in 2020totaling 234slightly higher than Nigeria (100), Niger (92), and Chad (12) combined, according to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, a U.S. think tank. Boko Haram attacks have killed more than 3,000 people in the Far North Region of Cameroon, displaced about quarter a million while triggering the rise of vigilante self-defense groups according to International Crisis Group. The group confirmed in Mid-June that its leader, Abubakr Shekau blew himself up. Before his demise, most attacks in Cameroon were carried out by a faction known as Boko Haram, which he led, whereas the (ISWAP) faction chiefly operated around the Nigeria-Niger and Nigeria-Chad borders. ISWAP broke ranks with Boko Haram in 2016, affiliating with the Islamist State group. It is hard to say with certainty the origin of the attacks, Suh I Fru Nobert, lecturer and researcher in the Department of Political Science and Comparative Politics in Cameroons University of Buea, told The Epoch Times in a text. Thats probably why the government of Cameroon points fingers at Boko Haram. What is certain is that the attacks are terrorist attacks and the mode of operation is common among terrorist groups, he said. New Strategy Needed Suh warns a power tussle between two terrorists groups can never be in the interest of peace and stability in the two regions. The very nature of their operation, as terrorist groups, who make use of unlawful violence for political reasons, is common to all terrorist groups. If the government of the two states affected can take advantage of the division, then fine and good. That can be possible if they go by what I can call strategic infiltration. Otherwise, we should note that no power tussle or division is permanent. Experts believe the latest attacks in northern Cameroon expose grisly cracks in the Multinational Joint Task Forcea force set up in 2015 to support regional cooperation among Lake Chad Basin countries to fight Boko Haram. The attacks demonstrate that the MNJTF is not effective, David Otto, Defence consultant to the Nigerian government, told The Epoch Times in a text. If [ISWAP militants] can carry out an attack in Cameroon and retreat into Nigeria, it means [Lake Chad Basin] countries do not have the capacity to protect the porous borders and extensive boundaries, he said. Suh said the Multinational Joint Task Force needed to restrategize even with the purported death of a terrorist leader. It should be on a permanent alert and be offensive in its strategy against terrorism. The asymmetric nature of terrorist warfare makes a true claim for defeat difficult. Otto said the latest attacks in northern Cameroon are a clear message from the ISWAP to its sponsors and supporters that it is still present in Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, and Chad. These attacks are to demonstrate its capacity to launch deadly attacks in all countries located in the Lake Chad Basin, he told The Epoch Times. To ISWAP supporters, it is fulfilling its narrative that it only targets military positions and personnel of enemy countries and not civilians; a strategy used to win hearts and minds and secure the confidence of local communities for strategic and operational advantage. New Turn During his visit to Maroua, capital of Cameroons Far North Region, Minister Beti Assomo comforted the wounded soldiers. We want to reassure the wounded soldiers of all the moral and material support of the President of the Republic and the entire high command, he said. One of the victims of the attack, Lieutenant Innocent Beidi, told the Minister from his hospital bed: As soon as we are treated, we shall continue the mission. It is our role. We are ready for it. Until recently, there were no significant attacks from Islamist militants in northern Cameroonthereby creating the illusion that the group had been defeated, said Suh. Media announcement of the death of Boko Haram leader could have created a feeling of effective victory over terrorism among the task force. Unfortunately, as we can see, it is not the case. Although it is also true that the death of Idriss Deby [late president of Chad and a frontline general] , well known for his confrontational and galvanizing anti-terrorism actions, could have weakened the moral of the task force, however, that is not certain again, Suh said. Beti Assomo noted that the fight against Boko Haram is taking a new turn. These latest attacks will not go without an appropriate retaliation from the Cameroon army, the Defense Minister said. The Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the HKSAR, Xie Feng, gives a speech in a press conference in Hong Kong on Feb. 7, 2020. (Philip Fong/AFP via Getty Images) China Ambushes Top American Diplomat Commentary Once again, Chinas regime went out of its way to insult Biden administration diplomats. The mauling this time took place in the Chinese city of Tianjin, on July 26. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, the most senior Biden administration official to visit China, was the victim. Beijing used the meeting with Sherman, as it used the now-infamous March meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, not to work with the United States but to launch a propaganda campaign against Washington. Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng, for instance, publicly accused the United States of trying to end the Chinese regime. A whole-of-government and whole-of-society campaign is being waged to bring China down, Xie said, according to the official China Daily, during Shermans visit. Xie even went so far as to hand Sherman two lists, containing what were portrayed as Beijings demands. China has for the first time given the U.S. a list of red lines and remedial action it must take to repair relations, Hong Kongs South China Morning Post reported. Xie didnt let up after Sherman departed Chinese soil. Days later, he was issuing additional hostile comments, including one posted on the website of Chinas embassy in the United States. It is, Xie stated, the United States, not anybody else, who is the inventor, and patent and intellectual property owner of coercive diplomacy. This propaganda blast mirrored the one that immediately followed the mid-March meeting in Anchorage, where Chinas Yang Jiechi, Chinas top diplomat, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. Just moments after the first day of that tense encounter, Beijing issued statements inciting, among other things, hatred against America and a global race war against white people, some of its most vicious propaganda in the post-Mao history of the Peoples Republic. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in Tokyo, on July 20, 2021. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo) It was no accident that Xie was chosen for the task of taking on Sherman. Beijing had first offered the American diplomatthen about to embark on a trip to Japan, South Korea, and Mongoliaa meeting with him, the No. 5 in the foreign ministry. State scrubbed a stopover in China over the intended slight to Sherman, Americas No. 2 diplomat. The U.S. side agreed to a meeting in China only after Beijing offered a sit-down with Foreign Minister Wang, the regimes No. 2 diplomat and Shermans counterpart. Sherman in fact met Wang, but Beijing afterward omitted this crucial fact in its propaganda releases, reporting only that Sherman met Xie Feng. The slight mirrored Beijings attempt to insult U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin earlier this year. The Chinese regime evidently thinks it is open season on senior American officials. We should not be surprised. Ive heard presidents of both political parties say complimentary things about the leader of China, Trey Gowdy said on his new Fox News Channel show in July. Are we sending the right message? I mean if we really believe China is responsible for COVID-19 and stealing intellectual property and aggression in the South China Sea, are we sending the right message to them? No, Washington is most certainly not. The generous messages American presidents send to Beijing are obviously counterproductive. That messaging, for instance, has led Chinas leaders, who are critically reliant on the United States, to believe they hold the high cards. President Joe Biden in particular is guilty of needlessly giving the Chinese leverage. Chinese leaders give the impression that the U.S.A. has much more to seek from them than they from Washington, said Yogesh Gupta, former Indian diplomat and specialist on China-India relations, to Hong Kongs South China Morning Post, referring to the Sherman meeting. This time, the Americans were on the defensive as they sought Beijings cooperation on a range of issuesclimate change, North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan, and othersensuring that the U.S.A. did not seek conflict. Americans have fed the already inflated egos of their Chinese counterparts by telling them how important they are, and those statements have naturally given Beijing far more power in the relationship than it either has or deserves. For decades, U.S. presidents have not used the tools at their disposal in dealings with Beijing. On the contrary, most of them essentially gave Chinas despots a veto on American policy by saying that Chinese cooperation was absolutely essential. In fact, the Chinese arent that essential, and American leaders dont have to listen to them. Take their economy. Last year, China became even more dependent on exports, and it remains extraordinarily reliant on access to the U.S. market. In 2020, Chinas merchandise trade surplus with the United States accounted for a stunning 58 percent of its overall merchandise trade surplus. Moreover, Chinas financial markets have become even more dependent on foreign capital because of Xi Jinpings unrelenting attack on his countrys tech sector. Xi began the most recent phase of his months-long assault with the unprecedented last-minute halting last November of Ant Groups initial public offering, slated to be the worlds largest at $39.5 billion. This year, Xi has wiped more than $140 billion of value off U.S.-listed Chinese tech giants during the last week of July alone, and most analysts believe the carnage will continue. China, as a result, is needy, requiring foreign cash to replace what has already been lostand what will be lost as Xi continues to take apart his tech giants. Biden can use his considerable powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977or, if he is even bolder, the Trading with Enemy Act of 1917to halt commerce with China and investment into the Chinese markets, ending once and for all the China threat. Bidens attempts to build a working relationship have failed, as the Sherman meeting clearly shows. The best way to deal with Chinas regime is not to deal with it. Thats a far better message to send than the ones Gowdy is concerned about. There is no sense in strengthening China with American resources, especially when Beijing has shown no interest in dialogue or a constructive relationship with Washington. Xi Jinping no longer wants to accommodate America or compromise with Americans. He prefers to lecture, dictate, demand, and humiliate them. Wendy Sherman just learned that. Chinas diplomats ambushed her. There must be a consequence. It is time to say to Beijing, No more! From the Gatestone Institute. Gordon G. Chang is a distinguished senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute, a member of its Advisory Board, and the author of The Coming Collapse of China. Follow Gordon at GordonChang.com and on Twitter @GordonGChang Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. This picture, taken on May 12, 2015, shows people watching a demonstration of an unmanned drone during a campaign for disaster prevention and reduction in Beijing. China forbids any flights, manned or unmanned, without prior approval from the air force, civil aviation authorities, and the local air traffic control bureau. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) China Integrating Military Capabilities and Civilian Entities: Leaked Document A leaked document from a district-level Military-Civil Fusion (MCF) office obtained by The Epoch Times outlines specific local developments integrating military capabilities and civilian infrastructure. The document, titled 2020 MCF Work Summary and 2021 MCF Work Planning, came from the Jiedong district of Jiayang, Guangdong province. It details how the MCF blurs boundaries between military, civil, and commercial entities. According to the U.S. State Department, MCF is the strategy to develop the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) into a world class military by 2049. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is systematically reorganizing the Chinese science and technology enterprises to ensure that new innovations simultaneously advance economic and military development Under Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Beijing has been pressing nationwide implementation of MCF since 2017. At the recent CCP centennial ceremony, Xi talked about forging the great wall of steel with the flesh and blood of over 1.4 billion Chinese people. MCF is likely one of the enablers of this goal. Dual-purposing Civilian Resources for Military Use The document lists several 2020 MCF projects including civilian infrastructures and non-military businesses that were converted or enlisted for military use. One MCF office project was upgrading a regular highway that happened to pass through a naval base into a combat-ready highway, giving it the dual purpose of being a runway for fighter jets. The original highway was rerouted around the naval base. Another project was the conversion of a local fiber optic cable company into a civilian-military fusion business to utilize the advanced technology for military and defense. In addition, the MCF office signed military-civil dual-use equipment contracts with local businesses and hospitals. These civilian entities agreed to provide transportation, food, gas, medical equipment, and other logistics to the military in times of war, emergencies, and military drills. Building Civilian Air Defense Facilities Air defense is another focal point of the MCF. The document claims that a civilian air defense control center was built and staffed in 2020. Alarm and teleconferencing systems throughout the district were also upgraded. According to government regulations, underground air-raid shelters are to be built in the basement at the same time as the above-ground structure. If the shelter isnt included, the building owner is obligated to pay a fine that would cover the costs of building the underground shelter elsewhere. The MCF district office collected $471,000 in such fines in 2020. Meanwhile, the document reports that 377,000 square feet of underground air-raid shelters were constructed in 2020. The underground air-raid shelters are dual-use facilities. A government article explaining why air-raid shelters are required in civilian buildings says that these shelters can also be used by the military in times of war. 2021 Budget Increased by 60 Percent The MCF strategy has been implemented by a large network of MCF offices throughout China. The CCP Central Commission of MCF Development has been chaired by Xi Jinping since 2017, and its strategic importance elevated in recent years. A budget planning report of the Jieyang city MCF office, with 12 administrative members, shows the annual budget for 2021 was increased by over 60 percent to a total of $2.7 million. Air defense and sea defense-related projects are cited for cost increases. Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar (L) and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pose for a photo during their meeting in Tianjin, China, on July 28, 2021. (Li Ran/Xinhua via AP) China-Taliban Ties Warming Ahead of US Withdrawal Chinese foreign minister met Wednesday with a delegation of high-level Taliban representatives as ties between them warm ahead of the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan. A photo posted on the ministrys website showed Wang Yi posing with senior Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and his delegation in the city of Tianjin, then sitting down to talks. The highly conspicuous show of friendliness had the appearance of a diplomatic mission at a time when the Taliban terrorists are craving legitimacy. While no agenda was announced for the meeting, the Chinese communist regime has an interest in pushing the Taliban to deliver on peace talks or at least reduce the level of violence as they gobble up territory from Afghan government forces. China and Afghanistan share a narrow border high in the remote Wakhan Valley, and the Chinese regime has long been concerned about a possible spillover of Islamic militancy into its formerly volatile Xinjiang region. China has also signed deals for oil, gas, and copper mining in Afghanistan, although those have long been dormant. The Taliban are a pivotal military and political force in Afghanistan and are expected to play an important role in the process of peace, reconciliation, and reconstruction, Wang said. The heads of the Taliban Religious Council and the Propaganda Committee were also on the trip. The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan by Aug. 31 is seen as a boon to the Chinese regime, Washingtons chief strategic competitor, which has long resented the presence of U.S. troops in what it considers its own backyard. If the Taliban do topple the U.S.-backed central government, the Chinese regime could gain a strategic corridor allowing it and long-time ally Pakistan to bring further pressure against common rival India. Baradars visit comes shortly after Pakistans foreign minister and intelligence chief made their trips to China. Pakistan is seen as key to peace in Afghanistan. The Taliban leadership is headquartered in Pakistan and Islamabad has used its leverage, which it says is now waning, to press the Taliban to talk peace. While the Tianjin meeting could be seen as a snub at the United States, Washington has been meeting with China and Russia to produce statements calling on the Taliban to enter into a peace deal. Zalmay Khalilzad, Washingtons point person in talks aimed at ending decades of war in Afghanistan, also made a brief visit to Pakistan earlier this month as relations between Islamabad and Kabul reached a new low. That has fed perceptions that the United States is engaged in stepped-up efforts to obtain a peace deal ahead of the Aug. 31 deadline that also includes China. After U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met Wang in Tianjin on Monday, she and the State Department included Afghanistan on the list of areas of global interest that the United States and China could cooperate on. Dave Rubin Blasts Twitter for Locking His Account Over Misleading COVID-19 Tweet Dave Rubin, political commentator and host of The Rubin Report, took aim at Twitter on Thursday for locking him out of his account for allegedly violating the companys policy on COVID-19 misinformation. Rubin shared a screenshot of his since-deleted tweet on the Locals.com platform, which said: They want a federal vaccine mandate for vaccines which are clearly not working as promised just weeks ago. People are getting and transmitting Covid despite vax. Plus now theyre prepping us for booster shots. A sane society would take a pause. We do not live in a sane society. Conservative activist Kyle Kashuv shared a screenshot of a Twitter notice saying it had temporarily limited some of Rubins account features, claiming he had violated the social media companys policy on spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19, which requires the removal of such content. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. Rubin told Fox News in an interview that, rather than appeal Twitters decision to lock him out, he opted to delete the tweet because pre-sales for his new book were scheduled to launch the following day, and appealing Twitters move could take a long time. I went against my better judgment because I would have preferred to stand up and fight them, Rubin told the outlet, adding that Twitter informed him he would regain access to his account within 12 hours of deleting the tweet. At the same time, Rubin defended the tweet that led him to run afoul of Twitter. Every single thing that I said in that tweet was true and this is a complete continuation of silencing any sort of dissent, anyone that questions the narrative is in a lot of trouble when it comes to Big Tech and we better fight it because were running out of time, Rubin told Fox News. An Epoch Times request for clarification on what, specifically, about Rubins tweet violated Twitter policies was not immediately returned by the company. One possibility, however, could be Rubins declaration that the Biden administration wants a federal vaccine mandate. While President Joe Biden has announced that all federal workers and on-site contractors would be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine, or face restrictions, the administration has not explicitly endorsed the kind of vaccine mandate that would be an enforceable requirement at a federal level for all Americans to get the shot. But in remarks to reporters on Thursday, Biden seemed open to more aggressive measures, saying it is still a question whether the federal government can mandate the whole country to get the vaccine. Biden was responding to a question from a reporter asking whether he wants to see vaccine mandates in states, private companies, and schools. Id like to see them continue to move in that direction, Biden replied, adding that the Department of Justice (DOJ) had determined that it is legal for local communities and local businesses to impose vaccine mandates but that it remains unclear whether a nationwide federal requirement would be lawful. The DOJs Office of Legal Counsel on July 26 issued an opinion (pdf) that says federal law doesnt prohibit public agencies and private businesses from requiring COVID-19 vaccines, even if the vaccines have only been authorized for emergency use. The opinion came as messaging from mainstream media outlets, some government, and public health officials, and world leaders around vaccines has become increasingly forceful. Rubin told Fox News that his tweet basically paraphrased what Biden said at the press conference, while decrying what he said amounted to Big Tech censorship. They want you to wear masks forever, they want to be locked down forever, they want to control what you say and where you say it and who you say it to, Rubin said, adding, youre basically a frog in a slowly boiling pot. Its time to stand up and fight. Ex-Police Chief Who Rescued Baby Pleads Guilty to Assault KANSAS CITY, Mo.A former suburban Kansas City police chief who helped rescue a baby from an icy pond and later assaulted the man accused of trying to kill the infant has pleaded guilty in the case. Greg Hallgrimson, 51, pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday, the Kansas City Star reported. He was indicted in 2019 on a single count of violating the civil rights of Jonathon Zicarelli. Prosecutors have said Hallgrimson threw a handcuffed Zicarelli to the ground, punched him in the face and told Zicarelli, You deserve to die, after returning from the rescue mission to the Greenwood, Missouri, police station. Zicarelli had walked into the police station in December 2018 and said he had tried to drown his 6-month-old daughter in a nearby pond, police said. Hallgrimson and another officer rushed to the pond and found the unconscious infant floating face up and her lungs filled with water. Hallgrimson and the other officer worked to warm and revive the baby until paramedics arrived and rushed her to a hospital, where she was treated for severe hypothermia. Hallgrimson was put on administrative leave shortly after being accused of assaulting Zicarelli, which prosecutors say was captured on video. He resigned in May 2019. Zicarelli remains in Jackson County jail on pending felony charges of domestic assault and child abuse. Naomi Wolf attends the "Fed Up" premiere at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City on May 6, 2014. (Rommel Demano/Getty Images) Former Clinton Adviser Naomi Wolf: Big Tech Bans Leading to Self-Censorship The growing number of people banned from Big Tech platforms is leading to a wave of self-censorship, journalist Naomi Wolf says. Wolf was banned by Twitter last month for allegedly sharing misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines. Wolf told The Epoch Times that her account was frozen after she posted a video of her husband reading the resume of Dr. Ralph Baric, who received U.S. government funding to conduct gain of function research. She was banned after uploading a press release from Oregon Sen. Kim Thatchers bill that would ban vaccine passports and mask mandates. To me, if weve gotten to a point where a giant tech company, or even a little company, is silencing people who are providing first-hand sourcing for major, major news stories, or reading press releases from elected officials, thats like not America anymore, Wolf said on The Epoch Times American Thought Leaders, adding that she believes she broke no rules. Twitters statement that the ban stemmed from spreading misinformation is damaging to Wolfs career and she accused the company of singling out citizens and smearing them baselessly. Wolf joined former President Donald Trumps lawsuit against Big Tech companies earlier this month. Twitter has not responded to requests for comment. Further, Wolf, a former adviser to ex-President Bill Clinton, believes the ongoing purge of voices that dissent from the dominant form of thought on COVID-19 and other issues, and the warnings some users receive before getting banned, is resulting in a climate of self-censorship and is reminiscent of emerging totalitarian societies. Naomi Wolf attends Pump New York Screening at Museum of Modern Art in New York City, on September 17, 2014. (Robin Marchant/Getty Images) Im Jewish, Im allowed to say this, they totally did things like this in Germany, when it was still a fragile democracy. Like creating very vague laws, that if you broke the rules, you were in big trouble. But you could never really know what was going to trigger that breaking of the rules, she said. Wolf said the chilling effect her ban has had on other journalists is evident because some have reached out to her about it. Ive gotten so many emails from other reporters saying, I really admire you, Im so sorry you were de-platformed. And when I would say well, can you say that publicly? They universally said I would, but Im really afraid of being de-platformed. And Ive seen the self censorship that has gone on in the wake of some high-profile de-platforming of journalists, she said. I want us to remember what it means to be American. In America, right, there is no policeman telling you what feelings are appropriate or not appropriate. And I fearyes, theyre a private platform, they can do what they wantbut when the government uses our tax dollars to send a message that these tech companies will do their bidding and will target their enemies or their critics, in a way that chills debate. Theyve got around the First Amendment, and theyve gotten around the Constitution, and thats what we should look at. Former Head NSA Lawyer: Tucker Carlsons Allegations Merit Further Investigation The National Security Agencys (NSA) reported internal review of Fox News host Tucker Carlsons spying allegations suggests that the matter should be investigated further, according to a former NSA general counsel. Citing two unnamed sources familiar with the matter, The Record reported last week that the NSAs internal review found that government officials had unmasked Carlsons identity in classified documentssupporting some of the claims that the Fox News host has made against the agency. The nations top electronic spy agency found that Carlson was mentioned in communications between third parties and his name was subsequently revealed through unmasking, a process in which relevant government officials can request the identities of American citizens in intelligence reports to be divulged provided there is an official reason, such as helping them make sense of the intelligence documents they are reviewing, The Record reported. According to former NSA general counsel Stewart Baker, this report supports the calls for an investigation made by Carlson and others. The report also supports the NSAs earlier statement that it didnt target Carlson, Baker said. So what about NSA/Carlson should be investigated and perhaps disclosed? The unmasking request, mainly. Motive matters. First, the requester should have given a reason for the unmasking. How plausible was it, given the requesters position? Baker wrote on Twitter. The second question about NSA/Carlson unmasking: How was Carlson identified when masked? US Journalist? US Citizen? That will help gauge whether the requester really needed to know the identity behind the mask. Traditionally, the intelligence communities would investigate the NSA/Carlson flap with full access to the classified data, and issue a report summarizing the investigation without disclosing the classified information. Not too hard if NSA has already done its own probe. Baker, now a partner at Steptoe & Johnson, also said that some aspects of the investigation would need to be protected due to the sensitivity of the intelligence operation. The NSA cant provide the full context of the Carlson probe without disclosing a target and probably the method of interceptboth highly classified, according to Baker. Baker didnt comment further when reached by The Epoch Times, saying that his statements are self-explanatory. The NSA also declined to comment. Fox News has called the alleged unmasking of Carlson entirely unacceptable. For the NSA to unmask Tucker Carlson or any journalist attempting to secure a newsworthy interview is entirely unacceptable and raises serious questions about their activities, as well as their original denial, which was wildly misleading, Fox said in a July 24 statement read by Mark Steyn, who was filling in for Carlson on Tucker Carlson Tonight. The NSA previously denied targeting Carlson in a statement. Tucker Carlson has never been an intelligence target of the Agency and the NSA has never had any plans to try to take his program off the air, the NSA said at the end of June. Critics noted at the time that the NSAs statement didnt preclude unmasking Carlson or revealing his identity in intercepts from foreign intelligence collection. Members of Congress, including Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), have called for an investigation into the matter. Paul also called for the NSA to probe possible leaks, after the outlet Axios reported that Carlson was in communication with Russia regarding a potential interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Carlson subsequently said he had been trying to get an interview with Putin, and he accused the NSA of monitoring his emails. Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) questions a witness during a hearing of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in Washington on Nov. 20, 2014. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) Former Sen. Carl Levin, Michigans Longest-Serving Senator, Dies at 87 Former Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), a 36-year veteran of the Senate, has died at the age of 87, his family said late on Thursday. The late senators death was announced by the Levin Center at Wayne State University in Detroit in a statement that described him as a dearly beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle, and life-long public servant. For those who were lucky enough to be a part of his early work in Detroit, his decades in the Senate, and beyond, he was an inspirational leader and so much more, the statement said. He will be remembered for his relentless intellect and work ethic, his humility, his humor, and his strength of character. The statement did not list a cause of death. However, Levin, the longest-serving senator in Michigan history, had been battling lung cancer, a diagnosis he revealed in a memoir published in March this year. He died at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, surrounded by loved ones, according to family spokesperson Jim Townsend, director of the center. The Detroit native was elected to six consecutive six-year terms starting in 1978 when he defeated a senior incumbent Republican. He retired in 2015. Former colleagues took to Twitter to remember Levin, who was among the most liberal members of the Senate. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), who succeeded Levin upon his retirement, said the late senator was one of the finest leaders to have ever served the State of Michigan and our country. He was not only a mentorhe was a personal friendwho will be missed deeply, Peters said on Twitter. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said Levin was a living embodiment of the word mensch. He showed that kindness is not weakness, and that you can be powerful while being decent, in fact thats the only way to serve. May his memory be a blessing, he said. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, described the late senator as a champion for the state, adding: He devoted his life to public service, and its up to us to follow his example. My thoughts are with his loved ones tonight. We are deeply saddened by the passing of Sen. Carl Levin. He was a living legend, always putting the needs of Michiganders ahead of his own, Michigan Democrats said on Twitter. Known worldwide as a defender of peace and a champion for good, he represented the best of Michigan. Levin was born in Detroit on June 28, 1934. After Harvard Law School, he worked as a civil rights lawyer and public defender before being elected to the Detroit City Council in 1969. He later served as council president before running for the Senate in 1978. Levin leaves behind his wife, Barbara, whom he married in 1961, and three daughters. He had a penchant for seeing the world through the eyes of people who struggled against injustice and was called to hold our democratic institutions accountable to everyonefirst as a student activist, then as a young defense attorney, Detroit City Council member, and U.S. Senator, a family statement reads. In whatever he did, he defended the uniquely American proposition that all of us, no matter the color of our skin, how we worship, whom we love, the privilege of our parentage, or the size of our bank accounts, are created equal. Reuters contributed to this report. French Finance Ministers Phone Investigated in Pegasus Spyware Case PARISThe phone of Frances finance minister Bruno Le Maire is currently being investigated to determine whether it has been infected by spyware known as Pegasus. We are in an investigation phase, and that includes my own device, Bruno Le Maire told France Inter radio on Friday. He refused to elaborate on the investigation. The Pegasus spyware, a product developed by the Israeli company NSO Group, was used in attempted and successful hacks of smartphones belonging to journalists, government officials, and human rights activists around the world, according to an investigation by 17 media organizations. By Sudip Kar-Gupta GOP Doctors: Biden Administration Not Disclosing Whether Border Crossers Are Being Tested for COVID-19 Republicans in the U.S. House are pushing the Biden administration to disclose how many illegal immigrants who cross at the U.S. southern border are being tested for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes the disease COVID-19, by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as vaccinated Americans are being told to wear masks indoors. In a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the GOP Doctors Caucus requested data on how many illegal immigrants are tested for COVID-19 before they are released into the interior of the United States. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), around 1 million illegal immigrants have been apprehended at the U.S.Mexico border since President Joe Biden took office, with numbers in June seeing another increase compared to the prior month, which already had record-high numbers. Last month, agents apprehended 188,829 people illegally crossing the border, up from 180,034 in May, according to CBP. That averages 6,294 apprehensions per day for the month. In addition, last month, former CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan told Breitbart News that few to none of the nearly one million illegal aliens apprehended have been vaccinated and there is little effective health infrastructure along the route to help prevent spread of the virus. Acting Commissioner for Customs and Border Protection Mark Morgan at a press conference in Washington on March 5, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) When Americans consider the skyrocketing number of migrant apprehensions, many have rightfully expressed concern about the public health risk posed by thousands of migrants flooding across our borders every week without being tested for COVID-19. As an active group of physicians and health professionals, we certainly share this concern, the GOP Doctors Caucus wrote. Moreover, we are deeply disturbed about the lack of transparency coming from the Biden Administration. Americans deserve to know whether migrants are being tested for COVID-19 at the border, and if they are not, why on Earth would this be the case? DHS did not immediately respond to The Epoch Times request for comment about CCP virus testing for southern border crossers. The three co-chairs of the GOP Doctors Caucus, Andy Harris (R-Md.), Michael Burgess (R-Texas), and Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) took part in a press conference with Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on the steps of the Capitol on Wednesday. Wenstrup said CBP is being inundated by border crossers and is doing a great job processing migrants given the load. 20,000 apprehended last week, he said, but more resources need to be provided to them so they secure the border. Theyre [CBP] doing the best that they can, but testing is erratic for COVID. You may have some that get tested by border patrol, but only if you have symptoms. You may have some that get tested by HHS [Department of Health and Human Services]. You may have some they get tested by ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement]. Theres no coordination, no set of rules, no guidelines per se. The testing is scattered, and the only place that people coming through have an option of a vaccine is with ICE, and they dont have to take it of course, but thats the only place its offered, said Wenstrup during Wednesdays press conference at the Capitol. How are we keeping America healthy? This is not the way. We subject our people to so many things through this, often willingly, because were trying to do whats best for the country and our health, yet thats being completely ignored at the border, Wenstrup added. In the letter from Friday, the doctors want Mayorkas to provide information about how many migrants are being tested for COVID-19 before release and how many are being tested for COVID-19 immediately at the border. They also want to know why those flying into the country are required to show proof of negative test but border crossers are not, and what procedures are in place to protect CBP agents from untested migrants. And finally, they want to know why the Administrations revoking Title 42, while virus cases rise. Reps. Greg Murphy (R-Ohio), Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.), David Joyce (R-Ohio), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Neal Dunn (R-Fla.), Michael Burgess (R-Texas), Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), and Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.), Brian Babin (R-Texas), also signed the letter. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, on March 1, 2021. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) In March Secretary of Homeland Security, Mayorkas admitted during a hearingwith the House Homeland Security Committee in March at the beginning of the Biden administrationthat some illegal immigrants were not tested for the virus and neither were they expelled at the border. There were times earlier when individuals were apprehended and we sought to expel them and we were unable to expel them and we were compelled to release them and we did not have the opportunity to test them, Mayorkas told Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.). Clyde tried to get more information from Mayorkas by saying, According to media reporting since January 25, 2021, at least 108 migrants tested positive for COVID-19 after being released into Brownsville, Texas community where they proceeded to travel to cities throughout the United States. The mayor of Yuma, Arizona, told reporters that migrants are not being tested for COVID-19 before being released into his community. Mayorkas responded by saying that the report was true and since then the department is doing its best to make sure migrants are tested and quarantined as needed, but would not give exact figures. Charlotte Cuthbertson contributed to this report. HK Protester Sentenced to 9 Years in First National Security Law Case Trial was conducted without a jury HONG KONGA pro-democracy protester was sentenced Friday to nine years in prison in the closely-watched first case under Hong Kongs national security law as the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tightens control over the territory. Tong Ying-kit, 24, was convicted of inciting secession and terrorism for driving his motorcycle into a group of police officers at a rally on July 1, 2020. He carried a flag bearing the banned slogan, Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times. The CCP imposed the security law on the former British colony last year following anti-government protests that erupted in mid-2019. The sentence was markedly longer than the three years requested by the prosecution. Tongs defense lawyers appealed for no more than 10. He faced a possible maximum of life in prison. Critics accuse Beijing of violating the autonomy and Western-style civil liberties promised when Hong Kong returned to China in 1997 and hurting its status as a trading and financial center. More than 100 people have been arrested under the security law. Defense lawyers said Tongs penalty should be light because the three-judge panel hadnt found the attack was deliberate, no one was injured and the secession-related offense qualified as minor under the law. On Friday, Tong was dressed in a black shirt and tie with a blue blazer as he was throughout his trial. The three-judge panel ruled Tuesday that Tongs actions were an act of violence aimed at coercing the Hong Kong and mainland governments and intimidating the public. It said carrying the flag was an act of incitement to secession, rejecting defense arguments that Tong could be proven to be inciting secession just by using the slogan. Tongs trial was conducted without a jury under rules that allow an exception to Hong Kongs British-style common law system if state secrets need to be protected or foreign forces are involved. The judges were picked by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam. Apple Daily, a pro-democracy newspaper and one of the last independent media outlets in Hong Kong, shut down last month after journalists and executives were arrested. Its owner, Jimmy Lai, is serving a 20-month prison term and faces more charges of colluding with foreigners to endanger national security. Also last year, Hong Kongs legislature was rearranged to reduce the publics role in picking lawmakers and guarantee a majority to Beijing-allied figures. Rules for elected officials were tightened to require them to be deemed patriotic. By Katie Tam and Janice Lo Initiative to Clear Venice Encampment Brings 191 People Indoors LOS ANGELESOn the last official day of the Encampment to Home initiative to offer a pathway to permanent housing to people living along the Venice Boardwalk, Councilman Mike Bonin and Mayor Eric Garcetti said on July 30 that 191 people have been brought indoors. A metric that people are judging this by is how the boardwalk looks, and thats a reasonable one, but the metric that really matters is how many people have been brought indoors and how many lives are being transformed for the better, Bonin said. It has demonstrated that when offered real housing, people jump to say yes, people want to be housed. Bonins Encampment to Home program began on June 28, and at the time, his office estimated that about 200 people were living on the boardwalk, where a large encampment had developed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program promised all encampment residents who accept shelter a pathway to permanent housing in an effort to clear the boardwalk. Outreach teams with St. Joseph Center have offered services and housing to encampment residents section by section, with the boardwalk divided into five zones. The deadline for people to accept housing or leave the final zone, from Sunset to Park avenues, was the morning of July 30. Garcetti said on July 30 that if outreach teams need a few more days to offer housing to those who havent accepted yet, the program can be extended. Bonin said on July 26 that most of the people who have accepted housing options are temporarily living in motels, some have moved into a Venice shelter, and three were reunited with family. Bonin added that 119 people have been matched with permanent housing vouchers, and St. Joseph Center is searching for available units and landlords that will accept the vouchers. In an email to constituents on July 26, he quoted a man named Moses who had been homeless for 11 years and has accepted housing from St. Josephs Center outreach teams. I have to get used to actually having a door and being able to close that door, Moses told outreach teams who checked in on him, according to Bonin. Ill never take that door for granted. When youre outside, youre outside. Im so grateful to this program. Moses is living in a former motel in Venice that was converted into a Project Homekey site and is run by People Assisting The Homeless (PATH). Along with PATH, the Encampment to Home programs partners include Safe Place for Youth, Venice Family Clinic, Self-Help and Recovery Exchange, and CLARE|MATRIX. Participating government agencies include the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, the Public Health, Mental Health, and Recreation and Parks departments, and the Bureau of Sanitation. Outcry about the homelessness crisis in Venice and throughout Los Angeles is a driving factor for a recall effort against Bonin launched by people in his district who would prefer stricter enforcement against homeless encampments. On July 28, the Los Angeles City Council finalized approval for an ordinance that restricts encampments in certain areas of the city. The ordinance prohibits sitting, sleeping, lying, storing personal property or otherwise obstructing the public right-of-way in several areas of the city, including within 2 feet of any fire hydrant or fireplug, within 5 feet of any operational or utilizable entrance or exit, or within 10 feet of a loading dock or driveway, or in a manner that interferes with any activity for which the city has issued a permit, or in a manner that restricts accessible passage as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, or anywhere within a street, including bike paths. The ordinance, which Garcetti signed on July 29, also restricts blocking the public right-of-way once the Los Angeles City Council passes a resolution to do so, posts signage, and gives notice in certain areas. The ordinance also allows the city to prevent encampments for a period of no longer than one year in areas that are deemed an ongoing threat to public health or safety. The ordinance was accompanied by a Street Engagement Strategy developed by the city administrative officer. The CAO recommends that a concentrated engagement process be implemented before enforcing the ordinance for encampments in areas that require a resolution and posted signage. Councilmembers Mike Bonin and Nithya Raman voted against the ordinance, and 13 other council members voted to approve it. What is wrong with this ordinance today and why am I voting against it? Because what were doing today, even as improved, tells people who are unhoused and unsheltered and have no place to go where they cannot sleep, but it does not tell them where they can sleep. Thats what it comes down to for me. Where can people go, where can people sleep when they do not have an alternative? Bonin said. The councilman shared his own experience being unhoused, saying, Some of those nights I slept in the car, some of those nights when my car was in the shop, I slept on the beach. I cannot tell you how much turmoil is in your heart when the sun is setting and you dont know where to sleep. I cannot tell you how demoralizing and dehumanizing and defeating that experience is when you dont know where youre going to sleep. He said the city only has enough beds to shelter 39 percent of the citys homeless population. In this still image taken from video, the Nauka (Science) Multipurpose Laboratory Module is seen during its docking to the International Space Station on July 29, 2021. (Roscosmos via Reuters) International Space Station Thrown Off Course by Misfire of Russian Module: NASA The space station that constantly orbits the Earth was thrown out of control on July 29 by a Russian module misfiring, the U.S. space agency NASA said. The module, named Nauka, docked at the International Space Station around 9:30 a.m. Eastern. About three hours later, flight control teams noticed the unplanned firing of module thrusters that caused the station to move out of orientation, NASA said in a statement. Ground teams regained control and the stations motion became stable. The crew was never and is not in any danger, and flight controllers in Mission Control Houston are monitoring the status of the space station, NASA said. The loss of attitude spanned about 45 minutes, Joel Montalbano, manager of NASAs space station program, told reporters in a conference call. The irregular movement peaked at half a degree per second. Vladimir Solovyov, a Roscosmos official, said in a statement that slight fluctuations were detected during the final rendezvous between the Nauka module and the station, but that they were eliminated by the docking system. The docking mechanics worked reliably, without any comments and led to the closure of both docking mechanisms of the station and the module. Due to a short-term software failure, a direct command was mistakenly implemented to turn on the modules engines for withdrawal, which led to some modification of the orientation of the complex as a whole. This situation was quickly countered by the propulsion system of the Zvezda module, he said. The Nauka module is seen prior to docking with the International Space Station. (Roscosmos Space Agency Press Service photo via AP) Russian astronaut Oleg Novitskiy told followers on Twitter not to worry. Dont worry! Our work at the International Space Station to integrate the newly arrived Nauka module continues! he wrote. If the mishap had escalated to the point where station evacuation was required, crew could have boarded a SpaceX capsule thats designed in part to be a lifeboat for astronauts, NASAs Steve Stich told reporters. Flight teams decided to delay the launch of Boeings Orbital Flight test mission to let astronauts keep checking the model. The mission will see Boeings uncrewed Starliner go to the station. The station orbits Earth 16 times per 24 hours. The station is approximately 260 miles above the Earth. It has been continuously occupied since November 2000. A compilation of astronauts conduct research on the station, rotating stints every six months or so. At present, Novitskiy and fellow Russian Pyotr Dubrov are on board with NASAs Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur, and Mark Vende Hei, Japans Akihiko Hoshide, and Frances Thomas Pesquet. An elderly woman receives a booster shot of her vaccination against the CCP virus at an assisted living facility, in Netanya, Israel, on Jan. 19, 2021. (Ronen Zvulun/Reuters) Israel Announces Booster Pfizer Shots for Those Over 60 The Israeli government announced it will offer a third shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to citizens over 60 years old, amid ongoing efforts to slow the spread of the more contagious Delta variant of the CCP virus. Naftali Bennett, the Israeli prime minister, announced in a statement on Friday that President Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal were among the first to receive the booster in the country. Israel had launched a national vaccination campaign in December 2020 and many seniors, regarded as among the more vulnerable in the population received their shots in the starting months of the rollout. The country has seen more than 57 percent of its 9.3 million people fully vaccinated, with 63 percent having had at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine, which uses mRNA technology. But since the Delta variant began to spread, the Israeli health ministry reported a drop in the vaccines efficacy against infection twicein early and late Julyas well as a slight decrease in its protection against severe disease. The Israeli ministry of health announced on Friday it recorded 2,140 new CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus cases in the past day, up from a handful of cases per day a few months ago. The ministry reported 167 people are suffering from severe disease. Last week, the health ministry estimated the vaccine was only 41 percent effective at halting symptomatic infections over the past month. Protection against severe disease remained strong at 91 percent. The booster campaign, with shots administered by health maintenance organizations, will effectively turn Israel into a testing ground for a third dose. Findings show that there is a decline in the bodys immunity over time. The aim of the supplementary dose is to build it up again, and thus reduce the chances of infection and serious illness significantly, Bennett, 49, told a news conference. Israeli President Isaac Herzog (R) and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speak to the media after the former received a third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan on July 30, 2021. (Maya Alleruzzo/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) Those over 60 who were vaccinated over five months ago will be eligible. Bennett said that all the seniors who already had two doses of the Pfizer vaccine should go get the supplementary one and that he will be calling his own mother to tell her about the new jab. In a statement translated from Hebrew, Bennett said, We are embarking on the vaccines campaign to safeguard the older population in the State of Israel. From today there is a new mitzvah: Vaccinate your father and your mother that they may live long.' Pfizer said Wednesday it believes people need the additional dose to maintain a high protection against the CCP virus, reported Reuters. In early July, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the FDA said in a joint statement that Americans do not need a booster shot at this time, just hours after Pfizers chief scientific officer said earlier in the day that it wanted emergency authorization in August. Earlier in July, Israel had begun giving people with weakened immune systems a third shot in efforts to further protect them against the CCP virus. Israel has logged 6,466 CCP virus deaths since the start of the pandemic. Amid the spread of the Delta variant of the CCP virus, Israel stepped up restrictions earlier this month. It also reinstated its Green Pass COVID-19 vaccine passport program on July 29. Per the new rules, unvaccinated people can present PCR test results, which are valid for 72 hours and can be obtained free of charge, to enter venues that require a vaccine passport. An alternative is to present rapid test results, which are valid for 24 hours. After Aug. 8, only rapid test results will be accepted, and unvaccinated people must pay to do the test. Reuters contributed to this report. First Lady Jill Biden attends a swimming event during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo on July 24, 2021.(Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images) Jill Biden Undergoes Successful Procedure to Remove Object in Her Foot First lady Jill Biden underwent a successful medical procedure on Thursday to remove debris lodged in her left foot from a puncture wound, a spokesperson said. Biden was walking on a beach in Hawaii over the weekend when she stepped on an object that became lodged in her left foot, Michael LaRosa, her spokesman, said on Thursday. After inspection of the wound by medical staff, it is unclear what object caused the puncture, LaRosa said. The wound is now clean, free of infection and it is anticipated that it will heal nicely. She underwent the procedure at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. President Joe Biden, who has made it a point to travel with the first lady to medical procedures, joined her on Thursday. In April, he attended a medical appointment with her in Washington. By Steve Holland A dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is prepared in Gardena, Calif., on April 17, 2021. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images) DOJ Memo Backing Mandatory COVID-19 Shots Is Absurd, Religious Liberty Group Claims A Department of Justice (DOJ) memorandum claims that government and private corporations can mandate that employees be vaccinated against the CCP virus, also known as the novel coronavirus, even though federal law specifies otherwise. An 18-page memorandum was issued July 27 to support President Joe Bidens direction that federal employees be required to be vaccinated or face stringent testing and masking requirements turns around the interpretation of Section 564 of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and its stipulations, regarding drugs that are issued under the emergency use authorization (EUA), which enables the Food and Drug Administration to approve experimental drugs to be administered under dire public health circumstances. Addressed to the deputy counsel for the president, the memorandum states, You have asked whether the option to accept or refuse condition of Section 564 prohibits entities from imposing such vaccination requirements while the only available vaccines for COVID-19 remain subject to EUAs. We conclude, consistent with FDAs interpretation, that it does not. This language in Section 564 specifies only that certain information be provided to potential vaccine recipients and does not prohibit entities from imposing vaccination requirements. The three anti-CCP virus vaccines are authorized only under the EUA provision, and thats why the DOJ memorandum is completely wrong, according to Liberty Counsel, a Florida-based public interest law firm that specializes in religious freedom litigation under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Liberty Counsel announced last week that it will represent a group of employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) who object to the governments requirement that they be vaccinated against the virus. Liberty Counsel spokeswoman Holly Meade told The Epoch Times on July 30: We are inundated with people asking for help. We consider it a great privilege to lead the way in this fight. This is a life-and-death situation, and people need our help. Liberty Counsel claims in its analysis of the DOJ memorandum that it is fundamentally flawed and cannot be read to permit the government or private entities to mandate an experimental product approved merely for emergency use. In fact, the memorandum even admits multiple times that the EUA law and the FDA require the option to accept or refuse. None of the COVID shots are approved or licensed by the FDA. They come under the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), which means they cannot be forced or required, Liberty Counsel states in a scathing statement issued July 29. On page 1 of the DOJ memo, and many times thereafter, the DOJ correctly states that Section 564 of the federal law directs the FDA to the extent practicable and as the FDA finds necessary or appropriate to impose [a]appropriate conditions on each EUA. The memo continues: Some of these conditions are designed to ensure that recipients of the product are informed of certain things, including the option to accept or refuse administration of the product. The memo also states on page 1 that since December 2020, the FDA granted EUAs for COVID shots. In each of these authorizations, FDA imposed the option to accept or refuse condition. The memo then correctly notes that the FDA Fact Sheet states, It is your choice to receive or not receive the COVID shots. Despite this clear option to accept or refuse language, and despite admitting the FDA has publicly affirmed this option to accept or refuse, the DOJ memo says it doesnt mean you have the option to refuse. The option to accept or refuse, the DOJ asserts, is met merely by telling people they have the option to accept or refuse, and, once told, people can be forced to take these shots. This is akin to interpreting the Miranda Rights to mean once you have been told You have the option to remain silent, then you can be forced to talk! This is absurd. Liberty Counsel founder and Chairman Mat Staver said in his firms analysis that in addition to the plain language of the EUA law and the FDA, employees and students have rights under state and federal laws, including the First Amendment free exercise clause, to refuse injecting a drug into their bodies. It is shocking that the DOJ intentionally deceived the public with its lawless, result-oriented memorandum. We will not allow the law and the people to be trampled by employers, schools or this administration. DOJ officials didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment on Liberty Counsels analysis. A YMCA staff member assists a child as they attend online classes at a learning hub inside the Crenshaw Family YMCA, as schools remain closed to in-person instruction, in Los Angeles, Calif., on Feb. 17, 2021. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images) LA Public Schools to Require COVID Tests for Staff, Students Regardless of Vaccination Status The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) announced this week it will require weekly tests for COVID-19 when students, teachers, and employees return to school in mid-August. Those tests will be administered to both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, according to a statement posted on the website. Mask-wearing will also be mandated for students, teachers, and other staff. Our preparations for the start of the new school year include continuing to require masking for all students, staff, and visitors; maximizing physical distancing as much as possible; continuing comprehensive sanitizing efforts, including frequent hand washing; upgraded air filtration systems; regular, ongoing COVID testing and community engagement; and collaborating with health partners and agencies to support free COVID vaccination, LAUSD said on Thursday. All vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals who return for in-person classes are required to take part in COVID-19 testing once per week, the school system added. The reason why, officials said, is because of guidance handed down by the County Department of Public Health. Ultimately, the greatest protection against COVID and the Delta variant is vaccination. We encourage everyone who is eligible to be vaccinated, the statement said, without elaborating on why vaccinated people should be subject to routine COVID-19 testing. The mandate comes as President Joe Biden on Thursday urged local governments to pay people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and set new rules requiring federal workers to provide proof of vaccination or face regular testing, mask mandates, and travel restrictions. The president also suggested that schools should be reopened in the fall. We can and we must open schools this fall, full time, Biden said on Thursday. We cant afford another year out of the classroom. However, earlier in the day, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre suggested that if U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other experts recommended lockdowns or school closures, the administration would follow their guidelines. Well, we listen to, like I said, we listen to the CDC and the expert[s] and their guidance you know, the CDC is a body that is very well respected, she said in response to a reporters question on Thursday. And again, we follow their guidance. Bidens decision to require millions of federal workers and contractors to show proof of vaccination is a departure from a previous opposition to vaccine passports. Passport-style systems have been flagged by civil liberties groups and conservatives as a potential violation of individual liberty and privacy rights. Government employees who do not show they have been vaccinated will be subject to weekly or twice-weekly COVID-19 tests and restrictions on official travel. U.S. Postal Service employees wont be subject to the new rules. Biden also directed the Defense Department to look into how and when it will require members of the military to take the vaccine. Reuters contributed to this report. Australian Opposition leader Anthony Albanese speaks to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, on July 16, 2021. (Lukas Coch/AAP Image) Labors Landmark Tax Reversals Are Welcome, but Budget Deficits Now Look Enshrined Commentary Sidelined by this weeks news of gold medals in Tokyo, and an expanding COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney, was the Australian Labor Partys announcement they would no longer look at proposed tax increases if successful in next years bid for government. This is a stunning reversal of Labors stance at the 2019 election and a welcome pointer to the future of taxation in Australiaeven if nothing is ever certain. Labor went to the 2019 election proposing a raft of tax increases and rejecting personal income tax cuts proposed by the Coalition government, which will take effect in 2024. These are the third and final stages of a series of the tax bracket, and marginal rate adjustments commenced in 2018. Following Labors loss of that election, the unravelling of its tax policies began soon after. The election loss was widely unexpected, and tax policies were believed to have played a key role in it. First, while agreeing to pass two earlier tax cuts proposed by the government, Labor reserved its ultimate position on the final stage 2024 personal income tax cuts. The final cuts will modestly flatten marginal rates of tax, with three progressive rates that apply to the income bracket of $45,000 to $200,000 being replaced with a single, lower marginal rate of 32 percent. Although the cuts are still three years awayand a lot can change in three years of politics and government budgetingthere is at least now a bipartisan position that makes it more difficult for either side to back out. Then, Labor ditched its policy on franking creditswhich reduces the tax payable by shareholders on dividends and can also lead to additional tax refunds for the person. It was this refundability that Labor had planned to scrap, a measure that would have hit retirees who were planning to live out their retirement on savings and investments. This week, as well as confirming the income tax cuts set for 2024, Labor scrapped the most significant remaining measures from its 2019 tax hit list. One of these is the disallowance of so-called negative gearing deductions which arise when property investorsincluding apartments or houses for rentmake an accounting loss due to interest payments on mortgages that are financing those investments. Labor planned to stop property owners from using these losses to reduce taxable income. The other scrapped proposal was halving the capital gains tax discount. Since 1999, this has allowed Australians to include in their taxable income 50 percent of the capital gains from the sale of assets that have been held for at least 12 months. The maths shows that halving the discountfrom 50 to 25 percentwould have seen at least a 50 percent increase in the capital gains tax payable on asset sales. While a case could be made for curbing negative gearing deductions, as I have written extensively over many years, the other measures proposed by Labor lacked justification based on tax principles. They appeared to be expedient proposals aimed at raising substantial additional revenue to fund new spending proposals while maintaining balanced or surplus budgets. And targeting higher income taxpayers and owners of capital, they fitted the narrative of addressing inequality that Labor has emphasised. The main reason Labor has gone so far in revising its tax policies is that they did not play well in the 2019 election. One of the conclusions taken from that election is that there is a substantial body of voters that aspires to do better and does not appreciate tax increases that may frustrate those aspirations. Whatever other voters Labor targets, it must be wary of putting the aspirational class offside. Another reason is that the Opposition no longer needs to worry about having a policy platform consistent with balanced or surplus budgets. The Coalition has spent on such a massive scale during the pandemic that it has sanctified budget deficits, which will remain for years to come. Why would Labor volunteer to handicap its election chances by proposing tax increases when its opponent has given them a free pass to run deficits? This is not to say that Labor will have no tax changes in its platform. It has so far been silent on superannuation tax concessions. And it could run with a tax levy for aged carean idea raised in the recent Royal Commission into Aged Care Services. According to polls, such a levy has some support, even though it is simply an income tax increase by another name and would leave Labor wide open to the charge of duplicity. Death and gift taxesof which Australia has noneare favoured by some tax economists, but Labor seems unlikely to open that political hornets nest. Labors tax backflips are welcome but leave unresolved the issue of whether Australia is to be a relatively low tax country or one of high government spending. We are currently both but cannot remain that way forever. It is not only the Labor opposition that has some explaining to do on that issue. Robert Carling is a senior fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney, Australia, and a former World Bank, IMF, and federal and state Treasury economist. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Police block the way to the marching protesters during an anti-lockdown rally in Sydney, Australia on July 24, 2021. (Steven Saphore/AFP via Getty Images) Low Tolerance: As 1,000 Police Ready for Protests Against Sydney Lockdowns Up to a thousand police officers will be at the ready for individuals attending protests against COVID lockdowns in Sydney this weekend. It follows an earlier announcement that 300 Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel have been called in to assist police with compliance with COVID restrictions. New South Wales (NSW) Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said law enforcement were monitoring online activity and believed a protest event was likely. It appears it will not be in the same numbers. It can still be violent, he told reporters on July 30. Please dont come into Sydney tomorrow to protest. If you do, you will be met by up to 1,000 police who will be ready to deal with you, whether that be via the health orders or other laws, he warned. So far, NSW Police have detained 60 people from protests last week and issued 200 infringement notices. Police officers on horseback disperse protesters during a rally in Sydney, Australia, on July 24, 2021, as thousands of people gathered to demonstrate against the citys month-long stay-at-home orders. (Steven Saphore/AFP via Getty Images) On July 24, thousands of individuals attended a protest against COVID lockdown restrictions. Police carried out several arrests and set up a task force to identify every rallygoer. Strike Force Seasoned has been combing through social media, CCTV feeds, and police cameras to identify participants. So far, police have also received 20,000 tip-offs from the public, including photos and names of alleged attendees. Greater Sydney was undergoing a five-week lockdown due to an outbreak of the Delta variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. On July 28, this lockdown was extended by another four weeks, with the government citing low vaccination rates. Five million residents are affected and cannot leave their homes except for essential reasons. NSW Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kerry Chant said authorities were also investigating whether a COVID-positive person had attended the event. Police confirmed a 35-year-old man from Granville in Sydneys west was identified in the CBD20km awaydespite being subject to stay-at-home orders. He was fined $1,000, told to return home, but tested positive to COVID-19 the next day. Were just working with police to ascertain whether that person did attend (the protests), Chant told reporters. If that person would have attended the protest, they would have been infectious. NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said he would have effectively been carrying a deadly weapon; he was carrying the virus. Chant said while she was not aware of any infections from the protest, she said investigations would continue and that authorities would adopt a hard line. I am totally committed to the fact that we need to have a low tolerance for where people are flagrantly breaking the rulethis is too much of a severe disease, too serious a situation to be in, to have people knowingly going out when they are positive, she said. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told prospective protesters that their actions will hurt. Do not give those you love the most a death sentence, she told reporters. Loyal Goose Woefully Watches Injured Mate Undergo Surgery Through Window of Wildlife Hospital A loyal Canada goose, concerned for her mate as he underwent surgery, surprised veterinary medics when she showed up at their clinic. Tapping at the glass door, she stayed and watched until her mate woke from his sedation before reuniting with him at the door. It was a first for staffers at New England Wildlife Center in Cape Cod. Never before had they seen an animal try to accompany a patient into surgery. And that impelled them to make an exception to their no visitors rule. (Illustration Charlotte Evelyn/Shutterstock) The patient, a Canada goose dubbed Arnold, had lived with his mate of several years at a pond near the facility in Barnstable, Massachusetts. They are totally wild and usually keep to themselves when people are around, Cape Wildlife explained in a Facebook post. But yesterday our staff noticed that Arnold had developed a significant limp and was continuously falling over. The team managed to get the goose inside for a medical exam, identifying two open fractures on his foot. This means that the tissue and skin has been pulled away, leaving the bone exposed, they explained. Our best guess is that a snapping turtle or other predator attacked him while swimming. Hoping to save Arnolds foot and give him the best odds for a long and comfortable life, the team planned to suture his open wound closed and amputate the damaged toe. Arnold received antibiotics and medication for the pain, and was kept inside, without food, in preparation for surgery. The following day, as Arnold was about to go under, the team heard a tapping at the door. We turned to see that his mate had waddled up onto the porch and was attempting to break into our clinic! staffers recounted. She had somehow located him and was agitated that she could not get inside. Arnolds loyal mate kept vigil throughout the procedure, watching the medics work. When Arnold awoke, his wounds closed and dressed, the team made sure to reunite their patient with his mate on the porch outside. We opened the door and gave Arnold his flow-by oxygen in the doorway, they explained. His mate immediately calmed down and began to groom him through the door. Both geese, they noted, were visibly comforted by one anothers presence. With ongoing treatment, the team at Cape Wildlife expect Arnold to heal well. He will be spending a few weeks in the sterile surrounds of the animal hospital before he can join his mate at the pond. The care team plan to perform all treatments and bandage changes in front of the doorway so the Mrs. can check in on her feathered flame. We will do our best to get him back out quickly, they promised. 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 A sign reading "Daphne was right" is photographed at the Great Siege Square as people gather calling for the resignation of Joseph Muscat, following the arrest of one of the country's most prominent businessmen, as part of the investigation into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, in Valletta, Malta, on Nov. 20, 2019. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters) Malta Government Carries Responsibility for Journalists Murder, Inquiry Finds VALLETTAAn independent inquiry into the car bomb murder of anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta found on Thursday that the state had to bear responsibility after creating a culture of impunity. Caruana Galizia was killed in a massive explosion as she drove out of her home on Oct. 16, 2017. Prosecutors believe top businessman Yorgen Fenech, who had close ties with senior government officials, masterminded the murder. Fenech, who is awaiting trial for the association to murder, denies all responsibility. Three men suspected of setting off the bomb were arrested in December 2017. One has since pleaded guilty as part of a plea bargain and is serving a 15-year jail term. The other two are awaiting trial. The self-confessed middleman has turned state witness and was granted a pardon. The inquiry, conducted by one serving judge and two retired judges, found that a culture of impunity was created by the highest echelons of power within the government of the time. The tentacles of impunity then spread to other regulatory bodies and the police, leading to a collapse in the rule of law, said the panels report, which was published by Prime Minister Robert Abela. Abela, who succeeded Joseph Muscat as premier in 2020, told reporters he wanted to apologize to Caruana Galizias family and all those affected by the states failures. The murder was a dark chapter in the history of Malta and it would be a shame if lessons are not learnt, he told a news conference. The investigative report was another step in the healing process, Abela added, and he summoned parliament for an emergency sitting on Friday morning to discuss it. The report said the state failed to recognize the real and immediate risks to Caruana Galizias life and failed to take reasonable steps to avoid them. Caruana Galizias family issued a statement saying they hoped its findings would lead to the restoration of the rule of law in Malta, effective protection for journalists, and an end to the impunity that the corrupt officials Daphne investigated continue to enjoy. Muscat resigned in January 2020 following Fenechs arrest. He was never accused of any wrongdoing. Muscat wrote on Facebook on Thursday that the report unequivocally states that I was in no way implicated in the murder. It is to be noted that the inquiry found that the state had no prior knowledge of or was involved in the assassination. Media later also revealed close links between Fenech, ministers, and senior police officers. The judges called in their report for immediate action to rein in and regulate links between politicians and big business. It was clear, the inquiry board said, that the assassination of Caruana Galizia was either intrinsically or directly linked to her investigative work. Not Binding The reports conclusions do not oblige Maltas government to take any action, but the opposition Nationalist Party called on Muscat and Abela to shoulder their responsibilities. The state inquiry is clear: Daphne Caruana Galizias murder was enabled by the collective inaction of Joseph Muscats cabinet, many of whom still hold public office. Robert Abela must ensure that responsibility for this culture of impunity is shouldered, opposition leader Bernard Grech said in a statement. In their report, the judges attributed indirect responsibility to Muscat for the circumstances leading to the murder, citing his failure to act against his chief of staff Keith Schembri and former energy minister Konrad Mizzi over their secret companies, revealed in the Panama Papers, and their alleged links to 17 Black, a secret company owned by Fenech. Muscat, Schembri, and Mizzi have not faced any charges linked to Caruana Galizia and have publicly denied involvement. Schembri and Mizzi did not comment on Thursdays report. The report said decisions by Muscat had strengthened the culture of impunity in which people whom the assassinated journalist wrote about operated. Repubblika, a rule-of law group that held daily public protests in the run-up to Muscats resignation, called another protest outside the prime ministers office for Friday evening. It said the state should offer compensation to the Caruana Galizia family, and the government should conduct a reform that excludes from public office every person responsible for shortcomings outlined in the inquiry. Abela said on Thursday he did not rule out the possibility of compensation to the family. The inquiry heard evidence from the police, government officials, the Caruana Galizia family, and journalists, among others. By Christopher Scicluna Britain's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty arrives at Downing Street in London, on May 1, 2020. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP Photo) Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Englands Top Doctor in Park LONDONA man who accosted Englands Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty in a London park pleaded guilty Friday to assault and was ordered to pay the scientist 100 ($140). Lewis Hughes, 24, and another man filmed themselves harassing Whitty, who has become a nationally recognized figure through appearances at televised coronavirus briefings. One man is seen on video putting his arm around Whitty as they apparently drunkenly ask him for a photograph. Prosecutor Kalsoom Shah said the incident in St. Jamess Park in June was completely unacceptable and Hughes behavior was both shocking and disgraceful. Hughes pleaded guilty to assault by beating during a hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court. He received an eight-week suspended prison sentence and was told to pay 100 ($140) in compensation. The second defendant, 24-year-old Jonathan Chew, pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to stand trial in November. Man Sentenced After Buying Homes, Luxury Cars With $24 Million In Fraudulently Obtained COVID Relief A man from Coppell, Texas, was sentenced Wednesday to more than 11 years in prison for running a fraudulent scheme to receive about $24.8 million in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loans, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced. Dinesh Sah, 55, pleaded guilty in March to wire fraud and money-laundering offenses, according to a press release. Sah sent 15 fraudulent applications to 8 different lenders which were filed under the names of fake businesses he claimed to own. He claimed he had many employees and hundreds of thousands of dollars in payroll expenses, according to a press release. However, he didnt have employees nor did he pay the wages claimed in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) applications. Todays sentence serves as a clear reminder that individuals who exploit COVID-relief programs to enrich themselves will be held accountable under the law, said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite Jr. of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, according to a press release. The Department of Justice and its law enforcement partners remain committed to aggressively pursuing and bringing to justice those who steal federal funds intended to help legitimate small businesses. Sah sent fraudulent federal tax filings, bank statements, and information on representatives for the businesses, according to a press release. Congress passed the Paycheck Protection Program to help struggling businesses stay afloat, not to fund faux entrepreneurs luxury lifestyles, said Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah for the Northern District of Texas, according to a press release. Even as COVID-19 devastated companies around the nation, Mr. Sah sapped millions of dollars from the relief fund that could have helped them. He exploited the pandemic for personal gain, and we are proud to hold him accountable. Sah received over $17 million in PPP loan funds and used them to purchase multiple homes in Texas, pay off the mortgages on homes in California and buy luxury cars including a Bentley convertible, Corvette Stingray and Porsche Macan, according to a press release. Sah also sent millions in international money transfers. Sah agreed as part of the guilty plea to forfeit eight homes, six luxury vehicles, and more than $9 million in fraudulent proceeds, according to a press release. Sah must pay $17,284,649.79 in restitution on top of his prison sentence. Since the passage of COVID-19 relief packages, there have been multiple incidents of fraudulent activity. A Florida man was sentenced to more than six years in federal prison in May after using fraudulent relief checks to purchase a Lamborghini. A couple pleaded guilty to fraudulently filing loan applications for the PPP and Economic Injury Disaster Loans totaling more than $1.1 million in March. The DOJ charged seven individuals in November 2020 for allegedly participating in a scheme regarding PPP that fraudulently gave them $16 million in forgivable loans. By Steven Hall Iridium-192, a radioactive material, being scanned after going missing in Iraq for more than three months, near Basra, Iraq, on Feb. 22, 2016. (File Photo/Haidar Mohammed Ali/AFP/Getty Images) Michigan-Bound Radioactive Material Shipment Missing, Says Nuclear Regulator A Michigan-bound shipment of radioactive material, sent by an Ohio company weeks ago, never reached its destination, according to the nations nuclear regulator. A July 29 filing by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) indicates that a shipment containing a source of Iridium-192, a Category 2 level of radioactive substance, was dispatched from Ohio-based Prime NDT Services, Inc. via an unnamed carrier, on July 12. The NRCs event notification report, which identified the shipment as a lost source, said that, as of July 21, the radioactive material had still not arrived at its Michigan destination. As of July 21, the source has not been delivered by [the common carrier], the notice reads. [The common carrier] is aware of the situation and believes that the package was delayed at their facility. On July 20, [the common carrier] informed Prime NDT Services, Inc. that the package could not be located. An Epoch Times request for clarification from Prime NDT as to whether, by July 30, the radioactive material had been located and what actions the company had taken to find the missing material was not immediately returned. Exposure to Iridium-192, which is a a manmade radioactive element that is formed from nonradioactive iridium metal in a nuclear reactor, can increase the risk of cancer, cause burns, acute radiation sickness, and even death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The NRC, which said in the event report that multiple agencies have been alerted about the missing shipment, classifies Iridium-192 as a Category 2 hazardous material. Category 2 sources, if not safely managed or securely protected, could cause permanent injury to a person who handled them, or were otherwise in contact with them, for a short time (minutes to hours), the report notes. While the NRC did not specify the amount of the iridium isotope in the shipment, the agency noted that, it could possibly be fatal to be close to this amount of unshielded radioactive material for a period of hours to days. Steve Fetter, a dean at the University of Maryland Graduate School and a member of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on International Security and Arms Control, told The Detroit News that its not unheard of for shipments of radioactive substances to go missing. Its not often, but it does happen because there are so many shipments of radioactive materials, millions every year, that I suppose its inevitable that occasionally one goes missing or is misplaced, he told the outlet. But Fetter added that, since the radioactive substance would have been stored in a special container, there would be no risk to anyone coming into contact with the shipment unless they forced the container open. He added that, since the radioactive source is a metal, it would not be an attractive target for someone bent on causing harm to the public by stealing and dispersing a radioactive material. National Gallery of Australia Returns Stolen Art to India The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) will repatriate 14 works of art from its Asian art collection back to the Indian government. The thirteen works were purchased from New York-based antiquity dealer Subhash Kapoor, who is currently in prison awaiting trial for running an international smuggling racket. One was acquired from art dealer William Wolff. The repatriated art includes six sculptures, six photographs, a brass processional standard, and a painted scroll. The dancing child-saint Sambandar, 12th century. (Supplied, National Gallery of Australia) The decision comes after years of research, due diligence, and a change in approach to the legal principles and ethical considerations behind its collections. This is the right thing to do, its culturally responsible, and the result of collaboration between Australia and India, NGA Director Nick Mitzevich said in a statement (pdf). We are grateful to the Indian Government for their support and are pleased we can now return these culturally significant objects. Mitzevich told the AAP that the physical handover would be negotiated over the next few months while considering COVID and the ability to travel. The gallery introduced a provenance assessment that involves taking steps to remove and return items considered likely stolen, illegally excavated, illegally exported from a foreign country, or unethically acquired. Two independent reviews by former High Court Justice Susan Crennan AC QC helped the process. Manorath portrait of donor and priests before Shri Nathji, Udaipur, Rajasthan. (Supplied, National Gallery of Australia) Three additional sculptures have been removed from its collection as the gallery determines their place of origin before they are also repatriated. Mitzevich said their action demonstrated the gallerys commitment to being a leading figure in the ethical management of art collections. With these developments, provenance decision-making at the National Gallery will be determined by an evidence-based approach evaluated on the balance of probabilities, anchored in robust legal and ethical decision-making principles and considerations, he said. The Indian High Commissioner to Australia Manpreet Vohra welcomed the decision and said the Indian government was extremely grateful for Australias extraordinary act of goodwill and gesture of friendship. These are outstanding pieces: their return will be extremely well received by the Government and people of India, Vohra said. The divine couple Lakshmi and Vishnu [Lakshmi Narayana], 10th-11th century. (Supplied, National Gallery of Australia) This is the fourth repatriation by the gallery to the Indian government. Following this move, it will no longer hold any works bought from Subhash Kapoor. The NGA is still in the process of recovering some of its financial losses due to buying Kapoors smuggled works of art. In 2014, it filed documents to the Supreme Court of New York on the purchase of a stolen bronze sculpture Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Nataraja) and was later awarded $11 million in compensation. New Nasal Spray Claims to Reduce CCP Virus Infectivity by Over 99 Percent in 30 Seconds: Scripps Research Institute The developer of a nasal spray is claiming that its anti-viral nasal spray may significantly reduce the infectivity of respiratory and cold viruses, including the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. The data published on July 27, by the Australian-based company Starpharma claims that its research at the Scripps Research Institute in the United States into astodrimer sodium (SPL7013) revealed the substance was able to inactivate over 99 percent of the CCP virus, including the Delta and Kappa variants. We are very pleased to confirm the rapid virucidal activity of SPL7013, with greater than 99.99 percent reduction of infectious virus in just 30 seconds against the Delta variant, Starpharma CEO Jackie Fairley said. The Delta variant continues to challenge public health responses worldwidemost recently triggering lockdowns and emergency restrictions in Australia, Japan, and Indonesia. The company also says its Viraleze nasal spray works against other viruses such as RSV, SARS, and MERS. Professor Philippe Gallay from the Scripps Research Institute said it was remarkable that astodrimer sodium demonstrated potency against the various strains of COVID-19. SPL7013 acts as a barrier to viral infection, and its broad-spectrum activity demonstrates its resilience against a rapidly changing target, Gallay said. A spokesman for Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt told The Epoch Times that the currently available data for the spray, which shows that it is virucidal, is pre-clinical data. There is currently no clinical data available to show the safety or efficacy of VIRALEZE, the spokesman said. However, a double-blind, placebo-controlled, safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic study of VIRALEZE nasal spray is currently underway. Any recommendation regarding the use of this product would depend on an analysis of evidence from clinical trials regarding its safety and efficacy. Viraleze is not yet approved by Australias Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) but is available in Europe and India. The TGA fined Starpharma $93,240 (US$68,863) this month for advertising its product to Australian consumers while it was still unapproved. Independent MP Craig Kelly said he wasnt familiar with the new substance, but that everyone should look at the science, the research, and the evidence around medicines that treat COVID-19. We hear that premiers and prime ministers regularly say, we take advice from medical experts. Kelly told The Epoch Times. Well, I think its time they got a second opinion because there are many other medical experts that have a completely different opinion to what the official state line is. Kelly has been de-platformed by Facebook and Instagram for sharing information about alternative therapies for the novel coronavirus. File photo of an airport taking off from an airport in New Zealand on Sept 20, 2017. (Reuters/Nigel Marple/File Photo) New Zealand Closes Australia Travel Bubble The Australia-New Zealand travel bubble will close from midnight on Friday in response to outbreaks of the CCP virus in Australia, effectively shutting out the rest of the world once again. This comes after the NZ government allowed a seven-day grace period to allow eligible travellers in Australiaexcept in the state of New South Wales, which is amidst a prolonged lockdownto return to New Zealand without the need for quarantine. The Delta variant has materially changed the risk profile, said NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, whose cabinet made the decision to close the border last Thursday. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks at a news conference in Hamilton, New Zealand, on July 28, 2021. (Michael Bradley/Getty Images) Friday nights border closure ends a four-month period of quarantine-free travel between the two neighbouring countries, though it remained partially closed often due to outbreaks in Australia. Thats in keeping with the hotspot model deployed by Australian states, where states quickly lock down borders when new cases emerge. However, New Zealand has now abandoned that model, instead opting for a blanket ban. During the travel bubble, about 200,000 people travelled in either direction across the Tasman; all without spreading COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. Acting NZ Minister for COVID-19 Response Ayesha Verrall urged those who havent yet decided to act immediately on the border closure. Well continue to monitor the situation over the coming days, and consular support in Australia will be available, Verrall said in a statement on Thursday. People are advised to register on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trades Safe Travel website and subscribe to the notification service on United Against COVID-19 travel website. An Air New Zealand 787-9 Dreamliner sits in its stall at the Boeing Delivery Center in Everett, Washington, on July 9, 2014. (Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) Around 3,000 seats were still available for travellers who wish to return to New Zealand before the borders shut on Friday night. Extra flights have been put on where required, for example from Brisbane and Melbourne, and extra capacity has opened up on flights from Perth as people have cancelled their flights. Travellers also have the option to transit via other airports in Australia, Verrall said. Travellers in New South Wales can still return on managed flights, which require 14 days in managed isolation and quarantine, where more than 1,500 rooms have been made available for the first two managed return phases. To manage and prioritise bookings, a registration of interest process has been established for these rooms, using a form on the Unite Against COVID-19 travel website, Verrall said. People can register from 10 a.m. on Friday, July 30 until Tuesday, Aug. 3, and airlines will follow up to arrange booking details for flights after Aug. 9. Australian Associated Press contributed to this report. Newport Beach Mayor Brad Avery said approving a mixed-use development along the Mariners Mile stretch of Pacific Coast Highway put the city council in a "tight spot." (Courtesy of Ed Olen) Newport Beach Development Approval Could Set Precedent NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.The Newport Beach City Council approved a controversial mixed-use development along the Mariners Mile stretch of Pacific Coast Highway [PCH] that its been grappling with for months, potentially setting a new precedent for developers taking advantage of Californias latest housing laws. The council on July 27 held its fourth public hearing to review a February planning commission decision to approve the project at 2510 W. Coast Highway, submitted by landowner Mark Moshayedi. The initial public hearing in April 2020 resulted in the council voting to continue the item to accommodate the developers request to modify the project to address concerns by the council and the public. Concerns were primarily voiced by the Coalition to Protect Mariners Mile, an organized group of area business owners and residents. The original project included 35 residential units, including three affordable units and an 11,266-square-foot luxury auto showroom. In a show of good faith, Moshayedi went back to the drawing board, redesigning the project and removing the showroom. The new proposal consists of 36 residential units and 5,096-square-foot office space. Three residential units remain affordable workforce housing. Revitalization efforts for Mariners Mile date back to 2011, when residents, concerned with building heights and potential negative impact on views, traffic, and safety on adjacent businesses and residential communities, rejected a city master plan attempt. Opponents of the current project cite similar concerns and said they feel the developer may also be taking advantage of the Housing Accountability Act (HAA), putting pressure on the city council to approve projects in order to avoid costly litigation and state fines. Deborah M. Rosenthal, a lawyer representing the coalition, said the councils decision could set a precedent for other coastal cities struggling to uphold their coastal plans, intended to protect the unique and specific needs and character of a city. Theres no question that this sets a precedent for other cities, fearing financial losses, under the Administrative Procedure Act, to approve developments that are arguably inconsistent with their general and vision plans, and incompatible with community desires or business districts, due to the threat of litigation, Rosenthal said. Rosenthal also said the dangers of approving projects in a piecemeal manner instead of guided by a master plan is like death by a thousand cuts for the community. Among the issues is that a third of the property along Mariners Mile is owned by the Moshayedi family, Rosenthal told The Epoch Times. Because there will be more proposals submitted by this developer and other property owners along PCH, the coalition feels the city should take the opportunity to treat them as cumulative projects. Housing Accountability Act Acquiescing to current state law was emphasized in a five-page letter sent to the city council on July 23 from the developers attorney, Sean Matsler. The project is still covered by the Housing Accountability Act, Matsler wrote. We previously wrote a letter, dated Feb. 1, 2021, regarding how the HAA prohibits the city from denying the project or conditioning its approval on lower density. We write again to reiterate the narrow scope of the citys discretion over the project and stiff penalties if the city violates the HAA. Matsler said the HAA significantly limits the ability of a local government to deny an affordable or market-rate housing project that is consistent with planning and zoning requirements. HAA imposes stiff penalties on cities for failure to comply with its requirements. Under the HAA, the project applicant, people eligible to live in the proposed project, or a housing organization all have standing to sue a city for impermissibly denying or conditioning a project, he wrote. Failing to comply with an initial HAA order within 60 days can result in fines of at least $10,000 per housing unit in each project, from the date the development application was deemed complete. While you may not like the law, you must follow it, Matsler wrote. Council Conundrum Prior to the vote, Mayor Brad Avery said the council was put in a difficult position having to comply with state requirements. It makes being here on the dais absolutely terrible because weve lost our ability to work with residents, deliver for residents, so much of it is out of our hands, Avery said. I know that sounds like I am making it an excuse here, but its really true. Were going to see much more of this, Im afraid. Were in a tough spot, were just going to have to deal with it, but there is much work ahead of us. The mayor commended Moshayedi for doing the right thing, spending the time and treasure after listening to what residents were looking for, and I think he wound up with a better project because of it. The city council approved the project in a 50 vote, with Councilman Duffy Duffield absent and Councilman Noah Blom recusing. Master Plan Appeal Rosenthal told The Epoch Times, The Coalition to Protect Mariners Mile will be looking at all alternatives, including an appeal to the California Coastal Commission, more discussions with the developer, and as a last resort, the unpleasant prospect of litigation. The coalition was disappointed that the city relied on a very technical view of what cumulative projects means, Rosenthal said. We would like to see those projects coordinated through a thoughtful Mariners Mile Master Plan. Were hoping all the stakeholders can continue to work together, and [while] we appreciate what the developer has done to address our concerns, the coalition believes the city had more discretion than it thought it did. One Side Fights, the Other Doesnt Commentary Back in the late-90s and early-2000s, after the Campus Wars of the late-80s and early-90s had subsided, it became clear to conservative veterans of those prior disputes that however much political correctness in higher education had been exposed and denounced, and no matter how securely conservatives were able to draw the majority of ordinary Americans to their side, the faculty and administrators hadnt slowed their progressive strivings one bit. Hilton Kramer and Roger Kimballs annual coverage of the convention of the Modern Language Association (to take one sparkling example) turned that mammoth gathering of our most brilliant, cutting-edge researchers and teachers into a parade of comic actors who appeared unaware of their comedy, and the reading public, many liberals included, laughed and agreed. But the professors took themselves too seriously to examine their motives, and when they returned to campus there were no Kramers or Kimballs to remind them of their mortality, much less their corrigibility. They had the jobs, they had tenure, why worry? Onward! And so it went, gathering force through the 90s. When those old tweedy types who loved Pope and Byron for their witty versification retired, the remaining profs replaced them with fresh PhDs fired up by Sexuality Studies. They diversified the curriculum, too, dropping Pound and Gibbon down the ladder of assignments and raising Aphra Behn and Alice Walker. Objectivity and empirical methods werent honored and rehearsedno, they were interrogated. Across the humanities, schools of education and law, and the softer social sciences, theory took precedence, and theory amounted to leftwing critique of settled norms and values, longstanding histories and aesthetics, and the academy itself. Something had to be done. Conservative donors were starting to realize what universities were doing with their money, and those lingering conservative professors were finding themselves increasingly estranged from their own colleagues. Heres what they came up with: a center on campus that would impart traditional knowledge, ideas, books, methods, and artworks to students eager to hear them. That was the answer to leftist takeover, to establish islands of conservatism in seas of progressivism. Those centers would have some measure of independence; they would report directly to higher-ups in the administration; they would be safeguarded from institutional capture; they would have outside funding. They wouldnt have the status of departments, and they couldnt award degrees, but they would have their own spaces, offer benefits such as small grants to students and congenial professors, could host events and bring in guest speakers, and if they could collaborate with some departments that saw an advantage in doing so, that could happen, too. (The program I started at Emory University in 2006, for instance, sponsored freshman courses in six different departments; the courses were funded by the program, but not until syllabi and instructors were approved by us.) The idea of these campus centers was that while the departments would continue to expel traditional materials from their coursesor to apply tendentious critiques to those materialsthe center would preserve and purvey them through their own programming. Given the fact that the 1990s undergraduate was a lot less leftist than the 1990s professor, those centers would prove a popular destination for the kids, which would thereby ensure the centers survival in otherwise hostile territory. Show them as freshmen the greatness of Beethoven and the brilliance of Madison, and they would come back as sophomores. While the other profs were harping on American guilt and identity politics (what a bore all that was after the first wave of disruption had passed), the centers would inspire and edify with the words of Lincoln and dramas of Shakespeare. And it happenedit really did. Centers sprung up in Princeton, Brown, Texas, UCLA, Colorado, Texas Tech, Clemson, and elsewhere. Other centers sprung up on a different model, one that puts them off-campus at Berkeley, Yale, and Columbia, among other places. Over the years they have improved the experiences of tens of thousands of students, offered sanctuary to harried conservative 20-year-olds, and sustained traditions that should never have been endangered in the first place. The donors who helped set them up and keep them going were gratified to see the number of kids learning to appreciate Western Civilization, the Founding, and legacies of liberty. It has been good to know that amid the postcolonialists, gender theorists, feminists, Foucauldians, Lacanians, Queer Theorists, and experts in intersectionality were a few people and places in higher education offering instruction in the old-fashioned way. But this was never a contest between two opposing approaches, never a real competition or debate. The conservative centers, of course, were ridiculously outnumbered and overshadowed by the rest of the campus. If that werent the case, the conservative centers wouldnt have been necessary. The campus left were making idols and sacred cows out of identities that could be cast as the marginalized, the victimized, the disadvantaged, but this particular minoritythe traditionalist teacherswould get no sympathy from them at all. And it wasnt only the numbers that prevented any real engagement of left and right. There was another kind of inequity, too, in the way each side approached the other. The conservative centers stood for themselves, forthrightly representing the content of Western Civilization. The left professorate, however, opposed Western Civilization, the very thing that the centers promoted. The conservatives who ran the centers affirmed the tradition; leftist professors despised it (those liberal professors who still felt more or less committed to Western traditions kept quiet, knowing that if they did rise to defend any of the Dead White Males, their leftist colleagues would denounce them as swiftly as they did conservatives). Theirs was a fighting stance. Western Civilization was the enemy, and so were the individuals who imparted it to the young. That extension of anti-Western spite to current personnel, not just old stuff, was a crucial step. The centers couldnt afford to take that adversarial posture. They didnt hold conferences decrying Marx and Castro and the Black Panthers, much less did they go after their colleagues on the left. Their status was too tentative; they didnt want to pick fights; they just wanted to exist, to do their work in a small corner of the quad. But no matter how modest their profile, no matter how conciliatory in manner, the centers and the people running them were (and still are) a constant offense to much of the rest of the faculty. While the few conservatives had a positive relationship to their materials, the leftists had a negative relationship to them. You see the imbalance, which has held steady for decades. One side wants to do battle, the other side wants to be left alone. The conservative centers dont assail other units in the university when they receive funding from leftwing institutions such as Ford Foundation, not do they denounce leftist research and pedagogy. But faculty at dozens of colleges have mounted protests against rightist centers getting money from right-wing sources (see, for diverse examples, Wake Forest faculty attempt to undermine Koch-funded campus institute and Stanford faculty condemn Hoover Institution fellow, Trump COVID-19 advisor Dr. Scott Atlas and University of Kentucky senate opposes terms of proposed $10 million deal with Koch and Papa Johns CEO to establish center for the study of free enterprise and Failure of John Eastman appointment shines spotlight on CU Boulders conservative Benson Center and Koch funnels millions into Brown, riling the left). Many have succeeded in scuttling plans and events. This isnt just a local problem here and there in higher education. The contrasting postures of right and left are written into the very nature of progressivism and conservatism. Conservatism is a more passive state. It takes a partly submissive attitude toward the past, holding tradition to its root meaning (tradere, handing down). It saves its energy for the maintenance of the best that has been thought and said, knowing that innovation is a chancy activity. Progressivism, on the other hand, is a destructive thing. The word sounds ameliorative (progress is good), but progressives know all too well that the progress they envision, the social change they demand, requires the dissolution of old habits and takedown of idols and a break in the chain of tradition. The old must be discredited and removed before the new can take its place. Andthis is importantthe figures who sustain the tradition are just as obstructive as the tradition itself. Progressivism is inevitably a conflictual outlook; theres always so much more to do! And there are always people standing in the way. It isnt easy for conservatives to recognize that theyre in the battle whether they like it or not. Ideological warfare is not their game. Theyre not good at it; they dont like it. Theyd rather explain the First Amendment than bash the people who are out to undermine it. But the war is on. What has happened in academia in the last 50 years should be understood as what may happen to the United States in the next 50 years. Leftist professors called their conservative colleagues the enemy, even as the ranks of conservatives were thinning, while conservatives fought back by professing the value of conservatismthat is, by not fighting at all. Is that going to be the pattern for the rest of American society? By now, all conservative academics and intellectuals should realize that the best materials of the past wont save them. A rousing insistence on intellectual diversity and a marketplace of ideas will fall flat if not accompanied by a campaign to overcome the ones who conspire to shut it down. Its not enough to argue your own case, not anymore. Conservatives must look across the table and see their adversaries as the real issue, not ideas and values and traditions alone. The question is not which ideology is correct and just. Its about whos going to rule. Mark Bauerlein is an emeritus professor of English at Emory University. His work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Weekly Standard, The Washington Post, the TLS, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Oregon Judge Rejects Lawsuit Targeting Second Amendment Sanctuary Rule An Oregon county judge has dismissed a case that challenged two gun-rights measures that were passed by voters. The Columbia County Board of Commissioners asked the court to review the Second Amendment Sanctuary Ordinance (SASO) and Second Amendment Preservation Ordinance (SAPO), which were adopted by the countys commissioners. Then, Oregon attorney general and lawyers from Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun-control group, issued their own filings and argued the ordinances violated federal and state laws. But Columbia County Judge Ted Grove ruled (pdf) this week that while a governing body may seek review of an ordinance judicial examination still requires a justiciable controversy. Petitioners have not demonstrated such a controversy, the judge added and said they seek what amounts to an advisory opinion designed to invalidate their own newly passed ordinance. The judges decision didnt address the legality of the measures, which bars Columbia Countylocated in the northwestern part of Oregonfrom enforcing many state and federal gun-control laws. According to the text (pdf) of the ordinance, it preserves the right of any person to keep and bear arms as originally understood; in self-defense and preservation, and in defense of ones community and country, and to freely manufacture, transfer, sell and buy firearms, firearm accessories and ammunition and protects ancillary rights that are closely related to the right to keep and bear arms protected by the Second Amendment. Pro-Second Amendment groups hailed the decision, saying it has national implications. The Oregon Firearms Federation wrote in a statement that the Columbia County Court shot down Everytown For Gun Safety, Mike Bloombergs New York Lawyers, and the usual gaggle of state worshippers and upheld the Countys 2nd Amendment Sanctuary ordinance, an ordinance the county commissioners hoped to torpedo. This is a victory with national implications and a repudiation to the politics of division that Bloomberg and the gun grabbers are so famous for, the statement added. Sarah Hansen, a lawyer for the county, told the Columbia County Spotlight newspaper that its not clear if the county will try to appeal Groves ruling. The ruling comes as a recent update on the website Sanctuary Counties revealed that more than 60 percent of all counties in the United States are Second Amendment sanctuaries. We have seen plenty of news about Constitutional Carry, which is another movement that we are actually quite supportive of, the site said in a June update. Yet the mainstream news has remained relatively silent regarding the massive Second Amendment Sanctuary movement, which leads us to a few questions. Pennsylvania Sen. Doug Mastriano attends a hearing of the Pennsylvania State Senate Majority Policy Committee in Gettysburg, Pa., on Nov. 25, 2020. (Julio Cortez/AP Photo) Pennsylvania County Declines Election Audit Without New Voting Machines A county in Pennsylvania formally declined on Thursday to let a state Senate panel access its election machines or related information unless the chamber provides money for new machines. Pennsylvania Sen. Doug Mastriano, a Republican, was told by commissioners in Tioga County that they were worried about the machines being decertified. Pennsylvanias top election official earlier this month decertified the voting system used in Fulton County after an outside company accessed it to perform an assessment following the 2020 election. We are therefore refusing to cooperate with your effort to audit the machines, Tioga County solicitor Christopher Gabriel told Mastriano in a letter on behalf of the county commissioners. Mastriano initiated a forensic probe of the 2020 and 2021 elections in early July by sending requests for materials like ballots, and granting access to machines, to Tioga, York, and Philadelphia counties. Tioga County earlier indicated their inclination not to cooperate with the probe, but formally stated their position in the new letter. Tioga County has conveyed to their senator, Sen. Cris Dush, a Republican, that they would cooperate with the probe, but only if senators provide them with funding to replace their machines because of the possible decertification. They would have to have the new machines in place by August 20th at the latest, according to the new missive. Provide us with a means through which we can ensure that our voters will be able to vote in the Fall, and we will facilitate access to our existing machines, Gabriel wrote. Mastriano did not respond to an early morning request for comment. He previously told The Epoch Times that he would convene the committee he chairs, the Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee, and ask them for subpoena power if counties refused to cooperate. Republicans control the state legislature and thus chair each committee, and have the majority on each panel. York County officials also recently indicated they would likely not cooperate with Mastriano. They questioned whether his panel has jurisdiction over election matters and told him to consult with the Pennsylvania Senate State Government Committee. Pennsylvania Sen. Dave Argall, a Republican who chairs the government panel, supports an audit and a spokesman told The Epoch Times in an email that Mastrianos committee does have jurisdiction over election matters. Philadelphia County officials have not yet responded to Mastrianos request, though they criticized Mastriano for repeating baseless claims about the 2020 presidential election. Mastriano noted in his letters that 2.7 million ballots were cast by mail in 2020, compared to 263,000 in 2016. Many of the ballots were counted at offsite locations with limited outside observation or oversight, he wrote. Mastriano also noted that, according to polls, nearly half of Pennsylvania voters doubt the 2020 election results. While many Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania support an audit, the Tioga County letter came on the same day state Sen. Dan Laughlin, a Republican, in an op-ed called Mastrianos efforts an emerging spectacle that would only further the paranoid atmospherics, poisoning both parties. A U.S. soldier stands near a Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV) during a patrol near the Rumaylan (Rmeilan) oil wells in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province on June 22, 2021. (Delil Soulieman/AFP via Getty Images) Pentagon Considering COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Military Personnel The Pentagon announced on July 29 that it will soon begin internal discussions about making the COVID-19 vaccine a mandatory requirement for military personnel. It comes hours after President Joe Biden said that he will ask the Department of Defense (DOD) to look into how and when it will mandate service members get the vaccine amid the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic. The Department of Defense is moving quickly to meet President Bidens commitment to defeat COVID-19, and that includes being able to ensure every member of our civilian and military workforce is protected, Deputy Pentagon press secretary Jamal Brown said in a July 29 statement. In accordance with the guidance the President issued today, all military and civilian DoD personnel will be asked to attest to their vaccination status. Personnel unable or unwilling to do that will be required to wear a mask, physically distance, comply with a regular testing requirement and be subject to official travel restrictions. Secretary Austin will also begin consulting our medical professionals, as well as the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to determine how and when to make recommendations to the President with respect to adding the COVID-19 vaccines to the full list of requirements for military personnel. Brown noted that the rise of the Delta COVID-19 variant has prompted the need to take additional protective efforts within the military. COVID-19 remains a significant and evolving threat to our nations security, and vaccines remain the best and most effective way to prevent the spread of COVID, including the Delta variant. 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) Currently, the DOD requires servicemen and women to get 17 vaccines, including shots against measles, mumps, diphtheria, hepatitis, smallpox, and the flu. But it so far hasnt mandated the COVID-19 vaccine while it remains under the Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) emergency use authorizationa designation that allows for distribution and administration but also requires informed consent by patients. Earlier this month, the Army Times reported that the Army has directed commands to prepare to administer mandatory COVID-19 vaccines as early as Sept. 1, pending full FDA licensure. The directive came from an execute order sent to the force by the Department of the Army Headquarters, according to the publication. Also on July 29, the Biden administration stated that federal workers and contractors will have to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or else wear masks, engage in social distancing, and submit to regular COVID-19 testing. Right now, too many people are dying or watching someone they love die and say if Id just got the vaccine,' Biden said in the East Room of the White House. This is an American tragedy. People are dying who dont have to die. The White House said in a statement that the new rules were laid out because of the Delta variant. Anyone who does not attest to being fully vaccinated will be required to wear a mask on the job no matter their geographic location, physically distance from all other employees and visitors, comply with a weekly or twice weekly screening testing requirement, and be subject to restrictions on official travel, the White House stated in a fact sheet. About 60 percent of American adults have been fully vaccinated to date. Biden had set a July 4 goal to get at least one COVID-19 shot in 70 percent of adults. The latest figure is about 69 percent. A California Highway Patrol officer watches flames that are visible from the Zogg Fire on Clear Creek Road near Igo, Calif., on Sep. 28, 2020. (Ethan Swope/AP Photo) PG&E Could Face Criminal Charges Over Deadly California Fire Pacific Gas & Electric will face criminal charges because its equipment sparked a wildfire last year that killed four people and destroyed hundreds of homes, a Northern California prosecutor announced Thursday. It would be the latest action against the nations largest utility, which was forced into bankruptcy over devastating wildfires ignited by its long-neglected electrical grid. Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett announced on Facebook that her office had determined that PG&E was criminally liable for the Zogg Fire. Prosecutors hadnt yet decided which charges to file, but they plan to do so before the September anniversary of the blaze, Bridgett said. PG&E said the loss of life and devastation from the fire was heartbreaking but said it has resolved civil claims with Shasta County and continues to reach settlements with victims and their families in an effort to make it right. We do not, however, agree with the district attorneys conclusion that criminal charges are warranted given the facts of this case, the utilitys statement said. Pushed by strong winds, the fire that began on Sept. 27 raged through the Sierra Nevada mountains and local communities, killing four people, burning about 200 homes, and blackening about 87.5 square miles of land. In March, state fire investigators concluded that the fire was sparked by a gray pine tree that fell onto a PG&E transmission line. Two counties, Shasta and Tehama, have sued the utility for negligence, arguing that PG&E had failed to remove the tree even though it had been marked for removal two years earlier. PG&E, which has an estimated 16 million customers in central and Northern California, filed for bankruptcy protection in 2019 after its equipment was blamed for a series of fires, including the 2018 Camp Fire that killed 85 people and destroyed 10,000 homes. That blaze largely destroyed the town of Paradise, about 145 miles northeast of San Francisco. It was the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century. PG&E pleaded guilty to more than 80 counts of involuntary manslaughter over that blaze, which was linked to a badly maintained and aging transmission tower. PG&E emerged from bankruptcy last summer and negotiated a $13.5 billion settlement with some wildfire victims. But it still faces both civil and criminal actions. The Sonoma County district attorneys office filed charges in April over a 2019 blaze that forced nearly 200,000 people to evacuate. PG&E also has been rebuked by California power regulators and a federal judge overseeing its criminal probation for breaking promises to reduce the dangers posed by trees near its power lines. Last week, PG&E announced plans to bury 10,000 miles of its power lines in an effort to prevent its fraying grid from sparking wildfires when electrical equipment collides with millions of trees and other vegetation across the drought-stricken state. The cost was put at $15 billion, most of which will likely be covered by customers. Flames consume a home as the Dixie Fire tears through the Indian Falls community in Plumas County, Calif., on July 24, 2021. (Noah Berger/AP) Firefighter hand crews take a break as they put out hot spots and mop up in an area burned in the Dixie Fire, near rustic mountain cabin homes on a hillside in Twain, Calif., on July 26, 2021. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images) The announcement came just days after PG&E told regulators that its equipment may have ignited the Dixie Fire northeast of San Francisco. That blaze in Plumas County had burned more than 346 square miles of timber and head-high chaparral and was only 23 percent contained. Currently the largest fire in California, it has destroyed more than 40 homes and other buildings and threatens about 10,700 more while the end of the week could see hotter temperatures and lower humidity that could make the battle harder, fire officials said. Photographer Captures the Moment a Meteor Appears to Shoot Into Mouth of Volcano in Indonesia An Indonesian photographer recently captured a stellar streak of light, alleged to be a meteor, on camera in the skies above Mount Merapi volcano on the island of Java. Gunarto Song, a travel and landscape photographer, visited the site on the night of May 28 to capture photos of the mountain under the light of the full moon. It was during this excursion that he captured a photo of the shooting star appearing to drop right into the volcano cratera cosmic hole in one. At first that night I just wanted to capture the moment of a photo of Mount Merapi under the light of the full moon, Song told The Epoch Times. And in the end [I] got a moment of a light falling around the top of the volcano, which has been confirmed by the competent authorities, allegedly a meteor that fell. Song used a speed 4s, ISO 2000, F4.5 and a focal length 39mm to produce the amazing shot. CCTV cameras around the mountain reportedly captured footage of the falling meteor. The photographer, also a businessman, started shooting photos as a hobby after accepting an invitation from friends. He practiced macro photography for two years and then began to specialize in travel and landscape genres for the experiences it afforded him. I have traveled for four months from February 2021 to May 2021 in order to get the eruption of Mount Merapi, every month I travel from Jakarta to Jogjakarta for 45 nights to take pictures of Mount Merapi every day, from night to morning, Song said. The photographer loves naturethe reason why he took up landscape and travel as his main niche. His hobby has led him all over Indonesia, from the west to the east, to capture photos. Indonesia is a very beautiful country and has many diverse cultures, he said. Because with travel and landscape I can travel to many areas in Indonesia and other countries, and see a lot of natural beauty, natures, various cultures, social life, and many things that I can see. And in the end, I can capture it in the form of photos, he explained. Song posted the shot on social media and it went viral, garnering tens of thousands of likes. 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 President of the Orange County Board of Education: CRT Is Marxism That Endangers the US Many parents of all races are opposing critical race theory (CRT) across in the United States. Mari Barke, president of the Orange County Board of Education in California, thinks that anti-Americans use the Marxist CRT as a weapon to demonize those with different views, that is the real danger in this country today. Barke deeply believes that ones parents and families should always choose what is best for their children, thus she also works for the Orange County Board of Education. Parents and community members all over the country are very concerned and trying to define and understand ethnic studies and critical race theory, she said at an online forum held by the Californians For Equal Rights Foundation (CFER Foundation) on July 8. Critical race theory or CA CRT is not new, Barke said. What is new is the introduction of CRT into our K-12 schools, often hidden in plain sight, under the guise of Ethnic Studies, as my friend and columnist Susan Shelley said recently. Despite many states having banned CRT in public schools, the California Department of Education passed the controversial Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC) on March 18. Teachers and parents found that the ESMC teaching is based on CRT, emphasizing the concept of oppressors and the oppressed. Hundreds of academics have criticized this curriculum. Telling is the fact that the same people that demand we introduce this Marxist doctrine into our schools also want to prevent us from educating the public about this anti-American academic precept of CRT. Barke mentioned that the Orange County Board of Education is currently creating a series of education forums that aims to help parents to understand more about what CRT is and its impact on the education system in the United States. She said, free speech as articulated in our First Amendment is not new, but its never been under such severe attack as we have seen over the last year. Any dissenting opinions are not only being discredited but also outright censored or banned. As you will see, CRT and its predecessor critical theory is antithetical to the concept put forward in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. But CRT fails to celebrate, or study Americas founding ethnic diversity, rather CRT looks through the Marxist lens of victims and oppressors. Several Chinese immigrants told The Epoch Times that because CRT expresses hate culture, the United States is currently undergoing a cultural revolution. If it cannot be stopped, younger Americans will be brainwashed by Marxism completely. They felt horrified as people who had lived under the Chinese Communist Partys reign of terror. Barke said the problem is that the anti-American opposing groups do not want to have discussions or debates, what they want is to define the terms and then demonize everyone who disagrees with them. Thankfully, parents now have more opportunities to participate in their childrens education and can have a close look at what their children have been taught. The login/sign up screen for a Twitter account is seen on a laptop computer in Orlando, Fla., on April 27, 2021. (John Raoux/AP Photo) Quit Complaining About Twitter and Quit Already Commentary That political commentator Dave Rubin of The Rubin Report has been locked out of Twitter for writing something that is at the very least arguably truethat there are serious questions about the COVID-19 vaccinesis among the most unsurprising news of the day. Its what Twitter does on a regular basiscensors opinions it doesnt agree with from sources high (the 45th President of the United States) and low (just about anybody). Rubins supposed malfeasance was to write the following, which was deleted: They want a federal vaccine mandate for vaccines which are clearly not working as promised just weeks ago. People are getting and transmitting Covid despite vax. Plus now theyre prepping us for booster shots. A sane society would take a pause. We do not live in a sane society. I would agree, but thats not the point. The point is Twitters behavior. Who can forget its banning of the NYPosts fact-based report on Hunter Bidens laptop? Twitter chief Jack Dorsey later apologized, but by then it was irrelevant. The electoral damage was done and the world had moved on. How convenient. Meanwhile, legions of Little Dorseys, using who knows what algorithms and key words, form a phalanx of latter-day Blockleiters (block wardens) supervising what can or cannot be said in an often mercurial manner. And yet, with all this, another legion, maybe even a majority, of leading conservative and libertarian politicians and journalists, comply with this regime in the hopes their voices will be heard. This is weirdly similar to life under communism or other totalitarian regimes like Iran where people bent or bend over backwards, contorting or disguising their ideas, in order to get them past the censors to an oppressed audience. (Apropos Iran, Donald Trump is banned on Twitter, while Ayatollah Khamenei is not.) Other times right-wing journalists and politicians are forthright with their opinions, waiting to see if they will be banned. Often they are not, but yet other timesas with Rubinwhen they cross some (largely invisible and almost always moving) line, off they go. Then they get to whine about their treatment for what was yet another completely unsurprising event and nothing happens! Nothing happens too on the national legislative front because Twitter is untouchable, shielded as it is by the far more powerful Facebook, Amazon, and Googleby far the biggest political donorswhose interests often coincide with Dorseys. No, as with so much, this is for We the People to handle. (Kudos, though, to Floridas governor DeSantis who has made inroads.) Of the tech giants, Twitter is the low-hanging fruit. Too many small businesses depend on Facebook to easily destroy it. The same is true of Amazon that also controls publishing. (Trust me. I know. My books are all there and I have no control over them at this point because of standard author licensing agreements.) As for Google? Well, if you can tell me how to destroy Google Id be interested. We can use other search enginesand I dobut thats in many ways our own form of virtue signaling. In reality, were not putting much of a dent in the giant. Twitter, on the other hand, is vulnerable. If we destroy or seriously dent this weak sister, then we can go after her considerably stronger relatives. How to do it? Just leave. Quit without saying sayonara. That implies see you again. Quit and stay quit. (Twitter will then wither away, like CNN.) I realize how hard this is for many. Two, often intertwined, factors are at play: our egos and internet traffic. The former is what it is. We have to deal with it in our all-too-human psyches and souls. It takes a long time and Im still far from succeeding. The latter has more immediate and arguable relevance. We want the opinions of our side seen by as large a public as possible. But do we want to do that at the behest of the very thing we are inveighing against? Doesnt that make us hypocrites? Doesnt that tarnish, even invalidate what we are saying? And there are alternativesGab, GETTR, Parler, Tell and Mind, to name a few. None have caught fire in the way Twitter has, but that may be our fault. Or, maybe we dont need that means of communication at all. Maybe its just too 2010s and should now be dispensed with. Im happy having my say here at The Epoch Times and enjoy very much reading the comments, which are often extraordinarily good. Whatever the case, I am publicly calling on Dave Rubin to do something unusual and laudable, to tell Twitter to stuff it. They may have locked him out, but hes not coming back anyway, even if they let him. Or, to put it another way, since Jack Dorsey might know something of revolutionary history, Dave should be our version of Dolores Ibarruri (La Pasionaria) who, during the Spanish Civil War, famously said, Better to die on your feet, than to live forever on your knees . No pasaran! [They will not pass.] Yes, I know Dolores was a communist, but the shoe is on the other proverbial foot these days, and it is the new American communists who, with sites like Twitter leading the way, stand in opposition to freedom and justice for all. No pasaran, indeed. Roger L. Simon is an award-winning novelist, Oscar-nominated screenwriter, co-founder of PJMedia, and now, editor-at-large for The Epoch Times. His most recent books are The GOAT (fiction) and I Know Best: How Moral Narcissism Is Destroying Our Republic, If It Hasnt Already (nonfiction). He can be found on Parler as @rogerlsimon. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Australia could face blackouts and energy price shocks without carefully planning its transition to renewable energy. (natsuki/Unsplash) Renewables Push Could Blackout Australia Without Total Grid Reform A total reform to Australias grid is urgently needed, or else the transition to renewables could spell disaster for energy security, says the governments Energy Security Board. The board told state and federal leaders at the National Cabinet on Wednesday that Australias accelerated conversion from coal to wind and solar had to be accompanied by a total overhaul to the nations energy grid. This isnt just a tweak around the edges, said Energy Security Board Chair Kerry Schott. Its about a whole redesign of the national electricity market. This comes as both Victoria and New South Wales released their own plans to reach net-zero earlier this year, with premiers for both states having to face the Energy Security Board as it addressed Australias difficult challenge in safely transitioning to solar and wind power. Its something we have to do to confidently embrace Australias energy future while reducing the risk of price shocks and blackouts. Energy Security Board Chair Kerry Schott speaks during a discussion forum at the Clean Energy Summit at the International Convention Centre in Sydney, Australia, on July 30, 2019. (AAP Image/Peter Rae) This year alone, Australia experienced the brunt of blackouts and price spikes on numerous separate occasions. In May, a fire at the Callide coal-fired power station and a lack of backup generation saw lights go out for 400,000 Queenslanders. Also, in May, Australasias largest aluminium smelter was forced to power down five times in two weeks after the smelter couldnt afford to pay for electricity after planned, and unplanned coal plant outages sent energy prices soaringon one occasion exploding by 18,000 percent. Following the outages, which were exacerbated by cold weather, Australians were left wide-eyed in June after their electricity bills showed average energy costs had almost tripled compared to the same month last year. But signs of instability were starting to show even earlier with the shutdown of Victorias Hazelwood coal plant in 2017, and the exit of 1,600 megawatts which had supplied power to meet 25 percent of Victorias electricity needs, and around 8 percent of the entire National Electricity Market. The resulting disruption was felt across Australias east coast, with average energy prices shooting up by 85 percent for Victoria, 63 percent for New South Wales, 53 percent for Queensland, and a further 32 percent for South Australia. Workers leave Hazelwood Power Station after their final shift in Hazelwood, Australia, on Mar. 31, 2017. Around 750 workers have been left jobless after the plant was closed. (Scott Barbour/Getty Images) Schott recommended Australias path to emissions-free energy be bolstered by a series of significant reforms, one of which was to reinforce Australias fleet of reliable energy generation and storage. We have had a very mild summer, and everyone has got very complacent, but we only need one hot summer in three jurisdictions together, or a major unexpected outage at a big coal plant, and weve got a real resource adequacy issue right on top of us, she said. A second recommendation was to fast track large-scale renewable energy hubs to support vast renewable power generation at an even lower price pointa direction which has gradually made progress with a recent proposal for the worlds largest, $95 billion renewable energy hub in Western Australia. A third but equally critical suggestion was to address underlying technical constraints imbued in the nations energy infrastructure, namely, maintaining grid inertia and stabilising grid frequency. Rewind, Review, and Re-Rate: The Horse Soldiers: Director John Fords Entertaining Civil War Drama Not Rated | 2h | Adventure, Romance, War | 1959 For as many Western films as celebrated director John Ford made, its interesting that he produced only one wholly dedicated to the Civil War. (He did touch on the Civil War in 1962s How the West Was Won.) The Horse Soldiers (1959) was his only film about the conflict, and he couldnt have chosen a more compelling narrative to base the film on. The Horse Soldiers was based on a 1956 novel with the same name by Harold Sinclair and adapted by screenwriters John Lee Mahin and Martin Rackin. It was based on the real-life exploits of Union Army cavalry officer Col. Benjamin Grierson, who ironically hated horses because he was kicked in the head by one as a child. Ford fills Griersons boots with the fictional character of Col. John Marlowe (John Wayne), a railroad construction worker in civilian life who is a dutiful cavalry soldier in his military one. Fords films never fail to impress during their grand openings, and this film is no different. Here, as the beginning credits roll, we see beautiful shots of cavalrymen riding their horses along a long ridgeline, their dark silhouettes set against vast blue skies dotted by puffy white clouds. As we are introduced to Marlowe and the various men in his unit, it is made clear that he is well-liked and commands their respect. Soon, however, Marlowe is tasked by Gen. William T. Sherman (Richard H. Cutting) to carry out a daring mission: to take his entire cavalry brigade from a captured military depot in Tennessee and travel hundreds of miles south behind enemy lines with the goal of destroying a railroad depot that is a crucial supply line for the Confederate Army. Some of the men grumble about its being more or less a suicide mission but ultimately fall in lineexcept for one: Maj. Henry Kendall (William Holden), an Army doctor who has been assigned to Marlowes brigade by the higher-ups. Marlowe (for reasons later revealed) immediately resents Kendalls presence in his unit and does little to hide that fact. Meanwhile, Kendall understandably feels set upon by the unprovoked hostility and begins to see Marlowe as a brute with little compassion. William Holden (L) and John Wayne in The Horse Soldiers. (United Artists) After leaving the military depot, some of the brigade are bushwhacked and wounded by a Confederate patrol. Knowing theyve been spotted and that Confederate forces will zero in on their location, Marlowe pulls a ruse and orders a third of the brigade to turn back: He wants it to appear that the entire unit is leaving. Thats when another thorn in his side emerges. Col. Phil Secord (Willis Bouchey), a politician in civilian life, frequently second-guesses Marlowes orders. The unit takes some respite close to a small cabin that happens to be inhabited by a large black family. As Kendall is treating the wounded men, a soldier informs him that the black family is in dire need of medical aid. Kendall obliges without Marlowes consent and ends up delivering a baby. In a dramatic scene, Marlowe enters the cabin just after the baby is delivered. Hes upset that the doctor isnt treating the men, but Kendall poetically justifies his actions: I know. Ones dead. Ones goneones born. Amazing process isnt it? The point is I delivered it. Maj. Kendall (William Holder, L) just delivered a baby for a black family when Col. Marlowe (John Wayne) finds him. (United Artists) A little later, the brigade comes across a large Southern house owned by Hannah Hunter (Constance Towers). Marlowe intends to rest his men and bivouac overnight in the forest surrounding the house, but Hannah insists that he and some of his command staff come in and enjoy a dinner that evening. Kendall soon discovers that there may be some ulterior motives involved. Her genteel Southern belle affectations are a little too excessive. Fords Strength The films second and third acts fill out this initial setup well. We see Fords penchant and gift for delivering exciting, large-scale battles, and the conflicts between Union and Confederate forces is a nice change of pace from the usual cowboy fare. Some subtle romantic tones come to the fore by the films end. Southern belle Hannah Hunter (Constance Towers) comes to respect Col. Marlowe (John Wayne). (United Artists) The film is quite a roller coaster ride, as the further the brigade goes south, facing greater and greater danger, the more the characters true colors reveal themselves. Marlowe is forced to juggle with not only the threat of being detected by Confederate forces but also his units own internal problems, such as an obstinate captive and a rebellious doctor. The acting is fantastic, as can be expected with such a stellar cast. By the end of the film, we clearly see one of its primary messages: The United States can only be strong if its factions are united for a greater goodno matter how seemingly disparate those constituents are. The Horse Soldiers, then, is a solid John Ford entry and a subtle, thought-provoking film. The Horse Soldiers Director: John Ford Starring: John Wayne, William Holden, Constance Towers Not Rated Running Time: 2 hours Release Date: June 12, 1959 Rated: 4 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. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a joint news conference with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar at Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan (JNB) in New Delhi, India, on July 28, 2021. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool Photo via AP) Blinken Meets Representative of Dalai Lama in India Amid Tensions With China NEW DELHIU.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met a representative of the Dalai Lama in New Delhi on Wednesday, drawing an angry response from Beijing. Blinken met briefly with Ngodup Dongchung, who presented him with a scarf from the Dalai Lama, a senior State Department official said. Dongchung serves as a representative of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), also known as the Tibetan government in exile. The Dalai Lama obviously is a globally revered spiritual leader and so the gesture was gratefully received and appreciated, said the official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity. The meeting was one of the most conspicuous contacts between U.S. and Tibetan officials since President Barack Obama met the Dalai Lama in Washington in 2016. The Chinese regime on Thursday slammed Blinkens meeting with Dalai Lamas representative. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a daily news briefing that the meeting had violated the U.S. commitment to recognizing Tibet as a part of China and urged it to stop interfering in Chinas internal affairs with Tibet. Chinese troops seized Tibet in 1950. In 1959, the Dalai Lama fled into exile in India following a failed uprising against Chinese rule. The CTA and Tibetan advocacy groups have received a boost in international support in recent months amid rising criticism of the Chinese regimes human rights record, particularly from the United States. In November, Lobsang Sangay, the former head of the Tibetan government in exile, visited the White House, the first such visit in six decades. A month later, the U.S. Congress passed the Tibet Policy and Support Act, which calls for the right of Tibetans to choose the successor to the Dalai Lama and the establishment of a U.S. consulate in the Tibetan capital Lhasa. Indias Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken deliver opening remarks as they sit down to meet at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, on July 28, 2021. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) India Ties In his first visit to India since joining U.S. President Joe Bidens administration, Blinken met his Indian counterpart, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and other officials on Wednesday before calling on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two sides also discussed supplies of COVID-19 vaccines and the human rights records of both countries, the ministers told a joint news conference, as well as the Quad alliancea security group that also includes Australia and Japan, and has also angered the Chinese regime. Asked about the Chinese regime taking umbrage at Indo-Pacific security cooperation and the Quad, Jaishankar told the news conference: For groups of countries to work together is not strange People need to get over the idea that somehow other countries doing things is directed against them. Speaking to a group of civil society leaders at a New Delhi hotel, Blinken said that the relationship between the United States and India was one of the most important in the world. The Indian people and the American people believe in human dignity and equality of opportunity, the rule of law, fundamental freedoms including freedom of religion and belief these are the fundamental tenets of democracies like ours, he said. The Associated Press and Epoch Times staff contributed to this report Fiame Naomi Mata'afa (seated C-in white) sits with members of parliament and the judiciary as she is sworn in as Samoa's first female prime minister in Apia on May 24, 2021. (Malietoa/AFP via Getty Images) Samoas New Leader Confirms Scrapping of China-Funded Port SYDNEYThe new prime minister of Samoa has confirmed she will cancel a China-backed port project. She hasnt closed the door to China as she navigates a path for the Pacific nation as a regional competition between Beijing and Washington intensifies. Fiame Naomi Mataafa indicated she would only approve investments that had clear benefits for her country as she expressed doubts about an upside for the Pacific being a pawn in a geopolitical tussle between the two superpowers. Mataafa said Chinas interest in the Pacific had grown as the United States effectively moved out of the region. There seems to be a renewed interest in the Pacific, which may be a good thing, but not necessarily, Mataafa told The Epoch Times on July 28, days after her election confirmation that ended a months-long political crisis. Samoa, an island nation of around 200,000, has found itself exposed to external geopolitical jostling as Washington and its allies respond to a more assertive Beijing in Pacific waters that have been largely uncontested since World War Two. Any foreign involvement in critical infrastructure, such as ports and airstrips, is particularly sensitive, and Chinas proposed construction of a wharf in Vaiusu Bay played a part in the April elections. Samoas former leader, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, promised to build the port, with Chinese help, for $100 million, after a similar project was deemed economically unviable by the Asian Development Bank. Mataafa told Reuters in May, after her election but before taking office, that she would scrap the project, calling it excessive for a small nation already heavily in debt to China. China is the single largest creditor in Samoa, accounting for about 40 percent, or some $160 million, of its external debt. Weve indicated that would not be a priority for us at this time and that there would be other areas that we would be more interested in, Mataafa told Reuters on July 28. Im pleased the outgoing government had not reached a level of agreement with China where that is set in place. Chinas Foreign Ministry said in a statement on July 30 that China held preliminary discussions with Samoa on the feasibility of building the port at the request of the former government. Mataafa said China had been a long-term partner and her government would assess the relationship in the same way it evaluates all of its bilateral relations. I think as a new administration coming in we will do that for China and any other partner that we have, she said. China just takes the forefront because of the nature of the work thats being funded. Theres a lot of infrastructure, mostly building infrastructure, which other donors dont do. First Female Leader Mataafa was confirmed as Samoas first female prime minister on July 23, ending a political impasse in place since the April 9 disputed election. Malielegaoi governed the Pacific island nation for 22 years, making him one of the worlds longest serving leaders. Mataafa said her government would focus on the national budget, after the months-long deadlock, as the coronavirus pandemic had devastated important industries. Her elevation to the countrys leadership was briefly frustrated by a law, ironically designed to ensure greater female representation in parliament, that led to attempts to add an additional member who was allied with her rival. Mataafa said there were ongoing impediments to female participation in politics such as the practice in some villages of denying women the title of chief, called matai, which is a prerequisite for entering parliament. Fundamentally, our electoral system was premised on our traditional matai system, she said. A move away from that would be to seemingly say we want to discard the traditional. What might be better to do is change peoples perceptions of tradition. By Jonathan Barrett Second LA Attorney Alleges Retaliation for Protesting Gascon Directive LOS ANGELESA second veteran prosecutor in as many days is suing Los Angeles County, alleging she has suffered a backlash by being transferred to a less prestigious job for complaining about directives set forth after the November election of District Attorney George Gascon. Deputy District Attorney Lesley Klein Sonnenbergs lawsuit was brought July 28, a day after a similar complaint was filed by Deputy District Attorney Shawn Randolph. Both Los Angeles Superior Court suits seek unspecified damages. A spokesperson for the District Attorneys Office said after the Randolph filing that the agency couldnt comment on pending litigation. At the time of Gascons election, Sonnenberg was the assistant head prosecutor in charge of the District Attorneys Offices Family Violence Division, according to her suit. After Gascon was sworn into office on Dec. 7, he released directives requiring prosecutors in the Family Violence Division to stop filing sentencing enhancement strikes against rapists and violent domestic abuse suspects, even though theyre required to be brought under the state Penal Code, the Sonnenberg suit states. In late December, Sonnenberg prepared a document entitled Justification for Filing Strikes in which she explained why she refused to adhere to Gascons policies and disclosed to him that she would continue to file strikes against repeat offenders, the Sonnenberg suit states. In January, Sonnenberg sent Gascon an email stating that he was relying on faulty statistics to support his belief that long prison terms created higher recidivism rates, and she provided him with multiple studies that contradicted his unlawful approach to prosecution, according to the suit. Sonnenberg believes her complaints to Gascon resulted in her not being selected for a promotion to acting head deputy of the Family Violence Division in January and later to the permanent head prosecutor position in April, which was instead given to someone less qualified, according to the suit. Sonnenberg was transferred to Consumer Protection Division, a dead-end position for her because she has no experience in civil law or in the civil courts, the suit states. Plaintiff was transferred into a position in which she was literally a duck out of water, the suit states. After decades of learning criminal law and procedure, and close to retirement, plaintiff is now in a position that she does not fully understand and at which she will certainly not excel. In her suit, Randolph, who previously supervised about 50 lawyers and 50 civilian workers in the District Attorneys Offices Juvenile Division, maintains that Gascons policy regarding juvenile offenders effectively requires prosecutors to unlawfully hide the truth from the courts by mischaracterizing many violent offenses. Randolph repeatedly disclosed to her superiors that juvenile petitions made under Gascons policy were not truthful and that filing such petitions before a court violates the ethical and statutory duties of a prosecutor, her suit states. In alleged retaliation, Randolph was transferred on Feb. 1 to the parole division, which her suit calls a dead-end position for a head deputy. She also maintains that she was denied transfers to head the District Attorneys branch offices in Torrance and Long Beach Superior Courts even though she was the most qualified applicant for each position. President Joe Biden (C), joined by from left to right, Sen Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), Sen Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Sen Mitt Romney (R-UT), speaks after the bipartisan group of Senators reached a deal on an infrastructure package at the White House on June 24, 2021 (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) Senate Votes to Start Debate on $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill The Senate voted Friday to start debating a White House-backed infrastructure proposal after weeks of negotiations. On Friday, the upper congressional chamber voted 66-28 to officially begin the debate. Sixteen Republicans joined all Democrats to begin the debate, bypassing the 60 votes needed to overcome a potential filibuster. The measure, which some have described as bipartisan, includes about $550 billion in new spending as well as $450 billion that was previously approved. The bill would, in part, fund building electric vehicle charging stations and getting rid of lead water pipes around the United States. Democrats aim to pass a separate $3.5 trillion bill that includes climate and social spending measures. Republicans have signaled that they would use the filibuster to block the measure in the 50-50 Senate, leading some Democrats to suggest they would use the budget reconciliation tactic to pass the measure with no Republican votes. Given the bipartisan nature of the bill, the Senate should be able to process this legislation rather quickly, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Friday ahead of the vote. We may need the weekend, we may vote on several amendments, but with the cooperation of our Republican colleagues I believe we can finish the bipartisan infrastructure bill in a matter of days. Schumer on Friday added that he plans to pass both the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Democratic climate and social spending bill before senators take their summer break, which was supposed to start in the second week of August. In a sign of the complexity of both the bill and the politics surrounding it, the vote was suspended for more than 45 minutes as lawmakers questioned how it would affect broadband internet access. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) said lawmakers had been confused by different versions of the bill. Senators were scheduled to work through the weekend on the sweeping plan, which would dramatically increase the nations spending on roads, bridges, transit, and airports. Supporters predicted it would ultimately pass the Senate and House, eventually reaching President Bidens desk for him to sign it into law. When you have Chuck Schumer and you have Mitch McConnell voting for the same thing in a bill this large, you have a good thing, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), a key swing vote, said on Friday, referring to the Senate GOP leader who voted to advance the bill. However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told media outlets over the past weekend that if the $3.5 trillion bill isnt passed, the $1 trillion infrastructure measure wouldnt make it to the floor for a vote. This week, former President Donald Trump warned Republican senators to stay away from the infrastructure bill, arguing that Democrats arent operating in good faith. Once they pass this bill out of the Senate, it will sit in the House until they get steamrolled by the biggest government expansion in a generation, Trump said in a statement Friday. Tax increases on everyone, government run health care, more government run schools, amnesty for illegal immigrants, MASKS, and many more terrible socialist programs. Seemingly making reference to Pelosis weekend comments, the former commander-in-chief added: Nancy Pelosi has said NO INFRASTRUCTURE until they get everything else. Reuters contributed to this report. Ship Tied to Israeli Billionaire Attacked Off Oman, 2 Killed DUBAI, United Arab EmiratesAn attack on an oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire killed two crew members off Oman in the Arabian Sea, authorities said Friday, marking the first fatalities after years of assaults targeting shipping in the region. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the Thursday night raid on the Liberian-flagged tanker Mercer Street. However, a U.S. official said it appears a so-called suicide drone was used in the attack, raising the possibility that a government or a militia group was behind it. An Israeli security official said that Israel believes Iran was behind the attack on the ship, citing similar attacks in the past. The U.S. Navy rushed to the scene following the attack and was escorting the tanker to a safe harbor, a London-based ship management company said Friday. The assault represented the worst-known maritime violence so far in regional attacks on shipping since 2019. The United States, Israel, and others have blamed the attacks on Iran amid the unraveling of Tehrans nuclear deal with world powers. Iran now appears poised to take an even tougher approach with the West as the country prepares to inaugurate a hard-line protege of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as president next week. The attack on Thursday night targeted the tanker just northeast of the Omani island of Masirah, over 185 miles southeast of Omans capital, Muscat. London-based Zodiac Maritime, part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofers Zodiac Group, said the attack killed two crew members, one from the United Kingdom and the other from Romania. It did not name them, nor did it describe what happened in the assault. It said it believed no other crew members on board were harmed. The U.K. government later confirmed that a British national has died following an incident on a tanker off the coast of Oman. The statement from Zodiac Maritime said that at the time of the incident the vessel was in the northern Indian Ocean, traveling from Dar es Salaam to Fujairah with no cargo on board, naming ports in Tanzania and the United Arab Emirates. Satellite tracking data from MarineTraffic.com showed the vessel had been near where British officials said the attack occurred. However, the last signal the ship sent came early Friday morning. Zodiac Maritime described the Mercer Streets owners as Japanese, without naming them. Shipping authority Lloyds List identified the vessels ultimate owner as Taihei Kaiun Co., which belongs to the Tokyo-based Nippon Yusen Group. Late Friday, Zodiac Maritime said the tanker was sailing under the control of her crew to a safe location with a U.S. naval escort. The company did not elaborate. The U.S. Navys 5th Fleet, which patrols the Mideast, did not respond to a request for comment. The British militarys United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said an investigation was underway into the attack and that coalition forces were taking part. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation, told The Associated Press that the attack appeared to have been carried out by a one-way drone and that other drones took part. The official said it wasnt immediately known who launched the attack and declined to elaborate. The Israeli official, who similarly spoke on condition of anonymity as they werent authorized to brief the media, blamed Iran for the attack and confirmed other public details of the incident. Israel considers Iran to be its biggest threat, citing Tehrans hostile rhetoric, support for anti-Israeli terrorist groups, and growing influence in the region. The remarks came after an earlier report from private maritime intelligence firm Dryad Global referred to a drone sighting involving the vessel prior to the attack. Iran and Yemens Tehran-backed Houthi rebels have in the past employed suicide dronesunmanned aircraft loaded with explosives that detonate on impact with a target. In a separate development, the Saudi-led military coalition battling the rebel Houthis in Yemen claimed later Friday that it had thwarted an attempted enemy drone attack on a Saudi merchant ship, Saudi Arabias state TV reported, without offering further details. The coalition blamed the Iran-backed Houthis for threatening maritime security in the southern Red Sea near the crucial Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The strait is used for oil shipments from the Persian Gulf to Europe, as well as goods from Asia to Europe. British maritime security firm Ambrey said the attack on Mercer Street had killed one of its team members, along with a member of the tankers crew. The intelligence firm said it was working with authorities and offering support to the victims family at this incredibly sad time. Omani officials did not respond to requests for comment. The sultanate sits on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula and is along vital shipping routes for cargo and energy moving through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf. Israel did not publicly acknowledge the attack. Other Israel-linked ships have been targeted in recent months as well amid a shadow war between the two nations, with Israeli officials blaming the Islamic Republic for the assaults. Israel meanwhile has been suspected in a series of major attacks targeting Irans nuclear program. Also, Iran saw its largest warship recently sink under mysterious circumstances in the nearby Gulf of Oman. Thursdays attack comes amid heightened tensions over Irans tattered nuclear deal and as negotiations over restoring the accord have stalled in Vienna. The series of ship attacks suspected to have been carried out by Iran began a year after President Donald Trump withdrew America from the accord in 2018. Iranian media quoted foreign press reports on Thursdays attack but did not offer anything more. The attack came the night after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking from Kuwait, warned Iran that talks in Vienna over the nuclear deal cannot go on indefinitely. This is the second time this month a ship tied to Ofer apparently has been targeted. In early July, the Liberian-flagged container ship CSAV Tyndall, once tied to Zodiac Maritime, suffered an unexplained explosion on board while in the northern Indian Ocean, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration. By Jon Gambrell Election workers, right, verify ballots as recount observers, left, watch during a Milwaukee hand recount of presidential votes at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, Wis., on Nov. 20, 2020. (Nam Huh/AP Photo) Special Counsel Named in Wisconsin to Investigate 2020 Election: Assembly Speaker The top Republican in the Wisconsin State Assembly says that his office is expanding a probe into the 2020 presidential election, adding that more investigations are warranted. House Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, a Republican, signed contracts with several retired law enforcement officials and a former judge, although two of three quit in recent days, he confirmed in an interview with The Associated Press on July 30. Retired Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman was designated by Vos as his special counsel to investigate fraud allegations. To restore full integrity and trust in elections, we have decided to change direction, giving more authority and independence to Justice Gableman, Vos said in a statement. I am declaring him Special Counsel and am giving him the authority to hire more full-time investigators who will work at his direction. Gableman, Vos said, told him that a more thorough effort was needed with investigators who could work full-time, and possibly several hundred thousand dollars for a budget. If he thinks he needs one person, great, Vos told AP of Gablemans requirements. If he thinks he needs half a dozen, great. Wisconsin Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke, R-Kaukauna, left, talks with Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, during the first 2021-22 legislative session in the Assembly Chambers at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, Wis., on Jan. 4, 2021. (Amber Arnold/Wisconsin State Journal via AP, File) The speaker didnt set a timetable for the completion of the investigation but mentioned to AP that he hoped it would be finished by the fall. Another election review commissioned by the Legislative Audit Bureau, which was ordered by the Wisconsin State Senate, is slated to be finished around the same time. If you have two independent investigations where they are going to go the way the evidence leads them, that should be something we should all get around, Vos said, adding that Gableman will be provided with more resources and the ability to determine the need for any future adjustments. Democrats in Wisconsin, as in other states, have criticized calls for more investigations into the election, and Wisconsin Democratic Party Executive Director Nellie Sires denigrated Voss announcement on July 30. The fact will remain that the 2020 election was free, fair, and conclusive, Sires said in a statement, describing the probe as a sham investigation. Its time for the Speaker to end the charade and start telling the truth. Vos, meanwhile, has been under pressure from Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, to support an audit similar to the one commissioned by Arizonas Senate in Maricopa County. The former commander-in-chief has said that Vos, with his investigation, is trying to obfuscate election fraud in the state rather than try to carry out a legitimate probe. Wisconsin Republican leaders Robin Vos, Chris Kapenga, and Devin LeMahieu are working hard to cover up election corruption, in Wisconsin, Trump said in a statement in late June, adding that Republicans should not fall for their lies. A full forensic investigation into the election is required, Trump said. If they dont, I have little doubt that they will be primaried and quickly run out of office. President Joe Biden was certified as the winner of Wisconsin and its 11 electoral votes by a slim margin over Trump. The Epoch Times has contacted Voss office and the states Democrat Party for further comment. Starmer Demands August 7 End to Englands Self-Isolation Rule After Wales Move Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has challenged the Government to match Wales by bringing forward the date on which fully vaccinated people in England can avoid isolation. Waless Labour First Minister Mark Drakeford has confirmed August 7 as the day when double-jabbed adults can escape isolation if they come into contact with a positive coronavirus case. Scotland is also expected to remove the need for fully vaccinated people to isolate on August 9, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson has insisted England is nailed on to make the same move from August 16. Sir Keir, however, has questioned why England should have a later timeline, saying this risks creating more pain for families and businesses. This has been a summer of chaos for British businesses and British families, Sir Keir said in a statement. The Tory government has never been able to explain the logic of their self-isolation rules and has just repeated the same mistakes over and over again. While the British public have been trying to do the right thing, we saw this governments instincts when Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak tried to avoid the isolation millions have had to endure. The Governments slapdash approach to this global pandemic is crippling our economy and creating real problems for businesses and families alike. Welsh Labour has shown what can be done and its time for the Tories to do the same. Infographic of daily confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the UK, by July 29, 2021. (Infographic PA Graphics/PA) Waless change will come into effect on the same day the country is expected to move to alert level zerowhen most coronavirus restrictions will be lifted. Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 or has symptoms must continue to isolate for 10 days regardless of their vaccination status, the Welsh Government has said. It will also advise those identified as a contact of a positive case to have a PCR test on day two and day eight, whether they are fully vaccinated or not. MPs in Westminster and business leaders earlier this month urged Johnson to bring forward the date to ease isolation restrictions after a rise in COVID-19 cases led to a surge in people being pinged by the app, which caused disruption to several sectors. Health Secretary Sajid Javid went on to defend the August 16 date by insisting it was chosen to allow more people to be fully vaccinatedand ultimately reduce the risk of severe illness. Elsewhere, the UK Government also faced demands to recall Parliament amid concern COVID-19 vaccine passports had been introduced by stealth via the NHS app. Mark Drakeford, First Minister of Wales at the National Slate Museum, Llanberis, Gwynedd, Wales, on July 28, 2021. (Peter Byrne/PA) Confirming the rule change for Wales, Drakeford said: Self-isolation on symptoms or a positive test result continues to be a powerful measure in helping to break the chains of transmission and stop the spread of the virus. It is important we retain this, even for people who have been fully vaccinated. But we know a full course of the vaccine offers people protection against the virus and they are far less likely to contract it when they are identified as close contacts. This means they no longer need to self-isolate for 10 days. Data published on Thursday showed the number of people being told to self-isolate reached another record, with almost 700,000 alerts sent to COVID-19 app users in England and Wales. The so-called pingdemic led to 689,313 alerts being sent to users of the NHS COVID-19 app last week telling them they had been in close contact with someone who had tested positive for coronavirus. Some frontline workers are exempt from isolation, including those in prisons, waste collection, defence, the food industry, transport, Border Force, and police and fire services. Daily negative test results enable those eligible workers who have been alerted by the NHS COVID-19 app or called by NHS Test and Trace as coronavirus contacts to continue working. Elsewhere, figures from Public Health England estimated COVID-19 vaccines have prevented an estimated 22 million infections and 60,000 deaths in England. The data also suggested jabs are estimated to have directly averted more than 52,600 hospital admissions. The figures were published as Englands deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, said he hoped the worst of the pandemic was over in the UK, while warning there could be one or two bumpy periods ahead. On the NHS app, a tweak to the wording on the NHS COVID Pass section has raised concerns. It now includes a domestic section, which states: You may need to show your NHS COVID Pass at places that have chosen to use the service. The government has said it wants to make vaccine passports mandatory for some settingssuch as nightclubsand crowded events from the autumn. By Richard Wheeler Texas House Rep. Arrested During Voting Protest in Washington Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) confirmed Thursday that she was arrested as she engaged in a voting protest in Washington. Lee and other protesters were standing in front of an entrance to the Senate Hart Building when the Capitol Police told them that it was their final warning and would have to disperse, according to footage posted by the Democrats office. Yes, I engaged in civil disobedience today in front of the Hart Building in Washington, D.C., and was arrested, Jackson Lee said. I believe when you are getting into good troublewhen you realize that the 15th Amendment has guaranteed the fundamental right to vote. Any action that is a peaceful action of civil disobedience is worthy and more to push all of us to do better and to do more. The protesters, according to Lee, were demanding the passage of two Democrat-backed election overhaul bills. The Texas Democrat posted several photos and videos of herself being arrested and led away by police. A subsequent photo showed Lee, wearing a mask, exiting a building that appeared to be a jail or detainment facility. Jackson Lee is at least the third lawmaker to be detained in recent weeks. Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, was arrested on July 15, while Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) was apprehended at another event near Capitol Hill. The Congressional Democrats said they protested to demand that the voting overhaul bills get passed. Democrats have also claimed that Republican-backed voting bills in various state legislatures are attempts to suppress minority votes by making voting less convenient. Republicans, however, say that such bills are necessary to secure future elections and restore the publics confidence in respective states election systems amid reports of irregularities during the Nov. 3, 2020 election. And in the Senate, GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has repeatedly panned House Democrats voting bills and said Republicans wont support them because the measure would grant too much power to the federal government over how elections are carried out. In June, Republican senators invoked the filibuster to block one of the bills. By now, the rotten inner workings of this power grab have been thoroughly exposed to the light, McConnell said last month. We know that it would let Democrats take a red pen to election laws in each of the 50 states. Its a recipe for undermining confidence in our elections. For remaking our entire system of government to suit the preferences of one far end of the political spectrum. This large jade ring from the Qing Dynasty exemplifies the original style that influenced Chinese jewelry like jade bracelets for many years to come. (Courtesy of the National Palace Museum) The Spirit of Jade: Its Sacred and Noble Status in Chinese Culture Jade is a beautiful stone that suggests water-like fluidity and kindness. Beyond its delicate yet firm texture, it embodies thousands of years of Chinese culture. One can get a sense of Chinese peoples long-lasting admiration for the luster and brilliance of jade through childrens names, poetry, literature, and paintings. A Tale of Jade From the Neolithic In Chinese legend, Gong Gong, the lord of water, was defeated in an epic battle with Zhu Rong, the lord of fire. Feeling disgraced and furious, Gong Gong destroyed one of the pillars maintaining balance and stability in the universe. The earth collapsed, with chaos and disasters sending humans into endless misery. Nuwa, the mother of all humans, was saddened by this tragedy. She fused together five-colored stones to patch up the hole in the sky and rescue mankind. The remainder of the stones were scattered abroad into all kinds of jade. This is the origin of jades sacred and noble status in Chinese culture. In an ancient Chinese legend, the goddess Nuwa mended the sky with five-colored stones. This story, passed down for generations, is the origin of jades sacred and noble status in Chinese culture. Qing Dynasty, The Goddess Nuwa Mends the Heavens, by Xiao Yuncong (15961673). (Public Domain) The finest-quality jadeite can endure extreme heat, pressure, and erosion. Its strength, personified as fortitude, was recognized by our ancestors in the Neolithic Age. In ancient China, people regarded jade as a medium of communication with the divine and an embodiment of virtue, including truthfulness, purity, propriety, and benevolence. In traditional Chinese culture, people use jade to describe men with noble character. Jade is firm and composed; it can even gleam through dirt and dust. Its purity and virtues can be revealed through carving and polishing. This large jade ring from the Qing Dynasty exemplifies the original style that influenced Chinese jewelry like jade bracelets for many years to come. (Courtesy of the National Palace Museum) Jade Jewelry in Marriages A jade bracelet is the simplest and purest type of jade jewelryfree of diamond decorations and dazzling designs. However, its simplicity demands finer raw materials. In the jade industry, bracelets are the most valuable items, ranking above all other pieces. When craftsmen see a new piece of jade, they first inspect the cracks and colors in the rock. Then they can decide the size of the bracelet. Finally, the remainder of the rock can be used for other jewelry. Jade weighing 22 pounds (10 kilograms) can be made into dozens of jade pendants, but such an amount can hardly be made into two bracelets. Hence, jade bracelets are rare pieces. Jade bracelets were precious gifts and keepsakes in ancient China. Lines from an ancient Chinese poem indicate that jade bracelets symbolize everlasting love and commitment: How shall we endure parting? The jade bracelets circling our wrists. Jade bracelets were a common family heirloom and dowry. Mothers gave the bracelets to their daughters or daughters-in-law for good fortune and blessings. Though the custom has faded over time, jade bracelets are still a highly valued gift. This rope-shaped bracelet is made of Hetian white jade and is currently preserved in Taiwans National Palace Museum. (Courtesy of the National Palace Museum) Jades Qualities Embody Human Virtue Nowadays, though jade bracelets are rarely used as a token of love, they are still popular jewelry pieces among women for their soothing texture and brilliance. It is believed that a person who wears jade jewelry is gentle and elegant. Among Chinese people, Hetian jade and Fei Cui are two of the most widely appreciated types. Hetian jade is soft yet dense. Of this type, mutton-fat jade is the most valuable. It is found in small quarries that have been eroded by rivers flowing from mountains for thousands of years. Its purity, beauty, and endurance against erosion are celebrated. Women who wear mutton-fat jade jewelry are believed to have jade-like gentleness and endurance. Fei Cui (jadeite), the king of jade, has the beauty of both jade and diamond. Its namesake bird has either flamboyant red feathers or emerald-green feathers. Fei Cui varies in thickness, intensity, evenness, and color. Its colors include white, green, red, purple, orange, yellow, brown, and black and have come to represent diverse beauty and personalities. Jadeite bracelet, Qing Dynasty (16441911). Though Fei Cui jade comes in several colors, it is extremely rare to find three colors present in a single piece. This stunning tricolored jade bracelet symbolizes blessings, fortunes, and longevity. (Courtesy of the National Palace Museum) The pure and transparent green Fei Cui, or emperor green, is the most precious jade of all. It symbolizes energy, integrity, and hope. The empress dowager Cixi and Soong May-ling, first lady of the Republic of China, owned valuable jade bracelets. These emerald-green bracelets were made from the same piece of Fei Cui jade. As a pair, they represent faithful love and remind us that good things come in pairs. Ones choice of jade can be an indication of ones personality. As the old saying goes, jade is both soft and firm, subtle and eye-catching. Since the size cannot be adjusted once made into a bracelet, the customer does not get to select the bracelet. Instead, it is the jade bracelet that chooses its owner. Part of Buddha of Medicine Bhaishajyaguru (Yaoshi Fo), by unknown artist, A.D. 762827, Mid-Tang Dynasty. This part of the wall painting is from the Mogao Caves, also known as Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, cave 112. The Buddhas all wear traditional ornaments made of gold, silver, and jade around their necks. (Public Domain) Chinese people believe that jade jewelry is refined by wearing it, and it can in turn refine the wearer. The divine rock can wash away the dust in the corners of ones mind and bring tranquility. Jades purity and simplicity do not fade with time, but bless ones life with its warmth and gentleness. This article by Ann Lin was translated by Anne Scott. Former President Donald Trump prepares to speak at a conference in Phoenix, Ariz., on July 24, 2021. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Trumps Tax Returns Must be Released to Congress: Department of Justice Tax officials must give former President Donald Trumps tax returns to a congressional panel, the Department of Justice said Friday. The House Ways and Means Committee has long sought the returns, only to be stymied by federal officials. Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), chairman of the panel, has said he wanted six years of Trumps tax returns as part of a possible adjustment of federal law concerning tax policies. The attempt was blocked by the Treasury Department during the Trump administration. The Department of Justice previously said that refusal did not violate the law, but under a new president is saying officials must hand the returns over to Neal. When one of the congressional tax committees requests tax information pursuant to section 6103(f)(1), and has invoked facially valid reasons for its request, the Executive Branch should conclude that the request lacks a legitimate legislative purpose only in exceptional circumstances. The Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee has invoked sufficient reasons for requesting the former Presidents tax information. Under section 6103(f)(1), Treasury must furnish the information to the Committee, Dawn Johnsen, acting assistant attorney general for the departments Office of Legal Counsel, wrote in a memorandum (pdf). The same office ruled in 2019 that Neals panel was disingenuous about its true objective in seeking Trumps returns, asserting Neal appeared prepared to expose the documents if they were obtained. That decision was wrong, Johnsen said. As I have maintained for years, the Committees case is very strong and the law is on our side. I am glad that the Department of Justice agrees and that we can move forward, Neal told news outlets in a statement. Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Various Democrats after Trump was elected in 2016 launched efforts to obtain his tax returns, which he has refused to release to the public. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. obtained them in February after the Supreme Court declined to intervene. In our judicial system, the public has a right to every mans evidence. Since the earliest days of the Republic, every man has included the president of the United States, Chief Justice John Roberts, a George W. Bush nominee, said at the time. Trump has called investigations such as Vances a continuation of a political Witch Hunt against him, referring to the long-running probe that examined whether he or his associates colluded with Russia to affect the 2016 election. Special Counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence of collusion. From left, Ryan Murphy, of United States, Evgeny Rylov, of Russian Olympic Committee, and Luke Greenbank, of Britain, pose with their medals after the men's 200-meter backstroke final at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan on July 30, 2021. (Gregory Bull/AP Photo) US Swimmer Talks Doping at Olympics After Loss to Russian American swimmer Ryan Murphy suggested some competitors were doping at the 2020 Olympics after losing in two races to Russian swimmers. It is a huge mental drain on me to hear Im swimming in a race thats probably not clean, Murphy told reporters after losing to Evgeny Rylov in the 200-meter backstroke. That is what it is. Rylov of Russia scored gold on Friday while Murphy took silver. In the 100-meter backstroke, Murphy, 26, of Illinois, ended behind both Rylov and Kliment Kolesnikov, also of Russia. Murphy later told a press conference he was not accusing the Russians of doping. I need to be clear, he said. My intention is not to make any allegations here. Congratulations to Evgeny, congratulations to Luke. They both did an incredible job. Theyre both very talented swimmers. They both train real hard and theyve got great technique. Rylov denied being involved in any doping schemes, telling reporters through a translator that I have always been for clean competition. Ryan has all the right to think the way he does and say what he does, Rylov said. He did not accuse me of anything. Thats why I dont have anything against him. The Russian Olympic Committee took to Twitter to respond to Murphys comments, describing its swimmers victories as unnerving to competitors. The United States Ryan Murphy (R) gives a thumbs up to Evgeny Rylov, of Russian Olympic Committee, after Rylov won the mens 200-meter backstroke final at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan on July 30, 2021. (David Goldman/AP Photo) Yes, we are here at the Olympics. Absolutely right. Whether someone likes it or not, the committee said. The old barrel organ started the song about Russian doping again, it added. English-language propaganda, oozing verbal sweat in the Tokyo heat. Through the mouths of athletes offended by defeats. We will not console you. Forgive those who are weaker. God is their judge. And for usan assistant. Russian athletes at the Olympics are not officially representing the country. That stems from a ban from the World Anti-Doping Agency. The agencys executive committee voted in 2019 to declare Russia non-compliant with its anti-doping code for four years, based on documents and examinations that concluded Moscow intentionally altered data before and while it was copied by the agency for a probe. For too long, Russian doping has detracted from clean sport, Craig Reedie, the agencys president, said at the time. Russia was afforded every opportunity to get its house in order and re-join the global anti-doping community for the good of its athletes and of the integrity of sport, but it chose instead to continue in its stance of deception and denial. The Court of Arbitration for Sport later reduced the ban from four years to two years. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, head of the Pontifical Academy for Life and host of the International Roundtable on Vaccination, in the Vatican on July 1, 2021. (Bree Dail/The Epoch Times) Vatican Round Table Addresses Vaccine Hesitancy and Disinformation VATICAN CITYA Vatican round table and online conference focused on combatting vaccine hesitancy by countering disinformation, but neglected to include views critical of COVID-19 vaccines. A future conference will address the oversight. Throughout the conference, held on July 1, several of the experts admitted to frustration in addressing disinformation on vaccinesoften, they said, propagated by members of the media. Co-moderator Dr. Frank Ulrich Montgomery, Chair of the Council for the World Medical Association, said, I could say I have a dreamand you understand that correctlyI have a dream that one day from all Catholic preachers will come, maybe on the orders of Pope Francis, the idea that they speak out for vaccination. He then asked Dr. Stefano Semplici, representing the Vaticans Pontifical Academy for life, a question, Because a lot of people who are not interested or not informed, however, believe in what the Catholic Church says. [Couldnt] we use this impact for a campaign, and it would be very, very helpful? As you can easily imagine, I am not entitled to speak on behalf of the Catholic Church, the Italian Bioethicist responded. When it comes to individual believers or groups of believersyes, it is true there are differences of opinions for different reasons, and this is similar to what happens in other contexts. Luckily enough, I would say, the Catholic Church offers an open space for debate, mutual recognition, and respect. Semplici continued, addressing the notion of the common good. Using Ebola as an example, he emphasized that combatting crises does not come with blanket approvals. This means that the context, the specific characteristics of the pathology we are talking aboutthat we are tacklingalso matters. It can matter a lot!Maybe to the point that decisions could also change, could also have been different had conditions been different. Montgomery would later comment on how responding to the pandemic may require sacrificing some human rights: On the [subject of] the common good, I would also like to give some credit to our lawmakers and our politicians, because we as physicians sometimes very often consider the common good to be the best of health. We forget for a politician, he or she lives in a rectangle, and in one corner there is healthbut in the next corner there is economy and they have to consider that. And in the bottom corner there [are] socio psychological questions like, for instance, when you close schools, do you deprive generations of children of good education? And finallyand you mentioned that, Professor Semplici, in your presentationsfinally, also on the question of basic human rightswhich have to be retainedwhich have to be taken away from people for a period of time. Vaccine Hesitancy Kathy Schmugge, Family Life Director of the Diocese of Charlestonwho identified herself as a bioethicistasked the panel, Regarding the use of the fetal stem cell lines in the vaccine, I know it is licit in the case of COVID, but is there any effort to try to prevent the use of the fetal stem cell lines [in the future], so that those who might be repulsed or put off by taking the vaccine on that issue? I feel like that could block some people, even though the Church has spoken on this issue, the use of the fetal stem cell line could be a deterrent. Semplici responded, Of course this is a matter of serious concern, for many people especially within the Catholic Church, but as a matter of fact I think this is not one of the major drivers to vaccine hesitancy. Simplici continued, Also considering the fact, as I said, the very clear words have been spoken from the Pope and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Here I quote, The moral duty to avoid such passive material cooperation is not obligatory if there is a grave danger, such as the otherwise uncontainable spread of a serious pathological agentin this case, the pandemic spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19. Semplici advised, Of course the question focuses on an issue that needs to be dealt with, not only within the Catholic ChurchMaybe [this should be] the topic for our next meeting within the Vatican, or elsewhere. Future Conference: A Pledge of Balance Within the round table, it was noted several times, that a one-day virtual meeting was a hindrance to the effort of collaboration and debate that was originally envisioned for the conference. At the press conference the following day, The Epoch Times asked Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, the chair of the panel, and the co-moderators Drs. Montgomery and Ramin Parsa-Pari of the German Medical Association, for details on the future conference mentioned on the webinar. Specifically, The Epoch Times asked why the round table only included experts on one side of the debate, and whether the organizations hosting the event would commit to a future conference inviting recognized experts representing all sides of the debate, including critics of the COVID vaccines. Archbishop Paglia responded in Italian. In fact, the Pontifical [Academy] for Life, which has already planned to deal with the issue of vaccines, obviously wants to deal with it [the topic] wholly, therefore convening all the dimensions related to addressing this issue that, as I mentioned in my speech, is not only a technically scientific issuebut it is an ethical issue, is a social issue, is a theme that involves a new anthropological perspective. So in this sense we will continue to debate the issue of vaccines. The Archbishop continued, emphasizing that any consideration of debate on healthcare, especially in a time of crisis, must include the understanding of the individuals responsibility to the common good. So even in the examination of the next congress that we have [proposed] is certain that we will take into account those who are critical of vaccines, as a possible means of solution. In this sense we have never saidin the Pontifical Academy we have never spoken of obligation but of responsibility. And there is a difference in weight and also in perspective, knowing that the responsibility, according to scientific knowledge that we have, is a very serious responsibilityvery, very serious. Because, it is not only my health that is at stake, but also the health of others and I cannot disregard that. Later, in a tweet, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia reconfirmed that a future expanded conference will present the views of those in opposition [to the vaccine] and those in favor. Doubts on Credibility of AntiVaxers Dr. Montgomery seemed to focus more on a perceived tone of the question Epoch Times presented, rather than the substance. [The question] shows a misconception of the idea of the webinar which we had, yesterday. He went on to say that those on the panel were independent individuals, but then said they represented large organizations such as the European Center for Disease Control, the American Center for Disease Control, and WHO. Protesting what he described as the undertone of Epochs question, he simply refused to acknowledgethat the other experts on what you call the other side of the discussion are recognized scientists and credible experts. Montgomery continued that such individuals, if they exist, would be recognized within the large organizations that were represented. Montgomery was later challenged in his statement, when a journalist pointed out to him a series of articles in peer-reviewed medical journals he was sent, that raised serious concerns on the safety of mRNA vaccines. Montgomery said he personally knew one of the doctors who published a study in the German Medical Journal, Vaccines, but stated that although the cited study was peer-reviewed, it contained a number of gross fallacies that made the paper not very important. The study, which claimed that for three deaths prevented by vaccination, two [were] inflicted by vaccination, was retracted on July 2, 2021. Similar to the comments made by Montgomery, the journal noted, Serious concerns were brought to the attention of the publisher regarding misinterpretation of data, leading to incorrect and distorted conclusions. Parsa-Parsi responded to Epochs inquiry, We are physicians, we represent physicians and we are bound to evidence-based medicine. That is what we believe in and that is how we work. He continued, however, stating that open debate would be welcome. We would always admit and invite, happily, all the different aspects of credible science and todays medicine. During the online conference, Professor Semplici seemed to have concurred with the need for ongoing debate, utilizing the scientific methodand, in his wordshumility. It is nothing bad, that when confronted with something completely new, scientists come and say, well, we cannot say exactly whats going on. we are trying to improve our knowledge He concluded, It is completely obvious that some conflictsdifferent opinions, may arise. Being humble makes it easier to build trustotherwise, it can easily happen that trust, itself, is jeopardized when we see scientists confront each other in a very harsh way, as if they had certain knowledge, that are still a work in progressthis is something also, very important, to understand and keep in mind for the future, in my opinion. The full presentations of speakers has been published by the World Medical Association, and is available on youtube. Epoch Times will follow this story, as the Pontifical Academy for Life develops similar upcoming conferences. A woman with a child stands in a queue along with others to submit their passport applications at an office in Kabul on July 25, 2021. (Sajjad Hussain/AFP via Getty Images) Why Afghan Women Have Been Abandoned: The Power of Belief Commentary A sentence in an editorial about Afghanistan in the French newspaper, Le Monde, made me sit up. Titled The Cruel Abandonment of Afghan Women, it said: Their progress [that of the Taliban] since the United States completed its military withdrawal on July 3rd bewilders the experts. Really? Is anyone truly surprisedbewildered, indeedby the progress of the Taliban? If this is true, so much for expertise, at least where Afghanistan is concerned. Surely only an expert could make so obvious a misjudgement. My only visit to that country was over half a century ago, and fleeting; but while I admired the dignity and even nobility of the Afghan men, I never thought of them as potential liberal democrats, sitting down to a nice peaceful compromise about next years budget with members of a different clan. The then-king, Zahir Shah, had kept a lid on simmering disputes, which his cousin lifted when he overthrew him. Never was a political blow more disastrous in its consequences: it deserves to be counted alongside the assassination of Alexander II, the Tsar-Liberator of Russia. Why is the progress of the Taliban in the face of the government forces, many of whom are reported to have surrendered without a fight, only too predictable? It is because they believe in something for which they are prepared to fight and die, albeit something which we find appalling and retrograde. They are opposed by the forces of a government that is universally agreed to be corrupt, whose only source of legitimacy, that it was democratically elected, is tenuous to say the least. Who will go to his death willingly for such a cause? No amount of training and arming by foreigners will make up for this lack of belief in a cause. It may well be that everyday life under an inefficient, corrupt, self-serving government with no ideal other than foreign bank accounts for its ministers and hangers-on is nevertheless better on the whole than that under a government that knows how everyone should live and seeks ruthlessly to impose its self-righteous ideology on a whole nation: but considerations of relative merit (as judged by the freedom or happiness of the population under their rule) do not, alas, weigh very heavily in the balance between contending parties in a civil war of this nature. Belief does. The Duke of Wellington once said that the presence of Napoleon on a battlefield was worth 40,000 men. Belief and morale are not everything, of course: there have been several unsuccessful revolts in Africa in which the rebels were convinced that magic water had made them invulnerable to bullets. Their morale was high and their belief was strong, but the bullets still found their mark and their revolts ending in failure and a lot of futile death. But when one contemplates the victory of Fidel Castro over Batistas army, one realises how important a factor belief can be, when it is allied to an ability to organisewhich the Taliban now certainly have. It is equally obvious that a cause can triumph without being good: it has only to inspire the belief that it is good and is worth fighting for. Indeed, a cause can be profoundly evil and triumph, at least in part through the strength of belief in it. The lengths to which people go to promote a cause are often held up as some kind of evidence of the value of that cause, but they are nothing of the kind. People may go to great lengths to promote good causes, but those lengths are not in themselves evidence of goodness. After all, even Nazism had its martyrs whose deaths were exhibited as proof of righteousness. That is why, when political leaders call a terrorist attack cowardly, they are not only missing the point but inadvertently increasing the morale of terrorists: for what they say is a lie so obvious that it can arise only from fear. And this fear arises from a lack of self-confidence. Terrorist attacks are not cowardly: they are almost always very brave. Indeed, they display much greater bravery than most of us ever display in our lives, with all our little moral compromises for the sake of convenience. It takes great courage to place a bomb, even of the non-suicidal variety, or to hack people to death in a public place in the almost certain knowledge that one will be caught and punished, if not killed (the most likely outcome). Though the Twin Towers were militarily undefended, the attack on them was not cowardly, nor would the attack have been one whit the less appalling if the towers have been defended and the odds against the terrorists reaching their target much greater. Many crimes require considerable bravery. I remember as a child stealing a penny bar of chocolate: how fast my heart before I did so! It was a courageous thing for me to do (I was about nine at the time). It might have required more courage of me to continue down this path than to desist from it: but I am glad that, before long, I valued honesty more than courage. In my time as a prison doctor, I met many courageous criminals, and even some who committed their criminal acts in order to prove their courage. As we have seen, neither courage nor a cause, nor even both together, will infallibly lead to victory, but rarely is military competence alone sufficient either. The problem for American and allied forces in Afghanistan and the Middle East was that, while they might have been militarily competent and personally brave, they had no cause to fight for, self-preservation and military honour taking them only so far. It would not have taken soldiers long to realise that, whatever else they were doing, they were not fighting for their countries interests or for the preservation of freedom in any recognizable sense, their own or anybody elses. They were fighting a war in which victory itself was undefinable. After the expenditure of $2,000,000,000,000, Afghan women have been abandoned. If only there had been no experts to be bewildered! Theodore Dalrymple is a retired doctor. He is contributing editor of the City Journal of New York and the author of 30 books, including Life at the Bottom. His latest book is Embargo and Other Stories. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has no plans to offer $100 incentives to Iowans to get the coronavirus vaccine after President Joe Biden pleaded with states and local governments to use federal funds to entice people to stop the rapid spread of a virus variant, an aide said Friday. While many states and some Iowa counties have offered incentives for citizens to get a COVID-19 vaccination, Iowa's governor continues to call for citizens to get vaccinated while repeating that ultimately it's their choice. Iowa had 49.5% of the population fully immunized as of Thursday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That ranks 21st in the nation. Vaccination rates have fallen rapidly in Iowa since the spring, from a seven-day average of over 17,000 people becoming fully vaccinated in May to 1,402 in recent days. Reynolds spokesman Pat Garrett said Friday the governor has no plans to comply with Biden's offer Thursday for states to spend $100 in federal funds for each newly vaccinated person. In an email, Iowa Department of Public Health Sarah Ekstrand said the state's strategy is unchanged from its current education and communications efforts. Several states, including New Mexico, Ohio, and Colorado, have already offered their own $100 incentive programs. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz responded quickly to Biden's request, saying Thursday his state will offer new incentives. As of Friday, unvaccinated Minnesotans 12 and older who get their first shot by Aug. 15 will get a $100 Visa gift card to spend however they choose. Absent statewide incentives, officials in Polk and Black Hawk counties in recent weeks created their own incentive programs. Polk County created a lottery for newly vaccinated people and holds drawings for $1,000 prizes every Friday through Aug. 22. Every other Friday, a $50,000 prize and a $5,000 scholarship will be handed out. County supervisor Robert Brownell, one of two Republicans on the five-member board, said earlier this month that the response to the county incentive program wasnt as robust as he had hoped. The success of this has been somewhat lukewarm, Brownell told the Des Moines Register. For the people that won $50,000, it wasnt so lukewarm, its pretty good, obviously, but from our perspective, the numbers arent overwhelmingly great. County public health spokeswoman Nola Aigner Davis said Friday that anytime incentives or other programs get people vaccinated its a benefit to the community. We know that anytime someone gets vaccinated it helps move community immunity forward. Any amount of vaccine is good, she said. Black Hawk County has an incentive program involving gift card baskets worth $500 to local businesses and chain stores and Dubuque County officials said they are exploring an incentive program. In a northwest Des Moines neighborhood, several businesses joined together to offer a Beaverdale Community Immunity Card that offers discounts or free items at 16 businesses in the Beaverdale neighborhood. Anyone getting their second dose of vaccine at one of three local pharmacy locations is eligible. On this weeks episode of Segue, Southern Illinois University Edwardsvilles weekly radio program exploring the lives and work of the people on campus and beyond, Chancellor Randy Pembrook interviews Jo Ann Di Maggio May, director of the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at SIUE. This episode of Segue airs at 9 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 1. Listeners can tune in to WSIE 88.7 FM The Sound or siue.edu/wsie. An SIUE alumna, Di Maggio May earned both a bachelors and masters in business administration from the University. She served the SBDC as a graduate student and worked in banking and international business consulting upon graduation. Di Maggio May came back to SIUE in 2013 as a small business specialist and has served as SBDC director since August 2017. Currently, she serves as a member of the City of Edwardsville Advisory Board, the Latino Roundtable of Southwestern Illinois, and the Monroe County Economic Development Corporation. Welcome to Segue, Jo Ann, begins Pembrook. Your office is always busy with exciting events. Lets start with SIUEs Metro East Start-up Challenge Business Plan Competition. This is our 8th year hosting this competition, explains Di Maggio May. It is a regional entrepreneurial opportunity for start-ups and businesses less than three years old. We have roughly $25,000 in prize money that will be awarded to six participants. This year, we added prizes for a rural business of the year and a women, minority or veteran business of the year. The purpose of this challenge is to increase the Metro East regions interest in and excitement for business start-ups, identify growth-oriented start-ups with plans to operate in the region, generate a greater awareness of network resources for entrepreneurs and small business owners, and advance the academic mission of SIUE by strengthening relationships with private enterprise while expanding opportunities for students and faculty. A strong submission shows a business idea that solves a unique problem with a unique solution, says Di Maggio May. This is also scalable with a good marketing strategy and strong management team. These are the prime aspects we look at in applications. Do you stay in touch with those who have won in the past? inquires Pembrook. Definitely, answers Di Maggio May. We always try to maintain that relationship, even with those who participated but didnt win a prize. I was recently at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a minority accounting firm that participated in 2019. They didnt make it all the way but are steadily growing their accounting business. The competition has hosted a wide range of participants, including breweries, ice cream stores, gym facilities, phone applications, and behavioral therapists. All businesses, excluding those regarding gambling and cannabis, are invited to apply by the Aug. 8 deadline. For more information, visit siue.edu/metroeaststartup. What does the SBDC do on a daily basis for existing businesses? asks Pembrook. This is an area wed like to increase activity in, says Di Maggio May. 70% of our activity is focused on start-ups and new ventures, but we do help existing businesses, too. For example, we help with human resource needs, finding employees, marketing tactics, government contracting and website updates. How did you see businesses change throughout the COVID-19 pandemic? asks Pembrook. One thing that impressed me was seeing how adaptable and flexible businesspeople really are, shares Di Maggio May. A few of our distilleries helped in the effort of making hand sanitizer. A beauty supply shop I spoke to early in the pandemic went virtual and developed a curbside service, allowing her to increase business and move into a larger location. We went virtual instantly and continued meeting with clients over Zoom. Do you think some of the business procedures developed during the pandemic will continue post-pandemic? inquires Pembrook. Virtual meetings will definitely continue, says Di Maggio May. Long trips for meetings arent always efficient or cheap for businesses. Contactless payments will continue being huge in the future. Well still have courier services helping people with their shopping because its a convenience. People will continue using these opportunities to help better their situation and accomplish their goals. Tune in at 9 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 1 to WSIE 88.7 The Sound to hear the entire conversation. WOOD RIVER As the number of COVID-19 cases in Madison County continues to increase in recent weeks, local health officials can find at least one silver lining. The number of people getting tested for the coronavirus is increasing as well. The testing numbers had gone down for a while, but now theyre going back up, and we need them to continue to go up, said Amy Yeager, public information officer for the Madison County Health Department (MCHD). The increase in testing tells us that, hopefully, people are starting to get the message that you need to get a COVID test if youre experiencing symptoms whether or not youre vaccinated. If youre unvaccinated and in a high-risk situation for contracting COVID, you need to get tested. Its also an indicator that COVID is picking up speed again. More people are getting sick, especially if theyre unvaccinated, and its persuading people with symptoms to get tested. The MCHD started tracking testing data in May of last year and the highest point for the number of tests was the week of Nov. 21-27 when it performed 12,470 tests with an average of 1,781.4 tests per day. The low point was the week of May 16-22, 2020, when there were 826 tests, but testing was new at that time. From late October of 2020 through the middle of February 2021, there was an average of over 1,000 tests per day. That was the height of our testing, but it was also the height of our cases, Yeager said. The vaccine came in during that time period, which helped, but the number of tests started to drop into the range of 700 to 800 per day until mid-May of this year and then it dropped into the 400 to 600 range. Over the last three weeks, it really started to pick up again. For the week of July 17-23, we had 4,885 tests with an average of 697.9 per day. The week prior to that, we had 3,894 tests with an average of 556 per day. The county reported 115 new cases of the virus, plus two deaths, on Thursday. That follows 59 new cases on Wednesday and 93 on Tuesday. The number of cases in the younger age groups keeps growing, but were getting very few new cases in the older age groups, Yeager said. In Madison County, 84.13 percent of the 65-and-older population has been fully vaccinated. That shows you that the vaccine is working. With the increase in COVID cases fueled in part by the rapidly spreading Delta variant, the recent jump is especially concerning to health officials as the calendar moves into August. That is why Yeager believes that testing and vaccination are more important than ever. We need to get this rapid increase and spread of the virus under control as soon as possible, Yeager said. We are two weeks from school starting and nobody wants to see sick kids, but were seeing the number increase every day. Kids under 12 dont have a vaccine yet, so they should be masking and social distancing. They have no protection except for the 43.57 percent of the people in this county who are fully vaccinated. Thats not enough to provide significant protection for them. Another concern for Yeager is that the state and the nation remain far away from reaching possible herd immunity for COVID. The markers toward the beginning were that we need to get 70 to 85 percent fully vaccinated to create enough of a community shield to really slow the virus down, Yeager said. A week or two ago, I was on a CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) call and they say that now theyre looking for at least 80 percent in order to hit that mark. For whatever reason, some people who received a first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines have not yet gotten a second shot. Yeager offered a reminder that the second shot is vital. Some people think they are protected because they got one dose (of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines), but thats not enough to be fully vaccinated, Yeager said. The state is seeing that most of the new cases are either people who are unvaccinated or who have had only one dose. An updated list of testing sites is available on the Madison County Health Department COVID-19 dashboard. Testing through the Illinois Department of Public Health is still available at St. Clair Square in Fairview Heights from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. For people who live or work in Missouri, information on COVID testing sites in the St. Louis area is available at https://health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/communicable/novel-coronavirus/community-test.php Testing is available in both Missouri and Illinois regardless of where you live or work. People dont realize that testing is a preventative tool, but it is, Yeager said. If youre testing less, youre probably missing more people that have the virus and are spreading it without even knowing it. Increased testing helps us identify more disease. Identifying you as sick helps us give you the help you need and remove that exposure out of the community circle. EDWARDSVILLE Many hospitals and healthcare systems across the nation have announced mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for their employees, but at this point, its difficult to estimate how many of those employees are already vaccinated. No federal or state agency currently collects information on the vaccination rate for healthcare workers, said Danny Chun, a spokesperson for the Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA) office in Springfield. We talk to hospitals all the time and most of them are in the 60 to 80 percent range for their employees. It just depends on which hospital you talk to, and in which area of the state. Some hospitals have done very well and for some, its still a challenge. Chun noted that the IHA doesnt have definitive numbers on healthcare worker vaccination rates. What it does have is information from individual hospitals that choose to make their numbers public. The ones that are more public about it are the ones that are now mandating vaccinations, Chun said. That includes BJC HealthCare and SSM Health in the St. Louis area and Southern Illinois. In the Chicago area and other parts of Illinois, you have Loyola, the University of Chicago, OSF HealthCare, University of Illinois Health and Rush University Medical Center. More hospitals and healthcare systems are considering a vaccine mandate. It wont be long, though, before COVID vaccination rates for healthcare and hospital workers will be more readily available. On Thursday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued final rules for several categories of healthcare providers and facilities requiring them to report on COVID-19 vaccination of their healthcare workers starting Oct. 1, 2021. It includes skilled nursing facilities, inpatient rehabilitation facilities and inpatient psychiatric facilities. CMS is starting to implement this requirement for all the healthcare providers it regulates. The hospital final rule has not been issued yet, but Chun said CMS will probably have the same requirement for hospitals. He added that the data would probably not be publicly posted until early next year. Healthcare workers are human beings first, Chun said. They have the same concerns and questions as everybody else, and some of them have the same hesitancy (about taking the vaccine). Many people are still waiting for the FDA to give final full approval for the vaccines because right now its still emergency use authorization. More than 300 million doses have been given under emergency use authorization with very few side effects, he noted. Its been proven safe and effective and official studies have shown the vaccine is also effective against the Delta variant. Thats why the CDC, the IDPH and the IHA continue to strongly urge everyone to get vaccinated. Melaney Arnold, a public information officer for the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), said the agency does its best to monitor vaccination rates among healthcare and hospital workers. Vaccination status is not required to be reported to IDPH by healthcare facilities or hospitals, so we do not have data, Arnold said. We are hearing about lower vaccination rates among healthcare workers at some long-term care facilities and in other congregate settings. We have strongly encouraged all healthcare workers to be vaccinated, as they often care for vulnerable patients who are at greater risk of severe illnesses, hospitalization or death due to COVID-19. We need our frontline healthcare workers to be vaccinated so they can help those who are not, and so our healthcare system is not overwhelmed. SSM Health, which has 11,000 providers and nearly 39,000 employees in four states, including Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin and Oklahoma, is among the organizations instituting mandatory COVID vaccination for its employees. Weve announced that were going to do it, but it hasnt gone into effect just yet, said Patrick Kampert, system manager for external communications for SSM Health in St. Louis. All of our leaders need to have their first dose by the end of July and all healthcare workers need to have their first dose by September 1. We work closely with the St. Louis Regional Pandemic Task Force, which has four hospital systems, including SSM Health, BJC, St. Lukes and Mercy. All of us have agreed to require our staff to be vaccinated. For SSM Health, the reasoning behind the decision to have mandatory COVID vaccination for employees is simple. It comes down to public health and safety, Kampert said. We want our staff to be safe, we want our patients to be safe and this is a way for us to take steps along that route. We expect full FDA approval of the vaccines in the near future, perhaps as early as August or September, he noted. Thats around the time when our requirement would come into place for our employees. BJC HealthCare, which is based out of St. Louis, has three hospitals in the Metro East Alton Memorial Hospital, Memorial Hospital Belleville and Memorial Hospital Shiloh. BJC employees will be required to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 15 in advance of the annual influenza and respiratory illness season, unless granted a medical or religious exception. As a healthcare provider, a major employer and a community leader, BJC wants to ensure we are doing everything we can to keep our patients, our valued workforce and our communities safe, BJC President and CEO Rich Liekweg said in a statement. The available vaccines are among the most effective and safest ever developed. We are pleased that across our organization, we have reached a nearly 75 percent employee vaccination rate. We are now focused on ensuring the 25 percent of our employees who have not yet been vaccinated have access to factual information and can easily obtain the vaccine in advance of the fall respiratory illness season. Not all local hospitals or healthcare systems, though, are following the same route. Anderson Healthcares two hospitals, Anderson Hospital in Maryville and Community Hospital of Staunton, are not requiring employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 at this time, but vaccinations are strongly encouraged and easily available. We can confirm a majority of our staff has been vaccinated and we continue to encourage vaccination for those who may still be considering it, Natalie Head, marketing and public relations director for Anderson Hospital, said in a statement. We continue to closely monitor the situation, including all updates and guidance from the CDC, IDPH and the FDA. Head noted that Anderson Healthcare continues to offer a safe environment to both patients and staff through several levels of COVID mitigation including: Screening entrances (which include temperature checks and COVID screening questions). Mask requirements for staff and visitors. Visitor restrictions (available online at https://www.andersonhospital.org/). Universal precautions (Hospitals treat patients with a variety of infectious diseases on a daily basis. These patients are isolated and treated in appropriate spaces by trained staff using specialized equipment). Health officials stress that it will take a concerted effort by everyone, not just healthcare or hospital workers, to stem the current rise of COVID cases and to finally end the pandemic. Were urging people to follow CDC guidance on masking, Chun said. In indoor areas, even if you are vaccinated, you should still wear a mask. The Delta variant is very serious, and we need to take every action we can to stop its spread. CAIRO (AP) A top Libyan military commander whose forces control the country's eastern regions on Friday endorsed the reopening of the coastal highway along the Mediterranean Sea linking Libya's long-divided east and west. The resumption of traffic along the artery would be a significant step toward unifying Libya's warring sides. U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq confirmed later on Friday that the highway had reopened. The Coastal Road in Libya has opened for traffic," he said. The 1,800 kilometer (1,125 mile) -long highway links the capital of Tripoli to the west with the city of Benghazi to the east. It has been closed since April 2019 when commander Khalifa Hifter launched a military offensive to capture Tripoli from the U.N.-recognized government. Hifters campaign ultimately failed in June 2020, after which U.N.-sponsored peace talks brought about a cease-fire and installed an interim government that's expected to lead the country into general elections in December. The same deal inked in October also stipulated that all foreign forces and mercenaries which support different sides in the conflict withdraw from Libya in three months, a provision that has not been met. In June, Libya's interim authorities had announced the reopening of the road and held a ceremony near Tripoli where Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah was filmed while riding a bulldozer to tow away roadblocks. However, it remained unclear whether the road would become fully functional amid objections to the reopening by militias that control parts of it. The reopening was a long-held demand by the U.N. to enable the safe passage of civilians and goods. Hifters endorsement came shortly after a U.N.-backed joint military committee representing the warring factions announced the road would reopen on Friday morning and that a subsidiary committee would be in charge of securing it. In a televised speech, Hifter congratulated the Libyan people on this achievement, affirmed his full commitment to achieving peace in the oil-rich country and pledged to work toward that goal with all sincerity and honesty." However, he also cautioned that peace will not be possible unless all foreign forces and mercenaries leave the Libyan territories unconditionally" and urged the international community to double its efforts to achieve this end. Libya has been wracked by chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, and split the North African country between a U.N.-supported government in Tripoli and rival authorities loyal to Hifter in the east, each backed by different armed groups and foreign governments. In a statement, the U.N. Special Envoy to Libya Jan Kubis hailed the reopening of the road as another step in strengthening peace, security, and stability in the country, and in the unification of its institutions. Kubis stressed that the next major step for Libya would be that the factions start the withdrawal of all foreign fighters. The U.N. estimated in December that there are at least 20,000 foreign fighters and mercenaries in Libya, including Syrians, Russians, Sudanese and Chadians. ___ Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report. EDWARDSVILLE Edwardsville American Legion Post 199 is doing its part to assist 2x4s for Hope as it helps veterans in need. On Monday night, Post 199 presented a $1,000 check to the Madison County Chapter of 2x4s for Hope. The mission of 2x4s for Hope is to build tiny homes for homeless and at-risk veterans. Locally, the Madison County Chapter is building those homes in Madison. When the money comes from the American Legion, its even more important because unfortunately, organizations like this are kind of dying away, said Charles Knapp, who is the Madison County Chapter project lead for 2x4s for Hope along with Jamie Waller. For them to make a contribution like this, its huge. Plus, it allows us to team up with them to bring awareness back to these posts, so its a win-win for everybody. 2x4s for Hope is based out of Quincy but also has chapters in Mount Sterling, Carthage and Lincoln. The Madison County Chapter is based out of Collinsville. The organization started five years ago, and every chapter has a local representative, Knapp said. Once the homes are built, we donate them to the veterans. The homes are built over a seven-day period. It starts on Saturday with a pile of 2x4s and we do everything over a 48-hour period to complete the exterior of the house, including siding and landscaping, Knapp said. On Monday we start doing the trades, which include electrical, plumbing and heating and cooling. On Tuesday we do drywall and Wednesday we do the mud and sand work. Thursday is painting, flooring and kitchen work and Friday is trim-out day, where we install the trim around the windows, and all of the rooms have crown molding. On Saturday we decorate and put all of the veterans belongings in the house. The houses come fully furnished for the veterans and all they need to bring is their clothes. If we have a veteran that has nothing, we provide everything for them. In addition to giving the veterans a new place to live, 2x4s for Hope does its best to ensure that the house will truly feel like a home. We do a little background on the veterans and try to find some information about them and their family or whoever nominated them, Knapp said. If they have pictures of their family, we will hang those on their walls. We turn it into a home in seven days. Ron Swaim, the senior vice commander and incoming commander for Post 199, said the post is happy to lend a helping hand to 2x4s for Hope. This is a great organization and Im glad theyre partnering with us, Swaim said. Well do what we can to help them and if they need more later, well do it. 2x4s for Hope has already completed one tiny home in Madison at 1419 Third St. The owner of the house is a veteran named Tony and by trade, he is a pastor, Knapp said. When we picked the first veteran for that block in every city that we go to, we always look at that person as being a mentor for the remaining veterans in the houses that we build. Tony is a perfect mentor because of his job. The organizations assistance to the veterans goes beyond handing providing them with a new home. If the veterans dont have any services, we try to get them lined up with Veterans Services, Knapp said. On the eighth day, we give them the key to the house, but we try to take care of them until the day they pass away. If they fall on hard times and God forbid, they dont have any food, well get together as an organization. We have five chapters now through the state of Illinois and well throw money in a pot and get food or whatever that veteran needs. All of the organizations work is done by volunteers, including Knapp and Waller. Last weekend we were in Lincoln helping their chapter build its first home, Knapp said. We just completed our 10th home for the organization in the state of Illinois, and that includes five in Quincy, two in Mount Sterling, one in Madison and one in Carthage. Knapp, who lives in Collinsville, graduated from Granite City School and is a former Marine. Wallers father is a veteran, and her son is in the Army. This is something that means a lot to both of us on a personal level, Knapp said. If you come out to see these homes being built, youll understand what it does not only for the community but for the veteran as well. You get somebody who has nothing, and you give them everything. Its giving them a hand up. The tiny homes include a washer, a dryer, a full-size bathroom, a living room, a bedroom and a kitchen. We call them tiny homes only because they are less than 600 square feet. Anything bigger is not a tiny home, Knapp said. We typically wait 90 days before we deed the property over to the veteran just to make sure they can get in the home and get themselves established and make sure that tiny home living is for them. But weve never had anybody separate from us yet. If you know a veteran who can use assistance from 2x4s for Hope, call Knapp at 618-660-7928 or Waller at 618-709-0845. You can also go to 2x4forhope.org and go to communities, select Madison and fill out an application or make a donation online. Pre-pandemic, it costs $34,000 to build one of those houses, but now it costs $58,000, Knapp said. The price of lumber has started to come down, which is good, and it takes 85 2x4s to build a home. Theyre 16x36, so its 576 square feet. Its basically a one-bedroom house, so if there is a husband and wife, it will go in both of their names. If they have a child, we can put in what is called a Jack and Jill wall where they lose a little bit of their living room, but we put in partition for a second bedroom and add another walk-in closet. Knapp said that 2x4s for Hope would like to build at latest one more house in Madison this year, but it depends on how many donations the organization receives. The biggest thing right now is supplies, but for our next four houses, the foundations, sidewalks and driveways have already been built, Knapp said. All of the water and sewers are done, so if somebody were to hand me a check for $100,000, I could finish building those houses. Salida, CO (81201) Today Cloudy skies this morning followed by thunderstorms during the afternoon. High 77F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low near 55F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Salida, CO (81201) Today Mixed clouds and sun with scattered thunderstorms. High 76F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Localized flooding is possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low around 55F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Localized flooding is possible. Salida, CO (81201) Today Cloudy skies this morning followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon. High 77F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low around 55F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Thai tiger population grows BANGKOK: Thailand has at least 177 Indochinese tigers roaming in the wild this year, an increase of 17 from last year, according to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP). wildlifeanimals By Bangkok Post Friday 30 July 2021, 11:15AM Photo: Jimin Lai / AFP Department director-general Thanya Nethithammakul made the announcement at an event called Thailands tigers forever: Moving forward to the future, to mark International Tiger Day yesterday (July 29). The population increase reflected Thailands success in protecting the species, following the Hua Hin Declaration on Tiger Conservation in 2011, he said. However, the department needs to continue cooperating with other state and private agencies and civil groups across the country to conserve tiger habitats and natural resources to maintain their population. Mr Thanya said Thailand was among 13 countries participating in the declarations conservation programme that aimed to double the tiger population by 2022. Under the plan, the department has increased patrols in forest reserves, raised awareness and forged cooperation with communities and public and private sectors to protect tigers. Protection efforts have been boosted by greater knowledge about the big cats, surveillance technology and the establishment of patrol inspection centres. Netnapa Ngamnet, assistant Kaeng Krachan National Park chief, said the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation arrested a total of 36 big cat poachers in parks between 2019 and 2021. On Demand We have a new story every day on the front page of thephuketnews.com. Also like us on our Facebook page (facebook.com/thephuketnews) and be the first to watch all the new stories. Finally you can watch any segment, any time by going to thephuketnews.com/tv where all the stories are listed for you to enjoy. All our programs can be enjoyed in High Definition when watching on the internet. In-Room VDO The Rock is proud to present Shihad live in New Zealand on their Old Gods 2021 Tour! To celebrate the release of their brand new album "Old Gods" - out August 27th - these kiwi legends are hitting the road playing 4 mammoth shows across the country. Vodafone customers can be among the first to secure tickets during the Vodafone presale, starting Tuesday the 3rd of August 12pm. Head to vodafone.co.nz/music GLEN CARBON The villages newest business is one that was missing: a bicycle rental. With the Metro Easts abundance of bike trails, owners Teri and Chris Moore opened Covered Bridge Bike Rental, 195 S. Main St., as a way for village visitors to enjoy them too. The Moores have lived in the Glen Carbon area for many years and shared the communitys love for the trails, so when the tenants of their rental home left, it was their opportunity to start planning. I had a lot of people from out of town who would say, I love your trails and Id like to bring my wife, but I only brought my bike down. The idea of a bike rental business has been on our mind for years now, Chris Moore said. All of their bikes were purchased new at the Cyclery and Fitness Center in Edwardsville and a majority of them are hybrid bikes or are for the purpose of riding on paved trails. Their selection includes bikes of all sizes for children and adults. Their addition of tricycles can be used for those who may have trouble with balancing on a regular two-wheeled bike. (The tricycle) is good for older people or for people who would like to bring their dog, Teri Moore said. *This lady rented one and had her little chihuahua in a cage in the back basket. In their free time, the couple also like to ride the bikes they rent. They will either bike on Glen Carbons trails or travel to the Katy Trail State Park in Missouri. I ride some, but not as much as Chris, Moore said. Usually when we close the place, we want to ride them ourselves. All these people have fun and say, Oh we had a great time. Well, lets go riding too. The Moores also have full-time jobs outside of their bike rental business Teri is the owner of Sailor Insurance Agency and Chris is a brick layer. Weve always been busy with Chris and I working two full-time jobs and now with this business, Teri Moore said. Its a seven-days-a-week work week. With the two working outside of the bike rental business five days a week, their busy days are mainly Saturdays and Sundays. But they do take appointments via telephone from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. With us working other jobs during the week, we are only able to be here all day on the weekends, Moore said. But with us doing the appointments during the week, it gives us enough time for one of us to come down to the shop to be able to assist those wanting a bike. As the business grows, the Moores have dreams of one day opening a coffee spot inside their building. With the extra rooms inside and space outside under their carport, Chris said it would be something to look forward to if the business grows. For more information call 618-205-3132 or visit the Covered Bridge Bike Rental Facebook page. WOOD RIVER As the number of COVID-19 cases in Madison County continues to increase in recent weeks, local health officials can find at least one silver lining. The number of people getting tested for the coronavirus is increasing as well. The testing numbers had gone down for a while, but now theyre going back up, and we need them to continue to go up, said Amy Yeager, public information officer for the Madison County Health Department (MCHD). The increase in testing tells us that, hopefully, people are starting to get the message that you need to get a COVID test if youre experiencing symptoms whether or not youre vaccinated, she said. If youre unvaccinated and in a high-risk situation for contracting COVID, you need to get tested. Its also an indicator that COVID is picking up speed again, Yeager said. More people are getting sick, especially if theyre unvaccinated, and its persuading people with symptoms to get tested. The MCHD started tracking testing data in May last year; the highest point for the number of tests was the week of Nov. 21-27 when it performed 12,470 tests, or an average of 1,781.4 tests per day. The low point was the week of May 16-22, 2020, when there were 826 tests, but testing was new at that time. From late October 2020 through the middle of February 2021, there was an average of over 1,000 tests per day. That was the height of our testing, but it was also the height of our cases, Yeager said. The vaccine came in during that time period, which helped, but the number of tests started to drop into the range of 700 to 800 per day until mid-May of this year and then it dropped into the 400 to 600 range. Over the last three weeks, it really started to pick up again, she said. For the week of July 17-23, we had 4,885 tests with an average of 697.9 per day. The week prior to that, we had 3,894 tests with an average of 556 per day. The number of cases in the younger age groups keeps growing, but were getting very few new cases in the older age groups, Yeager said. In Madison County, 84.13 percent of the 65-and-older population has been fully vaccinated. That shows you that the vaccine is working. With the increase in COVID cases fueled in part by the rapidly spreading Delta variant, the recent jump is especially concerning to health officials as the calendar moves into August. That is why Yeager believes that testing and vaccination are more important than ever. We need to get this rapid increase and spread of the virus under control as soon as possible, Yeager said. We are two weeks from school starting and nobody wants to see sick kids, but were seeing the number increase every day. Kids under 12 dont have a vaccine yet, so they should be masking and social distancing, she said. They have no protection except for the 43.57 percent of the people in this county who are fully vaccinated. Thats not enough to provide significant protection for them. Another concern for Yeager is that the state and the nation remain far away from reaching possible herd immunity for COVID. The markers toward the beginning were that we need to get 70 to 85 percent fully vaccinated to create enough of a community shield to really slow the virus down, Yeager said. A week or two ago, I was on a CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) call and they say that now theyre looking for at least 80 percent in order to hit that mark. Some people who received a first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines have not yet gotten a second shot. Yeager offered a reminder that the second shot is vital. Some people think they are protected because they got one dose (of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines), but thats not enough to be fully vaccinated, Yeager said. The state is seeing that most of the new cases are either people who are unvaccinated or who have had only one dose. Testing is available in both Missouri and Illinois regardless of where you live or work. People dont realize that testing is a preventative tool, but it is, Yeager said. If youre testing less, youre probably missing more people that have the virus and are spreading it without even knowing it. Increased testing helps us identify more disease, she said. Identifying you as sick helps us give you the help you need and remove that exposure out of the community circle. WASHINGTON (AP) The Biden administration announced new sanctions on Friday against Cuba's national revolutionary police and its top two officials as the U.S. looks to increase pressure on the communist government following this month's protests on the island. The Police Nacional Revolcionaria and the agency's director and deputy director, Oscar Callejas Valcarce and Eddie Sierra Arias, were targeted in the latest sanctions announced by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. The police are part of Cuba's interior ministry, which was already the subject of a blanket designation by the Trump administration back in January. "We hear the cries of freedom coming from the island. The United States is taking concerted action to bolster the cause of the Cuban people, President Joe Biden said at the start of a White House meeting with Cuban Americans not long after Treasury announced the sanctions. The administration says it is considering a wide range of additional options in response to the protests, including providing internet access to Cubans, and has created a working group to review U.S. remittance policy to ensure that more of the money that Cuban Americans send home makes it directly into the hands of their families without the government taking a cut. Biden added that more sanctions were in the offing. The White House meeting comes almost three weeks after unusual July 11 protests in which thousands of Cubans took to the streets in Havana and other cities to protest shortages, power outages and government policies. They were the first such protests since the 1990s. The Cuban regime deployed the PNR to attack protesters, the Treasury Department said in a statement. The police were photographed confronting and arresting protesters in Havana, including members of the Movement of July 11 Mothers, a group founded to organize families of the imprisoned and disappeared, according to Treasury. In Camaguey, a Catholic priest was beaten and arrested by the PNR while he was defending young protesters, according to Treasury. PNR officers also beat a group of peaceful demonstrators, including several minors, and there have also been documented instances in which the PNR used clubs to break up peaceful protests across Cuba, Treasury said. The Treasury Department will continue to designate and call out by name those who facilitate the Cuban regimes involvement in serious human rights abuse, said Andrea Gacki, director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control. Todays action serves to further hold accountable those responsible for suppressing the Cuban peoples calls for freedom and respect for human rights. Among the Cuban American activists meeting with Biden was Yotuel Romero, one of the authors of the song Patria y vida! which has become a kind of anthem for the protests, said an official. Others present included L. Felice Gorordo, CEO of the company eMerge Americas; Ana Sofia Pelaez, founder of the Miami Freedom Project, and Miami's former mayor, Manny Diaz, and Sen. Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. White House officials said Biden would discuss the new sanctions as well as ways to potentially establish internet access for the Cuban people. Internet access is a sensitive issue in Cuba. In the days before the recent protests, there were calls on social media for anti-government demonstrations. Cuba's government said anti-Castro groups in the United States have used social media, particularly Twitter, to campaign against it and blamed Twitter for doing nothing to stop it. Internet service was cut off at one point during the July 11 protest, though Cuban authorities have not explicitly acknowledged that they did it. Some U.S. leaders, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, have said the White House should do something to maintain internet service in Cuba, including using balloons as Wi-Fi access points for the population. The Biden administration is also considering proposals put forward by U.S. advocates of trade with Cuba that would restore ways for Cuban-Americans to send money to relatives on the island. Biden and others have rejected the outright restoration of remittances because of a percentage fee of the transaction paid to the government. But under one proposal being considered, the transfer agents would waive that fee until the end of the year, according to proponents. The proposal would have to be cleared by the Cuban government, however, and it is not at all clear it would agree. Last week, the U.S. government announced sanctions against the minister of the Cuban armed forces, Alvaro Lopez Miera, and the Special Brigade of the Ministry of the Interior known as the black berets for having participated in the arrest of protesters. International organizations have harshly criticized the Cuban government, which has said that while people affected by the country's crisis participated in the protests there were also criminals who took advantage of the situation to create disturbances. At times, the protests turned into vandalism with looting, robbery and confrontations with the police. Government sympathizers also took to the streets to defend the authorities and the revolution. So far it is unclear how many people were detained, although the judicial authorities have said there have been 19 trials involving 59 people. ___ Castillo reported from Mexico City. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee and Alexandra Jaffe contributed reporting. ORLANDO, Fla. Magic Kingdoms Hall of Presidents will reopen complete with audio-animatronic Joe Biden in August, Walt Disney World has announced. The attraction has been closed for renovation and the addition since Biden took office in late January. On a table near the new figure will be Biden-centric touches, including a set of aviator sunglasses, which the president frequently sports, and a vase of peach blossoms, representing his home state of Delaware, according to a post on the official Disney Parks Blog. The new figure will recite the oath of office, which was recorded by Biden at the White House especially for the attraction, Disney says. Donald Trumps animatronic also was programmed to say the presidential oath. Every sitting president since Bill Clinton has had a speaking part. Trump remains on stage with the 44 other figures, representing George Washington and his successors. The exact location has not been shared. Imagineers are putting the final touches on the space, which opened along with the theme park in 1971, the blog says. Disney did not share a specific reopening date for the attraction. Bimbo Bakeries distribution center, 175 Patriot Drive in CenterPoint Commerce and Trade Park in Pittston Twp., will close as the company plans to invest in new automated distribution centers, Bimbo Bakeries USA confirmed in an emailed statement. Officials from Bimbo Bakeries USA, a subsidiary of multinational bakery giant Grupo Bimbo, did not yet say when the distribution center will close but said they expect it to be operational through late 2022. Over the next two years, Bimbo Bakeries USA will invest in two new automated distribution centers in Alburtis and Allenwood. Company officials said the new facilities will allow the company to better serve our customers and consumers in these important markets. They expect the automation and technology at the new distribution centers to improve ergonomics and create a safer work environment for our associates. Bimbo Bakeries USA is committed to providing the most efficient and cost-effective delivery of our products to our customers in the Pennsylvania region and across the United States, the company statement said. Bimbo Bakeries USA officials said they dont yet know the number of associates at the Pittston Twp. distribution center who will be impacted. They also would not immediately say how many people work at the approximately 250,000-square-foot distribution center. Based on its proximity to other facilities and attrition rates, they said they expect there will be positions available for many impacted associates at either of the new centers or existing facilities. Bimbo Bakeries USA owns many baked goods brands in the U.S., including Entenmanns, Thomas and Sara Lee. In 2019, Bimbo Bakeries USA closed a bakery in West Hazleton which left more than 150 people out of jobs. Bimbo Bakeries also has a sales center at 1200 Sathers Drive in Pittston Twp. A Scranton man faces charges after police said he held a gun to a woman's head during an argument earlier this week. Police charged Jody Tighe, 41, 628 Spruce St., with simple assault, terroristic threats and related counts after investigating the incident at a home in the 900 block of Sanderson Avenue. Officers spoke to Jody Cutchall, who said she and Tighe began arguing Tuesday night. She went into the bedroom to try to defuse the argument but Tighe followed her, according to a criminal complaint. When Cutchall said he was scaring her, Tighe said, "You want to see fear, I'll show you," then grabbed her handgun from the nightstand, cocked it and pressed it to her forehead, investigators said. She got up and he slammed her onto the bed. After Tighe left, Cutchall called police, who noticed small abrasions on her forehead and saw the gun under a night stand. Tighe remains in Lackawanna County Prison on $100,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is set for Wednesday. A New York woman will serve 10 months in a federal prison for using about $14,000 in counterfeit cash at stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Maryland. Courtney Murray, 23, Slingerlands, appeared before U.S. District Judge Robert D. Mariani in Scranton's federal courthouse Thursday to be sentenced for conspiring to pass counterfeit currency. According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Murray pleaded guilty to conspiring with her codefendant, Rashaun Ferguson, to passing and attempting to pass approximately $14,000 of counterfeit currency between September 2019 and April 2020. Ferguson is awaiting sentencing after pleaded guilty to conspiring to pass counterfeit currency. Shirley P. McNeil, age 85, of Corbin, KY, passed away on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 at St. Joseph Health in Lexington, KY. Born in Corbin, she was the daughter of the late Raleigh and Nancy Mitchell. In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her sister, Zelda Patterson; and three Another leading Morrisons investor has publicly denounced the 6.3billion bid by a private-equity-backed consortium. Fortress and its backers were in pole position after the supermarket's board endorsed their offer, worth 254p per share. Intervention: Investment giant M&G is the latest shareholder to pour cold water on the deal But investment giant M&G, which looks after more than 3.5billion of savings and holds a 1.08 per cent stake in the grocer, is the latest shareholder to pour cold water on the deal. Rupert Krefting, head of corporate finance and stewardship, said: 'We do not believe that the takeover proposal reflects the true value of the company.' The firm joins a number of major investors to speak out, adding to the board's humiliation for failing to hold out for a higher offer. Silchester, Morrison's largest shareholder, JO Hambro and one unnamed top 20 shareholder have all said they will not back the bid because it is too low. The interventions suggest the company should have held out for higher offers with Fortress and rival private equity bidder Clayton, Dubilier & Rice weighing how much they need to pay. IAG, the owner of British Airways, Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus, has announced plans to increase the number of flights this summer as it reported losses of 2billion for the first six months of this year. The company said it was planning to increase passenger capacity between July and September to 45 per cent of pre-Covid levels, up from just 20.8 per cent in the first half of the year, as demand for flights soars. It comes as the Government scrapped quarantine rules for visitors who have received two jabs in the US or Europe this week, although the rule applies only to people from amber-list countries coming into England for now. IAG said BA suffered because of the 'restricted' number of countries on the 'green' list IAG is hoping to be able fully reopen its lucrative transatlantic flights between the UK and the US, but warned that its plans to increase capacity 'remain uncertain and subject to ongoing review'. It said British Airways suffered in the UK because of the 'restricted' number of countries on the 'green' list that 'severely limited the recovery in capacity expected on the lifting of lockdown restrictions'. 'Restrictions introduced by other governments on travellers from the UK in response to the delta COVID-19 variant also contributed to the low capacity,' it added. Iberia and Vueling performed better thanks to fewer restrictions on its routes from Spain to South American countries like Colombia and Ecuador. But Aer Lingus capacity continued to be 'severely limited by the stringent restrictions put in place by the Irish government', with passenger load factors averaging only 20 per cent. Overall, the group does not expect passenger demand to recover to pre-pandemic levels until at least 2023. It comes as travel restrictions keep changing, with a bitter row emerging today over the UK's restrictions on France, the threat of Spain being hit by quarantine rules - and Italy refusing to exempt Brits from self-isolation. IAG chief executive, Luis Gallego, said: 'In the short term, our focus is on ensuring our operational readiness, so we have the flexibility to capitalise on an environment where there's evidence of widespread pent-up demand when travel restrictions are lifted. 'This is reflected in Iberia's and Vueling's results. They were the best performers within the group in the second quarter reflecting stronger Latin American and Spanish domestic markets driven by fewer travel restrictions.' And added: 'We welcome the recent announcement that fully vaccinated travellers from amber countries in the EU and the US will no longer have to quarantine upon arrival in the UK. 'We see this as an important first step in fully re-opening the transatlantic travel corridor.' The Government scrapped quarantine rules for visitors who have received two jabs in the US or Europe this week, although the rule applies only to people from amber-list countries coming into England for now It comes as the company posted an operating loss of 2billion, or 1.7billion, for the half year to the end of June, which is half the loss of 4billion it made in the same period in 2020, when the pandemic started. Despite narrowing losses, IAG shares tumbled 6.8 per cent to 169.20p in afternoon trading on Friday and were down 7.5 per cent just after the London market close at 168p. Revenue declined 58 per cent to 2.2billion, with a strong performance in Cargo offset by a 72 per cent decline in passenger revenue. Despite the overall declines, trends did improve in the second quarter with revenue up 77 per cent from the same time in 2020. Gallego said British Airways saw a 95 per cent increase in the number of bookings for flights from the US to the UK shortly after Wednesday's announcement on easing travel rules, compared with the same period last week. Asked if the planned ending of the furlough in September could lead to more UK job losses, he replied: 'What we would like is to have an extension of the furlough scheme until the end of the year.' He added: 'Right now, we are not considering to reduce jobs more, but for sure we need to see the evolution of the situation. 'With the plans that we have right now, our plan is to fly, people want to fly, and for that we're going to need our people.' In April 2020 British Airways announced it would cut up to 12,000 jobs in response to the virus crisis. The price of Itaconix shares went down the plughole as the company, whose plant-based polymers are used in detergent products, warned of order fluctuations as brands and retailers adjust inventories due to uncertainties around consumer buying habits. As a result, unaudited revenues in this business area for the first half of 2021 were flat compared to the first half of 2020 due to a sharp decline in monthly volumes at the end of the period, Itaconix said. First-half revenues in the personal care division were down year-on-year and also substantially down on the second half of last year, as shipments at the end of 2020 were sufficient to meet customer needs during the lockdowns in the US and Europe. On top of that, like a lot of companies, Itaconix is experiencing an increase in raw material prices. The shares lost a third of their value this week. Itaconix, which makes plant-based polymers used in detergent products, warned of order fluctuations as brands adjust inventories due to uncertainties around consumer buying habits RTC Group, which as the name implies specialises in recruitment, training and conferencing, was another stock to hit the skids, sliding 25 per cent after a disappointing interim report. Profit before tax eased to 162,000 in the first half of 2021 from 231,000 in the same period of 2020 on revenue that edged higher to 40.5million from 39.9million. The impact of the pandemic on the UK recruitment division was mixed, the company said. Throughout the period it provided contract workers to the infrastructure and rail sectors at slightly higher levels than in the final quarter of 2020, and general UK recruitment and smart-meter installation activities gradually picked up with promising levels of UK recruitment in June especially, RTC told investors. The hotel and conference business, however, saw depressed levels of activity because of lockdown restrictions. The biggest gainer this week was Bion, the environmental engineering, wastewater treatment and renewable energy solutions company. Its shares rallied at the end of the week after initially dipping following last Fridays news of a fire that occurred at a palm oil mill adjacent to the company's biogas power plant located in Malpom, Penang. The companys power plant was not damaged but it does rely on feedstock from the palm oil mill next door, which has been put out of action by the fire. Bions shares advanced by two-thirds to 2.5p, beating the 51 per cent rise for Quantum Blockchain Technologies, which was prompted by renewed enthusiasm for cryptocurrencies. For similar reasons, Online Blockchain was wanted and racked up a 17 per cent gain. Shares usually get a lift when a company announces it will be selling a chunk of assets but TP Group bucked the trend by seeing its shares rise after it announced it would not be selling its maritime business as previously planned. The decision may have been made by David Lindsay, who less than three weeks after being appointed as interim chief executive officer was made CEO proper. The consulting, software and technologies business said it had a number of enquiries from companies interested in buying the maritime business but none at a price attractive enough to persuade the company to sell. Quantum Blockchain Technologies soared 51 per cent, prompted by renewed enthusiasm for cryptocurrencies. For similar reasons, Online Blockchain racked up a 17 per cent gain. Saietta, which listed on AIM on 7 July, did not get off to the best of starts which is possibly embarrassing for a maker of small motors but after rising 23 per cent to 142.5p this week it is comfortably above its flotation price of 120p. Uploading a corporate presentation to the company website seems to have given the share price a lift. It must have been a hell of a presentation because they announced the upload twice on the stock market new service. Lastly, Bidstack Group, which has a technology that implants advertising discreetly into video games, jumped 20 per cent after it announced a new partnership with T-Bull, one of the largest mobile game developers in Poland, for its free-to-play title Racing Classics PRO: Drag Race & Real Speed. T-Bull is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange T-Bull is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange and has had its games downloaded more than 250m times. Bidstack said its in-game ad placements cover track-side hoardings, the start/finish line of races and flags and banners throughout a track and can enhance the realism of a game without disrupting its performance. One in seven shops in Britain are vacant with fashion retail premises in shopping centres the hardest hit of all by repeated lockdowns, the British Retail Consortium said today. Unmasking the plight of many of Britain's once-bustling shopping hubs, the BRC report said that one in five shopping centre shops are vacant, and more than one in eight have been empty for over a year. Sky-high rental costs, business rates and the growth of web commerce have hammered bricks-and-mortar retail for years. But the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the demise of a string of big-name brands, with previously strong high-street presences like Topshop and Debenhams going to the wall. Vacant: One in seven shops in Britain now stand empty, the BRC said today The BRC has warned that the vacancy rate could rise further as the Government's business rate holiday comes to an end. The North East of England, Wales and the North West of England currently have the highest shop vacancy rates in the country, at over 18 per cent. Greater London has the lowest, at just over 11 per cent. In the second quarter of this year, the overall shop vacancy rate increased to 14.5 per cent, up from 14.1 per cent in the first quarter, the BRC-LDC Vacancy Monitor revealed. Shop vacancy rates have now been rising for the past three years, since the first quarter of 2018. All locations saw an increase in vacancies in the second quarter, with shopping centre vacancies climbing to 19.4 per cent from the first quarter figure of 18.4 per cent. On the high-street, vacancies increased to 14.5 per cent in the second quarter, up from 14.1 per cent in the first quarter. Rising: The shop vacancy rate in Britain is on the rise again, the BRC says Retail Park vacancies increased slightly to 11.5 per cent over the period, up from 10.6 per cent in the first quarter. Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: 'It comes as no surprise that the number of shuttered stores in the UK continues to rise, after retailers have been in and out of lockdown for over a year. 'While vacancy rates are rising across all retail locations, it is shopping centres, with a high proportion of fashion retailers, that have been the hardest hit by the pandemic.' She added: 'Retail parks have also been impacted from the loss of anchor stores and their vacancy rate is rising quickly. The regional contrast is stark the south of England, including London have seen lower vacancy rates, while the North, where disposable income is lower, continues to have a higher proportion of closed shops. 'The vacancy rate could rise further now the Covid-19 business rates holiday has come to an end. 'The Government must ensure the ongoing business rates review leads to reform of this broken system, delivering on its commitment to permanently reduce the cost burden to sustainable levels. 'The longer the current system persists, the more jobs losses and vacant shops we will see, hurting staff, customers and communities up and down the country.' Lucy Stainton, a director of Local Data Company, said: 'Vacancy now sits at the highest rate ever recorded by the Local Data Company. 'With appetite for new space increasing but still modest, there will simply never be enough demand to meet the supply. 'The property market will be forced to think of more creative ways to utilise this space, to avoid exacerbating the already high rates of long-term voids across our retail destinations which are not only unsightly and costly for landlords, but also have a negative impact on surrounding stores.' The likelihood of finding a buyer for your home is at its best point at any time in the past decade, new research suggests. Nearly seven out of 10 homes for sale - 68 per cent - successfully found a buyer between June 2020 and June 2021, according to Rightmove. It is up from 41 per cent in 2012, and the highest percentage in any year during the past 10 years, the property website says. The data suggests that the market is particularly hot in Scotland, while London locations are lagging. Between 2012 and early 2020, just over half - at 53 per cent - of homes typically found a buyer, according to Rightmove SALE RATE ACROSS BRITAIN Region/country % of homes selling (June 2020 - June 2021) Britain 68% Scotland 89% Yorkshire and The Humber 77% North West 74% Wales 74% West Midlands 73% South West 73% East Midlands 73% North East 72% South East 67% East of England 66% Source: Rightmove The analysis of more than 13million property listings on Rightmove's website tracked the journey of a property, from initially being put on the market through to being sold subject to contract. Those sales that fell through and went on to secure a buyer again were only counted once as part of the analysis, the property website explained. Between 2012 and early 2020, just over half - at 53 per cent - of homes typically found a buyer. Rightmove said that the remaining 47 per cent were either withdrawn from sale or stayed on the market. Scotland leads the way with 89 per cent of homes successfully finding a buyer, compared to 48 per cent in London. Almost seven in 10 homes have found a buyer in the current market, according to Rightmove The next best performing area is Yorkshire & the Humber, with nearly four in every five homes - at 77 per cent - selling. Areas at the top of the list are all in Scotland, with 94 per cent of homes in Falkirk and East Dunbartonshire finding a buyer. It is followed by South Lanarkshire, with 93 per cent of vendors finding a buyer. Outside of Scotland, the top three are Sheffield at 83 per cent, Craven at 81 per cent and Chorley at 81 per cent. By contrast, the bottom end includes high-end markets of London such as Westminster at 22 per cent, Kensington & Chelsea at 25 per cent, and Camden at 28 per cent. HIGHEST SALE RATE IN EACH REGION/COUNTRY Local Authority Region/country % of homes selling (June 2020 - June 2021) Falkirk Scotland 94% Torfaen Wales 80% Bexley London 74% Chorley North West 81% Darlington North East 77% Nuneaton and Bedworth West Midlands 78% Chesterfield East Midlands 79% King's Lynn and West Norfolk East of England 74% Weymouth and Portland South West 78% Folkestone and Hythe South East 75% Sheffield Yorkshire & the Humber 83% Source: Rightmove TOP 10 AREAS FOR HIGHEST SALE RATES Local Authority % of homes selling (June 2020 - June 2021) Falkirk 94% East Dunbartonshire 94% South Lanarkshire 93% Renfrewshire 93% East Renfrewshire 93% Midlothian 93% North Lanarkshire 93% West Lothian 93% Glasgow City 92% Fife 91% Source: Rightmove Tim Bannister, of Rightmove, said: 'There's been a much greater chance of a seller finding a buyer over the past year, which really highlights the sheer number of people who have been determined to move. 'While the long-term average shows that typically around half of properties sell, the increase in 2021 reflects the frenzied buyer activity we've seen in the current market, driven by multiple factors such as pent up demand and changing priorities. 'This efficiency in the market means agents are operating on limited stock, and they need more homes to satisfy all types of buyers. 'We've seen from previous research that Scotland often contains the most likely areas to find a buyer, and London the least, however the broader numbers are reflective of the trend we've been seeing all year, which is that buyers have widened their scope, and the popularity of every area in Britain is increasing.' TOP 10 AREAS FOR HIGHEST SALE RATES (EXCLUDING SCOTLAND) Local Authority Region/country % of homes selling (June 2020 - June 2021) Sheffield Yorkshire and The Humber 83% Craven Yorkshire and The Humber 81% Chorley North West 81% Oldham North West 80% Torfaen Wales 80% Bridgend Wales 80% Richmondshire Yorkshire and The Humber 80% Halton North West 80% Knowsley North West 79% Tameside North West 79% Source: Rightmove It comes amid a red hot property market, with Nationwide reporting this week that the average value of a home in Britain has risen by around 24,500 between July last year and the end of June this year. The average cost of a home now stands at 244,229, it said. However, this is a drop from 245,432 in June, following the end of the stamp duty holiday. Robert Gardner, Nationwide's chief economist, said: ' Buyers had rushed to complete deals before the deadline, with the number of housing market transactions soaring to a record high of almost 200,000 in June, which is around twice the typical monthly number before the pandemic.' Which Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty comes top when judged by house price premiums? It could be a question set for an estate agents' quiz night and you might imagine the answer to be the Cotswolds perhaps, where the likes of the Beckhams and Jeremy Clarkson have homes. Or South Devon, where wealthy weekend sailors drop anchor. But you'd be wrong on both counts. Top of the list is a 70 square mile peninsula near Swansea Gower. Pristine: Gower begins in Mumbles, a former fishing village, with Port Eynon beach pictured According to the Land Registry, the price of a detached house in the Gower is 78 per cent higher than just three miles outside the boundary. 'The Gower property market has changed dramatically in recent years,' says Daniel Rees of Savills in Cardiff. 'It has traditionally been popular with retirees but now ex-pat parents with young children are moving back here.' They have fond memories of the beaches from their own childhood and want the same for their kids.' Gower begins in Mumbles, a former fishing village now nicknamed The Monaco of Wales thanks to a collection of high-end restaurants, bistros and fashion shops. Famous faces are often seen here Bonnie Tyler has a house behind high hedges on the front; Joanna Page of Gavin & Stacey fame makes regular visits home, while Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas have a home overlooking the Lighthouse. And if you drop into the yacht club, you may see Robert Pugh, who played Craster in Game Of Thrones. The little fishermen's cottages lining the hill make ideal second homes or investment properties and many have been given facelifts. The average price of a terraced cottage is 250,000 according to Rightmove and it's more if you want somewhere to park your car. Gower is a patchwork of different social landscapes. The Mediterranean vibe of Mumbles is soon replaced by the well-heeled suburbia of Caswell and Langland. Daniel Rees describes Langland as the 'jewel in Gower's crown' with some justification. Pretty beach huts stand next to the car parks; you can either walk the coastal path or watch the surfers from its brasserie above the beach. Prices are high, for Wales. An apartment overlooking the bay will set you back 500,000. Variety is the essence of Gower's charm. 'North Gower with its salt marshes and wild ponies feels a lot wilder than the tourist beaches,' says retired chartered accountant Jeannette McLellan, 64, who moved to the village of Llanmadoc four years ago having lived in Swansea and before that, London. 'Then you have downlands in the centre of the Gower and the rocky coves and the beaches of the south where it's not unusual to see seals, dolphins and porpoises.' Famous faces: Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas have a home overlooking the Lighthouse Rees has also noticed many more people moving to Gower to work from home, perhaps reporting to the office a few times a week. Being within range of the M4 (London is under four hours away) is important for these buyers and this is more accessible from villages closer to Swansea such as Southgate, Penmaen and Bishopston, which has a comprehensive school judged 'excellent' by Estyn, the Welsh Ofsted. The restaurants are another attraction. The Beach House at Oxwich has a Michelin star, while The Welcome to Town at Llanrhidian and the King Arthur at Reynoldston have glowing reputations. It's worth noting broadband can be a bit patchy the further west you go. It's easy to see what makes the Gower beaches so popular. Port Eynon, with its whitewashed cottages has a Devonian feel. Three Cliffs is pretty while Rhossili has a three-mile sandy beach. Investing in a cottage as a holiday let can pay dividends. The tourist board has done much to publicise Gower and according to Zoopla house prices have risen 10.58 per cent in the past year. The Old Rectory, standing above Rhossili beach, is often booked two years in advance. It would set you back 1,884. Move to Gower and you will find a few beaches still relatively secluded. Park near Southgate Social Club (with its picture of Michael Douglas pulling a pint) head down a little lane and you will find the delightful Pobbles. Tor Bay is another gem. What is it like to live in Gower? 'The traffic can be a pain in summer,' says Jeannette. 'But we have the place to ourselves again in winter. That's my favourite time to live here. I'd never leave.' We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Submit Here Three Hudson Valley counties were identified by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Monday for having zip codes with vaccination rates below the statewide average and new positives per capita above the statewide average. Now, theyre left on their own to figure out how they can boost vaccination rates in the area despite $15 million allocated towards a targeted vaccination campaign. The zip codes identified in Mondays announcement include one in Dutchess County (12540), three in Orange County (10930, 10940, 10992) and two in Greene County (12058, 12083). The level of transmission in Greene County over the past seven days is now so high 59 cases out of 100,000 as of Wednesday, the highest of any place in New York outside of the Bronx that the county health department asked residents on its Facebook page on Wednesday to begin wearing masks indoors, whether vaccinated or not. This is in line with the CDCs suggestion that counties reporting more than 50 new cases per 100,000 residents over a seven-day period require indoor masking for all. Greene County Public Administrator Shaun Groden clarified on Thursday that the county will not mandate vaccinated and unvaccinated residents to mask up indoors per CDC guidance. Currently, the 49 percent full vaccination rate in Greene County is nearly 8 points lower than the state average. When the Times Union: Hudson Valley asked Groden earlier this week about the countys next steps after having the two zip codes identified, he stated he had no knowledge of the governors announcement about the funding. The money, part of $25 billion in federal funds for emergency relief related to the pandemic, has been available since the budget was passed in April. The state comptrollers office confirmed recently that none of it has been spent to date. In total, 117 zip codes were identified across the state as having low vaccination rates and high infection rates, with nearly 80 percent of them in New York City or Long Island; the zip codes identified run the gamut to include communities of color and white conservative neighborhoods. The $15 million campaign is slated to be distributed to community-based groups to help them encourage vaccine-hesitant people to get shots. Although Cuomo described the organizations as statewide, each of them are based in New York City. Groups that will be receiving a chunk of the $15 million include the Hispanic Federation and the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, both allocated $5.5 million apiece, and $1 million each will go to the New York Immigration Coalition, Asian American Federation, Charles B. Wang Community Center and APICHA Community Health Center. A press release from the governors office states the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies will conduct statewide train-the-trainer town halls for direct outreach and public education on the vaccination. Other than that, it is unclear what kind of support the 25 targeted zip codes in the rest of the state will get. The governors press office did not answer with comment by press time. Dutchess, Greene and Orange counties, meanwhile, are taking matters into their own hands. Regarding the two zip codes in Greene County identified by Cuomo on Monday, Groden said those two areas have a large number of P.O. box addresses, which likely suggests the residents actually live somewhere else and may be in region only part time. Either way, public health officials in Greene are encouraging more people to get vaccinated, including launching a new campaign with the slogan Why not? We get vaccinated as children for the measles and more, said Groden. No one complains about that. Schools have mandates for that. Greene County is continuing to offer COVID-19 vaccines at most of its pharmacies. All of the pharmacies have supply, said Groden. When the school year is closer to resuming, the county will consider doing a pop-up point of delivery vaccination site, or POD. With the rise in the delta variant, which currently constitutes 82 percent of current coronavirus cases according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), health and county officials are stressing that is even more important to get vaccinated. Youd have a much less severe episode [of COVID-19] than you would if youre not vaccinated, said Groden. With the delta variant, it is much more easily transmitted. Orange County vaccination efforts Orange County has been a few steps ahead in addressing vaccine hesitancy. Last week, staff from the CDC, in conjunction with the New York State Department of Health staff, partnered with teams from the Orange County Department of Health to have meetings and listening sessions with community members and leaders from different municipalities throughout the county. These listening sessions, as part of the rapid community assessment of vaccine hesitancy in our area, helped to reveal some of the challenges these communities are having with regard to either access to vaccinations or fears from the vaccination itself, said Orange County Health Commissioner Dr. Irina Gelman in a written statement. Although our health department has a very proactive community health outreach division, community-based organizations having conversations in the community with people who know them and trust them is key to helping to establish trust, she continued. The county is not aware of any current effort with the organizations Cuomo outlined, however, if local branches are in the county, they will reach out to explore a collaboration. Kevindaryan Lujan, Orange County Legislator, said that while the county is headed in the right direction, they can do even more to fight vaccine hesitancy, especially for the Latino community. He said so far the county has worked with the local chapter of the NAACP, the Newburgh Armory and various local churches to help get the word out. For over a year we have been talking about the dire need for more outreach and creating awareness campaigns in our most hard to reach populations, said Lujan. While there has certainly been some gradual improvements, their still remains a major disconnect between what has been said for over a year and what we are seeing on the ground. He said he still has constituents approach him who have not gotten vaccinated because they believe they need health insurance or because they dont know where to go due to their language barrier. We can and must do better, said Lujan, who continues to encourage bringing vaccinations to where people are, for example to outdoor events, festivals and concerts. In an effort to collaborate with different local stakeholders, the Orange County Department of Health is forming a multi-disciplinary coalition to address COVID-19 vaccine confidence throughout the county. Vaccine health education mailers have also been sent out in Orange County, with a specific focus on the areas with lower vaccination rates and higher infection rates. Dutchess County vaccination efforts Similar to the other two counties, Dutchess County also hasnt received any information from the state regarding the funding awards to the various community organizations and how that outreach will work. However, the county continues to monitor low vaccination rate areas and has been encouraging more people to get vaccinated. This Saturday, the county is holding a community pop-up vaccine clinic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church with walk-ins welcome. Residents are also encouraged to go to their local pharmacies to get vaccinated. Twelve independent pharmacies, in addition to various CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens locations, in the area are offering vaccines. Dutchess County also has a vaccine outreach coalition to help educate and inform about the importance of getting the vaccine. Around the county you can find testimonial yard signs featuring coalition members with the slogan I got my shot did you? To help encourage the Latino community to get vaccinated, they have worked with local church officials and have run digital and radio advertisements on Poughkeepsie-based media company, ABClatino. The increased push on the county level to get people vaccinated follows other incentives from the state and federal government. In New York, teenagers who received the COVID-19 vaccine had a chance at free tuition and housing for any public four-year college, and anyone who got vaccinated back in May and June left with a free lottery scratch-off ticket with a top prize of $5 million. Now, the Biden administration is encouraging states and cities to pay people $100 to get vaccinated, suggesting it comes out of the $350 billion of relief funds that is being given to states and cities. ALBANY The roof is crumbling, the bathrooms arent up to code and the floor slopes. The Capital District Latinos headquarters at 160 Central Ave. needs major repairs and upgrades if the space is to fulfill the mission the group had in mind when it purchased the former St. Johns Evangelical Lutheran Church three years ago. Dan Irizarry, the organization's chairman, said the dire need for repairs is approaching a crisis and the nonprofit will likely need public help to keep the space running. Irizarry said he believes that the group has earned that help, given all the work it has done over the years, especially when it comes to public health. Irizarry said most recently that the nonprofit has spearheaded a push for COVID-19 vaccine outreach to the Hispanic community. Since the vaccine rollout began, the center has helped more than 500 community members get vaccinated, Irizarry said. Thursday night another 23 people were scheduled to get their vaccines. The truth of it is that weve been operating out of the center for three years and weve proven that were really serious about being a bridge between the Hispanic community and various stakeholders, he said. Irizarry noted the Capital Region doesnt have a dense concentration of Spanish-speaking residents. Instead, theyre spread out throughout the region and thats reflected in the geographic spread of the centers visitors as groups from Amsterdam to the Hudson Valley travel to the city to hold their events there, he said. The CDL sees the space as one that could eventually host larger events such as conferences, forums, live theater, as well as smaller events. A commercial kitchen could provide space for health and nutrition programming or workforce training, as well as a food pantry. A recently commissioned report lays out the scope of the work needed before that can become a reality. While the building is solid and has been well maintained, some systems are at the end of their useful life and it is time to replace them. Also, societal standards have changed, handicapped accessibility is expected, as is conditioned/filtered air. Finally, to provide the programming to advance the CDL mission and vision for their property and facility, investments for critical upgrades and improvements must be made, the report says. The total price tag for a capital improvement program over the next three to five years tops $2.8 million. Most pressing is the need for a roof replacement. The buildings slate roof is starting to crumble and tiles are coming loose. That project alone might cost up to $650,000. The aging roof led the centers anchor tenant, Castle Island Bilingual Montessori school, to look for a new location. Diane Nickerson, the schools director and founder, said the center meshed well with the schools immersive style of education. It had an enclosed courtyard for outdoor space and cultural exhibits and artwork that gave students access to professional work they might not otherwise see. It was a perfect fit, she said. But when the slate tiles began to fall from the roof in November, the school couldnt risk one of their students or staff getting injured. They stopped using the courtyard, instead taking occasional walks to Washington Park. The school is now planning a move to 602 Broadway later this fall. Irizarry says hes hopeful the city or another group can use some of its American Rescue Plan money to help the center out. Otherwise, the areas Hispanic community is at risk of losing a major resource, he said. We create community by having that physical space where we can create community, he said. It would be a big step back for the Latino community to lose this space. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Sarah Burns, Rochester Institute of Technology (THE CONVERSATION) In mid-July 2021, a bipartisan and ideologically diverse group of senators proposed a new bill that, if passed, would dramatically shift the relative amount of power the president and Congress have over U.S. military operations. Whether this bill passes as is, or with significant changes, or not at all, its proposal signals an effort by lawmakers to reclaim power over military action and spending that Congress has gradually surrendered over decades. It also puts pressure on presidents to evaluate their foreign policy objectives more clearly, to determine whether military action is, in fact, appropriate and justified. As Ive demonstrated in my research, even though the 1973 War Powers Resolution attempted to constrain presidential power after the disasters of the Vietnam War, it contains many loopholes that presidents have exploited to act unilaterally. For example, it allows presidents to engage in military operations without congressional approval for up to 90 days. As a result of this shift from legislative oversight to presidential control, U.S. foreign policy has become less deliberative and administrations from both parties enjoy a significant amount of control over whether the U.S. calls in the armed forces to address developments overseas. Setting new standards This bill would end that loophole, requiring presidents to explain their actions more clearly to Congress and the public. Since Franklin D. Roosevelt, presidents have attempted to circumvent oversight and restraints from Congress by citing vague concerns like national security, regional security or the need to prevent a humanitarian disaster, when launching military operations. But they havent typically given Congress more concrete information about the nature of the operation or its expected duration. The new bill sets out a clear definition of which military activities need to be reported to Congress, and how quickly. This is especially important given the ambiguities that prior administrations have exploited. In 2011, a State Department lawyer argued that air strikes in Libya could continue beyond the War Powers Resolutions 90-day time limit because there were no ground troops involved. By that logic, any future president could carry out an indefinite bombing campaign with no congressional oversight. The bill would also require the president to provide an estimated cost of the operation and describe the missions objectives both of which could help Congress determine whether a military operation had stayed within its intended bounds or gone beyond them. Executive power grows Before the Pearl Harbor attack forced the U.S. into World War II, Congress had exercised its war powers, preventing President Franklin D. Roosevelt from joining Britain, Australia and other nations in battle. But in the wake of the attack, Congress began giving the president more control over the military, engaging in less oversight for fear of being painted as undermining the war effort. After World War II ended, unlike in previous eras, Congress continued to relinquish those powers, largely by declining to rein in presidential actions that overstepped into congressional power. Congress never authorized the war in Korea; Harry Truman used a U.N. Security Council resolution as legal justification. Congress vote explicitly opposing the invasion of Cambodia didnt stop Richard Nixon from doing it anyway. Even after the Cold War, Bill Clinton regularly acted unilaterally to address humanitarian crises or continuing threats coming from leaders like Saddam Hussein. After 9/11, Congress gave up more of its power much faster. A week after those attacks, Congress passed a sweeping Authorization for Use of Military Force, giving the president permission to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001. In a followup 2002 authorization, Congress went even farther, allowing the president to use the Armed Forces as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to defend national security and enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq. In the two decades since their passage, four presidents have used those authorizations to justify all manner of military action, from targeted killings of terrorists to the years-long fight against the Islamic State group, which continues to this day. This approach provides few, if any, congressional checks on the control of military affairs exercised by the president. Threats of war The Biden administration has called for more congressional oversight of military actions, saying the powers granted in 2001 and 2002 were too broad and invite abuse by power-hungry presidents. And yet Biden has said he did not need anything beyond the Constitution to launch attacks in Syria in February and June 2021, saying he was doing so to defend U.S. forces. In mid-July 2021, Biden used the authorizations power to launch a drone strike in Somalia against fundamentalist al-Shabab fighters. But perhaps the most frightening use of these broad authorities was in January 2020, when President Donald Trump used the 2002 authorization to justify a lethal drone strike against a respected member of the Iranian government, Major General Qassim Soleimani, without consulting Congress or publicly explaining why the attack was necessary, even to this day. The killing of Soleimani, who held a position in Iran equivalent to the director of the U.S. CIA, was described by the Trump administration only as decisive action to stop a ruthless terrorist from threatening American lives. Trumps subsequent promises that Iran would never have a nuclear weapon were also backed up by the idea that Congress had effectively authorized him to take military action against Irans nuclear program. Tensions and fears of war spiked but then slowly faded, when Iran responded with missile attacks on two U.S. bases in Iraq, and Trump downplayed the severity of resulting injuries to American service members. But Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei has continued to vow to get revenge for Soleimanis killing, leaving open the possibility of an Iranian attack at any time. Under the current legal structure, a U.S. response to that could come without congressional notification or approval. The current congressional effort is noteworthy because it seeks to make presidents answerable to Congress for a wider range of military action, and to end the broad and sweeping power of the 2001 and 2002 authorizations that have effectively let presidents do anything with the U.S. military anywhere in the world without being held accountable at home. [Understand whats going on in Washington. Sign up for The Conversations Politics Weekly.] This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/congress-moves-to-reclaim-its-war-powers-165060. HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) A rural Pennsylvania county formally declined to participate in a forensic investigation of the states 2020 presidential election sought by backers of former President Donald Trump, dealing another blow Thursday to prospects for a months-long spectacle of the kind playing out in Arizona. The three commissioners in Republican-controlled Tioga County had said two weeks ago that they would not allow third-party access to the county's voting machines for fear of seeing them decertified by the state just weeks before preparations must begin for November's election. In a Thursday letter to Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano, the commissioners declined his request at this time" because they need new voting machines paid for and delivered within three weeks. As Mastriano's Saturday deadline for counties to comply approaches, Senate Republican leaders have been silent about whether they support it. It has sowed discord in the Republican caucus, and one publicly blasted it, saying it is only favored by a handful of my colleagues." What message will people take from someone trying to pry open voting machines and rummage through already counted ballots while employing statistical tricks to argue that the 2020 election was a fraud? state Sen. Dan Laughlin, R-Erie, questioned in an editorial this week. Mastriano, R-Fulton, has helped spread Trumps baseless falsehoods that the election was rigged against him and has claimed that Trump asked me to run for governor. On July 7, Mastriano sent letters to Philadelphia and York and Tioga counties with a sweeping request for access to documents, information and equipment, giving them until this Saturday to formulate a plan to comply, under threat of a subpoena. The state's top elections official, an appointee of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, promptly told counties that the state would decertify any election equipment that is subject to any such third-party access, rendering it useless in an election. The undertaking envisioned by Mastriano would likely cost millions of dollars, but Tioga County commissioners suggested that he may be unable to make good on financial promises. They wrote Thursday that they had made clear they would cooperate if new voting machines were paid for and delivered by Aug. 20. But, they said, so far, we have received no response to this request, even though prior to receiving your letter it was conveyed to us on your behalf that such funding would be made available to us as part of your inquiry, they wrote. But, without any help from Mastriano or the Senate to replace the machines, we are thus unable to grant you access to our machines. York Countys commissioners two Republican and one Democrat have raised questions about the legality of Mastriano's demand, the cost to the county and their lack of staff to complete the project. In the Democratic bastion of Philadelphia, election commissioners there planned to vote Friday on Mastriano's request on the agenda. They have yet to formally respond, but have said Mastriano is reiterating claims about the November 2020 election that have been resoundingly rejected by courts. Courts have repeatedly thrown out Republican claims about fraud or illegalities, and critics say an election audit is duplicative, given the audits already carried out by county and the state. In any case, Mastrianos information request does not remotely resemble a post-election audit plan that is recognized by the election administration community, said Edward Perez, global director of technology development at the California-based OSET Institute. Trump won in Tioga County by three-to-one over Democrat Joe Biden, but Biden won the battleground state by just over 80,000 votes, or about 1 percentage point. That prompted Trump to pressure Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania and other states he lost narrowly to conduct an "audit," as is happening in a widely discredited exercise in Arizona. Meanwhile, in York County, officials called police after receiving reports about people purporting to be from an election integrity committee going to homes and questioning the residents about their vote in the 2020 presidential election, the York Dispatch reported Thursday. York Countys president commissioner, Julie Wheeler, told the Dispatch that she received numerous calls and emails about the activity and referred the matter to the Southern York Regional Police Department. Chad Baker, the countys Democratic Party chair, said the group appears to be targeting registered Democrats in an attempt to seek out voter fraud. ___ Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/timelywriter Four Capital Region counties now have coronavirus transmission rates considered high enough for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to recommend indoor mask-wearing by all. Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady counties were all averaging between 50 and 99 new cases of the virus per 100,000 residents as of Friday, CDC data showed. That rate is considered "substantial" by the agency, which issued new guidance Tuesday recommending both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals wear masks indoors when in areas deemed to have "substantial" or "high" levels of community transmission. The announcement took many by surprise after a spring and early summer of declining caseloads and rising optimism that the pandemic might just be behind us. The arrival of the highly contagious delta variant in the U.S., however, changed the equation causing a surge of cases in many parts of the country and hitting unvaccinated communities particularly hard. Greene County was the first local county to hit the threshold earlier this week, but officials there said they would not issue a mask order, characterizing such a step as a regression in the recovery from the pandemic. While the new federal masking guidelines are only a recommendation, they leave room for state and local governments to issue their own masking mandates if need be. As of Friday, no local county had chosen to take that step. In Saratoga County, the Board of Supervisors announced Thursday that it had formed a task force to review local data and monitor changing guidelines from the CDC and state Department of Health in response to the rise in local infections. The Saratoga Health and Readiness Planning (SHARP) task force which includes county, school and business officials would make recommendations for the local community, Board of Supervisors Chairman Todd Kusnierz said. The recent increase in infection rates in Saratoga County is concerning, and with the formation of the SHARP Task Force, our county leadership will be able to quickly analyze any new guidance issued by New York State Department of Health and the CDC and make recommendations that make sense for our community, he said. County Supervisor Jonathan Schopf of Clifton Park signaled that the task force would emphasize individual choice over governmental mandates when issuing recommendations, citing the lingering effects of the previous shutdown on local communities. Saratoga County takes the health and well-being of its residents and employees seriously, he said. At the same time the right of individual thought, decision making, and ultimate choice cannot be overcome by government mandate. As we move through the next several months, we are focused on keeping our schools and businesses open and continuing to offer the vaccine at no cost to residents throughout the county while providing information and statistics to allow our residents and businesses to make the best decisions for their own circumstances. In addition to Kusnierz and Schopf, members of the task force will include Malta Town Supervisor Darren OConnor, who chairs the board's health and human services committee; County Administrator Steve Bulger; Dr. Dan Kuhles, commissioner of the county Public Health Department; Scot Chamberlain, county director of human resources; Pete Bardunias, senior vice president of community advancement with the Capital Region Chamber; and Anita Murphy, Capital Region BOCES District Superintendent. Like many other places in the region, many Saratoga County businesses have given up the fight to try and enforce mask wearing among members of the public. Many have hung signs on their doors and windows asking unvaccinated individuals to wear masks while indoors. The Saratoga Springs Public Library, meanwhile, announced it will revert to requiring all members of the public including staff, volunteers and visitors to wear masks in all public and shared spaces indoors regardless of vaccination status, effective Friday. The CDC issued the new mask guidance in response to a new study that found high rates of coronavirus infection among fully vaccinated individuals who had traveled to multiple large public events held in Barnstable County, Mass., in early July. Among 469 people whose infections were linked to the events, 74 percent were fully vaccinated, the CDC said. Testing identified the delta variant in 90 percent of specimens from 133 patients. While the news gives cause for concern regarding how easily the variant spreads, health officials continue to report that infections among vaccinated individuals are milder than those who remain unvaccinated and vaccines remain highly effective in the prevention of hospitalization and death. A new festival combining craft beer, food trucks, and musicians from across the state is coming to Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown this Labor Day weekend. BriteVibes Festival, created by the New York State Brewers Association, will take place on Saturday, Sept. 4. The gates will open at noon and the festivities will last until 11 a.m. the following day. Patrons will be able to sample beer from more than 30 breweries from across the state, many of which are award winners from the NYS Craft Beer Competition. The Capital Region will be represented by Common Roots Brewing Co. from Glens Falls and Rare Form Brewery from Troy, and the Hudson Valley will be represented by Paradox Beer Co. Guide: A guide to breweries, wineries and distilleries in the Albany area "Weve been producing top tier craft beer tasting festivals for years and are excited to partner with Brewery Ommegang to offer a new and unique tasting experience, said Paul Leone, the executive director of the New York State Brewers Association. The event, which is being touted as an unparalleled New York experience, aims to reinvent the craft beer festival model by creating a unique environment that includes artisan vendors, experiential exhibits and more. Tickets are available for anyone over the age of 21 and prices range from $40 for just evening access to the concerts, $75 for full-day general admission or $150 for VIP access. A parking pass is required and will cost an additional $15, unless you purchased a VIP ticket in which case it will be included. You can purchase tickets on the festivals website. Festivalgoers will also be able to spend the night if desired by purchasing an on-site camping reservation. The campsite is located on a former hop farm and will include guided yoga the following morning. Reservations cost $30 and will secure one 12x12 foot spot which can accommodate one tent and up to four people. Nothing brings people together like craft beer and music," Leone said. "This community has missed each other over the last year or so, and were excited to be hosting an in-person event of this kind over Labor Day Weekend for people to celebrate everything they love about New York." RICHMOND, Va. (AP) A Virginia special prosecutor has found no wrongdoing in the awarding of a $1.8 million contract for the removal of Richmond's Confederate statues last summer. Timothy Martin, the elected prosecutor in Augusta County who was appointed to handle the matter, said in a news release Wednesday that he had reviewed the findings of a state police investigation and found no criminal activity. The investigation into the contract, which was awarded to the owner of a construction firm who had made modest political donations to Democratic Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, was initiated after complaints from a political rival of Stoney's in the middle of an election season. Jeffrey Breit, an attorney for Stoney, said Thursday the mayor is pleased with the findings. It is exactly what I said in July of last year, Breit said, calling the investigation an attempt to throw a political bullet in the middle of a campaign. The investigation found that Stoney did not suggest the contractor, Devon Henry of Newport News-based Team Henry Enterprises, Martin wrote. The investigation also affirmed the mayor's previous assertions that the city reached out to a number of contractors to do the work, all of whom refused, according to Martin. Some either personally objected to the statue removal or feared that removing the monument posed a security risk, he said. Martin noted that the high value of the contract also attracted scrutiny. He said that while the lack of competition likely drove up the price, taking a profit in a transaction with a government entity is not criminal. Stoneys administration initially declined to answer questions from reporters about who was behind a shell company, NAH LLC, that records showed the city had contracted with for the removal of the statues. News outlets later uncovered through public records requests that NAH was linked to Henry. Martin wrote that while the concealment of the contractor's identity led to suspicion as to whether this was done in order to conceal an improper transaction the facts don't support such a conclusion. Because tensions were running so high at the time, and many people expressed passionate opinions about the proposed removal, the contractor chose to keep his identity hidden, which is not a crime," Martin wrote. In a statement, Henry said he was pleased the investigation had concluded and this politically generated dark cloud can be removed. Henry whose firm recently handled the removal of several monuments in Charlottesville, including the equestrian statue of Robert E. Lee at the center of the violent Unite the Right rally in 2017 said he was proud of his team's work in Richmond on a complex and potentially dangerous job. Henry, who is Black and has said he formed the shell company for safety and privacy reasons, told The Associated Press last year that he faced death threats after his identity was made public. Martin said in the news release that in the interest of public confidence, he wanted to emphasize that unlike the mayor, he is a Republican from a conservative jurisdiction. I have no bias in favor of him based on some shared ideology or members in the same political party. I have no personal relationship with him, as the two of us have never met, Martin wrote. A court appointed Martin to handle the review of the state police investigation at the request of the commonwealth's attorney for Richmond, Colette McEachin. She initially declined to take up the matter, citing a donation Henry had made to a political campaign of her husband, U.S. Rep. Donald McEachin, when he was running for state senate. Henry's team removed most of Richmond's Confederate statues last summer, after protests erupted in Richmond and around the world over the killing of George Floyd in police custody. The city is now grappling with what to do with the remaining pedestals, some of which are enormous. Richmond, which was the capital of the Confederacy for most of the Civil War, was dotted with Confederate tributes. One of the citys largest Confederate monuments, a statue of Lee along historic Monument Avenue, is still in place. The monument is the property of the state, and Democratic Gov. Ralph Northams plans to remove it have been tied up in court. The governors administration is awaiting a decision from the Virginia Supreme Court about whether the piece can come down. The court heard arguments in June and could rule at any time. ALBANY The State University of New York (SUNY) is finalizing a plan to grant widespread relief for outstanding tuition and fees incurred by students during the pandemic. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Wednesday announced a new program for City University of New York (CUNY) students that would wipe out $125 million owed tuition and fees from the past year, benefiting more than 50,000 students. According to the governor's office and university officials, SUNY is working on a similar program that would provide millions in grant relief for owed college fees and other pandemic-related costs. SUNY has already been providing relief to students since the beginning of the pandemic totaling over $500 million in refunds and emergency grants, SUNY spokesman Leo Rosales said. "This included over $244 million in relief for fees and housing and over $286 million in emergency grants to help students in need to cover such things as past-due bills," he said. "We are finalizing a plan for additional student relief under the American Recovery Plan. Students at publicly funded universities typically pay hundreds of dollars in fees each semester, costs that are typically not covered by financial aid or scholarships. The CUNY Comeback Program, which the state believes is the largest debt forgiveness program of its kind in the country, is paid for by onetime federal relief funds. Any and all tuition and fees such as the technology and student activities fees that were posted to a students account during the spring 2020, summer 2020, fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters are eligible to be included, according to the CUNY plan. Students who already paid their tuition and fees will be eligible for a onetime $200 reimbursement. There are income parameters in the CUNY plan; a student ineligible for any Pell aid or TAP funding who has not paid their bill in full would only automatically be eligible for $100 per semester in debt relief. Students may also apply for other hardship grants to help with food or housing insecurity, child care, job or income loss or medical bills. Mark Humphrey/AP TAMPA, Fla. (AP) WWE star Sheamus is offering ring-side seats and many beers" to anyone who returns a prop cross necklace that was stolen from an arena on the campus of the University of South Florida. Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay is also offering a $5,000 reward for information about the theft in May of the necklace, three title belts signed by various WWE stars and a corner pad. I never had an opportunity to meet my paternal grandfather. He emigrated from Ireland when he was about 17 and died of a heart attack before he was 40. Long before his death, he became a U.S. citizen, and I have heard stories where he would have political debates with his friends and they would say, Jim, you dont even know what youre talking about, you are not an American. With probably a little bit of Irish rage, he would reach into his pocket, pull out his wallet and slam down his citizen card on the nearest table or counter and say, Heres my proof that Im an American. Where is yours? He took great pride in the fact that he was a citizen of the United States with all the rights and privileges that it entails, especially the right to vote. Lately, the voter legislation being proposed in Texas has been all over the media. I was mesmerized by the fact that a large contingent of representatives left Texas in protest as a last-ditch effort to prevent the bill from becoming law. Curious as to what dramatic restrictions were included in the Texas law, I decided to delve beyond the headlines so I could better understand this drama. Boy, was I surprised. The legislation is not as restrictive as people have been led to believe. First, it would bar municipalities from sending out unsolicited applications for mail-in-balloting. It allows political parties to send out applications at their own expense. Second, to ensure validation of absentee ballots, voters would have to write their license number or the last four numbers of their Social Security number on the application and then on the envelope of the returning ballot. Third, it would eliminate 24-hour polling places and limit early voting hours from 6 a.m.to 9 p.m. Lastly, it would restrict counties from offering drive-thru polling places where ballots are cast from an occupants car via a computer tablet. I can understand some Democrats being upset that some of their proposals were not been included, although the proposed law did include one compromise to allow for Sunday voting, allowing churches to take parishioners to vote after Sunday services. The Democratic response seems more about political posturing than preventing the implementation of voter restrictions. Drive-thru voting is fraught with network security vulnerabilities, and with two weeks of early voting, 24-hour polling places really are unnecessary. I was a member of my high school cross country team (back when I could run more than 50 feet without getting winded). For your team to win a meet, five runners had to cross the finish line. On countless Saturdays, my team did not win not because we were not good, but because we often only had four runners. We knew it was impossible to win the meet, but we ran anyway. The legislators who fled Texas should reconsider and fly home. They cannot win, but they have to suit up. They need to run the race, not run away. The political environment is so polarized right now that I think it affects how people perceive differing opinions. Some may read this and think I am Republican. Truth is, I am not affiliated with any party. This past November, I voted for the person I thought had the best shot of introducing compromise in Washington. He was not a registered Democrat nor was he a registered Republican. Harkening back to those Saturdays in high school when I knew I could not win, I cast a vote for myself. I think if my grandfather were alive and living in Texas, he would have found it easy to cast a vote in person or by mail and would have had no issue with proving his vote legitimate by writing a few numbers on a ballot envelope. Who knows, maybe I would have gotten twice as many votes as I did. Jim McGuinness lives in Niskayuna. Lori Van Buren/Times Union The article "Cuomo signs changes to election law," July 19, states the state election law changes, which are broadly aimed at expanding access and ease to voting, stand in contrast to those pursued in Georgia, Texas, Arizona and other Republican-led states...." Progressives should not get overly smug about this. The Democratic governor and Legislature enacted other election law changes that were specifically designed to eradicate the Green and Libertarian parties, the only grassroots parties in the state. For no good reason, the changes more than doubled the number of signatures required to be on the ballot. ALBANY The woman who accused Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of groping her at the Executive Mansion last year informed her attorney when they first discussed the allegations in early March that she would be willing to take a polygraph lie-detector examination, and that she would also like the governor to submit to one as well. A spokesman for the governor referred comment to Cuomo's attorney, Rita Glavin, who late Friday characterized the matter as "press ploys." She declined to say whether Cuomo would consent to submit to an independent polygraph examination to answer questions about the female aide's allegations. "A full process, a fair process, the evidence and the truth will exonerate the governor," Glavin said. When contacted earlier Friday and asked about his client's willingness to take a polygraph examination, Albany attorney Brian D. Premo, who represents the woman, noted that she had told him "the day we met ... that she would take a polygraph test without hesitation." Premo added that his client had also indicated that she would like the governor to take a polygraph examination as well. In 2018, Cuomo issued a statement directed at then-President Donald J. Trump in which he called on U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh to take a polygraph test. Kavanaugh was facing sexual misconduct allegations during his confirmation proceedings before Congress the most serious of which were revealed during the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford. "Here is one basic fact that badly hurts Judge Kavanaugh: Why won't he take a polygraph? Dr. Ford did," Cuomo said in the statement. "If he does not take a polygraph test, it is the ultimate, 'he said, she said.' It is the one powerful piece of evidence that seriously damages his credibility and the credibility of his Republican supporters, including yourself. You can and should ask him to take the test. If he refuses, you should pull the appointment. ... Do not aid and abet a lie. Demand a polygraph." In March, the Times Union reported that the woman, who is roughly half the age of the 63-year-old governor, said the incident happened when she was summoned to the governor's mansion in November to assist him with his mobile phone. Multiple other women have accused Cuomo of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior, but the groping allegations that he reached under her blouse and fondled her breast are the most egregious the governor has faced. Polygraph examinations are a frequent tool of the FBI, State Police and other law enforcement and investigative agencies. In New York, applicants seeking to become a state trooper must submit to a polygraph examination. Through the first six months of this year, State Police have conducted 480 polygraph examinations 102 in criminal investigations and 378 for job applicants. Cuomo has publicly denied that he groped the female aide, and in recent weeks he and his aides have made disparaging remarks about the investigation of the sexual harassment allegations that is being conducted by the office of Attorney General Letitia James. Their allegations that politics are a factor in the investigation have intensified over the past week after Cuomo was interviewed by the investigators. I said I have concerns as to the independence of the reviewers, thats what Ive said, Cuomo said during a press conference on Monday. Is this all happening in a political system? Yes, that is undeniable. ... Look at who the independent investigators are. Do a little history, go to Google Google the independent reviewers and tell me what you see." The governor's remarks were in apparent reference to Joon Kim, a former acting U.S. attorney who is helping lead the attorney general's investigation. Kim was an assistant U.S. attorney in Manhattan and had worked on a corruption and bribery investigation of Cuomo's administration that resulted in numerous convictions including of Cuomo's former top aide Joseph Percoco but did not result in the governor being accused of wrongdoing. The woman who has accused Cuomo of groping her and fondling her during an earlier encounter at the mansion has not wavered from her account of the incident. She told the Times Union in an exclusive interview in April that on the day of the incident last November the governor had contacted Stephanie Benton, the director of the governor's office, and specifically requested that the younger female aide be dispatched to the mansion to assist him. She was directed to the governor's private office on the second floor of the mansion where she said the incident took place after she assisted him with a minor technical question about his phone that required only seconds to resolve. "I remember exactly what I was wearing," she told the Times Union three months ago. "I remember him slamming (the door) so hard that I remember thinking to myself that I'm sure the staff is, like, 'Is everything OK up there?' He came right back and he pulled me close and all I remember is seeing his hand, his big hand. I remember looking down like, 'Holy sh__.'" The governor, she said, had reached under her blouse and his hand was grasping one of her breasts over her bra. "I was just so confused and so taken aback by it. ... He never said anything, which was odd," she said. "At this moment, I don't know what to say I don't know what to do. Now my hives are coming out. I'm, like, swearing in my mind. I remember I walked out and he walked back into his office. ... I remember going downstairs and escorting myself out and going to my car and sitting there for a second and going, 'OK, I have to now go back into the Capitol, go back to my desk and do my job and pretend that, like, that didn't just happen.' "I didn't have another choice. I remember (thinking), 'You have to pull yourself together ... even if you have to sit here for a couple minutes to do that,'" she continued. "If I told someone, I'm done. And who do you tell?" She remains employed on the governor's staff; her attorney said that she has been given very few job duties in the wake of the allegations. It's not unprecedented for polygraph examinations to be conducted in cases in which public figures have been accused of similar misconduct. In 2004, then-Albany Bishop Howard J. Hubbard submitted to a polygraph examination during an investigation conducted by former U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White into allegations that he had engaged in sexual misconduct. White reported that the test indicated Hubbard had been truthful when he answered questions during the exam. Hubbard had publicly stated at the time that he was eager to answer questions about his conduct while submitting to a polygraph examination. Provided photo ALBANY Rudy's V&R, an Italian restaurant open in Rensselaer from 2005 to 2009 that under the same owners became Red House Pub and, most recently, Baking You Crazy, has been revived in a new location, 50 Exchange St., at the West Albany Italian Benevolent Society. It opened earlier this week. Six days a week, Rudy's V&R serves breakfast and lunch until 4 p.m., dinner thereafter. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, closed Monday. Food is available for dine-in, takeout, curbside pickup and Grubhub delivery. Farmington, WV (26555) Today Mainly cloudy. A few peeks of sunshine possible. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 79F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. People gather June 28, 2020, at the Porch restaurant in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh. The Cleveland Indians announced that the franchise will now be named the Guardians. How do you feel about the new name? You voted: A Texas man who has spent much of his life in prison has pleaded guilty to the 1995 killing of a woman who was attacked as she jogged near the Sacramento River in California Masks mandated in New Orleans; Louisiana may follow Monday New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell is bringing back an indoor mask mandate for the city and requiring city employees to get vaccinated for COVID-19 [July 30, 2021] Booz Allen Hamilton Announces First Quarter Fiscal 2022 Results Booz Allen Hamilton (News - Alert) Holding Corporation (NYSE: BAH), the parent company of management and technology consulting and engineering services firm Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., today announced preliminary results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2022. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005088/en/ Booz Allen's press release is available at: www.boozallen.com/media investors.boozallen.com Booz Allen's earnings presentation is available at: investors.boozallen.com Booz Allen Hamilton will host a conference call at 8 a.m. EDT on Friday, July 30, 2021, to discuss the financial results for its first quarter fiscal 2022. Analysts and institutional investors may participate on the call by dialing (877) 375-9141, International: (253) 237-1151; using the passcode 9367017. The conference call will be webcast simultaneously to the public through a link on the investor relations section of the Booz Allen Hamilton website at investors.boozallen.com. A replay of the conference call will be available online at investors.boozallen.com beginning at 11 a.m. EDT on July 30, 2021 and continuing for 30 days. About Booz Allen Hamilton For more than 100 years, military, government, and business leaders have turned to Booz Allen Hamilton to solve their most complex problems. As a consulting firm with experts in analytics, digital solutions, engineering, and cyber, we help organizations transform. We are a key partner on some of the most innovative programs for governments worldwide and trusted by its most sensitive agencies. We work shoulder-to-shoulder with clients, using a mission-first approach to choose the right strategy and technology to help them realize their vision. With global headquarters in McLean, Virginia, our firm employs approximately 28,600 people globally as of June 30, 2021 and had revenue of $7.9 billion for the 12 months ended March 31, 2021. To learn more, visit www.boozallen.com. (NYSE: BAH) BAHPR-FI View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005088/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] Montrium Secures $2M Funding from BDC Capital Growth and Transition Capital Division MONTREAL, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Montrium, a leader in cloud-based software solutions for life sciences, today announced that it has secured $2 million in non-dilutive funding from BDC Capital (Canada), Growth and Transition Capital division. With the COVID-19 pandemic driving the adoption of virtual, collaborative systems such as those offered by Montrium, the company has been able to demonstrate a strong demand for its products that will continue to row as digital infrastructure plays an increasingly crucial role within life sciences organizations. Montrium was able to secure the funding as a result of its robust product offerings, solid business operations, skilled management team, and promising industry niche. The funding will be used to bolster product development and expand the engineering team, allowing Montrium to poise itself for immense growth in an industry that is ready for the next generation of systems. "We are thrilled that BDC Capital has chosen to partner with us as we strive to develop our cutting-edge products and shape software solutions. This financing represents an incredible opportunity for Montrium and will allow us to continue demonstrating that we are an innovative, dynamic company driven by market demand," stated Paul Fenton, CEO of Montrium. "We have followed Montrium for several years and now feel that the moment is right for taking this leap forward. We really liked the protected and specialized industry that Montrium is in, as well as how it addresses the strong need for smaller contract research organizations (CROs) and pharmaceutical companies to have access to more structured tools. We also felt that the management team was very complementary, with a clear vision and the right skills to execute it," stated Jean-Philippe Poissant, Director of Growth and Transition Capital at BDC Capital. Media Contact: Shima Healey Head of Marketing, Montrium +1 (514) 233-9153 ext. 283 315464@email4pr.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/montrium-secures-2m-funding-from-bdc-capital-growth-and-transition-capital-division-301344951.html SOURCE Montrium [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 29, 2021] Data Center Market in Europe 2021-2025: Industry Analysis, Market Trends, Growth, Opportunities, and Forecast |Technavio NEW YORK, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --The data center market in Europe is set to grow by USD 122.05 billion, progressing at a CAGR of over 20% during 2021-2025. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, the latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. Technavio reports offer customer landscape matrix and vendor landscape analysis that assists global businesses to obtain growth opportunities. Download Free Sample Report The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Alphabet Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc., Colt Technology Services Group Ltd., Digital Realty Trust Inc., Equinix Inc., Global Switch Holdings Ltd., GTT Communications Inc., International Business Machines Corp., and Microsoft Corp. are some of the major market participants. The Increase in the adoption of cloud-based storage services will offer immense growth opportunities. To leverage the current opportunities, market vendors must strengthen their foothold in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments. Data Center Market in Europe 2021-2025: Segmentation Data Center Market in Europe is segmented as below: Component IT Infrastructure Power Management Cooling Solutions General Construction Others Geography Western Europe Rest Of Europe To gain access to detailed market landscape, vendor analysis, and future trends impacting the growth of the market, download a sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR41316 Data Center Market in Europe 2021-2025: Vendor Analysis and Scope Some of the major vendors of the data center market in Europe in the Internet Services & Infrastructure industry include Alphabet Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc., Colt Technology Services Group Ltd., Digital Realty Trust Inc., Equinix Inc., Global Switch Holdings Ltd., GTT Communications Inc., International Business Machines Corp., and Microsoft Corp. To help businesses improve their market position, Technavio's report provides a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the market. The report also covers the following areas: Data Center Market in Europe size size Data Center Market in Europe trends trends Data Center Market in Europe industry analysis Innovative approaches like submarine data centers are likely to emerge as one of the primary drivers of the market. However, the exit of the UK from the EU may threaten the growth of the market. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the data center market in Europe are designed to provide entry support, customer profile & M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support. Data Center Market in Europe 2021-2025: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2021-2025 Detailed information on factors that will assist the data center market growth in Europe during the next five years during the next five years Estimation of the data center market size in Europe and its contribution to the parent market and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the data center market in Europe Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of data center market vendors in Europe Related Reports on Information Technology Include: Global Data Center Infrastructure Management Solutions Market- The data center infrastructure management (DCIM) solutions market is segmented by application (asset and capacity management, energy management, power and cooling management, and network management) and geography (North America, APAC, Europe, MEA, and South America). Download FREE Sample Report Global Data Center General Construction Market- The data center general construction market is segmented by type (base building shell construction and architecture planning and designing) and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA). Download FREE Sample Report Table of Contents: Executive Summary Market Landscape Market ecosystem Market characteristics Value chain analysis Market Sizing Market definition Market segment analysis Market size 2020 Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025 Five Forces Analysis Five Forces Summary Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Threat of rivalry Market condition Market Segmentation by Component Market segments Comparison by Component IT infrastructure - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Power management - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Cooling solutions - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 General construction - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Others - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Market opportunity by Component Customer landscape Overview Geographic Landscape Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison Western Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Rest of Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Key leading countries Market opportunity by geography Market drivers Market challenges Market trends Vendor Landscape Competitive Scenario Vendor landscape Landscape disruption Industry risks Vendor Analysis Vendors covered Market positioning of vendors Alphabet Inc. Amazon.com Inc. Apple Inc. Colt Technology Services Group Ltd. Digital Realty Trust Inc. Equinix Inc. Global Switch Holdings Ltd. GTT Communications Inc. International Business Machines Corp. Microsoft Corp. Appendix Scope of the report Currency conversion rates for US$ Research methodology List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Report link: https://www.technavio.com/report/data-center-market-size-in-europe-industry-analysis Newsroom: https://newsroom.technavio.com/news/data-center-market-v2 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/data-center-market-in-europe-2021-2025-industry-analysis-market-trends-growth-opportunities-and-forecast-technavio-301343670.html SOURCE Technavio [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 29, 2021] Benson Hill to Provide Its Earnings Report for The Second Quarter 2021 on August 10, 2021 ST. LOUIS, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Benson Hill, Inc. (the "Company" or "Benson Hill"), a food tech company unlocking the natural genetic diversity of plants with its cutting-edge food innovation engine, today announced that it will release its financial results for the second quarter 2021, before the market opens, on Tuesday, August 10, 2021. Following the release, members of Benson Hill's senior management team will host a webcast to discuss the second quarter 2021 results at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. This conference call can be accessed via a link on Benson Hill's investor relations website at https://bensonhill.com/investors. The format will be pre-recorded remarks by management with no question and answer session. About Benson Hill Benson Hill moves food forward with the CropOS platform, a cutting-edge food innovation engine that combines data science and machine learning with biology and genetics. Benson Hill empowers innovators to unlock nature's genetic diversity from plant to plate, with the purpose of creating healthier, great-tasting food and ingredient options that are both widely accessible and sustainable. More information can be found at bensonhill.com or on Twitter at @bensonhillinc. On May 10, 2021, Benson Hill announced a definitive business combination agreement with Star Peak Corp II (NYSE: STPC). Upon the closing of the business combination, Benson Hill will become publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the new ticker symbol "BHIL". Additional information about the transaction can be viewed at: https://bensonhill.com/investors/ or https://stpc.starpeakcorp.com/. Additional Information This communication is being made in respect of a proposed merger (the "Merger") and related transactions (the "proposed transactions") involving Star Peak and Benson Hill. The proposed transactions will be submitted to stockholders of Star Peak for their consideration and approval at a special meeting of stockholders. In addition, Benson Hill will solicit written consents from its stockholders for approval of the proposed transactions. In connection with the proposed transactions, Star Peak has filed a Registration Statement on Form S-4 (the "Registration Statement") wih the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), which includes a proxy statement to be distributed to Star Peak stockholders in connection with Star Peak's solicitation for proxies for the vote by Star Peak's stockholders in connection with the proposed transactions and other matters as described in such Registration Statements and a prospectus relating to the offer of the securities to be issued to Benson Hill's stockholders in connection with the completion of the Merger. After the Registration Statement has been declared effective, Star Peak will mail a definitive proxy statement / prospectus and other relevant documents to its stockholders as of the record date established for voting on the proposed transactions. Investors, Star Peak's stockholders and other interested parties are advised to read, when available, the preliminary proxy statement, and any amendments thereto, and the definitive proxy statement in connection with Star Peak's solicitation of proxies for its special meeting of stockholders to be held to approve the proposed transaction because the proxy statement / prospectus will contain important information about the proposed transaction and the parties to the proposed transaction. Stockholders will also be able to obtain copies of the proxy statement / prospectus, without charge, once available, at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or by directing a request to: Star Peak Corp II, 1603 Orrington Avenue, 13th Floor, Evanston, Illinois 60201. No Offer or Solicitation This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, or a solicitation of any vote or approval, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Participants in the Solicitation Star Peak and Benson Hill and their respective directors, executive officers, other members of management, and employees, under SEC rules, may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies of Star Peak's stockholders in connection with the proposed transaction. Information regarding the persons who may, under SEC rules, be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the proposed transaction, including a description of their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, is set forth in the Registration Statement that has been filed with the SEC by Star Peak, which includes the proxy statement / prospectus for the proposed transaction. Information regarding the directors and executive officers of Star Peak is contained in Star Peak's filings with the SEC, and such information is also in the Registration Statement that has been filed with the SEC by Star Peak, which includes the proxy statement / prospectus for the proposed transaction. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this communication may be considered "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or Star Peak's or Benson Hill's future financial or operating performance. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding estimates and forecasts of other financial and performance metrics and projections of market opportunity. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may," "should," "expect," "intend," "will," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," "predict," or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Star Peak and its management, and Benson Hill and its management, as the case may be, are inherently uncertain factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: 1) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the definitive merger agreement with respect to the business combination; 2) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Star Peak, the combined company or others following the announcement of the business combination and any definitive agreements with respect thereto; 3) the inability to complete the business combination due to the failure to obtain approval of the stockholders of Star Peak, to obtain financing to complete the business combination or to satisfy other conditions to closing; 4) changes to the proposed structure of the business combination that may be required or appropriate as a result of applicable laws or regulations or as a condition to obtaining regulatory approval of the business combination; 5) the ability to meet the New York Stock Exchange's listing standards following the consummation of the business combination; 6) the risk that the business combination disrupts current plans and operations of Benson Hill as a result of the announcement and consummation of the business combination; 7) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the business combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the ability of the combined company to grow and manage growth profitably, maintain relationships with customers and suppliers and retain its management and key employees; 8) costs related to the business combination; 9) changes in applicable laws or regulations; 10) the possibility that Benson Hill or the combined company may be adversely affected by other economic, business and/or competitive factors; 11) Benson Hill's estimates of its financial performance; 12) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on business and financial conditions; and 13) other risks and uncertainties set forth in the sections entitled "Risk Factors" and "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in Star Peak's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on March 31, 2021, in the Registration Statement containing the proxy statement / prospectus relating to the proposed business combination, and other documents filed or to be filed with the SEC by Star Peak. Nothing in this communication should be regarded as a representation by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth herein will be achieved or that any of the contemplated results of such forward looking statements will be achieved. There may be additional risks that Star Peak and Benson Hill presently do not know or that Star Peak and Benson Hill currently believe are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Neither Star Peak nor Benson Hill undertakes any duty to update these forward-looking statements, except as otherwise required by law. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/benson-hill-to-provide-its-earnings-report-for-the-second-quarter-2021-on-august-10-2021-301344831.html SOURCE Benson Hill [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] DeFinity adds deep-learning AI models to detect digital asset market anomalies LONDON, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DeFinity, a DeFi marketplace for fiat foreign exchange, tokenised currencies, and central bank digital currencies (CBDC), partners with Axyon AI to enable the first ever use of Deep Learning-powered AI to detect market anomalies in the digital asset space. Axyon AI is a leading European FinTech company with expertise in Deep Learning/AI for asset management and trading firms. Axyon AI has successful products in several financial use-cases, from security selection and asset allocation to anomaly detection in option pricing. Manu Choudhary, Chief Executive Officer of DeFinity, says: "Artificial Intelligence is the apex technology of the information age and we are incredibly fortunate to have partnered with Axyon AI, a true innovator in the field. This partnership will allow DeFinity token holders to gain exclusive access to AI powered risk management insights ordinarily reserved for top tier institutional investors." AI-powered market anomaly detection is a cutting-edge technology that generates automated alerts on irregular patterns in asset prices, which may be the result of undisclosed new information, ripple effects from correlated assets, or structural breaks in an asset's behaviour versus the broader market. The AI technology can promptly discover these hidden market data aberrations, which would be otherwise undetectable, and provide an early warning on potential volatility events. DeFinity is a layer-2 protocol and decentralised exchange solution that utilises existing blockchain frameworks, including WeOwn,Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, Polkadot, and Cardano. With a focus on interoperability, the ambition is to create a more inclusive decentralised ecosystem that helps to bridge traditional assets with digital assets. Daniele Grassi, Chief Executive Officer of Axyon AI, says "Digital assets will inevitably reconfigure the financial sector, and DeFinity is at the forefront of this evolution. We believe that our AI-powered solutions, which are already used by leading players in the traditional asset management sector, will provide DeFinity's community with valuable help in identifying market anomalies and related risks in the digital assets space." About DeFinity DeFinity (https://definity.network) is a financial technology firm powered and owned by DMALINK (dmalink.com) and WeOwn (weown.com), specialising in traditional and digital FX, which is designing a decentralised exchange, using smart contracts, with a focus on real-time clearing and settlement. Harnessing the power of decentralisation within a strong regulatory framework, the firm is specifically geared towards the future support of central bank digital currencies and decentralised financial services for FX. Telegram Official Community https://t.me/DeFinity_Community Telegram Announcements https://t.me/DeFinity_ANN Medium https://medium.com/definity-network LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/definitynetwork Twitter https://twitter.com/definitynetwork Facebook https://www.facebook.com/definitynetwork About Axyon AI Axyon AI is a leading player in deep learning, the newest area of machine learning artificial intelligence, for time series forecasting. Axyon AI partners with asset managers and hedge funds to deliver consistently high-performing end-to-end AI powered quantitative insights and investment strategies. Website https://axyon.ai Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/axyon-ai/ For more information contact: press@definity.network +44 (0) 20 3290 6580 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] Chinese Consumer Robotics Company KEYi Tech Raises Tens of Millions of Dollars in Series B Financing BEIJING, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- KEYI Technology Inc (KEYi Tech), a Chinese consumer robotics corporation, recently raised tens of millions of dollars in Series B financing. This round of financing was led by Xiaomi and Shunwei Capital, followed by existing shareholders Source Code Capital and BlueRun Ventures, with 100Summit Partners serving as the exclusive financial advisor. "The funds from the Series B financing will be used to build a developer ecosystem and develop new products. The close partnership with Xiaomi allows KEYi Tech to develop robots by combining its advantages in robotic technologies and consumer robotics with Xiaomi's competence in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and channel supply chain," said Yang Jianbo, founder and CEO of KEYi Tech. "We look forward to delivering a superior Metaverse robotics experience to consumers through our cooperation with Xiaomi." Founded in 2014, KEYi Tech is a consumer robotics company that has integrated an industrial control algorithm, control and perception technologies as well as AI into the robotic design of ClicBot. Based on a modular robotic system, KEYi Tech has built a platform through which users across different age groups and geographies can create and share content in a common community. ClicBot's open and highly random gameplay delivers more fun as the player's experience grows. Clicot was over 40 times oversubscribed on Kickstarter when it was launched on the platform in 2020, raising some US$900,000 from 1,678 backers from more than 80 countries and regions. In March 2021, ClicBot was named by Forbes as "Best Coding Robot" among its Top Ten Educational Robots of the Year. ClicBot, now with over 10,000 users worldwide, recently has been made available in China through an online and offline simultaneous direct sale model. As a next step, KEYi Tech plans to expand sales of ClicBot in the market by upgrading the robot and establishing relationships with more domestic retailers. "Unlike traditional consumer robots, ClicBot was designed and built based on the concept of creating a brand-new robot with various combinations of intelligent modules," added Mr. Yang. "By reconfiguring the modules, users can create over 10,000 robotics applications from several categories, among them, tools, cute pets and interactive games. ClicBot can be used as a toy as well as a platform through which the user can create content and learn from others." In addition, ClicBot is an educational robot that delivers a two-level programming experience comprising action coding that is enabled by basic concatenation and codeless programming which is achieved by dragging graphics. KEYi Tech has also created an intelligent ecological community for ClicBot based on various application scenarios. The community meets on a diversified platform where users from all over the world share, discuss and execute their ideas about robotics every day. The platform brings together content consumers, content creators and developers who facilitate the creation of innovative content and interactions between developers and players. Many members of the community say that it has been an unprecedented and thrilling experience. Users can view and directly download other players' creations in this community. Some take the next step and become content creators. ClicBot is easy to use and allows users to complete any combination of modules in under 3 minutes. In the ClicBot App playground, the robot is available in over 50 preset robotic configurations, enabling users to learn while playing. Users can also create advanced content based on their own ideas while interacting with and inspiring others in the community. ClicBot's interactions with the community have helped build a Metaverse ecosystem where a large number of players can also become creators and developers, ultimately creating a full ecosystem. Furthermore, with the expansion of the user base and the accelerated evolution of content, players can create their own competitive barriers through content and data, similar to other games in the genre. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chinese-consumer-robotics-company-keyi-tech-raises-tens-of-millions-of-dollars-in-series-b-financing-301344958.html SOURCE KEYI Technology Inc [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] Inventec introduces E200G4, the High-Efficiency AIoT Edge Box TAIPEI, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Server manufacturer Inventec (TPE: 2356) has unveiled its latest high-efficiency Artificial Intelligence of Things (IoT) Edge box system, the E200G4. Outstanding Computing Capability for AI and Edge Applications By 2025, 55.6% of all data will come from IoT devices, including retail devices, industrial equipment, digital signage, medical implants. 11th Gen Intel Core processors are enhanced for IoT, with this future in mind. A high-performance edge AIoT device, the Inventec E200G4 is backed by an 11th Gen Intel Core TigerLake-UP3 CPU that supports high performance and reliability for IoT systems and Intel Iris Xe graphics that can decode over 40 video streams at 1080p resolution and 30fps. Excellent Flexibility with Multiple Wireless/AI Modules Inventec E200G4 provides multiple internal M.2 expansion slots and wireless modules, supporting 4GLTE or 5GNR (sub-6G) and WiFi-6 modules for IoT applications or SSD NVMe modules for general storage. The system is equipped with two slots for AI accelerators of up to 70 TOPS. In addition, the E200G4's high-bandwidth network communication capabilities can cater to the demands of different application procedures. 5G Fixed Wireless Access A New Software-Driven platform Through a collaboration with Canonical, E200G4 adopts the Ubuntu Linux operation system (OS) with access to the Canonical supported Inventec Store, an app store providing complete control over store content, review processes and identity. E200G4 can also run Canonical's open source NFV stack, designed for hosting VNFs with optimum performance and security requirements, to become an NFVI (Network Functions Virtualization Infrastructure) platform. Industrial-Level System with Wide Operating Temperature Range Highly modular and ultra-thin (8.66 x 1.66 x 6.77 inch), the fan less E200G4 AIoT Box makes maintenance and servicing a breeze. The E200G4 can operate optimally between -20 and 60 Celsius with a wide operating temperature range and 0.7m/s airflow. Its strong environmental adaptability is bolstered by an Ingress Protection rating of 51 in addition to protection standards of IEC 60068-2-64 for vibrations and IEC 60068-2-27 for shocks during operations. The E200G4's sturdy and industry-level system make it perfect for a wide variety of typical IoT applications, including intelligent video surveillance, extensive data analysis, Industry 4.0, and smart healthcare. This is enhanced by Intel Time Coordinated Computing-enabled processors that deliver optimal compute and time performance for real-time IoT applications. "Our long-established relationship with Intel means Inventec constantly offers users Intel-powered industrial performance AIoT with market-leading TCO (total cost of ownership)," said George Lin, General Manager of Business Unit VI, Inventec Enterprise Business Group (Inventec EBG). "Our latest AIoT, the E200G4, is an ideal uCPE or edge device for integrated AI acceleration while supporting applications that demand high-speed processing, computer vision, and low-latency deterministic computing," Lin added. About Inventec Data Center Solutions (Inventec EBG) Inventec Data Center Solutions (Inventec EBG) was established in 1998 and focused on designing and manufacturing server systems in Inventec Corporation. Over decades, Inventec EBG has been the key server system supplier of global branding clients. For more information, please visit https://ebg.inventec.com/en. Follow "Inventec Data Center Solutions" on LinkedIn and Wechat to receive their latest news and announcements. Inventec logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Inventec Corporation. Intel, the Intel logo, and other Intel marks are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries. All trademarks and logos are the properties of their respective holders. Media Contact Jessica Shih shih.jessica@inventec.com +886 3 390 0000 #26003 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/inventec-introduces-e200g4-the-high-efficiency-aiot-edge-box-301344966.html SOURCE Inventec Corporation [July 30, 2021] National Energy "NE" Announces Completion and Full Energization of its First Greenfield 24MWp Solar Project in Greece ATHENS, Greece, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- National Energy (NE) is pleased to announce the successful completion and full energization of its first greenfield construction solar energy installation in Greece. The 24.08MWp ground-mounted solar energy installation is comprised of five (5) PV projects in Central Greece in the regions of Viotia and Fthiotida. The solar energy installation will generate ca. 47.7Gigawatt hours (GWh) year which could power ca. 10,000 homes and reduce ca. 23,000 tons of CO2 emissions per annum. All projects have secured a 20-year fixed tariff, awarded via the auction conducted by the Greek Regulatory Authority of Energy (RAE) in July 2019. NE's position in the Greek market is now consolidated with an operational portfolio of 91MW consisting of both wind and solar assets. The 24.08MWp portfolio is wholly owned and operated by National Energy's Greek subsidiary, New NE Solar Developments One 1 Single Member SA (NNESD1). Mytilineos RSD Business Unit delivered the full scope of engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for all projects. The projects are comprised of a combined: ca. 51,000 Suntech and Trina bifacial solar panels 128 Huawei solar string inverters Mevaco fixed structure and Soltech one axs trackers February 2021 followed by the remaining three projects fully energized in June 2021 . Performance across the five solar projects has been positive and, on average, all sites have been producing above initial forecasted expectations. Non-recourse project finance was provided by Piraeus Bank Financing via a Bond Loan Facility in November 2020 . George Lagios, Greek Country Manager for National Energy, expressed, "We are very committed to our long-term holdings in Greece. This was the first batch of our solar projects to be constructed. We realized the project with EPC contractor Mytilineos RSD who demonstrated professionalism and commitment to delivering the project on time and selected Huawei inverters as they meet all aspects of our quality and performance standards, while they are backed by after sales support offering long-term security for our projects. We are proud to be involved in the Greek energy transition to a low carbon future and ensuring we leave the environment in a better shape than we found it." About National Energy www.national.energy Headquartered in London and founded in late 2018, National Energy is an agile and entrepreneurial renewable energy investment platform with a focus on solar PV and wind projects from greenfield development to long-term asset ownership. The company is financed by US investors and is uniquely positioned to make large-scale investments and strategic acquisitions. National Energy's mission is to develop, finance and operate a minimum of 2GWp of renewable assets in the next 5 years with a focus on accelerating the transition to clean and affordable power generation in key European markets. The company currently holds a significant footprint in Greece since entering the market as a newcomer in late 2018 with an operational portfolio of 91MW of solar and onshore wind as well as an additional 245MW of solar assets that have successfully been awarded a tariff in the Greek auction system. National Energy is led by an international team with deep industry experience and hires operational expertise directly from the Greek economy providing local market know-how to operate with agility in a domestic market as an overseas investor. The company fully adheres to ESG principles and invests ethically and responsibly in the transition to a low carbon future, holding above all else, ultimate respect for the environment. For more details, please contact: Christine Caralis Wallier, NATIONAL ENERGY Press Office E-mail cwallier@national.energy +44 203 859 5045 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1585089/National_Energy_logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] RiskIQ Uncovers Infrastructure Patterns Leading to 35 Active Russian APT29, aka Cozy Bear, C2 Servers SAN FRANCISCO, July 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RiskIQ , a leader in internet security intelligence, has uncovered more than 30 active command and control (C2) servers under the control of APT29 (The Dukes, Yttrium, Cozy Bear), which the US government associates with Russias Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), actively serving malware (WellMess, WellMail). This malware was previously used in espionage campaigns targeting COVID-19 research in the UK, US, and Canada. The report will be of particular interest to those tracking APT29 and targets and victims of WellMess/WellMail malware, who may benefit from the tactical intelligence, including APT29s network footprint, SSL certifications, and IP addresses. Key Findings Russia's APT29, which the US government associated with Russia's foreign intelligence service, is actively serving malware (WellMess, WellMail) previously used in espionage campaigns targeting COVID-19 research in the UK, US, and Canada. RiskIQ's Team Atlas identified nearly three dozen C2 servers we assessed are under the control of APT29 and serving WellMess. The activity uncovered was notable given the context in which it appeared, coming on the heels of a public reproach of Russian hacking by President Joe Biden in a recent summit with President Vladimir Putin. One year ago, amid a global pandemic, the UK, US, and Canadian governments issued a joint advisory detailing a Russian espioage campaign that targeted COVID-19 vaccine research efforts in their respective countries. They attributed the campaign to APT29 and explicitly identified the group as an extension of the SVR. They attributed the malware used in the campaign, known as WellMess and WellMail, with APT29, for the first time publicly. Only one month ago, the American and Russian heads of state held a summit wherein Russia's aggressive cyber campaigns topped the list of President Biden's strategic concerns. Given this context, RiskIQs Threat Intelligence Team Atlas paid particular attention to APT29 activity around and after this summit, which took place on June 16. RiskIQs Team Atlas assesses with high confidence that these IP addresses and certificates are in active use by APT29 at the time of this writeup, said Kevin Livelli, Director of Threat Intelligence, RiskIQ Team Atlas. We were unable to locate any malware which communicated with this infrastructure, but we suspect it is likely similar to previously identified samples. RiskIQs Team Atlas will continue to update the community as they identify additional infrastructure related to this malware. You can read the full article here and explore the IOCs from the investigation and other known APT29 infrastructure by joining the RiskIQ Community . RiskIQs Team Atlas encourages analysts at security companies and those targeted by this threat actor to contact us at atlas@riskiq.net. About RiskIQ RiskIQ is a leader in internet security intelligence, providing the most comprehensive discovery, intelligence, and mitigation of threats associated with an organizations digital presence. With more than 75% of attacks originating outside the firewall, RiskIQ allows enterprises to gain unified insight and control over web, social and mobile exposures. Trusted by security teams, CISOs, and more than 100,000 security analysts, RiskIQs platform combines advanced internet data reconnaissance and analytics to expedite investigations, understand digital attack surfaces, assess risk, and take action to protect the business, brand, and customers. Based in San Francisco, the company is backed by Summit Partners, Battery Ventures, Georgian Partners, NationalGrid Partners, and MassMutual Ventures. Try RiskIQ Community Edition for free and learn more about RiskIQ. 2021 RiskIQ, Inc. All rights reserved. RiskIQ is a registered trademark of RiskIQ, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. Contact Holly Hitchcock Front Lines Media (669) 247-6521 Holly@FrontLines.io [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] Carter's, Inc. Issues Inaugural Corporate Social Responsibility Report Carter's, Inc. (NYSE: CRI (News - Alert) ), the largest branded marketer in North America of apparel exclusively for babies and young children, announced today its first Corporate Social Responsibility ( CSR (News - Alert) ) Report, detailing its strategic environmental, social and governance priorities and initiatives. Carter's CSR report focuses on three strategic pillars: People, Product and Planet, and sets forth its commitments and goals. These commitments and goals align with the Company's mission of supporting all families with young children and its growth objectives. "As the leading Company serving families with young children, we embrace the market evolution occurring as a result of the growing social responsibility expectations of our stakeholders, including consumers, employees, and investors. Our annual reporting will offer insight into our goals and initiatives, and also serve as an important benchmark in gauging our progress," said Antonio Robinson, Senior Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility. "We are pursuing opportunities to drive innovation and efficiencies across the lifecycle of our products, while enhancing our social and environmental impact." Through its corporate social responsibility issue assessment, Carter's identified key areas of importance to the Company's success and to its stakeholders. These areas include product quality and safety, product design and innovation, employee engagement, diversity and inclusion, climate change, workers' rights and supply-chain management. Carter's has established goals under each strategic CSR pillar: People : Improve the well-being of at least 10 million families and at least 1 million workers within its global value chain by 2030 Increase diverse representation across its global value chain : Product : Use 100% sustainable cotton and polyester fibers by 2030 Maintain high quality and safety standards : Planet : Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25% by 230, and develop a science-based target Use more sustainable packaging and reduce landfill waste Promote efficient use of water in the manufacturing of its products : ir.carters.com. About Carter's, Inc. Carter's, Inc. is the largest branded marketer in North America of apparel exclusively for babies and young children. The Company owns the Carter's and OshKosh B'gosh brands, two of the most recognized brands in the marketplace. These brands are sold in leading department stores, national chains, and specialty retailers domestically and internationally. They are also sold through more than 1,000 Company-operated stores in the United States, Canada, and Mexico and online at www.carters.com, www.oshkosh.com, www.cartersoshkosh.ca, and www.carters.com.mx. The Company's Child of Mine brand is available at Walmart, its Just One You brand is available at Target (News - Alert) , and its Simple Joys brand is available on Amazon. The Company also owns Skip Hop, a global lifestyle brand for families with young children. Carter's is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Additional information may be found at www.carters.com. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements with respect to our goals, commitments and programs. Such statements are based on current expectations only, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, including those described in the our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time under the headings "Risk Factors." Also, due to the developing nature of our initiatives, statements here may be based on estimates and approximate data. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005240/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] Orchestra BioMed Announces Clinical Data Demonstrating a Significant and Sustained Reduction in Blood Pressure in MODERATO II Control Patients After Crossover to BackBeat Cardiac Neuromodulation Therapy Clinically meaningful and statistically significant reduction in systolic blood pressure is consistent with the decrease previously observed in the study treatment group during the same time period. Ambulatory Systolic Blood Pressure (aSBP) decreased by an average of 10.3 mmHg (p<0.01) at 6 months. Office Systolic Blood Pressure (oSBP) decreased by an average of 13.1 and 20.9 mmHg at 6 and 12 months, respectively. NEW HOPE, Pa., July 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orchestra BioMed, Inc., (Orchestra BioMed or the Company), a biomedical innovation company focused on developing transformative therapeutic products for large unmet medical needs in procedure-based medicine, today announced that long-term follow-up data on hypertensive patients from the control group of the MODERATO II study who received crossover treatment with BackBeat Cardiac Neuromodulation Therapy (CNT) were featured in a presentation at the Heart Rhythm Society meeting in Boston, MA on July 29th. The data demonstrated a clinically meaningful and statistically significant reduction in blood pressure in these patients, which was consistent with the decrease previously observed in the studys treatment group during the same period. I continue to be impressed and encouraged by the observed reduction in blood pressure in patients treated with BackBeat CNT. Reductions in ambulatory and office systolic blood pressure were clinically significant and persistent in control patients who went on to receive crossover therapy, stated Professor Zbigniew F. Kalarus, M.D., Ph.D., chairman of the department of cardiology at Silesian Center for Heart Diseases (SCHD), Zabrze, Poland. Of additional importance is that the rate of adverse cardiac events in these patients was lower during the crossover period as compared to the control period, when patients were not receiving treatment with BackBeat CNT. MODERATO II is a European, prospective, multi-center, double-blind, randomized study of BackBeat CNT (n=26) vs. control (n=21) in patients with persistent hypertension (ASBP =130 mmHg and oSBP = 140 mmHg) despite one or more anti-hypertensive medications and a pacemaker indication. Of the 21 control patients (treated with antihypertensive medications only, BackBeat not activated), 14 were eligible for crossover to BackBeat CNT, and 13 completed 12 months of follow-up to-date (one patient died of cancer). Key interim study data: Immediately upon activation of BackBeat CNT, aSBP dropped by 16.712.9 mmHg (p<0.01) and remained low after 6 months (-10.39.3 mmHg, p<0.01); consisent with the decrease observed in the treatment group during the same time period. After crossover to BackBeat treatment, oSBP decreased by 13.126.6 and 20.915.1 mmHg at 6 and 12 months, respectively (p=0.05). A lower rate of adverse cardiac events was observed in the control patients during the crossover period as compared to the study control period when patients were not receiving BackBeat CNT. BackBeat CNT, a flagship therapy of Orchestra BioMed, is a bioelectronic treatment designed to immediately, substantially, and persistently lower blood pressure (BP) while simultaneously modulating the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). Orchestra BioMeds CE Mark-approved Moderato implantable pulse generator system delivers BackBeat CNT while also providing standard pacemaker functions. BackBeat CNT is designed to mimic the effects of multi-drug hypertension therapy by targeting preload, afterload and sympathetic tone. The initial target treatment population for BackBeat CNT is patients with uncontrolled hypertension who are also indicated for a pacemaker. About Orchestra BioMed Orchestra BioMed is a biomedical innovation company focused on developing transformative therapeutic products for large unmet needs in procedure-based medicine. The Company is led by a highly accomplished, multidisciplinary management team and board of directors with extensive experience in all phases of medical device development. Orchestra BioMeds partnership-enabled business model focuses on forging strategic collaborations with leading medical device companies to drive successful global commercialization of products it develops. Orchestra BioMed was formed in 2018 by assembling a pipeline of multiple late-stage clinical product candidates originally developed by the Companys founding team. The Companys flagship product candidates are Virtue Sirolimus AngioInfusion Balloon (SAB) for the treatment of artery disease, the leading cause of mortality, and BackBeat Cardiac Neuromodulation Therapy for the treatment of hypertension, the leading risk factor for death worldwide. Orchestra BioMed has a global strategic partnership with Terumo Corporation, one of the worlds largest medical device companies, for development and commercialization of Virtue SAB. Together, the companies plan to initiate a U.S. pivotal trial for the use of Virtue SAB in the treatment of coronary in-stent restenosis in 2021 which will be the first in a series of pivotal trials aimed at achieving regulatory approvals in multiple indications worldwide. The Company has additional product candidates in its pipeline and plans to thoughtfully expand its product pipeline in the future through acquisitions, strategic collaborations, licensing, and organic development. Forward-Looking Statements Some of the statements made herein constitute forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future financial and other performance or anticipated plans and are identified by words such as may, will, should, expect, could, scheduled, plan, intend, anticipate, believe, estimate, potential, propose and continue or negative variants of such terms. These and similar forward-looking statements discuss the Companys future expectations and plans. The Company operates in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time. Given these risks and uncertainties, the Company cautions against placing undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. These statements are only estimates of future performance. Actual performance or events may not meet such expectations or estimates and may, in fact, differ materially. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements made herein are reasonable, the Company cannot and does not guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Moreover, the Company does not assume any responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of such forward-looking statements in the future. The Company does not plan and, subject to applicable law, undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements made herein. Investor Contact: Bob Yedid LifeSci Advisors 646-597-6989 Bob@lifesciadvisors.com Media Contact: Gloria Gasaatura LifeSci Communications 646-970-4688 ggasaatura@lifescicomms.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] Clarion Partners Real Estate Income Fund Inc. (CPREIF) Announces Tender Offer Clarion Partners Real Estate Income Fund Inc. ("CPREIF" or the "Fund"), which offers Class S Shares (CPRSX), Class T Shares (CPRTX), Class D Shares (CPRDX) and Class I Shares (CPREX), announced today that the Fund's Board of Directors has approved a tender offer for up to 5.0% of the Fund's aggregate net asset value ("NAV"), subject to the right to purchase additional shares representing up to 2.0% of the Fund's NAV without amending or extending the offer. The tender offer will be conducted at a price equal to the Fund's NAV per share of common stock on the day on which the tender offer expires. The Fund intends to commence its tender offer on or about September 15, 2021, with the expiration of the tender offer currently expected to be October 14, 2021. The tender offer will be made, and the stockholders of the Fund will be notified, in accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and other applicable rules and regulations. The tender offer described in this announcement has not yet commenced. This announcement is not an offer to purchase or a solicitation of an offer to buy shares of the Fund. The tender offer will be made only by an Offer to Purchase, a Repurchase Request Form, and related documents. As soon as the tender offer commences, the Fund will file a tender offer statement on Schedule TO with the SEC (News - Alert) , which will include an Offer to Purchase and related Repurchase Request Form. STOCKHOLDERS OF THE FUND SHOULD READ THESE DOCUMENTS BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN OR WILL CONTAIN THE TERMS OF THE TENDER OFFER. Documents filed with the SEC are available to investors for free at the SEC's website (http://www.sec.gov). CPREIF is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company that continuously offers its common stock. The Fund's investment manager, Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC, is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc. ("Franklin Resources") and the Fund's investment sub-adviser, Clarion Partners, LLC ("Clarion Partners"), is an indirect, majority-owned subsidiary of Franklin Resources. In addition, the Fund's securities sub-adviser, Western Asset Management Company, LLC ("Western Asset"), also is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Resources. Data and commentary provided in this press release are for informational purposes only. Hard copies of the Fund's complete audited financial statements are available free of charge upon request. For more information on CPREIF, go to www.cpreif.com. THIS PRESS RELEASE IS NOT A PROSPECTUS, CIRCULAR OR REPRESENTATION INTENDED FOR USE IN THE PURCHASE OR SALE OF FUND SHARES. THIS PRESS RELEASE MAY CONTAIN STATEMENTS REGARDING PLANS AND EXPECTATIONS FOR THE FUTURE THAT CONSTITUTE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS WITHIN THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995. ALL STATEMENTS OTHER THAN STATEMENTS OF HISTORICAL FACT ARE FORWARD-LOOKING AND CAN BE IDENTIFIED BY THE USE OF WORDS SUCH AS "MAY," "WILL," "EXPECT," "ANTICIPATE," "ESTIMATE," "BELIEVE," "CONTINUE" OR OTHER SIMILAR WORDS. SUCH FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS ARE BASED ON (News - Alert) THE FUND'S CURRENT PLANS AND EXPECTATIONS, AND ARE SUBJECT TO RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES THAT COULD CAUSE ACTUAL RESULTS TO DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE DESCRIBED IN THE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING SUCH RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES ARE CONTAINED IN THE FUND'S FILINGS WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION. About Clarion Partners Clarion Partners, an SEC registered investment adviser with FCA-authorized and FINRA member affiliates, has been a leading U.S. real estate investment manager for more than 39 years. Headquartered in New York, the firm has offices in major markets throughout the U.S. and Europe. With approximately $59.1 billion in total assets under management as of March 31, 2021, Clarion Partners offers a broad range of both debt and equity real estate strategies across the risk/return spectrum to its more than 500 domestic and international institutional investors. More information is available at www.clarionpartners.com. About Western Asset Western Asset is one of the world's leading fixed-income managers. With a focus on long-term fundamental value investing that employs a top-down and bottom-up approach, the firm has nine offices around the globe and deep experience across the range of fixed-income sectors. Founded in 1971, Western Asset has been recognized for an approach emphasizing team management and intensive proprietary research, supported by robust risk management. To learn more about Western Asset, please visit www.westernasset.com. About Franklin Templeton Franklin Resources, Inc. is a global investment management organization with subsidiaries operating as Franklin Templeton and serving clients in over 165 countries. Franklin Templeton's mission is to help clients achieve better outcomes through investment management expertise, wealth management and technology solutions. Through its specialist investment managers, the company brings extensive capabilities in equity, fixed income, multi-asset solutions and alternatives. With offices in more than 30 countries and approximately 1,300 investment professionals, the California-based company has over 70 years of investment experience and over $1.5 trillion in assets under management as of June 30, 2021. For more information, please visit franklintempleton.com. Category: Fund Announcement Source (News - Alert) : Franklin Resources, Inc. Source: Legg Mason Closed End Funds View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005201/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] Chipotle Makes It Easier Than Ever To Get Free Guac On National Avocado Day NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) today announced it is celebrating National Avocado Day on July 31 with a digital-only promo code, AVO2021, that will be available to all guests in the U.S. and Canada. AVO2021 To redeem free guac on the most extra day of the year, guests in the U.S. and Canada can simply use code AVO2021 at digital checkout with an entree purchase via the Chipotle app or Chipotle websites on July 31. The free guac offer can be used to score a free topping or side of guac and is limited to one (1) free topping or side of guac per transaction. Guests can not use the promo code in-restaurant. To make things even more extra for fans, Chipotle is offering a $0 delivery fee on the Chipotle app and Chipotle websites through August 1 in the U.S. and Canada. For more information on Chipotle's National Avocado Day offers, guests in the U.S. can visit chipotle.com/avocadoday and guests in Canada can visit chipotle.ca/avocadoday. "National Avocado Day, our most popular 'Chipotday,' has long given our fans something extra to celebrate on July 31," said Chris Brandt, Chief Marketing Officer. "We're excited to continue the tradition this year by offering fresh, hand-mashed guac for free via our digital channels only with the promo code AVO2021." Extra Facts In restaurants across the U.S., Canada , and Europe this year, Chipotle is expected to use approximately 4.5 million cases of avocados, equivalent to more than 100 million pounds of fruit, for its famous guac. , and this year, Chipotle is expected to use approximately 4.5 million cases of avocados, equivalent to more than 100 million pounds of fruit, for its famous guac. Chipotle's guac features six simple ingredients: avocados, citrus juice, cilantro, red onion, jalapenos, and salt. /li> Grammy-winning musician and farmer Jason Mraz is a longstanding avocado supplier for Chipotle restaurants. is a longstanding avocado supplier for Chipotle restaurants. Chipotle upcycles leftover avocado pits from select restaurants to create its avo dyed goods line, available on Chipotle Goods (chipotlegoods.com). An ink is created when the pits are simmered in water, creating a sustainable, plant-based dye varying in color that ultimately results in customized apparel and accessories for the brand. chipotle.com/avocadoday and chipotle.ca/avocadoday. $0 Delivery Fee terms - Higher menu prices are charged for delivery; additional service fee applied at checkout as well. Available 7/28 - 8/1 only, within Chipotle's delivery areas from participating U.S. and Canada locations, during normal operating hours for such locations. Minimum order $10 in US and $12 CAD in Canada, maximum order $200, each excluding tax. Deliveries subject to availability. Offer is not valid on catering or Burritos by the Box orders. Redemptions of Chipotle Rewards and other promotional offers may be included in a qualifying delivery order but do not count towards satisfaction of minimum purchase requirements. Valid only at chipotle.com or chipotle.ca, or on the Chipotle app; not valid on orders placed via third-party delivery platforms. Chipotle reserves the right to modify or terminate this offer at any time without notice. Additional restrictions may apply; void where prohibited. ABOUT CHIPOTLE Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) is cultivating a better world by serving responsibly sourced, classically-cooked, real food with wholesome ingredients without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Chipotle had over 2,850 restaurants as of June 30, 2021, in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany and is the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its restaurants. Chipotle is ranked on the Fortune 500 and is recognized on the 2021 lists for Forbes' America's Best Employers and Fortune's Most Admired Companies. With nearly 102,000 employees passionate about providing a great guest experience, Chipotle is a longtime leader and innovator in the food industry. Chipotle is committed to making its food more accessible to everyone while continuing to be a brand with a demonstrated purpose as it leads the way in digital, technology and sustainable business practices. For more information or to place an order online, visit WWW.CHIPOTLE.COM. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chipotle-makes-it-easier-than-ever-to-get-free-guac-on-national-avocado-day-301345098.html SOURCE Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] Chromebook and Tablet Growth Continued in the Second Quarter Despite On-Going Supply Concerns, According to IDC The second quarter of 2021 (2Q21) was another strong quarter for both Chromebooks and tablets with both device categories recording growth despite a challenging year-over-year comparison. According to preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, Chromebook shipments grew 68.6% year over year with volumes reaching 12.3 million units. While this wasn't a record quarter for Chromebooks, it wasn't far off the prior two quarters, which shattered previous highs. The tablet segment was a bit more tempered than Chromebooks but still managed to grow 4.2% year over year with shipments totaling 40.5 million units. Despite the positive results during the quarter, both categories are experiencing some slowdown from the boom in the preceding quarters. For Chromebooks, while still in high demand and even on backlog for many education deals, vendors have started prioritizing higher margin Windows laptops given the on-going component shortages. For tablets some of this applies, but there is also bigger concern that consumer demand around tablets will slow much faster than Chromebooks or even the broader PC market. "Opportunities in the education market are still ample for both tablets and Chromebooks. Online learning has gained rapid traction and has pushed forward the digital revolution in the learning space," said Anuroopa Nataraj, senior research analyst with IDC's (News - Alert) Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers. "While there isn't a single solution globally, many emerging markets continue to ramp up use of Android tablets while schools in some developed markets like the USA and Canada lean more toward Chromebooks. That said, there has also been a recent uprising of Chromebooks in areas of Europe, as well as a few Asian countries as schools start opening up to platform change." Top Five Chromebook Companies, Worldwide Shipments, Market Share, and Year-Over-Year Growth, Q2 2021 (Preliminary results, combined company view for the current quarter only, shipments in millions) Company 2Q21 Shipments 2Q21Market Share 2Q20 Shipments 2Q20 Market Share Year-Over Year Growth 1. HP Inc 4.3 35.0% 2.0 27.4% 115.7% 2. Lenovo (News - Alert) 2.6 21.0% 1.4 19.6% 81.2% 3. Acer (News - Alert) Group 1.9 15.3% 1.5 21.2% 21.7% 4. Dell Technologies 1.8 14.5% 1.4 19.8% 23.9% 5. Samsung 0.9 7.0% 0.3 4.3% 179.2% Others 0.9 7.1% 0.6 7.8% 53.2% Total 12.3 100.0% 7.3 100.0% 68.6% Source (News - Alert) : IDC Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, July 29, 2021 Table Notes: Data is preliminary and subject to change. Shipments include shipments to distribution channels or end users. OEM sales are counted under the company/brand under which they are sold. The "Company" represents the current parent company (or holding company) for all brands owned and operated as subsidiary. Chromebook numbers include Notebook PCs running Chrome OS. Top Five Tablet Companies, Worldwide Shipments, Market Share, and Year-Over-Year Growth, Q2 2021 (Preliminary results, combined company view for the current quarter only, shipments in millions) Company 2Q21 Unit Shipments 2Q21 Market Share 2Q20 Unit Shipments 2Q20 Market Share Year-Over- Year Growth 1. Apple (News - Alert) 12.9 31.9% 12.5 32.1% 3.5% 2. Samsung 8.0 19.6% 7.0 18.0% 13.3% 3. Lenovo 4.7 11.6% 2.9 7.4% 64.5% 4. Amazon.com 4.3 10.7% 3.6 9.3% 20.3% 5. Huawei* 2.1 5.1% 4.5 11.5% -53.7% Others 8.5 21.0% 8.4 21.7% 0.7% Total 40.5 100.0% 38.9 100.0% 4.2% 5. Huawei (including Honor volume in 2Q20)** 2.1 5.1% 4.9 7.0% -57.5% Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly PCD Tracker, July 29, 2021 Table Notes: * Since Huawei sold its Honor business, data for Huawei in the top line excludes Honor volume for both 2Q21 and 2Q20. ** For year-on-year comparison, an extra line has been added below the table to show what Huawei's growth would have looked like including Honor volume in 2Q20. About IDC Trackers IDC Tracker products provide accurate and timely market size, company share, and forecasts for hundreds of technology markets from more than 100 countries around the globe. Using proprietary tools and research processes, IDC's Trackers are updated on a semiannual, quarterly, and monthly basis. Tracker results are delivered to clients in user-friendly Excel deliverables and on-line query tools. Click here to learn about IDC's full suite of data products and how you can leverage them to grow your business. About IDC International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,100 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology, IT benchmarking and sourcing, and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world's leading tech media, data, and marketing services company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter at @IDC and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the IDC Blog for industry news and insights. All product and company names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005148/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] Cantina Creative Delivers High-Tech Time Travel 3D Graphics for Marvel Studio's "Loki" LOS ANGELES, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cantina Creative, the Los Angeles-based design studio with a reputation for providing high-end design and creative VFX solutions, is pleased to announce it designed, animated, and composited a wide range of compelling time-travel story point graphics for its seventeenth MCU title, "Loki." "Loki'' features the God of Mischief in a new Marvel Studios Disney+ series. Tom Hiddleston returns as the title character and is joined by Owen Wilson, Wunmi Mosaku, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, and other A-list talents. Kate Herron directs "Loki," and Michael Waldron is head writer. The series sees Loki recruited by the Minutemen of the Time Variance Authority (TVA). Branded as a "variant"someone who disrupts the flow of the "Sacred Timeline"Loki embarks on a mission that pits him against various versions of himself in a time-hopping adventure across the universe. Cantina Creative Design Supervisor Andrew Hawryluk, VFX Supervisor Tony Lupoi, and Producer Donna Cullen worked directly with Marvel Studios VFX Supervisors Dan DeLeeuw and David Allen, and VFX Producer, Allison Paul, to deliver 172 shots in 33 sequences over six episodes of "Loki." Cantina also recently provided story-driven VFX sequences for "WandaVision" and "The Falcon and The Winter Soldier", that aired earlier this year on Disney+. "Herron had a specific visual aesthetic in mind for 'Loki'," says Stephen Lawes, Cntina Creative co-owner and creative director. "We explored the gamut of what technology could realistically convey, designing production-ready assets that could cohesively propagate across multiple timelines." Highlights of Cantina Creative's VFX contributions to "Loki" included: TemPad handheld devices used to detect deviations from the Sacred Timeline that display critical graphical and diagnostic information; Graphical content for the many monitors and Chronomonitors situated throughout the TVA command center that visually display the actual timeline; Hologram designs for advertisements that appear on monitors throughout the Roxxcart superstore and on its CCTV security feeds; Elaborate holographic projections showing variations of Loki to illustrate different periods of the character's history; Animated display graphics for futuristic quantum ore shovels that help date timeline investigations; A series of transitional montages of amorphous sculptures that reveal the origins of the TVA. "Cantina enjoys a longtime creative collaboration with Marvel providing VFX problem solving skills for numerous big-screen titles," states Sean Cushing, Cantina Creative co-owner and executive producer. "As Marvel makes such high-quality shows on Disney+ it's been a thrill to leverage our collective MCU experiences to help them tell stories for the smaller screen." More information about "Loki" is available here. About Cantina Creative Cantina Creative is a Los Angeles-based design and visual effects studio of bold creators launched in 2010 by Stephen Lawes, creative director, and Sean Cushing, executive producer. Leveraging visual effects and design expertise, Cantina's clients benefit from a state-of-the-art production pipeline and experienced global talent who deliver an innovative, nimble and creative approach to problem-solving. Cantina Creative: Loki Online Press Kit Media Contact: Vicky Gray-Clark 408.318.1980 315524@email4pr.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cantina-creative-delivers-high-tech-time-travel-3d-graphics-for-marvel-studios-loki-301344953.html SOURCE Cantina Creative [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] LOKO AI And Anaheim Union High School District Partner To Develop Artificial Intelligence Internship Program ANAHEIM, Calif., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Anaheim Union High School District is excited to partner with Loko AI to develop an Artificial Intelligence Internship Program to give AUHSD students hands-on, real-world experience using software engineering, machine learning and Unreal Engine for Computer Vision. Loko AI develops Advanced Autonomous Monitoring systems for national and private organizations such as the Port of Virginia and the Department of Homeland Security. Created as a direct response to the Route 91 festival shooting in Las Vegas in 2017, Loko AI fills a critical gap in surveillance, real-time monitoring and synthetic data. Caretaker, Loko's computer vision platform with Zero Trust cybersecurity protection, takes any video input type and provides instantaneous actionable insights. Paired with their patented Synthetic Reality Toolkit, Loko's superior technology is disrupting the entire security and loss prevention industries. Loko AI is led by visionary Founder & CEO Joseph Zaki, who has over 20 years of visual effects experience delivering groundbreaking visual effects, virtual reality and interactive content for top Hollywood studios, advertising agencies, AAA Game Studios, and Fortune 500 companies. Now, Mr. Zaki is utilizing his extensive technical and visual imaging experience to pioneer AI solutions for public safety and risk management that directly contributes to a better future in Orange County. Mr. Zaki emphasizes the importance of creating opportunities for young people in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to introduce the next generation to the field: "We intend to help catalyze Orange County into an AI superhub of job creation, education, community building, and we're excited to be pushing the frontier of artificial intelligence and machine learning with AUHSD." Likewise, the Anaheim Union High School District leads in education, community building, and job creation through their future-ready career pathways across the District, including the Artificial Intelligence pathway at Kennedy High School. This innovative pathway leads students through the world of artificial intelligence with an emphasis on robotics, computer science, and engineering design. Anaheim Union High School District Superintendent Michael Matsuda emphasized the importance of the Loko AI partnership: "We are excited to be working with the innovative team at Loko AI and creating real-world, workforce opportunities for our students in the disruptive field of artificial intelligence and machine learning." In the most recent episode of AUHSD Future Talks , Superintendent Matsuda and Mr. Zaki discuss Loko AI and the future of Machine Learning. You can hear the episode on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and Google Podcasts . About Loko AI Loko AI is pioneering Autonomous Systems, Computer Vision and Synthetic Data to solve the hardest security, surveillance, public safety and loss prevention problems facing the world. For more information about Loko AI visit our website , and follow us on LinkedIn . About the Anaheim Union High School District The Anaheim Union High School District serves approximately 30,000 students in the communities of Anaheim, Cypress, Buena Park, La Palma, and Stanton. For more information about AUHSD visit our website , subscribe to our YouTube channel , follow us on social media: Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram , and listen and subscribe to the AUHSD Future Talks Podcast on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and Google Podcasts View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/loko-ai-and-anaheim-union-high-school-district-partner-to-develop-artificial-intelligence-internship-program-301344900.html SOURCE loko AI [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] Idaho Offers Alternate Path for Evictions with Tyler Technologies' Modria Solution Tyler Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: TYL) announced today the Idaho Supreme Court has gone live on Tyler's Modria online dispute resolution (ODR) solution, beginning as a pilot program in Ada County, Idaho. With the goal of limiting homelessness in the state, Modria will assist the court in mitigating an influx of potential cases stemming from the end of the federal eviction moratorium, which is set to expire on July 31. This solution will help inform citizens needing help of the available programs to assist with rent relief once the moratorium ends. The eviction moratorium is a federal guideline preventing the eviction of tenants unable to make rental payments through the legal court process if they meet certain eligibility requirements, including job-related, loss of income, or health-related issues. Once this expires at the end of July, he court is expecting an increase in volume of cases filed by landlords. By implementing Modria, the court will be able to manage potential caseloads and alert parties to available options for rent relief, allowing people to possibly avoid an eviction judgment and get caught up on past due rent through a federally funded program. Tyler's Modria solution helps resolve disputes, including landlord/tenant, without needing to appear in person in court, helping free up resources for the court and saving users time, money, and stress. Modria offers resources and communication tools necessary to facilitate resolution for these types of cases entirely online, while providing a fair and transparent process for all participants. If parties cannot solve their dispute online, they still have the option to appear before a judge. "Increasing access to justice is a top priority for Tyler, especially as families continue to face hardships from the COVID-19 pandemic," said Jamie Gillespie, general manager of Tyler's Modria solution. "We are optimistic that Modria will ease the burden on Ada County's court system while providing the tools and resources to assist people in paying their rent. We hope to expand this solution to other parts of Idaho soon." About Tyler Technologies (News - Alert) , Inc. Tyler Technologies (NYSE: TYL) provides integrated software and technology services to the public sector. Tyler's end-to-end solutions empower local, state, and federal government entities to operate more efficiently and connect more transparently with their constituents and with each other. By connecting data and processes across disparate systems, Tyler's solutions are transforming how clients gain actionable insights that solve problems in their communities. Tyler has more than 27,000 successful installations across more than 11,000 sites, with clients in all 50 states, Canada, the Caribbean, Australia, and other international locations. Tyler has been named to Government Technology's GovTech 100 list five times and has been recognized three times on Forbes' "Most Innovative Growth Companies" list. More information about Tyler Technologies, an S&P 500 company headquartered in Plano, Texas, can be found at tylertech.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005063/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] Tailwind Acquisition Corp. Announces Adjournment of Special Meeting of Stockholders Tailwind Acquisition Corp. ("Tailwind") (NYSE: TWND) announced today that it convened and then adjourned, without conducting any other business, Tailwind's special meeting of stockholders (the "Special Meeting") held on July 30, 2021. The Special Meeting has been adjourned until August 17, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The Special Meeting is being held to vote on the proposals described in Tailwind's definitive proxy statement, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the " SEC (News - Alert) ") on June 25, 2021 (the "Definitive Proxy Statement"), relating to its proposed business combination (the "Business Combination") with QOMPLX, Inc. Additional Information In connection with the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement, dated March 1, 2021 (the "Business Combination Agreement"), by and among Tailwind, Compass (News - Alert) Merger Sub, Inc., QOMPLX and Rationem, LLC, in its capacity as the representative of the stockholders of QOMPLX (such transactions, the "Business Combination"), Tailwind has filed a Registration Statement on Form S-4 (the "Registration Statement"), which includes a definitive proxy statement/prospectus, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Tailwind has mailed the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant documents to its stockholders. This communication is not a substitute for the Registration Statement, the definitive proxy statement/prospectus or any other document that Tailwind has sent or will send to its stockholders in connection with the Business Combination. Investors and security holders of Tailwind are advised to read the proxy statement/prospectus in connection with the special meeting to be held to approve the Business Combination (and related matters) because the proxy statement/prospectus contains important information about the Business Combination and the parties to the Business Combination. The proxy statement/prospectus was mailed to stockholders of Tailwind as of June 2, 2021, the record date established for voting on the Business Combination. Stockholders will also be able to obtain copies of the proxy statement/prospectus, without charge at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or by directing a request to: 1545 Courtney Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90046. Participants in the Solicitation Tailwind, QOMPLX and their respective directors, executive officers, other members of management, and employees, under SEC rules, may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies of Tailwind's stockholders in connection with the Business Combination. Investors and security holders may obtain more detailed information regarding the names and interests in the Business Combination of Tailwind's directors and officers in Tailwind's filings with the SEC, including the Registration Statement filed with the SC by Tailwind, including the definitive proxy statement/prospectus filed with the SEC by Tailwind on June 25, 2021, relating to the Business Combination. The names and interests of QOMPLX's directors and executive officers are also in the definitive proxy statement/prospectus filed with the SEC by Tailwind. Forward Looking Statements Certain statements made herein are not historical facts but are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as "believe," "may," "will," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "expect," "should," "would," "plan," "predict," "potential," "seem," "seek," "future," "outlook" and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding future events, the Business Combination between Tailwind and QOMPLX, the estimated or anticipated future results and benefits of the combined company following the Business Combination, including the likelihood and ability of the parties to successfully consummate the Business Combination, future opportunities for the combined company, and other statements that are not historical facts. These statements are based on the current expectations of Tailwind's and QOMPLX's management and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on, by any investor as a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of Tailwind and QOMPLX. These statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties regarding Tailwind's businesses and the Business Combination, and actual results may differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general economic, political and business conditions generally and competitive factors impacting the businesses of any of Tailwind, QOMPLX, Sentar, Inc. ("Sentar") and RPC Tyche LLP ("Tyche"); the inability of the parties to consummate the Business Combination or the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the Business Combination Agreement; the inability of QOMPLX to consummate a Pipeline Acquisition or the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the transaction agreement for such Pipeline Acquisition; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the parties following the announcement of the Business Combination; the receipt of an unsolicited offer from another party for an alternative business transaction that could interfere with the Business Combination; the risk that the approval of the stockholders of Tailwind or QOMPLX for the potential transaction is not obtained; failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the Business Combination, including as a result of a delay in consummating the potential transaction or difficulty in integrating the businesses of Tailwind, QOMPLX, Sentar and Tyche; the risk that the Business Combination disrupts current plans and operations as a result of the announcement and consummation of the Business Combination; the ability of the combined company to grow and manage growth profitably and retain its key employees; the amount of redemption requests made by Tailwind's stockholders; the inability to obtain or maintain the listing of the post-acquisition company's securities on the New York Stock Exchange following the Business Combination; costs related to the Business Combination; inaccuracies for any reason in the estimates of expenses and profitability and the projected financial information (including on a pro forma basis giving effect to the acquisitions of Hyperion Gray, LLC, Sentar and Tyche) for QOMPLX; and other risks and uncertainties, including those included under the header "Risk Factors" in the definitive proxy statement/prospectus filed with the SEC by Tailwind and those included under the header "Risk Factors" in Tailwind's Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020. There may be additional risks that are presently unknown or believed to be immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements provide Tailwind's and QOMPLX's expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this communication. Tailwind and QOMPLX anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause these assessments to change. However, while Tailwind and QOMPLX may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Tailwind and QOMPLX specifically disclaim any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Tailwind's or QOMPLX's assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this communication. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements. Disclaimer This communication is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to purchase, nor a solicitation of an offer to sell, subscribe for or buy any securities or the solicitation of any vote in any jurisdiction pursuant to the Business Combination or otherwise, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer or securities in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005368/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] Identity Breach Report Finds New COVID-19 Cyber Vulnerabilities, Increase in Exposures for Energy & Telecom Sectors/Executives, and COVID Items for Sale on Dark Market According to Constella Intelligence LOS ALTOS, Calif., July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Constella Intelligence ("Constella"), a leader in Digital Risk Protection and Identity Threat Intelligence, released their 2021 Identity Breach Report, PII Fuelling the Threat Economy: How Crisis Creates Targeted Vulnerabilities for Individuals, Executives, and Brands. The report evaluates data collected from Constella's extensive database of over 45 billion archived identity records from data breaches and leakages found on the surface, deep, and dark web in addition to trends identified in deep and dark marketplaces over the past year. Report: New COVID Cyber Vulnerabilities, Exposures for Energy & Telecom Sectors/Executives, and Dark Market COVID Items The report found that the COVID-19 pandemic engendered new vulnerabilities in the digital ecosystem for threat actors to exploit, resulting in items like vaccines, fraudulent vaccine certificates, and other COVID-19 related items being sold in dark marketplaces and underground forums. Constella's research analyzed the value of personally identifiable information (PII), drawing links between the breach economy, PII, and a range of emerging digital threats to executives and brands. Notably, Constella, observed an exorbitant spike in the price of sensitive personal records sold in the deep and dark web, with the price of driver's licenses, passports, and ID cards increasing significantly from the previous year analyzed plausibly due to an increased demand for personal records during the pandemic. Constella's 2021 Identity Breach Report also includes a deep dive into the top companies in the Energy and Telecommunications sectors that appeared in the Fortune Global 500 list, demonstrating increasing exposure and vulnerability of companies in the sector, employees, and xecutives over the past year. "The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us the fragility of our online infrastructure," said Constella Intelligence CEO, Kailash Ambwani. "As people continue to rely on digital solutions and working from home, both companies and individuals must take new precautions to protect themselves from potential threat actors." Key Findings From 2020 Include: Nearly 60% of the data breaches analyzed exposed some form of PII and 72% of these breaches included passwords. Over 40% of executives from a sample of Fortune 500 companies in Energy and Telecommunications sectors were exposed in a breach over the last 5 years. Fortune 500 companies in Energy and Telecommunications have had their corporate domains exposed in approximately 11k breaches/leakages since 2016, and over 40% of these exposures occurred since 2020, indicating worsening security of corporate credentials. breaches/leakages since 2016, and over 40% of these exposures occurred since 2020, indicating worsening security of corporate credentials. Out of a sample of 55 Fortune 500 Energy executives, nearly 1/4 have had their passwords exposed. Constella observed the sale of vaccine dosessuch as AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, and Sputnikin multiple dark marketplaces ranging from as little as $8 to as much as nearly $850 . to as much as nearly . Crypto-Currency, News, and Healthcare industries saw 120%, 110%, and 51% increases (respectively) in breaches and leakages compared to 2019. Compared to the findings in Constella's 2020 Identity Breach Report, the price of personal records transacted in dark marketplaces increased significantly, including passports (+1,185%), and driver's licenses (+328%), ID cards (+642%), possibly due to increased demand for false identification records during the pandemic. "Threat actors continue to find new ways to target individual and company data due to new vulnerabilities created in times of uncertainty and crisis. PII continues to fuel malign activities in the digital ecosystem," said Alex Romero, COO of Constella Intelligence. "Executives are specifically being targeted for their high-level access within organizations." Constella monitors the surface, social, deep, and dark web for identity related breaches and verifies the authenticity of those data sets. Click here to download the report. About Constella Intelligence Constella Intelligence is a global leader in Digital Risk Protection that works in partnership with some of the worlds largest organizations to safeguard what matters most and defeat digital risk. Our solutions are a unique combination of proprietary data, technology, and human expertise to anticipate, identify, and remediate targeted threats to your executives, your brand, and your assets at scalepowered by the most extensive breach and social data collection from the surface, deep and dark web on the planet, with over 100B attributes and 45 billion curated identity records spanning 125 countries and 53 languages. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/identity-breach-report-finds-new-covid-19-cyber-vulnerabilities-increase-in-exposures-for-energy--telecom-sectorsexecutives-and-covid-items-for-sale-on-dark-market-according-to-constella-intelligence-301345184.html SOURCE Constella Intelligence [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] Diversified Maintenance Introduces Accessible and Innovative Approach to Safety Training Diversified Maintenance, a leading company providing facilities maintenance services, announced today a new training initiative developed by the Company's award-winning Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) team. This training initiative is designed to include 100 focused, single-issue training topics that provide front-end employees a concise but effective overview of key safety topics through training videos and presentations. Occupational health and safety is a core value for the facilities maintenance industry. As one of the few companies committed to delivering services that are safe for its employees and customers, Diversified Maintenance has introduced a new safety training initiative for its workforce to eliminate or minimize a number of possible risks and hazards related to the nature of their services and scope of work. "Diversified has always emphasized on using compelling methodologies for employee training that give the business a competitive edge asit adapts to the rapidly changing customer demands and expectations. Our new safety training approach aligns with our company values and best practices. With safety as a priority for all front-end employees, we are addressing the concerns of limited time available to attend long hours of refresher training on safety topics. With the virtual availability through cell phones and smartphones, EHS team has prepared effective one-minute safety training topics including slips and falls, hazard communication, chemical safety, PPE, infection prevention, driver safety, emergency evacuation and fire safety, working from heights, industrial safety, among several others," said, Rob Duncan, EHS Director, Diversified Maintenance. The Company has emphasized that the full, comprehensive training program with rigorous and formal standards will continue to be executed for all new employees, while the new short topics are intended to supplement and refresh existing training modules. About Diversified Maintenance Diversified Maintenance has been providing client-focused, quality maintenance solutions to facilities across the United States for over 45 years. For more information, visit www.diversifiedm.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005403/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] Statement Pursuant to Section 19(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940: DDF On July 30, 2021, Delaware Investments Dividend and Income Fund, Inc. (NYSE: DDF) (the "Fund"), a closed-end fund, paid a monthly distribution on its common stock of $0.0679 per share to shareholders of record at the close of business on July 23, 2021. The following table sets forth the estimated amount of the sources of distribution for purposes of Section 19 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the related rules adopted thereunder. The Fund estimates the following percentages, of the total distribution amount per share, attributable to (i) net investment income, (ii) net realized short-term capital gain, (iii) net realized long-term capital gain and (iv) return of capital or other capital source. These percentages are disclosed for the current distribution as well as the fiscal year-to-date cumulative distribution amount per share for the Fund. Current Distribution from: Per Share ($) % Net Investment Income 0.0221 32.6% Net Realized Short-Term Capital Gain 0.0053 7.8% Net Realized Long-Term Capital Gain 0.0405 59.6% Return of Capital or other Capital Source (News - Alert) 0.0000 0.0% Total (per common share) 0.0679 100.0% Fiscal Year-to-Date Cumulative Distributions from: Per Share ($) % Net Investment Income 0.1831 36.5% Net Realized Short-Term Capital Gain 0.1563 31.1% Net Realized Long-Term Capital Gain 0.1358 27.1% Return of Capital or other Capital Source 0.0265 5.3% Total (per common share) 0.5017 100.0% Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about the Fund's investment performance from the amount of this distribution or from the terms of the Fund's managed distribution policy. The amounts and sources of distributions reported in this 19(a) Notice are only estimates and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during the remainder of its fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. The Fund will send you a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will tell you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes. Subject to the foregoing, the Fund estimates (as of the date hereof) that it has distributed more than its income and net realized capital gains for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2021; therefore, a portion of your distribution may be a return of capital. A return of capital may occur for example, when some or all of the money that you invested in the Fund is paid back to you. A return of capital distribution does not necessarily reflect the Fund's investment performance and should not be confused with 'yield' or 'income.' Presented below are return figures, based on the change in the Fund's Net Asset Value per share ("NAV"), compared to the annualized distribution rate for this current distribution as a percentage of the NAV on the last business day of the month prior to distribution record date. Fund Performance & Distribution Information Fiscal Year to Date (12/01/2020 through 6/30/2021) Annualized Distribution Rate as a Percentage of NAV^ 7.55% Cumulative Distribution Rate on NAV^^ 4.65% Cumulative Total Return on NAV* 17.56% Average Annual Total Return on NAV for the 5 Year Period Ending 6/30/2021** 8.01% ^ Based on the Fund's NAV as of June 30, 2021. ^^ Cumulative distribution rate is the cumulative amount of distributions paid during the Fund's fiscal year ending November 30, 2021 based on the Fund's NAV as of June 30, 2021. *Cumulative total return is based on the change in NAV including distributions paid and assuming reinvestment of these distributions for the period December 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021. **The 5 year average annual total return is based on change in NAV including distributions paid and assuming reinvestment of these distributions and is through the last business day of the month prior to the month of the current distribution record date. While the NAV performance may be indicative of the Fund's investment performance, it does not measure the value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund. The value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund is determined by the Fund's market price, which is based on the supply and demand for the Fund's shares in the open market. About DDF The Fund's primary investment objective is to seek high current income; capital appreciation is a secondary objective. The Fund seeks to achieve its objectives by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 65% of its total assets in income-generating equity securities, including dividend-paying common stocks, convertible securities, preferred stocks, and other equity-related securities, which may include up to 25% in real estate investment trusts (REITs) and real estate industry operating companies. Up to 35% of the Fund's total assets may be invested in nonconvertible debt securities consisting primarily of high-yield, high-risk corporate bonds. In addition, the Fund utilizes leveraging techniques in an attempt to obtain a higher return for the Fund. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objectives. The Fund has implemented a managed distribution policy. Under the policy, the Fund is managed with a goal of generating as much of the distribution as possible from net investment income and short-term capital gains. The balance of the distribution will then come from long-term capital gains to the extent permitted, and if necessary, a return of capital. Even though the Fund may realize current year capital gains, such gains may be offset, in whole or in part, by the Fund's capital loss carryovers from prior years. Currently under the Fund's managed distribution policy, the Fund makes monthly distributions to common shareholders at a targeted annual distribution rate of 7.5% of the Fund's average net asset value ("NAV") per share. The Fund will calculate the average NAV per share from the previous three full months immediately prior to the distribution based on the number of business days in those three months on which the NAV is calculated. The distribution will be calculated as 7.5% of the prior three month's average NAV per share, divided by 12. The Fund will generally distribute amounts necessary to satisfy the Fund's managed distribution policy and the requirements prescribed by excise tax rules and Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. This distribution methodology is intended to provide shareholders with a consistent, but not guaranteed, income stream and a targeted annual distribution rate and is intended to narrow the discount between the market price and the NAV of the Fund's common shares, but there is no assurance that the policy will be successful in doing so. The methodology for determining monthly distributions under the Fund's managed distribution policy will be reviewed at least annually by the Fund's Board of Directors, and the Fund will continue to evaluate its distribution in light of ongoing market conditions. The payment of dividend distributions in accordance with the managed distribution policy may result in a decrease in the Fund's net assets. A decrease in the Fund's net assets may cause an increase in the Fund's annual operating expenses and a decrease in the Fund's market price per share to the extent the market price correlates closely to the Fund's net asset value per share. The managed distribution policy may also negatively affect the Fund's investment activities to the extent that the Fund is required to hold larger cash positions than it typically would hold or to the extent that the Fund must liquidate securities that it would not have sold, for the purpose of paying the dividend distribution. The managed distribution policy may, under certain circumstances, cause the amounts of taxable distributions to exceed the amount minimally required to be distributed under the tax rules, such excess will be taxable as ordinary income to the extent loss carry forwards reduce the required amount of capital gains distributions in that year. Investors should consult their tax advisor regarding federal, state, and local tax considerations that may be applicable in their particular circumstances. About Macquarie Investment Management Macquarie Investment Management, a member of Macquarie Group, includes the former Delaware Investments and is a global asset manager with offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. As active managers, we prioritize autonomy and accountability at the team level in pursuit of opportunities that matter for clients. Macquarie Investment Management is supported by the resources of Macquarie Group (ASX: MQG; ADR: MQBKY), a global provider of asset management, investment, banking, financial and advisory services. Advisory services are provided by Macquarie Investment Management Business Trust, a registered investment advisor. Macquarie Group refers to Macquarie Group Limited and its subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide. For more information about Delaware Funds by Macquarie, visit delawarefunds.com or call 800 523-1918. Other than Macquarie Bank Limited (MBL), none of the entities referred to in this document are authorized deposit-taking institutions for the purposes of the Banking Act 1959 (Commonwealth of Australia). The obligations of these entities do not represent deposits or other liabilities of MBL, a subsidiary of Macquarie Group Limited and an affiliate of Macquarie Investment Management. MBL does not guarantee or otherwise provide assurance in respect of the obligations of these entities, unless noted otherwise. 2021 Macquarie Management Holdings, Inc. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005412/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware Slams 11th-Hour Chancery Court Decision to Uphold Majority of Skadden Arps' Fees Following TransPerfect Lawyers' Appeal Following a recent court filing from TransPerfect lawyers in the Delaware Supreme Court appealing Chancery Court Chancellor Andre Bouchard's decision to uphold the majority of Custodian Robert Pincus' and Skadden Arps' outrageous fees of more than $3.9 million - part of more than $50 million total throughout the duration of the custodianship - from May 2019 to December 2020, Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware Campaign Manager Chris Coffey released the following statement: "This latest filing makes clear what we've known all along: the Chancery Court during former Chancellor Bouchard's reign had zero interest in treating TransPerfect fairly. Not only did Bouchard's Chancery Court uphold an obscene $3.2 million in fees charged by Pincus - in bulk and without explanation - it even contradicted itself in forcing the company to cough up $400,000 in fees that it had previously rejected, which stemmed from a failed Contempt motion filed by Pincus. The Bouchard-era Chancery Court was so invested in protecting its handpicked Custodian - who had already bilked thecompany for more than $50 million in total fees - that it couldn't even hold itself accountable to its own decisions. "There's no justice when a court-appointed Custodian like Pincus can prop up his own fees by filing frivolous motions against the very company for which he's a fiduciary, then charge the company for the motion. And there need to be consequences for enablers like Skadden Partner Jennifer Voss, who for years has defended Pincus at every turn and now faces a litany of open lawsuits against her. It's high time for the state's Supreme Court to step in and end the clownery of Bouchard's Chancery Court to deliver justice and pause the rapid erosion of trust in Delaware's judiciary." Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware is a group made up of more than 5,000 members including employees of the global translation services company TransPerfect, as well as concerned Delaware residents, business executives, and others. They formed in April of 2016 to focus on raising awareness with Delaware residents, elected officials, and other stakeholders about the unprecedented forced sale of TransPerfect. While their primary goal of saving the company has been accomplished, they continue their efforts to fight for more transparency in the Delaware Chancery Court. For more information on Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware or to join the cause, visit DelawareForBusiness.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005434/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] Ledyard Financial Group Declares Quarterly Dividend Ledyard Financial Group (Ticker Symbol: LFGP) announced today a regular quarterly dividend of $0.20 payable September 3, 2021 to shareholders of record as of August 20, 2021. Ledyard Financial Group, Inc., headquartered in Hanover, New Hampshire, is the holding company for Ledyard National Bank. Ledyard National Bank, founded in 1991, is a full service community bank offering a broad range of banking, investment, and wealth management services. Ledyard Financial Group, Inc. shares can be bought and sold through the NASD sanctioned "OTC Markets" under the trading symbol LFGP. Shares may be traded through an individual's broker. For more information, please refer to the "Investor Relations" section of the bank's website at www.ledyardbank.com or contact the bank's Chief Financial Officer, Gregory D. Steverson. greg.steverson@ledyardbank.com Forward-Looking Statements: Statements concerning future performance, developments or events, expectations for growth and income forecasts, and any other guidance on future periods constitute forward-looking statements that are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from stated expectations. Specific factors include, but are not limited to, loan production, competitive pressure in the banking industry, balance sheet management, net interest margin variations, the effect of changes in equity prices on assets under management, the ability to control costs and expenses, changes in the interest rate environment, financial policies of the United States government, and general economic conditions. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any such factors. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005440/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of Dunav-Re a.d.o. AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B+ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "bbb-" (Good) of Dunav-Re a.d.o. (Dunav-Re) (Serbia), a subsidiary of Dunav osiguranje a.d.o. (Dunav Insurance) (Serbia). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. The ratings reflect Dunav-Re's balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. Dunav-Re's risk-adjusted capitalisation remains at the strongest level on a standard basis, as measured by Best's Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), in spite of strong business growth over the past two years. AM Best expects further growth in future years to be supported by internal capital generation and financial support from its parent company. Risk-adjusted capitalisation on a catastrophe-stressed basis is significantly lower, in part due to the company's dependence on retrocession to manage catastrophe risk. However, the credit risk associated with this dependence is partially mitigated by the excellent credit quality of the company's retrocession panel. Offsetting factors in the balance sheet strength assessment include the company's concentration toward Serbia's financial system and the small size of its capital base. Dunav-Re has a track record of good underwriting performance, with a five-year (2016-2020) weighted average combined ratio of 77.9%. However, the company's business outside Serbia has grown rapidly, with net written premium more than doubling during 2019 and 2020. Although initial indications suggest that this new business is performing well, its long-term performancewill not be clear for some time. Dunav-Re's results remain susceptible to potential volatility due to its exposure to catastrophe events. Dunav-Re is a multiline reinsurer operating in Serbia. It has a dominant position in its core market, where it generates the majority of its business, with Dunav Insurance being its largest cedant. The company is active outside of its domestic market, where it wrote approximately half (USD 10.8 million) of its net written premiums during 2020. This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best's Credit Ratings, Best's Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best's Ratings & Assessments. AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com. Copyright 2021 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005450/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] Trans Mountain selects Latium Technologies to provide asset integrity solutions through Job Site Insights Suite of Products NISKU, AB, July 30, 2021 /CNW/ - Latium Technologies is thrilled to announce the renewal of their contract with Trans Mountain Pipeline Corporation. Trans Mountain has selected Job Site Insights, Powered by Yonder suite of digital applications to provide asset integrity slutions on their 1,150 kilometer expansion project spanning between Alberta and British Columbia. This technology will be deployed to mitigate on-site risks and provide real-time intelligence to security and safety personnel, allowing for data-driven decision making and immediate response capability. "We are beyond excited to be a part of this incredible project and see our JSI technology be so readily embraced by the energy sector," said Latium Technologies CEO, Mark Bryant. "Trans Mountain's pipeline experience is second to none," said Tony Pecorilli, Latium Technologies President. "Having them trust our technology continues to prove our applications are getting the job done, helping our partners reduce costs, mitigate risks, limit rework, and improve project quality and safety." Latium's JSI technology is already in use by other names in the pipeline sector, including TC Energy and Enbridge USA. About Latium Technologies Founded in 2019, Latium has quickly become a go-to IoT solutions provider for Heavy Industry in Canada. Working with multibillion-dollar companies like Suncor, Enbridge, Trans Mountain Pipeline, TC Energy and PCL Construction, we help reduce cost, enhance logistics, bolster safety, and increase visibility using our advanced analytics platform. Learn more at latiumtech.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/trans-mountain-selects-latium-technologies-to-provide-asset-integrity-solutions-through-job-site-insights-suite-of-products-301345261.html SOURCE Latium Technologies [July 30, 2021] Protecht Strengthens Engagement with SquadUP; Extends Partnership an Additional 3-Years PHOENIX, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Protecht, a leading distributor of insurance solutions for today's online economy, has extended its partnership with SquadUP, a national ticketing, event management and audience engagement platform, to serve as the exclusive provider of financial protection to an exceptionally wide range of live event promoters and their audiences. With this second 3-year agreement, SquadUP renews its commitment to leverage Protecht's technology platforms, offering more than 1,200 event promoters - and their audiences the ability to financially protect their live event investment. "We continue to see robust demand for events across the live economy, as consumers return to interactive lifestyles. We're delighted that SquadUP recognizes the value in our technology platforms and has agreed to step UP and partner with us for another three years," -- Bryan Derbyshire, Protecht CEO. SquadUp quote: "It has been a pleasure to work together with Protecht, providing a seamless ticket insurance experience for our event guests. We have seen an explosion in live events as the country opens back up, and Protecht offer a great tool for protecting our guests and hosts. The integration is extremely powerful, and allows our event hosts to focus on producing quality events instead of worrying about issuing refunds and managing customer experiences for those who can no longer attend their event. " Sam Mogil, SquadUP CEO About Protecht Protecht, Inc. is a family of companies leveraging embedded technologies to distribute insurance solutions across today's online economy. We power our partners with financial and inventory control, security protocols, data analytics, customer engagement, and increased conversions. With over 100 years of combined experience in fraud, risk, insurance, finance and payments, our industry-leading technologies provide a robust economic infrastructure by giving peace of mind for business and consumers, while providing an end-to-end solution for our select insurance partners. Protecht's FanShield platform offers ticket protection throughout the entire live event space, with technology that integrates into leading ticketing platforms. We team up with the best possible partners to deliver a valid, licensed, and filed insurance product offering cost-effective protection from a slew of unforeseen circumstances. RegShield provides organizers with the unique opportunity to offer protection within the registration space, covering everything from everyday athletes and dedicated competitors to superfans and business professionals. About SquadUP SquadUP is a Los Angeles based ticketing, event management and audience engagement platform. The Company provides ticketing and event management software to over 1,200 event organizers, encompassing more than 10,000 live events annually, including The Tribeca Festival, New York City Wine & Food Festival, The Aspen Food and Wine Class, The Village Vanguard, Riot Games, Williams Sonoma, and The James Beard Foundation. SquadUp provides an integrated, fully-featured mobile app for attendees and organizers in addition to a completely white labeled implementation package for enterprise customers. Contact: press@protecht.io View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/protecht-strengthens-engagement-with-squadup-extends-partnership-an-additional-3-years-301345321.html SOURCE Protecht [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] CAJ receives $85,000 grant for digital literacy training OTTAWA, July 30, 2021 /CNW/ - The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is delighted to announce it has received a generous grant from the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) to develop and deliver a national training and professional development series focused on strengthening the digital literacy skills of Canadians. The $85,000 grant will support training for post-secondary students on mis/disinformation in every province and territory. Training sessions will begin in December 2021 and continue until early 2023. Brent Jolly . "More recently, however, the world's information ecosystem has become poisoned by nefarious actors who have manipulated facts and weaponized online conspiracy theories in order to exploit social division. With the assistance of this transformational grant from CIRA, the CAJ looks forward to developing programs to share with the public the critical thinking skills, and healthy skepticism, that is at the heart of all excellent journalistic work." As part of the grant, the CAJ will also create a gold-standard research guide that will be available to all Canadians to strengthen their digital literacy skills. "We know Canadians are very concerned about misinformation online," said Tanya O'Callaghan, vice-president of community investment, policy and advocacy at CIRA. "A recent CIRA poll showed that nine in ten Canadians feel the spread of false information on social media is a major problem. This is why we're proud to support CAJ's important work, and hope it can equip Canadians with the knowledge they need to separate fact from fiction online." The CAJ looks forward to working with partners, both longstanding and new, in order to ensure this program realizes its fullest potential. If you are interested in partnering with the CAJ in some capacity, please contact brent@caj.ca . The CAJ is Canada's largest national professional organization for journalists from all media, representing more than 1000 members across the country. The CAJ's primary roles are to provide high-quality professional development for its members and public-interest advocacy. SOURCE Canadian Association of Journalists [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] ALYI Announces New Revolt Token Feature To Be Revealed Next Week Dallas, TX, July 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alternet Systems, Inc. (OTC Pink: ALYI) (ALYI) today announced its cryptocurrency funding partner Revolt Token ( RVLT ) will reveal on Tuesday next week, August 3rd, 2021, a new RVLT feature management expects to be well received by cryptocurrency enthusiast. ALYI is building a comprehensive EV ecosystem solution designed to advance the entire EV sector with perpetual contribution to EV technology advanced by the ongoing participation of EV industry leaders. ALYI is targeting the participation of brand name EV industry leaders in an annual EV symposium and conference anchored by an EV race event in Kenya. The objective of the EV symposium and conference is to advance EV technology by building EV solutions for the African market a power constrained, rugged environment with one of the lowest per capita transportation deployments in the world. EV solutions for the African market will be applicable the world around. EV solutions designed and built in Africa also contribute to building an autonomous African economy. ALYI plans to make a major announcement next month regarding the EV race that management expects will garner substantial attention to ALYIs overall EV Ecosystem strategy. ALYI has seeded its EV ecosystem solution with the development of its own EV motorcycle business. ALYI has recently initiated an Electric Motorcycle pilot program in Kenya which is already generating results expected to set ALYIs EV business apart from the competition. The pilot is being conducted in conjunction with the 2,000 electric motorcycle order, the fulfillment of wich is being finalized with results from the pilot. ALYI has designed its EV ecosystem solution to include democratized participation. ALYI has partnered with ReovltTOKEN to finance ALYIs growth by offering participation in the EV ecosystem through the sale of Revolt Tokens. To learn more about RevoltTOKEN and how to participate in ALYIs electric vehicle ecosystem through the purchase of Revolt Tokens, visit https://rvlttoken.com/ . For more information and to stay up to date on ALYI's overall latest developments, please visit www.alternetsystemsinc.com . Disclaimer/Safe Harbor: This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. The statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Among others, these risks include the expectation that any of the companies mentioned herein will achieve significant sales, the failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of the companies' contracts, the companies' liquidity position, the companies' ability to obtain new contracts, the emergence of competitors with greater financial resources and the impact of competitive pricing. In the light of these uncertainties, the forward-looking events referred to in this release might not occur. For more information, please visit: http://www.alternetsystemsinc.com Alternet Systems, Inc. Contact: Randell Torno info@lithiumip.com +1-800-713-0297 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] Aptronix becomes Apple India's largest national partner , Adds 10 new stores in Delhi NCR and Ludhiana to expand the national footprint GURUGRAM, India, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE APTRONIX GROWTH STORY: - Aptronix is the Youngest and the Fastest Growing Apple Partner in India - With the current acquisition of 11 iWorld stores in Delhi NCR and Ludhiana, Aptronixis now a National Partner to Apple with 48 stores, and 12 Service centres located across 14 cities in India - Plans to be a 100-store national partner by FY 23 with Aptronix being synonymous with the best Apple experience in India. - Registers a 200% growth YoY in Revenue - First to start the Loyalty Program and Referral Program for its customer - Aptronix website www.aptronixindia.com is designed to provide Omni Channel Experience to all the customers - Aptronix mobile app - coming soon - Contactless delivery in view of Covid 19 - Bundle offers helps customers increase their affordability and shop their favorite Apple products - Trade-in (exchange) old smartphone sitting at home Aptronix becomes the largest India partner for Apple by adding 10 new stores in Delhi NCR and Ludhiana with an approx. retail space of 30,000 sft. This makes Aptronix India's largest Premium Apple Reseller with 48 retail stores and 12 service centres located in 14 cities across India. The company's commitment to providing best-in-class service and in-store experience to the customers has helped strengthen the brand's presence in Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Chennai, Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Vijayawada, Mumbai, Kochi, and now in Delhi NCR and Ludhiana. Redefining branding in the technology space across India, Aptronix is a brand synonymous with user experiences with a vast array of products that speak for itself. Elaborating on this very proposition of providing a lifestyle with all their products. The stores across various locations in Delhi NCR and Ludhiana promises their consumers to get hands-on with the latest products and services. The stores offer a state of art user experience for Apple fans across the city. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sutinder Singh, Founder, MD, Aptronix said, "Being the Largest Apple Partner in the county, we are ecstatic to open 10 new stores in Delhi, NCR and Ludhiana. We have achieved 200% growth YoY in Revenue. We are proud Apple enthusiasts and are passionate about our brand, which strongly resonates with Apple's core values, right from their innovative approach and business strategy to the customer experience and after-sales support. We aim to keep pace with Apple's growth in India, plan to be a 100-store national partner by FY 2023. Our stores focus on offering a seamless retail experience with an extensive range of products, accessories. We follow all the standard operating protocols of Covid-19 according to government norms. Commenting on the milestone, Ms. Meghna Singh, CEO, Aptronix said, "Aptronix believes in making a seamless customer experience their utmost priority. What differentiates us as an organization is that everything we do, we do as if we are the consumers. We want to treat our customers the same way we as customers would want to be treated. This passion is fundamental in everything we do. We had announced our Ambition of being a 50 store partner by 2020 back in 2017, and that has come true. With the addition of these 10 new stores, we are now not only the largest partner, but also the only national partner with such a vast geographic presence for Apple in India. We believe in opening big statement stores worthy of providing the best retail experience to customers, with sales + service + omnichannel, with a whole range of products and related accessories, and offers. To further improve our services, our website - www.aptronixindia.com - has been designed to provide Omni Channel Experience to our customers where they can now shop online and have their favourite Apple products and accessories delivered to their houses anywhere in the country or can be picked up at our stores within 2 hours. Our developers are also working on a mobile app to enhance the online experience and keep up with the requirements of the present-day consumer." She further added, "To elevate the buyer experience, we are initiating a first-of-its-kind Loyalty Program and Referral Program for our customers. Aptronix's spectacular 3-tier loyalty program gives you incredible rewards every time you shop. Referring is now rewarding - You can refer friends, and get a chance to win an Apple TV, Apple Watch SE, iPhone 11 or MacBook Air 2020 based on the milestone completed. We are also the first partner to introduce Back to School offers across online and offline channels in which we are offering MacBooks and Mac Minis to students and teachers great discounts." About Aptronix: India's Largest Premium Apple Reseller: Established in 2011, Aptronix is a chain of retail stores and service centres that are officially authorised by Apple, one of the most respected and loved brands of all time. Headed by Mr. Sutinder Singh and his daughter Meghna Singh Aptronix is a close-knit family of over 500+ employees. Spread across 48 retail stores (Apple Premium Reseller & Authorized Reseller) & 12 service centres (Apple Authorised Service Centre) in India, Aptronix has a presence in Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Chennai, Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Ludhiana, Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Vijayawada, Mumbai and Kochi. It is the largest Apple partner in the country and is expanding into various cities across India. Aptronix will soon have 100 stores by the end of 2023. Being the largest Apple Premium Reseller and an Authorised Service Provider in India, the stores offer the complete range of Macs, iPads, iPhones, Apple Watch, Apple Accessories, and much more. Since its inception, Aptronix has grown exponentially and has emerged as one of the most preferred and largest brands for Sales and Service of Apple Products in India. About Premium Lifestyle and Fashion - PLFIPL is known for bringing brands such as Aptronix, Max, Calvin Klein, Mango, dyson Louis Philippe, Peter England, Ray-Ban, Luxottica, Prada, Lyf, Reliance Jio, Max landmark, Fabindia, US Polo, Nautica, Arrow, Easy Buy and so much more to the India. With over 150+ retail stores across the country, PLFIPL is rapidly becoming one of the largest distribution houses in India, specializing in mobility and consumer electronics. A business that stays strong to its core values, PLFIPL is helmed by Meghna Singh, Sutinder Singh, Nikita Singh and Yash Bir Singh. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] Scott+Scott Announces Settlement: L Brands Commits $90 Million to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law LLP announced today that L Brands, Inc. ("L Brands") will commit $90 million to diversity, equity, and inclusion ("DEI") initiatives as part of a groundbreaking settlement with shareholders. The settlement agreement includes wide-ranging policy reforms such as the maintenance of a DEI Council, the strengthening of policies and procedures for reporting and investigating sexual harassment complaints, and the hiring of a DEI expert and consultant. The settlement resolves a shareholder derivative lawsuit filed last year against L Brands, Les Wexner, and Edward Razek by global law firm Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law LLP ("Scott + Scott"). Scott+Scott represents L Brands shareholders Milton Rudi and the Detroit Police and Fire Retirement System in the action. The case - Rudi v. Wexner, Case No. 2:20-cv-3068 - is pending before District Judge Michael H. Watson in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. The settlement also resolves a shareholder derivative case filed earlier this year in the Delaware Court of Chancery (Lambrecht v. Wexner, C.A. No. 2021-0029-JTL), along with books and records demands made by certain shareholders. "We are extremely proud of this settlement and believe that it is a game changer for Bath &Body Works and Victoria's Secret going forward," said Geoffrey Johnson, Partner at Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law LLP, the lead lawyer in the Ohio action. "The $90 million funding commitment is unprecedented for a company this size and the settlement establishes significant workplace and corporate governance reforms intended to ensure that the conduct that gave rise to this action will not occur in the future." Under the terms of the Settlement, L Brands will implement and maintain management and governance measures throughout L Brands, including: supplementing the existing Code of Conduct with standalone policies on sexual harassment, harassment and discrimination reporting, and anti-retaliation; strengthening the process for reporting and investigating claims of sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and retaliation; maintaining a DEI Council and retaining a DEI consultant to oversee the reforms; adopting a set of DEI Principles that will foster a diverse and inclusive workplace culture; collecting and evaluating data related to harassment and retaliation and the DEI principles; bringing the company's policy on nondisclosure agreements into conformity with New York law and ending the use of mandatory arbitration provisions for disputes involving harassment, gender discrimination, and retaliation. Following the planned August 2, 2021 spin-off of Victoria's Secret & Co., the settlement terms will apply to both L Brands (to be renamed Bath & Body Works, Inc.) and Victoria's Secret & Co., with each company committing to invest $45 million over at least five years to fund the management and governance measures. About Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law LLP Scott+Scott has significant experience in prosecuting major shareholder derivative, securities, antitrust, and employee retirement plan actions throughout the United States. The firm represents pension funds, foundations, individuals, and other entities worldwide with offices in New York, London, Amsterdam, Connecticut, Virginia, California, and Ohio. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005571/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] Innocent School Construction CEO Vindicated in Publicly Damaging Investigation The Riverside County District Attorney's office dismissed all charges against Ontario-based Neff Construction CEO Edward Mierau after an almost four-year investigation. Prosecutors from the Public Integrity Unit filed close to thirty felony counts against Mierau, an innocent man. It took Mierau years to clear his name. Mierau has never been in trouble before and had enjoyed a sterling statewide reputation for school construction that was nearly ruined by the false charges. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005573/en/ A court document called the "supplemental factual basis," signed by the guilty party, admits, "At no time did I ever conspire with, discuss, outline or insinuate any details of my fraud with Ed Mierau. At no time have I ever implicated or suggested any involvement by Ed Mierau, I accept full responsibility for the fraud outlined above, and specifically exonerate Ed Mireau." Since the onset of these meritless claims, Neff Construction and Mierau fully cooperated with law enforcement's investigation and continuously reiterated that Mierau was an unknowing innocent bystander in the schemes of a school administrator who acted alone to embezzle money from the Corona Norco Unified School District. Despite the investigation revealing no evidence to rove Mierau was even aware of the fraud, until it was uncovered, prosecutors filed charges anyway expecting that the number and weight of the charges would convince him to plead guilty to lesser charges. Mierau, and his lawyer, former District Attorney Rod Pacheco, not only refused any plea bargain but demanded that the charges be dismissed. "My innocence and that of our company, Neff Construction, have been vindicated," said Mierau. "It was devastating to be charged with crimes that I did not commit and for our company to be under suspicion when another individual was solely responsible for the embezzlement. We now have to work on restoring our almost ruined reputation." "The DA's office pursuit involved a number of egregious errors and what appeared to be outright deceptions in court documents and statements made in court," said Pacheco, which failed to convince a local judge recently when she denied prosecutors a simple preliminary injunction that are routine for prosecutors to secure. The judge found insufficient evidence to grant prosecutors' request. Prosecutors are also under fire for violating Mierau's civil rights in collaboration with officials, Michael Fine and Michael Ammermon, from a school audit agency known as FCMAT. "The integrity of our legal system demands accountability from all parties involved," said Pacheco. "This investigation was riddled with errors and misrepresentations that led to wrongful accusations against an innocent man and company with stellar, untarnished reputations." Neff Construction has earned a strong reputation for successfully completing hundreds of projects for school districts by adhering to the highest professional and ethical standards. "Mierau is an integral part of our company," said Ron Kuehl, Neff Construction VP. "His career of over 30 years proved time and time again that he is a man of integrity and committed to providing the best services and products for our customers. His life has been dedicated to building the infrastructure to house our next generation." "The district attorney's office secretly used auditors and investigators from FCMAT that manipulated this frivolous process to create a false narrative of Mierau's guilt. These deceitful tactics publicly damaged the reputation of both Mierau and Neff Construction which will continue to have extreme impacts on their ability to conduct business,'' said Pacheco. "The Public Integrity Unit of the DA's office ought to have integrity. In Mierau's case they had none." View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005573/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] The Central and Eastern Europe Fund, Inc., The European Equity Fund, Inc., and The New Germany Fund, Inc. Announce Extension of Share Repurchases The Central and Eastern Europe Fund, Inc. (NYSE: CEE), The European Equity Fund, Inc. (NYSE: EEA), and The New Germany Fund, Inc. (NYSE: GF) (each, a "Fund," and collectively, the "Funds") each announced today that its Board of Directors has approved an extension of the current repurchase authorization permitting EEA, GF and CEE to repurchase up to 700,849, 1,575,385, and 638,580 shares, respectively (representing approximately 10% of each Fund's current shares outstanding) for the twelve month period from August 1, 2021 through July 31, 2022. Repurchases will be made from time to time when they are believed to be in the best interests of a Fund. In addition, each Fund announced that its Board continues to reserve its discretion to determine if it would be appropriate to initiate a tender offer during the twelve month period from August 1, 2021 through July 31, 2022. Each Board intends to continue to consider this matter on a regular basis. For more information on each Fund, including the most recent month-end performance, visit www.dwsfunds.com or call (800) 349-4281. Important Information Closed-end funds, unlike open-end funds, are not continuously offered. There is a one time public offering and once issued, shares of closed-end funds are sold in the open market through a stock exchange. Shares of closed-end funds frequently trade at a discount to net asset value. The price of a fund's shares is determined by a number of factors, several of which are beyond the control of the fund. Therefore, a fund cannot predict whether its shares will trade at, below, or above net asset value. Investing in foreign securities, particularly of emerging markets, presents certain risks, such as currency fluctuations, political and economic changes, and market risks. Emerging markets tend to be more volatile and less liquid than the markets of more mature economies, and generally have less diverse and less mature economic structures and less stable political systems than those of developed countries. Any fund that concentrates in a particular segment of the market or a particular geographical regio will generally be more volatile than a fund that invests more broadly. Investing in foreign securities presents certain risks, such as currency fluctuations, political and economic changes, and market risks. Emerging markets tend to be more volatile and less liquid than the markets of more mature economies, and generally have less diverse and less mature economic structures and less stable political systems than those of developed countries. Any fund that focused in a particular segment of the market or region of the world will generally be more volatile than a fund invests more broadly. The Central and Eastern Europe Fund, Inc. is non-diversified and can take larger positions in fewer issues, increasing its potential risk, and also concentrates its investments in the energy sector. The European Equity Fund, Inc. Investing in foreign securities, particularly of emerging markets, presents certain risks, such as currency fluctuations, political and economic changes, and market risks. Any fund that concentrates in a particular segment of the market or a particular geographical region will generally be more volatile than a fund that invests more broadly. The New Germany Fund, Inc. Investing in foreign securities, particularly of emerging markets presents certain risk, such a currency fluctuations, political and economic changes, and market risks. Any fund that concentrates in a particular segment of the market or a particular geographical region will generally be more volatile than a fund that invests more broadly. Investments in funds involve risk. Additional risks of the Funds are associated with international investing, such as currency fluctuations, political and economic changes, market risks, government regulations and differences in liquidity, which may increase the volatility of your investment. Foreign security markets generally exhibit greater price volatility and are less liquid than the US market. Additionally, the Funds focus their investments in certain geographical regions, thereby increasing their vulnerability to developments in that region and potentially subjecting the Funds' shares to greater price volatility. Some funds have more risk than others. These include funds, such as the Funds, that allow exposure to or otherwise concentrate investments in certain sectors, geographic regions, security types, market capitalization, or foreign securities (e.g., political or economic instability, which can be accentuated in emerging market countries). The European Union, the United States and other countries have imposed sanctions on Russia in response to Russian military and other actions in recent years. These sanctions have adversely affected Russian individuals, issuers and the Russian economy. Russia, in turn, has imposed sanctions targeting Western individuals, businesses and products. The various sanctions have adversely affected, and may continue to adversely affect, not only the Russian economy, but also the economies of many countries in Europe, including countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The continuation of current sanctions or the imposition of additional sanctions may materially adversely affect the value of the Funds' portfolios. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. War, terrorism, economic uncertainty, trade disputes, public health crises (including the recent pandemic spread of the novel coronavirus) and related geopolitical events could lead to increased market volatility, disruption to US and world economies and markets and may have significant adverse effects on the fund and their investments. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the laws of such state or jurisdiction. NOT FDIC/ NCUA INSURED * MAY LOSE VALUE * NO BANK GUARANTEE NOT A DEPOSIT * NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY The brand DWS represents DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA and any of its subsidiaries such as DWS Distributors, Inc. which offers investment products or DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. and RREEF America L.L.C. which offer advisory services. (R-084578-1) (07/21) View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005377/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [July 30, 2021] Hancock Whitney and FHLB Dallas Award $20K to Gulfport Nonprofit Hancock Whitney and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) have awarded $20,105 in Partnership Grant Program ( PGP (News - Alert) ) funds to Mercy Housing and Human Development (Mercy Housing) of Gulfport, Mississippi. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005585/en/ From left to right: Stephanie Johnson and Laurie Godfrey, both with Hancock Whitney, stand with Julie Egressy, executive director of Mercy Housing and Human Development, and Anthony Montgomery of Hancock Whitney, during a recent check presentation to the Gulfport, Mississippi, nonprofit. (Photo: Business Wire) For 2021, FHLB Dallas awarded $400,000 in PGP grants, and its members provided an additional $200,250 for an impact of more than $600,000 in its five-state District of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. The funds were awarded during a July 29 check presentation at Mercy Housing's offices in Gulfport. "The funding from the PGP grant will help us with the expenses we incur providing a wide variety of services to the community," said Julie Egressy, executive director of Mercy Housing. "We are thankful for the positive impact these funds will make." PGP grants help qualified nonprofit organizations fund a variety of operational and administrative activities that are critical to serving their communities. "Hancock Whitney is honored to partner with FHLB Dallasto help Mercy Housing," said Hancock Whitney Senior Vice President and Director of Community Development Anthony Montgomery. "Mercy Housing offers a wide variety of services to the community, including homebuyer education, financial literacy and healthy lifestyle programs that improve people's lives." Through this unique program, FHLB Dallas member institutions contribute $500 to $4,000 to a community-based organization (CBO), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which FHLB Dallas matches at a 3:1 ratio to provide the CBO up to $24,000 per member and $60,000 per year in grant money. PGP grants are awarded annually through FHLB Dallas' member institutions and help promote and strengthen relationships between CBOs and members. "We are proud to stand alongside Hancock Whitney to assist Mercy Housing with administrative and operational expenses," said Greg Hettrick, first vice president and director of Community Investment at FHLB Dallas. See the complete list of the 2021 PGP grant recipients. For more information about the 2021 PGP grants and other FHLB Dallas community investment products and programs, please visit fhlb.com/pgp. About Hancock Whitney Since the late 1800s, Hancock Whitney has embodied core values of Honor & Integrity, Strength & Stability, Commitment to Service, Teamwork, and Personal Responsibility. Hancock Whitney offices and financial centers in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas offer comprehensive financial products and services, including traditional and online banking; commercial and small business banking; private banking; trust and investment services; healthcare banking; certain insurance services; and mortgage services. The company also operates a loan production office in Nashville, Tennessee. BauerFinancial, Inc., the nation's leading independent bank rating and analysis firm, consistently recommends Hancock Whitney as one of America's most financially sound banks. More information is available at www.hancockwhitney.com. About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 11 district banks in the FHLBank System created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $58.6 billion as of June 30, 2021, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced loans and other credit products to approximately 800 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. For more information, visit our website at fhlb.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005585/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] ICICI Bank Limited Files Annual Report in Form 20-F ICICI Bank Limited (NYSE: IBN) filed its annual report in Form 20-F for the year ended March 31, 2021 (FY2021) on July 30, 2021, as required by United States securities regulations. The Form 20-F annual report includes the Bank's consolidated financial statements under Indian GAAP and a reconciliation of consolidated profit after tax and net worth under Indian GAAP to net income and stockholders' equity under U.S. GAAP, approved by the Audit Committee of the Board. Copies of the Form 20-F are available from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ( SEC (News - Alert) ) website www.sec.gov or via a direct link to the SEC website at "About Us/Investor Relations/SEC Filings" page of ICICI Bank's website: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001103838/000095010321011618/dp152325_20f.htm Shareholders may obtain a copy of the complete audited financial statements free of charge by writing to Company Secretary, ICICI Bank Limited, ICICI Bank Towers, Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai 400051 or sending an e-mail to companysecretary@icicibank.com, with details of their shareholding and mailing address. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210730005586/en/ NASHVILLE On Wednesday, July 28, 2021, Tennessee First Lady Maria Lee and Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) Commissioner Carter Lawrence joined members of the Tennessee State Fire Marshals Office (SFMO) to deliver food, cleaning supplies and working smoke alarms to volunteer firefighters in Williamson County. This weeks event is in support of First Lady Maria Lees ongoing Tennessee Serves initiative, which encourages Tennesseans to engage in their communities through service. The event coincides with the one-year anniversary of the launch of monthly outreach visits across Tennessee by the SFMO to support Tennessees volunteer firefighters. In Tennessee, the majority (62.4%) of the states 20,184 total firefighters are volunteers. Inspired by the service of First Lady Maria Lee, the State Fire Marshals Office has since served more than 50 volunteer fire departments across the three Grand Divisions of our state. During each visit, the SFMO has delivered water, snacks, given information as to support and grants, and, most importantly, weve offered our sincere thanks to the men and women who volunteer their time and talents to protect the lives and property of their neighbors, said Lawrence, who also serves as the Tennessee State Fire Marshal. Through these visits, our team has learned how to better support volunteer firefighters, grown closer to the men and women who comprise the Tennessee Fire Service and developed an even deeper appreciation for their selfless work. As the State Fire Marshal, I can say it is truly an honor to help serve them and help serve Tennessee. During this weeks event, First Lady Maria Lee also joined members of Williamson Fire-Rescue on a visit to a Thompsons Station residence where they installed working smoke alarms provided through the SFMOs life-saving Get Alarmed, Tennessee! smoke alarm program. "Tennessees volunteer firefighters embody the definition of being true servants through volunteering to serve their communities and putting their lives on the line for their neighbors, said First Lady Maria Lee. I am honored to be a part of the SFMOs ongoing effort to support volunteer firefighters across our state while also encouraging Tennesseans to focus on fire safety in their own homes. Said TDCI Assistant Commissioner of Fire Prevention Gary Farley: I am thankful for the work of First Lady Maria Lee who is supporting fire safety and calling attention to the work of volunteer firefighters. As a lifelong firefighter, this event shows members of the fire service that they are appreciated by Tennessees leaders. A video of this weeks event can be viewed here and photos can be downloaded here. ### Sellars Farm State Archaeological Area is under the management of Long Hunter State Park. The Sellars Farm (40WI1) site represents a relatively small, fortified Mississippian Period (AD 1000-1450) mound center located three miles southeast of the city of Lebanon in Wilson County, Tennessee. The site sits in a prominent bend of Spring Creek and consists of a large platform mound and village area surrounded by a roughly oval palisade embankment and ditch complex. The palisade complex encloses an area of 10.2 acres, and consists of two embankments separated by a shallow ditch. The platform mound faces eastward across a plaza and is about 4.5 meters tall and slightly trapezoidal in shape, with the wider and slightly lower end to the east. The mound base measures 37 meters long, with widths of 36 and 29 meters on the east and west ends, respectively. About 90 ft. southeast of the platform mound, along the southern edge of the plaza, was a smaller mound where around 60 stone box graves were found during the 1877 excavations by Frederic Ward Putnam with the Peabody Museum. Domestic structures also occur inside the palisade. An 1877 map of the site defined some 100 low circular ridges of earth. Nineteen ridges were excavated in 1877 by Putnam and were correctly identified as houses. Modern investigations by the Tennessee Division of Archaeology also exposed domestic structures within the palisade. The palisade itself runs approximately 900 ft. (274 m) north-south and 650 ft. east-west (198 m). The majority of the surface evidence of the palisade has been destroyed by years of cultivation; however, a small segment roughly 45 m long is still visible on the western edge of the site. The inner embankment is approximately 5 m across and 30 cm above the ground surface. A ditch separates the inner embankment from the outer embankment, which is roughly 5.5 m wide and 20 cm tall. Archaeological investigations and radiocarbon dates suggest the site was first occupied by Mississippian peoples around AD 1100 (Regional Period II- AD 1100-1200) and eventually abandoned sometime before AD 1400 (Regional Period IV- AD 1325-1425). The establishment of Sellars Farm during Regional Period II follows behind the rise of other mound centers in the Middle Cumberland region during Regional Period I (AD 1000-1100), such as the state-owned Mound Bottom site (40CH8). Sellars position within the Spring Creek drainage and on the edge of the Nashville Basin suggests it may have served as an important frontier or border town as the drainage represents a strategic and direct overland route from the Cumberland River southward to the Eastern Highland Rim. The abandonment of the Sellars Farm site by AD 1400 corresponds to a larger period of political destabilization (Regional Period IV) throughout Middle Tennessee and parts of the Southeast US that ultimately resulted in wide-scale abandonment of these areas. The Sellars site was part of a 1786 Revolutionary War land grant to Nathaniel Lawrence, whose heirs, the Lindsley family, eventually took over ownership of the property and established the Greenwood Seminary. It was the Lindsley family, specifically Mrs. N. Lawrence Lindsley, who invited the first archaeologist, Fredric Ward Putnam with Harvards Peabody Museum, to the property in 1877. The land passed through several owners eventually ending up in the hands of James W. Sellars in 1909. The Sellars family was known to have extensively cultivated the site, which resulted in the reduction and, in some cases, complete loss of archaeological deposits such as parts of the palisade and most of the low mounds identified by Putnam. The State of Tennessee acquired the land in 1974 and began the process of turning it into an archaeological area in 2004. Sellars Farm is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Notably, Sellars Farm is the location where two pairs of Tennessee-Cumberland style stone statues were found between 1922 and 1939. These statutes were first found as a result of the cultivation of the property by James Sellars, but were later hunted for by local farmers. The most famous of these is the State Artifact of Tennessee, which is displayed in the permanent exhibit "Archaeology and the Native Peoples of Tennessee" at the McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture. NASHVILLE A Kentucky woman is charged with TennCare fraud after allegedly reporting false information to the state so she could enroll in TennCare healthcare insurance program. The Office of Inspector General (OIG), in a joint effort with the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office, today announced the arrest of 32-year-old Brandy Rock of Oak Grove, KY. She is charged with TennCare fraud, which is a class D felony, and class C felony theft of services. Investigators allege she falsely reported a Tennessee residence and claimed to have dependent children in her custody. As a result, TennCare paid approximately $11,700.00 in fees and claims on her behalf. The OIG would like to recognize the joint effort of the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office, Inspector General Kim Harmon said. We work to continue our strong established relationships with sheriffs across the state to ensure that people choosing to abuse TennCare are brought to justice. The case is being prosecuted by District Attorney General John W. Carney, Jr. who serves Montgomery and Robertson counties. The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated over 5,760 criminal cases leading to more than $11.5 million being repaid to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of more than $163.8 million for TennCare, according to latest figures. To date, 3,133 people have been charged with TennCare fraud. To access the OIG most wanted list please visit https://www.tn.gov/finance/fa-oig/fa-oig-most-wanted.html. Anyone with information about a wanted subject is urged to use the contact information on the page. Through the OIG Cash for Tips Program established by the Legislature, Tennesseans can get cash rewards for TennCare fraud tips that lead to convictions. Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982, toll-free or by logging on to www.tn.gov/oig/ and following the prompts that read Report TennCare Fraud. ANDERSON COUNTY, SR 61 Bridge over Norfolk Southern Railway and Market Street in Clinton: SR 61 East is reduced to one lane through this bridge repair project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, changing conditions, lane shifts, and use extreme caution through this area. ANDERSON COUNTY, US 25/SR 9 Bridge over Clinch River between SR 61 and Carden Farm Drive: SR 9 northbound is reduced to one lane approaching the bridge as crews continue work in this area. Motorists should be alert for workers present, changing conditions, lane shifts, and use extreme caution through this bridge construction project. BLOUNT COUNTY, US 129 North and South between SR 35 Hall Road and Tyson Boulevard: Motorists should be alert for workers present, possible lane closures and brief stoppages of traffic through this roadway construction project. For project information, go to https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/projects-region-1/sr-115-alcoa-highway-hall-road-to-tyson-blvd.html BLOUNT COUNTY, SR 335 Hunt Road between Ambrose Street and Ramsay Street: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures at various times as crews install utilities through this construction project. Motorists should be alert for workers present directing traffic and use extreme caution through this area. BLOUNT COUNTY, SR 33 between Foothills Mall Drive and Henry Street: Motorists should be alert for possible nightly lane closures between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this intersection improvement construction project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, changed conditions, and use extreme caution through this area. BLOUNT COUNTY, SR 35 between Bogart Lane and Birchfield Street: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, possible delays, and use extreme caution through this area. CAMPBELL COUNTY, I-75 North and South between Mile Markers 135 and 142: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this project. Motorists should be alert for slowed or stopped traffic, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area. CAMPBELL COUNTY, SR 63 between Myers Lane and Frontier Road/Woodson Lane: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures between the hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and/or 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this construction project. Motorists should be alert for slowed or stopped traffic, expect potential delays and use extreme caution through this area. CARTER COUNTY, US 19E/SR 37 Bridge over the Doe River and Riverview Road: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures through this bridge repair project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slowed traffic, and use extreme caution in this area. CARTER COUNTY, SR 67 between SR 359 and SR 91: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures during daylight hours through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, possible delays, and use extreme caution through this area. CARTER COUNTY, SR 359 between I-26 and Milligan Highway: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures during daylight hours through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, possible delays, and use extreme caution through this area. CLAIBORNE COUNTY, SR 63 between Old Town Creek and US 25E/SR 32: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures through this construction project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, expect delays and use extreme caution through this area. GRAINGER COUNTY, US 11W/SR 1 between Promiseland Road and Circle Loop: Motorists should be alert for possible daily lane closures between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, reduced speeds, expect possible delays, and use caution through this area. GRAINGER COUNTY, SR 375 between Helton Road and US 25/SR 32: Motorists should be alert for possible daily lane closures between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, reduced speeds, expect possible delays, and use caution through this area. GREENE COUNTY, US 11E/SR 34 both directions between Blue Springs Parkway and Forest Road in Mosheim: Motorists should be alert for lane closures and lane shifts through this area for bridge repair operations. These lane closures will remain in place 24/7 until repairs are complete. Motorists should be alert for workers present, changing conditions, and use extreme caution in this area. This bridge repair project is estimated to be complete on or before October 31, 2021. HAMBLEN COUNTY, SR 34 between Jefferson County Line and Walters Drive: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, expect possible delays, and use caution through this area. KNOX COUNTY, I-640 East and West between Mile Markers 0 and 3.6: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures nightly between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this milling and resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slowed traffic, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area. KNOX COUNTY, I-640 Ramps at Exit 8: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures nightly between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this construction project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slowed traffic, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area. KNOX COUNTY, Various Interstates through Knoxville: Motorists should be alert for possible mobile lane closures nightly between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning as crews perform roadway maintenance activities. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow or stopped traffic, and use extreme caution in this area. KNOX COUNTY, US 129/SR 115 Alcoa Highway between Topside Road and Maloney Road: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures and lane shifts as crews perform work through this project. Motorists should be alert for new traffic patterns. Motorists should be alert for workers present, reduce speed and use extreme caution through this area. For project information, go to https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/projects-region-1/sr-115-alcoa-highway-little-river-to-maloney.html KNOX COUNTY, US 129/SR 115 Alcoa Highway between Maloney Road and Woodson Drive: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures and lane shifts as crews perform work through this project. Motorists should be alert for new traffic patterns. Motorists should be alert for workers present, reduce speed, and use extreme caution through this area. For project information, go to https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/projects-region-1/sr-115-alcoa-highway-maloney-to-woodson.html KNOX COUNTY, US 441 Broadway Viaduct between Jackson Avenue and Fifth Avenue: US 441 Broadway Viaduct over Norfolk Southern Railroad in downtown Knoxville is closed for bridge replacement. The Broadway Viaduct will be closed to all traffic for the duration of the project. During the closure, Broadway will be closed from the intersection of Oak Avenue, Worlds Fair Park, and Jackson Avenue to just north of the Depot Avenue intersection. Depot Avenue will also be closed. These closures will ensure the safety of workers and motorists as crews demolish the old bridge and reconstruct the new bridge. Primary and Local Detour Routes around the bridge closure will be in place. For detour routes and project information, go to https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/projects-region-1/broadway-viaduct.html KNOX COUNTY, US 441/SR 71 Chapman Highway between Highland View Drive and Burnett Lane: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures daily between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. through this construction project. Motorists should be alert for workers and equipment present, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area. For project information, go to https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/projects-region-1/chapman-highway-evans-to-burnett.html KNOX COUNTY, SR 62 Western Avenue between Copper Kettle and Texas Avenue: Motorists should be alert for possible nightly lane closures between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, reduced speeds, expect possible delays, and use caution through this area. KNOX COUNTY, SR 162 Pellissippi Parkway West at Hardin Valley Road: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures through this construction project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, reduced speeds, expect possible delays, and use caution through this area. KNOX COUNTY, SR 332 Concord Road between Turkey Creek Road and Northshore: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures daily between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and new traffic patterns through this construction project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area. For project information, go to https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/projects-region-1/sr-332-proposed-widening.html KNOX COUNTY, SR 332 Northshore Drive between Lyons View Pike and Papermill Road: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures nightly between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning as crews perform work on concrete curb ramps through this area. Motorists should be alert for workers present, reduced speeds, expect possible delays, and use caution through this area. LOUDON COUNTY, I-75 North and South between Mile Markers 79 and 84: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow traffic, expect delays, and use extreme caution through this area. LOUDON COUNTY, US 321/SR 73 between I-40 and Simpson Road: Motorists should be alert for possible nightly lane closures between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow or stopped traffic, and use extreme caution in this area. LOUDON COUNTY, US 411/SR 33 between Blount County Line and Monroe County Line: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures daily between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow or stopped traffic, and use extreme caution in this area. ROANE COUNTY, I-40 West between Mile Markers 340 and 344: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures at various times through this slope stabilization project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, reduced speeds, lane shifts, and use extreme caution through this area. ROANE COUNTY, I-40 East near Mile Marker 353: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning as crews perform work through this slope stabilization project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow traffic, and use extreme caution through this area. SEVIER COUNTY, SR 71 between US 411 and Macon Lane: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures daily between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. through this construction project. Motorists should be alert for workers and equipment present, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area. SULLIVAN COUNTY, I-26 East and West between Mile Markers 5.3 and 9.9: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow or stopped traffic, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution in this area. SULLIVAN COUNTY, SR 36 at SR 126: Motorists should be alert for possible nightly lane closures between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this intersection improvement project. Motorists should be alert for workers and equipment present, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area. SULLIVAN COUNTY, SR 93 from near I-26 (Log Mile 6.2) to near US 11W/ SR 1 (Log Mile 11.3) : Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures through this resurfacing and bridge repair project. Motorists should be alert for workers and equipment present, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area. SULLIVAN COUNTY, SR 126 Memorial Boulevard at SR 36: Motorists should be alert for lane reductions through this intersection improvement project. Motorists should be alert for workers and equipment present, changed traffic patterns, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area. UNICOI COUNTY, I-26 East and West near Mile Marker 33: Motorists should be alert for possible intermittent lane closures nightly between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. in each through this bridge repair project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow traffic, and use extreme caution through this area. This project is estimated to be complete on or before August 31, 2021. UNICOI COUNTY, SR 81 between Log Miles 0 and 1.8: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures daily between the hours of 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. through this resurfacing and safety project. Motorists should be alert for workers and equipment present, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area. UNICOI COUNTY, SR 107 between 6th Street and SR 173: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures daily between the hours of 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. through this resurfacing and safety project. Motorists should be alert for workers and equipment present, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area. WASHINGTON/CARTER COUNTIES, SR 91 between Broadway Street and SR 67: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures during daylight hours through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, possible delays, and use extreme caution through this area. WASHINGTON COUNTY, SR 93 between Davis Road and Fire Hall Road: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures through this construction project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, reduced speeds, and use caution through this area. For information on statewide interstate construction motorists can access the Tennessee Department of Transportation SmartWay website at https://smartway.tn.gov/traffic TDOT is now on Twitter. For up to the minute traffic information in Knoxville and the Tri-Cities follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/knoxville511. For statewide travel information follow www.twitter.com/TN511 Supporters of COVID masks have been doing a great deal of moralizing this week but here's one question that remains unanswered . . . ARE COVID MASK ORDERS KILLING LOCAL BIZ AND PUSHING CUSTOMERS AWAY FROM KANSAS CITY?!?! That's a pointed question coming from many locals and, so far, the answer seems to be . . . Yes. Oh no. Here we go backwards again, said the owner of Michael Forbes Grill, Forbes Cross. I just hope next week we dont hear I have to have people six feet apart and shut our building down because people wont get their shot. AWESOME TKC denizens can read more here . . . Will Kansas Citians go elsewhere to avoid mask mandates? KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) - Kansas City's mask mandate begins Monday August 4, while Kansans wait to hear what Wyandotte and Johnson County propose for masking. Some people, like Mary Graham, are getting ahead of the mask order. "You know if it keeps everyone safe, I'm for it," Graham said. Kansas City, Missouri, businesses aim to peacefully enforce renewed mask mandate KANSAS CITY, Mo. - While Kansas City, Missouri, business owners and managers understand many people aren't happy with the city's renewed indoor mask mandate, they are working to help combat the spread of COVID-19 by following the guidelines put in place. Developing . . . Of course, TKC reported this story FIRST but we're happy to see other news outlets picking up the saga. Something to consider . . . PUSH BACK AGAINST KANSAS CITY 'POLICE DEFUNDING' IS JUST BEGINNING WITH THIS CHALLENGE TO COUNCILMAN BUNCH!!! Here's the back story and a worthwhile round-up . . . In January, Bunch called for the resignation of the Kansas City Chief of Police amid pressure from the Defund the Police movement. Take KC Back said the call for resignation was without merit and that Bunch [bowed] to the radical protestors who also call for defunding the police. We believe that Councilman Eric Bunch should be fired, not our Chief of Police, the press release said. That is why today, we filed an affidavit with the city clerk to start the recall process of Councilman Eric Bunch. The group also referenced the KC City Councils vote in May to reallocate over $42 million away from the Kansas City Police Department, of which Bunch voted in support of. Bunch voted to defund KCPD by over 42 million dollars without constituent input and without guarantee that the money would go back to the police department, the press release continued. As eight other council members voted to do the same, Bunch isnt the only one in the groups crosshairs for voting to cut KCPDs funding hes just the first. He will be the first councilmember to be recalled for voting to defund KCPD, the group said. Read more . . . Kansas City pro-police group launches effort to recall Councilman Eric Bunch KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A group called Take KC Back is spearheading an effort to recall 4th District City Councilman Eric Bunch for repeatedly going "against the will of his constituents." "4th District Councilman Eric Bunch has a consistent history of enmity toward our police department, and of supporting radical agendas," the group's reads. Developing . . . Elected leaders across the state line are playing for time in the midst of a historic American re-masking and the pandemic precaution crackdown. Our AWESOME TKC blog community thinks the hesitation might have a lot to do with the overwhelmingly negative reception of recent orders this week . . . And so, we check even more mixed messages coming from The Dotte . . . Wyandotte County health officials recommend mask mandate KANSAS CITY, KS (KCTV) - Wyandotte County is one step closer to a mask mandate. Thursday night, Unified Government Public Health Department leaders presented data to the Board of County Commissioners for a special session. Medical Officer Dr. Allen Greiner, MD, concluded the presentation by recommending they institute a mandate similar to what Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas created on Wednesday. Wyandotte County Health Officials Push For A Mask Mandate, But Commissioners Take No Action The Wyandotte County Health Department is recommending a six-week mask mandate, regardless of vaccination status, as the area faces a rising number of COVID-19 cases. The department told the Unified Government's Board of Commissioners on Thursday night that action is needed "urgently" as case numbers rise to highs last seen in January. Developing . . . @IsaacAvilucea on Twitter Isaac Avilucea is The Trentonians main municipal scribe. A two-time prior restraint winner and testicular cancer survivor, he relishes his reputation as the "Mean Girls" reporter that followed his 18-day stay at the now-defunct North Adams Transcript. PRINCETON - John Edward Barbour, of Princeton, IN and formerly of West Terre Haute, passed away on July 7, 2021 while on vacation in a bowling tournament in Las Vegas. He was born on October 19, 1956 to Daniel C. Barbour and Margaret Rhyan Barbour. John was a 1974 graduate of West Vigo High Canton, GA (30114) Today Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 81F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. So we just got back a few days ago from our first trip to Maui (and my first trip to anywhere in Hawaii!) First of all, thanks for all the help in the weeks leading up to this trip. This was a family vacation (which is a rare occurrence as the kids get older) so we were pretty excited about it. Flight - flew Alaska direct from PDX. Flight was only around 60-70% full which was great. Did the pre-clear thing so OGG was a breeze. Easy directions to the rental car area and we were on our way pretty quickly. Side note - we used Waze to navigate the entire time and it worked great. We hit Costco to start and picked up a few beverages. Always fun since our Costco at home doesn't sell hard alcohol so the Balvenie I picked up there was actually cheaper than what I pay in Oregon. After Costco, we went on a beautiful drive to Kaanapali where we were staying at Aston at the Whaler. I had booked a 1 bedroom, 2 bathroom premium unit there (would have preferred a 2 bedroom but none were available.) The room was just fine but the view was amazing! We were in 1051 which was on the 10th floor at the end of the hall. We had a deck that wrapped around the entire unit so we had views up and down the coastline. We were also probably 40 feet as the crow flies to the sand. We kept the privacy card on the door so we didn't have any maid service this trip - we exchanged towels once. Dining - this was difficult. I had never been here and don't often travel 3 hours outside our time zone so I had no idea when the family would want to eat so we had no reservations anywhere. I went to Safeway the first morning to get breakfast stuff and snacks. (Side note - how cool is it to see Poke sold at Safeway!) Every meal but 2 were take out or delivery. We ate lots of fantastic fish dishes. Due to proximity, we ate 3 or 4 meals from Hula Grill. Food we thought was actually pretty good and we enjoyed being able to order drinks while waiting. We had a nice lunch at HuiHui and thought that was pretty good as well. The roast beef dip was the only disappointment - flavorless and dry. This was one of 2 sit down dining experiences. We had a really good meal at The Fish Market but was surprised it was cash only. Luckily daughter was with us as she works in the service industry and always has tons of cash from tips. We travelled to Lahaina and ate at Kool Kat Cafe. Decent food and annoying service. (Service was actually good - I just didn't enjoy the server's canned script.) This was our second sitdown experience. We used Uber Eats twice with less than optimal success (meaning we tried more than that but after waiting an hour+ had it cancel on us.) We got L&L Hawaiian BBQ once and that was OK. Weirdly not as good as the Hawaiian restaurants we have in Portland. We also did Burger King once because frankly that was all that was available. We did a snorkeling tour with Teralani. These guys were great. Usually on excursions, if the food is edible, I count that as a win. This food was actually good. They served juices and croissant breakfast sandwiches and cinnamon rolls for breakfast and some sort of bbq chicken with sides for lunch and it was all tasty. The snorkeling itself was pretty good. Certainly better than any of our excursions in Mexico and the crew was friendly and available. So random thoughts.... I was nervous after reading about the tensions between locals and tourists but as many of you predicted, we had no issues whatsoever. Everyone we interacted with was great. Despite having a great trip, our family was ready to go home the day before we were supposed to. I think having 2 bedrooms would have helped this as we're all used to having our own space. I also think that knowing what to expect would have helped. We loved going in the ocean and bouncing around with the waves but we're definitely not 'sit on the beach' people. Basically we would go down to beach, grab a chair to hold our stuff, go in the water for an hour or so and then head back up to the room. I mean, why sit down in the heat, sand, wind and other people when I could be sitting in a nice airconditioned hotel room instead with basically the same exact view? I also think that we didn't expect the heat. My wife had been looking at 'Maui' weather forecasts so we were expecting mid 70s. We clearly should have been looking at Kaanapali weather to see the mid 80s forecasts. I couldn't even get the kids to go wander around the Whaler village because they said it was too hot. Overall, I suspect we'll be back...at least to someplace in Hawaii. We normally travel to Mexico and there were some pleasant differences. The parts of Maui we did see, we felt were more beautiful than the areas of Mexico we've visited. For us, as not particularly adventurous or well travelled people, it was more comfortable exploring Maui. If our goal is to go to a tropical location, sit in a pool and have someone bring us drinks all day then Mexico gets the nod. If I think my family is ready to go out and explore and maybe do a couple hikes or something, Hawaii wins hands down. Anyway, thanks for all the help! Hi Shane, hope you can help. My parents are going to be doing the same trip, France onto Italy and final destination Malta. Did you take a test in France to enter Italy and then isolate for 5 days? Where did you take the tests? Was it quite straight forward? Thanks Lorraine WASHINGTON (AP) Attorneys are asking the Biden administration to release from immigration custody a Chinese democracy advocate who could be deported to his homeland to face what they say are false charges despite the lack of an extradition treaty between the United States and China. Human rights advocates say this is one of a handful of cases in which China has used the Interpol red notice system to try to force the return of dissidents from the United States. Under the red notice system, a member country of the international police consortium can ask other countries to arrest and return fugitives living abroad. Its not clear how often, if ever, this tactic has resulted in the U.S. turning over detainees to Chinese authorities. The man was arrested in June and is being held in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center. The Associated Press is withholding the mans name because a sibling still living in China has reported being threatened by government agents with criminal charges unless his brother returns to the country. ICE says it arrested the man for overstaying his visa and has not commented on whether the Chinese charges led to his detention. But the man's attorneys say China is exploiting the U.S. immigration system to bypass American efforts to fight Beijing's targeting of dissidents. The man and his immediate family are seeking asylum in the U.S. A red notice issued in January accuses the man of being the ringleader of a conspiracy to make illegal profits through a mining business and recruit former prisoners to attack a supposed enemy. The man's advocates say other documents from China's legal system show he is being framed for crimes that have already been linked to others. There are countries that abuse the Interpol red notice system, especially including China," said John Sandweg, one of the man's attorneys. Sandweg, a former acting director of ICE, said the agency risked being manipulated by red notices and becoming "a tool to continue the persecution of law abiding activists and dissidents. ICE says the man was detained for overstaying his visa after entering the country in September. The agency did not directly answer a question about whether it arrested the man because of the red notice or how this would affect his case. It said that in some instances, the interest of another law enforcement agency in the U.S. or abroad may inform the analysis of whether someone is deported or released. China's embassy in Washington and Interpol did not respond to requests for comment. According to his attorneys, the man served as a village chief when Chinese authorities sought to seize a friend's home for a planned industrial park. The man says he allowed villagers to protest peacefully and helped the friend protest the central government directly. The man says he was jailed for 30 days in retaliation and eventually fled with his family to Hong Kong, where he joined in the territory's protests amid Beijing's efforts to tighten control. Fearing that he would be arrested again, he says he and his family entered the United States last year on a visa that gave them six months' legal permission. The man's attorneys say he first learned of the Interpol red notice against him when an ICE attorney notified him following an immigration court hearing. The red notice says an arrest warrant was issued last August, and he faces a possible life sentence. What ICE doesnt understand well is that (an) Interpol Red Notice from China is highly political and not a reliable indicator for real criminal activities, said Yaqiu Wang, a China researcher at the advocacy group Human Rights Watch. China aggressively pursues the repatriation of people it considers opponents of Communist Party leadership, including people living in the United States in what American authorities have alleged are extralegal campaigns to harass and stalk targets. A federal grand jury this month indicted nine people on allegations they served as agents in Operation Fox Hunt, which the Chinese government has characterized as an effort to track down corrupt officials and criminals abroad. The Justice Department called Operation Fox Hunt extralegal and alleges the indicted people conducted surveillance of and engaged in a campaign to harass, stalk and coerce people wanted by Beijing to return to China. Interpol was criticized in 2016 after a top Chinese official, Meng Hongwei, was elected as its president, with some warning that China would be newly assertive. Meng's four-year term would be cut short when he vanished in 2018 during a visit to China from France, where he and his family had moved. Meng eventually resurfaced to plead guilty to fraud charges and was sentenced to 13 years in prison. His wife, who eventually received asylum in France along with their children, has said she believes Meng was a victim of political persecution. Cashing In On Fame Has Its Rewards, And Ethan Coen's Reflections On Childhood Are Among Them. By Stephan Faris Gates of Eden, by Ethan Coen (William Morrow & Co.). Cloth, $24. AH, FAME. FROM the author of Fargo and Raising Arizona comes Gates of Eden. Ethan Coen has parlayed his success as a filmmaker into the publication of a collection of short stories. And while the book is not without its merits, it's hard to conceive of any less-famous, first-time author receiving timely publications in such prestigious magazines as The New Yorker and Playboy. The stories tend to the frivolous, more Hudsucker Proxy than Blood Simple. With a couple notable exceptions, they star a caricatured criminal or private investigator and run the gamut from maudlin melodrama to burlesque parody. (The title story tells of an agent of the California Weights and Measures and his twisted fall at the hands of a fruit-stand mob.) Although light on plot, each story provides enough humorous twists to keep things rolling. Actually, Coen puts his script-writing experience to good use. Of the book's 14 selections, six are either radio plays or monologues. And a Coen brothers fan will recognize the stylized over-the-top dialogue in the other eight pieces. When the narrator of "It Is An Ancient Mariner" describes a woman who murdered her husband, you can pick up the trademark Coen humor as the minutiae tangle up, obscuring the seriousness at hand. You should've seen her in the little sundress she was in when she stabbed Ronnie. Very sweet. Blond girl. Freckles on her chest. And the tops of her arms there. Oh, you can see her in the little girls. Two blond little moptops. And how she doted on them. Positively doted. Man, you have not seen doting till you've seen Alice with her kids. Well, Ronnie too, far as that goes. You could not fault him there. Some will use Gates of Eden to parse the Coen Brothers' movies, separating Ethan's contributions from his brother's. They will find that Ethan is the wacky one, the one responsible for the extreme, one-note characters: John Goodman and John Turturro in The Big Lebowski, for example. His tendency is to blow things so out of proportion that something uniquely beautiful, or at least entertaining, emerges; the surreal mania of Barton Fink is this method's acme. Sometimes bits from the movies sneak in: In Miller's Crossing, there's a scene where a huge tough is interrogating fellow gangster, Tom Reagan. Taking advantage of a distraction, Tom splinters a chair across his tormentor, who immediately starts bawling, "Why'd you have to do that for, Tom?" The same thug could be the redhead ineptly extorting Esperanza's Pizzeria in "Cosa Minapolidan": " Joe de Louie don't like waiting," he said. "You've kept Joe de Louie waiting since Wednesday. He ain't used to it and he, ya know...he don't plan to start getting used to it...." The redheaded man fell silent, still staring at Esperanza. The dark man leaned up to him and said quietly. "Call him a name." "--Fuckface," said the redheaded man, and blushed. But Coen is at his best writing about children, especially the pre-adolescent. We've seen the funny-gangster-thing done before, and probably better, in the movies. This is the first time Coen has depicted children, and he does it spectacularly. "The Old Country" may contain one of the funniest printed descriptions of a 10-year-old, a "Hammer of God" wildly disrupting his Hebrew School: ...he would canter lopsidedly down the hall behind another classmate, baying like a jackass, eyes rolled back in his head as his right hand made a sweeping pantomime of jerking off. Or he would stage what in other contexts would look like coups of performance art. One day in the lavatory he peed on the radiator while loudly singing "O, Canada"; the stench of burning urine wafted through the school for the rest of the day. In the standout selection "The Boys," a father and his two young sons take a camping trip where little goes wrong, but nothing goes right. Coen paints a typical family trip tormented by repeated trips to the bathroom, a 4-year-old who eats only omelets topped with jelly, a waitress that's never heard of an "almlet," and a bigger brother who wants to drive an hour and a half out of the way to see a Native American pageant. ("Dad, I would understand if there was a reason.") Anyone who's ever spent an hour alone with a young kid will sprout knowing smiles as they turn these pages, savoring Coen's prose on the subject. These gems notwithstanding, it is clearly Coen's previous success as a filmmaker that's enable this book to see the light of a bookstore display--a fact Coen winkingly acknowledges in his fictitious "About the Author," which ends: Coen is an accomplished nudist and is the author of a study of Scott's Kenilworth which was universally ignored, as well as of three volumes of poetry or, if any publisher should prefer, one big one. Miriam Schapiro Brought Feminist Art Into The Mainstream. By Margaret Regan FEW FATHERS WANT their daughters, or their sons, for that matter, to grow up to be artists. Not so with Miriam Schapiro, the artist whose 30-year-retrospective of works on paper has the upper levels of the Tucson Museum of Art pulsating with patchwork collages and rainbow-bright lithographs. Schapiro's father gave her more than encouragement. He literally pushed her into art. Young Mimi had been sketching since the age of 6, and when she hit 14 Theodore Schapiro, a painter himself, decided to sign her up for a life drawing class. She was big for her age, but this was 1937, and with nude models in the class, minors were banned. "My father was very imposing-looking, good-looking, tall and dark," remembers Schapiro, now 75. "He was standing in back of me and the teacher said, 'How old is she?' "My father said, 'How old does she need to be?' The teacher said, 'Nineteen.' "My father pushed me from the back and said, 'She's 19.' " After she got that shove, Schapiro never turned back. Nowadays, she's the grande dame of feminist art, a pioneer who mixes lowly female craft materials with the exalted stuff of high art, and who celebrates traditional icons of women's lives--the fan, the house, the heart--in monumental paintings. She's retrieved the lost histories of women artists by incorporating their pictures into her own, "mimi-izing" her Mary Cassatts and Frida Kahlos by framing them in her own trademark patterns and colors. And she helped found the pattern and decoration movement, returning a painterly sensuality to an art form squeezed dry by minimalism and conceptualism. "Few artists occupy a more imposing position in the history of contemporary art than Miriam Schapiro," writes TMA director Robert Yassin in the catalog for the exhibition, which he curated. "Through the extraordinary body of work she has created over the past half-century, and the example she has set for women artists everywhere as a leading figure in the feminist art movement, Ms. Schapiro has had a profound impact on the art world." Ironically, if it was her father's loving push that jump-started Schapiro's career, it was the female world of her mother and her grandmother that helped seal her reputation. Though Schapiro first won notice in the 1950s for her hard-edged abstractions, her richest imagery comes directly from the back parlor and the kitchen, where from time immemorial unsung women have stitched and knitted and embroidered. Remembering her grandma's needlework, Schapiro says, "I decided I would bring the thing I loved best as a woman into my paintings, and that was cloth, fabric." Nowadays, when every artist and her sister mixes her media, casually combining high materials with low, Schapiro's techniques don't seem so shocking. Twenty or 30 years ago, they did. When she first started making her "femmages"--feminist images--"I had a reputation already in the New York art world, a very good gallery and so forth," she says. "There weren't many women artists in my day. And when the men saw the fabric on the canvases, they were astonished." Bailey Doogan, a Tucson painter and University of Arizona art prof who makes challenging paintings of the aging bodies of women, remembers how energizing it was to see Schapiro's work for the first time. The year was 1977, and Doogan had some works in a Los Angeles show called Contemporary Issues: Works on Paper by Women. "It was odd, then, to see a show of all women's work, and Mimi was in it," Doogan says. "It was the first time I had seen that mix of drawing, collage, pattern and text. Up until the women's movement, art had become reductive, abstract. It was anathema to be figurative or, God forbid, personal. All of a sudden, here was Mimi doing it." AT 75, SCHAPIRO has a halo of thick gray hair, and she's still working. The most recent piece in the TMA show is 1998's "Lost and Found," a hot-off-the-press lithograph with color Xerox that explores her Jewish identity. She traveled to Tucson from her New York home last week for the opening of her TMA show, and during an interview at the museum, she was dressed in a signature Schapiro print, a skirt in a geometric black, red, green and white. A string of fat wooden beads hung round her neck. The usual pre-opening chaos reigned in the sprawling museum. Workers were hammering on walls and polishing the protective glass on her art, and Schapiro had to raise her voice above the din. As staffers hurried by, she'd call out anxious questions, about the late arrival of "Ox," a work on paper coming from the Newark Museum (it's been delayed by two weeks) and the catalog (right on schedule). She fretted over the lights shining on her doily lithographs series, "Anonymous Was a Woman," and she was troubled by a gender division of labor between the male painting-hangers and the female glass polishers. She was right in the middle of an explanation about how a giant 1995 screen print fan, "In the Heat of Winter," was meant to "heroicize" women, when she noticed the man-woman breakdown in the museum. She turned to the workers and called out, only half-joking, "How come the two women are washing windows? Give me a break." Then she laughed, and returned to her fan. The fan is one of the recurring female objects in her "lexicon of forms" that she settled on in the early '70s, the others being the house, the heart, the kimono and the screen. "The fan was a female object, but I made it monumental...The fan, let's say from Victorian times on, had to do with the coyness of women in getting a man. I thought, OK, I'm not going to denigrate the fan because it was part of women's culture. What I'm going to do is heroicize it because I'm heroicizing women." The big fan work layers cloth roses over bold geometries, screen-printed onto a 5-foot-long curve of paper. Like most of Schapiro's work, it bridges two schools of art. Its allusion to women's lives and its joyful explosion of patterns are all her own, while its careful handling of forms bears witness to her training in modernism and her formalist sensibilities. After the life-altering, life drawing class Schapiro took as a teenager, she went on to study art at the State University of Iowa. How did a kid from New York, born in 1923 and growing up around the edges of the Abstract Expressionism, end up in college in the Midwest? "My folks were very poor, and it was only $400 a semester," she says. "The Midwestern schools were cheap. I lived in the dorm, worked as a waitress. My rebelliousness was always in my art." The curriculum was not as behind the times as might be supposed far from the madding coasts. The profs basically favored good old-fashioned representation, but Schapiro credits an inspirational refugee printmaker who had fled Argentina, Mauricio Lasansky, with teaching her "how to be an artist." Lasansky singled her out as one of a half-dozen serious students. "I knew I was going to be an artist. The other students didn't." Nevertheless, when it came to the 20th century's major innovations, Schapiro was on her own. "I went home and taught myself cubism. I spent a whole summer copying cubism from books." At Iowa, Schapiro met the painter Paul Brach, a fellow New Yorker whose education had been interrupted by World War II. (Brach, who winters at Tucson's Rancho Linda Vista, occasionally lectures at TMA.) They were 23 years old when they married, and they're still married 52 years later. While Brach finished up his degree, Schapiro collected a pair of master's degrees and worked in Lasansky's printshop. The couple moved on to Missouri, where Brach taught at a university, and Schapiro, despite her numerous degrees, languished as a faculty wife. The painters decided in 1951 to return to New York. "That time in New York was very exciting, and we met a lot of people--Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Joan Mitchell...Helen Frankenthaler and Grace Hartigan were my friends." Both Brach and Schapiro had some successes, exhibiting at the Tanager Gallery, and Schapiro signed on with dealer Andre Emmerich. "I moved in a lot of circles and met a lot of artists. I learned a lot about my craft. I was always recognized as an up-and-coming artist; I had shows and got good reviews." Schapiro's early works, large abstract paintings, fall outside the purview of the TMA show, which is dedicated solely to her later works on paper. Her early paintings were influenced by Abstract Expressionism, Brach writes in a catalog essay, "yet they have a lyrical evocation of nature and of figures in landscape that is far from the angst of many of the Abstract Expressionists." Their son Peter was born in 1955. Schapiro's parents moved into the apartment upstairs from them in Greenwich Village to help out, and the baby's two grandmas alternated baby-sitting in the afternoons. Still, in the notoriously macho Village art scene of the 1950s, the seriousness of women artists could always be called into question. With a baby in the house, outsiders began to think of Schapiro as a hobbyist. "I was raising our son, juggling two worlds. It was a man's world...I didn't have the language for it then but I realized something was wrong. Once another artist asked me what I had been working on. I was so excited to be asked, and just as I was about to tell him, he put his hand over my mouth. And said, 'Don't tell me.' "I felt I was locked into a place with a duty to my husband and child. Art was a sideline and it was killing me inside." It wasn't until Schapiro moved with her family to California in 1967 that she happened onto feminism. Brach had gotten a post as head of the art department at the University of California, San Diego. Schapiro had been promised a job too, but when they arrived the administration reneged. Brach, whom Schapiro calls a "good man," supportive not only of her career but of feminism, threatened to go back to New York. A job miraculously materialized for Schapiro. Shortly thereafter, Brach was hired as dean of the School of Art at the California Institute of the Arts, and Schapiro was named a professor. Nicknamed Cal Arts, the new school quickly earned a national rep for producing hot young artists, among them David Salle, Mira Schor and Faith Wilding. "The big change came when we moved to California. I met all these fabulous women. They were into consciousness-raising. I learned so much about myself...I began to read Simone de Beauvoir (The Second Sex) and Doris Lessing's The Golden Notebook (about a woman writer). I'd never read a work about a woman artist. I identified with it." Judy Chicago, another groundbreaking feminist artist, was already in California. The two women joined forces to found the feminist art program at Cal Arts. The pair "team-taught the class and built our teaching around consciousness-raising. We tried to get the women to understand in what ways they could empower themselves as human beings and use art to make a statement." The statement they made turned out to be Womanhouse, a wild whole-house installation that became legendary in the annals of feminist art. Students and teachers temporarily took over an abandoned Los Angeles house, and renovated its rooms, walls, closets and even staircase into three-dimensional pieces of art. Widely reported on, even in mainstream Time magazine, the house had a shocking pink kitchen covered with sculpted breasts and fried eggs. There was a menstruation bathroom, full of bloodied tampons, and a dining room full of inedible plaster food. A performance artist in the bedroom applied makeup repeatedly to her face. Schapiro's contribution, made in collaboration with Sherry Brody, was "Doll House Room," a childlike house filled with ordinary domestic paraphernalia and nightmares at the windows. "It's now in the National Museum of American Art," Schapiro says, "because the director says it's an icon of American art." Such icons, never before seen in art, came out of brainstorming sessions that were just as unprecedented. "This house was abandoned. There was no furniture. There was nothing in it. So we'd sit on the floor--and believe it or not in L.A. in winter it was really cold. We'd say, 'Here is the kitchen.' Our consciousness-raising took the form of talking about growing up, and how our mothers and fathers reacted or behaved in the kitchen and what our feelings as people were, what they were in the kitchen now. And I cannot tell you how that gave birth to ideas. My God!...They were rich, inner stories. I kept saying to them, just think that a slide is dropping in your head...and find an image of what she's talking about." Gloria Steinem, who paid a visit, wrote in a foreword to the TMA catalog, "In those rooms, I discovered for the first time that women's experience could be the stuff of art--and vice versa." That rich storehouse of stuff was pivotal for Schapiro, as well as for a whole generation of young artists. After Womanhouse it was time to break some more taboos. WHAT SCHAPIRO HAD in mind was "using the things of women's art, doilies, quilts, making art on my terms. I brought all these anonymous women not only into my life, but into the life of art." Artists like Robert Rauschenberg had already defied art's conventional hierarchy of materials--oil painting at the summit, crafts in the deepest valley--by bringing found objects into their constructions. Schapiro's new experiments with fabric on cloth headed in the same direction. "The difference in me is that I had an idealistic" goal, Schapiro says: She wanted her found objects to refer explicitly to women's lives. She rummaged in the linen closet, retrieved the lowly doily, the embroidered handkerchief and the lacy apron, and brought them into the studio. Sometimes she'd use them unaltered. "Patience," a 1976 acrylic and fabric in the TMA show, has a real-life white apron glued to a background that alternates between painted stripes and patchwork hexagons cut out of fabric. Other times she'd cut out roses or stripes or patterns from commercial fabric, and use them as subsidiary elements in her design. In "Doll's House," for instance, a 1972 watercolor and collage also in the show, Schapiro constructed a house--the quintessential female space. It's of an abstracted geometry that relates directly back to her earlier work as an abstract painter, but its walls and roof and windows are made up of scissored fabric, and its blue skies of paint. "I wanted to validate the traditional activities of women," Schapiro wrote in 1977, "to connect myself to the unknown women artists who made quilts, who had done the invisible 'women's work' of civilization. I wanted to acknowledge them, to honor them." The switch cost Schapiro her long-time relationship with the Emmerich Gallery, but that didn't stop her. She reveled in her delicious new layerings of fabric and paint and ink, where it was hard to tell where one medium stopped and another began. "Decorative" had long been a dirty word in abstract art, but Schapiro's new work was defiantly decorative. A new movement, Pattern and Decoration, was born. "We were trying to register in the mainstream that we were tired of minimalism, we were tired of conceptualism. We missed the sensuality of art," Schapiro says, gesturing to a glittery work called "Glitzy Fan," a 1983 amalgam of acrylic, fabric, glitter and sequins. "This was early and I used all this glitzy material. Tedious, tedious, tedious. You should see my studio." Stymied by the classic H.W. Janson History of Art, the widely used textbook that discusses not a single woman artist, Schapiro began to study up on her lost, fine-art foremothers. She tracked down the rare book that reproduced images by women painters, and called up scholars to ferret out names of women she'd never heard of before. She learned about Sonia Delaunay, the early 20th-century master of pattern and paint whom Schapiro calls "my foster mother," about the early Soviet graphic artists, about the hidden women of the Renaissance, the Gentileschis and Anguissolas. "We're talking 1970. There was no literature on women artists. Everybody knew two names, Georgia O'Keeffe and Mary Cassatt; I started with Mary Cassatt. I had to buy books that had only one reproduction (by a woman) in them. I had to buy all these books--and they were expensive--and cut out the images." Just as Schapiro collaborated with the anonymous doily makers of yore, she combined photocopied reproductions of the paintings with honorary borders she painted herself. Or she made fast poster-like prints, such as "Re: Art History," with its list of typewritten names, the better to spread the word. "What I'm (saying) is, 'This is women. Women are good, they're noble. They're brilliant. They're great.' Words that have never been used about women before." Still, it's not easy being the one to collaborate backward and forward in time, to matchmake media and genres. Says Schapiro, "This is one hell of a labor-intensive job." Miriam Schapiro: Works on Paper continues through Sunday, March 7, at the Tucson Museum of Art, 140 N. Main Ave. A companion show exhibits works in the museum collection by contemporary Arizona women. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Free admission on Tuesdays. For more information, call 624-2333. Schapiro will give a lecture, A Seamless Life: Works on Paper, at 5 p.m. Thursday, January 21, at the UA Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering auditorium, at Speedway and Mountain Avenue. For more information, call 626-4215. TMA hosts a symposium, Where Do We as Women Artists Stand Today?, from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, January 24, with Miriam Schapiro, UA professor Bailey Doogan and professor emeritus Judith Golden. Paul Brach moderates. The symposium is free and open to the public but reservations are required. Call 624-2333. As Washington's Funding For The Arts Dries Up, Corporations Become More Generous -- But At What Cost? By Margaret Regan JIM KOLBE, THE moderate Republican congressman from Southern Arizona's District 5, likes the arts. For years, he's been a season subscriber to the Arizona Theatre Company and Tucson Symphony Orchestra, and he goes to Arizona Opera when he can. Just recently, in Washington, D.C., between Congressional sessions, he took in an Ansel Adams photography show and the theatrical hit Ragtime. And, he says, he's a believer in the National Endowment for the Arts. "It does good things, far beyond the amount of dollars spent," he said earlier this week at a reception held in Tucson to honor local recipients of the 1998 NEA grants. So why has he voted for drastic reductions in NEA funding? "I did support the cutback. We were at an impasse," said Kolbe. "Some believe strongly that funding of the arts is not something the government should do." The way Kolbe sees it, he helped save the NEA by cutting it down to size. A federal agency created in 1966 and charged with bringing the arts to the American people, the NEA by the early '90s had become a hotly contested symbol in the culture wars. As a member of the appropriations subcommittee, Kolbe helped hammer out a compromise between furious conservatives who wanted to abolish the NEA altogether and liberals who favored keeping it up to strength. NEA saw its budget plummet from $162 million in fiscal 1995 to $99 million in fiscal 1996. It slid further to $98 million in the last year. Just last Friday, Republicans allied with the Christian Right, leading a clamorous new charge on social issues, vowed anew to demolish the NEA. President Clinton meanwhile has proposed pushing its budget back up to $136 million. Kolbe believes, "there's a fair degree of assurance funding will be continued," probably at this year's level of $98 million. The compromise in the meantime has put a host of new restrictions on the NEA. Grants to individual artists, the big political hot potato, were banned, with a few exceptions. Six politicians, members of Congress, were put on the NEA board as watchdogs. Kolbe finds the reforms "good and reasonable"; he's pleased that the new NEA must give a bigger percentage of its money directly back to the states. "That's good," he said. "We know locally what's good." Indeed, the Arizona Commission on the Arts this year got almost $600,000, the bulk of that designated for its successful arts-in-education program, and Arizona as a whole got $1.25 million. The trouble is, the percentage may be larger, as Kolbe said, but the actual dollars are down, acknowledged Shelley Cohn, director of the state commission. And in the three years under the meaner, leaner NEA, arts institutions have struggled, in Tucson and elsewhere. Museums now are ineligible for basic grants to support the unsexy but vital work of conservation and cataloging. Theatre companies and other performing arts groups can no longer get unrestricted NEA support for a whole season. Their requests must be targeted to specific projects; those most likely to get funded are socially useful schemes like providing arts for kids or trying to reach underserved audiences. Coming a week after a couple of Tucson arts agencies actually got more money from the city, the NEA ceremony at the University of Arizona Museum of Art was low-key and scrupulously polite. The recipients all took care to pronounce themselves pleased with their grants, even though the money pales by comparison to what it was when the NEA was flush. Terence Pitts, director of the center for the Center for Creative Photography, which got $50,000, made the boldest declaration. "I can't imagine $50,000 of federal funds better spent," he said. "It will be in our endowment forever." But the Center once got $60,000 to $75,000 regularly, every year, to help preserve the priceless photographs in its collections, including Ansel Adams works like those Kolbe enjoyed in Washington. No more. The new $50,000 stabilization grant, stashed in an interest-earning endowment, will generate about $2,500 in usable money every year, said assistant director Nancy Lutz. Like most arts groups, the Center will use the NEA grant "as a tool to get more money." In fact, the NEA requires the Center to double the grant with $100,000 in privately raised money, and Lutz said staff hopes to keep going up to $1 million. The Arizona Theatre Company will use its $16,500 from the NEA to make its productions more accessible, said executive director Jessica Andrews. Plans call for audio descriptions of plays for the blind and sign language interpretations, and a scheme to draw in a more diverse audience. In the old days, Andrews said after the reception, ATC got about $60,000 to $65,000 every year. "We used to think of the NEA as a senior partner," she said, "now we think of the NEA as a junior partner." The UAMA got a pitiful $8,000 to help pay some travel expenses for the big Robert Colescott show that will open this fall. The exhibition will allow Tucsonans to see the same paintings that their hometown artist displayed in Venice last fall at the prestigious Venice Biennale. The stipend fell fall short of the museum's request of $21,000, assistant director Lee Karpicsak said afterward; it doesn't begin to approach the old days, when the museum got about $155,000 over seven years. Even Kolbe had to admit that the UAMA "got a small amount," but he declared that it will nonetheless "enhance the exhibit." Elizabeth Evans, a novelist and an English prof at the UA, was a big winner with a $20,000 grant, which will support her as she writes her third novel, Little Sister. The Congressional reformers ruled that writers, like Evans, can still get individual artist grants. Books apparently have a lower shock quotient than paintings or photographs. In the wake of controversies over Robert Mapplethorpe and Andres Serrano, visual artists are out of luck. WHILE THE MOOD was decidedly subdued among the NEA recipients--the joyous Evans excepted--Dian Magie of Tucson Pima Arts Council was downright jubilant. The city council voted unanimously last week to jump TPAC's city funding by $200,000, going from last year's $612,500 up to $812,500. "All of the $200,000 will go directly into re-granting," Magie said earlier this week. "We already have the administration in place." TPAC hands out much of its money as direct "re-grants" to a host of arts organizations big and small, from Arizona Theatre Company to a neighborhood arts project in Barrio Anita. The hike was the first in the re-granting category in 10 years, Magie said. TPAC gets some of its budget of $1.6 million from other sources, including NEA money that trickles down through the Arizona Commission, but the city pays the lion's share out of its dollar-a-night hotel tax, which also helps fund the Tucson Arts District Partnership. The Partnership had reason to be gleeful too. Sarah Clements said her group ultimately got the same amount it did last year--$320,000--but only after she went a-begging for the $90,000 of it that's designated for the warehouse loan program. Right now the loan money for arts spaces in the old warehouse district at the north edge of downtown is considered an extra. Clements said she's trying to persuade that city "that this is our basic need." By the end of this year, she pointed out, the loans will have spurred the development of some 75,000 square feet of arts space in formerly dilapidated buildings. Both Clements and Magie believe city leaders have come around to the idea that the arts are an engine for economic development. "They're looking at it as an investment," Clements said. The only loser in the city arts sweepstakes was the Tucson Museum of Art. The city council was in no mood to give TMA the raise it asked for, $32,000 above last-year's subsidy of $86,000. City leaders are smarting from the impending loss of Janos Restaurant, which the expanding TMA is forcing out of one of the historic houses it holds in trust for the city. Janos, acclaimed in restaurant circles nationwide, contributed some $29,000 in tax dollars annually to the city. In September it will decamp to the foothills aerie of La Paloma, beyond the reach of the city tax collector. ANYWAY, RIGHT NOW, the TMA is enjoying the kind of corporate support that Kolbe said he favors as a replacement for government largesse. The Ford Motor Company gave the museum $81,000 to help pay for the big El Alma del Pueblo Spanish folk arts show. But the Ford example is instructive. Even the most casual visitor to TMA can hardly miss the fact that Ford is the big sponsor. Advertising logos are ubiquitous, on catalogs, on signs, on the free tickets that were to be distributed to every schoolchild in Tucson. Ford reps called local arts reporters, including this one, to ask them to mention the company in reviews of the show. A luncheon for reporters, purportedly about the exhibition, turned into a long advertisement for the company and all its good works. And the Ford reps strong-armed museum staff too: throwing a fit when some corporate drones were left off a guest list, micromanaging publicity materials, menus and so on. "Mostly companies want something that has a lot of publicity attached," said Lutz, of the Center for Creative Photography. "They want to sell a product. Otherwise they're not interested." They're not interested, just for example, in the behind-the-scenes work necessary to keep the Center's archives of Ansel Adams and other photographers in tip-top shape. Corporations like splashy, uncontroversial, high-attendance shows that allow them maximum advertising. Kolbe said he dislikes the government giving an "imprimatur" to certain art through NEA funding. As that money disappears, though, it's the profit-making corporations who get to give the stamp of approval. Art can become just one more tax-deductible way to sell a widget, or a car. "We have not had the experience of a corporation being (as) demanding (as Ford)," Lutz said. "But big corporations do want something in return." UA Prof Ofelia Zepeda wins a prestigious MacArthur Foundation Award. By Margaret Regan JUNE IS ALWAYS hectic for Ofelia Zepeda, poet, linguist and professor at the University of Arizona. Every year during the hottest of Tucson months, she's immersed in the American Indian Language Development Institute, a program she co-founded 20 years ago to teach Native Americans strategies for preserving their vanishing languages. This summer in the institute at the UA, tribes as far-flung as Cape Cod and Washington state sent reps to enroll in Zepeda's Native American linguistics course and to pick up ideas for teaching their assorted tongues to children and adults alike. "My teaching schedule for June is extremely packed," Zepeda reported last weekend by telephone. "In the middle of that last week I got the phone call. It was an absolute surprise." The phone call in question was from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the well-heeled group that every year showers riches on academics, artists and social activists around the nation. Only officially are the winners known as MacArthur Fellows; nearly everybody calls them MacArthur geniuses. Zepeda, one of 32 geniuses named this year, will get $320,000, money she can spend however she pleases. "They said to me, 'This is the first and last time you'll hear from us,' " she explained, a note of wonder creeping into her measured voice. "I haven't had much time to think about it. It's difficult to grasp." The Foundation praised Zepeda for her unusual cluster of activities on behalf of native languages. She has published several bilingual collections of her own poetry, in English and Tohono O'odham, her first language; she's the author of the first and only O'odham grammar; and she combines her teaching and scholarly research with efforts in the community. Recently, Zepeda and other like-minded Tohono O'odham people in Tucson have been working with tribal leaders to establish language centers on the sprawling reservation west of town. "One thing we've noticed in the last five to seven years, is that whole tribal communities are saying, 'Our language is in trouble.' That's the first step, to realize your situation." Contrasted to some native languages--like the lost idiom of two Wampanoag women from Cape Cod who attended the institute--O'odham is not faring too badly, Zepeda said. "Our language is healthy compared to other language communities. The large population is somewhat isolated in the desert.... There are about 19,000 to 20,000 tribal members, and for about 55 percent of them the first language is O'odham. But the youngest fluent speakers are probably those in high school. The situation for those 12 and younger is not good." Zepeda, 45, spoke O'odham exclusively up to the age of 7. Kids on the reservation today typically start using English much earlier, influenced not only by mass media but by otherwise well-meaning programs such as Head Start. This change among children is of very recent vintage, she noted, shifting just in the last 15 years. Her first book came partly out of necessity. Zepeda was a grad student in linguistics at the UA, and starting to teach O'odham. There simply were no books to use in her teaching. "Other people had treated the structure of the O'odham in scholarly articles," Zepeda explained. She set out to create a comprehensive teaching grammar, which not only sorted out the bones of the language but also presented it in the form of successive lessons. A Papago Grammar, published by the UA Press, served as her master's thesis. (She got her doctorate at the UA in 1984.) Her next book, an edited volume of poetry, When It Rains: Papago and Pima Poetry, similarly was born of her teaching, but it also got her started on an unexpected literary career. Again, she could find little for her language students to read. "I had them write, as activities for class. We also transcribed (O'odham) songs, then translated them. After a while we wrote our own poetry. I wrote with them. Then I xeroxed the writing and stapled them: they became our readers." Eventually, the students' poems became a bilingual book (now out of print), part of the UA Press Sun Tracks series on Native American literature, for which Zepeda has served as editorial adviser. Zepeda found that she liked writing poetry, and four years ago she published Ocean Power (UA Press), a bilingual collection of her own work, poems that move with the rhythms of traditional desert life. Then she was approached by Lisa Bowden of Tucson's Kore Press, a small press that specializes in fine hand-printed books by women authors. "Lisa wanted a bilingual collection. We figured if it was going to be in O'odham and in English there should be a recording." The resulting publication, Jewed `Hoi/Earth Movements, is a tiny poetry chapbook that's accompanied by a CD of Zepeda reading her verse aloud in both languages. An upcoming book project, also with Kore, takes its inspiration from animal poems in Jewed `Hoi. Aimed partly at children, the book will be illustrated by local artist Paul Mirocha and include a CD of spoken and sung works. So far, though, the book remains partly unwritten. After June's MacArthur hubbub dies down, Zepeda plans to sit down and compose. "I promised Lisa I would get my part done in July." She added, apologetically, "I don't have time to write much during the school year." For information on Ofelia Zepeda's books, call the UA Press at 621-1441 and Kore Press at 882-7542. Security Service (SBU) cyber operatives have exposed an extensive network of hostile agitators who had been spreading across social networks calls for altering the Ukrainian borders and seizing power in Ukraine. This is stated in the SBU report, according to Ukrinform. The network of agitators is believed to have been receiving from their Russian handlers "instructions" to carry out subversive operations in the media space. During warranted searches in perpetrators homes, law enforcers seized computer hardware and communication means holding evidence of unlawful activity. Read also: SBU nabs Russian military intelligence asset In Zakarpattia region, an employee of the local branch of the State Emergency Service was exposed for spreading calls to violate the countrys territorial integrity. He had been posting the relevant posts across social networks. The linguistic examination launched by the SBU has confirmed the fact of unlawful activity. The suspect was charged with the encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine (Part 1 Art. 110 of the Criminal Code). Also, a resident of Kyivs satellite own of Brovary is believed to have been using social networks to promote the ideas of an aggressive war. Another asset of Russias intelligence network was exposed in Odesa region where he campaigned for altering Ukraines borders and ousting the government. He distributed his content through online platforms controlled by the leaders of illegal armed groups, the so-called "LPR/DPR." An online agitator who distributed destructive content on the eve of the celebration of Baptism of Kyivan Rus'-Ukraine anniversary was nabbed in Lviv region. The content of his publications violated citizens rights to equality and could provoke social and political destabilization in the region. In Vinnytsia region, a local resident administered several anti-Ukrainian communities on one of the social networks. The agitator called for a violent seizure of power from the incumbent government, as well as for the breach of Ukraine's territorial integrity. As reported earlier, the SBU has blocked a so-called bot farm operating in Russias interests in the Ukrainian segment of social networks. Photo: SBU im Over the past day, July 29, nine ceasefire violations by Russian occupiers were recorded in the Joint Forces Operation area in eastern Ukraine. The enemy opened fire from 82mm and 120mm mortars in the area of Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol); 120mm mortars near Vodiane in the Sea of Azov area; 82mm mortars and small arms outside Shumy (41km north of Donetsk); 82mm mortars near Pivdenne (40km north-east of Donetsk); under-barrel grenade launchers and small arms towards Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk); heavy machine guns outside Zolote-4 (59km west of Luhansk); heavy machine guns and small arms in the area of Novotoshkivske (53km west of Luhansk), the press center of JFO Headquarters informs. The enemy also delivered POM-2 mines in the area of Zaitseve (62km north-east of Donetsk). Joint Forces troops sustained no casualties. Ukrainian troops fired back in response to the enemy attacks. The Ukrainian side of the Joint Control and Coordination Center (JCCC) informed the OSCE SMM about all violations by the Russian-occupation troops, using the established coordination mechanism. As of 07:00 on July 30, no ceasefire violations were recorded. Ukrainian troops control the situation in the JFO area, the Headquarters informs. ol During the tactical and special exercise in the Joint Forces Operation zone, Ukrainian military engineers practiced their skills in setting up a pontoon crossing, applying a smokescreen cover for the effort. Thats according to a report by the JFO HQ press service, Ukrinform wrote. "In the Joint Forces Operation zone, special tactical exercises were held to set up the pontoon-bridge crossing and conceal the process with aerosol smoke, the report said, adding that the servicemen with one of the engineering brigades and the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Regiment were involved in the drill. Read also: Twenty military exercises conducted by occupiers in Crimea over six months The military succeeded in putting up a river crossing, disguising the effort with a smokescreen, and ensured that the military hardware crossed the water obstacle. The task was performed in due time standards, as well as reliably and efficiently, the Command notes, adding that such practical exercises allow maintaining soldiers engineering skills at a proper level. As Ukrinform reported earlier, engineering units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are equipping new positions and setting up additional fortifications in the JFO zones southern direction. Since year-start, military engineers have equipped trenches and shelters for military hardware, created a network of trenches between the dugouts, now further equipping firing positions to strengthen defense lines. im The frontline town of Avdiivka now remains at the forefront of Ukraine's fight against Russian aggression, but it is a town that has chosen the line of freedom and development, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He said this at events to mark the seventh anniversary of the liberation of Avdiivka, according to an Ukrinform correspondent. "Avdiivka has long been one of the hottest spots and now remains at the forefront of our fight against Russian aggression. But right around the corner - in the Avdiivka industrial zone shelling and explosions continue despite the [ceasefire] agreement. Today, Avdiivka is a town on the line of fire, which has chosen the line of freedom, the line of development, the line of our state, the line of Ukraine," Zelensky said. He recalled that on this day, July 30, seven years ago, Avdivka was liberated from Russia-led forces by the second battalion of the tactical group of the 93rd Mechanized Brigade and volunteer fighters of the Right Sector group. He said that Avdiivka had become the tenth town in Donetsk region liberated by Ukrainian defenders. "After Mariupol, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and other cities, a blue-and-yellow flag had flown over the city [of Avdiivka]," he said. Zelensky added that the final liberation of Avdiivka brought the city back to normal life and gave a powerful impetus to the implementation of new projects. Zelensky is on a working trip to Donetsk region on Friday. He is to chair an offsite meeting of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine in Donetsk region. op The average salary in Ukraine has hit a record high of UAH 14,300, but the government is trying to reach the European level of salaries in the country, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said. He announced this at a joint meeting of the presidium of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine with the National Reform Council in Kyiv on Thursday, July 29, according to an Ukrinform correspondent. "More investors, better salaries, better conditions for workers and residents of communities. The State Statistics Service has updated the statistics on the average salary in the country. It amounted to UAH 14,313, or more than $500. This is an all-time record, but certainly not the limit we want to reach. We want salaries to grow further and reach European levels. We all are working hard to make that happen," Shmyhal said. According to him, a promising tool for economic development and investment is a public-private partnership. The state seeks to expand this mechanism to the regions, so that it becomes a "public-private-regional partnership," Shmyhal said. "We already have examples of successful cooperation between the state and businesses: concession projects are being implemented in the ports of Kherson and Olvia. We are waiting for similar projects in the field of road and social infrastructure. I believe that this mechanism should be actively used within individual communities - in the construction of roads, hospitals, energy facilities and in other industries," Shmyhal said. He said investors were interested in being effective, creating jobs, and this leads to competition for the workforce. He also noted that the Ukrainian economy was recovering from the coronavirus crisis and in the next few years the state should do all it can to make an economic leap. op President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine is ready to provide Turkey with all assistance required in connection with the raging wildfires. Thats according to the presidents Twitter, Ukrinform reports. "I have expressed my sincere condolences to my friend, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, over the massive fires. Ukraine will provide all necessary assistance to Turkey. Our firefighting plane will fly to Turkey tomorrow," Zelensky wrote. He also stressed that the Ukrainian people will stand together with the friendly Turkish people at this difficult time. As Ukrinform reported earlier, at least one person was killed and six others were hospitalized as a result of a large-scale wildfire that engulfed the Manavgat district in the Turkish province of Antalya. im Over the first half of 2021, the number of illegal detentions in the temporarily occupied Crimea rose to 156, showing a three-fold increase compared to the corresponding period last year. According to the data collected by the non-governmental organization Crimean Tatar Resource Center, over the first half of 2021, the number of illegal searches conducted by the Russian occupiers in the houses of Crimean residents reached 33 against 23 in the first half of 2020. The number of illegal detentions rose from 48 to 156, compared to the same period last year, Ambassador Yevhenii Tsymbaliuk, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the International Organizations in Vienna, drew attention to the growing persecution in Crimea at the OSCE Permanent Council meeting on July 29, an Ukrinform correspondent reported. He said that the charges brought against these people were based primarily on allegations that they belonged to organizations banned in Russia, denial of forced conscription, so-called terrorism or even high treason. We strongly condemn Russias policy of silencing the voices of dissidents in the temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine. We remind the Russian side that the local civilian population is protected by the norms of international humanitarian law. It is time for Russia to finally study them, Tsymbaliuk said. As a reminder, Ukraine intends to launch on August 23 the Crimean Platform a new consultative and coordination format initiated by Ukraine to step up the efficiency of international response to the occupation of Crimea, respond to growing security challenges, increase international pressure on Russia, prevent further human rights violations, protect victims of the occupation regime, and achieve the main goal: to de-occupy Crimea and return it to Ukraine. ol New quarantine-related rules for crossing the Ukrainian border will be enforced on August 5. Thats according to Deputy Minister of Health, Chief State Sanitary Doctor Ihor Kuzin, who spoke with 1+1 TVs morning show, Ukrinform reports. "New rules for crossing the state border, this resolution (amendments to Resolution No. 1236 of the Cabinet of Ministers of December 9, 2020, adopted on July 28 ed.) will come into force on August 5. It was published yesterday and shall come into force in seven days from the moment of publication. A certain algorithm for crossing the state border will be changed," Kuzin said. Read also: Cyprus tightens entry rules for unvaccinated Ukrainians According to the said changes, to cross in, foreign citizens must hold a negative PCR test result and insurance to cover their potential treatment if they contract the coronavirus in Ukraine. After crossing the border, they must activate the Vdoma (Home ed.) application, then within 71 hours they have to take either a PCR test for COVID-19, or an antigen test. "If they pass such a test, the Vdoma app wont further activate, meaning they dont need to self-isolate. If they dont pass the test, the application will be activated and they will have to spend 10 days in self-isolation," said Kuzin Regarding the issue of border crossing by Ukrainian citizens, the official said that they are supposed to hold an international vaccination certificate or a document on receiving a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine. If a citizen has no such documents on them, they must install the Vdoma app and pass the PCR test within 72 hours. Also, Kuzin added, rapid antigen testing is being reintroduced at crossing checkpoints in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. As Ukrinform reported, 962 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Ukraine over the past 24 hours, on July 29. As of July 30, a total of 2,251,869 cases have been registered in Ukraine since the onset of the pandemic. im Minister of Health Viktor Liashko met with Ambassador of Estonia to Ukraine Kaimo Kuusk, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Estonia Margus Sarglepp, and Head of the Public Health Department of the Ministry of Social Affairs of Estonia Heli Laarmann. We are sincerely grateful for Estonias intentions to help us with COVID-19 vaccines and for the first batch of 52,000 doses of AstraZeneca that Ukraine received yesterday [July 28]. It is important that Estonia is ready to recognize the international vaccination certificates issued by Ukrainian doctors, as well as the digital COVID-19 certificates that Ukrainians will receive after being vaccinated with two doses, Liashko posted on Facebook on July 29. Also, according to the minister, an agreement was reached to exchange experience in the establishment and operation of university clinics. In addition, Ukraine invited Estonia to join the formation of lists of essential medicines of national importance. "Thanks to such lists, we can take care in advance of the production of medicines, equipment or personal protective equipment, stocks of which must be available in the country at all times. Then, in case of emergencies, we can be relatively independent of large foreign manufacturers," Liashko noted. As reported, Estonia sent a batch of humanitarian aid, including 52,800 doses of AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria) vaccine, to Ukraine by an Estonian Air Force transport plane on July 28. Photo in the text: Viktor Liashko, Facebook ol Ukraine will receive from the Kingdom of Belgium a research vessel for monitoring the Black and Azov seas. Thats according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, Ukrinform reports. "Ukraine and the Kingdom of Belgium have signed a memorandum of understanding on water protection and reproduction and the rational use of water resources. The document was signed by the Belgian Federal Office for Scientific Policy, the Belgian Royal Institute of Natural Sciences, and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine." With the memo, the Belgian side confirms readiness to hand over to Ukraine free of charge the Belgica research vessel. Read also: USA to begin transferring Mark VI combat boats to Ukraine in 2022 The Ministry noted that the ship, launched in 1984, is in good condition and boasts a range of unique built-in equipment, such as high-precision echo sounders. "Marine ecosystems protection is part of the ecological block of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, according to which our country must conduct regular marine monitoring by European standards. Ukraine is currently implementing the provisions of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive in order to gradually achieve a proper ecological status of the marine environment. We thank the Belgian side for such assistance that will strengthen the environmental monitoring of the Black and Azov seas," said Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Roman Abramovsky. In addition, the country will pursue fishery-independent scientific monitoring of fish stocks, basic scientific research on the high seas, geological exploration of the seabed, and other measures. The memorandum provides for strengthening cooperation between Ukrainian and Belgian scientists on the joint study of the Black Sea, including the problem of rising hydrogen sulfide levels. At the same time, the Belgian side invites Ukrainian experts to join the research work in the North Sea. Read also: Ukraine probing 10 cases of invaders destroying Crimea ecology The Ministry of Environment expects that very soon, with the financial support from the "EU for Improving Environmental Monitoring in the Black Sea " (EU4EMBLAS) project, the Belgica ship flying a Ukrainian flag will sail off for Ukraine. And as early as this fall, the vessel will be used for complex monitoring of Ukraines sea waters. As Ukrinform reported earlier, in July 2021, Minister Abramovsky during a meeting with Ambassador Spain to Ukraine Silvia Cortes Martin discussed issues of Ukrainian-Spanish cooperation in the field of environmental protection. im Ethiopian asylum seekers arrive outside of Hargeisa, Somalila after fleeing the Oromo region of Ethiopia. UNHCR/Oualid Khelifi Today, on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, warns of life-threatening gaps in assistance to victims of trafficking and other vulnerable people in need of protection, along different routes within the Sahel and East Africa. It is estimated that thousands of people fleeing persecution, armed conflict, violence and poverty are subject to horrific abuse every year while travelling through the Sahel and East Africa towards northern Africa. Survivors speak of sexual abuse and rape, kidnappings for ransom, being left to die in the desert, and being subjected to physical and psychological torture. With donor support, UNHCR and partner organizations have stepped up their efforts to identify those in need, and to help them access asylum procedures and other safety mechanisms. Yet, a new UNHCR mapping report shows that critical services to protect vulnerable people on the move are still woefully lacking. Legal support is almost non-existent while there is a severe shortage of safe shelter options, mental health and psychosocial support, and medical services in most countries. Victims of trafficking have practically no one to turn to for basic, let alone specialized, help along these routes. When such services do not exist, an inherently dangerous journey in search of safety or opportunity can turn into a hellish struggle for sheer survival, said Vincent Cochetel, UNHCRs Special Envoy for the Western and Central Mediterranean Situation. Collectively, we need to do more to end these abuses and increase services along these routes for people requiring access to protection. Some of the geographic areas where protection services are particularly limited, and where few humanitarian actors are present, are remote border regions of Mali, Niger and Sudan along the edge of the Sahara Desert. Those at heightened risk, who may have specific protection needs, include unaccompanied and separated children, women, older persons and LGBTIQ+ people in need of refuge. More robust and longer-term funding for protection services is urgently needed, to save lives and ease the suffering of survivors, Cochetel said. This is likely to become even more critical, if ongoing or recently intensified conflicts in the region from Ethiopia to Burkina Faso lead to continued displacement. Most forcibly displaced people remain close to home. According to UNHCRs global statistics, 73 per cent of those who flee stay within their region of origin. Over 3 million refugees and internally displaced people are seeking protection in the Sahel alone. However, the lack of services when they are on the move may trigger further dangerous onward journeys. UNHCR calls for more sustained efforts to address the root causes of forced displacement. It also calls for the expansion of safe and legal pathways for refugees, which are instrumental to providing viable alternatives to human smuggling and trafficking. Collaboration with local organizations and diaspora communities is also crucial, as they bring their knowledge of local environments and often unique capacity to build trust with survivors, authorities and communities, Cochetel added. Note to editors: The full text of the UNHCR mapping report can be found here: Mapping of protection services for victims of trafficking and other vulnerable people on the move in the Sahel and East Africa For more information on this topic, please contact: Refugee volunteers are working day and night in heavy rain to rescue refugees stranded due to severe flooding in the camps. UNHCR/BDRCS Heavy monsoon rains had been falling incessantly for days when Meher Khatun, 60, noticed water starting to come into the bamboo and tarpaulin shelter she shares with her son, daughter-in-law and grandchild in a refugee camp in Bangladeshs Coxs Bazar District. Although the shelter had been built at the bottom of a hill, Meher had not seen flooding of this kind in the nearly four years she had been living there after fleeing to Bangladesh from Myanmar. Within a few hours, the water was up to their chests, and they fled with only their stove, gas cylinder and a solar panel. "The water was rising so fast that we couldn't go back." I felt helpless, I didnt understand where to go, said Meher. The water was rising so fast that we couldnt go back. Most of our belongings were washed away. More than 21,000 Rohingya refugees living in the sprawling refugee sites in Coxs Bazar have been affected by flash floods and landslides in recent days. Over 300mm of rain fell in just 24 hours between Monday and Tuesday nearly half the monthly rainfall average for July and heavy rain continued on Wednesday and Thursday. Six refugees have been killed while thousands more, like Meher, have had their homes washed away or flooded. See also: Deadly floods and landslides hit Rohingya camps in Bangladesh Now, she and her sons family are staying in a learning centre a short distance up the hill from their waterlogged shelter, along with about 20 other families displaced by the flooding. Even here, rain drips through the thatched roof and the conditions are barely liveable. Meher Khatun in the learning centre where she is staying after her family's shelter was flooded. UNHCR/Hannah Macdonald Others displaced by the flooding have crammed into shelters belonging to family members or are staying in communal facilities like the learning centre. The floods have come amid a strict national lockdown as Bangladesh battles rising infections and deaths from COVID-19. They also follow huge fires that tore through the camps in March, killing 11 people and destroying thousands of shelters. In a statement on Tuesday, UNHCR said the adverse weather, latest landslides and floods further exacerbate the suffering and massive humanitarian needs of the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Since 2017, when more than 700,000 Rohingya refugees arrived in Coxs Bazar from Myanmar, reforestation efforts have been ongoing to stabilize hillsides and reduce flooding and landslide risk in the camps. UNHCR and its partners have also trained refugee and host community volunteers to spring into action when disaster strikes. This week, these volunteers have been working day and night to help move people to safety from flooded or collapsing shelters. But Bangladesh is one of the countries that is most prone to climate change and the tropical storms that have always accompanied the monsoon season are becoming more frequent and intense. I havent seen such a flood before, said Meher. In Myanmar, I lived in a place where the land was even, and it didnt flood in monsoon. She is worried about her shelter and everything we left under the water. Were not sure when the rain will stop and well be able to go back to our homes. If you have an event you'd like to list on the site, submit it now! Go to form Register for a FREE account to keep reading! Register now for a FREE account to keep reading. No cost and no credit card required! Access up to 5 articles per month when you register, or get unlimited access to all of our content online starting at $1.99 now! Already registered? Click the log in link below A Celebration of Life for Mr. Lionel A. "Sam" Watson, 94, will be conducted on Saturday, July 31, 2021, at 11 a.m. in Williams Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Mac Enfinger officiating. Mr. Watson was a native of West Virginia, married, raised his son in Atlanta, and retired with his wife, Hanoi, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jul, 2021 ) :As Covid-19 cases soar in Vietnam, hundreds of checkpoints have sprung up to enforce a strict lockdown in the capital Hanoi -- where even grocery trips are restricted. In contrast to many of its Southeast Asian neighbours, who are also suffering through their worst-ever wave of the pandemic, Vietnam is rigorously enforcing stay-at-home rules in several major cities. For many in the capital, restrictions on movement are an irritating, but necessary, measure. Like every Hanoi resident, kindergarten teacher Do Thi Lan Anh had to show a shopping ticket before stocking up on food at her local wet market on Thursday. With shopping trips limited, and the day of the week she's allowed to go mandated by authorities, she made sure she bought plenty of tofu, beef and vegetables. "Shopping tickets help maintain social distancing," Lan Anh told AFP. "The disadvantage is: I cannot go to the market anytime I want." While the majority of virus cases are in Ho Chi Minh City, the government is taking steps to prevent a similar outbreak in Hanoi, which reported only 46 of about 7,500 cases nationwide on Thursday. Hanoi, a city of eight million people, was ordered into lockdown for two weeks on Saturday. The streets, usually humming with the calls of street sellers and the honking of motorbike horns, are largely quiet. For some older Hanoi residents, the controls have conjured up difficult memories of the post-war years. Before the communist nation opened itself up to the world in 1986, Hanoi residents used a coupon system to get access to food and other essentials. "The market coupon is somewhat the same as what we had decades ago, during the North's subsidised economic period," Vo Thi Chien, 50, told AFP. "We cannot go freely to buy what we want and it's very inconvenient. But what else can we do now?" In April last year, a similar lockdown was imposed on the city, but authorities were not as strict. "I have never experienced this level of checking in my life," said Tran Van Toan, 75, from Hanoi. Toan said the situation reminded him of inter-provincial security checkpoints before 1954, when Hanoi was under French colonial rule. "It's very inconvenient for movements indeed. But I support the authorities as it will help prevent the spread of the virus", Toan added. Vietnam has been slow to procure and administer vaccines, with just over 5.5 million doses administered among its 100 million people as cases soar. More than a third of the population has been forced to stay home as the country battles an outbreak that began in April in two northern industrial provinces and has since spread south. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's business hub, has been badly hit and cases are rising despite a stay-at-home order and a night-time curfew. The government is worried Hanoi may not be far behind, with thousands of people fined in recent days for going out without permission, without masks or for gathering in groups, authorities said. At rush hour, queues of vehicles wait in line at checkpoints, making it hard for officials to check them all. "Many offices and companies ... issue travel papers to their staff. They have not adhered to the city's recommendation of online working from home," said Phan Thi Hai Yen, while staffing a checkpoint. "With this big number of people moving at rush hour ... the risk of Covid-19 spread is still high." Jerusalem, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jul, 2021 ) :Israel will start offering a third dose of Covid-19 vaccinations to people aged over 60, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Thursday, one of first countries to provide a booster shot. The jabs will begin on Sunday as part of a "complementary vaccination campaign" for people aged over 60 who were fully vaccinated more than five months ago, he said, as concern mounts over the fast-spreading Delta variant. "I call on all elderly people who have already been vaccinated to receive this additional dose," Bennett said. "Protect yourselves." About 55 percent of Israel's nine million population has been double vaccinated, most with the Pfizer-BioNTech jab, thanks to a massive campaign launched in late December after an agreement with its producers. "Israel has already vaccinated 2,000 immunosuppressed people with a third dose, with no severe adverse events," Bennett said. "And now we're rolling out a national third dose campaign." Israeli President Isaac Herzog will receive the booster on Friday morning. "The decision was based on considerable research and analysis, as well as the rise in risk of the Delta variant wave," Bennett said. Israel has recorded more than 1,400 Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours. More than 15,000 active cases are currently identified, including 151 people hospitalised in a serious condition, according to the health ministry. "This third dose can save lives," Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said. Israel's digitised medical databases allowed for rapid large-scale studies, and its initial vaccine rollout of the jab was among the world's fastest. Case numbers dropped dramatically, and in early June Israel eased many restrictions. But infections soon rose again, prompting the health ministry to reimpose the wearing of masks in enclosed public places. Last month, health officials announced they would open up vaccination to children as young as 12, while earlier this week, they said those aged five to 11 at risk of serious health complications could be vaccinated from August 1. Niamey, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Jul, 2021 ) :A fresh attack in western Niger near the border with Mali has left 18 civilians dead, a local elected official said Thursday. The attack Wednesday was in the village of Deye Koukou in the Banibangou area, where 14 civilians were killed Sunday -- also by men aboard motorbikes, the official told AFP. He did not elaborate on the circumstances of the attack, which occurred in an area where civilians are regularly targeted by suspected jihadists. Banibangou falls inside what is known as the three-borders region between Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, which for years has been the scene of bloody attacks by jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group. In mid-March, an attack by suspected jihadists in the same district targeting a village market left 66 people dead. And on June 24, attacks on villages in Tondikiwindi, in a neighbouring district, killed 19 people. Despite repeated efforts by the authorities to secure the region, the deadly attacks have continued, often carried out by gunmen on motorbikes who flee across the border into Mali after their raids. A contingent of 1,200 Chadian soldiers is deployed in the three-borders region as part of a multinational force put together by the G5 Sahel group, which comprises Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. Manila, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jul, 2021 ) :Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has walked back on a decision to end a key military deal with the United States, his defence secretary said Friday during a visit by Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin. Duterte told the United States in February last year he planned to axe the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) after Washington cancelled the visa of a close ally who led his internationally condemned war on drugs. The deal has been prolonged three times since then, most recently in June after months of negotiations between the two sides. Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Friday the VFA was "in full force again", during a news conference with Austin, who was in Manila on the last stop of a Southeast Asia tour. "Last night, after the meeting between Secretary Austin and the president. .. the president decided to recall or retract the termination letter for the VFA," Lorenzana said, adding: "We are back on track". The 1998 VFA provides the legal framework for the US to hold joint military exercises and operations in the Philippines and is a key component of their decades-long alliance. It is also seen as a bulwark against China's growing clout in the region. Austin, who was visiting Southeast Asia for the first time as US defence secretary, welcomed Duterte's decision, saying it "provides us some degree of certainty going forward". "A strong, resilient US-Philippine alliance will remain vital to the security, stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific," Austin said. "A fully restored VFA will help us achieve that goal together." Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jul, 2021 ) :The US Navy on Thursday accused a sailor of causing the dramatic fire that broke out on a military ship off the coast of San Diego, California last year, injuring 21 people The sailor, who was a crew member aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard, "is accused of starting the fire," Third Fleet spokesman Sean Robertson said in a statement without identifying the sailor. Commander of the Third Fleet, Vice Admiral Steve Koehler is considering court-martial charges, according to the statement, and has asked an independent military judge to decide after an initial hearing whether a trial is warranted. According to the US military code of justice, the sailor was served the accusation Thursday. "Evidence collected during the investigation is sufficient to direct a preliminary hearing in accordance with due process under the military justice system," Robertson said. The USS Bonhomme Richard was at its home port in San Diego for maintenance when the explosion erupted on July 12, 2020 with 160 sailors on board. According to naval officials, 17 sailors and four civilians were injured and transported to the hospital while several firefighters also suffered burns and smoke inhalation. First responders worked for four days to extinguish the blaze. The Navy had planned to repair the ship but it was so damaged it had to be discarded earlier this year. (@FahadShabbir) Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) Friday successfully ensured recovery of stranded crew members of Merchant Vessel SUVARI H during conduct of joint assistance operation south of Karachi RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jul, 2021 ) :Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) Friday successfully ensured recovery of stranded crew members of Merchant Vessel SUVARI H during conduct of joint assistance operation south of Karachi. PMSA's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre received the report that Merchant Vessel (MV) SUVARI H which had sailed from Kandla, India for Bossasso, Somalia got stranded approximately 180 Nautical Miles south of Karachi along with 18 crew members onboard at sea, said an Inter Services Public Relations news release. Pakistan Navy in coordination with the PMSA, immediately tasked ships and aircraft to provide assistance to the stranded ship and save precious lives. Pakistan Navy and the PMSA aircraft, after arriving at scene of incident dropped life rafts to assist stranded crew at sea and coordinated their recovery through nearby Merchant Vessel MT ELAN VITAL. "Up till now, 15 crew members have been recovered whereas three crew members are still missing," it said. Pakistan Navy and the PMSA ships were also conducting search and rescue operation for the missing crew around the reported position. Pakistan Navy, being overall coordinator of NAVAREA IX, always accords priority to maritime safety and responds immediately to render assistance to shipping community in distress at sea. PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 31st July, 2021) The Ariane 5 heavy-lift launcher carrying two satellites, Star One D2 and Eutelsat Quantum, successfully launched from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana, according to the live broadcast on the Arianespace website. This has been the sixth launch for the French commercial launch service provider in 2021, but the first one with the Ariane 5. The rocket is supposed to place two telecommunications satellites into geostationary transfer orbit Star One D2, manufactured by the largest satellite operator in Brazil and Latin America, Embratel, and Eutelsat Quantum, created by Eutelsat, one of the world's leading satellite operators. The mission was initially scheduled for July 27, but then postponed due to revision of the preparation schedule. Ariane 5 heavy launcher has been developed by the European Space Agency (ESA). It's direct successor, Europe's new carrier rocket Ariane 6, is currently in development. It will also be used for commercial purposes. Polish police on Friday said they had uncovered a bitcoin mining operation in their own headquarters in Warsaw Warsaw, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jul, 2021 ) :Polish police on Friday said they had uncovered a bitcoin mining operation in their own headquarters in Warsaw. "A civilian employee, not a police officer... attempted to steal electricity to mine bitcoin," police spokesman Mariusz Ciarka told the TVN24 news channel. "Unfortunately this happened at a police site," Ciarka said, emphasising that at no stage did the suspect have access to police databases. Ciarka added that the alleged crime had been discovered "quite quickly" but did not give a precise timeline. TVN24 said the employee had been fired and prosecutors were investigating. The report said a second person was also about to be fired over the investigation. Crypto-mining -- the process by which computers mint new virtual Currency and validate transactions -- requires vast amounts of energy and processing power. The process typically involves large numbers of sophisticated computers that form a specially designed "rig" that runs the complex calculations required to maintain a cryptocurrency network. While energy-hungry, the process can be lucrative with each bitcoin currently worth more than 32,600 Euros ($38,800). (@ChaudhryMAli88) The Estonian Defense Forces on Friday sent two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Lithuania to help stem the influx of migrants from Belarus HELSINKI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th July, 2021) The Estonian Defense Forces on Friday sent two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Lithuania to help stem the influx of migrants from Belarus. "Today, the Defense Forces sent to Lithuania two drones with management teams to support Lithuania in the fight against a targeted hybrid attack on the country through Belarus. The third drone will be sent to Lithuania in the coming days," the Estonian military said in a statement. Lithuania has recently become a new "eastern front" for illegal migration to the EU. On July 2, the Baltic country declared an emergency over the worsening situation. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, in turn, has consistently said that his country is unable to deal with the migration issue due to Western sanctions. To date, 3,282 migrants from Belarus have tried to enter Lithuania this year, according to the latest official statistics by the Lithuanian border service. There are 2,111 citizens from Iraq, 191 from the Republic of the Congo, 129 from Cameroon, 89 from Russia and 89 from Iran. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th July, 2021) Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin announced the launch of the next Russian module to the International Space Station (ISS) on November 24. "Preliminarily, on November 24, we plan to launch another module on the ISS, Uzlovoy (Prichal). We call it a 'ball,'" he said on Twitter. According to Rogozin, the new module will make it possible to dock to the ISS, in particular, the new Russian spacecraft Oryol, designed for flights to the Moon. Earlier, Sputnik reported plans to launch the module on November 24 with reference to the flight schedule. Earlier in the day, Russian multipurpose laboratory module Nauka docked to the ISS. (@FahadShabbir) LONDON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th July, 2021) Two crew members of Japanese-owned Mercer Street vessel that was attacked in the Indian Ocean died, Zodiac Maritime ship management company said on Friday. "With profound sadness, we understand that the incident onboard the M/T Mercer Street on 29 July, 2021, has resulted in the deaths of two crew members onboard: a Romanian national and a UK national . .. Details of the incident are being established and an investigation into the incident is currently underway," Zodiac Maritime said in a statement on Twitter. Zodiac Maritime continues to work with relevant authorities. Graduate Students Earn NASA/Mississippi Space Grant Consortium Fellowships Fri, 07/30/2021 - 14:02pm | By: David Tisdale Sarah Wright of Mobile, Alabama and Bailey Rester of Poplarville, Mississippi, both students in The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Computational Science Ph.D. program with an emphasis in mathematics, are recipients of the NASA/Mississippi Space Grant Consortium Graduate Research Fellowship for the upcoming academic year. The Mississippi Space Grant Consortium (MSSGC) consists of 17 Mississippi Space Grant Colleges and Universities, including USM. A key element of its mission is to encourage talented individuals to pursue STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields of study, the inspiration for the establishment of the Graduate Research Fellowship Awards. These awards are designed to supplement and enhance basic graduate research support, such as graduate research assistantships, graduate teaching assistantships, and non-federal scholarships and fellowships. NASA/Mississippi Space Grant Consortium Graduate Research Fellowship awards are renewable up to a total of three years for students making satisfactory research, academic progress, and engaged in K-12 outreach; one of the goals of the fellowship is to have graduate students work with K-12 schools and educators to improve the STEM experience and inspire younger students to pursue careers in STEM fields.. Wright and Rester earned the fellowships by submitting a proposal for their dissertation research, which relates to NASA objectives, along with a proposal for a K-12 outreach activity, a required component of the fellowship which can be held for a maximum of three years. Wright renewed for her second year, while Rester will be in her first year as a fellow. Approximately eight-nine fellowships are awarded statewide each year. Dr. James Lambers, a faculty member in the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, serves as major professor and mentor for Wright and Rester. In addition to the NASA fellowship, Sarah earned a summer internship from NREIP (Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program) and had her undergraduate honors thesis research published in a disciplinary journal, which is unusual in mathematics, Dr. Lambers said. This summer, Bailey presented her research from her masters thesis and doctoral dissertation at conferences organized by SIAM (Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics), the leading professional organization for computational and applied mathematics. Wright came USM in 2013 and completed a bachelors degree in mathematics and Spanish. During her undergraduate career, she had the opportunity to do research with Dr. Lambers and attend and present that research at a large conference, her first opportunity to experience the world of international researchers. She also lived abroad in Lima, Peru to study at a university there as an undergraduate, and after graduation, spent two years working with a non-profit organization in the Philippines. In 2019, Wright came back to the U.S. and started working on a masters degree in mathematics at USM; at that point, she knew she wanted to continue researching and pursue a Ph.D. Her research primarily focuses on applications of numerical analysis to solve problems with many layers. The world we live in has many layers, and our simulation methods need to account for this. Specifically, we want to simulate time-dependent physical phenomena more accurately and quickly such as heat diffusion, wave propagation, or fluid flow through heterogeneous media such as seismic waves traveling through multiple building materials. This is modeled using partial differential equations. As technology improves, one would think this could lead to better simulation; however, the opposite is true. As the spatial resolution is increased, the time step length shrinks so that the number of time steps needed grows exorbitantly, which causes the method to lose efficiency. Wright initially learned about the Mississippi Space Grant Consortium and NASA Fellowship through Dr. Lambers. This fellowship gives me the opportunity to focus on research during my graduate studies, as well as challenge me to give back to our community, she said, and my experiences overseas showed me how big the world is, and when coming back to the States, I knew there were things I could do within the field of mathematics to join the global community of researchers striving to better understand our world. She was selected a NASA fellow for the 2020-2021 school year, and even in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, was able to be involved in research, work with a local elementary school, and present at a virtual Math and Science teachers conference in January 2021. I am so excited to have been selected as a NASA Fellow again for this upcoming school year, as it will allow me to continue the work I started last year, she said. It has allowed me to learn from the other NASA fellows how they are working to better engage their local schools with interesting STEM activities, especially during this very trying year where many students were learning virtually. Rester said research has given her an opportunity to be challenged and excited about all the unanswered questions in her field. The higher I go in my study of mathematics, the more I realize there is to learn, she said. Research has helped me become a master of the things I have learned and has taught me the vast depth of topics that I have yet to learn, as well as to become a lifelong learner. The recognition and research support that comes with the fellowship is a big accomplishment for me, and Im very pleased that all of the time and dedication I put into my application has paid off, she continued. I look forward to continuing this fellowship next year and am very thankful for a university, mentors, and NASA, who have given me this opportunity. Her current research focus is to improve the techniques used by researchers in many STEM fields to produce more detailed and realistic simulation of time-dependent phenomena, such as wave propagation or diffusion of heat energy. The time-stepping methods currently used to solve models in these applications are based on extremely outdated ideas, with only modest evolution since their creation, and therefore do not possess the necessary characteristics to make such high-resolution simulation practical, Rester said. For my dissertation, I plan to reformulate Krylov Subspace Spectral (KSS) methods, which are time-stepping methods for high-resolution simulation, to significantly enhance their efficiency and applicability. These improvements have the potential to substantially boost the productivity of researchers who rely on simulation. This is because they can spend far less time and effort generating simulation results that may be too unreliable to trust, which would allow them to focus on other tasks and have more time to test simulations with different parameters. Furthermore, because my enhanced KSS methods are designed to work with parameters that vary in both time and space, researchers do not have to make unrealistic assumptions about the problem and therefore can produce more reliable results. After completing her doctoral program, Rester plans to pursue a career as a professor of mathematics. With this fellowship, I will have more freedom to focus on my research and activities that are crucial to launching my academic career, such as publishing and presenting my work at conferences, she said. The Schools of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and Computing Sciences and Computer Engineering are housed in the USM College of Arts and Sciences. For information about these schools, including their degree programs and the work of their faculty members, visit https://www.usm.edu/arts-sciences/index.php and https://www.usm.edu/computing-sciences-computer-engineering/index.php. For information about the Mississippi Space Grant Consortium, visit http://msspacegrant.org/. Valdosta, GA (31601) Today Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 83F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening with a few showers possible overnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. A new UN report has singled out Madagascar as one of the world's two newest "highest alert" hunger hotspots. By Robin Gomes Insects, clay and leaves are the only food that the population of Madagascar can survive on at the moment, due to a severe drought which, in recent weeks, has led to near-famine conditions. The Catholic Bishops of Germany raised the alarm through its Commission for the Universal Church. There is a risk of a massacre, the situation is disastrous and hunger is rampant in a frightening way. I, therefore, appeal to the international community to act quickly to avoid an even more dramatic famine, wrote Commission president, Archbishop Ludwig Schick in a statement. He pointed out that several families in rural areas have already been forced to leave their homes due to "sandstorms and dried-up fields". The south of Madagascar is particularly affected, where the population survives only thanks to "foreign humanitarian aid", he noted. Question of survival By now, he explained, "babies and children are just skin and bones". For this, everyone's help is needed, because "without radical support measures, he warned, the number of hungry people will double in a short time. Faced with this alarming scenario, the global community has a duty to ensure the survival of the population". The archbishop invited contributions to Caritas Internationalis or through Misereor. Caritas Internationalis is the confederation of 165 Catholic relief, development and social service organizations operating in over 200 countries and territories worldwide. Misereor is the German Catholic Bishops' organization for development cooperation. A more just world In May 2018, Archbishop Schick had led a German bishops delegation to the African country, on the occasion of the eighth meeting of the German-African bishops, held in the capital, Antananarivo, on the theme of integral human development. At the end of the meeting the bishops of both the countries released a statement pledging their commitment to "shape a more just world", because "all human creatures have the right to live a dignified life", thanks "to adequate nutrition, water drinking water, education and medical assistance ". UNs alarm A new United Nations report on Friday raised alarm about acute food insecurity in 23 hunger hotspots of the world, among them Madagascar. Entitled Hunger Hotspots, the report by the UNs Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) singled out Ethiopia and Madagascar as the world's newest "highest alert" hunger hotspots for the outlook of August to November 2021. South Sudan, Yemen, and northern Nigeria were already among the acute food insecurity hotspots of greatest global concern before Ethiopia and Madagascar. In some areas of these countries populations already experiencing catastrophic levels of food insecurity and significant numbers of people are additionally at risk. The report said that in southern Madagascar under the effects of the worst drought in the past 40 years, combined with rising food prices and pests affecting staple crops a sustained deterioration of acute food insecurity is expected to push 14,000 people into catastrophic acute food insecurity by September. This number is expected to double by the end of the year, with 28,000 people requiring urgent action to prevent widespread deaths and starvation. Pope Francis visited the Indian Ocean island-nation in September 2019, as part of a 3-nation visit that included Mozambique and Mauritius. Vietnam issued Decree 70 adding new regulations related to cross-border advertising service provisions in Vietnam. Firms engaged in cross-border advertising must follow regulations related to cybersecurity, management, provision, use of internet services, and pay tax. Decree 70 takes effect on September 15, 2021. Vietnams government issued Decree No. 70/2021/ND-CP (Decree 70) on July 21, which stipulates that advertising service providers engaging in cross-border advertising services must abide by regulations on cybersecurity, regulations on management, provision, and use of internet services, as well as pay tax. Decree 70 amends and supplements several articles from Decree No. 181/2013/ND-CP dated November 11, 2013, on the Law on Advertising. Decree 70, which takes effect on September 15, 2021, was created to tighten the activities of the advertising units of multinationals, such as Facebook, Google, and YouTube. Definition of cross-border advertising services The most significant revision issued by Decree 70 is to Article 13, which provides the definition and other obligations on cross-border advertising services providers (CASP). Article 13 redefines cross-border advertisement services as the utilization of electronic information sites by foreign organizations and individuals to provide advertising services from websites hosted outside of Vietnam, for Vietnamese consumers, and having revenue generated in Vietnam. Such websites are defined as single or multi-website systems providing users with functions enabling live chat, forum creation, exchange of information, sound, or image sharing to supply advertising services. What are the responsibilities and obligations of cross-border advertising services providers? Under Article 13, CASP entities must comply with Vietnams intellectual property and cybersecurity laws. These entities must inform the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) of their contact information at least 15 days before starting their operations. Previously, cross-border advertising services were under the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism supervision. Under Decree 70, the MIC now has the consolidated supervisory authority. This includes details on the location of the organization, their trading names, head offices, as well as the location of the primary server or any servers/systems located in Vietnam (if any). CASP entities must also submit an annual report to the MIC and submit ad-hoc reports to MIC at the ministrys request. It is the responsibility of the CASP entity to ensure their advertisements follow the Law on Advertising, and the entity must apply measures to control and remove ads that violate Vietnamese laws. Advertisement services providers must also not cooperate with websites that have been publicly announced to have violated these laws. Moreover, CASP entities are obligated to take down content upon a request of the MIC in addition to providing information on any organizations or individuals involved in illegal cross-border advertising as determined by the MIC. The MIC will conduct the necessary investigation of violations within a five-day window period and notify services providers of the illegal advertisement content or activities. The service providers are then given a 24-hour period to address the issue, after which the MIC will take any legal measure to have the advertisement blocked. This authority can be extended to other government agencies if the offense is deemed a threat to national security. CASP entities are also required to assist and provide solutions to Vietnamese advertisement providers on ensuring their advertisements comply with the relevant laws. Cambodia received more than 450,000 doses of the one-shot Johnson&Johnson vaccine from the United States Friday morning, with the U.S. Embassy official saying the vaccines came with no strings attached. The U.S has pledged more than 1 million doses of the U.S.-made vaccine through the global COVAX program, with the first batch of vaccines being received Friday morning by U.S. Embassy official Benjamin Wohlauer and Health Minister Mam Bunheng. The second batch will arrive early next week. Let me stress that we dont share these doses to secure favor or extract concession. Our vaccines dont come with strings attached. We are sharing these vaccines to save lives and to lead global efforts to bring an end to the pandemic, Wohlauer said at the Phnom Penh International Airport. The embassy official called the vaccines a gift from the American people and was part of the U.S. longstanding commitment to public health in Cambodia. The U.S. and Cambodia are in a tenuous phase of the bilateral relationship over alleged Chinese military presence at the Ream Naval Base in Preah Sihanouk province. While Prime Minister Hun Sen has personally received vaccines from China and Japan the latter delivered AstraZeneca vaccines last week but was not present at the U.S. vaccine delivery. Phay Siphan, a government spokesperson, said the decision on whether to attend a specific event or not was dependent on the prime ministers schedule and availability. It is the decision of the prime minister which no one else can make that order, he said. A post on Hun Sens Facebook page said that the gift was part of the U.S. continuous efforts to support Cambodians and to help fight back a surge of the cases in the region. Sophal Ear, an associate professor at the Occidental College in California, U.S., said the prime ministers absence could be interpreted as a snub. Alas, doing this might be perceived as being ungrateful, which would only cause the Cambodian people to pay the price when donations of vital vaccines are not forthcoming, he said. In any case, with a surge in infections happening due to the Delta variant, this is not a situation where you want to bite the hand that saves you. Around 7 million Cambodian adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with the vaccination drive moving to the provinces after nearly all adults were vaccinated in Phnom Penh, according to Health Ministry data. On Sunday, the government will start vaccinating children aged 12 to 17 with Chinese-made Sinovac vaccines. President Emmerson Mnangagwa says Zimbabwes former First Lady, Mrs. Janet Mbuyazwe Banana, who died on Thursday, played a key role in the liberation of Zimbabwe. In a statement, Mnangagwa said Mrs. Banana, who died at Mater Dei Hospital in the countrys second largest city, Bulawayo, was sick when he visited her recently. Mnangagwa said, When I last visited her at the family home in Luveve, Bulawayo, to console her following the death of her son, Michael, she was ailing, and our thoughts and prayers were for her speedy recovery. Sadly we have lost her when we thought she will be well again. The country remembers her with fond memories and admiration for her important roles she played during the period of our liberation struggle, and as our First Lady. He said during Zimbabwes struggle for independence, the late Mrs. Banana exhibited courage and bravery as she endured persistent harassment at the hands of the Rhodesians for supporting her husband, the late former first president, Reverand Cannan Sodindo Banana, in his activism. To the very end of her husbands life, she remained a strong pillar of support for both her husband and children. We shall not forget her as a mother of the Nation. She carried herself with simplicity and dignity. Our country is all the poorer with her passing on. I wish to express my heartfelt condolences to the Banana family, especially to the children who remain, and have lost a loving mother. May I assure them of our support during this their darkest hour of grief. I have directed that the late former First Lady be accorded a state-assisted funeral. According to NewsDay, she succumbed to a kidney ailment. Mrs. Banana spent almost 18 years in London where she sought political asylum and returned home in 2019. Her husband, who served as Zimbabwes first president from 1980 to 1987, died in 2003. Banana brokered a unity accord between then rivals PF Zapu and Zanu PF following the massacre of thousands of people by the notorious state-sponsored Fifth Brigade in the Matabeleland and Midlands regions, which were Zapu strongholds. Despite playing a critical role in ending the killings, Banana was locked up for a year after a court found him guilty of 11 counts of sodomy and abuse of power. Banana claimed that he was wrongly convicted by the government of then President Robert Mugabe. Funeral Announcements A daily list of current funeral annoucements as heard on KXRA 1490 AM/100.3 FM News Updates The daily news, sports, and events delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria. Sports Update This current sports headlines delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria. Upcoming Events This email is the events of the area delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria. Breaking News The big news. Sent only as it happens. A Counter Rocket, Artillery, Mortar weapon system is test fired on Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Jan. 13, 2018. The C-RAM will be used as a response to indirect fire attacks on the base. U.S. Air Forces Central Command realigned airpower to USFOR-A Combined-Joint Area of Operations (CJOA) to support increased operations in support of the Resolute Support Mission and Operation Freedom's Sentinel. LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) Three men who were found dead last week at the entrance of a Wisconsin quarry were forced to kneel on the ground before they were shot multiple times over a $600 debt, officials said Thursday. Khamthaneth Rattanasack, 44, and Nya Thao, 33, have each been charged with three counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. They are accused of killing Peng Lor and Nemo Yang, both 24, and Trevor Maloney, 23, whose bodies were discovered shortly before 5 a.m. on July 23 outside the Romskog Quarry in western Wisconsin by two workers, La Crosse County Sheriff Jeff Wolf said. Wolf said that hours after the bodies were found, a woman told authorities that she was with the victims the night before they were killed and the four of them were staying in the same hotel room in Onalaska. The woman said that early on the morning of July 23, she and the victims believed they were being followed by a black Mercedes Benz. They briefly stopped at another hotel and she went inside to drop off some items. She returned to her car to find the Mercedes next to it. Thao was sitting in her vehicle, behind the drivers seat, and Rattanasack was in the Mercedes, with one of the victims who had been in her car. The woman said Rattanasack had a gun, Wolf said. The woman was told to drive her car and follow the Mercedes, then drive to the quarry near West Salem, about 14 miles (23 kilometers) northeast of La Crosse, which is along the Minnesota border. Rattanasack told all three of the victims to get on their knees, then he gave Thao the gun and Thao shot all three men multiple times, Wolf said. The next day, someone in Minneapolis contacted the La Crosse County Sheriffs Office with information about the slayings. That person told authorities that the killings were over a $600 debt that was owed to Rattanasack, who had just gotten out of prison, Wolf said. He did not know why the womans life was spared. Asked whether she had been threatened, he said he could not comment, but noted that she was fearful. Rattanasack, also known as Black or Kham," was arrested Wednesday night in Amherst. Thao, also known as Kush, was arrested early Thursday in Wausau. Wolf said they are both in custody at the La Crosse County Jail and have not yet made their first court appearance. Court records do not list attorneys to comment on their behalf. Lor and Yang had no permanent address, but frequently lived in and around the La Crosse area, while Maloneys last known addresses were in Cashton and Sparta in western Wisconsin, the sheriffs department said. Wolf said investigators believe some of the victims and suspects may have been members of rival gangs. He didn't have specifics on their relationships. Wolf said authorities do not have additional suspects at this time, but the investigation is ongoing. Moderate mag. 4.5 earthquake - Alboran Sea, 33 km northeast of Al Hoceima, Morocco, on 30 Jul 9:58 am (GMT +1) - Moderate magnitude 4.5 earthquake at 4 km depth 30 Jul 09:02 UTC: First to report: IGN after 3 minutes. 30 Jul 09:04: Magnitude recalculated from 5.1 to 4.7. Epicenter location corrected by 14 km (8.7 mi) towards NNE. ... [show all] ... 30 Jul 09:05: Magnitude recalculated from 4.7 to 4.0. Hypocenter depth recalculated from 10.0 to 5.0 km (from 6.2 to 3.1 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 214 km (133 mi) towards N. 30 Jul 09:25: Magnitude recalculated from 4.0 to 4.2. Hypocenter depth recalculated from 5.0 to 4.0 km (from 3.1 to 2.5 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 40 km (25 mi) towards N. 30 Jul 17:12: Magnitude recalculated from 4.2 to 4.5. Update Fri, 30 Jul 2021, 09:33 4.2 quake 30 Jul 9:58 am (GMT +1) A very shallow magnitude 4.2 earthquake was reported in the morning near Al Hoceima, Al-Hoceima, Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, Morocco. According to Spain's Instituto Geografico Nacional (IGN), the quake hit on Friday 30 July 2021 at 9:58 am local time at a very shallow depth of 4 km. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. Magnitude and other quake parameters can still change in the coming hours as the agency continues to process seismic data. Our monitoring service identified a second report from the United States Geological Survey which listed the quake at magnitude 4.6. Other agencies reporting the same quake include the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) at magnitude 4.6, and the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) at magnitude 4.3. Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter. Weak shaking might have been felt in Al Hoceima (pop. 395,600) located 33 km from the epicenter, Tirhanimine (pop. 55,800) 35 km away, Imzouren (pop. 40,000) 36 km away, and Bni Bouayach (pop. 18,300) 39 km away. Other towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Nador (pop. 129,300) located 69 km from the epicenter, Al Aaroui (pop. 36,000) 72 km away, and Zaio (pop. 30,000) 97 km away. If you were or still are in this area during the quake help others with your feedback and file a quick report here . Download the Volcanoes & Earthquakes app to get one of the fastest seismic alerts online: Android | IOS to get one of the fastest seismic alerts online: Earthquake data: [ show map ] Show interactive Map [ smaller ] [ bigger ] please share your experience and submit a short "I felt it" report! Other users would love to hear about it! Also if you did NOT feel the quake although you were in the area, please report it ! Your contribution is valuable also to earthquake science and earthquake hazard analysis and mitigation efforts. You can use your device location or the map to indicate where you were during the earthquake. Thank you! If you felt this quake (or if you were near the epicenter),Other users would love to hear about it!Alsoalthough you were in the area, please! Your contribution is valuable also to earthquake science and earthquake hazard analysis and mitigation efforts. You can use your device location or the map to indicate where you were during the earthquake. Thank you! Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies Info: The more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision. Mag. Depth Location Source 4.5 4 km Morocco: ALBOR IGN 4.5 10 km Morocco: Strait of Gibraltar GFZ 4.6 10 km Morocco: STRAIT OF GIBRALTAR EMSC unknown n/a Near Velez-Malaga, Andalusia, Spain VolcanoDiscovery 4.6 10 km Morocco: Strait of Gibraltar USGS User reports for this quake (17) User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale Contribute: Leave a comment if you find a particular report interesting or want to add to it. Flag as inappropriate. Mark as helpful or interesting. Send your own user report! Selouane / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : Angst | One user found this interesting. Bni Ansar / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 10-15 s : | One user found this interesting. Imzouren, Al-Hoceima, Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima (37.9 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe / 5-10 s near Melilla (54.2 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s Melilla (65.7 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) Melilla (65.7 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) Torrox costa (149.5 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s : Very short Alhoceima / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s Imzouren / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / very short Imzouren / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / very short Nador / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s Nador / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s Melilla / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s Driouch / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I saw the house shaking and i felt like im falling. Ijeti (Boudinar) / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 5-10 s : J'ai vu les meubles trembler Arouit / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s Melilla (63.4 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s Look up aftershocks or earlier quakes Earlier earthquakes in the same area This can take up to 20-30 seconds. Please wait while we search through millions of records.This can take up to 20-30 seconds. Click here to search our database for earlier earthquakes in the same area since 1900! Contribute: Leave a comment if you find a particular report interesting or want to add to it. Flag as inappropriate. Mark as helpful or interesting. Send your own user report! Cuenca Ecuador / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : It was multiple shakes Started to be concerned Went in doorways and saw the door shake We live on sixth floor of apartment building on Ordonez Lasso Debating if we should take the stairways and go outside the building | 10 users found this interesting. Loja City (186 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : Felt it in 3 waves. An unbalanced table wobbled. Objects on all tables wobbled. | 10 users found this interesting. Loja, Loja / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : Wobbling floor side to side, creaking of hanging fixtures, water in bowls moving back and forth. | 7 users found this interesting. Sullana (7.3 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 5-10 s : Increible moviments | 4 users found this interesting. Piura,Piura, Peru x (30.5 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / complex motion difficult to describe / 30-60 s inicio con vibraciones anomalas y luego oscilaciones con incremento de magnitud | 4 users found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / complex motion difficult to describe / 30-60 s Cuenca, Ecuador (286.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 30-60 s : Everything was shaking, the ceiling lamps, decorations, couch. I live on the 17th floor. I was Dizzy and a little scare this time because it was longer than usual. Thank God it stoped and nothing mayor happened in my apartment. | 3 users found this interesting. Sullana- piura / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 15-20 s : Vibraciones fuerte, sensacion de movimiento de los pisos y fuerte ruido en el momento como de crujidos | 3 users found this interesting. Guayaquil (313.4 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : It made me feel dizzy for a few seconds before noticing that it was a telluric movement. | 3 users found this interesting. Guayaquil (317 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s 7th floors Lateral mooving | 3 users found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s Cuenca, Ecuador / Weak shaking (MMI III) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 5-10 s : Light rolling, swaying hanging lights and closet door. | 2 users found this interesting. Piura / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / complex motion difficult to describe / 30-60 s : Terrible | 2 users found this interesting. / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / complex motion difficult to describe / 30-60 s JR.chiquian (172.4 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 30-60 s : Fuertisimo.( | 2 users found this interesting. Piura / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s : Vibrante, crujiente. | 2 users found this interesting. Cuenca, Ecuador / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : Indoors on the 3rd floor of our apartment in El Centro, heard rumbling and felt the couch we were sitting on shift a bit and the long curtains in front of the 12-ft high windows swayed. | 2 users found this interesting. Chiclayo, URB. La Estancia / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Las puertas abiertas vibraban, me levanto de sueno | 2 users found this interesting. Vilcabamba Ecuador (172 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Building swaying | 2 users found this interesting. Piura / not felt : very strong with short duration is like getting into a box and shaking you for 4 seconds from side to side | 2 users found this interesting. Guayaquil (308 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Very slow horizontal occilations, chandelier swinging freely in lounge. | 2 users found this interesting. Cuenca, EC / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s : This one certainly went on for a long time, or at least the swaying of curtain cords did. I'm on the 9th floor of a building, and many on the ground floor didn't feel a thing. | 2 users found this interesting. Cuenca, Ecuador (223.5 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 30-60 s : I barely felt it, but saw a hanging light swaying to confirm what I felt. My wife saw a houseplant swaying. | 2 users found this interesting. Chiclayo (229.8 km SSE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / several minutes : I feel scary | 2 users found this interesting. Guayaquil (304.3 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : I was ready to eat lunch, it felt like the table was rocking back and forth | One user found this interesting. Azogues, Canar (306.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s Leve 3.5 | One user found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s samborondon (319.9 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : My building was going like a bit wobbly, and it was a bit around 3.1 maybe. JUST AN ESTIMATE | One user found this interesting. La Rioja (327 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short Solo paso estaba recibiendo clases y de pronto se movieron las puertas parecian moverse pero era muy poco pero igual estuve alerta unos momentos | One user found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short Monsefu, inside my house at my computer / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / several minutes : My desk and chair shook and then the walls began shaking. By 12:15 there were only minor shakes. | One user found this interesting. Ecuador, Guayaquil / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 5-10 s : MOVIMIENTO DE SILLA Y LAMPARA. | One user found this interesting. Ricaurte Azuay Ecuador / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / very short : Very short, single bump, hanging lights, clock pendulum etc swinging for long time afterward. Felt motion sick-- for half an hour after! | One user found this interesting. Guayaquil (317.4 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) Se sintio como un breve mareo | One user found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) Landagui, Ecuador / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 5-10 s : Felt outside, short in duration, rattling inside house | One user found this interesting. Cuenca, Ecuador / Weak shaking (MMI III) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 5-10 s : Light rolling, swaying hanging lights and closet door. | One user found this interesting. Vilcabamba / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Maybe 10 seconds of very minor tremor. | One user found this interesting. Ecuador, Guayaquil, vVia a la costa / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s : I felt nervous | One user found this interesting. Chiclayo (225.4 km SSE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 10-15 s El gato se dio cuenta, yo me pare. Fue rapido. | One user found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 10-15 s landagui, ecuador / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 5-10 s : Outside on cement pool deck, wood bench I was sitting on moved, and iron gates around doors/windows vibrated audibly | One user found this interesting. Guayaquil / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s : Senti mi habitacion de hotel y las cosas temblaron | One user found this interesting. Loja / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 20-30 s : Mild motion of our 5 story apartment building. Lasted 20-30 seconds. We evacuated the building with others. | One user found this interesting. Cuenca, Ecuador (211.1 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : It felt strong in my Condo in Cuenca, Ecuador. | One user found this interesting. Trujillo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : Sentado frente aq mi computadora y la mesa se movio asi como mi silla... | One user found this interesting. near Cuenca, Ecuador (232.4 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : We didn't feel anything ourselves, but many people in Cuenca are reporting that they did feel the tremor, lasting for about 12 seconds. | One user found this interesting. Marcabeli / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : Very strong movement | One user found this interesting. Trujillo (392.5 km SSE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Lamps swinging, Ground shaking softly | One user found this interesting. Guayaquil / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 2-5 s : Un pequeno remezon | One user found this interesting. Lima (891.5 km SSE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt No se sintio en Lima | One user found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / not felt Sur de Guayaquill (306.6 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 15-20 s : Fue ligero pero mareo mucho. | One user found this interesting. Tiquipaya, Cochabamba (2094.7 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s Cajamarca (337.2 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s Chinautla, Guatemala (2435.9 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt Canar, Provincia del Canar (321.5 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 20-30 s Cajamarca (346.8 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) Guayaquil (314.8 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 20-30 s (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 20-30 s Cuenca, Azuay (286.3 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s Trujillo, La Libertad (396.4 km SSE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt Santa Rosa, El Oro (174.2 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt Machala, El Oro (197.3 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s 32 km of Cuenca, Azuay (256.1 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 20-30 s Macara, Provincia de Loja (96.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s 32 km of Cuenca, Azuay (256.1 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s Duran, Guayas (320.8 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s Curundu, Panama District, Panama (1549.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt Lambayeque (214.6 km SSE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) Cuenca (286.3 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s Fuerte bambilro del edifivio (reported through (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s PIURA (31 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 minutes Cuenca Ecuador / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : I was sitting on my couch in my living room, in my second-story apartment in a 200-year-old colonial building 2 blocks from the central plaza in Cuenca. At right about 12:10pm (I was getting ready to head for the bus station for a bus departing at 1:00pm), I suddenly felt 4-5 rolling horizontal bumps - over maybe 8-10 seconds. Creaking started up in the wood in the floors and beams in my building. I got up and went into my kitchen to see if the light was swinging and it was - about 3-4 inches to Piura (30.1 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 20-30 s (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 20-30 s Mancora,Peru / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I was lying on the ground and could feel the ground move from underneath me. Santa Isabel, Ecuador (223.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Several seconds back and forth swaying with longer rolling ground. Strong enough for concern of a few objects. Guayaquil / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / very short : I was in bathroom (just past noon,) of my hotel on the fifth floor when I felt the sensation of movement. I thought perhaps initially I was feeling disoriented and looked out to observe anything unusual. When I didn't see anything unusual, I thought maybe it was just me. Mancora,Peru / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I was lying on the ground and could feel the ground move from underneath me. Reque, Chiclayo / Weak shaking (MMI III) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 2-5 s : I was sitting on my couch. The house shook and rattled. I felt like a gentle, circular swaying. Lasted maybe 3-4 seconds. Cuenca / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / very short Vilcabamba, Ecuador (152.9 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex rolling (tilting in multiple directions) / 20-30 s chiclayo / Weak shaking (MMI III) Paita / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 15-20 s Trujillo / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s Cuenca, Ecuador (289.8 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s : The lamps were swinging quite a bit, there was a rolling feeling under the floor. The 5 gallon water bottle on the water dispenser sloshed around strongly. Cuenca, Azuay, Ecuador / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s GUAYAQUIL / Weak shaking (MMI III) Cuenca (286.4 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s Cuenca, Ecuador / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 minutes Machala servicio Migracion / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s Lima (871.1 km SSE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt Manta, Ecuador (438 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt Babahoyo / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s Giron, Ecuador (254.8 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging Guayaquil (317.9 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / vibration and rolling / 10-15 s (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / vibration and rolling / 10-15 s machala, ecuador (197.8 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s Vilcabamba, Ecuador (172 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 minutes Cuenca Ecuador / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 10-15 s Cuenca / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / very short Sullana / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 10-15 s Tumbes / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s cuenca ecuador / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s Playas, Guayas, Ecuador (254.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s Sullana / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 15-20 s jr 2, 469, san borja, lima (893.8 km SSE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt Guayaquil (316.9 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s Cuenca / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s Macara, city hall / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s Saracay, Pinas (164.5 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 20-30 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 20-30 s Cuenca (286.4 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s MACHALA / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s Trujillo (398.4 km SSE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s Guayaquil (318.8 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 5-10 s Cuenca- Ecuador / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s Cuenca, Ecuador (285.6 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 10-15 s Malacatos, Ecuador (171.6 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 15-20 s santa rosa / Very weak shaking (MMI II) Chiclayo / Weak shaking (MMI III) Guayaquil / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s Guayaquil (309.2 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 30-60 s piura / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 10-15 s Tambogrande / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s Chiclayo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s Cuenca (288.8 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s Cuenca / Weak shaking (MMI III) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 10-15 s Guayaquil - Ecuador (316.7 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt No lo senti (reported through (reported through our app / not felt Guayaquil Ecuador (311.2 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) Santiago de Guayaquil (304.6 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s Guayaquil (304.9 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging Cuenca - primero de Mayo y Avenida de los Americas / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s Cuenca Ecuador (285.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s Gualaceo (303.6 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s Peru tumbed (151.8 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s Pasaje (197.4 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 15-20 s (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 15-20 s Guayaquil (312.9 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 20-30 s (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 20-30 s Piura (119.1 km SSE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s Piura (119.1 km SSE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s Loja, Ecuador (187 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) Piura peru / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / complex motion difficult to describe / 5-10 s cuenca / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s Cuenca Ecuador (286.5 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s Tumbes (150.6 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s Santa Isabel, azuay, Ecuador (235.1 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s Morrisville funeral director Mark Faith has had his license reinstated after a three-month suspension stemming from incidents where he swapped the cremated remains of dead people on two separate occasions. Faith said this week his license was reinstated July 15, but he was unwilling to comment on the ordeal, even as some people say he was not forthcoming about his suspension when they called during that three-and-a-half-month period. I dont want to give you much information, but I am back working, Faith said. I do have my license back, and thats all Im going to tell you. Investigation Faith was accused of swapping the cremated remains of dead people on two occasions last year, once in January 2020 and once in late fall. In the latter case, Hyde Park resident Deanna Frenchs remains were reportedly swapped with that of another, unnamed person. Frenchs daughter, Deb French, said she didnt find out in February about the mistake, and that was after she had already placed a portion of the other persons remains into a sealed locket, and after the family displayed the urn containing what they thought were Deannas remains under the Christmas tree and at a January party for Deannas great-granddaughters. So, mom was there for the birthday balloons and all this stuff and it wasnt mom at all, Deb French said in an interview in April, two weeks after Faiths license was suspended. This woman was really being cared for and loved and looked at every day. Wed kiss our fingers and touch her urn. And it wasnt mom. It was this other lady. Frenchs complaint spurred an investigation by the Office of Professional Regulation, a branch of the Vermont Secretary of States office responsible for overseeing funeral services. An investigator visited Faith Funeral Home on March 4, after giving 24 hours notice, and found Faiths business office in a state of extreme disorganization, with 30-35 boxes of cremated remains stacked outside the office. The investigator deemed the funeral homes system for organizing client files and documentation was not adequate. Even though the investigator gave Faith notice prior to the visit that he needed to provide client files for both deceased people, he could only find one of them. The investigator said Faith attributed the errors to working by himself and being overwhelmed with work as a sole proprietor. He admitted he needs additional help at the funeral home. Faiths licenses both for him and the funeral home were suspended March 29, after a contested suspension hearing. Getting reinstated According to the regulators order, while his licenses were suspended, Faith improved record keeping and tracking of remains; cleaned up the offices and organized paperwork; created a shelving area in the office for boxes of remains; and created a log identifying the deceased person, their cremation certification number, date of receipt, storage location and release date. He has also since passed the National Funeral Directors Association Cremation Certification Program as part of improving his practices. Faiths license reinstatement comes with several conditions he must abide by for at least the next two years, and he and the funeral home will be subject to random inspections by the Office of Professional Regulation. Faith is prohibited from practicing more than 40 hours a week, for himself or any other service, whether in his capacity as funeral director or embalmer, removing or transporting bodies or remains, or communicating with clients. As part of this condition, Faith must arrange to have an on-call person licensed to remove bodies in conjunction with that 40-hour weekly work limit. Within 90 days of his license reinstatement, he must complete six hours of pre-approved courses, which will include education on stress management, communications with families and business practices. An assigned case manager has to approve of the courses, and this required coursework cannot also count toward any continuing education requirements of licensure. Faith is required to arrange general supervision of his and the funeral homes practice by an independent pre-approved funeral director in good standing with at least 10 years of licensed experience, at his own expense. The supervisor will be required to meet weekly with Faith and do a weekly walk through of the entire funeral home, and report back to the Office of Professional Regulation any issues and concerns. The supervisor will conduct a monthly audit of five client files and cremated remains, selected at random. After six months of compliance, Faith can petition to reduce the number of audits to 10 per quarter. Faith must bring on a person again, pre-approved by the state to work at least eight hours a week to help with administrative tasks such as filing paperwork, answering phones and office organization. Faith refused to answer questions about these conditions, hanging up the phone multiple times when reached this week. He did not reply to emailed questions. Lack of communication At least two people say they were not told by Faith nor by Dian Holcomb of Northern Vermont Funeral Service in Hardwick Faiths designee during his suspension that the Morrisville funeral home and its director had been suspended. Neil Stoddard, who lives in California, but whose mother, Kathleen June Ellsworth, grew up in Stowe, said his mother died in 2016 and his father died last September. Stoddard said both had been cremated and it was their wish to have their remains combined and then divided between two final resting spots, one in Cohasset, Mass., and one in Stowe. Stoddard said he got his fathers death certificate from Faith in October and the family planned to have an interment in Vermont in early June. But when he started calling Faith Funeral Home this spring, he said he only got the answering machine, and there was no indication that the funeral homes license had been suspended. On June 4, Stoddard said, Faith called him back but was unresponsive and belligerent. He said he couldnt facilitate the burial but didnt say why, although he did indicate the remains were safe. He said he has stuff he needs to do, and the entire time he never disclosed he had his license suspended, Stoddard said in an interview in June. I dont want to bash him, but he has not been forthcoming, which is bad business. Faith denied that interaction happened. Stoddard said he only found out about Faiths license suspension after talking to Morristown police and then reading about it in the newspaper. Ultimately, Stoddard got in touch with desGroseilliers Funeral Home in Hardwick, which went out of their way to make sure his parents were interred June 10 in Stowe, at Riverbank Cemetery in Stowe, three days short of what would have been his mothers 96th birthday. Also in June, Heather Ritter, a New Hampshire resident who was responsible for carrying out her uncles funeral services, discovered her uncles body was not at Faith Funeral Home, as had been arranged, but had been taken to Northern Vermont Funeral Service. Ritter said she received a message from Holcomb that her funeral home had the body, but there was nothing in the message to suggest Mark Faith had lost his license. She said she had previously made arrangements with Faith in March Ritters uncle had a terminal disease and had entered end-of-life care. Ritter said she was able to get another funeral home in Bennington, closer to her home, to come and get her uncles body and handle the funeral services, with a lawyers help. She said Holcomb never told her about Faiths license suspension. Holcomb said this week that wasnt true and declined to comment further other than to say she is no longer filling in for Faith and wishes him well. As for Stoddard, he said even though it took longer to get his fathers and mothers remains arranged for burial than he and his family had anticipated, they were able to pull it off on the arranged date. Their wishes have been met and the entire story of their lives have been completed, he said. Local news is important. It's the information that will directly impact your life because its going on around you, every day. Join our group of dedicated readers today ... Subscribe The United States is facing a pivotal moment in the coronavirus pandemic, given that the Delta variant is spurring surges in cases and hospitalizations: It must increase vaccinations or risk magnifying the impact, the surgeon general said. "If we want to keep our kids in school, if we want to protect the economy, if we want our country to get through this pandemic, we have to leave no stone unturned in making sure people get vaccinated," US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Thursday. Murthy's comment came after President Joe Biden announced that federal employees must attest to being vaccinated against Covid-19 or face strict protocols, including testing once or twice a week, wearing a mask and other heath mitigation measures. On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shared a new study that led to its new indoor mask guidance, showing the Delta variant produced similar amounts of virus in both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals if they get infected. "High viral loads suggest an increased risk of transmission and raised concern that, unlike with other variants, vaccinated people infected with Delta can transmit the virus," said CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement Friday. The finding "was a pivotal discovery leading to CDC's updated mask recommendation," Walensky said. Walensky defended the agency's guidance on wearing masks in schools Friday evening, telling Fox News it was necessary to protect kids, their families and communities. "Right now the best way to (prevent outbreaks in schools) is to have everybody masked because we do have disease in the community," she said. "And hopefully as we have vaccinations for kids, and less disease in the community, we'll be able to scale back on the mask wearing." Also emerging late this week: The Delta variant appears to cause more severe illness and spread as easily as chickenpox, according to an internal document from the CDC. The document -- a slide presentation first reported by The Washington Post -- outlines unpublished data that shows fully vaccinated people, even if they don't get sick, might spread the Delta variant at the same rate as unvaccinated people. Meanwhile, coronavirus case rates have jumped as the Delta variant has increased its grip in the United States. The US averaged more than 66,900 new daily cases over the last week -- an average that's generally risen since the country hit a 2021 low of 11,299 daily cases on June 22, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Hospitalizations have also risen. More than 39,000 Covid-19 patients were in US hospitals on Monday -- a number that's generally risen since a 2021 low of nearly 15,988 on June 27, according to Department of Health and Human Services data. Data shows a difference between areas with high and low vaccination rates. Average hospitalization rates are nearly three times higher in states that have fully vaccinated less than half of their residents compared with those that have vaccinated more than half of their residents, according to a CNN analysis of federal data. And Covid-19 case and death rates over the past week are more than twice as high among states that have vaccinated less than half of their residents, on average. With only 49.5% of Americans fully vaccinated, former US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said Thursday that he anticipates more closures as the Delta variant keeps spreading. And with some mask and vaccine mandates already implemented, Murthy anticipates more will be added. "The private sector is already stepping up to create verification systems," Murthy said. "What we are going to see more and more, Anderson, in the weeks and months ahead is, I believe, we're going to see more universities, more hospitals, more businesses, more retail establishments looking to put rules in place to require people to get vaccinated." CDC document on Delta variant: 'The war has changed' The study released by the CDC on Friday described 469 Massachusetts residents infected in a July outbreak in Barnstable County, which includes Provincetown. No deaths were reported among the residents. About 74% -- or 346 cases -- had been fully vaccinated. Of those, 79% reported symptoms. Genetically sequenced cases revealed the Delta variant as the main culprit. Meanwhile, the internal CDC document that said the variant appears to cause more severe infection advises that the agency should "acknowledge the war has changed." It recommends vaccine mandates and universal mask requirements. The CDC director confirmed the authenticity of the document. "I think people need to understand that we're not crying wolf here. This is serious," Walensky told CNN. The document says the Delta variant is about as transmissible as chickenpox, with each infected person, on average, infecting eight or nine others. The original lineage was about as transmissible as the common cold, with each infected person passing the virus to about two other people on average. NC school system to require masks indoors One of the most contentious issues across the country surrounds wearing face coverings in schools. Several areas announced Friday they would require or recommend masks, while Florida's governor, while signing an executive order, again said parents should make the decisions. In North Carolina's most populous area, Mecklenburg County, which includes Charlotte, the school board voted for masks to be worn indoors. "This decision aligns with local and state guidance, as well as national guidelines, which address the Delta variants of (coronavirus)," said Elyse Dashew, chairperson of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education, according to CNN affiliate WSOC. "The infection numbers in our county are cause for serious concern -- and significant precautions to protect our students and staff." Only one of the board's nine members voted against the measure. In Massachusetts, schools will meet five days a week for in-person learning and masks are recommended for some people. The state's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said all students on buses should wear a face covering. It also recommended students in kindergarten through sixth grade should wear masks as should unvaccinated students in higher grades and all unvaccinated staff members. In Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear urged schools to implement mask mandates for the upcoming academic year. Beshear said that schools who do not mandate masks "will fail, and it will be the students who lose out on in-person learning that they would otherwise be in, and it's unprotected parents and grandparents that may pay a bigger price." Kentucky's Department of Health, in light of the CDC's new guidance, recommends all people inside schools wear masks. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has issued an executive order with emergency rules that prevent the implementation of mask mandates in schools. DeSantis, who has been a vocal critic against the CDC's recommendations for masking in schools, doubled down on his position, stating there will be no lockdowns, school closures, restrictions, or mandates in his state. The order was issued "to protect parents' freedom to choose whether their children wear masks," the governor said in a news release. The executive order says the CDC's guidance "lacks a well-grounded scientific justification" while referring to a Brown University study the governor says found no correlation with Covid-19 data from schools and mask mandates. After Miami-Dade County Public Schools announced it will reconsider its mask-optional policy, DeSantis, through his press secretary, hinted at calling a special session of the state Legislature to protect children against mask mandates. "Many school boards are making the decision to go mask-optional, which is the right decision from our perspective. However, if Miami-Dade County Public Schools does decide to mandate masks, I'd just refer you back to Governor DeSantis' comments from the literacy presser last week: He hinted that the state legislature could do a special session to ensure a normal, mask-optional school year," spokesperson Christina Pushaw said in a statement to CNN. Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho said the district will announce its final decision on masks about two weeks before school starts on August 23. Doctor: 'We're becoming victims of the unvaccinated' Some states are seeing consequences unfold. In Louisiana, a Baton Rouge medical center said that because it needs to divert staff to treat a crush of Covid-19 patients, it is de-prioritizing other care. Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center said this week it halted the scheduling of non-urgent surgical procedures that would require a patient stay. "We're becoming victims of the unvaccinated," Dr. Christopher Thomas, a critical care physician at the medical center, told CNN's "Newsroom" on Friday. "We currently are overwhelming our bed capacity. We're creating burnout for our teams. And honestly, we're beginning to impact the health care of the rest of the community," he said. About 140 Covid-19 patients were at Our Lady of the Lake as of Thursday, 30 of whom had been admitted over the previous 24 hours -- the most since the pandemic began, according to a hospital spokesperson. About 97% of the hospital's intensive-care patients Friday morning were unvaccinated, Thomas said. Louisiana's vaccination rate is among the lowest in the country, with just 37% of residents fully vaccinated as of Thursday, according to CDC data. In Hawaii, the governor is considering travel restrictions. Since last month, travelers who are fully vaccinated have been able to take domestic flights to Hawaii without having to be tested for the coronavirus, with no restrictions between islands. The state went into a virtual travel lockdown in the early weeks of the Covid pandemic, costing the state hundreds of millions of dollars in tourism revenue. State health director Dr. Libby Char said cases are rising and Gov. David Ige said it might be necessary to limit travel. "I can assure you, at the point that I believe the hospitals have more patients than they would be able to handle, then we would take specific actions to restrict movements again," Ige said. The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. This past spring, I established a rule requiring all 150 of my employees to be fully vaccinated against Covid, regardless of where they are working. Although our employees have been allowed to continue working from home, all of them need to be able to attend a meeting at the office if they're called in. That meant mandating vaccines for everyone, unless they had a medical exemption from a doctor. I also made the same rule for anyone else who wishes to visit our facilities. This includes representatives of businesses that might want to buy parts from us and wish to see our work in action. It also includes investors and contractors. When I announced this, some people on social media who were not affiliated with my company rushed to say how awful it was, arguing that it was an affront to their liberties. I disagree. Just as they have the right to choose whether or not to get a vaccine, management can choose to set rules for their employees at a privately-held company. I saw it as a moment in which business leaders are called on to do the right thing. Vaccines save lives. With Covid cases surging again, it's imperative that executives show courageous leadership by mandating vaccines at their organizations. In conversations with other business leaders, I often hear expressions of fear. They fear that if they mandate vaccines, employees will resign, that customers will turn on them or that they may face legal challenges. I believe these fears are exaggerated, particularly as more Republicans are now encouraging vaccinations and after the Trump administration's surgeon general said Covid is "spiraling out of control" because of unvaccinated people. I've now had the rule in place at my company for several months, and the results have surpassed my expectations. We did see one employee resign after we announced the vaccine mandate. And there have been some others who said they are ideologically opposed to the mandate, although they didn't mind getting vaccinated themselves. I respect their opinion, although I do not agree with it. But the vast majority of employees have told me they appreciate the rule and what it has achieved, both for the company and for themselves. Creating a safe, comfortable work environment Many business leaders have known for years that a safe and hygienic work environment increases employee satisfaction and productivity, not only by helping to ward off illnesses, but also by making people feel more comfortable and less worried. We've seen this effect heightened. After a year at home, most of our employees have been excited to return, and have told me they feel safe knowing that everyone is vaccinated. Our offices have been bustling with activity. People have been interacting without masks and without social distancing. We're working together, eating together, laughing together and, at the end of the day on Fridays, drinking together. Of course, concerns about the Delta variant and its dangers could lead to new health guidance for businesses in terms of masks and social distancing. And we will take that seriously. Our employees' health is essential. For customers, pragmatism wins What surprises many people is how positive our customers have been about the mandate. We operate in industries that skew politically conservative, including oil and gas, power generation, manufacturing and aerospace. Many of our customers are in "red states," including Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona and Ohio. They've told me that they value how the decision made us more stable and operationally sound, as we've been able to count on our personnel to deliver with fewer interruptions and setbacks from Covid. In the end, many people appreciate the bottom line even if they are ideologically opposed to the idea of employers mandating vaccines. Pragmatism rules. Aside from one recruiting firm, all of our suppliers have also been on board with the decision. The firm decided to no longer work with us. And even though the loss did not cause any disruption, I wanted to understand their position. So I spoke with the CEO, who explained they have a fundamental objection to vaccines and to human intervention in God's creation and God's plans. I respect their opinion, and we parted as friends. Executives like me can help allay people's fears. The more people who get vaccinated, the more Americans will see how well it works. There is power in numbers. We call ourselves business "leaders." Now is a time for courageous leadership. In the future, people will look back on us. We can be remembered either for having stood on the sidelines too afraid to act, or for having done the right thing and helping to save lives. The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. Good Samaritans break a truck's windows, an abandoned husky finds happiness, and a sandstorm engulfs a city. These are the must-watch videos of the week. Highway heroes Drivers on an Atlanta highway worked together to break into a slow-moving truck after realizing the man behind the wheel was unconscious. The man's wife told people on the scene that he was hospitalized but is doing better. Huskily ever after A heartbreaking video went viral after a husky was abandoned on the side of the road and chased after his owner's car. A family who saw the video reached out to foster the dog and says they are now complete thanks to the new furry addition. Silver screen to security threat? The Senate Intelligence Committee's report into unidentified aerial phenomena -- or UFOs -- highlights what could be possible threats to US airspace. Former intelligence and security officials help break down how UFOs pose a national security risk. Sandstorm sweeps through city A sandstorm as high as 328 feet hit Dunhuang City in northwestern China. Local police imposed traffic controls on the city's expressway as visibility was dramatically reduced. Teen fights off 12-foot-long crocodile 18-year-old Kiana Hummel was on vacation at resort in Mexico when she was attacked by a 12-foot-long crocodile. Hummel describes the attack from the hospital where she is recovering. The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. The State Department announced Monday that it will expand access to the US refugee program for certain Afghans amid fears of reprisal by the Taliban as the US military withdrawal nears completion. The new designation creates a pathway to the US for Afghans who do not qualify for the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program, which Congress created to allow Afghans and Iraqis targeted because of their work for the United States to relocate to safety in the US. However, the thousands of Afghans now eligible for the refugee program will be responsible for getting themselves out of Afghanistan, a senior State Department official told reporters Monday, and the processing can take more than a year. The State Department said that Afghans who did not meet the minimum 'time in service' eligibility requirement for the SIV program but 'work or worked as employees of contractors, locally-employed staff, interpreters/translators' for the US government, US or NATO forces, those 'who work or worked for a U.S. government-funded program or project in Afghanistan supported through a U.S. government grant or cooperative agreement,' and those 'who are or were employed in Afghanistan by a U.S.-based media organization or non-governmental organization' as well as their eligible family members will be given Priority 2 designation, making them eligible for the refugee program. According to the department, Priority 2 designation applies to 'groups of special concern designated by the Department of State as having access to the program by virtue of their circumstances and apparent need for resettlement.' 'The U.S. objective remains a peaceful, secure Afghanistan,' a fact sheet from the agency said. 'However, in light of increased levels of Taliban violence, the U.S. government is working to provide certain Afghans, including those who worked with the United States, the opportunity for refugee resettlement to the United States.' 'This designation expands the opportunity to permanently resettle in the United States to many thousands of Afghans and their immediate family members who may be at risk due to their U.S. affiliation but who are not eligible for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) because they did not have qualifying employment, or because they have not met the time-in-service requirement to become eligible,' the State Department said. These Afghans have to be referred by their employers, the senior State Department official said, and their processing will not begin until they are out of Afghanistan. That processing can take 12 to 14 months. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will address the matter Monday afternoon at the State Department. On Friday, the first flight of SIV applicants -- about 200 people, including those who worked with the US and their families -- landed in the US, part of a priority group of 700 Afghan SIV applicants who have completed most of the background process required to get a visa. Along with their families, they number about 2,500. However, the process of applying for the Special Immigrant Visa program to come to the United States can take years, and of the 20,000 people in the SIV pipeline, about 10,000 have only just begun the process, the State Department said in recent weeks. The US government will not be offering similar flights for the refugee applicants at this point, the official said. 'This program is meant to expand the aperture of people who have an opportunity to be resettled in the United States beyond the SIVs,' the official said. 'So it is our attempt to try and offer an option for people.' 'At this point in time, unfortunately, we do not anticipate relocating them, but we will continue to examine all the options to protect those who have served with us -- for us, and we will review the situation on the ground and our planning will continue to evolve,' they said. Violence in Afghanistan has escalated, leading lawmakers, advocates, and non-profit groups to raise concerns that the Biden administration is not doing enough to assist Afghans who helped American troops and diplomats. After a CNN report about the brutal beheading of an Afghan interpreter by Taliban forces at a checkpoint in May, the State Department condemned the rising violence against those who helped the US. 'While the Taliban has stated they will not harm former interpreters or others who worked for foreign forces, recent reports of violence and atrocities against interpreters and other Afghans indicate local Taliban forces are showing little regard for pursuing human life and human rights on the ground,' principal deputy spokesperson Jalina Porter said. The senior State Department official said there was no specific event that spurred Monday's announcement about the refugee designation -- 'it's just that this takes quite a lot of time to set up and our first priority had been to really focus on getting the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa processing and relocation started because these are people that are particularly affiliated with us.' The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. Local high school students can graduate with an associate's degree thanks to a free program at Drake State Community and Technology College. River Hermina is one of those students. He's homeschooled but is going to be a senior in high school, and is taking three STEM courses in the fall. Hermina's goal is to work in one of the largest growing tech hubs in the United States, that being Huntsville, Alabama. When Hermina graduates high school, he'll already be a junior in college. In the spring, he will of completed his associate's degree. "Now Im really looking towards software development or something to do with coding," said Hermina. Hermina has already taken several STEM courses last semester. The Dual Enrollment Program at Drake State has given him the tools for success at such a young age. "Doing these classes, Im able to learn basics in computers, how to operate them, basics in cybersecurity, basics in coding," said Hermina. Dean of Students, Dr. Nicole Bell, said the program is free because of a Workforce Development Grant provided by the Alabama Community College System. "College expenses are very high right now, and to be able to receive an associate's degree and continue to a university without any type of debt, thats awesome, he can go right into his junior year," said Dr. Bell Previously, high school students had to take a career-technical class to be eligible for the program. Now, with Huntsville being a hot spot for tech companies, the Alabama Community College System is allowing dual enrollment students to focus on just STEM courses. "We really try to push them in those STEM areas because we know thats where the growth is," said Dr. Bell. Hermina said he's looking to stay local for college, but he has big dreams for his tech career, and now, he's one step closer to reaching them. "Its going to help me be able to get into colleges easier, since I already have the experience, the credits, and continue with that," said Hermina. Enrollment is now open for high school students in Madison County and parts of Morgan County. Students can be in 10th, 11th or 12th grade. Classes start on August 16. The dangers of the Delta variant of coronavirus and a surge in hospitalizations had led a top North Alabama health official to implore citizens to get vaccinated. Do you prefer the vaccine designed to keep you safe? Or the virus determined to make you sick. Chances are, youre going to get one or the other before this thing is over, Jeff Samz, Chief Executive Officer of the Huntsville Hospital Health System, write in a blog post. The system says the number of hospitalized coronavirus patients has more than tripled in less than a month from 35 on July 7 to 136 on July 29. Of those, 90% are unvaccinated. The number of Covid-19 patients in our ICUs has also tripled, back up to 42, Samz writes. The average age has fallen and the typical Covid-19 patient in our hospital is now 57 years old and unvaccinated. In almost every case, their entire family is sick with Covid-19. Read Samz's full statement HERE and below: We implore everyone to help protect our community, our patients and our caregivers by receiving the covid-19 vaccination. It is safe and it is the most effective way possible to limit the spread of the virus. The delta variant of covid-19 is much more aggressive than the original strain and has proven to be far more contagious, infecting an average of three or four other people. This is especially concerning for pediatric patients who arent eligible for the vaccine but who remain at risk of becoming infected. One of those children is in our hospital with covid-19 today. If you are hospitalized with covid-19 and lucky enough to survive, you are likely facing pulmonary rehabilitation and years of wondering about the long-term implications of contracting a new virus where the future ramifications are unknown. Yes, its a new vaccine. But its also a brand-new virus. Do you prefer the vaccine designed to keep you safe? Or the virus determined to make you sick. Chances are, youre going to get one or the other before this thing is over. In the past month, the seven-day average case rate for our community has increased six fold. Unlike the previous surges, this one was avoidable. Over 90% of hospitalized patients and nearly all covid-19 deaths are in unvaccinated people. If you catch covid-19 today, you probably caught it from someone who chose not to be vaccinated. We have an incredibly effective vaccine, developed by the worlds best scientists, and now given to hundreds of millions of people. It has been proven safe and effective beyond any reasonable doubt. When you choose not to get vaccinated and contract covid-19, you may be asking a healthcare worker, who spent the last year and a half dealing with this trauma on a daily basis, to again risk their life to take care of you. Everyone understands there are people with medical conditions that make vaccinations dangerous for them. Its time for everyone else to get the vaccine and put this behind us. We are overwhelmed by the love and support we received from the community. But we are also exhausted. In less than a month the number of covid-19 patients hospitalized in Huntsville Hospital Health System has more than tripled from 35 to 129. The number of covid-19 patients in our ICUs has also tripled, back up to 42. The average age has fallen and the typical covid-19 patient in our hospital is now 57 years old and unvaccinated. In almost every case, their entire family is sick with covid-19. We must work together to stop the spread of this virus. Please join us by taking the vaccine and encouraging your family and friends to do so as well. Do this for your families, friends, our community and your healthcare workers. Thank you. The prosecutor who handled the 2013 case of Sabore Basden after he fired shots at Huntsville police officers, now says the man shouldn't even be facing new drug charges because he should still be locked up. He was sentenced to 15 years under a plea deal after that violent incident with police where he fired at officers after being pulled over for running a red light. Sabore Basden Sabore Basden But the state parole board let him out early in 2018, leading up to his latest arrest this month. Those new charges include trafficking meth, fentanyl and marijuana. Former prosecutor Jay Town is no stranger to the Alabama justice system. He signed on off on Basdens plea deal back in 2013, thinking a state prison is where Basden would remain. But thats not what happened. We remove people from the streets that deserve it and this individual deserved it every minute every minute of the 15 years and was out in less than three, Town explained. Basden pleaded guilty to assault and attempted assault. His sentence was 15 years. At minimum he should have served at least 13 years under normal practices. He was released from prison in just less than three years. Members of law enforcement have such a difficult job and you can imagine the gut punch that it is when you see an individual that fired upon you received a sentence and theyre out walking around on the street after just a couple of years it really is deflating to victims of crime to the system itself, Town added. Town is questioning why the parole board granted Basden the early release even after a judge denied him entry into community corrections months earlier. The Alabama Parole Board confirming to WAAY 31 Friday the board did grant that parole on Sept. 11, 2018, but not offering an explanation on their decision. It is not justice when individuals are given lengthy sentences for violent offenses against law-enforcement officers and does a small portion of it and then is released only to commit more misconduct, Town says. Basden is back behind bars in Madison County, waiting on a hearing next month on these new charges. His bond set at $1 million. Court records show during this recent arrest the street value of the drugs was almost $75,000. Discuss this article with your neighbors or join the community conversation. David Adler is president of The Alturas Institute, created to advance American Democracy through promotion of the Constitution, civic education, equal protection and gender equality. Send questions about the Constitution to Dr. Adler at NDWTPColumn@gmail.com and he will attempt to answer them in subsequent columns. This column is provided by the North Dakota Newspaper Association and Humanities North Dakota. Decatur, IL (62521) Today Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 79F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mainly clear. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Decatur, IL (62521) Today Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 78F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Mostly clear. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. They differ. Delta, the strain first reported in India in October, is the most worrisome detected so far. Twice as transmissible as the coronavirus that sparked the pandemic, delta is becoming dominant globally. Studies from the U.K. have shown that its more resistant to vaccines than the alpha variant that emerged there in late 2020, particularly in people who have received just the first dose. Some researchers say that will require a higher proportion of people in the community to be immunized to slow, and eventually stop, transmission through herd immunity. The reduction in vaccine effectiveness caused by delta may vary by type. The Pfizer-BioNTech shot appeared to be more effective than AstraZenecas in a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in July. The Americans with Disabilities Act allows a worker to request an exemption from a vaccine mandate if she has a disability thats covered by the law. In such a case, the employer must communicate with the worker to determine whether an exemption is a reasonable accommodation given her disability and job responsibilities -- and isnt an undue burden for the employer. Failing to engage in that process or provide a reasonable accommodation could be grounds for a lawsuit. A worker with a health condition that compromises her immune system has a good chance of prevailing on a claim if she has a doctors advice that she should avoid a vaccine. An employer would need to show that allowing a worker to remain unvaccinated would cause an undue burden or pose a direct threat in the workplace, which would be difficult to do if there are alternatives available such as working from home or moving to an area segregated from coworkers. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which enforces federal laws against job discrimination, has said that ADA protections apply to Covid vaccines. An influential hog dealer sanctioned twice for defrauding pork producers out of hundreds of thousands of dollars says it has fired employees responsible for its latest violations and paid restitution to affected sellers. Lynch Livestock, based in Waucoma, Iowa, announced the moves in a news release posted online this week, after the Associated Press reported that the U.S. Department of Agriculture had taken enforcement action against the company for illegal buying practices for the second time since 2017. As of July 20, an estimated 1.73 million people in a country of 67 million were isolating. Almost 690,000 people in England and Wales were told to isolate by the app in the week ended July 21, up 11% from 620,000 the week before, though the rate of increase slowed. The peak was driven in its early stages by a combination of rising infections and increased movement of people. The weekend before most restrictions were ended, the U.K. recorded the highest increase in infections anywhere in the world, with cases topping more than 50,000 per day, although the number had fallen below 28,000 by July 28. The delta variant makes up approximately 99% of all new cases there. Infections were actually higher in the U.K. in early January, but lockdown rules were still in place in many parts of the country, so those who tested positive then likely would have come into contact with fewer people. While England ended most of its Covid restrictions on July 19, various measures still remained in place elsewhere in the U.K. Scotland was on track to remove most restrictions by Aug. 9, most Covid rules were due to be lifted in Wales on Aug. 7, and Northern Ireland has also been relaxing its rules. Not Ant, it seems. It agreed with regulators on a restructuring plan that will turn it into a financial holding company. After the $2.8 billion fine, Alibaba executives said they were unaware of any other antitrust investigations. The government remains concerned about Alibabas influence over public opinion given its diverse media assets and a significant stake in Weibo. Beijing is said to want the e-commerce giant to sell some of them, including the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. In an example of how sensitive the issue is, Weibo was penalized by the internet watchdog for interfering with the spread of opinions after posts about a scandal involving a senior Alibaba executive were deleted. Overall, authorities in Beijing are expected to tread cautiously, looking to rein in the growing clout of the tech giants without undermining some of the countrys biggest corporate success stories. Education firms are overhauling what they teach, and how they charge for it, to comply with the new rules. Some have cut back on advertising to eliminate a key area of criticism about how they market services to students and parents. Analysts also anticipate that at least some of the major education technology players will have to restructure their business, either spinning off divisions in violation of the new regime or even delisting. In Georgia, three men pursued and killed Ahmaud Arbery in February 2020 as he jogged through a neighborhood in Glynn County. The New York Times used Georgias public records law to obtain and publish a letter in which a district attorney argued that there was insufficient evidence to arrest the men. The letter and the separate publication of a video of the killing heightened scrutiny of Arberys death, and 11 days later, prosecutors filed charges, including malice murder. The case is set for trial in October. But the mayors proposed budget did not include money to operate the pool for the public. When George learned that the money wasnt in the budget, she pushed to get it into the school systems budget. But she discovered that it wasnt that simple. If the city added the money, it would have to give the charter sector which educates nearly half the public school population the same amount of money through the per pupil funding formula. I took three covid tests from different providers in Hawaii hoping that at least one would be in the correct format that the U.K. would accept, she says. But then her flights were rerouted from Seattle to Atlanta where she waited through an anxiety-inducing 11-hour layover. When she arrived at Heathrow Airport, she says her nerves only increased. People in front of me were getting rejected because they didnt have the right paperwork in order. Goodwyn charged with felony obstruction of an official proceeding and related misdemeanors was first arrested in January at his familys home in Corinth, Tex. During the arrest, according to prosecutors, FBI agents learned that someone in the home was believed to have covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, but Goodwyn refused to take a coronavirus test or wear a mask. When they put one on him, he chewed it and tried to spit it out; they went through five masks before getting him into quarantine at a nearby jail, prosecutors said. Ronald Martin Popeil was born May 3, 1935, in New York City. He was 3 when his parents divorced, and his father largely abandoned him. He spent several years at a boarding school before he was taken in by his strict grandparents in Florida. (In 1974, Mr. Popeils stepmother was convicted of hiring hit men to kill her estranged husband. She served 19 months in prison, and the two later remarried.) Daniel Pearl never replied to his mothers email, and he never returned from what was to be an interview with a Muslim cleric with supposed ties to Richard C. Reid, the shoe bomber, whose attempt to blow up an airplane over the Atlantic was foiled. Pearl was abducted, held for nine days and then beheaded on videotape. My father is Jewish. My mother is Jewish. I am Jewish, he said in some of his final recorded words. But that goal, burdened by history and long-standing disagreements over what to do about Cuba, has become more difficult than expected. Many democracies in the world, including major U.S. partners, have long opposed the half-century-old U.S. economic embargo against Cuba as a major impediment to both improving the well-being of its citizens and changing the trajectory of its government. Trump and his lawyers could have sought to block the release of Donoghues notes to Congress. There were days of discussion among Trump advisers about whether to do so, one adviser said, but the former president did not believe that the notes showed anything problematic, even though some of his advisers feared that the disclosures would be damaging. Fridays opinion, while not binding on the courts, is the latest legal action in which the Biden Justice Department has broken with positions held by the Trump administration. It illustrates that some of the legal fights that consumed the Trump era are likely to continue and may have long-lasting consequences, as courts and senior law enforcement officials consider whether new boundary lines should be drawn around questions of presidential power, privacy and privilege. Asylum and other legal migration pathways should be readily available to those who need them, and this Administration is committed to fairly and efficiently considering asylum claims, the DHS statement said. Consistent with that approach, the Department of Homeland Security today resumed expedited removal flights for certain families who recently arrived at the southern border, cannot be expelled under Title 42, and do not have a legal basis to stay in the United States. Betty and James Cameron said their grandson complained of not being able to breathe when a deputy placed his knee on the back of his neck. They said he fell twice before being placed in the patrol car. Betty Cameron said he was also shocked twice with a stun gun. The city is almost evenly split between White and Black, and the divisions are stark. While some predominantly White sections of St. Louis are affluent the McCloskeys aimed their guns at protesters outside a mansion in the citys posh Central West End last summer the almost exclusively Black north side has suffered. There, abandoned homes and vacant lots are a fixture of the landscape, and residents say gunshots are part of the daily soundtrack. As for why Johnson, who served during President Barack Obamas second term, would be a good choice, Cuellar said, He was compassionate, but at the same time he did what had to be done, and he did not worry about offending the far left or the immigration activists. He said he had not spoken to Johnson yet about the idea. The substantive impact of the sanctions is likely to be small, as few of those affected are known to have resources or dealings with the United States, which has embargoed all trade and most financial transactions with Cuba for decades. But the administration wants to layer on sanctions . . . to make sure we are keeping these individuals in the spotlight, not just in the international community but in Cuba itself, the administration official said, so people know the United States is supporting and trying to defend them. Todays Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy This is a long process you have to have patience but it is a good first step, said Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.). We have discussions, sometimes not easy discussions. But hes allowed us to talk with one another, engage with one another, but at the end of the day, keep the caucus united to really focus on what it is we are trying to achieve. Powell, in an interview with Religion News Service on Friday (July 30), said he still considers himself a bishop but added he left the AME Zion Church both physically and otherwise when he was requested to depart the gathering after the trial concluded. He said he has no regrets not at all about the accusations made against him and has plans for new Christian work.Im confident that this is the providential move of God, that I would not have had the opportunity to do ministry in the way that Im convinced God is leading me to do ministry within the bounds of the church of my birth, he said. I have no animus nothing. I feel that God has moved in a mighty way and what some may have intended to be adversarial and evil God will use ultimately not just for my good but for the good of his people. One of the main things the faith community has is access and trust. So just think: whenever a parent or caregiver dies, often there will be some type of memorial service. It would be natural for the faith leader to begin to identify: are there children in the home and do they need help? So, for the faith community themselves to collaborate with the child protection community in the particular area where the family who is in need lives and begin to reach out and try to visit and help serve in practical ways the family who is bereaved and recovering. Faith communities are really good at doing this, walking with people through adversity until they get out the other side. Watts Belser said that, as a wheelchair user, she has been to many churches or synagogues where she couldnt use the bathroom. In some synagogues, shes been able to access the sanctuary but not the bimah, the platform from which the Torah is read. As a Rabbi who is a wheelchair user, this is a very stark reminder of the ways so many spaces werent built for me, she said. We cannot turn away from what is going on in India, certainly. The geopolitical landscape of the Asia-Pacific region is both unstable and volatile. A majority of the worlds population lives in the region, and, to put it in a way my toddler would understand, theyre not very nice to one another. Tensions are high and competition is, too. Ensuring stability in the region is a pressing concern, not just for those who live and lead there, but for the global community. In Greece, authorities on Friday ordered additional fire patrols and infrastructure inspections as the country grappled with a heat wave fed by hot air from Africa that is expected to last more than a week. Temperatures in Greece and nearby countries in southeast Europe are expected to climb to 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) Monday in many cities and towns and ease only later next week. What transformed Puglia reducing disease, modernizing cities, birthing vineyards and fields of tomatoes was one of the largest public works projects of the time, an engineering attempt, launched in 1906, to tap into a massive, underground spring more than 100 miles away, in the region of Campania. Some 20,000 men worked on the project at any moment. Construction took nine years. And when it was over, a new aqueduct relying on little more than stones and gravity was supplying water to Bari and other cities, having essentially redirected a river 90 degrees. In what judges called the first case of its kind in China, Guo sued the zoo and won. He argued there was no legal basis for the Hangzhou Safari Park to collect visitors biometric data, and that it had not taken precautions to protect the information. In April, a Chinese appeals court ruled in favor of Guo, ordering the zoo to refund him and delete his face scan and fingerprints. The attack on the ship, the Liberian-flagged Mercer Street, occurred in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Oman about 10 p.m. local time, according to an alert sent by the British militarys United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. It was the deadliest in a string of recent attacks on tankers and other vessels in the region that have been attributed to Iran or Israel at a moment of rising hostilities between the longtime adversaries. Teresa May, 58, of New Johnsonville, Tennessee, passed away July 9, 2021. Teresa was born March 19, 1963, in Vincennes, Indiana, to Robert and Mary (McPherson) May. Teresa was a loving mother, grandmother, daughter, sister and friend to many. She had a love for crocheting and was an avid col Politicians have always wanted to win elections so they could stay in office, or regain it. But historically, they tried to balance their personal ambition with their duty to keep improving government policy. These days, not so much. So whats caused todays pollies to be so unwilling to make unpopular changes whose wisdom they hope voters will eventually accept? Thats a question John Daley seeks to answer in his eye-opening last report for the Grattan Institute, Gridlock: Removing barriers to policy reform. Its a timely contribution. The public service has less influence when policy development is outsourced to management consultants. Credit:Matt Davidson This week has seen Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese chucking overboard formerly cherished Labor policies on tax reform because he thought they would lose him votes at the coming federal election. And early this year, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that his big job would be getting us all vaccinated ASAP, and he wouldnt be worrying about much else before the election. Victorian health authorities have announced a new tier 1 exposure site, in a late night alert on Friday. The Department of Health said Woolworths Doncaster in Devon Plaza had been added to the list, after a COVID-19 positive case visited the store on Wednesday morning. Its not immediately clear whether this is a new community case or linked to a known outbreak. Anyone who visited Woolworths Doncaster in Devon Plaza between 10.20 and 11.25 on Wednesday morning must get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days. Earlier, five other exposure sites were added in Victoria, but the good news on that front was that they were all from a known apartment complex. The exposure dates for the Balmoral Apartment Complex in Hawthorn have been extended after a positive case stayed at the Robinson Road building from Monday to Friday last week. That part of the complex is listed as a tier-2 location, but some individual residents received a letter on Tuesday telling them to go into quarantine until August 6. Residents of the Balmoral Apartment complex in Hawthorn on Friday. Credit:Eddie Jim The Department of Health confirmed on Thursday that a high-risk part of the Balmoral Apartment Complex has been designated a tier-1 site and residents who were in those areas needed to quarantine for 14 days. Other areas in the complex, including the Riversdale Road and Inverleigh Road buildings, have been listed as tier-3 sites on the same dates, those were added to the exposure list last Friday. People who have attended a tier-2 site at the specified times need to isolate until they test negative for COVID-19, while anyone who was at a tier-3 site should monitor for symptoms but is not required to isolate. There are now 109 active exposure sites on the Department of Healths site, a sharp drop from the over 400 listed last weekend. NSW has reported 170 new local coronavirus cases on Friday, as the state government reveals plans to turn Qudos Bank Arena into a mass vaccination hub. Only 65 of the cases were in isolation for their entire infectious period. At least 52 cases were in the community for some or all of their infectious period and the remaining cases isolation status is under investigation. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has revealed 170 new cases of community transmission. Credit:James Brickwood The daily case total is a significant drop on the 239 cases recorded during the previous 24 hours, the highest on record in the state. Given the number of people infectious in the community, we are expecting that [daily case] number to bounce around, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said. The nations donations of COVID-19 vaccines to the Pacific this week topped the 1 million-mark, aided in part by some Australians reluctance to be vaccinated with AstraZeneca. More than half a million doses have been delivered to Fiji, which is racing to inoculate its population amid a serious outbreak of the fast-spreading Delta strain. About 278,000 doses have been given to Timor-Leste, 63,000 to the Solomon Islands, 50,000 to Samoa, 20,000 to Vanuatu, 28,000 to Papua New Guinea, 9000 to Tonga and 7000 to Tuvalu. Australian-made AstraZeneca vaccines arriving in Timor-Leste. Credit:Australian Embassy in Dili The 1 million doses are on top of Australias $130 million contribution to the World Health Organisation-backed COVAX scheme, which is prioritising the distribution of vaccines to poorer nations that would otherwise miss out. COVAX is expected to provide only about one-fifth of the Pacifics required doses and Australia wants to make up the rest through direct, bilateral donations. President Joe Biden on Thursday announced sweeping new pandemic requirements for millions of federal workers as he denounced an American trag New KHS program to help pet parents in times of crisis, financial hardship Adam Honeycutt is accused of trying to kill his mother at her home in Seymour, Indiana, on July 26, 2021. (Source: Jackson County Jail) AGAWAM, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- For what seemed like the one and only day of sunshine recently, thousands of people flocked to Six Flags New England over the weekend, causing heavy traffic in Agawam and in the neighboring Connecticut town Suffield. NEW HAVEN Bridgeport Councilman Michael DeFilippo has been indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple election fraud charges. DeFilippo, 35, a Democrat who represents Bridgeports 133rd District and has been a city councilman since 2018, is accused of conspiring to interfere with and obstruct Bridgeport citizens right to vote by falsifying his tenants voter registration applications and absentee ballots applications, then stealing tenants absentee ballots and forging their signatures in order to fraudulently vote for him, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Leonard C. Boyle. DeFilippo pleaded not guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector to one count of conspiracy against rights, four counts of identity theft, and 11 counts of fraudulent registration. The conspiracy offense carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, and the identity theft and fraudulent registration offenses carry a maximum term of imprisonment of five years on each count. He was released after posting $250,000 bond. DeFilippo, who could not be immediately reached for comment, did not seek renomination to his seat at Monday nights Democratic Town Committee meeting. The right to vote and have ones vote counted in a fair and impartial election is the foundation of our democracy, said Boyle. It is alleged that this defendant violated that right to help himself win election to the Bridgeport City Council, including by stealing ballots and forging signatures. The U.S. Attorneys Office and our FBI partners will continue to vigorously enforce federal laws to safeguard our elections. Boyle said the charges relate to DeFilippos run for City Council in 2017 and 2018. DeFilippo owns several rental properties in Bridgeport that he leases to students at Sacred Heart University. According to the indictment, DeFilippo had his tenants register as Democrats so that they could vote in the primary and then had the tenants apply for absentee ballots even though he knew they lacked a qualifying reason to do so. In other instances, the indictment states that DeFilippo had tenants signatures forged on absentee ballot applications or caused a completed application to be altered to include a false qualifying reason. The indictment also alleges that in some cases DeFilippo stole absentee ballots from tenants and had them filled out with a vote for him and signed with a tenants forged signature. The 2017 campaign for the 133rd Council District seat led to one of the longest running elections in recent history in Bridgeport. Former state Rep. Robert Keeley, who lost the summer primary by one vote, filed an appeal in Superior Court. That appeal led Judge Barbara Bellis to order a new primary following testimony that the absentee ballot process for the primary had been corrupted. But Bellis ended up throwing out the results of a second primary after determining it too had been corrupted. The election ended up taking place in summer 2018 after the third primary was upheld. During a hearing after the second primary, police officer Paul Nikola testified before Bellis that he was ordered by then-Police Chief Armando Perez to report to Democratic Party Chairman Mario Testa at Testas pizza restaurant the day before the primary. Nikola said Testa introduced him to DeFilippo who then provided Nikola with addresses to go to pick up absentee ballots. On Wednesday, City Council President Aidee Nieves said she was shocked by the news of the indictment and this is all new news to me. I had no idea. She and DeFilippo have butted heads, particularly over his service on the councils budget committee, and had some heated public exchanges. Nieves had made him chairman, then removed him last year, alleging he was not doing a good job in that important role. Asked if DeFilippo should resign, Nieves said, Since Councilman DeFillippo has already made the decision on his own not to seek reelection, I would think he would make the decision in the best interests of the council and the city regarding his ability to effectively serve the constituents of his district. Former Bridgeport Mayor John Fabrizi, who currently splits his time between Bridgeport and Florida, is friends with DeFilippo and has campaigned for him and helped to mentor the young politician. This is really, really disheartening, disappointing, Fabrizi said. Mike is a really good guy and Im not aware of any of this. Im totally, totally shocked. I had no inkling or knowledge of this at all. He didnt share anything in respect to that with me. That just took all the wind out of my sails. Reporter Brian Lockhart contributed to this story. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) A federal freeze on most evictions that was enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to oust tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households. Heres the situation in Arkansas: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? Arkansas doesn't have its own moratorium. It also doesn't track evictions, but advocates for renters say they've seen eviction cases proceeding despite the CDC's moratorium. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? Arkansas set aside $173 million in federal funds to set up the Emergency Rental Assistance Program for people who have lost jobs or are struggling financially because of the pandemic. So far, though, only about $2.2 million of that money has been dispensed for 844 households, according to the state Department of Human Services. Renters can qualify if someone in the home receives unemployment benefits, had a decline in income or incurred significant financial hardship due to the pandemic. They also must meet income eligibility requirements based on their area's median income and the number of people in their household. Funds are paid directly to landlords and can cover up to 15 months of rent and utilities from April 1, 2020, through the end of this year. Advocates say a problem with rental assistance is that some landlords are refusing to take the money. The state was also allocated $6.1 million for rapid rehousing" aimed at getting homeless people into permanent housing, and $762,282 of that has been spent. The state was also allocated $4.3 million in homeless prevention, of which about $1.1 million has been spent. The funds are distributed by community organizations around the state. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? The Arkansas Supreme Court issued an order last year requiring any new eviction complaints to state that they would not be prevented by a moratorium under the CARES Act. That moratorium, which covered federally subsidized mortgages or properties, ended in July 2020, and the state Supreme Court didn't issue a similar order regarding the CDC's moratorium. Kendall Lewellen, managing attorney at the Center for Arkansas Legal Services, said eviction procedures vary across the state but that for the most part, she has seen courts enforcing the CDC's moratorium by allowing a hearing on whether the tenant qualifies for its protection. If so, the court either schedules another hearing for after the moratorium expires or gives the landlord a court order that doesn't take effect until after the moratorium expires. HOW AFFORDABLE ARE THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? There is a shortage of affordable rental homes available to low income households in Arkansas, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. It says the annual household income needed to rent a two-bedroom home in Arkansas is $30,372. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? A surge in homelessness and evictions is possible, but it's unclear what the scale of it would be. One indication of the scope of the problem is recent census data showing that more than 26,800 Arkansas residents said they were very likely or somewhat likely to be evicted within two months. Chris Marquette / Hearst Connecticut Media WESTPORT A Hartford man was arrested Tuesday in connection with a larceny that took place last summer at Ulta Beauty. At 6:53 p.m. Aug. 13, Westport police officers responded to the cosmetics story on Post Road East, on a report of a shoplifting incident. Police said Ulta employees told them three individuals entered the store and allegedly began placing a large amount of merchandise into a hand basket. SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) When the giant cargo ship began to tip over off the Georgia coast, harbor pilot Jonathan Tennant found himself on his side, screaming orders in the darkness while flying debris that felt like gravel pelted him. After much of the Golden Ray slipped into the sea, crew members feared they would perish if they stayed on the ship but they also could die if they attempted perilous climbs and dangerous leaps to reach the ocean. Their accounts are contained in interviews included among more than 1,700 pages of documents made public Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board. The Golden Ray, carrying more than 1,400 vehicles, overturned after leaving the Port of Brunswick along the Georgia coast on Sept. 8, 2019. Tennant and about two dozen crew members on board were rescued and survived. The shipwreck was like nothing I have ever experienced in 21 years here before with a car ship, Tennant told investigators two days after the accident, according to the transcript of his interview. The trouble began during a turn near St. Simons Island, when the ship began to list to one side. It happened so rapidly that I was absolutely in disbelief, Tennant said. And the ship at some point in that turn, I realized that I didnt have a ship anymore, he added. You know, I instinctively am giving commands that a pilot would give, under crazy circumstances, he said. But at the exact moment I was doing that, Im not sure that I had the context that the rudder and propeller are already out of the water. Because its like that. And all areas theres darkness, and alarms. The only thing that worked on that ship after the capsizing were alarms. U.S. Coast Guard members told investigators they were simultaneously rescuing crew members covered in blood and oil while also trying to learn how to save the others. As they tried to stop the bleeding on their rescue boats, they said, they asked the wounded seamen where the remaining crewmembers were on the Golden Ray so they could mount more rescues for them. The documents released this week are not the final report into the cause of the wreck, which is still under investigation. But at public hearings last year, experts testified that the way its cargo was being carried was a key factor. A U.S. Coast Guard analysis found that unstable loading had left its center of gravity too high, making the vessel susceptible to rolling over, an expert told officials during the hearings last year. Investigators from the Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board will use evidence from the hearings to publish a report of their findings, with recommendations aimed at improving safety. About one-third of the hulking ship still remains in the ocean after many months of hauling chunks of it onto barges and then carrying them to shore, but its full removal is finally nearing completion. This month, crews began cutting through steel to remove another large chunk of the vessel. In the interview transcripts released Thursday, Tennant gives one of the most complete accounts of the wreck but also of the massive effort to rescue crew members, some of whom were trapped inside the wreckage for several hours. Tennant, a native of Charleston, South Carolina, was praised by the Georgia Legislature and others for getting help to the ship and coordinating rescue efforts while still onboard. At one point, the capsized Golden Ray was in danger of sliding from near the shore into the deep shipping channel raising the specter that the entire crew could drown. But Tennant's distress calls reached a tugboat that raced over and pushed the hull back into sand to keep it out of the deep water. Eventually, Tennant was able to escape the wheelhouse of the overturned ship by sliding down a fire hose. He was then rescued by a member of the U.S. Coast Guard, describing it in his interview: Some big dude just picked me up like a toy and set me on the deck." The Kentucky Department for Public Health has released new back-to-school guidance for K-12 classrooms throughout the state. The new guidance recommends students make a full return to in-person learning for the upcoming school year, but that they do so under a "layered prevention strategy." The recommended layered prevention strategies include: Vaccination for those 12 or older Masks for all persons while indoors Physical distancing of at least 3 feet Screening testing for unvaccinated individuals Ventilation Handwashing and facility disinfection Isolation, quarantine, and contact tracing Dr. Steven Stack, Commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, said these mitigations are the best bet in fighting the Delta variant and keeping students in the classroom in person as much as possible. "Our recommendation mirrors the CDC's, which is flat out and simple," he said. "Everyone in the k-12 setting spaces wear a mask. Period." According to KDPH, the new guidance is intended to prevent to spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 and follows the latest guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many Kentucky schools in our area had already released opening plans for the upcoming school year, with mask-wearing optional. You can view the full guidance released by KDPH below: Europes famed summer holiday season is in full swing, but efforts to inoculate people against the coronavirus are not taking a break. Instead, with lockdowns easing and nations looking to breathe new life into their ailing tourism industries, vaccinations are being taken to vacationers. It's all part of efforts to maintain momentum in protecting people against the pandemic that has killed more than 1 million across the continent. From Frances sun-kissed Mediterranean coast to the azure waters of Italys Adriatic beaches and Russian Black Sea resorts, health authorities are trying to make a COVID-19 shot as much part of this summer as sunscreen and shades. The views expressed by public comments are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the TERMS OF USE and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Your comments may be used on air. Be polite. Inappropriate posts or posts containing offsite links, images, GIFs, inappropriate language, or memes may be removed by the moderator. Job listings and similar posts are likely automated SPAM messages from Facebook and are not placed by WFMZ-TV. Musical theatre fan? Well guess what, your favourite series of the year may have arrived. Schmigadoon!, a whip-sharp send-up of the golden age of musicals, has dropped on Apple TV and it is a bundle of fun. The six-part series follows a fractious couple that stumble upon a village (the titular Schmigadoon) where everyone seems to spontaneously burst into song (you can watch a couple of clips below). They can't leave, magical forces decree, until they each find true love. It's a delightful nugget of a series and the perfect tonic as theatre gets back on its feet (read our full review here). So far four episodes have arrived, with parodies of The Sound of Music, Carousel and oodles more on offer. Weeks back we sat down with writer Cinco Paul, producer and star (plus SNL regular) Cecily Strong, plus director Barry Sonnenfeld (the genius behind Men In Black, Pushing Daisies and more) as they geared up to unveil the stagey bonanza. Strong admits that, despite the incredible choreography present, rehearsals for the series were often done in isolation. Strong explains: "We didn't get to rehearse all that much together it's a testament to how much that we loved doing this that we'd rehearse for two weeks in a hotel room so we could show up on the day and have it down perfectly." Paul has been cultivating the show for decades and it has now arrived "like a fine wine that has found its time", he explains: "The initial concept was two friends stumbling into town like Brigadoon meets An American Werewolf in London. But making it a couple really unlocked the piece." As in turns out, there were a fair few numbers that didn't make the cut Paul remembers a version of "We Kiss In The Shadows" from The King and I, reinterpreted as "We Neck in the Basement" though that sadly ended up on the cutting room floor. He adds that "the process is a fine line: we want to parody these shows, but in a loving way." A version of "Do-Re-Mi", re-interpreted as "Va-Gi-Na", is as instructional as it is hilarious. Was there one number Sonnenfeld (famously a musical skeptic!) is particularly proud of? The director remembers choreographing and planning a logistically challenging showstopper coming in the final episode: "I definitely wanted to do Kristin Chenoweth's "Tribulation" in one take, for four minutes. That meant having a steadicam operator, following her around, sometimes leaving her, sometimes catching up with her. As we got nearer towards the end of the four minutes, the tension on the set kept rising and rising it ends with a huge banner being dropped and balloons falling from the ceiling. "We look at all four sides of our set during the number so there was nowhere to hide the lighting. So we had a separate choreography of dimming and brightening lights. It was a ballet between her, the ensemble, the steadicam operator Jim and Todd the cinematographer, who was conducting all the lights. Kristen came in, rehearsed with us for three takes, we watched them, continued to light and the next morning, we did three takes and went home job done. It was the most rewarding scene." Sonnenfeld also emphasised how every number was prepared ahead of time: every shot was pre-planned, meaning when he turned up on set every day he knew who needed to be where and what needed to be captured. "All the singing and dancing worked without a hitch. All the pre-production that we did really paid off." Oh and if you want more easter eggs, look at the signs in the background! Hospital admissions of coronavirus patients continue to soar in Florida with at least two areas in the state surpassing previous peaks reached during last summers surge This page contains all of The Williston Heralds coverage of the novel coronavirus outbreak, and the illness it causes, called COVID-19. Because this outbreak impacts public health, our coverage of the coronavirus is available to all readers. Our journalists are working hard to bring you the verified information below. Please consider supporting important local journalism with a subscription. (Click Here) Are you a Williston resident whos been affected by the illness? Send us an email: editor@willistonherald.com. Have any questions? Please give us a call at 701-572-2165 Today Mostly sunny. High 84F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Low 61F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 85F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Today Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 84F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Low 61F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow Mostly sunny skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 85F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Canadas top doctors say Albertas decision to end isolation requirements for those who test positive for COVID-19, or who have been in close contact with someone who has, could have ripple effects across the country. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney speaks at the Premier's annual Stampede breakfast in Calgary on Monday, July 12, 2021. The Canadian Paediatric Society has written an open letter to Alberta's top doctor urging her to reconsider lifting isolation and testing requirements to curb the spread of COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh Canadas top doctors say Albertas decision to end isolation requirements for those who test positive for COVID-19, or who have been in close contact with someone who has, could have ripple effects across the country. "I firmly believe that quarantine and isolation can help prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially in light of the spread of the Delta variant," Theresa Tam, the country's chief public health officer, said Friday during a news briefing in Ottawa. She urged people to continue isolating, get tested for COVID-19 and inform their close contacts even if it is no longer required. Alberta announced earlier this week that close contacts of positive cases are no longer being notified of exposure by contact tracers, nor are they required to isolate. The government has also ended asymptomatic testing. As of Aug. 16, individuals who test positive won't be legally required to isolate either, although it will still be recommended. Isolation hotels will close and quarantine supports will end. During the height of the third wave, Alberta led Canada and the United States in per capita COVID-19 cases. Infections are now rising again in the province with the Delta variant, first identified in India, dominating. Vaccination rates are also lagging. About 75 per cent of eligible Albertans have received at least one dose of vaccine and 65 per cent are fully immunized. That means there are hundreds of thousands of unvaccinated people in Alberta, Tam said, creating the potential for large COVID-19 clusters and outbreaks. "The bottom line is get vaccinated. Theres still a ways to go in Alberta." The consequences of Albertas decision could spread beyond provincial boundaries, added Dr. Howard Njoo, Canada's deputy chief public health officer. "Everyone is alive to the fact that there could be, as they say, 'knock-on effects' to the other provinces and territories with travel within Canada," he said. Local leaders and health-care providers across Canada have been highly critical ofAlberta's decision. Dr. Andrew Boozary of the University of Toronto said Alberta's decision to drop public health measures while it faces lower vaccination rates, growing cases and a mutating virus sets the entire country behind. "It just really appears as a cruel policy experiment for far too many Albertans and a cruel policy experiment that has far-reaching effects across the country," said Bozary. "This is a pandemic that requires a global response and, in our own country, it's going to require provinces working in concert, co-ordinating their responses." Saskatchewan's requirement that positive cases must self-isolate expired July 11 when other restrictions there were lifted. But the government says people who are infected are asked to isolate and can still be ordered to do so by a medical health officer. Lisa Glover, a spokeswoman for Alberta Health, said in a statement that health officers also have the authority to act in Alberta if "an unacceptable or significant risk" is posed. She said the province is enhancing how it monitors COVID-19 and it will review its approach if there is too much pressure on hospitals. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Also Friday, protesters in Calgary and Edmonton called for public health measures based in evidence. Many expressed concern for children returning to school in the fall, especially those under 12 who are not eligible for vaccinations. In an open letter to Alberta's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the Canadian Paediatric Society also spoke to the vulnerability of that age group and urged herto think twice about lifting isolation and testing requirements. The letter called the move an "unnecessary and risky gamble." "Dropping these public health measures, especially when we are in such a delicate phase of recovery, has the potential to worsen the spread of the virus and could jeopardize future recovery plans and supports," the letter said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2021. With files from Julia Peterson in Regina In another dispiriting setback for the nations efforts to stamp out the coronavirus, scientists who studied a big COVID-19 outbreak in Massachusetts concluded that vaccinated people who got so-called breakthrough infections carried about the same amount of the coronavirus as those who did not get the shots. Social distancing as well as face covering is recommended at the COVID-19 vaccination site in the Rose E. McCoy Auditorium on the Jackson State University campus in Jackson, Miss., Tuesday, July 27, 2021. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday, new recommendations that vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging and also recommended indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to schools, regardless of vaccination status. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) In another dispiriting setback for the nations efforts to stamp out the coronavirus, scientists who studied a big COVID-19 outbreak in Massachusetts concluded that vaccinated people who got so-called breakthrough infections carried about the same amount of the coronavirus as those who did not get the shots. Health officials on Friday released details of that research, which was key in this week's decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to recommend that vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the delta variant is fueling infection surges. The authors said the findings suggest that the CDC's mask guidance should be expanded to include the entire country, even outside of hot spots. The findings have the potential to upend past thinking about how the disease is spread. Previously, vaccinated people who got infected were thought to have low levels of virus and to be unlikely to pass it to others. But the new data shows that is not the case with the delta variant. The outbreak in Provincetown a seaside tourist spot on Cape Cod in the county with Massachusetts highest vaccination rate has so far included more than 900 cases. About three-quarters of them were people who were fully vaccinated. FILE - In this July 19 2021 file photo, employees check out customers at 2nd Street second hand store in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles. New evidence showing the delta variant is as contagious as chickenpox has prompted U.S. health officials to consider changing advice on how the nation fights the coronavirus. Recommending masks for everyone and requiring vaccines for doctors and other health care providers are among measures the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering, Friday, July 30. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) Travis Dagenais, who was among the many vaccinated people infected, said throwing caution to the wind and partying in crowds for long nights over the July Fourth holiday was a mistake in hindsight. The dominant public messaging has been that the vaccine means a return to normal, the 35-year-old Boston resident said Thursday. Unfortunately, Ive now learned its a few steps toward normal, not the zero-to-sixty that we seem to have undertaken. Dagenais credits being vaccinated with easing the worst of the flu-like symptoms in a couple of days. He has recovered. Like many states, Massachusetts lifted all COVID-19 restrictions in late May, ahead of the traditional Memorial Day start of the summer season. Provincetown this week reinstated an indoor mask requirement for everyone. Leaked internal documents on breakthrough infections and the delta variant suggest the CDC may be considering other changes in advice on how the nation fights the coronavirus, such as recommending masks for everyone and requiring vaccines for doctors and other health workers. FILE - In this May 21, 2021 file photo, a person holds a mask while walking outside in Philadelphia. New evidence showing the delta variant is as contagious as chickenpox has prompted U.S. health officials to consider changing advice on how the nation fights the coronavirus. Recommending masks for everyone and requiring vaccines for doctors and other health care providers are among measures the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering, Friday, July 30. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) The delta variant, first detected in India, causes infections that are more contagious than the common cold, flu, smallpox and the Ebola virus, and it is as infectious as chickenpox, according to the documents, which mentioned the Provincetown cases. The documents were obtained by The Washington Post. As they note, COVID-19 vaccines are still highly effective against the delta variant at preventing serious illness and death. The Provincetown outbreak and the documents highlight the enormous challenge the CDC faces in encouraging vaccination while acknowledging that breakthrough cases can occur and can be contagious but are uncommon. The documents appear to be talking points for CDC staff to use with the public. One point advised: Acknowledge the war has changed, an apparent reference to deepening concern that many millions of vaccinated people could be a source of wide-ranging spread. An agency spokeswoman declined to comment on the documents. In this July 4, 2021 photo provided courtesy of Travis Dagenais, Travis Dagenais poses while visiting Provincetown, Mass. Dagenais was among the nearly 900 people infected in the Provincetown coronavirus outbreak. (Courtesy of Travis Dagenais via AP) The White House on Friday defended its approach to rising virus cases and shifting public health guidelines, repeatedly deferred to the CDC while stressing the need for vaccinations. The most important takeaway is actually pretty simple. We need more people to get vaccinated, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said. Pressed about the changing guidance, Jean-Pierre repeatedly said, We dont make those types of decisions from here. People with breakthrough infections make up an increasing portion of hospitalizations and in-hospital deaths among COVID-19 patients, coinciding with the spread of the delta variant, according to the leaked documents. Although experts generally agreed with the CDCs revised indoor masking stance, some said the report on the Provincetown outbreak does not prove that vaccinated people are a significant source of new infections. Theres scientific plausibility for the (CDC) recommendation. But its not derived from this study, said Jennifer Nuzzo, a Johns Hopkins University public health researcher. The CDC report is based on about 470 COVID-19 cases linked to the Provincetown festivities, which included densely packed indoor and outdoor holiday events at bars, restaurants, guest houses and rental homes. Researchers ran tests on a portion of them and found roughly the same level of virus in those who were fully vaccinated and those who were not. Three-quarters of the infections were in fully vaccinated individuals. Among those fully vaccinated, about 80% experienced symptoms with the most common being cough, headache, sore throat, muscle aches and fever. Dagenais said he started to feel ill the evening he returned home and initially chalked it up to long nights of partying in packed Provincetown nightclubs. But as the days wore on and the fever, chills, muscle aches and fatigue set in, he knew it was something more. In the report, the measure researchers used to assess how much virus an infected person is carrying does not indicate whether they are actually transmitting the virus to other people, said Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan. CDC officials say more data is coming. They are tracking breakthrough cases as part of much larger studies that involve following tens of thousands of vaccinated and unvaccinated people across the country over time. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) Floridas coronavirus cases jumped 50% this week, the state Health Department reported Friday, continuing a six-week surge that has seen it responsible for 1 in 5 new infections nationally, becoming the outbreak's epicenter. Cars wait in line for COVID-19 testing at Barnett Park, in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, July 29, 2021. The line stretched through the park for more than a mile to the entrance to the Central Florida Fairgrounds. Orange County is under a state of emergency as coronavirus infections skyrocket in Central Florida. The Barnett Park site is testing 1,000 people a day and has closed early in recent days due to reaching capacity. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP) FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) Floridas coronavirus cases jumped 50% this week, the state Health Department reported Friday, continuing a six-week surge that has seen it responsible for 1 in 5 new infections nationally, becoming the outbreak's epicenter. The release came shortly after Gov. Ron DeSantis barred school districts from requiring students to wear masks when classes resume next month. More than 110,000 new coronavirus cases were reported statewide over the past week, up from 73,000 last week and 11 times the 10,000 reported the week of June 11, six weeks ago. Case numbers are now back to where they in January, just before vaccinations became widely available. The Florida Hospital Association also said Friday that statewide COVID-19 hospitalizations are nearing last years peak. More than 9,300 patients are hospitalized, up from 1,845 a month ago and nearing the record 10,179 set on July 23, 2020. On a per capita basis, Florida now has more people hospitalized than any other state. The state reported 409 deaths this week, bringing the total to more than 39,000 since its first in March 2020. The states peak happened in mid-August 2020, when 1,266 people died over a seven-day period. Deaths usually follow increases in hospitalizations by a few weeks. Signage stands at the ready (foreground) in case COVID-19 testing at Barnett Park reaches capacity, as cars wait in line in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, July 29, 2021. The line stretched through the park for more than a mile out to West Colonial Drive near the Central Florida Fairgrounds. Orange County is under a state of emergency as coronavirus infections skyrocket in Central Florida. The Barnett Park site is testing 1,000 people a day and has closed early in recent days due capacity limits. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP) DeSantis has blamed the surge on a seasonal increase more Floridians are indoors because of the hot weather with air conditioning circulating the virus. About 60% of Floridians 12 and older are vaccinated, ranking it about midway among the states. DeSantis said his executive order barring mask mandates at schools will improve students' experience and make it easier for them to focus on learning. I have (three) young kids. My wife and I are not going to do the mask with the kids. We never have; we wont. I want to see my kids smiling. I want them having fun, DeSantis said at a news conference in southwest Florida a few hours before he signed the executive order. DeSantis is seeking reelection next year and has been positioning himself nationally for a possible 2024 presidential bid. A cyclist passes cars at a standstill along West Colonial Drive in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, July 29, 2021, as residents wait in line for COVID-19 testing at Barnett Park. The line stretched through the park for more than a mile to the entrance to the Central Florida Fairgrounds. Orange County is under a state of emergency as coronavirus infections skyrocket in Central Florida. The Barnett Park site is testing 1,000 people a day and has closed early in recent days due to reaching capacity. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP) DeSantis also contended there is no evidence masks prevent outbreaks at schools, which is at odds with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidelines recommending universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. His critics say his unwillingness to mandate mask wearing endangers the health of students and staff. We know that masks are a simple and effective way to help prevent virus spread, and from a medical perspective it makes absolutely zero sense to discourage their use, said Dr. Bernard Ashby, head of Florida's progressive Committee to Protect Health Care. "DeSantis power grab will put the health of kids and teachers alike at risk. A cyclist passes cars at a standstill along West Colonial Drive in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, July 29, 2021, as residents wait in line for COVID-19 testing at Barnett Park. The line stretched through the park for more than a mile to the entrance to the Central Florida Fairgrounds. Orange County is under a state of emergency as coronavirus infections skyrocket in Central Florida. The Barnett Park site is testing 1,000 people a day and has closed early in recent days due to reaching capacity. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP) DeSantis' decision came after the Broward County school board voted to require masks and other districts and colleges across the state were considering it. We will have to change our policy, Broward board member Debbi Hixon told the South Florida SunSentinel. I am not looking to defy the governor. I believe it is an irresponsible decision but if it is the law, I will agree to follow it. The Florida Education Association, the state's teachers union, said DeSantis should leave the decision to local officials rather than impose a statewide edict a position he once held. When the pandemic began in March 2020, DeSantis said local officials should control the response, that the business closures and mask mandates imposed in Miami, Tampa and other big cities wouldn't work in small, rural counties. Cars line up at Miami Dade College North campus' COVID-19 testing site, Thursday, July 29, 2021, in Miami. Hospital admissions of coronavirus patients continue to soar in Florida with at least two areas in the state surpassing previous peaks reached during last summer's surge. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) Gov. DeSantis continues to think that Tallahassee knows best what all Floridians need, union President Andrew Spar said in a statement. We reject that kind of thinking. Instead, we ask Gov. DeSantis to allow all Floridas citizens to have a voice by empowering the elected leaders of cities, counties and school districts to make health and safety decisions locally. Meanwhile, Publix, the state's largest supermarket chain, announced Friday that employees will again be required to wear masks and several hospitals said they are postponing elective surgeries and limiting visitors. At Tampa General Hospital, the 90-plus patients hospitalized with COVID already exceeds the previous high of 86, said Dr. Seetha Lakshmi, medical director of its Global Emerging Diseases Institute. She said the hospital, like many, can't hire enough staff and it is leaving those working exhausted. It feels like we are getting hit by a train, the pace is so fast and uncontrolled, Laskshmi said. I just dont have any words anymore. This is awful, just awful and it is going to be awful." She said last year, her patients' median age was in the 70s. Now, it is just over 50, with the younger patients getting sicker than in the past. She pointed to a patient in his early 30s whose lungs sound like Velcro being pulled apart. A father of young children, he will likely have permanent damage and might need a transplant eventually, she said. She said 83% of Tampa General's COVID patients are unvaccinated while the others have immune-deficiency issues that prevented the vaccine from working. Gomez Licon reported from Miami. Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak. WINNIPEG - Fallout from the Manitoba premier's remarks on Canadian history continues to grow with the mayor of Winnipeg urging Brian Pallister to apologize. WINNIPEG - Fallout from the Manitoba premier's remarks on Canadian history continues to grow with the mayor of Winnipeg urging Brian Pallister to apologize. "Any comments that either deny or just even attempt to marginalize the purposes or the impact of residential schools it's just not historically accurate and it's so counterproductive to our journey of reconciliation," Brian Bowman, who is Metis, said Friday. Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman speaks to media during a Liberal cabinet retreat at the Fairmont Hotel in Winnipeg on Monday, Jan. 20, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mike Sudoma "I was quite angered by the comments." Pallister has faced criticism from many Indigenous leaders over his comments at a July 7 news conference about protesters who had toppled two statues on the legislature grounds in protest over the deaths of Indigenous children at residential schools. Pallister denounced the vandalism. He did not mention residential schools but said people who came to Canada before and after it was a country did not come to destroy, but to build communities, businesses and churches. Indigenous leaders said the premier was downplaying the harmful effects of colonialism, but Pallister stood by his comments. He said he meant to convey that Indigenous and non-Indigenous people often worked together to build Canada. Pallister has not spoken to the media in the last two weeks, even as repercussions over his comments have piled up. His Indigenous relations minister, Eileen Clarke, resigned from cabinet. Her replacement, Alan Lagimodiere, stirred up more controversy by defending some of the intentions behind residential schools. He later apologized. Two Indigenous men, saying the government was rewriting history, also resigned from their government appointments to economic development boards. Some members of the Progressive Conservative caucus have distanced themselves from Pallister's remarks. Conservation and Climate Minister Sarah Guillemard said she cannot support words that cause further hurt to traumatized people. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. When asked why he waited three weeks to demand an apology, Bowman said he had hoped one would have come earlier. "I've been waiting, along with a lot of Manitobans, for the premier to apologize. If his caucus won't publicly insist that he apologize, then I think it falls on community leaders like myself and others to at least acknowledge publicly what a lot of people are speaking about privately right now." Pallister's office again said Friday that the premier was not available to speak to the media. It issued a two-sentence written statement. "Premier and cabinet are focused on real reconciliation efforts and advancing equal opportunity for all. Only the mayor can comment on what his personal motivations are for himself." This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2021. Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version had Premier Brian Pallister saying people came to Canada to build communities, businesses and schools. Six passengers who sailed on a Royal Caribbean ship tested positive for COVID-19 near the end of their cruise and were immediately quarantined, the company said Friday. FILE - In this March 14, 2020 file photo, Royal Caribbean International cruise ship docked at PortMiami in Miami. Six passengers from a Royal Caribbean cruise have tested positive after the ship docked in the Bahamas. Royal Caribbean said Friday, July 30, 2021, that four of them are adults who were all vaccinated against COVID-19, and two are minors who were not vaccinated. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File) Six passengers who sailed on a Royal Caribbean ship tested positive for COVID-19 near the end of their cruise and were immediately quarantined, the company said Friday. The passengers four adults and two minors were on the Adventure of the Seas ship for a 7-day trip that left the Bahamas last Saturday and returned on Friday, said Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Lyan Sierra-Caro. They were tested Thursday while the ship was at sea. The adults were all vaccinated against COVID-19, Sierra-Caro said, and one has mild symptoms of the virus while the other three do not. They were not traveling together. The two minors -- who were in the same group but not traveling with any of the four adults who tested positive -- were not vaccinated and were not showing symptoms, the spokeswoman said. All six are American citizens, Sierra-Cano said. They were quarantined and people traveling with them were traced and tested negative, she said. Sierra-Cano said the six passengers would fly back to the U.S. on private transportation at Royal Caribbean's expense and won't need to quarantine in the Bahamas. The ship was in Freeport, Bahamas, on Friday, where other passengers were free to go on shore, and the cruise will end Saturday in Nassau as scheduled. Sierra-Cano said the company would tell other passengers about the infections once they were all back on board Friday. Royal Caribbean Group says it requires passengers who are 16 or older to be fully vaccinated and provide a negative test for COVID-19 before boarding, and children who arent old enough for the vaccines must test negative. All crew are fully vaccinated, according to the company. This story has been corrected to show that passengers were tested during the cruise, not at the end. WASHINGTON (AP) A nationwide eviction moratorium is set to expire Saturday after President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress worked furiously but ultimately failed to align on a long-shot strategy to prevent millions of Americans from being forced from their homes during a COVID-19 surge. House Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., left, and House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters, D-Calif., go over their notes at the House Rules Committee as they prepare an emergency extension of the eviction moratorium, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, July 30, 2021. President Joe Biden called on "Congress to extend the eviction moratorium to protect such vulnerable renters and their families without delay." (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) WASHINGTON (AP) A nationwide eviction moratorium is set to expire Saturday after President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress worked furiously but ultimately failed to align on a long-shot strategy to prevent millions of Americans from being forced from their homes during a COVID-19 surge. More than 3.6 million Americans are at risk of eviction, some in a matter of days, as nearly $47 billion in federal housing aid to the states during the pandemic has been slow to make it into the hands of renters and landlords owed payments. Tensions mounted late Friday as it became clear there would be no resolution in sight. Hours before the ban was set to expire, Biden called on local governments to "take all possible steps" to immediately disburse the funds. Evictions could begin as soon as Monday. "There can be no excuse for any state or locality not accelerating funds to landlords and tenants that have been hurt during this pandemic," Biden said in a statement. "Every state and local government must get these funds out to ensure we prevent every eviction we can," he said. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Democratic leaders discuss their legislative agenda, including voting rights, public health, and infrastructure, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, July 30, 2021. Hours before a nationwide eviction moratorium is set to expire, Pelosi is urging an extension in a longshot effort to prevent millions of Americans of being forced from their homes during a COVID-19 surge. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) The stunning outcome, as the White House and Congress each expected the other to act, exposed a rare divide between the president and his allies on Capitol Hill, and one that could have lasting impact as the nation's renters face widespread evictions. Biden set off the scramble by announcing he would allow the eviction ban to expire, rather than challenge a recent Supreme Court ruling signaling this would be the last deadline. He called on Congress on Thursday to swiftly pass legislation to extend the date. Racing to respond, Democrats strained to rally the votes early Friday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi implored colleagues to pass legislation extending the deadline, calling it a "moral imperative," to protect renters and also the landlords who are owed compensation. Congress must "meet the needs of the American people: both the families unable to make rent and those to whom the rent is to be paid," she said in an overnight letter late Thursday. But after hours of behind-the-scenes wrangling throughout the day, Democratic lawmakers had questions and could not muster support to extend the ban even a few months. An attempt to simply approve an extension by consent, without a formal vote, was objected to by House Republicans. The Senate may try again Saturday. Lawmakers were livid at prospect of evictions in the middle of a surging pandemic. People from a coalition of housing justice groups hold signs protesting evictions during a news conference outside the Statehouse, Friday, July 30, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) "Housing is a primary social indicator of health, in and of itself, even absent COVID," said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. "A mass eviction in the United States does represent a public health crisis unto itself." Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., the Financial Services Committee chair who wrote the emergency bill, said House leaders should have held the vote, even if it failed, to show Americans they were trying to solve the problem. "Is it emergency enough that youre going to stop families from being put on the street?" Waters testified at an hastily called hearing early Friday morning urging her colleagues to act. "What the hell is going to happen to these children?" But Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, the top Republican on another panel handling the issue, said the Democrats bill was rushed. "This is not the way to legislate," she said. The ban was initially put in place to prevent further spread of COVID-19 by people put out on the streets and into shelters. A woman speaks on the phone in front of a sign in Haitian Creole during a news conference held by a coalition of housing justice groups to protest evictions, Friday, July 30, 2021, outside the Statehouse in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) Congress pushed nearly $47 billion to the states earlier in the COVID-19 crisis to shore up landlords and renters as workplaces shut down and many people were suddenly out of work. But lawmakers said state governments have been slow to distribute the money. On Friday, they said only some $3 billion has been spent. By the end of March, 6.4 million American households were behind on their rent, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. As of July 5, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. said they faced eviction in the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey. Some places are likely to see spikes in evictions starting Monday, while other jurisdictions will see an increase in court filings that will lead to evictions over several months. Biden said Thursday that the administration's hands are tied after the Supreme Court signaled the moratorium would only be extended until the end of the month. At the White House, deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration backs the congressional effort "to extend the eviction moratorium to protect these vulnerable renters and their families." The White House has been clear that Biden would have liked to extend the federal eviction moratorium because of the spread of the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus. But there are also concerns that challenging the court could lead to a ruling restricting the administrations ability to respond to future public health crises. The administration is trying to keep renters in place through other means. It released more than $1.5 billion in rental assistance in June, which helped nearly 300,000 households. Biden on Thursday asked the departments of Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture and Veterans Affairs to extend their eviction moratoriums on households living in federally insured, single-family homes. In a statement late Friday the agencies announced an extension of the foreclosure-related ban through the end of September. On a 5-4 vote last month, the Supreme Court allowed the broad eviction ban to continue through the end of July. One of those in the majority, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, made clear he would block any additional extensions unless there was "clear and specific congressional authorization." Aides to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, the chair of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, said the two were working on legislation to extend the moratorium and were asking Republicans not to block it. "The public health necessity of extended protections for renters is obvious," said Diane Yentel, executive director of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. "If federal court cases made a broad extension impossible, the Biden administration should implement all possible alternatives, including a more limited moratorium on federally backed properties." Landlords, who have opposed the moratorium and challenged it repeatedly in court, are against any extension. They, too, are arguing for speeding up the distribution of rental assistance. The National Apartment Association and several others this week filed a federal lawsuit asking for $26 billion in damages because of the impact of the moratorium. "Any extension of the eviction moratorium equates to an unfunded government mandate that forces housing providers to deliver a costly service without compensation and saddles renters with insurmountable debt," association president and CEO Bob Pinnegar said, adding that the current crisis highlights a need for more affordable housing. Casey reported from Boston. Associated Press writers Alexandra Jaffe, Mark Sherman and Kevin Freking in Washington contributed to this report. CALGARY - Enbridge Inc.'s Line 3 pipeline replacement is on track to be in service by the end of the year despite ongoing protests and recent court challenges, the Calgary-based company said Friday. Enbridge company logos are seen at the company's annual meeting in Calgary, Alta., Thursday, May 12, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh CALGARY - Enbridge Inc.'s Line 3 pipeline replacement is on track to be in service by the end of the year despite ongoing protests and recent court challenges, the Calgary-based company said Friday. The $9.3-billion project which is expected to add about 370,000 barrel per day of crude oil export capacity from Western Canada into the U.S. was handed a victory last month by the Minnesota Court of Appeals, which affirmed the approvals granted by independent regulators that allowed construction on the Minnesota leg to begin last December. However, Indigenous and environmental groups opposed to the project have appealed to the Minnesota Supreme Court, asking it to overturn the lower court's ruling. The Minnesota Supreme Court has until mid-September to decide whether or not to hear the case. In a conference call with analysts Friday, Enbridge chief executive Al Monaco said in spite of the recent legal challenges, Line 3 remains on schedule and is now 80 per cent complete. "Construction-wise, we're tracking to schedule," Monaco said. "We're moving along well and continue to work on water crossings. All that to say, we're on track for a Q4 in service." The Line 3 replacement will carry oil from Alberta to Enbridge's terminal in Superior, Wisconsin. The Minnesota leg of the project the last section remaining to be completed has been met by protests along the route, with more than 500 demonstrators having been arrested or issued citations since December. Opponents of the project including Indigenous groups the White Earth Band of Ojibwe and the Red Lake Band of Chippewa, as well as environmental groups like the Sierra Club and Honor the Earth say the Line 3 expansion will accelerate climate change and also poses a risk of oil spills in environmentally sensitive areas. The Line 3 expansion is a critical project for Canada's energy sector, which has been hamstrung by a lack of pipeline infrastructure in recent years. An IHS Markit report from December found that delays in the expansion of the export pipeline capacity have contributed to lower prices in Western Canada, representing a loss of $17 billion for the crude oil industry over the last five years. In June, TC Energy Corp. cancelled its Keystone XL Pipeline project, leaving Enbridge's Line 3 project and the Trans Mountain Pipeline project (owned by the federal government) as Canada's main pipeline projects. The Trans Mountain pipeline project is expected to be in service by December 2022. Between the two projects, the total export addition of nearly one million bpd is expected to account for Western Canada's oil export needs at least through the first half of the decade "Our understanding of the market here in Western Canada is there's a significant amount of heavy crude waiting to come to market from producers that hasn't been started up yet," Monaco said. "There are some very close-to-completion brownfield projects with producers that would come to market very quickly, with sufficient egress." Enbridge said Friday its net income attributable to common shareholders dropped 15 per cent in the second quarter despite rebounding demand for energy as economies recover from COVID-19. The Calgary-based energy company said it earned $1.39 billion or 69 cents per share in the three months ended June 30, compared with $1.65 billion or 82 cents per share a year earlier. The decrease was partly attributable to reduced foreign currency gains. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Adjusted profits were $1.36 billion or 67 cents per share, 10 cents per share above forecasts by financial data firm Refinitiv and up from $1.13 billion or 56 cents per share in the second quarter of 2020. Revenues surged nearly 38 per cent to $10.9 billion from almost $8 billion in the prior year quarter. Enbridge reaffirmed its 2021 financial guidance for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of between $13.9 billion and $14.3 billion and distributable cash flow of $4.70 to $5 per share. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2021. With files from The Associated Press Companies in this story: (TSX:ENB) BALTIMORE (AP) The family of a Maryland woman who unwittingly spurred a research bonanza when her cancer cells were taken without her knowledge in 1951 has hired a prominent civil rights lawyer to seek compensation from pharmaceutical companies. BALTIMORE (AP) The family of a Maryland woman who unwittingly spurred a research bonanza when her cancer cells were taken without her knowledge in 1951 has hired a prominent civil rights lawyer to seek compensation from pharmaceutical companies. The relatives of Henrietta Lacks have hired Ben Crump, a Florida-based attorney who has represented the families of a number of Black people who have died at the hands of police and vigilantes in recent years. Those clients include the families of George Floyd, Trayvon Martin and Breonna Taylor. The Baltimore Sun reported Thursday that a lawyer for the Lacks family said a legal team is investigating lawsuits against numerous potential defendants Cells taken from Lacks have been widely used in biomedical research. The so-called HeLa cells became crucial for key developments in such areas as basic biology, understanding viruses and other germs, cancer treatments, in vitro fertilization and vaccine development. She became famous in 2010 with publication of Rebecca Skloots best-selling book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. As that book relates, Lacks was under anesthesia on an operating table at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore one day in 1951, undergoing treatment for cervical cancer. A researcher had been collecting cervical cancer cells to see if they would grow continuously in the lab. So the surgeon treating Lacks shaved a piece of tissue from her tumor for that project. Nobody had asked Lacks if she wanted to provide cells for the research. She died later that year. Bioethicists have said taking cells without a patient's permission was commonly done in those days. CALGARY - Imperial Oil Ltd. says it earned $366 million in the second quarter and boosted production to its highest level in 25 years for the same period. Imperial Oil logo at the company's annual meeting in Calgary on April 28, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh CALGARY - Imperial Oil Ltd. says it earned $366 million in the second quarter and boosted production to its highest level in 25 years for the same period. The Calgary-based company says it earned 50 cents per share in the three months ended June 30, compared with a net loss of $526 million or 72 cents per share in the same period of 2020. However, its second quarter earnings declined from the first quarter of 2021, when it earned $758 million. Its cash flow from operating activities in the second quarter was $852 million, down from $1.05 billion in the first quarter of 2021. Imperial attributed the decrease to significant planned turnaround activity, weaker downstream margins and foreign exchange rates. The company says its production for the second quarter averaged 401,000 boe per day, the highest second quarter production in more than 25 years. It says its Kearl oilsands mine in northern Alberta completed a major planned turnaround in the quarter and also established a new single-month production record of 311,000 boe per day in June. Imperial says lingering effects of the weak 2020 business environment and the COVID-19 pandemic continued to have a negative impact on the company's financial results in the first half of 2021, but strengthening crude oil prices mean the outlook is improving. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "The decisive actions Imperial took throughout the pandemic to accelerate structural business improvements have enabled the company to recover strongly," CEO Brad Corson said in a release. "Imperial has significant momentum entering the second half of the year and is well-positioned to continue delivering on its commitments." West Texas Intermediate averaged US$62.22 per barrel in the first six months of 2021, up from US$36.66 per barrel in 2020. Corson says with major turnarounds at Kearl and the company's Strathcona Refinery complete, Imperial can turn its attention to increasing production, increasing refinery utilization, and returning cash to shareholders. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2021. Companies in this story: (TSX:IMO) WASHINGTON (AP) The Justice Department, in a reversal, says the Treasury Department must provide the House Ways and Means Committee former President Donald Trumps tax returns, apparently ending a long legal showdown over the records. Former President Donald Trump speaks on a variety of topics to supporters at a Turning Point Action gathering, Saturday, July 24, 2021, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) WASHINGTON (AP) The Justice Department, in a reversal, says the Treasury Department must provide the House Ways and Means Committee former President Donald Trumps tax returns, apparently ending a long legal showdown over the records. In a memo dated Friday, Justices Office of Legal Counsel said the committee chairman "has invoked sufficient reasons for requesting the former Presidents tax information" and that under federal law, "Treasury must furnish the information to the Committee." The 39-page memo is signed by Dawn Johnsen, installed by the Biden administration as the acting head of the legal counsel office. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. During the Trump administration, then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he wouldnt turn over the tax returns because he concluded they were being sought by Democrats who control the House of Representatives for partisan reasons. The committee sued for the records under a federal law that says the Internal Revenue Service "shall furnish" the returns of any taxpayer to a handful of top lawmakers. The committee said it needed Trumps taxes for an investigation into whether he complied with tax law. FILE - In this July 11, 2021, file photo former president Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Texas. The Justice Department says the Treasury Department must provide the House Ways and Means Committee Trumps tax returns, apparently ending a long legal showdown over the records. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File) Trump's Justice Department defended Mnuchin's refusal and Trump himself also intervened to try to prevent the materials from being turned over to Congress. Under a court order from January, Trump would have 72 hours to object after the Biden administration formally changes the government's position in the lawsuit. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. already has obtained copies of Trumps personal and business tax records as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. Trump tried to prevent his accountants from handing over the documents, taking the issue to the Supreme Court. The justices rejected Trumps argument that he had broad immunity as president. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the tax returns remain of interest to lawmakers. "Access to former President Trumps tax returns is a matter of national security. The American people deserve to know the facts of his troubling conflicts of interest and undermining of our security and democracy as president," Pelosi said in a statement. The issue has its roots in the 2016 presidential campaign, when Trump claimed that he could not release his taxes due to an IRS audit. OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The Oklahoma Republican Party faced fierce criticism Friday for a Facebook post likening COVID-19 vaccine mandates to the persecution of Jewish people in Nazi Germany. OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The Oklahoma Republican Party faced fierce criticism Friday for a Facebook post likening COVID-19 vaccine mandates to the persecution of Jewish people in Nazi Germany. The post on the partys official Facebook page urged people to call the lieutenant governor and ask him to call a special session to prohibit employers from requiring their employees to get vaccinated. It featured a picture of a yellow Star of David with the word unvaccinated on it and said: Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it." Roberta Clark, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Oklahoma City, called the post highly inappropriate and urged party officials to apologize. To compare the actions taken by Nazi Germany to a public health discussion is ill-informed and inappropriate," Clark said. An apology is really appropriate, and it shows leadership and sensitivity to the harmful impact this has made." John Bennett, the party's new chairman, didn't immediately respond to a phone message left at the party's headquarters. The party's vice chairman, Shane Jemison, said Friday he wasn't certain who created the post, but called it beyond abhorrent." Equating the possibility of private entities requiring their employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to the Holocaust is beyond abhorrent, disgraceful and a gross misrepresentation of the Republican Party and its values here in Oklahoma and nationally," he said in a written statement. Last month, Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, of Georgia, apologized for comments she made comparing the required wearing of safety masks in the House to the horrors of the Holocaust. It's not the first time the state party, or Bennett, has faced criticism for posts on Facebook. In 2015, then-Oklahoma Republican Party Chairman Randy Brogdon apologized for a post that likened food stamps to feeding wild animals. The following year, Bennett, then a state lawmaker, posted a news story on Facebook critical of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and added the comment, 2 words ... firing squad. At the time, Bennett defended the comments as sarcasm, and said he wouldnt wish death upon anyone or encourage violence toward any candidate. HAMILTON - The federal government says it is investing $400 million in a Hamilton-based steel producer to help it adopt low-carbon technology. A roll of galvanized steel is moved inside one of ArcelorMittal Dofasco's galvanizing mills in Hamilton, Ont., on Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2018. The federal government says it is investing $400 million in a Hamilton-based steel producer to help it adopt low-carbon technology. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter Power HAMILTON - The federal government says it is investing $400 million in a Hamilton-based steel producer to help it adopt low-carbon technology. The Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development says the investment will support ArcelorMittal Dofasco's $1.7 billion project to phase out coal-fired steelmaking at it's facilities. The government says the company is the country's largest producer of flat-rolled steel and the largest private-sector employer in Hamilton. It said the project would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 3 million tons per year by 2030. The announcement comes after Algoma Steel a Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., based steel manufacturer received $420 million from the federal government earlier this month to transition their steelmaking process to using electric furnaces. The government says the combined impact on greenhouse gas emissions would be equivalent to taking 1.8 million cars off the road. "Our government has been steadfast in defending and championing our steelworkers," said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland in a statement. "Today's announcement... is about investing in the low-carbon transformation of Canadian industry, taking serious action in the global fight against climate change and supporting good middle-class jobs in Hamilton. We will continue to be there to support growth and a strong economic future for our steelworkers and all the people of Hamilton." Canada's minister of labour, Filomena Tassi, said the new project will also create 2,500 new jobs and support up-skilling opportunities for existing workers. The government says the Algoma Steel and ArcelorMittal Dofasco projects will reduce national Canadian greenhouse gas emissions by one per cent. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2021. ROME (AP) Roberto Calasso, a towering figure in European publishing as the driving force behind an esteemed Milan-based publisher, as well as an inquisitive and prolific author himself, has died at 80, his company said. ROME (AP) Roberto Calasso, a towering figure in European publishing as the driving force behind an esteemed Milan-based publisher, as well as an inquisitive and prolific author himself, has died at 80, his company said. Italian news media, quoting his publishing house Adelphi, said Calasso died Thursday in Milan following a long illness and a wake was held Friday in the publishing house's Milan headquarters. FILE - In this June 29, 2017 file photo, Roberto Calasso attends a cultural event in Milan, Italy. Roberto Calasso, an Italian literary figure and the driving force behind an esteemed Milan-based publishing house, has died in that city. Italian news media, quoting the publisher, Adelphi, said Calasso, 80, died Thursday after a long illness. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File) Directing Adelphi since 1971 and being its chairman since 1999, Calasso adhered to the philosophy choosing books to publish not on how they might sell but on whether they had something important to say. A native of Florence, who grew up with parents steeped in the classics, Calasso also wrote his own books, using a fountain pen for all but the final draft. His 1988 Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony, a readable, imaginative exploration of Greek mythology, was his best-known work. Calasso's tastes in determining what titles Adelphi would publish were eclectic. Among his literary finds was an Italian physicist, Carlo Rovelli. Calasso started a new imprint to offer readers Rovelli's 2016 Seven Brief Lessons on Physics. In an article Friday in the Corriere della Sera newspaper, Rovelli recalled their first meeting as emblematic of Calasso's attitude toward publishing. 'Carlo, I read what you wrote. I like it. Whatever you write that you think important, send it to me. Don't think about writing books that sell, think only if you have true things to say. I'll publish them,'' Rovelli wrote. What more can you hope to have from your own publisher?" Rovelli wrote, adding that the "extraordinary care with which he published books is mythical." His U.S. editor, Jonathan Galassi of Farrar, Straus & Giroux, called Calasso one of the great literary publishers of postwar Europe. He was also a prolific writer of wide and deep imagination and insight, Galassi said in a statement. Basically, his lifes work was all one project: to plumb the inter-connectedness of human culture across time and across civilizations. There was no one like him. Starting with Adelphi when he was 21, Calasso developed the publishing house. Among those he published were Sicilian writer Leonardo Sciascia and the Czech-born Milan Kundera. Adelphi was essentially the invention, in 1962, of a Trieste intellectual, Roberto Bazlen, who quickly enlisted the efforts of Luciano Foa' and the young Calasso, then living in Rome. Italian industrialist Roberto Olivetti helped finance the venture. Corriere della Sera recalled that Bazlen used to say of Adelphi's mission: We'll only publish the books we really like. Calasso became editorial director, and later administrator and owner of Adelphi, a kind of "father-master,'' the newspaper wrote. The Paris Review in an 2012 interview with Calasso called him a literary institution of one and lauded Adelphi as Italy's most prestigious publishing house. In that interview, Calasso reminisced about his father, Francesco Calasso, a staunch anti-fascist and a history of law professor at the University of Florence who, in 1944, was almost executed by the then German occupying forces. Calasso reminisced growing up in a house lined with books. His mother, Melisenda Codignola, who earned a doctorate with a thesis on one of Plutarch's works, translated the classics. In a poignant turn of events, the publisher died just as two of his works, described as his most auto-biographical, went on sale in Italy's bookshops: Meme' Scianca,'' which draws on his Florentine childhood in a household of intellectuals, and Bobi," about the life of Bazlen. The subjects of Calasso's writing were wide-ranging, reflecting his curiosity, and included artist Giambattista Tiepolo and author Franz Kafka. Of Calasso's own books, it's difficult to say in particular what they spoke about, not because they wander but because they follow an internal logical that knows no borders, the Italian news agency ANSA wrote. Calasso also wrote about what he called the fascination with technology, bemoaning how the digital age was the gravest assault that the inclination to expose oneself to the shock of the unknown has known." Wrote Corriere della Sera in its tribute, for Calasso, the unknown is the essence of literature. AP publishing reporter Hillel Italie contributed from New York. BANGKOK (AP) Thailand implemented new regulations on Friday that appeared to broaden the government's ability to restrict media reports and social media posts about the coronavirus pandemic, raising immediate concerns that authorities will seek to stifle criticism. Thai media waiting interview Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang at the Wat Srisudaram in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, July 30, 2021. Thailand has implemented regulations that appear to broaden the government's ability to restrict media reports and social media posts about the coronavirus pandemic, raising immediate concerns authorities will seek to stifle criticism rather than just combat false rumors. (AP Photo) BANGKOK (AP) Thailand implemented new regulations on Friday that appeared to broaden the government's ability to restrict media reports and social media posts about the coronavirus pandemic, raising immediate concerns that authorities will seek to stifle criticism. While Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has long sought to crack down on what he calls fake news and has a government department devoted to it, the new regulations, announced late Thursday, include the ability to prosecute people for distributing news that may cause public fear. It also gives Thai regulators the ability to force internet service providers to turn over the IP address of the person or entity distributing such news, and to suspend the internet service to that IP address immediately. In a joint statement sent by six Thai journalist associations to Prayuth and published by multiple Thai media outlets, the groups urged him to cancel the restrictions, saying they were overly broad and an attack on freedom of expression. The clause news that may cause public fear allows authorities to proceed with legal action against the media and the public without clear criteria, they wrote, threatening to take legal action if necessary. Even if the public or media share factual information, state agencies may use this clause as grounds to file a complaint or threaten them. The new measures come as Thailand is struggling to cope with a new wave of the coronavirus pandemic fueled by the delta variant, with rising numbers of cases and deaths. On Friday another 17,345 cases and 117 deaths were reported. In announcing the restrictions, the prime minister said they were necessary to combat the spread of inaccurate rumors that could impede government efforts to vaccinate the population and implement measures to slow the pandemic. We have daily briefings to give the right information to the public, Prayuth said. But some try to distort the information and cause confusion. The announcement immediately raised fears that the measures could be used by authorities to stifle legitimate criticism and could also have a chilling effect by making it less likely that people would publicly question the government's actions. Even if Thai people share legitimate information, even second hand, the government could still determine that the information, while factual, could cause a panic, Mark Cogan, a professor at Japan's Kansai Gaidai University, wrote Friday in an opinion piece in the Thai Enquirer online newspaper. The government has almost accomplished what it has long set out to achieve. Its a giant step closer to being sole arbiter of what is true and what is fake. Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri downplayed the concerns, saying that the order would not be enforced in such a way to limit the media or people's freedom of speech. "The government is rather trying to manage fake news or any criticism based on false information to prevent misunderstanding and hatred in the public, he said. Asked whether factual reports that have the potential to create fear could be affected, he said that if the news is reported appropriately, there should not be a problem. In a discussion on Facebook, prominent Thai journalist Suthichai Yoon suggested Prayuth was reacting to growing dissatisfaction with his governments response to the coronavirus crisis and was looking for a scapegoat. The government is stumbling, and feels that the reports presenting the facts to the public from the media, the mainstream media, are questioning whether the government can handle the COVID crisis, and whether the government should be changed or the prime minister replaced, he said. The media is the easy scapegoat. Asked about the new measures at a news conference Friday, the top U.S. diplomat in Thailand, U.S. Embassy Charge dAffaires Michael Heath, did not comment specifically, but emphasized that the United States always supports freedom of expression. That expression sometimes will include criticism of the government, he said. As youve seen in my own country, we tolerate a wide range of criticism of our government some of its justified and some of its not but we will always support the right for people to express their opinions. DALLAS An administrative court judge has ordered that anyone entering a Dallas County courthouse must be wearing a mask to be admitted. A Saudi security officer watches as Muslim hajj pilgrims, wearing masks and keeping social distancing to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, circumambulate the Kaaba, a square stone structure in the Great Mosque, in Mecca Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, July 20, 2021. Once drawing some 2.5 million Muslims from across the globe to the holy city of Mecca, the Islamic pilgrimage has been dramatically scaled back due to the virus. (Saudi Media Ministry via AP) DALLAS An administrative court judge has ordered that anyone entering a Dallas County courthouse must be wearing a mask to be admitted. The order Friday by Administrative District Judge Maricela Moore requires masks to be worn in the common areas of the George Allen Courthouse, which houses the countys civil courts; the Frank Crowley Courthouse, which houses its criminal courts; and the Henry Wade Building, which houses its juvenile courts. Those refusing could be barred from entering the buildings. The order comes after Gov. Greg Abbott repeated his order banning any mask mandates by any state, county or local government entity. However, it cites as its authority a Texas Supreme Court order that confirms the judiciarys authority to take reasonable actions to avoid exposing court proceedings and participants to the threat of COVID-19. Also cited is an opinion from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtons office upholding broad judicial authority to control orderly court proceedings. The order is effective starting Monday. A message to Abbotts office seeking comment was not immediately returned. The order came as COVID-19 was on a renewed rampage across the state, fueled by the highly contagious delta variant. The Texas Department of State Health Services reported 15,893 new cases Friday, the most since Feb. 3. Of those, 726 new cases came from Dallas County. Over the past two weeks, the rolling average of daily new cases has risen by 183% to 5,100. Health workers administer doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Buddhist monks at the Wat Srisudaram in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, July 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) As of Thursday, the most recent day reported by state health officials, 5,846 people were in Texas hospitals with COVID-19, the most since Feb. 26. Fifty-seven new COVID-19 deaths were reported Friday, five of them in Dallas County. Texas had almost 44% of its population fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Friday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Thats well below the national average of 57.2%. MORE ON THE PANDEMIC: CDC team: War has changed as delta variant dangers emerge US passport delays lead to long lines of would-be travelers Walmart mandates vaccines for home office workers Like Phantom: Broadway requires masks at theaters Free Covid-19 testing is being offered in a drive-thru setting at pharmacy's such as Rite Aid in Grass Valley's Glenbrook Basin. Appointments are required and can be made at Riteaid.com on July 29, 2021. (Elias Funez/The Union via AP) Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: HONOLULU Hawaii officials announced 622 new COVID-19 cases, the highest number of confirmed infections since the start of the pandemic. The total included cases from lab reporting delays from the past three days, officials said, but the number is still a significant spike for the state of about 1.4 million people. The seven-day positivity rate is now 5.1%, and officials said the average daily case count over the past three days is now over 300. Previously, the record high total for confirmed cases in a single day was 355 set in August 2020. Officials said the surge is associated with the highly contagious delta variant. Just over 60% of Hawaii residents are fully vaccinated. ATLANTA Local officials in Georgia are scrambling to increase vaccination rates even as more schools continue telling students and employees to wear masks in the face of rising COVID-19 infection rates. Gardener Gemma Hearn looks up as she poses for photographs whilst making a final trim of the Hampton Court Maze before it reopens to the public, at Hampton Court Palace, in south west London, Friday, July 30, 2021. The maze, which was first planted in 1689 and is the oldest hedge maze in Britain, reopens to visitors on Saturday after being closed since the beginning of the UK's coronavirus outbreak in March 2020. Three gardeners have worked on trimming it for two weeks ahead of the reopening. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) At least 23 districts statewide, covering nearly a third of the public school population, now say they will require everyone to wear a mask. Dooly County had already started class on Wednesday, and someone at the 1,200-student districts high school tested positive for the respiratory illness, prompting a mask mandate. The Montgomery County school district on Friday delayed its start date by a week until Aug. 10, saying it had a staff shortage because too many teachers had been quarantined after exposure to COVID-19. Districts have been shifting policy after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week advised universal mask use in schools. Some parents are protesting mask mandates. Dozens of opponents gathered outside the administration building on Friday in Gwinnett County, Georgias largest school district. DENVER Gov. Jared Polis has announced that state employees who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 will have to be tested twice a week for the coronavirus and continue to wear masks indoors in public spaces. The Colorado Sun reports Polis made the announcement Friday, citing the rise of the extremely contagious Delta variant of the virus and similar direction for federal workers announced by President Joe Biden on Thursday. State workers who are or get fully vaccinated wont be required to get the twice-weekly tests, Polis said in a statement. Employees who are tested must submit the results to human resources officials. FILE - In this March 30, 2021, file photo, German federal police officers check passengers arriving from Palma de Mallorca for a negative Corona test as they arrive at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany. Germany will require people entering the country who havent been vaccinated or recently recovered from COVID-19 to show a negative test result starting from Sunday. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File) I have heard from state employees who are terrified that their unvaccinated co-workers will give them COVID-19 and want vaccination mandated, and from other state workers who have hesitation towards the vaccine, the Democratic governor said in emphasizing he was seeking a middle ground. The new policy is effective Sept. 20. It covers about 30,000 state government employees who fall under the authority of the executive branch. It does not apply to judicial branch workers. NEW ORLEANS New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is implementing a mandatory indoor mask mandate regardless of vaccination status and requiring that all city employees and city contractors be vaccinated against the coronavirus. The mayor and top officials sounded the alarm during a quickly called Friday afternoon news conference, noting the alarming spike in coronavirus infections in a city that was an early hot spot for the pandemic. All of our people need to mask up when they are indoors, Cantrell said. The city has a little over 4,000 employees, and all will be required to get vaccinated, effective immediately, she said. Contractors wanting to work for the city must also get vaccinated. Officials said the average daily case count in the city has nearly tripled, and six people have died in the last week. Especially concerning were the number of children falling ill, officials said. A private security guard walks through a market closed due to new restrictions announced by provincial government to help control the spread of the coronavirus, in Karachi, Pakistan, Friday, July 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan) This touches everyone in our community, said Cantrell. Our children are dying. CHICAGO There is now an indoor mask advisory in Chicago for everyone over 2 years old. The action taken Friday comes as the Centers for Disease Control recommended people, even if vaccinated, wear masks indoor in areas where there is a high transmission of COVID-19. Chicagos health department has announced the city surpassed 200 new coronavirus cases per day on Friday. Public health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady says the step advising indoor mask use was made to prevent further spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 2,348 new confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19, the second time in three days the tally has topped 2,000. NEW ORLEANS -- Vaccinations and masks are both needed to slow a skyrocketing rate of new COVID-19 infections that is stressing health care facilities in Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Friday, but Edwards stopped short of ordering a statewide mask mandate. An ambulance driver in protective gear wait for burial at the special section of the Pedurenan cemetery designated to accommodate the surge in deaths during the coronavirus outbreak in Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia, Friday, July 30, 2021.(AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) Having recommended statewide masking last week, Edward said he and state health officials would pore over the latest federal data before making a decision on a mandate, adding that an announcement would likely come Monday. But, to a very large extent, whether it s a mandate or a recommendation, the people of Louisiana ought to be doing this, Edwards said at a news conference with state health officer Dr. Joseph Kanter. Looming over his decision will be new findings from a big COVID-19 outbreak in Massachusetts. Scientists who studied the outbreak concluded that vaccinated people who got so-called breakthrough infections carried about the same amount of the coronavirus as those who did not get the shots. Officials still stress that vaccines help protect against infections and, when infections occur, against serious illness requiring hospitalization. TORONTO The Public Health Agency of Canada says two travelers who arrived in Toronto from the U.S. have been fined close to CDN$20,000 (US$16,029.37) for providing fake COVID-19 proof of vaccination documents and lying about pre-departure tests. The pair also didnt comply with requirements to stay at a government-authorized hotel or to get tested upon arrival, the agency said in a new release Friday. The travelers arrived last week and were handed four fines totaling CND $19,720 ( US$15,804.96) each. Spectators wait along Broadway as marchers pass through the Financial District during a parade honoring essential workers for their efforts in getting New York City through the COVID-19 pandemic, Wednesday, July 7, 2021, in New York. The parade kicked off at Battery Park and travel up Broadway in lower Manhattan, the iconic stretch known as the Canyon of Heroes, which has hosted parades honoring world leaders, celebrities and winning sports teams. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) For all travelers coming to Canada, it is important to be informed and to plan in advance, the release said. It is the travelers responsibility to ensure they are eligible to enter Canada and that they meet all of the mandatory requirements. Canada eased quarantine requirements on July 5 for fully vaccinated Canadians and foreign nationals with an exemption to enter the country, but they must upload their proof of vaccination documents to the ArriveCAN app before entry. Those who are not fully vaccinated are still required to stay for three days at a government-approved hotel, quarantine for 14 days and undergo tests pre-departure, post-arrival and eight days later. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis barred school districts Friday from forcing students to wear masks when classes resume next month even as the states coronavirus cases and hospitalizations continue to skyrocket toward levels not seen since before vaccines became widely available. The Republican governor said parents should decide whether their child should be masked, saying he has seen no studies that show mask-wearing lowers the chance of outbreaks in schools. DeSantis is seeking re-election next year and has been positioning himself nationally for a possible 2024 presidential bid. His decision comes after the Broward County school board this week voted to require masks and other districts and colleges around the state were considering it. The states confirmed coronavirus cases have grown nearly tenfold over the last month as the more contagious delta variant spreads. FILE - In this July 19 2021 file photo, employees check out customers at 2nd Street second hand store in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles. New evidence showing the delta variant is as contagious as chickenpox has prompted U.S. health officials to consider changing advice on how the nation fights the coronavirus. Recommending masks for everyone and requiring vaccines for doctors and other health care providers are among measures the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering, Friday, July 30. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) Florida is responsible for about 20% of the new cases reported nationwide over the last three weeks, even though it makes up 6.5% of the population. On a per capita basis, Florida is second nationally in both new cases, behind Louisiana, and hospitalizations, behind Nevada. While rare, pediatric hospitalizations for COVID-19 are also increasing statewide, studies show. MADRID Spain announces a drop in the 14-day accumulated caseload of COVID-19 cases as part of prevailing downward trend in new infections, while the percentage of the Spanish population fully vaccinated hits 56.8%. The health ministry reported Friday it had registered 326,127 new cases in the last 14 days, reflecting an incidence rate of 687 cases per 100,000 people. Spains Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced the nation has also ordered 3.4 million extra Pfizer vaccines, with the aim of vaccinating 70% of the population by the end of August. The new data comes as some Spanish regions push for vaccine certificates or negative COVID-19 tests to enter bars and restaurants, though they are facing legal challenges. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem says she has no plans to ratchet up her messaging to urge people to get a COVID-19 vaccine, even as Republican leaders across the country try to persuade vaccine skeptics to roll up their sleeves and take the shots in response to a new, more contagious variant that has sent caseloads soaring in some parts of the country. FILE - In this May 21, 2021 file photo, a person holds a mask while walking outside in Philadelphia. New evidence showing the delta variant is as contagious as chickenpox has prompted U.S. health officials to consider changing advice on how the nation fights the coronavirus. Recommending masks for everyone and requiring vaccines for doctors and other health care providers are among measures the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering, Friday, July 30. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) The Republican governor told The Associated Press this week she believes her messaging has reached a saturation level where people start to tune you out. South Dakotas Department of Health is trying a targeted approach to reach groups where vaccine uptake has been low. But it has been months since the governor used her position to encourage the vaccine, even with infections rising again in the state after a steep decline in the spring and early summer. Noems rise as a potential contender for the 2024 GOP presidential ticket has been mostly fueled by her hands-off approach to the pandemic. The governor acknowledged the delta variant poses a new risk. We might need to really step up our communication so that people understand how the variant is different, she said. You might see more communication from us if we start seeing cases dramatically increase. PHOENIX Arizona has reported 1,965 new COVID-19 cases, the most in a single day since early March. It comes as virus-related hospitalizations continued to climb. The additional cases and 24 deaths reported Friday come as health officials in Arizona and across the country cite low vaccination rates and the fast-spreading delta variant for increasing numbers. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during the American Legislative Exchange Council Wednesday, July 28, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) Meanwhile, the Arizona Department of Health Services director spoke more about her departure next month during an interview on KTAR-FM. She denied there was any rift between her and Gov. Doug Ducey and plans to take a senior position with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. BATON ROUGE, La. Two staffers in Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards office have tested positive for the coronavirus. The announcement Friday from Edwards office says both are at home, in isolation, in accordance with state and federal health guidelines. The release gave no details on their condition of the staffers. It says both had been vaccinated and noted breakthrough cases of vaccinated people typically do not result in serious illness. The governor, a Democrat, has previously been vaccinated and isnt in quarantine. Coronavirus infections and hospitalizations in Louisiana are soaring amid urgent requests by government officials and health care providers for residents to get vaccinated. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp speaks to reporters on Thursday, July 29, 2021, at the state capitol in Atlanta. The Republican governor says he encourages people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 but doesn't envision other measures unless hospitals get overwhelmed. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy) Earlier, Edwards administration announced it is requiring Louisianas executive branch employees and visitors to state office buildings to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status. LOS ANGELES Frustrated would-be travelers are overwhelming U.S. offices as easing COVID-19 travel restrictions have unleashed a pent-up demand for passports. At the West Los Angeles Federal Building, hundreds of passport applicants camped out overnight this week for same-day appointments only to be told that walk-ins were no longer being taken. Wait times for new passports and renewals are now up to 18 weeks, causing many to seek expedited appointments at understaffed agencies for travel in the next few weeks. But even expedited appointments can take up to 12 weeks. Officials encouraged those without immediate travel plans to renew their passports by mail. DES MOINES, Iowa Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has no plans to offer $100 incentives to Iowans to get the coronavirus vaccine. Reynolds spokesman Pat Garrett says the governor doesnt plan to follow up on President Joe Bidens offer to states to spend $100 in federal funds for each newly vaccinated person to help slow the spread of the coronavirus delta variant. While many states and some Iowa counties have offered incentives for citizens to get a COVID-19 vaccination, Iowas governor continues to call for citizens to get vaccinated, repeating its their choice. Iowa had 49.5% of the population fully immunized Thursday, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. That ranks Iowa 21st in the nation. Vaccination rates have fallen rapidly in Iowa since the spring, from a seven-day average of 17,000 people becoming fully vaccinated in May to 1,402 in recent days. ORLANDO, Fla. A large hospital network in Florida announced it will postpone elective procedures due to the sharp rise in admissions. Dr. Neil Finkler, chief clinical officer at AdventHealth in central Florida, says the network currently has 1,060 patients with COVID-19 of the 9,300 currently hospitalized in the state. We have peaked above any previous wave, and it is straining our system, our physicians and all of our clinicians and team members, he said. Throughout the week, we hoped we would see a sign of slowing down. Unfortunately, we have not. Dr. Finkler says hes imploring to the community to get vaccinated this weekend. It really is remarkable, over 90% of our COVID inpatients are unvaccinated, he said. None of these patients thought they would get the virus. But the delta variant has proven to be so highly contagious that even the young and the healthy, including pregnant patients, are now starting to fill up our hospitals. NEW YORK Vaccinations for COVID-19 and masks will be required for all Broadway audience members when theaters reopen in the coming weeks. The Broadway League announced audience members must wear face coverings and show proof theyre fully vaccinated when they enter the theaters. Therell be exceptions to the vaccine rule for children under 12 and for people with a medical condition or religious belief that prevents vaccination. Those individuals will need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test. Vaccinations will be required for performers, crew members and theater employees. The move comes a day after Actors Equity Association, the union which represents nearly 52,000 actors and stage managers, said it would require cast and crew members to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Company members who are not vaccinated must wear masks, practice physical distancing and undergo testing at least twice a week. The protocols apply to both Broadway productions and Equity-backed shows across the nation. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says hell issue an executive order barring local school districts from forcing students to wear masks when classes resume next month. Thats despite skyrocketing coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in the state. The Republican governor says it should be up to parents to decide whether their child should be masked. He says he has seen no studies that show mask-wearing lowers the chance of outbreaks in schools. He didnt say when he would issue the order. This week, the Broward County school district in Fort Lauderdale voted to require masks. Other districts and colleges around the state were considering masks as the confirmed cases have grown nearly tenfold in the last month. Florida is responsible for about 20% of the new cases reported nationwide in the last three weeks, although just 6.5% of the total population. On a per capita basis, Florida is second nationally in new cases (behind Louisiana), and hospitalizations (behind Nevada). While rare, pediatric hospitalizations for COVID-19 are also increasing statewide, studies show. TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) Days of political turmoil in Tunisia over a crippled economy and surging coronavirus infections have unnerved allies in Europe and the United States, while garnering the support of key Mideast partners watching to see if Islamists and Tunisia's fragile democracy will survive. File - In this July 25, 2021 file photo, protesters face Tunisian police officers during a demonstration in Tunis, Tunisia. Days of political turmoil in Tunisia over the economy and the coronavirus have left its allies in the Middle East, Europe and the United States watching to see if the fragile democracy will survive. (AP Photo/Hassene Dridi, File) TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) Days of political turmoil in Tunisia over a crippled economy and surging coronavirus infections have unnerved allies in Europe and the United States, while garnering the support of key Mideast partners watching to see if Islamists and Tunisia's fragile democracy will survive. European countries - most notably nearby Italy worry about a flood of migrants should Tunisia slide further into chaos. Autocratic leaders from Egypt to Saudi Arabia hope this weeks power grab by Tunisian President Kais Saied spells doom for the regions Islamists. But they also fear a reignited Arab Spring, like the region-wide uprisings kindled by Tunisia a decade ago. And around the world, pro-democracy campaigners wonder if a country they held up as a beacon is losing its promise of democratic rule, as other nations roiled by Arab Spring protests have. The ball is now in the peoples court, said Egyptian activist el-Ghazaly Harb in a Facebook post. They are able to correct the path without abandoning the peaceful democratic model that we all hope they can see to the end, he said. The answer will always be Tunisia. Tunisia, with only 12 million of Africas 1.3 billion people, holds outsized symbolism as a nation that designed a democracy from scratch and earned a Nobel Peace Prize after its largely bloodless revolution. Without warning on Sunday, Saied froze the nations parliament, fired top ministers and took over executive powers and supervision of public prosecution, saying he had to save the country, which is suffering from its worst outbreak of the virus to date and a failing economy. While many Tunisians welcomed his move, critics called it a coup. Media and human rights groups expressed alarm at the closure of the Al-Jazeera news bureau in Tunis. In recent days, Saied has moved against allegedly corrupt lawmakers and tycoons and strengthened military oversight of the nations response to the coronavirus. He and his aides held a flurry of meetings with foreign allies, promising that his power grab is temporary. But his next steps are unclear. The main victim of his decision - the Islamist party Ennahdha - promises to resist, peacefully. FILE - In this July 27, 2021 file photo, police cars and a military armored personnel carrier block a side entrance of the Tunisian parliament in Tunis. Days of political turmoil in Tunisia over the economy and the coronavirus have left its allies in the Middle East, Europe and the United States watching to see if the fragile democracy will survive. (AP Photo/Hassene Dridi, File) Tunisian analysts dont expect an army-driven takeover like that seen in Egypt, or a return to the autocratic past, thanks in part to a population thats no longer afraid to speak out. But the situation is volatile, and new protests may occur Saturday. Pro-government voices in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are celebrating the moves as a victory over political Islam, which they see as a threat to their governing systems - notably in Gulf states where political parties are banned. Egypt is watching carefully; It was the first to follow Tunisia in an outburst of mass protests in 2011. In the aftermath, the highly organized Muslim Brotherhood rose to power, but was ousted in 2013 amid a military-backed popular uprising led by Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, who was supported by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. El-Sissi has embarked on economic reforms and brought some political stability to the Arab worlds most populous country, but his tenure has been marred by the jailing of tens of thousands of people. Leading Brotherhood figures now face death sentences or life in prison. The group has been outlawed and branded a terrorist group in Egypt and the UAE, which itself has detained dozens of Emirati Islamist figures. Some activists worry Tunisia could head down a similar path, despite Saieds credentials as an independent technocrat. Coups are not only started by the military; they can be started by a civilian and completed by officers, said Shady Lewis Boutros, an Egyptian novelist and writer who lives in the U.K., in a Facebook post. Abdelrahman al-Rashed, who runs a Saudi-owned media group and is close to the royal court, said Saied is saving the country from returning to the chaos sparked by the Arab Spring. In a column for the Arabic Ashraq al-Awsat newspaper, he wrote that political turmoil in Tunisia marks the death of the Muslim Brotherhoods authority." Ennahdha itself has distanced itself from more militant Islamists, and its leader, Rachid Ghannouchi, told The Associated Press this week that its critics are using it as a scapegoat for Tunisias problems. He noted that his party has played a major role in parliament in the decade since the revolution, which opened the way for his return from 22 years of exile in London, and won the most seats in the last legislative elections. Some question whether the Gulf states had a role in Tunisias current tensions. But others argue that Tunisians are more focused on day-to-day concerns than the discourse around the Muslim Brotherhood. Meanwhile, Tunisias strategic importance to the European Union cannot be overstated. From 2014-20, the bloc invested 1.6 billion euros ($1.9 billion) in Tunisia to build democracy and provide social and economic aid. It has given 330 million euros ($392 million) to help the country recover from the impact of coronavirus restrictions. Another 600 million euros ($712 million) in EU macro-financial assistance was agreed to in May. Most significantly, Tunisia is a key partner in limiting the flow of migrants from Africa to the EU. The 27 member states are hopelessly divided over how to manage the arrivals of those seeking a better life in Europe, so the bloc has resorted to outsourcing the challenge to other countries. However, Tunisians now make up one of the largest groups of people seeking asylum in Europe. And the Tunisia corridor is a growing concern for the EU's border and coast guard agency Frontex. From 2019 to 2020, the number of people reaching Italy from Tunisia grew by almost 400%, to more than 13,000 people, according to some nongovernmental organizations. That includes a period when COVID-19 restrictions significantly reduced migrant movements. Saied had a frank discussion on irregular migration" in Brussels last month with top EU officials, and they agreed to work more closely against smugglers and on border management. The latest turmoil adds to concern in Europe that things might get worse. On Tuesday, the EUs top diplomat called for Tunisia's constitutional order to be restored, without directly apportioning any blame. The U.S. government also is watching closely. In addition to supporting its democracy, the U.S. has helped fund Tunisia's efforts to tamp down violent Islamic extremism. Just hours after Saied's announcement, he spoke with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who urged him to adhere to the principles of democracy and human rights" and "maintain open dialogue with all political actors and the Tunisian people. Tunisians themselves want jobs and opportunity, which have remained elusive since their revolution, and many support the president -- at least for now. While there is a risk of new mass unrest, Tunisian political scientist Mohamed-Dhia Hammami said there are strong political actors in Tunisia who can play the role of counterbalance, including labor unions. And unlike in Egypt, Tunisia's military has little control over the economy. Omar Oudherni, a retired Tunisian army brigadier and security expert, said the Tunisian people will not be silent on any tyrant. "Doing what is good will receive support, and if (Saied) wants dictatorship, the people will sweep him up, as they swept others," he added. Aya Batrawy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Lorne Cook reported from Brussels. Elaine Ganley contributed to this report from Paris. UNITED NATIONS (AP) A senior U.S. diplomat urged the U.N. Security Council on Thursday to press Myanmars military to stop violence and restore democracy, warning that with COVID-19 surging and hunger increasing, the longer we delay, the more people die. People wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus ride a motorcycle past a Health Ministry public information campaign billboard about proper hand washing in Shwe Pyi Thar township in Yangon, Myanmar Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (AP Photo) UNITED NATIONS (AP) A senior U.S. diplomat urged the U.N. Security Council on Thursday to press Myanmars military to stop violence and restore democracy, warning that with COVID-19 surging and hunger increasing, the longer we delay, the more people die. Deputy U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis said Myanmar is reeling from a surge in COVID-19 cases and faces a burgeoning health catastrophe as a direct result of the militarys brutality and administrative failures since its coup six months ago. The violence and military crackdown that followed have also displaced hundreds of thousands of people, and up to 2.8 million additional people may be facing food shortages, he said. His appeal for Security Council action follows a call two days ago by Tom Andrews, the U.N. special investigator on human rights in Myanmar, for the Security Council and the U.N.s 193 member states to push for an emergency COVID ceasefire in light of an explosion of coronavirus infections and deaths. Too many in Myanmar have needlessly perished and too many more will die without action by the United Nations, Andrews warned. The U.N. must act immediately to halt the military juntas attacks, harassment and detentions in the midst of a COVID-19 crisis ... so that doctors and nurses can provide life-saving care and international organizations can help deliver vaccinations and related medical care. DeLaurentis told the informal council meeting that Myanmar's military has said it doesnt plan to honor commitments it made in April at a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, known as ASEAN. Myanmar, previously known as Burma, belongs to the 10-member regional group. A man holds an oxygen tank while waiting outside the Naing oxygen factory at the South Dagon industrial zone in Yangon, Myanmar, Wednesday, July 28, 2021. Myanmar is currently reeling from soaring numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths that are badly straining the countrys medical infrastructure. (AP Photo) So what are we waiting for? DeLaurentis asked council members. This council is failing in our collective responsibility to safeguard international peace and security. And it is failing the people of Burma. We must do more, and we must do more now. At the ASEAN summit, leaders issued a five-point action plan that calls for stopping violence, constructive dialogue, appointment of an ASEAN special envoy as mediator, humanitarian aid and the mediators visit to Myanmar. But a day after attending the summit, Myanmars junta leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, said he would consider the five points when the situation in Myanmar is stable, and in May he reportedly told Chinese television he didnt see that the five points could be implemented. Gum San Nsang of the Kachin Political Interim Coordination Team, which advocates for the rights of the Kachin ethnic groups in northern Myanmar, said in a virtual briefing to the council that while we consider ASEANs five-point consensus to be a great step forward, the current health crisis demands immediate robust action. Nsang called on U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to urgently convene a meeting with key parties including ASEAN and China to dispatch teams to communities to administer coronavirus vaccines and provide humanitarian assistance. He called on the Security Council to impose an arms embargo and no-fly zone along Myanmars borders with China, India and Thailand, to impose sanctions on senior military leaders and state-owned enterprises, and to refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court for prosecution for the alleged crime of aggression against civilians. Opponents of the military have been seeking alliances with ethnic minority groups as a way to strengthen their resistance. At least 20 ethnic minorities, including the mainly Christian Kachin, have kept up on-again, off-again armed struggles for greater autonomy for decades Nsang said that despite pain and suffering, sickness and disease, hardship and terror, We can see light at the end of the tunnel." We see the Feb. 1 coup has placed the nation on to fast track to national unity and national cohesion," he said. Solidarity within and across ethnic and religious communities is at a sobering height. In Kachin state, the inter-tribal tensions which we witnessed up until even before the coup hardly exist now. Susanna Hla Hla Soe, minister for women in the National Unity Government set up by ousted lawmakers, said in a virtual briefing that food is getting scarce, the economy is collapsing and the health system has collapsed with a new wave of COVID-19 spreading like wildfire across the country. Soe called the military juntas report of 6,000 positive coronavirus cases and 400 deaths from COVID-19 just the tip of the iceberg, citing the lack of a data collection system. There is also growing evidence that the military council is purposely targeting the health care workers, she said, saying that more than 250 attacks on front-line workers and medical staff have been documented this year. Louis Charbonneau, U.N. director for Human Rights Watch, criticized the Security Council for not having started negotiations on a resolution to address Myanmars crisis. The General Assembly already called for an arms embargo on Myanmar, he said. The Security Council should urgently follow up and impose a global arms embargo on Myanmar, targeted sanctions on military leaders and associated companies, and a ban on gas revenues to the junta. General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, unlike Security Council resolutions. And the 119-1 vote in the General Assembly, with 36 abstentions, reflected divisions that would make it difficult to get agreement on a council resolution. Among the countries abstaining were China and Russia, which are among the five council members with power to veto action. The archbishop of St. Boniface has strongly disavowed comments made by a priest during a sermon that residential school survivors lied to get settlement money. The archbishop of St. Boniface has strongly disavowed comments made by a priest during a sermon that residential school survivors lied to get settlement money. In a video statement, Archbishop Albert LeGatt said he wanted to be "very clear" he doesnt agree with words spoken by Father Rheal Forest, who was filling in at St. Emile Roman Catholic Church this summer while the priest was on vacation. "I completely disavow them, and disavow the way of thinking, the attitude and all that is behind those words," he said. "I'm not just sorry or regret or wish he hadn't used those words," he said. "I disavow that kind of racism." Father Rheal Forest's recently used a sermon to say that residential school survivors lied to get settlement money. (FACEBOOK) His words, he said, "had deeply, deeply hurt people," especially Indigenous people. During his July 10 sermon, Forest claimed residential school survivors lied about sexual abuse to get more money from court settlements, spread falsehoods about residential schools, and that any abuse that happened was not due to priests and nuns. He talked about shooting those who vandalized churches. The comments were posted on the churchs Facebook page. In his response, LeGatt said he wanted to do more than just express regret and apologize for the comments. "It goes beyond saying we apologize," he said. "Its about asking forgiveness, not just saying sorry it happened and promise not to do it again when someone says 'please forgive me,' it comes from a place in the heart." "What we are saying to Indigenous people is please forgive us, to forgive me, to walk with me." Any plea for forgiveness must include taking time to be fully informed and to listen to Indigenous people about the impact of residential schools, he said. Archbishop Albert LeGatt said he wanted to be very clear he doesnt agree with Father Rheal Forest's statements that residential school survivors lied to get settlement money. (Jessie Boily / Winnipeg Free Press files) The archbishop went on to say the incident reveals the need to continue working with priests and members of the diocese "to go much further in terms of learning" about the history of the Roman Catholic Church with Indigenous people. As for Forest, his ability to preach and teach have been completely withdrawn, although he remains a priest and can continue to celebrate mass and hear confessions, the archbishop said. In a follow-up interview with the Free Press, the archbishop noted his comments were made just after news about the sermon broke in the media, and that they were unscripted and "from the heart." While he was sorry to learn about the priests comments, he said he is even sadder knowing there are many non-Indigenous people today who share those views. "Its not just an isolated case," he said. "Its a mindset, you could even call it structural racism, a way of approaching Indigenous people in society that can be in all of us as non-Indigenous people." For non-Indigenous members of the Roman Catholic Church, the goal is to "help each other get beyond those attitudes and ways of thinking that cause further division and harm," he said. That means asking "what does Jesus want, and where is he leading us" with regards to reconciliation with Indigenous people. Want more great journalism? Get our best news and features delivered in your inbox every evening. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. This is a task for priests in the diocese, who can invite people "to see the light of truth" about the experience of Indigenous people in Canada, and find ways for their stories to be heard. His goal is to see a "spirit-led effort to refuse hatred and division and embrace solidarity, dialogue and mutual respect" in the diocese with Indigenous people. Faith@freepress.mb.ca Despite the severe drought throughout southern Manitoba, theres still enough water to supply Winnipeg taps for the rest of this year. Despite the severe drought throughout southern Manitoba, theres still enough water to supply Winnipeg taps for the rest of this year. The city is fortunate to have an especially large water source in Shoal Lake, which provides more than what residents require, said Tim Shanks, Winnipegs manager of water services. Shanks said the lake, which spans the Manitoba/Ontario border, is about a foot below its normal seasonal level. While that still reflects a significant loss of water across such a large lake, and marks Shoals lowest level since 2012, Winnipeg is not expected to face a water shortage because of it. Several factors, including guaranteed access to an especially large water source in Shoal Lake, offer Winnipeggers some water security other Manitoba communities dont have to cope with the lack of rain. On Tuesday, the City of Morden declared an extreme drought and asked residents and businesses to reduce water consumption by more than 30 per cent. (Alex Lupul / Winnipeg Free Press files) "We dont have any issues supplying daily water demands and dont anticipate any issues during this year," said Shanks. The city also has backup options for its water supply, should extremely dry weather continue into next year. Since Winnipeg didnt grow as fast as it was expected to when its aqueduct was completed in 1919, it has extra capacity, Shanks said. Winnipeggers also tend to conserve water, which helps ensure capacity, he said. Shoal Lake, which spans the Manitoba-Ontario border, supplies Winnipeg's water. "Winnipeggers have reduced their per capita water use significantly since the 1980s Were about 30 per cent less than the average Canadian per capita water demands," said Shanks. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "That helps a lot in terms of the environment. It also helps a lot in terms of being able to maintain the use of (our) existing water supply structure." Recorded water levels, in feet, at the Shoal Lake intake that supplied Winnipeg's water. (City of Winnipeg) These factors offer Winnipeggers some water security other Manitoba communities dont have to cope with the lack of rain. On Tuesday, the City of Morden declared an extreme drought and asked residents and businesses to reduce water consumption by more than 30 per cent. Joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga A senior cabinet minister in the Pallister government says he didn't know the premier ordered staff to hire a private investigator to dig up dirt on NDP Leader Wab Kinew before the last provincial election. A senior cabinet minister in the Pallister government says he didn't know the premier ordered staff to hire a private investigator to dig up dirt on NDP Leader Wab Kinew before the last provincial election. Even if he did know, Finance Minister Scott Fielding says he wouldn't have been part of it. "I didn't know anything of this," Fielding said. Fielding made the comments during a news conference Friday about the expansion of the St. James Civic Centre. "I certainly wasnt involved in that and this is something I wouldnt be involved in," said Fielding. "What I can say is my No. 1 goal is to make sure the economy is rolling along as being minister of finance during a pandemic is a really important job. Thats my focus here. "Until I have more information, Im hesitant to make comment on it because I dont have all the facts," he added. "We need to take a moment, find out all the information before, you know, making any comments further to that." The Free Press reported Friday that the Progressive Conservative party hired a private investigator to snoop on Kinew. Multiple sources said the provincial executive council's most senior staff oversaw the plan. The office is funded by tax dollars to give policy, legislative, communications and other political support to the premier. While these staff members aren't civil servants, and are partisan, they are still paid by the government and they must adhere to guidelines to separate party and electoral business from regular work at the legislature. Todd MacKay, Prairie director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said political staff should stick to government work. "There's a lot of important work for political staff to do when the province is running a big deficit and they shouldn't be wasting time fact-checking the opposition leader's autobiography," said MacKay. "It's good that they didn't waste taxpayers' money on a private investigator, but that sort of thing shouldn't be connected to the legislature. "There are always grey areas in politics, but this is on the dark charcoal side of the spectrum." Pallister has not spoken publicly, or been accessible to the media, for at least two weeks and he refused numerous attempts to respond to the issue before the story was published. A news release issued Friday said Pallister would attend a news conference on Tuesday, along with Dr. Brent Roussin, the province's chief public health officer, about the easing of restrictions related to COVID-19. But a statement from the premier's office on Thursday, which didn't confirm or deny the hiring of the private investigator hiring, did acknowledge it would be inappropriate for executive council staff to engage in partisan activities such as that. The statement added the senior staff who would have been involved in "the alleged matters" no longer work for the government. On Thursday, Kinew said he wasn't surprised at how far Pallister had gone to dig up dirt on him. "Using a private investigator is a little bit outside normal practice for Canadian politicians," he said. "The Tories are clearly less interested in debating the real issues and more interested in the politics of personal destruction." Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said on Friday the scandal shows "Pallister is not fit to lead, but this is not just Pallister alone. "This is the political culture of the Conservatives. They have never won an election without bending or breaking the rules. Donations to political parties are subsidized. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "Its not just PC donors who are paying for this, we all are." Meanwhile, the Manitoba Organization of Faculty Associations called for Pallister's immediate resignation on Friday, pointing to not just his governments push for Bill 33, which it says transforms universities from places of higher learning to "instruments of short-term government economic policy", and Bill 64, which takes away governance of education from school boards to the provincial government, but also for what the premier recently said about residential schools as well as the scandal over the hiring of a private investigator. "Mr. Pallister has lost the moral authority to lead on these issues with his repeated racist tropes, and outdated and regressive views on colonialism and residential schools," said Scott Forbes in a statement on behalf of the association executive. "Now he compounds this by using government staff to conduct a personal and political vendetta against an Indigenous leader. He has crossed too many lines and the longer he stays in office, the more the damage grows." kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca An expansion of the St. James Civic Centre is on the way. An expansion of the St. James Civic Centre is on the way. Politicians from all three levels of government gathered Friday to announce a funding agreement for a 14,000-square-foot facility expansion expected to cost about $14 million. "Spaces like these play a huge role in our everyday lives. Its important to do what we can to expand and improve them and meet growing needs," said Terry Duguid, the Liberal MP for Winnipeg South. Under an Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program agreement, the federal government will provide $5.2 million for the expansion and the province will pay $4.4 million. The city will pay $4.3 million in total, which covers some costs that werent eligible for tri-government funding. The cash will go toward a new multi-purpose program, meeting rooms, a dedicated administrative space for the St. James Assiniboia 55+ Centre and a community kitchen, as well as improvements to the auditorium, main building entry and washrooms. "The goal of this facility will be to see it become a multi-generational facility... and serve our community well," said Scott Gillingham, the city councillor for St. James. Politicians noted planning for the expansion has been underway for several years, which one critic argues reflects an unnecessary delay. The NDP MLA for St. James accused the provincial government of holding up the expansion by failing to fund it sooner. "While the PCs dragged their heels, seniors, kids and community members lost access to the programs and facilities that help them stay healthy and active," Adrien Sala said in an emailed statement. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The city applied for the funding in the fall of 2019. The civic centre, which is owned and operated by the city, was built in 1966. The centre was closed in April 2020 for a previously funded $9.7-million renovation to upgrade the building. That work, which is underway, included replacing mechanical and electrical systems, replacing two roofs, repairing the concrete arena slab, bringing building systems up to code and adding a new fire-suppression system. Four wildfires in eastern Manitoba have merged to create one huge inferno east of Bloodvein First Nation. Four wildfires in eastern Manitoba have merged to create one huge inferno east of Bloodvein First Nation. At 80,000 hectares, it's one of the largest wildfires on record, a spokesman for the province said Thursday. Its currently the third-largest active fire in the province. A fire directly north, east of Berens River First Nation, was estimated at 230,000 hectares on Thursday. Residents of both First Nations were evacuated to Winnipeg and Brandon because of the dense smoke that has enveloped the region. The two fires are creating challenges for firefighters, said Don Hallett, assistant director of the Manitoba Wildfire Service. "Theres limited water sources in a number of locations throughout there," he said. "With the extremely dry conditions that Manitoba has been experiencing this spring and summer, these fires that burn at this intensity tend to burn deeper into the ground, taking more resources and more time to put out." The fires dont immediately threaten the evacuated communities, said Hallett. He couldnt say when residents of the communities will be able to return home, but with fires of similar size often burning for months, its likely it could be a long evacuation. Hallett said they need significant rainfall to make headway. Alex Lupul / Winnipeg Free Press files Four wildfires in eastern Manitoba have merged to create one huge inferno east of Bloodvein First Nation. "If we get some good precipitation, were able to make a lot of fireline in a hurry, but we need that co-operation from nature," he said. Reinforcements from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Canadian Armed Forces are already battling fires across the province. Hallet said more support from Nova Scotia and Quebec are not yet confirmed. A full travel ban restricts everyone who is not a permanent resident from entering the region. This includes the area north of the Wanipigow River, east of Lake Winnipeg to the Ontario border, including Atikaki Provincial Park and north to Poplar River. The wildfire near Gypsumville, 270 kilometres north of Winnipeg near Highway 6, has consumed more than 200,000 hectares since it began May 12. Meantime, the wildfire service has gradually lifted fire and travel restrictions in the north, due to improved weather conditions. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Areas along the Saskatchewan border from Clearwater Lake Provincial park to the provinces northern border are at level one restrictions. An area that covers the northern edge of Lake Winnipeg to the Ontario border and Hudson Bay, is also at level one. That means campfires and motorized backcountry travel are allowed between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. The province said the south and central regions are under extreme fire danger levels, and restrictions will continue to be enforced. The areas south of Clearwater Lake Provincial Park, east through the Interlake and southeastern regions bordering Ontario remain at level two restrictions. Camping in these areas is restricted to developed campgrounds; landing and launching watercraft must be done at developed shorelines only; all motorized backcountry travel is prohibited, and campfires are allowed only between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. Wayside parks remain open. Fireworks and sky lanterns are prohibited in all provincial parks. It's believed the largest fire on record took place in 1989, when 3.9 million hectares were consumed by flames across Manitoba. cody.sellar@freepress.mb.ca Manitoba's Protection for Persons in Care Office, which investigates abuse and neglect of vulnerable people, has launched a probe into the Maples Long Term Care Home after 57 residents died during a COVID-19 outbreak in November. Manitoba's Protection for Persons in Care Office, which investigates abuse and neglect of vulnerable people, has launched a probe into the Maples Long Term Care Home after 57 residents died during a COVID-19 outbreak in November. Maples Long Term Care Home and Parkview Place which had 30 deaths due to COVID-19 are still banned from accepting new residents and their licences remain under review more than six months after their outbreaks were declared over. To read more of this story first reported by CBC News, click here. This content is made available to Free Press readers as part of an agreement with CBC that sees our two trusted news brands collaborate to better cover Manitoba. Questions about CBC content can be directed to talkback@cbc.ca. Mayor Brian Bowman is publicly pressuring Manitobas premier to apologize for his comments on Canadas colonial history, which have been roundly condemned. Mayor Brian Bowman is publicly pressuring Manitobas premier to apologize for his comments on Canadas colonial history, which have been roundly condemned. In a Friday morning tweet, the mayor urged Premier Brian Pallister to apologize for comments Bowman deemed "historically inaccurate and counterproductive to our journey of reconciliation." Bowman said he felt compelled to ask the premier to express his remorse after hearing from Indigenous people. "I was quite angered by the comments because I, along with many Winnipeggers, have put so much effort into building bridges with Indigenous peoples in Canada and I was hopeful and I still am, that the premier will just simply apologize," he said. Bowmans tweet was posted a couple of hours before he joined provincial and federal officials for an infrastructure announcement, while the premier made the comments on July 7. "The people who came to this country, before it was a country and since, didnt come here to destroy anything," Pallister said at the time. "They came to build better." Multiple Indigenous leaders and others have condemned the comments, stating they ignore the harms of colonialism on Indigenous people, including within the residential school system. Pallister did not specifically mention the schools, facilities the mayor described as "part of a genocide committed against Indigenous cultures (and) Indigenous peoples." "Ive been waiting, along with a lot of Manitobans, for the premier to apologize. If his caucus wont publicly insist that he apologize, I think it falls on community leaders like myself," said Bowman. So far, the premier has stood by his comments, stating that they have been misconstrued. In an email, a spokesperson for the premiers office declined to comment on the timing of Bowmans tweet and did not state specifically whether the premier will apologize. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "Premier and cabinet are focused on real reconciliation efforts and advancing equal opportunity for all. Only the mayor can comment on what his personal motivations are for himself," the statement said. Bowman said he posted his request Friday simply due to growing concerns about the premiers comments. Manitoba cabinet ministers Scott Fielding and Reg Helwer were also at Fridays press conference. While neither weighed in on the call for an apology, both ministers stressed they are committed to reconciliation. "My opinion on this is its a tragedy that happened (at residential schools) and, I think, as a society, here in Manitoba, we need to learn from mistakes that happened in the past so we can go forward. And, so, Im absolutely committed to reconciliation," said Fielding. Joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga The federal government has reached a nearly $8-billion settlement with multiple First Nations who launched class-action lawsuits over the lack of clean, safe drinking water in their communities. The federal government has reached a nearly $8-billion settlement with multiple First Nations who launched class-action lawsuits over the lack of clean, safe drinking water in their communities. That could mean compensation for 15 Manitoba communities, such as Tataskweyak Cree Nation, one of the three plaintiffs. The lack of safe water to drink has had traumatic consequences in their community, Tataskweyak Chief Doreen Spence says. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press files) "Not having clean, safe water to drink has had some devastating and traumatic consequences on every generation in our community," Tataskweyak Chief Doreen Spence told reporters at a Friday news conference. She joined the Curve Lake First Nation (Saskatchewan) and Neskantaga First Nation (Northern Ontario) in reaching an "historic" agreement in principle with Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller. The agreement includes $1.5 billion in compensation for people who were deprived of clean drinking water, the creation of a $400-million First Nation economic and cultural restoration fund. Tataskweyaks lawyer, Michael Rosenberg, told the Free Press the agreement holds Ottawa to upholding a basic human right to water, and a mechanism to quickly resolve disputes when Ottawa falls short of that. "It's a commitment to make all reasonable efforts to ensure (First Nations) have regular access to clean drinking water in their homes; that doesn't just mean to drink but to do most ordinary things that Canadians take for granted," he said. The combined $1.9 billion will apply to roughly 142,000 people spread across 258 reserves across Canada, based on the severity and duration of water issues. Manitoba has had a comparatively quick restoration of water services, with 13 long-term advisories resolved and two outstanding. Aside from Tataskweyak, fly-in Shamattawa has been under an advisory since December 2018, though an expansion of its treatment plant is currently under construction. Many more advisories persist in remote locations in Northern Ontario. The agreement also promises at least $6 billion to support reliable access to safe drinking water on reserve, and a renewed commitment to Canada's action plan for the lifting of all long-term drinking water advisories. Spence said her community (also known as Split Lake), has been in decline over a boil-water advisory that started four years ago. She said children who swim in local waters have reported skin reactions, and she linked the water issues to the suicides last month by three young men. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "Having this water crisis among us has created a declining health and wellness of our community," Spence told reporters, while pausing to gather her emotions "The water has harmed our spiritual relationship and cultural practices with water. It has limited our ability to grow and develop as a community." Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised in 2015 to lift all drinking water advisories by March 2021, but Miller acknowledged in December the government would not meet that goal. Miller said, as of today, First Nations with support of Indigenous Services Canada have lifted 108 long-term drinking water advisories since November 2015. with files from The Canadian Press dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca Premier Brian Pallister ordered his senior political staff to hire a private investigator to dig up dirt on NDP Leader Wab Kinew in the prelude to the 2019 election, a violation of strict guidelines preventing partisan activities from intruding on the business of government. Premier Brian Pallister ordered his senior political staff to hire a private investigator to dig up dirt on NDP Leader Wab Kinew in the prelude to the 2019 election, a violation of strict guidelines preventing partisan activities from intruding on the business of government. Although the Winnipeg private investigator was ultimately paid with party funds, multiple sources within the Pallister government confirmed oversight for the initiative was provided by some of the most senior staff in executive council, the office funded by taxpayers to provide communications, policy, legislative and other political support directly to the premier. The sources, who have asked not to be named out of fear of reprisal, described relentless demands by Pallister to have senior staff find new dirt for a smear campaign against Kinew. "He was completely obsessed with bringing down Kinew," one source said. "He made it clear to all of us that we were going to keep at this until we found something." Executive council staff are not part of the regular civil service and are partisan by nature. However, they are still on the government's payroll and there are strict guidelines to keep party or electoral business away from day-to-day work in the offices of the Manitoba legislature. "He was completely obsessed with bringing down Kinew. He made it clear to all of us that we were going to keep at this until we found something." Source Political scientist Paul Thomas, an expert on parliamentary procedure and ethics, said politicians and their parties have always devoted resources to digging up dirt on each other. While it can be difficult to find the line between government and partisan business, the design and execution of an attack campaign on a political opponent is an inappropriate matter to be considered in the halls of government, he added. "You shouldn't have people walking into the premier's office to provide updates from an investigator on how the investigation into Wab Kinew is going," said Thomas. "This is taking partisan activity to an extreme. It's definitely well beyond what we would consider to be responsible behaviour on the part of political leaders in that kind of environment." Pallister refused repeated requests for an interview. A statement from the premier's office neither confirmed nor denied the hiring of a private investigator, but did acknowledge that partisan activities, such as those described by the sources, are inappropriate in executive council. "Overtly partisan activities are the purview of partisan entities, not executive council," the statement read. "The executive council senior staff who would have direct involvement in the alleged matters are no longer employed by this government." MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES A statement from Premier Brian Pallister's office neither confirmed nor denied the hiring of a private investigator to dig up dirt on NDP Leader Wab Kinew( (right). In an interview, Kinew said he is alarmed at the lengths to which Pallister has gone to dig up dirt, but not surprised. "Using a private investigator is a little bit outside normal practice for Canadian politicians," he said. "The Tories are clearly less interested in debating the real issues and more interested in the politics of personal destruction." The sources' revelation emerged in the wake of news earlier this month that a public interest group hired a PI to tail a Manitoba chief justice while he is presiding over a case before the courts. The sources confirmed Pallister possesses a copy of Kinew's 2017 autobiography, The Reason You Walk, which he often references or pulls out during senior staff meetings. They said the book is tabbed and marked up with dozens of notations highlighting details the premier believed would lead them to embarrassing or career-ending revelations. "He was totally fixated on digging up dirt about Kinew," one source said. "He was constantly pulling out the book and telling people to 'look at page whatever, there has to be more on that.' He totally hounded us to keep at it." As recently as May, Pallister brandished the book in a legislative committee hearing in an attack on Kinew. He later called Kinew "an asshole" at the same hearing, but later apologized. YOUTUBE A screen shot of Pallister with Kinew's book from a Youtube video of the Committee of Supply meeting posted on May 25. Kinew has been dogged by critics for his past. A former rap musician, he has been condemned for profane, racist and misogynistic song lyrics he penned and performed. During a period in which he admits to being an alcoholic, Kinew had had several run-ins with police, including incidents in which he assaulted a cab driver and faced criminal charges relating to allegations he physically assaulted a former girlfriend. The charges were eventually stayed. The plan to hire a private investigator was hatched a year before the snap election call in 2019. Sources said that in early 2018, Phil Houde, Pallister's former chief of staff, was ordered to hire an investigator using party money. The investigator did not do any surveillance; the task was largely to re-examine court documents and possibly conduct interviews. The plan was well known to most senior staff, including advisers such as David McLaughlin, a two-time campaign manager for the PC party who was serving at that time as a paid consultant on Pallister's climate-change policies. "He was totally fixated on digging up dirt about Kinew. He was constantly pulling out the book and telling people to 'look at page whatever, there has to be more on that.' He totally hounded us to keep at it." Source The sources said McLaughlin, who has since been appointed clerk of the executive council, was a key figure in supporting the premier's obsession with Kinew. It was during planning for the 2019 election that McLaughlin formed a clandestine group of party operatives some of them high-ranking staff in executive council to amass compromising information on Kinew for an attack website. This group also created numerous "burner accounts" to post anti-Wab information on social media platforms. Houde and McLaughlin declined requests for an interview. The PC party did acknowledge digging into Kinew's background but would not confirm that it had paid for a private investigator. "One of the most important duties of any political party in our democratic system is to present clear and factual information to the public so that they can make fully informed decisions." PC party statement However, in an emailed statement, the party reiterated its concerns that some of the most serious incidents from Kinew's past were not included in his autobiography. These events, the party said, became relevant as soon as Kinew assumed leadership of the NDP and began seeking the premiership. "One of the most important duties of any political party in our democratic system is to present clear and factual information to the public so that they can make fully informed decisions," the party said in its statement. "Part of that duty includes holding other parties and their leaders accountable for past actions and statements." The party statement also accused NDP staff of regularly conducting surveillance of a former (Tory) opposition leader, although officials refused to identify the individual. The NDP denied it had ever used an investigator or had anyone connected to the party surveil a Tory leader. dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights reopened to fully vaccinated members of the public this week, drawing cries of discrimination from those who have chosen not to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights reopened to fully vaccinated members of the public this week, drawing cries of discrimination from those who have chosen not to get vaccinated against COVID-19. While the some of the backlash has been "disturbing," museum CEO Isha Khan said the conflict has opened room for a conversation about human rights during the pandemic. "We made the decision to open in compliance with that law, really because were a public institution and we saw it as our responsibility to open as soon as we could to the public within the restrictions as they currently are," Khan said Thursday. "It's really important to us, as the Canadian Museum for Human Rights we have a mandate for human rights education, that were trying to ground the conversation in human rights principles. Isha Khan "But its really important to us, as the Canadian Museum for Human Rights we have a mandate for human rights education, that were trying to ground the conversation in human rights principles." The museum received hundreds of comments on a July 15 Facebook post announcing the museum would reopen in accordance with public health orders which mandate that museums and art galleries only open to those who can prove they are fully vaccinated, and children under 12 who visit with a vaccinated adult. Several commenters called the museums decision "segregation," "discrimination," or "hypocritical," and compared the opening strategy to that of an authoritarian regime. Khan said several comments used racist, sexist and violent language. The comments were deleted. Khan said the museum also responded to emails, phone calls, and even an in-person protest on opening day. There is room for some thoughtful dialogue about these issues, about how people feel when their rights are impacted and what feels like a human rights infringement and to question whether it is or not, but it has to be a respectful dialogue. Isha Khan Khan said she was "disappointed and somewhat disturbed" by the tone, but insisted on engaging in respectful dialogue about human rights and discrimination with those open to conversation. "The reaction that this doesnt make sense, or the anger and fear around vaccination programs, the hesitancy, I can see where it comes from," said Khan. "There is room for some thoughtful dialogue about these issues, about how people feel when their rights are impacted and what feels like a human rights infringement and to question whether it is or not, but it has to be a respectful dialogue." The museum released a statement Tuesday outlining the reasoning behind the choice to reopen under public health rules, while highlighting the definition of discrimination for those concerned their exclusion amounted to an infringement upon human rights. "Discrimination is a concept that is defined in law," Khan explained, referencing the protections outlined in Canadas Charter of Rights and Freedoms. "Its based on the idea that were born free and equal in dignity and in rights, but discrimination is specifically defined in those laws as treating people differently on the basis of these characteristics that really go to the root of who we are as a human being." While choosing not to be vaccinated does not amount to a core human characteristic, and thereby does not meet the legal threshold for discrimination, Khan said she understands the anger and frustration some members of the public feel. "There are very real human rights issues as a result of this pandemic; access to vaccines, rates of infection and hospitalization among those who are socially disadvantaged or from historically marginalized groups. "There are so many issues that we should focus on related to this pandemic that raise very real human rights issues about health, that I think we have to be careful not to conflate this issue about temporary restrictions on access," said Khan. julia-simone.rutgers@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @jsrutgers Winnipeg police are under the gun for being the only force in Canada to acquire a robot that's generated controversy in the U.S. for being heavy-handed policing. Winnipeg police are under the gun for being the only force in Canada to acquire a robot that's generated controversy in the U.S. for being heavy-handed policing. The service insists the $257,000 device will help keep the city safe. "To me it's like a big eff-you to Winnipeggers," said University of Winnipeg criminologist Kevin Walby. "It touches on so many of the issues facing policing: their budgets relative to those for community development, militarization, aggressive policing (and) police violence." Boston Dynamics dubs its 32-kilogram robot "Spot," which can navigate obstacles and uneven terrain, unlike robots police have used for decades that manoeuvre on wheels and tracks. The four-legged robot dog can walk up and down stairs, facilitate a conversation remotely and will be outfitted with an arm that can open doorknobs. Police say thats needed to deal with armed and barricaded incidents, which occurred 89 times last year, including when someone is held hostage. "This robotic platform is truly a piece of safety equipment," Insp. Brian Miln said Thursday. "We truly believe it is going to enhance safety for our front-line members and by proxy, for the citizens of Winnipeg." Boston Dynamics lists Spots purchase price at US$74,500. Winnipeg police are spending $257,000 to buy one device, outfit it with an arm and cameras, and to cover taxes and shipping. "It touches on so many of the issues facing policing: their budgets relative to those for community development, militarization, aggressive policing (and) police violence." U of W criminologist Kevin Walby The cost will be covered by the province's proceeds-of-crime fund: money and assets seized from criminals which is used to pay for police resources. City Coun. Markus Chambers chairs the police board, which reviews overall procurement but not individual expenses. "Could the money be spent in other areas? Potentially, but if we are talking about the safety of officers, (police) dogs and the public, it's something that is worth this investment," he said. Walby argued the device is intimidating, and said more of that funding should go to housing and anti-poverty initiatives, given that Winnipeg spends a larger share of its budget on policing than most Canadian cities. "They made a very greedy decision to buy a toy and I think that really reflects their greedy worldview," said Walby. They made a very greedy decision to buy a toy and I think that really reflects their greedy worldview. U of W criminologist Kevin Walby Miln countered that his colleagues have been monitoring the devices use and development over the past two to three years, and felt it had proven its use as a public-safety tool. "We are, in fact, leading the charge here in Winnipeg as being the first law enforcement agency in Canada to acquire this piece of technology," he said. American law professors who specialize in police technology have raised concerns about the efficacy of robot-dog devices, and the possibility that police will use them to surveil people beyond the ability of human officers. For example, Elizabeth Joh of the University of California, Davis, has argued a "Spot" device could easily be used with facial recognition or thermal imaging if there arent strict guidelines to restrict their use, which she has argued must be made public. BOSTON DYNAMICS Spot will cost the police service $257,000. The New York Police Department stopped using the robot in April, after citizens complained it was creepy. Democrat representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called it a "robotic surveillance ground drone." The force cancelled its contract for the device, which it had dubbed "Digidog." In 2019, Massachusetts State Police reported numerous issues with a test run of the robot, including that it toppled while walking up stairs, according to internal records obtained by tech site OneZero. The bomb squad couldnt get the device to assess a suspicious package as it kept going into "sit" mode instead of walking over, and it provided poor video quality. Boston Dynamics did not respond to interview requests. Miln said the police wont use the tool until they have a firm understanding of when it should be deployed. "We are in the midst of working on a very robust procedure, in terms of the operational use of this tool (and which) situations that it can be used in," he said. "This robotic platform is truly a piece of safety equipment." Insp. Brian Miln "We wouldn't use something like this to intimidate somebody or use it at the expense of somebody's rights or their dignity. We would never use a tool like this for nefarious purposes, such as that." The acquisition comes at a time when polls show a growing unease toward the Winnipeg Police Service, and an ongoing reckoning over the role of police and how they have treated racialized and Indigenous people. Winnipeg police acquire controversial robot dog Click to Expand The robotic dog "Spot" is seen operating a switch in a video made by its manufacturer, Boston Dynamics. (YouTube) Posted: 6:06 PM Jul. 28, 2021 The Winnipeg Police Service is set to acquire a pricey dog-shaped robot, to be used in hostage situations, that's already been ditched by police in New York City. "Spot" is made by Boston Dynamics, which sells the device for US$74,500. Winnipeg police are spending $257,000 to acquire and use Spot. The 32-kilogram robot "has the ability to navigate obstacles, uneven terrain (and) situations where our traditional robot platforms can't go into," said Insp. Brian Miln at a news conference Wednesday. Read Full Story "They don't seem to be listening to the critiques, saying we want fewer resources for police; we want less aggressive policing and more resources for social development," said Walby. He argues it fits the trend of the Winnipeg service, which bought an armoured vehicle and helicopter, and takes them to community events to impress children. The police insist this technology is crucial for catching people trying to evade the police and dealing with heavily armed people, publishing reports with data to back up those assertions, which criminologists have disputed. "Given this trend of them buying these sorts of toys for publicity, more than functionality, they'll probably end up using it more in that form than anything else," Walby said. Miln insisted police will use the device for public safety, but said no one should be surprised if it shows up at a childrens event. "Is there a potential use, to reach out and engage with the community with some of these tools? Absolutely, it doesnt always have be a serious, operational use," he said. "Just as there are people who oppose the certain types of technologies, we still have a whole group of people who are interested and keen in the technologies." dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca JOHN James Audubons name is well known across the globe. Opinion JOHN James Audubons name is well known across the globe. A gifted artist, his paintings of birds led to the creation of the 116-year-old National Audubon Society, now with 500 chapters involved in environmental projects from renewable energy to climate changes. It began with Audubons unquestioned love of birds. The same cant be said for his view of human beings. Audubon was a slaveholder, a white supremacist with a disdain for Black people and Native Americans. Now, the society which, to its credit, has documented the darkness behind Audubons brightly coloured paintings is pondering name changes of both the society and numerous bird species. As the Washington Post pointed out recently, the names of more than 150 birds "honour people with connections to slavery and supremacy." Its a cautionary tale being played out around the world the Entomological Society of America is renaming the gypsy moth because the name includes an ethnic slur and one of which the Manitoba government should take notice. The government is pondering what to do with the legislature grounds statues that were torn down by "vandals." It will put them back up, somewhere, because vandals dont set public policy. In the future, however, it should end the practice of honouring individuals through statues or names on streets and buildings. If it isnt clear by now, about the only perfect people to be found are the fictional types in Marvel Comics. Go ahead, build a statue of Doctor Strange, name a street after Daredevil, but maybe leave real people to be explained in history books. In this world, it turns out humans have flaws. And some whom we might once have revered are responsible for policies and decisions ranging from humiliating to hurtful to horrifying. Most have emerged from a long-simmering brew of ignorance and racism. Most recently, the focus has been residential schools. But there have been many grim signposts along Canadas memory lane: During the Second World War, more than 20,000 Japanese Canadians had their properties confiscated and were imprisoned in internment camps. Most were Canadian-born. Once welcomed to building the railroad, thousands of Chinese immigrants were forced to pay a head tax by the national government. In 1914, the Canadian government refused to allow the immigration of several hundred South Asians aboard the Komagata Maru. They were sent back to India, where many were killed and hundreds were imprisoned as "revolutionaries." In 1939, Canada refused entry to almost 1,000 German Jews trying to escape the Third Reich aboard the steamship St. Louis. They were turned away, and many lost their lives in the Holocaust. Hundreds of Indigenous women and people designated as "mental defectives" were forcibly sterilized under legislation in various jurisdictions in Canada. While there have been successive government apologies for these, and other, crimes against humanity, the names of some of those directly responsible still grace public places. They shouldnt. Who wants to be a member of an organization named after a person who bought and sold human beings? Its easy to avoid the problem: stop creating sculptures or naming roadways and buildings after figures you think have accomplished great things. Because times change. Some residents of Wolseley want their neighbourhood name changed. It was named after a British general sent to put down Louis Riels Red River resistance. A bold figure then, not so much now. Ironically, Riel was deemed a traitor then, not so much now. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Times change. People change. Even the Canadian Museum for Human Rights has had a few controversies as it has tried to keep up with the rise and fall of human-rights crusaders turned villains and back again. The authorities who decide what graces public spaces might consider statues and names that reflect ideas or honour groups of people. Individuals rarely achieve greatness on their own. They dont do it for the honours. For example, the Manitoba Teachers Society funded a major work at Qaumajuq, the new Inuit art gallery. It honours the work of teachers, not one individual. The approach could also help promote the work of Manitobas many artists and advance the idea of public art. We seem to be in a new Age of Enlightenment. It should be embraced. George Stephenson is a Winnipeg writer. Despite the dearth of capital investment for Manitoba businesses, one Dauphin-based company is paving the way with success through the trust and support of Canadas largest publicly traded firm. Despite the dearth of capital investment for Manitoba businesses, one Dauphin-based company is paving the way with success through the trust and support of Canadas largest publicly traded firm. Prairie Supply Co. has grown in revenue by over 200 per cent during the pandemic, after receiving three rounds of funding from Ottawa-headquartered giant Shopify Inc. The small business has been around for almost 11 years in the rural Manitoba location selling snowboards, skateboards and snacks as a retail store nestled between Riding Mountain National Park and Duck Mountain Provincial Park. Owner and manager Dale Jacobs told the Free Press, while his business was one of the earlier converts to e-commerce, he never quite imagined seeing his online sales skyrocket the way they did in 2020 without his partnership with Shopify. 'Shopify has created a gamechanger for everyone involved' "Its definitely hard when youre setting things up. It takes years and years with lots of trial and error, and even still, you dont have enough funding to leverage your growth," Jacobs said. His company had been connected with Shopify as a merchant for a few years, but finding capital wasnt so easy. "As an entrepreneur, its very frustrating when youre looking around everywhere to raise the sum of money you need to pursue your business targets," said Jacobs. "All they want are bottom lines, because youre only as good as yearly numbers on paper," he added. "In reality, we know that for small and local businesses, that may not happen so quickly while youre focusing on development and building infrastructure, because your own personal investment is so heavy that it weighs down on profits." So, when bank after bank kept telling Jacobs that his business was too risky to invest in, Shopify did the opposite. "They understood what the entrepreneur process really is, and for me, it was like a breath of fresh air," he said. The way the deal worked was that with every round of funding, Shopify used advanced artificial technology from 70 million data points to understand trends within a given merchants potential. This eliminated lengthy interviews, applications and reviews of credit scores or financial plans; to provide capital within two to five business days. Monetarily, the partnership allows Shopify to not take the often unsuccessful route of an angel investor who buys up equity from a local company. Instead, the e-commerce giant purchases future receivables in exchange for the promise to remit that funding amount plus a bit more. "For example," a Shopify spokeswoman explained, "we would purchase $10,000 of a merchants future receivables in exchange for a merchant to promise to remit $10,900 of their future sales. The $900 is the amount we charge for the financing, and is repaid by a merchants daily remittances on days they make sales." The spokeswoman told the Free Press what makes the arrangement special is that its "giving business owners a worry-free way to secure and repay business funding," while allowing them to use it on whatever they see fit with their future plans. Jacobs couldnt agree more. After all, through the funding, not only was Prairie Supply able to build up on inventory and receive an abundance of sales, it also hired additional employees to market its business on social media channels like Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. "And the best part is, you can keep getting more funding the more you pay it back," said Jacobs, who has received just over $200,000 so far. Shopify says its interested in partnering with other Manitoba businesses, too. As of May, the company has funded merchants in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. with US$2 billion since launching Shopify Capital. Thats welcome news because seven out of 15 Canadian industries experienced an overall decline in investment from 2015 to 2019, a new report from the Fraser Institute revealed Thursday. The trend is suggested to have only worsened during the pandemic, which renowned author and senior Fraser fellow Steven Globerman called "troubling." "Its bad news for the economy," Globerman said, citing how every single industry experienced severe declines in investment; including oil and gas (down 48 per cent), agriculture, forestry and fishing (19 per cent), utilities (19 per cent) and retail trade (11 per cent). "At the end of the day," Jacobs said, "running a business isnt easy. The last thing you want to do is see your own financial objectives get in the way of your growth. By removing these barriers, Shopify has created a game-changer for everyone involved." temur.durrani@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @temurdur Someone posed as a health-care aide and worked as many as eight shifts in two weeks at St. Boniface Hospital before they were caught. Someone posed as a health-care aide and worked as many as eight shifts in two weeks at St. Boniface Hospital before they were caught. The bizarre incident triggered an internal investigation by the hospital, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and Shared Health. The "unauthorized person" worked at the hospital, including in the ER, between July 2 and July 17. They retrieved supplies and escorted patients to rooms, but had no access to controlled medications, the health authority said. The person began a week-long training course to work as an uncertified health-care aide, but didn't complete the course, WRHA said. The individual phoned the staffing office at St. Boniface Hospital and presented themselves as a newly hired uncertified health-care aide. They were wrongly scheduled to work one shift before their employment status was confirmed and they were informed they were not eligible to work, the WRHA stated. The error was discovered after the individual worked their first shift, the health authority said. But the person kept showing up for work and seemed to know a lot about the hiring process, the hospital and the staff. "The individual possessed seemingly deep knowledge of the facility, its units and managers. With this information, the individual was able to present themselves to screening and security as an employee and was admitted on multiple occasions," the health authority stated. The person had never worked at the hospital and is no longer in the training program, WRHA spokesperson Scott Sime said in response to Free Press questions. "We cannot explain how they had the level of knowledge they did of the hospital and staff." Staff members spotted the individual, barred them from the hospital and called police. Police determined the person had "no ill will," and no charges are expected to be laid, the WRHA said. "We cannot speak to this persons motive, although they indicated clearly their desire to be a health care employee," Sime said. He said they have no reason to believe anyone was put in danger; they haven't heard any complaints from patients or any concerns about the person's job performance in the hospital. Uncertified health-care aides are supposed to help the certified health-care aides with duties such as dressing patients and taking them to the bathroom. They can get supplies and observe patients but they are under direct supervision from other staff at virtually all times, Sime said. The individual was paid for the initial shift that was scheduled before the staffing office discovered the person hadn't been hired, a hospital spokesperson said. The WRHA revealed the incident in a statement Thursday, in which it described the case as highly unusual and troubling. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "The circumstances of this incident while highly unusual and isolated are troubling, as it appears that gaps in process were allowed to occur. St. Boniface Hospital has taken the appropriate steps to ensure staff are aware of the incident and to reinforce that staff IDs are always visible and always presented upon entry. "The WRHA confirmed that all health care sites in Winnipeg are aware of this issue and of our existing policies and requirements related to staff identification. We would like to remind both staff and patients that you have a right and are encouraged to ask any health care worker to view their formal identification at any time if it is not visible. "Additionally, the WRHA is working with St. Boniface Hospital and Shared Health to conclude an investigation that will clearly identify the issues and gaps in policy, process, and practice. Corrective measures have beenand will continue to betaken." St. Boniface Hospital has apologized and encouraged patients who have any concerns about the incident to call its patient relations office at 204-237-2306. katie.may@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @thatkatiemay OTTAWA - The federal government is tapping the brakes on its plans to phase out pandemic aid programs this summer, deciding instead to freeze benefits at current levels and extend help by an extra month beyond the previously planned end date. Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, responds to questions after a social housing funding announcement in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. Freeland says the government is extending pandemic aid programs by an extra month beyond the previously planned end date. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck OTTAWA - The federal government is tapping the brakes on its plans to phase out pandemic aid programs this summer, deciding instead to freeze benefits at current levels and extend help by an extra month beyond the previously planned end date. The decision means that wage and rent subsidies for businesses, and income support for workers out of a job or who need to take time off to care for family or stay home sick, will last until Oct. 23. Rates for the wage and rent subsidies will hold at current levels until September, holding off on the previously planned decline. Similarly, the recovery benefit will keep paying out at $300 per week, and four more weeks of eligibility will be added to a maximum of 54 weeks. The same extra weeks will be available to workers who have exhausted their employment insurance benefits. The recovery caregiving benefit will be available at $500 a week until Oct. 23, but with no change to the current maximum of 42 weeks per household. The recovery sickness benefit, meanwhile, will also now be available at $500 a week until Oct. 23, but with no change to the maximum of four weeks. The government estimates the revamped aid package will cost an additional $3.3 billion, with two-thirds of that for the recovery benefits, and one-third for the business supports. As of July 18, the government had paid out $87.1 billion through the wage subsidies and $5.24 billion more in rent relief since the programs launched. As of July 25, the three "recovery" benefits had combined to pay out $26.9 billion. The Liberals had planned to phase out the pandemic aid, foreseeing enough of a recovery by the fall that many of the measures would no longer be needed. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said Friday that there were still too many businesses and workers who are not fully back on their feet yet, noting that it took the country a little longer to stamp out the third wave of the pandemic than the government expected. "And I know all of us are watching carefully the Delta variant and are concerned about that," she said at an event in Hamilton, Ont. "From the government's perspective, it is essential to do everything we can to be sure the country's economic recovery is fast and robust, and that no one is left behind." Statistics Canada said Friday its preliminary estimate was that the economy grew by 0.7 per cent in June following two months of declines, and that real gross domestic product grew at an annualized rate of 2.5 per cent in the second quarter. Total economic activity at the end of June was still about one per cent below pre-pandemic levels, and the labour market was about 340,000 jobs, or almost two per cent, below the levels seen in February 2020. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business said the government's announcement provides some additional runway for many small businesses still trying to get back to normal sales levels. The group, which represents 95,000 small businesses nationwide, is also asking for the government to extend the aid until the recovery is more advanced. "Small firms are keen to replace subsidies with sales, but many firms continue to face a significant lack of demand due to capacity restrictions, border closures and customers hesitant to return to normal activities," president Dan Kelly said in a statement. By extending the benefits now until October, and holding the wage and rent subsidies at current rates until September, the Liberals have locked in changes before an expected election call next month that would largely put a pause on policy-making. They could yet be extended further: Budget measures approved by Parliament in June give the government the ability to extend the aid by one more month, if necessary, to the end of November. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said an extra month of aid, while welcome in the face of the threat of a fourth wave, isn't enough for people in hard-hit sectors like tourism that may not see a rebound until next year. "The Liberals are more focused on plunging the country into an election in a pandemic," he said in a statement. "Canadian families and small businesses dont need an election now. They need help for as long as we are in a pandemic." On Friday, Freeland also made a plea for people to get vaccinated if they are eligible and have not already done so. "The single most important economic policy in Canada today is for everyone who can get vaccinated to go out and get vaccinated," she said. "We have done tremendously well, but there's still that last mile to go." This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2021. Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version incorrectly reported that all three recovery benefits would pay out at $300 per week to a maximum of 54 weeks. In fact, the recovery caregiving benefit and recovery sickness benefit will pay out at $500 a week to a maximum of 42 weeks and four weeks, respectively. Dells-Delton EMS was called to the complex around noon. The man who had been stabbed was conscious and explained what happened. When responders examined him, they found stab wounds that were about 0.5 inches to 0.75 inches long. They had been covered with adhesive bandages. One of the wounds began bleeding when the bandage was removed. The officer talked to the man a day later at UW Hospital in Madison. The man had been stabbed three times. Hospital staff said that one was superficial while the other two were very close to his spine and his lungs. The man said providers werent sure how much damage was done internally because they had to see how he moved in a few days. In an interview with Lake Delton Police Officer Kristi Seidl, Villa Velez allegedly admitted to stabbing the man after he said it was like a demon came through him and he has never done something like this before. In the interview, he said he was scared and had seen people killed in his country. Without his cellphone, he couldnt have contact with his parents or the rest of his family. He said he was scared and not thinking clearly. From there I lost it and thats when I stabbed him, Villa Velez said, according to the complaint. He is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing Thursday. Follow Bridget on Twitter @cookebridget or contact her at 608-745-3513. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. As I was making beef vegetable soup last week, I was trying to decide what to write about in this column. The problem isnt that there arent enough issues; the problem is that there are too many. Competing for my attention were: the state and federal budgets; the need to stop lawmakers from eliminating protections of our air, land and water; money going to private, for-profit and religious schools at the expense of our public schools; the corrupt method of changing borders of voting districts, called gerrymandering, that gives one party all the electoral advantages; the drastic need for campaign finance reform; and many more. It was all too much. And then it hit me. The answer was right there in the pot. You cant make the healthiest, tastiest and most interesting soup with only one ingredient. If it had only water and one vegetable in it, it would be bland and tasteless. That pot of soup was like the United States, filled with a variety of colorful, healthy, interesting ingredients that united to create a beautiful whole. JUNEAU A 26-year-old Indiana man may be allowed to return to his home state in order to serve his probation sentence after being found guilty on Thursday of fleeing an officer last summer. Daniel Curiel entered a no contest plea to a felony charges of fleeing an office in the courtroom of Dodge County Circuit Judge Brian Pfitzinger. The judge found Curiel guilty of the charge and dismissed but read into record a misdemeanor charge against him. Curiel was placed on probation for 36 months with conditions that he take all his prescription medications, have no violent or abusive contact with anyone and serve 30 days in jail. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The court did not oppose Curiels probation being served in Indiana. According to the criminal complaint, a woman reported around noon Aug. 26 that an SUV had followed her from Randolph to Beaver Dam. She was attempting to find the Beaver Dam Police Department. A Beaver Dam Police Officer spotted the vehicle in the Upper Tower Parking Lot and took note of the license plate. The woman pulled over in the lot, but the SUV left the scene after the officer activated his lights. Seventy-seven years ago this summer, the United States military was engaged in fighting in the European and Pacific Theaters of war during World War II. Over the course of the U.S. involvement in the war from 1941-1945, more than 405,000 servicemen and women gave their lives in service for their country. According to the National Archives World War II Honor List of U.S. Army and Army Air Force Personnel killed in action, 41 men from Juneau County gave their lives in service. This number does not include those serving in the U.S. Marines, Navy, and Merchant Marines. Due to documentation errors and the movement of people, the list of Gold Star servicemen and possibly women from Juneau County is likely much higher than 41. Pfc. Kenneth Albert Olson was listed on the World War II Honor List for Monroe County, but evidence suggests that it should have been Juneau County. He was born April 13, 1919, to Halvor Johan and Lizzie (Knutson) Olson in Juneau County. From the 1920, 1930, and 1940 U.S. Census records, the Olson family lived in the town of Fountain, Juneau County. The family included father Henry J., mother Lizzie, and children Lewis, Norman, Esther, Melvin, and Kenneth. The family lived on a farm on then-State Highway 94, later Old 94 in Fountain. A pair of community events are back this year with the goal of connecting police and the community for one night. At that point, we were looking for shelter, he said. Everything was in a flash. Harran said authorities would work through the night to help people secure housing or return to their homes, restore power outages and clear the roadways, which were littered with debris after the tornadoes blew through. We're going to have Friday morning rush hour in that area, which has a lot of traffic, Harran said. Severe weather was a concern around the region Thursday, with the NWS issuing warnings in New Jersey and Ohio as well. At least three tornados touched down Thursday in New Jersey, and survey teams are still checking other damage left behind as the storms crossed the Delaware River and moved across the state. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. The report says State Patrol Troopers observed the vehicle in the Coloma area on I-39. State Trooper Jeffrey Hoffman was monitoring the incident on his radio and could attempting to catch up to the chase. Hoffman drove to mile post 86, north of the Baraboo River Bridge. He notified dispatch of his position and asked if he had approval for the use of stop strips or spikes. While Hoffman waited for a response he heard Columbia County deputies asking if his spikes were available. Hoffman made a second request to use the stop strips and received authorization by State Patrol Sgt. Luke Yahn. Hoffman estimated the car was traveling in excess of 100 mph. While he waited he noticed a semi-trailer pass him but remained focused on the Nissan. Hoffman deployed the stop strips across the interstate covering the entire left lane and half of the right lane. The Nissans left front tire went over the stop strips, according to Hoffman. He then went to retrieve the strips when he heard a crash. He then called in an ambulance to the scene and the Simmons brothers were pronounced deceased. Yaskal decision In pursuit of the pink academic hood A love for the bright pink graduation hood turned Wits Deputy Registrar into a Wits engineering alumna. From helping students to graduate to becoming a Wits graduate herself, Nicoleen Potgieter, Deputy Registrar, shares the surreal feeling of her latest achievement. After serving the University for 19 years in various roles and witnessing hundreds of students that she helped to complete their studies successfully, Potgieter has experienced the joy of becoming a Wits graduate herself. She graduated with a Masters of Science in Industrial Engineering on 20 July. Potgieter initially kept quiet about this achievement because she had always been more excited about the new Wits alumni who made it against the odds. For me, it has always been about the students, she says. Road to masters degree A Baccalaureus Procurationis (BProc) graduate from the University of Pretoria, Potgieter never envisioned that she would one day graduate as an engineer. Registering for my masters in engineering was a funny story, she recalls. While working at graduations a few years ago, she was attracted to the bright pink hood one of the students wore and mentioned to one the lecturers, Professor Anne Fitchett. I jokingly said to her, I love this hood, maybe I should come and study engineering with you so I can wear one too. To her surprise, Fitchett responded positively to the proposal and suggested an engineering field best suited to Potgieters area of work. [Fitchett] laughed and said Yes, come and study engineering. You can study industrial engineering. For Potgieter, with her background in the field of education, an engineering qualification seemed far-fetched. This is your world actually, industrial engineering is all about processes and systems and fixing things, Fitchett said to Potgieter at a meeting in Fitchetts office to share more details about the engineering programme. I later attended one of the engineering classes. I liked the class and next thing, I was registered for an MSc in Engineering, says Potgieter. Her predecessor and former manager, Nita Lawton-Misra encouraged her to study further when she was Head of the Exams and Graduations Office. Potgieter says it seemed almost impossible to study when she was Faculty Registrar in the Faculty of Humanities, due to the demands of the job. But she realised that studying further would be beneficial. I knew that for my own enrichment and if I wanted to advance my career, I needed a postgraduate qualification, something higher than what I had already. Potgieter says that had she not loved the bright pink hood, she would never have known about industrial engineering as a field of study. Her newly attained qualification is aligned to her work where and she believes will contribute to better systems to enhance the Wits student experience. Career redirection ignites passion She says her career in student administration, enrolments and systems came by chance. The limited employment opportunities in law redirected Potgieter to her true passion serving students and potential applicants. When she could not find an opportunity do her law articles after graduating with her BProc, she was contracted for a few months at the National Private College School where she was a student assistant, helping high school learners with applications. She was later offered a permanent contract and she worked there for six years in different roles. This experience led her to Wits where she first joined as an Admissions Consultant working in the Student Enrolment Centre and continued doing what she loves. I like the education environment and working with students. Coming to Wits was the best decision ever, she says. The change in careers meant she never had a chance to practise law, however, she does not regret studying law, as the knowledge plays an important role in her daily job where process, rules and policies need to be followed at all times. Potgieters legal qualification has been valuable and benefitted her career. You can never go wrong with education. It gives you a great foundation. If it were not for my law degree, I wouldnt be where I am today. Satisfaction of student success She speaks with pride and delight about the Wits students who express their gratitude to her when they graduate. I remember one student came to me and asked if I remembered her. She said: You called me in and you said to me if I do not do well, I am not going to pass my degree. Today I am busy with my masters degree. Had you not called me in, I would not have obtained my degree. It is so rewarding to know that you have made a change in someones life, she says. She says such encounters are priceless memories that motivate her to always serve students and make a difference in their lives. The satisfaction of seeing a student graduate and succeed is something I will never experience anywhere else. We sometimes underestimate the role we play in students lives. Potgieter says the engineering qualification has boosted her confidence when she makes suggestions to people about their systems and processes. I can now base my advice on my systems knowledge obtained for my qualification. Having studied with much younger students and pursuing a masters in a completely different field to her undergraduate degree, Potgieter has learned not to underestimate herself and discovered she is resilient. IT Administrator at the forefront, providing innovative online learning solutions The Wits Heroes Series celebrates staff members who went beyond the call of duty at the onset of Covid-19 in 2020. An Information Technology (IT) administrator at the Wits School of Architecture and Planning spearheaded a virtual lab for students, staying true to the culture of innovative excellence championed by Wits University. Steven Blumberg, who started working at the university in January 2020, was already trained for battle when Covid-19 reached South African shores in March 2020. Before joining Wits, Blumberg ran his own IT consultancy. The consultancy often offered remote support to customers, making the transition into the online teaching space much smoother for him. The virtual lab was for students who could no longer physically access on-campus resources, as the campus remained closed, in line with Covid-19 lockdown regulations. The virtual lab allowed students remote access to computers in the labs, giving them access to software critical for learning. IT is IT, and being the IT administrator, the learners [are] still my clients even my colleagues. If they have a problem, I need to solve it. If the school has a problem or require a solution, I need to hand them that solution. So, in that regard, the consultancy did prepare me well for this sort of environment and the Covid situation. If I wasn't as systems orientated as I had prepared myself previously, it would have been a lot harder to move all our systems into an online environment and still create an atmosphere where the learners are working comfortably and are able to submit assignments and can still access all the resources which previously, they were only able to access [physically], he says. Blumberg provided further support by hosting training sessions for academic staff at the school, teaching them how to best use the technological resources available to create a stimulating learning environment. He descirbes his colleagues as "wonderful and creative" adding that they continue to find ways and means to survive in this online world. This is essential in a visual and discipline drawing environment. Professor Nnamdi Elleh, the Head of School of Architecture and Planning, praised Blumberg for his unwavering commitment to ensuring that the academic calendar continued. Elleh referred to Blumberg as the most technically savvy IT administrator he has ever come across. Steven is someone who looks after the school and does an outstanding job. He never shies away from participating in the call of duty, Elleh. According to Elleh, there now is a great appetite to continue to refine the virtual lab system and include it in a blended learning model in future years. For Blumberg, the coronavirus pandemic could not have emerged at a better time. The conditions created by the Covid-19 pandemic has allowed people to cement and promote the value of technology, enabling them to devise systems and solutions that are critical to our survival. Technology is there to help us. We must not feel scared of it. We have to move forward and adhere to the fact that we need to adapt to situations like these. No one is alone, there's always support. We are working in the background to ensure that operations can continue, maybe not as per normal but in a way that will be comfortable for both the students and the academics, he concludes. Professor Charles Feldman receives Honorary Doctorate The University of Pretoria (UP) bestowed an honorary Doctorate of Medicine on Charles Feldman, professor of pulmonology in the Wits Department of Internal Medicine. Feldman, whose significant contribution to the field of pneumococcal respiratory infections, was honoured for the role his work has played in academic medicine worldwide. Among all my achievements, this is one I will always cherish, he said, adding that the citation indicated that the degree was in recognition of my research achievements in the field of pneumococcal respiratory infections, and this has been my research area of focus for my entire academic career. Addressing graduates at UPs virtual graduation ceremony wherein his degree was conferred honoris causa, Feldman highlighted the importance of collaborations for cutting edge research with interdisciplinary context. His relationship with UP dates back to the 1980s where he learnt the value that collaborations have in pursuing research excellence. During that period, it was uncommon for South African researchers to collaborate outside of their immediate peer group, let alone with researchers from another University. Feldmans career as a pulmonology and intensive care specialist was greatly influenced in 1982 when he was a Witsie registrar in training at the-then Hillbrow Hospital. There, he witnessed many young patients with community-acquired pneumonia succumb to their infections within the first 24-48 hours. Following a review of the clinical data, he presented the findings of his early research at the first South African Thoracic Society Congress that he attended in Bloemfontein. I spent the next 40 or so years trying to determine and understand why patients with pneumococcal pneumonia died, and what could be done to prevent this he explains. Professor Feldman has since had a significant international standing as a researcher and publisher in the fields of Pulmonology/ICU which have seen his involvement in numerous international initiatives. He is an NRF A-rated scientist and is the recipient of the Wits 2009 Vice-Chancellors Research Award. The Academic Head of the Department of Internal Medicine at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Professor Colin Menezes congratulated Feldman saying we are so proud of his achievements. He says that his research focus on community-acquired pneumonia - a leading cause of death worldwide, and, in South Africa - has informed the guideline recommendations and optimal management of patients; improving patient outcomes. His research has been translational, involving both laboratory-based work as well as clinical studies, looking at the aspects of the pathogenesis of pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia, said Prof. Menezes. UTICA, N.Y. While New York has required vaccinations for state-run hospital workers, Mohawk Valley Health Systems officials have not yet decided if they will mandate shots for employees. President and CEO Darlene Stromstad says MVHS is not making a decision just yet while focusing on hiring efforts. She says they will look closely at what other hospitals are doing. About 30% of the employees at MVHS are not vaccinated, but Stromstad says she thinks some people are just procrastinating. I think for some people, getting a vaccine is like making a dentist appointment. You mean to do it but you procrastinate. You put it off and put it off. I think this variant should encourage people to stop putting it off and get a vaccine sooner, she said. MVHS is still following strict safety guidelines at its hospitals, including mask-wearing and visitation restrictions. LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)- The Lafayette police department has confirmed that car break-ins are on the rise at Columbian Park. Police say that car break-ins are crimes of opportunity and there are steps everyone can take to stop them from happening. "You don't hear much about it," said Steve Kerkhov whose car was broken into at Columbian Park. "I didn't realize there was that much vandalism going on down there and that it was that rough in that area." Steve Kerkhov and his family were attending an Aviators game at Loeb Stadium last weekend. When someone broke their passenger side window and stole his wife's purse. Once they called the police to report what happened, they found out that they weren't the first victims criminals had targeted. "They said they have had 6 or 8 instances in the last few weeks," said Kerkhov. "So I thought they could have put somebody on foot in the area or been a little more alert. " Lafayette police are aware of the situation. However, they say car break-ins are a crime of opportunity. "You have a target-rich environment where there are a lot of people parking their cars and they are leaving valuable inside because they may not want to carry them into the park," said Lt. Randy Sherer with the Lafayette Police Department. "Then when they leave those inside when they are easily visible through the windows that is when you are going to be targeted." That's why Lt. Sherer says people should take precautions when parking their cars in an environment like the one at Columbian Park. "Any of the valuables that we have or have brought with us that are inside our car either hide them or put them in the trunk or carry them with you so people can't see them as they are walking by," said Lt. Sherer. Kerkhov says 30 minutes after the crime occurred the thieves had already used cards in his wife's purse to purchase gas and food. LPD says there are cameras in several areas surrounding Columbian Park, nfortunately for the Kerkhov's LPD wasn't able to see the break-in of their vehicle on any of the nearby cameras. SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) Elementary students at South Bend schools will be required to wear masks when the school year begins next month under the district's new coronavirus response plan. The plan approved Monday night by the South Bend Community School Corp. board outlines the coronavirus measures that will be in place when the school year begins for students Aug. 11. Students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade will be required to wear masks indoors, while face coverings will not be required but strongly encouraged among unvaccinated staff and middle and high school students, the South Bend Tribune reported. Staff and middle- and high-school students who are vaccinated can go mask-free, but all visitors to any district school building will be required to wear a mask regardless of vaccination status. Administrators said their decision comes in consultation with health officials and follows similar moves in large school districts, such as Indianapolis Public Schools and Wayne Township, in Indianapolis west suburbs. Unlike Indianapolis, which will collect voluntary proof of vaccination for those opting not to wear masks, South Bends policy will largely be based on an honor system. We are asking for individuals to be honest," said Brandon White, the districts assistant superintendent of academics. South Bends policy comes after the American Academy of Pediatrics issued new recommendations last week that all students older than age 2 wear masks regardless of their vaccination status. Family continues the legacy of W&M alumnus Ming Chang The following story originally appeared in the spring 2021 issue of the W&M Alumni Magazine. - Ed. When Ming Chang 55 arrived on campus in 1952, he likely had no idea of the legacy that would follow. It had only been 30 years since the first Asian student, Pu-Kao Chen 23, enrolled at the university. Now, as William & Mary commemorates 100 years of Asian students at W&M, Mings story is one of many that come together to create the diverse and complex picture of the experiences of Asian and Asian American students, faculty and staff at William & Mary. He helped blaze a path forward for future generations, including his grandchildren. Leading the way By almost every measure, Mings story is the embodiment of the American dream, merging hard work and the freedom to pursue his destiny into a life of opportunity and success. Born in Shanghai, China, Ming was 14 when he immigrated to the U.S. with his mother at the end of World War II to join his father, who was in the U.S. Navy working for the Secretary of Defense. Unable to follow his dream to attend the U.S. Naval Academy because he wasnt born in the United States, Ming took the advice of an admirals secretary who graduated from William & Mary and encouraged him to apply. Ming was treated truly wonderfully at William & Mary, says Charlotte Chang of her late husband of 61 years. He may have been the only Asian American on campus at the time, yet he experienced little to no discrimination. At the time, there werent many Asian Americans and people mostly accepted the Chinese population. He was treated like everyone else and he quickly joined a variety of activities. Ming became a member of the honor council, the university choir, Lambda Chi Alpha, Baptist Student Union and the Order of the White Jacket, which honors students who work in food service. He received scholarship support and worked three jobs at the bookstore, in the cafeteria and in the Kings Arms Tavern in Colonial Williamsburgs Historic Area. He used to laugh that so many people wanted to take a picture with him because they had never seen an 18th-century Chinaman, says Charlotte. He had so much fun at William & Mary. He was very outgoing and very connected to his classmates. In 1953, Ming met his wife, Charlotte, when her parents hosted a party for Chinese college students. Her father was a diplomat in the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., and Mings parents suggested he attend without an invitation to meet the diplomats daughters. He was smart; he went straight into the kitchen to help my mother, says Charlotte, whose family includes notable members such as her youngest sister, network news anchor and reporter Connie Chung. Our generation was told to marry Chinese. A week later when he came back to call on me, my mother already liked him, so she said yes. From that first meeting, Charlotte knew Ming was destined for a life of distinction. He graduated in three years with a Bachelor of Science in physics and followed in his fathers footsteps into the U.S. Navy with a commission as an officer. In 1962, Ming earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School and went on to build an impressive naval career with increasingly important assignments in the Navys cruiser and destroyer commands. In 1980, he attained the rank of rear admiral and was the first naturalized Asian American naval officer to reach flag rank in the U.S. Navy. Ming retired from the Navy in 1990 after 34 years of service as the Naval Inspector General of the Department of the Navy. Ming also served on the William & Mary Foundation Board from 1994 to 2000. Both of Mings children followed the familys Navy tradition. Their son Daniel graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1979 and retired as a commander after 22 years. Their daughter Donalda served 11 years as an officer in the Navy. Building a legacy Just as military service is in the Chang familys blood, so, it seems, is William & Mary. Two of Charlotte and Mings grandchildren have attended the university. Jake Chang 09 graduated with a degree in business, then served four years in the U.S. Navy as an officer. My grandfather had a quiet pride in watching us choose our own path, and he provided a great example as a guide, says Jake, who works for Facebook as global strategy, planning, operations lead: curation. He approached life as a balance of hard work and opportunities given. I am so grateful to share his deep connection to William & Mary. Jake met his wife, Eliza Murphy 10, on campus. Eliza has 10 extended family members who are alumni, including her grandmother, Jane Ottaway Dow 55, who was Mings classmate. Mings granddaughter, Grace Gibson 23, who will graduate during the 100th-anniversary commemoration, shared her connection with her grandfathers legacy. Grace grew up hearing stories from Ming about his time on campus and her family made many trips to Williamsburg with her grandparents. For me, William & Mary just feels like home, says Grace, a psychology major on the pre-med track and a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. I have my grandfathers William & Mary banner hanging in my dorm room and it always reminds me of him and his encouragement to take every opportunity. It is important that stories like my grandfathers are shared. He paved the way for so many in the Asian American community without even realizing it. Even though he is no longer with us, he is still leaving a legacy behind for others to follow. As part of his legacy, he wanted to leave a family connection to William & Mary. Paying gratitude forward Several years ago, the Changs included a bequest to William & Mary in their will. After Ming passed away, Charlotte decided to move forward with the commitment to establish the Donald C. Chang Scholarship Endowment, named in honor of their second son, Donald, who passed away as an infant. After Ming achieved his American Dream, he continued to work hard supporting Asian Americans by speaking with them about their career aspirations and how they, too, could reach their American Dream. Ming would approach everything by trying to be the best he could be. He felt confident he would be recognized for his ability, and he was, says Charlotte. He would say that it is hard to say there is prejudice when you are successful at what you do. The Chang family knows Ming would be excited about William & Marys Asian Centennial celebration. We feel very proud to be part of an institution that has provided so much opportunity to such a diverse community, says Jake. The celebration is a chance to highlight W&Ms consistent commitment to creating an inclusive environment. I hope my grandfathers legacy can help do that for young students for many years to come. A woman shops at a Daily Table supermarket in the Boston area. A nonprofit store, the Daily Table is cited by the city as an innovative operating model it's willing to consider as it seeks consulting advice on how to expand food choices for residents who live close to downtown. A person wears a mask while walking in Grand Central Terminal on July 27 in New York City. Mysterious 'Jetpack Man' may have been spotted again in the skies near LAX What you can do right now to prepare for Paducah's Aug. 4 job fair Appeal launched over ill-informed Wrexham takeaway plans refusal An appeal has been launched after a decision to refuse plans to turn an empty shop in Wrexham into a takeaway was slammed as ill-informed. In April, councillors rejected an application to convert the former Auto Parts store in Rhosddu amid concerns over the impact on parking and traffic. Fears were also raised that children at Rhosddu Primary School, which is a 300 metre walk away from the property on Holyrood Crescent, could order in fast food using online apps. Members of Wrexham Councils planning committee said it went against the local authoritys guidance that takeaways should not be located within 400 metres of a school. However, Ian Bolshaw, who is behind the proposals, has now lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate in an attempt to have the decision overturned. In an appeal statement, a consultant acting on his behalf took aim at politicians for denying permission for the scheme. Justin Paul said: The debate at committee was largely ill-informed and strayed into issues such as primary school pupils using mobile phones, ordering food and being handed food through the fence. The fact is that no evidence of any existing highway capacity, safety or congestion was presented by members because it simply does not exist. There is no way that the proposal would increase traffic in the area. Indeed, as one or two better-informed members pointed out during the debate, locating a takeaway here would result in less trips being made outside of the area to other takeaways. Planning officers had recommended the proposals for approval despite the councils guidelines. They argued that although the fast food joint would be open at lunchtime, primary-age children were unable to leave the school grounds. Community leaders turned down permission after highlighting that pupils could still use online ordering apps to get food delivered to them. Speaking at Aprils meeting, Erddig councillor Paul Roberts said: As far as Im aware, the application site actually borders on to the school field. You say that children wont be going out of the school, but technically they could order a bite to eat if that was feasible and they could be passed it over the fence. Mr Paul said the decision had unnecessarily delayed the plans, causing his client to incur extra costs. He added: The appellant has decided that he must seek some form of compensation for the additional expenditure caused through what he sees as the unreasonable behaviour of members, so a costs application is made. The planning committee offered no evidence to explain or justify their decision instead the rationale put forward to refuse permission was based upon pure conjecture and unsubstantiated subjective opinions and not fact. A decision is expected to be made on the appeal by an inspector appointed by the Welsh Government at a later date. By Liam Randall BBC Local Democracy Reporter North Wales PCC and Chief Constable to hold Q&A session on Twitter People in North Wales are being given the chance to quiz the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner and the regions chief constable. Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin and Chief Constable Carl Foulkes will be taking part in an online question and answer session on Twitter between 6pm and 7pm next Wednesday (August 4). The public are being invited to put their questions and raise any concerns with the duo who will be together at police HQ in Colwyn Bay. The session will be hosted on the commissioners Twitter account, @NorthWalesPCC and people submitting questions should preface them with #NWPpolicesurvey Questions can be sent in either Welsh or English and will be responded to accordingly. The Q and A is part of a major public consultation programme as Mr Dunbobbin prepares to write his first Police and Crime Plan after being elected in May. The plan will set the blueprint for how North Wales is policed over the coming year and what the main priorities will be. Mr Dunbobbin and the chief constable have also launched an online survey to gauge the publics opinion ahead of drawing up the new strategy. The survey covers all aspects of policing, from tackling serious and organised crime and protecting children and young people from sexual exploitation and abuse, to dealing with social media trolling and responding to non-emergency calls. The survey is now available at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SMDKY8R for people to complete until Friday, August 20. Paper copies will be available for those who do not wish to fill in the online version. There will also be an easy read version available. Its in the form of multiple choice questions with participants indicating on a scale of one to five how important they consider each different aspect of policing to be. The aim is to publish the plan in September. Mr Dunbobbin said: North Wales has always been one of safest places to live, work and visit in the UK. My number one priority is to make sure that it stays that way. I have a responsibility to consult the public on policing priorities and in drawing up the new Police and Crime Plan I want to make sure as many people as possible have the opportunity to feed in the process. I want the hear from all sections of our wonderfully diverse communities, particularly from young people. The Q and A session with the Chief Constable will provide us with another avenue to find out what the people of North Wales think about how the region should be policed. It will provide the public with direct access to us so they can put their questions to us and raise their concerns. Thats important because I want to make sure that the views, needs and expectations of all parts of our communities are reflected in the plan. My job is to ensure that North Wales is policed in the most efficient and effective way and I am accountable to people who live here so it is hugely important that I know what their views are when it comes to policing. The updated Police and Crime Plan will set out in plain English and Welsh the level of service people can expect to receive from their local police force. In essence, I will be consulting the public on the policies contained in my manifesto when I was elected. Championing the rights and interest of victims was central to my manifesto and will be also be at the heart of the Police and Crime Plan. Once finalised, I will be scrutinising the force to ensure that the priorities of the new Police and Crime Plan are delivered and I will do so with great rigour. Chief Constable Foulkes said: Like the police and crime commissioner, I am very keen to ensure we hear a broad spread of views from the people of North Wales. It is important that we address the concerns of local communities to influence the content and priorities of the Police and Crime Plan so that they can play a part in shaping future services and the allocation of resources. Well be looking forward to taking questions from as many people as possible during the Q and A session on Twitter as it is an invaluable opportunity to communicate directly with members of the public in North Wales. People can also tell us what they think via the survey which wont take long to complete. It will however make a big difference in helping us to understand what people think is important. Paper copies of the survey are available by contacting opcc@nthwales.pnn.police.uk or 01492 805486. An easy read version of the survey is also available. The strike by 1,100 coal miners against Warrior Met Coal in Brookwood, Alabama will reach the end of its fourth month on August 1, the longest strike by United Mine Workers of America members since the strike against Pittston Coal in 1989-90. Protest in front of Blackrock headquarters (Source: NY Labor Council) The miners walked out on April 1 to demand the reversal of $6-an-hour wage cut and other concessions the UMWA agreed to in 2016. Warrior Met has seen profits rise along with the demand by global steel producers for metallurgical coal and it will be announcing its second-quarter profits in a few weeks. The Warrior Met strikers are also fighting against the UMWA, which attempted but failed to push through another pro-company contract within weeks of the start of the strike. Since then, the UMWA has isolated the embattled miners and tried to starve them into submission with poverty level strike pay. Pickets have been threatened by state troopers, hit by strikebreakers vehicles and most have been forced to work two or even three part-time jobs to keep their families afloat. On Wednesday, the UMWA organized a protest in front of the midtown Manhattan headquarters of asset management firm BlackRock, Warrior Met Coals largest stakeholder. The protest was largely attended by UMWA and local union officials in New York City, with no more than 100 miners bused in from Alabama, as well as Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. Protesters marched in front of the headquarters, chanting, No contract, no coal! and Warrior Met Coal aint got no soul! Speakers at the rally included UMWA President Cecil Roberts and local UMWA officials, actress Susan Sarandon, and Stuart Applebaum, the president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). Applebaum led the failed effort by the RWDSU to unionize Amazons warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, a short distance from Warrior Mets mines. Carl White, president of UMWA Local 2397, said that BlackRock likely sees that this company is not performing like it did when the union workers were in these coal mines, according to one media account. Were not asking for much here, White said. Its time to come to the table and give us a fair and decent contract. In April, coal miners voted 1,006 to 45 against the contract brought back by Roberts and White, which would have seen the miners recouping only $1.50 of their 2016 pay cutwithin three years. Were in New York City because we are simply following the money, and demanding that those who created the wealth, the miners, get their fair share of it, UMWA President Cecil Roberts declared demagogically in a statement. There is no doubt that the miners have produced huge profits for BlackRock and other Wall Street firms by working long hours of forced overtime in some of the most dangerous mines in the country. BlackRock, the worlds largest asset manager with a staggering $9 trillion in investments, holds nearly 7.5 million shares of Warrior Met stock, or nearly 14.6 percent of the companys outstanding shares. It is absurd and debilitating, however, to claim that the miners who never won a thing without mass struggle against the coal companies and the government, can defend themselves by appealing to the conscience of Wall Street investors. The endless rise on the stock market and the $1.1 billion personal fortune of BlackRock CEO Larry Fink depend on the continuous exploitation of the miners and every other section of the working class. It is also a matter of fact that the trade union executives like Cecil Roberts and American Federation of Teachers President Randy Weingarten have also enriched themselves through their control of pension funds invested in mutual funds. Some of BlackRocks clients include the New York Teachers Retirement System and the state employee retirement systems of Louisiana and Alaska. While it does not appear that the UMWA has any investments tied up with BlackRock, according to its filings with the US Labor Department, the union invested $137 million in mutual funds in 2020, including the Longview Broad Market 3000 Index, the Delaware Pooled Trust Core Plus Fixed Income Trust and PIMCO (Pacific Investment Management Company) funds. The $137 million in Wall Street investments is 32 times more than the pathetic $4.3 million the UMWA has spent on strike and healthcare benefits for Warrior Met miners over the last four months. And, if the UMWA wanted to protest BlackRock, it could have just as easily paid a visit to President Biden at the White House. The Democratic presidents administration is packed with former BlackRock executives, including Brian Deese, the head of Bidens National Economic Council, which advises the president on economic policy. Other administration officials include Adewale Wally Adayemo, a Treasury Department deputy secretary who was once the chief of staff to BlackRocks boss Larry Fink, who is a prominent supporter of the Democratic Party; and Blackrocks former global chief investment strategist, Michael Pyle, acts as chief economic adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris and served in served the Obama administration prior to joining BlackRock. The UMWA is closely allied with the Biden administration. It has taken government grant money for job training programs and vowed to work with the White House in the transition from coal. Roberts & Co. are positioning themselves to profit as mines close and miners are forced into training programs for lower-wage jobs. The union cannot portray itself as David to Wall Streets Goliath when it is so thoroughly embedded in the administration of Wall Streets president. Biden, who has spent his entire political career serving the corporate and financial aristocracy, is continuing the policies of the Obama and Trump administrations of funneling limitless Federal Reserve money into the stock markets to boost the wealth of the super-rich. But the massive buildup of debt has to be paid for by the working class, through a ruthless drive to increase the extraction of surplus value from the backs of workers. Biden is trying to strengthen the UMWA and other unions to suppress the growing struggles of workers, including at Warrior Met, to overturn decades of union-backed wage and benefit concessions. The continued enrichment of the capitalist class and its servants in the AFL-CIO depend on blocking a counter-offensive by the working class. But that is exactly what is needed. Warrior Met miners should follow the example of the Volvo Trucks workers in Virginia and teachers across the US who are joining and building a growing national and international network of rank-and-file committees to take the control of their struggles out of the hands of the pro-company unions. Instead of impotent appeals to Wall Street, miners should appeal to their brothers and sisters facing the same struggles. This includes the growing wave of strikes by metal miners and smelter workers. Copper miners in Chile have now been on strike for two months at the worlds largest copper mine. Nearly 2,500 nickel miners at Sudbury, Ontarios Vale mining complex have been on strike since June 1. On July 6, 900 workers walked off the job at mining giant Rio Tintos aluminum smelting and power plants in British Columbia. The UMWA has not even called a strike at the unionized Oak Grove mine, a mere 30 minutes away from Warrior Mets mines. In opposition to this, Warrior Met miners should set up a rank-and-file committee to appeal for joint strike action at Oak Grove and across the Appalachian and western coalfields, where miners are increasingly coming into struggle against deadly conditions, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the continuous sacrifice of workers lives for corporate profit. More than half the population of Flint, Michigan, has signed up to be part of the proposed settlement offered by the state to those affected by the poisoning of the citys water system beginning in 2014. A view of downtown Flint and the Flint River from above the razed Chevrolet plant. (WSWS media) Not known to most of the residents, however, is the fact that benefits that were paid by Medicaid, Medicare and other health insurance entities may be deducted from their settlement payments. This deduction would come on top of the 33 percent that goes for administrative and lawyers fees. In addition to dozens of lawyers, numerous administrators will also be compensated from the settlement. For example, in July 2018, Judge Levy appointed Deborah Greenspan as a special master, at a rate of $600 an hour, plus reimbursement for expenses such as accountants, auditors and clerical help. Her primary job was tracking attorney fees and expenses. Relatively little compensation will be left for the men, women and children, who ingested lead and other harmful contaminants causing deaths, miscarriages, and life-long medical and developmental harm or otherwise had their lives disrupted by the water crisis. A federal judge has not yet ruled on the entirely inadequate $641.25 million water settlement after hearing arguments presented at the misnamed fairness hearing on July 12-15. Judge Judith Levy will rule whether it goes forward as is, or with modifications, or the very unlikely option of rejecting the settlement and going to trial. Based on previous litigation it is likely the deduction of Medicaid and Medicare payments will remain in the approved settlement. The discussion in the last 10 minutes of the final day of the fairness hearing earlier this month gives a glimpse of how the legal system works under capitalism. Greenspan directed her closing remarks to the issue of legal fees and other deductions. In a by-the-way moment, she reminded the lawyers attending the online hearing that in addition to legal and administrative fees, there will be the imposition of liens on Medicare, Medicaid and other health insurance, which will also be deducted before the residents receive any compensation. There were no comments, objections or any discussion from any lawyer regarding the liens. Since the hearing, Cynthia Lindsay, an attorney working with the Pitt Legal Teams, one of the firms working in the settlement, posted on a Facebook group where many residents were angered to hear about these deductions: I know the State of Michigan is going to waive all liens as part of the Settlement. Dont know if private entities such as hospital; physicians will. We are trying to get clarity on this. Whether the liens will be implemented remains to be seen. The proposed settlement states that residents must reimburse Medicare, Medicaid, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, all third-party public or private payors that have paid for and/or reimbursed the Claimant [Flint resident] for medical expenses, pharmacy expenses, disability benefits, or any other costs and expenses incurred due to or arising out of injuries alleged. For those unschooled in the workings of the law, this may come as a revelation. How could Flint residents have to pay back the state of Michigan for medical services and treatments that would never have been required if the state had not contaminated their water in the first place? Why was there not a single objection to Greenspans description of the liens, that are detailed in the proposed settlement? The harsh reality is that such liens are a normal and common feature of all litigation suits. The legal system under capitalism generally protects the interests of corporations, financial institutions and capitalist politicians and shields them from any legal liability. In the case of Flint, no one has been convicted or imprisoned, including former Governor Rick Snyder, who faces only two counts of willful neglect of dutymisdemeanors with potential sentences of one year each and/or a $1,000 fine. His case has not yet gone to trial. Clearly, the well-connected are not bound by the same laws that apply to the working class. Flint workers and their families who were harmed by the actions carried out by both Democratic and Republican politicians are legitimately outraged by the current state of affairs. The settlement is millions of miles away from making the residents whole. When all the proceedings finish winding through the labyrinthine legal system, what remains for the victims of one of the largest public health crises in US history before the coronavirus pandemic will be a pittance. Many have lost their jobs due to the pandemic or to having to care for a child, who now has behavioral and developmental problems. The measly $1,000 cap per household ignores plummeting home values and the loss of appliances that were damaged by the contaminated water, as well as the cost of replacing lead pipes in the home. The voluntary test for lead in the bones administered with a portable XRF device, which emits radiation and is not to be used on humans, is a monetary incentive to win higher compensation at the expense of safety and health. It is very likely that most of those who registered for the settlement were not informed by their lawyers that receiving an award may cause a resident to become ineligible for Medicaid or any assistance that is based on income. While money received in a settlement cannot be taxed, it does appear in ones overall income. Each Claimant acknowledges and agrees that the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services will continue to determine eligibility for the Medicaid program and that receiving a Monetary Award may affect a Claimants eligibility for Medicaid, the settlement declares. Flint is one of the poorest cities in the US, having suffered from decades of de-industrialization at the hands of General Motors and abetted by the United Auto Workers. It was a major center of auto production until the late 1980s. Next to Detroit, the city had one of the highest standards of living in the country. At its height, over 80,000 people worked at GM, with decent-paying jobs and benefits. Less than 8,000 are employed at GM today. The population has sunk to 95,000 from 200,000 in the 1960s. Today an estimated 40 percent of the population live below the poverty level. In 2016, Medicaid was expanded for a period of five years to low-income children up to age 21 (increased from 18) and pregnant women served by the Flint water system who otherwise would have been ineligible for the program. A substantial number of adults in the city are also dependent on Medicaid. By the time deductions are made, Flint residents will most likely not even receive an award that would compensate them for paying some of the highest water bills in the nation. It is not unusual for a household to be billed $80-$150 per month for water which residents still do not drink. A conservative estimate of total water bills paid per household from 2014 to the present is at least $6,000. Justice for the people of Flint will not be secured through the capitalist courts or by appealing to the politicians from either capitalist party. The last seven years have proven the futility of directing any appeals to the Democrats or Republicans. They are all beholden and accountable to the financial oligarchs. The vast resources of society must be marshaled to meet the needs of Flint residents as part of a united fight by autoworkers, teachers, health care workers and logistics workers in the US and internationally. A political struggle by the working class against the capitalist system for socialism is necessary. Flint residents must receive full and adequate compensation without having to further risk and jeopardize their health, lifetime health care and full educational support and resources for their children. We urge those who agree with these demands to form an independent Flint Workers Action Committee, which will be affiliated with the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees and will fight for what all Flint residents need to be made whole. Dear Mack Truck Co-workers, We, the Mack Truck-Volvo workers of Macungie, Pennsylvania, are hereby forming the Mack Trucks Workers Rank-and-File Committee (MTWRFC) to defend and fight for the interests of workers at Macungie and other Volvo sites. This committee is being formed independent of United Auto Workers Local 677. Mack Truck Macungie Plant The UAW we have now is not the UAW everyone fondly remembers from the days of old. Mack Trucks used to be a desirable place to work. All of the factors that made it desirable were conceded contract after contract by the UAW through concessions and erosions of workers rights. This was done quietly without a fight. Previously, Mack Truck had pensions and wages tied to cost of living, and health insurance we didnt have to pay a weekly fee for. Mack trucks had no tier system or waiting for top rate and no points for missing days. Until the pandemic we could clock out six minutes early. All of this was conceded on the UAWs watch. All of this was allowed to be given away by the UAW while they sat up in an air conditioned office. The only ones who can stop these concessions are the workers themselves. You may be thinking: But Im very pro-union. We ask you: What union? All we have is each other and we need to recognize that, get together, get educated about the real character of the trade unions, and fight. The UAW does not only act this way at Mack Truck. Anyone who watched the New River Valley strike, which was ended earlier in July, could plainly see the UAW operates this way elsewhere. There was only one source to watch the NRV fight, the World Socialist Web Site. The UAW absolutely had nothing to say about it save one letter from Ray Curry that did nothing more than merely acknowledge that he knew the strike was happening. No matter your political leaning, neither Democrats nor Republicans at any news network gave the workers a look, a voice or a backing. Only the WSWS did so. When Volvo increased pressure on workers in Virginia, did the UAW increase pressure on Volvo? NO! Instead, the UAW had them vote again on a tentative agreement they had already rejected by a 60 percent no vote only a few days prior. In this, the UAW helped Volvo achieve Volvos goals while starving out and dividing workers. Volvo was allowed to pressure its workers while Ray Curry sat and watched. He could have directed other UAW workers to walk out in protest. He could have raised their strike pay from a measly $275 per week. He could have done any number of things. Instead, he did nothing to reinforce the striking workers efforts. The UAW leadership did not direct us not to handle scab cabs. We are not calling on you to throw out your union card insofar as it is required to maintain your employment and job safety. We are only identifying that the workers are the strength to make the changes needed here. Things are only going to get worse if we dont start fighting now. Cost of living keeps going up. In contrast to Volvos slogans, we are not Born Ready. We are not Volvo. We are the working class. We build the trucks, we supply the parts for the trucks, we keep the line running, we maintain the building and we outnumber the black polo shirts making money off our backs. We have the power to build and we have the power to shut it down! It is time for the company to be fair with the people it makes all of its money off of. The UAW isnt going to make it happen for us. We call on all workers to remember the NRV! To bring about these changes, we are forming a Rank-and-File Committee at the Mack plant comprised of both Lehigh Valley Operations and Lehigh Valley Logistics Center workers and any other workers willing to fight. We call on workers to: Educate ourselves in understanding the historical actions taken by workers both union and non-union to see how gains can be made. This includes learning about the transformation of the UAW into a corporatist union. The American working class has a long, courageous history of labor conflict against the corporations and at times against the unions themselves. We intend to revitalize this tradition. Develop lines of communication with other Rank and File Committees at other Volvo and UAW plants globally. Workers at Mack-Truck and Volvo must fight for unification under a rank-and-file committee and one contract. Mack-Volvo workers at Hagerstown, Maryland need leadership in the form of a rank-and-file committee. The workers will see every instance of betrayal by the UAW and we will garner support from workers across the world. New River Valley workers received massive amounts of support poured in from workers as far away as Australia, Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom, and us here in the United States. A secure retirement for workers after laboring for decades and producing profits for one of the richest companies in the world. We want a choice of a pension or a 401(k) that gets 15 percent of our pay matched by the company whether we contribute or not. Abolition of the tier system and points attendance system policy at Macungie. We stand for equal pay for equal work. Cost of living clause in the next contract along with fully funded healthcare for all workers and retirees. A MWRFC worker on the bargaining committee with open-mic meetings held as often as the rank-and-file demand it. No closed doors bargaining! Additional vacation and personal days to spend time with our families! Workers in agreement with these demands and eager to fight back against the Mack-Volvo and the UAWs joint-attacks on us, we urge you to join us and get involved! Text: (484)-466-8841 A horrific new surge of COVID-19 cases is sweeping across the US, driven by the highly contagious and deadly Delta variant of the virus as well as the reactionary response of the government at the federal and state levels. In this April 21, 2021 file photo, a registered medical worker dons protective gear before entering a room at a hospital in Royal Oak, Mich. In 2021. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File) The count of daily cases in the US reached 92,405 on Thursday, approximately the same peak number during the surge in spring when vaccinations stood at just 20 percent of the population. Meanwhile, both hospitalizations and deaths are rising again. The seven-day averages of all three metrics show a precipitous increase across the US as the Delta variant is targeting unvaccinated sections of the population. According to the health sciences news website STAT, the month of July has seen the fastest increase in cases in the US since last winter. In an analysis published on Monday, STAT said a new analysis of COVID-19 case data reveals this new wave is already outpacing the spring and summer waves of 2020. STATs analysis brings together data from the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University and Our World in Data, along with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data to calculate the rate of weekly case acceleration. The new method measures the rate at which the daily number of cases is speeding up nationally and by each state. STAT points to the alarming situation, This view of the data reveals that the United States is currently in the midst of a fifth wave of cases and that this new wave is growing faster than the first and second waves ... In response to the surge, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new, thoroughly inadequate recommendations on Tuesday, calling for mask wearing, including by vaccinated individuals. The CDC itself was responsible for many states completely removing any mask requirements in May when it said that vaccinated people did not need to wear masks. The policy of the CDC was in direct defiance of the warnings being made by leading epidemiologists who said that another catastrophic wave was imminent. For example, on March 7, Michael Osterholm said on NBCs Meet the Press, Let me just say we are in the eye of the hurricane right now... So right now, we do have to keep America as safe as we can from this virus, by not letting up on any of the public health measures we've taken, and we need to get people vaccinated as quickly as we can. The STAT analysis shows that states with the fastest expansion of the pandemicsuch as Louisiana, Florida, Missouri, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi and Texashave vaccination rates below the national average. Of the situation in Louisiana, where only 36 percent of the population has been vaccinated, the STAT report showed the highest rate of case acceleration of any state. Louisiana, Florida and Arkansas have case acceleration rates that are many multiples of the rates of three-quarters of the other states. A report in the Texas Tribune on Thursday said that hospital officials worry that the staggering and frightening hospitalization rates are pushing facilities to capacity while staffing is short and workers are exhausted. Some hospitals in rural Texas are reaching capacity and are on high alert. The Tribune report said, hospitalizations in Bexar County rose by nearly 8 percent in one night as almost 100 people were admitted with severe COVID to local facilities on Tuesday alone. Meanwhile, the report went on, In Dallas County, COVID hospitalizations have increased by 99 percent over the past two weeks, reaching 376 earlier this week. The local numbers are expected to hit between 800 and 1,000 by mid-August, according to forecasters at UT-Southwestern Medical Center, and, the rising hospitalizations rates have spread outside of the heavily populated metro areas that first began to report increases a few weeks ago. Now they are being seen in all corners of the state, triggering pleas from hospitals for state-backed staffing help to handle the increasing pressure. As July 27, 43.4 percent of Texans had been vaccinated. Texas was one of the first states to remove all restrictions, including its mask mandate, last March. Republican Governor Greg Abbott said at the time, With this executive order, we are ensuring that all businesses and families in Texas have the freedom to determine their own destiny. In Arkansas, Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson declared a public health emergency on Thursday as the state recorded 2,843 new cases and one of the largest single day increases since the beginning of the pandemic. Hutchinson said that the White House was sending federal assistance to help bring health care workers into the state to staff medical facilities handling the surge. Arkansas has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the US at approximately 35 percent. While the governor is calling for a special legislative session to overturn a law that he signed himself in April that prohibits state and local mask mandates, he also said there would not be another statewide mask rule or new restrictions on business. In Missouri, statewide hospitalizations for COVID-19 have more than doubled and the number of ICU patients has more than tripled since the beginning of June. A report in the St. Louis Post Dispatch on Wednesday said that there is alarming increase in the number of cases among children under the age of 12 in Southwest Missouri. The Post-Dispatch report quoted Springfield-Greene County Health Director Katie Towns who said, Weve seen a rise in cases in that 0-11 age group, and weve also seen outbreaks in settings like day cares and camps. Weve moved to prioritize those types of cases so we can hopefully control disease spread among those who are most vulnerable. The vaccination rate in Missouri is 41.1 percent. Projections by the COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub predict that the nationwide surge will accelerate throughout the remainder of the summer and into the fall before peaking in mid-October. The hubs ensemble projection combines ten different models from academic institutions and outlines four scenarios based on the Delta variant's spread and US vaccination rates. The model predicts approximately 60,000 cases and 850 deaths each day in the US. The model forecasts that the death rate will drop to approximately 300 per day, the current death level in the US. This means that somewhere between 100,000 and 120,000 Americans will die from the coronavirus between now and the end of the year. Justin Lessler, PhD, an epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill who is on the scenario consortium, responded to the severity of these projections. Whats going on in the country with the virus is matching our most pessimistic scenarios. We might be seeing synergistic effects of people becoming less cautious in addition to the impacts of the Delta variant. The present surgealong with the previous waves of the pandemic that have now killed more than 600,000 people in the US and more than 4 million internationallyis the responsibility of the capitalist ruling elites and their political representatives in the Democratic and Republican parties who have, from the beginning, placed the accumulation of wealth above the health of the public. On July 23 Aurora, Colorado, police officers John Haubert, who is white, and Francine Martinez, who is Hispanic, faced multiple criminal charges for the violent beating and arrest of 29-year-old Kyle Vinson, a black man. A screen capture bodycam footage provided by the Aurora Police Department video shows a bloodied Kyle Vinson being choked by Officer John Haubert, who was arrested for his actions during the July 23 incident. (Photo: Aurora Police Department via YouTube) Body cam footage released Tuesday showed Haubert using his pistol to beat the unarmed Vinson while attempting the arrest, further choking him and meeting the barrel of his gun to his head, threatening to kill him. Haubert barked, If you move, I will shoot you! The officer initially approached Vinson while he was sitting, pushed him to the ground and forced him onto his stomach. He then proceeded to beat Vinson over the head with his firearm. Vinson, with blood pouring from his head, repeatedly cried out, Youre killing me, bro! Youre killing me, youre killing me! Haubert is faced with five criminal charges, including first- and second-degree felony assault and felony menacing, while Martinez, who has been with Aurora Police Department (APD) for six years, faces two misdemeanor charges for failure to report use of force and failure to intervene during Hauberts gross misconduct. Haubert has been arrested, and Martinez is on paid leave. Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson called the beating a very despicable act at a press conference, further stating, This video will shock your conscience. It is very disturbing. Wilson, a 23-year veteran of the force, took over the department in August of 2020, and is the first woman to permanently lead the APD. Contrary to the ongoing epidemic of police killings in the United States, Wilson declared, Were disgusted. Were angry. This is not police work. We dont train this. Auroras police department has been involved in a myriad of abuse-of-force incidents in recent years. Most egregious was the 2019 police murder of 23-year-old Elijah McClain, a black man who died after an encounter with police. The officers who attacked him were responding to a call about a suspicious person walking down the street. Colorados Legislature passed the Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity Act, a token police reform bill last year, which requires all officers to use body cameras by July 2023. According to Leg.Colorado.gov with the new law, A peace officer may turn off a body-worn camera to avoid recording personal information that is not case related; when working on an unrelated assignment; when there is a long break in the incident or contact that is not related to the initial incident; and during administrative, tactical, and management discussions. However, A peace officer does not need to wear or activate a body-worn camera if the peace officer is working undercover. According to the bill summary, the new law sanctions failure to activate or tamper with a body cam and requires the release of all recordings of an incident within 21 days of a complaint. In a significant loophole it allows for redaction or withholding of videos if there is specified privacy interest at stake. Moreover, it also bans the use of chokeholds, limits potentially lethal uses of force and removes qualified immunity for police officers. The new law also bars police from engaging with deadly force against suspects believed to be armed, unless an imminent threat of a weapon is being used. It also requires officers to intervene and report such incidents when excessive force is used by colleagues. By what measure excessive force is calculated remains ambiguous. According to Cornell Law Schools Legal Information Institute, Excessive force refers to force in excess of what a police officer reasonably believes is necessary. (Emphasis added) In an attempt to mend public opinion of the police following the 2020 Memorial Day police murder of George Floyd, which sparked protests against police violence and fueled protests in Aurora over the killing of McClain, Wilson strategically placed the officers on leave and released the body camera footage as soon as possible, in accordance with the 2020 bill in an effort to shed light on an incident she described as an anomaly. Wilson went on to say, This is not the Aurora Police Departmentthis was criminal. Wauwatosa, Wisconsin Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Glenn Yamahiro announced Wednesday that he had found probable cause to charge former Wauwatosa Police Officer Joseph Mensah in the 2016 fatal shooting of Jay Anderson Jr., both of whom are black. This decision has not been taken lightly, nor was it predetermined, Yamahiro noted. The police-shooting, which occurred five years ago on June 23, 2016 at Madison Park in a Milwaukee suburb, was ruled justified as self-defense by the County District Attorneys Office. Based upon the totality of the circumstances, the court does find probable cause that Officer Joseph Mensah operated a weapon, in a matter constituting criminal negligence, and in so doing, caused the death of Jay Anderson Jr., said Yamahiro. Yamahiro continued, Therefore, the court finds probable cause that Officer Mensah committed the crime, homicide by negligent handling of a dangerous weapon. The basis for this finding rests on the testimony received over the course of these hearings. The judges decision has overturned the prosecutors decision, and he ordered a special prosecutor to formally charge Mensah with homicide by negligent use of a weapon within 60 days. Mensah, since 2015, has shot and killed three people in the line of duty while employed with the Wauwatosa Police Department. The Milwaukee County District Attorneys Office ruled all three fatal shootings justified self-defense, including the most recent shooting of 17-year-old Alvin Cole in 2020, who was also black. Cole was shot dead by Mensah outside a mall. After District Attorney John Chisholm decided against filing charges against Mensah in 2016, Andersons family sought a federal review for a civil rights violation. A year later in February of 2017, the Attorneys Office for Eastern Wisconsin declined to prosecute Mensah. Kenosha, Wisconsin Albert Gonzales, one of four Kenosha, Wisconsin officers involved in the 2004 killing of 21-year-old Michael Bell, Jr., is the first to file papers with the Kenosha County Clerks Office for the November 2022 sheriffs election. On November 9, 2004, Gonzales shot Bell, who was white, in the head one day before Bell was to testify at a court hearing regarding a prior incident involving the same officer. Gonzales, who is Hispanic, was the subject of a $1.75 million wrongful death settlement following the death of Bell. In the dashcam footage, Bell is shown pulling up to his house in Kenosha, whereupon an officer follows him. The footage goes on to show Bell exiting the vehicle, unarmed, to speak with Gonzales, but the latter approached Bell, placing his hand on Bells neck and proceeding to slam him against his vehicle. A struggle broke out after the officers gross hostility, whereupon three officers held Bell against a squad car, face down, while Gonzales had his gun drawn, placing it, according to eyewitness testimony, to the right side of his head, shooting Bell point-blank in front of his mother and sister. The officer claimed Bell took his gun. In under 48 hours, the Kenosha Police Department ruled the shooting justified, prompting Bells father, Michael Bell Sr., to hire his own investigators. Bells investigators uncovered inconsistencies and fabrications in the police account of the events which transpired. The police report claims Gonzales shot Bell on the left side of his head. The only way to line up the muzzle stamp to Officer Gonzales guns position is to have Michael Edward Bells face pointed towards the sky, according to P. Douglas Kelley, M.D. Chief Medical Examiner. Upon hearing his sons murderer announce his candidacy for sheriff, Bell Sr. told Wisconsin Public Radio, Im alarmed by it, I do think many of the good people of Kenosha County will see through it, and its not going to be an issue. In March 2020, Gonzales self-published a 102-page book on Amazon detailing his involvement in the Bell shooting titled A Fateful Two Minutes. It is described as, One Midwestern police officers brush with death. Its a story of how through faith and resilience, he and his family overcame persecution, threats, and media attacks. This resulted in a lawsuit filed by Bell Sr. against Gonzales for defamation. Meanwhile, the Wisconsin Supreme Courts Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR), however, has agreed to evaluate if Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley, who was elected as the countys district attorney in 2017, mishandled his decision not to launch a John Doe investigation into the police-shooting. Bell Sr. had called on Graveley to re-examine the case and open an investigation in September 2017, but it was declined. Bell Sr. has been working tirelessly to seek justice for his son and has been working with retired Kenosha Police Detective Russ Beckman to help investigate the shooting. In a grievance filed by Beckman to the OLR, he alleges Graveley misrepresented evidence in the case. The OLR initially dismissed the grievance filed against Graveley in May, claiming there was an insufficient basis to proceed. However, Beckman filed a 107-page appeal on July 12 and again on July 20. The office responded that it would further review the grievance. Is the prosecutor looking at the case by the facts involved or are they looking at it through the lens of a 30-year relationship (with law enforcement). The public needs to know whether the facts involved will be an issue or a bias will be there because of that working relationship, Bell told Wisconsin Public Radio. In a statement via email, Graveley maintained the allegations are without merit, saying, I presume their investigator will review the submission and again make a recommendation on whether the board should further review. The decision that is being appealed is that the Board would take no action on the complaint filed. With this voluminous new submission, I presume the director would want his professional staff to do due diligence. Conclusion As with the Aurora Police Departments history of brutalization and murders, the Kenosha Police Department played an essential role in facilitating the shooting and murders of anti-police violence protesters by fascist gunman Kyle Rittenhouse last year. It is indicative of their fundamental class orientation. Both victims of police brutality and the state enforcers in these cases have come from men and women in white, black and brown skin. However, the common denominator in these cases is that police killed and brutalized working-class people. According to MappingPoliceViolence.org, 564 people have died at the hands of police this year. There have only been nine days where police have not killed anyone. Of the victims, 161 were white, 106 black, 71 Hispanic, 2 Asian, 6 Native American, 3 Pacific Islander, and 215 unknown. In 2020, traffic stop killings equaled 120, mental health and welfare checks 97, non-violent offense 197, domestic disturbance 160, reportedly seen with a weapon 93, crimes committed against others 41 and alleged violent crime 341. In a deeply reactionary decision, Spains Constitutional Court ruled this month that COVID-19 lockdown measures imposed from March to June 2020 were unconstitutional. The legal challenge to the health restrictions was brought by the far-right Vox party. The Court ruled by six votes to five that restrictions implemented to halt the spread of the coronavirus exceeded the remit of the state of alarm, the juridical mechanism used to impose social distancing measures such as lockdowns. Far right Vox party leader Santiago Abascal speaks during a session at Parliament in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday June 30, 2021. (Susana Vera/Pool via AP) Vox is expected to shortly win a second victory in the Constitutional Court, this time in its challenge to the six-month extension to the second state of alarm passed by Congress in October. Right-wing Magistrate Antonio Narvaez has drafted a judgment declaring this extension unconstitutional, which will be voted on by the Court on September 14. The ruling in Spain represents an escalation of the herd immunity policy pursued by the entire European bourgeoisie. This policy of keeping non-essential workers at work, letting the virus spread so as to avoid any slowdown in the flow of corporate profits, will lead to thousands more COVID-19 deaths. This was most crudely expressed by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who allegedly demanded last year in a leaked private cabinet meeting: No more fing lockdownslet the bodies pile high in their thousands. This comes as coronavirus cases in Spain surge to levels not seen since the start of February. Despite the clear and growing threat posed by the Delta variant, the PSOE-Podemos government has rejected any significant measures to contain the virus and instead threw Spain open to tourism, allowing bars, restaurants and other businesses to operate with no restrictions. As a result, the seven-day rolling average for infections is currently at more than 25,000 a day, as over 200 people died of the virus last week. Hospitalisations rose by 33 percent over the same period. The ruling, Voxs first major victory at the Constitutional Court, must serve as a warning to the working class on the growing threat of the far right in Spain and internationally. Vox has been promoted and emboldened by the right-wing and conciliatory policies of all the bourgeois parties, above all, the ruling Socialist Party (PSOE) and the pseudo-left Podemos party. Though Vox has only a small minority of the vote, it holds immense sway over the state machine. The PSOE-Podemos regime has repeatedly bowed to Vox, capitulating to its calls to end COVID-19 restrictions and for violent anti-migrant policies. Its response to the Constitutional Court illustrates its contempt for the democratic rights and its indifference to the dangers posed by COVID-19 and fascistic politics in Spain. Refusing to criticise the ruling, it instead issued meek statements emphasising its respect for the Courts decision. The Government respects but does not share the judgment on Voxs appeal, Justice Minister Pilar Llop declared, arguing that lockdown measures imposed under the state of alarm allowed us to save hundreds of thousands of lives. The Governments duty was to take immediate, urgent and proportional measures in the face of the spread of an unknown virus, Llop continued. She cited various international studies showing that lockdown measures prevented the deaths of more than 3 million people from COVID-19. While lockdowns undoubtedly saved millions of lives, the PSOE-Podemos governments account of its pandemic policy rings hollow. Its decision to implement lockdown measures last spring did not stem from a desire to save lives but was forced upon the European bourgeoisie by a continent-wide wave of wildcat strikes in March and April. The PSOE-Podemos government was hostile to these strikes, sending police to assault Sidenor steelworkers striking in the Basque country to demand the right to shelter at home. Since then, all the European governments have worked might and main to roll back restrictions and force the population into a new normal of coexistence with the virus. Due to this criminal refusal to carry out a scientifically-guided pandemic response, over 1.1 million people across Europe and over 100,000 in Spain have died. Millions more have lost family members and friends or suffer from debilitating long-term illness. Constitutional Court Judge Candido Conde-Pumpido, a member of the five-judge minority, denounced the ruling for blocking a scientific policy against the virus. It does not resolve but creates a serious political problem, disarming the state before the pandemic, he said, adding that the ruling does not fulfill genuine legal criteria. Voxs lawsuit represents a continuation of its policy of using the pandemic to press for police-state rule. It responded to the ruling by calling for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to resign and issuing a virulent tirade against lockdowns as the biggest infringement on rights in history. Its leader, Santiago Abascal, falsely claimed on Twitter: Only Vox voted against it. In fact, Vox deputies demanded the imposition of a state of alarm in March 2020 and voted for its extension when it was put to the Spanish Congress. Once the strike wave had subsided, Vox ferociously opposed any measures to contain the pandemic, denouncing lockdowns as a social-communist attack on Spanish freedom. In October, it organised protests across Spain against a shelter-at-home policy, denouncing health restrictions as totalitarian and absurd. The Spanish courts are politically complicit in Voxs campaign for dictatorship. The judgment on the March state of alarm does not rule on whether lockdown measures were an appropriate response to the pandemic, instead basing itself on a legal technicality. According to the Court, the state of alarm did not grant the government sufficient powers to impose far-reaching restrictions. Instead, it argued, social distancing can only be imposed under the far more stringent state of exception. A state of exception has never been imposed since Spains transition to parliamentary democracy in 1978. It would grant the government dictatorial powers. Under this mechanism, the government could detain individuals and search private homes without a warrant; prohibit strikes; close down media and communication networks; and tap private phones without the permission of a judge. It would also enable the authorities to expel foreigners from Spain, evict Spanish citizens from their homes and cities, seize weapons and set up armed stations in the streets. The courts argument that only a fascistic police state can enact scientific public health policies is a political lie, through which the ruling elite is laying out plans for dictatorship. It is clear that the spread of the Delta variant threatens to swamp Spanish hospitals and lead to a new surge in deaths. The court ruling must serve as a warning for workers in Spain and internationally. Should the ruling class find itself again compelled to adopt measures to contain the virus, most likely due to a new upsurge of the class struggle, powerful forces in the capitalist establishment will respond by seeking to impose a fascistic police state. They would be acting from a position not of strength but of immense weakness, having been discredited by the political criminality of their pandemic policies. However, workers cannot oppose this drive towards fascistic rule by supporting Podemos and its various political and trade union satellites. The key task is to mobilise the working class independently and on an international scale, against capitalist herd immunity policies and the growing danger of police-state rule. This means building independent safety committees in workplaces and schools to educate workers and youth on the virus and fight the spread of the disease and building sections of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) in Spain, across Europe and internationally. Expert forensic engineer Allyn Kilsheimer was hired by the town of Surfside, Florida on the same day that half of the Champlain Towers South fell to the earth killing 98 residents. He has been on location in Surfside with a team of engineers since then but has been denied access by county and state officials to the site of the catastrophe, as well as to the thousands of tons of material salvaged from it. I dont understand who is making those decisions and how, he said, explaining the critical importance of making a timely analysis of the collapse. Structural engineer Allyn Kilsheimer (Source: YouTube/Town of Surfside) Kilsheimer received a BS in Civil Engineering from George Washington University in 1963 and has worked in the field from 1961 to the present. The website of his company KCE Structural Engineers PC describes why he is among the worlds leading experts in forensic engineering. He has numerous awards for outstanding achievement and many professional associations of which he is currently a member. Of particular significance in this case, however, the website states: Mr. Kilsheimer has been consulted over the last thirty-three years in his own practice as a forensic engineering expert on over one hundred matters involving investigation, analysis, arbitration and/or litigation including but not limited to such cases as the Skyline Towers, Crystal City, Van Ness Center, Stanford, French Chancery, Mathew Brady Studios, 22nd Street and Florida Avenue Embassy, 14th & H Street and 1441 H Street, and for hundreds of catastrophic failure analysis, including numerous fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, structural damage by explosions and collapses or imminent collapses of buildings and or support structures throughout the United States and overseas, including the emergency recovery and restoration of the Pentagon after the September 11 attack. Moreover, his expertise is highly regarded internationally. His accomplishments include consultations on multiple projects throughout the world including in England, the USSR, Ukraine, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Barbados, Lebanon, Brunei, Ethiopia, Italy, Iceland, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Vietnam, Egypt and Portugal, it states. Last Tuesday evening, the World Socialist Web Site spoke with Mr. Kilsheimer by phone at his hotel in Florida. WSWS: I understand you felt you had to leave because you cannot get anything done there? Alan Kilsheimer: That is not quite the case. I am going to leave at the end of this week because I cannot do the investigations at the site and the two storage facilities that I need to do. We are still doing all the calculations and all the models and things that are being done in Washington. I do not need to be down here to see that. So, Ill be finished with what I can do down here at the end of the week, and Im going to go back to Washington. And then when they are ready to let me do what I have to do, we will be ready to come back. WSWS: Can you tell us a little about what you would like to do right now? AK: Its about a fourteen-page document Essentially, I would like to get down on the site where they have everything cleared as I understand it, although I am not allowed down there. We need to do the geotechnical investigation of the foundation system. That is, we need to look at the slab in the basement and check the concrete strength and the reinforcing strength. We need to look at the under-slab drainage if there is one. We need to expose the pile caps, check the pile caps, the reinforcing of the pile caps. Then we have to shoot what amounts to sound waves down the piles and the outside of the piles to check the soil and the rock to see what is existing below the rock. Then we need to take cores down the piles to see the condition of the piles themselves. That is a two-month process, pretty much, to do it thoroughly. Then you have to dewater the site while you are doing it because at high tide water comes in and it rains here all the time. At the off-site storage facilities, which I have not been allowed to see, one of them has the big pieces they took off the site, as I understand it. And we need to do the same kinds of things there. But there is no soil, so we have to measure things and check the reinforcing and the concrete and figure out which piece came from where as best we can so you can put this puzzle back together. In the area where you have all the smaller debris, I am not sure what we will see there. But we need to go there to see what we are going to see. WSWS: I think I read a report that in all the investigations you have done throughout the country you never were denied access before. Is that the case? AK: That is correct. WSWS: How do you feel about that? AK: Obviously, very frustrated. I do not understand. I do not understand who is making those decisions and how. I hear that the scene is considered a crime scene by the Miami-Dade Police, and I appreciate that. I do not quite understand, although I am not a crime scene expert, what is still down at the site that is still considered evidence and why I could not be there doing that. I kind of understand why they do not want us at thewhat I will call the small debris pile because they are still looking for people and things and stuff like that. And I understand that. I do not exactly understand why we cannot measure and stuff at the big debris pile because it is just big pieces of concrete and steel that we want to be looking at. They have to do their job. And I guess they know their job well. I have never run into this before, so it is just hard for me to understand how it could happen this way. WSWS: One final question. I really appreciate you speaking to me. Do you believe that you can recreate this event, that you can determine why it came down? AK: We have been able to do that in almost every single case before, and there is nothing that tells me that we should not be able to do that here. But until we continue the operation, there is no way to know. WSWS: Thank you very much. AK: Youre welcome. Sydney, Australias largest city, is now undeniably in the grips of its worst coronavirus outbreak since the pandemic began, with daily infections, mystery cases of unknown origin, hospitalisations and the number of critically-ill COVID patients all reaching record levels. Technicians prepare Pfizer vaccines at the newly opened COVID-19 Vaccination Centre in Sydney, Australia, Monday, May 10, 2021. (James Gourley/Pool Photo via AP) Yesterdays tally of 239 locally-acquired infections of the highly-contagious Delta variant is the largest Sydney has yet registered. It came after previous case numbers of 172 on Tuesday and 177 on Wednesday and was followed by another 170 new infections today. The figures remain lower than in many other parts of the world which are being ravaged by the resurgence of the pandemic and the Delta variant. But the Sydney outbreak has already decisively refuted the claims of parliamentary politicians and the corporate media that Australia was somehow exempt from the coronavirus catastrophes that have taken place internationally. Australian governments have embraced the same homicidal program, on behalf of big business, that their counterparts have carried out internationally. The escalation of the Sydney outbreak, from just two cases on June 16 when infections were first detected, to well over 200 in a single day less than a month-and-a-half later, is the direct and foreseeable consequence of government policy. Throughout, the New South Wales (NSW) Liberal-National government of Premier Gladys Berejiklian has refused to take the necessary lockdown measures demanded by epidemiologists. Its belatedly-introduced restrictions have fallen far short of the widespread workplace closures medical experts said will be required to curb the outbreak. The governing motivation has been to minimise the impact of the crisis on corporate profits. Under the piecemeal restrictions eventually put in place, infections have continued to soar. While there has been some fluctuation, the trajectory is clearly up, with warnings that an exponential growth may be beginning. On July 15, for instance, there were 65 new infections, on July 22 there were 124 and July 29, 239. An ever-greater proportion of the cases announced each day are described as being under investigation or of unknown origin. This means that health authorities have no idea how transmission occurred, indicating a wider spread of the virus than is being recorded in testing results. Well over half the latest infections fall into this category, including 126 yesterday and 93 of those reported this morning. Overall, the number of these mystery cases is approaching a third since the outbreak began, with NSW Health figures indicating that up to 872 of the 2,980 infections recorded since June 16 are of unknown origin. NSW contact tracing, previously promoted by Berejiklian, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and much of the corporate media as the gold standard, is in a crisis, with urgent requests in recent weeks for assistance from other states and attempts to involve transport staff. According to data cited by the Australian, only 67 percent of new cases were interviewed within 24 hours of being notified they were infected in the week ending July 26, down from 95 percent the previous seven days. The number of confirmed cases that were in the community while potentially-contagious is already reaching record levels, meaning that daily infection tallies will inevitably grow. As many as 105 of todays cases fall into this category, along with up to 158 yesterday, which was also the highest for Sydney since the pandemic began. Hospitalisations have also reached unprecedented levels, with 187 COVID patients in Sydney, 58 of them in intensive care and 24 requiring ventilation to continue breathing. This means that the current toll of 13 deaths is likely to grow substantially over coming days and weeks. As has been the case internationally, the Delta surge is refuting the claim used by governments and the corporate media to push for school and workplace openings that younger people are not at risk of severe illness. Of the 54 people who were in intensive care yesterday morning, two were teenagers, eight were aged in their 20s, four were in their 30s and three in their 40s. There are already indications that the chronically-underfunded healthcare system is under intense strain. There were 916 NSW Health staff on COVID-related leave in the fortnight to July 18, up from 225 in the previous two-week period. With more than a quarter of those hospitalised requiring intensive care, there are fears over capacity levels, with at least three major hospitalsRoyal Prince Alfred, St Vincent's and Liverpoolall instituting an indefinite pause on elective surgery deemed to be non-essential this week. While reflecting the virulent and deadly character of the Delta variant, the hospitalisation demographics also reflect infection trends more broadly. In the seven-days to last night, there were 1,133 total infections. Of those, 120, or more than 10 percent, were among children aged nine and younger, with 158 among 1019 year-olds. The most-heavily infected age groups were 2029 and 3039, accounting for 236 and 227 respectively. Together with the large number of mystery cases, the age breakdown further refutes government claims that the increase in cases is the result of reckless family gatherings and rule violations. Those most-heavily impacted are working age, in line with the fact that workplaces have and continue to be central venues of transmission. The NSW government has not responded to yesterdays record infection numbers by changing course in the slightest. It is doubling-down on its scapegoating of workers and the poor, while doing everything possible to protect big business interests. Stringent measures that have been in place in south-western working-class areas of Sydney have been extended to the western suburbs, with eight local government areas now subject to the measures. The virus only began circulating in the south-west because the government refused to institute lockdown measures when it was first detected in the relatively-affluent eastern suburbs. It is only in the past fortnight that cases in the western suburbs have grown substantially. These areas are not being flooded with additional medical staff or community workers. Instead, a massive police presence, which residents have likened to an occupation force in a war zone, is to be augmented with some 300 Australian Defence Force personnel. They will patrol the streets of these working-class areas, enforce compliance by knocking on doors and by fining those who forget to wear a mask outdoors or are otherwise accused of breaching the health orders. This is a punitive, police-state response. Not only is it a blatant attempt at scapegoating, it is also a preparation to repress widespread social and political opposition to the grossly-inadequate government response to the outbreak, and a social crisis that has worsened substantially over the past month. The measures mean that Sydney residents are essentially divided, based on the class character of the suburb in which they live. Those outside the targeted working-class suburbs are subject to far-less stringent restrictions that those who are within them. Meanwhile, the NSW government is pressing ahead with a reopening of the construction sector outside the targeted areas, in a dangerous, profit-driven move. Year 12 students are also slated to return to classrooms in two weeks time, placing them and their teachers at risk. As a result of a shambolic federal rollout, only around 18 percent of the adult population is fully vaccinated. Despite this, a meeting of the national cabinet this afternoon is set to focus on the details of a phased roadmap for reopening the economy, ending lockdowns and ensuring a return to normal, even as the pandemic enters a new and potentially-more deadly stage. The ongoing contest to choose the next general secretary of Unite the union sees two supposed standard bearers for the left, Steve Turner and Sharon Graham, stand against the openly Blairite right-wing candidate Gerard Coyne. Turner is supported by present General Secretary Len McCluskey, the unions United Left, and the Stalinist Morning Star. Graham has been adopted by the two largest pseudo-left groups, the Socialist Party (SP) and Socialist Workers Party (SWP). The elections have been dominated by soundbites and slogans with Turner and Graham claiming to represent workers in struggle and to have their backs, and with both promoting their role in the fight against fire and rehire contracts and presenting the record of Unite as exemplary. How then is one to account for the stony silence of Turner and Graham over recent events at coffee maker Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE) in Banbury, where 300 workers have been waging a fight against fire and rehire since May? Neither feels able to utter a word because the reality of the class struggle would puncture the political myth making dominating the election contest. On June 25, Unite suspended industrial action at JDE following back room talks with the company. It is seeking to ram through a concessions-based agreement in a ballot which closes August 4. The proposed deal delivers the overturning of terms and conditions demanded by JDE. Turner had joined the picket line of JDE workers on May 8, paying tribute to the confidence and determination of ordinary working people and denouncing the companys disgraceful attack now on their pay, their conditions, their shifts, their way of life and its completely unacceptable. Steve Turner, assistant general secretary of Unite, speaking to JDE workers (credit: WSWS Media) His rhetoric was aimed at concealing what was really being prepared by Unite behind the backs of JDE workers, underscored by his heaping praise on the local negotiating committee, including convenor Chris Moon and national officer Joe Clarke as an inspiring group and our team of passionate reps fighting fire and rehire. The World Socialist Web Site commented the next day, JDEs use of Section 188 notices is part of a wave of fire and rehire attacks launched in recent months, including at British Airways, Tower Hamlets Council, British Gas, SPS Technologies and Go North West buses. Major corporate and financial interests are seizing on the pandemic to implement far-reaching attacks on pay and conditions. But it is necessary to issue a sharp warning. Unites campaign against fire and rehire is an appeal directed to company boardrooms, shareholders and capitalist politicians and has nothing to do with defending the conditions of workers. The unions sole concern is that new demands for workplace flexibility, cuts to pay, redundancies and pension reform, must be implemented via corporatist agreements with the union. In the disputes against fire and rehire at British Airways, SPS Technologies and Go North West, ultimatums were only withdrawn in exchange for Unite acting as company enforcer against workers fighting to defend their rights and livelihoods. Once again at JDE, Unite has isolated the strike both on the industrial and political front, presenting as false friends forces in the Labour Party who have done nothing, and turning the dispute away from its genuine allies, workers throughout the UK and at JDE plants across Europe. However, Unites treacherous record, rather than the narrative of imagined victories, is becoming ever more widely understood among workers. The #Banbury300 Twitter account, set up by striking JDE workerswhich has become the platform through which opposition to the rotten deal has been vocalisedwas suspended temporarily last week after a joint intervention by Unite and the company. Among its exposures was debunking the claim made by Unite that fire and rehire had been withdrawn. Unites July 19 press release, claimed that the new pay and employment conditions package removes the managements proposal to fire and rehire staff, and cited Joe Clarke stating, We believe that this is the best deal that can be achieved through negotiations and we will be recommending acceptance to our members. Two days later, after posts by Banbury300 including a July 20 article by the World Socialist Web Site, Clarke and Unite legal officer Chris Gray issued a statement declaring, we are not overwhelming [sic] recommending this deal. Neither are we asking you to reject it. It is down to you as an individual to look at the overall package a take a view on it. That exposure of Unite is the reason why such a critical dispute such as JDE has become a taboo subject for the candidates of the left. Turners declaration, stay united, determined and confident in the fightwe will win this! has fallen before the political imperative to keep quiet and let Unite do its dirty work. Turners rival on the left, Graham, has never even gone through the motions of publicly supporting JDE workers. However, in the election contest she claims direct responsibility for self-proclaimed victories against fire and rehire at British Airways and Go North West, boasting in her election statement of a 100% track record of success. This is not a contradiction. Graham is not advocating for strike struggles, but for the benefits of Unites Leverage campaigning, in which she plays the leading role. She insists that Unite and other trade unions focus on securing sector-wide agreements through closed door discussions with key employers who will then act as pace-setters elsewhere. The reality of this model of industrial relations is not that pace-setter agreements raise all boats, but that Unite secures its role as a corporate partner at the expense of workers. Around 400 Manchester bus drivers waged a determined 11-week strike against Go North West and its parent company, Go-Ahead. Unites leverage discussions with Go-Ahead, led by outgoing General Secretary Len McCluskey, secured the unions role as an industrial police force based on it agreeing to cost cutting of 1.3 million. Fire and rehire was withdrawn because Go-Ahead got everything it wanteda reduction in sick pay, unpaid meal breaks, compulsory overtime and the lengthening of the working week, accompanied by jobs losses. This week members of the Socialist Equality Party campaigned outside Go North Wests Queens Road depot. When told of JDE workers opposition to Unites proposed deal, three drivers said: Unite they stitched us up as much as the company, Well done to the workers at JDE; They opposed the offer? Good on them, we should have opposed it; and Don't accept it. All of us here regret accepting it. Unite stitched us up. All the union reps have left now. Grahams campaign has been supported by the convenor at Go North West, Colin Hayden. Like many of the local union reps he has taken severance, escaping the working conditions he helped bounce workers into accepting. His endorsement, given pride of place in Grahams election statement alongside branch chair Sam Harvey, states, Sharon is the change we need. It was Leverage supporting our action that delivered an end to Fire and Rehire if you want to protect your job, pay and conditions, vote for Sharon. Unite union bureaucrats Colin Hayden and Sam Harvey endorse Sharon's Graham's election campaign (source sharongraham.org) The support of the SP and SWP for Graham is a means by which they desperately seek to maintain the grip of the union bureaucracy over the working class, portraying her rhetorical claims to shift union activity back to the workplace as a left agenda. It is nothing of the sort. Grahams oft-proclaimed opposition to Westminster politics is only a declaration that workers shouldnt interfere in the political affairs of the ruling class while Unite builds its relations with the corporate and financial elite. Her well-publicised comments about ending Unites meddling in Labour Party affairs is to assure Sir Keir Starmer that his own continued rightward course will meet with no opposition from her. As she stated in the Daily Mirror on July 24, Ill get on with my job, he [Sir Keir] can get on with his and there wont be any problem. In a July 3 interview with Red Pepper, Graham gave full vent to her disdain for even a feint of socialist politics. Speaking in language familiar to any Blairite scoundrel, she spoke of a left that was talking relentlessly to itself and being more interested in what it is against than what it is for. Her rival on the right Gerard Coyne was said to be on the softer side of the Labour Party. People forget that Gerard voted for Len [McCluskey] in the first two of his elections. In contrast to the enthusiastic and incessant coverage in support of Graham, the SP and SWP have said very little and offered nothing regarding Unites rank betrayal at JDE. The SP has not written any updates on the dispute since June 9 when it told JDE workers Unite was standing firm.. The SWP most recent article on July 27 amounts to 104 words calling on JDE workers to reject the deal, while making no criticism of their union Unite for negotiating it in the first place. Oscar Wildes protagonist Dorian Grey sold his soul for an appearance of eternal youth, with the consequences of his many crimes transferred to an increasingly hideous portrait. His pact with the devil nevertheless ended badly. The fate of the SP and SWP, who long ago sold their political souls to the labour and trade union bureaucracy, is being played out for all to see. A genuine left movement of the working class is developing in opposition to the corrupt and pro-capitalist organisations which the SP and SWP seek to protect. We urge JDE workers to take up the appeal for the formation of a rank-and-file committee which would resonate across all sections of the of the working class facing the same issues, the corporate onslaught and the treachery of the trade unions. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya (Wikipedia Commons) Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has spent the last two weeks in the United States to meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and later President Joe Biden as part of her ongoing appeal to Western imperialism for support against the regime of President Alexander Lukashenko. Tikhanovskaya, a former teacher, rose to prominence in August of 2020 after claiming victory in the Belarusian presidential elections against Lukashenko. According to the Belarusian government, President Alexander Lukashenko won by a landslide, garnering 80.10 percent of the vote, while Tikhanovskaya, came in second, with 10.12 percent of the ballot. Tikhanovskaya claimed to have won the presidency with between 60 to 70 percent of the vote. Amid widespread claims of government ballot rigging, mass protests and strikes erupted. The mass anger was also driven by the governments criminal mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lukashenko regime harshly cracked down on strikes and protests. Several protesters were killed, thousands were imprisoned and there were numerous reports of cruel torture in prisons. While the Western media focused its attention on so-called pro-democracy figures, such as Tikhanovskaya (who quickly went into exile), the crackdown was primarily motivated by a fear of working-class protests and strikes spreading throughout the country. The pro-Western opposition and the Lukashenko regime have, in fact, been united in their opposition to the upsurge in working-class struggles. While the regime responded with harsh violence, the opposition sought to politically derail the strike movement. As the protests have died down in recent months, divisions have emerged within the opposition, with Tikhanovskaya speaking for a wing that most openly appeals to the imperialist powers. On the eve of her visit to Washington, she declared in the National Interest that she no longer sought to claim the presidency in Belarus. Instead, she wanted to serve as a moral authority. Underscoring her complete orientation to US imperialism, she said, With Bidens help we will prevail. Throughout her time in Washington, Tikhanovskaya had meetings with the State Department, the White House and the Senate. She also attended the launch of the Friends of Belarus Caucus in the House of Representatives. While meeting State Department officials, including Secretary Antony Blinken last Monday, she begged the US to implement tough sanctions against the Belarusian economy, including the countrys potash, oil, wood and steel sectors. She reportedly also gave the US government a list of officials who should be sanctioned. Last Tuesday during a webinar coordinated by the rabidly anti-Russian think tank the Atlantic Council, Tikhanovskaya openly called for a more aggressive imperialist intervention into Belarusian politics, stating, I think its high time for democratic countries to unite and show their teeth. Despite weeks-long pleading for a face-to-face meeting with President Joe Biden and several op-eds in the Washington Post, Tikhanovskaya was forced to wait over a week before a snap meeting occurred on Tuesday. Her White House visit conspicuously took place just as US and Russian officials were meeting in Geneva to follow up on Bidens June summit with Putin. At the summit, the Biden administration sought to ease tensions with Russia in the context of its war drive against China. Following the meeting, Tikhanovskaya called her visit with Biden an inspiration for our people and a message to the whole world that the greatest country in the world is with us. Biden tweeted, The United States stands with the people of Belarus in their quest for democracy and universal human rights. However, no information about any tangible results of the meeting were revealed. In a stark display of her utter alienation of social reality in Belarus, Tikhanovskaya at no point during her comments in Washington even mentioned the ongoing pandemic that has had a devastating effect on the Belarusian health care system. In addition to meeting with top US officials and President Biden, Tikhanovskaya has previously met with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and President Emmanuel Macron of France while attempting to drum up support for Western-sponsored regime change in Belarus. Among her list of demands intended to cripple the Lukashenko presidency, she is also pleading with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to cancel a planned $1 billion disbursement to Belarus, so far with little success. While she has received no official answer to her demand for sanctions, Russias TASS news agency reported that the US will announce new sanctions against Belarus in the coming weeks. There were no promises given to her, no deadlines, because the US is working on sanctions regardless of her visit, a source told TASS. Tikhanovskaya currently resides in Lithuania, a NATO member country, where she has received the support and backing of the government. The Lithuanian government granter her official diplomatic status in her attempt to drum up US and EU support against the Lukashenko regime. Despite the ongoing campaign in the Western press over Tikhanovskaya, within Belarus she is far from the most popular opposition figure with polls showing that she would now fall into third or fourth place in hypothetical elections. According to a poll of Belarusians by the London-based think tank Chatham House, Victor Babariko is, in fact, the most popular opposition figure with 34 respondents supporting him compared to 25 for Lukashenko and just 10 percent for Tikhanovskaya. Forty-two percent of respondents stated that they did not trust Tikhanovskaya. Babariko previously worked as a prominent banker with Belgazprombank, a lender that is a subsidiary of Russias state-owned Gazprom. He was widely seen as the biggest threat to Lukashenko and was arrested just prior to last years presidential elections. Unlike Tikhanovskaya, who has developed open ties with Western imperialism, Babariko has long-standing connections with Moscow due to his business dealings with Russian companies. He favors Belarus taking a neutral status in the conflict between Russia and the West. Babariko was recently sentenced to a 14-year prison sentence after Belarusian officials accused him of money laundering, bribery and tax evasion, suggesting that Lukashenko is moving further away from accepting a succession agreement negotiated by Moscow. While the Kremlin initially backed Lukashenko following the eruption of mass strikes and protests with the open backing of the imperialist powers for the opposition, Moscow is very wary of Lukashenko and has been pressuring him to step down for many months now. Over the past year, Lukashenko has resorted to arresting over 35,000 people and imprisoning up to 400 political prisoners in a desperate bid to hang onto power which he has held for the past 27 years. Throughout the crisis Lukashenko has refused to undertake measures to stem the COVID-19 pandemic, dismissing it as a mass psychosis. Despite the availability of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, the government has effectively refused to undertake a vaccination campaign. Only 4 percent of its population of 9 million people are vaccinated, one of the lowest rates in Europe. In addition to jailing journalists and opposition politicians, closing down NGOs and threatening to interrupt EU trade routes, the Lukashenko regime has turned to increasingly desperate attacks on the countrys working class to maintain power. The Belarusian government has recently curtailed the already extremely limited right to strike. Any worker who participates in protests can now be immediately fired, and the rising of political demands during strikes has been banned altogether. Last week, Lukashenko, who often blames nefarious bandits for undermining his authority, publicly railed against Belarusian workers, who are supposedly stealing diesel, fuel, milk and other products from state companies and are being blamed for threatening Belarus along with the mass media and NGOs. The Socialist Equality Party opposes the jailing of journalist and blogger Craig Murray and demands the overturning of his conviction and immediate release. His sentence is massively disproportionate and a chilling attack on journalists, freedom of speech and democratic rights. Craig Murray speaking at a public meeting in defence of Julian Assange (credit: WSWS Media) On Thursday, Murray was informed that the UKs Supreme Court refused to hear his appeal against his sentencing for a punitive eight months by a Scottish court. Murray, a 62-year-old former British diplomat to Uzbekistan who is in poor health, will start his sentence imminently. His defence campaign said in a statement Thursday evening that he would surrender himself to police shortly and begin to serve the custodial sentence handed to him. On Friday he wrote, This blog will be going dark for a few months I am well aware that the last few weeks I have posted very little, because the constant worry of having a jail sentence hanging imminently over my head, which became very oppressive. For the last several Friday afternoons I was watching the clock until the time came when I was confident no warrant would come and I could have another weekend with my children. One of Murrays children is aged 12 and the other just five months. Last month, Murrays wife, Nadira, blogged that his health situation meant that he is not suitable for prison. He has pulmonary hypertension, APS and atrial fibrillation, among other illnesses. Upon finding out that her husband was being jailed, Nadira wrote Thursday, Today is the most heartbreaking day. My husband whose health has been found to not be suitable for prison must hand himself in for detention within hours following the UK Supreme Courts decision not to hear his appeal This is not a just punishment, this is a deliberate attempt to break the spirit of anyone brave enough to make use of free speech. Murray was found guilty in March for his reporting on the 2020 trial of former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond. Murray was found to have published articles which seriously impeded or prejudiced Salmonds trial by breaching contempt of court legislation preventing the publication of the names and identity and any information likely to disclose the identity of the complainers against Salmond. Salmond was acquitted on all 13 charges of sex offences, including attempted rape. Murray is an advocate of Scottish independence and a supporter of Salmond. His blog stated that the case against Salmond was the outcome of bitter factional warfare raging between the Scottish National Party (SNP) leadership, the top echelons of the Scottish state and Salmond himself. As the WSWS noted, In his blog, Murray attempted to draw attention to the closeness of the complainants to [SNP First minister Nicola] Sturgeon, and to indicate the orchestrated nature of the moves against Salmond, without naming names. He repeatedly made clear he supported the legal right of anonymity in sex cases and in his articles sought to stay within legal boundaries. He was sentenced the day after the Scottish election, on May 7, with the final decision announced by Lord Justice Clerk, Lady Leeona DorrianScotlands second-most senior judge. Dorrian had been the judge in Salmond's trial. Dorrian and two other judges, Lord Menzies and Lord Turnbull, ruled that articles by Murray, read along with other material in the public domain, would allow a jigsaw identification of a number of the complainants in the Salmond trial. Murray would have been in jail soon after the May sentencing as he was told to hand himself in to a police station within 48 hours. His lawyer managed to extend this timeframe to three weeks to allow Murray time to prepare an appeal. Dorrian refused permission to allow the case to go to the UK Supreme Court. However, Murray used a mechanism in law allowing potential appellants to appeal directly to the Supreme Court. Murray appealed to the Supreme Court on the basis of his right to report being denied through an extraordinary, impossibly strict application of jigsaw identification and of fair process having not been observed. The appeal was thrown out by the Supreme Court with no explanation, with a spokeswoman saying only, We can confirm that the application has been refused. The Craig Murray Justice campaign noted the grave implications of his jailing. Legal precedent will be set tomorrow as Craig Murray will be the first person imprisoned on the charge of jigsaw identification in the UK, and indeed in the entire world. It noted that Murray is the first person to be imprisoned in the UK for a media contempt for over 50 years, and in Scotland for over 70 years. Murray protested, I go to jail with a clean conscience after a Kafkaesque trial. I genuinely dont know who I am supposed to have identified or which phrases I published are said to have identified them, in combination with what other information in the public domain. This judgement will have a chilling effect on reporting of the defence case at trials, to the detriment of justice, and the different treatment of blogs and approved media is sinister. I carefully protect the identities of the accusers in my report. The Scottish appeal judges claimed that Murrays articles were not in the public interest, and that he had to be treated differently as a journalist in new media. Their ruling insisted, it is relevant to distinguish his position from that of the mainstream press, which is regulated, and subject to codes of practice and ethics in a way in which those writing as the applicant does are not. Several mainstream reporters of the Salmond case published information that could, along with other items, also have contributed to complainants being identified, yet only Murray was accused of contempt. Murray is serving an eight-month sentence despite identifying no-one in the Salmond case in his writings. Yet, in February, Scottish independence activist Clive Thomson was given a shorter sentence of six months for twice publishing the names of women who gave evidence at the Salmond trial on his Twitter account. The railroading of Murray into prison is the culmination of a politically motivated witch-hunt. For well over a decade, he has been outspoken in defence of human rights and has opposed torture sanctioned by the intelligence agencies. Based on his first-hand knowledge of the criminal inner-workings of the British state, Murray said, in an internal report leaked to the Financial Times in 2004, that Uzbek officials tortured prisoners to extract information. Murray alleged that the intelligence was used by MI6 after being passed on by the CIA. For the last decade, Murray has been a trenchant defender of jailed journalist and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Murrays defence campaign statement notes that he had recently been called as a witness in a case brought by Spanish state prosecutors against UC Global for allegedly acting on behalf of the CIA in covertly spying on Julian Assange in the Ecuadorian Embassy. Material before the Spanish court includes several hours of covert surveillance video of Murray in private conversation with Assange on the future of Assange and Wikileaks. The Scottish court removed Murrays passport expressly to prevent him traveling to Spain to testify. Murray said of his own persecution, I believe this is actually the states long sought revenge for my whistleblowing on security service collusion with torture and my long term collaboration with WikiLeaks and other whistleblowers. Murrays defence campaign will appeal his sentence and jailing at the European Court of Human Rights via all routes required. A federal freeze on most evictions that was enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original 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 nearly $47 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses. Advocates for tenants said the distribution of the money had been slow and that more time was needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to oust tenants who were behind on their rents. Even with the delay, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. as of July 5 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 pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households. Heres the situation in Indiana: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? Indiana is one of several states that enacted a moratorium on eviction proceedings last year, but it expired in August. Despite the state and federal moratoriums, more than 51,000 eviction filings have been made in Indiana during the pandemic, including nearly 16,000 in the Indianapolis metropolitan area, according to Indiana Legal Services. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? Housing officials said theyve been reaching out to landlords in an attempt to reduce the number of impending evictions and encouraging anyone who may be at risk of eviction to apply for rental assistance through their areas housing authority. Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett on Thursday also announced a new one-year tenant advocate program that will put a housing liaison in every small claims court in Marion County during the expected surge in evictions. Andrew Merkley, a housing specialist for the Indianapolis Office of Public Health and Safety, said more funding from the federal American Rescue Plan can still be budgeted toward rental assistance if state and local governments choose to do so. By September, 60%, or $222.6 million, of the $371 million Indiana received from the federal government to administer rental assistance programs needs to be spent or earmarked. All of the money must be spent or assigned to renters by the end of the year. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? Anticipating a spike in eviction petitions after the statewide moratorium ended last summer, the Indiana Supreme Courts Landlord Tenant Task Force encouraged landlords and tenants to talk to each other, explore options, discuss payment plans and put all agreements in writing. Procedures and practices have varied throughout the state, though many courts have launched mediation programs to provide an alternative to evictions. Brandon Beeler, housing law center director of Indiana Legal Services, said the organization is preparing for an influx of eviction court cases. The states largest provider of free civil legal assistance to low-income people has received more than 3,900 legal assistance requests for eviction-related issues since April 2020. HOW AFFORDABLE IS HOUSING IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? Indiana has a gap of 127,000 affordable units statewide, with only 37 available per 100 families that need them, said Andrew Bradley, the policy director for Prosperity Indiana. He added that although Indiana is a low cost-of-living state, small towns and rural communities have reported higher eviction rate surges than in larger municipal areas. People who (are low income), theyre spending a lot of their income on housing, Bradley said. So if they lost any income during COVID, that really quickly puts them under water. As of June, the median monthly rent in the Indianapolis metropolitan area had risen over the past year by 12.8 %, to $1,140, according to a report released July 15 by Realtor.com. Median rents for a one-bedroom apartment rose by 11.5%, while two-bedroom units jumped by 17%. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? A spike in evictions is expected once the CDC moratorium expires, which is what happened when the states moratorium expired last year, said Amy Nelson, executive director of the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana. Although no statewide data exists, Indiana housing experts estimated that roughly 13% of tenants about 106,000 Indiana households are at risk of eviction. Recent census data showed that 28,000 state residents said they were concerned they could be evicted within two months. Heres the situation in Illinois: WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE? The states own moratorium on evictions will expire at the end of August, more than 17 months after Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued it. Eviction filings can resume at the start of the month, but enforcement cant resume until September. Pritzker extended the order several times during the pandemic. After landlords of small properties complained that it was hurting them financially, the Democrat modified his order in November to require tenants to vouch that they met certain conditions. WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION? The state expects to provide $1.1 billion in relief to renters and landlords, plus $400 million that will be available in some cities. Pritzkers office estimated that the money could help more than 120,000 people. Individuals can apply for up to $25,000 that would be paid directly to landlords. A separate $280 million program focuses on utility costs. According to the Illinois Housing Development Authority, the agency has received nearly 95,000 applications for rent assistance seeking a total of more than $900 million. As of Wednesday, it had paid roughly $180 million to 20,480 households, prioritizing people who were unemployed or had very low incomes. A state law created this year also seals the records of any evictions between March 2020 and March 2022, aiming to prevent pandemic-related financial woes from deepening a renters ability to get future housing. Teri Ross, executive director of Illinois Legal Aid Online, also encouraged people who are behind in their rent payments to contact community groups that have received money from federal relief packages to offer aid or legal services. HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS? It varied in recent months based on the renters location. Ross said counties in the Chicago area have not allowed landlords to file lawsuits seeking to boot tenants for being late on their rent. Elsewhere, counties that did accept eviction filings largely didnt act on them. Eviction orders entered before the pandemic began and those based on health and safety concerns were allowed to proceed. In September, all Illinois courts can resume eviction proceedings and enforcement. The Illinois Housing Development Authority is providing training on rent relief and other assistance to judges around the state. The agencys director, Kristin Faust, said the goal is to encourage landlords and tenants to enter mediation rather than move toward eviction. Housing advocates said some counties already have embraced that approach and hope it will help some renters stay in their homes while giving their landlords financial relief. But they still expect a flood of people to be evicted from rental homes this fall. HOW AFFORDABLE IS HOUSING IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS? As of May, the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the Chicago area was 2.7% higher than the year before, at $1,900, according to a June 16 report from Realtor.com. That was higher than the national median cost of $1,770. The median cost of studio and one-bedroom units in the Chicago area dropped during the past year but still topped the nationwide median cost. The median rent of a Chicago one-bedroom was $1,650, compared to the national figure of $1,466. A Chicago-area studio apartment, meanwhile, cost $1,345 per month, compared to $1,294 nationally. Those prices are far out of reach for many renters in the city and surrounding suburbs, said Karla Chrobak, a supervising attorney with CARPLS Legal Aid, an organization that provides free legal help in Cook County. Chrobak said clients seeking the groups help already struggled to find affordable housing before the pandemic, making the prospect of being evicted now terrifying. ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS? Ross said community organizations around the state are in fear of seeing mass evictions. I hope that we see communities working together, landlords and tenants, she said. Keeping communities stable is largely dependent on keeping people housed consistently not precariously. One indication of the scope of the problem is recent census data showing that 109,211 Illinois residents were concerned they could be evicted within the next two months. Faust, director of the state agency managing rent relief, hopes shared efforts to keep tenants in their homes will help Illinois avoid mass evictions. Were going through a shared trauma here and were going to deal with it together and were going to address it together, she said. The Indiana State Department of Health and other state leaders will host their media briefing to provide updates on COVID-19 and its impact on Indiana. Posted: Jul 30, 2021 11:57 AM MONROE COUNTY, Miss, (WTVA) - Monroe County is just one north Mississippi county under an excessive heat warning. Today was one of the hottest days to work outside. Workers are trying to stay cool during these hot temperatures. Were used to working outside, but this week has been extremely hot. Ashley Peler has been working for Monroe County Road Maintenance for four years. Peler said he is trying to stay hydrated and cool as best he can. Its been rough--a lot of fluids, a lot of water, a lot of Gatorade. We try to take breaks as we can, just long hot days right now. And Josh Chism is going through the same struggle. Hes worked for the department for five years and does a little bit of everything in the heat. A little bit of everythingjust driving a truck or operating equipment or whatever. We just try to stay cool as much as we can. Today the crew was cutting trees back and sweeping the Clay Hill Road for pavement. They chained up their equipment after working in the baking sun all day. As for everyone else, the National Weather Service encouraged all to drink plenty of fluids, stay out of the sun and near the air conditioner to prevent heat related illnesses. Please purchase a subscription to continue reading. If you have a subscription, please Log In . Your current subscription does not provide access to this content. If you believe you've gotten this message in error, please Log In. For more information, call 304-288-4570, or go to the Curiosity Clockworks LLC Facebook page. This story is part of the Inside Appalachia Folkways Reporting Project, a partnership with West Virginia Public Broadcastings Inside Appalachia and the Folklife Program of the West Virginia Humanities Council. Zack Harold is a freelance writer living in Boone County. Allan Hathaway is the owner of The Purple Onion and WV Marketplace at Charlestons Capitol Market. For more information, visit the web pages at capitolmarket.net/merchants/purple-onion and capitolmarket.net/merchants/wv-marketplace; or call The Purple Onion at 304-342-4414 and WV Market-place at 304-720-2244. Email Allan at purpleonionco@aol.com. Charleston, WV (25311) Today Scattered showers and thunderstorms. High around 80F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms this evening with a few showers possible late. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Clarksburg, WV (26301) Today Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 79F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. Matthew Yglesias writes the Slow Boring blog and newsletter. A co-founder of Vox and a former columnist for Slate, he is also host of The Weeds podcast and is the author, most recently, of One Billion Americans. 2021, Bloomberg Opinion Weather Alert .Monsoonal moisture will spread east into portions of south central and southeast Wyoming this afternoon. Showers and thunderstorms will develop during the late morning, increasing in coverage and intensity in the afternoon. Some of the showers and thunderstorms will be capable of producing rainfall up to an inch per hour. Heavy rainfall over recently burned areas will increase the risk for flash flooding. ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON MDT TODAY THROUGH THIS EVENING... The Flash Flood Watch continues for * Portions of south central Wyoming and southeast Wyoming, including the following areas, in south central Wyoming, North Snowy Range Foothills, Shirley Basin, Sierra Madre Range, Snowy Range and Upper North Platte River Basin. In southeast Wyoming, Laramie Valley and North Laramie Range. * From Noon MDT today through this evening. * Heavy rainfall from showers and thunderstorms will increase the threat for flash flooding in the watch area. * Recently burned areas will be more susceptible to flash flooding, especially in and around the Mullen Burn Scar. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... You should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to take action should Flash Flood Warnings be issued. && Weather Alert ...AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM MDT TUESDAY... The following message is transmitted on behalf of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Air Quality Division and the Wyoming Department of Health. WHAT...Air Quality Alert for Wildfire Smoke. WHERE...Much of Southeast Wyoming from Douglas to Cheyenne. WHEN...Until 1 PM Tuesday. IMPACTS...Heavy smoke from Montana and Pacific Northwest wildfires. HEALTH INFORMATION...The Wyoming Department of Health recommends the elderly, young children, and individuals with respiratory problems avoid excessive physical exertion and minimize outdoor activities during this time. Wildfire smoke is made up of a variety of pollutants, including particulate matter and ozone, which can cause respiratory health effect. Although these people are most susceptible to health impacts, the Department of Health also advises that everyone should avoid prolonged exposure to poor air quality conditions. CURRENT CONDITIONS...The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Air Quality Division offers near real-time air quality data for Wyoming's monitoring stations and health effects information to help the public interpret current conditions. Current air quality conditions across the state of Wyoming can be found at http://www.wyvisnet.com/ Dan + Shay - Credit: YouTube/Dan and Shay Dan + Shay have dropped a new song, Lying, along with an accompanying music video. The clip, directed by Dani Vitale and Patrick Tracy, is set in a dive bar where the musicians perform the lovelorn track before gamely joining a group of line dancers. I dont miss you in my bed/I dont hear you in my head, the duo croon on the piano-driven song. I dont love you, Im not crying/And I swear Im not lying. More from Rolling Stone Lying is the latest song to emerge from the bands new album, Good Things, out August 13th. Good Things, produced by the bands Dan Smyers, features 12 tracks, including 10,000 Hours, a collaboration with Justin Bieber that originally dropped in 2019. Earlier this year, Dan + Shay released Glad You Exist, which will also appear on the new album, and recently unveiled the title track. To coincide with the albums release, the duo will perform their Good Things Album Release Concert at the Great Lawn in Nashvilles Centennial Park, marking the first time a major concert has happened at the venue. Tickets are on sale now. Dan + Shay also recently announced the rescheduled dates of their headlining tour. Originally set for 2020, the trek was scuttled because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The (Arena) Tour, as its dubbed, will now kick off on September 9th, 2021, in Greenville, South Carolina. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A59KFLuPQTU?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&listType=playlist&list=PL6JfDen_WA-uCWahA-eS-2PiuhMOMG8Zi&w=640&h=360] Best of Rolling Stone Royal Caribbean Cruise line MyLoupe/Universal Images Group via Getty Six passengers on Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas ship have tested positive for COVID-19, the cruise line confirmed to PEOPLE on Friday. Four of the guests, who are not part of the same party, have been vaccinated against the virus, according to a statement from Royal Caribbean. One person is experiencing mild symptoms while the other three remain asymptomatic. The two other guests, who are in the same party, are unvaccinated minors. They remain asymptomatic. The six guests were "immediately" quarantined and all close contacts, including those they were traveling with, have since tested negative. The cruise, which departed from Nassau, Bahamas, on July 24, required travelers age 16 and older to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and return a negative test prior to boarding. Children ineligible for inoculation were required to return negative tests as well. All crew members on the ship are vaccinated, according to the cruise line. RELATED: What to Know Now About COVID Breakthrough Cases and the Delta Variant The six positive tests were returned during routine testing required of all Adventure guests before returning home. "Each guest and their immediate travel parties disembarked in Freeport, The Bahamas, and separately traveled home via private transportation," Royal Caribbean said in the statement to PEOPLE. WATCH THIS: Disney World Area Is in COVID 'Crisis' According to Orange County Executive As of Friday, 49.4% (163.8 million) of the United States populace is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), while 57.2% (189.9 million) have received at least one dose. But the new Delta variant, coupled with lingering vaccine hesitancy, is complicating the United States' recovery. RELATED: Joe Biden Announces Federal Workers Must Be Vaccinated or Undergo Weekly COVID Tests: 'You Don't Have to Die' Story continues An internal memo from the CDC suggests the Delta variant can spread via vaccinated individuals, The Washington Post reported Thursday night. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky confirmed the document's authenticity to CNN on Friday. "I think people need to understand that we're not crying wolf here. This is serious," she told CNN. According to the memo, Delta can spread as easily as chickenpox. It also suggests fully vaccinated people might spread it at the same rate as unvaccinated people. On Thursday, Walensky said the CDC would be altering its guidance for inoculated individuals in wake of the highly contagious variant. It will recommend people wear masks indoors -- including in schools -- where transmission of COVID-19 is sustained or high. OUTER BANKS Netflix's teen drama Outer Banks revolves around a group of teenagers who can't stay away from trouble, a community divided by class, and one too many love triangles. It all sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it? All of this, plus the National Treasure-ness of it all, easily landed the show on our must-watch list. Now that both seasons are available in full on the streaming service, we've found that it's all too easy to get sucked right in. One of the main questions swirling throughout seasons one and two: what happened to John B's dad? Related: The Pogues Might Be Going to the Bahamas, but Outer Banks Season 2 Wasn't Filmed There The Background Since his dad's disappearance in season one, John B has been living on his own, and his new legal guardian isn't in the picture either. If John B is certain about anything, it's that his father isn't dead. As we come to learn, the coastal beauty of the Outer Banks isn't pretty enough to cover the sketchy business - and murder - happening on North Carolina's barrier islands. More on that later. The series begins in the aftermath of Hurricane Agatha ripping through the Outer Banks. While the town bands together to clean up the mess, our gang of misfits have other plans. They explore a shipwreck, where they find a motel room key. Meanwhile, a dead body has washed up a few yards over. The Adventure Begins John B and the group find a gun and a large wad of cash in the motel room. JJ takes the gun, and the bad decisions don't stop there. John B steals scuba equipment from his boss, Ward Cameron - which he later gets fired for - so they can survey the shipwreck. There, he finds a compass that used to belong to his father! (Cue the scary music.) Inside, the word "Redfield" is engraved. Knowing his father dedicated his career to finding the infamous Royal Merchant, which was lost along with $400 million in British gold in the 1800s, John B breaks into his father's locked office in search of clues. At that exact moment, the bad guys arrive, but John B and the gang secretly escape through a window. However, all the blueprints, notebooks, vision boards, and photographs have been stolen. Looks like it's back to square one. Good thing they have that compass with the engraved clue, right? Story continues As in all teen drama series, our heroic team embark on the journey of a lifetime, during which they escape from one too many near-death experiences, cross enemy lines, and piece together an array of clues, all while forbidden love becomes a main character along the way. Related: Watch the Stars of Outer Banks Hilariously Get Quizzed on How Well They Know Each Other Is John B's Dad Alive? Concerning the whereabouts of John B's dad, well . . . he's dead and has been for the past nine months - or so it seems. Here's what really happened. Big John found the Royal Merchant and the gold. The only problem was that Ward wrote him a check to help offset the cost of this expedition and he wasn't too happy with his side of the cut. In a fight on the boat, John B's dad fell and in the process badly cut his head on a sharp edge. Out of panic from the gushing blood, Ward dragged Big John's body overboard. Ward was freaking out and confided in his buddy Scooter about everything, including the Royal Merchant. On the day of Hurricane Agatha, Ward advised (more of a command, really) Scooter to scope out the sea one more time before the storm messed up the geography of the OBX. Scooter investigated a tiny island off the coast but what he discovered was no pot of gold: a makeshift shelter, a compass, and body remains. Big John wasn't dead when he was dumped overboard. He spent his final moments carving out a clue for his son in the compass, which Scooter took. On his journey home, Hurricane Agatha overrode the situation and Scooter ended up much like Big John, washed up and seemingly dead. However, by the end of season two, we find out Big John is alive and well. Despite several attempts to convince us that John B's dad was dead, the final scene of the 10-episode season reveals that isn't the case. Not only that, but he's now in cahoots with Limbrey, who is working against John B and his friends to try and get the bejeweled Cross of Santo Domingo that belongs to Pope and his family. Not much else is revealed about Big John and what he's been up to, but we'll surely find out if and when season three of Outer Banks is confirmed. For better or for worse, meet Mr. and Mrs. Gucci. A trailer that dropped Thursday offered a glimpse of Adam Driver and Lady Gaga in action as Maurizio Gucci and Italian socialite Patrizia Reggiani in Ridley Scott's "House of Gucci" (in theaters Nov. 24). The trailer offers all the glitz and glamour you'd expect from the Italian fashion house in the '90s, complete with the couple's lavish wedding, opulent lifestyle and something more sinister: murder. "It was a name that sounded so sweet, so seductive, synonymous with wealth, style, power, but that name was a curse too," says Gaga's Reggiani, who in real life was convicted of orchestrating the assassination of Maurizio, her ex-husband and head of the Gucci fashion house. "I dont consider myself to be a particularly ethical person," Gaga adds to the tune of "Heart Of Glass" by Blondie. "But I am fair. Do you recognize them? Lady Gaga hangs with Adam Driver in snowy 'House of Gucci' first look Lady Gaga stars as Italian socialite Patrizia Reggiani in Ridley Scott's "House of Gucci" (in theaters Nov. 24). Reggiani served 16 years in prison for orchestrating the murder. "You picked a real firecracker, teases Jared Leto, who looks unrecognizable as a husky Paolo Gucci. (Leto told ET Canada in May that his "complete transformation" for the role took "about five hours of prosthetics every morning.") Driver's Maurizio Gucci agrees that Reggiani is indeed "a handful." House of Gucci features a star-studded cast, including Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Camille Cottin, Jack Huston, Reeve Carney and Salma Hayek. Watch the trailer below: In April, Patrizia Gucci, one of Maurizio's second cousins, voiced concern that the film goes beyond the headline-grabbing true-crime story and pries into the private lives of the Guccio Gucci heirs. (Guccio Gucci founded the luxury fashion house that bears his name nearly a century ago in Florence.) "We are truly disappointed. I speak on behalf of the family,'' Patrizia Gucci told the Associated Press. "They are stealing the identity of a family to make a profit, to increase the income of the Hollywood system....Our family has an identity, privacy. We can talk about everything. But there is a borderline that cannot be crossed." Story continues Contributing: Brian Truitt, The Associated Press Gucci family members raise concerns over its portrayal in upcoming film starring Lady Gaga This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gucci movie: Lady Gaga stars in stylish 'House of Gucci' trailer Good Morning America Monday's episode of "The Bachelorette" opened with Katie about to meet the families of her three remaining suitors, but her attempts at being honest and straightforward backfire when one of them is pushed to his breaking point. Once again, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the men from showing Katie their actual hometowns, but each did his best to recreate some of the local flavor within the confines of New Mexico's Tanaya Resort & Spa. First up was Blake, who, once a bartender in his hometown of Ontario, Canada, took Katie to a mock bar where they drank maple syrup shots and tossed darts at a board covered in balloons -- each one containing dares and questions they must answer in an effort to learn a little more about each other. Twelve Republican governors on Thursday filed a brief asking the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, which set a precedent for the constitutional right to abortion. Why it matters: The governors were writing in support of an upcoming case concerning Mississippi's law that bans the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free. Governors from Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma and Texas joined South Carolina in signing the brief. 228 Republican members of Congress also sent a brief on Thursday asking the court to overturn Roe, CNN reports. The Supreme Court, which currently has a conservative majority, is slated to hear arguments in Mississippi's case this fall. What they're saying: "The Courts decisions in Roe and Casey are prime examples of invading an area that has not been committed to the Federal Government and remains reserved to the States," the brief read. "[D]e-constitutionalizing abortion should lower the proverbial temperature in these debates," it continued. The big picture: Abortion would remain legal in 21 states and would likely be prohibited in 24 states and three territories if Roe v. Wade is overturned, according to the Center for Reproductive Right's "What if Roe Fell?" project. The vast majority of Americans want to leave Roe v. Wade in place, an Axios survey found. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free Faisal Khan, a public health doctor in Missouri's St. Louis County, spoke at a council meeting on Tuesday about the importance of enforcing a mask mandate in the area, where more than half of the population is unvaccinated, during a surge of infections from the Delta variant. But Khan said the unmasked crowd jeered at him, jostled him around, called him racial slurs, and mocked his accent. Khan, who is the acting director for the St. Louis County Department of Health, said that as he walked out of the meeting, he was shoulder-checked and jostled by some people in the crowd. Once he was outside the chambers, he said he was surrounded by a hostile group, some of whom called him a "fat brown cunt" and a "brown bastard." "After being physically assaulted, called racist slurs, and surrounded by an angry mob, I expressed my displeasure by using my middle finger toward an individual who had physically threatened me and called me racist slurs," Khan said in a letter to the council chairperson, Rita Days, on Wednesday. Khan told BuzzFeed News on Thursday that while he regrets losing his composure momentarily, he had just about had it. "I was shaking from the whole experience," Khan said. "I've never experienced anything like that in the more than 25 years that I've been in public health service." His pleas to enforce the mask mandate were not successful. The St. Louis County Council voted 52 to rescind the county mandate on Tuesday, a day after it was introduced, saying that it didn't comply with state laws about public health orders. A video shared on Twitter showed the crowd break out in cheers after the council's vote. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The incident is indicative of the anger, confusion, and chaos over the renewed push for mask-wearing across the country in light of the highly infectious Delta variant that now makes up more than 80% of cases in the US. The anger and abuse directed at Khan are also similar to experiences faced by many public health officials in the US as they continue to fight not only a deadly virus, but also an ongoing political and cultural war over masks and vaccinations. Story continues "It is truly unfortunate that the worst public health crisis in 100 years has been politicized from the onset at the national level and on the state and local level across the country," Khan said. "That is the worst possible damage to public health infrastructure in the US." Khan bemoaned the loss of at least 250 public health officials who have left or have been forced out of their jobs after being vilified while struggling with the mental, physical, and emotional toll of the pandemic. "I'm just profoundly sad at the state we find ourselves in as public health officials," Khan said. "We have only one job to serve people and safeguard their health. We should not be dragged into political theater." Khan said that he was invited to the county council meeting on Tuesday evening to explain the public health rationale behind implementing a mask mandate that had been announced just a day earlier by St. Louis County executive Sam Page and St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones. But the county council disagreed with the executive branch on the mechanism by which the mandate had been rolled out without their permission, Khan said. A political rally held before Tuesday's council meeting had stoked the crowd into a frenzy with anti-mask speeches and slogans, so Khan said that when he stepped up to the lectern, the anger in the crowd was palpable. He said he could hear the jeers and taunts behind him. Khan accused one of the Republican council members, Tim Fitch, of questioning him with "xenophobic dogwhistles" that were designed to paint him as "a foreigner, a migrant, and a non-licensed brown physician who was not trained in the US." Khan, a US citizen since 2013, clarified that while he was not licensed to practice clinical medicine in the US, he was a public health professional by training and had worked as an epidemiologist in numerous countries, including Australia, Vietnam, Pakistan, South Africa, China, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and the US. After Fitch's line of questioning, Khan said he could hear people in the crowd calling him a "quack," "a jerk," and "not a real doctor." Some people mocked his accent by impersonating Apu, the racist caricature from The Simpsons, he said. "I'm saddened not by the racist and vile personal abuse directed at me after I left the meeting or the physical jostling, but by the fact that Tuesday's meeting was a superspreader event," Khan said. "That was the first thing that struck me as I looked across the sea of unmasked faces." Khan said he does not expect an apology or a response to his letter to the council chairwoman outlining his experience and calling for an investigation into what happened. Days told BuzzFeed News on Friday that she was going to look into the situation and ask the local police department if Khan had filed a report on his allegations of physical assault. "What has happened to Dr. Khan is truly regretful," Days said, adding that as a Black woman in Missouri she did not condone racism. However, Days said she did not think Tuesday's council meeting was out of order. She said that while the crowd was "energetic" and not in favor of masks, only a couple of people behind Khan made comments during his speech and they immediately quieted down when told to. She added that Khan showing his middle finger to the crowd while walking away was "unprofessional." Days also did not believe that Fitch's line of questioning was inappropriate. She said that he was trying to make sure everybody knew that Khan was authorized and licensed in Missouri to issue health orders. Days said the she was against enforcing the mask mandate because it went against a recent state law that said any kind of order on public health issues had to come before the county council. She also said that it would be impossible to legally enforce a mask mandate and that she didn't want the local police to spend their time "trying to run down people who aren't wearing masks." Days said she would wait until Khan's "media campaign" was over before potentially having a one-to-one conversation with him about his letter. A spokesperson for Fitch said he was "tied up on his regular day job until at least 2 p.m. St. Louis time." Khan has not received any threats after his appearance at the meeting, but he said he had asked for and received an additional security detail. "This has been a scary and jarring experience for me and my family," he said. But he said the experience has not deterred him from continuing to serve the public. He said that he was inspired by the commitment of Anthony Fauci, who, as the public face of the country's scientific response to the pandemic, has been subjected to threats against his life and his family. Khan asked people to think of the CDC's recent revised mask policy in terms of a "battlefield strategy" where public health officials have to constantly adjust their tactics and approaches to counter the enemy's new weapons, i.e., the virus strains. However, Khan said that "populist point-scoring tactics" that played out during Tuesday's meeting could potentially lead to "more disease, more infections, more misery, and more death." "We've ended up looking like those people whose house is on fire," he said, "and we're standing in front of it arguing about which particular fire hydrant should we connect our fire hose to." More on this Deadwood: Where Outdoor Activities Abound As Well As History Of The Old West Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. Obermier and Wiens predict masks will be similarly incorporated by the industry, though perhaps not so rigidly as now should COVID fade. Of the delta variant on the local scene, Obermier said it is definitely here in York County. Unlike the original COVID, this new strain is bearing down on young, healthy people, including children. Vaccinated and non-vaccinated people can both get it, however those who choose not to vaccinate get it way worse, Obermier reports. By all legitimate accounts the same is true nationally and globally. For vaccinated patients, delta symptoms are universally mild with no hospitalization needed. To the contrary, nearly every delta hospitalization and all deaths are taking place within the non-vaccinated population. Obermier said some folks indignantly declare: This is a public building! You cant make me wear a mask! They believe, incorrectly, York General properties are public buildings like the tax-supported courthouse or city hall, but not so. York General, Obermier clarified, is a not-for-profit business that receives nary a dime of local tax money. So, yes we can require you to wear a mask in our buildings. We have masks for people across the spectrum of York Generals facilities, said Obermier, adding we know there will be exceptions to their use in special circumstances. We are just asking people to be respectful of our staff. Please be screened on arrival, wear a mask wear it up and wash your hands. YORK Kurt D. Snell, 45, of York was sentenced this week for first degree domestic assault, a Class 2A felony, in a case where he was accused of seriously injuring a woman. He was given probation with a number of conditions. According to court documents, the York Police Department was dispatched to a residence in York where a woman was asking for help, as she said she feared Snell was going to kill her. The affidavit says when officers arrived on the scene, they could hear an argument coming from the apartment and when they knocked on the door, a woman came out and indicated where Snell was. In the affidavit, officers say they observed the woman to be in visible pain from her hip and rib area. Officers say in the affidavit they observed Snell, who they knew from many law enforcement contracts, to be in the kitchen area. New Delhi: Income Tax officials have exposed a tax fraud that runs to the tunes of more than Rs 100 crore. The fraud was unearthed when a team of IT officials, on Wednesday (July 28), raided more than 19 locations related to SNK Pan Masala manufacturers in Kanpur, Noida, Ghaziabad, Delhi and Kolkata. The Kanpur-based tobacco manufacturer allegedly routed the funds illegally to its real business via 115 shell companies. A.J. Sungadhi Private Limited is the manufacturer of the SNK Pan Masala which is a popular pan masala brand in Uttar Pradesh. The raids were conducted at several locations including offices and homes of several employees. The residence of the manufacturers in Swaroop Nagar, Kanpur, and business setups located on Express Road were also raided by the IT Department. On the first day of the raids, the income tax department had found a tax fraud worth Rs 100 crore while assessed unaccounted cash of around Rs 400 crore was also discovered by the officials. Also Read: Micromax In 2b budget smartphone launched in India: Check price, specs and other details The pan masala company was allegedly routing the black money from its pan masala business to its real estate unit. The company had taken loans on behalf of shell companies, the Income Tax Department found during the raids. Also Read: Delhi HC to hear pleas of Facebook, WhatsApp challenging new IT Rules in August Live TV #mute Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who is facing intense criticism over his controversial rape comment, has not taken a U-turn on the issue. Sawant, who is facing the Opposition ire over his controversial remarks, said that he was quoted out of context. "My statement about the unfortunate incident was taken out of context. Both as head of a responsible govt and as a father of a 14-year-old daughter, I was deeply pained and disturbed. The pain of this incident is inexplicable,'' Goa CM Pramod Sawant said while clarifying his remark over gang-rape of 2 minor girls. My statement about unfortunate incident was taken out of context. Both as head of a responsible Govt & as a father of a 14-yr-old daughter, I was deeply pained & disturbed. Pain of this incident is inexplicable: Goa CM Pramod Sawant on his remark over gang-rape of 2 minor girls pic.twitter.com/ek5i17eyiT ANI (@ANI) July 30, 2021 The Goa CM has drawn flak over his statement in the Assembly that the parents should "introspect" as to why their children were out on a beach late at night. Sawant's statements in the Assembly where he appeared to blame the parents evoked angry reactions. When 14-year-olds stay on the beach the whole night, the parents need to introspect. Just because children don't listen, we cannot put the responsibility on the government and police, he had said during a debate in the House. Sawant made these remarks two days after two minor girls were gang-raped on Benaulim beach in Goa. The Chief Minister, who also holds the home portfolio, further said that parents have a responsibility to ensure the safety of their children. Reacting to it, State Congress spokesperson Altone D'Costa said the law and order situation has deteriorated in Goa. "Why should we fear while moving around at night. Criminals should be in jail and law-abiding citizens should be out freely moving around, he said. Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai said the safety of citizens is the responsibility of the police and government. "If they can't provide it to us, the CM has no right to sit in the post, he said. Defending the police during the discussion on Wednesday, CM Sawant had also pointed out that of the 10 youngsters who went to the beach for a party, four -- the teenage victims and two boys -- stayed on the beach the whole night. Teens, particularly minors, should not be spending the nights on beaches," he added. Live TV Chennai: To land an aircraft onto the deck of a moving Aircraft carrier is a highly acclaimed feat in military aviation, doing so while flying a damaged aircraft is almost fictional. Going behind enemy lines is rare, but imagine laying ambushes in enemy territory, despite being outnumbered. Indias war veterans did these and many more such feats of daredevilry to liberate Bangladesh (then East Pakistan). NDA coursemates and Vir Chakra awardees Col A. Krishnaswami and Rear Admiral Ramsagar recalled their experience of being in the thick of action in the 1971 War and their acts of gallantry. They were in conversation with Lt. Gen. A. Arun, General-Officer-in-Command (GOC) Dakshin Bharat Area at a special event hosted at Madras Management Association, Chennai. The event was hosted as a part of the Swarnim Vijay Varsh Celebrations. Lt Gen A. Arun, GOC, Dakshin Bharat area along with 1971 war veterans at the Madras Management Association Both the officers who were Commissioned into the Forces in 1958 relived their life and times in the run-up to the war. Notably, three generations of Col Krishnaswamis family are in the forces and in the case of Rear Admiral Ramsagar, he had many of his kin serving in the forces prior to his own joining. As is the case in the Forces, the families did not know when or whether the men went to war or where they were posted. Col Krishnaswami recalls that he had missed the opportunity to fight in the 1962 and 1965 wars, but had accumulated enough experience over the years, for the operation he conducted in 1971. Posted in Indias North-east, he volunteered to lead his troops into the then East Pakistan and conduct an ambush. But this was no ordinary one - it involved trekking undetected for dozens of kilometers, via rice fields, slush, forests and river crossings in neck-deep water, all while protecting their ammo and weapons from getting soaked. Their targets were the ammo-loaded vehicles exiting an Ordnance factory in enemy territory. The Colonel and his 80 men were tasked with delaying the vehicle movement, encircling and neutralizing them. By laying traps to block the convoys (some of which were led by tanks), the Indian infantry men aided by Artillery support had killed over 117 Pakistani troops and injured many others. Two Indian Army Men were killed in action, besides the two who were injured in this operation. It is significant that the Indian troops had taken the enemy by surprise, despite having infiltrated deep behind enemy lines. When a Pakistani Army Officer surrendered before Col Krishnaswami, he had reportedly said that they did not have the equipment to bury their fallen troops. Krishnaswami retorted that it was not about the equipment, but about the Pakistanis lack of willingness to dig a burial pit. He then ordered his men to dig the graves for Pakistani troops, as the Pakistani Major stood there in shock and awe. On seeing the graciousness, professionalism displayed by the Indian troops in digging graves for their fallen enemies, the Pakistani Major reportedly exclaimed in praise, If we had soldiers and officers like these, we would never have lost a war. He lauded the immense support provided by the Air Force in creating an atmosphere of Air Superiority for 13 days, where Indias Air Force was used in a manner that rendered the enemy Air Force ineffectual. The fledgling Indian Air Force flew 6000 sorties in 13 days, as part of combat and non-combat missions. All of this must be seen in context of the 1971 scenario where there were multiple logistical, technological and hardware related challenges (that are not as prevalent in the present day scenario). A senior pilot of the Alize Squadron, that operated from aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, Rear Admiral Ramsagar recalls how Pakistan started the war when the Vikrant was non-operational, in the dry dock for service. He touched upon the Navys then leadership that took tough and astute decisions such as moving the Vikrant from Bombay in Indias West (within Pak reach), to Vishakapatnam in the East (within the reach of only a single Pak submarine). While the partially-serviced carrier had crossed over to the East Coast, the Naval aviator recalled having undertaken non-catapult assisted take-offs and also making landings during such tests. When the carrier was stationed off Vishakapatnam, a Pakistani submarine PNS Ghazi had made it into the harbor and started laying mines. However, while the submarine did so, it is said that it exploded due to a detonation of one of the mines it had laid, following which an INS Rajput had also pounded it with explosives and divers recovered the Ghazi nameplate. When the aircraft carrier was moved closer to East Pakistan, day time bombings runs were done by the carrier-based Hawk planes, whereas night missions were by the Alize aircrafts. The Navy planes carried out extensive attacks on Dhaka, Chittagong and Coxs Bazaar during the night and day, thanks to the Indian Air Force, which had quelled all resistance from the air and ground. It was during the fourth day of the war that Rear Admiral Ramsagar flew a reconnaissance sortie into Western Bangladesh and noticed large vessels that were meant to ferry Pakistani troops back. After raining his six rockets onto the six vessels (which were too large to be significantly damaged), he flew back to the carrier and reported his sighting, following which they went on another bombing run, which led to the ships showing white flags in an act of surrender. However, on the 10th day of the war, while flying over the Western region of East Pakistan, he made a daring low-flying attack on Pakistani vessels that were being towed. While his bombs missed the narrow vessels, only a depth charge fell on one vessel. Fearing the explosion of the charge, thousands of Pakistani troops jumped into the water, fearing for their lives. However, the Alize was hit by enemy gunboat fire at close-range, of which eight rounds pierced and exited the aircraft. The hits caused a hydraulics failure, wing and engine fire on board on his plane and some shots even missed his feet by a whisker. With only his battery-powered communications set and a compass, he and his crew flew 90 miles on a damaged aircraft to make a successful night landing on the INS Vikrant. Instead of performing a net-landing (as advised), he performed a normal landing, in order to save his aircraft from total damage. Summing up the gallantry displayed by the Forces and the events of the war, Lt Gen Arun said that it displayed the ability to take risks, mitigate risks and nullify their effects. He also touched upon the importance of camaraderie, honouring the fallen, while lauding the forces perseverance, courage and tenacity. He referred to the Indian military leaders foresight, planning and the ability to think through information overload and high-pressure situations and highlighted the importance of such skills among the corporate leaders and management. Among those honoured at the event were Veer Naris (wives of fallen soldiers). Live TV New Delhi: The Central government on Thursday took a significant decision and announced a 27-per cent quota for the OBCs and 10 per cent reservation for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category in the All-India Quota (AIQ) scheme for undergraduate and postgraduate medical and dental courses from the current academic year, 2021-22. This decision will apply to courses like MBBS, MD, MS, BDS, MDS and diploma medical programmes from the current academic year, 2021-22. Around 5,550 seats will be reserved in all for the communities thanks to this order. This decision was hailed by all top political leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who said that the move will benefit nearly 1,500 OBC students in MBBS and 2,500 OBC students in postgraduation and also around 550 EWS students in MBBS and around 1,000 EWS students in postgraduation. "This will immensely help thousands of our youth every year get better opportunities and create a new paradigm of social justice in our country," the PM said. The Prime Minister, at a meeting held on Monday, had directed the Union ministries concerned to facilitate an effective solution to this long-pending issue. "The present government is committed to providing due reservation both to the backward category as well as the EWS category. The Union government has now taken a historic decision to provide for 27 per cent reservation for OBCs and 10 per cent reservation for EWS in the AIQ scheme," the Health Ministry stated in a statement. Lets understand what is the AIQ scheme? The AIQ scheme was introduced in 1986 under the Supreme Court's directions to provide for domicile-free merit-based opportunities to students from any state aspiring to study in a good medical college in another state. The all-India quota consists of 15 per cent of the total available UG seats and 50 per cent of the total available PG seats in government medical colleges. Initially, there was no reservation in the AIQ scheme up to 2007. SC intervention in quota row In 2007, the Supreme Court introduced 15 per cent reservation for the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and a 7.5-per cent quota for the Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the scheme. When the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act became effective in 2007, providing for a uniform 27 per cent reservation to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), the same was implemented in all the central educational institutions such as the Safdarjung Hospital, the Lady Hardinge Medical College, the Aligarh Muslim University and the Banaras Hindu University. Accordingly, the number of seats in the medical and dental colleges was increased over the next two years (2019-20 and 2020-21) to accommodate this additional 10 per cent EWS reservation so that the total number of seats available for the unreserved category does not reduce. In the AQI seats, however, this benefit was not extended to the OBCs and EWS until recently. Reiterating its commitment to the OBCs and EWS, the govt announced "27 per cent reservation for OBCs, 10 per cent reservation for EWS'' in AIQ seats for all the undergraduate/postgraduate medical/dental courses from the current academic year 2021-22. How will it help the OBC, EWS students? After the Centers announcement, OBC students from across the country shall now be able to take the benefit of this reservation in the AIQ scheme to compete for seats in any state. Being a central scheme, the Central List of OBCs shall be used for this purpose. 10 per cent quota for EWS students In 2019, a constitutional amendment was made to provide 10 per cent reservation for the economically weaker sections. Accordingly, the seats in medical and dental colleges were increased so that unreserved categories do not get affected. But then this category was not included in the All-India Quota scheme. Now, the students belonging to the EWS category will get 10 per cent quota benefit announced by the Centre The political ramification of the Centre's quota move The Narendra Modi government's quota decision is also being seen in the context of the upcoming assembly elections in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh where the caste factor plays a big role. The ruling BJP had demonstrated the caste calculations earlier this month when it revamped the Union Cabinet with special emphasis on these communities and shared detailed information with media houses regarding the caste and sub-caste of their ministers. Besides this, Centres latest quota move will benefit every year around more than 550 EWS students for MBBS and around 1,000 EWS students for PG medical courses. This decision is also in sync with the significant reforms carried out in the field of medical education since 2014. During the last six years, MBBS Seats in the country have increased by 56 per cent from 54,348 seats in 2014 to 84,649 seats in 2020 and the number of PG seats have increased by 80 per cent from 30,191 seats in 2014 to 54,275 seats in 2020. During the same period, 179 new medical colleges have been established and now the country has 558 medical colleges, including 289 government and 269 private institutions. Live TV NEW DELHI: The government on Friday extended the ban on international passenger flights until midnight of August 31, 2021, as per the circular issued by the top aviation regulator the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The DGCA, in its latest circular, said, "the flight ban shall remain in place till 2359 hrs Indian Standard Time (IST) of August 31, 2021. However, it shall not apply to cargo flights and those approved by the regulatory body." "This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA. However. International scheduled flights may be allowed on select routes by the competent authority on a case-to-case basis" the circular noted. Restrictions on scheduled international passenger flights to/from India extended till August 31st, 2021: Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) pic.twitter.com/MW1WEyRSI8 ANI (@ANI) July 30, 2021 All scheduled international flights to and from India were banned from March 23 last year in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The restrictions on international commercial flights were supposed to end on July 31, 2021. The decision comes amid the threat of a looming third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of the Delta variant of the virus in several countries. Despite the broader restrictions on international travel, certain flights were allowed to operate subsequently to repatriate stranded citizens or eligible cases. Though scheduled international passenger services were suspended in India since March 23, 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, special international flights have been operating under the Vande Bharat Mission since May 2020, and under bilateral "air bubble" arrangements with select countries since July 2020. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has formed air bubble pacts with around 27 countries including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Canada, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Maldives, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America and Uzbekistan. Under an air bubble pact between two countries, special international flights can be operated by their airlines between their territories. Live TV New Delhi: Amid talks of cabinet reshuffle in Rajasthan, Congress general secretary Ajay Maken on Friday (July 30) said some ministers are eager to quit the government to work for the organisation, PTI reported. "There are people who are eager to leave government positions and work for the organisation. We are proud of such people, Maken, who is also Rajasthan in-charge at the All India Congress Committee, said. He added, The Congress will form the government again in 2023 with our members, who are ready to leave everything and work together with the organisation. Makens statements come after he held a series of one-on-one meetings with Congress MLAs and other leaders including CM Ashok Gehlot, Pilot, state unit president Govind Singh Dotasra and Speaker C P Joshi. Makens visit is seen as a prerequisite to a likely cabinet expansion and appointments to district Congress posts. He is expected to submit his report to Congress central brass in New Delhi. Maken on Friday held discussions with the state executive at the party headquarters here. Earlier, he had conducted meetings on Wednesday and Thursday with 115 MLAs from the Congress and those supporting the party. We mainly discussed how we can bring back a Congress government in 2023. In the state executive meeting also, we discussed that there should be better coordination between the government and the organisation so that together we can bring the Congress back to power, he told the reporters. The reports of cabinet expansion and reshuffle are rife following demands by supporters of former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot for a bigger share of power. Last year, Pilot, along with 18 MLAs had rebelled against the leadership of Gehlot leading to his sacking as the deputy CM and the state unit president. Before Makens visit, Pilot had indicated that Congress would take suitable steps soon to address issues raised by him. On being asked about Pilots role in the possible reshuffle, Congress general secretary said, "Everyone has faith in the high command. Everyone has said that whatever role the high command decides will be acceptable to all. Live TV Palghar: Taking a page out of a crime thriller, a debt-ridden Axis Bank Branch Manager allegedly committed an unsuccessful heist on an ICICI Bank branch, stabbed a woman deputy branch head to death, before attempting to flee before being caught by locals, police said here on Friday. The incident happened on Thursday around 8 pm, after the close of banking hours at the ICICI Bank`s Virar East Branch, when most staffers had left for the day, barring two women officers. "The pr ime accused Anil Dubey -- the Naigaon Axis Bank Branch Manager, who is a former employee and ex-Manager of the ICICI Bank, has been arrested. There is no other person involved as of now," Virar Police Station Senior Police Inspector Suresh Warade told IANS. At the dark hour, Dubey drove down to the ICICI Bank branch, entered inside, whipped out a sharp weapon and threatened Deputy Manager Yogita Nishant Choudhary and her cashier colleague Shraddha Devrukhkar. He ordered them to hand over all the cash and jewellery which he dumped into a bag and attempted to flee the branch premises. Unwilling to give up without a fight, the two women started screaming for help and attempted to pin down Dubey who retaliated by attacking them both with the knife several times before breaking free to run out. By then, a few people from neighbouring shops had gathered who managed to grab hold of Dubey, took the booty-filled bag and kept it in the ATM cabin and summoned the police. As they entered the branch, they witnessed the horrifying scene with Choudhary and Devrukhkar lying in pools of blood with multiple stab injuries. Vartak, 36, who suffered gashes in the throat, shoulder and other parts of her body, succumbed to her injuries later. Devrukhkar, 32, who was hit in the neck and shoulder, is undergoing treatment at a local hospital and further probe is on in the sensational case, said Warade. According to Warade, the accused Dubey had ostensibly run up huge debts of over Rs 1-crore and may have resorted to the shocking heist to clear off his dues, though details are not available. In a guarded reply, the Axis Bank Spokesperson told IANS: "As a responsible institution, Axis Bank has zero tolerance towards unscrupulous elements and is committed to fully cooperate with the relevant authorities in resolving this issue. We have taken strict Disciplinary action immediately." Though ICICI Bank declined to comment on the issue, banking expert and Maharashtra State Bank Employees` Federation General Secretary Devidas Tuljapurkar termed it as "an unfortunate and unprecedented incident". "The question that arises is whether the Axis Bank had taken the mandatory statement of assets & liabilities of the accused person before he was given a job, especially since he came from a competitive bank. The absence of the security guard outside ICICI Bank points to a larger conspiracy which must be probed thoroughly," Tuljapurkar told IANS. Industry sources reveal that a banking professional with 15 years` experience, Dubey had worked in several private banks, including with ICICI Bank for 15 months, but had piled up massive debts, indulged in some high-finance property purchases, allegedly through some siphoned money and other irregularities. Though police kept mum, the accused had reportedly called up before going to the desolate branch where only the two women officers were busy tallying and winding up the month-end accounts data. Live TV Gurgaon: In another shocking incident, a Delhi woman was allegedly raped by a cab driver inside the vehicle when she was coming back in that vehicle at night. The woman, reportedly an employee of an apparel brand in a prominent mall on the Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, took the cab when the driver offered to give her a lift to her home. According to a report in Hindustan Times, Subhash Boken, the spokesperson for Gurugram police, said that she flagged down a cab on MG Road, near a bus stop, and the driver asked her to board the front seat. The driver asked her to leave the rear seats for other passengers. He parked the car on an isolated stretch and raped her in the cab, Hindustan Times quoted him as saying. According to media reports, after boarding the vehicle, the accused cab driver apparently told the victim to sit in the front of the car as he would be transporting other passengers to Delhi. The cab driver then drove her to a remote location and raped her inside the vehicle. Also read: Model Sagarika, who accused Raj Kundra of demanding nude audition, claims getting 'rape threats' The police said that the cab driver left her at the Aya Nagar border. On July 30, the woman approached the police and lodged a complaint at the DLF Phase-2 police station. Following the complaint, a medical examination was conducted and an FIR in this regard has been registered at the DLF Phase-2 police station in Gurgaon. Live TV New Delhi: As India reeled under the second wave of COVID-19 the international community came forward with offers of solidarity and assistance for specific medicines and equipment. The Centre in Rajya Sabha on Thursday (July 29, 2021) revealed that the materials were received from over 52 countries till date. The statement was made by V Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs in form of a written reply. In his reply, Muraleedharan revealed that the country has imported 31.5 lakh units of Sputnik Component 1 and 4.5 lakh units of Sputnik Component 2 vaccine till date. "During the unprecedented crisis of the second wave of COVID pandemic, the International community came forward with offers of solidarity and assistance for specific medicines and equipment that werent immediately available in-country till such time our own domestic production improved," he said. "Foreign materials from 52 countries have been received till date including from government to government, private to government, private to private, Indian community associations and companies," he added. Foreign material from 52 countries received till date incl from Govt to Govt, Pvt to Govt, Pvt to Pvt, Indian Community Assns & Companies. Donations cleared via InterMinisterial Committee that includes reps of Ministry of Health, MEA, Niti Aayog, DPIIT, MHA, MoHFW: MoS MEA ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2021 The Minister of State for External Affairs also said that the donations were cleared through the Inter-Ministerial Committee that includes representatives of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Niti Aayog, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). (With ANI inputs) Live TV New Delhi: Amid discussion on vaccine cocktail, the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) on Thursday (July 30, 2021) recommended granting permission for trials of mixing COVID-19 vaccines- Covaxin and Covishield--said sources. According to the news agency ANI report, the sources said that the application of the interchangeability study protocol of Covishield and Covaxin was moved by Christian Medical College (CMC) in Vellore. "The Phase 4 trials for mixing doses of Covaxin and Covishield will soon take place soon on healthy 300 volunteers," they stated. The SEC also explained that the motive behind the study is to see whether an individual can be given two different COVID-19 vaccine shots of Covishield and Covaxin to complete the inoculation course. Additionally, the expert group also discussed the application by Biological E for conducting phase two and three clinical trials of its vaccine against COVID-19 on the pediatric population aged 5 to 17 years, along with the safety and immunogenicity data (after the first vaccine dose) from the ongoing phase two and three clinical trials on adult. "The expert committee has further recommended that the safety and immunogenicity data from phase 2-- part of phase two and three clinical trials-- on adults should be submitted to the CDSCO," the sources added. At last, the report quoted the sources as saying that the expert panel also recommended giving approval to Bharat Biotech for carrying out a study on the interchangeability of Covaxin and adenoviral intranasal vaccine candidate BBV154. The US-based pharmaceutical company Johnson and Johnson is not going to participate in the trials for the single-dose COVID Janssen vaccine in India. (With ANI inputs) Live TV New Delhi: The Indian Meteorological department (IMD) on Friday (July 30) issued red and orange alerts as intense rainfall is expected over eastern, western, and central India till August 1. Heavy rains lashed several parts of Delhi-NCR on Thursday bringing the mercury down. However, two people lost their lives in rain-related incidents. The water level of the Yamuna river in Delhi rose to 203.74 metres on Thursday, close to the warning mark of 204.50 metres after heavy rains in the upper catchment areas of the river. Delhi's maximum temperature settled at 27.6 degrees Celsius -- seven notches below normal, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 24 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal. Meanwhile, the Meteorological department issued red and orange alerts for heavy rains in several districts of Rajasthan on Friday. The active southwest monsoon will gain more intensity in the coming days due to which heavy to very heavy rain (115 to 204 mm) in Nagaur, Sikar and Ajmer districts is likely and a red alert has been issued for these places, the Met department said. Heavy rain is also expected in Jaipur, Jhunjhunu, Tonk, Kota, Bhilwara, Baran, Churu and Jhalawar districts for which the department has issued an orange alert. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert of heavy rainfall for 15 districts of Madhya Pradesh. According to the forecast, heavy rains coupled with thundershowers and lightning, are likely to lash isolated places in the districts and the rainfall is likely to range from 64.5 mm to 115.5 mm. An upper air circulation over east Uttar Pradesh was bringing forth moisture to north-east Madhya Pradesh, causing rain in areas situated close to the border of that state. Heavy overnight rain owing to a well-marked low pressure over Bangladesh and West Bengal affected normal life in Kolkata and some southern districts in the state, inundating low-lying areas, according to news agency PTI. The incessant rain caused the mud under the tracks to slide at Kharagpur yard of South Eastern Railway, slightly affecting the movement of goods trains. Kharagpur town received the maximum rainfall in the last 24 hours till 8.30 am on Thursday at 260 mm, followed by Medinipur (230 mm), the headquarters of Paschim Medinipur district. Kolkata recorded 76 mm rainfall during the period while adjoining Salt Lake received 50 mm. In Maharashtra, rain continued to wreak havoc as a bridge on the Vaitarna river in Thane district was washed away due to the downpour, disrupting traffic between Wada and Sahapur talukas, while the Mumbra bypass road in the district also suffered severe damages. In Jammu and Kashmir, seven people were found dead and 17 others were rescued in an injured condition following the cloudburst in Honzar village in the early hours of Wednesday. Rescue operations were underway to trace 20 people missing after a cloudburst hit Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir with authorities pressing more teams into action. Current spell of widespread rainfall activity with isolated heavy to very heavy falls is very likely to continue over Jammu and Kashmir, till July 30 and reduce thereafter, said the Indian Meteorological Department on Thursday. Light to moderate rain occurred at most places in western and eastern Uttar Pradesh in the last 24 hours. Rainfall was recorded in Fatehpur, Chitrakoot, Kheri, Budaun, Agra, Saharanpur and Muzaffarnagar districts and the showers are likely to continue till August 1. Up north, the maximum temperatures hovered below normal limits at most places in Haryana and Punjab. Rain lashed some parts of Haryana including Ambala, Hisar, Narnaul, Rohtak, Gurgaon and Bhiwani. In Punjab, Amritsar recorded a maximum of 33 degrees Celsius, Ludhiana recorded a high of 30.2 degrees Celsius while Patiala's maximum settled at 30.8 degrees Celsius. (With inputs from news agencies) Live TV New Delhi: In what would be his first visit to Delhi after taking charge as the Karnataka Chief Minister, Basavaraj Bommai will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital on Friday. The new Karnataka Chief Minister will also meet Union Cabinet Ministers during his visit to the national capital. During his meeting with PM Modi and other top BJP leaders, the proposed Karnataka cabinet expansion is also likely to be discussed. Following the leadership change in the Karnataka government, senior BJP leader KS Eshwarappa had clarified that he is ready to join the cabinet led by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, unlike another senior leader Jagadish Shettar. Addressing media, Eshwarappa said though his supporters are demanding the post of Deputy Chief Minister for him, he would accept whatever role the party decides for him. "I can not say, the earlier posts were enough for me. But, I will obey the decision of our party`s senior leaders. If they ask me to become Deputy Chief Minister or Minister, I will. If they ask me to remain as a legislator, I will accept it. I have no issues," said the BJP leader. Meanwhile, citing his seniority former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who had served as Industries Ministers in the previous BS Yediyurappa cabinet, said he will not be part of the new Basavaraj Bommai-led government. Basavaraj Bommai took oath as the 23rd Chief Minister of Karnataka on July 28, two days after the resignation of BS Yediyurappa from the top post. BS Yediyurappa had earlier tendered his resignation as Karnataka Chief Minister, ending weeks of speculation over his continuance on the post. Ahead of the 2023 Karnataka Assembly polls, Yediyurappa assured that he shall work to bring the party back to power in the upcoming polls. Outlining his plans about the state`s north region, Bommai had maintained that his top priority is getting the Mahadayi river project completed at the earliest. Popularly known as the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project in Karnataka, the project was undertaken by the state to improve drinking water supply to the districts of Belagavi, Bagalkot, Hubballi-Dharwad, and Gadag. During his maiden visit to Hubballi on Thursday, after being sworn in as Chief Minister, Bommai said that he was quite aware of the issue and knows how to complete the project (Mahadayi). "My priority will be to complete this project at the earliest as soon as the Centre issues the gazette notification in this regard," he said. In February, the dispute was resolved after the Central government notified the final award of the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal that allocated 13.42 thousand million cubic feet of water to Karnataka, 24 tmcft to Goa and 1.33 tmcft to Maharashtra. Last year, then Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar had also asked Karnataka to start work on the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project after gazette notification of the tribunal and necessary forest and wildlife permissions. Live TV Washington: India and the US will virtually co-host the fourth annual Indo-Pacific Business Forum (IPBF) in October, the State Department has announced. The IPBF, now in its fourth year, is the leading event to promote trade, investment and economic cooperation between the United States and its partners throughout the Indo-Pacific region. The two-day online event from October 28 will be co-hosted by the US and India in partnership with the US Chamber of Commerce, the Confederation of Indian Industry, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC). Observing that the IPBF advances a vision for an Indo-Pacific region that is free, open and inclusive, the State Department said that government and business leaders from the US, India and across the Indo-Pacific region will exchange ideas through interactive discussions organised around three broad themes: Economic Recovery and Resilience; Climate Action and Digital Innovation. "Attendees will also be able to explore regional government and business partnerships and commercial opportunities. The IPBF will showcase high-impact private sector investment and government efforts to support market competition, job growth and high-standard development for greater prosperity and economic inclusion in the Indo-Pacific," said the State Department. The event will be conducted via a secure online conferencing platform, it added. Live TV New Delhi: New Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday (July 30) met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi at his residence. This is his maiden visit to Delhi since assuming the post of Karnataka CM. Sharing a picture with Bommai, PM Modi tweeted, "Met CM of Karnataka Shri @BSBommai ji today. Conveyed best wishes as he begins a new journey for Karnataka's progress. Assured full support for the development of Karnataka." Met CM of Karnataka Shri @BSBommai ji today. Conveyed best wishes as he begins a new journey for Karnatakas progress. Assured full support for the development of Karnataka. pic.twitter.com/C0pgJERPdx Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 30, 2021 Earlier in the day, the new Karnataka CM, who is on a two-day visit to the national capital, called on Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. After his meeting with Shah, Bommai told PTI, "He (Shah) asked me to give good governance in the state. I assured him that whatever faith you have reposed in me, I will do." Bommai was elected as the new leader of the BJP legislature party on Tuesday following senior leader BS Yediyurappa's resignation from the CM post. He took oath as the 23rd Chief Minister of Karnataka on Wednesday (July 28). Meanwhile, Yediyurappa asserted that he will not intervene in the selection of ministers in the new Cabinet. Bommai is in Delhi today, in a few days he will discuss with the central leaders and decide on who should be in his cabinet, I will not intervene on who should be made minister or not. Bommai is completely free, he will discuss and choose his cabinet ministers...I will not give any suggestions on this," the former Karnataka CM was quoted as saying by PTI. On the matter of expansion of his Cabinet, Bommai on Thursday had said he will discuss it with the party's central leadership. Yediyurappa has also assured that he will work to bring the party back to power in the upcoming 2023 Karnataka Assembly polls. (With agency inputs) Live TV Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said rehabilitation of people was the only solution to the hardships caused by the floods, and assured that his government would provide every possible help on this front. Urging the flood-affected people to sit together to decide about their rehabilitation, he also asked such villages to unanimously pass a resolution about it. Speaking during his visit to the flood-hit Kolhapur district to take stock of the damages caused by torrential rains and flooding, Thackeray said his government was keen to find a permanent solution to the situation faced by the flood-prone villages in the state. If the entire village is ready to get rehabilitated, the state government will provide all the help they need for the process, he said while interacting with the affected people housed in temporary shelters at a village in Shirol tehsil. "Rehabilitation is the only solution to the frequent hardships caused due to floods. You (people from the flood-affected villages) sit and decide (about the rehabilitation) and we will provide the help," the chief minister told the villagers. In Narsinhwadi, villagers talked to him about the 2019 floods, last week's flood situation and the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that these things have wreaked havoc in their lives in the last three years. They sought assistance from him in rebuilding their lives. Talking to people in Shahupuri area, Thackeray said, "Don't worry. The government will consult all elected representatives here to find a solution." Locals told him that this year's flood was more severe than what was witnessed in 2005 and 2019. Thackeray went on to ask the villagers about their COVID-19 vaccination status and advised them to wear masks. During his visit, Thackeray happened to meet Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis in Shahupuri locality of the city. Fadnavis is also on a tour of western Maharashtra to take the stock of the flood situation. At least 213 people died and thousands were evacuated, as incessant rainfall caused flooding and landslides in many parts of Maharashtra. Large-scale damages were reported from Konkan and western Maharashtra districts of Kolhapur and Sangli. Officials had earlier stated that 36,615 families have been shifted to safer places in Kolhapur, while the losses due to the rain-fury in the district are estimated at Rs 243 crore so far. Live TV New Delhi: Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu expressed strong concern on Friday (July 30) over the conduct of some MPs in the Upper House of Parliament during their protest over the Pegasus snooping row and other issues, saying such conduct lowered the dignity and prestige of the House. Appealing to the members to maintain decorum and decency in the House, he said some MPs were whistling while some others used placards to block the view of ministers, according to news agency PTI. A few others placed their hands over the shoulders of the marshals when the MPs of opposition parties such as the Congress and the TMC were protesting over different issues in the Well of the House. "All these things are taking the House to a new low. I am very much concerned about this," Naidu said at the start of the day's business. "I only request to all the members to see that the decency and dignity of the House is maintained. That is my earnest appeal. There is a limit to patience and we should not exhaust the patience of the House." He said the two options before him are to either allow such conduct and convert the House into a "bazaar" or take action. "House has a decorum, prestige and practice. That has to be seen," he said. While protesting over issues is fine, the dignity and the prestige of the House should not be compromised, Naidu said. MPs from opposition parties have stalled the proceedings in the Rajya Sabha since the start of the Monsoon Session of Parliament on July 19 over issues ranging from the use of Israeli-made, military-grade Pegasus spyware to snoop on political rivals, critics of the government and journalists, to contentious farm laws and the fuel price hike. "It was brought to my notice that some members are whistling in the House. 'Siti baja rahe hai apni purani aadat se' (whistling because of an old habit). This is House," Naidu said. "Secondly, some members are putting their hands on the shoulders of the marshals. I do not know what prompted them." Also, some members carrying placards are standing in front of the ministers, blocking their view, he said. "There are two ways (to deal with this) -- one, ignore this and allow this to become a bazaar (market). 'Har ek apna siti bajata rahe, bajate raho' (everyone can whistle)," Naidu said. "Second, taking action." The chairman said he felt really sorry to say this from the podium. "I never expected my members to go to that level," he said. MPs can protest, walk out of the House, vehemently oppose the government and even stall business, Naidu said, adding that some had told him that business was stalled during the previous regimes as well. "I am not going into that," he said. The Rajya Sabha chairman, who is also the vice president of the country, said the Question Hour and the Zero Hour are the members' property and not the property of the government. During the Question Hour, the members can raise questions over various issues and elicit a response from the ministers concerned, while in the Zero Hour, they can raise issues of public importance. But when names are called to raise questions or present Zero-Hour subjects, the members do not respond because they are protesting in the Well, Naidu said. To educate people about the issues their MPs wanted to raise during the Zero Hour, the Rajya Sabha Bulletin, which carries the day's proceedings, will mention those, he added. (With inputs from news agencies) Live TV New Delhi: BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Friday urged the Lok Sabha speaker to "initiate urgent action and dismiss" Congress leader Shashi Tharoor from the parliamentary standing committee on information technology's chairmanship, saying otherwise he will continue to raise "irrelevant issues". Dubey is a member of the panel. The demand for Tharoor's removal comes days after the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology was set to question government officials on the Pegasus spyware issue. However, the meeting which was scheduled for Wednesday could not take place as the panel's BJP members did not sign the attendance register, even though they were present in the meeting room along with members from the opposition, leading to a lack of quorum. In a letter to Speaker Om Birla, Dubey said that a majority of members have exhibited their 'No Confidence' on the continuance of Tharoor as chairperson of the committee. Demanding Tharoor's removal from the chairmanship of the parliamentary panel, he alleged that Tharoor is involved in questionable activities, inside the House as well as in the committee to tarnish the image of the democracy. "I once again request your good self to initiate urgent action against Dr Shashi Tharoor and dismiss him from the chairmanship of the Parliamentary Committee on Information Technology as otherwise he would continue raising irrelevant issues before you and the media...," the BJP MP said in his letter. Terming Tharoor's demand for action against government officials for not attending the last meeting of the panel, Dubey said it is against the conventions followed by the parliamentary committees. The Congress MP in a letter to Birla has demanded action against ministry officials for their "last-minute refusal" to attend a panel meeting on Wednesday, saying that it is "contempt of the House". The committee was expected to discuss the Pegasus snooping case in its last meeting. Live TV New Delhi: Over 500 individuals and groups have written to Chief Justice of India (CJI) N V Ramana seeking immediate intervention of the Supreme Court in the alleged Pegasus snooping matter and declare a "moratorium on the export, sale, transfer and use of Pegasus" spyware in the country. The letter urged the top court to direct the Centre and the Israeli firm NSO to provide a time-bound answers to the several questions regarding the state-sponsored cyber-warfare that has been waged against Indian citizens, given the revelations of the Pegasus Project, an international collaborative investigation being conducted by several international media and research organisations. They have expressed shock over media reports that the spyware was used for surveillance of women students, academics, journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers and victims of sexual violence, it said. "Above all, we look to the Supreme Court to declare a moratorium on the export, sale, transfer and use of Pegasus in India." said the signatories to the letter. Besides, they have requested the top court to adopt a gender-just sexual harassment, data protection and privacy policy. "The Pegasus spyware investigation has unveiled how its military grade malware installed on the phones of those targeted converts the device for use by a consumer to an object that spies on the individual, steals data and transmits data to unknown persons/databases. This has been defined as cyber warfare by experts in the field and it is nothing less than an act of state sponsored cyber terrorism against individuals," the letter said. It also referred to the issue of alleged snooping on the apex court official who had raised allegations of sexual harassment against then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi. "For women, the Pegasus scandal is deeply concerning, for speaking out against the state and men in positions of state power has meant that their lives are wrecked by such surveillance permanently. Human rights defenders have been imprisoned, and victims of sexual harassment have also not been spared such shocking forms of state sponsored cyber-crimes, which are analogous to digital forms of state terror," it said. The letter said the Pegasus software is sold only to governments, ostensibly for "national security' and "counter-terrorism" purposes. "The Indian list of targets indicates that the software was used, not to counter terrorism, but to gather information on, and perhaps thereby seek to control, opposition politicians, the judiciary, the Press, as well as activists and others in civil society," it said. The letter has been signed by various activists including Aruna Roy, Anjali Bhardwaj, Harsh Mander; scholars and eminent lawyers like Vrinda Grover, Jhuma Sen among others. An international media consortium has reported that over 300 verified Indian mobile phone numbers were on a list of potential targets for surveillance using Pegasus spyware. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear next week the plea of senior journalist N Ram seeking an independent probe by a sitting or a retired judge into the Pegasus snooping scandal. A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana took note of the submissions of senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Ram and veteran scribe Sashi Kumar, that the petition has been filed and numbered and needed to be heard in view of the large ramifications of the alleged snooping. We will list it sometime in next week, the CJI said. The plea said the alleged snooping represented an attempt by agencies and organisations to muzzle and chill the exercise of free speech and expression of dissent in India. The targeted surveillance using military-grade spyware is an unacceptable violation of the right to privacy which has been held to be a fundamental right under Articles 14 (equality before the law), 19 (freedom of speech and expression) and 21 (protection of life and personal liberty) by the Supreme Court, it added. It further said the targeted hacking of phones belonging to journalists, doctors, lawyers, civil society activists, government ministers and opposition politicians seriously compromises the effective exercise of the fundamental right to free speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. Targeting the Narendra Modi government over the Pegasus snooping scandal, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have ''hit the soul of democracy'' by using the Israeli spyware against India. Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have hit the soul of democracy by using Pegasus against India, its institutions, Rahul Gandhi said. Addressing the media outside the Parliament, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, along with several other Opposition parties, had slammed the Center over reports of alleged snooping using the Pegasus spyware. An international media consortium has reported that over 300 verified Indian mobile phone numbers were on a list of potential targets for surveillance using Israeli firm NSO's Pegasus spyware. However, the government as well as the Israeli company - NSO Group, which developed the Pegasus spyware, had categorically rejected all allegations of snooping and termed the report as ''baseless and unfounded.'' Live TV New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday (July 30) appealed to people in Kerala to follow all safety measures and guidelines in view of rising COIVD-19 cases in the state. The MP from Kerala's Wayanad said in a tweet, "Rising cases of Coronavirus infections in Kerala are worrying." Gandhi further added, "I appeal to our brothers and sisters in the state to follow all safety measures & guidelines. Please take care." Rising cases of Coronavirus infections in Kerala are worrying. I appeal to our brothers and sisters in the state to follow all safety measures & guidelines. Please take care. Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 30, 2021 Notably, Kerala reported over 22,000 coronavirus cases for the third day in a row on Thursday. The Union Health Ministry of Health & Family Welfare on Thursday decided to depute a high-level multidisciplinary team to Kerala after seeing a continuous rise in COVID-19 daily cases. According to reports, the Central team will collaborate with the State Health Authorities in instituting effective public health measures for COVID-19 management. The 6 member team to Kerala is headed by National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Director, informed Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted, "As a large number of COVID cases are still being reported in Kerala, the team will aid state`s ongoing efforts in COVID-19 management." After reaching Kerala today, the team will visit a few districts, a health ministry release said on Thurday. Earlier, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote a letter to the Kerala government on Super spreader events observed in Kerala in the past recent past. Bhushan also mentioned Covid guidelines need to be followed properly. The letter suggested a complete lockdown in Kerala from July 31 to August 01 in view of a sharp spike in COVID-19 cases. The Home isolation needs to be observed as per the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). (With Agency Inputs) Live TV NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday took suo motu cognizance of the alleged killing of an Additional District Judge from Dhanbad, Uttam Anand. The top court bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ramana took suo motu cognizance of the issue and said it had come across many instances of attacks on judicial officers and lawyers, and wanted to address the 'safety and security' of the judicial officers in India. It also issued a notice to all states directing them to ensure the safety of judges. SC said that this court wants to address the safety & security of judicial officers in the country ANI (@ANI) July 30, 2021 Jharkhand High Court will keep monitoring probe into alleged mowing down of Dhanbad judge, the SC bench said in its order. The top court also sought a detailed report from Jharkhand Chief Secretary and DGP within a week about the alleged killing of the judge. The Dhanbad judge was on his morning jog when he was hit by an auto-rickshaw and left to die. He was reportedly dealing with many high-profile criminal cases in Jharkhand. It is suspected that he was allegedly murdered. Meanwhile, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been set up under the Additional Director General of Police (ADG) to probe the death of the Dhanbad judge. Two people - including the driver of the vehicle, Lakhan Verma, and his associate, Rahul Verma have been arrested in connection with the case. The family of the judge, on the other hand, has called his death "planned murder" and demanded a CBI probe into the matter. Live TV New Delhi: India has highlighted how it "prioritizes institution-building" as part of its global peace-building efforts, and these efforts are focused on "extensive development partnership with developing countries" in Asia and Africa. Speaking at United Nations General Assembly, Indian diplomat Pratik Mathur said, "As a democracy, we are conscious of the need to prioritize institution building, in particular, governance structures to strengthen institutional capacity and the rule of law, taking into account the views of the host government" and "consequently, these need to be the building blocks on which peace-building should rest." Mathur made the comments at the annual UN General assembly debate on peacebuilding and sustaining peace. As part of the development support globally, India had established the India-UN Development Partnership Fund in 2017. In a span of 4 years, the Fund has developed a portfolio of 64 development projects in partnership with 48 developing countries. These countries include 17 countries in Africa. Mathur, who is a counsellor at the Indian mission to United Nations said, "India, through its extensive development partnership with developing countries, particularly in Africa and Asia, has always played a constructive and significant role in the context of peacebuilding. " The India-UN Development Partnership Fund has been used in projects related to climate resilience, environmental sustainability, gender equality, renewable energy, improving maternal health, etc. Mathur explained, "India has and continues to assist countries bilaterally in post-conflict situations by providing substantial grants and soft loans", adding "In the sphere of training for example, for countries emerging out of conflict situations in Africa, our focused training in areas of electoral administration, good governance, etc. has been deeply valued by these countries." When it comes to Africa, India has executed 189 developmental projects in 37 African countries and currently, around 77 projects are under execution. Indian govt has also committed US$ 1.7 billion as soft loans for solar projects in the continent and has offered 50,000 scholarships to African students. Speaking about India's support in Afghanistan, he said, "In our neighborhood, for instance in Afghanistan, India is also contributing to peace-building efforts. Our development partnership, including more than 550 Community Development Projects covering all 34 provinces of the country, is aimed at strengthening Afghanistan." India has been a major donor to Afghanistan in the last 20 years. It has built several major infrastructure projects in the country like the India-Afghanistan friendship dam in Herat, and the Afghan Parliament. In his closing comments, Pratik added, "India has always been known for its unflinching commitment to peace-keeping" and "we are convinced that nation-building activities will be strengthened even more if the road ahead includes strong support for peacebuilding as well." Live TV New Delhi: The Delhi administration on Friday (July 30) sounded a flood alert and expedited efforts to evacuate people living in the Yamuna flood plains, as the river in the capital breached the danger mark of 205.33 metres amid heavy rains in the upper catchment areas, officials said. The water level was recorded at 205.34 metres at the Old Railway Bridge at 11 am. It was 205.22 metres at 8:30 am, 205.10 metres at 6 am and 205.17 at 7 am, an official said, adding it is likely to rise further. All the departments concerned have been alerted. The irrigation and flood control department has deployed 13 boats in different areas and put 21 others on standby, the official from the irrigation and flood control department said. With Haryana discharging more water into the river from the Hathnikund Barrage, the Delhi Police and the East Delhi district administration have started evacuating people living on the floodplains of the Yamuna in the capital. These people are being shifted to shelter homes of the city government in the Yamuna Pushta area, the official said. A flood alert is declared when the Yamuna crosses the "warning mark" of 204.50 metres. The situation is being monitored round-the-clock, a district administration official said. The river is in spate because of rains in Delhi and the upper catchment areas, a MeT department official said, adding it may swell further as more rains are predicted in northwest India. The weather department has also issued an "orange alert" for moderate rains in Delhi-NCR for the third day on the trot on Friday. According to the Delhi flood control room, the discharge rate at the Hathnikund Barrage peaked to 1.60 lakh cusecs on Tuesday afternoon, the highest this year so far. The water discharged from the barrage normally takes two-three days to reach the capital. Haryana had been releasing water from the Yumananagr-located barrage at the rate of 19,056 cusecs at 8 am. The flow rate was 25,839 cusecs at 8 pm on Thursday. Normally, the flow rate at the Hathnikund barrage is 352 cusec, but the discharge is increased after heavy rainfall in catchment areas. One cusec is equivalent to 28.32 litres per second. In 2019, the flow rate had peaked to 8.28 lakh cusec on August 18-19, and the water level of the Yamuna had hit the 206.60 metre-mark, breaching the danger mark of 205.33 metres. The Delhi government had to launch evacuation and relief operations after the overflowing river submerged many low-lying areas. In 1978, the river had swelled to the all-time record water level of 207.49 metres.In 2013, it had risen to 207.32 metres. Live TV Chamarajanagar: Former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday reiterated that he will not intervene in the selection of ministers in the new Cabinet. Stating that he will continue to work towards strengthening the party, the veteran BJP leader said that his successor and new Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is free to pick his team in consultation with the party leadership. He visited the district to console the family of his fan, who had allegedly committed suicide pained by his resignation as CM, and gave them Rs 5 lakh. "Bommai is in Delhi today, in a few days he will discuss with the central leaders and decide on who should be in his cabinet, I will not intervene on who should be made minister or not. Bommai is completely free, he will discuss and choose his cabinet ministers...I will not give any suggestions on this," Yediyurappa said. Speaking to reporters, he said his advice to the new Chief Minister is to do a good job and that Bommai has already made announcements aimed at helping the poor and the downtrodden. To a question on inducting legislators who had joined BJP after quitting Congress-JD(S) coalition in 2019 and had helped the party to come to power, the 78-year old leader said, it is left for Bommai to decide, he will discuss with leadership and take a decision. Meanwhile, Ministerial aspirants have continued lobbying to secure a berth in the new cabinet. Indicating that expansion of his Cabinet may take some time, Bommai on Thursday had said he will discuss it with the party's central leadership. The Chief Minister is in Delhi today to meet the PM and other central leaders to "take their blessings". Nothing that he has already made it clear that in the coming days he will travel across the state to strengthen the party, with an aim to win 130-135 seats in the next election and bring the party back to power, Yediyurappa said, this is the assurance he has given to PM Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national President J P Nadda. He said, after Ganesh Chaturthi (September 10) he has decided to visit a district every week and organise karyakartas meetings to strengthen the organisation. Yediyurappa later visited the family of his fan Rajappa (Ravi) at Bommalapura in Gundlupet taluk, who had allegedly committed suicide pained by his resignation. "I'm pained by the step he took, this should not have happened. He has a mother and two sisters and was not married, taking care of his family is my responsibility, so I have given Rs 5 lakh to his mother, will put another Rs 5 lakh to their bank account and see to that they get interest, will see what else is to be done for them," he said. Pointing to the welcome he received on his arrival in the district, the former Chief Minister said this is the best example for the love and affection of the people, despite not being in power. To a question that many party workers are upset about his resignation, he said, "power is not permanent, I have done this (resigned) to nurture a capable person in front of my eyes and to make way for others. A capable person like Basavaraj Bommai is the Chief Minister today." Noting that Bommai was unanimously elected as his successor, he said, he has complete confidence that good works will happen under his leadership. Live TV New Delhi: India Post offers a slew of investment options offering impressive returns along with safety on investments. For investors planning to secure their future, India Post offers a monthly income scheme (MIS) which ensures a regular pension after investing a lump sum amount. India Post also offers maturity benefits in the MIS scheme. Post Office MIS scheme The Post Office MIS scheme allows investors to invest their savings in multiples of Rs 1000 or Rs 100. However, one needs to invest a minimum of Rs 1000 in the scheme while investors can invest a maximum of Rs 1000 in the MIS plan. India Post allows up to three investors to open a joint account in the MIS plan. However, the maximum money that investors can invest in a joint account under the MIS scheme is Rs 9 lakh. Currently, India Post is offering a 6.6% annual interest on the MIS plan. Notably, investors get a simple interest in the plan, instead of the compound interest, which could be a major drawback of the investment scheme. How to receive a Rs 3300 pension by investing just Rs 50 thousand? For receiving an annual pension of Rs 3300, investors need to deposit Rs 50 thousand in the MIS plan offered by India Post. In total, investors get Rs 16,500 interest over the span of five years in MIS. Investors will get a monthly pension of Rs 550 per month if they invest Rs 1 lakh in the scheme. On a similar amount, investors can get Rs 6600 every year or Rs 33000 in five years. Also Read: Google swipes left on 'Sugar Dating' apps, will uninstall them from Play Store by Sept 1 For a monthly pension of Rs 2475 monthly or Rs 29700 annually, investors will need to invest Rs 4.5 lakhs in this scheme. Also Read: Maharashtra FDA issues notices to Amazon, Flipkart for selling pregnancy termination pills Live TV #mute New Delhi: Russia on Friday launched administrative proceedings against Facebook`s WhatsApp for what it said was a failure to localise data of Russian users on Russian territory, the Interfax news agency reported. There was no immediate comment from Facebook. A day earlier, a Russian court fined Alphabet Inc.`s Google 3 million roubles for violating personal data legislation and registered administrative proceedings against Facebook and Twitter for the same offence. The cases are part of a wider spat between Russia and Big Tech, with Moscow routinely fining social media giants for failing to remove banned content and seeking to compel foreign tech firms to open offices in Russia. Also Read: Secure your future with India Post: Get Rs 3300 pension by investing Rs 50,000 WhatsApp could be fined between 1 million and 6 million roubles ($13,700 to $82,250), Interfax reported, citing court documents. A court date has not yet been set. Also Read: Rakesh Jhunjhunwala backed Nazara posts Rs 13.6 crores net profit Washington: Pulitzer Prize-winning Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui was not simply killed in a crossfire in Afghanistan, nor was he simply collateral damage, but was "brutally murdered" by the Taliban after verifying his identity, according to a report published in a US-based magazine on Thursday. Siddiqui, 38, was on assignment in Afghanistan when he died. The award-winning journalist was killed while covering clashes between Afghan troops and the Taliban in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar city. According to the Washington Examiner report, Siddiqui travelled with an Afghan National Army team to the Spin Boldak region to cover fighting between Afghan forces and the Taliban to control the lucrative border crossing with Pakistan. When they got to within one-third of a mile of the customs post, a Taliban attack split the team, with the commander and a few men separated from Siddiqui, who remained with three other Afghan troops. During this assault, shrapnel hit Siddiqui, and so he and his team went to a local mosque where he received first aid. As word spread, however, that a journalist was in the mosque, the Taliban attacked. The local investigation suggests the Taliban attacked the mosque only because of Siddiqui's presence there, the report said. "Siddiqui was alive when the Taliban captured him. The Taliban verified Siddiqui's identity and then executed him, as well as those with him. The commander and the remainder of his team died as they tried to rescue him," it said. "While a widely circulated public photograph shows Siddiqui's face recognizable, I reviewed other photographs and a video of Siddiqui's body provided to me by a source in the Indian government that show the Taliban beat Siddiqui around the head and then riddled his body with bullets," wrote the writer Micheal Rubin, who is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. The Taliban's decision to hunt down, execute Siddiqui, and then mutilate his corpse shows that they do not respect the rules of war or conventions that govern the behaviour of the global community, the report said. Siddiqui won the Pulitzer Prize in 2018 as part of the Reuters team for their coverage of the Rohingya crisis. He had extensively covered the Afghanistan conflict, the Hong Kong protests and other major events in Asia, Middle East, and Europe. Siddiqui was laid to rest at the Jamia Millia Islamia graveyard where a sea of mourners gathered to pay their last respects. His body arrived at the Delhi airport in the evening of July 18 and was later brought to his residence in Jamia Nagar where a huge crowd, including his family and friends, had gathered. Tel Aviv: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that the country will start offering a third dose of COVID-19 vaccinations to people aged over 60, making it probably one of the first countries to provide a booster shot. Al Jazeera reported that Israel will begin offering a third shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to people who have already been vaccinated, as per the announcement made by the Prime Minister on Thursday. "I`m announcing this evening the beginning of the campaign to receive the booster vaccine, the third vaccine," Naftali Bennett said in a nationally televised address."Reality proves the vaccines are safe. Reality also proves the vaccines protect from severe morbidity and death. And like the flu vaccine that needs to be renewed from time to time, it is the same in this case." Those eligible will be able to get the booster shot as long as they received their second dose more than five months ago, Al Jazeera reported citing local media. About 160 people are hospitalised with severe symptoms and daily infections have spiked to more than 2,000, up from just a handful of cases per day a few months ago. The booster campaign, expected to be announced formally soon, will effectively turn Israel into a testing ground for a third dose before approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).On July 11, the government started offering a third dose to adults with weak immune systems, it reported further. United Nations: A senior US diplomat urged the UN Security Council on Thursday (July 29) to press Myanmar's military to stop violence and restore democracy, warning that with COVID-19 surging and hunger increasing, the longer we delay, the more people die. Deputy US Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis said Myanmar is reeling from a surge in COVID-19 cases and faces a burgeoning health catastrophe as a direct result of the military's brutality and administrative failures since its coup six months ago. The violence and the military crackdown that followed have also displaced hundreds of thousands of people, and up to 2.8 million additional people may be facing food shortages, he said. His appeal for Security Council action follows a call two days ago by Tom Andrews, the UN special investigator on human rights in Myanmar, for the Security Council and the UN's 193 member states to push for an emergency ceasefire in light of an explosion of coronavirus infections and deaths. Too many in Myanmar have needlessly perished and too many more will die without action by the United Nations, Andrews warned. The UN must act immediately to halt the military junta's attacks, harassment and detentions in the midst of a COVID-19 crisis ... So that doctors and nurses can provide life-saving care and international organizations can help deliver vaccinations and related medical care. DeLaurentis told the informal council meeting that Myanmar's military has said it doesn't plan to honor commitments it made in April at a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, known as ASEAN. Myanmar, previously known as Burma, belongs to the 10-member regional group. So what are we waiting for DeLaurentis asked council members. This council is failing in our collective responsibility to safeguard international peace and security. And it is failing the people of Burma. We must do more, and we must do more now. At the ASEAN summit, leaders issued a five-point action plan that calls for stopping violence, constructive dialogue, appointment of an ASEAN special envoy as mediator, humanitarian aid and the mediator's visit to Myanmar. But a day after attending the summit, Myanmar's junta leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, said he would consider the five points when the situation in Myanmar is stable, and in May he reportedly told Chinese television he didn't see that the five points could be implemented. Gum San Nsang of the Kachin Political Interim Coordination Team, which advocates for the rights of the Kachin ethnic groups in northern Myanmar, said in a virtual briefing to the council that while we consider ASEAN's five-point consensus to be a great step forward, the current health crisis demands immediate robust action. Nsang called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to urgently convene a meeting with key parties including ASEAN and China to dispatch teams to communities to administer coronavirus vaccines and provide humanitarian assistance. He called on the Security Council to impose an arms embargo and no-fly zone along Myanmar's borders with China, India and Thailand, to impose sanctions on senior military leaders and state-owned enterprises, and to refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court for prosecution for the alleged crime of aggression against civilians. Opponents of the military have been seeking alliances with ethnic minority groups as a way to strengthen their resistance. At least 20 ethnic minorities, including the mainly Christian Kachin, have kept up on-again, off-again armed struggles for greater autonomy for decades. Nsang said that despite pain and suffering, sickness and disease, hardship and terror, We can see light at the end of the tunnel. "We see the Feb. 1 coup has placed the nation on to fast track to national unity and national cohesion," he said. Solidarity within and across ethnic and religious communities is at a sobering height. In Kachin state, the inter-tribal tensions which we witnessed up until even before the coup hardly exist now. Susanna Hla Hla Soe, minister for women in the National Unity Government set up by ousted lawmakers, said in a virtual briefing that food is getting scarce, the economy is collapsing and the health system has collapsed with a new wave of COVID-19 spreading like wildfire across the country. Soe called the military junta's report of 6,000 positive coronavirus cases and 400 deaths from COVID-19 just the tip of the iceberg, citing the lack of a data collection system. There is also growing evidence that the military council is purposely targeting the health care workers,? she said, saying that more than 250 attacks on front-line workers and medical staff have been documented this year. Louis Charbonneau, UN director for Human Rights Watch, criticized the Security Council for not having started negotiations on a resolution to address Myanmar's crisis. The General Assembly already called for an arms embargo on Myanmar, he said. The Security Council should urgently follow up and impose a global arms embargo on Myanmar, targeted sanctions on military leaders and associated companies, and a ban on gas revenues to the junta. General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, unlike Security Council resolutions. And the 119-1 vote in the General Assembly, with 36 abstentions, reflected divisions that would make it difficult to get agreement on a council resolution. Among the countries abstaining were China and Russia, which are among the five council members with power to veto action.